Family Home Evening...pumpkin bread deliveries

Today I decided that it would be fun to make pumpkin bread and deliver them to families for FHE. I realized that the sisters I visit teach hadn't been formally seen by me this month and so I figured I could count this. I try hard to stay on top of visiting teaching. This month seemed to be so busy with our two trips away from home and a birthday and Halloween (mentally exhausting making sure I have costumes for everyone.) Anyway, I had fun making the bread. Emily took a short nap for me this afternoon and so it made bread making even easier. This is my favorite time of year...my house smelled so good today. I wish I could send all of you a little bit of the smell through my message. You can imagine how it smelled 10 loaves later. I wrapped them all and put some ribbon on and we took off soon after Todd got home to deliver our bread. We didn't get too far. Well, I gues 2 out of 4 wasn't so bad. If you don't know Todd, he loves to chat. Our 2nd house was our other counselor in the bishopric and he told us...come on in. His wife is Emily's nursery leader and so everyone was comfortable. Not a good combination if you are trying to get some other deliveries in. This couple's children are grown and they are yet to be grandparents and so they loooovvvveee the little kids. They kept telling us thanks for entertaining us tonight. My kids were in heaven....they were wild and the guy was just egging it on. He was loving it...He would ask the boys, "Have you ever done the pretzel?" He makes their body look like a pretzel. It was funny. Of course, the boys were loving it. They were so entertained by the couples 2 cats. The one cat let's his owner hold him up by his arms (yes, the cats body is just hanging outstretched) until he puts him down. The cat acted like he enjoyed it. It was wierd looking. Emily was carrying thier dumbell's around because they were purple like her shirt. She kept telling us that. His wife held Ellie the whole time and rocked her to sleep. They told us they were happy we made their Monday night into a real family night. I am glad we went and did that. It was fun chatting with friends.

So it looks like I have a couple more deliveries tomorrow to do in my not so busy schedule...yeah right. Who's day isn't busy with kids on Halloween? The village, our historic downtown area, is having trick or treating from 3 to 5pm tomorrow so I will take the kids over there as well with some friends. We should be pretty well stocked with sweets around here. :)


Here is a surprise that came in the mail from Aunt Nancy. Just what we need....more candy. I guess this isn't just candy...it is See's candy. The kids were so excited to get it. Emily was the only one home when FedEx dropped by. That is why she is only one in the picture with the 3 boxes. The kids are so excited for Halloween. It is crazy. Mom, were we this amped up as kids? I'm sure we were.

Just to document....I am so proud of Mitch. He finally told this boy that he plays with that he can't play with him anymore if the boy isn't nice to all of the friends that are playing together(Mitty's friends). So Mitch told him to be nice to all of the buddies and he can continue playing with him. Mitty told me today with a smile on his face, "Mom, I told the boy what you said and he was nice to everyone!" I was so happy. For a minute I had forgotten what I told him..yikes. There has been a little jealousy issue with two other boys (fighting over who gets to have all of Mitty's attention). The other two boys haven't realized that if they are nice to each other then all three can play together. I thought that was just with girls. The teacher has been telling me the saga that goes on. I am glad to see Mitty stand up and tell this boy to be nice. The boy had involved Mitty in some silly thing with some girls in their class that they ended up getting in trouble for (tapping some girl that they like on her head.) I was able to tell Mitty that when we hang around boys/friends who get into trouble, you will too. Make good choices and be a leader and the other kids will follow you and do what is right. I am so thankful Mitty was able to see how that worked for him today.

I'm off to finish up the dishes before I hit the sack. I spent too much time on here....again.

***Were your kids up much earlier today??? Mine sure were. We had time to spare before we had to leave for school this morning. That doesn't ever seem to happen. Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving

Today was a pretty productive day. I carved pumpkins with the kids, worked out, helped Todd wax the truck, washed clothes, went through papers and then relaxed. The boys wanted to help Todd wipe the wax off of the truck so he let them. I think that lasted 5 minutes. They started saying how it was hurting their arms. He recruited me out to help so it would speed up the process. Casey asked Todd, "Why do you always have to work?" Todd had washed the truck this morning and then was waxing it and then washed his car. Todd explained to him that we have a responsibility to take care of the things we have. It was kind of funny because I think Casey was tired of doing all of the work with dad. Casey wants to spend every minute with dad but I think all of the work was getting to him. The kids just love being a part of the carving. I was actually loving it. And as we speak I am baking the seeds for a yummy snack. The smaller one is Emily's and the larger one is Casey. He wanted it to look mean...of course. What boy doesn't?? :)

I also went out and bought the kids costumes...ugh. Why do they have to be so expensive? Emily has been set on being Cinderella and just loved the dress when I brought it home. I was so happy about that and it looks just so cute on her. Mitch is going to be a Red Ninja. I will post pics of the costumes later. Casey is going to be Batman and I think we are having Ellie be a pumpkin. A friend of mine has a cute pumpkin costume that I think I will borrow. I actually hate borrowing costumes. The whole time the child is wearing it I can hardly relax. I sit there worrying that my child will ruin it or spill and stain it, etc. Yes, then I could just give the friend money and then wish I had just bought it in the first place so that i didn't have to sit and worry all night. Oh well. I feel good that the costumes are now taken care of. On to the next item on my never ending list of things to do.

