Mom Of Six Wife Of One

2010-02-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

Since my last post we have made some progress on out trip. On Tuesday we left Grand Junction and went to Denver to see Dale and Chantel. On our way we stopped and visited "Buffalo Bills Grave" it wasn't the most exciting thing but it was fun to drive up there and learn a little about his history. We only were able to spend the night at Dale and Chantel's and then left the next morning to Wichita. We were able to sit in a good meeting Wednesday. Wednesday night we stayed with Bro. Brent and Sis. Sherry Mc Graw. It was nice to be able to see people we haven't seen in so many years. The last time we were in Wichita was when Alyssa and Shelbi were both babies so I would guess it to be about 13 or 14 years ago. On Thursday morning we made our way to Oklahoma, and have been staying with Lee and Cherrie the last couple days. Kayla has really enjoyed Stormie and they have had a lot of fun doing things together. Tonight the older girls will be going to their first "Oklahoma Young Kids Event" I hope they aren't overwhelmed and are able to have a good time. I am looking forward to meeting tomorrow in Dawson. My sister and her family will be coming to see me tomorrow, and maybe spend a day or so. It will be nice to get to visit with her too. Here are some more pictures I have taken since we left Grand Junction.

Feeling Blessed

2010-02-08T12:39:00.000-08:00

So far our trip has been very good and very up lifting. We have been able to sit in some really good meetings and visit with many different brethren. Some we have never really visited with and some we have been friends with for years. We had a really good visit with Bro. Randy and Sis. Cherrie and Hayden enjoyed playing with Melanie and I had to take some pictures of them.

After our visit with Randy and Cherrie we had decided to head to Denver and possibly spend the weekend there, but it seemed like the Lord had other plans. Sean started feeling like maybe his work wasn't done quite yet in this part, and we had decided that we would possibly stay a few more days when he got a call from his niece Bobby, and she was wanting to talk with him. She gave her hand to be baptized and the next day we all went down to the river. It was cold the river was frozen and they had to break the ice.

Well that night we all headed to the church for the ordinance supper and Shelbi gave her hand to be baptized, so we decided to postpone the supper and go to the Orchard Mesa church to fill the baptistery, and as we were waiting Charity gave her hand to her dad.

Here are some photos of Charity getting baptized.

Here is a photo of all three girls

Our Journey Begins

2010-02-01T14:46:00.000-08:00

We have begun our month long journey of traveling and so far things are going pretty good. We haven't had very many educational experiences so far, but have been able to sit in some good meetings and visit with several different brethren. We have had some good conversations and have been able to visit on good things. Right now we are in Colorado and have really enjoyed our stay so far. Sean called meeting last night and again tonight. I will try to take some pictures as we go along and keep you posted as to where we are.

New Year, New Changes

2010-01-27T09:46:00.000-08:00

Life here has been busy with so many new changes this New Year, changes that have been good but also have been an adjustment in many ways. We have decided to home school all of our children and have just started getting a daily routine down.We are trying to focus on values, and teaching skills that I feel will be of value to them in the future. Also Sean recently quit his job, and is taking some time off so we can do some traveling to different assemblies. We have been able to go to some assemblies close by, but are planning a much larger trip here in the near future. Along the way we would also like to find some educational places to visit to help incorporate in the children's home schooling. I will try to post about the different places we visit, but as you all know I'm not very consistent with posting so don't hold your breath. LOL

Adrianna

2009-12-11T07:33:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Adrianna!

Well another year has come and gone and I can't believe my little girl is already 8! This year we celebrated Adrianna's birthday at Papa's Pizza with Roman. We celebrated
a few days before her birthday,which I enjoy, because her birthday is actually the same day as mine so when we celebrate it early it really makes the day all her own.

Adrianna is such a sweet girl. She is usually pretty quite and sometimes shy around people she doesn't know very well, but this past year I have noticed her breaking out of her shell a little more. She is staring to show her personality and creativity more and more. For example this summer we had a yard sale, and she dressed up in a bright pink wig and dress and stood on the street corner with a sign yelling and dancing around to try to lure people to the sale. Adrianna and Kayla have a very close bond, and really enjoy one another. I think that Kayla's outgoing personality has helped Adrianna become more outgoing. I love the bond that they share, and hope that they can always have a close relationship.

When I was pregnant with Hayden Adrianna had been my baby for 4 years, and she was kind of sad the she had to give up that roll. But when Hayden was born and was a boy, I told her that he was the new baby, but she would always be my baby girl. To this day she is still happy to be called my baby girl, and I tell her "You will always be my baby girl!"

This is a group photo of all the younger kids.

Adrianna and Roman

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T17:15:00.000-07:00

Hayden The Pirate

Adrianna as a Cheetah

Kayla is "Miss Understood"

Maria as a Hobo

I like it A lot!

2009-10-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

Well I finally did it....I finally got the new washer and dryer I have been dreaming about for years! I just want to say I love my new washer and dryer. I can wash so many more clothes at one time and the dryer, well it actually dries the clothes and it doesn't take 2 or more hours to do it like my old dryer did. I also got red which happens to be my favorite,all I have to say is I don't regret my purchase...and I like it a lot!

My Season

2009-10-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

I am not the kind of person who generally gets sick a lot or is afflicted with any thing really ever. I usually will get a cold or sometimes a flu maybe once a year and it generally lasts a day or two and I am back to my old self. However that has not been the case this year. It seems I have been plagued with sickness upon sickness and as soon as I can re cooperate from one thing something else comes up. So I have to ask in my mind WHY???? Well to tell you the truth I really don't know why. Maybe the Lord is trying to teach me something?

I have felt blessed that the brethren have shown care to call and check on me and even come over and pray for me. It helps that relationship and bond we have with one another to grow when the brethren take the time to come pray for you. My family has been good to take care of the things around the house. The girls have been cooking meals and trying to keep the house neat and all the dishes done. Sean has also been sweet, he has made several trips to the store for me and even has warmed up soup for me. Sometimes I feel that my job as a wife and a mother and sometimes a sister in the faith is taken for granted, I feel that things are just expected of me and sometimes even demanded of me just because I am all those things. Being sick has showed me that I am loved and appreciated, and my family and brethren do care for me. It has been a good reminder. So although I am ready for this season of sickness to pass. I feel I have been taught some lessons through it all.

Shelbi

2009-09-24T12:51:00.000-07:00

I had decided I would write a post about each of my children on their birthdays, although Shelbi's birthday was almost a month ago I decided to write about her anyway. Shelbi is my second oldest child and she just turned 14 at the end of August. In fact her birthday is the last day in August, August Thirty-First. However when she was little she informed me that that didn't make any sense, if it's the last day in August why didn't they call it August Thirty-Last? She always keep me laughing with her mannerisms and her detail in each story she tells. Shelbi loves to read she will spend hours in her room reading, and if the house is to noisy I often can find her sitting outside in the van reading. Shelbi also loves little kids and babies and is very motherly. She is a good babysitter, and I appreciate all the times she has watched Hayden, most of the time she doesn't mind at all, and quite often she will volunteer to keep him or even take him to the park. Shelbi is a good girl who has a level head on her shoulders and when I visit with her I am often impressed with her philosophy on life in general. I look forward to seeing the person she will become. I love you Shelbi, and Happy Very Belated Birthday.

The Coast/My monkey

2009-07-29T08:19:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we headed over to the coast for the day. It was very nice to enjoy the sunshine, unlike the blazing wind and rain we experienced on our last visit. It was a pretty laid back day we spent some time on the beach, Sean dug up some clams, and then we headed home and stopped along the way for a picnic. Here are some of the photos I took.

Post Part 2:
My Monkey

I was downloading my photos from the coast, and I noticed this video the girls had taken of Adrianna....I had no idea she could do that. Watch!

Happy Birthday Maria

2009-07-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Maria's 12Th birthday. I can't believe she is only one year away from being a teenager. Where has the time gone? I remember when she was born at only 4 lbs. 13 oz. what a great gift and miracle she was to us, and what a blessing it was to watch her grow to be so healthy.
I would have to say Maria has her own personality traits that make her special and make me love her so much. She is by far the most quiet of all my kids. She is always very helpful and and very neat. She likes to have a place for everything and everything in its place. Even when she was little she was constantly wanting to weed out her toys and keep them to the bare minimum to avoid the constant mess. She quite often will offer to help me in the kitchen with dinner, or with extra chores around the house, and she always puts a good effort into the work she does. Maria is very giving and thinks of others before her self. All of my children have traits that make them special and make them who they are, and each one is such a blessing to me.
Happy Birthday Maria! Thanks for being such a good girl and for all the help and joy you are to me. I love You!

The Best 4th of July

2009-07-05T22:26:00.000-07:00

I would have to say I think this year was the best 4Th we have ever had. It was filled with good food, friends and visits. This year we invited all the brethren in this part over for a BBQ and Pool party. I felt it to be a great success. I thoroughly enjoyed sharing our home with the brethren. It felt so good to feel the love and friendship we have for each other, and for one an other's children. Today I feel so blessed to live in this part. I don't know how to explain it other than I feel so content here, just like things are good. We are in the right place at the right time.

These Kids Are Crazy

2009-05-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

This weekend they finally came and finished cleaning the pool. The kids were so excited to try it out. So Saturday was a nice sunny yet cool day, but because the sun was shinning they thought it was definite swimming weather. We haven't found a way to heat the pool yet so the water was FREEZING cold! All I have to say is these kids are crazy.

Shelbi was not cray like the other girls. She enjoyed the warm sun, but not the cold water.

Please Send Me an Invite

2009-05-05T07:28:00.000-07:00

I recently noticed that I was unable to see some of your blogs. Every time I would click on your little names from my blog page it would redirect me to a screen saying something about Java scrip and cookies. I have tried to reconfigure my computer and still no luck. I then realized it was only all of my friends who have their blogs set to private. I found a way to bypass it if I go through someone else blog and click on your blogs I could then see them, however as I was talking with Gale the other day I asked her to send me an invite again to her blog to see if that would work, and it did! So all my friends out there who have there blogs set to private could you please send me another invite. My email address is Emomo5@aol.com I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

2009-04-30T07:58:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a while since my last post. I don't even know where to begain. Life as usual has been very busy. Kayla just celebrated her 10th birthday last week. We had a fun day shopping with her good friend Stormie and then we went to the theater to see the new Hannah Montana Movie. It was a really fun and memorable day.

Kayla & Stormie doing some shopping

Kayla & Stormie in there new matching outfits getting ready to enter the theater.

Happy Birthday Hayden!

