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More Halloween Fun

for some reason, these pictures were
covered in the other post.
Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween

Enjoy some of our family in costumes to celebrate Halloween! Paul and the kids have had more than one opportunity for dressing up this past month.

Just your Friendly Neiborhood Spiderman

The other morning I was making breakfast when I saw something out of the corner of my eye outside. Sitting on the kitchen window was the hugest (is that a word?) Grasshopper I have ever seen. Brayden ran out to catch him. We put him/it in a jar. Lainey decided to name him/it Spiderman, because he kept climbing up the jar. We kept him for about 5 days then set it free. I don't think the pictures show you how big it was!

Birthday Girl

October is birthday month for Ryleigh. She turned ten on the 14th.
Ryleigh is a funny girl (as in has a sense of humor) who loves to smile and make others smile.
She likes to say that she is sort of a "tomboy" but we know that she is "Princess" through and through. She loves "girly" things like make-up, dancing, singing, nail polish, rolling her eyes and the Jonas Brothers. She has always tried to be her bothers keeper, and sometimes they rebel, but she loves her brothers and looks up to them. Ryleigh has a wonderful talent of making friends and reaching out to those in need. She is always sensitive to others feels and often befriends the ones that are being left out by others. We love having Ryleigh in our family she keeps us laughing.
Ryleigh has a deep love of for the Savior and tries to always choose the right.
She has been asking to get her ears pierced for a while, but we said we needed to wait until she was more responsible and could take care of them herself.
So this year was finally the year! She picked earrings with her birthstone, and has been very good at remembering to keep them clean 3 times a day.
She was very nervous and excited I had to ask her to smile for the before picture. She said that it hurt, but not too bad.
I cant believe that Ryleigh is already 10 sometimes I still think of her as my baby girl, but she is growing up quickly. We are so proud of the good work she does in school and the wonderful human being she is!

Life is Funner with a Tramperbean

I am really behind on post this isn't too new, but we got a trampoline from a family that is moving and wanted to sale it before they left. At our other house, we didn't have a yard big enough for one, since we do now, we took advantage of the great deal they gave us!
Lainey loves the "tramperbean" and uses it day and night. Of course the other kids like it too!
Paul has jumped with them, but I know what my limits are and just watch.
Lainey likes to "let" the cat Fluffy jump with her. She also likes to read out side on it.

Madam President

So I was telling Paul that I felt bad because I wasn't as involved with the kids school here as I was in Az. So, he agrees that it would be a good idea. I see that the principal is having a "coffee" one day, so I make arrangements for Lainey to go to a friends and I attend. There were 3 of us there!
I of course share my thoughts and feelings about school and related subjects, it was nice and I will go to the next one. A few days later, the phone rings its the principal, she says the district is looking for parents to be on a committee to name a new school that will in the works, Would I like to be on the committee? Sure, why not, I want to be involved. So I attend a few meetings for this committee at which the lady in charge needs some parents for a committee for picking a mascot and school colors for another school that is about to open. The meeting is in a few days, and she could really use the help, Sure why not!
Then, I see that there is going to be a PTA meeting, I want to be involved remember, so I plan on attending. There are ten people there, which is how many board members there are. The next thing I know, we are having an election, and I am now the new Sun Ridge Middle School PTA President!!!! (Stop laughing Nikki) That will teach me to want to get involve.
I have been really busy, but I am excited to work with the school and try to get other families involved.

Catholic Vote 2008

As you know, I am not a member of the Catholic church, but I love this video. The times that we live in are so different, than than the times our parents lived in, we need to make sure that as we are choosing the President of this great country, or voting on the many issues that will be on the ballots for our various states, we need to use our minds and our hearts to vote for the things that reflect our morals and values. We need to stand up and make known that we want a safe and morally sound community and country for our families. I believe that the teaching of these values begins in the home, but that we have a duty and right to stand up for the things that we believe in. This country was founded by inspired men who wanted the freedom to worship and raise their families in safety and faith. Please do your part by voting and supporting the causes that you believe in.

SOUPS ON!

