The Wild Ones

2010-04-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

I know that you all just love how I post a years worth in a day. One last story!

On Sunday I had asked the boys to make thier beds before getting dressed so that they did not wrinkle their church clothes. (Like we ever go to church perfectly pressed. Seriously they are boys. They get grass stains on their pants in the middle of winter?)

So I go downstairs and who do I find butt naked? Micah. (I know that some of you were thinking Matthew but I think he is finally coming out of that stage.) Anyways, Micah is doing exactly what I told him to do. He is making his bed and folding up his blankets.

Here is the conversation:
Mom: Micah, why are you naked?

Micah: Because you told us to make our beds without any clothes on so that we would not get them wrinkled!!!

I thought this was cute and shocked that he actually listened- in his own little Micah way.
(This boy is silly! He seriously always has me at a loss for words!)

Pizza and a Play

2010-04-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

Madi had been taking acting lessons at the Hale Center Theater. They had their showcase in March. They put on the Three Musketeers. She was the Queen. (As always.) She did a great job and just loves it. After we went for pizza at Godfathers. Yummy! Thanks to all the Grandma's and Grandpa's, uncles, and friends that came. (G and G Ashby are not in any of the pictures because they could make it to the pizza party! The play went a lot longer than expected!!!)

This is how here exceptance speech will go at the Oscars:

I would like to thank all those who supported me-

My little brothers who eats pizza "like a man"

And play video games instead of helping me with my lines.

My Gangster Grandpa and Grandma

All my friends

My Uncle Alex and Grandma Great

and especially my mom who drove me to drama every week!!

Okay so the speech needs a lot of work. She's got time.

Madi received some beautiful flowers from Mom and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa Ashby. Grandma and Grandpa Ogden surprised her (and mom) with another session of acting lessons.

Madi fencing (part of the play) They would switch partners in and out. It was like a dance. Very cool!

Madi in her big part as Queen: tiara, fan, and all!!

It was super fun. We can't wait to see what she gets to preform next time.

LegoLand

2010-04-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

In Feb. we hit the road and went to Legoland. It was so much fun! I was also able to spend almost a week with my sister. It was the best vacation. We surprised the kids with the trip. We pretend like we were leaving Amy's house and going home. Madi caught on that something was up. She kept asking if we were sure that we were going the right way. Once we hit the port of entry to California she knew. However she is a good sport and just played along. When we were almost to Legoland we had the kids unwrap a ticket to legoland. They were excited.

A Few of The Things That I Enjoyed:
*Micah was hilarious because he absolutely loved everyride. The faster the better.

*Matthew also went on every ride, but was hunched over because it tickled his "manhood." (Not exactly the terms he used.)
*All the objects that you see in the pictures are made from legos. It is amazing. Millions and millions of legos. Unbelievable.
*Since we went in Feb. there were no lines. The most we waited was 10 minutes and some of the rides we could ride several times in a row because no one else was in line.
*Matthew will never get his drivers license. They had cars the you could drive. (Not bumper cars- Matthew did not get that memo.) They were suppose to follow the flow of traffic. Try to follow the stop signs, not flip U turns, not bump into other cars. Matthew followed none of these rules. I thought for sure that they would stop the ride and kick him out. The couple standing next to us was practicly on the floor laughing. I was pretty embarrassed. But it was funny.
*They had a ride where you tried to hit the targets with a lazer gun. This was Maxx's favorite. He was actually pretty good and did better than the other kids and mom everytime.
*Madi liked most the rides once we dragged her on them. She seriously made the trip worth it. All the kids were amazingly good. But on the last ride we were on these pedal cars and she looked at me and said, "Mom thank you so much for taking us here. I've had so much fun. You are the best. I really love you!" It seriously brought a tear to my eye. (Not hard to do.) You could tell that she really meant itt. (However, she has been taking acting classes- they might be paying off!) But it was so sweet.
*At the hotel I told the kids that they had to jump on the bed. They were seriously shocked. So I showed them how to flip from one bed to the other. I am so mature. Luckily no broken bones.
*David and Matthew got trapped in a corner on the lego boat ride. He was letting Matthew drive. (Did he not see him on the cars?) They could not get out. However, I was seriously laughing so hard that Maxx had to take over driving. He managed to turn us around going the wrong way and we bumped into David. So I got my payback for making fun of David. It was fun. But all these other boats are passing us jsut staring. We are use to it. (Probably one of those had to be there moments.)
*Not having to cook dinner or make any beds.

*I just loved spending time with my family. They are so much fun and we have amazing kids who are very grateful and loved everything we did.

2010-04-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

It was hat day at school. So I let the kids pick whatever hat they wanted to wear. I maybe should have helped Maxx. However, you can't beat a huge Sombrero at school. I am sure the teacher loved that. (And for sunglasses day he wore a big pair of yellow clown glasses. You know the gigantic sized pair you use to play with as a kid. I forgot to take a picture. This boy always thinks outside the box.)

Madi has been taking classes at the Hale Center Theatre and so why she is there we head over to the library for an hour. It has been really fun to have that time with the boys and just focus on reading. (And the rodents they have trapped in a cage. And the 50 trips to the bathroom. And the beanbag that they want to run and jump into. Did I say that we go there to read?)

First Timmer!

2010-04-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

My little ballerina Micah was twirling in the front room. He tripped over his foot and seriously flew like 4 feet to hit hid head on the fireplace. He had to get 3 stitched on the inside because it was so deep and then 9 staples on the outside to hold it together. When he gets hurt he know how to do it right. And to think that I debated whether or not to take him in. (I was just going to glue it together myself and stick a bandaid on!!) However, of the boys he was the oldest to get staples at the ripe old age of 4.) We keep the doctors in business. I am sure that is how anyone with kids feels!! And of course he thought he was awesome!

What I Want to be when I Grow Up

2010-02-15T18:22:00.000-08:00

As a mother when you have children you imagine that they will grow up to be doctors, lawyers, and good hard working citizens. Our are in training to be old lady cross dressers. A mothers wish come true!!! (He seriously wears this everyday!! Should I worry?)

2010-02-12T19:35:00.000-08:00

I love the leaves! The Ashby's have a ton! Fun to play in- not so fun to rake!! I guess that depends on who you ask. Matthew loves it. Here are some fun pictures in the leaves. Why so many of Maxx? Because he was having so much fun!!

Madi is pulling a mom. I seriously have a picture just like this with my leg up in the air. However, as hot as it was I am not posting it. She is my complete opposite, but every once in awhile she humors me! Thanks Madi girl.

2010-02-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

So the other day me and my hottie were looking at our blog and he made a comment of, "why don't you post anything that is updated." So here is a post to satisfy him! Whatever- I also satisfy!!! :) Our winter fun. All the fun things we couldn't do in Vegas. O wait! Snow is not fun. So I begged Uncle Adam to take my kids outside and build a snowman with them. He is a lifesaver!!! (So my kids are watching BackYardigans and Maxx is laughing his head off. There is nothing better than the sound of kids laughing!!!)

Pumpkins!!!

2010-01-07T19:43:00.000-08:00

This year we grew our own pumpkins!!!! Yeah right. Anyone who knows me knows that I would have killed the pumpkins long long ago. Mom and Dad Ashby had an amazing crop of pumpkins and we were able to share in the profits!! The kids had so much fun picking all the pumpkins and then choosing which one they wanted to keep. There were so many. All shapes and sized. It is always amazing to me at how much fun Matthew and Maxx have working. (One day Matthew went out to play in the back and I found him raking up the leaves. He is awesome!! Where did I get such an angel?)

Where are Micah and Madi when there is work to do? HUMMMMM - the only girl and the youngest child missing in action. Do we need to ask any more questions! :) Just kidding. At least for Madi!! :)

Seriously- what is with these green pants. One day I found them wearing these green pants with bright yellow shirts. Where do I shop? Where are these clothes coming from? Don't they know how to coordinate!!! Thankfully I made them put on somewhat white shirts before stepping outside. I have since gotten rid of the pants. It was a sad, sad, sad, day at the Ashby's!!!!

October Birthdays!!!!

2010-01-07T19:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday !!!!!!!
Isn't he so squishable!? Now that my kids are at a point where I actually like them I want them to stop growing up. I know it is not nice to say that you do not like your kids, but I struggled with the baby age. I love the ages they are now. I wish I could freeze time. They are so loveable and still so super funny. I love being a mom. His birthday was the best. The grocery store Maceys celebrated some anniversary and had this awesome carnival that day. It took up most of the parkig lot. It rocked. they had hot dogs, snow cones, cotton candy, popcorn and ice cream cones for only .10 each. You can't beat that. Plus when we were standing in line we had like 3 people hand us tickets. So we spend like 2.00 (got 20 tickets) and were given 20 tickets. We ate so much crap!! Plus they has bounce houses and slides, plus games, balloon animals, and a cake walk and that part was all free. It was awesome. He won a hat. (That he wear all the time. It is 10 times to big and he looks like a homey. Good thing we moved to West Valley. We look like homeys and we do getto things like make our children go to the Maceys carnival on thier birthdays!! We rock!) And a cupcake from the cake walk. It was a blast. Plus he thought that the party was for him and that all these people came to his birthday party. We were not going to bust that bubble! It was super fun. That night we had family over for dinner, cake and ice cream. He got a monster truck that jumps over things, U of U shirt and football (BOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! U of U- why must my kids take after their father! Thanks grandma and grandpa Ogden) and these awesome things called Bend A Roo's. He loves them!! These are super fun if you haven't tried them. (Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Ashby) He said he had the best birthday ever!!

SOOO Handsome! Isn't it amazing how cute you think your own kids are. (Most the time. When you find them relieving themselves on some bush in the Wendy's parking lot, they are not so cute! But like our kids would ever do that!)

Plus his first friend birthday party!!! He had everything all planned out. He only wanted to invite 3 friends. I tried to talk him into more.... more presents!! Just kidding. But nope. He knew what he wanted. These are his 3 best friends.This cute little girl he loves. Isn't she adorable. We were outside playing for a couple minutes waiting for thier parents and she kept saying, "Maxx come push me!" and he would run over and push her. Another little boy tried and she said, "I want Maxx to do it!" We had a scavenger hunt to find pumpkins, then painted the pumpkins, and decorated spoooky, creepy faces.

Mom also celebrated her 29th Birthday. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my birthday!!! Look at this amazing cake that my hotty (are you assuming that this is my husband? He just wants to know!!!) made me. He rocks!! I love cake and oreos. My two favorite things. He surprised me with this- I was so excited. I have one request on my birthday is that I get a cake!!! But he always spoils me. So from here on out I will never age. (Just in the number not in my looks. Thanks goodness for Mary Kay!) 29 FOREVER!!! But hello, most people still think that I am a teenager. Not because of my looks but because of my height. Maybe my looks a little. Just don't get too close. The other day I was at my kids school and one of the teachers told me to turn around and get in line. Once I did she was super embarrassed. She said sorry Mrs. Ashby and I laughed so hard. O well. In heaven I will be all legs and they will be skinny!!!! (No head just legs! HA!)

Fall Fun!!!

2010-01-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

One thing I missed about Utah (which I did not realize) was the beautiful leaves. We went for a hike in the Mountains after the leaves had changed and it was beautiful!! The kids had their hands full of leaves. We came home and put them in a vase and they looked so pretty.

The boys playing in the rain. Grandma Lois was so nice to take them out and run in the rain with them. I got to hide inside a nice comfy house and watch/ take pictures. I love watching kids play.

We took a fun trip down town to see all the church sites and museums. On thing I felt we had taken for granted while living in Utah were all the wonderful things here that we never took a chance to go see. When we moved to Vegas everything was new so it felt like we were always doing something. So when we moved back I wanted to make sure that we took the kids downtown to the church sites. We went to the Family History Museum, Temple Square, The Beehive House, Look out on top of the Church Office Building, and a couple other little things. We had a great time. We spent all day there. I thought the kids might get bored but they just "ate it up!" Plus it was free. You can't beat that.

Reinacting Lehi's Dream

Salt Lake Temple

Beehive House

School Days, Swimming, and Rock and Roll

2010-01-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

School!! The kids were so excited. A new school, a new start. I have been amazed at how fast they have made friends. It is like we have been at this school forever. They have all just fit in. It has been a big relief for me and them.

Madi

Matthew- (Maxx is such a sneek. I did not even notice him there!)

Maxx! My big boy is in school. He looks so proud!

One last romp in the pool! Even though they started school it was still warm for a while to do a little swimming and most of all WATER FIGHTS!!! We'd do this most Fridays after school while it was warm.

Leave it to Dad to have all the FUN torturing the kids! All the kids got it. (But because I am so good with the computer I deleted the other 2 kids being dunked and I am not going to search for them again! O well!)

This is my favorite because the boys were playing rockband in Amy's garage. Some good old food storage cans full of rice and water storage jugs for drums, some golf sticks for drumming and a hockey stick for a guitar! The song they were singing was I hope they call me on a Mission. Watch out ACDC! It was hilarious. The rocker voices and everything. At the end Maxx even did a pose and attempted to do the splits! I am starting to wonder what they are actually teaching them in Primary! Adding a little flare during music time it looks like. (Actually just immitating thier dad!)

Temple

2010-01-06T09:56:00.000-08:00

We had the opportunity to go the Oquirrah hill Temple open house. It was beautiful!

Ithought for sure that my boys would act so reverent with it being the temple. They really tried thier best. But with all those stairs how can you not help but try to see how many you can jump down at one time. (Especially while we were inside- because there are so many stairs!) Then one of them hid in one of the dressing rooms and yelled BOO! as we came around the corner! Such reverent children. Who is thier father? Because thier mother is nothing but reverent!!! :)

We had fun and according to them the best part was the cookies they served after. The people were nice and gave them 2 - I think some children might have gotten 3. (They are sneeky!) They were amazed at how beautiful the temple was and thought it was neat that they have been inside one now.

The only picture I got while at our condo in Park City! There is nothing better than playing games and eating pudding!! (However, I can do without Monopoly. For those out there that do not like Monopoly either there is new monopoly called Monopoly Deal - a card game. It cost like 5 dollars. It is super fun!!! It only takes like 15 minutes at the most to play the game. It Rocks!!)

2010-01-03T21:44:00.000-08:00

We are trying to plan a trip to Lego land. Any comments or suggests would be great.

