Over and Done

It's official we own two homes. Everything went very smoothly with our closing today! Yippee! We are so excited. I cannot wait to move into our beautiful new home!

Pick, pick pick

This week we have been able to pick out a lot of fun stuff for the new house. We picked out light fixtures and toilets. I also picked a vanity that I just love for the master bathroom. Today we went and picked out the stone for our driveway and the walkways. They are laying sod tomorrow and I get to go to the nursery and pick out landscaping. It is all so much fun. It is almost like we won on a game show or something, because I get to pick everything out but I don't have to pay for a single thing. The home inspection and appraisal was last Friday and they went perfect! We are closing this Friday and hopefully within two weeks the contractor will have the attic finished.
The framing is all finished and the drywall is coming tomorrow. We decided to keep the attic one big room, which Anna and Elizabeth will share. It is going to be so cool. If I didn't love my master bathroom so much I would take the attic. It is huge! And they will have there very own bathroom. The girls are just beside themselves with excitement! I'm planning on taking some pictures of the house soon, so hopefully everyone will have a better idea of what I am so excited about.

Way Too Much To Do!

Everything seems to be falling into place for our new house. If everything continues to go this smoothly we will be closing next Wednesday! It is very exciting but I'm pretty sure I'm loosing my mind. I have so much to do! I only have half of my Christmas shopping done, and I'm not even sure if I'll ever have the time or money to finish. We are using every last penny to buy this house. I need to start packing ASAP. It looks like we will be moving before the new year! AHHH!! I haven't even thought about Christmas decorations. My poor kids. I think we'll probably just get a "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree at the last minute and let the kids make some paper decorations to put on it. That way I won't have to unpack anything. It is all so overwhelming. Not to mention the fact that I'm 30 weeks pregnant and have no energy at all! I am trying very hard to remember how blessed we are to have found this house and I know everything will work out...I just can't wait until everything is finalized and I can focus on having this baby!

Long Winded

I am deeply sorry for the length of that last blog. I just looked at it and thought, oh my goodness, I am rediculous! I tried to cram in every last detail. I promise to keep them shorter in the future.

Light At the End of the Tunnel?

Some interesting developments have occurred in our search for a bigger house recently. It has been a long road, but it looks like we might have found the right solution for us. Everything is happening very quickly, but we have been praying and feel like we are making a very good decision.

First of all, we have not sold our house yet. In the seven months that it has been on the market only a handful of people have been to see it and there has not been any interest at all. This has been very disconcerting, especially the more and more pregnant I get! So we have decided to take it off the market officially.

Second, we are still in need of a bigger house. As my due date gets closer and closer (February 17th). I have been starting to panic about where we are going to fit all of these children we have. As it, we barely fit, and when we have another little girl I have no idea how we will manage. Our house is lovely, but we are in dire need of more space.

Third, my parents are moving here to Salisbury at the end of January and have not found a house to rent yet....so we have been trying to figure out a way they could rent our house. Which, is a perfect size house for them! We thought it might work if we just rented a bigger house while my parents were renting our house. Then later down the road we could sell our house and try buying again. However, we have not been able to find anything worth renting in our price range.

Solution--On Friday Jeff and I looked at a house that is for sale in down town Salisbury. My friend Susan lives near there and heard about the house through the grapevine. It is dirt cheep, so cheep in fact, we will not need to sell our current house. It is also very big--Five Bedrooms. The contractor needs to sell it quickly and is willing to work out the most amazing deal with us. He is willing to pay all closing costs and two months mortgage. The best part is the house is gorgeous! I LOVE IT! It is an older house, which I love! It has so much character and the craftsmanship is unbelievable...hardwood floors, crown molding, window seats, huge fireplace, double staircase, a soon to be finished attic (where the extra two bedrooms are) and a basement. The best part is we won't have all the problems that older houses usually come with because it has been completely remodeled! Brand new bathrooms, brand new kitchen (with stainless steel appliances), new washer and dryer, the floors have been re-finished and even the outside looks brand new with new siding and a new deck! The house will also be worth a lot more than what he is selling it to us for...so it will be a good investment as well.

