School, and the rest of my life!

So for all of you who have asked I am posting some of the things I have been doing in school. I had to do some sketches for my graphic communications class and one of them was of Mackenzie, mostly because she could sit long enough for me. I don't really think it looks like her... I'm just happy it looks like someone and not something! I have never thought of myself as an artist, turns out I was wrong. Although I haven't mastered a whole heck of a lot of it, I discovered that I'm actually o.k.! I haven't downloaded the pics I took of my other projects, as soon as I do I'll be posting those as well. I have loved going back to school and am proud to say that with all the craziness that my life entails I've been able to keep above a 3.5 GPA!!
Today my baby turned 2, she walked around all day saying "I'm 2" which sounded more like a sneeze because it came out "I choo". Brynlee has been such a joy, we truly understand why she was sent to us and everyone (all the kids included) adores her. The kids request that she say our family prayers at night because they love to hear her, and she loves to entertain them as well. I can't imagine my life with out her, she brings so much light and love to our house!
Tyler has mastered riding a two wheeler, granted it is on an itty-bitty pink bike which he is very aware of, but it's a two wheel bike none the less! It was so incredible to watch him ride and then hear his brother and sisters cheering for him, they knew how badly he wanted it. Ethan went over to him and said "that was awesome Tyler" and the girls were chanting is name before the second ride, and after the second successful attempt he hoped off and they all did a victory dance that I seriously needed my video camera for. It is one moment that will always be with me. I couldn't be more proud, not just of Tyler, but of all my kids and the love they showed him.
I really am a proud and happy Mom!!

Mackenzie's Baptism

I know I'm THE WORST when it comes to staying on top of our blog, life has a funny way of getting in the way of things you'd like to do. Most recently I've gone back to school to get my interior design degree, so with all that happens here in our house I've got homework to top it all off. Some of you have asked if I would post some pics of what I've been doing as far as my homework goes, but I'll post those another time.
This last weekend we had Mackenzie's baptism, she got to share her baptism day with Sam and it was wonderful!! She was a little nervous, and after getting her white jumpsuit on she vowed she wouldn't leave the bathroom because she didn't want to be seen in it. I think she thought she'd put it on and just hop right into the faunt and be done with it before anyone even got there. After some reassurance and seeing Dad in his lovely jumpsuit she felt a little better about her attire. You could tell she wasn't completely comfortable having all the kids watching her, but she was a champ and did great. When I was in the bathroom helping her get dressed she kept saying "Mom that was so fun", I do agree it was pretty fun. When we got home all the other kids kept asking when they could get baptized, Mackenzie has always been a great example for them. We are very proud of her and feel blessed everyday by all the Lord has given us.

Pranks with my Peeps!

The other night we had a nice night with the ladies from the ward and on the way home a few of us got the urge to t.p. someone. It started out that we were going to plan it for an upcoming night and then we thought... why not right now?! SO we thought about who wouldn't be too peeved if we happened to choose their bushes to decorate and it just so happens that the day before was Mara's birthday. I dared someone to ring Mara's doorbell and ask someone from her family for some t.p., but then someone else suggested forking her lawn. So we stopped by the IGA to get some forks, and some milk as Heather was out, who says you can't be fun while still being practical with the multi-tasking? We were successful in the forking, but Kate was able to hear us... so Laura asked her if she would throw down some t.p. and she was so in! We got to fork and t.p. Mara and it was with her own toilet paper... and most importantly she enjoyed it. I loved the night, thank you Jen, Laura, Rachel and Heather for all the laughs... I definitely needed it!! Happy Birthday Mara, we all love you, your fun-loving nature, and your sense of humor!!

Fun in the house... not the sun!

So for those of you who live here you know which 7th circle we've been living in! For all you friends and family who don't we've been having record heat in the 100's this week, the other night the news said it was 115 where we are. So in order to beat the heat - and cabin fever - I've been much more relaxed about the activities around the house and here's what we do most of the time.






For the most part the kids are pretty good at playing all sorts of make believe games while getting dressed in the "dress up" clothes. When they get really bored it has turned into wearing their swim goggles (which make me laugh because they look so rediculous!) in hopes that we'll head out the door to the pool. Even Brynlee gets in on the action, she doesn't like to be left out of whatever it is the other kids are doing! They always enjoy a little jumping/wrestling on the bed, and as you can see Ella prefers to mix it up and wear goggles to jump in... we're still not sure if she can see, but she hasn't fallen off the bed yet.