2009-03-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

My baby is already 3 years old. I can hardly believe it. He is at such a fun age now. He is learning it say so many cute things, and when he plays it is fun to see what he will imagine next. This year we celebrated with some cupcakes and a few small gifts. Here are some pictures.

The New House

2009-02-26T07:19:00.000-08:00

Well we have moved into are new house and finally are starting to get more settled in and gradually getting things put away. We have been without Internet, phone and TV service for the last two weeks so that is why I haven't posted pictures sooner. So here are a few pictures of the main rooms in the house before we moved in. I will try to take some more once I have all the walls decorated.

The Kitchen

The Family Room

The dining Room

The living room

First day of Public High School

2009-01-27T11:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Alyssa's first day of public high school. Although I have loved homeschooling her the last few years, and spending time with her at home, I really felt like she was just becoming to comfortable with her surroundings and not applying herself to her schoolwork. I think she was beginning to feel bored with school, and life. She really is my social butterfly and she was starting to feel caged in.

We found a unique kind of High School. It is very small. They only allow no more than 20 students per grade level, so no more that 80 students for the whole high school. It is called a "Big Picture School" and what they do is try to focus on what the child is interested in and incorporates their learning around that. They are able to take on internships two day a week as part of their learning experience. And really get more one on one time with their teacher and mentors. It sounds like a great way to learn about a lot of different things, and a fun approach to school. So far she really seems to be enjoying it. She said everyone has been really nice and welcoming, and that's what any mother would hope for for her child in a new school.

It is sometimes is hard to make choices about what is best for our children. Life is adventurous sometimes, and constantly full of changes. So begins another journey....

Move # 18!!!

2009-01-20T08:58:00.000-08:00

Move #18 that is a lot of moving if you ask me! Nevertheless we are moving again. In my hunt for houses we found a house that I think will work really well for our family. It isn't very far from where we live now, and is a little closer to the church. I am looking forward to the extra room. Our new house has 6 bedrooms! The older girls are all very excited about having there own room. Another thing they are excited about is the in ground swimming pool in the back yard! It is an older home, maybe not quite as updated as the home we are in, but it is very roomy, and I am happy. Now the dreaded task of packing and sorting through all our numerous belongings. Yeah! Let the work begin!

Happy Belated New Year

2009-01-07T19:24:00.000-08:00

Well here comes a new year 2009 is here can you believe it? This year for New Years we invited the Brethren over to play games and have sacks. It was fun to vist with everyone, and everyone stayed until midnight so I guess it was a sucess.

I wonder what this new year will hold for us? We will probably be moving to a different house sometime between now and summer. Our lease is up on this house next month, so we are looking around again to see what are options are. It looks like the price of rent has come down a little since last year, so we would like to go for somthing a little less if possible. Although I dread packing up again, it is always exciting to be in a different house. I guess I just like change.

I wonder what is in store for our assemely? Will our church continue to grow? Will there be new familes moving in? Will any move away? Will there be more who continue to join this faith wether they have been raised this way there whole life, or have come in from out of the world. The possiblites seem endless.

I wonder what new friendships may be in store, and what old frindships will continue to grow and be rekindeled.

I feel very blessed looking back on last year. Our little assembly has grown in size, and I feel our spirtual strength has been increased. My husband has been blessed with steady labor for his hands, our children are healthy. And we have been blessed with a home filled with family and brethren from time to time. I look forward to 2009 and what new blessings may be awaiting us. Although there are sure to be trials that come our way this year God will make them blessings in his own time.I look forward to those blessings.

Busy In A good Way

2008-12-05T10:27:00.000-08:00

Things around here have been so busy. With the holidays that have passed and the ones yet to come it seems like I am just running all the time. Last week my parents were here. It was good to see them again and have them in my home. Adriana had her birthay while they were here. I can't believe she is already 7! We celebrated her birthay togeter with Roman's with a party, and then we all went roller skating. I hadn't been skating in long time, so I was pretty pleased that I didn't fall even once. Later in the week we made a trip to visit my grandma. It was a quick visit, but it was good to see her again. Wendsday before Thanksgiving there was a bapisim, and then another one on Sunday. Then we had an ordinance supper on Monday, And last Friday Dennis and Trina hosted a Christmas party for all the Broteren here. It has been great and so up lifting to be able to spend so much time together. So like the title says...Iv'e beem busy, but in a good way.

Sewing 101

2008-10-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

This year as part of our homeschooling the girls had expressed interest in learning how to sew a dress. So the other day they had a great sale going at the fabric store on patterns and fabric. The girls enjoyed glancing at the pattern books, and learning about different types of fabric. They have each chose a different pattern and fabric and have begin to cut them out. I would like to try to work on them about once or twice a week. I hope they turn out great...but we will see. I'll try to keep you posted.

This is the pattern and fabric Alyssa chose.

And this is the pattern and fabric Shelbi chose.

The girls at work

Pictures

2008-10-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

Well I finally talked Sean into it and we got a professional family photo taken. Sean really doesn't like to get pictures taken, but he really was a good sport about it, and I think we got some pretty good pictures.

Our family Photo. I couldn't get my computer to crop the pictures, so they really look better printed up.

Finally A New Post!

2008-09-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone? Summer just flew by and I figured once school started and we got back into a schedule things would slow down, but they really haven't. Summer was great, and looking back over my previous post "What I'm Looking Forward To" I was blessed to be be able to enjoy most everything on the list. Billy and Barbara didn't make it out to see us, but we are sill hoping they will make it out sometime. Since the camp out we have had a lot of company. I really have enjoyed having different ones in our home, and to our assembly for church. Although it makes life busy it is always so encouraging to have the brethren in our home, and I feel blessed to be able to teach my children hospitality through example.

This week we went over to the coast for a couple days with some of our company. As we traveled down the road we sang, and visited about good things. I thought about what great memories these are going to be for my children, and what a blessing it is to be able to share it with them. It seems like the older I get the more I realize how quickly time is flying by. It may be just a few short years before my girls are getting married and moving away. I really want to enjoy there teenage years and take every opportunity to instruct them to be good wives and mothers.

I am homeschooling the two older girls again this year. We are doing a different program than we did last year, and I really am enjoying it much more. We are able to set our own pace and own schedule. This has worked great with all of the company we have had, and I feel so much more relaxed and less stressed out than I have in the previous years. Once things settle down a little around here we would like to do some projects. The girls would like to learn to sew some clothing and I would like to do some cooking lessons also.

So that is the short version of what has been going on around here. Hopefully I will be able to get on more frequently. I miss reading all of your posts, and receiving all of your comments. Now it's time to get caught up on what has been happening with all of you.

Maria's 11th Birthady

2008-07-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

Well I have to admit this is kind of old news, but I took pictures to post on my blog so I figured I might as well post about it still. A couple of weeks ago my computer had to go in for repairs, so I was with out a computer for about a week, so that is a good excuse for being behind on my posts right?
Maria turned 11 on the 15Th of this month, and to celebrate her birthday we went to the family fun center in Wilsonville They have a lot of arcade games, mini golf, race cars, bumper boats, and batting cages. The kids had fun. We played a round of mini golf. This was a bit challenging with a 2 year old. He didn't quite grasp the concept and kept picking up everyones ball and relocating it. But we soon found that as long as he had a club and ball in his had he was a happy boy.

My little golf pro

The birthday Girl

This picture turned out so cute I thought I would post it too.

So after a round of mini golf in the hot blazing Oregon sun, the girls thought they were about to die! So they all voted to ride the bumper boats. I would have loved to have gone too, but Hayden was to young to ride along, so I sat out and took pictures of all the fun. They had a blast!

Sean was working when we went to the Family Fun Center, so we also went to the Olive Garden as a family for her birthday. We had several gift cards, which covered most of the cost, so that made it even nicer. She had a nice birthday, and it was great to spend a little time together.

Here's An Update

2008-06-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

I guess it has been a while since I posted, so I thought I would do a little update on what has been going on around here. Well school is finally over. We have been sleeping in some, but never past nine....we have to keep some kind of schedule around here. So usually we are all up by nine to get ready for the day and do some chores. We have been getting out some most everyday. Just to do a little window shopping, swimming, or to enjoy some sunshine at the park. The sunshine I was looking forward to has finally arrived....and I have been enjoying it. I got to go pick strawberries the other day. Trina came out to pick too. It was nice to spend a little time together out in the fields picking and visiting. I brought them all home and the girls helped me put them up and make freezer jam. It is nice to have kids old enough to help. It makes it go so much faster.

We also got to venture up to Olympia for Ashley's wedding. It was nice to see everyone. Even if it was just for the day I'm glad we got to go. As they were standing up in front of everyone the minister instructed them to enjoy each day, because time goes by so fast. And I though about how true that is, and how it seemed like just the other day it was me getting married. Weddings are always such a good reminder of the promises made between man and wife, and the love for one another. It is a beautiful thing to reflect on, and to still have after fifteen years truly is a blessing. It was great to be reminded.

The next few weeks my goal is to sort through all the rooms in our house and get rid of all excess. This weekend Sean and I built a work bench together for the garage. It really helps to get things a little more organized. I'm hoping to have a yard sale in a couple weeks, so that is what is on the agenda for the next couple weeks. I will try to keep you all updated.

Weekend Getaway

2008-06-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Sean and I were able to get away for a couple of days to celebrate our anniversary. As I mentioned in my previous post we went to Hood River. We stayed at a nice little bed and breakfast in town. The room was very nice and the breakfast each morning was really good. When we arrived we found a note telling us where are room was located, so we journeyed upstairs to our suite and found the door propped open. The room was very nice with a small living area and kitchenette, but as I turned the corner and entered our bed room I found a cat laying on our bed. To tell you the truth it kind of caught me off guard. I gasped and said "There's a cat on our bed" Now I'm not a big lover of cats, and I was kind of disgusted that they would let there cat come up to our room and sleep on our bed. Sean reached out to touch it to get it to move off our bed, and it did nothing. At that point I realized it was fake. I did however remove it from the bed. In my opinion cats do not belong on the bed not even fake ones!

On Saturday we went downstairs to eat breakfast. We had fruit followed by some banana nut bread, then some sort of quiche, meatballs and toast, and coffee, tea, and juice to drink. Everything was really good, and it was interesting to listed to every ones conversation, and find out all the different places everyone had come from. After breakfast we drove out to the airport for Sean's surprise flight lesson. I really pulled it off well he was really caught off guard, and really had no idea what I had planned. As the flight instructor explained to him that he would actually be flying the plane I could tell he was really surprised, but happy too. Sean isn't the kind of guy to show a lot of emotion, but he was all smiles.

The instructor explaining to Sean how things work on the plane

In the plane getting ready for take off.