There are a few things that I don't like...Location. It is downtown, and that means, a pretty busy street, small yard, crappy schools. But I think I'm at the point that I'm willing to compromise. The yard is fenced, and there is a small driveway and a small detached garage. The contractor is landscaping it with brand new sod and I get to pick out all the bushes and flowers. I have also decided that I will leave the kids in the schools they are in now. Since my parents will be in our house it will be easy to let them stay put! I will miss my huge yard and all my trees, but it will be nice to be so close to town. Jeff can walk to work!!!

We find out today if we can get everything finalized, and if it all goes smoothly we'll be moving mid-January! It all seems to be moving very quickly, but it is also an answer to our prayers, and my parents prayers. So wish us luck!!!

Halloween Pics

I thought I would post a couple of Halloween Pics. Anna was Hermione (she looked exactly like her!). Dallin was Willy Wonka (his favorite movie!). Elizabeth was a cheetah, and little Audrey was a poodle.

Niagra Falls

Top of the American falls, you could actually feel the power and energy coming off the falls!
All of us at the falls, being blown away by the scenery and the wind!
That be Canada across the way!
At the bottom...it was so windy and there was so much water, you could barely see!
Anna, under a rainbow.

Frame House

I really loved seeing this house. Alvin Smith helped build this home for the Smith Family.


This is one of the places Joseph had to hide the Golden Plates.



During this time houses were taxed by how many windows it had. So to make the most of one window they would put the window in between two rooms/divided by a wall, so they could have a light on both sides. We thought this was really cool!

Sacred Grove

Replica of Home the Smith's lived in when Joseph Recieved the First Vision
Room where Angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith
Sacred Grove
Path to Sacred Grove...Look at the colors on that tree...it was breathtaking!
Audrey in Dallin's sweat shirt in Sacred Grove

Hill Cummorah

Anna reading about Joseph Smith recieving the Golden Plates
Kids running up Hill Cummorah...It was really big!
Angel Moroni Memorial

View from tip of hill.

Palmyra Temple

Busy, Busy, Busy

Over the last week or two we have been going non-stop. Today, things seem a little slower so I thought I would update my blog. Jeff has been bugging me to post about our trip to New York and get some pics up...so here you go Jeff.
Two weekends ago we decided...very last minute, to take a trip to Palmyra, NY. The kids had a four day weekend and we thought it would be fun to get away. We had a blast! We left around 3pm and did not get to Palmyra until 2 in the morning. It was only supposed to be an eight hour drive, but with all the stopping for my teeny, tiny pregnant bladder, hungry kids, and traffic it took an extra 3 hours...Oh well. Jeff and I had never been to see the church sites, and we really wanted the kids to see them. It was so beautiful. Fall colors were everywhere! I was so excited to go to Hill Cummorah and to the Sacred Grove. Anna said it was the best vacation she had ever been on. She really soaked up the history. We got to see some friends that moved to Palmyra last year which was really nice. And we also went to Niagra Falls! Wow! So beautiful. The movies and pictures you see do not really do them justice. Being there in person was so much fun. The weather was beautiful and we got a really great deal on the hotel we stayed in. It was just around the block from the Sacred Grove. We did not get home until late Monday night. It was just a perfect weekend. I really couldn't have picked a better place to be with my family, then where the history of our church began. I have a ton of pictures to share!

Where Is Fall?

Fall is refusing to make it's presence known here on the Eastern Shores of Maryland. It is supposed to be in the 80's all week! What the heck??? I LOVE FALL. I am ready for jeans, and sweaters and jackets, and frost on the lawn. It has been so dry that the leaves are just dying and falling off...no beautiful fall foliage, no crisp fall mornings, no fall at all! If this weather keeps up my kids will be roasting to death on Halloween. I have a very warm costume for Miss Audrey.

