Caron Crew

Not Wanting to Brag....but.....

2010-11-10T16:57:00.000-08:00

I vacillate between what a blog is for...whether it's for my own family's memories, or for information to share with others. So stupid, but I really deliberated about this one. Should I share something awesome, or should I just keep quiet. I finally decided that my blog is essentially for my memories, so I'll do what I want to do dang it!!! But as usual, I digress.

Last week, a friend commented to me about Noah being in the school newsletter for a perfect test score. I looked at her with curiosity because I had absolutely NO idea what she was talking about. She told me that Noah was one of a few people who got a perfect score on the end of last year's CRT tests. What?! Okay, I know Noah doesn't share a lot about school with me, but I at least thought he'd let me know about this! (I'm guessing this is a mini version of SAT's?) Actually, he ended up being only one of 2 people in the entire school!

I'm telling you, I couldn't be more proud. Especially since good test taking abilities are DEFINITELY not hereditary in this family.

Crazy Weather

2010-11-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing I know about Vegas, it's that Fall is the quickest season of all. One second it's hot, the next you're needing a jacket. This year has been no exception.

Well into October, it was still sunny & warm. Warm enough that Ben decided he wanted to whip out his swimsuit & run through the sprinklers.

Just a few days later, we started to get a lot of rain. Jordan & Noah decided they wanted to walk over to McDonald's one afternoon.

Not long after they left, it began to pour. The lightning was everywhere. The worrier mom in me decided I needed to go out to find them. However, once they saw me they ran in the opposite direction. They wanted to get as soaked as humanly possible I guess.

It worked.

Ben loves it when it rains. When it started to really pour, he told me he needed to go get something. When he came downstairs, he had our gun earmuffs on. He told me the sound of the rain hitting the patio cover was too loud.

Birthday Boys

2010-10-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

Taylor's father Bill & Noah share the same birthday, born October 2nd, exactly 50 years apart. My mom had family over for dinner after General Conference, so it was a perfect opportunity for a little cake! I find it so neat that Bill always makes an effort to be in town so the two of them can celebrate their birthday together. They have not missed a year yet.

The birthday boys.

Noah's love for football inspired this cake.

Who knows what they were talking about, but I'm almost certain it was business related.

The first time, and probably the last, I've ever seen them with their arms around each other & a smile.

Ben made a "mini-cake" to go along with the birthday cake.

My brother in-law Jared was in town from Idaho, so we were excited to have him come & hang out with us. Also, my grandpa was feeling well enough to come over for a while too.

So grateful for that.

Michael washing dishes? I'm sure it's because he had Brandy over. Whenever a girlfriend/boyfriend comes for dinner, I know I won't be needing to do the dishes.

The following Sunday, Noah was ordained to be a Deacon, & was able to pass the Sacrament for the first time. I can't even express how amazing it felt to see two of my sons passing the Sacrament. I'm so proud of him.

I love you Noah!!!

Soccer Time!

2010-10-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

Primary Soccer has started again this year. Ben is SO excited to be playing, since he wasn't old enough last year to participate. Each week is a countdown until the next Thursday for him.

Before the game, it's social time.

Once the game begins, he's in complete concentration mode with the tongue in the cheek.

Mom used to call soccer "bunch ball" because it always looks like a little bunch of kids moving up and down the field with the ball. I completely see why.

Before his first game, Noah told him he'd give him a dollar if he got a goal. This incentive isn't in effect anymore however, or he'd be completely broke.

I'm so proud of how well he's doing in soccer. He's always had a good kick, and he never stops running at home (& I mean never), so this obviously is the sport for him.

Roller Coaster Day

2010-09-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I had a day that took me on an emotional roller coaster. It was Stake Conference....a day I really look forward to. I've never been in a stake where I felt so excited to hear what the Stake President and the rest of the speakers have to talk about. A stake where I don't think of Stake Conference as a vacation from church kind of day. President Shields is always so direct, and he never beats around the bush about what we need to be doing. This year was no exception......but I digress (as usual).

I can always expect that on the day of Stake Conference, I will not see Taylor one iota. He ends up being at the Stake Center from morning till night, since we have three different sessions. I usually don't see him much anyways, but at least on this day I know he'll be able to sit with us and I'd have help with the kids. I look forward to this probably as much as I look forward to hearing from the stake president. Well, the morning started off fine, but then something kicked in with the kids because the fighting in the house got out of control. Constant mean comments, constant crying, constant yelling of "Jordan get out of my room", etc. Basically a lot of tension. I had to lecture a few times, send kids to their rooms a few times, make everyone kiss and make up a LOT of times. I'd had it!

Finally, it was time to head off to Stake Conference. When Taylor joined us in our row, he took one look at my face and knew something was wrong. He asked if I was okay and my eyes just welled up. Nope, I was officially done and wanted to just go home. I'm happy I didn't because the first talk was from President Peterson on Motherhood. I needed this. I needed to be reminded of the good things about being a mother. I needed the regular squeezes on my shoulders from Taylor letting me know he agreed with what was being said. I needed him leaning over to kiss my head and tell me he loved me. I was finally able to let it go and relax.

I ended up going VT'ing right after church. While I was gone, Taylor had a talk with the kids to find out what had happened. When I returned, I was greeted with this........

It even had a post-it note to decode the writing.

The kids had thought all of this up by themselves. They all also wrote letters telling me that they were sorry for behaving badly that day. It was a pretty great way to come home. It was also a great way to end my day.

I absolutely love being a mother! I know that there will be days like this that kick me in the butt. I know there will be days I want to just quit and go get a job somewhere else. But that's just motherhood in a nutshell. An emotional roller coaster.....but I will always be grateful for it. I will always be grateful I am a mother and wouldn't change it for the world.

Ben's Comments Lately

2010-09-20T15:15:00.000-07:00

I have noticed that Ben is at an age where the funniest things come out of his mouth. It makes it all the more hilarious when he doesn't know what he's saying.

A few examples:

After capturing a preying mantis and drawing a picture of it for school, he asks me "Mom, why do praying mantis's have to pray all the time?"

Hailey: "Mom, do you know how to do a backflip?"

Me: "No"

Ben: "Skinny girls can do backflips."

(Wow, thanks)

Hailey came home from spending the night at Momoo's with a huge zucchini. Today I'm in the car talking to Taylor on the phone......

Me: "Do you want me to make quiche or zucchini soup?"

Taylor: "Go ahead and make the zucchini soup."

Ben (from the backseat): "I don't want to have bikini soup!"

School Has Begun!

2010-09-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

Again, not exactly on time, but at least I'm motivated enough to get this blogged right?

Well, anyways, school has started for everyone this year in the Caron household. It's always so exciting the first day for everyone, but the novelty wears off by lunchtime. The older ones usually come home with a few stories, but generally the next day, they are ready for summer again.

Ben, on the other hand, was (and still is for that matter) SO excited about going to school. Not to mention it gives me 2 1/2 hours of peace and quiet. I can even watch whatever I want on tv without someone bugging me to change the channel or to put it on Xbox! Ahhh the life!

It was so bittersweet dropping Ben off for his first day in kindergarten. I was definitely excited for this day, but seeing that little man stand in line, smile beaming from ear to ear, really hit me. My babies are no longer babies!

The boys weren't up for much photography that morning, but they did humor me with one picture at least before we headed to the bus.

Ben getting his backpack all together.

On our way!

Benjamin & Mommy

Proudly showing off his very own folder given to him by his teacher.

(I love the look in his eyes in this picture)

15 Years

2010-09-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

(Yes, this should have been posted several weeks ago, but a few things needing attention got in the way.)

I cannot believe I've been married to my sweetie for 15 years already! Time has flown like you would never believe.

At the beginning of this year, we had grand plans to go on a cruise. However, as time grew closer, reality set in and we realized it wasn't the smartest idea. Plus, two days after our anniversary, we'd be taking a big vacation to Colorado with all of my family! Who couldn't ask for anything more than being with your parents, brothers, sisters, and all of their kids for your anniversary?!

So anyways.....I decided that I'd surprise Taylor by getting his ring re-engraved. When we got married, I had his ring engraved "Ti Amo 8/12/95" (Italian for I Love You). Ever since then, my family has teased me that I only loved him that day. Plus, the words have all but worn off. Such a great idea, but pulling it off would be another story. He NEVER takes his ring off! Guess this should please me, but for this situation, not so much. A few days before our anniversary it dawned on me to have him take it off so I could clean it. I do this randomly, so he didn't think anything off it. The best part of this idea is that when I do this, he usually forgets I have it in the cleaning solution and ends up without his ring on for a couple days. Brilliant!!! The next morning as we're saying goodbye, I keep thinking "don't ask for the ring, don't ask for the ring, don't ask for the ring." I was so nervous my plan wouldn't work. But, like every other time, he forgets and off to work he goes, professing his singleness all along the way without his ring! I knew that I couldn't hold off giving him his ring until our anniversary, so I surprised him that night with a ring that look just like the day we got married......except the engraving now read "Ti Amo Per Sempre 8/12/95" (I will always love you).

Obviously he felt obligated to return the favor (also since I talk about getting my ring fixed incessantly).
Here are the results.........

It's not quite as difficult to get my ring since I take it off every night before I go to sleep. He did hatch up quite a plan including my older boys to get the ring to him while he was "at work". That night I was so surprised as he gave me the ring. I LOVE it way better this way! It has new prongs that I don't constantly worry about breaking further & not getting scratched with, as well as white gold that makes the diamond stand out more. He also had it engraved in Italian as well. Such a sweet husband!!!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY HONEY!!!!

Pink Lilies - aka Sweaty Men in Swimcaps

2010-08-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

Many have be asking for a video of Laurel Canyon Ward's men's performance at our North Las Vegas Stake's Pioneer Days. (It frustrates me that when I post a video on here, it cuts the right side off. For this reason I have just posted a link to YouTube. If anyone knows how to adjust the settings for that, please let me know.)

For those two days of festivities, it was so hot and humid outside, it made me really get a taste of what it must have felt like to be a pioneer, to be hot, sweaty and sticky constantly. No, the sweat on these guys is not from working out pre-performance, but from the intense heat that day. But, I digress......without further ado......I present the "Pink Lilies"!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XepQ2RVkLdA&playnext=1&videos=pIFG_lPGbgA

(this link is working now)

Our Princess

2010-07-31T09:31:00.000-07:00

When I found out I was having a girl after two boys, I was ecstatic! She has been such a joy to have in our family. She's such a girly-girl, so I get my fill of frill with her. Her sensitivity towards others is touching, and her creativity amazes me all the time.

Some of her favorites.........

Color: Purple (for today)

Books: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn

Movies: Uhhh....Duh!

Activity: Baking, Drawing, Painting, Swimming, Hanging out with friends

Food: Sushi probably?

Hailey's blessing day. Noah's little peek around the corner cracks me up.

Always a "daddy's girl". She's got him wrapped around her finger.

She's always been such a girlie-girl. Here, she comes out to help Daddy with the yard, but she still needs her heels on.

Rachel's Wedding

She's always been very imaginative and creative. One day I caught her setting up a "classroom" in my shower.

Her dream is to be a cake maker. I've always admired what people can do with cakes, and it was her that got me into trying to make them. It's been fun coming up with creative ideas for cakes with her.

She's always absolutely LOVED dressing up. My favorite Halloween costumes she's worn have always been the ones that come with a wig. Especially that Snow White one. She looked so funny with that little round head.

I feel so blessed to have a daughter as loving and sweet as she is. She wishes she could have a sister. However, I know she loves some of the perks of being the only girl. I also enjoy having just one and being able to focus all my "girl" attention to just her. I feel a different bond with her as we stick together in a house full of manliness. I love her with all my heart and am thankful to my Heavenly Father for sending her to me.

What You Don't See

2010-07-29T18:01:00.000-07:00

I came upon a web post on Mormon Times today written by Tiffany Gee Lewis. As I read it, I realized that I am not the only one who feels lacking in one way or another as a mother. It's so true that we compare our WORST attributes with the BEST of everyone else. I often feel like I'm trying to do it all, but it just doesn't happen. This article gave me a boost & I hope will help anyone who reads here as well.

