Jocelyn Turns 5!

I don't have a picture because Ryan has my phone and her grandma has the camera we used, but I will post. We tried to make it a fun day, but I will have to say I think it was the most humid. We went to Burke Lake park. I enticed Jocelyn with the idea of miniature golf. She's never done it before, so she was intrigued. They also have a little train that goes around the park and a carousel which we have done before! The kids seemed to enjoy it, but you could see the moisture in the air, just tiny barely visible raindrops of moisture. Jacob's long hair was soaked and the babies though interested in the action became a little squeemish. We ended up pickinicking behind the ice cream parlor on their tables, but it was hard to enjoy because we were all being chased by aggressive bees. Grandma had the idea to move us over by the train for cupcakes and that worked well, plus put us under greater shade. Grandma put on the icing right there, since she brought it and I made the cakes. We put a 5 candle on one and tricky candles on the rest. I just loved watching Jocelyn and the little 2 year olds blow out the candles a millilon times and the look of defeat on Jocelyn's face was priceless. She just couldn't understand why they wouldn't go out and she actually sat starting at them at a loss for words (or breath) I think there's a video clip I can link later? Anyway, my only baby girl is 5 now and will go to Kindergarten. I remember sitting up for hours making her birth announcement with the perfect poem that described just her. She's sweet and sassy, gently, and kind, She has strong mind and likes to share it and even though she's little when she wants to be heard she's the loudest! She is already a great mother as she demonstrates each day by helping her brothers. She's beautiful with those ice blue eyes and smile that steals the spotlight. She's more photogenic than me, she must get it from her Grandma Vogel. I can't believe she's five already. Tomorrow will come and she'll be ten. I don't want to think of it, but then again it only makes me better to realize how soon this time will pass...................

Millions of Peaches, Peaches for me!!!

Jonas was kept content in the stroller with his peach



The kids loved eating the peaches right from the tree!


Jacob shows his genuine concern for others



Jaden's climbing skills come in quite handy here!




Jacob helped Jocelyn fill up the peach bags!

We had lots of fun a couple of weekends ago at Hartland orchard! This is the same place we went to pick apples last fall! It is a great family activity. The kids love picking, eating, seeing where the fruit comes from intrigues them and of course it encourages healthy eating habits! Right? Jaden was in the trees most of the time. Because of him we got the best peaches. After realizing the juiciness of these peaches, I even climbed up the trees to find the best ones. We ended up with about 4 pecks! I enjoyed it and had never been before and of course my brain started churning about jarring them and freezing them, making pie, jam, etc. but Ryan stopped me dead in my tracks and insisted that we'd eat all of them ourselves. Well we still have several and we eat at least a few everyday, so if any of you have any other bright ideas other than the obvious, let me know :)

Summer Fun!

Chauncey and Jaden

From Left: Jaden, Kate,Jacob, Jackson, Chauncey, Jocelyn

Jocelyn and Jackson

Mel and Christina + 8!! (wow!)

Jackson and Jocelyn


I know I've been gone..........For a long time, but please don't give me a hard time, pretty please? I have been sick since the ski pic. It was really crazy and all surreal and actually I think it made me even crazier than I normally am (scary :)) Anyway, I am back on track and feeling so much better. I have been thinking about all of my friends and anxious to share our lives with you again! Life is so busy with 4 kids at home and Ryan gone working many long hours! We have lots of fun though hanging with all of our friends, pool hopping, relaxing at home, being adventurous with lots of berry picking, and now we go to the gym a few days a week. Well, I know that doesn't sound fun, but at least I can earn a few dollars and my kids can play at an awesome gym! I enjoy it and it makes me feel better! Aside from just playing (which is a lot of work, but so worth it!) we are just wondering what it will be like to have Jaden and Jocelyn both in school this fall and mom home with just 2 mello boys? Will I have more time? Will I be more sane? Will I miss them terribly (maybe partially). Having 4 kids is really crazy and exhausting sometimes, but I can't imagine another life more fun and fulfilling. I certainly can't imagine any other way for Heavenly Father to teach me all I need to know (boy does He have his hands full)

We hope all of you whom we love are happy and full and well!

Ski Utah!

