March Recap....mainly through pictures /Gardening, Easter and Visitors :D

I hate that so much time has gone by but there really hasn't been any time to sit down and write out posts or post pictures. Now there is too much to write so my pictures will have to tell a story.

Nancy came to visit and helped out with mass amounts of gardening. It was a ton of work but so worth what it all looks like now. I have planted so many flowers and dug up so many ugly looking bushes that now I feel I can say I may have a green thumb. It is addicting and very fun to watch everything grow and look beautiful. We planted 3 fruit trees (3 in 1 apple tree, clementine and a navel orange). The blossoms on the orange tree are so beautiful and smell so good. The roses will be beautiful in a couple of months. I have enjoyed going out in the yard and hoping to see some new leaves on any of the rose plants. I am just now starting to see buds for the leaves. YEAH :D!! Todd got the drip system working out front on Saturday and now just needs to finish the back. Oh it works just great!


Last Friday April called and asked if she and her family could come up and spend the weekend. I was happy to tell her that the weather was just beautiful and warm and that it would be really fun to spend Easter with them. They got up here late Friday night but came over on Saturday morning and spent the day with us. April did her famous Easter egg hunt/store. She has 80 plastic eggs with numbers inside. A few eggs had a gold star (for the grand prize winners). She hides the eggs and then the kids were able to each find 10 eggs. Once they are done, each child gathers all of the numbers that were inside and lines up to pick out gifts from "her" store. Depending on what the number is they get to pick a gift out of a bag. It was a real hit and my kids loved it. Mitty hasn't been able to stop talking about it. He really loved the hunt/store and the company. We then took all of the kids and tried a new Mexican restaurant for dinner. It was good and all of the kids were so well behaved. Everyone had fun together. It was really nice to be with them. We topped off our dinner with yogurt creations. That is always a hit with the kids and definitely for me. Here are some pictures of our Saturday













Here are some cute ones from the restaurant and yogurt outing. The pictures say it all. The kids were having fun for sure!





Easter Sunday....

We decided to do a brunch instead of dinner. I loved it. I made 2 breakfast casseroles the night before so that they were ready to go on Sunday morning, cut up fruit, cut up a raspberry danish, and made orange juice. It was really nice and the food was tasty. Todd sure loved it. He loved it so much that he had the leftovers for dinner last night. It was nice having April's family join us at church. Everyone looked so nice...they looked so nice that I forgot to get a picture of all of them. I had the girls put their dresses back on so that we could snap a few pictures. I love the picture of the 3 boys..Joey, Austin and Mitty playing video games before church. They all look so handsome! All in all it was a great weekend! I hope to do it again soon.







Now, the kids are home this week for Spring break. Yesterday was a good day. The weather was great as you can see in the pictures. Sunny, warm weather always helps when the kids are home all day. I am hoping the weather will be just as good today so that we can go to the beach.
The kids were having a blast yesterday in the hose. The weather was very warm and perfect for some playing in the water. Ellie goes for any water. She loves it. She isn't afraid to get wet, that's for sure.



We sure have had some fun these last couple of weeks. The kids always hate to have cousins and guests leave. Mitch had a hard time Sunday night. He really loves having everyone around. I'm off to get breakfast for some kiddies who are now up. Why so early when they don't have to get up??

A few more pictures of the girls. I thought they were so cute in bed. Ellie loves to climb in with Emily before bed. We all 3 will lay together for a bit before Ellie gets into her bed. They are really cute together. They play more and more together as each day goes on. Ellie loves to be right in the middle of all of the kids. She is one of them for sure. She can hold her own too. That's my girl. Todd and I get a kick out of watching her with other kids. She doesn't back down for anything. Oh no! :D

