The ridiculous and sometimes impossible adventures of

CHRISTMAS 2011

2012-01-05T11:19:00.009-07:00

Christmas this year was magical. We did fun scripture activities the 2 weeks leading up to Christmas eve to help the kids understand the reason for the season. We also did a gingerbread house again this year. Ben was too sick to help build it, but I did get some pictures. I constructed the house and the kids decorated it and then ate it as soon as I was done taking pictures. (reminder for next year: the kids don't like gingerbread, so just buy the pre-made stuff or use graham crackers-not the homemade yummy stuff.)
What is it about ribbon candy that I find so appealing? Something about it says "Christmas" to me.

We felt bad Ben didn't get to help with the gingerbread house so we made sweet rolls for FHE.
Christmas Eve was magnificent. We LOVED having the whole Findlay family over for a lunch time bash. It was wonderful to have the space and take our turn hosting. (Though our house WAS a little crowded with so many family members.) It was fun to let the cousins play. The women skipped out and went to John and Misa's to make lotion and lip gloss. That night, we let the kids open their pj's and then the excitement really began when we took pictures. We read the story from Luke and then watched parts of the new church movie. The kids kept asking to watch more. Then they went to bed. They actually fell asleep really fast and all slept through the night. We would have slept well too, but stayed up late to finish projects. One of which was a super cape for Liam with a big L on it. It was worth staying up to finish it.
As I was heading down to take some pre-present pictures, I noticed the manger scene and thought that it was a good indication of things to come...
This was our attempt at reminding the kids to stay downstairs with their stockings until we were ready for them to come up. I think most of them had a good look before we got up though. (Jane did come in at 4 and ask if it was 6 yet.)
release the hounds...
One day during vacation, we took a trip up to the Logan temple and told our kids how important temples are to us. They had a lot of fun getting out and running around outside together.
Following Elder Cook's instruction to "Look UP"
We also really enjoyed going down to Orem while Daddy worked at UVU and we stayed at Grandma's house. We stopped at Grandma Findlay's on the way and Jason and I were able to go to the temple. It was SO peaceful and we got a lot of good pondering done and took the time to slow down a little during the busy holiday. The kids watched lots of movies and played with their old friends at Grandma Tregaskis's house. (Natalie came rushing up the stairs when she learned that "her Elsie" was there. They shared the sweetest little 3-year-old hug ever.) When we got home, we got to have Jake and Leslie and their kids stay with us for a night. WE LOVE COUSINS!
Such sweet girls! I'm so mad I didn't get a picture of our new niece, Agnes. But she was adorable and put up with me wanting cuddles.
The boys spent the morning in their pj's watching movies and playing nintendo. They played outside a lot too, which I was really grateful for.
We also had a great time at the Findlay white elephant party. There was a fun talent show (which my kids barely saw while they ran around) and the yummiest dinner and white elephants, of course. James and Erin had everything set up and even did a photo shoot. I'm hoping to get copies to put on the blog later. As you can see, Jason ended up with the grand prize-a 5 POUND BOX OF CHOCOLATES. This thing is massive. I'm ashamed to say we have put a HUGE dent in it.

End of the Year

2011-12-16T14:40:00.002-07:00

I guess it's that time of year where I report on all of our fabulousness-of which our kids have a lot. of. So here is a rundown on our family:

At the beginning of the year, Jason started working for the UVU aviation department, eventually becoming an instructional designer. He really loves the job. He uses his skills in aviation, education, computer programming, and even a little music. He spends as much time as possible with the kids and I, and we love him for all of his hard work. He is still planning on becoming a pilot, but it's on hold for a few more months. In September, we moved up to Brigham City so Jason could teach his brother's orchestra classes while his brother is on sabbatical working on his doctoral degree. He was recognized in the newspaper for his fabulousness in conducting. During the autumn months he enjoyed mowing the lawn-not-which ONLY took about 2 hours every time. He is currently busy serving as the cub master AND the choir director.

I have been enjoying the craft room since we moved here. I've learned all kinds of tricks of what NOT to do when sewing different projects. They were time consuming but valuable lessons and I've enjoyed learning new things. I've also been watching a lot of youtube videos on how to watercolor. I've found it to be a therapeutic and relaxing thing for me, no matter how ugly my paintings turn out. I have a sudden strong desire to buy expensive brushes. I'm also enjoying-a great surprise to me, I assure you-homeschooling my kids. It's been very liberating to be on my own schedule. Of course, I've also been popping back down to Orem often to try and stay involved in the singing group, Resonaire, that I accompany. They are amazing women who have profoundly impacted my life for the better. I'm loving the small townishness of Brigham City and in many ways I wish we could stay here longer, but I'm excited to move back down to reality again too. We love living in the magic house where the kids play nicely together-most of the time-and we have room to breath. I also love having my sister-in-law living down the street. She has lots of fun and good ideas and it's fun to pop over when I want my feet zoned. ;) That's a lot of "I loves" but that's what my life is filled with right now. Too corny? Oh well.

Ben has been enjoying scouts. He has an ever creative imagination and enjoys being the oldest. He is flying through math and art, but still hates to read on his own. He does like to be read to however, so I think there is still hope for him. He is always happier if he's had time outside and has made several friends on the street. He recently asked me if we could live here forever. Ben also enjoys the trips down to grandparents' houses. He made a sword out of wood with my dad last time we were there. He likes to "construct" things and always has some kind of project going. His favorite thing right now is that he is learning the cello and has been going to school with Daddy to practice with the orchestra. He plays with the 7th graders and we are so proud of him and how fast he is learning.

Lizzy is now 7 going on 27. She likes to help with dinner and cleaning and the baby. She likes to dress up and often constructs outfits out of crazy things. Last night, for example, she used one of Natalie's Sunday dresses to make a skirt. She likes things to be just so and will organize her room every night before getting into bed. She also has a silly giggle that gets everyone laughing. Liz is learning the piano. She is a perfectionist and gets really mad when she can't play each piece absolutely perfect the first time. She's been learning what practicing is. She is always helping Eli with whatever he wants and he seems to recognize that she is the girl to get stuff done if he needs anything.

Janey is still our dreamer. She is also learning the piano but is quite less intense about it than Liz. She loves to draw and asks me if she can paint several times a day. Jane also loves to read. I've been having the kids earn nintendo/tv/computer time by reading. Jane always has extra minutes left over because she always reads more than the other stuff. She loves to feel pretty and spends a lot of time "dressed up". Jane is working hard on her scripture memorization and gave her scripture in primary last month perfectly memorized. She has gained a lot of self-esteem this year and is really growing up. She also likes to cook and help with the little kids.

Liam is our guy. He's been learning how to read and is flying through his lessons. He started medication this month for his ADHD and we've been blessed to really see his personality come through. He has a silly sense of humor and often gets Jason and I laughing during tense moments. He likes to build things, just like his big brother. He often has the construx bucket dumped out in the toy room with some kind of helicopter or tank under construction. He has a tender heart and cares for his brothers and sisters-but he also likes to tease. Liam is really good at making boy noises. Like flying ships and canons being shot from space. His mastocytosis (this word is not even in the dictionary) is bothering him some, be he is so patient. He is a good example to all of us.

Natalie is 3. For sure. She wants to do everything on her own and has lots of ideas. She creates all kinds of disasters and enjoys making them. We have beautiful hand prints on the wall of the craft room which she made by tracing her hands with a permanent marker. She gave herself the best mullet since Richard Dean Anderson, which I had to fix myself. She also has the softest cheeks and biggest brown eyes and is our peanut. She has a silly fake laugh and will use it to make the other kids laugh. She likes to follow Eli around and talk in a high pitched voice and try to hug him and put his shoes on. She also likes to go to the store with me-especially if I let her walk. She likes to play outside on the swings and she knows she's the princess.

Elijah is almost 2 and is enjoying his life as the baby. He is currently obsessed with wearing shoes. He puts them on himself as soon as he wakes up and gets mad when I take them off to change his diaper, put him down for a nap, or bedtime. He loves to sing with the kids and he loves his daddy. His day seems to revolve around Jason's lunch time break when he sits at the table and eats half of Jason's lunch. He also loves his grandmas and papas and likes to talk on the phone with them He'll bring me the phone and say "gak a papa". Eli likes to run and scream and is a typical boy. He is really learning to talk now, and everyday he says something new that I didn't know he could say before. His new phrases this week: "Hey! Put that back." "Hey! Give that to me." "Thank you, Daddy". He is a sweet cuddler and everyone loves having him in our family.

Crazy for Christmas

2011-12-05T21:49:00.006-07:00

..
My favorite part is the white socks with the sandals. Nice. The kid thinks he needs to wear shoes 24/7.

Things are always crazy here nowadays. The kids have lots of energy and excitement so they have been playing freeze tag every day. Even Eli enjoys the sport. The following video is a gem. If you only watch part of it, I think the ending is the best.

We decided that this year it would be fun to get a really tall tree, just because we can. We found a cool looking mountain tree and the kids are having a lot of fun decorating and undecorating it this year. Lige likes to throw the ball ornaments down the stairs. Yesterday, they gathered up all of the balls into a bowl and pretended like it was treasure. They then took turns hiding it around the house and making up clues to the treasure. It seriously kept them busy for HOURS. I love it when they play together while using their imaginations.

We had to document Jason's participation in "No-Shave Novembeard". I actually enjoyed his beard but I was glad to see his face again at the beginning of the month. Does anyone else think he looks EXACTLY like Obi-Wan Kenobi? From the new Star Wars movies? Man, he has a sexy smile.

HALLOWEEN

2011-11-01T19:41:00.003-06:00

Liam made this helmet all by himself with construx. He could spend hours playing with them.

My Soap Box

2011-09-24T21:18:00.004-06:00

What do Presidents JFK, Lincoln, Eisenhower, and Roosevelt have in common? They all had ADHD. Being the parent of not one but multiple children with ADHD is a challenge I'm not sure I'll ever, EVER get on top of. Most days I feel exhausted and like a total failure, but the kicker is I'm SURE it's much more difficult for my children than for me. I have come to realize that half of my feelings of failure come from feeling like my children are expected to BE a certain way, and if they're not, they're bad kids...and it's my fault for not teaching them better.

Here are some important things that I feel people so often forget, or fail to see entirely. Number one: ADHD is a real disease with real effects. Yes, a lot of people were over-diagnosed/medicated in the early 80's and 90's. However, medication and diagnosis have changed a LOT in the last 30 years. (As most medical stuff has.) It is also quite a common disease. Just because it was a fad 3 decades ago doesn't mean it isn't real, and that those diagnosed with it are faking it or hypochondriacs.

Number 2: Don't expect kids with ADHD to act like other kids but expect great things from them. Read that line again if this is a new concept to you. I'm sooooo tired of the PRESSURE my kids are under to act like adults at the age of 5. Why do we do this to them? And it seems like the worse the ADHD symptoms, the more maturity is expected of them. They can't HELP that it's easier to concentrate when they're moving, coloring, wiggling, etc. I keep catching myself responding to the world's pressure to have perfect children and then I put it on my kids. NOT. FAIR. or practical.

Number 3: Just because they get an answer in a different way doesn't mean they are wrong. That is something cool about ADHD kids. They think outside the box. They come up with cool ideas no one else does. They can concentrate on more than one thing at a time. When ADHD is managed, a patient can use the disease to his advantage and create some cool stuff! Take Sir Richard Branson for example. He started a fortune 500 company and invented an underwater airplane. WHAT?! You know that's cool. Paul Orfalea, who started Kinko's says of ADHD that it made him "curious". He started his first business when he was 16. David Needleman, who started Jet Blue said, " with the disorder comes creativity and the ability to think outside the box. " He credits the creation of his company with his ADHD.

Number 4: There are many ways to manage it. None are completely wrong/right. There's medication, changing diet, exercise, herbs, foot zoning, essential oils, behavioral studies, the list goes on. I feel so frustrated trying to research these. Each one spends more time tearing down all the others instead of building up ideas. Creating hope. I have decided to do what works best for EACH CHILD. And that is the best I can do.
My kids usually can't sit still for more than 30 seconds. REALLY. And sometimes I can see how bad they feel about their inability to control themselves. It comes out as sudden shyness, anger, crying, crazy off-the-wall laughter. I can barely juggle my own emotions, I feel bad that I can't EMPATHIZE more with what they deal with on a second to second basis. But I can SYMPATHIZE. And so I will. I am signing off. I choose to not sign up with the world's expectation of how my children should act, be, grow up. I'm going to do what's best for them. I only ask you to try to have patience with them too. I'm sure almost every one knows a child with ADHD. I plead: make a special effort to just expect them to be them. I will end this post with a list of more incredible people who have and deal with ADHD.

Walt Disney-you know how many children this man has influenced? Michael Jordan, Prince Charles, Beethoven, Napoleon, Hitchock-famous enough that all we need is his last name, Einstien, Bill Cosby-he made ADHD brilliant and funny, and Jim Carey, Ty Pennington-who doesn't love a little HGTV?, Michael Phelps, Terry Bradshaw, and Pete Rose.
And lastly, the 3 most important on the list:

My little Brother-the funniest person I know, can diffuse the most tense moments with his humor, keeps the family together, is brilliant in school and going to be an eye doctor, has WAY more energy than humanly possible. I'm convinced he's a super hero. The kids think so too.

My Grandpa. Raised 11 kids, brilliant teacher and student, pioneered in the field of genetics, incredible missionary, and the best BOOMPA EVER. Today also happens to be his birthday.

My husband. Best daddy ever, hard worker, multi-talented; he can wire your house, fly a plane, conduct and orchestra or choir (and pick out the bad notes), play any stringed instrument like nobody's business and lots of others like somebody's business, tune your piano, and hold 40 middle schoolers' attention for 90 minutes. On top of his talents he gives the best hugs, and I still get that quivery feeling in my heart every time he comes home.

This post is dedicated to all you incredible, full of potential people who happen to have ADHD.

New Tricks

2011-09-19T20:41:00.003-06:00

My last post was supposed to include a video of Natalie which I accidentally left out of the post. She has gotten quite adept at keeping herself awake at night. I do a workout video at night and a few days ago we discovered her in the hallway on her back copying me and the video. She also sings...a lot. Maybe even more than Jane did, which is really saying something! Sadly, the camera ran out of memory during her best solo.

Birthdays, Ballet, and House Pics

2011-09-15T21:22:00.010-06:00

Liam's 6th birthday was AWESOME! He had very few requests, which were easy to fulfill. Chocolate cake with chocolate icing and candles that said "Happy Birthday". Check. Presents. Check. Cousins come over for cake and ice cream. Check. He also wanted to go to Pirate Island for dinner but I guess they had a fire so he declared that "BYU Bowling" was what he wanted. I thought it was funny that he specified that it had to be at BYU. Liam is such a smart kid! Doing homeschool with him has taught me that he knows more than I thought he did. He's learning to read VERY quickly, can tell left from right, can almost tie his shoes, sings a lot of songs, can run really fast, is kind and compassionate (when he wants to be), and give the best "I love you mommy" hugs.

The camera is blurry because he's SOOO excited!
NOT Natalie's birthday. He he...
All grown up!
I love this picture of Lige. He knows the good stuff that's coming! Cake!
Kids everywhere! We LOVE IT!
I wore this shirt when I was a kid. It's Natalie's current fave for bedtime.
One pair of pjs for opening presents at the crack of dawn, another for eating cake right before bed. Perfect day!
Master bedroom. To my fellow HGTV fans, yes, I KNOW the marriage certificate on the wall is not the proper scale. Vern would be horrified, but it's not staying there. In fact, it's already been moved.
The room without curtains...

