David and Shayla

10th Anniversary/ 5 years old

2011-12-18T12:27:00.000-08:00

David and I had our 10th Anniversary this last week. We were able to go out to eat and do a little Christmas shopping because my mom came over for a visit. There's not much to say other than this is where we were ten years ago....

...and this is now. And I am so glad for these little people who have joined us, and for a wonderful husband who I love and who I want to go through the eternities with.

Five years after we got married...to the day...we had our little Sarah Anne. She had a very happy 5th birthday.

She loves Strawberry shortcake, so she ask for a Strawberry Shortcake castle for her birthday...well, that's it, and she loved it, so I was happy.

Happy Birthday Sarah! You are the sweetest five year old in the world, a ball of energy, and a ton of fun!

Odds and Ends

2011-12-08T07:28:00.001-08:00

December is the beginning of a lot of fun. But, I missed most of November, so here is some catch ups. First of all, David put up our lights for Christmas...I almost killed myself putting up lights on the pine tree, but it all turned out so beautiful!

We dug up all the carrots in the garden. They were huge! David and I were so proud of them.

David's birthday was in November. We had a little party for him and bought him lots of white shirts...because I had a yellow crayon in the white laundry basket and ruined all his other ones.

Nathan makes a Christmas dress look so manly with a sword and heroic pose.

We have some twins that come over and play sometimes. We love having Brynlee and Maycee over!

Katie's Face

2011-11-07T09:57:00.000-08:00

Self Reliance

2011-11-02T12:13:00.001-07:00

The last couple of months, we have worked hard to bring our food storage back up. Seeing this again, has brought a huge sense of peace to me. During our 10 years of marriage, we have used our food storage several times. Not because of earthquakes or famine, but because of finances. Thankfully, even though David has a full time job now that provides for us, we are not out of the habit of storing up food.

A few weeks ago, we were really concerned that we wouldn't have the produce needed to bring our storage back up. So, we did as the prophets have counseled, increased our fast offering until it hurt. I have a testimony of the Lord opening the windows of heaven and pouring us out more blessings than we had room enough to receive. We had neighbors offering us apples and grapes, our garden started getting tomatoes, peppers and onions, my parents rounded us up a ton of apples and gave us of their garden tomatoes. We felt extremely blessed.

So, here are our totals this year of what we were able to bottle:

116 quarts tomato juice

41 quarts whole tomatoes

7 quarts sweet and sour sauce

55 quarts spaghetti sauce

37 quarts grape juice

10 pints grape jelly

15 pints raspberry jam

208 quarts applesauce

There is a wonderful feeling that comes from putting up food, and knowing your family will not go hungry this year. I have been reading "Daughters in my Kingdom" from the Relief Society, and the satisfaction those women got from being able to provide for themselves and their neighbors is similar to what I feel.

Thanks Mom, for teaching me how to work hard and put up food for a "rainy day". Thanks David, for always encouraging me and helping me get our family taken care of. And I truly thank my Heavenly Father for giving me the desire and ability to be self-reliant.

Halloween

2011-11-02T11:50:00.000-07:00

Halloween was part of crazy hair day at school. My girls do not like to look crazy if they can't be cute. So are my cute crazy haired girls.

Sarah can't get away from fairies. She might be a fairy for Halloween as long as that outfit fits.

Nathan - Tigger, Rachel - bunny, Sarah - Purple fairy, Katie - Pink Fairy, Rebekah - cat. Halloween is one of my least favorite holidays. I just dread getting everyone a costume they like, and wasting money on a costume. Then getting tons of candy that I want to chuck as soon as it comes in the house. But, the kids love it, and they always look so cute.

I love Rebekah. I gave her a new toothbrush to distract her while I got everyone ready for Halloween. It worked a little too well. She wouldn't let go of it the rest of the night.

Rachel wanted to be a bunny. She was cute, and made it a point to hop around the whole night.

Katie - 7 Year Pictures

2011-10-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

Photogenic Katie. I got an awesome new camera...but with Katie, her pictures always turn out great, so I might have wasted my money. Anyway, I was excited how they turned out, she is so beautiful!

Steph's Bridals

2011-10-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

This is my sister Stephanie. She is getting married this month and we are so excited for her and her fiancee, Nick. My sister Melanie took some really great bridals, and I picked my favorites to post. Steph looks so beautiful!

"Berry" Delicious

2011-09-30T07:50:00.000-07:00

We have been so excited to pick raspberries from our patch, and we saved for a week and a half to have enough to make raspberry jam. These cuties have helped pick (and eat) all the berries. Once we got done with the jam, it was unanimous, raspberries are awesome!

We have several different kinds of berries in our patch. The yellow or Anne berries are actually one of my favorite. They grow huge, are very sweet, and are earlier that the red. The red ones are always delicious, but it was fun to grow the yellow as well.

Seven Years OId

2011-09-30T07:41:00.000-07:00

Katie turned seven this month! She wanted a guitar, so we gave that to her. But this was the face for the double dutch jump ropes she got. All the girls were excited about them.

This turned out way different that I had envisioned. I would have thrown it away if Katie hadn't of liked it. It is mostly frosting and fondant...and a little bit of cake. Maybe that's what Katie liked about it:)Katie is so sweet. She is continually thoughtful of her sisters and brother. She is so excited to do everything, and it seems whatever she starts, she continues until she has it nailed. I love her diligence and excitement for life. She is such a blessing in our home. We love her! Happy Birthday!

Hidden Haven

2011-09-30T07:24:00.000-07:00

I heard of a family friendly, short hike up the canyon called Hidden Haven. It was perfect. It took about 1/2 hour to get there. I could use the stroller for Rebekah most of the way, and the kids had a blast. The waterfall was small at the end, but we were all in awe at how beautiful everything was.

This was not the end waterfall, but it was beautiful anyway.Rebekah and I bonded as we strolled along the trail

The kids said they wanted to do this every week, the loved it.

Snakes

2011-09-29T17:55:00.000-07:00

Lately I feel like we find a new creature each week. This one is not my favorite. I like our lizard much better. Growing up in Utah, where it is rattlesnake country, you don't pick up snakes. David grew up in Michigan, and he is not afraid to pick them up. We think this was a water snake, but it wrapped itself around David arm and was tightening its muscles like a boa. The kids were all fascinated...I hope my lectures on "some snakes are all right, but some are really dangerous" sunk in.

New Playhouse

2011-09-16T07:50:00.000-07:00

David and I have been working on this playhouse for most of the summer. He framed it and put up the walls. We had the girls pick the color of the outside, and I have to admit I was worried about the greenish blue color they chose, but it turned out cute. So, we painted, then David and I put up the white trim. David used an old door, cut it, and put it in the house. My dad and I made some flower boxes during Labor Day weekend. Then yesterday, I painted the front door. For amateurs, its not half bad! Sarah keeps telling me that I am "fantastic". Its small, but they love it!

Katie's First Lost Tooth

2011-09-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

We finally got one out! Katie has been gently wiggling this tooth, and complaining about it hurting. Well, it hurt because her permanent teeth are actually behind the four bottom front baby teeth. So they are all wiggling.

Katie was scared, but she braved it. I had to take the pliers and pull it. And here are the fruits of our labors!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2011-09-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

Sarah loves soccer. She has the energy non-stop at home, and it pays off in soccer. She made a goal her first game, and has loved the little friends she has made on her team.She is a very cute poser.

We had Grandpa and Grandma Z over for Labor Day weekend. Grandpa impressed all of us by standing on his head. I really don't think I could even stand on my head that long, it was very impressive. Its always fun when Grandpa comes!

Grandma Cox also came for the visit, and the kids made her a crown, a heart, and a scepter. Grandma was the greatest sport to wear it most of the visit. We love you Grandma!

We celebrated Grandma Z's birthday. We made her a yogurt pie, and the girls made her some place mats. She was very gracious, and we love it when she comes to visit. I don't know what I would do without her, she is amazing.

Carla also came for the visit. Honestly, everyone needs a sister like Carla. She is the sister you call for fun, to cry to, and to talk. I love her, and that doesn't even say half of it.

Sarah can make some pretty great faces....and this is one of my favorites.

David and the girls, we'll be glad when he gets his Masters done next month. We will sit on him all the day long, unless he decides to do his PhD. Ugg.

Our new pet lizard, Louie. He is stuck in our window well, and we love him. He takes care of himself, and we can look at him whenever we need a friendly face;)

Singin' in the Rain

2011-08-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

Here are a few things that have happened recently... Rebekah got her first tooth. It is on the bottom left, so fun!
Rachel started 3rd grade! She brought her homework home, and she actually had a text book. It made her look so grown up. She also is trying to show you her new retainer in this picture. We've already had to dig it out of the garbage once, and that was not fun. Rachel is so excited for this school year.

As many of you know, I am not a big fan of pets. But I am a big fan of this little boy. He found this grasshopper outside, and the next thing I know, he is feeding it grass on a plate, giving it rides on the back of his tricycle, and carrying around in his little hand the rest of the day.

I wish he would have named it, and I have no idea what happened to him. At one point, Sarah and Nathan had a tea party and he was a special guest. It was a really fun morning, and this was my kind of pet.

Soccer season! I really like watching soccer, but it is way better when my own children are playing. Katie is kind of hesitant when playing, but she has potential. She wants to do everything and was excited to start it up. She also started 1st grade, and is ecstatic to be at school all day, and eat lunch there.

Katie just has a sporty look about her. Sarah also started soccer, but we didn't get pictures yet. Sarah loves it.

Canning. We were so grateful to get some apricots this year. We did about 5 bushel and got 73 quarts of apricot juice. These were my helpers, they were fabulous.

