Thanks A lot Jordyn!

A few minutes ago I was putting Jordyn down for a nap when she looked and me and said, "mom, when you don't have your eye stuff on (I'm guessing she means mascara), you look, um...... um..... tired and a little um..... um...." I said, "what Jordyn," just say it," "well, a little bit not cute." The sad thing is, I actually had my makeup done and she must have been invisioning me w/out! I think I'll be putting my makeup on at 2 a.m. from this point on since I'm up with the babies anyway. The truth hurts I guess.

Roller Skating at Starlite Skating

DJ took Friday of last week off as well as Thursday for the trip to Heise so we decided to take the kids roller skating. There is a really fun and inexpensive rink here in town and ever since the kids went there for a birthday party they've begged to go back. Anyway, we brought Porter and Kamryn along again and this time, DJ sat with them while I rollerskated with the kids. I haven't had that much fun in a long time!! It was the funniest sight watching Kaleb (2 1/2 try to stay up on skates. He was so determined even after falling smack down on his bum time after time. Everytime he'd get up with a big grin on his face and try it again. (I guess for once I'm glad he had a diaper on for a little padding or his little bum would've been one big black and blue mess) Regan and Morgan are really good at skating because they spend a ton of time rollerblading in our driveway but Jordyn wasn't so confident so I spent most of the time helping she and Kaleb stay vertical and I got pretty good at skating with them right in front of me while they held my hands which they thought was pretty fun. Morgan and Regan came a long once in a while and grabbed their hands to take them for a little ride. We had the funnest 3 hours and by the end, Kaleb and Jordyn were starting to get the hang of skating. I love watching my kids learn new things and love to see them enjoying life!! Oh, and the best part was that the babies didn't make a peep the whole time which is amazing because the music was so loud and obnoxious. I told DJ that we need to find a CD with all kinds of loud noises and put it in their room at night then they might sleep through the night.

More Summer Fun!

We had a fabulous 24th of July with mom, dad, Stanton, Juj & kids at Heise Hot Springs. Dad has a company party there every year and invites us to come along. There is a big green waterslide that is the kids favorite as well as a big pool and of course, the hot springs. We never make it over to the hot springs though because the kids spend most of their day on the waterslide and this year was no exception! I decided not to even bother getting in to a swimsuit because I knew I'd need to be in and out with the babies so DJ enjoyed swimming with the kids and I enjoyed visiting with mom & Juj and it's never boring watching my kids. Regan and Morgan love going down the waterslide by themselves and Jordyn and Kaleb went down on DJ's lap which Jordyn seemed to like but Kaleb was not convinced even after DJ had taken him down a handful of times. Jordyn's cousin, Chloe, went down all by herself so Jordyn decided to try it and the poor little thing came out laughing and crying at the same time. She got turned around backwards when she was just about to come out and slammed her head in to the side of the tube and she has a nice big bump and bruise to show for it. It was pretty funny to see her reaction to it all, "Mom, I went down all by myself (happy, smiley face), "Ouch, my head hurts" (sad, crying face) Do you get the picture??? Anyway, it was so much fun to have cousins to play with and even Grandma Rose got to go this year!!! YEAH!!! We stopped for lunch at about 1:00 and then headed back over to do some more watersliding and ended up staying until 6:00 that evening. It was such a relaxing day and the babies slept all day with the exception of a couple of feedings. Sometimes it's almost easier to be out and about with the babies because they seem to like all the noise and commotion. Thanks, Dad, for another fun year at Heise!! Below is a picture of Regan coming out of the waterslide, one of my "hunky, farmer tanned" husband and little Kaleb (scared to death and screaming for mommy) and Jordyn coming out of the waterslide. (I love the look on her face)

Gotta love Albertsons Cereal Sales

I have to admit that I can't pass up a good cereal sale (unless of course I already have a good stock in food storage) which I didn't until today so I restocked! No, I don't feed the kids cold cereal every day, DJ makes them pancakes quite often and then there is their personal favorite, hot cereal (they really can't stand it but choke it down knowing that the alternative is a very hungry stomach." Anyway, just for recording purposes, I came out of Albertsons with over 50 boxes of cereal, granola bars, yogurts, gogurts, etc. and spent $51.00 and saved $147.00. I considered that a pretty good deal but not as good as my 40 boxes of granola bars for $3.00 last year. (no, that is not a typo) We are just about out of those granola bars so it was time to restock. I do love a good deal though especially with the cost of food right now! (maybe we'll just have cold cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.) ha ha

Baby Update!

Porter with Aunt Lori ******Cindy with Porter and Kamryn

My two helpers! (what would I do without them?)