The room with curtains. Now I just have to make a bed sash for the foot of my bed. Blue or Brown? What's your vote?

Never ending back yard...oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh...(Never ending story.....)

"Club house." The kids have used it to play school, rapunzel, spies, everything. It also probably contains half of my dishes. And some stuff from the pantry.

Basketball hoop and box gardens behind. I made homemade spaghetti sauce and fresh salad using the onions, peppers, tomatoes, and carrots. It's also got potatoes, corn, raspeberries, strawberries, peaches, and some other stuff. Does anyone want some jalapenos? I'm not a fan.

Kitchen from the living room. Our table seats 5. We're still looking for a bigger one, until then, card table it is...

Our tiny living room from the kitchen.

Back of house.

Family room office space. The cabinets were built in.

School room/craft room.

Play room. The black stripe is chalkboard paint. I like that the kids had written "dad loves mom" on the wall.

Well, there you have it. The pictures really don't do the house justice. For a real view, you'll have to come visit. To my Idaho family, we make a good pit stop. If I know you're coming, you get cookies....

OH THE THINGS ONE CAN DO

2011-09-08T14:48:00.002-06:00

...in a new house.

I'm writing this in the basement where I can look out my walkout basement door and see my kids playing happily and noisily in the huge back yard. Life here has already been hectic, loud, quiet, and wonderful. We feel like we live in a grand hotel and are playing house. Pictures are coming soon, but the kids broke my good camera so it might be a while. In the meantime here are the things we have done since we've been here in Brigham:

I became a real parent two days ago. All the potty training, discipline, love, comfort, cooking, and cleaning don't make a real parent. It's when you have to say no to a pet that it all becomes real. It was the most adorable fluffy orange tabby kitten and it followed Ben home. Several times. (Lest you think I have a heart made out of stone, let me inform you that Ben's eyes were nearly swollen shut for hours after his "play date" from allergies.)
Soak for hours in our JETTED TUB. I've ALWAYS wanted one. Now I have one. W.O.W.
Drag main and hit Kent's, Shopko, the Dollar Store, and Walmart-which by the way is surprisingly clean and quiet. All I need is a Target and I'm set.
Watch the kids play outside in a half acre of fenced in bliss, complete with a play set, climbing trees, and vegetable/fruit bearing garden. Which leads us to:
Eat fresh veggies that I don't have to plant or water. All I have to do is weed (which I find therapeutic) and hand the kids a bucket to pick them. The kids finished off the peas after only 2 days but we have an abundance of corn, tomatoes, onions, peppers, raspberries, and later pears and apples. The whole garden has a drip system which is on an automatic timer.
Spend lots of time running up and down the street to visit cousins and new friends. We also love having cousins come play at our house. It's weird how we don't feel that there are 10 kids in the house sometimes.
Send all of the kids to the play room to play. The mess in contained. The kids are happy. We have room.
Watch a movie on the big screen tv that's hooked up to the computer. So fun. Jason and I have spent several evenings rediscovering our movies.
Plugging our ears as the many trains go behind our property. I'm very grateful for the fence. Liam thinks he needs to be outside to see every single train.
Waiting for internet/phone service.
Enjoying how the whole of main street gets shut down for days for the peach festival.
No Traffic.
Cooking with my own dishes.
A hundred BAZILLION loads of laundry as I try to wash things that have been in storage for over a year and keep up on our current dirty clothes, bedding, and towels.
Setting up my OWN SEWING ROOM. I'm using it for homeschooling and crafts as well. It has many uses. Basically, everything I do in there, I love to do!

We feel so blessed to be here. It's wonderful to be on our own and working hard to pay down debts. We plan to enjoy every day we spend here in this home!!

PS Does anyone have a love seat, oversized or wingback chair, or deep freezer chest they want to sell or get rid of?

Devil's Kitchen

2011-08-20T19:03:00.006-06:00

One of our favorite activities in the summertime is to take the kids to Devil's Kitchen on the Nebo Loop. It's a very short walk along a (kind of) paved walkway. There are tons of wildflowers and great views.

Blue Chairs

2011-08-20T18:52:00.003-06:00

A few months ago I found a killer deal on KSL. Chairs for $10 each. They needed to reassembled/repaired, reupholstered, and painted. I'm very pleased with the finished product. You really can't beat 8 chairs for $100.

We tortured the kids and made them help with the sanding and priming. Thanks to my mom who did the blue coat while we were off on vacation. She also purchased a stapler that attaches to the compressor which made the seat covering really fast and fun! I LOVE projects.

Gravy

2011-08-10T22:08:00.005-06:00

I figured I'm waaaay behind on this blogging thing so I'd better blog about SOMEthing. Here are some of my happenings/thoughts of late:

About 5 months ago I gave my mom $400 to put away for an upcoming expense we thought we would have. It didn't come, however, and I forgot about the money until this week. The problem was that neither my mom nor I could remember where we hid it. It prompted my mom to clean out her closet and dresser-very thoroughly. She didn't find it, but found lots of other good stuff. After 2 days of praying, she thought to randomly look in a decorative gravy boat that is displayed on a shelf above the kitchen sink. Random. But there it was! Now I remember we laughed about it when we put it in there. Because it's "gravy". Get it? Gravy?

Moving. Yes we are still planning on moving. No, we haven't found a house yet. Amazingly, we feel quite calm about it all. We check listings daily, have contacted a handful of real estate agents, and nothing is moving along. At all. The only one in the works is our favorite and the best deal for the house. However, the homeowners are waiting to hear back about a job and since it's in Hawaii, everything is vague, relaxed, and well....slow. So we're still waiting. The biggest news on this is that we know we're not leaving until September, which has eased some stress but created another kind. I am really sad, though, to be leaving my singing group. It's been so long since I've been able to just relax and "talk shop" with other moms. Overall I'm excited about the move. The kids are only concerned that it have some sort of playhouse or trampoline. Go figure.

I am currently in the throes of designing a new bedroom. I'm going to make a padded head board and have already recovered a cushion for a chair I'm putting in there. I've picked fabric for the curtains and I'm now trying to decide upon the PERFECT comforter/duvet cover. I think I'll go with blue. It's a fun distraction.

I'm also trying to take care of all of our medical appointments before we move. Liam is due for his yearly checkup at Primary Children's. Sometimes, I wonder if it's even worth it. What can they do, really. But I did my customary research and this year, there seem to be some new treatments available that don't include chemotherapy. Liam also failed a hearing test which worried me until we got to the ENT who gave him another test which he passed. He has perfect hearing in BOTH ears...when they're not filled with fluid.

Home school is going well and I am having fun with the kids. It's been an adventure but every day I realize again that this is what Heavenly Father wants for my family right now. Today, I got to bear my testimony about tithing and see that they were ALL listening. On Sunday, my oldest 3 bore strong testimonies about the Holy Ghost. We had spent the last 5 weeks talking about the 4 principles of the gospel. I didn't know that they had absorbed so much of what I had been teaching. It was worth EVERY SECOND of my time and effort.

Dear Grandma

2011-06-26T17:44:00.003-06:00

Dear Grandma,

Thank you for showing me how to be compassionate by never gossiping. It's a skill I am FAR from perfecting but one that I see is worthwhile because of your example. Thank you for your example as a mother. Obviously, with 11 children there were difficult days and heartaches and sorrows. I love the way you were still so involved with and proud of our family. Your cheerfulness and endless energy in support of us was incredible. I hope my energy lasts at least half as long as yours. Thank you for raising my mother. She turned out great! The legacy of talents and faith and service you passed on to her and I hope I will qualify for them to be passed on to me. Thank you for the fun family reunions and for letting us grand kids run freely through your well stocked, kid friendly house. I'm trying to let my kids develop good relationships with their cousins because mine have been such a big influence in my life. Thank you for noticing Grandpa and marrying him and loving him for 68 years. Thanks for keeping covenants so that I can be with both of you in the next life. Thank you, Grandma. I'll miss you until we meet again.

Love,
Michelle

Leaps and Bounds

2011-06-13T20:15:00.004-06:00

It's strange that I've been praying for over a year for "change" and now everything is happening so fast, I hardly know where I am.

I went to see my grandma today. Most people who read this blog know my grandma. Everyone who does know her is better off for it! She's an amazing person. There are over 200 of her living descendents but that's not the most amazing part. The most amazing part is the impact she has had on all of us. We all love being together. Family reunions are looked forward to as one of the best summer activities. I'm trying to remember a specific time when she has shared her testimony. I'm sure she did it often but what has stuck with me is the way she lives. I remember as a child always wanting to be around her. (The problem with this is that so did all my other 40 cousins.) She has a sharp sense of humor. One time, after shopping together all day we made it home where she pulled off her shoes with a sore sigh. She had been experiencing back and foot pain the whole day. When she looked in her shoe, she discovered a large medallion necklace. She walked around the whole day with it in her shoe. She got a really good laugh out of it. And so did I. Grandma, however, is not doing well. It was painful to watch her suffering but I felt so blessed to be able to stand by her and just be with her.

I started home school today. Man. This is going to be hard. I'm really not sure what I expected but it wasn't anything at all like I thought it would be. Ben's journal entry today was 4 reasons why home school is boring. Ah well. Not all of life is supposed to be exciting, right? Right. Or else the exciting would be the mundane. I'm excited about having a schedule during the summer, routine is the best thing in the world for kids with ADHD, but it's a lot of work. The saying my friends keep telling me is "home school is not for wimps." I'm looking at this particular change as a lifestyle change. Signing up for home school signs ME up for:

no coveted time alone during the afternoon while the kids are at school
extra expense
the HUGE weight of making sure that my kids learn ALL that they are supposed to-in EVERY aspect of their lives.
extra alone time with each child
the opportunity to serve them and exercise patience and love
the chance to focus on gospel principals that I feel they are lacking.

Can I do this? I have no IDEA! Is it the right thing for them? ABSOLUTELY!, It's the only reason I'm even attempting it, KNOWING that I'm doing the right thing. Will I do it every year? Who knows? I'm taking each year and each child at a time.

My children have all changed a lot during the last 2 months. I almost feel like I don't even know them. I feel so overwhelmed by each of their individual needs. I feel like I'm failing every day as a mother. Good thing I can start each new day fresh.

The Move. It's a big scary word right now. We need extra income on top of the salary. Where will this come from? Lessons? Tunings? Beats me. Finding a home to rent is proving difficult. I've only seen 2. One was too expensive and the other has been rented. I'm hoping something will work out when we go up later to sign papers. I feel ECSTATIC to be on our own again, restarting our family traditions. I feel sad to leave the ward and Orem. I've always been a home body. I've lived away before but part of me is always here. I feel frustrated that I just made some really good friends and now I'm leaving. Blech. To get through this, I picture SPACE for the kids and a door on my own bedroom! Worth it? Yes!

Lest you think I'm not grateful for my parents: Let me reassure you. I wish I could pack up my dad and his chef skills to take with me. It's really nice not to have to cook every night and still get fed like I'm visiting a 4 star restaurant. It's also really nice to be able to skip out after the kids have fallen asleep and steal some time alone with my husband. My mom has been really supportive in watching kids while I "run to the store" or go visiting teaching. Things that are WAY easier to do without 6 kids than with them. My parents are supportive and incredible. And I'm glad we haven't killed each other.

Change is hard for me, but I'm excited. I hope I make it through the next 6 months. In the mean time, I'll try not to have a nervous break down, develop an ulcer, yell at my kids for random things-and some not so random, and hit my head against the wall. In short, I'll try to have faith that my Father knows what I need and where I should go.

"You are invited to a show after dinner, love, Jane and Lizzy"

2011-05-29T17:40:00.003-06:00

This year I missed the girls' school program so their teacher sent a cd home for them with all of the music on it. Tonight we gathered in the living room and watched their "show". Apparently, Natalie has been practicing with them at night. I was so proud of how well they learned the music and Natalie had me laughing as she watched and copied her sisters. She knew almost half of the music. What great little teachers the twins are! This song is in Chinese. (half of the first graders at the school are in a Chinese immersion program.)

Natalie's New Look

2011-05-12T09:15:00.000-06:00

Natalie working her self-made mullet in her "goggies".

So, Natalie has recently discovered scissors. I try to keep them out of her reach but she is VERY good at finding them. She has cut locks of hair off half a dozen times now. The first time, she gave herself bangs. I'm not a fan of bangs, they have to be constantly trimmed and styled, blah blah blah, but on a little lovey, I think they look cute. The big problem is that she keeps getting to the scissors. I usually catch her as she's taking the first cut, which has minimized the damage. However, the other day I looked over at her with her little rainbow striped shirt that is getting too small to fit over her tummy and it struck me that she looked an awful lot (yes I just used that phrase) like an 80's icon:
What do you think? I think all she's missing is some of those fabulous moon boots...

Hodgepodgey

2011-04-24T13:05:00.004-06:00

Here's a quick update on everyone and little things that I've been thinking about:

Benjamin: While running into school last week, Ben turned to wave goodbye to Jason and ran into a metal "no parking" sign. I'm not very good with guts so Jason picked him up from school and took him to the instacare. 2 staples and a few hours later, they came home. Ben proudly showed me his staples and like a dummy, I looked-and nearly lost my breakfast. He was pretty excited to go back to school and show off to his class. He has been doing really well in school and I think we've FINALLY gotten his medication balanced. He loves scouts and playing outside. He has a giant stick collection that my mom and I keep "thinning," but I think he's adding to it faster than we thin. He had his first pinewood derby last week. The whole family was pretty excited. Ben's car was really cool looking and he won an award for the "Most Original" car. He was pretty excited. (which was good because his car lost all but 2 races.)

Thought: I am so grateful for the kind kids that live around us. The neighbors around us too. They praised Ben and helped him stay involved even though his car didn't do well. I'm also grateful for a husband who let Ben make all the decisions about his car and just helped him accomplish his plans. Ben learned a lot about what to do differently next time.

Elizabeth: She is getting pretty silly. She informed me the other day that her best friend is named Hector. He is her best friend because they take turns bringing change to school so they can buy beef jerky from the school store during lunch break. Every morning Lizzy takes more time getting her jewelry and hair just right than a junior high teenager. She loves watching things like "Say Yes to the Dress" (which has created some really good teaching moments for topics like modesty) and cooking shows with Grandma and Grandpa. She always tries to be neat and tidy and helps me with Eli.

Jane: The girl is getting some major opinions. Which is good. I think this year she has really developed her own sense of self. We're having trouble with her mood swings, though, and I have felt it necessary to have her checked out for depression. (Pray for me and her.) She likes to wrestle with Eli and take him and Natalie for walks in the stroller. Jane and Lizzy brought home their report cards and scored above average on EVERYTHING. They both love to sit and read. Sometimes Jane likes to read instead of having quiet movie time which I will never complain about.

Liam: This kid is CRAZY! He literally hits the floor running every morning. Lately, he's taken to running up to Jason or I, throwing his arms around me, and saying, "I really love you, Mommy." What could be nicer than that? He is still learning to read via homeschool and we both love our time alone together. (Except lately he's been telling me that he wants to do more school but no more reading.) He likes to write letters to his friends and is starting to sound spell on his own. He is a smart guy and learns quickly, when I can get him to sit still.

