Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

This Christmas was so much fun! My brother Allen and his family came to stay with us and so my Mom and Dad decided to come up. That meant that Pam and Mel would be spending Christmas here too, so we all had one big happy celebration. The kids just play and play all day til they are soooo tired. They get along so well too, no fighting at all. This morning we got up at 7:30 and open presents from Santa and they just had so much fun watching each other and showing off their gifts. We played all morning and then sent the kids to watch a movie so we could clean up all the gift opening mess that is left from 8 little kids. That was a big chore itself. Then we started to prepare the Christmas Feast and boy was it. We all ate our hearts out tonight with turkey and ham and all the yummy good things that go with them. Homemade apple pie and icecream for dessert. Mmmmmmm.............it was great. It was funny being the one in charge of the meal, I kept forgetting that I was responsible to get things made. I am used to being assigned one thing and just fulfilling the request. It all worked out though, I had help, and I was proud of the result. The kids were all pleased with their gifts, so overall it was a big success. I wish they would all come every year, and maybe next time my other siblings and their families could come too. We could all squish. :)

Amanda's Choir Concert

This year Amanda was old enough to join the Hobble Creek Elementary School Choir. She really enjoys singing so she was excited when she found out that she could. She had to be to school 1 hour earlier every Tues, Thurs, and Friday to practice. I thought it was cute and happy that she was sticking to it even though some days she had a hard time getting up that early. Well it finally came time for their Christmas Concert so Pat and I went yesterday to the afternoon showing. I was blown away, it brought me to the verge of crying many times. They sounded so good and their timing was amazing for kids of their age. Pat and I just could not get over how well they did. We decided to go to the evening concert tonight, it being their last show, and record it but as we put a new tape in our camcorder, something happened and it would not load. I was and still am very sad because I was so impressed, I wanted to show my mom. :(




I went to the show anyways and it was just as good the second time. I saw some parents there taping so I am going to try to get a copy somehow. She is on the top row in the very middle. It still gives me the chills thinking of it. They did not sing your traditional Christmas songs either, they sang in Latin, French, Hebrew, and some African language. They had all different parts and solos, it was amazing to say the least. It makes me excited for next years concert (They only do the choir for Christmas).

Smile Anyone???

Have you ever thought about the affect a smile can have on someone? Today I had someone smile at me and it has made me happy all day to think about. It was someone I know but I didn't think they would recognize me or even acknowledge me if they saw me, but I saw them as I was exiting the mall and I received a huge smile and a wave. Its funny that it could effect my day so much but it did. Its not even anyone important. Just a friend of a friend. Oh well, maybe I am weird but to know that I can be affected like that makes me want to hand out the smiles a little more.

By the way, I saw Twilight this morning and it was Awesome!!!!! Thanks Denise for inviting me!

Thank you Rob!!!!!!!

My brother Rob has now been practicing as a dentist for a little over a year, and I have needed some dental work for about that long. I have put it off because it was going to cost me about $5000.oo. So in Oct, I flew out to Ohio, where Rob lives, and he did most the work needed, and then he came out last week and finished. He knows a dentist out here who was very kind and let him use his office and supplies. It was a simple procedure so it took about an hour. I feel like I owe him forever. He saved me and my teeth. I am so grateful for such a great brother and his wife who gave me a buddy pass to fly out there on. Now I can eat again and not be in pain all the time. YAY!!!!!!!!!

So its been a really long time..........

I have been wanting to write, but nothing really is happening in the Easter household lately. Just the same old, get up, get kids to school, go work if needed, and then come home, have dinner, and go to bed after homework. I know, I know, its a crazy life...:) No really, not much is happening here. We did get a new kitten but I think she likes our neighbors better than us. She is always over at their house. Her name is Muffin (Marin named her). She is really sweet. I didn't get many Halloween pics, I forgot to take them before Pat sent them off Trick or treating in our neighborhood at 5pm. I told him he was making us look like the annoying early trick or treat Family and he thought it was great just to get the kids out of the house cuz they were being crazy. Oh well.

We have been really working hard on our food and water storage. We figure we have 440 gallons of water stored and about 4 months of food and supplies. That good for us because we usually go in spurts with getting things and then we use them up without replacing them. But we have been good at restocking and getting more for a while now.

I warned you that nothing much is going on here, sorry this is such a boring entry. Hopefully more excitement this week. We have Rob and Heidi and fam, coming in from Cincinnati tomorrow. Yay!!

Who am I???

I took this today and I liked it. I found it on my friend Emily's blog. Thanks Em. By the way I love Jane Austen.

Take the Quiz here!

You are Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are practical, circumspect, and discreet. Though you are tremendously sensible and allow your head to rule, you have a deep, emotional side that few people often see.

The Weekend

Well, Pat is off on his trip and I am home alone for a few til my sis Mel gets here tonight. She will arrive around 10 pm if I had to guess. She is coming from Rexburg, Id. We are going to have sister-sister time while Pat is in Denver. I can't help but feel jealous of Pat but I am thankful Mel is able to come and we will have lots of fun together. Its also General Conference weekend and I love to hear the talks. I am planning on doing some shopping for the girls, they all need jeans for the winter. It is starting to get colder here and next week will be quite a bit colder than it has been. I am not looking forward to the fall/winter, but I will deal as best I can. I am just a sun person so if it doesn't come out, I am not as happy as I could be. I think I will do some decorating this weekend too. Hmm, I feel like I will be really busy, and that will be good.

