Saturday, October 31, 2009

What a sweet day!

We started the day off in a typical lazy Saturday fashion. Jeremy, along with many others, went to help a lady in our ward (church family) first thing this morning. He brought Logan along, it was the first time that Logan was able to go and be able to be helpful more than a challenge. Both had a good time.

By the after noon we were ready to start earning our Halloween goodies. We headed off to the pumpkin patch to take those oh so loved pumpkin pictures. Our first destination was to see how the kids measure up this year.



We roamed around the pumpkin patch taking pictures in all the wood cut outs. Then we took a few pictures with my pumpkins surrounded by real pumpkins.

Our next stop was to Papa Murphy's were we got Jack O'Lantern Pizzas and the kids got free cookie dough because they were in costume. Our last stop was at Toys R Us where the kids got a small goody bag for showing up in costume. We finally headed home where Aunt Tamra, Uncle James and Hunter, as well as Grandma Bev and Uncle Chris, were meeting us for dinner and trick-or-treating later that night. Hunter looked adorable in his cute Luigi outfit.
Then we hit the pavement with our buckets in hand. Lauren enjoyed leading the pack. She quickly caught on that this night was about her favorite food CANDY! She was such a trooper and walked almost the whole way carrying her bucket. Towards the end she allowed us to carry it. When she reached complete exhaustion she would no longer listen to reason. She wouldn't let us carry her bucket anymore. I think she feared she would not longer see it again if she fell asleep without holding on to her bucket.


After the kids got home, we let them pick out 5 favorite candies that were especially theirs then the rest went into the community pot. This is what was left. Not to mention the four huge bags of candy we didn't hand out. We only had a hand full of trick or treaters once we got home, each got a huge handful of candy, but it wasn't enough to put a dent in what I purchased.
We finished the night by watching The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. It was a great day and I was exhausted. Of course not too exhausted to collect my candy tax! YUMM!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Apple Hill

We have a good friend who had the tradition of going to Apple Hill in the fall. It is a huge area where there are a bunch of smaller apple farms. Besides apples they grow Christmas trees, pumpkins, berries and many other things. We decided it was a great tradition and we now go as well. We like to visit High Hill Ranch. It has plenty of vendors as well as a pond. Our favorite thing there is Fudge Factory Farm. In case you were unaware our family has a major sweet tooth! We also visited Kids, Inc. While this one seems like it would be super kid friendly, it is actually named because the kids run it. It does have some perks like a few animals and a real corn maze, but it's not like a big amusement park or anything. All in all it was a great day. We had lots of fun and we left with our bellies full of Apple Cider milkshakes, which sound a little weird but are delicious, especially the Caramel Apple Cider Shake. Logan couldn't wait to dig into his caramel apple. For the first time we actually bought some apples so I can venture out and try making my own caramel apples. Last but not least we bought a Caramel Apple Crunch Pie (Are you sensing a theme? We love caramel and apples together!).
Here are a couple of my favorite photos of the day.
While this isn't a particularly good picture we also enjoyed a picnic lunch overlooking the fishing pond. I think people enjoyed staring at us since there were 9 children, and four adults.


Some of us were exhausetd by the end of the day, only to head home for Trunk or Treating!

A new blog...

I started a second blog...well I have multiple ones that I haven't done anything with...it is a blog to post the crafts I have done. I am by no means an expert or even mediocre, but I am enjoying it and haveing a great time!

So if you are interested check it out!

http://alwaysmakingstuff.blogspot.com/

Friday, October 16, 2009

Things to remember

As you are growing up you always remember certain things. A few of the things I will always remember is watching The Sound of Music. When that movie was on tv annually it seems like we would always watch it as a family that consisted of my mom and two sisters. Another is when my mom would wake us up in the morning she would always say "Girlie Whirlies, it's time to get up" in a sing-songy kind of way.

Today I had one of those moments I hope will survive the plethera of memories of childhood. Whenever I open the blinds I always sing, mighty poorly I might add, "There is Sunshine in my Soul Today." Although I always sing "let the sunshine in my soul today..." It always reminds me that I need to have the light of Christ shine through me. From a previous post you can tell sometimes I need more reminders through out the day. It is so fitting because of the sun shining into our home. It gets kind of dark and gloomy, but as soon as the blinds are opened the house seems brighter and full of energy, I love it.