Mt. Hood our scenic destination

Mt. Hood right outside our window.

The Gorge and Hood River

Our landing strip

My Pilot safe on the ground again.

After the flight lesson we ate some lunch, browsed through some of the shops down town, and then went on the Mt. Hood train ride. It was a fun relaxing ride. Here are some more pictures.

Sean and I waiting for the train to leave the depot

Scenery on the train ride

The engine switching ends or the train

Saturday was a pretty long day, so by the end we were feeling kind of lazy so we rented a movie, and had Taco Bell for dinner in our room...I know so romantic! Sunday we got up and packed things up as we got ready for church. Then we went downstairs for breakfast, but when we got there two seats were left, but not next to each other. It was a little awkward at first, but the couple that was there the day before from Boston said we were way to quite the day before, so we needed to sit apart in hopes that we might converse more. I don't know if it really worked, but they were very nice and did try to include us in the conversation. The breakfast once again was wonderful. Stuffed french toast, ham, and fresh fruit. All very yummy. It was a great to be able to get away and spend some time together. In some ways I wish it would have lasted longer, but I was starting to miss the kids and was looking forward to getting back home.

What I'm Looking Forward To

2008-06-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

Things here have been so busy it seems. I was going to post about our trip to the Brewster camp out, but so much time has passed it just seems like old news. I will say we did have a great time up there, and it was nice to go and see everyone again. So I thought I would write this post about things that I am looking forward to.

1. I'm looking forward to church dinner Sunday. Just being able to spend time with the brethren is a joy

2. I am looking forward to school being over. Being able to sleep in some, not having to keep such a scheduled routine and being able to go out and do some fun things with the kids this summer.

3. I am looking forward to the warm sunshine. Its June and in the 50's and 60's. Hurry up sunshine.....come out come out wherever you are. :)

4. I am looking forward to our anniversary. This year we will be married 15 years. I remember when we were newly married and I thought over 5 years seemed like a lot. This year we have a little weekend trip planned. We are going to Hood River. I have reserved a room at a bed and breakfast for two nights and we are planning on going on the Mt. Hood train. I also have set up a surprise flight lesson for Sean. He has mentioned several times how it would be fun to learn to fly. The pilot said I could go up with them. I think it is going to be fun!

5. I am looking forward to Ashley and Bodine's wedding.....In hopes we get to go.

6. I am looking forward to spending a day at the beach this summer. Going to seaside and looking in the shops, and to Cannon Beach to explore the tide pools.

7. I am also looking forward to the Oregon camp out. I'm looking forward to Billy and Barbara coming for a visit, and getting to spend some time with them and their kids.

Well there are a few things, and those are only the things I know about. Just think of all the other good things that may be coming my way that I don't know about yet.

Attitude Matters

2008-05-16T07:22:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about my attitude, and the effects it has on the people I am around. My attitude quite often effects the outcome of the decisions my husband makes for our family. I'm sad to admit that some times I have not always had the right attitude about the things that I know would be good, and in turn that has caused my husband to have the same attitude.

I sometimes find it hard to always meet my husband at the door with a smile, and cheerful disposition after a bad day at home. You know one of those days where it seemed you worked all day and nothing got done and the kids wouldn't listen. Days like that often turn into an even worse day if my grouchiness continues after Sean comes home.

I thought about being the helpmate I should be to my husband. I sometimes struggle with being the spiritual strength and support he needs. I really need to make sure that just because going somewhere, or doing something isn't always convenient for me doesn't mean I shouldn't. It is much easier to stay home in the comfort of my own home than to pack an unimaginable amount of clothing and necessities for a weekend away. But I know that opting to stay home hasn't always been the best decision for our family. And the times when I have gone we have been truly blessed.

I thought abut the way I entreat my children and how my dealings with them effect there moods, and how they entreat me and others they are around. I really do need to be careful to be kind and show love even when disciplining. I need to make sure my attitude about God and living the faith is one I want them to see. I truly want them to know that putting God first is the most important thing, and I want them to be able to see that through my life.

I feel like the Lord has shown me in the last few days that my attitude is very important. It is something I need to be aware of, and take into consideration when things aren't always going the way I think they should. Quite often it was because of my attitude.

A trip to Colorado

2008-05-07T08:12:00.000-07:00

We have been away, and just got back this last weekend. We (the kids and myself) took a trip to Colorado to visit family and friends. We all had a great time, but wished Sean could have come too, maybe next time. While we were visiting there was a brother there for Arkansas who was holding some extra meetings. It was nice to get to sit in a few extra meetings while we were there. We heard some really good things. It was nice to go back and feel so loved and cared about.

Most of the time I spent at Naomi's house, but it seemed like I didn't really spend a lot of time with her during the day because she had to work a lot. Most days were spent visiting with different ones, and chauffeuring the kids around to visit there cousins. One of the days while we were there. I took a group of the teen/pre-teen girls to the mall. We all went to lunch, and then went to try on prom dresses in the mall. They had a great time, and I took pictures of them in there dresses for a little keepsake.
Eating lunch together...Just the girls!

Walking through the mall

All dressed up!

We had quite and adventurous trip home. Within a couple hours of leaving Junction Hayden started throwing up, and didn't stop all day. I stopped and got a motel and did some laundry. Thankfully Hayden slept pretty well during the night. The next day he was still sick, but luckily was over the throwing up stage. I finally got home Saturday afternoon. It felt so good to be back home. Every time I leave for a while and come back I have such a grater appreciation for my surroundings. The air seems fresher, the bed seems softer, and I just love my surroundings. There's no place like home!

While Naomi Was Visiting

2008-04-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

While Naomi was here we really enjoyed her, and were busy most everyday. While she was here we went to the Pitock Mansion, and we also went to the coast and to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. I took a lot of pictures, so here are a few.

A group photo on the stairs

Teenagers, just can't keep them off the phone

Alyssa being "Vanna White"

Hayden loved chasing the seagulls

Yumm...Ice Cream!

A Wonderful Weekend

2008-04-16T16:56:00.001-07:00

This last weekend we took a little trip up to Elma/Olympia and spent some time. It was great to get to see everyone from there, and also ones from other parts I hadn't seen in a while. This weekend was the long awaited masquerade party. Alyssa has been looking forward to the party for quite some time now. She even spent some of her babysitting money on some of the accessories for the party.

We headed up to Elma on Friday night, and when we arrived we dropped the older girls off at Gale's so they could stay the night there. We visited for a while and then headed over to Sis. Linda's to spend the night. Saturday I visited with Sis. Linda some in the morning, and then spent most of the rest of the day at Gale's. At about 4:00 we loaded up all the teenagers (from her house) and drove them to Olympia for the masquerade party. We snapped a few photos, and then headed back to the guys, who were at the house with all the non-teenagers. We had a pretty good visit on the way home, and the things we talked about were good, and encouraging.

On Sunday morning Hayden woke up not feeling to well, and I was afraid we were going to have to go home and miss church, but we waited it out, and by the time we left he seemed fine, and actually he hasn't been sick at all. Church was wonderful! We had a beautiful meeting, and we heard so many good things throughout the ministry, and in testimonies. It will be one of those meetings that will be long remembered. After church two gave there had to be baptized. We all headed down to the lake, but they postponed the baptism until later that evening when the parents arrived. So we went to the church dinner and then headed home. All in all it was an uplifting weekend with the brethren filled with great conversation and great memories.

Here are a few pictures of the masquerade party

A group girl picture

Alyssa and her friends

The Forest Fairy Princess

The In-Laws are Coming!

2008-04-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

This last week has just flown by for me, I have been so busy every day running myself and everyone else all over town. Our van had some mechaical issues on Sunday, (just as we were leaving for church) and it has taken most of this week to get it up and running again. But it is finally going again which makes me happy. Today also looks like a pretty busy day. I have more running around to do in preparation for the weekend and I also have cleaning to do...because the In-laws are coming to spend some time with us. Sean's mom and Bro. Walt will be here soon and are planing on staying for about a month. And my Sister (In-law) will be here on th 19th for a few of days. I am excited to get to see them again. It has been almos 8 months since we have seen them,so I am looking forwad to it. Well I should probably get going with my day...the clock is ticking!

Funny Things

2008-04-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

Maria says driving is like sewing??? I was trying to figure out what she was talking about. She explained "Well there's a peddle and you have to make sure you don't push it to hard, and go to fast. And you have to keep the car in between the lines, just like you have to guide the fabric in a straight line." I never thought of it like that, but I guess they are similar. It's funny what they think about....

I was going to go do some shopping today and I was going to be near Sonic, so I mentioned to Sean that it was "Happy Hour", and maybe I would stop and get a drink. He said "Happy Hour? I didn't know you had a "Happy Hour." And I jokingly relpied "Yeah every day between 2 and 4, you just happen to miss it."..... I guess I have been a little grouchy lately :)

The other day we were in the car driving and Alyssa was taking a mile a minute about the up comming Masqurade Party, and how excited she was bout it etc. etc. All of a sudden Hayden piped up and said "Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah" I wonder who he learned that from.

Easter Time Memories

2008-03-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

Having lived several places, your mind goes back to special memories during holidays, and special occasions. It seem like each place we have lived holds a special place in my heart, and great memories were made at different times in each place. I was thinking about Easter this time last year. We were living in Colorado, and we had a house full of company and had a big Easter bash at my house with lots of family and friends. It is hard to believe that we were actually there, and it was for such a short time. I'm thankful for all the time that we did get to spend with our family and friends, and I am glad I was able to host things in my home. Even if at times it did seem a little overwhelming, because it really did pass quickly, and who knows when we will all be able to get together again. But I would have to say some of my favorite Easter memories are from when we lived in Brewster. It was a day I truly looked froward to. Every Easter Sunday after church they would have a pot luck dinner, and then the day would be spent visiting, and watching the kids hunt eggs. It was a fun day spent with the brethren. I have several photos to look back on and when I see them I am reminded of the love I have for the brethren in that part, and how each family is near and dear to my heart.

This year was a good Easter likewise. We went over to Bro. Rusty and Sis. Mary's for dinner, and just spent most of the day visiting, and eating :) The kids had fun playing with one another, and it was fun to sit back on the sidelines and watch them interact so well with one another. After dinner we came home, and hid Easter eggs. This year we did our egg hunt inside, because it was so wet, cold and muddy outside. But the kids had a fun day, and so did I. Spending the day with brethren, and watching the kids have fun makes for a great Easter, and more great memories.

Kayla found the prize egg!

She's 14 !!!!!

