The Peterson Family

I triple-dog-dare you!

2012-02-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

Let the reading commence! Just a fare warning; there are posts (yes, several) following this one, telling all about the final remodeling projects on our Snowflake home, and how we partially celebrated Christmas this year. Read on if you dare.... no pressure! =)

Oh and yes, I realize that there may be a curious reader or two (hi mom!), who are dying to know where and what we are living in. I must admit that because the pictures on thewalls are not hung, and the house doesn't stay clean in Montana either, I haven't felt 'ready' to take pictures of our wood-paneled palace yet. They will be coming as soon as I can muster the courage.... =)

Christmas 2011

2012-02-08T21:42:00.001-07:00

I have to admit that although we tried, Christmas was almost pushed aside this year. We were up to our ears in packing, remodeling, and generally pulling the house apart in every other corner. We set up our tree with about 50% of the normal ornaments and the nativity scene. The rest of the Christmas decor was left in its totes in the shed. Here are a few shots of what amount of Christmas we did celebrate.

The tree.

The nativity scene. Funny side note about this set... Before we were married David and I bought this nativity scene, along with some other big ticket items at a garage sale.

We went to the Snowflake 2nd Ward Christmas party.

On Christmas Eve, a secret elf knocked at the door and left five wonderful gifts for my five wonderful kids. The kids LOVED them, and we loved the goodness of an angel that knew we were having a harried holiday, and thought to brighten it a little bit. THANK YOU to whoever you are. We are grateful.

Santa Claus came to our house! And before you think that we spoil our kids rotten, you should know that 90% of this was socks, underwear, jeans, and long sleeved shirts, in preparation for our move to Montana!

Aubrey at her 2nd grade Christmas program. She was a jingle bell dancer and did a super cute dance routine! She is a natural performer.

Nathan, posing after his performance at the Snowflake Christmas Spectacular. He was in a boys choir that sang two numbers at the show. He practiced hard, and performed well!

And the last of our holiday spirit is Emily at her 1st grade Christmas program. She got to hold a candle in the song "Little Candle Fire". So sweet.

I am sad that Christmas was on the back burner for our family this year. I hope to make up for it a bit next Christmas. We took the tree and nativity set down the day after Christmas. That is when the HUGE push to get things done and going happened. I am so proud of my great kids. They have all really showed resiliency and acceptance with all the insanity and upheaval of the last couple months. I have the worlds greatest kids!!

Catching up... the rest of the house

2012-02-08T21:19:00.000-07:00

And to finished off the long list of remodeling that got completed in less then 6 weeks (David and I both realized how very much you can get done if you just focus, buckle down, and do it!)....

Almost the entire house got a paint job. Either some serious touch up, or an actual roll it on paint job.

Here is the boys room. We sadly covered up the camolauge that adorned their walls for years, and opted for a plain forest green instead.

The girls room got completely redone. It is amazing how hard three little girls are on a room. Skimcoat, paint, and this cute lavender wall (picked out by Betsy!) It turned out really cute. (Oh, and you see those open suitcases? Yes, that is what we lived out of for over a month...)

The closed in carport. It got patched, painted and updated fixtures. And this is the only shot I have of the new carpet. We had brand new beautiful carpet installed in all three bedrooms and in this room. Oh, and you can kind of see the epoxy floor in the laundry room in this picture!

And unfortunatly this is the best picture I can find of the master bedroom. It also got a complete face lift. We patched, painted, and even installed brand new blinds. This room matched the carpet beautifully.

The barewood shelf was installed in the kitchen. When we remodeled the kitchen a few years back, a hole was left between the two upper cabinets. Finally finished, but photographed before the paint got on. It looks better then I imagined it would. In fact, everything that Mathan did turned out better then I imagined!

And the last big project we did was replace the windows in our family room bay area. The sliding door had been replaced, the the two side windows were still the original 1980ish windows. So, we ordered them. And they came in. And they were the wrong size! We ordered 5 foot, and they delivered 6 foot! So, David and Mathan spent an afternoon, reframing and setting the two windows. I must not have taken a picture of them, but it was a huge project and deserves mention.

The other random things that got done were too many to mention. Lots of grunt work in the front, side and backyards. The shed cleared out, two large dump runs (we had A LOT of stuff!), and lots of small things that added up into a beautiful fully remodeled home. THANK YOU to my gracious father in law, Quince, my very talented brother in law Mathan, and to my siblings Heather, Heidi, Justin and brother in law Jacob, for your talents and help too! David and I are so grateful for your kindness, support and help in our time of need! We love you!

Catching up... the woodstove wall

2012-02-08T20:47:00.001-07:00

We had a great wood stove that we used heavily in the winter months. We wanted to raise it off the ground a bit and give it a more permanent home. We built a platform that acted as a stage for the kids for a while. Then as the cool weather settled in and as we tiled the rest of the house, we added tile to the platform. We then reinstalled the wood stove for use. But, the wall behind the stove got left for another time. David and I couldn't agree on what to do with it. I wanted to do some type of stacked stone. David wanted to do river rock. Neither of us wanted to do what the other one wanted... We had the pretty mantel blocks of wood installed, and some cement board too, but that is as far as it got. Then came the call to move. And we HAD to do something with it.

Isn't it gorgeous!! My bro-in-law, Mathan, used tile and made up this pretty pattern in his head, and did a BEAUTIFUL job. LOVE IT!

Catching up... laundry room

2012-02-08T20:24:00.001-07:00

Originally our house had a carport and an outside storage room. The washer was in the kitchen and there was no dryer. (Think 1960's). Before we bought the home, like most homes in the neighborhood, the carport was closed in making another room and the outside storage room was converted into a large laundry room. It was a nice touch to the home, yet, the laundry room never was finished. It still had its unfinished block and cement floors. It was uninsulated and, depending on the weather was either an oven, or a freezer. Twice the pipes froze on our washing machine because of this.

I don't think I have many pictures of my laundry room. Sorry, I just didn't find it worked well as a backdrop to pictures. Just imagine dark, damp, cold, and dungeon and you probably have a pretty good idea of what it looked like.

So, on to the remodel...

Here is the wall shimmed out, plumbing and electrical moved around and insulation panels in.

Drywall and texture!

On to the paint on the walls and shelving. And a thick coat of epoxy paint on the floor. I don't think I got a picture of that. But it finished the room off well.

And the final touch. The door of my dreams. It has a window that opens and everything.... Much needed addition for light, insulation and venting. I'm still jealous of the renters using that wonderful door...

And here is the finished product. I wanted some type of shelves or cabinets above the machines, but it didn't fit in the budget, so it didn't happen. Loved how it turned out.

Catching up.... the master bathroom

2012-02-08T16:54:00.001-07:00

And so it began. With a dripping shower head. It started out really slow. It got a bit faster and faster as the time went on. After a couple months it was almost a steady stream of water. We could fill a five gallon bucket in a few hours. Yeah, just imagine what it was doing to our water bill....

And then the sewer backed up into our master shower. Again. Yes, it stunk. A LOT. Well, we couldn't have 5 gallons of water every 3 or 4 hours adding to the already filled and plugged shower pan. So to make a long story short, David busted into the wall and capped off the water.

Fast forward and we experienced yet another back up. (pictured, with the lovely plunger and plumbing snake too!) After this final backup, we got serious, and started busting out the floor to finally FIX the problem. The house was originally plumbed wrong. Curse them.

So here are a few shots of the demo and what we found and ended up fixing.

Notice the hideous pee greenish/blueish tile.

You can't tell from this picture, but this hole is almost 2 feet deep into the ground. This is where the original plumber messed up. Bad. We (meaning our good plumber friend Billy and David) worked out the kinks and re plumbed a few things. Then it was finally time for rebuilding our mess.

The wall had to be built out because of a smaller shower stall. Beautiful work by my man. The new shower installed. (Painting courtesy of my wonderful sisters, bro-in-law, and lil' 'ol me).

And to fill in the space that was left, we opted for a coordinating tile. (The green that was used on the floor was 'out of print'.) Looks pretty huh? I had mixed feelings about leaving my beautiful, finally finished bathroom. I got to use our brand new shower three times before we left... =(

Next up, the laundry room (AKA the dungeon)....

Montana!

2012-01-25T22:07:00.002-07:00

Just a very quick update to let you know that we have made it all safely to our new home in Laurel Montana! We are still busy, it is now just a different kind of busy. David loves his new job. The kids love their new schools and teachers. And I am busy making this house into a home that we can learn to love. We are here, and we are smoothly adjusting to our new lives in a new place! More updates soon, with pictures too.

Lessons I have learned

2012-01-08T18:30:00.002-07:00

...so far with our move to Montana.

1) I really have learned how great this tiny town of Snowflake is. My friends, home teachers, visiting teachers, family have all shown me and the kids so much love, concern and support.
2) There is a lot of people in the world that do not value children as much as they should be valued. In fact we have been turned down a couple times on the basis that they do not want children (FiVe?!?!) in their home or apartment.
3) After our Sunday School lesson I had to really look hard at myself. Am I viewing this move to a strange unknown place like Lamen and Lemual, or more like Nephi? How is my attitude about all of this?
4) I miss my husband more then I ever thought possible. He completes this family and myself, and without him around, I feel empty, lonely and discouraged. I keep praying more that we can find a house for the reason of getting to be a complete family again, then to have a home.
5) Living on concrete and mattresses on the floor does not constitute "normal". I miss feeling normalcy and the routine of the mundane. All this upheaval is nothing I want to repeat any time soon.
6) I miss carpet and corners that are not piled with boxes. I want to be able to clean my house and have it actually look like a home.
7) Patience is not one of my shining qualities. I am not a patient person, I already knew that, but living in limbo like this really pushes me and tests the very small amount of patience I do possess.
8) My kids have been very resilient in all of this change, upheaval and craziness that surrounds us right now. They have all been acting a bit different, but all in all, they are excited, accepting and happy about our move to Montana.
9) I have learned quite forcefully to rely on my Heavenly Father. I have found myself on my knees (which is painful on concrete) several times a day asking for help, patience, guidance and understanding.
10) I keep having the feeling that one of the main reasons that our family is spread out like this and not finding a house to rent as quickly as we had hoped is for me. Me to learn to rely more on my Heavenly Father. And to learn to trust my husband more. And to learn to accept help. I have never been very good at any of that.

Of course there are more lessons, but I will stop at 10 for you, my readers sakes. I hope that the next time I type on this blog, it will be good news, and\or from Montana and our new home. We would appreciate any prayers to help us find a home for our family. Thank you my wonderful friends and family...

Stress

2011-12-22T14:01:00.001-07:00

I can officially say that I may be 'the professional' on what stress is. Between three birthdays, one baptism, Christmas in three days, the kids home from school (augh!), moving across the country in less then 2 weeks, oh, and all the remodeling projects on the house that other people will get to enjoy, I AM STRESSED!! Like 'absolutely-lose-it' stressed. If it wasn't for my wonderful giving friends and family, I think I may already be in the looney bin!!

I owe so much to my wonderful mom-in-law, sweet sister-in-law Eva, and friends, Carin, Marcie, Heather and Heidi. (I have always thought it was a bit coincidental that my friends/visiting teachers names are Heather and Heidi- just like my twin sisters....) These wonderful women have helped me the most! They have offered take my kiddos off my hands, and allowed me to get SO MUCH more accomplished!

Oh how I am going to miss my wonderful circle of friends. I know that I am a difficult person to get to know, and am quite shy and to myself. But regardless of that, I feel like I fit in with my ward. I feel like I have found my place and feel comfortable in it. I am sure going to miss the friends that I do have. Thank you to all my great friends! I appreciate you more then you know.

So, after that short break, I need to get back to it.

Note to all: NEVER MOVE DURING THE HOLIDAYS, OR IN THE WINTERTIME AT ALL, EVER!!! Trust me, it stinks....

Last, but not least, EMILY turns 7!

2011-12-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

Emily was born today. Seven years ago. We all woke her up this morning with a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday". She got to open her presents, and was treated to breakfast in bed. After the traditional orange slice sharing and giggly orange slice smiles and kisses, I decided to share the story of Emily's birth. Its a good one, and the kids all thoroughly enjoyed all the details (but no too many!). As I know that I have already shared her story in great depth on this blog a few years back (no, I don't know how to link it), I will give a quick summary.

1)Extremely stressful Sunday with two very rambunctious children aged 2 and 1.
2)House an absolute disaster!
3)Long walk in the bitter cold trying to get contractions started.
4)Last minute game night planned with Uncle Ben and a few other friends.
5)Rushed house clean for said game night.
6)Kids to bed WAY past their bedtimes.
7)Late night Star Wars movie watching.
8)To bed by 11pm
9)Awoken at 11:14pm with HUGE contraction. OUCH!
10)Water breaks at 11:17pm
11)Headed toward the hospital, speeding and running red lights.
12)Got to the ER at 11:52pm
13)Emily born at 11:54pm. (yes, that is only 2 minutes)
14)Born at 36.5 weeks, in 45 minutes from first contraction to birth.

So, happy 7th birthday my sweet Emmy Jo Beans.

WE LOVE YOU!!

P.S.- no more birthdays in this Peterson household until May... PHEW....

Aubrey's Baptism Day

2011-12-18T13:43:00.001-07:00

Because of the timing of Aubrey's birthday, our move to Montana, and stake baptisms; we asked for special permission to have Aubrey's baptism before our move, with her family and friends.

So, yesterday on December 17, 2011 Aubrey was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was a special day. She looked absolutely angelic in her new beautiful white dress (thank you Heather!) and real pearl necklace from Grandma and Grandpa Barton who are serving a mission in Nauvoo right now.

She sat reverently, listening carefully to each talk, and she said, in the bathroom as I fixed her hair and put her in her beautiful new dress, "Mommy, I feel so warm and happy". What a wonderful moment for me, as her mom, to have with her.

She had many of her friends and family members come for her special day. Bishop Jeppesen and Britain Jeppesen; Bob and Lilly Threlkeld; Kevin and Braedyn Standerfer; Jacob, Heather, Brenan, Shaylin, and Kyen Mayhew; Heidi, Wynn, Alea and Weston Christensen; Justin Barton; Eva, Mathan, May, Ellen, Thomas and Lilly Tenney, Grandma and Grandpa Peterson, and Andrew Peterson. And here is a picture of all the cousins and siblings that were there:

L to R: Brenan, Kyen, Jay, Nathan, Weston, Ellen, Alea, Thomas, Aubrey, Lilly, Shaylin, Emily, May, and Betsy.

She also got a picture with her Grandma and Grandpa Peterson.

And here is the final shot, later that day back at home with our whole family on Aubrey's day.

I love my sweet Aubrey and am so proud of her for her decision to be baptized.

WE LOVE YOU AUBREY SUE!!!!

The boy turns FOUR

2011-12-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

My baby boy turned FOUR today. We didn't do too much to celebrate, but he did tag along with mommy all day finishing up Christmas shopping and getting stuff for the house and move. We hit over a dozen stores today, spend hundreds of dollars (most of it at the gas pump!), and even stopped at McDonalds in Show Low for a special lunch. He got a Happy Meal and played in the Playplace for over an hour. He and Betsy were incredibly good, putting up with all the loading and unloading, and sitting in shopping carts, and rushing from here to there.

What a great little man we have!!

He is TROUBLE, with a capital T! But, he is such a joy.

A spunky, destructive little tike, everyone's greatest playmate. He is LOUD, and a bit violent, but still loves to be held, and hugged, and rocked. He was the finishing touch to our Peterson family, and he does a great job filling the shoes of the baby.

He knows he can get away with a lot with his silly facial expressions, and sweet gravely voice.

Happy birthday my baby. I find myself wishing you little again.

FOUR!!!! Sheesh, time flies when you are chasing a busy boy named Jay....

Birthday girl!

2011-12-10T15:34:00.001-07:00

My sweet Aubrey Sue is having a birthday today. She is turning EIGHT!!! (Where does the time go?!?) Aubrey has been a strong, independent, subborn little girl from the time she was born. Even before that! I was told she would be born by Thanksgiving (Nov. 27th), and she didn't make her debut until almost 2 weeks later on the 10th of December. And that was with a little help from pitocin! She is a very headstrong girl. (She gets that from me!)

