Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas! Like I've said a million times, this is the best time of year. We've been able to do fun things like drive through the lights at Willard Bay and then visited Santa and his reindeer. Well, I should say that Mckenzie and Carter visited Santa. The other boys announced that they're "too old."




We also took a wagon ride through the lights at Thanksgiving Point with our friends, the Fronk's. It was way cold but I had Andraia on my lap and she kept me warm.

A couple nights before Christmas, we went caroling with our neighbors. That was so fun. My kids did NOT want to go but once they got out there and started singing, they really enjoyed it. Hopefully that will be a fun tradition every year.

Christmas Eve was at our house. My parents, brother and his family and my sister and her daughter all came to our house. Doug, of course, cooked all day and made the best meal ever! The kids opened their presents from Nanna and Papa that night. All the grandkids got new jammies and really neat books. We also did a little nativity and sang Christmas carols. I have to say, my kids are so cute!



Christmas morning, the kids were so excited to open presents and then commenced to spend the rest of the day protecting their toys from their dad, grandpa and uncle. We had many a nerf gun war and robot wars... I'm still finding nerf bullets everywhere. Christmas evening we went swimming at my parents' hotel. My little nephew is a little fish. He's 13 months old and was determined to spend as much time in the water as he could, giggling the whole time! My kids had races across the pool. Chase is a mighty good swimmer!

Today is Doug's birthday. We just had a quiet family party and then Doug and I will have a hot date sometime this week. He's always a good sport. I love him to peices.

All in all, the Montrose's had an awesome Christmas! I'm bummed that it's come to an end!

Cutest kids!

My mom had pictures done of all her grandkids over Thanksgiving break. These are two of my favorites of my kids. The second one will probably be my all time favorite for years to come. It is a visual of every day life with my kids. However, I must say that Chase's expressions in both pictures crack me up. He was soooooo NOT into posing. It was like pulling teeth.

Garrett is Student of the Week this week! We are very proud of him. We're also extremely thrilled that he could reign in his energy long enough to get his school work done. He hasn't decided how he wants to celebrate, I'm just hoping it's not something too crazy!

Actually, Garrett is a very good student. He's good at everything he tries which is fabulous. The downside to that is that he gets very frustrated when things don't go his way.

Life would be boring without Garrett!

CHRISTMAS!!

I love this time of year! It's so exciting. I love all the family events and food and presents! I love bundling up in coats, mittens and hats to go to Temple Square to see the lights. It's my favorite family Christmas activity.

Last night we set up our trees and decorated our house for Christmas! We have a family tree upstairs decorated in red and gold and the kids have their very own tree in the family room decorated in EVERYTHING they can get their little hands on. It was so cute to watch them find their own little special treasures in the ornament boxes. The triplets found a couple ornaments that were given to them when they were born. One of them is three little bears sitting on a swing with their names written on a little banner across the swing. Ethan found M&M garland and ornaments that he bought a few years ago when he was tiny, and Carter found ornaments he made last year in preschool. Their little tree is chuck full of ornaments and garland but it's so cute. I'll have to take a picture.

My mom started a new tradition this year based on the book called The Christmas Jar. I haven't read the book yet, but my mom says it's about a family that saves their change all year to buy Christmas presents but on their way to the bank they meet a woman who is crying and their daughter ends up giving her their Christmas Jar. After that, every year the family gives away a jar of change they save all year. So my mom saved 3 jars of change (all silver) and gave one to my brother, my sister and me. She's hoping that next year we can save our change and give it to a family who needs it. I think it's such an awesome idea! Last night we took our jar to a coinstar machine and the kids made bets on how much would be in the jar. We were all pleasantly surprised that there was a lot more money in it than we thought! It was so fun. So, I'm excited about this new tradition. I think it will be a good way to get my kids involved in something that they can give to someone else next Christmas.

Obsession

When I was in middle school, I was completely obsessed with New Kids on the Block. I was unequivocally in love with Jordan Knight. I had posters plastered all over my wall and every teen magazine that published their pictures. That's normal for a pre-teen, I think every female out there has had a crush on someone.

Well.... now I'm the 30 year old chubbalicious mother of five and I have found myself obsessed with the Twilight books. I've tried to keep in on the down low because it's silly, really. But recently my fabulous friend Kim took me to a pre-screening of Twilight and I have once again found myself identifying with crazed fans who profess their undying love for Robert Pattinson who plays Edward.

So now, I'm coming clean. I think I need something like an AA group or rehab. It's ridiculous. I have not gone as far as to have posters of him plastered in my room. My husband most likely wouldn't approve. Needless to say, I loved the Twilight movie.

Funny Kids

I live in a family of comedians. Chase is the funniest. He has a pretty quick wit and sometimes he just comes up with things out of the blue and we just die laughing! A couple weeks ago we asked the boys to turn off their bedroom lights and of course, they start to complain about having to go downstairs when Chase suddenly says "Don't worry! I've got it covered, I'm a professional!" I started laughing so hard at the way he said it because he was so serious! Now, whenever I ask him to do something, he tells me not to worry, he's a professional.

Every month before my monthly visitor invades, I tend to get a zit. Well, this month I got 4 huge ones. One night, Carter and Kenzie are cuddling me on the couch and Carter looks at me with this thoughtful look and the following conversation took place:

Carter: "Mom, you look like......"

Me: "A princess?"

Carter: "Um... no. Princess's don't have zits silly!"

Me: "Then do I look like a fairy?"

Carter: "No, fairies don't have zits either. Maybe you'll look pretty again when the zits go away."

Now, the conversation sounds mean, but Carter was so thoughtful when he was talking to me that it was hard not to laugh. He never did tell me what I looked like.

The cutest was the other night. Carter has had a really bad cough. I had to wake him up to give him medicine. I didn't know that he and his dad had struggles over the kind of medicine Carter was taking. Apparently Doug had to almost force Carter to take it. So, my baby is half asleep and he takes the little dosing cup from me and takes a little sip. Then he looks up at me with a pained expression and says "Cwap mom. Did Dad tell you to do this to me?" Doug and I cracked up.

