What a View

My house, that I have literally waited years to build, is finally getting built, and it is coming along nice and fast. This week they put on my brick and did Sheetrock on the inside. Wednesday, they will tape and drywall. And by the beginning of next week we will be onto finishing work. WOW I am amazed, and so excited! We drive by the house every day (at least once) and we find ourselves very often standing and looking out the windows at the amazing view of the surrounding fields, farms, and mountains. I am so thankful to be building a home to raise my family in that is in a place that is so beautiful to me. I took some pictures out of my windows while we were there today. What a great start to a new year!!! :) I am feeling very blessed today, Jesse let me sleep in, we got lots done around the house, even started packing, and the kids didn't make me pull out any hair today. I wish all days were like today.

Here are some pictures of my view. I figured I better get some now, who knows in another 30 yrs this may all be city and be filled with houses and businesses. And here a are a few of picts of Jesse and the kids looking out the windows, and the house with the brick on it. (The siding will be on soon too, and the door will be painted, then it will really look like a house:

Garyns Birthday 5 yrs goes by in a flash!

I can't believe my little man is already 5 years old! How did that happen. He is my best Christmas Present ever! It seems like this last Christmas that we were sending the 2 big kids home with family in anticipation of his birth. He was due Christmas Day and that is my fault for saying out loud after a few years of trying to get pregnant and to plan it for spring: "I don't care when I have a baby as long as I finally get one and it isn't Christmas Day" Well it wasn't Christmas day but the day after.



Now its my turn to brag about my Little cutie pie! A mom can do that every now and then and what better time than Birthday time. Named after both his Grandfathers, he came into this world big and happy at 8lbs 2 oz. With eyes as black as coal that could melt even the coldest herat. I could have sworn in that 1st day of his life that I saw him smile, and he hasn't stopped since. He was a happy baby, that loved to be snuggles and held and he is still a happy happy child. He loves to play and to have fun. He is eager to help and has a special talent for making people laugh. He is going to be the class clown some day. I can picture the phone calls now "Mam, Garyn is a really fun child BUT he is a little disruptive"



He started to get curly hair within his first year and has kept it. He has always gotten attention from strangers everywhere we go. He just has a way of drawing attention. I think he has been proposed to about 10 times already. He also started with his "I want to play with your ears" FREAKY Fetish as a baby too. He is such a delight and has been such a fun kid to have. He is a great little brother and a fun big brother too. Even though he gets pretty rough sometimes. He loves being a boy, getting muddy, playing with trucks, attacking you out of the blue, computer and video games, and especially Thomas the train! I love this little boy so much! And I am so thankful for his special way of making me smile even when I am mad or sad. He has been such a blessing to our lives and I am so lucky to have him.



A few pictures to celebrate the past 5 years:

Christmas Calm

Ok I made it through the chaos and we had a Wonderful Christmas and I have now found my Christmas Calm. Well now that the kids are in bed again wish visions of much toys playing dancing in their heads.

Saturday was filled with much shopping, shopping and house stuff, and being sick again yuck!
Sunday I went to my moms to wrap presents with out any kiddy eyes to see me. And a magical elf (my mom) helped me get all my presents wrapped in no time at all. WOO HOO! have to admit the relief of having that done helped with the feeling better too.

Monday Christmas Eve, one last stop at the store, a trip to show the new house to Heidi, the kids ran out all the neighbor gifts, and back home for present opening with our little family! Oh that was so much fun. The kids called me several times while we were at the store to tell me that they were "just sitting starting at the presents under the tree waiting to open them" I found this to be VERY VERY FUNNY!!

Christmas Eve opening the much anticipated presents

It made my day when Jesse opened his present from Samantha and it was one of her trophies with masking tape over the name and a new inscription for "Worlds Best Dad." Now that is a gift with a lot of thought into it. Bless her little heart! It was very sweet.

