Picture day

So call me crazy but I have done away with the traditional school pictures where you look so awkward and they don't care what you look like and all you get it one chance to smile when they say cheese.  I have gone a different route.  I take my kids to get their pictures done.  I even spend less doing this.  The school pics cheapest package is $22 and I have 5 kids.  That come to a $110 bucks for pictures that never look good.  Instead I only paid $60 and will probably have them hanging on my wall for a long time.  My kids dread the day of course but then when we get there they eat it up.  Especially Elsie.

 I can't wait to see how they turn out.

Spoiled...I think so. But we love it!

Ellie has a very special friend.  Monico lives in Hawaii and he has never met her, but adores her.  He has a very generous heart and sends Ellie gifts every once in a while.  And not to leave the other kids out he sends them gifts as well.  These kids are pretty lucky to have a secret admirer.

He sent Emma and Elsie earrings that are darling.   

But the biggest treasure was the necklace Ellie got.  It came with a clam and Ellie got to crack it open and find out what her pearl looked like.  She got the peach one which means wealth.  Lucky lady. 

For some reason I didn't get a pic of JJ and Elsie but they both got stuff too.  JJ got a cool necklace with a fish hook on it.  

I am truly grateful for his generous heart.  I love when people are sweet to my children, but this really is above and beyond.  I love that there are still such good people in the world.  

Good Grades...DOUGHNUTS

It is that time again. The kids have really good grades again. I am so proud of all o their hard work and their accomplishment. They are awesome kids. They deserve a reward for their hard effort. Krispy Kreme and Tasty's give free doughnuts for good grades.

them some lucky kiddos

Arriving in style

Who's kids go to their primary program practice in a limo? Oh ya, mine do. It was hilarious. My neighbor called me last night and told me one of her clients just bought a limo and wanted to take her kids for a ride. She told them that they had their primary program practice coming up and they decided it would be fun for the kids to arrive in a limo. Sure enough bright and early the limo showed up as planned and my kids just happened to be the lucky ones to get to go too.

They said that all the kids saw them come and were so excited that they came in a limo.  I guess they were pretty hot stuff.  The kids thought it was pretty awesome.  It is great to have fun neighbors that bring you along for the ride.

The Unexpected Surprise

Ellie has a gift. 

It is the gift of having people fall in love with her without even meeting her. 

All they have to do is see her.

This gift has no bounds.

It has reached across the ocean clear far away in Hawaii.

My uncle has a friend that lives there and since Ellie has been born he has loved her.

He sent her a cute Hawaiian Doll when she was just a baby.

It really means a lot to us when people fall in love with her.

With all the cruel things that happen, those that love her are so special to us.   

We love them.

Well today we received an unexpected package in the mail.

(well unexpected to the kids.  I did give the address:)

The kids were so excited.  

They all lucked out on this one.  

They were so excited that a package actually came to our house for them.

You would have thought it was Christmas with all the excitement.

Here they are with the loot. 

Ellie was so excited.  She kept trying to do the hang loose sign

Elsie almost had it.

The kids scored big time.

Purses, stuffed animals, dresses, and a jersey for JJ.

I think they got spoiled.

I don't know if Monico sees this but a huge THANK YOU to Monico.

PS:  Actually Jeron and I scored.  We got treats.  The Pineapple Chewy Candy was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

oUt wiTh tHe Old aNd iN witH thE nEw

We have had new beds for Elsie and Ellie for about 4 months now. 

We have been waiting to buy mattresses before putting them up.

Well, my mother-in-law called and offered to take the kids for 3 whole day.

I was thrilled.  I could get my house back in order before school starts.

Once she took the kids my focus shifted just a bit.

I did get my house clean, but now I had bigger plans.

I spent the rest of the day moving all the furniture upstairs.

That way when Jeron got home he knew the plan as well.

He was not as thrilled as I was but hey I did all the heavy lifting. 

hahaha

Then we headed to RC Willey to get the mattresses. 

(Go to Sam's they are cheaper, we learned that too late)

The rest of the days and nights we spent rearranging our entire house.

Then we went and picked up the kids and told them that there was a surprise at home waiting for them.

The girls loved LOVED their room.

