Our 10th Anniversary Together!!

This was us 10 years ago!!! JUNE 24, 1998!!! We didn't have a real photographer, but here are some of my favorite pictures that were captured with the disposable cameras that were used. That is the single thing I would do different if I were to redo it all over!! USE A PHOTOGRAPHER!!!


So I went through and we've scanned these pictures into the computer and now I can use them "digitally". I seriously can't believe that we've been together this LONG!! But the crazy thing it doesn't seem like 10 years is all that long anymore. So this is what has happened in the 10 years that we've been married.

• We became parents on April 27, 1999 - 10 months after we married.
• We had our first anniversary in Idaho and then we moved from Rexburg to Provo in July of 1999!!
• Our second child was born May 23, 2000
• March 6th, 2001 we moved into our house. (We've been here at our current location for 7 years !)
• August 16th, 2002 -- child number 3 came along.
• January 8th, 2005 -- WE FINALLY HAD A BOY!!
• Chris graduated with a Bachelors degree June 2005!
• Chris started working as an accountant July 2005 ( has been with them since then)
• We had child number 5 April 10, 2007.
• We've both reach the 30 year old status, (I just reached this last April, and Chris reached it a few years ago)
• We've had two of our children baptized!!
• We've been actively going to the temple and doing family history work for the last 2 1/2 years. (Doing family names makes going to the temple more of a priority!!)
• This last year we had three of our five kids in school all day long. We had children in 3rd, 2nd and Kindergarten!
• Plus we've been able to take our family through the Rexburg Temple Open House
• And we've got our first REAL Family Vacation scheduled for this July and August.
• We've had 10 wonderful, and happy (but not without some disagreements in there) years together and look forward to a bunch more together.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY CHRIS !!! I LOVE YOU!!

As with Gas this too shall pass.

My kids have made a lot of MESSES : here I'll list a few of the messes they've decided to make:

One time in their room, they wanted to "Make" something so they brought in flour, sugar, garlic powder, some water, and onion powder and I think they may have brought in the cocoa as well. So they basically had made a paste and had flour all over the floor, it was sticking to the carpet, and their room smelled bad. That was Kaylee and Katherine.

Thomas was sitting on the kitchen floor when he wasn't quite one and managed to get a yogurt container and basically finger painted all over the floor with yogurt. Not too bad because it was on the kitchen floor. But the time it took to clean was long, because it was yogurt and it kept making things sticky all over.

One of the kids had gotten into the Desitin and spread all over my walls, not to mention the numbers of times they have scribbled on the walls with markers, crayons, and tried to hang pictures on their sliding glass door with chapstick thinking it was a glue stick. Either way that would have been BAD!!!

Kids do make messes, despite our best efforts of trying to make sure they don't. It can happen while we're in the bathroom, and when were busy switching that load of laundry, or changing the babies diaper. It just takes a few seconds to Make the MESS but it can take "hours" to clean them up.

One time the kids poured some kind of liquid soap on the floor in our bathroom hall, which is carpeted, so imagine trying to clean that with water, and it just keeps making bubbles and spreading and just a job that seems to be never-ending.

I've also had them pouring their own glass of milk, or juice and the whole container ends up all over the place, (table, floor, chairs, themselves) -- So now I can only hope that when they are mom's that they can have the chance to experience this kind of "pleasure". Because really, I can see myself laughing about this hysterically when they are A LOT older.

So now as I've discovered them making messes, as they get older -- I have them help clean it up, so that hopefully they begin to1 realize that making messes cause MORE WORK!! Of which they aren't too fond of doing more than their supposed to.

It seems to that a lot of the times, they'll get into my makeup!! At least Kaylee and Katherine did when they were younger.

Any tube of frosting they seem to get into and it gets all over the place.

I just have to remember: As does GAS, This too shall PASS!!

