Soccer!

Last Thursday evening Grandma and Grandpa Rose came to watch Regan play in her soccer game. Regan played a great game and it ended in a blowout.....7 to 0! I guess G&G bring good luck.

Jordyn's little buddy

Jordyn LOVES Kamryn!! Yesterday she was playing "restaurant" with Kamryn and taking her order in her little book and saying "you want fries, chicken nuggets, and a big ice cream cone," and then Kamryn would grin as if she knew exactly what Jordyn was talking about. I can only imagine how much fun they'll have when Kamryn actually understands what she's talking about.

It doesn't get much cuter than this!

I thought this picture was worthy of a post of its own! I LOVE when DJ has time to just snuggle and love on the kids and Porter is the master snuggler. I love that his hand is tucked in DJ's arm pit.

The little cuties!

I finally had a few minutes to figure out the new camera so I thought I'd share a few pics!

Friday night the kids had their Fall Carnival Fund Raiser. I took the kids for a couple of hours while DJ worked on projects here at home. The double stroller was awesome and made things really slick. The babies actually stayed in the stroller the whole 2 1/2 hours. Regan was in charge of Kaleb and Morgan and Jordyn stuck with me. The carnival was cute and had lots of fun things for the kids to choose including, trolley rides, horse & buggy rides, petting zoo, 20 ft. inflatable slide, army obstacle course, carnival games, swing, and lots of good food. The school is trying to get money to put in new playground equipment and this is the big money maker of the year so hopefully it was a success.

Random thoughts, updates, etc.

Today is just one of those days! I didn't get ready until 11:00 due to a little cleaning rampage in the babies bedroom. They have entirely too many clothes and with the changing of seasons, it was a must to go through everything. Jordyn and Kaleb played together all morning with minimal fights but made a disaster of the basement . Oh well, atleast they stayed downstairs. The babies have taken their turns fussing all morning, somedays they are just plain fussy and I don't know what to do for the poor little things. Kaleb generally deals pretty well with the babies fussing but by lunch time he was tired and hungry and had just had it so I was super excited for nap time! Anyway, today is a busy day with soccer, piano, homework, etc. and Tuesday's are my least favorite day anyway because DJ is gone to YW/YM activities and then generally has interviews scheduled late in to the evening. I miss him terribly on these long days but know that he is fulfilling his responsiblities as Bishop and I appreciate his dedication.

On to other things: Jordyn's toe still looked terrible yesterday so I took her to the doctor hoping that he would just dig the darned thing out after a nice numbing shot which is exactly what I thought they'd do but after taking a look at it, he recommended a 10 day course of antibiotics and said we should continue soaking it three times a day. If it doesn't look better in 5 days we're to go back and get it checked. I was slightly bothered because it's no easy task to load all the kids up and take them to the doctor and not to mention, expensive, so I was hoping for what I thought was a pretty easy solution. I must mention that I had Jordyn all geared up for a possible shot in the toe and some digging and she was surprisingly calm about the idea so I'm not just being a mean mom. Anyway, her toe does look a bit better today maybe due to the antiobiotic but probably just because that's usually what happens when you take your child to the doctor, (they are all the sudden fine and their fever is magically gone and you wonder why you are sitting in the office. Do I sound irritated? I guess spending a full hour at Walmart waiting for a prescription and pulling two carts around hooked together to accomodate my children and having people stare at me and make comments like, "boy you sure do have YOUR hands full" will make a sleep deprived person a little irritated. (my mom thinks I should get someone to take a picture of my shopping adventures because she actually laughed as I was telling her..... maybe I will sometime) I'm feeling a bit on the irritated side today for some reason but for the record, I would do anything to take pain away from my kids and I feel so bad for Jordyn because this has been a painful couple of weeks. Hopefully this will go away really soon.

The girls are both enjoying soccer and their teams have both won a few games. I attempted to take a few photos before my camera broke but didn't get anything worthy of posting. I'm a terrible photographer. So, you'll have to take my word for how cute they look until I figure out how to use my new camera. Regan scored her teams only goal last Thursday...the score was 1 to 0 so she was pretty excited. Morgans game on Saturday was really fun to watch because it was pretty evenly matched--we ended up winning 2 to 4. Morgan spent the first half of the game dancing, gazing at butterflies, with the occasional running/kicking spurt but then after a few words with her dad, she picked up the pace and played a pretty good game. After all, what do you expect from a 6 year old soccer player??

Quick update on babies:
Kamryn and Porter have finally discovered one another. It is so funny to watch them stare at one another and then let out big squeels. Kamryn even reached out for Porter yesterday. (maybe it was just an accident but she was grinning so big that I'm sure she really was) Kamryn still sleeps through the night most of the time averaging about 9 hours and Porter goes about 6 hours. It would be wonderful if I could just make myself go to sleep when they go to bed but it is honestly the only time to have an uninterrupted visit with DJ and my mind runs wild with all that needs to be done in the coming day so I guess I need to give myself a swift kick in the rear and just go to bed.