I will have to say I love it too.

Elsie sleeping in her new bed

She was with me when I bought the bedding 4 months ago.

She ran right to her bed and said 

"this is my new pink bed."

with all the excitement her little voice could muster

Ellie was just as excited as Elsie.

She ran over to her new bed and said "Oooooohhh"

She laid on it and had the biggest grin.

The next day the two of them played in their room the entire day.

They love it.  I have always wanted to use the bonus room as a bedroom. 

It turned out great, and the girls love it...almost as much as I do.

A huge THANK YOU to Grandma Jan for taking the kid and to Jeron for indulging me.

The Children's Garden Part 2

Thanksgiving Point also has a Children's Garden which we went and explored a little. Our kids were instantly drawn in by the Noah's Ark Fountain. We stopped there and let them play for a while. The loved it.

I just love this picture of Lucy.

We didn't think to much and the sun was starting to get lower, so the kids got pretty cold being sopping wet. We just striped them down and gave them the older kids hoodies. We had the WT kids walking around from that point on.

There was so much to do and the kids loved everything. The tic-tac-toe game was fun. I think they enjoyed just playing in the huge sandbox most. They loved the bear cave.  When Papa came down roaring like a bear the look on Elsie's face was priceless.  She got so nervous.  But as soon as she saw Papa she started to laugh. 

Thank you Mama and Papa for taking us all on such an amazing adventure. Now I need to go home and plan out how to make my yard look like Thanksgiving Point:)

DANGER

So we were cleaning our basement and we were almost done when danger struck.  Someone had forgotten to put the pin in the ramp of the treadmill.  JJ was using the top of the ramp to balance on his rip-stick.  The rip-stick went out from under him and this made it so he grabbed the ramp sending the ramp and JJ down to the ground.  Elsie just happened to be walking under the ramp at that moment.  I was able to push her leaving her to only get hit by the legs.   JJ was not so lucky and took the full impact of the ramp on top of him. 

Elsie walked away with only two bruises on her back. JJ got a banged up knee, a really sore back, and a bruise on his hip. We are so lucky that is all that happened. If I had not been there or JJ had not been the one to take the blow it would have crushed Elsie. JJ was hurt pretty bad but the only thing he was saying was "Elsie are you okay?" over and over. Sweet boy.

It truly was a terrifying thing that could have ended so much worse. I just want you all to be VERY aware of the dangers of a treadmill and make sure you ALWAYS put the pin in if the ramp is up. Also make sure that your treadmill can't be turned out without you present. THis could have ended so much worse. We are just lucky it didn't.

tRee hOuSe muSeUm

Ellie had the week off of school and I wanted to something more than just watch Hannah Montana.  It rained almost the entire time she had off so Hannah was a big part of our little break.  I laid in bed and thought about it long and hard and Tree House Museum seemed like a likely choice.  I had to stop and my moms to pick up a coupon for the Museum.  David was there and I asked if he would go with me.  I was so glad when he said yes.  Little did I know how glad I was.  I quickly remembered why I don't go many places anymore.  Ellie just takes off an she is quick and stealth like.  She was at the top of her game today.  She ran out of sight the moment we got there.  David was a HUGE help to me with her and Elsie.

This was the girls favorite part of the Tree House Museum.  The tree.  They spent half the time running up and down the stairs, climbing the wall, and hiding from us.  Silly littles. 

I loved watching them play with everything.  It is a very interactive play area.  

The girls served us cake in the playhouse

Ellie knew that in Japan you eat on the floor.

David read the story from Argentina. 

Ellie got on the horse by herself.  Notice her placement on the saddle.  Oops missed.

They loved the school.  In the one pic Ellie has a look on her face like "Ya, I totally know how to do this."

The girls loved the doctors office.  

The firetruck was a favorite spot.

But nothing beat the train ticket station.  Ellie kept returning.

Look at that smile.  She was thrilled to give tickets to us.

Alice in Wonderland Tea Party.

Who is Ellie?

Where do my girls get their cheesy smile...hmmmm

This is my favorite picture of the day.

Thanks David for coming with us.  David finally came up with Elsie's new nickname.  He now calls her squeaks.  Ha, that makes me laugh.  It totally fits.

