Happy Birthday M!!

M turned 7 years old on the July 8. I can't even believe it. She is getting so big, and growing up to be such a sweet little girl. She is a typical girl. She loves doing her hair, putting on makeup and perfume, and painting her nails. She is always writing notes and drawing pictures for people. She is a great help at home, and is my best little cleaner. She loves to sing and dance all over the house. She is such a joy to have. She is also a typical girl in the fact that she is very emotional. You can look at her the wrong way, and she would start to cry. We have to be really careful not to joke around with her too much because she takes it so personal. The only not so great part about her is that she is starting to develop a little attitude. It's amazing how quick they develop that. I think we are going to have to keep an eye out on that one. She'll probably give us a run for our money. But, I'm so glad that she is a part of our family even with all her ups and downs. Happy Birthday M!

To Go Or Not To Go

We've had a major turn of events in our lives in the last week. It has been so crazy around here.

Issue #1
Tuesday evening I got a call from our "landlord". We got into our house a year ago on a lease with the option to buy. Well, our lease ended in June, so we started the paperwork to assume her loan. We thought everything was good and the same as it has been for the past year. When I was talking to her, she told me that she was changing the terms of our original agreement since the lease was up last month, and that she was going to increase the price of the house by $30,000. That is a ton of money. She said we had 30 days to get our financing or we would have to leave. What a shock! I didn't even know what to say. I told her that we were already in the process of doing all the financing, and she told me that it didn't matter, this was the way she wanted to do it, and she wasn't going to change her mind.

We really love this house. We have a great neighborhood, we're close to the school, we're in a good ward, we have a great friends here, and the list could go on and on. But, 30k more is A LOT of money, especially when there are things that need to be done to the house soon. The foundation is sinking and I think that will cost a lot of money to fix it. So, should we suck it up and buy it, or should we move?

Issue #2
DH bought into a cell phone start last year, with the help of a "silent partner". He provided the money, and DH would do the work. Everything was going wonderful. The store was running well and making the sales we needed. We had insurance and a salary that met our needs. Well, Wednesday (note, not even 24 hours after the house shock) our partner met with DH and told him they wanted to buy him out of his portion. DH asked why, and was told that they were trying to cut costs, and that his salary was too high. They told him that he had done everything that he was supposed to, ran things well, and that none of this was his fault, but that he didn't really have a say in the matter since they were the majority owner. They said we had a month left on our insurance (which I have to have because I'm on seizure meds that cost $270/mo. without insurance), and that after the next pay period our salary would be cut almost in half. Are they crazy? How do they expect us to support 4 kids on something like that?

About 6 months ago, my parents asked us if we would live in their house while they went on their mission. They live in Texas. We told them we didn't know because we had a house that we loved, a great job, and that we really enjoyed living here. Well, all of that seems to going down the drain now, except for the part about enjoying being here. So, should we take them up on that offer now?

We would be living with them for the next year until it is time for them to go on their mission. But, I think we'd be able to find a job in a timely manner that would pay enough to cover the bills. I'm so torn. MSL lives in TX and I've ALWAYS wanted to live next to her and have our kids grow up together. Now that could be a possibility. And, if we got a good enough job we would be able to save some money while we were taking care of the house.

On the flip side of things. We really LOVE it here. DH has a lot of family here, and we enjoy doing things with them. Plus, we love the area, have good friends, love the schools, my little sis and neice are here (which I absolutely love), and so much more. I really have no idea what the right choice for us is. I keep going back and forth. There are ups and downs to both choices. So the BIG question is, "To go or not to go?"

