Jacobsen Journals

January 27, 2012

2012-01-27T16:20:00.002-07:00

And here's the morning after crazy hair do! She sure looks cute for attempting to have crazy hair. But she was happy with it so that is all that matters. The funny thing about her attempt at her crazy hair is that this kind of style is coming back. I used to crimp my hair when I was younger. With how think her hair is, braiding it would probably have been the faster "crimping" for her hair anyway. What a lucky little girl to have such beautiful, thick hair!

January 26, 2012

2012-01-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is pajama day/crazy or messy hair day. Meg has been excited for it all week. She planned out what jammies she would wear and was so excited to not have to have her hair fixed. Except she decided she wanted to have her hair crazy poofy and kinked like it is after it has been braided. So she wanted me to braid her hair in tiny braids after she had her shower. I could have done smaller braids but Meg has so much hair it would have taken too long. We opted for smallish braids which still took long enough. Here are the before bed pics. She can't wait to take them out in the morning and have crazy hair. I love that school can be combined with fun!

January 25, 2012

2012-01-25T15:46:00.000-07:00

Aidan received his Bear today for Cub Scouts. He has worked hard and was very excited to receive it. He turns 10 next month and will move on to Webelows. It is hard to believe that he only has 1 more year of Cub Scouts left. With the boys being the oldest, we are quickly approaching the end of Cub Scouts which is good and bad. I have to admit I am not the best "Scout Mom" but I do like to help the boys. I am EVER SO GRATEFUL for the amazing leaders the boys have had. They are amazing with what they accomplish with these boys during what can be hard ages. They are very active boys and they do an awesome job at teaching them love and respect and how to have while doing both. Aidan's Bear leaders have been Jeanna Merritt and Lisa Petersen. How blessed he has been to have these amazing leaders!

January 24, 2012

2012-01-24T16:29:00.001-07:00

Nothing makes my little girls happier than a good friend to play with and a tea party! Ash and Kennie love to have Melissa come play. I barely know they are around cause they just play and play and play. I love how creative they are whether it is playing with barbies, the play kitchen, felt or paper dolls, dress up clothes, stuffed animals, or any other various games they come up with. Today, they played tea party for a long time. Apples, crackers, cheezits, and water...what more can you ask for when you are 3 and 4! We all need to stop and enjoy the little things in life!

January 23, 2012

2012-01-23T16:53:00.001-07:00

This was my simple project for the day! I love how it turned out. I wanted a "Valentine" decoration that would also be something I could leave up year round. This sits on the ledge above our kitchen table and has become a place for me to leave love notes to the love of my life and best friend! It was an inexpensive project - 97 cents for the frame and then I used scrapbook paper I already had and scrap fabric for the flowers. Crafting makes me happy and I love to make things that add to the beauty of our home.

January 21, 2012

2012-01-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

I love my nice neat closet!!! My wonderful husband took some time out of his Saturday and built this simple but absolutely wonderful shoe rack for our closet. It is amazing what a simple thing can do to bring so much organization. I used to dread opening my closet and seeing all the shoes spread out on the floor. I desperately tried to keep them organized but it seemed like my little girls just couldn't handle it and would have to "borrow" a pair of my shoes to play in and then of course mess up those around them in the process. Now, they have no excuse to mess up my closet. Everything has a place! There is even place at the ends of the shoe rack to have my church bag and my boots tucked nicely away too. I am so thankful to my wonderful husband for helping bring a little bit of organization to our home.

January 19, 2012

2012-01-19T20:20:00.002-07:00

My poor little Kennie spent most of the day crashed like this. She started throwing up about 3:00 am. She threw up several times but finally quit after about 8:00 am. But she didn't sleep at all during that time, so she was exhausted (and so was Mom). She's a little trooper though. She's retty easy to take care of when she is sick. As long as there is Sprite in the house and she has her Netflix, she is good to go. I always hate to see my kiddos not feeling well. It makes me wish it could be me instead. Hopefully this passes quickly and no one else get it!

January 18, 2012

2012-01-18T20:25:00.002-07:00

Tonight was our New Beginnings for Young Women's. We did a marathon theme and had a fabulous speaker talk about what it takes to train for a marathon and how Personal Progress is like training for a marathon. I felt like we could have said Amen at the end of her talk and ended the night. It was soooo good! We then went on to our "training" stations - 1st: goal setting, 2nd: training plans, 3rd: putting our plan into training plan into action by doing a fun activity to complete part of one requirement, 4th: registering for our marathon and signing our committment, and lastly: running through the starting line and then on to yummy desserts. It was a good night (at least in my opinion). I spent the day working on our registration packet for the girls which included a running shoe that had a magnet on it and all the goals the girls need to work on included so they can pick out their goal and attach it to their shoe so they have it on their mirror to see everyday as a reminder of what they are supposed to be doing. Thankfully, after we were working I had time to finish these cute and delicious personal fruit pizzas. Kennie also had to take treats to preschool today, so we used 12 of the cookies for her snacks and she turned them into snowmen. (I am kicking myself for not taking a picture of them. She did such a good job decorating them herself. M&Ms for the eyes, candy corn for the nose, and chocolate chips for the mouth) I just kind of worked on cutting out the cookies and baking them in between putting the packets together with our fabulous president, Deana O'Brien. It was a lot of work but so worth it. I hope the girls will use them. Personal Progress is an inspired program that helps prepare the girls to enter the temple, become mothers, wives, and to serve faithfully in the church.

January 15 2012

2012-01-15T20:35:00.002-07:00

This is my new duvet cover I finished today! My old one shrunk the first time I washed it, but I paid so much for it that I just kept using it. (I couldn't return it.) It was still nice, but kind of a pain. Then it seemed like it was getting spilled on all the time, and it was such a pain to wash. I was also getting tired of my bedroom colors and wanted a change. So I started looking around on Pinterest and found several different ones I liked. They were cute and fun, but I wasn't sure if Andy would really go for some of them, plus some looked like they might cost about as much as a store bought one especially if you added in my time. And then I came across one that looked similar to this one. It is made out of 2 flat sheets and still has some style but is very washable. It took me a while to get it done cause of interruptions and a few technical difficulties, but I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. I just need to finish off the top when I get some cute buttons or something to close off the top, but since my pillows cover the top it doesn't really matter right now. Now I am excited to get my new sheets on the bed and make some new throw pillows. But one thing at a time.

January 14, 2012

2012-01-14T11:17:00.002-07:00

Legos, legos, legos, and more legos! Aaron and Aidan love to build with legos. I frequently open up the pictures on my computer and find tons of pictures like this that the boys have uploaded. They love to build scenes and new guys and post them to a lego website. They put them in different scenes and everything. I am amazed by the creations they make. All I see when I go in there room and very disorganized bins of legos and legos scattered everywhere. I am sure I have vacuumed up more legos than the boys would want to know cause they hide really well in our carpet. But they love to dig through everything to find the right piece and they end up with an amazing creation. I have set out on a mission to find the perfect table and organizing system for them though that looks organized but can still be disorganized in their eyes. I am so thankful they are such good friends and have some common interests that take them away from the technology devices and let them use their minds.

January 13, 2012

2012-01-13T11:10:00.002-07:00

I love this little girl!!! I sure do! But she has hit the terrible 3's and loves to push my buttons. She is sassy and huge messmaker and has attitude deluxe. But she can turn right around and make me just smile and laugh. Today was a good day! She was sweet and fun and my little pal while Kenna was at school in the afternoon. Her little smile can just brighten anyone's day. Ashlee loves to play dress-up, drink chocolate milk, and dance and sing. She loves to be girly but can be rough and tumble with her brothers all while wearing her cute little dresses and usually dress up shoes. She was so excited because today was FINALLY Justin's basketball game day. She sure loves her Uncle Justin, and like her mom, she loves to spend time in the gym. She wanted to wear her cute dress and have her hair with a pretty flower in it. And to end the day on a fabulous note, Powell beat Cody by 22 points!!!

January 8, 2012

2012-01-08T11:23:00.002-07:00

The 2nd Sunday evening of every month finds this familiar scene...yummy snacks and good conversation at Papa and Grandma's house!!! The kiddos get spoiled by getting to pick a pop from the fridge in the garage, loading their plates up with crackers and cheese, veggies and ranch, and of course MONKEY BREAD!!! Everyone looks forward to this Sunday. The adults eat and visit while the kiddos eat and visit and then go to the toy closet to begin whatever fun game they have decide to come up with that day. We are so lucky to only live 1/2 block from Papa and Grandma. We are so spoiled!!! They are always doing something nice for us and we love to be able to visit them whenever we want. Family is what this life is all about!

January 7, 2012

2012-01-07T21:37:00.003-07:00

Yo-yo's are taking over my house!!! Ever since the kids saw Uncle Dan get a yo-yo for his birthday last week, they have been obsessed. They have been dying to go use some of their Christmas money to go get their own yo-yos to practice and play with. So today was the day that they finally convinced their Dad to take them to the dollar store to buy their own yo-yos. Aidan, Megan, and Kenna each came home with one. Ashlee was taking a nap when they went, so when she woke up she was sad that she didn't have one. The kids have been nice to share with her until she can go buy her own. Man have they had fun with them. They have practiced and practiced and practiced. We fed the missionaries tonight and had both sets that are serving in Powell come eat with us. The kids had fun showing them what they could do and the missionaries had fun showing them what they knew how to do. It is so fun that such an inexpensive thing can bring hours of fun!!!

January 6, 2012

2012-01-06T21:54:00.000-07:00

I love to watch my kids and hubby have fun wrestling and playing around. Meg was kind of in a bad mood when Andy got home from work. He has a wonderful way of pulling her out of them by teasing and tickling and wrestling around. Ashlee and Aaron wanted to help and joined in. By the time dinner was on the table, she was smiling and laughing, and we were able to have an enjoyable dinner. I am so thankful for a wonderful husband to raise children with. He balances me out. I am not a very good rough and tumble mom and I can't always bring out the lighter side of the kids, especially Meg, when they are in bad moods. He has a fun way of doing it.

January 5, 2012

2012-01-05T21:50:00.000-07:00

This is the note I found on my tile I use for messages or grocery lists. Not much needs to be said. You can only guess that today was a day that Aidan and Megan had been teasing and pestering each other.

January 4, 2012

2012-01-04T21:43:00.000-07:00

The kids started back to school yesterday, and this is the wonderful sight I get to see out my front window and front door!!!! The new school is done and the kids are now walking across the street again to school. I love see the cars again, and I LOVE doing the dishes and seeing the kids outside playing. It is so nice that the kids can just walk across the street again. I don't have to load the little girls up in the morning anymore when I take Aaron to school. They can stay at home sleeping or snuggling in my bed because Aidan and Megan can't be out on the playground until 8:00 am and I am home before that. If Megan still needs her hair done, there is time when I get home from taking Aaron. It is also nice that they are home before it is time to go get Aaron, so once again I don't have to wake Ashlee from her nap or load them up. It makes it nice to go volunteer in Meg's class or run a forgotten lunch to one of them. There are so many nice things about living right across the street from the kids' school, and it is so nice to have their nice new building all finished.

January 3, 2012

2012-01-03T22:35:00.002-07:00

Daddy and Ashlee playing War

(Excuse the unmade bed - I had my bedding in the wash.) This is one of my favorite things to walk in and find!!! The kids love to play games-especially with their dad. Andy started playing War with the little girls a while back because it was a game they could easily understand and play, and they beg him to play it with them all the time. He is so good about taking the time to play games with the kids. After finishing the dishes tonight, I went in to our room to see what Andy was up to, and he and Ashlee were on our bed watching a Jazz basketball game and playing war. She was giggling and smiling the whole time. I am so thankful he takes the time to make these fun memories with the kids. Yesterday, he was downstairs playing a new Wii game with boys and at another point he was playing some new dice games we got for Christmas with the girls. I am so lucky to be married to my best friend!!! He works so hard to provide for us and I am thankful it allows me to stay home with the kids. He serves faithfully in his church callings and takes the time to fulfill his role as dad and husband. It just doesn't get any better than this!!!

January 2, 2012

2012-01-02T22:31:00.002-07:00

After having my first two kids be boys, I thought I was going to be a mom of only boys. I was so skeptical when my doctor told me SEVERAL times that Meg was a girl. I was so excited to have a sweet little girl. Then when we found out we were having another girl, I was delighted. The boys would have each other and the girls would have each other. I thought our family was complete and how wonderful to have it end up being 2 and 2. But I had an overwhelming feeling from the day we brought Kenna home that I was supposed to have another baby, despite the fact that my doctor advised against it. My pregnancy with Kenna was not a good one, and we were so happy that she didn't have very many problems being born 6 weeks early. But I finally quit fighting the feeling that we were supposed to have another child and asked my doctor if he thought it would be possible. He told me that I would live and that the baby would live but that it wouldn't be an easy pregnancy but that he would be there to get me through it. So with that, we decided that we were supposed to have 1 more child. I had mixed feelings when it was time to have the ultrasound to see what gender we would have. Another boy would be fun, but I hadn't had a little boy around the house for a while. The boys were out of the little boy stage. Another girl would most definitely be much easier when it came to clothes, toys, and already being in the girl stage. I had given away all my boy stuff cause I thought we were done. It was almost surreal when we found out we were having a 3rd girl!!! How lucky could I be to be the mom to 2 boys and 3 girls!

Yes, there are days Andy and I get very scared thinking about the day when the boys are gone and we are left with 3 teenage princesses, but it is also fun. The girls are such good friends!!! Today, Meg was practicing her clogging and Kennie and Ash were right there trying to mimic her. They were giggling and having so much fun together. As soon as I pulled the camera out, they dropped into this pose for a picture together. They can be so wild and crazy together and so calm and sweet when they read books together and snuggle in my bed. Yes, they bring drama...what girl doesn't, but they bring so much laughter and happiness into our home. I love all my children!!! I love the relationship I have with my boys. But there is something so special between and mom and her daughters! I hope I can have the kind of relationship with my girls that I have with my own mom. I hope they can call me their best friend when they have their own families!

January 1, 2011

2012-01-01T23:00:00.000-07:00

Ashlee and Soren - kissin' cousins

Happy New Year!!! We started the year off by switching to 9:00 am church today. Thankfully, all the kiddos were up and ready in time. Ashlee got to start Primary today as a new Sunbeam. I was worried how it would go since she just turned 3 only a few weeks ago and she absolutely LOVES nursery and Sister Kienlen. But we had been preparing her by telling her she would get to go to big Primary with Kenna, which she absolutely loves getting to do anything her big sister does. She seemed to do well. One perk about 9:00 church is that we get home in time to feel like we can take a Sunday afternoon nap and still go to bed at a decent time. I believe Ashlee and I were the only ones that took a nap, and boy did it feel great. Andy and the kiddos had fun playing games together and watching Cars 2. We then got to go to Grandma and Grandpa Jacobsen's house for dinner and a birthday party for Soren and Uncle Dan. It was such a fun evening being with family. All the kids loved playing with Soren and baby Lily. Ashlee and Soren are only 3 weeks apart in age. It is so fun to see them getting older and discovering how much fun they can have together. When we went to leave, they wrapped their arms around each other for a hug and then finished it off with a kiss - on the lips. We decided we need to start teaching the kids the appropriate time for that and when to just kiss on the cheek! Oh the innocence of kids! Aidan and Megan and Kenna had lots of fun toting baby Lily around. She was a good sport about it. It is fun watching my kiddos get older and really enjoy playing with their younger cousins. We are sad to see all our family head home after New Year, but we must all get back to reality and the daily grind of life. We are excited to see what 2012 brings to our home!!!!

Princess Time

2011-07-23T11:22:00.003-06:00

Megan and Kenna were invited to a birthday party that was a fancy dress up tea party and bring your favorite doll with hair. They were both super excited to go! Kennie is the queen of dressing up and dolls so she couldn't wait. Unfortunately, she and Ashlee got really sick the day before and she was still down and out when it was party day. So, Megan went by herself. We had fun doing "princess" hair and adding sparkles and a touch of makeup. She looked gorgeous!! She had a fabulous time at the party!! (Thank you , Hulls, for being wonderful hosts!)

When life hands you lemons...

2011-06-23T23:58:00.004-06:00

or pinecones, why not practice golf!! We had a big windstorm come up while we were working outside, and it blew pinecones from a neighbor down the street's yard or garbage can, into our neighbor's and our yard. We were out talking with our neighbors when Aidan and our neighbor had a good idea of how to get rid of all the pinecones in our yards. Why not practicing golfing!! Aidan just finished his golf class this morning and was excited to practice some more. He had so much fun hitting pinecones out into the street!! I love my active little (okay not so little) boy!

My Dolly

2011-06-23T23:16:00.002-06:00

My sweet Dolly brings so much joy to our home!! Being 6 brings so many new changes to a little girl - ending her first year of school, finding new independence, becoming so much more self-reliant at home, losing teeth, and not being so much of a "little" girl anymore. Meg is my right-hand man!! She is a little mother in training. She loves to help out. She loves to fix her own hair. She is so quick to clean up messes even if she didn't make them. She loves to ride her bike places and wishes I would let her ride alone. She loves to read books and thinks it is so fun to read chapter books. She has started piano lessons (from Mom) and is moving along so fast. She is doing most of it self-teaching. I am so blessed to be able to Meg's mom!!

The anticipation!!!

Dad takes a try at one of the teeth...
Meg takes a try...

End result...No more front teeth!!

And now new specs to go along with no front teeth!! Meg only has to wear her glasses to read or when she is in the classroom...for now. She has an astigmatism that is quite bad. We are hoping this solves her constant headache problem. Unfortunately, we didn't discover this until the last week of school. It seems to have solved the problem so far, but she hasn't really had a lot of opportunities for a ton of focusing since summer has come!

Lucky!

2011-05-08T20:28:00.004-06:00

I am the the luckiest girl alive!! I don't know why I have been so emotional today but I keep reflecting on the gift I was given just over 2 years ago of continuing to be here to be my children's mother. I know Heavenly Father still has so much for me to learn and accomplish here because otherwise I would have been another statistic in the cancer numbers. There are not many cases of finding pancreatic cancer in the early stages and removing it only through surgery. Why was I one of the blessed ones? I believe these 5 special spirits are a huge part of the reason I am so blessed!! They each have very individual, strong personalities that I learn so much from each day. There are days I wonder why they chose me to be their mother because I feel I fail them, but I am thankful Heavenly Father has entrusted them to me to teach and to love and to nurture. I love being a Mom!! I have found myself renewed today in my desire to do better!! To not let some of the physical affects of my surgery hinder me in the responsibilities I have in raising these 5 precious spirits. To not be quite so short on patience. To not be so selfish with my time and energy. To spend just a little bit longer each day making sure they know I love them sooooo much!