Getting Prepared

Pat and I have been working on our 3 month supply of everything we use. In our stake they asked us to get a year supply of food and a 3 month supply of everything we use, including soap, water, toiletries, diapers, anything and everything we use each day. So we have been getting it all together and tonight we went to Costco and bought some more things. It feels good to be preparing, because it would be the worst torture to have something happen, and not have food or anything for my children. We have both felt strongly about getting it done soon and not putting it off like we usually do. Maybe its the way things are going in the world with all the natural disasters happening. Who knows? We just feel urgent to follow the council. We have been asked to please try and have it ready, the 3 month supply, by October so that is our goal.

GO BRONCOS!!!!

Last nights game was so crazy but the Broncos pulled off a last minute win over the San Diego Chargers. I was gritting my teeth the whole 2nd half. Why do I like Coach Mike Shanahan? The Broncos scored a touch down in the last 30 seconds of the game, and brought them within 1 point, which the PAT would have tied it, and then it would have gone into overtime. But no, Shanahan says go for 2, for the win. Oh man, it was crazy, but I love that they took the chance and it worked. That is my type of coaching. Its a little risky, but when you have good players it can work out awesome. They were able to convert and steal the win from the Chargers. That is the 2nd time this season that the Chargers have lost the game in the last 30 seconds. I don't feel to bad though, because they are the Broncos biggest competition in their division and now we have a good lead on them. I love watching football.

Paige and soccer

Paige loves playing soccer and tonight she had a really good game. She made 7 goals. It is 1st grade and they play on small fields and only 4 on 4 but still, we were proud. I recorded a little of the game and was able to get one of her goals on tape so I thought I would post the video. All my girls love playing soccer and we sure enjoy watching. I probably am too competitive, and the other parents probably hate me but, oh well. I love sports, what can I say? And when it involves my child I can be loud if I want. Anyways, here it is, I hope you enjoy it like I do. Paige is in the light blue shorts and red shirt.

Silly girls

I just wanted to post some silly pictures of my girls. They never can take a picture without goofing off, its too funny sometimes. We went camping a few weekends ago and took these pictures. They love getting their picture taken but they just can't be serious. ( They get it from their dad!)
He has a lot of fun with them! They think he can do no wrong- I know better. :)


Amanda really wanted her picture taken with this black dog. His name is Canyon and he used to be ours, but Pat's brother wanted him and we didn't like having 2 dogs, so we sold him to Adam last year. Paige thought it would be funny to peek out right when I took the photo. Amanda was mad for a while that she did it, but I love it because it is so like Paige to do that.


Jaida can't be serious either.
I love my girls.

Life in General

I have been spring cleaning so much this week, I know, I know, it's a little late, but it is soo good to have my kids rooms finally clean and organized with all their clothes sorted and the baby stuff put away. The kids sleep better in their own beds when their rooms don't look like a tornado has gone threw it. They can also keep them clean themselves now because it is not so overwhelming. I want to paint them next and get some new bedding for them all. Next- my room. :{

This morning we went to breakfast at One Man Band. Its pretty good food and its way cheap. Marin loves it especially and is always requesting we go there. It was fun except for the rain, (as Forrest Gump put it,"big ole fat rain"), that soaked us as we ran to the door. My term for that kind of storm is "Super Soaker". I'm sure the kids thought it was fun getting soaked. It rained all night and most the day today. Its sunny out right now though.

Saturday night I was thinking about going to church the next day and I was feeling a little sad about it because with little kids, I feel like I never get to have a good spiritual time at church. Jaida wont let us go to class so when I am not teaching little 5 year olds I am chasing Jaida in the hall. Well on Sunday, they had fast and testimony meeting because next Sunday is Stake Conference. The Bishop stood up and announced he wanted to try something new. He asked that those who had been especially touched by any Church hymm in their life to stand and share how and then we would sing one verse of the hymm they talked about, and they picked which verse. I ended up feeling the spirit so strong in that meeting. Some of the songs I couldn't sing because I was so choked up. I feel so appreciative to the Bishop and my Heavenly Father for letting me have that experience I was needing so badly. I have always been moved by music and how it can touch the soul, and even writing this I am getting goose bumps because it was so neat.

I am so thankful for the anchor of the gospel in my life. It really keeps me grounded and keeps things in perspective for me when life gets busy.