Speaking of Audrey, she is in a stinky mood this morning. She actually yelled at me. I am not sure what she said exactly but it went something like this... "No Mommy, I do not want to get out of the bath...NO MOMMY, NO!" Then she attempted to hit me, which was pretty cute, and I had to try very hard not to laugh.

We had another open house this weekend. It went much better. There were actual lookers this time. But it does not seem to be anything promising. I think we will give it a another week or so, and then seriously start thinking about an addition to the house.

Jeff and I picked a name for the baby. It was a pretty easy decision. I think Jeff is so sick of girls he would be happy with Bertha, but of course I had to come up with a name that fit perfectly along side, Anna, Elizabeth, and Audrey...so the obvious choice was Emily! I have always loved that name. I never meant to be one of those mom's who had a theme with baby names, but it seems my girls are only allowed to start with A's or E's. Jeff isn't really sick of girls, I think he is getting used to the idea, and I am actually pretty excited. Isn't that beautiful...Emily, now we just have to come up with a middle name. I like Emily Sophia...any suggestions???

And The Winner Is...

A Girl! Another Girl. That makes FOUR!!!!(just in case you have lost count). I am happy...truly I am. A girl will be wonderful for Audrey, they will be best friends for life and share clothes, and rooms, and toys, and secrets, and...boys. Dallin will have more brothers some day...they will just have to find there way into our family through marriage, that's all.

First Tooth

Elizabeth lost her first tooth last week...and she is about to loose one of her front teeth. She was very excited. The weird thing is that she hadn't even told us she had a loose tooth. She lost it at school.

Anna started playing the violin in school, she really loves it and practices twinkle twinkle little star at least 100 times a day. All three older kids are playing soccer, which I love. I get such a kick out of the competitiveness. I probably scream a little too loud at their games.

Things have felt slow around here. I have had some kind of yucky bug and I haven't had energy to do as much. Audrey has been sick too with a sinus infection and ear infection. She seems to be getting better, but not me. I feel exactly the same, maybe even a little yuckier today.
I am really feeling pregnant lately. I am getting fatter by the second, which is hard...but I know it it is for a worthy cause. I am also feeling the baby move now, which is so exciting. I am 21 weeks pregnant this week and on Thursday I am having my ultra sound. So hopefully the next time I post it will be with the news that I am having a ?????

Her are some recent pics of the kids. Dallin asked if I would take a Picture of him in his suit and I tried to get one of Elizabeth's missing tooth. The last one of Audrey is a sad, sad sick picture...but so cute!

House Update and Other Stuff

So, the offer we made on the bigger house expired last Friday. Our house is just not going to sell anytime soon. The open house last week was a bomb...not one person came (all that hard work for nothing!) We are trying to decided what our next step is. We tried to offer a lower amount on the other house so we could lower the price on our house, but they rejected it. I looked at a few houses today, but nothing really promising. It's impossible to get a bigger house that is in decent shape for the price we need. We might just have to squeeze into this house with 5 kids for a few years...we'll see.

Our vacation was a lot of fun. The house we stayed at was really neat. I LOVED IT! The kids had a blast at the water park and Busch Gardens. It was just nice to get away and spend some time with our family.

I am 17 weeks pregnant now...Yeah! I am officially into my 2nd trimester! I am feeling much better these days. I am grateful the morning sickness is finally going away, it was really bad this time around. I am starting to gain weight and my clothes are no longer fitting...which totally stinks! My last doctor's appointment went well, the baby's heartbeat is strong and healthy and everything seems to be going smoothly. Only 4 0r 5 weeks more and we should know what the sex of the baby is....(please be a boy, please be a boy)...just kidding, sord of.

School Days

Everyone has been in school for three days now, and things seem to be going very smoothly.

Anna is in fourth grade this year and seems to be happy with all of her teachers. She is in advanced levels and really loves math.

Elizabeth is in kindergarten and LOVES her teacher. She is excited to read "big kid" books this year.

Dallin seems to be adjusting really well in pre-k. I was worried that he would have a hard time but it seems to be a really good thing for him. I think a more structured pre-school program is exactly what he needed.

