Missing My Hubby, And Question..Should I Worry?

Tony is in Vegas for the managers conference and I am missing him! He has really had to step it up around here helping me and now that he is gone I can really see how much he was doing! Dang!
I was kinda worried how I was going to do for almost a week on my own but it has been OK.

Before Tony left he cleaned my room so I'd have a clean place to hide out then the morning he was going to fly out he got up early and mopped the floors since I had gone to bed the night before complaining how gross it was that my feet were sticking to the floors in the kitchen! Nice. He said he just wanted me to feel like things were not out of control.

And my super sweet sister in law Janeal called last week and told me she had ordered me a bunch of dinners from Dream Dinners. How nice is that? I only had to go pick them up. They were already assembled. Can I just say I love this lady? Janeal~ You are the best!Thanks!
So I had a fresh start before he left. Clean house, and meals already prepared.
I guess I am going to survive without him after all. Funny when he is here some days I want to punch him in the face or send him out to the car to sleep ( relax..haven't done it yet..just a thought..) And now that he is gone I miss him like crazy. He really is my best friend and I love ( almost all of the time) being with him!


Lately though~

I worry my kids are feral at this point. Kinda animalistic! Want to know what the dictionary definition of feral is?
A feral organism is one that has escaped from domestication and returned, partly or wholly, to its wild state. See....they are sadly, sadly feral!

Here are some examples to prove my point~

They have resorted to scrounging for food. They no longer rely on someone finding their food for them, they have turned to the survival instinct in them and have found clever ways to get it themselves.

Their hair has become kinda wild and nappy.Almost matted like.

They seldom wear clothes. They have decided to go back to their natural state.

And they have decided to forgo dishes. Much more efficient eating and drinking off the floor.

See...My kids are now feral. Scary!Should I worry?

Time Flies...

Do you ever have those moments that you stop and think Dang! When did that happen? I find myself thinking that over Hannah lately! She has really matured and changed these past few months! Help...she's a teeny bopper now! When did this happen?

She used to like to watch spongebob, play with her sisters, and listen to kidsbop. Her pants were tight in the waist and long in the legs.She was content to stay home and play club penguin all day on the computer. She had friends at school but didn't socialize so much outside of school.She was a even tempered easy going kinda girl.

How is it that so much has changed so quick? First thing I noticed is her height! She may not be a dwarf like Rach and I! She has gotten really tall lately.She has really stretched and I think it makes her look older. She is no longer happy with Sponge bob. It's all about shows like Gilmore girls, a secret life of a American teenager,and what I like about you.Instead of the computer she talks on the phone all day. Often plotting for the sleepover she is planning. (Come on mom it's only 9 girls!)She has suddenly turned into a social butterfly! Can I tell you how happy I am that she finally has a lot of friends here? Yeah! It has been good for her.

Another thing? can you say moody? HELP! The hormones have taken over! Fortunately not completely. She hasn't gone into the fog completely yet!

Strange that all of the sudden I am struck with how quickly this one is growing up. I take comfort in knowing that One of the things I love about this girl is that although she is growing up she is still my sweet Hannah. Always concerned about me. Always willing to help out. Even with her growing up it is nice to know that she still loves her mama. At least for another year or so right?

Happy Valentine's Day!

One of my kids very favorite holidays is Valentines. Every year we have a tradition. It's a valentines breakfast. My mom did it for us every year too and I loved it so much so it is one I continued with my kids.
Mom always made heart shaped pancakes and cherry tarts. I am not good at making heart shaped pancakes so I bought a heart waffle maker and my kids don't like cherry so we make little cheesecake with strawberry topping.
The table was always decorated and she would put treats and a card from her. Sometimes she would include a little gift.
This year Hannah was gearing up early for Valentines. She would tell Bailey and Grace all about how exciting it is to wake up and find the table all decorated and breakfast cooking.
I had been buying paper plates, candy and stuff in advance a little at a time so I would be prepared.
Well this past week was pretty awful. I had a virus on top of being nauseous. I didn't get out of bed for days.
The night before Valentines I told Tony there was no way in the world I could go to the store to get the special food I needed nor did I think I could cook. He decided this year we would just have to change it up a little bit.
So on Valentines day we took the kids out to breakfast. I don't think we had all eaten out in months and months. I actually woke up feeling better and went with them. I even ate food for the first time in days and it felt so GOOD!
It was really nice but Hannah was SO disappointed. She said it just wasn't Valentines day for her. I felt like crap. Yeah, Mother of the year here. I think the thing that bugs me most about being preggo is the fact that it is so hard on everyone. The whole family is impacted and has to sacrifice. I feel so guilty.
So after breakfast and actually eating I had Tony drop the kids off at home and he ran me to the store. I picked up the rest of their Valentines gifts and then went to Papa Murphy's. They had heart shaped pizzas so I bought two of them. When we got home I had all the younger ones help me decorate
the table and kitchen and then they helped make cupcakes.(much quicker and easier than the cheesecakes!) Later we made pizzas. I was relieved. The kids were thrilled and Hannah felt like her Valentines day was salvaged! I didn't have to really do hardly any cooking yet they didn't feel jipped.
It's interesting how important traditions are to us. The kids just didn't feel like it was that special day till they saw that table decorated. Once It was done I sat back looking and it reminded me of how important those traditions were to me too growing up and I was grateful for them. They just seem to have a way of making you feel closer to your family and as you grow older and move away it helps you feel connected even when you are far apart!



