Life goes on!

So...it's been a while! Life has continued to move on whether I like it or not. Sometimes I wish there was a pause button to be able to just savor certain moments for as long as I choose. Oh well! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. We had my sister and her family come and hang out with us for a while and then mom and Mike. We did a fun little Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning with the Hoopes' and then dinner at Aunt Julie's house. It was a blast! We even had a fun little HSM party one day with Kris and her kids and it was one of the funnest things ever! James is still coaching basketball and that take a LOT of his time right now. Nothing like getting paid for 25 hours a week when your working more than 40! Oh well...life goes on. We are scheduled to have an ultrasound on the 21st of this month and can't wait. I'm hoping that no one will dissappointed if it's not the sex we all want...including myself. I just want my little Abraham...I've had enough of the girls for the moment! Two in a row is enough for my sanity!!!!! Don't get me wrong...LOVE my girls....just can't handle anymore drama queens for the time being! HAHAHA!!!!! Can't wait for Christmas to come and have tons of fun! I always love Christmas time and all the things we get to do! I hope everyone is having a great holiday season! It's always busy, busy, busy, but I hope we can all remember the things that are truly important this time of year! I know I tend to forget but I am so grateful for my Saviours birth and that he could be such an example to us all. I am grateful for His atoning sacrifice so that we can return and live with Him again. I know I complain and stress over all the things I think are "wrong" or "hard" in my life but I am grateful for my Heavenly Father who helps me to see just how wonderful my life really is! AND IT TRULY IS!!!!! I have 5 of the most amazing kids in the world and a husband who always works so hard and is a good example to me and the kids. I have so much to be thankful for!

Something a little different!

Ok....so I haven't seen this movie yet....obviously....but I cannot wait for it to come out! I loved reading the books and I admit to having read most of them more than once. I enjoyed the Twilight movie but New Moon seems like it's gonna be so much better. So...for all the Twilight lovers out there...I'm sure we'll all be talking about the movie once we've seen it!


James and I rented this movie to watch last night because he's been dying to see it. I hate to say it but....LAME!!!! Some of it was actually kinda freaky and I hid under my covers. It felt like the main point was finally gotten to and then over in 3 minutes, but you still had another hour of the movie to watch. I did like the suspense of it all but I don't like unhappy endings. I don't know that it's a movie I would ever really watch again.


On the other hand...I will buy this one and keep it forever! I seriously laughed so hard and couldn't get enough of it. I watched it 4 times in 2 days and can't wait to own it. I love Sandra Bullock and thought she was awesome. Never seen Ryan Reynolds before but I liked him too...he played a good character. If you haven't seen it yet...I would totally see it. It is one of my new all time favorite movies. I don't wanna give anything away in case you haven't seen but if you like Sandra Bullock and fiesty girls...you'll love this movie!

LAME-O!!!!

I did not take ONE picture of my kids in their halloween costumes all 3 times that they put them on for different activities. Seriously...how lame of a mother am I? Don't answer that! HAHAHA!!!! We had tons of fun these past couple of weeks. Sometime mid Oct. I got pretty sick with a nasty sore throat for a few days and then BAM....I was out!!! I had no idea what it was but I just felt miserable and the next Tank got it too and stayed home from school for almost an entire week. So...turns out the nurse I talked to just said that we had the swine flu...go figure! I had no idea but I also new that I was pregnant and so I knew that it would be a little longer recovery because of that. So...we got all better and had some fun times. We spent a day in SLC and then at Austin and Julianne's house with pizza and the younger kids went to the trunk-or-treat with Austin. The week before we went to Gma and Gpa's wards halloween activity and had tons of fun. Halloween was a fun party at Austin and Julianne's place with good chili and cornbread and some trick or treating fun. The kids are so fun to watch! I finally went to the doctor on the 4th and got a due date...May 6, 2010 is when baby #6 will be joining us. We are so excited and a little nervous too. At this point James will be in training learning how to be a good bullet sponge for the Army. I've never given birth without my man right beside me to hold my hand and so this could be a very interesting experience. Until that time...we're just so excited and loving every moment that we have together! I'm looking forward to an awesome month of November and remembering to give thanks each day for all the blessing that I have!

