Eight is Enough

A Sun Seeking Prince

2010-08-07T08:37:00.001-07:00

So we were at my sisters and Ryker decided he need to take some time out of playing and get some sun. He is so cute. And totally lounging. All he needs is a cold drink in his hand. NON ALCOHOLIC of course!!! Such a prince!!

Retro vs. 70's

2010-08-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

So Morgan is such a cross between the crazy 70's girl style and the infamous 50's Retro. So her room is a cross between both. Her room truly fits her personality. She is BRIGHT, SOPHISTICATED, and a bit of a HIPPIE. So those 3 personal styles COLLIDED together to make one CRAZY room.

I was not sure how I would like it. But I kept telling myself its her room. SHE will LOVE it and I was so right. She LOVED it. She was at her Grandma and Grandpa's house for part of the summer. So it was the perfect opportunity to surprise her with a completed room. She was shocked and had recently told her Grandma that it will be FOREVER til her room was done. She said by the time mom is done with every one's rooms she will be to tired to do mine.

Well MO.......Your room is complete..except for the bathroom. Patience is a virtue. All in due time my darling daughter. You deserve all!! YOU ARE THE BEST!!!

So her wall color is called Pacific Blue....we also call Jessica Badillo Blue. And then rest is accented in Lime Green, Hot Pink, Tangerine Orange and Black. It was a fun room to do. And another room I can cross off my list!

You Are Never Really In Charge Of Your Life

2010-07-12T14:08:00.000-07:00

Do you ever get the feeling you are never really in charge of your own life. We have all been told that you have a certain path to follow. And until Thursday July 8, 2010 I never really thought how true that is.

A few weeks ago I was once again SOBBING. I did not want to be here. I don't want to live here. I miss Utah and all of the people I love out there. BLAH BLAH BLAH. And Wyndam was being wonderful and listening and understanding to what I was saying. Then he said something. He said..."I know there are people here that only YOU can touch." When he said that I thought to myself WHAT THE HELL EVER!!!!

Then on Thursday July 8, 2010 we had the missionaries over. Elder Curtis and Elder Harrison. They ate dinner and shared a message with us. We watched a clip of a movie. And then Elder Curtis gave a little lesson. He said and was looking me in my eyes.....I know you came here for work. But I also know that there are people here that only YOU can touch. I was shocked to hear him say the exact words Wyndam said. And I started to cry.

I realized then that we are for sure suppose to be here. And it has not been the first time that I have known that its just now I will stop fighting it. The thing that is getting me through is that Wyndam said he would fly me back to Utah around 3 times a year. And knowing that in D&C it talks about how our trials are not that bad. Its when Joseph Smith is in Liberty Jail and he is getting revelation that his trials are not anywhere in comparison as Job. And my trial is not anywhere near that of Joseph Smith.

So in coming to this conclusion......I know that Heavenly Father has a plan. He lets us have our choices but in the end we ALWAYS end up where HE wants us and needs us to be. And for the learning experience I am grateful!!!

Only The Lonely

2010-04-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

I am having a really really really rough day. I just got off the phone with my really good friend Anne Lee. I miss them so much. I loved loved loved Utah. And moving back to Missouri has been one of the hardest things I have ever done. I was so happy there. I love my family and I am happy when we are together. But the children have struggled also. I feel I have had to be so strong to keep a positive twist on moving here. Now I am cracking.

Morgan has struggled the most out of the kids. She has NO young woman in the ward. Its hard so hard. She is doing well in school and all of that. But nobody seems to have that spark that we use to have. Maybe I need to clean my eyes. Maybe its there and I am so miserable I am not seeing the it.

I miss the stupid little things. Like the gas station runs for soda, hanging out all day watching movies, lunch days, letting kids run and play.

What has happened to my LIFE???

Boundary Changes

2010-04-19T06:56:00.000-07:00

Its a sign of the times!! Our boundaries have changed in the Liberty Missouri Stake. Its AMAZING to see and be a part of the growth in the Midwest in these last days. I was reminded yesterday that when Gallatin got their first branch we met in a little old house. Then we moved to a store front. Then they dissolved the Gallatin Branch and made Trenton a ward. So we were combined. I was only a baby when all of this took place. Although I remember meeting in the house. And one Sunday after church there were some people outside giving away some puppies. Melanie and I were lucky enough to get one. Well we each got one. I named mine Buttons and Melanie named hers Josie. Anyway later Gallatin was once again made a branch and before the changes yesterday it was the BIGGEST ward in the Liberty Missouri Stake. AMAZING!!!

So a huge change was made and when it was announced. I had tears streaming down my face. They took some of the Gallatin and Cameron Wards and split them to make the Far West Ward. SIGN OF THE TIMES!!!! One day it will house a temple. Far West. I have chills just writing about it.

Then the Excelsior Springs Ward and Richmond Branch were combined to make the Wood Heights Ward. Which is the ward we will be in. We lost some people, not many. Mostly the Lawson group. I can not say I am sad to see them go. I was so HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY to see them go. They got moved to the Kearney 3rd ward. So my arch enemy Cris Shafer is no longer in my presence!!! WOOHOO! Prayers are ANSWERED!!

Our new Bishop is Bishop Sarver, Brother Rose as the 1st Councilor, and Brother Marriott as 2nd Councilor. I really like Brother Rose. He was from the Excelsior Springs Ward. So we got to know him well. Brother Sarver got snagged in the boundary change. He use to be in Liberty and BARELY got into Wood Heights. We have known Bishop Sarver and he seems to be a good man and will be a fine Bishop. Brother Marriott was from the Richmond Branch. So we don't know him at all. But I know all were called by the Lord and all will be well.

I am so excited to be here upon the earth to see these marvelous works come to pass. Its simply AMAZING. We are so blessed.

I Am Sleeping With An Alien!!

2010-04-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

Yep you read it right. I really am sleeping with an alien. Wyndam got his sleep mask today. And they are so funny looking.

So he has this box that sits beside the bed. To it is attached a hose. To the hose is attached head gear. To the head gear is attached what they call nose pillows. These little "pillows" sit just inside your nose. And it does not look like the oxygen piece. They cover the entire nostril. If it did look like the oxygen tubes it would look so much better!! Quite a contraption.

So then on the head gear are 2 tiny little Velcro straps. You put the hose up the middle of your nose and strap it to these little straps. If you choose not to strap the hose to the little Velcro straps they stick straight up!! Its freaking ridiculous.

But hopefully this will help him sleep better. I told him he might want to take tomorrow off so he can sleep in. Pictures soon to follow.

Struggles

2010-04-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

Well I have been called to be a Cub Scout Den Leader. Talk about deer in the headlight look. That was me totally SHOCKED!!!! But after a lot of saying I don't want to do this. I don't like boys. I am finding myself enjoying the calling. All except the 2nd councilor in the Bishopric. His name is Cris Shafer. He is the most controlling and arrogant, chauvinistic pig I have ever met.

So I am doing my calling and doing a fine job I think. My Cub Master is pleased. So...anyway I DO NOT like to be micro managed. I am a confident, capable WOMAN. And I don't need some "MAN" telling me what to do every step of the way. So we are in need of a Assistant Den Leader. So Cris decided that his wife would be perfect for the calling. I love Tina. She is a little crazy and may not fire on all circuits but she is sweet and would do nothing to hurt anyone. JUST SWEET. So I am somewhat ok with this. I only am not ok with this because this is another way for him to have control. So we have butted heads many times to say the least. Well yesterday was the last straw. He was talking and paused for a moment so I just simply said..."Do you understand where I am coming from?" Cris then says to me..."You need to sit there, be quite and listen." It took all of my might to not say something. But I hope by defying him and getting up and walking out on him. SPOKE VOLUMES. I can honestly say I HATE him.

So I told my Cub Master if he does anything to me again I am done with scouts and Cris will get a lip lashing like he has NEVER heard. I HATE CRIS SHAFER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its Shabby And It's Cute

2010-03-24T06:16:00.001-07:00

I finally got the Haley and Lexi's room completed!!! HOORAY! Wow it was a serious chore!!! I pulled off wallpaper in about 15 minutes. But it left behind some serious glue. So I scraped that for about 2 weeks and finally finished.

The wall color is called Wasabi. And the bed furniture was my Great Grandma's furniture so.....it's Haley and Lexi's Great Great Grandma. Pretty neat I thought. And the China Doll's I collected when I was a kid. They are all the fairy tale dolls. So Cinderella in rags, Cinderella at the ball, Snow White, Little Bo Peep, Mary Mary Quite Contrary, The Little Women, Rapunzel, Little Miss Muffet, and Goldie Locks. The pictures of the little girls above the bed are some I had in my room as a kid. It was just a fun room to do. It made me think of some of my childhood memories. And I think it turned out GREAT. They love it so I say it was a success.

Diner's Club 2

2010-03-24T06:12:00.000-07:00

Well what a neat thing. Now Whitney gets to do the Diner's club. Her teacher wrote an amazing letter about her. She is loved by her teacher. And can I just say what a blessing it has been for the kids to have such great teachers who see the spark in their eyes. It truly has made the move easier knowing that the kids have teachers that care and really like them for them and not because that is their job to like them. I have great kids and am so proud of them.

So Whitney will get to have lunch with the Principal on Friday the 26th. She was so excited to have the recognition. What a cute munchkin she is. I am proud of her good attitude and the OCD is paying off. LOVE YOU WHITNEY. Congrats!!!!

Mulan

2010-03-09T13:34:00.000-08:00

Morgan is in the Mulan play. And I got to go see it for the dress reherasl today. They performed it in front of the 5th grade elemntry kids. So.....I don't really know what to say. Its a middle school play. There were some really good parts to it and some not so good parts. The singing was good but a few voices I could definatly done without. Morgan has 1 part in it. Well she is really in the whole thing but she has one line. And I am trying to get her to ham it up a bit. But so far I have not had any luck. So the actual performance is on Saturday. Hopefully it will go better. We will see. I am really proud of her for sticking with it. Its been hard. She has been frusterated. But has done well. Her hard work is paying off. So....

GOOD JOB MORGAN!!! LOVE YOU!!!!!!!

Diner's Club

2010-02-28T07:12:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Alexis. She was voted by her classmates to be in the Diner's Club at school. The students get to have lunch with their parents and Principal and Vice Principal. So on Friday the 2/26/10 I was able to go with her. She is such a special little girl. I could have a THOUSAND Lexi's. She is AMAZING. Thanks Lex for being you and being my daughter. I was able to take Aunt Brighton and Taric and Kyan with me. They are out visiting from SLC,Utah.

This is what Lexi's teacher Mrs. Bright said about Alexis.

What Makes This Student Special?
The class voted on Alexis to get this award because she is always nice and friendly to others. She works hard and doesn't disrupt other kids. She is a great role model for others in the classroom. She has quickly become part of our classroom family. I really enjoy having her in class.

We love you Lex. WAY TO GO!!!!!

Snow Days

2010-02-22T07:56:00.000-08:00

I can not believe how much snow we have gotten. This has been a record breaking year I think. We moved to Missouri in November of 2009 and we have already used up all the snow days. Now we are into making up the snow days at the end of the year. Before this my kids have never had a snow day. In Utah you don't get them.

So like the first couple of times my kids were excited to have a snow day. An adventure they have never before had. Now...Its getting old. They have come to realize that because its to bad to go to school, its to bad to do anything else. So they quickly become bored.

But today has been hard and its only 10 in the morning. Taylor and Whitney have already gotten spanks and sent to their room. So I have decided that we need some mommy time. We are going to get the house clean, and then we are going to PLAY!!! Maybe watch some movies, eat some popcorn, play some games, read books and just have some love.

I have had so so so many snow days. We need to make them special. Instead of being totally disappointed that they don't have school. We are going to make these days SPECIAL!!!!