I was grateful I was feeling so much better and was able to do it. The day was wonderful and I loved watching the excitement of the girls as they helped decorate and opened their gifts.

Tony was so sweet and wonderful

His only objective of the day was to make it special for me. Whatever I wanted he was willing to do to get it.
He was kinda short changed this year since I never made it to the store to pick him up something. I guess I'll have to make it up to him another time.
Tony~Thanks for everything honey! I DO notice everything you are having to do. Even if I don't say it! I love and appreciate you!

So, another Valentines day success!
I feel so relieved that I was able to pull that one off!

I hope you all had a wonderful one too!

Just Remember You're Not In This Alone.

I know it is probably irritating to read all the crap about me being sick, but hey~it is my journal too and I want to remember the good along with the bad.So I put it all down.



You know how sometimes people step up and seem to be there right when you need them? I have felt that way this past week. My prayers being answered right before my eyes.
My sweet friend Atalie has offered time and time again to take the kids for me. She now picks Bailey up everyday for preschool so I don't have to drive. The sweetest things she does? She tells me every time she sees me "just remember, you're not in this alone!" Today when I phoned her to let her know Bailey didn't need a ride today she said those words again and I knew it was true!
The past few days have been ugly. I have some kind of virus and it is not good. On Tuesday Kiran and another sister from the ward brought over dinner and Kiran let me know she was taking the kids the next day.Kiran came and picked up Grace and Ethan at 8 am.Can you say HUGE blessing? When she got here I knew I was in trouble. Fever. Chills. uncontrollable vomiting again. Ugh. So Bailey was sick so she stayed in bed with me and we went back to sleep. I slept until 11:45 when she brought them back. Ethan was so tired I put him to bed for a nap and the girls crawled into bed with me to watch cartoons. They didn't make a peep and I was able to sleep until my older ones got home from school. I stayed in bed the whole day and most of Thurs too.
By 4:30 today I checked my weight and key tones and had lost another 2 lbs and my key tones were +80. Not good. I knew if I got up I wouldn't stop puking so I lay on the couch worried. Tony had been at work since 4 am and the older ones were complaining that there was no food to cook.I knew I was on the edge and couldn't cook.Then the phone rang and it was a sweet sister from the ward. She just wanted to let me know she was bringing dinner by and would it be OK if she were here in a half hour.
Now I'm crying like a baby as I am writing this cause this past week people have been so kind. Doing laundry, meals, helping with the kids. And I didn't have to ask. In fact I didn't tell anyone what a hard time I was having. They just showed up. Umm can you say prayer works?
So Atalie, I would have to say I agree, I am not in this alone! Thanks to people like you and my Heavenly Father.
And for everyone who has done so much Thank you, Thank you!

Is it Nature Or Nurture? I Don't Know, I Am Just Glad They are Mine!

