Owens

Jake plays again

2010-06-29T14:12:00.003-06:00

Jake and his friend decided to play for the 6th grade talent show (with a little persuasion from their teacher and parents). I think they did a great job! Jake's friend actually plays the guitar too, but they thought it sounded better with him playing the drums, he just started playing about a month ago--I was very impressed!

Accomplishments

2010-06-26T10:37:00.002-06:00

I ran a 5K today. A year ago, I didn't think I could run more than a mile. I don't aspire to run marathons, but I did want to do this, a 5K and possibly a 10K. It is not much for many, I see lots of friends and family running lots more than that all the time. But it is a big deal for me. I am not fast, I don't even aspire to win any races, simply to finish, and I did. And I felt great. The last couple of years have been hard for me and there has been far too much "food therapy" going on. Exercise is a different way to combat my challenges, a better way. I have very long way to go still, but I am moving in the right direction and it feels wonderful. Why is it so hard for some of us to do something good for ourselves sometimes? My life revolves around taking care of my family, but I need to be taken care of too, that is such a difficult thing to do sometimes. I needed to "tweak" a few things, and hopefully everyone will be better off because of those changes.

Camping in Moab

2010-05-27T13:50:00.004-06:00

We have always heard that Moab is great. When we drove from Texas to Utah last summer, we drove through and the boys made us promise we would make a trip back. So we said when they were off track in the spring, we would go. Last week we made it back to Moab and were able to find a fabulous camping site near the Colorado River--it was wonderful! We went with Rick and his girls and really had such a great time. We were able to hike in Arches National Park and we found another hike up Negro Bill's Canyon to see one of the largest natural bridges in the world. The kids hiked almost 10 miles total over just 2 days--they did awesome. And I just have to say, I love Moab! What a beautiful place! Everywhere I looked there were more beautiful rocks and trees and flowers. Our kids were absolutely filthy by the time we left, which for me equates to them having a fabulous time. I was a little embarrassed when we stopped in Price to grab some lunch and my kids really looked neglected--I wanted to put a sticker on each of them that said "Had a great time camping in Moab". But I figure I'll never see those people again and it is good for others to have compassion for the needy, right?! :)

We are doing good otherwise. Brian just finished his course work to get his real estate license and he and Rick are still working on the property issue up in Heber. But we are really trying to not put all our eggs in that basket just in case it doesn't work out. We sincerely hope, but that doesn't always do the trick. Brian feels a bit like he has a little black rain cloud over his head, he gets discouraged and I don't blame him. This has been very hard for him, but he is an eternal optimist, so I think even though he sees the cloud over his head there is still some silver lining left.

The kids are doing great. Kash finished preschool and can't wait to start kindergarten. The other kids just can't wait to be done with school. We are excited that all of them were accepted to a charter school down here so we can at least be sure their class size won't be out of control next year and they will be on traditional schedule--both pluses.

No other news to report, we are all healthy and happy and that is enough.

April...so far

2010-04-15T13:19:00.003-06:00

Sunday was Kash-man's birthday. I am so in love with this boy. I know I have said this before, but it still holds true, so I will say it again. I am so in love with this little boy! He has the MOST sparkly eyes and wonderful smile. He is snuggly and gives the greatest hugs. When I look in Kash's eyes, I see unconditional love and trust--that is a lot to live up to. He makes me a better mom. He was SO excited to turn 5! My mom called a few days before his bday and asked if it would work out to have a boy's sleepover. I thought it was fine, but realized Kash would then wake up at Grandma & Grandpa's instead of with us for his big day. I explained to him how it would work and then left it up to him. I will admit, there was a part of me that hoped he would want to be here with us, but not after I saw the look of pure excitement on his face as he considered the possibilities. Needless to say, he woke up in Cache Valley on his birthday! We drove up after church and celebrated with as many cousins as could be there for cake and ice cream, collected our boys and drove home. Kash had a FABULOUS birthday! He is already talking about "when he turns 6". It is so nice we can do things like this again!

Yesterday, I took Kash grocery shopping with me and I felt obligated to participate in Happy Hour at Sonic--I love 1/2 price! This particular Sonic employs many Spanish speaking people--I think I have only been there once when a ESL person didn't help me. Well, yesterday the cute girl helping me spoke very good English but had a very strong accent. After I was done ordering all the drinks and I was pulling up to the window, Kash said in a very impressed voice, "Mom! I didn't know you spoke Spanish!" Oh, how I wanted to run with that one--I am always looking for ways to make my kids believe I am as smart as I tell them I am! But I regrettably had to explain she was speaking English with an accent and that no, I don't speak Spanish, but wish that I did. Kash asked if I knew any Spanish words so I told him the few I remembered from high school. He didn't seem as impressed anymore. I remember as a missionary in Boston, I went out with the Spanish speaking sisters a few times. One particular time, I was really struggling to stay awake. The Puerto Ricans we were with kept their home VERY warm and I didn't understand a THING they were saying except for a word here and there. The sister missionary I was with could tell I was going to sleep and she called on me to share my feelings about Jesus Christ. I was so caught off guard, I didn't think about the fact she could translate for me and I ended up saying, "Jesus Christo is muy bueno." They all nodded politely. She never asked me to do that again--phew!!! And there you have my Spanish abilities in a nutshell! I will have to find other ways to impress my children.

Things here are going. We are on hold with the business because of some zoning issues. The dream is not dead, but waiting until the property owner can get the zoning changed permanently to commercial. It's a long story, not one that I care to elaborate on at this time. Right now, Brian is working on his real estate license. We have a few other things out there as well that we are hoping will work out, but I am not going to curse any chance of that. So I will post about anything AFTER it happens.

I will be honest, it has been a challenging few months. But we are doing fine. We are all healthy, we like each other, and I can still go to Sonic for Happy Hour. Once again, I will commit to doing better with the blog. We will see!

Conversations at our house...

2010-03-07T17:24:00.003-07:00

Ben is always hungry, Brian is a smarty pants and Jake always has something clever to say, it lead to this conversation yesterday.

Ben: "I am hungry!"
Brian: "Nice to meet you, Hungry." "I am Brian."
Jake: "That seems to be a pretty popular name."
Brian: "Yep, Hungry really is a popular name."
Jake: "Especially in third world countries."

I laughed pretty hard, we all did.

No news is good news?

2010-02-27T14:28:00.002-07:00

I guess I figure that no one really checks here much anymore, but if there are some of you out there, I need to do better.

Nothing much has changed here. This whole "starting a business" things has been a roller coaster ride. Brian and Rick have everything in place to start the business, three banks were willing to loan them money, all said it was one of the best business plans they had ever seen--kuddos to the boys. Anyway, all they are lacking is a location. Twice we have had leases fall through. Brian had pretty much given up and had started looking for another job, but Rick went up to Heber one more time to see if there was anything they had overlooked. He found a property and then took Brian & John up to look. Brian was actually really excited again. Like I said, a roller coaster. So we are in the prelimiary stages of discussion with realtors and property owners once again. We are just praying this one works out. Any extra prayers would be so much appreciated. I would really love to see this work out for these Owens boys--I just love them all so much--being especially fond of the oldest one! :)

The kids are all doing really well. I still don't like year round school or the prospects of school in Jordan School district. They are talking about 10,000 more students next year with no increase in budget. The kids will be in classes with up to 40 kids. SOOO dysfunctional!! So if we have to stay here another year I am desperately hoping the charter school works out. But I really hope we move. I have never felt so disconnected from a school, the communication between teachers and parents is almost zilch and we have been told our kids are in one of the best schools in the district. It has been crazy. I can't help but think the teachers are overwhelmed and burned out with the number of students they are trying to teach--like I said--I hope we don't have to deal with it next school year. Hard for me to even believe Kash will be in kindergarten next year--Ruby and I will miss him terribly! But enough ranting, we have wonderful neighbors and the kids have all made some very nice friends. Jake continues to play guitar and dream of cars he and his dad can fix together. Ben continues to grow faster than I can keep up with. He LOVES Harry Potter and is just about done with#7. Sally is looking grown up with more permanent teeth now and loves her iPod, Taylor Swift, and having a room to share with Ruby. Kash loves Iron Man, John Deere Tractors and his bike. He is in constant motion and is usually singing or driving a car on the kitchen counter. I am totally smitten by him, he tells me I am beautiful when I get off the treadmill, how could I not be? Ruby is our resident dictator and true to that role, throws a horrible fit when anyone has the nerve to tell her no. She is super sweet the rest of the time and is talking more and more every day. I knew when we had Ruby she would be our last, so I didn't want her to grow up too quickly. But I have no control over that as much as I wish I did. So getting my head around the fact that May 2 she will be 2 is hard! I am grateful for the sleep I get these days, but fight the hard truth that I don't have babies anymore.

I am doing well. Just plugging away at the same old stuff. In spite of all the changes and craziness in our lives lately, the laundry still has to be done and dinner still has to be made. So we just keep moving on and hope we are going forward.

Books and just stuff in general

2010-01-11T12:08:00.002-07:00

I guess I will start with the general stuff. We had a wonderful Christmas and New Years. We spent Christmas here doing all our traditional stuff and and the kids were thrilled with Santa (he gets way too much credit!) as well as the few other things they found under the tree. We spent New Years in Logan at my sister, Katie's, house. She has lots of room, which is required when my family gets together. We were entertained by all the kids performing for us, lots of good food and just getting to spend time together. What a treat for me and Brian and the kids to get to do this again! On New Years Day, we went tubing on the hill behind my parents house--so much fun! I do love the seasons--snow this time of year just seems right. Jake and Ben got to spend a few days at their cousins--they stayed up half the night every night playing XBOX--so of course that was a highlight for them when discussing their Christmas break. It really was a fabulous holiday season.

As far as other news, we FINALLY sold our house. We closed on Dec. 30 and couldn't be more thrilled to be done with home ownership in state where we don't actually live. That was gift right there for Brian and myself.

On the business front, I will say it again, things are moving slowly. But they are moving and in a very positive direction. Things are falling into place and we should know by the end of this week if we have a place to lease and can get up to Heber and get going. It has all been such an adventure. Some days we feel so excited and other days are discouraging and we wonder again what in the world we have done. But really, overall it has been a great experience and I continue to feel like we are where we need to be and things will work out.

I have been reading the "Fablehaven" series the past few weeks. They are fun books although I would like to kill Seth at times (for those of you who have read them). Anyway, I really do love to read, I always have a book and when I don't, I get fidgety until I can get to the library. Well, I think Fablehaven is getting to me, I have started dreaming of large amphibians that bite and multiply quickly, all very strange. I need to hurry and finish #4 so I can move on to something a little less fantastic (not fantasy). Ruby also loves books. She has taken a fancy to Sandra Boyton--I might have something to do with that. Anyway, one of here favorites is "Moo, Baa, La, La, La". In the book it says, "Cows say moo, sheep say baa. And three singing pigs say la la la. No, no you say that isn't right, pigs say oink all day and night." I did that from memory, are any of you impressed? I should think not since I have been reading that book to my kids for 12 years now. Anyway, I just had to explain so when you watch this little video of Ruby you will understand why she thinks pigs say no no no. I do love books though, even if they do affect us in wacky ways.

The Season

2009-12-14T12:05:00.002-07:00

Thanksgiving was wonderful. It was so nice to spend Thanksgiving with family. The kids really do love being with cousins and I love watching them. I will admit that not living in my own house for the first time since Brian and I have been married has had it's challenges. But I feel so grateful to Kathi for letting us "borrow" her house that those challenges seem very insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

We had Grandma Sally's 86th birthday party/Christmas party here this past weekend. There were 30 + people here, lots of food and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. I actually left because I had tickets to attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. Natalie Cole and David McCullough were the guest performers. When I knew the tickets were going to conflict with the party, I wasn't sure what to do. But I went to the concert anyway, not with Brian and the boys like I had planned, but I got to spend the evening with friends I hadn't spent time with in forever. I must say, as much as I know I missed a great party, I am so glad I went. I am such a HUGE fan of David McCullough and the concert was fabulous. And catching up with friends was great. Sitting listening to beautiful music, seeing the lights on Temple Square, being with friends (and family later), all made me appreciate what this season is all about. I am constantly chasing the "magic" of the season for my children in an attempt to recapture it for myself. But I have discovered that the magic is really all about the innocence and wonder. I sometimes wish I could feel 5 again this time of year. I wish I didn't have to worry about all the things adults worry about and just be amazed by the feelings, sights and sounds. I keep trying...

This year, things are as different as they could be from years in the past. We have tried so hard to make sure our kids don't feel the stress and pressure that Brian and I are dealing with while we work through the changes that have happened. But they know. They are so perceptive while we continue to try and be deceptive. I hope we have given them enough information to understand but not enough to worry. I want to feel awful that we haven't sold our house and investors for the business continue to fall through, but while it is certainly discouraging, I feel tremendously blessed. We have our families who love and support us, we have 5 healthy children, we have a warm house and enough food and I continue to have faith that all this will work out. I can't imagine living without hope. And yet I know there are so many who do. So this Christmas I am wishing for faith and hope for all those who are without. I hope all of you that I love and miss all over this beautiful country are warm and happy and surrounded by those you love most.

Princess Sally "Way" Snaggletooth

2009-11-25T07:10:00.004-07:00

My Sally is growing up. All this is evident by the number of teeth she has lost in the past month or so and the fact that she is finally starting to say Sally Ray instead of Sally Way when she says her name. I have been worried about Sally learning to say her r's, it has started to affect her reading and writing especially. I am so proud of her for working so hard to say things the right way, but there is something so endearing about those "weally" cute r's. Since she was 2 and really started to talk, her r's have been w's. I know it is time for her to grow out of it--actually way past time--but it just means one more little marker on her way to growing up. My kids are getting big. I get a little sad, but excited about the future as well.

Brian has such an imagination. He is a product of Dr. Suess. He can make up nonsense words that make sense, he sings songs and tells stories to the kids that he makes up as he goes along and I have no idea where he gets such fun and clever stuff. The other night, I wanted to take a picture of Sally's toothless grin, but she was worried she would look funny. So she wouldn't smile for me. So Brian told her (and all the other kids plus George who enjoyed it as much as any of them) a story about Princess Snaggletooth. We were all laughing so much, Sally couldn't help but smile. Brian really should write children's books--he has missed his calling in life. Anyway, the following pictures are from that night. I love these people. I feel tremendously blessed.

Isn't that grin priceless?!

A few random things and just info in general

2009-11-09T15:10:00.001-07:00

I haven't done just a general update in a while and Kash has said a few very funny things lately that I really don't want to forget to share, so here we go.

Just a general update on the business front. In one word, S L O W!!!! But other than that, good. Brian and Rick have been chasing down information, filling out forms, creating reports and spreadsheets, and talking to all kinds of helpful people in an effort to FINALLY get the paperwork turned into the bank so they can start processing (and hopefully approving) the business loan. I have truly enjoyed having Brian around more, but I know he is going a little nuts. It is so nice to leave during the day and not have to always take the kids and just having Brian with us more. I know he has decided that working from home cannot work on a long term basis unless there is a designated office from where to work, and I know he feels a little insane not having a "job" to go to in the morning, but I also know he is excited about the business and can't wait to get things started. Things really are going well, I just think Brian thought it would all move a little quicker than it has. Partially, the slowness is due to all the new paperwork and information banks require for a loan, so different than a year ago. Our timing is always a bit off, but things seem to work out still in the long run.

Our house in Amarillo still has not sold. This is probably the biggest frustration and worry for us right now. But it just has to work out somehow--I am still holding on to that.

The kids love having their cousins around and seem to be adjusting well. Once again, Jake's teacher wants us to look into the honor program for next year, and Jake once again is telling us he doesn't want to because that would require some effort on his part. Ben and Sally both seem to be doing great too, but honestly, I am hoping to get all the kids into a charter school next year because of the schedule. Next year, Jake would be on traditional schedule, but the other kids would be on the year round schedule. There is a new charter school close by that is K-9, so I could have all 4 of my kids at the same school and on traditional schedule--I am REALLY hoping that works out. My kids aren't thrilled about changing schools again, but I am not thrilled with a lot of things, not just the schedule, so I am willing to try something different for many reasons. I MISS TX and NY when it comes to school! I am trying to adjust, just like my kids, but it has been hard. The kids go off track for the first time next Friday, they are all pretty thrilled about that. I hope I can keep them "entertained" for 3 weeks!