Today has been a wonderful mother's day! I got most of my "present" yesterday since Sunday's are a bit crazy around here with Andy's church responsibilities. I was surprised with freshly mopped floors, laundry sorted and started, bedrooms cleaned, a closet that has been bugging me cleaned out and organized, and our Excursion vacuumed out! Andy was a busy guy yesterday (and we even had time to drive to Greybull to look at lots to potentially build on). I enjoyed taking the oldest 3 kiddos the high school play too. Then this morning Aaron make me breakfast and then proceeded to get breakfast for the other kids too. Aidan gave Ashlee her bath. I got lots of "What else can I do to help, Mom?" After church I received precious gifts made just for me. We had a wonderful dinner at my parent's house, prepared mostly by my Grandma Ruth with my Grandma Joyce bringing yummy desserts. I felt bad that my wonderful mom was sick on her birthday (yesterday) and today. We did get to see her for a few minutes and wish her happy birthday and mother's day! I only hope to be close to as wonderful mother as my mom is. I was just thinking today in church about how my mom is the one I always turn to for advice. She knows everything in my book. It made me wonder if I will ever get to that stage. Will my kids be able to call me, or will I have to tell them to call Grandma?

I have so many wonderful examples of being a mother in my life! My own mother, my grandmas, my mother-in-law, and Andy's grandmas all contribute to the mother I am trying to be. I also have aunts and aunt-in-laws that I glean things from too. That is the wonderful thing about being a mother and a woman in general - we all love to help each other. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father has allowed me the opportunity to be a mother. I am not very good at putting my thoughts and feelings into words on paper, but I hope that my children know that I treasure the opportunity to be their mom. I remember anxiously awaiting the day Aaron would say the word "Mama!" Now somedays I pretend to ignore it when I
hear it, but only temporarily!! :) Thank you, Aaron, Aidan, Megan, Kenna, and Ashlee for choosing me to be your mother!! I love you!!

Yes, he is really this tall! I had to stand up to take a picture with him. It won't be too many more mother's days until he is taller than me.

Aidan and I share the same squinty eyes. Yes, they are open, but it is hard to tell when we smile!

My little Dolly! Oh how I wish I had the same thick hair she inherited from her dad. She may not look like me, but she is my little clone in so many other ways.

My little princess, girly-girl!! It is hard to tell in the picture but she still has her two-toned hair and the dark part is only getting darker and the light stuff has yet to ever change color. I get asked quite often if I highlight her hair cause she has such beautiful natural highlights.

Ashlee Rose - my little clone (in looks but not in attitude!!) She keeps me young or rather makes me feel old! She keeps us on our toes but brings a lot of joy and laughter too. I am not sure any kid has as many nicknames as Ash - and she answers to all of them! Ash, Rosie, Rose, Ashlee Beaners, Beaners, Bean, Monster Baby, Ashlee Beans

The wonderful man who made it possible for me to be called Mom! The last almost 13 years have been amazing! I can't imagine having a better best friend to go through this life with. He is my rock! He keeps me sane when life gets crazy! He steps in when my nerves and patience are shot! He makes me laugh and he holds me when I just need to cry. He listens to my play by play at the end of each day. He knows when I need to hear his voice or get a text from him just to know he is thinking about me. He always has time to listen to me even when he is in the middle of a busy day at work. I couldn't ask for a better man to call my husband and father of my children!

Ahhh....Life is Good!

2011-03-02T15:56:00.004-07:00

Is the house clean? NOPE!! Is dinner started? NOPE!! Do I feel very good? NOT THE BEST!! (but it could be so much worse) Is laundry started? YEP!! Are the kiddos happy? YEP!! 1 is taking a nap and getting a reprieve from having her nose wiped. (Yes, she has the same crud I have.) 1 is playing downstairs with her cousin. I love the sound of two little girls playing Barbies. 1 is at one of her good buddies houses playing. And after she left I found a sweet paper on the table next to me that she left. She had divided it into 4 sections and in each section had written something very nice about each of her siblings. Makes me smile!! I am so glad my kiddos love each other. Do they fight? Occassionally, they are kids of course. But they really do stick up for each other and love to do nice things for each other. 1 is at Grandpa and Grandma's house playing with his (younger) uncle. I love that they are good buddies. And the last 1 is outside playing basketball with several neighborhood kids. It is the normal after school game in our driveway. I love that I can know what is going on but my kiddos are happy and active. I am thankful that Heavenly Father showed me through interesting trials that it is much more important to have happy kids and to create a home that is inviting to not only my children but other children than to have it spotless all the time. I used to never let my kids have friends over unless the house was clean first. Well, if that was still the case they would never have friends over cause with 5 kiddos it is never clean. I guess not never, just never for long periods of YEP! I love technology! He is an hour away, but we can still communicate and let each other know we are thinking about the other. Did I talk to a good friend today? YEP!! Did I text with a good friend today? YEP!! Did I talk to my sisters or brothers today? NO and YES! I said hello to 2 of my little brothers and smiled as I watched car after car pull up at my parent's house as more and more kids joined the basketball game in my parent's driveway. I didn't talk to my other 3 siblings but I hope they know I think about them everyday!!

I have so much to be grateful for. I am married to my best friend and love of my life that is a hard-worker and honors his priesthood. He is always making sure that the kids and I are happy, even at his own sacrifice. I have a home that provides shelter from the outside world and weather. I have a new calling working with the young women in our ward. What a blessing these beautiful young women are, and it gives me a chance to reflect on the things I need to be doing to improve my life as I try to find ways to motivate them to do their Personal Progress (or realize that they are already doing so many things).

Yes, life is good! The sun is shining. The weather is a little bit warmer. Spring will come...eventually...right?

From the Queen to the Princesses #3

2011-02-18T14:30:00.002-07:00

My Darling Princesses,

I really hope I have not passed on to you my lack of being a party mom, but if I have, I am sorry!! My advice has nothing to do with planning a party cause I know nothing about that. I am not good at it, and I really have no desire to be good at it. I love that you kids choose the take a friend to do something option almost every year, even on your friend party option years. My advice has to do for preparing for your house to be invaded with friends when your kids do choose the party option on their odd years. Don't worry too much about how clean the house is!! As I was thinking about doing Aidan's party today, I kind of got into a "Let's get the house totally clean" mode. You kids did an awesome job helping get the house all picked up and Aidan even got the downstairs all vacuumed. But after you went to bed, I had plans to stay up late making sure everything was spic and span. And then it hit me, "Are you crazy? 12 kids in the house will only undo everything that has been done and they won't even notice if it wasn't done in the first place!" So, to save yourself the frustration I used to face, don't worry about scrubbing the kitchen floor. It is only going to get cake dropped on it, ice cream spilled, wet shoes run across it, and water spilled. All of those are not bad things; they are good things cause it means lots of happiness is happening in your house. But if you wait until the happy party is over to clean the floors, you will save yourself a lot of anxiety!! A quick sweep works just fine. Making sure the bathrooms are wiped down but not cloroxed is just fine. Yes, the house should be picked up, but don't stress yourself out. I find the time I put in to the cake is much more enjoyable to me than the time I would have spent cleaning. And, yes, the cake is gobbled up in minutes, but you kids seem to remember the fun cakes more than if the house was spotless before guests arrived.

I really hope all this advice is not needed. I hope you are faster at learning these things than me, but just in case you inherited too much of your mother (and I am sorry), maybe this will cut a few years off your learning curve.

I love you, my darling princesses!!

Love, the Queen,
Mom

Last One!!!

2011-02-17T16:31:00.003-07:00

My last child is potty training!! HURRAY!! If all continues to go well, I will never buy a box of diapers again...well at least for one of my children. I am sure there will be many baby gifts to come. Yesterday, Ashlee decided all on her own it was time. She has been going off and on, mostly #2 (yes, she is an odd child. Most struggle with that). But, I have to say that it is going pretty good so far. I have a feeling she will be my hardest when it comes to naps and bedtime potty training, but what's an occassional diaper here and there for that. I had forgotten how totally time consuming it is. Not much has been accomplished these last few days, but this is temporary. Plus, I have had a good excuse to browse the internet. What else is there to do when sitting in the bathroom forever as she pees a little, wipes, flushes, panties back on, just to say "I need to go potty more" and then repeat the process, sometimes 3 or 4 times. How in the world she can just shut things off and be done and seconds later turn it back on I will never figure out? But, I don't want her to change her mind, so I sit here...and sit here....and sit here. (Yes, we are on flush number 2 and time number 3 sitting as I type.) I really hope she continues to do well. Only 2 small accidents today. (Yes, I put a diaper on her to run to the store and at nap time and will at bedtime too. I really don't enjoy laundry that much!) It is crazy how many "lasts" we are experiencing, but it is a wonderful new step in our little family's life. With many "lasts" also comes many "firsts!"

(And yes, the older kids' friends are just having to get used to a naked, panty-wearing little girl following them around. That's just how it goes when you are running to the bathroom a lot during the day. Why deal with clothes?!)

From the Queen to the Princesses #2

2011-02-08T19:23:00.002-07:00

My darling princesses,

As I was getting ready this morning and it was 11:00 am, I was thinking about how the morning went nothing like I had planned. I am a planner, and I don't like to have my routine broken, but with 5 angels in the house I have had to adjust to non-routine type days. Today, Princess #3, was Princess Crabby Pants. Hence, my workout took way longer than planned. Bath time and getting ready took way longer and no laundry got started. But, I also thought back to how I used to react in years past on days like this and I used to get completely frustrated and became a crab which in turn affected how everyone else felt. No, I am not perfect and I still get crabby, but I am beginning to learn to take the advice my very wise mother gave me almost 11 years ago and I want to pass on to you. "THIS TOO SHALL PASS!"
She told me this when Aaron was a baby and was a pill at night. She told me this when Aidan would do anything to get attention as a little toddler and make mess after mess. She told me this when I was too weak to care for my own children. And guess what, she was RIGHT!! All those things have passed and I look back wondering where time has gone. So this morning, I reminded myself that this too shall pass and it will pass faster than I want. There will be a day when I know longer have anyone to interrupt my workouts or be here when I eat breakfast. There will be a day when Ashlee no longer empties all the pans from under the stove or scatters hair rubberbands down the hallway. In fact, I am already seeing so many "this too shall pass" things with Ashlee having gone away and she is only 2.

So, my darling princesses, please remember Grandma Linda's wise counsel of "this too shall pass" when you are completely frustrated, wonder if you will ever have a clean house again, wonder if you will ever sleep through the night again. are frustrated cause you don't have any "me" time, etc. Cause it will all end or happen way too fast. Sit back and enjoy the ride!! I am not perfect at it, but I am better than I was almost 11 years ago. Life is too short to not enjoy it! I love you!!

Love, the Queen,
Mom

From the Queen to the Princesses

2011-02-02T22:35:00.003-07:00

My darling princesses,

I am not a perfect queen, but I am trying and learning so many things each day. Some day you will be the queen of your home and you will be trying and learning each day. They say we can learn a lot from history. I just want to leave a few things I have learned along the way that may help you as you strive to become the queen of your home. After over 12 years of marriage, I am beginning to figure a few things out and I have so many more things to learn. Maybe it will not take you so long to figure some of these out.

Dinner: Yes, it can be the dreaded time, but it can also be a very enjoyable time of the day. I am learning that if dinner is prepared before school is out, that our evenings go so much better. Life is crazy with five kiddos going different directions each night or needing me in different ways. If dinner is done before school is out (or at least to the point of just requiring a few last minute things), we have a lot less stressful of an afternoon and evening and we all get to enjoy a wonderful meal. If we do not get to eat as a family, at least I know everyone is getting a healthy meal and I try to do something to let each person know I am thinking about them even if I am not there to eat with them. Little things can make a huge difference. For instance, using basic white paper plates and leaving a short note for each person on their plate letting them know I am thinking about them. "Good luck at practice tonight!" "Thanks for making your sister's bed for her." "I love you a lot!"

Morning time: (FYI: I am writing this and I totally didn't follow this advice tonight!!) Take 10 minutes out of your evening to make sure the house is straigtened up before crawling into bed. It makes the morning routine go so much smoother if you aren't tripping over toys or books or trying to eat breakfast around last night's dinner dishes. Having school backpacks, coats, gloves, shoes, etc. all laid out in an assigned place, with a purse or diaper bag or whatever you need for your stage of life basically prepared in case you need to run out the door unexpectedly really makes for a less chaotic morning, especially when the out of the norm arises (which happens frequently like spilled milk or someone waking up sick or the unexpected phone call that takes attention away from getting kids ready).

You will probably read these and say "Duh, Mother Queen! We already know that and do that." And to you I will say, "Good!! Maybe I did make a little bit of a difference in your life." I love you, my darling princesses! I only hope you will be a better queen than I am. I will leave you little tips a long the way that I hope will help you become the perfect queen of your home.

Love,
Mom

Perfect Love

2011-02-02T22:08:00.004-07:00

In following with our ideas on scripture study, I remembered reading something about a 14 day walk with Christ. I wanted to do something for my visiting teaching sisters for January, so I decided to look for this. I thought, what a better way to lead up to Valentine's Day, then to come to know better the one that showed perfect love. So, I thought this would be a perfect gift for January and they could begin it February 1st and do it up until Valentine's Day. I, too, wanted to do it and it has been a nice variation to my scripture study. I found in just these 2 days that as I study and ponder the scriptures and questions provided, I have followed scripture chains I have already marked in my scriptures and they only add to the study and understanding for the topic of the day.

Want to join me on my 14 day walk with Christ?

A Fourteen Day Walk with Christ

The only way that we can really know another person is to walk in their shoes: think what they think, learn what they know, and what they would say, do what they would do.

Each morning, leave enough time to read the scriptures and other items for that day. Read and PONDER what is written. Try to keep what you read in mind throughout the day and make a conscious effort to improve in that particular area.

At the end of the day, evaluate how you did by writing your thoughts and feelings in your journal. The questions presented can help. Every day has a set of questions followed by scriptures to help you walk with Christ.

Day 1 - Am I seeking Christ’s help?

READ: Proverbs 3:5-6
Jacob 4:7
Ether 12:27

PONDER: Am I seeking the Lord’s help in all I think and do? How can He help me overcome my weaknesses?

Dear Friend,

I just had to send you a note to tell you how much I love you and care about you. I say you yesterday as you were walking with your friends. I waited all day hoping you would want to talk with me also. It hurt me, but I still love you because I am your friend.

I saw you fall asleep last night, and longed to touch your brow. So I spilled moonlight on your pillow and your face. Again I waited, wanting to rush down so that we could talk. I have so many gifts for you, but you awakened late the next day and rushed off to school. My tears were in the rain.

Today you look sad, so alone. It makes my heart ache because I understand. My friends let me down and hurt me so many times too. But I love you. Oh, if you would only listen to me. I really love you. I try to tell you in the blue sky and green grass. I whisper in the leaves on the trees, and breathe it in the color of the flowers. I shout it to you in the mountain streams and give the birds love songs to sing, clothe you in warm sunshine and perfume the air with nature scents. My love for you is deeper than the oceans and bigger than the biggest want or need in your heart.

If you only knew how much I want to help you. I want you to meet my Father. He wants to help you too. My Father is that way, you k now. Just call me, ask me, talk with me. Please, please don’t forget me. I have so much to share with you. But I won’t hassle you any further. You are free to call me. It’s up to you. I’ll wait because I love you.

Your brother,

Christ

Day 2 – Am I abiding in Christ?

READ: John 15

PONDER: From whom do I get my strength? Am I abiding in Christ? How can I bring forth much fruit Lord? Can He call me a friend?

As a Saint you say, ‘I think I understand my duty, and I am doing very will.’ That may be so. You see the little twig: it is green; it flourishes and it is the very picture of life. It bears its part and proportion in the tree, and is connected with the stem, branches, and root. But could the tree live without it? Yes it could. It need not boast itself and get uplifted and say, ‘How green I am! and how I flourish! and what a healthy position I am in! How well I am doing! and I am in my proper place and am doing right.’ But could you do without the root! No: you bear your proper part and position in the tree. Just so with this people. When they are doing their part-when they are magnifying their calling, living their religion, and walking in obedience to the Spirit of the Lord, they have a portion of his Spirit given them to profit withal. And while they are humble, faithful, diligent, and observe the laws and commandments of God, they stand in their proper position on the tree: they are flourishing; the buds blossoms, leaves, and everything about them are all right, and they form a part and parcel of the tree. . . . “ (John Taylor, in Journal of Discourses, 6:108.)

Day 3 – Do I Really Understand Repentance?

READ: D&C 58:41-43
Mosiah 4:9-12
Mosiah 2:38

PONDER: Have I truly sought forgiveness from the Lord? Do I really believe He will forgive me?

I learned about the great plan of happiness, that we are on earth to be tested. We will all make mistakes. The Apostle John taught, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Fortunately he added, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I paid particular attention to that word cleanse.
I thought that repentance, like soap, should be used frequently. I found that when I apologized for mistakes, things were better. But for serious mistakes, an apology was not enough--sometimes not even possible. While these mistakes were, for the most part, not major ones, the spiritual pain called guilt invariably set in. Sooner or later they must be resolved, but I didn't know what to do. That happens when you break something that you alone can't fix.
Among you young people are those who are "vexed," as Peter said, "with the filthy conversation of the wicked." Some of you joke about standards and see no need to change behavior. You tell yourselves it doesn't matter because "everybody's doing it."
But that doesn't work because you, by nature, are good. How many times have you heard someone say, after doing some generous or heroic deed or simply helping others, how good it made them feel? Like any natural feeling or emotion, that reaction is inborn in you. Surely you have experienced that yourself! Happiness is inseparably connected with decent, clean behavior.
The prophet Alma bluntly told his wayward son that because he transgressed he was "in a state contrary to the nature of happiness" and that "wickedness never was happiness." Those who don't know how to erase mistakes often feel cornered and rebellious and lose themselves in unworthy living. If you travel with transgressors, you will suffer much more than I did in that restaurant.
. . .
It was through reading the scriptures, and listening, that I could understand, at least in part, the power of the Atonement. Can you imagine how I felt when finally I could see that if I followed whatever conditions the Redeemer had set, I need never endure the agony of being spiritually unclean? Imagine the consoling, liberating, exalting feeling that will come to you when you see the reality of the Atonement and the practical everyday value of it to you individually.
You need not know everything before the power of the Atonement will work for you. Have faith in Christ; it begins to work the day you ask! The scripture speaks of "obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel." We all pretty well know what it means to obey laws. But how are we to obey ordinances?
Generally we understand that, conditioned upon repentance, the ordinance of baptism washes our sins away. Some wonder if they were baptized too soon. If only they could be baptized now and have a clean start. But that is not necessary! Through the ordinance of the sacrament you renew the covenants made at baptism. When you meet all of the conditions of repentance, however difficult, you may be forgiven and your transgressions will trouble your mind no more.

From “Washed Clean”
President Boyd K. Packer
Saturday Morning Session, 5 April 1997

Day 4 – Am I a daughter of Christ?

READ: D&C 19:15-24
Mosiah 4:2-3
Mosiah 5:7-9

PONDER: How can I get rid of guilt? How can I put myself in a position to have the power of the atonement cover my sins? Do I understand what Christ did for me? Do I comprehend the great love He has for me?

