Finally!

Well, it's been awhile since I have posted. I thought it was about time to get rid of the Halloween colors on the blog.

I've been out of it for the last couple of weeks suffering from some back pain. It's been hard to be restricted in what I do and hard to take care of the kids and house. Luckily, I have really great friends who have been so willing to help out with the kids. Thanks so much Donna, Angie, and Rebecca for helping me get some rest on some of those hard days. I'm truly blessed to have wonderful friends. I'm hoping to get the results of my MRI back soon so I know how best to get better.

We enjoyed our Thanksgiving this year with just our family and Jim cooked the entire meal while I layed down for most of the day. We were supposed to travel to Idaho to go to my mother's family gathering, but my back was hurting so much, I knew it would be a miserable trip. It was a little strange being here by ourselves, but we enjoyed the day anyway and had a wonderful meal.

Christmas is approaching fast and I'm almost done with my shopping. I mainly need gifts for Jim. He usually gives me a pretty long list, so I'm not worried about coming up with anything. There is always something that he wants. Thanks for making it so easy honey! :-) Since we didn't make it to Idaho for Thanksgiving, we're contemplating going down after Christmas. My sister will have had her baby girl and I would really love to see her. Jim is taking extra time off for the break so they can get his office done, so I think we need to go somewhere to pass the time. I hope we'll be able to. It's a long trip, but we always have a great time.

Our Jack-O-Lanterns

I forgot to include pictures of the pumpkins we carved this year. Sometimes my memory isn't so good these days. Anyway, we had fun starting to carve these pumpkins at a carving party our friends the Walkers had Monday before Halloween and we finished the next night. I was very impressed that my 11 year old, Kenedy, carved the owl all by herself. Jim enjoys finding challenging patterns to carve each year. Here they are!

Halloween!!!

Well, Halloween has come and gone and I think the kids had a great time. It was quite warm Halloween night and it was much more pleasant than usual to go trick-or-treating.

We started off at the Trunk-or-Treat that our ward had in the church parking lot. Then, Kenedy went out with a friend, Hallie went out with a friend, and the rest of us went to our friends, the Mathesons, to have donuts and hot chocolate. All in all, it was a fun night. Haden, Lexie and Cooper didn't get much candy, which was fine with me, but Kenedy brought home 5 pounds of it and Hallie brought home a little over 4 pounds!! I'm going to have to figure out a way to get them to give it up soon before they have a mouth full of rotten teeth. :-)

Here are a few pictures from that night.

It's been awhile!

Well, it's been awhile since I posted something, so I thought I had better do so today. This past weekend was conference weekend and I took a trip ALL BY MYSELF to visit my sister, Natalie, in Salt Lake. We had a really good time. I got there Friday morning at about 9:00 and we hung out at Natalie's apartment until about 3 pm until her husband got home from school and could watch Hannah while we went to Park City. It's not very often that I get to go to an outlet mall without the children, so I wanted to take full advantage. We were there until about 8:30 that night. It was so fun to be able to go into every store that I wanted and be able to spend as much time as I wanted looking at whatever I wanted. I found some really great things for myself and the kids, although at the end, I was feeling a little bit guilty about spending as much money as I did. I'm not feeling quite so guilty now!

The next day, we watched the morning session of conference and then we headed to Provo to walk around BYU and go to the book store to find some t-shirts and such to bring back for the family. It was really fun. It is amazing how much everything has changed. The new alumni building named after President Hinckley is really pretty, but isn't done, so we couldn't go in. It's fun to remember back to those carefree days before we had any kids. After BYU, we met up with a good friend of mine from Dental School and spent the rest of the night with her going out to dinner at Chili's, seeing her kids and visiting.