These two little helpers were the best. They could pit those apricots and wash them, and we had fun while we did it. Rachel and Katie got their turn when they got back from school. Nathan and Sarah worked so good, it was fun.

I find David and my shoes everywhere. All the kids love to grab them and walk around. Rachel and Katie have on David's shoes. And Nathan has on my high-heeled boots. He walks better in them than I do:)

Singin' in the Rain. We went to the dollar store, and they each grabbed an umbrella. The weather has been so crazy, we have had so much rain. The kids have loved playing this summer, and we are so excited for the new school year.

Tinkerbell Party

2011-08-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

This summer has been fun in a lot of ways. One, is that the kids get pretty creative on what they want to do. I read a long time ago something Sister Hinckley said, "I say yes to as much as I can, so that when I say no, they know I mean it." So, here are a couple things we said yes to.The kids wanted to sleep in the tent, and we were going to set it up outside, but it rained all last week, and so we set it up in the basement, and had a party for two days with the tent.

Rebekah is so darn cute, and David is so darn handsome, I thought they deserved a picture.

We got Tinkerbell from Netflix, and the girls thought it would be fun to have a party all about her. Rachel and Katie put up streamers and balloons everywhere downstairs, and I was in charge of the cake. I am not professional, but I love decorating cakes, and the girls were so excited how it turned out. They drew Tinkerbell and friend pictures. We had an agenda that took up a couple of days. David was the man, participating in all the activities. Anyway, I love our girls, they get so creative, and it was a fun week of creativity.

Family Pictures

2011-07-27T15:46:00.001-07:00

My sister Melanie took some family pictures of us. I thought she did a great job. Enjoy!

Toothless

2011-07-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

This was the blog I was all geared up to write about for Katie. But, to my frustration, tis not Katie I will write about. Nathan lost the tooth.

We had a great vacation this last week at Bear Lake and two minutes before we left my parent's house for our home, Nathan comes in with a fat lip and blood everywhere. It wasn't until our next stop at David's mom's house that I noticed the tooth was bent inward a little. That was Saturday, and we didn't make it home until 10:00 pm. Sunday, David and I tried to straighten it out, but it kept going back in his mouth. Monday, our dentist in town took a look and recommended a Pediatric Dentist in Cedar. We get there, and the tooth would have been fine, but there was infection above the tooth that would have hurt his permanent tooth, so out it came.

Nathan was a trooper. They didn't fully sedate him, but they put a little happy gas on his nose, and had a show going to distract him. Then, out came the pliers, and there goes his tooth for the next fourish years.

I foresee pirates and hobos as the next Halloween costumes. That part on Toy Story 2 where Woody knocks out his own tooth and says, "And still a good looking guy," has been going through my head. Although, it is not the perfect smile for our little boy, it does put a little more character in our ever-growing character. His little tongue is in the missing hole usually, but I got him to smile big for the camera.

There's only one Lagoon!

2011-07-15T15:24:00.001-07:00

No one celebrates their birthday like my sister Carla. She NEVER works on her birthday. Her boss knows to not even ask, and that she might take a few days before and after for the celebration of her birth. This year, instead of us giving her gifts, she ask us all to purchase a Lagoon ticket and join her for a day of fun.

Growing up, my Dad worked (and still works) as a middle school councilor, and for a few years, he received discount tickets to Lagoon. We would spend the day riding rides and talking in the lines and having a great time.

We haven't done that for about 15 years. We have been to Lagoon with the children, but it isn't the same...and I am routinely pregnant, so I miss quite a few summers of great rides.

David took the kids last week, and I met most (we missed you Cynthia!) of my family at Lagoon. I think I ran to each ride, I was so excited to be there. "Wicked" really is wicked. The "Fire Dragon" is still great. My mom had us go on the swings and the boat because they are her favorites, and we got on all the other rides I love. It was a perfect day at Lagoon. It was overcast, the lines weren't long, and I was there with my brothers, sisters, and parents. There is only one Lagoon!

Swim Lessons

2011-07-11T12:59:00.001-07:00

We had swim lessons at the first of June. Rachel and Katie were in the same class, then Sarah took the class after. They all loved it. Nathan, Rebekah, and I just played in the kid pool to the side and enjoyed the week of swimming too. These are the accomplishments after the lessons.

Rachel - can swim from one side to the other, she can go under water and pick objects from the bottom, and she loves it

Katie - she can swim from one side to the other, float, jump off the diving board and swim to the other side without a life jacket, can pick objects off the bottom, and she loves it

Sarah - will dip her head into the water and blow bubbles, she'll kick her feet and float with help, and she loves it

My hope was that they wouldn't be afraid of water. Katie is the fish, but the other two love it just as much, and I'm sure they will all eventually be able swim. I like taking them to the pool, but David doesn't really enjoy swimming (which I learned his brother doesn't like it either, so it must be a genetic quirk), so making the kids independent in the pool is the goal.

Rebekah -6 months

2011-06-27T13:56:00.001-07:00

Rebekah turned 6 months! She is a beautiful baby, and we seem to have a lot of beautiful babies:) So, I thought I'd put a picture of each child at about 6 months and compare them.

Top far left: Sarah

Bottom far left: Nathan

Middle: Rebekah
Top Far Right: Katie

Bottom Far Right: Rachel and another Rebekah

Alphabet Party

2011-06-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

So, my children came up from playing one day this week, and said that they wanted to have an alphabet party. Sure, I said. It turned out to be a real party. Before I knew it, Rachel and Katie were making alphabet signs, asking me to help with balloons and streamers. Rachel's art camp had given her some construction paper, with pastel crayons, and some fun artsy things. She used most of it on the party, but we had a good time. After the house was all decorated, Rachel, Katie, and Sarah brought us all down to the living room and had a formal party. Rachel was the conductor, so she welcomed us and informed us of the agenda they had planned. Katie was the activity conductor, and she had several games for us to play (Red rover, Duck duck goose, freeze tag, and dancing). Then Sarah was the treat conductor, and she led us upstairs for orange julius and cake.

Rachel had drawn out what the cake should look like, and I did my best. They were all very happy and told me I was a "fantastic mom". I am not a perfect mom, or perfect person. I know my weaknesses and imperfections better than anybody, but after we had the day's activities, and I was exhausted, David and I looked at our happy, creative, and fun children, and thought, maybe that day, we had done something right.

Art Scholarship

2011-06-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

Rachel received an art and music camp scholarship from SUU because she showed "outstanding potential in art". She has been very excited to attend. It was held each weekday, for three hours, for the past two weeks. Our kind neighbor was taking her grandchild and offered to drive Rachel to and from Cedar City each day.

They held a performance the last day of camp. Rachel sang songs and then there was an art exhibit. A woman working for the University says Rachel is very talented and our neighbor has insisted Rachel draw her a few pictures so that when Rachel is famous, she can make a lot of money off the pictures. These are some of the pictures and painting she did.

The above picture is of the Zollinger Reunion at Bear Lake. She's got Grandpa driving the boat and aunts, uncles and cousins, riding the tube, swimming and playing at the beach. I thought it was excellent.

This picture is at Grandpa and Grandma Zollinger's house. She has Grandpa in the house waving, then our family playing on the swing set, and Grandma is outside playing with us. There is also a parachute in the sky because Grandpa and Grandma's house is by a popular glider spot.

This is Rachel and a life-size painting of Me! She did a great job on it, and I have decided to carry it around and shove it into pictures whenever I'm supposed to be in one.

Rachel is on the far right, second one in. She is singing with the other art and music kids.

Rachel loves art. She has been fun the past two weeks to come home and guide us through what she has learned. They have had some watercolor projects and sketching that have been really fun to watch her get excited about. She wants to do it again next year....but we might have to hope for that $100 scholarship again. I am flattered that everyone (including myself) thinks she is very talented. I just hope she continues to enjoy it, can learn to draw well, and fill up all my empty walls with her beautiful work!

Father's Day

2011-06-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

I don't usually do much for Father's Day. David is usually satisfied with cards and great food (aka: my cooking). But here are some things that make David a great Father, Husband and Man. This is the back of the house. David loves lilacs. He planted them right next to the house so we would be able to smell them when they bloom.
These are the five wonderful children that have made David the father he is. David is always concerned how they are doing. He loves to play and talk with them. I love hearing "Daddy!" every single time he comes home from work. They all give him a hug, and it is one of the best parts of our day. Rachel, Katie, Sarah, Nathan, and Rebekah. They love their dad!

This is the front lawn. We have planted two flowering trees and some bushes. The grass is green and growing in full. David put in a sprinkling system last year, and it is marvelous. He just pushes a few buttons, and the lawn, flowers, trees, bushes, garden, berries, and orchard are watered while we sleep. David has made it very easy for us to have a beautiful and healthy yard.

David is kind of a Jack-of-all-trades. I didn't know I had married a brick layer. But he put this brick wall around the front and back bushes around the house. It looks so nice, and he made it with some brick that was laying around the house when we got here.

This is the side front lawn. David planted four maple trees around the fence line, along with some bushes. He tore out a lot of old trash trees that were ruining the lawn and our home when we got to this house. Now, we are trying to bring back the shade, we are excited to be planting instead of destroying trees.

David and Nathan. I love watching Nathan follow David around the yard. He'll hammer and try the screw drivers. David built a play house for the kids by the play area. Nathan and Sarah followed him throughout the whole project, and it is turning out great.

The play house. We are having a dilemma on what color to paint it, but this is what is looks like so far. David has done a great job. The girls keep thanking him for making a house for them. They have already put table, chairs, and kitchen stuff out there. We are excited to make it a fun place to play. Oh- those rocks by the play area, surround 6 blueberry bushes David wanted to plant. Behind the shed is a boysenberry bush. David and I have talked about having an "edible landscape". It has been fun to see what we can get growing here.