To those who may feel they have somehow forfeited their place at the table of the Lord, we say again with the Prophet Joseph Smith that God has "a forgiving disposition," (Joseph Smith, Com., Lecture on Faith (1985, 42) that Christ is "merciful and gracious, slow to anger, [is] long-suffering and full of goodness." (Lectures on Faith, 42) I have always loved that when Matthew records Jesus' great injunction, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect," (Matt. 5:48) Luke adds the Savior's additional commentary: "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful" (Luke 6:36) --as if to suggest that mercy is at least a beginning synonym for the perfection God has and for which all of us must strive. Mercy, with its sister virtue forgiveness, is at the very heart of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the eternal plan of salvation. Everything in the gospel teaches us that we can change if we need to, that we can be helped if we truly want it, that we can be made whole, whatever the problems of the past.
Now, if you feel too spiritually maimed to come to the feast, please realize that the Church is not a monastery for perfect people, though all of us ought to be striving on the road to godliness. No, at least one aspect of the Church is more like a hospital or an aid station, provided for those who are ill and want to get well, where one can get an infusion of spiritual nutrition and a supply of sustaining water in order to keep on climbing.
. . .
Those who will receive the Lord Jesus Christ as the source of their salvation will always lie down in green pastures, no matter how barren and bleak the winter has been. And the waters of their refreshment will always be still waters, no matter how turbulent the storms of life. In walking His path of righteousness, our souls will be forever restored; and though that path may for us, as it did for Him, lead through the very valley of the shadow of death, yet we will fear no evil. The rod of His priesthood and the staff of His Spirit will always comfort us. And when we hunger and thirst in the effort, He will prepare a veritable feast before us, a table spread even in the presence of our enemies--contemporary enemies--which might include fear or family worries, sickness or personal sorrow of a hundred different kinds. In a crowning act of compassion at such a supper He anoints our head with oil and administers a blessing of strength to our soul. Our cup runneth over with His kindness, and our tears runneth over with joy. We weep to know that such goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our life, and that we will, if we desire it, dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (See Ps. 23.)

From “He Hath Filled the Hungry with Good Things”
Jeffry R. Holland
Sunday Morning Session, 5 October 1997

Day 5 – Am I a light to the world?

READ: Matthew 5

PONDER: Am I setting a righteous example for others? How can I let my light shine? Do my actions glorify God?

Have you ever stopped to think that perhaps you are the light sent by Heavenly Father to lead another safely home or to be a beacon from a distance to show the way back to the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life? Your light is a beacon and should never stop burning or lead those who are looking for a way home. Let the lower light keep burning—you may save a struggling seaman in the turbulent sea of life.

. . .

It isn’t just nice to be a light for others; it is essential for their exaltation as well as for our own. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

We are children of light. As children of light, we walk in the light and choose the right and stand for the right.

Choosing the right s a decision-making process. Choose to learn what is the right way to live your life, learning principles and keeping the commandments and covenants that guide and protect you as you exercise your agency in daily choices.

. . .

Choose to do what is right because your greatest desire it to love the Lord and to be obedient to his laws, ordinances and commandments so that you can return back into his presence eternally. Choose to do what is right because you love yourself and because you honor those who love you.

Help others to do what is right. Choose to be of service and be an example of what is right by lifting and strengthening others to do what is right because you care.

Choose to turn around and repent immediately if you ever depart from the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life. Repentance is a merciful result of our Savior’s atoning sacrifice because of the love our Father in Heaven and his Son Jesus Christ have for each of us.

From “That Ye May Be the Children of Light”
Robert D. Hales
Fireside address delivered on 3 Nov 1996 in the Marriott Center, BYU, Provo, Utah

Day 6 – How can I improve my thoughts?

READ: D&C 6:16
Alma 37:36-37
D&C 121:45-46

PONDER: Do I keep all idle, unclean, or negative thought out of my mind? What would Jesus think about? How can I improve my thoughts? Do my thought affect my attitude? What do I think about when I have nothing to think about?

Myself

I have to live with myself, and so—
I want to be fit for myself to know.
I want to be able as the days go by
Always to look myself straight in the eye.
I don’t want to stand with the setting sun
And hate myself for the things I’ve done.

I don’t want to keep on a closet shelf
A lot of secrets about myself—
And fool myself as I come and go
Into thinking that nobody else will know,
The kind of man (or woman) I really am.
I don’t want to dress myself in shame.

I want to gout with my head erect;
I want to deserve all men’s respect.
And, here in the struggle for fame and peif
I want to be able to like myself.
I don’t want to think, as I come and go
That I am bluster and bluff and empty show.

I can never hide myself from me
I see what others may never see;
I know what others may never know
I can never fool myself!
And so—whatever happens I want to be
Self respecting and conscience free!!!

--EA Guest

Day 7 – How do I guard my speech?

READ: D&C 88:121
3 Nephi 12:33-37
Matthew 5:11

PONDER: Do I speak only kind, uplifting thoughts to everyone?

GOSSIP

A peasant with a troubled conscience went to a monk for advice. He said he had circulated a vile story about a friend, only to find that the story was not true.

“If you would make peace with your conscience,” said the monk, “you must first fill a bag with goose downs, go to every door in the village, and drop on each one of them a feather.”

The peasant did as he was told. Then he came back to the monk and said he had done penance for his folly.

“Not yet,” replied the monk. “Take a bag, go two rounds again, and gather up every down that you have dropped.”

“But the wind must have blown them all away,” said the peasant.

“Yes, my son” said the monk. “And so it is with your vile words. Words and goose downs are quickly dropped, but try as hard as you will, you can never get them back.”

Day 8 – How do I guard against pride?

READ: Proverbs 6:16-17
Proverbs 8:13
Alma 5:14-28
D&C 38:39

PONDER: Am I being truly honest with others? Do I guard against pride? Do I do the right things for the right reasons?

The proud depend upon the world to tell them whether they have value or not. Their self-esteem is determined by where they are judged to be on the ladders of worldly success. They fell worthwhile as individuals if the numbers beneath them in achievement, talent, beauty, or intellect are large enough. Pride is ugly. It says, “If you succeed, I am a failure.” If we love God, do His will, and fear His judgment more than men’s we will have self-esteem.…
The antidote for pride is humility-meekness, submissiveness. (See Alma 7:23.) it is the broken heart and contrite spirit. (See Ne. 9:20, 12:19; D&C 20:37, 59:8; Ps. 24:18; Isa. 57, 66:2.) ... God will have a humble people. Either we can choose to be humble or we can be compelled to be humble. Alma said, “Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble.” (Alma 32:16.) Let us choose to be humble.
We can choose to humble ourselves by conquering enmity toward our brothers and sisters, esteeming them as ourselves, and lifting them as high or higher than we are. (see D&C 38:24; 81:5; 84:106.)
We can choose to humble ourselves by receiving counsel and chastisement. (See Jacob 4:10; Hel. 15:3; D&C 63:55; 101:4-5; 108:1; 124:61, 84; 136:31; Prov. 9:8.)
We can choose to humble ourselves by forgiving those who have offended us. (see 2 Ne. 13:11, 14; D&C 64:10.)
We can choose to humble ourselves by rendering selfless service. (See Mosiah 2:16-17.)
We can choose to humble ourselves by going on missions and preaching the word that can humble others. (See Alma 4:19; 31:5; 48:20.)
We can choose to humble ourselves by getting to the temple more frequently.
We can choose to humble ourselves by confessing and forsaking our sins and being born of God. (See D&C 58:43; Mosiah 27:25-27; Alma 5:7-14, 49.)
We can choose to humble ourselves by loving God, submitting our will to His, and putting Him first in our lives. (See 3 Ne. 11:11; 13:33; Moro. 10:32.)
Let us choose to be humble. We can do it. I know we can.

From “Beware of Pride”
President Ezra Taft Benson
Saturday Morning Session, 1 April, 1989

Day 9 – Is the Lord my Light?

READ: Helaman 5:12
1 Peter 2:21
D&C 84:43-47

PONDER: In the past nine days, have I tried to make decisions based on the question “What would Jesus do if He were here? What have I improved on? What is my specific role?

Read your patriarchal blessing.

Day 10 – How does the Lord want me to serve?

READ: D&C 4
Moroni 7:5-8

PONDER: Is the Lord first in my life? What am I doing to build the Lord’s kingdom? How do I really feel about the service that I give others? Does serving the Lord make me happy?

Our highest priority as the Relief Society general presidency is to strengthen our sisters spiritually, both individually and collectively. . . . [W]e must prepare for our time because our time has come. We must possess the spiritual strength to overcome our challenges, laying our faults on the altar and giving our lives to the Lord. We must focus our priorities on contributing, as we are able, to the building of the kingdom of God through service in the Relief Society.
. . .
As the Relief Society general presidency and board, we have established the guiding objectives for the Relief Society. They are:
1. Build faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and teach the doctrines of the kingdom of God.
2. Emphasize the divine worth of the individual.
3. Serve, support, and build every sister.
4. Exercise charity, and nurture those in need.
5. Strengthen and protect families, and honor our heritage.
6. Become full participants in the blessings of the priesthood.

From “For Such a Time as This”
Mary Ellen Smoot
General Relief Society Meeting, 27 September 1997

I feel to invite women everywhere to rise to the great potential within you. I do not ask that you reach beyond your capacity. I hope you will not nag yourselves with thoughts of failure. I hope you will not try to set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve. I hope you will simply do what you can do in the best way you know. If you do so, you will witness miracles come to pass.

President Gordon B. Hinckley

Day 11 – How can the Holy Ghost help me to be more like Christ?

READ: 3 Nephi 27:20
D&C 11:12
D&D 46:11-26
Moroni 10:4
D&C 121:45-46
John 14:16-17
John 14:26

PONDER: What are my gifts of the spirit? Why is it important to know the truth? Do I really desire the Holy Ghost to be my constant companion?

In one of those difficult times that the faithful and dedicated young Nephi had with his rebellious brothers, he reminded them of the following guide to obtaining a testimony. The Lord declared, "If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you" (1 Ne. 15:11). Now, we can review the steps Nephi described.
First, don't harden your heart. Seek to know. In other words, have an intense, consuming desire to know. Give place for a seed to be planted in your heart. And if you do this, do you know what the promise is? Alma tells us, "He that will not harden his heart, to him is given . . . to know the mysteries of God" (Alma 12:10).
Second, ask in faith. In your study of the scriptures, have you noted how many times the phrase "believing that ye shall receive" accompanies the commandment of praying and asking? In the process of asking for knowledge, we have to exercise faith--believing before receiving. To illustrate this part of our conversation, Alma gives us a good example when he explained how he obtained his testimony:
"Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me" (Alma 5:46).
Third, keep the commandments. I think that the words of the Book of Mormon point out the blessings that we can obtain if we abound in good works. King Benjamin declared to his people, "If you believe all these things see that ye do them" (Mosiah 4:10). And the great missionary Ammon said, "Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing--unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God" (Alma 26:22).
. . .[W] e have analyzed the different steps we should follow in our search for a testimony. But there is yet the most important help available that can give us confirmation and absolute assurance, and it is your right when you live worthy to receive the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Remember the promise in Moroni: "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things" (Moro. 10:5). Pay attention that I said to receive the companionship of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost has the power to bring light and understanding to our lives, but we must pay the price to seek and win His companionship.
Elder Marion G. Romney once wrote: "It is the mission of the Holy Ghost to reveal the truth of heaven to those who qualify to receive it. Every one of us, if we will, may so qualify. We must ever keep in mind, however, that he will not dwell in an unholy environment. He is used to the society of God, for he is an associate of the Father and the Son. When we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, we are commanded to receive him; he is not commanded to come to us. But if, with all our hearts, we truly seek him, he will come to us and guide us in the making of decisions at every crisis of our lives" ("Revelation in Our Personal Affairs," Relief Society Magazine, Oct. 1955, 647). The Holy Ghost is given to us to witness of the Father and the Son; that Jesus Christ is our Redeemer; that there is a prophet upon the earth who presides over the true Church that carries the Savior's name, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and that all the works and promises of God will be fulfilled in His time and in His own way.

From “Your Own Personal Testimony”
Angel Abrea
Priesthood Session, 1 April 2000

Day 12 – Do I love Christ?

READ: John 13:34-35
John 14:15
3 Nephi 13:20-21, 24, 33

PONDER: Do I love as Christ loves? Do I keep all of the commandment? Have I put another God before Christ?

How then do we, as women of God, fill the full measure of our creation? The Lord rewards "them that diligently seek him" (Heb. 11:6). We seek Him not only by studying and searching, by pleading and praying and watching always lest we enter into temptation, but by giving up worldly indulgences that straddle the line between God and mammon. Otherwise we risk being called but not chosen because our "hearts are set so much upon the things of this world" (D&C 121:35).

Consider the principle taught in the sequence of this scriptural injunction: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength" (D&C 59:5; emphasis added). What the Lord requires first is our hearts. Imagine how our choices would be affected if we loved the Savior above all else. How we would spend our time and money, or dress on a hot summer day, or respond to the call to visit teach and take care of one another, or react to media that offend the Spirit.

It is by letting the world go and coming unto Christ that we increasingly live as women of God. We were born for eternal glory. Just as faithful men were foreordained to hold the priesthood, we were foreordained to be women of God. We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who rejoice in motherhood and in womanhood and in the family. We are not panicked about perfection, but we are working to become more pure. And we know that in the strength of the Lord we can do all righteous things because we have immersed ourselves in His gospel (see Alma 26:12). I repeat, we cannot be women of the world, for we are latter-day women of God. As President Kimball taught, "No greater recognition can come to [us] in this world than to be known as [women] of God" ("The Role of Righteous Women," ENSIGN, Nov. 1979, 102).

From “We are Women of God”
Sheri L. Dew
General Relief Society Meeting, 25 September 1999

Day 13 – What is the pure love of Christ?

READ: Moroni 7:40-48

PONDER: Have I felt these past 13 days a greater love for my Savior? Have I felt His love? Can I commit my self to live each day as Christ would live?

We show that we serve the Lord by the way in which we live the commandments received from Him, by the work we do to help establish the kingdom of God on earth, and by the way we act towards our neighbor.
. . .
For some, putting away worldly gods may mean giving up a small habit. For others, it may mean giving up serious sins they are committing. For others still, it may mean forgetting sad events which happened earlier in their lives. Whatever the situation, in each one of us there is the power to change our life, the power to transform the bad feelings we have in our hearts. The Lord Jesus Christ will give us this power and will help us. All He asks from us is that we have faith in Him, follow His example, and obey His commandments.
. . .
Neither prosperity nor poverty indicates whether a person is living a Christian life. Physical suffering is not evidence of wickedness, nor is it punishment for sin. What then are the rewards of serving the Lord?
The gospel of Jesus Christ does not promise that we will be free from tribulation. But it does strengthen our spirit so that we can accept adversity and face it when it comes. The house founded upon a rock does not fall with strong winds or rain.
The person whose life is founded upon the gospel of Jesus Christ is able to: Face adversity with hope; Withstand offense with forgiveness; and Face death with serenity. The person who chooses to follow the Lord and who keeps His commandments: In his weaknesses, he knows where the source of his strength is; In his strength, he remains humble; In his poverty, he knows what his riches are; In his prosperity, he remembers his brethren with tenderness. A person who can live this way, without fear or hate but with love, is a happy person.
The fruits obtained from serving the Lord are essentially spiritual. Jesus taught that every tree brings forth fruit according to its species: "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit."
Jesus promised eternal life to His followers: "Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting."
In this life, we are building our eternal dwelling. Are we building upon the rock which is the gospel of Jesus Christ, or are we building upon the sand which lies in the falsehoods of this world?
Each moment we must choose whom we will serve, for we have been placed upon this earth to be proven and tested. We cannot choose to serve God and the world at the same time. If we want to follow the Lord, we should keep His commandments and follow our prophet and his teachings: "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

From “Serving the Lord”
Adhemar Damiani
Saturday Afternoon Session, 2 October 1999

Day 14 - How can I follow in His steps?

READ: Abraham 1:2
Moroni 7:48
1 Peter 2:21

PONDER: How can I follow in Christ’s steps today and the rest of my life? In all my decisions I will ask: “What would Christ do?” I will hearken to promptings received. I will think of myself as a disciple and sister of Jesus.

. . . I believe our problems, almost every one, arise out of the homes of the people. If there is to be reformation, if there is to be a change, if there is to be a return to old and sacred values, it must begin in the home. It is here that truth is learned, that integrity is cultivated, that self-discipline is instilled, and that love is nurtured.
The home is under siege. So many families are being destroyed. Where are the fathers who should be presiding in love in those homes? Fortunate indeed is the woman who is married to a good man, who is loved by him, and who in turn loves him; a man who loves his children, provides for them, teaches them, guides them, rears and protects them as they walk the stormy course from babyhood to adulthood.
It is in the home that we learn the values by which we guide our lives. That home may be ever so simple. It may be in a poor neighborhood, but with a good father and a good mother, it can become a place of wondrous upbringing. My wife likes to tell of Sam Levenson. He speaks of growing up in a crowded New York tenement where the environment was anything but good. Here in this slum, his mother reared her eight precocious children. He said, "The moral standard of the home had to be higher than that of the street." His mother would say to them when they acted the way they acted on the street, "You are not on the street; you are in our home. This is not a cellar nor a poolroom. Here we act like human beings."
If anyone can change the dismal situation into which we are sliding, it is you. Rise up, O women of Zion, rise to the great challenge which faces you. Stand above the sleaze and the filth and the temptation which is all about you.
You women who are single, and some of you who are married, who are out in the workplace, may I give you a word of caution. You work alongside men. More and more, there are invitations to go to lunch, ostensibly to talk about business. You travel together. You stay in the same hotel. You work together.
Perhaps you cannot avoid some of this, but you can avoid getting into compromising situations. Do your job, but keep your distance. Don't become a factor in the breakup of another woman's home. You are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You know what is expected of you. Stay away from that which is tempting. Avoid evil--its very appearance.
You who are wives and mothers are the anchors of the family. You bear the children. What an enormous and sacred responsibility that is. I am told that between 1972 and 1990 there were 27 million abortions in the United States alone. What is happening to our appreciation of the sanctity of human life? Abortion is an evil, stark and real and repugnant, which is sweeping over the earth. I plead with the women of this Church to shun it, to stand above it, to stay away from those compromising situations which make it appear desirable. There may be some few circumstances under which it can occur, but they are extremely limited and for the most part improbable. You are the mothers of the sons and daughters of God, whose lives are sacred. Safeguarding them is a divinely given responsibility which cannot be lightly brushed aside.
Nurture and cultivate your marriage. Guard it and work to keep it solid and beautiful. Divorce is becoming so common, even rampant, that studies show in a few years half of those now married will be divorced. It is happening, I regret to say, even among some who are sealed in the house of the Lord. Marriage is a contract, it is a compact, it is a union between a man and a woman under the plan of the Almighty. It can be fragile. It requires nurture and very much effort. I regret to acknowledge that some husbands are abusive, some are unkind, some are thoughtless, some are evil. They indulge in pornography and bring about situations which destroy them, destroy their families, and destroy the most sacred of all relationships.
I pity the man who at one time looked into the eyes of a beautiful young woman and held her hand across the altar in the house of the Lord as they made sacred and everlasting promises one to another, but who, lacking in self-discipline, fails to cultivate his better nature, sinks to coarseness and evil, and destroys the relationship which the Lord has provided for him.
Sisters, guard your children. They live in a world of evil. The forces are all about them. I am proud of so many of your sons and daughters who are living good lives. But I am deeply concerned about many others who are gradually taking on the ways of the world. Nothing is more precious to you as mothers, absolutely nothing. Your children are the most valuable thing you will have in time or all eternity. You will be fortunate indeed if, as you grow old and look at those you brought into the world, you find in them uprightness of life, virtue in living, and integrity in their behavior.
I think the nurture and upbringing of children is more than a part-time responsibility. I recognize that some women must work, but I fear that there are far too many who do so only to get the means for a little more luxury and a few fancier toys.
If you must work, you have an increased load to bear. You cannot afford to neglect your children. They need your supervision in studying, in working inside and outside the home, in the nurturing that only you can adequately give--the love, the blessing, the encouragement, and the closeness of a mother.
Families are being torn asunder everywhere. Family relationships are strained as women try to keep up with the rigors of two full-time jobs.
I have many opportunities to speak with leaders who decry what is going on--gangs on the streets of our cities, children killing children, spending their time in practices that can lead only to prison or to death. We face a great overwhelming tide of children born to mothers without husbands. The futures of such children are almost inevitably blighted from the day they are born. Every home needs a good father and a good mother.
We cannot build prisons fast enough in this country to accommodate the need.
I do not hesitate to say that you who are mothers can do more than any other group to change this situation. All of these problems find their root in the homes of the people. It is broken homes that lead to a breakup in society.
And so tonight, my beloved sisters, my message to you, my challenge to you, my prayer is that you will rededicate yourselves to the strengthening of your homes.
Three years ago, in this same meeting, I read for the first time in public the proclamation on the family given by the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles. I hope every one of you has a copy and that you occasionally read it carefully and prayerfully. It sets forth our great concepts of marriage and family, of a man and a woman in a sacred bond under the eternal plan of the Almighty.
Now, in closing, I wish to reemphasize my deep gratitude, my profound appreciation for the women of this Church and the tremendous sons and daughters you are teaching, training, helping to take their places in the world. But the task will never be finished. It will never be complete. May the light of the Lord shine upon you. May the Lord bless you in your great and sacred work.
I leave my blessing, my testimony, and my love with you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

From “Walking in the Light of the Lord”
President Gordon B. Hinckley
General Relief Society Meeting, 26 September 1998

Scripture Power

2011-01-11T13:52:00.003-07:00

I love the song "Scripture Power" that my kiddos learned in Primary a few years ago. It gives me goosebumps each time I hear them sing it, and more than once I was brought to tears sitting behind the piano trying to play while the Primary kids sang it. It has so much "power" in its words. So how do I bring that power home with them and with me? Well, as Relief Society Meeting coordinator that has been part of my calling this month. As a committee, we decided this would be a fantastic way to start off the year. We need to strengthen ourselves before we can strengthen others. How do we do more than just reading but actually study? How do we make family scripture study something our children look forward to and then will want to dive into the scriptures on their own? Well, in my research and preparing for tonight, I believe this night was just for me. I have found so many fun and new ways to help spice up scripture study and bring its power into my life and my home.

