Make a Smilebox greeting

Rub a Dub Dub

Long time no blog! I haven't really felt like I had much to share, so I haven't posted in quite some time. We had a crazy summer and now everybody is back in school. I just finished painting my bathroom, and I decided to hang some pictures I have had for quite some time. Hopefully the kids won't mind me sharing these with all of you. And even if they do, to bad. It's a mothers privlege.
When Aly was six months old, we had a picture taken in a metal tub. So Cute! They even had this bath tub themed mat. And so a tradition was born.

Poor skinny little Aly barely survived us first time parents. Note the ribs. She really wasn't as small as she looks in this tub. This one was actually bigger than any of the other tubs that were used.

Next we had Megan. I loved how the towels were so much more plush. She is a cutie. But where is her bow? What kind of a mother am I?

Then there was Courtney. I think we had this whole thing figured out by then. Note the cute little bow glued to her head. She got more ducks than the others and they added plastic bubbles.

That's my boy!!! Finally some blue towels. Funny little boy only grew hair on the top of his head for a while. Maybe that is why he likes to wear his hair in a faux hawk now (either that or because the girls like to chase him more when his hair is that way).

Last but not least, Sarah. Can you imagine my disappointment and frustration when they told me they no longer make the mats that I used for the other kids. Am I really that out dated? Did I take too long between children? Oh well, This is just the beginning of Sarah getting special attention and privileges because she is the baby. Sarah doesn't mean princess for nothing.

So there you have it. It only took me several years to actually get these framed and hung in the bathroom. But I love it and the kids love to see themselves as well. Now we have proof that they were once clean little babies and not stinky kids and teenagers.

Easter

Happy Late Easter everyone!

I was at work the other night, which is something I haven't been able to do for a while. We have been so slow, that I have worked one shift a month since January. I have really missed it. I miss the adult conversations, the brain stimulation and the babies.

Anyways, a few people mentioned that my blog has been MIA for quite a while. I really didn't think anybody noticed, but I guess when they get reallllllly bored they like to take a look.

So, this is a pretty long post. Mostly pictures. I love pictures. I am not the most eloquent speaker and my vocabulary needs some work. I always feel a little uncertain about posting long explanations about our goings on.

So here are some of our Easter eggs. The kids had a great time coloring them and we all had a great time eating deviled eggs on Easter.

Here's Sarah with her favorite egg. Pink of course.

Saturday before Easter, our local grocery store hosted an Easter egg hunt. They took part of the parking lot and filled it with straw and hid hundreds of eggs and loose pieces of candy in it. It was great fun, except for stepping on a few pieces of chocolate here and there. The Easter bunny was there, but nobody wanted to sit on his lap. In the words of Courtney, "He's creepy!"

Sarah and Courtney with their baskets.

Nate with his. Just a note about his hair. He loves to comb it himself and won't comb it to the side. Straight down or spiked up, that's how he rolls.

Easter morning the kids found baskets in the living room. The Easter bunny hid eggs all around the living room (85 of them) and the kids found most of them really quickly. The last one wasn't found until a couple of days later.

Here's Courtney diving for one. Thanks Aly for getting the shot.

Flowers are my favorite part of spring. It is so nice to see them bloom after all the snow we have had.

This is what an overdose of sugar looks like. Crazy kids couldn't keep straight faces. At least it looks like they were having a good time.

On Easter morning, I couldn't get Aly to let me take her picture. But mothers always find a way. She and Megan had taken these pictures a few days before (Kind of strange I know, but there are constantly photo shoots going on at my house. One day I will post a bunch of those pictures. They are quite "artistic.") Anyways, this just happens to be her Easter dress. So see Aly, you cannot fight the will of the great one. (Muh, ha, ha, ha, ha ,ha).

Megan and her new Easter shirt plus a little mascara and lip gloss. I have a new pre-teen now.

Courtney and her basket of eggs.

Nate my little man. He has been wanting a suit for a long time. He is thrilled with his new outfit.

Sarah and her basket. She is quite the poser. I think it comes from all those photo shoots I mentioned earlier. I would like to give a special thanks to Aly for curling everybody's hair.

So what do you do when you have a couple of hours to kill before church? We get our Easter clothes covered in our new sidewalk chalk.

Too bad it rained a couple of days later and ruined everybody's "masterpieces."

And this is what dad thinks of it all. He had an early meeting and then came home and fell asleep. Sarah tucked her bunny in his arms so he could snuggle.

So that pretty much sums it up. I hope everybody had a wonderful Easter and is enjoying the spring weather.