Natalie: Guh-nat is the princess. She is in charge of every one she has wrapped around her finger and she knows it. She is also a disaster. I can't count the number of things she has broken, damaged, drawn on, or eaten since we've moved in here. She's starting to speak more clearly and loves, loves, LOVES, to sing. She has learned a lot of great songs and my favorite is when she sings "Smiles." She makes the cutest adorable face that she made in this post when she sings it. "If you chance to meet a frown..." I've even seen her work up a tear.

Elijah: Is learning to talk. He loves "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," and has a little stuffed Mickey that he borrowed from Liam. He dances it around and says "hot dog hot dog". He has a silly giggle and his favorite things are still batteries (he figured out how to break my watch back off to get to the batteries inside), playing outside, balls, and Mickey Mouse. He likes to spin in a circle and make himself dizzy. And then he falls over laughing. He SCREAMS when he is hungry but mostly is a nice boy.

Jason: Just got a new job! It's part time but it's doing something he really enjoys and uses a lot of his many talents. He is such a patient, wonderful husband and daddy. We're always glad when he gets home, things always feel better when he's around. He is waiting for a flight instructor to becomes available so that he can finally (fingers crossed, prayers prayed) finish his commercial pilot's license. His office has a big window where he can watch planes land and take off. He also just started the Orem Chamber Orchestra (which meets on Wednesdays from 7-9 pm in the media room at the Orem Library-come audition). He's currently serving in the ward as the choir director and ward music chair. People are constantly coming up to me and complimenting Jason on how well they like choir, how much they've learned, or how good the choir sounds.

Me: I've been having a lot of fun with the singing group I'm accompanying for. I'm also really enjoying proving to myself that I can be and still am the mother. I've been trying to do something "domestic" ;) every day while Jason is gone. It's difficult to be the mom when you're living in your childhood home and your husband and mother are home to help lift so many burdens. I've enjoyed the extra responsibilities being added back to me. I also just got involved in a colloquium that starts meeting next month. I'll take any excuse to read and sit around discussing said reading with a bunch of other women! What fun!

In other news, conference this month was incredible for me. I didn't get to hear very much but Jason and I have started listening to one talk every night before bed together. It's been nice to share them in the QUIET evenings. I've had a lot of insights, help, and answers to prayer come from this exercise. I'm so grateful for my knowledge of the Savior and his birth, atonement, and resurrection. What a blessing to know of Him and have special witnesses of Him to guide me in raising my family!

Saturday

2011-04-19T09:33:00.005-06:00

Saturday we were so excited to take advantage of the beautiful weather and took one of our Saturday trips. This time, we took the kids out by nutty putty caves and let them climb the sandstone formations. Even Eli enjoyed climbing all over. We ate, climbed, found lizards, saw beautiful country, and generally enjoyed ourselves. The kids covered themselves in sand, strawberry juice, and wildberry cream cheese. It was a great day.

I got out of the shower today and this is how I discovered Eli. He was really proud of himself.

A Few Random Ideas

2011-03-07T21:15:00.002-07:00

First of all, I suffered the dreaded but yet necessary yearly trip to the ol OBGYN. I really like my doctor, in fact, I wish I would have discovered him years ago. He remembers who I am and relevant bits of information. He remembered my husband's name and things about me a year later. (Even if he only remembered because he wrote notes down in my chart, I'm impressed because he took time to write the notes down in the first place. ) Anyhoodle, while in the waiting room, I had a revelation. BING! I am so DONE! I sat there looking at the mountain of magazines on the table next to me and realized, not only was I apathetic to reading one (they were all parenting or baby magazines) but I really would rather sit in SILENCE and watch the boring and depressing news on the tv than ponder about what those incredible first few weeks of life. Or which stroller will I get (no reference to you, Amy, I'm excited for YOUR stroller. I just don't need my own!) I like the idea of buying ridiculous amounts of adorable clothes for my nieces and nephews. I like knowing that my kids are all moving on to new stages. At first, this idea saddened me but now I'm excited and embracing it! There is a light at the end of the tunnel. SOMEDAY, I WILL sleep through the night again. We WILL go to Disneyland when the youngest is 5ish. Camping as a family is no longer impossible. Getting kids in and out of the car WILL become easy. At some point, I WILL be able to say, "Go to bed," and my children will be capable, if not entirely obedient, of doing so! My children will one day, and this is a big one, be able to BABYSIT THEMSELVES!! I even type the words with relish! HAAAAAAAA! Free babysitting and a date every week?!! It's not only possible but highly probable!!!

I suddenly realized the other day that General Conference is only a month away. I'm so excited! I love conference time. I have so many good memories of spending time at the cabin, working in the yard, lazing on the couch, crocheting, etc while listening to prophets. I love spending time with my family this way. Last conference the kids sat quite well through all of Sunday and we enjoyed the day. BRING ON THE PUZZLES AND THE HOAGIE SANDWICHES!

Electric blankets: I Love Them.

I'm finally making a quilt for Eli. My mom made him a beautiful one with a cowboy theme. I like to make them too and since all of my other kids have a baby blanket that I made, I thought I'd better make him one too. I decided to keep with the cowboy theme and found some adorable fabric. I love fabric. I think I might possibly like to shop for it even more than shoes. I would probably spend more money on it than shoes as well. A girl only needs so many pink shoes, but pink fabric?! You can NEVER have too much pink, purple, or any color of fabric.

The Ladies and I are performing at the SEVILLE (swank, right?) this month. We need groupies. Anyone interested?

To encourage feedback, I'm going to ask a question at the end of posts. Today's general inquiry is what is your favorite conference memory?

A Grocery List of "Essentials" - author unknown

2011-02-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

To my delight I discovered another little note this morning. I would have scanned it but it is on a small notepad paper of approximately 3 inches by 4 inches. However, it's content I feel is worthy of internet recognition. Hence I have transcribed the note as you see here. (Please note that no spelling has been altered.)

cack
bred
appl's
allmins
4 Luchubl's
Par's
Bagl'se

It is also worthy to note that next to the "Bagl'se" item on the list is a small circular drawing with little black dots on it that is unmistakably - a bagl. I knew you'd all be as pleased as I when you read this list. Please don't hesitate to spread the joy and laughter that has undoubtedly filled you very existence upon reading such a fine display of childhood's most esteemed grocery items.

HOT DATE

2011-02-08T11:12:00.002-07:00

My recent conversation with Liam:

L: Mom, did you know I have a girlfriend?

You have a what?

L: A girl friend. And she has magical powers.

Oh. Ummm...what's her name?

L: Uh-I don't know. I can't remember.

Oh. Where does she live?

L: WEllllll...you go across the street and then turn and then turn and turn again.

Where did you meet her?

L: Well, sometimes she comes in my room and sometimes we just play outside.

Okay, what do you do together?

L: We just show each other our Christmas presents and just talk.

Wow.

L: Can I call her now?

So what do you all think? Should I let my 5 year old call his imaginary girlfriend or should I make him wait until he is 16 to call his imaginary girlfriend?

I'm IN, I'm IN!!

2011-02-03T17:57:00.002-07:00

I have to do a short-and probably sappy- post on the music group I've gotten involved with. It's a sextet (currently, though we're looking for a strong ALTO,) of women- and I am lucky enough to be the accompanist. We meet after kids are in bed so we have all the time in the world. These women are A MAZE ING! Every single one of them is unique and incredibly strong, spiritually and physically! Every week, I find myself in geek mode around them. I say stupid things that I think about later, blushing of course. I feel like the most nerdy girl in the high school that somehow, inexplicably, got accepted into the popular crowd. But I've learned so much from their testimonies and life experiences. I've really enjoyed getting to know them and I hope we'll keep meeting for a long time.

Birthday and Cakes

2011-01-24T13:53:00.000-07:00

Eli turned one this week! I cannot believe how fast this year went by! He's such a funny kid. He likes to tease me and make me chase him. He giggles with the kids and loves to sit in our family prayer circle at night. He is always challenging Ben to lightsaber fights and loves to wrestle with Liam and Natalie. He can say mama, da, uh-oh, thanks, and hello. He's a smart little guy.

We let the kids vote and they picked to go to Pirate Island to celebrate his birthday. We had a blast together! The kids got a lot of tickets, which they combined so they could have a lot more tickets. They ate, they giggled, they left without anyone creating a scene or getting lost. Eli sat in his high chair and grinned and giggled at everyone around him.

Afterward, we headed home for cake and ice cream. Before we knew it, it was bedtime.

Elijah's birthday was a whirlwind, he chose to only wait an hour and 45 minutes from the time labor started to making his grand entrance. He immediately stretched out as much as he could and went to sleep. He still loves to be free and able to move about and stretch. He's learning to go to sleep on his own and loves to eat! We're so grateful for him in our family.

The other day, Jason and I watched the movie about Julia Child. That combined with a recent viewing of "No Reservations," my mom's new cookbook that arrived in the mail the other day ("Martha Stewart's), and a secret addiction to "Cake Boss," I suddenly felt like making something a little complicated...and blogging about it. Of course, it turned out nothing like the picture in the book, but my-oh-my it was a scrumptious piece of confectionery goodness. It would have to be with 3 cubes of real butter and LOTS of chocolate to soothe the senses. This is all that was left:

It was supposed to be a devil's food cake with whipped ganache (don't you love that word) filling and a mint chocolate ganache icing. Well. I was in too much of a hurry to wait for the whipped filling, so I just used whipped cream and the icing was very runny, but very satisfying. Altogether, I'd say that it was worth all the calories, fat, and HUGE mess. (seriously, it was a big mess, there were even chocolate paw prints on the floor.)

Let's all say ganache. Ganache. Ganache. Ga-yummy!

A Christmas Gem

2011-01-13T10:00:00.005-07:00

Jason found this little note by Liz the other day and I had to share it.
It says "Dear Jane, mom says that we get cole just cole in our stockings for christmas lets try to be good so that we wont get cole just cole for christmas love lizzy.

PS I never said she was going to get "cole" or "coal" in her stocking.

I live at the Pediatrician's Office

2011-01-11T15:44:00.002-07:00

In October, I took Ben in to the pediatrician for a well check and cheekily told the doctor that I hoped I wouldn't see him for the rest of the year. Ha ha. The next week, Liam broke his collar bone. Then commenced what will be called the winter of the ear infections for Natalie and Eli. This consisted of about 5 visits to the doctor, 3 antibiotics, and 3 shots. Nice. Back to the Doctor in January for an ADHD evaluation for Jane, ear check (AGAIN) for the babies, and a well check for Eli. Jane tested positive for ADD (what a shock!) so she gets to go back in 4 weeks to check on her meds. Fun. I'm guessing at this point that Eli will get tubes in his ear sometime this year. Well, I live at the office, so it's no strain on me!

Speaking of ADD, when I picked Jane up, the principal helped me check her out. He asked her if she got to go get a special lunch after he appointment. Jane used her ADD hyperfocus ability and kept reminding me about taking her to Wendy's. Let me just interject here and say that she hates Wendy's. She doesn't like hamburgers, fries, chicken nuggets, or cheeseburgers. I reminded her of this on the way home. I told her she could pick from the above mentioned items or go home for lunch. I told her that under no circumstances was I going to buy ice cream while it was 3 degrees outside. She picked peanut butter sandwiches at home.
In fact, once I picked her up, she didn't stop talking the ENTIRE TIME, until after trying several times to get her attention, she finally heard me say "Please don't talk to me while I'm talking to the doctor." (He was laughing). At one point, this was what she was saying:
"Hey Mom! Look! There's a alien on that moon. (The doctor had space themed paintings on the wall.) Huh. That's funny. Hey! That's it! The man in the moon is an ALIEN! Because, people can't go in the moon they can only go on the moon. But aliens can go in it because they live there. Oooh. I get it. Huh. I've never met the man on the moon..." and on and on. She cracks me up still.

I love being a mom.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-04T15:50:00.006-07:00

I love winter. I love snow. From Thanksgiving to New Year's Day I think it should snow and we should sled, build snowmen, and ice skate. But about this time I start dreaming of beaches and sunshine. I've decided that I really would like to go to the gulf of Mexico in Texas this summer. Warmer water, fewer crowds. In fact, I'm pretty much ready to take any trip, anywhere. TODAY!

We had an awesome Christmas. I don't think I've had such a relaxing Christmas since we had kids. I had a weird reaction to a decongestant so I slept for half the day, off and on, interspersed with puzzles, movies, and playtime with the kids. We ate well and had a great time together.

Christmas Eve we tried a nativity and it was hilarious! Richard read the narrator part and we had David and Alyson join in as shepherds. Jane and Lizzy were the angels and Abi was Mary. The boys filled in as kings while the babies ran around as various animals or shepherds or whatever we could get them to wear. The entire program lasted about 4 minutes.

The boys were excited to have Dave have a sleep-over with them. I think Ben was more excited about that than Santa coming. Ben got up at about 3 o'clock in the morning and showered so he would be ready to go upstairs as soon as family prayer was done.

It was fun watching Natalie figure stuff out on Christmas morning, she kept watching the other kids open their presents and then spent time trying to play with the others new toys. She did finally figure it out but I think I opened most of her presents for her. Elijah just crawled around and played happily with the wrapping paper.

Over all, we felt very blessed and experienced as often as we could the spirit of Christmas and the peace our Savior's life has given to us all.

You Know the Drill

2010-12-18T11:44:00.005-07:00

Eli was a naughty baby who does dastardly deeds for Halloween.

It's been such a long while since I have posted. Everything is it's usual crazy stuff around here. Here are a few quick highlights:

Eli started walking the day he turned 10 months old. He toddles- I should say shuffles- around on his tiny little feet like an old man. Already he has mastered turning and has done away with the pivot turn. He keeps trying to run to keep up with his siblings. The kid is crazy. He LOVES telephones and throws a royal fit if he can see one and no one will give it to him. Natalie loves to find him and hug him. Today they were both snuggling on my chest holding hands.
We've survived the recent flu/cold bout. It has been AWFUL! The twins missed almost an entire week of school. They were sad it was the pre-Christmas week with all the fun activities. I knew they were sick when they took naps voluntarily (where actual sleeping and not just resting were involved) for 3 days in a row.
Jason was laid off the week before Thanksgiving. We're very grateful that I felt a push to get the shopping done really early this year and had Christmas pretty much bought and paid for before it happened. He's been working hard applying for jobs, serving, working on skills, and doing any odd jobs on the side he can find. I'm so grateful for his hard work!
I missed a birthday post for Ben. He's grown up so much this year! He keeps getting tall so fast that his body can't seem to get sufficiently wide enough. He keeps getting skinnier and skinnier! He spends every second he can either drawing or playing outside and has become quite the artist. He loves scouts and we've signed him up to play basketball through the rec center starting in January. He is SO EXCITED! Eli and Natalie are always waiting for their turn to sit with him and Liam follows him around as much as possible-to Ben's great annoyance. The big news is that Ben has found love at last! He has a girlfriend named Ellie. We first discovered this when he wrote "Ben loves Ellie" in the snow with a stick. Later, we found he had written "Ben loves Ellie forever" on the bottom of Liam's mattress. Sounds like things are getting serious. I asked him what it means to have a girlfriend in 3rd grade. (Since they don't play together at recess.) He said he didn't know.
I got released from my primary calling and find myself adrift in the ward. The bishop said I'm on his radar but for now, I'm freeloading. Ha ha! I loved serving as the secretary and getting to know those kids, even though my time in there was brief. The women I worked with are amazing.
I've started accompanying a singing group of women. It has been a BLAST. We meet after the kids are in bed on Sunday evenings. I feel spoiled to be included into what I would consider the popular group. These women are courageous and have incredible talents and testimonies. I've learned so much from them.
We took our condo off the market and Kristen and Ron moved in at the beginning of November. The plan is to rent it out for a while and then try to sell it later when we have the energy to try again.
We are going through some major challenges but are so grateful for the gospel and all of the things we've learned during this trial! We have really come to value being with our children and each other. We're so grateful for the life of our Saviour, who has given us the chance to be together forever. We love Him and are grateful for His help and blessings! Merry Christmas to all of you!

