A day in the life...

Haircuts

2009-04-22T21:22:00.004-06:00

Jacob decided he wanted a flat top...he styled it how he was suppose to ONE day...then he was done with it.

The finished product...not sure what Daniel's problem was, he liked his hair just fine.

Amanda's Wedding

2009-04-22T21:03:00.004-06:00

Temple Sealing

2009-04-22T20:45:00.006-06:00

Just a crazy picture

Andrew wanted to get his picture taken in the alcove...

Just pictures, not much of an explanation. Paul and I were sealed in the Salt Lake City Temple on March 6, 2009. We were able to be sealed on the same day that my niece Amanda was married. It was a busy day for the family, and I am so thankful to all my family and friends that were able to be there and share the special day!

Basketball season

2009-04-22T19:47:00.002-06:00

Andrew and Daniel are the only kids that played Basketball this season, due to Jacob and I being unsure of what Shriners Hospital would say...

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Quick Updates...

2009-04-22T19:33:00.004-06:00

In December I took Jacob to Shriners Hospital to have his feet checked out. He had been complaining of pain for a few years...yes, I said YEARS...but honest, they just hurt him every once in a while, and not for very long, so I just chalked it up to growing pains. Anyway, FINALLY I took him in. Turns out he has Sever's Disease...which sounds way worse than it is. Sever’s disease is directly related to overuse of the bone and tendons in the heel. This can come from playing sports or anything that involves lots of heel movements. It can be associated with starting a new sport, or the start of a new season. Too much weight bearing down on the heel can also cause it as can excessive traction since the bones and tendons are still developing. Sever’s disease is self-recovering, meaning that it will go away on its own when it is used less or when the bone is through growing. It is more common in boys aged 10-14, and Sever's usually subsides by the age of 17 if chronic symptoms appear. So basically, I was right...GROWING PAINS! LOL! However, the doctor did say that since Jacob's discomfort started when he was about 8 or 9, he might be on the tail end of it, so we will see. This is a picture of him in the shorts that Shriners had him wear...they were pretty funny looking.

These next pictures are ones of the boys when they got their cavities filled this last time around. Daniel was super scared, even though, I don't know why, he has had cavities filled before, and didn't have a problem, but this time, needed something to calm him...apparently, it worked!

Jacob and Andrew thought they also needed some...

Las Vegas/California Trip December 2008

2009-03-21T10:34:00.005-06:00

BYU went to the Bowl Game in Las Vegas again this past football season, so we were able to sneak in another trip! Brenden was able to get 6 bowl tickets, so 2 went to his wife, 2 went to his mom, and 2 went to Paul. We decided that we would ALL go to Las Vegas, but only Sierra and Paul would go to the Bowl Game. Extra tickets were $50/each and I was certain the younger boys wouldn't sit still for the game, and would quickly become bored, so I was not about to spend $200 for all of us to go and NOT have fun! Instead, we decided that I would take the boys for a night out on the town...in Vegas. Ok, so we couldn't really do the Vegas scene. We didn't walk the strip. We went to the Excalibur Buffet and I let the boys eat until they were sick! Then we went to the outskirts of Vegas, and saw the Movie "Tale of Desperaux". These pictures were taken with my cell phone, so they are not that great. The boys had a great time! After the show we went to go pick up Sierra and Paul at the Bowl Game. We were able to time everything just right so no one had to wait around!

Snow in Vegas! On our way to California the next day, we saw people stopped on the side of the freeway having snowball fights, and loading snow into their trucks!

Daniel with movie poster

Jacob with movie poster

Andrew is int here somewhere!

All the boys in front of the movie poster

After Vegas, we left the next day to head over to California. The boys have never seen the beach before, and I really wanted them to be able to see it! They were excited to PLAY in it. I knew it was going to be cold water, since we were just in California a couple weeks before and it was cold THEN! But the kids insisted that they were going to play in the ocean! Sierra and Andrew got too cold pretty quick, but Jacob and Daniel stayed in until they were turning blue...at some point good parenting had to come into play!

Some of the other pictures in the slide show are of the trip to Vegas in the Suburban. (I am SO glad we bought this!) After the Ocean experience, we told the boys they could go swimming at the hotel in California, cuz it would be better....IT WAS NOT! I have a couple pictures of the boys jumping in! It was COLD! Other pictures are of the family at some sort of Amusement park in California. We didn't have the time for Disneyland, so we settle for this. The kids had a BLAST though, at a FRACTION of the cost!

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Christmas 2008

2009-03-21T09:53:00.002-06:00

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We went to Las Vegas and then California the fews days before Christmas. We got back Christmas Eve, went straight to my mom's house where we had a big Christmas Dinner. We got back to our home about 9 p.m. The kids opened their annual Christmas Eve present (PJ's...of course) and then went downstairs to watch CHRISTMAS STORY on the 24 hour marathon. Paul told them that they could wake us up at 6 a.m. for present opening. I knew he was crazy, but he said what is the fun of Christmas if you can't wake up super early? So Paul and I got busy wrappying EVERY PRESENT! Since we had been out of town, none of this got done. FINALLY, at 4 a.m. Paul and I crawled into bed. Let's just say 6 a.m. came EARLY and Paul realized he has been a little too zealous!

Gingerbread Houses

2009-03-21T09:20:00.004-06:00

I know this post is coming a few months late. It has been bugging me for MONTHS that I need to update, so I am going to give it a good try today!

These are pictures of the Gingerbread Houses we made this past Christmas. Sierra and Daniel made one, and Jacob and Andrew made another. They had great fun doing them! It was VERY difficult for me not to INSIST that the candy be even on both sides...(for those that REALLY know me, you can appreciate how difficult this truly was!)

Sierra and Daniel's finished product

Jacob and Andrew's finished product

100 Day

2009-02-15T15:40:00.003-07:00

It was the 100th day of school a couple weeks ago, and the kids celebrate it every year, even though I don't think they celebrate as much as the teachers! Only 80 more days after that! Anyway, when Andrew was in the second grade (last year) and this year with Daniel in the second grade, they got to dress up like 100 year old men. Here is the picture of Andrew last year, and Daniel this year. They had a really fun time pretending to be this old!

Andrew's 100 Day

Daniel's 100 Day

I'm talking 'bout friends

2008-12-13T09:13:00.005-07:00

I love my girl friends. We always have the funnest time when we hang out. Paul is awesome to be so supportive of my friendships with them. We will get together, at least the ones living close, every month or so, maybe 6 weeks, and go to a show, or dinner. But at least once a year, sometimes twice, we are lucky enough to get Brenda down from Pocetello, and Debi from Cedar City, and have our annual Girls Night Out. We have all been friends since our college days, and share many, many memories!
Last night we met at Maddox in Brigham City for dinner. We did a white elephant gift exchange afterward, and just talked and visited for 3 hours. It was great fun. I have to say 1/2 way through dinner, I started feeling really sick to my stomach, but didn't want to leave so I stuck it out. I was getting worse on the drive home, and then just about passed out as soon as I walked through the door. Paul was able to enjoy the 3/4 of my steak that I didn't finish at the restaurant! I had so much fun though, that even this morning, still feeling sick, I can say....IT WAS SOOOOO WORTH IT! I wouldn't give up a night of fun with my girlfriends for anything! Here are some pictures we took. (Sorry about the HUGE flash in the middle of the group picture...that was courtesty of the waitress)
Brenda and Natalie
Robin and Debi
Kara and Wendy V.
Brenda, Debi, Robin, Natalie, Kara, Wendy G., Wendy V.
This was the best white elephant gift of the night. A LIFE SIZE glamour shot of Kara!
I will have a few more pictures posted of the evening on my facebook account, so head over there if you want to see more!

Trimming the Tree

2008-12-08T20:39:00.005-07:00

We got a real tree this year, since we don't have any little ones to choke on the pine needles. It's quite big, and takes up alot of space, but what fun is a Christmas Tree if it doesn't? This was "Pre-Ornament" hanging.

Me unwrapping the ornaments. All the kids got to hang up their own, and Sierra hung up hers, and the ones for Josh, Jeremy, and Aubrey since they weren't here. Brenden gets to take his and put them on his own tree this year. (I got 2 cavities filled just an hour before this, so my lips are pretty numb...)

This was part of the process...kids hovering around waiting for their ornament, and the story that went along with it.

Paul was in charge this year of fixing the ornaments that haven't faired to well over the years. He did a great job of gluing, and fixing.

Again, part of the process. This picture captures all the kids that were here to help us. Jacob in the back of the tree, Sierr and Daniel in the front, and Andrew kneeling down by me.

The finished product. The tree is sagging quite a bit, since we have a lot of pretty heavy ornaments, and the fact that ornaments for 8 kids are on the tree, plus the ones I had growing up, the ones for Paul, and the few that we have together.

This is my Americana tree. I normally don't let the boys help me decorate this tree, but this year I caved. They did a pretty good job. We had great fun decorating the trees. Christmas music playing in the background. Only thing missing was my yummy hot chocolate, but we haven't gotten to the store yet to buy the ingredients.

