Our Crazy Little Corner

New and Improved!

2010-11-14T16:31:00.000-08:00

I have decided to revamp my blog a little, and I hope you'll hop on over and take a look. I will be posting here from now on.
http://www.ourcrazylittlecorner.blogspot.com/

Head on over and see my new (hopefully improved) site.

Halloween....just a little late.

2010-11-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

Here is my Genie, and my

little Minnie Mouse.

Brookie was as proud as a peacock to be Minnie Mouse. Which she called, "Minnie Mouse Clubhouse." (a little too much Disney channel?)

It took a while to find Ashlyn a Genie with a tummy. Perseverance paid off.

Conner and McKinley had some friends over for a party. They are such a great group of kids. Love em'!

Carving time!

2010-11-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

This year the BEST thing about Halloween was spending time together as a family. Honestly. When we have the whole gang together my heart just soars with joy. I know it sounds cheesy, but it is true. Especially when we are doing something that the big and little kids enjoy, and everyone is having a great time.

Brennan took his Boston Bruins pumpkin very seriously. It was a work of art.

Brothers goofing off and having a great time.

Will took charge of helping the kids carve. He was a great help, and I didn't have to deal with the guts. Yeah!

Brookie made a cute little kitty cat pumpkin. She was so proud of it.

Here is the whole gang (minus Emily who was sleeping) WE LOVE HALLOWEEN!

A shout-out to Oklahoma

2010-10-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

I have to give a shout-out to my little sister in Oklahoma.
SUSIE, YOU ROCK!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!

Susie was just accepted to the nursing program in Oklahoma. She is an amazing wife, fantastic mother, and NOW she will be the best nurse! This is something that Susie has wanted for a very long time, and Oklahomans can only hope to get sick and be cared for by her!

Pumpkin Pickin!

2010-10-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

Every year we take the kids to a nearby pumpkin patch and let them do their thing. It is such a treat to watch them search out the perfect pumpkin. Such a serious decision! It's also a great time for some photos.

When I announced it was time to go to the patch I expected some resistance from my big kids. (Mainly the boys) But they ran and jumped in the car just like everyone else. It was fun to see them help Brooklynn and Ashlyn. Ahhh, the rewards of parenting.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Sixteen Candles

2010-10-23T21:25:00.001-07:00

Things have been busy, so I am finally getting around to posting pictures of Brennan's 16th Birthday.

Brennan and a group of friends went out on the town to The Pie. It is one of Brennan's favorite places to eat.

The kids got an enormous pizza and dove in.

Will, Brennan and I went to Market Street Grill for breakfast. Another one of Brennan's fave's.

We followed breakfast with a trip to the hockey store where Brennan picked out a new pair of hockey skates. He only grew out of his last ones about a year ago, and just kept wearing them. Ouch!

Happy Birthday Brennan! We love you.

Five Weeks and Sixteen years

2010-10-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

Five weeks ago today I brought this little bundle of joy home from the hospital. But...

Sixteen years ago today I went into labor with this BIG bundle of joy. Of course he wasn't born sixteen years ago today. That would come 28 and a half hours after labor started. UG!

Time has flown by and so much has changed. Brennan is taller than both Will and I now. I have to look up to talk to him. I love him more than I ever knew I could love someone.

One Day Get Away

2010-10-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

Will had to travel down to Green River yesterday for work. He offered to take Brooklynn to give me a break. I thought it was a great idea, but then decided I wanted to go too. Crazy I know. But I was dying to get out of the house. I've been pretty cooped up with a new baby. Besides, what a great chance to spend time with my sweetheart. My favorite time was when there was no cell service, and I had his complete attention!

We left around 10:00 in the morning and didn't get home until around 9:30 at night. Just in time to see the first miner rescued. (Yee-Haw) The Tamarisk is a restaurant in Green River that Will and I discovered years ago. It overlooks the river, and is just charming and a little quirky. We try to stop by every time we go down.

Brooklynn takes a break. This area is at a hotel right next to the restaurant. You can see the river in the background. It was so peaceful. We watched two doves play in the trees. What a perfect afternoon.

This is the restaurant. Make sure you stop by next time you are driving through. The chicken with the avocado, tomato and cheese is super yum.

The A's

2010-10-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

Last week Brennan came home from practice and handed me two fabric letter A's and asked if I could help him sew them on to his hockey Jersey's. He had the cutest smile on his face and I could tell he was excited.

The A's stood for "Assistant Captain", which he had just been named. He was totally stoked. He was awarded "Most Improved" last season, and he has worked really hard, so this is a big deal for him. We are super proud of Brennan.

He posed for this picture, even though it looks like he didn't want it taken. It's just his "I'm too cool to smile" face.

Miss Piggy and a Daddy Daughter Date!

2010-10-07T20:58:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the Daddy-Daughter date for Activity Days. It was a Halloween themed party, and everyone was supposed to come in matching costumes. Ashlyn and Will did the 50's theme. Ash was so excited she could hardly stand it. They were all given pumpkins to decorate and bring.

They had an amazing time, and Miss Piggy even tied for first place. Ashlyn was beside her self with delight!

Traditions

2010-10-03T20:35:00.000-07:00

It was General Conference this weekend. We had a great time as a family playing conference bingo, eating yummy food, and listening to the Prophet.

We always make breakfast burritos in the morning. Everyone helped.

Later in the day we made fruit pizza. Ashlyn was a big helper.

The search is on

2010-09-30T10:09:00.001-07:00

Brennan turns 16 in October. I can hardly believe it. He wanted to buy his own car, but we wanted him to save his money for college and a mission. We decided to buy a "family car" that he would have access to, but we had control over. He still has to pay for his insurance and gas. (we want him to be responsible)

So we are on the hunt for the perfect vehicle. We would really love a natural gas or bi-fuel truck with four wheel drive. Finding one in the right price range without 200,000 miles on it has been the trick. We are not having much luck.

We checked out this one last Saturday. Brennan was in love, but it was a HUGE truck. Longer than a suburban. We feared for mailboxes everywhere decided to keep looking. We are now checking out natural gas cars, too. Bren found a camero last night on-line that he also fell in love with. Will and I laughed. Yeah, right.

So I guess we will just keep looking. Somewhere out there has to be the perfect car, right?? It will be great not to have to drive him to hockey all the time.

How we are doing

2010-09-27T17:50:00.000-07:00

This is pretty much how we are all feeling. Emily still has rough nights, and sleep can be hard to come by.

Our first visit

2010-09-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

Emily had her first Dr.'s appointment this week. I was excited to see how much she had grown. I was surprised and disappointed to find out that she still hasn't gotten back to her birth weight! She weighed in at 7 lbs. 4 ounces. 3 ounces less than when she was born. The Dr. didn't seem worried, but it stressed me out. Now I'm paranoid about how much and how often she is eating.

They did her PKU today. I hate that sooo much. Sixteen years ago, when Brennan, my oldest had his heal stuck, he started to cry, then I started to cry, and then the nurse started to cry. I was a little tougher this go around, but I still hate it.

Two short weeks.

2010-09-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

Emily turned two weeks old yesterday. The time has totally flown by. That could be because I am usually in a sleepless stupor most of the time. :)

I waited until too late in the day to take her pictures, and she was tired. (and not very happy with me.) Needless to say we did not get many pictures.

We are hanging in here around here. Last week Will had the Grandma's watch Brookie when he was gone. This is my first week on my own. Not as easy as I hoped it would be. It is very hard to divide my attention between Emily and Brooklynn when I feel like they both need me all of the the time. Once the big kids get home it is even crazier. I'm sure we will adjust at some point, but it's pretty insane right now. Will had been amazing and has bent over backwards to help. I don't know what I would do without him. He is totally the best.

My sweet little Emily.

One Week Ago

2010-09-14T21:13:00.001-07:00

One week ago today my sweet little Emily arrived. On Labor Day I decided to have all my wonderful children "labor" and do a little last minute house cleaning. We scrubbed and cleaned, and washed and painted. It was a busy day. As we went to bed that night Will said, "tonight would NOT be a good time for you to go into labor."

So when I woke up at 1:00 in the morning with a killer contraction, I let Will sleep. The contractions kept coming, but they were totally not normal. The were all very hard, but completely random. Some were 15 minutes apart, some 20 and one was even 40 minutes apart.

In the morning I called the Dr. and told him about my night. He told me to go to the hospital and have them check me out. We weren't sure about going since I wasn't really in labor, and the hospital was a ways away. My contractions even stopped once I was up walking around. But we threw the car seat and my bag in the car and went anyway.