One more comment. What is up with some of the songs on my playlist! I think I was a little bit tipsy that day. But I can't figure out how to change the songs. I put them on and now we are all stuck with what I did! I actually like the songs that I put on I just can't figure out how to change them. My memory medication hasn't been working lately!! :)

Summer Fun!!

2010-01-03T20:59:00.000-08:00

I know that I am so far behind that it seems rediculous to even try and catch up. So I am not going to really. But I just wanted to add some pictures of what we have been doing over the past couple of months. We are adjusting well to Utah, but I miss Vegas terribly! It is amazing how fast you can adjust to a place after a little over a year. It is my home away from home. I can't wait until summer and a little vacation there. But it has been fun to be near all the family- especially during the holidays because believe it or not I actually love family parties. I did not realize that I did until I wasn't able to go to all of them last year. So this year was so much fun. However, Amy I miss you terribly and all the late night talks and karoake. Remember I am out of practice with this blogging stuff and for those of you who know me I am very computer jinxed!! So cross your fingers and hope this blog turns out.

There were some amazing planes. Then a trip to Apollo burger afterwards. Thanks for a great time. The kids were amazed!

Then came my favorite time of the season once again-CAMPING!!!! (In Utah somewhere!) So the first night that we were suppose to meet everyone I luckily got the stomach flu. Therefore, I only had to bare through 2 days. Just kidding. I realized that the stomach is much much worse than Camping. Did you hear that! I would much rather camp than have the stomach flu. I did it again without David. I am becoming pro at this all by myself stugg. He was in Vegas working. Camping was fun - except Madi getting sick on the first night. But we made it. She did not even throw up in my tent- her cousins. Sorry again Paul and Amannda! :) Plus our tent did not get soaked through, everyone slept well, and it was all in all an ok time. (If confused refer to older post!)

Almost all of the cousins!! This is at Beaver Dam. Look at how excited my kids are about camping. I have taught them well. Just kidding. I do the camping thing because of them.

Here is a better picture of them!

I do not know why I have so many pictures of the same scene. Another excitement shot followed by.....

Matthew smoking a pencil and Micahs classic pull a face. Which is fine until you go to get nice professional pictures taken. Then it is no longer funny!!

Our cute little family. Warning- no makeup shot- you might want to cover your eyes. Look how hot we are in our matching shirts. We are the only dorks in the family, but I am proud of it!!

Micah loves Grandpa. Moobster is not a hiker and Grandpa saved the day. After 2 steps he starts complainig- my legs hurt. Fun huh! But the hike was made possible by Fruit Snacks and Grandpa.

Swimming in the Creeek!!

Good Times and lots of memories. I only gained 5 pounds on Smores this time. Until next year!

2009-10-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

Robyn this is for you: I am not dead!

We are MOVING!!! (AGAIN!!)

2009-08-05T11:46:00.000-07:00

I know no pictures so it is boring. But read it anyways to find out what we have been up to!!

Sorry I have not posted for so long but we are still in Utah. Actually we have been on vacation and decided that we are just going to stay. We like to fly by the seat of our pants. We are going to be living with Davids parents for now. They hope to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in a year and we will be able to stay in their house while they are away. We are so grateful for them. But so far things are going well. David just received a job with a sub contractor for the Union Pacific Railroad. He will be fixing trains. The schedule is perfect. He will be able to go to school and church and only works 3 1/2 days a week. Which is what we were hoping for and we have truly been blessed. He will start school in Aug. at the Salt Lake Community College. He is going into Radiography. (X-rays, ultrasound, and other stuff. I am actually not sure all that it intells- I probably should find out.)

The kids have started school here. The school is year round so as soon as we found that out we registered them and they started the next week. They have adjusted so well. I am amazed. Madi already has friends calling to play. YEAH! Matthew says, "I loved school but my teacher says she is the meanest teacher in the school about handwriting. So I better do a good job!" But I love her. She doesn't assign homework or worksheets! Matthews 2 least favorite things. YEAH! Maxx started Kindergarten. I can't believe it. We had his kindergarten assessment and the teacher said that he was ready for 1st grade. He is one of the older kids in his grade (his birthday is in Oct. so that is a little bit of an advantage) but he soaks up information. He loves loves loves to learn. And loves Kindergarten. He wakes up in the morning puts on his backpack. So I have to remind him that he goes to school in the afternoon.

As for Micah he is still just cute trouble. He really misses Maxx while he is at school. The first day he followed me around saying, "What are we going to do now, what are you doing now, are you going to play with me!! And this is after we'd already played a couple games and read books. Yikes I am in for a treat. Micah has always had someone to play with. So this is new for him.

It is amazing how well it has all worked out. (Now I would not be saying that a couple weeks again, but it has all fallen into place.) It is so amazing. We really felt like we should move back and things are working out.

I am going to miss everyone so much in Vegas. I have made so many wonderful friends and so have my kids. We will be coming back Aug. 15 for 3 weeks while the kids are off track and to pack up our stuff. So lets get together and party!

Vegas Style!!

2009-07-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

So I think Vegas has rubbed off on my son. (Thanks Amy for the picture!) Pasties and all. As my sister would say, "Watch out Thunder Down Under!" Since Vegas is having a little too much influence on my chilren we are getting out of here. We are heading to Utah for a little vacation. (Therefore my blog might suffer more than it already does.)

Comment on the picture: We were painting and the paint and stickers can never just stay on the paper. As me and Amy were sitting around with our 2 youngest boys we commented on how we would have never let our first borns just sit and paint on themselves while we laughed. But once you get to number 4 it is actually quite funny to watch them paint themselves. It seems we get a little more relaxed. (I actually do remember letting my other kids paint themselves. I just wasn't as relaxed.)

Maxx Verses Lego

2009-06-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

I know that I have been posting a lot about Maxx lately, but that boy is just full of it! So today we had a well check-up at the doctors. She was looking him over and this is what happened:

Doctor: This ear looks good lets check the other. Wait what is this? Maxx you have something in your ear.

Mom: What?

Doctor: Yeah. There is something in his ear, come look.

Mom: I can't see anything. Then I see something yellow.

Mom to Maxx: Maxx did you put a popcorn seed in your ear?

Maxx: No.

Mom: Is it a LEGO?

Maxx: Yes! But it has been in there for a long, long, long, long, long, thousands of years long time.

Mom: Great! (Me and the doctor are laughing pretty hard by now.)

So they call in the other doctor:

Doctor 2: Hi Maxx- I hear you put something in your ear.

Maxx: Yeah.

Doctor puts in the forcepts (that is what he called his giant tweezers) and pulls out a little arm to one of the lego men.

Doctor 2: Maxx, at least you put it in the skinny way out so I could get a good grip on it. Let me check your ear one more time. Maybe you've got the whole guy in there. I could play legos.

We were all laughing pretty hard. I was a little embarrassed. I think Maxx was too. Luckily the doctor put it in a jar so we could bring it home. I could sanitize it and let him play with it again, but I am not sure where it would end up. So I think I will keep it for memory sake, safely closed up in a jar. However, I am pretty sure there are a million more lego arms floating around this house. I just have to do more ear checks. Not the first time we retrieved something from Maxx's ear. Hopefully the last.

I Have the Power!!

2009-06-15T19:32:00.001-07:00

This is just silly. So Mathew and Dad are playing something while on the bed. And Dad rolls over exclaiming, "I HAVE THE POWER!!!!!" and bops Maxx full on in the nose with his fist. (Maxx was standing behind Dad and he did not even see him.) However, I got the giggles so bad. Don't worry Maxx was fine! It is probably one of those you have to be there to think that it is funny moments. Nonetheless, I thought that I would share it with you.

Bike Riding

2009-06-07T17:01:00.000-07:00

Maxx learned to ride his two wheeler yesterday! My batteries were dead so no pictures, but I caught it on video. However, I do not know how to put videos on the computer. Way to go Maxx. He is 5 and I was determined to teach him this summer. He had it mastered in about 10 minutes. He can start, stop, turn, etc. Thanks to his cousin Braydin for the help. (David was a little sad that he learned how while he was at work. I guess that is a dads job. About a month ago David told Maxx he could do it but he wouldn't by himself. Yesterday Braydin just took him out and within minutes he was a pro.)

GO MAXX!!!

Maxx

2009-06-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

Our Maxx is most curious! He just makes me laugh.

Maxx loves ribs. He will eat so many! I was vey very impressed. He just kept coming back for more. Just when I think that he is proving himself as a man he surprises me with...

Captain Underpants....

I just think this is cute!
Ballerina boy...

And this? What is the world is this. He fell asleep with a game piece up his nose. (I would not play games at our house- you seriuosly never know where the pieces have been!) This boy loves to stick objects places they do not belong. Good think he is do dang cute!
Come to think of it all these traits are probably ones we find in men. So my boy is becoming a man! :)

Conversations with Little Boys

2009-05-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

So David and the boys were at the store today and this was thier conversation:

They were walking by the bras:

Maxx: Look at the bras!! Lets buy mom one.
Dad: We are not buying mom a bra.
Micah: Why? She doesn't wear them anymore!!

My kids know we way too well! I am a free spirit! Just kidding. (Sometimes)

Micah does say the weirdest things. We have a problem with him picking his nose and eating it. So the other day he was picking it and ate it.

Mom: Micah that is digusting!!
Micah: But I'm starving!!

Then on Sunday I caught him with his finger up his nose.

Mom: Micah please keep your fingers out of your nose.
Micah: Mom, I am just putting it back.
(Yeah right! Clever little boy!)

Any suggestions for the nose picking and eating?

Camping- Do I have too?

2009-05-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

For Memorial Day Weekend Amy dragged me out camping. When I say drag I mean that literally! I was fighting and kicking all the way. (She only had a few bruises.) She made the reservations at a campsite in Pinevalley - near St. George- 6 months ago and told me I would be going. I seriously fought her on this one. I am not a camper. And definitely not a Happy Camper. But because I love her so much and I know my kids love camping I put aside my selfishness and went. It was as bad as I imagined! However, there were times when it was more fun than I imagined. My camera batteries died so I did not get many pictures. Which is a shame. (I brought 2 fully charged sets and they lasted maybe 6 pictures- I need new batteries.)David was not able to come, he had to work! We missed him a ton. So the first day it rained hard. I had a little bit of a melt down when I imagined my tent getting muddy. (I know camping and mud go hand in hand but I have issues!!) But soon got over it because my tent flooded and all our stuff got wet. However, thank goodness for a car heater. I was able to put all our sleeping stuff in the car with the heat full blast for about 2 hours and it dried right up. Lucky Us! I did not even have a meltdown. I even stayed the rest of the time. I was tempted to go home. After that I was greatful for dirt in the tent as long as our stuff was dry. On Sunday it was beautiful. It was so fun to see my kids enjoying nature. It was really peaceful. And when my kids did fight it was far enough away that I did not have to hear it too much.
Some of our highlights:

1. SMORES!!
2. Braydin found Matthew a lizard that Matthew carried around on the back of his shirt. He begged to bring it home. I think animals should stay in nature.
3. Maxx lost Micahs shoes is the river. "But Mom, I just wanted to kick them!"
4. Micah lost Maxx's frisbee in the river. I told them that they were now even. I am sure this was Micah's plan. He is only 4 but he knows all about paybacks.
5. Maxx broke the velcro off his pair of shoes. We will be making a Payless run.
6. Maxx found a fish head and thought it was funny to make it talk. Nasty, what is with my boys. They learn a lot from their cousin Braydin.
7. Collecting wood for the fire. The boys loved this. Especially Micah who turned every piece of wood into a gun. It is a good thing us moms have about a million lives. Or I'd be dead.
8. Uncle Alex telling the longest campfire stories ever- Madi loved this.
9. Of coarse the FLOOD!~
10. Spending time with family, laughing, and sharing memories
11. Did I mention SMORES!! I think we ate 5 bags of Marshmallows in 2 1/2 days. (There were 11 of us- but I am sure I ate a whole bag myself.)
12. I chopped and split wood. With an axe. It was tough work but very theraputic.
13. The many scraps, burns, and bumps that we all got. Tin foil dinners are extremely hot when coming out of the fire. So are marshmellows, Starbursts, the latern, etc. You'd think we would have learned.
14. Thinking that I'd caught fire. I ran around screaming and beating the arm of my coat. Come to find out that when you are wet and you stand around the fire you create steam. I am a complete NERD!
15. Eating dutch oven. For some reason everything tastes really good while camping.
16. Playing card games!
17. Having no idea what time it was. I loved not having to hurry or rush. We just went with the flow.
18. Flashlights. Kids just love them.
19. Our kids running away. Mostly just Maxx. That boy is so curious.
20. Watching Matthew chop wood. He is growing up.
21. A beautiful night sky. I love the stars.
22. Did I mention the crusty dirt bergers all over their faces! What is up with that!

These were just some of the highlights. There were many others. On our way home we toured an old church in Pinevalley that is built like an upside down boat. Pretty cool. And also visited the sight of the Mormon Meadow Massacre. It is a sad story but they have built a beautiful memorial for those who lost their lives. It was interesting to see. I was glad to be on our way home. But I am so grateful for these memories that I will share with my children.

On our way home there was an accident in the gorge in St. George as you are traveling to Las Vegas. So we were stuck in traffic. At a stand still. But that was okay. We make light of it. I can now say that I have done a cartwheel on the freeway!!! Good times. I think that maybe in 5 years or so when I forget all about this camping trip that I might think about going again. Kind of like child birth!! However, that usually only took me about 8 months to forget. So we will see. HAPPY CAMPING EVERYONE!

The Price of Children

2009-05-12T12:37:00.001-07:00

My aunt sent this to me and I LOVED it!! However, for some reason it does not mention all the WWF westling matches that I get front row to in my living room!

The Price of Children

This is just too good not to pass on to all. Here is something absolutely positive for a change. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down.. It translates into:

* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month,
* $171.08 a week.
* A mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is; don't have children if you want to be 'rich.' Actually, it is just the opposite..

What do you get for your $160,140.00?

* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:

* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs,
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:

* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:

* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat in history to witness the:

* First step,
* First word,
* First bra,
* First date,
* First time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!

Thanks Whitney!!