Newest Addition

2008-12-07T11:35:00.003-07:00

For those of you who may not already know, Sierra has moved up here to Utah to live with us. We couldn't be more excited. We were hoping that she was going to move up here last year, and start 9th grade here, but circumstances were such that that was not possible. She came home with us after the wedding in California. It has been a busy week. We needed to buy her a new phone, a winter coat, (even though you could hardly tell it's winter....YET) and some school supplies. She decided to go to Hillcrest High School where Paul teaches. This is very exciting for Paul, who loves the fact that he gets to teach at the same school his daughter is going to....plus he gets to keep an eye on all the boys. Sierra told Paul on the first day some of the people she had met, and one of the guys was gay. Paul was quick to point out that that was the best kind of guy for her to meet!
Next year Sierra will go to the new High School here in Saratoga Springs as a Sophmore. The school is not finished yet, or that's where she would have gone this year. We are hoping the transition won't be terribly hard for her, since she already has friends up here from when she would come see us before. She has taken over the room that used to be Jeremy's, and as soon as Aubrey is completely moved out, Jacob will have that room. So all the kids will have their own rooms, (no more fighting at bedtime from Daniel and Andrew) and Sierra and Jacob will share the basement bathroom...more to follow on how THAT works out. :-)

P.S. Daniel is probably the MOST excited about the change of events. Ever since Paul and I were engaged, he was thrilled that he was going to have a sister. He loves Sierra so much.

Wax on, Wax off

2008-12-07T11:29:00.003-07:00

The day before we left for California, I heated up my wax so I could wax my eyebrows. I have this wax that is really good, the type they use in Salons. It doesn't harden and adhere to your skin, so it's not as painful. I knew Aubrey waxed so I offered to let her and Sierra, if she chose to, use the wax while it was hot. They came up and Sierra let Aubrey wax her eyebrows.

It looks like Aubrey is having a lot more fun than Sierra....(This was taken after Aubrey had already ripped off 2 wax strips.)

This is Aubrey waxing hers, she done it before so she knows what to expect...and STILL smiling! :-)

Presenting Brenden and Lyndsey Gaskins

2008-12-01T22:40:00.003-07:00

Brenden and Lyndsey tied the knot Saturday, at the Redlands Temple in California. Paul and I were able to make the trip with Aubrey, Sierra and Josh. It was a beautiful wedding. The temple ceremony is always beautiful to listen to. They make a very handsome couple and we are very happy for them.

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P.S. Sorry if I got names wrong, and misspelled....I did my best. :-)

If you would like to see engagement pictures, and other pictures as they are posted, visit their blog at: http://www.teamgaskins.blogspot.com/

Jeremy's SLCPD Graduation

2008-12-01T21:21:00.003-07:00

It's official. Jeremy Gaskins is now an official Salt Lake City Police Officer. On November 26th, Jeremy, along with 22 other men/women graduated the academy. It was so much fun to go and see all the men and women in uniform, looking very serious, I might add. Most of Jeremy's family was able to be there. His mom and gradma travelled up from New Mexico, along with Josh and Sierra. His cousins, and of course Paul and I, Aubrey, Jacob, Andrew, and Daniel were there as well. Brenden was the only one missing. He was in California getting ready for his wedding. He was missed, but we had a great time none the less.

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Just as a side note, we were all sitting around the table Wednesday evening, and Julie happened to notice that a clip of the graduation was on Television. Jeremy was shown several times! We were really excited for him. We recorded it, but here is a link for you to watch on KSL channel 5 if you would like...
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=4910741

Andrew is 9

2008-12-01T21:07:00.003-07:00

November is a pretty busy month in the Gaskin home. Two birthdays, and Thanksgiving all withing weeks. This year, we also had a wedding! BUSY BUSY! We celebrated Andrew's birthday the day before, watching the BYU @ Utah football game. Andrew insisted that we go over to the Robbins house to watch it, so he could watch it with Justus. There were a ton of people there, and we had a great time. Everyone sang to Andrew during 1/2 time. Everyone was all to willing to take their mind off the game for a minute or two.

After the game, we went home, and had the official celebration with Grandma and Grandpa Rick, Grandma Nell, Preston, Aunt Teri, Uncle Jason, Alisa, and Alison, along with Jacob, Daniel, Paul, and myself.

BYU @ Air Force

2008-12-01T20:38:00.003-07:00

For part of Paul's Birthday he and I went to Colorado Springs to the BYU @ Air Force game. It was a long drive, I don't think either one of us realized how long it actually was before we started. Colorado had had a snow storm on Friday (November 14) so driving through the mountains at 11:00 at night was pretty slow going. We got to Colorado Springs at about 2:00 a.m. We got to sleep in a little, since it was a 12:00 game. The game was a little scary at times, but BYU prevailed. Even though Paul and I both agreed that it was difficult not to root for the home team just a little...after all, they are part of the armed forces! They had a pretty cool show before the game. That is what we took pictures of mostly. As a side note, for some reason Andrew really likes the Denver Broncos, so while we were there we took the opportunity to find Broncos "stuff" for his birthday on the 23rd of November.

Ok, we got a few in there of Brenden warming up. By the way, if anyone watched the game on TV, Paul and I could be seen in the crowd when BYU scored their first touchdown...thankfully, we were cheering, not eating our Chick-fil-A!

Paul's Birthday

2008-12-01T20:19:00.004-07:00

Paul turned 44 this year. We were able to have most everyone around to celebrate. We were missing Sierra and Josh, but they were not able to make it up that weekend. I decided that I was going to buy Paul the new T-Mobile G1 phone, but I didn't want to buy it too soon, because I knew you only had 14 days to try it out and return it if you didn't like it, so I waited until just a few days before. Probably not the best idea. We were on a 20 day waiting list! So I tucked the cash in an envelope, and told him in 20 days he could get it...pathetic! He had a great birthday, and we love to find any excuse to get together and celebrate.

Halloween

2008-11-19T22:49:00.002-07:00

Here are some Halloween pictures. Sorry they are late, and out of chronological order. Since I haven't blogged for so long, I keep remembering things that I want to add. The boys had fun dressing up as always. They were pretty disappointed that they couldn't go trick or treating around our own neighborhood this year, but it is what it is I guess. I felt really bad when all their friends came to our home trick or treating asking for them. I did get to take the pictures of them before they left for school that day. After much debate, Andrew was a bleeding ninja, Daniel was just a ninja, and Jacob was a dead football player, although he wouldn't let me put blood or anything on his face, so he looked more like an injured football player!

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Pumpkin Carving

2008-11-19T22:07:00.004-07:00

We had a great time carving pumpkins this year. I tried to ignore the pumpkin guts that were getting all over the floor and table. I figured we were making memories, so just suck it up!

Daniel chose a pretty difficult design, and Paul and I ended up having to do most of it. He thought it was pretty cool though. He said it looked just like Iron Man.

This was the desing Jacob picked out. He did this all by himself, he was pretty proud.

Andrew did the skull and cross bones...

WHAT! How did this happen? We couldn't very well leave Athena out of the festivities.

All 3 boys with their jack o lanterns. Paul and I ended up doing one, and then Aubrey had hers, so we ended up with 5 Jack o Lanterns on our porch for Halloween. It looked pretty cool for Halloween.

Moving Out

2008-11-18T19:53:00.003-07:00

Paul's daughter Aubrey came to live with us in August. She graduated High School in May, and is looking forward to attending UVU in January. We have sure enjoyed havig her here. She has had the unfortunate luck of getting the absolute smallest room in the house, and for a girl to have to endure that is just unspeakable, but that is all we could offer, and she hasn't said a word!

She was planning on living here for awhile, but with Brenden getting married, his fiance needs to unload her BYU apartment that is under contract until end of April. Aubrey went to meet the potential roomies, and apparently had a great time, so she will be moving out shortly after the wedding. I know she is excited to be able to stretch her wings. While she is an adult, living at home there are still certain rules that you have to abide, and now that she will be living on her own, she gets to make her own rules pretty much...what an exciting time. Oh to be 19 again....but this time, without a certain person tagging along....( :-)most of you know who I mean!)

I need to get more pictures of Aubrey, but for now this will have to do. This is her 19th birthday celebration.

Braces

2008-11-18T19:50:00.002-07:00

Jacob and Andrew both are going in to get braces started started. Andrew will just be doing a "Phase 1" just to make room for his teeth to grow in. Jacob's teeth aren't so bad, he just needs a little bit of alignment done, but he will need to get a spacer on top to fix his cross bite. Jacob is thrilled to be getting braces. I loved having braces. I know I am crazy, but I did. So my 2 little babies will soon have braces on their teeth. I don't have any pictures right now, but they are going in on Thursday to get molds taken, and that sort of gunk...I will post pictures of this as soon as I get them.

Laundry Day

2008-11-18T19:36:00.005-07:00

Since Jeremy and Aubrey have been living with us, we have come up with a laundry schedule. Mondays and Wednesdays are their days, and I get Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Saturdays and Sundays are open for anyone who HAS to get laundry done, but I have tried to only use the 3 days during the week, that way Jeremy and Aubrey could get laundry done on the weekends if they couldn't do it on Monday or Wednesday.

