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Grattitude

Five things that I am grateful for at this moment in my life:

* the ability to serve my Heavenly Father

* support from a wonderful husband

* a healthy family

* the desire to do right

* fun friends

Today was a good day. I started off the day again on the beach with friends. Ellie and I walked and then enjoyed a park day with friends from church. I am so thankful for the gospel. I am truly blessed! Goodnight

Back to School

Summer is gone and school is back in....routines, lunches, homework, schedules, and deadlines are back in full swing. There are some things I miss about summer..a little more freedom to come and go.

Some cuteness that has been going on around here is Miss Elle Belle. The older kids set out their clothes the night before the first day of school with excitement. Ellie didn't want to be left out so in the morning she came into my room to wake me and ask me, "Mom, what matches with this so I can go to preschool?" She was holding a cute shirt. Ahhh, that was the cutest! I felt so bad for a moment to have to break the news that she wasn't going to be attending preschool but that we could do our own preschool at home. We went out first thing and picked out a small backpack and she also found some mini scented markers, pencils and a pencil pouch to hold it all for her to play school. It is the cutest thing to watch her go through her items and color on a jr. pad of paper that fits into her backpack. Once the older ones got home and the backpack pile was back in full swing Ellie had to find hers and put it right on top of the pile. She isn't a baby anymore....she is a big girl!! It is so fun to watch her develop and grow up. It is so nice because she loves to put her items all back into the backpack and put it away when she is done. She is not known to leave things out around here. Everything has a place and it should be put back is pretty much what she lives by.

She also loves to go through her flash cards and tell me the colors and count the items. She has a great attention span and sit and do it for awhile...(30 + minutes).

Mitch, Casey and Emily are enjoying school so far (yesterday was their 3rd day). Emily is now at school with the others all day. It is pretty nice to not have the kindergarten schedule. Those 3 hours were gobbled up so fast. I have 2 more years until we are doing that again. Mitch is in a 4th/5th combo, Casey is in 3rd grade and Emily is now in 1st. Thankfully they are having fun with each other. Casey and Emily play together at recess which I think is cute. I am so glad that they all look after each other. The first day of school Casey carried Emily's backpack and jacket down to the car for her. I just love to see my boys doing that for their sister. Mitch said today that he starts to worry a bit if he doesn't see anyone in Emily's classroom after school when he goes to pick her up. I like to hear that. He cares about her and I know that makes her feel good. :)

I have started walking/jogging with some friends at the beach in the morning after I drop off the kids at school. It is a beautiful thing. The beach is about 3.8 miles from my house and is so convenient to take the stroller and walk on the hard pack sand. The walk is 4 miles or so and then I like to do a 2 mile jog as well. I love to get out and run in the fresh air. Nothing like walking along the shore in the morning. Today we saw a family of dolphins swimming along as we walked pretty close to the shore. Very cute!!

it's late and way passed my bedtime. Ugh!!

Summer is Definitely Here.....Beach Days, Swim Lessons, Scout Camp

Summer is here and how nice it is to not have to get the kids up and ready for school every day. The best part is that I don't have to make lunches every morning. Even better than that is that Ellie is potty trained and has been for a couple of months. We are a diaper free zone!!! First time in 9 years that we aren't having to buy diapers. She is the best potty trained child ever. It took 2 days and she was doing it all by herself. And she doesn't wet the bed. Ahhhhhhh!! Potty training with Ellie has been the best and easiest experience I have ever had. She is so dang cute in her big girl underwear. She loves it!! She feels like a big girl now & is just like her sissy.

So far summer has been full of activities. Mitch and Casey were able to go to Cub Scout Day Camp for a week. They had lots of fun and especially loved the archery and BB gun shooting. I heard for about a week how they want a bb gun for Christmas. That just reassures me how boy they really are. :) Gotta love it. I found out that they are dead aim at shooting. It seems they take after their mom. :) It was a fun experience for them and Casey mentioned that he wished it went for a whole month. I'm glad Casey is so excited about Scouts.

This past week we have been over at the High School for swim lessons every day. The kids are loving it and we have one more week left. Elle Belle loves the water and seems to be showing no fear of the water. She is the one I didn't sign up for lessons this year. Next year for sure.