I love my kids. Sometime I'll have to post a video of Garrett doing his belly dance and his booty shake. I'm worried the kid is gonna grow up and be a stripper.

Kids

So, we've been having this issue with Ethan. To avoid getting into trouble, he's been hiding stuff from us. Examples:

He hates math, so one week he ripped off the math pages from his homework packet and threw them in the garbage and covered them with bread. I have to sign this packet every week and as I'm signing it, I notice that there are pages that have been ripped off. I ask Ethan where his math is and he says he doesn't know. Then, he gets upset because he can't find the pages.... the kid is a fantastic actor. He had both me and his dad completely going for his little show. Then, as I'm walking by the garbage can I notice all these whole pieces of bread. Something tells me to investigate and low and behold, there's the missing math pages. Of course I made him complete the math pages during his free time and he had to go to bed early. I just couldn't believe he did that!

Then today, my neighbor comes over to see if her son can hang out with us while she and her husband go to Costco. Her son is in Ethan's class and we're chatting about that when she asks me about a "Stop and Think" paper that Ethan supposedly received for getting into a fight. These papers are given to kids who misbehaved, they have to answer some questions about their behavior and how they can make changes. They're supposed to bring it home, discuss it with their parents, have their parents sign it and take it back. (I think it's TOTALLY stupid and ineffective....) Apparently, Ethan got into this fight about a week ago. I didn't have a clue. So Doug and I sit Ethan down to discuss what happened. He explains that some kids were teasing him about liking a girl, they wouldn't stop so he pushed a kid down. Then he shows me the Stop and Think paper and he FORGED MY SIGNATURE!! Obviously the kid is in trouble and Doug and I are totally shocked.

I know my kids aren't perfect but Ethan has always been a good kid. I would expect this kind of stuff from one of the other boys because dealing with them is like dealing with comedic monkeys, but Ethan has always been so responsible. Honestly, part of me wants to laugh over this because it really is funny in a tragic sort of way. I'm just concerned that he feels he has to hide things. I always thought I'd be the mom that had open relationships with her kids. Apparently I was wrong. Any suggestions on how I can get my kids to talk to me?

Veteran's Day

I got an email this morning from my friend Joy that was about the men and women who are still fighting in Iraq. They're not fighting a popular war, but just like with the unpopular Korean Conflict and the Vietnam wars, men and women are still fighting and dying and making incredible sacrifices no matter how the war is perceived.

My husband's grandfather fought in World War II as a pilot. He was required to do things that he never imagined he could do. His worst memory was of flying his plane so low that he saw the women and children in the village he was ordered to attack. That story is just one of many he had to endure. He is such a tender man and it's extremely difficult for him to talk about his experiences during the war. He is now nearing his 90's, he is losing his vision and his hearing and he is forgotten by most, but not by us.

We have a family in our neighborhood who at one time had three family members in Iraq. The father and two sons. I have the utmost respect and reverence for a wife and a mother who can have that much strength to endure having her husband and sons overseas fighting a war that is criticized and ridiculed. I have no idea if I could do that and I hope I'll never have to. They have always held my admiration and I'm grateful for the sacrifices that their family has made for mine.

Today is a day to be a patriot and remember all of those who made these kinds of sacrifices for us. It doesn't matter what you think of what is happening over there or who our president is or is going to be. I'll just be grateful for what has been done for me.

It's November!!

I didn't realize that it's been so long since I've posted anything! Probably because there's nothing earth shatteringly new with the Montrose's. October was a crazy month, end of the 3rd Quarter and Doug and I both had mountains of work to get through. Thankfully, October is OVER!!

I have no real comment on Halloween. I hate the "holiday" but my kids were precious. We had Batman, a Star Wars Clone Trooper, a Bling-Bling Rapper, a Fabulous Witch and a mini-Darth Vader. They got tons of candy and we were all on a 3 day sugar high. The candy has mysteriously vanished. I guess the candy fairies finally took pity on this worn out mommy.

I'm bummed about the outcome of the election but I'm not at all surprised that Obama won. All of my opinions and fears aside, I think it's amazing that this country elected a minority to the White House. It just proves that we've come such a long way from the racial injustices of the past. I'm trying very hard to be optimistic since I can't single handedly change the outcome of the election. My super powers don't extend that far!

Another observation... it snowed. Bad news, it;s freezing! The good news, I got to break out my eclectic collection of scarves and mittens!! There's nothing I like more than accessorizing, even if I'm accessorizing a coat.

Doug's company announced their first wave of lay offs. They laid off 300 people company-wide. Only 15 people were laid off in Utah and they were given incredible severence packages. However, it's put us on edge a little. The CEO held a meeting yesterday with all the managers and basically said that the job cuts were precautionary. He addressed Doug's department, specifically saying that they were the safest because they were the most needed when products were released. We believe and trust the CEO. Henry-Schein and Dentrix take very good care of their employees. Earlier this year, the spouse of one of Doug's co-workers was killed in an accident and Henry-Schein payed for the funeral and set up trust funds for the family. We feel safe because we know Doug won't just be booted out onto the street with nothing, but it's always best to be prepared. We're also sad for the people who lost their jobs.

I'm so looking forward to Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday! Mostly because it's the only time of year that my WHOLE family gets together. All my cousins, my brother and sister, and parents and grandma and my aunt. I look forward to it all year! Plus, it's the introduction to the Christmas season.

10 Awesome Years

We're back! And we had the best weekend ever! So, here's the whole story. We had originally planned to go to Mesquite to visit my parents over UEA weekend. We planned on hiking in the desert and going to Hoover Dam. But then, I was surprised with tickets to Mama Mia at the Mandalay Bay and our plans changed! We left here on Thursday and drove to Mesquite, stopping at Cove Fort along the way (which is way cool.) We got to my parent's house late Thursday evening. The next day, Friday, we kept our promise to the kids and went hiking in the Valley of Fire. I love that place and Doug had never been there, so of course we had to go! That night we had a weeny roast at my parent's house with my cousin Joseph and his wife, Andrea. They brought their new baby who has more hair than I do and he's only 3 days old!