Today I was pouring cereal and asked if Hannah could open the blinds for me and she asks with all the innocence four years of experience can allow "so we can let the sunshine in our souls today?" I loved it, I never thought the girls heard me when I would sing it, but I know they do. I hope as they grow up they will remember this and even sing it to themselves as a reminder.

P.S. Jeremy: I am sure you have know this for years, but I now realize tha I totally butcher this song with my rendition, luckily the message is the same! ; )

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

It's no secret.

I not only am loving this new crafting world that I have been introduced to but my long time passion is for the internet. Watching outlook sync as it downloads my emails, checking Google Reader, Facebook and plain old blog stalking. I love it all and check it all regularly. If money were no object we would be receiving packages daily from great places like Amazon or Gymboree, and probably Pottery Barn.

When we bought our Wii a while ago we did it with the one condition that the kids all get game time. We allow 15 minutes per day, it isn't much per kid but it is an hour of game time total so 15 minutes of playing and 45 minutes of watching...I always see birds so we set the timer. It is now good enough that the kids know how to set the timer and will monitor it for me. Today as I was on the computer, I hear the timer going off, followed by little feet running to turn it off. I ask what the timer is for and Hannah proceeds to tell me that my game time is up, it is time for me to get off the computer. I was in the middle of the previous blog post so I told her just a minute. She was generous and allotted me two more minutes. The timer went off again, and again she informed me that my time on the computer was up.

I have mixed feelings, one it is sad that she realizes I spend a lot of time on the computer, but proud that she figured out a logical way to tell me that she notices. Gotta love it huh!

I'm in love...

...with sewing, I am so sorry honey, I can't help it. Since creation in the womb is closed I have to create in other ways and this is so much fun, AND I get to sleep through the night, don't gain abnormal amounts of weight, as well as all the other pleasant things of pregnancy!

So I tried my hand at Re-Purposing. Basically it is taking some thing you don't or won't wear and turning it into something new. Sounds like fun huh? It all started because ALL of the kids have holes in their jeans. So we decided we are going to try patching them, and still making them cute, not ragga-muffin-esque. I came to an awesome-cute pair of jeans but the hole went from seam to seam, I think little twin fingers helped that. No amount of creative patching was going to fix it. In all my un-productive blog surfing I came across this website Make it and Love it. She did this cute jean skirt. So I decided to try it out. Of course when it came down to it I couldn't find that particular post so I winged it!

When each of my kids were born my mom made them all quilts. In the picture below you can barely see Logan's quilt with the satin red binding. I searched for a better picture but couldn't find one, and it is currently being fixed by the artist herself in Ohio. My mom gave me a bunch of the remnants from it and that is what this skirt is made from.
So here is my finished product:
But isn't it much cuter on a sweet little body?
Hannah tried it on first. I love the front. The back needs a little tiny bit of help, but I can't locate the seam ripper at the moment. Besides only I know. The ruffle is a little off where it meets. Now that I point it out you will notice!
Just to be fair Haylie also wanted to try it on. She looks equally cute in it!
I am by no means a talented seamstress but I am having a blast trying new things. Last week I made some baby gifts which I fell in love with and may even make it my staple baby shower gift.
Finally just so she didn't feel left out, here is a random photo of Lauren today. Don't you love the feathered hair. With that and her FREE SPIRIT I think she was supposed to be born in the seventies!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Sometimes you feel like a nut...

