The Hoopes Herd

Life with a deployed hubby

2011-10-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

Unless you've been through one, you really can't understand what it's really like. I have been contemplating this a couple of days now as things have been tough...but good. Just the other day I had one of THOSE days that makes you almost want to give up and just quit, but I've been trying really hard all week to turn over a new leaf and just be super positive about everything. So far so good. I even laughed myself silly the other night when I finally got to go to bed at 1:30 in the morning. Let me tell you how that day went.....
I get up at about 6:20 and start getting kids ready for school. Got everyone ready and dropped off perfectly and got ready to go on my walk with my neighbor. We went on our walk and I came home and started my extra exercise on the treadmill. It was about 9 at this point and I was half way through when the phone rings, it's the school. I need to go pick up Ana because she has lice...yep lice! I was shocked!!!! I grabbed Abe and headed to the school. I took all the kids out for the day so we could just get it all done and I could check them all and do what I needed to do. She comes home and wants a shower so while she does that we start tearing apart beds and bagging stuffed animals.....WOW! I run to the store with the little ones to get the shampoo and we get that done as soon as I get home. I check everyone and it's just Ana, not even little Sariah who shares a bed with her.....not sure how we got lucky, but I'll take it. Ana has a TON of hair and so it took a long time to comb through to get everything and by this time it's almost 3. I get a phone call again from the school, I forgot to pick up the boys that come home with me tues and thurs...it's thurs....AAAAGGGGHHHHHH! I jump in the car to get them and come home to do some haircuts, felt like a good time since the boys all needed them and the two little girls wanted them. 5 kids later it's now 5 and some friends come over to check on my car to see why the check engine light came on again. They leave and it's about 6 so I hurry and shampoo the rest of the kids just to be safe. We fold and put away the laundry so it's not all over the place anymore. Well....Abe falls and hits the back of his head while getting out of the shower, Beka falls in the tub when she's getting out and hits her back on the spout....and it left a mark!!!! She screams and the poor thing cried for hours, it looked painful. At this point poor little Jarom comes in in tears because this day just can't get any worse. I burst out in laughter because as right as he was, I realize he was totally wrong at the same time. Life is good. Ana was so nervous and scared about her problem that she didn't fall asleep til 1 in the morning. What a day!!!!!
So.....as crazy as just this one day was, it really wasn't bad because I have SOOO much to be grateful for. I really feel the blessings and love of my Heavenly Father each and every day through these hard times of James being gone. It's hard to hear other people getting their husbands home for r&r when James doesn't get to come home. It's hard to hear people complain that their husband comes home too late at night and they just wish they had a maid or a nanny to help. It's hard to hear our President tell the world that the troops are coming home and should be home for the holidays this year, because they won't. As hard as all of this is, I really am so blessed and so happy to have such a wonderful husband who works so hard for our family. I love my 6 beautiful children that help keep me going each and every day. I have made some of the most amazing friends here who help me with it all. I really couldn't ask for anything more....life is too good!

It's high time!!!

2011-06-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

As most of you know my wonderful hubby is gone. I figured since tomorrow marks our 13th anniversary and Sunday is Father's Day, it was only right to pay tribute to the most awesome man in my life! James left last month and will be gone for a whole year, we will see him sometime next May. Of course it's hard to have him gone b/c we love and miss him terribly, but I can't say it's not bearable. The Lord is ever mindful of our family and our needs and I feel that we have been watched over and taken care of and I am so blessed!!!!

The kids and I have been trying to stay busy with some of the most amazing people around here and I think we've done a pretty good job of it so far. We have been to the pools, museums, played baseball, swam in our own backyard and lots of other fun things. We are looking forward to a nice trip up to San Diego and then over to Utah for a few weeks. So exciting it is!!!!

Anyways....I wanted to tell of some of the wonderful things I love about James...

50 things I'm thankful for

2010-12-08T08:51:00.000-08:00

James has been after me for a while to do a list of 50 things I'm thankful for so I'm finally getting around to it, even though I have a million other posts I'm behind on....like all the way back to Halloween! Hahaha!!!!

