The Fourth

My sister Cyndi and Ben came with her kids last Thursday to help us celebrate the fourth! We did 2 days in a row at the beach and had a great time...That was until fire works time.

On Saturday we did the beach early and came home to have a bbq in our backyard with all the family and my friend Ethel. We got some fireworks and sparklers and were ready to party! Unfortunately right as the kids were about to start their sparkler fun my sister Cyndi fell and hit her head...hard. What ensued was a lot of blood...A LOT, and an ambulance ride. A firetruck even showed up! It was my first time having to call 911. The kids were a mess. Although, I'm not sure if they were worried about Cyndi or sad that the fireworks had to be put on hold. In the end, Cyndi had staples put in her head, and was sent home around 2 am. Thankfully she did not have a concusion. She is doing much better now, but it was a very scary night.

I am still angry at my habiscus pot for being in the wrong place at the wrong time! I give it a piece of my mind every time I walk past it!

Cyndi decided to stay here to recover, Ben went home with two of their kids (Elise and Lori) on Sunday and left two behind (Jake and Claire). I'm not sure how much actual recovery time she had but I was so happy she was here! It only took me three tries to get over feeling sick when I had to put medicine on the staples in her head.

On Monday Jeff took ALL the kids to Ocean City to the boardwalk by himself...what a great guy. They had a ton of fun at the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum, (we had a free family pass) riding a few rides, playing in the sand, and scarffing up some ice cream! My nephew Jake said it was the best day of his life so far!

Last night before Cyndi left, everyone surprised me with an impromptu birthday party...my birthday is Saturday. They all pitched in and got me a new camera wooo hooo! It is water proof, sand proof, shock proof, and it's orange. I love it, we haven't had a camera that actually works in a year, it was very needed. Thanks everyone.

Summer is slipping by so fast.

Ooooppps.

I just realized that I never posted about my glorious weekend away from my children at the end of May...is it too late???

Well...if I don't get around to blogging my own version you can read Leslie's account here....

http://mingofamily.blogspot.com/2009/06/15-year-reunion.html

Which I find very accurate!

A House Full of Fuddy Duddies!!!

Yesterday we had an impromptu mini family reunion! My Aunt Donna had come down to my Grandmother's house with my Uncle David, who is visiting from St. George. I have been looking forward to seeing my uncle, who was in a horrible motorcycle accident last summer. My mom and dad were there too! Since my Grandmother is almost 90 and cannot really handle ALL of my kids at once these days I decided to bring over just Audrey to see everyone. (Emily was napping and the older ones would have fought over who could come.)

Poor Audrey. When we walked in the door she almost went into cardiac arrest. This is what she saw...

A room full of old people whom she barely knows .

A VERY old person with tubes coming out of her nose hooked up to a huge oxygen machine.

And....

A man with only one leg.

I'm pretty sure that she thought I was leading her to her death. She immediately started to shake and then ran to me crying...she would not let me put her down for a half an hour.

This is not like Audrey at all...she is usually our little social butterfly. Eventually she did warm up to everyone and was as happy as a clam. My Grandmother convinced her that the tubes were not that big of a deal and before you knew it she was reading Audrey books and they were cuddling together. Pap Pap (My Grandmother's husband) won her love by giving her pizza and her very own can of root beer with a pink straw. And by the end of our visit she was completely convinced my Uncle David had super powers, and wanted to know if she could take off her leg too!!!!

I was so happy to see everyone. I LOVE my aunts and uncles. I could not believe how great my Grandma is doing, she will be 90 this January and seemed healthier than I have seen her in a while. My Uncle David just amazed me!! He is walking so wonderfully for someone with one leg...his prosthetic is so cool!!! I always love seeing my Aunt Donna, and wish we all lived closer!

What Kinda Mom am I?

Today?

Have you seen the movie Matilda?

I think I am more like Mrs. Trunchbull...

"To the chokey."

Maybe tomorrow I'll be more like Mrs. Honey.

