Messes and More Messes

I wanted to take a minute to explain my new blog heading. I wanted to take a minute to explain my purpose and to let everyone know that my house is not always so messy... only most days :) I feel like the picture in the middle of the stacks of laundry explain my current feeling on life. It sometimes feels endless, and like our trials are neverending, but once we get through it and get our lives put back together again, we look back and realize it wasn't THAT bad... and the next trial will be less stressful. And also, as soon as we get through one trial, we realize another one has been building up as we are living through this one... note the laundry pile in the background that has somehow multiplied while my back was turned! Someday I will be able to keep up on the laundry- I am really getting better and its not nearly as dreaded of a task for me anymore. All it took is me spending a night tearing my laundry room apart and loading up my van with bags and boxes of useless crap to send to DI, and *poof* laundry is bearable again!! Someday my house will have mopped and vacuumed floors that stay clean for more than 10 minutes. But I love that Tyson tells me that he loves me 20 times a day, and that Brock can't go to sleep without me giving him hugs and kisses, and that Marleigh loves sitting on my lap reading stories, and Sophie loves being cuddled on my lap for hours at a time, and Carter loves telling me all about the pictures he draws. Yes, my house may look like a mess, but it is filled with love. I love my little messmakers!!

Happy Holidays!

I thought I would start off the month with a quick post, because I know the month will get away from me quickly. Thanksgiving is now behind us, and I am so thankful for so much. I am so grateful for a loving family. I am grateful for those that are so willing to help even when I don't realize I need their help. I am grateful for the gospel and the sacrifices made so that we could all have eternal life. I am grateful for the trials and blessings that have come our way this year that have strengthened our family and increased our faith.
I love this time of year. I love the decorating, the music, the snow (sometimes), and the feeling in the air. I love the excitement and magic. I love the focus on Christ and family. Its somewhat of a struggle for me every year with the commercialism all around us, and every year I tell myself, "Next year will be different. Next year we will focus more on the true meaning of Christmas." So today, right now, I make that commitment- this year WILL be different. This year we will put put the Christ in Christmas.
Happy Holidays to all of you!

A Quiet Moment, Quick Update

The house is quiet, kids and hubby are asleep, so here is a quick update... May 1st we got to bring Sophie home. She has been such a fun addition to our family. She is such a good baby and so fun to cuddle! I try to enjoy every minute because I have learned from past experience that they dont stay little very long. It is a little sad knowing she will be the last baby in our family, but I am so glad that we have created "sisters." I think back to my own childhood, and I am so glad that I had a sister close in age to me. We were (and are) best friends, and I couldn't imagine how different life would have been without her!! And now I have 2 little sisters that I am raising, and I am so excited about that! Marleigh is so motherly, and wants to hold and cuddle Sophie all the time. Unfortunately she doesn't know her own strength and is a little too rough without meaning to. The boys all love having a baby in the house, too, and love to hold her and try to make her smile.

I am looking forward to summer and having the kids home, but it is also a little overwhelming, too. It is always fun to get out and do things as a family, and enjoy the warm summer months. It's just a little stressful keeping track of and taking care of all 5, all day every day. They are growing so fast, though, and before I know it, they will all be teenagers and I won't be able to see where they are at all times, and know what they are doing. I just hope I can raise them to be good people, and that when they aren't under my feet, they will be making good choices. What a task we have as mothers! In a lot of the talks in conference, they talked about the important role parents have today, and all the struggles we face and will be facing, and how important it is to raise our children with good values so that they will be strong enough to make good choices when they are faced with the challenges of the world. I know that the challenges I had as a teenager are so minimal compared to the challenges kids face now, and that my kids will be faced with in a few years. They are so much smarter than I was, though. I know that each generation is stronger than the last, and that my kids will be able to handle situations wisely, as long as I do my part as a parent. Anyway, I am rambling and getting sidetracked... but thats what has been happening here, and a few thoughts I have been pondering, and here are a few pictures of my cute little "babies"...

Welcome Baby Sophie!!