I really enjoy soup. When the weather is cool I like to have it for lunch or dinner.
Paul, he really isn't a "soup guy". The kids will eat it (they eat pretty much anything!)
So, Paul had a meeting on Wed. and we were having cloudy weather, the temp stayed under 90 that day. I thought oh boy its soup weather!
I put together some stuff in the crock pot and liked what I came up with, so I wanted to share.
By the way, the next day Paul ate for lunch the next day and really liked it :)
Here is what we had:

Place3 boneless skinless chicken breast in crock pot and sprinkle with pepper and garlic powder.
Half bag of large bag of frozen chopped broccoli
1 family size can of cream of chicken soup

I cooked on low for 6 hrs then took out the chicken and shredded it up. Put the chicken and one can of evaporated milk in the crock pot. At this point I put the crock on warm because it was almost dinner time.
Then I went to the stove and made a basic white sauce. equal parts butter and flour cooked together then add as much milk as you need to make the consistence you want. It thickens as it cooks. (this is how gravy is made) Then I added shredded cheddar cheese to the mixture and poured it all in the crock and stirred. At this point, you decide how thick you want it. Add more milk if you like or leave it thick and creamy.
We ate it thick like a chowder.

I made homemade rolls to go with it. I have a wonderfully talented friend, Fawn, who taught me how to make them. My are not as great has hers, but are really good. Paul still thinks Fawns are the best ever! (we even made "butt" rolls in her honor).
We miss Fawn and her family they moved this summer, but we are grateful for the wonderful bread recipe she left behind!
I hope this all made since, it was such a nice dinner, I wanted to share. As you can tell, I am all about semi-homemade, so it was supper easy.
If you try my concoction, I mean recipe, let me know what you think.

Another Birthday Boy

August is a busy month for us.
Today Brayden turns 11! He is growing-up so fast. He also started middle school this year.
Brayden has a really good sense of humor and catches on to jokes really well.
He is very social and has many friends from school and church. We are very blessed to have Brayden in our family. Brayden has a great way of dealing with Lainey and is sometimes the only one that can get her to calm down!
He earned his Arrow of Light in cub scouts this week and we are very proud of him.
He really loves doing scouting I am sure that he will be an Eagle Scout, because he has decided now to be one. We love the way Brayden works hard to accomplish his goals.
Happy Birthday Bray!!! We love you!!!

Am I getting old?

Today I officially become a parent of a Teen Ager!
Camden turns 13 today. Where did all the time go? O.k., if I am honest, sometimes it didn't feel all that fast, but I still remember the day he was born like it happened yesterday.
We have been so blessed to have Cam in our family. He has such a great spirit about him, and is a lot of fun to be around. We are so proud of the things he has accomplished. We love how seriously he takes his responsibilities at church as he helps pass the sacrament each week, and as the Deacon Quorum President. He has been a good example to his brother and sisters. He is gaining a wonderful knowledge of the scriptures always remembering the lessons he is taught from them.
We admire Camden's desire to always choose the right and stand up for his beliefs.
We look forward to continuing to watch him grow!
Happy Birthday Camden, We Love you!!!!!

Lots and Lots and Lots of news to share

So July came and went with out a post, I know!
My stupid (of course I mean wonderful, dont want to jinx myself!) Computer went down, like, 3 times. Then last time I was in the middle of composing an awesome post to share when it DIED.
So now I have it back, and I want to share whats been happening. Hope you are with me for the ride, a lot happens in a month!!!!
The kids went back to school on July 17th. Every one seems to like it. Cam is in 8th grade, Bray is in 6th grade, which means that they attend the same middle school together and even have Theater Art together. Cam is in the Fall play, it is a murder mystery, and all he has shared with me is that he plays some guy in it! (he is a wealth of info). Bray is in a small one act right before the big performance. He says he doesnt like the play much, but is excited to have a part.
Ry is in the 4th grade and loves her teacher. She is still great about coming home and doing her homework, and sharing all the events of her day.
Lainey has started going to preschool twice a week to help with her speech. She loves it! It is a small class of only 5 students. She wishes that she could go every day!
We also stayed busy with scouts, church, and getting ready for school.