Liam's sillies

2010-10-24T20:19:00.002-06:00

Here are some of Liam's recent sillinesses:

Hey mom, watch this: Hello cumorah! (He meant Alohamora from "Harry Potter").

Dad, I've got good news and I've got bad news. The good news is that me and Jane and Lizzy didn't steal any brownies. The bad news is Ben did.

Mom, my tummy is ALWAYS empty, except when I eat brownies. Then it's full.

Family Pictures

2010-10-03T19:27:00.012-06:00

We went and did our family pictures on Sunday after the last session of general conference. Luckily, the weather and light held just long enough for us to quickly (it took about 15 minutes total) take some shots. Thanks, Kristen, for helping with the hair!

The 3 Ring Circus

2010-09-29T12:53:00.003-06:00

Everyone enjoys a night under the big top, right? Unless the big top is located in your bedroom and the amazingly weird sights and sounds happen all night long! My bed was the center ring. The bathroom and family room made good side rings and the kids bedrooms were staging areas.

It starts at 10 pm. No wait. Let's back up. Eli has slept through the night exactly twice in the last 4 months. Trying to take advantage and sleep while he is, we've been trying to go to bed "early". 10 is the best we seem to be able to do. We read scriptures, pray, talk, plan for the next day, and lights out at 10:30. At 10:30 and 5 seconds, Jason is asleep. Dork. (Not to say he's not helpful, he just has a talent to be able to fall asleep as soon as he wants to while I lack the ability to sleep...ever.) 10:31: thinking about Eli. Is he still breathing? He was coughing 2 seconds ago. Is he still alive!? Panic! Better check on him. Oh. He's cold. More blankets. NOW I can sleep.......10:35: Oh crud! I forgot to call and cancel the car insurance again! I've been paying that stupid payment for 2 months now on a car I no longer own. psbth.....I tell myself to stop thinking and go to sleep. 10:36 Oh! What about the laundry? Did I move it over? I can't remember? Oh wait! I did. Okay. There's nothing like wasting water and power rewashing loads over and over. 10:37: Was that Eli? It's Liam. 10:39: Liam comes crying out of his room itching and needing to pee. Wake up Jas. (It's his special job.) Liam has to be guided to the bathroom when he wakes up at night. Why? Don't ask me. 10:40: Jason puts Liam back in bed. 10:40 and 4 seconds: Jason is asleep. My mind wanders for the next 20 minutes. Wouldn't it be cool to go to Scotland? I'd like to go to Ephraim this weekend. Does the car need gas? I wonder if the gas payment has gone through yet? Stop IT! Count sheep. Yeah. 1. 2. 3. 4...Did I forget to make follow up appointments at the dentist? Shoot! I'll have to call tomorrow...COUNT...1. 2. 3. 4. , Etc. I start to drift off around 11. When...BAM! Something hits the window. A mouse falling into the window well? A rock slipped. What WAS that? I don't know. Not creeped out, but very distracted and curious. My mind wanders more. Drifting off at 11:15. Eli wakes up at 11:15 and 4 seconds. Feed Eli. Put him back in bed. Now the circus REALLY begins. He thinks it's time to play. Or burp. It's hard to tell when you're that out of it. Rock. Lay down. Get up. Sing. Kiss. Change diaper. Rock. Rock. Rock. The boy is asleep...in my bed. DANG IT! Just getting up to put him back, Natalie wakes up. Jason goes to take care of her. Her crying woke up Eli. Jason brings Natalie back to bed and we wrestle with 2 babies for a while. Hours or minutes later, Natalie is asleep on the couch, Eli is asleep in his car seat, Jason is asleep, Liam wakes up. Put Liam on the other couch. Kiss and love him. 3 a.m. Listen to 6 people coughing for 20 minutes. Start to fall asleep. Eli wakes up. Rock. Rock. Rock. Eli is asleep at 3:30 something. Sleep.....BAM, or rather loud talking. Ben is talking in his sleep again. Unintelligible something about school and Jane. Eli is stirring. NOOOOO!! Rock. Rock. Rock....Sleep-after my mind wanders for a while. About 4:30 am. 2 HOURS OF GLORIOUS SLEEP! 6:30, Jason leaves, Natalie wakes up and wants lovies, Eli wakes up and wants to eat. I turn on "Bouse", feed Eli, and drift back off to sleep. BAM! Eli head butts me on my cheekbone, looks at me, falls back asleep, and I get up for the day.

I still love being a mother.

Birthdays and update

2010-09-17T09:24:00.009-06:00

I can't believe my kid the guy is 5! Liam is a silly kid. He likes to tell jokes and play silly games. One of his favorite things is eating. He LOVES grilled cheese sandwiches and would eat them for every meal if we let him. In fact, I over heard him telling Jane this gem the other day:
"When I was a baby, I loved cheese sandwiches and boobs."
He says hilarious stuff all the time. If I'm listening, I get lots of good laughs during the day. Liam does not like having his hair washed or taking naps. But, he LOVES taking baths and sometimes will stay in for about an hour by himself.
I think Liam had a pretty good birthday. He spends most of his days playing trains with his friend Thomas, so we fixed all of the GeoTrax (they had once been taken swimming), put batteries in everything and got some new additions to the GeoTrax airport for him. He spent all morning in the basement setting things up and trying them out.
He then got to take his friend Thomas miniature golfing and eat lunch at "The Pirate restaurant." He rounded the day off going shopping for presents from his grandmas. What a fun day!!

Natalie is still a monster but now she's 2 and we can blame it on her age! She likes to follow her older siblings around and mimic what they are doing. She sings lots of primary songs and LOVES, LOVES, LOVES nursery. She is potty training herself. (I earned it.) She loves to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (which she calls "Bouse") and Little Eisteins. She shouts "MOMMY!" and hands me the remote, says "Bouse," and gets what she wants. She's a good little sleeper and cuddler when she wants to be. Her favorite thing to do is get into new stuff and make a mess with it. She still loves makeup and lotion. In fact, the other day she painted the carpet on the stairs with lotion. Nice. She picks her own clothes out in the morning. I love to listen to her sweet voice singing "Twinkle, Twinkle" and watching her grin spread across her face when she's done something that she's proud of. (I love this picture, they're all watching the cake.)

Other happenings:
"Lige" is crawling all over and putting anything he can get his little grabby hands on into his mouth. He likes to wrestle and is keeping me up all night long most nights. We're tired but he's so sweet during the day, I forget to be mad at him. He is at the age where he gets bonks on his head as he tries to stand on his own, crawl under things that are too low, and walk along furniture.
The older kids love their school. I like that they walk home. My mom has been driving them to school in the morning so I went from 5 carpools/day last year to pretty much no carpools this year. Ben's teacher came to visit us last week and Ben proudly played her some songs on the piano and violin and then showed her the garden where she took his picture. I think it was one of the highlights of his life. Billy Bob and Janey are busy setting up their social agendas and learning how to do math and spelling. I'm going to miss their little notes spelled with the "sound spelling" technique. The other day, I found they had written notes to each other in sidewalk chalk: "Janey, you have chok on your fase." "I love Lizzy" (backward z's.) They are silly.

As a family, we have been memorizing "The Living Christ". I've been surprised at how quickly the kids, even Liam, are doing it. I seem to be the one slowing us up in that department. I have loved watching their testimonies and love for the Savior grow as we've talked about the meaning of what each line means. When they argue in the car, it has become my habit to start quoting and by the time I get to the last line, they are saying it along with me and the argument has ended. (Usually. ;)

Our condo has had some "maybe" offers. Meaning that people want it, but they're going REALLY SLOW or not sure if they can get financed. Hopefully, by the end of October it will be gone. Pray pray pray pray pray....infinity.

Camping Trip

2010-08-06T14:48:00.007-06:00

Natalie is very independent

Our quaint campsite

We successfully went camping with all 6 kids. Whew! It was a lot of work, I think at one point I was begging Jason to go home with my mind, but so worth it!! For those of you who like a quick list as much as I do, here are some major events:

Natalie discovered s'mores and introduced them to my clothes.
Eli tried real solids for the first time, peach flavored rice puffs. I ate half the can on the way home.
Jas successfully lit the fire with only 2 matches.
We made our own hot dog roasting sticks.
Natalie hiked almost the whole way to the "Grotto" herself, and then I had to drag her away, kicking and screaming. She loves water.
Ben shared everything he learned in scouts so far with us.
The kids found Waldo about 507 times.
We drove the whole Nebo loop and got some amazing pictures!
Stargazing at night, just me and Jas.
Our camping spot fronted a giant open field where the kids discovered animals, room to run, and-Ben swears- a skeleton that came to life and tried to chase him!

We left Friday morning and stopped on the way up to hike to the grotto. Natalie kept trying to get out of my arms and down to the trail. During the last half, she was determined to get down into the water. She probably would have jumped and cheered when I took her shoes off if she knew how.

It took us a while to find a campsite. We didn't want to be to close to other people. In the end, we found a spot with onsite water that fronted a giant empty field that gave the kids a lot of entertainment and the campfire a lot of nice dry wood. We roasted hot dogs for dinner and s'mores for dessert. And then, as soon as the tent was cool enough the kids were excited to get in the tent and read together. We all took turns reading Harry Potter out loud and then hit the sack.

It took Natalie about 2 1/2 hours to fall asleep and Jason and I forgot to get mattresses for ourselves but it was still the best night's sleep I've had in about a month. We were kept awake for a while by a BYU ward and an eager Elder doing PPI's while walking around our tent. He returned later with a girl to flirt with. Finally, around 1 a.m. I had Jason ask them to talk somewhere else. He was surprised to find our tent sitting a few yards from him. ??? One line Jason heard from the couple was: "Hey, I know, let's talk about something deep....your bone marrow! Yeah, tell me about your bone marrow!" I am soooo glad I'm not single anymore.

The next day we packed up and drove the rest of the nebo loop, stopping on the way to test our 4-wheel drive, take pictures, and visit Devil's Kitchen. We're so glad we did it! Next year, we hope we can go for more than one night.

The Latest

2010-06-27T15:58:00.005-06:00

We try to go somewhere as a family every Saturday during the summer. This week's trip was temple square. We had a really good time and the kids wanted to do everything. We'll have to go back again to get to the stuff we missed. The observation deck on the church office building was open so we rode to the top. Thank goodness none of the kids had ear infections! Mine were ringing from the rapid elevator ride but the kids just said they felt like they were flying.

Highs and lows

2010-06-20T15:38:00.003-06:00

I was at a low point once. It was back to school time, Walmart, Saturday. I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to take 4 kids to Walmart on a hot summer day, late in the afternoon. (I don't think we even had naps that day.) Maybe I thought since I was buying the kids backpacks, it would buy their love, devotion, and good behavior for the afternoon. Maybe it was driving me nuts to be stuck inside with not enough distractions to help the twins contain, at least in a very small way, their excitement about the upcoming debut into kindergarten. Not that I really wanted them to keep it in, just that I had to help them be patient until the first day of school actually began. You can only answer the question "How many more days?" so often before you go crazy.

Anyway, after many firm, yet loving reminders to stop whining, screaming, crying, etc. with threats of "Do you want me to put all of the backpacks back?" and "You'll have a nap when we get home" something snapped. I remember being conscious of that fact that I was at a low point. I tried to pry the offending child out of the cart when she employed the use of the oh-so-effective "rubber legs". I had meant to just get her out and put someone else in, but by the time I had wrestled her from the cart, I was gone and monster mom had replaced me. The lady in the aisle with me kept glaring at me. Well! I raised my hand and SPANKED MY CHILD IN WALMART!! That wiped the glare off the nosy lady's face...unfortunately she replaced it with a judgmental "what-kind-of-parent-are-you?" face. I glared right back at her and challenged her to call social services on me.

I write this experience because last night we savored a high. We went to the ward swimming party at the Scera. As I watched my little (and I mean little as in age) family play and laugh together all I could think about was how blessed I really am. I wished I could have gotten a picture of Jane and Lizzy holding tight to Jason while they stood under buckets of water that would fill and suddenly pour gallons of water on them. Or Ben begging to go swim in the deeper part-he normally won't go into the water very far or ever put his head under the water. Liam was calm and happy for the first time in a while, I think the cold water soothed him. I wish I could have captured Natalie's smile after she slid down the slide into the shallow water. She was wearing one of those suits that had inserts of floaties in it. She looked like a round little.... something adorable!!

Thanks Mom and Dad for taking Eli so we could spend a great night bonding with the other kids. We had a blast!!

Na na na na Life Goes On

2010-06-16T21:46:00.009-06:00

Things have been pretty crazy since my last post. Well, actually, I think things have been a lot crazy since the twins came! I think the biggest thing we've learned in the last year is that life continues to move forward, whether we like it or not. Here's an update on the fam:Lizzy and Jane turned 6! They are pretty sure they are very grown up. They've lost several baby teeth and their new GIANT front teeth are movin' in. They were upset when school ended but have thrown all of their energy into taking full advantage of summer and new friends in a new neighborhood. Jane asked me yesterday if she could go around the neighborhood and make some new friends. (I had to explain to her that I have to be with her when she does this as the last time we went to the park, she went up to some strange grown-ups, "made them her friends," and proceeded to teach them all how to play a new game she had invented.) Liz is catching up on her reading and spends a lot of time running around playing mommy.Liam is really growing up. He often surprises me with his funny sense of humor. All the kids like to tell jokes. He seems to always be looking for a reason to laugh. He graduated from preschool and we all survived the program-but just barely. He got to say his line first ("America, America, it's for me, the land of the brave and the home of the free."-still gets stuck in my head.) After that, I had to stand next to the "stage" and keep him quiet for the rest of the program. His flag became a sword, his tambourine a hat, and so forth. The little girl next to him enjoyed playing with him. He informed me later that she was his girlfriend. Hmmm....
Ben has been enjoying the freedom that summer brings. I've had to take his bike away for a few days because he kept getting on it and just riding where ever he felt like going! He's really enjoying having so many grown-ups around to take him places. He's been trying all sorts of grown up things, particularly board games. He has now been initiated into the world of "Settlers".The babies are doing well. Though they are both growing up WAY TOO FAST! I wish I could pause them and enjoy each moment (except at night-sleep would be nice. I would like to have coherent thoughts during the day). Natalie is really starting to learn some new words. Her cute little voice always saves her from scoldings. She'll do something naughty, like maul grandma's fern, pull dirt out of the living room pot onto the newly shampooed carpet, or play in the toilet, and then look up at me with her big brown eyes, rosy cheeks, and curly strawberry hair. HOW CAN I GET MAD AT THAT?! Eli is learning everything about everything. He has grabby little fists now that put everything into his mouth. He likes to scream. I don't mean cry, I mean his babbles are screams. We went to the Hill Aerospace museum and he discovered that his voice echoed in the airplane hangers really well! He's a good sleeper and eater and has discovered the joys of solid food. What a nice boy!!

