Halloween eve...

So I have this crazy neighbor who loves Halloween and she puts out the decorations the first day of October.  She was dying of heat while she was doing it.  Right there you have a problem.  Halloween is suppose to be in the fall, I see no fall here in Houston.  She put these huge spiders in her lawn and one on her gate with webs all over it.  Ashlen freaked out this morning when she saw them.  She kept yelling "scary monsters".  I took her up to one so she would see that it wasn't real, that helped but she wouldn't touch it.  Halloween is fun.

Lauren

Today after church Lauren said, "you know that weird family in the ward?"  Which one I thought to myself!!!!!!   Do you have a similar ward?  I take pride in being one of those weird families, that is a good thing!!!

Today...

So every time I start feeling sorry for myself I read NIE NIE dialogues and I feel much better.  If you haven't ever read her blog then do it today.  I have a link to her blog on this very page!!!!  I decided to list the things that I should not feel sorry for myself about because I at least get to do them cause I am alive and healthy and can.  Here goes...

love to get up early and get a kid off to seminary, then middle school then grade school, then preschool.  

riding in the car an average of 5 hrs a day.

throwing poopy underwear in the garbage when Ashlen doesn't make it to the potty.  Let's face it, that kid will be lucky if she gets it right by the time she's 10.  She just doesn't give a crud.

love it when people call me when I am trying to take a nap, and then ask if I was sleeping.

can't tell you how much I love those dirty clothes I get to wash.

love cleaning out the turtle cage...my favorite thing ever!!!

finding dirty dishes and garbage in the TV room, never mind that you aren't suppose to eat in there.  I always smile a happy smile as I think of my family enjoying their food in the forbidden room.  Sweet family...

love finding crumbs in my bed and Ashlen's dollies all lined up on my pillow to take a nap.

when Ashlen yells, "No".  I just chuckle to myself, sweet darlin'.

Peyten forgetting to brush his hair, and put on deodorant and we have already left for school.  It is almost an everyday conversation, start the morning off great I always say.

Brent forgetting to tell me something that he swears he told me.  I don't know about you but that one happens far too often.

fixing dinner and no one wanting to eat it is the best....more for the fridge to enjoy!!!!

sneezing and still peeing my pants after the pain of surgery and paying the doctor for the procedure.  I wish I could have him over for dinner and talk all about what I would love to do with all that money I wasted!!!!

Jokes aside, I love my life, just need to vent sometimes and have a good cry...except I can't cry, so I go for a walk instead and then drink a ice cold Coke!!!!

pic's of the kids

Peyten number 31.  He plays cornerback.

Ashlen and her friend Reese watching their brothers play football.
Brent and Austen watching the big game.
Peyten before the game looking fierce.

Ashlen...don't let the cuteness fool you!!

Austen looking like a 7th grade stud.
Ashlen is dressing herself these days.

Dancing...
One of our last days with Krn.


Lauren playing some VB for Klein Oak.


Swimming with our friends.

Mama Mia and other things

Laurens best friend Makenna Beckstead was diagnosed with Leukemia about a month ago.  She and Lauren had just been out to BYU volleyball camp a few weeks before they found out.  Her outlook looks very positive, just a long haul of treatments.  Lauren is very concerned about her.  She wanted me to order her some bracelets with the words, "Kenna kick Cancer" on them and we gave about 200 to Kenna to pass out to her friends and family.  This is one of our visits to the hospital.

The boys playing in their last golf tournaments of the summer.  It was long, hot, and fun.
Ashlen is obsessed with the Movie, "Mama Mia"  She watches it many times a day and can sing most of the songs, you can't understand what she is saying, but she is singing them.  This is really the first time that she has sat down to watch anything on TV.  She also likes to watch. "so you think you can dance".  I guess it is the action she likes with the dancing and singing.  All I can say is, it's about time that kid started to watch tv.  I can finally have a few moments of peace.