My kids are the best!

I had SEP's today and yesterday and I'm so proud of my kids and their accomplishments in school. Tank is doing very well. He is reading above his grade level and loves to help in class. His teacher loves that he shares his ideas and stories with the class and said that he wishes more of the students would be willing to do so. Tank is turning in all his assignments on time and works really hard at everything he does. I'm so happy to see him work so hard and show what a great kid he is!


Ana's teachers were beaming when I came in and told me how lucky they are to have her in their class. She was the one of the only students to get honors in citizenship. She has over achieved in almost all of her academic areas and her teachers said that she actually volunteers to do things in front of the class. Ana is very shy and so it is really exciting to see her make these leaps in school. She is an excellent reader, speller, mathematician, and just a great kid.


Jarom is another star student. His teacher said he is just wonderful. He is one of the tallest kids in his class and so the teacher uses him often to help with getting things for her and doing stuff around the class and she said he's always happy to do it. There is a student teacher in his class til Jan and she said she always asks Jarom questions when she's not sure because she knows that he'll always give her the info that she needs. He is reading at the level that his teacher wants him to be at the end of the year and she is just so excited to have him. He is a smart kid who is following in the footsteps of his older siblings and I couldn't be more happy!

I'm so happy that my kids have such a great love of learning. I am grateful that they all have such wonderful teachers that see their potential and help push them to be better. I couldn't have hand picked a better group of teachers if I tried...and believe me...I am a picky mom when it comes to my kids and their school teachers...probably because I am one myself! I just love my kids and love the choices they are making. I hope they continue on this path and be the best that they can be!

Kids and the funny things they say....

Little Sariah was brought to me on Sunday because she had some poopy pants. It was our first Sunday in the new ward and I had NO idea where priesthood was. We looked around a little bit (since it was the very end of church anyways) and finally decided to sit down and wait til Daddy found us. Sariah climbed up on the couch, crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap with a HUGE sigh. She looked at me out of the corner of her cute little eye and said "Ok, we'll wait for Daddy". Two seconds later she gave an exasperated sigh, looked at me and said with her arms thrown up in the air in defeat "He's lost!" It was one of the cutest things ever. I'm sure you had to be there but I hope you still think it was cute!

Last night James needed to cut his hair for drill this morning. We are still unpacking our stuff and finally found our hair clippers...all but the cord/charger. I told James to just get started and if I HAD to I'd run and buy a new pair. Of course when he started...they stopped and he looked ridiculous and had just barely started. CRAP!!!! So...as I'm heading out the door someone said something and Beka looked up at James and said "so you're hair doesn't look so dumb anymore?" James couldn't help but laugh histerically because he did look pretty ridiculous!

Jarom is just a funny kid and his favorite thing is to say "awkward" all the time. The other day there was something wrong with a picture and Jarom kept telling James to fix it so that it wasn't so awkward anymore. It didn't really fit but it sure was cute to listen to him say it over....and over.....and over....and over....again!

Ana is such a sweetheart. I was making some banana cookies for James that he's been wanting for a while. The cookies were baking and it was time for the frosting. Sariah had been in there for the whole process and LOVES to help but I was getting a little impatient. She really wanted one of the beaters but I always wipe them off a little before I give them out. Sariah really didn't like this and so she was upset and crying. I didn't care because I had had enough. Ana looks over at her and says "here Sariah, do you want mine?" It wasn't anything big but it meant a lot to Sariah and she willingly took the trade. What a lesson to learn from my sweet little Ana and her example of patience and peace making!

Tank is funny too. I was trying to do something with his bed the other night and I was tired and ready for bed so I had taken my pants off. I was taking care of the boys room and in walked Teancum. He started laughing and I couldn't figure out what was so funny. In between laughs he managed to tell me that there was a little problem with me...I had some crack hanging out! I was horrifically embarrassed but I sure gave my boys a good laugh right before bed. The only concern I have is that this moment might be brought up again in mixed company!