Our plan for tonight it to have a panel/group discussion. We don't want it to be like another church class but more like a friendly discussion like happens among friends when you get together to just socialize. We have asked 4 wonderful sisters in our ward that come from different stages of life to be on our panel and share their successes and their failures (we all have them) with personal and family scripture study. We hope this will in turn get the wheels turning in the rest of the sisters' heads, and we can have a wonderful evening filled with new "armor and weapons" to attack the adversary with scripture study. I just pray that our vision is caught and the night is successful. I have a good feeling that it will be and continue to pray for the sisters to come with the right spirit and that the Spirit will guide how things go tonight. I know I have already had many promptings as to how to have tonight begin to fall into place. Today has been a wonderful day - not stressful like most preparation days - because so many promptings have come that seem to be tying everything together.

I wanted to share some of my ideas I have found and am eager to try. As this is my journal for my children, I hope they will be able to look back someday when they are struggling and maybe find something that will help them. (Disclosure: I am in no way a scriptorian, perfect at scripture study, or saying I have done any of the things. I am saying that I am trying to work harder at being better and am excited to try new things!!) My mind is racing with so many thoughts and ideas and things I have learned. I am going to add those I can remember right now and will probably add more if I remember later on.

What I have learned:
1. It is about quality not quantity when it comes to studying. If it was about quantity, it would not be studying but merely reading.
2. It is ok to change things up especially with family scripture study. What works for one week may not work for another, and that is ok. Consistency in studying is the most important way and how you go about it is up to you and the answers you get from the Spirit.
3. Scripture study does not have to be boring!!
4. It will take some time and preparation on my part before family scripture study to skim ahead and come up with a plan for the night. If nothing else, the plan is making sure I understand what we will be reading so we can have a good discussion at the end. But it may also involve some fun attention getter too.
5.
Personal Scripture Study:
1. Choosing a specific time and place is essential to being consistent.
2. Prayer before and after is the key to receiving inspiration while reading
3. Keeping a scripture journal to record thoughts and impressions will help to remember the things we learn

-reading straight through and using study guides like institute manuals or Book of Mormon made easier and the good ol' topical guide/bible dictionary is great
-studying by topic can vary things up
-using the student guides for Sunday School is a wonderful idea (after having taught Gospel Doctrine I have a testimony of coming to class prepared and being able to be a part of the discussion)
-Preach my Gospel is a wonderful book to follow and use for scripture study (this is my method right now)

Family Scripture Study
1. Like personal scripture study, choosing a specific time each day and sticking to it helps children know what to expect
2. Different ages and stages need to be adapted to
3. Teaching children the language of the scriptures is important
4. CONSISTENCY, CONSISTENCY, CONSISTENCY!!!

-try surprising the kids with a fun treat that goes along with a scripture story you have just read -use the Primary manuals as a guide for each night's scriptures to study
-change up how you read at night (i.e. change readers at a certain key word for instance "the," assign each person a number and roll the dice to see who reads next or use a spinner)
-let younger children look at the picture scripture stories while the older kids and parents read out of the scriptures
-have a fill-in the blank ready to do after reading your planned section to see how well you all listened
-read and then act out what you just read
-use activities to keep their attention (i.e. dig up the gold plates and then sit down to read at the place they were found, build a tower of Babel and take turns sitting on top to read the story)

The ideas go on and on!! The most important thing I learned was to take advantage of being able to stay at home with my children and make part of "work day," preparing for family scripture study at night. It doesn't have to take long. A quick skim of the upcoming verses, a prayer for guidance as to how to have a successful night, and then listening to the Spirit as I go throughout my day for the promptings I need for the night.

I know I will fail. I know things will not always go as planned. But I am committed to do better. I will try harder each day!!

California Day 2 Part 1

2011-01-05T23:10:00.005-07:00

We love you Grandma Enid!! We will never forget the heritage you left us!

(Pic taken in April 2010 when we visited Grandma in Utah - watch for jounral entry about this trip)

Dec. 2, 2010 - Today was the whole reason we went to California. We drove from our motel in Anaheim to Burbank to meet the rest of Andy's family for Grandma Enid's funeral. It was fun to get to show the kids where Grandma spent the majority of her life. It is so very different from the slow paced life in Wyoming. The kids were very excited to get to be back together with their cousins Isaiah and Iyanna (Andy's cousin's children). The church building was a very interesting building. It was not a "church" plan. They bought the building from someone and renovated it to be a church. The kids enjoyed exploring the building when we returned from the cemetary for the family dinner.

The viewing before the funeral was very nice. It was another chance for us to teach our children about Heavenly Father's plan. We were able to talk again about how it was only Grandma's body and that her spirit was in heaven now and would come back together again after the 2nd resurrection. It seemed to be an easier discussion with them when it was a wonderful woman who had lived a very full life of 96 years. It was not so much of a sad day as it was a happy day of remembering the wonderful legacy she left us. (This in comparison to the funeral we missed at home the same day of a sweet 4 year old girl in our ward.) It was nice to let the children have the finality of saying good-bye to Grandma. The funeral service was beautiful - full of music that I am sure Grandma was singing and humming right along with. What talented people Grandma had as friends! (Too bad I had to sit in the foyer with Ashlee for most of the services but I could hear everything at least.) After the dedication of the grave at the cemetary, we returned back to the church for a delicious meal provided by Grandma's ward. It was so fun to meet the people called her friends. They were so kind and gracious and patient with us. It was really the only place we could all go and be together so we were there for quite awhile and not once did they act impatient. We finally had to say our parting good-byes and we all went our separate ways. Well, a few of us did go to the Los Angeles temple after making a brief stop to show the kids where Grandma's condo was (which they were not so impressed with - they thought "nice. we can't even go in so what is the big dea.") We followed Clark and Juleen to the Los Angeles temple and visitor's center. Oh my!! What a wonderful thing to get to experience. The grounds were decorated so beautiful for Christmas!! The lights were just incredible. Our pictures just don't do it justice. We spent a few hours on the grounds and in the visitor's center and then decided we should head back to Anaheim. (We thought we would have missed rush hour traffic, but we came to the conclusion that there is always rush hour traffic in LA, even at 5:00 in the morning). Going to the temple grounds was the perfect ending to the day. A great reminder that this is where families are sealed together forever. I hope and pray that my children will continue to build their testimonies of their Savior Jesus Christ and understand the importance of forever families and one day be able to be sealed to their best friend for time and all eternity.

All of the family that made the trip.

Grandma's sons and their wives (Uncle Kent and Aunt Barbara and Andy's parents: Jeff and Kathy)

Grandma's grandchildren: Melinda, Dan, Randy, Juleen, Edie, Andy, Sara, Amy, and Tom

Grandma's beautiful casket and flowers - classy and elegant just like Grandma

(Yes, my pics are a little out of order) Grandsons and Grandsons-in-law

A few of Grandma's great-grandchildren patiently waiting (Iyanna, Aidan, Isaiah, Aaron, Megan, and Kenna)

Our family outside the Burband LDS chapel

One of the trees outside the Los Angeles temple - it was just amazing!!

Los Angeles temple and the beautiful Christmas lights

My sweet kiddos posing by the palm trees

California Day 2 part 2

2011-01-05T22:25:00.006-07:00

The rest of the pics from the Los Angeles Temple and visitor's center.

The palm trees all decorated were just gorgeous! It was so fun to be on the temple grounds with all my kiddos. I am so thankful to be able to have the chance to have an eternal family if we live worthy in this life. Family is what it is all about!!

Inside the visitors center. They had these fun places the kids could sit and draw pictures and then publish them to the tv screen that off to the right (you can't see it). We had to pry them away from this. They were loving drawing temples, families, etc.

Meg working on her temple picture.

Kennie coloring in a a pre-drawn picture.

Aidan - I don't remember what he was drawing but he did plenty of drawings this night.

Another fun interactive station at the visitors center. This had lots of fun games on it. Aaron was building a temple here.

The kids loved all the beautiful fountains and flowers and lights.

Poor Kennie inherited my eyes that go almost closed when you smile.

Kennie wanted to man the camera.

Just another view of the temple.

My Sweet Megan

2010-12-31T10:42:00.002-07:00

In Meg's kindergarten class they had a "fruit salad feast" for Thanksgiving. She was so excited for this day and came home even more excited to tell me what she had learned that day. She was telling me the story about the first Thanksgiving and the how the pilgrims and Indians had their own feast. She says, "but now days it isn't quite as proper to call them Indians. They are madeup Americans." It was all I could do not to bust out laughing. I said, "You mean Native Americans?" "Ya, that's what I said, Mom." She was too cute! When my little brother heard this (who is part Native American), he sarcastically said, "That's an insult to my heritage!" Such a goofy boy!! I love the innocence of children!

California Day 1

2010-12-30T23:03:00.003-07:00

Dec. 1, 2010 - Today we headed off for our fun adventure in California. We were actually planning on making this trip in about 3 years when Ashlee was 5 and hopefully a little easier to handle, but circumstances made it so we chose to go earlier. Andy's 96 year old Grandma Enid Jacobsen passed away a few days after we returned home from Juleen and Clark's wedding in Utah, so we decided that since we would already be going to Burbank for the funeral we might as well make a fun family vacation out of this and hopefully the kids will remember this trip and associate it with the fun Grandma Enid would have wanted them to have. Andy was born in Burbank but moved to Cody, Wyoming when he was 3 or so. Grandma Enid lived in Burbank up until a bad fall that made it necessary to move her to a care center in Bountiful, UT, where she would be close to Andy's four sisters. And what a blessing they were to her and to all of us in keeping us updated about Grandma's health. We felt very blessed to have been able to see her twice this year and to have the kids get to know her just a little bit more before she moved on to be with her sweetheart and parents and siblings. Grandma was a very fun person who loved life to the fullest. She taught us to live each day to its fullest and just have fun. We visited her while we were in Utah for Juleen's wedding and she even sang one last song for us despite her very failing health. She loved her grandchildren so much and loved to talk to them on the phone. We miss Grandma but know that she is bowling and singing and walking hand in hand with her sweetheart once more!

So, on Wednesday we loaded the excursion and headed for Billings. Thank goodness our flight didn't leave until late morning so we didn't have to rush too much. Trying to pack for 7 people and only have to check on bag was quite the feat but we did it. Thank goodness everyone could have 2 carry-on bags. I think we actually only took 11 instead of the 12 we could take. We met Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Jeff and Aunt Sara at the airport in Billings. It was so nice to have 1 adult per child to get through security and it went off without any problems. We didn't really have to wait too long in the boarding area either. The kiddos were great and very excited for their first airplane ride. We took off on time; landed slightly early; and were welcomed by a nice warm California day! 2 hrs and 10 mins. on an airplane vs. 19 hours of driving was a no brainer!! Flying is the way to go!! It took a little while for our baggage to come through due to some problem with the conveyor belt but it eventually came and we boarded the shuttle to head to get our rental car. What a sight we were!! But we made it and got loaded into our rental mini-van. It was so nice to only be driving a mini-van in California traffic. Our excursion would have been interesting to say the least. After getting something to eat, we headed for the beach!!! The kids were excited! And we had the whole beach to ourselves. I guess only crazy Wyomingites go to the beach in 40 and 50 degree weather. It was heaven to us and the kids loved running from the waves, gathering shells, and running in the sand. We saw the most gorgeous sunset and then decided it was time to head for our motels. What a wonderful day we had!! The kids were fantastic on the flight, we had GPS to find our way places, and we were able to settle into a nice comfortable room for a goodnight's rest before the funeral the next day! How thankful I am for Heavenly Father's plan of salvation - to know that families can be together forever through the sealing ordinance. I married into a wonderful family that accepts me for who I am and loves my children. I know Grandma Enid was smiling down watching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren enjoy the beautiful California sunset as she did every day.

Pumpkin Carving

2010-11-02T14:46:00.006-06:00

The kids always look forward to the Monday before Halloween cause that means the annual pumpkin carving FHE. I got smart this year though and started without Andy cause if we wait for him to get home, then eat, and then start, it makes for a very late night! So we had our chicken noodle soup and started "gutting" our pumpkins. We had tons of fun and were so excited when Daddy got home to join us. And this year we put the pumpkins on the side deck and none of them were stolen. I figured someone would have to be very brave to walk up the deck steps and get hit with the motion detector light.

Pre-carving - I love my crazy kiddos!!

Bunch of goofballs!

I actually turned him loose to do everything himself this year! YIKES!! It was slightly scary sometimes (as you can see with the knife in the picture), but he did a wonderful job!

Aidan was pretty independent this year too. He didn't require a lot of help. He and Aaron worked together a lot on both their pumpkins.

What a face! Meg has this wonderful, fun, spunky attitude as you can see from this picture. She was determined to do the gutting all herself. She is very independent and doesn't like to be told she can't do something (I don't know where she gets that from!).

Our little cheeseball!! Kennie keeps us laughing with her made-up stories and songs.

Ash is getting big enough to really enjoy all the fun! The only problem is she thinks she can do anything the big kids can do. I gave her some foam stickers and a marker to decorate with until Daddy got home to help. I couldn't tackle all 5 kids by myself.

Daddy to the rescue!! Ash was so excited to get to finally carve her pumpkin. And getting to do it with Daddy was the icing on the cake!!

THE FINISHED PRODUCTS:

We Survived...

2010-11-02T13:57:00.003-06:00

another Halloween!! I am such a party pooper when it comes to Halloween. I find it a useless waste of money on costumes and candy. What is really the point of Halloween? My kids play dress up all the time at home. We don't need a day that they get to go out in public dressed up. BUT...I try to at least make it kind of fun for the kiddos. We did carve pumpkins for FHE cause I remembering loving to carve pumpkins as a kid. (Those pics will come in a later post.) I do try and accomodate their requests for costumes (within reason). I do go to all their parties at school. I do take them to the trunk-or-treat at the church. And this year we spiced it up by attending a party, which totally made Halloween fun!! (Party pics to come in a separate post.) I don't have a pic of Aaron in his costume (which was sooo easy) cause my camera battery died at the school and then we picked him up on our way to the church cause he was at a pool party while we went to grandparents' houses so he wasn't in those pics. Then he and Aidan and Megan ran off on their own for trunk or treating so I didn't catch him then. I did take a pic of him at school with a friend's camera so I can add it when I get it from her. Kennie really enjoyed all the parties at the school. She enjoyed class hopping with each sibling but ended up eating in Aaron's class cause that was the one we provided food for the party. Our little monster aka Ashlee was home taking a nap (since Andy was home sick) so I didn't have to tackle her around all the sugar! So Friday we did school parties and then went to our ward harvest dinner. Saturday we slept in, got a little work done around the house and yard, visited grandparents, did trunk-or-treat, and then spent the evening at a fun party in Burlington hosted by the Gourmleys. Halloween 2010 is done and over with!! Hurray!! (and the kids are already planning for next year...SIGH!!)

Ashlee all cutified in her Halloween shirt and Halloween bow with her crazy curls!

Meg's spider web hair.

Aaron decided to combine a few different pieces of costumes on the way to Burlington - his mask from last year, Kennie's witch's hat, and his Percy Jackson costume.

Alien Aidan and the cutest witch ever Kennie (even though she said she was the wicked witch from Wizard of Oz - she was too cute to be wicked).

Meg the elephant

My little witch and zebra

Look at that innocent face - well not so innocent as she next started digging into her bucket for candy and anything to make a mess!

Aidan said it looked like Ash swallowed a tutu!

Loving trunk-or-treating! Ash really got it this year and made sure no one forgot her little bucket! They both walked the whole time.

4 of my 5 monsters!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Blue and Gold

2010-08-08T16:44:00.002-06:00

(Feb. 16, 2010) No! I am not talking about the Cody Bronc school colors although Andy might like that if I did, but Blue and Gold Banquet for Cub Scouts. Aidan was lucky that his first day of Cub Scouts was also on his birthday and it was the Blue and Gold Banquet. The boys were supposed to make a cake and decorate it with their dads - absolutely NO mom help!! Andy and the boys decided that since it was the thick of basketball season and they all absolutely love basketball, it would only be appropriate to make a basketball cake. It was fun to watch them bring their ideas together.

Where is the picture of the finished cake you ask? I have absolutely no idea!! I was pretty sure I took a picture, but I cannot find one anywhere. But you can see that is was a half court basketball cake and if you look close you can see the little nerf basketball hoop sititng on the counter - that went at the edge of the cake. It turned out wonderful!! And I think the boys and Andy had fun doing it together. (I know I was very grateful that Mom didn't "get" to help!!)

Aidan enjoying his first day of Cub Scouts!

Megan's lovely tongue! There were many creative cakes and obviously someone used some yummy blue frosting!!

