Patrick and Mary Easter Family

Changes coming in our family

2011-02-09T21:13:00.003-07:00

Just when I think I am safe, Bam!! it hits me. I am pregnant. I know, I know there are ways to prevent, but Pat and I had been thinking it was the right thing to do so in July I had a Dr visit and he so kindly told me that removing my IUD would lead to pregnancy. It was funny at the time cuz I was sure that was what I wanted. Well by the beginning of Nov. I had changed my mind and was planning the new visit witht the Dr. to get a new IUD. To make a long story short, we had an us only trip to Vegas at the beginning fo December and now Bam!! Sickness, tiredness, and reflux have taken over my whole world. My poor kids and husband have been so patient with me and my horribley messy house. I was happy until the sickness hit and then I was mad at myself for letting this happen again. Now I am somewhere in between. I know I will love having this baby when it comes, but it is so far away and I am so miserable during pregnancy. I am trying to have a better attitude about it, but sometimes when I am sick and struggling to breathe, I cave and cry. For those who don't know, I have vocal cord dysfunction. For years the Dr's were treating me for asthma and nothing worked, but after a million different Dr's we have figured it out, I think. My vocal cords close causing me to wheez and struggle to get air in. I sound like Darth vador most of the time and espescially if I do anything even a little active like walk up the stairs. You would think I just sprinted a mile. Well, pregnancy makes my VCD worse by a lot. My voice is gone alot of the time, and its just harder to breathe. I feel like I am suffocating some days. But don't worry, I seem to be getting enough oxygen, I just struggle getting it. I am learning new breathing tecniques, to help but it seems like something I will always have and not be able to get rid of. :(

Anyways, I am greatful for the oppurtunity to have another baby, and if all goes well it will be a boy. :) We are not going to find out, at lease that is what we say right now. It will make the delivery more fun for all of us I think if we find out the gender when it is born. Oh by the way, I am 12 weeks along.

We did it again........WE MOVED!!

2010-10-16T18:28:00.002-06:00

Ok, so Provo wasn't the greatest idea. I loved living near Pat's brother Adam and his wife Denise, but other than that it wasn't the best for our kids. They did not make any friends and they seemed to really struggle in general. We found a house in Spanish Fork, right on the edge of a nice park, and we are loving it. I think we hit the jackpot of neighborhoods. There are kids everywhere and our girls are loving their new school and they all have friends wanting to play. I am really happy about it. The girls are loving the new house too. While we were looking at it, thinking about it, they were begging us to move here. It has been really great. We went to church last week for the first time and the ward was really welcoming. I think we will be here a while. We better be anyways.

Soccer is slowing down now. One more game for Amanda's team and then a break until March. Yay!! I will love having some extra time for things like family dinner and cleaning and such.

Pat went to Moab to mountain bike, for a few days with his buddies and will be home tonight. I hope he had a fun time. It sounded like it was going to be awesome.

My girl love the new sillybands that are out. They are little rubber bracelets that are shaped all different in cute shapes. I bought some the other day and today they worked and worked on jobs they came up with, and I approved, to earn sillybands. My house is now all clean and I love it! I have to go get more for next Saturday.

WOW, its been a long time.

2010-09-15T22:36:00.004-06:00

Well I'm only going to touch on a few things that have happened since I last wrote, in December, and then start on the stuff that is going on now.

We moved from Mapleton to Provo in March, and have enjoyed living near Patrick's brother Adam and his family. We had a great summer, going to my Dad's graduation in June and to family reunions in July. My Grandma Smith passed away in Aug, and I will really miss her. I am still working at our business and Patrick is still in school.

Now for the present.

Soccer started up in July and I am coaching Amanda's team again. Paige is also playing club this year. Both their teams are undefeated so far. Amanda is a great Keeper, and Paige has scored a bunch of goals for her team. It takes up all our time going to games and practicing. Pat and I split up with him usually taking Marin and Jaida, because I coach and its hard having the kids there.

I have 3 of my kids in school all day which has been so nice. They are all doing really well. Marin has taken off with reading and has really impressed me. Amanda loves reading too, she reads about 2 books a week. These aren't just little books either. They have about 300 pages each. I can get so many things done with just Jaida home. She loves playing with her cousin Eliana and so we trade off with them because its easier to have them both then just Jaida alone. They keep each other happy.