We have been able to share many days with our friends at the beach this summer. I love it. I have found that with 4 kids at home during the summer, the beach is our best friend. They have plenty of room to run, get dirty, throw sand balls, get wet, roll in the sand and not hurt a thing. We were able to spend last Monday night at the beach with a few other families for a bonfire. It was so great and the kids had a blast. I can't wait for the next one. It was much easier than I thought. With the kids being older, they help more with carrying all that is required. The sunny days have just been so wonderful. I can't express how thankful I am to live where I live. I don't think the weather is better anywhere else. The water could definitely get warmer up here on the central coast. Uhhhh 55 degrees just doesn't cut it. Of course, the kids still get in. i don't know how they do it. The one thing that is driving me crazy about our beach days is that the truck is just full of sand. Boogie Boards, chairs, buckets, bags and 5 people that have sand in every crevice pretty much unload it all inside the truck. Every where I touch seems to have sand. Ahhhhh!!! If it means the kids fight less, bicker less, enjoy each other more than I will deal with the sand. It has been fun to see the boys really getting out into the water this year. Casey is loving his boogie board and really getting out there to ride the waves. It's great!! Another sign that the kids are growing up.

We have plans to join with some other families tomorrow and enjoy the 4th of July.

The countdown is on....8 days until we are on a plane heading to Aloha land. The kids are excited and I am ready for a vacation. This next week will be busy around here. We have swim lessons every day, laundry to get done and packed, primary activity that I'm involved with, Sharing Time that I'm handling, and hopefully the kids will be extra helpful. I've got to get some pics on here soon. I have 800 pics on my camera. i'm so bad about loading and printing my pics. It's just another project that needs to be done when I have a free minute.

HAPPY 4TH!!!!

Feeling A Bit Sluggish Today

Just a short post to note my feelings today. I feel very sluggish and tired today. I am going to try and take a walk with Ellie to spark any energy that may be in me. Todd and I did our workout last night and maybe I'm feeling the effects from that. I am enjoying working out together. It has been fun! I am having a hard time sticking to the way of eating the program suggests. I'm trying again today. I have to look at each new day as a chance to start again and do my very best. I'm now really trying hard to cut out the sugars.....I know again. I do better with less sugar. Especially at night while I'm sleeping. I hate to sweat so badly in the night and be miserable in wet sheets. I know it is because of the way that I eat. Why is it so hard?!!!!

Ellie just ran up to me and hugged me around the legs and kissed my leg. Does it get any better than that? I love that about her!!! She is so dang sweet and loves to be held still.

I'm hoping to get all of loads of laundry folded and put away today. It was foreign to my ears to hear Todd's mom tell me that she does 1-2 loads of laundry a week. Wow!!! I can't even imagine. I'm sure when it is like that for Todd and I that I will be wishing there were kids clothes for me to wash. I guess that is what Grandma is for. :) I better get back to work. I have one hour before Emily gets home. On your mark, get set, GO!! Let's see if I can finish it all up.

300th Post/It's Been A Good Kind of Busy Week

Last Tuesday my mom came to visit. Yeah!! It was fun having her up here. She hadn't been up since Thanksgiving so it was nice. We shopped a little, ate way too many goodies, watched boys baseball games, and she helped me with singing time in Primary. She made a valance for the girls room with pillows for their beds. She played with the kids and had Emily laughing most of the day yesterday. Emily constantly had hiccups from laughing. I love to hear her laugh. We had a surprise visit from Todd's mom and aunt on Thursday night. They came down to visit for a few days. It was nice to have so many helping hands. :) We all went to church yesterday and my mom helped me with singing time. Just another Sunday that I was wearing multiple hats!! :)

Friday, we went to Avila Barn and let the girls feed the animals and then shopped in the market and found so many good items....green grapes, blueberries, breads, fruit spreads, salsa's, strawberries, dish towels, fudge, watermelon, fresh basil, etc. It is so fun in there. Lots of cookbooks, baked items and cutsie decorations too.

Saturday we watched the boys play baseball and have fun on the field. That night my mom and I worked on singing time for Primary the next morning. We all went to church together and it was really nice. I loved that there was someone to watch the kids while I went to my meeting. It is really great to have family around. Grandma Carol and Nancy left last night after Todd made a great batch of Chicken Chili for dinner. He did a great job and we loved every bite. :)

This morning, I changed sheets and took the girls comforters to the laundromat. My mom and I headed to Wal-Mart for a few items and then came back to hang the valance. Cute Mom!!!! She did a great job and it looks so cute in there. The girls love it! I took Emily to the dentist for a cleaning today and all checked out just great. That was music to my hears. Ellie just loved the dentist and can't wait until it is her turn. She wants her teeth cleaned too.

This post is so jumbled but that is about how I feel today. I need to finish up the clothes and vacumming. I'm pretty much falling asleep right now on the computer. I better get my buns off of the chair and get them moving before I face plant onto the keyboard. I'm slepy today! Time to make dinner and finish u

It's Friday!!

