Scott rocked the (school) house

Scott had such a great year.  He loved his teacher who was all about music.  They made a cd and this track was one of Scott's finest!  He does the speaking at the beginning and ends it with a sweet solo.  Enjoy!

Being Sick

Today I've been thinking about being sick.  No, I'm not deciding whether or not to feel yucky, I already do.  I've just been pondering health.  What a blessing health is.

What a bummer being sick is.  It really wipes me out physically as well as emotionally and even spiritually.  And it certainly doesn't just have to be me that is sick.  Try a child sick with a high (104-106!) fever for 8 days.  Being sick really changes the whole game of life.  You must act differently, spend your time differently, and really pace yourself differently. 

So here is a little blessing (shout up?)  for all of you who find yourself or a loved one sick today.  I hope you feel better soon!

Balance

For the new year, I'm focusing on balance. It is a tricky walk. With a husband and 6 kids, 7 fish, 1 potty trainee, 80 loads of laundry, 12 full rooms, and so much else I have to carefully decide what to focus my time and energy on.

Last month, it was not this blog! It was having a magical Christmas with my 7 favorite people (plus many more family and friends). But we got it all done. Gifts for each other, for lots of extended family, cards, gifts for neighbors, decorating, baking, projects and lots of fun outings took up every available minute until the 24th (okay, and beyond, like the cards that might have gotten to you before 2011).

But this month, I'm thinking I want to write more down, share more thoughts. So I'm laying all out this month. We'll see how it goes. I have lots to tell you. Like the miracle of my 5th little potty trainee. Oh, the blessings of heaven have been heaped down upon us and her little froggy potty!

So, organize a closet or two with me and love a child or two. I'm getting in better shape, getting my house in shape and trying to get my schedule in shape, but all with balance (ie. sloooowly).

Thanksgiving Point Holiday Lights

We had our first Christmas outing as a family on Tuesday. Thanksgiving Point's Holiday Lights opened and it was free for members. So we thought we'd check it out. We'd been several years ago and hadn't been that impressed. But we were very happily surprised. We really liked it.

There were so many fun lights, including a reindeer training jump with parachuting deer, toy soldiers shooting pop guns, flipping gingerbread men, ice skaters, and of course Santa waving goodbye!

We liked it so much we went through twice! Of course the lovely price (free!) may have added to our pleasure. The path even ends with a Christ centered lane with words to the song "This is the Season" accompanied by beautiful paintings (from the book of the same name) and a life size nativity.

It was a great start to December. Bring on the holidays!

Hee Haw's Pumpkin Patch

Do you go to a pumpkin patch in the fall? We like to go to a local farm turned destination pumpkin patch. I like it because it still feels like an old farm, a little dirty, a few old junky pieces of machinery around (a perfect "Mater") and lots of stuff just thrown around.

We rode the animal train.



We rode the trick-or-treat hay ride.

We picked a few sweet pumpkins for our Annual Pumpkin Carving Party. (Check out last year's here.)
We played on the grain sack slide.

And a few of us tried the corn maze, well, we all started, and a few of us (the ones prone to fits of tears, which may or may not include me) went back to the van to eat our spoils.

A Summer Blessing

We blessed Summer in our church on October 10th. We had a lot of our family in town, and we were so grateful to have them (and missed the ones that couldn't make it).




Summer wore the dress I was blessed in, and my mother was blessed in made by my great-grandmother. She wore a hand-crocheted jacket and booties belonging to my paternal grandma and a sweet flower clip make by my sister. All heirlooms to treasure always.

We had a delicious lunch with contributions by everyone (thank you!). I even managed a little decoration, these buntings I sewed up quickly on the Saturday before. Now they live in Summer's nursery.

Cascade Springs

One beautiful mountains just a hop, skip and a jump away, we always have to go for a few beautiful fall drives. This year we made it clear to Cascade Springs. I think we got there a week or two early though.



Which is not to say it wasn't beautiful, or that we didn't have fun, or that it wasn't an adventure.

The kids insisted on bringing their hiking backpacks.

They had fun; so did we.



We ended with a little adventure, wherein Daddy saved the day!

Girls, and Boys and Baby, Oh my!

Life with six kids has been, how shall I say this,

kicking my trash!

I have barely been able to survive (along with keeping the other 7 people in my family alive) let alone write about how I was surviving it.


(How's that for keeping it real?)