We've been following our summer tradition of going somewhere as a family every Saturday and have had some really fun outings. Sometimes I feel like it's the only time of the week when we all get along. I guess that's how it is in a big family, someone's always upset about something, but then there's always someone to cheer that person up!

We feel really blessed to be together and look forward to better circumstances. In the meantime, it's sure nice to have Grandma and Grandpa so close by. They kids love the extra attention and I love sharing kitchen and house hold projects with my mom! It's a spoiled woman who doesn't have to cook every night or do laundry every day!

Expert Eyes

2010-05-12T21:01:00.004-06:00

Tonight I learned a little lesson on how to really apply makeup. Carmindy, eat your heart out:

I think maybe she forgot that she has beautiful flawless skin, long eyelashes, and a subtle rouge to her cheeks already. I may be wrong, but I think this is THE BEST toddler in the makeup picture I have ever seen. Got a better one? Email it! I think maybe Mae West could take lessons from her as well. I thought it was a nice touch that she used my waterproof mascara and we had to use makeup wipes to get it off.

Eli surprised me with some real giggles tonight while playing with my mom. I caught the end of it on camera. As soon as he saw me he went serious. That's how he is when it's time to eat. What a loveit! He's growing to fast for me to keep up with him!

Northridge Tea Party and Other Happenings

2010-05-01T17:21:00.004-06:00

The kids' school does a mother/daughter and daddy/son party every year. This year, we had a tea party in which "Miss Manners" came to give instructions on manners. We had lots of little things to eat and 'tea' made out of jello pudding mix. The girls had a great time, especially since Aunt Kristen came. (Me too. It's fun to have a sister to joke around with and be silly again.) (Scroll all the way down for the whole post.)

Also, we've been meaning to get pictures of Eli smiling for a while now. Isn't he handsome? He's wearing what we have come to call his brown sack. (It's the baby snuggie, Carly.) He tugs my heartstrings whenever he smiles.

During sacrament meeting a few weeks ago, the speaker invited all of the 4 year-olds up to receive a donut. He then told them if they saved it until the end of church, they could have a whole box of donuts to take home. (He spoke on Pres. Uctdorf's conference talk.) All of the kids kept their donuts. He let them choose between a box of donuts, twinkies, or hostess cupcakes. I am glad he made the right decision.

Eli

2010-03-23T16:17:00.006-06:00

Has it been two months already?! Sheesh! Eli is one of the most cheerful babies ever. He has already laughed several times making a lopsided grin and staring into my eyes. What a loveit! His blessing day was a great day. Thanks to all the family and friends that came and supported us! Jason did a beautiful job and the spirit was strong.
Eli was diagnosed with RSV on Friday and it has been difficult. We feel so blessed, however, because of the priesthood in our home. Dad and Jason gave him a blessing and he was promised that Heavenly Father would be close by to watch and protect him and that He would send his angels to do the same. It said that his body would be comforted and that he had this disease so that his body could build up the immunities that he would need in later life. It also said that it was the power of the priesthood that would protect him. It has been hard watching him go through it but we have had several beautiful moments with him. Sometimes he looks off into space and does a huge grin and laughs. I feel so blessed to have the help of the priesthood and the gospel to aid me in motherhood. I don't know how people survive without them! There are so many nights when I go to bed wondering how on Earth we made it through the day without a trip to the hospital. I'm also grateful because it makes it easier to sleep when I know he is being well looked after!

Happy Freakin Birthday

2010-03-10T11:07:00.005-07:00

Happy birthday to my little sister! We had lots of fun growing up and playing together.
My favorite things to do with Amy:

We invented all kinds of games to play at night "to help us fall asleep" but really to keep ourselves awake. We would use the ceiling tiles to find shapes and pictures and challenge each other to find them using a grid for reference. "I see a duck in A-4". We would listen to the We Sing Silly Songs, Bright Tapes, and The Safety Kids tapes over and over, taking turns conducting.

If I could talk her into it, we spent many a Sunday playing card games. I still remember her trying to keep her cards in PRISTINE condition. No shuffling. Just put them on the ground and mix them up so they don't get bent.

Playing with the Schumanns. We would hide in the back of their car when they went home so we could play together longer.

Playing "maid" with Kristen too. We would sit on the couch and order Kristen to bring us food and do chores for us. Kristen liked to be Cinderella and we liked to be in charge.

Anything that involved creativity, Amy always came up with good ideas for make believe.

Amy was always good for a laugh too. She comes up with wild things, like the bobos and other such nonsense.

I think one of my top memories is standing on the Nielson's front sidewalk and her showing us how to do the running man to Paula Abdul's "Opposites Attract".

Happy Birthday Sner, I hope you get you DOLE HOWSE!

The video below is the Bobos. I wasn't there when this was performed but my jaw still hurts after I watch it from laughing so hard.

i UNDERSTAND wheRE ShE IS comINg FRoM

2010-03-06T16:29:00.002-07:00

To all my neighbors within a one mile radius: I can explain the screaming. And the shouting. Take 6 children that involve the following lovely combos: 3 (at least) who have ADHD and no meds today, 2 who can't make their pee find the toilet, 1 who saved up until he created a poopy blow out that went all the way up to his neck, one who lost her diaper (also poopy) on the carpet, and no sleep- it gets interesting here in the morning. NOW, let's add-oh....say...husband is at work. Now it gets a little hairy. NOWWWW, let's add the home inspector is coming at 11:00 and it gets crazy. Not only is the home inspector coming, but he's bringing the buyers with him. It would also be fun to factor in the fact that some kids forgot to wear pull-ups last night and triple our laundry for the morning. And WHILE we are on the subject of pee, let's just say that the angel baby boy peed on the recently laundered sheets on my newly made bed. Let's just say. Pretend. OR, we could LIVE it! Yeah, that would be fun. But let's not call social services. I swear I didn't spank anyone! Except, actually I only spanked two little twinlets who were running through the house NAKED, screaming, and giggling for 20 minutes before I lost it. (But really, the spanks were wimpy spanks that just made them laugh harder.) There's nothing wrong here!! Move along about your business.
On the positive side of things, the reason the home inspector came is because after 5 days on the market, we sold our condo!! We are now looking for somewhere to go. ..... anywhere.

Grooming-Not for the queasy stomach

2010-02-25T16:48:00.003-07:00

I am what my friend calls a mother gorilla. I like to groom my children. If it's gross, it has to go. I find joy in picking goop out of ears, boogers out of noses, and-if I could-pealing sunburned skin. For the last couple of days, Eli has had major boogerage in his right nostril. Oooooh. I have wanted to get it but didn't risk it because I knew I couldn't get up there without hurting him. Then yesterday, I noticed....(insert trumpets here) a little bit poking out his nose. Using great skill and dexterity, I maneuvered the offensive substance from his nasal passages. Ahhhhh! Release! And now he can breath again.

Liam is doing very well recovering from his tonsillectomy. He didn't have any weird reactions to the anesthetic and has enjoyed watching "Little Einsteins" over and over while eating his fill of popsicles. He heard the Dr. tell me to "give him whatever he wanted" which meant to not limit his diet to liquids. He has told everyone the doctor SAID he could have whatever he wants! And believe me, he's had it all. With Grandma around, he has had all that his highness could ever want. I wished I had my camera to take a picture of him in the little hospital gown and net cap over his hair. Ah well. It was cute, and it really hasn't been too bad.

Ramblings, One month, and Catch up

2010-02-19T09:11:00.006-07:00

I'm sitting next to Natalie who has managed to get blueberry muffin in her hair, eyes, ears, and pretty much anything else you can think of. She has grown up so much since Elijah came. She is finally starting to talk. She says: yeah yeah!, banana, nom (that means she's hungry), dada, and if we're really lucky, mama. She can climb anything and is fearless when doing it. I'm in a constant state of panic trying to keep her out of things, off of things, and off of the baby. She eats out of a bowl and uses a spoon, sort of. My favorite new trick is that she kneels and folds her chubby dimpled arms for family prayer.

The big new news is that Jason got a job this week. He will be working for a local company called Prosper doing sales. It's commission based so we're a little nervous but grateful for the opportunity to work and get back into a normal schedule. Other big news is that we put our condo up for sale. I thought it would be fun to add having to have a continually spotless house to my list of stuff to worry about. ;) We hope it sells quickly and we are looking forward to finding something with more space.

Elijah, shockingly has no quirky nickname. This is unprecedented in our family of Benny Penny, Bill, Barlaney, Joe John, and Monster. He was Kermit for a few days but it didn't stick. My dad calls him "Lige". We'll see. It's been our task this month to get Eli as fat as possible. I think we've succeeded. He's "very healthy". He is generally a very content little guy who rarely cries "for reals". He loves to cuddle and he loves to be warm. He's most happy when he can bask in some sunlight or take a warm bath. He HATES to be swaddled and keeps stretching until he gets out of it. My favorite thing about having more than one child is watching them interact. Ben and Liam spend hours playing with cars and airplanes. Natalie has been crawling in bed with Lizzy. The other day I caught the twins standing on the kitchen counter "making a concert". They were singing Jingle Bells over and over, each chorus got jazzier and jazzier.

Ben made us all proud by earning his Bobcat. He has had a lot of fun with scouting and likes to get his book out and request to learn something in it. He's such a good example!!

This last picture shows the reason that I have been able to practice the piano more in the last month than in the previous 12 months.

P.S. This is my threatening note to Amy: You know what will happen if you don't post. 4 weeks? For SHAME!

Chrysalis

2010-01-29T16:17:00.003-07:00

Ooooh. So those are what my feet look like. Huh. I had forgotten. This week I feel like I'm slowly emerging from my pregnant body to my "normal" one. Just like a caterpillar. Emerging from "fuzzy and cuteness" to what SHOULD be beautiful elegance. One can only hope. Once I can get over the awkward transition phase- you know, where nothing fits. And I feel like I could climb a mountain, until I stand up and discover that my legs are still wobbly. (Don't worry, I haven't fallen down yet.) Plus there's the whole breast feeding body transition. I keep looking down and experiencing SHOCK. What are these THINGS? I've never had those before. Where do I put them? How're you supposed to sleep with them in the way? Advice?

I'd like to write a witty little paragraph here on how I feel about being a mommy of 6. Well. I'm still in the chrysalis phase here as well. Good thing I've got my mom and husband so close or I think I might possibly be dead. The older kids are gems. They love having Eli around. They like to sit and look at him several times a day. (So do I, by the way.) Natalie NEEDS to hold him. She wants to pat his head and face. a lot. (So do I, but I do it gently.)

I'm grateful for everyone's support and offers of help. I've had lots of snuggle time with the baby and I think I might actually survive this new adventure with some enjoyment. There's nothing like kids to keep one humble, happy, and centered.

P.S. If this post was difficult to understand or is disjointed, I claim exhausted mommy rambling syndrome. As Lizzy says, "thas ol."

Elijah came home...

2010-01-23T17:00:00.006-07:00

I think that I should take this opportunity to tell everyone that when we decided we liked the name Elijah, I wanted to name him "Elijah Rock." Anyone even remotely familiar with Spirituals knows how cool that song is, but I was overruled.

We got the whole family back together today, and everyone got their chance to hold their new baby brother. If only I record all the "ohs" and "ahs" that are sure to spontaneously proceed forth from the mouths of everyone looking at these pictures I could save them and play the recording for Eli's first date.

I hope you enjoy the photos. And as always, we LOVE to read COMMENTS!

Elijah David Findlay

2010-01-22T08:36:00.002-07:00

Elijah was born at 11:13 AM on January 20, 2010. He weighed 6 lbs 15 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. Both mother and baby are doing well.

My Response-Guilty Pleasures

2010-01-06T13:16:00.004-07:00

My cousin Carly sent a challenge to share 10 of my addictions/guilty pleasures-other than my family. It was not hard to think of these, merely to reduce the number to 10. Here they are:

Sleeping in.
Cheap boxes of chocolate like the "All American" selection from Maxfields.
Puzzle Books
Romance Novels (gasp) and yes, I've read this one! Embarrassing, but true. We must all admit our strangeness and become one with ourselves. I do, of course, read "classic" books as well.
Snow and Christmas
Buying shoes
Eating "out"-if I don't have to think of what to make, or clean it up, I'm happy.
Old Movies. Jean Arthur is a particular favorite of mine. Everyone looks good in black and white. (Note: in this picture she is 43 years old!)
My nerd tendencies- Scrabble online and Stargate SG-1-yes that is Richard Dean Anderson.
Board Games

Famous Last WOrds 2

2010-01-01T19:08:00.005-07:00

In primary Liam had to draw a picture of something he was thankful for. He brought home a paper with various circles and lines. I asked him if he was thankful for dogs because I thought that was what he had drawn. He said, "NO Mommy. I'm thankful for robot dogs."

The other night, Liam was coughing so Jason went in and put some Mentholatum on him. It must have brought immediate relief because he sighed and half asleep said "Your a good daddy."

Part of Jane's breakfast prayer:
Please bless us to stay alive until we die...."

Janeisms:
Huh. What are these bumps on my tongue for?
Hey Grandma. I played a trick on my friend at school. I told her my mom and dad DIED!

Lizzy:
"Dad, is college the last school you go to?"
"Yes. But you can go to college more than once or go to more than one college. What college do you want to go to?"
After thinking quietly for a few minutes:
"I want to go to college in California, so I can be by Disneyland."

Liam:
"Did you know, Little Einsteins don't have a mommy. But they have a daddy and his name is Rocket."

Liam: "Mom, I know why mommies are tired and sick all the day. Because they have too many babies."

Well spotted.

Liam: "I wish I could have a yo-yo for my birthday."

Jane: Did you know, you can ask Grandmas how to do things? Like, if you just barely beed a mommy, and you don't know how to be a mommy, you can ask the grandma for help.

Dear Papa Bruce

2010-01-01T18:41:00.006-07:00

Dear Papa-
I love you. Thank you for taking me to the aquarium. My favorite part was seeing so many fish. I liked the snake the best. And octopuses. I also liked when I getted a gumball. I like to hug grampa. Thank you,
~Love Liam.

-
Dear Grandpa
I want to thank you for taking me to the aquarium. My favorite part was the big fish. I liked the big ones with the dots on them. I also liked listening to the different frog sounds.
~Love Jane

Dear Grandpa-
Thank you for spending money on me for us. I liked the aquarium. My favorite part was the gumballs at the end. My favorite fish was the eels at the beginning. I liked the french fries too. And the playground.
~Love Lizzy

Dear Grandpa-
Thank you for taking me to the aquarium. It was cool. I liked it. My favorite parts were the gumballs and the sharks close up. (In the secret room.) My favorite fish was the tiger shark. Someday can I go with you again? You should have seen that purple slide when we went to get lunch. It was the highest slide at the top of the playground.
~Love Ben

Christmas!

2009-12-29T09:36:00.006-07:00

Pajamas lovingly made by Grandma Tregaskis!

Christmas this year was pretty near perfect at the Findlay home. My parents did the Santa put-together as a surprise so we went to bed at 11 pm and slept until 7. Not too shabby. In the morning, once we were ready, the plan was to let each child loose one at a time so I could get a picture of his/her face as he encountered the glory of Christmas morning. Each child came running in with a fake, frozen smile, stopped dead in front of the camera and stayed there, waiting for the flash, with out looking from left to right at the presents around them. Huh.