A grape arbor. We have three green grape vines on the left side, and three red grape vines growing on the right. The grapes will wrap around the poles and then wind themselves all over the top. I should mention that the wood used for the arbor and the play house are from all over Idaho and Utah. He has wanted to use this wood for years...like 10 years. I love that he just can't let things go to waste.

The raspberry patch in the back yard. When we lived in Logan, we lived in my Aunt Marianna's basement, and she had a great raspberry patch in the back yard. Since then, we decided that raspberries are a must-have. There are currant bushes in front of the raspberries. David hasn't let much our property be unfruitful.

This is a large shot of the backyard. You can see the orchard on your right. We have 4 apple trees, 3 peach trees, 1 plum, and 1 cherry. Then the orchard has blackberry plants lining the fence. On the outside of the fence, David made boxes for strawberry plants. I've been worried that we would have fruit coming out of our ears, but David says, that is the idea.

I love David. He continually makes me feel that I am wonderful. He has made this yard into something our family can work together on. We raise our children together, and I just couldn't ask for a more supportive, or loving husband. Thank you David, for all you are! Happy Father's Day!

Batter Up!

2011-06-12T16:36:00.001-07:00

We got Rachel and Katie signed up for baseball this year. Rachel was on a machine pitch team and Katie was on a tee-ball team. They loved it.

I was surprised that Rachel was able to hit the ball coming out of the pitch machine. She did incredible! We practiced at home, but she did really well when it came to hitting the ball.

This was her position throughout the entire season. Her cap hiding her face, and just posed to catch something. She was cute, and we tried to encourage her to run after the balls if they were hit her way.

Katie was quite the fielder. She has an arm to kill, and could not only throw, but aim those balls. They put her all over the infield and outfield.

I loved watching Katie play ball. She enjoyed being out there and had a lot of fun.

All in all, it was a fun season!

Bekah

2011-05-18T14:45:00.001-07:00

We got some pictures of the kids going to ball games, and the girls found a ball cap for Nathan and Bekah. We are all in love with this baby!

David is usually the most popular one in our house. Everyone wants to tackle him when he gets home from work, and sit by him at dinner. But he's got some competition with Bekah. She smiles and laughs, and makes us all so happy. Thanks heaven for babies, and for our Bekah!

Dancing...again.

2011-05-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

My previous blog, last year, put out my questions and frustrations about putting my own children in dance. David and I made the decision to put Rachel and Katie into a Jazz/Ballet dance class this last year.

The dance teachers were excellent. They chose wonderful music, and when ordering costumes, let me preview the costumes before I purchased them. We needed to adjust Rachel's costume, but it also turned out good and modest.

Rachel and Katie loved it. I was impressed how graceful and on time Rachel was with each of her songs and dance moves. The teachers commented on how talented Katie is in dancing. I watched her practices whenever I could, and I could tell a difference in Katie. She is very good.

BUT.

I am not a dance mom. There are quite a few performances and competitions where the girls had to have their hair done a certain way, and I had to put makeup on my children. Of course I enjoyed watching them dance, and it was good practice being up in front of people without being afraid. But, after each performance, David and I agreed that if we can persuade them in another direction, we will.

Here is the reason. Throughout the year, the young classes are often mixed with the drill team and other dance groups. I felt sorry for these girls. The other dance groups had children dancing in the outfits I was worried about, with music I did not condone, and moving their bodies in a way that made me sick.

My girls love to dance, and the instruction they were given was really wonderful, and as long as they are with this dance group, I trust their teaching and morals. But where will it lead? The only opportunities I see for future dancers is in the high school drill teams, and I don't want my children dancing like that.

Here are some cute pictures of the dancers and dance teams I was so proud of.

Rachel's Dance Class

Katie and Rachel were very excited about the GOLD MEDALS they received for their dances.

The is the Sunshine Dance school. They were the only group that received SUPERIOR ratings on each of their dances.

Katie's Dance Class

Family Home Evening

2011-04-14T07:23:00.000-07:00

Family Home Evening is our biggest event of the week. Our children love this time. They know we will be all together, no matter what. David and I make it a priority not to schedule anything on Monday night...at all. On my Monday "To Do" list, the only thing besides the usual dinner fixing and straightening the house is FHE. This is our new FHE chart. There are so many cute FHE assignment charts that are wood painted and have everyone's name on them, but until I know EXACTLY how many will be in our family, we will make our own. The kids have been after me to make a new one since Rebekah entered our family, and I have to admit...this one was awesome. We got the old Friend magazines out and I let the kids cut out anything they thought we might want on our chart. This is the result.

Everyone has an assignment in our family. Each week, these are the assignments: Conduct, Talent, Lesson, Treat, Scripture, Music, and Activity. The Scripture is a new one, and the kids are excited to have it. Of course, everyone usually gets a little help from mom or dad, but they love being part of our special night.

Bunny Buns. Rachel is reading the Friend magazine, and she insisted we try these for our treat. It was a huge hit. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. I have a testimony of this gospel, and I love the commandment of Family Home Evening. It is bringing our family close, building the most valuable memories, and bringing the happiness to our family life that comes from the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Cute Kids

2011-03-19T21:47:00.000-07:00

Everyone needed new pictures taken. Here are a few of our cute children.

Rebekah in her blessing dress. I love those cheeks!

She is 2 months old in these shots.

Rachel's eight year old pictures.

I love this shot of Rachel, she likes the one above better. She looks beautiful in both.

Nathan for his two year pictures.

I love this little man!

Nathan's Birthday

2011-03-08T19:42:00.001-08:00

Nathan turned two this week! We had a fun birthday party for him. Our girls were more excited about the party, and he had no idea what was happening. We got him a tool set and a lawn mower kit. They were both a hit...with everyone!

Katie came home with a book about a little boy whose mom made him a dinosaur birthday cake. Anyway, it showed us how to make it, and Katie and I thought it would work good with Nathan's birthday. Again, he didn't really care, but Sarah is convinced I need to make her a dinosaur birthday cake. I thought we were going to get away from the pink cakes with our little boy, but the girls had me do pink polka dots on the dinosaur. Nathan loved it.

Baptisms and Blessings

2011-02-22T08:04:00.000-08:00

The first of this month was very exciting for our family. We baptized our first child, and blessed our fifth child. Lots of family came up for the weekend. I felt so blessed with family and friends. And so grateful for Rachel making the decision to be baptized, and to have a beautiful, healthy baby to bless. Rachel and Rebekah in their white dresses.
David's family and my family who came for the events. We had such a fun time together, and it really made Rachel feel very special to have so many come.

Katie took this picture of me and Rebekah, and I rarely have great pictures taken of me, but this was a better one. I made Rebekah's dress, with some guidance from my all-wise mother. Rebekah looked beautiful!

This is our new family! It's hard to believe we have five children, but we are so grateful to have each one of them. I love being a mom, and although it is challenging in many ways, I can't imagine my life without these precious children, and wonderful husband. I have had my days where things are definitely not as picture perfect as this picture is, but even with those days, I know I have been given much.

David and Rachel on the Baptism Day

Happenings

2011-01-22T10:30:00.000-08:00

I let Rachel and Katie take some pictures with the camera, they did a good job! Sarah and Katie (by Rachel)

Sarah ( by Katie)

Yes, this is our little boy in a pink nightgown. It's hard not think pink is the greatest color when you have four sisters. He wouldn't go to bed without it, so now he will have to live with embarrassing pictures the rest of his life! So cute.

Our community had it's annual birthday celebration. Each grade participates in the program. So, we all came to watch Rachel and Katie perform. Sarah and Nathan were very excited to have their Dad to watch with.

This is one of the many pictures Sarah has ask me to take of her and Rebekah. She loves her to pieces!

Rachel - 8 years old

2011-01-22T10:24:00.000-08:00

Rachel turned 8 years old. We were going to have a friends from school come over for a party, but she really wanted to go see all her cousins up north. So, the weekend before her birthday, we went and had a party and helped Aunt Carla move into her new mansion. Here are all the cousins with ice cream, cake, and smiles. We were so happy to see everyone!

Rachel drew a picture of what she wanted on her cake, and it turned out better than I thought it would. So, there is the picture, the cake, and the happy 8 year old! We love you Rachel!

Michael and Bonnie

2011-01-22T10:07:00.000-08:00

Michael and Bonnie's family came up to see us...and our new baby. We love it when they come. They are always so fun to talk to, and our children are so excited to have cousins to play with.

Michael, Bonnie, and Rebekah

Nora and Katie

Clark, David, and Nathan

Sarah and Lily

Thanks for coming!

MorePictures

2010-12-30T20:42:00.000-08:00

We took some pictures of Rebekah. The purple outfit drowns her, but Katie insisted she was so cute in it, so we took some pictures anyway. We had fun dressing her up !

Rebekah Eve

2010-12-26T17:58:00.001-08:00

Rebekah Eve was born last week. She was 7.3 lbs, 18 1/2 inches. We are all so excited to have her!

Nathan has been so cute to hold out his arms and calls her "Bekah". He holds her for a few seconds, then says, "Done", and hands her back.

All five of our sweet children. Everyone loves to hold Rebekah, and asks about her whenever she is out of sight. Our life has changed dramatically this week, but we have looked forward to this wonderful change.

To follow up on a previous post, we did do this birth naturally. I say "we", because I couldn't have done it without David helping me, especially through the last hour. We left home at 10:45, it took 20 minutes to get to the hospital and she was born at 11:50. She came so quickly, the doctor didn't make it and the nurses delivered her. We love her so much, and are so happy to finally have her in our arms!