My Prayer Was Answered/This Week's Activities

I want to document about an answer to my prayer yesterday. Mitch has been playing with a certain boy at school for sometime now and I can't stand this boy. I have never let him over and Mitch wouldn't even ask. Now that Casey started first grade, he plays with Mitch and this boy too. I was hoping that once Casey was on the playground, the boys would play together and it would end up that this other boy would be squeezed out. No such luck! Todd and I have really been talking to the boys about how the influence of kids who don't choose the right really bring us down and cause us to do wrong. I was a bit frustrated the other night when I heard some choice words that Casey then proceeded to tell me that this boy says. I really had the talking to with the boys and explained to Mitty that if he continues to play with this boy over time he will end up being in trouble with us or with teachers at the school. I said much more but I think they were getting it for the first time. The next day, Casey told me that he didn't play with this boy and that when the boy came around at recess he(Casey) just walked away and played with other kids. I was so proud of him. Casey told me that he whispered in Mitty's ear that they weren't to be playing with this boy. Mitty didn't really pay too much attention to that and kept playing. We rewarded Casey by taking him by himself to get Doc Burnstein's (ice cream store). I told Mitty that I would reward him as well for making the right choice and finding some other friends to play with. Yesterday morning my prayer was that Mitch would not have a difficult time finding someone else to play with and that the transition would be easy for him. Oh I was so happy when I picked the boys up from school and they were excited to tell me that they didn't play with this boy. I asked how it went and they told me, "Mom, we just played soccer with ________and ___________ and the boy played with some other kid." Mitty said, it was every recess too. Mitty acted better when he got in the car, he didn't act easily frustrated with anyone, and just was calm about everything. It was so nice and I know that by him not playing with this boy helped him to feel like he was doing the right thing. He later told us at the dinner table that he did feel better today. He got his own special trip to Yogurt Creations last night. I am more than happy to take them on special outings to reward them for good things that they do.

Going back to earlier this week, the kids had a minimum day on Monday and so I took them to McDonalds and then to the park. The weather has just been beautiful...mid to high 70's and sunny!! I love it. I can't help but sit outside and enjoy the warmth from the sun. I have some cute pictures of the kids playing together.








Yesterday, I attempted making a carnitas dinner and it was a success! It took half the day but it was sure good. I made pico de gallo, guacamole, beans and served with warm corn tortillas. We all loved it. I have been on a mission lately to make new dinners and try new things. It has been really fun and tasty! The same ol same ol starts to get boring and makes cooking not so fun. Last week it was a new recipe for meatballs/rice and another one for baby back ribs. Both were good and the kids loved it.

I found Ellie like this the other day on the couch. She had crawled up and layed behind Emily and opened up a book. Too cute. I love these shots.


My roses came yesterday and I am dying to get them planted. They will have to wait until Friday. Todd has Friday off. I better go and get the kids moving in the right direction this morning. The morning hustle can be a bit tiring if I don't get a head start.

A Trip To The Library

I put out the effort and took the kids to the library on the way home from school. My last experience in the library with all 4 kids was not good and so we haven't been back. I feel bad that it has been awhile. Too long, really. It's funny how my head works overtime on thinking of things that we can do to help Mitty pass off items in his scout book. I thought this would be fun for him to learn how to get a library card for himself and see how the library works. I had him fill out the application and he did a great job. He knew all of the information and took it back to the man at the accounts desk. Mitch was so excited to put a card that has his name on it in his wallet. I was very surprised to see that the library had really changed since I had been there last. It is all self check out now with a lady supervising the area of about 7 computers. All of the books have a bar code and we just scan them in. It was pretty easy. The lady was kind enough to see that my hands were completely full....holding Ellie who wanted to get down or reach for everything, manage the other 3 children who were dying to scan the books themselves but not being patient to take turns and then the system bogging down because the kids kept scanning. We made it through just fine. Every child took their turn of scanning the books which was fun for them. It was just strange to not have the typical librarian workers checking out our books. Oh how my children's world is so different than when I was a child. Everything now is "do it yourself" or every company you call is has an automated system. You never talk to a "live" person. It got me thinking...my kids never see me go to a bank. Is there really a need to on a daily basis? I never go into a bank. My bank isn't even local. I can do everything I need to online or through the mail. I can get money at the grocery store. It's just a different world. I remember my mom taking my dad's pay checks to the bank all of the time. I remember lists that my mom would make of things to do and banking was always on there. Now we have direct deposit. Oh, it's a beautiful thing for sure!!

Anyway, we had fun and the kids were very good for me while looking for books. I found a book in the children's section about American Heroes that I got for myself to read. I am actually excited to read it and share with the kids about heroes in our country. They are sponges right now and want to know about everything so I'm going to give them the info. I thought about picking a subject each week and teaching them about it. We could turn it into a weekly library trip to find out what we can about that subject. We'll see how it goes. A mother's head is constantly going. Well, at least mine is. I find it hard to sit and relax. I really can't do it at night. I am constantly working on cleaning something, picking up the house, folding clothes, doing bills, or exercising on the treadmill. I feel guilty just watching a show without accomplishing something at the same time. Oh, it's a bit exhausting. Thank goodness I don't have any babies keeping me up in the night. I was blessed that the girls (last 2 children) slept through the night from early on (Emily was 6 weeks old and Ellie was around the same time). The boys were a bit different. Mitch was the hardest for sure. Oh the things that we learn from the first child.