Kash continues to keep me completely entertained here at home. The other day, he told Rick that his new sneakers had a "lift" in the back. I loved that, everything in Kash's world has some reference to trucks or tractors. John (Brian's brother) killed an elk and it was hanging in the garage here. Kash was fascinated with the whole thing and really like being out in the garage with all the guys while they were cutting it up. (Sorry, that really is all sort of disgusting.) Anyway, he had a soda he was just finishing. As he drank the last little bit, he held up the bottle in one hand and the cap in the other and declared, "I just drank the hell out this!" What?!!! Where did he get that?! Seriously, Brian and I do not say stuff like that, but he certainly knew how to use the word correctly and unfortunately, Brian and I can only laugh.

Ruby is BUSY!!! I think I missed the update that the new 2 is really 18 months. She has colored all over the walls twice (thank goodness for Magic Erasers), dumped tampons all over the floor twice (I finally got smart and put those in a high place), she found hot cocoa and dumped it all over the floor, and a few more things have been dumped. She eats out of the garbage and scowls at us when we are not doing our best to make her happy. And yet, she is the cutest little girl ever! She says "tank oo" and "peas", and give the sweetest hugs and kisses. I don't know if my kids have gotten progressively busier or I have just become so tired that it only appears that way. Either way, I love them all more than chocolate and that is saying a lot!

This past week we celebrated birthdays just about every day. My birthday was Monday, Jake was Tuesday, Sally was Wednesday and Kathi was Thursday. We had a week of parties combines with cutting up an elk, Young Women activities, scouts and lots more. Then Sunday, Jake was ordained a deacon, so we had a big dinner with lots of family here after church. It was so nice to celebrate with lots of family around. It was a busy week, but all good. I can't believe my kids are growing up--I still wish I had a pause button--that would stop all my grey hair and keep my kids just where they are. But I know that isn't going to happen--especially the hair thing--so we just keep moving forward and try to enjoy all where we are and all that life brings. So far, so good...

Pretending it is still October 25th

2009-10-27T10:29:00.002-06:00

October 25 is John's birthday. Since he is my MOST favorite brother, I feel badly that I didn't get something written for him on his actual birthday. Does it help my case of behindness that I have had 2 kids with strep in the last 4 days? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I am here today to write a bit about my brother, John.

I sometimes feel badly that John is the only boy. He was mothered more than he probably wishes, smothered is probably a better way to describe how we cared for John as he was growing up. We styled, dressed, teased, and questioned him WAY more than boys care for, but he was always so good about our type of "love". I guess to end the year of birthday tributes, I want to do something a little differently for John. I have a few favorite memories of John that pretty much sum up everything I love about him. But if my stories (and they may be a little lengthy, so be prepared) don't express how I feel about my brother, John is truly one in a million. That may sound trite, but it it honestly the truth. You will see what I mean...

As you can imagine, John would get bored with all the girls at our house and would be a bit desperate for someone to play with at times. He knew I would agree to play with him if we played the "torture game". (This says so much about him and so little about me!) I would stuff him in a hamper and sit on the hamper, make some kind of concoction for him to drink--the base was ALWAYS pickle juice--and then lock him in a room until he drank the whole glass. All kinds of horrific things that I thought were so funny and clever. He would just play along and be glad for someone to play with--he is ALWAYS a good sport about whatever his sisters have in mind.

When John was 12, I was 17. We were having a Halloween dance at church for families, so even the 12-year-olds were allowed to come. John and some of his friends weren't asking anyone to dance and spending way too much time at the refreshments table and drinking fountain. I told them there were lots of girls who would be thrilled to dance with any one of them. Next thing I know, John has asked a little 8-year-old girl to dance--very safe move. I told John that although I was proud of him for asking her to dance, I was thinking of all the girls holding up the walls who were closer to his age. Finally, he and his friends started asking some of the girls to dance and they were all having a good time. True to any dance, there were more girls than boys, so there were always a few of the girls not dancing. On the very last dance all those boys went and got all the girls and they all danced together in a big circle. It looked pretty funny since it was a slow song and I got quite a laugh out the whole thing. As John and I were leaving, I asked if he had fun. He said he had and of course I told him it was all thanks to me since I "strongly" encouraged him to dance. I then said something to this affect, "What was the deal with the last song?" "The idea is to dance with just ONE girl, not all of them." John replied, "Do you remember the Campbell's Soup commercial where the little red head girl goes home from the dance early because no one asked her to dance?" I said I did remember. And then John said, "I just didn't want any of those girls to feel like that, so we decided to ask them all." I remember being amazed that this boy would even consider something like that at his age. But that was so typical of John. I remember him spending his own money on earrings for my birthday because he was sure I would love them.

Just before I left to serve a mission, my life had gotten a little complicated and messy because of choices I had made. I was confused about my future and what I wanted and didn't know what direction to take in many ways. I came home after classes at USU (Go Aggies!) one afternoon and I was crying--a lot. I left for work a complete mess. I got home around midnight and could hear John's alarm going. I went in his room and he was sitting up in his bed. I told him that he had set his alarm wrong and that I would reset it for him, to just go back to bed. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and said, "No, I meant to set the alarm for now." "I knew you would be getting home from work and I just wanted to make sure you were okay." I still get teary thinking about that one. That meant the world to me. I needed to know that in spite of the craziness I had created, someone was still there to make sure I was going to be okay.

When John was about 13, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor called a calcified blood vessel. He had started having seizures and was put on medication to control the seizures. This maintained things quite well for several years with just minor breakthroughs occasionally. John was pretty quiet about all of this, very few of the kids he went to school with even knew what he dealt with. The end of his junior year, he decided to run for SBO. During his speech he had a petite mal seizure. When this happened to John, he would just mumble and his leg or arm would shake. All the kids in the auditorium watched it happen. But because not many of them knew about John's seizures, they all thought that John was being funny and they laughed. John won the election and I don't think he ever told many people what had actually happened. He didn't complain and ask for another chance or ask for anyone's sympathy--he just moved on. Things got A LOT worse and John finally had surgery a while after he got home from his mission. He had wires connected to his brain and had his head cut open. He was so full of faith and hope through it all, he truly inspired me.

John just finished his class work for his MBA this month and will graduate with his Master's Degree in December. He married the most fabulous girl and has two beautiful daughters who adore their Dad. The feeling is quite mutual--John is a great dad--I love watching him talk to his girls. And who better to be a dad to little girls?! John is patient, kind, helpful, sincere, smart and wonderful.

So I hope you all have a glimpse of why I love John the way I do. I think Heavenly Father only sent one boy to our house because he would have been the favorite either way, no reason to ruin some other boys life, right?

Love you, John.

Kash-isms

2009-10-23T10:30:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Kash & I were discussing an episode of "Little Bill" he had seen. Little Bill thought he had broken his baby cousin when the baby spit up. Kash told me that he thought he had broken Ruby when she was a baby. I told him I didn't remember that, but I did remember when he bent Ruby's finger back really far just to see what would happen. Kash's responded, "Yep, I was pretty mean in the 80's, wasn't I, Mom?" I just laughed. Then later that day I noticed that Kash's sneakers were really wearing out and the inside of the sole was worn enough that his ankles were turning. So I told him we needed to buy him some new sneakers. Of course this turned into a conversation about his old sneakers. Kash said, "I remember when we bought my other sneakers back in the 60's." He is TOTALLY serious when he is telling us all this. I just love my little boy. By the way, he LOVES his new sneakers! I just wonder which decade he will remember this purchase taking place...

Octoberfest

2009-10-18T13:41:00.004-06:00

We went to Petersboro this weekend for the annual Octoberfest. My sister, Wendy, started the tradition a few years ago, but after we had moved away. So this was our first fest and we were not disappointed. The kids got sufficiently sugared and had such a great time with all the cousins, games and crafts. And it is always nice to spend time with family. My mom and I took the kids to the last Saturday of the Farmer's Market in Logan that morning, what a fine time that was as well! I love the booths with all the veggies and homemade goods. But the greatest part was running into Peg, someone who has been part of my life for more years than I think could really be possible. I had thought earlier as we were walking around, "This is something I am sure Peg likes!" And then, there she was! I love Farmer's Markets anyway, but getting to see Peg made the morning especially nice.

It turned out to be a fabulous fall day--perfect for all the activities and fun. This really is the best part about being back in Utah, getting to spend time with our families and knowing we don't have to fit a million things into a few weeks. here are a few pictures from the fest...

Ruby was a spider

Sally, my pretty witch

Jake was Buddy Holly

Ben, our hippie

Kash, the Power Ranger

Kate's Birthday...

2009-10-16T23:17:00.003-06:00

Yes, two days after Malayna's birthday, it is Kate's turn. I wrote before that October would be "tribute month", 4 out of 6 kids were born between October 14 and November 2! Anyway, today is Kate's birthday and it was wonderful to be in the same state for a change so I could go to the little surprise party Kade planned for her. I love being closer to our families! In January I posted a few things I loved about Kate when we were celebrating our "Praise to Jen & Kate Day", so I copied and pasted some because I still love Kate for all the same reasons. But I have added a few new ones as well. Anyway, here's to Kate!

1. Kate can always make me laugh. Stories she tells or silly things she does--she just makes me laugh. And everyone knows laughter can help you live longer! One of my favorite "laughs" about Kate...in high school she was working on a group paper. Someone suggested they do the report on euthanasia. Kate's response was, "I think we should do the paper on Youth in America, not Youth in Asia!" The greatest part, she was TOTALLY serious. And she will be the first person to laugh at herself. Like I said, always good for a laugh.

2. Kate is always up for anything, "Sure!" I can hear her saying it now!

3. She is a great Mom, whenever I talk to her on the phone, she and her kids are up to something--the latest was caramel dipped pretzels--her oldest is 6 and youngest is 9 months. She is SO brave! :)

4. Katie is kind to everyone, she can make anyone feel like he or she is her favorite. She is just one of those people who everyone wants to be around.

5. Kate was "the baby", I have always thought she was fabulous.

6. Katie is beautiful, like all my sisters, it comes from the inside and just keeps going.

7. She could spot a jerky guy when I brought them home long before I could & she let me know. Not always in the most tactful ways, but she let me know. Once she left "For the Strength of Youth" on my pillow because she was concerned about some of my activities--I love that one!

8. She is amazingly athletic, something of which I am a tad bit jealous. She could not run for months and then decide to run 5 miles & I believe she could! I always loved watching all my sisters play volleyball. I cried when I had just had Jake & couldn't go watch Kate at the state finals.

9. She has made some very tough choices in her life, but she knows what is right and she does it.

10. She is just plain fun! She laughs easily and lots--I love that.

Happy day, Kate! Thirty looks totally fabulous on you! :)

Happy Birthday, Malayna!

2009-10-14T23:04:00.002-06:00

Today Malayna turned 40! My mom is 20 years older than her and Kate is 10 years younger. They make it very easy to keep track of ages--you can do all the math if you want. But today I get to celebrate my only older sister. So here is my birthday list for Malayna, a few reasons I think she is great...

1. Malayna always made it hard to be the 2nd child. She was SO good at everything. She is athletic, smart, beautiful, talented, and good. I remember all of those things making me crazy at times because I was not like Malayna in so many ways. But I remember having someone in middle school make the connection that I was her sister and oh, how that made my life easier. I was given a few free passes because she had been so good that others just thought I was having an off day when I wasn't. I decided then that all her good qualities were a good thing--they couldn't curse me forever.

2. Malayna was and is such a good example. The oldest child is given a lot of responsibility without asking for it. I think Malayna set such a great example in so many ways for the rest of us who came after her and she still does.

3. Malayna is SO honest in such a tactful way. I think this is a really amazing ability. To be able to tell someone exactly what is what and do it in a way that they still like you afterwards.

4. She doesn't let the unimportant stuff get in the way of what is really important. Malayna can see what needs to be done and is able to sift through the nonessential and get a job done well.

5. Malayna graduated from college. That may sound silly, but it was always a goal for her. It took her a little longer than she intended, but she did it. And I think because she did, she showed the rest of us it was possible. I was so proud of her.

6. She and Marty have great kids. And I know behind most great kids are great parents. I don't know all their secrets, but they are doing lots of things right. So like I say about all my sisters, she is a great mom.

7. Malayna used to get mad so easily and had quite a temper. I should know, I was the family button pusher. I especially loved to bug her and Wendy. But I have watched over the years, and Malayna has totally changed that behavior. I obviously don't try intentionally to bug her anymore, but I am sure there are others who have taken my place. And she handles difficult situations with such grace. I am constantly impressed by this.

8. Malayna is so kind. She has such a good heart and really wants to help others. But she does all of this very quietly without much fanfare, which makes me admire her even more.

9. Malayna is a true friend. She makes and keeps friends forever. I am not good about keeping in touch with people, so I really admire this about her.

10. Like I mentioned in #1, Malayna and I are very different in most ways. We fought A LOT growing up and I honestly thought we would never get along. Then I started high school as a freshman when Malayna was a senior. Some older sisters pretend like the younger sister doesn't exist--especially when they are a little dorky like I was. But Malayna was SO good to me. She would take me with her to games, dances, all kinds of things. I did have to start her car in the morning during the winter if I wanted to ride with her ;), but it was all worth it. During all those car rides between Petersboro and Mountain Crest, and lots of other things she became my best friend. I adored her. I cried for days after she left for college. I was thrilled to have my own room finally, but I missed her like crazy. I had some pretty terrible experiences in middle school with friends, but I had Malayna to show me what a real friend was like. I don't think I would be who I am now without Malayna being the friend she was to me then.

I love you, Malayna. I hope you have a fabulous day.

A Great Book

2009-09-29T14:40:00.002-06:00

For those who know me, you know I love to read. I am always on the lookout for a good book and I am never without something to read. I don't like to watch a movie before I read the book and I don't usually like to read the book if I have already seen the movie. For this reason, I have never read "Little Women". I know, I know, a classic. But I loved the movie so much (the more recent one with Wynonna Ryder), all the Massachusetts scenery that is so wonderful and the story. So I thought for sure the book would be too much of a repeat and wouldn't keep my interest. How wrong I was!!! The book (as usual) is so much better than the movie. And I was sad to find out how much Christianity was totally removed from the movie--I didn't say surprised--just sad. I am still not done with the book, but I wanted to share a few of my favorite quotes. Inspirational! Now I would just like to go to Concord again and enjoy all those lovely places once more...

"It was easier to try for your sakes than for my own; a startled or surprised look from one of you, when I spoke sharply, rebuked me more than any words could have done; and the love respect, and confidence of my children was the sweetest reward I could receive for my efforts to be the woman I would have them copy."

"If I don't seem to need help, it is because I have a better friend, even than father, to comfort and sustain me. My child, the troubles and temptations of your life are beginning, and may be many; but you can overcome and outlive them all if you learn to feel the strength and tenderness of your Heavenly Father as you do that of your earthy one. The more you love and trust Him, the nearer you will feel to Him, and the less you will depend on human power and wisdom. His love and care never tire or change, can never be taken from you, but may become the source of life-long peace, happiness and strength. Believe this heartily, and go to God with all your little cares, and hopes, and sins, and sorrows, as freely and confidingly as you come to your mother."

"I want my daughters to be beautiful, accomplished, and good; to be admired, loved and respected; to have a happy youth...with as little care and sorrow to try them as God sees fit to send...My dear girls, I am ambitious for you, but not to have you make a dash in the world, --marry rich men merely because they are rich, or have splendid houses, which are not homes because love is wanting. Money is a needful and precious thing, --and, when well used, a noble thing, --but I never want you to think it is the first or only prize to strive for. I'd rather see you poor men's wives, if you were happy, beloved, contented, than queens on thrones, without self-respect and peace."

"Then let me advise you to take up your little burdens again; for though they seem heavy sometimes, they are good for us, and lighten as we learn to carry them. Work is wholesome, and there is plenty for everyone; it keeps us from ennui and mischief, is good for health and spirits, and gives us a sense of power and independence better than money or fashion."

Lazy--not really

2009-09-25T08:32:00.002-06:00

My mom thought that something was wrong with her computer because she hadn't been able to see any recent updates on my blog. I guess I should take that as a hint that I haven't posted much lately. I would like to say I have just been lazy and enjoying the wonderful weather while sitting on the back patio reading a book. And while I have done that once in the last couple of weeks, it is not the norm. We have been staying busy getting settled. Just an update on the Tahoe--as of this week it is running well. I almost hate to write that sentence for fear of cursing a good thing. But wait, the Tahoe is already cursed, so I guess I don't have to worry about it! We were just very grateful the work done on the Tahoe was covered by the warranty--that was a huge blessing.