Last Days of School

I have been slacking when it comes to posting pictures lately! I have a million to share. I cannot promise that they will be in chronological order, but I promise they will be pictures that were worth the wait. Have I ever blogged about how cute my kids are? Hee hee!

Here are some from Dallin's Kindergarten graduation and Elizabeth's 1st grade graduation, and Anna's 5th grade graduation. They made a HUGE deal out of it. They had a Hollywood theme, and the kids had to dress up extra fancy and walk the "red carpet." Anna was awarded the Presidential Academic Achievement Award, which she is still talking about to people. "Obama signed my award!" It's hard to believe Anna will be in middle school next year!

Dallin and his teacher Mrs. Jackson...love her!

Dallin singing the "J" song!

Elizabeth and Mrs. Williams...Awesome teacher!

Anna thought the scarf made her seem more glamours!

And the award goes too.......

Anna and her teacher, Mrs. Boothe.

Anna throwing up peace signs with her good friends!

This last one is my favorite...big brother showing Audrey around the school!

BuuuuSssstEd!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anna has become aware of my blogging hobby. Jeff gave her the web address to this blog and she proceeded to read all my posts.

And then she got to this one...

http://nicole-rogers-family.blogspot.com/2009/05/so-not-ready-for-this.html

Oh she was soooooo mad at me. I tried to explain to her that this is our family journal, a way to keep memories fresh and keep family updated, but she just could not get past the fact that there were comments from people she did not know.

I may have to reconsider my blogging techniques, she has me bookmarked!

Girls....girls, girls.

It's a girl.
It's a girl...maybe the tech read the ultra sound wrong.
It's a girl...sigh.
It's a girl...it's okay really.
It's a girl...really, I'm just fine with that.
It's a girl...at least I have super cute girls.
It's a girl...Dallin will always be extra special special cuz he's the only boy.
It's a girl...Dallin will always get to have his own room.
It's a girl...Dallin will be super excited about this when sisters start bringing home cute friends.
It's a gril....at least I have tons of girls clothes and won't have to buy any new baby boy clothes.
It's a girl...sister reunions will be tons of fun.
It's a girl...maybe this one will finally have tons of red hair.

The only part I feel truly bad about is that I feel bad. That everyone is patting me on the back telling me it's okay...don't worry, girl's are AWESOME. If it was a boy, we would be getting high fives, and bubble gum cigars, and way to go Jeff's!

I know deep inside how special these little girls are, and I know when I'm holding her in my arms, I will never, ever wish for any other baby then just her. I know that Heavenly Father is sending us this girl for a reason, and I know that I am so very blessed to have the opportunity to raise little mommies in the making.

So no more...."ohhhh, that's to bad, poor Dallin, poor Jeff...all those raging hormones".

I'll just take some "congratulations", please, and a few "you are the luckiest mommy in the world to have so many beautiful girls"!

So NOT ready for this....

I picked up Anna from school today and asked her how her day went...this is what she told me.

"Well, it was kind of a hard day. This boy Austin asked me to go out with him. But I told him "no" cuz he broke up with my friend Chelsey today, just to go out with me. I would never go out with a boy who just broke up with my friend. Everyone took sides, but I refused to take a side, or get in the middle of it, so I just read my book at recess. A lot of boys have asked me out lately, but everyone knows I don't date...geez!"

Oh my! She is only in FIFTH grade, what will I do when she gets to high school?

What's up Pussy Cat...woooawhoooawhhooo o.

It's been a bit, I know. May is always a hectic month. School is crazy with the offspring. Field trips, concerts, field days, oh my!
Everyone I know has spring fever. Summer break is less than a month away and my kids are itching to be done with school. Even Audrey and Emily are antsy. I am a little antsy myself!

Our ward split a few weeks ago...which was HUGE news. As you can imagine, church has been a little chaotic. Jeff was called as ward clerk, along with a whole new bishopric. We are apart of the Salisbury 1st Ward now. All I can say is WOW...ward clerk has soooo much more responsibilities than I realized. Jeff is gone quite a bit with meetings and training. And with it being a new ward there is a ton for him to do. It is very exciting though, and we are thrilled that the church is thriving here on the Eastern Shore! I am callingless as of yet. But I know that will not last long.