I have seen great things from Aubrey in the last several months. Where she used to be intentionally naughty, and a bit of a spitfire, she is now such a joy! She has matured so much, an I have loved watching her turn into a wonderful little lady. She still has her moments, but more often then not, now she is kind, helpful, and a great little mini-mommy. =)

Aubrey loves to dance, sing and perform. (I think she enjoys the spotlight!)
Aubrey is a great artist, and has a knack at creating, coloring, and drawing.
Aubrey is a natural leader. (It comes across sometimes as bossy!)
Aubrey is a deep thinker and will sometimes say very profound things.

I love my first born girl so very much! She is social, happy, and such a beauty! She keeps me on my toes, but also keeps me laughing, smiling, and loving my job as her mommy.

HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY MY BEAUTIFUL SWEET PEA!!

We are moving!!!

2011-12-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

For the last few months, David has been busy looking, applying, and interviewing for new employment. We have been researching, praying and fasting for the right opportunity to come along. And it finally has! David has been hired as the Senior Mechanic for the Facilities Management with the church in Billings, Montana! His start date for work is on January 3rd. And we are heading north from Snowflake on the 28th of December.

Yes, Montana! Yes, in 27 days!

We are all feeling a bit nervous about this big change in our lives. I am thrilled one minute, and sad the next. Snowflake has been Davids' home since birth, and has become home to me in the last eight years we have lived here. We live in an incredible neighborhood, the churchs' best ward, and are surrounded by a loving extended family.

Moving to Montana will undoubtedly be a HUGE change for us. We don't know yet where we will live, how our ward will be, and will not have any family within hundreds of miles of us. So, yes, we are excited, but also sad. And it may explain much of my distraction, busyness, emotional outbursts, and overall stress that you may have noticed in me.

It is a bittersweet thing, but we are looking forward to growing closer and stronger as our own family, becoming better missionaries, making lots of new friends, and the stability and security this job will bring.

Our Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T16:02:00.001-07:00

Because we already had our HUGE Thanksgiving feast a couple weeks ago with the entire Peterson family, we kept it simple for the actual day. David and I are both not very fond of turkey. So, because it was a small family gathering (we invited Davids parents and youngest brother, last minute), we opted for ham. YUM!!
Here is our small, yet delicious spread...

And because we are Petersons, we must have PIE. I have to be perfectly honest and admit that I have never been a pie fan. (Yes, I know! How dare I call myself a Peterson!) I don't like fruit pies, or nut pies, or pumpkin pies. The only pies I really enjoy are cream pies. Chocolate and banana cream pie are my favorite! But, according to David, those don't even count as a pie! So, we prepared five pies, none of which I ate any of. But, the kids seemed to enjoy the apple and pecan pies, so that was good. David, in fact ate one entire pecan pie all by himself throughout the day. Glad to make the family happy...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL!! Now on to Christmas...

We sold our van...

2011-11-28T15:40:00.001-07:00

We bought our 1999 Dodge Caravan right after we found out we were expecting Betsy. So, that makes it nearly six years ago. I have to admit that I had a tear in my eye as I watched it drive away this weekend. Not so much because of the attachment to the van itself, but mostly because of the memories that it held. I brought two of my babies home from the hospital in it. I watched my children grow in the backseats of it. They moved from infant seats to forward facing car seats, to boosters, to no car seats at all in that van! So, I bid a fond farewell to our van. I will miss it; but not the upkeep on the 235,000 mile engine, or the overheating issues, or the lack of a sound system, or air conditioner, or cruise control.... Maybe I won't miss it as much as I thought!

Oh, and by the way, I am ABSOLUTELY loving our replacement vehicle. A 'new to us' 1999 Chevy Suburban. With all the bells and whistles. Only thing that is a tad bit annoying about it is the broken handle on the drivers door. I have to roll down the window to get out! It is a pretty easy and inexpensive fix, when we get around to it. There is A LOT going on...

Aubrey and Emily DANCE!!

2011-11-28T15:16:00.001-07:00

On November 17-19th , my two oldest girlys practiced and performed in a dance production. They did SO good, and I am one proud mama! The costumes were SUPER cute, and the girls did such a great job.

Aubrey, getting her hair fixed for the performance. With her makeup on, she was absolutely convinced that she had to have this goofy facial expression. You will notice it in every single picture I took of her. =)

Emily, getting all gussied up.

Betsy wanted in on the action, so I put curlers in her hair too. My three beautiful girlys.

Aubrey, after her final performance. Still in character.

Emily, posing sweetly. She did such a great job!

Both girls did incredibly well with the busyness of extra practices, a dress rehearsal, and two performances. I got to go to the final performance and watch my girls do their thing. Aubrey is a natural performer. She was so exact and right on with her dance moves. It was fun to watch both Aubrey and Emily come out of their shells, get up on stage, and DANCE! Love my sweet daughters!

Nathans' Piano Recital 2011

2011-11-18T23:14:00.001-07:00

Nathan has been doing wonderful with learning to play the piano. He has been pretty good with practicing and seems to really enjoy it. He has played his recital songs over and over and OVER for the past month. Gotta love it... He performed them nearly flawlessly. And I am so very proud of him, and his lack of nervousness! (You should have seen me at my first piano recital! I was so freaked out that I didn't even play my songs. Hey, I was only six! Even a bribe for ice cream didn't work!)

Here Nathan is with is wonderful piano teacher, Wanda Sanderson.

Here is his name on the program. He was so thrilled to see it in print that he took a picture of it!

And here is a sneak peek of Aubrey and Emilys' dancing debut! More on that next time....

Arn't they just stinkin' adorable?!?!?!

6 out of 7 isn't bad...

2011-11-18T22:55:00.001-07:00

Jay, being the monkey he is, was playing wildly and decided to bust his chin open and get stitches on the night of the 14th. He kept trying to kick himself up into a handstand, one of his arms slipped, and he came crashing down, head (or maybe chin) first, on our hard tile floor. He bled pretty good for a minute or so, and I took him over to the doctors office and he got 3 little stitches in his chin. Silly boy....

And because I like to brag about my wonderful little bunch of kids; Jay didn't even cry! (okay, initially when he hit the ground, for about 15 seconds...) But not when he saw the blood, got the numbing shots, or got stitched up. Dr. Nichols was thoroughly impressed and kept telling me that he was a wonderful, tough little boy. I had to agree.

The next morning he had completely forgotten about the whole experience, and has since been annoyed about the silly band aid he has to keep on his chin. I am kind of worried that if he could actually touch or feel the stitches, he would pull them out. He is tough, I tell you.

Oh, and by the way, Emily is officially the only member of our family who HASN'T had stitches now. Knock on wood...

Family pictures

2011-11-18T22:26:00.001-07:00

So, because both David and I are notorious cheapskates, and don't really enjoy the amount of energy and stress that family pictures involve, the last professional picture we had taken as a family was when Jay was just 4 months old. Yes, pathetic. We got an updated picture (meaning bro-in-law with super nice camera) a couple years back. We were all due for an update. So, during all the festivities, Mathan, yet again with his beautiful camera, took some updated family pictures. And all it cost us was our sanity for an hour or so!!

So, here they are....

There were several more pictures taken, of each Peterson family. Here is the best picture of the entire Peterson Posterity (so far). A little cropping and it will make a great framed picture.

Yes, my son has his hand down his pants. So glad that will be blown up and hung on walls for years to come....

WARNING!!!

2011-11-14T15:28:00.001-07:00

Due to busyness, things got backed up a bit...

GET READY TO READ FIVE NEW POSTS IN A ROW!!!!

Or you don't have to....your choice.

oh, and I'm still not caught up.... ={

Double digits....

2011-11-14T15:03:00.001-07:00

Ten years ago I married this man in the Mesa Arizona Temple on November 10, 2001. It was the best decision I have ever made. I can't wait for the next 10, and 20, and forever! He makes me happier then I deserve. I love you David....

Ten years later and still looking pretty good, if you ask me....

Peterson Family Reunion 2011

2011-11-14T14:23:00.001-07:00

The big Peterson Family Reunion was held this weekend in the valley, where the weather was FABULOUS!! It was a great gathering, and lots of fun to see everyone that was able to be there.

Aunts Terri, Stella, Nancy, and my wonderful mom-in-law Jody.

Uncles Jared, Grant and Marvin. You are always guaranteed to laugh till your sides hurt with their great story telling, when you get this three brothers together....

Playing in the jump house they had set up. It was the kids favorite attraction.

Many of the group waiting for the slide show to start.

Here comes trouble!! Hyrum and Jay were quite the trouble makers this weekend.

David, with his very favorite cousin Ashley.

Some of the Peterson cousins playing on the playground. Cute huh?!?

The weather was great, the family was great, and it was wonderful to see everyone growing up. We are all getting older!

Veterans Day and Thanksgiving Day, all in one!

2011-11-14T13:59:00.001-07:00

Ben, Amy, and kids with Carl and Anna came down from Provo this weekend for the big Peterson Family Reunion . Because is was so close to Thanksgiving, we planned on doing the big dinner while they were all here. It was especially nice this visit to have the "rumpus room" finished out at Davids parents house. We spent many hours playing games, eating food, and visiting this last weekend. Here are a few shots of the fun...

Jumping on the trampoline.

Lining up for the feast! YUM!

Playing chimes with Uncle Ben.

Celebrating Betsy's 5th birthday.

Singing songs and playing games with cousins!

And, of course, worn out kids from partying too hard!

It is always a party when Ben and his family comes to town!!

11/11/11

2011-11-14T13:41:00.001-07:00

Betsy is our Veterans Day baby! She is about as happy as you can imagine. She has me laughing and smiling everyday. She has a contagious smile, and her energy and joy just bubbles out of her! We love our beautiful Betsy! So, here are five things we love about our Bugaboo bears....

1) You are ALWAYS happy.

2) You are a peacemaker in our home.

3) You always want to give, and help, and be nice to everyone.

4) You are uniquely beautiful in our family, with your daddys' hazel eyes.

5) You excitement for life makes everyone else happy.

Here is Betsy with her Grandpa Peterson. She is admiring her cake that her Aunt Amy made for her.

Here she is with her daddy. She loves her dad so much!

Turning five is HARD WORK! Here she is sacked out on Grandma Peterson's couch.

She is not one to stand still or look at a camera for more then a millisecond. She just has to much happiness wiggling around inside her. She is always bouncing, and giggling, and smiling, and hugging. She is NOT shy, and loves to love on anyone that will give her attention.

WE LOVE YOU BETSY!! HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY!!

Pwick-oh-pweat

2011-11-14T13:09:00.001-07:00

Behind again... but when am I not lately? GRRRR! So, here are the pictures of my cute kids in their Halloween costumes. The weather was really nice, which gratefully meant that I didn't have to cover up their costumes with coats. Jay kept me smiling all night as he would approach a house, and yell "pwick-oh-pweet!!" Cute kiddo.

Betsy, Emily, and Aubrey were fairies. What you may not see is their hair; Betsy's was purple, Emily's was very glittery, and Aubrey's is blue, to match their wings and skirts.

Jay was a knight. This is, unfortunately, the best shot I have of him in is costume. Oh well....

A few weeks before Halloween Nathan made a plan. Much to my surprise, he wanted to do a canned food drive instead of trick-o-treating. (I mean, what kids DOESN'T want candy?!?!) He is a good kid, with a big heart. Nathan had me drag a red wagon with him, and he went door to door asking for food instead of candy. He got a great response (and still got LOTS of candy too), and here he is after he finished for the night. He wanted to donate it to the bishop of our ward "to help people who don't have food". He made his momma VERY proud. What a great kid I have. I don't deserve his goodness.

Pumpkin carving...

2011-10-31T10:40:00.000-07:00

Each year the kids get to go to the local pumpkin patch for a school field trip and pick out a pumpkin. So for the last few weeks, almost nightly, they have been begging us if we could carve their prized pumpkins. On Wednesday we finally agreed. So, Nathan, Aubrey and Emily designed what each of their pumpkins would look like and David did the carving. I was the general picture taker/ keeper of hands away from knives/ assistant designer/ and runner to store when Emilys' pumpkin was already half-rotted. It was a pretty fun evening, yet exhausting. Glad it was done, and looking forward to three little jack-o-lanterns sitting on my porch tonight, all lit up and greeting the trick-o-treaters. So here are some shots of the carving...

Getting started on the carving...

Aubrey, making a scene about the pumpkin guts. Look at that face! And just imagine the noise behind it. She sure loves drama.....

Betsy and Jay playing with the lids.

Designing the face.

They all turned out pretty cute. I will post another pic of the pumpkins, and the kids all dressed up and ready for trick-o-treating next time!!

Family Fall Frolic

2011-10-31T09:34:00.001-07:00

Two weekends ago our family took an impromptu drive toward Sunrise Ski Resort. The weather was wonderful, and the kids had a great time running, climbing and getting dirty. I got some pretty great pictures of the afternoon....

Unplanned, unposed, and unbelievably cute.

Nathan and Aubrey doing what they do best. Climbing trees...

Emily playing monkey.

Jay, balancing along a huge downed tree.

Betsy, being her usual happy self.

David and I, courtesy of Nathan.

My three most favorite boys in the whole wide world.

Me, with my three beautiful girlies.

My five kiddos. Aubrey, Jay, Emily, Nathan and Betsy.

Life going on....

2011-10-17T11:16:00.001-07:00

Life has gone on quickly over the last month. I have taken few pictures, and have blogged about them even less. Now that the infamous trip to Nauvoo is said and done, things have started getting busier... (why is it that just knowing that the holidays are coming makes everything go into warp speed??) So here you have it, the happenings since September 10th.....
Here is a random, but sweet shot of my husband doing what he does best: Being a wonderful daddy. He had just returned home from another few days away for work, and all the kids were thrilled to see him. We love it when daddy is home!!

Nathan has been working hard at Cub Scouts and has a great time at it! Here we are at Pack Meeting last month. Nathan received his Wolf Badge, and is officially now a Bear. I still don't understand what half of it all means with Scouting, but I am proud of my Nathan for doing so well, learning so much, and advancing into Bears! Oh, and I got a kiss! Which isn't happening as much anymore, since he is getting older. Sniff, sniff....

A month or so ago, a random white kitten wandering into our yard and decided to stay. I am not a cat fan, in fact I pretty much hate cats, but Aubrey took an INSTANT liking to it, named it 'Snowball', and sufficiently smothered, tortured and never let it go. This is the only picture I took of the cat. It stuck around for a few weeks and then disappeared one night as randomly as it appeared. I was more then okay with it moving on, as was the dogs. Aubrey was a little sad, but seemed to get over it quick enough.

Every year during Fire Prevention Week, our fire station opens its doors to the public and gives tours, demonstrations, and serves dinner (hot dogs). We went last year and the kids enjoyed it. We decided to go again this year. The kids had a good time eating their dinner (and I enjoyed not having to make it!), and bouncing in a little bounce house they had set up. Aubrey won a free smoke detector and glowsticks. It was hard keeping track of all five kids in that crowd all by myself, but we all made it back home in one piece! This might have to become a tradition...

Last week Nathan proved yet again how smart and wonderful he is. We went to Snowflake Intermediate for an awards ceremony. Nathan was presented a perfect attendance award (no absents or tardies). I am not the type of mom that insists that my kids go to school with pnemonia just so they can get perfect attendance, but I am proud of Nathan for loving school, and wanting to be there! Good job!

But this is even better!! Nathan has done SO well in school this year. He was given the Superintendents List Certificate. That means that he has kept all his grades at or above 95% or A+. He is such a great kid, and I love him so much! WONDERFUL JOB! Visions of valedictorian are dancing in my head. Smartie pants....

Just a few days ago I went in for Parent/Teacher Conferences. Each of my kids are doing wonderful in school. Nathan is at the top of his class (notice the above picture..), Aubrey is doing great and is very well behaved, and Emily is a sweet, wonderful student. LOVE THAT. Great job my little scholars! =)

So there is the quick version of the happenings of the last 6 or 7 weeks. Life goes on....

The rest of the story...

2011-10-10T10:46:00.001-07:00

In an effort to finally get our trip to Nauvoo finished, blogged about and documented, I am going to do a HUGE post, full of pictures, and then be done with it! I have much more to blog about that has happened since our Nauvoo trip, so I gotta get this done!

