Hard work to warm us twice {Halloween}

Actually, our hard work will warm us more than that!

It was well worth waking up early to see this in Chesterfield at 7:30 am on Halloween Morning.  Ryan had the day off, so we took Tanner out of school, and drove 'home' at 5 am.

Our goal for the day:  Cut, split, load, haul, unload and stack 8 cords of wood.

Between my dad and his wicked awesome chainsaw, Ryan and I and the amazing hydraulic log splitter, and a few extra hands, we got 'er done.  In one day.

And we got out of trick-or-treating, with the exception of Grandma's House.  :)

And earlier in the week, we visited G & G Poulsen's :

We were warmed when we split and loaded, unloaded, then chopped, and now burning it.

Never mind how dog-tired we were when we started unloading it, and how awesome the stack looks!!!  Good thing my belly isn't too big yet, because there wouldn't have been room for wood in these arms.  LOL!  I'm proud to say we did it, and I 'hepped'.  Kind-of like shake-n-bake.

Thank you mom, and dad!!!

and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Pumpkin Carving

A new and dear friend saved the day....and brought us three awesome pumpkins....because I'm too lame to get in the car and drive to the farmers market to get some for myself.

We had a fun time carving them, and may have even made some happy memories.

Thanks, Felicity!

Good moments

If the sheets I washed today were dry and on my bed, I'd totally be in bed, asleep right now.  As it stands, they're drying in the washing machine, and I cannot get up to remedy the situation.

Think Ry will mind sleeping on the floor?  I'm taking the couch.

There are a few loads of clean laundry just waiting for me...and to think I had 'this day' in the bag, with 6 kids, made bread and cookies....oy...I've got a long way to go, and a grateful heart that I only had to put 3 of them to bed, and sent the other 3 home.

Today was a GREAT day!  Don't get me wrong...was just getting a big head thinking that four is going to be a breeze.

Note to self: Continue to find the good in every moment.

I have clean clothes.  Food to feed my children.  Talents and Time to share.  Great kids (most of the time) and great friends.  I have the gospel, an amazing family, a loving and self-less husband and a roof over my head.  I have enough.  

Four will be another wonderful change (warranting adjustments, obviously), but will bring even more joy and happiness.  My children's laughter rang through the yard today.  Their friends were happy to stay.  I was happy to have them here.  I was even happy for the car on empty, but enough seat belts to run dinner to Ryan, then a moment to run into the store without 6 kids while Ryan graciously ate dinner in the car.  That moment worked out beautifully.

Good moments.  It's that simple phrase and thought that I'm counting on, at the end of exhausting days like today.

so much right now

...there's so much going on right now, I don't know where to start!

Happy things.  Sad things.  Worrisome things.  Exciting things. 

Starting in on three fun ties for my little boys for my little brother's wedding on the 10th of November...Need to make a vintage cream and lace maternity skirt as well....should be stunning, if I can get it to fit right.  LOL!

I haven't even started Christmas yet.  Guess it should be easy if the bank account is screaming "NO!"...but still....we can put a big red bow on the roof of the house and the roof of the car, right?!

Sheer exhaustion. Recovered from a terrible flu last week and am STILL trying to catch up.  Just on the basic stuff. I did get everything disinfected, so that's a plus. Also hauled all three boys and myself to get flu shots.....4 days too late.  

Patience being tested by little boys, and I'm trying SO STINKING HARD to be so grateful for these blessings I've been given.  Some days it seems impossible with their antics, but I'm trying anyways.  Can I stress IMPOSSIBLE again?  Maybe I'm crazy for believing that another one is supposed to join us.  

Ultrasound on November 9th!  Excited to see if we'll have a 4x4 relay team, or a 'widdle sisser' to protect.  :)  We were going to wrap the gender up and put it under the Christmas tree, but I am sure I cannot wait that long.  I must know.  I think I know, but I must be sure.  

Oh, and I passed the preliminary glucose test.  Right after the doctor weighed Kortlen (9lbs 4 oz) she turned to me and said, "did you have Gestational Diabetes?  Because I'm sure you did!"  sooooooooo.....had to do a 1 hour test.  Numbers were high (27?  I think GD is 35?) but I passed, and am doing my best to really plan and eat healthy meals....it sure is hard when there's not even time to sit and eat!

