I love Curlz

Last night I decided to give the girls a bath since the mornings are getting a little tight for time. I motivated them by putting sponge curlers in their hair. It was a first for Haylie and Hannah. This morning I took Miranda's curlers out and most of her hair went flat right away. The girl has lots of hair. So hers didn't work out so well. I took Haylie's out first then pulled the curls down, it seriously looked like a really bad perm. It was so frizzy at the ends. Then Hannah's I just took the curlers out and left it. I worked Haylie's curls a little so it looked a little less fizzy. Here are some pictures. Hannah is first since that is what both heads looked like pre-running my fingers through it.

I didn't take any of Miranda because she was at school, plus it was mostly straight anyways with a few stubborn curls. I may take a few pictures later when and if the curls relax a little.

This is 18 months ago, so the girls were a bit over two. They had beautiful little curls. Then they started growing up! Now they have natural ringlets...immediately after a bath!

The change...

Most of you think that the change I am referring to is that we are now a family of 8. That will be the NEXT change but not the one I am referring to. At church Jeremy has served for the last almost three years as Elder's Quorum President. Which means he "over sees" all men 18 and over, until they are High Priests (generally the older people but it isn't by age), along with the families that it encompasses. He has truly enjoyed it and I have supported him with mostly a supportive attitude. There have been a few late night calls, lots of moves (in and out), meetings, confidential stuff, as well as some fun stuff too. Last Sunday Jeremy and I were asked to meet with our Stake President. (In our church you have a Bishopric that consists of a Bishop and two counselors, they oversee the whole ward, then there is the Stake Presidency which consists of the Stake President and his two counselors, they over see several wards, then it goes on from there in a similar manner, up until the General Presidency which consists of the President of the Church and his two counselors. They "over see" the whole church world wide. Right now it is President Thomas S. Monson with Henry B. Eyering and Dieter F. Uchtdorf who serve as his counselors. In each presidency the Bishop or President do the main duties while his counselors are mainly there as support. Now back to the change, I just thought this might be helpful if you don't understand the structure of the LDS church) So we got called in by our stake president, I knew I was safe but also was aware of some changes happening in the stake presidency as well as our ward's Bishopric. I looked at Jeremy and knew it was a meeting I wasn't going to be thrilled about, I am still very selfish. Jeremy was asked to be the second counselor in our Bishopric. He kept his smile and I smiled as tears over flowed. Need I remind you I am very pregnant. I said I will support him and I will. So this Sunday he was called and sustained, so not only am I married to a Counselor in the Bishopric but a High Priest, one of the OLD guys. I am too young for that! With all that being said this isn't about me it is about Jeremy. I am excited for the growth that will come for him and the spiritual strength his is for me (I know it is always about me), my family and for those around him. He really is a good guy and I am proud to be his wife, in a humble way of course! I have been told that being a counselor in the Bishopric is a "walk in the park" compared to Elder's Quorum President so that was a relief. The biggest thing is that he has a couple extra Sunday meetings and he won't be able to sit with us during our first meeting at church. I am blessed that we are in the ward with Jeremy's mom and brother so I will not be alone taking care of our kids (AKA keeping them quiet). We have already had lots of people offer to help as needed. We are abundantly blessed by the amount of people who adore our family and are willing to help out. I can't tell you how good that feels to be surrounded by such good people.

Baby's Location

I had my appointment this morning, so as you can tell baby is still enjoying his little suite for a couple more days. I am dilated to 3cm, 50% effaced with a favorable cervix. Baby is definitely head down. So we are looking good. He thinks the baby is on the normal size. In my memory he may have used the word small but that could just be what I wanted to hear. He did some stretching and WOWZA! that didn't feel too good. Jeremy said it was like watching a guy get kicked in a tender place. (He was near my head). The nice doctor asked if I had a date in mind, and said I could easily go another 5-10 days. I looked at Jeremy for a date request, he said "waiting is not in her vocabulary right now" so I said Wednesday or Thursday. He came back and I have an appointment with pitocin on Thursday at about 7:30, given they have room for me. So we will get to meet our baby boy real soon!

I do have a funny story though. When we pulled into the parking garage at the hospital it was backed up and I had two minutes until my appointment. Jeremy suggested I get out so he could park and I would still be on time. I got out of the car and waited for a couple of cars then a nice lady waved me across. I was SUPPOSED to step over the cub but my toe caught it. From previous experience I learned it hurts less if you don't try to catch yourself. As Jeremy was watching in his rear view mirror I disappeared. The nice lady opened her door as I slowly got up I tried to catch her before she got out of her car, but she made sure I was OK. I smiled trying not to cry out of embarrassment. It only hurt my pride, my knees are a little skinned up and my hand has a little rock in it but my jeans held up great. So there you have it. There were a few witnesses but I think most people were annoyed with the already congested garage and didn't notice, phew!

When the doctor walked in he asked how our holidays went, we told him we had the flu, it was a little rough but good. Having forgot that conversation, when he left he shook Jeremy's hand and said "Sorry about the diarrhea." Then walked out. Jeremy looked at me confused and the first think I thought of was that stretching causes that to happen or maybe I made a mess. Jeremy was thinking he made a mess or that he really shouldn't have shook the doctor's hand. He then looked at me and I put it together with the previous conversation. It was a real quick passing of thoughts but it made us laugh none the less.

A Due Date to Celebrate

This is a first, not that I am passing a due date, that is the standard procedure for me. We did actually have a busy day and ended with a date.

I started out the day with a nice breakfast with the family, then went to a friend's baby shower, I guess this kid didn't want me to miss the celebration of his friend! Then we went to Costco as a family. Came home, and I cooked the kids dinner. Then Mom J. came over and watched the kids so Jeremy and I could go out on a final date before this little boy joins our family outside the womb. We went to Guadalajara Grill. I was tempted to drink the spicy salsa to see if it would help with labor. I figured it would be inappropriate. The we went to see the movie Yes Man with Jim Carrey. It was good but had a couple parts (one mostly) that grossed me out enough to worry about the rest of the film. I wouldn't recommend it. It was a first that we went out on a date when I was 40 weeks pregnant. Yeah!

