Our little parrot!

Our cute little Sariah has decided to really try out her vocabulary here recently. She repeats just about everything that is said in front of her. She also mimics me perfectly...I don't have to discipline the older kids anymore because she just does it for me. What a gal...makes my job easier. I'm just kidding. But she puts her hands on her hips and stands over a mess with the cutest look on her face and sighs...it's the best! So, last night James was tucking the kids in and he was holding Sariah while he was doing so. She loves it and tells the kids "night kids...love" and then shakes her head a little as they walk out like..."whew...that's all done". So, James went in to the girls room and they weren't in bed like they were supposed to be and he said "what the crap" to them. Cute little parrot girl looks at them and says "prap!" and shakes her head. YIKES!!! It's one of her favorite things to say now. I guess we need to be a little more careful what we say and do. No pressure for James...but she mimics him more than me...he can't do ANYTHING without his daddy's girl seeing it and copying. Gotta love how kids keep us on our toes and make us work harder to be better. Thanks kids!

Last day of school!!!

I'm so excited. I just sent the oldest three kids off for their last day of school before the holidays! I love that they get to be home with me for 2 1/2 weeks and we can sit around the table and have breakfast together. It's one of my favorite things in the whole world!!! We have so much fun stuff to do over the weeks that I can't wait. I know Beka and Sariah will sure enjoy it too. They always love when the kids come home from school each day and then when dad comes home we feel complete. I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season because I know we sure are. When I figure out the downloading process again I'll put some pictures of little Sariah's birthday party because our baby is 2!!! Where did the time go?

Tank is a card

I was too embarrassed to put a picture to incriminate myself. Tank was sitting there next to me at breakfast this morning and noticed something about me. He announced to the family that I must be an elf because I have a little point in my ear towards the top of it!!! Oh my goodness!!! I turned red as the family went on and on about mom being an elf. It was quite funny and gave us all a good laugh. I guess I'll just have to be better about keeping my ears covered so that I don't get self-conscious!!!

HEEELLLLLLPPPPPPP!!!!

Okay...I need advice from anyone with experience. I have a BITER!!! Sariah likes to bite Rebekah...it's the only sibling she bites but she does it frequently enough to drive me MAD!!! I've tried to talk to her...I've tried to show her what she's done to her sister...and I've smacked her on the mouth right after she's done it. WHY WON'T SHE STOP???!!! What do I need to do to get it across to her? Anyone who knows...PLEASE...I'm begging you to tell me!

Funny Little Banana

Ana was helping me make calzones for dinner tonight and we were having some fun. I put my hand in the huge Costco bag of cheese to grab a handful and put it on the dough that was rolled out and ready to go. The hole wasn't quite big enough and I spilled a little bit of cheese on the counter....funny little Ana looks up and starts laughing "Oh, I guess mom's really do spill sometimes!" She thought it was so darn funny that I spilled some cheese. I guess it's because it seems like we have at least one spill each night at dinner and we try to let the kids know that we do it too sometimes but we just need to be careful. Well, Ana saw it and thought it very humorous! I guess I'll have to be more careful.

BOLDly go where no woman has gone before....

BOLDly go where no woman has gone before....

BOLD TAG.. bold the things that you've done before.
1.Started your own blog
2.Slept under the stars
3.Played in a band (Marching Spartan Alliance...we were the BEST!!!)
4.Visited Hawaii
5.Watched a meteor shower
7. Been to Disneyland
6.Given more than you can afford to charity
8.Climbed a mountain
9.Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo(played a million too!!!)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14.Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18 Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20.Slept on an overnight train
21.Had a pillow fight (is there really anyone who hasn't?)
22.Hitch hiked
23.Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (don't lie...you know you all have!!!)
24.Built a snow fort
25.Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (Turkey Trot 2 miles...walked while 8 1/2 mo. preg)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language(plenty of times...only understood by me too!)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (unintentionally...without gear...with the yw and we almost died...quite the adventure)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung Karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight(it's heavenly)
46. Been transported in an ambulance (after surgery)
47. Had your portrait painted (by my hubby)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (my own wedding video...counts for me)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (It was not my fault though)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades (airplane tour as we flew in to Florida, pretty sure that counts)
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (chipped one in my foot)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (my kids)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit (not me, but I live with someone who was...works for me!)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant

It was fun...lets see if anyone will do it...I tag anyone who wants it!!!

A little personal!