I'm unofficially in business....doing alterations, making a wedding dress, and all that jazz....Soooooooo... if you know of anyone in the area who is looking to have work done, send them my way!  I've got some projects already on the docket, but my turnaround time is MUCH faster than it used to be.  LOL!  Partially because I've got my game on, partially because I'm keeping busy with it.  My prices are reasonable (case-by-case basis) and I'm really excited to be able to use my talents to help others. 

Sewing till midnight beats substitute teaching any day.  :)  

Fast Update/Many Ramblings

---My kids like climbing up onto the roof of our house...no biggie....if they fall off, we get a cast.  However, tonight they climbed onto the roof of the garage.....that has 5 electrical wires from the power poles to surrounding houses, including ours....Gahhhhhhh!!  It's kindof hard to bring kids back from the dead if they're electrocuted....or are stupid.

---I got to climb up into the tree in our back yard this afternoon because Taylor was about 12 feet up and I couldn't help him from the ground.  Again...not worried about the falling thing, more worried about him getting his shirt caught and him strangling to death...because that really almost happened when we first moved in.  His elbow got caught and he was hanging between two branches.

---I promise, I do care if my kids fall, but sheesh...do I need to tether them to the ground?

---Kortlen is fascinated with the fact that he can completely cover himself in fine-dirt/dust, and then laughs hysterically when I try to catch him and brush it off...turkey!

---I finally got a picture of blue skies from my front lawn last night...we've been basking in smoke for the last month....I'd forgotten what those beautiful Idaho skies looked like!

---Finished up Dylan and Ashlee's wedding album....had such a fun time taking the pictures, and they were a quick edit, once I sat down to do them!  ALMOST makes me want to do photography more, and make my amateur skills useful. Guess I'll stick to people just passing on my info word-of-mouth, and not advertising.  I already stay up way too late!

---Tanner and Taylor have been loving piano lessons, and I am, too!!!  They each practice 10-15 minutes a day, and then go play while I practice for an hour or so.  It's so refreshing....but probably the reason my kids are getting themselves into sticky situations....hmmm.....Guess I need to reserve my practice time for later in the evening.

---There has been NO CANNING at our house this fall....I figured since we already have a closet full of canned produce, that nobody likes, we'll starve when the EMP hits, and then I'll be sorry I didn't do what I knew I should have....PREPARED MORE FOOD!

---Taylor has a unique talent of catching bugs.  By the wings.  Then he examines them, lets them go, and catches them again and brings them to me...like a cat.  He's particularly intrigued by flies.  Those big bull flies....*shudder*.  Well, at least I don't have to hear them buzzing around for too long, nor do I have to swat at them.

---Tanner is in the top of his class for math skills, but the bottom for reading, and has the home room teacher that teaches BOTH those classes.  I don't know whether to feel sorry for her, or for him.

---I love mowing my own lawn.  I love digging up the foliage I don't want next year, and planning what I do want instead!  I can't wait to start hacking away at the overgrown shrubs (14 feet, no kidding!) in our back yard to make room for a LOVELY garden spot come spring.  Exciting things, people!

---I have been trying my darnedest to keep this house picked up so that we can spray for Hobo Spiders ...when we get around to it.  Trouble is, by the time I get around to it, there are toys strewn everywhere again.  I sorta wish the world would stand still while I clean.  Wouldn't that be nice?!

---Had to buckle down and go out to the garage to pull out my maternity clothes from 'the stack' of totes (which I recently rotated for the boys...guess it was my turn).  I have to admit, that while I've been putting on weight from all the sugar wafers I've been craving, I'm hoping some of that weight will shed off quickly when we have baby number four the first part of April.

---And because I know you're going to ask, we're due April 11th (the dr. thinks???) and while I'd love a sweet little girl, I think the pros of another boy outweigh all the bows and pink glitter shoes a mother could buy.  BUT either way, we're ecstatic!  I've been told more than once by more than one little boy in this house, that they're getting a sister.  And now that we know we're not having twins, we'll just be happy with whatever Heavenly Father blesses us with.

---Wish me luck.  And pray that no children fall off any roofs, out of any trees, or get electrocuted on my watch, while I'm growing a new sibling.

Our {HOME}

A little late getting around to this, but on May 5th, we moved into our very first home!!!  We are so excited to be gaining a little leg room around here, and by leg room, I mean in the house and outside.