2009-04-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

So my awesome neighbor watched Maxx, Micah and Sam and took these adorable pictures. Thanks Whitney- you are FABULOUS!! ) Now I am wishing that I had done Micah's hair that day!

Sam, Maxx, and Micah. She labeled this one the Wishby cousins. Because we all live in the same house we have changed our last name to Wishby or Ashlock. (Combination of Ashby and Whitlock.) So some of the people in the neighborhood refer to us as that.

COUSINS

Sam, Maxx, Micah

SAM

MICAH

MAXX

Playing Catch-Up

2009-04-22T15:06:00.000-07:00

Note: You all know by now what a dork I am when it comes to this blog stuff. I can not seem to get the descriptions to line up with the picture that it is meant for. So on this blog you can just put an of the description to any picture you choose. You can create your own story!! Good LUCK!

So this must be my favorite game to play. I don't post and then I want to show you all the things we have done. I know I don't have to do it but I like to make myself insane I guess!!

Free Denny's Breakfast. It was so crowded but a fun adventure. We were there at 6:30 am. The kids had a blast. It was great food. However, they are so over priced regularly (at least here in Vegas. A salad is $10.00) that I would not got there. However, you can't pass up free!!! We are a little white trash!

Twin Day at school. Matthew and Madi with their Best Friends!

This is just s cute picture!

Dresss up as your favorite book character. Matthew chose Spiderman, Ruby is Fancy Nancy and Madi is the Boy Who Became President!

Matthew learns to ride a bike. Dad look like he just might try that jump. Go Daddy!!

Fire Station

2009-03-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

The music maker group that we attend every Wednesday did a field trip to the Fire Station! Personally I was super excited because I have never been to a firestation before. It was a lot of fun. So I have posted way too many pictures and wanted to post more but enough is ENOUGH!! (I was tempted to pull Matthew out of school to go, but didn't. How cool is the fire station to boys and moms who are cooped up in the house too much!)

We look a lot silly but sometimes it is all about the memories and making a dork out of your self on your blog! (Seriously, I have no idea how I have linked this! I am freakin' amazing with computers.)

2 of the boys in front of the station. They were on a call so we had to wait a while for them to come back.

Fireman Moobster in his fire hat!

Sam, Moobster, and Cubby Diesel getting ready to climb onto the fire truck.

Cubby Diesel driving the truck. I have seen how he rides his bike. Not a good combination!

Moobster in the truck.

There are so many devices on the truck! They wanted to touch (and brake) them all.

In the fire truck. They were all trying on the helmet but Moobster wouldn't so he held the flashlight.

But Cubby Diesel was a totally different story. He wanted to try on everything!

Once our turn was over in the truck we decided why not climb all over the outside of the truck as well. These little monkeys!

At the end, one of the fireman had the kids watch him put on his entire outfit. Even the oxygen mask. Which I thought was such a good idea. He was telling the kids that if there was a fire that this is what he would look like if he came into the house to rescue them. Most of the kids were a little nervous but ok with this idea. He then said that they could come and touch his outfit and shake his hand. They all started crying. 20 plus kids scared to death. It was a little hilarious. I was proud of Cubby Diesel because he went over to him and gave him five. (This is my child who is afraid of Chucky Cheese! So I was very surprised!) So did Moobster Do after a little encouragement.

We really had a great time. Thanks for those who organized this!

Cache Cans

2009-03-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

Our first Cache Can. The kids are showing their treasures!

Mike, Becka, McKay and Isabel Ashby came and visited us a couple weeks ago. We had a great time with them. They were on their way to Disneyland and stopped by. We took them to one of our favorite hiking spots. Red Rock Canyon. Mike has this GPS System for doing the cache cans so we were able to find hidden treasure! The kids loved it, especially David. They each were able to pick out a toy from the treasure can and then leave their own. We even started one of our own. Uncle Mike showed us how. It is called Snarly Dead Wood Forest (or something like that if anyone is interested in finding it.) It was pretty cool and a lot of fun. Even when my darling husband thought that it would be cool to try to find JUST ONE MORE, in the dark, with cactus's, 6 children, and a very not brave wife! Finally David and Mike told us to stay where we were and that they would go and find it and bring the treasures back. Once we got in the car it seemed a lot more fun than it did at the instant. Isabel was such a trooper even though she got a cactus prick in her leg. She did not even cry- that is one brave girl. We just spent a lot of time talking and it was so good to see them. Thank you so much for coming!

Amy's Birthday

2009-02-11T14:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Amy!!

Today Feb 13th is my big sisters birthday. She was actually born on Friday the 13th! I would tell you all how old she is, but she is so old that I just can't remember! HA!! I just want her to know how much I love her and how amazing she is. She is the greatest. Thanks for doing so much for me and making me the person I am today! You did help raise me a lot. I love you! Thanks for being my Best Friend!

(I had a hard time rotating this picture of me and Amy as kids. In the process I added a black line and made the picture really small. Can you even see it? O well.)

Christmas All Over!

2009-02-01T20:50:00.001-08:00

We has a great Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Ashby's. We did Christmas on Jan 1, 2009 and it was such a fun day. Grandma made each of the kids a new blanket. She makes them one as babies, but my kids love theirs a little too much. All of their blankets had fallen apart. I had sewn them back together several times, but they were becoming just pieces. Infact, grandma had already made Matthew a new one so this was his third. I was so amazed that she had done this. The kids loved them! And thankfully have given up their rags for these beautiful new blankets. They each got a new book as well. Grandma and Grandpa always find the best books. Grandma and Grandpas are the BEST! Grandma also wrote this darling poem to go with the blankets:

"If you ever find you miss me and need a "grandma hug." Just wrap up in your hugging quilt and soon you'll be all snug. Remember that I love you and that I miss you too. It won't be long 'til were together and I'll give a real Grandma hug to you. "

By Lois Ashby

I was in tears. We miss everyone so much. Such a special Christmas.

After that we went out and played in the snow. Luckily we had brought our snow gear. It was fun to play in the snow and build a snow man. Also, you can't have snow without a snowball fight. I think Grandpa really started it. Thanks for the memories.
We love you!

Farrs Ice Cream!

2009-02-01T19:54:00.000-08:00

Every time we visit Utah (which has only been twice) Mom and Dad take us to Farr's Ice Cream. It is an old building where they use to manufacture that ice cream. We always get two HUGE scoops. It is amazing that these little kids can eat so much. Not surprising that I can eat that much. We have a lot of fun. Amy's 2 girls were with us as well. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa. You always spoil us and we love it! But not as much as we love you.

Yum!

Bunco!!

2009-01-30T17:09:00.001-08:00

First of all I have to do a big shout out to Whitney for letting me use her pictures. You are so awesome and so smart to bring a camera. Also to Kaydee for setting this all up.

The Ladies. We had a blast.

So we ended up playing a couple games, but the best part was just talking after wards for hours. I think we got home around 1 am. These women are so much fun. It has been a blast getting to know all of them.

Christmas Pictures

2009-01-28T21:16:00.000-08:00

I know that Christmas is over, but I just keep reliving the season! I love these pictures. Me and David took them in a neighborhood around where we live. Not too bad for amateurs. However, we did have the cutest models ever. I am bias. I felt so bad for Madi. I put some makeup on her eyelids and they started puffing up, burning, and itching. So she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. (This will explain some of the pictures. I know dumb mom for putting makeup on her little girl. But you can't tell to much in the pictures I posted. They got much worse.) But she was a good sport and is always beautiful even with puffy eyes. But in the end, after much crying, dirt all over the white shirt, running away, puffy eyes, much bribery, an entire box of cocoa puffs, wheat thins, some candy and 150 pictures, we did get ONE good group picture and some good individuals. Always an adventure.

Madi turns 10!!

2009-01-26T15:30:00.000-08:00

My baby girl is 10! She will always be my baby girl even though she is the oldest because she is my only girl. I have been so blessed to get such an amazing daughter. She is my princess. I love her so much.

We were in Utah for her birthday. Madi and Grandma Lois. They gave Madi a beautiful jewelry box and a 2 dollar bill which Madi thought was awesome.

Grandma LaDonna got out all of her Madame Alexander Dolls to do a show for the kids. I do not think that she has ever shown these to the kids before. (We did not get to see them all because she seriously has about 500.)

That night we had a party for her at Grandma LaDonna's house. Grandma Stetter with Madi. (Grandma is 90! Doesn't she look amazing.)

She had fun at the party. She got her MP3 player that she has been dying to get. We held off on her for Christmas because she had to get something good for her birthday. (Because she got a ton of other good stuff for Christmas.)

At the party she: smoked some pizza............

Pulled party poppers, wore a crown, sang happy Birthday a million times because Grandma Stetter likes to watch the candle burn, ate some cake..........

and ice cream! Plus opened her presents. Besides the MP3 player, she also got some darling clothes from Grandma and Grandpa Ogden, a darling shirt from Grandma Stettler, and her aunt Joan gave her a cupcake froster.

Madi set the timer and at the exact time that she was born we blew party horns and made a lot of noise. It was a fun day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADI!!

Crazy Boys

2009-01-26T09:30:00.000-08:00

Can you guess what these boys are pretending to be? SUPERHERO's? Who would have guessed! They said that they are going to protect me from the bad guys. They crack me up. I think Clark Kent wore glassed like that.

My studdly superhero. Matthew made that mask at school.

I was surprised that these two were actually playing on the same team. Fighting for the greater good of mankind. Matthew always wants to be the bad guy. Then I found this.... (The picture posted below.)

I guess Matthew decided to be the bad guy. I heard him yelling for help and this is what I found. They had tied him up with a ace bandage. He is trying to get out and struggling. I think Braydin helped Maxx and Micah because it was a pretty good job. Part of me was tempted to leave him tied up. Too bad I did not have 2 more bandages I could have tied all my boys up. That might make the day a little easier. (I would never actually do that! However, it is tempting.)

The Quilt

2009-01-23T11:16:00.000-08:00

This was one of my favorite parts of Christmas. My amazing sister wanted to make our mom and dad a quilt for Christmas. We put the kids hand-prints on it, pictures they had drawn, and then pictures of the kids with Grandma and Grandpa. It was a challenge for me because being crafty is not one of my specialties. But I have such a wonderful and patient sister who encourages me to do things that I would definitely not try on my own. Plus she put up with all my complaining and frustration. It took a long time to put together. I can't even count the hours we put into this blanket. But the final product was well worth it. It was beautiful and the reaction from our parents was Priceless!!

But we decided that it would be not fun just to give them the blanket without a little teasing. Here is the story:

We bought them a quilt holder to display the quilt. So we had this wrapped under the tree. They opened this and had no idea what it was. We told them that it was a quilt holder to hang their pretty quilt on that they have in their front room. She gave us a puzzled look and said, "We do not have a quilt in our front room." So we went on and on about how I thought they had a pretty quilt on the back of one of their chairs and how I'd told Amy that they would love that. So we sat there and apologized for such a dumb gift and that they could take it back. They tried so hard to act excited! It was hard to not laugh. (The story continues below.)

Mom and Dad trying to act like they like the the gift.

Dad putting together the quilt holder

So we sat there and took a ton of pictures of them with this quilt holder to make them think that it was all there was. They were so silly with it.

Once we had teased them for probably 15 min. we had the kids walk out wrapped in the quilt. They both broke down in tears, especially mom. (The quilt holder did not look so bad now.)

They loved the quilt and have it displayed in their entrance way. Which means they really like it. Only the best of the best things go in there. We love you mom and dad. You are so amazing and are so grateful to have such wonderful parents.

The front of the blanket. The back is the same colors just 4 big squares sewn together. (Just the blue, purple, pink, and yellow.) It looks really nice with the blanket.

A close up. For the pictures we actually made little pocket with vinyl which we stitched on to the quilt. This way they can update the pictures.

CHRISTMAS!!!

2009-01-21T22:16:00.000-08:00

This post is super long. I know I am writing about Christmas, but have Valentines background on my blog. I figured that I would get a head start on my background because I am so far behind on everything else.

We had a wonderful Christmas. I know that I am a little late but that is how I roll! (This is my homey post!) My mom and dad came to spend Christmas with us this year. Along with my brother Alex. So it was just like when we were children except with spouses and our own kids. OK so it really wasn't the same, but it was so much fun. With 15 people in one house for Christmas it makes for a lot of excitement! It took over 3 hours to open all the gifts. It was awesome. I am only posting a select few pictures. I know you all wanted to see everyone I took but I must simplify.

My family loves when I post picture of them. Amy, my mom, and me making candy. It was one of those years where none of the candy really turned out how it was suppose to. Mostly because they let a blond into the kitchen who still can't follow directions. (Me, not my mom. And I wonder why my kids can't seem to follow directions either.) But we laughed A LOT and made a lot of memories.

My bro with the kids. He is KING of Lego's. So now that my boys and Amy's are loving Lego's they always want to build with uncle Alex. (Uncle Alex, Matthew, Maxx, and cousin Sam in front.)

Every year my mom spends the most on her favorite child and buys him a Lego set. This one is HUGE. It is the Millennium Falcon from Star wars or something. He was way excited. The instruction manuals were like books. They were even spiral bound and all fancy looking. What's up with that! Crazy. Forget college with 3 boys I need to start a Lego fund.

Madi with most of her gifts. We haven't quite gotten ready for the day. But who wants to on Christmas anyway. The red marks on all the kids faces are kisses from Santa. He always kisses them on the cheek or the forehead. Santa did that to us as well when we were growing up. He left a few on David this year as well. David is very kissable. I think Santa might have the hots for my husband.

Matthew's Christmas. He loved the Spider man outfit. Of course he wanted the BAD Spider man. Only evil and darkness can prevail at this house. They are silly. He would not take this off. He wore it for days straight. Which is pretty grouse, but he must seriously have super powers because he won that fight. (OK I am a total pushover sometimes. It Christmas!)

Micah's Christmas. You see those big giant hulk hands. Times that by 5 boys wearing those. It is WAR! Plus the dads have to get in on it and beat someone down. They are worse than the kids.

Maxx's Christmas. There is a Thomas the Train Set under there somewhere. We found it super cheap at Walmart. It was set up for a couple day, got torn apart several times, missing pieces everyday, lots of tears, then shoved in a Rubbermaid to be forgotten. Don't you just love toys like that. It seemed like a good gift at the time.

