Poptart Delight

The excitement of today was Daddy surprising us with Poptarts.

We hardly ever, if ever, have Poptarts.

I think the last time we had them was 5 or so years ago.

Eating Poptarts is like eating cookies for breakfast.

So this morning we enjoyed our Poptarts for breakfast.

It was a rare treat.

Daddy also made a delicious blueberry fruit drink.

Jaden was in heaven.

Every time we pass the Poptarts at the store, he would ask if we could buy them.

I always told him "No Way!"

The other day he asked Daddy if he could make a blue fruit drink.

Today Jaden got both.

I was astounded to find out yesterday that school starts for my kids in 3 weeks!

They start school August 21st!!!

So early.

So today I sorted through most of the clothes; a project I will have to finish tomorrow.

I was surprised to find that my kids already have most of the clothes they need for this year.

Yay!!!

We haven't been swimming in a long while so we really enjoyed going swimming at the Rec Center today.

Then as a family we watched the movie, "Bolt".

I love all the time we get to spend together as a family.

I love my kids, even when times like tonight they are tough getting into bed.

Happy Days!

Moonshine Arch

My crazy computer is hard to blog on now, but I'm somehow making it work.

This morning was entertaining when we let Possum, our dog, in the house.

He went in Joyanne's room and saw her mirror.

When he looked in the mirror, he started to growl.

I don't think he's ever seen himself in the mirror before.

He kept looking at the mirror and would lift his paw or move his head and stare at the mirror.

He did this several times today and gave us a great laugh.

Eventually he just sat in front of the mirror and just stared.

Funny Doggy!!!

Early this evening we went and hiked Moonshine Arch.
Joyanne stayed home with a miserable cold she's had for 3 days.

The hike was a little longer than we anticipated, but the kids did well and we had fun.



Random Thoughts

My computer has been giving me some trouble.

Hopefully tomorrow it will be up and working so I can upload pictures.

The kids and I work so hard to get all our responsibilities and chores done in the morning.

By afternoon we have so much time to do whatever.

I'm anxious for school to start so we have something to work for.

Doing scout achievements has been fun and fulfilling.

The thunderstorm tonight was fun to hear.

I love the smell of rain.

Work on a Day of Rest

What a hard working day for Daddy.

He had to work today, but he was going to try to just write reports for some of it so he'd be kind of resting.

But he kept getting called out.

He was called out to 2 accidents and then to move a lunchbox that was left on the highway.

He had about 4 reports to write and get turned in.

Then, tonight, we all crashed on the floor and watched "Chitty, Chitty, Bang Bang".

Nice relaxing way to end the day.

One Dog Family

We are down to one dog, and ya know, I kinda like it.

The kids and I lavish attention on Possum now.

Today I talked with the kids about how important it is to be responsible for your pets.

If you can't give them the time and attention they need, then it's important for you to find someone who can.

Possum is a good dog and loves to be around us.

We went to the county fair again today and watched "Scales and Tales" show.

We enjoyed seeing spiders, snakes, and lizards.

They would crawl or wrap around the man who gave the presentation.

I'm one of the odd women who are fascinated with spiders and snakes.

They don't scare me, but they sure scare my mamma.

Happy Weekend!

We're getting ready to go to the amphitheater to watch the "Croods".

We've got our popcorn bags, drinks, pj's, and pillows to campout and have fun.

Daddy's staying home with Grant -  who still has some chicken pox.

Feels like we've been on vacation all summer, just relaxing, and having fun.

It's been hot, but feels like it's starting to cool down bit.

Happy weekend!

Goodbye Trixie! Hello, County Fair.

Our little dog, Trixie, went to a young family.

They love her and have another dog for her as a companion.

Joyanne and I miss her, but she is in a home that will pamper and love her more than we could.

And now Trixie's not around to chase or harm the bunnies, tear apart everything, and run off.

We went to the county fair tonight where they did a candy drop.

They participated in a red barn where they gathered fruits and veggies, planted seeds, collected eggs, bagged corn, fed the animals, milked a pretend cow, and received a treat at the end.

Some of my kids used their own money to buy tokens to ride some of the expensive rides.

Happy Pioneer Day!