The move went AMAZINGLY smooth!  I had everything packed, people scheduled to move us, and in TWO SHORT HOURS, we and our crew packed trucks/trailers, drove to the new place, and unpacked into the correct rooms (thanks, Stevie, for those moving labels!!!).  As we were finishing up, it was SNOWING!!!  Before my family left that day, we had cleaned and turned in our apartment key.  I seriously have the BEST family and friends EVER!!!

Here's a snippet of things we did that first month in our new home (trying to get it together to take "current" pictures of what we've done this summer).

When my mom found out that second week of living in the house that I had only unpacked the essentials (toilet paper, dishes and clothes) she jumped at the chance to rescue her overwhelmed daughter and get her organized and it tip-top shape!  It's worth mentioning that we didn't close on the house till the end of May...something about the deed not being re-conveyed to the previous owners, the bank not knowing this and that on their end, and gracious sellers, who let us live in the house for a month before actually signing our life away.  Tender mercies, tender mercies!

First stop:  Put together an arsenal kit.  Seriously...SAVED US!!!  We literally unpacked every single decor item, laid everything on the floor, and spent 2 solid days pounding nails after eyeballing (measuring, leveling, nailing, and tacky-sticking) every single picture!!  I LOVED IT, even if I am a good "eyeballer" and had to suffer through a few leveler/measuring rounds with a few pictures.  My mom is QUEEN of walls....she pretty much rocked my world this week (and always!!!) and helped me get a great handle on things!

Living Room, Front door on the right. 

Still don't have a name for this room, but it's sure to be cozy come next month!
Can't wait to get the BLAZE KING roaring.
(and I can't wait to rip out that awful lava rock)

Next to my husband and children, THIS is what I would want out of the house in case of a fire. It's calmed many a night for me and my kiddos....I love this piece of furniture, and spend hours each week (sometimes hours each day) just playing and decompressing.  It's like a drug.  A beautiful drug. 

"Master" Bedroom (we've since added pictures above the dresser and emptied the last two boxes there. I LOVE it like this! It's kindof an odd sized room, but my mom made it work!!!  (After we moved the bed three times. LOL!)

Facing away from the kitchen sink; who wants to do dishes when you can reminisce with this fun wall?! 

The back door (washer/dryer/laundry to the right, kitchen table to the left).

Standing by the back door (check out my BEAUTIFUL new ceramic-top stove! I LOVE IT!) getting used to the ever-so-subtle laundry arrangements, and microwave on the WRONG SIDE, but we took what we could get.  This is a kitchen I can stand, without HAVING to start from scratch. 

My mom's supurb organizational skills.  We bought TONS of these clear totes, in which my talented and patient mom organized, labeled, and placed in my kitchen...we're talking 8 hours of this tedious work...THANKS MOM!!!  I'm pleased to report that four months later, it STILL looks like this!

Boys' room...we've since added wall decor.

My pantry/linen closet.  Kindof forgot about the shortage of storage in this home, but we're making it work, and had to get rid of lots of unnecessary 'stuff'.  LOVE THAT! 

Our simple bathroom.  After 8 years of marriage, I STILL cannot find a shower curtain that I like. :( Would like to repaint/redo the vanity in this bathroom to be more bright and do something FUN in this small space. 

I think I took this right after my mom left...the boys took EVERY STUFFED ANIMAL they had, and stuffed the legs of the jammies....can you say SUMO BOYS?!  LOL! 

So.....there you have it.  I'll try to add a picture of Kortlen's room, now that it's to a decent stage, and some of the front and back yard.

Brigham City Temple Open House

Growing up LDS and in Utah, I had the opportunity to be surrounded by temples, but also to walk through the Bountiful and Mount Timpanogos Temples before they were dedicated.  As a young girl, who was striving to live worthily and be able to someday enter a holy temple to receive blessings, I was captivated by the inner beauty, and the wonderful Spirit that resided inside such a sacred place.

When my sister and mom frantically called to see if we were available to join them and the family to see the newly finished Brigham City Temple, I didn't even hesitate!  I wanted my little boys to feel that peaceful feeling that comes when experiencing the clean, white, pure and sacred place.