A REALIZATION

2010-02-16T09:17:00.000-08:00

So I have had a hard week. While I know we struggle with our testimonies...I think all of us do. I know we can have a strong testimony in many things but I do REALIZE that we can have a weak moment or moments. I have struggled several times but always seem to find my way back. Although I think we are coming to a day and age where we CANNOT struggle. I REALIZE that we are coming close to the end and Satan is working his hardest.

I received this week an upsetting letter. Someone who I love dearly is struggling. They have decided that they do not want to answer to anyone but themselves. They say they are happy in their lives except the aspect of church. I think this is a rash decision although they say its been well thought out.

So I say.....

YOU have not one person to answer to but YOU!!! YOU do not have a spouse to answer to. YOU do not have a previous spouse to answer to. YOU do not have children to answer to. YOU no longer live with parents. YOU do not have roommates to answer to. YOU do not a significant other to answer to. SO WHO DO YOU HAVE TO ANSWER TO???

I came to the REALIZATION that no matter what YOU chose. Or which side YOU choose. Or if YOU are a fence sitter. YOU only have YOU to answer to. Well let me be a bit more specific. YOU only have YOU to answer to on this earth.

We all will have to answer to our LORD!! No matter what YOU do. Or which side YOU choose. Or if YOU are a fence sitter. YOU will ALWAYS have to answer to the LORD. So in the mean time....Why don't we do the best we can?

If YOU don't want to do something the church asks of YOU say NO!! YOU don't have to do it. But as long as YOU are going to be basically the same person YOU were before and stop going to church. Is it really worth the eternal risk? Our Lord will be merciful. If YOU are doing the best YOU can, YOU will be rewarded for YOUR efforts.

So I guess what I am saying is if YOU are not going to do anything drastic.....why stop going to church? Be who YOU want to be. Do what YOU want to do. But in the process ask YOURSELF if it is worth YOUR eternal salvation? And always remember no matter what YOU do.....YOU will ALWAYS have to answer to your Lord.

I love YOU and support YOU. But I want YOU to be in the Celestial Kingdom with me. As long as I make myself. :)

I Have A Teenager

2010-01-25T10:02:00.000-08:00

Well it has happened. Morgan turned 13!! I have a teenager. I don't think I could have asked for a better one. She truly is an amazing girl. I often ask myself what I did to have such great kids??

Morgan is a special girl. She is such an example to me. I love her so much. She is outgoing, funny, loving, beautiful, happy, smart, kind, friendly, and most of all she has a relationship with her Heavenly Father. If only I could have been like her at her age.

Morgan finally got a cell phone. She has been wanting one for over a year. And we were not eager to get her one. But now that she is older and responsible we caved. So we are discussing the terms of the phone. We tell her it is for emergency only. But she can have 1 hour a month to talk to her friends on it. And no text. So Wyndam is setting the ground rules and I pipe in and say "An hour is not very long for a whole month. What about giving her an hour and a half?" Morgan says "No an hour is fine." "What??" I say? "Who's daughter are you?" I would have put up a complete fight at her age saying that an hour is NOT long enough!! And that is totally unreasonable. But nope not Morgan. She was fine with just one hour.

Do you see what I am saying?? What teenager would not have agreed with their mom on getting more time on the phone? HELLLOOOOO??? Where did she come from?

I am grateful for her and her sweetness. I love her and actually am really excited to have a teenager.

Thank you Morgan for being the best 13 year old ever!!! Keep up the good work and know that we love you very very very much!!!

I Feel Like A Bad Mom

2010-01-16T18:36:00.000-08:00

Ok really?? Today is Haley's birthday. So HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HALEY. She spent the night at Grandma Reeve's house last night and stayed most of the day with them. (So did all the kids) So they all come home and Wyndam and I take her to eat Sushi. We go to Moonlight Sushi and Grill in Liberty.

We are on our way to eat and Haley says "Mom my foot hurts." I say "Are your shoes to small?" She says "No, I am wearing your boots." (Of course she is) I ask her wear on her foot does it hurt? She says "the outside on the bone." I say "Ok we will look at it when we get home." Well we forgot. And then we go to Walmart just to wonder.

We get back and she says "Mom my foot hurts!!" "Oh that's right let me take a look.".....She sits on my bed and puts her foot up and OH MY GOSH!!!!!!! A HUGE lump on it and it totally looks broken!!! I asked her how long it has been like that and she says a while. Then I show Wyndam and he says for me to make an appointment with the Dr. Well then I am extra bugged because I know it must be true that something is wrong. He never goes to the Dr. and when he says go I GO!!!

Part of me was thinking I am totally seeing things. Its not that big or that bad. So of course I had to ask Wyndam. And he confirmed my thoughts. So I am totally bugged!! I told Haley "Why did you not tell me or show me before?" She says "Well should I tell you every time something hurts?" UMMMMMMM........

HELL YES!!!!!!!!

Dining Room

2010-01-15T06:14:00.000-08:00

I have gotten so many comments on people wanting to see my house. So this is how it is going to go. I will post the before shots and after shots of each room as I get them done.

So this is the dining room. Let me tell you this was one of the rooms that needed done first as you can tell from the pictures. The wall paper was.....well what is the right word for it??? It was in really good shape but lets just face it. There is not other word to describe it other than just plain UGLY!! And the wall paper was fuzzy. As in it was textured. Fuzzy texture. I am really not sure if that style was ever in style. But the previous owners liked it. And to each is there own.

I know most of you know that my favorite color is brown. Since my house in Utah was mostly brown. But I do like color. Shocking I know. But let me tell you I feel that the Utah house was cold not a warm welcoming house. So I thought browns would warm it up a bit. I think it worked. Well this house has dark wood work and hard wood floors. So brown in this house would be to much. So I am doing colors!!!!! But I will warn you the colors will be earth tones. Except Morgan, Taylor and Whitney's room.

The color of the dining room is called Slate Green. So because the chair rail is there I thought I should do 2 colors. I could have taken the chair rail off but I did not want to damage the sheet rock. So I did the bottom half in a Venetian Plaster. Then I painted the entire room Slate Green. Then on the bottom I took Antiquing Glaze in the color of Asphalt. To make it look old. And of course I had to change the light. The other was...well....once again UGLY.

I love it and love to do this kind of thing. Tell me what you think and be HONEST!!!

Taylor's Baptizim

2010-01-06T05:33:00.000-08:00

On Sunday January 3rd little Taylor turned 8 and was baptized. So hard to believe!! Everything looked great. She looked to little to get baptized.

She was so cute. She was really nervous. Bishop Armstrong conducted the baptism. Haley gave the opening prayer, Morgan gave the talk on baptism, Bristol gave the talk on receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, Wyndam baptized her, Great Grandpa Durm confirmed her, Grandpa Reeve conducted the music, Grandma Reeve played the piano, Grandpa Voorhis and Grandpa Reeve were the witnesses, and Alexis gave the closing prayer. Everything turned out GREAT.

Taylor started to cry in Bristol's talk. I asked her if she felt the Spirit and she said that she did. How sweet!! Daddy always get choked up when he has to do anything like that for the kids. He loves them so much and I love watching him perform his priesthood duties.

Lots of people stayed after church to see her get baptized. I was shocked. We are new in the ward and I just was thinking only family would stay. But how grateful I am that we had the love and support of so many. Thank you to those that stayed!!!

I am proud to be the mother of 6 wonderful children of our Heavenly Father. I am grateful for the opportunity to be there mom. I am grateful that Heavenly Father has trusted me enough to send me 6 of His choice children. I am grateful that 4 of them have chosen to get baptized. I love watching their little testimonies grow. I am grateful for eternal families.

We are truly blessed!!!

The Move To Missouri

2010-01-06T05:10:00.000-08:00

Yep once again we are back in Missouri. What a hard move it has been for my kiddos. And not to mention ME!! Wyndam just got a transfer to the main company. Which is obviously out here in Kearney Missouri. He is doing good at his job and likes it much better out here. He was excited to come back. He never learned to love Utah as we did.

The kids.....Its always a challenge to move anywhere. But this one has seemed to take a toll on the kids. Its a different culture out here. In Utah the neighborhood had lots of kids to play with. And you went to church with all of them. In Missouri NOBODY goes to the same church and if they do they go to a different school. And we only have 1 neighbor with kids. They are close to the ages of Taylor and Whitney. (8-7)They are sweet girls so we are excited to have them as friends and neighbors.

Morgan is having a hard time. She is almost 13 and in the 7th grade. Not easy years to begin with. Then you throw in a move and it just gets worse. Although she has not done to bad. She tried out for the play Mulan. And then decided she didn't want to do it. But I was proud of her for at least trying out in a new school. That takes guts in a school you know let alone in one you don't.

I have had a hard time also. I miss the social life I had in Utah. I loved my friends. They were some of the most amazing women I have had the privilege to socialize with. And so here I am lonely. And then to top it off Ryker has all day kindergarten. I was wanting a little more time to just Ryker at home. He is my baby. And gone all day with the girls. Its been a shock.

I am sure that we will adjust soon. I am grateful that through the ups and downs of the economy Wyndam still has a job and we have a home to live in. We actually have 2. And I am ready to get rid of 1 of them. At least I have my family and I will learn to keep myself company. Watch out I will soon be talking to myself!!

Haley The Gimp

2009-10-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

On Monday Haley was at her cute friend Maddie Johnson's house. They decided to climb on the top of Maddie's camp trailer. Well on the way down Haley fell off of the ladder. She came limping home and we were going to get manicures all of us including Ryker. I know. I know. He is a boy. But all boys need nice hands. Anyway.....we continue to get all the stuff done.

That evening she was in a lot of pain. So I take her to the ER. And she can hardly walk. We get in there and they look at it and take the X-Ray. And the Dr. comes back and says that its not broke. But it is extremely sprained. So bad that after the splint comes off she has to have physical thearapy. So she is on crutches for a week and if the pain is not better she will need to get another X-Ray to see if she fractured the growth plate. So we will see.

Maybe next time she will not climb on top of a camp trailer.

Who am I kidding she is a kid. And will continue to do stupid things.

ITS LIFE!!!!

Long Time No Blog

2009-10-14T09:33:00.001-07:00

It has been so long since I have blogged. And a lot has happened. One of the most important things is our move back to Missouri.

Wyndam is working for the same company. But a much better opportunity for growth in company is he was to go back to the headquarters. Which are in Missouri.

I am not really sure how I feel about the move. I love Utah. Its going to be hard. But all things that are worth anything are never easy. So I will adjust and learn to love it there again.

Morgan on the other hand has ALWAYS wanted to go back. She was in 2nd grade when we moved out here. Now that we are going back she does not want to go. I have to say I would hate to move when I hit middle school also. But she will be fine. She is a sweet girl and easily makes friends. Not that she likes to make friends but she will and be happy.

The other kids are ready to go. They love a new adventure. And are so willing to do what ever. They will all adjust just fine.

Wyndam is already out there. For 8 weeks now. He comes home every 3-4 weeks for 3 days and is back to Missouri again. Its not the most ideal situation but we do what we have to do.

I am a single mom of 6 for the time being. We will all move once we sell the house. And with this market who knows how long that will be. I will have to say I guess we are where we are suppose to be for now.

Feeling Old

2009-07-13T04:49:00.000-07:00

Well yes the time has come once again. I turned 31 yesterday. And I actually enjoyed it. I was taken to the ski resort Solitude. Where I did absolutely NOTHING. And it was amazing. We went up Friday night and came home Sunday afternoon. We literally did nothing. We went to the Red Box on our way up there. Rented 4 movies and got some soda and snacks. It was awesome.

Wyndam did a good job for my birthday this year. The Solitude weekend was for Mothers Day but we could only get the cabin for this weekend. Fine with me!! Then on Saturday he took me to the bookstore and bought me 4 books. I got a Time Out For Women ticket to go to St. George. Then he got me Secondhand Serenade tickets. So all in all turning 31 was just not so bad.