With me doing laundry for 5 people, only using the washer and dryer 3 days a week can be a challenge. So if you will imagine, by Friday I have done all the laundry and try to get it folded on Saturday, so by Sunday, I am feeling pretty good.

Well, if you read my post earlier, about football season for Andrew, Daniel, and Jacob, combine that with Saturdays being monopolized with BYU football (for those of you who don't know, Paul's oldest son plays back up quarter back for BYU) I was not at all successful with that plan. Here a few pictures of what my laundry situation looked like most Tuesdays.

This was my pile of laundry I still need to fold...

This was the dent I had made sorting and folding in between preschool classes that day...

And this is the laundry that I still had to do that day. (I just wash clothes on Tuesdays, and the on Thursdays and Fridays I was clothes, and sheets, and rugs, etc...)

Moving Day

2008-11-18T19:23:00.004-07:00

As most, or maybe some of you, may know, Jeremy, Pauls 2nd oldest son has been living with us since January. He came up to Utah from New Mexico to get into some sort of law enforcement. Either the Highway Patrol, or the Police Academy. After some very gruelling physical test, as well as written tests, Jeremy was accepted into the Salt Lake City Police Academy. He started in July of this year. It has been a very demanding 5 months for him. He has had to endure physical abuse, mental abuse, hard core testing etc, and I am proud to say he has done so with flying colors. I can't believe what those men/women have to go through to become a Police Officer.

So, after living with his Dad for this long, as you can imagine, he is pretty anxious to get out on his own. He has been searching for an apartment for a little bit and a couple weeks ago found one that will be perfect for him. It is a basement apartment that has been completely updated. Stainless Steel Appliances, 2 bedrooms. Sounds pretty nice. He has put money down, and Jeremy and Paul are planning on moving Jeremy out this next weekend. The people he will be renting from gave him a dresser, king size bed, and a pretty nice coffee table. He will be using some of our unused furniture as well. He has been staying part time at the apartment for the past couple days. Last night Paul and I were sitting in the office and commenting on how much we missed having him around even after just a short time. He has been so busy with his Police Academy that he hasn't had much spare time to spend time with the family, but it was nice knowing that he was downstairs.

We will miss him, but we are excited that he is beginning the next chapter in his life. (He will graduate from the Academy on the 26th of November, but I will post about that whent he time comes.)

Jeremy was able to sneak away now and again to enjoy family festivities. This is when we went camping over the summer.

Kids,Kids, and now....more kids!

2008-11-18T19:08:00.002-07:00

(WARNING...THIS POST WILL MAKE ABSOLUTELY NOT SENSE TO MY NON LDS FRIENDS AND FAMILY...)

About a month ago the Bishop called me into his office and extended a calling to me. I had gotten the call on Tuesday that he wanted to see me Sunday after church, so I had all week pretty much to speculate what "the call" would be. I was pretty sure it would be Primary, since I haven't served in primary since we moved to Saratoga Springs, (7 1/2 years ago). Ok everyone, pick up your jaw...I know that is UNHEARD of, but let me explain, up until recently, I have had allies, friends, in the Primary Presidency that know how much I deal with kids during the week, on a daily basis. Teaching Preschool all day, and then my own kids at home during the afternoon and evening. My allies in the Primary were safeguarding me from more kids. I was able to enjoy Sunday School, and Relief Society. I looked forward to those 2 hours of church uninterrupted by my own children. Anyway, I have to admit that I was fully prepared to turn down a primary calling. I just couldn't teach little itty bitty kids 6 days a week.
So... back to the Bishops office. He called me to be....(drum roll) Jr. Primary CHORISTER!!! Ok, for those of you who are familiar with me at all, I don't sing in front of anyone but children. And now they were asking me to not only sing, but sing songs I didn't know, in front of not only the children, but the teachers too.
However, it wasn't teaching, so I went ahead and accepted the calling. It was only then that the Bishop kindly reminded me that the primary program would be in 3 weeks! Great, so now I had to really step outside of my comfort zone and LEAD music in front of HUNDREDS of people. I know, they are watching the kids and not me, and believe me, that thought is the only thing that got me through. I made it through, not with flying colors, but I did it none the less.
I still don't know all of the songs. I spend alot of my free time playing the songs on the piano, trying to get the tune, and the words. It's really sad. I am still not at all comfortable standing in front of adults leading music,when I know that any one of them would be a heck of a lot more qualified than me to lead the music...but I will endure. HA HA!

Playoffs! GO SPARTANS!

2008-11-18T18:46:00.004-07:00

Jacob's football team made it to the playoffs this year. I think only 2 or 3 of the Saratoga Spartan Teams made it that far. I think that is pretty darn good considering this is our first year with our own football team, and we don't have to play with LEHI....(ugh!) Jacob's team was ranked second in their age group, so for the first game, Rank 1 played Rank 4 and Rank 2 played Rank 3. I believe Rank 1 was Lone Peak, Rank 2 Saratoga Springs, Rank 3 Lone Peak, and Rank 4 Pleasant Grove. Anyway, during regular season we beat the team we were set up to play for playoffs. It was a great game, we played with alot of heart, and in the last seconds of the game, Saratog Spartans came up short. It was a heartbreaking loss. The entire team of boys was crying. It was sad...but do I dare say it....PART OF ME WAS GLAD THAT FOOTBALL PRACTICE AND GAMES WERE OVER FOR THE SEASON! It had been a horrendous few months taking Jacob to practice, 4:30 - 6:30, Andrew to practice 5:30 - 7:30 (MWF) and Daniel with flag football practice @ 5:00 p.m. on Wednesdays. Then games on weekends, and school nights. Really not to complain. Even if they had won it would have only been one more game, so that would have been no big deal, but I do wonder how many mom's breathed a sigh of relief...along with a sigh of disappointment. Any whooooo....here are some pictures from the playoff game.

Jacob and Paul. Paul was able to help coach Jacob's football team this year. It meant a really busy few months for Paul as well, since he was still doing fall ball with his baseball team at Hillcrest High School.

Jacob standing on the sidelines watching the game. He didn't have his heart in it this year really. I think alot of it had to do with his feet hurting him. We are taking him to Shriners on the 18th of December to have him looked at.

Looking good for the camera...

Jacob is in there someone, at the far end of the picture. He made a pretty substantial tackle during this game, keeping the team from gaining yards...

Jacob again and a few of his team mates.

Andrew's Football

2008-11-18T18:29:00.004-07:00

I was able to grab a second and download some of Andrew's fooball pictures off the camera. (Not the lost one...the new one) His team finished with a record of 5-4 I believe. While their record might not show it, they played with so much heart, it was horrible to see them loose. Andrew was always in the game. The first scrimage or two he only played one or two plays. Andrew was a little discouraged because he didn't know what he could do to get more play time. He practiced his little heart out, and was always giving 110% at practice. I spoke with the coach, and just wondered what Andrew could do. Coach Rojas was genuinely sorry for not playing Andrew much. There were a couple others that didn't play very much in the scrimages, and it was simply because he didn't have any of the other coaches set up to count plays and make sure every one was playing. So while some may tell you that Andrew didn't play much at the beginning of the season due to lack of ability and experience, they are wrong. It was simply an honest oversight. Here are some pictures of him playing.

While Andrew certainly isn't the biggest kid playing, I bet he is the toughest. He would make tackles like you wouldn't believe. Andrew is #2.His coach gave them stickers for good plays. Spartan stickers for offensive plays, and skull and cross bones for defensive plays. Andrew had ten stickers. Five for offense, and five for defense.

I am so proud of Andrew for what he put into football this season. He keeps going back and forth as to whether he wants to play next year or not. I believe that once the football bug hits next season he will be in for sure.

2008-11-17T22:16:00.009-07:00

This past July we were able to go to the Zoo with Josh, Jacob, Andrew and Daniel. We bought a year pass, it wasn't much more than a day pass for everyone, but we have yet to go back. The boys really had a great time, and we merely scratched the surface, so hopefully come spring we will get back there.

Zebras are in the background

White Alligator

Enjoying a snow cone and the shade...kind of

Camera Found

2008-11-17T20:22:00.008-07:00

As I stated in a previous post, we lost the camera that we took to New Mexico the first part of August. On it were pictures of Josh's ordination, and the fishing trip that all the boys went on. (I stayed at the Hotel and slept in, and then went to lunch with Paul's sister, Carrie and Stepmom, Linda)
We called the hotel, had Paul's dad double and triple check the boat, we could not find the camera. Well a couple of weeks ago, Paul was packing up one of his bags for baseball or something like that, and in an obscure pocket...found the camera! I am most excited because the ordination can't happen again. There will be other fishing trips, but only one ordination. (For all of my friends reading this that are not LDS, just know it's a pretty big thing for young men turning 12)
So here are the pictures that were once lost...and now are found!

