THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLYNN

2012-01-31T04:31:00.000-08:00

Our baby is officially 4 :( WHERE DOES THE TIME GO? She celebrated her birthday at school on Wednesday, then her official birthday on Saturday.

One of the HIGHLIGHTS of Ashlynn's birthday was definitely the package Grandpa sent.

I must say it was a BRILLIANT GIFT!!!! She has played with her little princess dolls NON-STOP. They are like a built in babysitter. Great job choosing Grandpa & Thank you. WE LOVE YOU & MISS YOU!!! xoxoxox

Ashlynn LOVES to bake. So I decided it would be fun to make her cake together. I was right--we had a great time making her little cake & decorating it. When we finished, she could NOT stop touching the cake so I put it (on a NEW adorable plastic tray in the oven) :( BAD IDEA!!! Later that evening as I became a little crazy, I turned the oven on, and the cake was forgotten about until Daxon yelled "MOM, YOU ARE BURNING THE PIZZA." To which I replied, "I am not cooking pizza." Then Daxon replied then why is all that smoke coming out of the oven? Only then did my CRAZY brain remember what was in the oven!!!!

Ashlynn is still saying, "MOM YOU MELTED MY CAKE." We could have just refrosted it, but it had a thin layer of saran wrap over it. We decided to just have a do-over.

I blog about Ashlynn often, but something I haven't ever added is how silly she is about mixing up her words. Here is a list of some of her favorites...
look its a birdplane=Airplane
Whenever her PJs, or something she wants to wear, are in the wash, she gets this sad face & says OH they are in the DISHWASHER:)
-Gorilla=umbrella
-I have a contest=concert

MR= Sister at church & other places she can often be heard calling all the women MR. then whatever their last name is.

The Entrians are coming over=missionaries

I love tomatoes for dinner=potatoes

Ashlynn does so many things everyday to make this family smile. She is so full of life & energy and blesses our lives every single day:)

P.S. She doesn't use these words because we haven't taught her the correct ones, we have. She just speaks a four year-old brand of English.

TANGLED

2012-01-25T18:57:00.000-08:00

The other day as I was getting ready to go do Ashlynn's hair, she insisted that she was plenty capable & could do it herself. I reply, "Ashlynn, your hair is all TANGLED, you have school, and I am doing your hair today." She went ballistic. So I reply, "whatever, go do your hair." She came back down stairs a few minutes later with the BIGGEST grin you have ever seen. "WOW, you did your hair," I said. She replied, "YEP, I combed it with my toothbrush & got all the bugs out." I laughed all day. We always say lets brush your teeth & get the bugs out. But your HAIR? It was a great moment:)

ART CLASS

For Alyssa's art project, she choose to do a Tangled castle. The work that girl went through putting it together was INSANE. The first night she brought home all these pieces and it didn't look too much like the Tangled castle. She became upset, took it too school the next day & worked on it some more there. Then she brought it home and worked on it some more. She ended up with this masterpiece. I was impressed!!! I thought she did an amazing job. It was even put in the art display case at school.

CTR

2012-01-16T15:53:00.000-08:00

I found the cutest CTR posters on line the other day. I really wanted to do something fun with them but wasn't sure what. About 3 A.M. I arose with this picture in my head ( flashback from Temple project a few posts down:) Just cut out wood, spray paint it, modge podge the poster on it, tie a bow & you have a fun easy craft that is super inexpensive. The link has 6 different posters all VERY cute!!! The theme in primary this year is CTR so I'm kinda hooked on that theme. If interested this is the link.

PINE WOOD DERBY

2012-01-16T15:47:00.000-08:00

Britton was so excited for the derby this year. His car earned the "Best Workmanship" award. 32 cars were in the race this year.That's some CraZy energy in one area let me tell ya:) I wish I would have taken a picture of the treat. It was little derby cars made out of Twinkies, with Oreo cookies on the sides for wheels. I loved the coloring area where I spent most the evening with Ashlynn. Great times were had by all!!!

MOUNT EVEREST!

2012-01-13T15:11:00.000-08:00

Recently I have been very intrigued with this MOUNTAIN. Throughout life we have moments where we are on FIRE and full of passion. Other times, NOT SO MUCH.

I HATE dieting-- which is surprising since I have been on one since... OH FOREVER. I have lost and regained the same 30 pounds over & over again. (and I actually need to loose about 50, but my passion never lasts that long. so whatever.) Anyways, I lose the weight & then my LOVE for eating holiday food at the moment, baking treats with my kiddos, eating at delicious restaurants, etc. etc. kicks in & trumps ANY passion I once had. The pounds creep back on ever so QUICKLY and this vicious cycle starts once again. Why is it that it takes FOREVER to get the weight off & practically overnight it can be back on again?

The passion for HEALTH remains in me, even when I am not being healthy. I read every health diet book and magazine I can get my hands on. It's not like I don't know how this is done. I would love to go back to school to study dietetics someday. It is a topic I never get bored of discussing, reading, or learning about. Why is it that putting the things we know into practice such a difficult task sometimes?

About a month ago I checked out "INTO THIN AIR " from the library. The language became a little intense. At times I have a tendency to curse, as much as I hate to admit it (I'm working on it:) so it has to be extreme for me to be to offended..It was, so I returned it but I was hooked on the story & wanted to know more. I found these
videos. Our family LOVED them. The fact that anyone has made it to the top of this mountain becomes more amazing with each new fact there is to learn about "the top of the world". What does this have to do with dieting you might ask? PASSION & FREAKIN' hard work!!!!!! I could not believe the amount of passion these people had. They were willing to give up everything for the accomplishment of climbing the tallest mountain in the world. 192 people, probably more now, have. SO I am on day 5 of my Everest climb you could say. (30-day method modified to be healthy) The desire/passion to be healthy and practice the things I know has knocked on my doorstep once again, as it does often:) Ya know, the desire that gives me the ability to eat this instead of cheesy Enchiladas.
The study of EVEREST gives me HOPE. Many do not conquer Everest on the 1st try for many reasons. Mark Ingils lost his legs from the knees down. Mark loved the outdoors, so he chose NOT to let the loss of his legs handicap him. He became the first man without legs to climb Everest. THAT'S PASSION. I guess when all is said and done, it boils down to what we want most. To climb Everest, you KNOW you might die. Yet you are willing to take that chance for your passion.

"In 1921, famed Everest explorer George Leigh Mallory wrote to his wife saying, "I can't tell you how it possesses me, and what a prospect it is." In 1924 he perished trying to reach the top. His body was not discovered until 1999."

So here it goes. I am going to start climbing my own Everest for the million & tenth time. This time I plan to reach the top of the dang thing. I do not want to be found years from now in the same place I am today, perishing, per say, from a lack of self discipline to accomplish something I have had a passion for my whole life. Edmund Hillary said it best in two quotes after reaching the summit "It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves."

“You don’t have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things – to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated.”

I am copying this next thought from a quote I read a long time ago but don't remember exactly...
"I guess once the motivation is present, our character comes into play as well. Will our character be strong enough to keep going strong when the desire to continue has past." When my tummy is growling, and the cupcakes with delicious frosting are sitting around from Ashlynn's birthday, when it's still dark & I need to get out of my warm comfy bed to exercise, when it's smores season:) etc. etc., I'm going to say YES!!!!

Wish me luck. Everest here I come;)

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2012-01-02T01:46:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve was so much fun this year. Once again, I did the same thing as on Christmas Day--didn't take enough pictures. The day started out with J.D. taking the kids sledding at Sleepy Hollow Sports Park. I NEVER thought I would see the day I would pay to go sledding, but when you live in Iowa, hills are limited (as is snow this year). Sleepy Hollow makes their own snow & has a machine that pulls you & your tube back up the hill so you don't have to walk. Alyssa actually decided sledding this style wasn't so bad:) Ashlynn couldn't go because she isn't 4 yet. I think she would love it, so it might have to be a birthday event since her birthday falls on the great day of SATURDAY this year. When the Kiddos arrived home, they were starving. We had sloppy joes & french fries--always a fast/easy/filling meal. In the evening, we went to some friends for a party & had a great time. Great company, wonderful food, tons of kids (that was a favorite part). I love the laughter & excitement of kiddos at parties.

We played a game where you take a present then pass the presents. You can either open one or take one that someone else has already opened. It was really fun. I got the TAKE 5, LOVE them. The kids all loved it & had a great time.

Ashlynn got these nutty bars. She sat to eat them and dipped them in chocolate. A very healthy snack. She only ate 2 bites so it wasn't to bad:)

After we came home the kids were super happy that Alyssa's friends left JUST DANCE 3 at the house. We have JUST DANCE 2, but I guess it's just not nearly as cool. We played it for awhile. It took some convincing to get Britton to take a turn, but once he did he was hooked:)

We ended up playing POWER RANGERS over & over because Ashlynn thought it was AWESOME!!! We played games and had a great night. I am really looking forward to this year & I am optimistic that it will be full of my many new goals reached & happy times:)

As you will clearly see we are not going to win any dancing awards. Ry is just being goofy but hey, it was our first time trying out the Just dance 3 game. My first goal of the year is going to be "GET 3 stars on Just dance 2." (I'll start with a fun goal this year & maybe it will help me get motivated for the hard goals LOL.)

LET THE HOLIDAYS BEGIN

2011-12-28T19:15:00.000-08:00

Britton has been asking for this Hedbanz game forever. On Christmas eve, as I was coming downstairs after putting Ashlynn to bed, this was the scene. I BURST OUT laughing:) It is kind of a silly/dumb game, but funny. The Hedbanz on everyone's heads are definitely good for a laugh.

This Christmas I did an AWFUL job taking pictures. Christmas morning I was just too involved with kids that the camera wasn't thought about. We did manage to snap a quick one as we were running (literally) out the door to church.

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is when we do the Nativity. We have this program written with the scriptures from Luke, with songs in between. The kids' choices of costumes this year cracked me up. The baby Jesus could use some work. Ashlynn felt her new LaLaLoopsy was a perfect choice however.

I especially LOVED when the ANGEL appeared to the shepherds & they were sore afraid.

One day, when Ashlynn came across the Bass Pro Shop add, this tent was in it. From that day on, she has been so happy that Santa was going to bring her THAT tent. I thought it was kind of a weird idea. Santa, however, listened to the child. Wise choice. SHE LOVES IT!!!! She wants to sleep in it every night & plays in it constantly.

This is the most amazing Christmas break. It has been near 50 degree temps almost everyday. It was warm enough the other day that Alyssa took Ashlynn to the park to play. The boys play football outside everyday. The boys are praying for snow. (Santa brought them snowboards. So snow would be useful). I however will take this weather any day. I am LOVING IT:)

PROJECT MONTH

2011-12-16T21:26:00.000-08:00

Pretzel Making
This project is NOT so fun with a 3 year old--UNLESS, of course, you ask the 3 year old:) I guess in the grand scheme of things, that's what matters most anyways. I quickly realized that I was in WAY OVER my head with Ashlynn & SPRINKLES. I quickly put away the chocolate, sprinkles, & pretzels. I let Ashlynn dip a few pretzels and I then put it all away. Ashlynn was happy & I will be happy when I get to make them while she is sound in her bed:)

SUGAR COOKIES

Why I LOVE PICTURES!!!!