There are no more pics from the night because I slipped out partway through and went to my little brother Justin's basketball game. I think I took Ashlee at least and maybe Kenna, but Andy still had his hands full and I was grateful to at least have a few pics from him.

8 Already?

2010-08-08T16:24:00.002-06:00

Feb. 16 ,2010 - It can't possibly have been 8 years already since Aidan made a very quick entrance into this world (and he hasn't slowed down since)!! Aidan adds so much laughter and joy to our family. He is our frog boy, do any kind of sport boy, which hand am I going to use for what boy (he writes right handed, plays sports left handed with a few exceptions like using both hands in tennis - he doesn't have a back hand only a forehand), and our little comedian with a temper that only occassionally comes out. He absolutely loves babies and asks for a baby brother all the time (which I have to sadly tell him he will never get). He is very social and thinks the more kids around him the better. He loves to laugh and is good at cheering his little sisters up when they wake up crabby. He might be little but he doesn't know it!!

After school his brother and sisters surprised him with with the gifts they had bought him. I love that my kids get so excited to shop for each other. They are always thinking of others and that makes me happy!

(Notice the beautiful flowers?! They were a wonderful surprise from a very dear friend that sensed I needed a lift one day!! Thanks, Cammy!!)

My 5 beautiful children on Aidan's 8th birthday!

Birthday treats for school!! This is just a small glimpse into Aidan's personality - anything and everything sporty!! I love you, Aidan!! Can't wait to post pics from your baptism day!!

The Plan of Salvation

2010-06-21T22:38:00.002-06:00

How thankful I am for the knowledge of why we are here and where we are going! How thankful I am to know that this life is not the end! How thankful I am to know that we have a loving Heavenly Father that has a plan for each of us and that He never leaves us alone! I didn't think that the new that a high school friend and teammate passed away last night after losing her 3 year battle with cancer would hit me so hard and force me to rely so heavily on my testimony. Maybe it has something to do with that it hits somewhat close to home (no, I didn't go through anything like she did, but I do have those moments of "what if" and "what will the next checkup bring"). I last saw Leslie at Darcee's basketball tournament in Cody a few years ago. She was the same sweet, genuine, happy Leslie. I got to meet her wonderful husband and her two beautiful children. It was fun to spend a few minutes catching up on things. She was always such a positive person. (She never once mentioned her struggle then.) I recall her blowing out her knee mid-season of her junior year (my sophomore year). Her twin sister was also on the team and she was always there cheering her and the rest of our team on. She never complained that it ruined the rest of that season and her track season.

This news has brought on its share of tears. Tears for her husband and her children. Tears of selfishness on my part because I am so thankful that Heavenly Father had a different plan for me. I know Heavenly Father will take care of her family. I do know that! But it doesn't mean I don't feel for them. I am so thankful for the reminders that have come to me today to do some reprioritizing again. I am better than I was before I was expecting Kenna but I am not as I was 6 months ago. There are so many unimportant things that can bog down our days. I know it will be a constant battle, but I am recommitting myself to live each day to its fullest and try my best to choose the best of all the good things there are. I have 5 beautiful children, an amazing husband, a wonderful family, and awesome friends that may not know how thankful I am for having them in my life. I have a comfortable home, vehicles that run, food to eat and clothes to wear, Andy has a wonderful job, I have the best employers around (they pay in hugs and kisses), a healthy body, and most importantly a Savior that loves me and wants me to do my best! He knows me; he loves me; he made the ultimate sacrifice for me! He suffered not only for my sins but he took on him my pains and sufferings and sadness and frustration and all that I feel. I can never say that no one knows how I feel because He does. I will be even more diligent in keeping the commandments and doing the "Sunday School answer" things that will keep me focused on the most important things in life.

I pray that Heavenly Father will send comfort to Leslie's family during this sad time for them. I know He cares for each one of us. I hate that it takes this type of a loss to remind me of the things I never thought I would forget after that last year. I haven't totally forgotten but I have become lax. I have had my wake up call and am ready to do better!

Where in the world...

2010-05-28T20:49:00.002-06:00

has time gone? Has it really been since Feb. 24th that I last posted? I have had good intentions but have just let time slip away from me. And SOOOO MUCH has happened since then. Aidan turned 8 on Feb. 16th and was baptized. Aaron turned 10 on March 4th. Kenna turned 3 on April 4th. Andy turned 34 on April 10th. We had a fun trip to Utah over Easter cause all Kenna wanted for her birthday was to go to college. So, off to college we went so she could celebrate her birthday at BYU with Aunt Darcee. We had a FABULOUS time and had the most wonderful hosts, Andy's sister Edie and her husband Jacob and all their critters. I am sure glad they all survived our chaotic bunch. We got to visit Grandma Enid who turned 96 right before we went to Utah. We got to have tons of fun with Aunt Amy, Uncle Ernie, cousins Ryan, Jessica, Spencer, Paul and Rachel, Aunt Juleen, Aunt Sara (what a fun surprise!!), Aunt Edie, Uncle Jacob, and Aunt Darcee!! It was a fun-filled weekend and I can't wait to post pictures. My problem with posting has been that a lot of pictures have been on Andy's camera and I haven't been able to get them on our home computer. So thankfully Andy downloaded them to his laptop and saved them on a flashdrive for me. So now I have no excuse (except the craziness of 5 kids, which after almost 18 months I still am not good at all the things I used to be good at). Let's see...we have also had basketball, soccer, wrestling, preschool graduation, marathon, having our house on the market to sell (we hope to build) and lots of other craziness that has slipped my mind at the moment. I also got released from teaching Gospel Doctrine and am now the Relief Society meeting coordinator (aka Enrichment leader). I am thoroughly enjoying my new calling but do really miss my preparation for my lessons. I am trying really hard to still pretend I have to teach each week, but it is so much easier to let it slip and just do the minimum. I MUST do better!!

Now that school has ended I am excited to try out a few our new "plans." For FHE we had each of the kids give us their goals of things they wanted to accomplish this summer and we also set family goals. Andy also had the fabulous idea of "Mission Impossible" for the kiddos. We have Agent 00AA, 00AID, OOME, and OOK along with "the secretary" also known as OOROSIE (the enforcer of the "no telling your mission" rule - she is armed and dangerous (with a nerf gun that she can't shoot without help)). These things along with the soon to be crazy summer academy and rec activities schedule, there is no excuse for the words "I'm bored!!" in our house. This will require cooperation and teamwork from all of us and should make for a FUN FUN summer!! In preparation for our next RS meeting, we have been preparing a Summer Survival 101 Guide and I think it has been more for me than the sisters we will be giving it too. I am armed with other fun ideas and looking forward to building wonderful memories with my children and amazing husband!! I am so blessed to be a wife and mother to 5 wonderful, energetic children!

WELCOME, SUMMER!! WE ARE READY TO GO!!!

Gratitude

2010-02-24T18:52:00.002-07:00

As I was preparing for my CT scan last week, the tech asked me when I was supposed to start my treatment (he had obviously read my file). I told him I didn't have to start treatment cause they were able to get all the cancer with surgery. He looked at me and said, "No wonder you are so happy."

YES!! I am happy! I have so many things to be thankful for! I can't believe it has been a year since my surgeries. My one year checkup went very well. My CT and my labs all came back clean. I still have a large cyst in my abdomen, but Dr. Purcell has high hopes it will go away on its own. He is not worried about it and will continue to watch it, and I don't have to go back for a year instead of in 6 months!! What a wonderful day it was!!

I am so thankful to have found myself in the hands of such a wonderful surgeon and also a wonderful oncologist in Billings. I am so thankful to for the priesthood and the power to heal if it is the Lord's will. I am thankful for its for to provide comfort and guidance. I am thankful to know that my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ know me personally. I have been taught so many things about myself in the last year. I have learned I can't do it on my own. I know the Lord sends His help through others. I learned that He cares about even the little things that are big to us - like NG tubes, cold sores, drains, lack of energy. I have learned that it is ok if the house is not clean all the time, if a gourmet meal is not on the table every night, the girls' hair does not have to be perfect 24/7, it's ok to say no, and it's okay to spend time each day doing something for just me. I have learned that children are very resilient; they seem to sense just when you need a hug and a kiss; they will step up when there is no other option; they love to help out and can do more than I give them credit for. It is fun to work a little and play a lot with my kids - to stop and enjoy the little moments each day with them.

I am thankful to be able to workout again. I am thankful to be able to do the laundry for my family. I am thankful to be able to run my kids to their various activities and appointments. I am thankful to be able to fix meals for my family (I still don't enjoy cooking but I like that I can be the one not enjoying it!). I am thankful to be able to snuggle with the love of my life and not worry about tubes or sore scars. I am thankful to be able to jump on the trampoline, to push my kids on the swings, to shoot hoops, to play volleyball.

I can't believe how things have changed in a year. I have been blessed with a wonderful support system. I have a wonderful, amazing husband, 5 beautiful children, an awesome family, and the best friends a girl could ask for. There are still parts of me that need to continue to heal but what healing is left is so minimal compared to where I was year ago. I am so very blessed!!

Snow Much Fun!!

2010-02-22T16:17:00.007-07:00

The kids had a 4 day weekend in January, and when Monday rolled around I just couldn't bear to stay indoors any more. I called Andy at work and asked if he had any ideas for something I could take the kids to do. He suggested going sledding in the gully by his parent's house. So we called my mom and Derrick and asked if they wanted to go along, packed up all our snow stuff, and headed out for a fun filled afternoon. As you can see from the pictures, it was a successfully fun afternoon. Everyone was full of smiles and laughter. Surprisingly, Ashlee loved being all bundled up! She even kept her hat on her head. She was ok with the first trip on the sled with Grandma pulling her, but when Aidan decided to give her a ride, she decided she didn't like it anymore. She just wanted to chill with Grandma or her sisters. She didn't want to go inside and was very content to just watch all the fun. The boys built a small jump and then had fun trying to make sure they hit it on their way down the hill. After all the fun, we went inside and enjoyed some yummy hot chocolate while the kids played Legos for a bit before heading home. Everyone left asking when we would be going back to sled again!

Mom and I didn't think it was fair that the kids were getting to have all the fun, so before we went inside we decided we needed our turn down the hill too. We found out why the kids were having so much fun!! It is fun to just relax and smile and laugh like a kid again!

My Little Helper

2010-02-21T18:25:00.003-07:00

Ashlee decided to help me do the laundry yesterday. Guess she thought the Ramen noodles would cook better prewashed or else this is a new cooking method. Gotta love a cheerful helper!!

What It's All About

2010-02-21T16:44:00.006-07:00

Family is really what's it's all about! I was taught this lesson all through high school and I continue to learn it as an adult. I am not discounting my friends because I need them, love them, cherish them, and don't know what I would do without them. But as I am keeping this as a journal for my children, I want them to know that nothing can replace the love and support of their family - immediate and extended. I have been blessed with an amazing family - a husband that adores me, loves me, would do anything for me, works so hard to keep this family running; 5 amazing children that teach me so much each day, teach me about patience, teach me about unconditional love, teach me about laughing and enjoy life, teach me about learning and growing and admitting my mistakes, and teach me about the love Heavenly Father and our Savior have for us. I have been blessed with wonderful parents that never quit being parents, that have helped me become who I am, that are the best grandparents in the world. I have been blessed with 5 amazing siblings that I call my best friends. I have grandparents that are so supportive and are such wonderful examples to my children and me. I have also been blessed to marry into an incredible family too. There are no inlaw jokes in this house. I couldn't have asked for a better set of second parents. I feel just as comfortable in their home as I do my parent's home. They love me and my children and are the best grandparents. I have wonderful brother and sister-in-laws, nieces and nephews, and grandmas that bring so much fun into our life. What a wonderful built in support system our Heavenly Father has given us!! I am thankful to know that families can be forever! I am thankful for my temple marriage and the knowledge I have that if we do our best to live worthy of the promised blessings, we can continue to be a family for eternity!!

Christmas Program

2009-12-17T21:49:00.000-07:00

It is always fun to go the school Christmas program. The kids are so excited to get to perform for their families. What I love most is that it is still a Christmas program!! There are fun songs and songs about Christ. It is so nice that we haven't had to remove Christ from Christmas!! It was fun to watch the boys dance and sing and have a good time. Our music teacher, Mrs. Mitchell, puts a lot of time and energy in preparing these programs, and they are always so nice. I love the all school carolling at the end of the program too. All the kids just sing their hearts out! Kenna was so jealous of the boys getting to wear their Christmas clothes. She didn't understand why she couldn't wear her Christmas dress too. I love the holiday season!!

Aaron - 4th grade

Aidan - 2nd grade

My handsome boys all ready for their school Christmas program!

Aidan dancing away!

Musical Aaron

Everything's Coming Up Rosie!

2009-12-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby is 1 year old!! Where has the time gone? Our sweet little Ashlee Rose (or Rosie as her daddy calls her) is growing up too fast. She started walking at 9 months and has never looked back. She runs everywhere and is starting to talk. She surprises us everyday with something new that she says. It is all on her terms though. She is a spunky, independent, social, loveable little girl! She is most definitely the "baby" of the family. She has everyone wrapped around her fingers. Her brothers and sisters basically jump when she says jump. It is Ashlee's way or the highway. We celebrated her birthday with her grandmas and grandpas a few days after her birthday. She was loving all the attention! The more attention the better for Ash. She is so social and loves people. The video is from her actual birthday. We couldn't go to bed without singing happy birthday to her. She loved every minute of it!

At her 12 month checkup, Ashlee weighed in at a whopping 18 lbs. (15th %) and measured 28 3/4 inches long (25th %). She is a healthy, little Jacobsen girl!

Ash is such a happy little girl! She loves to smile, laugh, and tease. Her blue eyes just sparkle. Despite being sick more often than not, she is usually a pretty easy little girl. Yes, she is busy and keeps us on our toes, but I know that someday I will miss someone pulling on my pant leg, or emptying all the sacks out of the cupboard, or dumping the combs and hair things out of the bathroom drawer, or stealing her brother's frog (as in the pic above) and running with it so he will chase her. She keeps our house hopping and all of us smiling!

We had to have pics of the birthday girl with Daddy and Mommy! We are the luckiest parents to be entrusted by our Heavenly Father to have her sweet spirit in our home. We have an awesome responsibility to channel her energy and social personality to do her Heavenly Father's work!

I usually make and decorate my kids' birthday cakes, but when it came time to choose a cake for Ash I couldn't think of anything more appropriate than a cake full of roses for our little Rosie. BUT, my cake decorating skills are very limited and roses are not anything I would even begin to attempt. Thank goodness I have a sweet friend, Chrissy Lennon, that is a very good cake decorator and was willing to add making Ash's cake to her hectic schedule right before Christmas. The cakes turned out fabulous!! My mom and I were in awe of the basket weaving around the sides!! It tasted fabulous and made for a fun 1st birthday!

She was loving being sung to again and being the center of attention. She just wanted to touch the candle, so Mom had to help blow it out.

She didn't need any help figuring out how to open presents. She had already opened a few Christmas presents so she had it down pat. She was so excited to not get into trouble while tearing the paper.

The 1st birthday tradition is to have smash cake for them to tear into. I figured by the way she went after the big rose cake while I was trying to take her picture that she would just dig into her own cake. WRONG!! Notice the one little finger kind of touching the cake and the expression on her face. She was really not into digging into her cake. She never really got excited about it until we gave her a fork. The excitement came from flinging cake all over the kitchen! Crazy little girl! She did have some frosting on her but most of that was from spitting back out at us what we tried to feed her or what she had flung all over. She doesn't know what she was missing out on. The cake was delicious!! (But I guess I shouldn't have expected too much out of my little girl that will not eat table food!)

"Here! Maybe you would like a taste?"

"Just get me out of my chair. This really isn't fun like you told me it would be!"

"Nice try, Mom."

"Maybe just a little taste."

"Now this is how it should be! Flinging it all over the kitchen is so much more fun!"

"Seriously! The fun is over! Get me out of here!"

My darling little Ashlee,

You are my little lifesaver!! I would be lying if I told you that the decision to have baby #5 was not a hard one. After the long, difficult pregnancy with Kenna and the financial setback it caused, I really couldn't imagine being pregnant again. But, our loving Heavenly Father kept sending promptings that our family was not complete. It took a lot of faith to trust Heavenly Father that everything would be fine, but we made the decision that we needed to bring one more sweet spirit to our family. I am so thankful for those promptings. You have brought so much joy and happiness to our family. My pregnancy brought many trials and challenges, but it was through these that you became my lifesaver. Because I had doctors that were on top of things and listened to my concerns and didn't pass them off as nothing, you arrived into this world safely and 5 weeks after you were born, I began my journey back to a healthy body. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father blessed me with a wonderful loving husband and mother that took such good care of you for the several weeks that I was unable to even take care of myself. You were blessed with a sweet, laidback disposition as a newborn that made it easier on everyone when others had to step in and act as your mother. I am so thankful that I was able to savor the first 5 weeks of your life -for my chances to snuggle you, nurse you, kiss you, and bond with you. I am thankful for a loving Heavenly Father that has allowed me to stay on this earth to continue to be your mother. To watch you grow and change and develop your sweet personality. To be able to feed you, bathe you, play with you, teach you, kiss and snuggle you, help you learn your potential as a daughter of God. I thank Heavenly Father everyday for you and for his loving hand in providing doctors that are blessed with the knowledge they have to heal the human body. Ashlee, you are my sweet little angel. Thank you for choosing our family to join! I look forward to watching you grow and learn. Thank you for choosing me to be your mother! I love you more than you could ever know!!

Love,

Your mother

Have you ever....

2009-12-08T14:31:00.003-07:00

started cring while making your bed? I know...I am weird!! But that is just what happened. Yesterday was bed washing day so I spent the day putting clean sheets back on everyone's beds. As I made each bed, my thoughts wandered to each child and my gratitude to my Heavenly Father for letting me be here still to be their mother. I thought about each of their individual personalities and the many things about them that make me smile. My thoughts wandered to how much I love being a mother and how thankful I am to be able to be at home with them. My undoing was as I was putting the clean sheets on my bed. I was so thankful to be able to wash my sheets and remake my own bed. Sounds crazy, but a year ago and for months before and months after, I wasn't able to do that for my sweet husband and me. I wasn't able to sweep and mop my kitchen floor, vacuum my floors, clean my bathrooms, or pick up my sweet little girls. There was a point where I could barely walk up and down the stairs. As I was making our bed, I could hear my sweetheart in the kitchen listening and singing to Christmas music while cutting up his elk. What a lucky girl I am to have him for my husband!! He has been there to let me lean on him through thick and thin. He is there to always pick up the pieces when I seem to fall apart. I am so thankful to be able to go through this life with beside me. He is the best husband and father!!

I have so many things to be thankful for!! My Heavenly Father has allowed me to continue to stay here and learn and grown and overcome my weaknesses and He has given me the best earthly support system. He has given me 5 beautiful children, a loving husband, a body that functions as close to normal as possible, an extended family that always comes to my rescue, friends that always seem to know when I need a hug, phone call, or a playdate for the kids. He has given me the spiritual support through the knowledge that my Savior Jesus Christ knows me personally, He loves me, He died for my sins and my sorrows and my pains. He won't give us anything we can't handle.

So now that the tears are streaming again, I will go relish in the fact that I can do my own laundry and play with my children and prepare their dinner. I am the luckiest girl alive!!