1. My husband-always willing to work hard and provide for our family! The best father in the world who is loved greatly by our kids. He's my best friend and I don't know what I would do without him. It's hard to remember my life without him!
2. Teancum-his mind is always going 100 miles a minute and I love it! He is always thinking and being creative. He is so helpful and works so hard!
3. Ana-she is so smart and always helping her siblings with learning. She loves to help little Abraham and he loves her! She is finally coming out of her shell and has lots of friends.
4. Jarom-he is the most competitive kid I know and it's awesome. He always has a ball or something in his hand and wants to be running all the time. I love his energy!!!
5. Rebekah-such a sweetheart who has one of the biggest hearts in the world! She always says hi to everyone at school and is always helping her teacher and classmates. She just has a way of singing and dancing around the house that can't help but put a smile on my face.
6. Sariah-she is my little mom. She is such a tender hearted little gal who just wants to please everyone. She loves to make me breakfast and lunch while I'm taking care of Abraham and is always so sweet about it. Her smile just melts my heart!!!
7. Abraham-what can I say, he was meant to be in this family and I don't think a person in the world doesn't love that little face of his! He has a way of calming us all and bringing lots of love and peace to our home.
8. My Savior-without his atoning sacrifice and love for us, we wouldn't be here and I am eternally grateful for the chance I have to be here on this earth at this time!
9. The gospel-I can't imagine where I would be without the knowledge it gives me.
10. My calling-I love children and it is so fun to be a part of a wonderful presidency that gets to spend so much time with some of the most awesome people in our ward!
11. My hubby's job-it may take him away from us more often than we would like, and it's not even a fun job, but it's such a blessing to have a job at this time and to have a way to provide for our family.
12. Our home-it's not the nicest house in the world and it's old and a little run down, but it's our home and it keeps us safe and warm and it's where we get to be together and do the things the Lord would have us do as a family!
13. My mom-she's always been such a good example to me and taught me so much by both her words and actions. She has helped me to be the woman that I am today and I will always be grateful to her for that.
14. My sister Kristi-I don't even know what to say! Not only is she one of the best friends I could ever ask for, she's been there for me since as long as I can remember. For being the "little" sister, she's always been the biggest example and help to me!
15. My big brother Craig-although we didn't always get a long, he was always there behind the scenes helping to take care of me and stand up for me. I'm sure he did so much more than I could even imagine!!!
16. My little brother Erik-such a good example to me. He was much better than me in music and I always admired his talent. I'll always remember the good times we had with krispy kreme runs, eating ben and jerry's together, and the little lessons he taught my kids.
17. My daddy-always there to help me out. Always encouraged me to do better and try a little harder. I always knew he would be there for me when I needed him and always knew the things I needed to hear!
18. President Monson-I always loved him growing up and I am so grateful to have such a wonderful prophet leading and guiding us today.
19. Joseph Smith-a true prophet who restored the gospel to the earth. I'm forever grateful for all that he endured in his lifetime to ensure that we had the gospel and the book of mormon today.
20. San Diego Temple-it's the place where I was sealed to my best friend for time and all eternity!
21. Music-I love music, whether I'm playing it or listening to it!
22. Singing-I LOVE to sing. I may not be good at it but it's so fun to do and I love how I feel when I do it.
23. Dancing-it's so fun to just let loose a little and dance around the house with the kids.
24. Movies-I love being able to watch good movies with the kids for a movie night or a little date with the hubby.
25. Exercise-I may still be a chubby gal but I enjoy being able to exercise. I love a nice walk or a good sweaty workout when the kids allow it.
26. School-the kids enjoy it and I enjoy the learning they do, the friends they make, and the activities they get to do.
27. Being a stay at home mom!
28. A nice washer and dryer.
29. The most comfortable bed in the world.
30. A car that runs-not only can I get to where I need to go around here, but I can travel in the summer when James is gone!
31. Good neighbors-I've been blessed with lots of good neighbors in the past and now is no different.
32. Awesome friends-I have some of the most awesome friends but feel guilty for not being the best friend all the time.
33. Coloring books and crayons-it's so relaxing and fun to do.
34. Christmas trees-the live ones of course...they smell so darn good and look so beautiful with all the decorations!
35. Parks-it's so fun to go out and swing on a swing and act like a little kid again.
36. Swimming pools-there's nothing like a nice dip in the pool on a super hot Texas summer day!!!
37. Ice Cream-it's so yummy in the summer time or with a yummy little piece of cake on your birthday.
38. Pictures-I love looking at pictures and reminiscing the good old days. It's nice having something tangible to help with the memories.
39. My computer-what, oh what would I do without you? Not this...that's for sure.
40. My shower-I LOVE getting into a nice warm shower after a long day or first thing in the morning when I need a little pick me up!
41. Making dinner with the kids.
42. Making dinner for someone to come over.
43. Giving things to others without them knowing it's me.
44. Helping people with things like watching their kids, making them dinner, or whatever else.
45. Winter days-I really don't like being hot and the weather outside right at this moment is just too perfect!
46. San Diego-is there a better place in the world?
47. Abraham's crib-I love when he sleeps in his bed to give me time to get things done.
48. Make-up-it's always nice to cover my face with stuff so I don't scare the neighbors....hahaha!
49. Hugs and kisses-my kids are the best at making me feel loved with their hugs and kisses.
50. Date nights with my man! They don't come very often but I love them when they do....even if it's just a movie when the kids go to bed.

Whew!!!!! Life is pretty darn good!!!!

My Best Friend!

2010-11-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

I've been missing my best friend and so I wanted to write about him. James and I have been married for 12 years now and some days it feels like just yesterday we were newly weds and others, it feels like an eternity already. Like all married couples we've had our ups and downs but I think lately the ups have definitely outnumbered the downs. When James joined the Army full time and left last April it was really tough since I was 2 weeks away from my due date with baby number 6. It was really hard having James gone at that time since he's the one person in the world I have always shared that special time with and the one person I rely so heavily on for my strength and support. Since moving to Texas he has been gone a lot doing field training exercises preparing for deployment in April. It really stinks having him gone not just because I become a lone parent with 6 kids but because I love him so much and he does SO much for our family. Things just aren't the same when he's gone. I have taken for granted too often all the things he does when he's home and so I have tried really hard to make all the times that he is home right now something special. I have noticed that I enjoy his company even more than I did before and I love the times we just sit and talk and laugh hysterically at the goofy things we do. I love how I get butterflies in my tummy whenever he sends me a text message from work or out in the field. I love how he always tells me how much he misses me and loves me when he's out in the field, it sends chills down my spine. I always thought people were so cheesy and dorky when they would say things like "absence makes the heart grow fonder" or "love gets better with time" or referring to their spouse as their best friend. I don't laugh anymore because I guess I've "matured" a little...and I do mean little when it comes to these things. I really love James with all my heart and I love being able to see him when we get to and I love all that he does for us. He is the most amazing dad in the world and I love how much our kids love and adore him! I don't think I could have asked for a better man than the one I've got!!!

Do siblings have to be Rivals?

2010-10-20T05:54:00.001-07:00

I wanted to throw a little spot light here about sibling rivalry and cooperations. I had a thought today as I was watching little Abraham being tickled by Jarom. First I have to explain, Abraham has been the most unusual about laughing, its not that he doesn't laugh but it is like he has a limited reservoir of laughter. It is not easy to reach that little reservoir but when you do he will laugh whole heartedly. The kids are always trying to find it and often they do. Here Jarom was holding the little turtle upside-down and had found that special spot by giving him the biggest 'bizerbert' Jarom could muster. Abe would curl his little body around Jarom's head and laugh.
So, as I was watching this I thought of all the times I had been mean to my own siblings when I was shorter. I also remembered all the present times when my own children are unkind to one another. I regret those times when I was not nice, especially when I knew what I was doing was hurting their feelings. I see the kids hurting each other both with hits and with words. This picture is a time, that does happen every so often, when a couple of my kids are having a great time. It is wonderful, I cherish these moments.

Thanks Grandma!

2010-10-17T09:55:00.001-07:00

What a lifesaver, I wanted to thank Grandma for passing on this little foam couch-hide-a-way-bed. We used this to train Sariah to want to sleep in her own room first and thus enable us to not only not sleep in my bed but in her own room so both Erin and I could sleep better with out a small person kicking us all night. Now once again we are employing the usefulness of this small piece of children's furniture. Little Abraham has been snuggling with Erin since birth and so he has not been keen on the idea of sleeping in the bed we have set up for him in the toy room. These past few days I have taken the time to help him get to sleep and then tried to ever so gently place him in the bed I use to be able to put him in just a month ago. Both nights he would stay asleep just till I would make contact with the bed. I would take him back into our bed and he would not have any problem sleeping. The thought came that he likes the softer bed so I put him in the bat-man bed and he has slept the past two days until 5 am, all by himself in the little bed. Thank you Grandma for the two nights of sleep for both Erin and I. We are forever grateful for your generous and caring nature.