...because you are, I mean I AM. I am not sure if it is hormonal, having 6 kids or what but today was one of those days that patience, kindness and love were qualities I did not readily posses! I was trying to get things done, but as you can see from frequent Facebook comments I spent a whole lotta time little time on the computer. Then it gets to crunch time and I loose all those desirable qualities that a good mother must have! Some of the things I have dealt with today, the twins decided to have a bonding moment by using their carseats to go potty! Granted I was talking and they were strapped in their carseats screaming at me, but how was I supposed to know that they actually were trying to tell me something? While cleaning that up, which for those of you that don't have little ones that means taking apart the carseats, and getting our hand held carpet cleaner, Hayley decided to give Jackson a toy to play with. The toy of choice was the portable powdered formula container. As a proud mother I can tell you that Jackson be nimble, Jackson be quick, He can open it, what a trick! So the creative little genius made formula paste before I realized what was going on. Then for the third time today, yes it is noon, I told the girls to clean their room. Then we had lunch, then we had to get the older two form school. Then came the fourth, then the fifth time I asked them to clean their room. I gave them fifteen minutes to clean up their mess. about 45 minutes later I told them I forgot to set the timer so they will get 15 more minutes. In the meantime, Lauren has figured out the the baby locks are only 85% effective. Her little arms can reach in the gap. One of her favorite things to do is get Daddy's deodorant. She likes to either draw in it or lick it (not sure who I feel more sorry for?!). Today she chose to squirt it with a squirt bottle, then proceed to squirt the toilet, which I found out at the most inopportune time. After that she went about beating up her big brother by hitting him and biting him. So she got sent to her room as well. Meanwhile back in the bedroom: I would have caved had I seen a little bit of progress but there was nothing progressing towards my goal of a clean room. At this point in writing this I realize our goals were on the opposite sides of the spectrum. A communication error must have occurred. For some reason they thought I said make it a BIGGER mess. After the last group of fifteen minutes I told them to get their pajamas on and get in bed. (It's 5 O'clock) We were planning to have grandma Jacobs over for dinner and Family Home Evening. I told the girls they will miss it. Then continuing on with my tirade I slammed the door, after giving them one more chance. I went and did the dishes and finished some prep work, 15 minutes later I came back and one was lying on the floor, another cooking at the play kitchen and the third, playing Barbie. That was it! They went to bed, no more. I told them I would finish the dishes and then they would finish cleaning the room, but still miss out on the evening. As I was sulking, fuming, frustrated, sad, but more mad then sad, I was walking down the hall and what would appear...my temper tantrum knocked a picture of Jesus askew. I righted the picture and a thought came to me "How can I expect the Savior to dwell in our home, how will this home be a refuge for my children, how will my children know I love them just like the Savior loves me?" Then the thought vanishes as I told the girls I would clean up their room for them involving 2 large black trash bags. There were several things on the floor that I picked up with a mocking tone of cheerfulness, such as the blanket Hannah sleeps with, or the shoes that they will need tomorrow as we walk to school in the morning (and it is supposed to be a good storm tonight!) Let me remind you I have a pretty thick skull and nothing short of a sledge hammer can get through it at times. I will proudly admit I cleaned up their room in about 5 minutes, and in about 35 seconds our garage became a disaster!


I continued the evening as planned still pouting and fuming as stated above. We ate a good dinner. Shame was starting to seep over me but at the same time it is too frustrating that they will not just clean up, especially when I KNOW they can do it when the "reward" is good enough. For Family Home Evening we decided to practice some songs that the kids will be singing for our Primary Program at church. We decided to sing "My Eternal Family" the words are:

"I am a builder working each day to build my family

and I will do the best I can to serve them lovingly

I am a builder growing so tall and leaning everyday

To SPEAK with KINDNESS in MY HOME To help at work and play

Chorus

My Heavenly Father sent me here and he knows I can be

Strong and Righteous as I build my eternal family.

I am a builder building a home, I seek the Lord in prayer

And as I try to live God's word I feel the Spirit there.

I am a builder serving the Lord and Following his plan,

To help my family come back home and live with Him again.

Chorus"

The funny or better yet more interesting part was that none of us could remember the line I put in bold above. We were all looking at each other for help and guidance. So I pulled out the lyrics and sure enough it was the sledge hammer I mentioned above. Maybe the first time if I had spoke with kindness, aka been more Christ like in my delivery, it would have only taken one time. I know I could have handled this a little a lot better. As much as I would love to say it was all their fault if only they did clean up their room, if only they didn't make a mess, it boils down to the way I handled it. It is my fault. I could have shown these three precious little imperfect girls that I love them and I failed miserable. I did not speak with kindness, I didn't do a single
thing to build my eternal family, in fact I was tearing it down. Tomorrow I need to apologize and make it right with them, apologize that I yelled and made them feel bad, not that I made them clean their room. I love them, I love their laugh, they way they play pretend, the way they hold hands on the way to and from school, or the hugs they insist on giving each other. Amongst my destructive behavior, they are great kids. It is so true that I have more to learn from them then they have to learn from me.

I am grateful for the sledge hammer I received tonight as well as a very loving Heavenly Father, who despite my weaknesses, which are abundant, he loves me and never looses his patience with me. He is always willing to teach me, and most of the time I am willing to listen!

Meal Plan Monday

I do my shopping on Fridays everyother week so my meal plans are for two weeks and go from Friday through the second Thursday.