Monday we have a doctor's appointment and then hopefully I will have an ending date. Or at least some more hope that this will not be a 41+ week pregnancy. Here are a couple of pictures that I took in honor of the day.

I think the kids are excited, Haylie told me that Jackson was taking a bath. He wants to look his best when they meet him.

And Daddy can't wait to meet his second son. I think Jackson was telling him he felt the same way.

Christmas Pictures

Link to Video

Here is for family that wants to see a glimpse of Christmas with 5 little kids. It is probably not as chaotic as you may thing, but we do have our noisy times.

Miranda Funny

It is not too often I get to report on something funny Miranda says. She cracked Jeremy and I up this morning. One thing about Miranda is that she is our pickiest eater. Textures bother her a lot and she has the mental capacity to make her self throw up just so she doesn't have to eat something. She is the one that will ask to go to the bathroom with a mouthful of food so she can spit it out in the toilet. She was caught now we do a mouth check before she can go potty during meal times. This morning we gave her some cereal, Lucky Charms. She will only eat a very small amount, like 1/8 cup with no milk. She was eating it then decided she didn't feel well. With the stomach flu going around we were a little hesitant but knowing her track record, we thought she could finish it. She got really pouty and sad. Everyone else finished and Jeremy asked who would eat Vienna Sausages. She brightened up and said she would. We looked at her and said but you are full and not feeling well.

"I was just saying that so I didn't have to finish"..short pause...smack herself on forehead "I just tattle-taled on myself!"

Jeremy and I started laughing and Miranda did too. Then Jeremy said that is a blog moment and I whole-heartedly agreed. That was when Miranda started crying and saying it wasn't funny. There were real tears, but I am too mean and it really was funny. So here it is in blog form, she may or may not ever know. **Hear wicked evil laugh here**

An update on Jackson

He's still living the suite life in my womb. I went in and am dilated to 1.5cm, good news right? But my little cervix that should have the process down by now is uncooperative. It has not softened or shortened. He was willing to "stretch" things but due to the unsoftness (? is that how you say it?) he couldn't. He felt around and thought maybe Jackson was no longer head down, turns out he is still head down but not "locked and loaded." Which made the doctor nervous. I wasn't terribly surprised since Lauren was still moving up until she was bound head down 4 hours before she was born. So we will not be having a December 2008 baby. My next appointment is January 5th, two days after my due date. He is still very aware of the size of Lauren so he is trying to make sure I don't have that same experience again. I am measuring right on, so I am hoping he is not growing too rapidly. Here's hoping that he will be here soon, healthy and a normal birth weight.

A Christmas Dream

Up through Tuesday we had the ideal Christmas. Then our Christmas dream became a nightmare. At about 3:00am Christmas Eve it went down hill. Jeremy woke up with VIOLENT tummy troubles. "Both faucets on" is how he put it. That lasted for about four hours before it slowed down. I was able to go to my Doctor appointment (report to follow). We had babysitting planned and Jeremy was going to go but was more worried about how he was going to survive. Our good friends were willing to take on four of our kids so Miranda could go with me to visit the doctor. By the time I got home around 11:30 I was in the midst of the same illness, although not with the same violence as Jeremy. We spent the rest of the day among the land of the dead. The kids were absolutely fabulous. They got along well, watched movies and stayed pretty calm and not needy. They were amazing. We were unable to go to our family Christmas Eve dinner, but pity was taken on us and they went and got Happy Meals for our kiddos. Nothing like Christmas with McDonald's. The kids were just as pleased although they missed their cousins. Jeremy and I tried to make the most of it and read Luke 2 to the kids while they acted it out. Then thankfully parenthood was over for the night. We put them to bed after putting out cookies and milk for Santa, and Carrots and a bowl of water for the reindeer. Those were disposed of rather quickly in a nontradional way! It was a toss up as to who had the least amount of energy.

After the darlings were asleep we had required duties to take care of. I truly contemplated telling the kids Santa did not want to come because he couldn't afford to get sick when he had so many deliveries. Luckily we had just enough borrowed energy to get things in order. We didn't, however, get our presents out. On the way back to bed I knew I was going to loose it. Well I did, all over the bathroom floor. Luckily, if you can say that, it was all on the linoleum and all that I had was water so it looked like the kids got a little crazy with the sink. When we woke up this morning we were feeling considerably better and were able to get everything in order before the kids woke up.

We had our little family Christmas with no major incidents, then went to Mom J.'s house for presents. We got there at noon and the kids enjoyed opening presents and playing with their cousins. At about 2:30 the kids ate lunch. Jeremy and I were still on the "I won't eat if it's the last thing I do diet." About 15 minutes later Haylie experienced the same lovely illness as Jer and I. Again luckily, it was over the hard wood floors. Unfortunately, her Aunt's brand new, less than a month old, Genuine Ugg boots received some splatter, UGH! Can you clean those? So our Christmas celebration came to a quick close as we told everyone of our kids to hold their breath, not to pass on germs, and get in the car really quick. Everyone was very nice about it, I can only hope that this ends with our family and we didn't infect anyone.

This has been the most nontraditional Christmas. The kiddos have been so good and we have heard "This is the BEST Christmas ever" lots of times. Jeremy and I just look at each other and laugh. It at least goes to show our kids have low expectations. As of now I just can't help but dream of a healthy Christmas next year!

Jeremy thinks I'm Silly!