It is so cute to see them all get on the school bus in the morning. My mornings are very quiet! Here are some back to school pics!

Funny Dallin...Plus an Overdue Update.

I love children! I really do. At times you think you are going out of your mind because they will not stop fighting or they have just broken your favorite lamp (last week). And then out of the blue they remind you how innocent they are. How precious they are. Yesterday morning Dallin was eating a new kind of cereal and was telling me how good it was.
"Mom, this is great! I love it!" I was pleased that he was actually eating, which has been a chore with him lately. Then a few minutes later he said. "Hey, mom can I have minutes?" Minutes??? I wasn't paying very close attention. "Why do you need minutes Dallin?"
"You know mom, minutes, please can I have some."
I finally replied... "I'm sorry Dallin, I have no idea what your talking about.
"You know, minutes, more cereal, I want some more." It took me a second and then it dawned on me... "Ohhhh.... Do you mean seconds?" "Yes! Seconds, more cereal please." I almost fell over from laughing. It just tickled me that he made such a grown up connection...minutes are like seconds, they are part of a clock.

On a different note, today is a very stressful day. We are having an open house tomorrow for our house...so we have been cleaning, and working like crazy. Jeff finally is finishing the master bath. The tile on the floor looks great! We painted and got a new light fixture, hardware, and towel racks. Jeff is just putting on the new molding now. We also got our carpets cleaned this morning...Yeah! They look brand new.

I am not very hopeful about this open house. Since we've had the house on the market, (6 weeks now) there has been 1 person to come and see the house...1. Our offer on the other house expires at the end of the week, so we are just trying one last ditch effort to get our house sold on time. I guess we'll just pray and put it in Heavenly Father's hands. If it doesn't sell, which I'm pretty sure it won't, I'm not sure what we'll do. I don't know if I can handle trying to sell a house all winter long while I just get more and more pregnant. It has already been hard and I'm only 14 weeks along. I guess we'll see.

I do have one shining, glorious, wonderful thing happening next week. School starts! Monday! Woo Hoo!!! Elizabeth will be in all day kindergarten this year and Dallin is going 1/2 day pre-school. It will be quiet and I am looking forward to being on a regular schedule again. It is hard to believe summer is coming to an end.

Next week we are going on vacation for five days to Williamsburg, VA. It should be amazing. We are staying with some friends in a mansion in Surry, VA. It is called Lightwood. We are planning on going to Jamestown for Virginia's 400th birthday and then spend a lot of time at Busch Gardens and Water Country, USA. I am excited to get away.

Over and Done

July is coming to an end...Yeah! No more birthdays to worry about until March! We had Anna's party Friday night. It was a blast. I did an "almost sleepover." We had eleven (yes you read right..eleven screaming, crazy girls) come in their P.J.s. We played sleepover games and made super cute necklaces out of paper beads. Anna wanted all appetizer foods for dinner and the girls loved that! They also loved the dessert pizza's that they got to make themselves. It is hard to believe Anna is nine. She is such a sweet, helpful little girl. I am dreading her getting any older!

Here are a few pictures from her birthday party.

The End

So....I finished reading the final Harry Potter book. It was a frustrating weekend. My mom was in town and it was Anna's birthday so I did not get to actually start reading the book until Monday morning even though Jeff purchased it for me first thing Saturday. I finished last night around midnight. Wow! I have to say I was truly impressed. It was excellent. It was by far the best of the best. I could not believe how much action there was. It was a non-stop roller coaster and I could not put it down for one second. My kids may have been a little neglected and the dishes had to wait, but it was worth it. I was surprised at how much emotional attachment there was on my part. There were times that I just cried because I was so happy to be getting information that I have been waiting for since 1999. Finishing the book was like saying goodbye to your best friend. I felt so sad to think there will never be another Harry Potter book to look forward to. I know...its just a book, but I loved it and I had to tell everyone if you haven't read these books...read them!

