Garyns 1st day of Kinderdarten!

Wednesday was Garyns 1st day of Kindergarten

He was so excited to start. This past week has been driving him nuts with the big kids going everyday while he had to say home another week.

He was so excited that he could not get to sleep on Tuesday night and yet Wednesday morning he popped out of bed like he had been asleep for 2 days.

Here he is on his way out the door. Bright eyed and bushy-tailed.

Chatty Chatty Mr. McChatChat.

He waited with the big kids for the bus to come.

You would have thought that the bus was a roller coaster ride as excited as he was to be getting onto it with them. Jesse snapped the perfect picture ... Off he goes my little boy is going to Kindergarten!

After the bus left I dressed Will and we jumped in the car and we headed to the school. We got stuck waiting for a train that was stopped on the tracks blocking the way into town. Grrrrr. I was totally stressed that we were late just sure that Garyn was going to be freaking out. (truth is I was lucky to get there alive since I was driving on 2hrs of sleep after working all night.) And when I did arrive at the school look at what I find. This smiling face working on one of the stations. He didn't even miss me. LOL

The first thing he does is pulls out a sticky note from his pocket to show me his lunch number. He doesn't get to eat lunch at school but he thought is was super cool that I put $$ in his account so that he could eat breakfast there. Jaden and cousin Necia took him to the cafeteria for a 1st day of school breakfast. He said it was scrambled eggs and toast, for all that want to know.

(Yes I totally pay for my kids to eat school breakfast, when they want it.... if you worked graveyards wouldn't you? Mornings are way tooooo hard!)

So we did the rest of his stations together and here is how I left him... concentrating really hard on drawing a picture of himself. How do I know he is concentrating? Notice the tongue sticking out? That is how you know when he is concentrating. Cute huh?

(The girl next to him is our neighbor that built a new house the same time we did this year.)

And this is him getting off the Kindergarten Bus and coming home.

Looks like a nice 1st day? I think YES!

He was grinning from ear to ear.

I know, that is just the cutest Kindergartner that I have ever seen!!

(this year..hehe!)

And after Garyn was off the bus in in the house Will was still trudging down the drive way wearing Garyn's back pack, pretending to go to school. Who wouldn't want to be like a big brother that is that cute? hahaha

Ok, well they are both cute, I know. And No, I am no bias!! LOL

Jaden's 1st adventure with Young Mens

Now that Jaden is 12 he gets to go to Young Men's or Mutual which it the Youth Group for the teenagers in our church. For his 1st activity they met at the church and then went and did a service project of stacking firewood for a widow in our ward (congregation). After the work was done it was tie to play... so they took the boys out on the lake for some fun Water Skiing. Poor Jaden has never been water skiing and he didn't get up on the wake board very well. But he still had a blast and thought is was a pretty cool 1st activity. This week he gets to go rock wall climbing. Pretty cool! He is gong to love this! How did he get so grown up so fast? It seems like yesterday they were handing him to me in the delivery room.

Jaden is 12, A very BIG deal!

Jaden turned 12 this month and for him this was a BIG deal! He has been so excited for his birthday he even made a little calendar to hang in his room that had numbers to pull off for each day. We did lots of fun parties for him. (pictures below) But the crowning event was Sunday Aug 17th at church when he was ordained by his dad to receive the Aaronic Priesthood. He is such a great kid and we are so very proud of him. He was so cute preparing for his interview with the Bishop. I think he was expecting a quiz on how much he knows about the gospel cuz he kept asking me questions for weeks. I kept telling him not to worry so much and that he was just fine. He has always been like that. He is such a good kid he just wants to be the best he can.

Honestly I have no idea how I got a kid that is such a strong young man. He has an amazing ability to choose the right. And he worries about his loved ones when they makes choices that he knows are not right. (believe me, I have had many a lessons from him about not swearing. LOL) And even though I still am not old enough for him to be 12 I am very very proud of him. The day they ordained him we all got a chance to tell him how we feel about him and his choices. It was so cool. There was such a special spirit in the room with us. I wish I would have written down all the nice things people said to him. He was beaming from ear to ear.

This last Sunday he was able to serve the Sacrament. He was once again so nervous that he would do something wrong. Of course he did just fine. He did giggle a little when he got to his best friends row. He said "Kaden and his mom were trying not to laugh so then I was trying not to laugh. So I just quit looking at them" He is a hoot. This next week he gets to collect the fast offerings and for that he is super excited!