It is no secret that I am counting down the seconds until my due date that will inevitably pass before I have this little tyke. I keep hoping and planning what I will do if I were to spontaneously go into labor. I know it's a pipe dream. As labor and delivery loom near I start to panic. I know it is silly considering I panic every time and it has been a great experience, surrounded by pain of course. I have heard horror stories frequently in the last few weeks and I can't help but think "what if that was me?" A friend who is expecting in May said at her 20 week appointment her baby was measuring the size (at least length) of a 30 week fetus. She said she ripped in three directions with her small 7 pound baby and ended up with something like 175 stitches, HOLY COW! Another friend was pushing for over 2 hours, I DO NOT HAVE THE STAMINA for that! I have been lucky that in that sense too I have had a maximum of 15 minutes of pushing mostly less though. The twins were 10 minutes for both. More recently a friend had an 11lb 3oz baby boy! A few people were prepped for a c-section then able to have their child the "normal" exit way, only after having to freak out that the heart rates of their child had dropped.

In all these cases, while painful, scary, or exhausting, all babies and mamma's were healthy. Why do I fear? The birth process is a miracle and dangerous yet I have heard more good stories and happy endings than the other.

I have only had an epidural with the twins and it was mostly for their safety. It was a pretty simple delivery, no complications, no stitches and virtually pain free, and the actual labor was quick. I didn't like the swelling afterwards or being cold. With this being my last pregnancy I debate whether to get the epidural or not? It's not that I don't get an epidural to be a hero, I kind of feel that the doctors/nurses help to move things along or take me more seriously when I say I need to push. With the twins I couldn't feel anything. In fact the doctor came and checked and said "you're ready, there's a head" I had no idea! I couldn't feel contractions, but I could still control the pushing aspect. I guess that is good. I also don't like the feeling of not being in control of my body and being numb is certainly not being in control. On the other hand when I had Lauren with no pain relief, I almost lost control mentally, I started to freak out. I no longer wanted any part of the birth process, which unfortunately was kind of mandatory. I had made the commitment when we decided to have another baby. There were a few nurses who wouldn't let me give up (just a note Jeremy was on the fence) and within a few minutes my little linebacker GIRL was born.

So maybe I am silly for being worried but I am nonetheless and can't wait for it to be over. The aches and pains have been tolerable through pregnancy but they are getting more difficult, sometimes I think I might cry, but I keep plugging along hoping that the activities that cause the pain such as cleaning, and walking, will help with spontaneous labor. Then the next day I feel the uncomfortable results and wonder if I may not be silly just crazy!

After all is said and done, I just want to hold a healthy little boy really soon, kiss his little forehead, and let him wrap his fist around my finger. It won't be too long before I am wrapped around his little finger! I am sure I won't be alone at least four of his older siblings feel the same way as me. As for Lauren we will see. Then there is Dad, I don't think he can wait too much longer to have two sons to teach and embrace.

Happy Birthday, SON!

Yesterday was Logan's 6th Birthday. I can't believe he is growing up so fast. All he could talk about was his spider cake that he was getting for his birthday. For the record I couldn't fit 8 legs per spider just so you know I am not teaching him incorrect spider facts! He said it was his best birthday ever. We celebrated his birthday with extended family on Tuesday where he got spoiled. His cousin's birthday was that day so they got to celebrate together.

Here is the video link. I couldn't ask for a better example for Logan to look up to, but I couldn't be more proud that Logan wants to be like his Dad.

Happy Birthday Logan J!

Another Craft Project

I have been feeling very crafty, and it works especially well when I either have the supplies or can get them very cheap. I found this project here. I was inspired. So I got all the supplies and did it QUICKLY. It is a very simple project.

For some reason it won't rotate right but it is a close up of the M. Now I just need to figure out how to hang them on the wall. I may need to get a tiny shelf to put it on!

Want, Want, Want!

I use that word too often! I came across this website tha sells aprons and the patterns. They are adorable. http://www.epicureanstyle.com/. This is my favorite:

Isn't it adorable? I amnot a bird fan but I really like the style and pattern. Who wouldn't feel like a modern June Cleaver cooking with this apron? Here is a link to the post with pictures of various styles. You can also go to her store at the above website. You can buy either the already made apron or buy the pattern!

That's just gross!

We were sitting in church on Sunday and Hannah so gracefully and with perfect manners picks her nose. Yes folks, you know the chain of events, in her mouth it went. While trying to contain my gagging, pregnancy has led me to the toilet frequently in these kinds of situations, I had to think of how to tell her not to do this. So I whispered in her ear that boogers are made of germs and when she takes them out of her nose and puts them in her mouth she is putting yucky germs in her body. I am sure too deep for a three year old but whatever. She looks at me and says "But I like them!" Hurl, gag, giggle! At least she was honest!

Giveaway

Well it is not mine, but it can be found here.

She is giving away 4 place settings, you can choose one color or up to four colors. The values is $50/place setting. Way cute! She will be doing the drawing on Christmas eve. Here's to Santa giving me a gift of Fiestaware!

It's a miracle!

I have been very blessed to have an easy time conceiving, pregnancy has been a breeze (don't get me wrong it is not comfortable all the time and there are pains but no concerns or health problems), and delivery is almost perfectly story book. I have had this experience several times. As I am getting to the end of this pregnancy I have been reflecting on the miracle of life. It is still so unbelievable to me that there is this precious little life growing inside of me. It is incomprehensible in so many ways. It is amazing how the body can take care of a growing human life, and the human life can change and grow so drastically in such a short time. It also surprises me how often I can not remember I am pregnant. I will forget that this big belly can "squeeze" at all any more. So often I forget how far it is out there and I bump in to people. My favorite is when I am sitting down with Lauren standing in front of me. Normally I would have plenty of room to stand up but now I stand up and hit her with my belly and she falls down. OOPS!

