Big Sister......

What will we do when Ruthie goes to school this fall. Actually, it is only weeks away for our kids. We will have 5 out of 6 of them in school for at least half of the day. Mike will be in middle school, 6th grade, Ben 4th, Eli 3rd, Ruthie Kindergarten and Joshua will be in pre-school. Poor little Dan. He will be so lonely. No one around to help do his hair, HELP him "play in the mud", and HELP him take naps.

Oh, how we love our Ruthie.

Summer Vacation

We love being around our extended family and had the wonderful opportunity to have 7 out of 8 of my siblings all together for a big family baptism and the fourth of July. Eli, and cousins Seth and Jared were baptized on July 4th in Vernal Utah. What a fun time we all had. Memories were made that the kids will not forget. Lots of chaos and many late nights. After the baptism we all went back to Pleasant Grove to my brothers house and stayed there for 4 more days. Here are a few photo highlights.......

Bodie and Eli. We are so proud of you Eli!!!

Jared, Seth and Eli. He is not happy that he is the shortest, hoping for a growth spurt soon:)

This is Bodie and Josh at Bridal Falls. WAVING "HI" to MOMMY!!!!!

All the grandkids that were present for the festivities. Just getting them all to sit and stand was quite an effort. They range in age from 24 to 1 year. 35 grandkids, with at least 1 more to come........
The siblings and spouses that were there. We are so blessed that we all have such a great time together. It never seems like enough time before we all have to get back to reality.

Just Cruizin'

Due to some slack that I have been taking, I will post a little about life around here:)  We are doing well.  Josh seems to be back into his swing and the medicines are working for now.  He and Dan are on about the same stage developmentally, so it seems like we have twin 2 year old boys.  They are trouble to say the least.  They are in the "mine" phase and we are hoping they get out of it soon.  Josh is still not verbal, which just means that he screams more than Dan because he gets frustrated at his inability to communicate his needs/desires.  I do have to admit that I love to hear, "no, no, Doshy. Me."  It makes me smile.  I am just hoping that the words rub off on Josh and he finds his voice soon.  They are both so sweet and are good for each other.  

Ruth is busy as ever.  She was bummed that we didn't sign her up for soccer this spring, but is loving all the time she is spending at the baseball fields watching the older brothers practice.  It is free time for her to get dirty.  She loves to draw and the dirt is a great easle.  She is cuter than can be and lost her first tooth last weekend.  So now she talks kinda funny and we all love it.  She is a huge help all the time and is willing to try any job as long as she is not alone.  She is really becoming Grandpa's little helper.  I think she talks his ear off, but he is becoming more tolerant.

Eli, Ben and Michael are all playing baseball, counting down the last few three weeks of school and can't wait for summer.  They are all doing well and having a good time now that spring has finally arrived.  I really have to be fast when they get home from school if I need anything done, otherwise I have to go searching for them outside.  They are currently building a fort with an old tarp and hay bales.  They have some old crate pallets that make for great walls.  They love to be outside and love even more to get out of chores.  They are great about including the little ones too.   Ruth has graduated to the "BIG KIDS" in their eyes, which is a wonderful thing for her. She is included in all the trouble now.  I would say they are pretty normal little boys. Michael is also playing soccer, so our week nights are spent at the ball park, with 6 baseball practices and 2 soccer practices and a soccer game every week.  If I make it through with my sanity, We will have to call it good.

The kids are very excited to have a new baby around the house.  Dan has gotten his own opinion about what he does and where he goes, so they think it will be nice to have one that they can just hold.  They all want a little girl.  Not surprising to hear from Ruth, but the boys think that she is too outnumbered.  Very considerate on their part.  They are pushing to find out what this baby will be.  Every day they put in their votes.  It is very fun for me to know that they are excited and always want to help.

Bodie is doing well at work.  His running has been cut down because of long hours at the  office and even longer hours as Dad.  He is great and always being available and willing for the "hand off" of kids.  One mom at preschool commented to me today that I am braver than she.  I just had to give credit to an amazing husband that is willing to step in and take over when I am "done".  She went on to say that she didn't know those kind existed.  I am grateful that I have one and count my blessings every day.  

I am great.  I am starting to feel better, although that should have happened weeks ago, I am happy it is finally here.  I had to bust out the maternity clothes today. At soon to be 17 weeks, that is almost okay with me:)  It will be nicer when I look pregnant instead of just fat.  At least, that is what I am telling myself these days.  I am happy to be getting some energy back and love the weather that I can go outside with the kids and enjoy our property.  