School and other things

Every year I cannot wait for summer to come and school to be over. We then have lots of fun, get way off schedule, and have no routine whatsoever, so then come the middle of August I cannot wait for school to start and get our lives organized once again. It started last Wednesday and the girls love their teachers and like going. Amanda, wasn't as excited this year as she has been in the past, but she had a rough end of the year (thanks to a teacher who seems to only teach for the money and was tired of it). She really is enjoying her new teacher though. They seem to have lots in common. Paige has a young teacher who is very nice and so far Paige just loves 1st grade. Every time I ask how her day at school was she is sooo excited to tell me all the fun she had. We are getting back on schedule and developing our routine again. Pat starts his classes on Wed, and I don't know yet how I feel about it. To tell you the truth I am worried. He seems to want me right there when he does his homework and needs help enough that I am having anxiety about him taking 15 credits. We will have to see how it goes. It feels overwhelming to me to have the kids homework, Pats homework, Marin's pre-school that I can't get her to go to because of her separation anxiety, the business to run-which I work at every Thursday and sometimes more, soccer for the girls, piano lessons, Pats flag football league, dinner with the family, and everything else that shows up to surprise us in life. I know you all are busy too, but I am not good at handling all the stress that comes with busy life.

I woke up this morning with a sick feeling about somethings that I need to work on in my life. For example, I feel I don't show my older children that I love them enough. When they are younger, they come climb on my lap and ask to be read to, or come snuggle me in bed at night. Its just easier to pick them up and kiss them all over, or love them up after a bath. Now they are more independent and don't come searching for love that much, and I can only imagine it will be less an less as they get even older. I have decided to really put an effort into more hugs and kisses, and more meaningful time together one on one. Another thing I have been thinking about is how can I do more service, and I had this answered at church a few weeks ago. It was actually the answer to another issue I have had- How to keep my dirty house clean and how to be motivated to do it(I hate cleaning!!). A woman was talking on families and she quoted one of the 12 saying something along the lines that the best service to the Lord that a mother can do is providing a clean home for her children to grow up in and meals for the family to eat together. I never have thought of cleaning my home as doing service, but now that I heard that, it makes it so much easier to do. I almost feel as if I am killing 2 birds with one stone. I have done much better since then, although I have lots of work ahead of me because we have switched girls rooms around. I am in the middle of rearranging closets and dressers and at the same time rotating clothes and putting away all the tiny baby things for the toddler things. It seems I can never get enough time to really get stuff done on it either, but I am going to really try to finish by Wed when Pat starts his school. I also feel that I have let my spirituality suffer a little and I am now listening to The Book of Mormon on my Ipod when I clean. I love doing it this way because I find it hard to have time to read, but I feel I am always cleaning. It makes the time go by fast and I listen to about 6 chapters at a time and the stories really come together when you do large amounts at a time everyday. I get interrupted lots but its ok cuz I can pause it and rewind if needed. Some of the parts I really like I will go back and read again later.

Well I hope whoever reads this isn't to bored, it feels good to get this out of my head.

One last vacation

I have been wanting to go on one last vacation and last Thursday, Pat came home and decided we would go to the beach again. He reserved a hotel in Mesquite for Thursday night and we hurried and packed us all and left at about 8 pm. We stayed in a nice motel that night, and in the morning ate breakfast and went swimming. We then continued on to my Mom's. We stayed their Friday night. Saturday was our Beach Day!! We left the kids with my Mom and took my sister Melody with us. We went to Newport Beach and it was sooo fun!! The waves were real big and great for boogy boarding. They even were so big sometimes it was too scary to try and ride. Most the time I didn't use the boogy board, I just played in the big waves, body surfing and diving into them. We took a nice walk and napped a while. It was so nice to not worry about our kids and just enjoy ourselves. It convinced Pat that the beach really is fun, even if your not constantly doing something. It is just a great place to kick back and relax. The kids meanwhile were having fun with my Mom. She took them to a water park, then McDonalds for lunch, and then on to watch KungFu Panda. They didn't even miss us. I felt bad at first that we didn't take them with us, but when I saw how big the waves were, I was glad they weren't there, and they really had fun with my Mom. We came home on Sunday. All and all it was a great last vacation, if only it could have been a little longer.

Beach Trip........Carpinteria State Beach

It was sooo fun! That pretty much sums it up. The girls are getting older, to where they really enjoy it too. We stayed in a hotel, but had a campsite 50 yards from the beach for the whole family to use. It was a family reunion. We met there and ate and hung out while we weren't out on the sand, and went to the hotel only to sleep. Everyone in my family was there, except Danny, he had to work, but his wife and 2 kids were there. Pat usually does not get in the water, but the waves were good size so he did and really enjoyed himself. The first day, Pam set Jaida in the sand and she did not like it one bit. She acted like it was going to swallow her up. Lifting her feet and trying to climb up Pam's legs, she was so disgusted that she had been set in such a strange new substance. It took a while for her to finally trust it. Once she was used to it she really loved digging in it and eating it. Amanda and Paige loved boogy boarding and did not want to stop to let anyone else have a try. It was cute watching them take on the waves, sometimes having full control and other times, getting smashed by a big one. Pat knows how much I love the beach and water and he gave me all the time I wanted in the water and he watched the kids. I spent so much time one day, I think I started to get hypothermia. I could feel the coldness in my bones and joints and I could hardly move, but I did not want to get out. It was so much fun. It was fun to play with my brothers and sisters again too. We were like little kids. We had this big black tube, the ones you see for tubing in the snow, and we took it out in the waves and someone would lay on it with their legs on one side and back on the other and when a good wave would come, we would hold the tube down and the wave would launch the person out of the tube into the water. It was a blast but a little scary sometimes. It was a great vacation I just wish we could have had a few more days.