Pat is still going to BYU and is doing well in his classes. He has his flag football games going on every week and I look forward to them all week. I love watching them. This last week he got punched in the face accidentally while he was going up for a catch and it broke is nose. He came running off the field with it bleeding like a faucet. Ewww it was gross.

Here are a few fun Pics of recent.

Ok, well I have tried to load some pics and this is the only one that would. That's ok, its cute anyways. I will post some pics soon.

Paige's Birthday

2009-12-20T21:58:00.007-07:00

Happy Birthday to my little Paige! I can't believe that she is 8 years old and going to be baptized. She has grown up so much. Here is a little picture-line of her years.

She is such a wonderful daughter. As a baby she was such a little trouble causer, and she still loves to tease her sisters, but she has grown into such a fun, energetic, crazy, clever, sweet, kind, loving, young lady. I just love having her around. She bring so much joy to us with her crazy faces and funny jokes. She is the little comedian of our family and keeps us busting up all the time. At the same time, she really cares about how everyone feels. She is always the first to make someone a get better card if they are sick, and a love notes for no reason. She is always willing to help out when its needed, and really takes care of her little sisters. I will always be grateful to my Heavenly Father for sending me my Paige Amelia.

Christmas time...Here so fast?

2009-12-12T19:56:00.003-07:00

I have been thinking about when I was going to put up my Christmas tree. I have a lot of time in my mind.....until I realized today just how close Christmas really is. I kind of freaked, jumping all over Pat to get it down from the big shelf in the garage. It still is not down, but our buddy Jasen had a small tree that he gave to my kids. The girls and I got it out and set it up. I put lights on it and then they spent all morning making decorations to put on it. It now occupies a corner in our hallway.

I love that the kids did it all by themselves, and they are so proud of it.

In the process of putting it up, I got out all my other Christmas decorations and put them up, but still no main tree. Hopefully Pat will get it down tomorrow and we can decorate it for family home evening on Monday.

I have done some minimal shopping for gifts, but I really need to kick it into high gear and get it done. Oh well, I have always been a last minute shopper at Christmas.

My life

2009-09-21T19:47:00.004-06:00

-Work
-Marin in Kindergarten
-kid's school
-their homework
-Pat's school
-his homework
-Amanda's soccer
-Paige's soccer
-Achievement days
-Pat's football
-Pat's scouts

-Busy-ness!!!

Marin and Jaida after baths tonight.

Life these Days

2009-08-14T22:09:00.003-06:00

Pat is in Montana on his "Man Trip" and I have been cleaning out bedrooms in my house, preparing for school to start next week. Holy cow, this coming Wed we have to get up and get all ready by 8:25? How is that possible? Have I ever done this before? After this summer, it feels like I never have. I have been so lazy about making anybody get dressed until about 11am, unless its Amanda going to early morning soccer. It's funny how I crave school getting out for the summer, but then crave it starting again to kick our butts back into a schedule and routine. I'm nuts, I know.

I have been working on potty training Jaida. She is doing really well going #1 in the potty, but just getting her to go #2 is frustrating. She tells me she needs to, and we go sit on the potty for a while and she won't go, but as soon as her pull-up or panties are back on she goes. It just takes time, but I only have a couple more days and then its back to work for me and I won't be able to focus on it.

Its been nice having time off work, and not being out of town. I have spent lots of time with the kids and they have worked hard to help on their rooms. We have had game night, gone swimming, and rented movies. We have eaten out too much and played at parks. It been nice to be with them, I miss them. It's hard working, but wanting to be home, knowing you can't be, really. I have internal battles about it EVERY day. I already told you I'm nuts, I wasn't joking. :)

I am excited for Pat to get home. I hope its been a good break for him, he really needed it. He has been working so hard this summer and is starting a really hard work and school schedule this fall. I have always told him I wouldn't make a good school wife, and this semester is going to test me hard core. 3 days a week he will leave at 6am and not get home til 7pm and then he has scouts one of those nights, when he gets home. I have achievement days and soccer all week too. Life is just getting crazier, and I was looking for it to settle down. But all is good. I have a great husband, and 4 healthy, happy, loving girls to fill my days with. I am truly blessed.

My girls have a new favorite past time. They play on photo booth on our Mac. I have over 1000 of these type silly pics of them. They make videos for us too. They are sure fun. Notice the mustache on Amanda, she cannot drink anything from a cup without getting one, so the majority of the time she has a stain above her lip.