Well...I decided to do something a little different. I've been contemplating life a lot lately which I think comes with this time of year. I was getting packages ready to send for Christmas and so the girls were watching Camp Rock in my room so they could hang out with me. I love kids shows more than adult ones most of the time because there's nothing I have to worry about in them. Anyways...it was getting to the end of the show and Demi Lovato was singing her song "This is me" and I started crying. Pathetic...I know but I am a very emotional person. I started thinking and thinking and so many feelings overwhelmed me. I really feel like I'm a horrible person. I get really down on myself for a number of the things...my house isn't good enough...it's never clean enough or I don't have nice enough things in it. I'm fat and ugly and the harder I try the worse it seems to get. My in-laws don't like me because I'm not good enough. I'm not a good mother, wife, sister, friend, neighbor...person. These were the thoughts I was having (it's actually a life-long struggle for me). It was a tough day and night but when I got up this morning something changed. I thought back to a chat I had with a friend just yesterday morning and I hadn't talked to her since the night of my reception 10 years ago. We talked about not dwelling on the past and all our mistake but living in the present and looking forward to the future. She isn't a member of the church but we had a totally awesome time chatting about the good things in life. As I thought of that I realized that a lot of the stuff I freak out about just really doesn't matter. I'm not perfect and I have made a number of mistakes but as I ask The Lord for forgiveness and forgive myself and try to be a better person...that's all that matters. I have wonderful friends and an amazing family with a loving husband and 5 of the best kids in the world who all love me and that's what's most important. More importantly I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and he's not judging me the way that I'm judging myself. Sorry...I just felt like it was important for me to share this with you. Hope you don't think I'm a freak...I just like to learn important lessons sometimes and it seems like I keep re-doing this one over and over again...it's dejavu!!! All of you that read my blogs are totally awesome and I love you all! I hope you're having a wonderful holiday season!!!

I guess I'm it!

Here goes...

8 Favorite Shows

1. The Biggest Loser
2. The Office
3. CSI: NY
4. Law & Order
5. CSI: Miami
6. Without a Trace
7. Criminal Minds
8. Monk

8 things I did yesterday

1. Said good-bye to family
2. Fixed dinner for missionaries
3. Went to church
4. Watched Nacho Libre with the family
5. Took a nap
6. Cleaned the kitchen
7. Baked some cookies
8. Talked to mom on the phone

8 Favorite Restaurants

1. Cafe Rio
2. Olive Garden
3. Applebee's
4. Chili's
5. Marie Calendars
6. Panda Express
7. Carl's Jr.
8. Hoopes Kitchen

8 things I'm looking forward to

1. Christmas
2. Losing weight
3. A trip to San Diego in March
4. A trip to Utah in May
5. A over nighter in San Fransisco in January
6. Getting rid of the whole in my chest
7. Lifting wights again
8. Ward Christmas party to be over

8 things on my wish list

1. A new car
2. A housekeeper
3. A house of my own
4. Trip to NY with James
5. Visiting my dad back east
6. Be able to eat WHATEVER I want during the holidays and not gain a pound!!!
7. James passing Arabic after getting rolled so we stay here longer!!!
8. Living closer to my family

8 people I tag

1. Amy Hoopes
2. James
3. Amy R.
4. Lacee
5. Darla
6. Linda
7. Morgen
8. Marcie

Not for the weak stomach peeps!

So I decided that I would blog to vent a little about my "miserable" life at the moment. On Nov. 4th I went in and had surgery done. I have had some lumps under my arms for about 12-13 years and they were getting bigger and more painful as time went on. I finally found a doctor that was willing to do something about it. They completely hacked up my under arms with huge 5-6 inch incisions to get it all out. They then put 6 inch drains underneath to prevent fluid build up and infections. We went in that friday to have them removed and life was good....or so I thought. It felt much better not having those in but still pretty painful with such huge slices under there. On Friday I noticed that under my right arm part of the incision was really red and hard as a rock underneath. Of course....infection is what I thought. I went in and the dr said it was a reaction to the sutures that are already fragmented under the skin so we couldn't do anything. He did slice a little tiny opening in the incision to take a swab to have checked just in case and got the surprise of his life. I felt a downpour of warm fluid down my side and immediately got worried. There was fluid built up and we didn't expect it. Oh well...life goes on. He had me schedule to come in today so he could look at it before his vacation. Yesterday I went to the ER because the "hard as a rock" feeling was getting worse and spreading up to my neck region...freaked me out! When I took my shirt off at the ER something happened and I started gushing liquid again. They said there was nothing they could do and sent me on my way after a shot in the bum of some pain meds. (The picture was James idea of being "oh so cute" while I was at the ER). Today I went in to the doctor and was surprised yet again...will it ever end???? So, I have a little staph (sp?) infection on the skin where the incision is so I need to use a special soap for the next little while. He decided that he also needed to put a new drain in there to finish off the fluids that are trying to come out. So...without any kind of pain medicine or numbness he used a scissor like tweezer thingy to pull open the incision and push the drain in....OUCH!!!! I cried. Then he decided to numb me to do the stich to keep it in place but he didn't wait for it to take effect....numb med...stich...one right after the other....OUCH!!! I felt it all and it wasn't pleasant. So...now I am trying to deal with another foreign object sticking out of me that is not fun. Life goes on...right?! So, I've been miserable and the worst part is feeling like the house and kids are being neglected. It's my right arm and so I'm a little disabled at the moment. I can't wait to be whole again and I'm sure my kids can't wait either. Thanks for reading my little rant...I hope I didn't gross anyone out too much. Trust me...at least I didn't put pictures like James wanted me to!

