Woodrich Family Good Times

Blessing Day!

2010-10-05T21:27:00.001-07:00

Everyone was hot and tired and hungry, so this is what we got out of it. What a special day!

Grandpa comes to town....

2010-10-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

I knew when my parents left for Alaska that I would miss my Mom, but nothing could have prepared me for how much I miss my Dad!
I think the kiddos missed him, too. Trey still talks about how they only got to see him for one day. Grandpa came on Saturday morning and left Monday. It was a quick trip, but so worth it to me! Thanks, Dad!

Kyler "graduates" from Domino Preschool

2010-10-05T21:08:00.000-07:00

Our dear Kyler always a serious face....

He did not like to wear the hat.

"Cheese!"

We love you, Miss Shira!

Even though Kyler has another year before he goes to Kindergarten, we decided that driving to Cheney everyday for 2 hours of preschool just wasn't in the budget for us. So, we like to think of this step is not dropping out but rather graduating early. They did a fantastic job of teaching him all he needs to know to be ready for Kindergarten. Now all I have to do is maintain and add little bits here and there. He loves learning and is as quick as his brother!

Kissin' Cousins

2010-10-05T20:57:00.001-07:00

Vincent and Donise came to visit all the way from Georgia in July and we were stoked to see them!

Rowan just couldn't get enough of Lucas!

"Baby"

I am gonna hold him and love him and squeeze him and kiss him...

Thanks to Skype, the boys' seemed like it had only been days since they were together and not two years!

Graduation Day!

2010-10-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

Trey graduates from Kindergarten!!

Catching up....again.

2010-10-04T07:56:00.000-07:00

I was so totally on a roll with getting back in to blogging and then this happened.....But it's gonna be okay. We are going to rebuild and it's going to be great. All of our tenants made it out okay and none of our stuff that we had stored in the basement was really ruined. Tiny wonders....

Welcome to our Crazy Home, Lucas Maximus!!!

2010-09-06T08:28:00.001-07:00

Lucas Maximus (though of course we didn't know his name at the time) was scheduled to be born at Noon on June 4th, but just to keep things interesting at 6:00 that morning we got a call from the hospital saying the 7:00 slot had opened up and we could have it if we could be there in 30 minutes! In classic 'Annika' style, I hadn't packed my bag yet. So, I had to wake LeRoy up and pack in order to get there, but it was so worth it!!

He weighed in at 7lbs 12ounces and 20 inches.

Not bad considering he was technically two weeks early!

Rachel could not have been more excited!!

Kyler thinks he is soooo cute!

Trey just might be the best big brother around!!

I wonder if he knows just what it is that he signed up for....

We love our sweet baby Skywalker....

Princess Rachel

2010-09-06T07:40:00.001-07:00

Painting her fingernails....
Her brother's still humor her by doing her girl things. It makes me smile!!

Playing in Mama's Shoes. Lucky for her, I don't wear that heels much anymore!

Peanut Butter on a spoon, her new favorite thing! Notice the crossed ankles...

She really is a Princess!!

Kyler tries his hand at soccer...

2010-09-06T06:58:00.000-07:00

Kyler loved his first season of soccer! He had such a great time running and playing. He seems to be a little more coordinated with his feet than his brother was at this age. We all find it humorous that he's right handed, but dominantly left footed. In fact, we have to remind him to use both feet when he is dribbling the ball. It's hard to believe that it's already time to start another season. These games seemed like just yesterday.....

Mother's Day Tea

2010-09-06T06:39:00.001-07:00

The best thing about moving so far has got to be Trey's Kindergarten experience! He struggled in Cheney with following directions and doing his best. Something amazing happened when he go to Mrs. Stone's class. He just seemed to fall in love with school all over again!! Maybe it had to do with the fact that her name was Sunny. If we were to have to move again tomorrow, the whole thing would have been worth it for his two months in her class. I was so sad to hear that she was retiring last year. I wish all my kids could have had her! These pictures are mostly from the Mother's Day Tea. The kids did a great job with their singing and reciting. Trey had such a good time. The picture of his class is the only class picture he will get. His Cheney class picture was taken right after he left and the Spokane class picture was taken right before we got here. What are the chances! Oh well....

Moving to Spokane

2010-09-06T06:20:00.000-07:00

In April we left our beloved Cheney and moved to Spokane. My Dad took a job in Fairbanks, Alaska to be closer to my brother. When they left it looked like my brother was going to have to deploy to Afghanistan in November. Fortunately, it's now looking like he won't have to so his kids will hopefully be able to stay with him even without my parents. But either way, my parents are there and we are here. The kids really enjoy being here and having a place to place and kids to play with. That makes it worth it to me so I don't cry everyday anymore. I miss my wonderful Cheney life and the friends with whom we lived that life, but things were changing there, too. Rosa and Blaine moved to Canada so Blaine could continue his doctorate work. I am so excited for them, but sad that they are so far away. Marissa and Jared moved to Seattle to be closer to family, so that's good for them, too. Life is all about change I suppose, but sometimes I'm not a big fan. So, I am finally settling in to life here. I have resolved myself to making new friends and embracing a new life. It's gonna be hard. But if there is one thing in life I know, it's the fact that I Can Do Hard Things!

Be My Valentine

2010-09-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

For Valentine's Day we made heart sugar cookie pizzas!! They were super fun and not terribly bad for you...I discovered that the secret ingredient for sugar cookies is almond extract. I never could put my finger on what made some cookies taste better to me than others, but that's it! Turns out my mom doesn't like almond extract so she never used it. Well, I love it!!!

Coming out of hiding!

2010-09-02T17:01:00.001-07:00

Because I finally have a computer with decent uploading speed and I'm not pregnant and tired anymore, I am coming out of Blogging Retirement. So be prepared for lots of pictures to come!

New Song for Primary Program 2010

2010-01-02T23:04:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread houses!

2010-01-02T11:41:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Aunt Nichole, my kids got to do Gingerbread houses for the first time this year. Bad mom, I know. They had so much fun. Though I am certain that Rachel had more candy in her tummy than on her house. Trey kinda had a hard time at the end, so that's why he didn't get a picture. But once everyone else was finished, he came back and LeRoy helped him. Thank you, Uncle Victor and Aunt Nichole for making a great activity!!

First good snow!

2010-01-02T11:29:00.000-08:00

Rachel loves the snow!!

Kyler and Dad made the first snow man after Trey went to school!

We haven't had close to the amount of snow that we had last year at this time that's for sure! And every time it snows then rain doesn't ever stay too far behind. I'm sure we will get dumped on once the kids go back to school!!

Birthday season continues with Kyler turning 4!

2010-01-02T11:02:00.000-08:00

This was my second birthday cake creation and I think it too was also a success!!

Auntie Crystal got him this really cool Batman toy!

Grandma and Grandpa got him a bike. Too bad it's December!
Grandma Carlene sent 20 bucks which he used to buy Ninja Turtles!

Mom and Dad got him a coat....Lame, I know. Thank goodness for Grandma's and Auntie!

A Real Christmas Tree!

2010-01-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

LeRoy and I have had a real live Christmas tree since the first year we were married. This year I told my mom that all I wanted for my birthday was to cut down a Christmas tree. Since my birthday wasn't until the 17th, I was really happy she gave LeRoy money early. So, the Saturday after Thanksgiving we headed up to Greenbluff to cut down a tree. The weather was gross though not too cold. The ground was muddy, but I was so excited! With three kids in tow we tromped around the tree farm searching for the perfect tree. Why no pictures, you ask? Oh yeah, camera battery was dead. The only time that having a camera that doesn't take AA's is a bad thing. So, the picture above was the first picture I took of the tree. My sister told me that I should have waited because it would be dead by Christmas, but I told her that I didn't care because it made me happy today! I'm proud to say that thanks to a twice a day watering schedule, my tree is still going strong though it's coming down today.........So sad. Well, here are some pictures of the tree decorating festivities. Oh yeah, and I'm totally getting a real tree next year, too! Thanks, Mom!!

Last year after Christmas, I scored these pre-lit 3ft trees for 5 bucks each and so now all the kids have a tree of their own for their rooms. They thought it was so cool!

Rachel turns 2!

2010-01-02T09:22:00.000-08:00

My first ever birthday cake creation was a success, I think!

Make a wish!

Thanks, Mom, this is good!

Do you like me hat???

Rachel's birthday was filled with babies and ponies.

Rachel loves baby Jacob!!

I honestly can't believe Rachel is two! How the time has flown. Everyday she reminds us that she is a girl. She walks like a girl, talks like a girl, screams like a girl, plays like a girl (babies galore), but boys watch out because she sure doesn't punch like a girl!!

It's that time of year again!

2009-10-27T16:49:00.000-07:00

Rachel loved the train ride!

Rachel looking...

Kyler looking....

Got em both!