What you don't see, when we all march into church on Sunday morning, is the chaos of the morning that happened just 10 minutes earlier.

What you don't see, when you look at my four little boys in their suits, is that the 7-year-old is wearing Dad's socks because we couldn't find his. And they go all the way up to his knees.

What you don't see, when I pull out the lovely quiet book I made a few years back, is that below it, in my church bag, are five baggies of smashed raisins because I haven't cleaned out the bag for months.

When you enter my house, with its shining entryway, you don't see the three loads of laundry dumped on my bed. Or the dirty pots I stashed in the oven. And you will never see the interior of my minivan, not until I find the time to vacuum it out.

When you admire the hand-sewn pajamas I made for all the kids, we don't talk about the three nights I got no sleep to make those.

If you look on my blog, you will see pictures of homemade chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles. You won't see my confession to popping in a frozen pizza THREE times last week for dinner.

Or the night we ate Cheerios for dinner, dry, because we were out of milk. There is a zoom on my camera for a reason. There is a delete button for a reason.

I don't think we're all playing a part. We naturally want to put our best selves forward, so that is what other people see. They don't see what's going on behind the scenes. I like to think that good parenting is like a duck on the water. What you see is the gentle, almost effortless gliding, not the furious paddling that happens underneath.

I keep a mental list of about ten people I want to stalk by camera, from morning to night, to see how they do it all. Are they up at 4 a.m.? Can they survive on three hours of sleep? Do they have a housekeeper? Because I drop balls just as fast as I can grab them. My intentions are of pure gold, but they come out as tinkling brass, at best.

I started a blog last fall. I dragged my feet into it for many reasons. One of the main reasons I hesitated was I didn't want to be another contributor to the cyberspace guiltosphere out there. Especially where mothers are concerned, do we need one more reason to feel guilty?

Because from the looks of things, other families are happier, their houses are cleaner, their marriages are better, their clothes are more stylish and their craftiness is even more crafty. Their lives are perfectly lovely, while my kids are running around screaming in their diapers.

My worst fears were confirmed last week when I got an e-mail from a friend who asked, "How do you do it all? Your column, your blog, all the things you do with your children? You're amazing!"

I looked around at my house, at the six bins of winter clothes waiting to be transported to the garage, at the sewing projects stacked against the wall, at the state of the toothpaste crusted to the sink ... I let things go, a lot of things.

A spanking-clean house is not a high priority for me. I'm a big believer in mud and its importance in a child's life. The time I take to write is time away from scrubbing that bathroom sink. I would rather read with my kids than shop at the mall, so I am certainly not up-to-date on the latest styles. I've been listening to the same music for 20 years because I can't seem to keep up with the latest music scene. And I require a lot of sleep.

We all have priorities. For some, it is keeping a spotless house, and they are good at it. For others, it is writing, or exercising, or serving others. And yes, there are some who seem to do it all, the Benjamin Franklins of the world. I tell myself I don't have to be them. And also, Benjamin Franklin was not much of a family man. Even he let things go.

What we don't see, when we look at each other on Sunday, or on blogs, or in our shiny kitchens, is that we all have different talents and unique situations. I tell my kids all the time: Life is not a race. The only person you are competing against is yourself.

What we forget to see, when admiring others, is our own personal finish line.

Carrie!! (take 2)

2010-07-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

(My loving hubby so kindly "published" this post while it was sitting unfinished on the computer, instead of "saving". The following is actually what I was wanting to initially publish.)

Last year, a number of Hailey's friends were raving about how they got to go see the Jonas Brothers in concert. It hurt her feelings, and she felt very jealous, but I asked her of anyone who performs, who would she rather see? I knew the answer, but wanted to hear it straight from her mouth. The problem was, Carried Underwood hadn't been touring, so she'd have to wait.

Then, in October of this year, I heard she was coming to Vegas. So I jumped on the computer & snagged a couple of tickets to see the concert. My plan was to give it to her for her birthday. However, her birthday wasn't for four more months. It was hard keeping it from her, and even harder telling her I didn't know if we could go when she'd ask if I'd bought tickets yet. Then her birthday arrived. It had been so long since I bought them, I completely spaced that I had them. So, even though it was few days after the fact, she opened her birthday present. I wish I could have had her reaction on film. She talked about it all the time, and even though the concert wasn't for another few months, the excitement never died. Even though I took tons of pictures & video, here's just a sample......

Displaying the shirt she made before the concert.

Julie (my sis), Mom, Hailey & I on our way out.

Craig Morgan was one of her opening acts. I didn't recognize his name, but I recognized a ton of his songs from the radio.

This was another opening act. I don't even remember their name. They were not exactly our favorite. Julie even studied her medical book for class during their act. One song's chorus just wore out our nerves. In order to have fun with it, Julie got gansta with it.

Her opening number was Cowboy Casanova. Seriously, her voice is amazing! She sounds JUST like she does on the radio/albums. You know how there are people that just don't sing well live (ahem Taylor Swift)? Not her!!!

At one point, she came out singing on the back of a "flying" pickup. It was cool just having her get so close for Hailey to see her better. I purposely took this picture with Hailey's face in the corner, so you could see how close she was here.

Many random pics I took of Julie & I. Couldn't seem to get a good one.

Finally a decent one!!!

Hailey's prized Carrie concert shirt.

My Daddy

2010-06-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

On this, yet another Father's Day, I thought I'd do things a little different. First, I'd actually make a post on my blog. Second, I'd share a few things I love about my dad.

Now that I'm an adult, my relationship with him has changed considerably. I remember him being so cool because he knew a lot of the music I listened to and would listen to it himself sometimes. Since I am the oldest of 7, our house would be a little crazy sometimes. Those times when he was driving me home from school when I was just starting out as a teenager, we'd just talk. It was great because there were no interruptions. I specifically remember one talk when I was kind of blue. He told me that he remembers being a teenager and that that would NEVER be a time he'd relive. I felt like he understood me completely & wasn't so "old".

I also remember him turning 40 & thought he was way beyond old. I'm pushing that now, & realize my kids are thinking that about me too. Dad, you definitely weren't old, just a mere child!

Dad loves to joke around. I've always loved his sense of humor.

Dadoo & a few of his granddaughters swinging on the backyard hammock. He loves playing around with his grandkids.

We had a 60th surprise birthday party for him at Taco Bell. Dad's favorite restaurant, especially if he's paying. This was so much fun & they even let him work the drive through for an order!

This is one of my favorite shots of him. The look on his face shows me how much he really does love his grandchildren.

BYU was/is/and forever will be his favorite team. He was so sick the day of the BYU/Oregon football game, yet he had to be there.

My parents were sealed in the St. George Temple when I was just a couple months old. I am so grateful my parents set that example to me about the importance of temple marriage.

Dad, I know there are so many things I could say about you, but most of all, I'm grateful I was able to be your daughter. You are a great example to me. I am so appreciative of everything you do for me, my hubby & our kids. You are my "favorite". I hope you had a wonderful Father's Day!

Love,
Gretchen....um, I mean

My Benjamin

2010-05-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love my little man. I've never had a child so all over the board with his moods though. He can be such a cuddlebug one minute and the next be giving you his evil eye.

Lately he's been cracking me up with his parrot-like comments. I've had to get on the other kids to be careful of the things that come out of their mouth. When you praise him for something he's done, his reply is "I'm just awesome like that" (thanks Jordan). Wow, no problems with self esteem with this guy! (BTW, we're working on stopping this phrase).

He recently lost 2 teeth. I don't think I've had a child lose teeth before kindergarten, but he is older than the others were at that point. It's hard to believe he will be going to school next year. Partly I'm excited, so that I can have a couple hours free to myself each day. On the other hand, I'm sad because my baby will be in school. It's never easy when they start school. They still seem too little, and it feels like I'm sending them in to the wolves. I really had this feeling sending my kids to middle school....probably because I WAS sending them to the wolves.

I know he thinks he's 15 at times. He feels he should be able to do whatever he wants. Mom should NEVER tell him no. Dad, on the other hand, has more power over him in that department.....but hey, most kids respond to dad more anyways. At church on Sundays, you may not see me quite so happy with him though. Since Taylor's rarely at church with us, Ben pushes my buttons a little more. When he flashes his dimply smile at me, it's hard to stay mad at him long.

These pictures really sum up his personality best........

Determination written all over his face as he learns to crawl.

This is one of my favorite pictures of him when he was little.

He loves the dogs......sometimes a little too roughly though.

Swinging on Dadoo's hammock with Charlie & Mason.

A rare sight. He's constantly moving.....and never slowly.

He is obsessed with deodorant (pronounced "doe-o-dorant"). He wants to be just like his brothers. Last Christmas Noah gave him this deodorant for a present.

Caught him reading Hailey's Twilight magazine. He was not happy I took this picture.

He loved Primary baseball.

Taking a break to visit with Brendan at 2nd base.

I'm thinking this would be a good timeout spot.

He lost 2 teeth within a day of each other.

The Past 7 Months in a Nutshell

2010-05-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

I always felt like blogging was like journaling. I'm realizing now more than ever how much that is true. Especially when it comes to letting too much time pass between blogs. The longer it goes, the more guilty I feel, but the more I feel I need to include, so I never end up getting around to it. Such a vicious cycle! So for my sake, if nothing else, I'll sum up what's happened around here for the past 7 months.........

September:

Jordan had a skin graft on his leg. I'll keep the graphic images for my own personal viewing, but I will fill everyone in on his progress. The surgery went perfectly. As expected, the place on his thigh where they took the donor skin was extremely painful. The doctor told him that he would need to wear a compression sock for almost a year. Because Jordan was vigilant about following the doctor's orders, plus the fact that he had youth on his side, he was able to keep the skin flat enough that he doesn't need to wear that legging. Now he just has his "awesome" battle scar to show off to the world.

I turned another year older this September (no age in needed). My life is quickly passing before my eyes. It's so true when they say you never feel as old as you look. Mentally I feel 25. Physically, I sometimes feel 70. The amount of candles on this cake almost burned a hole in the ceiling. Good thing they took a picture beforehand because the smoke afterwards just about blocked out the camera's lens.

Airplane with my brother Michael.

Jordan's view of combing his hair. He figures he can get his mop flattened by using a hat to do the work for him.

October:

Noah turned 11 and received his Arrow of Light. I will always remember that night as being somewhat of a surprise. We were dealing with some issues at home, so I asked Noah if he really wanted to go to Scouts that night, since it was just a pack meeting and he didn't think he was receiving anything. About 6:15 (pack meeting started at 6), I got a call from a friend.......

"Are you still coming tonight?"

"Coming where?"

"To pack meeting."

"Well, I wasn't planning on it. Why? Is Noah supposed to be doing something for it tonight?"

"Well, he's sort of the guest of honor. He's receiving his Arrow of Light."

"Huh? That's news to me! We'll be right there!"

So I yelled for everyone to hurry and get in the car. I felt horrible for holding up the meeting, but yes, it would have been nice to know about it in the first place. I am so proud of Noah in receiving this award. He was so dedicated to Cub Scouting that he decided he was going to earn every single pin before he turned 11....and he did it!

Nicole, Jared & their kids came to visit for a few days. We were lucky enough to go see Lion King. That show is AMAZING! I highly recommend it. Ben was just transfixed the entire time.

Another one bites the dust. Our table bench tipped over and landed on Hailey's foot. I wasn't sure if it was broken, but with our track record I decided to bring her to the podiatrist just in case. Sure enough, a bone in her foot was snapped in half. We have our podiatrist on speed dial at this point.

Taylor's idea of a Halloween costume for the youth dance. I'm not exactly sure the idea he was going for, but he certainly got razzed by the other leaders. I'm guessing it was a 70's type guy, but the chain, yellow shades, shaded beard & undereyes made him look like either a druggie or a pimp. He was the talk of the night, as you could imagine.