I'm A Twerd as Carissa said ;)

Okay...so Friday night I went with a group of girls from the ward to see the much anticipated movie (at least for me)! Some of the girls had read all the books, some just the first, and others none at all but just wanted to go out with us. I kind of enjoyed the screaming girls because it just made it fun and carefree. I LOVED LOVED LOVED the movie. Yes...it was totally cheesy in parts and low budget but I think that made me like it even more. There were so many parts of it that I loved and I can't wait to see it again. I wanted to go again before my family comes but I just have to wait til they get here and we go see it together. I'm actually hoping that they'll do something like combine some of the books for the movies to make them more exciting. New Moon could be boring with Edward gone for so much and Eclipse too. I think they should combine the two and add the wedding from BD and call it good. What do you think?

All in due time!!!

I've had some people want me to post my thoughts on the movie once I've seen it and I will...when my head is a little clearer. I've had some complications arise from my surgery and so I'm in LOTS of pain and what not. I thought we were out of the woods but apparently I wanted to liven things up a bit and make my life miserable and more complicated than it already is. I will definitely post about it when I'm off the heavy drugs and thinking more clearly!!!

Jarom the Great!

I had a parent teacher conference with Jarom's teacher yesterday and it was rather interesting. Jarom is doing EXTREMELY well in school but he likes to act like he's not. He is advanced in some of his skills already and perfectly normal in all the rest. If you ask little Armjo if he can read he will tell you NO without a second thought, all he can do is sound out the words. His teacher says otherwise (and I already knew). He will sit down and read all the books his teacher sends home to read and doesn't think he's reading. What a card. Starting in December they will rotate classes for reading to get students into better groups according to where they are at...Jarom will get to stay with his teacher who is taking the "advanced" kids. Way to go Armjo!!! Mr. Schwertfeger was Tanks kinder teacher and he actually asked Ms. Fairman how she got so lucky to get Jarom Hoopes in her class. He really loved having Tank and told her he was jealous that he didn't get to have Jarom. I was quite happy to hear that. We loved Mr. Schwertfeger and we love Ms. Fairman. I love you Jarom...keep up the good work even if you can't read!

Sweet Tank

The other day Tank came home from school and was so cute. They get the little book catalogues all the time for us to try and buy some books. My kids LOVE books and so it's hard to have to tell them that we can't buy books every time one of the 3 kids brings one home. So...the other day Tank comes in real excited about a book that he found and he wants to get it....for ME! He said, "Mom, there's this really cool book I wanna get for you. I'll pay for some of it and you can pay the rest. It's a Twilight book with lots of pictures and it even has a poster. I know you should have it so I'll pay for some and then you can do the rest." So darn cute. I love the way he thought of me and knows that I like it and was even willing to get it for me. It brought a tear to my eye that my son loves me so much. Thanks Tank for thinking of me!

That little Beks!

Funny little Beks-a-boo! While Teancum was trying to be "oh so reverent" saying prayers....she had something else in mind. I wanted to take a picture to post because it was so funny but it was a little incriminating and I was too darn embarrassed. So, Tank is praying for us and Beks is laughing waaaaaay too loud and talking to Jarom so of course I open my eyes to look at what she's doing. BIG MISTAKE!!! She took my bra that I had just taken off and put it over her eyes and was wanting everyone to look at her "new eyes". I seriously could not stop laughing. Kids...gotta love 'em!!!

The things we learn from our kids!

The other day I was getting frustrated about silly things because I was really tired and grouchy. I'm sure some of you know how that goes. So...I yelled at Ana for some goofy thing she was doing when it was totally unnecessary. I immediately felt bad for doing so and apologized. Here's how the conversation went....
Me: Ana, I'm really sorry I yelled at you.
Ana: It's okay.
Me: No, it's really not okay, because I love you too much and it's never okay for me to get mad and yell at you. Will you forgive me?
Ana: (without even thinking about it) Of course, Mom. I'll always forgive because you're my mom and I love you. That's what I'm supposed to do. I'll always forgive you and dad.

WOW!!! I cried of course because I was extremely touched by her generous forgiveness towards me after being so ugly. It's nice to know that our kids love us in spite of all our weaknesses. I guess it's just another proof about how much God loves his little children and that we should be more like them. If only all of us were as forgiving as they are and could love everyone. Thanks for showing me this lesson again Ana! I love you!!!

Family Tag

1. How many people are in your family? 7

2. When did you get married? June 18, 1998...10 whole years already....where did the time go?

3. Are your children boys or girls? boy, girl, boy, girl, girl!

4. What do you do for fun as a family? hang out, watch movies, play at the park, go to the aquarium...just be together!

5. Is your family complete, or are you planning on having more children? HMMM!!! How to answer that. No, we are not complete we don't think. We have talked about having more, however it's up to the Lord more so than it is our decision. My kids are hoping for us to have a little boy to even the score.

Let's see...I wanna tag Angela, Carissa, Amy R, Jessica, Stephenie, and Darla. I wonder who will actually play along. At least it's a short one. !