Then we rushed off to Grandmas and Grandpas for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner, nativity, and many more presents. They had enough by the end of Christmas eve that they didn't even need a visit from Santa, they got one anyway of course.

The cutest of the 3 Kings: Garyn

These aren't such bad looking "sheep" either: Will and Jaden

I love that excited feeling that is in the air on Christmas Morning. All the giggling and anticipation as the kids wait at the door way for the all clear from dad. Here are the Socks stuffed to the rim! My stuff was in a pile because I was protesting my mom's returning to me my childhood sock and didn't get it out this year.

And a picture of the tree with presents underneath the tree. I make the kids wait in the hall while I get a picture like this every year. They hate it but they will love these photos some day, I think.

Will with his new rocking horse

After opening presents from Santa we headed off to Jesse's Moms for our traditional and oh so yummy Christmas morning omelets. The kids had fun linking together games on Nintendo DS. And of more presents.

Then we went home for 1 1/2 hrs and mom got a nap! (Yay! Go Me!)

The we headed up to Jesse's Dads for Prime Rib Dinner and more presents and then Santa stopped by to deliver some PJ's to all the kids that he had forgotten to leave at our houses.

Garyn with Santa. Since his Birthday is tomorrow Santa even sang Happy Birthday to him.

Samantha with Santa. She asked him if he liked the note she left last night and he said "Oh I loved it you are very artistic." That made her day because she had actually drawn him a picture and wrapped it up for him and he must have remembered because he called her artistic. That made her day and sealed the deal that this must be the "real" Santa. Especially because he told Jaden to keep working on no back talking his parents. The whole room got a kick out of that. Poor Jaden.

Once we left their we went back for a quick stop in at my Mom's again even though we spent Christmas Eve there. So the kids had a great day they got to spend time with all 3 sets of Grandparents and they still had time to play some guitar hero 3 before going to bed tonight. What a fun fun day we had. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family. Not just my little family of my own but also for my extended family that all lives so close to us. It makes for crazy holidays around here with all the places to go, but it is also so rewarding. We have Grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles and so many friends that we get to spend time with and we are so blessed.

We took a few minutes with the kids tonight to talk about all the gifts they had received and about how all of the Christmas gifts from the whole world all put together are not even close to the gift that we were given when god sent his son Jesus to suffer for us and give us eternal life. I just want to add that I thankful for so much today but the very most I am thankful for a loving heavenly father that watches over my family and I am thankful for Jesus Christ and for his life, his example, his Gospel, and his gifts to me.

Wise Men Still Seek Him.....

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

I have a case of the Christmas Crazies!!!!

I am starting to feel like I am in Christmas Crisis mode now. I have so much to do still and instead of getting any of it done today I spend most the day picking out house stuff and begging for and organizing at the last minute for them to put a Central Vacuum System into my new house. My contractor is ready to kill me, and said “PLEASE don’t spring anything on my like this again.” But this is one of those things you can’t easily add later so too bad for him, and Jesse too. LOL Actually I didn’t even know I wanted it because I thought it was too expensive. I just assumed so and I didn’t even price them. And then someone brought us a bid and I was like, what the heck, may as well put it in. So last minute, but at least I am getting it. Right? LOL Now if I can just throw together Christmas. I still need to wrap, bake and deliver, not to mention a few more gifts that I need to buy. OH THE JOY!!

WOW I need a nap! I love to bake but this year I only did cheap lazy gifts for my neighbors. LOL Of course because I am insane this month!! I took out hot chocolate and candy canes. And for the kid’s teachers we special ordered pencils that had the teachers name printed on them and tied them to a bad of candy so that they could put it into their rewards boxes. I know some teachers get so much lotions, candles, and candy that they can’t possibly use it all. So, I wanted to do something different this year. I offered my kids to make treats on Wed. night and they said “no way! She already got like 10 plates of cookies today” so I was glad I had ordered the pencils. One teacher loved hers so much she already called to ask me where to get more. I told her to play her cards right and she might get some for Valentines. She thought that was pretty funny. She is Samantha’s best friends’ grandma. We love her!!!!! Anyhow that is how things are working around here this year. I have done lots of baking of goodies but mostly just me and the kids. With Jesse and 4 kids things get eaten up pretty fast around here. J

