Our Christmas look....

I will do my "what we did for Thanksgiving" post probably tomorrow, but I don't have time right now, so I am just introducing our new "December" look. I am really looking forward to the "January" look, but here it is for this month. I gotta get to ward choir! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend, and are recovered from all the good eating!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know it is a few days early, but these next couple days are going to be CRAZY busy, so I thought I would do this post now. The kitchen is getting around to looking more like a kitchen, and we unfortunatly did not make out goal of having it finished by Thanksgiving. Oh well, at least my oven is plugged in and we ate an actual meal tonight. I swear, if I NEVER eat at McDonalds or Taco Bell again, I won't be sad one bit! Fast food loses its "treat" aspect when it is pretty much all you eat for a month. Yuck! Yeah, PB n' Js and double cheeseburgers get old super fast.

We are going to Mesa this year for a Barton Thanksgiving, and staying here for a Peterson Christmas. We are leaving Wednesday afternoon, and coming back probably Friday afternoon. I may be able to talk David into staying longer.... I don't know though. So with that, I hope everyone is thankful for their blessings, and has an enjoyable, relaxing, happy Thanksgiving! Good eating!

Our Sunday

It turned out to be a pretty fun Sunday. I have been looking forward to this particular Sunday for a few weeks now. It was the Primary Program. The kids did great! And a bonus for mom and dad..... Nathan, Aubrey, and Emily where carted up to the stage for over half the meeting, so we only had two kids to wrestle with- instead of five!!! It was a nice break for mommy, that's for sure. There seemed to be a lot of people at church today, probably to see the kids in the program. All my kids knew their parts forward and backward, and Nathan did great, yet both the girls sat and waited for help through their part. I was disappointed that they didn't just say it, because they knew it! Oh well, maybe next year. And by the way, by the time next year comes, all we will have is Jay to wrestle during the program. That will be an even nicer treat!

After church a great family in our ward, the Sipes (hi Russel Sipes-the drywall guy), invited us over for a REAL meal of food. What a yummy meal (best that I have had in over a month), and a great time for everyone! The kids had fun trashing their house while playing with their kids; and David and I had a good time getting to know them better, chatting, laughing a lot, and playing a game that we didn't end up finishing. We will have to do it again soon. We promised that we would host it as soon as our kitchen gets finished.... May not be as soon as I wish. =)

The reason we had to leave the game unfinished is because I had a phone call this morning from our executive secretary saying that the bishop wanted to meet with me this evening. And we all know what that means........ A new calling. So I just barely got back from my meeting with the bishop (which actually was a meeting with his two counselors), and my new calling is..........(drum roll, please) Primary Pianist. I expected it, knew it was coming and was already prepared to say yes. I feel a little nervous about it. As much as I love to play the piano, I know that I am not very good, or at least not as good as the current pianist. I really am happy to be back in primary. I love the kids in our ward, and the Primary Presidency are very nice, great women. Last time I had this calling I was pregnant with Emily (so about 4 years ago.) Wish me luck!

The kitchen, and a mysterious burn

We painted the red accent color, and hung all my upper cabinets! It is really starting to look like a kitchen........ well, sort of! Here are some pictures of our progress these last few days.Here is David putting on our first coat of the wine red color. It took two coats.

Here is the small wall, painted in the red color. My favorite color is red, if you couldn't tell! =)

Here is the first cabinet going up! It's the one above the fridge. It is harder then it looks, just ask my back today (and the ironic thing about it, is that David did all the really heavy lifting).

And here is the final product. Yes I need to do some touch up paint on all the cabinets, and completely paint a couple of them. David will be building me a custom spice rack that pulls out. He is an amazingly talented guy when it comes to woodwork.


And in some completly unrelated news. Here is a strange and somewhat mysterious burn that showed up on Aubreys arm yesterday. You ask her what happened and how she got hurt, and she has NO idea. It is a pretty bad burn, and she isn't bothered by it at all. I knew that she was super strong and tough, but this is crazy! I am still treating it with burn cream, and keeping it clean, but how can she NOT feel that, ouch. It hurts me just to look at it. Strange.

Kitchen stuff and chubby cheeks

Tuesday, bright and early, our drywall guy showed up and put the texture on the walls. I was so busy watching them (David helped), I didn't get any pictures. The drywall guy just happens to also be in our ward, and the Elders Quorum president. Being that David is the secretary, you can see that we had connections, and he came and put that texture on for free, out of the goodness of his heart. Can't beat that!