Sarah - 4 years old

2010-12-02T18:08:00.000-08:00

We are a few days early on these pictures, but I was in St. George, it was good weather, I have no idea when this baby is coming, and Sarah looked so darn cute. We were going to go to a different place, but she saw the temple and thought it was the most beautiful place we could go to get beautiful pictures...and I couldn't argue with that. We did all right, these are the ones I liked the best, and tweeked a bit. She is so sweet and I can't believe she'll be four in just a few days!

I am having a hard time choosing my favorite, so any opinions would be helpful. I can only choose one for the front room!
She is a definite cheeser, but we got a few true smiles in there. She is beautiful!

3 1/2 Weeks

2010-11-17T19:29:00.000-08:00

In the last eight months, I've been gearing myself up for something I've wanted to do ever since our first child, but have never made it. Natural Child Birth.

Most comments I get after announcing that are:

"Wow, you go girl."
"Why?"
"Did you know they can make it painless?"
"To each his own...."

And so on....

Yep, sure know all of that. I KNOW all of that. Heck, I know its going to hurt like heck. But, here are some of my thoughts.

1. The pain. I love what my friend Kim said about this. You have to set your mind to recognize the body working. I have read some amazing books, and the pain I have experienced, that I am so afraid of, can be worked through. Don't get me wrong, its not that the pain will go away, but perceiving it as work and that our body is preparing itself for the most amazing experience a woman can have, that is different. The mind can prepare you, the mind can be told what it is experiencing, and change something insurmountable, into something challenging yet attainable.

2. With Nathan, my body didn't dilate, yet I knew I was in labor, yet the doctors wouldn't admit me or give me any anesthetic. I didn't know how to handle it. And when I did start to dilate, it was so quick, the epidural didn't react fast enough, and I was so numbed up by the time he was here, you could have tied my body in lovely bow. I need to know how to work through labor. I want to be able to have my husband be there right with me, and him knowing I can't do this alone, I need him. It may seem dramatic, but I look forward to David being able to help me through this, and using him to be a sort of relief to relieve some of the discomforts...to know I am working through a contraction and that by pushing on pressure points, getting me a pillow, supporting my back, or whatever I'll ask, he'll be there. I hope it brings us closer together.

3. We have four wonderful children. I have had an epidural each time. I HATE that cold feeling down my back when the epidural is in. I HATE the shock they warn you about when the epidural is going in. I HATE being hooked up to IVs. And I HATE that I fear for my body each time. By that, I mean that I know that everything could go wrong with an epidural. Tapping into someone's spine is not a light thing. Your spine is a central part of your body, and by tapping into it, severe problems could result. Like I said, its the one thing I have even worried about the last four births, because I know my child will be fine, but I pray I will not be a vegetable by the time they are done.

My purpose in writing this is not to convince anyone to have a natural birth. It is mainly to convince myself to have a natural birth.

I am 3 1/2 weeks away from delivering our fifth child. We are excited. I am in terror some days of what I will experience, but I know I can do it. I've prepared my mind by reading all I can on ways to work through labor. I've prepared physically. I stretch and walk every day. I have a spiritual reassurance that things will be fine, and I can do this. And I have the positive support of my husband.

3 1/2 weeks.

Katie, Beautiful Katie

2010-11-07T07:09:00.001-08:00

We were a little late getting up into the canyon this year, so my leafy fall background was all over the ground. We were able to get some cute pictures anyway. Katie chose her dress and how we did her hair. She is so beautiful! Here are the best of the pictures.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! This year, Rachel was a cowgirl, Katie was an angel, Sarah was Tigger, and Nathan was the monkey...again, it was the only thing he would wear, and he made us take it off pretty quickly.
I just thought the backdrop of our beautiful grass for this picture was perfect. The girls look pretty cute too!

I went to Tremonton to be with Grandpa and Grandma Z and all the cousins had a Halloween party. We had a ton of fun.

Sarah was also a ballerina, we convinced her to do the Tigger costume when we went to the trunk or treat because I didn't want her to freeze her cute face off. She made a very sweet ballerina.

This was the number one thing we got from our trick or treating. The girls loved the glasses and Nathan tolerated the glasses to get a great pictures. All in all, it was a Happy Halloween!

Life...

2010-10-01T20:28:00.001-07:00

Life has been busy. I know everyone is busy, but I'm realizing that MY life is getting more and more stretched. Blogging is working its way down my priority list, but I hope to still keep up on it. Here are a few things that have been happening.

Katie turned six years old. She is such a sweet heart. Here is Aunt Carla with her and the new gloves Carla got her for her birthday. She loves them.

Grass. There is a huge story that goes behind that one word, but the grass is poking up, our poor children just sit in the car port rubbing their little fingers over the young grass. We pray every day that it keeps growing. We would love to mow it once before winter hits!

Rachel started 2nd grade and piano lessons. She is doing great in both. I am glad we didn't start her earlier in piano, this is just right for her. She is able to complete the theory on her own and is old enough skill wise to not get discouraged. She realizes practicing does help, and is thrilled with her piano teacher.

These are my two cuties left at home. We have snacks and when Nathan goes down for a nap, I get my Sarah all to myself. We have our own little school time, which I've been surprised how much she enjoys it. As soon as Nathan is down, she is asking to do her letters, play our memory games, put together puzzles, match numbers, and all the other things that we do. She knows her upper and lowercase letters now, and is working on sounds. Smart little gal!

Here is our kindergartner! Katie has been sooooooo ready for school. The first week was hard, because she wasn't there the WHOLE day, and the teacher was not sending any homework for her to do. But now she is better that she gets a little homework, a "book in the bag", and is at least going to school. It made me so happy the other day when Rachel and Katie came back from school and said how they were so excited that their recesses were at the same time that day, and they were able to play together.
I love hearing them say things like that!

Next in the line up....a girl!

2010-08-04T08:23:00.000-07:00

We are having another girl! We are so excited!

TriZathlon

2010-07-30T13:55:00.001-07:00

The TriZathlon increased from 7 participants to 18 this year! We do a sprint triathlon, so it is about half the distance of a normal tri. Run 3 miles, Bike 14 miles, and Swim 500 yds. Being pregnant made my scores fall short this year. Surprisingly, on the swim, I improved. My cousin, Levi, kneeling on the bottom far right, won this year...but he'll be leaving on a mission soon, so he won't be able to hold his victory seat for long!

I don't really enjoy every event, but I love having something to train for all year. I love doing something challenging and working on it with those I am close to. David ran with me this year, so that made it even better! Rachel, Katie, Sarah, and Nathan are there to cheer us on, see us try our best, and finish difficult events. Its been great for our whole family, and next year Rachel and Katie want to participate. I'm hoping it will be something we can work on together each year, and that is more motivating than anything.

More Vacation

2010-07-29T19:45:00.001-07:00

After Bear Lake, we were able to visit David's mom. The girls were so excited to swim in the pool and show off all their new skills from swimming lessons. We finished the visit with a trip to the temple.

Next we were able to visit Grandpa and Grandma Cox. We love seeing them. We lived right next door to them our first year married, so it is always fun to come and visit, we love them so much!

Grandpa and Grandma Zollinger were our next stop. Sarah could hardly wait to see their house. She remembers so much of last year when we lived with them. Dave and Mel's family were also there, so we were able to get lots of cute cousin pictures!

Nathan and Katie

Cats are Nathan's new love, but it didn't take long for the felines to avoid him.

Sarah and Mathew became quite the pair. Sarah came home saying she needs to go to school with Mathew. She loved having a little buddy to play with.

Mathew, Sarah, Brooke, and Katie

Brooke and Katie

David and I decided to celebrate our anniversary in July...although our real anniversary is in December. Mom and Dad watched the kids for a few days and we were able to do a lot of shopping, a couple of movies (Toy Story 3 and How to Train Your Dragon), a game of tennis (David won a set and I won the other set...we decided to leave it as a tie...because I tend to be a bad sport when I loose), and I didn't have to cook meals for the entire time, there are these great things called restaurants that serve you food if you just give them money! I think I remember these before our 8 years of marriage...but I'm not sure...

Back to Grandpa and Grandma's for more family fun. Nathan and Maylee are pretty darn cute.

Rachel, Grandma Z, Brooke, Katie, and Aunt Marianna. Aunt Marianna came to see us, we lived in her basement for four years, and our family just thinks she is great!

Steph gave us all a lot of haircuts, and then french braided everyone's hair...she is way good, and deserved much more than we gave her, which was a big hug and a kiss!

Katie, Grandpa Z, Sarah and Rachel all ready for bed.

My Uncle Ron invited our families to Crystal Springs. We had a ton of fun going down slides and swimming with Grandpa Z, the fish. We had such a great time with Grandpa and Grandma Z!

Bear Lake Vacation

2010-07-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

The Hislop Lodge fit everyone. It was close to the lake and just perfect for our families. We spent the mornings at the lake, then went the lodge and enjoyed pool, a hot tub, Foosball, a huge movie theater, and of course family! Melanie painted all the girls toe nails. This is Sarah, Emmy and Mathew getting their nails done.

Mathew, Rachel, Sarah and Emmy during our family night.

We put on some limbo music and had everyone try out the limbo. It was fun, even more fun to watch everyone go through. David and Nathan did not last very long, but Nathan wouldn't let go of his dad the whole trip...so loosing the limbo tournament was the consequence.

A great shot of dad doing the limbo. Jenn took all these pictures, and really captured the best moments!

Bear Lake. Dad fixed up old Bell Boy, and got a tube for the kids to ride. Some very lucky people even got to go knee boarding. I love having children, but the drawbacks of being pregnant this year would include, not being able to ski. Dad promised he'd have the boat going next year, so I might have to monopolize it, as recompense for missing out this year!