For any one that is not a member of the LDS faith here is some info on the Aaronic Priesthood
In the LDS Church today, worthy male members may receive the Aaronic Priesthood beginning at age 12. These young men, typically ages 12–17, receive many opportunities to participate in sacred priesthood ordinances and give service. As they worthily fulfill their duties, they act in the name of the Lord to help others receive the blessings of the gospel.

More on my faith: http://mormon.org/mormonorg/eng/ or http://lds.org

I hope he can continue to make good choices and be as strong as he has been. He is an amazing person. And also because if he is a teenager like I was... I will lock him in a cage and throw away the key. LOL

Now for the Birthday Festivities:

Of course we had a big family and cousins party. For this we went to the pool.
Jaden, my other kids and the cousins enjoying the sun.

Jaden and Cousin Necia checking out his new long board that he got.

His other favorite gift... he put together all his birthday money and bought himself
a Digital Video Camera. (using dad's employee discount of course) LOL Spoiled Kid!

We went Bowling with some of his best friends.
More pictures of the friend party. (notice that we cut off the blond hair so it was just tips by the time we did pictures at the church and for school to start)
We also had the Grandma's and Grandpa's all go to dinner with us at Brick Oven. YUMMY!!!
This was his special request, and that we got a baby sitter for the little kids so it was special just for him.

Happy Birthday Young Man!!!

Last year to be a kid.. next year he is officially a teenager. YUCK!

Wordless Wednesday Back to School

Missing Umph... Reward Offered

I have lost my Umph... that's about all I have to say. Have you ever lost your umph? Where did you find it? Is mine with yours? If you see it please send it home to me and you will get a reward. I can't tell you what it is cuz I have no umph to think up a stupid reward for finding my umph....... hum...Umph-less and blah, blah, blah........ Maybe I will update soon.

Well today I did take the kids to the school open house, swimming, and out to dinner, and then for last minute school shopping so I guess that's good. Just not feeling it. KWIM?

Whats Up? A picture-palooza

I haven't had much blogging time lately but we have been having lots of summer fun. In between me trying to fit in sleep and trying to get the kids to clean and to stop fighting for a few minutes. Oh the sounds of summer. Screaming.... LOL And I have been reading lots lately and got some killer deals online for back to school. I big puffy heart old navy! And I can't wait till the kids are back in school so that we can get back to a schedule and so that I can keep some food in the house for longer than 10 mins. I swear they eat so much in the summer, it's like our lives revolve around food. Okay so I am not the best example for that but still. UGH!



And now here is my Picture Palooza so that I will know that I was not non-existent for the whole month of July. These are not in order, just however they uploaded.



FHE at Salem Pond w/the cousins. Being Silly: Jada and Samantha (with the spoons for eyes.)
Jaden, Necia and Samantha at 7 peaks
The little boys enjoying the new pool at a town near us.
Since we live out in a rural area we go to the pools, and parks at several different towns that surround us. I makes for lots of fun and breaks it up some. This new pool is becoming a favorite.
Will and Garyn in the baby pool of the water park



The 24th of July is a big deal around here. It's Pioneer Day and Fiesta Days so we have a big family shin-dig to celebrate. Here is the eating in Grandma's Back yard part. Always more food than we need.
And we broke out the water slide again. No, this isn't my yard. Though I would love intant trees. That would be cool. We took it to grandma's for the 24th. It is now back at our house which is funny since the new house has NO yard. I haven't even taken a picture of it over here. But need to, it is out in the old pasture that Jesse mowed down. The kids think it is grass so it's all good. LOL


This Chapter is called Animals:

Here is Harley the chihuahua thinking he can sit up to the bar like one of the kids. He is such a spoiled dog. We love him though and he is like one of the kids. Actually come to think of it he is less messy than Will, easier to feed and doesn't pee or poop on the floor nearly as much as Will eihter. Hummm.....



It's been another crappy week for the pets. Remember Izzy the he/she transvestdog? Well he was acting tired last Sunday and we thought is was a little strange because he is usually so full of energy and well extremely hyper. Miniature-Pinscher's are like that. Anyway he was acting tired but I thought well it's just hot blah blah, you know. Well I was wrong. He must have been sick cuz my dad found him 2 days later dead over on his back patio. UGH! Poor Samantha thinks the whole world is over. I feel so bad. He was such a cute dog too. Dang it! My dads dog acted sick for a few days too but now seems to be ok. So we think they got into something. And the same day we also found our neighbors English Bull-Dog drowned in the drain ditch in front of our house. It's always a roller coaster around here with the darn animals.