Once there, they checked me. I was a 4 and %80. They decided to keep me. Will and I were both a little bit in shock. I have not been anywhere close to 9 days early. They put me on the lowest dose of pit, and less than two hours later Emily was here! We were still in shock! I think her labor made up for Brennan's 28 and a half hour labor.

All the kids came up to see her. Brennan came early with Grandpa, while my sweet mom brought up the rest a little bit later. I wish I had a picture of all the kids together.

So that's about it. She is finally here, and we are all totally in love with her.

YEE HAW!

2010-08-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

My Dr.'s apt. went well yesterday.

The Dr. said that I was dialated to a 2 and %50.

It was music to my ears. I can't wait to be done and hold my little sweetheart.

It is supposed to be 100 degrees today. UG!

I am running my errands early to try to avoid the heat.

Last night was a tough one. I think I had more contractions than ever before with this pregnancy. I might have gotten excited, but I don't come early. At least not 3weeks early. It made for a sleepless night.

But I'll hang onto my "2" and keep smiling.

P.s. does anyone know how to get ride of this dumb photobucket thingy that has popped up? It is driving me crazy, and I don't know how to get rid of it.

Dr.'s Apt.

2010-08-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

Today I am going in for my 37th week visit to the Dr.

I am hoping to report some progress.

My body sure feels like I'm ready to have this baby.

I'll let ya know how it goes.

Cross your fingers for me.

The rain

2010-08-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

Today I woke to grey skies. Soon the rain came in. Hard and fast. I sat on the couch and watched it pound down. It was awesome. It seemed like a gift from Heaven. The days have been hot and long, not to mention uncomfortable. It was so soothing to hear the rain pound down, and just relax. It has been hard to keep my spirits up all the time when I am so miserable, so this was a nice change.

My Dr.'s apt. went well. Our little one is head down and looking good. It just seems like forever before she will get here. The Dr. didn't check to see if I was dialated. Not that I really wanted to go through the fun of that, I just was hoping for some sign of progress. Each night I get a contraction every time I roll over. (which is a lot!) My carpal tunnel is getting worse, and even though I am wearing the ugly spints on my wrists all day and night, I am still waking up with tingling and pain. I am so ready to be done!!

I am teaching the lesson on Job this week in Sunday school. Ironic timing. It's a good reminder for me.

Stuff

2010-08-17T08:47:00.001-07:00

As I was catching up with everyone's blogs this morning, I realized that it has been 11 days since I posted. I still can't download pictures on the computer, and the laptop is still dead. So, I guess I will update without pic's. Just use your imagination!

Right now I am killing time waiting to go to my Dr.'s appointment. Today should be our final ultra-sound. I am hoping everything looks good. They have been worried about my placenta being low lying. I would also love to hear again that we are having a girl. Somehow, I don't think that a boy would appreciate the pink and white room I've prepared for this new babe.

We went to Brennan's hockey game last night. Soon after it started he got a stick to the neck. I of course screamed involuntarily. He got up, skated off the ice, rubbing his neck, but seemed okay. I had a huge pit in my stomach for the rest of the game. I have never really been worried about his safety before last night. It stinks. He played well, and after the game showed us his awful mark on his neck. My baby! I don't think hockey games are good places for preggo mommies. I am just way too emotional!

School starts soon, and I can hardly wait. McKinley will be starting Jr. High and Brennan will be starting High School. How on earth did this happen?? Well I'm off to get ready for the Dr.'s appointment. Wish me luck. I'll let you know how it goes.

What's up

2010-08-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

Wow! It has been a long time. Sorry I've been MIA, things have been crazy, and my laptop is toast, so I'll have to wait to download some pic's. Here are some of the things I've been up to....

1. Driving down to St. George, arriving at 1:30 A.M. only to find someone else sleeping in the condo a friend was letting us use! We ended up checking into a motel (yuck) around two in the morning. It was about 91 degrees outside, and when I walked into the room I was hit with a blast of heat. It must have been at least 110 degrees, seriously! Not a good night.

2. I went to my Twenty-Year High School reunion last week being hugely pregnant, and the size of a bus. Nothing like looking your best for a reunion! (I almost didn't go, but decided I didn't care if I was effecting the gravitational pull of the earth, I would go anyhow. I'm glad I did.)

3. Went to Moab with Will for work. Long drive, but the company couldn't be beat! We almost ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere, and it was HOT! Thank goodness for small miracles.

4. Watched Brennan play in two Varsity Hockey games. He looked great! (Pictures to come!)

5. Had the ceiling fan break, my bed break, a flood in the basement due to a busted pipe, (carpet is still ripped up) and two cars in the shop.

6. Dealing with carpal tunnel in both my wrists due to the pregnancy. I have to wear splints on both all day and night. Not a whole lot of fun. It hit 4th of July weekend, so I've been wearing them for over a month now. They are so pretty! Also, if I paint my feet green, I think I could be a foot double for the next Shrek movie. By the end of the day they are huge. Seriously ginormous. Ah the joys of pregnancy.

7. Counting days, only 40 more!

Great News!

2010-07-21T07:19:00.001-07:00

Wow! I am so excited! Apparently my dad is going to live to be 125 years old!

This corvette his new "toy". So I figure if he is going through his mid-life crisis at 63 years old, he would be around for a good long while. Wow! What great news!

Photo Shoot

2010-07-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

McKinley had her 12 year old pictures today. Okay, so I'm a couple of months late. Better late than never. I thought they turned out great. My little girl is growing up. Afterward we went out for a mother/daughter lunch. How fun. She is such a sweetheart. I don't know what I would do without her.

Ta-Da!

2010-07-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

So here are the rooms almost done. They still need a few finishing touches like pictures and things.

This room is now Ashlyn and McKinley's. They had fun picking out the paint, curtains and bedspreads. It was a good bonding experience for two girls who wern't sure that they wanted to share a room.

This room is Brookie's and the babies. It has been nice to have a place to put the babies things.

Brooklynn loves her new room, and had no trouble adjusting.

So there they are. The almost finished product. The trickey part will be getting them to keep their rooms clean!

Suffering from insanity and exhaustion.

2010-07-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

With the new baby on the way, I have felt a HUGE desire to get everyone situated to make room for her. That is much easier said than done. This was Ashlyn and Brooklynn's room. As of last night at midnight it was lime green. All the kids stayed up and helped us. After we painted, we had to move the furniture back in the room so we could function.

This is McKinley's old room. It used to be bright yellow, but now is pink with white stripes. The baby and Brookie will stay here.

I totally underestimated the work it would be to do the stripes, but now that they are done, I'm very happy with it. (although I think we used about 5 miles worth of painting tape.)

We are still living in a construction zone, but it is getting better. I need to put up curtains in both rooms, and add the hot pink polka dots to the green room for the "big girls." (We already have the hot pink curtains.)

So that is my last week in a nut shell. I have neglected everything else! My laundry pile is almost to the ceiling! Hopefully the rooms will be complete soon and I'll post the final pic's. Happy Friday!

......McKinley get's home from girls camp today. I have really missed her. It is just not the same without her here. I hope she likes her room.

Yeah! (and DUH!)

2010-07-07T20:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm not too smart. I found the cord I needed to download my pictures. I was distracted by the other fancy HDMI cord. Anyway, here are the pictures from picking up the boys from trek. Here they are coming down the trail.

Conner pulled away to give us hugs as they pulled in.

Brennan's family in a family huddle.

Conner's family picture.

Brennan's family picture.

Brennan with his Ma and Pa. They were perfect for him.

Conner with his Ma and Pa. Also perfect!

No Pictures!

2010-07-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

As many of you might know, I have a husband that is PERFECT! Except, that he loses things. Alot. So when he went on the family reunion camping trip with our girls while the boys were at trek, I sent the camera with him so I could see all the fun they had. (Being in my 3rd trimester I opted to stay home and stay sane. The heat would have killed me, not to mention sleeping on the ground. Sleeping at all can be hard enough.) We'll I knew better. Will lost the camera. UG!

I ran out and bought a camera that was not fancy, but had good zoom and mega pixels, etc. I bought a sony. I didn't know that a sony used a memory stick and was not compatible to my computer. UG!!!

The result is some great pictures from picking the boys up from trek with no way to use them. (If anyone has any idea's that would be great)

Picking the boys up was AWESOME! We got up to the trail about an hour early to make sure we didn't miss them. We watched them come down a hill to where we were all waiting. As each family went by I watched for my boys. I could hardly wait to see them. I saw Conner who pulled away from the handcart long enough to give Will, Brooklynn and me a hug, but I never saw Brennan.