My loving family almost 1 year ago!

5 is Fabulous!

2009-12-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my sweet little princess turned 5!! Where has the time gone? Megan Almira Jacobsen joined our family on Dec. 4, 2004. It was a much warmer day than her 5th birthday. The sun was shining. We spent the day working outside, raking leaves and cleaning the garage. My mom and I went for a nice long walk, which by the end, I was pretty sure I was in labor. We were supposed to go to Andy's company Christmas party that night in Cody and my parents were already arranged to watch the boys. We took them over to their house and left with strict instructions from my mom that we were NOT to try and go to Cody for the dinner. (I had Aidan maybe 10 minutes after we got to the hospital and only 2 hours after labor started.) So we went home and decorated the Christmas tree. I talked to my sister on the phone while doing it and she and Andy made fun of me each time a contraction hit. They really weren't that bad though. I was so nervous to go to the hospital cause I knew I was in labor but I was afraid they wouldn't believe me cause I was laughing and smiling and not really in too much pain. We finally decided we better go cause we didn't want a repeat performance of pandimonium like when Aidan was born. Thankfully my Aunt Donna was the one at the check in desk. She believe me, got us checked in, and even got someone to cover for her so she could be there when Meg was born. An hour after we got to the hospital, Megan made her entrance into this world. It was a very easy labor and I was so excited to have my little girl!! I asked the doctor if she really was a girl cause I was so sure I wasn't that lucky to actually get a little girl! What a joy she has been from day 1!

Turning 5 is a big deal cause it is the first year I let my kids have a "friend" birthday party. She was so excited making her guest list and deciding on what kind of party to have. She really wanted Hannah Montana but I really didn't like that idea so I convinced her to have High School Musical. In the end, she won cause we couldn't find High School Musical stuff. She decided instead of one big fancy cake to have individual star cakes with each person's name on them. (I was not disappointed in this.) She so badly wanted a pinata, so I gave in and we had a pinata. She invited several of her friends and we had a party. We played musical chairs, did the pinata, enjoyed presents and cake and ice cream, and then just some fun play time. It sure is fun and fabulous to be 5!!

microphone cupcakes for preschool treats

Meg with her guests: Tate Allred, Mia Baxter, Wesley Preator, Reagan Thompson, and Katie O'Brien

For her family birthday party she decided to have brownies. We were all cake and cupcaked out after preschool treats and friend birthday party. My kids are so lucky to have so many grandparents and great-grandparents close by. The only one not there was Great-Grandma Jacobsen who lives in Burbank, CA.

Playing with her new "laptop" computer she got from Mom and Dad. This was the only thing she asked for. She really didn't want anything besides clothes.

We are Thankful!!

2009-12-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time of year! We are so thankful for so many things! We are thankful for our Savior Jesus Christ, for a warm home, Andy's good job, 5 beautiful children, our health and strength, wonderful family and friends, food to eat, clothes to wear, vehicles that work right, the gospel and the scriptures, temples, and so many more things. We are so thankful to live in this beautiful part of the country and get to enjoy the beautiful mountains and surroundings. Our children beg to spend Thanksgiving at the cabin. It is so relaxing and fun to enjoy the mountains in the winter. This year we had a great excuse to be there as Andy had an any elk hunting tag for the area by the cabin. The kids were on countdown for months! They couldn't wait to go to the cabin, especially Megan. Justin had the same tag as Andy, so my parents and Darcee, Justin, and Derrick joined us for Thanksgiving at the cabin. It was so nice and relaxing and unstressful!! The weather was beautiful! The only thing that would have made it better was if the snow had been packed more. It was a little too soft for sledding, but the kids enjoyed me dragging them around on the sled. (You will notice I don't have any pics of Aaron. He enjoyed just vegging inside playing gamecube or DS or watching tv or playing with actions figures with Derrick. We were on vacation, so I didn't push it with him.)

Mom and I made a simple but delicious Thanksgiving meal. Andy, Justin, and Darcee left early Thanksgiving morning to go hunting. When they weren't back for Thanksgiving dinner, we assumed they had shot something or were following them. My parents and Derrick and my children and I enjoyed a nice relaxing dinner together. Later that afternoon my dad and I went to see if we could find the mighty hunters. We found the truck and hiked a little but never found them. Shortly after we returned to the cabin, the mighty hunters returned too. Both Andy and Justin had shot small spikes but Justin's was one tought elk and got away. They tracked it for a long way but could never find it. The three of them took turns packing out part of Andy's elk. They then enjoyed some Thanksgiving dinner and just relaxed the rest of the evening. My parents took all the kids home with them that night, and the four of us went back and packed out the rest of the elk the next morning. It was fun to be with Andy doing something he enjoys doing. It was a nice hike and not really that cold. We will sure enjoy the meat! I feel bad Justin's got away, but he and Darcee were sure good sports about helping get Andy's elk taken care of. I don't think they will be putting in for that tag again though. They learned it is one tough place to hunt.

Ashlee loves the cabin!!

Fun in the snow!

Relaxing with Aunt Darcee after a fun day!

The might hunter Daddy sharpening his knives in preparation to go back and get he rest of his elk.

Snow angels are so much fun!

Gotta love a snowball fight!

Revenge!!

It was too cold for Ashlee to be outside, so she found her own fun inside!

After we returned home, we enjoyed seeing our siblings that had come home for Thanksgiving. All of my siblings were home, so the kids enjoyed some fun but too short cousin play time. We were able to celebrate Derrick's 9th birthday together and also celebrated Grandma Joyce's 80th birthday! We packed a lot of partying in in a few days!!

Ssshhhh!! Don't tell Grammy I was on the table!! (But it was so much fun!)

She couldn't get mad at me, could she?

Andy's brothers, Tom and Dan, were also home for Thanksgiving with their families. The kids were able to enjoy fun cousin time with them too. There was a lot of drawing, rough housing, computer playing, pan banging, and plenty of laughter. Cousins are so much fun!!

Ashlee and Soren (born only a few weeks apart)

Gymanstics and Dance

2009-12-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

Megan had so much fun this fall! She was able to enjoy gymnastics and beginning dance! She has been so anxious to get to do sports like the boys, so she has jumped at the chance for any activity that she is old enough for. Meg absolutely loves her gymanstics teacher Mrs. Starla! She looked forward to every Tuesday night.

Megan loved going to dance class. Practices were closed to parents so we were anxious for her little performance the last day of class. Meg would show us at home some of the things she was learning and she was always dancing around the house. She was so excited for her performance and wanted her hair done up in a pretty dance hairdo and she invited her grandparents to come. Meg went to class for about 30 minutes and then the families were invited to come. We picked Grammy up on our way and couldn't wait to see her. I'm not quite sure what happened in the 30 minutes we were gone, but as you can see from the pictures below, stage fright must have sunk in. I have a video of the progression of this from beginning to start the dance, to freezing, to the tears starting, to eventually running off to daddy. I considered posting it, but I think I will just put it on her pic/video CD and she can watch it later on her own. It is pretty cute though! My favorite part was that she ran to her daddy and snuggled in to him. What a sweet little daddy's girl! Despite not doing her final performance, she loved every dance class and can't wait to do it again!

The nerves are beginning to set in!

Safe in Daddy's arms!

My gorgeous, brown eyed princess!

Scripture Reading

2009-11-18T21:53:00.002-07:00

When it came time for Kenna's turn to "read" tonight during scriptures she told her dad she could it herself. So Andy told her to go ahead. We couldn't wait to hear what she had to say.

"And it came to pass that the Nephites crossed the road. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."

Oh my goodness! It was all we could do not to bust out laughing. Kenna is such a sweet little girl that keeps us on our toes.

Awesome Find!!

2009-11-15T19:02:00.002-07:00

All you moms out there needing some fun ideas for FHE, kid activities, or need some inspiration that we can do it (this mom has 8 kids): I came across this awesome blog!!!

chocolateonmycranium.blogspot.com

I found so many fun ideas!! I can't wait to have everyone feeling better and then get motivated to do some of the things on her site. Just look around and explore and hopefully you will find lots of fun stuff too!!

A few updates

2009-11-13T23:11:00.002-07:00

I've actually been updating our blog! Yes, a shock, but true! Look for fall fun and pumpkin carving posts in October. I will get the Halloween pics up soon! Now off to bed cause who knows how many times we will be up with throwing up girls!

A Haunting Halloween

2009-11-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

I am usually such a scrooge about Halloween. I really just don't see the point and hate the hassle of coming up with costumes that they wear for a few hours just to collect obnoxious amounts of sugar. I started this Halloween off as a scrooge but have to admt that we had a lot of fun! Hopefully I will not be quite such a scrooge in the future. Yes, I will probably still grumble about finding costumes but will hopefully quickly remind myself that it will all be worth it when we have lots of fun. The kids were very excited about Halloween and did a good job of finding things we already had or getting pretty creative. It was so nice that Halloween was on Saturday so I actually had Andy's help getting kids ready and going trunk or treating. Usually we end up meeting him at trunk or treating or he gets home just as we are getting in the car. Here's the crew all ready to head out for trunk or treating. My cousin's little girl Brooklynn came over to get her costume and have me help her get ready. She was a gorgeous princess!

Aaron wanted to be a scarecrow but not a normal looking one. He wanted to be a scarey pumpkin head one. Thanks to a sweet mask from Walmart, Dad's flannel shirt, Aunt Sara's bibs, and a straw hat from Grammy, he was all decked out and a happy camper!

Aidan couldn't decide what to be this year. I pulled out the costume box and he was thrilled to find a ninja costume! It fit him perfect and he was one tough ninja!

Meg really wanted to be Scooby-doo this year, but we couldn't find a costume anywhere. Well, I guess that is not totally true. We could find them to order online, but they were all pretty expensive and probably wouldn't get here in time. When the costume box came out, she was excited to find the dragon costume that she had been waiting to grow into. It was cozy warm and fit great! (She had a few problems with the zipper but it all worked out just fine.)

My sweet little Dora! (or as one of my friend's husband's called her - an aborigany. The wig was pretty crazy!) Anyone that knows Kenna knows this was very fitting for her. She absolutely loves Dora. Thanks to Aunt Christy we were able to make Kenna happy this year. She didn't wear the wig a lot cause it kept falling off, but she was a very cute blonde haired Dora!

My sweet little bunny Ashlee! This was my costume as a little girl and all of my children have worn it for their first Halloween. It has had the sleeves and pants tacked up or let out a few times due to very different heights of my children but they have all been the most adorable bunnies! Ashlee loved wearing her costume! Most of my kids have tolerated it and usually ended up taking the ears off cause they pulled on them so much, but Ashlee was the exception! She was a total ham! She loved all the attention she got! She was all smiles this night!

I love how you can see her two bottom teeth in this picture!

Yes, you are seeing things right! I actually dressed up. My friend Cammy convinced me to dress up this year and Andy kind of went along with it. She supplied the costumes and I did my part of the dead pirate (minus the costume makeup). Andy wasn't game for the matching outfit so he dressed as a hunter instead (I know - oh so original). I think he just wanted to practice for the upcoming hunting season. I have to admit it was kind of fun to dressup, and I may consider doing it again in the future. MAYBE!!

My adorable friend Cammy that convinced me to dress up.

On Friday before Halloween, we enjoyed school Halloween parties. Unfortunately I couldn't find my camera in the rush out the door for Meg's Halloween party, so I will have to bum pictures off my friends. But we had fun going to The Heartland for a parade and songs (minor little glitch in that she left her top at home and I had to hurry back and get it and then when they started singing her zipper wouldn't work so she was in tears most of the time, but at least she looked cute!) We then went to the church for a fun carnival and goodies! It was a fun morning. We had a few hours to go home and recoop before Aidan and Aaron's parties in the afternoon. I was in charge of Aidan's party, so we spent our time in his classroom but I did slip over to Aaron's classroom to see him and he came over to Aidan's to try and convince one of his sisters to go to his party. Kenna went for a few minutes but decided to come back to be with me. It was fun to go to the all school parade and then enjoy goodies in Aidan's classroom.

The boys love it when the girls come to their school. They love having them sit with them. It is so nice that their school is so family friendly! The girls love to be in the classrooms with the boys. It is crazy that Meg will be there next year too.

Halloween just wouldn't be Halloween without fun Halloween hairdos! The girls were excited for their spiderweb dos! On Friday, this was Meg's do for school parties. It looks hard but is actually really easy and pretty quick. I am sure we will be using this one again for just an everyday do too!

On Halloween, I wanted to try my hand at making up my own fun dos! These are what I came up with. Meg's took quite awhile cause of all the little rubberbands, but it turned out so cute! This is definitely not an everyday do but it is fun for Halloween!

Kind of a devilish little look!

I did Kenna's hair while the older kids were doing swimming lessons. It didn't turn out quite how I had picture it in my head, but it was still fun and she was excited to have a spiderweb do too!

The witch look! So appropriate for Halloween!

Pumpkin Time!!

2009-10-31T22:28:00.000-06:00

Oh how I have enjoyed this fall!! It has been so fun to be on my feet and enjoying the simple things in life with my family. We had a fun afternoon full of playing in the leaves and now a fun evening of carving pumpkins. You don't realize what you take for grantide until you don't have it. This year I have it and am not taking it for grantide. We kind of got a late start this Monday evening on FHE, but I didn't care. I was excited to carve pumpkins with the kids. Meg and I had bought a fun book with patterns and a few carving tools and were ready to have fun with the rest of the family. The girls did patterns and the boys made up their own designs. It was SO MUCH FUN!!

Crazy kids! Not sure what they were all doing but I do know we were having fun while doing it!!

Andy making fun of how Aidan's eyes look closed when he smiles (he takes after his mom). Thye were pumpkin carving buddies and had tons of fun together. Aidan just always keeps us laughing.

Once again Andy making fun of Aidan's eyes when he smiles and trying to get him to open his eyes wide. What handsome boys!!

Aaron going at the carving. He did his all on his own and boy was it scary looking. He didn't even gag this year when he cleaned his pumpkin out!!

Goofy Aidan having lots of fun!

Meg had fun carving the other side of her pumpkin she had decorated at preschool.

The perfect sized pumpking for our little pumpkin. Kenna just loved all the fun the came with pumpkin carving.

Our sweet little Ashlee Rose! She just walked around smiling and soaking up all the fun. She really wanted to eat the pumpkins. She loved stealing the tops off the pumpkins.

Attempting a picture with all five kids looking normal is practically impossible!

And it didn't get any better the more pics I took!

The only downside to all this hard work was the our pumpkins were stolen off our front step the night before Halloween. I had been so diligent in bringing the pumpkins in every night and putting them out the next day, but I forgot on Friday night. The kids were very sad to see their pumpkins gone. Even more, they were sad that their little battery operated lights were in them (all except Kenna's). It is so sad that some kids think it is fun or something to steal little kids pumpkins. Oh well! Can't wait for next year's creations!!

Fall Fun

2009-10-19T21:32:00.000-06:00

Leaves are falling all around - on the housetop on the ground. And boy do they make for a lot of fun!! Aunt Donna gets LOTS of leaves in her yard, so we decided to enjoy the beautiful weather and have some fun after school in her backyard. We didn't have too many leaves yet at our house, plus the kids always beg to go play in Aunt Donna's backyard. She has a fun treehouse, swing, fort, trampoline, crazy dog, and lots of leaves in the fall. Aunt Donna and cousin Brooklynn came out to play too along with Sage - the crazy dog (but a fun crazy - we love to see her fun fast laps through the yard, dig up and rebury her bones, chase her toys, and she loved to play in the leaves too). It was a beautiful day and so much fun to watch the kids enjoying the simple pleasures in life. They loved burying each other in the leaves and then popping out. There is nothing better than tossing leaves up in the air and having them fall back on your head. I just smiled as I bathed the girls later that night and washed a lot of little leaf bits out of their hair. We are so blessed to live in such beautiful country, in a peaceful town, in a quiet neighborhood, in a house just two doors down from Aunt Donna!

Aaron getting a good start on the leaf pile.

Aidan helping add to the leaf pile. The boys worked hard getting the pile big and loved every minute of it.

The girls loved throwing the leaves from the pile the boys made.

Aaron - my wonderful 9 year old, awesome big brother, great student, avid reader, and a wonderful helper to his mom

Aidan - my carefree 7 year old, comedian, tease, tenderhearted, athletic, and right there whenever Mom asks

Megan - my tomboyish, yet girlie girl 4 year old, princess, second little mother, dolly, always up for any kind of fun, Mom's right hand girl

Kenna (Kenny) - my stinkerbug little 2 year old, princess, girlie girl deluxe, fashion queen, goofball, snugglebug, always there at the right moment when Mommy needs a love

Ashlee Rose (Rosie) - my bright-blue, sparkley eyed 10 month old, energetic, independent, smiley, screamer, keep Mommy on her toes and moving but quick to give a love

Fun on the tree swing

Yes, it was bright out and I think a leaf may have gotten in her cast.

Always climbing up or on something!

Just chillin' on top of the tree house.

Ashlee enjoyed her first outing amongst the leaves. She thought they were mighty tasty.

The Fall Fun Clan

Surprise!! Thank goodness you didn't step on us while we were buried under all these leaves.

The only downside to our fun afternoon was the girls' allergies kicking in and Ashlee and Kenna ending up with bronchilitus from it. Thank goodness for good antibiotics and breathing treatments. But I think they would all agree it was worth it!

Walking Machine

2009-10-17T21:39:00.002-06:00

Ashlee turned 9 1/2 months on Oct. 1 and decided that she no longer needed to crawl. She had been starting to walk right before she turned 9 months and each day got better and better. Now she thinks she is a "big" girl! The first video makes me laugh as she is walking with a sword in her hand. She just wanted to be part of the action too. She tried to do whatever the big kids are doing. The second video was just a few days later and she is even more steady. I can't believe how fast my baby is growing. She is now 10 months old!! I can't believe how fast time has gone. Just a year ago I was in Billings at the hospital there dealing with a very annoying perinatologist that one minute was going to get to the bottom of what was causing all my problems and the next minute was telling me it was all in my head. I was so miserable cause he didn't believe in any pain medicine beyond a simple tylenol for pregnant women. I was wishing he could deal with constant contractions for months on end and see how a tylenol helped him. BUT... that is so in the past and everything worked out fine. I have a beautiful baby girl that brings so much joy and happiness into my days!! (And I don't have to EVER be pregnant again!)