An angel & a snake. Most people thought the cast was part of the costume & called her a "fallen angel".

Taylor & I were invited to a couples party at our friends' house. We were supposed to dress similar, and this was the only thing we could come up with (by the way, it's nice being able to fit into your son's clothes at times like these). It ended up being a Newlywed type game, but they called it the "More-lywed game". Amazingly we ended up winning the whole thing (it was VERY close though).

Noah & Bill once again were able to spend their birthday together. I'm not sure if they've missed a year since the day Noah was born. Noah LOVES the Packers, so I had to make a jersey cake for him.

November:

We took a trip up to Cold Creek in the northwest part of town. Taylor goes here to fish sometimes, the wild horses wander all around with no fear of people obviously.

They are a little skittish, but they will let you pet them if you're slow about it.

This one was so fearless, he decided to peek his head in to say hi.

The big month of November came. We were not so much excited for Thanksgiving and the school break it brings, but that New Moon came out. It was almost as exciting as Christmas for us!

I received a new calling to be the Boy Scout Committee Chairman. I was a little surprised at this, since I thought women handled the Cub Scouting and men handled the Boy Scouts. I also felt very overwhelmed for a couple of months, since I had absolutely NO idea about Boy Scouts and how it worked. I really love the calling now.

Cousins swinging in the hammock and Momoo's house (Reese, Charlie & Clara)

BYU vs. Utah game. All the men in our family are obvious BYU football fans.

December:

Jordan got his braces off.....a perfect present for his birthday the following day.

Jordan & his cousin Claire share the same birthday, albeit 12 years apart. Love the staredown she's giving him here.

An Xbox controller for Jordan's birthday. I was in such a hurry, so I feel like I could have done a lot better on this one. It was fun though.

Christmas at Grandpa Bill's house. So exciting having Santa take time out of his busy schedule to visit our family.

Four generations of Kochs (& a Caron)

Mistletoe hung in our entryway.

We made gingerbread houses this year for the first time.

Santa came and went. He's always so nice to leave the kids some reindeer milk.

We are very into "lining up" for events. It used to be pretty easy to do. Youngest to oldest.

Now there are so many of us, we hardly fit in the hallway. Plus the women are ending up having to stand in front of their children in order to be seen.

January:

I guess this month was little slower. Either that, or there was nothing exciting to photograph. I do have a good video though.......

He's eaten his vitamins every day since.

February:

Hailey turned 9. She wanted a cake shaped like a purse, so I did my best to use her initials of HC to copy the LV of the Louis Vuitton purses. Turned out pretty good for my first try.

March:

My little man turned 5 on March 31st. I can't believe it's been that long since my baby was born.

This cake was much bigger than it looked in this picture.

Such an annoying mom on the sidelines. I couldn't get away with this with my older boys.

Primary baseball started off to a violent start. Every time the ball was hit, a dogpile ensued. With the amount of time it took to pull all the kids off each other, the runner could have made a home run.

Ben had the ball in his hands in this play, but his teammate was holding his arm with the mitt down so he couldn't get up.

April:

We ended up getting a new playmate for Katie (and for us of course). Having a puppy is fun, yet challenging.

Missy's favorite sleeping position. I don't get it.

Katie's favorite pasttime is licking the dinner dishes while their being loaded in the dishwasher. Now she has a partner in crime.

Benjamin lost 2 teeth within a day of each other. He has the cutest lisp now.

Hailey & Benjamin decided that they wanted to leave a treat for the Easter Bunny. We leave food for Santa, so why leave EB out of the fun?

Easter bonnets are my the tradition at Momoo & Dadoo's house. We don't start the egg hunt until everyone sticks that bucket on their heads.

Update

2009-09-09T07:56:00.000-07:00

Jordan will be getting his skin graft surgery on Friday. We're both very excited. I'm thrilled because we can finally lay this injury to rest. He's thrilled because he gets to miss at least a day of school. I just don't think he knows what he's really in for.

By the way...I kind of have a theory. Granted, I didn't go to medical school, but I am curious if his wound has not been healing because of his allergy to the antibiotic he's been putting on. His burn in just one week has improved considerably with a new patch they gave him.

Hmmmm, curious.

Here's the Story

2009-09-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

Many people have been asking the deal with Jordan and his leg and how it happened. I am usually pretty strong when it comes to injuries involving my children, but this one tends to get me a little queasy.

For those of you who know Jordan, you understand that he isn't one to shy away from stupid situations. I firmly believe that one day I'll see him on Nitro Circus. Two months ago, Jordan and Noah went up to Utah to visit with his grandparents. He stayed a while longer in order to visit with his cousins in Rexburg. My brother in-law owns Rexburg Motor Sports, so dirt bikes and four wheelers are readily available. One afternoon while dirt biking, he got stuck in some mud and the bike tipped over on him. His leg became stuck between the tire and the exhaust pipe and burned clean through his jeans. Funny how his jeans had no damage, just the leg.

Now, for a positive and a negative. Negative note, during the month of August we had no insurance. Positive note, since he was up in Idaho, he could go straight to the burn center and didn't have to be sent to every other doctor in Vegas, each of them charging a fee, just to end up sending him to the one who would treat him. Things seem to be much simpler in Rexburg. Plus, medical treatment up there is considerably cheaper.

Hanging out in the whirlpool for burn treatment. This was the daily drill for a couple weeks.

So, we kept him up in Rexburg with my saint of a sister in-law Nicole in order to get him as much treatment as possible before bringing him home. The timing of it all couldn't have been more perfect. He had enough work done on him up there in order for us to understand what the extent of the damage was, as well as learn how we needed to treat him when he got home. Also, hey were kind enough to send him home with a huge box of supplies to get us by for a while (never knew how expensive gauze and wrappings were).

We have also been blessed to have a couple of nurses in our ward. I was able to ask whatever question I had, plus one of them came by a couple times to check things out and make sure everything looked okay. We pretty much knew a skin graft was on the horizon, but had to hold out hope that it would heal on its own.....or at least stay okay until our insurance began.

So, that's where we lie. We've had our consult at UMC's burn unit and are just awaiting a call for the surgery date. I can't wait for this to all be over with. And if I can't wait, I can just imagine how Jordan must feel. I do have to say, he has been VERY tough through this whole process. He's been taking care of his wound himself, being very cautious as to follow the exact steps the doctors told him. He doesn't complain about the pain at all....unless someone accidentally knocks his leg. I forget half the time that he even has this issue. I just couldn't be more proud of him.

For those of you morbid types, who enjoy checking out wound pictures, I'll post them here. For those of you who might puke if you see any sort of blood, I'll post them very small.

1 hour after the accident

3 weeks after

4 weeks after

At the consult with the surgeon....we didn't know he was allergic to sulfa in the antibiotic they gave us to apply. This caused the redness here.

My Baby Is HUGE!

2009-08-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

Over the past several months, something has been happening to Jordan that I've never seen with any of my children. I first noticed it when his jeans kept looking like he was expecting a flood. Then I realized I wasn't looking down at his eyes any longer....it felt like I was looking up. He literally grew 3 inches in a matter of months!

In my laundry room is a chart I keep for each of the kids' height. When we moved, I wrote down all the measurements on the previous wall in order to have it all. I also measure Taylor & myself in order for the kids to have something to gauge their growth by. The big goal was to grow taller than Mom.

Height Wall

I was still in denial that Jordan was taller than me, so we decided to be super scientific and stand back-to-back with a bread board on our heads. This picture became his proof that he is taller than me. He is so excited now!

Now the ultimate test is to see if they can get close or even surpass Taylor.

14 Years & Counting

2009-08-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

Today is our 14th wedding anniversary. It's such an odd feeling. It feels like it's flown by so fast, yet I can't remember a time when I didn't know Taylor.

He's the perfect man for me, but sometimes I'm amazed at how we ended up together. We were so opposite. He was Mr. Social, while I was so reserved and quiet. He was the institute council president at the time, and was conducting a meeting that I was actually forced to go to by my friends (thank you, you guys). There was just something about him when I first saw him. I was instantly attracted to him, but of course knew nothing could ever come of that. Everyone knew who he was, and since he was such a flirt, I knew many girls wanted to go out with him. I later found out that my roommate had gone out with him a couple times right before we met.

I still don't know how everything fell into place, but I know that Heavenly Father had a huge hand in it. From the moment we met, we ended up either seeing each other or talking on the phone every day from that point.

Wow we look tired. Going to work, then staying up all night with each other can really take a toll on your body. Unfortunately, you don't really know this is happening at the time.

Wedding day - 1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2006

2008

2009

I am more in love with you today than I was 14 years ago. I am so grateful to know that you are my protector, provider, and most of all my best friend....the person I can tell anything to.

Happy Anniversary honey! We've come a long way!!!!!

Seriously?!?

2009-08-06T12:09:00.000-07:00

It's 12:15 pm right now, and this is what Hailey's doing right now.

I know she went to bed late, but seriously...if she's sleeping this late as an 8 year-old, what am I going to deal with when she's a teenager?

My Girl Surprised Me!

2009-08-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

Hailey played soccer this year for the first time.

At her first practice, she pranced around like a stereotypical girl. I almost felt like putting a bag over my head. My daughter was "that player".....the one you don't want the ball going to during a game. I wondered if I had made a mistake signing her up.

After that first practice, I decided that I needed to put my many years of soccer experience to work (1 season). I taught her how to kick the right way, dribble between cones, an even tried to teach her to be more aggressive. I doubt she'll ever be too aggressive with anyone other than her brother.

At the next practice, she honestly shocked me. All of a sudden she had confidence. I took that bag off my head and held my head high. She was pretty good! This was also the first time I witnessed how fast she can run. I am so proud of how well she did.

Her face gets beat red anytime she's out playing in the sun for more than 30 seconds.

The "Orange Crushers"

We can't wait till the next soccer season.

Ewww!

2009-08-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

Our bugman recently came and sprayed around our house. This is what we woke up to the next morning.

I'm pretty sure he did a good job.

The End....Phew!

2009-07-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

The end of the school year has finally come to a close for the rest of my kids. Now I officially have 2 middle school kids. Funny how I thought that would be a LONG ways away. It's making me really feel my age now. I was thrilled to have both of these teachers for them this year.

Of course there are the mandatory end of the year award ceremonies. It's neat how they make a big deal about the fifth graders moving on. As a former 5th grade teacher, I remember how bittersweet these feelings were. You are excited for them to move on, but they are the only grade level that won't be returning to that school. Some of those kids you'll never see again.

Hailey & Mrs. Norman

Noah's 5th Grade Class

So cute, all dressed up for the awards

I don't remember what set Hailey off into this mood, but I just couldn't get her to smile...not even fake one.

Noah proud of his awards.

I Feel Dirty!

2009-07-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

I seriously have found a new hobby/passion. This hobby of baking has been taking up half my days lately . . . . and the other half taken up by cleaning it all up.

Ever since I started making cakes, I have used a MASSIVE amount of Crisco. I told Taylor the other day that in the past 6 months I have used more Crisco than I have used our entire 14 years of marriage....and then some. Not only do many recipes call for it, but you also need to slather it all over your counter and hands in order to keep fondant from sticking to it. My whole body just feels like a mess of grease and powdered sugar when I get finish a cake.....but I LOVE IT!

This cake was an assignment for my class right now.

Hailey wanted to make a miniature version of my cake. I think she did a pretty dang good job!

For the end of the school year, the kids and I made cakes for their teachers.

Mr. Games loves golf, so Noah really wanted to duplicate my previous golf cake. This time we made some additions with my first attempt at gum paste.

Mrs. Norman loves motorcycles, but I wasn't even about to attempt one yet. I found this cute idea online of a thank you note written from the student to the teacher on notebook paper.

"Little Hailey"

Despite my lack of sleep, and finishing up at the last second, I think they turned out pretty good. I even had some people ask me where I got them from. Hahaha! What a great compliment!