This is the fishing trip on the boat. The boys had a blast and even caugt a few fish in the process!

This next set of pictures are of Josh after his ordination on August 3, 2008

Craig, Bishop Waite, Dad, Josh, Randy, Chad, Jacob

Mom, Josh, Dad Josh and Dad

Josh and Mom
Wendy, Josh, Dad
Chad, Josh, Mom
Randy, Grandma Foutz, Josh
Jacob, Josh, Daniel, Andrew
Josh, Aubrey

2008-10-05T22:51:00.003-06:00

Just Playing around right now with animated images that Paul is learning how to put on web pages.

2008-10-05T21:39:00.001-06:00

I can't locate any pictures of Andrew right now at his games. I will get my hands on them and add them to this slide show. (We ended up getting a new camera after we lost ours...)

Brief Family Update

2008-10-05T13:21:00.003-06:00

Since it has been so long since I have updated my blog, I will mostly just put the past several months pictures in a slide show. Also, I know that most people would rather look at pictures than read a long boring post....
Jacob and Andrew are both in tackle football this year. They are enjoying it tremendously. Andrew a little more than Jacob. Not sure Jacob will do it again next year.
Daniel is doing his last year of flag football. In our city, kids can do tackle football at the ripe ole' age of 6, but I tell my boys that they need to wait until they are 8 to do tackle, so Daniel is anxiously awaiting his turn next season. He is really enjoying flag football though.
Brenden told us a couple weeks ago that he will be getting married in January. This came as quite a surprise, but we are very happy for him and have enjoyed getting to know Lindsay. They will be getting married in the Redlands Temple in California.
Jeremy is doing really well with his Salt Lake City Police Academy. He will be completely done by Thanksgiving! He has been working very hard, and has come home completely exhausted on more than a few occasions.
Aubrey moved up to live with us the first part of August. She will be starting school in January at Utah Valley University. She has gotten a job at Ross Clothing Store, and has found several friends to hang out with. She has been a joy to have around.
Sierra and Josh have come up a few times to go to Brenden BYU football games. Josh has stayed over a time or two, but unfortunately, we haven't gotten to see much of Sierra. She is coming up this weekend with her mom so they (Kristal, Sierra, and Aubrey) can go shopping for dressed for Brenden's wedding. Sierra and Aubrey will be 2 of Lindsay's bridesmaids. Josh was ordained a Deacon the first Sunday in August. We went down to New Mexico to participate in that. The following day, Paul took Josh, Jacob, Andrew and Daniel fishing on his dad's boat...and we now can't find the camera, so unfortunately pictures of the ordiantion, and fishing trip are lost forever. :-(
The 3 younger boys are doing well in school. Daniel doesn't wake up this year everyday looking for some excuse to stay home, so that is good. First grade was quite an adjustment for him, but thankfully he is doing well in Second Grade.
Andrew's has been enjoying his Third Grade year. His teacher is about 3 inches taller than him. I told him that my 3rd grade teacher was about 3 inches taller than me, too. (Mrs. Harrigger...not sure if after all these years I spelled that right.) He is pretty motivated to get his homework done so he can go outside and play school with his friend Justus. They both have stuffed monkey that they sit around and teach math and science to.
Jacob has completely enjoyed his Sixth Grade experience so far. His teacher lets them have soda's in class, and munchies, so I have surprised him a time or two with a soda to drink during class. What fun is it to have "fun" rules and be able to take advantage of them?
Parent/Teacher conference is this next week, so we will see how disillusioned I have been.
Paul has started taking Web design classes. He is really enjoying learning all the cool things he can do. I think after a couple of classes, and the purchase of the "Dream Weaver" software, he will be able to create a pretty awesome web page!
I have been busy with preschool. It was good to get started again, and kind of get back into my routine. Every year seems to get busier and busier, as I am sure everyone can sympathize. As the boys get older, days get busier.
I think I have included pretty much everything. I will let the pictures say the rest.

Much Awaited Update...

2008-10-01T22:33:00.003-06:00

Life has been crazy! I am getting caught up slowly but surely, and I am truly hoping for a chance to REALLY catch up on this blog this coming weekend. Conference Weekend, and Bill has the boys, so i should have a bit of time to catch everyone up....STAY TUNED!

Visitors

2008-07-12T21:08:00.003-06:00

My Aunt Vicki was in town not too long ago, unfortunately, I wasn't coherent enough to remember my camera so I didn't get any pictures for my blog. She looks great though, and it was so good to see her again. My cousin Jenny and her husband were in town as well a couple weeks ago, and this time, I went to visit with camera in hand. She has a wonderful family and 4 really cute kids! Paul and I are planning on going to New Mexico the first part of August. Starting in Farmington, and then working our way down, visiting family and friends all along the way. I am really excited for the trip!

Memorial Day

2008-07-12T20:31:00.005-06:00

This past Memorial Day weekend really wasn't like any other we had had. Aubrey was graduating from High School, so Paul was able to go down to New Mexico to be there for that, so that left me and boys to our own devices. I really didn't feel like doing a BBQ on my own, so I decided we would rent a Hotel room, play all night Friday, go to Build-A-Bear and a movie on Saturday, and then head home. The boys had a great time. I loaded up on snacks, and let the boys swim as long as they wanted (it was pretty chilly so it wasn't for terribly long) and then they sat in the hotel room eating snacks and watching TV all night. The weekend was all about them, so I didn't have a bed time for them or anything. I fell asleep before they did! The next day we went to Build-A-Bear, and then we went to go see Prince Caspian. I was surprised, but I quite like it. (I haven't seen the first one)
Paul was back by the time Memorial Day actually came around, so we went to go see Indiana Jones, and then went to Mom and Dad's for a BBQ.
Most of the pictures are self explanatory, but the one with the Build-A-Bear box and the HUSKY is something the boys wanted to do for Paul as a "thank you" for the weekend. Even though he wasn't there, he helped plan it, and and boys wanted him to know how much they love him and are glad he is in their lives. Paul teaches at Hillcrest High School, home of the Huskies, so the boys thought that would be the best one to do.

July 4, 2008

2008-07-12T20:12:00.002-06:00

The ones of the boys with stuffed animals are Build-A-Bear stuffies that we did over Memorial Day. They have loved having these. It was money wellk spent! (Preston got his at an earlier time) I was pretty beat by the time 10:00 came around. I had worked all day (DOUBLE TIME PAY) and I had to work the next day. Dad wasn't able to be there because he got called into work to do a couple of surgeries. We missed him, but the kids had fun none the less.

Happy Anniversary

2008-07-12T20:01:00.003-06:00

Paul and I celebrated our 1st anniversary on June 23rd. Unfortunately, we weren't able to go to Mexico as we had hoped, but we did go out to celebrate. Paul got us tickets to Brian Regan's comedy show in August. I am SOOO excited to go! If you don't know who he is, check out his website, he has a few clips on there. He is a clean comedian, so very kid friendly!

I have to say that I am so happy to have found Paul. It has been a wonderful year. He is truly probably the nicest man I know, and he treats me wonderfully. It is very nice for a change to have a hubby that has me as his first priority. He likes to have a clean house as much as I do, so he is also ALWAYS helping with laundry, bathrooms, kitchen, dinner, etc. (Ladies, you KNOW how rare that is!) I love him with all my heart, and we are waiting, not so patiently for the approval of the First Presidency to be sealed in the Temple. Hopefully it will be soon. I will keep everyone posted! I am just curious to see what my reading audience thinks...Paul and I were hoping to get marriedn in the San Diego Temple, however, because of the time of year that it will probably happen, and the expense that would be involved for everyone (including the rising cost of gas!) we have decided to be sealed here in the great state of Utah. We have narrowed it down to two temples: Logan Temple and the Bountiful Temple. I am leaning toward the Bountiful Temple, but would love to get some more input!

Lots of Little things....

2008-07-12T19:50:00.004-06:00

Ok, this is the post where I put several pictures that don't get a post of their own...

My mom and dad's dogs had their puppies about 2 weeks ago. This time around, I will be able to claim one for my own. I have not decided which one I want. I will wait for their eyes to open and they develop a little bit of their own personality before I decide. I have decided on a name, and I am hoping that one little puppy will fit the name...Tamica. I know, but it is the name of the model on Deal or No Deal that is my favorite...#21

This is a video of Daniel playing the song he wrote for me for Mother's Day. It was really cute and he was SOOO proud of this!

Salt Lake City Police...Newest Edition

2008-07-12T19:43:00.003-06:00

After months of preliminary physicals, tests, and paperwork, Jeremy has finally been able to start his training as a Salt Lake City Police Officer. He found out the beginning of June that he had been hired. He officially started his training on July 7. As of today he has finished a week! Needless to say, he is dead tired when he comes home at night. As you can imagine, they are working them physically really hard, as well as throwing all kinds of information at them that they are expected to memorize practically over night and be tested on!

The pictures are of Jeremy trying on his new uniforms. Paul didn't notice the goofy face Jeremy made on the first one, until I suggested that maybe for the second picture he could maybe not make a goofy face... :-)

Camping

2008-07-12T18:12:00.008-06:00

I am trying to up date my blog, so for the next several entries, probably just mostly pictures, with very little commentary.