Last Thursday we took a trip to Walter's Farm at Greenbluff with Kyler's preschool class. The got to tour the cider house, ride a little tractor train, and pick out a pumpkin. Too bad I didn't get any pictures of them in the actual pumpkin patch picking out their pumpkins. I must have been too busy looking for the perfect pumpkin.........

The joys of fall......

2009-10-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

We love having a bigger yard, but the pine trees are a pain in the rear end!

Rachel woke up with a runny nose and cough this morning. Fall is officially here at our house!!

Wow, two months! That's crazy!!

2009-10-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been an interesting couple of months at our house or should I say houses. We moved last month to a bigger trailer around the corner from where we were. We still are still managing our little trailer park here, but now we have a little more space and a lot more yard. We're most of the way settled in, but we've gotten to the point that I hate. There are just a few more things to find homes for, but alas they sit in a box in the middle of my bedroom. The kids rooms are done, the family room is done, the living room and kitchen are not quite and my room isn't even close! I'm ready to take these boxes, put them in the storage and wait a year to see if I need them because they are just full of the random crap. I hate the random crap!! Enough about that......
So, what else is going on? Trey started kindergarten this year! I feel like it's the beginning of the end.....I can't possibly be old enough to have a kid in school, can I? Well, I will be 30 this year. Two months and four days to be exact. We'll talk about that later as it gets closer I'm sure. Trey is only going to school part time. He goes all day Tuesday, Thursday and every other Friday. Yeah, it's a pain, but I just wasn't ready for him to go all day every day. Somedays I wish he did, but not yet.

I suppose I had better get Trey off to school. I'll post soon about Trey's birthday yesterday and what ever other pictures I might have on my camera.

The best part of swimming lessons........

2009-08-13T18:55:00.000-07:00

is jumping off the diving board!!

Kyler's first day of preschool.....

2009-07-20T11:20:00.000-07:00

Kyler has been looking forward to going to preschool since Trey started almost two years ago. He's been talking about it being his turn since Trey graduated last month. He was super excited and chatty in the van on the way there last Monday. Everything changed when he went to step out of the van. A look of horror falls over his face and he says, "Mom, I don't want to go to school." I walk/half drag him up the steps. He slides past Miss Shira without speaking despite the successful role play in the van of how we talk to our teachers. Once inside the building he starts to melt down. Miss Shira scoops him up ignoring the shouts for "Mommy!" I walk out the door hoping the screaming doesn't last too long, but really thinking to myself, "Two down, one to go!" By the time I got home, Miss Shira had already called to assure me that by the time they were around the corner he had stopped crying and was talking about what he had eaten for lunch. So today we are going to start another week and he's pretty excited! I can't believe I have two kids old enough to be in school and my Trey is starting Kindergarten this fall. I so proud of their smart little brains and desire to learn. Kyler is really trying to keep up with Trey and Miss Shira has already told me that since he knows his letter sounds that they are going to teach him to read. Great, just what I need, another kid who thinks he knows everything! I love you, Kyler!

Bellingham Part I: Breakfast and Boulevard

2009-07-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

Deborah and Bill were kind enough to meet us for breakfast at the Little Cheerful Cafe (my favorite breakfast restaurant ever!) It was very good despite Kyler surprise vomit attack. He actually tried to tell LeRoy, but he didn't get it in time. Luckily I had kind of prepared for the possibility of them getting wet at the park and had extra clothes in the park. After breakfast we went to see Auntie Lisa at the antique mall and then we were off to Boulevard Park. We met up there again with Deborah and Bill. I was so glad to be able to spend more time with them. There's nothing better than an afternoon on Bellingham Bay! The kids had a blast looking for crabs under the rocks........

I wanted to take a family picture in the same place that we took our Engagement pictures nine years ago. Too bad I kneeled down in some mud or 'something' and so in all the pictures I have a nasty knee.

I tried to fix it and this is what I got out of it. What a difference nine years can make!!

Hoopfest

2009-07-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

These are all the pictures I have of Hoopfest. LeRoy played with new guys this year since Vincent moved to Georgia and Victor has a new baby. He played with Vincent bro in-law Jacob and some of his friends. Despite the new team, the end result was very familiar winning the first game and losing the second two knocking them out on Saturday. I have to say it was an answer to prayers because I really needed LeRoy to help me in Primary on Sunday. I wasn't going to go in early on Saturday in case it was gonna be a long day, but at the very last minute I changed my mind. I figured if this really is the LeRoy's last year playing, then I wanted to experience as much as I could. So the kiddos survived an 11 hour day with very little whining actually. We had lots of fun, ate yummy food, watched some good basketball, and everyone slept really well that night! I love Hoopfest!

Father's Day Present

2009-06-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

I've never really been one to reinvent the wheel and so I found this super cute idea online and I am so happy with the way it turned out! We took tons of pictures and itwas so hard to decide which ones to put in the frame. I feel so lucky to have three kids and a super dad for them!

Grandma Rusti is home!!

2009-06-26T08:02:00.000-07:00

It was a long two months but we all survived! The kiddos were so excited for her to be here. Rachel didn't let go of her for the first 20 minutes or out of her sight for the whole time she was at our house without crying hysterically. I'm so glad that my kids are able to have a Grandma so close and that I have my mom for all the support I could ever ask for. We missed you, Mom! We're so glad you're back!!

Grandma Bushnell came to visit.

2009-06-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

Last week my Dad's mom and two of his sisters stopped by on their way to Montana. None of them had met Rachel yet which I feel awful about! We really need to do more traveling to the other side of the mountains! We had a lovely visit and I'm so glad they were able to come. My grandma is going to turn 90 this September, so hopefully we will be able to go to Longview for the party!

It's never good when things are quiet........

2009-06-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

As I was rolling up some Turkey Meatballs, I realized that I hadn't seen Rachel for a while. I have been hating cooking dinner lately because Rachel just stands pulling on my legs. I decided to just enjoy the moment only to find her later like this. That's her cheese face!!

Cupcakes!

2009-05-19T11:49:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact that I am having the weirdest stomach pains today, I decided we better do something fun so that maybe my kids won't notice my laziness. What is better than cupcakes? The boys were excited and Rachel pushed everyone out of the way to be able to see. I wonder if she was thinking all along, "I'm gonna taste some of that!" I gave up stopping her knowing that I would never be able to scoop them all if I did. Silly kiddos!

Why did I wait so long?

2009-05-13T16:33:00.000-07:00

Just a little background....When I was 18 the dentist told me I had the wisdom teeth of a ten year old. I was pleased to hear that and hoped it would stay that way. Unfortunately, a couple years ago I started to feel one of them begin to break through the skin. I was not looking forward to having them out because I had no idea how much money it would cost. In my mind it was going to be like thousands of dollars since we had no insurance. Well, I finally got insurance through LeRoy's work and I went to the dentist today for the first time in years. Sure enough, the dentist told me 3 of the 4 wisdom teeth need to come out. They gave me an estimate of cost: $700 before insurance and about $230 is my expense. I was shocked!! I've put this off for this long over less than 300 bucks!?! Bummer! Either way, I'm happy to finally having it all taken care of. Oh yeah, and surprise my 15 year old fillings will have to be replaced. All in all, I'm pretty pleased considering how long it's been since I've been to the dentist. Let's just say I don't intend to go that long again. Moral of the story: Things usually aren't as bad as you might think!

I love reminders!

2009-05-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

Do you remember this? A couple of friends have recently posted a video of Elder Uchtdorf's talk that originally inspired me. You can check it out on my facebook profile here. That is, if the link works. I am grateful because I have now been remotivated to do more creating. I was also given encouragement by the dress I finished, too.

Now I'm looking for a new project. I wonder what it will be. I'm taking suggestions if anyone has anything to offer!

Confessions of a blog slacker.....

2009-05-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

So, this last month has been a classic case of I don't have enough time to blog about everything I want to blog about so instead I just won't blog at all. Yeah I know, dumb.....Let's think about what we've done this last month. Easter came and went without anything too crazy. I cooked my first prime rib on my own. It was pretty good. I'm excited to try it again sometime. Spring soccer has started. It's been fun to see how far Trey has come since last Spring. He's really getting big. I can't believe he's going to be in Kindergarten this fall. That is if I ever actually go down and register him. I also participated in an Enrichment activity in which a woman portrayed each of the ten virgins, five wise and five foolish. I had never really thought of these women in a present day context which is odd since that is really what they are supposed to represent. It was pretty powerful to realize how easy it is to get caught up in the world. For most of us, it isn't the big sins that will get us. It's the little things. It was on the day of this Enrichment Meeting that I realized we only had two weeks until we were supposed to put on our roadshow that we hadn't really gotten going. I spent the last two weeks of April working on that. It was so much fun!! I got the opportunity to attempt my very first solo sewing project which I ended up very pleased with! My mom is in Alaska for another six weeks with my brother and his kids. I miss her terribly, but I'm plugging along. I'm starting to get ready for Girls Camp. Our 4th year Adventure is the end of this month and I'm super excited. I've also decided to try and 'run' a race. It's a 3.6 mile Happy Hoofers Fun Run here in Cheney in July. I started training slow and steady, but fell off the wagon last week when it was cold, windy and rainy. No thanks! I started back today and hope to be tougher if nasty weather comes along again. I've got to get back into shape before I turn 30 at the end of the year. I've heard it's harder after that. Well, I should probably go get ready for Activity Days. Someday I am going to find a name to submit for this calling, but in the meantime I am having so much fun with the girls! I'll post pictures when I get home tonight.