I guess I need to come up with a new blog title since we are now Marleigh, SOPHIE, and their brothers! I need to back way up though. We began our exciting spring break week with our kids back on April 3rd with a great conference/ Easter weekend. Unfortunately, the kids and Nate were sick all weekend. Nate had a burst eardrum, and the kids all had a random assortment of coughs, fevers and ear infections. We had a fun itinerary planned for every day of the kids spring break, and Nate even managed to get the week off of work. We woke up Monday morning to cold rainy weather, and decided to have a jammie day, order chinese food, and ended up staying home. Marleigh had a fever and slept literally all day, and was sounding really wheezy. I took her to the after hours clinic at 9:30 that night, and within 30 minutes they were giving her a breathing treatment, and had her hooked up to oxygen. Her oxygen levels were dropping, so the doctor said we were going to have to admit her to the hospital. The nurse and I traipsed out in the snow next door to the hospital, me in flip flops, 8 months pregnant, though 4 inches of snow, carrying a sick little Marleigh. They took chest x-rays and got her hooked up to an IV and oxygen, and determined she had RSV, pnemonia, and the beginning stages of asthma. Nate came and took over for me around midnight so that I could get a good nights rest. Tuesday and Wednesday showed little improvement. Nate took the boys out for the day on Wednesday, and I stayed with Marleigh, and slept Wednesday night with her at the hospital. 5 am Thursday morning, I started having contractions. They were close together, but not very strong, so I went back to sleep and tried to ignore them. By 11 am, they were pretty painful, but still not very regular, but not going away. I tried drinking lots of water, walking them off, nothing was working. I called Nate and he arranged a babysitter for the boys and came up to the hospital. I went down a floor to labor and delivery to have them check me, and I was completley dilalated with a baby sitting sidways. My midwife was stuck in Salt Lake, so they called in another doctor. He came in around 1:30, and told me they couldnt safely turn her, so they quickly wheeled me in for an emergency c-cection, and little Sophie Jane was born at 2:31 pm, 4 1/2 weeks early, weighing in at 4 lbs. 6 oz, and 18 inches long. Nate referes to that day as the biggest WTF day of our life. It was. Later that day, I was laying alone in a morphine fog, Nate upstairs with our sick little 18 month old, and our new little Sophie in the NICU hooked up to oxygen, and the boys at home with grandma, not realizing the extent of all that had happened that day. Wonderful neighbors stepped in and took care of the kids, cleaned our house, and began organizing meals. We were truely blessed through our trial. I will never be able to repay my friends, neighbors, family- especially my amazing mom!! She stepped in and helped so much, and stayed and helped me through my first (and last!!!) c-section recovery. At the moment, I am doing much better, Marleigh is healthy and strong, and suddenly so grown up and self-sufficient, and Sophie, still in the NICU is getting bigger and stronger every day. We are so excited for the day we will be able to bring her home. She needs to be able to drink from a bottle at every feeding, and retain her body temperature. Updates to come soon! Thanks to everyone for thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes!

Being a Mom

So I realize I am not a very good blogger, but I do like to pop in and check on everyone else's every once in a while. I think I am not good at keeping up on my own blog because I have adult ADD. I can't seem to start one thing and finish it, I get bored watching commercials, I forget what I am saying mid-sentence, and as I am typing this, I have to keep going back to the "facebook" tab. My brain is a jumbled mess, but I am going to blame that on my children, merely because I know I wasn't this forgetful and scatterbrained before children. Maybe I was, I can't really remember my life without them! I am so grateful for all of them. Each one adds a special touch to our family, and and I couldn't imagine life without them. They give me a sense of purpose and meaning, and make my life more enjoyable. Hopefully my brain can function well enough to remember the experience! Its amazing how much you give up for your kids- your body, your time, your job, sleep, sanity, brain, sex life, freedom. But, really, its all worth it. To bring a child into this world, and look at their tiny little face, and hold their tiny little hand, and realize that two people created this amazing little person, and it is up to you to raise this child, teach this child, and love this child unconditionally. What a wonderful gift Heavenly Father has given to us!! What a huge responsibility, but worth every single second! So yes, my brain may be mush, my body misshapen, I wouldn't have it any other way. The joy of being a mom is absolutely amazing!! Here's to all you wonderful moms out there! Way to go!!