This set of pictures was taken when Josh and Sierra were here a few weeks ago. Paul took them camping at Hobble Creek. I went up in the evenings, but didn't stay because I had to work so early. (Jacob, Andrew and Daniel were with William for the month of June) Jeremy and Amanda stayed with them on the 3rd night, and I took Sierra home with me.

Tournament Play

2008-07-05T15:34:00.005-06:00

Baseball is finally over, even though, it really wasn't all that bad. Yes, the boys that were playing had practices in Orem, on different days, and had their games on different days, or on the same day, differnt times....in Orem, but we survived, and it was really fun to see them learn the game, and to have Paul helping them through, teaching them.

Tournament play was double elimination. Jacob's team won their first game, lost their second. The third game was a good game. Jacob's team was up by several runs, but the other team came back and tied the score. It stayed this way for SEVERAL innings, both teams fighting hard to stay in it. Jacob's team ended up loosing the game, but it was probably the BEST game they had played all season. It was a heart breaking loss, and I hated to see Jacob's disappointment, but it is part of the game, and part of life.

Andrew's team also won the first game, and I actually think it was the second game they lost as well. (It was the first game they had lost all season, and it was a VERY controversial loss!) That was their one and only loss. They won every game after that, and in the finals, they played the team that they lost to earlier. The other team was "undefeated" in tournament, so they had to play twice, so they could beat them twice, and they did! The first game Andrew's team won 12-7 (or something like that) and the second game, they called early due to the "10 run" rule...the final score was 13-3. They were pretty excited, and they felt better about loosing the one game, after clobbering them so bad! These are pictures of the team and Andrew after the game. The one of Andrew and his coach has a shadow on it, which is yuck, but I was relying on another parent taking the picture because SOMEHOW I managed to go to the FINAL game with out a camera!!!!!

Paul?

2008-06-12T18:39:00.003-06:00

Alright, now it's Paul's turn.

Paul finished teaching the first Wednesday in June. Since I am working during the summer he gets to play Mr. Mom. I know this makes him feel bad, but I really think he got the raw end of the bargain! I come home every night to finished laundry, clean house, and dinner! It has been wonderful.

William picked up the boys this past weekend, so on Sunday, Paul drove to New Mexico to pick up Josh and Sierra so they could spend a couple weeks with their dad. We are really excited to have them here. I know the boys would be disappointed if they knew they were missing out, so we didn't really mention it to them. They really enjoy spending time with Josh, and Daniel LOVES his sister!

Paul cherishes any time he gets to spend with his kids. He got there on Sunday evening, and just hung out with the kids. On Monday morning Paul went with his Dad and Josh fishing. They caught 20 fish or so. They had a great time. Sierra didn't go. She informed her dad that she didn't get up until 9:30 a.m. so the fact that they were leaving HOURS before that, meant she didn't go.

Josh had a game that night, and they all went. Paul was able to be the guest coach that night, which I know meant alot to Paul and Josh both. Josh's team won easily.

Paul, Sierra and Josh drove back up here on Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, Paul didn't get pictures, so I just had him go take some, and this is what he came back with......we are going camping this weekend so better pictures will follow.

Boston Red Sox

2008-06-12T17:35:00.007-06:00

Today I will update on Jacob. He is also doing baseball this season. Unlike Andrew, he did do T-Ball and I believe Coach Pitch. Unfortunately, for the 2 seasons that I was divorced I was unable to sign him up. Money was especially tight in the summer! Anyway, this year he is also playing for Orem (See Andrew's update to why orem...)and he is really liking it. He is on the competition league, which he was very happy about. His coach told me that he could tell he was "cold", but that he could really see some potential with him. He has worked really hard at practices. His coach wanted him to start pitching, and asked if Paul would help with the practices when Paul's schedule allowed, to help out with the pitchers on the team.
Jacob has played really well. I remember at his very first practice, he hit the ball really well, his first time. He was convinced that it was because Paul picked him out the coolest bat ever! His next time up, you could hear the other kids whispering, "Oh, watch this kid hit!" and stuff like that. Unfortunately, it may have been beginners luck, because he wasn't able to hit it again that day like the first time.
He plays really well in his games. He has tried his hands a few times at pitching, but when he doesn't do very well, he gets sad, like he really let his team down, so he doesn't want to try it anymore. His coach puts him at 3rd base, and he seems to really like that. Paul will help out at the practices when he can, which is nice, that helps Jacob out. Like Andrew, he has a "pro" helping him. It gets a little rough sometimes, because some others will tell Jacob different, but this what Paul does, so he listens to Paul.
I do have to tell you some really exciting news about one of Jacob's game. Paul and I were sitting there, watching, Jacob was up to bat. All of a sudden, on the first pitch, Jacob hits a home run!! Not just any home run. It is high, and it goes way out of the park! It almost hits the score board, and some cars parked in the parking lot. It was really cool! There were some kids on his team that were practicing pitching, and they stopped when they heard the "buzz"..."Jacob hit a home run!" It was fun. I loved cheering him on through all the bases. He was so happy. His coach gave him his home run ball, and Paul and I bought a case for it. He labeled it in his room, (so one day when he is famous everyone will know when his first home run was). After the game all the other Moms and Dads on the team came up to JACOB and told him what a great hit that was, as it should be. There would have been no point to tell me...Jacob was the one that hit the ball! :-)) It was great night. It has been so fun listening to him afterward..."Mom, remember when I hit the home run?" and my reply, "Yes, honey, it was just an hour ago!" ;-) (These picture are 1- Jacob up to bat 2- Jacob playing 3rd base 3- Jacob scoring a run.)

P.S. These pictures were taken on Jacob's first game. This is the same field, however, that he hit his home run, and in the picture where he is scoring a run, you can see the score board in the background, and parking lot, where the ball landed.

New York Mets

2008-06-11T15:52:00.009-06:00

Andrew is playing baseball this year. He decided against soccer, which made me a little sad because he soooo good, but I let him make that decision on his own. Actually, he had decided against playing any sports this season altogether, but after playing with a bat and ball in the front yard, and him hitting a ROCK pretty far, and mom getting upset with him for hitting a ROCK so well, possibly hitting cars or houses, he decided he was a pretty good hitter and wanted to play baseball!

I signed him up in Orem. I decided against Lehi because they wanted to charge Saratoga Springs residents and extra $32 to play, so instead of $65 for Lehi residents, it was going to cost me $97. Orem was $75. I am boycotting Lehi anyway, because they are charging us way more for everything, so I am just not using their facilities anymore.

Anyway, Andrew has really enjoyed playing. It is machine pitch at this age for him. He has never played t-ball, coach pitch, nothing, so this is pretty new to him, and he is doing really well. He really knows how to hustle. Paul and I are pretty proud of him and his effort. He looks very focused when he plays.

He seems to really enjoy being the catcher. I think he looks adorable, and that's all I look for, but Paul says that he actually is a pretty good catcher. I guess Paul would know. He works with the boys at their practices, and at home, showing them the proper way to hold the bat, throw, etc. They sure have enjoyed the fact that they have a High School Baseball Coach for a Stepdad. Between Paul and I, we have been able to make it most of the games, between Jacob, Andrew and Daniel.

How cute is he?

Soccer Season

2008-06-11T15:30:00.004-06:00

Daniel was the only one this year that decided to play soccer. He has really surprised me. In the past, he kind of just chased his shadow. While some might contribute the fact to him playing better this year is due to the fact that he isn't playing with Andrew, I think that is absurd. Andrew never inhibited his playing before. Daniel is simply a year older, more coordinated, and enjoying it more. He is able to see the purpose of it. He was quite a little player. In one game, I believed he scored 5 goals! His last game was on Saturday, but I was unable to go to that one..."uninterrupted parent time" with William. So I didn't get to see him get his metal or watch play his last game, but I am sure that he wouldn't have disappointed! He was so funny when he would get tangled up with one of the other players, he was always so exaggerated with his fall. It would ALWAYS turn into a backward sommersault. During his first couple games, he would spontaneously do forward sommersaults, thankfully, not while he had the ball!

Phew!