Rachel is such a girl.

2009-04-07T09:31:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Grandma Rusti, Rachel has a love for 'pretties.' She'll stand by the little necklace holder and yell, "Pretty Pretty!" This morning she was in her diaper waiting for me to get dressed and I just thought it was too cute to pass up the photo op. As soon as she saw the camera she started cheesing!

Clay's blessing

2009-04-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

Rachel just loves her baby Clay.

Trey being silly for the camera.

Kyler trying not to smile.

Don't take my candy, mom.

My sister blessed her baby in between Conference sessions on Sunday. We made a mad dash up there and back in time for the second session to start. I'm not sure why I only have pictures with the dads and not the moms. I wonder if they took any with the moms, weird. Anyways, it was nice and the weather was gorgeous!

Storytime!

2009-04-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

As a kid, I always loved when my dad read me stories. Now my kids love it, too.

Disneyland!

2009-03-30T22:05:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe that we have been home from vacation for over a week! My kids started getting sick two days after we got home and I followed close behind. Boy, didn't I want to go back to California! I kept reminding myself that it wouldn't last forever. The runny noses are still hanging around and Rachel has yet another ear infection, but it's good. So, tonight I am going to take a few minutes and relive the best five days I've spent with my husband in a long time.
It was nice to be reminded of how much fun we can have together. Sometimes when you are in the middle of the day to day grind it's not really all fun and games though I have been working harder at making it a little more that way. Our little trip really was five whole days of just playing together. We left Wednesday afternoon. The plane ride was fun and we managed to catch the shuttle just in time! I really didn't want to pay cab fair all the way to the hotel. We got checked into our hotel about 11:30pm and crashed for the night. Thursday we didn't wake up nearly as early as I thought I wanted to, but it sure was nice to sleep in a bit. We went to Disneyland that day. I didn't even mind standing in line since it was just nice to be together. We chatted when we wanted to and didn't have to worry about the awkward silences of dating. We ate good food which is usually my favorite part of traveling! I was amazed to see so many other couples with no kids because I was so worried about feeling weird being adults alone at Disney. Thursday night we met Dan and Jessica for dinner! It was great food and excellent company. I was reminded just how much I miss them. I am so grateful for the times we had together in Cheney! I especially loved being able to eat dinner late without having to worry about if the kids needed to eat. I ate so much that night, I really wasn't ready for breakfast. I have no idea how late I would have slept in on Friday because LeRoy woke me up. Let me tell you that in almost nine years of marriage, LeRoy has rarely woken up early enough to get me up in the morning and never on a day off! That day we spent at California Disney. What a cool place!! By this time, we had learned the wonderful art of Fast Pass. Talk about cool! We did the Hollywood Hotel first and good thing I had Dramamine in my system. I swear my motion sickness worsens with every year of adulthood that passes. It's all because I used to make fun of my mom when I was a kid. I really enjoyed the rides there and all the shows were great! We saw all the 3-D shows and Alladin: A Musical Spectular was hilarious! I loved that it was similar to the movie, but had it's own little twists. The genie was especially funny! Saturday we actually got up early and were at Disneyland by 8:30. We did Splash Mountain first since we hadn't wanted to wait in line the first day. We didn't have to wait in line at all since most people apparently aren't interested in getting soaked that early in the morning. Who knew? I sat in the front and yet LeRoy still got more wet than I did! Ha Ha! We also went on Indiana Jones that day. It was fun and LeRoy's legs weren't nearly as cramped as some other rides. It was a weekend full of gratitude for being short! Since those were the only two rides we didn't do at Disneyland we headed back over to California Disney to do Soaring over California which we hadn't done the day before. What a cool experience that was! After we got off, we jumped back in the Single Rider line and did it again. We also went and rode California Screamin', the coolest roller coaster there! It made me laugh to listen to LeRoy scream!! I had forgotten what a rush roller coasters are and by the third time, my stomach was done! LeRoy said I was looking pretty sick. We got to meet up with Dan and Jessica with the kids. It was so cool just to be together. We had to laugh at us being willing to just stand in line together to use up every minute! We ended up eating dinner at the ESPN Zone. Now, that's our kind of place! Sporting events on multiple screens, hot wings, french fries, steak. Good stuff! We probably got most of our souvenirs there, lol! We got the boys backpacks and Rachel a shirt that says, "I watch ESPN with my mommy" After dinner we rode the monorail back to Disneyland. We managed to miss the fireworks all three nights, so I suppose we'll have to go back soon! We rode this silly Buzz Lightyear Blaster ride a bunch of times because LeRoy couldn't handle losing to a girl. We closed the park down and really enjoyed our last few hours there. There really is something magical about that place! I just love the way I felt so young and fun all except for my sore feet and joints. Next time, I'm training before I go! Ha Ha! I kind of wished we would have had one more day because I felt like by the third day I was really finding my groove. I knew where everything was and what I wanted to do. I suppose I can just try to recreate in my mind like a little kid. We came home on Sunday and the boys were not happy about having to leave Grandma. I am so glad that they have a place they love to go and can feel comfortable there. I must note that when Trey first caught sight of us and started to run his little face got all sad and he started to cry. I think he must not have realized that he missed us until that point. It was pretty cute! Now, once we were in the car and headed home the crying started from all three kids about Grandma not coming with. I think it took Kyler two days to accept the fact that he has to live at our house. Poor Guy! I guess next time we will just have to stay away longer! I am so lucky to have such an amazing mom who was willing to have three kids again, so that we could have a break. She really is the best mom ever!! Thanks, LeRoy, for an amazing weekend!! I'm so glad that we get to be together forever and ever!!

Oops!

2009-03-06T19:57:00.001-08:00

So, I've totally fallen off the blogging wagon the last few weeks. I think the whole being sick thing has kind of taken some wind out of my sails. I have kinda become obsessed with some new money saving ideas. I am really becoming more curious about this whole Walgreens/RiteAid rebate stuff, coupons, etc. It's fun and it makes me feel productive! I'm thinking about starting a little blog for me to share my experiences. There are so many out there, but this would mostly be for me to keep track of my good deals. If anyone else is interested in forming a group of posters, let me know. It might be fun to share with the others the things we find! Hope all is well with everyone.

Free Quiznos!

2009-02-23T15:52:00.000-08:00

http://www.millionsubs.com/Reg.php?x=1

I still haven't learned how to imbed the websites, so you'll just have to cut and paste. Sorry! Quizno's is giving away a million subs. So far they have given away over 100k today. Head on over and check it out!!

I can do it!

2009-02-17T20:42:00.001-08:00

Today started off in an interesting way. Kyler woke up at 7 which isn't horribly early for him, but he proceeded to wake up the other two kids who were not ready to wake up! LeRoy got them breakfast and I let them watch a show while I tried to get some more sleep having stayed up until almost two talking to my brother on the phone. I ended up just giving up and starting the day at eight. I was really worried it was gonna be bad, since I knew that LeRoy had a meeting tonight and then had to go to the church to do some finance stuff. Lucky for me the day was pretty okay. We've been pretty consistent with our little morning routine of unloading the dishwasher and reloading the breakfast dishes, then starting a load of laundry and getting ourselves dressed and ready for the day. So, that all got done which always makes me feel a little better about things. Since they woke up so early, Trey was ready for lunch at like 10:30. So, we cooked up some "potato chips" (sliced potatoes roasted in the oven) and corn dogs. I had thought about going to the library this morning only to remember it was Tuesday not Thursday, so there is no story time. Trey said he just wanted to go check out books, so we ended up going after school. They were great at the library. Actually, it was Rachel who did the most running off. Golly, that girl is fearless! I am hoping to go back for story time on Thursday and take at least some of the books back before having to pay late fees for the first time in too long. I call it my way of giving back to the Library system. We ran to the store and got asparagus before it went off sale. We came home and made dinner by 5 o'clock (again a result of kids having woken up early) and I didn't even have to really fight with Kyler. I just told him he had to eat three tiny bites off beef from our Yakisoba in order to get a cookie. He held off for a while, but finally caved. He ate his noodles, carrots, broccoli and peas. The boys helped me load the dinner dishes in and it would be running if I hadn't forgotten to get dishwasher soap. It turned out better since Tuesday is a bath night and our hot water tank isn't big enough for the dishwasher and bath tub at the same time. So they were all bathed and pajamaed by 7:00. Just in time to read a few new library books, watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, read scriptures, brush teeth and in bed all by 8:00. The coolest part about it: LeRoy still isn't home! Not that I don't want him to be, but I did all of this by myself! Ladies, I'm ready for another baby!! Oh, LeRoy just called and he's bringing home dishwasher soap and ice cream. Yippee! Man oh man, life is good!