Next week my roommates from when I was at Ricks College are flying here so we can have a reunion! I'm soooo excited. They get here on Wednesday and we are going to stay in D.C. the first night. Then we are heading up to Ocean City to hang out at my Aunt's condo and enjoy the beach! Jeff took off to watch the kids so I get 5 whole days on my own!
It has been over 15 years since Jannea, Leslie, and I have all been together. They are the coolest people, and I cannot wait to reminicse!

Stay Tuned

Ultra Sound....June 1st.

Boy?
Girl?


What's your guess?

The Little Things, Part 2

Same scenario as yesterday, dropping kids off at school. But the weather has changed, there is a breeze, it's cooler.

Elizabeth gets out of the van.
Dalllin gets out of the van.
Elizabeth takes off.
Dallin yells, "Hey Elizabeth wait up."
Elizabeth proceeds to start running and taunting.
Dallin ends up in tears before getting to the school door.

Hmmm...both mornings tears were shed, but I think I may have tooted my own horn a little too soon.

The Little Things

Today when I dropped Elizabeth and Dallin off at school I had a proud mom moment. As they were walking up the sidewalk Elizabeth was having a very hard time with her backpack. She had a ton of stuff in her hands and dropped a paper. Without being asked, without missing a step, Dallin put down his backpack, picked up the paper Elizabeth dropped and then helped Elizabeth put on her backpack. Ahhhhh. One of the sweetest things I have ever seen! I pulled away with tears streaming down my face.

Maybe we're doing something right, afterall?

Into The Thick of It!

Had my first doctor's appointment yesterday. I switched to a new doctor....whom I absolutely LOVE! She is great...AND....I only have to see ONE doctor....not seven different doctors. Whoop, whoop!

So, as you know, I have been pregnant...ummmm...a lot. (In fact, if you add it up at the end up this pregnancy I will have been pregnant for a total of FIVE years...HOLLY CROW!!!!!!)
I have to admit, though, no matter how many times I go to my "first" appointment, hearing that babies little heart beat fluttering makes my heart flutter! I can't help but feel excited that this little spirit fought so hard to be a part of this family, over coming the odds, finding a way, even if Mommy and Daddy had different ideas.

I am 12 weeks along now and the doc thinks things are progressing very well! My nausea is on it's way out....energy level is beginning to rise, and my pants are un-button-able!

My doctor did make a comment that the baby's heart beat was fast....indicative of a girl....perhaps? I refrained from slapping her, it's not like I really thought it would be a boy. Although......maybe he was jogging in place doing a little pre-birth workout? Doesn't that raise heart rates????

Homemade Goodness

I LOVE the idea of gifts from the kitchen. Check this out.....http://tipnut.com/kitchen-gifts/

Ohhh La La!

I mentioned Tolipop a few blogs ago...LOVE HER! And now she is giving some of her AMAZING work away...FOR FREE if you are her lucky pick!!!
Check it out here.

Writer's Block

I feel like I have been slacking on my blogging lately. I have nothing witty, punny, or original to share. The world is in a slump...and so am I. Blahhhhh.

So here is some random, non-witty, non-punny, non original thoughts.

Birthday's are over. Dallin turned 6 today. Which really blows me away. I cannot get over how big he is, and how much he is turning into an amazing little person. He says the funniest things.
For example. Yesterday Jeff took Elizabeth and Dallin to school. As he was about to drop them off, Jeff get's a call from me, informing him that Dallin has forgotten his backpack. Dallin's response..."I did not know that." Oh my gosh that cracked me up....you have to picture him saying it in a totally Saturday Night Live kinda way. What was really funny was that if this was Elizabeth who had forgotten her backpack she would have completely freaked out...."OH NO! I'm going to be in so much trouble, I don't have my homework, I don't have my lunch....LIFE IS OVER." Followed by a down pour of tears. Not Dallin. He was like "Whatever." Dallin has really been excelling in school. His memory astounds me, he can look at something once and have it completely memorized.