Sunday, of course was conference and we watched that and Natalie and Taylor made me some fabulous beans and rice for dinner. The day ended with a throwing contest between Taylor and me. He got talking a little smack about how he thought he could throw better than me. Well, I won, obviously, but I was impressed that he could throw as well as he does considering he didn't grow up playing baseball at all. Good job Taylor. My plane didn't leave until almost 9 pm. It was a really great 3 days of relaxation and fun. Thanks so much Natalie and Taylor for having me. I ended up on the same flight with my good friend Angie and it was great to have someone to talk to on the way home.

It was good to come home and to see the kids and appreciate them a little more. I feel refreshed and ready to take on whatever comes. We'll see how long that lasts. My parents came last night to watch the kids for us so we can go to Leavenworth tomorrow for the big 1/2 marathon that Donna and Ryan are running. It will be fun to cheer them on as they cross the finish line. What an accomplishment! I'm excited to go. I haven't been to Leavenworth since I was a teenager and it's really a cute little Bavarian village. My hubby seems a little stressed lately, so I think this will be a welcome break for him.

I realized the other day that I have never posted any pictures of the remodel of his building. I think I'll do that today. It is really beautiful. They are continuing the process of remodeling the inside and it will hopefully be done at the end of the year.

My Birthday!

On Wednesday of this week, the 19th, I had my 33rd birthday. My sweet Haden woke up and found me and started singing Happy Birthday to me. All the kids were very sweet to me throughout the day which was the very best birthday present I could have asked for. My wonderful friends Donna, Angie and Rebecca all brought me gifts and Jen took me out to lunch at Bruchi's. Yummy! When Jim got home, he made me a fabulous dinner. We decided to save the official birthday celebration for Friday night when we could go out to dinner with our friends.

So, last night we all went out--Jim and I, Jen and Christopher, Donna and Ryan, and Rebecca and Craig. We went to Fiesta for some delicious Mexican food and then back here for cake. Jim had asked me earlier in the week what I wanted for a cake this year. I told him I really wanted a coconut cake that a sister in our ward made for an Enrichment night earlier this year. It was to die for and I haven't stopped talking about it. I only mentioned it on Monday, so I wasn't sure if he would be able to get it by then. Come to find out, he had called her 3 weeks ago to have her make it for my birthday. I have the best husband in the world. He is very good at taking note of what I really want and doing whatever he can to make it happen. Thanks honey. I love you so much!

After cake, we went downstairs to play a little Singstar--I have fallen in love with these karaoke games that Playstation 2 makes. A new one came out on my birthday--Singstar 80's--and was the perfect gift. So, I thought we should try it out. It was so much fun! I think we ended up singing for about 1 1/2 hours. I really wish I would have video taped some of it, especially Craig singing "We're not gonna take it" by Twisted Sister. It was a riot!

Thanks so much for helping me celebrate my birthday. I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends. It makes me look forward to more fun birthdays, even though it means getting older.

Natalie Tagged me!

Well, my sister was tagged by her friend Cori and she tagged me, so I will play along. It was almost a week ago and I'm finally getting around to doing this. Here are the rules for those of you who I'll tag at the end.

1)You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don't have a middle name, use the middle name you wish you had.

2)When tagged, you need to write your own blog post containing your middle name facts.

3)At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don't forget to leave a comment telling them that they're tagged and to read your blog.

I wasn't given a middle name, so I am going to use my maiden name. Sorry to copy you Natalie. I have never wished for a middle name, so this will have to do. Here goes.

H--Home is the first thing I thought of. My home is the most important place to me. It's where I feel safe, comfortable and where my wonderful family is. I get to wake every morning and see the faces of the 6 people I love the most in this world and that is priceless. This wonderful area of the country that we live in is also part of home. My family moved to Richland when I was 7, so I grew up here. Jim and I moved here a little over 6 years ago after he graduated from Dental School and now I can't imagine anywhere else being home.

O--This was a hard one for me. The word that comes to mind right now is obsessed. I have been obsessed for the last 1 1/2 years with getting my body back into shape after having baby number 5. I'm finally getting to where I want to be. I am in the best shape of my life and I'm finally losing those pounds that have been so hard to get off for so long--I've lost 5 so far and I'm not quitting until I lose the rest.