Keeping Abreast!

I was offered the chance to take a lactation class this week. The last three days we went through a manual that was at least two inches thick. I have seen more nipples and breasts than anybody should in three days time. I have learned how to position a doll to latch correctly, and I have learned how to use almost any breast paraphernalia you could imagine.

I have always wanted to be able to help the NICU moms be more successful with breastfeeding, and I have nursed quite a litter myself, so I thought this would be interesting. Did I mention I got paid to go? Anyways, I learned quite a bit. I learned all the things I did wrong and that I would do differently if I had to do it all over again (please, no!).

I also learned some very funny names for lacation specialists. They aren't the favorite people in the hospital and they have been called nipple natzis for quite a while. I also heard, lactavist, boobologist, breastoppo, and titty twister.

That being said, I would like to think of myself as a lactavist. I really believe human milk is the gold standard and we should do all we can to help mothers achieve their goal of breastfeeding their babies. As long as it is their goal and we aren't "forcing" our agendas on them.

So to all my friends at work who may want to call me Sister Breast, go ahead. We can still be friends.

Those of you who have talked to me recently may have heard me whine about YW. I kept thinking it was time for a change and I probably needed to be done. Well, it has happened. I was released from Young Women's yesterday. I am not quite sure how I feel about it. Now I am sad. ( Have I mentioned that I have a lot of mood swings).

I have been the Mia Maid advisor for four and a half years. That is quite a long time. The girls that were in my class when I started are now in college and doing amazing things. It is really exciting to see them grow and change.

When I was first called, I was really nervous. Those of you who know me well know that I am a big geek. I was scared that the"hip" (by writing hip I have just proven that I am indeed a geek) teenagers would think I was just so uncool. But they took me right in and didn't care. (I think they liked laughing at me).

I was very lucky to be able to go to a couple of girls camps with Aly. We were able to have some really cool experiences together. Megan starts YW this year and I am sad that I won't be there with her. But their new leaders are awesome and they will do an incredible job. I will miss you guys!!!

Aly's Birthday

February is a crazy month at our house. Aly and Russ both have birthdays the same week as Valentines' Day. I didn't get any pictures of Russ' Birthday, but we had a good time with friends. He is too old to say his age, so I won't say it (42). He got me some gorgeous roses for Valentine's day but we didn't do anything special because his birthday is the day before so we usually just roll it all together. I guess that is better than a Christmas birthday.

We all know that the world revolves around teenagers, so Aly has all the pictures. And nobody does just one measly day of celebrating anymore, it is an extravaganza for days. The Friday before her Birthday, we went to the mall with her best friend. She blew through her money pretty fast. Then the girls went to try on prom dresses. Just one more year girls.

What a couple of hams.
Saturday Aly went for horseback riding. She loves horses. She has always been drawn to them. Last year up at Scout camp her love became a true obsession. I don't know a thing about them. So I payed for her to have a lesson. The lady was really nice. She put Aly through some paces and then decided she could handle it on her own. Her hour long lesson turned into a two hour romp. She loved it. Needless to say she couldn't sit down the next day. She would love to continue to ride, but it is so expensive so she will have to just bum rides when she can.

p.s. This horse's name is Purple.
On the way out of the arena, this is what she saw. What a day!!

Sunday we all gathered at her Grandma's house for a party. It is supposed to be a joint party for her and her dad, but poor dad always gets forgotten. I made her a carrot cake. Both Russ and Aly love carrot cake. I make it from scratch with carrots grated by hand. If that isn't love, I don't know what is.

Her cousins gave her five 2 liter bottles of Dr. Pepper. It is her favorite drink, but her dad won't let her have it at home. She was in heaven. Way to go Kyle and Kennedy!!!

Look at her protecting her treasure. The funny thing is we found out that her Great-Grandmother loved Dr. Pepper as well. She even had a two year supply.

Bottoms up!!

I feel old now that my first born is 15. Wow, time sure flies. It has been a joy to watch her grow and I can't wait to see what other amazing things she acomplishes. Love you Aly!!!!

Draper Temple Open House

Thursday night our family had the opportunity to go to the Draper Temple open house. It was a really neat experience for our whole family. I was nervous about taking the little kids, but they did great. I am so grateful that my kids had the experience of being in a temple and getting questions answered. Even though it hasn't been dedicated yet, the spirit was strong and we all felt it. It was super awesome to be in the celestial room with my family and imagine what it will be like when we can all be there together again. I highly recommend taking the time to go through the open house while you can.