Yes, it really has been that long!

I know it has been a LONG time since i've updated my blog. I'm not sure who really reads this anymore but me, but I will still try to keep it going! A lot has happened since Ivan's blessing! He is now almost walking. He can actually take a few steps by himself now. It is so fun to watch him figure these new things out. Kade is now potty trained! WHOO HOO!He picked it up so quickly. Once he decided to do it, it was 3 days and he never has accidents and he can sleep all night! It's amazing!:) Leah is in soccer and LOVES it. Isaac has a new job, which he also LOVES. I'm just excited that he has finally found a job that he enjoys, we don't have to move, and we can pay our bills. It's times like this where i look back at all the struggles we'vegone through and think I'm so lucky to have a Heavenly Father who loves us enough to allow us to suffer because he knows it can only strengthen us and lead us to the where we need to go. Everything we have dealt with these past 2 years and led us to where we are today. I'm grateful for the experiences we've had because we are a stronger family and more grateful for what we have than ever before. I'm also so grateful for the family i have. I have a wonderful husband, who treats me so well, and 5 amazing kids who many times are doing the teaching!

The pictures that are posted are from Easter. We had a really nice holiday. On Saturday we started the day by cleaning the house and painting easter eggs. We also made resurrection roll, which if you have never had them you should try them. They're very simple

and very good! And it's a fun way to talk about the Christ's death and His resurrection. That night we had Isaac's family easter party which was really fun and the kids had a blast! We came home and got to finally meet Shea's girlfriend Stephanie. She was very sweet and I thought they made a cute couple!

More things about the kids: I am teaching Leah Piano and she can play old mcdonald on the black keys, which is is very proud of herself! She is almost done with first grade and is already reading at a second grade level; now we just need to work on her spelling. Saidy is the best helper in the world. I told her she can't go to school

next year because i don't know what i'd do without her. She can change diapers perfectly, without any help from me, she can take kade to the potty, and she is so good and doing anything i ask her to do. She is awesome. I'm going to sign her up for gymnastics next year, hopefully, which she LOVES to do. Vince is my quiet kid but he can be so funny! His favorite thing right now is to burp, and man sometimes i think it's ISaac! He started saying "Thanks for the burp talk" every time he burps. Then last night he said that, then burped, then said "one more questions: BURP" For some reason it was SO funny. We were all laughing! Kade is a smart, stubborn, fireball! He can be sooo sweet and do everything i ask with a smile, and then he has this other side to him where he won't budge for NOTHIN'! But he's so stinkin cute you can't help but love the kid. They get along so well, it's fun to see them playing together. Which is ivan's favorite thing. When they're wrestling and chasing each other, Ivan is kicking his feet, shaking his arms, and screaming right along with them. It's cute to watch. I love being a mom! The sticky fingers, the messy house, the exhaustion, is so worth it. When they come and give me the sticky kisses it makes me so glad to have 5 precious babies. I wouldn't change anything. I'm very lucky!

IVAN

Ivan's blessing day. He did NOT want his picture taken apparently!

i know i've been a slacker and still haven't posted any pictures of our newest member of the family so here are some. Ivan is such a good baby, sleeps through the night and is always smiling and now giggling. I love seeing him grow and learn new things. He loves his siblings and will give them a big smile, well when they're not smothering him that is. He's also found his tongue. It's totally cute, he sticks it in and out of his mouth. He also found his voice and cooes all the time now. I love it. I feel so lucky to have 5 wonderful children.

39 weeks pregnant!

Here's some pictures of me to prove to my family that I really am pregnant!:) If I don't go into labor any sooner, then Friday, the 16th I'll be induced. YEY! I'm getting very anxious and impatient. But I only have 4 days left, so I think i can make it!

My Kids are getting to be tree climbers. They're getting pretty good too! This was at the park, that we visit quite often, because there isn't much else to do. So you can imagine how boring it gets when it rains!

I had to post this picture, because it describes Vince the best! He loves pink and he loves his cars. Saidy decided to help me out, one morning, by dressing her brother. He thought it was SO funny and wanted to stay in the dress for a little bit. He'll probably hate these pictures when he gets older, but a boy just can't go through life with older sisters without being dressed up, right?! P.s. He still loves his pink, flowery "tainty".

I signed Saidy up for gymnastics this year, so she could have something to do while Leah was at school. She LOVED it. And she was pretty good. The last day they had a play day, where siblings could come and just play on the equipment. I brought all of our kids and they all had a blast. I think i'm going to have to sign them all up for it now.

Kade's 2nd Birthday

So Kade's birthday started out with a bunch of balloons blown up all over the floors! He loved it! It's starting to be a tradition for us to blow up balloons and have them everywhere when they wake up. They all have a blast, and I'm amazed at how many don't get popped! It turned out to be a pretty fun day. Isaac went to work late so were able to have a little party with him. I made a simple treasure hunt to find his cupcakes and then we opened presents and ate cake. It was really fun! The kids all seemed to enjoy eating the icing off the cupcakes. Kade's favorite present was his 2 toy trucks. He LOVES them. takes them everywhere, even to bed. I can't believe my little boy is growing up. He's no longer a baby, but a little boy! He talks SO well now. Better than Vince ever did. He loves to help Mom out with throwing away garbage or putting dishes in the sink. He's gotten better about putting toothbrushes in the toilet, which makes mom and dad VERY happy. He is a fun and loving boy who I can't get enough of. He is like his Dad, always making everyone laugh and loves the attention from it. I'm glad i have this little bundle of joy in my life!