U--Well, I had a really hard time coming up with a word for this one, so I'm just going to copy my sister. Utah--I'm so grateful that I chose to go to school at BYU in Provo, Utah because that is where I met my wonderful husband, Jim. I can't imagine what my life would be if I had not met and fallen in love with him. He is amazing and I am truly proud to be his wife.

S--Singing is my word for S. I am constantly singing. If you ask my kids, I sing through the house, in the car, in stores...just about anywhere. They get a bit annoyed by it I'm sure, but I don't care. I love to sing!

E--E is for Enthusiastic. I'm truly enthusiastic about life right now. I'm really enjoying all the different stages that my kids are in, I have a healthy body, a wonderful husband and I have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. Though I still have challenges like anyone else, I am really loving life right now!

Okay, so I hope that wasn't too crazy or anything. Now I get to tag some of you. I tag Donna, Jennifer, Rebecca Ritchie and Rebecca Bagley. Have fun with this.

Grandma's 90th Birthday

My grandma turned 90 over the weekend and my aunt and uncle threw a party for her. I haven't seen her in over 8 years and my husband and children have never met her or any of my dad's family. It's about time we made a trip to Montana to see everyone.

We started out on Friday afternoon and headed to Couer d'Alene, ID where we had reserved a hotel room at the Holiday Inn Express which is connected to an indoor water park(Raptor Reef) and a fun center called Triple Play. We didn't tell the kids they would have the opportunity to swim, so you can imagine how excited they were to be able to go to an actual water park with slides and everything. We had a great time at the water park for the evening. All of the kids just loved it. The kiddie pool had two little water slides for Cooper, Lexie and Haden, there was a wave pool that Kenedy and Hallie spent most of their time in and 3 big water slides that Haden, Hallie, Kenedy and I had a lot of fun screaming down. It was a lot of fun!

The next day, we headed to Deer Lodge, MT to visit the lumber mill that my dad works at. His cousin owns the mill and he hired my dad to help him fix some problems so the mill will run more efficiently. It was very cool and I was so enthralled as my dad was talking about what goes on there and what he does, that I forgot to take pictures of the actual mill. This is a dream job for my dad and he gets to really use his engineering degree. As my dad talked about all that he does there, I was struck by how incredibly talented he is. I've always know this, but it really hit me that day. He is truly amazing and I am the luckiest girl in the world to have his as my dad.

From there, we headed to the birthday party in Philipsburg. I was excited to go there again. The last time I visited Philipsburg was when I was about to start my Senior year of High School, but we visited my grandma a lot when I was young and I have great memories those visits. The party was really fun and all my dad's siblings were there except his youngest brother. It was so great to see everyone and catch up on what's going on in their lives.

My grandma has Alzheimer's and doesn't really remember anyone, but she really had a good time. After we ate, we had a program in which all of the families had some sort of talent to present. I was going to have Kenedy play a piano piece, but I forgot the music, so they got to hear us sing I am a Child of God instead. We started to sing our song and when we got to the chorus, my grandma started to sing along with us and that was it for me. Kenedy and Hallie finished the song nicely. There were quite a few musical numbers in the program and she sang along to all of them. Music is one of the only things that she still remembers well and it was very touching. Happy birthday Grandma! We sure love you!

After the party, we decided to walk around town for awhile. It it a really cute town complete with an old time candy shop and Ice cream shop. Everyone in town is so friendly and it was fun to wander around as my dad talked about what used to be in some of the places that have been shut down. We were even able to walk by the house my mom and dad lived in for a few years when they were first married. I hope we are able to visit again soon.

My parents lived in this house when my oldest 2 brothers were little. It's in disrepair now, but my mom kept saying, "It really was a cute house when we lived here."

Main street, Philipsburg, MT. What a cute town!