In Loving Memory

2009-07-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

Well it has been more than a month since I last did a post. So much has seemed to have happen. Although not really. Just some stressful moments. The biggest and most profound was the loss of our dear sweet Grandma Durm. Wyndam's mothers mom. What a loss for our family. It has been a tough one. She passed away June 23, 2009 at 10:40 p.m. at Liberty Hospital in Missouri.

I had some awesome experiences though. I had a overwhelming feeling of what the Savior went through for us. The pain He felt in our behalf. I physically hurt to see my sweet Morgan fall apart at the death of not only a Great Grandma but of her best friend. Morgan had saved her money to fly out to see Grandma and Grandpa. She was to leave July 7th and stay for a month. And Grandma was to eager to return to Heavenly Father. So to watch Morgan was a miserable feeling to go through. I can not imagine what it felt for our Savior.

My testimony has been so strengthened. I am grateful for that. We are such a blessed people. To know the plan of salvation. To know where we came from, who we are, and where we are going. I am so blessed.

Grandpa Durm is struggling a bit. He misses her so much. That was the love of his life. 56 years. That is a serious accomplishment. They were not apart for 1 day in the last 7 years. But I am grateful that it does not stop at 56 years. We are Eternal Families. What more could we ask for?

I am thankful for my sweet husband and the love he has for me. I can only hope that we will have a relationship like Grandma and Grandpa Durm. They are a huge example to me.

Goodbye Grandma. I love you. And am excited to see you again.

Kids Are Funny

2009-06-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to Hanna Utah. It is about 2 hours away. That is where our Youth Conference will be held. So Wyndam and I went because we are the cooks for the youth. We are so excited. It will such a great experience. And the drive there is so beautiful. It reminded me of when we drive to Tahoe California. Just beautiful.

Anyway....It was on our way home and we are driving through one of the canyons. And we tell the kids to look for animals. We saw deer, Haley saw a moose. Things like that. So we are on our way down the canyon. And we see a HUGE deer and everyone gets excited. So that gets the juices flowing for all the kids to look for animals. So they are looking, and all of a sudden you hear Whitney say "Is that a penguin?" I laughed so hard. That was so darn funny. What she really saw was a Magpie. They are black and white and can be pretty big. But oh my gosh that was funny. I loved it. So needless to say we had a great time.

Class of 2015

2009-05-29T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday the class of 2015 graduated from the 6th grade. They did such a nice job on the ceremony. I did not expect to get so emotional. They played Pomp and Circumstance and had some of the kids speak. It really was like a graduation.

I sat and thought in 6 very short years this will be the real thing. Time flies. And it broke my heart to realize every year the apron strings get looser or cut until one day all the strings are gone and they are on their own. I hope as a parent I will teach her the things she needs to know to achieve the highest of her potential. I want her to realize that the stars are never out of reach. I also want her to know that when failure comes her way it will only make her stronger and to try harder. All of this is going through my mind as I watched this little graduation.

I only have 6 years for her to learn these things. I only have 6 years to be a mom that she comes home to every night. I only have 6 years to build her testimony strong enough that she will stand on her own. I only have 6 years until she becomes an adult. I only have 6 years till I say good bye to her before she leaves for college. I ONLY HAVE 6 YEARS.

And I am scared.

Congratulations to the class of 2015.

Mothers Day Pondering

2009-05-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

My 13th Mothers Day. I have to say it was good. I was in Relief Society yesterday and was truly pondering my kids. There was a quote on the program and all of you know what a sucker I am for quotes. Anyway it read......

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts." Washington Irving

I think that is so true. I have had a incident with a friend of mine and one of my girls is very uncomfortable around her. This friend and I were getting to be fairly close. Well I had to pull WAY back from this relationship because my daughters feelings were so much more important to me than the friend. So even though the quote is talking about the child's friends is also go with the parents friends. And it was so important to me to show her that her and her feelings meant so much more to me. That I treasure her and listen to her and love her. And my relationship with her and in fact my entire family have become stronger than ever. So the choice was a great choice and I don't regret it.

I love my kids more than life itself. They keep me going and want to be better. They make me look at my life and want to refine it. To be a better person. They are the example to me. And I would do ANYTHING for them. And that made me think that this was one of the best Mothers Day I have ever had. Because of the reconfirmation I had of my kids and my husband. I am so blessed.

The presents are never a bad thing either. I got a weekend away with Wyndam in Solitude!!!!!!

Chickens Beware

2009-05-09T17:50:00.000-07:00

We went to Cal-Ranch yesterday. My mom called and wanted to show the kids the baby chicks. Well is was only Whitney and Ryker that went yesterday. So we stand there for at least 30 minutes letting them pick up the chicks. I was done and dad wanted to show me the swing that he is thinking about getting mom for mothers day. Well all follow including Whitney and Ryk. So I am sitting on the swing and relaxing. As much as you can do in a farm store. Mom, dad and I are talking and Whit and Ryk were running back and forth from us to the chicks. We were in the middle of the store and the chicks were in the back of the store. It was funny because they ran back and forth from us to the swing. It was about the forth time that they went back and forth. Well trying to make a long story short. Although I clearly am not doing well. You could barely here the chicks from the swing. And as soon as Ryk went back about the fourth time they got so loud. Like they were screaming for their lives. Poor little chicks even got sick of the crazy kid. But he sure LOVED those chicks. And now he wants to live on a farm.

1st Calling

2009-05-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

Morgan was called last week to be on the Youth Conference Youth Committee. She was so excited!! I know she will do such a great job. She loves games and is so very nice to everyone. She was read in by Brother Waldron yesterday in sacrament meeting. She always amazes me. I was so not like her at 12. She is so much more like her dad. She looks like her dad and totally acts like her dad. She is great. I am so proud of her. She is a great example to me and her siblings. I can't wait to see her grow more. I am sure she will always shock and amaze me.

Finally Easter Pictures

2009-04-27T11:52:00.001-07:00

All Hale!!

2009-04-25T20:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight was our adult session of Stake Conference. I loved it. We had the honor of listening to President Hale. What a funny man!! I loved so many things that he had to say.

He said that this last time he had surgery he had about a liter of fluid around each lung. The doctors told him that his lungs ended up being the size of his fist. So needless to say it was difficult for him to take each breath. So he said for us to "Enjoy every breath we have." I loved that. I felt as though he was saying not only live life but to ENJOY every minute and every second we have.

He also encouraged us to keep attending the temple. He was recently at the temple and the name that he was doing had waited 420 years for his work to be done. I felt so strongly that we need to do this act of service for these people that are just waiting for us to help them.

He also repeated the story that he told in General Conference. The one about him wanting to buy his wife the dress. She ended up walking out of the dressing room without the dress and the sales woman put it back on the hanger. And his wife looked at him and said "We can not afford it." But he left a part of it out in the General Conference session. So he retold the story. Well the sales woman walked out of the dressing room with the dress. And she walked by President Hale and did not look at him or even acknowledge that he was there. Well his wife walked out of the dressing room and they left the store without the dress. They got outside and he asked his wife what she had said to make the sales clerk so upset. His wife said that the sales clerk was really pushing for her to buy this dress. She knew that they could not afford it and did not know what to say. So the sales clerk had said that she should get the dress and let him show her how much he loved her. Well she wanted the sales clerk to stop pressuring her so she said....."Don't listen to him he drinks."

I loved that story!! I feel so strongly that Heavenly Father has a great sense of humor. And that the Prophet and the Apostles have a great sense of humor. It was great to listen to President Hale. It was even more of a testimony to me that he is truly a man of God.

Selfish

2009-04-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

I am going to be selfish for a moment.

I want school to be over. I am ready not to be on a schedule. I want to work out without getting up at the crack of dawn. I want people to do more chores. I am easier on them during school so they focus on school and not on chores. I don't want to have to worry about kids that don't have lunch money. I don't want to make lunches anymore. I want to not have to hear kids say they don't have anything to wear. I want the weather to be nice. I am sick of the snow. YES it is still snowing here in Utah.

Sorry just a vent session. I am a little sad that another school year will be over. That just means my kids are getting older and are no longer just little. I miss my babies. I am so clearly not wanting another one. But I miss those baby moments. But really glad that they are older. We can just do more things with them. But I miss the lazy days of holding my babies.

Shocked

2009-04-17T15:34:00.000-07:00

I was driving home from the salon today. Minding my own business singing along with the radio. And I pull up behind a car with a B on the trunk. I said to myself "NO WAY!!!" So I back up a bit and pull up next to it and look a little harder.

IT WAS A BENTLEY!!!

I love those cars. But I also know they are beyond expensive. And I thought who in Lehi Utah can afford to have a Bentley. They have like at least a 2 year waiting list. So my curiosity got to me. I came home and told Wyndam that I saw one today and had to look up the price of one.

Are you ready?? A one year old car meaning a 2009 is 341,000 dollars. And they are not even available. Holy lots of monies. My house did not even cost that much and it is a pretty darn big house. I mean 4,000 square feet is not that small. Trust me I clean it.

So like I said who in Lehi Utah can afford a Bentley??

The Best and The Worst

2009-04-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

We are told that at the end of the last days the very best and the very worst will be on the earth. I clearly can not imagine. I am not ready.

I was watching a movie on the Green River killer. I am not sure of how many of you have heard of him. I remembered and was interested in how they finally found him. The police in Washington State looked for him for 20 years. And he was right under their nose. They only new of 40 people he had killed. When they finally did a plea bargain with him. Crazy I know. Instead of the death penalty he got 48 life sentences for the information of the other victims. He admitted that he killed 71 women and could not remember all of the names or places he put them. 23 are still missing today.

I can not imagine it getting much worse than that. I know we have people like Osama that has an army to kill for him. But for ONE man to kill that many all by himself is absolutely flooring to me. And really don't want to see it get any worse than that.

The saddest thing to me is that he took his son with him one time. YES he was a father, husband and people liked him. It just proves to me how Satan is so very sneaky. And how we must stay close to the Savior to be warned and protected. Even if any of us falls victim to a crime of such disgust. We need to always know that we have our Savior. Who will never turn from us. And we have the CHOICE to never turn from him.

I think that movie will scar me for life. But nevertheless it reminds me that I have to be prepared to protect myself and more than myself my FAMILY in these scary times.

Is She Really Only 12??

2009-04-06T20:34:00.001-07:00

Lets just say Morgan has been going through really rough time lately. Although she never ceases to amaze me. I am so lucky to be her mom. She was able to take a "vacation" day from school. So my mom took her out to do whatever she wanted to do. So Morgan decided to do some of the sites that Salt Lake City has to offer. She is so funny. I at the unfortunate age of 30 still have a hard time wanting to do genealogy. Morgan wanted to go to the Family History Center. She wanted to go on all 5 floors that look exactly the same. She spent over 2 hours there.

She looked up all of her Great Grandparents names. She was excited to learn that our last name is English. She is so darn cute. What 12 year old on the day they can do anything they want to do....decides to go to the Family History Center? I only know of 1. I have always said that Morgan is so much older than her years. And today I feel she proved it.

I am sure Morgan will get over these tough times and become even stronger than she already is. I love her and am so very very proud of her.

New Calling

2009-03-31T07:21:00.000-07:00

Well Wyndam got a new calling on Sunday. He was the 2nd counselor in the Sunday School Presidency. And now he just got called to the 1st counselor in the Sunday School Presidency. Not much of a change and pretty easy calling. They have called really reliable teachers so there is never much to do. But I consider that a blessing. Since we both have 4 callings. I live in Utah. You would think that there would be plenty of people to give callings to. But whatever. It keeps us busy. And we really have a great ward. Not without its issues of course but we like it.

Will It Ever Stop?

2009-03-29T20:05:00.000-07:00

Yes it is the end of March and it is still snowing here in Utah. I feel like one of the girls from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. I can not go or do anything till the spring thaw. Although I am lacking 6 other brides and 6 other brothers. But just as you start to think we are on the downhill side of winter. The snow comes again.