Today we have a birthday party to go to for our neighbors babysitter. She is turning 31 I think. She has planned a party with about 10 children for her b'day. She is so cute and so fun. Her theme is a garden party so the kids are going to plant their own plants in pots. She is making potstickers and I am making pb&j sandwiches for 15. It should be fun for everyone.

Spring break is coming to a close. It was a hard week for me. I love the freedom to come and go and not have to worry about schedules but I think I do better on a schedule. When I am forced to get up early, I do more and get going sooner. It has been nice to sleep in this week since I have been doing this new workout regimen...P90X. I should say both Todd and I are doing it. I think he has lost a couple of pounds this week. He really changed up his eating. He is doing really well! Me on the other hand, the scale hasn't changed. Oh well, I want to see inches change the most. I love the program and look forward to a new workout each day. I did Yoga last night for 1.5 hours. Oh boy, that is almost too slow for me. It is much harder than I ever imagined. All of the balancing is tough. The stretching is incredible though.

Yesterday was eventful....Ellie got hit in the head with a bat. It just about killed me. I can't stand to have those things happen. Emily was up to bat and Ellie came up too close. What kills me is that the boys who were pitching to her and could see Ellie getting closer didn't stop the game and move her. It got her right behind her ear. It just split the skin barely. The blood pretty much just stayed on the cut. She was fine thankfully and this morning is telling me that her owie is all better and not hurting. She then was trying to be so helpful and help me with laundry. She had me follow her to the washer so that she could show me how she helped. There was a big pile of the powder on the ground so I just knew what I was going to find. She went right to the dryer and opened the door..."see Mommy" She had put cupfuls of powder all over the clean, dry clothes. It was too cute. She had the right idea. How cute is that. All I could say was oh, thank you Ellie. Todd later told her to have Mommy help her when she wants to do laundry. :)

I'm off to get ready and make a boat load of sandwiches for the party this morning.

How Could I Forget to Document This......

On Sunday, Ellie kept telling us she needed to go poopers and holding her diaper in the back. So we ran her to the potty which we have been trying to get her to do for awhile now. She has been telling us when she goes for a long time now. She will stop with whatever she is doing and hold her diaper and say "eee-eeee" That is wee wee. I know that she is aware of what is going on. Anyway, Todd ran her back while I was finishing some dinner and she went on the potty. YEAH!!!!! I couldn't believe it. I mean I knew it was coming but going poopers is usually the latter to click with the little ones. We were excited and made a big deal about it. For the last two days she is constantly telling me and we are running her back to the potty but no success. She is so funny!! It's like stage fright once she hits the seat. After she goes in her diaper she wants a new diaper. Ayyy!! It's coming I know. The light is almost completely turned on. :) She is a big girl and such a sweet girl. She is always hugging us and giving kisses. i love it. She loves to have a bear, a Barbie dog, a bunny and now a tiny baby in her bed at night to sleep with. So cute. Emily wasn't like that at all. When Ellie wakes up in the morning and comes into our bed, she is carrying her blanket and all of those friends to come lay with us. It's so precious!!! She still loves to sing Christmas songs at night and can sing Popcorn Popping and hums How Firm A Foundation. She is something else. Quite a pistol!! I love her and am so grateful to have her as my daughter. Both she and Emily are sweet and loving and I am thankful for each of them.

Day 2 of Spring Break/Day 2 of P90X

It was another crazy day. The kids did seem to play ball outside and keep themselves busy for the most part. I did take the kids and a friend over to a park/field to let them practice ball and let the little ones play on the equipment. It was so dang windy/freezing. Thank goodness for the sun or else we would have been ice! I could only stay for an hour and that was pushing it.

We came home and Casey made a dessert all by himself...brownies with Strawberry frosting. They turned out to be delicious!! He served everyone a brownie after dinner tonight. Very cute. The kids were tuckered out and asleep by 8:20. I just wish that they would sleep in. They are up before 7am. Even if they go to bed late, they still wake up.

Todd and I are on day 2 of the P90X fitness program. It's awesome. I love it that we are doing it together. Having this to do together is my dream coming true. I have always wanted us to do workouts together or both be on the same mission...stay/get fit. We're doing it! Anyone interested... just let me know. Tomorrow is another busy day...BBQ lunch at Todd's office with the family, Costco, baseball practice and grocery shopping. It should be interesting and fun at the same time. Time for a shower and rest!!

Easter 2009

Pics will have to follow on the next post. I don't have them loaded onto the computer and I have to write when I can.

