more updates

So something I am really sad that I didn't blog about right away is that my BABY turned 5 in Dec.

Lainey is so funny!  She really keeps me going, because she has so much energy and because she is so bright.  She loves to ask questions, and know why things "are".   Lainey also loves the camera!  She takes all kinds of pictures the one to the right she took of herself, but I always have pictures of the T.V. and the computer on the camera! Lainey also likes to sing and makes up some of her own songs.  In church she uses her really loud singing voice, sometimes when we aren't even singing a song!  One Sunday I kept telling her to be quiet it was singing time, she said I am singing quietly, just be more quiet I pleaded.  After Sacrament Meeting the brother in front of us said  "You sing very lovely, you can sing in church anytime you want, I really liked it"

With a big smile and a I told you look to me, she replied "THANK YOU!"  My response was "yeah, thanks".

A couple of weeks ago she was really sick with the flu, and very achey.  She kept saying that her legs and arms hurt as she laid on the couch.  When she had to get up to go potty she asked me to help her up. In the cutest little voice she said "oh, mommy I must just be getting old."

We love how much Joy Lainey brings to our family.  She can't wait to go to school next year and was soooo sad that she couldn't go as soon as she turned 5.  My favorite thing about Lainey is she Loves to tell me that she loves me often (it always melts my heart!)  Once while we were shopping at Costco she had to go potty as I was waiting in the bathroom, she was just talking away to me thru the stall door.  There were lots of people coming and going, I finally said "o.k. Lainey just go potty so we can get our shopping done!"  Then she said "Mom, can I tell you one more thing?"  "I really love you". ...."Thanks, Lainey I love you too"  A lady in the bathroom commented,  "Enjoy it while you can."   I will enjoy it!  Even though there will be those bad days, where I am the Worstest Mom on earth, I know that our love is Eternal.  Dang, I am really blessed with a great family!

Things You missed

             The picture to the right has Camden, Grant and Lainey                                      

I have a lot more pictures of Thanksgiving, but I am no good at adding pictures to this blog!  I have been trying for a while now, and I am now to frustrated to try any more please enjoy what you get!!!!!!    :)

                                                                                                                     

THANKSGIVING                                           

for Thanksgiving, we invited other families that didn't have family here to celebrate with us.

We also invited both the elders and the sister missionaries.  It was a great day. When people walked in, I had them take some paper leaves and write on them what they are thankful for, then we taped them to the wall in the living room.(see picture at left) I did a turkey and a ham, then all the others brought stuff to go with it.  We had such a great time together playing games, eating, visiting and laughing a lot.  We are so blessed to have so many great people in our lives!  Later that evening, the kids were all on the trampoline when the missionaries decided to join, then our friend Rob got in on the act.  The kids all stood around going "oooh, ahhh!"  as Rob and the missionaries did flips and tricks on the trampoline.  It reminding of the way everyone would stand around while people would break dance and try to out do each other!!!!! ( hope you can picture that in your mind!)

I feel so thankful to have my family who loves me.  I am grateful for my Savior who loves me and has given me the gospel to live buy.  I am a truly blessed person.  Its nice to be reminded to be grateful even now when its months after Thanksgiving

                                                             Elder Rentz, Brayden, Rob, Brooke 

                                                                 Sis. Bell and Sis. Craghead       

                       

                                    

Still alive and kickin

Yes,  I am still around !  I knew I wouldn't be very good at keep up with post. (don't really like writing) So I will begin with what's happening now, and then add in a post about the past every once in a while.  The kids are on spring break for this week and then next.  This week they have been having friends over, then next week we will be doing a "staycation"  you know doing vacation stuff around home.  Paul has next week off, but he has a pretty big list of things that needs to be done, so he won't feel like it time off!

The kids are happy for the break, when they get back to school it will time to get ready for the big tests they all take.  

PTA is keeping me busy.  We have a conference in april and a school activity in the beginning of May.  The boys have camp outs in April.  Plus they stay busy with other scout stuff.

We all got the yucky bug of what ever has been going around and Paul got Bronchitis. We all seem to be healthy now (knock on wood!)

I will try to be more regular at keeping up to date and I have some pictures to post to stay tuned for more Jester news.

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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!!!!