Our Christmas

 It was nice.  It went quickly.  The kids thought it was the best one yet ... mission accomplished.  I didn't get any amazing pictures ... pictures don't really seem important during all of the excitement.

This last picture is of our late white Christmas.  It snowed this week and looked so pretty when we woke up.

And now it's New Year's Eve.  I can't quite believe that 2011 is tomorrow.  This next year will be another exciting one!

Linzi is 9

Linzi had her birthday!  She's now 9 years old, which frankly, I can't believe.

Linzi had her special day at school ... we took treats.  She opened gifts and had cake in the evening.  Her favorite gift I think is the puppy pillow pet.  She was thrilled with it.

Happy 9th Birthday Linzi !!

Christmas Fun

Kate and Quinn just watched this with me ... Quinn was as still as can be ... literally glued to the screen. Kate is still singing "hallelujah!" I thought it was great.

It's Over

The Christmas shopping is done.  I can breathe a sigh of relief now.  I love getting it done early.  I don't have to focus on the commercial part now in December ... I can focus on the family part and the Christ part.  I can hardly believe it's December tomorrow.  This year has absolutely flown by.  WOW!  I guess it's true that the older you are the faster the time flies.  Wonder what it would be like to be 100. ??

I am feeling icky today, and the weather is gray and dreary.  The children are probably destroying the house, and I let Brielle feed them all cereal for dinner. 

You know what?  I'm at the point in my life that I realize it's ok.   It's ok to have a *blech* sort of day and not do much and let the house get messy and the kids eat cereal.  It's going to be a new day tomorrow and today will be gone.  I love getting "older" and realizing that everything doesn't have to be perfect.  It's freeing.

So if you read this tonight ... don't come over.  ; )  I do still care a little if company sees our blech day and mess.

Happy Thanksgiving. #25

25.  I'm thankful for my life.  What a blessing.  What a fun time.  What an amazing journey this life is.  I love things about it and hate things about it and think all the time that I'm grateful I'm here.  I really adore being a mother and a wife.  I truly would not want to be doing anything else.  I love being alive on the earth now ... and not when it was the dark ages, or the pilgrim's time or some other time in history.  I like now.  It's hard, and has it's challenges, but it's good.  I have real gratitude for the Lord; for giving me such a great life.

Thanksgiving Eve! #24

I've almost made it!  What a great thing to have to think of something I'm grateful for, for 25 days.  It's really made me ponder all of my blessings!

24.  I'm grateful for my family.  I don't know if I've already said this, but I don't care.  They're great.  They make me happy and cause me to smile constantly.  They are fun to be around and funny too.  I have fabulous kids and a great husband, wonderful parents (and in-laws), thoughtful and supportive brothers and sisters ... I'm truly truly blessed.  I feel appreciative of their love and their ability to do so much for me in so many ways.  I'm a rich woman!

Isn't This Fun?

I commissioned Kate Allen to do a picture of each of the kids.  Aren't they great?  LOVE how they turned out!  I'm going to frame them and hang them in the house somewhere!!
Brielle

 Linzi

 Tessa

 Kate

 Quinn

 Aren't these great?

23rd Day of Thankfulness

23.  Thankful for kids who get along and play well together.  It's not all the time, but it's lovely when it happens.

Thankful 22

22.  (a little late.)  I'm thankful for safety.  I feel blessed all the time that we're kept safe.  When there is a snow "storm" like yesterday (at least it was stormy for here) and the roads are so bad and Matt gets home safely, I know it's because we've been looked out for.  I really appreciate it.  We are protected in our home and that's comforting too.

Gratitude 21

21.  I'm thankful for the first snow.  The kids were SO thrilled this morning to see white when we woke up.  It wasn't too much, but throughout the day little flecks of white kept floating down and reminding us it's nearly winter.  Around dinner time the snow fell harder and the temperature outside dropped.  There started to be a white covering on all the leaves and the ground.  What loveliness!  I think it's so fun and pretty and great; especially when I don't have to drive in it!  (and school is 2 hours late tomorrow!!)

Snow, snow, snow!

(this is the best picture I could get at 10:00 pm not wanting to set foot off the porch.  Brrr!)

Giving 20 Thanks

20.  I'm thankful for lazy days that I don't have to leave the house.  I really love these days.  I think that means I'm a "home body."  I'm fine with that.  It's really easier to stay home, and then we're not spending money on things we don't need ... and it's too cold to be out in "nature" right now ... so staying home is a GREAT option.  I'm liking it lately.