And get this Samantha says she will only feel better about Izzy, if Daddy will get her a horse. hahahaha That is not going to happen he says they are "hay burners" so I found a girl in our ward who will give her riding lessons once a week. That will have to do for now. Well, probably forever. Jesse is not really budging on the horse thing especially with the price of hay right now. He is complaining about the cows, and those you can eat. LOL



Speaking of cows. We got another calf. SOOOO CUTE! I know I shouldn't still be so excited with each new calf but I am. I love seeing them they are so cute. (for a few months) Haven't got a picture of him yet. Yes a him! WOO HOO! And we think he was born on the 4th of july. Cool huh? Anyway at least he is alive and appears to be healthy.

Jaden, Shayla, & Ethan, more silly cousin fun.




We have been painting lots of sun-catchers lately. The kids love it and they are a cheap and easy craft.
Amy came to visit me and we had a blast! We went shopping and she helped me turn my deals into this super cute wreath. LOVE IT!
There is always much 4-wheeling going on. Will could live on this thing if he can find someone to take him for a ride. Jaden doesn't look like it took much to convince him to be the ride giver huh? LOL And since the yard is mostly still dirt they have lots of fun area to ride on.
Yes we did the parade, of course!
Mom and Will at the parade

Will showing off his new hair cut. He is looking so big.
Samantha and her friend at yet another pool.
We have been trying to take the kids for some one on one time. Here is Garyn and Daddy when we went to see Wall-E. It was a fun night. He is such a funny kid and he talked the entire ride over, during the wait in the theater, some during the movie, and all the way home. Hum.... wonder where he gets it? Must be from strangers!? LOL LOL Couldn't be from his chatty, chatty mother! NEVER?
Grandma and I took Samantha and Shayla to get their nails done, during a sleep over. I had Acrylic Nails put on mine for the 1st time. I have long nails naturally so I never really wanted fake ones but they have all broken recently and my mom talked me into it. I like them. They are thick and that takes some getting use to but it is nice to look down at my hands and fell a little more put together than my usual slobbiness. (is that a word?) And I can still type when working so it's all good.

When Will wants to paint and i can't stand it in the house with the big kids. We go outside and paint with water. He loves it and it's ZERO on the mess scale. Super nice and by the time he gets to the other side he can come back and start over cuz the sun dries it.

Playing at the park on the 4th
My Flag Kids! Cute huh?
On the 4th we went over to see the fireworks. We sat above the Provo Temple. This is us taking up a huge chunk of the hill. I think we had 30 of us there.
Jaden trying to show me that he can long board on Necia's board. (he is getting one for his b-day Tuesday he's almost 12! UGH!)
Samantha and Erika at yet another park with the cousins.

Just hangin out at home
I like this picture. I love that my big kids are still small enough for play on the swings. These are the fun times. All of them playing together.
Just love the expression here. hahahaha
Beached Whale!!! Mommy with the kids checking out the clouds.

Garyn and Bergen at g-ma J's b-day party.
We went with her out to eat. It got pretty noisy down there on the end with all the kids together. And what a mess Will made. UGH!
So sweet. This is Will snuggling up with Jesse's dad. I love this! He just went over and layed down on him. He is a tough type guy the kind that like to "act" tough. But when he gets around his grandkids he is like Jello. It is so sweet.
Samantha Before
During

And after the pink streaks in the hair.

These are fun and she can only have them in the summer so I say go for it be pink if ya want to!
The kids watching the Hannah Montana 3D concert on TV. They even broke out the glow sticks and acted like they were at the concert. I was glad they were having fun cuz I was sooooooo sick that night. UGH!

So there ya have it some of the what's been going on on the funny farm.

MIssing in Bog Action

I know I have been missing in forever. I am still alive and kicking. Ok more like kicking and screaming. Keep getting off work early so that leaves me not so much time to blog. Funny I work at home yet only find time to blog when I work. Another of my oddities. LOL But getting off early also leaves me more time to sleep which means more time to play with the kids, and we have been doing lots of fun stuff.

I am trying to post a picture palooza but my stupid laptop won't let me add photos to my blog. WTH? So until dear hubby (the man who fixes computer problems for a living btw) takes the time to fix MY computer then I am picture-less which leaves me oh so grumpy! UGH! So hopefully more soon.

Today the kids and I and my friend and her kids went to Jumping Jacks for some bouncy fun and I forgot the camera. UGH! Can you even believe it. I must have a fever. Oh yeah that reminds me we have been sick around here. AGAIN! Summer stomach bug and lots of hay fever. LOVELY! grrrrrrr!!!!