Our Latest Adventure.........Boulder Mtn and Escalante

2009-07-19T23:30:00.005-06:00

Pat overlooking the North part of Escalante National Park.

Last Thursday Pat and I were able to go have a few days together without the kids. Pat has been working so hard and we both really needed a break. Pat found a cute cabin down near Boulder UT that was the same price as a hotel. We arrived late Thursday night and woke up Friday to a beautiful summer day. We ate breakfast at the lodge, and then headed out to find a good lake to hike to, and fish. After inquiring and getting a map, we picked our trek. We drove to the trail, and hiked in about 1 mile. No luck, the lake was dry!! We then hiked back the other way past the truck, and another 3 miles to 2 more lakes. One was almost dry and the other ended up being really marshy. We had our waders, so we put them on and fished for a few. More bad luck--the fish would not take anything. We could see these massive schools of them but they were not eating. The fish were very large too. We think they were spawning. The mud in the lake was so thick and sticky it was hard to walk in, you would sink deep every step. At one point Pat yelled at me that he was sinking and could not get out, I looked over at him to see him sink about a foot in a few seconds. I was about 10 feet away so I hurried over, as much as I could in the lake and mud, and pulled him out. The water had been thigh high but when I got to him it was almost at his chest. That scared me so I got out. I didn't want to experience that. He trudged on a little while longer and then after a few we started the 3mile hike back to the truck. While we were at the lakes we used our water purifier and pulled the water out of the lake into our water bottles to drink. It's made for hiking and backpackers, but I had a hard time trusting it. I did drink the water though, because it got hot and I needed it. I was surprised that it tasted good and then it was easier to drink after that, but it was always in the back of my head that I was drinking lake water. We hurried back to the cabin, showered and then went out to dinner. When we got back we watched a movie on the laptop and then went to bed. We had another day of hiking ahead of us.

On our way to Lower Calf Creek Falls. The canyon in the background is the one we will soon hike up 3 miles to the falls.

The next morning we ate in our cabin, packed up, checked out, and then headed out to Lower Calf Creek Falls in Escalante National Park. We started that hike a little before 10am. We arrived at the Falls around 11:10. It was also a 3 mile hike in. It was so worth it though. I was so excited to go there. It has been on my list of things I really want to do. I was so excited that I was going to get to cross it off!! I never get to cross any of them off, so I was overly excited. Anyways, it was so beautiful. The water fall is 196 feet high and falls into this clear pool at the bottom. We swam in it even though it was FREEZING!! I haven't been in water that cold since I was a teenager and swam through a lake right when the ice was off. It was really refreshing, its in the middle of a desert and very hot there. There were about 25 other people there. We spent an hour playing in it, and after the hike out, we headed home.

The falls were so beautiful.

Me swimming in the COLD water of the falls. There were fish that would swim right up to your toes. A little freaky....

It was such a great trip over all. We really enjoyed each others company and talked and laughed our heads off. He really is my best friend, I love being with him so much!!

Its nice to be home..............I think

2009-07-06T22:21:00.004-06:00

We are home! After 2 weeks of being gone, it feels good. But at the same time, I really miss being at my Mom's. I need her to move closer I think. Pat came down with his brother Steve and family on Thursday. Adam and Denise came too, but they drove separately. Friday we got up and drove 3 hours to Capinteria State beach, checked into our hotel, and then went and played on the sand and in the water the rest of the afternoon. It was a little chilly, but still fun. The next morning we decided not to stay because Steve's little boys had come down with colds, and they did not want them getting in the cold ocean. So we made the 3 hour drive back to my Mom's, and went over to my good friend Joni's pool and swam in the 95 degree weather. It was so nice and warm, and the pool was warmer too. Not the beach weekend I was hoping for, but oh well. We drove home Sunday.

We passed a burning SUV as we were coming into State Line. There were 2 cop cars sitting behind it. It seemed so dangerous to me, and I was surprised that they did not block off the lane right next to it either. You could drive right next to it if you wanted too.

This is on the way to Carpinteria. Autumn was able to ride with us almost everywhere we went. The girls love being together.

In the Motel 6 that we stayed at. They have remodeled the rooms since I last stayed there in July last year. It was nice and modern. The girls have a good time together, most the time.