Sam and Micah (lightening McQueen) They are best buddies. Micah got a welding set for Christmas and he is holding the torch. It vibrates when a button is pushed and so he welded his brothers all day long. He must constantly be annoying them are he just is not happy.

Matthew with one of his Lego sets put together. They all built Legos most of the day with Dad. It was cute- they would each get a turn with dad building one of their many Lego sets. (Thanks Grandma!) They had a great time. Matthew is by far my most into Lego's. He can spend hours just making creations. I get bored just looking at them. But I do enjoy vacuuming them up, picking them up, finding them in my socks, in the freezer (seriously!), in my pockets, in the fish tank, watching Sam and Micah flush them down the toilet, in the washer and dryer, and about everywhere else. You name it!

Our boys in their Under Roo's. David had to get these. He had them as a boy and it brought back memories. So we now allow them to run around in their underwear. But I am so thankful that they at least are wearing underwear. They love commando or just plain birthday suit. They are very confident boys. Lets hope they grow out of this one day. That might be wishful thinking.

We had such a fun Christmas. Madi got shafted on the pictures in this blog. I think she might on a lot of blogs. I need to work in that. I love each year and the memories it brings. To be reminded so much of our Savior and all that he does for us. It was so nice because this year, before we could go see what Santa brought, we had a moment where we remember our Savior, said what we were grateful for and we said our morning prayers. It was really nice. Plus all month long everyone in the house did "secret santa" for someone else. We would change names every week and it was nice to see everyone serve and how thoughtful they all were to each other. We did a bunch of other stuff as well, like I took 8 kids caroling by myself, (Not my brightest moment. I lost several thousands of pieces of hair on that adventure.) But we really took every opportunity to remember others and our Savior and that really made Christmas meaningful. I need to be better about doing more of this stuff throughout the year. Good Times!

SNOW IN VEGAS!

2009-01-16T13:34:00.000-08:00

So this happened a while ago, but it made History so I have to brag that we were part of it. Vegas got the worst snow storm in 30 years. North Las Vegas did not get hit as hard as other parts, but it was so funny to watch how excited everyone was because it was snowing. Having just moved from Utah I thought it was a little silly. But we had fun letting it fall on us and attempting to have snow ball fights. (I think we made about 4 snowballs before we had no more snow to play with.)
I was sad that we were not able to make snow ice cream this year. This is one of our families favorites!

Micah trying to catch snow on his tongue or lick his face. Either one works.

Madi and her friend

Matthew- Maxx is trying to throw some snow at him.

The Three Musketeers- Yummy Snow!

I love the fact that we can play in the snow with only our jackets on. That is awesome!
Wow! Look at all that snow. I know, most of you have never seen so much in your life!! Because of all this snow they had to cancel school the next day. Which was hilarious to me! Because the next day it was sunny no snow anywhere! But still no school. The kids loved it.

Christmas Lights

2009-01-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

It is amazing, I am blogging again! I have received many emails from people asking if I was dead. It was close, I just wasn't sure if I was going to make it through December, but all is good now! First of all blogging is not my favorite thing to do. In fact I strongly dislike it. (Such a positive comment!) So I have to force myself to do it. But I love reading everyone's blogs so I feel it is only fair that I attempt to do one myself. I am going to try to do better, but no guarantees. We had a wonderful Christmas season. There was so much fun going on that I just did not stop to blog. Now that it is all over I do what to take a couple blogs and share some of the things that we did. (There is no time to share everything!)

Ethyl M. Chocolate Factory:
I know most of those reading my blog are from Utah and get to experience the magnificent Temple Square. But here in Vegas we do things a little bit different. We decorate CACTUS!! It is awesome! This cactus garden at Ethyl M is amazing. It was so much fun. We went with the Whitlocks and the Shakespeares. They had so many lights. They were beautiful even on cactus. (However, I did miss the whole nativity scenes that you get on Temple Square. I love those!) However, we even were able to meet the red M & M and Santa. NO one cried on Santa's lap this year and it seriously just was not as much fun. I love the crying blackmail pictures. We ended the night with a tour of the chocolate factory and a piece of chocolate. It was a lot of fun. I found it a little hilarious that we were walking around looking at cactus. Plus we had to constantly remind our children stay on the path and not touch the cactus. I love Vegas!

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T21:08:00.000-08:00

I just want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone pigs out and gains 10 pounds. That is what the Holidays are about!! We are staying in Vegas this year and celebrating with my sister (and her family) and my cousin who also lives in Vegas. It will be a nice small Thanksgiving. Only 19 of us. Since the holidays are not just about pigging out, (I know I confused some of you because you really thought that they were all about food) I must say that I am so thankful for everything in my life. If I were to make a list it would go on forever! There are a few things that I must say that I am grateful for:

My amazing husband- you are the BEST!
My husbands booty- it is tight!
My husband letting me boss him around and him doing what I ask!
How my husband makes me laugh
(Ok I will change the subject you are all getting a litte nauseas
My terrific kids
My sister who is letting me live with her - what service
All my family (they help and support us more than I could ever imagine)
Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, my testimony, all the gospel bring to me in my life
My successes and my trials
And everything else in my life - especailly chocolate cake with chocolate frosting!

Each morning our family gets up and each person tells one thing that we are grateful for. ( I write them down because some of the kids responses are hilarious!! Their comments are usually something like this: McDonalds, yo-yo's, underwear, jam, Lamanites-or whoever we are reading about in the Book of Mormon, and so on. ) This is great way to start the day. This has really helped me look at all that I have, not only from my point of view but through others point of view as well. It makes me think of things that I might not think of and I realize how much I have. I am so blessed. We have been doing this for a while so we are having to get really creative. The other day my husband said that he was grateful for a new day and the ability to change. How lucky are we that we can decide each day to make it better than the one before. I love this.

Have a great Thanksgiving!!

Dads funeral

2008-11-25T20:43:00.000-08:00

We were finally able to have dads funeral on November 18, 2008. (He died Nov. 4, 2008) It was a little tricky getting his body here from the Philippeans. (Where he has lived for the past 6 years.) The funeral was so beautiful. They did not have specific speaker, they just allowed people to come up and share a memory. It was such an amazing funeral. Such a tribute to the amazing dad that I had. I heard a few stories that I had never heard before and it was so wonderful. I was able to share my memories and I really was grateful for that.

Plus it was so nice to see so many family members and friends that I have not seen in years. After the funeral we had a wonderful lunch at my Grandma Aston's clubhouse. I am so grateful for family. I love my dad so much. He was such an inspiration to me in my life and taught me great lessons that I will never forget.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-25T20:31:00.000-08:00

This post is so late, but Happy Halloween everyone! I love Halloween. I love going out all night. Everyone is done and I am still going full force! I have to drag them around. It is a good thing that I look like I am 12! One benefit of being small is that you can trick or treat your whole life.
I ROCK!

These are the only pictures that I have. I took Halloween pictures with my sisters camera and have not uploaded them yet. Yes I am being lazy. These pictures are from the church trunk or treat a week earlier.

This year we just told the kids and adults to just find something in the dress up box. It think we all did a decent job. This is what we found:

Dad: construction worker
Mom: Witch
Madi: 80's girl
Matthew: Ninja
Maxx: Pie Maker
Micah: Gorilla (not pictured)
Uncle Adam: Ghost Rider, but he did not bring his costume when he visited us from Utah. (He has red hair.)
Uncle Alex: I have no idea
Braydin: No idea, but he looks like a punk with blue hair
Acaylia: 80's girl
Ruby: Ballerina
Sam: Cowboy
Amy: You are a party pooper!! But I still love you.

Who says you need girls?

2008-11-25T20:03:00.000-08:00

So I've always wanted to more girls, but I am learning that boys act just like girls. Here is the proof. I just love blackmail photos! We had some girlfriends over they were all painted their nails so the boys joined in. (With the help of their 14 year old cousin who thought it was funny!)

Maxx actually painted his own nails. Not too shabby.

Braydin helped Micah and of course picked out the most noticeable color we had -RED!
I could not get him to hold still for a picture. He was ninja kicking! At least he still acts like a boy.
Maxx is so intense! He wants each nail to be perfect. He is silly. Don't you love the outfit. Aunt Amy has the best dress-ups. the kids prefer these to their clothes. I am just thankful that they have clothes on. (That is a major problem at our house. They love to run around in their underwear playing muscle man - where you flex your muscles and then wrestle each other until someone cries. (This is especailly a real problem with my husband-he puts on his underoos and there is no stopping him. Just kidding babe- I love you!!)

The Big 5!!

2008-11-25T19:43:00.000-08:00

My big boy turned 5. (About a month ago. I am behind the times.) I can't believe that he is that old. Where does the time go?

He really wants to be a football player when he grows up. Most of the time this football is glued to his hand.
He is such a teddy bear. He still lets me snuggle him and I love that. I hope this never changes. My two oldest do not even want to acknowlegde me as their mom. I am embarrassing!! ( Maybe I try to be a little embarrassing- what else are parents good for! I can't wait until they are teenagers! :)

I love you Maxx- you are my sweetie and make my life so much fun. You have a great personality and we have so much fun together. (He acts a lot like his mom-scary!)

I love you DAD!

2008-11-04T07:50:00.001-08:00

My Dad Ron died last night due to heart failure. I can't believe it, my heart is so broken. I love him so much. He was such a good dad and always so happy. He was such a good example to me. I have so many wonderful memories of him. We will miss him so much, but such peace comes to my heart knowing that I will see him again in heaven. I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the testimony that I have which bring me peace and comfort at times of hardship. I was always be his "Little Goonie!" I love you dad.

If you have question about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints visit www.mormon.org

Going Private!!!

2008-11-03T17:48:00.000-08:00

Okay- This dance party is going private. So leave your email address so you can continue to enjoy the craziness of our lives.

Activity Days 80's Party!!

2008-10-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

Bring on the Neon

For Activity Days they did an 80's Daddy/Daughter party. Since daddy was out of town Uncle Alex took Madi and his little girl Acaylia. (I know my husband is always out of town. It is better for our marriage. Ok-That is a total joke!! I miss him way too much. More than I should, but that is because he is my everything. But starting next week he wont have to go out of town anymore! HURRAY!)

So they had to dress up like the 80's. It was really cute and they all had a great time. They ate, played games, got awards, and I think most of them ended up in the pool towards the end. (Fully clothed)

Daddy sent Madi some flowers because he felt bad that he could not be there.

Madi and Acaylia in their 80's outfits. They were so cute and had a blast!

Grandma and Grandpa come to visit.

2008-10-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Ashby came to visit. They stayed Oct. 9 - Oct. 12. We had so much fun with them here and were so glad that they came to visit. We have not seen them since we moved to Nevada and have really really missed them.

While they were here they took the opportunity to take Maxx out to lunch for his birthday. (Which was Oct. 24 - he turned 5) They went to McDonald's and then took him to pick out a birthday present. He picked a coloring book where you color the pictures with water and color appears. Then it dries and the color disappear. He also got some learning workbook and a book of mazes. (He loves workbooks and learning.) He had a great time. Grandma and Grandpas are the Best.

We also had cake and ice cream while they were here to celebrate his birthday. We probably could have pretended that it was his actual birthday and he would have been fine with it.

We took them to Red Rock Canyon on one of our favorite hikes. It was a little cold but we bundled up and kept warm. It is a beautiful hike.

After the hike Grandma and Grandpa took us out for the best pizza ever. It was so good and warm!! We were a little cold. (Weird to be cold in Vegas - because now the weather is up to the mid 80's and it is the end of October.)

3 Generations of Fixing Toilets!!!!

Grandpa also helped us fix a broken toilet. Sam (our nephew) flushed a few things down the toilet. After much plumbing and snaking, they ended up just replacing the entire toilet.

Thanks for coming to visit! It was so much fun and we were so sad to see you go!! We love you so much. Come sooner next time!!

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

2008-10-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING PICTURES MIGHT BE FRIGHTENING TO ALL AUDIENCES!
(I seriously look scary in these pictures, but it was my Birthday and I had a great day so I am going to suck up my pride and post them. Also, I realized from these pictures that my nose gets longer every year. I am turning into a witch! HE HE HE.)

My birthday is Oct. 7 and it is my favorite holiday because it is all about me. (I am not selfish at all!) So my mom with my sisters help went all out for me. Even though my mom lives in Utah. She always takes care of me. So she and my sister planned this awesome day for me.

Here goes the day: I woke up to breakfast in bed. Thanks kids.

Then I got this card that said, "If mom were here she would clean the house for you. She is not so I will. Just sit and relax for a fun day awaits you. I will take care of everything."

Once I woke up and headed down stair, I found this: the kids had decorated the house for me. This is just as you come down the stairs. The whole kitchen was decorated with crepe paper and streamers and balloons. It was too cute. I am wearing my birthday hat. The kids wear it on their birthdays. It sings Happy Birthday and the candles light up.

Then I got note #2: If mom were here she would take you on a shopping spree. Yippee~!!! I was so excited. I really need some new clothes.

When I came home from taking Matthew to school I found these: My love was out of town but he sent me these beautiful flowers! Thanks love. He also had a present from the kids ready. He is so on top of things. He is the BEST!!

As we were in the car driving to go shopping I got card #3: It says, "I mom were here we would probably not go to Sonic for drinks, but we will go anyways and get something to build up our energy." Diet Limeade with Cranberry flavoring- my favorite.

Here we are at Kohl's getting ready to do some shopping. It was a lot of fun. That is amazing for me to say because I HATE shopping but I so enjoyed myself. (Even with the crying kids.) We just laughed and giggled and had a great time. I am sure I heard applause when we left because they were glad we were out of there. We might have been a little silly!!)

Note #4: If mom were here she would take you to lunch. She is not here so we will go without her. I was so surprised when I got this note. I did not think that there would be more. I was so spoiled.

After lunch I got note #5: If mom were here she would make sure you had your favorite birthday cake. Lets head to Chili's to get some Molten Cake. (If you have not had this you must try it. A friend suggested it to me and I love it! Can't you tell- I scarfed it.) I also got to wear this pretty crown all day because I am the Princess. You can ask anyone in my family. It's our family joke. I got a lot of stares! But I just figured they were jealous!! (I might have looked a little silly, but it really didn't bother me. I think most of the time I forgot that I even had it on.)