My parents showed up at about 11 am, and we filled some time while we waited for the walls to dry. A couple hours later my mom and dad put the sealer on the walls. Next came the paint! It was a busy day, and things moved along pretty quickly and smoothly. Here is a pic of the paint going on...... (most of the walls will be white, flat finish; the soffit and one small wall will be a wine red accent color, flat finish).

During the day, while the walls dried, my dad took it upon himself to fix my washer. FINALLY!! I have gotten really good at going to the laundromat, and have it down to a science now. I am used to it so much that I have forgotten what it is like to have a working laundry room. So my dad drove around a bit and found a place that carried the part that we need, ordered it, and it should be here next week. Guess what that means?!?!?!? I will finally have a washer again, and I won't have a laundry pile the size of the Rocky Mountains anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you tell I am excited about that?? Thank you thank you dad, for just ordering the dang part. I am happy as a clam. Also during the day, I got a cute picture of my dad holding Jay. Jay is named after my dad, you know...... isn't it cute?

And before I completely forget, I need to write down the funniest thing that Nathan said on Tuesday. I think you'll get a kick out of it! We sure did! So Nathan had been outside, playing with his friends, when he came inside and said, "Mommy, do you know what chubby means?" I answered him, "Yes, I kind of do. What do you think it means?" (Now at this point, I was silently preparing a speech in my head about how we don't call people chubby or fat, how we don't need to say mean things to each other, etc.) And this is actually how he answered...... "It means, when you run your cheeks flop". And he contently turned around and went back outside to play with his friends. My mom and I started cracking up! How do you keep a straight face with an answer like that???? Your cheeks flop???!!!??? What a hoot our Nathan is.

Here is why we got NOTHING done last night in the kitchen. David and I went to help with the light cleaning at the temple where David ran the vacuum all over the temple, and by the time we got home, he must have been pooped! He fell fast asleep, all within 20 minutes of walking through the door. Nathan got up to use the bathroom soon after we got home, and went and laid next to David on the couch, and fell back asleep. It was a pretty sweet to see two of my guys sleeping soundly on the couch. Yea, but David might just kill me for posting this one! He doesn't even know I took it. We will see how long it lasts!

On my mind....

I originally thought I would blog about all the big progress of the kitchen today, but my mind has been running on overdrive since my parents left again. Yes, my mom and dad came up to Snowflake again today to help get some major steps in the kitchen remodel done. They worked hard, all while I stood and watched the kids.

So, what is on my mind, you say?

1. This last week I got some saddening news about my Uncle Jon, but we call him "Uncler". He has been diagnosed with brain cancer. My thoughts have been with him, my dear Aunt Linda, and their family right now, when emotions and feelings are running on high. I hope the best for him, and pray for the Lord's comfort and direction in their time of need.
2. My dad took me aside tonight, just to tell me how much he loved me. It was a nice moment between us, hug and all. And as they drove away, back to Mesa tonight, the only thing I could find myself thinking was, "I already knew that". My dad isn't the mushy type, so moments like that just don't happen, yet I ALWAYS have known that my dad loves me. And daddy, I love you too.
3. I am so grateful lately for the blessing it is to live in this great nation. I feel a wind of change coming soon that will forever change the USA as we know it. And yet, I still feel blessed and love this US of A. What a great thing to live here now, in this time, in this place.
4. I feel very happy to have parents that want to help us out. I am grateful for them always, but I have been particularly aware this week of their great big hearts. My mom is always so helpful with things that just need done, like my laundry, bathrooms, holding a child, reading a story, etc. My dad is willing and ready at the drop of a hat to fix things, like my washer, my heart, electrical stuff, remodel a bathroom, etc. He is so handy with tools, and I feel like we are often on the receiving end of his skills, with his tool bag, AKA..."magic bag of tricks", that he totes along with him every time they visit.

So, that is what is on my mind tonight. I will post some progress on the kitchen later, but for now, there are my thoughts, as jumbled as they are.

THIS is the way to end a day

After a quick game of "Old Uncle Tom", we got pjs on, told a bible story about Moses parting the Red Sea (or Red River, according to Nathan =) ), we said family prayers and the kids got a random treat. David will sometimes give them "rides" to bed.... here are two of the cuter shots that I got.