The kids are starting to like school a little better. I hate to complain, we had such GREAT schools in NY and TX, this has been a bit of an adjustment for all of us. I am not saying schools in UT are terrible, but I will say they are lacking. I guess if we had never moved in the first place I wouldn't have known the difference. But we are making the best of it and I try hard not to complain in front of the kids--it only gives them license to do the same.

On the whole work front for Brian: He and his brothers are working hard to get the business plan put together and get it presented to some banks by next week. So far everyone they have talked to at different agencies and banks have been very positive with what the boys have so far. But that is not to say there won't be glitches once they finally submit everything and actually need someone to give them money. Brian is still very positive about everything and we both still feel like we are where we need to be. We are freaking out a bit, our house in TX hasn't sold yet. Our realtor said everyone who looks at it loves it and has actually had 4 people want to make offers but when they go to the lenders they can't get the financing. That really stinks for us because it is no fun to be making payments on a house we aren't even living in. But we are hoping the right person comes along very soon and it will all be fine.

So that is about it in a nutshell. I will try and do better...

Update

2009-09-03T14:38:00.002-06:00

We took the Tahoe to the local AAMCO to have it looked at. It was the transmission that failed. Fortunately we had that totally replaced before we left Amarillo and it had a 100,000 mile warranty on it. Funny that it failed before it even had a 1000 miles, even more funny that it happened to THIS Tahoe. Brian says we need to have a Priest, Bishop, and a Rabbi over to "exercise" it. Maybe we should just sell it...anyone want a Tahoe? :) We still have to fix the flat...maybe THEN it will be okay! Oh, I just about forgot! Tuesday morning Brian had a police officer stop by wanting to know who the Tahoe belonged to. When Brian told him it was his, he wanted to see license, registration, etc. Apparently the 2 license plates on the Tahoe were different. Just one more thing...it really is SO funny...it just doesn't stop!!!

Trying to do the right thing

2009-08-31T15:31:00.002-06:00

Last year when we moved to TX, we decided that we would just be a one vehicle family until we saved enough money to buy a 2nd vehicle. We thought that was more in line with "living within our means" and we really didn't want to have 2 car payments. So we waited. Man, it was killing me! We had sold Brian's car before leaving NY thinking it would be easier with a new baby to all be in one vehicle while traveling across the country. I thought it was a good idea until I was going crazy not having my own vehicle. But I really wanted to wait and save the money, so I tried really hard to not complain too often. Thank goodness for friends who would haul us to the park and such places in the mean time! ("Ya'll" know who you are :)...)

So in the spring we decided to start looking. We found an older Tahoe that Brian really liked and I told him to buy it. But he waited too long hoping the guy would drop the price. So we started looking on eBay. We knew others who had bought vehicles there and had a good experience. We found a Tahoe in Houston that looked great so we bought it. And here the story really begins...

The guy told us he could get it shipped to Amarillo for $225. It ended up costing $100 more and he said he would give us the extra $100. Never happened. The Tahoe finally showed up 3 weeks late. Now you have to know that the description said "new brakes, new transmission, new shocks, new fuel pump, A/C works great and all power options". Here comes the fun part. Brian couldn't get the Tahoe out of 1st gear and then he about ran through our garage trying to stop. When we tried to get it to the shop to be looked at, it wouldn't start. It was that "new" fuel pump. It had to be replaced just to have the transmission looked at. We had to have a brand new transmission put in (luckily eBay covered this). When we had the shocks looked at, they were the ORIGINAL shocks--they needed replaced as well as the brakes. The A/C never worked. While the Tahoe was at the AAMCO getting fixed, it was broken into and the stereo (the only nice thing that worked) was stolen. Are you laughing yet? Brian and I just keep laughing. So we thought we were good, but needed to get an alignment before we left. I was just waiting for the guy to call and say there was something else wrong. Sure enough, he called and said we had to have something else done before the alignment could be done. So instead of $70 it cost $370! Oh, did you remember that Brian at this point has NO job? What can we do but laugh? So FINALLY we have everything set and we head out for UT. Brian calls me while we are driving through Green River, WY and tells me to turn around and come find him, the Tahoe has broken down. Yes, I am serious. It is either the transmission or the transfer case (whatever that is). So we were on the side of I-80 for almost 2 hours getting things arranged and situated so we could get to UT. I asked Brian what we were to learn from this Tahoe experience and he said he had learned to jump at a good thing when he sees it and not to wait anymore. So here we are in UT, "jumping", hoping and praying this whole business thing works out. In spite of all the trouble we have experienced over the past couple of months we continue to feel so blessed. What an amazing blessing that the Tahoe broke down close enough to UT that Brian's awesome brothers could (and were so willing) help us get the Tahoe to UT. Oh, I forgot! When they got to the Tahoe, it had a flat tire too! Too much! Just gotta laugh! We have amazing families and super friends who are so supportive and helpful. So we just laugh a lot, pray more, and feel grateful every day. Just be careful if you ever buy a vehicle on eBay--it could cost WAY more that you think! :)

News at our house

2009-08-18T12:45:00.002-06:00

So we are moving. We are headed back to Utah after being away for 7 years. It is hard to believe, I honestly never thought it would happen, but here we go! I will try to be brief in my explanation of what has happened over the past few months...

Most of you know that when Brian took this most recent job, he worked in CA while we lived in NY for almost 9 months. Then we were in UT last summer and moved to TX in August last year. Even then, Brian was still doing the long distance commute until the plant here was built. In just under 2 years, he helped fix the plant in CA (they were so in love with him then), and got the plant here up and running and accomplished their 5 year plan is less than one. I would say pretty impressive. But Brian has been miserable for the past few months. His idea of management/leadership is far different than what he was experiencing from the top. When we left for UT in July, we really weren't sure what was going to happen when we got back. Brian had a meeting with his boss and they mutually agreed that it wasn't going to work out any longer. So Brian's last day of work was Aug. 14. They were good to us and gave us a decent severance package which makes things a little easier while we figure things out. We were really trying to make choices that would be best for our family and give Brian a chance to do some of the things he has wanted to do for years. We knew it was time to be closer to family, but weren't sure how it would all work out. A few weeks ago, Brian's brother called with a plan. He has wanted to open his own trailer/welding shop for some time, but lacked the business knowledge to do it. He is truly one of the best at what he does, but needed some help with the business. So Brian and I really thought and prayed about it. Honestly, it sounds like the craziest thing we could do, to just pack up and move like we are, but we feel great about it. Brian and Rick are such hard workers and if anyone can make this fly, they can. So for now, we are going to move into Brian's mom's house for at least a year. Kathi has been so supportive of her boys and is so willing to do anything to help make it happen. We are keeping all our options open at this point, but we are headed to South Jordan for now to help Rick get the shop up and going. I am so excited for Brian and just hope we can sell our house REALLY fast! :) So that is the "low down" on the Owens family. We are leaving in less than 2 weeks so the kids can start school out there. It is going to be a crazy few weeks, but we really are so excited about it all.

My Dad...

2009-08-10T09:18:00.002-06:00

My Dad's birthday was July 27th. On that day we were driving to Fish Lake where for the next week we had no access to computers (it was great). Then we got back to Amarillo and this past week I have done so much laundry I felt punished for something and just trying to deal with the craziness that has happened since we got home (a post for another day). Basically, I am trying to make excuses for why I haven't posted my birthday post for my Dad. But now, 2 weeks after the fact, I am getting it done.

1. My dad is probably the most honest person I know. He ALWAYS tells the truth, does what is right, and is such a good example of what being honest means.

2. My dad is so smart. I am amazed at the information he has stored in his head. He has the amazing ability to remember SO much. He can remember years, dates, names, interesting facts, all kinds of stuff that comes in especially handy when playing Trivial Pursuit on his team.

3. I really think my Dad gives everyone a fair shake. He seems to be able to look past the exterior, whatever that may look like, and make decisions about people based on who they really are.

4. My Dad can fix anything if he has duct tape and baling twine. This may sound silly, but SERIOUSLY he has repaired so many things (including my high school car) with these things. I like to tease him about it, but I am still impressed whenever he can make things work with just those 2 things.

5. I love my Dad for deciding to move us to Petersboro. I know he and my mom sacrificed a lot and went through a lot to make it happen. But I really LOVE the farm and I loved growing up there. I know it will never mean to me what I believe it means to my Dad, but that farm is such a special place. There is just a feeling there and the view of the valley is unbeatable.

6. My Dad is reasonable. I know I pushed the line quite a few times while I was growing up. I asked questions and did things that I am sure caused at least 1/2 of my mom's grey hair. Often, she would pass me to my Dad when she wasn't quite sure how to answer my questions. My Dad would always listen (however absurd I might have been) and give me answers that made sense. Perfect example: At some point during high school I asked my Dad if he thought it would be okay for me to swear since he did. His answer was, "Go ahead if it makes you feel better." Being me, I wanted him to tell me no so I could in some twisted way feel justified in my bad behavior. But instead, he made me look at the situation logically. By the way, I don't swear. Okay, maybe occasionally when there just isn't a better word! :)

7. My Dad would do anything for me. I know that.

8. My Dad is a better version of Jack Fryer than he was 20 years ago. My Dad will admit when he is wrong and then he really works to do something about changing. I think this is an amazing thing. So often we are complacent in our effort to "become", but my Dad constantly surprises me with his efforts. I really admire this.

9. He is meticulous. My Dad likes perfect lines when he mows the grass, he likes nice lines when he vacuums (yes, he does vacuum), everything is always very neat when my Dad does it. He says he is probably a little OCD, but who of us isn't about one thing or another? Because of this, I think my Dad always looks very nice. His clothes are always pressed and he ALWAYS smells good. So I think his version of OCD is a good thing.

10. My Dad is a great dad. He always made sure to tell us he loved us and still does. Growing up, he would make sure we knew he was proud of us. In a world where fatherhood is diminished, my Dad exemplified that role. He is not perfect, none of us are. I find that out with every situation that faces me as a parent. But I still know I was a very blessed child and still feel blessed to have the parents I have.

I love you, Dad.

Got it!

2009-08-02T17:32:00.001-06:00

I got the pictures to finally load--I updated the slide show over on the right. There are lots of scenery picture as well as lots of the kids. Again, we had a great trip.

Home again, home again, jigity jig

2009-08-02T15:40:00.002-06:00

We are back in Amarillo. It is great to be home, although I am not ready to face reality tomorrow. Already, there are dr appts, school registrations, and vehicles to deal with. PLUS 5 kids who have had a month of continuous party and believe they should continue to be entertained. What a sad day tomorrow will be when it is filled with house cleaning, laundry and other miscellaneous items. We had a great month, we were able to do and see so much. The kids loved spending time with grandparents, aunt and uncles, and cousins. Utah and Idaho were beautiful! I will post some pictures later, I am having technical difficulties...

Utah continued

2009-07-23T08:47:00.003-06:00

The battery on the laptop is dying and Brian forgot the power cord, so I will be brief. Brian got back to UT with us this week and we are THRILLED to have him with us for the last little while before we return to TX. We are staying busy and loving the time we get to spend with our families here. Jake asks me constantly what our plans are each day, he is already concerned about how quickly this month has gone by and how soon we will return home. I feel a little like I haven't been home forever and yet the month really is flying by. We have been in SLC this week, but will head back to Cache Valley for Pioneer Day in Mendon. Then we will head to Fish Lake and stay at the cabin for a few days--I am very excited about that--it is such a beautiful place. I have always loved Fish Lake with all the aspen trees--they sing simplicity and peace to me. I have included a few pictures from our adventures, it has been a great trip so far.

Busy...

2009-07-08T23:28:00.002-06:00

We made the trip last week to Utah and have been here since Thursday, so almost a whole week. Brian is back in Amarillo fighting the fight while we are enjoying beautiful weather and wonderful family. We had a great 4th of July weekend and some jam packed days with cousins. My kids are beyond exhausted at the end of the day and go to sleep quickly. I do miss Brian so much and wish he were here, but so glad he is willing to do so much traveling so we can enjoy the family. We are headed to Island Park (outside West Yellowstone) tomorrow to spend some time with the Owens family--should be a great time. Some highlights so far...Jake & Sally bought fireworks and lighting those, Bear Lake, the Cruise In, camp out at Grandma & Grandpa's, walking the Logan River trail, boating at Newton Dam and watching my boys CRASH then crashing myself, and just plain relaxing on the porch swing! All this and more in 6 days--phew! No wonder we are all so tired! But truly having a great time!

All relative

2009-06-26T08:41:00.003-06:00

Sally showed me a penny this morning and said it looked really different than any other penny she had seen. I said, "It is just an old penny." Sally asked how old it was and I told her to find the year on the penny. She found "1956" on the penny and asked, "Were you alive then, Mom?" I said no and she then asked if Grandma and Grandpa were alive then. I told her they were and she wanted to know how old they were then. So I thought for a minute and told her that Grandpa would have been 10 and Grandma would have been 7 (I think that is right). Anyway, she looked at the penny and then looked at me and said, "Then this is a really, really, really, really, really, really old penny!" Sorry, Mom & Dad! I don't think the penny is that old! :) Too funny though!

Another Birthday

2009-06-20T21:27:00.002-06:00

Today is Mandy's birthday. I actually remembered to call her--something I often forget to do on birthdays. We tend to group our birthdays together, but this will be it for June. It really is so great for me to think about just a few of the reasons I love each person in my family--they are all such amazing people. Just wait until October though--it will be one bday after another! :)

So a few reasons why I think Mandy is marvelous...

1. She is very adaptable. She never seems upset by changes or things she can't change.

2. SO easy to get along with. There were always sibling fights going on at our house, especially with 5 girls. But I can honestly say I don't ever remember being upset with Mandy about anything. I don't know if anyone could.

3. Mandy loves to read. So I love to talk to her about books she has read and things I have read. I love having a sister who enjoys so many of the same books--makes for lots of great conversations.

4. She is a peacemaker. We always called her that at our house, but I think she still is in her own family. She has to approach "keeping the peace" in a whole new way with Mick and her own kids, but she does it and does it well. Marrying Mick brought out the feisty in Mandy--we have all loved seeing that! :)

5. She is open to anything. She is one of those moms who actually considers all the crazy ideas her kids have and many times helps them figure out how to accomplish them. I too often just say no because the alternative would take too much effort--she inspires me to think differently. She talks about some of the things they do like they are no big deal, but they are a big deal!

6. Mandy owns her own power tools. AND she know how to use them! She has built some amazing furniture--YES--I said furniture! How cool is that?!

7. Mandy can laugh at almost anything. She has a knack for not taking things too seriously for too long. I think she will live long and happily because of this wonderful trait.

8. I love that she says what she thinks. She is always nice about it, but you know where you stand with Mandy and I love that.

9. Mandy is so creative. She will see something she likes and she will figure out how to make it herself or paint it herself. I have copied so many of her "designs" and she is happy to help me. I swear every time I see a picture of her house, something else is under construction.

10. I said I would say this about all my sisters, but only because it is absolutely true. She is a wonderful mom. Mandy really LISTENS to her kids. She is patient with them and helps them find solutions. She is calm and so understanding. I am always so impressed when I watch her handle "situations" that always happen.

I love you, Mac! I miss you so much. Hope you had a great day.

P.S. Happy Anniversary, John & Karlee! :)

Missing: Front Tooth

2009-06-19T12:38:00.002-06:00

Sally's tooth was dangling. I finally convinced her to let me get it out last night. She was thrilled when it was all over and didn't hurt at all. But so cute, she said about 5 minutes after with tears in her eyes, "Mom, I'm going to miss that tooth." I asked why and she responded, "Cause that is my first front tooth I lost." I guess she had become very "attached" to it--ha ha! I just hope the new one coming in stays put forever! :)

A week late

2009-06-18T09:02:00.002-06:00

Last Thursday was my Mom's birthday. I mentioned earlier in the year I was going to do a special post each time someone in my family had a birthday. My mom called yesterday and told me she was checking in on her lost kids. I asked what she meant and she said she hadn't heard from me in quite a while. My response, "Has it been a long time, Mom?!" I really didn't know the last time I had talked to her. After I got off the phone I realized I hadn't talked to her since her birthday. Summer seems to be especially busy this year for whatever reason. Maybe the fact that I have 5 very active kids who feel they need to be doing something every day. I am glad they want to be busy instead of in front of the television, but my house is very aware of the neglect and apparently my Mom noticed as well. So anyway, a week late I am letting my little blogging world know what an amazing mom I have.