Nathan discovering the beauty of a shovel, endless amounts of sand, and parents not caring how dirty their cute little boy got.

Katie and Rachel building a sand castle.

Nathan

Katie

David and Sarah

Thanks to Mom and Dad for setting this all up, can't wait for next year!

Fire Trucks

2010-06-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, a family in our ward called and offered us this Fire Truck Toddler Bed. It is in excellent condition...actually I can't see a scratch on it. We set it up in Nathan's room, so by the time the baby is here, we'll be able to make the transition. Nathan loves it!Nathan is such a little boy. He was there with David the entire time putting it together. Trying to put in screws, hammering, really just getting in the way, but they had fun anyway!

Enough for a basketball team...

2010-06-14T20:44:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, we are going to have another baby in December. We are so excited. The girls throw out names every day, and I throw some back to them. Katie hopes its a boy to even things up a bit, Rachel hopes its a girl so we can dress her up cute, and Sarah and Nathan haven't a clue what is happening.

David and I are just grateful for another child to have part of our growing family. Children are so wonderful. I love having them close so they can grow up together. I know its different for each family, but for ours, this is best.

Life just keeps getting better!

Great Camera Man = Great Pictures

2010-05-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

David's brother Michael graduated with his bachelor's this past weekend. So, David's dad had brought his fabulous camera and took some great shots of our family while he was here. These are my favorites!

David

Katie

Rachel

Sarah and Me

Nathan in his favorite hole in the yard.

Sarah

Katie and Rachel looking really cute.

A great picture of our family. Look at Nathan's cheeks, I love them!

Dancing Dilemma

2010-05-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

Here is our dancer, Katie. For those of you who know me, when you read this blog, you're going to say, "Shayla, not this again!" But yes, this again, because ever since I had girls, this has been a huge dilemma for David and I to resolve. Dancing classes. I have several points.

1. Modesty. Swimming has a uniform, a needed uniform. But honestly, that is the only sport where I believe you need to wear those clothes. Dancing costumes are always a huge problem. Sure, I can be the mom who is always complaining about the sleeves, the length, the tightness. I can always put Katie in a position where she has to choose to dance or choose to be modest. Should I make her face these issues while she is so young and impressionable? Modesty is an issue right now with just regular clothes. Dancing is the art of moving your body, but it should not jeopardize revealing your body.

2. Dancing moves. About four years ago, I saw a young girl, just a couple years older than Katie, and she had just learned the shimmy. Go ahead and laugh. But when a child is learning provocative moves, it makes me sick. I don't want to deal with it. Sure, the children are so innocent, its okay, and funny. Nope. Dancing is not thrusting and wiggling. Dancing is exciting and challenging. It can be graceful, fun, entertaining, complicated, or simple. It should be uplifting. But what I see on the football stadium, is not what I want the final product of my child to be. There is more talent in Katie's free style at home, than in the years of instruction those youth have had.

3. The atmosphere. The music needs help. I know I sound old when I say this, but for heaven's sake, turn that crap off! There is such fun music out there to dance to, use it. Also, I have had friends who were talented as dancers and gymnasts of being introduced to eating disorders, peer pressures, and modesty issues. But, you face those everywhere, right? You bet, but in a dancing environment your body can be so exposed and receive so much negative feedback, that the challenges are suffocating. Girls take things to heart, and are influenced more than they should be by what people think. If they are not sufficiently prepared with truth, the atmosphere they have grown up in will teach them that their outward appearance is their value. Our worth is in the atonement of our Savior. We are as the dust of the earth, we would have no hope without the saving grace of His atonement. That is truth. That is what our girls need to know. That is the atmosphere they should grow up in.

So, Shayla, let your children discover, don't keep them locked up until they are ready for college! Well, I don't intend to. I let Katie in a little dance class two years ago, and right off there was a sleeveless costume. So, there I go, heart pounding, feeling sick, and asking the teacher to please give Katie's costume some sleeves. Sure, no problem. If it was so easy, why couldn't we have put them in all of them, why wasn't that the obvious first choice. I had mothers of the other children come up and ask me why Katie was able to have sleeves, and my answer was, that I ask.

The world our children are growing up in is different than the one we grew up in. I think they need more. I feel like I was blessed with talented children, who are capable of so much. They have personality, but more than that, I am praying my heart out that they will grow up with a true sense of what is right and what is wrong. They should not learn that because dancing is a sport, they should be able to wear anything, hear anything, and move anything. That is just not true.

Katie will eventually go into a dance class, and with the way Sarah dances, I know she has that same interest. But when they go, and it will probably be later, they will have a firm conviction that they can be wonderful dancers, beautiful dancers, the best of the best...and they will naturally stand out from the others, because of what they know and what they choose.

Family

2010-04-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

Because of peer pressure, I have decided to post something else this year.

Sarah is so sweet. David took some pictures of her, he thought she looked good with the blind lines.

Dude! You are so cute!

We had so much fun with my family when they came down for conference weekend. I know I was more excited than the girls, and the girls were pretty darn excited.

Carla is a party wherever she goes. Portable fun, is what her middle name should've been, but we won't go into those of us who always wanted middle names, and never got them. You feel my pain Carla, you're the only one...

My mom said she was bringing my birthday present and she had sworn all my siblings to secrecy. Well, she had cut up all my old shirts, musicals, clogging, white water guiding, bungee jumping, sky diving, tennis from high school, Institute council, elementary school council (be very impressed), AP history test, softball teams, Key club, singing group CD's, madrigals, college shirts, and other random shirts I had collected and didn't know what to do with. Mom made a quilt. She is amazing, and it is an awesome quilt. Thanks Mom!

It was so fun to have Carla, Dad and Mom to share the weekend. I probably talked their ears off, but I don't care. They were nice enough to listen, and I think I let them talk every once in a while, which was generous of me. Our family loved seeing them. When they were gone, David and I talked about how much we have missed being with them. We love you!

Chop Chop Timber!

2010-04-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, blogger is not letting my put anything in the order I want, so you might have to read the entire thing to figure out what this blog is about. This is our yard after the men had started the chopping. It has taken truck load after truck load to the dump to get things cleaned up.
This is the back tree getting cut. David is a bit afraid of heights, so he ask to be in the cab the next time they came down.This is the before picture of the back tree. David took too good of a picture, it actually doesn't look so bad, but it is a terrible tree. And it came down.

This is also a really pretty picture of the other tree we cut down, but believe me, these trees are trash trees, they are ruining the roof, gutters, and lawn. It also came down.

This is after we got the huge tree down. Our neighbors have been great. We have had so much wonderful help to get everything down. Thank you!

David wanted me to get a picture of how high they were. And they were a hundred feet up with chainsaws. No wonder David was white as a sheet on his way down.

This is David, much more happy and content in the cab, lifting people to great heights...instead of being lifted!

Our yard is a huge dilemma right now. There is so much that needs to be done, but where to start is a mystery.

We cut down two huge trees that are trash trees. We needed to cut down the trees, so we can get grass to grow under them. The trees drop sticks like crazy...I've heard them called Chinese or Siberian Elms...I have no idea what either one looks like, but we've chopped them anyway.

Neighbors have come up to David saying, "You got something against shade?" Well, David and I have a vision of what our yard will look like, and grass is part of that, other trees are part of that, but those trees were not.

Sleepover

2010-04-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

Rachel, Katie and Sarah have been excited to have their cousins over for a sleep over. We had a lot of fun, and although Lily ended up with a swollen eye, we hope Nora and Lily are brave enough to come again. Thanks girls!

Nathan - 1 year old

2010-03-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

I feel like I take a ton of pictures, and I do, but I needed a one year picture for our wall. Nathan was difficult to get good ones, compared to his sisters who will smile for anything! He seemed to be more interesed in his surrounding than to smile at the camera. But if you take enough pictures, you're sure to get a few good ones!

This is David's and my favorite one, he looks so hansome!

Nathan's First Cut

2010-03-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

The other day, Nathan was on my lap, and I realized that if he was a girl, he'd have enough hair for me to put it in a pig tail. Well, yesterday, I got out the razor, and with David entertaining him, gave Nathan his first haircut.

Before the cut...

After the cut. He looks so cute!

Rachel - 7 years old

2010-03-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

I got Rachel's 7 year pictures taken. Here are the best of them.

Happy Birthday Nathan!

2010-03-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

Our little boy turned one!

Sarah was the "helper?" on the birthday cake...

The girls were so excited to have a party for their fabulous little brother.

Just can't get enough of him...

I think he felt a little overwhelmed, but he got some books, a new coat, some clothes, and toys.

He got his first taste of cake, and couldn't get enough...Sarah was helping him finish his piece.

Happy Birthday Nathan! We love you!

New Couches

2010-03-04T19:53:00.000-08:00

We have been looking for the right furniture to go in our front room since we moved here. And here it is! The room still needs drapes, end table...and a few other things, those trees are not staying...but the big purchase is out of the way and I can go and do more shopping soon. We are very happy with them!

The Missing Marker

2010-02-19T19:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Katie came up to me and said that she had lost her red marker, and that the lid was also missing. I told her we should make sure to look for it so that Nathan didn't find it.

Lo and behold, today Rachel starts screaming and yelling for me to come look at Nathan. It took me a while to realize it wasn't blood, and that he had found our missing red marker. He did a pretty good job painting the parts that usually get bloody when a child gets hurt. Freaked me out, but he gave a great smile for the camera!