Happy Birthday Audrey

Today is Audrey's first birthday!! I cannot believe she is one...this year has flown by. July is such a busy birthday month for us. Mine was last Wednesday, Audrey's is today and Anna's is on Sunday. We had a great party for Audrey this weekend. She was adorable. She loved all the attention, and most of all she LOVED her chocolate cake. Pictures with her covered in it too come...

Moving Up

So this is the house we have made a "contingent" offer on. Our house is on the market as of today. They put the "For Sale" sign out front. Dallin of course thought this meant that we would be moving tomorrow. But, no such luck. It would take a miracle for someone to want to buy our house. The market here is slow just like everywhere else. We do have someone coming tomorrow to see the house. So we will keep our fingers crossed, and pray like crazy. We love this house and it will be very hard to let it go if our house does not sell quickly.

We have been working like mad to fix our house up. We remodeled one of the bathrooms this weekend, which was kinda fun! And I have been cleaning like I've never cleaned before. I am not looking forward to having to keep it this clean everyday. Jeff has done so much work. It is funny how motivated you can become. Things we have been meaning to get done for years has been completed in a matter of hours.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-Robert Frost

I love this poem! It has always been one of my favorites. Over the years my life has been full of new and different paths and this summer is certainly starting off full of surprises! I just thought I would let everyone know that I am pregnant...again! Yeah! Surprise! It was a BIG Surprise...but a good one. Audrey is almost one so at least they will not be as close as Elizabeth and Dallin. Jeff and I wanted five...maybe not this quick, but we are excited and trying to adjust to the news. We are going to try and sell our house, so we can find a bigger one...we will definitely need it now! I'll keep everyone posted!

Hot, Hot, Hot!

It is hot outside! 91 Degrees to be exact! Too hot for rowdy kids to go out and ride bikes or even splash around in the baby pool. They lasted about 5 minutes before coming in with sweat in their eyes. Thank goodness for DVDs! They decided to have a Star Wars marathon. They want to watch all 5 movies...well, they really want to watch all 6 but we won't let them watch the third one because it is PG-13. I promised Anna I would give her a summary of "Revenge of the Sith" so she will know what happened. It's fun to see them get excited about Star Wars, they were certainly some of my favorite movies when I was a kid. I remember going with all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins to see Return of the Jedi in the theater.

Life has been so busy lately. Sunday was Father's Day and... me and Jeff's 12th Anniversary. Wow! 12 years. It has gone by faster than I ever imagined. I am so grateful for the blessed life that I have. It was fun to celebrate Jeff on Sunday, as a wonderful husband and a wonderful father. I love him more and more with each passing year and am so happy to know he will be with me and our amazing children for eternity! We were able to celebrate our anniversary last Wednesday. Jeff took me to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Ocean City...Ohh La La! What a fancy place. We had the best food I have ever eaten in my life.

This past Saturday I took Anna to Six Flags Amusement Park with her Girl Scout Troop. We had a blast, it was a great mommy-daughter date! Anna was so much fun. She is tall enough now to go on a lot of the rides and we totally lived it up...water slides, the tower of terror and her first official wooden roller coaster (my favorite kind)! She definitely takes after me. We both had lost our voices by the end of the day from all the screaming. I remember when my dad took just me to Bush Gardens for my 9th birthday, it is one of my favorite child-hood memories and I hope Anna feels the same about our trip someday when she is older.

This coming weekend, things won't slow down...My mom and sister are coming so we can celebrate my mom's 50th Birthday. I can't tell you what we are doing because it is a surprise for my mom, but it should be a lot of fun, and I am really looking forward to spending some time with Kym, Cyndi and my Mom. I promise to give a full report next week.

Lazy Days of Summer

Three more days of school! I am so looking forward to my life slowing down. It will be such a relief to sleep in a little and go and do lots of fun things with the kids. Last year I was pregnant most of the summer, so I am looking forward to being able to do so much more.