For those that don't know, my parents have moved in with us.  They are building an "apartment" in the basement.  It is going slower than all had hoped, but we still see the progress. It has been a lot of fun to have them here and the kids love it, most of the time.  It has been a huge blessing to Bodie and I since we have been in and out of the hospital again with Josh and we know that the kids are being well taken care of.  We love them and are grateful for their service.  

Ok, I have gone on and on and don't think I have any more to tell.  Maybe next time we will have some pictures to share.

HELLO!!!!

So we are wondering just how many people out there really do pay attention to this blog.  This is our official announcement. We are expecting #7!!!!!!  Hope all is well with everyone.  October 2nd here we come.

Wacky February

For those of you that don't live in the midwest, February is the craziest of months.  We have the wierdest weather all month.  For instance, right now, it is 70 degrees outside.  Two days from now, we are expecting snow.  Wierd.  It is like Mother Nature can't make up her mind.  For today though, we will take it.  My kids are loving it.  When the boys got home today, they ran in the house, stormed the refrigerator and then left again.  My favorite part?  They took the little guys with them.  I just went to check on them and they are all on the driveway playing basketball/dodgeball.  Danny is sitting on the bench watching and loving being outdoors.  What a fabulous day.

That heaven sent neighbor that pointed out my great kids, well she continues to be a saint. The next day, I woke up from a short nap (which I totally deserved, might I add....) to this. A wonderful chocolate cake, a hilarious card which advised me to take comfort that someone else was having a worse day, and a beautifully wrapped FIRE ENGINE. Just what I needed, a great laugh. Cake, fun and good friends. You can't ask for a better way to wake up from a nap.

Best Husband Ever

I didn't get pictures of the kids or myself, but look at this amazing husband of mine, still smiling at me after working so hard out in the fire. We were all exhausted and very dirty. Unfortunately, he had already had a chance to wash his face before I got the camera. You can imaging what he looked like if this is washed :)

My WORST Day

I wish that I could do justice to these sad excuses for pictures. Let me just say that the black area totals 20 ACRES. The picture on the bottom left was taken just for proof that the fire started over 50 feet from our burn barrels. So let me explain.........

It is the first part of February in the mid-west, not normally expected to be 65 degrees. So, I decide to be the best wife/mom ever and do the farm chores before everyone gets home. Then, I think, we should all be able to take a fun family bike ride or something. Maybe Bodie can go enjoy a nice run. Who knows, the possibilities are endless. I go out and decide it is a beautiful day, why not burn some of the trash while I am at it. We have a million boxes in the basement just waiting for a day like this. So, like hundreds of times before, I start the burn barrels. I am always super careful, unlike some other people in our family, names will not be mentioned, Bodie...... Anyhow, it is going well, so I go to finish feeding the sheep and chickens. Their water is almost full, so I go to check to see if I should start winding up the hose. As I turn back around, to my complete horror, my yard is on fire. At this point, Ruth, my stalwart helper, says, "I better get Grandpa." (My parents are out staying with us..)
A gust of wind came up and grabbed something from the barrel and took it to the dry grass. Within moments I was surrounded and completely helpless. Dad was out there with me. Mom, Ruth and I were dragging hoses to nowhere imparticular and everywhere all at once. It quickly became apparent that there was no way we were going to control this. So, I call 911. Our VOLUNTEER fire department got there 15 minutes later. I am sure that I uttered some less than nice things in the mean time. Of course, I didn't think to get the camera out during all this. These pictures were taken 4 hours later when we finally had it all under control. I called Bodie right after the 911 call. He made it home in surprising time. I think he may have sped, but I will never ask.:) I do have to comment on my kids. Ruth is fearless. She stayed by me until I made her and Mom go in the house. My mom as asthma, not really what you want when fighting a fire. When my 3 oldest boys got off the bus, we were in the thick of it. The fire dept was there, we were all working like crazy. I was so proud of my boys. They ran as fast as they could from the bus and dropped their backpacks on the back door and ripped off their school shoes. With farm boots on and shovels in hand, they all joined in on the line. Stomping and shoveling dirt. I might add that this was the first day in weeks that had been over freezing, so the shoveling was a daunting job. The ground was frozen solid just a few inches down. But they stuck with it. Like I said, we worked for 4 hours. My neighbor is the one who pointed out my boys. She just reminded me that "it should do my heart good to see my boys out working along side their Daddy." It did. I was just sad that I was the one who had caused all the work.
We were very blessed that day. The wind stayed blowing the right direction, away from all the animals and everyones houses. Bodie had to use the chain saw and cut some dead tree trunks down that were on fire, I think that was kinda fun. Although, at the time I was really worried. We all came in late that evening to strip out of very smokey clothes and eat some quick dinner. Never once did anyone really give me a hard time. I was quite impressed. We definitely counted our blessings together as a family. Although, fighting a field fire is not my kind of fun, it made me realize that all the reasons that we moved out here to the "country" are still in tact. Our family works hard together. We even had fun doing it, once the fire was under control, and our kids are learning the value of HARD STINKIN' WORK.