Yesterday was beautiful. I loved it. It was warm but not to warm. It really was a perfect day. This morning I get up for church and it was a little cloudy and started to get a bit chilly. We get out from sacrament and the snow is coming down completely sideways and the wind is like 50 miles an hour. Good Grief!!

I come back from 80* weather in Vegas to Alaska like weather in Utah!! I need spring and I need the sun. Anybody know of a job in Arizona?? NOT KIDDING!!!

One Flaw In Women

2009-03-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens,
but they hold happiness, love and joy.

They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.

They don't take "no" for an answer
when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel
and cheer when their friends get awards.

They are happy when they hear about
a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member,
yet they are strong when they
think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss
can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.

They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
to show how much they care about you.

The heart of a woman is what
makes the world keep turning.

They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideas.
They give moral support to their
family and friends.

Women have vital things to say
and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,
IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

Funny Ryker

2009-03-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

I tell you what Ryker is darn funny!! I know I say that all the time. But it is true. So I get on my email and I have a email from a friend and neighbor Julia. She has a son that is Ryker's age. Yesterday I told Ryker to go find his shoes. Well I guess he could not find them. So being the ever so smart boy that he is.....He decided to go to Julia's and ask if he could borrow a pair of Colton's shoes because he could not find his.

I just started to laugh when I got her email. The sad thing is he sees his sisters borrow things from each other. He does not have anyone to do that with. So why not a good friend?? I do it. But the even sadder thing is. Is Ryker wears a size 1-2 shoe. That foot is the average 2nd-3rd grader. Must I remind you he is ONLY 5. He is a big kid. But oh-so-CUTE!!!!!!

To My Faithful Blog Readers

2009-03-13T07:18:00.001-07:00

I am sure those that faithfully read my blog will remember....The gas station situation with Morgan. You remember the man would not change in her ROLLED pennies for change so she could call her dad. All I have to say is paybacks are HELL but totally FAIR

So I went to take Morgan to school today and after went to fill up my soda. As it is a morning ritual that I have. So I pull into the parking lot of the gas station and look in my wallet for a $1. I only had a $10 bill. I did not want to break that for just a $.95 refill. So I am sitting in the car and noticed Wyndam has a TON of PENNIES!!! Wyndam HATES pennies. And I also know what kind of car the old man drives that works there and would not give Morgan her change. So the wheels in my tricky little brain start spinning. I sit there and count out $.95 in pennies.

I walk in and fill up my cup and go to the old man's line. The other clerk that was there says "My lane is open I can help you." I said "No I am fine to wait." I get up there, he rings me up and says "$.95 cents" He hold out his hand and I drop all of my pennies in his hand. He just kinda lets them fall all over. I of course have a little evil grin on my face. He just looks at me and then at the pennies that are now all over the counter. So I said "I am sure you remember that a little girl came in here for change for her pennies so she could call her dad. And you did not change them out because you did not want to count the ROLLED pennies. Well instead of counting $1.00 worth of rolled pennies. Now you get to count $.95 of unrolled pennies. Have fun and a great day!!"

I don't know if he is going to have a great day. But I know that I sure am going to have a great day.

Goofy Ryker

2009-03-12T19:31:00.000-07:00

Ryker keeps us laughing!! He is just a joy. So I have decided to start a RYKERISMS. Just the really funny things he says. It brings us joy and much much laughter. We love our boy!!!

Stinky Sunday's

2009-03-01T16:25:00.000-08:00

I am not a huge fan of Sunday's. I should love it. But I don't. I like it fine when I get to church it is the before and after I have issues with. Although it is so much better now that it is at 9 rather than 1. It gives the kids a ton less time to fight. But now they have the entire rest of the day to fight. It is a double edge sword.

I also think I am allergic to church. Not kidding. I go and sit through Sunday school I start to feel the headache come. Relief Society its worse and by the time I get home a full blown migraine. I think it is a cleaning solution that they use that I am sensitive to. But not sure. EVERY Sunday. So it is a real physical pain to go to church.

I love the sisters in Relief Society. I have a great ward. And I am also so glad to know that it is not just my kids that get in trouble before and after church. I have a real cute friend that I was chatting with and have realized that Sunday's are just hard. The saying "I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it." really hits home. And I can say it is worth it. At least I get 2 hours to myself. That is worth it.

I Am Wearing Underwear!!

2009-02-24T10:03:00.000-08:00

I laugh EVERY day. I have such funny and cute kids. I told Ryker to get dressed one day for school. And when he got home from school he bent over for something. I noticed he was not wearing underwear. I was shocked. I asked him if he was wearing any and he said "NO." And I asked him "why?" He said that he did not want to run out. I laughed so hard. Later he told my mom the same thing. He is such a funny kid.

Today I told him to get dressed so we could run errands. He came down dressed and looking oh so cute. And I said "Ryker you look so cute. Good job on picking out your clothes." Of course he was all grins and then he looks at me with that goofy smile and says "I am wearing underwear today." He was so proud of himself. I was a bit happy also. I can always count on laughing everyday. I am grateful for cute little boys.

Seriously??

2009-02-21T08:18:00.000-08:00

I need it to be spring. I am so sick of sickness. When I was in Missouri ALL of us were sick. I was sick in Missouri and everyone was sick out here. When I came back a week later I had to take Whitney in for an ear infection. This week Ryker was complaining of an ear ache also. I took him in yesterday and low and behold he had an ear infection.

When I was in Missouri Wyndam had said that Taylor's ear was bleeding. So when I got home I looked at it and it appeared to be nothing. I thought she just scratched it and it was fine. On Wednesday she came to me and said "Mom you have got to clean out this ear." Well I was a little shocked because I clean the inside of there ears out weekly. So for it to be that dirty was a little surprising. I look in her ear and it is a huge piece of dry blood. I get it out and made an appointment for her and Ryker to get their ears checked.

So last night at 6 p.m. I was at the doctor office. He looks in Ryker's ear and says yes it is in fact infected. No problem just some of the normal meds. and we are good to go with him. He proceeds to look at Taylor. And was a little shocked. He said that she has done some major damage to her ear. But because it was a huge scab on it he could not see exactly what is was. So for a week I have to put peroxide in it 2 times a day and take her back to the doctor in one week. He is concerned it is her ear drum. But we will see in a week.

Not that is to totally be blamed on the weather. But it is always easier to think it is the weather. At least she can still hear. So we will see what happens in a week.

Love, Hate!! HELP!!

2009-02-20T08:24:00.001-08:00

I really love my curtains. But really I am so mad at them right now. I put up my curtain rods and I got the wooden ones. Well they fall off the holder all the time. So I decided to go back to the brushed silver ones. And is there not an easier way to hang a curtain?

I have VERY heavy curtains. The stupid rod is coming out of the wall because they are so heavy. And I am so sick of that happening. I will not change the curtains because they were expensive. So if any of you have ideas on how to hang my rod without it pulling out I would love the advice. I hung it with the Molly Screws like you are suppose to. I tried to find the stud and was only able to find Wyndam. Soooo.....if any can help. Let me know what your thoughts are. I need HELP!!!

No More Thumb!!

2009-02-18T11:10:00.000-08:00

It is time to celebrate!! Ryker stopped sucking his thumb!! It is awesome. We put band-aides on his thumb and he stopped!! I have done this before and his did fine with it. But as soon as the band-aides are off he put it back in his mouth. This time I did it and it stuck. So no more thumb sucking in our house. I also had to take his BB away. (baby blanket) But now he uses the one Grandma Lewis made for him. So we replaced it and all is well. He has not even been sad about it. In fact he is really proud of himself. So...WAY TO GO RYKER!!!

Morgan Pictures

2009-02-13T08:49:00.000-08:00

Morgan turned 12 on a Tuesday. So she was able to go to Young Women and have her birthday. Such a special day. Enjoy!!

STOP ALREADY!!!

2009-02-12T08:22:00.000-08:00

I am so sick of the snow. We got a taste of warm weather and I am really ready for it. It has been snowing for the last 2 days. I am so done. The flakes are like the size of nickels.

I will try to look on the bright side. At least I get to sit in a warm house. I can read books and watch movies. Hold my babies and just relax. My house work is caught up and so I can just sit.

I am chatting with my friend Kahea and I think that we are just going to sit and watch movies. So I guess it is not so bad. LET SNOW!! (But stop SOON!!)

Back To Your Corners!!

2009-02-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

Haley came home today and said that she got in a bit of a fight. OH GREAT. This morning at the bus stop. I sure hope that this will not become a regular occurrence. I have always told the kids to stick up for themselves and don't let people bully you. Well Haley did not let this neighbor girl push her around.

I guess they were arguing and the little girl decided that she was going to punch Haley in the stomach and kick her. So Haley thought that she needed to stick up for herself. So she pushed Megan down and then shoved her face in the snow. I am a bit proud of Haley. Although I probably should not be. But at least she does not feel that she has to put up with the crap. And that she can totally stand up for herself.

Where's Waldo? I Mean Wyndam!

2009-02-10T07:10:00.000-08:00

Wyndam is in Missouri!! Just for meetings. But I don't like being all by myself. Well I usually don't mind. But I am reading a spooky book. Divine Evil by Nora Roberts. And well...I know it is fiction but it is spooky. But I am glad he is there. He stays with his parents. So that is nice for him to be able to visit. Last night when I called he was visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Durm at his parents house.

My parents always ask. Is Wyndam getting a job in Missouri? Nope. We are staying in Utah. I am not even sure I want to move back to Missouri. If I had a place to choose it would be somewhere on the East Coast. I love it out there. It is green and lush. Just beautiful. But I guess we go where the job is.

Anyway I am ready for him to come home. Or maybe I should just not read the book till he gets back.

My Sick Boy

2009-02-07T18:24:00.001-08:00

Well...Not sure what happened. All of a sudden Ryker got off the chair and said I need a bowl. He did not quite make it to the bathroom. But he did make it on to the kitchen floor. Which is way better than carpet. I am not sure what made him sick. But it is only 7:30 and he is totally asleep. And I know he is really sick when he does not want me to rock him. He is so cute. Snuggling a bowl and we have band-aided his thumb. It pulls on my hear strings to not have him suck his thumb when he is sick. But he clearly does not seem to mind.

I'm It!!

2009-02-06T15:20:00.000-08:00

It must be the 8 thing.

8 TV shows I watch
1. The Office
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Deperate Housewives
4. Life
5. The Mentalist
6. American Idol
7. Lie to Me
8. My Name Is Earl

8 Favorite Resteraunts
1. Cafe Rio
2. Bajio
3. JCW
4. Happy Sumo
5. Yapona
6. Ruby River
7. Thai House
8. Cafe Rio

8 Things That Happened To You This Week
1. I flew home from Kansas
2. Took Lexi to the eye doctor
3. Went to Relief Society
4. Took Whitney to the doctor
5. Went to Parent Teacher Conference
6. Took Ryker to Pre-School
7. Got sick
8. Stayed up all night with my sick Whitney

8 Things I Look Forward To
1. Going to Vegas
2. Summer
3. Start Running Again
4. Going Camping
5. Going Skiing
6. Cleaning My House
7. Getting The Basement Done
8. Getting My Landscaping Done

8 Things I Pray For
1. All of My Kids
2. Wyndam
3. Health
4. Safety
5. Having My Kids Chose the Right
6. Doing Good On Teaching My Relief Society Lesson
7. Understanding Trials
8. Family That Is Serving In The Mission Field

8 People I Tag
1. Jessica B
2. Alicia
3. Kahea
4. Heather
5. Jenny
6. Summer
7. Kim H
8. Melissa

Great Kids

2009-02-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Parent Teacher Conference. I have loved these nights. I have to say it is so nice to hear all the great things the teachers say about the kids.