(They make us forget the stressful strain of the moment and remember the fairy tale:)
Luckily my mind works the same way LOL
SO on this day I truly complained. I was so bugged about cleaning the kitchen when I was cleaning it. (AJ did help, but her clean is a little different from mine :) I was bugged that we used 3 batches of ingredients to get 1 batch of cookies. I was irritated that my plans were put on hold for the evening because I had to help with this project that wasn't even mine. Yes, I sound like an AWFUL person. Then I look at these pictures a week later. By then, I have forgotten the stuff I wrote above and write what the pictures make me remember--I was not bugged at all...
I LOVE how this month is so full of baking & crafting. The other day, Alyssa's pregnant English teacher was craving sugar cookies. Being the gem she is, Alyssa decided to come home & make her those cookies. I had spent the day shining the kitchen and the real estate appraiser was coming, so I told her NO:( The next day she asked, can I make them today? I reluctantly said YES. You see, I have made sugar cookies many times. I know the MESS they make. I didn't want my kitchen messy so soon after I deep cleaned it.

After 2 batches of MESSED UP cookies, I decided I had better find out why her cookies were NOT turning out. I am still not sure. Perhaps it was some unseen force or freak of nature or bad karma- wanting to TOTALLY destroy my clean kitchen. I entered my now messy kitchen, looked at these 2 girls' happy faces, listened to the Christmas music in the background & HAPPILY helped put together a batch that worked. I also taught Alyssa a few tips on sugar cookie making. Then I just took in the moment.

I know these pictures probably all look the same to everyone except ME. I, however, love how involved each one is. I love the care Alyssa is putting into something she is doing for a pregnant teacher who is craving cookies. I Love the joy of the moment that is in Ashlynn's eyes.

The kitchen cleaned up quick enough-Truthfully the mess was so worth the captured moments (;
I love that Alyssa wanted to do cookies so I can check that off my Christmas to-do list early this month:) I Love the special feeling that feels the air with the magic of Christmas!

TARGET
I have found this adorable Mac-n-Cheese only at Target--So worth a trip to the store, don't ya think?

Watchamacallit JARS

I LOVE this website. I had decided to do these jars just for fun. However, I could never find a convenient time to do them. I decided to make them a project for the younger kids to do while the older kids were gone. They LOVED it (the jars, not the kids being gone). I thought they did a pretty darn good job.

These are the finished products.
Peppermint krispies

That same day we became BORED yet again. So when the home teachers called to say they were coming the following day, we decided to make them a treat. I thought this

recipe looked pretty tasty. It's also a really easy, fun recipie to have the kids help with. (FYI... we kept getting bored due to the fact we were home without a car. J.D. was hunting. the other car was in the shop & it was freezing outside. We r not usually bored so often. It turned out to b a great day)

I LOVE TO SEE THE TEMPLE

2011-12-10T20:43:00.000-08:00

Every night before Ashlynn will go to sleep she Must here the "Temple song." Every Monday night she begs to sing the "Temple song." Around when Ashlynn turned 3 my sister Trisha was getting married in the Idaho Falls Temple. My sister Jana made Ashlynn an adorable little dress for her birthday she was so EXCITED to wear it & has called it her "Temple dress" since that day. Ashlynn LOVED waiting with TONS of family & friends for Trisha to come out of the Temple. She has had a LOVE for the Temple ever since that day. The other day when my visiting teacher brought her home from playing she mentioned how Ashlynn & Alexa were packing up & pretending to go to the Temple. I thought that was ADORABLE.
Ashlynn is always telling us how she just wants to go to the Temple so when I found this cute craft on this website I wanted to make it for her for Christmas. I think she will LOVE it. Thanks to my Awesome husband I was able to get the wood cut out & the picture on straight. I LOVE how willing he is to help me with all crazy projects I come up with:)

HOLIDAY FUN

2011-12-08T19:46:00.000-08:00

The other night for Family Home Evening, I thought it would be fun to make the Nativity paper dolls I found on this website. The first 10 minutes were SUPER fun. The kids were smiling the atmosphere was happy. We were in what you would call a "LEAVE IT TO BEAVER" moment. A MOMENT is about all it lasted. So as kids are starting to get on each others nerves I'm thinking "LORI FIX THIS". Keep the moment. It was NOT to be:( I sent J.D. to the store to get treats. By the time he returns, 1/2 the kids have left and the other 1/2 are complaining they hate to color. I colored on a face as all the children laughed and ask where I received my skills :) Daxon fixed most the faces.He draws faces very well. Daxon also colored the manger & I must say he took great care in making sure it was JUST RIGHT. We called all the kiddos back to the kitchen to finish up the project & glue on all the final touches. It was fun but I think we will leave it for a more crafty family next time:)
Alyssa's favorite time of the evening
Alyssa-Mom what are you doing?
Mom-Coloring Christmas lights
Alyssa-Mom The Nativity did not have Christmas lights:)

O CHRISTMAS TREE
SO we went to get a tree the other night. The kids are SO very excited. we get to the store & I don't really love any of the trees. I suggest we wait & go cut one down the next day. They are on a MISSION & want one TONIGHT!!!! SO we go to Lowes it is so dark we can't see them very well. This adventure that is suppose to be exciting & fun. Due to me wanting a tree that looks a certain way is turning out NOT SO FUN;(
REALITY CHECK
Riley from the back of the car says, "YA know when I have kids I am going to make this fun... I am going to let my kids pick out WHATEVER tree they want & decorate it however they want." We went back to the first store they picked out the TALLEST tree they could find )that was the only criteria) :) and they were HAPPY as could be & we were on our way. Daxon did most the lights & the kids all loved just throwing ornaments wherever they wanted & Riley was right==it was the funnest we have ever had decorating a tree!

Sunday Entertainment
Sunday Ashlynn was so bored, as were the boys, so I decided to do the what I call "POOR MAN" gingerbread houses. It was great & no one seemed to care that it was whatever I could find in the cupboard & NOT candy. Ashlynn thought she was in HEAVEN. She actually made 2 of them. it kept her entertained for at least an hour & a half. I loved it because I didn't feel bad trowing it away the next day & I kinda don't love having the ones with candy lying around my house all season long cluttering up the place. I guess you could say it was a win win.

Love this BOOK

Checked this out at the library. If you haven't read it & want to laugh you should get it. It is ADORABLE & so funny yet thoughtful at the same time. LOVED IT!

VERY MISC & NOT IN ORDER.

2011-11-29T10:28:00.001-08:00

Over Thanksgiving weekend we had dinner at some friends house & had a great time. They are the type of people I LOVE being around in hopes that their goodness will permeate me somewhat & I will somehow become more like them:) We skipped all the shopping on Black Friday which I think I will NEVER EVER do again. Stuff costs too much at regular price!!!! We left early Friday and headed to Omaha.

Ashlynn having a preschool Thanksgiving party.

REVERENCE
On our way out the door to stake conference I was feeling overwhelmed & frankly NOT in the mood to go. I didn't want to be out in the hall with Ashlynn constantly & it just sounded like
A LOT of work. A few months ago I bought this reverence book & Ashlynn LOVES it. It has helped also as we talk during the week about how to behave in church. Well on the way out the door I had an idea take a string & fruit loops for Ashlynn to string. (I wonder where that thought came from:) It turned our BRILLIANT!!!! She literally put fruit loops on that string for the first hour & a half. So if you have a stake conference coming up remember your string & fruit loops:)
P.S. The meetings were wonderful & I left very happy that I was able to be apart of them!

Love the sweats with the shirt BUT I REALLY LOVE these BOYS:)

Bass pro shop is tons of fun this time of year. On the weekends it has lots of fun things going on Alyssa was such a big helper with Ashlynn writing a letter to Santa.

Loved the ones that adults left behind one the table kinda funny.
YOU MUST BELIEVE TO RECEIVE:)

The gingerbread houses at the Mormon trail center I must say are AMAZING!!!!! LOVED this one it pulled at my heartstrings.

Britton loves having his picture taken. The other boys you don't see much that is because 1 they NEVER stop moving & 2 they HATE it:)

This is my friend Brenda & her 2 little girls. We met them at the zoo. I haven't seen her in about 20 years. We Loved getting to hang out with her and her family. Ashlynn loved having some little girls around.

At least we have 2 girls who will let me take pictures. Our boys are like

"PICTURES ARE LAME."

It was a great weekend. ALREADY Can't wait for Christmas break!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2011-11-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

I was out shopping and the kids &
Jers made this funny movie to wish you &
yours a Happy Thanksgiving.

DAUGHTERS

2011-11-16T13:50:00.000-08:00

The other day I was on facebook & someone had posted this quote. I LOVE IT!!! I might would change the words "this world has to give." to say "that God has to give." Nevertheless, I love the quote. It made me think about how blessed my life is because I am a daughter of such an elect lady. My life CONTINUES to be blessed EVERY day because I am JoAnne's daughter-even though she was taken by the cruelty of cancer over 8 years ago. I cherish the fact that I get to be the mother of 2 beautiful daughters that fill my life with joy every single day.

I often hear moms complain about teenagers. Although they have their moments(at times many), having a teenage daughter is AWESOME!!!! I have someone to go to Broadway shows with who gets as EXCITED as I do. I have someone who wants to watch shows like Monte Carlo with me and I can blame the fact that we are seeing it on their, not my own, LOVE for younger movies. I have someone to talk to who definitely LOVES to talk as much, OR MORE, than I do. That is hard to come by. :)

I LOVE that ASHLYNN is still home. I think I cried all day the day she started preschool. It was a wake-up call that my life is changing stages WAY toooo fast. I only have 2 more years of a kiddo at home & then they will all be at school all day everyday. That makes me want to throw-up. Not that some days I don't rejoice as they walk out the door. I do. In fact, most days as Britton, being the last one to leave, walks out the door, Ashlynn & I crank up the tunes & do a HAPPY dance. But still we are SUPER-elated for them to return 8 hours later:)

I LOVE that Alyssa finally got a sister. I cannot imagine life without sisters nor, would I want to .

I LOVE how with girls, when they are little, you get to play dress up & have little tea parties.

Then they grow up and you still get to play dress up, but you send them off to real parties. That is a little scarier :0

Right now, the thing I LOVE about Ashlynn is how EVERY morning, as she comes downstairs, she acts as if she hasn't seen me for years. She runs too me with her high pitched voice, "MOM," and gives me a HUGE hug-it's priceless. I Love how excited she gets about the little details of life that we seem to miss as we get older. Her age is such a blast. I LOVE how Alyssa is so attached to her phone that I can get ANY room cleaned, keep grades up, and get good behavior just by threatening to take it away:) . What a great and powerful tool we as parents have in today's world. I LOVE that Alyssa is so into doing her Personal Progress right now. She is on fire with it. We are having to force her to put it away to go to bed or go do her jobs. Not a bad thing to have to force your kid away from. Today I am thankful for my daughters. Thank You Heavenly Father for sending them to me!