Then on Saturday Doug and I got all gussied up and went to Vegas!! Most everyone knows that I have anxiety issues when I'm away from my kids. I don't really like leaving them, but I have to admit that it was soooooooooooooooooo wonderful to be alone with my husband! We arrived at Mandalay Bay a little early and wandered around. I gambled a little and won $11. I felt dirty in a good way.... Anyway, then I discovered how poor folk like us could afford a show in Vegas. Apparently my father, now a shady Nevada resident, had made a new "connection" with the Mandalay Bay Theater manager. Here's how it went down, we had to go to a certain spot at a certain time to call a certain number and say a certain thing. We were then given directions to go to a certain door at the theater and ask for a certain person who led us to the theater manager who told us to go through a certain door at a certain time to find him. Doug even gave him one of those suave handshakes that resulted in a huge tip for the manager..... Anyway, all the cloak and dagger shannanigans resulted in VIP BOX SEATS! We not only got to see a show in Vegas but we got to do it in style! It was awesome to sip our $100 diet sodas while we watched the show. And let me tell you, it was sooooooooooo much better than the movie. The singing was amazing and it was completely hilarious. My anti-musical husband even loved it!

I'll spare everyone a description of the rest of the evening but let me assure you that it was the best anniversary ever! I love my husband so much, more than I did 10 years ago. It's amazing how much he's become a part of me, he's in everything I think and do. He's what I breathe and dream. I never thought, in all my messed up formative years, that I would deserve what I've found in Doug. We've been through some tough times and some hard things, but we've learned to grow together and now whatever crazy things come our way, we're able to deal with them together. And of course, I love him more and more for giving me my beautiful children.

Ok. I'm appalled at my cheesiness so I'll stop. To sum it all up, we had an awesome weekend.

Thank you to my parents who played with my kids while we were in Vegas! And thanks to the Cox's for lending us the car top carrier so I could pack a variety of wardrobe choices!

TEN YEARS

I am so excited that I can barely contain myself! Friday is our TEN year anniversary and we were planning to go to Nevada to hike in the desert. However, last night I was surprised with tickets to Mama Mia at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas!! We're going to have the best weekend ever. We're still taking the kids to the desert (no we won't leave them there....) and then we're going to Vegas after that.

Yes, I have the best husband EVER. I'm continually amazed that he has put up with me for 10 years.

Here's what's gonna be happening in Nevada this weekend:

Yeah baby!!

Sealing

Today we attended my baby cousin's wedding in the Manti Temple. This is the second time I've been to that temple, the first time was for my sister's wedding. I'd forgotten how gorgeous it is!

I call Kairon my baby cousin, even though he's very far from being a baby now. He's over 6 feet tall and a returned missionary. However, his new wife, Autumn is probably barely 5 feet tall. She's so tiny! They make a cute couple. I am so happy for them! Although it was very strange for me to be sitting in the sealing room, watching Kairon sit across from his bride. He got this look on his face that he used to have when he was little and it made me cry. He grew up too fast!

During the sealing ceremony, the officiator compared our sealing ordinance to canning fruit. He made a couple of really good points, the first being that there is a lot of preparation and crucial ingredients to properly canning fruit and the second point is that you don't seal empty jars. In marriage, there are crucial ingredients, you need a man and a woman, love, commitment, and patience. There is also preparation, which is something that Doug and I had to learn the hard way before we were sealed to each other and to Ethan. The officiator said that there's a lot of work and patience that goes into canning and of course we all know that there's a lot of work and patience that goes into a successful marriage, especially an eternal one. Just because we get a piece of paper saying we're sealed for eternity doesn't make it so. We have to put in the effort, we have to obey the commandments, serve our Heavenly Father and each other, and strengthen our faith in and knowledge of gospel principles. We have to do our part in making our marriage an eternal marriage.

Doug and I have our off days, we often joke that we've been together for 10 years and it's been blissful for 8 1/2! But we love each other enough to make sure we're each doing our part to ensure that the other is happy. I am so lucky to have Doug. He is such a good daddy and he's an adoring husband. There's never a day that goes by where he doesn't tell me that he loves me and why.... sometimes even sending me eyebrow raising text messages while I'm at work.... He also does sweet things like doing all the prep work for dinner on the nights he has to work so all I have to do is heat it up. He still leaves his underwear on the floor BESIDE the hamper but somehow I wouldn't trade that away if I could. Next week we'll have been married for 10 whole years! Crazy!!

Thank you to all the people who watched my kids for us today! It was so nice for Doug and I to have a day ALONE. It's a rare phenomenon.

Cowboy Up, Cupcake

I'm in a really bad mood, so I decided I needed to sit down and really think about something positive. When I do that, my thoughts always turn to my grandmother. Her name is Joyce and she is absolutely amazing. She's in her mid-70's and a total firecracker!

I was able to spend last weekend with her. Doug had to work, so I took my kids up there on Saturday, in between conference sessions, and spent the night with her. She totally spoils us when we go visit. She made yummy meals and planned fun activities for my kids. It was completely relaxing. One of my new favorite memories of her will be cleaning up dinner with her whole listening to the beginning of the last session of conference.

Let me tell you a little about my grandma. She's a beautiful woman who has accomplished many great things. I watched her tackle some enormous situations with strength and grace that most people could never pull off. On Christmas day of 1994, my grandpa passed away from a heart attack. He was 65. Two years later my uncle (her youngest son) died at a wedding from a major heart attack. He died 5 days before his 40th birthday. She was there when he collapsed on the dance floor and she watched him die. About two years after that, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a masectomy which was extremely difficult on her because she does not deal well with anesthesia. However, her doctors discovered they didn't get all the cancer and had to remove her other breast. To make matters worse, when she underwent reconstructive surgery, she came down with a nasty infection and had to be hospitalized for that. She did this while still grieving for her husband and son and she had completely uprooted her life, moving to Layton, UT. She had sold some property and her business that she had built from the ground up, and left her home of almost 30 years in Jackson, WY.