Here is a cute picture of Ellie that I took today. I love that she was in action walking to me. She is so sweet and cute. I had to stick her in here somewhere. She was great at the library sitting at the little kid tables doing the puzzles. She would get up and down from the little chairs and get another book from the younger age bins. It was pretty cute. She is so careful when she turns the pages of a book. Is that normal?? I love it. She will lay on the floor here at home and page through each page of the Friend magazine being so careful each time she turns. That is a girl thing I think. Casey did a number on some books when he was her age.


I better go and get us ready for the Blue and Gold dinner tonight. The time is fast approaching and the kids are looking for food. Wish me luck! I love that Mitch gets so excited for these events. It helps me to be excited too.

Geesh, Another Week/More Random Happenings

It seems like a week is just flying by lately. What is that?? I guess a busy life with 4 children can make life feel like a blur sometimes.

I'll start where I left off....Last Thursday when I was waiting to pick up Emily from preschool, I had so many mothers make comments about Ellie's new pair of shoes. I just love them and think they are the cutest shoe for a little girl. Emily got a pair similar without the red in them. I couldn't believe that each mom who came in spotted her shoes and had to say something. What is even cuter to me is her tiny little foot that sits in them. :D


The boys both had a clean bill of health from the dentist last week!! Oh, how I love to hear that their teeth look great and no cavities. Music to a mother's ears. :D

We headed up north again last Thursday night to finish up some errands that seem to be ongoing. (We don't live close to a mall.) We enjoyed a couple days up there and came back on Saturday night. We took the kids on a hike/park trip one afternoon and they had a blast. They found a stream and had the greatest time exploring. Emily had to go to the bathroom at one point and there wasn't a bathroom around so we tried to become one with nature but she wouldn't have it. (That's my girl :D) She had such stage fright. I got her all situated but she just kept telling me, "I just can't go." She held it and we made it back (1/2 mile) to the bathroom. Way to go Em's!!




Ellie tends to have this look on her face often.... She did well and actually fell asleep on our way back.


Sunday was a good day. It sure was nice not having to get up for early church since we rolled in the night before at 12:30am. Our ward meets at 1:00 and it does have it's benefits. Ellie is doing really well in nursery which makes me feel so much better. I haven't been taking her since I have primary to teach. My class meets right after Sacrament so I have kids waiting for me. Todd has taken that duty of dropping her off at nursery and it has been so nice not having to deal with that. She is liking it and does fine in there. Yeah!! My class is doing just fine. I only had 2 boys last week which is nice. Next year it will be a big class.

I really love how my Monday's are so calm. I don't have any obligations that day meaning, no preschool, no dance, no church meetings that night, etc. I love that I just clean and do laundry and don't have to be anywhere. I pretty much caught up the laundry from the weekend and picked up the house.

We have started a new routine around here..it's called Kitchen Manager. The kids rotate nights to be kitchen manager and they are loving it. Todd came up with the name. On 'their" night the kitchen manager picks the menu for dinner, sets the table and gets to pick where everyone sits( the normal fight of who is going to sit by dad is what instigated this kitchen manager). It has helped and now the kids have made a drink manager. Another child does the drinks (decides what drink and makes it for each person). They love it. I think it is pretty cool and it helps me a lot. I love to see the kids so excited to help. Last night Mitch picked meatballs/rice and I picked broccoli. It was so easy and the kids loved it. Mitch went on and on about the meatballs and was still talking about them today. The sauce was great...equal parts of grape jelly to chili sauce. It's easy to make a ton of that for a family.