Projects

2010-02-17T14:47:00.000-08:00

We've had a lot of snow. But this is the first snowfall that has given us the snow we need to build snowmen. We started with the dad snowman, and he looked so good, we just had to keep going until we made our snow family. You can see all six of us. Dad and Mom in the back, Katie Rachel and Sarah with bows in their hair, and then our baby Nathan snowman with a little purple hat in the front.

This is what we started with.

Progress...

Finishing the downstairs bathroom. This had been our goal over the winter. David did the plumbing (with the help of a great neighbor), sheet rock, mudding, painting, installing sink and shower, tiling, grouting, and trim work. What a handy guy, he can do it all!

Last few weeks...

2010-01-21T19:14:00.000-08:00

I have fallen behind, here are a few pictures of what the last few weeks has entailed:

Christmas was really great. We had such a fun time opening the gifts, and the girls were so excited.

After Christmas, we went to my parents home. We had a great time.

We had our Z family party...which is now at the church. With 13 grandchildren, under 7, it gets a little crazy...but all had fun. Carla is here with Sarah and Gabe who had just run themselves out of energy.

A game of speed. I just had to record, David's ball and my ball got caught together. How romantic, eh? We are so equally yoked. I would just like to point out that my ball did go in first, so he didn't get me out...that time.

My parents got a Santa Clause suit, so my brother Joseph gets to dress up in it. None of the children, even his own, recognize him. I had to laugh that his wife said this is the first time "Santa" has given her the willies.

Rachel had her 7th birthday. She is so beautiful and such a wonderful daughter to have. She drew a picture for me, and told me to put it on her birthday cake. She wanted mom and dad, holding her when she was a baby, and then her crib right next to us. She guided me through the whole cake, it was fun!

I don't know if this is worth blogging. But I got the pineapple out from our Bountiful Basket, and ask David to cut it. He ask if he should cut it the hard way or the easy way. This is the hard way. He learned it in the Philippines, and I thought it was great!

We had my sisters family stop by on their way to Arizona. The girls miss their cousins, so it was nice to see their family.

Brooke and Rachel

Mathew

Can I get a bad picture of Sarah?

Uncle Dave, Rachel, and Brooke

Brooke and Katie

Melanie and Maylee

Katie is getting really good at taking pictures. This is one she took with Sarah, me, and Nathan.

A neighbor brought some clothes over for me. This sweater did not look good on me, but Katie wanted me to keep it. When I explained that it just was not something I would wear, she ask if she could have it. I think it looks tons better on her than it did on me.

Nathan started walking on January 5th, so he was 9 months old. He is everywhere now, and we love the little guy!

Sarah's 3 year Pictures

2010-01-14T19:55:00.001-08:00

They turned out cute. She is so cute.

Read this...

2010-01-06T15:43:00.000-08:00

Bountiful Baskets. You guys ever heard of it? It is fabulous.

Bountiful Baskets is a organization run by volunteers who group together to get produce cheap. It is all over Utah, Idaho, Arizona, and Washington. I read about it a few months ago, and have some family who now orders it.

It has been an answer to my prayers to have fresh fruit and vegetables in the house. We never know what we are getting, and it has forced me to try new things. We have had avocados, kiwi, broccoli, mangoes, pears, oranges, pineapple, Brussel sprouts (David liked those, I did not), lettuce, cantaloupe, watermelon, potatoes...

I am only going to the store for dairy and baby food. That cuts down on over half of our total grocery bill.

The website is http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/. You have to pick it up at a certain place and time, it comes every other Saturday (usually), and it is worth the $15.00. The picture above was one order. The website is sometimes confusing, so if you need help, leave a note on the blog. Take a basket and try it.

The Birthday Princess

2009-12-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

Our little Sarah turned three years old! When we named her Sarah, I didn't know it meant "princess", but it absolutely fits her. She is so fun and knows she is the belle of the ball. Aunt Carla gave her a Birthday Princess crown, and made our Sarah very happy on her birthday.

Rachel and Katie were so excited to give Sarah her presents, they could barely let her open them. We kept having to tell them to let Sarah do it. Rachel and Katie picked out a princess umbrella and a pink tithing/savings/fun box. Grandma and Grandpa Z sent a fluffy tutu that Sarah was all about wearing, Nana Foley sent a darling dress and pajamas, and Aunt Carla sent the hat and a cup. We tried to take a picture to see it all, but it didn't work too well.

Sarah holding Aunt Carla's cup. She loved it!

My cake was embarrassing. The blob at the bottom was supposed to represent Sarah. But, she loved it, and that's what counts.

Sarah and Nathan. They are the cutest. Happy Birthday Sarah!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-01T07:51:00.000-08:00

These last couple of weeks have been full of fun and family. My sisters Carla and Melanie came up last weekend and I'm kicking myself that this is the only picture I have of their visit. Mel brought Brooke and Maylee, and my three girls had a great time with their cousins. Sarah loves Carla, and the feeling is mutual...so Sarah got to do Carla's hair and this is the finished product...so cute.To start off Thanksgiving, David's dad flew out from Michigan to spend the holiday with us. It was so fun to have him here and see the girls play with their Grandpa Foley.My mom and dad drove down on Friday night with Carla and Steph to spend the rest of the weekend together. David was called as the second counselor in the bishopric, and so our families got together for the occasion.Dad holding Nathan. They bonded quite a bit.

Stephanie is our family stylist. She cut all the girls hair, including mine. Her skills are amazing.

Sarah would hold still while I took pictures, so she got a lot of them taken.Katie got a little bob. I love how her hair looks short, she is so cute.

This is a before and after shot of Rachel's new haircut. She told me a few weeks ago she wanted a cut. I like the change, but she looks so grown up, I can't believe she is almost seven year old!

I also got my haircut, but you can't really tell. Steph gave it a lot of layers, but I'm happy with it.

We went to see the petroglyphs in Parowan.
Last night for FHE, we went to the Heritage Center. They had Santa Clause and Princesses. Those two things combined made for a hit with our girls. Cinderella was an especially big hit, because she lives across the street. The girls love our neighbor Maddie.
Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, and one lucky Prince. Sarah just kept crying for "Princesses" as we were trying to leave. You had to pay five bucks to get your picture taken with Santa...so no Santa picture for us.
David and Nathan thought the penguins were much more manly to get a picture taken with.

Communities are so great to put together things like this. Our family had a great time!

2009-11-18T11:54:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

The Bootie Party

2009-11-08T18:23:00.000-08:00

Okay, when me and my siblings were little, and my mom and dad were gone, we'd have a bootie party. Which meant that we got in our pajamas, and all slept in the front room, maybe watched a show, played games, and laughed a lot. I don't think many of us even had booties to wear. Since I moved so far south, I have missed all the get togethers lately and have really missed my family. So, we decided to have another bootie party with just the six of us.

We played "Imagine Iff", "Time's Up", "Pinochle", "Speed Scrabble", and laughed hard. I think I laughed more than anyone...but hey, we all have our place and mine is to laugh at whatever anyone says. My brother and sisters are the best in the world, and I'm not even bias. I have a great relationship with all of them, and it was fun to just get together for a night of fun.

Joseph playing with Nathan.

Carla made a birthday...peach cake for Cynthia's birthday coming up!

Cynthia and Mel

Steph and Joseph

Steph, Mel and Carla

Steph and me

Good times!

Bobo the Clown

2009-10-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

I am not an interior decorator, but even I know that this picture is probably not the envy of all the neighbors. So why do I have Bobo the Clown up in my beautiful home? Pure sentimentality.

Many of you know that I grew up on a farm, by my Grandpa and Grandma Z. Grandma was a spunky old woman. I remember her riding motorcycles with my cousins, coming downstairs with her sister to play tea party with us, and trying out roller blades. Even when she got Alzheimer's, I loved it when she would forget she gave us candy for mowing the lawn, and would come out several times, then there was the dead cat she displayed on her fence, stories she would retell, and her just watching me on the trampoline. She made me feel like I was putting on an acrobatic show.

Needless to say, I loved my Grandma Z, and when she passed away a few years ago, one of the things I inherited was this painting. Her artwork was all over her home. This particular picture was on your way up the stairs...and to many of my cousins, it was a scary picture. I also have to admit that it was not my favorite picture, but Grandma painted it...and so it is displayed in my home. Bobo the Clown reminds me of my Grandma Z. I miss you Grandma!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T20:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! We had fun this year. Lots of treats = Lots of fun. Rachel wanted to be Tigger, again. Katie, the unicorn. Sarah wanted the Care Bear. And Nathan fit the Monkey. I never go all out, and usually we just wear what we have, but it was a fun weekend anyway.

Katie asks to take pictures every day. She is getting better, so this is me with our two youngest, Sarah and Nathan. Cute.

Then, we got out the snow clothes, and there was this hat that we decided to put a flower in...and Katie wanted a picture with Nathan...and they just looked perfect.

Snow, Snow, Snow. What more can I say?

Snow is Falling All Around

2009-10-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

Hey, we've got snow! I love it. It doesn't even matter that I don't have grass, because the snow makes my yard look immaculate. We got up at 6:30 this morning, and Katie got herself all ready to go out, so by the time I dropped off Rachel at school this morning, Sarah and Katie were ready to go play in the snow. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Our Little Man

2009-10-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

I needed to show what my sweet little baby is turning into. He gets this grin that makes me think he's up to something. He is into everything right now, but in my mind, there is still no competition on who is the cutest baby!

Pumpkins

2009-10-23T10:31:00.001-07:00

Family Home Evening this week was carving pumpkins. It wasn't too messy, because the girls thought pulling the seeds our was gross, and it wasn't too dangerous, because they just told us the shapes they wanted and David and I carved them. They turned out good!