A Proud Father!

2010-10-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to slip in a small moment of excitement that gave me a small glimpse of the eternal joy that a father has in watching a child demonstrate abilities that will give that child success in the future. Tank is working on his first Boy Scout merit badge. The troop he belongs to has taken on the task of working on the Rifle Merit badge as a group. They meet at a ward members house and take turns in rounds shooting five rounds. Knowing that Tank has shot both long rifles and pistols before I have high expectations of his performance. When we show up together I try to take somewhat of a back seat to be able to watch him interact and work with those who are his leaders and the other boys. He seems to be ready to work with the unusual nature of his name as one leader asked him how he pronounces his name, he quickly responded, "You can call me 'Tank'." During the remainder of the three hour activity, Teancum demonstrated the usual performance of an emerging deacon by taking the opportunity, after eating a sandwich on the way to the meeting, to eat another three hot dogs. What really made me excited was his eagerness and steadfastness to work with the leaders and a little bit from me to work on his ability to shoot well. After an initial round of shooting, he was all over the target. I gave him a basic military class on marksmanship, trying to use words and pictures that he would understand. Then we watched a leader together and I pointed out the fundamentals that were visible. From this point I sat back and let Teancum do what he wanted to observe what he would do. Teancum was the first scout each and every round to take his turn to shoot; as the other boys would find other distractions either dealing with the activity or ones that were brought from home. Tank would follow all instructions from the range safety's and after each time he shot he would look for a leader to discuss his performance. I was afraid he would do too much talking but he was respectful and would listen well to each coaching. He stayed focused on the task at hand, taking the given breaks between rounds of shooting to grab a hot dog, drink some of the beverage we brought or talk to me about his shooting. In the end he was able to place two out of five three round groups with in the required quarter size grouping needed to pass off the merit badge. He is excited about continuing to practice, apply the coaching that was given and finish earning the badge. His ability to stay focused, respect his leaders and take control of his own actions make me a happy and pleased father and make me excited for all the success he will have in the future!

Hungry, why wait?

2010-10-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

Our little guy thinks he needs solid food. We are trying to slowly introduce the better foods that will help teach him the benefits of healthy foods. Now this dream of a pure healthy diet does not always come true, with our own diets not perfect and with other siblings that love to share some of the sweeter things in life, he gets his hands on less than healthy foods. Now this picture here depicts the sweet child as he was sitting on his mothers lap and at first he grabbed at the plate and moved it around. Before the meal was half over he had moved the plate close enough to grab one of the bread sticks. Once he had his hands on the bread stick it was all over. At first attempt to eat the Bread stick he jabbed it into his right eye. This did not deter him in the least, next he seemed to want to ensure that his mother would not take it back. He placed the bread stick at its half way point next to his hands and licked the full length of the bread making it unappealing to anyone else. From this point he made an operation of the bread. I have seen Grandpa clean a fish and I have seen the fillet process, my youngest son first filleted the bread stick before shoving the bread into his mouth, losing only a few small pieces of bread. He thinks he's getting big!

The next Mower man!

2010-10-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

Tank is such a great little worker. There is a trick to get him started at times and once in a while he gets a little distracted but as a general rule, he is one of the little people that I know I can count on to help when I have to leave on a field problem or have to stay overnight for a CQ shift. He has been working on his lawn mowing skills and I can share with gladness in my heart that he is learning and getting better.

Our man vs. food adventure!

2010-10-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful adventure going to Round Rock, Texas to visit the same donut shop the Man vs Food guy visited on his trip to Austin, Texas. When we pulled up to the shop crazy Tank, with his eyes wide open, he all but screams, "I am at the same place Adam Richmand ate at!" We all got a laugh, we took pictures of the 'Texas' size donut that was the same size of Abraham who enjoyed his fair share of the donut as he is eating solid foods now himself! So after the huge donut we made our way over to the 'Salt Lick' an above average bbq joint that, although it is a little expensive, we all ate our fill and enjoyed some of the fun of Texas.

Our sunshine committee!

2010-09-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

James decided one night that we needed to have some "committees" here to help us be better at things like writing in our journals, service for others, planning vacations....and so on. We wanted to have something for all the kids to do but with them being as young as some are we needed to make sure they were things they could do. One concern was Abraham...he's just barely 5 months old so what is he supposed to do? Well, we came up with the Sunshine Committee and he is the head of it and let me tell you...this kid is the BEST!!! His job is to make people happy and I don't think we could have had a better man for the job! We sure love this little guy...how can you not?

What we do!

2010-09-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

Sariah LOVES to carry around the little man even if he is almost as big as her. She feels so big when all the other kids are gone to school.

Sariah coloring such pretty pictures.

The big kids walking by the park to get to school on time.

Sariah breaking in her new shoes.

Abe chillin' with the old man while he takes a snooze.

Life in the full time Army as an Infantryman can be a little crazy...almost like being in training all the time. Last Monday James came home and told us he had CQ duty (charge of quarters, basically you watch the desk and answer the phone) and then was leaving the following evening for his 3 week FTX (field training exercise). All of it happens right here at Ft. Hood which is kinda crazy knowing that James is right here but we can see him and for him, knowing his nice cool house, clean bed, shower, and good food from the awesome wife is just a couple of miles away and he can't have it. It gets tough sometimes...but at least we have a job so no complaints. So, he came home about 6:00 and went to bed while we got up and started our day. James took me to lunch at a fun little place and then we got all his stuff we needed, packed, got the kids, and had him to where he needed to be by 5:30 and he was gone. The kids always hate it but this is our life!

Abraham is teething and so things can get a little much at times with all his crying but we wouldn't know what to do without the little guy. With James not home the middle of the night stuff gets a little crazier...kids coming in at all hours and Abraham needing to eat so I get a little tired and sometimes grouchy. Thursday was parent teacher conferences so it was HECTIC!!!! The kids got out of school early so that made it a little nicer....but here's how the day went. Wake up, shove Tank out the door, get the other kids ready, eat breakfast, walk to school, feed Abe, do a little p90x, clean the house, get dinner preparations done, go get kids, take a shower! And it's 2 p.m. now....whew! 3 p.m. we leave to get to Tanks conference which is on post, come back for Jaroms at 4:15, Ana at 4:35, and Beka at 4:55...We made it!!!! We got home, made dinner, took showers, read scriptures, said prayers and went to bed!!! It was one crazy day but we made it and actually had fun. The kids are totally awesome and doing so well in school. They want to test Ana and Jarom for the gifted program soon. I'm really excited for them and proud of all their hard work.