Hooked Up & Burned Up

2009-07-07T18:30:00.000-07:00

For the 4th this year, we went to some friend's house to barbecue & light some fireworks.

I'm always shocked how expensive fireworks are, so it's always difficult for me to want to spend much on them. However, this year we hit the mother lode when a friend of Taylor's seriously hooked us up with some "leftovers". I had to commemorate this even since this will probably be the first and last time this opportunity comes around. However, this picture doesn't even do it justice.

The guys would line up a bunch at once.

Usually we have to ration them in order to make it last longer.

Look at the size of this thing!

This year, there were so many "illegals" being shot off in the air all around us. There was no need to go to a fireworks show at one of the hotels with these bad boys going off.

The kids had a blast watching all the different lights showering in front of them.

Jordan just enjoyed lighting things on fire.

Hailey isn't too fond of the fireworks. Not the noise but the fear of getting burned.

I love this video. Look closely at Taylor on the left. His reaction cracks me up each time I see it.

He was still a little stunned after he was singed.

All-in-all we had a fun July 4th....and generally safe, despite a few minor burns.

My Latest Passion

2009-07-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

In February, Noah needed to make a cake for his Blue & Gold dinner. We brainstormed until we finally came up with an idea to make one look like a cheeseburger. We got so into it that it ended up looking better than we thought it might.

That being said, it turned me on to making cakes. I'm surprised at how involved it can really be and also how messy it makes my kitchen. However, I am loving learning about all the different ways to make cakes.

My family has asked to see pictures of the cakes I've made, so I decided to stick it all in one post.

The "Cheeseburger" cake

Bumblebee cake

Hailey's 8th birthday cake.

She loves coming up with ideas and seeing if we can make them come to pass.

"Baptism Dress" for Hailey's baptism day

(I was so upset I forgot to take a picture before we cut it)

Cake I made for the cake class Hailey & I took. I loved learning flowers and basketweave.

A "Tie" for my dad for Father's Day

My brother loves golf, so I decided to make him a big golf ball cake for his birthday (front).

(back)

You can see the size better in this picture.

Happy Father's Day!!!

2009-06-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

When I was in Young Womens, we were asked to write a list of qualities that we want for the person we marry. I've kept this list in my journal since then.

Qualities I want for my eternal companion:

1) Believe in church
2) Active in gospel
3) Gentleman & treats me well
4) Treats me as equal
5) Compassionate
6) Testimony of gospel
7) Has same goals as me
8) Taller than me!
9) Loves children
10) Will accept me for who I am & loves me for it
11) Gentle
12) Will strive to keep our family together
13) Will take me to the temple
14) Expects me to be worthy and strives to be also
15) Wants to serve a mission
16) Will support me in all decisions I make
17) Loves my family
18) Wants to be with me for eternity
19) Accepts adversity as it comes & strives to use it for good
20) Holds the priesthood

As I look over it, I realize that Taylor has everything I ever wanted in a husband (even #8!). I love how he interacts with kids. I am so grateful that he is the father of my children. Our family is so blessed that he holds the priesthood and strives to always be worthy to use it. I love you Taylor...my big, strong man! Happy Father's Day!!!

Taylor & Jordan - 1996

Taylor & Jordan - 1997

Reading to the boys - 1999

Hailey & Taylor on her blessing day - 2001

Christmas - 2003

Taylor & Benjamin - 2005

I have to also honor the father of my husband. I absolute adore my father in-law. He is always so supportive of us and welcomed me into the family from the very start. We always joke that I'm his favorite daughter in-law (although I'm the only one) but I always feel like he really means it. He's so fun to be around. I can tell he loves being a grandpa.

Bill, thank you for your love of me, my children, and always showing your love for your wife and family. Your example means a lot to me.

Family pictures - 2008

Bill & Marijke had no idea Taylor snuck up behind them.

Bill & my niece Rachel - 2009

Bill & Benjamin - 2005

My relationship with my dad has really evolved over the years. Growing up, he always seemed very serious. I realize now it was probably because he was trying to support 7 children. I am so grateful for his dedication to the gospel and support of my decisions throughout my life. My children love it when he's around. He can act just as goofy as them sometimes.

I love you Dad!!!

Dad always kisses Mom in front of us. He really showed us that it was good to show your children affection.

Easter - 2009

Dad's 60th birthday party at Taco Bell (his favorite "restaurant"). We threw him a surprise party here, and he was able to run the drive through for a bit as well.

Dad playing with Ben & Clara in the kiddie pool - 2008

Finally, I am grateful for my Grandpa Bill. Since Grandma Cherie passed away, my relationship has grown immensely with him. He has the best sense of humor (definitely where our family sarcasm originated). I am so thankful for his love of my husband and children. Even though he's their great-grandpa, my children think of him as "Grandpa". His strength through adversity, not only through my grandmother's health problems as well as his own, has shown me that I need to keep more of an eternal perspective on these physical trials.

I love you so much Grandpa!

YOU are my favorite.....and not because I'm your favorite granddaughter.

My favorite picture of Grandpa & myself

I hope all the men in my life had a relaxing Father's Day. I love you all!

Balance

2009-06-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

Taylor asked me the other day if I thought I had balance in my life. Huh?

Oh......okay I get it. He's noticed that I can't seem to get my head out of these books to do anything around the house. I'm trying, but it's like a drug pulling me back to either stay up super late reading, go up to bed earlier than normal to read (thus ignoring my husband), or doing basically the bare minimum around the house in order to have more time to read. I told him he should be thrilled to be telling me to stop reading and not staring at the TV.....because reading's good for you right? No comment......just a stare.

So, I decided that I need to do one of two things. Either I hurry up and get through these stinkin' books, or I can just make sure he doesn't ever see me reading.

Only 800 more pages until I have a "Balanced" life again........

......not that I was anywhere close to being balanced before.

Hypocrite

2009-06-01T11:49:00.000-07:00

I've rolled my eyes at the parties, the standing in line for the first copies of the DVD, the constant oohs and ahhs over Edward. I had no idea who Bella, Edward, Jacob, etc. were and didn't care one red cent to find out about them. I figured it was an adult version of Harry Potter, and I can't stand Harry Potter.

So I'm a big old hypocrite. A year later....maybe it's two.....I'm jumping on the bandwagon.

One day, someone offered us a copy of the movie. Fine, I thought, I'll see what all this hype is about. So we watched......Taylor pretended to snore through the first half. I was intrigued pretty much from the start and had to tell him to shut up. Then it started to pick up and suddenly there was no more snoring from the peanut gallery. I LOVED the movie. I'm pretty sure he liked it too. Can't wait for the next one.

Now I've borrowed the book from a friend and I'm glued. Poor Benjamin is getting neglected.....at least till I'm finished with the book.

Ben/Benji/Benjamin

2009-05-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

Ben = What most of us call him.
Benji = What HE insists we call him.
Benjamin = What we call him when he's in for it.

On March 31st, Benjamin Richard Caron turned 4 years old. I can't believe how quickly time has flown since he was born. Life is so much more interesting...and much of the time, more entertaining with him in our family.

A few hours old

My little man dressed up for church.

Ben has always loved his daddy. He especially loves working outside with him.

Off to go fishing.

He loves his brothers and sister. He is always so happy when they come home from school.

He's turned into quite a crackup regarding his clothes...especially his shoe choices.

Apparently the right shoes are not too important to him.

Goggles and glasses are his new thing. For his birthday, Dadoo Richard found some cool Spy Goggles. He wears them all the time.

Benjamin is my little stinker man. I absolutely love his enthusiasm, however often it wears me out. His smile and dimples brighten me each time I see them. I'm so blessed to have him for a son.

I love you Ben!!!!

My Mother's Day

2009-05-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

(I'm so behind on postings, so I figure better late than never.)

This Mother's Day was wonderful as usual.

Taylor always lets me sleep in extra long while getting the kids together to make me a fantastic breakfast. Then they excitedly come in to wake me up.

Hailey really got into doing things for me this year. She spent HOURS in her room putting together this Mother's Day sign. Each letter is cut out separately, each one has a different design, and then she pieced it all together. I was absolutely amazed.

Next, she made this sign/card on the art easel to have everyone sign.

Taylor surprised me with some beautiful flowers. Jordan made an especially sweet card in his computer class at school.

Hailey wrote this in her school class.

In Primary, the kids got to write different things that they "know" about us. I'm always entertained by these. It makes me realize how little they know AND really how much they know about me. When it comes to little things, like where and when I'm born, I realize it took me a long time to remember those things about my mom as well. However, when it comes to the things my kids say I do during the day, and what I do for them, I realize how keen they are to this info.

Uhhh, my favorite thing to do is to cook? HAHAHAHA!!!! Best joke I've heard all day!

My favorite line is that I cut myself and burn myself. Ahhh, he knows me too well.

I am so grateful to be a mother to these four wonderful children. What I especially love about Mother's Day is that I know that behind the day-to-day grind, the thoughts my children express to me are how they feel.

I know I need to work on being much, much, much, much more patient with each of them. I thank my Heavenly Father each day for the blessings they each bring.

Lied Museum (a.k.a. - The Petri Dish)

2009-05-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

At the height of the Swine Flu panic, we decided to take all the kids to the Lied Discovery Children's Museum downtown. As with all hands-on museums, especially this being mainly for children, we all felt like we needed a shower when we left. However, we all had a ton of fun there.

Ben & Rachel playing basketball in a square hoop.

My three beautiful boys.....ahem, I mean handsome.

(I just noticed the bottom of Noah's crutch is on his face. Yuck!!!)

Way too cool for this stuff.

Hailey and Ashley changing the direction the water flows for the rubber ducky.

(Notice the crystal clear water they were playing with? The girl who worked there said it's always clean in the morning, but ends up looking this way by the end of the day.)

You can make huge bubbles like this at the different stations.

Ben playing in the bubbles with Momoo Mike.

There was a demonstration of liquid nitrogen and how it affects different objects. Benjamin was completely fascinated with this.

Showing off the hard marshmallows given out for samples.

(Taylor kept commenting on how gross this was with all the dirty hands grabbing marshmallows off the cookie sheet. Funny how he ended up going back a few times.)

Hailey trying to pull her body weight up in the air.

This spinning wheel that demonstrates the centrifugal force could have entertained everyone for hours.

Jared, Nicole's husband, is always cracking us up. Having three girls, they're no stranger to Hannah Montana. Again, this being "swine flu season", he came up with a song to dedicate to our outing.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

I've watched this video over and over, but it still seems to get me teary-eyed. I just can't even imagine what the moms of these teens are feeling seeing them in this video talking about them. These kind of moments, especially on Mother's Day, are those that wash away all memory of the bad days.

Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mother and mother in-law. You both have attributes that I admire and am always striving to perfect as a mother myself. I love you both!

V.I.P.

2009-05-08T09:00:00.001-07:00

I got this email the other day, and it's still cracking me up. I remember seeing this years ago, only with President Hinckley involved. I just wanted to share this joke with my multitude of blog admirers.....

President Thomas Monson was returning to Salt Lake City after a speaking engagement and when his plane arrived there was a limousine there to transport him to his home.

As he prepared to get into the limo, he stopped and spoke to the driver. “You know” he said, “I am getting pretty old and I have never driven a limousine. Would you mind if I drove it for a while?”

The driver said, “No problem. Have at it.”

President Monson gets into the driver's seat and they head off down the highway. A short distance away sat a rookie Highway Patrolman operating his first speed trap.

The long black limo went by him doing 70 mph in a 55 mph zone.

The trooper pulled out and easily caught the limo and he got out of his patrol car to begin the procedure. The young trooper walked up to the driver's door and when the glass was rolled down, he was surprised to see who was driving. He immediately excused himself and went back to his car and called his supervisor.

He told the supervisor, “I know we are supposed to enforce the law. But I also know that important people are given certain courtesies. I need to know what I should do because I have stopped a very important person.”

The supervisor asked, “Is it the governor?”

The young trooper said, “No, he's more important than that.”

The supervisor said, “Oh, so it's the president.....