It was a busy/nice weekend. Todd's aunt Nancy came to visit on Saturday and we had lunch at CPK...just a plug for the grilled veggie salad. It is very tasty!! Anyway, me and some of the kids ran some errands that of course had to be done before Sunday. Todd & Nancy made the See's candy run which is always a staple around here for Easter. It was a busy day with errands and putting my church stuff together (sharing time). I thought it was going to be somewhat of a "break" day since we didn't have baseball games...wrong! There really is no day of rest around here. The kids baskets were done and the easter bunny hid them all. I have to say that I think most of the chocolate/candy was gone before 8am on Sunday when we had to leave for church.Crazy I know. They behaved really well at church but then were going crazy at home later. The sugar had officially kicked in. We started right in with dinner when we got home and had halibut provencal, a little steak, baked potatoes, green beans and really good bread! We invited some friends over in our ward and Aunt Nancy was here to enjoy the tasty food. It turned out great. Our friends brought over a strawberry dessert that was excellent and of course we had the See's chocolate's to satisfy our sweet tooth. Before the kids went to bed we colored eggs. Todd had told Emily that we would do it for family night and she just about had a melt down...."you always tell me the next day and the next day isn't even Easter", is what she said. I felt bad and we both realized how bad is that to color eggs the day after Easter. We busted out about 16 eggs and they each did 4. It was perfect and they enjoyed admiring their own work. I was so busy with everything that I didn't even get a picture of all of us in our Sunday clothes. The boys ran in the house and literally were changed out of their clothes by the time I got all of our bags back into the house. The only pics I have are the kids coloring eggs. I hate that life seems that busy to not be able to get the camera at the right time and take a picture. I better slow things down or I'm going to miss too many special moments.

It's Monday and Spring Break for us this week. Casey has been asking me, "Mom, where are we going for Spring Break?" He did say last week, "We should just go to Hawaii for Spring Break." To be a kid again. :) Hopefully we can make the best of our week together and find something fun for everyone to do. I better get back to my normal routine...changing sheets and finishing laundry.

Daily Happenings....

I got up early and was able to work out and be ready for the day before the kids were off to school. I love it when I can do that. Lately, I have been staying up too late to want to wake up that early and so I don't. I end up doing my workouts in the evening which I don't love. Anyway, I walked this morning on the Bob Jones Trail with a friend and that felt so good to get outside. The air was refreshing. Not a bad way to start out my day. I enjoyed the company/conversation with my friend.

Today and tomorrow are minimum days so I am enjoying the calm before the storm right now. :)haha Just stating the facts of life with 4 young ones. Later today we have 2 baseball games at the same time and a pack meeting that I have to bring a boat load of cookies to. Since I've taken care of the cookie making, let's see if I can finish the laundry and vacuum out the truck. It gets so bad so fast!!

I'm looking forward to the weekend and Spring Break next week. Not that I have anything planned but sometimes that is just how I like it. I have things planned all year long so when I'm not forced to I tend to enjoy not having a schedule. I am on for sharing time this Sunday so I need to finish up on that and make another boat load of Easter cookies for the kids.

I better get busy with the rest of my chores for today. I better set the timer and see how much I can get done. I love it when I stick to something like that.

Where Has The Time Gone??

I can't believe it has been 4 months since I last wrote. You can see by my last post what I have been busy with. I can't feel bad about not writing but can only start writing again. I miss documenting for my children's sake what our days are like around here. I will start fresh again...2009!

Baseball season is in full swing. Mitch is in Minors AAA on the Blue Jays and Casey is on the Angels. They are having a great time. Mitch was a bit intimidated playing with older boys but he is really coming around and doing well!! Casey is doing great and hits the ball so well. It is really fun to watch! It has been a juggling act on some days to get the boys where they need to be. Last Saturday I was in the car driving back and forth for about 5 hours. Thank goodness Mike was up here to watch the boys games and was able to watch the girls at one field while I took Casey to pictures at another field, his game at a different field and then back to watch the last of Mitty's game and then take the crew to watch Casey's game. Mike was great company and it was fun having him up.

Barbie and Jim came to visit on the weekend as well and we had a great time. I miss having family live closer. That is the biggest bummer about living away. When you want them to come hang out on the weekend they just live too far. Oh well, i enjoyed the time that we had to be together. Wish it could be every weekend.

We are approaching Spring break next week and I am hoping to do something with the kids. I'm not sure our weather is going to be good..it's a bit rainy outside right now. Where has the school year gone? The year is almost over and I can't believe Emily will be entering 1st grade next year. Why does that amaze me? It has been really fun watching her learn to read and spell on her own these last few months. She is doing a great job. I have to write down some of her words....they are just too cute. Meer (mirror), eastr (EASTER), woc (walk), flawr (flower). I am so happy with the kids progress this year.

