100th Post!

The game where collecting a lot of cats is a great thing!
Unfortunately this doesn't come out until January of next year or I would have over nighted this one for a gift! So we all know someone we could give this too for a few laughs right? I certainly do:). Let me know about who you think about when you see this!

Bella and Jacob

I know what you all may be thinking... I am not a twi-hard, but I have had my fun with the stories! Anyway, Jordan totally digs the whole vampire, ware-wolf thing, and he decided that our biggest dog should be named Jacob... so the name stuck. Taylor, with her spunk wanted our only girl to be Bella... Today the two of them got adopted. Those cute puppies are going to great homes within the same family, Jacob is going a dad and his 2 sons at home, and then his other to his son who is married; he and his wife want Bella. They are still too young to be taken, so we have a little bit longer with those two... very spunky, vibrant and hard playing puppies!

All of them have been great and despite the piddles and puddles they leave me, I am having way more fun than I would planned on. Even this morning when they were all crying their lungs out to be let out for breakfast and a break, they were still fun. I hope I am still saying that in a couple weeks. Maybe my best Christmas present will be finding homes for all these adorable fur balls!

Custest Things ever!

upon arriving home from Church I found the puppies all asleep on the carpet, they had escaped from the swimming pool I had them in, I thought they were trapped! We all had so much fun playing with them, teasing, tumbling and enjoying thier emerging personalities and budding teeth!


Kate and Taylor interact with them daily, toting them back in forth between their room and their box... so cute. They are so cute, I am talking about my girls not the puppies this time.

Christmas Card Time

Brilliant! Hey e-mail me your address so I can send you a Christmas Card. I do have most addresses, but there are a few stragglers out there, and because I just re-formatted my computer, my whole address book thing, is GONE! Anyway e-mail me at emilyandryan01@gmail.com LOVE YA ALL. I am not the most organized person and I figure this could work out great!

Thanksgiving to Remember?

This year we were officially uninvited to Thanksgiving at my mothers. Well, it really wasn't that bad, we were just all sick. She was so generous and kind, however to bring the feast to us. She prepared our own plates for me to go get and bring to our family, a plate of Turkey, Bowl of Potatoes, etc. It was delicious and such a treat. It was just our little family, all coughing, sneezing and throwing up. Fun huh? Well, we'll always remember it. And I am SO thankful for my wonderful family that we could all be together, for my mom for supplying us with a feast, and mostly for my dear husband who stayed home with me instead of running to safer (less germ infested) ground to keep me sane!

The Puppies are Here!

Last Friday morning at 5:30 am I heard a squeaky noise, I looked over the side of my bed and saw my cute roxy carrying her first pup! Roxy seemed nervous, I was more nervous, so I followed her, she hopped up on my chair with the puppy and just lay there. I pet her and sat with her for about 40 minutes, but was so sleepy, I finally crawled back in bed. Seriously it could take hours to get them all here right?

Anyway 7:30 rolled around and I woke up to 5 healthy puppies! They are so cute, quite squeaky, and tiny. Taylor, Kate, and Jordan have been enthralled with them, along with any visitor that comes our way! I have had so much fun watching my kids enjoy this experience. I know this is the easy part, Roxy completely takes care of them. As they get cuter, I am sure they will get more difficult. Yikes!

There are 2 jet black ones, 2 brown, and 1 black/brown (each day it looks more and more brown). Now in our home we have 6 females and 6 males. 4 of the 5 puppies are boys. Ryan and Jordan and happy to have the score evened out!

memories

i can't believe how times flies by so fast! i love looking back at old pictures. Today we raked leaves and got our yard ready for winter. I was impressed at how helpful our kids actually were. I guess that means progress right? Anyway, Taylor and Jordan have played so well today, and really I don't think there is anything better than a morning of work for them. That sets them up for such a good day. Physical work, being outside, getting something done, and then feeling really good about it! I am so thankful to have healthy children who love and play with each other.

What happens while mommy is in the shower.... doesn't stay in the shower...

How we got this way you ask... let me tell you the story. One happy saturday afternoon I really worked super hard getting the house clean. By 4:00 I was lucky enough to see Taylor and Kate totally engrossed in a tea party with their stuffed animals... so I decided to make the break... SHOWER!