Some pictures!

Sariah really didn't like the water....AT ALL!!!!!

The kids having a blast on the boat.

Just me and my man before going boating with the crew.

A picture of the whole fan damily!

Just a fun picture out by the pool at our fun Vegas family reunion!


We really had such a fun summer!

I think I'm back!!!!

Well...well...well...It's been a really long time and the time has FLOWN!!!!

Lots has happened since I last wrote but most importantly...........(drum roll in here please!) We finally got a place of our own!!!!!!

We were able to find a nice place in Springville that let us sign a lease that wasn't a full year and let us have all our kids still...hahaha! We are so excited and I'm up and running with a computer too. I've missed blogging and so I'm really excited to get back into and put up all sorts of adorable pictures of my kiddos. I guess that's all for now as I should be fixing dinner so I will get on that!

I've missed you all!!!!

Long time no blog!

Ok....so I have no pictures to put up or anything all that fun really. Life has been absolutely, insanely crazy for us these past few months. We left Monterey purdy quick and cem to Utah to saty with James parents for a little while (that's turned into a longer while than expected). James was given the boot from the AFNG because they are too full and so we decided to go full time in the Army...WOW!!! It's been inetersting. So....we've had lots of fun since we've been here in Springville....let me tell just a bit!

Austin's graduation....so fun to hang out with family and enjoy life.

Visit with old friends that live here in Utah....Nicole and Mike...so much fun to catch up a little and just have fun!

Eriks graduation in SD...we weren't going to go but my dad ended up coming down and so I didn't want to miss that opportunity so James got the time off to come and have some good family time. We got to chill with Kristi and exercise and swim almost everyday....what more can you ask for?

James had a shoulder manipulation done and is on his way to a real recovery...FINALLY!!!!

Jen had surgery so we got to hang with Claire and Brynn before the family reunion...fun times and got to know them a little more....good kids!!!

Family reunion in Vegas!!! So much fun....talking, swimming, volleyball, boating, pictures....and on and on!!! A really awesome reunion!

Harry Potter Party...it was a blast! James and I were the Dursleys, Tank was Harry, Ana was Ginny, Jarom was Ron, Beka was a garden gnome, and Sariah was Kreacher! It was so darn fun!!!

Jayne...well...we just don't need to go there. She is a strong girl and we're just so glad that she is still here with us.

All in all it has been a great summer. James and I are both looking for jobs and a place to live. It has been extremely stressful and yet I'm so glad to have had these opportunities to be here where we are right now. It has been nice to get to know Bill and Vonnie better and work on relationships. It's been nice to be close to so much family to be able to hang out and enjoy each others company. I would be lying if I said I didn't want to be in my own place and have a good job....but who wouldn't?! I know that The Lord has us go through things in this life for a reason and I think he has an excellent sense of humor. I just pray that I will have as good a sense of humor as Him and enjoy all the wonderful things I do have! Thanks mom and dad for putting up with us and being so kind and generous.

A Family Fast

Most of you know already that James and I are in a really tough spot right now and may not have a job coming up in a month or so. We are fairly confident that things will work out but it is scary all the same. A good friend of mine suggested a family fast and offered to do it with us so I am going to do just that. I don't know that it will change anything but I know that The Lord will help us to at least be comforted to know that we will be taken care of if we continue to follow His commandments. So, if there is anyone who would like to join us we would appreciate all the extra prayers. We love you all and Utah...here we come!!! This Sunday is the day we're going to fast.

Utah!!!