They met briefly with their families once they arrived, and that's where I found Brennan. Huddled in a family circle with his family. I watched them as they knelt together in family prayer and my heart swelled. I saw my sweet boy and the joy on his face. I knew he had been placed with a good family and was happy. I watched their family hug, and then Brennan hugged his ma and pa. It was a very tender moment for me that I really can't describe.

Once we gathered Brennan and Conner and their gear, and they had said their goodbyes, we piled into the car. OH the smell. UG. Then they took off their shoes!! Luckily the smell was tempered by their stories of the trail and their families. I am so happy to have them home. I am thrilled that they both had ma's and pa's that they clicked with. I am thankful! (even with no camera)

For some must push and some must pull

2010-06-23T20:25:00.000-07:00

This morning my boys left for pioneer trek. I got up at 6:00 a.m. to help get them out the door. Last night they put on their trek clothes and started goofing off. I told Brennan that he looked like a hill-billy-gangster!

For those who may not know, pioneer trek a reenactment of the Mormon Pioneers coming across the plains. The kids ages 14-18 go up to the mountains and are put in "families". They have a "Ma" and "Pa" to look after them and help them along. They leave all of the modern conveniences at home, so no ipods, cell phones etc. Then they push a hand cart while they hike anywhere from 12 to 16 or 17 miles a day. Oh, I almost forgot, they don't have a ton of food either, and have to cook it as families.

I know you're thinking that sounds crazy! It is a little. But it is also wonderful. I've gone once as a teen, and once as a "Ma." Both times were totally exhausting, but I came home with a much greater appreciation of what I have been blessed with.

So now it is time for my boys to go. I can hardly believe it. I am so excited, nervous and anxious for them. I know it is going to be tough. I hope it will also be wonderful for them too.

So here they all are. Ready to face the great unknown. As they pulled away in the bus, my heart hurt. I am sad that they are gone, but I wouldn't want it any other way. There is no where else I would rather them be right now. I can't wait til Saturday to see them marching along the trail, and to bring them home.

Precious Moments

2010-06-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

This is my sweet little Brooklynn. She is the sunshine in my day. Over the weekend she got a mean mosquito bite right above her eye. Poor baby. We asked her what happened, and she smiled and said, "A buggy kissed me."

Sights in Chicago

2010-06-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

Here is a famous restarunt that serves Chicago style pizza.

Last time we were here Will went to Uno's with some work people. He's been wanting me to try it.

So here is Uno's Pizza. That famous deep-dish Chicago pizza people rave about.

We had our own little pizza's. They tasted as good as they looked!

We stayed here at the Sutton, right off of Rush Street. There was an original house of pancakes across the street. One day we had breakfast out on the terrace. It was lovely. The little birds served as entertainment as they snitched off plates.

This is a view from a bridge over the river.

Will had some fun parties that we got to go to. One was at the House of Blues.

It was too dark to get pic's but I couldn't resist taking this picture of the bathroom. Crazy!

Enjoying the city

2010-06-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to go see where my great-grandmother was living in 1920. I believe this is the apartment building. (I got the address off the 1920 census.) My grandma would have been 3 and a half when they lived here.

This is the street they lived on.

Will and I found this yummy shop that makes crepes and super good smoothies. Will was very impressed with the design of the shop. We talked with the owner, and told him we thought it was a fantastic little gem. It turns out he opened it just 5 weeks ago.

We ran to Cheesecake factory for dinner. Yum again. On the way home it really started to rain. I of course was wearing very slippery high healed flip flops. Practical, I know. Soon after this picture was taken, I ended up ditching the footwear, and walking barefoot down Michigan Ave. Barefoot and pregnant.

Strangest thing I've ever seen!!

2010-06-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

Will and I are in the Windy City for a few days enjoying all that it has to offer. (Well almost all that it has to offer.) Last night we were in our hotel room, when down on the street, people erupt in all sorts of hooting and hollering. Being on the 9th floor, we were surprised to hear them. We listened for a few minutes and then Will went over to the window to see what was going on.

"Carol, there are 100's of people riding bikes down here!"

"You mean like motorcycles, or lance armstrong?"

"Like pedal bikes." He said.

So I went over and looked out the window, too.

I must have better eyesight than Will, cuz the next thing out of my mouth was....

"Hey that guy's naked!!" "That girl's not wearing anything!"

"No," said Will "there is no way!"

Well, as I've said before, you can find out anything on the internet, (except if you are having a boy or girl) so I hopped on and googled Chicago, June 12, bike ride. What do ya know. It was Chicago's 9th annual ride naked event. Boy am I thankful we were on the ninth floor and not the first!!

Brooklynn's first time.

2010-06-11T10:38:00.000-07:00

This week we went to Lagoon for the first time with Brooklynn. We got some discount tickets, and took the family. It was fun to see Brooklynn experience all of the excitement and adventure.

It was also fun to see how all of her big brothers and sisters reacted to her excitement. I think that was the best part.

We are totally enjoying the non-crazy summer we are having. It is nice not to have to run around like chickens with our heads cut off. As soon as it warms up I will get pictures of the kids with in the pool. They have gone a few times, but with wetsuits on!

Graduation

2010-06-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

McKinley had her 6th grade graduation last week. It was very nice, and I think she had a lot of fun with her friends. She can hardly wait for Jr. High School.

Let the Summer Begin!

2010-05-31T19:42:00.000-07:00

Last week Brennan went to the 9th grade dance. He looked so spiffy! I remember my 9th grade dance. I swear it was just a few years ago. Never Say Goodbye by Bon Jovi was the last song. Wow, how times have changed.

I caught Bren playing his guitar before the dance. Oooooh I love that boy. (I know he is big and hairy, but he is still my little boy.)

On Memorial Day we put up a new above ground pool. McKinley and Ashlyn wanted it so bad they paid half!

So once the pool was set up, Conner filled it with water while the girls frolicked in the spray.

Let Summer Begin!!!
P.s. on a down note, Conner has not heard back from the theatre, but some of his friends have, so we are thinking it's a no go. Conner is disappointed, but hanging tough.

Crossing our fingers.

2010-05-25T08:08:00.001-07:00

We are crossing our fingers this week for Conner. Last Saturday he auditioned for "The Music Man" at our local theatre. They had hundreds of people try out, and Conner (and I) were thrilled to find out that he had a callback. Tomorrow he will go back for and show them his dance moves. He is very excited. He has never been in a show on "the big stage."

I am especially hoping that Conner makes it in, because he didn't make Madrigals at school. I guess this year they are taking less kids. Anyway, he was heartbroken all of spring break, so this would really boost his confidence. I will keep you updated as to if he makes it in or not. Cross your fingers for him.

Love it or Hate it???

2010-05-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

So here is the door. I can't decide if I love it or hate it. I've gotten mixed reviews from the kids. What do you think?

Granny Annie's

2010-05-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

For about a year my little sister Joanna has been trying to get me to try a restaurant near where she lives. This morning Will had to run up north for work and I tagged along. We wanted to grab a late breakfast at a place we had never been, where Will had heard it was really good. He couldn't remember the name of the place, but drove right to it.

I laughed out loud when he pulled up, and I saw the name. Granny Annie's. This was the restaurant my little sis loved and wanted me to try. It is like an old fashioned diner style.

Because it was during work hours Will spent half the time on the phone. Pretty typical, and I take him when I can get him. :) The food was super yum, although I'm guessing between the cholesterol and the sodium our lives have both been shortened by at least a year.

Brooklynn ate all my hash browns and put a big dent in my pancake, which is saying a lot since the pancake was the size of a Frisbee!!

Finally!!!

2010-05-18T13:20:00.001-07:00

When we first moved into our home almost 7 years ago, I swore the first thing I was going to change was the hideous front door. It was then an ugly turquoise. We painted it to an ugly black. The worst part about the door, was that the window would ooze glue every summer. I don't know how it didn't run out of glue... but all summer long we would have these awful drips of glue running down the door. If you look closely, you can see them.

So last week we FINALLY had the doors replaced. I am so happy with the new doors.

They have only been primed. I'm excited to see them all finished. I'm still trying to figure out a color for the front door. Or maybe I just stay white. Any suggestions?

We had the back doors replaced as well. Less for vanity's sake, but more for safety. They were just one good slam away from falling apart. (Will had already glued the window to the door in one place.)