My grandma had many experiences before all this tragedy that I think prepared her to deal with these events. She not only raised 3 children, but she always worked full time in an era when most women stayed home. She did this so my grandpa could go back to school. She served cheerfully and willingly in the church, and their home was ALWAYS the site for major church parties.

Later she helped my grandpa acheive his childhood dream of starting a "western adventure" business in Jackson Hole, a place where my grandpa had spent his summers when he was growing up. They purchased my grandpa's family homestead and started a chuckwagon dinner show, a 7 day packtrip adventure and a 4 day wagon train. They built their first covered wagon in their driveway in Provo. By the time my dad bought the business from my grandma, they were running 10 wagons twice a night for their dinner show. My grandma was featured in tons of magazine articles, including County Woman and Family Circle.

When I was in middle school, my grandma brought her father home to live with them. At the same time, my great-grandmother on my grandpa's side had passed away and he had brought his father to live with them as well. Her father had alzheimers. I watched her care for these two aging men while she was running a business and serving in the stake relief society presidency. She eventually had to put her father in a nursing home because he became too volital. At the time, the decision was so hard because she couldn't afford the nursing home in Jackson so they had to send him to Rexburg which was about an hour and a half away.

She has had a full life and I love to hear her stories. And she keeps on living her life. She has traveled all over the world and continues to do so. She has volunteered at the hospital and she now serves a mission at Temple Square in SLC. She has always been a central figure in my life. We lived right next door to her on the same property until I was 16. She is one of my best friends and one of the best examples to me. My memories of her are sweet and strong.

In Conference, Elaine S. Dalton stated that she has a plaque that says she can do hard things. When I forget that I can do hard things, I think of my grandma who has done more than her fair share of hard things and I simple have to tell myself to "Cowboy up Cupcake" and get on with it. I was raised by incredibly strong women, my mother, my aunt and my grandmother have given me peices of themselves and because of them I know I can do anything.

Carter's Owie

So, I get a phone call from the school this morning saying that Carter had fallen and hit his head. The secretary thought it would be a good idea if I came to evaluate Carter myself. I rushed over to the school and found Carter sitting next to the principal, Mr. Jensen in the office who had been checking his eyes to see if they were dilating properly. Carter was holding an ice pack to his head and when he lifted it, he had a HUGE bump on his head. It was a little bigger than a golf ball but not quite as big as a baseball.

Carter has beautiful, huge greenish blue eyes with the longest, thickest lashes I have ever seen. He looked at me with his sad eyes, his lashes looking way longer because they're wet, and my heart broke. Of course I take him home, calling our pediatrician on the way.

Apparently Carter was riding on a scooter in Gym and face planted on the floor. He's fine now, the bump has shrunk but it turned into an ugly purple bruise. So sad. Luckily there's no concussion and he says it doesn't hurt unless someone touches it.

Little boys are going to be the death of me!!

Busy Weekends

Hi!! The last couple of weeks have been completely insane! My boss signed me up for a tax class that I started last week! It's twice a week and it's kicking my butt. It's interesting and not necessarily hard, but on top of work deadlines and being a mommy and a wife, I am finding that I have NO time. To make matters more interesting, Ethan and Chase were both sick last week which meant I lost TWO days of work. So.... I'm feeling the pressure. Luckily my fabulous hubby does not have to work at his second job this week, so I've been able to catch up on some things. I'm currently trying to work through a mountainous amount of laundry.

Despite the craziness of my week, our weekends have been really fun. Two weeks ago we went to Logan for Doug's grandpa's 88th birthday party. Doug was not able to go with me, so it was just me and the kids. We stayed with My father-in-law and his wife Gloria, whom I love. Actually, everyone loves her. It's hard not to. Anyway, we stayed the night with them after a wonderful birthday dinner that Gloria put together for Doug's grandpa. On Saturday morning, my father-in-law made us a huge pancake breakfast, even breaking out the chocolate chips for the kids. It was really sweet of them.

Gloria, Grandpa Paul and Carter lighting birthday candles.

On Sunday of that weekend, my former aunt Linda invited us up to her house in Park City for a family BBQ. Now, let me quickly explain my relationship with Linda. She is my deceased uncle's ex-wife. (They were divorced long before he passed away.) She was remarried about 12 years ago to a nice doctor named Larry. They live in Baltimore, Maryland in an incredibly beautiful home. About 3 years ago they bought a home in Park City because two of her sons live out here and she wanted to be closer to them, plus Larry loves Park City because he loves to ski. What is cool about Larry and Linda is that they had my family, my brother's and sister's families, my cousin Jennifer's family and my grandma and my aunt Sandy all up to their house for this BBQ. All of these people are family of my deceased uncle. How weird would that be for me if I were in Larry's shoes? Very weird, but he is extremely gracious and they are both amazingly generous.

So, we went up to their gorgeous home in Park City, where they not only have a huge house with game room and playground but they also have a little putting green. My kids were in heaven and my husband got to follow football games on the big screen TVs while playing pool and practicing his putting skills.

Kids playing on playground at Linda's house

Mckenzie on the putting green

After an incredibly busy week last week, we took the kids on a much anticipated trip to Lagoon. I hate going in the summer, so we wait till the fall. It was a beautiful day, it didn't get very hot at all! The kids hit all the kiddie rides and then Mckenzie and Chase shocked us by going on several of the roller coasters. Their favorite was the Wild Mouse which makes me cringe just thinking about it. I think we went on almost everything except for Wicked and the Fire Dragon.... not because we didn't want to.

My dad and I got in line for Wicked. The line moved very fast and just as we were almost to the top of the stairs, the line stopped for about 15 minutes. Then someone came down and told us that the ride was experiencing electrical problems and was shutting down for a little while.

So we headed over to the Fire Dragon and didn't have to wait long at all. We get up to the gates and the coaster comes in. But in the seat where my dad was going to sit was a man and a woman, the woman looked like she was dead. I was a little freaked out because Mckenzie was with us and I didn't want her to see that. But it turns out the woman just passed out, apparently she was anorexic. However, the ride had to be shut down while they got her evaluated and off the ride and then park managers had to come in and do a mandatory saftey check of the ride, so we weren't able to go on that one either. For whatever reason, my dad and I were apparently being protected from something! So we gave up on the roller coasters and went back to the kiddie rides.