We had a fun little quick trip to Utah last week. James got home on Friday around 5 and we finally left. We made it about 3 hours and stopped for the night. We stayed in a goofy little hotel that was hot and stuffy and no one slept....James had a funny dream where he started yelling and that was funny (another story to tell). We got up and headed for a long trek to Utah...about 12 hours!!! The kids were so excited to see Grandma and Grandpa! We even got to be greeted by Austin, Julianne, and Addy! Sunday was Beka's birthday so we had a celebration and got to meet Eric too...he's a nice guy that we're really excited about! Grandma made a yummy dinner and we had some fun for Grandpa and Beka's birthday. Monday we hung out and had a fun FHE with the whole gang. James took us to his Alma Mater to visit some teachers of his. Tuesday James went out to see more teachers on his own and have some fun reminiscing. Later that night he went shooting with Bob and Gramps while Grams took the two older girls for birthday ice cream...so lucky girls!!! Wednesday we went to see Bedtime Stories with Grandma which was really cute. She took the boys to the nickle cade and had a blast. We also did a little celebration for Ana's birthday. Thursday we went to SLC and had some fun. James found one of his good friends from high school, Phil Stevens, and we hung out with his cute family before heading to Aunt Amy's new place. We had dinner with Amy and then headed home with overtired and grouchy kids! Friday we went to lunch with Grams and Gramps and then had dinner with the Crandalls. It was fun seeing them and being able to hang out and catch up a bit. Marcie made a cake and the boys went and got ice cream which was all delicious!!! We had to leave Saturday but it was so fun to get a little break from Monterey and visit the old resting spot. We look forward to the next time we see everyone over 4th of July!!!

Gratitude!

We had an amazing lesson in RS on Sunday and so I decided that there was something that I needed to do. I have so much to be grateful for and so I decided to share.
1. Good health for all in my family...I will never take it for granted again!
2. My family...James, Teancum, Ana, Jarom, Rebekah, and Sariah...they are my life and I love them so much.
3. My extended family...Mom, Dad, Craig, Cristina, Kristi, Jonathon, Erik, and all their kids...I don't know what I would do without their love and support. They are always there for me and I know that they love me no matter what!
4. My in-laws...Bill, Vonnie, Jen, Dave, Amanda, Stephen, Austin, Julianne, Robby, Amy, Eric, and all their kids. They raised a wonderful son that I love with all my heart. They love to get together and always have so much fun. They've introduced to me to lots of new things and I love it!!!
5. My body...kinda goofy but I am. It's not perfect and it doesn't look the way I want it to, but I'm grateful that I have one and that I can work hard to make improvements. I have been working hard and I like the things that have changed and I like the way I feel.
6. The gospel...I love the knowledge that I have and the things that I continue to learn. I enjoy going to church and being uplifted by those around me who are so smart and wonderful. I'm grateful for the things that it's helped me with in my life because of the knowledge that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me!
7. Music....I love music and the impact it has on us. My kids love music and always want to sing and dance. I love the music we get to enjoy when we go to church and the music that we can enjoy in our home.
8. Friends...I won't even try to write all the names because I know I'll forget. We have been blessed with some of the best friends anyone could ask for. They have been there for us through everything and I am so happy.
9. Military...it's crazy to say but I am. It is a steady income and a reliable job right now and what more can you ask for? James loves to learn and he does well at learning the languages. The family enjoys being in Monterey, CA. We love our house and our neighborhood and all that there is to offer.
10. My Savior! I am so grateful that he was willing to give His life for me so that through all my imperfections I can repent and strive to be more like Him. I am grateful to know that I can live with Him again after I have done all I can here on this earth. I am grateful to know that James and I can be together for all eternity and pray that our children will do the same. I love my Savior and pray that I can strive to live worthy of being with He and our Heavenly Father again.