I took Kamryn and Porter to the Doctor today and couldn't believe it when they were weighed. Kamryn weighs 7 lbs. 14 oz. and Porter weighs a whopping 9 lbs. 10 oz. I guess all my worries about them not getting enough to eat can be put to rest. They are such cute little things and we are truly enjoying them even though they are a ton of work. They both have cracked, what I call, "non gas induced" smiles in the past couple of days. They will make eye contact with you and if you're lucky they might smile a bit! I love it!!! They are such different personalities and right now Porter seems to be pretty relaxed and low maintenance where Kamryn is a little bit more needy but I've had enough kids to know that the tables can turn quickly so I'm really trying to enjoy every moment with them, fussy or not!!

Family Reunion 2008

We had our Rose family reunion minus Matt & Sara and family. It wasn't quite the same without them but we were so happy to see them a couple of weeks ago and be able to have almost a whole day with them. We went to mom and dad's Friday night and had a wonderful dinner prepared by mom, followed by Family Home Evening by Lor and Brad and a few words from Grandpa Rose, and then topped the evening off with a fun talent show. I always look forward to all the kids talents each year and again, they didn't disappoint! It was also fun to have Grandma Johnson and Aunt Kim, Uncle Derin, and there son Collin join us. We haven't seen them for a long time and it was so fun to catch up with them. The next day Lor and Brad & kids, and mom and dad came to our house for the day. We missed Juj & Stanton and the kids but we enjoyed a very relaxing (okay, down right lazy) day watching the kids play and visiting. I think we were all in need of a day off. Thanks to mom and dad for planning and carrying out another successful and fun Family Reunion. Again, I slacked off in the picture taking area except for 2 very funny pictures of DJ and his infamous "loaded" dinner plate. Anyone who knows DJ very well knows that he has a huge appetite. (one of the things I love about him) This year mom made taco salad and he made himself an enormous plate full. The kids laughed their heads off when they saw this so I couldn't resist taking a picture.

Do you think he finished all this??? Well, not quite, he got to the last 6 or 7 bites and took a deep breath, I asked him if he was going to finish or if he got a little cocky while filling his plate. I actually ended up finishing his plate and he took a much needed nap!!!

Music Camp with cousins!

I am ashamed of myself for not writing sooner about the fun week my girls had at Aunt Lori's house last week but it seems like I have such a difficult time finding a second to sit at the computer. So to sum up the week, music camp was such ball for all of them especially being able to be with cousins! I think they all came back with a little more confidence in singing in front of people because all 3 were able to sing solo's. Jordyn sang, "Rubby Ducky," Morgan sang "Bear Necessities," and Regan sang, "God Help the Outcasts," and "Feed the Birds." According to Lor, they all did great and apparently Jordyn is quite the little performer. She is definetly our drama queen so that doesn't surprise me. Kate, Morgan, and Jordyn all got to participate in the Children's Chorus and Todd and Regan participated in a Musical Theater (selections from "Oliver") which was so adorable. They all seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves and I'm thankful to Lori for taking them in for a week and making it possible for them to do this. They loved all the time in the pool at Lor's house and are all better swimmers! They are looking forward to our trip to Heise with Grandpa and Grandma Rose tomorrow. Thanks again Lori for taking in 3 extra bodies last week and for being patient with the 3 extra heads of hair. Jack was great for us and he and Kaleb got to be good buddies. Having 4 in diapers was a little crazy at times but Kaleb reminded me periodically: One day I said, "okay everyone, now we've got to" and then I paused and he filled in, "CHANGE BUMS"!! I got the biggest kick out of that one but at the same time I was thinking how sad it is that he's 2 1/2 and not potty trained yet. Oh well, I'm still trying to gear myself up for it. Anyway, the girls had a great time but were excited to get home and I was so excited to get my helpers back. I found out just how much I rely on Regan's help everyday and I was completely lost without her. She is such a huge help and always so willing to do anything I ask. In fact, I went to Walmart today and saw that school supplies were being put out and I had a quick reality check as to how hard it's going to be when she goes back to school. I'm hoping by then we will have established some sort of a routine and I might have things under control! ( ha ha ha) I didn't take good pics of music camp but these will have to do!