Today has been beautiful with weather in the 70's, blue skies and such a nice breeze that crosses through the house. I love to feel a bit of a breeze in the house when it is warm. I wish I could say that this weather will stay but it never does for too long around here. The kids were so good when we got home from picking them up at school. Mitch is so self-motivated. I love to see him at work. He just digs in, gets busy and doesn't stop until it is finished. He did his room, organized all of he and Casey's shoes, made his bed, emptied out trash cans in the entire house, vacuumed his room, put his clothes away, took out the main kitchen trash outside, did his homework and organized his drawers. He did it all so fast. He totally can focus and get a job done. It's a wonderful gift!!! He also doesn't seem overwhelmed by a big job staring at him. He just digs in and does it. Casey and Emily followed after a bit and really helped me with the clothes and vacuuming. Casey vacuumed the family room, dining room and living room, and put clothes away. Emily helped with her clothes and putting away little toys back into place. Thank you kids for being so cooperative today. It was wonderful to have so many jobs done that I won't have to stay up late and do tonight.

Just some random thoughts. I had no idea that boys were just as picky as girls are. Mitch is so concerned about his look and if it looks cool or not. He just got a pair of plaid shorts and literally wants to wear them every day. He saw the Volcom symbol on the back and has fallen in love with them even more. Oh, we have created a monster. Everything has got to be just right....the shoes, the "no show" socks, the right shirt (he is loving some Quiksilver shirts he has), and the right kind of jacket with different outfits. I thought only girls cared this much about their appearance at 8 years old? Maybe it is just the genes and he just can't help it. I was very particular with how things looked and we know Todd was and is. :D Todd loves it. He is so funny. I just thought I had a few more years but I guess not. Mitty has been asking such funny questions lately like, "how will I know if the girl I'm dating or want to marry is a member of the church?" I'm thinking, good job for even thinking about making sure she is a member. :D haha He's got a girl at school that likes him and Casey told me that the girl went up behind him and kissed him on the back of the neck. Oh boy!!

I better go get dinner going before this crew is begging for food. Casey is the manager tonight and has picked tostadas for dinner! Yeah, my favorite and oh so easy to do.

Daily Happenings/Great Book

I see that I'm on a role for posting once a week. I don't mean for it to happen that way....there just seems to be so many things that I feel I "should" be doing instead of blogging. I need to start out by saying that I am so grateful for beautiful weather. It has been gorgeous here yesterday and now this morning. The sun feels so dang good coming in the window. Here are a few pictures I took outside yesterday of the pretty flowers that are in my yard. The sun felt so good yesterday that I sat outside for a bit with the girls to enjoy it. I loved it that a skirt and flip flops were perfect.




Here is the book that I just read in a couple of days. My new thing is to read while running on the treadmill. The print was large enough that I wasn't having to strain to read while in motion. It is called Things I Wish I'd Known Sooner.....by Jaroldeen Edwards. Oh it is so good. i really enjoyed reading her insight. She is a mother of 12. It helped me to put some things into perspective. I highly recommend the book to anyone at any age.


This is how I found them the other night before bed. It was so classic. How cute is that that Ellie has to have one in her hand and she knows the DS vs. the older Game Boy. It is pretty cute! At least there was a bit of quiet time for a moment. :D


The week seems to be flying by again. We have one more Saturday to ourselves before baseball practices/games start. Except for Spring Break and Memorial Day Weekend we will be at the field on Saturdays. It does help Spring go by a bit quicker and then that means summer again. Oh, what will be the plans for summer.....I do already have swim lessons in mind, Scout Day Camp for a week, Hawaii(hopefully), and a trip to see the new baby cousin that will arrive sometime at the end of July. :D

Ellie has been up since 6:45 and doesn't seem to be getting along with today. She acts tired and fussy. Oh, it makes the morning bustle a little bit tougher. I'm off to finish lunches and change a diaper and get the kids to school. This post is everywhere. It's just a bunch of random information. Oh well, that is life for me right now.

Has It Already Been A Week?????

Wow, the time really flies. I guess when I stay constantly busy there is no slow time around here. Valentines was nice. The kids all enjoyed their parties and the exchange of valentines is big around here. The kids are still looking through them. Todd brought me home a rose and a kiss which was nice. I don't need a big bouquet of roses. I hate to know how much was spent on flowers that will just die in a few days. I had one of our favorite desserts...apples from Rocky Mountain. I scored with an Apple Pie and Avalanche. They were delicious!! Todd picked up pizza from a place we love and we ate together alone after the kids were in bed. It is always nice to have a quiet dinner to ourselves. I don't care if it is just in my house. I love it that way!!