Here is David and I under the bridge that was one of the original drainage sources that helped drain the swamp land of Nauvoo.

At the end of Parley Street on the banks of the Mississippi River. The raft behind us is what many of the saints put their wagons across the river on.

I got to be the helper at the JK Browning gun shop. This was by far one of my favorite places in Nauvoo.

Going on the oxen ride. We also got to visit a lot with the Don and Karen Parker, who are also serving in Nauvoo on their mission. They are a wonderful couple that are in our ward from Snowflake. Elder Parker actually was part of the team that led the oxen for our little ride. He and David go way back. Elder Parker was also his drafting teacher in high school.

Standing in front of the mansion house. We didn't have the opportunity to go inside, but we wandered around the area and also saw the Red Brick Store, and the grave sites of Joseph, Hyrum and Emma.

Me and my parents at the Old Nauvoo Cemetery. So many old headstones, and so many unmarked graves of faithful saints who died while in Nauvoo.

At the Family Living Center. My dad gave us a demo on making rope, barrels and showed us how they made rugs at a loom. My mom gave us a presentation on how to make cloth, and bread in the bustle ovens.

This is a self-taken picture of us outside the Nauvoo temple after our session. No one around, so David got to strech his arm out good.

We got to go to the play Rendezvous and watch my parents act. It was WONDERFUL! My dad is a natural, and my mom sings like an angel. So fun to see them in action!

We bid a fond farewell to Nauvoo and headed toward the airport to go home on Friday morning. We made a detour to Springfield, IL where we took some tours around many Abraham Lincoln sites. We saw his tomb, old house, the courthouse, his law firm, and went to the amazing large museum all about him and his time as president, his assassination, and his family history.

No more pictures, but we flew home out of Peoria, IL to Mesa, AZ. We finally landed and got into Mesa over 4 hours late {LONG STORY!!} and slept well at my sister Heidi's house. The next morning my wonderful sisters all took me out to breakfast for my birthday. We went to Crackers and enjoyed a quick meal. David and I then headed northeast toward home, and our five little kiddos. We were really starting to miss them and it was wonderful to get home and have them back in my arms.

So there you have. The very shortened, very condensed finale of our trip to Nauvoo. And for next time, all the weeks and activities of the rest of September up til now...

NAUVOO! Part One

2011-10-02T12:32:00.001-07:00

It has officially been one month and a day since we left on our week long trip to Nauvoo. My memory fades fast with as much as goes on in this house, so I better get this post done, and trip completed, before it gets forgotten!
So, here are my wonderful parents just returning home from their performance in Rendezvous. It was absolutely wonderful seeing and spending time with them!

Early the next morning my dad, David and I drove to Carthage Jail. Just being there was overwhelming. Standing at the window, touching the bullet hole in the door, walking up the stairs. I stood at the window upstairs, looking down to the ground with tears rolling down my cheeks. Our prophet was murdered and fell from that very spot. The spirit was strong, yet the feeling of peace was great. Such a sad, yet sacred place.

This is one of only two sun stones that were on the original Nauvoo Temple. They look so small up high on the building, but it was pretty big and solid. And such talent to carve it with so much detail.

And here is my dad, working at the black shop, as part of his tour. He took us through the tour, and because we happened to be the only people there, gave me the small horseshoe they make as part of the presentation. It was so neat to see my dad, in his role as a missionary. He does such a great job, and has a wonderful time doing it.

Later that evening my parents took us out to eat in a neighboring town to a yummy Mexican restaurant, and on our way back, we stopped at 'Davids Chamber' and walked around a while. Here is a pic of us on the bridge.

There is SO much more, but don't have anymore time right now. So stay tuned....

From Independence to Nauvoo!

2011-09-24T12:02:00.003-07:00

We started our day early, and headed to the Visitors Center in Independence, Missouri. We took a short tour giving a brief history of the time that the saints were here. It seemed like a sad, terrible time, yet those great men and women had such positive happy attitudes through it all. It was a great faith booster for me. We learned that there are at least 3, if not 4, break-offs from our church that have built buildings/temples all around just a few acres of land. They are all bunched together, trying to be close to the temple spot that was dedicated so long ago.

Here is the marker of the actual spot. The land is owned by the 'Hedrikites', and they have a very small building. We went inside, heard an older man talk about the plot of land, and give a small history of what happened within their church. His question for us was "Which branch of the church are you from?" Our answer was "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints." And he replied, "Oh, so the Salt Lake branch". It was interesting to see his take on things.

Across the street was the Community of Christ church building (formally RLDS). Some serious changes in their beliefs have happened lately. How convenient of them to conform to the world.

And this shiny, gawdy building is the Community of Christs' temple and Visitor Center. We were interested to go inside their museum, because they had a lot of Joseph and Emmas' original things. Unfortunately the building was closed (it was Labor Day).

Next stop was the Liberty Jail. The jail was a cold, dark, awful time for our prophet and his companions, yet my favorite part of this history, are the revelations that he received full of comfort, peace, and a promise of safety and freedom again. It was such a spiritual experience, and was wonderful. And the people that were going through the tour with us happened to be great-great-great- grandchildren of Hyrum Smith. Pretty neat.

After our time at Liberty Jail we went to the Far West temple site. It was a bit of a drive, but it turned out nice. It is just SO pretty in the midwest! I just couldn't get enough of the green lush scenery.

The original cornerstones are still in place. It looks like it will be a very small temple, but David disagreed. I think I will trust him, because he knows more about building and dimensions than me.

It will be wonderful when we can build a temple there. When the growth and population allows for it. The spirit was strong and the feeling of peace was very real on that ground. David said later that Far West was his favorite stop in Missouri.

We spent a while at Far West and then journeyed on. After another leg of the trip we got to Adam-ondi-Ahmen. Even being on that sacred ground was overwhelming. I just kept saying how blessed and lucky and thankful we were to be there, at Adam-ondi-Ahmen.

And just a few more shots of the beauty of the area, and us on Preachers Rock, where Joseph Smith was said to have preached quite a few times. No one was there with us, which was nice for the quiet, but the downfall was, there was no one to take our picture together!

The day was closing fast, and we planned on getting to Nauvoo before dark, so we headed on toward Illinois.

We spent just a few minutes in Iowa, just to say that we went to Iowa, and then headed across the HUGE Mississippi. I had never seen a river much bigger then the Silver Creek, or a lake bigger then Lake Powell, so the Mississippi River was a sight!! It was huge, and spectacular!

Driving right along the banks of the Mississippi was awesome. SO big, and beautiful, and at sunset too! We pulled into my parents apartment right as the sun went down, and unloaded the truck. They were away at a performance when we got there so I made myself at home and started a quick load of laundry, nosed around and waiting impatiently for them to get home!

....And for next time; seeing my parents =), our time at Carthage Jail, and maybe a bit more about our first day in Nauvoo!

OOohhh- KK-lahoma!

2011-09-16T11:55:00.002-07:00

To correctly read that title, you must sing it. Which I did, over and over, all through the state of OK, yet again, driving David crazy! =)
So, about the time we passed into Oklahoma, everything got really pretty. Green, grass, wildflowers, trees, etc. I realized that not all of America is dry, dirt and desert on our trip across this country. It was SO beautiful, and I kept oowwing and ahhhing, which was also probably driving David crazy!

So, for a little background, David and his family lived in Oklahoma for about 6 or 7 months when he was senior in high school (17 years ago, YIKES!) They attended a branch in Clinton that we planned into our trip, so we could get to Sacrament Meeting while on our drive. Here is the church building, which by the way, now holds a ward, not just a branch! The church is growing, even in Oklahoma! David saw a few people that he recognized, and he was able to visit with them. It was nice to have the opportunity to get to go to that ward in Clinton with David. He really enjoyed it.

And here is where they lived. Taloga, OK is a tiny town about 35 minutes north from their chapel and branch. Not many LDS people in small town Oklahoma, I discovered.

Here is the school that David and his sisters and brother went to. It held all grades, K-12. Davids graduating class had 13 people in it. Yes, thirteen.

And here is the house that they lived in. No one actually used that 'front door', because that is the room that David and his brother Ben used. We would have gotten another angle of the house, but there where several people out on the back porch, and we didn't want to make a scene!

And just for the Peterson family, I also included pictures of the grocery stores that they shopped at. The top one is still in business, and the bottom (yes, the sideways one) is empty, and for sale.

And here is a shot of the park that the kids played at all the time.

We spent some time driving the streets, talking about Davids memories, and getting to see things that still look exactly the same, even after 17 years. Gotta love small towns, some things never change!

After our time in Clinton and Taloga, we headed on toward Kansas City. It was a beautiful drive.

We drove through Kansas on our way, and because I don't know any songs with "Kansas" in them, so I said, "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore". David told me, "But we ARE in Kansas!" I guess he was right...

We got to our hotel in Kansas City, MO. Did you know that there are two Kansas City's? One in Kansas, and one right across the state border in Missouri? Well, I didn't! We went to a very authentic Chinese restaurant, and watched Chinese TV. It was almost funny how very transported we were. Not a word of English in the whole restaurant. Just from our table...

David, back at the hotel, studying up on our next day of touring and traveling. We had the great opportunity to go to Liberty Jail, Far West, and Adam-ondi-omen (yep, still don't know how to spell it...)

......stay tuned for our next day, chock full of church sights throughout Missouri. It was wonderful and spiritual, all at the same time.

From Snowflake AZ to Shamrock TX

2011-09-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

I have more pictures then you can possibly imagine, and so I figured that I would be nice and cut my blog posts down into smaller segments. Your welcome.
Last Saturday, September 3rd, David and I woke up early, and finished getting things ready and cleaned up. We left our wonderful children in the capable hands of Davids' sister Eva. We owe her HUGE! Here is a quick picture that David took on our way out the door. Five groggy and sweet kiddos eating their cereal, and one cute little niece too!

We drove away at about 7:30 am and headed eastward. It was a wonderful drive, in a super nice truck, with all the bells and whistles. We even had cruise control and a reliable air conditioner! I know that is pretty commonplace, but not for me. My van is on the last toe of its last leg, so cruise control and air conditioning is a real treat!! The ride was cushy and comfortable.

This is our one and only picture we took in New Mexico. This is the prettiest thing you will probably see in the whole state. Between Snowflake and Amarillo, it is the most boring scenery there ever was. And that is a fact.

Passing into Texas. I had never been to Texas so it was pretty exciting for me. I kept singing "if you want to play in Texas, you gotta have a fiddle in the band". I was driving David crazy.

BUT... look what we found! Cadillac Ranch is literally in the middle of nowhere, and such a fun, busy stop. David and I tried our hand at spray painting, and both decided that we will leave graffiti for the pros. But it sure was fun to paint the cars, and stretch our legs. Oh, and we didn't need to bring our own spray paint. There were cans scattered all over the place. Talk about graffiti and litter!!

This picture will not post the right way, but you get the idea. It was super fun... and windy!

The guy behind us in the red tanktop jersey had more color on him then the cars! He was COVERED in bright tattoos. David and I had a laugh about it, after the fact of course.... he may have just killed us!

Here is the largest cross in the United States. It is hard to gauge the size of this thing (especially sideways!), but it really is HUGE. You can kind of make out some telephone poles down in the tree line, above the rearview mirror. =) That's how big it is.

And this is a fun little water tower that is all skiwampus and crooked. Even sideways!

We found our hotel in the tiny town of Shamrock, TX. We ventured out to find a place to eat. We found a ma and pop restaurant, and enjoyed a delicious meal swimming in grease and gravy. YUM! I really liked sitting quietly and listening to all the thick Texan accents around us. It made me smile, and feel a little out of place. We headed back to our hotel room in the pouring rain.

Sunday morning, before heading toward Oklahoma for church, we found a famous gas station that had been seen in movies, and grabbed a few pictures there. I still don't know what movie the gas station is from (anyone??), but it is done up nice, and has a little gift shop inside.

...stay tuned for the next post that will take us from Shamrock, TX into Clinton and Taloga, OK, and onto Kansas City, MO!

One more then twenty-nine

2011-09-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

Me, sitting on Preachers Rock at Adam-ondi-ahmen (sp?)

I still will not actually say "thirty". I prefer "one more then twenty-nine". I don't quite know what I have against being 30, but it is a strong dislike of the idea. Where it came from? I don't know. So I celebrate turning older then I ever wanted to admit to being today. It has been a very regular, slow type of a day. Same busyness this morning getting ready for church. A bit more hyper kiddos during Sacrament Meeting, and one sad, sick little boy (Jay) to interrupt Relief Society. I got a nice nap after church (still trying to catch up on some sleep from our nice week long retreat to Nauvoo! TONS more on that soon!) and a yummy dinner made by my wonderful husband. I know that my age sounds older then I want it to, but I still feel the same. So, happy birthday to me!

Someone had a birthday!

2011-08-31T15:29:00.001-07:00

I will give you just a few hints!

He loves to play games with his dad...

He has beautiful hazel eyes...

He is incredibly smart....

He loves his mommy...

He likes Spiderman...

He loves to swim...

He is great at building things...

He loves to jump on our trampoline...

He helps take care of our chickens and dogs...

He is SILLY....

...and is the best little boy in the whole wide world! Happy 9th birthday to our wonderful Nathan Reese!! We love you!!

It's about time...

2011-08-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

I admit to having lost my blogging drive! So here is what we have been up to for the last few weeks!

On August 11, 2011, Nathan, Aubrey and Emily went back to school. It just seems to get earlier every year. When I was a kid we wouldn't go until the last couple days of August! Although, my sweet kids were more then ready (as was I!). Nathan has literally been complaining since about three days after summer started about wanting to go back to school! That kid sure loves to learn! They have all been doing extremly well so far, and love their new classes. This is my first year with having kids it two different schools. Nathan has moved up to Snowflake Intermediate (grades 4-6), and Aubrey and Emily are still at Highland Primary (grades K-3), so that has been a bit of an adjustment, but we have done fine with it.

Because I am a blond (yes, I was originally blond, I promise!), or lazy, or both I totally spaced getting the common "first day of school pictures". Sorry about that. I do feel a little guilty about it, but I figure the kids don't really care, and I take pictures of my kids often, so its okay.... right?!?

Nathan has started taking piano lessons. He is taking from a wonderful woman in my ward, and has caught on super fast (not surprising!), and is loving to play the piano. Here is a picture of he and I playing a duet. It is fun hearing him play... =)

In other news, David and I are going to Nauvoo!!!! I am so THRILLED, and if you can believe it , David is even more excited! We will be passing the kids out to Davids family (thank you to Eva and Mom!!), and we will be going over the week of September 3-10th. We will be driving my dads truck back to Nauvoo, spending some time with my parents, who are back there serving a mission, touring the church sites, and then flying home. We are absolutly giddy about the trip, and can't wait! Almost daily David will tell me that "the trip is just not coming quick enough". Hehehe!

And in some more news, after mopping the floors after nearly a month (no, I am not kidding), Jay just poured himself a bowl of cereal. Too bad the jug was over 3/4th full and spilled nearly a half gallon of milk on my CLEAN ten minutes ago, floor. It always seems to happen like that. Its karma or something. Like rain on a freshly washed car, or poop in a clean diaper. But that is kinda gross, sorry... =)

I am busy today getting my house back to livable again. I spent a few days last week on the couch pretty sick, so I am now working on disenfecting, doing backed up dishes and laundry, and trying to get back on top of things. Feeling good about my progress so far. Must get back to it, the dryer is buzzing, and Besty and Jay are begging for lunch. It never ends.....

We went to Utah...

2011-08-07T20:16:00.001-07:00

Our family took one last summer vacation to Provo Utah from July 27-July 31. We went to visit Davids' family; Ben, Amy, Isaac, Hyrum, Hannah, Anna and Carl. We had a wonderful time and it was great to see everyone again! Here are some of the pictures of our vacation:
OUR DRIVE THERE:
David had spent most of the summer working out of town on the reservation. Because he was not at home I was responsible for getting everyone packed, ready, and the house clean before we left. The kids and I left at 5:30am. We met David in Ganado around 8:30am. We drove for another hour or so and stopped in Chinle for breakfast. We got the kids changed out of their pajamas and ready for the day here. We went to Burger King, and let the kids play at their play place for a while. Here is a silly picture of Aubrey and an ice cream cone.

