First Canning of the Year

Yesterday I canned chicken. I know that sounds gross, but really it isn't. Last year I saw some bottled chicken at my friends' house. At first I didn't know what it even was until I asked. When she told me I thought it sounded yucky. As I got thinking about it I wondered why it would be yucky. I buy canned chicken, so why not do it myself. But, I never did. Then, my friend gave me some to try. It was YUMMY! And, it was so convenient. I told her that one day she would have to show me how to do it. Well that one day was Monday. She brought over some chicken and a pressure cooker. So, yesterday I canned away. I got 19 quarts! That's 19 meals!! It will be so easy, just open a jar and I can make enchiladas, sandwiches, salads, and so much more! I think I will be doing this again when the chicken is on sale, it is totally worth it!

Beat The Parents

We got this game for the kids last Christmas and have only played a few times. They beat us every time. I think the questions must be stacked in favor of the kids!

Witch Doctors!

Loved this dance!!

The girls were SO cute!

Walking

Got up this morning and went walking with my friend, M came along too!

It felt really good to get out and get moving. It was quiet and peaceful.

We were able to enjoy the early morning together before the rest of the world wakes up and things start getting busy. Hopefully we can make this a habit.

Talent Show

The girls did one of their competition dances in the school talent show.

They got together a couple of times to work out some parts.

I thought they did a really good job at rearranging things.

They performed really well! Super cute girls!

Atomic Girls!

Pinewood Derby

S got to participate in his first pinewood derby. He had a lot of fun even though his car wasn't the fastest. We had our nice grandpa friend help us cut and sand the car. Then, S painted it. They raced and raced and raced. Then, we had awards and refreshments. A successful night!

Last Day of School

School's Out!

I can hardly believe that another school year has gone by. The kids all did really well this year. They learned a lot, played a lot, and had a lot of good times. Now it's time for summer fun!

T's last day of Elementary School.

CRAZY! I know I've been saying that a lot lately, but I can't believe he will be going into Jr. High in the fall. He's excited and I'm nervous. I hope he continues to surround himself with good friends and always has the desire to choose the right. He's a great kid!

Always A Friend

Today I got to visit with two very good friends from high school. I haven't seen them for a long time and it was so much fun to catch up and just visit. Between the 3 of us we have 13 kids! Crazy. The wonderful thing about these friends is that it doesn't matter how much time has passed, once a friend, always a friend! I am so grateful for them and for the impact they've had on my life!

HC Storm Soccer Party

Last week was the end of year soccer party for T's HC Storm team.

We had a yummy dinner, the kids ran around and played, we watched a slide show, and the coach handed out trophies and awards. It was a great night for all!

Pedram, the coach got all the boys matching shirts. He has been an amazing coach and really good for the boys. He has taught them a lot and really cares about the boys.

Pedram got S and another little boy a soccer ball that everyone on the team had signed. He has been so nice to S too. S was an unofficial ball boy. He was always right there with the team wanting to be involved and Pedram made him feel special!

It was a great year and we are ready for year 2!

3 Track Meets

I got to go to 3 Hershey Track Meets this year.

Here's T running the 200 Meter race.

He took 2nd in his heat.

S at the starting line.

M doing the softball throw.

The kids really enjoy these meets. Since T will be going to Jr. High this year (CRAZY), this was his last track meet. It seems so weird. The track meets are fun for me too. I love going to watch the kids and supporting them in their activities.

Hope of America Take 2

M got to participate in the Hope of America program this year.

I think the kids have a lot of fun performing.

They sing some great songs about our country!

HC Storm Year 2

T had soccer tryouts on Thursday and made the team!!

He was so nervous, but did a great job.

Here we go again, year 2!

19 Grandkids

Over Mother's Day weekend all 19 grandkids on DH's side were together.

Here they are lined up in order from oldest to youngest.

Notice T is the 3rd oldest, but he is my little short guy! We tease him about it all the time. But, he's a good sport about it! We had lots of fun together!

Friends

I'm so glad my kids have such good friends!

2nd Grade Program

It's that time of year where we get to go to all sorts of programs.

The second graders put on an adorable program. They either sang a song or recited a poem for each month of the school year. My favorite was January. They sang a song about hot cocoa.

It's c c c c cold outside.

I'm fr fr fr fr freezing.

BRRRRR

My nose is getting runny (sniff sniff).

I hope I don't start sneezing (Achooo).

My t t t t tootsies are

F -R- O- Z- E- N

that's frozen!

If I count them, I'm not sure if I would still have ten.

I want a hot cup of cocoa,

with a marshmellow or two.

I want a hot cup of liquid love only the chocolate kind will do.

I want a hot cup of cocoa to warm me up from head to toe.

Mix it in a mug, pour it in a cup, serve it on a platter, and warm me up!

With a h h h h hot,

c c c c cup,

of co co co co cocoa!

YUM!!

It was such a cute program, and J is such a cute girl!!

S is 9!

On May 5 my cute S turned 9.

He really really wanted a suit for his birthday, and was

proud to pose for a picture in it.

He wanted brownies for his "treat".

Instead of always making a cake, I told the kids they can have whatever treat they want.

I like it better this way anyways because most of the time half the cake goes to waste.

This way they are getting something they really want!

He blew them all out on the first try!

I'm so grateful that S is in our family. He is definitely a growing, energetic boy. He is always on the move, and you never know what to expect with him. But, on the flip side he has the most tender heart. He is such a sweet boy. He has a strong testimony and loves his family. He is smart and has many friends. I feel honored to be his mother!