We traveled north for the long holiday weekend and spent it with Aunt Nancy. She just had surgery on her shoulder and really wanted us to come up. Grandma Carol was there and so we had a great time. The kids always love to play in her cul de sac and large back yard. It was nice to do some shopping at the mall. I had exchanges and gift cards for Nordstrom from Christmas that I hadn't used up. We don't live close to one so it makes it a bit hard to use them. I did get some great smelling lotion and some lipstick which is always fun. It all worked out and we had a fabulous weekend until Monday morning when Casey got sick in the night. He threw up a couple of times in the morning but was ok to drive home that evening. We were nervous to drive just thinking who might be next. They all slept the entire way which made it a bit peaceful. Casey stayed home from school Tuesday and Wednesday literally just laying on the couch. I felt so bad to see his big eyes drooping so. He would just sleep on and off all day. Both nights he went to bed at 6:30. That definitely shows that he was really sick. He got up today and said he wanted to go to school. He looked a 100 times better and so I was ok with it. He did fine at school. He does have a cough that really gets going at night. I hope the rest of us stay well....knock on wood. I did have a minor sore throat for the last couple of mornings. That can't stop a mom, right?

Mitch had scouts the other night and had to do a short report on the dangers of drugs and alcohol. It was interesting to see how he worded the information we talked about. He did a great job and read it to the other boys. At the end he told me that he really wanted to put that you couldn't live with Jesus if you do drugs. How cute is that. :D

I was so proud of what I got done today. I felt like I had really accomplished something. I went through rubbermaid boxes in the garage of kids clothes and maternity clothes. I made piles and actually freed up some containers to be put to use somewhere else. I have a huge trash bag full of maternity clothes/2-3 yr. old boy clothes for my sister, Marilyn. I can't wait for her to have them and they be off my hands. I made another bag of clothes for a friends little boy and gave them to her. I have made more room in the garage which makes me happy. I can't wait for Marilyn to have her baby so that I can get rid of my double stroller and more baby clothes. I cleaned the bathrooms and vacuumed out the truck. I have stayed on top of the laundry and so I am feeling good. I have this itch to get rid of stuff. I am sick of seeing stuff everywhere. I love the simple life.

I just got a call tonight telling me that MItch and Casey are on the same team for baseball this season. That was my request. The boys wanted to be on the same team and so I am happy. That means an easy season for us this year. YEAH!!! :D They are on the Dodgers which will be really fun for them. There are 2 boys that I know so far that are on their team from last year. This will be fun. I am getting excited for baseball to start. I love watching their games. The boys were doing cartwheels about it when I told them.

I'm wiped out tonight. The almost 3 hours of catch up homework with Casey this afternoon has pretty much exhausted me. I can't even explain how it goes. It just isn't a walk in the park. I better go do a few more things around the house before I hit the sack and while Todd is away at meetings. I will have pictures next time. There is no time to download pics.

Valentine's Eve....

I can't believe it has really been over a week since I posted last. There is enough that goes on to keep me off of the computer for sure.

The kids were working on Valentines today. Casey and Emily finished there's last week which made today a bit easier on me. Mitch still needed to do his and so he whipped them out. There were leftovers so Emily and Casey were loving the fact that they get more candy. :D I have to say...the valentines that are boxes of candy or packages of candy that have a space for the child to write the names to/from on the outside are so great. It made valentine making so much easier this year. I have been busy mentally with the kids Valentine's day parties tomorrow. I am always involved with 3 parties to remember things for. Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way but it makes for a busy few days leading up to it making sure I have everything that I agreed to bring ready. I went the easy route for Emily's class and put my name down for plates and napkins. She had fun picking out the festive heart plates and napkins for her party. Casey's was easy too. The room mom asked for any donations...she is bringing in donuts and hot chocolate with whipped cream for the party. His party is first thing in the morning so donuts are perfect. Too bad I can't make it since I have to take Emily to preschool. I'm not sure what Mitty's class is doing. I have been slashed off of the list of helping ever since Ellie had fits at the last party and refused to stop screaming in the classroom. Oh well, life with little ones. I have looked at it like they are helping me out and understand how rough it can be to have 3 kids with parties always at the same time, same day so they stopped telling me or asking me to bring anything.