We've had really fun weekends! And there are more to come! This weekend we're going to stay with my grandma and the next weekend my cousin is getting married and the weekend after that is our TENTH anniversary. I'm so excited!

Tag

My friend Joy tagged me, so here it is!

Five things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Planning my wedding
2. Buying a new car
3. Working as a housekeeper for a vacation rental company
4. Living in Jackson, WY
5. Making out with Doug every spare minute I had

Five things on my to do list today:
1. Do laundry
2. Buy present for my niece (who is 3 today)
3. Take Mckenzie to dance class
4. Clean
5. Go to my niece's birthday party

Five snacks I enjoy:
1. Bear claws
2. Pringles
3. Peanut M&Ms
4. Popcorn
5. Chips and salsa

Five things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Get myself out of debt
2. Buy a house
3. Set up college funds for my kids and my nieces and nephew
4. Get my siblings out of debt
5. Help my parents and in-laws with whatever they needed

Five places I've lived:
1. Jackson, WY
2. Driggs, ID
3. Firth, ID
4. Orem, UT
5. Layton, UT

Five jobs I've had:
1. National Elk Refuge Sleigh Rides
2. Mini-Mart in Jackson, WY
3. Typewell Transcriber for UVSC and USU
4. Diamond Peak Construction
5. J&A Accounting

Rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person that tagged you know when you’ve answered the questions on your blog

Five People I'm tagging:

1. Brooke Babcock
2. Mindy Ige
3. Becca Hamblin
4. Jenn Fager
5. Neika Boulter

My Students of the Week!!

We are the lucky parents of not one, but TWO students of the week! Ethan and Chase were both chosen as Students of the Week at Windsor. Ethan has been Student of the Week every year since we moved to this school when he was in first grade, but this is the first time that Chase has been chosen, so we're so happy for both of them. When Chase was telling his Nanna and Papa about it last night, he told them that he got it because he was smart and had "unusually good" behavior! They both work really hard and try their best to be good examples. Chase is always the first one to do his homework and often does it without being asked. Ethan is the same way.

We celebrated last night with ice cream sundaes. I'm so very proud of my boys!

Adventure Day

Occasionally we like to have what our family calls an Adventure Day!
This past weekend we had Regional Conference and we decided to use the opportunity to spend the whole day together as a family.
A couple weeks ago, the kids and I took a drive up to Heber. On our way we passed Deer Creek Reservoir. The kids begged me to stop so they could go swimming on the beaches but we didn't have time, so we decided that Rainbow Bay would be the first stop on our adventure. The weather was perfect for swimming and the water was warm. The kids had a blast.

Here are the kids in the water. Isn't the view behind them gorgeous?

Here is Doug. I think he was meditating. He's not a big fan of the water so he just hung out and relaxed in the sun. The poor guy deserves it. He works too hard.

Ahhhhh. Aren't we cute. (Or something?)

We have a fabulous hometeacher, who is also our neighbor and a member of our bishopric. He told Doug about Squaw peak and some cool campgrounds up there. So after swimming we loaded up the kids and headed up this extremely winding, narrow road that opened up to this incredible view of Utah Valley. It was absolutely gorgeous.
It scared the crap out of Ethan. He's not big on heights.
(No, my children refused to get dressed after swimming, that's why their all half naked.)

Here's a view of our neighborhood.

Up near Squaw Peak are two awesome and very secluded campgrounds. We stopped to explore the Hope Campground which is really nice. We decided to roast marshmallows and have a brief family home evening about being grateful for our surroundings.
(there's a great story in this month's Ensign about that.)
After we filled up on melted chocolate and charred marshmallows we went exploring. The kids took me on an Indiana Jones style hike... It was crazy!

We had the best Adventure Day ever!!

Where I stand

Well, as most everyone knows, I'm one of the most opinionated people in the world. Lately I have been soooooooooooooo disappointed in the political candidates after a week of hearing speeches at the Republican Convention, I have been inspired to take a stand.

I was not happy to hear about the Republican VP nomination. I was almost as disappointed about Palin as I was when I heard about Biden. However, after researching Sarah Palin I have come to respect her and I will vote for McCain/Palin with a clear conscience.

Recently, I my political views have leaned more toward independant. I have been so discouraged with Bush and have lost a lot of faith in the Republican party. But McCain's speech inspired me to stop complaining and start DOING something. So, I'm starting here by asserting my view and hopefully beginning conversations with others to encourage them to vote.

I do not believe that Obama is what is best for our country. When you take away his speech writers, his teleprompters, his make up and his staff what you get is a sad man, who can't put his hand on his heart during the Pledge of Allegience in respect of the men and women who died for his freedom, who basically hopes to be elected based on the color of his skin. I am not racist. I would vote for him if he stood for something. But he has done very little for America and he is married to a woman who has done even less.

Gloria Steinem, a pioneer in the feminist movement, has said that Palin is the wrong womanwith the wrong message for the VP job and says that Palin should just stay home with her kids. I don't agree with everything Palin stands for, but I completely respect her because she stands for something! She's proud to be a member of the NRA, she's proud enough of her political party to blow the whistle on corruption, and she's secure enough in her family relationships to have her pregnant teenage daughter stand at her side.

Many people keep saying the McCain isn't enough of a Maverick to oppose the extreme Right Wing and the splintered Republican party. I say he is. I don't agree with everything McCain stands for, but again, he stands for something! He may not be strong in his knowledge of the economy but I believe that he's been around long enough to accept the ideas and seek out the knowledge of others who do. He has been around long enough to have contributed to America. At the very least, he has fought for our country and sacrificed in ways that Obama could never fathom. As McCain said, he's been an imperfect servant for many years, but a servant nonetheless. McCain is also married to a woman who has done more for people from other nations as anyone I've ever seen.

So here it is. Now you know who I'm voting for. As I always say, you may not like me or my views but you will ALWAYS KNOW WHERE I STAND.