Thankful Thursday

This is my very first attempt at a Thankful Thursday, but I just have a lot on my mind that I am thankful for this morning.
1. I am thankful for the invention of deodorant and brushes. I now brush my hair and put on deodorant and call that getting ready for the day. Its amazing how things change when you have little ones at your feet!
2. I am thankful for the elementary school behind my back fence. I love being in my kitchen and seeing all the kids running around at recess.
3. I am thankful for teachers that care about my kids future. We had a bad year last year, so this year, having 2 teachers that are honestly concerned and try to help if they are struggling really means a lot to me.
4. I am grateful for deals! I love the after Christmas sales and finding a good deal. I think I will be heading over to Old Navy later to check out their clearance- I heard it was 50% off clearance prices- can't beat that! And also, for any of you that shop at kid to kid, the 28th - 31st they are having their big clearance sale- at least the Bountiful and Layton locations are, don't know about the rest, but they have some amazing deals, and have a lot of things marked down to $1.00!! And the more you spend, the more you save- they give you an extra 25% off when you spend $30 or more, and 10% off everything that's not clearance- I think I might be getting my double stroller during this sale! okay, okay, sorry, back on track....
5. I am thankful for individuality. I am so amazed how 4 kids all from the same genes are so different, and add their own special touch to our family. I love being a mom, and watching them grow.
6. I am grateful to have the chance to stay home and be a mom. I am definitely underpaid and often underappreciated, but I wouldn't change it for anything.
7. I am also thankful for TV. I know, I really shouldn't be thankful for it, but it helps me to be able to take a shower in peace, throw in a load of laundry, or clean the kitchen without worrying about what the kids are doing.
8. I am thankful for church. I don't love having to get the kids dressed up every Sunday and racing to get out the door on time, but I love the lessons learned there. There are the scripture stories and learning about Jesus, and also the life skills- sitting still, working as a group and getting along with others, and listening skills. I also love our ward and all the fabulous teachers, and the lifelong friendships that have started to develop.
9. I am grateful to have a roof over our head! This is the longest we have ever stayed in one place, and I love the stability, and how much this feels like home. It may be a mess most of the time, but I love having somewhere to call home that we know we won't be leaving in a few months.
10. I am also grateful for friends and family! I am totally a homebody, and am a little on the anti-social side, but it is nice to have people that care about me, and to be able to have people there to listen to me when I need them, and also to be a friend to, in return. And thanks to all of you that made it though my rambling blog post- thanks for listening and being a great friend!!

Goodbye 2009, HELLO 2010!

Yes, I can hear the shocked gasps from all of you... Emily is actually blogging. Believe me, it took a lot to yank myself away from Facebook, but I did do it!
I have been reflecting on all that has happened in 2009, and I can honestly say I am glad its over. There were a lot of good memories, a lot of struggles, a lot of growth, but I am looking forward to the coming year. I am not big on goal setting, but, here are a few loose goals for myself:
1. I am planning on gaining AND loosing weight this year, since in May we will be welcoming baby #5. Although we thought we were done having babies, I guess telling everyone that you are done having babies is not very effective birth control! We are so excited to be having another girl!
2. Plant a garden and have it produce more than peas and zucchini. Last year was our first attempt, and we didn't do so well. Apparently peas and zucchini are no fail plants though! I would also like to actually do something with all the apples from the 2 huge apple trees in our backyard- maybe this year I will learn to can. Or maybe next year...
3. Be more patient. I am not good at being patient, never have been. I hate to wait for people, hate not knowing what will happen next. I also need to be more patient with the kids and my hubby- remember that the messes are temporary, just enjoy the little things in life- laugh more, listen more.
4. Less late nights, less caffeine. This one is pretty self explanatory.
5. Be a better meal planner, and be better budgeter. Again, self explanatory... and finally,
6. Blog more? Well, we'll see.

Pictures, finally!!

SO here are a few pictures to go with my last post- I'm so lucky to have friends that take pictures of my kids! Thanks Josh and Jen!!
Here is Nate with the first catch of the day. It was a little too small to eat, though, so this one went back in the water.

Here is Brock, Carter, Tyson, and Seth with the big fish that Carter caught. This one they broght home and cooked

Tyson and Carter with their fishing pole- so cute!!

What an exciting couple of weeks!!

So here is a summary of our last couple of weeks, minus pictures, so sorry, because again, I lost my camera, but found it again, so more pics to come soon! The weekend of the 18th, we went to Star Valley, WY, for my bff Dena's sons baptism. We got there a few minutes late, but got there in time for the baptism. I gave an frazzled, unorganized talk on the holy ghost, and Nate confirmed Spencer. It was so great to be a part of this special day! We had a bbq at the park after, then spent the night at Dena and Johns house. The kids all started off in the tent, but one by one, they ended up in the house because they were scared. I cant really blame them, they do live in the mountains, a little scarier than sleeping in our backyard in the city! The next day, we went to Denas parents and rode horses. It was a first for my kids, and pretty exciting for everyone. The following Thursday, we were off for another adventure at our friends the Burbanks in Idaho for fishing. We got there in time for dinner Thursday, and went to a great, fun, pack meeting at their church, then the boys got up at 5:30 am to go fishing. They all had great success, but only one was big enough to eat, so we had sandwiches and shared their "catch" for lunch. I didn't eat it, but the kids and dads liked it! Marleigh and I had a lot of fun hanging out at their house with Jen and baby Melanie. Its always so fun to get together with them! This weekend, we had a family swim party in Spanish Fork, then on to my uncle Matt and Aunt Karla's for pizza and cake to celebrate my sister. Lindsay's bday. The swim party was so fun, and well planned by Leah, and Karla went to so much work to having stuff for the kids, and making a great cake for Lindsay, and getting Lindsay's favorite ice cream, and plates in her favorite color, she's so great like that! Sunday we went to my mom and dads ward to hear them speak, then on to their house for a bbq with everyone- my brother Austin moved to Indianapolis last year, and was in town, it was so great to spend time with him, and my sis and her boys, and grandpa and grandma, and my aunt Tawnya, her husband, and their 3 kids- they just moved from Germany, and after their family vacation, they are on to Japan. How amazing that is! It was so good to see them! SO that is my summary, and maybe my next post will be a pictures only post to make up for my lack of pictures- sorry again! Only one more month of summer, so we will be cramming in a few more things before school starts, and taking lots of pics!