Before a temple is dedicated, anyone can walk through it during the open house.  It doesn't matter if you don't believe there is a God, have tattoos, or drink away your sorrows.  It doesn't matter if you are an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or a dedicated member of another congregation.  The purpose of a temple open house is for the general public to see the interior of our sacred temples.  In this particular open house, there was no talking, or even any presentations (descriptions of the beautiful peach-blossom windows, the reason for the baptismal font, etc.) within its sacred (not secret) walls.  The silence was peaceful, aw-inspiring, and uplifting.  If you don't know much about the purpose of our temples, you can read and learn more about it HERE.

I was able to snap a few pictures of the boys enjoying this neat occasion!  {enjoy!}

had to weasel our way in through a crowd
to get this picture front and center....
wish the girl behind me would have moved
so I could have gotten the spire behind the boys....
oh well!  We tried! 

A family outing wouldn't be complete without dinner....so instead of waiting at Maddox for an hour an a half, we drove to the Coppermill in Logan...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!  SO worth the drive and the cup of bleach I had to use to clean my boys' white shirts after dinner!  Thanks mom and dad, for the wonderful evening!

Labor Day Weekend {2012}

Nothing like taking a break from your labors and joining an AMAZING family for a VACATION!!!

This year, mom vetoed the annual camping trip much to my dad's demise....but I tell you what; we.had.a.BLAST!!!

We caravan'ed down to St. George and had so much fun, I took a few pictures of only two of the MANY things we did!!!  (Super sad I didn't take my camera to the Theater Friday night, or pictures of the gorgeous golf course, the historical sites, and of our entire family!!  Not sure why I have ZERO pictures of Keith & Tricia, Reed & Emily, and Stephanie!!!  SO SORRY!)

Instead of reserving hotel rooms, we opted to rent a condo.  I loved having us all together, being able to cook our meals together, watch movies/play games, and just sit and visit!  I have to say that this tiny detail TOTALLY made the vacation such an enjoyable time.  It probably helped that Ryan and I and our kids also had a bathroom bigger than our living room at home.  LOL!

{Friday}
The Tuacahn Theater was simply breath-taking.  With the red-rock backdrop, on-stage animals, entertaining cast and great music, the boys were loving life!!!  Aladdin was a pretty cool experience, and I'd recommend it to anyone needing a get-away.  The kids loved it.  The adults loved it.  Definitely the highlight of the trip!

{Saturday}
We talked my mom into not planning ANYTHING this day.  Great idea!!!  We played in the pool and caught some great sun rays...the men-folk went golfing...and we played in the pool some more...and then Ryan and I decided to take our boys on a little hike.  While it was nice to be just the five of us, I wish we would have thought to invite the whole family, because it was a neat experience to show our kids what Heavenly Father created for us to enjoy, and how powerful the elements can be.  The boys loved it!  While we were hiking, the girls met up with the Condie family, who we grew up with in Springville (and are cousins on my mom's side; I always thought they were cousins on my dad's side!)....went boating, and caught even MORE rays!  Let's just say that our sister missionary isn't quite as white anymore. LOL!

{Sunday}
After attending church meetings with the Condie family, we headed "home" for a delicious dinner, and naps.  In order to make the most of our time there, we then headed back into town to see the historical sites.  It was fun to have our memories jogged of the sites we love and cherish.  We truly have a rich heritage!

{Monday}
Even though we had a great time with my family and our kids, the supposed-to-be-8-hour drive home was agonizingly l-oooooooo-n-g. We were lucky to have Stephanie ride home with us to Provo, and pretty much let her be 'Auntie' and take care of the kids that first 4 hours...because we knew we'd have them the remainder of the drive home, which ended up taking 6 hours, by the time we stopped for potty breaks and to run around at a rest stop.  Oy.

{Picture Overload}

pool-side mini golf

Kortlen loved the water guns, but not the water!

Deseret had a fun time with our boys, diving and swimming. 

Oh, look!  Hi mom!!!!!!  

This was a pretty fun feature....the boys loved it!  So did the adults. ♥♥♥

SISTERS!!!

Even Ryan and I got in on the belly-flopping fun!

Our dad got FRIED during the 15 seconds he was in the sun in the pool....
I'm thinking he's going to keep that long -sleeve shirt and straw hat on next time.  LOL! 

Clay....Why aren't you IN THE POOL?!?!?

SO nice not having all my kids hanging off of me...
they can SWIM!

Our hike at {Red Canyon} or something like that.  I'll let these pictures speak for themselves.