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 :)~

SNOW finally!

We've been waiting and I was getting worried that this year might pass again without snowing enough to go sledding. Well my brother-law took Jaden and Jocelyn sledding behind our townhouses and Jaden busted his lip going down on his stomach. Apparently he went right into the fence. Ouch! He came home bleeding, but when I asked if he wanted to stay in he reassured me he was fine! Ok? Anyway, last year we built a snowman, but this year the snow was way too flaky. I hope you enjoy the pictures!


Our townshouse with our pathetic dead tree in the front

Uncle Devin came over and took the kids out to sled and play!

Us - Jonas (he was snoozing inside. warm and cozy)

Me and my sweet sweet Jacob

Jocelyn just wouldn't give up on the snow plowing

Trust me there were about 3 other shots of her doing this!

Even though the snow was lousy for snowman Jaden wouldn't
give up. He did this for about an hour (obviously wasn't getting far)

Jocelyn wanted to clear the neighbors car too!

Jacob in his snow gear (Jaden's old coat and boots) He just
toddled around happy the whole time!

portraits of the kids!

Ryan took these of the kids in our living room with the new camera we got for Christmas! He is still practicing. I am just grateful for his efforts! Pictures mean everything to me, especially when they all grow up so fast!

JADEN



JOCELYN




JACOB



JONAS

funny Christmas bloopers!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

So Funny that we can never get a good picture! Now that we have this many children it's even harder. It's always very stressful, but at least we can look back and laugh at ourselves. We had to bribe the kids with suckers and Jacob didn't know what to do, he just kept crying and begging for Jaden and Jocelyn's suckers. He didn't understand that he had to wait until after the pics were taken. At least Jonas just sat there, but of course he doesn't know how to smile. Oh and I forgot to mention that we will forever know that Jacob was teething (yes STILL). I look gay in my blazer with my hair pasted to my head, but oh well. Jaden is so good looking on camera unless you tell him to smile. I guess that's what friends are for, still loving you even at your worst :)
Anyway, this is the best we can give you again. At least you can get an idea of what we look like together :)
We miss and love all of you! Thanks for visiting!