So...most days are like this minus the conferences but we are having so much fun. Sariah colors and draws pictures most days and absolutely loves it. She is getting so good at it and it makes me happy to see her love to do something so much. We've had some fun times with movie nights, letter writing days, games, fun family home evenings and good treats. As much as I complain sometimes, I love my family and the fun things we do together and I really wouldn't change my life for anything in the world.

Random

2010-09-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

Tank has a hard time remembering to put on deodorant and James thinks it's hilarious how he puts it on....so he took a picture. MEN!!!! What can I say?

The other picture is of our little house. All the houses at Ft Hood are duplexes....I have yet to see one that isn't. It's kinda crazy but at least for us the only connection to the house next door is the garage. Makes me a little bit less nervous for our loud crazy kids. One of these days I might take pictures of the inside...maybe!

Oh Beka!

2010-09-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

I just love this little gal and all the fun laughs we have with her! If you know Beka...you know what I mean. Tonight at dinner James called her by the wrong name (hey...it happens when you've got 6 kids to keep track of). Immediately she looks up says "I guess we need to get some name tags or sumthin'! We could not stop laughing. Most of the family had left but Beka and I were still there and I called her by the wrong name....she didn't even hesitate but looked up and said "well, I guess mom's doin' it now too." She seriously cracks me up and I don't know what we would do without her in our family!!!

Kids on their first day of school!

2010-08-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

My kids in their cute uniforms on the first day of school. Tank is already in middle school and is still trying to adjust. It's tough but I know he'll do awesome. He gets the bus at 7:27 and gets dropped off at about 4:10. He is such a little stud muffin! The rest of the kids walk with me to and from school in the blazing heat. The first couple of days it was 104-105 degrees without the humidity factored in. The school is only about 1/2 mile away....THANK GOODNESS!!!! We leave about 8ish and pick up at 3:45 so it's a long day for these guys. At least Beka gets "nap time" each day. Of course she's too big to actually go to sleep....funny girl. The kids have no problem with the uniforms and I actually really like it. It makes it super easy to get ready for school each day plus I think they look so cute! The girls and I made some hair things to make it more fun with their uniforms and they LOVE the hair things. School is fun and we can't wait to get a little more involved in it!!!!

Torture the little man!

2010-08-30T11:16:00.000-07:00

James and his ways. He loves to "play" with the kids so much....and this is what he does!

BLORA

2010-08-16T07:40:00.000-07:00

We spent the afternoon on Saturday exploring what BLORA was....and it's SO FUN!!!! They have these cool water slides that were so much fun to go down and all the kids (who were tall enough) LOVED it!!! They also had a fun little kid water place to play for those that weren't tall enough for the slide. After we went on the slide we headed over to the "beach" for some more fun. The kids loved the warm water that cooled us off and the fact that it was shallow enough for them to have fun without mom and dad freaking out. What more can you ask for? Once we were done with that we headed over to the paddle boats. While I took care of Abraham, James took the other 5 out on the paddle boat. I think this was the hit of the day because I ended up with 5 VERY unhappy kids heading back to the car after they were done. It was so fun to spend time out in the water with the hot weather that we're still trying to get used to. The best part of it.....FREE for us military folks. What more can you ask for? Tons of fun for only the cost of the gas to get you there! What a fun weekend we had....maybe we'll find another fun spot next weekend!!!!

Woo-Hoo....WE MADE IT!!!!

2010-08-11T14:38:00.001-07:00

Well....we made it to TX after tons of fun! It was a fairly rough 3 months without James but we definitely survived it. The house got all packed up, lots of help from family and friends cleaning, and moved into James parents garage. We started off the Hoopes' family reunion the day I finished moving out and Sariah was sick so I went to Bob and Jacobies house to take care of her. We went to Moab and enjoyed lot of fun swimming, going to the arches, and lazing in the river. It was HOT but fun to be with everyone. I headed of on a LONG plane ride to GA to go get my hubby. Abraham was so good but I was exhausted by the time I got there. I actually spent most of the 3 days feeling really sick...oops! I can't even tell you how awesome it was to see James for the first time in 3 months...he's so HOT!!!! We had a really fun time just hanging out. We went to Shoney's (which is a Timmons family thing) and tried to find a movie theatre with Eclipse, got shirts for all the kids, went to the museum, and it was awesome. Of course the biggest reason for being there was the graduation and turning blue. It was really an amazing experience. I got to put the blue cord on James which was fun and listening to all the soldiers sing was hilarious!!!! The graduation was really neat and gave me goosebumps, even if James was sitting next to me and not with the others.

We came home, loaded our truck, blessed Abraham, and headed on the road! It took us 3 days to get here. We stopped in New Mexico the first night....and 10 minutes from the TX border the next. We finally made it towards the evening on the 3rd day of traveling and it was so nice to get out of the car. We got up the next day and got a house....CRAZY!!!! We actually got a house that very day which is a little unusual. It's an old house but it has 5 bedrooms and is just perfect for us! The kids are so excited because we have a backyard and a community pool just 1/2 a mile from here....sweetness!!!! We are unpacking now and trying to settle in. I think it might take a little while to get used to this heat and humidity but we are really excited to be here!!!!

What have we been up to?

2010-05-31T16:00:00.001-07:00

Sariah took a picture of me and Abraham...he's a cutie!!!

All the kids just before going to church. We're sending some pictures to daddy!

Little Abraham sitting in the little chair that the kids think is just perfect for him.

Keeping an eye on things.

Little man sitting on the couch for his photo shoot with the girls.

Well...school is out and the kids couldn't be more excited! They are all in love with their little brother and constantly fight over who gets to hold him. They are so cute about it. We have been having fun doing things like making cards for daddy's birthday and father's day, making treats with thank you notes for all the wonderful people that have been helping us, and watching Gilligan's Island. My kids are crazy and that's all they ever want to watch!

We had a great time with Kristi and her family coming to visit us and we're excited to go down there for a week or so in just a little bit. We have so much going on this summer that we are so excited about. Tank has his birthday next week and Springville's Art City Days are always fun for the kids. Grandma just moved up here so we get to spend time with her before we move, which is so exciting. We are moving out of our house just in time for the Hoopes family reunion, I'll go to James graduation in GA and bring him home just in time for us to leave to Ft Hood in Texas. It's gonna be a fun adventure and I hope that we really end up enjoying it!!!!

Jarom...Jarom...Jarom!