Kaylee's #4 tooth

Before and After



Kaylee Finally lost her forth tooth. June 9th, 2008. She actually let her dad pull it out. I've attached the video so you can see the happening. Because if you know Kaylee she is so squirmy and won't let anyone touch her teeth. So the fact that she actually let her Dad pull out the loose tooth is a MIRACLE!!

I FOUND A GREAT BARGAIN!!

Okay so I like lotions, and body sprays, and I like to get them CHEAP!!! So I was in the mall today in Provo (Town Centre) and while I was waiting for Ethan's pictures to be uploaded to the computer at JCPENNY we walked around and happened to walk into Bath & Body Works -- I started smelling some of the lotions and shower gels that they had, and then realized that most of the things were 75% off !! I'm not KIDDING !!! So these bottles of great smelling lotion are normally like $10 - $12 were like just under $3.00 a piece. (Price varies of course!!) So I found two lotions, and two body sprays that I liked and paid under $11.00 for four items!! WOOHOO!! So ladies right now is the time to buy this stuff !! I want to go back and buy some more but --- I don't know what to get. I'll have a good supply of lotion to last a few months -- because now my daughters are into using the good smelly stuff. Maybe I should buy them some now and save it for Christmas!! But I also had an interesting situation happen while I was there. I'm almost embarassed to mention it. But it's something that I want to remember so I'll go ahead and tell it. I went to pay for my purchase and the debit card I was taking out of my wallet slipped out of my hand landed on the display shelf below and then managed to get lined up right with the back of the "wall" that was there and slipped into a crack apparently just big enough for my debit card to fall through. With no easy way of getting it out.

I thought maybe the card fell to the floor but, after one of the employees started to be resourceful and looked up where it fell in at discovered that it never reached the floor. She used a piece of wire from the back and tape and managed to rescue my card!! Bless her heart!! I was stressing bad about what to do or how to get it back. So I had caused the scene this time and not my children although they were with me and they were behaving very well!! Things could have been a lot worse but as it is -- turned out really great!! I also got to go to a Pampered Chef Party at my friends house this evening and had a GREAT TIME!!! Now I think I can face the next few days until the weekend starts.

Car Washing Fun

As part of their summer break, we have to make sure that at least 1 hour of chores are getting done each day. Yes, I had a lot of whining and complaining in the beginning. But as I have stuck with this the whining and complaining have almost disappeared. So one day last week washing the car was one of the chores that had to be done. So not only were they working but they could also play in water too!! So of course, I had to take pictures that I actually have proof that my kids do know how to work sometimes. So after doing this for a whole week and almost a half, I'm realizing that my children are contributing to the clean up and our home is starting to look better, and I'm not the one that has to do it ALL!! They really can do things. Even my 3 year old!! Ethan just kind of walks around and watches us, but in time he too will be able to do something. I did discover however that the kids are more motivated to do the chores if I'm working at the same time too!! But if I don't work, guess what -- neither do they!! So they set the timer for 1 hour and some are busy with doing the laundry, and someone else is wiping down walls, and yet if I'm doing the dishes they are drying them and putting them away because we don't have a dishwasher. So the minimum is 1 hour and if they are in the middle of a chore they have to finish the job. Here are the rules for the chores :

1. If I hear any complaining or whinning I give them 10 additional minutes.
2. If I hear any fighting or arguing I give them 10 additional minutes.
3. They have to do something in the house the helps make it look better.

(We'll get to their bedroom, SOON, I PROMISE!!!)

Free Fishing Day !!

Saturday June 7th, 2008

Free Fishing Day in Utah !!

So here I am with my five kiddos sitting on the sign for Footprinters Pond where we took the

kids to try out our hand at fishing again.

The kids started off the day by hunting for WORMS!!! They found a bunch especially at the compost pile that we decided to start in our own yard for our garden.
This is an overview of the pond we went to, we ate a picnic lunch at the pavillion.

Here I am with Ethan in the carrier. I was too NERVOUS to let him down

to walk even though he wanted too!! As you can see he was trying to get down.