Ellie is just too fun to watch. She is such a little mommy. She sets up her bears, bunnies and dolls in chairs and gets out her play dishes and serves them. Emily didn't play so much like that on her own. Emily was more interested in doing something with her brothers. Elle Belle has a bear and a bunny that have to get in bed with her at night. One is the mommy and one is the baby she tells us. She gets the wipes and diapers and then will change the bears diaper using a wipe. Very cute! She runs the household just like her sissy. I always say to myself that if something happened to me, Emily and Ellie could keep the place running as usual. They know where everything is, how to do it and keep their things picked up. Emily has been packing up the boys lunches in the morning. She wants to write their names on the bags and put the stuff in it and then deliver to their backpacks. IT's pretty cute. I can only hope I am still saying this when they are 14.

I'm off to clean up the house...make my bed, finish dishes, put in a load of laundry, fold 2 loads and watch the rain through the windows. :)

My New Church Calling......

PRIMARY PRESIDENT.....Am I really qualified for this? Today was my first day in charge..I'll just say I wore many hats. :D I don't mind, it's good for me. I just look at it all as a huge learning experience and testimony builder. How can that be so bad? I am excited. The primary children are so special. They are the greatest. These are our future leaders!! I am excited to do so many of the things I learned in Primary as a child. I feel that I grew up in a wonderful stake with excellent leadership. I lived in a ward for 6 years before moving to where I am now that had such strong members and unbelievable leaders. It was a great place to learn how to be a leader. I love the ward I am in now. I told Todd the other day that I would have the hardest time leaving this ward if we had to move. I wasn't saying that when I first moved here. It's funny how attitudes change. I love the people in my ward, I love that they are "real" people. It has been a great experience living here. I look forward to many more wonderful experiences.

My thoughts today after I got home was that I am so happy to be serving the Lord and doing what I know is right. This is where He wants me to be right now for whatever reason. I feel touched that I was called out of inspiration to be the President. I have been in tears most of today. It is so wonderful to know that my Heavenly Father trusts me enough and my abilities to carry out the responsibilities of teaching the little children. I am thankful for the gospel and the happiness that it brings to my family. It makes me so happy to have so much service going on in my house for my children to witness as they watch their dad serve in the bishopric and me serve in the primary. I know my family is blessed by me accepting the call to serve. I sure hope I can come up to the call and fulfill my responsibilities. It's been a wonderful day. I am blessed to have Todd who supports me so much. I am so grateful for the priesthood in my home. It was so awesome being set apart today and just feeling the power of the priesthood in three great leaders of our ward(nice having one be my husband). The power of the priesthood is such an amazing thing. What comfort it brings. It is such a safe feeling being around such wonderful priesthood holders who honor their priesthood. I couldn't ask for anything more. Is there really anything better? Thanks Todd for being a wonderful example to your peers and to your family (children). You are a wonderful dad and husband. Love you!!

Miss Ellie

I haven't written much about Miss Ellie and her little 2 yr. and 4 month old self these days. She is a character. To start out, she is OCD if I have ever seen it. She is so particular and obsessive about things, it cracks me up. She is so capable and can do so many things.

** Her most recent activity is to go and get the lunch size chip bags out of a box in the garage, come in and find the small pair of kid scissors in the drawer and cut the top off of the bag so that she can have a snack. She puts the scissors away, cleans up her trash and she is good to go. Her cutting is very neat...i was very surprised.

**She is obsessed with her hot pink pair of Crocs. She puts those shoes on with anything and everything. I'm surprised that I am able to put on something different for church. She will wear them around the house all Sunday morning with her dress and then I change them just before we go. She can get them on/off by herself and will not wear them if the strap is not around the back.

**When it's time to go pick up a child or just walk out front to get the kids from the bus, she has to turn off the tv (if it's on), get her Crocs on, and put the toys that she was just playing with away (as if we aren't coming right back). It is so funny.

**She has a blanket that cannot be replaced with any other. None of my other kids were attached to blankets or anything of that sort. She rubs the corner of the blanket with her left hand and sucks her right thumb while sitting with it or going to bed with it or riding in the car with it. She is now ok with me washing it. I would always have to sneak it to the wash the first thing in the morning without her seeing me or she would cry about it being in the wash until it was done. She now will get a stool, take it to the washer and put it in herself. Very cute.

**Last week, while in the restroom at church, she and I came out of the stall and while I was washing my hands, she was making sure every door was closed. She shut every one. She is that same way about drawers. They can't be left open. She goes around and makes sure everything is locked up tight. :D

**I have noticed that if I take my shoes off while in the house, she will take hers off and leave them right next to mine. It is pretty cute.