Wrestling mishap

2009-10-17T20:36:00.003-06:00

On Oct. 3 we enjoyed a nice, peaceful Saturday morning watching General Conference. In between conference sessions, Andy went to ExpressCare because he had been sick for a week or so. I was upstairs changing Ashlee's diaper and getting her down for a nap, when Kenna came up the stairs crying. I figured she was mad at the boys cause she had been downstairs playing with them, so I told her to go sit on her bed and I would be there in a minute. When I went in, she was holding her arm and saying it hurt. I tried to calm her and tell her she was tough (which usually works) but it wasn't working this time. I decided I better get the story from the boys on what happened. They said they were wrestling on the rocking chair and Kenna tried jumping on Aidan's head and fell off the chair. I figured by the way she was acting that she had broken it but decided to give it a while cause she was tired. I took her downstairs and rocked with her in the rocking chair. Despite being extremely tired, she had a hard time falling asleep. She calmed down but any time she kind of put pressure on it, she cried. She could move her fingers and her wrist but putting pressure hurt. This was like dejavu from Megan's broken arm and how my mom describes how I was when I broke my arm, but I wanted to give it a little longer. I wanted to see how she was when she was sleeping and after she woke up. So she slept in my arms for awhile and then I laid her in my bed. She woke up once crying that it hurt and I got her calmed down and back to sleep. When she woke up for good, she said it still hurt but she eventually wanted to play with her brothers and sisters. The clincher for me that it was time to take her to the ER was watching her attempt to open the door to go outside. She tried to open it with her right hand and cringed when she put pressure on it. She then switched to her left and opened it. I could see the pain in her face as she attempted this simple task. So Kenna and I headed for the ER. The x-ray tech was already at the hospital, so we didn't wait long. Kenna was such a trooper through all of this. It was like it was just routine. She didn't cry, complain, or cause any fuss. She just smiled and did what they asked. It was a pretty good sign that it was broken when the nurse rolled the laptop computer into our room and said that the doctor wanted to show me the x-rays. Sure enough, a bow fracture just above her wrist. So they put a hard splint on it and said to call the orthopaedic surgeon on Monday to see what he wanted to do with it. Kenna was happy with the stickers the x-ray tech gave her and her request was to show Grammy her arm. Grammy happened to be on her way home from Cheyenne from state tennis so we went and showed Grandma Ruth instead. (Sidenote: Grammy had 5 broken arms when she was a little girl. Grandma Ruth saw way too many arms wrapped up like sweet little Kenna's. Guess Kenna wanted to try and be like her Grammy. Let's hope this is the only one she has, not five like Grammy!)

See my broken arm! It hasn't slowed me down!

Monday morning we headed to the orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Hansen. He and his PA Scott took care of Megan when she broke her arm at just about this exact same age. Good news for Kenna - only 3 weeks in a cast and in 6-9 months her arm should look straight again. She missed the growth plate (thank goodness)! Of course Kenna chose pink for her cast. She got lots of attention at the doctor office cause she was so cute in her pink outfit and her pink bow and her pink cast plus her sweet little smile and personality.

All tuckered out from a crazy weekend!

Despite being right handed and breaking her right arm, Kenna has not slowed down. It amazes me at how resiliant little kids are. She just does things with her left hand and whatever she can manage with her right. She doesn't complain and thank goodness has not used it as a weapon (knock on wood). She is scheduled to go back to Dr. Hansen on Monday, Oct. 26th to get her cast off. Then I will be a panicky mother for a while until it is strong again. I really don't want to do this again!

And the doctor says...

2009-09-24T20:29:00.000-06:00

No more monkeys climbing in the tree! This is the result of a fun afternoon climbing in the tree. Meg ended up hitting her eye on a branch as she was getting out of the tree. The crazy thing is that she didn't really cry about it. I didn't know it happened until she finally came in from having fun. When I asked her what happened, she nonchalantly said, "Oh, I bonked it on the tree branch." Silly girl! She loves to climb the tree so much she didn't want to be told to stop. I am sure it won't be long before she is back climbing again - probably tomorrow.

3 Little Monkeys

2009-09-23T14:24:00.000-06:00

Megan's favorite summer time activity was climbing the tree. She loved showing people how she could climb it and then hang from the branches and then jump out. She was always telling her good buddy Wesley Preator about climbing the tree, so one day she decided to teach him how to climb. They had a blast! Kenna wanted to learn too, but it took help from Mom for her to be able to climb. Surprisingly we haven't had any broken bones from climbing the tree. (Wesley and Megan are almost inseparable. They act like brother and sister together. They fight; they have fun; they are competive; they are creative together; they always want to be together even when we have to threaten to separate them cause they are arguing. They are only 10 days apart in age. I am so glad Meg has such a fun friend! And it is even better that Wesley's mom, Cammy, and I are great friends too!)

Monkey Wesley

Monkey Megan

Kenna, Wes, and Megan posing by the tree ~ Such cute kids!

Wesley and Megan ~ Best Buddies!

My little monkey princess!

9 Months Old

2009-09-22T13:43:00.000-06:00

Ashlee turned 9 months old on Sept. 15! She weighed 17.1 lbs (25th percentile) and was 27 5/8 inches long (50th percentile). Dr. Jamieson said she is perfect! She is getting better about her screaming which is a nice change. She still does it occasionally but not constantly like before. Ashlee decided that being 9 months old gave her permission to start to walk. She wants so bad to keep up with her brothers and sisters. She is a very social little girl. She does not like to be left in a room by herself. She wants to be in the middle of the action! She loves to smile too! She already thinks she can do whatever the big kids are doing. She will get in the middle of sword and noodle fights, try and color and draw, and play kitchen or barbies or ponies. The one thing she doesn't like to do is go down the stairs. She is very fast going up, but she won't even attempt going down. We haven't needed a gate yet cause she will just sit at the top and holler at you until you come and get her. I have worked with her on going down but she just doesn't want to do it. So for now, we will just keep hauling her down and keep trying to teach her.

Ashlee's bright blue eyes always have a sparkle in them. She just made our family complete and has added so much joy and happiness to our home.

Megan adores her baby sister! All of the kids just love her and constantly want to hold her or carry her around, which she is not to tolerant of very often. She just wants to follow them around. For the most part they put up with her getting into their stuff, but of course not always.

Megan took this picture of Ashlee standing up to my legs. That is one thing she loves to do when I am cooking, doing dishes, or working in my craft room. I have to make sure my pants are tied tight cause they get tugged on frequently. I know one of these days I will miss that feeling, so I am treasuring it while it lasts. One thing I will not miss is her constant spitting up and throwing up. Dr. Jamieson has put her on Prevacid to see if it will help. She has a rash/burn from her drooling/spit up on her poor little chest. He believes it has to do with an acid problem in her tummy which is probably causing the food not staying down. Hopefully the medicine helps so we don't have to look for structural problems inside. We shall see in a few days.

Here is a clip of Ashlee starting to walk. Her favorite thing to do when Andy gets home from work is walk between us. She gets so excited and tries to run. She loves to lunge right at the end. I can't believe how much better she gets everyday. She is standing up in the middle of the room too. It will only be a few weeks before she is walking all the time.

Two Wheeler Time

2009-09-13T15:42:00.002-06:00

Megan has been itching to learn to ride her bike without training wheels. I went out with her once but kept getting interrupted by the little girls. We borrowed the tag along for the back of my bike from my parents and she has been riding that. She says it helps her learn to balance. :) So yesterday Aidan suggested to Dad that he should teach Megan how to ride without her training wheels. Perfect idea, Aidan!! Off to the school parking lot across the street to learn. I was in the back yard pulling weeds. According to Andy, he held onto the back of her bike once and that was about it. She took off and never looked back! She was zipping around the parking lot when I came out to check on the progress. She was even starting all by herself. She is sure enjoying her freedom and loves being big with the boys.

Sporting the crooked helmet - Helmets can be such a pain when you have to have princess hair.

Starting out all by herself.

Look at me, Mom! I am doing it!

Zipping on by like an ol' pro!

She was even going over curbs. Thank goodness she was only going down curbs and that going up there was this flat place. The school parking lot is the perfect place to learn to ride a bike. There is usually only one car there when school is not in session. You only have to dodge a few big poles. We love living right across the street. There are a lot of advantages to it.

First Day of Preschool

2009-09-09T14:19:00.002-06:00

Megan had her first day of preschool today. She has been so excited for the last few years just waiting for this day. She has just been chomping at the bit since the boys went to school a few weeks ago. She knew that after Labor Day the boys would go to school the next day and then the next day she would get to go to school. You would have thought she was waiting for Christmas. She was so excited for Labor Day. She was very worried last night that she didn't get to take a bath like we had planned. She really needed clean hair cause she got sand in it playing with her good buddy Wesley. She was worried about what hairdo we were going to do too. She had her clothes all hung up nicely on the knob of her closet. She woke up very excited and wanted straight in the bathtub. (Normally she won't even talk about getting ready until she has had breakfast.) She was so excited to wear her new school clothes. She was okay with not having forever to just relax in the bath. She knew that once the boys started leaving that it was time for her to be heading out the door. Kenna kept insisting she was going to preschool too, so I had called my mom to see if she would come pick Kenna up before I needed to take Megan. I really didn't want a meltdown from her on Meg's first day. So Kenna was excited to go to Grandma preschool this morning (her idea). She even packed her backpack with baby dolls. Once Kenna was gone, Meg, Ashlee and I took a few pictures and headed out.

Megan was so excited to get to her classroom. I got her to stand still long enough for one picture before going in. She knew right where to hang up her backpack and coat and was off to find her friends. I didn't even get a picture of her with her teacher cause she was too busy finding her friends to socialize with.

She was just as excited when she came out of preschool. She couldn't wait to tell us about what snack she had, the fun things she played with, and what she needed for her next school day. She was already figuring out that tomorrow the boys go to school, then they all go to school, then we get to be home for a couple days, and then she goes back to school. It is so fun to see her so excited to learn!

Labor Day Weekend (or Play Day Weekend for us)

2009-09-07T16:42:00.006-06:00

We were supposed to go to the cabin for Labor Day, but due to so many having colds, with Ashlee being the one we worried about the most, we chose to stay home (much to the kids' dismay) and just play around here. It was nice to sleep in our own beds and not have to pack up a ton of things. We promised the kids that we would just play with them this weekend. No projects for Mom and Dad just lots of fun family time. Yes, my house is paying for it, but it was so worth it. I did get most of the laundry done which was kind of a necessity. We were able to sleep in each day and then go have some fun. On Saturday we enjoyed a nice trip to Walmart - unrushed, no one getting too upset while just kind of browsing and getting a few random things. We then had lunch at Grandma and Grandpa Jacobsen's house and got ready to go fishing at the pond. Our original plan was to go canoeing but someone else had already requested the canoes for the weekend. No biggie! The kids had tons of fun fishing. A few fish were caught (thank goodness none were kept). The weather was almost perfect (a little windy). And we had 5 happy kids! We were able to go pick some sweet corn from the farm! YUMMY!!! We also enjoyed a little BYU vs. Oklahoma football before heading home (we did see the end of the game later that night). Fresh corn was enjoyed for dinner and then a nice relaxing night just hanging out together.

Fishergirl Kenna

Kenna hooked a big sucker!! (just kidding Aidan)

Ashlee enjoyed playing in the back of the Excursion. It made the perfect "play pen" for her. She could see us bug wasn't down on the ground eating dirt.

Megan helping Grandpa reel in a big one!

Love this picture of Andy and his dad fishing side by side.

Aaron and Aidan having fun out in the paddle boat.

Today, Labor Day, we slept in again and then got ready to go to Red Lodge, MT. The kids wanted to go back to the "fun" park and then to the Nature Center (zoo to them). So we packed a picnic lunch and headed out. It was very busy in Red Lodge, and I noticed a lot of people wearing jackets or long sleeves. I thought, "Sheesh! They must be crazy!" Of course I didn't check the temperature in the car. When we stepped out I discovered why they had on jackets. It was a bit chilly. The wind was blowing and I was wishing we had our coats. Every other outing we make I seem to over pack - always having jackets, jeans, tennis shoes, sun screen, hats for the girls, and the kitchen sink sometimes too (just kidding). But this time I decided to just go with the flow and of course we needed all that. Thank goodness we had a blanket for Ashlee and her stroller with a shade. After a while we all adjusted and it really wasn't too bad out. In fact, it was probably more enjoyable than if it had been very sunny. We had fun at the park and eating our picnic lunch.

Chow Time!

Ashlee having fun in the shade of the stroller.

It was then off to the Nature Center. The kids have each been a few times, but Andy and I had never been. The kids were excited to see all the animals again. They each have names, and they remembered several of them.

Andy tried to scare the kids while I was taking their picture by growling like a bear while they had their pictures taken. Kenna just looked at him like, "Whatever, Dad. Nice try." (Kenna is the queen of facial expressions. Wish I would have caught it on camera.)

Speedy the kid friendly buffalo (at least that is what the kids told us - that he was kid friendly)

Kenna loves horses (and all animals - She has no fear.)

Silly kids posing before we left.

My sweet kids! I am so glad they love each other. Sweet Ashlee was all tuckered out.

Me and my sweetheart!! I love when he has a day off and we get to be together all day!

In my opinion we should always have three or four day weekends! It is so much fun to just play together as a family. The kids are growing so fast, and I want to enjoy seeing the world through their eyes for as long as I can. I am so grateful to have been given a second chance to continue to be their mom!

The "Scursion"

2009-09-07T16:19:00.002-06:00

Well, my brother really really wanted some pics of our new vehicle, and I thought it would be nice to have for journalling purposes too. So here they are. It is a 2004 Ford Excursion XLT. We absolutely love it (except the wonderful gas mileage, but what can you expect with a family of 7). It has plenty of room, a DVD player, heated leather seats, and tons of storage (lots of nooks and crannies). It has extra features we don't know if we will ever use like air bags on the back tires (for pulling heavy things), but hey, they might come in handy some day. We plan on having it for a long time. I am starting to get use to driving such a large vehicle. Some parking situations still make me nervous, but I don't mind walking a bit to have plenty of space to park. Getting the kids in and out is actually not a big deal like I thought it might be. It is nice that they can all get their own seatbelts on except Ashlee. I never thought I would have this big of a family and need this big of a vehicle, but I am very grateful for both!

Some Randomness

2009-09-06T13:39:00.004-06:00

Just wanted to share some random pictures from August. I just love to take pics of just the random, everyday happenings. Time goes too fast and I want to relish in the small and simple things!

Sweet little Ashlee! She still spits up a lot! She doesn't like green beans or sweet peas, but she eats basically all the other baby foods. She loves "table" food but it doesn't really set well with her yet. We really see a lot of that come back up. You know she is done eating when she starts trying to grab at the spoon. That means that it is time for her to just play with the spoon until I get her out.

Kenna loves being the big sister! Her new favorite thing to do is to push Ashlee around in the stroller. Andy and I have found this to be a wonderful thing while we are trying to work outside. Ashlee loves to be in her stroller and it keeps Kenna occupied and out of trouble. This day she was an EXCELLENT babysitter and put Ashlee to sleep. (Not sure why she put her pajamas on in the middle of the afteroon, but oh well. At least she was wearing something.)

Now this was kind of a freaky thing to walk in the bathroom and see. I don't remember exactly why I was giving her a bath in the late afternoon but I know there was a VERY good reason for it. Oh yeah, she had fallen into a mud puddle on her bike. I had gone downstairs to throw her clothes in the wash and came right back up. When I rounded the corner to the bathroom I gasped. I was very happy to see her little tummy rise and fall, indicating that she was really alive just sleeping. Poor little thing!! She was so tired that I guess the bath was just too relaxing.

Everyone always asks me if Ashlee is alwasy so happy and smiling! (Everyone in everyone that sees us when we are out and about and she is showing off.) Here is proof that she is not always a little sunshine. Poor sad little girl! She is so cute even when crying!

Gotta love the hands in the mouth. She must be teething, but we don't see any signs of teeth. But that is how it was with her bottom teeth. No swelling, no white gums, just all of a sudden teeth.

Ashlee gets so excited to see Grandma! She just couldn't wait to get on Grandma's lap.

Does that look like trouble or what?

Clapping for joy at being with Grandma!

Kenna and Papa ~ She loves to climb on to Papa's lap and get tickled.

Ashlee was excited about something.

Fun with Uncle Derrick. He loves to hold her but she is just too wiggly!

Uncle Justin only thought he wasn't going to be in the picture. Silly kid! That is what the whole point of the picture was. It is so much fun to see how natural he is with the little nieces and nephews. He is going to make some girl very lucky some day!! He will not be one of those shy, not involved dads. He's had lots of practice already! Not many people can say that they trust leaving a 14 year old boy in charge of their 5 kids.

First Day of School

2009-09-06T13:17:00.002-06:00

August 24th brought the first day of the 2009-2010 school year. Where did the summer go? Aidan was very anxious to get started, and Aaron was wishing the summer would be 9 months long and school only 3 months. Everyone was up and at 'em bright and early to begin a new routine. It is very convenient living right across the street from the school as it means we don't have to be quite as ready as early as if we had to drive the boys somewhere. It also mean the girls and I can still be in our pajamas if we want to be when they leave. But the first day of school is different. We all trapse across the street to see the boys' classrooms and see where their desks are. This year I am once again on the PTC, so the girls and I had things to do too. We had a cry room for new kindergarten parents if they wanted to come share morning goodies with us and meet other parents and share first day stories. The girls think they should already be going to school. They feel very comfortable there already as we spend quite a bit of time there. Westside is such a family friendly school!

Kenna, Aidan, Aaron, and Megan (not quite sure what was up with her having that belt around her dress) ~ Sweet little Ashlee was in my arms while I was taking the picture.

Aaron - 4th grade

Teacher: Mrs. Black

Aidan - 2nd grade

Teacher: Mrs. Hensman

I am excited for the new school year. I know it will bring lots of homework, reading, and good times for the boys. I am so thankful for their wonderful teachers and the time and patience they put in to help my boys learn. I would not make a very good homeschool mom as I am very lacking in the patience area. The boys are already talking about the fun different activities and field trips they will get to experience this year. Now we are just anxiously awaiting the start of preschool for Megan on Sept. 9th.

August 2009

2009-09-06T12:08:00.005-06:00

I know! I skipped July 2009. I will try and catch up on it, but I am tired of feeling overwhelmed with everything we did in July and then not getting the most recent stuff posted. I really need to get it journaled about, but for now I am going to try and catch up on the last month first.

August was a fun-filled, fast paced, don't know where the month went kind of months. We started the month off with my birthday! This was not just any birthday. I turned the BIG 3-0!! I have to admit it didn't feel any different from my other birthdays though. I don't feel older or wiser, but now I have to remember that I am 30. My wonderful grandma made me my favorite angel food cake with orange frosting and brought it over to share with my awesome hubby and kids, Grandma and Grandpa Lynn, Grandpa Don, Andy's parents, and my Aunt Donna. It was just a nice relaxed evening. I didn't really do anything all day. I didn't even feel guilty for not doing all the things I should have done. I let the kids just hang out while I read a little and just plain relaxed. It was so nice!! (My parents were in Centralia, WA, enjoying the Regional Babe Ruth tournament that Justin's team qualified for by winning State!! Awesome job, little bro!)

Just a wonderful picture, but the only one we have from the BIG day!

August means the beginning of school. Which also means an end to the endless hours of fun with friends. Yes, they can still come play after school, but it isn't quite the same as hours upon end of water fights, trampoline jumping, break times for snacks, lunch bunch fun, and all the many other endless activities that kids can come up with when enjoying time with their good buddies. This particular day was one of the last hurrahs at our house. It was a fun-filled day that we all hated to see end. Joining my kids were my good friends' Deana and Cammy's kids. I don't remember where Aaron was but I am sure it was off somewhere with a friend. We are so lucky to live in beautiful Powell, Wyoming, in such a good neighborhood and ward with such wonderful friends close by.

Sidney O'Briend, Wes Preator, Meg, Aidan, Dylan Preator, Katie O'Briend and Kenna

Sweet little Ashlee had to get moved to the counter as there was no where for her to sit around the table. Someday we will have a different house with a bigger kitchen so we can have a bigger table, but for now we are grateful to have our wonderful home that provides shelter and a place for us to have fun together!