We kept on driving and stopped, yet again, at the Hole in the Rock rest stop and let the kids run, play, and of course, use the bathroom. (*side note: With no kids in diapers anymore, it sure equals LOTS of bathroom stops!)

David and Betsy relax in the grass at the rest stop.

Nathan, Aubrey and Emily found this HUGE, old tree and climbed it. It was just moments after this picture that they promptly got down because they found it was infested with ants....

Jay, torturing a bug.

We arrived in Provo early evening on Wednesday. We had a quick pizza dinner, some visiting, and made our way over to our fancy accommodations... Amys' parents have a large house that was only about 10 minutes away and empty because they were on and Alaskan Cruise (exact one we took a few years back). So they allowed us to spread out and use their home. It was fabulous! We played games til the wee hours of morning and crashed. Thursday we planned a fun, full day touring temple square.

OUR DAY AT TEMPLE SQUARE:
This was our familys' first opportunity to see the Conference Center in person. It is bigger then you can EVER imagine!! Here we are as a family waiting for our tour to start.

Standing on the roof of the Conference Center in front of the meadow.

Nathan and Emily look toward the Salt Lake Temple on the roof of the Conference Center.

A nice picture of the Salt Lake City Temple. I expect to see it in the next conference issue.... =)

This is the organ pipes and choir seats in the Tabernacle. Such a beautiful building. Sat inside and cooled off a bit. Also listened to the "pin drop". It was neat.

And here is a comparison. This is the organ pipes and choir seats of the Conference Center.

Another shot of the Temple from the roof of the Conference Center.

My five wonderful kids posing on the steps of the Salt Lake Temple.

...and a family shot too. It was neat to be on those steps knowing that nearly 38 years ago, my parents, newly married, stood in the same spot. Eternal family's are the best!

And, because Ben is in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, we stayed a bit later on the grounds, and went for a few minutes to their rehearsal with the orchestra. It was so wonderful, yet a bit strange seeing the choir in street clothes and practicing, not performing. Ben is on the right side, third row up on the aisle. He is usually in that area, for those that want to find him during performances! It was a spiritual experience for me to witness this. I have always had a wish to sing with this choir, and getting to see them in person, made me cry. Maybe after the kids are grown...

With the Christus. I love this room, the ramp up to it and the art on the walls. Such a wonderful place to feel the spirit. The kids were worn out and tired, so at nearly 10pm we left Temple Square. What a wonderful day...

On Friday we had fun going to different museums. We went to a neat little pioneer village in Provo. It was a very neat place for the kids. It was a mini-Nauvoo. They had fun because it allowed them to touch and play and learn all at the same time. After the Pioneer Village we headed over to BYU, to a taxidermy display they had set up in one of their buildings. The kids wanted me to take a picture of the moose, because they love their Gramoose! How sweet. But, it really was neat to see all the animals, in all their variety.

After the museums, the boys headed back home with the kids, and us girls (that's me, Amy, Anna, and baby Hannah) headed over to DI. I was in desperate need of some new pants and shorts (literally down to one pair of each!) I gratefully got a few new-to-me pants that fit me! Getting older [and wider] is no fun! We came home and played games again until the wee hours of morning again!

Saturday was a big, full day. Ben and Amy watched the kiddos, and we got to go on a mini-date to the Provo Temple. I had never been there,and David hadn't been there since his MTC days. It was very pretty inside. We were short on time so we did sealings. I love being in the temple with my husband.

This was the last picture my poor camera took. It was needing a battery charge terribly... But, our vacation continued on.

After the temple, we headed back to the house, and got everyone changed and dressed for a swim park. I wish I had pictures of this place!! It was absolutely wonderful and perfect for kids! Amy, I need pictures!! =) We played and splashed, and had a great time for a few hours going down the water slides, playing in the HUGE kiddy splash pool. SO FUN! We headed home, got situated, and Amys brother came and watched the kids while we went on a double date + one, to a funny comedy show on BYUs' campus. I have begun to feel old. We walked into the show and we were quite obviously one of the older people in the room.... It made me wish I were young again. After the Comedy Show we all headed over to the Creamery and got some ice cream. YUM. We then went and played games again til all hours of the night! (1:00 am was our curfew).

Sunday morning we packed up, got things together and loaded. But before we left, we sat down and watched Music and the Spoken Word on TV. It was fun watching the kids point to their Uncle Ben every other minute. And really neat to hear the very song they were rehearsing on Thursday, so perfectly performed, live, just a few days later. After it ended, we gave hugs, loaded into the car, and headed back toward home.

On our way home we made a side trip to St. George so we could visit my grandma Barton, who we all loving call Gramoose. She looks great. It was fun visiting with her, and hearing about all her trips, and plans. She is a wonderful woman, and I wish I could be more like her. LOVE YOU MOOSE! The kids had a great time running around, stretching their legs and coloring Gramoose pictures. So very much wish that my camera was up and running so I could have gotten a picture with my grandma....

We loaded back up, and headed home to Snowflake. It was a LONG drive. We pulled into our driveway at midnight. The kids all got carried in, and after a few minutes getting unloaded, I finally crashed into bed at almost 1 am.

It was a full, fun, wonderful trip to Utah! Thank you Ben and Amy, and Brother and Sister Hyatt, for hosting us! If you hung in there and read this entire post, I am thoroughly impressed! Now, I am just anxiously awaiting school to start. 4 more days!!!!!

The 24th Celebration!

2011-08-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

This year for the 24th my sister Heather, her husband Jacob, and their three kids Brenan, Shaylin and Kyen, came up to Snowflake to help us celebrate! It was a super fun time together and we all enjoyed it! They got to our house Friday evening just before the Friday Night Rodeo. We all headed toward Taylor and ran up the bleachers...

The kids made it all the way to the top (DANG, it is high up there!) before being ushered back down to our seat. Here are Betsy, Kyen, and Emily during the patrotic portion of rodeo. They looked so sweet all standing together with thier hands on their hearts.

Just goofing around during the rodeo with some random beer bottles we found.... J/K!!! Those are IBC Root Beer bottles that had been yummily consumed by all of us.

The town had all kids aged 3-8 come out to the arena and chase 6 or 7 chickens around and if you caught one, you got to take them home. All five of my children fit into that age category (yikes, are we crazy?!?!... yes, yes we are!) and so it was fun watching hundreds of kids chase just a few chickens around... And Nathan got one!! Okay, not technically, but the kid that caught it didn't want it, so Nathan was happy to ablige and take "Rodeo" the chicken from him. In the confusion of the hoards of children and gettting the chicken to the car, two of our kiddos got misplaced.... All is well, and they were quickly found!! It was tense for a few minutes, but everyone was back together at our seat when I returned from chicken delivery to the car.

Here is David carrying the chicken. I should have just had him take the long hike to the car!!

We parted ways and headed home after the rodeo. Saturday morning we met up again in front of the Main Street Chapel for the Foot Races, and then we hurrried over to our float. Yes, we got to ride on a float this year. I was razzed pretty bad at church the next day for riding on a 5th ward float, and being in 2nd ward!

Here is me and my beautiful sister Heather. We were waiting in the hot sun in line at the BBQ. We got our food, some getting more meat then others =), and found a nice shady spot on the lawn where the kids ran and played and ate, and ran and played!

After lunch we made our way to the golf course to the car show. It was not easy keeping 5 + 3 curious little childrens wandering hands and eyes from touching the awesome cars. And did I mention, it was HOT?!?!

No more pictures of the festivities, but after the car show we came back to our house for some cooling down and drinks of ice water. The boys settled into a game of Risk, and a few of us girls headed to the Arts and Crafts fair at the park. After wandering a bit, we headed back to our house and had a simple hot dog and hamburger BBQ on our back porch. The kids had a great time with their cousins! Nathan made a new connection with Brenan as they shot their BB guns all afternoon. And, of course all the girls just had one big loud party! The Mayhew crew headed back toward Mesa, due to early church the next day, and work obligations. Wish they could have stayed longer for the fireworks!

After the Mayhews drove away, David and I decided against the Saturday Rodeo, but not against the fireworks. We parked in the perfect spot at the Centenial ballfields, watched the end of the championship game, let the kids get filthy playing in the mud and dirt, and enjoyed the weather as it finally cooled down. The fireworks were wonderful, and the kids had a fun time (so did I!) riding in the back of our truck to and from the fireworks. It was a great time to spend with my sister and her family! Love them! Oh, by the way, in the 10 years I have been attending the 24th celebration, we always get rained out at some point during the day. Not this year.... It was HOT and miserable all day. Another fun, yet HOT celebration weekend in the books!

ps- thank you for the pictures sis! My battery on my camera was nearly dead so it didn't get pulled out very often. So all photography posted is due to my wonderful sister Heather. =)

Summertime stuff

2011-07-18T17:59:00.001-07:00

After chores one morning, we all spent some time at Pioneer Park as a family. I told the kids that I would stay as long as they wanted. Nearly three hours later they were "done"! Here are some fun pictures of their time at the park. I have to admit that is was nice laying on the blanket, relaxing in the shade on this very nice, beautiful summertime day.... (oh, and BONUS, my house stayed clean!!)

I can't believe that I only have one picture of all the arts and crafts that has gone on this summer!There is almost always crayons, coloring books, papers, scissors, glue, tape, beads, buttons, etc. sitting all over our table. There is numerous pictures, creations and crafts that have been made at our table this summer.

And, just because it is kind of a big deal around here, here is a picture of my shower. Yes, it is gross, and yes is smells. (Just be grateful you can't smell this picture!) Anyway, we are having issues AGAIN with our plumbing... The guy who originally plumbed this house needs to be hung upside down by his toenails!!! The only way to permanently fix this problem is to jackhammer into the plumbing under the house and re-route it into the main line, like it should be! Do you hear the dollar signs?!?!?

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

So there is our next project, even if that wasn't the plan....

4th of July

2011-07-12T10:18:00.002-07:00

Happy Birthday America!

We spent our Independence Day running here and there, and had a wonderful time! In the morning, we headed to Show Low to enjoy their annual parade. I don't understand it, but nearly every year I am convinced that the parade starts at 10am, yet it really starts at 9am. So, nearly every year we are rushing and hurrying out the door to make it on time. Maybe I will remember next year, we will see. The parade was nicely done with some good floats. The kids liked Zorro on a horse, Ronald McDonald, and of course, the Smokey the Bear float. It was HOT, and they threw more candy then any one person should ever consume. Every other float had the 'good idea' to hand out Otter Pops. After eating at least 2 or 3 a piece, we still ended up taking about a dozen of them home to put in the freezer. Also notice the UN-patriotic colors we were all sporting. In my defense, there were tons of activities and things planned all the weekend before, and the kids, and David and I had already used up all our red, white and blue stuff. Sorry! =)

So, after the parade ended, we headed back toward home. We planned a very impromptu picnic at our house, on the way home and had Eva, Mathan, their 4 kids, and Andrew over. We stopped and picked up a few pizzas (gotta love Little Ceasers), Eva and Mathan got a couple sub sandwiches and we had a thrown together, yet nice spread of some yummy lunch. The kids had fun spending time with their cousins running in and out of the house. The weather had cooled off, and we enjoyed some cloud cover, and even a few sprinkles.

We all sat in the shade and talked for a couple hours, and then the Tenneys and Uncle Andrew headed home. We met up with our very good friends the Stradlings at Pioneer Park and had a BBQ with lots of friends. {No pictures, sorry!} The food was DELICIOUS (it was a steer that they had just butchered), and the company was great. We love the Stradlings, and the kids just LOVE playing together. Such a relaxed, real family.

Straight after the BBQ at the park we headed toward Holbrook. We set up a blanket and a few chairs right off the highway and watched a fun fireworks show. We met up again with Eva, Mathan and their kiddos, and had some fun together. With firecrackers now legal in Arizona, there were TONS of them going off all around us. It was LOUD, but fun for the kids.

Here is Aubrey and sweet baby Lilly. She is just 3 weeks old in this shot and such a beauty! Don't mind Aubrey's hair. It had been a big day.

After the fireworks, we loaded back up, and headed home. The kids were ALL asleep before we hit the Woodruff turn off! (That is only about 7 miles, for those of you that don't know). It was a BIG day, full of fun, sun, rain, friends, candy, food, and family! Just as it should be...

Hope you all had a great 4th,

and God bless this wonderful nation!!

Peterson Posterity

2011-07-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

Ben and Amy were in town last week. It is a constant, FUN party every time they visit! It is always a great time playing games, laughing and joking around, and letting the kids run wild with their cousins.

After 20+ shots, we finally got a good updated picture of the Peterson grand kiddos. Lots of little people with even more energy! A dozen little cuties!

Eva and Mathans' newest BEAUTIFUL little girl. She is 3 or 4 days old in this picture, and oh so tiny (just 5 pounds)! They have named her Lillian. She will go by "Lilly". The kids are thrilled to have a new cousin, but just a bit confused because they already have a cousin named Lili! So, we have had to clarify. They have dubbed their cousins, "Barton Lili", and "Lilly baby". Funny kids....

It was a fun week, FULL of late nights, get-togethers, birthday parties, and lots and LOTS of eating food, treats, and goodies! I think I gained at least 5 pounds....

Introducing Rudy

2011-07-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

We ran across a dog wandering around my in-laws house. He seemed very sweet, and super good with the kids. We have talked randomly about getting a second dog. We had planned on getting a female and naming her "Ruby". Anyone recognize the names "Max and Ruby"? Anyone with kids probably will... So David and I decided to take home this cute little stray. BUT, the dog is a male. So, thinking a bit creatively, David started calling him Rudy. And it stuck. He has been with us for nearly a week. He is a pretty good dog, has a horribly obnoxious high pitched bark, and hates being indoors (weird, huh?) The kids are taken with him, Max (our original dog, 3 years old) is warming up to him, and I am getting used to the idea of TWO dogs, not just one. Here are a few shots of our newest family member....

Rudy likes the cold hard tile floors, while Max is always looking for a soft place to lay.

Max and Rudy getting used to each other. Rudy had just taken a much needed bath.

Camping

2011-06-26T15:13:00.007-07:00

The weekend after our Mesa trip, we decided kinda last minute to go camping. We spent three days camping by Black Canyon Lake near Heber, AZ. I absolutely love to camp. It is nice to let the kids play (and get as dirty as they want) all day, simplify everything, and just RELAX. We had so much fun together, and can't wait for the next time we go. (It should be very SOON). Here is the picture OVERLOAD.
Jay, daddy and one of the BB guns.

Aubrey, spinning with daddy.

Looking for tadpoles and crabs.

Building a bridge across the small creek.

This was NOT an easy picture to take! The camera is literally dangling from a tree branch. It was a steep hill to run up and pose for the camera. We finally got a decent shot, that shows us all together.

My five little monkeys and the dog, Max.

Nathan and Aubrey fishing in the water. They didn't catch anything. =)

Betsy and Jay by the water. Yes, Jay is screaming.

Proof that I was actually there.

Nathan posing in the shelter that he built all by himself.

Circling the imaginary campfire. The kids didn't quite understand why we couldn't have a fire, but we reminded them about the Wallow Fire. In fact, exactly where we camped had tons of proof of the Rodeo-Chedeski fire from 2002. See the black trees? We had 6 chairs, with 7 people, so I got the log. =)

Max, the dog. This was his first experience riding in the back of a truck. It was super funny watching him. Camping is about the only time that I like that dog. I guess he is just not meant to be fenced up in a yard.

We LOVE camping!!

Mesa Trip!

2011-06-26T14:29:00.004-07:00

After nearly six months, we finally made it to Mesa to visit my family. Yes, it took us way too LONG! It was HOT, but so much fun seeing everyone again. We went over the second weekend in June. We had a great time together. The kids had a blast seeing their Barton cousins, and we got an updated picture of the grandkids. We have officially hit the stage where they can ALL sit, look, and smile. It is a nice stage... =) Me and my sisters got the chance to go to the Mesa Temple together. It was a nice experience to be together in the temple. The kids had LOADS of fun splashing and playing in the swimming pool with their cousins. Here is the proof!We gathered all together for Family Home Evening and also called my parents in Nauvoo to sing Happy Birthday to my mom. She was THRILLED to hear us all on the speakerphone for her birthday. I miss my parents so much, but love that they are serving a mission. What a great example for the grandkids.

