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!

Taylor and Tyler

O.k., so every Monday morning I get to take Taylor (our cutest neighbor) and Tyler to their preschool and we have some great conversations! We've discussed things like princesses and their modesty or lack of, Halloween and Taylor not getting dressed up to go trick-or-treating this year because she was going to Disneyland, the weather, debates about whether the little cockroach in the movie Enchanted that gets eaten at the end of the song is really a cockroach or a crab, Spiderman (of course), scribbling as opposed to coloring, and many other funny things all of which I can't remember at the moment. The other morning Taylor had made cookies for the class and after we got started she had a little conversation with Tyler and here's how it went:

Tay: Tyler do you like jam cookies?

Ty: No.

Tay: So are you saying you don't want a cookie at class?

Ty: No, I only like chocolate chip cookies... my mom makes them.

Tay: Oh, o.k. later today I'll bring over some cookies with chocolate on them and green sprinkles on top and I'll bring Mackenzie and Sydney some too.

Ty: No I only like chocolate chip cookies.

Me: Tyler you don't want cookies with chocolate on top... just chocolate chips in them?

Ty: Yes.

Me: Even with green sprinkles on top?

Tay: I won't put green sprinkles on, I have pink and blue too.

It went on a little farther, but that was the best part of the whole cookie conversation. It's so much fun to listen to what kids have to say, it always makes me giggle!

IT'S A MOOSE!

O.k. so it's not really a moose, but it's our Moose. Here's a picture for you Seth so you can at least see what he looks like. Yesterday I brought home the newest, and furriest, member of our family for Tim's birthday/Christmas present. A few years ago we had to put our dog Max up for adoption because he was having all kinds of skin problems and we just couldn't afford (or bring ourselves) to actually see a "doggy dermatologist". It was a sad day in our house and we've waited a long time to get a new dog. Tim has always wanted a brittish bulldog, and since I don't have much of a preference - as long as it doesn't pee in my house - we started looking and researching all we could about the breed. We found a breeder in Sammamish a couple years ago we kept in touch with and about a month or two ago I contacted them to let them know we were ready. I was trying to keep it a secret, but in the end I had to let Tim in on it because he was about to try to get some abandoned bulldog puppies only a week before I was going to pick Moose up. So far everyone LOVES him and in true bulldog fasion he LOVES being the center of our universe! We'll post more pics of Moose and Tim when I get them downloaded, for now you'll just have to do with the ones from the breeder.

I know I'm the worst!

O.k. so I know I haven't blogged in a while, but we've had a lot going on and it's sad to say blogging comes in at the end of my day which usually means I'm braindead and about to crash. So here's an update on what's been going on with us. At the end of summer we got some really good pics of the kids riding bikes. Mackenzie learned how to ride with out training wheels, which she was very proud of, and everyone loves the scooters... Ella included.

Ethan is a wiz at riding the scooters, and at 2 years old he's got an amazing ability with all things physical and has the balance of a jungle cat. In all the many races they had he'd come in a close 3rd behind Mackenzie and Sydney. If Sydney ever came in 3rd or 4th her competitive side kicked in and the race "didn't count" and they had to start over again... she'll only be able to get away with that for another year or so before Ethan catches onto what she's doing. Tyler on the other hand doesn't really care that he wins he only cares when he's dead last.

Ella loved the scooter rides so much that this is what Tim would get whenever it was time to go inside. That girl was born to have the wind blowing through her hair and I wouldn't be suprised if next summer she was leaving everyone in the dust riding solo.

Tyler turned 4 this year and was very excited about all the presents, he caught on to the true reason behind the birthday party... lots and lots of new toys. We had his party a few days after his actual birth day and the girls took it upon themselves to inform him that he had already turned 4. He got really excited then and turned to me to let me know that since he was already 4 a couple days earlier he'd suddenly turned 5 on the day of his party. So I explained the best I could on how to "milk it for all it's worth" and I think he really appreciated my answer. Tyler is our logical man, and has blown us away with the ability to do math already... what a little genius he is!