These new ones have the blinds build right in. It is so nice not to have to worry about little dirty fingers getting the roman blinds filthy.

I have been working on the cabinets in my bathroom. I'll have to take some pictures and show you. I am waiting for some money to fall from the sky so I can do a granite counter top. Someday.

Bye Bye Birdie

2010-05-16T17:53:00.001-07:00

This past week Conner's school musical theatre department put on their show for the year. Bye Bye Birdie.

Bye Bye Birdie is not my fave musical, but they did a really cute job. The kids were all really talented, and seemed to be having a blast!

Here is Conner with the boy who played Conrad Birdie. He sang so well my mom thought he was lip singing to a pre-recorded track.

Here is Conner with some of the friends he has done other musicals with.

The whole family went on Saturday night to see the closing show. Brooklynn thought it was funny to see Conner up on stage.

Parker (our good family friend) was a lovely town drunk.

Conner played the part of Harvey Johnson. The nerdy teenager who can't get a date to prom. He was hysterical! Her he is with Parker and Talon who played Albert, one of the leads.

These guys worked soooo hard. Great Job Everyone!! Conner, I love you. You make a great nerd!

Four Weddings...and a funeral

2010-05-10T21:46:00.001-07:00

After much speculation from the children, and other family members... we have been given the %100 from the ultrasound tech. It is official. We will be having four weddings, followed closely by Will's funeral. Think Pink. (and lots of it!)

We had thought for sure that it was time for a boy. After all, the last time I had a baby boy was 14 years ago!! But... that was not what was in store for us. So, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our fourth daughter. It will be lots of fun, and probably more than a little crazy. Brooklynn will have a little sister and playmate, and I will have one more reason to buy cute little dresses and bows.

We Survived....but just barely!

2010-05-07T21:51:00.000-07:00

We had McKinley's Birthday party tonight. There were 100 girls here. Okay, it just felt like that many. Do you have any idea the amount of noise that 12 year old girls can make??? Will and I are clinging to life, but I think the girls had a great time.

Happy Big 12 McKinley!

Code Yellow

2010-05-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

Just in case any of you wanted to know, I learned what a "Code Yellow" means at a Kohl's department store. I'm sure it's been keeping you up at night. I, myself had never given it any thought until yesterday.

My two year old, Brooklynn was getting very fussy in the stroller/shopping cart thing that Kohl's has. I let her get out, and told her that she needed to stay where I could see her. That was my first mistake. Did I really think that she would listen?? She stayed close by for about 10 minutes. Then I turned to look for her and she was gone. Totally gone! I walked through all the aisles of shoes calling her name. Nothing. I expanded my search, perusing the main walkway. After about ten minutes of searching, I saw her clear on the other side of the store. I called her name, thinking that she would react with joy in finding her mother. Nope, not my Brooklynn. The independent little thing ran the other way! What a fun game!

I quickly went to find her. Nothing! After about 10 more minutes, I went to a store employee to tell him I was a neglectful mother, and my two year old was missing. He then issued a "code yellow." No, the code does not mean that there is terrible mother in the store, more concerned with cute shoes than the whereabouts of her child. It is the code for a missing child.

I was so impressed with the employees. Within 60 seconds I saw an army of employee's scouring the racks for pigtails and plaid shorts. Roughly eight minutes later, they found her. Happy as can be in men's clothing, playing in the mirrors. Of course by then she had a stinky diaper, so I looked like an even worse mother. I was so happy to see her. I was glad that I saw her across the store, so I didn't totally panic. No sight of her for almost 30 minutes would have left me one hysterical mother! Ahhh, the joys of motherhood.

Finally!

2010-05-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

Today is a big day for McKinley. She finally, and I do mean finally turned Twelve. She can finally go to Young Womens, she can finally wear make-up, and she can finally go to the Temple.

And that is exactly what she did today. Before the light of day, McKinley and her dad headed up to the Temple. The computer cropped it, but you could see the moon in the top left corner.

She had a wonderful time at the temple, and then they headed to IHOP for some breakfast. Of course they sipped on hot cocoa.

I can't believe my oldest daughter is twelve. I still remember crying when Will brought her into my hospital room after she had been given her first bath. She looked so sweet and precious with the little pink bow in her hair. I am proud of the beautiful young woman she is becoming. Love you Kinley!

The big leagues

2010-05-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

Last week I felt like a Kindergartner going to college. The National Genealogical Society was holding their annual conference in Salt Lake City this year.

My darling hubby surprised me by arranging babysitting for Brooklynn so that I could attend. It was amazing and at the end of every day I felt like my brain was exploding. I learned so much about different records that I have never looked at, and new ways to research on the internet. I have already found some information on the church that my 5th great grandparents were married in. Amazing! I can't wait to dig into some probate records.

There were tons of people there. I heard just under 3000. Some of my classes had at least 500 people in them. It was an overwhelming experience, but truly wonderful.

I am soooooo thankful for a sweet thoughtful husband who totally made it possible for me to attend this great conference. He even got me a cute care package full of munchies to last the four days of the conference so I would never be hungry in class.
Thanks Will! You're the greatest.

We are just bad luck

2010-04-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

You've got to be kidding me! I guess losing the trees on one side of us wasn't enough! We must be bad luck.

Today strong winds took down our neighbors tree. I looked out my bathroom window and did a double take. I called my neighbor and she had no idea. Crazy. Crazy and sad. I love trees, and this one was at the height of it's beauty, all in blossom.

Tomorrow I KNOW will be a better day, because we have another ultrasound and should be able to find out what we are having. I'll keep ya posted.

No good terrible very bad day

2010-04-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

Today was a total bummer of a day. You know the kind, when everything goes wrong. Here is our puppy dog Meisha. I took her in to get shaved down for summer. Quite the change, isn't it. She is much happier when she isn't wearing her winter coat in July. After I picked her up, and loaded her and Brooklynn into the car, I climbed in, and realized I had no idea where my keys were. After much looking around I found them on the second row of seats. AGH!! That was after I drove to another city to pick something up, only to discover the business had moved, and I had no idea of the new address!

And here is the saddest part of my day. Our neighbor decided to cut down all 5 of the beautiful trees boardering our yards, but on his property. They were getting too big and lifting his cement, so I can understand his logic, but we will miss them. The worst part is that from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. we had huge LOUD equipment/truck/tree eater machine parked in our driveway adding to my insanity.

The best part of the day was having Will's little brother and his family over for dinner. It was fun to see them, and visit. The night ended with Ashlyn cutting her foot. It was almost bad enough for stitches, but we were able to put a butterfly bandaid on it. Hopefully it heals up just fine, and hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Brookie's 2 year old pic's

2010-04-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

I thought I would put up Brooklynn's pictures for family that lives out of town. Yes, I had these taken a few months ago, but I just learned how to post the pictures. (I'm just slow!) The kids looked at these pictures, and thought they didn't reflect the spunky, sneaking, crazy Brooklynn we all know and love. I guess this is her sweet side - which comes out on occasion.

Ashlyns Baptism Pictures

2010-04-22T09:40:00.000-07:00

This week I took Ashlyn in to get pictures in her Baptism dress. I'm might be a little biased, but I think that she looks like an Angel.

Most Improved!!!

2010-04-21T09:32:00.001-07:00

This week we went to Brennan's Awards Dinner for Hockey. It was fun to see all the kids and parents there. They spotlighted the Seniors, and gave a few more awards out. To our surprise, Brennan recieved the award of "Most Improved Player on the J.V. team." He was the only Freshmen to get an award. I could tell he was excited, but of course you have to play it cool, because all your buddies are there.

Sorry I don't have any actual pic's of the dinner, or awards ceremony. I brought my camera, but was afraid of being disowned by Brennan if started snapping away. I refrained until we got home, where he gladly posed for this picture.

On a seperate note, my camera has come back to life! It got all blurry in St. Thomas, and I'd given up hope. Even the guy at the camera store pronounced it DOA. But, I picked it up the other day, and surprise, surprise. It worked just fine!! (strange)

Ski-Swim-Spring Break

2010-04-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

This year for spring break we headed for the hills. Will found a condo in Park City just across the street from the Park City Ski resort. Brennan is in heaven. Will and Brookie, McKinley and Ashlyn made this skiing snowman.

Will took the four oldest kids skiing/boarding today, so I thought I would post some pictures. It snowed about 2 feet up here yesterday. Perfect for snowmen. Brennan enjoyed the fresh powder yesterday.