The young trooper said, “No, he's even more important than that.”

The supervisor finally asked, “Well then, who is it?”

The young trooper said, “I think it's Jesus, because he's got President Monson for a chauffeur!”

2 Words: Mor...On

2009-05-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning, I thought I'd be the dutiful little wifey and help my husband out with some yard work. I'm not big on yard work, but I can handle a some trimming of the bushes....especially with our electric hedge trimmer. I've always been pretty cautious with the trimmers. Heaven only knows what damage you can do with those things.

However, that morning I ended up gaining a little of my own knowledge when I grabbed the whirring blades instead of the handle. My first thought was that I lost a fingertip or two. After the initial shock subsided, I grabbed my hand and ran into the house yelling for Taylor. Gratefully, he hadn't left for work yet so he was able to help me get this hamburger mess still called a finger steri-stripped back together. I've am a self-proclaimed klutz, so I'm very familiar with what to do when you pop open some skin. However, this was a little more than popping open some skin, so I wasn't quite sure what to do. I went to ask a friend's husband who works for the fire department if I needed stitches, but I really ended up waiting too long for that. I think I handled (no pun intended) the situation the best way I could. I'm just SO grateful this is on my left hand, it only hit two fingers, and they are relatively still in one piece.

I think I'm done with the hedge trimmers for good. I'll stick to the dishes.

Especially for Rachel

2009-04-30T17:49:00.000-07:00

We have been watching our 2 1/2 year old niece Reese for the past week. This has been the first time Rachel has left her with someone besides her husband....and the first time for more than a day. Rachel, I feel badly that I haven't posted these earlier (the next post will explain why), but hopefully this will help tide you over until you see her on Saturday.

The Toilet Monster

2009-04-10T18:34:00.000-07:00

I consider myself a mom that doesn't get overly worried about the quirks of my children. However, when that quirk starts to disrupt my day, I can get annoyed.

Benjamin has been potty trained for over a year now. I never have to think about it. When he has to go, he just does his thing. Two weeks ago, the boys' toilet overflowed....not a big deal....just the get the plunger and fix it.

However, this event seemed to scar Ben for life. The next morning he complained that his stomach hurt. Come to find out, he had been holding it until absolutely the last second. He just didn't want to go for fear of the toilet overflowing. He calls me in to stand there to watch him, then I have to flush it as he runs out of the room in a panic. Part of the problem is that he thinks that when the water fills back up, it will never stop. I have tried everything I can think of to get him over this fear.

- I've explained to him that only big stinky boys make toilets overflow.

- I've told him that it will only happen if a ton of toilet paper gets flushed.

- I've made him watch it while I flush so he can see it go down.

- I've tried to put enough paper in it to make it stop up, then plunging it down so he can see how the plunger works.

- I've even tried tough love by making him flush it.

I'm going mad! Who knew that the toilet could be such a scary thing?

Baby Steps

2009-04-08T18:22:00.000-07:00

I found this great website called FoodStorageMadeEasy.com. It is an amazing website that helps so much with not only getting your food storage together but in using it as well.

They have what they call "Baby Steps" that help you get it together without completely overwhelming yourself. We've been pretty organized regarding our food storage through the years (definitely not by my doing....gotta know Taylor to understand), but they make it even easier to figure things out. If you're trying to get your food storage together, or even if you're just trying to figure out better ways to use your food storage, you really should check it out.

THE Binder

Hailey Turned 8!

2009-03-31T10:20:00.001-07:00

Hailey designed this cake for her birthday. I have been having so much fun making cakes with her lately.

Hailey & Daddy on the big day.

Taylor's sister lent me this dress for Hailey's baptism. It fit her perfectly and she looked so pretty in it.

The baptismal dress cake.

I was so upset that I didn't take a picture of this cake before we started cutting it. Taylor tried to push it back together to get this shot.

Benjamin and his cousin Clara always have such a fun time together.

My sister Julie and Hailey.

She sang a beautiful song for the baptism.

We call Hailey "JJ" which stands for Julie Junior. She looks just like Julie did when she was younger. Her personality is so similar to her too. I would be so happy if she turns out like her when she grows up.

I am so grateful for a family that will do everything they can to show support to my children for accomplishments such as this. It was such a wonderful day. Sometimes I cannot believe that three of my children are already baptized. Where has the time gone?

My Duty

2009-03-25T17:23:00.001-07:00

Argh! I have been dreading this day for months. I have even woken up in the middle of the night in a panic, thinking I had forgotten to make that important phone call.

Finally, at 6 pm I made that ever so important call and heard exactly what I was hoping to hear. "Prospective jurors with badge numbers 101 to #800 are not to report and that completes your service."

WOOOOHOOOO!!!

It used to be so easy to get out of jury duty. Just call my lawyer daddy and get him to make a call for me. Now, they won't even let HIM out of duty.

.....until next time.

Man Cold

2009-03-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

I saw this video on a friend's blog and really had a huge laugh. Granted, Taylor wasn't around or I would have had to tame my reaction. Of course I'm also not saying that my husband is like this man.........

-
Maybe JUST like him ;)

(love ya honey).

Target.....a Heaven on Earth

2009-03-18T01:45:00.000-07:00

On 215 & Deer Springs Road a new Target opened. I was thrilled since I absolutely LOVE target. It's especially great because it's clean and new. Even the carts are a new type of cart....plastic and so light....very easy to move. This is the first time I've seen such a large food section in one of these stores.

I only had about an hour to shop before I had to pick up kids from school, but the deals I did find were awesome! A case of Marketplace water is $1 (regularly $4.00....limit 2) Kraft Mac & Cheese is $.39 (regularly $1.24....no limit), & Goldfish crackers (6.6 oz for $1, down from $1.90 I think....no limit). These are just a few, but I'm sure there are many more.

Since I was so nice to Taylor on Valentine's Day, maybe he'll oblige me this one time and take me here for our Friday night date.

25 Things I Hate About Facebook

2009-03-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

I totally cracked up when I saw this video. It's so true!

Argh! Computers!

2009-03-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I love computers. I love blogging. I love e-mail. I do realize, however, how dependant I am on them.

Our computer decided to take a sabbatical last week. Actually, it may be more than that unfortunately. Usually Taylor's really good at figuring out the issue, but it's even beyond that point now. Hopefully our friend can get this thing up and working or I'm really going to cry.

Until then, I'll just be checking up on everyone else's posts. Besides, what fun is posting without pictures, and at this point I have absolutely zero.

Oh well, guess I have to be patient.

Our Valentine's Day

2009-02-22T11:24:00.000-08:00

When Taylor & I met, things happened so fast. We would either talk on the phone or hang out somewhere every single day. Our first "official date" ended up being a Valentine's dance.

We've never been ones to make a big thing about it, but after 14 years, I thought I'd shake it up a bit and offer to go fishing with him. No coaxing needed.

Ahhh, how romantic! Floyd Lamb State Park. The mecca for lovers everywhere. This was my first time going fishing with Taylor, so he was SO excited. He even compared this event to our honeymoon. Funny, I couldn't quite make that comparison myself.

I had to have Taylor cast out my line each time because my fingers were numb from the cold. Each time I felt a fish tapping my line, I was supposed to tell Taylor and he would come over to help me. Finally, I started to feel a fish tap and tap at my line, so I decided to try to get this sucker in myself. Taylor was in complete amazement as I pulled in my monstrous catch.

It was actually pretty fun. Not saying that it's my new hobby, but I won't mind doing it again.

Cheeseburger Cake

2009-02-18T20:53:00.000-08:00

Usually Taylor works with our boys for the Scout Blue & Gold Banquet. This year Taylor didn't have much time, so I decided to help Noah out.

The theme this year was America ABC's. As we brainstormed, some crazy ideas came up. However, once someone mentioned the cheeseburger, we knew that was it. What's more American than the cheeseburger?

The lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and buns were made from marshmallow fondant. I've never tried to make fondant before, so I thought it was going to be a beast. It actually was less trouble that I thought. I highly suggest marshmallow fondant to anyone wanting to attempt to try fondant for the first time. Not only is it not very difficult to make, but it tastes better too.

The buns were made of yellow cake and the burger was chocolate cake. The sesame seeds were rice krispies, and we coated the burger with cookie crumbs to make it look more real.

Decorating the cake with "condiments".

The inside.

Noah with the finished cheeseburger cake.

His cake won "Judge's Favorite". When one of the leaders described which cake they chose, he said this particular cake "brought a tear too his eye". Definitely a man for you there. I had one kid ask me if the cake tasted like cheeseburger. Ewww!

I have to admit I really enjoyed myself. I'm actually a little excited for the birthdays we have coming up now that I've seen what can be done.

CiCi's with Michael

2009-02-17T13:19:00.001-08:00

My brother Michael called the other day to see if we were doing anything. Amazingly, it was a rather calm day, so he decided to come over. We hung out for a bit then decided to head over to CiCi's Pizza. I had never been there before, but heard about it. I guess the closest thing I can relate it to is Pizza Inn (for those of you who grew up here in Vegas) on Tropicana. All-you-can-eat pizza, salad, and pasta. Definitely a haven for Mormon families.

There is a little arcade....and I mean little....so the kids also played a few games.

Air hockey has always been one of my favorites, but it's been forever since I've picked up a paddle. Since Jordan and I are super-competitive, we decided to play a game.....for bragging rights.

I was a little worried at first when it was 1 to 3, but I finally got my groove back and creamed him 7 to 4.

Michael also treated Ben to a few body stickers.

Two Care Bears on the boobs and Spongebob on the belly button.

Fantastic.

Noah wasn't with us at CiCi's, so Jordan thought it would be great to sneak a few stickers on his back while he was sleeping. I didn't think that would happen, but sure enough, at 5:30 the next morning Jordan woke us up to tell us he was able to get it done without waking him. What a sweet brother!

Thanks for the fun afternoon Michael. We loved hanging out with you!!!

Butt-Dialing

2009-02-17T09:53:00.000-08:00

I can't tell you how many times Taylor has "butt-dialed" me (however it's inside his shirt pocket) and doesn't even know it.

This commercial is one of my favorites right now. Every time I see it, I just laugh and laugh. I just love the girl's expression as she talks on the phone.

Mrs. President

2009-02-04T10:03:00.000-08:00

Hailey had a school assignment to write a paragraph as to what she would do if she were President of the United States.

I bet she'd get a lot of votes if her campaign was run on changing those yucky lunches.

Famous "Friend"

2009-02-03T07:30:00.000-08:00

Hailey drew a picture for The Friend magazine more than a year ago. The first page we would turn to when each new issue arrived was "Our Creative Friends", just to see if it had been printed. I know they get a lot of submissions, so I figured it would take a while, if at all.

Finally, in last November's issue, it was there!

I'm thinking that if any other kids do this again, I'll put their age as one year older than they are.....just in case.

It's a Girl!!!

2009-01-25T09:30:00.000-08:00

Well, not exactly.

I tried to get him to try on the entire Cinderella ensemble, but this is as far as I could get.

Ben's New Look

2009-01-21T17:03:00.000-08:00

The other day, Benjamin was looking through his room at some of the clothes I put in there for him when gets a little bigger. After a bit he came out holding the hood that belongs to one of the boys' jackets.

Ben - "What's this?"

Me - "It's a hood to a jacket."

Ben - "Can I wear it?"

Me - "It's just the hood."

Ben - "But I like it. Can I wear it?"

Me - "If you want to."
Ben - "Can I wear it when we go run errands?"
Me - "I guess so." (uh oh)

So I put it on, still no jacket attached, hoping he'd get tired quickly of this cool look. After pulling into the gas station, he hopped out, excited about his new "hat". Thank goodness, halfway through the store he pulled it off, telling me he's done wearing it.

Phew!

Don't Break Your Arms!