When I got back upstairs I saw Taylor and Kate in the bathroom. Kate was facing me and looked totally normal and Taylor had the scissors. Oh Phew, I thought, thinking I had saved something, then Kate turned around. I seriously almost started to cry. Taylor cut all of the back of Kate's hair off. She had mentioned a few times that it wasn't fair that Kate had long hair and could do fun things with it.... I told Taylor over and over that she had asked to have her hair short because she didn't like it when I did her hair! Oh how do you please a 5-year-old? So, I think she tried to even the score! And this is what happened.

So I took them to Ronny and Lisa, long time family friend's Hair Salon...they needed a fix.

For some lucky reason we thought this braid grandma did was pretty cute.... her hair was pretty long.

This is what it looked like when I got out of the shower...

Taylor's too... see the chop above her ear? Then below is what it looked like when I cut off the long stuff. too bad it wasn't thick enough to keep it like that, it was pretty cute. Too Bad~

Conference Weekend in St George

We had such a great time in St. George with Steve and Audrey, and of course the dogs. Terra and her mother cleo had a great time together. They totally wore each other out! Occasionally Roxy would try to join in by jumping off the couch, run up to them and bark at them a few times, then get out of there! It was so funny.

Taylor had so much fun with the dogs. They are totally her thing. I have never known a child who loved animals so much.

These colorful strips were like wristbands you get at the fair or something with the sticky tab. Audrey acquired them last year to help her identify the 12 puppies. So she had about 476 left over and it was great entertainment for the children during conference!

What do I do?

I am feeling tons of mixed emotions right now. This past weekend we went with the whole family and the dogs down to St. George. We all had a great time. However, before St. George I had pretty much had it with my huge loving dog. She is a ton of work and a big space taker-upper! I don't claim to be a dog person, I do love my dogs, but I have felt for a long time that my life would be incredibly simpler with out Terra.

Yes, Yes! I remember how much I wanted her. I remember that I missed her and was so so sad when she went to St. George and we almost got rid of her before. I love this dog. More importantly, my children LOVE this dog. They all show her love and affection, but sometimes she is more than I want to handle.

Last night I put an ad on KSL and it was answered. Someone wants to come pick her up today! I just don't know! I had made my decision, I was firm, and now I am totally waffling. I don't want to be this sentimental over her, but this is a really big decision.

So, today she has been a perfect dog, only barked once, not crazy, I am sure I am insane. Ryan says my perspective has changed, I am sure it has, but what do I do. I need you to talk some sense into me! I have made this matter of prayer and I need to know! I don't want to make a huge mistake of getting rid of her.

Jordan already knows and was much more upset than I would have thought. This morning he was so sweet with her.

Yesterday I was so ready, and today I am not so convinced! I am so confused.

one toy at a time

As I am cleaning my house, slower than my daughters are messing it up. I decided I need to collaborate good ideas from other moms and share the ones I have. I am not really a super scheduled person, so I have a hard time committing to anything.

I need to be better, I have plenty of time to get my house clean today! I do, I need to do it! So I have created a new blog, come see me there and be a part of it. it is called onetoyatatime.blogspot.com

I called it that because although there are millions of things to pick up, dust, wipe, scour, and vacuum, it only starts with one toy. So here we go, lets get cleaning and organized!

Come see me.

Not the first day of school...

Getting ready for Kindergarten, SO exciting

She wouldn't even slow down to let me take her picture again....

until we got to the bus stop. Of course, Abie was there, she is Taylor's bus budy on the way to school...

So here she is getting on the bus. She was so happy, but only seconds later the bus driver told her it was a day early. We had to wait one more day. She was SO upset, walked home with her head down. However we are so lucky now and have been in school a week! And luckily she loves it!

Family Night in the Mountains

We had so much fun with my Mom and Dad last night for family night. We went up to Tanners Flat and felt the first of the cool nights. It was delightful. Jordan enjoyed braving the cold water in his sandals, putting weeds in the fire and cooking marshmallows and hot dogs. Kate loved jumping off rocks, "one... two... six!" Taylor took her chair which she loves and sat in it proudly like a queen. Grandpa used his ingenuity to create hot dog cookers with pliers and hangers, the best I have ever seen out of hangers. Mom kept Ashley and Kate warm. We had a great time. Thanks mom and dad!

Chilly's World: Times When We Do Science

Chilly's World: Times When We Do Science

Go check this out! This is what my children did last Saturday night while Ryan and I were on our date. Kristy my friend, kindly bailed me out and my kids apparently had the time of their lives~

SMILE!

Yeah for pictures of happy babies!