Ana Banana

We just thought we'd show you a picture of our cute little Ana Banana at the hospital in her cute little green gown and yellow socks. She sure was a cute one. So, Wed we spent the whole day getting ready to come to Utah...packing, laundry, cleaning, cutting up fruits and vegetables...everything. Ana was cute and even helped with cleaning out the car so that things would be super easy for Thursday morning. Around 5a.m. Ana came in and told me that she wet the bed but she had already changed her clothes and everything...she was really keyed up about the trip and took a while to go back to sleep. I had her lay down in my bed because James was leaving. About 6:45 I had just fallen back asleep and I noticed the blanket was vibrating and I was a tad bit annoyed. I turned over to ask Ana what was going on when I got the surprise of my life. Ana was have a full on seizure. It took a minute for me to process what was going on. I looked at her, grabbed her shoulders to get a good look and then jumped off the bed to call 911. She had finished the seizure before they got there but I was very shaken up. The kids were all down stairs letting the paramedics in the house. 7 people come running up the stairs to check her out and said she look platonic. As I was being questioned by the fireman and police officer one of the paramedics scooped her up and carried off to the ambulance. That was not so fun. I got all the boys in the shower for something to do and go them out the door for school and took the two little ones to the neighbor. I went to pick up James and finally made it to the hospital to see how our little gal was doing. She didn't like the IV and her only concern was wetting the bed...she didn't remember anything else. I had to try not to laugh.
We met with a pediatric neurologist and he did a test on Ana and said she was fine. She had an ultrasound of her heart and then an EEG. She had a MRI also just to cover all the bases. I went to get the other kids and we went to the store where everyone picked out a little something for Ana. It was so much fun for them to do something nice for their sister. They were so excited. We hung out with her at the hospital and finally left while James waited for the doctor to come back with all the test results. She was diagnosed with Begning Rolandic Epilepsy and a heart murmur. As scary as it is...it could be much worse. The heart murmur is not a big deal and the epilepsy is something that won't hurt her. We are happy with the results since we know they could have been much worse. I had her sleep on the floor next to my bed so that I could keep an eye on her. I think I got about 3 hours of sleep that night....the dr. said that's typical behavior of the parents. Oh well. I have had a hard time adjusting and letting it all sink in. One thing that I know for sure is that the Lord knows us and what we are going through and he has never left us. I know that He loves us and is mindful of our little family. I'm thankful to have such a beautiful daughter and I know that we will all move forward and trust in the Lord. I am so thankful for all the support and love we have felt from our family and friends! I don't know how I would have gotten through this without everyone....I'm a bit of a baby but I appreciate all of you!!!

Oh my goodness!!!

Beka...Beka...Beka!!!! I don't even know what to say about this little gal. This morning Beka's primary teacher called to tell me about her little "quotes of the day". A couple of weeks ago they were talking about the Holy Ghost and they asked Beka how she felt when she didn't something good. Her response..."i like whales." What the?!?!?!? I can't believe she said that crazy little chick! So, yesterday one of the other little boys in the class was talking about just getting back from Utah. Beka pipes up and says..."I just went and saw my grandma with a big bum". Oh my....!!!! I don't know where this little girl gets it all from. She says stuff like that all the time and it cracks me up! She also told her class that I'm pregnant with a little boy. I can't believe her!!!! I'm not pregnant and if I was it would way to early to tell what the sex is!!! I really don't know where she comes up with this stuff but it sure makes for a good laugh!!!

Our little weekend

We had such a fun little weekend. Friday night we watched Nacho Libre together and then James and I started watching Get Smart. I fell asleep and noticed that he gave up and turned it off to go to bed too...oops! It was fun all the same. Saturday we had a fun little pancake breakfast and then exercised as a family. They all did the circuit training with me on their own little levels and it was really fun. We went to the pool for an hour and had some more fun. The four older kids had a BLAST playing and swimming around but little Sariah wanted NOTHING to do with it. She sat on a chair, wrapped in a towel, laughing at all of us and had a blast from there. Dad finally took her to the "kiddie" pool when it cleared out a little more and she had so much fun. I guess next time we'll have to start off with that one. Sunday James got up and made muffins for me and brought them up to the bed because I wasn't feeling good. He and the kids all sat around the bed with me eating breakfast. It was so awesome. We had stake conference and it's always hard with young kids to go and sit for 2 hours. Well, we went and it was so worth it. The kids actually behaved very well and it was an incredible meeting that I'm glad we didn't miss. The rest of the day was so fun and relaxing just being with the family. We played a few games, had some dinner, and got ready for Monday. What more can you ask for?

I'm boring again....no pictures yet!