I really look forward to Halloween night. I love all of the kids costumes and just seeing how creative some people are with their costumes. Not to mention the plethora of candy that seems to come into my house. Now there will be 3-4 bags of candy to choose from. ha ha ha. I am really trying hard to be good on my points :). Wish me luck at this time of year. Our trunk or treat is on Halloween night. I was kind of bummed because we have to drive about 20 minutes to our building and then it's on a school night. Plus our ward is combining with 3 or 4 other wards. They are expecting 500 people. Sounds like a night of chaos that I don't feel like taking on. Some friends in the ward are having a get together at their house close by for dinner and then trick or treating with the kids. We have opted to do that instead. The kids don't care as long as they get to go trick or treating. Happy Halloween!!

HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY, MITTY!!

Today is Mitty's birthday. I can't believe he is already 7 years old. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were so anticipating his birth. Mom, remember me, you and Todd went to Island's for lunch. I went into the hospital at 5:20pm and I had him at 10:30pm. I don't think I wll ever forget the birth of any of my children but Mitty's especially. I remember pushing for an hour and a half with him. By the time he was actually being born the epidural had worn off in spots and wow, did it feel like fire. His head got stuck and that wasn't so comfortable. Actually, quite painful. He sure paved the way for his siblings because they all were out in 3 pushes and no problems. Thank goodness we don't remember the pain once we are ready for another. Of course it is all worth it.

I am so thankful for Mitty. He is such a sweet, caring, sensitive to others, loving, understanding, compassionate and talented boy. He loves his family so much. Other parents of children in his school class always tell me how much he just loves his family by how he shows it. He doesn't care who is around, he has to kiss each one of us and hug us whenever he goes to school and then he comes running out at the end of the day to hug us all. One mother always tells me how happy our family must be since Mitch just comes running to us whenever he sees us. Mitty's teacher tells me that she has never seen a boy show so much affection and tenderness toward his sisters. She thinks it is just wonderful that he is that way. Mitch had to write about a special person in his life and he wrote about his sister, Ellie. It was so sweet.

7 things I love about Mitty:

* He is fair with others
* He is a thinker and loves to learn about everything
* He is kind to his siblings and others
* I almost never have to ask him twice to do something
* He has such a strong desire to do what is right...I'm hoping that lasts forever :)
* He is extremely patient with everyone !! Took after dad on that one :)
* He is very forgiving

One more thing that I love so much is that at anytime he will just say, "Mom, I love you." I would love for that to last a lifetime. I am so thankful that I was trusted enough by my Heavenly Father to have Mitty sent here to be a part of our family. I have so enjoyed these 7 years with him. I look forward to all of the experiences that we will have together.

It worked out nicely that today he has a field trip. The kids love to ride the bus on their field trips. Hopefully, he will have fun.

He has picked Woodstock's Pizza for dinner tonight. I gave him the choice of a homemade cake or one from the store and he picked homemade. How cute is that. I stayed up late last night decorating the table with balloons and streamers and a fun Superman tablecloth. Also decorating a cake for him so it was all ready for him this morning. It is so fun for me to see how excited they are when they wake up see all of this. Tomorrow afternoon we will go bowling. Todd has tomorrow off so he will be able to help out. I think Mitch has picked a friend to go with him. It should be fun. Sad to say, I don't think my kids have ever been bowling. I'm not the type to hang out at the bowling alley. They were always a little shady and probably sitll are. He is excited for it so that's good.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MITTY!!! I love you so much.

Unexpected Dinner Guests

Yesterday around 4:30 I get a knock on the door. Of course, the entire family has to run to the window to see who it is. It was the missionaries. Since Todd wasn't home they couldn't come in but were happy to hang out on the front lawn showing my boys "wheelies" on their bikes. They said..."Remember when you told us if we didn't have anywhere to eat dinner to come over?" Uhhhhh, sure. They asked if they could eat dinner with us. Ok, sure! In my mind I'm thinking what was I even planning to have for us. I hadn't gotten that far with the day eventhough it was 4:30. I told them to come back around 6:00-6:15 and hopefully Todd would be home. They all walked in together at about 6:05. It turned out really nice. It was quite a scramble to get dinner and dessert made, baby fed, carpets vacuumed and children bathed in an hour and 15 minutes. Of course, the boys shower on their own. The kids really were angel workers while I did dinner. Casey and Emily put away all toys that were out and Mitch vacuumed the floors. He also held Ellie for a time while she was crying so that I could keep working on the dinner. He said, "Mom, she only likes it when I stand up with her." Yep, now you know how I feel sometimes. He said,"this is really starting to hurt my arm." Poor guy. He was trying so hard to keep bouncing her around. Anyway, we made it through and it was a fun evening. My kids just love the missionaries. When Todd was the Ward Mission Leader the missionaries were coming over quite a bit. My kids eat that up. The showing off begins the second they walk in the door.