We are also eating lots and lots of yummy food, and swimming. The pool is outdoors. It is nice and warm, but the walk back to the room is like walking on the dark side of the moon.

I'm hauling Brooklynn down to the slopes to take pictures of the kids later today, so I'll post some of those. (I'm hoping to bring Ashlyn home, so Will can hit the slopes on his own.
This is not the perfect pregnant woman vacation, but I am hitting the outlets. :)

Baptism

2010-04-05T08:35:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn was baptised the last weekend in March. We were so proud of her choice. She is such a sweet girl She looked like an Angel.

It was very touching to see all of Ashlyn's Aunts and Uncles and Cousins. Some of them drove a very long ways to come.

I tried to make a deal with Ashlyn. I told her she could pick out her Baptism dress, if she would let me pick out her wedding dress. She wouldn't go for it.
We love you Ashlyn!

Ashlyn's 8

2010-04-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn turned 8 last month. She had a party at the Lion House to celebrate. The parties there are great. It was so nice not to worry about anything. Especially still feeling yucky from my pregnancy.

The girls had fun pulling taffy, and playing old fashioned games.

I can hardly believe my little Ashlyn is eight! She is such a sweet, thoughtful, caring, (overly emotional) little angel. We adore her!

Future Newscasters

2010-03-15T11:45:00.000-07:00

Monday, March 15, 2010
(Click on March 15th above to see the video)
This morning my kids got to go with our friend Ann, and do a spot for atv safety on the news. This is just a small clip. The kids had fun, even though they had to get up at 4:30 am to be out there for the shoot. Which was insane right after the time change! They said that Casey was really great, and lots of fun. In this shot, Brennan and McKinley are riding the atv's and Conner is doing what Conner does. Ashlyn is not in this segment, except when they breifly pan down on her. :( But she was very cute in her spots.

P.S. We are working with Conner on his humility. :)

Get Away

2010-03-09T20:23:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Will had to go down to St. George for work. My sweet mom watched the kids for us, so I tagged along. Will pretty much planned the weekend, so it was more of an adventurous weekend, than your typical "romantic" getaway.
We stayed at these amazing condo's that are super nice. (we mooch off my parents time share, and get bonus time so they are amazingly cheap too!!) They have a fishing pond just a few hundred yards from the condos. We fished to our hearts content and caught around 35 fish! Will won the prize for the biggest fish.

We also went shooting. I'm not so hot, but I did hit the target a few times. I can claim a couple of the dings in the target.

We also went to the Temple. It was a first for both of us to go to a session in the St. George Temple. It was BEAUTIFUL! We really enjoyed ourselves.

A highlight was visiting my Great Aunt and Uncle, Glenda and Bert. Bert is my Granddad's little brother. Being with them made me miss my Grandparents so much! I wasn't prepared for that. It was wonderful talking with them. They are amazing people!

Well, I start my second trimester tomorrow! I can't wait to start feeling better. It was great to get away with my sweetheart and take a break. It turned out to be a very adventurous AND romantic weekend. Thanks sweetie.

Pajama Day

2010-02-24T10:31:00.000-08:00

Today was pajama day at school. Ashlyn was so excited. She picked out some of her special jammies last night. I woke up to her smiling face leaning over me this morning. Her hair was done, shoes on. She was ready to go. I drove carpool to school today. On the way home I got a hysterical phone call from 7 year old Ashlyn. Today was NOT pajama day. Ashlyn was in tears. I told her I would pick her up out front of the the school in two minutes. She came out to the car with her hall pass. We ran home, changed her clothes and she said, "I feel like a Duffis!" 273 times. I think she will survive. (Hopefully without counseling)

The last of the little guys!

2010-02-21T20:59:00.000-08:00

Do you remember that commercial?

You know the one. That Gus Paulos commercial,

where he says he is,"the last of the little guys."

Well, here is our "Last of the

little guys!"

We call him (or her) GUS.

Everyone is WAY excited. I am WAY sick and yucky,

but VERY Happy!

Gus will be here in September. We can't wait!

Hopefully I will learn how to use my scanner soon, and I can put

an actual picture of Gus up. We think he (or she) is just adorable!

We've already had 3 ultrasounds.

Well, that's our little Gus.

Bronson's Miracle

2010-02-16T09:43:00.000-08:00

I have been following this family for the last two weeks. I don't know them, but my heart is so happy for them and their miracle. Take a look. It will warm your heart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfAKoFzYwzE

Valentines came early!

2010-02-10T21:37:00.000-08:00

This is what I woke up to this morning. What a way to start my day! Then.....My sweetheart texted me during the day to invite me out to dinner.

We went here.

YUM!

We ate lots of these,

and then we had a bunch of these.

After dinner we raced to Conner's solo and ensemble performance,

and Viewmont's Hockey Game.

Then we came home, snuggled up in bed, and shared a slice of

this. Market Street's yummy Fresh Fruit Tart.

My Prince Charming is wonderful! I am so lucky!

Bear Lake...Brrrr

2010-02-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

What a slacker I am! I can't believe it has been almost a month since I blogged. I thought I would throw up a few pictures of our Bear Lake snowmobiling trip over MLK weekend. Here, Brooklynn is ready to go for a ride. She is all about speed! We went with two other families that we are good friends with. Imagine... 19 people! We stopped at Angie's in Logan on the way home. Our waitress (in the green shirt) did an amazing job keeping everyone straight, and who belonged to who. I was impressed!

The snow was a little low. There was sagebrush sticking up in a lot of areas. There is a big hill where we go where the kids can sled or snowboard and then we haul them back up to the top of the hill. The first day we were there a women broke her ankle (BAD) and Will and Cliff were good boy scouts and rescued her. I don't know how she would have gotten up the hill without the snowmobiles.

Joy, Regina, and I. Don't we look fashionable!!

This picture was taken right before our "Adults night out." We went out on the town in good ole Garden City. There is a fun restaurant up there with yummy food. I can't remember the name, but just look for the great big bear out front. They even bring out raspberry sherbet to cleanse your pallet before the main course. (High society Bear Lake)

We had a blast, and it seemed like everyone had a great time. Let's do it again!

My baby is TWO!

2010-01-08T21:57:00.000-08:00

Brooklynn turned two today.
The last two years have been such a wonderful gift. She is a bowl of cherries!

With sugar on the top!

Happy Birthday Big Girl!

Christmas Vacation

2010-01-01T13:07:00.000-08:00

After Disney world, we loaded up the kids and drove down to Tampa where we caught a cruise ship.

Here is map of where we went. The sun and sand were great. We all had a blast, and only a few sunburns.

We enjoyed lots of gorgeous sunsets.

This is Brennan watching fish at Sapphire Beach in St. Thomas. It was so beautiful. The snorkeling was great.

Brooklynn and Ashlyn building sand castles.

In San Juan we visited the Old Fort. It was beautiful, and overlooked the beach. We had a wonderful time there, and met some really neat people.

Brooklynn meets Mickey

2009-12-18T07:14:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year we surprised the kids with a trip. I wanted nothing more than to spend time with my family. (spending time with my family in paradise isn't too bad either) We woke them up Wed. morning, and off we went to the airport. It was a long flight, and Brookie didn't sleep at all! But we made it. Yesterday we went to Hollywood Studio's. Brooklynn loves Mickey and was so excited to meet him.

We had dinner at the sci-fi diner. It was cool. You get to eat in car's like you are at a 50's drive in. There are old movie reels running.

This was at the Osborn Christmas light show. It was really cool. The lights were crazy.

We finished off the day with a fireworks show at Epcot

It was amazing and beautiful.

First Date

2009-11-25T07:53:00.000-08:00

Twenty-one years ago today was our first date. I had big 80's hair. He had a mullet.
He said, "A group of us are going to see the lights at Temple Square and hear Viewmont's choir sing. Do ya wanna come?" I didn't even know if it was a date or not. I said, "Sure."
It was a date.
We saw the beautiful lights. Heard the fabulous choir. Threw a penny in the fountain and made a wish. (I still remember mine.)

We played boggle afterward at Gary's house. Had "green" pumpkin pie and hot cocoa.
He said, "Can you microwave milk?" (He didn't have a microwave yet.)
We all laughed.

Hmmm... I thought. I like this boy.
It's been a good Twenty-one years.

Ancestors

2009-11-24T08:09:00.000-08:00

This is where a lot of my ancestors are from. Kent, England. It is nicknamed "The Garden of England." I can't wait to go there. SOMEDAY......