Morgan 6th grade. Mr. Gallegoes. He said last night he wished he had something to talk about. But he said he didn't. Morgan was a great girl and was doing very very well. He did say that she was hard to read. And he asked if everything was ok with her. Wyndam and I both felt like there was nothing to be concerned about. Mr. G said that he just wanted to make sure that she was having a good time. I walked out of that conference trying to figure out if I felt Morgan was enjoying herself. She is always outgoing and rarely shy. I was praying and felt very strongly that she is growing up. I think Morgan will be a bit on the more serious side of life. That is a trait of her Grandpa Reeve. I just see her growing up. That is all. Her grades are good and she is LOVING Young Women. She is great.

Haley 4th grade. Mr. Partridge. Her grades are mostly all A+ and with Haley they can not be just an A they have to be an A+. But to her dismay she got a B+. She forgot to turn in like 40 sentences that she has to turn in. OOOPPSS. But her teacher said that she could turn them in. It would bump her grade up to a A-. Still not what Haley wanted. But I have no worries that at the end of the year she will be back on her A+ track.

Alexis 3rd grade. Mr. Madsen. Alexis is just fun. He said that her love language is words of affirmation. She likes to be told good job, doing great, etc... He said she always has good imagination for her writing stories. She has mastered her cursive writing. She is also an A+ student. And is doing great. She has lots of friends and gets along with everyone. She is a bit of a talker. And he even sat her by a boy and yet she is still talking. What can I say... that is her mother. She is still doing Chess club and enjoys that a lot. And is getting pretty good at it. She is the 2nd in her club. She was quite excited the other day because she beat the number 1 girl in her class. She is just happy smiley girl.

Taylor 1st grade. Mrs. Healey. Taylor's was the most exciting for me. She has jumped leaps and bounds in her reading and spelling. That was great to hear. She is not a fan of school. But her teacher says she is a joy and was so proud of her progress. She gets along with all in her class and she is out going. I was smiling the rest of the night about T and her progress.

Whitney Kindergarten. Mrs. Brun. I did not make it to Whitney's. I am assuming she is doing great. She is reading really well and is working on math. She loves that she has homework. And she is a little smarty pants. Beautiful and darling.

Ryker Pre-School. Mrs. Fairbourne. Ryker is doing well. He is reading and learning many things. His handwriting has improved so much since the beginning of the year. I will say that we did not give him an easy name. All his letters are really hard. But he is great. His new thing is....He wants to be called Spanky off of the Little Rascals. I asked him why and he said "Cuz Spanky is the BOSS" and he wants to be the boss. I think that will be a short lived dream since he has 5 sisters and he is the baby. Good luck on the BOSS thing Ryker.

I have such a great family. I am truly blessed. I would be selfish to ask for anything more. I have it all. A great husband that loves me and 6 beautiful, healthy, intelligent kids. I love the saying....We may not have it all together, but together we have it all.

Sick Whit

2009-02-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

Last night I was up all night with Whitney. She was complaining of a sore throat. She had been complaining about it for almost 5 days. So....It was time to take her in. We get to the Dr. and he comes in and usually the Dr. asks questions about your child and you answer them. Well Whitney did all the talking. It was so funny....Is she allergic to any medication? Whitney...NOPE. How long has she been complaining of the sore throat? Whitney....Since Saturday. She is so stinking cute.

The Dr. proceeds to check her out. He checks her ears and asks...Does your ears hurt? Whitney...Kinda....Maybe this one. I am sitting thinking....She just wants that dang bubble gum medicine. The Dr. was funny and said...Good guess...It is really infected. LOVELY I say.

Don't you just love when you go to the Dr. for something and come out having something else wrong. So we don't need medication for the throat we need it for the ear. That she never once complained of. WHATEVER.

I am glad he caught the ear. Because if he didn't guaranteed I would be up with her tonight with a sore ear. And we would be back at the Dr. tomorrow for that. SO....Thank you Dr Wiepert.

Reality!!

2009-02-05T11:33:00.000-08:00

Well I am back from my vacation to Kansas. I returned with a nasty cold. While I was gone all of my kids including Wyndam got sick. I felt a bit guilty. But that only lasted a short time.

I came home and I was home for like 10 minutes and I was ready for another vacation. Not that the kids were bad at all. There is just always so much to do. I had a cold and didn't feel well. And that is not fair. My kids wanted to play and all I wanted to do was go to bed. The flight made my head feel like it was going to blow off of my shoulders. Needless to say I could not be sick. There was stuff to get done.

I got back on Tuesday and thought that Lexi had her eye appointment at 1 on Tuesday. Wyndam called to make sure that the Dr. was still covered on our new insurance. It was a good thing he called because the appointment was at 1:30 on Wednesday.

So yesterday I take Lexi up to Primary Children's Hospital for her eye appointment. That is not a small trip. All the way up to the U in Salt Lake. Although I never would pass up a trip to go to the U. I LOVE the U!!!!!!! Then last night was Relief Society and that was fun.

Today is parent teacher conferences for all the kids. So I will be at the school from like 4:30-6. And then off to my CERT class from 7-9.

Friday I have to go get a package from the FedEx store in Provo. And on Saturday I have Morgan playing basketball and Whitney has a birthday party to go to.

WELCOME BACK TO REALITY!!!

Hello From Kansas!!

2009-01-31T16:34:00.000-08:00

Yes you all read correctly. I am in Kansas. It has been a long time since I have spent quality time with my sister. So here I am in Kansas. I landed and was shocked to be able to see grass. Granted it was dead but it was still grass. It was around 65 today. So I was able to sit out on the front step and enjoy the weather. I am so ready for Spring.

We have done as little as possible. I think I have moved off the couch a total of 7 times in 3 days. WONDERFUL!! Although I do miss my sweet little family. Melanie asked if I was missing the noise. And oddly I do. Around 6 I start to wonder where all of my noise is. I miss watching TV at night with Wyndam just sitting on the couch and talking and enjoying our time together.

Tonight we are going to Melanie's friend's house. We are going to watch movies and just do a girls night out. Brian on the other hand is having his buddies come over to watch the UFC fights. I am SOOO bummed to be missing those. But I am excited to meet one of Melanie's really close friends.

I get back on Tuesday and back to reality. It will be so fun to have the kids run into my arms to give me a big hug. I think it is totally worth leaving for. Just to return to them with their arms wide open. I think that is how it is going to be when we are all back together in the eternities. How exciting that will be.

I QUIT!!

2009-01-24T06:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a GREAT day!! I put in my 2 weeks notice. YAHOO!! I am so happy to be done with that. Lets just say my boss was not so happy that I called him out on crap that was not getting done. So...he said yesterday would be my last day. But they would still pay me for the 2 weeks.

I was happy to also hear that 1 of the upper management was disappointed that I put in my 2 weeks. He said that I was the voice over there and so many things needed to change. So it wasn't just me thinking that and I was glad to hear.

I also think it is funny that he wanted me out so quickly. Next week 2 of the owners will be in town. That is a big deal to Matt. I think he was afraid that I would say something about all the issues. The Thorne family are really good family friends of ours. So I am sure Matt thought I would tell them all the issues in Cutomer Service. Not that I will really need to say anything because Matt will bury himself.

So I am FREE!! And I am excited to sit at home and read books. YIPPEE!!

Bitter Sweet

2009-01-20T22:24:00.000-08:00

My baby turned 12 today. WOW!! That is a mile stone. She attended Young Women tonight. She loved it. All the girls gave her a huge and very warm welcome. I love the ward we are in. I have wonderful friends in YW. I was so happy that one of my great friends Katie was there for Morgan. As long as Katie and Tris are in YW I know Morgan will be in great hands. She was so excited tonight. After YW she would not stop talking. It was really fun to see her so happy.

I did let her open 1 present tonight. We are going to celebrate her birthday this weekend. She has been dying to read Twilight. So for her 1 present she got to open tonight her very own copy of Twilight. She squealed. This year has been a total jackpot for Morgan. She really never shows that much enthusiasm. She reminds me a bit Wyandam's dad. She is a happy girl but sober at the same time. She has squealed twice this year. When she got to open the Wii and with the book. She has had a great first part of the year.

I on the other hand was very sad today. First of all Morgan is making me really old. Really quickly. Second she is my first and it is hard to cut apron strings one at a time. I was on my way to work today and heard the song by Trace Atkin....Your Gonna Miss This. The flood gates opened. I bald all the way to work. I just wondered where had the time gone?? It so easily slips through your fingers. Its like the sand timer. It seems as if it will take forever for that sand to get to the other end. And before you know it...It is gone. Same with kids. I miss my little ones. Although I am excited to see what they become. I hope I have done my part to see them make the good decisions we have tried to teach them.

Happy Birthday my first baby girl Morgan. I love you.

Birthday Pictures

2009-01-20T11:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Haley!!

2009-01-20T10:40:00.000-08:00

I forgot to blog on Haley's birthday. She turned 10 on January 16th. It is a mile stone. She will forever be in double digits. She had a good day.

We let her skip school and I took her to the Olive Garden for lunch. Then I took her to work with me for half of the day. My mom came and got her took her shopping to her favorite store. JUSTICE. Then they came and got me from work and we took her to dinner. She loves RIB CITY!! So she got her ribs and came home and tons of phone calls to make.

On Sunday we had her party. Brighton, Nash, and Taric came over and so did Grandpa and Grandma Voorhis. We has Cheesecake and opened presents. She got a couple outfits at JUSTICE and 2 pair of new shoes. All from JUSTICE. She also got the entire series of Leven Thumps and she also got a .22 shotgun and all the loot that goes with it. Alexi's gave her a sweet letter. She was so excited. She got some money for her birthday so she bought herself a skateboard. I think she got everything she wanted.

Happy Birthday to Haley!!!

Simply Grateful

2009-01-15T13:33:00.000-08:00

This year the focus is Simplify. So this post is going to be simple.

I am grateful for TRUE friends.

You know who I am talking to. I love all of you.

When Is School Over??

2009-01-14T07:18:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you. But I am done with school!! I am ready NOT to be on such a strict schedule. I want to sleep!!! I have been so tired. After this Christmas break it has been killing me to wake up at 5:45. I go to Heathers and exercise at 6 then at 7 I start to get the kids up and moving.

My kids sleep in. So this is hard to do. I went to wake up Taylor this morning to take her shower. Because we forgot last night. And she was literally sleeping in the shower. And I put my kids to bed around 8. They read for 30 minutes in bed and then it is lights out. So its not like they go to bed late. They just sleep in. I have always had good sleepers. All of my babies were sleeping all through the night by 6 weeks.

I am ready for the snow to melt. I want to be out by the pool. I want it to be warm. I counted down the months till school was out. We have 4 months. I can do anything for 4 months. RIGHT??

Strange Kids.

2009-01-12T08:17:00.001-08:00

Can I just say I have the strangest kids!! Morgan is allergic to the sun. Crazy I know. But Alexis is allergic to the cold. Even more crazy.

I remember as a baby Alexis would get the hives when she would be out in the cold. The doctor said she would grow out of that. This year it has come back to haunt us. Not only is she getting he hives. Her skin is cracking. I know what you are saying. Just put lotion on her. I have. But it starts to crack the minute the cold hits her hands. Crazy things. She can not even go play at recess.

I told Wyndam I want to move to Phoenix. But Morgan can not be out in that much sun. I can't live in Utah. Alexis only starts to crack all over. I think I need to move. Does anyone know where it is warm, but the sun does not shine, and it does not get cold?

I Am Amazing!!

2009-01-09T10:31:00.000-08:00

I was sitting on the couch this morning holding Ryker. Who had just woken up and came for his daily morning kisses. Taylor came and handed me the phone and said its Kahea. Then it dawned on me. I forgot!! I was going to go with her to court to fight a ticket she got while we were out.

The ticket was so lame. She got a ticket for turning into the outer lane instead of staying in the inner lane. The cop gives her a ticket for that. But does not give her a ticket for he expired drivers license, and not having kids in car seats. So we thought how stupid. Either give us a ticket for all or just a warning. So of course she wants to fight it. Anyway....