**She has to have her door shut once we lay her in her bed. She even says "door" when we lay her down. It's funny on some nights because Emily will be telling her I want it open and she is crying "no". They are both fine with it shut.

**Ellie likes us to lay down with her on her big girl bed first before we put her into her crib for the night. She cuddles so close when we lay down together. I love it. She is so cute and so lovable.

**She will get out a little plastic snack bowl, put some crackers or dry cereal in it(she has gotten them down out of the pantry by herself) and then come and show me. She sometimes puts the box of crackers/ceral back in the cupboard or else leaves the box right by where she gets out the bowls.

**She has a "safe zone"in the house where she will go and sit if she hears the trash truck coming down the street or the gardeners. It is where she can't be seen from any windows. It's the same spot every time. It's pretty funny. I have found that she takes her toys to play with them in this spot, or the Nintendo DS will be right there where she was laying down to play it.

**She can get out the Nintendo DS, put a game in and play with it. I watched her get it out, plug the charger into the DS and then into the wall. She knows just what to do...it's so amazing. I guess not so amazing when she is watching everyone else do these things everyday.

**When the other kids are taking showers and getting pj's on, she will go into her room, take off all of her clothes, take off her diaper and bring me out many pairs of her pajamas to put on. She is so funny!!

**I can ask her to go get me something out of the bathroom or anywhere and she knows just where to go, gets it and brings it back to me. She can be a great little helper.

**When she is finished eating her cereal at the table, she will carry the bowl and the spoon and drop them into the sink. It's funny because she is short and can barely make getting the bowl over and into the sink. She did it with my glass bowl and of course, it chipped. Oh well.

**She will only watch one thing on tv...(she calls it "BABY"). It's a movie from the Baby Einstein collection. She will watch any of them but it has to be one of those or else you will not hear the end of it until "Baby" is on. She asks for it multiple times a day. Thank goodness it isn't a ridiculous cartoon that you can't stand to have on.

We all love having her in our family. I can't imagine life without Miss Ellie. I just hope she doesn't start the "I can't step on the cracks in the sidewalk".

She is fun to be with and I enjoy the time spent with her. She is a happy baby but is loving to shout out "NO" when she doesn't like something. She did throw a fit the other day at Wal-Mart. She was going to literally eat the entire sack of goldfish that you can buy in the bags unless I put the bag away. She didn't like that at all. She let everyone know it too.

**She loves to jump all over the place. She will then fall down while cracking up all the while.

This is Miss Ellie in a nutshell right now. She is fun, loving, tender and feisty. She loves her Daddy and wants him to hold her while he is home at anytime. Todd is great with her and all of them.

Everything has its place in Ellie's mind and don't try to tell her otherwise. She is a fun little girl!

"MY EIGHT"

8 Shows I watch: (I don't think I can come up with that many)

*Fox News
*The Office

8 Things I did yesterday:

*clean kitchen/washed dishes
*folded 3 loads of laundry
*grocery shopped with Miss Ellie
*went for a run and then later a walk
*made Todd cookies
*helped with homework
*read scriptures
*went to bed too late

8 Favorite places to eat:

*Taco Rico
*Grinder shop (here in SLO)
*D'Elias Grinders (in Riverside, CA)
*Mom's kitchen for New Mexico style enchiladas
*Fish Taco at Cracked Crab
*Taco Mesa (preferably the carrots and the blackened chicken tacos)
*CPK
*Max's (Stanford Mall)

What is sad is that only 3 out of the 8 are places that are close by me.

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:

*Thanksgiving dinner and my family being here
*Having Todd home tomorrow (his Friday off)
*Not having to buy diapers for the first time in 9 years
*A date with Todd...or a weekend away.
*Watching my children go through the temple for themselves for the first time. :D What a day that will be!!
*When I don't have to get a babysitter to go somewhere
*Carefree summer days

8 Things on my Wish List:

*Digital SLR camera
*My own home :D
*A home gym
*Furniture in my living room
*To take Taekwondo or Karate with my children
*A housekeeper to come and help me do the work.
*To live closer to the temple. (2.5 hours each way makes for a looooonnnnngg day when you have little ones.)
*To not have bills to pay :D Wouldn't that be nice.

This was fun. I'm off to run some errands with Miss Ellie.