Dinosaur Park

I have again lost my camera. I am sure it was abducted by aliens, because I remember taking some cute pictures of the kids last Thursday buying ice cream from the ice cream truck and setting it on the table. I haven't seen it since and its making me crazy!!! The kids are still trying to figure out why the ice cream truck comes down our street and doesn't go down the street their friend lives on. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that every cent of their allowance has been spent buying overpriced ice cream. They are good at bargaining though. Carter only had 75 cents, and the lady let him pick a $1.00 ice cream. I thought that was nice! Okay, back on topic... So, Nate has Wednesdays off, and we have been trying to plan a fun family thing for Wednesdays, and have been doing a lot of fun things. Last week, we went to the Ogden Dinosaur Park. It was a little warm and it's almost completely outside, but it was a lot of fun! We went there a couple of years ago with Dena and Spencer, but haven't been back since, which is crazy, since it is so close and so fun. I guess cost is becoming more and more of an issue, though now that we have to pay for 3 kids. I payed $6.00 last month for the Utah Kids Club Card. It has tons of discounts, even buy one get one free discounts at a bunch of places. I hadn't used it even once, but the Dinosaur park had buy one adult admission, get a child's admission free, so we saved $10.00, every little bit helps, right? So, again, back on track... Here are a few of the pictures from our day, and if any of you happen to run into the alien that abducted my camera, would you mind telling him/her that I really really need my camera back?

After the dinosaur park, we went to Chuck-a-rama. Not my first pick, but everyone gets what they want, gets full, and no waiting (that's the best part!) And yes, Carter can ate this entire piece of chicken, down to the bone!!

My little monkeys in their cage

I don't think they realize that they are about to be attacked by a T-Rex

Carter, Tyson and Brock posing with the stegosaurus

Hopefully I have my camera back soon, so I can keep posting our summer adventures! Here is the website for the dinosaur park if any of you are interested in checking it out:

www.dinosaurpark.org

A New Dress!

So I found my camera, but there aren't a whole lot of pictures to post, because the dang thing has been missing since, well, since I took these cute pics of Marleigh 2 weeks ago in the dress that Nate's mom made. Isn't it amazing?? We keep telling her she could make some good money with her knitting talents, but she would rather spend her time on facebook playing farmtown, so only the privileged receive beautiful, handmade, time-consuming gifts. We are so lucky! She is so very talented! Thank you thank you grandma Davis!