MAGICAL

2011-11-06T06:04:00.000-08:00

The other day a lady at the gym mentioned a trail she had been riding out in Adel & how beautiful it was. I am a sucker for that kind of stuff. Partly why I LOVE Iowa so much in the Fall it is gorgeous. Just driving on the freeway to go to the store is an adventure filled with vibrant crisp colors. Yes I know that sounds so lame, I really do LOVE all the color and after Summer the air without humidity is golden.

Ashlynn loves this trail daily she asks to go to the "HER" woods. She wants to go see her butterfly & caterpillar:)

I am kind of (okay not kind of )I am a HUGE scardy cat to go places like that alone. Someday I WILL be brave(It's a goal:). For the time being I force others such as my husband to go with me on my trails. Just look at this cool bridge really I am doing him a HUGE favor in having him go right:)

The 1st time we went on the trail I could not get the older kids to go. Ashlynn however LOVED crunching through the leaves.

throwing them

running in them

It is a beautiful trail!

A WEEK OR SO LATER...

Ashlynn & I decided we wanted to go on this walk again a week later. Due to the fact J.D. was not home I forced the older kids to all go. I told them they didn't have a choice. I wanted to go & I wasn't going alone. This was met with MUCH complaining so I made them a deal. They LOVE the waukee Ice cream shoppe so I told them if you enjoy the walk & do NOT complain I will take you after we leave.

We had such a great time. The kids all got along they didn't complain that they weren't home playing with friends Riley even said "Thanks mom for making us go this really was fun." I LOVE being a Mom. I wonder if I will ever- not -have to bribe my kids to go on a walk with me ha ha.
It is amazing how bribery for something as simple as Ice cream can make an afternoon that could be a disaster filled with why do we have to do this. A MAGICAL memory filled with so much fun!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2011-11-02T11:48:00.000-07:00

I LOVE LOVE HALLOWEEN!!! I love walking around Halloween night & meeting the people in our neighborhood. I think it is the only night of the year I see most of them. I KNOW, shame on me. Riley was not going to go out this year due to the fact that he felt JOBS were dumb & he should not have to do any. As you will see in the pictures further down, he was right out there with us. We left him at home, but Jers said "I will b right back." the next thing I know, I see Riley. Jers sent him out to go with us. (As much as I am trying to stick to being good at consequences with my children, I was secretly pretty happy to see him). It made Riley's day & Daxon had said before JD went and got Riley, "it isn't the same without Riley." Alyssa & Riley are, by many people's standards, getting to old to go Trick or Treating. I am one of those parents who say If your willing to dress up you could be 50. I couldn't care less. you only live once. as long as you are being good... might as well have fun doing it:)

Ashlynn was a flower. It was a great costume due to the fact that it kept her cozy warm. Ashlynn was so much fun this year. I LOVE her age. Everything is so MAGICAL. We went to the first couple of houses & it was as if it clicked, "OH YA, this is trick or treating." From that second on she was on a mission to fill her bucket as quickly as she possibly could. Ashlynn smiled at every house as she said trick or treat & as she walked off with a HUGE grin. she would say THANK YOU HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! As we neared the end of the neighborhood she kept commenting, "this is the best Halloween EVER." Alyssa stuck right by our side until we reached our house then she joined her brothers for some quick moving where she could really cash in on some loads of candy:)

We weren't sure what to have Alyssa be for Halloween. The other day on "The Dating Divas" they had a hobo costume that I thought was so ADORABLE. We altered it to be Alyssa's style & I'm thinkin she makes a pretty stinkin cute HOBO -especially with that goodwill bag hanging off the back:)

On Saturday, the ward had a cute little party for the primary that the youth put together. It was fun & the kids had a great time hanging out with friends & trunk-or-treating. The bird was a pretty cool touch for the werewolf look don't you think?

THE MIGHTY HUNTERS
I never see these 2 on Halloween. they are way too FAST & DRIVEN. The 1st block you see them & then they are gone for the next 2 hours. In Iowa, Trick or treating goes from 6-8 so we get a call about 8 to "COME GET US." Every year they make it a little farther & this year they wanted to be hunters. How simple is that, "cha ching," on my check book. Now onto the festivities of Thanksgiving. I'm LOVIN IT!!!!

FLAG FOOTBALL

2011-10-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

Flag football has ended & I have to say it will be nice to not be running so much but I am sad. It has been so much fun going to watch the boys play. Ashlynn has loved attending the games with her treats & little chair. The weather has been AMAZING!! The boys are getting old enough that its actually entertaining instead of boring to go.

Dax is our mister competitive always wanting to do better & leaving the game after a win still commenting on all the things he should have done better & will do better next time. I LOVE that drive for success that is in him.

At this age the boys are ready for tackle so they are pretty fun to watch. Daxon has loved playing, he had such a great team & coach. His coach always practiced overtime with the boys & they loved it. I sometimes would not when I was ready to go home after practice. However I did appreciate it when I thought about it from a Patience mind form:)

Brittons team was undefeated even though they don't keep score :) Common it's sports of course the coaches at least are Definitely keeping score. It was interesting to play with Upward during 1/2 time they always had some spiritual devotional it was always a good thought for the day. Just a great reminder how much goodness is in the world & how much God loves us all. It is sad to see football ending because that also means fall is on the downside & I LOVE FALL!

THE PUMPKIN PATCH

2011-10-21T07:05:00.000-07:00

What a cute little PUMPKIN:)

I LOVE LOVE IOWA in the Fall. It is BEAUTIFUL. Iowa has so many fun things to do in the Fall as well. We LOVE going to the pumpkin patches they have every year. This year we decided to go to one of the less expensive one and though it didn't have a corn maze we had a great time for $10 dollars a family we thought it was a steal of a deal:)

The boys enjoyed trying to out due each other playing football.

This picture reminds me a little bit of the old movie "THE ADAMS family" with all the adorable face making going on. Roasting marshmallows has ALWAYS been a favorite in our family.

The oldest enjoyed the bouncy slide as much as the younger kids did.

The corn pit was definitely NOT as cool as the other pumpkin patches but it entertained Ash for a little while:)

The funniest part of the entire day was when the trailer took us out to the pumpkin patch. Ashlynn jumped off the trailer walked out to the patch
picked up this ADORABLE pumpkin LOL walked back onto the trailer, sat down & was ready to go.

While the other kids were playing the older 2 kids convinced me to buy them a piece of pie to share. Looks mighty tasty actually I took the 1st bite & it was:)

J.D. getting his inner child out. It was a wonderful day!

I love how in this video she thinks we are taking a picture so she keeps stopping her "BEAUTIFUL" singing & smiling at us. This song is on a family video I made & she watches it ALLLL the time so whenever we are in the car & it comes on well of course it is talent show time.

FOOTBALL-WAL-Mart & Dollar stores

2011-10-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

FOOTBALL

Tuesday Riley had his final game of the season. I was amazed how hard they work those boys. I was not sure Riley would enjoy it. He not only enjoyed it he LOVED IT. He never complained he was just happy about it every single day that he was able to play. The final game he had an AWESOME tackle. You see the huge kid in the picture with the ball & the little kid with his arms around him. YA that's Riley & he tackled him FLAT to the ground. Riley came off that field with such a HUGE grin it was great.

His proud siblings who have LOVED attending his games.

I as many do NOT love going to Wal-mart. However I do LOVE some things about Wal-mart. I LOVE how around holidays it has such cute things for decorating cookies, cupcakes it also has fun projects to do with Ashlynn.

My kiddos are a fan as well:)

I have to say I ofter hear people say how much they dislike the dollar store. I am not part of this group. I LOVE LOVE the dollar store. All these fun things to go with Ashlynns play-dough would have cost me 3 times as much without this wonderful store. I was at a grocery store yesterday & they had the same Halloween plates as the dollar store priced at $4. That is CraZy. I am a dollar store FAN!!

OUR NEW PET

Another great thing about Wal-mart you can get the same great things for a new fish as you can as at a pet store for a 1/3 the price. Ashlynn was so excited to get a fish. I do NOT LOVE having a fish the bowl is dirty before you ever get it clean again I swear.

But hey the joy on these faces is worth cleaning a bowl a few times or a MILLION right:)

We definitely need to buy a gallon of water so we don't use up all our water bottles but hey Ashlynn thought pouring the water bottles was great fun.

WHY THIS IS A GREAT MONTH

2011-09-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

The little PJs Ashlynn has on I bought 4 pair for the winter at Costco. I love them, as does she. The other day it was raining and I look out the front window to see Ashlynn sitting in her chair watching Britton do tricks with his skate board. It was pretty darn cute. I especially love the brown shoes she has on the wrong feet with her PJS.

I don't know what it is about the Fall months, but when they arrive I gain a LOVE for certain flavors. Cinnamon, Cloves and Ginger are some of them-all of which go perfectly in these delicious gingersnap cookies:)
YUMMOOOOO!!!
( 3/4 c butter flavor crisc-1 c sugar- plus some for rolling-1 large egg 1/4 c molasses-2 c flour I always need a little more-2 t bkg soda-1 t cinnamon-1 t ginger-1/2 t cloves-1/2 t salt) mix roll in sugar bake at 350 8-10 min or until just set around edges and you start to see the edges crackling on top. Do not overbake these have a great crispy outside texture melt in your mouth inside texture. If you overbake they are just crispy but still good in milk:)

SEMINARY

So, although I am NOT a fan of getting up in the morning or running to the church before 7 A.M., I have to say you can't beat the sky at this hour of the day. It is Beautiful!!! Every morning as I pull out of the driveway, it is a different scene & I find myself actually getting excited to see what the view will be. It is amazing how different every morning's view can be. With it getting darker I will truly miss this part of the morning.

Ashlynn & I got this cute little book at the library, then printed the things from it off the internet. It has been fun for her to do her own little stories. It its adorable for Halloween. We have had a blast with it. It is a fun Halloween project if you are looking for one:)

If you do not have this CD you should get it. It is adorable. We LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!
It is fun for the little kids & the older ones get a kick out of it as well. JD enjoys it and his scouts always ask for it when they are driving to activities.

HOMECOMING
DADs R THE BEST

Alyssa wanted to go to Homecoming this year with her friends. I decided that since she went to Minnesota with her friend to help her chose a dress for the dance, she should get to go with her. J.D. was not sure he agreed-since he thought she should be 16 and have a date. After talking to a few other parents (apparently kids go stag with friends to homecoming around here) he was on board. He even bought her corsage. She had a great time, but said dinner was the funnest part due to the fact that the dancing was not appropriate most the time. which makes it different from a church dance where the dancing is always appropriate (I THINK:).

I'M LOVIN IT

2011-09-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

Lately every day I find myself thinking of things I just love about the day. Things I am excited to do, make and take part in. #1- I am LOVIN being a mom. Motherhood has many phases and this year as my kids have been gone more & more with school activities I find myself missing them a ton. I miss the Summer days of hanging out at the pool & just having the laughter of kids in the home. I love weekends when they are home however they are more often then not wanting to leave to hang out with friends but hey I will take what I can get.