Now some really exciting news! In July, we also purchased a home!!!! WooHoo!
We are so excited to be in our own home. We were looking for a while and thought that we would not find one that suited us. My friend Sharon recommended that I give her Realtor a call.
I gave Yvette a call and told her all that we were looking for and even emailed her some homes I found on line. She did some looking and then found some other homes. We met one afternoon and went looking she took us to a home that she had not seen before and had been available since Jan. We found out that they needed to sale to beat foreclosing. I expected to see a really beat-up home in a mess. We walked in and were very surprised! It was beautiful home with the 4 bedrooms we were looking for, a laundry room and a very nice kitchen. It was built in 2006. It also has a bonus room upstairs and the master is down stairs. There is also a nice patio out back with a balcony upstairs off the the bonus room. I kept waiting for the catch. There wasnt one! We prayed about it and decided it was the home for us. The inspection went well and we were on our way, the other realtor wasnt as easy to work with, so we closed a little later than expected, but on July 9th we signed all the papers, and the home is ours!!!!
We are still in the same ward, and have several other members who live closer to us now.
The kids are not in the same school boundaries, but I am keeping them in their same schools at least this year, so Cam can finish middle school in the same school, then we'll decide later what to do next year.
I told you this would be long! Here are some before pictures of our home, and I'll post some "after" a little later.


This is the kitchen. We had to buy a fridge,
but the other appliances were in great shape.
This is the Laundry room








This is the Family Room built-ins
and fire place. this is the jetted tub in the master bathroom

O.K. so I think I learned how to get the pictures from my computer now, so I want to fill you in a few things that have been happening the last few MONTHS!The kids, especially the boys, most defiantly the biggest boy (Paul), were all really excited because after winning the 500, the Alltel Dodge came to visit Paul's work.
It wasn't the actual car that won the race, but one that they take on promotional tours.
The first thing Cam asked when we arrived to Alltel was "Can we get in?"
I found out that the first thing Paul asked when they were done setting up was "Can we get in?"
All I can say, is Boys and their Toys!!!
Here's a picture of all of us by the car. There was also a tire changing contest to see if you could get the fastest time. It was only for the adults, so Paul gave it a try and was doing pretty good until the air gun broke, He didn't win and neither did any of the other employees, because no one could play any more!




We also finished the school year in May. Every one did really well, and will advance to the next grade. So in July I will have an eighth grader, a sixth grader and a fourth grader. Lainey will also be receiving some speech services through the school district, so two days a week she will be at school for 2 hours.
This week Paul and Cam are at scout camp. Next week Brayden will have cub scout day camp.
So we will be be busy. School will start again on July 17th, so we will keep ourselves busy until then.
Camden had a part in the final play at school and he was AWESOME his character was Bob in a play called General Valley Hospital. It was a spoof of Soap Operas. "Bob" was a lobotomy survivor who was a little quirky. He had to faint and stay on the floor for a quarter of the play.
I can't post pictures now, they are on Paul's phone. I want to show you all the costume he wore!
This is getting long, so I will end and add something more later.

Oh, post don't happen on thier own?

O.K. So, yes I am still alive. I suppose if I am going to keep people up to date, I need to get on the computer and add some stuff every once in a while!
We are all fine and doing well.
I have some pics that I want to post, but we had a virus on our computer, so it was down for a while, and we had to reformat our computer. Now, I don't know how to use it!
I tried to get pictures from the camera into the computer, and it just didn't work like it used to.
So, when Paul teaches me how to do it the new way, I have some pictures for you all.
Stayed tuned, there will be more soon! (hopefully)

Health Update

I guess I should do an update on my health, since I rambled on before about it!

I am feeling much better. Since my last blog about being sick, I have been to the Dr. 2 more times. The first time I wasn't doing much better, so guess what I got, another shot!!

When I was a kid I think our pediatrician gave us a shot for EVERYTHING I hated needles, and I hated the Dr! Then I became a "grown up" and it seems like I never got a shot (except when I was exposed to Hepatitis). So I had no idea that Dr.s were into giving shots again.:(

I also had to go in and get some chest x-rays, they came back all clear, yeah!