I get the phone and say "I forgot!! I will be ready." She says "Ok I am leaving at 8:40." I get off the phone with her and it is 8:03. I have to call my dad get him over to my house to watch Whitney and Ryker. Then I still have to get Haley, Alexis, and Taylor ready for school. This includes straightening their hair also. I have to shower, wash my hair, blow it dry, do it and put make-up on. Do you think I made it??

This is why I am amazing. I did it. I got Whitney and Ryker dressed and ready for school so my dad did not have to. I do Alexis and Taylor's hair and get them out the door. I shower, wash my hair and make-up on. The only thing I had to do in the car was mascara. I would say that is amazing. So if people say they are running late refer them to this post.

Once Again!!!

2009-01-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

You can only use 1 word. NO CHEATING!!

1. Where is your phone? ???
2. Where is your significant other? work
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your Mother? funny
5. Your Father? sweet
6. Your favorite thing? books
7. Your dream last night? ???
8. Your dream/goal? Italy
9. The room you're in? family
10. Your hobby? reading
11. Your fear? death
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? young
13. Where were you last night? bed
14. What you're not? blond
15. One of your wish-list items? finishedbasement
16. Where you grew up? Missouri
17. The last thing you ate? saltine
18. What are you wearing? sweats
19. Your TV? lifesaver
20. Your pet? pain
21. Your computer? delightful
22. Your mood? happy
23. Missing someone? always
24. Your car? HUGE
25. Something you're not wearing? shoes
26. Favorite store? Costco
27. Your Summer? Hot
28. Love someone? Absolutely
29. Your favorite color? black
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? Sunday
32. Something you crave? CafeRio
33. Why you blog? fun

I tag....Jenny,Jessica K,Brianne and Kim G

Be So Proud

2009-01-07T06:24:00.000-08:00

I worked out this morning!! I think it has been 3 weeks. Heather was shocked and so was I. I really had to talk myself out of bed. But my goal is to be skinny or close to it by March. I am going to Vegas with a bunch of my girlfriends. That is my goal. I hope I get there. To all who are still in bed....GET UP and WORKOUT!! I did it. And really if I do it so can you. Happy Exercising!!

All Is Well

2009-01-06T12:12:00.000-08:00

Wyndam fixed the dishwasher!!! That is a huge leap for Wyndam. While he is talented in many other areas. He is not much of a fixer. Although I am not sure how long it will last. So I will be looking and pricing dishwashers for the future. I was so proud.

I literally almost had a panic attack last night. I was thinking of all the things that needed to be done. Thinking of hand washing dishes was about to put me over the edge. As I was thinking of all the things I had to do. My heart kept beating faster and faster. I felt awful. So finally I went up to say a prayer to ask for help to calm down and help me to think in perspective. I was comforted of course and it just made me smile to think that even Heavenly Father cares enough to calm me down over the dishwasher breaking. I am lame. I know. But it just shows we can pray to Heavenly Father over any little thing and he is there for us.

What Am I To Do?

2009-01-05T20:48:00.000-08:00

I am not a pioneer. In fact I am sure I told Heavenly Father to send me to earth when we had modern appliances. My dishwasher broke. Does anyone know what that means for a family of 8? I tell you what that means. TONS and TONS of dishes.

No one in our family likes to do the dishes. So needless to say I have a sink full plus a dishwasher full since the darn thing broke. The dishwasher had the audacity to break in the middle of the cycle. It was not even nice enough to break after it washed the dishes.

I don't think I signed up for this. I need to have a talk with Heavenly Father. He needs to recheck my file. I am also sure I said that I needed modern appliances and also that they would never break.

I am not looking forward to this. In fact I am starting to panic. All of you that know me...know that I start to break down when my house is out of sorts. I think I am going to pack up the dishes in the cabinet and replace them with paper till we get a new dishwasher. Wish me luck. I am really going to have to take a sleep medication to calm down. I am so totally stressed. No need to remind me that I am lame. I already know. Happy dish washing to me. And all of you be grateful your dishwashers are working.

Popcorn Memories

2009-01-04T17:45:00.000-08:00

Aunt Chelsea came over tonight. She missed Taylor's birthday yesterday so she came today. She always does fun cute things with the kids. We have done Caramel Apples, Cookies, sometimes she just brings candy and we always have fun.

This time she brought stuff to make Caramel Popcorn. My kids were so excited. I heard one of the kids ask if this was the same popcorn as what Grandma Reeve makes. I also heard another one if it is the same as what Grandma Durm makes. Thank you to the 2 Grandma's for making the same kind of popcorn. It really saved us on an argument of which we were going to make.

We ate till we were sick and played Rock Band on the Wii. We had fun. My kids will always remember those memories of days that Grandma Durm and Grandpa Durm came out this summer and took them to the Nickel Arcade. And Grandma made her famous Caramel Popcorn. And Grandma Reeve makes it when we are at her house.

Thank you Mom and Grandma Durm for teaching us how to make this famous treat. It will be passed down for generations to come. That is what I love about family. Even when you are gone, we have memories. And we all are able to teach our kids about the previous generations.

Happy Birthday Taylor

2009-01-03T21:53:00.001-08:00

Today my little Taylor turned 7. While I love that she is getting older I am always a little choked up. The thought of just one more year of innocence. She will be 8 next year and the age of accountability.

For Taylor's Birthday she asked for her room to be decorated. A puffy dress, and shoes that click. The sweet requests of a 7 year old. These are times to treasure. The next thing I know she will be asking for a car. And these small request that children make are easily doable. She got all she wanted and a bit more.

I love that my kids do not like cake. I HATE cake. So for her birthday she wanted Ice Cream Cookies. So I did the Otis Spunkmyer Cookies (frozen from Costco) and then stuffed them with chocolate ice cream. Easy and very very yummy.

I love that she wanted all family there. Grandma and Grandpa, Brighton, Nash and Taric. Chelsea was invited but was unable to make it. She had a great day. I have 3 kids birthday's down and 3 to go. By February all will be done. And birthday's will be history for yet another year.

UNDEFEATED!!!

2009-01-03T10:22:00.000-08:00

Yep that is correct!! Utah Utes are undefeated. Yahoooo. I was on the phone with Wyndam during the first hour of the game. I was on the hunt for the decorations for Taylor and Whitney's room. What a game. I am proud to be a fan. Love it. Hope the next year will be just as good. You can't get much better than a perfect year. Way to go Utes.

I Forgot The Christmas Blog

2009-01-01T10:15:00.000-08:00

OOOOPPPPPSSSS. I totally forgot about the Christmas blog. I think it is because I am a little bitter at myself. I could not find my camera to take pictures. So there really is nothing to see or to blog. Other than....Wyndam asked me if I wanted him to video tape the opening of presents. I said, no there usually is nothing exciting happening. So the kids got a Wii and Morgan got to open that gift and she SQUEALED. Morgan never squeals so of course I am ticked off cuz I did not get it on tape.

Another reason I am bugged is....I am sure all of you remember the post about the Christmas cards and how long that took me to download to Costco. Well I go and get the cards and I look at them and low and behold I spelled Wyndam's name wrong. I was so MAD. So of course I go to my computer and look at the spelling of all our names. Because I am so positive that Costco made the mistake and not me. Well, I was the one that really spelled his name wrong. I did not send them and they have hit the trash can. Really how long have I been married?? Can I not spell?? I am still blaming Costco because if it would not have taken me so long to download the picture. Then I would not have been frustrated and misspelled his name.

Do we all see the frustration?? This is a perfect ending to a really crappy 2008. I am kicking 2008 in the rear and will very rarely look back at that year. It is just a terrible misery. And I am so glad we are done with it.

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-01T10:04:00.000-08:00

Well last night was one of the best nights. I was so excited that 2008 is completely over. YAHOOOO!! I am welcoming 2009 with open arms. The only sad thing is we are all a year older.

I am trying not to dwell on the fact that in 3 weeks I will have a daughter in Young Women. I am also trying to ignore that she will be going into Middle School this coming school year. If I recall...I didn't think I was old enough to have a middle school kid.(Guess I was wrong)

We went over to my friend Heather's house and played games and chatted. It was a lot of fun. Thanks Heather for letting us crash your house. We had great food and great company.

New Year's Resolutions.....I am not sure. But I am sure we all have the same top one. Get into better shape and hit my goal weight. Be more on top of scripture study. And read the Sunday School lesson. That is good for now. I am not going to overwhelm myself or set myself up to fail.

Good luck to all of you this coming year. I hope you had a safe and festive New Year's.

UFC Night

2008-12-27T21:27:00.001-08:00

Oh my gosh. I am so not a happy camper right now. I am at Kahea's and we are watching the UFC on pay per- view. It was Forrest Griffin VS Rashad Evans. So of course I am wanting Forrest to win and HE DOES NOT. I am so upset. Yes I am a huge UFC fan and I love that Kahea does these parties. I will have to take Benedryl to night to sleep. I am so upset. At least I am able to blog my frustrations. What would we all do without a blog?

Yes I know that I have not blogged about Christmas or anything of importance. Wait this was extremely important. I am so sad. I will hopefully be over it by tomorrow. But I am banking not till Monday.

I will post more later of Christmas that I could not find my camera so I have no pictures. Sorry. But look for more soon.

Its Just Ryker!!

2008-12-22T15:17:00.000-08:00

Today I get a phone call from my mom while I am at work. She says "you might want to call home and check on Ryker." Why I ask. "Well he fell in the window well." I just started to laugh so very hard. I wish I was at home so I could take a picture of that cute boy. I tell you what. It got me through a very long day at work. Just picturing him stuck in the window well. I am still chuckling. He is great and keeps us on our toes to say the least.

WICKED!!

2008-12-17T13:30:00.000-08:00

I was shopping at my most favorite place in the world. COSTCO. Love it. I can never leave without having more things in my cart than I am suppose to. I can also never leave without going by the book section. To my utter excitement they had the book WICKED. Of course I buy it. I am telling people that I am reading it. Because I want to see the play. But I wanted to read the book first. I am hearing a lot of people that have read the book have not liked it. But they have never seen the play. Well I am loving the book and only on page 60.

If you are not sure what WICKED is. It is about the life and history of the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of OZ. All I have to say is....just because it is a spin off of The Wizard of OZ does not mean it is a children friendly book. In fact it is a very adult book. So I think why people are not liking it is because they expect it to be more of a kid read. So just an FYI...if you read it be prepared that it is not like the children's classic Wizard of Oz.

I do recommend the read though. Happy reading y'all!!!!

The Reason for the Season!!

2008-12-16T05:57:00.000-08:00

I put my Christmas tunes on my blog. As you can well hear. But some of you might wonder why I put some of the songs on there that I did. I think we really need to remember why we have Christmas and why our Savior was truly born. This is part of our neighbor gift this year. And I think it sums up "The Reason For The Season" the best.

It's Christmas time at our house
And we're putting up the tree
I wish I could find one simple way
To remember Christ's gift to me.

Some little sign or symbol,
To show friend's stopping by,
The little babe was born one day
But He really came to die.

Some symbol of his nail-pierced hands,
The blood He shed for you and me...
What if I hung a simple nail
On my shining Christmas tree?

A crimson bow tied 'round the nail,
Symbol of His blood that flowed so free
To save each person from their sin
And redeem us for all eternity.

I know it was His love for us
That held Him to that 'tree',
But when I see this simple nail
I now he died for me!

I challenge each of you that does not get this little card from us this year. To tie a red bow on a nail. Hang it on your tree and remember our Savior's gift to all of us. Merry Christmas.

Christmas Tag,,,,

2008-12-16T04:38:00.001-08:00

Here we go again. Thanks Jessica. Love ya.

1. Does Santa wrap presents or just put them under the tree?

HELLLOOO!!! Wraps them of course!!