Ben waited for his allotted "flash" and then casually looked around before doing the double take of all double takes. He saw his bike and I think it took a few moments before he realized that THIS thing was HIS! For a second, he just stared at it before bounding over. "I GOT A BIKE!" Yes. Not only a bike, but the 'COOLEST BIKE IN THE WHOLE WORLD'!

Lizzy came running and stopped about halfway into the room. She posed as only Liz can pose before going for her stocking. Mean mom that I am, I wouldn't let them have any candy before breakfast. (I let them once, and 3 kids threw up.) We couldn't have that mar Christmas morning. After checking that her stocking was safely stowed, she turned as Jane came in, 'froze' for her picture, and then they both began testing all the doors, knobs, and buttons on their play kitchen. Jane's first action after that was to look for the presents she bought for others. The girls spent the entire morning making a wedding lunch in their room and getting all dressed up for it. I was invited to tea and the dancing to follow.

Liam was the only one who came straight in, (of course I didn't get a picture of him because by that point, I had given up) found his GeoTrax airplane, and began exclaiming over it while trying to tear it open. He tossed the name card aside without reading it; he KNEW this was meant for him. He only asked for one thing for Christmas, and while it didn't match his description exactly, it was what he wanted. (A airplane with one turning thing that's orange and has a remote control.)

Natalie came chirruping in and spent the morning wandering from kid to kid, kissing, hugging, and stealing their presents, interspersed with sitting on my lap and opening her presents. She loves to see the kids happy and was in her element that morning.

We only had a partial meltdown later that afternoon (I think because of the regular wake up time-but really, who could expect kids to sit down on Christmas day and do something ordinary like eat lunch when there were so many toys and puzzles to use?!) and that was followed by quiet time at Grandma's that lasted for almost 2 hours. Mommy got to read and rest and Daddy got to try out new Nintendo games with Ben. We were totally spoiled by our parents and friends around us who helped us out during this period of unemployment and made Christmas magical for our kids. WE LOVE AND THANK YOU! We hope everyone's Christmas was wonderful and that a great new year will follow for all of us.

Headline: Karate Baby Kills Mother in All Night Wrestling Match

2009-12-22T09:34:00.003-07:00

Natalie has grabby hands. You know that part on "The Incredibles" where Helen is all stretched out and stuck in the doors? You see her hand reaching around for the bad guy and then she punches him and knocks him out? I experienced that at the hands of my innocent little girl last night. Several times. I'm glad I don't have a black eye today. She also likes to feel around for my jugular, and then HIYAH! Karate chop to the throat. Why? She's half asleep, WHY- I ASK YOU must she flail her arms and dimpled little fists about my face and throat. This went on last night for FOUR HOURS! I kid you not. Now, let's add to the equation: I must have been more tired than I thought because instead of taking my antacid, I accidentally took one of Ben's sleeping pills. Soooo, in addition to the judo match, we add THE WORST HEARTBURN IN THE HISTORY OF HEARTBURN and super dizzy brain from the sleeping pill. When will that last stubborn molar poke through?

Of course, when we woke up this morning, she climbed up into bed with me, chattering happily, and gave me a big slobbery kiss and a luvey. Ahhhhh.....all is forgiven.

Cutting a Tree

2009-12-01T17:30:00.005-07:00

Monday we started a new tradition and took the kids with us to cut down a Christmas tree. It was fun to be together and let the kids rediscover snow. Natalie's reaction to the snow was funny. She started out standing with her feet braced shoulder width apart and her knees slightly bent. A minute later, she was squatting and flicking it with one finger. A minute after that, she was sitting in it and eating it with a huge grin on her face.

We parked the car by the side of the road and let the kids play while we walked the prescribed 100 feet from the road and cut down our tree. We also had fun touring around Ephraim showing the kids the places where we met and had our first kiss. (I later found a paper Lizzy had been coloring. She wrote: Mom Daddy + Lizzy and Jane. Pas (place) cod (called) Ephraim is mommy and daddy cist (kissed))

On the way out, we stopped to visit Great Grandma and Grandpa Findlay's grave site. I think the kids will remember the day for a long time. It was fun to go somewhere together!

Ben's Birthday, Baptism, and Halloween in All Their Glory

2009-11-09T17:22:00.006-07:00

We had a lot of fun with Ben's birthday this year. He chose to stay up late with Mom and Dad and watch Spy Kids. He ate so much popcorn and candy during the movie, that at one point he stood up and said, "Wow! My head feels funny. Why does my head feel funny?" It was nice to have some alone time with "The Kid." I can't believe how grown up he is. We're very proud of him and how well he is doing in school.

2 days after his birthday, we were blessed to watch our oldest child enter the waters of baptism. He was pretty nervous about going under water but he stayed very calm and did great! His daddy confirmed him that same day and did a good job as well. Now we're working on the idea of fasting...that might take some time! Thanks to all of our friends and family who came and supported Ben. It made him feel special.

Here are Ben's thoughts on his baptism:
Now I'm not worried about going under water anymore. I felt weird but good after I got baptized. I felt the spirit when my daddy gave me the gift of the Holy Ghost. I liked having friends and family over afterward for a party. It was a good day.
Halloween was a lot of fun this year. Everyone was cheerful and warm. We started early, before the sun went down and covered twice as much turf as usual. The kids got way too much candy but I- I mean, we-were able to take care of that by sharing. With mommy. A lot. I didn't get a picture with all 5 kids because by the time "Superman" was ready, "Zorro" opted out of any further photo sessions.

Ben: Zorro

Lizzy: Hermione

Jane: Barbie princess

Liam: Superman

Natalie: Kitty

Goop

2009-10-18T14:07:00.004-06:00

I remember when we were little and did something silly my mom would call us "goops." (I get my talent for nicknames from her.) Liam is a silly goop. The other day, Jason was sitting on the stairs, putting his shoes on, when Liam came up out of the blue and called him "your majesty." Here is a reprise:
The picture below is a recently rediscovered picture of Liam last winter during Ben's orchestra concert. It was too cute not to post.

In Chloris Leechman's words: "YOU'RE ALL FIRED!!!"

2009-10-07T09:48:00.002-06:00

The 2 of you that actually read this blog are no-commenters.

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

2009-10-01T14:07:00.002-06:00

Natalie had freezing feet today at Grandma's house so we put some socks on her. They were so slippery she got stuck doing a stradle as her feet slowly slid out from under her. Grandma fixed it by using some medical tape left over from her surgery. Now she can run. And get into whatever she pleases. The picture is the clearest one I could get. As soon as she had them on, she was off! I couldn't get her to sit still long enough to take a picture. The other picture is Liam's first day of preschool. Isn't he handsome?!

What David calls jud

2009-09-25T10:18:00.002-06:00

I've never really used my blog as a place to bear my testimony before. However, the thought struck me last night that when you combine my hormones with the spirit, I wouldn't be able to bear my testimony in public in any way that someone could understand. I get a little "weepy" you see. I was pondering about the horrible no good very bad day we had yesterday, and realized how many blessings we have. So here it is: (I like lists. It helps me get everything out. If Jason ever asked me to write a poem about why I loved him, he'd get a numbered list.)

On trials: I just finished listening to an awesome talk from the 2005 fall conference on trials and what a blessing they really are. We've been so blessed to take a lot of leaps of faith in the last 2 years and really try our testimonies. We've had directions and promptings from the spirit that didn't make any sense. Following these promptings has been very difficult for me. I like to be able to know how everything is going to work out in the end. Some of these leaps of faith have yet to be worked out. However, we are relying COMPLETELY on Heavenly Father for everything. This in itself has been an amazing experience and wonderful blessing. I'm grateful for the opportunity to feel the spirit, to live in a country where I can act on its promptings, and to try my own faith and endurance. I'm grateful that I have a knowledge that Heavenly Father not only has a hand in my life but is completely involved and cares very much that I make it through the tough times. The decisions we've made may not make any sense to the world, or to me, but I do have a testimony that I'm where I'm supposed to be and that everything we're going through has been for our own good. It's been confirmed by the spirit so many times. took Liam to the doctor yesterday. He failed his hearing test and was borderline on his vision test. His poor little body has already been through so much. To add to this, he will start school looking different than his peers. He will be questioned and probably teased. I hate the fact that he may need a hearing aid and glasses to go with everything else. He is the best example I have of being content and happy in whatever circumstances one is put in. He is the happiest kid I know. I'm grateful to be his mother and to learn from him. It may turn out all right. He may not need a hearing aid or glasses. His spots may fade before school starts. But he will be okay with whatever because he knows Jesus loves him, and that we love him, and that he has an eternal family. He is content with that.
On having another baby: When Liam was about 2, we decided that we were done having children. After all, 4 is a perfect number. The van was full, no one had to touch anyone else, 2 boys 2 girls, perfect set up right? Everyone had a buddy. We gave away all of our baby things. Nice plan. Heavenly Father's ideas were different. After miscarrying in 2007, I realized how incomplete we were. The birth of Natalie was such a joy to us. I couldn't believe how much more complete we felt. But there was still a child missing. I felt it- but ignored it. I imagine it was somewhat like Brigham Young being directed in polygamy. I couldn't understand how I could be competent enough to care for 6 children when 5 seemed almost impossible. We finally went to the temple and prayed about it. I was prepared for a "no, you're done having children because it's the responsible thing to do in your present circumstances" answer. I was shocked however to not only get the opposite answer, that there was another child, but that he was waiting RIGHT THEN. I was more moved to strongly feel the presence of his beautiful spirit while pondering on my answer in the temple. It was later confirmed in very specific wording during 2 priesthood blessings. I am so humbled that children have been sent to me. What a blessing they are! I know having families is an important and wonderful commandment. I am so grateful to be able to experience this part of life.

Natalie is ONE

2009-09-25T09:44:00.005-06:00

Here are some random pictures I had from the first day of school. The day they started, blogger wouldn't let me upload pictures for some reason.

Ben is enjoying 2nd grade. He has all kinds of friends that he wants to bring home or invite to his birthday party. He really enjoys his computer class. Jane and Lizzy are just excited about everything there is about kindergarten. I walked them into their class on the first day and didn't cry, thank you very much. Their teacher put them at the same table but not next to each other. It's worked out great! Liam loves his preschool class. He is very excited every time I tell him he has school that day. He often puts his backpack on and waits outside in his pajamas. The picture I got of Liam is on my mom's camera. I'll post it later, but it's a typical silly pose by Liam where he's pretending to be a super hero.

The big new this week is the baby is ONE! She has been such a joy and a blessing to our family! She was the easiest delivery on record (if you don't count the false labor before) and slept through the night before she was 2 weeks old. She loves to snuggle, unless she's supposed to go to sleep. She's also discovered that she can pull Liam down and wrestle with him. They both think it's hilarious. She has a funny courtesy laugh and she started walking last month. She now occupies her time toddling like a penguin from one disaster to the next. Such an advanced baby.

She has earned herself all kinds of nicknames including: precious, peaches, monster baby, destructo, mabbers (Ben and Liam call her that), and nonsense.

Happenings

2009-09-15T11:59:00.003-06:00

So, in case any of you were wondering, it has been officially declared that I am the "meanest mom in the WHOLE world EVERY DAY!" So, if you're ever feeling like a bad parent, don't worry, someone else is worse and was declared so by her 5 year old daughter who didn't want to help clean out the trash in her room. Good thing our lovely upstairs neighbor gave her some pizza and let her come over and play. It helped her forget she is living in a prison with no rights.

In other positive news, IT'S A BOY! Whoohoo. Actually, I didn't have a preference either way but we're excited to know and now I can start working on a quilt. We're getting really excited for our new family member to arrive but we still have 20 weeks left to wait so I'm trying to calm down and snuggle the others as much as I can before my time is divided even more.

Life is getting crazy here with all of the driving to and from the schools but the kids are loving their classes and doing very well so it's worth it!

Little Piggies

2009-09-10T11:00:00.004-06:00

Isn't this the cutest thing you've ever seen?

I don't know if I'll leave it because she looks too stinkin grown up. I've never had a baby with hair though so it's fun to play with. She's just a little peach.

Liam's Birthday

2009-09-09T11:09:00.000-06:00

My little guy is turning 4 today. It seems like I was just putting him in those little zip up pajamas and rocking him to sleep. He's a crazy kid now. This week working up to his birthday he's come up with some great comments:

"Hey Jane, I know why they're called Gran (Graham) crackers. Because they're for grandkids."
"No, they're for grand people, like grandmas and grandkids."
"Oh, yes. They are."

"YES! That's PERFECT for you face!"

"When I turn 7, I'm going to be a dad and go to work on a Tuesday."

When I asked him if he wanted to have his party at home or at the park he responded, "At Grandma's because it's a 'beery special pwace.'"

In a sing song tattletale voice- "Moooooom, Jane is freaking me out back here."

He likes to come up with silly games with Jane. He also REALLY likes construx, Star Wars, and GeoTrax. He plays quite contentedly by himself but also has lots of friends. He's a good guy and we are so glad he's in our family!

Tagged

2009-09-09T10:20:00.000-06:00

Getting To Know Me Better

TAKE THIS SURVEY!

Carly tagged me here. I tag Amy, Kristen, and Dedra

Take this survey

If you could see any band in concert, who would it be?
Honestly? Probably the opera.

Does your family have a garden?
Yes. My parents do and I pretend it's mine.

If you could have 3 wild animals as pets, what would you pick?
3 tigers

What style of clothes do you normally wear?
Mom uniform: jeans and any clean shirt I can find.

Do you play any sports on an actual team?
no

If you were to dye your hair, what color?
My hair color is the only thing I like about my appearance.

What is your favorite music genre?
Classical

When is the last time you actually went running?
I college. My body protested violently by making me sick.

Milkshakes or Sundaes?
Sundaes, with Arctic Circle french fries.

How many songs are on your music player on your computer?
That's Jason's department

Eyeliner or lipstick?
Eyeliner. There aren't many shades that go with red hair.

Hair with volume or flat, straight, thin hair?
Smooth please.

Have you ever colored your own hair?
no

What kind of shoes do you have on?
Flip flops

Do you have a doorbell?
yes-please knock.

Have you ever pet a camel?
Camel's are scarier than anything else at the zoo.

What about a cow?
Yes

What's the craziest name you've given a pet?
Do my kids count?

What comdiments do you like on your hotdog?
Just Ketchup

What is your favorite gum?
anything with whitening.

Do you over use the saying "your mom"?
Of course!

How often do you sit around on your butt?
As often as I can with 5 kids.

Do you think you have great hair?
?! No way.

Ever cut your hair yourself?
Nope. I cry when professionals do it. What would my reaction be if I did it myself? I shudder to

Current thing that is making you happy?
My family.

What color are the blankets on your bed?
Red

Do you like watermelons more or cherries?
Cherries

Last time someone recorded you on a video camera?
Natalie's birth (afterwards of course.)

Last time someone took a picture of you?
I can't remember but it was probably Jason.

Can you say your abc's backwards?
Who can't?

What color is your shirt?
Red

Do you know anyone shorter than you?
My kids

Taller than you?
All of my brothers and sisters

Where are your ancestors from?
Mostly the British Isles, some from France

What do you order at taco bell?
Chicken soft taco. But Taco Time is way better.

Has a dog ever licked your mouth?
no way

Do you know what crop dusting is?
yes

What can you cook the best?
Ask my husband

Have you ever gave or been given a hickey?
I'm pleading the 5th

Tell us a memory from riding the school bus:
The Larencos wouldn't let us get on. Finally, the bus driver kicked them all off.