What's a post without a sweet picture of my great family!!

Tonight's FHE

2009-02-16T15:05:00.000-08:00

Tonight is my night for the Family Home Evening lesson at our house. We've been struggling for months to get Kyler to eat. I've tried the power struggle and it just doesn't work, especially not with Kyler. I had heard about the mypyramid.gov website and hadn't really looked at it. So, today I got on and they have a whole little section for preschoolers. So, I've printed off a chart for each of them showing what foods and serving sizes for their respected ages. I'm gonna laminate them and put them in the kitchen/dining room somewhere. I have a page for them to color and a little work sheet for us to write down what they eat in a day. I hope that somehow it might help Kyler just a little. You should totally check it out! And if you have any ideas on how to convince a child to try something new without saying, "I don't like it," I will forever be in your debt. Have a great family night!

My little photographer!

2009-02-16T14:49:00.000-08:00

Trey learned how to set the timer on the camera. I really shouldn't let him play with it, but I just think the pictures he takes are so fun.

Trey was so proud of this picture. He had just finished a whole page of adding, so I did the problems for him and he colored. He's getting to be quite the little colorer.

Just some examples of his new found self portrait skills.

Such a little man!

Insight and update

2009-02-12T08:59:00.000-08:00

Insight: I was thinking this morning as we knelt around my bed for morning prayers, having to move clothes and stuff aside in order to find carpet below that I am so thankful for a Heavenly Father that hears my prayers anywhere. He doesn't care who we are, where we are, sinner or saint. He loves us all and wants to hear from us. I need to work harder on that.
Update: We took Rachel to the doctor yesterday and found out she has rotovirus. I had never really dealt with it before, in part because my older kids never got it before they got the vaccine. Rachel is the lucky one. The vomiting is over and shouldn't come back, but the diarrhea could last another week! I'm so glad she's in diapers. The doctor said she is scheduled to get her rotovirus vaccine in the next batch or so which makes me hope that we won't have to deal with it again unless another baby comes along. So, she seems to be getting a little better. She can walk again, she's smiling and playing. I think we'll get through as always. I have a million things on my list to do today to make up for not really doing anything this week! Here goes!!

After posting, I gave Rachel a popsicle and she was just too cute to not take a pic.

2009-02-09T12:39:00.000-08:00

Poor baby girl.

2009-02-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I have been more sad for Rachel then I was last night and this morning as I watched her puke her cute little guts out. Poor little thing didn't know what was happening to her. Boy, does she have attitude when she's sick! She kept pushing the puke bowl away like that was the cause of her doing this horrible thing. She's been sleeping off and on through the night. So far she hasn't thrown up since early this morning. Hopefully, I'm not jinxing myself by saying that out loud.

Clay's first visit to Cheney!

2009-02-05T22:25:00.000-08:00

My mom and sister came over to play the other day. It was a very fun day together. I look forward to many more play dates!

Trey already knows how to play games and hold a baby. Too bad that won't work in about three months!

They watched a movie together.

Clay tried to take a nap.

Rachel was her normal loving self. She just adores this guy! She started squealing when she saw my sister in the car. It was sooo cute!

Trey just loves to hold Clay!

A love of primary songs passed through generations

2009-01-31T21:38:00.000-08:00

Tonight I am especially grateful for a father who loves music. As I was tucking my boys into bed I started to sing "Whenever I hear the song of a bird" and Trey said that's the song that Grandpa always sings to us. My heart was full as I remembered fondly the nights my dad would tuck me into bed and sing me that song. I am so thankful for the truths that I have learned from Primary songs and the testimony they have given me of the love that my Heavenly Father has for me, that I am a Child of God, that "He sent His son to die for us and rise with living breath", and that Families Can be Together Forever." I've always said everything you'll ever need to know you can find in a primary song and I know it now more than ever. Thanks Dad, for taking the time to teach me these songs and to feel the spirit of them so that I can teach them to my children and I know they will teach them to theirs.

Whenever I hear the song of a bird
Or look at the blue, blue sky,
Whenever I feel the rain on my face
Or the wind as it rushes by,
Whenever I touch a velvet rose
Or walk by our lilac tree,
I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world
Heavenly Father created for me.

He gave me my eyes that I might see
The color of butterfly wings.
He gave me my ears that I might hear
The magical sound of things.
He gave me my life, my mind, my heart:
I thank him reverently.
For all his creations, of which I'm a part.
Yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me.

My attempt to end a day full of screens.

2009-01-28T20:39:00.000-08:00

So, I'm sick. LeRoy gave his rotten cold and I feel like crud. Needless to say, the boys have spent a ridiculous amount of time on screens today between the computer, television and CARS learning game thing. I knew from the beginning that LeRoy would be at work late for his Baseball meeting which always helps with bracing myself for a long night. At five o'clock I decided enough was enough. I fed the boys cereal for dinner because that's what mom's do when she's sick and the dad's not home and they thought that was so funny that they were eating cereal for dinner. Afterwards, Trey told me toys were boring. I told him he needs to learn to make it fun. So this is what we did..............

The hats are made from a car track that the boys got for Christmas a couple years ago from Grandma. Hey, at least they still play with it....kind of.

I set the timer and ran....

Now the kids are in bed having brushed teeth, read scriptures, and sang songs. I just wish LeRoy would get home with my french fries and ice cream so that I could watch American Idol. Yes, I think I just heard a car door shut!

What a good dad!

2009-01-25T22:06:00.000-08:00

We have always been very blessed when it comes to bedtime at our house. It's probably one of my favorite things about my kids. We enjoy our time together reading scriptures, saying prayers and singing songs. Tonight I put Rachel to bed while LeRoy sang to the boys. I came and got on the computer to check things. I thought it was odd that LeRoy had gone and turned on the television yet. I went to go check on them and this is what I found..........

Even though he was sick today, he still came to church to substitute a class of rowdy 6 year olds. I am so thankful for his love and support in my calling. I don't know what I would do without him. I love you, LeRoy

Rachel's Resourcefulness!

2009-01-19T20:10:00.001-08:00

Just a few pictures to share Rachel's ability to get what she needs: food, sleep and entertainment! She's a master climber and knows where to find food. She fell asleep for the first time on the couch today while Kyler was watching Caillou and LeRoy was showering. Best of all, she is the best little player! She likes to play with the boys, but she enjoys playing on her own as well. What a kick!

More baby Clay!

2009-01-18T23:58:00.001-08:00

Just look at that sweet face! He's such a good brother. He told me the other day that he wants thousands and thousands of brothers and sisters. I told him he would have to be lots of help. "I might need thousands of arms.......I think we would need more moms and dads," he said.

I want to hold him for real, Grandma!

He's here!

2009-01-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

My sister had her baby yesterday! His name is Bernard Clayton and he weighed in at 8lbs 9 oz and was 21 inches long. He already seems to be getting the hang of nursing and he burps like a true boy. I was really hoping that seeing him would relieve some of my baby fever. However, the opposite seems to be true just as my dad predicted it would. Thanks for the warning, Dad. I look forward to getting to be an auntie and all the fun times ahead. Congratulations, Alyssa! I am very proud of you.

I just love his little mouth. What a cutie!!

Ever try playing a board game with a 1 year old?

2009-01-10T12:17:00.000-08:00

I tried to tell LeRoy to play at the table, but he didn't listen. So, I decided to make a blog out of it in order to keep from getting frustrated at him. Poor little Rachel, it's so hard being the littlest.

Boy, do these make me feel like a kid!

2009-01-10T09:18:00.000-08:00

I was really excited when my bread dough recipe made a loaf of bread, a dozen rolls, and a package of hot dogs into pigs in a blanket.

Rachel preferred the ketchup. She wanted her hot dog whole not cut into pieces, but obviously that is not an option.

Trey loved his, but notice Kyler peeling the bread off his. He's such a funny eater. He loves my bread and hot dogs, but not together.

She finally did it.!

2009-01-06T19:31:00.000-08:00

After weeks and weeks of taking a step or to here and there, Rachel finally walked about ten feet from the dishwasher to the toy room. And, boy, was she impressed with herself! She was all giggly and excited! What a crack up! I actually originally grabbed the camera to take pictures of her getting herself a Dr. Pepper. She was pulling the cans out of the box one by one. Once she saw the camera she wanted to get it, so I kept backing up and she kept on coming. She still prefers to crawl because it's faster, but I don't imagine it will be much longer. What a big girl! Man, I can't wait for my sister to have her baby so that I can get a fix!!