Texas: Our Flat Tire

On our drive home from Texas we got a flat tire :( It was horrible. We had just gotten into Kansas, and we had stopped for some gas and lunch. we were at a little "Welcome Center". All they had was a gas station and McDonald's, and then there was nothing for about an hour. As soon as we started to pull onto the freeway, the car made a funny noise, and I knew right away that we had a flat. So, I pulled over and luckily we were still on the on-ramp, so we weren't around a lot of traffic. Just a couple of weeks earlier I had a flat and watched as DH changed the tire, so I thought I could probably do it on my own. That was about as far as it got. I only thought about it for a brief moment before thinking that I'd better have someone who knew what they were doing for sure come and fix it. So I called Triple A and they said they would be there in about an hour. It was horrible. It was sooo hot, but luckily there was the little welcome center for us to wait in.

When the guy came to change the tire, my mom sat on a little bench on the side of the road with all the kids, while I unloaded the entire back of the car so that we could get the spare out. Once he finally got there, it only took about 20 minutes and then we were back on the road. What a fun experience for us all. That was about a 2 hour delay for us once everything was said and done, making it a grand total of 25 hours to get home. We were so glad to be back!

Tag, You're It!

Tag, You're It!

I was tagged by The Flip Flop Mamma and now I pass the fun along to you!In the spirit of the old chain letter traditions, follow these instructions:

Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.
1) In Our House
2) Rose DesRochers
3) So a Blonde Walks Into a Blog
4) Flip Flop Mamma
5) Utmommy

Next select five people to tag:
1) Txmommy
2) Stephanie
3) Anna
4) Nikkie
5) Gina
I'm too lazy to add your links! You know who you are.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was taking the summer off from my first year of BYU. I was working and playing!

What were you doing 1 year ago?
I was enjoying a hot summer with my four kids and DH!

Five snacks you enjoy:
1) Oreos & Milk
2) Chocolate (almost any kind!)
3) Spinach Dip with French Bread
4) White Chocolate Popcorn with Hot Tamales
5) Fresh Fruit

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
1) Don't Forget to Remember Me (Carrie Underwood)
2) I Am A Child of God (Church Song)
3) Angel (Shaggy)
4) In This Life (Colin Raye - Our Wedding Song)
5) Girls Just Want to Have Fun (Cindy Lauper)
I love music, so I know a wide variety of songs, these are just ones that popped into my mind right away.

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1) Get out of debt.
2) Buy a house
3) Donate money to the needy.
4) Save for my kids college & other unexpected expenses.
5) Go shopping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Five bad habits:
1) Eating to much.
2) Not exersizing enough.
3) Popping my nuckles.
4) Being late with birthday cards.
5) Getting family pictures taken (last one was almost 4 years ago).

Five things you like doing:
1) Spending time with DH and kids.
2) Dancing
3) Reading
4) BLOGGING!
5) Scrapbooking

Five things you would never wear again:
1) Stirrup pants
2) Leg warmers
3) Feathered Hair
4) Bikini
5) Jeans with the hem tight rolled!

Five favorite toys:
1) Blogs
2) I'd love a 4-wheeler
3) I'd love a boat
4) ?????
5) ?????

Foodie Friday: Pelmeny

Dough:
4 c. flour (approx.)
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. water



Filling:
2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
1 onion (finely chopped)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
soy sauce (just enough to make it juicy)

Mix flour, eggs, salt, & water to make a firm dough. You may need to add a little flour if the mixture is too sticky. Let stand for 1 hour covered with a cloth.

Mix beef, pork, onion, salt, pepper, & soy sauce. Roll dough out thinly and cut into small circles (about 1 1/2 in. diameter). Place a small mound of meat onto dough circle. With fingers fold circle in half and seal edges (now you have a half circle). Then bring the two ends together and pinch them together to seal them. They should look like this:

Place them on a floured cookie sheet and put in freezer for about an hour.

Boil water with a few beef boullion cubes. Once boiling, lower selaed dough balls into boiling water. Cook until the pieces rise to the top. Serve with soy sauce, sour cream, and dill.

Sounds a little bit weird, but these are soooo delicious. They are a family favorite. They take a little bit of time to make, but they are well worth the effort. I've never had anyone not like them!!