Easter 2010

So I know I'm a little behind in my blogging, but here are some pictures from Easter this year. I can't believe how grown up my kids have gotten! I 've just recently realized that i'm going to have another 5 year old in just 4 months! These years just fly by, especially when you're traveling everywhere! This Easter we didn't paint that many eggs, but we were able to salvage at least 12 from being cracked to make our traditional curried eggs for breakfast.

The Easter bunny brought the kids toys that were so fun, they didn't even look at their candy! So it was kinda nice to be able to wait until after breakfast to eat the candy.

I'm not in Utah anymore!

So we are now in Amarillo Tx! It makes me miss home and Midland, tx. We've been here 3 weeks now, and i miss the bubble of utah county! MIdland was so clean and the people were so friendly it became home for me. This city, however, is very different. It's more dirty and it's not very family oriented here. Kids are always running around without supervision and parents are talking like they wish they didn't have children. It's really sad to see how parents aren't involved in their children's lives and to see the results of it. We had a little boy threaten leah and my niece that he'd get a knife from his house and cut her mouth because she asked him to talk nicely. Other kids were trying to get my kids to play ninja assassin at the playground by using knives to pretend to cut off your head! These kids were ages 6-8! I have to be a lot more protective of my kids and who they're surrounded by. I guess we're getting a glimpse of what the world is becoming.

The school here I feel is the same. Parents are not involved with their children's education, and therefore the school is having control over these kids. I have to teach Leah when she comes home because i think she'll fall behind. When it's cold or raining outside, they force them to sit quietly in the gym and watch a movie. If they do not walk in a straight line then they are force to walk in a line during their entire recess! These poor kids are there from 8-1 and they hardly get a break, it's ridiculous! I hate sending my daughter there but with only 2 months left i feel like i should let her finish and then go somewhere else for school next year. I'm hoping maybe Pennsylvania!

But i must say, i'm learning a lot from this experience and learning to take what's given and find the good in it. SO with that being said, i'm glad to be here with isaac and that we can be together. This is a good area to have missionary experience, which i'm trying to find. It also gives me a chance to teach my kids even more about what right and how to make good choices and stand up against pressures of the world.

Halloween 2009

We had a blast this halloween. It was so fun. I probably had the most fun because i decided to make the kids costumes this year to try to keep it a little cheaper. And i must say i was pretty proud of myself! First Leah got to wear her costume to school where they had a parade where the kids walked around the whole school and through the gym where the parents all sat and got to watch them. It was really cute! Leah wanted to be a pirate because she got to have a sword! That's my Leah! I can't take all the credit for her costume though, because my fabulous Mother-in-law helped a ton with it. It turned out way cute though.

For Saidy's costume, i decided to make a poodle skirt because it was easy and i knew she would love it because it could spin really high. It was a success and she loved it. She also got to wear her costume to school where her preschool class walked around the block showing off their costumes. For Halloween night she dressed herself with a different shirt and would not wear the scarf anymore. She's SO picky! Leah will let me do whatever i want, NOT Saidy! She once again cut her hair; this time at the very top-middle of her head! So i guess she got her way, now i can't do anything to her hair until that grows out.

For the family halloween party Isaac got to dress Kade in his own creation. So Kade was a chicken/skunk/cat thing. And Vince was lightning McQueen. I just painted a box to look like McQueen. That was his favorite thing about halloween this year!

Trick-or-Treating was interesting. We decided to leave the bowl of candy out on the porch and i took the boys around while isaac took the girls around. By the time the boys and i went up 2 blocks and home, isaac and the girls made it around half the neighborhood! Those boys were SO slow! And i took the wagon, which they both wanted to push. So next year i'm sticking with the stroller.

Isaac was able to come home early because i got to have a surprise surgery to get my gall bladder removed! It was actually a great blessing in disguised because i was able to get a break after being by myself for 2 months! Isaac flew home that day, while my awesome in-laws took care of me and my kids. (lovely Picture isn't it!) Jerika and Robyn came to the hospital and stayed with me, which i am still SO grateful for. It would've been awful to be there by myself. Even though i was out of it most of the time and kept talking about my dirty kitchen, Jerika stayed with me. My mother-in-law and Becky came to my house and took care of my kids while cleaning my "messy kitchen". It was so nice to come home to a clean home rather than a disaster! And Isaac came home just in time to pick me up from the hospital and he was so good to take care of the kids and let me rest. My ward even made meals for me, it was So nice. i have some amazing people in my life, that i thank the Lord for sending to me all the time. I've realized that i have to look for the good in the bad. There are so many hardships i've had to go through this year, and yet my family and I have been blessed through all of them. Trust in the Lord, and have Faith to be strong to overcome all obstacles. The Lord will not leave you, but will be with you to make you stronger and a better person. I thank Him for our trials and hardships because through them I feel His love even more!