First Month of Summer Break

I apologize now for not having pics, but have misplaced my camera, have no idea where it is. And I tend to forget it for all the good stuff anyway. I always enjoy the pics on other peoples blogs, so again, I'm sorry. But here is month one of summer break in a nutshell. he last day of school for the kids was June 5th. On the 6th, Hill Airforce Base had their huge airshow, so we had my parents, my sister, Lindsay, and my sister Ashleigh and her 2 boys over for a bbq, including Nate's famous smoked ribs. He's always looking for an excuse to fire up his smoker! Around 3, the airshow really got underway. We could see most of it from our backyard, but there are a lot of trees blocking the way, so we ended up walking over to the school to watch. It was absolutely amazing!! Later that night, Brock told my sister he thought he had swine flu because he felt like he had a fever. He really did have a little bit of a fever, but seemed fine otherwise. That night we actually had to take him to WeCare- the 24 hour doctor, because he was having problems with his asthma, and nothing we could do at home was helping. We were there at 1 am, and by 7 am Sunday morning, Nate took him back to check his oxygen levels, and he was doing horribly, and they said to go straight to the emergency room. They checked him into the hospital, where he stayed until Wednesday morning. It was so sad to see him laying in a hospital bed so miserable. At one point Sunday, they were talking about airlifting him to Primary Children's in Salt Lake because he wasn't getting better after the heavy doses of steroids and breathing treatments. They did check him for the flu, and no, he did not have swine flu! He was so bored and wanted to go home so bad, so we were glad to come home Wednesday! Wednesday night, Tyson was having the same issues. He has not been diagnosed with asthma, but they did have us do breathing treatments every 4 hours on him until in got better. So every 4 hours, breathing treatments on 2 kids- loads of fun!! By Friday, though, everyone was feeling better, and we went to the discount night at the Treehouse museum in Ogden. It is a great, fun place that is fun for the whole family! Highly recommended by me and my family! The 17th was our anniversary, and a couple days prior to that, we got a call offering a free night stay in Park City, all we had to go on a tour of their resort (aka a timeshare presentation). We stayed there Tuesday night- the whole family, and had a great time swimming, going to the Olympic park- they have a fun, interactive ski museum, and a place that you can watch the ski jumpers training. The kids loved it!! Yeah, we didn't spend our anniversary alone, but it was fun to get away and enjoy the mountains! Ant the kids are the greatest things that have happened in our lives since we got married 9 years ago. We have spent a few days at my grandmas visiting with family that we only get to see once or twice a year, we went a couple of days ago and saw Transformers- amazing, by the way, but LONG for the little ones. Wednesday was free family night at the Surf and Swim here in Layton, so we went to that, and have been enjoying the warm days when they come our way in the kiddie pool in the backyard. We have also been doing workbooks to keep the kids learning and hopefully be ready for this next school year, and have been doing chores- some days are better than others! As I write this, the kids are downstairs arguing more than cleaning, and may just be downstairs all day! They could be done in 30 minutes if they wanted to! So that is month one in a nutshell. Its amazing how quick the time goes! I will try to find my camera and do better at documenting! Hope all of you are having a wonderful summer!

Fun day at the Zoo

Saturday morning my sister and I planned a spontaneous trip to the zoo with the kids, then invited my mom and sister, Lindsay to go with us. It was a cool, overcast day, and there was a little bit of a breeze, so it ended up being a perfect day for the zoo. It was a little rough pulling a wagon with 2 toddlers up and down the hills, but we all traded off, and got a good workout. Lots of fun, can't wait for the rest of the summer activities!!

Here's grandma with Marleigh and Ollie in the stroller, and me with Tyson and Kahner in the wagon.

Ollie and Marleigh enjoying the stroller

My crazy boys!!

Brock and Carter with Aunt Lindsay

The boys all wanted to use the camera, so I'm not sure who took this one, but I love it!!

Brocks Baptism

Okay, a week later, I am finally getting around to blogging Brock's baptism. Yes, I am a slacker mom, and I am blogging because my sister posted Brock's baptism before I got to it, so, Ashleigh, thanks for motivating me- and no, not sarcastically, really, thank you!!
We planned the baptism for 5:00 pm so my grandparents would be able to make it, because they are temple workers at the Jordan River temple on Saturdays. I didn't want to have everyone crammed into my house, so after the baptism, we ate and hung out at the church. I didn't really spend any time cleaning my house because everyone was going to meet at the church. However, several people showed up early, so I had about 30 or so people in my house in its "natural state"- so yes, now everyone knows how much work goes into me getting ready for as group! I was slightly embarrassed, but then chose not to care and put the focus on getting ready for the baptism. We started out in the Relief Society room, and the bishop asked if we had a program, since he was conducting. No, I didn't have a program, or songs picked out, or pianists, choristers, or prayers assigned. Hello!! I quickly jotted down who was doing what, called on grandparents to pray, and thankfully, Christine stepped in to play the piano, and I used my skills from 8th grade choir to muddle through leading the songs! I asked my brother Jared to give the talk on baptism a few days before, and he did an awesome job. He is getting ready to leave on his mission, so it was pretty special to have him participate. Brock really looks up to him, and he is a great example to Brock, as well as the his other nephews. After Jared's talk, we walked to the other side of the church to the font. Brock was baptized by Nate, and they both did everything perfect. Brock is such a great example to his brothers, and they were so excited to get to see him go under the water. We then went back over to the Relief Society room while they were changing, and our bishop said a few words about the important role everyone in the room plays in helping Brock make the right decisions, and to guide him in his life. I really appreciated the words from Bishop Houston. I had a hard time holding the tears back, because I have a niece and nephew that were there that have not been baptized, but are old enough to be, and I love them so much, and wish that they had the same blessings. My little nephew told his mom later, while we were eating dinner, that he wanted to get baptised. He is such a sweetie, and has such a strong spirit, but his family is not active right now, and unfortunately, that is holding him back. (They aren't against him being baptised, they just want him to understand what it means, and take it seriously if he chooses to get baptised.) I am glad that Brock was an example to him, and that it has never been a question for him. He knew he wanted to be baptised when he turned 8. After Nate and Brock came back in the room, I gave a talk on the holy ghost, and talked about repentance, then he was confirmed- also another special first for Jared to get to participate in. We all went into the gym after the confirmation, and ate and enjoyed each others company. After everyone left, and the cleanup was done, we headed home. That night, I noticed a different boy. Brock was so calm and peaceful- I had never seen him as peaceful as I did that day. It was so amazing. The next day was Easter, and still, this calm little boy, that now had the holy ghost with him. You could feel the Spirit so strongly! Sunday night at bedtime, Carter said to me, "but mom, what if we get scared?" and Brock answered, "it's okay Carter, we'll be safe, I have the Holy Ghost with me now." and yes, I am tearing up as I remember and type this. I hope that I can always be an example to my children, and that they will always have a strong desire to stand up for their beliefs, make good choices, and be an example to others. Brock also commented that night that he is glad he got baptized, because it is the first step to getting to heaven. If we could all remember those basics and simplify things in our own lives. Thank you Brock, for being an example to your brothers and sister, and also to your mom and dad!!
This is Brock with Sister Mirenaka, his Primary teacher. She is so sweet, and is such a great example. We love her!! She gave Brock a baptism pillowcase, and Brock was so excited to come home and color it and put it on his pillow.