I can't wait to meet baby Jackson. To see who he will be and how his personality will fit in with our family. I used to give Logan a bad time for his emotional outbursts, the twins had their mischievousness time two, Lauren is so much more strongly opinionated then any of our children. There is no secret when she doesn't want what you offer. She can't talk but she let's you know in an effective way, usually it involves swinging arms and a loud noise. Miranda was not perfect but I had nothing to compare her to so it is hard to see the little quirks she had. All of our kids are special and have so many fun qualities. They are like their dad in that they LOVE music. They love to play in a big group, small group and even by themselves. I think that is a benefit to a large family. They all have options. They love to do craft projects, I will claim that as coming from me. Miranda loves to read, while Logan has an amazing number sense. Before kindergarten he was using the clock to do math. he came up with that on his own. It will be fun to see Haylie and Hannah with their educational strengths. Time goes by so fast.

Parenthood is truly a miracle and a blessing. I am not the best parent and I have so many faults and fail at so many things, but I love my kids and by some miracle they love me too. Heavenly Father knows what he is doing when creating these strong bonds. I know what I feel towards my kids is only a fraction of what He feels towards each of us. It is hard to comprehend. I am grateful for that love too.

On the same note of parenthood I have been thinking a lot about the Savior's birth. I have been thinking about Mary too. Since both my boys will be born in the near vicinity of Christmas, it helps to understand the sacrifice Mary made. When I had the twins a weird thought came to me. They were child #3 and #4. The nurses will give the spiel about not giving your child to anyone without a certain name tag. I couldn't help but think some one would look at my "abundant load" of children, and think since I had two at a time they can take one, or even giving one up for adoption. It almost brought tears thinking of giving up one of them. It was a ridiculous thought I know but then I think of Mary. She gave birth to her son and knew from before conception that she would be giving up her son. She had a few years that he needed her, but He would be so much more. There would come a time in His young life that she couldn't teach him anything, He would be teaching her. It makes me appreciate my boys even more. While I am aware that Christmas is not really near Jesus' real birthday, it is a great reminder.

A Perfect Day

We are not a very involved family, no lessons, sports, etc. however, we do usually have social commitments or church, not to mention the regular trips to Targets and the things that just NEED to get done. It makes for very busy Saturdays. We wouldn't trade that for anything but it is nice when we have a good family day. This Saturday was one of those days. Jeremy had a couple things in the morning so I was with the kids. We got to finish up an art project. They each got to paint their own frame on Thursday then Saturday they got to stamp them and decorate them in their own way. It was fun and I got to help them all individually. Then Jeremy got home and I left to run an errand. He had things he wanted to do such as mow the lawn but he decided to play some games with the kids. One game was Pretty Pretty Princess. It is the funniest thing to see Jeremy with dangly earrings and sometimes a crown. This is one of the funny hazards of being dad to so many girls. These are the times when we know we are making good memories with the kids.

A Star is Born

It is no secret that Miranda loves to perform. Her strengths are a few of my many weaknesses. Back in September she got to sing with two older girls for our Primary program. She had no fear or at least it appeared that way. She did amazing. It doesn't take much talent to be in a required class play but it is still always a little nerve wracking getting up in front of people. She did it and she was fabulous. I love to see her in front of people and not be shy. Here she is in her class Thanksgiving play.

She also got to play Mary in a Nativity scene for our church (ward) Christmas party. I was "backstage" so I didn't get to see how it went. Thankfully Uncle Chris was there to represent with the camera. Thanks Chris for always being there to take pictures!

This is a post about Miranda but I had to add that Logan was one of the Wisemen, the green one!

His buddy Caden is the purple Wiseman. They are 6 weeks apart in age and happen to be in the same class in Kindergarten. Logan will be the next shining star. He will be in his class "Holiday" Performance on Monday, I will make sure to take pictures and post them soon.

Equal Representation

I love to listen to Haylie and Hannah talk. They have the cutest little voices. Although I can't understand a word they say some times...well maybe more often than that. So I got an opportunity to record the girls when they were in a particularly chatty mood. Actually Haylie was and I was able to get Hannah to talk a little too. Each video is about 2 minutes so this is for the family who haven't got to see the girls in a while!

This is Haylie, she also appears beside her sister in the second video. Note when she turns to the side she is looking how cute she is in the mirror, no she's not vain at all. I told her she was cute and she said yup!


Here's Hannah:

(If the videos don't appear click on their name and it will bring you to the video.)

Two for One

I will combine these next two posts. I realized that three posts of Lauren antics might be too much, but I wanted to post the pictures.

Last Saturday, Jeremy's work hosted a movie day as an appreciation to it's members (it's a credit union). For $2.00 you get to see a movie, a large hot dog, a bag of popcorn and a soda. We look forward to this event. We got to see Bolt. It was a cute movie. The kids seemed to enjoy it a lot. We, by we I mean Jeremy, had to take Lauren out for a brief period. He was able to come back quickly though and Lauren soon fell asleep. I took this picture at the end of the movie.

I just loved her cute pink cheeks and pouty lips. Thank you credit union!

Later that day Jeremy and I were getting clothes ready for Baby Jackson and Lauren kept getting kicked out of the room. She got real quite, which is a sign I don't pick up on too often. I decided to check on her and she was in her room doing what she loves best: "READ"

Lauren can be found most times with a book in her hand. All the other kids want to bring toys in the car to play with but she will usually have a book. It is funny. She could be following my footsteps and is a sign that I read too much, and the computer isn't as portable.

Sweet Lauren

The kiddos have been into playing games. It is nice since Miranda reads she can help the kids play games, which they all love. Today Haylie and Hannah wanted to play a game and introduce Lauren to the game closet which equals lots of little pieces. I looked down the hall and Lauren was looking in the closet. I told her no and then I looked up and she was gone. What an obedient child NOT! I walked down the hall and this is what I found:

She didn't walk away she walked into the closet and closed the door behind her. I was walking to check on her and the little imp was in there and proud of her sneakiness! I even walked back to get the camera and she stayed there and was ready to pose for a picture.