Five Little Monsters

2009-11-21T19:09:00.000-08:00

As I was getting ready for my date with Will last night, McKinley came upstairs and asked if the girls could make some cookies or brownies. I opted for brownies thinking they would use a mix, and it would be quick, easy, and less messy. Imagine my surprise when I went down stairs to discover five little monsters covered in cookie goo. Apparently they had started out with a recipe (from scratch) for brownies that turned into cookies. Not sure how that worked out, but the girls had fun.

We had a great time out with friends. We went to a fun Brazilian Grill restaurant and tried lots of yummy meat. My fave was the garlic sirloin. It was so fun to get away and not have to worry about the kids for a few hours. Arlyn and Joy, Cliff and Regina, thanks for a great night! (Thanks for taking me out too, sweetie.)

BUSTED!

2009-11-18T21:13:00.000-08:00

This was the view from my rear view mirror. The nice Mr. Policeman let me off with a warning. First time that's ever happened!

Sick Little Snow Bunny

2009-11-17T08:35:00.000-08:00

My sweet little Brooklynn woke up this morning with a yucky cold! She is snuggled up in bed next to me as a write this. Her nose is all stuffy/runny, her eyes keep watering, and she has a little fever. I have Mickey Mouse Playhouse on the T.V. and she is trying to be excited about it, but just can't muster up the enthusiasm. It's so sad. This picture of her was taken snowmobiling last winter. We can't wait to get out and play in the snow this year.

Something's in the water!

2009-11-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

Something is in the water and I am so not drinking it! Here is my sister, and two sister-in-laws (basically sisters) at Nicole's baby shower. Aren't they so cute! If I was going to have another little angel now would be the time. What fun that would be with lots of cousins to play with! But.... with five I feel like I'm maxed out most of the time, and I think it's time to move on to that "new" stage of life of simply raising our family now that we've got them all here. (I think)

A Night of the Arts

2009-11-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

Last week we went to Brennan and Conner's Choir Concert at the Jr. High School. It was fun, and the boys did a great job. Conner sings with the 8th Grade Boys Chorus and got to do a little solo. (Three lines :) Brennan is in Concert Choir which is really funny, considering he didn't
even try out! He just told the choir teacher last spring, "I want to be in concert choir, but I don't want to try out." Imagine my surprise when we got his schedule for school and he was in the choir. Too funny! The night was great, except for the insanely hot room, and Ashlyn's friend leaning over to me saying, "Your baby just puked." Yes, that's right. Brooklynn leaned over the seat of her chair, and tossed her cookies in the row behind us. Luckily she missed the guy's shoes! (and there was just one song left!) Parenthood is always an adventure!

A close game

2009-11-07T20:59:00.000-08:00

Brennan had a hockey game tonight. It was an away game. We played a tough team, and it was a close game. They scored, we scored. They scored, we scored. They scored, we scored. At this point the game was tied 3 to 3. Is it wrong to pray over a hockey game? The boys had worked so hard this last week, and I really wanted them to taste the fruits of their labors. I prayed that they would play their best, and in the end feel good about their effort. Hopefully that's okay to pray for. :) Then we broke the pattern and the littlest guy on Bren's team scored! Awesome job Kenneth! Brennan thinks he weighs like 85 pounds and he goes up against these great big high school guys with no fear! The crowed erupted. It was so exciting.

There was a few minutes left in the game and all we had to do was keep them from scoring. With no penalties all game we get two in the last few minutes, and two of our players have to sit out. The other team pulled their goalie out so he could help them score so it was basically 6 against 3. I couldn't believe how slowly the clock was moving. Finally, time ran out, and we won 4 to 3. I was so happy for these boys. Things don't always work out the way they should, I'm glad they did tonight.

Making Mom Proud!

2009-11-07T07:43:00.000-08:00

Being a mother is not for the weak of heart. I never knew this before I had kids. I thought you had your babies, taught them what was right and wrong and then just loved them and everything was perfect. Ya right! Now I know that parenting is TOUGH! Gut wrenching, back-breakingly tough. But.... every once in a while you get a reward, and think, "Hmm, maybe I am doing something right." That happen for me this past week. Last Saturday, (Halloween) Brennan's hockey team lost their game. I think it was their first loss of the season. The boy's and coaches were all completely bummed. Sunday night, Brennan hatched an idea. He started making phone calls to all of the junior varsity team. He planned workout's (off ice) for them every other day so they could get in better shape. The boys responded well, and had a couple of good workouts. Once they were gathered, the team captain's took over, which is how it should be. They also met on Tuesday night to get an extra skating session in. I was so proud of Bren for being willing to take charge and working to improve. He is just a 9th grader, but was calling 10th, 11th, even 12th graders to get together and workout. Hopefully this new workout schedule will pay off, although they are already pretty darn good. Either way, I'm proud of him.

Poor McKinley

2009-11-03T18:56:00.000-08:00

McKinley called me to come and pick her up from school today. She wasn't feeling well and wanted to come home. She had a normal temp. when I picked her up, within and hour it was 101.6 and a few hours later 104.1. Poor baby. We are pretty sure it is the dreaded H1N1. She has all of the symptoms. :( I guess we will be camping out at home for a while.

Will is very worried that we will all catch it. I just want us all to get it, and be done with it. I know I'm a little crazy. Hopefully McKinley has a mild case of it, and is back on her feet soon.

Hockey Halloween!

2009-10-31T21:25:00.000-07:00

Brooklynn the Bumble Bee cheering her brother at his Hockey game. Brennan's team fought a tough battle, but lost in the end, 3 to 2. Last week Brennan scored his first goal. It was totally awesome. What I can't figure out is who on earth

scheduled a high school hockey game at 5:45 on Halloween night???

McKinley followed the Twilight craze and was a vampire. Ashlyn was an Egyptian Princess. They had a blast, although Ashlyn walked out without a jacket and everyone who came by told me she was freezing! Just give me the crumby mother award. :( I sent Will out looking for the girls and their group with a jacket for her.

Walk like an Egyptian!!!

Girls Night Out!

2009-10-30T22:09:00.000-07:00

Tonight was "Girls Night Out!" The girls and I went out tonight and had a great time. We went to Conner's spook alley that he is putting on with some friends. They have been working all month to put it together, and it was really great! Here is Conner the pirate doing some plundering.

Then we went and saw "Evita." Our good friend Holly was in it along with her daughter, Piper. It was a wonderful show. My first time seeing it, and I really enjoyed it. It was a little over Ashlyn's head, but I think she enjoyed the music. Holly was insanely good. She is Conner's voice teacher and is so talented. The best part is, she is as sweet as she is talented and beautiful.

The night would have been perfect if it wasn't for arguing children and a dead car battery. :0

It's a GIRL!

2009-10-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

I am so excited for my little brother Bryan and his wife Nicole. They had their very first baby yesterday! It sounds like everything went smoothly, and their sweet little angel is adorable! They are naming her Abigail. What a cute name. We are all dying to go see her, but have to wait because of the hospital's rule with this whole swine flu thing. Abigail we love you already!

Fifteen

2009-10-22T13:39:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure how it happened, but some how I have become the mother of a fifteen year old. I swear I was just fifteen, counting down the days until I could date and drive. That was just a couple of years ago. Brennan is the hairy one on the first row, far right. He is really enjoying playing Hockey for the High School Team. I enjoy him getting hair cuts! This week we went to pick up his learners permit. AGH!!!! This can't be happening to me. He is still my little five year old running around in his soccer uniform, and falling asleep in a laundry basket. Now he is eating me out of house and home and I have to look up to talk to him. Four years from now he will be on his mission. Anyone know how to slow time down?

What do you mean you have Swine Flu?

2009-10-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

My cute little (pregnant) sister called my yesterday to tell me that her daughter has Swine Flu. (The same daughter that spent a half hour sitting on my lap on Saturday afternoon, and playing with my daughters at our house all afternoon.) She is pretty miserable, but is doing okay. Today my mom called with the update...... My sister Joanna and her whole family have come down with the Swine Flu! Wow, that didn't take long! They are all doing alright, but Joanna was having a tough night tonight. She is due in about 10 weeks. Isn't the last trimester of pregnancy miserably enough without having the famous swine flu?? We are all doing fine here. I have a cold, but no fever, so I'm sure it's just the old fashioned flu. Joanna has always been more in style than me.

A week for Jacob

2009-10-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

It was a busy week this past week for us. With the passing of Jacob, we had lots to do. On Monday, the day after Jacob died, we had all the Young Men and Young Women over to our house, just to be together and remember good times with Jacob. It was a good time. The kids wrote notes to Jacob's family and also wrote on fabric squares that were to be made into a quilt for the family. Last night was the viewing. It made it so much more real to be at the Mortuary. It was a sad time.