It's been a while!!!

Well, well, well!!! I thought I'd give a little update as to what our family has been up to lately. Last Tuesday I had my surgery and things went pretty well....painful...but good. My sweet neighbor watched the kids for me so that James could be there with me and it was nice. We had meals brought til Friday night which was nice. The pain meds I was on were good but I was good for nothing. They made me really dizzy and so whenever I got up...I went right back down. James was so sweet and would come home each day for lunch to make it for the girls and I and just to check that we were okay. He's such a babe! He took me to the doc. on Friday to get the drains taken out and those things were crazy! James described them as 6 inch pencils stuck in there. I must admit...it felt sooooo much better after they were out. So...Jarom got sick on Sat and it was great. He got to stay home with me on Sunday and so we had fun watching Scooby Doo together and then I took a nap while he played a video game. Tuesday the kids were off and so we went to buy a washer and dryer and do some other errands while dad tried to play catch-up on all the homework he missed out on while being mom and dad. He was so good to me...I can't even thank him enough. The house may not have been perfectly clean and all that, but I knew the kids were fed and safe and I could rest easy. So, yesterday I was feeling good so I cleaned the entire downstairs...including the carpets! Yeah!!! Today I rearranged all the rooms upstairs and I am sooooo ready for bed. I guess that covers most of our not so fun week and a half....I best go read scriptures with the kids and get them into bed so I can do the same!!!

6 Unspectacular Quirks.

I was tagged by my cousin Carissa. The rules are, write down 6 quirks then tag 6 more people.

1. I can't stand to have clutter. Even though I do have some...it drives me absolutely insane!

2. I really like the Twilight Series and can't wait til the movie comes out.

3. I write lists. I will sometimes rewrite some of my lists 5 times...but they get done!

4. I hate bad drivers! I freak out when I drive with other people because I'm paranoid.

5. I like good deals and sometimes buy unnecessary things just because I got such a good deal on them.

6. I don't like to make decisions...it really ticks people off, but I hate it. I can't stand the idea of making someone mad or go against others and so I like to take a back seat and not be the one to make the decisions.

I'm not very good with this tag stuff because I've never done it before...so let's see. I'll try Lacee, Morgen, Linda, Corianne, Amy R., and Manda!

Lots to do!

I am a little sad that Keile took Ammon to stay with her mom over the weekend and so we aren't watching him anymore. It was only a week early but he will be missed. I hope she does well on her DLPT and that Ammon has fun with Grandma and cousins. Well, Sariah is adjusting better to no "bink" and we're getting over a cold which is no fun. Beka is getting to the end of hers too and so it will be nice to have healthy kids once more! Jarom got sick Sat morning but he's back at it and seems to be doing super! Ana and Tank are just going strong! Today I have lots to do to prepare for surgery tomorrow. I like to clean on Monday anyways, but knowing that it HAS to be done makes it harder to want to do. So, I guess I better get a move on cleaning and getting all the groceries done for a least a week! YEAH! Hopefully it will all go well and the recovery will be a snap!

Sariah's Problem

We finally decided to take away the binky from the little slug bug and life really, really, really SUCKS for all those within a 5 foot radius of the child. She screams and yells and cries for the "bink" and won't take a nap anymore. I think I'm about to go insane. She cries all day long and all she wants is her "bink". James isn't the most quiet at 5:30 in the morning when he wakes up and since she's found her way into our bed each night, she wakes up with him and starts asking. I don't know how much more I can take. James keeps telling me it's worth it but I'm beginning to wonder if it really is. Afterall...he's NOT the one home with her all day while she's a monster and the only time I get a little peace and quiet is when I lock my self in the bathroom. I hope it ends soon and she realizes that they aren't coming back because I'm at my limit. I miss her beautiful little smiling face!

Our Halloween Party!

We had our Halloween Party last night and it was a BLAST!!! I am so happy that it all turned out well. I did get a little nervous when not all the tables were set up and people were showing up EARLY!!! The party was supposed to start at 6:30 and I had people showing up at 10 after and people in charge of tables didn't show up til 6:30-6:40! Oh well! It still worked out and people really seemed to enjoy it. As I walked around checking things out people were laughing and having fun, so it was a success! The youth did a kids spook alley and a scarier one that people really enjoyed. We had a fun mummy wrap and shoot ghosts and pumpkins with marshmallows, face painting, donut hang, ping pong toss, cupcake walk, ghost suckers...I think that's all. I am very pleased with my first party and I hope they continue to go well. I think I had the cutest kids there too. Tank was Anakin and Jarom decided to go with Darth Vader. Ana was Mitchie from Camp Rock, Beka was a purple horse, and Sariah was a pink Carebear! They were so cute. James and I wore our "this is my costume" shirts and that was enough. We're lame...but at least we made a small effort!

Blog-aholic!