Have you ever heard those debates? What makes a boy a boy or a girl a girl? I always thought it was both. However with Ethan I am thinking maybe they are just born that way! He shocks me right now with how "Boyish" he is! I don't remember Zachary being like this. This kid is freakishly rough and tumbly!
When he is angry what does he do? Head butt. You, the floor, the couch, whatever he can as hard as he can and for as much as he can get away with before he is stopped or practically head injured. And his voice is so dang raspy. And he climbs. Everywhere. Like a freakin monkey! I am contemplating tying him up at night so he can't get out of that crib! And I don't know how to keep him out of sinks and toilets! Let me tell you a kid in a toilet when you are queesy..not a good combo!
One of my favorite things he does? He tries to take on Zach. All the time. It's like he is challenging him! He jumps on him, yells at him, tells him to shut up for no reason ( I know it's not so nice but sometimes it is kinda funny!) He likes to wrestle him. He just loves, loves to mix it up with him.One of my least favorite things he does? Repeats my swear words! Nice!
I find myself amazed watching him lately thinking dang he is so different from these girls. He is already bigger than Grace and he weighs only 3 lbs less than Bailey!If he gets hurt, usually he say ow! and rubs the spot he hurt and then is off again. And he only likes to snuggle on his terms. He will be playing and running full speed and then stop come over give me a hug or kiss then is off again!
I know I say this all the time but I am always amazed at how much I enjoy the differences in each of my kids. I love the unique little spirit each one possess. And I am having so much fun watching this little guy as he learns new things and stretches his wings!
I have just been so conscious of how much he is changing lately and have enjoyed it.

Today I had a Dr appt again and before I left Ethan was doing crazy little tricks to make me laugh.once I would laugh he would put his hand to his forehead and cackle like it was the funniest thing he had ever done. He was just being crazy. I left with a smile and thought of him throughout the appt. I had another sonogram today and The baby didn't like it and was doing somersaults to get away from the pressure they were putting on me. I was amazed that at such a early stage I could see the little hands and feet and could see the fingers opening and closing.I didn't realize they could move like that at such a early stage and it was kind of amazing to me to watch it. I had this feeling of gratitude come over me and I thought of my little guy Ethan at home and the others and thought of how unique each one is and what a blessing they are. I had this feeling of kind of excitement thinking I can't wait to get to know this little one too. It was a strange moment. Almost like a acceptance that this lil one will be special too. I think I finally felt grateful for this one to be joining our family.It was a good kind of change of heart.
Not sure if this makes sense and I'm not sure if I even expressed the jumbled up thoughts in my head but I just feel a need to show a little gratitude.Maybe there is a greater plan in store for us and my Heavenly Father knows what is best.Plus, we ARE promised we will not be given more than we can handle right? So maybe baby #7 isn't a going to be the death of me after all!
Besides, I have my mantra...Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.Man kids movies are really deep sometimes!

I'm So Proud!

As I have been posting and catching up on reading blogs I had my play list playing in the background. The kids are dancing to it and having fun.
Bailey walks up to me and gets right in my face all serious like and tells me "mom I finally know what I am going to be when I grow up!" Wow she is so smart! Already knows what she wants to be!
What is it I ask? She replies "A Pussycat Doll"
I'm so proud!

Is Relief In Sight???

Man I hope so. Stick a fork in me. I think I am done! Cooked!

After my Dr appt last week things kinda went downhill. Couldn't stop puking. Went to the ER on Wed night and had IVs and meds. Felt better for about half of a day.

Then it got ugly. I couldn't stop puking at all. Non stop. It got so I couldn't even stand without getting dizzy and feeling like I was going down.

Sunday night I finally called the Dr and they told me to go to the ER again but I couldn't stand the thought. Hours of waiting and smelling all the smells in the room. So I tried waiting till Monday and headed into my Dr's office.

They weighed me and I had lost 8 lbs in 6 days and was a wreck. They sent me to the ER right then. The ER started IV's and took labs. The labs showed I was in a bit of trouble so they admitted me to the hospital for a few days.

It was actually kind of nice. They kept me drugged up real good and for the first time in weeks I actually felt better! I couldn't eat anything still but I was feeling OK. And I had the nicest charge nurse the first night. She came into my room at night when she started her shift and sat on my bed. She asked me if I was LDS (was it in my charts?) and I told her I was. She told me she was the relief society president in her ward and if I were in her ward she would make sure that they cared for me and helped me so that it would be easier. She said she wanted to get my relief society pres name and number and said she thought it would be nice to call her and explain that I really need help. She made me weepy. She totally got how dang hard this is. I told her I don't really think there is anything the ward can do but she was so nice telling me I needed help when I got home if I was going to be able to carry this baby.She said she thought even with the pump I was going to have a uphill battle. I have to say I just appreciated the compassion. I felt so exhausted emotionally and physically and It was nice to have someone understand that I am having a hard time.