Enjoying the little bit of sun

Ah, Spring is here, if only for a moment.

We took advantage of this fleeting moment.

What is up with that anyway.

We hit the trail and the kids had a blast.

I wish I could say the same for me.  

Okay at first it was a lot of fun.

Elsie rode her bike like a champ.

JJ took off and we hardly saw him at all as he rode the whole trail.

Emma rode on ahead, came back, rode ahead, came back.

Ellie and I took a brisk walk.

Seems nice enough.

We saw buffalo,Elk, and the kids thought that was grand.

We even met a hoarse named Liz.

She was funny.

When taking the picture of Elsie she tried to eat her hair.  

Elsie just kept ducking. 

Emma was nervous but finally touched the hoarse.

Ellie just looked.

JJ was still riding on.

But I have a problem!

Ellie CANNOT ride a bike.  She wants to keep up but can't.

By the time we made it about a mile Ellie was done.  

Here is why I didn't enjoy this walk.

It turned into major exercise.

I was walking with 40 pounds on my back,

while helping Elsie on the bike.

She had a moment where she went backwards on a hill.

From that moment on she no longer rode on her own.

We even tried to get Ellie to ride on JJ's pegs.  She wasn't having it.

Then we didn't see JJ again until we got back to the car.

I had to walk a mile bent over with Elsie needing me to push her and Ellie being piggie backed.

FINALLY, Elsie went off on her own on a straight stretch.  BUT, she fell.  I had to hold her the rest of the way as well.  It really makes it hard for me to want to go out and do things.  

It is sad though because I loved, LOVED the first mile.  

So long winded I know, but does ANYONE of you know of a bike that I can ride with Ellie

Jeron and I have searched but nothing. 

She is too BIG for the bike carrier.  

Use your smart noggins and help a sister out.  

Hopefully someone has an answer for me. 

There is Beauty All Around

We had to take JJ to Salt Lake to get a shot because he decided to step on some glass and cut his foot pretty good.  We decided since we were down there we should stop by Temple Square and see the Joseph Smith Movie.  Once we got there we decided the day was just to nice to spend it inside watching a movie.  We toured the North Visitors Center, Beehive House, and stopped at the Lion House for a cookie.  Then we walked around enjoying the water fountains and flowers. 

As we were leaving Ellie had to take a moment to give the statue of Christ a hug, then the other kids saw me taking a picture and one by one they came to join.  

As we were walking around Temple Square Elsie picked a flower.  I about died.  It was one of the prettiest ones on the Temple grounds.  I will have to say she is one cute thief.  .

The grounds were so beautiful.  It was a perfect day for a stroll. 

After the Beehive house we had to go an get ourselves a yummy cookie at the Lion House.  The kids love this little treat. We also went in the Tabernacle.  It was fun to have Elsie sing and you could hear her everywhere in there. 

What is a Temple walk without a beautiful pic to go with it?

It is one of my kids favorite things to do and it is absolutely FREE.  You've gotta love it baby:)

Pure Joy

There is no better hoarse in the world then your dad

Poor Jeron has to give all the girls a ride at the same time.  They just love these moments with Daddy.

{Our} kids...bragging rights!

I will start by telling you I hate brag letters.  You know the ones people send out at the end of the year listing all the things that their family has done throughout the year, and how wonderful they all are.  Please keep sending them to me though because what else will I have to make fun of.  I find it funny that as much as I hate those letters I am about to do one.  I say all the time that this is my journal but I never just talk about my kids.  So I am going to brag for a minute.

I was just sitting here thinking how much our kids are all so different.  They come to the exact same parents and yet they are so incredibly different.  I love how unique each of them are.  I don't just sit and reflect very often but I find myself doing that tonight.  We have been so blessed.  Our four kids melt my heart on a daily basis.  They each bring something different to this family that makes our family stronger.