1. I remember shortly after Brian and I were married, I met someone in our new ward who worked with my mom. She said, "Melinda Fryer is YOUR mom?!" I said she was and then this girl went on and on about how wonderful my mom was and how much she loved her. This has happened several time since then. My mom is loved by everyone who knows her.

2. Why do so many people love my mom? Because she is warm, friendly, sincere, accepting and just plain kind.

3. My mom is a goal setter and achiever. I am always so impressed by all my mom accomplishes--she still runs circles around me.

4. My mom does what is right simply because it is right.

5. She was and still is a fabulous mother. She has made so many sacrifices for us and continues to. She was ALWAYS at anything we did from a 5 minute assembly to games. She is such a good example to me.

6. Now with 23 grand kids, I get to see what a wonderful grandmother she is. She adores all of her grandchildren and they adore her back. I love watching my mom's eyes when she is talking to our kids and the other grand kids. She loves to tease them and her eyes sparkle just like my grandpa's did when he would tease us.

7. My mom is very thoughtful. I remember getting the best notes from my mom. Sometimes little notes stuck in suitcases or books and sometimes cards in the mail. I love getting notes from my mom. She now sends notes to my kids--they get so excited when they see something in the mail from Grandma and Grandpa.

8. My mom is fun. She is the first one to suggest everyone plays a game or goes outside to start something. Whenever my kids talk about my mom, FUN is always a word that is mentioned. She LOVES to be playing and doing and seeing everyone having a good time.

9. My mom loves her family. She adores her own brother and sister, she loves my Dad and she loves her kids and grand kids. All this love is expressed in such individual and personal ways. Her family is one of the most important things in her life and she lives in such a way that we all feel and know that.

10. My mom loves me. I love my mom for simply loving me and forgiving my faults so easily. I know that sometimes I can be a little hard to love. I am a bit quirky and definitely have my faults. My mom know all that about me and she not only loves me in spite of all those things, she sees the good in me that I find hard to see sometimes. In a nutshell, she loves me unconditionally.

I love you, Mom. Even if I do get lost sometimes, I can't imagine my world without you.

Nine

2009-06-14T19:53:00.003-06:00

Ben is 9. I know I shouldn't, but already I am looking at next year and the fact that I will have another child in double digits. I wonder constantly how this happened, where did all those years go? I simply can't accept we are headed to that stage of our family. I will go kicking and screaming into the teenage years--I wish I could just hit pause.

I hope Ben had a good day today, he has had lots of phone calls, cards and gifts. He had a fun little party on Friday night. Ben got golf clubs and some Cd's for his birthday, and he wanted an ice cream cake. I attempted making it myself and I will admit it turned out okay. I think my cake/ice cream ratio was a bit off in favor of the ice cream. I would have liked a little more cake, but live and learn. Ben is a mini me in so many ways that we often butt heads, but I will say that he really is such a great boy. He has such a wonderful smile and beautiful eyes. He is always the first to ask if I need help with anything and he has a HUGE heart. Ben was my biggest baby weighing 9 lbs. 13 oz. He continues to be a big guy, usually the tallest in his class and yet one of the youngest. I think God knew he needed a body so big to handle the size of his heart. All you have to do is look in Ben's eyes, and you can see his tender heart. He really is such a special boy. He is truly the champion of the underdog and hates to see anyone hurt or sad. Ben loves food and loves to cook and already keeps a notebook of ideas for recipes. He and Brian talk about what kind of restaurant they want to have someday and what the menu will look like. I am always flattered when Ben tells me something I have made would make it on his menu! Ben is ACTIVE and always has been. He has a very hard time sitting still. He is very smart and does so well in school and is so well liked. But he is so hard on himself--I wish he could see himself the way I see him--even just a glimpse. He would be amazed. I love my Ben.

She is walking!

2009-06-05T12:40:00.003-06:00

Ruby is finally walking! She still does her little scoot quite a bit, but she gets more confident walking all the time. I love watching her and to see how excited she is about her new found ability--it is easy to see she knows it is a big deal.

Firsts and Lasts

2009-05-30T10:01:00.004-06:00

I took Ruby on Thursday for her 1 year check-up. She had to get 4 shots--yuck! She has been a bit "wheezy" this past month--I thought it was due to a few colds she has had, so I wanted the dr. to listen. When she did, she informed me that Ruby needed a breathing treatment. I asked what was going on and she said Ruby's lungs were full of junk and she wouldn't rule out asthma, but thought it was most likely severe seasonal allergies. So Ruby is my FIRST child who needed a breathing treatment! After we got done (Ruby screamed for the whole 10 minutes), her breathing was SO much better. The dr. came back and listened and agreed Ruby was much improved. This means more breathing treatments for the next two weeks--we were at the dr. for 3 hours! I was so glad that at the last minute I had decided to ask someone to watch Kash for me--that would have been miserable for my Kash-man. Ruby also got some allergy meds and for another FIRST, she slept through the night 2 nights in a row. I am so glad she is feeling better, but feeling so bad we didn't do something sooner--I really didn't think she sounded that bad. I am feeling so much better too--sleep is an amazing thing. And she is dealing with the breathing treatments much better too--she has to realize they make her feel better. She still gets upset when I get out all the equipment, but settles down once it gets going. I love the little mask they gave her, it makes her look like a dragon with smoke coming out it's nose--funny.

As for our lasts, Sally, Ben, & Jake all had their last day of school yesterday. They were all so excited. It was just a half day, so Ben went with a friend after school to go see "UP", said it was great. Jake went with friends to Amarillo Country Club to swim (he would like for us to join--ha ha), and Sally went with friends to have a pedicure and manicure to start off the summer right. She said she felt like someone really important, like a movie star--so fun for her--totally up her alley! They all had a very fun last day and we are all excited to have a slower schedule for a couple of months. The kids are also counting down until July when we head to UT. Should be a great summer, they always are, I LOVE SUMMER! :)

Jake's Talent Show

2009-05-13T15:43:00.003-06:00

Jake auditioned for his school talent show a couple of weeks ago. I was so proud of him for simply doing that! The actual talent show was today, so Brian and I went up to the school to watch him. I was so proud of him for doing something like this--I would have NEVER!!! He has only had his guitar since November and so far hasn't had a lesson. We have been looking for someone, but haven't found anyone yet. I am sure with summer almost here, we will have to wait for fall, but I will be excited to see what he can do with some lessons. He figures out all the songs with tabs on the computer. I am sure I am biased, but I think he did great! I had to edit the video a bit so it wouldn't take 3 days to upload, so you get to hear his solo and the second verse. It is "Sunshine of Your Love by Cream". He is all about the classic rock. I LOVE his smile at the end--so Jake.

For Livi--and Kate I guess :)

2009-05-12T09:34:00.004-06:00

All our cousins live far away from us and it make me sad sometimes that my kids don't get to spend quality time with them very often. I listen to Kate tell me about her Livi or read on her blog the things she has been up to, and I think to myself, "Sally is SO related to her!" Kate talks about Livi picking flowers and leaves for pretend salads and other things or the art projects she is working on, and I always think of my Sally. Sally often times will have art projects going on in 3 rooms at a time. I love her creativity, although some of the messes she finds herself owner of aren't always so great. I think Sally brings me home bouquets of flowers she has picked a couple of times a week. Sally has her own style, very different than mine. She HATES when I pick out her clothes and I am often astounded at the clothing she puts together. But she wears it all with such happiness, who can say a thing? Anyway, we were out doing yard work this past Saturday and I walked around to the backyard to find Sally stripping all the branches she could reach. She was making pies. And then after we had sampled strawberry and blueberry pies (which were delicious if you were wondering), she threw all the leaves in the air and danced around as they fell on her. I only wish Livi were here to have enjoyed our wonderful feast of pies and the tree confetti that ended Sally's little party. This summer I am sure there will be leafy feasts for all to enjoy! I can't wait! I snapped this picture before she knew I was watching. I love my Sally!

A weekend to celebrate women

2009-05-09T08:26:00.005-06:00

I found this poem on another blog, so thanks to Anginette! Because I really LOVE this poem. I love it for a million reasons that I can't explain so well. But poetry is truly something left to interpret, so decide for yourself. Either way, I thought was appropriate to post this weekend.

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them, They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say, It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair, the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Maya Angelou

My helper

2009-05-06T13:38:00.004-06:00

I needed to mop my floor. I will start there.

Every month or so I like to make a big pot of veggie soup to keep in the freezer for quick lunches for myself. Today was one of those days. I had asked Kash earlier who made the mess in the toy room (I knew I was speaking to the perp) and he admitted to the mess. I told him he needed to clean it up. After much whining, he went in and started cleaning. So I thought that was a great time to make the soup. I was just about done when Kash yelled to come look at the toy room because he had finished. I went in and it REALLY did look great. I have no idea if the toys are in the right bins, but the room itself really was clean. I told Kash he did a great job and gave him a big hug and he was quite proud of himself. He asked me what I was doing, so I told him I was making soup. Kash loves to help cook, he likes to pretend we are on a cooking show--very cute. So he climbed up on the counter and asked if he could help. How could I possibly tell the cutest four-year-old who just cleaned the toy room, no? So his first job was to dump in some crushed tomatoes, so far so good. But all that cleaning and pouring must have made him thirsty, so he asked if I could get the water bottle for him. This is a HUGE water bottle. It was empty, so I filled it up most of the way and handed it to Kash. Next, he wanted to help add some salt. I was making a huge pot of soup so I figured that would be okay, he couldn't get too much in, right? I handed him the box and as he was adjusting himself to pour, he bumped that almost full water bottle and as it hit the floor, it popped open and spilled ALL over the floor. I grabbed Ruby just before the water got to her and then grabbed a big towel. I thought to myself, "Just an accident and I needed to clean the floor anyway, all good." I got the water cleaned up and Kash was impatiently waiting to add the salt. I was trying to help him (big mistake) and as he pulled the box up a bit away from me, it POURED in! Luckily, like I said it was a BIG pot of soup and it was kosher salt, so we were okay still. I stirred it all together, and Kash asked if he could stir. I told him sure he could stir. So I turned around to grab something on the other counter and hear a "SPLAT, SPLAT, SPLAT". I turn back around to see clumps of soupy veggies all over the floor.

So I will end by saying that I still need to mop my floor. I love my Kash!!!

Ruby is ONE!

2009-05-02T20:40:00.002-06:00

It is hard to believe, but Ruby had her first birthday today. I think the other kids were more excited about it than Ruby was, but she is just ONE so that is understandable. She wasn't quite sure what to think when we put the cake in front of her, I really thought she would dig in, but she mostly painted with the frosting. She finally started digging in once she got a little help from everyone else. Fun day though, she is loved and adored more today than a year ago--we can't imagine life without our Ruby!

Great visit

2009-04-27T11:08:00.005-06:00

My mom and dad have been here for a few days. It was so nice to have them here and the kids loved spending time with them. I know my mom always worries about any inconvenience they might cause, but I can honestly say it is never the case. I love having my mom and dad at our house. I love the time my kids get to spend with them. There are many days I wish we lived closer so we could enjoy all the get-togethers and cousin time, but there is a selfish part of me that loves when my mom and dad come, they are all ours for a few days. I think it is more of an inconvenience for them that they have to come so far to see us. Either way, we had a great visit and enjoyed every minute. I am sure my kids would say the highlight was their Christmas present. What, you say?! Christmas is April? Well, for Christmas this past year my parents told the grand kids they would take groups of them at different times to a hotel for an overnighter and find some fun things to do. So while my parents were here, they took our kids (minus Ruby) to a hotel and had a serious party. My kids were SO excited! And I will admit I didn't mind the quiet house for one night either. So it worked out for everyone. I am just glad it will be only be a couple of months before we get to see them again.

Camping trip gone south

2009-04-18T13:35:00.003-06:00

Brian took Friday off and we were going to leave on his birthday after work to go camping. The kids were so excited to be missing a day of school and we were all just happy to have Brian captive for a couple of days and get out of town. Well, Wednesday we started hearing rumors of rain. By Thursday morning, it was no longer rumors and they were talking about thunderstorms and possible tornadoes. I don't know about you, but camping in that kind of weather is beyond extreme, I just call it stupid, just my opinion. So we decided we better not leave Thursday night and I was really pushing to still go down Friday and camp for one night. Brian thought that was a bad idea, all the setting up for just one day and the fact there would be lots of red clay mud all over. I finally relented and agreed with him. But we decided we would still go down to the canyon and check things out and possibly go hike a bit. So we packed a lunch and left. We got down to Palo Duro Canyon about noon and found out that our campsite was inaccessible due to flash flooding from the night before. There was a flood gauge on the bridge and the water had gotten to 2 feet above the road! From what we heard from others there in the canyon, it had gotten pretty crazy during the storm. One guy told us there were some people who had been in tents who had water and mud all over the inside of their tent and all over their stuff. Good thing we didn't go! Luckily, we were able to find a good trail that wasn't too muddy and we hiked for about 2 hours. With five kids, that amounts to about 2 miles total. But the fact that Kash walked the whole time by himself and Ben only complained a couple of times, we are calling it a very successful hike. Jake of course, being the expert hiker he is, was explaining to all of us the best way to climb rocks and traverse the many cacti when we got off the trail a bit to climb rocks. Ruby loved the backpack and was very happy the whole time. Little stinker wouldn't leave her hat on though and she got a little sun kissed, but is looking fine today. We all had a great time!And the best part of all...I found something beautiful. Amarillo is still the ugliest place I have ever seen, (sounds so mean, but seriously...you should see it before you call me mean) but Palo Duro is gorgeous and it is only 30 minutes away.

I caught Jake with the camera while he was jumping from one rock to another--he LOVES to climb rocks--and he really does believe he is an expert. I love his confidence--even if it does get him a broken leg at some point.

Really, a very pretty place.

All the kids minus Ruby up on a rock.

Oklahoma, birthdays and Easter

2009-04-13T07:03:00.009-06:00

I have lots to post, things I should have done a week ago and didn't get to it, so I'll just have a big random post. And I can do that because it is my blog and if you don't like it, you just don't have to read, right?! :)

A couple of weeks ago, my Bonnie from NY was going to be in OK for her son's Army graduation. I would NEVER pass up a chance to see Bonnie and I thought I would really like to see a military graduation. So I packed up myself, Kash, & Ruby and we headed to Fort Sill. It was WONDERFUL to see Bonnie but now I just miss her so much all over again. And I was SO impressed by the graduation. Nolan, (Bonnie's son) has grown up so much and I was so proud of him and all those other boys (it really was all boys). I am a patriotic girl anyway, but these soldiers were something to truly be proud of. It was a very nice ceremony and just a great couple of days.

Saturday was Kash's birthday. He is four. And he tells me all the time how big he is. But he really is getting big--so hard for me to believe--he will always be my little boy. We took the kids to Mr. Gatti's (like Chuck E Cheese) on Friday night, minus Jake. Jake went to a birthday party/sleepover where he stayed up ALL night--I remember thinking that was fun--vaguely. The pizza was average, but we had a great time. The kids loved the bumper cars and Ruby loved the Merry-Go-Round, she wouldn't get off. And of course they all love the tickets they can redeem for prizes.

After we left there, we went shopping for a bike. Kash has outgrown his tricycle and said he wanted a new bike for his birthday. He picked the bike and has been riding it lots ever since. He loves anything with wheels. Don't look past the awesome Spiderman boots Kash is wearing. When we had the snow storm a few weeks ago and we had to find some boots for Kash to wear, these were the ones that fit him. He was SO thrilled! So now he keeps them in his closet and wears them all the time. I think it is cute.

Kash wanted me to make a John Deere tractor cake. A friend told me she had a tractor mould and I said "no thanks"--I know my limits and that is beyond them. I was just planning to make a green cake and stick a tractor on top. You know, I consider myself a fairly decent cook, but decorating a cake is truly just not my thing. I will give it my best effort and still, it just doesn't work right. It is a great thing Kash is just 4--he thought the cake was great. Brian and I just laughed. For starters, I got too much batter in one of the pans and it was spilling all over the oven and getting really uneven. Neither cake came out of the pan right and I was left to try and put it together with frosting. This plan didn't really work out either. The cake was literally falling apart. I bought a little John Deere tractor to put on the cake and as I set it gently on top, it started to sink because there was so much frosting on the darn thing trying to hold it together. But again, Kash thought it was "AWESOME", that is what he said! :)

So after we ate a late dinner (the cake took forever), we colored eggs at 9 pm and sang Happy Birthday at 10 pm. Brian could see this cake was not going to cut well, so he said, "Kash, wouldn't it be fun if we all got forks and just started eating?" Kash smiled big and said, "YEAH!" So we dug through all the frosting to get to the cake and enjoyed. Not a conventional way of doing things, but when have I ever been conventional?! :) And once again, Brian had the fanciest eggs. He loves to complain, but the guy is just plain creative! He comes up with the most clever ideas. I tend to go for the plain eggs with bright colors, maybe a two tone here and there. But BRIAN, his eggs have faces, designs, all kinds of stuff. I always look forward to what he will create.