Yesterday morning I had the awesome opportunity to go to the temple with the Parks while they did Jacob's Temple work. There was an amazing spirit there. It was a sweet experience. This is a picture of some of the people that attended the Temple.

Here is the finished quilt. I cried when I saw it. I feel so blessed to live in this ward, where we are so close, and everyone looks out for one another. I know how much work these quilts are, and the women who pieced and quilted this quilt are amazing. Everyone was reaching out to the Parks, and my heart was full just to see all the wonderful service.

Jacob

2009-10-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

On Sunday night, October 4th our Sweet Jacob passed away. He had just too much brain damage for his body to survive on it's own. Our hearts are so saddened. We told the kids a little after 9:00 at night, and then sat on our bed crying for the next hour and a half. Cute little Ashlyn didn't want to be alone, so she slept on our floor. We love the Park family so much. They are an example of strength and faith to all around them. I can't imagine what they are going through. I pray I never know. Please remember them in your prayers. Below is a link to an article that ran in the Standard Examiner today about Jacob.

2 families mourn young bicyclist | StandardNET ? Ogden, Layton, Brigham, Weber, Davis, Top of Utah News

2009-10-06T11:00:00.001-07:00

2 families mourn young bicyclist | StandardNET ? Ogden, Layton, Brigham, Weber, Davis, Top of Utah News

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Brooklynn's hospital visit

2009-10-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

So our friends the Park's were up at that hospital with their son in the PICU, and we wanted to visit them. Brooklynn was so helpful in getting into her sisters medicine and eating some of it for us so we could go stay the night at Primary Children's. Ya right! Here are Cher and I sporting our fashionable "Pink Parent Bracelet's." You have to be part of a special club to get these. I know you're all jealous.

One of the few times Brooklynn slept during the night. She was hooked up to all sorts of monitors and wires which made her totally uncomfortable. It was a tough night for both of us, although she must not have eaten too much medication (between 1 and 2 pills) because she was only restless, and wouldn't sleep. That was good news. She could have ended up with seizures, so we were really happy.

Here is Brooklynn getting her EKG. Thirteen different wires hooked up to her.

These were some of the wires Brooklynn got to have attached to her for 24 hours. Always a fun thing for a 21 month old. I felt very lucky to only be a short term visitor at the hospital. We met some the friends of Jacob's family that also have a son in the PICU. He was shot during a hunting trip. I helped them with a blog, too. (I know I'm crazy.) You can see Andrew's info on his blog at http://www.spilksmiracle.blogspot.com/

A Sunday of Blessings

2009-09-27T18:09:00.001-07:00

On Sunday afternoon Will and I were able to go up to Primary's and see Jacob and his parents. It was a wonderful experience. His parents are both so strong, and full of faith. They know that they are being guided and watched over. Jacob is slowly improving. As his dad likes to say, "Two steps forward, no steps back." It was very exciting to be with Jacob today and be witness to some of those huge steps forward. While we were in his room his eye's opened a little. (He has been in a drug induced coma since the accident, and is just starting to be taken off the medicine that keeps him comatose.) The nurse asked him to wiggle his fingers if he could hear her, and he quickly wiggled his fingers on his right hand. She kept checking on him, and his dad walked around, took Jacob's hand and spoke to him. "Jacob, it's dad. Squeeze my hand." Jacob immediately tightened his grip on his dad's hand.

About that time, I went looking for Jacob's mom, so she could be witness to his great progress. Once I found her, we RAN all the way back to the picu. We were too late, they had already given him more meds to sedate him. His mom seemed disappointed to have missed the exciting event, but thrilled with his progress. Apparently he had squeezed his dad's hand again 4 or 5 times while I was gone. It is a huge step in the right direction! I am thankful for prayers being heard on this Fast Sunday of Blessings. I helped his parents set up a blog to keep family and friends updated. You can see more about Jacob at http://www.pray4jacob.blogspot.com/

Prayers for Jacob

2009-09-23T10:22:00.000-07:00

Last night as I was walking down the street to pick up Ashlyn from her friends house, I saw a helicopter flying very low. I didn't think about it very much, until Will got a phone call later that night. One of Will's Deacons, Jacob had been riding his bike, and was hit by a car. To make matters worse, Jacob was hit by a sweet woman who is also in our ward. She was so completely distraught. I can't imagine how she must be feeling. Jacob was life flighted to PCMC with severe head trauma. We don't have much more info than that. I think it is kind of a wait and see thing. I do know that he had a shunt placed in his head to help control the swelling. It just breaks my heart, both of these families involved have already had their share of pain and heartache.
Earlier this year Will and Jacob's dad took some of the kids including Jacob, and my McKinley and Ashlyn down to the Moab area. Needless to say, the girls took it very hard. My sweet little Ashlyn said she was going to pray all night for Jacob. Conner came racing into the house with the news just minutes after Will got the phone call. He had been up by the accident site, and saw the helicopter. Brennan, in his (new) mature style, waited for all the little kids to clear out, and then grilled me to see if I knew anything more we weren't telling the little kids.
Our hearts are heavy, and filled with prayers for Jacob, his family, and the woman who hit him.

Stalking the mailbox!

2009-09-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

Last week I received a very exciting phone call from the Chicago County Courthouse. When I was out there in June, I petitioned a Judge to unseal the adoption records of my Great, Great, Grandmothers son. (That is if the records even existed, and then if they could find them!) I didn't have his birthday, name or anything. Only his birth parents names. He was adopted away when my G.G. Grandmother died. Well...... Sweet Teresa did some digging on my behalf and found the records! She then took my info to the Judge and he approved giving me the info!! In Chicago, adoption records are sealed indefinitely. They usually don't open them. So now I am stalking the mailbox waiting for the information to come. I had to mail out a check for the certified copy of the records, so I have to wait for them to get my check, process the info, and then send me back the records. I know it can't possibly come yet, and I still keep checking the mailbox. How humbled I am at how an impossible situation has worked out just the way I needed it to. I know it is not a coincidence, but a blessing from my Heavenly Father.

EFY....Especially Flirting Youth!

2009-09-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

In August, Brennan and his cousin Devon went to EFY down at BYU. Brennan had an awesome time, and loved every second of it. Here is one of the rare pictures of him with one of his "guy buddies."

I sent Brennan with the camera hoping that he might come home with a few pictures. He had such a blast and took a ton of pictures, much to my surprise! Of course there was a large majority of pictures with cute girls. :) Ha Ha! He had such a wonderful time and totally loved his counseler.

He met kids from all over the USA. He keeps asking me when we can go to Chicago! Too funny! One of the guys in his group is from Chicago, and he wants to go visit.

Anyway, to all of you with kids heading into those teenage years, watch out. It's a fun, crazy ride!

I wouldn't miss it for anything!!

Yellowstone

2009-09-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

In August we went to Yellowstone with most of the cousins and Grandma and Grandpa. (We missed you Justin and Jaden.) Ever since Ashlyn learned about Yellowstone from her school librarian, she has wanted to go. We went to the hot pots and saw lots of animals. Ashlyn was in heaven. She for sure is our "outdoor-nature girl". I thought she might burst from excitement at Old Faithful.

This picture was so funny to take. Everytime we would get ready to take a picture, the steam would kick up so we couldn't see anything!! One lady thought these were all my children. 10 kids! AGH!!! I've got my hands full with half of that!

We had a fun time with the cousins being able to hang out together. I would have liked to go on some hikes, but it was a quick trip, with lots of sightseeing.

This lake was right by the continental divide. It was so pretty, and had lily-like flowers floating everywhere on the lily pads.

Brennan looks like a tough guy here, but he really is a sweetheart. (And he got a haircut the day after we got home!)

Secondhand Serenade

2009-08-13T09:13:00.000-07:00

Our cute little Meagan turned 14 while she was with us. We took her out to breakfast at IHOP with Grandma and Grandpa. Don't you just love her "Birthday Crown"? The kids got some presents for her, but hopefully her favorite present was the ticket to Secondhand Serenade who just happened to be in concert that night!

This was the guitarist from the band Single File. (One of the opening bands.) Meagan also got a signed poster from We Shot the Moon.

Finally Secondhand Serenade took the stage much to the delight of thousands of screaming fans.