After everyone was tucked in, and I was looking through the pictures I had taken, I showed David the one with all the kids on his back. All he had to say was "That looks heavy!". Hahahaha! It won't be much longer until he won't be able to 'horsey-ride' them all together to bed. First, they are just getting too big now, and second, his back isn't long enough anymore. Betsy was having a hard time just staying on! Jay was being super cute tonight. He just kept laughing his head off! He loves posing for the camera, now that he has figured out what that black thing that flashes at him is! What a wonderful baby he is. He makes my day, everyday! This was a great way to end the day. I love it when bedtime goes so fun and smoothly. I have great kids, and I love them all!

A big kitchen 24 hours

My parents arrived last night at about 5 pm. As soon as they got here, and we had a quick picnic dinner on our family room floor (my current kitchen table), we got right to work. Here was the progress of the kitchen when they arrived....

And here it is tonight.......

We got so much done in just 24 hours! First, my dad worked on the electrical on the block wall, as my mom and I put up the insulation. David continued working on patching the walls. By nights end we had all the drywall up and the first coat of mud on! We started again bright and early this morning, and most of the day was focused on getting the electical figured out. My dad had to remove a few lights, and install 5 new recessed lights, and a new box for a future ceiling fan. He worked super hard, and David helped him tons getting in and out of that attic a hundred times. Bless their hearts! While we waited on drywall mud and electrical stuff, my mom and I got both my bathrooms sparkly, and ALL my laundry washed, folded, and put away. Now, that is a feat! I love it when my mom comes to town!

We are planning on getting the wall textured on Monday night, and I will put the primer on on Tuesday, and a few upper cabinets hung Tuesday night! My mom and dad are talking like they may come back up here to Snowflake and help us again on Tuesday and Wednesday, to help hang all our cabinets, paint, and maybe start tiling. We will see how our progress progresses... hehehe!

...the rest of the story

This afternoon my parents are coming to help us rebuild our kitchen. They were originally planning to help next week with the "final touches". Well, we are not even close to those kinds of touches yet! Here is a shot of my kitchen as of yesterday afternoon.We finished the plumbing (got rid of the hose bibs, and plumbed for the new icemaker!) and added some new firring stripes to the wall late into the evening, but that is about where it stands today.

We were not planning on such a tear down of the house, but after removing the tile backsplash, this is what we found on the entire wall behind the sink.....

Yes, that is mold. And the worst kind.... YUCK. So we proceeded to tear out that section of wall, only to later find that we had to tear out the WHOLE wall because the firring strips holding the sheetrock up were either so brittle from being 50+ years old, or being rotted out completly from sitting behind the lovely molded sheetrock. So now we are in the stage of reframing our house to hang new sheetrock.

I think that I have high hopes for this weekend. Probably too high! We have to remove three lights from the ceiling, patch them, and put a new box in for a new ceiling fan/light. (My dad is a pro at electical, so that is HIS job). We have to dismantle the smoke detector that has never worked and get a new one, in a different spot. I am also planning to get the sheetrock hung, taped, mudded, and textured. And possibly.... a few cabinets hung. =) We will see. I will take pictures and keep you posted.

We were originally planning on being completly done by Thanksgiving. With the help from my parents, and a good weekend with the kids dealt out to a few friends for babysitting we can focus hard on the task at hand and just might make it! Cross your fingers for us! Have a great weekend!

Everything in the wrong places!

This is the sign that greets you on our bathroom door. And here is why.....

The tub is now officially my "kitchen sink" where I do all the dishes. The bathroom sink is for getting drinks and washing hands. And as you can see, the toliet is blocked, so unusable.

Here is a shot of my family room.... The cabinet that you can see in the picture is what will be my new kitchen cabinets. And of course, my new fridge, in the middle of the family room! Topped off by my piano jammed in the corner, unusable =(, and the kitchen clock above.

And here is the rest of it, stacked all over the office. I am straightening it up a bit today, so I can walk around in there! What a mess this job has become! And this isn't even the worst of it.... I will blog about that next time! I feel more and more like we have bitten off far more then we can chew. David is being a good sport, and is really putting in alot of extra energy, effort, and hours in getting my kitchen up and running again. It is taking longer then I had hoped, but isn't that always the way it is with construction???

Happy 2nd Birthday Betsy!