Today, my brother Rob came over for a few and brought his kids to play with mine. I turned on the sprinklers and they played outside together. They were so cute. I screwed a sprinkler head to the top of our playhouse over our slide, so when we hook the hose to it, it makes a water slide. Rob's youngest son, Walker, loved it. He is 3 years old and he kept going on it even though it would shoot him off about 3 feet into the grass and then he would slide another 3 feet. It was so funny watching him.

It was fun to see them and hopefully we can see them again this summer when they come out from Cincinnati.

Crescent Bay Beach Fun

2009-07-01T23:36:00.005-06:00

Tuesday we went to the beach with my brother Danny and his family. He wanted to take us to his favorite one. It is in Laguna, but it is called Crescent Bay Beach. It was so beautiful and dreamy. It has cliffs right behind it with big beach homes, and rocks jutting out into the water on either end of it. Its really neat. Here are some pics but they don't do it justice.

You can see the rocks on the ends. They have all sorts of sea critters in them. When the tide is out you can hike them and find lots of fun things to look at.

Here is another pic of it. It was so beautiful. It is kind of hidden too.

Here is a pic of my sis Melody with our kids. Danny and James are out in the water with the boogy boards. I was enjoying the view from my beach chair in the warm sun.

I just love the beach!! I think I will have to live on one someday to make my life complete. I am excited for this weekend. We will be going to Carpinteria State beach for the weekend with Pat and his brothers, and their families. They come here tomorrow, and I'm so excited to see Pat, its been 2 weeks almost.

In other news: My mom continues to get better each day and is doing really well. She has her next surgery on the 20th. I might have to come back again for her ---and the beach :)

This is what the kids have been doing on normal days when we can't go to the beach. One day they spent 5 1/2 hours out there. Thanks to Grandpa (my Dad) for getting it for them.

More updates

2009-06-26T20:50:00.005-06:00

My Mom got come home on Wednesday evening. She has been in a lot of pain and not able to mover her arms that much at all. The combination of all the meds leaves her groggy and not able to stay out of bed very long. She has really improved since then but still requires lots of help. She also has some procedures that have to be done to her 2x a day. She is getting better pretty fast overall though.

The kids have been playing with cousins lots. They get bored when its real hot outside, and they don't want to go out in it so today I bought a swimming pool for them to play in and they have been in it all day. In fact they are still in it right now. Well, they have taken breaks and eaten and such, but for the most part they were in it.

Pat had his last day of school for the summer on Wed and we are still waiting to know his grade. He took a block microbiology class. It was really hard!! He studied such looooong hours and had long lab hours he had to put in, so we are both soooo excited it is over!!! We get our Dad back!! He is planning on coming down at the end of next week and going to the beach with us and then we will all drive home together.

My brother Dan graduated for CSUSB. Here are a couple pics from it.

My sister Melody and I at Danny's graduation

Danny's wife Jessie, with my cute niece Wasel

Danny walking in with the 2009 Class of Biology

When he walked in I was so proud, I almost cried. I am so happy for him. I know I will be such a baby when Pat graduates.

Mom's update

2009-06-23T13:50:00.002-06:00

The surgery went well. It lasted 7 hours. She was in so much pain and groggy last night, that I didn't get to talk to her. When my Dad went back there this morning, thinking she would be coming home today, he called and told me she had had a really rough night and they are going to keep her til tomorrow. I guess she couldn't sleep because the pain was too severe. I really hope she feels better tonight and can get some sleep. I really hope she can come home tomorrow.

Today's business

2009-06-22T19:31:00.004-06:00

Today I have been busy getting everything ready for when my Mom comes home from the hospital. She had a preventative cancer mastectomy today. She has the BRCA2 breast cancer jean and so she is taking preventative measures so hopefully she won't get it. We have a long history of cancer on her side of the family. It was about a 6-7 hour surgery, because she also was prepped to receive implants. As Pat's brother Steve said, she is getting the new 09's. I thought that was funny. Anyways, last night we wrote out a list of everything she would need when she came home tomorrow or Wed, and today I have been running around getting it all. This is the main reason I came to Cali, was to take care of my Mom while she recovered (and Danny's graduation from CSUSB). My Dad is here too, but women are more sensitive to other womens needs, so she asked me to come.

The weather has been really nice here compared to the storms we left in Utah. It is 87 degrees today. My kids are going to have a movie night at my brother Dan's house with his kids.