2008-03-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

My oldest daughter Alyssa just had another birthday. I can't believe she is already 14...where did all the time go? Before long she will be driving. How sad, and scary, but happy all at the same time. This year for her birthday we kept it pretty simple. We spent a few hours at the mall, mostly browsing, and she got to try on a few fancy dresses, so that really made her day. It kind of cracks me up (her obsession with formal gowns) but I guess most every gal likes to feel like a princess from time to time, and hers just happens to be anytime we enter a store. I am thinking her wedding dress will be someting she gets a lot of use out of if she dosen't out grow this phase. Here husband will come home and she will be decked out veil and all cleaning house. LOL

I usually let the kids pick what kind of cake or desert they would like for their birthady, and this year Alyssa wanted an icecream sandwich cake. She found the recipe on the internet, and it was so simple, quick and yummy I thought I would share it all with you.

Ingridents:
12 Icecream Sandwiches
1 jar of Hot fudge topping
1 Tub of Cool Whip
1 Small Chocolate bar

Directions:
Place 6 icecream bars in the bottom of a an 11X7 pan, cover with halfof the hot fudge, and then half of the cool whip, repeat with remaining ingridents. Grate chocolate bar on top and freeze for 1 hour before serving.

Anyway like I said it was quick and easy and really good. Here are a few pictures.

He enjoyed the cake!!

Even Better than I thought!

2008-03-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago the school called and informed me that we had won more prizes in the raffel on Family Fun Night. Adrianna had entered to win time with a teacher after school having snacks and playing games, and she had also won 4 tickets to the Oregon Zoo, and a pass for the family for the day to the Childrens museum. Lucky gal!

New Blogger

2008-03-12T23:18:00.000-07:00

Well Alyssa finaly talked me into letting her get a Myspace account. A lot of her friends have one, and I fugured she is almost 14, so if I moniter what she is doing, it will be a great way for her to keep in contact with her friends in different places. Well since Alyssa got a myspace, Shelbi thought she needed one also, but I really don't think she needs to have one quite yet. She is a bit to young, and really none of her friends her age have one, so I didn't see any reason for her to have one either. I did however agree to let her join the blog. I figure it would be good for her to write things down, and I think she is really enjoying it. Her cousion Bobby LeeAnn also got a blog, so they have enjoyed commenting back and forth on each others. So if you are interesed in reading another version of what goes on around here you can check out her blog at

http://shelbi-secondchildofsix.blogspot.com/
or you can click on the link on my page "Second child of six/Shelbi"

Family Fun Night....I WON I WON!!!

2008-03-08T15:51:00.000-08:00

Last night was family fun night at the school. It was a fundraiser to help raise money for next years fifth grade class to take there annual trip to the coast. They had a few different activities for the kids such as a cake walk, karaoke, and bingo. They were also raffling off several items, and had a silent auction. During the bingo they had two different opportunities to win a Nintendo Wii. I was so close to winning, that the anticipation of the next number being called was almost to much. Only one number "G 60".....unfortunately some one else called out bingo. BUMMER!

Well after that let down we went back to the room where they were holding the raffle and silent auction, and to my surprise I had won something! It was two Excursion fare tickets on the Mt. Hood Railroad. I had only put one ticket in that particular drawing, so I was kind of surprised I had won. Anyway I was glad to win it, and it will be fun to get away this summer and enjoy the train ride and all the beautiful scenery. Maybe for our anniversary in June? I will take a lot of pictures and post them when we do go.

Will we make it?

2008-03-06T16:14:00.000-08:00

With our recent move and our out of town trips for funerals and such, our homeschooling has been on the back burner for quite sometime. I am fining it hard to get back on schedule, and the schedule seems to be just dragging on and on. Shelbi for some reason this year has had a larger work load than Alyssa, and with us starting late and taking extra time off, it just seems to be getting worse and worse. I have had to reschedule the girls numerous times here recently, which in turn leads to extending our schedule way out into the summer. So to avoid schooling the entire summer, I decided to double up on some subjects. Well that wasn't working either. Shelbi would have 10-14 lessons a day to complete! That was going to be impossible. So I contacted her home room teacher this morning, and she was able to reduce some of the lessons, and reschedule her to 5-6 lessons a day. That was a huge relief for me. We are still going to have to keep on top of it to get it all done, but it definitely looks possible now.

Home schooling this year has been a lot like I thought it would be. I knew that I would do well with it all at the beginning of the year, and get a little burnt out by Christmas, and that we wouldn't always be able to finish every day "on schedule" Knowing this has made it easier in some ways. I didn't set unrealistic goals for the girls, or myself, and so when everything didn't turn out perfect, I didn't feel like a huge failure. I know time will quickly pass, and this homeschooling year will soon be behind me. I just need to stay focused, and catch my second wind.

I'm not sure what next year holds. I have contemplated putting the girls back in public school, but they really aren't for that, and I'm not sure if I am either. I'm not to sure if I want to stick with the online program. There are a few things I like about it, and some things I really don't like. I guess I just need to do some praying about it. Right now I am just trying to focus on finishing this year.

All Kinds of Stuff.....Update.

2008-03-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

I realize I haven't posted in a while, time just seems to be quickly passing me by.... and still no posts. Well here in the Easter home I have been trying to focus on getting back on schedule with school work and just our daily routine. I find that after a move it always takes some time to get back in the cycle of normal day life, and get adjusted to new schedules and such. Well I feel like I am finally getting into the groove of things, so maybe I can start posting more frequently again. He he he. However I am sad to report I have not got any decorations up on my walls yet. I don't know what my problem is usually within the first week I have the whole house decked out :) I guess for the most part I am wanting to try some new things in the different rooms, and although I like the newer contemporary style, I am still drawn to the old fashioned country antique style. I think I have watched to many redesign shows on HG TV I just want to incorporate all the styles into my home. I should just pick something and go for it.

I can't tell you how happy I am to be in our new house! We are enjoying all the extra space and most importantly BATHROOMS :) It has been so nice living so much closer to Mary and Trina. My younger girls go to the same school as Mary's boys, and they even get to ride the same bus, so that has made the transition to this school a lot easier for them. They seem to be fitting in really well, and everyone at the school has been really nice.

Well this last week was Hayden's birthday....my baby is 2 years old! The time from when he was born until now has gone by so fast. It is hard to believe he is really 2 I find myself trying to keep him a baby as long as I can. I remember when Alyssa was a baby...the bottle was gone once she turned one, and I tried breaking her from the pacifier at that point too. By 1 1/2 she was no longer a baby....she was the big sister and I thought she should act accordingly. It's kind of sad when I think about it now. So I am savoring every moment and letting Hayden be a baby much longer. However the bottle and pacifier are going to have to go after a while, and I do look forward to the next stages. When he begins to express his thoughts and feeling in words and not just grunts, whines, and hand movements.

We didn't have any kind of big party this year for Hayden, I figure at the age of 2 they really don't care, and why have a big fiasco if you don't have to?? So we just had a simple party at the house with our family. I baked a cake. It was pretty sorry looking, but the girls helped decorate it, so it was made with a lot of love. After dinner we all sang "Happy Birthday" for some reason Hayden didn't really like that and he started to cry, but after being consoled by his Dad he did just fine and enjoyed opening his presents. Here are some pictures of our little party.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2008-02-14T10:09:00.000-08:00

Life has been so busy here the last few days, I don't even know where to begin. Well I guess I will start with letting you all know....we finally moved to a different house! This weekend was so busy. We have had a lot of company, helped with a funeral dinner, and moved all this last weekend. On Thursday evening we had Bro. Terry and Sis. Valiere Boyd, come vist and spend the weekend with us, until after Sis. Beta's funeral on Monday. On Friday evening we signed the lease on our new house, and then went home and packed a few things (at that point I hadn't packed anything) All day Saturday we spent packing and moving everything we would need to host company at our new house. By Saturday evening we had everything important moved over to our new house, with the help of Bro. Terry, Sis. Valiere, Bro. Matt & Sis. Tisha, And Bro. River and Bro. Isiah. Thanks so much for all your help! At about midnight Bro. Jason and Sis. Velvadene Bohall, their three children, and Sis. Pam Bates arrived and stayed trough the weekend. On Sunday we all went to church, and after church we had our out of town company, and Bro. Rusty & Sis. Mary and there family over. Monday was the funeral and funeral dinner, and after the dinner our company came back home with us, and also Bro. Walter and Sis. Heather Gray came over for a while to visit. Bro. Terry, Sis. Valerie & Sis. Pam all left on Monday night. Bro. Jason & Sis. Vevadene stayed Monday night, and Tuesday we went to OMSI together. They left later that afternoon. It was a very busy extended weekend, but a very good one. I felt blessed to have a house large enough to accomodate all our company. The Lord knows just when to give us the things we need and desire. It was such a great joy to share our first night in our new home with visiting Brethren. Here are a few pictures of out new house, before all of our furniture moved in:) I will try to take pictures later after I get things decorated.

It was bound to happen!

2008-02-07T10:03:00.000-08:00

In a house with five older sisters it was bound to happen sooner or later! The girls were playing dress up last night, and decided Hayden should be included in the fun. They all thought it was great fun and were very amused, there dad on the other hand not so amused.....

Uplifted!

2008-01-22T08:09:00.000-08:00

The past few months have seemed to be a struggle for me spiritually. Many things have troubled me. I have let things get me down, and have become very overwhelmed with my spiritual walk with the Lord. But the Lord is ever merciful and knows just when to send comfort and strength.

Since we have lived here we have been looking for a larger house to move into. The house we live in now is a small 3 bedroom 1 bathroom house. Our landlady lives right above us, and with our large family and sometimes loud and rowdy children, I often fear that we are disturbing her. Having company over, and feeling like I can show true hospitality has really been a trial for me. I love to have the brethren in my home from time to time, but with our living situation, I have found this hard to do. We have tried to rent several different houses in the area, only to be told they decided to rent the house to someone else. I have prayed about this a lot, and I feel like the Lord has shown me that I a am very blessed to have a home to call my own, and no matter what the size I should still show hospitality to my brethren. So last weekend I invited over a couple families after church for dinner, and it really was great to have the brethren in my home once again. We were able to visit with one another on good things. It really was a great joy to me. I know that our house situation is only temporary, and this is just a learning time for me. I have no doubt that the Lord will bless us with a house large enough for our family, but it all has to be in his time and not mine.