2010-05-14T18:49:00.001-07:00

What more can be said? This little man is something else. He wasn't paying attention and walked into the corner of the brick wall outside of Walmart last night. Vonnie was so sweet an met us down at the instacare to sit with him while he got stitched up so that I could take care of the other 5 kids. I'm so glad I have such a great mother-in-law who doesn't have a weak stomach like I do. Hopefully we'll be more careful and watch where we're walking....this is Jarom after all though.

Jaundice

2010-05-14T18:37:00.001-07:00

One of my worst fears. No mother ever wants to see their baby in the hospital when they're only a week old. Seriously!!!! Well, Sariah had jaundice and so I knew what to look for. Little man Abraham was starting to look a little yellow but then started to get better. He wasn't really lethargic or anything and was having plenty of wet and messy diapers. Last Friday I looked at him and realized that he was all but glowing yellow...literally over night this happened. I took him to the pediatrician and he decided to be safe and have him checked but reassured me that he wasn't too concerned. Well...a couple hours later when the results came back he called and told me to take him to the hospital immediately because he was at 23.2 and needed an IV and lights immediately to avoid serious problems....HOLY CRAP!!!! I was really terrified and didn't want to deal with this right now and especially with James gone...I know....I'm a big baby! It was one of the worst nights of my life as I watched them put an IV in his tiny little hand and lay under the lights where all I could do was watch and pray. His numbers were down to 12 the next morning and so we got to go home. When I went to his Dr on Monday he apologized for the hospital stay because he really didn't expect it to be that bad. He figured we would just need the at home lights and no big deal. He felt horrible that it was much worse than he had expected. Oh well. I have to take him back in tomorrow because his numbers are still rising but at a much slower rate. I pray for the day that it's over...will tomorrow be the lucky day?

Abraham Robert Hoopes

2010-05-14T18:15:00.001-07:00

Cute little man takes the binky very seriously...gotta hold that sucker in!

He just can't watch any more of the nonsense with the other 5 siblings!

The kids love to hold him and bug him too!

Moments after he was born and the nurse showed him off while he was whining to us all.

Talking to dad on the phone within the first 20 minutes or so of entering this life. Even though dad couldn't be here, he still wanted to talk to him.

So...Abraham Robert Hoopes was born on April 29, 2010 at 6 pm on the dot. He was 7lb 7oz and 20 inches long (with the cone head). He was one of the longest labors I've had, who would've thought being number 6. Well, we got there in the morning and they got everything started. My doctor came in and by 7:40 my water was broken, PIT started and all the fetal monitors in place. Brittany, the most awesome nurse ever, really believed that this baby was gonna come lickety split...we all did but he fooled us. I progressed slower than molasses and after a while there were some concerns because of some fetal stress. At one point a different nurse came in and had me really scared that there were going to be some problems if I didn't progress any faster. They kept turning the PIT down and then up again because of his heart rate and even put me on oxygen. I spent most of the day on one side because his heart rate was better that way, even though it started to get extremely painful for me. The things we do for these kids before they even get here! So...my Dr came back to check and noticed that he wasn't coming down because he was turned the wrong way. He wasn't completely posterior but he was partially and it was making it so that he wasn't coming down like he should. Dr. Gourley moved him so that he was facing the right way and we were all hoping for some good progress now. NO!!!! It didn't happen right away but things did get a little better even though the contractions started slowing down. It was just crazy. Finally, Abraham's heart rate was dropping enough that they took me off the PIT completely and so the contractions all but stopped....SERIOUSLY!!!!! It was insane. We were just waiting for Dr to come back from surgery to decided where to go from there. I finally made it to an 8 and he was coming down a lot more. Thank goodness!!!! Well...Dr. Gourley came in at 5:50 and worked his magic. He had to turn him some more to get him in the right position and TA-DA!!!! Obviously it didn't take long since it was only 10 minutes later that he was born. He was such a little stinker but we love him to death! We're so excited that he's finally here and adding so much joy to the rest of the family!

....and he's off!

2010-04-20T14:43:00.001-07:00

Well...well...well...the long awaited time has come and James is starting his official full time Army. We started off our family time last night with some good old Cafe Rio. James remembered his card and so we were able to get 2 salads, a smothered burrito and drink for $16.16! That's impressive for feeding a family of 7 if you ask me. He finished getting all his stuff ready and we got everyone to bed. This morning we woke up and took the kids to school and he stopped off to see his mom. We got his bag in the car and hurried over to the bank where we were meeting with the couple that bought the van only to remember that James forgot the money on top of the t.v! So...I drove back to the house with the girls crying for daddy most of the way and got the money. We were running late at this point and rushed as fast as we could to pick up the kids. James had to be to the recruiting office at 1:00 so he could drive to SLC to get his medical records, go back to the office in Provo, and back to SLC for the evening. What a JOKE!!!!! We made it with just enough time to get the kids an ice cream and dad to give them a little parting gift. James has gotten really into coins these days and bought the girls a penny with the San Diego Temple on it and the boys a penny with the Liahona. It was very sweet! Of course then comes the good-byes....oh what a sight to see. 3 of the 5 kids were sobbing uncontrollably, the other 2 were crying and I was crying while trying to stay in control of it all. James had a few tears in his eyes as he hugged us all and watched us drive away. NOT COOL!!!! We went to get some gas and then to Target where I let the kids play in the toy section (which I rarely ever do). They were really good and so I even got them a happy hour from Sonic on our way home. It's gonna be a long 2 months but I know that we'll be able to make it as long as we rely on The Lord to help and guide us. Besides...things could be much worse and so I count my blessing each day and remind myself of just how stinkin' lucky I really am!!!!

Fun times!

2010-04-18T14:03:00.000-07:00

So...we had a fun time in San Diego over our Spring Break although we left the camera in the car for the majority of it. Here's just a little bit of what we've been up to this month!