As I mentioned above Elizabeth is our dramatic child. Every thing that happens is 1,000,000 times worse when it happens to her. She is hilarious. It is hard to believe she is seven years old. And will be getting baptized next year. She has become such a compasionate and caring little girl. She would do anything for her little sister's and she is constantly trying to help me out. She LOVES to put Aurdrey to bed for me, and begs me all the time to let her tuck the babies in!

My mom had a second interview for a job today and it looks very promising! Yay! Maybe we won't loose our Adkin's Road house after all. Another Yay...my dad got approved for his disability!

I was released from Young Women on Sunday....sigh. It was time. I have been in the Young Women for almost six years in this ward. I have had almost every single calling. 1st counselor, 2nd counselor, beehive advisor, miamaid advisor, camp director, stake camp level leader, personal progress leader. Not to mention I have been in Young Women in all my other wards since Jeff and I were married almost 14 years ago. My new calling, Nursery Leader. Woo Hoo! At least I have some experience in this area.

I am really ticked off that we have not had any good spring weather. It has been cold, I want to get out of my house with the kids. I want to work in the yard. I want to turn off my soul sucking HEAT!

Jeff is officially a business owner. He is starting his own little business on the side. "Eastern Shore Computer Repair." It is an after hours computer repair thing. He is really excited. He got his tax id...he got a new phone for it, and there will be an ad in the phone book...exciting!

I started babysitting my niece Dana. It has been really good. Good for me, Good for Kym, Good for Dana, Good for Audrey. And...I get a little money that I am putting towards my college weekend at the end of May that I am totally stoked about! My roommates, Leslie, and Jannea are flying here from out west and we are staying in Ocean City for five days! We have not all been together in over 15 years! I am sooooooooo excited.

I'm almost 10 weeks pregnant now. Ugh. I have had a lot of morning (actually more like evening) sickness. And I am SOOOOOOOO VERY TIRED! Did I tell everyone that my due date is October 26th. That is per my calculations...my first doctor appointment is not until April 16th. I changed doctors, which I am really excited about. I won't have to see 6 different doctors, just one! Yay!

Okay, I'm done. That is all. No more thoughts are left in my head.

Mythbusters

One of our favorite past times is sitting down with the kiddo's and watching Mythbusters. I love that it is a show we all agree is wicked cool, not to mention educational too!

Well, I've been wracking my brain trying to come up with a birthday party theme I could use for both Elizabeth and Dallin. Not to girly, not to boyish. Every once in a while my brain works better than normal and a strike of genius hit me today. How cool would a Mythbuster's party be?????

It should be a blast....hee hee. No pun intended, Jeff has agreed to do the mento's and soda bottle experiment.

Some of my idea's for myth busting so far:
Eating Pop Rock's and soda will make your stomach explode.
Putting a Jaw Breaker in the Microwave will make it explode. (We have an old Microwave in the basement we don't use).
A lemon can run an alarm clock.

I need a few more kid friendly, and cost friendly idea's. I was thinking I could do some basic science experiments too...like making homemade gak...and then sending it home as a party favor. Do you have any idea's???

March Madness

It is upon us again. The March Birthday season.

Jeff-6th.
Elizabeth-14th.
Aunt Kym-21st.
Nana Clark-23rd.
Dallin-24th.

At least #6 won't be in March.

Oh, did I mention I'm pregnant again??????

Due Date: October 26th-ish.

(And yes, for those of you with good memories...Jeff DID have a vasectomy).

OVERKILL???

Dallin asked me to make his hair "SPIKY" today....




I obliged!

I Am Expanding (not physically, well at least that's not what I'm talking about here).

I have two blogs now! Aren't ya jealous????

http://yourmemoriesyourstories.blogspot.com/