Look, Mom, I'm really doing it!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-30T08:33:00.000-08:00

Writing our presents to Jesus.

Opening Stockings

Rachel got a rocking chair of her own. She ever knows which one is her's. I wonder how?

Kyler got a new Little People Fire Truck

Trey got a Hot Wheels Town.

Rachel only liked opening presents for a little while...

then she just wanted to play!

We took the tree of the table and it didn't take long before Rachel was in it.

We just love Cars at our house!

Matthew McConaughey is so dreamy!

Rachel loves Little People, too.

I just love the tissue paper floating in the air. What an action shot!

LeRoy smiling for the camera.

The theme of the day was, "What did you get?"

Rachel was too into her MagnaDoodle to care about the Doll House.

Who's more excited Grandma or Kyler?

Dad got a new TV from my Mom and Dad. Last night he watched TV and play video games at the same time fulfilling a lifetime dream! Good thing that TV is going to his office.

After Trey received this present, he was through opening presents. Kyler finished the rest for him.

We had a very fun Christmas and hope that all of you have been able to feel the joy that Christ's life brings to this season. May we try harder to remember His example every day of our lives.

And the moral of the blog post is..........

2008-12-24T22:36:00.000-08:00

NEVER go to Hawaii for Christmas! My mom's neighbor is a local news guy who went to Hawaii for Christmas with his family. I told LeRoy today that if I was him I would just stay there until June. I have no idea how he is going to get to his house!

Kylerism.........

2008-12-21T13:24:00.000-08:00

It snowed more today. This morning I went back inside to check my phone before Ward Council to make sure they hadn't called and cancelled it. The weirdest thing was the freezing rain which made it really fun to drive while not being able to see! Anyways, we ended up only have Sacrament Meeting. Kyler was devastated about not having Nursery class. We had to wait for LeRoy anyways so we let them play in the nursery room for a little while. Kyler was starting to get a little too wild. LeRoy pulled him aside and reminded him that this was Heavenly Father's house. "But he isn't here," Kyler quickly replied, " I didn't see his car in the parking lot."

I don't really have anything else to say..........

2008-12-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

Global Warming, My Eye!

2008-12-18T07:47:00.000-08:00

Well, at least in Cheney. This is from my front door. There was no way I was going any farther! I heard we've gotten like 18 inches or more since about ten o'clock yesterday. We're looking to break a 24 hour period record! Oh yeah, it's still snowing!

Whew....what a week!

2008-12-16T22:26:00.000-08:00

Wow! Boy, am I glad last week is over! Most of the week was spent getting ready for Sounds of Christmas. Our stake here as an annual tradition of an evening of Christmas music performed by members of our stake and community. Though I was noticing this year there weren't as many members of the community. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that it was only like 5 degrees outside and less with the wind chill factor. And anyone who has ever been to our Stake Center knows that the wind out there is crazy! I was very blessed to be able to participate in a couple roles. I played the piano for two ladies to sing solos. Those went off without too many mistakes. I really enjoyed being able to turn pages for my dear friend, Suzy. I was exceptionally glad that I didn't have to play the song with four sharps! And then I got to sing in the Stake choir which I just love. I've said for years that I can't really sing. I have what my dad and I refer to as a choir voice. I can sing the right notes, but it's not really pretty. It's fun and it gives me an opportunity to get away and what better way to feel the Spirit than singing songs about the birth of Jesus Christ. There were some amazing numbers including a young missionary who played a couple classical guitar songs. Wow, he's definitely gonna be able to pick up some girls when he gets home! And Suzy and family plus a couple sang Homeless from the Forgotten Carols by Michael McLean a capella. They were amazing! Two teenage boys who will also certainly be able to pick up some girls someday. It was a super fun night! I am thankful for a husband who was willing to put the kids to bed every Sunday night for six weeks. I am so lucky! The night was a great addition to our Holiday Season!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2008-12-09T21:23:00.000-08:00

We had a really fun time decorating our Christmas tree this year. Each year I realize how much bigger my kids are getting by how much they remember and enjoy getting ready for Christmas. We are focusing this year more than ever on the birth of Jesus Christ and what His life means to the world. I am so grateful for my knowledge of Him and His love for us and I strive harder everyday to be like Him.

LeRoy holding Trey up to put baseballs higher.

Publish Post

Kyler was so pleased with all his work. It was so sweet.

Wow, what would the boys do without a big dad?

I see a theme here.

Cheesing for the camera!

In case you can't tell, Kyler's upside down. Trey is manning the camera.

What a ham!

Two hams!

The boys were at it longer than I was. Adult ADD, I tell ya!

Mom gets in on the action.

I was reminded by my friend Dianne that we put our tree on a table when Kyler was Rachel's age. So, we did it again. I'm so glad she remembered!

Ever have a day that makes you forget 'one of those days'?

2008-12-08T22:29:00.000-08:00

I am so blessed. Today was great! I watched a friend's two kids this morning and they were great. My daughter and her's are stinkin' adorable and sweet together. I got some good girl phone time in with a dear friend. My mom came over with my niece and nephew who also played so nicely with the boys and Rachel. We made gingerbread cookies and the kiddos thought it was great. I made dinner instead of succumbing to my desire to go to McDonalds. The dishes are done and the sink is empty. Clothes are in the dryer. Toys are picked up. I can see the carpet in the living room. I feel awake enough to get some more scripture reading in. Life is good.

Ever have one of those days?

2008-12-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

Today, I am ready to throw in the towel. Primary was insane, Rachel has an ear infection, my house is all cluttered after a Saturday of playing instead of working (though it was really fun playing), Trey's listening ears are disconnected from his brain and I am just pretty much done. I feel like there are too many things to do and not nearly enough time to do it. When I have the time, I don't have the energy and when I have the energy I don't seem to have the time. What a nasty cycle. I'm hoping that by writing all of this down, then tomorrow it will all seem like not that big of a deal. Someday I will learn to say no that I just can't do it, but in the mean time I try my hardest to do everything for everyone. I really would prefer to live my life that way, but I think I am just going to have to learn that a girl can only do so much! I really am grateful for all that I have and I keep telling myself that the Lord only expects the best I can do. But then I ask myself, am I really giving my all or am I just being wimpy? Wow, what a day!

Kyler's 3!!

2008-12-03T09:20:00.000-08:00

Kyler's birthday celebration actually started the Tuesday before Thanksgiving with Grandma on her way to Seattle to help out my brother. She brought him a pumpkin pie and one of his presents.

He was very excited!

He was singing to himself.

LeRoy decorated the table for him for breakfast.

Kyler LOVES eggs but not the yellow. So, for his special day I separated the yolks and just fried up the whites. He's such a weird eater.

Here he is ready to eat!

Trey the cheeser!

Just a family of monkeys!

We let him open one present in the morning.

This is a clue to our new goal at our house.

Ever since we went bowling for LeRoy's birthday, Kyler has wanted to go bowling for his. I thought for sure that at the last minute he would change his mind for Chuck E Cheese, but he held strong. Boy, was I grateful. Not only was it cheaper, but way less stimulating!

Trey thought he was pretty hot stuff!

Kyler ran back to see how many pins he knocked down.

The ball almost stopped once it hit the pin, but continued on the knock down on the the 1 and 5 pin. I'd never seen anything like it!

Kyler changing it up a little.

Anybody who has ever seen Kyler run has a greater appreciation for this shot than those of you not fortunate enough to witness his sprinting form.

I seem to have missed adding the pictures of Kyler making his cake. Despite his lack of desire to eat, Kyler loves to cook. I thought it only appropriate that he be able to make his own cake. He loved it! He picked out the cake mix (someday I'll help him do one from scratch) and he wanted blue frosting with Curious George.

After searching far and wide for a Curious George to put on it, we finally just printed a picture off the computer and Trey volunteered to color it. Grandma cut out construction paper balloons which I then decided to stick around the sides. I thought I was pretty clever and I think it turned out pretty cute! We are really trying hard at our house to prepare for potentially hard economic times in our country and around the world. I called this cake Great Depression worthy which is probably blasphemous compared to the reality of what those individuals went through, but it was made with things we already had in our home. I was proud and Kyler loved it!

Rachel did more damage on this cake than on her own two weeks ago!

Grandma, look what Kyler got!

All in all, it was a very fun day! I am so lucky to have such a fun little Kyler at my house. He makes us laugh everyday and he is just as smart as his brother! We love you, Kyler!

Part II: Saturday party pictures

2008-11-24T10:55:00.001-08:00

"I remember how this goes!"

She was so excited! Good job, boys!

New bath toys!

Rachel just loved on Dianne the whole night!