Mackenzie was a little apprehensive when it came time to go back to school. I asked her if she was scared or nervous and she said no, I kept probing for an answer and finally it came down to the fact that she didn't think her 1st grade teacher Mrs. Heinz would be nearly as wonderful as her Kindergarten teacher was. About 2 weeks after the start of school she came home and said that Mrs. Heinz was really funny and has warmed up to her pretty quickly which we're very happy about. Mackenzie loves to read and has become quite the bookworm! Sydney has loved Kindergarten, but I was shocked to hear that she had been a little shy at first! She'll come home talking about the kids from her class and sometimes she'll ask what she can say to them, she loves to role play and has reported on several successful situations we had talked about. One sutation has been bothering her a lot, there are a few kids in her class who take the name of the Lord in vain and she's asked me several times what more she can say to them. She may be very dramatic a lot of the time, but I'm so grateful she gets what's important and isn't affraid to open her mouth and say something. It's amazing how often I am in awe of my children, and Tim and I are so thankful everyday to have them in our home and to be able to learn from them.

Memory Lane

I saw this on my friends blog, and thought it looked like a lot of fun....

Here are the directions....

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I have together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember...

2. Next, repost these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty cool (and funny) to see the responses. If you leave a memory, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave a memory for you!

Thanks Heather, this is a fun one!

Brynlee is finally here!

Almost 2 weeks ago Tim and I headed into the hospital, little did we know that she would come so fast! We got there at about 8:00 PM, my doctor broke my water at 9:00 and I got my epidural at 10:00. Tim thought she would be born at 11:00 and when it got close we joked about how we were missing his deadline... not more than 4 minutes later out she came. For the last 2 months she had been camped out head down with her feet kicking my left side... I could tell she was going to be very patient and it must have been just the right position because all it took was one contraction. I told the nurse I felt "heavy" and when she checked me she said "oh it's because she's crowning, don't push". She then got on the intercom to ask for the doctor and any other hands available, 2 or 3 nurses ran in and all said "don't push" to which I responded "I'm not!" Without pushing, and without my doctor in the room, out she came beautiful and healthy. She weighed 7lbs. 7oz. and was 19 1/2" inches long and her official name is Brynlee Pauline Jones. Everyone is loving her, she's a lucky girl to have so many great brothers and sisters here for her already! The picture above is just after she had her first bath at the hospital.

These pictures were taken about a week after she was home, we think she looks a lot like Sydney... but she also makes some faces that look like Mackenzie and Ella. So far none of the other kids have had such dark hair, maybe she'll have black hair like both her Grandpa's, we do know she'll probably lose it all here in the next few months and be just as bald as everyone else has been.

To top off our 4th of July weekend Mackenzie lost her first tooth! She realized it was loose on Wednesday, the 2nd. After eating she came to me and said that her tooth felt funny, just as she said that she touched it and got a suprised look on her face and squeeled "it's loose!" From that moment on she couldn't leave it alone (sound familiar Unlce K.C.?) she kept at it and gave us hourly updates on how loose it was getting. After having a BBQ with Nick, Kati, the boys and Mom and Dad we came home and found that our neighbors were going to be lighting off fireworks... so we went over to watch. She sat in her chair watching the fireworks and wiggling her tooth, after a little bit she turned to me and said I think it's going to come out, I realized I had a burp cloth just sitting on my shoulder, so I handed it to her and told her that sometimes it's easier to pull out a tooth if you have something to hang on to it with. Sure enough she went to town and not even 30 minutes later came to me with her tooth in hand and a hole in her smile! We went home, put it in her tooth box and put it under her pillow, the next morning she woke up to find 4 quarters in the place where her tooth had been... she is so proud to show any and everyone where her tooth once was, it was a fun milestone for all of us!

Ella turns 1!

Ella turned 1 last month and we actually had a really nice day, nice enough that we had her party outside and ran through the sprinklers with the cousins. Tim thought Ella's swimsuit made her look like one of those old women at the beach that give you the heeby-jeebies... but us women know that at this age it's the only time that rolls are cute!
Ethan had a great time running around, after seeing his diaper I decided it was time to start the potty training. So far so good, he tinkles like a champ... I'm just hoping he gets the hang of #2's soon 'cause it's bad enough dealing with it in a diaper.