#2-I am lovin the Fall weather. I LOVE our fire pit & having BBQs out back. The other night I found left over sparklers from the 4th- glow necklaces and we had a BBQ & played kickball it was a great night. However I think we need to work on purchasing some outdoor furniture the little table just doesn't quite fit our family anymore:)

#3- The zoo I think I love the zoo more than my kids do so they go to humor me. This year the zoo has some great attractions. My boys favorite is feeding these fish and trying to catch them. KINDA GROSS!

MY FAVORITE FAVORITE is the parakeet exhibit. You buy this little stick with food on it for a dollar go inside this cage thing and hold out the stick. The birds come flying all over you & it is so awesome.

The kids all loved it. It kinda freaked Ashlynn out but it was funny to watch.

I actually loved it so much that I paid for it twice.

#4-If you have a world market how fun is this pasta. I'm LOVIN it. They also have a FAll bag with leaves. I thought it would be fun to make with a white alfredo sauce so you could see the shapes. I LOVE the holidays the decorating, the crafts, the fun food I LOVE it all!

FAMILY COMES TO VISIT

2011-09-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

Over Labor day weekend J.D.'s sister Wendy & her family came to visit. We were so excited & loved having them stay. Ashlynn is still saying she wants them to come back. They arrived late Friday & we headed to the Iowa Cubs game.

Britton & Alex were great buds. Britton drove with Wendy & Will EVERYWHERE. We went & clued them in on the facts about Iowa.

Wendy & I took the little ones home early and left the other children with the "ADULTS."

Britton doesn't know it isn't nice to give bunny ears to your cousin in a picture:)

Saturday morning it was pouring & we had football games to go to. The older boys left early & these little ones played with the play-dough I made a few weeks ago when Ashlynn was missing her Granny. I took Ashlynn to the dollar store and let her pick out about $10 dollars worth of stuff to use with her play-dough & it has been some of the best money ever spent.

After taking this picture, Alyssa took her camera for the weekend. & Ours wasn't working, so the rest the weekend spent at the science center & hanging out, we will just have to remember. It was so fun to have them visit. Thanks a million, Will & Wendy, for driving all the way to see us.

IDAHO

2011-08-19T19:15:00.000-07:00

So the great thing about traveling in the car is you can let your kids watch videos for 15 hours and not feel guilty. Or you can feel guilty turn the videos off, have all HECK break loose & turn them right back on. We choose the peace that comes from leaving them on. Lucky I have the most BRILLIANT HUSBAND EVER & when our DVD quit working about 2 hours into the trip he pulled over bought a new one rewired it & we were off on a pleasant trip again.

Typically when we travel we stop at fast food & eat however it is kind of a nightmare. Kids screaming I want that. No one wants to sit because we just got out of a crammed car. So I packed picnic style this time. It saved us a ton of money & was so much nicer. We actually enjoyed our stops. Unless its freezing I think that will be the way to go from now on.

I love the 1st half of the trip when its just an adventure & everyone still loves each other. Its such a better picture than the 18th hour when everyone is LITERALLY killing each other.

This is J.D. every minute or maybe hour of the trip guzzling the DP.

I don't know what it is about this fire pit but it just seems to bring boys together.

Ashlynn has not stop talking about how much she misses her cousins since we got home. She always has so much fun with them. I love how her & Grady have such cheezy grins.

The older these 2 get the better friends they become.

Granny has the BEST neighborhood & Ashlynn loved hanging out with them as well.

CAMPING
Iowa has many great things. Mountains is NOT one of them. The first week we went camping and it was so much fun. I haven't had that much fun in a long time. I loved every second of it as did my kids. Scott & Rae are always so great to bring us along.

Every trail we went on was breath taking. The scenery was so beautiful. The air was so UN-humid is that a word? It was just so much fun.

J.D. had to come home & work so we could have money to play:) which left much off the mans work in my dads hands. I am so thankful for all he does for us.
My Dad worked his butt off getting his camper ready for us & helping us with everything from meals, to keeping 4 wheelers full of gas & motorcycles with full tires of air. He is so amazing.

All the other gals we went with were so much fun. They helped us with meals & just made it such a great week for our family.

Ashlynn sure loves her Grandpa & misses him like crazy!

These boys like to beg Grandpa relentlessly to ride the 4-wheeler-take them somewhere or do something for them. He is pretty good at fulfilling their wishes.

Houston & Daxon love to hang out together. I think the day we left they both cried.

One day we went on the most beautiful ride up to this lake. The kids had a blast when we got up their catching salamanders.

Daxon has 9 of them in his shirt ugh!

I love how the boys are teasing the girl in this picture.

JoAnna was adorable with them she just wanted to bring them home.

The meadows all the way up to the lake were just full of flowers like this. It was gorgeous.

I also love how blue the sky was. I think one of the things that made this trip so enjoyable is it turned out to be much longer than we had anticipated but my wonderful dad had Ashlynn so I got to just take it all in. It was a wonderful day!

These 3 could be seen just following each other around camp having fun. TOO cute:)

One day we went into Bear lake & Ashlynn got an ice cream cone that is as big as she is. She took maybe 3 licks & we threw it away. Now that is money well spent:)

My dad took the older kiddos to a play with everyone else & they loved it. Daxon who complained for an hour about how dumb it was that he had to go liked it the very most.

Once we were back home Jana came & stayed at my dads & the kids just played. It was such a great few weeks & we had such a great time. It's always hard to say good buy to everyone because we know it could be awhile before we see them again. Ashlynn is already saying how much she misses everyone. We made playdough the other day because she kept talking about her granny who ALWAYS has playdough. Family we love you & miss you thanks for always making coming such a fun memory!

1st HALF SUMMER FUN

2011-07-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

In June Britton was able to attend his first day camp. I have rarely seen a boy so excited. Some days can be REALLY long for him. He doesn't have many friends in the neighborhood. Many are at day care & the rest are girls wanting to play dolls. His brothers are enough older that he often gets left out. A few days away with fun focused on him was just the type of thing he needed. One of his friends Tim went also & he had a great time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Jers turned 38 . His favorite movie is cars & since Ashlynn LOVES birthdays & parties & would appreciate fun decorations we celebrated with a cars theme. Jers & I both agree cars 2 was kind of a let down. He celebrated the day before his birthday playing golf, going to cars then him & I going to dinner at Texas road house. He was at scout camp for his birthday, that's why we celebrated on the 2nd and 3rd. J.D. is such a great man he does so much to bless our family. We would all be lost without him.

NAUVOO we love you!!!
So I decided we had to get out of the house this weekend I was going stir crazy to say the least. I do not enjoy tent camping but it is affordable. so we loaded up after work on Friday & headed to Nauvoo.

We stayed at Nauvoo state park. The great thing about camping in the mid-west is you camp in a park with grass not a pile of dirt. We had nice hot showers, flushing toilets, so other than the spiders it wasn't too bad. The best part about the tent sleeping is Ashlynn doesn't really remember ever sleeping in a tent so she LOVED it & thought it was the funnest thing ever.

In the morning she kept saying "mom we are having a picnic." Jers made a mountain man breakfast. It was yummy however I forgot salt & pepper so it could have used that for sure. I loved that we didn't have to do dishes .

The main reason I wanted to go to Nauvoo is to do the 3 mile trek . I wanted my kids to at least have a glance at what the pioneers had to endure. With pioneer day coming up & living so close to so many pioneer sites I have so much appreciation towards them & the many sacrifices they were willing to endure to do what they felt was right. So Saturday morning we went & picked up our handcart and off we went.

Daxon was a trooper & stayed with the cart for most the trek. J.D. made it possible to finish. We would have died without him.

Some very small hills when Alyssa & I were pulling needed help to get up. Others like in the picture below needed help to not roll down too fast.

Ashlynn was in the cart a lot. However when she was out she LOVED it. Just out wandering doing her thing, getting all dirty. She was really fun. Alyssa eventually decided she wasn't going to die & that it would be okay to at least try to enjoy it. At that point we started to get a few smiles from her.

It was so HOT & humid we stopped to take lots of water breaks. The kids all enjoyed these.

Alyssa is pulling & smiling it is a wonderful moment. In all seriousness she is an amazing kid. I don't know how her momma would survive without her.

The last 1/4 of the trek Alyssa & Riley left & ran back to the end to rest. Ashlynn fell asleep. Britton was sure he would die but somehow he made it & I thought he did amazing. He was so tough the whole time. Dax kept right on with the cart to the very end.

After we cleaned out about 30 water bottles from our cart we got to clean it up. Ashlyyn didn't budge as we scrubbed away.

Going on the trek was so much fun. We had a great time however
after 3 miles we were more than ready to be done. We also had all the water in ice we could drink, food, treats & we stopped every time nerves started to flare. How those pioneers made it with a full cart with so little to eat I don't think any of us will ever fully understand or appreciate. I am so thankful for the pioneers & the willingness they had to do the right thing & not complain even when it was hard. Often I will do the right thing but I may complain even if it is only in my head. It was funny towards the end of the trek a horse buggy of people were going by & the people all started taking pictures of us. I thought we are in Nauvoo they know what we are doing but still take pictures. Imagine being a pioneer with your kiddos & handcart full of stuff traveling to Salt Lake. I am sure they got many stares. I am thankful we had this opportunity even if for a ever so tiny glimpse of the thankfulness I have for not having to pull that empty handcart with 5 children more than 3 miles:)

After the trek we went back to camp, cleaned up and went over to Nauvoo where we played at the make believe area. Ashlynn & Britton loved this place.

Ashlynn played in this house forever & didn't want to ever come out.

These 2 just ran from 1 thing to another competing with one another.

I was surprised how much Britton wanted to play make believe. He thought all the old pioneer things were pretty cool.

Ashlynn kept wanting to ride the animals & change outfits.

After about an hour everyone from Daxon & older was tired of the heat & decided to go to one of the indoor places.

Ashlynn was not happy about this decision. So we took her kicking & screaming.

Sunset on the Mississippi

This is a fun play & the kids loved making hats to be in the parade.

Before pageant starts they have tons of pioneer games- The area where they had dancing Ashlynn kept going up to dance & was asked to dance by some 16 year old and here response was priceless. She timidly looks down walks over to me & hands me her sno cone straightens her shirt walks back over to him & holds out her hand. It was adorable to watch she was laughing & smiling & twirling with this really tall kid dressed like a pioneer. I really wish I would have had the camera.

We went to Nauvoo 2 years ago with J.D.s parents & it was so much fun. I just think it is such a great place to visit.
The pageant has lots of inexpensive food also. We kept buying the kids sno cones & pop so the heat wouldn't get to them. It was a great weekend & although I still have tons of work to do today to clean up from going I am so happy we went. It was a great weekend getaway.