Fall is here.....or not quite yet

You wouldn't know it here by the weather. It has been beautiful the last few weeks. Temperatures in the 80's. That is not typical for this time up here. I haven't had to turn on my heater yet this season. YEAH!! There is a bonus to the warmer weather. Less money out of my pocket. I love the weather here. There is no smog so the sky is so clear and the ocean is so big and beautiful. Eventhough I am completely terrified of any ocean activities, I love to look at it. A nice sunset isn't bad either. I was not scared at all of the ocean as a child. I have watched too many shows/documentaries that the people had such horrible experiences out in the water that I have no desire to do any activities out in the ocean.

Anyway, lots has been going on and yet I put too much time into Facebook and not into posting over here. I haven't written anything about Halloween or posted pics. I don't even think I wrote about Mitty's 9th birthday at the end of October. The problem with posting pics is that I can't find my camera. Not good!! I have a bunch of pics on it. I have been keeping busy with scout schedules, primary calling, visitors (my sister and her kids...we had 9 kids between the two of us here in the house. it was great!!), homework packets for each child weekly, cleaning, laundry, fixing food, etc. You all know the drill. There is never a dull moment around here. Now, I'm getting ready to have lots of family come for Thanksgiving next week. My parents, 2 brothers, one sister and her husband and Todd's aunt will be here with us. I have not had Thanksgiving with my side of the family for probably 4-5 years. The kids are excited to have it be more of a party than just a "bigger" dinner. I love the food that is prepared for Thanksgiving and can pretty much taste it everytime I think of the menu. I love it. I'm looking forward to the few days off that the kids will have.

Emily has been singing her Thanksgiving songs that she is learning for a show they are going to do at school for all of the parents. I love Kindergarten. They do so many fun things. They are having a feast and a little program next Tuesday. I look forward to all of those shows/events.

I made pumpkin bread yesterday for some friends and boy does the house smell good. I love that smell and taste. I'm trying hard to stay out of all of the good stuff. It's so hard at this time of year. I remember when I was pregnant during Thanksgiving that I gained 10lbs during the month of November and another 10lbs during the Easter months. It all worked out in the end. I never gained more than 35-40 lbs. I'm happy to have those days behind me.

Before the season gets away from me I do want to write down some things that I am thankful for at this time.....

-Todd's job
-Healthy family
-health insurance
-the Gospel in my life
-that Prop. 8 passed
-that I have food in the cupboards
-that I can go to the temple
-that gas is cheap for a moment. :D
-that I have nice neighbors
-that my children associate with good friends
-that Mitch loves scouts
-a wonderful, helpful and caring husband
-good parents/siblings
-a latter day prophet, Pres. Monson
-desire to do what is right
-that I understand the importance of family
-that I am grounded in who I am and that I'm aware of my purpose/role here on Earth.
-good friends
-sisters
-my calling in the Primary presidency-opportunity to teach the children
-primary children
-church music
-piano
-good kids
-good ward
-gift of faith
-my testimony
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I have many things to be thankful for that I take for granted. I am thankful for my savior, Jesus Christ.

Life Is Just Busy....That's All There Is To It!!

I need a nanny to do the cleaning. I don't mind doing the running around with the kids but boy a cleaning lady would be the ticket. It's a busy time of year and especially the day before Halloween. I am grateful for many things at this time also. I wouldn't trade doing these things for anything. It is a fun type of hustle and bustle. I love my calling and hope that I can make a difference for the children in our ward. The next couple of days are going to be busy busy!! I need to make a list of things to do right now and things that are going on so that I don't forget ....

Give Ellie a bath

Do the dishes (empty clean and put in dirty)

make beds

clean kids bathroom

finalize costumes (it keeps changing)

call surgery center (finalize time and date of minor procedure for Mitch)

make cookies for Casey's class tomorrow

put snacks together for Casey's game on Saturday that he won't be at(I have to give them to the coach tonight)

Go to Casey's class to watch there skit for parents today at 2:30

Find costumes for Todd and I (Bobby and Cindy Brady)

Attend all 3 children's Halloween parties tomorrow starting at 10:30-12:00, 1:00 and 2:00. Help set up at Trunk or Treat pretty much right after school.

Bring string cheese for Mitch's class party tomorrow

Make another Costco run (I'm getting all of the food for the Trunk or Treat tomorrow) We combined with another ward. :D

Laundry

Homework for all of the kids due tomorrow. Casey finished his homework packet on Monday for the entire week. Way to go Casey!!

Trying to do my part in Prop. 8.

How can I get some Visiting teaching done by tomorrow? I may end up going crazy by the end of the month. Ha ha :D

I know that it will all work out and be over in just 2 days. We will have fun on Halloween and I'm going to make sure of it.