I was so busy today with house stuff, lots of shopping with the kids, we had our 4 way inspection and we passed!!, we picked out our appliances, got set up for our central vac, Jesse got the speaker wire installed that he was been wanting to do, and then I took Samantha and helped to her friend party for 2 hrs tonight. Once I dropped some of the girls off, I barely made it home in time to log into work. I was very happy to finally get to sit down. Sad when getting to work it the relaxing part of the day. I was very happy to just get to sit here and talk to people on the phone tonight.

The next few days around here are crazy! Tonight I have to get pictures ready for my mom to print for her calendars. Tomorrow I have to meet at the house for the central vacuum guy to get my vacuum installed. Then I have to pick up 2 last presents and some food for the parties, and then I need to tie cards to my neighbor gifts and run those around, and then I need to wrap my presents because I haven’t even started yet! YIKES!!! And then I have to work at 8. Then on Sunday will be lots more wrapping and maybe some more running of gifts. Ya know what I should take out all the neighbor gifts on Sunday. That would be a great Sunday activity a good giving way to spend the Sabbath. Plus I work at 8 so I could do it before. Then on Christmas Eve night we will go to my mom’s for dinner and then open presents and act out the nativity. My mom has made costumes and the works that we use each year. I will probably have to leave early because I have to work that night but at least I only live a mile away from her so that won’t be too bad. Then after I get off work I will have to do the presents and will probably fall into bed exhausted about 10 min. before my kids get up. They always wake up so stinking early on Christmas!!! Then we have to be to Jesse’s mom for my favorite Christmas morning omelets! YUMMY can’t wait!!! And then home for a few hrs. (Hoping a nap) and back up to his Dad’s for dinner and a last minute visit from Santa who if stopping by on his way back from deliveries in the islands. Just to drop off some extra PJ’s for grandma to give the kids. He came last year and it made my kids Christmas great! I am glad Grandma talked him into coming back. They are butchers and it helped that when he shot a deer this year they processed the meat and she told him he couldn’t pick it up unless we got on the list for Christmas Day. Hey Grandma, way to blackmail Santa!
Then I work Christmas night and then the next day is Garyn’s b-day. I don’t know what we are doing but we are doing something really fun. We always try to make it a big deal since it is so close to Christmas. But I do not want to admit that he is 5 so I have been putting it off something fierce. I hate birthdays!!!!!!! I want my kiddos to stay little forever! I get wed. and Thursday off and I am going to curl up in a ball and sleep for hours! Well maybe I will just rent movies and veg on the couch. That is my favorite way to spend a night off. Still haven’t seen Stalking Santa. I will though because it still looks really funny to me!

This looks very funny!

This looks really funny! I love Excel Entertainment and along with my I believe theme of the week I think I must go rent this on my days off. Anyone seen it yet?

Sometimes there is a little flicker of hope

My sometimes charming and loving oldest children, that never cease to amaze me, with there strong spiritual core. I know that they will have to be tough to make it in today's world. I pray they have continued strength and seek help from each other all their lives.

Do you ever feel like you just aren't getting through to your kids and then they totally out of the blue hit you with something amazing! Well that happened to me today.

I always try to make a big deal out of Christmas being centered on Christ and I always make a big fuss about how much I love Santa because he wants up to always remember the gift that Christ gave to us. We talk every year about Santa being a symbol of Christmas and of how much Santa loves Jesus and how he wants us to remember the gift or eternal life that we have because of our savior and how on Christmas morning as we open presents we need to remember Jesus Christ. I guess it actually seems to be sinking in so far. I still believe very much in the symbol of Santa! My favorite Christmas book is “I Believe in Santa”, it is a relation of the symbol of Santa in Christmas and of Christ, the reason of Christmas. I love it!!! I have to do a post about Jadens mysterious letter that took me by surprise but that is a whole other heart warming story.