It is hard to believe that next month Audrey will be one!!! She is getting so big and doing so much.
She is clapping her hands and waving bye-bye. She is getting closer and closer to walking, and she has been trying to talk. "Hi" is her official first word...besides momma and dadda.

This past weekend we went to Ben and Cyndi's for the Memorial Day weekend. It was nice to get away and be with family. Ben took some pictures of us in his photo studio. Which came out really nice. You can check them out by clicking here. Enjoy!

My Feelings About Running

Over the last few months (since October actually) I have been trying very hard to transform my eating and exercising habits. It has been very difficult, and honestly, I think it will be difficult for the rest of my life, however, finally, I think I am seeing some extraordinary results.

First: I have discovered running. Back in October I decided I wanted to be a runner. I have always liked running. It just did not like me. So my main goal was to get my body to a point where I could run 2 0r 3 miles without stopping, without dropping dead. My good friend Susan, who is an amazing runner, took me under her wing and helped me develop a running plan. It goes a lot like this: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml It really works! Two weeks ago I ran my first 5K. Now I have to admit...I have a long way to go. The 5K was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I did have to walk once or twice for 20 or 30 seconds. My time was terrible and I came in at the very end of the pack. But, I did it! And, I loved it! Running Rocks! I like the way I feel when I am running. It makes me want to push my body, it makes me feel invigorated, it makes me feel awake, alive. It makes my thinking process clearer. It makes me have a better day, be a better wife, a better mom. When I don't run, I feel so bummed out.

Second: I have developed some really good eating habits. I realized that carbohydrates were my biggest short coming. So I have tried really hard to cut all the bad carbohydrates out. No refined sugar, no bleached flour. I eat lots of lean protein and lots of veggies. I finally can go 3 or 4 days without even thinking of ice cream or cookies or a bag of Doritos. And when I do think about it, I let myself have a treat. Over the past few weeks it seems to have just clicked. I don't feel like I need to eat every second of the day. I honestly think the running has been the key for me. When I run my appetite doesn't seem to get out of control. I am trying to keep it realistic. I am 100 percent sure that I will mess up, but if I do, I will get right back on track...and just keep running!

Third: I have lost about 45 pounds so far. Since I've had the baby I have slowly, very slowly, lost some weight. It feels so good to have clothes fit me better. I get frustrated at times because I want the chub to come off faster but I think I have finally accepted the fact that slower is better. The slower it comes off the longer it will stay off and that is much more important to me. I don't ever want to go back to the way I felt when I was 9 months pregnant. I want to be healthy and stay healthy. I have a long way to go to my ultimate goal...40 or 50 more pounds, but it's so exciting to think I am half way there!

Last: All of this thinking about my physical health has really helped transform my perspective about my spiritual health. I have never felt closer to Heavenly Father. I have seemed to discover this new image of my divine potential. Heavenly Father loves me, he knows who I am and no matter what I look like...no matter what anyone looks like he will love us forever. I have never been a very confident girl. Sure, on the outside I seem to be out going and fun loving :o) But, I am not so sure I ever understood my inner worth. It was so much easier to say...I am so fat, I am such a looser, I am not a good enough mom or a good enough wife, I am going to fake it today. And honestly I think I faked it a lot. How can you be good at those things if you don't feel good inside. Once I started to feel like I could change things about my outer appearance I started to realize my inner appearance was much more valuable. And I think I have come to the conclusion that I don't need to change that much. I am a good wife, I am a good mom. I am a good person. Or at least I am doing the best I possibly can and if I do try to improve I am only improving on something that is already good.

Oh, and don't worry, I am not delusional, I know that tomorrow may not be perfect or that the next day I may yell at my kids at the top of my lungs and then eat a Twinkie. But today, just for today, I am very, very happy.

I am a Blogger Loser!

I cannot believe how long it has been since I have blogged. March was such a crazy month. I am so happy it is over.