Fortunately my DR said she wouldn't let me go home until I had some kind of home care in place. So the hospital went to work getting my insurance to approve the pump. The insurance said they would and assigned me a nurse to follow my care. That night the hospital told me I couldn't be released because the insurance wouldn't pay the cost of the pump. I freaked. The hospital was trying to set up critical care at home that would give me IVs nonstop until I delivered.Ummm..so not going to happen. I called the nurse the insurance assigned to me and was hysterical and explained I have 6 kids at home and being on IVs for the next 6 months is not a option. It is no quality of life. I also pointed out that it put me at risk for infection .So I told her I wanted the names of everyone refusing to pay what Matria charged so that I could hold the insurance liable if anything should happen to me physically or mentally.

She told me she would look into it and magically the next day they approved the pump!

So after three days I finally got to go home. Matria came out yesterday and set up the pump and I am good to go. The DR ordered IVs five days a week, but I have declined. Who can function like that? Dang!

Today I had a phone call from my Visiting teacher and she is a nurse. I am not sure even what to say to her. She seems to think that since I have the pump I am like my old self. When I explained it keeps me out of the hospital but I am sick all day long still she kinda blew me off. told me I should be just fine now so she was going to call her companion to schedule a time to come over. I don't want people over when I feel like this. I still puke. I still feel sucky. I'm not sure how to explain to her that it is not all roses. I always feel like I come off as a bitch to my VT when I don't want them over if I am having a hard time. I HATE having them tell me how I should feel when I am pregnant.

Have I mentioned how much I hate being pregnant? Oh.. and I had someone tell me my attitude was all wrong~ It was appalling. So..I would just say I do not feel this baby is not a mistake. It may not have been planned but it is not a mistake. I love every single one of my kids and feel they bless my life.But. I hate being pregnant. Every single minute of it sucks. And I am a baby and a whiner. A big complainer. And I will be until the day I deliver. If I bother you, just stay away. I get over it. In about six months....

And I do feel a little better!Good news???? the pump. Maybe relief IS in sight!

Forgive Me While I Whine! Again...

I think I'm a bit over the edge today. Kind of on the hysterical side. With my medication I am queasy 24/7 but only puke maybe 4-6 times a day. But I ran out of medication and am puking ALL day long and into the night. If I move I puke.
Went to the Dr today and puked 4 times while there. I had had it! I am over it and I have a long long way to go. Ughh.
So I did what I do best and broke down sobbing. nice! Tony kept telling me to pull it together. Not gonna happen.
So the Dr told me insurance is hesitant to pay for the meds. That they want me doing other stuff first before giving me the medicine that works. You know cause after 6 other pregnancies...I guess I don't know what I am talking about. Maybe happy thoughts and crackers will work if I will it too.
I don't want to go months and months without being able to function. I told the DR I can't live like this. She asked if I felt like harming myself. umm no, but maybe harming my husband!
So, my only option is going next week and if I lost some weight they might be able to justify to the insurance to pay. And if I agree to the IVs they can try to get me on the pump.Sheesh whatever it takes just give me my damn drugs ya know? So...I am not going to fight the puking this week. If I feel sick I am not even going to make the effort to get food in. And hopefully by next week I can get some drugs so I can sit up, maybe get out of bed and if lucky, shower. Such high ambitions.
Oh...and after talking with insurance tonight they decided they would pay for 12 pills. But I would have a copay. My portion?? $465. right. totally do-able.
now excuse me while I go puke and cry a little!

I Have My Ways!!

~Of getting even that is...

My teens love to torture me! They do it daily. Especially when we are in the car and I have no way of escaping.
Sometimes they will crank the radio up full blast, roll down the window and holler at people dancing and screaming. I get so irritated and yell at them and turn the music down. Often I'm told "Chill baby girl...it's all good"
Well, today I had the opportunity to get even!
As I was pulling up to pick a mouthy teen at school Lady Gaga came on the radio (who doesn't love Lady Gaga?) So I turned the radio up full blast, rolled down all the windows and slowly rolled up dancing my butt of in the car! All of mouthy teens friends mouths dropped open in shock then they started cracking up. Mouthy teen got in the car and asked "what the crap was that?"
My reply? "Chill~it's all good baby girl!"

Happy Birthday Chella Labella!

Saturday my wild child,Gracie turned 3!

She chose to go to Chuckie Cheese of course. Great place to torture the parents and have a good time. Mission accomplished!

She was a kick in the pants all day long. She told everyone Happy Birthday to you or she'd say YOU may not go with me to Chuckie Cheese. She was super nice to some and not so nice to others. You know...typical Grace!