O.k. so the sprinkler basically spits water and all the kids were afraid to run through it at first, Tyler was getting brave here...

and then we had the others joining in. If you notice in this picture Sydney, Mackenzie and Carson have their eyes closed, they were lucky not to collide in mid-air!

Since Ella's birthday is the day after mine she got my favorite cake, angel food. At first she didn't want to get her hands dirty, but then she figured out it was good eatin' and dug right in! Happy Birthday beany baby, in a couple weeks she won't be the baby anymore - that seems weird to me. I'm ready for this baby to come, but I think she'll hang on until July, for awhile it seemed like we would be lucky to make it to 34 weeks. I'm just hoping my hips make it through 2 more weeks... my sanity too!

Fun games that we play!

A little while ago we discovered a new game. Our kids all have pretty fine hair and Ethan has a thing with putting blankets on his head, that's why his nic-name is Boogie Man. These were taken after FHE one night a few months ago... since then we have played the "blankey game" from time to time along with some others that now include Ella. At the time we found this rousing game she didn't have any hair, but since she's bulked up we've discovered the joys of zerbits on her very ample tummy! The kids all think it's so funny to take turns blowing on her tummy and the goal is to see who can make the loudest noise and make her laugh the hardest. After a few rounds we have to stop to de-slobber Ella, but she doesn't seem to mind being spit on. It's so funny to see what entertains them... Tim and I are never at a loss for laughter and they never seem to get bored with each other!

Should that be in your mouth?

Here is Ella eating cherios with a runny nose... YUM!

And this is Ethan eating the giant caterpillar at the Science Center, I tried not to wonder how many kids hands had been touching it.

O.k. I don't know what it is about kids and putting things in their mouths... it drives me crazy!! I've got one who puts boogers in her mouth, one who puts her shirt in her mouth and sometimes her thumb, one who will put anything and everything in his mouth and when asked if it should be there replies "no only food goes in there" because we've gone over and over it so many times, one who WON'T put anything in his mouth unless it's been fried or is purely made of sugar, and one who thinks that if it's still under the table and Mom and Dad haven't swept it up... it's ALL GOOD. I know it's all part of being a kid, but man there are days when I wish they couldn't put anything into or have anything come out of any holes in their little bodies!

How you doin'?

A little while ago Ethan started asking "what you doin'?" all the time, even when he knew what we were doing he'd ask. So then Tim and I would ask him what he was doing and he'd say "nuttin'" really fast. Then he figured out that it was funny, so he asks now just to see if we laugh and we ask to see if he'll catch us. He sounds like Joey from friends, so I started asking him to say HOW you doin' insead and here's what we get. The first one on here he hiccups in the middle, but the second one is pretty good!

Wishes

I'm sitting here trying to outlast my heartburn, I really don't want to take anything but it's getting late. I'm afraid that after I post this I will be heading downstairs do drink some baking soda and water... yum! So tonight I was giving everyone a bath and Sydney looks up and asked if dreams come true. I thought for a minute and said "well yes some come true, why what do you mean?" She said that the other night in her dream Sleeping Beauty was her mother and they lived in the castle. I'm not sure how to take that... I'm sure Sleeping Beauty would make a fine mother, but I thought I was doing pretty well too. I couldn't tell if she was excited by the idea of having Sleeping Beauty as a mother, or whether it was something odd to dream about and wondered if there could be a slight chance it could actually happen. Mackenzie piped in with the fact that if you tell your dreams they won't come true. I asked her if she had some dreams and with a little smile she said "yes, and one has already come true". I asked her if it was that William was her boyfriend, and she giggled and said yes. I love some of the conversations I have with my kids, they are so cute and innocent and funny! A spider just ran down the wall behind the computer so I'm out!!

Birthday's Birthday's Birthday's!