We also spent some time with Justin, Heather, and their kiddos. They put on a yummy BBQ and we had some nice time visiting. Me and both my sisters named Heather, went early one morning to the gym, and worked out together. Gotta love Zumba. I was proud to be able to keep up, and even know a few of the dances (thank you Rhonda!) The boys all had fun playing Halo together, and the girls had fun putting our feet up and just relaxing. My sisters and I went shopping. I really don't enjoy shopping, but it really was fun, and we visited a great thrift store (the only place I shop), and got a new dress for me. It is the first dress I have bought myself since before Besty was born (5+ years ago!!)

Right before we left back to Snowflake, we went to a Scout Fundraiser/Auction dinner. The reason I mention it, is that it was my old family ward (46th). It is always wonderful to go back and see so many faces that I have known all my life. Such a feeling of "coming home". I love the 46th ward!!! It was a great trip. One that will be repeated more often (I promise!).

Wallow Fire

2011-06-07T09:50:00.004-07:00

For the last week a wildfire has been burning out of control in an area about and hour and a half southeast of our home. It is a horrible thing, and has caused evacuations of small wonderful little towns just like ours. In the afternoons the plume of smoke is visible in the sky. Sunday after church the winds had blown it our way and it was thick in the air, and made my lungs burn. I ache for the people and families that are being affected by this fire.

I almost started crying yesterday as I looked toward the fire and saw the HUGE plume of smoke in the sky. It looked almost pretty, but then just thinking about what was causing it made me sad inside. We have added the towns and people and firefighters in our prayers, and wish them the best. I feel helpless sitting here in my house, being so close, yet so far away. Add them to your prayers please.

Full swing

2011-06-07T09:27:00.002-07:00

School is over, the summer break has begun and has quickly kicked into high gear. We are in full swing people! I always dread summer break, (I know that makes me sound like a bad mom) but I do. I have five incredibly active, busy, LOUD children. My house is always filled with noise. And unfortunately, sometimes that noise is 'angry fighting noise'. The older three tend to get along alright if they are busy and doing things. But, if there is downtime, without an activity or plan, they tend to just pick at each other, all day long.

Nathan has officially begun acting like a 'big brother'. I think anyone that has an older brother or has a son that is an older brother understands completely what that means. Nathan just picks and teases and bothers his sisters, on purpose! In one way its kinda cute, watching him possess them to squeal and tattle, and reminds me a lot of my own big brother (yes, you Justin). But in every other way, it drives me crazy!!!!

So, anyway, with summer being a bit less structured and more relaxed; more fighting, tattling and crying take place. I have planned quite a few activities this summer, in hopes for a bit more peace around here. Aubrey and Emily are signed up for an Arts and Crafts class. They went to their first class yesterday, and both seemed to have a ball. Nathan is signed up for a soccer camp that starts up in a couple weeks. I also have plans to take them all individually to the pool here in Snowflake to teach them how to swim. They have previously been in the swimming classes they offer, but none of them have had enough one on one time to actually learn how to swim yet. So, that is my goal this summer. Get my 8, 7, and 6 year old swimming confidently. I am actually looking forward to it. Swimming is in the top 5 favorite things I like to do. I want my kids to like swimming also.

We have a few short trips planned (one this weekend to Mesa), and a long trip (to Provo) in the making too. And of course, with it being summer, and living in the mountains, you HAVE to add camping to the list. At least a few times. I love camping, and am looking forward to that too.

We are busy staying busy, especially yesterday, which I am actually quite proud that I made it through still sane! Summer is definitely in full swing!

Oh, how we've missed you!

2011-05-28T10:10:00.002-07:00

Warm weather is here!!! Halle-freakin-luja!! And yes, we have missed you! The kids had a blast playing in the sprinkler and the water a few days ago (WITH sunscreen this time!) Here's the proof...10 little feet.

5 bathing beauties!5 feet, 5 great kids.

Schools Out! Schools Out!

2011-05-28T09:26:00.004-07:00

We have officially passed into summer at our house. The last week of school is always a doozy, FILLED to the brim with a dozen different things from field trips to programs. We all survived it, and are now taking a breather from the BUSY last week of school! Here are some of the happenings from Highland Primary School last week... Aubrey's First Grade Portfolio Open House. Aubrey is in the back row halfway hidden behind the woman in the white vest. She is wearing the light pink visor. I was literally in the very back row. Couldn't see a thing, but it sure sounded nice! They sang a few songs and then I went back to her classroom where she shared with me all of the things that she had learned this year. Her teacher, Mrs. Lopez then presented her with an awesome little picture slide show DVD full of shots that she had taken throughout the year. We haven't stopped watching it yet. =)
And here is Aubrey with her "very bestest teacher ever", Mrs Lopez! She really is a great teacher that taught Aubrey a lot. She had the magic touch that got Aubrey reading. Thank you Mrs. Lopez! Emily graduated from kindergarten this year! She is such a nice, sweet little girl and did fantastic this year in school. Great job Emily! And here she is with her teacher, Mrs. Tanner. I have a special place in my heart for Mrs. Tanner. She was also Nathans kindergarten teacher. I loved her then, and I still love her now. She just has a way with teaching and with my kids. Thank you so much Mrs. Tanner!!And here is Nathan, with Aubrey, on his last day of school. His teacher, Mrs. Bonham was not around for a picture, but I really loved having her as Nathans teacher. She, and her husband (who was part of our stake presidency), are moving out of state this summer. We will miss her, and her husband SO much. Thank you Mrs. Bonham, and President Bonham, for all your hard work as a wonderful teacher and wonderful counselor in Snowflake Stake!! (Man, I wish I had a picture of her with Nathan!!)

In other news, all the kids report cards were absolutely perfect looking! They are all such smarties! Nathan will be moving on to 4th grade and to a new school. His teacher for next year at Snowflake Intermediate is Mr. Decker. Aubrey will be moving on to 2nd grade and will have Mrs. Binnie, and Emily will be headed to 1st grade with Mrs. Dennee as her teacher. We are looking forward to a summer break, and then new adventures next year for my three oldest kids! Great job Nathan, Aubrey, and Emily! We are SO proud of each of you!!

Mothers Day Luau

2011-05-24T11:00:00.001-07:00

I went to the annual Mothers Day Luau that the kindergartners put on for their moms. This year I got to go with Emily. She is super cute, and had such a great time singing her songs, doing the limbo and watching the "real live hula dancers". She is SO very skinny that here paper grass skirt kept falling off. We had to tie it to her belt loop on her jeans just so it would stay up! Here are a few pictures of the night together.She didn't quite get low enough and didn't make it passed the first round. Oh well. She had fun anyway.Emily with two of her very good friends, Jasmine and Braedyn. Such fun girls together!

Emily squinting into the sun for her picture! I can't get it to flip, so just turn your head or something! =)

It was a fun night together. I love my wonderful Emily Jo!!!

OUCH!

2011-05-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when children play outside for almost 4 hours with no sunscreen on. A few weeks ago (the day before Mothers Day) the weather was wonderful! I was busy running around from here to there. David was luckily home from work. I left, yet again, to a song practice for a few hours. I came home to a beautiful sight. Four kids (Nathan was at a friends house) jumping happily on the trampoline in their swiming suits with the spinkler underneath. It was only a few minutes later that I asked if they had sunscreen on. The answer; no. I brought them inside and got them changed back into their clothes. It looked like just small damage done. By that evening at bathtime it was looking worse, and by the next morning, it was terrible. The kids could hardly move, and they were miserable. We went to church, and then came home with a bunch of SORE, sad kids. They got lotioned up and laid around for the rest of the day, all recieving doses of ibuprofen for the pain.

Anyway, the pictures above are of Jay and Besty, 9 days later. Yes, NINE. It was a long week... And now, here we sit 17 days after, and they are finally not hurting at all. Both Jay and Betsy have been complaining for the last week that they are itchy. Now they are both looking better too. Normal.

*Sunscreen is a GOOD thing.

34

2011-05-24T10:41:00.004-07:00

The pictures WILL NOT flip, sorry. David sporting his go-tee. It didn't last long, but he did enjoy it for a few weeks.

David had a birthday on the 22nd. He turned 34! Old man. For his birthday he went camping with the boys at Fathers and Sons. He, Nathan and Jay were grinning ear to ear when they got home and had a great time together.

For his actual day he got to go to church and NOT teach the lesson. It was a random coincidence that the bishopric had the "5th Sunday/Combined" on the 4th Sunday. It means that he teaches next week, but didn't have to for his birthday. He got a small backpacking tent and a nice mess kit for his camping gear collection. The kids each had one gift to give him, It was fun seeing them all in a line with a bag a piece for Daddy. I should have taken a picture.... oh well.

Happy birthday David! We love and appreciate you more then you will ever know. You are a wonderful man and I am so grateful that you got to know me, and still wanted to marry me. =) You are a hardworking, unselfish, GOOD person. I LOVE YOU! Happy 34th.

Crisis Cleaning

2011-05-19T12:55:00.002-07:00

David went out with his Elders Quorum Presidency for visits on Tuesday night. As he was leaving the house at 7:00 pm he turned back and said, "I am going to bring them all back here for our Presidency Meeting, probably in about an hour. Oh, and it would be great if you could have the kids in bed, and make some brownies or something too." He then said goodbye and left.

It was a simple request. Put the kids to bed a bit early and put some brownies {from the box, shhh!} in the oven. No big deal. Right? WRONG!

I turned to face my house. It was a DISASTER! Absolute tornado worthy, holy cow, call CPS disaster. Due to my busy schedule the last few days, I had not focused much attention on it since before the weekend. And around here, weekends are the fastest way to reek havoc on our home.

So I quickly, and rather forcefully, gathered all the kids and put them to work. I barked out the orders: You do dirty clothes! You clear the table! You pick up toys! You gather and take the garbage out!

I focused my energy on the kitchen, unloading, reloading the dishwasher, washing a few bigger dishes by hand, and wiping down the counters. Then I swept the floors. The house got clean pretty quickly. The kids did alright with helping, which is sometimes not the case.

It was 7:40pm (10 minutes later then I wanted to have them in bed by). I then started barking more orders: Go put on your PJ'S! Brush your teeth! Go to the bathroom! Come for a quick family prayer! GO TO BED!!!

AHHH! It was 7:50pm. I was expecting David and a hoard of other men to come to my house in about 10 minutes! I still had to vacuum, wipe the table (which had cemented oatmeal on it from breakfast, petrified jelly from lunch, and dried tomato sauce from dinner), AND make the brownies.

I ran the vacuum quickly and put it away... CHECK.
I wiped the table off (which took way longer then it should have)... CHECK.
I mixed up the brownies and popped them in the oven... CHECK!

It was 8:08pm, and gratefully, the guys were still not here yet. So I did a few things more to try and help the house look a bit more pleasant. I folded the throw on the chair so it looked better. I watered the plants (they were VERY thirsty). I even lit a nice scented candle. AHH!! The house looked great, and was beginning to smell great too between the brownies and candle.

It was then 8:25pm. Still not here. I wandered around looking now for things to do. Took the brownies out of the oven and set them on the counter to cool. I sat down and thought about what I could do before they got here. The house was clean, the kids were in bed and all asleep (although it took Aubrey a few more minutes then the rest, which is usually the case), and the only thing left for me to do was take a shower. I figured that the men could figure out how to get in the house, serve themselves brownies, and hold a presidency meeting without help from me. So I went back to our room and took a quick shower. I came out after my shower around 9:00 pm. No one was here yet!

15 minutes later David moosies in. He says, "Oh, we just did a quick informal meeting. No one is coming." And wanders off to change out of his Sunday clothes.

I stood there, baffled! I just busted my butt cleaning this house, making you brownies, and that is all you have to say!!!!! I was NOT happy.

I felt like he set me up!! 'Tell her that people are coming and then she will finally clean up this mess and make me brownies to boot!' I approached him, told him what I thought about it all, rather angrily, and waited for his reply. He assured me that he really was planning for a meeting here. He thanked me up and down for cleaning the house, putting the kids to bed, making brownies, etc.

I walked away, still feeling rather upset about the whole ordeal. Then the thought hit me... WHY do I do this to myself? Maybe that is the only way the house would have gotten clean! The pressure of last minute guests is something I ABSOLUTELY HATE! I get all stressed and mean, and upset... but the house gets clean.

Then I remembered what my house looked like just 2 hours before that. Remember the tornado, disaster, CPS mess? Yeah. It was bad. I then remembered the things I have learned about keeping your house always about 10 minutes away from 'company ready'. I remember someone telling me to always have your house looking nice enough that if your visiting teachers, or the bishop, or your mom-in-law dropped by, you wouldn't want to crawl in a hole and die.

I felt terrible. Felt like I had failed, yet again. I realized then that I usually don't clean just to have a nice home for my family. I clean so it looks good for the people coming over. Why do I care so much about what other people think?? I don't want them thinking that that crazy Valerie with all those crazy kids, can't even keep her house clean! I worry way to much about what other people think. IN FACT, the entire time I was cleaning I was imagining the men all walking into my house telling me how wonderful it looked, complementing me on my delicious {from the box, shhh!} brownies, then rushing home to tell their wives what a wonderful housekeeper I am!!!! HOW PATHETIC. Mostly because men usually don't care to notice, or talk to their wives about stuff like that anyway.

I am proud to say that I have kept my house {relatively} clean since then. But it is not for ANYONE else but me, and my wonderful husband, and my five absolutely great children. So if you happen to 'pop on over to the Petersons', and my house is not Better Homes and Gardens worthy, know that I am okay with my home the way it is. It is lived in. It shows signs of life and love and kids. And that is how I want it.

All night long...

2011-05-10T08:33:00.005-07:00

I have been feeling unusually tired lately. Last night was no exception. So I felt really good when I climbed into bed at 9:00 pm. It was going to be great; a full eight hours sleep, up at 5:00 am, have some quiet "me time", get ready for the day, before the family gets up.

That was my plan, this was my reality:

9:10pm: fell asleep
10:15pm: Emily awake, she was cold and thirsty. Got her an extra blanket and drink.
10:30pm: fell back asleep
12:30am: Jay awake, he was thirsty and his ear hurt. Got him a drink and some ibuprofen. Went in to the office to find David asleep in front of the computer. Brought him to bed all while turning off lights, locking doors, putting the dog out.
1 am: fell back asleep
1:45am: Betsy awake, she was cold. Got her an extra blanket.
2:05am: fell back asleep
2:55am: Jay awake, again. His ear hurt still. Couldn't give him more medicine, but held him until he fell back asleep.
3:05am fell back asleep
3:17am woke up all by myself to a strange noise (still can't decide if I heard it for real, or in my dream). Wandered the house, checked on the kids, found nothing strange.
3:35am fell back asleep.
4 am: Aubrey awake, climbed in bed with us. Kept squirming and wouldn't hold still.
4:30am Finally gave up the battle, climbed up to the top single bunk that Aubrey left empty.
4:40am fell back asleep
6:40: David came in and woke me up to help get the kids ready for school.

I need a nap. So much for quiet "me time". Maybe tomorrow....

Mom

2011-05-08T20:57:00.010-07:00

I sang in a quartet during Relief Society today. It was a wonderful experience, and how I feel about my mom. It is entitled, "An Angel to Watch Over Me". Sorry about the spacing, I couldn't figure it out...

She watched by my cradle through long sleepless nights,
She taught me to pray as she knelt by my side,
She guarded my childhood and all through the years,
She echoed my laughter, she counted my tears.
In the arms of my mother I came to believe
that God sent an angel to watch over me.

She taught me the meaning of courage and faith,

She taught me to live with the Lord as my strength,

She taught me to follow the pathway he marked,

She guided my steps when the journey grew dark,

And I know there were dangers that I could not see,

But God sent an angel to watch over me.

She taught me to serve with a spirit that sings,

She taught me to seek after heavenly things,

Because of her love and her kindness and care,

Because of the place that I hold in her prayers,

And because of her goodness, I still believe

That God sent an angel to watch over me.