I'm so grateful for my pioneer ancestors.
My mom shared a story with me about my one pioneer, my 3rd great-grandmother, Sarah Robinson.
Eventually Sarah married Edwin Rushton – bodyguard to Joseph Smith.

She was 20 when she crossed the plains and walked. She was a small, short woman. She wasn’t married when she crossed the plains. Her job was to help with the children. The carts would move slowly and the kids would get excited and want to go off. So she would take them ahead of the carts and play games and things.

One day they went ahead and came to a fork in the trail.  They didn’t know which one to take and finally decided and took one of them. As it started to get towards evening they stopped to wait for the other carts to catch up to them. They waited and waited, but no one came.  They were left alone and were lost.
Sarah and the children knelt down and prayed that they would be found and that they would be safe. She sat down and spread out her skirts and the children sat down on them. She sat there all night long, hearing the howling wolves.
Just as the sun was coming up in the morning, some men on horseback came and took them back to the other pioneers.  Heavenly Father answered their prayers.

We enjoyed the parade.

It wasn't as grand as Salt Lake City's parade, but it was short and sweet.

The kids wanted to go to McDonald's for lunch.

Daddy and I said, "Ugh! Not there."

We discussed how much it would cost and said they could pay for it themselves if they wanted.

When they realized how much it would cost, they thought it would be better to go buy the same ingredients at the store and make our McDonald's lunch homemade.

It was SO much better.

Daddy made hamburgers from scratch, with raw meat mixed with egg, onions, and seasonings.

We bought frozen fries and cooked them up.

The burgers tasted so much more delicious than ANY restaurant.

Last night we attended a free concert by "Thirsty Soul".

The kids and I had fun and were entertained for 2 full hours.

Chicken Pox

Our camera doesn't do justice, but Grant has a mild case of chicken pox.

He is a happy, run-around boy with no fever.

Just a few spots.

He has about 9 tiny spots on his face with 2 on in belly, 3 or 4 on his arms and about that many on his legs.

After his bath, we tried to get some pictures of Grant, but he was too wiggly. 

James and Grant enjoyed getting their picture taken with me. 

So with chicken pox upon us, we're playing it safe and sticking around home.

I'm enjoying it.

Noah and Hiram worked on scout achievements with me today.

I love the values the boy scouts teach.

Taking a Deep Breath

I woke up this morning excited to hug and love my kids.

Tonight I want nothing more then to fall into my bed.

I tried to give my all, to be happy, positive, cheerful and hardworking.

Daddy and Joyanne paid me a nice complement about my simple hair.

It's plain and down, but they said it looked good.

Well, that makes it easy to care for.

So today was a busy day for me.

A good kind of busy day that I like.

The dishes and kitchen were cleaned, 3 loads of laundry done, helped kids with chores and workbooks and reading, picked up a few things from the store, and made 3 meals (well actually 4 because I took one to a neighbor to help her out.)

It was a good day, but I'm tired and ready to relax.

On a side note, Daddy's shingles are doing better BUT I think Grant may be getting the chicken pox. :(

He has spots on his face, neck, arms and legs.

He's happy and fine now.

I guess we'll see how long that lasts.

Blessings

Daddy-O sleeping through the pain of shingles.

He has to air out his stomach and back to help the healing process.

He has a red, cold cloth over them to help.

He's had a lot of resting time to promote healing.

I've enjoyed being mom and pampering Daddy a bit.

Today was exciting and fun at Primary Singing Time.

I have been subbing for the chorister.

She wanted me to do her pioneer celebration with the kids she has done for the past 2 years.

So I brought her electric fire with logs and rocks surrounding it.

We sat on blankets and sleeping bags.

We sang songs, played games, and I told pioneer stories.

We also had taffy and star-shaped marshmallows for treats.

I've been worried about this little bunny.

She or he hasn't been growing big like the other 4 bunnies.

This afternoon I was looking up online how to feed baby rabbits to maybe supplement it.

I went out this afternoon to find the cold, stiff body.

May this little bunny rest in peace.   :'(

I truly have a wonderful husband.

He makes raising kids a breeze; even 6 of them.

With him out of commission and me taking on all the motherly responsibilities, well, whew!