Another thing that has been troublesome to me is....why did we move here? We have always loved this area. Sean and I both just really enjoy living in the Portland area. I really felt most of the reasons we enjoyed living here were carnal reasons. For example: better pay, nicer scenery, close to the coast etc. etc. I really feared that possibly we moved back here just because it is a place we enjoy living, and not because it was the place the Lord wanted us to be. I have questioned many times, what I our roll in this small assembly? Well after this weekend I believe the Lord confirmed that this is the place we are supposed to be. Sunday after church Isaiah gave his hand to Sean to be baptized. It truly was a wonderful day! With the Lord showing me moment by moment that he does have a plan for us in this place, and at the ordinance supper Sean received a prophesy that confirmed it all. I feel so blessed to be able to live in a place we love. And to have that place also be the place the Lord wants us is such a great joy.

I know that with each day I will face new circumstances, and new trials. But I truly believe God has great things in store for us here in this place. I am looking forward to seeing His will unfold, for us and all the brethren in this part, as we each grow as individuals and as an assembly. The Lord knows just when to give comfort and strength....I truly have been lifted up!

Christmas Break is Over :(

2008-01-09T11:18:00.000-08:00

Well Christmas break is over and this week we have been trying to get back on schedule with our early to bed routine and our 6:30 AM mornings. It has been hard to get up some mornings, but we are managing ok. I do however sneek back to bed a time or two just to see if I can get away with it. He he he. Most of the time I can't.

Christmas break was a lot of fun. It was great to take a break from school and routine and just do things on a whim day by day. We did some Christmas shopping, when to see Santa at the mall, went to OMSI and went to McDonalds for icecream and to let the kids play were a few of the activites that filled our time during the Christams vacation. Christmas day was nice just really laied back, everyone enjoyed opening their presents, but the highlight of the day was when the snow began to fall, it wasn't much and didn't last for long, but it sure did make the girls happy. New Years was also fun. We all met up at the bank building where we have church, and played some games, had snacks and visited. It was a little chaotic with all the kids food and games in one small building, but it was still a great time.

Here are some pictures of the kids and a hummingbird that were enjoying the snow Christmas day.

This is Hayden playing in the canoe outside McDonalds

Christmas Parties!

2007-12-16T23:16:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went to Brownsville to the Christmas party they had for the sisters. It was a very enjoyable weekend. We had previously drew names and exchanged gifts at the party. I had Sis. Trish's name, and Sis. Kim Mc Manus had my name. She bought me a lot of nice stuff. I got a sign that I just love it says family and hold pictures in between each letter with clothes pins. It is really cute! I also got some new dish towels, a silicone type hot pad, candle, some warm fuzzy socks and some other stuff.

On Friday evening we attended another party for the brethren here at Bro. Dennis and Sis. Trina's house. All the kids brought a small gift to exchange, and the adults brought a gift also, and we all played a game of dirty Santa. It was an evening full of laughs, as we stold gifts from one another. I was glad we were all able to get together for an enjoyable evening. Thanks Trina for hosting another great party.
Here are some pictures of the parties.

Here are the pictures from the party at Bro. Dennis & Sis. Trina's House

New Camera

2007-12-06T07:29:00.000-08:00

My new camera arrived a couple days ago, so I have been having fun taking pictures of the kids. Here are a few I thought I would share with you all.

Our Birthday

2007-11-28T16:53:00.000-08:00

Today is our birthday, Adrianna's and mine. Adrianna is turning 6 and I am turning....well thats not important. Since we share a birthay it is hard to be selfish, and make the whole day about me, so I think I tend to play down the day, and we never have a big festive party. This year is no different.

Yesterday Sean and I took a few hours in the evening and spent some time together for my birthday. We went out to dinner, and did a little bit of window shopping at the mall and Costco. Now Sean is not a shopping kind of guy, he really dosen't like it at all, so for him to spend a few hours browsing at the mall was a real treat....and I got to show him all the stuff I would love to have for Christmas.

This evening we went into Portland to the speedway to see the Christmas light display they have, to help celebrate Adriannas birthday. The kids really enjoyed it. Hayden ooed and awed and pointed as we drove past...it was really cute. Then we came home and Adrianna opened her presents, and we had cupcakes and ice cream.

All in all it was a pretty good day, a day I felt loved and remembered by many friends and family members.

Here is Adrianna in her new birthday dress

Present time!!!

This is a picture of my new purse I got. My friend Michelle hand made this for me, and sent it from Colorado. I think it's really pretty...she is so talented. I also had a nice surprise wating on my door step when I got home this evening. Trina had came by and left me a starbucks gift card, and some chocolates *Yumm* Thanks Trina! I also have started watching QVC & HSN after seeing all of the nice stuff Cherie got, and I found a new digital camera I just couldn't live without, he he he. So I should be getting that in a few days. I am very excited! Now I will have beautiful pictures to put on my blog. I can't wait.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-23T20:42:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving seemed kind of sad and lonely to me. When we moved to Colorado one of the things I was looking forward to was finally getting to spend the holidays with family. We had it all planned out, everyone would come over to my house, and all the kids would play and the adults would visit and play games just like in the old days(when we lived there 10 years ago) So this years thanksgiving just seemed so boring, and I really didn't have the desire to go all out and fix an over the top meal. I kept it very basic, and we really just sat around and did nothing, as I shed a few tears of sadness. LOL
Well with Thanksgiving behind me, I awoke early this morning, but not to early (I need my beauty sleep. he he he) to hit the stores for all the good sales. The first store I went to, the parking lot was so terribly crowded I didn't even attempt to enter the store. The second store was so crowded and the lines were so long I figured it was not worth wading through all those people and waiting in line for hours just to purchase a couple items, so I headed to the mall. The mall on the other hand was not to bad in comparison to the first two stores. As the day went on the crowds seemed to lessen. By the end of the day I had made some great purchases and now I have almost all of my Christmas shopping done. *Yeah* Only 32 day until Christmas! Christmas is bound to be more fun than Thanksgiving was right?....How could it not be with presents involved? :)

BABY PICTURES!

2007-11-16T19:35:00.000-08:00

My sister sent me some pictures today...yeah! And I must say, that baby looks super sweet!

My New Niece!

2007-11-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

This morning my sister gave birth to a healthy baby girl. She named her Katelin Lynette (after me & my mom) she weighed 6lbs. 4oz. and is 19in. long. We are all excited about the new addition, and are thankful for Gods mercy and a quick and safe delivery. I wish I could run over there and hold her. She will probably be full grown by the time I get to see her :( That's the problem with living so far away. I will try and post some pictures in a few days, when she sends me some.

How am I seen?

2007-11-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

I enjoy people watching. I find it fascinating just to sit back and watch people pass by, observe how they are dressed, how they deal with there children, and listen to the conversations you overhear as they are talking on there cell phones. I sometimes begin to form opinions about what there life may be like and what kind of person they are. I think at times I may even judge them based on what I see. This leads me to think that maybe other people do the same thing with me and the way I portray myself. I often wonder what do people see when they look at me? How do they view me?

I would like to think that every ones opinion and first impression of me would be a good one, however I am not so sure that is always the case. I remember one time Sean and I were driving home from the coast and Sean was falling asleep and we stopped at this Restaurant/Bar. The restaurant part wasn't open so I went into the bar to see if I could get Sean a drink. (Pepsi) Anyway I walk into the bar and ask if the restaurant part is open, and the lady says to me "Why do you have a bunch of little kids that are hungry, and need to get something to eat?" Now mind you, I did have a few little kids at the time, however they were not hungry, and they did not go into the bar with me. I then wondered what about me would make her think I was a mom with a bunch of kids? Did I look like a lady who had a bunch of kids? Kids that were hungry nonetheless? Maybe I took here comment a little too offensive. I guess it could have been worse, she could have thought I was there for a beer...right?

Sometimes it would be nice to get into the mind of another human being and see how they view you. I of course would like to pick a human being who had a high opinion of me. He He He. But maybe even seeing myself through a person who did not would help me to see my flaws. I would like to know what flaws they see and how to improve on those things. I have been pondering on outward appearance as well as inward. How does the world see me? Do I appear to be Godly? Do I look like a person who has good morals, who knows how to instruct her children? How do the brethren see me? Do they view me as the Sister who wants to live the faith, and does a good job at it? But most importantly how does God see me? I want to be pleasing to the Lord, and to be aware of my appearance before him. I want him to see me as pleasing and good to look upon. I want his impression of me to be a good and lasting one. As much as I hope my appearance to the world and the brethren is a good one, I find that my appearance to the Lord is the one that matters the most.

A little Halloween Party

2007-10-24T22:29:00.000-07:00

Today after the girls got home from school they got dressed up in their Halloween costumes and we headed over to Trina's house for a little Halloween party. When we got there all the kids were very excited to be there and all the festive decorations made it even more fun for them. We had a little snack of apples and caramel dip, and then the kids voted for the best costume.

Garrison won 1ST Place Levi 2ND and Adrianna 3RD

After the costume judging each of the kids worked on a little craft project that Trina had picked out for them to do. It was fun to see all the creativity. Now you might think craft projects with that many kids might be a little crazy, but it wasn't at all. It was just really laid back and fun. Than we judged the jack-o-lanterns, and Tisha handed out some little gift bags she had made for each of the kids, filled with stickers, tattoos, glow bracelets, and other fun stuff. Then each of the kids grabbed a cupcake and we headed home.

It was a fun little party and the kids had a great time. I'm glad we got to see everyone elses costumes and spend a little time together just visiting and getting the kids together. Thanks Trina for hosting the party it was a great success!

Hayden "My Puppy"

Pumpkin Carving

2007-10-22T07:16:00.000-07:00

My kids have been bugging me and bugging me ever since we got home last weekend from the pumpkin patch to carve their pumpkins. Well I put them off as long as I thought possible, and we finally got it done yesterday. Kayla and Adrianna woke up early yesterday morning (as if it were Christmas) knocking on our door asking if they could wake up the other girls so they could carve pumpkins. Finally when everyone was up and we had ate breakfast we dug into the pumpkins.

Now we have carved pumpkins before so it should have been no surprise that it would be an ooey gooey mess, but nonetheless some of them acted like it was the grosses thing ever! Shelbi in particular was the worst. She really could not stand to reach in there and grab out that gook. And the other girls who were not grossed out by it (Alyssa and Maria) did not help the situation either as they tried to gross her out even more by calling it intestines. Kayla and Adrianna thought it was gross, but I think they were playing it up for the camera. In fact Kayla's exact words were "It's gross, but fun!"

Well after two hours of cleaning out and carving pumpkins we had a huge mess! We used some stencils that came with a pumpkin carving kit, and lets just say time consuming! And not only was it time consuming, but Maria's pumpkin broke :( I was really disappointed! Anyway Shelbi's pumpkin turned out ok, ans Alyssa still has yet to complete hers....I'm glad we only have to do this once a year!

A Fun Fall Day!