March is a huge birthday month for us. Jeff's birthday was March 6th. Elizabeth: March 14th. Kym: March 21st. Jeff's Mom: March 23rd. And Dallin: March 24th. Elizabeth turned five this year so I decided to go all out and give her her first "big girl" birthday party. It was hilarious. She decided on the theme: "Pink Poodle, Pink Lemonade Birthday Party". I found some pretty adorable poodle decorations and we turned my house into a pink wonderland. We had a French/Paris theme to it as well. And all the girls had French Makeovers and a Paris Photo shoot. I made this awesome pink lemonade punch and then I made pink lemonade cupcakes...OH SO YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!! The girls had a ton of fun and so did the moms.

We kept Dallin's party small this year, just a family dinner. But I let him have a spider man theme, and he thought it was really cool. As for the last couple of weeks we have had some kind of crappy flu. Jeff's Dad brought it with him and then Audrey got it, then Jeff, and now I have it. It comes with a super high fever, body aches and glands the size of soft balls. So much fun!!! Last week I sprang my ankle pretty bad so with Jeff being sick and me not being able to stand my house looks like the pit of despair. I think I am feeling better today. It's hard to tell because during the day the fever seems to go away. And then around 5:oo pm it comes back and you can't do anything but lay there in misery. I am totally stressing because everyone is coming for Easter this weekend, and Kym's baby's blessing. I haven't finished shopping for Easter Baskets or Easter Dinner. Not to mention my disgusting bathrooms and kitchen that need disinfecting. Although, I am not sure if I'll be able to celebrate Easter quite the same this year anyways. On Monday, before I got sick I killed the Easter Bunny. The guilt is quite overwhelming, I haven't let on to my kids, but I'm pretty sure they would never forgive me. Let me explain:

Every morning I leave my house at 5:15 am to go to the gym. I always see this little family of bunnies...A mom, a dad and recently even little baby bunnies. I always slow down and say hi, and make sure I don't squish any cute, cuddly rabbits with my car. Well...Monday I decided to go the gym a little earlier than normal. I wanted to run outside first because the weather was so beautiful. I left my house and as I drove down the road noticed the bunnies were not out yet. "Oh, they must be sleeping still," I thought. Well...apparently the bunnies are exploring further up the road at 4:45 am. All of sudden I saw mommy bunny, and said, "Oh Hey little bunny, you're sure up early today." At witch time she darted out into the road. She was a little ways up so I was able to slow down and make sure I didn't hit her. Then, out of nowhere Daddy bunny ran out and without any notice ran under my car. I felt the bump and then the squish and stopped my car. I couldn't look though. I knew it was dead. Oh, No....I killed it, I really killed it. I haven't cried that hard in a while. I couldn't stop apologizing. I'm sorry little bunny. I'm so sorry. Pathetic huh?? Needless to say, I do not think I will be able to drive down that road for a long time. I will go the long way around. I just couldn't face the little mommy and her babies. Not to mention the road kill that I left behind.

I will get birthday pictures posted soon. And some pictures of Audrey as well...who is 8 and 1/2 months old now. She is crawling and pulling her self up and saying momma and dada. She is cuter than ever. Elizabeth is turning into the sweetest little girl. It is so hard to believe she is five. She is so helpful and thoughtful. She loves to help me and has totally stopped having tantrums...yeah, finally. Dallin is four. He has NOT stopped having tantrums. And his favorite word lately is "NO." I really do love him, though. And feel blessed everyday that I have such amazing children.
Dallin is as tall as Elizabeth now, so everywhere I go people think I have twins. Which is fun. The teachers at their pre-school even thought they were twins.
As for me, beside being sick, a cripple, and a murderer I was recently released as the 2nd counselor in my ward's YW presidency. Our president moved away. So we were all released. But I was recalled quickly as the 1st counselor. I am pretty sure I will be in Young Women the rest of my life, which is fine by me. I am super excited to work with the 14 and 15 year old girls.

Well, I think that is all the updating I have for you all. I hope everyone has an amazing Easter, and if the Easter Bunny does not show up at your house, please forgive me.

Dallin is Famous!!!