I am excited for school to start for my children, and yet I feel a little bittersweet to see them go. I love having Kate and Ashley so little, and now I can see why some people want to always have a baby in their home.

I was recently released from Nursery, which allowed me to attend Relief Society and Sunday School. I loved learning about Joseph Smith. I loved being at church today to be enriched. I feel like I was reminded of my promise to Heavenly Father to be a better person, to work a little harder and to purify my life. I am grateful for that reminder.





These pictures were taken in St. George. one of those amazing moments. I am not always "ready for a picture" and neither are my children. I find that to be too exausting to me. Also I don't need every picture to be framed, just a simple reminder of a wonderful time of life being a kid, and I think this captures that great!

Taylor and Kate love each other so much. They are such great buddies. They can play and fight with the best of them, and usually do. Although lately they have been so great to play together. I love hearing them getting ready to trek off to grandma and grandpa's house. Kate loves to follow Taylor everywhere! It is so fun.





Gotta love these smiles! I fed her baby-food today, she didn't smile at all during that experience.

Coming to an End.

As summer is winding down, I am coming to terms with being an adult. I am married! Ryan and I are living in our 5th place; our second house. I really am an adult. I have 4 children who can do so much.

My whole family got together for a reunion a couple weeks ago, and my brother Alan said, you know you are an adult when you have all the soda pop choices in the world, and you still choose water! Wow, I never got soda pop the whole time I was there!

I have had so much fun with nieces and nephews and of course my children this summer, that I don't know that I have come to terms with really being the adult. The bubble blowing day, water games and other fun activities have really made me feel like a kid. I don't say kid again because I didn't realize that I never left it, now I am.

Although I love being an adult. I can balance a checkbook, not without mistakes, but mostly I can pay the bills in my household and keep it going! I have taken my children all over this summer, from swimming pools, slides, mountains, grandparents and all sorts of things! I make them breakfast and try to calm their fears. They come to me when they're sad in the night time. I love being a mommy, but I am just now realizing that I can't be one without being the other.

I sat in Relief Society last Sunday with my niece who was bored out of her mind, and I loved the lesson! I guess that makes me an adult...

So although I know I am not a child, and that is ending, just like this summer. I am excited to have children in grade school, eating hot lunch at school and riding the bus. I love that I have a baby and toddler. And a husband who goes to work every day to make money that we spend... he works really hard. He amazes me. Then he comes home to defend me, helps me with the dishes, helps put the children to bed and cleans up the house in what seems like a matter of minutes. If it weren't for him I am sure I would have faced adulthood much earlier. Thanks, Ryan.

Airplanes

Dane and Bridget, my little sister and her husband were nice enough to take Jordan with them up to Hill Air Force Base to an air show which only happens every 2 years. Dane is in the pilot school at UVU and has always loved planes. He even flew to LAX one time just to watch planes come in. HE LOVES PLANES. I was happy to have Jordan go with him because Jordan gets excited about that kind of thing too. And he also adores his uncles.

Ryan heard reports that more than 400,000 people attended! Jordan had so much fun with Dane, Bridget and Dane's parents. Of course, I am partial to my son and think he is great, but it was really fun to hear a report that Dane's parents thought so as well.

Jordan came home with a couple of souvenirs which seem to be his greatest treasures now. Thanks Smith Family! Those are the memories I am so grateful that my children get to build with their family!

Abie thinks the snake is freaky, Taylor said it was "so cute!" It has visited many yards and eats the rodents! Thought you may want to see it!

A little bit of Glycerin went a long way today. We did home made bubbles and had a great time. Some of them were very big and others were giant! Kate tried to eat them and rub them in her hair. She is always a mess! Too bad we missed the pictures of the giant ones. After about an hour, the sun went away and we really got the hang of making big bubbles.

1/4 cup glycerin
1 cup dish soap (We used dawn)
8 cups water

It is now 9:00 and we have had rain off and on... Taylor and Jordan are out there right now playing with the remnants of the bubble solution, which is actually quite a bit. Who knew a little soap could be so much fun!

Smile

Why I keep my dog

More hiking, this time with aunt bridgie

I took Jordan, Taylor and Kate back to the Bell Canyon Trail today. We made it to the resorvoir! I am so proud of us. We moved a little faster because Kate was on my back, but my legs are SO TIRED! It also got kind of windy if you can' t tell by the picture, and we slipped a few times. All in all, we decided I liked the hike. Jordan and Taylor had fun too even if they didn't think so, and of course, Kate did because she was on my back singing Dora the whole time.