Grandma go Rachel Mario Kart since Trey accidently ran over the old one with the bike he got for his birthday. The last few days he kept telling Grandma he wished he didn't get a bike so then he wouldn't have broken the game!

Making faces for the camera!

Trey waiting 'patiently' for the party to start!

We made pizzas for dinner. We did one with whole wheat flour. It wasn't bad!

In classic 1 year old tradition, she just wanted to touch it.
The girl can wail on the recorder, but didn't want to blow out the candle!

She touched it a little...

but she liked it better with a fork. What a girl!

What a pretty princess cake! Thanks, LeRoy!

Be sure to check out the previous post with Trey and Kyler's efforts!

Rachel's One!!

2008-11-24T10:21:00.000-08:00

That's right, Rachel turned one last Tuesday. We had a quick little party with Grandma since I had a church meeting that night. Trey and Kyler helped make her a little cake. Kyler insisted that Dora be on top. He was so excited to find a playdoh with Dora on it at the store. It worked perfectly! On Saturday we had a little get together. LeRoy was in charge of the cake. I thought for sure it was gonna be a pink basketball cake or something. But in true LeRoy style he amazed with the sweetest little princess cake ever. It even came with a free little baby cake. The bummer of being the third baby and getting treats much sooner than the brothers is that she was as impressed with the cake as she might other wise have been. It was fun to celebrate Rachel and the joy she brings to our home!

Helping Grandma make the cake!

Trey is such a good helper

"I can do this."

"I'll do it myself, Kyler!"

She didn't like the hair in her face, but she loved the belly button.

Climbing........Climbing.........Climbing!

2008-11-16T21:22:00.000-08:00

I imagine some of you won't really find this that impressive, but neither one of my boys were really much for climbing. Especially not until they were a little older. Rachel on the other hand. Well, you'll see..........

I imagine some of you won't really find this that impressive, but neither one of my boys were really much for climbing. Especially not until they were a little older. Rachel on the other hand. Well, you'll see..........

I think we've found a new Friday night tradition!

2008-11-14T17:30:00.000-08:00

I'm hoping someday when I get over the fact that it's gonna cost me as much to pay a babysitter as it does to go to dinner that LeRoy and I will go out on dates Friday nights, but in the meantime we enjoy the occasional break courtesy of my mom and we just enjoy being together as a family most Friday nights. After tonight's successful dinner experience, I'm thinking that making pizzas in all their varieties every Friday night has endless possibilities! The boys have been snacking on the Costco size bag of pepperoni lately. A couple of days ago Trey complained of a sore throat and I'm guessing he must have eaten a few too many. Ever since he's a little nervous about pepperoni, so he decided he wanted broccoli and carrots on his pizza. What kind of a mom would I be to say no to that? We grated some carrots steamed some broccoli. He only one piece and then was ready for something different, but I was more than happy. DJ, our adopted son for one more night, also opted for the shredded carrots in addition to his pepperoni. Kyler, my picky one, was more than happy with just pepperoni. He ate 3/4 of his 8 inch plate sized pizza. I was floored! It was a great dinner and everyone had lots of fun!! I tried a new pizza dough recipe that uses brown sugar and italian seasoning.

Pepperoni with Carrots

Plain Old Pepperoni

Trey's Broccoli and Carrots

Since I don't know how to do the link thingy yet, I will just have to cut and paste. I did it all in my kitchenaid and I am pretty sure I used more than 3 1/2 cups of flour. Here you go:

Ingredients

2 1/4 teaspoons fast rising yeast
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons italian seasoning
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 1/2 cups flour

Directions

In large bowl, dissolve yeast and brown sugar in the water.
Let sit for 10 minutes.
Stir the salt, oil and italian seasoning into the yeast mixture.
Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.
Turn dough out onto a clean, dry surface and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky.
Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth.
Let the dough double in size.
Should take about 1/2 hour if in warm spot.
Punch down and let rest a minute.
Roll out, and prepare your favorite pizza.

I wanna be BIG! I wanna be B-I-G!

2008-11-14T08:50:00.000-08:00

This is Rachel's newest place to hangout! It's the base of the basketball ball hoop. I am just absolutely amazed at her ability to balance for extended periods of time. I really think she likes the perspective up there!

*Update* LeRoy requested a picture with the whole hoop. Here you go!
I told her to pull her skirt down, but she said it got in the way of her jumpshot! Sorry.

What's better than two boys?

2008-11-14T08:31:00.000-08:00

Three boys, of course. We just have an extra five year old this weekend. So far they have been playing very nicely together! Last night we were trying to get them to calm down for bedtime and somehow LeRoy convinced them to watch the basketball game. It was just to cute of a picture to pass up. Though I wish I would have made LeRoy get down lower, but it works. And as you can imagine the calm didn't last. It was probably only five minutes before the sweet picture turned into this.................

BOYS WILL BE BOYS!!!!

2008-11-12T21:26:00.000-08:00

We thought this picture was going to be amazing because he had the best smile, but the photographer must have taken the picture right before the full smile came out. Bummer!

So, I missed posting about Trey's birthday because the pictures are on my mom's camera! I'm such a bad mom. I decided that this year was probably the last year that I was going to be able to get away with a family so that was what we did. My mom made a really cool bat pinata which Trey thought was amazing. Trey and Kyler has a blast busting that sucker open. Grandma Keith sent Trey on a little scavenger hunt complete with rhyming clues that led to his new bigger bike. Too bad it's so cold now! Hopefully it will at least stop raining soon. I can't believe I can possibly be old enough to have a five year old! I am so proud of what he has become! He really is such a big boy. I love you, Trey!

It was a first for me!

2008-11-12T00:20:00.001-08:00

As a girl who has been playing the piano since I was seven, I can honestly say that I have played in a lot of different places. Though I still have a few dreams like playing at Christmas time in a mall somewhere or learning to play the organ in the LDS Conference Center, never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined playing in the church by flashlight! You see it is a relatively common for the power to go out in Cheney and that's what happened last Thursday at our ward building right in the middle of practicing for Young Women in Excellence. We decided to make the most of it and someone found a flashlight so that I could see my music and all the girls used their phones to see their's. I have to say, it was pretty funny! The weirdest thing was that the lights came back on, but then went off again before they came back on for good. My mom was watching my kids since LeRoy had a meeting. She was such a good sport and just found some matches and tealight candles. The boys thought it was great except for the fact that it interrupted their computer game! I figure it won't be an experience that I will soon forget, but I wanted to write it down just in case. After we finished practicing we went on our way to the temple where the youth were able to participate in Baptisms. What a wonderful fun day! Oh how I love to be in the temple no matter what the occassion...even if I spend it wiping up water. I can't express enough gratitude for the blessings that come from serving. If you ever need a 'pick me up,' do something for someone else. It works every time!!

A day in the life of the boys........

2008-11-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

At first I thought I should probably do a post for each boy, but the truth is that they spend most of their day together........They would love to play computer ALL day, but I limit it to after school. At least then there is NO way for them to play more than five hours a day. Ha Ha!

The second favorite thing to do is play with Dad. I am so blessed with a husband that gets down and rolls around with our kiddos. Thanks LeRoy!

They really loved playing on Uncle Victor's motorcycle this summer!

Do you think he's scared of happy? I can't tell.

I wish you could see my shoes better in this picture. They are a strappy wedge type sandal. Pretty cute on Trey!

I think he only managed to take about two steps in these. He thought he was pretty hot stuff!

He can be such a happy boy!

Always being silly!

Pretending to go on an adventure. At least he interacts with the television!

Kyler dancing to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's 'Ole Bamboo'

Last spring Kyler wanted to go outside to play in the snow. He had his gloves, but didn't think he needed pants!

I LOVE MY BOYS!!

The joys of being the mother.......

2008-11-07T14:20:00.000-08:00

This is going to be kind of a random thoughts post that I want to have documented so that I can refer back to them later. I came to the conclusion a few weeks ago that if all I had to do was be the mother to my children that I would have 10 kids. Let me explain. If I had an endless supply of resources and was able to have someone to do the cooking, cleaning, picking up, taxi driving, organizing, laundry, and all the other cruddy stuff life would be cake. I could spend my day reading books, playing trucks and trains, writing letters, doing projects, taking walks, kissing scraped knees, rocking baby, cuddling, teaching, even disciplining. What a life that would be! That being said, I obviously don't have endless resources and so I spend my day attempting to implement routines and habits that will help me get control of all that cruddy stuff in an attempt to convince myself and my spouse that I really could handle another baby without letting my house go to pot. The last week or so I have been doing pretty well and it made me come to another conclusion. I had mentioned to LeRoy and my mom that Trey had been amazingly well behaved the last few days. It wasn't until after I had mentioned it more than once that I realized that the picked up house and Trey's behavior were on a very similar schedule. Coincidence? I think not. I know what my brain does when things get messy. I can only imagine what a little boys brain with probably the same tendencies as my own would do! And so my efforts continue as I strive to make my home a haven for my children and a place where they want to be.