So we finally got the kids to bed and still had to make sure the Easter bunny stuff was taken care of. Needless to say, it was a VERY late night for us and I was thrilled to get a nap Sunday afternoon. We had a great Easter although there is more candy in the house than I would like, but less than last year. We did quarters and half dollars in the eggs instead of so much candy. The kids thought that was great. And we were only 5 minutes late for church--AMAZING! Easter is always such a great holiday. I love to celebrate Christ's resurrection--such a hopeful event. And the anticipation of spring is so exciting as well. Just a great day all around.

Cadillac Ranch

2009-04-06T07:29:00.008-06:00

One thing Amarillo is known for, Cadillac Ranch. We hadn't been yet, but Brian wanted to get out of the house yesterday after we had been inside watching conference all day. So we took the kids to the "ranch". Luckily we had a few cans of spray paint--the kids were excited! Brian, of course, had the best looking graffiti. He really is so creative. I think the kids would have stayed longer, they were having a great time, but the wind was blowing and making it a bit chilly. So we were there for about 30 minutes. Enough to make our mark, just to have someone come along today and cover it up. The story behind the ranch...there is a wealthy eccentric man here in Amarillo who loves unique art and he owned some land and for 10 years buried a Cadillac in the ground each year. He has signs all over Amarillo that look like regular road signs but say weird things. There is one that says something like "I am a scrappy fighter". Seriously really random, but they make you smile. Maybe that was his idea. If so, I like it. Anyway, here are some pictures from our few minutes at the Ranch.

Brian helped Kash with his and then did his big "B".
All the cars at the ranch.
Sally freezing by her golden name--she was SO excited we had gold paint!
My two boys who think anarchy is really cool right now--they have no idea--oh to be innocent!

My big boys

2009-03-24T07:09:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I went outside to check on the kids and found all of them (even Ruby--Sally had taken her out) sitting on the curb. I told them I didn't think that was a very good place to play especially since there were little kids with them. They all said okay, I brought Ruby in and continued fixing dinner, assuming they had all moved on to a new location to play. Well, about 20 minutes later a man came to the door, I figured some salesperson since I didn't know who he was. Well, I opened the door and he said, "I just thought you would want to know that your boys are out by the street throwing rocks at cars." I think my chin hit the ground and I politely thanked him. I began hunting down my boys, I was a woman on a mission. I was in the backyard yelling their names and up pops Ben from behind the tiered flower beds. I asked where Jake was and he said he didn't know. We finally found Jake and I explained in my calm yelling voice (is there really such a thing?) that they were in some serious trouble. Jake says, "But Dad did stuff like this all the time!" They have heard many of their Dad's youthful escapades, but none included throwing rocks at cars. I told them as much, and also included that their Dad had also said he was very lucky no one ever did get hurt and that some of the things they did weren't very smart. Jake seems to have conveniently forgotten that part of the story. Then they both proceeded to tell me that it was all just innocent. I asked them, "If it was all just innocent as you claim, why did you feel the need to run as soon as a car stopped?" SILENCE... I seriously couldn't believe MY boys were doing something so awful. I kept thinking, where did my sweet little boys go and could they please come back? I am not ready for this "stage" and just pray it doesn't last too long. My hair is already grey enough, I can't take it! I have told Brian I take no responsibility after they turn 13, they are all his, but I am thinking I need to lower the age a bit. Holy Cow!! I have never had to "ground" my boys, but it happened this week. A monumental point in our lives of the not so good kind. I have a good friend in NY who told me, "Kids are so cute when they are little, you just want to eat them up. And then when they grow up, you wish you had!" One of those days!

Learning life's sweet pleasures

2009-03-19T11:47:00.005-06:00

I really wanted to exercise and was having trouble finding the time. With all the kids home for spring break, Ruby was having trouble taking a nap. I finally told Jake just to watch her for an hour while I hopped on the treadmill. I came back in the family room to check on them part way through and found Ruby asleep on Jake's chest. I had so many thoughts...first, that Jake could experience what I consider to be one of the sweetest pleasures in life and second, that Ruby loves Jake and feels secure enough with him to fall asleep. It was a good mom moment, especially after a pretty rough morning. Moments like that put many other things into perspective for me. Jake totally loved it and so did I!

Something to share

2009-03-08T13:15:00.003-06:00

A woman from church recently passed away after a long and difficult battle with cancer. Our Relief Society printed one of her favorite poems on the back of the monthly newsletter. I LOVED this poem because sometimes I find myself with a terrible attitude and I need to be reminded to adjust it. The author is unknown, so unfortunately I have no where to place the credit. Anyway, I just wanted to share...

There once was a woman who woke
up one morning,
looked in the mirror
and noticed she
had only three hairs
on her head.

"Well", she said, "I think I'll braid my
hair today."
So she did and she had
a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror,
and saw that she
had only two hairs
on her head.

"Hmm", she said, "I think I'll part my
hair down the middle today."
So she did and
she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror,
and noticed that she
had only one hair
on her head.

"Well", she said, "Today I'm going to
wear my hair in a pony tail."
So she did and
she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror,
and noticed there wasn't
a single hair
on her head.

"Yea!" she exclaimed,
I don't have to
fix my hair today!"

Attitude is everything.
Be kinder than necessary,
for everyone you meet is
fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply,
love generously,
care deeply,
speak kindly...
leave the rest to God.

Life isn't about waiting
for the storm to pass...
It's about learning
to dance in the rain.

A new found love of the bath

2009-03-05T15:54:00.001-07:00

Brian and I were very excited about this house because it had a bath AND a shower. And it is a fairly large bath. Well, I thought it was going to change my feelings about bathing forever, but I was wrong. I tried out the big bath and I just really don't love a bath. Now I will stand in the shower forever if I can, but I just get bored sitting in there. Anyway, I sometimes walk past that big bath and say to myself, "What a waste of space!" But I no longer feel that way! Now I have a place to keep kids contained and happy while I take that long shower that I love or do the dishes, or make my bed...the options are endless. What a great discovery! FYI--the bath makes a really great race track! Can't get much better than mom & kids BOTH happy!

Man, I really messed up AND Sally's new doll

2009-03-02T13:05:00.005-07:00

Jake decided for his last basketball game he wanted to ask his coach if it would be alright if he played the National Anthem before the game started. So I talked to his coach who thought it would be great and he made the arrangements. Jake practiced lots on his guitar and really had the Anthem sounding pretty good. So we got to his game, got all his equipment set up and he was ready to go. I got seated in the bleachers and Brian says to me, "Do you have your camera?" I was nearly sick! I had forgotten my camera! I hadn't taken a picture of Jake playing all season and now he was going to play his last game AND play his guitar in front of his first "real" audience and I got the loser mom award! I felt awful! Jake played his guitar great and had a great game, he scored 6 points. And although they lost, it was a great game for the whole team. So hopefully he will have another opportunity to play for someone other than his family and blogging audience so I can redeem myself as a mother.

Sally discovered she had a new doll this weekend and dressed her up super cute. Take a look! Looks like her doll enjoyed it as well! She is quite a doll! Who knew "Build a Bear" clothes would sort of fit a 10-month-old?

Ruby vs. vacuum

2009-02-22T19:41:00.003-07:00

While I love this age, I hate that Ruby puts EVERYTHING in her mouth!!! I vacuum and sweep and she still finds things on the floor. Ruby gets in the corners and under the couch and tables where the broom or vacuum have missed something and with those cute little pinchers, she can get anything and it of course goes in her mouth. Most recently a marble and a rock. Brian has taken the stance of just throwing things away. He doesn't care if it goes to a game or not, he just wants to avoid any choking hazards. And while I agree with him largely, I also hate to see a game ruined over missing pieces. So I am constantly on the lookout for things she might see. I should probably get on my hands and knees and go through the house. She is like a microscopic vacuum. I am pulling my hair out--it makes me crazy! Of course I don't want her to choke, but what to do with 4 other kids and all their "stuff"?!!!

Bootie Scooting

2009-02-19T12:29:00.003-07:00

While Ruby doesn't crawl, she gets around just fine. She is into everything and thrilled about it. The color on the video is a bit dark, but you still get the idea. I've never had one move quite like this--they are all so different!

Happy Birthday, Wendy!

2009-02-17T15:41:00.003-07:00

It was so nice for me to think about all the reasons I love and admire Kate on "Praise to Jen & Kate Day", I decided on my sisters' and John's birthdays I am going to do the same for them. I truly feel like I have the best family in the world. My sisters are really very amazing women. And I cannot begin to say how much I adore John, I am so proud of him. So today is Wendy's birthday and there are a million reasons why I love and admire Wendy, but I will write about 10.

1. Wendy ran a marathon, I admire anyone who can do that.

2. Wendy is a perfectionist. Anything she does, she does well. And she does A LOT very well. I remember in middle school I had to sew a pair of short for my sewing class. I sewed the two backs together and the two fronts, so I had one huge leg and one really skinny one. Wendy started looking at the pattern and within a matter of days, she had made several pair, all of them perfect.

3. Wendy is very organized. I admire that because I am not. And she is organized in a very simple and effective way. I have taken many ideas from Wendy, haven't used any of them yet, but I liked them a lot.

4. Wendy is one of the most thoughtful people I know. She sees things that need to be done or could be done for others and she finds a way to get it done. Always quietly and without much fanfare.

5. She is kind. In a most sincere and genuine way, she is just so kind. She has such a good heart and her heart shines through her eyes. She literally saved me this summer with scouts. Jake would have NEVER gotten his Webelos done if it wasn't for Wendy's thoughtfulness, kindness and patience with me. I am so glad she has a son Jake's same age.

6. Wendy is responsible for some of the family's favorite traditions. She started Octoberfest and also in the spring she started the family clean-up at our family cemetery. She has great ideas and she is such a planner! I just feel badly we don't live close enough to enjoy all the fun stuff that goes on.

7. Wendy is a fierce competitor. I admire this so much. She sets goals and gets them done. We did get in a lot of fights growing up when I would beat her at a board game, especially if I bent the rules at all or teased her about beating her, but I love how competitive she is--she makes games fun.

8. She is such a good mom. I will say this about all my sisters, but it is true. Her kids may not know it, but they are darn lucky to have her.

9. Again, I will say this about all my sisters, but she is beautiful from the inside out. She had at least a dozen boys who said they were all going to marry her in high school. She had a following--seriously. Those boys thought she was perfect. It was pretty funny to see from a distance. I don't think she had any idea sometimes, but as her older sister, I saw it AND heard about it.

10. Wendy is strong. I mean this physically and spiritually. She is such a good athlete, but I think I admire the later more. Wendy never wavers. There is no grey area for her, she knows what is right and it is never a hard choice. I like to run into brick walls several times before I figure things out. So Wendy's ability to do what is right and do it so simply is amazing to me.

I really am so blessed to have such amazing people in my life. I love you, Wendy. Hope you have a great birthday.

A look at our LONG week

2009-02-15T18:00:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday: Leave after sacrament meeting at church because Sally has started a fever. Later that night, Ruby starts to fever as well.

Monday: Planning to have missionaries and others over for dinner, but have to take Sally & Ruby to the doctor to see what is going on. Ruby has an ear infection, Sally tested for strep, but it was negative. So we have everyone over for dinner. Sally is doing MUCH better, Kash starts with a fever & Ruby is miserable. That night, Kash & Ruby throw up, each a few times. I am feeling terrible about everyone being here--I thought we were okay.

Tuesday: Kash is SO sick, high fever and just so sick. I go back and forth between Ruby and Kash holding each of them til they are asleep just in time for the other to wake up. Sally went back to school, she was feeling fine.

Wednesday: Kash is marginally better, Ruby is still pretty miserable. The doctor's office calls and says the culture they sent out on Sally came back positive, so she does have strep. Great, she has been at school for 2 days with strep--I am such a great mom. She starts her antibiotic. She really was feeling fine!

Thursday: About the same as Wednesday, but Ben comes home with a fever and looking pretty bad.

Friday: Back to the doctor's office. Ruby, Kash, & Ben test positive for Type A Flu. Spend lots of money on meds and all the visits to the office. I tell them that we have also had strep at our house and figure they will send out a culture to see about that as well.

Saturday: Ruby is much improved, she can actually breathe through her nose a little bit again. Ben & Kash still miserable.

Today: Home from church with the sick kiddos. Call the clinic to see if a culture had been sent out for Kash & Ben to make sure there was no strep as well as the flu. No culture sent. I tell them it is logical deduction that they must have strep since Ruby was the only one with flu who is better and she was on an antibiotic for her ears. They tell me I have to bring them back in again. I am mad. Oh, did I mention I have strep too? But I am feeling better since my doctor will give me antibiotics without having to be seen. Brian takes them to the clinic since I was crying and yelling at the nurse, I didn't want to go.

So...I was a little frustrated. I told the nurse, "You are going to make me bring them in, have them tested, if it comes back negative you will send out the culture, but just to be safe you will put them on an antibiotic until the culture comes back." "So tell me why you won't just give me the antibiotic!!!!?" It happened just like I said it would and now we wait until Tuesday to see if I was right. I so hope I am or I will feel so stupid. Not that I am glad my kids are sick, but come on! Oh, another great one, she told me they would just do a nurse visit so we wouldn't get charged, but when Brian got there, they had scheduled an appointment with the doctor. So we got to pay again to do another strep test they should have done Friday. Needless to say, we have had a LONG week! But I think we are finally on the mend. I think about others I know who are dealing with far greater problems than our flu and strep and I really think I shouldn't complain. This too shall pass. Another week and I will have a much better attitude. But I still think we are going to switch doctors. I was really unhappy with how they handled everything this week.

Ruby is Nine Months

2009-02-02T19:19:00.008-07:00

I can't believe she is really 9 months old! But she is and she is doing everything a little girl that age will do. She isn't crawling yet, all our hardwood floors deter her a bit. But she scoots around and gets into things all the time, she is definately mobile. Ruby is still such a sweet little girl, we can't get enough of her. She loves the other kids lots and gets so excited when they are around, but she will also let them know when she has had enough. She has finally decided that her Dad is great too. For so long she just wanted me, but now she will cling to Brian and just want to stay with him, unless it is bedtime and then I am the only one who will do. She is making all kinds of fun noises and we are all quite sure she can say "hi", besides just her little wave, it really sounds like she says the actual word "hi". She is amazing! :) Hard to believe we are coming up on a year so quickly. We love our little Ruby--her name is perfect--she is a jem!

Steelers Win--YEAH!!!

2009-02-01T20:20:00.005-07:00

Ben was crying when there was 2 1/2 minutes left and the Cardinals were ahead. Brian told him to chill out, there was plenty of time for the Steelers to score. The little video is Ben and Jake after the Steelers made the winning touchdown. I have happy boys. Make sure to notice Kash, who is oblivious to the game and is playing with cars, but decides to get in on the action part way through. I don't even know if he knows why he is jumping around and yelling--just looked like fun--man, I love these kids!

The kids made some decorations on Saturday, Sally helped too. Poor girl didn't even make it to half time, she crashed on her Dad's lap. Jake made the comment after the game, "With all the emotional turmoil and the sugar I've eaten, my stomach doesn't feel so good!" We had a great time! Super game and just a great family night.

What to do--laugh or be angry?

2009-01-26T21:10:00.003-07:00

So Jake came home from school today and said he got in a "bit" of trouble in science today. This is quite common for Jake in this particular class, he gets pretty bored and his teacher doesn't appreciate his humor & jokes, which seem to multiply when his work is all done. Anyway, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, the teacher's daughter was substituting today and Jake had a little run in with her. He was once again done with his work and just wandering about the class. He went to throw something away and saw a substitute teacher badge that subs are required to wear sitting on top of the pile of trash. He pulled it out of the trash, crossed out "substitute teacher", wrote his name, and then below his name wrote "anarchist", and then put it on and proceeded to walk about the class. The substitute/daughter saw him and yelled, "What do you have on?!!!" "Why do you have that on?!!!" "You need to throw that away!!!" But then she decided to do it for him and pulled it off his neck and took it. Jake being Jake, thought the whole thing was very funny. I really wanted to be upset, but I bet you're laughing too. Hard not to. What to do?!!!