Betsy is two years old today!! It is amazing how fast a little girl can grow up. She is still just as beautiful as ever. As soon as her big sister Emily was born (she came in just 45 minutes labor, at 36.5 weeks, I will tell that story on Emily's birthday =) ), we had always known that we would have to induce labor for any future children. We live too far away from the hospital (35 minute drive) to have the stress! Dr. DeWitt, my OB/GYN, ordered an amniocentesis at 36 weeks to check for lung maturity. Everything checked out perfectly and she was induced five days later on November 11, 2006. We had such trouble finding a name for her. We had planned on 'Elizabeth Ann' for most of my pregnancy, but it just didn't fit her. We took off of 'Elizabeth Ann' and settled on Betsy Ann.... and it seemed to be a perfect match. She is such a joy, with so much energy and love. She is our only child that resembles her daddy. All the kiddos are toe-heads with blue eyes, and she is darker headed with hazel eyes. She has always been very content and easy. She is tough as nails (has to be with 3 older sibs!), and loves to tote along with them all the time. Her favorite things right now are baby dolls and Dora the Explorer. She sings along with the show pretty well. This morning she got a few little gifts from the family, and she just kept saying "Wow!" over and over again. It was super sweet. We love our boo-bears! Happy birthday, to our wonderful Betsy Ann!

7 years later--

I met David at the Media Center at Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher Arizona just two weeks after my boyfriend of over three years left on his mission. It took just a couple weeks for my head and heart to change gears drastically and fall in love with David. It is amazing how fast things change in life when it is the RIGHT changes. As I was laying in bed this morning contemplating what we have accomplished in the last seven years, I realized that we have come very far together. Here are some of things we have done, in chronological order:

• Met the end of February 2001, first kiss was the end of March =)
• Engaged July 23, 2001
• Married November 10, 2001 in the Mesa Arizona Temple.
• 1st apartment. Windscape Apt #2026
• Honeymoon baby! Nathan Reese born, August 31, 2002
• Moved down the complex Apt. #1093 to a two bedroom, Jan. 2003
• Moved in with my parents while our house closed, three weeks.
• Bought a house! Condo #294. March 2003
• Aubrey Sue born, December 10, 2003
• Decided to move to Snowflake. Moved in with in-laws March 2004.
• Surprise, we are pregnant! (Aubrey was just 11 weeks old!)
• Moved into rental double wide. June 2004
• Emily Jo born, December 19, 2004 (45 minute labor, at 36.5 weeks)
• Bought a home! Highland Drive.
• Lots of pediatric therapy for Emily (speech, music, physical)
• Betsy Ann born, November 11, 2006
• Surprise! Pregnant again! Jay Clayton born, December 15, 2007

David asked me this morning if it has been a good seven years, or a bad seven years..... More good then bad. And I wouldn't trade my hubby for anything, or anyone for that matter. We have lived in seven different houses, had five kids, and grown together as a family. I love him more today then I did yesterday, and even more then the day I married him. Best decision I ever made. Happy Anniversary, I love you David!

A handsome pulling team

It has been a pretty busy weekend, filled with lots of messes as we finish up the demo. It is taking longer then I thought it would. As a nice break, and to pick up a few tools we will need for sanding and texturing the walls, we made a trip over to Davids parents house. They only live a few miles away, but we don't go out to thier place often enough. While we were there Davids' dad was working with his two beautiful horses, with them yoked together with some very pretty harnesses. We also all looked at their recent purchases of two wagons. One looks exactly like what you would imagine when you think about pioneers. The other is a buggy-type. All the kids and I got a fun ride around their backyard. But the buggy was not attached to the horses.... but to David and his dad!! It was a fun ride for the kids, but even more fun for me to watch my husband and my father-in-law walk the same, pull the same, look the same (from the back). I laughed out loud to see just how much they are alike! Like father, like son!

Some kitchen pictures and updates

So here is my 50+ year old kitchen. I am happy to say that it is in the midst of a remodel, and I couldn't be happier!! Here are some pictures of what is now considered BEFORE: (yeah!!)

Yes, I know, it looks pretty gross. I have a super cute theme in my kitchen of red, white and black with cherries. I have lots of fun accents, but you can't really see them in the river of old cabinets, nasty color scheme, and the lovely tile, everywhere. And yes, that last close-up pic of the cabinets are as clean as they will get. If I wipe them down at all, the paint just comes off... talk about quality =).

The range is still in great shape. It was here when we moved in, and was the nicest part of the kitchen. BUT, the range that my parents offered us it twice as nice, with a flat top (no more foil mom!), and a double oven feature! I already feel spoiled with just my fridge and range update!