We thank you dear mothers for all that you are.

No softer a moonbeam, no brighter a star.

No stronger a mountain, more constant the sea,

Yes, God sent down angels to love you and me.

Blessed are we, you're an answer, and answer to prayer.

Deep in our hearts, you will always be there.

The song was written by Sally DeFord, with the last verse written by a wonderful woman, (who also happens to be my visiting teaching partner) Linda B. It was a great experience to sing with Amy, Sharnell and Tanya, Linda, and Wanda. They all are so talented, and lots of fun too!

I have two very wonderful mothers in my life. My very own mom, who is busy serving the Lord on her second mission in Nauvoo. She has always been a constant in my life, and I always feel safe with my mom. And my wonderful mother-in-law that loves me and my kids so very much. She always makes me feel relaxed, accepted, and at ease. And she also raised the son that I call my husband. I love these women so very much!

And then, of course, I have five little monkeys that call me 'mommy'. Without them I would not know the true meaning of love, patience, and sacrifice. You never truly understand what it is to be a mother, until you are one. I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for the privilege it is to raise His spirits here on earth and have the title "mother".

Focus

2011-05-03T12:05:00.004-07:00

I have quarantined my house today due to a nasty stomach bug that reared its ugly head about 10pm last night. I did not get much sleep going from child, to child, to toilet, to child (you get the unpleasant picture). So, not feeling well today has forced the kids to spend a bit of time watching cartoons on NetFlix. And I have spent most of my time laying on the couch reading. Namely my scriptures and Aprils' Ensign. I am sad to admit that I usually don't spend hours on end reading those books, in fact I am lucky if I ever even crack the cover of my Book of Mormon some days.

I kept getting the impression that my focus has been off. I have spent the majority of my time lately complaining; about the house, the weather, the job, the time alone, the terrible things the kids do, etc. Negative things look really big if that is all you focus on. So if that is true, do positive things look really big if that is what your focus is on?

Ready to put my focus on what REALLY matters, and start being more grateful and positive, because life is GOOD... even if I'm sick!

Single and cold

2011-05-02T10:01:00.005-07:00

Yet another week has come, and David left for work. We are on week three of him working out on the rez, and not being home. He comes home for the weekends, but has not been around much. It is not fun. It is hard. And I lose my patience more then I would like to admit. Hopefully this is the last week that he has to leave for a while, but who knows? With the economy the way it is, and construction work so slow, we have to take any work we can get, thank you very much.

Anyway, other then playing single mommy for the past little while, life is going well. The kids are all happy, relatively healthy, and wishing that it would get warmer. Me too. BLAST this winter stuff that is hanging around, all while looking like a beautiful summer day, and being 45 or 50 degrees out. BOO!! I HATE COLD.

The kids brought home their new May calenders from school on Friday. I about fell over realizing that summer break is approaching FAST. I am not ready for summer.... I think I may move away to an undisclosed area for a few months and then return around the end of August. Until it is warm enough to not have to run my furnace or light a fire, I will not have the idea of 'summer break' floating around this house!

I realize that this has been a pretty negative post. But what can I say? I miss my husband. The kids miss their daddy. I am SICK of this HORRID weather. And that, my friends, is reality.

Our BUSY Easter Weekend

2011-04-26T07:57:00.006-07:00

Thursday evening David and I, and his sister Eva and Mathan swapped babysitting for a couple hours a piece. It was nice to get away and have some quiet time. While we were out on our date (does doing a light clean on our temple count as a date??) Eva bravely colored Easter eggs with the kids. When we got home the kids were all tucked in bed, and we made plans to use those bright little eggs. Being that there was no school on the following day, we made some fun Easter-ish plans! We headed out to Woodruff bright and early for a yummy breakfast and Easter Egg Hunt at Eva and Mathans' house. The breakfast was delicious and there was proof of how good the strawberry-banana muffins were all over the carpet!! We had a good time visiting and spending time together. The kids had fun together with their cousins. And the goats had fun on my van! =) Here are some pictures of the occasion... The cousins: May, Nathan, Ellen, Thomas, Aubrey, Emily, Jay and Betsy.

My five little monkeys waiting for the hunt to begin!David and I squinting in the sun. A goat, ON my van. I was laughing pretty hard. Something you just don't see in most places!

Saturday morning was Scout-A-Rama and the district races for the Pinewood Derby. We all got up early, braved the weather (it was pretty dang cold, windy, and overcast for a while!) and went to the park where they served us a pancake breakfast.They set up lots of booths, candy, and activities for the kids to do. We played around at the park for a few hours. Nathan and I then headed over to the church to watch the races. Nathans car was entered for show. It was a fun time with just me and my Nathan! After the races they announced the winners, and handed out metals for all the participants. It was fun to see them all lined up on the wall. Nathan didn't place, but he did get a two metals! He was more thrilled about the TWO metals then he probably would have been about a trophy! Wheres Waldo? Nathan is the one in the scout shirt! hehe! He is wearing the tan cargo pants, next to the boy in the yellow shirt.After the races we headed home and then David went to the church to help take down Pinewood Derby and set up chairs for Stake Conference. (Can we say, OVER-scheduled weekend?!) David then stayed for Leadership Training. He got home, and I headed back to the church for the Adult Session of Stake Conference. The meeting was wonderful, full of the spirit and I got to sit with some Peterson family, and no kids, which was neat. =)

Sunday Easter morning was fun as the kids found their baskets, played with their new toys, and ate way too much candy. (I forgot to take pictures, sorry). By the time we headed to the church I had some pretty wound up kids! I feel sorry for the poor Brewer family that sat behind us... The meeting was nice, and the spirit was strong (when I could feel it between wrestling and quieting five kids who were all on some serious sugar highs).

I am finally winding down from the crazy weekend, and cleaning up the mess that came with it. Boo hiss! I wonder if things will ever slow down?? Probably not...

Spelling Bee 2011

2011-04-21T16:06:00.006-07:00

Nathan participated in the 3rd grade Spelling Bee this morning. He got a packet full of words last week and has been studying them nightly. He is an awesome reader, and one of his favorite books just happens to be a dictionary he got for his 7th birthday. He was well-prepared and ready for the Spelling Bee (probably without any studying). There were 30 kids (top 6 from each class) competing. On his second word he thought Mr. Yates (the principle) said "watch", and spelled it correctly, but he really said "wash". Which was incorrect. He was VERY disappointed, and came and sat on my lap for a couple minutes, heartbroken, when the judges decided to have him try and spell "wash" again, after hearing it in a sentence. He, of course, spelled it RIGHT. No problem, just a misheard word..

So after that little drama for Nathan (and me too), he was back in the competition. He spelled every word right, and the number of kids began to dwindle off. It was a long haul, and he performed well. He got to about 6 kids left when he finally realized that he might just win this thing, and started to focus! It got down to 4 kids, three girls and one boy. I was SO NERVOUS, even though he seemed as calm as can be! They started using harder words, and he WON the Spelling Bee with the words "yacht" and "diesel". FIRST PLACE!!!! I am such a proud mama, and haven't stopped smiling ear to ear yet!!!!! He is such a smart kid, and he DID NOT get it from me. Great job Nathan! We are SO proud of you!!

...and he is already talking about next years Spelling Bee....

Recent FUN pictures

2011-04-19T16:27:00.003-07:00

"Mama, I'm humbree! Open dis peez!"
Poor kiddo, going to church just wore him out!

"Mommy! Take a picture of me! I'm a monkey!"

Daddy takes a break and bonds over Battleship with his boys.

What happens when the brownies are gone at our house.

Looking better then ever!

2011-04-19T15:56:00.005-07:00

ANNOUNCEMENT! We are now officially the owners of blinds! It has been nearly 7 years since we bought this home, and we have most tackily hung blankets in our windows for that time. I finally talked my dear husband into the idea of looking a little less white trash, and bought some blinds. They look GREAT! We ordered them online from Blinds.com (great prices, by the way), waited a few days, they came in the mail, and we had them up and installed Saturday morning. Here are a few shots of the befores and afters for your viewing pleasure....

BEFORE: AFTER:

AFTER:In the spirit of improving the outside image of our home, I also restained our front porch swing. It was looking pretty rundown and pathetic, and now it is looking nice and nearly new again. I love sitting on a porch swing. I have always had a swing, in the deepest earliest memories I remember. It just doesn't feel like my home without one.

So feel free to drive by, or look again at the pictures if you are not within driving distance, and see my beautiful new blinds and porch swing. I am pretty proud... =)

*Next projects: The grass and bushes, and get some flowers planted .... it never ends.

Dinosaur Diorama and Tooth Fairies

2011-04-07T13:39:00.004-07:00

Aubrey had a school assignment that she worked hard on and here is the final project. She made a diorama, gave a presentation to her first grade class, and wrote a short paper (like 6-7 sentences long) about the dinosaur of her choice. She chose the Ankylosaurus. Our family now all knows more then I thought possible about that type of dinosaur! Luckily I have sons that like dinosaur toys, and there happened to be an Ankylosaurus in their toy bucket (along with 20+ more kinds too)! She was very proud of her diorama, and according to her teacher, did a great job on her presentation to the class. I am so proud of my sweet, happy, SMART Aubrey Sue! Emily just lost another tooth (#8). Having three kids resembling jack-o-lanterns, makes a lot of Tooth Fairy duties; it gets kinda pricey too! Emily is ahead of schedule with losing teeth and has lost two more teeth then Aubrey who is a year older then her! My kids are always so tough with losing their teeth. Emily actually waits until it is so lose that the wind would blow it out, and then approaches me with some toilet paper in a wad, and tells me to pull it.

Nathan, Aubrey and Emily also just had dentist trips and report NO cavities. That always makes a momma proud. Betsy is going in next week for her first visit to the dentist. She already has a cavity right between her two front teeth, and that is why I am taking her earlier then I normally do for my kids. I was hoping that I could just keep up with her brushing and that would hold her off until they just fell out, but it is getting big enough that it is turning into a problem. She isn't complaining about it (heck, she doesn't complain about anything!) but it needs to be fixed before the teeth naturally fall out on their own.

And great news for me, I also have set up an appointment to go visit an orthodontist and get an initial consultation for braces!! I am super excited to possibly getting my teeth fixed again. Yes, I have had braces before when I was about 13, but between rushing me through the braces, and moving with my family out of state, my orthodontist never got me a final retainer, and so my teeth slowly went back to how they were. I am looking forward to getting my teeth straightened, getting a retainer this time, and feeling better about myself... =)

Daddy's Boy

2011-04-02T19:00:00.003-07:00

It is great to see a boy that loves his daddy so much. There is a bond between Jay and David that is unbreakable. Jay just loves to be with his daddy, and cries nearly every time David leaves for work, drives away, leaves for a meeting, etc. It gets a bit tiring to hear the crying, BUT I know for a FACT that this boy loves his dad!

I don't blame either of them. I love them both too!

I love these FUNNY faces!

2011-04-02T19:00:00.002-07:00

BYU Ballet

2011-04-02T19:00:00.001-07:00

Last month (the 4th of March to be exact), the BYU Ballet came to town. I thought it was a good idea for a girls night out. We first stopped at Trappers. The only time I can eat there is when I go without David because he doesn't like it. The girls got to pick whatever they wanted off the kid menu. It sounded like a great idea, except that I had 3 FULL plates of uneaten food that got to go home in a doggy bag. Silly girls.... They liked the french fries and the water, IF it had ice in it.

After the adventure at Trappers we headed to the ballet. They were bummed because there was a "meet the ballerinas" before the actual ballet. We got there on time, but what mommy didn't realize is that they were supposed to dress up like princesses for the affair. Oops! So they all cowered at their table, and fought getting up and visiting with anyone in the whole room! Aubrey was so afraid that the ballerinas would hate her because she didn't dress up. And of course, if Aubrey says something like that, it HAS to be true!

So Aubrey, Emily and Betsy all sat/hid at the table for a while. I finally convinced them that no one hated them for not dressing up and they slowly began coming out of their self inflicted shell. Here is the only picture I got with them and some "real live ballerinas". Betsy was beside herself! She was just thrilled as can be to be with actual dancers. SO SWEET!The ballet performance was really good, and their is some serious talent at BYU.

...I have nothing against men that dance ballet, BUT I do have something against men in skin colored tights dancing ballet! I just about covered my girls eyes! YIKES!

Pinewood Derby 2011

2011-04-02T18:48:00.004-07:00

Nathan had his first Pinewood Derby race a couple days ago. He helped David work on the car for weeks. They designed it together and built it together. Nathan was really excited to get to the race and the weigh-in. Here is the finished product. It turned out pretty good I would have to say.

Nathan got 5th in the racing portion (it was a SUPER close race) and 3rd in show! He is very excited to go to district next month. He did great! I am so proud of my Nathan!!

I made a promise

2011-03-29T10:36:00.002-07:00

Last week I made a promise to the most important man in my life. I was on my knees in prayer when I made it. I was discouraged with my failings, with my weaknesses, with my lack of ability to have anything that resembled patience lately. I was upset and depressed about myself and all the things I LACK.

Then the epiphany came... Nothing good has come to my life for all the time I have spent on FaceBook and watching a particular TV series on NetFlix. I realized this, tried to come up with rules for myself and make excuses why it was "not that bad" and that it wasn't effecting my mood "that much"... Anyway, I lost the silly battle with the man upstairs , and I realized that the only way I was going to defeat my bad attitude/feelings/failings/weaknesses/lack of patience is if I stopped COLD TURKEY. I stopped visiting FaceBook (at all!!), and I have not watched another episode of that show on NetFlix (even though I was right at a BIG reveal, and I will always wonder what happened?!?!) It is not easy. The only thing I check online now is my blog and email. I will still get on NetFlix for the kids to watch their shows, but I really haven't.

The results?? My house is almost always clean again, my mood and focus is on my family again, my laundry is caught up again, dinner is on the table almost every night again.... I haven't felt a HUGE change. But those little things (which really are not that little, huh?) have made all the difference in the world.

Goodbye FaceBook and particular show on NetFlix, I will miss you, but it is WORTH IT.

2011-03-22T18:00:00.009-07:00

Big Boy Jay!!

I am so very proud of my last born child! He struggled with getting potty trained (mostly because of a lazy mommy) but has finally made it. He stays dry both day and night, makes it through long times away from home (church on Sunday was the test), and even takes himself to the bathroom! He amazes me with how quickly he jumped on board. My boys have been an absolute CINCH to potty train. My girls all had to much attitude or something, and so they were a TRIAL. Now that I am done changing diapers I have found that there is more money in the bank and more time for me to do things I want to do! It has been nice getting everyone out of diapers, and I am almost completely thrilled that it is done. My only hangup is that my baby is really not a baby now, its bittersweet...

Playing catch-up!

2011-03-22T18:00:00.008-07:00

I realize that I have slacked terribly in my blogging lately. I am sorry about that. In an effort to get caught up with the happenings around here, here is a few posts that give a general update. ENJOY!

2011-03-22T18:00:00.006-07:00

Road trip! Last week David and Nathan went to Provo, Utah with the majority of the Peterson family. Davids' sister and husband has moved up there and so they pulled trailers with all their stuff in them. Also Davids' brother and his wife recently had an addition to their family. Hannah Mae was blessed while everyone was up there. It was a quick trip up and back and they arrived home safely last night. They both seemed to have a fun time. It is amazing how much I can miss my boys... SO good to have them home!

2011-03-22T18:00:00.005-07:00

Parent/teacher conferences have come and gone again. I am pleased to say that each of my children who are in school are doing perfect in school. Each one of their teachers praised them up and down. I am so happy and blessed to have good, smart, happy kids!! Congratulations to my wonderful children!!! I feel like the time will come eventually that I will have to "deal with" a problem from one of my kids, but I haven't yet, in the four years I have been doing this school stuff. And until that time does come I will celebrate the good news it is to have wonderful kids!

2011-03-22T18:00:00.003-07:00

Rest in peace Black Chick...