Can't sleep

So, after waking up and an hour of laying in bed unable to sleep I decided to come write a post. Last Friday I worked all day at our shop, Pat was out of town and I was covering for him. Anyways, I wanted to take my kids swimming so I was hurrying home about 5pm and I called my sis-in-law Denise to see if she wanted to go but she didn't answer. I thought I would take them anyways. Well, when I got home my house had been destroyed by the kids and their babysitter so I changed my mind. I got things in order, took the babysitter home, did some tidying, and sat down with a headache. It was now 6 pm. I got up to take some excedrin and felt a little woozy, and then when I took the excedrin I felt nauseated which I attributed to not eating for a while so I ate a granola bar. By 6:15 I was full on, sicker than a dog. I had every symptom you can think of. I was worried, really, that something bad was happening to me, and with Pat being out of town what would my kids do if something did. I left the 3 older ones at home and drove to the nearest Instacare with Jaida, calling our buddy Jasen on the way to see if he would take my kids some dinner, which he did ( Thanks Jasen!!!). When I got to the doctor, Denise called me back before I got inside and I burst into tears telling her what was going on and couldn't stop crying from then on. She offered to watch my kids and I told her I would call her back when I knew how long I would be. Well I ended up asking her to come pick up Jaida and go to watch the other girls at my house, but by the time she got to the doctors office to get Jaida, I had had blood tests, lung x-rays, given urine, and they couldn't really find anything but elevated white blood cells, which happens when you are sick. The doctor was concerned about how fast this had come on and how I had vomited in his room 3 times and I was weeping so he sent me over to the emergency room for more testing. Denise drove me and Adam took Jaida to my house and watched all the girls for me ( Thanks Guys!!!). I was in major pain at this time in my back, chest, stomach, and legs. Well after being there for 3 hours the conclusion was that I had a virus in my stomach lining and intestinal track. The doped me up on strong pain killers and anti-nausea medicine and sent me home with 3 prescriptions. It was midnight when we got home and Adam had all my kids in bed asleep (Thanks Again!), and Denise tucked me into bed, I could hardly walk. I called my mom and told her what had happened as best I could while being so under the influence of strong narcotics, and she decided to fly Pam up on the next flight out. Pam arrived at 9 am the next morning, I was still in bed, and she took over (Thanks Pam!!!). Denise showed up a little later and they cleaned and watched the kids, and when Denise had to leave, she has her own cutsie little baby Eliana to look after, Pam continued to care for me and watch the kids. I did not get up that day except to go to the bathroom, and I slept the whole day and that night and most the next day. Pam was a trooper watching my kids and keeping the house clean and monitoring my medications. I tried to come out to be with my kids Sunday evening but I ended up crashing in my recliner, so Pam took me back to bed. Monday I was way better and could move around, but I cat napped on and off throughout the day. Oh Pat got home Sunday night around 2 in the morning and found out all that had been going on. He felt so bad. He had been up in the mountains, unable to be reached. Anyways today, Tuesday, I have felt waaaaaaay better and even went and worked a little at the shop, but I can still feel the pain, especially right when I eat and when I haven't eaten for a while, and I get dizzy easy and have a headache, but thats better than it was. Now though, I can't sleep and I am wondering if it is because I slept for 3 days straight. Probably :).

Sisters :)

Pam came and visited me this week and we had a blast!!! I always love when she comes and visits. We get along so well and enjoy each others company so much. We went and saw Ironman on Saturday and I thought it was really good. I liked it lots. Then we went shopping and I got some new shirts and we both got new sunglasses. Its funny that she and I are good friends because when she was little she was the terror of the family. Always breaking my things and eating all my candy no matter where I hid it she could find it. I was always mad at her, and then I got married and moved out and never really took the time to get to know her as she grew up. But when she came to BYU a few years ago we hung out alot and I realized that she is an awesome person that is so fun to be with and I love when she stays with me. She has since moved back to California but she comes and visits often. Its great to have such a good friend as a sister.

We had such a fun time taking some funny pictures of us but here is one of the better ones.

Wakeboarding

So last Saturday I went boating with Mandy and her step brother, who happens to be a guy from Provo High. Garrett Peterson, for anyone who might know him. He has this really nice boat and he took us out on it. Well I've never wake boarded before but I have been wanting to try. I had our friend Jasen give me some tips on wake boarding it before I went. Well, it was awesome. I got up my first try and was able to go out of the wake and almost back in, but I'm not good and cutting that way apparently. One time as I was trying to cut back into the wake, it grabbed my board and slammed me face first into the water. Mandy said that it looked really painful and it made her cringe, but it didn't hurt then. My neck has been a little sore since, though, so maybe it was from that. Anyways, I am not trying to brag just let you know it felt goooood to not feel old and out of shape and I had so much fun. I really think my happiest times are in water and on boats. I am a swimmer at heart (not competition swimming), but I love just being in the water whether its at a lake , the beach, or a pool. Heck, as a kid I played in the water that ran on the streets for irrigation. Thanks to Mandy for inviting me and to her brother for using his gas up. I told Pat we will get a boat someday, I really hope so anyways. And by the way it was a really good break from everything, I feel way better now. Oh, Mandy's mom took pictures and I will post them when I get them.