Texas: Swimming

We did so much swimming in Texas! It was great. I'm real glad sis had a pool to keep us cool during those hot Texas days. The first day we got there S would barely put a toe in the water, M couldn't go under the water without plugging her nose, J stayed on the steps, and T was swimming, but he wasn't quite as strong a swimmer as I'd like him to be.

By the end of our stay the kids had improved tenfold. S got in the water with a life jacket on, then it came off and he was swimming on his own, then he was jumping off a 5 foot rock wall all by his self. Talk about progress. I couldn't even believe how quickly he learned in such a short time.

M learned how to swim without plugging her nose and was also jumping off the rock wall and swimming all over the place. J started swimming by herself the last couple days we were there. She is doing really well, and I wonder how she would've been doing if we were still there. I'm sure she'd be right there with the rest of the gang. And T started to try tricks, learned how to dive and how to swim down and touch the drain. I'm really glad that they learned how to swim because I think it is such an important skill to have. I guess that's what happens when you go swimming every day for 3 weeks (except Sundays, of course). We love the pool!

Texas: Fort Worth Museum of Science and Industry

When we went to the Cowgirl Museum, we got a free ticket to go to the other museum, just across the parking lot. The museum was soo much fun. They had several different areas, all with different themes. First, the kids went to the Dinosaur Dig, where the got to dig for bones. They played in the sand for a very long time.

They had a huge basin filled with bubbles and large rings. They had a great time making ginormous bubbles. S and H were pretty good at it.

This is a bed of nails. The kids all wanted to try it. You had to lay down flat, and then someone else would push a button and nails would come up and lift you off the table. It was so weird. Then the nails would lower, and so would you. I even had to try that one out.

They got to paint faces, pretend they were scientists, go shopping in a grocery store, and a lot of other really fun things. We were at the museum for a long time, and the kids enjoyed every minute of it.

Texas: Cowgirl Museum

We took the kids to the Cowgirl Museum for one of their field trips. They had a lot of fun. I think one of their favorite parts was the room where they got to play. They had clothes to dress up in, horses to "ride", coloring pages, a teepee, a campfire with a soup pot so you could "cook", and many other neat things.

Like I've said before S really loves to dress-up. He thought the cowboy clothes were soooooo cool, and he looked absolutely adorable in them. We might have to get him a pair of cowboy boots because he loved them so much.

We watched a short film on the history of cowgirls, and then walked through the remainder of the museum. They liked looking at all the different styles of cowboy and cowgirl clothing. It was very fun for all of them.

Texas: Sword of Truth

One night for FHE we learned about the Armor of God. My neice S gave a very nice lesson on all the pieces of the armor and explained how they can help us throughout our lives. The kids got to take turns dressing up in armor, and then we sang scripture power (we had to sing it 7 times, because as each kid wore the armor they wanted the song). It was a very fun FHE.

Cub Scout Day Camp

T and I went to Scout Camp all day Monday. We had to meet at 6:50 a.m. so that we could be up at the camp by 7:30. I of course planned on going to bed nice and early the night before, but didn't actually go to bed until after midnight. So, I was pretty tired in the morning when it was time to get up. T on the other hand who also had a late night hopped right out of bed and started to get ready. He was so excited for his first scout camp experience.

There was the scout leader, me, and four boys who went. When we first got up there we registered, got assigned to our den, and then had opening exercises. Then, everyone got split into their different dens and the classes started. First they learned about boat safety and then they got to go on a wooden raft and paddle up and down the little river. Very fun! The next class was first aid, where they learned some basic first aid skills and then got to make a mini first aid kit. After that we went to the BB Gun station (this was a favorite for T). They learned a little about gun safety and then got to shoot at their targets. I actually got in on this one and shot a gun too. It was pretty fun, I had never shot a gun before. Then, for the fourth station they learned about how to treat nature; leave it like you found it, clean up your trash; don't destroy anything, etc. They did a service project where they had to pick up trash around the camp and the den who picked up the most pieces won a popsicle after camp was over. Our den won!!! After the fourth station we had a lunch break. For the fifth one the boys got walking sticks and tied strips of leather around the top to use as a handle. Then they went on a little walk around camp looking at different things. For the last station, they learned about spiders and bugs and then got a bug catcher. T caught a butterfly, a grasshopper, and something else. Yeah for me they are at my house now.