More to come.....

Gratitude

I have just visited my friend, Teri's blog and she has listed things that she is grateful for. It has inspired me to do the same.

I've been stuck in a rut lately. I struggle a lot with depression and trying to stay a step ahead of needing to be institutionalized.... But lately, I've had to play the game of talking myself into getting out of bed in the morning more often than I'd like to. So, I'm determined to snap out of it!! I think the best way to do that is to look at what I have and recognize who it all comes from.

Of course, I have a beautiful family. My kids are smart and entertaining but most importantly, they are good!! I just got an email from Chase's teacher that said he is always on task, he does what he is told and he is one of her best helpers!! I love that about him. Carter's primary teacher told me how reverent he has been over the last few weeks which is a HUGE thing for Carter. I am so happy that his teacher told me that. When I praised Carter for his good behavior, his response was that he was in Heavenly Father's house and that's just how we act there. I love it!! I also love that it's so important to all of my kids to be good. I get reports of who in their classes had to go to time out or had to move their behavior card to another color and I'm so grateful that it's important to my kids to be on their best behavior at school and at church.

I am extremely grateful for a husband who is willing to work TWO jobs to support his family. It is not fun at all for either of us, but he does it cheerfully and even though selling electronics at Best Buy isn't glamorous, he does it so well that he's winning awards!! It means a lot to me that he not only works hard and takes pride in his REAL job at Henry-Schein but he also takes pride in a part time job. It's a great example to my kids that they have a dad with that much integrity and such an awesome work ethic. It can't be fun to work over 70 hours in a week. But he does it and still manages to come home and be an amazing dad and husband.

I am also grateful for being able to live in a wonderful neighborhood. I remember when that little girl was killed in Salt Lake by her neighbor and I freaked out a little that something like that could happen. Then I looked around me and realized that my kids couldn't be safer!! We are surrounded by people who we love and who love my children as if they were their own. My immediate neighbors have taken on the responsibility of being surrogate grandparents to my kids. My kids just go over there to hang out all the time. I went over there on Friday night to get Mckenzie and Carter who were jumping on the Oldroyd's trampoline (apparently it's better than ours) and the Oldroyd's had friends from out of town there visiting. I couldn't believe that they would let me kids hang out there while they had company but they just laughed and said they enjoyed being grandma and grandpa to my kids. How cool is that? How lucky we are!!

I am blessed with lots of things that I mostly don't need, like a closet full of shoes, and I am blessed with people who I do need, like my crazy family and wonderful friends. I forget to thank God for what I have so I'm writing all of this as a reminder that I do need to thank him as often as I can.

Well, I've gone on and on but I think I've hit the most important parts.

A Call for Help

I am a dismal failure in the kitchen. I am not creative at all!! I make up for this in others areas of my life however now that my hubby is working a second job he is not home in the evenings to create his tasty meals. My kids cannot exist on Ramen and Mac & Cheese. So, I am asking my dear friends to post their favorite recipes, more than one if you have them! This would help me out so much! I will be eternally grateful. I'll take you all out to lunch or come clean your houses or whatever if you could give me some ideas for good, simple, healthy meals.

Thanks!!

Last Day of Freedom & First Day of School

On Saturday we surprised the kids by taking them to Trafalga Square in Orem. We tortured them all morning by taking them to get hair cuts, then out to AF to buy a vacuum at Best Buy, then went to get gas, etc. Then we made them close their eyes when we got close and wouldn't let them open them till we parked at Trafalga. They were so cute when they realized where we were. They LOVE mini-golf. So of course, we went mini golfing, go-carting and played games in the arcade. We had a blast! We also bought Wii Bowling and played that the rest of the day. I used to be totally anti-video games but I LOVE the Wii. Anyway, the kids all agreed that it was the best last day of freedom they ever had. I have to admit, it was pretty cool!

Today the kids started school. Well, everyone did except for Carter. For some reason that makes no sense to many intelligent beings, Kindergarten starts a week after all the other kids start school. We prepared Carter by explaining everything to him but he was still pretty sad today when everyone got to go to school and he didn't. Instead he had to come to work with Mommy and that sucked. (Our babysitting fell thru this week.) Hopefully tomorrow will be better because he'll only have to come with me for a couple hours and I printed off craft projects to keep him busy. Then his dad will pick him up and spend the rest of the day with him. I don't know what to do for the rest of the week but we'll figure it out.

My kids looked soooooooo cute in their new school clothes this morning. I did get pictures of them but I had to take them with my phone. (We broke our real camera when we were mini golfing) I can't figure out how to get the pics off my phone! I'll have to get my hubby to help me.

100 Things About Me

I got this from my friend, Brittney's blog. I didn't think I could come up with 100 things about me but I did! You should try it!!

1. I was born in Jackson Hole, WY where I lived till I was 16.

2. When I was born I had black hair which never fell out, it just grew out blond with black tips.

3. I grew up on a small ranch in Jackson where my grandpa ran a chuckwagon dinner.

4. I have broken both my ankles and dislocated my knee, TWICE!

5. I love to ride horses.

6. My grandpa also ran pack trips and a 4 day wagon train which taught me to love the outdoors.

7. I loved my grandpa so much. He died when I was 16 and I miss him every day.

8. My cousins and my brother were my best friends when I was growing up. (Josh is 1 year old than me, Scott is 1 year younger than me, and James is 2 years younger than me.)

9. Because of my grandpa’s chuck wagon dinner show, I’ve met (and dated) people from all over the world!

10. I love to be a girly girl but I am such a tom boy too. It caused a lot of confusion for me later on. (Do I kiss the guy or arm wrestle him? Or both?)

11. I had two dogs that I loved so much, Cub and Fancy. Cub was trampled in a cattle drive, Fancy died years later because she ate a plastic bag.

12. I found the bodies of both dead dogs by myself. Sad.

13. I was a mess in high school.

14. I tried to run away, once when I was 10 and the second time when I was 13, that one was more real.

15. I planned to run away with my boy friend, Jerry when I was 16. Good thing I didn’t!

16. When I was 19 I dated a guy who was 30! What were we thinking?!? He was actually a really nice guy but he wanted things to move a lot faster than I was ready for.