So we have had birthday madness this last month at our house! The picture above is Mackenzie's 6th birthday party, on the left we have Nick and Kati's boys Carson and Spencer and next to Mackenzie is Taylor our cute neighbor who my kids adore. We asked Mackenzie what she wanted to do for her birthday and she requested eating teriyaki chicken at the restaurant near our house... so that's where the party started and then we came back for cake - but she was very clear that there was to be no ice cream... sorry dad! As you can see a couple weeks later on April 1st we had snow, Sydney thought it was pretty cool that it snowed on her 5th birthday. Later that day we went and got her ears pierced, she was a champ and didn't even cry or flinch or anything... I was suprised because she's such an over-actor! We had pizza and cake and ice cream at our house and Sydney, in true fashion, ooohhhed, aaawwwed and even squeeked over each present she opened.
About a week or so later we had an 80 degree day and decided to play outside, wash our cars and have a pic-nic. From left to right it's Sydney, Tyler, Mackenzie and Ethan... Ella was cruising around outside and dove for some sidewalk chalk and ended up with a little road rash instead...
So she ate her lunch sitting in her seat inside where I knew she would be safe. (Notice the nice red smoosh on her eye and cheek) Just this last week she started walking, we'll have pictures of that up soon! Many of you have asked why I don't have pictures of me up, mostly it's because I'm usually the one taking the pictures, but also because I'm not in the mood to plaster a big ol' picture of me on my blog... maybe I'll get one up here soon since we haven't had a family picture taken lately. We love you all and I've been so blessed to have found some of my really great friends from it's seems like forever ago... blogging is fabulous!

Kids say funny things

So the other day Tim was putting something away and he happened to bring his hand down on top of the edge of our lamp. He hit the edge so hard that the lamp broke (it's just an $8 target lamp... so I'm not crushed or anything) and I sort of laughed and said "oooohhh smooth move daddy". The kids were there and I really wanted them to see that it wasn't a big deal, so I told them to tell him good job and they thought it was funny. The next day Mackenzie came to me and asked when dad was going to make another "smooth move", I told her I hoped it wouldn't happen again soon and I think she was a little confused because we had had such a good time with dad's "smooth move" the day before. So I had to explain to her what it meant to have such a smooth daddy, but I think it only to confuse her that much more... we love our daddy smooth moves and all!

What we've been up to... finally!

O.k. for all of you who have been really bored looking at our blog site I'm finally getting around to filling you in on what's been happening! Above is the main reason for my being preoccupied... yes that's right it's baby #6. She came as quite a suprise and we didn't know anything until I was almost 3 months along due to a blood clot... crazy but true. This picture is the babies hand and arm, at this point (according to me) her name will be Brynlee Pauline Jones and she'll make her official debut the first week or two in July.

This year was Tim's 30th birthday, and man doesn't he look thrilled. He's posing with his favorite cake of all time... ICE CREAM CAKE! When I asked him if he felt 30 he said no, but that he is at the top of the hill heading down. I asked him what he meant by that and he said that his life is half way over, he only plans to live until he's in his 60's so that he doesn't have to go through all the "falling apart" that happens when you're that old. Who knew he'd been looking that far ahead, or how uplifting getting old looks to him!

Mackenzie has had a great time in kindergarten, she loves to learn and is taking it all in!! During Christmas she had the opportunity to make a marvelous marshmallow menora, this is the only picture we got because Ethan and Tyler thought that after she blew out the candles they got to eat it - hey it works that way with cake right?

So Ethan turned 2 and loved the idea of opening presents. He's always been quite the jock and wouldn't let go of the football Grampy gave him. He loved being sung to and has continued to pretend to make cakes for everyone, you know you have to blow on whatever he's holding when he comes over singing "happy birthday". He is a very handsome little guy, we love our Boogie!

This year we got a lot of snow, which is unusual for us here... but as you can see we made the most of it! All the kids loved getting into their snowsuits, however Sydney was so excited a couple times that she forgot to go to the bathroom before beginning the whole process of getting into her suit. So she got left behind for a little bit when everyone else was ready to go! They learned how to make good snow angels, they rode down the hill near our neighbors in our empty pool (you can click on our friend Nick and Jen Simon's page to see the pool sledding pics), and they even loved throwing snowballs at each other... especially Ethan. He didn't care if he was throwing a snowball at someone or getting hit by one he thought it was ALL GOOD and couldn't stop laughing!! We have loved the past few months watching our kids learn, grow and become better friends with each other, Tim and I know it's what makes life full.