By the end of the day, the boys were all filthy. The combination of sweat from the heat and all the dirt they were in, made for some stinky, muddy cub scouts. But, they had a great time and learned some really cool things.

Texas: The Nicest McDonald's Ever

We told the kids that if they were good we would take them to McDonald's for an ice cream. Well, they were so we had to hold up our end of the bargain. When we got there I couldn't believe how nice that McDonald's was. I was so impressed that I had to take a picture of it. Besides having the regular cool play thing that they have there, they had video games, an air hockey table, and one of those basketball games where you have to make the baskets. I couldn't believe it. Who knew McDonald's could be so nice, and how crazy that I was so impressed. The kids had a great time, and we all enjoyed our ice cream.

L bought little Lucy some french fries to keep her happy while the other kids played. And almost immediately everyone came to her in need of a fry. We told them that they got an ice cream and needed to leave Lucy's fries alone. I guess we didn't realize how much H and M really wanted some fries. I looked up and saw those two little angels chowing down on someone else's left over fries. SICK! Why oh why would they do that? We quickly told them how disgusting that was and got them away from that table.

Texas: Stockyards

Well, since my camera is being repaired at the moment I can't blog any new events and since I wasn't a very faithful blogger while on my vacation, I thought I might do a little catching up!

We went to the Stockyards one evening. It was a very HOT day. A few of us ran the maze (for those of you who watch the Amazing Race, it was the one they used) which was very fun. My team (me, H and M) came in second out of two teams!! But we had fun, and second sounds better than last.

Then we went to the museum and looked around, and then we went shopping. I told the kids they could each pick one souvenier. T chose a pocket knife with and indian on it; very cool. M chose a sterling silver horse charm and necklace. S got a gun set which included guns, bullets, a mask, spurs, and a hollster. And finally, J chose a mini kitchen set. For DH, I picked out somoe Texas flag playing cards, peach salsa (very yummy), toffee honey butter (also very yummy), and some "Ass-Kickin" Popcorn (which we have yet to try). It was a very successful shopping trip, and I think everyone was very excited about their purchases.

Then we finished the night off with a good ole' Texas style BBQ at Riscky's. It was sooo delicious.

The 30lb./ $50 Challenge

L and I challenged eachother to lose 30 pounds by Christmas. We keep talking about losing, but it is so hard to stay motivated. I hate weight. If we want to lose the 30 lbs., that only equals out to be 6 lbs. a month. We can do it right?! Whoever doesn't complete the challenge owes the other person $50. What if we both don't do it? Well, then that would be just plain sad. Hopefully we can stay motivated. I really want to do it, wish me luck!!

Midnight Cleaning

L and I got to do a lot of this in the middle of the night. S who hardly ever has accidents, happened to have one this particular night. As I was cleaning the mattress I thought I should get my camera and blog this. It took me a couple of weeks, but here it is. We got really good at it. Clean off crying, wet child, redress them, strip the bed down, spray it with cleaner, scrub, scrub, scrub, lay down a towel (so the new sheets don't get wet), remake the bed, tuck sleepy child back in for what will hopefully be a dry rest of the night until the next day.

S was so tired, he couldn't wait for the cleaning process to be done. He fell asleep in the middle of the hallway. I probably could've left him there until morning and he would've slept just fine. How do kids do that?

Boys Will Be Boys

These boys had such a good time together. They had lots of "battles" together (the play kind, not the real kind, thank goodness). They had fun swimming, playing, digging, exploring, and all the other many things boys like to do. I was a little worried about what T would do while we were in TX because he was the only one who didn't have a cousin the same age as him. But, my worries were in vain. He really enjoyed playing with E and S. He really works well with little kids. Maybe it's because he feels like he's the "big" kid and knows so much (you know how kids think they know everything). Whatever the reason I'm glad he made it work and enjoyed his time with his cousins.