It's a job.

I love my 6 kids dearly, but it's a lot of work!

I do like that it's good, meaningful work.

I also like taking it all on myself and knowing that I CAN do hard things.

I'm grateful for the priesthood and that we can have blessings.

I needed one tonight and it brought such comfort and guidance.

I love Heavenly Father and His power to help and heal us.

Thoughts and Prayers

Who does Joyanne remind you of?

She reminds me of Snow from "Once Upon a Time".

Cute girl.

She was so excited to go babysitting tonight.

She took her activity bag she made last year for babysitting at Achievement Days.

She had fun and they paid her very well.

Poor Daddy!

His shingles hurt him.

We hope and pray he heals soon.

We are also praying for Grandma Bills to heal soon.

I'm kinda sad today.

It's hard sometimes to tell the difference between my own thoughts and the promptings of the spirit.

I do know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Heavenly Father's true church.

I know God is real and there for us.

I know Satan is real and trying to tempt us and lead us to misery.

I'm grateful for the scriptures and the guide they are for me.

I'm grateful for prophets who are God's mouthpiece.

I love my family and know I can live with them for eternity.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Shingles, Not Fun

Guess who got shingles?

Not me, thank goodness.

Poor Daddy-O!!!

After having a rash for a week he went to the doctors.

Hopefully now he can heal.

Making paracord bracelets are fun for everyone to do at our house.

I have my own fair share of bracelets in my drawer.

Grant pulled down the box of Wheat Thins and everyone joined in to eat them. 

A temple date with Daddy was fun.

We did a sealing session.

"We're going to the temple and we're going to get married."

Daddy, Bunnies, Library

Daddy and Grant had fun rolling around on the floor this morning. 

We actually get Daddy around more than with any other job.

It's great!

I think the bunnies like the fresh-cleaned cage.

Our bunnies are a week old and growing big.

Their eyes are not open yet.

Anyone want a bunny in 3 weeks? 

The library scavenger hunt was fun for the kids.

They liked the little gnome they received.

We enjoy the entertainment the library provides.

Raising kids takes so much patience, especially in the summer heat.  Growing up, I always wanted lots of boys.  Well, I got 'em.  They are great.  They don't get so emotional, like myself.  They're tough little tykes, but even Joyanne is pretty tough. 

So I have found it helps to keep my kids occupied with good things to do, like the library reading time or other activities, sports, and lots of play.  But I have found that it is good to teach them to also know how to entertain themselves and let them play on their own. 

Tonight my kids were begging to watch a show or movie.  But when I told them "No" and let them play on their own, they went downstairs and played together, building great relationships together.

Slow at Home Day

Maybe tonight is a writer's block kinda night.

We had a slower day today.

Just hanging out at home, cleaning, finishing the first season of "Once Upon a Time"

We even had left overs for dinner.

I was grateful for kind visiting teachers who stopped by.

The lightning storm was pretty exciting and loud.

And I enjoyed book club.

We read "Chocolat" and ate chocolate.

I came home to this sleeping boy.

Ahhhh! how peaceful he sleeps.

Family Night Fun

For Family Night, which we had on Sunday, James taught the lesson.

He taught about families and we made pictures of things our family needs and likes.

We all had fun together! 

Joyanne was a great babysitter tonight as I went out with my partner to visit teach.

I expected to be back in time to go to book club, but I wasn't.  (Sorry Bev.)

I missed book club but . . .

It was nice to get to know the people I visit.

Joyanne will be a wonderful mother someday.

Some guy is sure gonna be lucky to have her.

Happy Birthday, HIRAM!!!

Happy, Happy Birthday!!!

Hiram :)

He was so excited to get 2 light sabers.

Star Wars was the theme this year.

Playing in the bounce house with water was fun. 

The cupcakes wer yummy. 

Hiram missed his friends from Idaho, but he had fun with the family.

Hiram was my boy who I had lots of ultra sounds with.

It was fun to see him in the womb, but I remember and loved holding him in my arms.

He was born on his Grandpa's 60th birthday and has his Grandpa's middle name.

I love Hiram's energy and love for life.

He is a good lego builder and has loved the legos he received for his birthday.

We love you, Hiram!