I have sugar cookie dough chilling as I write. The kids are going to roll out the dough and frost the heart cookies. I may try and do some chocolate dipped cookies. Ellie is down for her nap so we are good to go. We are going to make some valentine notes for each one in the family. They thought that sounded fun. Now, where do I get all of the energy to do all of this?? I am sleepy. ****THIS IS FOR MY MOM**** I got back out this morning and bit the bullet. The street was free and clear of anyone lurking. At least for this morning :D

A little bit of new info in my life. I was just called to be the Valiant 9/10 primary teacher. Mitch and 2 other boys are in that class this year. It is a good group. I'm excited and really want to make a difference for these boys. Their lessons are out of the Book of Mormon this year. It is so great and will help me so much in my own reading. I'm slacking on my 97 day challenge but I am reading so that is a bonus! These lessons aren't something that I will be able to just throw together right before church. I hope I can be a good example to these boys and teach them something. My time is up. I can't use all of my free time on the computer....darn it. :D

I am so proud of myself. I told myself in January that I wanted to be better at sending cards to family for b'days and occassions this year. I always say that I will and then I don't stay on top of it. I am 3 for 3 so far. I sent b'day cards to my brothers in January and one to my sister today (her b'day is on Monday). That is impressive for me. I even have the b'day card for my sister whose b'day is in March.

Time to get the dough rolled out and to think about dinner. Ugh!! I wish something was cooking in a crock pot right about now.

Any Ideas???/Happenings this week

I need some ideas for a 40th b'day. Todd turns 40 this April and I'm trying to get some ideas of something to surprise him with. My sister and I have gone over many ideas already. I just thought I would throw it out and see if any of you have some other ideas. He has said how he does not want a party. I told him that we were doing something. I'm fine with just the two of us getting away and celebrating also. I'm trying to keep it a surprise but who knows how that will pan out. If any of you have some great ideas, please leave them in your comment or email them to me.

On another note....I feel like I am constantly working around the house, making food for children, folding clothes, needing to clean something here or there, getting a snack, getting a drink, needing to water the plants, need to organize a stack of a million papers (kids school papers), need to read my scriptures, need to have a prayer....ALONE :D I guess I feel all of these things because that is what is going on right now. I am busy, busy, busy with so many different things. There is never a dull moment of down time around here until late into the night. I am not complaining just voicing my days.

We have been working on school projects, valentines for each child's class, and homework these last two days. It is always fun to get out the valentines and watch the kids sign there names on each one. I loved the Valentine's party at school as a child. It was so exciting to see what boy gave the heart candy with the cute saying on it to you. Maybe I'm alone on this one but I doubt it. :D I am lacking in my Valentine spirit this year. I haven't done much with decorating or getting the valentine's candy out in the dish. I guess because putting candy out with my children means you would need a bag for each day to keep some in the dish. The kids eat too much if I put it out. Ellie has even picked up on the goodie corner in our kitchen. She goes to the right corner of the kitchen, reaches upward and says "cookie". She is right because they are directly above her in the cupboard. She isn't dumb!

Mitch was home today with a sore throat/headache. I had a slight feeling he was pulling my leg but what do you do. He was really acting like he felt bad this morning. I kept telling him to go to school and call me later if it didn't go away. I gave him some postum this morning in hopes that the warm drink would help it to feel better enough to get him to school. You know how sometimes your throat is scratchy in the morning but give it an hour or two and it's fine. Anyway, he grumbled a bit today when we had to go back and forth to take Emily to school and then pick her up, go and vote and then go back and pick up Casey. I told him...you made the choice to stay home...you are now on my schedule. You are along for the ride today bud. He and Emily kept each other company and watched some movies. The funny thing came when we picked Casey up from school. As we pulled into the garage, Mitch said, "Mom, my throat is all better. My head doesn't hurt either." How convenient Mitty! I told him that he still wasn't going to be playing outside and that he was missing Scouts tonight. He came in and decided to put on his jammies again. That little stinker! I knew I was being had. Oh well, my kids never miss school.

I have taken on the Hinckley Challenge of reading the Book of Mormon in 97 days. I needed that boost to get me back into it. I amazingly was able to stay awake last night at 11:45 to read my first 5 pages. I'm off to read another 5. It feels good to be gung ho about it again.

My mom said that she may be coming up this weekend. I love that kind of news. The kids get so excited about grandma coming too. It will be fun. I'm ready for a Wii tournament. :D

The Storm is Back/Random Happenings

This was my view from the back yard yesterday at some point. The storm is back and it rained through the night and is wet and cold this morning. I can't wait for Spring to show it's face. :D I love the rain but also love to see some sunny, blue skies. There is something exciting about a dark sky like this....