Our Day

2009-01-22T15:18:00.005-07:00

Once again, it is Praise to Jen & Kate Day. I think Brian forgot this year--darn him! Anyway, I just wanted to wish Kate a happy day! I made these little framed pictures for me & Kate when we first started our "holiday". I have kept it because it always makes me smile. Kate was so good to hang out with me after I got home from my mission. Most of my friends had graduated already and/or were married. I remember once, I took Kate and one of her friends to Hastings to get a movie. There was a poster of Brad Pitt and they started talking about how hot he was. I turned to Kate and said, "Who is Brad Pitt?" He had come on the scene in a big way while I was on a mission. Kate hustled over to me, covered my mouth and said, "Don't let anyone here you say that out loud!" Lots of great memories. A few of the reasons I love & admire Katie:

1. She agreed with me to have this fabulous holiday.

2. Kate is always up for anything, "Sure!" I can hear her saying it now!

3. She is a great Mom.

4. Katie is kind to everyone, she can make anyone feel like he or she is her favorite.

5. Kate was "the baby", I have alway thought she was fabulous.

6. Katie is beautiful, like all my sisters, it comes from the inside and just keeps going.

7. She could spot a jerky guy when I brought them home long before I could & she let me know.

8. She is amazingly athletic, something I am a tad bit jealous of. She could not run for months and then decide to run 5 miles & I believe she could! I always loved watching all my sisters play volleyball. I cried when I had just had Jake & couldn't go watch Kate at the state finals.

9. She has made some very tough choices in her life, but she knows what is right and she does it.

10. She is just plain fun! She laughs easily and lots--I love that.

I am so glad we have this day, if for nothing else, it reminds me of you. I love you, Kate!

Pinewood Derby

2009-01-19T11:23:00.006-07:00

This past Saturday was the Pinewood Derby for Ben. He wanted to make a Steelers car, so we worked on it all week (WE being a very key word) and I think it came out nicely. Only problem, it wasn't very fast. Brian says we just can't have both it seems, a car that looks good and races good. At least it did look good. And Ben was in the spotlight for much of the Derby because the guy running it happened to be from Pittsburgh originally and LOVED Ben's car. We were in a department store a couple of weeks ago and the manager walked up to Ben (he had on his jersey) and said, "You gotta give me five, there just aren't enough Steeler fans down here!" Ben of course loves every minute of it. So we were thrilled last night when the Steelers won again and are headed to the Super Bowl. We even caught Ben at one point during the game saying a prayer for his Steelers--how sweet is that? And apparently the Big Guy is a Steelers fan too! :)

We had a first today. Ruby was crying and I told Jake to bring her to me. He brought her in and as soon as I took her, she really started to cry. I gave her back to Jake and she was all smiles. What a stinker! But very cute, she really loves Jake! It seems to be a theme in his life, girls loving him, I am SO not ready!

Ben and Ben

2009-01-12T08:43:00.003-07:00

Jake & Ben were so excited to watch the Steelers play last night. As soon as they turned the game on, Ben hurried in his room and put on his Roethlisberger jersey. He had to get it out of the dirty clothes to do so (gross, but oh well), luckily it was right on top since he'd worn it the day before. Jake lost interest to his guitar part way through the game, but Ben stayed with his Steelers to the end. A happy end, thank goodness! Ben sat on the edge of the couch the whole time, yelling at the refs and players and cheering on his team. When he went to bed, I told him to remember to take off his jersey. This morning when I woke him up, he still had it on. There is something magical about that jersey--he really feels connected somehow to "his team" now. I love it all and I LOVE him! So just for my Ben, GO STEELERS!

Some Christmas Favorites

2008-12-31T07:53:00.003-07:00

So there were some Christmas gifts that were given that were my favorites this year. I am going to save my very most favorite for last, but we will start here with Jake. Every year Jake tries to figure out what his brother or sister is giving him, and usually Sally somehow accidentally gives it away. Well, this year, she and I worked together to convince Jake she was giving him some kind of pink Webkinz. Jake was pretty concerned. So when he opened his gift from Sally and it was the guitar strap he REALLY wanted, he was surprised and thrilled. Sally was sneaky and asked Jake which strap he liked best--it was ALL her idea! Great job, Sal!

Kash is WAY into John Deere. So Santa did a great job and put a John Deere hat and t-shirt in Kash's stocking. He also got some cool tractor and truck movies from me and Brian. But he LOVES his hat--wears it every day.

Sally is quite sure Santa is the most amazing guy around. She asked for a digital camera and got a pretty darn nice one, especially for a 6-year-old. She thinks it is so cool she got a red camera and kept saying all day how great Santa was. He really is great, isn't he?!

So, this is my all time fave this year. Ben and Jake are big Steelers fans and both have thought about getting a jersey. I don't know how many of you have looked at these jerseys, but they are VERY expensive. And me being me, I could never justify getting one of them. Ben really has wanted a "Ben Roethlisberger" jersey for a long time and looked online lots, but the cheapest we could find was around $80. Well, my sister saved the day. She called and as we were talking about gifts she said she thought she might be able to get a good deal on a jersey through one of her friends who works for a sporting goods store. We got a great deal on the jersey (still a lot for a shirt I think but so worth it) and made Ben's day. The look on his face says it all! Christmas is so much fun!

More Jake

2008-12-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

I told Jake when he learned an entire song instead of just the intro, I would post a video again. Well, he has been diligently working on some AC/DC songs and told me this morning he was ready to post "Back in Black". He tried singing too, but the newly learned song is not down pat enough to play and sing at the same time--I am sure it will be another post another day.

We had a great Christmas, hope you all did too.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T06:08:00.003-07:00

It is hard for me to believe that a month has passed since Thanksgiving. I am usually really good about getting a Christmas card out, they actually sat on my desk for the last 3 weeks. But it was the kind of card that required a picture and the picture just never got taken. So for the first time in YEARS, there will be no card from the Owens. I promise to do better next year. As far as this holiday season, we have enjoyed it so far. The kids are all very excited that today is Christmas Eve. Kash can hardly contain his excitement and would really like to open all his presents RIGHT NOW! Patience is not his virtue! Sally, much to my chagrin, has been counting presents under the tree. She gets excited when she thinks she has the most, we had to have a talk with her about that. We have been doing the 12 Days of Christmas for two of our neighbors we thought might enjoy it. One has recently gone through a divorce and the other lives here alone without any family close by. It has been lots of fun to try and secretly deliver gifts, although both have already figured out who we are. That is okay, I think they have both enjoyed it so much and my kids learn the joy of giving. Tonight we have lots of fun things planned and for me, tonight is far more fun than tomorrow. We are having 5 missionaries from our church over tomorrow as well. I am glad we can share our home with them, I know what it is like to be away from home for Christmas.

Jake, Ben, & Brian got to help with a live nativity this past weekend. I don't have a picture of Jake, I forgot my camera the night that Jake was the shepherd, but I have one of Ben with Brian. He looked like a marshmallow because we had him layered so much--it was very cold the night he was a shepherd. The family who hosted the nativity submitted an article to the church news, the link is http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/56328/Texas-Nativity-scene.html. None of the pictures in the article are of my boys, although they looked exactly the same. Other than Brian was a really big shepherd. It was fun for the boys and a great thing to do this time of year. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, it really is the "most wonderful time of the year" for so many reasons.

Delirious

2008-12-19T11:23:00.005-07:00

So while Ruby is very cute, she is not a good sleeper at night. I can't even remember the last time I slept for more than 2 hours at a stretch. Needless to say, I am a bit exhausted. Many night, Ruby ends up in bed with us. Well, I have noticed that she really does sleep better when she is in her own bed, but I am not good at letting my babies cry it out. So I have been at least trying to give her bottle to her in her bed, I just stand by the side until she is done. This has been working pretty good and she is getting herself back to sleep a little more too. Two nights ago, I was standing there holding her bottle, and I was FREEZING, so I put her in bed with me so I could be warm. BIG mistake, she just tossed for the next 4 hours. So last night, I was completely worn out! I got up to feed her once, and then the next time she woke up, I was in a delirious state. I pulled her out of bed because in my dream/awake state, I was sure she had told me she needed help counting poinsettias. Yes, you read that right. My almost 8 month old needed help counting--and she TOLD me that!? Brian and all my family can verify that I do and say INSANE things while I think I am still sleeping. When I realized Ruby was even in bed with us, I put her back in her bed and she slept a bit better. I figure, she is our last, someday I will sleep. And no amount of sleep anyone could ever offer could replace my sweet little girl! It is all worth it, even if I do lose my sanity.

Happy Birthday, Grandma Sally!

2008-12-18T15:22:00.005-07:00

We wanted to wish a special Happy Birthday to Grandma Sally, Brian's grandma. We all love her so much and wanted her to know we were thinking of her.

Jake: We miss you! I love music like you do. Hope you have a great birthday and a Merry Christmas!

Ben: You are always nice. And you are always fun. I am always glad to see you. I love you and Happy Birthday!

Sally: Happy Birthday! I hope you have a good birthday and I hope you have a good Christmas, I hope I do too. What do you want for Christmas? I want a digital camera. I am glad to be named after you. Love, Sally

Kash: Do you want a 4 wheeler for your birthday? Or do you want a motorcycle? I like those things. I love you.

Jen: I love you, Grandma. You & Grandpa were so kind to me the first time I met you. I loved coming to your house in Richfield and spending time with you there. You are so warm, friendly, talented, and all-around wonderful. I am so glad you were part of the package when I married Brian! I hope you have a wonderful birthday! Love, Jen

Brian: Grandma and Christmas---they just go hand in hand. We love you and hope you have a great birthday. Wish we could be there to celebrate with you, but know we are thinking about you on your special day. All the best, love Brian.

She must be cute

2008-12-09T08:18:00.004-07:00

My mom gave Ruby this outfit while we were in Utah a couple of months ago. I had it hanging in my closet and saw it there yesterday and thought we had better get some use out of it before Christmas was over. I love the outfit--the little cap isn't something I would make her wear out--but it sure looks cute! I figure if she can pull off looking good in a cap like this one, she must be cute for sure! The little video is Kash singing to her--he sings to her ALL the time--I love it!

It's a FIRST!

2008-12-06T20:40:00.003-07:00

Every time we move into a new house, Brian tells me he is going to put up Christmas lights outside. I believed him when we moved into our first house and bought lights, but they never got put up on the house. So our next house, he said it was really going to happen so I bought clips to make it easier to put up the lights that were still in the box from the first house. It never happened. So then it got to be kind of a joke between the two of us. Last week, Brian says he thinks he will put lights up this year, I laughed. But today, it actually happened! Apparently, Amarillo is WAY into Christmas lights! I am sure our neighbors think we are Scrooges with the amount of lights we have compared to them, but if they only knew....

I had to get the oil checked out in the Suburban today and when I got home, I found Jake & Ben on the roof helping Brian. I think they were mostly having fun crawling around on the roof. But we have lights!

Favorite time of the year

2008-11-29T10:18:00.003-07:00

The kids helped with the Thanksgiving banner and the name cards--I always loved name cards!

Kash just wanted his picture taken and Ben never turns down a chance to be in a picture.

I love the fall and I love Thanksgiving and I love Christmastime. I like Christmas, but I mostly like the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Everyone really seems to be a bit kinder to one another. And we are all thinking about our families and what would make the perfect gift. For me, it reminds me of all the reasons I love those I love so much. I love to give gifts and really think about what might make someone happy. I will be honest and say I have missed the mark on a number of occasions, but I still love the feelings this time of year. I have such great memories from my childhood revolving around the holidays. Thanksgiving at my Grandma & Grandpa's and being amazed by the amount of mashed potatoes my cousin, Rex, could eat. Then the next day we would have a second Thanksgiving dinner at my Grandma Eva's. She had a very small house and all the adults would have to move every piece of furniture out of her front room so we could all eat together. After dinner, there was always a good card game going on and the smell of cranberry pudding steaming in the background. I like cranberry pudding, I don't love it. But I can't have Thanksgiving without it--just doesn't seem right. There is just something so perfectly wonderful about being with your family. I know that is why I get the most homesick at Thanksgiving. I did okay this year, we had the sister missionaries over and Chris, who came to work with Brian from Cuba. We had a great dinner and my first attempt at a pumpkin pie turned out pretty good. I used to make fruit cake every year with my great aunt. I had the recipe out the other day and found taped to the back a pumpkin pie recipe and decided to try it--it was really very good--a great find! That made me miss Tilda and Grandma Eva and my Grandma and Grandpa and everything about my childhood that when I look back makes me feel like I had a fairy tale sometimes. I know I had a wild imagination, but I really did have a great childhood. I just remember feeling loved and so happy. I have great parents. I had great grandparents. I have super aunts and uncles. And I have so many wonderful cousins I liked playing with (most of the time) :)!

I knew I would be busy getting things ready on Wednesday, so I had projects for the kids to work on while I cooked. They helped with all the decorations and some of the treats. I was so glad when Jake said the family prayer that night that he was thankful for the all the fun they had getting ready for Thanksgiving. I only hope I can provide for our kids the quality of memories I am blessed with. Memories are truly priceless.

I was especially excited about this Thanksgiving because my cousin, Matt, and his family stopped here on Friday night and stayed until this morning. It was so nice to have them here. Matt reminds me so much of my Uncle Kent and I really love my Uncle Kent. Matt is quite a bit younger than me, so it was just nice to get to know his family a bit better. It was just a perfect way to end this Thanksgiving weekend. I was busy and got to have a bit of my family here--I have loved every minute. And now I get to be excited about the next month and all the fun we will have doing everything Christmas! Kash and I have already listened to Christmas music once! Brian always makes fun of me because I can't wait to get the music out--I LOVE Christmas music!!

Sigh...

2008-11-20T06:46:00.002-07:00

So this week the kids have Thanksgiving Luncheons at school that parents are invited to attend. Last week we were talking about the luncheons and I asked Jake if he wanted me to come. He had to think for a minute (I am hoping the whole 5 seconds he isn't too "tween" to not want me there), and then said that sure I could come, sigh! So then we were talking to Sally and Ben about their luncheon and how we would work that out. Ben wanted Brian to come to his, no great surprise, Ben openly admitted when he was 5 that he loved Brian more than me. So that worked out great, I was going with Sally and Brian would go with Ben. Later that night, Ben asked me why I hadn't been to the school to have lunch with him when I had already been there to have lunch with Sally. I reminded him that for the last 2 years he adamantly told me he didn't want me to have lunch with him--way too embarrassing! Although I did once anyway! He said, "oh, yeah, well, I want you to come have lunch with me now." Sigh... I have always been alright with the relationship Ben has with his Dad, he has been that way since he was 6 months old. But oh, how I loved hearing him tell me that! Of course he still wants Brian to come to the luncheon with him, but I have been officially invited to eat with him some other time! Again, sigh...

Sally has been telling me for the last two days that she can't wait for Thursday because I get to eat lunch with her, sigh...

Tuesday I went to lunch with Jake. He was happy to show everyone his baby sister and introduce Kash to everyone. We sat with his best friend and his mom and had a nice lunch. When we got done eating, Jake said he was ready to go so he would have some recess still. I got up to leave and he gave me a HUG!!! Sigh... Right then I realized how much that meant to me, that he would still give me a hug in front of all his friends. I decided I wasn't ever going to let any of my kids not do that. I thought I was prepared for them to not want to, but I am not and never will be. So if I embarrass them, so be it, at least they will always know I love them.

They critique my cooking, tell me I am unfair, ask why I don't do this or that, don't appreciate all the laundry I do, but they do little things every day that make all I do so worth it. I love these little people and just have to savor the "moments" instead of getting hung up on all the "if onlys".

Tribute to AC/DC

2008-11-12T19:43:00.004-07:00

Okay, so Jake promises me that this the last thing he wants on the blog for a while. He has been practicing these songs for the past few days and wanted everyone to hear his music--we have been listening for DAYS! Actually, I really haven't minded at all--it has been great to see him so excited about something. He is dressed like Angus Young--same as he was for Halloween. This clip is a bit long, but hope you all enjoy!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice...