2009-01-16T13:23:00.000-08:00

I borrowed this video from my sister in-laws blog. This is very typical of the type of things my brothers like to do. It cracks me up at the end how she keeps telling them to stop, but they don't listen. Much like my kids.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-15T12:35:00.000-08:00

BEFORE CHRISTMAS:

"Santa's Workshop" was in my bedroom this year. All I needed was a table, a comfortable chair, a TV, a bag of chocolates, and a diet coke.

CHRISTMAS MORNING AT HOME:

Before the kids came downstairs.

Santa always leaves the kids reindeer milk in exchange for the cookies and milk they leave for him.

The past couple of years, we've been taking the kids to an inexpensive store for the kids to buy each other a present. This year I told them that they could buy something, but maybe they could think about making each person something instead. I was amazed at the thoughtfulness each of them displayed this year.

Noah made each family member something out of wood. He designed, cut, sanded, and painted each one.

For Taylor & I, he made a big red heart, when pieced together says "Mommy + Daddy = Love!!". He made Hailey a princess wand with a star on the end, Jordan a wooden IPod, and Benjamin a sword. He wanted to make something that represented each person best. I was so impressed with how creative and thoughtful he was with these gifts.

Okay, I have to admit this melted me.

The wooden sword Noah made for Ben.

Jordan made a snake out of pipe cleaners for Benjamin.

Jordan gave Noah two beta fish.

Jordan's big gift from us and his grandparents was a good camping backpack. Now that he's in Scouts, he'll be going on more and more campouts, so this will be very needed.

Whenever we are reading the Book of Mormon, I'm always trying to figure out when/where everything is taking place. This year, Taylor's sister got us the coolest thing. It's a huge poster timeline of events that take place during the Book of Mormon. It is definitely going to make it easier to get it all together for me now.

Last year, Benjamin received his favorite present of all time. The GeoTrax. This year, he got an addition to those trains called GeoAir. Benjamin can just stare at these planes flying round and round for hours at a time.

I have been wanting to chuck our old kitchen sink and get a single basin sink for a long time now. It was the only white thing we had in the kitchen, and I couldn't stand the divided sink. Thankfully, Taylor's parents made that possible this year. It is AWESOME!!!!

GRANDMA & GRANDPA KOCH'S HOUSE:

I noticed that it's considerably more difficult to get the grandkids lined up for our traditional Christmas lineup before going to see the stockings. This was the best shot I could get of all the kids. Oh well.

Adam shows off why he's "The Man, The Myth, The Legend".

Another tradition, more like obsession, for the Koch's is picking zits. We swooped in on Adam like a bunch of monkeys. I thought it was funny how he just sat there as if nothing was happening, focusing on his sports website.

AFTER CHRISTMAS:

My sister Rachel and her husband Tom blessed their new baby girl Claire Noelle on December 28th.

The Bjorkman, Caron, & Koch families

Mason turned 7 just a few days after Christmas. His mom always makes a wonderful effort to make sure his birthday is special, especially since it can be drowned out by all the festivities of the holidays.

Reese & Charlie entertain the family with their piano talents.

Get it Reese!!!

Sometimes I feel like eating cake this way too.

Audrey & Hailey figured this was the best way to share licking the spatula after the cake batter was finished. Mmmmmm.

The kids love playing with my brother Michael.

The girls decided to go out to lunch the day after Christmas. We decided we need to do this annually. Only nursing babies are allowed to join the party. I feel bad because I forgot to whip out my camera before Nora & Amy had to leave.

Pre-Christmas Extravaganzas

2009-01-14T12:30:00.000-08:00

I realize this is a little late....okay a lot late. Not that anyone cares about what we did for Christmas. I'm trying to think about blogging more as journaling. That way I at least have something documenting what our life has been like. So bear with me.

In order from left to right & top to bottom:

- The guys sneaking in the back room to watch BYU on TV. Go Cougars!!!

- Ben & Adam's son Charlie spinning on the chair. I love their smiles.

- Santa & Mrs. Claus always visit our family & give the kids one gift that night.

- Jordan, Bradley (cousin) & Noah looking so thrilled watching Santa.

- Noah with Santa.

- Jordan with Santa.

- Hailey with Santa.

- Benjamin with Santa.

- Me & my stud brother Adam.

- Audrey (cousin) & Hailey listening to her IPod.

- My Aunt Robin & me. She is an amazing woman!

- All the great-grandkids waiting for their turn to sit on Santa's lap.

Ronnie (The Killers drummer) and Jordan at the family Christmas party.

Jordan loves the fact that he's related to him.

Christmas at my parents' house is always a little wild. We usually start out with the Nativity. I always love the costumes my sis in-law Amy brings for her kids. This year she had a sheep costume for Clara. It was so adorable. We also had a real live baby Jesus, thanks to baby Claire. Then the angel had awesome butterfly wings. I love family nativities. They are always so pieced together, but always end up being so cute.

Next, we each get one present to open from my parents. Fortunately, it's pajamas for everyone. That way we're able to go straight to bed once we get back to our house.

The little boys' pajamas (their faces remind me of the happy and sad theater faces)

The little girls' pajamas

The big boys' pajamas

Dad & David (brother)

Michael & Adam (brothers)

We have a tradition that came about many years ago (really feeling old now that I think about how long ago this was). My grandma's friend Margaret used to knit slippers for each of us 7 kids every Christmas. At first we weren't very thrilled since they weren't the most comfortable things to wear. We soon realized that these slippers were pretty slippery on the wood floor. After some experimentation, we began running down the long hallway, and sliding towards the end. Thus, the name "Speed Slippers" was born. A couple years ago, some felt that the floor wasn't quite slick enough, so they began slicking it up with lemon oil.

Greasin' up the hallway with oil.

Adam getting completely into Speed Slippers

The little kids needs some help sliding so there's no cracking open of skulls.

Hailey with a little help.

Trying it out on her own.

David even showed off a little of his "breakdancing". What a performance!!!

R.I.P.

2009-01-01T12:09:00.000-08:00

Barney has been a staple in our home for many years. The kids have all loved him when they were small, and now that Benjamin has outgrown him, we decided to let Katie adopt him as her latest "baby". Her babies are stuffed animals that she carries around, and she's VERY protective of them. However, when we tell her to "get her baby", she starts whipping them around, much like an animal trying to kill its prey.

When she's alone, she chews on them until their stuffing comes out. Barney was such a trooper. He lasted WAY longer than any of the other babies.

Good thing Katie's fixed, or we'd have to report her to CPS.

We'll miss you Barney.....just not the stuffing all over the house.

So Proud

2008-12-31T20:27:00.000-08:00

Last year, when we talked to Jordan about receiving the priesthood, he told us that he really wanted his Great Grandpa Bill to do it. He was worried that Taylor would be upset about his decision, but nothing could be farther from the truth. We knew that he had prayed about this decision and it was important to him.

On Sunday, December 14th, Jordan received the Aaronic Priesthood. Grandpa Bill, Taylor,

my dad, Taylor's dad, and all of Jordan's YM leaders were able to participate. It was a really neat experience. We are so proud of him!

Jordan Turns 12

2008-12-15T22:27:00.000-08:00

December 2nd was Jordan's 12th birthday. Jordan had some phone calls wishing him a happy birthday, but my favorite was when my dad called not just for him but for me. He said that he thought of me because he remembered when his first son turned 12. That milestone really made him feel old. Yes, that's something Taylor & I have been talking about for a few years now. It always seemed like a far off event, but it crept up on me faster than I thought possible. Scary how fast time flies.

I don't often have friend birthday parties for my kids, but this year I thought I'd give it another round. Now, I knew boys were generally louder than girls, but I didn't know how much louder until a bunch were in our home at one time.

Wouldn't you know it, the first thing they did was tackle each other for 20 minutes.

I'm not sure what the name of this game is, but I do remember playing it with some groups up at BYU many moons ago. You pack flour into a bowl, turn it upside down, place a quarter on top of it, then each person cuts chunks of flour away from the quarter. You can cut as little or as much as you want, but if the quarter falls when it's your turn, you have to get it out....

....with your teeth.

It started calm, but after the first one round, they ALL wanted to be the one to lose.

After several more rounds, and several heads shoved in the flour pile, they all decided they wanted faces covered with the white stuff. I'm sure their parents wondered what in the world we did at this party.

Caden's mom always wraps $ presents in very interesting ways. When Jordan unwrapped the paper, all he saw was a Special K cereal box. Inside that was a Crystal Light container. That contained a pink purse (which Hailey now loves), and inside that was some money. Very creative....and funny.

Now this is something I would do. So embarrassing for Jordan.....yet so fun for us.

Mommy-Daughter Date

2008-12-12T12:16:00.000-08:00

We recently realized that RARELY am I ever alone with Hailey since Benjamin is usually around. Since the older boys are "too cool" to go see a Disney movie now, we decided to make an official Mommy-Daughter date out of seeing the movie Bolt.

I'm not a big fan of 3-D movies. Not that I mind things coming at me from the screen, but it's those dang glasses you have to wear. Fortunately, the glasses they give you at the theater aren't paper, and they aren't red/blue, so they're much more bearable. The 3-D in the movie also didn't have the intention to throw things at your eyes constantly, but to make the characters seem more real. I enjoyed the movie and thought it was pretty cute.

She was so excited that she got all dolled up for our "date".....even sneaking to put on make-up (hard to tell in the picture). I didn't notice until we were already at the theater.

We went to the 12 o'clock showing in the middle of the week, which generally means not as many people would be there. Not only were the crowds low, we were the ONLY ones in the theater.

I made her pose in front of the poster, and it happened to be a very cold day that day.

Poor girl.

Psychotic Dogs

2008-12-11T08:31:00.000-08:00

I think these two were separated at birth.

Thanksgiving in Utah/Idaho

2008-12-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, amazing but true, a picture other than my foot. I'm sick of it just as much as the rest of you are.

For Thanksgiving this year, our family took our yearly trip up to Northern Utah and Idaho. We always look forward to getting together and doing things we would never get a chance to do in a place like Las Vegas.

Marijke is very into planting trees, plants and flowers. On her back fence, she has grapevines producing the most wonderful grapes.

Bill has a room designated only for his trains. This picture just shows one section of this amazing room. Benjamin was in absolute heaven here. He ran around showing me everything. Dadoo Train is the name the kids have called him since they could speak. Hmmm, I wonder how he got that name?

Can you believe the view they have from their balcony?

The first place we went to when we arrived in Rexburg was a pizza place named Craigo's. This is one of our favorite places to eat when we're there.

Not many know that I have two veneers on my front teeth. Weeks ago, one unfortunately popped off. Because that tooth is dead, it's much darker than the rest and in order to get a good fit they need to file down that tooth before to have a base to work with making it look even darker. May sound archaic, but in order to save time & money, I superglued that dang tooth on instead of having a new one made (my dentist would kill me).

Craigo's just happened to have a pizza named "Hillbilly". I felt so at home!

Although it was very cold, surprisingly there was no snow up north. The kids were able to play on their cousins' swingset, ride dirt bikes and four wheelers, and go bowling in a alley that oddly doesn't reek of smoke. Ben preferred to just watch the others outside from the doorway (bottom left). They live so close to the Rexburg temple. It's a picture-perfect view at night in their family room (upper right).

Marijke and Nicole stuffing the turkey. Both of these women are fantastic cooks. Benjamin fell asleep before we even ate (upper left and right).

Taylor finds another lucky participant to walk on his back.

Baby Will was born two months ago. Everyone loved to hold him, and I'm sure Nicole enjoyed the break.

It was so nice getting my baby fix each time I held him. I now realize how grandparents feel about their grandchildren. It's so fun to hold them and take care of them, but knowing you can hand them back whenever you are done makes it even MORE fun.

Saturday night, we decided to go to Temple Square. Instead of driving, we took the Frontrunner, a double-decker train that stops in each of the cities from Ogden on down. Then we hopped the Trax (trolley type of train). It took over an hour, but it was nice not to have to find a parking spot downtown.
Santa also played the bagpipes in a kilt just outside of the gates. Good times.