Today has been a recovery day in the kitchen. I was just too tired to tackle all of the dishes late last night. The missionaries always seem to stay so long. They finally left at 8:45 so it was a late night for the kids. As I sit here and hear the dryer going, I don't think the washer/dryer ever stop running. It's amazing how many clothes get dirty each day. Ellie is crying....that was a short nap. Story of my life.

Family Time :)

The cousins had so much fun together on Saturday. We celebrated Mitch and Ressa's b'day with a pinata and some goodies at the park since we were all going to be together. Ressa and Mitty are 2 days apart...fun for them. Here are a bunch of them so into the candy.

This picture was so classic of Casey. Do you see how happy he looks? He is my sugar addict (anything with sugar he will sniff out and be so happy with). It came from Carol, my MIL. She is the same way. She told me she is sorry that she passed the gene on. They love desserts....well who really doesn't but this is different. She will go without eating all regular food if it means to nibble on treats. I wish I could get away with that. I just thought this picture captured Casey in his little heaven.

We had a good time seeing everyone and Mark's baptism was really nice....good food afterwards too. We just went down for the day since we had to be back for church the next day. That was a bummer and the traffic that night confirmed it. I am now convinced that LA has traffic at any hour and on any day. It stinks!! That is what I don't miss about down there. We don't have traffic here....literally I never have to consider traffic when trying to be on time anywhere. It's a beautiful thing. We got home at 1:20am and finally fell asleep around 2:00 just to have the kids come in around 7:00 fully rested, ready to be up for the day...that hurt. We made it through Sunday and the Primary program. That is always a cute Sacrament Meeting. It was nice for me to just have the girls to tend to. They were good for me...yeah!!! Today it hit me how tired I really am and I still have to go workout. I keep re-committing myself to do a little better each week. Maybe one more day of working out.

I kept Casey home from school today. He was up coughing terribly and it sounds really bad. I had a taste of what it will be like next year having the 2 boys in school all day. I wasn't driving back and forth to the school througout the day with the different schedules. It was beautiful. I was able to get things done, Ellie had a complete morning nap without me waking her up, and I even got out to get Mitty his b'day gift....Heely's. I knew this day was coming. Todd can't stand Heely's but I had to tell him that our parents probably didn't like a lot of things we were in to and had to have when we were kids. Mitty will be so happy. He has been looking them up online and has found the "perfect" pair. He is so funny. Kids today can just about figure out how to do anything on a computer....SCARY!!

Just something funny Casey asked me today...he said, "Mom, how do you keep the commandments?" He had been singing the song and then with a puzzled look on his face asked me that. I was so thankful for that comment. He is a good kid with a sweet heart but he sure knows how to push buttons and makes me wonder at times what challenges is he going to put before me. He is quite a dickens and a tease. Mom, this is for you....he was so nice to have around today. He brushed my hair(I love that) and massaged my arms and feet. He does a really good job. He knows just how to massage. I gave him $1.50 and a treat. He was so happy. He didn't give me a hard time at all. It was such a better feeling. I'm off to workout before it gets too late.

I am so thankful for a wonderful family that I have. Not just my husband and children but my siblings and parents as well. It was so nice to spend the day with my brother, Mike who I hadn't seen in 10 months. My boys loved having him around and so did I. It felt like old times with the fam. I look forward to more good times.

Pumpkins Galore

Today Casey's class had a field trip to Avila Barn to pick pumpkins and ride on the tractor. It was really fun. They let each child and parent pick a fresh, cool apple from the barrel to eat on the ride over to the patch. It is so cute to watch all of these kindergartners so excited to pick pumpkins. They just love to do so many things. The field was full of pumpkins big and small. Emily and Casey each picked a pumpkin and then they let them pick a small one off of the vine. So we added more pumpkins to our collection. Casey just loved riding the bus!! This was a definite highlight to his day. Big time bummer that I forgot my camera. It's always something.

It has been a busy day thus far. I was running back and forth to the school this morning because we left Mitty's homework folder at home (my mistake...I took it out and didn't put it back), Casey's lunch bag was left in the car, went to the pumpkin patch, went home and then went right back again to pick Casey up (minimum day) and now in about 20 minutes I will go get Mitty. Crazy day in the car. It's one way to lose weight....never home to eat. :) The kids have been good for me this afternoon. Casey and Emily love arranging the pumpkins all over the front yard and porch.

Hopefully, Todd and I can have a nice, calm evening together. We usually eat Taco Loco on Friday nights after the kids go to bed. That is our typical Friday night. It's pretty bad but to be able to eat a hot meal and be able to talk without being interrupted is perfect for me. After having this many kids, just an alone moment of quiet and good food makes me happy at the end of the week.

Happy Weekend to you all!!

THANK YOU KELLI!!!

Kelli explained to me in such simple terms how to post pics. I am thrilled that it worked. Now I'm going to go crazy putting pics up. Now that I know how to do it, I feel like I am going to be snapping pics all day long.