I still take 2 inhalers and I am on some decongestants for my stuffy head. I haven't been able to get my head cleared, I guess you could say that I am sick in the head, but we already knew that!!

He also put me on a med for high blood pressure. Paul also went back to the Dr. and he was also put on a high blood pressure med and a med. for his migraines. We hope that between the 2 meds, that they will go away, or at least be fewer. I don't know how he copes with them, I have had a migraine once, it was probably more like a really bad headache, and I couldn't function.

I go back to the Dr. in a month, and need to get some lab work done before then, but I am in the clear now, and trying to get back to normal life, whatever that is.

I have a new admiration for people who have to live with chronic illnesses. I it was hard to do all the daily things that need to be done and have the energy for family and callings and the rest of life.

Kids Say the Funniest Things

Yesterday, we had stake conference. As we were getting ready, Lainey asked "Mommy, is today Fast Sunday?" I answered "No, we have stake conference today." "OH" she says.
Then, while we were on the way to church she blurts out, "So, Dad, is today Fast Sunday or Slow Sunday?"
The "big" kids got a kick out of it. She wasn't sure why everyone chuckled.
Of course I had to bite my tongue not to say "OH, it will be Slow Sunday!" Knowing that I had to sit with her for a two hour meeting when some Sundays, I barely survive the 1 hour Sacrament meeting!!!!!!
The meeting was great, and I did get to listen to a big portion of it. We made a couple of trips to the potty (but I could hear the mtg in there) and at the end we needed to sit in the room that has the baptismal font in it (I could also hear it in there).
A member of our stake presidency talked to the youth about how Joseph Smith was only a teenager too when he was seeking answers from the Lord. He did a great job with explaining to them that like Joseph, they can go to the Lord for answers.
We all left the meeting feeling very uplifted!

IS THERE A SCISSOR GENE???

I am begining to believe that I have some mutated gene that I have past on to the girls!
I shared my story of Ryleigh and cutting her hair, and then of course my mishap with my bangs, now Lainey has cut her hair!!!!
She got some hair on the top of her head and chopped, it stands up like little feathers!
At first I thought it was just moring hair, then as I brushed it out, I realized it wouldnt go down and it was VERY SHORT. When I asked if she cut her hair she replied "oh, no! I don't know why its like that." I wanted to believe her so I thought maybe it broke off when she had a ponytail the day before! Yeah right, its way to much to be breakage!
So I mentioned it when daddy got home.... she came clean, with tears, saying "I am sorry, I really did cut my hair, I won't do it anymore" We had a talk about honesty and she lost computer privildges that night. She cried on daddy's shoulder, and then was all better.
I have a feeling this wont be the last time that scissors get put to the test by her, but hopefully I can catch it sooner next time!!!!

Happy Valentines Day

We started our day out like all Valentines mornings since Camden was little. I make heart shaped pancakes for breakfast! The kids still think its cool, so I keep doing it.(I would do it even if they didnt think it was cool!!!)

I was reading on some ones blog today a list of things they love(kinda a favorite things list) in the spirit of the holiday so I will make a list too! Feel free to share your "loves" with me too.

My kids "belly" laughs..... they are so contagious

The smell of homemade bread baking

Walking on the beach

Chocolate......duh!

Cuddling with my hubby first thing in the morning :)

Moose Tracks icecream....which I cant find in El Paso :(

The sun setting over the mountains

The smell of rain!

Red Tulips

Knowing my Family is eternal

Quiet time with my scriptures

Of Course, my list could get longer and longer..... so I will stop here! Hope everyone has a great Valentines day and you should feel loved...by me!

I would love to see you list of "loves" too.