Brynlee turned 1 last month and is such a joy! She's been walking for about 3 months, almost has all her teeth in, (she's not so happy with the teething, so the report on the teeth makes me happpy!) and says "HI" to us a lot after getting up in the mornings and after her naps. She can out eat any of the other kids, and much like me she likes to get down to business and get things done. The other day we were at the park and I noticed that her shorts looked more like hot pants which isn't unusual for our kids, it's just funny to me to think that they even take after either Tim or I with all those rolls. I love the rolls though, as do many people, they especially seem to attract strangers in stores which has always creeped them out. (ME TOO!)

As for me I just ran my first race, the Torchlight Run to kick off Seafair. It was an 8K or 5 mile race and I did o.k. especially this being my first one ever! It was so cool to be out there with so many people, some looked like they just walked over to see what was going on and decided they would run too. There was an old guy who passed us running bare footed, many people dressed up like pirates complete with parrots on their shoulders, two guys dressed in 80's running gear and gold spandex pants running with not just any radio, but a huge DeWalt radio. They looked like they were dying especially since they were wearing wigs, I bet they wondered why that seemed like such a good idea about 1/2 a mile into the race. There was suprisingly a lot of flab haning out of a lot of shorts and shirts which made me feel a little less self conscience about my lack of clothing which of course makes me run faster. I honestly think I noticed more about the people than the actual run! For the last mile or so of the race they had us running down the parade route which was cool and little unsettling since I know I probably looked like I was dying. There were so many kids waiting to give high 5's and a few people cheering... although I'm sure we would have gotten a lot more cheering had we been a little faster. All in all it was a great experience, loved carpooling with all the ladies, and I can't wait to run it again next year!
Here's a picture after the run, we forgot to do one before the race when we all looked awesome!!

I love my Wipeout!

O.k. so for those of you who I told last year you know how much I love Wipeout... well it's back and it looks like it could possibly be better than last year - I can't imagine how, but it's true!! When ever I watch it I find myself laughing out loud, not just giggling, even if I'm by myself. It truly is the best show of all time, except for LOST of course. Here's a little teaser for you, and please be warned that a trip to the bathroom might be a good idea before watching the show... ENJOY!!

Visiting Teaching Message

SO for those of you who have read the book you'll get a laugh out of this one, my friend Charis posted this and I stole it from her blog!

I think this would be so much more appropriate for say home teaching so that the men could be clued in on some of this. Although Tim once told me I didn't need to read the book because he is my Edward... he's so right in so many ways just not when it comes to the "honey do" list or doing things without being asked - I love you madly anyway!!

Snow.... REALLY?!!

O.k. so for those of you who live far away, and in hopefully sunny places, you may not know that those of us here in the great Northwest are still in the middle of freezing our tooshies off. I love the snow and all, but really it's the middle of April and snow is completely unneccessary at the moment. These were taken earlier this year, but I needed some pictures to illustrate my annoyance right now. In the pics below we have Moose who really loved playing in the snow for as long as he could stand it... and from left to right we have Tyler, Mackenzie and Ethan who begged Dad to cover them in snow. They thought it was pretty funny.

Ella and Brynlee stayed inside with me, where it was nice and warm... we also helped all those who "forgot" to go potty before getting suited up for the snow get undressed and dressed again. I also got hot chocolate ready which they thought was cool and I think it's the driving reason for even going outside in the first place... once you're cold you really do need something to help you get warmed up again right? To the left are Ethan and Ella, although they are 16 months apart in age they are the ones who get mistaken for twins most often when we go out in public now. Surely with so many kids there must be at least 1 or 2 sets of twins right?

Brynlee has the "cheeks to squeeze" and I'm not sure many of you know - except for Mikey and other long time friends who read this blog - but it's one of my pet peeves when big people pinch little people's cheeks. Of course that's probably why I have had such veluptuous kids... to get past that whole personal bubble thing and just let everyone love all there is to squeeze on my kids - i.e. cheeks, thighs and those creases around their wrists and ankles or should I say kankles? I do have to say that after Tyler and Ella Brynlee is a breeze to get dressed... with Ella it was like stuffing a sausage, stuffing very lovingly though. I do have to say that they are pretty irresistable and I've found myself giggling over how squishy and fun they are to hold and snuggle!