Friday (april 2)-mom went crazy cleaning and packing for our trip.
Saturday-headed out the door for good old California and got there about 7:30ish
Sunday-had a fabulous Easter with conference, easter baskets and egg hunting, and a lovely turkey dinner.
Monday-took Jarom and Beka to the dentist for teeth fixing and had Cafe Rio for dinner with all the fam (minus Erik b/c of work) and Brian and Melanie....so fun catching up and reminiscing the good old times!
Tuesday-spent some time at the beach where mom forgot to put on sunscreen...BURNED!!!!!
Wednesday-I think we just hung out most of the day and relaxed...I don't remember.
Thursday-went swimming and had carne asada at Craig and Cristina's place....man that's good stuff! Got to see Robin and John and Brian and Melanie again. Sweetness!!!!!
Friday-Cleaned up the house a bit and got ready for Grandma and Grandpa to come with Robin and John....SOOOO much fun to see them all again...it's been years!!!! John got in-n-out for everyone and then we went shopping for the reception food. Grandma, Cheryl, Jonell, her boyfriend, and Pam came for spaghetti dinner and it was one full house with lots of fun!
Saturday-rush to the temple for the sealing, take pictures, get some lunch, rush to the reception! WHEW!!!! It was so fun at the reception to see lots of old friends and catch up a little bit. Good times I tell ya!!!! Then, home to just relax and hang out with Grandma, Grandpa, Robin, and John a little more.
Sunday-headed back home to Utah with many unhappy kids...they love Cali as much as their mama does!
Monday-went out and bought a new Suburban for our little family. Got an awesome car at the right price and feel extremely blessed.
Tuesday-Dr. appt for mom.
Wednesday-Amnio scheduled and done....no good! Didn't hurt hardly at all but no baby til James is gone (unless I miraculously go into labor on my own).
Thursday-No more work for James...honey do list actually got started!!!!
Friday-took the little girls and mom for a date to IHOP for breakfast, a little coin shop shopping, more honey do list jobs done and then on a date....Texas Roadhouse for dinner!
Saturday-cleaned house, sold the van, played at Grandma and Grandpa's house, had a great dinner!

Man...this month has been a little busy but it's been AWESOME!!!! Now...we just have to endure James leaving on Tuesday and a baby coming sometime after that! I feel so blessed that I just can't even tell you about it! I'm truly grateful for my family and how wonderful life can be!!!!!

My birthday girls!

2010-03-29T15:16:00.000-07:00

Ana joined our family as one of the best birthday presents a mother could ask for. Ana Jenelle Hoopes was born on my 22nd birthday and it was so fun. Teancum was so excited to finally be a big brother and smothered her to no end. He hugged and kissed, and hugged and kissed no matter how much we tried to stop him with his sick little self (he had a cold at the time). It was too cute! She was a beautiful little baby with TONS of dark hair and fairly dark skin. We got teased a little by the nurse that she wouldn't have believed she was ours if she hadn't witnessed the delivery. She was beautiful and still is.

9 things I love about Ana....
1. Her love for learning. She always asks questions and wants to learn...learn...learn!!!!
2. Her sweet spirit. She loves to look at the children's songbook to read the songs and teach family home evening lessons for us. She has such an amazing little testimony.
3. She is a loving sister. She is so good at helping out her younger sisters and teaching them their letters and numbers while they play school.
4. She is a good friend. She has friends at school that she just adores and always wants to play with. She comes home at least every other week with something that one of her friends made for her.
5. She is helpful to me. Ana is pretty good at helping me around the house, even if it is just cleaning the bathroom.
6. She loves to be loved. She can't stand to be alone at night and wants lots of love and attention.
7. She is one smart cookie! Her teachers always rave about what a good student she is and such a good example to her classmates. She does extremely well and they have a hard time giving her ideas of things to improve on.
8. She loves to read. I love watching her sit down an read a book and get really excited about it. I wish I was more like that at her age!
9. She is one beautiful gal that I can't imagine my life without. I love seeing her beautiful face and smile each day!!!!

5 years ago last monday I gave birth to a beautiful little angel we named Rebekah Janae Hoopes. She was a stubborn thing from the start seeing as she was #4 and took the longest of all the kids to arrive here for us. She decided to make life a little more complicated for me as I tried to get her into this world. She was posterior and caused a lot of pain to the point where I finally broke down and got myself an epideral. She finally came at 8:30 in the evening and we couldn't have been more pleased with her. Tank, Ana, and Jarom all loved her from the beginning. I remember they were so worried because the nurses wrapped her up in the little blanket without a diaper on. They were so concerned that she would pee on them that they weren't really happy until she was diapered properly. Funny kids.

5 of my favorite things about Beka...
1. She has a beautiful smile that really lights up a room.
2. She has such a love for music and dancing. There isn't a place on the planet that she won't sing or dance.
3. She is such a good big sister who tries to help whenever she can.
4. She has a big heart. It kills her to see people sad and she will even cry with them on occasion.
5. She is such a princess. She loves pretty dresses and wearing make-up (which only consists of clear lip gloss).
I just love my little Rebekah and the joy she brings to our family!

Just something interesting to see.

2010-03-27T07:17:00.001-07:00

This is James at drill in February. He volunteered to be tased, it was not something that he was required to do. He has said that it is EXTREMELY painful and that he would NEVER recommend any one ever volunteering for this in their life!!!!

My favorite things!

2010-03-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

My last blog post was a little depressing so I thought I'd share some of the things that I love!!!!

Staying up late and watching fun shows with my hubby. He usually lets me choose and so I like to watch the funny or action type shows rather than the chick flicks. I'll have plenty of time soon enough to watch all the chick flicks I want. (Last night was Rush Hour, that's why this image)

Having Grandparents that are still alive to visit. I don't get to very often but I love when I do get to see them and how fun it is to see the kids with them.

My crazy kids that I can't imagine life without. People tease me about having 5 kids already but I don't think if I could do it over again that I would change it one bit!!!! I love the laughter at the dinner table, the crying when someone doesn't get along and share, the helpfulness when someone is having a hard time, the hugs when someone is having a rough day and the big messes we make because we're having fun!

A husband who is willing to freeze his hands to provide for our family. He works so hard for us even when it's not always the most pleasant of jobs. It's always hard when he's away but we appreciate the sacrifices he makes for us to have all that we have, including our freedoms that he helps to fight for.

A loving father who is wonderful enough to cuddle up with and go right to sleep. I've always gotten a little emotional when I see James with one of the kids sleeping in his arms. I know how much they love him and it makes me love him that much more!

I've got SOOOO much on my mind!

2010-03-24T05:14:00.000-07:00

This is a boring one just to warn you! I've been up for over an hour with my mind racing and so I figured I would just let it all out. Over the weekend of Bob's wedding James hit a car in the parking lot when we were leaving the dinner. We called our insurance and took care of it all and they came to do an estimate of the damage to our car. It was A LOT more than I was expecting just simply because of where it hit....$1500 and it'll take 3 days to fix. Well, it's the only car we have and so it would cost us to get a rental on top of the $500 deductible and whatever it goes over and we're trying to sell it to get a Suburban because we just don't fit in it anymore. What do you do? Do we pay to fix it and then sell it, while still having to pay some money out of pocket for what we're upside down on it (only about $400-$500)? Or just sell it like it is and use the money from the insurance to pay that difference? I never know what to do!!!!!