The coolest picture I've ever taken!

2008-11-04T21:31:00.000-08:00

Rachel playing peek-a-boo with herself in the pressure cooker. I love it!!

A day in the life of Rachel........

2008-11-04T17:03:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about this post for a few weeks now. I kept snapping little pictures of Rachel doing the things she does everyday. She's such a fun little player. I love that she entertains herself most of the time. I keep saying that she is the perfect third baby!!

Trunk or Treat is the only way to go when kids are little!

2008-11-04T09:37:00.000-08:00

I made the mistake of putting my sister in charge of taking pictures and didn't check on her during the process. She only took like ten pictures. I hope she improves before her only little guy comes.
But at least the ones she took weren't horrible! I had an appointment in Spokane Friday morning so we decided to go to my parent's ward Trunk or Treat. It started an hour earlier than our's in Cheney. Though it didn't really matter because it was so warm anyways!! We only went home because the boys had to go potty not because we were freezing. That was pretty exciting!

What a pretty girl!

In the rush to get to my meeting I forgot her black sweatshirt to go underneath. Bummer.

Kyler wanted to be a lion for two weeks before Halloween and then the day before decided he wasn't even going to put it on. It wasn't until we were at the store 3 o'clock on Halloween that I convinced him to be a clown because of the cool nose. Thank goodness I got this costume on sale and it was at my mom's house. He wouldn't wear the nose, but I thought it was awesome that he let me paint his face. As you can see, he kept smearing it. But it was fun!

Trey really wanted to be a superhero this year, but I really wanted to try and stay away from commercialized costumes for on more year if I could get away with it. We agreed on the ninja costume and he thought it was great! It made me realize that he really is 5! Why do they have to grow up?

Check out our pumpkins below!!

Better late than never....the story of my life ( :

2008-11-04T09:35:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already Tuesday! I figured I should probably get some Halloween stuff documented. We did our pumpkins two mondays before Halloween. It was probably a little early, but they weren't too rotten by the time the big day came around. The boys had lots of fun!

The boys really enjoyed sitting on the porch just watching the pumpkins. Silly boys!

Harvest Fest

2008-10-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

We had our annual Harvest Fest last Saturday and it was lots of fun. They had little tables set up with games and activities. They had a little train that they pulled behind a 4 wheeler. It was a very fun day!!

What a cutie!

I turned around and saw this! She was buckled!

Rachel loves the wind blowing in her hair.

This little train was definitely the hit of the party!

Kyler loves candy!

This is Trey's 'pleased with himself' pose.

Fall Soccer 2008

2008-10-27T20:27:00.001-07:00

So, even though I knew that LeRoy was going to have to work every Saturday of the season I went ahead and signed Trey up for Fall Soccer and I am really glad that I did. In the spring, he never even touched the ball except for during drill. This time he really got into it! It was really fun to watch. Well, as fun as soccer in the cold can be!!

A little something special.......

2008-10-22T22:50:00.000-07:00

LeRoy and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary in August and LeRoy bought me tickets to go see Phantom of the Opera. Tonight was the big night! I talked my mom into watching the kids. Luckily Rachel went down really easy even after having not nursed since six. She's such a good baby! I had a lovely time and LeRoy humored me. I am so glad to have a husband who tries to appreciate the things that I love! As we were walking back to the car I wanted to sing and dance. He just smiled at me as I skipped along. Once we were in the car I asked, "Doesn't it just make you want to dance?" "No," he said. I said, "Wow, that's soo weird." He laughed out loud and said something like, "Yeah, I'm the weird one." So, I took that to mean that I'm the weirdo at our house. Hey, I've embraced that! Thank you, LeRoy, for a wonderful evening.

Twilight........I am such an addict.

2008-10-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't already know, I've officially jumped on the band wagon. This would explain my lack of posts for the last four days. I'm afraid I've been a little busy trying to decide whether I am a member of Team Edward or Team Jacob. Yes, 200 pages into book 3, Eclipse, I am still undecided. Don't worry. I've still been taking pictures and my kids are still doing great things so I will have plenty to post about tomorrow or maybe later today in an attempt to prove my ability to not HAVE to read these silly books all day! Until then.........

Baby Poll!

2008-10-17T23:47:00.000-07:00

No, I am not expecting. The thought has crossed my mind, but I always get over it quickly. However, my sister is having her first baby is January. This has caused me to stop and think about the things that a first time mother needs. So, my question for all of you out there is two parts. First, what did you buy that you wish you wouldn't have wasted your money on and what item would you not have been able to live without? I look forward to all you insight. Thanks for the help! Comment away, please!!

Wow!

2008-10-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

I feel like that is the only word I have used in the last few days. Monday I attended my first funeral. Luckily for me, it was just to accompany someone on the piano. Definitely the way to go for a first time experience. While I wasn't overly emotional, I did feel an overwhelming reminder of what life really is about: Family! On my way home, I called my dad. I told him I loved him and we talked for a bit. As we were hanging up I said, "No dying, Dad" To which he replied, "Not planning on it." No less than 24 hours later, my mom calls to tell me he is at the doctor's office at Fairchild AFB. Needless to say, I pretty much panicked. Turns out he'd been having some chest pressure for a couple weeks which had gotten worse over the weekend. He decided he better not fool around and went to have it checked out which is totally out of his character as he is more of a 'suck it up' kind of a guy. Boy am I glad he chose not to suck it up this time! The doctor gave him some nitro glycerin and scheduled a stress test for the next day, Wednesday, at Noon. The test on Wednesday ended at three and he saw the cardiologist about 3:30. Upon looking at the results, he told my dad, "I'm not looking at the calendar, I'm looking at my watch." Dad was in the operating room at 5:30, only waiting that long for the room to become available. The blockage ranked a 4+ on a scale of 1-4. The doctor said that if he would have gone on the hunting trip he has scheduled for this weekend with his brothers, he probably wouldn't have come home. The damage from the heart attack would have been so severe that it would have been fatal. Yikes! Fortunately, my dad is otherwise pretty healthy and wasn't on at kind of medications. The surgery took less than an hour and was successful in opening up the artery. He's having to take it easy, but will be able to go back to work on Wednesday. The doctor told him no more Diet Coke. Evidently the sweetener really doesn't digest very well and was a big contributor to this problem. That sure will be a hard habit to break, though he said he's been thinking about giving it up anyway. My mom did amazingly well through the whole thing. I actually kind of worry that she might break down later. But I believe in the power of the Priesthood blessings they each received and I know that everything will be okay. Now I am just left with the thoughts of what might have been. Often times, I think of what I should have done differently to make things better or how if something else would have happened that I would have been happier with it than what actually happened. This feeling of imagining the bad things that could have happened are totally new to me. I don't really care for it. I just can't be more grateful for how things turned out. It really does help put things into perspective and make you realize that we are all mortal beings. At the same time, I am so glad to be a member of a Forever Family! I think this experience will help us all work a little harder to do ALL the things that the Lord has asked of us and not just the things that are easy and convenient. Thanks, Dad, for teaching me another life lesson!

Every now and then........

2008-10-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

we have moments of peace and quiet. Lucky for us getting ready for bed has always been a pretty easy process at our house. I've watched many episodes of Supernanny in which this isn't the case, so I feel incredibly grateful. The other night the boys had had baths but it wasn't quite late enough for bed so we told them they had to sit and read books. I was so glad that they were able to settle down and spend some time with a good book. Moments like this make it all worth it.

Random........

2008-10-14T11:49:00.001-07:00

My brain has been a little maxed as of late with a lot of things going on. I wanted to write down a few things for the sake of keeping record since I don't do it anywhere else. First off a conversation I heard the other day between Trey and his friend. I am not exactly sure what they were playing since I was making dinner and they were in the other room, but this is what I remember hearing. Friend asks Trey, "Hey, did that freak you out?" Trey responds, "Yeah, that fruck me out!" At first, I thought I was going to die!! Then I realized that evidently 'fruck' is the past tense of freak. So for all you English majors out there, be sure to make a note! I've been laughing about it all weekend.
Saturday was a good day. I had an Enrichment meeting in the morning. I volunteered to fill in for a friend to do the lesson. It was on a talk by Jeffrey R Holland entitled "My Words...Never Cease" It was a wonderful talk and I was grateful to be able to bare my testimony of the Book of Mormon and President Monson. I was so glad to leave with my cup feeling full. We had to go straight from there to Trey's soccer game. I couldn't find his soccer shirt, but I found one the same color so I wasn't worried about that. We got to the game and drove around the parking lot half a dozen times before we found a spot. I unloaded the boys and went around the car to get Rachel out only to realize that I had locked Rachel and the keys in the car! I have never been so sick in my whole life!! Luckily, it was a nice day. Not too hot and not too cold. LeRoy drove from the football field to unlock to door for me. The most amazing part was that she remained pretty happy the whole time right up until about two minutes before LeRoy got there. I felt very blessed about that. I ended up getting to watch about ten minutes of Trey's soccer game. He did a great job! He is becoming a good little soccer player. I am very proud of how hard he works. Next week is his last game. I sure hope I remember to bring the camera!