Going Crazy

Sometimes I think that I am going crazy. I get these major anxiety attacks that make me feel like I need to get away and it always happens when I can't get away. I have been planning a vacation for Pat and I since April for this weekend, and my sister Pam was going to come and watch the kids and we were going to have this wonderful time without kids. Well as it happens she couldn't come and my Mom wanted us to go down there to California and she would watch them but with gas being so much and then hotel we thought that would be quite an expensive weekend, so we didn't go. Also we are going through some stressful changes with our business so its not a good time to leave. So no vacation to Cali. Well we then were invited to go camping with some buddies of ours but we had no one to watch the kids. So all these exciting things were being presented but nothing was working out, and I have been dying for a break so now I have major anxiety about wanting to go somewhere. I know, I know, it sounds mean wanting to leave my kids and going crazy because I can't but really that is how I am, I really need my time away to keep me sane. So I have a few friends that I play basketball with who are going boating on Saturday, and they invited me and I will probably go, but deep down I want to run away(thats the anxiety speaking).

The last couple weeks

This is my Cold Stone Ice Cream Birthday Cake. I love Cookies and Cream, its my Fave!

Marin was making sure I could blow out the candle- you never know with my asthma.

We went to Cascade Springs with the McCauslands, our neighbors across the street, and had a great time hiking around and seeing all the fish, and just enjoying the nice weather.

Still at Cascade Springs

These two especially enjoyed it there. They are such nature lovers.

Same Name

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 185 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Happy Fathers Day Pat!.........a day late....

I wanted to do this yesterday but I was very busy and never got a chance to sit down, so I am going to do it today. Better late than never, right?

I am so grateful to have such a wonderful husband and father of my children. I love to see him playing and interacting with them, he truly loves them and enjoys their time together. He works hard for us and now going to school he is busy, busy, but he still finds time to tease the girls, which they love, and give me the attention I so often demand from him. He has a great relationship with his girls and they love him to death. Sometimes I get a little jealous that they love him so much because I am the one doing most the work, but that's ok. I think there is something special in a Daddy-daughter relationship and he has 4 to keep up.

Things we love about our Dad
-He always has us laughing
-He gives plenty of hugs
-He takes us on fun outings and camping adventures
-He comes to all the girls games
-He is always willing to have fun with us
-He puts up with all the drama and emotions of 5 girls

I love you Pat--Happy Fathers Day

New Blog Template

So I decided t redo my blog site. After looking through a lot of templates, this is the one I finally picked. I don't absolutely love it, but green is my favorite color and I love flowers and gardens and things, so I went with it. Let me know what you think.

The Long Way Home

Well, I decided to head home from my Mom's Friday, so that morning I loaded the car and the kids and headed out. Before I left I asked my Dad if he had an ice cream bucket that was washed out that I could take just in case anyone threw up. He did, and I lined it with a grocery bag and put the lid on (which my Dad insisted I take even though I said I didn't need a lid). I also took about 10 extra grocery bags, just in case. Well 2 hours into the trip, Paige says "Mom, my stomach hurts and I think I am going to throw up." I instructed her to hold the ice cream bucket, lid off of course, and lay her head on a pillow. She threw up a few minutes later. Amanda got her a baby wipe to clean her mouth and then we shut the lid. As soon as we came to an exit I took it and we threw away the gross bag and replaced it with a new one and went on our way (probably after a potty break). We repeated this process 6-8 times for Paige always putting the lid on (Thanks Dad!) every time to trap the smell and make sure it didn't spill. Well, about 1 hour away from home Marin says "Mom, my tummy hurts." So I instructed her to use the bucket if needed and a few minutes later, she sure did. So we stopped to clean it out for her. All through this time, Jaida was still having diarrhea and she pooped out of her clothes twice. It was a rough trip, but because I was prepared, I didn't get angry or even a little mad because there really wasn't any mess to clean up and I felt bad for my kids. The kids felt better after about 6 hours and all is well. Overall I am sad to be gone from there, but glad to be home. And no, my rash is not gone yet, but it is getting better. I will post some trip pictures next time, I have to get them from my phone. Pat insisted I leave the camera for his trip and then he didn't even use it. What a nut! Here is one goofy one though of Paige, Amanda, and I.

Something in the water...?

Well a couple days ag0, Jaida woke up in the night throwing up. From then on she threw up about every 20 min, for about 9-10 times. It is so sad to see someone so small be that sick! She finally fell asleep and woke up her cheerful happy self, with diarhea, which she has had for 3 days now. Last night the kids and I decided to go home one day early and surprise Pat. Well, last night Amanda woke up and started throwing up, and she has been ever since, just not as often as Jaida did. I am so frustrated because it seems that everytime we come here, the kids get sick. I wouldn't believe it was something here except, my brother Rob's kids do the same thing when they come and visit. It blows my mind as to what would cause it. My moms house it kept clean and they eat normal food, so who knows? I am just hoping that she will feel better and that Paige and Marin will not get it so we can at least drive home tomorrow. I am not taking sick kids on a 9 hour drive, NO THANK YOU!!! Anyways, I am tired from all these nightly experiences, but I feel in good spirits anyway. Oh, did I mention that I developed a rash over my body? Its getting better, but still what the heck is going on with us? And by the way, what a great way to go home to husband I haven't seen in 2 weeks. "Hey honey, do you like my new rash?" Ahhhhhh!