She had dumped out a game, luckily it is mostly cards and only one choking hazard, a large dice. We have been blessed with babies who are not extremely oral with the need to put things in their mouths! I am embarrassed to say even when she is devilish in her antics she is dang cute!

Blog Copying

Sometimes when surfing the blogging world you come across something that all should see. I came across this video from Natalie's Blog. I thought all would appreciate it so I copied it. Luckily it is on Youtube so I can do that! : ) It did make me smile. Merry Christmas!

Funny sayings in my life

The kids crack me-up sometimes. Hannah is always saying things that are funny hopefully I can communicate them so you can chuckle too!

Yesterday she picked up a Christmas card and said "What does this say?" I said like I always do "what do you think it says?" I love setting them up for creativity. She looked at the card and pretended to read "Dear Christmas, I love you, Santa!" I am sure he does love Christmas.

I can't remember the situation but Hannah said in her little three almost four year old voice. "I absolutely don't want to!" What little girls uses that word?

When she is done eating and still has a little left she never tells us No she won't eat it, she says "I can't know how to finish it!"

When we asked Haylie if she wanted homemade cookies last night or ice cream she said "I will have one of each, that OK with you?"

Although this was a while ago it deserves a mention. Jeremy and Logan were talking philosophically and Logan asked Jeremy "Where do Legs come from?" Jeremy trying to buy some time to think of a good answer said "what do you think?" Logan said I know, "from your bottom" Why didn't Dad think of that?

At Thanksgiving I was prepping the turkey and Logan asked what we eat on Thanksgiving I told him turkey so he asked "well what do turkeys eat?" I honestly said they don't, so Logan said that's right because they are cooked.

And lastly we were at Costco and Logan decided he didn't want to eat turkey for Christmas. I asked what did he want instead. He said "Pig" I think we might be a little too honest about what animal meat comes from.

Lauren although she thinks she says a lot he favorite command is "Na!" when she says it it is said with undeniable authority. Which means give it to me NOW! She also says Ka for sock and Zsh for shoes.

A coupon Redeemed

Stampin' Up has a now retired stamp set called Create-A-Coupon. My friends and I have had fun making coupons for our husbands and a few husbands have made some in return, including Jeremy. This is about a coupon I made for Jeremy. One of our new found favorite date nights is to eat dinner together after the kids go to bed and watch a movie. So I made a coupon for him that said I would make him a dinner of his choice, and the movie of his choice was assumed, even though he considers my opinion in that category.

His Menu:

BBQ Tri-Tip (Costco has the best pre-Marinated Tri-Tip)

Potato Cakes like those served at Claim Jumper

California Mix Vegetables

Snickers Salad (Thanks Hayley!)

and for Dessert:

Vanilla Ice Cream with Magic Shell (What can I say he is a kid at heart!)

I did actually BBQ outside in the cold, if I wasn't pregnant I would have said no way but being that I am perpetually hot the crisp air felt fabulous. The kiddos were asleep at 8:00, by 8:30 dinner was ready.

The Snickers Salad didn't turn out in the picture but it is delicious, I think like most fruit salads some may call it dessert but we call it healthy fruit! Just in case you are curious we watched The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I made it though dinner but had to lay down because of my back, needless to say I snored, in a nice feminine was of course, through at least half of the movie. The dinner was delicious though and worth the work, plus Jeremy loved it. As long as he knows how much I love him that's all that matters. I love you Jer!

Baby Update number 5,872

OK I haven't really posted that many updates it's just that I have been pretty much pregnant for the last 8 years so it seems like a lot...We have good news folks. Jackson has a better sense of direction than Lauren did, he is head down. We got to see him with the ultrasound machine today. He has a visually strong heartbeat and is breathing well. The right amount of amniotic fluid too. The doctor said a good living environment for our little man. He said next time (38 weeks) he would see how my cervix is looking than if things were looking good he would do a little "stretching" at 39 weeks. I got my next appointment for 12/24. So that puts me at 38 weeks and 4 days. We will see what happens then. I am thinking after Christmas the "stretching" may happen. It is interesting not knowing anything. I thought for sure this stubborn little man, I can say that as it is a dominant trait in our family, was laying sideways so to see him head down was a relief and surprise.

By the way tomorrow is officially 36 weeks. I can't say time is going fast for the pregnancy since I am practically counting every minute, but life is flying by quickly. We have lots going on, lots of plans, shopping, cooking, eating, movies, friends, family....you know all the wonderful things that go along with this time of year. I am sure after it is all said and done it will feel like it flew by. This due date makes me feel like I have been pregnant for the whole year of 2008!

This cartoon is particularly funny since I always say that my children get eviction notices in the form of pitocin.

We have a new mode of transportation...

Not we, actually just Lauren, she is officially walking and doing it well. In fact someone even used the word fast, as her mom I wouldn't go that far. She is, however, choosing to walk and not crawl. So...YEAH for no more dirty knees!



Video Link (for some reason the video is not working so if you click on the link it will take you to the video.

My favorite thing she does so far is walk AND talk on the phone. I am a little scared for her teenage years in more ways than I can count! I had the cutest video but when I went to watch it I noticed Hannah in the background showing a little more than a modest girl should.

This post was started a month ago it just took me this long to get the video up. So for those of you clocking milestones. She was walking at the record age of 17 months just like her twin sisters.

friends from the beginning...