Me and Ryan (in our cheesy PWC hats)

shot from the lift (from my cell phone camera)

me stopping down the intermediate slope (yes that's a drop off to the right)


bad pic (but you get the idea)

I was so grateful to get to go to Utah for a day and ski ! Thanks to all of you that helped (or offered to help) get me there!
It's not often that I get a day away and it always seems weird when I am gone for a day. I think it takes about half the day for me to relax.
It was the perfect day to ski. The sun was out and some people were just skiing in their hoodies and hats. I was all bundled up (as I will show you in our 1 picture, thanks to Marcie in Utah)
I really enjoyed the lift rides up and taking in all of the surreal beauty around me. Most of you know that the mountains are just enormous (if you're from anywhere else that's how they seem) I had forgotten how grand they were, but I knew when we left them 3 years ago that I would miss them. I really grew to love the way they just hugged around me all of the time.
Anyway, I am not a black diamond skier or anything (like Ryan) I just did the beginner slope 1st and then Ryan immediately graduated me to intermediate (he was bored). It took me a few times to actually go down without being extremely slow and then after a few more I was going much faster, but still had that rush of fear inside.
I found myself praying for a life lesson that paralled what I was going through skiing. I thought about how the more fear I had and the more I tried to control the situation the harder it was to get down the mountain. If I just let go, focusing ahead and trusting that I could get down I would do it without stopping to think that I couldn't. In life fear can disable us and keep us from progressing. When we try to control our lives too much, we don't let Heavenly Father help us and we make the journey ahead a lot tougher on ourselves! When we don't let go and give ourselves and lives to God we also make it very hard to move forward. We spend so much time thinking about how to do everything that we forget to trust in God and His ability to help us. I think if we just keep going forward with faith (just like skiing down that mountain) we will quickly find ourselves where we want to be. Letting go of the fear and just doing it can be scary, but it feels so good to look back up at the large mountain that we just overcame. In my opinion we can either do it slowly (inching down the mountain, going back and forth side to side across the mountain (these are the things I was doing at first , but only made it no fun and sore muscles too) or we can just go down, trusting in what we know. relax our legs, look at where we want to go and then we will swiftly (and much less painfully) end up at our destination.
I am thankful for the lesson I received! Now the hard part will be trying to remember this everyday and apply it to my life!

OMGosh! Help!

"HELP I NEED SOMEBODY...HELP NOT JUST ANYBODY, HELP! YOU KNOW I NEED SOMEONE HEEAAAEEELLP MEEEEE ":)

Well did I mention that I was going to Sundance (YES UTAH) for 1 day with Ryan to ski (with his work) on Saturday? WEll once in a lifetime opportunity when you are the mother of 4 small children (right?)


Anyway, for any of you reading that still live in Utah (hard to keep track of where everyone is now :) i NOW DO NOT HAVE A BABYSITTER FOR OUR NEWBORN JONAS. Ryan's brother was supposed to babysit, but they had something come up last minute and NOW we still have a plane ticket and no babysitter!

Do you guys know anyone that I know out there? I would definitely be willing to pay:)! Oh shoot well, if you do this would be so wonderfully appreciated! He is a VERY SWEET lovable, good newborn (I'm not just biased promise)

Please if you have any suggestions at all email me (YES IT'S THIS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST!)

I know I'm crazy and all because it's so last minute, but hey I already paid for an expensive flight out there. UGH!

THANKS IN ADVANCE YOU GUYS!

Jonas discovers his hands!

Jonas now puts his hands together, in his mouth and up to his eyes to look at them!
We also discovered him trying to kick the toy in his vibrating chair too! (will post pics later)



Jonas getting prepped by his brothers for his "photo shoot"

Jonas putting his hands together!

There's the hands!

"I can actually use these things?

"I guess I'll give my brother a smile"

Jonas drools more than any of his siblings did at this age (isn't 2 months a little young to teethe?)

Jonas looks swallowed up, but he really is a big boy (just on a big couch)

CAN I SHARE ALL OF THIS WITH YOU?

WHEN I GOT TO THE BOTTOM OF THE ENTRY I COULDN'T MAKE THE PRINT SMALLER. SO, IT LOOKS SILLY THAT IT'S SO BIG :)

I thought I would clear my head a little on my blog. Everything I read on my friends blogs INSPIRE me to be better, so I need to write more of my feelings and thoughts and not just post pictures. Really at this crazy time in my life it's amazing how much it means that my friends that are so far away (yet so close with blogger and facebook :) are such examples to me. Really thank you for all of you that write! you inspire me, you help me, you lift me up. It might sound crazy, but just knowing that you are out there going through such similar things helps me and helps me to figure out what to do! Thanks for all that you do and for keeping in touch and commenting writing, posting etc!