JJ is so smart it is crazy.  He is clever.  He thinks of things is such a different way than most people do.  This is why I think some day he will change the world.  He can create the most awesome things.  His mind is always working.  He never stops...ever!  He literally is smarter than me by leaps and bounds.  He is just so handsome with his brown eyes and copper top.  He comes up with the craziest ideas and if I was more fun we would do them, but I am not so we don't.  He is the sweetest boy.  He is always willing to help others out.  Every teacher (school or church) he has ever had tells me what a privilege it is to have him in their class.  I know it is because he is such a helper to them, he wants to learn, and he listens.  He is very mature for his age except when he is not.  He is a tease like no other.  He teases all of us to the point that we want to scream.  When we do scream this just fuels his fire.  He does well to be a brother of all sisters.  He doesn't complain when we rent the Barbie movie.  He just goes with the flow.  I don't think I have given him enough credit for what he does put up with.  His sisters are lucky to have him.  He loves me.  Even though there are times I think I am the worst mom ever, he still loves me.  He loves to wrestle with his dad and tease him in a way that only boys can.  He loves his grandparents like crazy.  He always wants to call Papa and tell him about what he made or wants to make, and is always coming up with endless project that he could do with him.  He loves to tell Mama about his day and he knows she will really listen to him.  He loves to sit on Grandma Jan's lap and have her tickle his back.  He loves that Grandpa Gene shows interest in his hobbies, and shows him new ones.  He loves to tease his Grandpa John and make fun of him for pinching his ears. JJ is such a great kid.  He really enjoys learning about Christ and his gospel.  He is starting to think about things on a deeper level.  We can have cool discussions about life now.  Oh, did I mention he reads novels like 400 page novels in a couple of days.  Like I said the kid is wicked smart.

Emma is our little soft spoken, mild mannered, sweetheart.  She is always my biggest helper.  She is johnny on the spot when it comes to helping with Ellie.  She is the best thing that has happened to Ellie.  Emma helps her do her homework.  I didn't even have to ask, she just does it.  She is a perfectionist.  Where she gets this from...I don't know (mama)  She gets extremely nervous the day before a test because she is worried she will do bad.  If 100% is bad than she did bad.  She never, ever misses a word on her spelling tests.  She does not really come from me I guess.  I can't spell worth a lick.  She can memorize like nobody's business.She is learning to love to read and is almost keeping up with her brother with how much she reads.  She is also a little crazy about her math.  She was so worried that she would be passed up by all the other kids when they got times tables memorized.  She was one of the first to finish.  Even when she was on 9's she was worried that she was getting behind.  She is such a great sister.  She will play with Ellie for hours and hours.  She has the cutest laugh.  But once you get this girl going she can't stop.  She is hilarious.  When we play games she is so competitive but such a poor loser.  She loves to win so much that she can't handle losing.  She still wants to be a little girl but is starting to grow up.  This makes me sad and excited all at the same time.  Emma is someone that truly wants to be a good person.  She is so sad if someone is mad at her.  She hates to hurt feelings and feels bad when she does.  She gets her heart broken a little too easily.  I sure hope it gets tougher.  She is starting to want to do her own hair.  Yikes, that is my favorite time.  She loves her family.  I think we are going to be great friends which makes me happy.  I hope this stays true during the teenage years.  She loves her daddy.  It is cute to watch her tell him things.  I can see that she really loves his opinion.  Again she loves her grandparents as well.  She is always so excited to see them and her love for them is so genuine.  She has the prettiest smile I have ever seen.  So perfectly pink.  She loves to go to church.  She is understanding so much more and starting to have answers to the tough questions.  She says the sweetest things to me all the time. 