Kaylee practicing with her pole.
Thomas having fun with his pole.

Here is Heidi with her Dad, trying to bait the hook with a worm.

Katherine giving her whirl at fishing.

Here is Ethan just having fun watching everyone.

Now although we didn't catch anything we did have fun, and it was such a relaxing day and the weather cooperated!! It was raining that morning but with luck on our side it turned out nice.

But last year in this very pond this was the result:

JUNE 2007 at FOOTPRINTERS POND!!

Last Day of School !!

Heidi had her last day of Kindergarten on May 22nd!! Here she is with her teacher Miss. Ahlstrom. Heidi just got her Diploma and was so anxious to sit back down.

June 6th, 2008 Kaylee with her teacher - Mrs. McGarry!!

Katherine with her teacher - Miss. Johnson

A picture in front of the new school sign that is finally landscaped.

It was a great day for the girls -- and of course, being a mom, and one that likes to take candid pictures of my kids and their events/activities I just had to be there this day. Now we're in store of a summer full of FUN, LOTS OF TIME IN THE CAR, and an OVERNITER away from the kids for MOM & DAD!!! YEAH!!

An experience with my daughter.

I've sat here and realized that my job as a mother is ONGOING!! I've always wanted to be a mom, but now that I've been one for NINE years, I'm not so sure what I've gotten myself into!! I want to be a good mom, someone who listens to my kids, and play with my kids, teach my kids, understand my kids - and the list goes on and on. So I've tried to be patient and try to understand but I find it very hard!! This morning could have been one of those days, but I listened to the spirit and decided to go with the flow rather than to quickly get IRATE!! So my 9 year old daughter didn't want to wake up, eat or get dressed for our 9am church. Chris went ahead with the other kids and I had the baby and the oldest. She refused, claimed that there was nothing to wear!!! ( Of course, as kids, we've all had those moments!!! REMEMBER??)

Well I had forgotten till the spirit whispered that I just needed to stay calm, (EVEN THOUGH I WAS LATE FOR CHURCH, and I WOULD HAVE BEEN ON TIME!!)

So I was completely ready and had Ethan ready - I grabbed the diaper bag, my scriptures and said I was going to be waiting in the car -- So HURRY up!! I did say it calmly and didn't get loud with her. I waited for 10 minutes in the car, No daughter yet. So I walked back in, and checked on her. Still not dressed, so I made sure that she remembered a few things, and said they same thing again. I'll be waiting in the car hurry up!! 10 minutes later I walked back into the house and she was coming out. She didn't have her hair brushed, but I wasn't going to battle that this time. I just wanted to get to church. So now I understand that it's time to "replenish" her church wardrobe again. So maybe this week I'll take them to DI ( Because I love the place) and find them all a "newer" outfit for church so that in the near future (aka in one week, next Sunday, seven days from now etc...) we don't go through the same thing again.

I remember those times as a child and how much it meant to me, when my mom or dad could figure me out and help solve the problem in the future. So I want to be sure and do the same things for my own children.

I know this sounds quite lame to be writing about, but if you know me at all, I normally OVERREACT and therefore cause the battle to go on and on and no one gets any peace and quiet. Someday, I hope that I can get out the door and not have to dress or find anything for my kids the morning of. SOMEDAY!!! I have hope that they will get to this point, although it will still be several years away. That's why I've been privileged to have these children -- I need to learn and acquire patients and they will definitely help me achieve it, -- like by the time they finally move out when they go to college. (MAYBE?? WHO KNOWS!!)