Bountiful Baskets

My friend told me about this thing called Bountiful Baskets. It's a local co-op that you can purchase produce from. On Mondays you have to get on their website and try to get a "spot" which will guarantee that you get a basket. Then, you select a site where you will go pick it up. I got a spot so then on Saturday I got my stuff. I got all this yummy produce for only $15.00. It's way cheaper than if I bought it all at a store. I might just try this again:)

Mother's Day

This yummy breakfast was made for me this morning!

A delicious omelet, some toast, oranges, strawberry milk, and water!

The kids also gave me the gifts that they made for me at school.

I love the homemade gifts!

At church I was asked to help in Primary. We put on robes and slippers (not our own) and bags over heads. Then we got brought into the room, where the kids asked us questions. They had to guess who the moms were. They were pretty good and figured out who all the moms were.

S was very cute, he said he could tell it was me because of my hands. I didn't know he paid that much attention to my hands. I love kids!

We went to my MIL's for dinner.

Here are all the moms that were there!

I'm so grateful to be a mom. My kids bring me the greatest joy!

Being a mom is the hardest thing I've ever done, but also the most rewarding. I'm thankful for my own mom who raised me well and who taught me many things. Happy Mother's Day to her!

Run to Walk

Well, I did it!!!

I ran/walked my very first 5K this morning. I was super nervous. I cried this morning because I didn't want to be last. I didn't know if I would survive. But, I wasn't last and I did survive! I even beat my own time by 12 minutes. Now, if I can keep it up. DH's family and my good friend April also ran. We want to try and do one a month. Hopefully I can keep improving my time. And, maybe just maybe it'll help me lose weight. Why am I always needing to lose weight? Oh well. I'm just happy I made it. I even proudly wore my race shirt today!

She's Shaving

So, the other day M was getting ready for her dance competition.

She told me she had hair on her armpits. I looked, and sure enough like 5 long black hairs under each arm. I've been very reluctant to let her shave. It just seems like that means she's growing up. But, I had to give in. She wanted me to do the first one for her, and then she did the other. Now she's doomed to shaving all the time. I tried to tell her once you start you have to keep doing it. She didn't care. She wanted to do it and she did!

Andrea's Baby Shower

Andrea's baby shower was a couple of weeks ago. I thought it turned out very nicely. The decorations were cute, the food was delicious, and the guests were a plenty!

Gift Table

Food Table

Centerpieces

Candy Table

Future Mommy and Daddy

Dog Bite

About a week ago we were at a family dinner at my SIL's house. T and his cousin were outside skateboarding and having fun. Then, he came in and told me that we needed to go. When I asked him what was wrong he told me that he had gotten bit by a dog. OUCH! When I got up, I saw his leg and the blood. The first thing I was concerned about was getting him his shot. Of course it was a Saturday night, so I decided to take him to an InstaCare. We got there at 8:40, and it had closed at 8:30, just our luck. So, we went to another one, and they didn't accept my insurance. Then, we were off to the emergency room. DH was at work so my SIL kept the other kids. My other SIL came along. She is going to school to be an MA and wanted to come.

This is his leg after the blood was all cleaned up. We got bored in the waiting room and started taking pictures. You can see the bruise under the cut, which was made from the dogs teeth. Poor T. He was such a trooper though.
And, here he is waiting for the doc to come. We did A LOT of waiting, and waiting. and waiting.
We were there for 5 hours! It was horrible (and to make things worse I got sick while we were there. I was going to the bathroom all night). No fun:( I'm so glad my SIL was there to goof off with me. We finally got home around 2:30 a.m. It was a LONG night.

Here's a picture of his leg after it was irrigated and right before he got his stitch. The "white-ish" area around the bite is the numbing medicine. So, when the triage nurse saw us, she said they would probably just clean it and give him a shot. I guess they don't like to stitch bites because it's like a puncture wound, and since it's deep there is risk of infection. When the doc came in, she first ordered x-rays to make sure the bone wasn't hit and that there weren't any tooth fragments in the wound. Those were both ruled out. Whew! Then she told us the same thing the triage nurse said. When she was irrigating the wound, some of the fatty tissue starting coming out so she said she actually would have to stitch it up. So, 5 hours, 2 x-rays, some irrigating, some numbing, some antibiotics, a shot, and a stitch later, we were finally able to go!

Last Minute Picnic

The other day we had some beautiful weather and decided to have a last minute picnic.

We barbequed some hamurgers, made some potato salad, and cut up some cantalope.

It was delicious! We had a nice quiet evening. I'm looking forward to many more!

Our Spring Break in Pictures

For Spring Break we went to St. George!

Some of our good friends came with us and we stayed in JJ's house again.

My little "Witch Doctor"!

Not only were we there for some good, fun relaxing time, but the girls had a dance competition.

T is so good with little kids.
We were in the other room playing cards and Sophie was with us for a while. Then she walked into the room where T was and cuddled up to him. The next thing we knew, they were both sound asleep on the couch. It was pretty darn cute if you ask me!


We spent a day hiking in Zions.

Photo of all the kiddos.

Standing under a waterfall.

Pretty view during the hike.

Another day we went to a very cool park.

More park fun!

This was a cool swing thing.

The kids all rinsing off in the gigantic shower.

S doing some "sweet" jumps into the pool.

A little night swimming.

The kids swam all day long from the moment they woke up at 7:30 a.m. until we finally convinced them to get out around 10:00 p.m. But, I guess when the pool temp is 96 degrees who wouldn't want to be swimming all day!

It was a great Spring Break and I wasn't ready for it to be over. Until next time!

BRRRRR!

T had a soccer game last night. I knew it would be a little chilly so we put on sweats and grabbed a few blankets. However, it was more than a little chilly. It was FREEZING!! It was probably about 34 degrees, but there was wind. I think the wind was what made it so cold. The girls ended up in the car because they were so cold. S and I stuck it out in the cold. On the bright side they won and T scored both of their goals!!!