When Lauren was born there were three of us in our ward all expecting girls. They were born one month apart starting in March of '07, then April, and Lauren bringing up the rear in May. I get the opportunity to watch the girls once a week for about an hour and I realized that we haven't taken a picture of them together in a while, well since they were all barely one. Now they are all over 18 months (Lauren being 18 months). So I took the picture today. Here are the little cuties:

Welcoming Christmas

On Friday Jeremy woke up at 4:45 and did a little Black Friday Madness Shopping. He came home about 8:00am and brought edible gifts of donuts. That started our day. We then went out as a family and did a little more shopping. We came home and then went to get a beauty of a crooked tree! We have had a little tradition that Jeremy has had nightmares about since the day we were going to buy our tree. The tradition is one we want to get rid of and thus far have avoided. Our Christmas tree falls over. Usually after it has been decorated. Although battle damage has occured we have had no complete casualties. I have learned two things that, although they bug me, they don't bother me for any length of time. These two things bother Jeremy to no end, like he can barely think of anything else it bugs him so bad. Are you curious? 1) Ants and 2) The Christmas tree falling over. It is so bad he woke me up at 4:00am to tell me his solution to not having our tree fall over. Solution one which is reasonable. He said put the heavier ornaments towards the bottom. I agree although the most fragile are usually the heaviest and need the strongest branches wich are located where? That's right, towards the top. And the second which I think is unreasonable and he still believes it is a good idea, to anchor it to the wall! The second is slighlty in jest but i am sure if I agreed he would be all over it! It is enough to almost convince him to buy a fake tree, that is saying alot if you know him.

On Saturday night we finally decorated the tree. We made the kids sit on the step and wait until they could put the ornaments on. We had to get lights, tinsel (I always called it garland but Jer's family calls it tinsel) and of course the star on top.

I think I saw it on a movie once, Jingle All the Way, where the dad always did the star on top so I insist Jeremy do it too. It helps that he doesn't need to stand on anything to do it either.

So we bit the bullet, bought a smaller tree than last year and only used half our ornaments!

This is our tree before the ornaments. It stands a little crooked and the star wobbles like a bobble head on top but it is our perfect tree, it fits right in. We love it.

Thanksgiving Celebration

Wow it has been a busy few days. I got a little over eager to re-arrange rooms. We now have a Boys Club and Girls club! I moved a couple dressers between room and a book case or two, not to mention practically all of Toys R Us! Well I am sure they don't have that many toys but let me tell you I have no idea where to put it all and be organized! Needless to say with an 8 month pregnant belly I was in a bit of pain in all the wrong areas! So I took it easy Wednesday and just tried to do the little stuff like find a place for all the stuff the twins will destroy like Barbies, Polly Pockets, and Littlest Pet Shop...and the newest twin invention of Polly Pet Shop!

Thursday we had Dinner at my house, I got to cook the big T-day Turkey. As I was prepping the turkey and pulling out the neck I couldn't help but wonder if that is what the doctor feels like when trying to assist in birthing a baby. Then we have had washer problems, one of the little socks clogged the drain and we can't get it out, so I went into the garage and Jer has the washer laying down and is reaching in underneath to try and get the sock out...I was beginning to sense a pattern. I have a one tracked mind but I am going out on a limb and saying any woman who is within 5 weeks of delivery is on that same track. Dinner was a success. The 18lb turkey that was supposed to take 4 hours to cook was very well cooked by 3 hours. So it got to soak up it's juices for some time. The turkey didn't taste over cooked so that was good news. When I took the foil off, it looked like a turkey from a horror movie and would never get any beauty prizes that's for sure. Speaking of beauty prizes...my brother-in-law has bragged for a few years about his pie making skills so this year we challenged him. They were excellent and pretty!

We got to hang out and watch the cousins play and laugh, like all holidays should be. It was perfect. Except for those that we love and missed.

Elf Yourself the video

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Elf Yourself

So I am a little cheap and didn't want to download the video. Jeremy put this together and it cracked me up. To see the video click here. I will see if I can embed it later.

Another thing jJackson is up to...

I forgot another thing the girls told me that Jackson was doing. They told me he was taking his medicine, (we are fighting colds and fevers...it's a regular war zone over here.) I asked where he gets his medicine, they said in his kitchen. I asked if his kitchen was in my tummy they confirmed. I told you it was a penthouse suite!

PG update

PG=pregnancy FYI


So I am officially 34 weeks. Things are going pretty good. I try not to think of Labor and Delivery, I am always afraid this one will be the bad experience! With a little less than 6 weeks left I am starting to feel pretty uncomfortable and the pains that go with that. I am still forever grateful that I have healthy pregnancies and my pains are normal, nothing to cause concern to me or our little baby.


The real reason I was posting was to share a couple things the twins say about baby Jackson. We took Haylie, Hannah and Lauren to my last appointment and told them that they will get to hear the heartbeat. They thought it was pretty neat, not like Logan though. Lauren just looked at me with lots of concern I took it as "what the heck is that?" Then Jeremy said no she hears COMPETITION! I think he was more correct.


Since the appointment on more than one occasion one of the girls will lean against my ever expanding tummy and say I heard his "heartbeef." They may be right and I will give birth to a cow! Hannah will tell me what Jackson is doing. Yesterday he went for a walk in my tummy. He has taken a bath in there with pretend soap. Today he is getting ready for Christmas. It is quite funny, they really don't get it. I know for some babies in utero they get cramped and I realize the twins created a penthouse "sweet" for the siblings who followed them. Seriously though I don't think he has as much room as they think. I asked how big they thought he was in there and Hannah held up two fingers and held them about 1.5 inches apart. Haylie was probably a bit closer with both arms opened wide. So would you like to see the penthouse suite:

The doctor asked if my stomach was bigger than with my other pregnancies. Umm? hum? I am not sure, but it it does look like a good size watermelon is in my shirt! I do have to give him props he is very attentive when it comes to the size of this baby, he is going to try and "Stir things up" at 38 weeks (4 more weeks yeah-baby!) give the exit door cooperates and doesn't put me or the baby at risk. Yeah for caring and compassionate doctors! Lots of gratitude in our home! And with that here is another good cartoon for me!

A family day

It seemed for a while we were doing all kinds of fun family stuff. We still do but just not exciting enough to blog about. Yesterday was different. We took a trip to the Sacramento. We got to see the Sacramento Temple to see Reflections of Christ

We took advantage of the fall colors and took some family photos too.