This week has been a cuh-ray-zee one!!!! Okay...
Monday...started my work-out with my personal trainer and we did weights with cardio in between and I was sooooo sore but it was sooooo awesome.
Tuesday...did another work-out with Michelle and it kicked my trash. We did a cardio work-out and by 8:00 I crashed and wanted to die. She put my body into shock and it was a nice wake-up. I went to visit dear little Amy who is leaving us and I'm really sad. She has such a cute little family and have been so good to us!
Wednesday...I watched some kids whose dad is really sick and the mom needed some time to recoup. It was just two kids but I was tired by the end of the day. I did my personal training work-out on my own and it went really well...still sore...but getting better.
Thursday...crazy, crazy day. I exercised with Michelle and it was better today. It felt really good to get out there and do it again although I was nervous just knowing what was coming. I watched a little girl who is cute as can be while her mom went to dad's graduation....so fun! I ran to the store to get a few things and came home and watched another little girl that we love for her mom to go to the doctor. I made dinner for a family who just had a baby...#7, and 50 cupcakes for school valentine parties. It was a very busy day. I think I finished frosting all the cupcakes around 8:30 and finally got the last load out of the dryer for our trip.
Friday...got up early to exercise with James. I made him do my work-out with me. Heeheehee!!! We watched 2 little girls for a little while and then went to the church to decorate for the Valentine Dance. It was fun decorating and all that. We got home and packed like maniacs to head down to San Diego for the weekend. We finally headed off to pick up the kids and head off....what a trip. It rained a lot but it wasn't too bad because it was mostly a light rain. We got to mom's house at about 11 and went to bed!!!
Saturday....mom and I went for a walk in the morning and it was really nice to get out in the fresh air and just chat with her. I love my mom dearly. We all got ready to go but ended up watching August Rush and loved it....good movie for anyone who hasn't seen it yet. We headed up to Temecula to see Jared Furgeson to fix my teeth. He was one of the favorite Spanish missionaries we knew in SD (of course James is my favorite). He is now a dentist and he fixed my teeth for me. He was so sweet and he did such an awesome job. He is probably the best dentist I've ever met!!! My mouth of course was numb for a while but it un-numbed just in time to eat an inn-n-out burger! We spent the rest of the night just chillin' out and having fun!
Sunday...I got to see both my brothers and have dinner at mom's. It's so fun to hang out with them and to see Craig's girls. They are so darn cute and growing up way too fast! Oh yeah....at church James found out that mom is in the same ward as someone that he knew from his mission and when we lived in San Diego before we were invited to their sealing...totally awesome!
Monday....we got in the car to come home and it was insane!!! The rain was coming down like mad and what should only take 8 hours, took 11!!! We finally got home last night at 10!!! I couldn't believe it. I t was so darn annoying.
Today....I worked out with Michelle and now I'm listening to my little girls have a cat fight....I guess that's what happens when they don't get enough sleep. Oh well! It was a good week and I'm looking forward to another one!!!

Happy Birthday Jarom!

Today is Jarom's 6th birthday....yeah!!!! I thought I would do 6 fun things about Jarom so....

1. Jarom was a scary delivery. He had the cord around his next a couple of times and scared us a bit as he was being strangled all through labor. The Lord was mindful of us and I had the fastest labor and delivery for me. We're so glad to have Jarom with us!

2. Jarom got to fly on a plane to South Carolina for daddy's graduation from Basic Training and they missed our luggage on the way home...luckily his carseat came back. He loved the plane and everyone on the plane loved him...he got lots of extra treats from the flight attendants since it was a LONG trip. He wasn't quite a year old.

3. Jarom cried when he lost his first tooth. He didn't want any of his teeth to come out....he wanted to keep them all. He liked the money from the tooth fairy and decided it was okay.

4. Jarom had his toenail ripped off in a little mishap and had some fun at the hospital. The doctor had to rip it all the way off so it could grow back...YUCK!!!

5. Jarom is a spider monkey. If there is a surface of any kind he will climb it. He climbed up the door frame to our closet to get a game down...he climbed to the very top and then jumped.