We had the pleasure of being able to witness this gorgeous sunset as we walked around town.

Here we are sitting in front of the house my mom found for us to stay in while we were there.

We headed home the next morning, but before we left, we decided to check out a little ghost town called Kirkville just a mile out of Philipsburg. It was totally amazing. It was a little mining town and you could see the smoke stacks from the mine and some of the buildings were still standing. It was fun to imagine what life was like back when the town was up a running.

I thought this huge stone wall and the smokestacks that made up the mine were just amazing to see. I wish I could have seen it 100 years ago when it was running!

I can't believe this building is still standing!

As we headed home, we decided to stop at a place that my parents always stopped when I was a kid. It was basically a souvenir shop and they sometimes let us get a little something. Other times, when they went to Montana by themselves, they brought us back things from this store. I believe I still have a ring they brought me one time while I was in High School. It was fun to go in and let the kids look around. We, however, did not buy anything this time.

We had a great trip and I am so glad that we went. I am going to remember it always and I hope my children will also.

First day of School!

Well, it finally came--the first day back to school! I really wasn't sure that I was going to make it. The fighting in our house was more intense this week those last few days be fore school started, but we made it.

The day went really well. Usually there is a little sense of craziness making sure everyone has all that they need for school on the first day, but it really went smoothly. Kenedy and Hallie were the first up at a little bit before 6 am. They had their bed made, were dressed and ready for breakfast by 6:10. It was quite impressive. I think they were really excited. If they could get up on their own like that every day, that would be my dream. I'm sure it won't go quite that well. Haden woke up about 6:45 and got himself ready without a fight. If any of you know Haden, that is quite a miracle. Everyone was kind and loving and they all made it out the door without any fighting. Wow!

After they were off to school, I got myself ready to go to a Mom's back to school party that my good friend Angie threw. It was really fun! There was food to eat and lots of friends to talk and laugh with. There isn't anything much better than that. What a great idea, Angie. Thank you so much.

Anyway, the day went well for all the kids and I enjoyed some alone time with both Lexie and Cooper. I think they must all be tired because they are all sound asleep and not one of them has come out in need of anything.

Hope all of you and your children had a great day as well.

Taylor, I tried to get the book that you love so much, but they don't have it at our library. I think tomorrow I'm going to try a used book store I really love and if it isn't there, then maybe I need to buy it. What do you think? I did, however check out a couple other books the same author wrote to see how they are. It will be fun to read them to the kids.

Middle school!

Well, today's the day I get to take my daughter to the middle school, get her class schedule and try out her locker. I didn't think that I would be that emotional about it, but I can't believe how fast time flies and that I have to send her off into the world of Middle School. Kenedy is such a good girl and I know she will do well, but there is so much pressure to fit in and be cool that I hope she will handle it well. It will be fun to take a good look at how Carmichael has changed. I went there for 7th and 8th grade, so I'll spend some time embarrassing her by talking about how it was when I went there. :) Just kidding Kenedy!

My sister, Natalie, is pregnant and had her ultrasound yesterday. She found out that she is having a girl. I'm so excited for her. I think they were kind of hoping for a girl so they don't have to start off with a whole new batch of clothes while Taylor is in school. Congratulations Natalie! We are thrilled that you are having another girl and she is healthy!

Cooper now loves hats

We have quite a few baseball caps for the boys, but they don't wear them very often. Cooper especially doesn't usually wear one for very long. However, just a few days ago, he grabbed a hat and put it on, backwards I might add, and wore it the entire day. Now, all he talks about it putting his hat on and it's very cute. Here are a couple pictures of my sweet boy with his hat on.

My books of the week are, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Very Busy Spider, both by Eric Carle. For some reason, Cooper has asked to read those books over and over the entire week. He gets very excited at the end when the caterpillar turns into a butterfly an yells out "butterfly" as I turn to the last page. It's very sweet.