Yesterday I called to pay our last health insurance bill before James goes active duty. To get on Tricare Prime, which means you don't pay monthly or anything else, you have to have the application in by the 20th of the month to get coverage for the 1st of the following month. Problem...James goes active on the 21st of April and there are no orders til after the 1st of May....no Prime until June 1st. There is a slight chance that if DEERS (the people who determine eligibility) get the activation status change in the system before that we can have the application in before he leaves and POSSIBLY get it for the 1st of May. I know it doesn't sound like a huge deal but this is what it means to me. If I have the baby before May 1st with the other insurance I pay close to $1000 or more for it all, or if I have the baby on the 1st or after, I pay nothing (if we get the other insurance). Again...WHAT DO I DO??????? I know it seems like no big deal to some but for me it is. I like to know what's going on and not feel like things are up in the air. I don't like taking chances. I don't like the idea of maybe we'll get the insurance or maybe we won't...ya know what I'm saying? If I know right now that there's no chance that we can and I'm going to have to pay no matter what, it just makes it easy.

My last dilemma seems to be one of the hardest to deal with. I don't think it would be as bad if I weren't pregnant but unfortunately for my sanity, I am. As the time gets closer to both my due date and James leaving, the more stressed I get. I almost feel like some days I can't function. I love James so much and I know how much the kids and I are going to miss him. Of course it's only 7-10 weeks or so that he'll be gone, and we've had other times when it's been longer and survived. The part I have the hardest time with is what's happening while he's gone. I've had 5 kids already and I've always been able to rely on him to be there with me and hold my hand and tell me what a good job I'm doing, and how much he loves me. It's always been so nice...and I'm not even mean or ever yelled at him (may be a shock but it's true). He's always stayed with me overnight in the hospital. With Sariah he went home with my mom and the kids and I called him crying because I couldn't sleep without him there, so he came all the way back to be with us. He's so wonderful! I just can't imagine doing this without him this time. I know I'm whining and I feel like such a baby, but I can't imagine any woman who wouldn't want their husband there with them for this miracle taking place. There's still a very small part of me that just wants to have the amnio done, pay whatever it costs, and have the baby before he leaves...but there's the other part of me that feels like I can do it and I just need to wait. I just hate feeling so confused and not knowing what to do. Oh well...I know that this is the time with all of these circumstances where I turn it over to The Lord and allow Him to help me. I know that if I trust in Him, that He will lead us in the right direction and I will know what to do. I just need to have more faith in Him and confidence in the choices that I make. I know that He loves me and is mindful of me and the stresses that I have right now. I just pray that I'll have the courage to let it go and leave it in His hands to guide me in the right direction. If you got through this mess of a post thanks for reading! I love all you wonderful friends I have and I don't know what I would do without you all!

Just a little fun!

2010-03-02T12:02:00.000-08:00

Beka being cuteness!

Sariah being a little star!

Beka showing off a little ballerina pose!

Sariah telling me her hair was silly!

My 30 1/2 week belly with the girls!

So, I've been a slacker again on blogging. I just forget about it all the time and all the sudden more time has gone by than I realize! Lots has happened in February. Teancum did his first science project for school and really enjoyed it. It was a fun time for father and son to work together. He didn't get to go on but he got a good grade, but most importantly he enjoyed doing it!

Jarom celebrated his 7th birthday and at the party James told everyone about his fun experience at drill. He got the opportunity to be tased, and told us that it's one of those opportunities that you'll never volunteer for again. James isn't a whimp but said it was the most painful thing that he's ever experience. He also decided to get ahold of the guy who took a video of it so that I could see. Not something I would care to witness in person let alone watch the video for again. OUCH!!!!!! So, Jarom had a really fun time with all the aunts and uncles around and grandma and grandpa. He had a black spiderman cake and mcdonalds chicken nuggets for dinner. Way to make a little guy happy!

Ana has just been pluggin' along in school and enjoying it tremendously. She is one of the best students in her class and is such a sweetheart. She loves going to achievement days with her friends and is really starting to come out of her shell a little bit. Sweet!

James and I got to go to the valentine's dinner put on by the yw of the ward to raise money for camp. They even babysat the kids for us while we ate spaghetti and had ice cream...what a night. After the dinner we went to some friends house to watch a dvd of their favorite comedian. About 10 minutes into there was a knock on the door. Good old Officer Foster drove over to tell us that our son was standing out on the front porch crying. Jarom had decided that he was going to wait til someone asked for him to come inside (we all thought he was upstairs with the rest of the kids) and stayed out there. Someone drove by and noticed him out there without a coat and he would hide himself as best he could into the wall whenever someone drove by. She noticed Office Foster at Walmart and sent him over to check it out. SO EMBARRASSING!!!!! I just couldn't believe that the poor kid didn't knock on the door. He is stubborn and he was absolutely convinced that we knew he was out there and would come get him any second. I think it'll be a while before we live that one down since it was the house of the guy James works with and Mrs Foster works at the school too.

We got the horrible long lasting cold that has been going around which has made life a little crazy. Sariah has had it the longest and I feel sorry for her little self. She seems to be getting better each day and now it's Beka that's not sounding so good. I've missed 2 weeks of church because of it and I can't wait to go back. Well...Feb was a fun month and I'm sure I missed A LOT of stuff that we've done but I'll try to do better this next month.

Just some pictures of the kids

2010-02-02T19:44:00.001-08:00

Tank having fun with his science project.

The two girls watching a show while the others are at school...oh...the life of a youngin!

All the kids having fun with their Christmas presents.

Good lookin' kids in their christmas pj's...dang their growing up too fast!

Sariah opening her pj's for her birthday...she seriously LOVES pj's so it was well worth the $3 to make her day!

I'm gonna do it!