After Chili's I got note #6: If mom were here she would party with us until sun-up. She is not, so I will. Lets head to Red Box get and movie and some treats. The party will continue after the kids are in bed. (We actually skipped the treats part because I'd already had Molten cake and was stuffed!! I totally pigged out today and I loved every minute of it. I think we partied until about 10:30 pm and then I was dead. I am getting old.)

That night the kids each gave me a card with coupons in them for things they would help me with around the house. They are the Best. Plus I got the game Would You Rather... It is a fun game. I loved my cake because it had 19 candles and then a #3, a #5 and a #1. For a grand total of....... 28 candles if you add up all the numbers.

I truly love each year. They just keep getting better. I have been so blessed in my life and the blessings get better each year. However, every year I get older my kids do too. Even though I tease that I can not wait until they move out it truly breaks my heart to think that one day they will move on to families of their own. (I have actually started crying at every Birthday Party of my kids. They are too precious. I do not want them to grow up.)

Note 7: If mom were here she would watch the kids so I could take you to get a pedicure and lunch. She is not so we will have to wait until next week, then we will go! (She took me out the next Thursday and we had a great time. We actually got manicures and we looked HOT!! I choose a nice bright pink color, and my boys loved it. It is amazing how much they notice.)

Thanks to everyone who made my day the BEST ever!!! It was so wonderful. Everyone was so giving and thoughtful. Plus I got tons of calls from people and emails. I also got a couple of gifts from friends and family in Utah- so I was surprised all week long. You are all the Best.
Thanks a million!!!

Nevada Hotels

2008-10-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

So Madi had to do a state report on Nevada. Which she did a fantastic job! She put so much time and effort into it. Great Job Madi. One part of her report (one of the sides that you can't see) was on the hotels of Nevada. So one night we thought that we would take her onto the Strip and show her those hotels. So we were driving and all the kids were just fascinated with how big and amazing all these hotels were. (Here is a little side note: when you are on the strip there are large advertisements for one of the shows, and it shows the back side of a women in a thong.) So we finished looking at all the hotels and we were asking the kids which one they liked best. Madi loved the MGM Grand, Maxx loved the "Castle" which is the Excalibur, and then Matthew was not with us. When we asked Micah our three year old what his favorite hotel was he said he loved the women's BUMMIES!! That goes to show you how much kids actually notice. We laughed so hard. We are going to have to watch that boy.

Mad Scientist!

2008-10-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

Alex decide to play mad scientist on everyone's hair. Braydin was told that if he cut his hair (and it was really shaggy) he could dye it. (The color of choice was red.) So Braydin went first and there was a lot of dye left.

So my hotty honey lined up!! Why waste any of the dye. However, David does look like he is enjoying himself a little too much. Hey I like my hair dyed too. So they finish with David and there is still dye left so who will be their next victim?

My BABY!!! Micah was so excited to have red hair. He looks a little scared here, but he loved it. (I had a more frightened expression on my face.) He just sat there. So after Micah there was still dye left...

So we decided that the mad scientist need a little himself. I squeezed the tube while Alex rubbed it in.

Can you imagine my horror when I saw this color taking over my beautiful blonde boy!! (David does want him to be Flame Man or whoever from the Fantastic 4-we can't find the costume, but at least we have the hair!!)

He did fine until they tried to wash out the dye. I told them to tilt his head back so they were not drowning him. However, a mothers advice is never taken seriously. Poor kid. They were trying to "toughin' him up." I call it torture.

There is the finished product. He is so proud.

He loves it. He could not wait to show his brothers and sister in the morning. All the other kids were asleep. The next morning they were in shock. Maxx was so mad that he did not get red hair.

This picture does not do justice to the red heads that are now my husband and son. Lets just say that I am glad that we are not red heads. (And I always wanted a red head.) It does not look good on them. I will be glad to have my boys back. (It has been 2 weeks and I still am shocked everytime I see Micah. He just isn't the same.)

Birthday Cake!!

2008-10-13T20:33:00.000-07:00

Micah (3 years old) helped me make a birthday cake for Ruby's half birthday. It might not be the most sanitary birthday cake but it was delicious. (I believe the germs are cooked out of it.) He did most of it by himself. He did a great job!!

LUNCH!!!

2008-10-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

I told the boys it was lunch time. They beat me down the stairs by a couple of minutes and this is what they decided they would like for lunch. Nothing like ice cream and frozen muffins. DIG IN!!!

Sam and Micah (firehead!!)

The Butterfly Park!!

2008-10-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

This park is called the butterfly park. It has these huge butterflies and flowers all over the park as you can see. It also has 3 of the funnest slides. They are fast and the kids loved them. I also loved them. I always have to try out the slides with my kids. (There are some benefits of being under 5 feet.)

They had alligators, catepillars, frogs, and other creatures that the kids could play on.

Micah just coming out of one of the slides. The middle one was the funnest by my vote because it was so fast.

3 silly boys in a tunnel.

This is my favorite picture because I had just told Maxx that we were not going to play in the water. The next thing I know, he is drenching himself in the water. Even though he did not mind me I still laughed! (I know bad parenting.) But it was pretty funny. Within seconds he was totally trenched and it looks like he is enjoying himself. Maybe it felt like a massage.

Boy Meets Bedpost!!

2008-10-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

Maxx decided to fight a bedpost. Take a wild guess as to who won! He was goofing off in Braydins room and hit his eye on the bedpost. The pictures do not do it justice. That bump was huge. He could not even open his eye for a while it was so swollen. Then over the coarse of 2 weeks it continued to improve. I felt so bad for him. I was surprised it took so long to heal. It left a little scar and his eye is still a little bruised on the eyelid. I think that once it stopped hurting he thought the bruise was cool. He had to show everyone. However, this is not Maxx's first shiner, and I am sure it won't be his last.

Dad came to visit.

2008-10-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

Our dad Ron came to visit us form the Philipines. He had been in Utah since August visiting with his sons. They went hunting. He decided that he would get on a plane and make a stop in Las Vegas for a visit. He brought Grandma Aston with him. It has been a while since we have seen either one of them. The visit was so nice. I need to be better about keeping in contact with those I love.

We went to the Golden Nugget Buffet for dinner. The kids were amazingly good. I think it was the fact that it was a buffet. It kept them busy going back for more. It was wonderful food. More of a high class buffet.

After dinner we went to Freemont street where they do a little light show. The kids loved that. They had a great time with Grandpa.

Micah really liked grandpa!!

The next day we went to Applesbee's for lunch with dad and grandma and then they came over to the house to visit. It was nice to catch up on how everyone in the family is doing. (We don't see alot of my dad's side. Once again something I need to work on.) Thanks dad - we are so glad that you came to visit. We love you.

Time Out For Women

2008-10-06T20:08:00.000-07:00

Sept 19th and 20th. We were able to go Time Out for Women. It is a seminar put on by Desert Book. Amy signed us up to be volunteers so we did not have to pay anything to do it. Plus we got special seating because we were staff. It was so much fun. It was all day long Friday and Saturday. But it was well worth the time. We were able to hear some fantastic speakers and came away with a more enlightened attitude. Me and Amy were the timers so we had to hold up signs for when the speakers had 15, 10, 5, and 2 minutes left. That was fun. Check out the website and see if it is coming to a town near you. It is worth the time. You get away from the worries of life, are spiritually uplifted, and make some wonderful friends.

We met Sherry Dew. This woman is hilarious!

Sister Nelson (Russel M. Nelsons wife)
and Virginia (Hinckley) Pearce. (President Gordon B. Hinckley's daughter.)
Plus a ton of other awesome speakers.

My mom came to Vegas for the event. It was nice to spend time with her. I love my sister and mom so much. It was nice just to be us girls.

My cousin who lives in Vegas also came.

There were also singers. Hilary Weeks and also, the Jason Deere band. You have to check out both of these singers. Amazing songs!!!

This event was so spiritual and just taught us how to be better individuals and mothers. I am so grateful for this opportunity. I also need to thank my brother Alex Whitlock and my Dad Dave who selflessly gave up their time to watch all of my children so that I could attend. (David was out of town.) Thank you so much!!!

*This is just a side note because I get all the luck. Only things like this happen to me. So I needed to use the bathroom and they had special bathrooms in the back for helpers and the speakers. So I went to use one and guess who I walked in on. Virginia Pearce!! We both just laughed. She is so cute. She just said I guess I should lock the door next time. What a cute lady.

Catch up!!

2008-10-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

Life has been crazy lately and I have been the worst blogger!! So here are some highlights in our lives lately:

Canned 7 bushels of peaches. That is 184 jars.

Celebrated Davids 31st Birthday!! Happy Birthday Sweetie. Doesn't he look HOT in that hat.

David with Micah and Sam on his birthday. He got a hot wheels car from Sam. The only gift he got. Yeah right!!

Micah...

Maxx...

and Sam- made shakers for their Music Maker class.

Found the sharpie markers.

Struck a pose!!

Attended Braydins football games.

Asked the cheerleaders is I could join their squad. Apparently I am too old and fat.

Attended Madison's 4th grade field trip. Missed all of it because I got stuck assisting the child who came down with the stomach flu in the bathroom. (Truthfully I did not mind. I would want to know that my child was taken care of if they were in the same situation. Madi was a good sport and understood.)

Declared Micah's blanket trashed. I already cut off the other side and sewed it up. So I had to cut this part off too. Grandma we need a new blanket. We only have a small strip left. (Maybe this is a good way to break the blanket habit, piece by piece.)

Started school. Madi is in 4th and Matthew is in 1st. (Matthew teachers name is Mrs. O'Neal and at first he kept calling her Mrs. Oatmeal. He really thought that was her name. We had to work on that a little. They both love their new school and have made several friends.)

The crew at the bus stop the first day!! I love the BUS.

Maxx grew some curls.

And then he built the temple. He was so excited about this.

Plus cleaned the house, did the laundry, grocery shopped, canned tomatoes, made peach jam, bandages skinned knees, helped with homeowork and projects, blew noses, helped with piano, bathed kids, fixed dinner, read books, gave big kisses to my honey... well you get the point. Life is busy!!

How to peel a hard boiled egg!!

2008-09-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

You have to check out this video. My aunt emailed it to me and I thought it was awesome. It shows you how to peel a hard boiled egg without peeling it. it is amazing! I haven't tried it yet, but I hope it works. Let me know if any of you try it and your outcomes!! (This video does say a bad word-the "a" word once. Just for your knowledge.)

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/07/24/how-to-peel-hard-boiled-eggs-without-peeling.aspx?source=nl

2008-09-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

The first week of August we went to St. George and stayed in my families condo. (David had to work in St. George that week, so we went along for a vacation.) We had a blast. On Friday David did not have to work so we were able to spend the day having fun as a family.

Our first stop was to the Johnson's Dinosaur Discovery Museum. It had so many dinosaur tracks. The museum came to be when Mr. Johnson was excavating on his property and as he dug down he came across dinosaur tracks. They are said to be the most complete group of dinosaur tracks anywhere. (I think that is what the guide said. I could be mistaken. Maybe it was just in Utah.) They really were cool.

Next, we hit the park for some lunch. (Good old PB and J. When I was growing up I always said that I would never pack a lunch when we were going out, that I would just take my family to McDonald's. Well my attitude has changed a little.) We had a lot of fun. David was so silly with the kids all day long. (I have pictures to prove it!)

Then we toured Brigham Young's Winter house. That was mostly for Mom and Dad. But the kids were so good. It was awesome. One of the pictures in the slide show is where lightening has struck a tree on the property of the house. They actually did surgery on the tree by putting a metal rod in the middle to hold the two pieces together. This is the only tree that was actually standing when Brigham Young lived there. They did not want to lose it. They would use this tree to grow silk worms on. The house was gorgeous.

Our last stop was Snow Canyon. (Actually our last stop was Arctic Circle. Yum!) We went to the sand dunes. It is all this sand with hills. It was like a giant sand box. (Except with ants) It was really cool, especially the ants! The wind was blowing too. We all know how sand and wind mix so well. Seriously, not our best experience. However, David loved it. I think he felt like a kid again. He said that as a child they came here with Grandma and Grandpa Ashby. So as David ran off to live out his childhood, I dealt with crying kids. Sounds like fun!! I am making it sound a lot worse than it was. Once the kids saw daddy they all joined in. They just needed some help in seeing what to do. They ran up and down the hill, which were HUGE!

After the sand dunes we found the Volcano on the map they had given us. Which was cool. The kids were amazed. They thought Volcano's were for the dinosaurs. They were a little afraid that it was going to erupt. We had to explain that is was an0 extinct volcano. We did not hike it just admired it.

On our way out we hiked a gigantic rock. (David saw it of course and we just had to stop! He is a nut. I love to watch him in nature because he really lets loose, and totally cracks me up. He is such a boy. Our kids, especially our boys, are so lucky to have a Dad that is going to help them experience nature. Because I can barely even go camping. The dirt makes me crazy!! Plus kids always have runny noses. I swear when my kids see dirt their noses just start running. Runny noses plus dirt is awesome. It becomes like plaster on the face that you have to scrape off! It just can't stand it. The Lord gave me three boys so that I would learn to love dirt, bugs, farts, burps, hitting, snot, spit, climbing, wrestling, and all those other lovely things.

Anyways, back to the subject!! We had a fantastic time together. I love when we get these times together as a family. All your cares are gone and you can just have fun. (And then you remember you have kids!! I really am just kidding. We had a blast.)

David, Come Home!!

2008-08-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

So the love of my life has been out of town for almost 2 weeks with work. It has been the longest two weeks of my life. It is amazing how a person could miss someone so much. The other night Micah (our 3 year old) was talking to David and he said, "Daddy you have to come home from work it's bedtime." It totally was so cute, but broke my heart. I know babe that you probably will not read this, but I want everyone to know how much I love you. I do not know how I ever lived without you in my life. You are my everything. You are sooo good to me and are truly an amazing dad. Thanks for all your hard work for our family. You are "FABULOUS!!" WE LOVE YOU!