I mentioned in an earlier post that Regan, Morgan, & Jordyn are staying with Aunt Lori in Rupert this week attending a music camp with Todd & Kate. They have also been able to take swimming lessons in the evening in Lori's pool so they are having the time of their lives. They've called every evening and informed me that they miss us but they are having so much fun. Thanks to Lor for taking 3 extra kids. We have had Lor's little Jack who is Kaleb's age for the week and he has been excellent, considering how tiny he is. He and Kaleb have had a great time playing together and I think it's made it so much easier on Kaleb because he has really missed them. The other night he said, "mom, when are my girls going to be home?" They are his best friends which makes me really happy!! Anyway, things have been busy but good here. I have had a glimpse in to the future of how it will be to have twin 2 1/2 year olds. Ha ha!! I can only hope that Porter and Kamryn will even half as good as Jack and Kaleb have been. They definetly have their moments but all in all, they've been great. Last night I decided to give all the kids baths so I let the little boys play in the tub while I fed the babies and got them ready for bath. I walked away for a few minutes (I know, big no, no) and all the sudden I hear them giggling uncontrollably so I walked back in to find them dumping water on each others heads and then pouring a few cups out on to the rug. I was not pleased about the water on the rug but I'm pretty sure I know who the ring leader was judging by the picture below. Is that a mischievous grin, or what??????

After I got the boys out of the tub, I put the babies in and generally they hate bath time but this time they decided to cooperate. I know bath tub pics are hated by some but I just couldn't resist.

Porter looks like a giant next to Kamryn!

Yesterday the boys were playing outside with the neighbor kids and having a ball. They were being pulled around in a wagon behind a bike, up and down the street. It was nice to have them both entertained for a while!

I have made a few trips to the store with the 4 kids this week and if you think I got stared at before, you should've seen us this time. The trip to Fred Meyer yesterday was pretty uneventful considering I was pushing one cart and pulling another behind. I was proud of myself for only running the second cart in to the back of my legs 2 times and I only came home with one bruise to show for it. I was amazed at how good the little boys were on all our trips though, but I have to admit that I used a little bribery with popcorn chicken at Walmart today since I had quite a few things I needed to get but the other times they behaved themselves with no bribery tactics from me!

Last night after baths I was putting Jack to bed and I walked out to fill his sippy cup up and when I went back in I heard Kaleb say, "okay, Jack, now lets say prayers, Heavenly Father, bless mommy and daddy, bless we have fun, amen" and then he said, okay have a good sleep and proceeded to shut the door. Jack was amused up until the point of the door closing and then I don't think he appreciated Kaleb very much. Anyway, it was pretty cute and I have to say that Jack is such a trooper about going to bed in a not so familiar place and he is pretty low maintenance during the day! I can only hope that the girls have been this good for Lor!

A visit from Grandma & Grandpa Rose, Aunt Christie & Aunt Nancy

Grandma, Kamryn, Cindy, Porter, Grandpa, Jack, & Kaleb

Great Grandma Rose holding Porter

Great Grandpa Rose holding Kamryn

Aunt Christie (holding Kamryn),

Grandpa Rose holding Kaleb, Grandma Rose,

Aunt Nancy (holding Porter)

Great Grandpa & Grandma Rose holding Kamryn & Porter

I've been looking forward to this day for a few weeks now since I found out that my grandparents from Park Valley would be coming to visit. It was an added bonus to have two of my dad's sisters, Aunt Christie and Aunt Nancy come with them. We don't get to see each other very often and they hadn't seen the babies yet so it was great to have them come! I felt bad that the girls weren't here to see them but they are staying with Aunt Lori for the week attending a music camp and having swimming lessons and I have her little boy, Jack staying for the week! Anyway, it was so much fun visiting with them and the boys had fun playing and showing off! I have to admit it was nice to have some extra arms here to hold the babies since my biggest helps are away for the week. I was so happy to get some pics of the babies with Great Gram &Gramp; I hope my kids know how fortunate they are to know their great Grandparents!! (not to mention their Great Aunts! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit, it made my day!

Weekend Fun!

DJ left for High Adventure with the Scouts early Friday morning so the kids and I were on our own until Saturday afternoon. It always bums me out when DJ is gone, especially on a weekend so I decided that getting out and doing something fun with the kids was the remedy. All the kids had earned cinnamon rolls and ice cream cones from Mrs. Powell's and Geraldine's Bake Shop for the summer reading program at the library so I decided this was as good as anytime to redeem them. Yes, ice cream and cinnamon rolls don't really go together and it's a lot of sugar for 7:00 at night but we decided to break the rules so we headed to pick up the cinnamon rolls first and then went over to the ice cream place after since they have tables set up outdoors, perfect for a picnic. The kids chose their usual Bubblegum icecream (yuck) and I chose Grasshopper. Of course, they all had to give mine a try because they inevitably always choose bubblegum so therefore they haven't tried too many other kinds of icecream. I wish I would've remembered my camera because Kaleb's face and hands were covered in frosting and ice cream and he kept offering Porter a lick and with a sly look he'd say, "when you get older, Porter." Anyway, we came home and watched "Little Rascals" and stayed up way too late but it passed the time so it was worth it.