On August 15, my sweet little baby girl turned 8 months old! Where has the time gone? She is such a fun little girl, but I am not sure how to cure her of her screaming. Screaming for fun, screaming to get your attention, screaming when she is mad, or just screaming cause she doesn't know what else to do. I have never had a screamer and I am going to lose my mind! We have tried everything to cure her of it, but NOTHING has worked. My mom keeps telling me that "this too shall pass." So I am trying to remember that, but in the meantime I may be taking a trip to Evanston before "it passes." BUT, she is still a lot of fun and smiles most of the time (yes, even when she is screaming or screeching or whatever that high pitched noise it). She is wanting to grown up way too fast! She pulls herself up to furniture, lets go of things and stands (which she is VERY proud of), and has even started climbing the stairs. I really don't want her to walk anytime soon. I need my last to be a baby as long as I can keep her that way.

What a sweet little look!

In my June post, I had a picture of Aidan with one missing front tooth. In August I am now reporting that he lost his other top tooth, just in time for corn on the cob season. It hasn't stopped our little corn hog from eating it though. NO WAY do we cut it off the cob for him. That just ruins the fun of corn on the cob. It just doesn't taste the same (according to Aidan). You would never be able to tell from how clean he gets his cobs that he is doing it without both front teeth. Hopefully by Christmas they are grown back in so he can ask for something else besides his two front teeth.

Look at that gap!

The last few months Andy and I have been considering getting a bigger vehicle. We now max out our mini-van, and it is a little crowded for the big kids in the back with Aidan and Megan still needing boosters and the little girls still in car seats. We made our trip to South Dakota just fine in it, but the boys are only getting bigger. We have gone back and forth between an Excursion and an Expedition or possibly a Suburban. We always seemed to come back to the Excursion despite the bad gas mileage. Andy has faithfully checked out different ones available close to us and far away. He called about several but nothing seemed to feel right. We had finally decided to timing was not right and that the van was still running just fine, so we were going to be grateful for what we had and wait it out a while longer. Of course, he kept checking different listings but I just kind of would nod and say "Uh huh. That is nice," and not really pay too much attention to what he was saying. For some reason when he told me about one in Burley, ID, I actually decided I would amuse him and look at the listing and the pictures. From there, it was just down hill (just kidding). Everything seemed good about it. The right price, the right mileage, the right features. YIKES!!! I didn't really want it to feel right. I am such a debt chicken. But we called about it and did some praying and some more research and it just seemed right. So, Andy and I made arrangements to drive to Burely, ID, and buy our "new to us" 2004 silver Ford Excursion. My mom was so nice and kept the kiddos for us so we didn't have to drag them along. We made it our "anniversay" trip since we were going a few days before our 11th anniversary. We left early Friday morning and drove straight through to Burley, ID, getting there in the early afternoon. After a quick test drive, we decided that, yes, we had made the right decision and bought the Excursion. We then headed back to St Anthony where we would be staying the night at Andy's brother's house - me driving the Excursion, Andy driving our car. We stopped in Idaho Falls at Applebee's to have our anniversary dinner. (I am sure it looked funny with us arriving in separate vehicles.) It was dark when we went through Rexburg, but we really wanted to stop and see the new temple. We have wonderful memories of our time in Rexburg as that was where we started dating and then lived for a year after we got married. The temple is just beautiful and we really hope to go back some day to actually go in and do a session or two. We then made it to St. Anthony and crashed for the night. The next morning we enjoyed picking raspberries from their garden and having yogurt and fresh raspberries for breakfast!! (Thanks a bunch, Tom and Cristy!! Raspberries are my ultimate favorite!) We then headed on home to get back to our kiddos and so Andy could make it to his Stake Conference meetings Saturday evening. We actually made it through Yellowstone without getting pulled over. (We were worried about driving an unlicensed vehichle through since President Obama was going to be in the park.) The kids were very excited to ride in the new "scursion" (as Kenna calls it). We were happy to see the kids and very grateful to my parents for keeping them overnight. It was a fun, fast trip and we have loved our "new" vehicle ever since!

Andy in front of the Rexburg, ID temple

me in front of the temple (it was very windy and getting chilly)

One of the last events of August was saying good-bye to Aunt Darcee the night before she left to go to college at BYU. I don't have any pictures of her with the boys cause they were being stinkers about saying good-bye. I think the older kids thought it would be easier to act that way so she didn't miss them as much. Kenna and Ashlee didn't understand what was going on. I am sure it will sink in in a few weeks when Kenna can't find Aunt Darcee to follow around at Grandma's house. I know she will have tons of fun, but it was sure hard to say good-bye knowing that she won't just be stopping by in the afternoons to say hi and visit the kids. She won't be here to go run the next race with me. She won't be here to babysit for me when I am in a pinch. She won't be here to call and ask if she can come use my scrapbook stuff for her latest school project. And the list can go on and on. But this is part of life. We all must grow up and move on and find our own path in this life! She has so much ahead of her and will go so far. She is bright, beautiful young woman inside and out. BYU is lucky to have had her choose to attend their college. I can't believe she was only 6 when I left home, and now she is 18 and moving on to adulthood. I am so thankful she is a good example to my children, especially my three little girls that just adore and admire her. I can't wait to see all the fun things that life will bring for her in the next few years!! I love you, Munchie!!

Ashlee with Darcee and Justin Preator

Kenna and Darcee (two peas in a pod)

Megan trying to avoid saying good-bye

I admit it!! I'm addicted!!

2009-08-28T08:08:00.002-06:00

Ok, I have to admit I am addicted to cute hairbows and flowers for my little girls' hair! Having three girls makes it easy to justify having matching bows for everything cause all three will use them. Plus the bows I get to match Megan's outfits will get used 3 times over cause Kenna and Ashlee will use them too! (I know Andy will just love this justification.) I love making bows, but I don't have access to all the cutsie ribbons, especially when I need that bow RIGHT AWAY!! (I am not a patient person.) So I have turned to all the creative girls out there that have found the cute bows and the time to share their talent. I have to tell you that right now my ultimate favorite "bow maker" is Erica from Lil Cutie Hair Bows (lilcutiehairbows.blogspot.com)! She is just getting her business going, and they are the most adorable bows!! I can't wait to place an order with her. I just need to take 5 minutes and go through the girls' outfits to see what I need matching stuff too. Megan was looking at her blog with me and was so excited. She wanted one of EVERYTHING!! Her corker flower bows are just the cutest ever!! Now that I am so excited to go through the girls' clothes, I need to get on making Ashlee's bow board. The one I made for Kenna and Megan is completely full and bows are sitting on the dresser waiting for Ashlee's bow board to be done. I may even have to make a third to hang in the bathroom! But hairbows are just so cute!!!

The "C" Word

2009-08-25T13:22:00.000-06:00

Today brought the best news I have heard in the last 7 months. My CT scan and blood work came back clean!! Hurray!! The cancer is still gone! I can say I am now 6 months cancer free. I really don't think it will ever come back, but it was a huge relief to have that appointment out of the way. Dr. Purcell, my oncologist at Billings Clinic, was very pleased with the progress I have made and couldn't believe I was back to running 4 miles. I feel so blessed for all the help I have received along the way from so many different people and sources. I feel blessed to have been in the best hands of the best surgeon and oncologist. I feel so blessed to be able to watch my children grow and be here to be their mother and spend time with my best friend in the world, Andy! So for the next 6 months we continue on with the chaotic life we live and enjoy it to the fullest. I go back again the end of February for repeat tests, and I look forward to hearing the same news!!

The rest of the story

2009-08-09T16:21:00.006-06:00

We had so many happenings in June I thought I would split up my journalings. While the boys did baseball in the evenings, Megan had gymnastics in the morning on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She absolutely loves gymanstics. Because she had done the preschool level several times, her teacher Ms. Starla (Craig) asked if she would move up to the Beginner class. She was ready to be challenged a bit more. The last day of gymnastics they have a program. I've posted a few pics from that program. Megan is always sad on the last day cause she hates for it to end. She can't wait for the fall session to begin after school starts.

Flipping off the bars for her dismount!!

Everyone loves the balance beam

Somersault on the narrow beam - What a star!!

I didn't get pictures of all the summer sporting events. It was nice to be able to just drop kids and not have to torture the little girls with sitting through everything. Aaron and Aidan did team tennis on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings through June. They both had so much fun and loved going with Derrick and Aidan's buddy Dylan Preator. Megan also did recreation tennis the last half of June. Hers was held at the courts across the street from our house, and she was very excited to get to walk to and from tennis "by herself." She wants to be as big as the boys. I love it cause I can watch her do it without her knowing. She was excited to have Ashley Akin as her teacher cause Ashley's little sister Chelsea is one of Darcee's really good friends. Ashley was so good with the kids, and Megan was sad to have her last day of tennis. Summer brings so many fun activities!!

Non-sporting NEWS

Aidan lost his third tooth! He now has a cute toothless grin! He is so funny when he gets a loose tooth. He is a very persistent child and tries all sorts of methods to get his teeth to come out. He has even resorted to using tweezers to yank and dig and jerk them out. With this front tooth, he let his dad pull it out with pliers. He has always wanted to do it his self, but he relented and let Andy do it this time. He is a tough little boy!

June 26 was a day for celebrating. Aunt Darcee turned 18! It was so fun to celebrate with her. Aunt Kimberly and cousins Hailey and Kennedy got to be there with us to celebrate. I didn't end up with any pictures of Megan and Hailey together but I have a few of sweet Kenna and Kennedy together. They are only 6 weeks apart in age (no, we didn't purposely name them that close), and they are turning into good buddies. Kennedy is such a little sweetheart with a smile that just melts me and gives the best loves. It is so fun to see the girls run and hug when they see each other. I hope their friendship continues to grow as they get older and that they can be best buddies! How fun to have a cousin so close in age!

Cousin loves!

Where did June go?

2009-08-09T15:44:00.004-06:00

It is time I got things updated. It seems that our life was consumed with baseball during the month of June. Aaron played on Mondays and Wednesdays and sometimes Fridays, and Aidan played on Tuesdays and Thursdays. When they didn't have a game, they usually had practice, so we spent a lot of time juggling boys between practices and games. The girls spent a lot of time in the car and sitting at the baseball field. It was fun to watch the boys having fun and learning. They both had awesome coaches that were very generous in volunteering their time. Aidan was in pitching machine/coach pitch this year. His team was the Padres. He had some of his buddies on his team - Nate and Jesse Brown, Kaiden Brown, and Ben Jackson. Aidan is our little lefty or should we say righty. He plays sports left handed but writes right handed. His coaches had him bat right handed but he can do either. It is so much fun watching him learn and grow.

Waiting for the hit!

Nice hit! (Love the cheeks!)

Taking time out to give Mom a cheeser! So happy to be safe at 1st base.

Aaron was in his first year of Minors this year. It was the first year for the kids to actually do the pitching. He was on the Dodgers. His good friends Braden and James were on his team as their dads were his coaches. They go to a different elementary school, so it was fun for Aaron to get to spend a lot of time with them this summer doing what they love to do - play baseball. Aaron got the chance to even pitch during a few games. Boy did that make Mom a wreck!! But he was calm, cool, and collected! I am now experiencing what my mom went through for so many years as I played sports (and is still going through while my younger siblings play). It was so much fun watching him learn and grow!

Waiting for the pitch

Two of my favorite boys!! (Andy helped out during one of the few games he was able to make it to.)

1st time pitching!

Getting some advice from Coach Schiller

During all the hustle and bustle of baseball, Ashlee turned 6 months old!! Where has the time gone? She is such a sweet little girl that brings so much joy to our home. At her 6 month check up she was 14 lb. 14 oz. and 25 1/4 inches long. She had just started scooting/crawling before her appointment. She wasn't sitting completely yet, but she didn't like to be stationary. She wanted to just be on the go!! I always thought she might be my relaxed baby being the last and having so many siblings to dote on her, but I was so wrong! She wants to keep up with them. She is a very social little girl and likes to be right where the action is. She didn't do so well starting solid foods. Most of it came back up, so that is something we starting working on more after she turned 6 months. She loves to be laid down by herself to drink her bottle. She is not much into cuddling anymore, which makes me very sad!! I just wish I could stop time and keep her little for a while longer. I feel like I kind of missed out on her being a little baby, so I was hoping for her to stay one longer than the others did, but that is not happening. I am so grateful for each day to enjoy being home with my kids to see them grow and change! They are only little for such a short time!

Ashlee loves to play with the Little People toys, especially when one of her siblings plays with her.

My bright blue eyed, sweet bald headed baby!

Such a sweet little (life-saving) angel!!

Inseparable

2009-07-19T22:15:00.003-06:00

Cailee and Megan were inseparable when Cailee was here. After Christy went home, she left Cailee here so she could have her "grandma time." The other kids had their turn when Christy was pregnant with Maddie but Cailee had to stay at home because she had school. Megan was so excited that she didn't have to say good-bye to Cailee right away. I am not sure there was a day they weren't together. It was hard to keep them apart. They are only about 16 months apart in age. They both love to do a lot of the same kind of things. We have had people ask us if they are twins before - I think a lot due to the dark brown eyes, olive complected skin, and the dark brown long hair. And they are almost the same height. It seems like Christy and I fix their hair the same too when we are together (not on purpose). In these pictures it was tixed the same on purpose because my mom waited for me to come fix Cailee's hair one day. She decided she wanted it just like Megan's. Meg's was kind of hashed already but they loved being "twinners."

We had to get a picture of everyone together before Cailee left. They are happy here, but they quickly turned sad as they said their good-byes. Grandma took Cailee home the next morning.

I had to have a picture with my little sweet niece. Not the greatest picture as I was taking it myself and the wind was blowing but I noticed I don't have many pictures with my nieces and nephews. So it is my goal to get more pics with them when I see them. This was the start of my new goal. I got to be there when Cailee was born. What an awesome experience that was!!! My mom and dad were on their way home from a church history trip back east and they didn't fly in until the night Cailee was born. It was so fun to be there as she made her entrance into the world!! I am so thankful to my sister and brother-in-law for giving me that opportunity.

Cousin Fun

2009-07-19T21:43:00.008-06:00

So I am still trying to play catch up with all the happenings this summer! I think one of the highlights of my kids' lives in when they get to be with their cousins. My sister Christy lives in Fruita, Colorado, so it is a treat for the kids to get to be together. They were so excited to be together that is was hard to separate them. One night we had a sleepover at our house with Cailee (age 5 - just turned 6) and Abby age 4. It was so much fun to drag out all the mattresses and couch cushions for one big sleepover in the family room. The kids watched a movie and eventually fell asleep. They had so much fun giggling, whispering, and just playing together.

Megan - age 4

Cailee - age 5 almost 6

Abby - age 4

Kenna - age 2

Aidan - age 7

Aaron - age 9

It has been fun to have been pregnant at the same time as my sister two times. Our sweet little girls are 4 weeks and 15 minutes apart in age. We were together for the first time at state basketball in Capser, but we never got pictures with the girls together. So we made sure we got a few when Christy was here for Darcee's graduation. This is is Miss Madison (Maddie) Lee Crossley and Miss Ashlee Rose Jacobsen. Maddie was born Nov. 17 and Ashlee was born Dec. 15. They are just the sweetest little girls. I hope they grow up to be such good buddies.

More sleepover pictures!

Proof that everyone did eventually fall asleep!!

I was sad that I didn't have a picture of sweet little Brandon (age 3) with everyone. He stayed at Grandma's house with his mom and baby sister the night of the sleepover. He is such a fun little guy! My boys love having a boy cousin even though there is a big age gap. Maybe Christy has one of him with the kids that I will be able to get to add to their scrapbook.

Crafty

2009-07-15T15:14:00.002-06:00

I am not the most crafty person, but I can kind of copy cat. I have seen bow boards on the internet for sale and decided I could make one myself so that it matched my girls' rooms. I was so tired of not having a nice way to keep their bows. So, here is the bow board I made for Megan and Kenna's room. No, it isn't hung yet cause Megan changed her mind about her bunkbeds and wanted them separated for now, which changed the layout of the furniture. Now I need to decide where to hang it. I ran out of room on it though, so I have since purchased stuff to match Ashlee's room and will make another one for the rest of the bows. If I run out of room on that one I will make one to match the bathroom (which I know Andy would just love!). I love to do crafts, and it is so fun to actually finish projects. I have a closet full of projects that I need to finish.

This is a bow board I made for my cousin's new baby. My aunt and grandma had me do it for a gift along with some bows and flowers that we put on it. I hope it matches her room. I put hooks on the bottom of hers to hang headbands on. When I find hooks to match my girls', I plan on adding them to theirs.

My latest craft project was this new FHE assignment board. Since our family is complete I decided it would be nice to have everyone on it finally!! I love doing things that benefit my family. Now, I need to get back to scrapbooking but I don't know if that will happen anytime soon. It seems like there is always a card to make or some other project I "need" to do.

Every Girl Needs a Sister!

2009-07-09T14:00:00.002-06:00

I remember when I found out I was pregnant with Megan. I just couldn't believe that I was actually going to get a girl!! After the two boys I just thought I would only have boys. My sister had a girl, and I was so jealous watching her do the bows, headbands, dresses, painted fingernails, etc. I was so worried that even after 4 ultrasounds that my doctor was wrong, I didn't buy a single girl thing until after she was born. I asked my doctor, "Is it really a girl?" He just laughed at me. Who would have thought over 4 years ago that I would end up with not only one girl but THREE!!! They are each so different in their personalities, but it is so much fun to see them interact together. There is just something so special about the bond between sisters. I know they will go through their times of not getting along, but I hope in the end they end up best friends like I am with my sisters.

As I was looking back through pictures, I couldn't find very many of my sisters and me, so when Christy was home for Darcee's graduation we made sure we got some pictures. Of course, we always took them at the end of our festivites, when we were exhausted, but none the less we got them. I am so lucky to have the best sisters in the world!!! Yes, I am the oldest but the shortest, the only one with blue eyes and blonde hair, but none of that matters when it comes to sisters. I love having sisters to share my joys and disappointments with, my milestones and frustrations, a good laugh and a good cry, and someone to just chat with when I am needing a boost! It doesn't matter how many miles separate us, we will always be the best of friends!!

Aspiring Photographer

2009-07-09T13:39:00.006-06:00

Megan (4 years old) loves to take our camera and take pictures. I love having a digital camera so I can let the kids just use their imaginations and practicing taking photos without it costing me money to see what they have taken. I love to see what interests Megan. She is such a fun little girl - full of life! I think my favorites are when she takes pictures of herself, but she uses various subjects including her siblings, the tv, different stuffed animals, the outdoors, etc. Here's just a taste of what you get in Megan's little world!!

(If you come to our house - BEWARE!! You will likely become the subject in one of Megan's pictures as Grandpa Don found out here.)

(Part of our front door)

One of my rose bushes - it now has beautiful yellow roses blooming on it. (Too bad she didn't wait to take this after I had weeded.)

My friend Michele's vehicle. Bet you never thought you'd be this famous, huh?

The tree in our front yard.

I also found pictures of Tigger and Pooh posed together, pics of her wonder horse she occassionally rides on, and some pictures I just couldn't tell what they were - probably practicing zooming in. Technology can be so much fun!