happy halloween

Happy Halloween. Hope I scared you.

carving 101

Does anyone else's kids HATE cleaning their pumpkins out?

Mind do, except for J.

They still had a great time.

J's is a princess cat. love it!

some spooky pumpkins.

we cant wait until halloween night.

no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So NOT ready for this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will just keep telling myself 'spring is just around the corner'.........

constantly crafting

this boy is my creator.

he is always building, drawing, cutting, coloring, or making something.

today he was making a bridge with a glue stick, pen tops, glove clips, and paper.

what will he think of next

Halloween parade

One thing I do love about PA is that they do a halloween parade. It's great. This year it was COLD, and rainy, and we thought it might be cancelled. It wasn't. I was sure we were even going to go, but as luck would have it, the route went right near our house. We saw the police siren and the kids went screaming out of the house, some without coats. I rounded up jackets and we went out and watched. Because it was cold, there weren't a lot of people, so the kids got LOADS of candy. One guy just came over and said,' here you go' and dumped a GIGANTIC pile of candy on the curb, It was like bees to a hive watching the kids pick it up. It was a great night. We also had some friends who stopped by.

All this candy loot and we still have a trunk or treat and trick or treating. (If only we had out dentist from buffalo who let the kids trade their candy in for a dollar a pound.)

ninja famuley

We had two ninjas in the house. They were so stealth.

G was a ninja, J was going to be ariele, then a pirate, then she wanted to be a ninja. She is wearing k's costume.

G put a sign on the back door that said, 'ninja famuley'

It was awesome. They had some great moves.

TOFW

There was a time out for women in Rochester so I met up with some girls from Buffalo (and some girls from here came too), it was SO SO SO fun to see old friends again.

I met my good friend there, she had joked with me that she bought us matching sweaters, and look what we both ended up wearing on Saturday. HA!

Miss these girls SO much!

There were even more girls there I didn't get a picture of, such great women!

WE at lunch at this famous place in Rochester, pretty tasty.

My friend had a nice summary of things the speakers taught about, totally stole it from her (thanks RACHEL!) I added a few of my own thoughts...

John Bytheway:

Faith and fear cannot co exist

To do list should really be a To Be List.

Surround yourselves with greatness.

'What do you 'marinate' yourself in on a daily basis.

Choose to become delightful

Instead of telling God how big my problem is, I can tell my problem how big God is.

Hillary Weeks: On average we have 300 negative thoughts a day.

The devil has a hard time getting to us if we know who we are.

After you pray really sit and listen.

This is an opportunity to get answers.

Ask Heavenly Father what HE wants you to do each day, and listen for answers.

Look on people's hearts the way Heavenly Father does.

Give people the benefit of the doubt.

Love is the most powerful source in the universe.

The Book of Mormon will remind you of who you really are.

Watch yourselves and your thoughts.

If you think it chances are you will act.

A Mother's love is the refuge from the storm.

We will only know our children as children right NOW. They will be adults in the eternities. Take time to enjoy them.

Mary Ellen Edmunds-

Your potential is to become something amazing!

Pure love (Christ like love) is the most powerful force for good

John Sweat: God tests everyone uniquely and equally.

Purpose of the plan is to become like God.

Weaknesses can become strengths.

Sometimes the biggest trial is a life of ease and luxury.

Don't forget God and pray always.

Trials are not synonymous with tragedy-easy times can be a trial to remain strong and constant with the lord (faithful, prayerful, humble...)

Ease and Luxury can be a trial to remember the Lord.

All of us are given the personal trials that we need to grow and become more like the Savior.

Don't compare yourselves to others.

Focus on what you have and be grateful.

To be fair, don't compare.

Genesis 30:22-God remembered Rachel and Rachel ended up having a baby Joseph.

Enjoy your children they are only little for just a short time.

How can a person possibly become what he is not thinking?

*Spencer W. Kimball The greatest mystery is to know how to control the human mind. *Brigham Young

Wendy Ulrich:

Choose to become a happy person.

Failure means we are taking necessary risks to grow.

Be grateful When children make a mistake ask, "What did you learn?"

Are you applying the answers that you received from prayer?

When the kids get home from school try asking them, "Who did you help today?"

Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.

*Gordon B. Hinckley Savor everyday delights.

Listen to the spirit when it prompts you to do something.

There is peace when you go to sleep and know that you have accomplished what Heavenly Father wants you to do that day.

It's ok to let the phone ring.

Focus on what's important Spend time with children.

Kris Belcher:

You can feel Heavenly Fathers love during trials.

We can receive 'healing' without a cure

Trials are worth struggling through to helped us to grow and become like Him.

Whatever problem you have you can take it to the Lord.

The Brother of Jared praised God day and night.

He looked to the Lord.

Live looking to God (focus everything upward and outward)

Focus on everything good.

Before doing anything Pray to God .As you look to God and seek Him, you will have more light in your life.

Do you seek for light or passively wait for it?

This was such a great weekend. Great reminders of what we should be doing. Great to see old friends. Great husband who watched 5 kids alone. Great opportunities to apply teachings and grow personally.

J's Birthday party

I finally broke down and gave J a birthday party. She has never had one 'with friends'

I have to say that it was SO fun!

I didn't have a 'theme', I just let J decide what she wanted to do.

We passed out fairy wings and crowns when everyone got there.

Then we made bracelets

Love this picture of all the girls and their wings

Making the bracelets

Then we painted glitter nails, pretty cute

we colored some pictures. I had some other stuff planned, but the girls just kinda played for a minute

We had a little lunch with ham and cheese sandwiches, pigs'n blanket little smokies, carrots and ranch, grapes, raspberry lemonade and small OJ boxes. All J's choice.