Everyone's favorite chicken was killed a few days ago. There was crying, Aubrey was the pallbearer (we put her in a old light bulb box) and David dug the grave. It was hard watching my kids deal with death again. Nathan made the comment with tears streaming down his face, "it's not fair that everyone has to die." It was a good teaching moment, again, about life and death and the resurrection. Yet the backyard doesn't seem the same without Black Chick wandering around. She was the smallest of the bunch, and laid tiny cute little eggs. She was more of a pet then a chicken...

You know that you are a blog slacker when...

2011-03-14T10:23:00.004-07:00

your HUSBAND asks you to update the blog! I didn't even know that he read it! So I have officially been lazy, uninterested and any other lame excuse you can come up with that involves ignoring the computer and all things "Internet". A few weeks ago our monitor on the computer decided to stop working. It was a sad day for me because we wouldn't be able to watch our shows on NetFlix (nope, we don't have one of those fancy gadgets that hook the computer to the TV, although it would be nice). I feared that it would be a super big deal and that the house would go into a tailspin without FaceBook, my blog, my email, NetFlix, games, etc. Then, about a day after the thing stopped working I was over it. I realized how very much time my family is on the computer; how very much time we WASTE.

We went to WalMart about a week later and bought a new monitor. It is big, and nice, and wonderful. It makes for a good sized "TV screen" for our beloved NetFlix. (What on earth did we ever do before we got NetFlix??!!??)

Anyhow, enough about that. Here is what we have been up to lately.

David has had consistent work for months. And that is quite amazing in a small town in construction. We are counting our blessings daily for that.
I am always keeping busy with all things motherly. Cleaning, cooking, feeding, building potato Leprechauns, potty training a boy, babysitting, singing, cleaning, cooking, feeding, and very little sleeping. I was released from my calling as the 1st councilor in the Young Women presidency last week. It was a hard thing, and many tears came. I love those wonderful girls. I miss it already.
Nathan is working on his Pinewood Derby car with David. He is pretty excited about it. The race is at the end of the month. He is also keeping himself entertained reading. He has always been a reader, but these last few weeks, that is about all he does. I love that he loves to read.
Aubrey is such a great girl lately. She is all about being the mother, which is helpful. Although sometimes she tries to mother her mother, so that doesn't work out well for her. She went to two birthday parties this weekend, and had a blast a both. She is getting really good at reading, and is still enjoying our relatively new trampoline. Yesterday she took practically all the stuffed animals we own and bounced them around on the trampoline with her. They are still out there actually.
Emily is in the process of growing out her bangs. I will tell her how pretty she is, and she always replied "Except for my bangs". So, we have abandoned the bangs and are now in the process of pinning them back until they are long enough. She was jealous of the birthday parties Aubrey went to, and just turned in her Potato Leprechaun at school (yes, over a week late). By the way, pipe cleaners do not glue to potatoes. Even with superglue. I was frustrated with the project when Nathan was in this class, and I am still frustrated with Emily having to do it. Although I love the teacher, I hate the Leprechaun project.

Betsy is happy, go lucky, content and such a peacemaker. Yes, still. She was born that way, and still hasn't changed. She has a smile and energy that is SO contagious. It is hard not to be happy when Betsy is around. Although she is so positive about things, she is no push-over. She has a independence that no one messes with. She is a joy in this house.
Jay is officially potty trained. FINALLY. I still have to remind and ask him, but he even will go on his own, without my prompting sometimes. He would probably make it alright through church and bedtime, but I don't want to deal with an accident so I am putting him in a Pull Up when we go places for more then about an hour, or when he sleeps. It probably confuses him more then anything. I need to trust him more. I am just being lazy, that is all.

Surprise!!

2011-02-26T17:01:00.002-07:00

I have a great friend that I love dearly. She has lots of little kids who are close together, just like me. Her husband, and my husband are brothers separated at birth. (if you don't actually look at them!!) He is 6'4", David is 5' 8". They are quite funny to look at, but they have SO much in common. Anyway, that is not the point of this post. The point is, last night, my wonderful friend volunteered to keep my kids (yes, all five of them!) overnight! They have so much fun together, and she claimed that they were really good for her (they always are). THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!!

So, I surprised my hubby. I arranged a babysitter and took him on a date last night. Told him that we were picking the kids up at about 10pm, but as we were passing a hotel in town, I pulled in. It surprised him to bits. We had a great time together, WITHOUT kids!!! We stayed up late, splashed in the pool and jacuzzi, and slept in this morning. We enjoyed a quiet breakfast, I took a long leisurely shower, and got ready for the day! We then enjoyed lunch and a couple more hours at home WITHOUT kids. AHHHH!!! Just what the doctor ordered, you should try it.

Hang on Sloopy!

2011-02-26T16:39:00.004-07:00

Sorry out there to anyone that actually reads this blog. It has been neglected lately.

A couple weeks ago a wonderful man passed away. Davids granddad Pew died and left yet another sad hole in our families. I went through my highly unorganized pictures trying to find the ones I was looking for to post, and of course, I can't. I married into this family back when he was relatively healthy still and caring for his wife who was in her last years. He was very accepting, loved to give me hugs and scratchy kisses. He had a witty sense of humor, and VAST knowledge of all things Arizona and Mexico. I swear he has traveled every square inch of this state and Mexico and can tell you things you never knew. He and his wife joined us once to Rocky Point where he and Nathan (who was 6 months old at the time) fell together. Nathan was loved and protected by that wonderful man, but Granddad Pew broke his hip as a result of that fall. His health declined from then on and he was never quite the same. He has spent the last 3-4 years basically confined to either his chair or bed. His memory has been fading with his health.

One of my last memories I have of him happened about two months ago. I stopped in Show Low to see him. I walked into his living room, he looked directly at me and said "Hey Valerie!" It has been years since he has called me or any of my kids by name. He smiled, hugged me and gave me a scratchy kiss. He seemed so happy to see me and the kids. His memory had come back clearly, even if it was only for a few minutes. Bittersweet. It was a wonderful thing for him to go. It was sad for me and David, and Nathan who remembers him the best, but really a happy day. Many changes are happening in the family now because of his passing. It will be interesting to see how things settle. I love that great man. I miss him.

Oh blah dee, oh blah dah

2011-02-11T15:47:00.002-07:00

Well, life goes on. I wish I had more to report... This week had gone pretty smoothly. No major events, and nothing to really report, or blog about.

I have spent quite a bit of time organizing, throwing away stuff, and generally decluttering and cleaning my house. It feels good to see progress, but it doesn't seem to last long with five kids running around. One day my house will stay clean for more then 5 minutes at a time. Right??

I started watching the shows Psych and Bones on NetFlix. Both awesome shows that seem to keep me moving, or cleaning or folding clothes. And I need all the help I can get on that folding clothes category. I'm watching Psych, David is watching Heroes. We are both watching Bones. David doesn't really like it, says its too gruesome. I like shows like that though. I know, I'm kinda morbid.

I don't have much else to say. Life is slowing down again. And I am grateful for it. Maybe I can finally get Jay potty-trained. Maybe.

What we have been up to....

2011-02-03T08:42:00.008-07:00

We got one of these: I have done A LOT of this ('this' is cleaning, by the way): Jay got one of these, poor little guy: Emily posed for the camera: And posed again, with help from Aubrey: And again, with a little bit of help: And again: Nathan was in the 3rd grade poetry contest and got a Certificate of Participation: Betsy STILL has this attached to her hand: Aubrey was a "pirate" (yes, that is a chicken):

Along with all that, we are on our 4th, yes fourth, as in F O U R T H, bout of sickness since mid-December. Each strain is a bit different, but two of them have involved throw-up (be grateful I don't have pictures!). YUCK. I am seriously sick and tired of dealing with people who are sick and tired (myself included!).

My new "normal"....

2011-01-25T09:40:00.005-07:00

I have been patiently (okay, so actually pretty impatiently sometimes) waiting for life to stop running at top speed, and let me have things back to the normal that I had grown accustom to.

IT'S NOT HAPPENING.

In about mid-November, life kicked into "holiday mode", and I feel like it is still there. It feels like every moment is FILLED with things, kids, projects, activities, etc. EtC. ETC!! I have finally come to the point now where I realize that this may just be my new "normal". I am having a hard time adjusting to this idea.

The hardest part about it all, is that I have often heard, from nearly all women further along in life then me, that once you start having kids, things just get harder, and busier, and more insane as the years go on. So, if I am struggling now to keep up with things, what does that mean for me, in say 10 years, when they are ALL teenagers? YIKES.

BUT, I don't mean to sound ungrateful. Because I am not. I am grateful for my husband and his willingness to step up and do what he needs to, even if that means I spend some time playing "single mommy". I am grateful for my children. They are all healthy, happy, well-adjusted kids. They all try to do whats right (most of the time =}), I am grateful for my home, even if it is tight quarters. It keeps the weather out, and keeps us warm and safe, and I am grateful for David's job, even if we are often pinching pennies, at least we have a job.

And finally, I am grateful for the blessing it is to have the life I have... even if it is CrAzY!

Tomorrow night at six...

2011-01-16T14:20:00.005-07:00

We went up to St. George, Utah from Wednesday through Friday for my Grandpa Bartons' funeral. It was a good drive there, the kids did just great traveling (I am very blessed to have five kids that travel well) and it was a wonderful time seeing family that I don't get to see very often. It is amazing how much one person can do in their life, and how very much I didn't know about my grandpa. He was a wonderful man that I love and miss. Here are several pictures from our trip to St. George....Loaded up, and on our way early Wednesday morning.

Some wonderful views from our drive.

The viewing and funeral...L-R; My gramoose, my dad, Aunt Jo-Lynn, Aunt Kaye, Aunt Robyn, and Aunt DaNell. The pallbearers were all my male cousins, and my brother. L-R, Danny, Justin, Josh, Brandon, Chad, Jeff, J, and Andrew. Jay, standing next to the casket. A very sweet moment to capture. Jay Blayne ..... Jay Clayton. My pine tree at my grandparents house. When I was about 10 or 11 I gave my grandparents a tiny, sickly looking twig of a pine tree. They planted it, transplanted it with each move, and placed it in the back corner of their home they have been in for 17 years. Look at it now! I took a pine cone from my tree on Friday, and plan on planting it one day soon. A picture of by far the prettiest place on Earth. This is the Vermilion Cliffs. I love the red rocks, and I LOVE the Vermilion Cliffs. (MUCH better in person). They are between Jacobs Lake and Marble Canyon. Seeing them is something that should be on every one's 'Bucket List'. Just a suggestion....

It was a nice trip, and a reminder about how important family is and the relationships you share with those closest to you. Love you Barton family, and miss you Grandpa Bear!

Farewells

2011-01-11T10:48:00.007-07:00

We went to Mesa on Friday- Sunday to be with my parents one last time before they leave on their mission to Nauvoo next week.

My grandpa Barton has been battling with dementia for almost a year now. He was near the end and was surrounded by his children and wife the following week up in St. George. He took his journey back to his Heavenly Father early Saturday morning, January 8th. My dad was there, with his father when he passed. It was a very bittersweet thing. I will miss my grandpa Bear so much. My dad then drove back and joined us in Mesa late Saturday evening.Saturday afternoon many of us gathered a Sheepherders Park in Mesa and had most of the cousins play together for a couple hours at the park while we enjoyed each other, mostly laughing, a little bit of crying, and spending some time together.

It was my parents un-farewell talk on Sunday and I got to be with all my siblings their spouses and every grandchild at church in the 46th ward. It was such a wonderful time being together again in our home ward. It brought back a lot of memories... although the last time we were all together at church in that ward, none of us were wrestling children! =) Justin and his family had also just moved back into the area, and subsequently, back into the ward, so their records happened to be read it while we were all there.

My mom spoke on service, and how we can accomplish service in every season of our lives. She even mentioned the service that we can do on the other side, emphasizing grandpa, and of course, caused me to cry... again. I was VERY emotional on Sunday. She did such a wonderful job.

My dad spoke about righteous family traditions, and filled his time talking about many memories and things that we have done as family. Family meals, prayer, Christmas traditions, temple trips, family home evenings, etc. It was a great talk focused on all the many good times I remember from my childhood.

It was a nice, emotional, enjoyable trip to Mesa. I love my family so much and proud to be part of them!

Okay, you've stayed long enough, It's time to go, NOW!

2011-01-05T11:40:00.004-07:00

So, for anyone who has read my blog or has known me for more then about 12 seconds, knows that I HATE cold. HATE winter. HATE snow. And yet, here I live in one of the coldest places in Arizona (yeah, so I thought "Cactus + desert = Arizona.") freezing my little bottom off. That snow that started falling last year is STILL here. And it has passed the point of 'a beautiful freshly fallen snow' to a 'brown, slushy, icy, ugliness snow'. And the temperatures are not raising high enough yet to really allow for much melting. I am impatiently waiting for this stuff to melt, so I can send my kids to school and outside without a massive undertaking bundling up... (think A Christmas Story here). Well, enough complaining, I just needed a moment to vent. That is all.

Catching Up

2011-01-02T13:24:00.012-07:00

WARNING:
This will be a NOVEL. Proceed with caution!

So, I have obviously been quite the blog-slacker the last couple weeks. And here is an incredibly quick, fun and BUSY recap of our celebrations....

Nathan, Aubrey, and Emily all had Christmas programs during the last week of school before break.
Emily's program was first in the week. They had all the lights off, but the stage lights, which were behind the kids, so during the whole thing so you couldn't see anyone or anything....bad idea. It was sad that no one could see their kids performing. (NO good pictures). She had a speaking part, "Our teachers taught us that we are walking, talking miracles. " I thought it was pretty applicable for her to say that. And here she is at home for her picture. She got that gift from Mrs. Tanner.
Aubrey's program was next in the week. Her grade did a wonderful job, and even made me get a little teary over one song, Innkeeper. They had the nativity acted out, and the last line was so powerful. "Innkeepers all. Do you have room for the Child?" Aubrey had the speaking part "Family traditions are dear to our heart." My parents came to visit for the day, and were able to come to Aubrey's program. It was a nice treat for both Aubrey and my parents.
Nathan's program was super funny and neat. They had funny lines, and a awesome square dance by the kids in the class. Nathan's speaking part was, "But the bad part about Christmas is Aunt Mabel is invited." Then the 3rd graders tuned off ALL the lights, put on white gloves, used black lights and "danced" to 'Little Drummer Boy'. It was so awesome, that I admit that I got a little chocked up. So neat! We sat in such a bad spot, that I couldn't even see him the whole program, so no good pictures for him either. But this picture is him, in his classroom, after the program.
I put on a little family birthday party for my December babies on the 14th. We had a Mexican themed dinner, cake and ice cream. We made 3 different cakes, one for each child. It was a fun night.
This just happened to be when my parents came to visit (same day as Aubrey's Christmas program), so this is the last picture I will have of my parents at my house for about 2 years, because they will be on their mission.

Just a few days later (17th and 18th), we traveled down to Mesa for our Barton Christmas Party. The weather was wonderful, and we had so much fun with cousins and family. Here are a few shots of the weekend....Traditon of the Nativity scene. This year we had 5 angels, 3 Marys, 3 wise men, 2 shepherds, 1 lamb, and Uncle Justin as the donkey. =)

Playing in the leaves in the retention basin with cousins. The tradition of gingerbread houses for all 14 grand kids.

Santa came and visited us at our house on Christmas. The kids had a pretty good day getting lots of gifts, and playing with family. Here are some pics of our day....

Nathans big gifts were, a BB gun and a globe.Aubrey got a fun bag that she got to color and design all by herself.
Both Aubrey and Emily got actual jump ropes, which is better then random rope, or my robe tie, or daddy's ties....Emily got the biggest gift of all, a bicycle. She loves it!
Betsy got a fun little tricycle and a Dora backpack. If its Dora, this girl LOVES it.

And this is how Jay spent his day, poor kid. He was SUPER sick, and even had a bloody nose upon waking up Christmas morning. He was so easy to hold and rock though...
My prizes that I got were, a !!MixMaster!!, a Air-popper, and some antique dishes from Davids' grandma, June Pew. They are beautiful.

We had a great time with the Adams family, eating a delicious meal, doing a hilarious White Elephant gift exchange, playing games, laughing, and staying up late enough (or early enough, I guess) to sing happy birthday to Kara! No pictures, sorry...