Today's is this: And yes I was eavesdropping but not on purpose, I just happened to be within hearing distance as I was doing my morning struggle to greet the new day. They were both in the bathroom at the mirror getting ready not the usual bickering going on, and I hear Jaden say "Samantha, what would you do if Santa didn't come this year?"

And with out even thinking about it she replies right back "Well, then I would just be thankful for all the stuff I already have."

And the best part is Jaden's response to her "Oh, that is a good answer." as if she had just passed some kind of test he was giving her. It made my heart skip a beat or two to hear them being so grateful. I almost fell out of be at that point. LOL They aren't exactly little tots anymore and I hope that they can always remember that Christmas isn't about the stuff but about the love for Jesus Christ. I hope and pray that Christmas will always have the magic for them that it does for me. I Believe! I yes I do know I am still a kid.

How I like to picture Santa and his love for Christ:

Am I nuts?

Grandma gets a taste of T R O U B L E oh, I mean, Will

Does this look the face of TROUBLE to you?

Well, It does to me and to Grandma too!

Today Grandma got a great taste of Will's terrible twos. It was actually pretty funny! I worked late again last night. (Because I am such a sucker and keep thinking well if I am at home I may as well stay on another hour or two.) And so of course I was tired this morning and had a hard time getting up for church. I missed the 1st hour but did make it to the last 2 hrs. Will is not liking nursery anymore. Ever since they took me out of nursery and put me back into teach the 11yr old girls he hates church. So I thought I would take him to the first part of his class get him playing with toys and ditch him. WRONG! He knows the drill and wouldn't let me put him down, so then he fell asleep on my lap. At that point I figured I would just sit in there with him since I was in a rocking chair and comfortable. I didn't want to sit in the primary room on the hard armless chairs. So when Grandma came in to do singing time she offers to save us from ourselves and invited us over for dinner. Poor Grandma she should know better.

So I packed up some mashed potatoes and headed on over. The big kids were already there because they sneak into her car in the parking lot. (I bet she has days that she wishes we didn't live so close) I don't think Will was in her house for 5 minutes before he started getting into things. He got out the broom and was "sweeping" which is code for banging on things and knocking stuff all over the place, he pulled off a whole roll of toilet paper, found one of her many, many, candy stashes, ate the candy and spit some out, then got into her lipstick. Oops! That was the last straw. She called him some fun names that only Helen can get away with and threatened to lock us all up in a cage. LOL (I am so my mom! I say all the same things) I admit fully that when he got the lipstick I wasn't watching him because I was dealing with the big kids crisis of the moment, so don't judge. :)

So then, my new neighbor that is also building a house right now about 500 yards down the road stopped by to bring me a lighting book and wanted to do a swap walk through of our houses. I wasn't going to miss that opportunity. So I took Will with me while we walked through our house and by then he was freezing cold. So when I went back to jump in her car to go to her house I left Will at Grandmas with Samantha watching him. I was walking through my neighbors BEAUTIFUL house when here comes Jesse and Samantha to look at it too. Um.... yeah no Will. So I say "Where is Will?" and Jesse says "At your moms and she wants to kill him." Um, thanks Samantha, for watching him so well and forgetting that you are watching him. So we do a quick look through, drool a lot, then put our tongues back into our mouths, and run back to save Grandma.

What do we find? Grandpa and Will standing in the front yard picking up things with grabber sticks. So like an idiot I ask "What ya doin" and Grandpa says "Well, we have been banished from the house because Will is into all of Grandmas stuff and she is as mad as a hatter."