DAXON IS A GREAT KID

2011-06-22T04:49:00.000-07:00

Daxon turned 11 June 3rd & was so excited to go into 11 year old scouts. He is such a great kid. Yes this is his birthday cake & yes 2 pieces are gone before he blew out candles. We were going to do cake right after school because J.D. was taking him to the shooting range & he would be home late. Daxon ended up not wanting to do it after school he just wanted to get to the range & after a day of listening to Ashlynn be so excited for cake & staring at cake I decided to let her & I have 1 early with Daxons permission of course. I was going to put her to bed. That is the main reason I let her have it however she was so excited for a PARTY I didn't have the heart to not let her stay up.

Daxon was happy to get a driver for his birthday . He made regionals in golf this year & is pretty excited about that.

Daxon graduated from elementary school this year & the last day was a little emotional. I can't believe how fast time flies. My kiddos are growing up & moving on to new stages way toooooo fast. The things I use to do to keep them entertained they think are so DUMB. Painting rocks, going to the park, scavenger hunts, going to the zoo, picnics 1st thing in the day. Things they use to be so excited about I am having to beg them to do for Britton Ashlynn & I. Daxon has a tender heart & cares much about detail. He is such a fun kid & luckly every so often lets me pretend I still have the control & he is just a little kid who needs his mom:)

The main gift he wanted for his birthday was a rip stick. I thought it would be a waste of money & he would get bored with it quick. NOT SO!!!!!

He LOVES it & is amazing on it. Everyday he just keeps getting better & even though I am his mom he truly amazes me on it. NO fear what so ever. I don't have any pictures but he also received his arrow of light award this month. It was a great ceremony. He really enjoys scouts, outdoors, friends, hanging out whats not to love right. He is just such a great kid with such a love for life & the outdoors. Our family is so blessed to have him around!

FUN In MAY

2011-05-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

Britton was caught riding his little sisters bike

Riley received his 1st class.

Alyssa finished her final concerts of the year.

Jers came home for lunch one day. Ashlynn & he shared some chocolate chip cookies. She was in HEAVEN!

REIMAN GARDENS

I love going to this place. It is about an hour from home & so well worth the drive. They have an amazing butterfly garden Ashlynn went through about 10 times. I acted like I just had to go in again because of her. I was secretly LOVING it & encouraging her. It really is amazing. 2 years ago my boys LOVED it. This year they complained it was lame I am thinking they just wanted to seem cool. Secretly they LOVED it as well:)

I mean don't they look happy:)

The theme this year is bugs. Hence the HUGE ants.

This fire pit area the kids ran around forever. Not overly safe they miss a jump & hit the rock OUCH!

They even have a HUGE gnomeo.

June is 1/2 way over & it has rained every night for a week now. I am ready to not have rain, the rainbows following are always beautiful however. A great reminder that FAMILIES ARE FOREVER:)

YOU MAKE ME SMILE:)

2011-05-01T22:06:00.000-07:00

WHY J.D. IS AMAZING & A FEW OTHER TIDBITS

So I recently had hysterectomy surgery. Why I was not under the understanding of how I would feel following I am not sure. I WAS CLUELESS to say the least. I thought it would be like having a baby. Go in, have it, return home & even though they say no vaccumming or lifting, HELLO!, you are going home with a baby so clearly you will be doing those things. I thought this surgery would be the same. IT IS NOT!!!! Week 1- I would have died without an amazing Visiting teacher & an even more amazing husband. I felt decent a week later, overdid it & was MISERABLE the next day. When they say "no bending" they aren't kidding. Bending equals extra pain pills. Aside from all this, I have had so many great moments thanks to a wonderful husband who has tried very hard to make sure I am taking good care of myself.

He stayed home from work a few days & I hear him tell Ashlynn they need to go get her ready for the day. I hear her reply I'm getting dressed. This is the outfit she wore for the day:) It was adorable!!! 2 pairs of shorts mismatched socks & the headband you just can't beat. (JD had nothing to do with her choices.)

Jers is NOT 1 to sit still. He planted our salsa garden on saturday. The boys had fun helping him out.

He took the kiddos out to ice cream, then to the the military museum.

He IRONED ALL the outfits you see in this picture & took the crew to church on his own.

He recently put up a basketball hoop. WONDERFUL idea of mine. The kids have lived outside playing & shooting hoops. I am not so sure the neighbors love it at 10 o clock at night or 1st thing in the morning. With some of the leftover cement he made a mold of Ashlynn's foot. The VERY funny part about that was he let it dry on the sidewalk & we had to bust it to pieces in order to get it to come off. LIVE & LEARN. It made me laugh:)

Jers went around the yard & fixed the 3 gates so they would shut properly. That way little MISS Ashlynn can't run away so quickly.

JD & I were at the store & decided Ashlynn NEEDED to have this new bike. I LOVE the little baby carrier. We were going to save it for Easter. However, Daddy thought it would be bast for her to have it as soon as we returned home. I wasn't at all that hard to convince. She is finally figuring out how to pedal. Now, if we could just get her to look at the direction she is going.

The kids helping Jers put in the basketball hoop.

Grandpa Terry left a special chalk drawing when he left (he had come for Britton's baptism). It said "GRANDPA LOVES YOU."
We must say "we LOVE U 2!!!!"

In conference, Elder Scott gave the sweetest talk ever about marriage & his wife. My kiddos are still mentioning tidbits from it. In it, he told a story about his wife & a certain letter he gave her. Well, My wonderful daughter gave me this adorable letter & it totally made my day. You can't really read it on hear but it was such a sweet thought. She is such a great kid.

Easter is at the end of APRIL. You would think the Easter egg hunts would have great weather. NOT so much. I was in the hospital that day & Jers loaded up the kids & took them. They were cold but loved all the treats. Ashlynn hit the jackpot thanks to her wonderful helper:)

Riley was to OLD to participate without a younger sibling so we made the other kids share with him. April was a great month with MUCH2 B thankful for.

2011-04-16T01:23:00.000-07:00

WE LOVE BRITTONBritton has had MANY great moments this month. At the top of his list is Grandpa being at his Baptism. It really made a special day all the better.

SO our April fools baby turned the big 8. He was beyond excited to be turning 8. He has coveted his brothers going to scouts & doing Faith in God for so long & finally he gets to be a part of it. He is off to a great start. Working on scouts non-stop & memorizing the Articles of Faith faster than I ever could.

He recently went to a friends birthday party where the kid stuck his whole face in the cake. He has been bragging about how cool it will be to do the same on his birthday. I said no to the cake but yes to a piece.

Britton is off to scouts. I guess the evenings will be just Ashlynn & I same as the days. It is crazy how fast kids grow up & start leaving Mom behind.

Britton has been so excited to be Baptized. He received a journal for his baptism & he writes in it like crazy. The things he writes are so sweet. I am so impressed with his desire to do good things. I hope his enthusiasm sticks around. He has even been doing a great job on his bedroom lately.

What a handsome boy.

I love how excited he looks in this picture. He sure does love his Daddy!

We were all sooooooooo excited that Grandpa to surprised us & showed up. Britton asked almost every day if Grandpa was going to come. I think having him come made it that much more perfect for not only Britton but all of us.

This is a little girl Britton was in pre-school with. I thought it was great that they both got to share such a special day. Britton has always been such a special kid. He has his moments of not being capable of staying on task, he is FULL of life & energy. He has the biggest heart. He misses his cousins, Grandparents, aunts & uncles A LOT. He loves to write stuff down in notebooks, he is a big journal writer, loves to read scriptures & loves to bake out of the Disney cookbook. He has an amazing primary teacher. He is such a great kid & will do great things in life! We love you Britton:)

2011-02-16T11:37:00.000-08:00

WHY R WE SOOOO HAPPPY?

JANUARY IS OVER!!!!!!

So I am PRETTY sure I have seasonal depression. January seemed as if it was NEVER going to end. I mean, how many toddler projects can one do before they are not so fun. We loved baking, but somebody has to eat the stuff you bake. I gained LOTS of weight & thought I was going to go crazy, more so than I already am. However, the last few days have been beautiful-- in the upper thirties. February is 1/2 over & that means SPRING!!!!! is on the way. (YES a LIGHT at the end of the tunnel:) That means going to the park, on walks, picnics in the playhouse, jumping on the trampoline & not having your breath taken away as a thousand needles sting your lungs every time you leave the house & enter out into the cold. I would like to VETO January & February just go into March & let the fair-weather days begin:)

Britton may object. He learned to snow board pretty well this winter. He started out on this very little hill in our back yard & can now keep up with the big boys at the park.

I think the highlight of the season is Jers took the boys hunting & Riley shot his first deer. We have already had stew & a roast. I haven't eaten it, but I won't tell him that:) I pretend. I just can't bring myself to put a piece in my mouth after looking at it all hanging & skinned in the garage. The rest the family however LOVES it!

Our friend Spence went with them & took these pictures. I was sad to know we didn't have any & then found them sent to our e-mail.

The blind on the right is the one that J.D. received for Christmas. Riley shot his deer from the left window of the blind on the left. He dropped it with one shot. The boys are already getting excited to use in when they hunt Turkeys next.

I decided to be a good wife & mom & fix them a good breakfast before they left. The cookies were not for breakfast, they are from the day before & didn't get cleaned up.

Alyssa was in a play--Alice in Wonderland. She really was amazing. I was so happy for her. She did a great job. She had no fear on that stage. She has a real talent for being brave in all situations.

We like this picture because you can really see Alyssa's attitude in the expression on her face.

HAPPY #3 ASHLYNN

So Ashlynn and I looked forward to her birthday ALL month. We had it all planned out--all the fun things we were going to go do and then, low & behold, she woke up sick. Eyes swollen & just sick. She was still happy most the day& we just made it work . We stayed home most of the day & played with her new toys.

We did go to Build a Bear in the evening & she was soo cute. She is not one of these kids who can't decide what they want. She makes one choice & you CANNOT change her mind. I guess that is a good thing.

She carried her bear around the rest the evening it was adorable.

Britton had a choir concert & it was adorable. I love the concerts at this age. They are so fun & the kids are so happy. Second grade is such a fun age.

The Clive library has date with dad night every Thursday. Valentine week, J.D. took the 2 youngest & they had a ball. They came home so happy. Ashlynn wore her little hat for 2 days.

Friday night Ashlynn needed to go to bed, but I wanted to watch a show with Alyssa. I knew that if I laid down with Ashlynn I would fall asleep. So I decided to let her stay up & play while we watched the show. How I did not notice what she was doing I do not know. I was on the couch that is directly in front of where all of this is taking place. She came running in & jumped on my lap. I am thinking, "what the heck is all over you." I turn around to see Hersheys cocoa all over the kitchen. Next time, I will put her to bed.

Ashlynn has a hard time being nice in nursery and anytime other kids are around. I think part of the problem is she doesn't know how to play make-believe because nobody ever plays it with her. So I decided throughout the day I will take time to do dress-up with her. SHE LOVES it!

Our first day of learning how to play make-believe, she was a princess--As she always is:) We loved the dressing up & drinking juice the most.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

My favorite thing about Valentines day this year is J.D. was home!