On December 29th, it started to snow, and snow and SNOW!! It has caused icy roads, below zero temperatures, and a very cold me. We did have fun playing in the snow, but got STUCK in our van twice all in one day. It was not a time to be driving around, I promise. We were snowed in, out at Davids' parents house, so we made it a slumber party, stayed up late playing games, and all slept there. It was actually pretty fun.
Well, I can now cross off my first goal of the year!
#1- get the blog caught up.... CHECK.

If you actually made it to the end of this horrifically L O N G post reading, not skimming, you are a trooper! Either that, or my mom. =)

Six years ago...

2010-12-19T21:08:00.004-07:00

Emily Jo Peterson was born today SIX years ago! She has brought many smiles, memories, fulfilled blessings, and answered prayers to our home. As she has grown she looks more and more like her mommy everyday. If you want to know what I looked like as a little girl (if you happened to not know me then), just look at my Emily. She is my mini-me.

I am sad to admit that today has gone rather un-celebrated. She made the comment as David was tucking her into bed that "today wasn't very fun, and it's even my birthday!" Having your birthday fall on a Sunday is always a let down as a kid. I mean, you don't get to have friends over, or go out to eat, or to ice cream, or to pick out a toy, or anything. So, I promised her, assuming that I am feeling better, that I will give her the birthday celebration she deserves tomorrow.

Just a side note, she lost a tooth today. Her front left one. It has been dangling by a thread for a few days, and I finally yanked it out. She is kinda bummed, because she lost the tooth she lost. (meaning that she literally can't find the tooth that she lost!) I told her that the Tooth Fairy will understand, and still come, and leave money, even if she can't find a tooth under her pillow.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JO-JO BEANS! WE LOVE YOU!

Jay is THREE!!

2010-12-15T08:20:00.003-07:00

My last born child, my baby, my handsome little boy is turning three today. It seems crazy that he is getting so big! I love this little Jay-Clay more than words can express. I love you Jay Clayton Peterson, thank you for coming into our lives, and making our family complete.

Birthdays + Christmas = PARTIES

2010-12-12T10:44:00.001-07:00

To say that December is a 'busy' time of year, is a major understatement at the Peterson home. We have five kids, and three of their birthdays fall within 9 days of each other. ALL in December. Aubrey is on the 10th, Jay on the 15th, and Emily on the 19th. I was feeling rather optimistic and brave and planned a double birthday party for my girls yesterday (Saturday). It was my first attempt at a 'friend party' ever. I think it went over rather well. Aubrey and Emily's friends who were able to come were: Lilly T., Saige L., Emma H. , Gwen H., Braedyn S., Katie, Anastasia S., Raegan S., Britian J., and Kortnie S. It was a loud and fun house. No major meltdowns, fights or hurt feelings. Everyone seemed to have a fun time. We had pizza, chips and pop, then decorated our own cupcakes, then ate them with ice cream. Then we had a 'cake walk'. The girls got spoiled rotten, the parents came to pick up the girls and then it was done. Short, sweet... and EXAUSTING! A dozen little girls will do that to you. It was a fun, loud, exciting time!

Later last night was our Ward Christmas Party. It went over SO well! The kids did great, the food was yummy, Santa heard a wish for Christmas from each of the kids, the program was really sweet, especially the short nativity scene! David took the kids home to bed, and I volunteered to help with the clean-up. (Anything to get out of 'bedtime'!!) I brought home tons of extra food, and have dinner set for at least two or three days! It was a good time!I wish I could say that things will calm down now, but that would be a big fat lie! Many more parties, activities, and busyness are still planned almost everyday for the rest of the month! On one hand it stresses me out and brings thoughts of dread, but on the other hand, when each event is said and done, I enjoyed it, and am grateful to create good memories for David, me and the kids. That is what it is all about.

Aubrey turns SEVEN!!

2010-12-10T08:16:00.003-07:00

Today, seven years ago, a nurse handed me a tiny bundle, with a absolutely gorgeous little face poking out. Aubrey has brought into my life so much light, happiness, imagination, attitude and energy. She is just as beautiful as the day she was born, if not more so. Happy birthday my wonderful sweet pea!! You make me SO happy!

Davids' second love

2010-12-04T16:17:00.007-07:00

So, my husband is the Elders Quorum President in our ward. He keeps himself busy between that and his work. The one thing I think he (and many other men) have always wanted to do was a Pinewood Derby for the adults. He and his presidency planned an Elders Quorum activity for just that. There was NO weight limit set, so there were a few cars that weighed A LOT. David planned and assisted in building his car. You see, my husband is in love with me, and at a very close second place with Dr. Pepper. It only seemed natural to have his car mirror his said obsession. I didn't pull out my camera for the actual event, but we had lots of families come, nine car entries, and lots of yummy food. Davids car won 2nd place over all. It looked pretty awesome, huh? Thank you for your help Mathan! Oh, and in case you were wondering, the can was full for the race, but as soon as we got home David put the whole car in the fridge, and a couple hours later, opened it and drank it... Gotta love Dr. Pepper!

Other tidbits about our Mesa Thanksgiving

2010-12-04T15:54:00.003-07:00

So we got to Mesa on Friday afternoon, after, count them.... SIX pull overs for Aubrey's delicate traveling stomach. It almost doubled our travel time, but gratefully we were not in a rush, and there was no actual vomiting IN my van. We enjoyed Zoo Lights, a few cousin sleepovers, lots of FOOD, a mission call, pie in the park, my first (AND LAST) experience with Black Friday, and lots of FAMILY. I got to see and visit with my Gramoose Barton, a couple aunts, a uncle, and a few cousins I hadn't seen in forever. I was feeling rather sentimental and nostalgic, not to mention a bit homesick this time around. For those of you that don't know, I am the only member of my family that is not in Mesa. All of them are within about 5 miles of each other (or will soon be), and I live almost 2.5 hours away in Snowflake. It makes me feel a little lonely for my family sometimes.... But, anyhoo, it was a great time visiting with my family.

The weather was FABULOUS!! My mom kept telling my kids to put their jackets on because she thought it was so cold. They would, but their jackets always ended up laying all over the backyard, because we with thicker blood, thought it wasn't cold in the least! I had to almost laugh at those Valley Folk, all bundled up in there coats and scarfs. Ahhh, it was heaven!!! All in all it was a wonderful visit to Mesa. I love that place.... But, I might be kicked out of Snowflake for uttering such blaspheme.

Mission Call #2!!

2010-12-04T15:35:00.005-07:00

Last month I wrote about my parents, who are going on their second mission. They served three years ago in the Philippines MTC for 18 months, and just recently decided that it was time for another one. They have be anxiously been waiting for their call to arrive, checking the status online, and generally getting a bit antsy about it all. We happened to be in town visiting when it came in the mail! Nathan and Aubrey were the ones that brought it in from the mailbox, and handed it off to Grandpa. The family gathered, and they announced that they would be serving in the....

Nauvoo, Illinois, Visitor Center Mission! They are SO excited, so much so that my mom spent the next day or so jumping up and down, dancing and squealing with delight over it! I love the example that my parents share when the chose to serve a mission. It is hard being without them for 18 months, but I can't hardly wait for the blessings that come pouring into our family because of their service. I love and am so proud of them!

Zoo Lights 2010

2010-12-04T15:11:00.006-07:00

We went to Zoo Lights at the Phoenix Zoo on the night we got to Mesa (Wednesday). It has become a tradition with the Barton family, and the kids sure love it. The zoo was where my camera fell from my pocket, was kicked hard, and busted in a few pieces. I spent a good 10 mintues wandering around with a small flashlight looking for pieces, and then gave up after I found the actual camera, and the memory card. At least I had the card, so you could be treated with the few pictures I managed to take before the death of my former camera: After we wandered around the zoo for a while looking at the neat light displays, we rode the Merry-Go-Round, and made it back to the parking lot where we had our traditional apple and cherry fritters and hot chocolate. YUM! It was a fun night with all the kids, and they really had fun!

Another project accomplished!

2010-12-04T15:00:00.005-07:00

We recently finished our platform for the wood stove, and it looks pretty DANG good. David worked hard on all the tile cuts, and fortunately we had the help of our wonderful brother-in-law, Mathan. They worked together, and got the tile laid, and later, the stove moved back in and set up. Here is a picture of the tile laid, isn't the pattern pretty? I still don't have a shot of the finished product, but we have THOROUGHLY been enjoying a warm crackling fire since, and our furnace has been turned way down. It hasn't turned on since we installed it! Gotta love that.

Emilys' Thanksgiving Program

2010-12-04T14:42:00.008-07:00

On the last day of school before Thanksgiving Break, Emily's kindergarten class put on their Thanksgiving Program. David happened to be home from work, and Betsy and Jay were snoozing, so I got to go, ALL BY MYSELF, to the school to watch sweet Emily. They all sang a few songs, and each class had a short poem or song also. Emily is such a wonderful little girl, and I was SO happy to be there to watch her, UN-distracted! Here is a shot of Emily alone, and one of her whole kindergarten class:

Cameras don't like being dropped or kicked...

2010-12-03T09:08:00.003-07:00

I have a lot to report about all the things going on lately, but I admit that I have been a slacker. See, my camera got broken when it was dropped and then kicked at the zoo during Zoo Lights in Mesa during Thanksgiving. In the meantime, we are waiting for Wal Mart to replace said camera (gotta LOVE the Product Replacement Plan we bought). I really don't like blogging without pictures, especially when I know that I have perfect pictures for what I am writing about. So, I am just checking in, changing up the background, and patiently waiting for a BRAND NEW camera! More to come soon. The end.

Out of the mouth of babes....

2010-11-22T09:02:00.002-07:00

Our family went on a Sunday drive last night. As we were passing the temple, Aubrey announces from the back seat, "Mommy, when I see the temple my heart starts to beat, and says love". What a wonderful girl I have.

Standin' on the corner...

2010-11-15T09:58:00.005-07:00

On Saturday afternoon we dropped the kids off at my sis-in-laws house in Woodruff, and David took me out on our 9 year anniversary date. It was a fun time to be able to talk to my husband for a few hours without having kids around. Adult conversation is quite refreshing... =)

We headed north toward Holbrook...

Stopped for a quick shot of our wigwam we stayed at on our Honeymoon...

Went to Winslow, AZ and 'took it easy' on the very corner...
We then proceeded to Wal-Mart where we did a little shopping. I can honestly say that EVERY "date" we have gone on in the last 6 years has involved a trip to Wal-Mart. It is a chance to get our shopping done without five kids. We wandered around looking at tools, talking about what we want to do for the kids for Christmas (and even got a little Christmas bought!), and laughed about the fact that a trip to Wal-Mart without kids is considered a date!

We went to dinner, then headed back to Woodruff, where we traded off watching kids so they could go to the adult session of conference. We got home pretty late and carried all the kids in ASLEEP!!!! I love that....

It was a wonderful day with David. Relaxing, fun, and just time to be together. That doesn't happen often enough. It's been a great nine years.

Party!

2010-11-15T09:40:00.004-07:00

Betsy had her birthday party on Friday the 12th. Don't look too close at the cake... that is what happens when you try and ice a cake that is still warm. She didn't seem to notice or mind, so neither did we. =)

Blowing out her candles.Play-doh.

Mr. Potato Head.

Dora the Explorer that sings and talks, and bubble gum too.

She had a pretty good day, getting spoiled rotten by her family. Those are just a few gifts she got too. =) She loves being four!

Foto Friday

2010-11-12T09:00:00.003-07:00

Yes, I know how to spell. P H O T O. See?!? But I figured that this post would be mostly pictures, because I found that cord thing that plugs my camera into the computer. Yeah! So here is the most RANDOM group of pictures I think you will ever see. Enjoy...

The last of our tomato crop. We used them for about a week and a half, and when we were not using them as fast as they were ripening, and the fruit flies started showing up, I gave the rest to the chickens. They like tomatoes. And I like a house without fruit flies.
This is a spider the kids found in our office. Don't know what kind it is, but thought it looked kinda cool. It is in the bottom of a sippy cup...
Here is another random picture that proves that I really do clean out my fridge. It happens less then once in a blue moon, and so I photographed it, and thought I would share it with everyone. I am really pretty proud. It was ridiculously empty in this shot, which seems to happen when you remove and toss tons of science projects in Tupperware. But I went to the store that night and filled 'r up again.
Halloween pics. Yes, I am a few weeks late. But I know that there was someone out there just waiting on pins and needles to see our Halloween costumes. And so for you, dear stalker readers, here they are. David went as a pirate. Of course, we ended up losing a couple pieces of the costume between the different parties, so what was returned to my friend was not what was borrowed. Sorry again. And thanks again.And here I am looking loverly, in my drum major uniform. It was used a few years back at Eastern Arizona College. It was being retired, so my sis-in-law (who was a student at the time) snagged one. I love EA, GO GILA MONSTERS!What?!? You don't know what Nathan is?? Well, Nathan worked long and hard on his costume (for real), and he is... A Pokemon trainer. He has been quite obsessed with Pokemon lately, and always has a large deck of cards in his pocket, or is watching episodes on the Internet. I guess I figured that Pokemon had kinda fizzled out, like most fads, but not in this house, with this boy....Here are my three beautiful princesses. We have used, and re-used these dress up dresses more times then I can actually count for Halloween. It seems that they like being princesses. Who would have guessed with 6,5, and 3 year old girls... =) Yes, Aubrey is "wearing earrings". They are bent up Q-tips. Hahahaha! And here is Jay. He is Spiderman. He is obsessed with Spiderman lately, so it was a perfect, and inexpensive buy. Gotta love that!
And to finish off the random picture post, here is one shot from Tuesday. My parents came to visit for the day and spent their time helping me with laundry, cleaning, errands, and took us all out to dinner to Concina de Eva. Here is a shot of them playing the Memory game with the kids.

Also notice in the picture that the two chairs with the booster seats are gone, and a new bench is in their place. That was their anniversary gift for David and I. We got the one bench against the wall last year for my birthday, absolutely loved it, so we have all been looking for another one to fit my family of 7 at that table. And they found it, and gave it to us during their visit. Thank you for coming. The countdown is getting close, as they should be receiving their mission call in the next week or two. Yeah!

Betsy turns FOUR!

2010-11-11T07:44:00.004-07:00

Four years ago, on November 11, 2006, Betsy Ann Peterson was born. She has always been an incredibly content, happy girl. Her bright bubbly personality lights up our lives, and any room she walks into. Her smile radiates from her head to her toes, and sometimes she just can't contain it, and starts hopping around because she is just so happy! She loves to play with her brothers and sisters, and hold and chase our dog and chickens. She makes us smile and laugh everyday with her happy little antics. WE LOVE BETSY BOO BEARS! Happy 4th birthday bug-a-boo!

9 years ago...

2010-11-10T22:52:00.003-07:00

Marrying David was the BEST decision I have ever made. It has been a wonderful 9 years, and I can't wait to spend the rest of eternity with this great man. He is my very favorite guy in the world. I love you David! I am one lucky girl...

THANKFUL THURSDAY

2010-11-04T09:06:00.002-07:00

Today I am extremely thankful for three things...

#1) Washing machines. I couldn't even imagine trying to wash all these clothes in a bucket outside, or with a washboard, or in a river. Although, back in the day when that was how laundry was done, they had far fewer clothes. That would be nice....

#2) Ibuprofen. With how I am feeling today, a couple ibuprofen are heaven sent. Just keeping myself dosed up on 'drugs' =), and I will be just fine...

#3) A good book. I have found a new joy in reading lately.....which may explain my messy house, and mountain of laundry! =) So for the past month I have been reading, A LOT. I am a fast reader, and can usually finish a book in about a day or two. I have been reading a lot of Nicholas Sparks, and am about to start the Chronicles of Narnia, and also want to read the Lord of the Rings, but I have had such a hard time getting through The Hobbit that I usually just quit before I even start (given the fact that The Hobbit is a prequel). Anyway, I am thankful for a good book... =)

*Can anyone out there suggest a good book, or series of books that are big, thick, and something that would take more then a day or two to read? (By the way, I refuse to read the Twilight or Harry Potter series. Witchcraft and vampires are not my thing.) I gotta find a good book that I can really get into, that will last a while. I love historical fiction, love stories (not dirty romance novels!), and science fiction stuff too. Any suggestions????