HA HA HA HA HA OK so I know that I am totally mean to be laughing but I find it so funny because when I am at my whits end with this child it is always Grandma that tells me to "relax and let him live a little"

To that I say...... "Oh really!? Yeah sure as long as it is my house he is destroying." and all in all I am just happy that he is busy and curious and into things these days, because doing damage control and picking up after him is small potatoes compared to the days when he is sick and crying and clinging all day long. And I don't think Grandma will be rescuing us again anytime soon.

Survey says: I would rather have a busy healthy child

than a crying sick one!

p.s. for any wondering, I take him back this week to run more blood tests, but he has been doing much better anyway.

My fish bowl that I call life, is crowded and dirty!

Wow what a week. Do you ever feel like you live in a fish bowl that is dirty and crowded with crazy fish that keep spitting on you? That would describe my week.

It just seems that I have something going everyday but yet I get to Friday and look back and think... "Did I get anything done?" Why is it that I have such a hard time, seeing a stack of clean dishes, a group of happy primary girls with plates full of cupcakes, kids bathed and fed, (and still alive to tell another tale I might add), churches decorated for family parties, 35 middle of the night hours worked, church lessons prepared and taught, and so on and so forth as accomplishments? I still feel like nothing ever gets done. It just always feels like I am swimming in circles in this dirty little fish bowl with my kids throwing stuff on me, and at me all the time. Do this do that blah, blah ,blah.

On a much happier note I did get my flooring picked out for the house and it was oh so painless. The sales girl was so helpful to me in my indecisive ways. I am so happy with my findings that I am simply giddy with excitement! And here is my latest picture of the state of the house. Notice Jesse and the kids in the window-less window areas. Just had to note that I am not the only excited one here. ;)

We do finally now have the windows in the holes. Yea, a novel idea keeping the snow out of the house instead of in. This week we even have all the plumbers, electricians, and HVAC guys there working hard. :) WOO HOO our 4 way is next Friday.

The best $850 bucks I ever spent!!! It only cost me $850 more to have my bonus room (space above the garage) lifted 2 feet. Look at how nice it made this space. Now, that is a room fit for some family parties! I love it and we have now decided to finish it. I did however bargain with Jesse that I will give up my porch railing (that I wasn't sure I even wanted) in exchange for finishing this FABULOUS party room. :) Now that was worth it, right?

The well drillers still have a broken rig and we are STILL waiting for them to get it fixed and come drill our well. So we have a 1/2 finished house and still have no water. So that means the poor cows are still waiting patiently everyday for someone (usually my poor dad) to haul water over from my mom and dads house for them. See how they line up at the fence waiting? Poor things! But that is a whole other story.

Just because I haven't posted a picture of the back of the house. Complete with the Honey Bucket (port a potty) that Samantha just can't get over and that Garyn thinks is so cool because it is a bathroom outside . HA! HA! He is a crack up I tell ya!

And here is Jesse draining Lake Jensen from the front yard. We got a lot of snow/moisture and of course if puddled right in front of the house. I love my little swamp land! My own personal Navoo. :) Here is a picture of Lake Jensen so you can see that it is really a lake!

And lastly, Samantha at our Primary Party decorating cupcakes. Mantha is the best part of having this calling: Getting to teach these 12 amazing little girls is great, but getting to connect with my one and only daughter in a fun, social, and spiritual way through our activities and lessons is priceless and makes every hour of my volunteer time worth it. I actually look forward to planning and holding your weekday activities. It makes my Wednesdays so sweet. Even if it is sometimes a hectic mess. :) But with me, who would expect anything less? LOL Mess, is my middle name, after all.

Friday Funny (a few days late)

I know I am a few days late but I have to post these 2 hilarious things that Garyn said this week. He is 4 and says the cutest things that just catch me off guard sometimes. I want to always remember how cute and fun he is!

#1 So he is playing and being silly he calls Will a "pee pee head" I said in a funny mom voice "Hey, Garyn don't call him that, he isn't a pee head" and so his response......