2. Colored lights or white lights on house/tree?

White all the way.

3.Do you hang mistletoe?

Nope.

4. When do you put decorations up?

Wyndam puts them up the Thanksgiving weekend.

5. What is your favorite Holiday dish?

Our Christmas Eve seafood night.

6. Favorite holiday memory as a child?

When I was getting presents from under the tree.
The tree fell on top of me.

7. When did you learn the truth about Santa?

What are you talking about? I haven't heard anything

about Santa. He is still coming right?

8. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

Always. Its the jammy night.

9. How do you decorate your tree?

We have 2 trees. The family tree is decorated with the kids ornaments they get
every year. The formal tree is decorated with temple ornaments Wyndam dad made
us. They engraved on glass disks and hung with gold bows and then red bows hung
amongst them. Its BEAUTIFUL.

10. Snow. Love it Dread it?

Love it!! How do we ski without it??

11. Can you ice skate??

You bet ya!!

12. Do you remember your favorite gift?

Always being pregnant or just have had a brand new baby!!

13. What is the most important thing about the holidays for you?

Spending time with family and friends. Remembering the reason for the season.

14. What is your favorite holiday dessert?

My homemade pecan pie. That I can no longer eat.

15. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Shopping with Wyndam for the kids.

16. What tops your tree?

A star.

17. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?

Both. But I love to see the faces of people when they open their gift.

18. What is your favorite Christmas Song?

O Holy Night by Josh Groban and Mary Did You Know. By Donnie Osmond

19. Candy Canes. Yum or Yuck?

Not just YUCK. But freaking NASTY!!

20. What do you want for Christmas?

A new kitchen sink. A new kitchen faucet. A new garbage disposal. WOW!! That
is lame. You know your really old when you are asking for crap like that!!

I tag Ronda Loveridge, Jenny Corless, and Chelsea Reeve and Heather Scott

No Wonder I Am A Scrooge!!

2008-12-15T20:40:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh!!! I was on the phone with my friend Jessica. She tells me to order my Christmas cards through Costco. She says its so easy. So we are on the phone and I am working on my Christmas cards. I am having HUGE issues. It is not as easy as it looks. Here are the reasons its not:

1. I got on Firefox and I had a firewall. So I have to use Internet Explorer.
2. It took 2 times to upload the pictures.
3. I pick a picture of the family. Well I could not get the whole thing to fit on the card. Someones head was always cut off.
4. I pick a picture of just the kids. Still to big.
5. I pick another picture of the kids. Perfect. But we are still not done....
6. I have to crop the picture.
7. I have to pick the tint of the picture.
8. I have to rotate the picture.
9. I have to figure out what the greeting will say on the picture.
10. I have to check out. (That was crap all on its own)

Finally after 83 minutes and 54 seconds later. I have the cards done. (Not kidding, it really took that long)

Why do we go to so much trouble to send a Christmas card. They will be thrown out in less than a month. You really look at them once and never look at them again. Whatever. I expect all of you that get a Christmas card from me to: leave it up till February, Show every one you know the picture, Sleep with it, Eat with it, I would say shower with it but then it would ruin the picture. And I worked to darn hard to get you a picture. In fact I want you to bronze the picture. And remember Christmas should be a ton more simple. So all I have left to say is you better ENJOY that flipping card.

My Quirks

2008-12-15T16:43:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by Jessica Kern. I have to list some of my quirks. So this will be fun and I thought I don't really have any. HAHAHAHAHA. I do have many......so here we go.

1. I like to have the volume on the TV end in a 0 or 5. If that is to loud or to quiet it has to end on a 3.

2. I will only use the mouth wash lid as the cup. I never put my mouth on the container and really HATE when people do that.

3. I don't dry off with the same towel twice out of a shower.

4. My food CAN NOT touch.

5. I put salt on my chocolate chip cookies.

6. My underwear aka garments. They have to be the same material, on top and bottom.

7. When out to a restaurant I have to use a straw. I will not put my mouth on the cup.

8. I have to take a bath EVERY night. No matter what time it is.

9. If my clean clothes sit in the laundry basket unfolded for a long time and become wrinkled. I have to wash them over.

10. Lets say I have a Reese's Peanut Butter cup and a Snickers. I will take a bite of each every other time. If I want the taste of the Reese's to linger in my mouth the longest I will make sure it is the last bite. If it is the Snickers I want to linger I will make sure that is the last bite.

Ok. Now you all know how utterly quirky I really am. Now lets see how quirky Jessica Badillo is and Annie Selander. Have fun and I look forward to seeing what makes you tick.

YAHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-12T06:46:00.000-08:00

I got my computer to finally read my card. Not sure how I did it. But I did and that is the point. So there will be tons of blogging and picture updates. Be prepared to sit for a while and enjoy the updated blog.

Dumb Computers!!

2008-12-02T12:20:00.000-08:00

I am trying to put up pictures. My computer all of a sudden is not reading my card from my camera. I have pictures of Whitney's Birthday and I will have pictures of Ryker's Birthday. But I have to figure out what is wrong with the darn computer. I have such a love/hate relationship with computers. I think I can live without one but....in all reality I can not. I am a blog hag and clearly can not do that without the computer. So keep checking back for pictures.

Happy Birthday Ryker!!!

2008-12-02T12:08:00.000-08:00

Well 5 years ago today. My sweet boy left the arms of his Father in Heaven and entered the arms of his mother on earth. And I am grateful he did. Ryker was so excited today that it was his birthday. He came into my room this morning and asked for his blanket. I asked him who's birthday it was today. He gives my that goofy grin only Ryker and Mater off of Cars can do and he says "IT'S MINE"

Since I am really lame as we all know. I have not gotten him a gift or done his cake. He wants cupcakes and I tried to get him to do peach cobbler cuz I hate cake. It did not go so well. So I guess after work I will be going to Costco and doing a mad birthday dash for presents and cupcakes. But he has not mentioned his birthday all the rest of the day. I wonder if I can just get away with doing it another day. I am sure that once all the girls get home from school they will remind him of his day. We love you Ryker. Happy Birthday little boy!!!

Happy Birthday Whitney

2008-11-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

Well Whitney is now 6 years old. Her birthday was actually yesterday the 25th. For about 6 weeks her and Taylor are the same age. We were going to go to Aunt Jen and Uncle Dale's house to celebrate. But Wyndam got strep throat so we ended up staying home and having the party here. She was upset at first but got over it quickly when it was time to open presents.

Whitney got a new dress, a new purse, Little Mrs. Spider book series and High School Musical 3 dance pad, and some makeup for her purse of course. She was pumped.

She is so cute. I said to her this morning "Happy birthday Whitney. You are getting so big and I don't want you to grow up." She said "you want me to stay little forever?" I said "Yes I do." She said "But I don't get any bigger." At least she realizes that height will not be on her side. She is built low to ground. She had a great day. We love you Whitney. Happy 6th Birthday!! Something happened to my computer. I will try to do the pictures soon.

Shocked and Sad

2008-11-25T07:17:00.000-08:00

I was on my friend Annie's blog. It was about teachers that have inspired you. Annie and I went to the same high school. So I was reading and picturing every teacher in my mind. And then I came across that one of our teachers had passed away. Mrs. Jennifer Wepler. I had her for library and her husband for drivers ed. I was so shocked and sad to hear of her death. She was not very old. So sad.

I looked up online to see if I could find her obituary. To no luck I was unable to find it. But as I am looking I did run across her sons obituary. Once again I was shocked and very sad. I remember when he was about 4-6 years old. He was 18 when he passed away and collapsed on the basketball court. He was 6'4". He was so tall. But I do remember that Mr. Wepler was very tall.

It reminds me of how grateful we should be for the life that we have. It can so shortly change forever. We need to live each day as it is our last. I am also grateful for the knowledge I have of life after death. We are a truly blessed people.

Today Is The Day!!!

2008-11-20T14:01:00.000-08:00

Yep the time is almost up on my night at the movies. TWILIGHT is tonight. You heard it correctly today is the day. I am so excited and the day is dragging. I am actually really really tired. I have not been sleeping well. I have been waking up around 3am and not able to fall back asleep. Well until like 5:30 and I wake up at 5:45 to go running in the morning. But I have faithfully gotten up and ran even though I just got back to sleep.

Anyway.....Most of you know that I am famous for sleeping during movies. If we do not start a movie by 7 I am out. So this wonderful movie starts at MIDNIGHT. Wish me luck. Look for upcoming pictures of our night with the VAMPIRES!!!

I Finished the Book

2008-11-16T12:34:00.000-08:00

Well I finished the book Finding Noel. What a wonderful way to bring in the Christmas season. We are so blessed to have this time every year to reflect on the birth of our Savior. The book was fantastic and a total tear jerker. I am grateful that I have a ton of family that loves me. I loved this part from the book. It is my favorite part:

I've come to know that our families are a canvas on which we paint our greatest hopes-imperfect and sloppy, for we are all amateurs at life, but if we do not focus too much on our mistakes, a miraculous picture emerges. And we learn that it's not the beauty of the image that warrants our gratitude-it's the chance to paint.

I hope all of you read this book. And find the joy of painting our own unique pictures. We all will one day be reunited and be able to see the paintings of our lives. May we all rejoice in the unique way we all are molded together.

What Have I Done???

2008-11-14T13:51:00.001-08:00

Well as most of you know I started running last September. While I have a more than a few more pounds to lose I can say that I like to run. My friend Heather and I have been running 2-3 miles a day. So yes I can run and am confident in doing a 5k.

But it is so like me to take a huge bite out of life. So Jen ran the Wasatch Back race last June and encouraged me to run it with her and the team that is being put together. The run is from Logan to Park City. A whopping 180.5 miles. A true race of endurance since you run the race in all day and night. So it is a relay team. You can be sure I will have my camera and will blog about the run. I am really excited and hope that with the training the rest of my body will somewhat come back from the dead. It has just started to become my friend since having 6 wonderful kids in 6 years.

I looked at the map and tried to tell what legs I would be running. It looked all fine till I got to the last section of my run. Leg 1 was classified as easy, leg 2 was moderate and leg 3 is HARD. So I look up the hard and it is ALL UP HILL for 5 flipping miles. Well I say 'What have I done??' But at least it is not till the summer and I hope to be well trained. It will be awesome and I am sure I will fill very accomplished. If I live.

Books, Books, Books

2008-11-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

As most of you know I LOVE to read. I am in a book club with a bunch of my friends that are in my ward and on my street. This month is was Heather Scott's choice for a book. She wanted to do a book to bring in the Holidays.

So I thought that I would tell all of my blogger friends the book of the month. We can read it and make comments of those that have read the book. I love feedback from all of you and it is a way to keep in touch. And find some books we can all share with each other.

So......the book that is this month is Finding Noel by Richard Paul Evans. I just read the Note To My Readers. I think I am going to love the book. I would also like for you to comment on any quotes or things that the characters have said. I think it could be fun. What do you think????

Happy Reading!!!

The Slopes Are Open

2008-11-10T13:17:00.000-08:00

Well the time has come and the time is NOW. The slopes are open. My goal is to go at least 2 times this year. I never made it last year. And I love it. I want to take Wyndam for entertainment purposes and funny blog posts. He seems to be a bit clumsy when you put things on his feet. Well, who are we kidding. He is always clumsy. It makes for a funny and very entertaining life.

Health Struggles

2008-11-09T14:31:00.000-08:00

Well lets see. Where to begin. Maybe the first part I should tell you that my Patriarchal Blessing says that I will struggle with my health. It was right.

If you notice in one of my recent posts I said that my stomach was cramping so bad. Well a couple days went by and it progressively got worse. So I was at work on Wednesday night on the 5th of November and called Wyndam and said that there is something wrong. He said you know your body and if we need to go to the ER I will take you. I waited most of the day.