Of course we stopped by Great Grandma Scheer's house (Marijke's mother) to visit before we drove home on Sunday. She is always so excited every year to put out all of her Christmas decorations. She can hardly walk, but that doesn't stop her from showing the kids around her house, having them push all the buttons to make the toys work. Ben couldn't tear himself away from anything that moved or made sounds.

She may be getting older, but her sense of humor is sharp as a tack. She loves to freak everyone out by taking out her dentures and giving that crazy smile (upper right).

Thank you to Marijke & Bill and Nicole & Jared for giving us a place to stay for the week. We had so much fun spending time with everyone, eating, playing, eating, talking, and did I mention eating? We hope all of our friends and family had a wonderful Thankgiving this year.

My Peeve

2008-12-08T10:11:00.000-08:00

I have a few pet peeves. Actually, when I really think about it, I guess I have more than my fair share of them. Some of those peeves include men who clip their nails in church (YUCK), someone using my bath towel, not washing hands after the bathroom, speeding through a school zone, etc.

One of my recent peeves is finding grocery carts in places other than the store where they belong. Now, I know there are companies whose soul purpose is to pick up these stray carts and return them to their rightful owners, but please.....we all know how entirely long (if ever) this takes to actually happen.

I realize it's not the carts' fault that they aren't where they should be. It's the loonies that feel that they are allowed to take these carts home with them that irk me. And I'm not talking about the homeless who use it to hold all their belongings.

Rarely do I actually SEE these wandering carts with their temporary "owners". They just happen to show up on my street, down some side alley, and even up alongside someone's house. Several times I have even seen people using them to transport their children! WHAT?! What kind of crappy stroller is that? How uncomfortable for the poor child sitting in the basket, no padding, bumping along a side dirt road. Places such as Walgreens have really been smart and installed locking mechanisms on the bottom of their carts. That way you can get your purchases TO your car and not use them AS your car.

We've made this annoyance into a family fun-time though. This picture shows the first time we brought one back. Noah was so good about doing this. Now when we find them, I lift up the door in the back of our van, he sits inside and holds onto the cart while we drag it back. I'm sure it looks so odd, but it's pretty fun for us.

Speaking of Feet.....

2008-11-04T18:02:00.000-08:00

Those of you who see me often have seen my fantastic runway-style limp for the past year. Also, you may notice that I'm rarely without my best friend, my black foot brace (see our header picture). What you may not know is that this ever ongoing saga in my life ended in surgery. My foot never seemed to heal correctly. Insurance made it impossible to see my initial doctor until this past August. He ended up trying several cortisone shots. They worked to a point, but never really did the job. Next step, cat-scan. What do you know? A larger break in my foot that they never noticed the first time. The cat-scan showed that the broken bone never healed back into place, so it's been flopping around my foot this entire time. No wonder I was still in pain!

So....on October 9th I had surgery to smooth the bigger bone off and drill/chip the broken piece out. Oh what fun. I understand when they say take it easy. However, the guilt makes it so difficult to follow orders. I ended up paying for it too. Once I got back into the swing of things, I realized how behind I was, so that explains a lot of why blogging has been on the back burner for me. On October 30th, exactly one year from the date of my fall, I had my stitches removed and I can actually walk without limping. What a long year!

I do have to thank a ton of people who helped me out while I was sitting on my fanny. Quint & Chelly (you guys don't know how much having you in town helped me and my sanity), David & Amy for taking Ben for a couple nights, my friends in the ward for giving my kids rides here and there, and especially my hubby for taking control of things around the house.

My foot a few days after surgery.

Taylor thought it would be funny to write on my legs in the hospital. The right calf said "Pain down here" with an arrow. The left one said "Not this one the other one". The writing you can see on my leg is my doctor's initials. He said they always write on the body when there's two body parts involved.

I Think I'm Gonna Be Sick

2008-11-03T14:29:00.000-08:00

Doing my usual housecleaning brought out some severe nausea today. Not because of the smell.....luckily puberty hasn't brought that one on yet.....but because I realized that I could not tell the difference between Jordan and Taylor's dress shoes as they sat on the the stairs.

Now, I have known for a long time that his feet were big. My size 10 feet fill his shoes with room to spare. However, reality didn't sink in fully until I saw these big boats sitting on the stairs.

I Think I Can....

2008-09-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love taking pictures, but I've always wanted to learn how to take better shots. I don't have the time and/or money to go find a school that teaches photography, so I started searching around online. Luckily I found a website that has courses for a multitude of things, but the one that really caught my eye was the photography course. So many people gave positive reviews for the course and teacher, that I knew I needed to try it. Now I'm just hoping to learn enough to figure out what all the different technical terms mean. This way my camera won't be glued to the "auto" button.

It's only been less than one week, but I'm surprised at how much time and energy I'm spending working with the camera. Since I have my niece Clara staying with us for a week, I'm trying to take advantage of having a different face around for my practice. I love the lighting of this photo. As for the class, I am hoping that this will become a skill I learn.

As for this shot........pure luck.

The Pounds Will Just Melt Away!

2008-09-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

I recently found this new workout while blog stalking one day. I was so impressed by this routine that I think I'll be getting up early every morning now to workout. I can feel the pounds melting away already.

I Love School!!!

2008-08-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

I took this picture on the first day of school last year. Check out how thrilled Jordan is to be starting school again.

This was taken on their last day of school in July. Notice the huge difference in their faces. Jordan was so excited to be moving out of elementary school that he REALLY dressed up by wearing a black button-down shirt. He looked great!

Hailey had Ms. Roach for 1st Grade. I absolutely ADORED her. She was so much fun with her class and really had a great sense of humor with the parents. I could have spent all day in the classroom sometimes.

Taylor & I really contemplated whether or not to advance Noah to the next grade, but she made his adjustment to the new class so smooth for him. She made me feel so much better about our decision when she told me at the end of the year that it was the right thing to do. He "fit" in this grade much better than 3rd.

I couldn't get a shot of Jordan and his teacher Ms. Henderson. This is him at his 5th grade Promotion program. We are so proud at how much he accomplished this year.

Hailey & Noah are both excited to have the teachers they are assigned to this year. Noah is the big man on campus this year in 5th grade & Hailey is in 2nd grade.

Jordan is in his first year of Middle School. He is so excited to being starting such a different experience and he really adjusted well the first week. I'm thrilled that they have uniforms at this school. They look so much nicer in these polos, plus dressing him is a LOT cheaper this way.

Ben was so excited to have his brothers home at the end of the first day of school. There is always entertainment when they are around.

San Diego

2008-08-24T15:11:00.000-07:00

This month, Taylor had a conference in San Diego for a few days. In order to take advantage of the free room and gas money, we decided to make it a family vacation. This trip was a little different though because I had to entertain the troops while Taylor was in meetings for two of those days. Since I'm not the greatest with directions and maps, I tend to rely a lot of Taylor when we travel, so this was a big learning experience for me.

The first place we went to was Sea World. My foot is still causing me trouble, so we rented a wheelchair. The kids thought this was great fun to hitch rides with me. One thing I learned is that if you have a wheelchair, waiting in long lines can be virtually eliminated. We got to ride the "special boat" (our raft was blue while the rest were yellow) and the kids got to ride twice since Taylor and I switched off. We also had lunch by the killer whales' tank while they practiced their tricks. This was pretty neat to see.

Benjamin was just 1 inch too short to ride most of the rides. Taylor tried to work it and have him stand a little up on his toes, but it's not like anyone has ever tried that before. They were pretty tight on this rule. I had to take a photo of Taylor trying to work the system.

For the Journey to Atlantis ride, we ended up being able to get Ben on the ride. I love the picture they took of us on the big drop. At this point there is a stream of water pouring down on us, so all of our eyes are closed......except Ben. He had a look of terror on his face that partly made me feel bad, but partly made me laugh (I know we're horrible parents).

This was one of the days the kids and I spent alone. Coronado Island has some pretty good beach areas. The area we went to had a dog area right next to us. It was fun to see all the dogs playing in the water. Benjamin was VERY nervous to even touch the ocean water. I was even really good by staying under an umbrella most of the time (and we were only there for 2 hours!).

The next day, we went to Birch Aquarium. This aquarium is right next to the ocean and has some really neat looking animals. I was mostly fascinated by the dragon seahorses (center picture) and the potbellied seahorse (center right). Afterwards, I had the kids pose for a picture by this amazing fountain with whales diving in and out of it. Noah thought it would be a great idea to walk along the outside of the fountain. While he was reaching up to touch the tail of one of the whales, he lost his balance and fell completely in the fountain. He's going to be mad I posted this picture, but as the saying goes, he'll look back at this someday and laugh. You can't live a good life without at some point completely embarrassing yourself.
Finally, we headed back to the hotel, but not before stopping off to see the San Diego Temple. It's an amazing site as you pass right by it on the freeway.

We took a tour of the U.S.S. Midway. We couldn't believe how small the areas were for them to sleep. I already have a great respect for the men and women in the military, but I never quite knew how miserable the living conditions were for them while they were on these ships.

There is a ride simulator on the Midway that is called "StrikeFighter 360" where you fly a fighter jet trying to shoot at the enemy planes. I knew this would be bad news for my motion issues, but of course the boys were all over it. Boys will be boys and thought it would be fun to crash into the ground. Listen closely and you can hear them yelling when they start facing up.

I have seen a photo of this statue before. The actual picture of this scene on the cover of Life magazine is a classic. It's always been a favorite of mine. So, naturally, we needed to imitate art.

Ben was completely wiped out one day coming back to our hotel, so Noah & I had some fun messing with him. I am a mean mom aren't I?
When all was said and done, it was a great vacation to squeeze in before school starts again. The kids and I may get to know San Diego pretty well over the next few years since his new job has their conference there each year. Next year I'll be a little more prepared, so maybe we can venture out a few more places.

I've Fallen

2008-08-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I admit, I've fallen off the blogging wagon. I have so many things I want to post, so bear with me, I'm working on it.

Hormones

2008-07-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

Jordan & Noah are up in Utah & Idaho with Mamoo Mike for about 10 days. I didn't think I would actually get to a point where I wished they were here. Ben needs constant interaction, and unfortunately I'm only able to be entertaining for so long. Hailey's also bored because her friends are on vacation.

I was having one of those contemplative mornings (I'm actually able to do that with only two kids here right now), and realized that I've hit that stage in my life where my children's hormones are starting to kick in. I knew this would happen at some point, but not quite this soon. Jordan told me that he made a goal of finding 30 "Hot Girls" while he was on his trip with Grandma. Oh please! Noah just laughs, thank goodness. He's not as vocal about liking girls. I'm not sure that he even cares at this point.

Thanks to the Disney channel, Hailey is completely obsessed with Zac Effron and The Jonas Brothers...especially Joe (far right). It's funny when any of these boys comes on the television. She giggles really loud and hides her face because she doesn't want us to see her reaction. She even ran out of the room giggling when she saw what I was posting about.

I don't remember really getting into cute guys until I was older than that. Maybe I don't remember correctly though. Oooo, Rick Springfield was so cute & Duran Duran, especially the bassist John Taylor. Getting so excited when their songs would play. Pretending with my cousins that we were married to them. I even got to go to a Rick Springfield concert. I was probably 10 years old and I went with just a friend.

What?!?!?!

How in the world did I ever get that one past Mom? I would never allow Jordan to go to a concert at his age with just a friend. Times have definitely changed, but I digress.

So as I sit here, thinking about my children and their obsessions, I realize I don't need to worry. If Hailey wants Jonas Brothers posters up in her room, I'll let her. If Jordan talks about a "hot girl" at his school, oh well. I survived my crushes and think I turned out pretty normal, so I'm pretty sure they'll be alright as well.

"The Robot"

2008-07-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

What's always entertaining about having a 3 year-old is that they always seem eager to perform, especially if it's for a laugh. Embarrassment doesn't usually kick in for a few more years.

Ben, or "Benji" as he now insists we call him, and Taylor were listening to music on the computer the other night. I don't know how it all went down, but from the other room I get called to come watch Ben dance for me. I love the faces he makes during the dance. He's always been very expressive with his face.