Testing...with photos

Disneyland Photos....Testing

Any other Mac users out there?...and I don't mean the makeup

I need help putting pictures on my posts. I'm boring myself with no pictures. Apparently doing it on a MAC is a little bit different. I'm clueless. Please let me know if anyone can help. I haven't made the time to sit down with Todd and see if he can show me how. Our evenings around here tend to get very busy very quickly.

I'm Amazed...

I have been trying to workout at the gym at least 3 times a week since I had Ellie. I walk on the treadmill with the incline way up and do the eliptical machine for my cardio. Tonight I amazed myself. I didn't think I was going to be able to do it....I ran for 12 minutes. That is pretty good for me. It feels so good to workout. Even if I have a bad eating day I can then workout and feel so much better about things. It is definite therapy for me. Now the key for me would be to get up and go at 5:15. Why is that just impossible for me? Oh well, at least I am going.

The kids were so helpful today. That makes for such a different day. After I took Mitty to school, Casey and Emily said, "Why don't we empty all of the trash cans in the house." They did and then proceeded to put away all of the clothes that I had folded. They were a little team and can work together so nicely. Casey made his bed and put his clothes away all without me asking. I love days like today. Mitty is the junior dad around here. He takes care of Ellie so well. He is always concerned about how she is feeling. Today I noticed he had shut the window in the room we were in and I asked him why. He said, "I thought Ellie was crying because she didn't want to hear the loud trucks go by so I shut it." How cute is that. He is always overseeing the diffferent situations going on in the house. I know I can always count on him to help me in any way. He is so patient and I appreciate that so much. And especially with his siblings. He is always letting Emily button up his shirts because she loves to do it. Mitty takes after Todd in that way. Hopefully, tomorrow will be just as nice as today.

A Nice Surprise

This morning as I was cleaning...always cleaning, my friend dropped by and brought us about 7 big pumpkins, 5 little ones and then some other gourds (sp). That was so nice. The kids immediately started washing each pumpkin to get the dirt off. I guess we don't have to go to her pumpkin patch now. One more thing checked off of the list. She figured with the new baby and all she would bring the pumpkins to us. I love Fall decorations. The pumpkins on the porch add so much.

Today is Santa Ana wind weather. It warmed up to around 78-79 degrees today. It is beautiful and clear. I love it when the sky is so blue and the air feels so clean. Am I getting old now that I'm analyzing the weather a bit? :)

Another surprise today was that I found a nice floral arrangement (all of the colors that I love together and that match with the colors in my house) at Wal-Mart. I am always looking for the right arrangement (mainly the color combination) and today I found it. It makes me feel so happy when I look at it. I guess I am easily pleased.

This was a short post....Ellie is crying and every child is trying to tell me something at the same time. It is getting to the crazy hour of the day.

**What is a fun couple costume for Todd and I to be for Halloween?

I Love Costco

Today I made my first trip to Costco since Ellie was born. I had just been shopping at the nearest grocery store and hadn't made time to make a special trip out of the way to Costco. Too many different schedules going on. I just love Costco. It is so much cheaper for me to buy food there than at the grocery store. Obviously, certain things. I just love knowing that I am getting an item cheaper than what I was.

Emily was very good for me in Costco....she sat in the cart and was so easy. Ellie on the other hand had to cry continually for the first few minutes until I got her out of her seat and carried her on my shoulder. I was pulling the cart with one hand and holding Ellie with the other hand. It was pretty funny because I had to keep asking someone close by me to help me lift a box of whatever into the cart. Everyone was very willing to help. I don't hesitate to ask for help anymore. One man met up with me on a couple of different aisles asking me if I needed his help. I sure accepted his help. It's nice to see strangers so willing to help.

Not too much else is going on around this house. Nothing too major is happening this week for me. Friday we will take the kids to the pumpkin patch. Our friends up here have a pumpkin patch on their property and invited us to come over and pick pumpkins. The kids will love it. Casey's class at school is going on a field trip to the pumpkin patch so we will be overloaded with pumpkins I'm sure. The more the merrier. I love Halloween time.

I am so excited to see my family on Saturday. It's been about 2 1/2 months since I have seen most of them. It has been 10 months since I have seen Mike. I'm so anxious to see him. That's a long time for me. I haven't even seen my newest nephew, Cooper. He is 6 weeks old and I'm dying to see him. We will be going down for a cousins baptism. I can't believe he is already 8 yrs. old. That means Mitty will be baptized next year. I can't believe it....where does the time go??

Now that Ellie is fed it's time to hit Wal-Mart for diapers. My one big complaint about where I live is that Target is not close by or convenient. I absolutely love Target. Wal-Mart is just a completely different experience.

Just to document....Ellie started giggling for me last week. I love all of these milestones. She is so interactive and making more sounds every day. It's so cute to hear her sweet voice.

***Where do you buy cute jeans that don't cost an arm and a leg?

NOW WHEN IS THE VACATION...HA HA :)

I guess today is recovery day. My body started feeling the effects from being at Disneyland for 3 days yesterday morning. I noticed we were all walking slower yesterday as we packed up and left. The kids sure slept well last night. Thankfully. They were up at 7:10 this morning ready to be awake. Those 3 days wore them out. Ellie did really well at Disneyland...really they all were very good. Emily loved being in the stroller. Boy am I thankful for that.