My favorite part of the day was watching her open her presents. She was DELIGHTED with each and every present she received. She'd laugh and tell me she really loved it.

Do you ever worry you didn't get just the right present or buy enough of them? I always do for some reason but I couldn't have done better in her mind and it was great! She was so appreciative of everything.

The kids played for awhile and we ate pizza that tasted like cardboard! Fortunately for me I didn't care if tasted crappy since everything I eat makes me sick! I guess Chuckie Cheese isn't successful because of the delicious pizza it sells!

After Up Chuckie we headed over to Toys R Us and let Grace pick out a toy. She chose Fairy wings that play music. She is a odd duck that one!

I felt like crap by the time we got home so we saved the cake and ice cream for Sunday night's dinner with the missionaries.

We lit the candles and sang Happy Birthday to her but I couldn't get a picture of her blowing out the candles since the second we lit them she blew them out before I could take the picture.

It was a fun birthday for her and all the funny little things she did throughout made me smile and realize how grateful I am that this sweet, funny little girl is a part of my family. She is without question my hardest kid and yet she is also the most entertaining, and fun. I love, love her personality. Some days more than others of course!

Happy Birthday my little Chella Labella! I hope you had as good of a day as me!

Dig Deep!

I knew that I wanted to post my word for the year and express my thoughts but some things have happened that have been challenging and I feel like I don't want to post since I feel so crappy! But since I have had some questions I thought what the heck I'll explain!

In Relief Society a few weeks ago the lesson was Thomas Monson's conference address finding joy in the journey. I loved that talk and found myself touched by it all over again in church that Sunday. It was a talk that really, really pertained to me.There was a quote read that I thought Ahah!
It goes..“Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend … when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”
I thought OK. I need to work on this. It is not something I am very good at. So I decided that my word for the year 2009 was going to be Joy. Finding Joy In My Journey.

I thought this is my year for change. I want to exercise at the gym regularly. It would help me chill and lose some weight. That's good. I wanted to eat better, get more sleep and really focus feeling good so that I would be able to be a better parent, person etc. I had some big plans here. Seriously! I thought life was going to get much easier this year!
But sometimes life (and God?) has a sense of humor. And~Apparently I don't.

See. I have been vigilant. Birth control Nazi here.With TWO different kinds. So of course it would be impossible for me to get pregnant right???? WRONG!!! Apparently my husband has mutant sperm. Sick!HOW THE FREAK CAN THIS HAPPEN?
I am still in shock. Frustrated. I am downright bitchy. Not sure if I can really do this again. Don't really want to either. How sad is that?I love my lil ones so much. It's just the thought of the torture of being pregnant. I worry I don't have it in me to deal with this again. Puking days are here again.

I guess my resolutions for 2009 are going to have to wait awhile. Now the focus is just survive the journey right? That's really how I feel.
So as you can see my word of the year has now become a challenge for me. I am going to have to really dig deep here. Maybe put some of that bitchiness aside. Wish me luck folks. I think I am going to have a bit of a uphill battle here.
However, there is one more part of the talk that Pres Monson gave that pushes me forward and gives me a little comfort,advice, and perspective.
"Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, “They do not love that do not show their love.” We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us."

He is so fantastic. And I need to be a little better. So I will have myself a little pity party and then try to get on and find Joy in the Journey. Are you laughing yet?

52 Blessings Project~Week 52!!!!

Dang I have been sick, so I have neglected my blogging a bit and am behind. So here is my last blessing of 2008. just a little late!
Now I know this is my last blessing of 2008. It should be something poetic.My last week to post something great. Something really spiritual, something big right? Whatever. However, I keep coming back to the same thing! And for me it IS big!
So This Week I am Grateful For~ An Easier Journey!
This has come to me at different times and a little at a time. I have had a realization lately.When I first had Ethan I was cooked. Done! I had a hard time. 3 under 3. 3 In diapers. 3 in my bed. 3 demanding my undivided attention! It was hard. At times it downright sucked. I'd have all three of them crying at once and then I'd find myself crying too! I am not super together. NOT Super patient. If I were a dog I think I'd be a poodle. Nervous and shaky and yippy!
About four months ago things had been really hairy. Grace was having melt down after meltdown all day long! She and Bailey would fight non stop. The older ones took being a mouthy teenager to a whole new level. I felt as if I was getting it from every angle. I was pretty dang discouraged! I was taken to the very edge and then... BAM!Change! A little relief!