Here are just some random pictures this week. I had to document Mitty's agenda for FHE last week. It was just so cute how he wrote it all up and followed it for our lesson. He did a great job!!


It was so great to have the kids helping with chores. They do a great job and it helps me so much. I love that about the kids getting older. Casey and Emily had great fun sorting out the darks and lights. Thanks guys!! I appreciate all of their help.


I love pictures of the kids from behind. It was so cute to see the two of them at the piano playing. Ellie loves to climb up and sit up there. She feels so big when she does it. The backpack is her new thing. She loves to wear it around and run to hear the sound it is making from the toys inside. Very cute. I can remember when each of the kids loved to wear that very backpack. We've had it around awhile.


Here is Ellie last Sunday. She is so into climbing up on any chair that is not occupied. She got up there turned around and sat down. She is so cute and fun. That was her second Sunday going into Nursery. She is doing pretty well. I was teaching Primary and so Todd took her in. He said she was good and didn't cry. :D Oh, how happy that makes us. We'll see how today goes. She has a bit of a runny nose so I'm sure I will be with her in the halls for the duration. She is good through Sacrament meeting but then needs to let some energy out. It is hard for me to sit with her through Sunday School right after sitting through Sacrament. It's been awhile since I have heard a Gospel Doctrine lesson. :D Oh well, this time of life never lasts very long. I am truly enjoying our last baby and the stages. Why rush, Sunday School will always be there. Ellie will only be little for such a short time. I learned very early on that going to church with the little ones is to show them the example of going. It is all a learning experience for them even at the young ages. I didn't expect to hear much or learn much and when I did it was a bonus!!


Last Tuesday night was Family Night at Doc Burnstien's for the kids school. It is always a fun night. The kids teachers scoop the ice cream and clean up tables for the evening. My kids love to see their friends and teachers there. It is fun for all. Todd is always up for any excuse to get ice cream. :D

Todd was home last Friday which was fun. He hasn't had a Friday off for the last month. (He gets every other Friday off but has had to work his last two, so it was nice to have him around.) We took the girls to Target and stocked up on some stuff. I bought the movie Goonies for the kids. My boys had never seen it and it was $7.50. They loved it!! They had a movie night with popcorn in my bed on Friday. All three of them under the covers with just their heads peeking out. It was pretty cute. We also took Emily to lunch. (She loves to go on little errands with us, especially lunch with dad.) Friday night was of course Todd going to pick up YC (frozen yogurt). Oh, we love that place. We were happy to have it two nights in a row. :D

Saturday (yesterday) Mitch had baseball tryouts for the Minor's. Is he really that old already?? I remember my brothers playing in the minors. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago. Todd took him along with Emily and Casey to the field. It was a 2 1/2 hour process and we'll see how it all turned out soon. Mitch loved it and I think he is really excited. Casey was invited to a b'day party at the bowling alley. Oh, how excited Casey has been to go to a party (one that is just for him to attend). He had a great time and brought home some fun prizes. It was really neat that the boy whose party it was decided he wanted to give all of the presents to needy children and so we didn't have to wrap up a gift. It was kind of nice not having to worry about that. It was nice for so many kids to see another boy do that with his presents. What a good example. I loved talkiing about it with Casey.

Did I mention how nice it was that Todd did all of the running around with the kids yesterday. He took them to the field and then took the boys to get haircuts and then took Casey to his party and picked him up and picked up our yogurt. I loved hanging around the house with just Ellie. She napped and I ran the 6.5 miles that I said I would for President Hinckley on the treadmill in my front room. Did anyone see Kristi's blog on that? Very cute idea. I did laundry and vacuumed the entire house. It was nice to do it with all of the kids out of the way. :D It goes so much faster.

Todd helped with getting our papers organized yesterday. We shredded so many uncessary papers(old bills, etc.) I love when he gets into his organizing kick. He makes such a difference and we love it after it's all said and done. Thanks!!

Now we are back to Sunday. It's raining and cold. It's so nice to have a day that I know I am not going anywhere other than church. It's such a needed break during the week. I better get going to get things ready for the day. It's a process to have this group ready even for 1:00 church.