Pictures from our trip

It's about time to write another blog

Lots has happened in the last month so I will summarize:

We went to Utah and Idaho for spring break.

The kids and I skied one day at Snowbasin, well, I skied the kids snowboarded.

We got to stay with Angela and Mike in their new house in the Mountains. It is so beautiful there.

My kids love playing with their sweet cousin Olivia, she is so adorable.

After Utah, we drove to Idaho to see the Idaho cousins.

Peyten didn't change his clothes the whole time we were in Idaho except to go to church. I think he was too cold.

We stayed up way too late and ate way too much good food.

Easter was fun with the cousins, I especially loved watching Kru walk around in his new flippers he got in his basket.

For more info on the trip you can read my sister Angelas post, she is better at the details.

Back to reality here at home when we got back. I started working on getting my back stronger so I can do all the things I love to do, which is for now being able to function as a normal person. I want to be able to golf again and work in the yard and stand in line if we ever go to Disneyworld again. The pain is pretty much gone, except at night my lower leg will ache a bit, but not bad. That's the good thing about being in hellish pain, when you get back from it, you can stand most anything else.

The kids are really busy with their spring sports. Lauren has had a volleyball tournament almost every weekend and has about 3 left until summer league starts. She is playing well, her position is middle hitter and that is for sure her strongest skill. she can pound the ball when she gets a great set. She is fun to watch, I love her competitveness, it is exciting. Austen and Peyten are both doing well in baseball. Austen plays 2nd base and Peyten plays 3rd as well as 2nd. We still have a lot of baseball to come as the season is through the end of July. I am enjoying it more and more as the boys get better and the competition gets to a higher level. Poor Ashlen gets stuck with the babysitter most of the time. If I was to bring her to any of the games I wouldn't be able to watch a thing. I am sure she enjoys being able to stay home and play with her toys anyway.

Ashlen is sick for the first time since we have had her. I took her to the doctor yesterday and she has an ear infection. She just was very congested and not herself. She has spent most of the morning crying, now she is in the tub being happy. The weather is so perfect here, we will take a walk later.

Brent is out of town for a few days for the Spring Car show. Hopefully Ford can get it together and get some new products out that people will want to buy. They are coming out with a new SUV called the Ford Flex and it looks awesome. I am going to get one of those this summer to try.

Ashlen is crying again so I need to get her out. She hates the medicine that she has to take so that is a nightmare trying to get her to swallow it. Good thing she only takes it twice a day for 10 DAYS!!!!!!!

campout, racing, motorcycles

As you can see, the scouts were in charge of all the cooking at the last campout. Brent said it took two hours to get breakfast done and it was mostly burned. I am glad I don't have to endure those, I get to go to gorls camp instead where they cook all your meals for you. I must say that last years fish sticks and lima beans were pretty gross. Didn't eat that meal!!!

Brent went for a weekend up to College Station to race cars with his partners. His partner Ben races Vipers for a hobby all over the country and so Brent and Steve went up to spend a weekend with him watching him race and racing as well. Brent said it was awesome. I took the Mustang out for a test drive one night with Lauren and got up to 85mph in about 5 seconds. I felt like I was in high school again when we would drive our old piece of crap cars really fast on the hills of south Salem. I'm sure Dad knew we did that, not Mom though.

Austen still loves to ride his motorcycle. Not sure where Peyten is, guess he didn't go. We went to the supercross this past month and had fun. Talk about some serious rednecks. I wore ear plugs and we had seats in the suite so it wasn't complete torture for me. I just don't get that sport, it is was too dangerous.

Rodeo Houston

Brent and the kids got to ride in the Grand Entry on the first night of the rodeo. It is held at Reliant Stadium, where the Texans play. After the Rodeo, Tim McGraw sang. It was fun, i didn't ride with the kids because my back was hurting, but I watched them ride in on the wagon.

















Peytens baseball team is off and running. They came in second place in their first tournament. He has a great day making great catches and throws and some sweet hits. He is fun to watch cause the game is all about Peyten in his eyes. Isn't that how it should be when you are 8 years old!!!!!

random observations

I read my sister Angela's post this morning and thought it was a good idea to just write about whatever, so here it goes...