What a Strange Year

I know it is still early in the year, but things have been so busy and so unlike other years, that it feels like we are already half way through it already!
In January we were shocked and sadden to be told that we our good friend Luke Short suddenly passed away at work. Luke and Cathryn have 4 kids the same ages as ours, and we became friends while we were in Independence Ward while were living in Glendale.
Luke was a great example of living the gospel to all he came in contact with. He will be greatly missed by his wonderful family and many, many friends.
In January, I also turned 39!!! I have never had a problem with birthdays, I have young kids and they keep me young, right?!
But 39, that’s basically 40, When did that happen?!!!!! All of a sudden I don’t feel so young anymore and think of myself as an "older" mom.
The week of my birthday, I started getting sick. I had my friends that live in Juarez get me some antibiotics from the Pharmacia (one good thing about living on the border!)
I finished them and wasn’t feeling better. Then Paul got sick and missed a week of work, he went to the Dr of course, and made me go too. By this point, I had been sick a couple of weeks and thought it was probably a good Idea since I was miserable! The Dr said I had severe bronchitis and gave me 5 prescriptions. He was also concerned because my blood pressure was high. I tried to get by with "well I am pretty sick" He didn’t buy it because of my family history, and made me schedule another appointment to check it out again.
Well in the mean time, I had finished all the meds and got more sick! Finally this past Saturday, after a month of coughing, I pulled a muscle in my left side while coughing! Yes, you heard right I pulled a muscle coughing, I thought I broke a rib and it punctured my lungs (not that I have experience at that) but I was in major pain and couldn’t catch my breath. Paul took me to the urgent care. They kinda blew off the fact that I was in pain, because I couldn't breath, and it had been a month that I had been sick! Soooo, 4 hours, 4 shots, a breathing treatment and 5 new prescriptions later, I was sent home. I stayed in bed for the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday.
I felt so Lame, but I was drugged with pain pills and muscle relaxers, who hurts themselves coughing!!!!
I am begining to feel much better and am trying to slow down.
Also during this time, Camden was put in as the Deacon Quorum President and the Sr. Patrol leader for his scout troop. He also was involved with a play at school that was in a district competition and had practice every day after school and homework. The play took 2nd place and he got a really cool medal for his involvement!
Brayden had school and scouts. At school, he was in a math club and had to stay after 2 days a week for that.
Ryleigh was asked to be the Activity Days president for her group of girls at church And had school and homework.
Every one had at least one extra project for school.
And Lainey has preschool 2 times a week and I am supposed to help with that. I wasn’t much help my friend Sharon did most of it since I have been sick.
Lainey also got sick for 3 days and Camden missed one day of school sick and so did Brayden.
I CANT FIGURE OUT WHY I DIDNT GET BETTER:)
So I am not trying to whine, this is just what My life has been like. I am going to the Dr on Friday, and I hope to better by then!
We were also saddened by the loss of our beloved Prophet President Hinckley. He has been the only prophet since our children have been alive. We watched the funeral on BYUTV and talked about the things we had learned from him. I was very proud of the things our children talked about him touching their lives.
We are all ready to learn and grow with President Monson. Lainey has remembered him in her prayers every night since he was announced as Prophet!
Oh yeah, Lainey fell face first in the rocks and looks pretty beat up right now. Poor baby!!!
I do know that I have been very blessed and the Lord has watched over us! We got our tax return about the same time my sickness began, Not what I had planned to spend it on, but what a blessing having the money right there to pay for all the medicines and Dr visits!
I hope my next blog will be more upbeat!!! Thanks to all our friends and family who have been keeping us in their prayers! We Love Ya!

No new ideas

My friend Nikki had this cool thing at her blog to have people sign in and it show where they are.
So, since I am better at borrowing ideas than coming up with original ones, I now have this cool thing on my site tooo!!!

Check out my Guestbook!

Practice what you preach!