102. times 3

So this last week, I've spent with SICK KIDS!! The part I hate more than anything about being a MOM!! It started out with Thomas running a fever of 102.4 and it stayed fairly constant for three days. The fever was gone after the third day but then a red rash has covered his body, not sure what it is though. So Heidi also started to get sick while Thomas was sick, and her fever was running about 102 as well. This sickness caused her to throw up for one whole day. Poor thing. She camped out on the living room couch and slept and laid there for about two days. Her illness also caused her to be sick for about three days. She is now feeling much better but before she was all better Ethan came down with it too!! He was running a fever of 102 also!! His part I hate the worst!! He's so fussy, doesn't sleep well, and his appetite (as well as the other two) was gone!! He can't tell me where he hurts, he can't say hold me, like the others did. It's so straining on a mom!! Especially me. He seems to be doing a little better, but I can't tell because he also has three teeth that are coming in, two of which are molars on the top. OUCH!!

I did actually take him into the doctor and the dr. said that this wasn't strep after doing the rapid test in the office. But his throat did look NASTY, and that all three kids probably had the same thing it just brought out different symptoms in them.

Ethan was so much easier to console when he was a little baby, now it's more difficult. So I would have to say that I really hate this part more than anything else, about being a MOM.

Today is also the last day of school for Kaylee and Katherine, I'm EXCITED. And yes -- I'm not sure if I'm completely serious about saying that or not. I know I'll enjoy it for the first two weeks or so and then I'll be ready for them to get back. Maybe there could be some advantages to having year round school. But of course, my kids don't go to one. So I'll probably never know.

102.4 !!

To top everything from this crazy weekend off, I didn't get to sleep early!! It was before midnight but not a lot!! My sisters were coming down, but they didn't come until it was 10pm!! A bit late!!! Okay a lot LATE!!! I was tired my kids needed to be in bed, and well it wasn't happening very fast. So finally when it all ended I laid down on the couch to read and realized at 1 in the morning that I fell asleep, and was on the couch. Thomas came out because he needed to go potty, so I took him, but realized that he felt very HOT!! 102!!! That's right my baby boy had a FEVER!! He actually has had it today as well. But for 3 and half hours last night he kept bugging me for this and wanting that, and I got very little sleep. The poor little guy has seemed to go through a lot lately!! He's been sick on an off since Christmas and I can't seem to keep him healthy for very long intervals. I sure hope that this doesn't set back the surgery scheduled for June 13Th!! (Which is also a Friday) And no I'm not superstitious. It just works out great to go then.

So now that I feel I've posted the thoughts that I don't want to forget I should go get some sleep while all the kids are finally ASLEEP themselves!! Hopefully for the full night!! Or at least until 5am!!

May 31st 2008

What a weekend!! It's been great and busy, filled with lots of family and friends!! And food too!! This weekend Katherine was baptized!! What a great day!! We enjoyed the baptismal service at the church and invited the guests over for a BBQ afterwards. What fun!!! I think we'll have to do more of those in the future. It is so great to be able to live so close to family or have the distant family travel for these occasions. We had family from both sides of our family there both sets of Grandparents were there, as they were with Kaylee too!!

Here Katherine is with her Dad right before she was to be baptized.

And I remembered to be in one of the pictures before hand!! I totally forgot with Kaylee -- I mean what more could I have done, I was only about 4 weeks post partum and healing from a c-section. So actually remembering this time was a blessing!!

Katherine got there and was surprised to see one of her best friends getting baptized the same day!! We happen to be members of the same stake so that was neat too!! Katherine also mentioned that two other kids from their second grade class were also getting baptized the 31st as well. So that was four kids in one class that we know of -- how great that is!!

Our family picture right after the service was over. Will these kids ever co-operate!! ?? Thomas was screaming and had actually lost his shoes to the floor because they slipped right off from his feet. But of course, Chris had to hold him, and so his shirt is totally being raised up. I'll look at these later in life and laugh for sure!!

Here Katherine is with her Grandparents (Chris's parents) and I totally forgot to get one with mine. Maybe next time!!

We also managed to get a picture of all of my parents' grandchildren. Seeing how I have five of them and my sister now has three, and we both live in Utah -- you would think that my parents would want to be closer but that isn't the case!! So we managed to get a good shot or two of all of the kids. They weren't very happy about it either!!