I should also add, that is absolutely the last time for a long time that I will attempt to do the burn pile. I definitely have had my share for a while. What a difference a day makes........

PINEWOOD DERBY

Ben had a great time this year at the Derby. He found a picture of the car he wanted to build. Dad and he cut it out and then he painted it. I got to help a little by drawing some lines on to help. I enjoyed being able to help.

We all had a blast watching the races. Grandpa and Grandma even came, which is always a favorite of the kids. Ben was pretty pleased with his car. It looked great and performed well. He was hoping to dominate two years in a row, but this year he was edged out at the very end. He took second!!!

We were proud of his hard work and his great sportsmanship. There were boys that were shedding tears and upset and Ben would try to console them and kept a smile on his face. We love you Ben. Thanks for being so tender hearted.

BAD Botox!!!

Those of you who don't know Danny, don't know that his upper lip wouldn't normally be protruding out over the top of his bottom lip like this. In only Danny style, he went plowing through the house yesterday at full speed, only to trip on his own two, tired feet. Face first, he plumeted to the floor. Not getting his hands up in time, his face took the hit. He was bleeding everywhere. His nose, his lip, his gums, it was hard to see what was bleeding and what was not. I thought poor Eli, who was standing near by when it happened, was going to lose his cookies. Many cups of crushed ice, popsicles, advil, and one very long night later, this is whathe looks like this morning. I have not yet fought the bear to clean the rest of his face up. That sounds like a fight for two this evening:) He is such a tough little boy. He has been running around all morning laughing with a very tight smile. The only time he has been sad today was when his request for "cooookkkiiieees" was denied first thing this morning. (That decision has been rethought and since then I have given in.....)

What a happy little boy who is full of love for life. This little "bout with bad botox" hasn't stopped him from climbing on the kitchen table, running into everyones legs or tackling his brother. He has such a great personality and so much of it. My favorite part of the day yesterday was watching the rest of the kids cuddle and spoil him for the remainder of the evening. He is going to be spoiled, I am sure. Just like the rest of them.....

Fun with Grandma

I should have posted about this a while ago, I apologize. However, Ruthie was living every little girls dream. Grandma Minster was over for a visit and made fun dress up clothes. Ruthie got to get her hair done super cute and then model all the different fun skirts that Grandma made. She was loving it. The boys, well, I don't think they were quite as impressed.

We have an awesome Grandma. She knows how to spoil each child in just their own way. We love that she gives of herself and time so freely and loves them all so much.

Thank you Grandma for loving us and for being so AWESOME. This day has been talked about many times and always with great awe and adoration.

WE LOVE YOU!!

Honest Abe

Michael had to do a research project in school on Abraham Lincoln. He wrote a wonderful paper and then had to present a speech as Abe for the entire school. He made a display board that touched on important life events and dressed the part. He did a wonderful job. His teacher, although I don't know if she told him, was very impressed.

Mike is not our biggest extrovert, so this was a good stretch of his comfort zone. I was proud of him and that he did it with a smile was even better. He has a great smile that is very contagious.


Mike, being our oldest, sometimes gets more responsibilities than the others. He is well organized, when he wants to be, and seems ready for the challenge. He is a good big brother to the babies, mediocre to the rest. But isn't that how all big brothers are? This year has been a good one for him to learn time management. A hard thing to learn for sure. His teacher is trying to prep him for middle school next year. (my nightmare)

He has really started to be helpful at home too. I love that I can leave him in charge for a short while and run to the grocery store for that last minute dinner item knowing that when I get home all will be well. I love you Mike. Keep smiling and doing what you know is right, even when it isn't the popular choice.