2007-10-13T19:57:00.000-07:00

Today was a pretty fun filled day. Sean had to work today, so he didn't get to join in on the fun, but we still had a pretty good day. We all have been sick the last few days, and today everyone was feeling well again, so we headed out and did a little shopping, went out to lunch, and then went to the pumpkin patch. The weather was just beautiful today, which made our day even nicer.

The pumpkin patch we went to was actually at an apple orchard. They had hayrides with a little tour of the orchard and information about the property and how they pick and pack the apples. It was kind of interesting. They also had a big bump and jump type thing that was shaped like an apple for the kids to jump in, and a guy who was doing face painting. This guy was the most talented face painter I have ever seen! He did a sort of airbrushing on the face, kind of as a foundation, and then pained designs on top of that. The girls waned to get theirs gone so I agreed, and we got in line. Well after waiting for an hour, I decided I was being a patient mom, and as the baby (who had not had a nap all day) became grouchier and grouchier, and another hour passed I became less and less patient. So after waiting there for TWO HOURS we decided that face painting probably wasn't all that important. So we walked around for at least another 35 to 45 min. picking out our pumpkins, buying fresh apples, corn on the cob, and apple cider. When we left I looked at the face painting line again to see how much it had moved, and at least 10 people would have still been ahead of us, so I was glad we had given up and were headed home! So other than the 2 hour wait in line, it was a really fun day.

Books! Woo hoo!

2007-10-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

All of our books have finally arived! Actually we have had them all now for almost a week, but I just had not gotten around to posting it. We recieved reading books, math, science, social studies,languge arts, and art. They sent answer keys and planner boork for each subject. They also sent art supplies like paint,paint brushes, clay and colored pencils. I was pretty impressed with all the supplies they sent.
So far we are doing pretty well at getting each days assignments done. Every day we get online, check out what the assignments are for the day. On most subjects there is a teachlet online that expains what the skill is for that day and how to do it. Then they are given an assignment to do out of their book. After they finsh their assignment they take a small quiz online to show if they understand the assignment for that day. It is pretty easy to folow and so far I am pretty happy with it. Some days take longer than I like, but I think after a few weeks we can have it down, and our days pretty well scheduled.
Today the younger girls did not have school. Actually they do not have school for the rest of this week, for parent teacher confrences, but I did not let Alyssa and Shelbi take those days off. We are still going to get up by 7 every morning and start school by 8. They had so much time off waiting for the books to get here, I just can't see taking anymore time off right now. However confrences went well today for the other girls. I am pleased to report that they are all doing well. On track, good students, all at or above grade level. Thats always good news to hear. And so my adventures continue with house work, home school, and pubic school, and the busy life of a mom with six kids.

Weekend in Elma

2007-10-08T06:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend we got to take a little trip up to Elma. Sean had some work to do up there for a previous customer, and the girls have been begging to go since we have been back out to Oregon, so we packed up our stuff and hit the road on Friday night.
As we got closer and closer the girls became more and more anxious as they counted down the minutes and the miles to our arrival. At last we approached the sign that said "Elma 20 Miles" The girls began to break out in song! I could see that they were rejoicing to be back around there close friends again. They would sing a song or two and then reminisce about times we had spent there with different ones, and then sing some more. It touched my heart to see the love they had for the brethren, and their children, and how this place held precious memories for them, as well as for me.

When we arrived in Elma we took the three older girls over to Sis. Linda's house where a bunch of other girls were having a slumber party. I'm sure they had a grand ol' time dressing up and being silly with all there friends.

On Saturday Sean had to work, so I went down to Sis. Gale's and visited for the day. It was so nice to just have the whole day to sit back, sip tea (or coffee) :) and let the kids play. It was a laid back kind of day filled with good conversation, and good food. I have really missed spending time with their family, so a day like Saturday was the prefect remedy, especially when all the kids remembered me. Even the baby Heidi who couldn't even talk when we left now says my name, and would even let me hold her and rock her to sleep....now how special is that???

On Sunday we all went to church. Meeting was really good, and I enjoyed the singing and what went forth. After church was church dinner which was also filled with good conversation and good food. Then it was time to say our goodbyes, and we found it very difficult to round up all the children, as they did not want to leave. Now that we live so much closer I'm sure we will be visiting there quite often, something I am looking forward too. To be in a place where you have friends and know you are loved is such a comfort. I'm thankful for our weekend trip to Elma.

Well It's better than nothing

2007-10-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

Since we have moved here I have been waiting to find the perfect pictures, bed spread and decor for my bedroom, so I hadn't decorated it. I have shopped around some, hoping that something would just jump out at me.... Not only something that was beautiful and I loved, but that was also on clearance, or at least a really good sale. He he he. Well so far I have had no such luck! So I figured I might as well just use what I have...it is better than looking at bare walls right?

Well yesterday I was online and I found this used TV cabinet for sale. I went to look at it today, and I just love it! It is what I have been looking for for a long time now. This is a really nice piece of furniture, and was an EXCELLENT price. I am so happy with it!

So I brought it home and rearranged my furniture to make it fit. I put some pictures I already had on the walls. It isn't really how I want my room to be decorated, but it will do for now. And it's better than nothing.

We need books!

2007-10-01T21:26:00.000-07:00

This week we have been trying to acompish our assighnments daily and keep up on our schedule. However we have not recieved our books yet, so everything has to be done online. This has been somewhat of a problem, because we only have one computer, and two students. The girls have been taking turns, which make my teacing days quite long. There are also three different subjects that Shelbi has, that can not be accessed online. For the most part I think we are doing well with what we have. I am looking forward to recieving the books. It will make things so much easier. I hope the books get here soon!

School Starts!

2007-09-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

Well it looks like we finally have things lined up, and we will be starting school tomorrow. I have been waiting for the school to get all the paperwork processed. It has taken forever, but I talked to them today, and they will be sending out our books now! I will be excited to get them, but for now I will be able to print assignments off the computer. So my plan is to wake up early, get the younger girls off to school and then start in with the older girls. I hope I can find my way in this world of homeschooling. Wish me luck!

Weekend at the beach

2007-09-23T20:57:00.000-07:00

With Sean working down by Coos Bay, we decided to take the opportunity to get away for the weekend and spend some time as a family. We left here Friday after the girls got home from school, and traveled through busy rush hour traffic. So after the long 4 hour drive it was nice to just sit back and relax.

I had talked to my Grandpa a week or two ago, and found out he had been here in Beaverton a few weeks ago, but did not know we had moved here. We were disappointed that we had missed each other. As we talked he mentioned that they were still on Oregon, and were going to be in Coos Bay this weekend. So we agreed that we would meet him down there, and spend a day or so with him. It has been close to 4 years since we last saw them, so it was nice to spend a little time together.

Saturday we met Grandpa and Grandma for breakfast. And then went back to their motor home to visit for a while. Then we decided to head on down to the beach! We really aren't familiar with the Coos Bay area, so we had no idea where to go, and it felt like a long drive to the beach as we randomly followed signs. When we finally found a beach we could walk down to, my first thought was, boy was this beach worth the wait. It was a little cove, like lagoon type area. It was just beautiful...like something you would see in the movies. I took a picture, but the picture really doesn't do it justice.

Here is a picture of Shelbi Hayden and Me, with the cove behind us

While we were at the beach the girls thought they needed to go swimming. It really was a nice clear day, but the wind was blowing which made it really cold! Nonetheless they still insisted on going swimming.

Alyssa wading into the water it is as cold as it looks!

After a couple hours at the beach we headed back to the hotel room to try and warm up. I didn't even go swimming, and I was freezing, so I can imagine how cold the girls must have felt. But they are the ones who wanted to go swimming, so I had no pity for them....just me.

We had planned on maybe going to Eugene or Brownsville for church, but as we drove over there on Friday, I realized it was a lot farther than I thought it was. So we ended up missing church today, but I still had a great time at the beach with my grandpa, and my family. Sean will be working over there again this week, so we ate lunch together and then did a little grocery shopping for him. Then we said our goodbyes and headed home. And that about sums up my little weekend! Here are a few more pictures for your viewing pleasure! HE HE HE.

All of us at the restaraunt

Adrianna Hayden & Me at the restaraunt

Hayden Driving the motor home

Kayla flying the kite

I Am Blessed!

2007-09-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

As I woke up very early this morning to see my honey of to work, I just couldn't go back to sleep, and I began to think about how truly blessed I am. I was thinking about all the recent sorrow with the deaths of so many, and I began to think of how each one must feel at this time, and how I would feel if I were in the same situation.

Just last week Sean was working over on the coast at his new job. He was working on some wiring down on the ground, when he heard a loud noise above him. He looked up and stepped back only to see this large piece of machinery falling towards him. He was able to get out of the way, but it landed exactly where he had been standing. I know that is was just through God's great protection that he is still alive today.

I am so thankful for my husband, and the life we have together. It is just so nice to have someone to help you get through things and to be there for you day in and day out. At times I wonder how can they do it? How can others face the death of their companion? The person who has been there for them all these years, and who has helped them through all the hard times. How can they get through it when they are no longer there to help them through what would seem to be the hardest time of all. I guess it is just through the mercy of God, and through prayer.

I feel blessed to have the companion I have. For God's great mercy, and kindness to me. That his life was spared, not only last week but in many times past. I know things could be a lot different. I just don't want to take things for granted. God has been so good to me. I have six beautiful children, and a loving husband who has the same desire to serve the Lord. I truly am blessed!

Weekend Post

2007-09-13T22:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend was not to bad, it seemed to go by very quickly for me. Saturday I spent most of the day lounging around the house waiting for Sean to get home from his long week of work at the coast. Last week he started working down by Coos Bay. He came home on Saturday evening, so we were all anxious to see him. Sunday morning we got up and started working on replacing the fuel pump on our van. We had that finished by noon, then we made a quick trip to storage, and then came home and got ready for church.

Church this Sunday was over in Estacada. We all met over at Bro. Dennis and Sis. Trina's house and carrivaned over there. Traffic was kind of slow at times, and it took about an hour and a half to get there. We had church there, as opposed to our normal meeting place, because there is an elderly sister who lives in that area who can't make it to church very often. However, she was sick yesterday, so she couldn't make it to the meeting. But we had a very good turn out, and a pretty good meeting. I think the most people we have had so far. Bro. Brian and Sis. Michelle Gray and their family, Bro Dale & Sis. Chantel & Andy,from Readmond. Bro. Rick & Sis. Lynn, Bro. John & Sis. Lori and their boys, Sis. Ester & Sis. Linda Hays from Olympia. Bro. Joel & Sis. Mary and their kids and Sis. Gwen from Missouri were the visiting brothern we had. I think there were about 50 people there! Meeting was pretty good, and after meeting we had a potluck dinner and everyone was able to visit with one another. All in all it was a good day.