Nature at our Door

2009-10-23T10:26:00.000-07:00

We've had a doe and buck in our yard the past week. The girls have been so excited to see them...even though Katie keeps calling them kangaroos. I'm glad we didn't plant many new bushes or trees. The deer are no respecter of shrubbery.

World War III

2009-10-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

My cousins brought over their four children for about 3 days. I have to admit that it was a bit overwhelming. Then, the two oldest boys made friends of our two neighbor boys, which brought the grand total up to 10 children running around our house. The boys posted signs that read WW3 all over our house, and that pretty much sums up the weekend.

Katie's Pictures

2009-10-09T07:52:00.001-07:00

Since our move, I have not found a place that does pictures...cheap enough for me. So, I finally decided to do it myself! The canyon is so pretty this time of year, and we found a perfect spot for some pictures of Katie. Then, I wanted Nathan's pictures because during the first year they change so much. So, we got some 7 month pictures of him. For an amateur, they turned out great!

If you've ever wondered...

2009-10-09T07:39:00.000-07:00

If you've ever wondered what a one year's supply of food looks like, look no longer. My wonderful David has spent so much time figuring what we would need and how to track and replenish it. It has taken a long time to get here, but it feels great to be able to obey what the prophets have ask us to do. We finally have the space to hold it all.

During our eight years of being married, we have always done what we could to have a food storage. We have had to use our storage several times in order to get through life. But our storage has never been a complete one year.

Now, because of the ability to save some money last year, and the planning we have gone through to catch sales, and bottle as much as possible, we have the food storage we have always wanted. David has even got the water containers for a two week supply of emergency water and backpacks with emergency supplies if we ever had to leave quickly.

It may sound extreme, but I don't believe it is. We have peace of mind that whatever comes, we will have done all in our power to be ready. And that is worth a lot.

Katie's 5th Birthday

2009-09-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Katie turned 5! Katie loves to dance, sing, and make people laugh. She is so patient with her sisters, shares toys so good, and loves to hold and play with Nathan. Katie is our child that likes to go on rides...anywhere. She'll want to go to the grocery store, the soccer games, on a walk. She just learned how to ride a bike without training wheels, and is getting more and more independent. I love having Katie at home with me another year before she goes to kindergarten. She is so helpful, and is full of spunk...which makes our lives full of fun.

We had a party for her. She had so much fun with all the family that came to celebrate with us!

Katie - 2 months old
Katie - 6 months old
Katie - 2 years old

Katie - 3 years old

Katie - 4 years old

Katie - 5 years old

We love you Katie!

Joy School

2009-09-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

Katie was really disappointed not to go to school this year. So, I found a group of mothers doing a Joy School twice a week. It was fun! The six kids are very cute and get along well. We took the first week to get to know each other, then I took the next week of teaching. I learned a few things:

1. Do not waste time cleaning BEFORE the kids arrive. They could care less.

2. Painting is probably not the best activity to start with.

3. Kids don't think veggies count as a snack.

4. My day of over-prepared went way better than my day of being under-prepared.

5. Show and tell could last an hour, if I never interrupted.

This was my favorite project we did this week. The Joy School Bus. I took pictures of all the kids, cut holes in an egg carton, painted them yellow, and stuck the pictures inside the holes of their bus. The kids loved them. I'm glad I now have a few weeks off...I'll need it to think of more to do.

The Fair

2009-09-08T14:04:00.000-07:00

Growing up, we never really went to the fair...and now I know why. Everything is way expensive, and having children with you is way tiring. But, we did have fun...so I can also see why people go. Here are some cute pictures of the girls on the rides.

Katie on the swings.

Rachel on the motorcylce.

Katie, Rachel, and Sarah on the train.

Rachel and Sarah coming down on the slide.

Rachel, Katie, Sarah, and me on the tea cups. Sarah had to get off half way through because she inherited her Dad's stomach for amusement parks.

Cute picture of Rachel and Katie on the swings.

Sarah and David.

Okay, I entered Nathan in a Cutest Baby Contest...and he didn't win. But he should have...I am not biast...HE IS THE CUTEST BABY!

Last, but not least. I ran the 5k. I am getting better. I bested my time...so I was happy.

Visitors

2009-09-06T15:51:00.000-07:00

We've had a lot of visitors this summer. I thought I'd post a few pictures, and thank everyone who has come over to see us! Thanks again...we love you guys!
Rachel and Katie loved having their cousins come up from St. George. Nora and Lily. Here are some pictures of Michael and Bonnie's family while they came over.

David and his brother, Michael

Lily, being very cute

Doesn't Nora look fetching in the arms of her uncle.

Carla came in June, just before her birthday, so we had a party while she was here. The girls love Aunt Carla...we think she is pretty great.

Grandpa holding Sarah..she misses her "Papa".

Grandma and Nathan being really cute together.

Grandma Cox came and we went to see her sister LaVona. Two really cute old ladies...I love them!

And last, but not least. Grandpa Cox gave his stamp of approval on the sheds. We were so grateful that Grandpa and Grandma made it down. They have been a huge part of our lives.

Well, sorry I didn't get everyone's picture who came...but thanks again. We're excited to be in our new home, and grateful to have wonderful families!

TriZathalon

2009-08-09T18:43:00.001-07:00

Last year, my family decided to have our own Triathalon. We trained for it this last year and ran/bike/swimmed it on August 1st. Mel's picture is in the background because she would have run it but her baby came first....and she was in the hospital. So, this is how it went....We started with the run. Carla came in first, then Joseph, and I came in third. I made just less than a ten minute mile...which is really good for me.Next was the bike. I was ahead the whole time...so I finished first, but the times say that Cynthia beat me by a minute and a half. She is amazing on the bike.

Okay, this is my swimsuit shot....that I am posting publicly...brave me. I was less than 12 minutes on my 500 yards. This was the hardest event for me, but we went in two heats, so I had Dad, Joseph, and David cheering me on...and that felt awsome. I was proud of my Dad, he came in first in this event. He did 500 yards in 8 min. 3 seconds...fantastic.

My whole family finished each event...so be impressed with the awsomeness of my family! All in all, Joseph won the first annual TriZathalon. But he won me by 10 BLASTED SECONDS! OH! I'll get you next year, my dear brother...I'LL GET YOU!

Mel and Maylee

2009-08-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

I have a new sweet little niece! My sister Melanie and her husband Dave had a new little baby on July 30th. Her name is Maylee Jean. She has a lot of hair...which is always amazing to me because most of mine are without hair for...years...some of them. We are so excited to have her in the family!

Camping

2009-07-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

This is a first for our family. We have gone camping with others, but never just us. So, we braved it this week and it actually turned out to be a lot of fun.

He didn't sleep there...I got cold at about 6:00 in the morning and brought him in with me until I warmed up...and he just looked so cute.

Rachel being very cute.

I know they look thrilled, but we really did have a fun time roasting hot dogs and marshmallows!

This is who I spent most of my time with. I love that boy!

Rachel walked in a little too far, slipped on a rock, and was not happy about getting her shorts wet.

Katie was getting rocks, and David threw a rock right in front of her. She got splashed pretty good, but thought it was great!

David, so handsome.

David and Sarah throwing rocks.

The girls taking off their shoes...so excited to get in the water!

Our scenery.

We tried to get a picture of how dirty Sarah got, but we just never quite captured the filth that was layered on our cute little Sarah.

Sarah, very tired of packing up, she got cozy on the picnic table.

I needed proof that we actually went camping. I love my family!

The House

2009-07-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

Some of my family wanted to see pictures of the house, and I have finally got some of the rooms done, so I will now flaunt our beautiful home...the outside needs work, so that will have to come later.

These first two pictures are of the kitchen. Thanks to Bonnie and Melanie, it turned out really cute. You two are brilliant...and have really great taste. Yellow came with the house...I'll repaint someday, but I don't have the energy for it now. And as Mel said, "It adds character." I guess!

Okay, I needed to show Mel and Mom the valances. They turned out really cute. If I were to do it again, I would have chosen a dark green instead of the off white for the second color. Reversible valances. They will make it into every room in the house probably...but for now, my room is the only one done. Thanks for the idea Mel! Thanks for the help Mom!

The piano room...the front room...it needs furniture on the walls opposite the piano, but for right now...at least its clean:)

The family room downstairs. I love it. It is big enough for the girls to wrestle their dad, and for the girls to dance. There is another couch that the camera didn't get, but you can kind of get the idea!

This room is my school time/library. I don't home school, but I wanted to have a room to study in. I also needed a room to do some preschool with Katie...it still needs decorating. I've got pictures of all my grandparents, parents, and extended family that have graduated from college, and I'll get them all up on the wall.

Here is our baby boy! I couldn't help posting some pictures of him...he is getting so darn cute. Look at those cheeks...look at those arms! Irresistible.

Another One Bites the Dust

2009-06-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

Rachel has been wiggling this tooth for the last couple months. I tried to yank it out last week, because she plays with it so much. She took a bath tonight, and when she got done drying herself, she started shouting, "Its gone, its gone!" She was so excited, but we could not find the tooth. We looked all around where she had got dressed and it wasn't anywhere. I finally found it on Katie's bed...and I have no idea how it got there. Anyway, she ran out to David working on the sheds and showed him her new trick of blowing through her missing tooth and telling him now she will talk funny...I think she has a friend with a missing tooth who lisps. Its weird, but I remember that odd feeling of being able to blow through my teeth. Ah, the memories!

Katie's Korner

2009-06-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

We're getting into our new house, and I'm having a heck of a time deciding where to put things. I know what I want, its just finding the right things. So, Katie thought she had some good ideas to decorate, and I started to make her feel bad by not going for her ideas. We made a compromise. She got her own corner to decorate, and I got the rest of the house. I love what she chose to put on her desk: her name, a block of wood that says, "I am a Child of God" (upside down), her tithing/fun/savings box, and an old craft I did 15 years ago at YW camp.