Guess Who Likes Spaghetti?

Well, they all do.  But Quinn has discovered it's slurpiness.  He loves it.  It's pretty fun to watch.

 

Gratitude Challenge Day 19

19.  Grateful today for being able to see the humor in hard situations.  As a mother that's such a good thing to be able to do.  Being told you're the MEANEST MOM IN THE WORLD is a little sad ... but I know it was just hormones and not the sweet girl I carried for nine months.  ;)

Thanks for 18

18.  Thankful for food.  It's yummy.  It fills my stomach so it stops growling.  It provides nourishment and sometimes enjoyment.  I really am grateful we have enough of it.  This is high on my list of things I'm thankful for.

I'm thankful for 17 things

17.  I'm thankful for kids.  Don't they make life way more fun and interesting?

Gratitude 16

16.  I'm grateful for storms that help us see perspective in our lives.  Last night we had THE wind storm.  Our power was out for 12 hours.  It was so windy that the girls were all crying and wouldn't sleep in their own rooms ... they ended up all in one room huddled around a battery operated lantern.  We could hear branches and other flying objects hitting the house and roof all night. It was a little disconcerting to say the least.  When the power went out I saw a blue flash in the sky and then everything went black.  Literally.  It was only 9:00 pm and normally we don't go to bed quite that early, but what else is there to do with no electricity?  So we went to bed and sat there listening to things hit the house.  At one point I heard a huge gust of wind and got up to look outside.  It was pretty amazing.  It made me so grateful for our home.  That it has a roof and windows and insulation that basically protect us from the winds.  I thought of the people who lived here a couple hundred years ago and how cold they must have been in the winter.  I felt grateful that I am here NOW.  I also thought of how amazing this earth is, and how wondrous and scary and awesome it can be.  Weather and earthquakes (yes, there was one of those today too.  4.2)  and other things are just reminders of how we aren't in control.  We rely on the Lord for everything we have.  It's good to remember. 

(our deck was CLEAN only a couple days ago.  *sigh*  and that's a LARGE branch we found in the yard this morning.)

15th thing I'm grateful for this month ...

15.  I'm thankful for Christmas music.  I LOVE Christmas music.  When I was younger I can remember listening to it in the summer or starting it in the fall and having people (*cough*Roger*cough) get so annoyed.  I didn't care.  I love it.  I think it's so peaceful and spirit inviting.  I personally think listening to music about Christ the whole year isn't a bad thing.  I was silently thrilled on Friday night driving to my GNO (girl's night out) when the radio station had Christmas music playing!  They're the station that plays it constantly until after the new year.  It's something I look forward to every year!  I really adore Christmas music!!  It's definitely worth being my #15 this month.

Day 14

14.  Today I'm thankful for paint.  We are almost done with our kitchen and painting the cabinets and woodwork and walls has made a HUGE difference.  It's a little amazing really.  I'm thankful that I'm able to paint things and make them different to satisfy my need for change.  It's fun.  I'm sort of loving it.

13th Day of the Gratitude Challenge

I'm coming in late on this one ... but it's still the 13th, so not too late!

13.  I'm thankful for quilting.  It's a great way to get my creative juices flowing.  I love choosing the fabric.  I could go walk around the quilting section of the fabric store for hours picking and choosing different fabric combinations ... I love it!  When I have new fabric to work with I can't wait to cut it out and start piecing it together.  That's my favorite part ... to see what it comes out to be.  And when it is done ...?  ... who doesn't love a warm homemade quilt?  I think everyone would appreciate it.  It's great.

Gratitude Day 12

12.  I'm grateful for my marriage.  I am thankful that we were worthy to be married in the temple and make it an eternal marriage.  I'm grateful that we support each other and that Matt works so hard everyday for our family.  I never hear complaining from him and I appreciate that.  I'm thankful that he understands my need to get away from the kids once in a while and doesn't get bent out of shape if I go to a movie some night or to a girl's night out, or just run to the store alone.  I love that we can still laugh with each other and have fun like we're 23.  I know that our marriage is stronger now than it was in the beginning, and I think having children and challenges has made it that way.  It hasn't always been easy, but it's not supposed to be.  It's how we deal with the challenges together that makes it successful.  We are blessed because we have each other.