I'm being a total blog freak today and adding a whole bunch...but I don't care. I guess the first step is to admit that you have a problem and I am....I'm a huge DORK! So, Sariah really likes to watch the Twilight trailers with me and the last one (and best I must add) came out. Sariah runs over and jumps up on my lap every time I'm watching it. She asks to watch it again by cocking her head to the side, flashing her eyes to the screen, pointing and saying "ya" (which is the way she asks permission for anything). She also has a favorite part in the trailer. She really likes when James takes a sniff and says "you brought a snack"! She loves snacks and asks for them all the time. When it comes to that part she smiles and looks at me with the cutest little grin and says "nack"! I love it. I know some of you think I'm a total dork, but I think it's cute and I will cherish all these fun moments forever.

Yeah!!!

I'm so excited...at 9:30 I have accomplished a lot. I have emptied and put away the dishes in the dishwasher and reloaded it. Did a load of laundry, took out the trash, swept and mopped the kitchen, vacuumed the downstairs, and scrubbed the downstairs bathroom. The only thing I hadn't done was eat breakfast and so that's what I did before this post. I love when I feel like I've gotten a lot accomplished...makes me feel so special! Now...on to the upstairs and some rearranging! Wish me luck!!!

Poor Little Jarom!

Little Armjo has not been feeling good since we came home from Arizona. I thought it was just trying to get back into the routine and all that. Monday he came home and went to sleep at 6pm. On Tuesday he complained that his stomach hurt and that he was tired but he wanted to go to school. Wednesday I got a call to come and pick him up, so I did. I came in with the 3 older kids to talk to Stephenie because she was watching the 3 youngers ones. About 30 minutes later I noticed I hadn't seen Jarom and no one had either. I went out to the car and he was slumped over the arm rest of the passenger and drivers seat fast asleep. I had to carry him in the house and later that night checked his temp. and it was 103.2! Yikes!!! I had given him tylenol just before checking and within 20 minutes he was back to normal. He came downstairs and got some food and then was out again for the rest of the night. He was a little more himself but not so much. All he wanted to do was lay on the couch and sleep. When we sat down at church yesterday I felt impressed to get up and take him in. We got to the ER and they were so awesome. They had to take some blood to do a cbc and he didn't like that. They did it and left the tube in his arm for the i.v. He didn't like it. Fortunately he only had a UTI...not that that's good but I'm glad it wasn't anything worse. They checked his appendix to make sure. He's feeling better today and I hope it continues. He doesn't want to take the medicine because it's gross and he takes 4 tsp twice a day. I told him what the dr. said and that was, if he doesn't take it or it doesn't work...he comes back and they'll have to do it through an i.v. to make sure he gets better. YIKES!!! Jarom decided he was going to take the yucky medicine and get better! I sure hope so because I much prefer his beautiful happy smiling face!

Tall Tales!

James is quite the character! He has been telling the kids some really funny things from his childhood. He didn't have tons of money growing up, but he likes to act like they were completely destitute just for a good laugh. One of the kids favorites is that they didn't have toys and they only had dirt to play with. They were lucky to find a fun rock and only the rich people had trees to be able to climb. It was a treat to be able to put on clean clothes after playing in the dirt all the time. Halloween was the best because instead of costumes, they were guaranteed clean clothes. He is such a NERD! When it came to eating they were able to hop up on the table and take turns chewing on the piece of meat that hung from the ceiling. He was always first and so that's why he's the biggest and Amy is so small because she was last and there wasn't much left for her. The kids think it is so darn funny and laugh forever about it. I do think it's hilarious and I love his storytelling abilities. More than anything I love seeing him with the kids and the way they just eat up the attention they get. We'll have to see what stories he comes up with next!

Standing for Something!!!

President Hinckley has exhorted us to stand up for the things that are good and righteous. Friday we got home after spending some time in Arizona with family and it was a long drive with 5 kids. Saturday I was wanting to unpack, clean the house and just relax for a while. About 8:30 I got a call from our home teacher and counselor in the Elders Quorum. He asked us if we were willing to come and stand on a street corner to help hold signs for Prop. 8. My initial thought was..."are you freakin' kidding me, it's Sat, I just got home last night and I don't want to go stand outside and hold signs up for ANYTHING!!!" WRONG-O!!! I quickly changed my attitude and told him that we would be there. We got all the kids ready and showed up to help hold signs to let others know how we feel and what we believe to be good. It felt good. Of course there were the few that drove by and gave us a thumbs down and even the bird a few times but we would just smile and wave. A few yelled nasty comments that weren't heard over the traffic...that was a blessing. One person did say that we were a bunch of bigots. Oh well. Later at Costco Bekah looked at me with a loving little face and said..."Mom, you're such a bigot." I wanted to die. We explained to her that it wasn't a nice thing to say and that we shouldn't ever call people that. It was a nice introduction to a conversation with the older kids about standing up for what we believe. It's tough to do sometimes, especially over such a touchy subject. I am grateful for the opportunity to do so and for me kids to see us take a stand as a family to try and preserve just that...our family!

Will it ever get better?