Here is some of the demo in process. It is quite fun bashing those cabinets and tile with a sledge hammer. I must have some pent-up frustrations! You can see the water spicots, and ice maker jimmy in the first picture. And what you don't see in the second picture is a LARGE mouse nest that I found under the cabinets. It has no signs of any active use, thank heavens, but there are large amounts of "mice rice" and padding-stuff. I about threw up, and left the clean up to David. YUCK! I am not looking forward to what I will find in the rest of the demo. 50+ years of kitchen definitely left some "treasures" to find. I will have more updates for another time.... that is about as far as we are now.

This weekend we are finishing demo, fixing/capping off some plumbing and electrical, and doing our last minute shopping for the rest of our flooring, counter tops, back splash, and paint colors. It will be a busy, yet productive one! I am SO grateful to be married to a very handy man. I love that David is able to complete this project 100% on his own. He had many talents, and I love him so much for giving me my anniversary gift (Nov. 10th for 7 years) and Christmas gift early this year.......... a NEW kitchen!!!!!

Our Halloween....

I have begun feeling a little better this evening and thought that I should finally do my "Halloween" blog, before it becomes ancient history! I set out our autumn decorations a few weeks ago, and almost immediately went outside to see my placement with all the pumpkins being dismantled. I was not the least bit surprised =). I had to get a shot of it, they were being way too cute.

Here we are carving pumpkins. David has a knack at it--a little hidden art talent. Nathan wanted a 'monster pumpkin', and because he had his own pumpkin from a field trip with his first grade class to a local pumpkin patch, he got his wish. We also acquired a pumpkin from David's sister Eva, and so we let the girls have that one. Emily wanted a dog pumpkin, and Aubrey wanted a cat.... David was inventive, and did a darn good job, given the request. No pics of the final products, sorry!

Here is our annual Peterson Halloween party. That night Nathan was a 'karate kid'; Aubrey a frog; Betsy a dog; Emily is Tigger; and Jay is also a dog. Those two dog costumes have seen each one of my children through a Halloween. The cute girl in the pink is Ellen, who is Eva's youngest.

For the actual day of Halloween, Nathan wore the Tigger suit, and Aubrey and Emily were princesses. Betsy and Jay were still dogs. David also dressed up in a huge mountain man coat thing that looked a little scary.... yeah, Betsy and Jay cried. We must live in a super popular neighborhood because I ran out of candy just about 20 minutes into the evening! In fact, we resorted to passing out candy from our own kids bags until David got back from an emergency candy run. It ended up being okay, and the kids had a great time, even giving away their own candy stash. I estimate that we got at least 250, maybe 300 trick or treaters! I will plan on being better prepared next year!

We are now in the process of the demo of our kitchen. Our "new to you" cabinets are awaiting installation on our back patio. I have already swapped out the fridges, and am busy working on getting it done. We have spent a fair amount of time at random fast food drive thrus, and am looking forward to a healthy, home-cooked meal again soon..... I hope!

How could we let this happen?

As we all know by now, Obama is the new President of the United States. HOW??? I am incredibly nervous now for what is in store. What types of things will he deem tolerable??? I fear for much. I sat up last night glued to the TV, hoping that even though the odds were stacked against McCain, that he could somehow squeak through. I hope that I am wrong, but I still have many doubts against Obama. I think that President Boyd K. Packer knew exactly what he was talking about last Sunday when he said that tremendous changes are about to come.

If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear. David and I will be doubling our efforts on getting ourselves right with the Lord. Better at reading our scriptures, praying, food storage, etc. Now is the time to prepare to meet God.

We voted..... have you???

This morning we went and voted. I stood in line for an hour before I got my ballot. I am so proud today to be an American, and be part of this awesome democracy. I hope that we take advantage of the great blessing it is to be an American, with our freedoms and liberties and GO OUT AND VOTE!!!!

I hope that John McCain can pull through, and grasp the White House. No, I still don't like him much, but I seem to be liking him more and more because ANYONE is better then Obama. He just makes me nervous with his stances on abortion, taxes, foreign affairs and "spreading the wealth". Also his associations, YIKES!

Anyway.... get out there and vote! I will definitely have something to say in the near future about the results of this election. I just hope it is a good report..... I am keeping my fingers crossed, and John McCain and Sarah Palin in my prayers. Hopefully I can get some sleep tonight, but I doubt it.... I know I will be watching the news coverage and all the poll info as it happens!

VOTE!!!