Friday=Tortellini Alfredo with Chicken and Brocolli
Saturday=Clan-erole
Sunday=Ham and Potato Casserole, Dream Sickle Salad
Monday=Pork Chops and Au Gratin Potatoes
Tuesday=Mexican Hot Pockets
Wednesday=Chicken Poppy Casserole
Thursday=Easy Lasagna (based loosely on this recipe)
Friday=Cordon Bleu Chicken Rolls
Saturday=BBQ Burgers and Hot Dogs
Sunday=Mom J. cooks!
Monday=Jumbalaya with Chicken and Sausage
Tuesday=Creamy Sausage Casserole with Biscuits
Wednesday=5 can casserole
Thursday=Macaroni and Cheese you know like from a box!!!

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Everyone needs one of these!

A day off! We kept Logan and Miranda home from school today, since everyone is feeling pretty awful. The rules were:
  1. They are to rest, all day long!
  2. No milk, this was especially hard for Lauren.
  3. They must take a nap.

I loved looking out as I was cooking breakfast and seeing this! Doesn't it make you want to be sick so you can join in? Well maybe join in without being sick. Hopefully with a great day of rest they will return to school and normal life tomorrow so we can all enjoy a great weekend. Jeremy and I have a fun something planned. I will enlighten you later!

Craft-tastic!

I got a new sewing machine and I have been searching he web and trying new things. I came across some simple burp clothes, and as luck would have it, I was invited to a baby shower. SO I begged and pleaded with Jeremy so I could visit my friend JoAnn's and get some fabric. OK so really I just said "Hey, what do you think of this idea?" and he said "Uh-huh!' So off I went with 6 kids in tow and picked out this fancy fabric bundle.
A few days later, as well as a MESSY house, I produced 4 burp clothes. A onesie, yes I am moving up from the stamped ones, although I am not giving up on those yet. And a Diaper wipe clutch.
The burp clothes have this super soft and fuzzy fabric on the back. A friend said instead of a burp cloth they could be little loveys!

When the father opened the gift he held up the one item without a "B" on it and showed it to his wife. He said "Look honey, she ran out of B's" I thought it was hilarious, especially since I had one more at home, I just didn't think it would look right.
It was a lot of fun, and I look forward to experimenting with many other craft projects.

Lauren's a Big Helper

Jeremy decided he would quickly make some peanut butter cookies before he had to go off to a meeting. Lauren who refuses to eat her vegetables did not get dessert. As I was sitting in the other room, I heard the scrape of her plastic chair. When I looked around the corner I saw this:

She pulled her chair right next to him to observe the process. It was too cute. I had to go around the other side to take some better pictures. I think this girl might choose to make cookies as her first home made treat!
She already knows how to work her audience. She knows how to bat her lashes, pout, ACT apologetic. In this instance she is trying to all the cuteness one can muster because she knows how absolutely fabulous Daddy's home made peanut butter cookies are!

Can you believe it?


My baby is nine months old today! This little tyke has stolen my heart. He is such a happy baby. He is independent, in a nice entertain myself kind of a way. He says "Mamamamama" and the rest is gibber jabber. That just melts my heart, even if "Mamamamama" actually translates to "Feed me now MOM!" It still means ME! He is crawling all over the place, up and down steps. He is pulling himself up on to the furniture. He has also already learned that during dinner time it is perfectly acceptable to either a) sit by my feet and cry while I am cooking dinner or b) pull himself up on my leg and stand between me and the counter so I can not move with out knocking him over. He is taking steps along the couch or other various furniture. He is a smart one! He is eating everything, no matter the location or staleness of food. That means he will eat anything on the floor, eeewwwww! He is also eating eggos, gold fish, cheese-its, cheerios, cheese sticks (cut up of course!). As well as the baby food staples, he is my first one to love rice cereal.
We were at a friends house where there is a baby Jackson's age. It was adorable to watch the two of them crawl towards each other and at the last minute put their heads down like to deer trying to lock horns. They would bump then back up and do it again. I loved to watch him interact with his destined-to-be best friend.


I just scheduled his next appointment so his "Stats" will be posted at a later date. Hopefully they won't label him skinny again, but I do know he eats like a champ so it just may be his destiny. He has been a perfect addition to our family. All the kids adore him. Especially Lauren! She will talk to him and they will giggle at each other, I will have to get it on video it is priceless.

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