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Drive-in style

2009-08-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

The kids love to watch movies in the back yard. They had a fun movie night outside with Meagan. They watched "Pride and Prejudice, the latter-day version." It's pretty funny, and Will's cousin was involved in it's production.

Ahhh, summertime.

Playing too much???

2009-08-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

Is it possible to play too much? We are on a mission to find out. We have having too much fun with Devon and Meagan here with us. There is always a reason to celebrate. We had this bbq a few weeks ago with everyone, but I have been playing too hard to post anything. Never mind that I promised my lil' sis that I would keep her updated with pic's.

Well, the cousin's flew back home on Monday, and I've been trying to play catch-up with the housework. (I'm not the best house-keeper to begin with.)

Now it's back to reality. I spent an hour at the Jr. High trying to get Brennan's schedule figured out. It threw a few kinks in it to be playing Hockey for the High School Team. I can't believe school starts in just a week and a half!

We are so glad that we had the chance to play with our cousins! We love you Meagan and Devon!

Boys and Guns

2009-07-25T17:23:00.000-07:00

My cute little brother Bryan took the boys shooting on Devon's first full day out here. Manly stuff! I'm sure the boys had a much better time shooting than hanging out at home with a bunch of girls.

Conner takes aim.

Brennan with a big gun. I have NO idea what kind.

Thanks Bry, you're a great uncle!!

Oklahoma!

2009-07-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

My Niece and Nephew arrived from Oklahoma this evening. (Brennan and Devon are going to EFY together!) The kids were so excited to see them, they could hardly wait. They had both grown up so much I could hardly believe it. It was good to see them. We went out to the airport with my Sister, Joanna and her children, to pick them up. We made it there just minutes before they arrived. It was a sweet reunion. Afterward,

everyone came over to our house to have pizza and salad. Ya gotta love Little Caesar's $5 pizza!

Wow! Meagan has turned into such a beautiful young woman. She reminds me of my sister, Susie soooo much!

Of course Brennan couldn't stay out of trouble for too long. He was just itching for a water-fight.

We are thrilled that Devon and Meagan are here with us. It's going to be an awesome 3 weeks.

Elephant Rock

2009-07-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

On the 3rd of July, we decided to hike up to Elephant Rock. Brennan had a sore neck from Hockey, so he decided to stay home and take it easy, but the rest of the family hiked up to the large rock known as "Elephant Rock." We had been hiking just under a mile when I took this picture. If you look above the pine tree to the right of Conner's head you can see a grey splotch that is Elephant Rock. I was so proud of my little troopers! They did great. Especially little Ashlyn! She hiked the whole way with a backpack on and was cheerful the whole time. (About 6 miles round trip) She even made up a little song on the way back down......

"We are Hiking" (echo) "We are hiking"
"Nothings gonna stop us!" (echo) "Nothings gonna stop us!"
"We're running and jogging." (echo) We're running and jogging."
"Walk!" (echo) "Walk!
(together) "Walk! Walk! Walk!"
I of course was the echo. After a while I suggested we stop singing. Ashlyn said, "But we've only done it like 40 times!"

This is Conner and McKinley on the tip of Elephant Rock. I hiked down to the edge of the rock, but assigned myself baby duty, and stayed on firmer ground, watching Brooklynn. Will and Ashlyn climbed out onto the rock too!

You can see the view of the valley behind McKinley, as she climbs out onto the rock.

My little Ashlyn loves to pose for a photo. This was as close to the rock as I got.

Yeah! We all made it. Next time we will remember to bring a binki for the sleepy baby on the hike back down.

20 Year Class Reunion

2009-06-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

Will had his Twenty Year High School Reunion a few weeks ago. We were in charge of the decorations. It was lots of fun going through all of the memorabilia and talking to people as we collected all the old "fashionable" styles of the time. We made up four display tables with a lot of the sports and activities featured on them. You should have seen the men's running shorts for track...there is a reason why they are called SHORT!

Joy and Aryln totally helped. We couldn't have done it without them!

We had a BBQ the night before for families. It was a riot seeing every ones kids. Lots of people looked pretty old. It's so strange. I'm sure we haven't changed a bit!

4th Presbyterian Church of Chicago

2009-06-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

Will and I ran into this church in Chicago. It is almost right across from the American Girl Doll Store. If I remember correctly, it was the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago. It was breathtaking inside and out. I didn't know how they would feel about me taking pic's inside, so I didn't take any.

It was peaceful and majestic all at the same time.

If I wasn't a Mormon, I would so totally go to this church!!! (just kidding)

Genealogy Nerd

2009-06-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

This was the view from our window when it was raining. It was crazy, you couldn't even see the top of the buildings! Some people go to Chicago to shop at all the amazing stores, and there are a lot of them. I on the other hand, am a bit of a nerd, and didn't step foot in a department store. Two of my days were spent primarily here, at the Newberry Library. Wow. It was amazing, and they were sooooooo

helpful. I spent a full day charting the street changes for Northwestern Chicago. I could have never done it without their help. And, what a beautiful building.

This is Graceland Cemetery.

And this is where my Great Great Grandfather's Sister, Harriet and her husband Dennis are buried. It was one of the highlights of my trip to come and visit their graves. Fanny H. Foster is also my Great Great Grandfather's sister. (Her husband is Arthur) My mom and I have spent so much time trying to track them down. They were born in England, immigrated in 1885. We still don't know where my G.G. Grandfather or Grandmother are buried, but this is a good start.

And now you know the truth about me. I am a genealogy nerd.

May craziness and suprise Genealogy trips.

2009-06-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

For all 3 of you reading my blog, I apologize for taking so long. May is just insanely busy with the end of school "everything." Those of you with children in school know what I mean. I had a great surprise this month. Will had a business trip to Chicago, and I got to tag along. (Yeah skymiles.) This worked out perfectly, because I've been doing genealogy, and I have family that I can't find from Chicago. I only had 5 days notice to get everything ready for my mom to watch the kids (Thanks mom) and to get all of my research together. (I spent about 5 hours at the Family History Library looking up and copying city directories.) My favorite restaurant there was the Grand Lux Cafe. Yum! It was so good we went twice. This was the view from our hotel window. At least when it wasn't raining. Which it did a lot.
The Graceland Cemetery was located just a few blocks north of Wrigley Field. We didn't catch a game, but we were there when one was being played. It was cool to be there.

Robinhood

2009-05-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was Conner's final play for his acting class. They put on Robinhood. Conner was thrilled to play the bad guy... The Sheriff of Nottingham. The play was a parody on Robinhood, and was very funny. Conner was a very humorous, evil, bad guy.

We gave Conner a candy bar poster to congratulate him on a job well done.

Maid Mariann, Princess Joan, The Sheriff of Nottingham, and Friar Tuck.

The Bad Guy! P.S. Thanks Victoria for the camera. You're a life saver!

Hockey and Chocolate!

2009-05-14T08:57:00.001-07:00

Last night Brennan had his very first game with the High School Hockey Team. Agh! That's right, he is on the team as a Freshman. We are very proud of him (and a little nervous). He has to go to summer school for P.E. since he will miss 1st period next year to work out with the team over at the High School.
Right now they have started the summer league hockey for the high schools. (The official season doesn't start until the fall) So my 14 year old eighth grader is playing with big High School kids. He did great last night and really held his own. He was so excited he could hardly stand it. He even got one really good shot on the goal. It was a blast watching him play.
After the game, Will and I headed down to the Priest activity for the night. All the boys invited their mom's on a "date". They went to a chocolate candy store and got to make chocolate covered strawberries. (Please note our lovely hairnets. I might get some for home, they were so cool.) It was tons of fun, and it seemed like everyone enjoyed themselves. The smell in there was absolutely heavenly! The boys chowed down on the free samples, and everyone was all smiles. My little Brooklynn had a great time. She enjoyed the peanut butter chocolate truffles. Mmmmm.

Brennan and his friend Trey who plays goalie. Both played great!

Simply Amazing!

2009-04-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

I have been very preoccupied these last few days with my dear friend Carlin. (Actually these last few weeks) She and her husband have made the amazing and brave decision to adopt not one, but three children from the Ukraine. That is doubling the number of children that she is the mother to! Her husband just arrived last night with the children. This picture shows all of the children together for the first time. I am so touched that they would uproot themselves from their comfortable lives to bless the lives of these children. I'm sure it will be a roller coaster ride, but a very rewarding one in the long haul. So my hat is off to you, Keller family. All eight of you! You will be in our thoughts and prayers as you navigate this new territory.
P.S. You can follow their journey on their blog. The link is on my blog list.