The First Day of School!

2007-09-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

Okay so I know I'm a little behind on my posts, but I figured oh well better late than never right? Last Tuesday was the First day of school for the girls and Adrianna's first day of Kindergarden. We took the girls on the first day to help them find there classrooms, and meet there new teachers at there new school. Things were going pretty good until we actually got to school, and then the girls begain to get a little nervous. As we walked down the hallway Kayla begain to express her doubts of being ready for 3rd grade. I reassured her and she seemed to be fine, however Maria (my quite one) on the other had begain to cry and said she felt sick and just didn't feel good about the whole situation. She is usually really tough and doesn't cry a whole lot so it kind of suprised me. When I picked her up at the end of the day, she said "It wasen't too bad, it got better and better as the day went on." but the next day when she was getting ready for school the tears started to flow again. Now that we have conqured a few days of school things are going more smoothly, and there are no tears involved. Adrianna seems to love school, and goes everyday with no reservations.

Homeschooling on the other hand really hasn't got into full swing yet. With our recent move, I still haven't recieved any books, so I have been calling every day only to have them tell me wait a few more days, or call back tommorow. I am staring to get worried about being to far behind, I guess we will have to work extra hard on school once the books come. In the meantime Sean decided the girls should do one report a week on a story or person in the Bible. Alyssa's report is going to be on Ester and Shelbi's is on Mordecai, from the book of Ester. It will be fun to see what they comprehend.

Oregon!

2007-08-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

Things here have been so busy lately with moving that it seems like so much time has gone by since my last post. Well I finally made it and I have been busy trying to get things settled in our new house. I have the essentials unpacked, but I still have to get all my wall decorations out and add some life to these white walls, but all in good time he he.

This week I am trying to focus on getting things lined up for school, and preparing for the BIG OREGON CAMPOUT! I am looking forward to seeing all the brethren and the fun that goes along with camp.

It is so good to be out here again! The weather here has just been perfect since I have been back, and I have been enjoying some quite times with my husband and the girls. It has been a really nice week. Today we got out and did a little school supply shopping. It is amazing how excited a child can get over purchasing pencils and glue. It cracks me up!

It's almost here!

2007-08-15T08:33:00.000-07:00

Well things have been going pretty smooth with our upcoming move. Sean left here about three weeks ago to head out to Oregon and start his new job, and get things lined up as far as a house goes and such. It in some ways has been a long three week, but in other ways has gone by pretty quickly.

We have found a house! It is a little small for our family, however I think it will be bearable, and it is something I can move right into as soon as I get there, so I am happy about that.

This week I have been busy packing all our things, and setting all the packed boxes in the garage, so they can be loaded into a trailer in just a few days! My sister and here husband are supposed to be here on Saturday with a trailer....and I may get to leave a few days earlier than I had planned if everything goes smoothly. I will be so happy to get to Oregon, get settled in my new house, and most of all see my husband again. I have my work cut out for me in the next few days, with packing and cleaning. I am looking forward to it all being behind me, and being on my way to our new home.

Stronger Than I Thought I Was

2007-08-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about my physical health, and how I feel so much better, when I eat healthy and excersie regurally. I remember my first outing after I had shed a few pounds. Sean and I went up to Lake Quinalut for a weekend and hiked some trails in the rain forest. I was amazed at how well I felt and how easy it was to keep up. Usually I would have to stop and rest several times, and beg Sean to "please slow down", but this time I could really see a differance. I has so much energy,and at times I was walking ahead of Sean.

I was thinking of my physical strength in comparison to my spiritual stength. A few weeks back I was standing at the bottom of a mountian, and I had what appeared to be a huge hill to climb. I really felt I was not "fit" enough to climb this large hill in front of me.

Well much like the hills I climbed at Lake Quinault...I am amazed at how well I am doing. This hill is not as hard as it appeared to be, and I am much stronger than I thought I was.

I know the Lord gives us the stength we need to endure what comes our way, but I believe he has given me an extra portion. Thank you all for your prayers....they have been of great help!

Tagged

2007-08-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged numerous times, so I decided why not let everyone know a few little facts about me.
Rule 1: Post these rules before you give your facts.

Rule 2: Players stat with 8 random fact/habits about themselves.

Rule 3: People who are tagged must write there own blog posts about their 8 things and include these rules.

Rule 4: At the end of your blog you need to choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names.

About me:

#1 I graduated from high school when I was seventeen, and a week and a half later I got married. I know that seems young, but I knew God was in it and it was the right time, and I have been happily married ever since.

#2 When I was in high school I was on the flag team for all four years of high school. In my junior year I became co-captain. I thought I was so awesome! LOL

#3 I was in a beauty pageant once....looking back on it now it seems really weird, and almost embarrassing, because it really is not like me at all. It is funny how things change over time.

#4 I lived in the same house from the time I was in second grade until I got married, and went to the same school K-12. I used to dream about living a variety of places. I hated being stuck in the same place for forever. I told my mom I was going to marry someone who liked to move around....boy did I pick the right person! We are getting ready to move again and this will be our 15Th move within our 14 years of marriage.

#5 I love to find a great deal. I like to shop at yard sales, second hand stores, and clearance racks and get things for a fraction of the cost. It makes me happy!

#6 When I was a teenager I was crowned "Queen Nerd" at a nerds party. I had a slip that was a little to large for me and as I was walking across the parking lot into the party it fell down around my ankles. I think it was that nerdy entrance that won me the title of "Queen Nerd"

#7 I really don't like to read, never have, probably never will...I read the classified, and sometimes the Bible. But that's about it for me.

#8 I don't like it when people say my hair is black, it is not black it is dark brown! and people often think I know how to speak Spanish, but i don't. "No habla espenol"

So there you go. Now you know a few more crazy facts about me. I'm going to be a rule breaker and not tag anyone else. I believe everyone I know has already been tagged, and if you haven't then consider yourself tagged now. You should do it, it's a lot of fun!

Here We Go Again

2007-08-01T22:54:00.000-07:00

Well it seems so much has happened since my last post that I don't even know where to begin. Alyssa has made it home, and it is good to have her home once again. All last week my mom was here visiting, so we spent a lot of time getting out and about and keeping busy. We spent some time shopping, and visiting, but I think the most fun we had was when we took a little trip up to Rifle Falls. We packed a picnic lunch, and just spent most of the day hiking around on the trails and in the caves, and then after lunch the girls went swimming. It was really nice to just get out of the house and spend the day together.

Sean left this last weekend to go to Oregon and start his new job out there. I wont be going out there for a few more weeks, because we still have one more month to pay on our lease here....but I am counting down to the day I get to head back to Oregon. I am really looking forward to getting out there and getting settled in our new house. Although I dread the actual "moving process" This will be our 16Th move within our 15 years of marriage....I know what your thinking "That's CRAZY!!".....and your right, it is, but nonetheless here we go again.

Well in reference to my last post, I think I am handling things fairly well. I sometimes have to go back and read that post to remind myself that I can do it, and I just need to take things one day at a time, because when I look at it all in front of me it is still too overwhelming. But I feel I have got it a little more under control, and the things that I have no control over I will just have to let God take care of. On Sunday I went to church, and this time it really did hit home for me! I was put in my place and reminded of my labor for the Lord, and when I am willing to do this labor, with the right heart, I am going to be rewarded. I left feeling very encouraged. I was sitting there thinking about the last time I received a prophecy, and how it has been so long, and I began to think why hasn't God spoken to me in so long....and the I realized he has spoken to me a lot! Maybe not in a prophecy, but through the ministry, testimonies, words spoken by a friend, and just the cool breeze on a hot summers day. He is ever mindful of all my concerns. Just continue to pray for me, because I know I still will need them daily.

Life here has been very busy. Tonight I hosted another family get together. Sean's Grandma was in town, so we had a family dinner at my house, and all of Sean's brothers & sisters and there families came over and visited. It was nice to see Grandma again, it has been quite a few years, so I enjoyed it. But it doesn't look like life will be slowing down much in the next few weeks...I am now in "moving mode" this weekend I will be having a yard sale to once again sell our household items, and get ready for another big move. I am also focusing on finding a house in Oregon, and counting down the days until it happens.....only 23 left to go.....

One Day At A Time

2007-07-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes trials come our way that just don't seem to be fair. We fight in our mind, saying why is this happening to me, and we begian to dwell in our own pity. This was my frame of mind a few days back. Something had come my way that did not seem fair, and I just did not want to deal with it any longer. I felt like this burden was mine to bear, however I could not bring myself to have the right frame of mind about it. As I sat in church on Sunday and listened to the word go forth, none of it seemed to hit home for me. I came home, and still began to wallow in self pitty. I really didn't want to feel the way I was feeling, but I didn't know how I could change it. My desire is to except the things that come my way. I want to have a good heart, and not compalin about the things that are required of me. I want to be an example to the ones I am around, but I at that moment I really felt I could not be that.

As I laid in my room and cried, I began to ask God for guidance. I needed words of wisdom and comfort. I picked up the phone and called a dear friend and sister that the Lord had put in my mind. She didn't answer the phone, and I began to feel a little more discouraged. But within a few minutes she called me back. I began to unload on her the burdens of my heart. The words she spoke really were just what I needed to hear. I knew what was right, and I knew what I needed to do, but hearing her say it with love and compassion really seemed to touch my heart. I am so thankful for the spirit and how he can comfort us through our brotheren. And through our trials we can build stronger friendships.

I know there will be more rough days ahead, but through prayer and being in subjection to God, I know I can do it.....one day at a time.

My BFF Michelle

2007-07-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

On our way home from Arizona we stoped for the night at my long time friend Michelle's house and spent the night. There is something comforting about visiting old friends. It is nice to be able to go into her home and not feel out of place or awkward. To just sit and visit about our childhood, and cares and concerns in our lives today. To wach our children interact with one another and start to build frienships of their own.

I met Michelle when I was in the 5th grade. We instantly became friends and later our parents met. Her mom told my mom of Bro.Terry's accident when he fell, and God's great mery on him. My mom looked at her and said "Someday I'm going to have that kind of faith" Within a year my Dad and Mom were both baptized into our church. I believe God truly sent her to be my friend.

Though the years we have stayed the best of friends. Altough our relationship has chaged some since we have been married, and now have families of our own I still consider her my best friend.