2008-11-10T06:54:00.003-07:00

That is what my little girls are made of. Definitely more spice than nice on some days, but oh, so sweet. The other day Sally asked me if I could please put a little note in with her lunch. I asked her if she meant a note telling her how much I loved her and she smiled and shook her head yes. I had tried this with both my boys, the little love notes, only to have them come home and politely tell me I had to stop because it was embarrassing. I was so excited to have Sally ask me to write her a little love note, but felt a bit badly that I hadn't done it before--of course girls are different! So I was so glad today that I had remembered her little love note when she asked if I had put one in her lunch bag.

I remember when we found out we were having a little girl and I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I was so comfortable with my 2 little boys with all their dirt, bugs, and balls. But the night before I went to the hospital to have Sally, I was doing some last minute laundry and the lint from the dryer came out pink. I was all the sudden so thrilled to have this little girl. She has not been a disappointment once! She is ALL girl and such a delight. She was exactly what our family needed. So when we found out we got to have one last little girl, I was excited from the beginning. Ruby is just as sweet with just enough spice...my little girls are wonderful!

Jake the Rock Star

2008-11-08T18:33:00.004-07:00

Jake has been saving his money for a while now. After his birthday, he finally had enough to buy an electric guitar--he is THRILLED! It arrived yesterday and he has been playing it since. Of course, Jake is an expert and doesn't think he needs lessons because he can already play. Brian and I are hoping he will want to do more than play the intro of 4 songs soon. But he is having a great time either way and is on his way to his dream of being a rock star.

Birthdays and 1/2 birthdays

2008-11-02T21:08:00.004-07:00

Today is the beginning of birthday week for our family. It starts with me--I am 36 today. Ruby is 6 months old today. Tomorrow Jake will be 11, and Tuesday Sally will be 6. And then on Wednesday Kathi, Brian's mom, will be....no I won't post that! But we do have lots of birthdays this week. It really is crazy but so much fun. This summer we had a big sleepover at my mom & dad's with all the cousin and then had an outdoor breakfast the next morning. Kate had an awesome waffle maker that I have been wanting since. It is the kind like when you get a continental breakfast at a hotel and it flips, you know what I am talking about. Anyway, I wanted one. Me and kitchen gadgets--just my thing. Anyway, Brian got one for me and surprised me with waffles this morning. And he even bought me REAL maple syrup--so yummy! I got to take a 2 hour nap--unheard of--very wonderful! And Brian made dinner--it was a fabulous birthday! Anyway, I thought I would post a little video of Ruby--she laughs so cute! Jake was hiding behind a pillow and then he would pop up and scare her, but she loved it. Watch though, every time Jake disappeared again, she tried to sit up and figure out where he had gone--she is such a peach! I just read though this post, a bit random. Oh, well. It's my birthday--I can be random if I want!

Halloween

2008-11-02T20:53:00.003-07:00

We had a great Halloween. I missed Cuba (once again), trick-or-treating isn't the same here. But the kids had fun "trunk-or-treating" at the church. The best part was having Kathi & Rick here for a few days. We love Nana and it was great for the kids to get to know Rick a little better. He is a huge tease and poor Kash didn't know how often he was being teased, but he sure loved Rick and followed him everywhere for the few days he was here.

Just before Nana and Rick took off for their long road trip. They are headed to Buffalo to get an antique couch of Kathi's great, great grandfathers--pretty cool! I so wanted to hop in and head to Cuba for a few days!

Our annual "Dinner in a Pumpkin" that we do every Halloween.

Jake was Angus Young (sp?) from ACDC, Sally a cheerleader, Kash a blue monster, Ben a mad scientist, and Ruby just the cute little "punkin" she is already!

The boys pumpkin...

Sally & I did a cat--second year in a row--I think she likes this one!

Pics from our trip

2008-10-27T10:13:00.003-06:00

Kirsti playing at MC--the reason we went to UT!

Kash sitting on Grandpa Jack's John Deere.

My mom wanted a picture of Ruby for her "wall"--what a cute girl! Morning light is stinky though!

Kash & Josh racing thier cars.

Where one wild thing is!! So fits Kash! The Pumpkin Walk in North Logan is always fun--I was glad we got to go while we were there.

All the cousins who went on the Pumpkin Walk.

Had to get a picture of Kash by this one, it was done by my blogging friend, Emily, and her family. Nice job, Emily!!! I love the elephant's backside! One of my faves!

Back to reality

2008-10-26T17:49:00.002-06:00

So we got back from our trip last night. It was great to be back with my little family and I have to say, Brian was amazing! He had ALL the laundry done, the house picked up and the garage straightened so we can actually park in there now--very nice with colder weather coming. I was much impressed and told him I thought all his domesticity was very hot!

Kash, Ruby, & I had a great week in Utah. I loved spending time with my family and getting to see Kirst play volleyball. They lost to Sky View, but played great and then beat Roy on Friday. Kirsti does a great job and is so fun to watch, I only wish I could watch her more often. I think I am going to get Sally a volleyball for Christmas! :) Maybe I was the undiscovered talent in the family and I can pass on that genetic legacy--ha ha! I can barely walk down the hall without tripping or running into something. Maybe between Brian and some family talent that just skipped me, she can be great. She is left handed and tall, all the possibilities...

I will post some pictures and a little more info maybe tomorrow. Right now my baby girl is hungry and she is way more deserving of my time than any post.

Gone for a few days

2008-10-20T08:02:00.002-06:00

I am leaving this morning for Utah. I am taking Kash & Ruby with me and we are all excited about our little trip. I haven't been able to see my niece play volleyball, who unbelievably is a senior this year. I always loved watching my sisters play and told myself I would sometime get to see Kirsti play. So FINALLY I am going to watch her! It should be a fun trip--short--but always good to see my family. The other kids are a little disappointed they don't get to go--Sally shed a few tears last night. But this morning they were all great and I really think they will have a good time with Brian. I am sure there will be more school lunches and pizza in their diets this week which will make them happy! Kash is very excited--he has a little back pack ready for the plane and I am just glad the 2 flights we will take are both short. I better get ready to go...

Do I blog too much?

2008-10-09T16:16:00.005-06:00

My Kash LOVES trucks, tractors, cars, basically anything with wheels. He is totally in love with John Deere and Bob the Builder and he gets so excited when we finds books at the library that include any of the above. We were at the library yesterday and he found a board book with all kinds of trucks and tractors--he was THRILLED! Since yesterday we have read this book about 3 or 4 times, so today when we were reading it I would ask him what truck it was to see if he could remember all the names (front loader, excavator, paver, etc). I LOVE the way he pronounces things and how excited he gets about all of them. Well, we got to the pages with all the semi trucks and there was a picture of one called a "logger truck". I asked Kash what it was, and you guessed it, it was a blogger truck. How I love this little boy!

Ruby is 5 months

2008-10-02T06:22:00.002-06:00

I thought it would be fun for those who stop here at my blog to see our little Ruby in action. She loves her little bouncer and she is "talking" more all the time. She is still wonderful!

"Tagged"

2008-10-01T16:46:00.003-06:00

Okay, so I have been tagged! That is what I get for blog stocking! I really don't know who to tag back, all the blogs I look at seem to have already been it. As for myself and writing 6 quirky things about me, that is hardly enough! Honestly, I should have Brian write this for me--many of the things he finds quirky I think are perfectly normal! Anyway, I will give it a shot!

1. I am a bit obsessive in my behavior. I have to do the same things in the same order when I go to bed, when I shower, the food I eat (I will often eat the same thing for days on end), etc. I must have order!

2. I love to buy books. All kinds of books. I don't really like getting books as gifts, because books are a personal thing, at least to me. But I am the first to give a book as a gift. Go figure.

3. I am a picture fixer--they must be straight--refer to #1.

4. Don't tell me I can't do something. Or don't tell me how to do something. You may offer suggestions, but that is all. I tend to do the exact opposite, even if I know it isn't good for me. I am getting better, but not much.

5. I LOVE to cook and bake. I love new recipes and then I love to alter them. I love to make things up as I go along--a little of this, a little of that. I have only had a couple of things go completely south on me. And they went WAY south!

6. I don't like being wrong. And I will argue way past knowing it is a lost cause simply because I hate being wrong. More than that, I love to be right. I will apologize eventually.

Some of my quirkiness makes me sound like a crazy lady--I guess some days I am!!!

Great idea?

2008-10-01T07:45:00.002-06:00

So I thought a bike ride would be nice yesterday. I figure Ruby is getting just big enough to sit in the bike trailer. So I go out and get the trailer set up, but the wheels are flat. No big deal, I get the pump out. It is not working. I think I know what the problem is. So I took the pump apart, and I was right, the screw inside had come undone, I got it fixed. But then I couldn't get one of the tires to pump up. After 10 minutes, I figure out the problem and get both tires pumped. Remember, this is after spending at least 20 minutes fixing the pump. So I get my bike down, the tires are flat. Good thing I fixed the pump. Ruby gets hungry during all this. Between me, Kash and a blanket to prop up the bottle, she gets fed. I get the trailer hooked up. And I get on to take off, feeling much empowered by all I was able to fix by myself. My chain comes off. I am thinking maybe I just wasn't meant to go for a bike ride. But not me, I am determined! After just 5 minutes, I figure out how to fix the chain and we are off. The whole time I am thinking about how Mr. Johansen, our neighbor across the street, says he is always watching the neighborhood. I head to Coulter Street thinking maybe I will see how I do on Tascosa Road, thinking that riding my bike to the library would be a good option. I get up to the church and realize my legs are in no shape to go up a much larger and longer hill, so I turn in to the church parking lot and head down Brookside to get back up to Smoketree Street. I BARELY make it up Smoketree and because I had only been gone maybe 10 minutes I ride up and down our street one more time. So my bike ride lasted about 15 minutes and it took me almost an hour just to get going. I am sweating and wondering how many times I will have to ride my little loop before it doesn't feel like I am going to lose a lung. At least I exercised for the day! :) Thought you could use a laugh, I am sure Mr. Johansen is laughing!

Emergency Room

2008-09-29T09:23:00.003-06:00

I am sure you thought Ben had something go wrong--nope--it was Kash this time. Last night about 10 he woke up crying and could not be consoled. He said his ear was hurting, we were sure he had an ear infection. But of course no antibiotic without a doctor. So I tried taking him to urgent care, but all the urgent care locations closed at 8!! He fell asleep in the car, so I thought maybe the motrin had kicked in and he would at least be able to sleep. We got home and within 15 minutes, he was awake and crying even more. We decided we had to take him to the ER, he was just so miserable. I was so grateful Brian was home! Brian took him and they waited for 3 hours before a doctor could even see him--Kash was awake the whole time! Anyway, he has an ear infection, and a blister on his ear drum. The doctor told Brian they are extremely painful and are caused by a bacteria. So he is on an antibiotic as well as drops for his ear to help with the pain. He just woke up about 30 minutes ago, and he is doing better. The doctor told Brian that either the blister will break or it could burst his eardrum, we should know by the amount of drainage. Poor little guy! I just feel so bad for him. He didn't complain once yesterday about his ear hurting.

Update on Ben, he is doing fine. He said his leg felt tight this morning which I am thinking must be the skin trying to heal. It will be a while though. Some of you have asked why I didn't post a picture--I just thought that would be gross! But maybe I will in a few days when it doesn't look so bad, but you can get an idea of how big a scar he will have.

We had a weekend full of doctors and pharmacies, but I am not complaining. All of these things are so minor--just letting you all know what exciting things were going on at our house!

Urgent Care

2008-09-27T17:54:00.002-06:00

So who in our family do you think of when you see that title? You guessed it...Ben. He was outside today looking for something to do and I told him to go for a bike ride. Within 10 minutes of sending him off, he was back in the house wailing with blood running down both his legs. I was just getting Ruby to sleep and looking forward to kicking back and reading this afternoon since I had already cleaned the house. That plan went out the window when I saw his right leg. His left knee was scraped pretty badly, but his right leg was really bad. It was deep and making me a bit queasy. I thought for sure he was going to need stitches--one thing Ben hasn't experienced yet. So we took him to urgent care and when the doctor took a look at it, she said that if there was any skin to stitch that would have worked great, but Ben basically took a chunk of his leg off. So they wrapped it up with gauze and some stretchy stuff and told me to watch for infections, because of how severe the wound was, that was good possibility. The doctor also gave Ben an antibiotic just to be on the safe side. Ben was so funny about the whole thing. He is a bit dramatic and was telling me he was never going outside again and would NEVER ride a bike ever again. Then he went into panic mode when I mentioned stitches. Once the doctor said stitches weren't an option, he became ecstatic and started making plans to show all his friends his bandage and wound. We were also told he was going to have a bad scar--Ben of course thinks this is cool. I am mostly glad Ben is okay--this was minor compared to his other urgent care visits--we love our Ben!

Blast from the past

2008-09-15T11:38:00.000-06:00

When I was in high school, I loved going through my mom and dad's closet to see if there was anything cool to borrow--the whole retro thing. Anyway, I found a belt of my mom's that I loved. She told me I could have it, but my mom was so skinny in high school (and still does look great, by the way) that the belt never fit me. I always kept it, just because. Well, Sally discovered it the other day while we were unpacking. She wanted to know if she could have it. I told her she could borrow it. So this morning we thought the outfit she had on would look great with a belt, so we tried it. Great belt, mom! Still looks great a few years later!

Utah Legends

2008-09-15T11:24:00.002-06:00

Jake has been WAY into basketball lately. Partly because of NBA Street 2. He plays the game on the PS2 and then goes outside and tries out his new moves. He was outside yesterday afternoon for at least 3 hours playing. He and Ben created a team on the PS2 game called Utah Legends, so Jake thought they needed jerseys. They cut sleeves off some white t-shirts and decorated them on Friday. Jake was VERY impressed and thought we needed documentation. I will have to get a picture of him doing some dunks--we have gotten more use out of our Little Tikes hoop in the last month than we have in the last 8 years since we bought it! We need to get a real hoop, but it can wait a bit longer.

Sally's tooth

2008-09-09T21:12:00.002-06:00

I was teasing Sally last night about how "unbrave" she was when we got shots the other day. (Another story) Anyway, I apparently teased her too much and she ran off to her room embarrassed. When Sally is upset, she talks to herself and cries, so we were all listening and just enjoying our Sally. Well, Brian went to check on her and told her if she really wanted to show everyone she was brave, she should pull her tooth out because none of us thought she would do it. Brian got that competitive spirit in my little girl going and she pulled her first tooth out! It was TOTALLY ready to come out, but still, she did it! I was very surprised and she was very excited as you can see from the pictures. The tooth fairy made it here last night, thank goodness she remembered! Actually I think Sally has a boy fairy who remembered! :) But either way, she was thrilled!

Happy Four Months

2008-09-02T21:32:00.004-06:00

Ruby is 4 months old today. I can hardly believe the time has gone so quickly. She is still a little gem and we are all so in love with her. It amazes me that after 5 babies, I am still thrilled when our little girl smiles at us or learns to use her sweet little hands. She is really such a good baby--she has handled all the the changes and lack of schedule far better than I. She is starting to laugh a little more and really is grabbing things, including our hair. Kash calls her Binga still and all the kids have started calling her "Dubie". I don't think Brian is in love with this nickname, but it started with us calling her "Ruby Dubie". She is quick to smile at all of us and has all the attention a little person can handle. She is wonderful! I thought I would share a few "faces" of our Ruby. She is really a good sleeper, she slept through my bright flashes while I was taking these pictures! She loves her fingers! And she loves to "talk" to us. I still think she looks an awful lot like her dad, but in a very cute girly way. Brian teases me about the big bows and flowers I put on her head, but I love them! Like I said, she is wonderful!

Cute little girl

2008-09-02T21:15:00.000-06:00

Sally was worried about Ruby's feet getting cold on the tile the other day, so she let Ruby borrow her slippers. Sally thought it was so cute that we should take a picture of her! She is very cute, isn't she?