Do you have allergies to anything?
Probably, but I can't figure them out.

Would you adopt a child?
I used to say I would, but now I don't think so.

Last lie you told?
I never lie. I'm just like Superman.

Do you know how to dance salsa?
Once upon a time...

Are you obsessed with anything?
Reading, quilting, and my family.

Do you like it when it rains?
Yes. Especially at night.

What was the last thing you bought?
A maternity shirt. Is it too hard to make one with sleeves that doesn't have to have an undershirt?

Are you going to do another survey now?
no

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THIS SURVEY!

MySpace Surveys

And Baby makes....it tooooo crowded

2009-08-15T17:27:00.002-06:00

While at the temple last week, the sealer urged all of us to reread the Pearl of Great Price. I felt strongly that I should obey and the first words that met my eyes were:
"And I, Abraham, saw that it was needful for me to obtain a new place of dwelling." I'm just sayin'.... Anyone want to buy a 3 bedroom condo?

Murder 1

2009-07-31T08:57:00.002-06:00

For the first time in my life, I'm considering some nice illegal acts.....yes...that would be nice. Maybe a little breaking and entering? Or vandalism? Hmmmm. How much time would I get for that? Maybe they'd let me off because I'm pregnant? A lot of women go a little psyco when they're pregnant. I could plead insanity. Though, of course, it's not my pregnancy driving me insane, it's my HOA!!! The freakin *^(*&^(*$ Honestly! Can you get any dumber? I just don't think it's possible. I'd like to find out what's really going on in the presidency where Mr. President is married to Madame Financial Officer, who hires her kids to do a poor job on various assignments. Madame chairman runs the whole shebang but isn't supposed to be involved because she's not on the board. She's the paid accountant. Their majesties are the terrors of the neighborhood and I AM SICK OF BEING BULLIED!!!!!

But what can I do?

Bridal Veil and Funny Face

2009-07-22T16:33:00.003-06:00

This week we took the opportunity to take the short walk from Bridal Veil Park to the falls. I thought I remembered it being a grueling walk that took FOREVER but then Jason reminded me last time we did it, it was 175* and I was 9 months pregnant! It was a nice short walk and the kids really enjoyed the falls. Even Natalie kept trying to jump into the water.

Natalie's new face inspires pity of the deepest kind. She uses it when she wants food or to be picked up. She knows she's doing it and even hammed it up for the camera. She'll even whip up a tear or two if she feels I'm not responding fast enough or well enough. Pity her.

Bingham Copper Mine

2009-06-26T11:32:00.005-06:00

Our outing last week was to the Bingham Copper mine. It was raining pretty hard so we did our picnic in the car while we drove. The mist in the mine mad for some cool views and all of the vegetation was extra green after the rain. We were surprised at the amount of wild flowers growing everywhere. Liam loved the big train replica and everyone had a fun time looking in the microscopes at the rocks. It was quite chilly so we didn't stay outside long but Liam was so fascinated with the big trucks he said he didn't want to go back to the car as he stood there shivering. Definitly a fun trip, we'd recommend it to anyone. Forewarning though, they only take cash. $5 a car.

Natalie's first swim

2009-06-21T16:47:00.003-06:00

There's nothing as cute as a chubby baby in a horizontal striped swimming suit! Natalie LOVES the water and stayed in longer than some of the other kids giggling and laughing. The kids loved it when Jason pulled them around the pool as a train. We've not been able to get back to the pool yet because of the rain but we're hoping for this week.

Summerfest and pictures for Amy

2009-06-14T20:57:00.009-06:00

We followed tradition and attended the Orem Summerfest on Saturday. For years we've sat on center street because it's a great location to watch the fireworks. In recent years, however, some "undesirables," shall we say, have been horning in on our spot. (Last year someone took our blanket that we had set out and threw it into a field. Probably invaders and spies from Provo.) This year, my sister-in-law had the brilliant idea of moving our spot. It was AWESOME! We got all sorts of candy, t-shirts, and ties. The rain abated long enough for us to enjoy the parade and then walk to the car. We didn't stay for the fireworks this year- which are better than any other city's- because of the rain. I think it was good to get the kids home and into bed. Not to mention myself...I was drifting off to sleep in my warm, dry bed as the fireworks started. I love the summerfest. Here are the reasons why it's so much better than Provo's stupid freedom festival:

We have ours at night and earlier in the summer so you don't get 3rd degree burns.
While we do have what has been affectionatelty christened "the slut strut," at least people don't get into fist fights over the good spots to sit.
We don't have to pay to watch the fireworks.
Orem is better than Provo.

For those of you who have ever gone to a parade with my sister, Amy, you know how much she adds to the affair. We tried to fill her shoes this year, asking the beauty queens to show off their dresses for us and spin around. While we weren't as successful has her, we did get some good pictues. So, Amy these pictures are for you.

Summer Fun

2009-06-06T21:54:00.005-06:00

We decided that it would be fun to spend each Saturday doing a picnic together as a family. Today's destination was Cascade Springs (on the Alpine Loop.) The kids had a great time running and jumping. We saw a snake and a whole bunch of fish. We also spent some time looking for as many wildflowers as we could find. Then we stopped for a picnic on the top of the mountain on the way to Midway. Thank heaven's for a car that fits all of us and can go where we want it to go!

Pet Peeve

2009-05-19T10:06:00.005-06:00

I can't STAND it when I see grammatical errors on signs that are meant to advertise some sort of service. Why would I take my car to be repaired by a man that spells car,"Kar"? No one knows. "Krazy Kar Kare". That is a real sign in American Fork. Fine. You want your sign to have alliteration? I have news for you....ALL of those words start with c's anyway. Dork. Then there are the ones that use weird letters to "draw the eye..." Fantastik, musik. K's aren't that great people. They don't sell your stuff. Your advertising does. As long as it's not retarded. My favorites are the ones that advertise for care and teaching of my children. "Kiddy Kare." If you can't even spell the word correctly, how are you going to teach my child? No one knows. Tune in next week for my sermon on those who do not use their blinkers.

What's your pet peeve/peeves?

3 All-NEW Posts!

2009-04-24T14:14:00.004-06:00

It's been a while since I posted. It seems like it's been a while since I've done anything while I waited for the skies to clear so I could emerge, with the rest of my neighbors, from hibernation. We've been busy since we can now go outside. Natalie is growing up. She has 2 teeth now, is trying to crawl and pull herself up on the furniture, and can wear a little baby sized clip in her hair. She likes to sit in the sun under an umbrella and try to eat the grass while I try to keep it from her fat little fists and mouth. (The little hat she is wearing was made by grandma.) Lizzy and Jane spend most of the day in dress-ups and throw a fit each time I insist they take them off before going outside. Liam is SUPER busy. He started taking Zyrtec every morning for his mastocytosis and hardly ever seems to itch now. He is always pretending to have a cape on and that he has some super powers. Ben has been a star student. He has had 6 count them 6, 100% spelling tests in a row. WOOT WOOT for BEN! He also discovered the other week that he can now ride his bike without the training wheels.

Easter Pictures

2009-04-24T13:59:00.003-06:00

Here are some fun Easter pics from Easter Sunday. My mom made the adorable dresses. (The cute little girl with the pink and green headband is my niece Abi.)

Big Head

2009-04-24T13:42:00.003-06:00

I forgot how much I really enjoy watching basketball. Especially the playoffs... That being said, there are some reasons I've been avoiding certain teams and last night I remembered. Ah Mr. Bryant, if your ego was as small as your brain, the rest of us would be a little better off. He literally talks about how he is better than anyone else. The interviewers, sports comentaters, and refs all smile and agree with him, thereby enlarging his ego and shrinking his brain still more. MVP my deep blue eyes. MVP of your own fan club maybe.

P.S. The name of this picture is "Kobe Bryant falls down."

Don't Mess with the FINDLAYS

2009-04-12T21:04:00.004-06:00

If necessity is the mother of invention, then boredom is the father of...well...this...

Natalie's Laugh

2009-04-10T19:52:00.003-06:00

I thought it would be a good idea to illustrate how happy Natalie is after the last post. :)

Natalie's Fake Pity Cry

2009-03-26T14:38:00.003-06:00

She's been working on this for a couple of weeks. I think she's got it just about perfected, don't you?
I love that she has a big crocodile tear dripping down her cheek! Poor baby.

Movie Quotes and My Life

2009-03-20T18:30:00.003-06:00

Have you ever realized how often movie quotes run side by side with your life? I'm always quoting things under my breath as I go along. I decided to make a quiz of some of them. Too much time on my hands you say? Maybe but first prize will win something, like recognition and fame on my blog. Here goes...

"Uhhh, the timing is off on the turbo flush!" It's time to replace our beloved Monclair- who literally is having a problem with the turbo flush.
"Ummmm ....Brandon?" Sometimes I can't remember my own name either. Or how old I am, or my kids social security numbers, birth weights, and birthdays.
"Death to all tyrants!" You know who you are. This applies to stupid people too.
"Let's get out of here before one of those things kills Guy." The rush to get into the car on Sunday morning sometimes becomes a life and death struggle of epic proportions.
"Kitty Kar" (insert: I HATE it when people use alliteration with incorrect spelling.) "Kitty Kar, are you there, I need you to go to 2nd street and Elm." "Oh I can't today is the pet show, the boys have softball, the girls have a dance recital, and the PTA is coming at 6". (that was paraphrasing but you get the idea. We ARE "Kitty kar."
"Why can't you have a little faith in me, that's all, just a little faith?" When are my kids going to stop panicking at any change in the routine? Possibly never.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha" Hysterical laughing from Tom Hanks. My house feels like his. At least the kitchen and the bathroom that need repairs that I can't sink any more money into.
"Are you afraid of silence Mrs. peacock?" "Yes ah what? NO! Why?" "You seem to be suffering from what we call 'pressure of speech.'" Has anyone ever talked to my daughter Jane?
"Thank you, Eunice, you look very nice too." "Well I haven't gotten dressed yet Howard." My husband still thinks I look nice first thing in the morning. He told me so. I'm so lucky!
"Last night Darth Vader came to my room and told me that if I didn't ask Lorraine to the dance, he'd melt my brain." I like to live in my own dream world sometimes too. It keeps me sane.
"Fire?! OHhhhhh! I'm sick and tired of all these things that have been happening to me! And somebody better do something about it soon." No explanation needed.
This one is from TV. "I don't wanna be a pirate." Sometimes, I really don't WANT to follow the current fashion trends. They are really quite ridiculous. Sometimes. I must admit that I actually do Like the pointy toed stiletto heels (gasp) and the chunky jewelry (too bad I can't accessorize to save my life). I do not like the grungy 80's rocker neon stuff. It hasn't been long enough since the 80's. I'm still recovering.

And here are some bonuses:

"You're the sausage king of Chicago?"
"Well I feel like an idiot! Drinking, and crying...and mowing."
"Do you want me to feed you?"

Here are some recent photos of the kids that have absolutely nothing to do with this post. Benjamin had 2 writing assignments that I thought were hilarious. He had to write what he would do if he were president. He said he would make "rools" that no kidnapping or stealing were allowed and he would make money with his picture on it. The other assignment asked them to say what they would buy if they had $100. Ben said he would buy a tie fighter from "Star Wars."

Twilight Movie

2009-03-08T22:27:00.003-06:00

AHHHHHH! OMG! Robert Pattinson is such a super hottie bum! Ha ha ha. Not really. My sister and I spent a precious dollar Saturday on a movie that held plenty of entertainment for all the wrong reasons. I think one of my favorite parts was when "Edward" steps up to the light to reveal his skin in the sunlight, the music is building, the scenery gorgeous, and he unbottons his shirt to reveal...dun dun dun dun,.a teenage chest (slighty sparkling) scattered with sparse patches of hair. Ewwww. Gross. Sad. We enjoyed ourselves in joining our giggles with the 13 year olds, whose starstruck eyes found exactly what they wanted. I found several things wrong with this movie, not that I was expecting much in the first place. A big one for me was that if you hadn't read the book before going, you wouldn't understand half of it but if you DID read the book than you expect more than they gave. The direction was terrible. (I heard they hired a new director for the next movie.) I didn't really feel that the actors were horrible, just that they seemed too rehearsed and were told the wrong way to portray their characters. The script was awkward and Edward never seemed scary but funny. On THAT subject, I think half of the problem was the music. There was no film music really, just rock music in the background-or silence. Isthat supposed to convet "scariness?" And don't even get me started on the way they pronounce "Debussy". Kristen leaned over and whispered "It's because he's British," which sent us giggling again.

All in all it was a good excuse for a fun girl's day out and worth the money for the stress relieving laugh. What did you think?

Meatloaf Mayhem

2009-02-27T14:50:00.005-07:00

Sometimes my life reminds me of that line from "Mr. Mom": "My brain, is like oatmeal. Megan and I are starting to watch the same t.v. shows and I'm likin' 'em...I LOSING IT!" I swear once upon a time I was smart. I knew things. I don't mean to brag. I don't think I was a genius or anything, just that I could walk and chew gum at the same time. Life was simple then. I could read a book or study a new subject and LEARN. Ahhh, I have learned the meaning of 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks.' When I had Ben, I lost most of my brain cells along with the ability to speak French. Or read it or whatever. When I had the twins, I lost a large portion of the gray matter and the ability to follow conversation. With Liam, I think it was the ability to comprehend anything after 8 p.m. There just wasn't anything left to loose when I had Natalie. Or was there? The photo below was taken on an ordinary day while making dinner. I kept wondering why the pot in the back never started to boil and everything else was burning while the meatloaf was getting cold...

BECAUSE YOU RETARD, the FRONT burner, upon which rests a casserole dish filled with tonight's dinner, is on and not the BACK burner! I feel like every time I successfully complete a meal, someone should pat me on the head and say, "Good mommy. Good good mommy."

Funny Funny

2009-02-24T16:51:00.003-07:00

Jane is a regular comedian. Most of you know that I have a widget called Famous Last Words wherein I post the funny things my kids say. Usually Jane is featured. She just seems to have more to say than the others. She likes to dazzle us with jokes. Lately, she favors the 'chicken crossing the road' jokes. Here follows a sampling of recent jokes. There were too many to put on the side.

J: "mommy, why did the chicken cross the road?"
Me: "I don't know, why?"
J: "I don't know either, you tell me."
Me: "To get to the other side."
J: Hysterical laughter; "that's funny mommy."
"Why did the chicken cross the road?"
Me: "Do you know this time?"
J: Because he couldn't fly!" Ha ha!

One day, Natalie was screaming in her crib while I changed her diaper and Jane piped up from her bed "Mommy, will you turn Natalie down? Or off, yeah that would be good. Turn her off."

The original joke from Zaboomafoo goes: Knock knock; who's there; panther; panther who; panther no panth, I'm goin swimming! Numerous variations of this joke have been poduced by Jane. I like it when she says stuff like, "Panths or no panths, I'm going dancing."

Ahhhh, in Jane's immortal words, 'She craps me out!"