In the meantime I tried to call Jen because unfortunately for her she has everything go wrong down there that could possibly go wrong. I thought I might have and ovarian cyst. Well I could never get a hold of her. So I called my mom. She thought I could have reactive pain and it could be appendicitis. So I called Wyndam back and said I needed to go in. By this time I could not stand up straight.

So I get to the ER. The Dr. comes in and says that it could very well be an ovarian cyst since I have had them before. So they do an ultrasound of my ovaries and nothing is wrong then they do an ultrasound of my kidney and once again nothing is wrong. So he said clearly something is wrong and we are going to find it. So he did a CT scan of my abdomen. And found that I have diverticulitis. He was shocked because you usually don't get it til you are older and it is very common in people over 60.

So I am on really high antibiotics and an anti-fungal medication. This is something I will have to be careful with all my life. I have to change some eating habits. So like I can not have: multi grains, fresh veggies, some fresh fruit, nuts, basically it is anything with a seed or is hard to digest.

But once again there is a silver lining to this cloud. One of the first things on my list of foods to eat is CARBONATED BEVERAGES. Yahoooooooo. I know all of you know that I am a huge soda drinker. So even though I am very limited to things I can eat. I can still have my soda. See Heavenly Father never closes a door without opening a window.

I have to have a colonoscopy done and see how much damage there is to my colon and then we will go from there. But I am good and happy and loved. What more can I truly ask for.

My Boy

2008-11-09T14:04:00.000-08:00

I have to say that I love being a mom to a boy. Ryker while he is more than 150% boy. He is his mommas boy. Wyndam gets on to me a bit because I baby him. But he is my last and my baby. He is one of the sweetest little fellas I have met. He is tender and at the same time a beast of a boy.

Ryker loves to be outside and play. He loves all sports. I guess it is so true when they say the apple does not fall far from the tree. Ryker is so much like Wyndam. He does resemble me in looks more than the other kids. But has the very BEST of his daddy.

One of my favorite songs is The Greatest by Kenny Rogers. It reminds me of Ryker. If we could all just have the attitude of a little boy. We would all have a happier life. I love this song and started to cry as I listened. It is Ryker to perfection. Just click on it on my play list below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

It's About Time

2008-11-08T16:56:00.000-08:00

I know this might sound a bit crazy. Well to those who have a huge SUV or Truck it won't sound so darn crazy. But I went to fill up the Excurssion with gas today. And I looked at the total and was almost jumping for joy when it was only 85.00 dollars. That is amazing since it has been over 100 dollars in gas for about a year. I am dumb. I know. But I was so excited that I came strait home and told Wyndam and said I am even going to blog about it. So here I am. LOVE IT.

OH DEAR!!!!

2008-11-05T12:44:00.000-08:00

I came home from work last night and asked the kids how school went. They all say it was good. And then Taylor tells me that they had an election at school to see who they would vote for. I asked Taylor who she voted for and she said John McCain. I asked her why did you vote for him. Totally expecting to hear her say because you and daddy are voting for him. Well Taylor very much has her own thoughts. Here is why she did not vote Obama. so she says:

1. He wants to destroy the world.
2. He wants to take the Army out. And destroy the world.
3. He is a different color than we are.
4. He is a puppet.

I started to chuckle a bit at number 3. I told her that it doesn't matter what color he is. She just looked at me and walked away. And let me tell you the look was the look of I can't believe you just said that to me. I will say that kids come here totally pre-wired. I nor Wyndam have ever made a comment about Obama being black. Hopefully Taylor will realize in due time that color isn't and should never be an issue. But like I said all in due time. Wish us luck with that feisty little girl. She definitly keeps us on our toes!!

A Very Sad Night!!

2008-11-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

Well I am sure all of you have heard that Obama is President. I wasn't shocked. I knew he would win. But at the same time it was really hard to take in. Reality hit HARD. Not that I was a huge McCain fan. But I am really scared of Obama's ideas. Maybe he will surprise me.

I was so surprised at my own reaction. I was watching McCain do his concession speech. And tears are just running down my face. I never like to see anyone lose. But if you saw the speech he was a really classy loser. I was so impressed at his comments. I knew at the end of that speech he without a shadow of a doubt loves this country. I loved the line where he said he will remain the countries servant. What a neat perspective he has.

But there is a silver lining in this cloud. While I was upstairs lying in bed watching McCain give his speech. Wyndam comes upstairs and said "I almost died downstairs and you would have never known." I just started to laugh because I knew he had either tripped or fallen or both. So asked what happened. Well Haley's chore for the week is to sweep the kitchen floor after dinner every night. Well she left the broom on the floor. I saw it but my stomach was cramping so bad last night I just left it on the floor. So anyway Wyndam was on his way into the kitchen to put his soda if the fridge. And slipped on the broom and did the splits. I was rolling with laughter. I wish I could have seen it. Well in between my laughter I asked if he spilled the soda. He said no. I laughed harder. If any of you know us, well we hold soda very precious. So I told him that is great!! You pulled every groin muscle to save the soda!!

I also asked Wyndam why he falls more than anyone else in the family. He is so funny. He said I don't Taylor falls more than I do. Well ya know I would expect her to. She is 7 and he is 32.

This Is The Place!!

2008-11-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

I love where I live. I live in the best neighborhood. There are a few of us on our street that get together and do a book club. We went out to breakfast today. We had such a great time. We all just get along and laugh together. Oh and occasionally talk about the book. Well we always talk about the book. But our discussion goes better when we have all read the book. This month we were split down the middle. Half had read it the other half nope.

But I just wanted to tell my friends at the book club how much I love you all. I am grateful that all of you are supportive of me and my family. Even when I flip my top on you. :) You all still love me and forgive me.(You know who you are) All of you are great. Thanks for being my friend and my example.

Halloween (Farthest From My Mind)

2008-10-31T11:25:00.000-07:00

I know its Halloween and I am totally not thinking of Halloween. I am really concerned with the election. I have never focused my thoughts on an election before. I am bothered by this. I am so shocked at how much fear I have for this country. I think I am nervous because we are seeing revelations coming to pass. We live in a time that I feel it will only get worse before it can get better. I do worry who will be president.

I very much feel that this country was founded on Christian beliefs. I think it should be run by someone that prays to the same Savior as I do. While I know there are corrupt Christians out there I prefer to be judged by my maker on the fact that I voted for a person that claimed to be good and love the Savior. Rather than knowing for a fact that I voted for someone who is defiantly not Christan.

I also am having a hard time with those that are voting based only on the 3 issues (economy, health care, education) that are continually being brought up. I do realize that Obama will be better with economy. But has anyone ever thought that while he is talking up the 3 issues he is in support of other things. Such as he is a HUGE pro-choice or pro-abortion. I sympathize with those that get pregnant by violence. But at the same time we can always give that child up for adoption. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I would carry that baby to full term. It would not be easy but it can be done. And once again I can look my Savior in the eye and say I did the best I could. Obama is a huge supporter of partial birth abortions. If you are unsure of that procedure I strongly encourage you to research it. It is actual MURDER.

We are hearing so much of proposition 8 in California. Obama thinks that gay marriage should be left for the state to decide. I feel that will only divide our country more than it already is. This country and all constitutional rights were written under God. Did we forget that? I know that our Heavenly Father holds marriage as a sacred covenant between a MAN and a WOMAN. If we go back to scriptures. We all should remember that Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed for all of these things.

It is the day that we have to beware of wolves in sheep clothing. They may all say the right things but if you dig a bit deeper you can always find the zipper to the costume.

I encourage all of you to fast and pray about your vote. I am proud to be an American where I can freely speak my mind. I love all of you. Your vote is your decision and I respect that. Just please fast and pray.

My First Day of Work

2008-10-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well my first day of work was a success. I think I am going to like it. I laughed so hard at people. And the best thing is they had no clue. I seriously don't know how people function in soiciety with the questions they asked today. WOW!! I did feel a bit sorry for people. They are dumb. For Example

I had a lady call and we were on the phone with her for about 15 minutes. She said that she didn't know what she signed up for. Then she said that she cancelled but never called. Whatever. We asked if she would like a confirmation number. She says yes because we are hard to get a hold of. (But she just said that she never has called us) HELLLOOO! Crazy People.

I enjoyed it. But it was only my first day. We will see what the rest of the week holds.

My Very Funny Friend

2008-10-24T16:40:00.001-07:00

Ok. I just went to drop off Haley at her friends house. Secilly and Haley have been great friends for about 2 years. They met a Lakeview Academy. Well when you have kids as all of you know you get to meet the parents.

Tina is Secilly's mom. She is a pretty funny lady. Well I was just chatting with her and she reminded me that she has a website. It is a cooking site. She decided to start this site for those that would like to learn more about Mexican cooking. Since she is married to a Mexican she knows quite a bit about the art of cooking.

I am encouraging all of you to check out her site and embrace the Mexican culture through the food. Mexican is my favorite food next to Italian. (I need an Italian friend. So they can teach me to cook.)So please check out the site. It is marriedtoamexican.com. Check it out. Its pretty cool.

My Girls Cut Their Hair!!

2008-10-22T18:44:00.000-07:00

Haley has been begging to cut her hair. So she lit the fire under Lexi. I decided to let them do it. It was with much reservation. It is just easier when you have 5 heads of hair to do plus my own. Which really makes it 6. Anyway it is much easier to just pull it in pony tails. But I feel its just hair it will always grow back.

Our neighbor has a sister-in-law that is a cosmetologist. And she said she would cut their hair. So Wyndam is looking out the back window into their kitchen and tells me that Lexi is done. I run over there and look and I said Haley is done. He said so is Lexi. I could not find her!! She looks so different. Her hair is a ton blonder. They look great!! I can't help to think that I have some of the cutest kids.

I Got a Job!!!!

2008-10-22T12:37:00.000-07:00

Well I am going into the work force. May the force be with me. I will be working at Wyndam's office. I will be in Customer Service. So maybe the force should be with the customer. :)

Wyndam had picked up a 2nd job at Walmart stocking shelves at night. He would go to Walmart at 10pm-7am and then go to his real job from 7:30am-3:30pm come home and sleep for a whole 5 hours. Needless to say it wasn't working out so well.

We decided I can go to work for part time. So I we talked about it and decided that was the best situation. So I will work on Monday and Tuesday 1pm-6pm and on Wednesday-Friday I will work 12-5pm.

I was a bit worried about leaving Ryker. But he is in Preschool Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12-2:15. So on the those days my dad will only have him for at most 2 hours until Wyndam gets home at 4. And I will be able to drop him off at school on my way to work. On Tuesday and Thursday he will be with my dad for only about 4 hours til Wyndam gets home. So all-in-all I think it will work out just fine. That will give Ryker bonding time with Grandpa. It will also give Grandpa something to do.

Wyndam is going to have to go in a little earlier than 9 in the morning. He just may have to wake up and be there by 8 so he can be home at 4 for the kids. I know rough life not to be able to sleep in til 8:30. :)

It will be a sacrifice for all of us. But I am thrilled to help and we are glad that Wyndam will be able to be at home at night.

Life is good.

I've Been Tagged

2008-10-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

1. Where did you meet? We grew up in the same ward. We knew each other for 13 years before we dated.
2. How long did you date before you got married? 10 months
3. How long have you been married? 12 years
4. What does he do that surprises you? Sends me on weekend getaways to Midway to the Spa.
5.What is your favorite feature of his? Smile
6. What is your favorite quality of his? Loyalty and Unselfishness

7. Does he have a nickname for you? Lindy Lue
8. What is his favorite color? Blue,
9. What is his favorite food? Pizza
10. What is his favorite sport? Basketball, Football....Anything that has a ball
11. When and where was your first kiss? In my parents living room
12. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? Go away for a weekend
13. Do you have any children? 6
14. Does he have a hidden talent? He can cook!!!
15. How old is he? 32
16. Who said "I love you" first? He did
17. What do you admire most about him? He is a hard worker and very calm
18.Do you think he will read this? Yes
I tag...Katie Celaya