ALWAYS SOMETHING GOING ON

2011-01-12T18:09:00.000-08:00

Daxon had his pine wood derby. He didn't do as well as he had hoped but still had a great time. Jers & him worked on it together this year & really had fun doing it. The guy who ran the derby was hilarious & really had a good time with the boys.
Daxon is such a great kid. He can play outside for hours. He loves school & does very well in all the subjects. He can't stop talking about this coming Monday when he gets to go hunting.

Britton lost 2 teeth in 2 days.

We went to the science center with the younger 3 kids. Riley was at a camp out in the freezing cold. Man scouts are tough. Alyssa was babysitting. Ashlynn LOVED the bubbles. By the time we left she was so wet from head to toe but hey she was happy.

I know this picture is blurry but I love how she is so into what she is doing.

Daxon makes a pretty great Mona Lisa

An evening at our house. AJ taking crazy pictures with Ashlynn

Or Britton running around the house hiding in crazy places with her. Usually everything anyone is doing involves Ash in some way. Its wonderful how much work she can be & how adorable she can be to everyone at the same time.

2011-01-08T14:16:00.000-08:00

HIGHLIGHTS OF DECEMBER

We attended a Super fun New years eve party with some friends. We all had such a fun time. The kids played WII, games, and we all ate tons of delicious food! The kids LOVED blowing REALLY LOUD toot horns & drinking sparkling cider at midnight. It was definitely a great ending to the year 2010!

Playing in the snow. It was so great to have snow over Christmas break. The boys pulled Ashlynn around the back yard for hours. She loved it!

The older boys received the shotgun (yes it is real) they have been wanting & were sure they would NOT get. Santa wrapped it in Dora paper & wrote Ashlynn's name on it by mistake or maybe just to be funny :).

It's crazy how something I watched almost every Sunday as a kid, my children think is some grand amazing thing. Everytime I pop popcorn, they all gather 'round & just stare in amazement.

Daxon is anti-girl anything, so I loved his reaction in this picture.

I just love this picture because it shows Ashlynns personality PERFECTLY--fiesty and cute, all at the same time.

MORMON TRAIL CENTER

For a few days during the holiday we went to Omaha. We had a great time & the kids really enjoyed all the gingerbread houses & dressing up at the Mormon trail center.

I love how Ash is trying to look up the chimney in this one. I think the other kids just want her out of the way.

This was the size of the bed a family OUR size would get on the ship Wyoming that a lot of immigrants came over from Europe on. Heaven help the family that would be in the bunk ABOVE us.
A little too close for comfort!

I think I will load my wagon with nothing but beef jerky and potato chips. Little brother can stay in Omaha.

GOING TO LET THE ANIMALS SEE THE MONKEYS AT THE ZOO
HA HA

We LOVE the Omaha zoo. It is so much fun any time of the year. It has so many indoor exhibits that by the time you go outside, you are actually thankful for the cold air.

The rainforest is always a favorite. We had just spent a FORTUNE on food & they were energized for the day! In the background, notice Alyssa in some sort of ritualistic prayer pose, praying for the animals' safe keeping.

Here she is again, part 2 of the prayer pose (hang from random vine and try not to fall on head).

Daxon in one of his rare be still moments. He always has so much energy that catching him for a picture can be a difficult task sometimes.

Look at me! I'm a beautiful butterfly! (name the movie and win a year supply of all the food you buy for yourself)
For those of you wondering...YES much of the sense of humor in this post J.D. came up with.

2010-12-02T05:12:00.000-08:00

IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

Finding a Christmas tree this year was QUITE an adventure. Due to the fact that J.D. was not home for Christmas last year, he did not have the opportunity to enjoy all the holiday traditions. He was like a LITTLE kid on Christmas Eve when it came time to find the PERFECT tree. He told the kids as soon as they got home from school we were going to go get a tree. However, we did not even wait until they returned home. We put snacks in the car & went to pick them up from school IN THE RAIN!!!! Every year we have gone to this tree farm about 30 minutes away & this year we wanted to do the same. So we all loaded up in the car & were on our way to get our tree. The catch to all of this is it was RAINING hard. Jers, in all his little boy excitement, has this worried face about 1/2 way. We both new the rain would not let up, but just as little kids do, we (HE) stayed optimistic. He looked at me & says with the Christmas spirit in his voice, "I'M GOING TO KEEP GOING." We arrived at the tree farm where the only 2 SANE ones of the bunch (Alyssa & I) mentioned how crazy this is to everyone else in the car who was SOOOO excited in spite of the rain.

Alyssa & I being the WONDERFUL sports that we are, got out of the car & smiled as big as we could:). As we walked, Ashlynn was ADORABLE. She kept skipping, smiling, running & shouting "common guys." She has J.D.'s hat on her head due to the fact that the rain continued to get WORSE.

In these pictures it looks like snow I promise not an OUNCE of snow existed by this time--it is POURING buckets of rain. We all run soaking wet to our car without a tree. Well, we were out to get a tree & we were not going to return home without a tree. SOOO, in all our excitement to fulfill our mission of getting a tree, we decide we will NOT let a TON of rain stop us from getting a tree, we do what any die-hard family would do....

WE GO TO THE STORE!!!

The adventure continues with Daxon not caring what tree we get or what it may look like unwrapped, as long as it's the TALLEST tree we can find in the store.

As we look through the billions of trees determined to find the tallest some fighting takes place , Ashlynn bruises her cheek & 2 parents are loosing the Christmas spirit FAST.

It was an eventful time for all & as the show Christmas Vacation mentions as they are out searching for the perfect tree, "it's all about the EXPERIENCE!"

Ashlynn has ALWAYS been our LIVELY girl. Lately she makes this face whenever she is being naughty & it makes everyone laugh. Daxon gets the biggest kick out of her.

MARY POPPINSJers & I went to Mary Poppins the other night & it was so much fun. It was for sure a new favorite of mine. Usually, after watching a Broadway, even when I LOVE them, I am ready to get up & move around. I could have sat threw the ENTIRE show again. We loved it from beginning to end.

Alyssa is such a great daughter. She truly saves me time & time again. She is so aware of "MOM is at a breaking point" & she steps right in & takes over. She cleans up the house, puts Ashlynn to bed, and just does anything she can to help. The other day at school her & a boy were the only 2 in her school invited to this thing where they were given these awards. I thought it was pretty awesome.

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

This year was the 1st year we ever spent the ENTIRE holiday ALONE-- meaning just our family. I was a little worried we would be bored & go completely stir crazy. Though we missed family, it turned out surprisingly okay. Jers played puzzles with Ashlynn. Her Granny bought them for her & they are a FAVORITE.

We put olives on Ashlynns fingers the one day & she left them for quite some time and thought they were amazing. A lady at the store ask J.D. if he put them on her fingers to keep her from biting them. He assured we did not. It was pretty funny.

Britton went to a pirate birthday party where he was given a really "COOL?" tattoo. He wore it around for a couple of days.

Alyssa taught Ashlynn how fun it is to slide down the stairs in a sleeping bag.

Riley taking over puzzle duty.

Thanksgiving day we were all just carefree & lazy--except for the cooking going on in the kitchen of course.

Ashlynn made a huge mess with playdough.

The boys loved the COWBOYS comeback until they LOST.

One of the funnest parts of Thanksgiving was having J.D. home. He helped cook all day. When I am cooking with seriousness, I kinda like the kiddos out of the way. He had them helping every step of the way, they LOVED it.

GRANNY & GRAMPS COME TO BABYSIT

Earlier in the month ,J.D.s parents came to babysit so he & I could go away for a few days. He & I had a blast as did the kids. Many of the little things I have not had that I have wished I had, but always forget to buy or run out of money & decide I'll get it next time, I returned home to-- such as little plates, enough glasses for everyone, measuring spoons, a nice rug to go under my computer chair & then some.

Before we took them back to the airport we went to this really COOL diner. It was right up my kids alley since sitting still is NOT a talent they care to show.

This guy really was amazing at not spilling milkshakes on peoples heads.

Riley actually got a drip on his face, still very impressive.

We had a great time & were sad to see Granny & Gramps leave. The kids all had a great time with them and we can,t wait to see them again.

Last but certainaly NOT least I love this video of Ashlynn making cookies.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2010-11-05T04:43:00.000-07:00

The kids hit the JACKPOT on candy this year. AShlynn caught on to the concept of this TRICK or TREAT thing super fast & could have stayed out all night if we would have let her. The older kids just ran from house to house for 2 hours and have WAY TOOOO much candy!

We had bought Ashlynnn a super cute flower costume, but she would NOT wear it. She wanted to be the clown like last year. I did not think it would fit her but we put it on her & sure enough it did. After Night Eyes (the halloween thing at the zoo), we hid it in the bin downstairs so that she would be warm for trick or treating in the flower costume. She went downstairs & found it anyways. She was sure on her decision. I think she knew Grandma Jo made it & therefore that was the ONLY CHOICE for her.

The boys having fun before they take off to trick or treat.

For Alyssa's Young Women 10-hour project this year, she decided to make her Halloween costume. I think she did an AWESOME job.

I love how Ash is so intent on whatever DAD is doing.

Riley is anything but a criminal. He is such an awesome kid. At conferences this week, his teachers could not say enough good about him.

Britton was in a different costume every time we did something. Beggar's Night, night he choose to be a karate kid.

I think Daxon was the most excited about his pile of treats. He loves CANDY.

Upon returning home, Ash thought everyone else had way more candy than her. We spent, OH, the next 1/2 hour watching her take everyone's candy & running off to hide it. It was so funny. We laughed & laughed. She is A LOT of work, but man, she bring immense joy to this home.

MOMENTS LIKE THESE....

2010-10-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

So Thursday had MANY wonderful moments indeed. First J.D. returned home after a year long deployment. That was a wonderful moment for everyone.

When your the Father and Husband has been gone for sooooooo long many feelings are involved in the return. For us it was a moment filled with PURE JOY!!!

J.D. & I discussed often how we thought Ashlynn would respond to him. SHe was in TOTAL Heaven and has been ever since. She loves to say DAD!!! She walks around HI Dad, Oh NO DAD, Guess what DAD last night as he was reading she kept saying goodnight DAD, She loves that she can say DAD. Even on the way home she kept saying DAD. I never realized how much she missed saying DAD.

The ceremony went great but nothing could compare to the closing remarks when we all got to run up and HUG our long lost husband & DADDY:)

TIME to take our ALL our FAMILY home!

The kids loved helping Jers carry all his stuff out to the car to bring him home.

I'm not sure what they were so excited to see but I'm guessing it's a plane.

HOME-HOME-HOME

One of the first things we did upon returning home is play on the swing set. I think Jers has been looking forward to pushing his kiddos on the swing as much as they have.

We decorated the yard for him & the boys loved throwing around the football with him.

We were so lucky we didn't think our decorations would stay due to wind but it finally calmed down enough for them to not blow away.

Kids with a DADDY what a great picture.

Ashlynn wanted in on the football action

PUMPKIN CARVING

carving pumpkins with dad what a great time. I do not enjoy these projects by myself we were all so happy for Jers to be here to join in the fun.

Ash always full of mischief:)

Alyssa thinking this is GROSSSSSS

Dax who is just happy to have his dad home & insisted pumpkin carving be a first project.