So far it has been a good trip and hopefully my Mom will recover quickly without any complications.

I'm Here!!

2009-06-20T18:02:00.007-06:00

So I made it to California today at 2:45 California time. I went to bed at 3am and got up at 5am and then drove all the way. I am tired! We are on our way now to my brother Danny's graduation. He is getting his Bachelors in Biology. My mom arranged for a babysitter so I don't have to take my children. Sooo nice after a long car ride.

Wednesday, I went and had my hair done. I added a lot of dark to it. Here is a Pic.

Its not that good cuz it was taken in the car just now by my laptop, but at least you can see the brown in it. I really like it and plan on going darker after the summer.

My 3oth Birthday!!

2009-06-18T21:26:00.004-06:00

Well at the request of Mel Proudfit, I will blog about my 3oth Birthday. Really it was like any other day in the life of Mary. I got up and went to work early so I could get off early and come home to clean because my Mom was coming into town that evening. I spent the rest of the day doing laundry, cleaning, mowing and weed wacking the lawn, and feeding children. I then jumped in the shower and when I got out, it was 7:30 and my mom had arrived. Pat had work and then had school til 8pm. He did take a break in the day to bring me a present at lunch time.

I have wanted a beautiful planter for so long!! I could not believe he remembered and now I can plant it every year!!

I took him earlier on in the season to look at planters but they were more than I wanted to spend. I love it as a gift though! I love flowers, especially ones that will last all season!! That night I was downstairs talking to my mom and when I went upstairs these were on the table for me.

Pam and Mel got them for me and worte me a nice birthday note to go with it. They also got me some earings and my favorite M&M's which are peanut.

It is probably how I would have preferred the day to go by. Not much hoopla and lots of family around. I leave for California on Sat morning for two weeks and I am sooo excited for a vacation. I have really needed one. Beach, baby, here I come!!

Life at the Easters

2009-05-25T20:35:00.004-06:00

I have been wanting to post, but not really knowing what about. So here is another one of my run downs of what has been going on here at the Easters.

-Amanda tried out and made a club soccer team. I then received a call asking if I would coach it because the other coach could not, which I accepted. I am a little nervous but it will be fun, I think.

-My sisters Pam and Melody are staying with me right now, which I absolutely love.

-Pat is super busy taking a block Microbiology class. He has no free time from studying.

-My Mom and Dad came up to this weekend to visit my ailing Grandma and they stayed with us.

-My Dad dug up and fixed our broken pipe that flooded our basement last month.

-Amanda had a daddy daughter dance night at the school, which Pat was unable to go to, so I went and was the only woman there. We learned lots of dances and had tons of fun.

-Amanda and Jaida had their birthdays. Amanda is now 10 and Jaida is now 2. Time sure flies.

-I have been working full time still and I still feel like I have no time for anything (who knows how I am going to coach soccer?).

-The weather has been so nice here except for a few rainy days.

-I am going to be going to California in June for a few weeks to take care of my Mom after she has surgery.

-The kids have 4 more days of school until summer break.

I keep waiting for things to slow down, but as long as I am working I think its going to continue to fly by. I love my kids and am so happy that they are mine. They bring so much happiness to my life and give me a reason to do all that I do. I purchased a laptop so I will be able to work from home, while they are out of school.

Photo Tag

2009-04-20T20:44:00.002-06:00

This is one of Pat's many fish pictures. I am not surprised at all that this is what was in the 6th folder, 6th picture. The date says Jan 1st 2004, so he was starting off the new year in his favorite way. He would fish all day, every day if he could. It looks like he caught this on a spin rod, but he now rarely uses one, he usually only uses his fly rod now.

I tag Jenni, Denise, Becca, Jennie, Celisa, and Melody.

1. Go to the photo folder in your computer
2. Go to the 6th folder of photos.
3. Go to the sixth picture.
4. Put the picture on your blog and description of it.
5. Invite six friends to join the challenge.

"The Best Spring Break Ever!!"

2009-04-18T22:28:00.006-06:00

Usually for spring break, if we don't go anywhere, we don't do anything but hang out around the house. But since I have been working lots and feeling like I don't have much quality time with the kids, I decided to do some fun things with them.