6. Jarom is one of the sweetest boys. He has lots of energy but he is such a good student and loves to help everyone around him.

We love you Jarom and hope you have a happy happy day!!!

A time for reflection

The past two weeks have been sort of crazy ones. A close family friend's father passed away and their grandmother the next day. Last week my Stake President from my youth passed away. It was sad but made me think an aweful lot. There is a 9 year age gap with my mom and dad and so the 2 men were the same ages as them. I did a lot of thinking and realized just how precious life really is. It could be my mom or dad and that's always really hard. I also realized that as hard as it is to say goodbye, it's really just a "see ya later"! We know that if we live our lives in a way that is pleasing to the Lord that we can live with Him again and that's what we really want. I hope that I will be able to see these people again some day and I know that there were many people there waiting to greet them on the other side. I want to live each day as though it could be the last. Love my family more, serve my neighbors better, do more in my calling, try harder to be more like the Savior. I'm not perfect and I know that I'm not expected to be, but I am expected to try my hardest and that's what I really want to do. I love you all and I hope everyone has an awesome week...month....year...life!!!!

It's been a while!!!

No pictures again this time...boring!!! Well...it's been a busy little while. James has been going absolutely crazy trying to study Arabic into the wee hours of the morning and still not passing any tests...I'm sure it will get better soon...I have faith in him. He is being an awesome dad who always takes time to hang out and play with the family. We have been going on walks each Saturday and James taught Jarom to ride his bike....YIPEE!!!

I've been planning the Valentine's activity, cooking for the missionaries, taking care of 5 crazy kids and exercising like mad!!! I've been trying really hard to get over my bad attitude and so I walk every day about 2-3 miles and every other day lift weights and do pilates. Hopefully it will pay off and I'll start to lose some pounds and feel better about myself...all in due time...patience!!! I've been enjoying hanging out with good friends and going to the movies and shopping with them!!! Life is great!!!

Tank is plugging along in school and loving scouts. He is really sad however that his leaders are moving...stanky!!! I'm sure we'll get another set of good ones. He is enjoying reading Harry Potter and playing outside with his siblings. He is one of the best big brothers I think a kid could ask for!!!

Ana is just being as cute as can be. She really loves to do her hair as well as Beka and Sariahs...and they are sooooo cute! She loves to read her Junie B. Jones books and sleep in the queen size bed that's in her room. She loves HSM and is always asking to buy more and more of it.

Jarom learned to ride his bike and he's amazing...it only took a scraped knee and crying for so long that he had snot running down his nose and puffy eyes...but hey...he can ride now!!! He is really happy that he does...now he can keep up with Tank and Ana and doesn't have to "walk" on our walks anymore. He is loving school and can finally "read". He's been telling me he can't read, he can only sounds out the words...but now he can read! He's a funny one that little Armjo!

Beka is our singing and dancing diva! If she's awake her feet are moving and so is her little (big) mouth. If you live within a 10 mile radius you can probably here her because she sings very loudly. She even sings in the store. I admit....I tried to get her to stop and be quiet until I realized that she's only 3 and I DO NOT want to squash any of her creative style. So Beka...belt it out baby!!!

Sariah is just a scream...and speaking of scream...she does all day long! Whether it's out of anger or just for fun...she likes to be heard. She is talking a little more but it's only one word at a time and everything now is "felf" for self. She's little miss independent!!! She loves to eat yogurt and will open 2-3 in a 15 minute time period and only eat 1/2 each...craziness!!!

I love my kids and couldn't imagine life with out them!!! I hope everyone is having a wonderful start to this awesome new year...I know I am!!! I'll try to get some pictures up since I know I have some cute ones from our trip to SD for New Years. I have one of my grandma with all my kids and my little brother!!! Yeah!!!

My totally awesome weekend!!!