Disneyland is always fun. There is just a magical feeling once you walk through the gates. It wasn't the same feeling at California Adventure. I enjoyed the ride Soaring over California. That was such an incredible feeling. For those of you that have been on that know exactly what I am talking about. We had a good time together. The kids just loved it. Casey was so into the characters and just loved every minute with them. We ate breakfast with the characters each morning that we were there and the kids just had a ball. That seemed to be a real highlight on this trip. All three of the kids would participate with the different activities the characters were doing. We ate with Lilo & Stitch, Chip & Dale, Brother Bear, Timon, Daisy Duck, Pluto, Meeko, Baloo. Those were some that the kids really had fun with. Emily just loved the parade also. All of her favorites were in it. I'm glad all went really well.

The amazing thing about Disneyland is how many people are constantly coming into the park. The park was packed on Saturday. Thursday and Friday seemed to be reasonable. It's always crowded but we managed just fine. The lines seemed to go rather quickly. My one complaint about Disneyland is the food and the prices. They charge wayyyyy tooooo much for the food. I was shocked at how little food they give for what you pay. Mainly the kids food. It's highway robbery what can I say.

My other realization on this trip was how did my parents ever take our entire family (6 kids) on a road trip to Utah/Montana. I could barely go 220 miles. Mom and Dad I hand it to you. We only realize what all you went through once we are going through it ourselves. Thanks for your patience. Thanks for the vacations!!! They are memories that I treasure!! I only have time for a short post right now but will try and post pictures with more later. Too much laundry and unpacking to do today.

I was able to catch up on some of your blogs. I love this blogging. It is great fun for me!!

Another Busy Day....Another Late Night...ugh!!

Wow, I crammed too much into one day. I have been working all day on getting ready for our Disneyland trip in the morning. I think I have literally packed at least half of my house to fit into the Suburban. So much stuff has to be packed for so many little ones. An infant requires so much yet they are the smallest one. Too funny!! I hate leaving the house a mess to come back to so I really cleaned up everything as well.

I had forgotten about getting a new windshield in the truck before our trip so I was calling this morning trying to find someone who would come out today and replace it. I finally found one who would come out as soon as I got back from picking up the kids this afternoon...3:00pm. AHHHHH! I had to run all of my last minute errands for a trip between
11:45 - 2:30. That may sound like a lot of time for most of you but really isn't for me with a baby and a 3 yr. old. After being in the store trying to find the right pair of jeans for Mitty(he is so string bean that it has to be a certain style Levi's and Slim) and a pair for myself and stopping to take Emily to the bathroom twice with my gi-normous double stroller, I was so done in there. Not to be too sick but to top off the lengthy bathroom visit (you all know how it is with a 3 yr. old and a huge stroller....it takes awhile to get in and get out) the smell of diahrrea was so strong I was on the verge of gagging every time I inhaled. Sorry for the details. We made it back to the school just in time to pick up the boys. Ellie isn't a shopper....darn. Maybe she will grow into one. She doesn't like to sit in her seat for too long.

Anyway, I have been packing and packing and packing and feeding the baby all in between and breaking up arguments and putting children in timeouts, and trying to think, etc. It has been crazy. This evening the boys were out back playing and all of a sudden I hear Mitty crying loudly. He comes in and can hardly talk. I am telling him to point to where it hurts. He points to his mouth and I don't see anything. I said open your mouth and all I saw were red teeth. His mouth was bleeding so badly. He looked in the mirror and said, "all of my teeth are bleeding." Up above his top teeth, under his lip was bleeding. I cleaned it up after putting pressure on for a minute and then had him put some ice on his lip. The poor boy has such a huge top lip. I guess I should say what happened. Casey threw a hat at him and the plastic part on the back hit his lip just right to pop that baby out. I hope it won't bother him tomorrow when we are trying to have a fun time. This is crazy late. I better hit the sack so I can function with the kids tomorrow.

I Finally Finished....Whew!!

I just put in my last load of laundry. I can hardly believe it. Now, I have to fold them all. I always save the folding for the evening unless Ellie takes a good long nap during the day. I was so happy that for the 1 1/2 hours that I had with both girls asleep today I cleaned bathrooms, kitchen/dishes, laundry, straightened all of the odds and ends that come out with a house full of kids, and just sorted through papers. Does everyone get a massive paper pile going or is that just Marilyn and I (ha ha)? Maybe that is just since the kids have been in school. The school sends home a paper for everything and since I have 2 kids there I get double the papers. I usually try and go through the kids folders right over the trash can so it never hits a counter. Do you save all of your kids work? How do you store what you do save? I have a box labeled right now but wish there was a cuter way to keep their stuff. Oh well.

I am getting ready for some company to come and stay the night tomorrow. Which just reminded me that I am not done with the laundry. The bedding needs to be washed...ugh!! That is what tomorrow is for. I save all of the vacuuming for last also. That is my favorite sight to see....my house picked up and the floors freshly vacuumned.