Life just keeps getting busier as each day goes on. I am relieved that Sports is over after today. We are free again!!! I love sports but I then love knowing I don't have to be somewhere right after school a few days a week for the next few months. Ahhhh!

I'm off to check some of these things off of the list. It's getting cold again. Winter may be here to stay. It looks like rain tomorrow. Not on Halloween!!!

New Haircut....

It feels good to get a new cut.

Happy 5th B'day Miss Emily (the 17th)

I am way behind on posts. With school starting and fall sports in full swing, we have been very busy around this house.

A week ago Emily turned 5. Where does the time go? You would think she just turned 25 by some of the things she says. She definitely has an opinion and lets it be known. I wonder where she gets that?? Hmmmmmm. :D

We decorated with balloons and streamers in the house. Apparently, I had hung 4 streamers from her door which she quickly came and asked, "Why did you just hang 4 streamers up....I am 5, there should be 5 on my door." Excuse me little Miss, I wasn't even counting. She is so funny sometimes. She is very quick with comebacks and can have us laughing so hard.

Last Thursday, she didn't want to go to soccer. She said she didn't really like running all over with a ball. I told her that we had signed her up because she wanted to play so lets go have a good time. She replied with, "Well, can't you just sign me down?" I was cracking up. It was so cute and so realistic in her mind to just sign her down and she's off the hook. :D She ended up changing her mind and said she wanted to go. She has fun once she is there.

A couple of days ago she said, "Mom, I just want to have a baby in my tummy right now. I just want to be a mom." I thought that was so cute. I was painting her nails on her b'day and she asked, "Mom, am I going to have girls when I'm a mom?" She said she wants to paint her girls nails and make tacos for them for dinner. It's really cute to see her thinking so much about being a mom. It's just natural for girls to have those mother instincts. :D

For her b'day she chose to have me make her a strawberry cake. She added the candles and Mitty lit the candles. It was a family affair. :D She picked for us to go to Taco Loco for her b'day dinner. She loves that place. She orderd her standard steak taco, rice and beans. She was happy. I think all of the kids ordered that.

She requested chocolate chip cookies for her class. This house is always happy to make a batch of cookies. :D

After school I painted her fingers and toes with her new nail polish. It was so cute when Casey walked in he saw her cookie sitting on the table by her and asked if she wanted him to feed it to her. He could see that her nails were wet and she couldn't do it. I loved that and had to get a picture of it. So sweet!! I have to add another sweet thing that Casey did...at school he earns tickets for doing good things in class or for getting 100% on spelling tests. He earned 5 tickets which meant he got to pick out a prize out of the prize box. It was on Emily's b'day and he turned in his tickets for a pink head band for Emily. He said he knew she would just love it. And she does! I thought that was the best. As a mother, those moments make all that I have done to teach my children worth every hard moment.

I think she had a fun day. Mission Accomplished!! I didn't hear any complaints so I guess it was up to her standards. :D haha

Emily is such a fun little girl. She loves her family and loves to play with her brothers and sister. She loves kindergarten! She is so independent it's scary. Sometimes I really wonder if there is anything this girl can't do. She is so capable and loves to help. I appreciate all of her little hugs and squeezes throughout the day. I love to lay down with her each night and have her tell me things. We sing songs and then hug and kiss goodnight. She is so obedient when it comes to going to sleep. She loves to tease Ellie at times but boy howdy Ellie gets her back. She is a sweet daughter and I can't imagine our family without her. I love her little sweet face with her precious glasses and her beautiful curly brown hair. I love you Em Em!!

She told me the other day that a boy on the bus said that she was ugly with her glasses off. I thought to myself...is that really starting up already in kindergarten? I had to tell her that what he was probably thinking is that she looks different with her glasses off. Poor girl. I don't want the "4 eyes" comments that are bound to be heard at some point to haunt her.

Mitch's First Football Game

Isn't he so cute??!! I think all of the boys are just too cute out there on the field. I love how at certain times during the game, the coaches will tell them to lock up. Which means they hold hands. When they walk out for the coin toss, all 4 boys hold hands. It's a fun sport. I have really enjoyed watching the kids play. They won their first game last Saturday 12-0. Mitch plays center and is having fun. I chalked up our windows with Go Eagles for their game and Mitch thought that was awesome. As I was painting the windows, I was flooded with Cheer memories of making posters for the game and at school back in high school. I had fun. I had Go Ghostriders on one side for Casey and Go Eagles on the other with their # on it. The kids had smiles from ear to ear to see their team name and # on the car. Casey scored 2 goals on Saturday as well. This is all I have time for.....gotta run. The afternoon taxi is about to start. We'll be back in and done with running around at 7:15.