Loving the weather!

So I have been in California 6 days and I am loving it! I just laid out on the tramp and it was so warm and nice. Not too hot yet although it won't be long before the 100 degree weather kicks in here. Pat is on his Green River fishing trip and I hope he is safe. I'm sure he is and I am happy for him to be there doing what he loves so much. My Mom's back yard has grass and sand( its the desert) and my kids are filthy everyday because they think it is a sand box. They are little dirty nasty kids by the end of the day and their bath water is mud. Oh well, its nice to just sit back and relax and not have to do anything!

California, Here we come!!!!

I am so excited! We are going to California this weekend. No my kids school isn't over. No I don't care either! I am taking Amanda out a week early and Paige gets out tomorrow, but I just want to get down to the nice warm sunshine and see my family. I have been homesick for them for a while now. I will be staying for 2 weeks and then coming home for Nolene to bless her baby and then going back for a family reunion in July. I love Cali. For me there is something in the air that makes it so fun to be there. I love warm weather too. I am driving alone with the kids. Pat has school, so he can't come, but ask him if he is sad about it. Nope, he already has a fishing trip planned to the Green River for a weekend. I know he will keep busy and hopefully stay on top of his homework!! I will take lots of fun pictures and post them later. Well I have been working on getting ready to go all week and I still have a lot to do, so I will say farewell.

Feeling sick and tired of being sick and tired

Well, I have been sick now for 2 1/2 weeks. I finally took Jaida and I to the doctor today and he gave us both an antibiotic. I have ear infections that have been driving me crazy! Not only do they hurt but I can't hear very well and they throw my balance off. I was just hoping they would go away on their own. How does an adult get ear infections anyway? Who knows? Jaida didn't have ear infections but because she has been sick so long, he gave her a prescription. Last night she didn't sleep all night, but has been napping tons today. I am very tired, but I will survive. My poor house is really suffering, but what do you do? I should be feeling way better by the weekend so I can get to work on it this Saturday. One of the things I hate the most about being sick is missing playing basketball. I have missed 2 weeks of playing, this will be my 3rd, and I can't wait to get better and start again.

TAGGED by Jenni

Well-the rules are that I must use the letters of my middle name and describe myself with words using the corresponding first letter...

So here we go--

A-Athletic
N-Nice
N-Nag (According to Pat) :)

Well Jenni tagged me and I tag Jen Pool Sorenson, but as I remember she does not have a middle name (sorry if I am wrong Jen), so use Pool (her maiden name). And you two are the only people I know that blog, so I don't have anyone else to tag.

Just an update

Well I haven't written in a while so here are some things that have been going on.

-James arrived safely home from his mission in Italy on April 11th

-Mom came up to help Nolene with the new baby and brought James up with her. It was good to see him again.

-Kids had spring break. We didn't do anything because that was when my mom came up.

-Jaida has started walking and she thinks it is so exciting she burst into a laugh/scream every time she does it.

-We sold the 4 wheelers and the trailer the first week we had them for sale.

-Pat got a 4.o this semester and we are so happy about it because his accounting class was hard! (Lots of terminology that was hard to understand in such a short time about a subject that I don't know anything about.) Yay!!! Keep it up Honey!!!! He is going summer term starting April 30th.

-I did our taxes. I know it is late but I file for an extension every year. Hope the rebate comes soon!

-Amanda participated in her 1st Hershey Track Meet. She did very well. She did the softball throw, the 50 meter, and the 400 meter. Overall it was a good experience for her even though she did not win any ribbons.

-I played in a Spanish Fork basketball league with some friends.

-We have been watching all the NBA playoff games. GO JAZZ!!!!

Well I can't think of anything else really that is happening so, life is pretty simple and plain right now. I should breathe deep and enjoy it while it lasts.

Welcome!!!!!!! Emmett Clayton Bench

My sister Nolene had her baby last Thursday the 10th at 2:20pm. He was 8 lbs 1 oz and 19 inches long. He is so cute. He was 2 1/2 weeks early. Everything went smooth and he was completely strong and healthy. I know they are pleased. Amelia is such a good big sister already. She got to come play with Marin and she was so happy to have a new little brother. I admit I was jealous. I knew she was having a boy but I didn't think it would affect me like it did. When I found out that she had delivered him, I cried a little out of jealousy. I think its kind of funny. I'm over it though, and I am content with holding him and giving him back. He is tooooo cute! I would not know what to do with a boy so I am really glad that I have my 4 girls. They make me so happy and we all get along so well (most of the time). Life is good.

Coming home tomorrow!!!... and a new nephew!