Then we took some pictures of the kids and tried for a good family picture.

This was done with a timer and I realized at the last minute I had hair in my face and decided to flick it out of the way...at least that's my excuse!

After we took drove a little further to Apple Hill. The kids each got to choose something extra. Miranda and Hannah chose a pony ride.

Miranda was right at home and enjoyed every minute. Hannah left a little to be desired with a forced smile at the beginning but by the end she was having a good time.

Lauren enjoyed watching the girls go round and round and would sneak a lick of the grime on the surrounding fence, ugh! Logan chose a Carmel Apple, smart man! Although we could have just got him some soft caramel and a spoon.Haylie didn't really seem partial to much so we got her a popsicle which she enjoyed. Jer got an Apple Cider Milkshake and I got a Caramel Apple Milkshake. Sounds a little gross but YUMMMMMMY!

It was a fun and relaxing family day. It was nice to be on our own schedule with not much we had to worry about for time. As always the kids traveled well. I think Hannah slept every time we turned on the car. She came home and had a pretty high fever so that explains the lack of appetite.

Girls Night Out

I have been so excited to see Twilight, I am not going to lie. I really enjoyed it. I partly wished I hadn't read the book first, then the book gets to fill in the gaps instead of noticing missing parts. I went in with very low expectations, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed if I expected bad. It was pretty good, especially since they didn't expect it to make too much money. The special effects were cheesy but hopefully with the next one they can do better since the investment will be worth it.

So on to the night. I made dinner for 7 great friends. I choose the only real meal shared in the book that happened to be the only real date too. I made ravioli's then added breadsticks and salad. I also served Pepsi, as I don't like coke. Dinner was good the conversation was fun. I let everyone take candy from our ginormous Halloween stash for movie theater snacks. As we were leaving my friend April asked "you have the tickets right" I replied "yep except Heather has her own" do you see where this is going? We wanted to leave about 1.5 hours early so we got to sit together. We pulled up to the theater about 1 hour before the movie started. There was hardly any parking in the nearby garage. It was my lucky night I found a spot. We get out of the car and I go to hand everyone there tickets, then realize I took only my wallet to the school craft faire and left it in the stroller...not the one in the car but the one I leave at home! Stupid, Idiot, Lame....These were all words that went through my mind with the mental word lashing I was giving my self. Luckily my friend Tara decided to drive home with me to get the tickets. If she hadn't I probably would have cried for all the prep I did to make everything work out timing wise. We laughed a lot, but when you are with her it is kind of a given. Great story teller, reminds me of Lucille Ball with her facial expressions! We made good time, we got the tickets and were back with in half an hour. Tara gracefully passed tickets off to Jen on the curb in front of the theater so she could run in and give the tickets to the rest of the group who were waiting in line. We got a way better parking spot. We made it! Come to find out the worker lady at Cinemark/Century Theatre held up the line until the tickets were there for our group. It was awesome and made me feel less guilty. (A little plug for the theater go to CineMark theaters!)

Backing up a little I planned this dinner thing and fully intended to let Jeremy relax while I did it all, since I am the one always coming up with these ideas. He was the perfect hired hand. He did all the last minute prep...which was everything since it was one of those 15 minute dinners, while I got to socialize. I did help a bit but he really went above and beyond my expectations. Then he fed the kids, helped clear the dishes while we continued to chat away. When I go back home from the movie, it was all cleaned up. It was awesome. I feel so lucky to have him as my partner, best friend, and example. He made it such a nice and relaxing evening. If only I hadn't forgot the tickets at hope it would have been the easiest girl's night in/out ever.

We are flexible...

I went to wake Lauren up from her 15 minute nap to go get Logan. The Doctor has asked about her being unusually flexible.

I would have to say her flexibility is extremely good. I was shocked that not only was she sleeping soundly I had a hard time waking her up. It could have been the lack of oxygen making it to her lungs from sleeping in this position!

A Busy Day

We had a fun yet busy day yesterday, I will just share the extra exciting stuff. Miranda had a play date with a friend. They did sugar cookies. Her friend's mom took some pictures and sent them to me. This is how I train my daughter to behave at the homes of others. See how sweet and neat she is surrounded by flour...


I am so proud. Then I opened up this photo:

Miranda started it but both girls got equally floured! They had a blast and the mom still said she can come over anytime.

While Miranda was playing Paula Deen, the new Betty Crocker in my book, we went to a park and were met by a friend:

OK it really wasn't that big but it was at least three inches long! It must have decided that the little munchkins were having fun on the playground and Mr. T wanted to join in the fun. UGH! Brittany i wish you were there...but be proud I didn't scream and pack up the kids. Instead I embraced technology and took a picture with my cell phone. That means I had to get pretty close.



With that Lauren would like to add a special service message. "We were unharmed, and continued to play...just not in the bushes. It was lots of fun! Check you all lata!"

My Furious Five

..or fearsome five...furocious five...FABULOUS FIVE! I guess you get the picture. It was one of those rare moments where I was able to get all fivekids willing (mostly) to take a picture together, where they were all at least looking at the camera and MOSTLY smiling. So what if half ar in pajamas, 80% have bed head and there is a few runny noses. They are still dang cute. Besides its my life wrapped up in one photo!
Hannah is on the left, she was the least willing to be in the picture but still she gave a smirk and was not whining. I took individual pictures too. Lauren while opinionated and laud is appearantly fickle too and wanted to be in all the pictures. I had to tell the girls to run quickly and snap a picture before Lauren got in the shot. She has an arm here and a foot there. Ha-ha!

A day in our life...