Finally! A New Update!

So it has been awhile since I've been able to update this. We decided to suddenly pick up and move to Midland, Tx for the summer last June and i didn't have my usb cord for my camera to download my pictures. Frustrating i know! So here i am 3 months later with a ton of pictures i need to put on here, so bear with me as i try to sum up our summer!


In May, Isaac decided to go to TX to try selling security systems. I was so nervous and scared because how much money could you really make? You know? but He has been amazing and has done SO well. It has truly been a blessing and answer to prayers to have this job. So i went down there expecting not to like it but i find my self home now missing the small town, in the middle of no-where, Midland. It was small but still had a mall and a Target (the important things, right?!) and had the nicest people there. Everyone was so welcoming and willing to help it was amazing. There were no clicks in the wards; everyone just seemed to love and care for everyone. Young moms talking with older grandmothers. It really was nice. We were able to create some wonderful memories while down there. I felt like I grew closer to my in-laws and also my friends Tyson and Steph. It wouldn't have been the same without all of them. We celebrated Leah's preschool graduation with the Pitcher family. It was so cute to see Leah and Carson sing the songs together and wear their adorable graduation hats. And now Leah's off to Kindergarton! But I'll talk more about that later! We also celebrated Leah's 5th birthday before coming home to Utah so Isaac could be there for it. We had a party at the park where I made ice cream cone cupcakes which were a big hit with the kids. It was fun to have so many friends and cousins there to celelbrate it with us. Then in June Isaac drove us back home so i could be home to visit with my Mom and my Sister Amber. But we made sure we did something fun with Dad before he left us for a month. He flew back for his sister's, Mary, wedding. But we went to Liberty Land, which is perfect for the kids. I think vince was a little nervous of this ride! And Isaac made sure to soak me and the girls while we got stuck in a broken bumper boat!


Of course when Amber comes there is never a non-creative moment! She came up with these simple and cute chef hats that the kids wore while we made chocolate chip cookies. How cute are they!? She never stops amazing me! I only wish i got some of those creative genes in me!














We had another birthday party for Leah while my family was here which i didn't do anything for! Amber made the cutest ladybug cake(of course) and my mom planned a bug party for her. It was so cute and the kids had a blast. For those who do not know my kids too well, they LOVE or more like INFATUATED with bugs. When they go outside, that's what they do, find, catch, and play with bugs. One of their favorite things to do is to go on bug hunts with Dad in the field behind our house.

At the end of June we celebrated the Wedding of Mary and J.D. It was really nice but my camera died before they came out of the temple so i was only able to get a couple of pictures of my kids at the temple. But aren't they so cute?!

We then drove back to Texas where we did more swimming, a trip to sea world, girl's nights, and a lot of hanging out. It was so fun. Sea world was our first family vacation and it was so much fun. Although we did have a few scares. For instance, we couldn't find leah for a little. She went to teh bathroom without telling anyone and so we almost had the police looking for her! But we did some fun things, like feeding and petting dolphins, rollercoasters, water rides, eating with Shamu, and all the neat shows they had. The Shamu show was so fun. We got SOAKED, which everyone loved but vince. He still talks about the naughty whale getting us all wet! "Naughty, Naughty Whale!" HAHA. After we decided to go back to Ut, Isaac took Leah and Saidy on a daddy-daughter date! He surprised them with flowers and then took them bowling. They were so excited and had so much fun. They Love their dad and miss him SO much! It makes me so happy to see that my kids have a good relationship with their dad. So our original plan was to be in TX until Novemer, but then our plans changed again, and we ended up driving back to Ut in the middle of the month which has turned out to be the best thing. I was able to go to the funeral of my sweet cousin, Jason, age 15. I was so glad i was able to go and support our family and to be able to spend time with my sisters. Jason died of Lymphoma, but did not leave this life without inspiring those who knew him. I will always remember his smile, even when in pain, and his laughter that could light up the room. I will miss him, but i'm glad he is in a happier place where he does not feel pain. I love you Jason!

My sisters all flew in from various parts of the country and we had a blast! We stayed up almost every night playing games and talking. It was so fun. I miss them so much. We definitely need to plan something every yr. So now this brings us up to date. Leah had her first day of kindergarton today!! Aunt Jerika came over to help do her hair and she made Leah look Fabulous! It was so fun and she looked so cute! She had no problems with me leaving and was already making friends with a little girl who sat next to her. But tomorrow she will already have a new teacher at a new time. I decided to switch her to an earlier class because the class was smaller and i like the earlier time. We went and met Mrs. Kunze after school and we both really like her. She is sweet and cute and i think she will be a really good teacher. It's so exciting to see my kids grow up and reach these milestones but it is sad because i'm starting to see how fast they do grow up! At least i have two more years until saidy goes!