Thursday we worked on the house alot- cleaning that is- and then we went to Chucky Cheese. (They were happy to help clean knowing we were going there later.) They loved it!! Pat did too, he had to get the high score at the basketball shooting game of course. Jaida was afraid to ride anything that moved, but if it was just sitting there she climbed all over the rides, and sat in them for long periods of time. By the time it was all said and done we had 450 tickets and 4 tired but happy girls.

Paige in her Monster Truck

Jaida pretending to ride the dragon with Marin- she would not let us turn it on to move.

Friday we went shopping for Amanda. She is growing too fast. She has grown out of all her school clothes for this year and was in desperate need of new stuff. I am tired of her wearing sweats everyday. She loves sweats and would choose them over anything. Its my own fault, she is just like I was. Anyways we went and got her 2 pair of jeans and a couple shirts and then we went to Grandma Pati's house and hung out for a few hours. We went home that evening and the girls had a sleep over with eachother in our basement. They watched Charlottes Web, had ice cream sundaes, and then slept in a bed I made on the floor. I laid on the bean bag next to them until the fell asleep so they weren't scared, and then headed up to my bed. I need my bed at night. I have a hard time sleeping anywhere else.

Today we woke up, made a yummy pancake breakfast, and then headed out for more shopping for Amanda. JcPenney was having a great sale on shirts, and she really needed more. I also got all 4 of the girls a new swimsuit. We had decided that we were going to the Legacy Center in Lehi to swim later on today. After shopping we headed home and had lunch, let Jaida get a nap in, and then headed for the pool. Adam, Denise and Eliana came with us and we had a blast. The girls really loved it. It is a really nice indoor pool with activities for the kids and slides, lazy river etc..... Amanda's friend Whitney came too, so they ran off together and checked in every so often.

Amanda and Marin getting ready to swim

All tired and worn out after swimming

Amanda, Whitney, and Paige being silly on the way home

All in all it was a great few days with the girls. We all got along for the most part, and really enjoyed spending time together. Earlier today I asked the girls if they were enjoying their Spring Break and Paige said "Mom, this has been the best Spring Break ever!" It made me happy.

Pat wasn't able to join us much because he was studying for 2 huge exams in Chemistry and Biology which he took today and did really good on both! YAY for my honey!! :)

More of Amanda's Baking

2009-03-08T21:48:00.005-06:00

Amanda made cookies the other day, at a friends house, and she said that she could make them at home all by herself. So I challenged her too, mostly because I really wanted homemade Oreos, but also because I didn't believe she could do it all without my help. Well, I went and laid in bed and rested, while she worked in the kitchen. Not too long later I was eating a most delicious, scrumptious cookie. Mmmmm they were so yummy. I was so proud!!!

As you can tell she was so happy too!!

Smelling the fruits of her labor

Such a proud moment of triumph over her unbelieving mother!!

We all ate them really fast, so the next day I had her make a double batch for our Family Home Evening treat, which she did without my help. We ate most of those, but shared some too with friends.

This was our treat tonight, per her father's request. White cookie with Chocolate frosting. She just loves to cook and I love to reap the benefits!!!

She's getting too big!!

2009-02-24T15:02:00.003-07:00

Amanda is growing up so fast!! I have been trying to teach her more about responsibility as you get older. Hygiene- for example- she hates showering, but we together we wrote up a daily schedule with showering and brushing teeth etc.. etc.. It has been working good so far. I also have been trying to include her more in the kitchen, and she loves it and does so well. She loves cooking.

She is so much fun to have as my oldest daughter. I sure love her.

Fly Fishing

2009-02-22T12:52:00.003-07:00

Pat and I have been wanting to go have a little weekend together and we arranged with my sister Pam, to go this last weekend. We had a hard time coming up with what we were going to do, but we decided on going fly fishing. Friday we spent getting ready and getting all the gear I needed- Pat already has his gear- and Saturday, Pat took me and taught me to fly fish.

We went up to Schofield Dam and fished the Price river. It had a great place for me to practice my cast. Don't you just love the waders--not really.

I was so excited when I caught my first one- just a baby- and then my second-they were all babies. We always let them go too.

Anyways, I ended up catching 9 fish. It was so fun! I love getting into the outdoors and spending time with my hubby. I think we will try to teach Amanda soon.