Baby Face and an Update

2009-02-03T10:07:00.003-07:00

An update on our family:
Jason got a job this last week! Woot woot! We are excited to be productive and self-sufficient again. We would like to thank everyone for their prayers and support during the last year. It's been a long haul and we still have some hurdles to jump but we feel that we are moving forward and that Heavenly Father's hand has been in all of our trials and blessings. How grateful we are to know of Him and His love for us!
Benjamin is doing very well in school. During the Christmas break he was diagnosed with mild ADHD. He is working hard on concentrating and finishing tasks by taking his medicine and praying. His test scores have gone up and he seems a lot more content. He continues to practice both the violin and the piano after school and loves to read. He grew almost an inch last month.
Lizzy is a little mother. She loves to get things that I need for Natalie. She wants to do anything "girly". Painting her fingernails is her ideal activity. She also likes to draw. On everything. She wrote her name all over her bed and walls to show off her skills. I love magic erasers. She is also very adept at the Wii and has pro status in the bowling game.
Jane is getting so tall! Her hair is growing but, she cut off the front of her hair last month and now has a fringe of bangs which will be just the right awkward length for her kindergarten pictures! Ah well... She also likes to lovey Natalie and talk to her in a high pitched loving voice about EVERYTHING. Natalie loves her back.
Liam is a whirlwind. He loves to run and jump and play trains all day. His favorite day is playing with his "best friend Micah" and then going to Grandma's house. He is a very good eater and never complains about what we are having for dinner. He has grown a lot and is starting to refuse his nap time.
Natalie is my little lovey. She doesn't snuggle unless she is tired but she loves to coo and yell. She started solids this week and sucks them off the spoon. She likes to watch t.v. with mommy and daddy and is the best sleeper in the whole world.
I've been busy with the kids. We do "posts" at night where we rotate flashcards, teeth brushing, bathroom breaks, and homework with the kids. Then Jason and I read to them from chapter books in their rooms. The kids think it's the best thing ever and I like it when Liam falls asleep while I'm reading. I am also the activity days leader in my ward which keeps me busy.

My New Blog

2009-01-29T13:52:00.005-07:00

I LOVE hand-me-downs. (As evidenced in a previous post entitled "Ode to Hand-me-Downs". I like that I get a shoppers high but I don't get buyers remorse. I like the looks on my girls faces when I pull out a big bag of new "acquisitions" for them. I like giving to my neighbors and seeing the outfits my kids wore resurrected which brings back memories. I decided to make a blog all about hand-me-downs. To visit my new blog click here and get rid of unwanted items and advertise for needed ones! Happy trading!

Promises

2009-01-23T10:49:00.002-07:00

I was in the shower the other day when I realized that the tape I put up around the bathroom ceiling (prep for painting the ceiling) has been there for over two years! Sigh. I looked around and realized that the stuff I did paint needs touch up and the ceilings are pinker than ever. The kitchen cabinets are halfway done but I have to completely sand them down and start again because I used the wrong kind of paint. Pursuant to these realizations, I have decided:

I solemnly promise that I will NEVER move into a new home until I have COMPLETELY painted EVERYTHING that needs painting EXACTLY the way I want it. So there! Don't try to stop me, I've learned my lesson and will not make the same mistake again.

Dear Aunt Amy,

2009-01-09T21:02:00.003-07:00

Oh my Aunt Amy,

I wanted to call you today but Mommy said I'm too young to use the phone. So I had her record me telling you what's what and now I'm sending it to you. I'm freaking cute, I know. Try to contain yourself. Mommy says I've been shouting at things, especially at my own reflection. I sometimes object, and I let people know. See you soon,

Love Natalie

P.S. Liam is crying in the background. I didn't do it. Mommy took care of him and he is okay.

My Long Over Due Christmas Post

2009-01-09T13:45:00.004-07:00

My favorite snapshot of the day:

We had a wonderfully relaxed Christmas day. (Ben was up until 4 a.m. Christmas Eve) We had a nice breakfast made by Jason- he makes the best eggs-and spent the afternoon at my parents' house. The kids had a great time and I think one of the best highlights was their excitement in the gifts they gave each other.

I'm so grateful to have time every year to settle down a remember my Savior and His life and atonement. We feel very blessed and loved and appreciate all of the help and support through the Christmas season and see our Heavenly Father's hand in it.

Winter Wonderland: If at first you don't succeed, try, try....ah never mind!

2008-12-29T14:41:00.007-07:00

We started at 11 :30 a.m. Big beautiful fluffy white snow flakes were still falling. We had plenty of time and only 3 quick stops to make. I packed everything we need. Hot chocolate. Check. Appropriate clothing: Check. We braved the slow roads and got on the freeway thinking, "surely they plowed it...right?" 20 mph and 100 hours later we got off the freeway. 1st errand: drop off a resume. Jason runs in....the kids scream Christmas songs at the top of their lungs. For 45 minutes. Jason comes out. Mommy and kids are grumpy. Daddy cheers us up and on we go. 2nd errand: Brave Wal-mart 3 days before Christmas looking for a sled. It's snowing. It's December. Wal-mart sells sleds don't they? Apparently not. Unless you count the 2 orange ones that only one kid can ride in at a time that cost $12 and will crack or get run over before we can use them again. It's now been almost 2 hours. Kids have to pee. Daddy needs to change. We run home again. Daddy changes. Off again. We stop at Shopko, buy the last 2 sleds (65% off.) 3rd errand: drop Natalie off at Grandma's house. Kids go pee, change into snow pants, coats, gloves. Liam is a basket case. It's 2:00 and we haven't had lunch or naps. Lizzy is crying, her "nickers" are literally in a twist under her snow pants. Jane cries. She fell in the snow. (she is completely encased in winter gear so at this point I'm thinking she's okay.) Ben wants to stay and play with friends. THAT'S IT!!! Everyone get in the car--except Liam, he's staying for a NAP! We're going sledding if it kills us. We unstuck the van-Grandpa and some neighbors help push us out. We make the 20 min. drive to the park one mile away and VOILA! Sledding heaven. Ahhhhhh. We lasted almost an hour in pure bliss sledding and giggling-until Jane "had to go". It was worth it.

Natalie "objects" to broken gingerbread.

GINGERBREAD HOUSES
We decided to start a new tradition for occupying Christmas Eve morning. Making gingerbread something or other. It was a yummy sticky idea. Too bad the homemade gingerbread was too soft and so was the icing. Here are the pictures to document the activity: (despite the picture at the bottom, we all had a good time!

Sour Crumb

2008-12-20T09:49:00.003-07:00

At our ward Christmas party last night, Jason took the twins to the restroom. He could hear them in there singing something and giggling. When they came out, they were doing this weird contorted dance move. It was then that he realized they were saying "sour crumb" which loosely translates in little girl talk to "sauerkraut". If any of you have seen Thoroughly Modern Millie, you'll remember that awesome dance. Here's a video of the girls doing it.

What I've learned

2008-11-25T22:28:00.001-07:00

Well, here it is. Grab your notebook and pencil, I'm about to unleash my boundless wisdom on motherhood and children. It should be groundbreaking...so prepare yourselves! Here's a list of the important things I have learned. Maybe it will help you. Maybe it will help me!
1. Kids don't know what the word "swallow" means. Don't ever tell a child to swallow their food unless you're sure they know how to do it! That's a mistake I've made more than once!
2. Sometimes mommies cry.
3. You'll say things that you'd never imagine such as "Don't eat your shoelaces," "We don't put our head in the toilet," and the ever popular "Do I have to turn this car around?"
4. Laugh. Laugh a lot. Out loud. Even if it's fake and forced. Even if it sounds strangely erratic and makes the kids look at you like you have lobsters crawling out of your ears.
5. Sometimes, the only way to live through the pressure is to get in the car and scream out loud. There's something very calming about letting that pent up energy out. I KNOW I'm not the only one who has done it.
6. Heavenly Father is over ALL and wants you to be hopeful and HAPPY.
7. Repent.
8. It's not a big deal if playdough gets stuck in the carpet. Once it dries you can vacuum it up.
9. Buy WASHABLE art supplies. Even if they're more expensive.
10. Marker and pen wipe easily off the fridge.
11. Fingernail polish takes fingernail polish off the sink but not the wall.
12. Strawberries can be washed out of the carpet but bananas can't.
13. Pray. A lot. Even more than you laugh.

Oh I'm just full of them. Don't worry, with a little effort, you too can be as good as me. Ha hA! All right, let's just admit it. I have absolutely NO IDEA what I am doing. Last night someone complemented Jas and I on the behavior of our children. Usually we're the freak show. Those of you with kids may know what I mean. You go anywhere and the stares follow you. Like the other night when we took our kids to the art museum and the security gaurd followed us through the whole exhibit. (I had it under control. They kept their hands in their pockets or on the stroller which Liam was strapped into for safety.) But today, I decided to embrace who I am: A lucky mommy of 5 who has no idea what she is doing but is nonetheless enjoying the ride! What is the best thing you have learned from kids? (yours or someone else's)

Natalie's Blessing

2008-11-21T20:31:00.006-07:00

Beautiful dress made by Grandma
17 Kids 7 and under
6 infant car seats
6 babies
Lots of screaming and Yelling
Good food
Wild Party
Sacred Blessing
+___________________________

=A Really Special Night

Art Time

2008-11-14T17:34:00.002-07:00

In an effort to spend mre time with my kids, I started a midday activity affectionately called "art time." We've done some fun projects-the biggest hit being simply painting with water colors. I'm looking for new ideas. Does anyone have any suggestions of low-cost=easy-to-do art projects? I'm all ears- or rather, eyes.

Our Guy Kid

2008-11-14T16:18:00.007-07:00

I was busy when I last posted and didn't get a chance to do a post for Ben on his birthday. So let the brag session begin! Wen Ben was born, people looking in the nursery window would identify their cute relative and then exclaim "Oh my gosh! (we're in Utah) Look at that one!" and point at Ben. He was so cute with chubby, hairy shoulders and chunky cheeks. He weighed a whopping 8 lbs. 12 oz. and came out facing sideways. He's always been very creative and active. I think the reason that we had twins is because he REALLY wanted to be a big brother and have siblings to play with. He's a good brother and loves to play with Natalie now. Ben is smart. He's way ahead in reading at school and can play "Jingle Bells" and "Ode to Joy" like nobody's business. He was my buddy when it was just the 3 of us. We would spend hours outside together. As a baby, if he was crying all I had to do was take him outside. (Usually.) We're so glad we have him now as he is such a help with the younger kids. He has lots of nicknames. The one that really stuck is "Benny Penny" because he has swallowed almost enough loose change to buy an ice cream cone. Liam idolizes him and copies everything he does. Thanks for being such a good example Ben!!

President Uchtdorf said MY baby was pretty

2008-11-01T13:42:00.004-06:00

Jason and I were lucky enough to be able to attend a seminar given by Pres. Uchtdorf to the pilots down at UVU. He talked on his love of flying and how to balance it with family and church responsibilities. I really appreciated his wife Harriett's remarks. We got there early so we got to sit on the front row and shake his hand. When they saw Natalie, both he and Harriett said she was beautiful. It was an uplifting experience. I'm always amazed at how the spirit FLOODS the room when a general authority enters. How can one be in the same room as such a man and not believe? We literally felt him before we saw him.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T13:07:00.004-06:00

I think this year Halloween went really well. We went to Jason's work party with the kids where they ate some sugar, then home where they ate some more, then trick-or-treating with more sugar, and then the grandparents for the rest of the sugar in the world. We only had one child throw up from the sweet stuff. Trick or treating was nice because it was so warm. It was fun to see all of our ward friends and neighbors out enjoying the fall w eather together. We also had a nice relaxing visit up at the Findlay's where we watched 'The Russi ans are Coming' (Findlay tradition) as the kids slept off their sugar highs.

Crazy thougts, new addiction, and general catch-up

2008-10-24T15:12:00.002-06:00

So, I am basically crazy. I know a lot of you are thinking "5 kids in 6 years, yeah she is," but that's not what I mean exactly. It's crazy that I have 5 stinkin cute kids and a freakin hot husband but sometimes I still feel ungrateful! Shame on me. I'm living the good life. Natalie is fitting right in and has actually added an ounce of extra serenity into our home. ("Quiet voices, the baby is sleeping.") The other kids love her and so they obey when I ask them to do things for her sake. I'm not sleeping but, at least while I'm awake, I get to hold and cuddle the baby.

My new addiction is my latest reason for my inactivity here on the blog. My mom got me addicted to Goodreads (thanks a lot mom) and every time I go to the site I plan on just staying for a few minutes. An hour later, I'm still there. I know I'm not the only one who enjoys this site. Honk if you love reading! I think they should make one for movies and music. Then I could spend all of my time on the computer and let the kids stay up late every night because I'm in the middle of adding new things...bedtime can wait. Honk if you love bedtime!!!

In other news, Ben celebrated his 7th birthday!! We love our Ben and think he is the greatest big brother ever. He's developing his musical talents further. The other day he got out Jason's guitar and figured out how to pluck out melodies all on his own. He's got a really good ear. Picture to come later-I haven't been able to get him to stand still long enough for me to take a good picture.

You are not my mother, YOU are a snort.

2008-10-11T15:05:00.002-06:00

I love the sounds that newborns make! I normally would preface this post with a disclaimer saying that I was just posting it for my own sake and for record keeping purposes. However, I'm fairly confident that I'm not the only one who thinks that this is FREAKIN CUTE!!! Natalie is doing very well. She sleeps well at night and would probably sleep through the night if I held her the whole time. She's not fond of being alone and sleeps better when there's lots of noise and activity around her. She's a good eater and has gained 2 pounds and one inch. (Babies generally loose weight during the first 2 weeks.) She's a happy little snort and we all love her!

10 points to whoever can name the book that the title of this blog comes from...

To: Aunt Amy From: Luscious

2008-09-24T16:42:00.004-06:00

Head

Shoulders
Knees

And Toes

Eyes

EarsMouth and Nose

Many of you know that all of my children have weird nicknames and our Natalie is no different. She has been nicknamed "Luscious" because she reminds me of a luscious peach all covered in fuzz.

Natalie Michelle Findlay (23 September 2008)

2008-09-23T13:47:00.004-06:00

FINALLY, our little Natalie has arrived. She did take a little persuasion (Oxytocin) but in the end she decided it would be ok to come. Michelle was a spectacular example of the perfect expectant mother.

We arrived at approximately 7:00 am this morning (Tuesday September 23, 2008) and Michelle received the oxytocin at 8:15. By 10:33 MDT Natalie had arrived. She weighs 6 lbs. 12 oz. and is 19 1/2 inches long. She has thick dark red wavy hair. Please enjoy these photographs.

Hell Hath No Fury Like...

2008-09-18T18:32:00.003-06:00

A woman who doesn't like her doctor and STILL has not had her baby.....contraction, contraction, contraction....no baby. BLAST!!!

Catch-Up Post

2008-09-15T13:57:00.008-06:00

This last week has been a busy one. For some reason, mother nature has seen to inflict lots of tricks on me in the last few days. I'm in and out of labor. The baby will probably arrive sometime this week. We're excited about her arrival and can't wait to meet her. Lizzy and Jane have been practicing their mommy skills on all of the babies around us.

Ben is settling into school really well and is enjoying his music classes and has made some new friends. Grandma and Kristen took a shopping trip a few weeks ago and came back with these matching outfits so of course we had to have a photo shoot. I think we got some really cute pictures. Thanks Grandma!

My little Liam Bruce has emphatically told me that he isn't little anymore. He growed up. Liam celebrated his 3rd birthday this week. 3 year olds are fun to buy toys for. He has been excited about all of his new toys. He's such a happy kid and I can't imagine our family with out him.