It has been great living here in Colorado a little bit closer to each other, and getting to spend some time shopping, and just having some good visits. I will miss getting to see her as often as we have once we move away, but I have really enjoyed it while it lasted. I guess we will have to go back to the good old fasioned telephone....although it is just not the same :(

I took some pictures of us togeter...Me and my BFF Michelle

ARIZONA

2007-07-13T08:40:00.001-07:00

Here are some postcards I picked up while in Arizona....The first one expains the way I felt the first day I got there.

Home Again!

2007-07-13T07:42:00.000-07:00

How sweet it is to be home and sleep once again in my own bed. "There's no place like home." Is a saying that rings true for me. Don't get me wrong....I had a great time while I was away, and could have even enjoyed a few more days with good ol' Mom and Dad, but now that I am home, I am glad to be home.

While I was gone I had a lot of fun spening some time with my Mom, Dad, & Sister. We did some shopping, ate out a few times, and just had some good visits. On Monday was Maria's "actual" birthday, and my mom invited all my aunts, uncles,cousions, and grandma over for a birthday party. It was nice to see my grandma, and cousions I grew up with, who now have kids of there own. (It makes me feel old) Our kids played together, while we enjoyed cake and icecream, and Maria opened all her presents...I tell you what that little girl made out like a bandit this year. It makes up for any of the years she didn't have a party, and maybe a few years to come! On Tuesday we went to the mall and did a little shopping (they were having a great clearance sale at JC Pennys...I got a new pair of Jeans for $4.00) And then in the evening we all went to Peter Piper Pizza (It's kind of like Chuck E Cheese) and the kids played games and ate pizza. Hayden had a blast climbing on all the rides, and driving them.
Then on wendsday we headed for home. It was a short, but nice trip.

So now I'm home, and feeilng kind of tired and lazy. i am dreading all that comes with returning home from a trip, (laundry,unpacking etc. etc.) Alyssa stayed in Arizona to spend a couple weeks with my Mom & Dad, so I'm kind of missing her, and looking forward to her comming back. Here are some pictures I took of my family.

Pictures!!!

2007-07-06T17:41:00.000-07:00

So I finally got some pictures taken of my kids...I think the last time I got professional pictures taken was when Adrianna was about three months old, and now she is five, so I figured it was high time to get it done. Here are the ones I decided to keep.

Turn Out The Lights The Party's Over

2007-07-06T06:20:00.000-07:00

Last night we had Maria's birthday party, which turned out to be not so big of a surprise after all, but was still a lot of fun. I think there were 17 kids here total, so things were a little loud and crazy at times, but that's what birthday party's are all about right? We played some games, had some cake and ice cream, and opened presents. I think the last person left here around 10:30 P.M. So after a full day of preparation, and then the whole rigaramore of it all, I was ready for bed! But all in all I would say it was a success, and Maria received a lot of nice gifts. I took a few pictures of the evenings events.
The kids getting ready for the three legged race

Maria and here birthday cake

Blowing out the candles

Most of the kids that were at the party

Here's what's been going on

2007-07-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

Things here have been going pretty well...I have been keeping myself busy with life's daily chores. Today we are going to have a surprise birthday party for Maria, so I have been shopping and preparing for that this last week. I hope it is a great success! I am also planning a trip down to Arizona to see my parents, so I have been busy doing laundry and getting things packed for the trip. We are leaving on Saturday, and staying a few days. I am looking forward to seeing my Dad and Mom again, and spending a little time with them and the kids. It has been almost a year since I have seen them last, and about three years since they have seen all the kids, so it should be fun.

Yesterday we spent the day just around the house doing really much of nothing. We did go see the local fireworks show at a nearby park, but other that and quick run to the grocery store that was the only time I left the house all day. It was nice to sit in the nice cool house, as it was so incredibly hot yesterday. I know I say that a lot, but really it is ridiculously hot here.

In this paragraph I would like to take the opportunity to write about my sweet, yet sometimes bratty baby....He is getting so big and really does some cute things sometimes. He has started giving hugs. When you pick him up he will wrap his little arms around you, and pat your back with his little hand. It is so sweet. He is such a busy little guy...he is just into EVERYTHING! He likes to climb up onto the table, and grab anything he can. It has become a rule in our house that when you are done eating you have to take your dishes to the sink and push your chair in, cuz if you don't Hayden will climb up there and just make a huge mess. He gets into the pantry and dumps the cereal out of the boxes. The other day he got into my cupboard and got the thing that goes to the mixer and threw it in the garbage. Not only does he like to put things into the garbage can, but he also like to take things out....my girls call him our little puppy dog. Really he is the busiest kid I have ever had. But his sweet baby hugs make up for all the work it is to chase after him. And when he is asleep he is just an angel.

"It's days like these you say...WHY ME!"

Water Fight Weekend

2007-07-02T07:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend te went down to Montrose for there annual water fight. On Friday night we went to a BBQ and a hayride. The kids played volleyball, air hockey, and just visited and then at night fall we all jumped on trailers for the hayride, which incidentally there was no hay on, so I guess it was just a trailer ride hehe. They had three trailers full of kids two with teenagers and one for kids under 13.

This is Alyssa getting ready to go. Notice she is sitting between two boys :)

Once Sean found out she was sitting between two boys, he decided that was the trailer he needed to be on, and that I should ride with with the little kids. It was a really nice hay ride, we visited and sang. However not to kind on the backside with no hay, so I stood up on the way back.

The next day was the water fight day. We all went to the park where they had large tents set up. Which were very nice to sit under during the day, because it was so HOT!! They had a bump and jump set up for the little kids as well as a little wading pool that they all thoroughly enjoyed!

Here is a picture of Shelbi and Hayden in the bump and jump

Here is a picture of Hayden enjoying the cool clean water, however by the end of the day...not so clean :)

The young kids played a variety of different games. They played dodge ball with water balls and different relay races. Alyssa was in a race where here and another girl had to sit on a platform, and be carried by four guys who had to race down to the other end of the field, drop them off, and then race back.

Here is a picture of Alyssa and Lucinda getting ready to be carried away

Here they are carrying the girls...Hand on sweetie!

After this they all headed over to a water slide where they all had to race down and run to the finish line. After the youngkids were done with the race they let everyone try it out. And boy was it fun!! Here are pictures of Shelbi and Maria on the water slide.

All in all it was a really fun day. We came home Saturday night, but Alyssa got to stay the night with her new friend Lucinda, and go to church there on Sunday. It was a good meeting, and an uplifting weekend.

Thanks!

2007-06-29T06:45:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say thank you to all my wonderful friends who left me words of encouragement on my last post. With prayer and caring words I have had a much better outlook about things. I have been trying to get out and socialize, and just spend time with a variety of different people. It is so easy to get in a rut of only doing things with a select few people in your life...and I really want to try to be social outside of my family click.

This weekend we are going to Montrose for there annual water fight! It should be a lot of fun. Tonight they are having a BBQ and hayride, and on Saturday they are having a day at the park with volleyball, games, and "The Water Fight" This will be Alyssa's first large teenager get together since she turned 13, so I hope she has a lot of fun, and meets some new people. I will be posting some pictures next week, of all the fun we are going to have!

Thanks again to all...Life is what you make it, and I want to make it good!

Guess I'll go eat worms!

2007-06-26T15:21:00.000-07:00

It seems lately I have been feeling sorry for myself a lot. I am so emotional about the stupidest things, and I get my feelings hurt so easily. Well when I woke up feeling blue, once again this morning, I decided enough is enough! (after sulking for an hour or so) I am tired of feeling this way! So I prayed about it, and I am feeling somewhat better. I really shouldn't let little things hurt my feelings. I want to be of good cheer....I have so much to be thankful for. If I can only see it past the clouds that are blurring my vision.

Music in The Air

2007-06-22T06:34:00.001-07:00

There is nothing like having the sound of music in your home...Last night we had some talented musicians come over to our house and play some, and sing some. It was great fun. There is nothing like having the brethren in your home for a good old fashioned singing. I really enjoy singing and listening to the talent flow out of each instrument. Friends, family and the brethren singing in your home is a night well spent.

I'm A Bargain Hunter!

2007-06-22T05:48:00.000-07:00

Anyone who know me very well knows how much I love finding a great deal. I love to go to yard sales, shop second hand stores and clearance racks. And one of my major downfalls is my modesty about it all. I'm the kind of gal who when complimented on my outfit will reply "Oh thanks, I got this skirt at a yard sale for a $1.00 and the shirt for .50 cents" I guess everyone should be as excited as I am about the great deal I just found, although I think I sometimes make people feel awkward.

So with that all said I just have to show you all some of the great deals I found this last week for my house...Since we moved here we have been renting some furniture for our living room, however I decided that instead of paying another months rent for our furniture I would, try to find a nice used couch, so I searched the nickle add and found this couch. And yes I have to tell you how much it cost. Only $75.00 which is less than we were paying for one months rent on our furniture

This other item I can't wait to tell you all about I my new bed spread...When we moved I got rid of all my bedroom stuff, so for the past few month I have been wanting to redecorate my bedroom, but I wasn't sure, how I wanted to do it. I decided the best way would be, to find a bedding set that I liked and then go from there, as far as colors and theme. So last weekend at a yard sale I found this comforter with the dust ruffle and pillow shams for.....here it comes.....$10.00 I am so excited!!! Now I can start decorating my room, my walls are like a blank canvas and I get to be the artist.

It's funny what brings us pleasure in life...and how immodest I am about sharing it all with you

Mr. & Mrs Byers

2007-06-16T21:52:00.000-07:00

This evening we attended a beautiful outdoor wedding. Today was a very hot day, so I was kind of concerned that I would be sweating like a pig. But even thought it was still hot at 7:00 PM this evening (when the wedding began) I wasn't hot at all. There were a lot of shade trees and it was just a beautiful park setting and a beautiful ceremony. Here is a picture of the bride and groom.

Fun in the Sun

2007-06-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

It's June and summer is officially here! After living on the west coast for so many years, and enjoying such mild summers...it is not hard to notice the 100+ degree weather. We are definitely living in a desert. Everything is so dry and hot!! So what is the best way to deal with this heat? Swimming of course! So we invested in a small swimming pool for our back yard. We got up early this morning and cleared some rocks out of the way to make a smooth foundation for our pool, and before you knew it the kids were happily splashing the day away in the pool. I took a few pictures for your viewing enjoyment.

Why I chose My Blogging Name

2007-06-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

I have found that in today's society people find it strange to be married to one person for 14 years and have six children all by the same man. What is this world coming too? I really could not imagine it any other way. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family!

New to Blogging

2007-06-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I decided to take a whirl at this new world of blogging. I have been an on looker for quite some time now, and I decided I shold maybe join the fun! So if you know any special tricks or can give me any advice on how this all works just let me know. Thanks