2008-06-10T23:31:00.003-06:00

I think I am about ready to start updating my blog...a little at a time. If I look at EVERYTHING I have to add, it will seem too overwhelming. Preschool is over for me, and has been since the 22nd of May. The 3 older classes had a graduation program. Normally this takes place outside, on my front porch. It's a pretty big front porch, and works perfect for a stage. Unfortunatelly, the weather this year decided NOT to cooperate. I ended up having to move the graduation inside. This wasn't as horrible as it could have been, since our house is now EMPTY of all the extra furniture, due to it being on the market. The kids adjusted pretty well to the change of venue and it didnt' confuse them that much.
The Tuesday after Memorial Day I started working at Utah Pet Center, as a receptionist. (The same vet clinic my dad is Medical Director of) I have actually enjoyed working with adults for the most part. I forget how petty they can be sometimes, but it's nice to be able to have a conversation with someone without having to interrupt and tell them to get their finger out of their nose. Friday, I cam home from work with a little bit of a cough, and pretty tired, but I didn't worry about the cough so much, and the fatigue I just figured was what I was in for every Friday after a week of being on my feet. (I try not to sit too much, get up and move around...I do some butt exercises...every little bit helps)
I woke up Saturday feeling pretty stiff, and knew that something wasn't normal. It got worse as the day progressed. By Sunday I was miserable, alternating between hot and sweaty, and turning purple I was so cold! I had Jeremy (Paul's 21 year old son) and Gary (one of my best friends hubby) come and give me a blessing. (Paul was in New Mexico picking up Sierra and Josh) For those of you that know me very well, I hardly ever ask for blessings. I was able to sleep pretty good that night, and actually woke up feeling pretty good Monday, but called in to work just in case I wasn't completely over it. I still had my cough, but my body didn't ache. By Monday afternoon, I was miserable again. Finally around 7:15 p.m. I called my mom and asked her if she would come take me to the after hours place by my house. The verdict...I have a pretty nasty viral infection. My fever was at 103. I asked if he could give me anything for the pain...percaset (forgive my spelling!) lortab, or lethal injection. He gave me lortab, and promised that was preferrable to lethal injection. He also told me not to go back to work until Thursday. So today I stayed home, got the fever thing going again, took meds to help that, and then decided to take a lortab so I could get some rest. Not long after, our realtor calls and tells me that some people would like to come by and look at the house...NOW. So I am woosy, trying to sweep, mop, vacuum, and do a little clean up. Thankfully Paul did a pretty thorough cleaning before he left. After I got done with the cleaning, my mom and Preston show up with a Sonic Drink for me, so that was much appreciated. I decided to hang out with my mom until the people came to look at the house.
Finally, I was able to get back into bed, and try to sleep, but my cough was bugging so much that that was almost impossible. Paul got home about 6:00 p.m. with Josh and Sierra. We are sure happy to have them with us for a couple weeks. I wish Jacob, Andrew, and Daniel could be here, but they are with William for a month, so they won't get to spend time Josh and Sierra this time around.
I am getting ready to take another lortab, and I took a cough suppressent, (Paul called the pharmacist to make sure it was ok) so I can get some rest.
I didn't intend for this to be this long. Hope you weren't bored. I will write more, with pictures, hopefully tomorrow. There has been SO much going on!

CRAZY BUSY

2008-05-07T16:03:00.002-06:00

I have so much to blog, and catch everyone up on it's not even funny. I have soccer game info, baseball game info, all the things that are going on with the boys and their school, me and my school, our house....everything! Unfortunately, because there is so much going on, I can't do it right now, but keep checking back. I will try to get you up to date a little at a time! Thanks for your patience, and if you haven't checked out the website

www.citizenhaines.wordpress.com

then do. It's a great place to go for one stop news and information. He is also very willing to put a link on his website to yours, if you would like to do the same.

Ok, gotta run! Thanks for stopping by!

Spring Break

2008-04-23T22:20:00.006-06:00

Middle of April was spring break for our school district. We didn't do much, except for finish up decluttering our home. The realtor wanted everything out. We had to do touch up paint, along with a complete repainting of the initial 2 rooms that were finished in the basement. They were a different shade of white.

On Friday night, my girlfriends took me out to eat for my birthday. It was 2 weeks later, but that is just how it had to be due to other things going on. Besides, by doing it then, I was able to have dinner with a couple friends that I don't get to see that often.

I forgot to put up a picture that I took of Mom when we were out shopping for my birthday...birthday pictures are now officially done...no more...promise!

On Saturday morning, bright and early (6:00 a.m.) Paul and I left with the 3 boys to Las Vegas so they could attend their cousins baptism. The baptism was at 2, so we had time before hand to check into the hotel and get some swimming in. After the baptism, (William picked them up at the hotel, took them to the baptism, and then brought them back) we went out to eat at the buffet at Excalibur, and then went to their carnival type stuff they have on the very bottom floor. The boys had a great time! It was a fun weekend for them, and I am glad that I was able to do that for them.

I actually started typing this post a while ago, and wanted to do the pictures of our trip to Las Vegas a different way, but that didn't work, so I will get them on here in slide show form next chance I get.

While you were out...

2008-04-16T23:24:00.010-06:00

Well, this week, Mom and Dad have been moving into their new Home...Teri and I and our kids have gone over the past couple of days to help. We were cleaning blinds, wiping down doors, etc...Today mom had to go pick up Preston, leaving all of us at her home to do some cleaning. (These pictures were taken with a cell phone camera so resolution isn't that great! Check out my mom's blog for a couple of these, just clearer...we took a couple on her camera as a little "surprise"!)

While mom's away, the kids will PLAY!
Aimee...sorry I mispelled your name on one of the slides...

And I just saw another caption mis-typed...should have read "I THINK this is a dusting wand"

NO DEAL!

2008-04-15T15:37:00.012-06:00

Ok, it has taken me a few days to update about my Deal or No Deal experience. Saturday morning, I drove to my mom's, and then she drove me to the R.C. Willey in South Salt Lake where the auditions were taking place. We got there right about 9:00 a.m. The line was already huge, but we were told that as long as you were in line by 1:00 p.m. you would be able to audition. I was in the part of the line that was actually in the parking lot so I felt lucky....until someone coming out of the warehouse told us that the line inside was zig zagged for about another mile! I was in line for a total of 6 1/2 hours. We were then put into groups of 10, stood around a table, with one person from the audition staff, and we each had 20 seconds to tell that person about us. Then 2 people would be chosen to do a second interview. So after 6 1/2 hours, and 20 seconds later, the wait was over, and I didn't make it. But I really had a good time. I told Paul I would do it again, just not next weekend. I got home and my body was SO tired! It took me a couple days to recover. I took some pictures of the whole event, including me before, and after! I bet there were about 10 thousand people there. No kidding. When I got done and went outside, it was 3:30 and the line in the parking lot was still enormous. I am sure it was a late night for the Deal or No Deal Audition Staff.

Before the long day. Feeling pretty fresh.

This was taken very shortly after I got in line. Looking toward the door that eventually would lead to auditions.

These pictures were both taken at various stages of actually being inside the warehouse! (The first one was RIGHT when we first got in.) I knew there would be a crowd, but people came from Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho. A lady in front of us rode her SCOOTER from Wyoming to Salt Lake! Some people are really NUTS!

This was me after the day was over. Mom came to pick me up and take me back to my car....I WAS SO TIRED!

I NEED YOUR HELP

2008-04-09T22:26:00.005-06:00

First off, a little background information. I LOVE WATCHING GAME SHOWS. I have the television on to the Game Show Network all the time. I would LOVE to be on a game show. With that being said, I am trying out to be on Deal or No Deal. I need to fill out the application, but some of it has me stuck. I need to now what my friends consider to be my best qualities, and what my friends consider to be my worst qualities...(be nice! I may win big!!! :-0) Also if you can help me think of :

**a most embarassing moment that you may have been witness to

**something daring or dangerous that I have done. (Probably from Ricks college days...)

**The wierdest thing about me

**How I am competitive in my everyday life.

I just need some help jogging my memory...I am 35 now...getting old. I will keep you posted on what happens.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-04-08T15:56:00.008-06:00

Well, I am going to try to take a minute to update this blog. I celebrated my 35th birthday on Sunday. I can't believe that another 5 years I hit 40. YIKES! It was a nice weekend. It started with my Mom taking me shopping Friday afternoon. We bought a really nice blouse for me to wear on Saturday...(story to follow) Paul and I went out on Friday. We went to Outback, and I tried to be really good about eating. I did eat the whole baked potato, but only a few bites of the steak...but we also had some bloomin' onion. HOWEVER, we probably ended up taking more than 1/2 of it home. We couldn't go out on Saturday due to Priesthood session. Then my girlfriend Dani took me out to lunch on Saturday, inbetween sessions. We had a realtor come over after the last session on Saturday...(long story, but we have decided that we are going with a realtor) and tell us the things we need to get done before we list it with him, so even if I was going to go out Saturday night, I couldn't have. Too much to do! Sunday, Paul organized a family party for my birthday. We had a lot of people there, and it was a great time. I really appreciate Paul taking the initiative to do that. My girlfriends Robin and Heather are going to take me out to dinner in a couple weeks, when hopefully I have all the things done in my home that I need to do....I also got many birthday wishes from friends and family that live too far away to visit.(SWAMPWITCH...)

This is the cake Paul got. He was horrified at the colors, but I think he did a pretty good job. Looked like spring! (The day after my birthday, it snowed...arghhhhh!) Don't pay too much attention to the use of my middle name...he said he put it on there because he could! :-)
Most of the pictures that I took didn't turn out terribly well. Lights too bright, blurry, etc...but if you check out mom's blog, she has a few. (http://www.janetthwaitsblog.blogspot.com/)
Teri, Jason, Alisa and Alison

Jeremy, his Girlfriend Amanda, and my niece Amanda, and her boyfriend Dave.