She opened her presents. (We hadn't really talked about present etiquette, and she was SO excited, she kept asking everyone if they had brought a present) kinda embarrassing, but more my fault.

We finished off with a princess castle cake. nothing too amazing, but she loved it. I had a picture of her on top of the cake. She thought it was great.

This was a really fun party. She had such a fun time. Not as bad as I was working it up in my mind to be.

so much fun!

a little story

This is the dad

This is the TV that was loved by the dad

This is the remote that was used to play games on the tv that dad loved

This is the mark that was left from the boy that broke the tv

who 'pitched' the remote into the tv that dad loved.

This is the boy that daddy still loves who pitched the remote that broke the tv that daddy loved

This is the advice from the boy that daddy still loves that pitched the remote that broke the tv that daddy loved,

'well, when you have a lot of kids, you just have to expect that things like this will happen.'

This is a quote that I love by Harold B. Lee

Parents, remember that now is your opportunity; you may feel yourself harassed as you struggle through the days... but you are living the happiest and the most golden years of your life. As you tuck them into their beds at night, please be kind to them. Let them hear a kind voice amid all the angry, vile voices that they will hear throughout life. Let there be an anchor to which these little ones can turn when all else fails. The Lord help you so to do.

I have a great husband. This experience has brought this even

more to the forefront. As disappointed as my husband was, my

little boy knew that his dad loved him

more than he loved the tv. I love that he put our little guys

feelings in front of his own.

ps we will, when we get our next tv, be investing in something called 'tv armor' (google it if interested)

walking and rolling

Look at what this cute boy has figured out! How cute is this! He has been on the verge of walking for a while and has taken off the past week. It's only taken until 15 months. He is one cutie!

This little sweetie has figured out how to roll back to front. So cute! She keeps getting stuck on her belly and cant flip back over, she gets so ticked and just lays on her belly screaming!

the trail of carnage

How I describe little B's behavior right now....

a trail of carnage wherever he goes.

I could just follow trails all day long and follow where he has been by what has been destroyed, pulled out of place, lost or ransacked.

One thing that is disgusting is him playing in the toilet. I have never had a baby play in the toilet until now. It is truly grotesque! I am constantly finding him wet up to his armpits and his clothes dripping with water.

The other day, he got into the bathroom,

played in the water, dipped 1/2 a roll of toilet paper in it and then added the shampoo bottle

I dont even want to know what he's done with this toothbrush! (I think it's J's)

This is, actually was, my flour container. Little B dropped some a can of green chilies on the lid and shattered it.

This is one of his favorite things to do-play in the tupperware drawer. He has never been able to get in it until now, he is one happy man.

C found him the other day standing chest deep in a garbage can, he was screaming because he was stuck.

I think I am going to pray for something OTHER than patience. ;)

sound advice

The other day I was watching a show while feeding C. Everyone was doing homework. G walked in the room and I said, 'G, head out, this isnt a show for you.' G said, 'why not', I said, it's just for grown ups. G said, 'BUT WHY' I said, 'G, please head out. I dont want you to see this show.' G said, 'Why not, because they don't dress modestly.' I said, 'Yes, G, that's why.' G said, 'well, then why are you watching it?' Me- (silence)

i was humbled beyond words and taught.

Another funny thing, G was singing ' Jingle Bells' when he got to the part that says 'Oh what fun'... G translated it and was singing 'Amish fun...'

welcome to pennsylvania!

this boy

this little man melts my heart.

he loves to play in this flour bucket. good thing it was empty this time!

sucker

Well peeps, i guess it's official. I have never had a thumb sucker yet, but little C is breaking the cycle. I constantly find her thumb in her mouth when I get her up from naps.

This nap, I think she was really tired.

She is SO sweet. Such a good baby.

We are so lucky to have her.

so yummy

The other day I had made the kids' lunches and left some grapes drying on the counter. I came in after a little while and little B had maneuvered a clump of grapes and they were dangling from the other clump of grapes still on the counter.

Eating them right off the vine. So funny.

This little guys loves grapes, he was in heaven!

ards farm

To finish off J's birthday celebration, we took the kids to a local farm. It was so fun. Well..honestly..it was cold so I sat in the car with C to keep her warm, so dad braved the weather with the other kiddos and went out.

Their favorite thing was mining for fossils

J did love going down the slide

Afterward the kids all chose their pumpkins now they cant wait to carve them!

hershey

J woke up on her b-day and i asked her what she wanted to do.

She said, Hershey, so off we headed. ( I make it sound like we leaped out the door. This was after exercising, making lunches and getting snacks, getting all the kids breakfast and dressed, then dropping K off at school, picking up a friend and dropping him and G off at school, coming home, showering, giving C a bath, getting both babies dressed and fed, getting snacks and bottles, and making sure we had diapers and wipes..then we were out the door by 9:30)

We really had so much fun and the two babes were great!

We went upstairs and she got to choose her dessert. She picked s'mores. She roasted the marshmallows and ate them, that's all she wanted. B ate the graham crackers. She painted with paint brushes in colored icing and made amazing abstract art pictures.

Indulging in this deliciously sticky marshmallow cream

The she packaged some kisses

and gave them a good shake before she put them on the conveyer belt

The trickiest part of the day was going on the free ride. No strollers. So I put C in the front pack and slung B on my hip (he's still not walking very steadily). Then we got on the ride. She had so much fun we went around twice.

It was so fun to spend the day together just having fun.

We came home and i made corn chowder (her request for dinner, but she calls it her favorite soup). I can't think of a better way to spend your fifth birthday.