17. I hated my parents when I was younger. I think they didn’t like me very much either.

18. Now my mother is my best friend and I’m getting there with my dad.

19. I loved school up until I got into Junior High and after we moved to Idaho, I loved it again.

20. I almost got a perfect score in English on my ACTs. I was 3 points shy.

21. I was in choir since the 5^th grade, I was in show choir in high school and I could have probably done a lot with performing but the stage fright was too much for me.

22. I once dated a guy in a rock band, he was the straightest guy I ever met. Never did anything wrong. But he was very nice and introduced me to Smashing Pumpkins and Green Day, my two favorite bands.

23. I dated two sets of brothers…. Not at the same time.

24. My first kiss was Jesse Johnson. His sister married my cousin.

25. I love sea food! Lobster, crab, shrimp, scallops, and FISH.

26. I never want to exercise, but once I get started I LOVE it!

27. I was not a very nice person for a long time. I still struggle with being too critical.

28. I struggle with believing that I’m a good person. How many times can someone be forgiven?

29. I have clinical depression. It’s my biggest obstacle.

30. I sing in the car.

31. My daughter hates that I sing in the car.

32. I wish I had known about clinical depression when I was in high school. Perhaps things could have been different for me.

33. I was teased by boys in my ward. Going to Sunday School was a nightmare so I stopped going all together.

34. Again, when I moved to Idaho, things were better. All the boys in my ward were my friends.

35. I had the worst bishop in Jackson. I almost let something he said destroy my life.

36. I had the best bishop in Idaho. He helped me save my own life.

37. My dad happened to be a counselor to both those bishops.

38. My best friend when I was growing up was Amber Thompson.

39. My best friend in Idaho was Raquel Orduno.

40. My best friend now is my husband.

41. I always dreamed of getting married.

42. I never dreamed of having kids.

43. I had all five of my kids before I was 25.

44. I met my husband just before I turned 20. He didn’t want any kids.

45. We knew each other for 2 months before we got engaged.

46. We got married 3 months after we got engaged.

47. The best bishop (John Pehrson) from Idaho officiated at our wedding.

48. We were sealed in the Logan Temple 5 months after Ethan was born. (A year after we were married)

49. Being sealed to my little family was one of the best days of my life.

50. My first car was a Toyota Tercel. I loved it.

51. I always dreamed of living in a small cottage in a forest or something. I never dream of living in a big house.

52. I can honestly say I never had a party in my parent’s house without their knowledge but my brother and sister did!

53. I have learned the most amazing lessons from scripture study.

54. I have many heroes, one of which is my grandmother. She survived the deaths of her husband, one of her sons and then breast cancer, all within a 5 year period.

55. One of the best things in the world is being high up in the mountains on a horse. I still have dreams of being on my horse, Babe, and I wake up missing that life so much.

56. One of the most traumatic experiences of my life was being sent to the barn on my grandpa’s property and seeing two dead deer hanging from the ceiling. I think my uncle sent me there. I hated him.

57. I love to read. I’ll read anything.

58. Another great love of my life is driving a team of Belgian draft horses. There’s nothing like being able to direct the power of two magnificent horses with your bare hands.

59. My favorite job was driving sleighs on the National Elk Refuge in Jackson. My dad had that contract for several years and I worked there for two winters. It was breathtaking!

60. One of the hardest things I’ve ever done was helping my dad and a vet deliver a dead colt. I’d never heard a horse scream before that and I never want to hear it again.

61. I love the feel of a horse’s nose. It’s the softest part of their body.

62. I taught Doug how to drive a team. Maybe that’s why he fell in love with me?

63. I was not excited when I found out I was pregnant with Ethan, but he was the world’s most perfect baby.

64. After Ethan was born I was told that getting pregnant would be difficult. It broke my heart.

65. My triplets were born 2 years after I was told I would most likely not get pregnant. Carter was born 4 years after that.

66. Doug says he fell in love with me when my dad asked him to change two flat tires on my car. I must have been especially radiant that day. I fell in love with him one night when he walked up to me in the chuck wagon dinner camp (where I was the head cook, making dutch oven chicken and beef.) He was wearing a cow boy hat and looked up at me with his enormous blue eyes and I was hooked!

67. I love being a mother. My children are the best part of Doug and I.

68. I love being the mother of boys! They are incredible.

69. I love being the mother of a princess. She is amazing.

70. I love to clean. I don’t know why but I do.

71. I hate to do laundry. I don’t know why. You would think that since I love to clean that I would like to do laundry.

72. I love all kinds of music. Rock, alternative, country, classical, some rap, opera, etc. I feel like everyone’s life has a sound track.

73. I’m a Gemini. It explains my personality.

74. I think I’m a little too blunt sometimes. I don’t have the filter that most people have so you never know what I’m gonna say. Hopefully I’m in a good mood when you talk to me.

75. My husband is a stabilizing influence in my life. He is mellow and kind and patient. I’m none of those things.

76. I don’t really like to be touched. I’m not big on big long hugs unless they’re from my husband or my kids.

77. I love to be alone. It doesn’t bother me at all.

78. I was extremely shy when I was a kid. Sometimes I’m still very shy.

79. My new love is the desert. My goal in life is to move down to southern Utah or Nevada or Arizona. The desert is incredible.

80. I’m afraid to be alone in a swimming pool. It’s the Jaws thing. I can’t help it.

81. I’m still afraid of the dark.

82. I don’t have many close friends anymore. I tend to spend all my emotional energy on my family.

83. I’ve never understood what the big deal is with gay people. They’re still people, right? What difference does it make who they fall in love with? It’s not really attacking MY family, is it?

84. I’m very disappointed in both presidential candidates.

85. Every time I put gas in my car, I get so mad that I’ve kicked the pump a couple times. The gas prices are insane.

86. I am NOT a fence sitter. You will never have to guess what I’m thinking. You may not like me, that’s ok. But you’ll always know where I stand.