Bailey was potty trained, but Grace being Grace had to resist! She does Everything on her terms. Recently though she has decided she is done being in diapers. Woke up one day and said "no I wear panties, not diapers!"Well...OK! From 3 in diapers to 1! Making progress here...
And she and Bailey have decided being friends is better than fighting. They play so nice together. I love hearing Grace say "Bailey you are my best friend." To which Bailey will say "yeah Grace we love each other" Much nicer than the carnage that we had around here a few months ago.

Ethan has been taking naps consistently every day and I am really liking that! Mouthy teens and pre teen are off again on again a challenge but I have had some really nice times with them lately and it helps me see they will eventually come out of the fog. Patience dear, patience.

So, nothing huge, of great insight just the knowledge that things do get easier eventually and for that I am very grateful!

52 Blessings Project~Week 51

This Week I Am Grateful For ~ Fun, And FREE!

Christmas is a drain. Financially, physically, and emotionally. It is easy to get caught up and not take the time to enjoy the moment.

During the holidays money always seems to be tight so even though the kids are out of school and we have the time to do things we never seemed to have them money to do it! This year I have felt fortunate that we had some activities that were both fun and free. They allowed us to take the time to be with the family, share some fun times and just enjoy the time together.

We got the tickets to zoo lights that included a great catered dinner. We took one day and went to Bass Pro shop for their Christmas celebration. They had cookies to decorate, free target shooting, letter writing to Santa, a Santa to visit, and lots of fun stuff to look at! It was very nice.

Temple square on Christmas Eve was fantastic and once again..Free!After Christmas Ashley was here for a visit so we went to the zoo again. A whole different experience than going at night, and once again Free! I love free!

Me being cheap I went to Target before we left and bought popcorn. Only $1.00 compared to the $4.00 at the zoo! The kids had fun and I was lovin how sweet the older ones were with everyone! It doesn't happen often so when it does I love it!

This year I think was one of the best years for me this Christmas. For some reason the stress was just gone. It was like magic! We didn't have a lot of money to spend but we somehow had enough to do what we needed.

And having things to do for free helped stretch the budget and the FUN! And for that I am very grateful!

Was Your Christmas Merry?

Mine started out a little tentative I have to admit. Ladies..I am sure you will side with me on this I swear!
It began the night before my birthday. Grace broke my crockpot and I was telling Tony I am in deep trouble here without my crockpot! So for my birthday the next day I unwrapped a crockpot for my gift. Not my favorite present by far! Whatever!
So Christmas Eve Tony gives me one gift to open from him. He swears it is so fantastic! I am going to love it! He really talks it up! I am getting super excited! So.. I tear into it with anticipation and excitement! And..what is it?? A electric knife sharpener! What the? Are you crazy I asked him? What next? Is Santa bringing me a vacuum tomorrow I ask? If so I swear I might go postal!

Fortunatly for Santa and the family I did not recieve a Vacuum or any other appliance on Christmas day and everyone was saved from me having a selfish Christmas meltdown!

In fact the day turned out to be delightful!

Here are some of my favorite things about the day~

Favorite gift received~ Photoshop Elements 7.0~ Good one Tony...really, really good! Much better than the sharpener fo shure!

Favorite Saying of the day~ Bailey when after openeing all the presents she did a little dance then jumped in the air and said "YES!!! I got lots and lots of presents! I guess Santa Can't see me all the time after all!" I guess she wasn't all good all the time and she was a little worried about how the bad times might have affected her loot!

Favorite Moment~The girls coming into the living room and seeing the presents and stockings for the first time! They were so,so cute! it was great listening to them as they opened the stockings!

Favorite Food of the Day~ All of it! It was so good. Rib roast, potatoes, dressing, rolls, pie..the works!

Favorite Act Of Kindness for the Day~ Tony letting me go back to sleep for another TWO hours after presents! And he helped with the picking up and supervising of the kids. It made a much nicer day for me to not have to do it all!

It was a wonderful day. Watching my kids open presents and seeing the excitement in their faces was priceless. They were so sweet and shared everything and were so happy for each other. The older kids helped the younger ones and even helped me.

I didn't lose it once. Yeah me!

It turned out to be a very merry Christmas indeed!

How about you? Was your Christmas Merry?

Low Key Christmas Eve

Kind of strange not being with my whole family for Christmas Eve. I feel kind of lost as to what to do sometimes! It feels off if we don't have 30 or more people gathered for dinner, caroling and presents.