First day of school 2009

Well, this is the weird year for me.  I have a kid in high school, middle school, grade school and pre school.  My day begins at 5:15 and doesn't end anytime soon.  Lauren needs to become a bit more independent before I can sleep in and count on her making it to seminary on time.   The good thing about seminary is that her teacher is right around the corner and she is teaching at her house so she can ride her bike, walk, or take the 4 wheeler if she wants.  We are car pooling to school so we only have to drive once a week.  We really lucked out, I guess someone knew we aren't morning people around here.  Everyone seemed to have a good first day, I didn't seem too worried about anyone.  I love the first few days when they talk non stop about all the new exciting things that goes on.  Ashlen doesn't start school until after Labor day, what is up with that.  She and I have a few more weeks to stare at each other.  We did go swimming today together.  She is swimming without her floatie and so she scares the crud out of me.  She always says, "I drowned mommy".  She can't stop smiling when she swims so it lets all the water in her mouth.  I tell her to keep her mouth shut and she says, "K mommy," but she doesn't.

I think that I haven't mentioned that Lauren tried out for the high school volleyball team and made JV as a freshman.  She goes to a huge school, 4,000 students, so she is feeling pretty good.  I told her not to expect to start or play too much, but she is starting and playing the whole time.  She loves it so we love it.  Austen is trying out for 7th grade football this week.  This is of course right on track with all those early training sessions he and Peyten got when they turned 2 days old.  Brents dream is to have a football player among his children...hopefully it won't be Ashlen.

Today, because it was such a glorious first day back to school, I decided to relax by shampooing the carpets.  Not that I really wanted to but Austen was babysitting Ashlen last night and she happened to poop on my carpet and then walk all over it.  I was beyond crazy frustrated, that girl is scared to poop in the potty.  Is there somewhere I can take this child for training?

Things on my to do list this coming school year:

get organized...generic I know, but my life is very unorganized

get in shape

learn to cook better

read as many books as possible

see only good movies

make new friends but keep the old

volunteer somewhere besides at the school

keep in touch better with my family and Brents

get the laundry under control

learn to spit 

read the B of M

get some clothes that aren't white, blue or black

get a pair of really high heels and learn how to walk in them

play the piano

become a pirate  ( JK)

Vacation crazy style

It is all good when you get the family together!!!!!

We headed out west to see my family and boy oh boy did we ever have a good time!!!!!  All you have to do is get a bunch of cousins together and they act like they are best friends, even though they hardly see each other but once a year.  I love that about Cousins!!!  We started out at Andy and Rachelle's house in Boulder City and then went to Alex's house in Cedar City.  Angela and her two girls joined us for the fun as did my parents.  We actually got all the cousins together in one spot, except for the oldest, Bleu, he was working on the farm.  We got to see him later though.  These first two pictures are of Ashlen and Bleu, look how big he is!!!!
Ashlen and Bayden at the Lake.
Lauren at the Lake.  She got to go wakeboarding for the first time and got up after a few tries, she's hooked.
Alex and his boys, Kru, koy, Job, and Abe, my dad, and Austen and Peyten.
Kru and Briggs
Ashlen and Olivia 

The boys on a hike.  Briggs, Peyten, Austen, Kru, and Boen.
Angela and Gracie face
Peyten, Kru, Briggs, and Abe
Lauren and Bayden

Peyten and Kru
The whole gang except for Bleu
The tramp is always a hit
Olivia and Gracie
Angela and Gracie
Ashlen and Gracie
The cousins at hoover Dam

It was a great time...a few highlights are:

basketball with the boy cousins

the tramp

boating

late night boxer running

Rachelle's awesome cooking

Andy's funny stories

115 degree weather in Nevada

Lauren going to EFY and BYU volleyball camp

going out to dinner with the adults and leaving all 15 kids home alone!!!

Donna's yummy mexican food

running with alex

seeing all the cousins get along great

xbox playing

scary movie watching

Ashlen bringing the unmentionable into Rachelle's house and taking 10 large garbage bags to the laundry mat.  

slurpy runs

seeing the beautiful southern Utah mountains

feeling the love between all of us that were there.

It was an unforgettable time, I hope my children will cherish their relationships they have with their extended family.