Congrats Whitlocks

2008-08-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

Amy and Alex finally closed on their gorgeous new house. (I'll have to post some pictures when I get some.) I am so excited for them!! So we move on Saturday which is so exciting. I can't wait. I just wanted to tell them congrats and that they are the best. Thanks for letting us crowd in on your special occasion by moving with you. (Really if I was in your shoes that would kind of stink. You get your first house and surprise - your sister is living with you. You don't even get your own space to do whatever you want to with because your sister and her kids are taking up much needed space for your family. Amy you did not think that I could read your mind did you. Just kidding.) You are too good to us. And SO giving! What would we do without you. We are so blessed. They have really helped us through this adventure we decided to take. We have already been here in Vegas for 2 months. The time really has flown. Congrats again!!!

Breaking Dawn

2008-08-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

So I loved the book. It was wonderful. My favorite part (well one of many) was how much Edward and Bella loved each other after she became a vampire. (Seriously, if you really did not think that this was going to happen then I am sorry I ruined the book!) For some reason I was worried that this would change thier relationship. It did not nearly take me as long to read as the others. Only 9 hours and 23 minutes. (This is for Taleesha.) Really I do not know how long. But I loved it. Plus it was nice that I was on vacation to read it. I did not have to worry about keeping the house clean because I did not care. I loved the entire series. I am sad that it is over. However, I will look forward to Midnight Sun. (Edward view on Twilight. You can read the first chapter on her official website. I can't remember the site address. I liked what I read.) David has finished the first book and loved it!! He even started reading it in front of people because he loved it so much. He is starting #2. It is fun to be able to talk to him about them.

Blogging! Blogging! Blogging!

2008-08-03T23:56:00.000-07:00

So I decided that I would sit at the computer and blog for a while. I got a ton done!! Not all of it fit on one page so you will probably have to go back several pages to view all that I have done. Our family is going to St. George tomorrow. (Amy thinks that I am running away so that I won't have to help her back her house. They are getting ready to move. Dang, she figured me out!! Amy- you know I love you!) Therefore, I will not be able to check my computer for a week. So I am excited to read everyone's comments when I get back. (So leave some!!!) Have a good time viewing the blog!! (And leaving comments. I am trying to leave a hint!! I love to read peoples comments! :)

Lone Peak Mountain

2008-08-03T23:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 2, 2008, we decided to hike Lone Peak Mountain. It is this mountain that is detached from the mountain range. It just sits all by itself. (Hence, the name.) David had heard there was a cave at the top of this trail so we decided to give it a try. We took Acaylia and Ruby with us.

This trail looks decent from this view, but it was steep, and it was made from loose rocks that slipped under your feet. So we were practically crawling up it. Micah cried the whole way up and down. Maxx said he never want to hike this mountain again. There were a few scrapes, but we made it to the top. And at the top we found this...

No cave, just a indent and lots of graffiti!! (We were a little disappointed! Maybe the cave is somewhere else. But we were not about to go looking for it. Not with all these kids.)

Maxx at the top. He actually did a really good job climbing the mountain. But it was steep. So me and him were buddies.

Matthew is a natural born climber. He was all over that mountain. He was awesome!! He climbed up and down that thing like it was a piece of cake!!

Acaylia is "queen" on the mountain!!

I'm not sure what Madi is doing in this picture. Maybe sunbathing!! She takes after her mom! Nothing like getting a tan after a hard day of hiking.

Teamwork. These two helped each other get down the mountain. It was slippery! They just held on to each other and did not fall once. Me and Maxx should have been on their team.

Micah at the bottom of the mountain. He sure was glad to be down!!

Little Ruby! You can't see her very well, but she was a trooper. She fell on her bum so hard and did not even cry. You can't see it very well but she is pulling the face of "what did you get me into!"

Luckily this mountain is right by a playground. So after their hard work they got to play for a while!~ All said and done I thought it was fun. I always like an adventure.

Super Hero's

2008-08-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

Me and Amy made Superman PJ's for our boys. Yes, I made them! This project was a little time consuming, but the end product is fun. Plus the boys LOVED LOVED LOVED them. They were saving everyone from Matthew (He had to be the Super bad guy, of coarse!) When we went to the fabric store we saw this really cheap material (My guess is because of the colors!!) Amy thought super hero PJs would be fun. She is more creative than me. I saw the colors and thought, "No way am I putting my boys in those colors! They are so ugly!!" But they turned out cute.

My Super Heros

The back of their costumes. We sewed thier initails on the back.

Maxx and Micah save the day

Sam and Micah stop for a quick pose. I had to pry them off each other to take this picture. They are so silly!!

Matthew and Maxx (Matthew wants to blow up the day, not save it!! Luckily we have Maxx who will fight the evil forces.)

Temple Cleaning

2008-08-03T22:28:00.000-07:00

On July 31st we (Me, Amy and Alex) had the opportunity to clean the Las Vegas Temple. (David was in St. George) They had about 100 people there, and the cleaning crew was so excited about the turn out. We cleaned the kitchen, and it was not easy work. We cleaned for 4 1/2 hours. (6 PM- 10:30 PM) They gave us a cookie break half way through. They were good cookies. It was so fun to go and see the temple in a different way. I am so thankful for this opportunity. It was hard work and my body ached the next morning. But I made new friends and we were all there to serve the Lord. I hope I get the opportunity to clean it again. They told us that before we came they were a day behind, during cookie break we were a day ahead. So hopefully by the time we left they were a couple days ahead. I am sure that they were praying to get caught up, and I feel that a miracle happened because the cleaning crew said over and over that they were amazed at the turnout. I feel so blessed to have been apart of this.

Lied Museum

2008-08-03T22:05:00.000-07:00

We went to the Lied Children's Museum.
We had a great time (and got an awesome discount)

Here the kids are playing with clay and Maxx in his Prince costume. There was so much to do in this museum. (It is like the Discovery Gateway in Utah)

We had so much fun. They had this booth where you go in, shut the door, and experience a hurricane winds up to 80 MPH. It was awesome. Luckily, we had been before (and it was cheap) so we only spent 3 hours there. (The kids were getting so tired and hungry so we decided to go.) You could definitely spend an entire day here.

*The next post is also at the museum*

Just Like Grandpa!!

2008-08-03T21:51:00.000-07:00

One section was talked about the Post Office.

"We want to be just like Grandpa!"

We love and miss you Grandpa Ashby!!

Breaking Dawn

2008-08-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

Yeah!! We got the book Breaking Dawn. We were at Barnes and Noble at 8:30 AM and got our wristband. We are #2. That night we went back to Barnes and Noble for the "Party." Actually because we already had a wristband we didn't get there until 11:30 PM. We talked with some of Amy's friends for a minute. It was fun because all these people had dressed up like Edward, Bella, and other characters from the book. At 11:55 they lined us up (there were about 200 people there) and the excitement started. We were all cheering. You can imagine how silly that many girls can get. (There were some boys there too. I have even convinced David to let me read them to him. We like to read books together. I have been wanting to read them again so that will be a good opportunity.) Yeah for us, we got the book. (Not that we were afraid we would not get a copy.) Actually Amy bought it. I am cheap so I will just read it after her. (They are really great books, but I just went along for the fun. I can wait. Amy is really into it. She is the one who told me about them in the first place. What would I do without her. I wouldn't sew or read books.) I think I will post my opinion of the book after I am done reading it. That might be in a couple weeks so don't hold your breath. (Not because Amy hasn't finished it, because it takes me awhile to finish a book. Even though these are very entertaining books.)

Milk Boxes

2008-08-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

These coolers not only hold our delivered milk, but also our children. We put these two crazies in the containers the night before the milkman comes, but for some reason he only leaves the milk and never takes the children. O well, we will keep trying!!

Pajamas

2008-08-03T20:48:00.000-07:00

I MADE THESE PJ'S. I wanted to BUY some cheap pj's (the key word is BUY) and my sister convinces me that the cheapest (not the most convenient or easiest) way was to make them. So I bought the cheapest material I could find and make some for Maxx and Matthew. (Matthew are the same, but his top is blue and bottom is green.) They were totally cheap. I made both pairs for $3.00. That is awesome!! I hope they stay together. They were actually really easy to make. (Except for the collar. It gave me trouble.) Maxx loves his so much that I let him wear them all day and night, and then after much deliberation, convinced him that they were dirty. But lucky for him I had them washed by that night. Seeing how much he loves them totally makes my effort worth it. Thanks Amy for helping me be domestic!! I would NEVER EVER have done this without you. And as much as I complain, I had fun! As for Maxx's hair - Aunt Amy was messing around with him before church. She thought I would fix it, which I attempted to do. But he loved it so much and I was not in the mood to fight him. (Sundays are hard enough and he was happy.) So he went to church looking like this. Not the outfit, just the hair. We now keep Aunt Amy away from him on Sunday. (After reading this blog I make it sound like Maxx gets whatever he wants. This is not always the case, but the boy does melt my heart!!)

Red Rock Canyon

2008-08-03T17:43:00.001-07:00

We hiked Red Rock Canyon July 26, 2008. It was so much fun. We first went on this mile hike that lead to nowhere, and some helpful people directed us to a different hike. (More oriented toward children.) The second hike was called Children's Discovery Trail, and it was the funniest hike I have ever been on. It had so many fun rocks to climb, and it told about the Indians and showed some of their shelter. It was awesome!! At the end of the hike there is a Seasonal waterfall. You can only see the waterfall during the months of January through March. But since the waterfall was not there we were able to climb the rocks around that area. That was cool. Matthew and David found this huge rock to slide down. (David ripped a big hole in his pants because he really used it as a slide. He is too cute!! This is why I love him so much. He makes me giggle all the time.) There were so many different terrains on the hike, the dirt would suddenly turn from red to black, which was cool, and the landscape was beautiful. Our family really loved this hike. (However, the trail was rocky and narrow- so we got our share of scratches and bumps. But we all thought it was totally worth it.)

24th of July

2008-08-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

They do not celebrate the 24th of July in Vegas. So we made up our own fun. We went to the park, which had a water fountain, and played for a long time. We came home had a picnic, watched Nancy Drew with popcorn, and that night we had a BBQ. It was a lot of fun and we all had a blast. Daddy had to work - we missed him.

A-Z Scavenger Hunt

2008-07-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

Today we had the kids do a scavenger hunt where they had to find an object from A-Z. They had a great time. We split them into 2 teams (boys verses girls, of coarse. That is how they wanted it.) I thought their ideas were pretty creative. I thought that I would post them. Remember they had to actually find the object and put it in their bag. They struggled with X but with a lot of thought they figured it out. It was a lot of fun. The girls finished first so they won for time and the boys won on creativity.

Girl Team (Acaylia, Madison, Ruby, Micah- not a girl, but at times acts girly)
A: Animal
B: Block
C: Candy
D: Doll
E: Earring
F: Fox (stuffed animal)
G: Glasses
H: Hat
I: Ice
J: Jam
K: Kirkland ham
L: Lindsey (picture of friend)
M: Mail
N: Necklace
O: Orange card
P: Pencil
Q: Q-tips
R: Ring
S: Scissors
T: Telephone
U: Umbrella
V: Vaseline
W: Wings (dress up)
X: Xavier (signature on Cabbage Patch Kids bottom)
Y: Yellow butter
Z: Zebra (stuffed animal)

Boys Team (Braydin, Matthew, Maxx, Sam)
A: Art (picture colored)
B: Branch (from a tree)
C: Can
D: Dog
E: Egg
F: Flower
G: Goggles
H: Hat
I: Ice pack
J: Jet (plastic toy)
K: Knife
L: Lipstick
M: Money
N: Net (one from fish tank)
O: Oats
P: Pudding
Q: Queen (from deck of cards)
R: Raisins
S: Sharpie
T: Tie
U: Underwear
V: Vacuum
W: Whitlock's family picture
X: X-large shirt
Y: Yellow star (eraser)
Z: Zelda (PlayStation game)

Night Swimming

2008-07-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

Amy has been feeding her neighbors pets while they have been on vacation. They told us to fell free to use their pool while they were gone. So we decided to do some night swimming. It was awesome. They had a basketball hoop which provided tons of entertainment. We might have some future basketball stars in our family. (However, we'll be lucky if our kids make it over 5 feet tall. Sorry kids - mom's fault!)

Finger Painting

2008-07-30T09:36:00.000-07:00

We let the kids eat some yogurt outside. Not our best idea. They thought they were suppose to finger paint with the yogurt instead of eating it. They had so much fun that we just let them go for it. When they decided they were done we hosed them off. It was pretty easy clean-up!! The mischief makers are Micah, Maxx
and Sam.

The ring leader of this mess is trying
to hide his identity behind his mess.
Clue: It is not Maxx or Sam.

Day at the Park

2008-07-29T22:27:00.000-07:00

Vegas has the BEST parks!! This park had 4 different playgrounds, a hockey court, basketball courts, and 3 different picnic areas. It was so much fun. The day was overcast so we could actually go out during the day without frying. Madison and Daddy couldn't come with us, we missed them. But we had a blast. We were there for over 2 hours. It was fun to just have some boy time.
(The pictures are small - you can view them better by clicking on the view all images.)

Monkeys

2008-07-29T21:22:00.001-07:00

Ruby taught my boys how to be monkeys. (Not like they weren't already.) They had a lot of fun climbing the tree in their backyard.

The tree did take a little beating, but I think it will survive.

Studly Matthew

2008-07-29T21:14:00.001-07:00

I thought Matthew looked so cute in these pictures, so I had to post them. He is sure growing up. David took them and did a great job. Thanks honey!!

Zions National Park

2008-07-10T20:28:00.001-07:00

On the Fifth of July we made a day out of seeing some incredible things. (Thanks Dad Dave for the idea.) I had more fun than I could have imagined. Here are some of the things that we did:

*Visited the cemetery of our 5th Great Grandfather- Byram Lee Bybee-in the city of Grafton. This cemetery was awesome!! Most of these people were killed by Indians and disease. (The ride there was awesome as well. Huge dirt hills to ride over, gorgeous scenes, and excited kids. They had a great time just getting there. It was in the middle of nowhere.)

*Saw the hide out house for Butch Cassidy. Also an old school house.

*Went to Zions National Park. You could easily spend a week here just hiking. We climbed to the Weeping Rock. It was fabulous!! (As Micah would say)

* We also ate lunch and ice cream. Two of my favorite parts. :)

Thank Mom and Dad for the terrific time. You spoiled us all. This is a memory we will never forget. Thanks for being such wonderful parents.