This year I decided to keep it low key. Not many expectations, just to enjoy the night with the family. That's exactly what we did. Instead of cooking a huge meal I bought deli meats and we made sandwiches and had chips, dips and crackers and cheese.

We opened presents then headed out to the Mesa Temple to look at the lights.They were amazing and helped me feel in the holiday mood a little more!

By the time we got home the lil ones were exhausted so I sent them to bed and the wrapping began! I don't know how I manage to do this every year but somehow I forget what I have bought and I end with more crap than is necessary. I worry and worry I don't have enough and in the end it is always the family joke when we pull everything out and I find lots of stuff I had forgotten about!

You could tell Zachary and Rachelle were excited for the morning as they helped with the wrapping and commented on how fun it would be to see the kids open the presents

So~ Even though it was a low key Christmas Eve I have to say it was nice.

I hope all of you had fantastic evenings as well!

It's My Party And I'll Cry If I Want Too!

OK, have you ever felt that way on your birthday? Seriously! I have! Having a December birthday so close to Christmas SUCKS sometimes!

BUT~ Not this year! My family actually remembered! Rachelle got up early and took the lil ones. I got to sleep in! She and Hannah picked up the house and Hannah made a homemade card and made sure everyone signed it!
I got may hair done and then Tony and I went out to dinner to my fav restaurant the Fish Market. It was such a nice day!
No one forgot and everyone went out of their way to be kind and make sure I had a good day!
So to my family~ Thanks for making it a great day! It was fantastic!

Oh.. and Tony? He is ON this year! Not only has he gotten me presents for Christmas this year he did it all by himself. No help from me. And he says the gifts are fantastic! No last minute trips to CVS to buy me crap I don't like cause he didn't bother to buy me anything until 11 pm on the 24Th! I told him over and over it is the thought of the gift.. you actually looking for something I would love. The time and the thought!Let's me know you care! And he has finally gotten it! I am so proud of him! And~It only took me 11 years to train him! Dang I'm good!
Way to go Tony!!

52 Blessings Project~ Week 50

This Week I Am Grateful For~ A Sense Of Humor

I have found myself getting a bit frazzled and sometimes just plain angry with the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparation and kids and keeping up with the house and life.

Several times I have had Grace or Bailey say something so funny that just when I feel like I am going to cry I find myself laughing!

Well that same thing happened last week in the Circle K. I was frustrated, angry and feeling overwhelmed. I left the house to take a breather and go get a soda. I swear I was so on edge that I was trying not to cry when I walked into the store. I wasn't paying attention very well and almost ran smack into this huge, huge black woman. I stopped just short of ramming her and she was giving me the dirtiest look. I gave her a once over and almost started laughing out loud. I SERIOUSLY couldn't believe what I saw! She had a gold cap on her tooth.She had a gold hairpiece in her head, a HUGE pair of hoop earrings in the upper cartilage part of her ear, another bigger pair in her ears, A gold purse, a gold shirt, pants with gold stitching down the leg and to top the eye catching, sparkly ensemble off she had on a pair of gold sneakers! Freaking AWESOME!!!! I mean who has the guts to wear something like that?

So I get my soda, and I notice this scrawny, little white boy. He is trying to look all pimped out. Gold hat.He has his pants below his butt cheeks,ALL the way below and he also has lots of gold jewelry on. I couldn't believe my luck getting to see TWO people so blinged out and over the top And then... they met up~yes! They were together! How could I not have guessed?

Then I was blocking the cheese sauce for nachos when I was putting the lid on my soda and they asked me to move cause they needed to sneak some cheese onto their chips. They each had a bag of chips. One was Cheetos and one was Funnyuns. They told me it was the most delicious treat and I should give it a try. They then opened their bags and loaded on the cheese.LOADED IT! Trashy goodness or just trashy? Hmmm!

Not sure why but the whole thing cracked me up. Hope I didn't offend them but I was laughing my butt off by this time.

And by the time I left Circle K my mood had done a 180.

Strange but I have had things like this happen alot the last two weeks or so. I am angry or frustrated and then something happens that makes me laugh and seems to right everything for the moment and for that I am grateful

PS~ Rhonda Lu just mentioned I shoulda used my camera phone! I KNOW!!! I was so bummed cause that is totally what I wanted to do! My phone broke and I am using a crap little phone with no camera! RhondaLu has the best photos she captured with her cell phone! I love seeing them!I am totally going to have to capture some of the great photos you do!