Grandma and Andrew

Doug and Kellie

Dave and Amanda again.

Accidents Happen

2008-04-07T22:15:00.006-06:00

I got a phone call Sunday evening. William telling me that they had to take Jacob into the after hours emergency care. Apparently, he was throwing a football, (they have something set up so they can throw a football in the house....?) and it bounced wrong, hit the light up above, and the light came down, cutting him on his chin. He had to go in and get 6 stitches. He was a trooper, from what I gather. He was showing off his stitches rather proudly. Loved telling the story of how it happened. I asked him what he learned, and he said he couldn't think of anything. My thought: DON'T PLAY FOOTBALL INSIDE THE HOUSE! NEVER a good idea.

Jacob wanted everyone to get a good look at his stitches....and we are also getting a great nostril shot! BONUS!!

Still handsome......regardless of the stiches

Happy Birthday Grandpa

2008-03-31T22:06:00.005-06:00

We just came from Mom and Dad's "house" to celebrate Dad's 56th Birthday. It was a lot of fun. As close as we all live together, I really dont' get to see Teri and Jason much, (unless Jason is coming over to help us with home repair!) and their kids, so it was a good night. Mom and Dad are in this home temporarily until they are able to get into a more permanent place. (Which they have found and will be moving in a couple weeks...spring break.) Here are just a few pictures of the evening.

I thought this was a great one of Aimee...The strawberries Mom had were really yummy!
Happy Birthday Dad! We love you!

Some Fun Pictures

2008-03-27T23:18:00.002-06:00

Finally, here are some pictures of my wedding in June, and few others of family, and a few of my trip to Alaska.

Book Shelf

2008-03-27T21:29:00.002-06:00

Just a little bit about the books I have listed. I know that most of them are self help books, but they are really fascinating. The color code book is just an interesting read, and once you get an idea of the colors, it's fun to try to figure out what other people are, and once you do that, you can enhance your relationship with them....
Same idea with the Five Love Languages book. This was a very insightful read. Helps you understand your love languages, and also gives you the tools to figure out what other's love languages are so you can express love to that person in a way that is more meaningful to them.
"How to love a porcupine" book was referred to me by a friend. I began reading this to figure out how I could protect myself from those around me exhibiting toxic personalities. I think I was on page 6 when I realized that the book had a lot to offer as far as fixing some toxic behaviors that I exhibit!
"Diary of a Whimpy Kid"...The one book that is on there that isn't self help is a book I came across, referred to me by another friend. (Thanks Robin!) I am telling you, if you are struggling finding a book that your kids actually enjoy reading, pick this one up! There are 2 books right now in the series, and if you need me to, let me know, I can get them for you from scholastic. My younger boys think its funny, but Jacob just LOVES it. He is a little older so he understands the humor a little more. It is a 4th/5th grade reading/comprehension level, but younger kids can still read and enjoy, it is illistrated with cartoons.

I Promise...I really can cook!

2008-03-27T18:47:00.002-06:00

Ok, to start this story off, I need to tell you that I was reading my niece's blog the other day and died laughing when she posted the fact that she was making a casserole for her boyfriend and didn't actually cook the noodles before she put them in the casserole! Her boyfriend sat there and ate a crunch casserole. We had such a good time at Amanda's expense. So, going along with the phrase what goes around comes around, I will begin my tale.
It was Easter Sunday, and we were all going to go over to Teri's house to eat dinner. I was in charge of the scalloped pineapple, the frog eye salad, and the deviled eggs. I put all the eggs into boil, and then went upstairs to change out of church clothes. I apparently compeltely forgot about the eggs, because I laid down to take a sunday afternoon nap. I woke up some time later to the fire alarm going off. I told Paul not to worry about it, it was probably Jeremy cooking something downstairs. He went down anyway, and say the all the water had boiled out of the pan and eggs were burnt black, and exploding all over the kitchen! It was really a pretty funny site. I didn't take pictures, because I wasn't going to admit it to anyone...then came Monday night.
We were just doing a quick and easy dinner. Grilled Cheese and Soup. Between the five boys, (Paul, Jeremy, Jacob, Andrew and Daniel - I am not a fan of soup) they wanted 3 different kinds of soup. So I get all that going, and then start on the grilled cheese. I get Andrew his food, then Daniel. Jacob is in the shower, so Jeremy is next in line. He starts to cut his sandwich diagonally, and brings it to my attention THAT THERE IS NO CHEESE IN THE SANDWICH...just 'grilled bread'. So, between the eggs on Sunday, and the grilled cheese on Monday, I really need to convince everyone that I can cook....so I am off to make spaghetti - 0's. Just kidding, but I actually could go for some!

House for Sale

2008-03-23T22:14:00.003-06:00

We are putting our home on the market officially tomorrow. We have been spreading the word, and have had a few people interested, mostly familes that live in the Condos across from us. We are really praying that the timing works out for us. We are planning on building a home about a minute up the road from where we are, but that has to be COMPLETE by the time preschool starts in September. (Earlier if possible, that way we will have time to finish the basement and I won't have to do preschool in the main living area!) Not sure how it will go, since the market is not doing so well right now. My neighbor did say (she is a realtor) that homes in Harvest Hills (where I live) are going pretty quickly. So wish me luck and offer up a

prayer or two that things will work out for us. Luckily, if we don't sell, no biggie. We are actually pretty confident that it will sell, just maybe not for the price we need to get out of it. We were just hoping to get into a bigger home with all the kids in our family now. Plus my preschool would have an outside entrance which I would LOVE!

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T21:28:00.005-06:00

We didn't get to do much with the kids this easter. Most of them were elsewhere. The easter bunny did come visit the 3 youngest boys (Jacob, Andrew, Daniel) and Jeremy. We went to Teri's house and had a wonderful Easter Dinner. I ate entirely too much. TOMORROW I WILL BEGIN AGAIN! We played "Are you smarter than a 5th grader" and unfortunately, we were not! We missed the very last question! It was a good time though. (The other team was smarter-they answered all the questions correctly.) I took a few pictures, so here they are...

These last 2 pictures are just some last minutes ones I took. Not the greatest. Sandy was also there with her boyfriend Kent and his daughter. All the boys were outside playing with their bubbles that grandma got them for Easter...

Couch Potato?

2008-03-03T19:59:00.005-07:00

This video was taken tonight while Daniel was playing XBOX....not a Wii....just a plain old XBOX. Sorry about the mess, we are trying to get some things packed up so we can put our house on the market, and Paul and Jason are in the basement finishing up door frames/baseboards, so I apologize for the background noise.

Sorry the second video is sideways. For now it will have to stay that way, but you still get the idea....

Stuck in the Snow

2008-03-03T16:09:00.010-07:00

I don't really know how to begin this story...I was driving around our area, picking up some floor plans for homes...and I decided to drive around and just see the other homes in the area. So I turned onto a road that Paul and I had been on before, in the not to recent past, and the snow wasn't an issue then. (I HAD forgotten that about a couple weeks ago we got pounded with a snow storm, and receive alot more snow!) Anyway, so I am happily driving along, when all of a sudden...I GET STUCK! Not just a little stuck. My car won't budge. I get out to survey the damage. I walk around to the passenger side, and the front wheel is spinning like crazy! It is only then that I realize I had left my car in drive so I try to open the passenger door to put the car in park, but it is locked. No biggie, I would just go back to the drivers side. WELL, I suppose that since the car was still in drive, as soon as the door closed, it locked. So I was locked out of my car, front wheel spinning, stuck in snow. I was terrified that the front wheel would catch and my car would leave without me! So I ran to the closest house, knocked on the door. A man about mid fifties opened the door, I quickly told him of my predicament. He was kind enough to offer me a ride to my house (only about a minutes drive away) to get my spare key. I thanked him for his kindness, and he said no problem, he was already done getting funeral arrangements made for his mother the NEXT DAY!

To make a long story short, he also had had kneee replacement surgery, so he couldn't really help push. I found some men on the construction site close by, and 6 men were not able to get my car unstuck. My car was high centered, and I had to leave it there and drive Paul's truck to Salt Lake to take him the things he needed. (As you can see from the picture, I WAS SO CLOSE TO MAKING IT!)

When Paul got done with baseball practice, we went out to my car and, thanks to another kind neighbor with a 20 foot chain, we were able to pull my car out, after we shoveled snow for 20 minutes! I took some pictures, but not sure they do the situation justice.

I am SO ready for spring!