I need to share a story. I hope I can keep it brief, so bare with me. When our Ryleigh was little, 3 almost 4, I think. She had a problem with scissors. She would love to cut her own hair! It didn't matter where I put the scissors, she could always seem to find them. After the 3rd time she cut her own hair, we were desperate to have her stop. Paul said "Ryleigh, if you cut your hair again, we will have to shave your head!" He was hoping the scare of being hairless would stop her! Well, she found the scissors again hidden in my room. We thought she was asleep in bed! When we came in our room for bed that night, I could see all this light blonde hair all over my dark comforter. There were no scissors in sight. I thought of her first, so I ran in to check on her, she was sound asleep and her hair looked to be all there. The next morning, I found that she was sleeping on the side that she had cut all the way up above her ears!!!
So Paul said that was it, we are shaving her head. We called Nikki, my friend that cut our hair and asked if she was available to help. Paul was insistent that she be shaved bald, because that is what he told her would happen. Ryleigh was my only little girl at the time and I couldn't let her be bald, I would be the one having to explain to everyone that she was not going through chemo, she was in trouble for cutting her own hair! Anyway, we finally agreed that she would get a "boy" hair cut instead. Nikki made sure that she used the trimmer and kept talking about how this is how she cuts the boys hair. We also gave her a lecture about how Nikki went to school to learn to cut hair and had to have a license to cut hair and that no one should cut hair unless they had also done these things. When it was all over, we handed her the mirror so she could see her new "boy" hair do. She replied as she looked at herself, "Its o.k., I 'm still cute".
I was floored! This was suppose to be a punishment! Needless to say, she never cut her own hair again!
So I tell you this long story for a reason. I don't have a license to cut hair, and I never went to school to learn how, yet I usually trim my own bangs, trim the boys and Paul's hair, and have even been known to give Ryleigh a hair cut! I just recently cut Lainey's hair from the middle of her back up to her shoulders Yet the other day, I was getting ready to go to the library with Lainey and I was having a "bad hair" day. Lainey kept coming in "are you ready yet?" I was trying to hurry, I was distracted and I decided that I need to trim my bangs right then in order to make my hair work that day. I know better, but I pulled my bangs down really tight, I had the scissors in my hand and Lainey comes in again, "o.k., o.k. Lainey I'll hurry!" SNIP, SNIP, SNIP. I let go of my hair and it springs back up... to the middle of my forehead!!! YIKES, they are way shorter than I wear them, and they don't look good that short on me. I am now wearing a new hairstyle of my bangs swept to the side!! If I didn't tell you, you wouldn't know why I am wearing this new look. I have been making sure that I take my vitamin everyday in hopes that it makes my hair grow quicker!!! So, we still learn each day, we need to listen to the things that we try to teach our children, and PRACTICE WHAT WE PREACH!!!!!!

New Years Eve was a lot of fun!
We invited our friends the Nettles over
Her husband was just deployed on Sunday.
They brought hats and blowers and noise makers with them!

The kids all went crazy ringing in the New Year. We also had Paul's boss's wife Alicia over because her husband was working.
We played games and "Partied"
Every one had a great time!

For being the first time adding pictures, I am happy, not exactly what I had in mind, it works :)

Happy New Year

Well its a fresh new year full of possibilities. "New" sometimes gets me a little excited it makes me think of perfect, not blemished, something with great possibilities. Then I am not sure what to do with it. I want it to stay "new" so may be I should keep it in a safe place, or maybe I should save it for a "special" time. Sometimes because I want the newness to last, I do nothing at all! Thinking about this makes me look at things differently. Why do I have this "new" thing?
Do I have it to just look at? Will it help me or others if it isn't used? Will it bring me or others joy if nothing is done with it?
This year, I don't want to be blinded by the newness. I want to learn and grow and take full advantage of the life and blessing that I have. I don't want to save my moments for something special, I don't want to do nothing at all or keep it in a safe place waiting.
I don't want to look back and see all the opportunities that were missed.
I have been blessed with so much love and encouragement from wonderful friends and family,
this year I want to be grateful, happy, and healthy. I want to use my time wisely to be all that my Heavenly Father has made me to be.
I hope we all look at this "New" year with open eyes and get the most out of each day we have been given!

Dont know what I am doing

O.k. so sometimes I do give into peer pressure! I have finally started a blog.
I was told that it was really easy to do. I am not really an expert on the computer, so easy was a relative term for me! It took a long time to choose the address, because every thing that I picked was taken, O.K. so I am not original.
I tried to send an email monthly, and that didn't go so well I got WAY behind. So the idea is that I can get on and update my blog every once in a while and invite you to check it out so I don't have to try to tell you about a whole month at once. We will see if this works better for me.
So anyway, bare with me as learn how to be a "blogger".
Look for a new update soon.