Not too much going on beside housework. I was too excited to be done with the laundry that I had to put a post in about it. I'm exhausted. The night didn't go as usual. Ellie fell asleep yesterday evening around 5:40...after not really taking much of a nap during the day. It was 12:30am and I knew if I didn't wake her and change her diaper she would be soaked for most of the night or just as I went to sleep she would be hungry. So I did and she didn't go back to sleep until 1:40am and then was up at 5:00 until 5:30 and then I woke up with her again at 7:00. Todd leaves at 6:40am and I was so out that I didn't hear him getting ready or leave. I was really tired! It was a bummer to have to get up at 7:00. If I go to bed at a normal hour then I usually get up at 6:30. Oh well enough rambling. I hope she isn't on for another night like last night.

Sealed Together Forever

As I looked at the date of the post, I realized 7 yrs. ago today Todd and I were sealed together in the Los Angeles Temple. I was 2 weeks away from having Mitch. It was a beautiful experience that I will never forget. How could I let this day slip away without expressing a few thoughts.

What wonderful blessings my family has been blessed with. To know that my family will live together forever is such a treasure. I try to express that to my children and I can tell they love to know that. I sit back and wonder why do I ever want for more. I have so much that really matters. I am truly grateful that I want to be with my husband and children forever. It seems like today so many couples have such horrible problems...so much filth that creeps its way into marriages. I feel so blessed to be so happy with who I chose to be with forever. I love you Todd!!

Good News :)

I have to express my feelings about the news that I heard today. Some of the best news that I have heard in 10 yrs. My brother, Mike, was at church on Sunday. After 10 yrs. of maybe attending church twice, he bought himself 2 suits and went to church on his own back at the good 'ol home ward. Way to go Mike. I am so proud of him!! I guess we all mature with age and realize what is most important. I don't care how long it has been...he is one step closer to a happier life. Don't we all just love to see someone come back to the fold?!! That is the best. Even better when it is your own brother. Mike, you can do it!!! The courage he has is incredible. Not easy to just show back up to your home ward after being away so long.

In my ward on Sunday a boy, 17, got up and bore his testimony. He had just gotten out of juvenile hall from doing some pretty bad things. He said that he could feel the spirit there in the meeting and knew that is where he needed to be. I looked over to where his family was sitting and the parents were pretty much filling a bucket with tears. What a joyful feeling they were able to feel as they watched there son come to church and then to top it off, bear his testimony. I feel like I can relate some just with hearing that Mike went to church.

MIKE....YOU ARE AWESOME!!! What a happy day for him and my family!!! We have all been waiting for this day. I love you Mike.

Monday....the start of a new week!

Well, it's Monday and totally foggy here this morning. I'm feeling somewhat better but still have a darn stuffy nose..ugh! I have such intentions of getting my entire house cleaned and organized. What am I trying to do to myself? I have to set the timer for how long I stay on the computer while Ellie is sleeping or else I won't get to all of my work.

The weekend was busy/boring eventhough I didn't go anywhere. I took Saturday off and focused on the laundry and just worked around the house. I did pretty well. Todd meet up with his dad in so cal to hit the USC game. He left early and was back home to eat "Taco Loco" with me. We love our weekend Taco Loco night. And then Sunday came. It can be a tough day for me alone getting everyone ready and then dealing in Sacrament alone and then not getting back home until 6:20pm to then have dinner ready and hopefully everyone in bed by a decent hour. Todd was able to come home with us after church so that helped. My head was pounding by the time we got home so we both busted out our dinner and then were able to relax come 9:00. Our church starts at 2:30 and so it's rough for the little ones that sometimes don't make it home awake. We drive about 20 minutes to our building. Our building here close by (1 minute from my house) is under renovation so we have to drive to Santa Maria to the Stake Center. The boys got to bed at about 9:00. That is a bit late for them. We usually have them in bed between 7:30-8:00.

I have to say that Sacrament wasn't bad for me yesterday. I had a whole bench to myself so the kids could take up as much space as they wanted. They were good for me...yeah!! Todd conducted for the 2nd time since being put into the bishopric and did such a good job. I'm so proud of him! The kids love to see him get up there and talk.

So it was a pretty uneventful weekend. Now for this week I will be trying to get things ready for our Disneyland trip. I haven't been for a while and am excited to go on the rides since I won't be pregnant. It seems that I have been pregnant for the last 6/7 years. I use to have passes when the boys were little but Casey can't remember Disneyland. I'm excited for the kids!! Emily went when she was just a new baby so I know she will love it. Since we will be there a few days it will be nice to not try and cram everything into one day. That is a nightmare!! I think I may be just as excited as the kids. I don't think anyone gets too old for Disneyland.

On another note, I am rededicating myself to points(WW) today. I got off track for a few days and really need to get back on the wagon. It totally works!! I do better during the week when Todd is at work. He loves food (who doesn't) and can get away with eating whatever. I definitely can't! I don't have the "speedy" metabolism gene. Does everyone notice a difference as they get older with their metabolism?

The kids seem to be playing well together this morning so we hope that sticks. I hope everyone has a good Monday. Stay focused on the positive things we all have in our lives...I'm going to try and do the same. My timer rang a few minutes ago....time to get to work. I feel like I'm punishing myself by using the timer.