My Eyes

2009-02-19T17:24:00.003-07:00

So I went to the eye doctor today, ready to hear that my eyes were getting worse (prescription wise). As it turns out, they are better than they have been in 4 years. I have never heard of eyes getting better, but they are a little. He double checked a couple times, just to make sure he was right. Its funny, but I am so excited about it. I called Pat on the way home to tell him and he was half asleep and didn't really care. So I called my Mom hoping for a better reaction, which I got. She sounded way excited, although I think she knew I just wanted a big reaction, but she gave it to me anyways and it made me happy, so I don't care if it was fake. :) I am thinking about getting eye surgery, to correct my vision, but I am still unsure if I want to. Anyways, I hope my kids got Pat's eyesight because he can see so well. It would be great if they didn't have to wear glasses or contacts as they get older.

Lots to catch up on

2009-02-14T14:01:00.004-07:00

So lets see, we have had a lot going on here for a while so I will play catch up.

-Lyn went in to the hospital in December for his heart- It was 90% blocked- It was very scary-and he was there for 2 weeks and ended up with a pacemaker. They could not do surgery because most of his heart muscle had died because of mini heart attacks, that he did not know he was having.

-My mom went in for preventative surgery the same day Lyn went in.

-My biological father passed away the following weekend. I tried to find a way to get to his funeral but I don't have a passport and they held it in Canada. Plus the weather was really bad to drive all the way in.

-I had family come in that weekend for Christmas, and stay until the end of December. I was really fun to have them here.

-Business was slow so Pat had quite a few days in a row off, so we watched the season 6 dvd's of 24 in 4 days.

-Pat's birthday was the 8th of January and we spent the whole thing in the hospital with his family.

-On the ninth, his oldest brother James passed away. The funeral was the following Monday, the 12th. It was very sad.

- Life has slowly resumed after all that has gone on. I feel that we have grown closer to Pat's family through all the hardship that we have experienced together.

As for now we just are living day to day. I am working almost everyday. With Pat in school and the limited work force that we have, I am needed a lot more at the shop. I am able to take the kids with me if I need to. Sometimes when she is able, my sister Pam is very kind and watches them at home. I have turned one of our offices into a playroom, so they have things to do while I am there, and it has worked out really well so far. Lots of things at home have been put on hold for now, but I think as I get used to doing all this, home stuff will fall into place. I get home right when the kids do from school and then its homework and dinner and errands and then bedtime. Its been pretty crazy busy lately but, that's ok. I am very happy that Pat is in school and doing well. He gets all A's. It takes up lots of his time, but is for a good purpose and I don't mind so much when it is helping him improve himself.

Here are a few pics from Christmas Break.

Pat took our older girls on a winter camp out with my brother Allen and his 2 oldest, Gaven and Lily. They all loved it.

Chirstmas Morning- Opening gifts
Our cute little elf Jaida

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

2008-12-25T22:59:00.002-07:00

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

2008-12-10T21:58:00.003-07:00

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???

2008-11-21T16:50:00.003-07:00

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!!!!!!!

2008-11-17T12:46:00.002-07:00

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..........

2008-11-10T12:15:00.003-07:00

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???

2008-10-18T21:44:00.004-06:00

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

2008-10-03T14:29:00.002-06:00

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

2008-09-22T21:47:00.002-06:00

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!!!!

2008-09-15T12:00:00.004-06:00

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

2008-09-11T20:36:00.005-06:00

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

2008-09-07T23:14:00.004-06:00

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

2008-09-01T15:42:00.004-06:00

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

2008-08-24T22:32:00.004-06:00

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

2008-08-19T12:55:00.004-06:00

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

2008-07-28T21:52:00.003-06:00

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

2008-07-23T05:05:00.002-06:00

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 :)

2008-07-08T08:47:00.003-06:00

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

2008-07-02T13:21:00.002-06:00

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

2008-06-26T23:53:00.002-06:00

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

2008-06-24T16:34:00.002-06:00

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

2008-06-22T15:44:00.002-06:00

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....

2008-06-16T14:42:00.004-06:00

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

2008-06-11T12:57:00.003-06:00

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

2008-06-08T21:09:00.003-06:00

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...?

2008-06-05T11:56:00.002-06:00

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!

2008-05-30T15:38:00.002-06:00

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!!!!

2008-05-21T22:21:00.002-06:00

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

2008-05-13T17:52:00.002-06:00

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

2008-05-02T08:46:00.003-06:00

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

2008-04-27T21:03:00.002-06:00

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

2008-04-16T22:31:00.005-06:00

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!

2008-04-10T11:39:00.002-06:00

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?