I will be making the rounds in the next few days to see what the heck ya'll been up too. TTFN!
(4:30 am feeling loopy)

Wordless Wednesday

Will, Samantha, and Garyn posing for me so I can try out my new camera

Sometimes it's the little things

Lately I have been doing lots of fun stuff with the kids. We have been going more places and having a blast at it! I may do a month in photo's again just because I love taking pictures and really love that I have been getting out more. Working grave's kicks my butt! But being at home rocks and I love that I don't have to leave the kids.

Anyway... Last night I got of early. This seems to be a trend lately. It hasn't been really busy and the new owners are being sticklers about how much time we spend actually answering calls. So they keep sending us home early and it's kinda starting to make me nervous but oh well such is life right. And when I can get to sleep and get some extra sleep it is nice.

Anyway today Grandma S. cam and took the kids for a few hrs. They went to the bounce house place and then to Carls Jr. and ate and played on the playland. It was awesome!!! Ya know sometimes something so small like a few hrs with Grandma can make such a big difference. Jaden kept saying all day "Wow, this was such a fun day." or "That was so much fun." or "I am so glad I got to go with Grandma today" or etc. and Will kept saying "Grandma gone home?" it was so cute. They had a blast and we have all been so lucky to have family around to help us out lately. When I take them there it's no biggy but when Grandma does it a huge deal. I love that. I love that my kids are so thankful for the Grandparents.

And of course since I had actually slept last night I was thrilled because instead of having to take the chance to catch up sleep (like I did last time she took them) I was able to catch up on some cleaning. WOO HOO!! I got to actually get some clothes washed so that we will have something clean to wear. I was way way way behind on that. It was great to get something done in here!

Saturday Cleaning and actually doing some unpacking

OK so let's just start by saying this story has a very gross part and you may not want to read it if you are squeamish. That is your fair warning.

So we moved into the new house in like March and we loaded everything into the garage. We built a huge garage and we managed to fill it completely full with CRAP! Mostly crap that we probably don't need but that I have to keep because I am a hoarder. I admit it I have a problem with throwing things away. I just always am like but I might need this, blah blah etc. Partly we have been really enjoying the clutter free house and part of the problem is a lot of what is in the garage is storage items that we just don't need in the house. Like millions of baby clothes that I want one of my SIL's to have but they aren't even prego yet and I can't throw them out because they are still useful etc. And because that makes me admit that I am done having kids and I hate that too. So I have this total problem hording things. UGH! So mad I forgot to bet a picture of the garage before we started so that I could show just how much stuff was in there. It was scary!!

Anyway when we 1st tried to bring that cats over from the old house we put them in the garage so they wouldn't get lost. MY STUPID IDEA!!! And by the next morning our brand new garage already stunk like cat pee. Then a few weeks ago the stupid little dog was in there over night and stunk it up more. Anyway it just kept getting more stinky every day. Jesse said "oh it's from the animals." but I could have sworn it smelled like something dead. I started to wonder if one of the missing cats had actually gotten in there and died. Yes it was that stinky to me.

So (and this is the gross part and totally embarrassing but it's life) today when we go out to start unpacking and moving things Jaden looks on the floor by the freezer and says "Mom what is this stuff it looks gross and really stinks" So I ask what it looks like and he says a bunch of dead bugs or something. NOPE it was rotten dried up hamburger. And that was only the beginning. Apparently the kids when getting something out of the freezer let a package of hamburger drop down the side between the freezer and the garage steps. It thawed out and then went rotten. And that wasn't the worst of it. It was infested with maggots. EEEEWWWWW Poor Jesse got the delight of cleaning that up. It was nasty! I still feel like I need another bath. UGH! We had to pull out the freezer and clean underneath it and it was just plain not fun.

But on a brighter note we got so much done! We sorted, tossed (yes I threw stuff away miracles do happen), organized, hauled to the basement. (aka crawl space) I brought a book case and several boxes of scrapbook stuff into my office to put away. Filled the upstairs hall closets with blankets. And brought in about 3 totes of clothes for the little boys rooms. Stuff that was Jaden's that will now fit them. Nice huh? It was great to get some stuff done out there. Oh and we also put up some shelves by the back steps where the kids will each have a shelf for back packs and etc. Since back to school is approaching way to fast.

Speaking of back to school. I just spent way too much money getting them clothes in the bargain bin at Old Navy.com But we got some ultra cute things and some mega great deals. Especially since I had a 20% off of clearance coupon code that I found online. NICE!

And the best part of the day...... Jesse's car fits into the garage. Why isn't my car in the garage?you may ask. Well that's because I am driving the van now remember? And Jesse drives a match box car so it wasn't as hard to make room for his. LOL If I get ambitious I may take a picture.

Lame Post and totally gross but that is what we did today. How about you? Have a good Saturday?