Hands Full of Love

When we were in Texas, we made handprint t-shirts for all the kids to wear on our field trips. We dressed them in garbage bags to protect their clothes. When we first started, L and I wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. But, after a minute we got the hang of it, and had quite the little system going on. They each got to pick the color they wanted their handprint to be. Then, L would paint their hand and "stamp" it on the shirts. I rotated the shirts, and kept all the other kids away. Then, we moved on to the next kid.

We also made a shirt for the two dads, and for Papa. On the one for DH I wrote, "Hands Full of Love", L wrote, "Handful of Love" for her DH, and on Papa's we put, "Best Papa Hands Down". Then we gave them for Father's Day. I think they all liked their shirts very much. When we took the kids to the museums, they wore their shirts and got lots of compliments. They really did turn out very cute!

Home Depot Workshop

My neice Dani works at Home Depot and called me up one Saturday, because she wanted the kids to come to the workshop that they have. We had never been before, so we thought we might go and try it out. The kids were very excited to go. It was soooo much fun. The kids each got to make a baseball equipment holder. It has a spot to hang bats, put balls on, and even hang a hat. Now we have four of these, and I'll have to figure out where to put them all. But, they all had a great time and want to come back for the next one. They do the workshop every first Saturday, so I think it'll have to be something we put down on our calendar, and if we get there early enough they'll even get their very own orange Home Depot apron!!

Poor Little Sicky

Jo has had a fever a couple of times in the past few weeks. I put her in a cool bath to try and bring her temperature down. I left for like 30 seconds to go get her a towel, and when I came back she was asleep. Poor little thing, I felt so bad for her. This one was in Texas.

She got another fever when we were back in Utah. M came down stairs at about 11:00 p.m. and told me that J was crying. When I went up there to check on her, she was burning up. I took her temp and it was at 104.8, very scary. I gave her some Tylenol, put a wet rag on her to cool her off and called my neighbor to come help give a blessing (of course, DH was out of town, but we did have Uncle R to help)! She received such a nice blessing, and was told that she would recover without any further complications. She ran a low-grade fever throughout the night, but by morning she was feeling much better. I was so thankful for that.

I went over to my neighbors to thank him for coming over in the middle of the night, and to tell him what a nice blessing he had given. When he came over that night, he was very concerned about J and was wondering if we needed to take her to the hospital. I said I wanted her to have the blessing first, so we went ahead and did that. He told me that it was a very special experience for him, because he felt an overwhelming spirit telling him that J would be okay, and that as soon as he finished he knew she would be just fine. Isn't the priesthood amazing? I thank Heavenly Father for it daily!!

So Much To Do, So Little Time

We have been having so much fun with our family here in Utah After we finally survived our 25 hour drive home from TX (which included a 2-hour delay on the side of the road in the middle of Nowhere, KS with a flat tire), we were so excited for the rest of the family to come. It has been almost 2 years since the last time we were all together. We've packed our days with as much fun as we could. So, I really haven't had much time for anything else.

We've had a surprise 41st anniversary party for our parents, and celebrated with them, the joy of the marriage. We spent a day at temple square, and went out to eat. We've gone swimming, had BBQ's, watched fireworks, went to the Mayan, did sealings in the Mt. Timapanogos Temple, went up to Bridal Veil Falls for pictures & fun, went to Lagoon, and saw Pirates of the Carribbean 2 (which I didn't love). Sooooo much fun!!

I really feel blessed to have such a wonderful family. We all get along really well, which I am so grateful for. I'm going to be so sad when everyone has to leave, but life must go on. The plan now is to have a reunion every other year. Hopefully it'll work. Time is so precious and something we don't seem to have a lot of. So, my goal is to cherish the time that we do have together and to enjoy every minute of it!!