The past couple of days have been really trying for me. On Friday James and I were planning on going on a date and the whole day was set for things that needed to get done. I went for my usual walk with my neighbor and when I got home put the girls in the rub and got 'em all washed up. When I turned the water off I heard Ammon screaming bloody murder, so I go running downstairs to see water seeping into the living room carpet...YIKES!!! The toilet overflowed and flooded the bathroom and into the living room and front closet. After 1 1/2 hours, 8 ruined rolls of toilet paper and rugs strewn across the front lawn, I was done enough to go get James so he could pick up the new battery for his motorcycle. Finally we ended up going out to get some pizza and a movie (Eagle Eye and it was totally awesome!) I was enjoying the night. Sat we watched our neighbor kids and the girls room ended up trashed. There were toys from one side to the other and every inch of floor was covered. I wasn't too happy and it only took til 8 P.M. to get it cleaned. At this point I'm wanting to pull my hair out. James enjoyed Priesthood and some Denny's with some of the guys. Sun. was nice with being able to watch conference although a little unrealistic as James is yelling at the kids for moving during the 2nd session...they had filled their quota for the day! Mon. I tried to go on a walk with all the kids...JOKE!!! It isn't working and I need my exercise time because it's the perfect stress reliever to help me get my day going. I called my dad because he was supposed to have surgery and got him just before he was ready to roll and that was nice. Tues. I hoped would be a better day! I got an e-mail from Cheryl (dad's wife) and it said that dad was staying in the hospital because he had a pretty high fever and his blood pressure dropped. I wasn't prepared for this and took it pretty hard. His temp was at 105 after the surgery but dropped to 102 on Tues....big whoop!!! They were flooding him with 4 different antibiotics to try and get rid of the infection, but I think the BP went back up...it was something like 84/47. A little stressful!!! In the meantime Ammon was taking pictures of Beka's bum and then dropped my camera on the stairs and broke it. CAN IT GET ANY BETTER???!!! So, things have been a little stressful and I'm trying to pack and get ready to leave on top of it all. This morning I got another e-mail about dad and he's still got the infection and they can't find the right antibiotics to get rid of it b/c they don't really know what it is. I am totally stressed but I know that things will work out. I need to be a little more patient and have a little more faith. I really do know that it will get better, it will just take time. Thanks for reading my little rant here...I definitely feel much better!

Anyone want a marker?

I think the pictures speak for themselves. She's a cute one...no one can deny that. Fortunately the only thing that got the marker was her and the balcony off our bedroom...easily washable!

Funny Little Sariah

The other night James and I were sitting on the couch having a heated discussion when Sariah came downstairs to join us. She was supposed to be in bed but she climbs out all the time now. So, I was trying to have her say the word "shoe" for James because she says it more clearly now and I was just trying to find something for her to do. After asking her 4-5 times she looked and James and did the little crazy thing on her ear. It was so funny, but then to make us laugh even harder she giggled with her hand over her mouth. She is a little aper like nobody's business. ANYTHING that daddy does, she does. When we say prayers and stuff it's like watching twins. So, she learned these things from Dad and we love watching her do them at her own times. She's so funny and makes her siblings laugh quite often.

Thankful Little Beks

I love happy thankful little people...it just doesn't get much better than that. So, a couple of nights ago Beka got up in her chair for dinner and was so darn excited. I don't remember what we were having but apparently she was excited for it. When we all sat down and got ready to say the prayer she leaned over to me and said "Mom, thank you for this wonderful lunch it is so yummy and makes me so happy. I love you!" Aaaahhh!!! I almost cried. It was so sweet and heartfelt that I didn't really know what to say. I gave her a hug and told her she was more than welcome. I guess we can all be a little more grateful for all the things we have even if they aren't really a "big" deal. I'm glad Beka's here to help me remember that!

Busy...busy...busy

I feel like I have been a crazy lady lately. I started watching a little boy last week named Ammon and he's so cute. His mom is studying Spanish up at the DLI and needed someone to watch him so I was the lucky one. He comes over at about 7 a.m. and gets picked up at about 4:15ish. On Mondays I was asked to watch two more little boys, Jackson and Payton, who are way cute too. They come at 2:45 and get picked up at 6:15. We are pretty busy around here. I go walking with my totally awesome neighbor every day and we go to an aerobics class at the church on Tue. and Thurs. It is such a blast. James comes home about 4:30-5:00 on M, W, F, and 9:00 on T, Th. He is pretty busy. I just got called as the Activities Chair Person and am really excited about it. I can't wait to have a little fun with the ward and get to know people better. It's a way to push me out of my shell a little and I'm happy about it. I'm really looking forward to some fun times. This coming week Tank has a big school project that's due and then they are out for 2 weeks. I'm really looking forward to heading down to AZ for a portion of that time. Kristi and I are making plans to go to the temple together since I don't think we've ever done that. I am sooooo excited. Well, I better be off to help get kids in bed...another week must be prepared for!!!

TANK!!!