Doesn't She Look Cute?

I was over it. her mousy flat hair! I am used to having girls with curls. Curls, I know how to do. Straight hair? Not so much! Sooo after trying to make her hair look somewhat cute the other day and failing miserably I admitted defeat and I decided it was time! I'm vain that way. I like my girls hair to look cute and it wasn't happening. I admit it. We need help. Professional help.We went to the kids cuts salon to look for some guidance!

They came up with this cute a line haircut for Bailey! See how the cut makes her mousy flat hair not look so mousy and flat? I love, love it and even better? So does she! Yesterday I caught her twice up on my counter staring at herself in the mirror!

I guess she was tired of the mousy flat hair too!

Christmas Cookie Exchange!

Today was my cookie exchange! It was a ton of work getting ready for it but I have to say it was more than worth it!

I went to Walmart and asked for some of their donut boxes. They didn't even charge me for them.I got them for free. I love free!

I wanted to jazz them up a bit and make them a little more festive so I added the little gingerbread men and the trees and stars.They turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself Pretty humble I know..that's just who I am!

I invited 7 people but only 5 could come I was a little worried but that ended up being just perfect. Everyone brought their kids and they had so much fun playing. We had a yummy lunch then we started the swap.

Now I would have tons more photos but I have a sad tale to tell...I had almost all of the house clean,but not my room! In fact my room is a total dump right now. Seriously sick. So I was walking by my room and saw Bailey in there with some of the her friends and I just about died! I just knew that one of the ladies was going to walk by and gag if they saw it so I had to resort to drastic measures and lock the door! And...my camera was in the room! And...I have no clue how to open the door by myself when it is locked!I am so bugged. No pictures of my friends, no pictures of the food, no pictures of the kids playing. UGGHHH! I was in blogger hell for a moment there.

But~ I do have a picture of the boxes I made before the party and I have a picture of all the yummy cookies after the party when Rachelle came home and opened my door for me! SO I will post those and you will just have to imagine how fabulous the other photos would have been if I had cleaned my room!

Don't the cookies look so cute in the box?

Oh.. and I made up a treat plate to take visit teaching tomorrow. Look how cute it is! I LOVE Cookie exchanges! Warning ladies...I am going to do it again next year so you might want to begin now and start baking by next month Ü

Can't wait to do it again!

Bailey's Preschool Christmas Program

Yesterday was Bailey's Christmas program at preschool and let me tell you it was stinking fantastic! her teacher outdid herself!

When we walked in they had tables set up with all the little gingerbread houses that the kids made along with a Angel they made and pictures of each child. Bailey's picture was probably the cutest picture taken I am fairly certain! It made the whole room look so festive.

Once the kids were all settled the program began.To start off they had a prayer. I loved that. It is so unusual today to have prayer anymore in public and I loved that there were people gathered from all religious backgrounds and we started the program off with prayer.Especially at Christmas. A little boy in her class offered the prayer and it was so sweet. The songs then began.The kids were so dang cute. Bailey was totally into it.I was surprised.

They had the cutest props, great songs and I actually loved watching the whole thing

After the program we had lunch and then the kids go to sit on Santa's lap!

It was a fun, fun day and I am even more impressed with Mrs McClure now than I was before!It takes a miracle worker to pull of what she did!

I hope she knows how much we appreciate all her hard work and love she put into this!

Wii Fit Contest!

My friend Amber is hosting a giveaway with Nintendo! They are giving away a wii system and a wii fit!

You'll have to check out her blog. http://crazybloggincanuck.blogspot.com/

She writes for the Denver Mile High Mamas and is one of the funniest, most talented writers out there. I love reading her blog, so check her out and enter the contest too! Maybe if I don't win you might. I'll try not to be hater if you do! Good luck!

Zoo Lights!

This year Lowe's was a sponsor of the annual Zoo lights so we were fortunate to score some free tickets!
We started the night with having dinner at a special event they did for families and friends of the sponsers. The food was great even though it was little too sophisticated for some of the lil ones! They weren't lovin the brie cooked in a puff pastry. I on the other hand loved the food served. And it was all free! Can't beat that!
We strolled through the park and looked at all the lights and listened to the music. We bought the kids flashing bunny ears,flashing necklaces, etc. They were in heaven!
To finish off the night we took the kids on the carousel for a ride!
It was a perfect ending to a perfect night and a great way to enjoy the Chritmas season with the family!