2008-04-06T20:18:00.002-06:00

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

2008-03-28T15:26:00.002-06:00

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....

2008-03-25T09:04:00.003-06:00

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!!!

2008-03-21T20:57:00.005-06:00

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

2008-03-15T22:38:00.005-06:00

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...

2008-03-14T13:17:00.003-06:00

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!

2008-03-13T18:48:00.001-06:00

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

2008-03-12T15:38:00.004-06:00

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!

2008-03-06T20:35:00.005-07:00

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

2008-03-03T21:06:00.002-07:00

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

2008-02-28T12:04:00.003-07:00

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.........

2008-02-26T20:40:00.003-07:00

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

2008-02-24T17:16:00.002-07:00

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

2008-02-24T16:19:00.002-07:00

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

2008-02-22T14:26:00.003-07:00

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

2008-02-22T12:20:00.005-07:00

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.

HALLOWEEN

2007-10-31T22:32:00.000-06:00

Yay!!!! Its finally here and now done. We love Halloween at our house. Dressing up for school and then coming home and visiting Grandparents and then Trick or Treating, we love it. It is so relaxing when it is over though. The girls all looked so cute and had fun getting ready. The weather was so nice too. We trick or treated in our old Grandview ward. It is Pat's parents' neighborhood. We saw the Ortons and Barons and some of our other friends from that ward. Pat's mom loaded the kids up with full size candy bars. Way too many, but thats where I come in. I eat most of them anyway. Its so sad, I am a candyholic. We carved pumpkins last night. Marin and Paige did scary faces and Amanda did a nice face.

Our Little Rockett

2007-10-26T22:09:00.000-06:00

Jaida is so cute. She was born May 22 and has been such a sweetie since day 1. She loves to be kissed and grabs my head and pulls me close to kiss. She loves attention and when her sisters are around she just wants to be with them and yells til they pay attention to her. She is becoming soooo vocal it is so cute. Its been crazy since she was born, adjusting to having 4 kids, but it seems like it is smoothing out and we are forming more and more routines. Having kids in school does that. Her Grandma gave her this outfit and she sure seems happy in it. She just seems to enjoy being in our family and we all think she is the cutest thing. It's so fun to have her around, always happy and just wanting to be loved. As far as I can tell, I think she looks most like Paige. We will have to see when she is older though.

Parent Teacher Conferences

2007-10-26T22:00:00.000-06:00

I love going to parent teacher conferences and hearing how my child is doing in school. This year I went to 2 of them. Paige's teacher, Mrs. Brimhall loves Paige and said she is the top of her class and such a great student. She is starting her on some reading books and said she will be the first one in her class to do so. She loves going and always has funny things to say about it. Amanda is doing really well too. She does well every year. If they are doing well in school, I buy them a book at the book fair and Amanda is already into Chapter 11 and it has been 1 day. She loves to read. I am reading Paige's book to her and we are on Chapter 4.

Playing Cards

2007-10-24T22:30:00.000-06:00

Today, Patrick went hunting with Lyn and Pat and Adam. They left around 1pm and got home at 10pm. Lyn shot a 2 point buck. Grandma Grams and Denise came over and we played cards pretty much the whole time they were gone. Sounds lame I know but time flies when you're having fun. I enjoyed it. We took breaks to feed babies and take care of kids and eat pizza. Last weekend, I was able to go hunting with all of them. We took our trailer (without kids, thanks to my sister Pam) and parked it at the bottom of Adam and Denise's property and then we drove through to the Fish and Game land on the north side. We didn't see much there but on our way back we saw a couple of bucks and Adam got a shot off but the buck ran and from what we could find there was no blood. It was a far shot. Then Monday Adam was able to get a buck and I watched him gut it and even helped hold it up while he did so. It was not as gross as I thought it would be. It was actually interesting to see. Maybe this weekend Pat will get one. We are going to take the trailer and go up again but take the girls this time and I will stay back at camp with them. They love to camp and ride the 4-wheelers. It will be fun, I just hope it is good weather.

Hmmm very interesting this blogging thing is-

2007-10-23T17:03:00.000-06:00

So I have never blogged before, but it looks fun, and it is fun to read about what friends and family are up to, so I thought I would give it a shot. It all seems interesting to me, posting what is going on in our lives over the internet for whoever to read. I'm not good with words so we will see what I can come up with to write.