Last Resort

2008-02-28T17:50:00.002-07:00

Ok, as some of you may know, in March 2004 I started loosing weight. It took me about a year to loose 30 pounds. After my divorce, I lost another 10, and was able to keep that off for the next year and a half. In case you lost count, that is a total of 40 pounds that I lost over a period of 2 years, and was able to keep most of it off for 2 1/2 years. (Hope that makes sense) Even at that weight, I still wanted to loose another 10. Anyway, since I have been married, I have gained 15 pounds back! THIS IS NOT A GOOD THING! I have tried doing what I did before, making myself accountable to friends, but unfortunately, with such good friends I don't care about telling them that I gained a pound or whatever...SOOOOOO I am going public. Don't get excited, there is no way I am going to actually reveal what I weigh! That would make me insane! However, I am going to tell everyone that reads this that I want to loose 12 pounds by my birthday. (April 6th) I will keep you updated on my progress. The basic plan is this: just watch my portions, and exercise. It worked for me before, I just need to try to find what will motivate me this time, and hopefully this is it.
After I loose the 12 pounds, I want to loose another 12 by the end of June, and then another 6 by the end of summer. (realizing that the last 10 pounds will take the longest to get off!) That will make it a total of 30 pounds lost....I am really hoping that I can do this. Like I said, I just need to find what motivates me, and I have tried everything else.....

Alright, I am off to make dinner and keep my portions under control! :-) Wish me luck!

It's about time

2008-02-27T21:19:00.015-07:00

Alright, I have decided that I really need to find time about once a weeke to update this thing, since there are so many of you living far away, and so many more that are so close yet I never have a chance to visit with...

The only thing I worry about it not having anything very interesting to say. So for today, I will just update you on all the kids.

Brenden is still at BYU and spring football has begun. He is on scholarship this semester so that is a good thing. He is single right now, but as with all college kids, that could change tomorrow! We don't get to see much of him, with his football/school schedule, but we see him when we can.

Jeremy is living with us while he prepares to join either the Police Academy or the Highway Patrol. His room was the one in the basement that was finished, all except for the PINK (yes...pink) carpet scraps that were brought in as a quick fix. Thankfully we just put brand new carpet in the basement so he now has as much more masculine color. He has been dating a girl for about 6 months, with no future plans.

Aubrey is anxiously awaiting High School Graduation. She has been accepted to Southern Virginia University, but that is not to say that she won't end up going to Utah Valley University. We would love to have her close, but her first choice is SVU. She told us a couple weeks ago that someone set fire to the seminary building in Farmington, and since it was a religious building, they are calling it a hate crime, and the FBI was called in! She is also keeping busy playing spring soccer.

Sierra is 1/2 way through her first year of high schools and seems to really be enjoying it. Not only does she keep busy with friends in New Mexico, she apparently spends alot of time texting her friends she has made here in Utah. Paul says she is starting to like boys...I am thinking she has for a long time, but Paul has been in denial! She is a cute girl and brings a sense of calm when she is here...she has her work cut out for her with 4 younger brothers!

Josh has just finished his basketball season, and is waiting for baseball season to begin. Pauls younger kids don't get to come up as often as we would like, but when they come, we enjoy them immensely. Josh likes to play video games, shoot his BB gun, and play with his cell phone, my cell phone, Pauls cell phone, your cell...if you leave it hanging around he will discover all the cool things your phone can do!
Jacob is finishing up basketball, and he too will be starting baseball in the spring. He is trying a new experiment with growing his hair long. He comes and shows Paul and me every night how his hair swings from side to side when he shakes his head. We don't have the hear to tell him that it's not moving. Compared to the buzz cut he has always had, it is long, but not quite the flowing mane that he thinks it is. He has a crush on a couple of girls in his class and was on cloud 9 when one of them said that she would be his valentine! I can't believe this business is starting already!
Andrew is also playing basketball and is quite the shooter. He is disgusted that he is on the same team as Daniel, but has been handling it ok. It makes it alot easier on me! He has decided he wants to give baseball a try, so this will be his first season. He LOVES the Denver Broncos, and has posters, clothes, hats, everything Denver Broncos. He has informed us that he doesn't like college football, but for the next few years, he will be a reluctant BYU fan.

What can I say about Daniel? He is so fun to watch playing basketball, not quite sure of all the rules, but he is trying with all his heart. He will be playing coach pitch this year, and he is pretty excited about that. Every morning he wakes up telling me I have to make him some kind of deal for him to go to school that day...I have not caved yet! Once he wakes up, he is good, but I am afraid he inherited his mom's love of sleep. He loves to play video games, and would be on the xbox/gamecube/PSP all day if I would let him. When he is not begging to play that, he is wanting to play with his BFF Marshall. He also has a crush on a girl in his class and has been caught gazing at her picture before school.

Ok, it has taken me several hours to just do this much, so for now it's good. Just quickly about Paul and I. We are both keeping very busy with our teaching. We are trying to get workouts in, along with making sure we spend as much time as possible with all the kids, which means I don't have weekends to myself like I used to but that is good for me. Our lives are very busy right now, but very fulfilling. Quick side note: I had a preschooler today tell me that her mom finally had her baby and that the new baby looked just like she did when she came out of her mommy...same amount of hair...same color of hair...same pink hair bow! It was hilarious! I have to say that times like that really make all the frustrating times worth it!

I am off to bed, morning comes early.

Piano Recital

2007-10-16T12:45:00.004-06:00

Jacob had a piano recital back in December, and I took a little video of it. He worked really hard on the song, and played it very will. He has been taking piano for a little over a year, and can't wait until he passes off level 3, because that is when I told him he would no longer have to take piano. I just want him to at least know the basics. He tell his piano teacher that his mom plays SO well, and if he could just play like that he would never take another lesson again. I really don't play all that well, but I will let him keep believing that. I need all the positive press I can get while he is still young, teenage years are fast approaching!

Wet and WILD

2007-10-08T22:21:00.000-06:00

Grandma and Grandpa Rick visited this past week for Alison and Cindy's Baptism. It was nice to see them. The boys were able to go back to Grandma and Grandpa's hotel and get some swimming in. Of course Preston came with them, along with Grandma Nell. They had such a great time with Preston and Grandpa. Alisa and Alison were there swimming as well, I am not sure what they thought of the crazy boys, but from my view point, it looked like everyone was having a great time!

Buenos WHO?

2007-10-08T22:19:00.000-06:00

Paul and I enjoyed a full week in Puerta Vallarta. It was our slightly delayed honeymoon, but it was the best time for us to go. We sat in on a time share presentation, (we didn't buy!) and in exchange we were able to get 2 tickets for a full day cruise, hike to waterfall, 2 tickets for a night cruise, and 2 one hour long "relaxing massage", all for just $100. We think we got a pretty good deal. The day cruise left at 9:00 in the morning, and we went to a secluded part of Puerta Vallarta and hiked to a waterfall, ate lunch, and played at the beach. Kayaking was available, but since we hiked to the waterfall, we didn't have time to get it all in. On the boat back to the port, the tour guides started doing karaoke. They did a bunch of spanish songs, and then they wanted all the people from the United States to come up and do a very popular American Song....I LOVE ROCK AND ROLL. Paul and I, along with another American couple we met, got up there and "sang". We mostly just knew the chorus. It was pretty sad.We returned from the Day Cruise about 6:15 p.m. and had to rush to where we had scheduled our "relaxing massages". They took us into a quiet room, barely lit. Paul and I got ready to get our massages, (this was a first for me). Two little ladies came in and really worked us over. It was SO nice. Paul and I decided afterwards, that the massage alone would have been worth all the money. It is amazing the such little ladies can give such amazing massages.The night cruise we went on took us to an island called Los Calletas. Once we were there, we were able to see a show about the mexican culture. It was beautiful and amazing. Afterward, they had a buffet set up for everyone lit by candles and torches. It was a very beautiful night.Since we were able to get such a good deal on the tours that we went on, we decided that we would take the Pirate tour as well. It was a completely different experience than any of the other cruises. We went at night, but it was a PARTY! We stayed on the boat during the whole thing, but we were well entertained.We spent alot of time in the ocean, just playing on the beach, since our hotel was right on the beach, so that was nice. We had a really good time, and are looking forward to getting back there on a regular basis. We have realized however, that we probably need to take a quick refresher course in speaking spanish.

Back to Reality...

2007-10-08T22:18:00.000-06:00

After a long, lazy summer, it is time to get back to real life. Paul starting back to work, assistant coaching for the Hillcrest High School Football team the 13th of August. Since August 20th, he has had to be at the school for meetings/getting his classroom ready etc, at 7:00 in the morning....he has to get up at 5:45! (I didn't even know there WAS a 5:45 a.m.!!) Students start on Monday, so here we are, on a Saturday morning, and Paul was gone by 7:30 to make sure he is ready to begin teaching on the 27th. All this, in addition to him coming home every night getting some more work done in the basement. It is almost done, and it looks really nice. A project 5 years in the making is finally coming to a close!I have been able to enjoy a few extra weeks of summer, however. Preschool doesn't start back up for me until after Labor Day. I have been getting up about 6:30 every morning this past week to get the boys off to school, but I have had the luxury of being able to crawl back into bed for a bit once they were off. There is alot of work to be done in our home, aside from the basement. Trying to merge 2 households has been quite a project. Very overwhelming to me, but slowly it is getting done. Mom and Teri came over the other night to help me straighten up and get my preschool room ready to go. I was so glad for their help. Had I been thinking, I would have taken some before and after pictures! It was bad!