The next morning, one of my best friends (Tisha Flora) from Rexburg came down to watch Kamryn and Porter for awhile so I could take the other 4 kids to the Greenbelt to feed the ducks. We had such a ball and it was so nice to have my hands free to help the kids. Kaleb couldn't grasp the concept of tearing off small bits of bread to give to the ducks, instead he'd either throw a whole piece of bread or if we were lucky, he'd break it in half. Finally after he'd had enough of my trying to tell him what to do, he just decided to keep the piece of bread and eat it himself.
Forget the lousy ducks, I'm hungry!!

Before we left for home we walked around the greenbelt to look at the waterfalls. It is such a beautiful place, one of my kids' favorite places to go. While walking around, we saw a lady fishing in the river and Jordyn says, "mom, is she fishing for a duck?" Morgan gave her the funniest look like, "duh?" I said, "no, honey, she's fishing for a fish," and she replies, "cool, there are fish in here?"

Take a picture of me, mom!

Our favorite picture spot with the

Idaho Falls Temple in the background!

Regan, Morgan, Jordyn, & Kaleb

The babies got a long great with Tisha and her daughter Jennekah! Tisha has twin boys and 4 other kids also so she knows how crazy life with twins is. Her boys will be 2 in September and she tells me that it is getting easier. I keep telling myself that as I'm up to my elbows in diapers, spit up, laundry, etc. (I wouldn't change it for the world though) Anyway, thank you Tisha for being so supportive and helpful!!! I morning out with the 4 kids was just what the doctor ordered!!!!

Hurray for backyard camping

The kids have been begging DJ to pitch the tent in the backyard for quite awhile so they hit him up again this evening at dinner and he agreed on the condition that they work really hard in the yard with him. So, Regan went to work mowing the lawn and Morgan and Jordyn went to work picking up grass clippings and weeding the garden while DJ edged the lawn and set up the tent. Anyway, they were so excited and will probably have a hard time going to sleep tonight. Hopefully they will let DJ get some shut-eye because he has to get up and go to work tomorrow. What a great daddy!

What would I do without my mom?

I just have to take a minute to say how much I love my mom! Saturday I was having a particularly rough day with the babies and I called to get some moral support from my mom and as always, she listened patiently while I tearfully unloaded the woes of my day on her. As if my mom doesn't have her own things to deal with. You would never know it by looking at her, but she has Multiple Sclerosis which she deals with like a champ. She never complains or whines to me about how she feels even though I know she has plenty to whine about. She is always busy serving others and has the best attitude of anyone I know. She always keeps a positive attitude and reminds me to put my trust in Heavenly Father and he will take care of me. Anyway, my mom came up Sunday morning to help me get the kids ready for church since DJ leaves for meetings bright and early. She even went to church with us and ended up staying until almost 10:00 that evening. I don't know what I would've done without her because Kamryn was having tummy problems that day and mom spent much of the day holding and calming her while I tended to Porter and the other kids. It was so nice to have an extra set of hands but even more than that, I just enjoyed visiting and spending time with her. Thanks mom!

Janna, to the rescue!

My awesome neighbor, Janna Billman, came over tonight to visit. She happens to have twins (girl and boy) so she is an expert at the "twin" thing. She's always got great advice and is always here to lend a hand or a listening ear when I need it. Before the babes were born she made 3 sets of matching blankets and a ton of matching burp pads for them and most every day for a few weeks she dropped off cute little baby items. So cute!! Anyway, the babies have been fussy most of the day and the poor little things haven't slept for more than 20 minutes at a time, so when she was getting ready to leave she showed me the trick to wrapping the babies up tight (burrito baby style) like they do in the hospital and they have been sleeping side by side since she left over an hour ago. I was in serious need of a break from holding the cute little stinks so I am extremely appreciative to Janna!! Thank goodness for wonderful neighbors, friends, and family who are always popping in to check on me. I don't know what I'd do without you.

Calgon, TAKE ME AWAY!!