Thankfully 11

11.  I am grateful for chocolate.  This is a silly thing to be thankful for but I am.  It's just so good.  You can do a million different things with it.  You can make brownies with nuts or caramel.  You can have pudding or mousse.  You can make cake and frosting and ice cream.  There are candy bars and chocolate chips.  Hot chocolate with whipped cream.  I have tried a lot of different ways to make chocolate different and know what?  They're ALL good.  They all are satisfying to that sweet tooth that I have.  I appreciate the creaminess of milk chocolate and the yummy bitterness of dark chocolate.  I really don't condone emotional eating, but if you're in a pinch like I have been before, chocolate usually does the trick.  Once in a while, when the kids are yelling and screaming and running around like crazy people, I can go into my room for a tiny quiet moment, and eating a piece of chocolate usually helps.  I don't know why it does, but afterward I feel like I've secretly done something for myself that the kids don't know about.  It makes me able to go out and deal with them.  Crazy right?  (I don't do this on a regular basis of course, but just once in a while.)  Matt often goes to my favorite Sees Chocolate shop and buys my favorite chocolates.  It's his default gift for me, and he knows that I will ALWAYS appreciate it no matter how often he does it.  LOVE them.  Anyway.  Chocolate.  It's wonderful.

A few things ...

Goodbye to my pumpkins.

I did it.  I got all the pumpkins and Halloween decor and put it ALL away; save a few turkeys as my token Thanksgiving decor.  It feels good.  I'm going to give it a couple days and then .... wait for it .... it's going to be shocking ... put up my Christmas decorations!  I'm so excited!!!  I love being an adult and getting to do what I want to do.  It's fun.

Quinn is a walking machine.

He is!  He is walking all the time now.  And if you look at his face it will be evidence of that.  There are bruises and scrapes and scratches, and he even bit through his poor lip.  (click on his picture to see all the damage.  He's a boy.)

Christmas shopping is almost done!

I'm most thrilled about this.  Getting Christmas done is a big job for so many kids.  I love it, don't get me wrong.  It makes me excited and it's hard for me to wait to see the kid's faces.  I also can't feel relaxed until it's done.  And I'm an early Christmas shopper of course.  I prefer to be done weeks before the actual day.  This year I'm REALLY close already.  I'm going to be happy to be done and get to start cookie baking!!

Gratitude Challenge: Day 10

10.  I'm grateful for the power of prayer.  I'm thankful I'm able to pray and know that I will get an answer.  I'm grateful that through prayer I can feel peace and comfort.  Prayer and faith combined can work miracles.  What a great thing to be able to talk to my Father in Heaven.

Our fun FHE

We did a "Thankful Turkey" ... this turkey is probably thankful he's not going to be eaten!   I drew the turkey on the back of a large chip box from Costco ... Kate had fun with me figuring out what he should look like.  We put all the things we're thankful for on the feathers ... there are still a few to be filled in over the next couple weeks.  The girls really got into this activity and I was especially impressed by Kate who listed the things she was thankful for ... "chocolate, candy, pillows, hearts, and chocolate cake."  The girl really knows what's important right?

Thankful for 9

9.  Today I'm grateful for Thanksgiving.  I love being able to celebrate the holiday with family and friends.  It reminds me how much we have and how blessed we are.  I love being able to teach my kids about the pilgrims who came to this country seeking peace and how that changed our lives forever.  What a blessing to live in a free country where we're able to choose who we want to be.  I love seeing my kids learn and grow and start to recognize what gratitude really means.

8th Day of Gratitude

8.  I am grateful for the modern invention of the washer and dryer.  What a lovely thing to be able to throw clothes in, walk away and have them clean.  No longer do we have to beat them against a rock, or vigorously rub them against a washboard.  What a blessing!  And the dryer ... don't even get me started.  I know drying your clothes on racks or lines is great, and it has it's uses ... but clothes don't smell as clean or feel as soft as when you throw them into the dryer; they just come out so fluffy and warm and nice.  Even though I always have piles of laundry to do, and my nemesis is putting away folded clean clothes, I still love and appreciate the ability I have to walk into a room in my home, throw some clothes into a machine and have them washed for me.  LOVE it.

Day 7 Gratitude Challenge

7.  I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is an amazing thing to be able to know the truth ... to know who I am, where I was before this life, and where I'm going after this earthly life is over.  It brings comfort and peace instead of confusion and worry.  I have true happiness in my life, and it doesn't come from worldly possessions or worldly desires.  I love knowing what my Heavenly Father expects of me, and knowing that if I do what he wants me to do, I will be able to live with him again.  I wish I could share that knowledge and peace and comfort and happiness with everyone I see.