MY FIRST CONCERT!

Donna and Ryan invited us to go to the Martina Mcbride concert with them last night. We started off the evening with dinner with the Bagleys and the Ritchies at Red Robin, then off to the concert. Jim and I have never been to a concert, so you can imagine how excited we were...well, it took a little bit of convincing for Jim, considering he doesn't like country music all that much, but he went willingly and with a great attitude. The concert was sooooooo awesome!!!!!!! She has such an amazing voice and is an incredible performer! Jim really enjoyed the show also and was very impressed with how great her voice is. Thanks so much Donna and Ryan for inviting us. We had such a great time and it was great to share the experience with such great friends.

A little bit of nostalgia

I've been looking through all of our pictures lately on the computer and it has made me a little nostalgic for the time when my kids were little. They are growing up so fast. I thought I would post some of my favorite pictures of them when they were younger. It's amazing to see how much they have changed!

This was taken in one of our favorite parks in Portland right after Jim graduated from Dental school. Kenedy was almost 5 years old.

I love this picture of Hallie. She looks like she is waving, but had no idea we were taking pictures of her. She is almost 3 here.

I really like this picture of my sweet Haden and his big sister Kenedy. She was such a good little mommy to him. Haden was born just 3 days before Jim graduated from Dental School. He was even able to attend graduation with me.

My sweet little Alexis loved to sit on this window sill in our old house. She didn't have very much hair for so long! I think she was about 15 months old in this picture. She finally started getting some hair when she was about 2. Then, 5 months later, she decided to cut it herself. That's another picture for another day!

Cooper has changed so much in his short little life. He doesn't even look like this now. He was probably about 9 months old here. This is right after he started finally gaining weight. He hasn't stopped since and is now a tank!

Children's book of the week

My sister just posted a "children's book of the week". Her book was "Olivia" by Ian Falconer. I thought it might be kind of fun to post one also. My favorite book of late is "Diary of a Worm" by Doreen Cronin. This is the same author that wrote "Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that type" if any of you are more familiar with that book. My sweet daughter, Hallie, gave it to my son, Haden, for his birthday in June. She got it from our the book fair at our Elementary school. It makes me laugh every time I read it to the kids and I haven't tired of reading it yet.

What are your favorite children's books?

Lincoln City, OR

We went to Lincoln City, OR just a few days after we got back from Idaho. It's along the Oregon Coast and we have gone there just about every year for the last 6 years. It was Jim's parents 50th Wedding Anniversary and we met all of Jim's siblings and parents there for 5 days. We had a lot of fun. The kids really love going there and they especially loved the time with all of their cousins. We rented a house right across the street from the beach and we had beautiful weather the entire time we were there. I would recommend vacationing there to anyone.

I can't believe I finally have a blog!

Iwasn't sure I would ever actually get around to setting up a blog, but here I am. It's kind of exciting. It really is a wonderful way to share what's going on with family and friends. So, here goes! We've had a couple of wonderful vacations so far this summer. For our first vacation, I took all the kids to Idaho Falls by myself to visit my family. I was a little nervous about the long drive, but it went really well. Mike and his family were visiting from Chicago, Natalie and her family came down from Boise and of course it's always great to see Rob and Paul. We had a really great time. I don't get to see Mike and his family very often, so I couldn't pass up that opportunity.


















My sweet little Cooper had to get stitches the morning we left for Idaho. Believe it or not, this wasn't the worst that his eye looked.

Dad was trying to get some good pictures of all the kids, but Hannah and Lexie wouldn't cooperate and are not in the picture. Jarrett and Valerie have grown up so much. It was fun to spend some time with them.

Dad took Kenedy, Hallie and Haden 4-wheeling at the sand dunes and Lexie and Coop got to ride around the yard.

We had a lot of fun at the zoo and the little amusement park they have in IF. We go there every year and the kids never seem to tire of it. It still amazes me that it is the same as when I was a kid.