2010-01-28T11:18:00.000-08:00

Ok...I know I probably shouldn't but I know I'll feel better if I do. So...the past couple of weeks have just been a JOKE in my opinion. Money is a necessary evil that I despise. James and I always seem to have issues with it no matter what we do, that's just life for us. So, I'm almost 6 months pregnant and our insurance company decided to drop us because of a case of missing money. Well...after many phone calls and HOURS of stress I was able to get some answers. My credit union noticed a double charge and asked for one of the payments to be returned. The insurance co. returned the money and charged me $25 for it...LAME!!! So, this was back in Nov. and I just found out about a week and a half ago that I had no insurance and this was why. The bank didn't return the money to my account and just held on to it...costing me my insurance and now the insurance still doesn't want to give it back to me. It's just been the biggest joke and an all around nightmare. Who wants to pregnant with no insurance. To boot...it's the only insurance we can get. So, I'm praying and praying that those making the decision to reinstate us will soften their hearts and let me have my insurance back. If not...well...I'm hoping for the best. I'm sure it will all work out. All I can do is trust in the Lord and know that He is in control. Whew...I feel much better now!

My 4 year old....oh my!

2010-01-23T10:21:00.000-08:00

So, the other day we were going to pick up Teancum from school to go and do some work on his science project with dad at his school. Sariah asked if she could sit next to Beka and I said sure, I didn't see any problem with it. Apparently beka did and so we had a melt down but we had already started driving and it was too late. Beka keeps telling me that she doesn't like Sariah sitting next to her because she's annoying and she doesn't like her. I tried to be nice and tell her that she shouldn't say things like that. Next thing I hear the cutest little "Mom, in case you didn't hear me, I don't like Sariah!" I had to do everything I could not to laugh.

This morning I asked the girls to go and clean up my little office area since they made a huge mess of it. Of course they didn't do it yet because I wasn't sitting right on them. I asked them if it was clean and with out even the slightest hesitation Beka looks up "uh...not so much!" I died. It's just hilarious the way she says stuff to us sometimes that just slays me. So, she gets embarrassed and starts jumping on James back. I told her to stop because it was getting annoying but she didn't want to so I said to get off dad because it was getting awkward. Immediately she looks up at me and says "well then don't look anymore!" I swear!!!!!! I love my kids and the funny stuff they say sometimes!

How firm is your foundation?

2010-01-07T14:50:00.000-08:00

We had a fantastic lesson in Relief Society on Sunday and I just wanted to share a few of the thoughts that I had. Most of you know that James and I had an extremely rocky 2009. There were times where I know that I was a HORRIBLE person and I lost sight of the things that were truly important in my life. I began asking all those aweful questions like "why me?", "what did I do to deserve this?", "why do my kids have to be put through this?", "will it ever end?" "why don't you love me anymore?" I'm embarrassed to even admit it but those were just a few of the thoughts that I had. We went from living in a beautiful home, in a beautiful area that our whole family loved. We had a good job with benefits and stability for us all and then the rug was pulled from underneath us. We were all devastated. I had a hard time trying to explain to my kids why we had to move and why we didn't have a place of our own. It was not easy for them either. James was able to get a part time job but it didn't have benefits or anything else. Shouldn't complain...it's a step in the right direction. So, I tried to repent (A LOT!) and change my attitude but I was still having a hard time.

Time went on and I was still struggling, then we had an experience that made me stop and think a little (or a lot) about the fact that our Heavenly Father is perfectly aware and in control. We almost lost our dear little neice. It was a really hard week for everyone and I remember the start of the change I began to feel. As I rushed screaming kids downstairs for the other adults to work with her we were scared. I remember shaking and crying but realizing that I had 8 kids looking at ME to know what to do and how to deal with it all. The only thought that came to my mind was that we had to pray as much as we could and hope that it was the Lords will to let her make it. I remember gathering all the kids around me with tears in our eyes and praying, and praying. It was not an easy task but we somehow managed to get it out. Things didn't get better right away but I remember feeling very strongly that The Lord was aware of our situation with our neice and our situation as a family. Things still weren't easy but having that confirmation made it more possible for me to get through. Fortunately through miracles and the will of The Lord, our little neice is strong and healthy and made a full recovery.

At times I know that I have faultered with the strength of my testimony but I know that My Heavenly Father loves me. I know that things aren't always going to be easy in life, but if I put my faith in Him, and trust that as I live the commandments and strive to do all that I can, things will be ok. It may not always be the way I want them to but I know that they will be for the best. As hard as it was for me to leave Monterey, I feel like there have been reasons that we needed to be here. I feel very strongly that James and I needed to be here for our neice. I am grateful for a worthy husband who honors his priesthood because I know that he listened to the spirit and did all that he could to keep our neice alive. I will always be grateful for him and the way that he responded to that situation. He is such a good man and I love him with all my heart. I know that no matter where we go or what we do, if we stay close to our Heavenly Father and as a family, we will always be happy!

Life goes on!

2009-12-08T08:20:00.001-08:00

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!

2009-11-12T11:55:00.001-08:00

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!!!!

2009-11-07T12:20:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-10-29T20:08:00.001-07:00

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....

2009-10-03T11:10:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-10-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

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!!!!

2009-09-24T16:36:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-07-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2009-03-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-03-18T08:38:00.001-07:00

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

2009-03-15T19:20:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2009-03-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-24T16:31:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-02-17T10:18:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-02-07T08:24:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-04T07:24:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2009-01-26T09:01:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2009-01-12T07:10:00.001-08:00

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!!!

2009-01-08T13:02:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-01-03T09:53:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2009-01-03T09:44:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-03T09:32:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2009-01-03T09:23:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2009-01-03T09:11:00.000-08:00

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!!!

Our little parrot!

2008-12-23T12:32:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2008-12-19T07:34:00.001-08:00

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

2008-12-13T10:27:00.000-08:00

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!!!!

2008-12-09T08:15:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-05T21:01:00.001-08:00

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....

2008-12-04T15:16:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-12-04T07:50:00.001-08:00

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!

2008-12-01T11:08:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-11-24T19:08:00.001-08:00

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 ;)

2008-11-24T08:21:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2008-11-22T21:07:00.001-08:00

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!

2008-11-20T10:24:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-20T10:16:00.001-08:00

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!

2008-11-17T20:25:00.001-08:00

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!

2008-11-16T21:22:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-15T06:44:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2008-11-13T19:20:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-11-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-11-03T07:38:00.000-08:00

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

2008-10-30T08:41:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-10-30T08:28:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-27T15:41:00.001-07:00

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!!!

2008-10-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-25T08:21:00.001-07:00

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!!!

2008-10-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-10-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-10-04T08:25:00.001-07:00

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

2008-10-04T08:17:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-04T08:11:00.001-07:00

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

2008-09-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2008-09-26T08:23:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-09-26T08:13:00.001-07:00

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!!!

2008-09-26T08:06:00.001-07:00

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!!!

2008-09-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-12T09:35:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-09T14:34:00.001-07:00

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

2008-09-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2008-08-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

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!