I don't have pictures...but this weekend was one of the most awesome I've had. On Friday Jarom got to go to the aquarium with all the kindergarten classes and loved it. I got to take Tank to the dr. and James was even there with us, which is always nice to see him during the day. It was fun to have a little Tank time. James and I went on a date!!! It was so much fun. We dropped the kids off at our totally awesome neighbors house and headed to the mall. We got movie tickets and then ate some dinner at Chipotle...so good. I got some stuff at Bath and Body works because they were having a big huge clearance...of course you gotta hit it!!! We finally made our way over to see Bride Wars and it was really cute. I loved it and wouldn't mind seeing it again. I really like Anne Hathaway! Then we got some ice cream from Cold Stone. On Saturday we got up and headed to the Oakland Temple with the kids. There were some wonderful ladies in the ward who babysat for us so that we could go do a session. It was so wonderful to be there and the temple is so beautiful. When we got home we had our friends, The Bodens, over for dinner. It was another great night. Sunday we had fun hanging out until 1:00 for church. James dad called and invited him to play risk on the computer and it's always fun for them to share in that kind of bonding. It was a great weekend and I'm hoping for many more weeks and weekends to be just as awesome!!!

My man!!!

So, I was listening to my playlist and one of my favorite songs by Jessica Simpson came on "With You". It made me think about how much I love my wonderful husband. I love the fact that he loves me for me. I'm not a super model, but he thinks I'm beautiful. He loves me even if I'm not always super nice when he wakes me up at 5:30 in the morning, if I'm not the best cook, if I'm not always perfect when he gets home, if the house isn't always perfectly clean. I can be myself with him and he loves me no matter what. I feel so lucky to have such a great guy in my life! He is such a good man to provide for our family even when it isn't the most enjoyable thing to do. He never complains about getting up and going to school to sit and learn all day. He's my hero and best of all, he has 5 children that are absolutely perfect and think he's the best dad in the whole world!!! How could I be so lucky? I love you James and all you do for us...all the sacrifices you make and for being willing to fight for our freedoms so that we can continue to live in this wonderful nation!

It's an overload!

Things have been a little busy around here and so I was trying to catch up...I'm not done but I think I got a good start on it! There like 4 new posts or something there! Have fun!!!

Gingerbread houses with the DeVochts!!!

Kevin, Stephanie, and Sade came over the Monday before Christmas for dinner and to make gingerbread houses. It was sooo much fun! We had lots of stuff to decorate with and lots of laughs to go with it. Sade and Sariah loved the candy most of all liked to share what they got! They are so cute. Thanks for coming over and having some fun with us!!!

more christmas pictures

More fun at Christmas time! We are so excited to have Christmas and learn more about what's really important. This year James had a friend of his in class who adopted a couple of children from the angel tree at the salvation army and asked her to get one for us. It was so much fun to go and do this for a little boy who otherwise wouldn't have anything. He asked for a bike or an elmo doll...we opted for the bike and got him a nice bike to enjoy and a little elmo toy. It is always so nice to be able to give to others. We may not have a lot of money or a lot of nice things in our little home...but we are so truly blessed to have all that we have and I hope that we remember it always and thank our Heavenly Father every day for the blessings that we have! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas as I know we did. We were invited to a friend of James' to dinner and it was really fun to go and enjoy a nice meal with friends like us!

Christmas!!!

The kids in their new jammies on the Eve and their loot from Christmas morning! What a bunch of lucky kids...too lucky if you ask me.

Sariah is 2!!!

Sariah had her 2nd birthday the night of our wonderful Christmas dinner that I was in charge of...so we had to postpone her little celebration. Hey...she's 2! We didn't do anything fancy just a little cake and ice cream and shared it with our wonderful neighbors! I'm so glad to have such good neighbors and friends around here who make life so fun and blessed! Sariah had fun blowing out the candles and then opening her presents. She had more fun running back and forth from the kitchen to the living room with Abby. That's their favorite pasttime! She is such a cute little girl and we're so excited to have her in our family. She loves to make everyone laugh and she loves to help people when they are sad. She always tries her hardest to make her friends in nursery happy by rubbing their back and asking them if they want to play with her. She's a sweetie and makes our lives that much more complete. We love you Sariah!!!