Sweet Ellie Girl

Just want to express how special it is to have a new baby in our home. Now that Ellie is about 3 months old so much more personality starts to show through. She is starting to cooo more and I can hear her sweet little voice. Her sweet smiles and twinkling in her eyes just melt my heart. She is so precious and beautiful. I love to watch her grow day by day. To think what a strong spirit she has to come into the world in these last days with a strong willed older sister and two older brothers. Yikes!! I think she is going to be one tough cookie.

It is fun to watch Mitty, my oldest, want to hold her constantly. He is so grown up about it. He wants to be standing when he holds her so it is like he is a big kid. He doesn't want to be like the little ones where they have to be sitting on the couch with a pillow...you know the drill. He does a great job with her. They all do!! They love to talk for her and say what she may be thinking. It's so fun.

MY HOUSE IS QUIET....FINALLY

Earlier today I thought this moment would never come. It is here. It is 8:30 and every child is asleep in bed and Todd is away at a church meeting. AHHHHHH. There is no noise. Half the time I don't even watch tv once the kids go to bed. I just like to do my things without any noise. I hear noise from the moment I wake up until the kids are asleep. On the nights that Todd has meetings I try and think of something to promise the kids the following day if they will be good for me and stay in bed. Tonight I promised them that if they would stay in bed and go to sleep we would go and get a double scoop cone at Rite Aid. Casey's immediate response was "YESSSSS!!!!" He jumped right in to bed with his covers on and was so excited. I wish that would work every night. Rite Aid because it is cheap. We would go to the "Doc" but it is too expensive for all of us. Casey came up with this to tell me tonight....leave it up to Casey to think of this. He said Mom, if you and dad and Ellie were gone we would make cookie dough and eat it all and find all of the treats and eat them until they were gone. Trust me Casey, I know. He is my sugar hound. He can and will sniff out any trace of sugar that may be hiding somewhere in the house. He takes after his Grandma Carol. It's in the genes.

I had a bit of a scare this afternoon...I was in my bedroom and heard Emily start crying. I started out of my bedroom to see what was the matter and then I see her walking down the hall, purple in the face and her body just went limp as she fell and slammed her head into the wall. Of course, me in a panic went to pick her up and her body was so heavy and limp I was scared to death. I was frantically asking the boys what happened to her and Casey was looking sheepish not really telling what happened. I was so mad that he wouldn't just come out and say. I was looking for any sign of trauma on her head and noticed where it looked like a rug burn on the side of her head (near her temple). Casey finally told me that he picked her up from a chair by her feet. They are almost the same size so of course her body was too heavy for Casey to hold at her feet. She went straight over and landed on her head on the carpet. When Emily gets so upset she cries and it takes a minute for her to get her breath. I'm figuring that is what was happening when she collapsed and her head just slammed into the wall. She was passing out. She was able to stop crying once she saw and heard me crying...she calmed right down immediately and I just held her for the longest time. It was watching her just collapse and it not phasing her that she slammed her head so hard into the wall that was so bad for me. Glad that is over. I have had a few of those kinds of experiences where for a moment you aren't sure what the outcome will be.

I have saved 4 loads of laundry to fold tonight while Todd is gone and the kids are asleep. And look at me....back on the computer. Maybe I am addicted to this darn thing.

It's almost Friday....time to enjoy the weekend!!

Is It Almost Friday???!!!

Today I woke up with a really scratchy throat and my head feels full. I hate these colds that keep going around. Casey and Emily had it last week and are on the tail end of it...now I get it. Maybe it won't turn into a full blown sinus infection. I get nervous when I start to get a cold with a headache. Could I ever have to repeat that awful time when I couldn't get out of bed or off of the floor for over a week? I had bronchitis, a sinus infection, the flu, and a horrible fever all at the same time. I kept thinking oh I'll be better tomorrow....I said that for 10 days. I'm hurting just recalling the memory. The only good thing that came from it was an 8 lb. loss. I couldn't eat anything during that time. Maybe jell-o and applesauce was it.

It is stormy-like up here. Postum with Irish Creme anyone??? It doesn't feel really cold but it is windy and the sky is full of dark clouds. The sun peeks through every now and again. Over the ocean it is clear and I could see the water from the school this morning. It's in this kind of weather that I want to put sweats on, lay in bed on some warm, flannel sheets and watch a good movie. I would love to do that right now. My eyes are heavy from staying up too late last night. I really can't stay up that late anymore. It knocks me out the next day. I can't rest or take a nap with all of the kids.

The boys got off to school this morning after much badgering to get going and get their clothes on. I really have to come up with another plan to have the morning run smoother than today. Any ideas???? It was NUTS!! I hate when I have to be on them constantly to get dressed, brush teeth, put shoes on, etc. Every time I went to take care of something else they would just start goofing off. It tires me out. My throat was hurting more just because I had to keep talking. Maybe I'm just more irritated since I'm not feeling well. Bummer!!