Nate and Brock before the baptism- Brock was SO excited!

Spring Break

I always love having a break from the schedule and having the kids home, at least for the first few days, anyway. I had big plans for getting the house organized this week- I thought maybe it would be easier without having to drop everything to go pick up Carter at 11:30, then Brock at 3:30. Unfortunately, I didnt get my house organized, but we did have a fun week. Monday the kids spent outside playing with the neighbor kids while I caught up on laundry. Tuesday was definitely the funnest day. When Nate got home from work, we went to the Hill Aerospace Museum in Roy. We have been there a few times, and love it every time. The best thing about it: its absolutely FREE!! Love it!! Anyway, anyone with kids, you need to go- it is amazing! Its right off the Roy exit- you can see all the airplanes outside from the freeway, and its super easy to get to. There are tons of airplanes inside and out. My kids love military/war stuff, so they think its great. Nate likes to read all the signs and learn the history side of things, so the kids and I usually end up a ways in front of him, but it all works out. My dad was always like that on vacation growing up, so it doesnt bother me. The kids just dont quite have the attention span to sit and wait, or to read the plaques at this point- someday though!! The best part was this room we found that wasnt there the last time we went- there are flight simulators, toys, computer games, and cute kid sized flight suits for them to try wear as they are "flying" the planes- so cute! We spent a couple of hours there, then went to West Valley to see Nates brothers new truck. He is a truck driver for CR England, and they have a truck leasing program, and he just got a brand new truck. He had a manatory 32 hour break, so we went out and saw him, and we got a little tour of the CR England facility- pretty cool- they have big laouge with big screens, workout rooms, arcades (why do truck stops always have arcades? I don't get it!!) and they have dorms for them to sleep in, a bank, a little store- I was pretty amazed!! Corey let us climb into his truck and showed the kids his bed, and tv, and let them all honk the big horn- Tyson just tryed the little one on the steering wheel, but they were all pretty impressed. I was pretty impressed, too! Its amazing how much space is really in the cabs of those trucks!! It was a lot of fun to see Corey, and he seems so happy! I guess he is just made to explore! We did have to cut it a little short with Corey to get Brock to scouts- its not really an option for him to miss scouts- he totally loves it! The rest of the week was spent at home for the most part. We wanted to get out to Antelope Island, but it was a little too cold. We did make it to our new favorite pizza place in Syracuse for the lunch buffett Wednesday. All you can eat gourmet pizza- can't go wrong with that (and the 2 youngest are free- so $18.00 total for unlimited pizza, salad, breadsticks, drinks and pasta- love it!!) Friday night, we had a cousin sleepover with Kristiana and Kaleb. We love having them over, and everyone plays so well together. They all walked to the school on Saturday to play on the playground, which happens to be across my back fence, so they played for a few hours there, and had a ton of fun. Saturday night was Brocks baptism, but I will save that for another post. It was absolutely amazing, though, and he seems like a different kid! He told Carter tonight that he didnt need to be scared, because "I have the Holy Ghost now." How sweet is that?? I'm so proud of my kids, and I so loved having this week with them, but I look forward to getting back to the routine tommorrow!