Let me out.....Let me out!

2008-10-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

Poor little Rachel wants to play outside with the big boys so bad! When they are outside, she just stands at the door and 'calls' to them. Surprisingly, she doesn't cry about it. Next summer is going to be so much fun!

Words of Wisdom.......

2008-10-10T20:20:00.001-07:00

The last few days I have been reflecting upon life and being happy. What makes some people so happy and others not. Poor people wish they were rich, but all rich people don't seem to overwhelming happy either. I found this on an old friends' blog and was convinced that this is the answer. As cheesy as it sounds, life really is as good as we make it. Though my life is totally crazy, I wouldn't have it any other way!

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me, is more important than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string, we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you... We are in charge of our ATTITUDES."

I'm a big girl now!

2008-10-07T20:46:00.001-07:00

Little Rachel has taken up coloring! She's watched her brothers do it lots and figures it can't be too hard. I love this picture! It's like she's saying, "Do you need something, Mom?" My sweet little girl!

The perfect bread recipe for me!

2008-10-06T22:45:00.000-07:00

Kyler has been a picky eater from the very beginner! For quite sometime the child only ate canned fruit. A friend of mine sent me home with a couple slices of homemade wheat bread one day and Kyler just loved them. I decided that I'd start making bread, after all I have 350 pounds of wheat! My mom went to a bread making class at church, which I thought was odd since she already knows how. But boy am I glad she did! She got the perfect bread recipe just for me. It makes just one small loaf. You see, I only really like homemade bread the first and maybe the second day. After that, it's easy to see why preservatives are used. Plus I just love the smell of my house on a baking day. Since it's only one loaf, it's really not a big ordeal. So, every other day or so I bake a loaf of bread and Kyler will eat it plain, as toast, or a jelly sandwich. No peanut butter, mind you. For anyone interested, here it is:

2 1/2 tsp yeast
3 T honey Combine these three ingredients and let 'poof' as Kyler calls it
1 1/8 C warm water

While waiting combine:
3 C whole wheat flour
3 T gluten
3/4 tsp salt

Add 1 T olive oil to yeast mixture. Slowly mix flour, gluten, salt into yeast. I use my Kitchenaid to do my kneading and boy is it great! I'm so glad LeRoy bought me that thing back when we were newlyweds and wealthy (relatively)! When finished kneading press out any air bubbles remaining and shape into loaf. I use a small loaf pan. Let rise about an hour or so. You can get away with a little less if you are in a hurry. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. I say when you can smell it, it's probably getting close! It makes me happy just thinking of that smell!

I Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet!

2008-10-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

I am reminded this weekend of my experience last conference in regards to President Thomas S Monson. I was not able to watch the session in which they held the solemn assembly to sustain him as the prophet. I was really sad after President Hinckley's passing and I wondered how I could possibly love another prophet as much after all he was the only prophet I had really ever known. I could barely remember the ones before. Luckily a few months before April Conference I made the decision to get satellite which allows me to record all the sessions. A few days after while Trey was at school and the little ones were sleeping, I watched the recorded session and participated in that solemn assembly. I felt a little silly as I stood and raised my hand to the square to sustain Thomas S. Monson as the prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but I am so grateful that I did. I was covered with an overwhelming knowledge that he was a prophet of God put here on earth to lead and guide us. Today as I listened to him speak in both sessions I was filled with an incredible love for this man. My heart was full and my eyes wept as I heard his voice and listened to his stories, which I have always loved. I look forward to reading the transcripts and developing a plan on how to implement the messages into my life. But if nothing else comes from this weekend's conference, I can honestly say that I know that President Monson is a prophet, I love him, I thank my Heavenly Father for him and I will follow him all the days of my life!

This is the life..........

2008-10-05T08:57:00.000-07:00

the house is picked up. Well, at least the living room. The chicken is going into the crockpot. Music and the Spoken Word is almost over and Conference is coming up. I have printouts for the boys in hopes that they will watch a little. I look forward to a spiritually uplifting day! Hope you have one too!

Talk about 'bed head'!

2008-10-01T22:07:00.001-07:00

Normally I take Rachel's hair bows out before I put her to bed, but I was too worried about waking her up in the transition from car to crib. Instead she woke up an hour later looking like this.......

Day 1 of "Create and Compassion-ate"

2008-09-29T21:19:00.000-07:00

I want to reiterate that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and to avoid being accused of being 'crafty' I would also like to emphasize that this is creating, not crafting! I was at the dollar store with my mom and got caught at a moment of weakness and bought three bunches of flowers and a bag of rocks. I used to think this kind of stuff was just plain dumb, but I am starting to realize that it makes me smile and feel happy inside so I figured, hey, it's fall and I can't kill these flowers! (Wow, that was a lot of commas. Can't possibly be grammatically correct, but oh well!) So, maybe with a centerpiece I will be more inclined to keep the table cleared off. I say it's worth a shot!!

Fulfilled!

2008-09-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

I am so glad to be a member of the Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I had the opportunity this evening to attend the annual Relief Society Broadcast and as always I left feeling excited, inspired, capable, strong and ready to take on the world. I love my Heavenly Father for providing opportunities for me to learn and grow. The thing I got most out of the conference was from Elder Uchtdorf's talk. He told us that in order to be truly happy the way that Heavenly Father is happy that we have to do what He does. We need to create beautiful things and provide compassionate service. So, my newly found saying is "Create and Compassionate (pronounced so that 'ate' in compassionate has the same sound as the ate in create). Get it? So it may be that I'm the only one that thinks that is clever, but I'm okay with that. It works for me. Everyday I plan to ask myself what I 'created' and who I 'compassionated'. It could be that a beautiful creation is of only relative beauty, but who knows. I am thankful to be associated with absolutely AMAZING sisters in Zion here in little Cheney Washington. My soul is filled by being in their presence and my love for life is increased as I speak with them. Thank you to all my sisters all over the world who love the Lord and strive always to do what He would have them do. I love being a woman! Though there are times that the emotions that come with that are almost more than I can bare, I know that it is that passion that drive me to greater things! I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ! I am forever indebted to them for this Plan of Salvation and an Atonement that allows me to repent and become better. I have so much work to do. I begin again today to try just a little bit harder. I can do it! If I do the Lord's will, I cannot fail.

Attack of the Killer Rachel!

2008-09-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

This post has been a long time coming, but I finally got it together. In our house, Rachel is known for her growling tendency. She is especially growly when something is taken away from her, ie Hungry Hungry Hippo marbles. Also, whenever her brothers are wrestling, she wants in on that action! She's been known to maul other babies either friend or foe. Here are some examples.......

It's Family Night!

2008-09-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

Family Home Evening with toddlers is always a little challenging. Tonight was one of those nights that makes you think that it's all worth it! We had what I would call a successful lesson complete with clip art pictures for our story about the Mama Bear teaching her cubs how to climb up the tree when danger was near. The lesson was on commandments and how following them keeps us safe and happy. For our activity we drew pictures of the commandments we were thankful for and went on a scavenger hunt to practice following directions. LeRoy was in charge of the treats which almost always means ice cream. Last week I had treats and we had raspberries, how boring. Kyler was finishing up his ice cream at the table and Rachel was in her seat having a vanilla wafer when LeRoy heard Kyler say, "You have ice cream in your mouth? You like it?" Sure enough we caught him in the act of sharing! Needless to say, after that she was not at all interested in her lame vanilla wafer, that's for sure! I am so glad that families can be together forever!!

Domino Project Preschool

2008-09-21T21:36:00.000-07:00

The slide show above is from a field trip we took with Trey's school earlier this summer. For those of you who don't know, Trey goes to Domino Project Preschool at EWU. It's a program in which they combine typically developing kids like Trey with children affected by Autism. It's becoming a more and more common way of trying to mainstream Autistic children into public schools. I am very grateful for the opportunity it has given Trey to develop relationships with children who have different strengths and weaknesses than he has. I really am hoping that it is teaching him to be more accepting of the people around him. I know it's hard for boys to not be competitive about everything. A few months ago, they were playing Red Light Green Light in PE. His teacher told me later that Trey was watching his typical peers very closely to see if they were moving in an attempt to allow his autistic peers a chance to win. She said it was the sweetest thing to watch. I hope that there are more experiences like this to come. I am a little concerned with the fact that the new children coming in are so much younger than him, but his teachers have assured me that he has been an excellent helper with them. I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for sending me such a wonderful boy! He's entirely too smart for his own good and I am about tired of him thinking he knows everything, but I love him so much.