Notice the complete concentration on his face as he mentally prepares to dance.

Sleepover at Momoo's

2008-07-14T09:56:00.000-07:00

July 4th, after a fantastic hike with my brother and his family, we decided to let our boys sleep over at Momoo and Dadoo's house. I have realized that sometimes I would rather not know what happens, but it never fails, every person has to give me the blow-by-blow events of the night.

Personally, I have fond memories sleeping at Grandma Cherie's house: watching Bugsy Malone & Freaky Friday (apparently Jodie Foster was a staple of our movie selections), helping Grandpa stuff envelopes, unknowingly committing a felony by photocopying $100 bills (we never saw those in our own home), and a sugar-dense breakfast of Winchell's donuts.

I have tried to remember the phrase "What happens at Grandma's, stays at Grandma's." If this happened often, I'd probably put my foot down more. For some reason, whenever Bradley, Noah & Jordan get together, they try to stay up later than the time before. This last sleepover was no exception. Not only did they surpass their last record, but they never ended up going to sleep that night at all (Mason was the only reasonable one). Mom being notorious for her lack of sleep, thought it would a blast to go out to breakfast at 3 a.m.

Apparently the boys did too.

I am thrilled that they are creating memories with their cousins. However, I have oft uttered the phrase that was also drilled in my brain......"If you are going to be this crabby after you have a sleepover, you won't get to do it again."

I have become Mom and my children have become me.
It's a cruel, cruel world.

Blueberry Hill "breakfast" at 3 am

Sweet Glasses!

2008-06-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

Mom is very into colors. Not muted, dull, mellow colors, but bright, vivid colors are definitely her first love. This love of color has now crossed over to her reading glasses (and shirts and purses.....see picture below).

Mom needs these glasses to see things on her phone. Hailey just likes that they are pink.

Hailey and Benjamin were all into wearing them around while Mom & Dad were over one night.

Did You Think to Pray?

2008-06-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

I noticed that the craziness of getting everyone up and out to school in the morning was having an effect on my remembering to have my morning prayer. I also realized that my children were also forgetting unless I reminded them each night. In order to fix this, I decided that for FHE we were going to talk about prayer and make our own prayer rocks. I know this idea has been used and may sound corny to some, but my kids have never heard of this and I needed to try it. I was grateful that they really got into the idea used their individuality to be creative in this project. Needless to say, it works for me. Each time I see my rock on my nightstand, I remember to stop, pray, and take things a little slower in the morning.

Benjamin really got into painting his rock.

(clockwise from top left): Jordan, Noah, Hailey, Ginger, Taylor and Benjamin

Katie Caron

2008-06-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

Katie is our dog that we've had for about 7 years now. She has been the most amazing dog. So much so that sometimes we consider her a family member. We noticed early on that she likes to attack things such as flashlights, blow dryers, laser light pointers, vacuums, etc.

She loves water, so she will watch us take a shower and the kids take a bath (just in case some water flies out to lick up). She "herds" the kids around by grabbing onto the bottom of their pantlegs and pulling at them. Here are a few videos of how kooky she can be.

"Drying" herself off after getting wet from the sprinklers

Attacking Noah's remote control car

We have to close her in a room if we want to vacuum in peace.

There was a sandwich on the table in this video. She would snarl when Jordan came close since he was competition for the food. However, she was torn between protecting the food and wanting to lick his face. Jordan is trying to imitate her here.

Ben playing tug-of-war over his underwear.

Pinewood Derby

2008-06-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

We recently had our ward's Pinewood Derby. I was really proud of Noah this year because he had a huge involvement in building of his car. From the initial design, to the final coat of lacquer, Noah was completely immersed in this with Taylor. Unfortunately, my camera battery was dead, so I had to rely on a friend's pictures.

The actual competition was a little crazy. I'm never experienced it run like this, so we were getting a little frustrated, but it was still a lot of fun to watch the excitement.

"The Car"

This race was probably the closest. Believe it or not, Noah's car is on the left and he came in 3rd in this heat.

Hailey and a friend from school.

Noah told me that we needed to cross all of our fingers and then hold hands. He got a little miffed at me because on one particular race I let go a little too early. Guess I should have crossed my fingers better so he would have won the whole thing.

Ben's New Buddy

2008-06-13T16:05:00.000-07:00

Benjamin has found a new buddy. My friend Lindsey's little boy Brendan and Ben get along like no other. Usually, and maybe this only happens to me, I find that toddlers aren't usually the best at getting along this well with others. Sharing their own "favorite" toys (and don't they all become their favorite toys when other kids are around?) with someone else is extremely rare.

Lindsey and I have found that we really like to get them together because they entertain each other. We can actually get all kinds of things done.

Eating otterpops after running through the sprinkler.

Noah "The Writer"

2008-06-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

Taylor told me that Noah mentioned last week how much he loves to write. I had no idea. I was so proud of this Writing Prompt he did at school that I felt I had to post it.

Do you have a place where you can relax, rest and do things you usually can’t do in public? I do. It is in North Las Vegas, Nevada and in a development called Beazer. It is my home.

I smell my mom making fresh homemade bread, my dad cooking burgers on the grill, the wheat being grinded, and fresh air. What I feel is my mom and dad’s hugs wrapped all around me, I feel relaxed and tired on my big soft bed. I hear peaceful quietness, the phone ringing uncontrollably, and the door opening and closing. Then I see the TV on channel twenty-three, my brothers and sister, my mom and dad, my dog, the sunlight like a blinking light bulb, and the basketball court outside.

Now you can see why home is my favorite place. So what is yours?

Not Too Bright

2008-06-08T10:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, I understand I'm not exactly brilliant, but I didn't think this was going to happen. I'd checked our blog months ago to see what reading level we were. I was depressed then, realizing that while all of my family/friends' blogs were at a college+ level, I was sitting at high school.

I checked, rechecked and triple-checked. Maybe I entered the wrong address? Nope, it was correct. Whenever I use spellcheck, there are never any words to correct. I feel like my sentences are usually grammatically correct. What's happened since then? Has hanging out with a 3 year-old every day stunted my mental capacity? I know this shouldn't be the basis for my self-esteem, but it sure is a blow.

I definitely think I need to use this venue to apologize to all of the parents of my 4th and 5th grade students back in the early 90's. I hope I didn't ruin their chances to get into a good college.

Maybe I'll have Taylor start blogging again for us and have each post be a picture and one sentence. That might do the trick. ;)

Father-Son Campout

2008-06-04T12:05:00.001-07:00

Taylor and the boys went on our stake's annual Father-Son Campout a few weeks ago. They had so much fun. I always imagine the men and boys roughing it out in the complete desert, getting all griming and dirty. However, when they came home to show me the pictures, I was a little surprised. It looked like a boy's idea of complete heaven.

Sleepy-eyed Benjamin first thing in the morning.

Horny-toad that became the fascination of every little boy there.

Ben was enthralled with feeding the horses there.

Jordan found the shed skin of a rattlesnake. Even though it was neat to see, the mom in me got a little nervous that snakes were even near their campsite.

I love this picture. His whole face seems to be smiling.

Even though I don't have any pictures, Hailey and I had a blast having our own "Girls' Night" here at the house. We ate lots of ice cream, rented some movies and even stayed up until 1 in the morning.

I am so blessed to have my daughter. She is the sweetest, most considerate and adorable little girl (hey...once in a while I need to brag a little).

Disneyland Without the Kids

2008-05-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

One of the perks of Taylor working on a stake level, is that there is a yearly adult trip. They fill one busload of couples and head to a different location each year. This year happened to be to Disneyland.

It's been 7 months since I broke my foot, but it still bothers me at times, so I brought my boot "just in case". I had heard that if you rent a wheelchair, you have accessibility to get to the front of the line of some rides. I thought this was a great idea, but felt really guilty doing it without really being hurt.

When we stopped midway to California in Barstow, I jumped down from a wall and landed on my foot completely wrong. This was the "just in case" that made me thankful for bringing the boot. At Disneyland, after about an hour, we ended up renting that wheelchair since I was slowing everyone down. It became a big joke about how great it was that I was hurt, so all of us could get in to the rides faster. Taylor now says that every time we go to Disneyland, someone will have an ailment of some sort that requires a wheelchair. Ha! Yeah right. Hopefully not.

Before Grizzly Rapids - We had all been on this ride before, so we realized we would get somewhat wet.

After Grizzly Rapids - We were absolutely soaking wet. Random boats get poured on towards the end. We were one of those lucky boats. You can't tell how wet everyone is from this picture, but as for me, I am completely drenched.

This is inside the Indiana Jones ride. Many rides like this let you go to a wheelchair accessible line, which means you don't have to wait in the 1+ hour line with the rest of the world. I think our group was thrilled I was hurt. We probably would have had a larger following had other people known we rented a wheelchair.

A shot looking up at Taylor pushing me around in the wheelchair. I really realized after this trip how sweet Taylor is. The fact that he pushed me around the parks for two days amazed me.

Bugs' Life

Taylor tried to take my picture during the Tower of Terror.

Most people don't recognize that I'm even in this picture. I was tired of getting soaked, and my entire bottom half was drenched from beginning of the ride. Unfortunately, I think this would have worked better if I had covered my bottom half with the jacket to begin with. It made for a funny picture though.

California Screamin' - We thought it was funny that the picture happen to be taken just as we were looking at each other.

My Mother's Day

2008-05-18T16:07:00.000-07:00

Obviously I need to post about my own personal Mother's Day. There are actually two days that consist of Mother's Day each year for me. First, of course, is Mother's Day Sunday. The second day is the Father-Son campout that happens to always be around Mother's Day. I like to say that they plan it at that time in order to help husbands give their wives an added bonus present for that special day. I know that that's not why since not everyone has as many boys as I do, but in my heart I like to think it's true.

My Mother's Day was a little different this year. Usually, the day consists of me waking up, then waking Taylor up to tell him I need to get ready for church soon, so he needs to get the kids to help him make my surprise breakfast in bed. I know this sounds odd, but I actually enjoy waking him, then being able to roll over and clock out for another half hour.

Recently I hurt my back, so I woke up in a lot of pain. Because of that, I didn't go to church, so Taylor was able to get things going a little later and we all ate downstairs. I had previously joked with Taylor that he could teach my Primary class for me that Sunday, so I could go to Relief Society. Because I ended up staying home, he did it for me anyways. What a man. He found some beautiful pink roses for me too. What I love about Taylor is that he will not only buy flowers for me, but he will cut and arrange them as well. Finally, he made dinner for all of us, my parents, and Grandpa and Dorothy.

After all that, I do have to say my favorite part of Mother's Day is the cards and gifts the kids make at school and church. That's the one time I know they really are thinking about someone else. I have very thoughtful children. Taylor never has to get them to think of anything. They are very creative and thoughtful in what they do.

I love being a mother. Now I just need to work on being a better one and deserving of the children that I've been blessed with.

I love you Jordan, Noah, Hailey & Benjamin. I love you all the same.....no matter what I may joke about otherwise. ;)

The Crazy Birthday Cake

2008-05-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

For Taylor's birthday, the kids and I wanted to make a cake. He told us he would like yellow frosting. Since the cake was already yellow, I thought we might want to shake things up a little.
However, my blonde roots came out. I forgot that adding cocoa to frosting would turn it brown. (Duh!)

No problem, I thought, we'll just add a ton of yellow food coloring to get the color as close to yellow as possible. What turned out was......pardon the description......a color that more resembled baby poop.

The kids each took a section of the cake to decorate on their own.

Noah in the middle of decorating.

The final product. It looked very messy, but it was a lot of fun.

Taylor straining to get ALL those candles blown out.

My Funky Flowers

2008-05-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

I went outside to water my flower on my back patio one day and noticed that two flowers seemed to be entangled together. As I looked closer, I realized I had siamese gerbera daisies. It was the coolest looking thing that I had to take a few shots to "memoriablog" it (my new word).