How exciting! Dallin made the newspaper this week. On Tuesday the local newspaper came to Dallin's pre-school. They were doing an article on how our local museum...the Ward Fowl Museum has programs that work with young children to teach about our environment. He was very excited when he went to pre-school yesterday and saw a copy of the article on the bulletin board. "I'm famous mommy"!
I think we bought 7-11 out of all their copies of the Daily Times.

Kim had her baby

Yeah!! My sister Kim had her baby yesterday, February 11th. She delivered Dana Marie by C-section at 11:57 in the morning. She shares a birthday with my niece Claire (Cyndi and Ben's daughter) who turned 4 yesterday...so fun! She weighed 8lbs 7.7 oz and has tons of hair! She also has Kim's cute little chin dimple. I am so happy for Kim and Marshall. I have a few pictures of their baby I thought I would post. Enjoy!

Poor Kimberly

Today my sister Kim was due to have her baby. It must run in the family this year. No one is allowed to have their baby on time. She is one little sad soon-to-be-mommy. I really, really can relate though.. it is so hard to go past that all important due date. I just want her to know that I love her and I know she will be an awesome mom. I cannot wait to meet my new niece!

Long Time No Blog...

It seems like it has been forever since I last blogged. Almost a month to be exact. It has been a very busy month.

After Christmas I focused on Kimberly's baby shower(January 13th). It turned out so nice. Cyndi, my mom and I worked very hard and I think it was one of the coolest baby shower's I have ever been to. We made the theme "Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice That's What Little Girls Are Made Of." We had a color theme of Brown and Pink. We got pink and brown balloons and put them all over the place. We made the neatest banner that said "Sugar and Spice." We had each letter hanging by ribbon and the letters were all pink and sparkly with pink glitter. We had more food than you can imagine. My favorite was the cupcakes we did and the chocolate fountain. We made chocolate cupcakes with homemade white chocolate frosting that we colored pink and then we put dark chocolate shavings on top...so cute.
We also did some neat games. We did a Kym Trivia game, where everyone got to know Kym a little better (mostly questions about when she was a baby). Then I made a DVD where I had baby pictures of celebrities. I used a mix of older stars like Audrey Hepburn and more modern stars like Julia Roberts then everyone had to guess who the baby was. At the end I played the DVD where I had pictures of what the stars looked like now...It was really cute. Everyone loved it! Kimberly got more presents than you can imagine, so I think all in all it was a success. Kimberly is due on the 8th of February...which is really soon!!!!!!! I can't wait.

This past weekend Jeff's dad came to visit, which was nice. He hadn't been up to our house since early fall. Jeff and I were able to go on a date, which was really needed. On Sunday I had to talk in sacrament meeting...argh. I don't mind writing and preparing for talks it's the presenting them that makes me ill. I think it went pretty well, though.
Since Sunday life has been terrible. We have desperately sick kids. Dallin started throwing up Monday night and is just now starting to feel better. I have washed sheets and blankets every second of the day. My whole house smells like a toilet...yeah. Elizabeth started last night and she woke up this morning with a fever of 104. I think the fever was making her delirious, she woke up begging me to help her find the "spilled milk" and she kept insisting she heard ghosts talking to her. (kind of creepy). I've got her fever down to 101 now, but she is pretty miserable. I have not slept in 36 hours, and I'm pretty sure I'll be throwing up by tomorrow.
Other than that life is pretty ordinary. I guess we'll see what next week brings.

One of these days I'll post some new pictures of my kids until then...if you click on the title of this blog it will take you to my brother-in-law's family photo site. He has some photos posted (Kym actually took all the pictures) from Christmas of all of our kids.

Happy 2007!!!!!

Happy New Year everyone!! It is absolutely incredible to me that it is 2007. It seems like a second ago that I was worrying whether my computer would still work after the Y2K scare... It has been an amazing year...ups, downs, and all. I have a beautiful new baby, a healthy family and so many blessings I could never express all of them in words. It feels wonderful to look back and think of how far we have come, and it is exciting to look ahead and think about what is yet to come! Happy, Happy New Year!