My youngest brother James has been serving a mission in Italy for the last 2 years and he gets home tomorrow!!! I am not going to be able to go to California to see him but that is ok because my mom will be coming here to see Nolene's baby which will be born today!!!! She is in labor as I type this. I am sure my mom will bring James up with her when she comes. Too many exciting things going on right now!!

Consolidating.................everything?

Well, Pat and I have decided to do a complete financial revamp. We are selling everything! Well actually, just our 4 wheelers, toy hauler, truck, and van. The 4 wheelers are already gone and we are very sad, but it feels good at the same time. We just decided that we could be doing a lot more things with our money than pay for toys and nice cars. Then we will get suitable cheaper cars and if we get toys again in the future it will be with cash that won't affect our savings. We considered selling the house, but we love it out here and would not feel good about that. Anyways, wish us luck and of course if you know anyone that would be interested in buying----send them our way.

Jaida-Bug

Jaida is growing up fast! She has gotten her first 2 teeth and is hasn't been too happy about it. You can see them a little in this picture. (If you click on it I think it enlarges). She has been more fussy than usual, but for a baby she is still very happy. She has been crawling since the middle of January. Its hard because our house isn't set up with lots of free space for her to crawl so I am constantly chasing out of rooms and away from stairs. She can pull herself up and walk around all the furniture. I think it will only be a few weeks before she walks, but we'll see.


She has started doing this funny face at everyone. Its a face that means many things, like I don't know you, or I didn't want my picture taken, or I will cry if you do that again. She does it under any circumstance, so its kind of been hard to know what it means. She is fully weaned now and is still not sleeping very well. She got a long lasting ear infection in January and hasn't slept well since. She loves to snuggle up to fall asleep though and I can't complain about that cuz I always wanted a baby to be a snuggle bug. Well she is, and a mama's girl too. I love her, she is like a little toy.

March Madness update....

So I am pretty much out of the competition since Duke and Georgetown lost. Oh well, I didn't think I would beat out 15 guys who have watched the teams during the seasons.

March Madness!!!

Yes, we have March Madness at our house. We watch all the games and have filled in our brackets with our guesses. So far this year I am not doing so well. Its okay though, it is still so fun. My picks this year for the Elite 8 were, UNC, Tennessee, Vanderbuilt( who lost tonight in a major upset to Siena, ouch!), Georgetown, Memphis, Texas, UCLA, and Duke. I have Tennessee, Georgetown, Texas and UCLA, advancing to the Final 4, with Georgetown and UCLA in the Championship. I think UCLA will take it all. I have 76-69 as the final score. I feel that I am not doing too horrible since I haven't watched any college ball up to this point, this year. We have 16 people who all put $5.oo each into a pot so $80 is on the line. I'm not getting my hopes up though. I love basketball!!!

Water chugging contest

My sister and I and her 2 roommates had a water chugging contest. We took 32oz of water in a large mug and timed us drinking it. I thought I was good, at 13 seconds but Melody (my sister) did it in 7 seconds. My brother Danny has done it before in 5 seconds and Pam in 6 or 7, I don't remember. It was a while ago that they did it. The first time I tried it, a year ago, I took 17 seconds. I know it sounds dumb but it is fun and harder than it looks cuz you want to laugh the whole time.

Melody and roommates drove down from BYU-Idaho to stay with me while Pat is gone, who by the way, sprained his ankle really bad on his trip. It has been really fun! I am glad they are here. We went bowling and ate at Costa Vida. Yummy! And now, because we can, we are going to watch Pride and Prejudice. Not the new short version, but the long 5 hour version. Actually, just the last half of it (its the best part anyway).

Well, He's Off...

Patrick is now on his first fishing trip of the season. He and 2 of his friends, Jasen and Kendel, went down to Escalante, UT to get some good fishing in. They took our camping trailer, but plan on hiking in one night and camping in tents. They left Thursday morning and plan on being home Sunday night. I hope they catch some good fish. This picture is last year, in August, they went to the Beartooth Mountains, in Montana. Pat caught the largest fish and as you can see in the picture he is very proud of it.

Thank goodness!

Charges dropped for mom who left tot in car

I was very relieved to read this. I do not like when public figures abuse their authority.

Ridiculous!!!! Article on msn.com

Please go to this link and read this article. I was upset and felt really bad for the woman involved.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23594474/?GT1=43001

I cannot believe that she was arrested and might be going to trial! Ahhhh, what's next? You can't put your child to sleep in the other room because “A minute or two, that’s when things can happen,”. This to me is so ridiculous. It is in the summer when temperatures are high that most accidents happen. And usually the person forgets their child is with them and then has to suffer terribly for the consequences. I feel like the officer was correct in making sure the child was okay, and even questioning the mom, but everything else is dumb!

Yummy Cookie!