Ellie, where do I begin.  I really could just some it up in a few lines or write a novel.  She is an ANGEL!  That is how I could sum it up.  She LOVES school.  She gets so excited when she sees the school and when she runs in my heart smiles.  She is starting to talk a little bit more.  She said "Help you mom?" the other day and I about passed out.  She is starting to make sense of things and point out things to me.  She is funny.  She has just started to really laugh in the last couple of months.  She has always laughed but now she is laughing with more feeling in it.  She loves to escape into her Barbie world.  She gets them all out and lines them up and has them all talk to each other.  I often wonder if this is because she doesn't really have friends so this is who she shares her life with.  She really does love her Barbie time.   She HATES change.  She is cranky when I tell her to get in the bath, cranky when I tell her to get out of the bath, go to school, come home from school, you see the patten.  It makes me laugh...some days.  She is starting to say the prayer at home on her own.  Even though I have no clue what is being said I can feel the spirit.  She can sing songs now, and I understand what she is saying.  She is the most thoughtful little lady, unless it involves Boo and then she is maybe not so thoughtful.  She is starting to really like to cuddle with me.  I love this.  She loves to eat carbohydrates.  This makes me crazy.  I want to feed her good food but she only wants crackers, chips, breads.  Oh, that girl.  She has the prettiest hair color ever.  I just wish she had more of it.  She get so excited when daddy gets home.  Cutest thing.  She is trying so much more now on her own.  She is getting sneaky.  She stole Emma's cookie the other day, and a shirt from the school book fair.  We might have to watch this one.  She loves everyone that she meets.  She teaches me more than most people.  She is amazing when it comes to knowing when someone needs a hug.  I love to be a witness to the many things that she does, and the hearts that she touches.

Elsie makes me laugh.  Not just laugh but belly laugh.  She is so clever and witty.  She is in love with herself.  I wish I could bottle that and sell it.  She tells me all the time that she is pretty.  She is a spitfire.  Holy cow, that girl is on one all the time.  She is so much fun though.  She changes her clothes about every 30 minutes.  It makes for a ton of laundry.  She is finally (knock on wood) potty trained.  I thought that would never happen.  She loves to swim.  She asks me on a regular basis when we are going to the pool.  She loves to shop.  She wants to always go to the store with me.  It makes me laugh.  I am pretty sure she is going to be a fashion designer and everyone will want an Elsie original.  She is 100% girl.  There isn't anyone I know that has a girl like her.  She literally has to wear a dress everyday and it has to be twirl worthy.  She is so clever.  She can run my iphone better than I can.  She loves to sing songs.  She sings "I love to see the Temple" all the time.  She sicks it in such a high note you can't help but giggle a little.  She has learned the alphabet song and counting to 10 on her own.  She didn't learn it from me.  She is to smart.  She loves to get into makeup.  She almost always has some lipstick in her hand and is applying it like crazy.  She wants me to do her hair.  She loves to twirl my hair.  It drives me crazy sometimes, but when we went on our vacation I kind of missed it.  She has the biggest most beautiful brown eyes.  They can melt my heart.  In fact she is spoiled because all she has to do is look at me with  those eyes and wham, I give in. She loves her binkie.  I am not sure we will ever break her of it.  I don't know if I care.  She lights up my life and I am so glad we have our forth child.  She just might be my favorite Elsie in the world. 

I feel that I have been blessed to have such amazingly awesome kids.  I want more than anything that they will be happy.  Happiness comes from knowing who you are and where you come from.  They already get it so much more than I did at their age.  I just hope I don't mess them up too much.  They came pretty awesome.  Now, I just hope you know i could write just as much about what drives me crazy but I wanted to focus on how much they make my heart happy.  I love you kids.

An Elf Dinner

The kids have felt so crappy the last couple of days that I wanted to do something to help lift their spirits. We had just watched the movie "Elf" so I thought what a great idea to have an "Elf" dinner.

We all know the 4 basic food groups for Elves is
1. Candy
2. Candy Canes
3. Candy Corns
4. Syrup, Elves love syrup.

So JJ and I found all the sugary things we could find and set the table with them. I have never seen Ellie so excited.


JJ and Emma both gave it a go. Syrup and sprinkles. Elsie and Ellie just watched. Ellie did have chocolate chips on the side. It was a lot of fun to watch. Jeron and I opted out on the sugar. It kind of makes my stomach lurch. IT was a lot of fun though.





JJ and Emma both said it tasted good. I don't know how.

Dressed to impress

Every year the Sunday before Christmas means new clothes. This year I think my kids looked darling but I will have to admit I missed the matchy matchy sister outfits. Emma got a brand new dress and Ellie and Elsie wore hand me downs this year. They still look cute though.

I wasn't able to get pics before church so the hair is a little bit wild on some:)




I am not sure why Elsie didn't get a pic...oh wait, it was one hour past nap time and she was in NO MOOD to help out. We are just lucky she posed long enough for this. Notice she is looking away. She is looking at the cookie she was promised if she smiled. Love her!