4th of July

2008-07-08T11:57:00.000-07:00

Amy bought all the kids matching outfits. She is too good to us. They loved matching. The boys loved their "pirate hats". However, they did look a lot like cancer patients. So we ended up just tying the bandanas around their heads like head bands. We had a great day!! It was full of swimming, riding a play jeep, relaxing, visiting, a BBQ, and entertainment with fireworks at the Dixie Sun bowl.

Great Grandma with the crew.

The cooks. Hottie David and silly Alex. They made some great hamburgers and hot dogs.

Maxx would not leave the neighbors flag alone. He wanted to just stand by it and touch it. He thoguht it was "awesome."

Ruby as her usual self. She is a goof.

At the Dixie Sun bowl enjoying the entertainment. They did a talent show where 10 contestants sang country songs. It was fun. I do not like country, but I was surprised that I actually knew some of the songs. We danced, clapped, giggled, and had a great time. It was great, plus it was free. It was the St. Georges versions of the Stadium of Fire. It was wonderful. (Plus it did not take 2 hours to get home afterward, so that was a bonus.)

Just relaxing, having a great time.

Micah needed a little daddy time. He is usually very attached to mom so I really love these moments.

These two are inseparable!!

Thanks to Grandma we all got more than our fill on snow cones. They were only $1 and she always spoils the kids so they each got at least 2. They were high as kites. Thanks Grandma! They were delicious!

This picture and the next are the results of the snow cones. They were jumping and dancing. They had turned their straws into violins and drums. We all had a great time. I think that at times the adults were acting goofier than the kids. Okay, maybe just I was. But when there is music you have to dance. David was a good sport and did get up and dance a slow song with me. He was a little embarrassed since we were the only ones dancing. But he is good to me and every once in a while I can get him to embarrass himself. Acting goofy is just part of personality so it doesn't bother me. (Most of the time.)

Matthew really getting into the drums. He is a rocker!

After the entertainment they had a great firework show. Maxx freaked out a little, but toward the end he started calming down and I think that he actually enjoyed it.
(I talked to mom Ashby after the holiday and she mentioned how she missed Maxx watching the fireworks from her front window because he is always too scared to come out. You would have been so proud of him.)

We missed the Ashby's during the holiday. David did not put on his annual firework show. He usually does it at Mom and Dad Ashby's house - I think he really missed this. Here in Vegas they do not celebrate the 24th of July so he won't get a chance to this year. (Maybe the New Year.) We love and miss you all so much. Happy 4th of July!!

For more of our rocking holiday visit Whitty-Lock's (My sister website)

High School Musical

2008-07-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

While in St. George we were able to attend the Dixie College's performance of High School Music. It was a fantastic performance. A lot of the performers were still in High School and they were amazing. The kids loved it. It was nice because Grandpa said that he could not stand to see one more interpretation of High School Musical and stayed home with Micah and Sam. So it was really enjoyable.

Here we are waiting for the show to start.

Grandma and Maxx. They were pretending that they were on a date. So Maxx held her hand and opened the door for her. It was cute.

Madison and Acaylia were so excited. Madi says that she absolutely loved it. She thought it was funnier and liked it better than the movie. (I think that I did too.)

Great Grandma Stettler with Ruby and Matthew. Poor Grandma did not have her hearing aids so she did not know what was going on. But she still had a great time. Ruby wants to be Sharpay. She has been practicing everyday since the movie came out years ago. Matthew loved it but was really tired toward the end.

We were able to meet all the cast, get their autographs, and even snap a picture with the kids. (the actors are Troy, Gabriella, Ryan, and Sharpay. Sharpay did an amazing job - sooo convincing!! It was great. My favortie was Mrs. Darvus the Drama teacher. She was hilarious!!!)

Thank you grandma for taking us. We had a great time.

Water Fun

2008-07-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

After the temple we decided to go play at a little water park they have downtown. The kids had a blast!! At first they were a little nervous to get their clothes wet, but that did not last long. It was fun, even us parents played in the water.

Sam, Madi, Acaylia, and Ruby.

Matthew was not so happy to get his clothes wet so he decided to pout. He wanted a swimsuit. Poor kid. (However, he does eventually join the fun.)

Maxx and Sumo Sam. Sam (in white) decided that he would jump off one of the rock and skinned his nose and top of his head so bad. We all felt so bad. Some medicine and a Batman fruit snack fixed it. (Not all the way, but he did get in a little more.) I wish a had a picture. He skinned it good.

We might have a cheerleader on our hands. GOOOOOOO MICAH!!!!

The water would stop quirting up and Micah thought it was because he was plugging the hole.

Our movie star posers. Ruby (in pink), Madi ( yellow) and Acaylia.

Maxx had so much fun. He always has the best facial expressions.

Look how soaking wet they are. Our car was so wet by the time we got home. But it was too much fun to pass up.

Look who decided to join the water fun!! It just takes him a little extra time to realize new things like swimming in your clothes can be fun.

These two followed each other around the whole time they were in this part of the park. They were so cute imitating each other. It is good to see they like each other. There are times that I wonder- they are starting to see things differently and fight some. (That is put nicely. There are times I think that one of them might destroy the other. Brotherly love.)

For more fun pictures visit my sister blog at Whitty-Locks You can see Sam's skinned nose. (Her pictures are not posted yet, but will be soon.)

St. George Temple

2008-07-07T16:22:00.000-07:00

We decided on Wednesday July 2, 2008 that we would all visit the temple. We walked around the grounds and then went inside the visitor center. It is beautiful. In the visitor center our guide was Mark Eubanks, the weather man. I grew up watching him tell me the weather forecast and it was fun to see him in person. (The kids thought it was cool that he use to be on the news.) It was such a neat experience to be there all together. It reminds me how important families are and how blessed we are that we can be together forever. (I wish David could have been there. He did not arrive in St. George until Friday morning. We all missed him, especially me.)

St. George temple. It is beautiful!! One of the missionaries told us that when this temple was built Brigham Young said that they were going to build it in the middle of Saint George. However, back then the temple was off to the side of the town. Brigham Young told the saints that one day it would be the center of Saint George. Today, the temple is the center of Saint George. I thought that was really interesting.

Everyone together on the side of the temple. We had some sister missionaries take the picture.

The grandparents trying to keep all the kids out of the fountain in front of the temple. Good Luck!!

Grandma and Grandpa with the kids. That is one cute family.

Micah running through the sprinkler at the temple.....

and then Micah picking a flower on the temple grounds. He loved it so much. Can you tell which child is the youngest? He might be a little spoiled. My mom says sure while he is doing mischief you just take a picture. Yeah I do. I think he is too cute. I know I need more discipline. But kids are just precious and he was just being a kid. There are always so many rule. But being there was so peaceful and they were all so happy.

Micah, Matthew, Madi, and Maxx in front of some flowers on the temple grounds. The grounds were gorgeous. We had a wonderful time. I am glad that we took the time to take the kids there. Sometimes, it seems like such work to get them ready and out of the house, but this was definitely worth it. I love my family.

For more great pictures visit my sisters blog at Whitty-Locks (Pictures are not posted yet but will be soon. As soon as I let her get on her computer!!!)

Trip to St. George

2008-07-07T15:50:00.000-07:00

Our mom had her condo for the 4th of July so we decided that we would make a party out of the holiday and spend the week there. Our family, Amy's family, Grandma Stettler, Mom and Dad Dave all decided to met there. (We also were able to see my Aunt Joan and Uncle Wayne who would come visit us at the condo. They live in St. George. Also Grandma Stettler was able to sleep at their house, she probably loved the peace and quite.) It was a house full. But that is how we like to do it. Wild and Crazy!! We had so much fun.

Grandma and Grandpa came swimming with us. We swam every day!! Grandpa wasn't swimming on the day I brought the camera. But here is Grandma with her Grandkids. They loved having grandma swim with them. And it was a lot fun to dunk her. I haven't swam with my mom for a long long time. So we had a fantastic time.

Matthew getting ready to jump in. He loves his goggles.

Micah (in yellow) hates to swim and we actually got him to go in the water. He started having a good time and would swim a little by himself. Baby steps.

We were also able to celebrate Madison's 9 1/2 birthday. I would never remember, but she reminds us everyday for about a month before hand. Therefore, it makes it really really hard to forget. We sang happy 1/2 birthday and ate cake with everyone. She loved it.

The kids enjoying a popscicle on the back porch with Grandpa.

There is a lot more on this week but I have decided to separate it into categories since we did a lot. That way I do not have just one never ending blog.

My Husband the Milk Man

2008-07-07T15:37:00.001-07:00

David is now a sales man in Las Vegas for Winder Farms. However, he can sign up anyone where Winder Delivery is available. (Las Vegas and Utah) For more information you can visit www.winderfarms.com. It is an awesome service! Groceries to your door and they are very high quality. If you or anyone you know are interested let us know. He'd be glad to serve you!!

Nominated the Worst Blogger

2008-07-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

So I am nominating myself the worst blogger ever. I forget to update things so once again it has been a month since I have blogged. Most of you have probably given up checking my blog. Well, I have decided that instead of trying to play catch up on what we have been doing over the last month that I would just start from where we are now.

So we made it to Vegas. Thank you to all of those who helped. It was a tight fit but we were able to fit most of our stuff into a 27 foot Penske truck, and 3 cars full to the top!! (I was so afraid of getting pulled over by a cop. I could not see out my back window.) Luckily 2 boys drove with David in the Penske truck so that I could fold down the back seats in the van. (He drove all night so he 2 the two youngest, who slept all the way here. I had the other 2 and it was the easiest trip to Vegas I have ever had. No crying, fighting, etc.) David towed our other car behind the truck and it was FULL!! Then my mom followed us and she had her car loaded too. But it was all good. We did have to leave behind a couch, our entertainment center, and some other little items. Good excuse to get new things. We just could not fit them into the truck! (No the little item are not the kids, but that was considered. Just kidding. I love my babies. I could never leave them.) We did have to leave Davids beautiful red sculpture. For those who know what I am talking about you will know how sad I am!! It has taken me 8 years to find a reason to get rid of it. However, when it really came down to it and David decided to chuck it I was a little sad. It has been our little joke for so long.)

It has been fun living with Amy and her family. 12 people in 1700 square feet is crazy!!! But we are loving it. Amy will be moving in 2 week and her house is almost double what it is now, so that will be nice. It is gorgeous, and their family is so generous to let us go along if we have not found a place. They really are so giving. We do miss everyone so much though and will be excited for when we visit. However, you are all invited to come visit us too.

Tag - Your it!

2008-06-05T13:06:00.000-07:00

So I've been tagged. This game really got me thinking. (I need to make more Goals!!)

How To Play This Game of Tag: Post these rules on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!

JOYS

1. My husband. He is the love of my life!! (Most of the time, especially when he is a work. Just kidding. I LOVE YOU BABE!)

2. My kids. I love being a mom. Sit around all day eating bom boms. I wish!!

3. Dancing/gymnastics!! The other day I did a back handspring in the boys room and all the kids were on the bed crying because they were afraid I was going to hurt myself. It was hilarious. I still have some of the moves. However, I do need to do it more.

FEARS

1. Fire. Not the campfire, but the idea that my house will burn down and I won't be able to get to all my kids.

2. Not being liked by people.

3. Sleeping by myself at night. My husband worked nights for over a year and I never got use to it. I would have lots of little kids snuggled up to me in the morning. They made me feel protected. Now that he works days again, the kids are going through withdrawals. Bad habit to start, but it got me through all those nights. (Prayer actually got me through, but the kids helped!!!)

GOALS

1. Attend the temple every week. I'm currently going twice a month, so its a start.

2. Living a healthier lifestyle. I love to work out all the time. In fact my husband thinks that it is funny that we go to watch a movie together, and I am on the floor doing sit ups. My real goal is to not eating the entire pan of brownies by myself. That is why I have a booty, not because I don't workout.

3. Get my husband to want to eat cereal for dinner every night. Any suggestions?

CURRENT OBSESSIONS/COLLECTIONS

1. Keeping my house clean and organized. I love to go through cupboard, boxes, etc. and throw things away or rearranging them. It goes deeper than this, but I do not want you all to think I am crazy!! O wait too late for that.

2. I collect thimbles. I am not sure how many I have now. I know it is over 100.

3. I love talking on the phone. Waste of time I know, but I love it.

RANDOM FACTS

1. I can touch my nose with my tongue.

2. I have traveled to a lot of fun places. Such as Hawaii, New Zealand, Fiji, (thanks too gymnastics) Canada, all back East, and many other fun places.

3. When I was a little girl I seriously thought that I could lay eggs. My Grandpa would have me crow like a rooster and then magically an egg would appear in his hand. At Easter I could lay colored eggs. I had no idea how I did it, but I thought I had some hidden talent. I finally saw Grandma get an egg out of the fridge and hand it to Grandpa. I was so disappointed. I am still just as gullible. If I hadn't seen Grandma get the egg I might still be laying eggs today :]

The people I tag:

1. Amy Whitlock
2. Alaina Margetts
3. Heather Nagel
4. Tiff VanOrden
5. Allyson Wall

Matthew turns 6!!

2008-06-04T19:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Matthew!! Wow he is 6. Where does the time go? Each year of his life gets easier and easier. He is such a tender heart. He is filled with so much love. He wants to be such a good boy all the time, but he has a temper. Very strong willed. Which will probably be a great trait in the year to come. As I think back through the year I am amazed at all he has come through. Since birth he has had one physical struggle after another. But he is an amazing child.

Born: May 20, 2002
Weight: 6 # 14 oz (Born 16 days early. My water broke.)
Time: 8:02 PM
Length: 19 inches

During delivery his heart slowed/stopped (I can't remember exactly. David knows the story better than me. The whole hospital stay is a blurr for me. I was heavily medicated.) They actually put me to sleep to do an emergency c-section. Best way to deliver a baby. You go to sleep and when you wake up you magically have a baby. However, then you are out of it for days. It has its pros and cons. He was in the NICU for a couple days. We were the giant baby in there. Those babies are so small and such dedicated parents.

Had reflux from the beginning. No medication helped at all. At one year old I think he was almost 15 pounds. He was so skinny. My doctor prescribed a diet of pediasure and ice cream. The reflux is mostly better. I have cleaned up more vomit in my life than a mother should have too. But we love them so we will do anything for them.