Looking at our glowing pumpkin.

Movie night with dad much funner than without.

NIGHT EYES

I think due to our childrens ages this will be the last year we attend this event. It is fun but they have less & less every year & our kids are just getting to big.

Still it is fun for something to do to take up an evening

It is so great to have a dad & husband as we do all these things we have missed him soooooo much. He is wondeful to have around!

FIRST'S

2010-10-16T21:00:00.000-07:00

So scripture time is ushually spent trying to get kids to STOP playing or looking at Ashlynn. However I am not sure what got into her this day but she was very active in participating. It was wonderful. I loved watching how Riley was so cute with helping her.

I just love that after almost 3 years Ashlynn FINALLY joined us ONCE for scriptures. It was a GREAT moment.

Ashlynn has become soooo Girly lately. She loves nail polish, she loves dress up with Moms stuff. We painted her toes the other day then she wanted bracelets. I said no. Moments later find my laundry basket was tipped over & Ash was having a great time putting on bracelets.

1st princess party

Thursday Ash went to her first real birthday party. She got to dress up, play princess games, eat cupcakes, drink pop and play. She had such a fun time. I had to laugh at the party because as all the little princesses were decorating their crowns she went outside & played then as she finished her pop let out a huge belch. We will need to work on her princess manners.

I LOVE Ashlynns blue eyes in this picture.

Ash loved her ring pop from the party

When AJ got home from school we decided to walk over to the store & get some stuff. I mean Ash was so cute we wanted to show her off. She was OUT within minutes.

SO Fun

As I was cleaning Ashlynns room today she says look mom & she has these adorable glasses on, tons of bracelets & it was an adorable moment.

Britton wanted some of the attention so he took over the glasses & said Hey look mom I am a nerd. It was funny.

DECADE DAY -HOWELL'S PUMPKIN PATCH

2010-10-03T06:29:00.000-07:00

Thursday was 80s day at Alyssa's school. Wednesday night we decided to put something together & I think she looked totally 80s to me. We searched the house over & we could not find ONE pair of socks that she could wear over her pants, we have no high tops or any shoes that fit the part so she went with flip flops.

Bryce Holmes visited the school & the girls thought that was pretty awesome.

I WANT TO GO 2 SCHOOL

Ashlynn drags this backpack around everywhere. She loves playing school during the day. I love it until she decides she's done & just starts spilling water, painting the table & ripping up the coloring book. GREAT FUN!

HOWELL'S PUMPKIN PATCH

The way this place was decorated was so awesome. I defiantly want it to be a new family tradition every year. I love this picture of the fall colored trees & pumpkins. I LOVE Fall, the bright colors, the blooming Mums in everyones yards, the crisp air, the yummy pumpkin food, the glistening cool mornings when the birds are chirping, the cool evening walks when your all bundled up & the stars are super bright. It's a magical time of the year when excitement seems to fill the air!

1st thing we did was buy bags of food to feed the goats.

You can go out in the field & pick your own pumpkin that is cool but they are wayyyy overpriced in my opinion. For us it would be a day just to enjoy the activities and buy our pumpkins at the grocery store. The kids were determined we should buy at least one so this is our $8 dollar pumpkin. Purchasing it gave us the wagon to pull Ashlynn into the car so that I didn't have to carry her a million miles to the car so that was worth 8 dollars!

Feeding the goats was fun. Ash mostly watched the boys & squealed with excitement it was pretty cute.

The wagon ride out to the corn maze was beautiful. They have beautiful flower gardens. It was a perfect day to go the air had that perfect feeling of fall. It has been super warm here however so I didn't think to look at the weather & dress my kiddos a little warmer. They didn't complain but it was chilly for shorts. Most people had boots & warm clothes on.

You can tell looking at all the faces they are freezing. Britton said before we left I should put some warmer clothes on. I replied it looks beautiful outside you will be fine. WOOPS!

GO CARTS

I think this was the boys most favorite part.

In the corn maze Ash just stopped all of the sudden & starred at this stalk of corn for a long time then as she walked away she just kept starring it down. I am not sure what about it had her mesmerized but it was cute to watch.

I love this picture. The kids staying together holding hands lasted about 2 steps into the corn maze then the boys took of & we didn't really see them much until the end.

TOO FUNNY

Ashlynn HATED the corn pit. I am not sure why she loves the sand box but something about the corn was not normal to her & she wanted NOOOO part of it.

Alyssa was enjoying trying to get her to like it.

It entertained the other kids for ever. They all took turns filling each others shirts. It was pretty funny. This pit was in a barn & I went to sit on the bench & as I looked up I noticed cob webs, behind the bench was a huge cobweb & a spider. I am all for decorating but not with REAL STUFF. As I was standing watching my kids this lady went to sit & I didn't mean to do this but just out of my terrible fear of spiders I put my hand behind her & said firmly "Oh you don't sit here". She looked at me like I was crazy (She would be correct). I pointed out the spider & she just had this perplexed look & I thought Lori you have lost your mind. I simply replied "but if you like spiders you can sit here." Then I thought that was a dumb thing to say, I quickly told my kids lets go & hoped I would not run into her again.

Don't eat corn. It causes MAJOR bloating!

The kids had a blast in the play area. Where they have these big hay things to play on

Teeter toters, they also had horse swings, HUGE tire swings, little tractors to ride, slides & tons more. The food was good the gift shop I would have loved to spend a fortune in but restrained myself. Britton loved this place & is in hardly none of the pictures due to his inability to stand still. It was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. I can't wait to go next year with J.D. I really miss him on days like today. ONLY 27 days to go!

SEPTEMBER FUN

2010-09-26T19:46:00.001-07:00

School is back in session & so it is once again going to look as is I only have ONE child. The truth is I take pictures then as the kids get home & everything goes crazy I don't think about it anymore. One of my FAVORITE things about kids being home singly is cooking with them. I loved it with Britton & I love it with Ashlynn. I think I love it because they get soooo excited about it & it's just cute to watch them. The mess is NOT always fun to clean up but is worth it.

Ashlynn learned how to wrap potatos the other day & she thought she was pretty neat stuff.

LOVE THIS

I love catching my boys playing all sweet with Ashlynn. They always say how dumb her toys are but when they play my little pony they sure seem to be having a good time Ha ha

Ashlynn is in PJS alot by 4:30 she is into so much stuff & gets dirty so many times a day that by then I just don't want to keep clothing her so the PJs go on for the evening.

She loves her swim suit but I think for this year her swimming days are OVER!!!

Visiting teaching, this month is on strengthening the family. This FHE idea can be found on the links over on the side under visiting teaching. It is a fun thing to take your sisters, easy to put together & very inexpensive. I found everything even the popcorn thing at the dollar store. I decided to use Red, yellow & blue for primary colors since it is an activity for kids.

SO FUNNY. Daxon is not one of those kids that dresses up & does weird things where others might see him so when I caught him out with his friends dressed like a clown I just had to take a picture.

JACKPOT
the other day I passed a garage sale & decided to stop. We found this ADORABLE pink shiny bag FULL of dress up for 3.50 I was not sure if Ash would even know what to do with dress up. SHe did I mean not totally but she LOVES it and plays with it all the time. It is so much fun. The lady we bought it from was so funny, you could tell she was attached to it by things she kept saying as we were buying it & then as we are walking to the car she says Oh I am so happy that stuff is going to a good home. It made me laugh. It is funny how as mothers we get so attached to our childrens toys.

WHAT IS IT

We found this rodent in our yard the other day. Thankfully dead. The neighbors thought it was pretty cool & I was thankful to have Daxon around to get it & throw it away for me.

I llove this picture Ash had these shoes on ALLLL day & would NOT let me change them. I just get a smile on my face looking at them & remembering how stubborn she was about wearing them too cute.

As I was cooking dinner I noticed it got quiet. Then I realized why. ALL tuckered out!

She had fallen asleep holding her little skirt over her it wasn't even on her. I LOVE little girls! I also LOVE that this month is almost OVER & WE only have one more to go HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY:) :) :) :)

BLESSINGS GALORE & AUGUST EVENTS

2010-08-31T13:33:00.000-07:00

Well we are back home in the great state of IOWA. The neighbors & our ward were good to use beyond belief. When I think of Tender Mercies I quickly think of my ward. As we arrived home we had a HUGE swing set in the back yard full of sand with welcome home written in it. One of our good friends makes these swing sets & as you can see does an AMAZING job. I still sit in my back yard & just smile that it is really in my back yard, truly humbling indeed. Some other ward members helped put it together & I am thinking "WHO DOES THIS KIND OF THING?" OUTSTANDING people indeed. I so lucky to be in a ward with so many wonderful people. We were also welcomed with a delicious meal in our freezer, peanut butter bars that were to die for. Dinner was brought in one night & a meal was in our fridge. We were greeted with love & kindness from many . Just the other day my neighbor brought over chips, dip & a free papa murphy's coupon.

I am so in awe at my many many great blessings. I have an outstanding family in Idaho & an outstanding ward family & neighbors here in Iowa it just doesn't get any better than that.

Ashlynn was the first kid to dig into the sand pile & has not left it much since.

In the evenings most of us can usually be found hanging out in the backyard playing on the swing set. The older kids are so great at playing with the younger kids on it. Ashlynn & I had a picnic in it yesterday & she thought that was great fun.

The other day I also found some of the older neighbor kids playing in it also. I thought they were all pretty cute 3 boys keeping Ashlynn entertained. As if the sandbox was not enough.

2ND DAY OF SCHOOL

I was not able to get pictures the first day due to the excitement of everything I FORGOT!!! I did remember the 2nd day that I should do that so here they are. AJ is LOVING school so far.

Riley gets to go to the new school this year & is also LOVING it.

With seminary Aj is up at 5 every day & Ry is up by 6:30. I am so not use to that early has never been my thing. I guess I will become one.

We are so happy about Brit's teacher Daxon had her & we LOVE her. She is one of those teachers who go above & beyond. Brit comes home so happy everyday.

Daxon is also loving school. 4 kids & they are all loving it soooo HAPPY about that.

This is the group that rides to school together. We have such great neighbor kids.

ON THE TRAIN

My Dad brought us home & did so much to help us get unpacked & he drove all night to get us home. We have LOVED living with him this last few months & could have never survived without him. He was way to good to us we miss him soo very much. He took the train he did not LOVE it. He has convinced me that will not be my form of traveling to Idaho oh probably ever.

CREAM PUFFS AT AUNT LOUISES

My aunt Louise makes the BEST cream puffs with ice cream & hot fudge. She had all the family over before I left to have some & once again they were delicious. We all had a great time. She is such a fantastic lady.

HAPPY # 12 RILEY

Riley turned 12 the day we left. Before leaving we all met out in raft river for some fun on the water slides. We all had such a great time & were so happy to see the cousins for awhile before we headed out. I can't believe Riley is growing up so fast. He is such a great kid & makes this family so very happy. He is strong & stands up for things that are good & right. He is tender & always has a way of making you smile. He loves playing with friends & just doing anything that does not involve work:)

Grandpa helped the zoo of kids all get some cake.