Conference Weekend and Hmong Food

This conference weekend we went to Brock and Christine's house up in Green River, WY. We always have a lot of fun with those guys, and our boys love their boys. Poor Christine is pregnant and is feeling pretty sick right now- I felt so bad for her! I can honestly say I don't miss those days, even a little bit! Nata and Brock made egg rolls, phu, sticky rice, and papaya salad. The egg rolls were awesome, as usual, the phu was a new one for us, and everyone tried it and liked it okay- it was a meat and noodle soup, I just tried a bite of one of the kids, but it was kinda bland without all of the toppings that get added in. the sticky rice was good, but we forgot the bamboo rice cooker, so we improvised with a pot and colander, and it took forever, so everyone was full by the time it was done, so we all just tried a little bit of it, but it was good! The papaya salad was an adventure. It smelled so gross, looked nasty, and I think 4-year-old Carson described it perfectly when he called it muddy, gooey stuff. No one, including Nate and Brock, ended up liking it. Maybe the measurements were a little off, who knows, but it was something I couldn't make myself try after smelling it. It was so great to get away and with the drive home, and sunny weather, I have a renewed sense of energy and optimism. I came home and cleaned and dejunked my room, and and hoping the rest of the house will follow. Today is laundry day, so haven't taken on any new projects yet today. The kids are on spring break this week, so hopefully it will be a great and productive week for all of us!! Thanks Brock and Christine for opening up your house to us, and putting up with us! It is always fun to get together with you guys!!

Happy Birthday Brock!

So better late than never, right? Brocks birthday was on the 21st, and I have just kinda spaced blogging it. We are baptizing him on the 11th, so it is a little bit of a spread out celebration. We kept the day pretty simple. He hasn't ever went to school on his bday because it is the end of the term at school, so they always get an exra day off. His bday was on a Sauturday this year, but he got the monday after off, too, so extra days to enjoy his bday. On the 13th, I went to school and had lunch with him at the birthday table. Our elementary school has one friday a month that they celabrate that months birthday, and the school pays for lunch for mom or dad to come have lunch with their birthday kid. SO fun! School lunch is not necessarily something to get excited over, but it was fun to have that special time with Brock. (I also love that our school have free breakfast in the mornings for all the students- even the kindergarteners- my kids can get up 10 minutes before they need to leave for school, and still get a healthy breakfast- LOVE it!!)
Nate and I went to our friend, Jeremys, surprise party on Friday night, the 20th, so my little sis Lindsay came to stay with the boys (and play American Idol on the Wii), and stayed the night, so she was here Saturday for Brocks bday. We told him he had to wait until 12:13 pm to open his presents, but didn't end up sticking to that! He was most excited about Cabelas Big Game Hunter (A video game for the Wii) and the gun to go with it. He has been having a lot of fun with it, and is getting really good at it. We didn't go anywhere that day- just vegged at home, and gave Brock unlimited game time. It was so great to just hang out together at home. Everyone was happy, and it was a heck of a lot cheaper! We decided not to do a party beacuse we wanted to keep the focus on his baptism, and focus on celabrating that. He was a little bummed for a minute, but he did have his bff, Spencer, here the Sunday and Monday after his bday, so that was good enough for him.
Here is Brock opening up his new game- look how happy!!

These are some Star Wars minifigures that Cater picked out for him. Also a huge hit

So Brock wanted a hunting cake- I went all over the place trying to find forest animals, but couldn't find them anywhere! I ended up at Walmart, and bought a $2.00 bag of safari animals and picked out the best ones. I was cracking up as I was looking through the bag of aniamls, because there was a little rhino that was smaller than the tiger, the tiger and the elephat were the same size, and the gorilla was bigger than the tiger and the elephant. So, yeah, I did have to be pretty selective to find animals that would work! I made a devils food cake, frosted it with vanilla frosting- I tinted a little bit of the frosting blue for my tiny little pond, then I took oreos with chocolate filling, and crushed them and coved the rest of the cake with the crumbs to look like dirt. I am a horrible cake froster, so I am a big fan of the cookie crumb coverup on cakes!

I still can't beleive that my "baby" is 8- I remember when Nate and I were first married, and I was in the nursery in our ward, and I would look at families with older kids, and I couldn't imagine ever getting to that stage. Now we are here, and the time went so fast! I always tell my kids they can't grow up, but they just keep doing it! We have the baptism in a week, then Tysons bday a couple of weeks later, then Carters a couple of weeks after that, so this is just the fisrt "birthday season" installment- hopefully I will be able to stay on top of it all!