Another thing that is bugging me is that I feel like I can never catch up around the house. That get's discouraging. There are so many things that need to be done every day and only so much I can do with a house full of kids. I guess I better set a timer for how long I can be on the computer. I better take the time I have right now and get some things done around the house....Ellie is sleeping and both of the boys are at school. Look at me and I'm on the computer. Hopefully, I can come up with a more positive post later.

Lunch Out with Dad

Today started out a lot less chaotic than yesterday...thank goodness!! Emily woke up this morning and said, "Mom, let's take Mitty and Casey to school and then meet dad." After taking Casey at 11:30 we then can meet Todd for lunch. It is so nice that he works just 15 min. up the freeway. I love that all of my kids get so excited to see dad at work or to eat with him. The thing I love even more is that Todd (dad) loves for us to come up and see him. It has been nice since school started this year to go to lunch with only 2 instead of 3 or 4 kids with me. It can be chaotic...I'm sure all of you can just imagine. We had a nice lunch outside by the creek that goes through downtown SLO today and Emily just had a ball. It is so cute...she has to have her chair so close to dad's chair while eating. Chairs have to be touching :). I am so happy that Todd has made it a point to have such close relationships with all of our kids.

Little tribute to Todd: I am so thankful that he is soooo involved with raising our children. He works hard and spends every bit of spare time doing something with me or the kids. I appreciate his help and couldn't do it all without him! He is my best friend. I feel so blessed to have a husband who is fun, PATIENT, kind, involved, easy going, goofy, honest, optimistic, encouraging, and smart. I am so happy my boys have him to be their role model.

I got a nice surprise....Todd called this afternoon and said that his bishopric meeting was cancelled tonight so he will be home with us. Yeah!! I love the added help at bedtime. To be honest, since he has been in the bishopric the kids have been very good about going to bed on the nights he is gone. Emily is great....she is ready to crash at 6:30 and will. She has never given me a problem with going to bed.

Now it is time to start contemplating what to have for dinner. I never end up wanting what I may have set up earlier on a menu. Oh well, Todd is so easy about dinner I love it.

What is for dinner at your house tonight??

Tired Tuesday :)

Well, this morning was somewhat chaotic. I guess it could be the fact that the baby was screaming the entire time I was trying to get the kids put together, snacks made, shoes tied, hair combed, and mouths fed. You name it...we had to do it. Today is a minimum day for the kids so my afternoon kindergartner needed to be ready to be at school this morning as well. Once we got to school, the place was packed. The elementary school is on a hill so the parking is down below and we have to hike up. After parking a couple of blocks away, we made it to the classroom. Kids were safe and sound in the classrooms and I was ready to go back to bed. I feel like I have put in a full day and it's only 9:45. Ellie is now asleep and hopefully will stay asleep and get in a good nap.

Mom, I'm excited that you have a blog now too. I think this will be fun! Your profile was fun to read.

Now Emily wants me to color with her so I better do that while I'm not occupied with Ellie. It's a busy life. Someone needs me each time I turn around. Sometimes it is a juggling act at certain times of the day. I wouldn't trade it for anything though. I love my kids and know that one day they aren't going to "need" me as much. Well, mom your life hasn't proven that to me :)ha ha. Good day to all of you!!:)

BEAUTIFUL DAY!!

I can't believe how gorgeous today is. It is so clear, the sky so blue and the temp. is perfect. As I drove up the hill to Wal-Mart this morning, it was so clear I could see the ocean. I love days like this. Usually during the summer there is a lot of fog and so the beautiful view is not so beautiful. I guess the Fall here is really nice. This will be our "first Fall" up here so we have yet to see how it goes.

Both of the girls are asleep...could this really be?? Emily has a cold and hasn't been feeling too good. I guess I got too excited too soon. I hear Ellie now crying and Emily is waking from off of the couch.

I just wanted to express how good it feels to have such good weather to enjoy. Heavenly Father has created such beauty for us all to enjoy. I thank Him for that. When the weather is nice and the cool air blows through the house it can make my tough days much easier to deal with. Can anyone relate??

Conference Sunday

We watched as much conference as we could with four little ones. What would I do without Tivo?? My in laws were up to visit on there way up to Yosemite. We had a good time. The kids are always excited to see grandparents. They spent the day here with us yesterday and today. It's fun to have family come to visit.

In between conference sessions we stuffed little ghosts to hang on the tree out front for Halloween. I love decorating for Halloween. It kept the kids busy for about 10 minutes. It was fun to do it together. The kids love to see the finished product. I think I was just as excited to see the ghosts hanging on the tree.

I love Conference weekend. I love knowing we do not have to be in any rush come Sunday morning. Eventhough our ward starts at 2:30, I am up early doing something to get ready to leave up until the last minute it seems. With Todd in the bishopric, he leaves early and so I just have to be really prepared by the time he leaves. Really it means getting most of the kids clothes ironed on Saturday. I'm not one of those who have a day designated for ironing. Anyway, it has been nice to lounge around and not be stressed out.

It rained this morning...I couldn't believe it. Fall is definitely here for us. There was that feeling in the air. I love it!!

Time to go fold clothes. I try to save the folding for at night when the kids are in bed.