Oh my!!! Yes...Teancum just got done mooning me with the camera in my hand. Unfortunately the camera wasn't near fast enough to actually catch him in the act and barely got him once he was covered. NUTS!!! I was hoping to embarrass him enough to stop doing it. Apparently his father and 4 of his uncles have rubbed off his little 9 year old brain a little too much. I have seen Craig, Erik, Bob, and Austin all do this before and was hoping that maybe it would skip a generation...NOOOOO!!! Anyways, now all the kids have had a blog about them and Tank will be super embarrassed. Maybe even enough to get him stop being such a boy! I sure love that kid and he knows it.

Girls!

Just this morning Ana and Beka were the first to come down for breakfast and we had 2 waffles left. Ana tried to get both of them and fix them for herself. I asked her to give one to Beka since I didn't have anymore and so agreed, not very willing, and got one on a plate for Beka. In the meantime Sariah came down and wanted one too but we were out. I think the picture speaks for itself! She cried and cried for a little while but as soon as her bagel popped up and we smacked some blueberry cream cheese on it....good as new! She's a funny little one. I added the other two pictures of her tantrums just for fun because she is the momentary Queen of Temper Tantrums! It's her official title.

Yeah Jarom!!!

3 days ago I noticed that Jarom had a loose tooth. When I told him he was not happy. He was scared and didn't want to lose any teeth because he needs to have them all. We tried to explain that you need to lose your baby teeth for the big teeth to come in and that there isn't a choice, they'll just fall out eventually. He cried for at least 20 minutes before he finally went to bed. By the next day was okay because Ana told him how fun it is (she pulls out her own)! So yesterday I noticed that it was SERIOUSLY loose and was probably going to fall out any second so I told him to keep wiggling it. He cried because he couldn't eat his apple, and this is a seriously issue because he LOVES his apples. No tooth last night...but first thing this morning Jarom runs in to the bedroom to tell James and I that his tongue pushed his tooth right out of his mouth and "it was so tool!!!" Needless to say he was very excited. I hope the next one will be just as easy!

Slacker!!!

I feel like I am a total slacker but we have had SOOOOO much going on here lately that I haven't had enough time to sit down and really put some fun stuff on the blog like I would like to. I will get to it eventually when my kids are done being sick. I'm really tired of doing laundry for thrown up on bedding and clothes!!!

9/11

I didn't realize, at first, that yesterday was 9/11 until I was driving to the lab to get some blood work done. I heard this thing on the radio that caught my attention. It was a little embarrassing when I realized that I had tears streaming down my face sitting and waiting for the light to turn green. I began thinking about just how grateful I am to be here today. I am so happy to live in this great nation no matter how "imperfect" it may be...we are truly, truly blessed. I am thankful for all the brave men and women who put their lives on the line day in and day out to protect this great nation and all the wonderful freedoms that we have. I am proud to be an American and I am proud of my husband for his willingness to serve his country. I am also truly thankful to my Heavenly Father for all the things that I am blessed with. I could probably go on for a very long time with all my blessings, but my family is one of the greatest blessings that I have received from my Father in Heaven and I couldn't have asked for a better one. I love my Savior and am so grateful for his atoning sacrifice and the knowledge that I can one day return to live with Him. It's always sad to lose a loved one, but I couldn't be happier to know that I can see them again. If you get a chance go to bigdandbubba.com and look at the Silent Night 9/11 tribute. It's what I listened to in the car and I think it is worth the 5 minutes of time. I love you all!!!

Sariah's Nursery

So, our cute little Sariah-boo is finally getting the hang of nursery. She goes in and doesn't cry anymore, but I hang out for awhile because...well Sunday School is way too boring and I use Sariah as an excuse to not go. At least I'm being honest!!! So, they have changed things up a bit and they do snack right after all the kids show up and put their sticker on the little attendance calendar (way cute by the way!). Sariah sits down this past Sunday to eat her snack and is in heaven. She won't eat the crackers but she scarfs the grapes. They have cute little Dora and Diego cups that are a little too big and filled a little too full, but hey, that's how it goes. When all the kids were done and started to get up the leader brought the trash by for them to through their trash away. Little Sariah has learned to get her way here at home too much with the older siblings around. She looks around as I'm telling her to throw her trash in the trashcan that the teacher is holding out for her. There are two boys on either side of her and that little stinker bats those cute little eyes of hers at them and with that "oh so innocent" look on that cute face, tells the boys to throw it away for her....AND THEY DO!!! Both boys pick something up from in front of her and throw it away for her. She then cocks her head to the side with the cutest little grin and says "you" which is Thank You!!! Aye-aye-aye!!! I know she's a cute one but I didn't think she'd use it so young. The female teacher and I sure got a good laugh at her and her cute little ways.

Twilight widgets

How do you like my new widgets? There are 3 at the bottom in case you hadn't noticed. I couldn't decide which was my favorite so I decided to just put all 4. Let me know what your opinion is!