6th day of Gratitude

6.  I'm grateful for rain.  It's wet and cold, but it makes everything GREEN.  I love green.  I love looking out the windows and seeing green leaves and grass.  The rain makes everything look and smell CLEAN.  The rain pitter patters on the roof and gives a lovely ambiance to the grey day.  It's a comforting sound I think.  (can you tell I grew up in WA?) 

Quinn Walks

He does.  And it's SO cute!!  Wanna see?

This baby/toddler stage ... and all that they learn at this age, is something I love about being a parent.  It's absolutely adorable and fun.  Sweet boy.

Thankfully #5

I am thankful today for school.  I am thankful my children can attend public school where they are able to learn and be in an environment that challenges them in many ways.  I'm thankful they are smart, good, obedient children who do what they're told and try to choose the right.  I'm thankful that they get to leave the house every day.  I know if they were here all day they would be bored ... and absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?  It's good for all of us.  Go learning!

Gratitude Day 4

4th ... I'm grateful for books.  This morning my mom and I have been putting all of her books on her bookshelves downstairs, and I have organized my books on my bookshelves.  I love books.  I like to hold them, and look at their covers and flip through the pages, and especially read them.  There are so many incredible and entertaining stories.  Funny ones, sad ones, scary, exciting, thrilling, compelling, thoughtful, real, unreal ... so many different things to read.  I could just sit and read all day every day.  I really love it.  Books are the best.

Thankful Day 3

3rd.  I'm grateful today for the beauty of the earth.  Right now the sky is blue, the sun is shining and the trees are vibrant shades of orange, brown, green, red and yellow.  I LOVE this time of year.  It is miraculous and nice.  It's a blessing to be on this earth and see the beauty that is everywhere.

Gratitude Challenge: Days 1 and 2

I'm going to post 1 thing everyday this month that I'm grateful for.  It's the 2nd, so Ill have to do 2 today. 

1.  I'm grateful for our new house.  It's bigger, and we have realized how squished we were before.  We have room for all of our things.  It's warm and keeps us protected from the storms outside. 

2.  I'm grateful for my kids.  They're so fun.  They make me laugh and smile all the time.  They are really amazing and I can't believe my body actually made them.  Some days I feel so overwhelmed ... there ARE 5 of them!  But I couldn't pick one to give up ... and our family would NOT be the same without each individual.  I really think we're so much better off for having each of these sweet spirits in our home.  I would not trade this family for any vacation, or car, or mansion, or wardrobe or anything.  I know the sacrifices we have made having a big family are SO worth it.

Stay tuned the rest of this month ...

I Want to Cry.

Weaning is hard.  I  haven't nursed Quinn for a week, and I am IN PAIN.  Serious pain.  I was only nursing him once a day ... I didn't think it'd be this bad.  But seriously.  Ow.  I feel like I have 2 boulders stuck to my chest.  I can't even lift my arms.  :(

Darnit.

(on the bright side, I've never had, or will ever have, bigger boobs.  is that a bright side?  I can't really tell right now.  All I can think about is the burning pain.)

ok.  complaining over.

Halloween

This is what came out of our Halloween ... the kids had fun and got candied up ... so they're happy!

poor Kate had tripped in the first group picture, so she was unhappy, and then in this last picture she had just spilled water on herself.  I promise she DID have fun.

This is what we all dressed up as:
Matt - future Matt (himself in 2 weeks)
Honor - black cat
Brielle - 50s girl
Linzi - a Husky dog named Shasta
Tessa - orange fairy
Kate - butterfly (she was supposed to be a fairy, but she kept insisting she was a butterfly)
Quinn - tiger

Quite a feat to dress up a family this big if you ask me!  and to tell you the truth, I'm glad it's over.

Just a Couple Things ....

My profile is up on Mormon.org.  Check it out here. (or you can click on the nifty "I'm a Mormon" button on the right)

I haven't nursed Quinn in 3 days!  (I'm beyond thrilled ... and he's just ok.)

He looks happy enough I think. 

We're slowly but surely getting the kitchen closer to finished.  Tonight we hung the shade in the window after I finished painting the window molding. 

Here is another sneak peak ... this one you can see the cabinets behind Quinn and part of the microwave Matt just installed last week.  Needless to say ... I'm anxious for it to be finished and CLEANED UP.

Sneak Peak

our tile back-splash was put up this past weekend. 

:)  (this is me smiling a big happy smile!)

It's not grouted yet, but we're getting closer!!