1 Word Tag

your cell phone is: useful
your significant other is: awesome
your hair: blah
your mother: amazing
your father: witty
your favorite thing: camera
your dream last night: dreamless
your dream goal: skinny
your favorite room: bedroom
your hobby: blogging!
your fear: loss
where U want 2 B in 6 years: Here
where U were last night: home
what you're not: wise
1 of your wish list items: cleanliness
where U grew up: Bountiful
the last thing U 8: waffles
what U R wearing: capris
your TV: off
your pet: none
your computer: lifeline
your mood: calm
missing someone: yes
your car: van
you're NOT wearing: shoes
your favorite store: target
your summer: short
favorite color: pink
the last time you laughed: last night
last time you cried: dunno

I tag anyone who happens to read this- Its easy and fun- and thanks Jenny B. for the tag!

Jedi Robe Pictures

So here are the boys in their Jedi robes "Smiling" for the camera

In this one, I told them to make a "Jedi" face- look how serious Brock looks- he cracks me up! He is sooo into acting things out and cries if we tell him the Star Wars world doesn't exist! The pattern also includes a piece that they wear under the robe, but I didn't have the material for that, but Brock asks me every day (okay, so twice...) when I am going to make the other piece. Thanks all of you that left such nice comments on my last post- I look up to all of you and think you are great moms, too!!

Here is the link for the pattern: www.degraeve.com/jedirobe/

The Things We Do For Our Kids

So as a little follow up to the Jedi Training Brock and Carter did at Disneyland... Brock was so sure that if you got picked, you got to keep the Jedi robes, because they saw a girl walking around in one. They did get picked during the Jedi Training Academy show, but, sadly, had to give back the robes and the "training" light sabers. I promised them we would go to the Star Wars store (at Disneyland) and I would let them pick something out. I didn't want to carry the stuff around all day, so we said at the end of the day we would go back and they could get something. It was a long day of "can we go to the Star Wars store yet?", and a lot of "If you ask us again, we won't go at all!!" "We will go back, just not now!!" Nate wasn't very happy that I had "promised" them we would go in the first place, but I'm a pushover, what can I say? So we went to the store, and immediately they started looking for the Jedi robes. We found them in the back of the store, and they were just the cheapie Halloween costume type robes, and they were $45.00!!! They were heartbroken when I told them no, but there was no way I was going to pay that much when I could go home and buy them for less than $20.00, or just make one. Brock ended up going with a pack of Star Wars mini figures, Carter picked a Ewok stuffed animal, and Tyson picked a little Yoda "Stitch" -its so cute! (It's also already in pieces somewhere in the van- Carter said he found the head, but now its lost again- haven't quite made it to the cleaning of the car, so I'm sure Stitch/Yoda will be back with us soon...) So, anyway, back on track... I got online yesterday and found a pattern for a Jedi robe. It looked simple enough for me to attempt, so I printed it out, read through the instructions, and in the notes at the bottom, it said that one reader had used a flat sheet to make theirs. So, off to Walmart I went with Carter, Tyson, and Marleigh in tow. I hate Walmart and try to avoid it, but I found it is less painful if you go during the day, and if I don't have all the kids- even one less helps!! I bought 3 flat sheets at $3.00 a piece, and went home to get started. It took me about an hour to make Carter's, and it turned out pretty good. He loved it, and he was outside playing in it all afternoon. Last night I made Brock's, and his went together pretty quick, but I did have to unpick and resew the hood on twice because I sewed it on inside out. I made Tyson's this morning, and whipped his up in about 30 minutes. The sleeves ended up a little short because I was a little hasty, but still, he loves it. They all had them on outside while they were playing with friends, and when Nate let Tyson go out, one of the neighbor kids said, "Even Tyson has one?" and looked like he was about to cry! Nate told me I should make some for all the neighbors- I'll have to think about that- that would be 4 more- it seems like a lot more work when it's not for my own kids! Just wanted to share, and yes, brag slightly- (I will post pics soon) I surprise myself when I actually pull off a sewing project- my mom is a whiz with a sewing machine and can do anything, but I am so impatient with it, that I usually end up having my mom fix things for me. Maybe I am just slowly turning into a grown-up, though. I am only 8 weeks away from 30, after all! (I told my mom one day I don't feel like a grown up, and she said sometimes she doesn't either. Maybe we never really have to grow up all the way.) Maybe someday I will like sewing and maybe even be kinda good at it, and maybe I will find joy instead of frustration when I make a pie from scratch- okay, that last one is definitely a stretch... but I do love to do things to make my kids happy, and if it means letting the housework go to make Jedi robes, so be it!! Nothing is as fulfilling as a sincere "Thanks Mom!!" Or "You should make this again, Mom!" Someday they will be embarrassed by me, maybe at some point say they hate me, so I treasure the time that they are little and think I know everything, and WANT to talk to me, and think I am the greatest girl in their life.