-Ashlen has had two showers and is now in the bathtub and it is only 10 am. She likes the water and it gives me a break.

-Last night Ashlen wouldn't go to sleep so I put her in bed with me and sang her every song I knew and then started making up songs. She finally fell asleep. She loves to hear singing.

-All the kids are taking the TAKS test today. It is a mandatory test that all Texas students have to take in order to pass their grade. I woke up early and cooked them a full breakfast. Hope they don't get any ideas cause I am not going to do that again any time soon.

-I am sad cause I was suppose to leave today to andy's house in vegas but my back is bad right now due to some pulled muscles. I was getting carried away with myself, thinking I was all better. I need to still take it easy.

-My house is a mess

-The sun is shining and it is suppose to get up to 75 today.

-I am sad that Mitt Romney is not the Rep. Candidate, but I voted for him anyway.

-My sister Angela is having another baby, in two weeks we find out what it is.

-We just bought a Chrysler Dealership and closed on it yesterday, well, not me but Brent and his partners.

-I love Jalapeno chips, the spicier the better.

-We are going to the Temple tomorrow to do baptisms. I love to go with lauren.

-My cat is snoring

-I need to find a new tutor/babysitter for next school year.

-I need to clean out my closet.

-I need to read the Book of Mormon again before summer gets here.

-I want to get up to Dallas to see Shellee and her family.

-I wish more people would do this blog thing, it helps keep friends informed and I love to read them.

-I miss my family and friends who live far away.

-My kids are the love of my life as well as my hunky husband Brent

Tournamnets

This past weekend all three older kids played in Tournaments and all three came in 2nd place.  Peyten and Austen played baseball and Lauren played volleyball.  I didn't get to see Austen but I saw Lauren and Peyten and they did well.  I love watching them play sports.  Also, last week Lauren had her first track meet for school and she did really well.  It brought back so many memories of my own track meets and it was weird being the parent instead of the child.  I called my dad the next day and we talked about that.  I have so many great memories of my dad always being there for me when i would run.  He was and still is a great dad.  Thanks for everything my father!!!!

My brother Alex called me last week to tell me that he took a new coaching and teaching job at a high school in Cedar City Utah.  They will be moving sometime this summer.  he is very excited and i am very proud of him.  My parents live by Alex in Idaho so they have decided to move as well.  They may make the move out here to be by me, or move to be by Alex again.  I would really like to have my parents closer.  I think I could help my mom get better and my kids need to be closer to their grandparents.

Next week Ashlen and I are flying to Las Vegas to visit my brother Andy and also see Brents sister Laura.  My brother and his family haven't see Ashlen yet so I think it will be lots of fun.  I hate leaving the other kids but we need to make the visit.  The next week after that it is spring break and all the kids and I are flying to SLC to see Angela and then head to Idaho to see my parents and Alex's family.  It will probably be the last time we ever go to Idaho since they will be moving soon.  My kids love going to Idaho, especially to birch creek where we go camping.

I am almost all recovered from my surgery now.  I can start exercising again in a few weeks and I feel great except if i am in the car for too long.  I am just so grateful that the pain is gone.  I can't tell you how great that is.

surgery

Last wed. I had to go under the knife and have back surgery!!!! Scary for me, very scary. I have endured incredible pain all down my right leg for over a year now due to a pinched siatic nerve. After numerous chiropractors and other things and then trying to just live with it, I finally found a doctor who said he could fix it easy with a simple outpatient surgery. I was at this point ready to cut off my leg so I decide to go for it. The surgery lasted about two hours and I was home a few hours after that. I felt the relief immediately in my leg. I have just been taking it easy this week sleeping and not doing anything gettig the incision to heal and I can not lift anything for 4 weeks, including Ashlen. Kari my sweet sister in law took Ashlen for me and still has her. The kids are missing her so much as well as me so we will get her back this week.

I am looking forward to being my self again. I have lived with pain or so long that I am excited about all the fun things I can do and just enjoy them instead of endure the pain.