"I know, he can't really pee on his head, because his weenier can't stretch that far." Now realize he says this all in such a matter of fact way that I thought I was going to die trying to keep in all my laughing. What a silly boy!

#2 He had already been home from preschool for about an hour and he comes into the kitchen where I am working and casually asks "Well, did you want me to get a certificate and a treat?"

I am like "Huh?"
So he says "Well, DID you want me to get a certificate and a treat?"
So I say "Sure hunny I want you to get a certificate and a treat."
Garyn says "Well too bad, I can't, because you didn't teach me my phone number."

Now the funny part of this is that I didn't even know they were learning phone numbers at school and the really funny it that he says it like you would say "oh, I guess we are out of crackers." he talks like he is just talking not like he is mad about missing out on something. He is so dang funny. Needless to say, we now know the phone number and have earned the certificate and the treat! LOL Thanks Miss Lindy! You made his week. :)

I will try to post a picture later.

Cold stinking day, but my windows arrived! & Pioneer Thankfulness!

The kids and a cousin IN the framed fireplace. I told them not to make a habit of hanging out in the fireplace or they might get burned up. LOL It was so stinking cold they probably wished there really was a fireplace already.
And we have a roof! Jesse can sleep in peace tonight and stop tearing his skin off his hands stressing out about the possibility of it snowing in the house. Sweet Dreams Baby!
They joy of my day, WINDOWS! Seeing as how most of the house is windows I was thrilled to see them arrive today. I did however think that the ones for the front of the house had grids in them.... hum, guess I better be checking that one out.

This was such a cold day today! I was way tired because I am a sucker and can never say "NO" so I ended up staying on late to work and didn't get to bed until 4 am. I love my job! I still can't believe I get to work at home and actually get paid to play online when it is dead. It's a cool gig! Anyway since I was tired and it was so cold (heaters are broken) I just wanted to stay in bed all day. But I didn't :) I got up and actually got some stuff done including 2 batches of laundry. WOO HOO for me. I drove by the house on my way to take Garyn to preschool and the framers were there putting on the rest of my roof. I wanted to drive back over later but it was just too cold. So instead I had a nap. Then when Jesse got home he honked in the drive way and put me in his warm car and drove me over to see how far they had gotten. I was excited to see the progress on the roof and bonus room, but can you imagine my surprise when I walked into the garage and saw this pile up of windows? It made trumping out into the cold with 4 kids worth every cold breath!

It has come to this , a good day is getting windows piled up in the garage. I look forward to all the days and years ahead looking out these windows and watching my kids and someday grand kids playing in the yard, watching my baby girl drive off on her 1st date, pacing the floor looking out these same windows waiting for them to come home from dates and eventually for family dinners and holidays, and all that life will bring both happy and sad. I will for the rest of my life be looking out these same windows at the spectacular view around me and marveling the blessings that I have all because more than 150 years ago my great great great great grandmother packed up everything she had into a wagon and walked thousands of miles to bring her family to a place this beautiful to raise her family where they could worship god in peace and then their families, and so on, and so forth, so that I can now raise my family 7 generations later in this very place! Thank you Caroline! and Grandma! and especially Mom too! Because of you, I finally have a place to call my home! I hope the Lord will give me the strength and help I need to raise my children with as much Faith as they.

1st Blog Post

New to blogging. Thanks a lot Crystal, Missy and Janet! You just knew that I needed a new hobby didn't you? Actually, I really do need to do this. I need to keep a record of my thoughts and feelings. I am truly the epitome of a walking tornado. My friends tease me all the time about being the poster child for ADHD and this is a great way for me to organize my thoughts on a daily basis. I just hope that you can get past my bad grammor and spelling. (Shush, Crystal!) So really, thanks for the inspiration and for being such great friends. I hope that I can use this as my own personal journal and as a place to refer to for my scrapbook pages. I really want my kids to have the story not just the pictures.