It seems Jeremy and I can agree about 2 weeks ago we lost control of the volume in our house. The kids have learned one noise level, near or far, inside or out, the level is FULL BLAST! It seems conversations at the dinner table are extremely loud. Jeremy and I used to be able to hold conversations, the kids have caught on extremely well and all talk at once. This may sound like a complaint and by the end of a meal it probably is. I love these kiddos and all their noise, the fun things they are interested in that make no sense to me at all. At times it gets to be too much but I know how blessed we are. Hannah is becoming quite the singer with Haylie close behind. I find them singing more and more of those one liners repeated over and over. Today Haylie and Hannah were sitting on the couch singing from their library books. Songs which of course had nothing to do with their books or each other! After about 15 minutes of this "noise" Jeremy quietly asked me to film it. So here is a little video of the girls singing. Hannah is by far the louder one and you can hear her singing I am a Child of God and If the Savior Stood Beside Me amongst other words.


At one point you hear Haylie say "Stop it Hannah I'm trying to sing!"

The Week of 31

Last week I turned 31 in years and weeks. I am officially 31 weeks along (now 31 and 4/7) That means only 59 days to go until I will probably cry or laugh that my due date is coming and going with no baby. Hopefully reverse psychology works and I will have a 12/30 baby. Any-hoo I thought the cartoon for this week was kind of lame so I thought I would take a picture of my large and in charge belly. Here is me a 31 weeks after swallowing a 4lb pumpkin:

Stay tuned next month to what I look like after eating a 6 lb Turkey!

Family Home Evening: Patriotism.

As we are getting ready to vote tomorrow..(not me, mine has probably already been counted vote by mail wa-hoo!) Jeremy and I always try to have our own post-family home evening and discuss what is on the ballot and how to vote, make sure we are both understanding what the candidates stand for or the propositions etc. This year I thought with as much as the kids are hearing, yes elementary school kids are coming home saying I would vote for Barak Obama. Miranda's reason was that he has a daughter, Sasha the same age as her.

So I thought we could talk about Patriotism. It was linked to Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty. This can be found in the Book of Mormon Alma 46. It is a great story about a man known as Captain Moroni. He was a righteous man. There was another man named Amalickiah. He wanted to be king and gathered people to follow him using "flattering words." Moroni was angry and "rent his coat" and on it he wrote "In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children"

It seemed the perfect way to liken the scripture story to the elections. We talked of the story and then I shared a more grown up quote from a modern prophet Ezra Taft Benson. It says "Patriotism is more than flag-waving and fireworks. It is how we respond to public issues. If we ask only 'what's in this proposal for me?--What do I get out of it?'--we are not patriotic and we are not good citizens. But if we ask, 'Is this right?--is it good for the ...people?--would it preserve and strengthen our freedom?'--then we deserve to stand in the company of [great patriots]. Patriotism is trying always to give more to the Nation than we receive. It is selfless service."

Although Captain Moroni was "flag-waving" he was fighting for what was right, and willing to give more, his life, than he was given in return. This really hit home for me and this time of year. It was especially great because Miranda gave the lesson and told this scripture story in her own words. She got it, and because she taught it, Logan got it too. It was awesome! I added the quote more for the grown-ups but I did tell the kids while they are too young to vote they are never too young to be good citizens of this blessed land.

I am not sure why, if it is said, or just in pictures or if it has been my interpretation but the Title of Liberty is always yellow in my mind. So for our treat I made "edible Title of Liberties"
As I got to thinking about it I noticed a coincidence. The Prop 8 signs are done with mostly yellow with blue writing on it.
Our sign is a little worn, as I am sure Captain Moroni's coat was too.

I can't believe I forgot....

On Tuesday the 28th of October something monumental happened...Logan lost his first tooth. There was no video or pomp and circumstance, applause or anything like that. Since about the first week of school Logan has been wiggling this tooth, it was a stubborn one. That word comes up a lot in my family...weird! So I was taking a nap on the couch when Logan came in and said how loose his tooth was, Jeremy who was there said something to him and he left. Within a couple minutes he came back tooth in hand. Miranda's teeth were always fun and involved dental floss. Here is a picture of my newest Jack O'Lantern.

Can you feel the rain?

As the end of this election year is coming to a close, I can not lie and say I will miss it. I have shared with many friends that this campaign for Prop 8 has been the hardest thing I have been asked to do since I became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. While I still feel I have not done much nor enough, I have been emotionally involved, and it is exhausting. Some compare this to the early saints of the Church who left everything behind, as they were threatened with their lives again and again, and move to a new place. Finally ending with the long walk to Salt Lake from Nauvoo, Illinois. These people left everything they could not carry in a small wagon and sometimes handcart. Some walked through snow, lots buried their husbands, many children. Yet they still endured. Some had carried their things almost the whole way only to find out they couldn't bring them over the mountains and had to leave what they cherished most. So I can honestly say this is not THAT hard...for me. This IS the hardest thing I have done so far. While I am aware of many blessing I receive from my Heavenly Father, I am sure I am unaware of those tiny yet valuable moments that He has protected me from hard things.

On to my point. It is raining here, pretty hard at times. I was sitting at my table reading, while Jeremy has headed out to stand in the pouring rain, preparing to get absolutely drenched, yet doing what he has been asked to do, and with a good, willing attitude. I am sure this has not been an easy campaign for anyone, whether it is blogging, participating in public forums, knocking doors, making phone calls or holding or placing signs, it is ALL hard and makes you as an individual vulnerable. I get sidetracked...so Jeremy called to say he was there and people were indeed out there in the rain holding signs. Within about 10 minutes of his call, I looked up from my book and it had stopped raining. At that moment I felt the love of my Heavenly Father. It was one of those small blessings that reminded me that He knows that this is hard and He loves us for doing what we are asked to do, which is protect marriage, the marriage he created when he united Adam and Eve. He is always there to comfort us when we need it. I know how much He loves Jeremy and the other hundreds of people who are doing the same thing. So in a time when rain is much needed I am grateful that He stopped the rain for a time.