After that picture, Katie wanted me to take a picture of her bed, and Sarah jumped on to show how comfortable it is!

And finally, Katie wanted to take a picture of us. She is getting good!

Good Enough To Eat

2009-06-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

I make bread weekly, and I really like to make it. I enjoy working on the skill, having my children help me, and I think it tastes so much better than what is in the store. We use it for everything: sandwiches, toast, bread and milk, cinnamon bread, and our personal favorite...french toast.

Last week I made the ugliest bread in the world. I don't know what happened...and I should have taken a picture because this week I made the prettiest bread I have ever done. It usually tastes pretty good anyway, but this time it looked like it would taste good!

Father's Day

2009-06-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

My children have a wonderful father. I am so grateful for David. He takes time to play, teach, and love each of our little ones. Here are some pictures of the kids with the man we love the most.

This Father's Day weekend, my dad came up to help David with the sheds. I love watching two men I love so much work together. They are the greatest! Happy Father's Day!

I dreamed a dream...

2009-06-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday, David spent the day building his dream. The Shed. It looks amazing, and I'm sure he'll have it finished this next week.

Here are a few pictures of what he's accomplished!

Family Pictures

2009-05-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

Okay, I wasn't going to have our new family pictures taken until Nathan could smile on cue...but we're moving, and they don't have my favorite picture place...and my membership to it runs out in June...and I love inexpensive, good pictures. Nathan looks pleasant in a few, but confused or annoyed in most. I was just happy we had a good picture of all of us together!

My favorite of us all.

Cute, cute!

Look at Sarah's face!

David likes this one a lot, and Nathan's the only one who looks a little unhappy.

My favorite of the kids.

Our Little Boy

2009-05-13T11:40:00.000-07:00

When we found out we were having a boy, my sister-in-law said she could not imagine how a boy of ours would look...even though David is a pretty good example. But, here is a picture of our darling little boy...he's adorable!

Partners in Crime...Welcome Home Sister Z!

2009-05-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

Growing up, there was a certain misdemeanor that was socially accepted, lawfully overlooked, and publicly encouraged. Painting the Cement Factory. From the freeway, it looks like a beat up old factory with tons of graffiti all over. But, it is the most public and fun way to welcome back the missionaries in the Tremonton and Brigham areas. I have never done it before, but to perform my illegal fun, I took my mom, dad, and brother with me. We had a blast!

Our dear Sister Zollinger gets home tomorrow from serving in the Australia, Adelaide Mission. We are so proud that she has served full time and faithfully, she has inspired me to be a better person and member missionary by her example. We hope she comes home with the gifts we ask for...boomerangs and kangaroos! We have missed her so much. Our hair will be begging to be cut by her, our fingernails painted, legs waxed...and just a good rip-rolling good time with our baby sister Steph! We love you!

Zollinger Sweat Glands

2009-04-30T07:13:00.000-07:00

I just read the greatest story of sweat by my dear sister Carla. This is a must read, if you need a good laugh. The sad thing is, it could probably be said of anyone in my family!

"A friend of mine came to me a couple weeks ago asking me to take part in a study for her master’s thesis. I don’t really understand what it was really about…but it has something to do with sweat. She said she had “heard” (from an anonymous source) that I sweat quite a bit and that she needed sweaters for her study.I replied that really, anyone I’ve ever hiked with could have told her I sweat quite a bit….so it could be many people…but that I would be happy to help her out. I also told her that if she felt like being grateful she could say a little prayer and thank my Grandmother Zollinger for the sweaty pig gene…because, heaven knows, I haven’t thanked her a whole lot.

Anyway, I went in Saturday for the study. She ran a bunch of little tests, had me fill out some paperwork and then asked me to enter a room where the temperature was kept at over 90 degrees. I was then asked to sit on a stationary bicycle and peddle away. She needed me to bike for 30 minutes after I came to a full sweat.

So, I got busy and about 5 minutes later she came in very impressed that I had almost reach a full sweat…one minute later, she said I was the fastest sweater, girl or guy, that had done the study so far. I smiled proudly and began the actual 30 minute ride.

At about 20 minutes she came in and complimented me on my “bubble sweat” which beaded up along my arms…she said only one other subject had had bubble sweat, she was very impressed again and I was just glad to be appreciated for my inborn skills.

When I was finally done, she started taking tests and gathering data. She had taped little pads to my arms and mentioned that not many people had been able to fill the pads with sweat….me?? Well, when she lifted the pad…a little river of sweat escaped….because the pad couldn’t hold all of it.

She then confirmed I was officially the sweatiest person she had ever met….how great is that?I’m very proud of my verified exceptionalism. I’ve decided to embrace my healthy sweat glands. After years of just thinking I sweat more than everyone else….I now know and knowing feels good…. It’s always good to be the best…but right now…aren’t you happy…in this case…to hand the title right over to me? "

Fancy Tea Party

2009-04-08T09:37:00.001-07:00

Auntie Carla set up a fancy tea party for all the grandkids. Uncle Garrett had made swords for the boys (our Princes) and wands for the girls (our Princesses). Everyone had a lot of fun.

The girls win for the photogenic pictures. Here is a picture of all our cute

princesses.

Some of the boys were more interested in eating than smiling for my pictures. But they were cute princes anyway.

Nathan's Blessing

2009-04-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

I love having a little boy! I love blue!
We blessed our little Nathan this last weekend. I love listening to David when he blesses our children. It is a wonderful experience for me each time. I also love seeing the my Dad, brothers, and uncles in the circle, being a part of the blessing. It is a symbol of the support we have and our children will have while they grow up. Uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandparents are all a huge part of raising children.
Here are some pictures from the blessing. I didn't get a good shot of Nathan in his blessing suit that my Mom made. He looked so cute. So, I'll have to torture him another time for some better pictures.

Our girls holding Nathan. They love him!

Grandma-Nana

David and I holding a "I am so sick of pictures!" Nathan.

Grandpa and Grandma Z.

Grandpa Z won for the most photogenic shot with Nathan, isn't he a cute Grandpa?

He is here!

2009-03-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to announce the arrival of our son, Nathan David! He was born March 7th, 7 lbs 3 oz, and 19 1/2 inches long. Here are some pictures of us at the hospital and when we arrived home. Our girls think he is so cute, and cannot keep their little hands off of him...which is making me paranoid because they've got colds.

Rachel holding her baby brother. Out of all the girls, Rachel thinks our baby is the greatest in the world.

Katie was scared at the hospital, but she and I took a turn holding him.

Rachel being very excited. David has been doing the girls hair for the last week. He does a pretty good job while I'm gone!

David holding his first son.

Cute picture of Nathan at home.

Sarah couldn't go to the hospital because she has been pretty sick. Now that we have him home, she thinks he is neat every once in a while to look at...but not to touch. This is as close as we could get them together in a picture. Welcome to our family little guy!

Love Sack and Chicken Hips

2009-02-14T17:20:00.001-08:00

We have had our love sack for about three years, and have never gotten it stuffed. Well, for our Valentine's Day, we got our love sack filled. The girls love it! It is the new favorite toy that they jump on, wrestle on, and get thrown on. We were very excited today.

We made Valentine cookies yesterday. Daddy got the big one, and we made little ones for everyone else. I made it the whole time without snitching the icing or the cookie dough...it was no fun, but should be done once to let yourself know you have the willpower.

I was tickling Rachel's back the other day, and she said, "Stop Mom! You're giving me chicken hips!" I said, "Rachel, what are chicken hips?" She showed me her arm, and said, "Look, chicken hips!" I laughed and said, "Rachel, those are called goose bumps!" I still have no idea where she got the word chicken hips.

Tagged

2009-02-03T19:12:00.000-08:00

I have never done one of these, but here it goes.

Here are the rules:
Post rules on blog
Answer the six 8 items
Let each person know by leaving them a comment

8 Favorite TV Shows (I'm going to change this to the last eight books I've read...I don't watch TV)
1. Joan of Arc, A biography
2. The Goose Girl
3. These Is My Words
4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
5. Sarah's Quilt
6. Mr. Darcy's Daughters
7. Fire in the Bones
8. The Ladies Auxiliary

8 Things I did Yesterday
1. Exercised (this is getting harder to accomplish each day)
2. Wiped a lot of noses (we are all still sick)
3. Made a Valentine Family Home Evening lesson
4. Helped my Mom with a quilt for Steph
5. Listened to my Dad play the harmonica for the FHE talent...it was really good
6. Played "Red Light - Green Light" with the family
7. Made myself a smoothie before going to bed
8. Played "Guess Who" with Katie and Rachel

8 Things I Look Forward To:
1. David coming home from work
2. Family get togethers
3. Date night
4. All of my family feeling healthy again...its been a long three weeks
5. Conference
6. A home of my own
7. Having our fourth child
8. My sister coming home from her mission in Australia

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. Cafe Rio
2. The Olive Garden
3. Pizza Plus
4. Village Inn
5. The Blue Bird
6. Kate's Kitchen
7. Subway
8. Quiznos

8 Things I Wish For:
1. A closer commute for David
2. Enough money to pay for a home with cash...I hate debt
3. Our children to know who they are and can stand up for what they believe in
4. Leaders of our country that stand for values I believe in
5. People I love living closer
6. Spring to come
7. Taking a ballroom dance class again
8. A ride in a hot air balloon

8 People I Tagged:
1. Anybody
2. Everybody
3. Nobody
4. Somebody
5. Anyone
6. Everyone
7. Someone
8. If you want to, go ahead, I tag you.