But today, while my kind friend and neighbor took my two preschoolers to the park and my baby is napping, I decided to take a few minutes to look back at what I've missed telling you all about.

Since it is a lot, I will space them out over several days, so check back!

So here goes...

A Spot of Sun

Early this morning, as the very earliest light started to creep in the window of our nursery, I rocked our little Summer. She had just eaten a little, and I put her up on my shoulder to burp. She quickly let her eyelids drop shut and fell asleep. Despite the strict feeding regiment we are on (due to some nursing problems), I just let her sleep.

How could I wake her? She was making that sweet, soft, I'm-full-and-content baby sigh with each tender breath. I love that sigh. It's one of my favorite things about newborns.

So instead of undressing her, changing her diaper, or doing the vigorous foot rub to wake her, I let her sleep on my shoulder. In fact, I took her to bed with me and felt my heart grow a little larger. Because it does, with each child I give away part of my heart that forever lives in that baby. And somehow with all those missing parts of my heart walking around the earth, inexplicably, my own has grown. Warmer, softer, and so much larger.

Welcome Baby

Welcome Summer! 9 lbs. 8 oz.



Sweet as can be.

Why I'm Hot, Sore, and a bit Grumpy

Because motherhood is worth it!

Thanks to my MIL for sharing.

Birthday Week, 3???

Will there be a third?

Birthday Week, 2

Next up, Scott.

A Spot of Sun

Well, the afternoon has clouded over, but there has been plenty of sunny news to tide me over until the real sun comes around again.

1. The kids are done with school, all with happy faces. And they didn't even throw any fits when we announced the new chores for the summer, maybe because we also announced their new bedtimes!

2. My brother found a good job for a Federal clerkship (he just graduated from Wash U Law School with my other brother. I got to go and will share pics soon.)

3. My 3 hour glucose test came back normal! Yea. 17 hours fasting with only a very nasty sugar drink to make me woozy and sick to my stomach was NOT my idea of fun.

4. I get to go on a date this weekend after a long drought.

I hope your weekend is looking sunny, too!

Our Patio

One of these days (hopefully this weekend!) we'll have warm enough weather to enjoy our new patio set up. We found this great patio set on KSL classifieds for a great deal. I was lucky to get them when the first person flaked and forgot to show up, and so they let me come.

And here is the other side of our patio, our fun table that we've eaten at a handful of times already, sometimes with soggy bottoms due to wet cushions!

And the center piece of our patio and backyard, this lovely ode to children. Beware, someday it will be beautiful, and not just loads of fun. Someday.

We got to try it out the first night with a great fire and s'mores.

Here's to lots of fun on the back patio all summer! I hope you have all sorts of fun planned this spring. What are you looking forward to most?

At Least We Had Tulips

The weather has been so lousy, we haven't been to Thanksgiving Point in a few weeks. Luckily, during the Tulip Festival, the weather was decent and we got to go several times. One night we took a picnic. We had such a lovely time. I love spring!


I totally loved this bed of tulips, pink, yellow, and peach. I think I'm going to do this in front of my cute little yellow house.

Charity is Two!

Charity turned two a few weeks back. She had a wonderful birthday. I love how all my kids give presents to their siblings, usually something they have made or don't play with anymore. It makes it more meaningful for everyone!


Dawn gave her an old doll, which she loved! Complete with handmade clothes. (We use old socks to make doll clothes, especially old soccer ones! It works great.)

The ice cream cone bubbles, maybe Charity's most played with toy, she's carrying it around as I type this. Part of Rachel's gift.

The goods, note the play food donut she's eating up. I made Charity some felt play food. I've been wanting to try it for so long, and I'm so happy how it turned out! I'll show you that more in detail tomorrow.

She was a pro at the candles. She knew just what to do!

We gave her a doll outfit that matches her sister's dolls. Aren't they cute all together?

And of course, the close by grandparents were there. Often we invite many cousins and other family to birthdays, but we've found with really little ones, a smaller party is better and results in a much happier child.

Easter 2010

We hosted Easter Dinner at our house this year for Matt's family. Besides being General Conference weekend and Easter, it was also his Mom's birthday.
The kids had their own bright cheery table complete with Peep place cards.

The two kids that didn't fit at the table.

The adult table.

The whole gang relaxing after a good meal.

The two birthdays we celebrated.

A loud, crazy, happy, family celebration for remembering our Savior and his miraculous Atonement and Resurrection!