What a great looking bunch of kids. We are sure going to miss you all!

LETS GO CAMPING

2010-08-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

We went camping this last week and it was soooooo much fun. It rained non-stop & my back was killing me so we came home early. This did not make my kids very happy they had 24 hour round the clock fun. I cried most the way home knowing this was my last BIG family get together in a very long time. I have such a great family who are ALWAYS sooo good to me & my kiddos. We are truly blessed by them.
This is right before we left the kids were catching fish & having a great time in the water. Ashlynn loved being in the water & was usually wet by mid-morning daily from walking in shoes, jeans, & all.

Daxon & Houston were pretty happy with these fish they caught by hand

Ashlynn LOVED camping. She also LOVED all the dogs that were around. The girl really needs a dog, to bad her mom is not up for that extra job.

I watched Ash & annalyn go into the camper I went in to see what they were up to & they were having a great time jumping on the bed.

These three were so adorable together. Just hanging out doing crafts, 4-wheeling, or taking pictures of each other.

Mark took the boys to shoot Zacs gun they all thought that was pretty cool.

These 2 little ones are picking up left over pin ya ta candy of the ground YUM YUM:)

Before we left the girls all gathered for a fun picture.

These kids are all trying to get the most candy off the ground. They are all sooo cute.

I LOVE these girls & am going to MISSSSSS them SOOO much .

These boys slept out in this tent. The one night it was pretty late & I went to check on them, they were still going mighty strong. Having a great time being boys.

These boys slept in a different tent & watched fat Albert every night & repeated the lines to it all day.

What a great part of camping. Cooking smores at night around the fire.

Britton was a bit craZY about riding motorbikes, A girl one a boy one it did not matter. He simply wanted to ride one.How lucky he is to have such great uncles who let him..

Daxon & Riley were a bit braver this year & are getting to where they are feeling pretty comfortable. I'm not sure if this is a good or BAD thing.

Wendy took Ash on a walk & helped her discover her LOVE for gathering ROCKS. This kept Ash entertained for hours.It was so ADORABLE.

AJ loved cruising around on the 4- wheeler. I loved it because most the time she would take Ash with her & I would get a break.This is AJ doing her cool dancing moves :)Wendy is just helping with Ash & letting her think she is soo big riding a bike.

I LOVE LOVE this picture. What a blessing it is to have so many cute little cousins.

The BOYS LOVED the fire & whenever it was raining they would get the BIGGEST fire going. It was amazing how well they kept the fire going in the rain. I was impressed.

DINNER TIME

I am not sure what Jana is telling these boys to do but they sure do look happy.

The kids favorite playing in the water. Ash loved laying over the bridge pretending to fish.Wendy brought all her beads & taught us how to make watches. It was super fun & I can't wait to try & make some more. She sells bracelets & watches & she is so talented at it. They are always so neat looking. We all loved having her help.Eating inside due to rain. Still having a great time!

Motorbiking. What the boys loved to do.Loving Life

Sisters by chance, friends by choice!The 3 musketeersThose darling 3 girls said we really want to take a picture of you guys so we all stand together & 1 clicked the picture while the other sprayed us with silly string. It was a great laugh.

We bought moon sand for the kids BAD IDEA!!!!! NEVER EVER buy that stuff. it is even messy when you are outside camping YUCK!
These 3 cute girls slept in this tent & man did they have JUNK all over in it JUNK food that is.

SMORES YUM

I bought these GIANT size marshmallows at win co & the kids LOVED them. They could not eat a whole almost because they were way toooo big required a full Hersey bar & 2 full size Graham crackers YUMOOOOOOO

Kids always Love Grandpa.
Cooking & eating are such a perfect part of camping.As is doing crafts.
Kids ALWAYS love making mud pies.Going to catch some fish.This girl lived by the creek. She was so happy to have her freedom Everyone had such a great time & loved being in the outdoors. We are all so blessed to have such amazing family & friends.

LETS GO BOATIN

2010-08-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

Monday night Scott & Todd took the boats out & we had a blast. My kids were in heaven. They are always so great about letting us in on the fun toys they have.

I have no time but thought I would put these pictures & videos up for Jers to see.
The kids all loved water skiing and almost all of them got up on skis.

Some of us were not so lucky. But it was fun trying

Raelynn & Lacey were amazing.

The kids also had so much fun on the tubes.

All the kids loved just riding in the boat also.

I love being on the beach because it is one time Ashlynn is not total work she can roam do her thing is happy & that makes me happy.

Britton got up on his 1st try. I was way impressed

Just having fun

Riley did great, It took a few tries but he got up & stayed until we let the rope go because we on the boat got tired of watching.

Dax was so happy as he skied around.

I was totally uncoordinated & never got up but only tried 3 times.

The little kids are adorable playing together.

I cant believe I am putting this video of me looking so uncoordinated but it is pretty funny how not good at this I am & Britton my 7 year old was pretty awesome. I thought Riley & the kids on the tube look like they are having soooo much fun.

PHIPPEN PHAMILY REUNION & RAINBOWS

2010-08-03T21:37:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Jds Grandpas 90th Birthday. They had a HUGE party for him in Morgan and it was really fun to go visit & see everyone. The Earl Phippen children all did Tye dye shirts & it was fun to see all the different shirts & designs. Only 2 grand kids are missing Jack & Anna from this picture. For having that many grand kids I thought this picture turned out AWESOME. Other than my boys purposely dumb smiles of course.
LUNCH TIME

Play Time

SHOPPING TIME
Not living near an Old Navy or any cool stores for that matter I decided to make sure I got some shopping in. Old Navy was having an amazing sale 1/2 off the markdown & they had tons of long sleeved shirts for this coming Fall Ashlynns size. I was so excited. I love a GREAT DEAL!!!

One the way home we kinda got lost for a minute or so. We ended up at target. When we got out of the car the most beautiful rainbow covered the sky. I loved how SOOO many people had cell phones & cameras out & were taking pictures. I could not believe the amount of people taking time to appreciate a rainbow. Growing up my mom always loved the song I'll build you a rainbow. I remember her doing my hair when I was young & teaching me the words to this song. It is about how a Mom passes away & tells her family she will build them a rainbow to let them Know FAMILIES ARE FOREVER. My Mother has been gone 7 years and 1 day & every time I see a rainbow I can almost see her smiling & saying I LOve you all, ALWAYS REMEMBER FAMILIES ARE FOREVER. I really miss her.
This is my darling children as I am trying to get a picture of them at the reunion. SO precious aren't they.

This is more the type of picture I was hoping for. These are J.D.s oldest sisters girls.

Alyssa got to go to 2 girls camps this year. She went with her cousin the 1st time and had a blast. She left today for her second one.

These darling faces spell trouble. They were being so crazy the 1st part of the reunion, as they often are.

back to lunch time.

I love that my children have so many wonderful cousins

I love how the adults are trying to get the kids to stay seated in the picture, 1 is trying hard to get away & crying, it just has so much personality.

This is the adults a little easier picture to get. 4 of the husbands were not able to come

I LOVE this picture of J.D.s parents

I LOVE KNOWING & having the knowledge that, FAMILIES ARE FOREVER

I cannot even imagine a life without KNOWING that.

The tans will fade, but the MEMORIES will last FOREVER.

2010-07-30T13:18:00.001-07:00

This has been such a FUN FUN week. My sister Jana came down & her , Lacey , My Sister Trisha, Brandon & I took our kids to Bear lake & stayed the night. Raelyn & some friends came up on Thursday & played all day at the beach with us & it was soooo much fun. The weather was perfect & the kids all had a blast as did the adults. Ashlynn was so good all day & loved having her own space to run & do whatever she wanted.
The boys were all so good all day. They built sandcastles, pools, & anything & everything they could.

It is so nice when your kids can be covered in sand all day, run out in the lake & wash out. NO WORRIES love it.

Staton was pulling Britton around on the board & he LOVED it.

Sterling was helping him & Britton thought he was in Heaven.

On the way down the kids had to go to the restroom so rather than stop again we made them eat at the gas station. The tables were all taken so they had to eat outside on the curb.

FUN MEMORIES

AT THE LAKE

The kids all played all day so good

One of the greatest things about Bear lake is the kids can walk out forever & it stays soo shallow

After awhile a bunch of the kids decided to go out to the dry sand & play because they liked that it was warm. It was burning HOT.

Alyssa was so adorable all day playing with the different kids .

Ashlynn was usually wherever she could get the most dirty.

Miley & Jaxson just playing around

FUN IN THE SUN

Riley & Travis were building & digging most of the day.

I love how dirty ashlynn is in this picture. I kept putting sunscreen on her so all the sand was sticking to her. It was funny.

TIME FOR LUNCH

Daxon & Houston are like 2 peas in a pod

All the little ones just happy to be doing whatever they want.

Alyssa getting ready to go out on the boat:)

WOW WHAT A MESS

Ashlynn & Hannah were covered from head to toe all day long in sand

Jana & I loved the freedom that Bear lake gave us

The kids loved this little raft. I loved it until the kids went out farther than I felt was safe.

I bought this shade thing BIG waste of money we didn't use it at all. Wish i would have saved my money.

DIG DIG DIG

I could not get Ashlynn to drink but she would eat grapes so I tried to make her stop every so often I would dump water in her mouth she would spit it out & then I would let her eat grapes to get some liquid.

12 kids in a hotel CRAZY FUN

End of the day going to the playground to eat PIZZA.

POOL TIME

The resort we stayed in was so awesome. It was huge & had a great pool.

SO CUTE

LUNCH PARK

This summer I have LOVED the lunch park. The boys are kinda crazy some days but they are no matter what. It is a nice break in the day & I love not making a new mess to clean up.

This is a great picture . It shows a fiesty little girl & that is Ashlynn perfectly.

24TH OF JULY

Alyssas birthday&
PIONEER DAY

Alyssa has always had such a huge celebration on her birthday. The town even has a parade for her. It is great fun. This year she got a camera & she has LOVED IT!!

Before the parade she was very camera happy & got some pretty cute pictures.

The other day Sheri came & took Britton for a sleep over. They went to Craigos for dinner. Sheri built a tent with him & they found one of Jds old trophies and put it at the opening. Britton had so much fun & it made him sooo happy. He could not wait to go he waited all day for her to come. He has not stopped talking about how much fun it was.

Back to the Parade

It was so cute Alyssa had all the kids building pyramids so she could take pictures. They were having so much fun.

Mindis little girl Hallie is always so motherly to ashlynn. It is adorable.

Waitin for our CANDY!!

BIRTHDAY GIRLS

Alyssa & her friend Alyssia had birthdays on the same day. Trisha was super nice & took them to ross park swimming.

Then she took them to the salon & did them all up cute.

Her & I went out on a date that night to the movie & to eat. It was really fun. When we got home we did Ice cream & cake the kids all loved that part of the day.

I loved going out with my 14 year old daughter. When did I get old enough to have a 14 year old? The boys babytsat & did such a great job. They took Ashlynn on a bike ride & went to see dogs & some horses. They were all so happy when I got home, that made me really happy.