It's 4:00 in the afternoon, I'm frantically trying to get a casserole in the oven for dinner before the babies wake up from a very long nap. I agree to let the girls have a couple of friends over on the condition that they either play outside or stay downstairs. I realize that we are having an older sister in our ward over from FHE so I need to make a batch of cookies and the house is cluttered and needs a little TLC, when it all hits.... the babies decide to wake up and they are both screaming to be fed, the cookies are just about out of the oven (5 min. left) so I can't sit down to nurse the babies because I'll have to stop right in the middle so I opt to let them scream while I wait. Finally, I sit down to nurse and out of no where, kids come running up the stairs to see what all the screaming is about and there I am just about to nurse the babies. YIKES!! In all the commotion, Kaleb decides to wake up from his nap and he's begging to go outside and play. (I want to say, "do I look like I can take you outside to play") but I refrain because he won't get my sarcasm anyway. Then, thanks to an answer to my prayers, my visiting teacher shows up to see if I could use some help!! YES!!! She grabs Kaleb and takes him outside to play and then comes back in to burp a baby and free one of my hands to finish the casserole. The casserole is finally finished so I go to put it in the oven and, of course, there is absolutely, no heat. The oven has been giving me fits for quite a while now and I thought we'd got the problem fixed but I guess not. To make a very long story, a little shorter, we finally had dinner at 6:20, DJ ran to pick up our FHE guest while I fed the babies and Morgan cleaned up the kitchen. We ended up having a very nice evening and the babies were as good as gold. Needless to say, DJ and I are hammered and ready for a good nights rest, ha ha ha ha!! I have a feeling that there are many more days like this one lurking around the corner. Thank goodness for wonderful visiting teachers who are listening to the spirit and are willing to help!

4th of July Fun!

Our 4th of July weekend started early because DJ took the day off Thursday so he could spend an extra long weekend with us. I always look forward to having him home, not only for the extra set of hands but especially because I love being with him! DJ and the kids spent the morning working in the yard and then we all headed over to the pool at Grandma Johnson's condominium. DJ swam with the 4 kids while I visited with Grandma and took care of the babies. The girls had a ball but Kaleb didn't think it was too fun. We're hoping a couple more times in the pool will cure his fear! Regan swims pretty well now and is gaining a lot more confidence. It's fun to see her enjoy the water and it's fun to see Morgan and Jordyn's confidrnce growing. Anyway, it was a fun afternoon and the babies stayed asleep the whole time which made it so I could visit with Grandma and enjoy watching the kids.

Friday morning we got up bright and early and left for the parade by 7:30. DJ stayed home with the babies so I could enjoy some time with the other kids. The parade started at 9:00 so we knew that in order to find a seat we'd have to get an early start. I was pleasantly surprised when we found a little spot big enough for the 4 kids and myself near the starting point of the parade! Ideal if you ask me because there was no waiting and we were on our way home before the weather turned really hot. The parade was great and I was entertained by Kaleb and all of his dance moves to the music coming from the floates. He was having the time of his life, I couldn't get him to sit down on the curb because he'd immediately get up and start dancing so when they would throw candy, the girls grabbed a handful and dropped a few in Kaleb's bag. One lady came by and handed a bunch of candy right to Kaleb and he started handing pieces to the girls. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised because Kaleb has a love for candy like I've never seen so it was a miracle that he shared! After the parade we went to a barbecue down at the Petersen's down the street. The food was fabulous and we all had a fun time visiting while the kids played.

Later in the evening, DJ took Regan, Morgan, and Jordyn to the movies to see "Emma Smith," which they all really enjoyed. While they were gone, Kaleb and the babies and I played outside and had a picnic and when DJ and the girls got home we loaded in the van to drive closer to town to watch the big Malaleuca Freedom Celebration fireworks show. DJ found a great place to park a few years ago that isn't too far from our home and we back the van up and watch the fireworks from the trunk of the van. The kids think it is great and generally bring along their candy stash from the parade and load up on candy at 10:00 at night. We're making memories, I guess!

Fun with cousins!

Tuesday was a great day because Matt, Sara, Luke, Emma, & Gavin came to visit us! We haven't seen them for such a long time so the kids were so excited!! It worked out that my cousins, Mara Turley and Erika Stover were visiting Grandma Johnson for a couple of days so they brought their kids out and we all got to spend the afternoon together. The kids all had lots of fun playing together and they all got a long so well. Regan especially enjoyed playing basketball with Tanner and Avery and the little girls had a ball playing with Grandma Rose & Aunt Sara. It was so good to see everyone and especially fun to visit and get reaquainted. In all the craziness I didn't get any pictures with Mara and Erika's kids but here are a few with Luke, Emma, Gavin & our kids.


We love our Florida Cousins!

Uncle Matt & Emma holding Porter & Kamryn! Emma loved holding the babies! She even missed out on watermelon and popsicles just to hold them. How cute is that????


Jordyn and Emma hugging (Can you feel the love?) Jordyn was so excited for Emma to come and visit and couldn't wait to play Polly Pockets with her. They got to play all evening and Jordyn was in 7th Heaven. They also played a little dress up and came to model for us. What cute little girls!