THESE ARE THE THINGS I AM TRYING TO DO RIGHT NOW (I FEEL LIKE I'M CONFESSING IT TO THE WORLD ON HERE (OH CAUSE I REALLY AM SINCE I HAVEN'T GONE PRIVATE :)

• I have been feeling so GRATEFUL this year for all that we have, which is a great BLESSING! Actually a big help in that came from reading Kristie lou's blog at the beginning of the year where she posted the article titled "STUFF IS NOT SALVATION" (http://www.newsweek.com/id/174265. ) Thank you Kristie! See! that inspired me to start working on a family motto to really help our family REMEMBER all that we have and to be GRATEFUL

SO, after RACKING MY BRAIN (That's going a million miles an hour already) trying to come up with a jazzy/ cute poem that the kids could memorize to remember to be grateful and humble. I was reminded by the spirit to keep it simple and had the thought that I could just teach them President Hinckley's 6 B's.

1. Be grateful.

2. Be smart.

3. Be clean.

4. Be true.

5. Be humble.

6. Be prayerful.

Right? that's simple enough for little kids to remember? (Well hopefully it works out and they remember and those little words mean so much), but I plan to use them all year in FHE and having us recite them before every FHE to help us REMEMBER

Shew! that was long (and still getting longer)!
SO, I am also working on some behavioral issues (seems i always have some chart, game, incentive system etc. going) with the kids. The newest of which is the "token economy". 2 friends at church gave me this idea (bless them!!!!) (is anyone else doing it?) I am so excited about it, just learning it though. I started last week only giving tokens and now this week I'm giving and taking! I'll let you know how it's going! Seems to be effective so far, but the whole thing rides on my CONSISTENCY (ha, that's my core weakness, lack of it)

• The kids and I started reading Book of Mormon stories every night together. Other books are "extra" privilege right now before bed. Scriptures have to come FIRST, right:)? I really enjoy reading the stories to them and teaching them a small piece of the gospel every night (Makes me feel like a decent Mommy)
  
  
• I've been putting all my recipes in one place and trying the "Once a Month Cooking" idea. What an awesome concept?! to cook extra and then freeze the rest just to heat up for another meal. brilliant! Why didn't I figure that out long ago? I feel dumb! (this makes me feel like my life is in more order too, but I still haven't finished it. hmmm not uncommon for me)

~I guess the rest of the things on my mind don't "matter" as much in the long term scheme of things -

I'm tired and Rambling now

I'm also trying to DE CLUTTER. This involves lots of other small PROJECTS like Sorting kids clothes in the attic (so I don't always have clothes laying around that are worn out, to small, wrong season etc.)this bugs me so much that i just want to go up there everyday and get it done, but can't because that would mean ignoring 4 small children for several hours AND THAT SPELLS DISASTER!
What else what else.........
Oh, I'm dying to paint my entryway and hall (and I have to repaint the whole stinking hall bathroom because a maid came once and splashed toiled boil cleaner all over the wall. (Why would you want a maid to come if you had even more work to do after they left?)

I think I'm still nesting....and still babbling on and on (b/c I'm running out of colors to write what I want to say)

FRIEND TO FRIEND, IT'S OK! TRULY, LET ME KNOW IF I'M GOING CRAZY! (k?)

I guess the LASTS, but not the LEASTESTS would be organizing my papers and DESK/MONEY/BUDGET/ FOOD BILL. ETC. (any great ideas on these are more than welcome !:)

There are probably OTHER little things, Because the list of MOTHERHOOD goes on and is endless (is it this crazy for others of you with 4 kids?) How do I juggle it all? I know it's literally on a wing and a prayer (well, lots of prayers everyday) Really I am so BLESSED by my Heavenly Father, for all of the help that he lends me.... (only He knows how much HARDER it would be without Him)

Thanks for LISTENING or just LOOKING a little or GLANCING. Whatever it is you do (on my not so dazzly/sparkly blog)

And thanks again for all of the HOPE and HELP all of you offer!

Tomorrow is the beginning of another crazy, beautiful, happy, hopeful, tearful, anxious, prayerful, loving, smiling,humbling, laughing DAY! (I know I missed some)

As a reminder I think I'll end every entry with "I am so GRATEFUL"! Because I feel it and really want to REMEMBER this feeling (thanks Mary for your inspiration there and Utahna for posting I am so blessed at the end of every entry!)

I hope you all see the humor in this :)~