87. I love being an aunt. My nieces and my nephews are an absolute joy in my life.

88. I’ve never wanted to be someone other than myself, but I do admire a lot of people and try to implement their best character traits into my life.

89. I wish I had been a better example to my brother and my sister. Hopefully I’m being a good one now.

90. I’ve learned to always treat all children with kindness, even the difficult ones. Careless adults did more damage in my life than anyone else. I believe we should be good examples to all kids. You never know who you help and who you’ve damaged.

91. I talk too much and I think too much. That usually means I don’t sleep very well.

92. I wish I could have more babies.

93. My favorite time of day is when the kids go to bed and I can spend time alone with my husband.

94. I love being in the temple. It’s like going home to someone who loves you.

95. I never feel more relieved than when I pull into my parent’s driveway. Not just because of the long trip, not just because I may have to go to the bathroom, but because I know for however long I’m there, I get to be someone’s kid.

96. My favorite memory of my dad will always be that on my 30^th birthday I was at my parent’s house, he had gone to work that morning but had come back to wish me happy birthday and to say good bye because we left that day. It made up for all the times I’d wished he’d done that when I was younger.

97. I love that my husband can get so mad at me, but it never lasts. I know how to push ALL his buttons.

98. I never used to cry until I had children and now I cry all the time over everything.

99. I love to write. I’ve written lots of stories. Someday I may have the guts to publish them.

100. It’s taken 30 years but I think I’ve finally learned to like who I am.

School Starts Soon!!

My kids are back to school on Monday the 18th! Whoo hoo! I think they're more excited about it than I am! We're almost done school shopping which means we're almost totally out of money. Hee hee. I always think we're so busy during the school year, which we are, but this summer has been completely nuts! I like things to be scheduled and orderly so I think that's why I love the school year. Plus, I can't wait for fall. I love that time of year.

So, here's three cheers for school!!! Hip hip hooray!

Being a Mom

I've had a really rough week. Most of the time, I consider myself a pretty secure person. I know I'm not perfect, but I know that I'm a good mom and I have a good marriage. I'm extremely blessed but sometimes, when I least expect it, something in me breaks and I kinda fall apart. I was standing in my neighbor's living room today, I went over there to borrow a vacuum because mine broke (and I'm OCD about CLEAN) and I told her that my week was not so good and I almost burst into tears. This is not normal for me. I'm not really a crier, I'm a butt kicker. But if you had met me this week, you woulda thought I was a basket case.

As most of you know, I have to work. I don't mind working, I have a great, low stress job with extremely flexible hours, but it's always hard in the summer when the kids are out of school and someone else is watching them. Luckily my wonderful, nearly perfect sister-in-law has been watching my kids this summer but sometimes I get to feeling like I'm not doing enough or worse, I'm simply not enough for my kids. My sister-in-law jokes that when I'm home I never sit down, I'm always doing something, which is not always true, but I feel like if I sit down then I'm less of a mother. I should be making dinner, doing laundry, making beds, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, whatever. But then I remember the time when all five of my precious kids were sitting in a circle under the tree in our backyard, eating popsicles and talking and laughing with each other. I watched them through the window as I cleaned my kitchen floor. Was I a good mother then? Why didn't I go out and join them?

Now they're getting to the age where they don't need me as much and I feel like I wasted time. There's a song in the movie Mama Mia where Meryl Streep sings about time slipping thru her fingers and she says something like "We made so many plans, some things we did but some things we didn't and I don't remember why." Those things I didn't do with my kids, was it because I was doing something I thought was so important?

Tomorrow's another day where I can make it right. Right?

Mckenzie and Mommy's Princess Weekend

Well.... Mckenzie and I had the BEST WEEKEND EVER!!! We got to go to St. George/Nanna's house for a Mommy and Mckenzie weekend. It was so nice to get away and just be with my precious little princess and it was nice for her to be without her four brothers.


The whole purpose of the weekend was to go to High School Musical at the Tuacahn in St. George. It was an adorable play put on by the Tuacahn High School. The actors were all high school age kids and they did a fabulous job. We went with my fabulous friend Kim, her daughter Jasmine (who Mckenzie says is her VERY best friend in the whole wide world). Kim's friend Becca came as well with her daughter Natalie. And Kim's sister Kristen came with her friend Kaitlyn. My mom also joined us as well.

Here's Mckenzie getting ready for bed in her new HS Musical PJ's that Nanna bought her!

Mckenzie with the actors that played Gabriella and Troy. They were so cute!!

Me, my mom and Mckenzie under the Wildcats banner! GO WILDCATS!!

After we went to the play, we all stayed at a hotel in St. George. We were all so hot and tired that we thought swimming was definitely a worthwhile activity! Here is Mckenzie and her best friend in the whole wide world, Jasmine who has the most gorgeous brown eyes I've ever seen!

Of course, no slumber party is complete without an ice cream sundae party! Here's Kenzie, Jasmine and Natalie in the background, enjoying their yummy ice cream.

Becca realized that our little girls were like miniature Charlie's Angels because we had a red head, blond and brunette! Here they are posing as the Angels at the outlet mall in St. George as we prepared to go school shopping.

Kaitlyn, Kristen, Me, Natalie, Jasmine and Mckenzie
We were supposed to be school shopping..... Don't worry, I didn't buy the hat.

Taking a break at McD's. Our Angles could only take so much shopping!

We had so much fun! Mckenzie and I stayed in Mesquite with my parents Saturday night which was so fun! My dad took us all to see Mama Mia, which is my new favorite movie! We laughed and cried and SANG OUT LOUD!! ABBA rocks. We got home this evening, where my dedicated hubby had dinner waiting for us. I feel very spoiled and pampered and so does Mckenzie. She got tons of new clothes from Mommy and Nanna, a portable DVD player from Papa and she got to see an awesome play and lots of funny movies. This will be one my sweetest memories. Every once in a while I look at her and I'm shocked at how tall she is, how smart she is, and how grown up she seems. It makes my heart ache for my baby girl and I wonder where all the time went, I worry if I do enough for her.... but then we have time together like this and I feel on top of the world. I can't explain how wonderful this weekend was!