Long week

2008-08-25T08:45:00.000-06:00

School started today. I have never been so glad. I know that sounds horrible, but I am thrilled! I love my kids and I have always loved summertime; not having a schedule so much, the weather, finding water to play in, seeing some new places, all the adventure. But as far as this summer goes, I think we all had so much of the above that a routine is a very welcome change. Like I have said before, I am sure my kids will look back on this summer as one of their favorites, and I loved spending so much time with our families, but I am just very ready to get back to a schedule. My house needs a schedule too. I have yet to put away my clothes and the ones I did get out of the boxes to hang up were still maternity clothes and those need to be put away forever! Any takers? :)

So this past week Brian left on Monday and didn't come home until Saturday afternoon. I got a few boxes put away, but we had meet the teacher night and school supplies to acquire. Back to the never needing maternity clothes--we can't afford to buy school supplies for any more children--holy Toledo! I was a bit shocked by the lists we were given, not only by the amount of things needed but the specificity of what to buy. Without coming right out and saying "we only like Crayola at our schools", that is what the lists said. And because we were buying supplies less than a week before school started, we had to go to 5 stores to buy all the required items. So if you can imagine me with my kids and how happy they were about that much shopping, all the stares we received because, yes in fact, they are all mine, and yes, my hands are full, and yes, they keep me very busy...thanks for all the comments...and the occasional thought...2 of them are for sale...just kidding. They all did fairly well considering all we were trying to do. Then on Thursday afternoon Sally wasn't feeling well. By Friday Sally & Jake were both feeling awful so we quickly found a pediatrician and they were diagnosed with strep throat. So they were both pretty miserable until last night. Neither wanted to miss the first day of school, so we were so happy that they were both feeling better and able to go today. Brian is still here, but at the new plant interviewing a couple of people for positions there. I thought this week would be my last week as a single mom, but they have asked Brian to continue commuting for a few more weeks until the plant here is a bit more prepared for him. There were a few tears shed over that bit of news, but I think I am okay again--I only have 2 kids at home for 7 hours every day--I can make it! As we were trying to find the doctor's office, we found the library. Kash and I were very excited to find out there is story hour every Wednesday morning, so I think we will find ourselves there this week. I need a good book. I shouldn't even say that when there are still piles of boxes everywhere, but I said it anyway. Like I said, it has been a long week. I have told Brian before that if I believed in reincarnation, I know I would be a mother bear in my next life. I love berries and honey, I like to believe I protect my children well, I am always up for a good back scratch and my favorite--hibernation. And did you know that bears have their babies while they are hibernating? So they come out of the cave looking great and feeling great every spring. Right now I am feeling ready to hibernate. I am exhausted in every way. But I am not a bear, so I will go back to my boxes and my 1/2 put together cave and at least have the built in excuse for napping because I needed to lay down with Kash. I feel I need an excuse to nap because I feel guilty about all the things I could be getting done if I were awake. Brian thinks this is insanity, he is the power napping king, "Just give me 12 minutes, Jen!" I am more of the "give me 3 hours" kind of person. One of my favorites, on a cold day curling up in a blanket with a good book and knowing I can go to sleep whenever I want and sleep as long as I like. I don't know the last time I did that, but it is nice to think about. I do love the moment I am in, I love where my kids are and I am grateful for all I have. But I still think we all need an afternoon like that occasionally. It is not that afternoon and the laundry and boxes are screaming at me, so is Kash. So I am off.

Let's get started!

2008-08-14T15:53:00.000-06:00

We got to Amarillo today. It looks better than it did in February, still not as pretty as NY. I do like the house, Brian did a great job. Now it will just be the chore of finding a spot for everything. Pluses would be CLOSESTS, lots of them, a garage, attic storage, and a brand new kitchen. I will have to post a picture of the mural on one of the walls that Brian forgot to mention. It isn't horrible--nothing I would do--it can wait until we get a bit settled. The kids start school a week from Monday. We need to get them all registered in the next few days. Lots to do!

It was hard to leave yesterday, I knew it would be. But once we picked Brian up at the airport, I just got excited. I couldn't wait to get here. Now we are here and I know tomorrow will be a bit overwhelming, but it will be great to get all our things with us again.

After spending the summer with our families, I am reminded how little "things" really matter. I have things that I really enjoy, but they are all replacable and I could live without every single one of them. But those we love are priceless.

Summer

2008-08-05T12:31:00.000-06:00

I love summer. This one has been crazy. But I love that my kids have spent some quality time with their cousins and I have spent some quality time with my sisters. I hate that my brother has to have a job, I haven't been able to spend as much time with him as I would like, but I am so glad that his wife is willing to tolerate us--we love her! I am simply convinced that John is the greatest brother ever and I feel the same about my sisters. My kids have finally had a chance to really get to know my mom and dad--I am thrilled about this. We spent a few days in ID with Kathi and I appreciate that my kids got Nana all to themselves. I don't think my kids realize what super grandparents they have--hopefully someday! As crazy as this summer has been, I really do believe my kids will look back on it as one of their favorites. I really don't know where July went and I really can't believe we will be leaving for TX in just one short week. Jake is very aware of our limited time left and he is trying to sqeeze as many parties as possible into those 7 days. As much as I like to think I am a simple girl with simple needs, I have concluded that Brian and I don't know how to do things simply. I ask myself if we could have made this whole move/job change any more crazy and I can think of a few things but not much. Through it all though, I find that the thing I feel most is gratitude. Gratitude for a whole lot of things. I am looking forward to having a house of my own again and living with my husband again, but I know when next Wednesday comes I am going to be sad too. I wish I could post a bunch of pictures from this summer, but I love this one. Just a great summer shot--kids belong in trees during the summer--don't you think?

Just for fun

2008-07-28T16:22:00.000-06:00

My friend Christine teased me about the size of my mug. I always told her it just had water inside, but she was never convinced thinking there must be something more potent in it to deal with ALL my kids and a husband who wasn't around much the past few months. Anyway, I have upgraded my mug--I never have seen anything so big! I promise, it still just has water, although I am sure Christine still has her doubts! Just because she isn't quite as amazing as me and can't handle as much as me with just water. :)

What's been happening

2008-07-28T16:12:00.000-06:00

The past week has gone so quickly. My sister and her family were here from FL and we had a week full of cousins and fun. My parents have 6 grown children all with spouses and 22 grandchildren, all were at their house several days during the week. It was crazy but fun.

Ben was baptized the beginning of July and the same day we blessed Ruby. It was a very nice day. Ben asked my dad to confirm him, he is a big grandpa fan. I thought that was nice and it really was just a great day. I promise to elaborate more when I have some time.

Lots of news

2008-07-13T13:59:00.000-06:00

First of all, it is our anniversary today. 12 years ago today I married Brian. I love him more than ever and more than I thought was possible.

We closed on our house in Cuba Friday and that night made an offer on a house in Amarillo. The offer was accepted and we are in the process of becoming homeowners once again. I am thrilled to know I have an address again and can't wait to see the house in person. Brian did all the work on this one and from the pictures I have seen, it looks great. For any of you with an RV, our new place happens to have an RV pad with hook-ups, so we are ready for you to visit!

We have been visiting with Brian's family the last few days and having a great time. The kids have loved being with their cousins. I will be glad to be in home I can call my own again, but for now I enjoy seeing my kids have such a great time. We are headed to Idaho this week for a few days so the kids can see Nana's new digs--should be fun.

Finally posting some pictures

2008-07-01T13:41:00.000-06:00

I am using my sisters internet and could finally post some pictures from our trip. They are in the slideshow to the side. It really was a great trip. I don't want to do it again next week, but we really saw and enjoyed so much.

It has been a while

2008-06-27T13:30:00.000-06:00

I am having trouble with our laptop, I wanted to post some more pictures of the rest of our trip. I will do it later, but I will at least say we made it to UT and we are happy to be here. Yellowstone was great--Jake saw his wild bison and was THRILLED! We saw a few elk, but that was it. We were all hoping to see a bear, but they were somewhere else in the park that day.

We had a great visit with Brian's family while we were in Island Park. Kathi's husband, Bob, brought his 4-wheeler and Kash was SO happy about that! Brian "was forced" to take him for several rides while we were there. The cabin was great and accommodated several of us very well. The views were spectacular and the boat rides lots of fun. We got to my mom & dad's Sunday and the kids have been enjoying their cousins every day since. We went to the pool yesterday and had a great time. Jake is going to his first overnight scout camp today with his cousin. We are both excited about that, Jake because he gets to camp with his cousin and Brian, I am excited because he will pass off several requirements for scouts! I am so not a scouter--I am clueless! So I truly appreciate those who know what they are doing and will help me.

We are doing great. I miss Cuba, but it is so nice to be here. I love Cache Valley. For those of you who have never been, I highly recommend it. Utah is a beautiful place.

As soon as I can, I will get some more pictures of our trip on here.

What a beautiful country!

2008-06-18T23:18:00.000-06:00

We started today at Mt. Rushmore. Brian compared it to Niagara Falls, it is absolutely incredible, but no need to go back. It really is an amazing sight, but I don't think we were even there an hour. We took off and drove through Black Hills National Forest, Deadwood, and then into Wyoming to only drive through another beautiful forest, the Big Horn National Forest. We saw some amazing landscape and the kids enjoyed seeing the wildlife. Jake and Sally spent a good part of the afternoon counting antelope and I am not kidding when I report they saw over 200! We saw 3 moose, 4 elk, and at least 10 deer. Ben said it was the best day of his life because he saw a moose in the wild. Then he said it was the worst day of his life when his ears wouldn't unplug! We were over 8000 feet above sea level when we crested the mountain and headed back down the other side--it was incredible! We are hoping to see more wildlife tomorrow in Yellowstone.

The Badlands

2008-06-17T22:49:00.001-06:00

We drove through the Badlands National Park today. Ben made the comment they should have named it Beautiful Lands, so then we had a discussion as to why they possibly named it the Badlands. We came up with hard to travel through with a wagon or horse, lots of indians, or lots of outlaws. Since we didn't have to worry about any of these things, we thought it was simply beautiful! We were planning to go to Mt. Rushmore for the evening lighting ceremony, but there was quite a bit of rain and some tornado warnings a bit farther south so we are opting to go there tomorrow morning. The kids continue to be great and the suburban is holding out--we will keep praying and keeping our fingers crossed!

Irony

2008-06-16T21:05:00.000-06:00

So we are on our way across the country now. It was hard to leave, but we are now all very excited about seeing some new places and especially getting to see our families.

We have our stroller strapped to the top of the suburban--there is absolutely NO room inside! Right as we were leaving Cuba the stroller came unstrapped and fell off. It was scratched up some, but no damage we could see. Brian got it strapped back on, but we both had been nervous that it would fly off in the middle of a busy highway. Well, yesterday we heard something flapping around, so we pulled off to the side of the road to check the bungee cords. All the bungee cords were fine, the hand strap on the stroller was actually flipping around. But ironically, in pulling off to check our bungee cords, we ran over a bungee cord that was on the side of the road and got a flat tire. Fortunately, Brian got to change tires in between rain storms and he was pretty darn quick considering all the stuff he had to take out just to get to the tire and then actually changing it. So this morning we were a little late in starting because we had to get our tire fixed, but all is well.

We had a fun stop today. Our friends who used to live in Minnesota told us to check out the Spam Museum, so we decided to do it. What fun it was--one of those quirky places our kids can now say they have been to. Brian and I couldn't help but get t-shirts. We are all very excited to get to Mt. Rushmore tomorrow--someplace I have always wanted to see.

Ode to Bonnie & Christine

2008-06-04T13:29:00.000-06:00

In my last post, I didn't go into a lot of details about what I would miss here in Cuba. That was a mistake. First let me say that Cuba is a bit of Mayberry. I love it here. I love the community, the school, the natural beauty, so many things. I love that Kash is on a first name basis with the city workers and can tell them hello when they are driving the back hoe. I love that when I misplace one of my kids at a school function (oops), people know me and my family well enough they can help my lost child. I love that when I walk to the library, people say hello and wave whether they know me or not. I love that I can walk to the library. I love the fall here, it is more beautiful than I can say. Cuba is a wonderfully self contained community where people really take care of each other--it is the best! So yes, I am going to miss Cuba like crazy, but why dwell on what I can't change? But what I will miss most about Cuba are the friends I have made. Bonnie and Christine have made Cuba some of the most memorable years of my life to date. I have missed walking with Bonnie so much! I will miss walks, lunches, hikes, play dates, being teased by Christine about being a Mormon, the cabin, the lake, and so much more. But what made all those things memorable was the great friends I was with. I love you both and will miss you lots. Much easier to say here than in person!

May

2008-06-01T14:24:00.000-06:00

I remember thinking in November that it seemed like such a long time before we would actually be leaving NY, but it has come rather quickly. Not that I am upset by that, I am ready to be a whole family again, but there is some sadness as well.

May as a whole has been a good month. MOST importantly we added Ruby to our family. She is such a good baby and I just pray that will continue as we make our trek across the country. The day before Ruby was born, we sold our house. This was such a blessing! I truly appreciate all the prayers in our behalf--I really was concerned about how long it would take to sell our house. I don't know that we will close before we leave, but just knowing it is all in the process is great! I don't know the family who bought it, but apparently they too have a large family. I am so glad--this house and yard need a family.

We had Brian here for over a week when Ruby was born. Kash became even more attached to his dad and now tells me several times a day that he misses his dad. It was great to have him here and he was such a great help. I decided that I am my biggest problem sometimes--Brian was so willing to help (and he did SO much)--but I feel so obligated to do "my job" if I am home. I relented some, I was SO tired, but it is hard for me. Simply having Brian here is a great help, just having someone to "have my back". Like I said, I can't wait to be our whole family again.

I was so grateful to have Pamela come and stay with us for a week. It was so great to just have another adult here with me. My kids LOVE her and were so happy to have her here as well. She and Kash became fast friends and played outside quite a bit. It was sad to see her go, but we look forward to having her come visit us in TX.

I had a very nice Mother's Day. Brian BBQ'd some great steaks and some chicken, we had Pamela here with us and we had the Torreys over as well. The kids and Brian got me charms for my new fabulous charm bracelet and I loved them & a whole bunch of homemade cards, which are my very favorite kind! But I think my favorite gift was the single rose that Ben gave me. Brian took the kids shopping and one of their stops was the florist. Ben told Brian he wanted to buy me a rose with his own money. Brian tried to talk him out of it since he was already buying flowers and also when they asked how much a single rose would cost ($4--can you believe that?!!!). But Ben was determined, so he bought me a rose for Mother's Day. I still get a little choked up thinking about it and how sweet he was when he gave it to me with my breakfast in bed. I still have it sitting on my bookshelf in my room--and I am not one to hang on to dead flowers. But each time I look at that flower, I see Ben and his beautiful blue eyes with all the expression he has a hard time verbalizing. In that moment, I felt like maybe I was doing alright as a mom and I knew Ben loved me. So...it was a GREAT Mother's Day!

The month has literally flown by. I can hardly believe that Ruby will officially be one month old tomorrow. We have lots to do in the next couple of weeks and I don't get so excited about all of that, but I do get excited to get to UT to see our family and hopefully some friends along the way. We can't wait to go to ID and see the much talked about Island Park and Ben is very excited to actually meet his Gpa Bob. We have some great stops to make along the way and hopefully we can enjoy this long road trip we are about to make!

Jake's concert

2008-05-30T17:20:00.000-06:00

Jake had his spring chorus concert last night. Wouldn't you know that Ruby was great right up until Jake's solo and then she started getting a bit fussy. So my attempt to record Jake's solo is a bit shorter than I intended. He did great though, but is mostly excited he is done with chorus!

Those darn bees!

2008-05-27T12:37:00.000-06:00

Today Kash was stung by a bee. A band-aid and Bob the Builder seemed to fix things. A while later I was changing Ruby's diaper and Kash was helping. I said, "Last job for you, Kash, go throw away the diaper." He looked at me so seriously and said, "I can't, Mom. I am naughty." I asked why he was naughty and just as seriously he responded, "The bee sting made me naughty." I think that darn bee sting is going to get him into a lot of trouble today and be his greatest excuse for a while. I love this little 3-year-old! He puts lots of smiles on the crazed mom's face! I just wish I could come up with the brilliant excuses he does! Even if people didn't believe me, they would let me off the hook for just being so darn clever!

Five Kids--Holy Cow!

2008-05-18T19:51:00.000-06:00

I thought I would take a picture of all the kids today since my camera has been focused on just Ruby the past couple of weeks. After I took the picture and then put it on the computer, I took a look at it and just thought, "HOLY COW! They are all mine!" I felt a bit overwhelmed for a moment, but I just love them all so much! They all love Ruby so much--Sally & Ben cannot kiss her enough--Ben woke her up today with his kisses. Not a happy Jen at that moment. Pamela left today, we were all sad to see her go. She was Kash's entertainment all week and then once the kids got home from school she kept them all busy. We love Pamela! Anyway, we are still surviving!