Visiting Teaching

I feel so blessed!!! I got my visiting teaching route and didn't know anyone that I am supposed to visit or my partner. I was so excited to finally make the call to ask when we could go. On Tuesday I got the privilege of meeting 2 of the sisters we visit...AWESOME ladies!!! One of the girls just really left me feeling so lucky to be able to associate with her. She told my partner that she had a miscarriage back in June, and a week later her daughter went to the hospital with pneumonia and was there for a little while. I was able to look at her blog the next day and that's when I was really overcome by her strength and testimony. Amid all of these things going on she actually said that she was grateful that it had happened to her and not someone else....WOW!!! She continued to talk about how she is so blessed and has so much to be happy for that she focuses on that. She talked about all the wonderful people she has in her life to help her. I loved when she shared about her wonderful husband who gave her a shoulder to cry on and would tell her that tomorrow was another day and it would only get better. OH MY GOODNESS!!! I feel so humble and blessed to be visiting with someone so wonderful. Looking at her it made me stop and think about all the times that I complain about my little trials in life. I know that we all have our own trials to deal with and that we shouldn't compare. That is something that I am working on, but I will always try to remember her strength through her trials and be better at my own. I was even lucky enough to have her watch my kids and I had never seen them so happy when I come to pick them up. They were so happy to be with her and her beautiful little girl and I just feel so blessed. So, thank you to this wonderful person who has touched my life so greatly. I will always love and appreciate you for the amazing person that you are!

2008 getting to know ya

Welcome to the 2008 edition of getting to know your Friends. 'Press FORWARD'then change all the answers so they apply to you, and then send this to yourfriends including the person who sent it to you.The theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friendsthat you might not have known!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:30
2. Diamonds or pearls? diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Harry Potter...july 2007
4. What is your favorite TV show? used to be CSI: NY...no t.v. now
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Depends...1/2 bagel, waffle, bowl of cereal, slim fast
6.What is your middle name? Jenelle
7. What food do you dislike? Lima beans
8. What is your favorite CD at moment? Camp Rock
9. What kind of car do you drive? Town and Country
10. Favorite sandwich? Turkey
11. What characteristic do you despise? Lying
12. Favorite item of clothing? Pajama pants and baggy sweatshirt
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? what's a vacation?
14. Favorite brand of clothing? don't have one
15. Where would you retire to? California
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Giving birth to my first daughter
17. Favorite sport to watch? If I had t.v channels...baseball
18. Furthermost place you are sending this? beats me
19.who will send it back first? your guess is as good as mine
20.When is your Birthday? Mar 29
21.Are you a morning person or a night person? Night
22. What is your shoe size? 9
23. do you have Pets? Nope
24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? I finished Midnight Sun and LOVED it!!!
25. What did you want to be when you were little? teacher, singer and dancer
26. How are you doing today? Been better
27. What is your favorite flower? yellow roses
28. Holiday you are looking forward to? Thanksgiving
29. favorite past time? reading, walking
30. what are you listening to? Sariah screaming because daddy left
31. What was the last thing you ate? muffin
32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? green
33. what is the weather like Now? beautiful...perfect
34. who was the 1st person you spoke to on the phone today? haven't
35. Favorite drink? water
36. Favorite restaurant? applebees
37. Your natural hair color? brown
38. Summer or winter? both
39. Hugs or kisses? Both...hugs are better
40. Chocolate or vanilla? vanilla
41. When was the last time you cried? 10 minutes ago
42. What did you do last night? talked to my sister
43. What are you afraid of? people not liking me
44. Salty or sweet? sweet
45. How many keys on your key ring? 3
46. How many years at your current job? 9- mom
47. favorite day of the week? friday...no more homework
48. how many place have you lived? 14
49. Do you make friends easily? I like to think so

SHOTS!!!

Jarom had to get some booster shots for school and Beka needed a physical and shots too. Not having insurance prior to full time military wasn't a good idea. So, yesterday Jarom had his appointment and instead of just 1 shot, he got 5!!! He wasn't happy with me in the least. I guess he got his revenge when he screamed bloody murder in my ear 5 times while I was hugging him to keep from moving. YIPEE!!! The poor kid. I totally forgot to give him any tylenol and so we were running til a little after 8 last night. He could hardly walk and the poor kid just cried. I felt horrible. It's a good thing they forgive so readily. Beka had her turn today but she only had to get 1 shot. She cried and cried but felt much better after daddy took her to lunch. The kids pediatrician is a DLI where James goes to school so we went up to see him since it was lunchtime. She told him over and over how much it hurt. Before we got him, however, she kept telling me how much it hurt and that daddy could make it better, daddy would make it stop hurting. It's a darn good thing we were able to find daddy today! Sariah is next, but not until the end of September. YIPEE!!!

A funny picture I found

I thought it was funny when I found this picture. James was there at my house with his companion Carl just to see me go to prom (it was on Sunday). I thought it was funny of them to come and then when my mom had them get in the picture with us I thought she was a nerd. Now I think it's hilarious that we're married and all and James actually got to see me off to the prom!

The Kids

I just thought it would be fun to add a few pictures of the kids. They look so cute getting ready for church I just had to put some on there. I also didn't add any of the school pictures so I made sure to get that done. They are such cute kids and I love them so much.