Jaida had her first whole chocolate chip cookie today. Boy did she love it. She was so excited when I gave it to her, it was almost as if she didn't believe it was happening. Her eyes got real big and her feet started kicking as fast as they could. For the first 30 seconds she just kept holding it looking at it and then back at me, making sure I wasn't going to take it from her. Then she stuck the edge of it in her mouth and gave an enthusiastic "Gaaah", and went to town. She is so cute. The girls started teaching her to dance and she really loves it. The made up this song they sing to her that goes "Shake your booty, to the music!" and they sing it over and over to her. She bounces and stomps her feet as she holds herself up at the coffee table or in her crib. I've heard them singing it to her lots of times but I didn't know til recently that she was dancing to it. It's sooo cute, I've started singing it to her to get her to do it. Another thing she does, which it shows in the 3rd picture, is she points her finger at you all the time. Usually she wants you to touch it with your finger. For a long time she would only let me touch it, and would pull it back if Pat tried. He broke her down though and she lets him all the time now. It is too cute. She makes us so happy, we would never trade her for the boy we never had. She is such a sweet, loving, energetic, and happy addition to our family. Its great.

Little Girl Big Attitude, but I Love Her

Does anyone have any good ideas on how to handle talking back. I'm at a loss. I keep thinking "Wow, I have 4 more years til she is a teenager and already I am fighting the arguing and talking back." Oh, the drama that happens at our house, usually after school when its time to practice piano, and at night and when its time to do anything she does not want to do. Its a quick way to put mom in a bad mood especially when I am dealing with the other kids, and dinner, and homework. At the same time she is such a good kid. I just love her so much. She is so good to her sisters and just loves Jaida to pieces. She does really good in school and when she does practice piano, she catches on really fast to the songs. I think it is just a stage and I just have to deal my best with it. As my mom would say "There is One who knows everything about us all, and He would know the best way to handle the situation." I think I need to be on my knees a little more and realize that I don't know everything about raising kids.

Best Friends

Last night I went in to turn off the music in the girls room, (they always like to listen to primary songs when going to bed), and this is what I found. All 3 of them fast asleep in Amanda's bed. They are so sweet and really love each other. It makes me so happy as their mom to see them being best friends, and by the way they treat Jaida she will be right along with them in no time. I love my girls.

Mmmmmm.........

We went out to eat tonight to TGI Fridays with Pat's family. It was really yummy. Its one of our favorite places to eat. I love to eat out. Someone waiting on me, refilling my drink as much as I want, bringing me good food, taking away the dirty dishes, and serving me dessert. I think its as close to feeling like a queen as I can. Sounds lame, I know, but I love it anyways.

Cooper

I thought I would write this blog for Pat's sake. His dog Cooper has not always been my favorite. In fact I had a very hard time liking him at all while he was in the puppy stage. Now that he has calmed down a ton, I like him just fine most the time. He is a Vizsla, by breed and a show dog. Pat has taken him to a few shows around here and in January we went to one in San Bernardino. He won and finished his Championship there. In order to become a champion dog you must earn, by winning, 15 points and have 2 Major wins. I was very proud of him and those judges who have seen him say that if Pat continues to show him as a Champion, he could become one of the top dogs in the country and possibly be invited to one of the big shows that everyone sees on TV. Like Eukanuba or West Minister. I think Pat might go to a few shows but it is not his goal at this time to pursue this type thing right now. Pat takes him out in the desert all the time because by nature Vizsla's are hunting dogs. They are very active and can run long distances without tiring, so Pat rides the 4 Wheeler and Cooper runs nest to him. Or if he is sneaky enough and Pat will allow it, he will ride behind Pat on the seat. He loves it. For all of you who do not know, Pat is in school, and is working toward a degree in business management. Surprise, I know.

Our Website

We have a website that anyone can go to, to see more photos and more detailed updates. It is under the Website heading, The Easter Girls, to the left. Please feel free to visit it anytime. The easiest way is to come to our blog page and then link over.

Paiges New Haircut

Paige has been begging to get her hair cut and we finally did it. We had about 8 inches cut off and she looks so cute. Her dad did not want her to do it, but I think he agrees she looks good now that its done. It is right above her shoulders and flips a little on its own. She has been in the bathroom off and on, playing with it and trying new things. She really wanted to do it and is not disappointed with it. She just loves it.

Long time-No Blog

Well, its been a good 5 months since I last wrote anything. Lots has happened. Here is a quick overview.

*Had Thanksgiving at my house, thanks to my mom who did all the work.
*Had 60th Wedding Anniversary Party for Grandpa and Grandma Smith the day after Thanksgiving, at my house.
*Allen and D'Anna and kids came for 2 weeks for Christmas(which I might add was so much fun)!
*Went to California after Christmas for a visit and Palm Springs Dog Show.
*I started playing basketball with some other women Tues and Thurs nights.
*Had Pam come visit for a couple weeks.
*Jaida got ear infection, started antibiotic.
*Had to get new antibiotic for Jaida, she couldn't take the other one.
*Took Pam back home and went to Orange Empire Dog Show.
*Cooper finished his CH title at Orange Empire Dog Show.
*Jaida developed double ear infection, started another round of new antibiotic.
*After 8 more days, Jaida's ear infection still there, started more antibiotic.
*Went to a cabin with Joel and Shari Eves, tons of fun.
*The kids rode snowmobiles and went sledding.
* I started taking a home gardening course, which I really like.
*Pat and I went to Cheesecake Factory for Valentines Day. Yummy!
* Jaida's ears are finally clear of infection. Yay!!!!!!

I think that about sums it up.