At 6 months he had his first surgery. Hypospadia. Urinary track was wired funny.

At 9 months he had tubes. Constant ear infection from birth.

At 18 months he had his adenoids out. Along with his sinus scraped and something else was removed but I can't remember. (Hopefully not his brains.)

At 4 he had VPI surgery. A flap in his throat didn't work so they had to repair that. Luckily this was found because he could not talk. He could talk you just could not understand him. We went from speech therapist to speech therapist and luckily we finally had one of them say it was internal. He is talking great.

At 5 he had his heal cords lengthened. No more tippy toe walking. Yeah.

In between surgeries we've had every chromosome tested, done every genetic test available, (not exactly but it feels like it), been to a dozen specialists because they "think" that he has a genetic disorder because he looks a little different. But what is normal? We finally realized that these doctors do not know what is best. They can't find anything and they want to so badly. To us he is perfect so we said enough is enough.

He was diagnosed with something called Sensory Integration Disorder. (This is not a genetic disorder) Some say it is an actually disorder, some disagree. He just process the world around him a little differently. Nonetheless, we were able to get him some great occupational therapy and he went to a school to help him be able to handle life situation. (He started there at the age of 2- that is one of the hardest things I have had to do. Put my baby on a school bus at that age. It rips your heart out. But it was a lifesaver!! Don't worry the bus had car seats with the 5 point harness. Can you imagine a 2 year old having free reign over a bus.) But now he is doing great. He did great in Kindergarten. One of the top in his class. He scored 100% on his end of school evaluation. Way to go Matthew. He is so smart. But as I look back at all these things I am so grateful for how simple they all were, and they were all treatable. I have an amazing little boy. He has come so far!!! I still get weepy to think of all that he has been through and all that he has accomplished.

Matthew with his cake and presents. He was so excited for the big day.

He wanted the game Crossbows and Catapults. I had never heard of it. But his dad and him were talking about it and he admires his dad so much. So that is what he wanted. It is actually a really fun game. You set up your King, castle, and soldiers, and then launch a coin looking object to try and knock over each others people. (Sorry about the little immodest child in the picture. The story of our lives with this boy. I actually think with all our boys)

Another one of his gifts was a huge Lego castle (from mom, dad, and Grandma and Grandpa Ogden- mostly grandma and grandpa) David and him spent all day building it. It took about 4 hours. Luckily David had the day off work. It is so cool and he loves it. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa. He also got a building set from Aunt Amy and Uncle Alex. Thank you. (Especially from mom because it is easy enough that I can actually put it together. I struggle with all these boy toys. Matthew has to show me how to build things. I just don't get their desire to build, it is a little frustrating to me.)

The finished castle. I love the dragon. That is cool. The draw bridges actually go up and down, it has secret escape doors, and all these other features. It is cool.

That evening Grandma and Grandpa Ashby came over for cake and ice cream. Matthew had to save his cake for them. I think this meant a lot to him to have them come over. They gave him a fun game called Slamwich (kind of like the card game War) and a Kaleidoscope. I haven't played with one of those for years. He thought that was awesome. It is his pirate spyscope and he carries it around in his backpack. He tries to take it to school, but I have to sneak it out of his backpack every morning. However, he did get to take it and some of the Lego guys for show and tell. That was fun. Grandma Lois had him sleep over for his birthday. The next day they wet to McDonald's for lunch. He had a great time. They played games and according to him he won them all.

Of course he had to have a Lego theme for his birthday. He loves them. He can play with them for hours. Just building things and make believing. He is so careful with them and every piece has its specific spot.

Matthews favorite colors are green and red. Loves pepperoni pizza and breadsticks. Loves to play Legos, monopoly, and now crossbows and catapults. Him and Madi also love to play school together. He's such a blessing in our lives. Happy Birthday Matthew, we love you so much.

My baby turned 3

2008-06-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

My baby turned 3 years old. I can't believe it. Well, I actually can by his attitude, but it makes me sad. I look forward to them getting older, but the thought of never having a little baby is soooo weird to me. However, I was holding a little baby in church the other week and I thought "you are kind of boring, all you do is lay here." So maybe my frame of mind in changing a little. But I still love babies.

Micah with his presents and cake. Some facts about Micah's birthday.

Born: May 6, 2005

Weight: 7# 2 oz. (2 weeks early. I was a basketcase. I was suppose to get my haircut the next day. I was so upset because I was going to look so ugly without my haircut. I am not the most reasonable person when I am pregnant. Plus I gaining 40 pounds during my pregancy. I looked like a sumo wrestler. A haircut is not going to fix that. In the end, I was drugged up from the c-section and could care less after it was all said and done. Plus my sister was coming in from Vegas for the birth, so that threw that off. Plus we did not have a babysitter for our other kids at that moment. Thanks to uncle Adam who pulled through and watched them, I sure he had more exciting plans. Nothing is more exciting than babysitting when your a teenager. So it was commotion. Plus, I was not mentally prepared. I had a 2 year old, a one year old, and a baby coming. I would have been okay if he'd come 6 months late!! Really. I am so grateful for my Madi who was 6 at the time for all her help. I would have gone insane if it wasn't for her holding Micah as much as she did. They are still great buddies. But everything worked out and our beautiful baby boy was born.)

Time: 9:25 PM

Such a cute baby. We finally named him after 3 days of intense deliberation and when a nurse came in and said, "I really think that he looks like a Micah." So it is the nurses fault if you ever get made fun of for your name. We did not find out what we were having, well we knew or hoped it was a baby, but I mean the sex. So we had not really thought of names at all.

Story: He had to wear some girl clothing during the first month of his life. We had a few outfits that we given to us. But all of our baby stuff was in storage because we were living with Davids parents and had not closed on our house yet. I was not going to go buy all new clothes for a month. Thank you aunt Becky for the clothes- you saved the day.

As a three year old: His favorite food is chicken nuggets. Favorite color is yellow and orange. He loves his blanket too much!! He loves to read. He is such a goof, and a mischief maker. Knows how to get a reaction out of anyone. Full of personality. A big time mamas boy. Loves to play with his baby doll named Grandma LaDonna. (Thank you Grandma LaDonna for helping him name the baby. I wonder where he got that name from?) He is so wonderful and a delight to our family.

He can hardly wait for his cake, so he isn't going too. We had to hide the cake, after he'd eaten most of the frosting. But cake is my favorite too. He takes after his mom. I think that you should eat cake and ice cream at least twice on your birthday. (That might be why I've got a booty!!)

He wanted a polka dot party. So we cut out constructions paper and put circles of all sized all over the house. We also had fruity pebbles for breakfast and a polka dot cake. He loved it!!

(This captures Micah's true personality. The Devil eyes and not sharing any of the candy.) One of the Birthday prizes that he wanted was Candy Canes. I could not find any in May, but thank you Cracker Barrell for selling the stick candies. He thought they were terrific. We hid a ton around the house and he went on a scavenger hunt to find them. He was so excited!!!

This is so sweet. Micah loves Matthews' hats. So for Micah's birthday, Matthew picked out one of his favorite hats and gave it to Micah.

I am not even sure what this present is. David is so into the Fantastic 4. He found this Human Touch flying thing for $1.00 at Toys R Us and had to get it. It is the ugliest toy I have ever seen. It gives me nightmares. It has a fan on the bottom so you can hang it from the ceiling and it will fly around. Micah used it to fan himself all day. Infact he wore out the batteries by nighttime. (Off the subject: I just wanted all you to know that I was just binged in the head with a kick ball that is not suppose to be used in the house. I must pause a moment to disipline. This is my life with three active boys. I am sure there are many who can relate.)

This is his camera. We went to the store and he would not put this down. It made shopping easy. He also received a bunch of other stuff: clothes, games, race car, finger puppets, and other things. He had a great day. Thanks Grandmas, Grandpas, Aunts, and Uncles for the gifts.

This is my favorite picture. After we opened gifts he went into his room. When I went in there to see what he was doing this is what I found. You can't have a birthday without wearing your birthday suit- while wearing goggles with a candy cane and a camera. It's what I like to do on my birthday!!

On all the kids birthdays, Grandma Lois takes the kids to breakfast or lunch. They get to pick the time and the place. Then they go to a park or back to her house to play for a while. I think that this is such a fun tradition. (So Grandma we expect a visit to Las Vegas on each of the kids birthdays. This is something they will miss a lot. And I will miss the free time while they are gone!!) You have to be 3 inorder to go, so this was Micah's first year. They went to McDonalds and then to the duck park to feed the ducks. He had such a great time! Thanks Grandma!!! (Note: Micah is not flashing a gang sign. He is showing how old he is.)

At the end of the day, Micah found his birthday hat. To the normal person it would seem like he had underwear on his head, but to a three year old it is a birthday hat. He wore them all night while singing Happy Birthday to himself over and over.

Micah- you are my joy. I love him so much. He keeps me laughing and reminds me to keep my sense of humor. Micah I am so glad that you were born. Happy Birthday!!!

Madi's Accomplishment

2008-05-04T21:22:00.000-07:00

Madison got an award for scoring in the top 10 percent nationally on the IOWA test this year. We were excited for her. She always tries her best and loves school. (We as her parents have reason to believe that she really just loves the boys at school.) We love her so much. She has such an awesome personality. Madi thought this pictures would show off her intellegence. Way too go Madi!!

Kung Fu Fighting

2008-05-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

Matthew and Maxx have been taking a little ninja class. Matthew wants to be a ninja when he grows up so we thought we better get him started. They are loving it . The teacher is fantastic and these little kids are hilarious doing all the kicks and punches. They are learning respect, to listen, follow orders, and so on. None has yet to be witnessed at home, but maybe that comes later. They are also taught to only use the moves to defend themselves only if they are in danger. However, they must constantly be in danger because they like to use thier moves on thier little brother Micah, each other, and anything else that stands in their way. But they did that before the class, so nothing much has changed!! The pictures did not turn out the best but they are the short ones in matching outfits.

Doing a side block

Standing like a Black Belt

Standing with their teachers

Pirates

2008-05-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

Grandma LaDonna and Grandpa Dave gave the kids shirts from their trip to Cancun. They are pirate shirts and the kids love them. One day they all wore them and played pirate all day long. I was tied up several times and had to "walk the plank." I love thier imaginations. They seriously make me laugh all day. (In between the time outs, yelling, aspirin taking, and so on. I think you get the point.) Thanks grandma and grandpa!!

Dressed for the day!!

2008-05-04T20:49:00.000-07:00

The other morning I asked the kids to get dressed and this is what Micah and Maxx came out in. I quess next time I need to be more specific!! (Or hide the swim bag!!)

The sweet sound of SUCCESS!!

2008-04-21T18:43:00.000-07:00

Micah has a mind of his own. The day he turned two he decided that he wanted to go on the potty. He did great for about 6 months and then said in these exact words, " I like to poop on the floor!!" And that he did. For about a month I tried my hardest to not give in because he'd been doing so well. But he loved cleaning up his accidents and anything I tried to do to make it seem better to go on the potty backfired. (He knows how to work the system like a charm.) So I gave in. I put him back in diapers. Well about 2 weeks ago I looked at him and said, "Micah you will go on the potty!!" And he says, "OK!" And just like that he is potty trained. It was no fuss. He is such a turkey! He just likes pushing my buttons. So hopefully in 6 months we will not revert back. (I am crossing my fingers!) GOOD JOB MICAH!

Locks for Love

2008-04-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

One day Madison came up to us and said that she wanted to grow out her hair to donate it to cancer patients. So for over a year she has grown it out... (even through the crying of brushing out snarls)

...one last time with curls and a bow... (heart break for mom)

...at the hairstylist getting ready for the big cut. The excitement is building!!...

...the first cut begins...

...look at that cutie!! She loves her hair. In fact I have to pry her away from the mirror. She just can't stop looking at herself.

She was able to donate 12 inches of hair. Way to go Madi!!!

Easter (After Church)

2008-04-13T20:12:00.000-07:00

So we made it through church and we were so excited to get home. Everyone found thier Easter Baskets and were so excited!(the Easter Bunny makes us look for our baskets. He is always tricky!!)

Micah with his Easter Basket.

Maxx and Micah looking through their baskets. Seeing who got the best candy. Surely enough they got the exact same everything. That Easter Bunny is so smart. (Competition in everything!!! Even Easter Baskets. Hopefully when they are in school they will compete to see who can get the most A's. Wishful thinking, but it is worth a try.)

Maxx is practicing to be a ninja. Everyone better stay way from his candy!!

Madi and Mom. We found similar dresses and thought it would be fun to match.

Daddy and the Wild Ones.

Matthew started undressing while we were at church. We had to remind him to wait until we got home. Once we got home he was so excited that the clothes remained on. (mostly)

Maxx got pie maker Tyrone. This is what he wants to be when he grows up. A pie maker. Such dreams!!

Madi and her Easter Basket. She loves My Little Pet Shop animals. She never plays with them, she just wants to collect them all. She has them all displayed very nicely in her room. (Her little brothers like to come into her room and destroy her display, so she has made Matthew the guard over her room while she is at school. He does an awesome job. He might make a good security guard, or bouncer!!)

Easter Sunday ( Before Church)

2008-04-07T19:15:00.001-07:00

So this pictures sums up our Easter morning. Matthew is a grump. He is not going to wear clothes and he hates his tie. (The tie came off after pictures. It did not make it to church. O well.) Madi is perfect. Doing everything she is asked too. Maxx is high as a kite. He woke up at 7 am, ate breakfast, got dressed, and was ready to go by 7:30. (Church starts at nine, and the easter bunny comes to our house while we are at church. However, Maxx thougt that the Easter Bunny was going to be at church. So all during sacrament he kept saying where is the easter bunny. And over and over we explained that he was coming to our house while we were at church. He is a goof.) And where is Micah? Jumping on the couch. Surprise! Surprise! He was not getting in the picture. I tried tying him up but somehow he escaped. That boy.

Micah thought he would take a quick break from jumping. So I snapped a quick picture. He loved his easter outfit. Infact he threw a major fit when I took it off him to go to bed. However, he would not wear his tie either.

Madi my poser. She looked beautiful!

Matthew is happy!! Yeah. That lasted a second, but I got a cute picture.

Maxx is so handsome. And once again. High as a kite.