One last thing, I just want to say how much I love my husband. He is such a tropper with all of his responsiblities. He is playing so many roles right now, husband, dad, Bishop, bread winner, etc. and often times feels like he's not doing any of them very well but I think he is amazing. He is genuinly concerned about the members of our ward and devotes a lot of time visiting and helping people with different things. Even after long hours of work and church responsiblities he comes home willing to pitch in and help me and also spend time with the kids. They miss him so much and are always so excited when he can be home for a whole night. Thanks, DJ! I love you!

Darn, I wish I could post a picture I took of Kaleb a minute ago. He came upstairs with his beloved cowboy hat on (from G&G Rose) sideways and pushed way down on his head so his little red ears were poking straight out. He looks so adorable!

Okay, I'm done for now, I guess I just needed to unload.

Good Bye Windows 98

Okay, so DJ and went digital camera shopping on Saturday at Best Buy due to the "accident" with the old one. We left Regan in charge of Morgan, Jordyn, & Kaleb from about 7-9 & took the babies with us. Wow, it is so nice to have a child old enough to watch kids for a little while. Regan is super responsible and a little mother so I feel confident in leaving her on occasion. Anyway, we went in to Best Buy hoping to find a replacement digital camera but quickly realized that getting a new camera would probably mean we'd have to get a new computer. Yes, we are still running windows 98 (the guys at Best Buy got a big kick out of that one and wouldn't let it rest) also, our downstairs T.V. that we've had for 11 years died about a month ago so we've thought about replacing it. So, while wandering around the store, DJ came up with the great idea of just buying a new computer with an oversized screen and using it as a T.V./computer rather than buying a T.V. and computer plus a new digital camera. I didn't even know you could do that, that's how behind the times I am but all you need is a piece installed in the back of the computer that screws in to the cable in your house. Pretty cool, so we ended up finding a really nice digital camera, computer/print, copier, scanner,etc./22" monitor for a pretty good deal and now we just have the daunting task of trying to set it up ourselves which, frankly, scares me. I'm excited about all the possiblities but nervous that I won't be able to figure it all out. I now need to learn how to operate Windows Vista and I'll be good to go. As a result, my blog will be at a stand still for awhile until I get it all figured so, I'm still alive, barely, and I'll be back up in no time (hopefully) While we were driving home I mentioned to DJ that I hope that Morgan doesn't think this is what happens when she breaks expensive things. She's still sticking to her extra jobs and tells me she won't be touching the new camera w/out permission. I have to mention that we left the house a bit cluttered and told Regan to tidy things a bit so when we got home things were completely cleaned, dishes done, toys picked up, floor swept, you get the picture. Regan had enlisted the help of her siblings and made her way through every room tidying things up and then she'd put them all to bed and they were actually asleep. What a great kid! It was so nice to have a few hours with DJ and the babies were perfect, they slept most of the time and smiled happily in their carseats the rest of the time. (a rarety) Thanks, Regan for allowing dad and I to have a much needed date.

Hard lesson learned

I'm without a digital camera now because Morgan was fiddling around with mine and accidently dropped it on our tile floor. I had asked her a couple of times to please put it down but instead she kept playing with it and sure enough, just what I thought would happen, did......she dropped it right on the lens. I really amazed myself at how calm I stayed about the whole thing and I'm sure glad I did because Morgan was miserable enough as it was. She sat in a closet for quite a while and sobbed until she was exhausted and then went to find her piggy bank which had all of $3.00 in it... so she could pay me. She proceeded to tell me that she was really disappointed in herself because she'd actually had a lesson on "obedience" that day in primary. She had made a little "I will obey" sign and as soon as she got home she hung it on her mirror. I think that sign was staring her in the face and just pouring salt in the wound. Poor little girl! Don't get me wrong, I was pretty upset but I decided to have a "good parenting moment" as opposed to my MANY "bad parenting moments" so I had long talk on obedience with her and then we decided that since she didn't have enough money in her piggy bank to pay for the camera she should have to do extra jobs to work off her debt to us. It's only been two days but she is sticking to her word and I am now searching for a nice digital camera. I get it now when people say the ache when their kids make bad choices because I felt so rotten watching her be so disappointed in herself but I'm hoping that she learned a lesson!!

Jordyn has had tough luck the past couple of days.....Saturday she slipped while getting down from the cupboard and caught her mouth on the cabinet on the way down and ripped that piece of skin that connects from your gums to the inside top of your upper lip. (I know, poor description) but I don't know what it's called. Anyway, it ripped apart and left a lovely piece of skin hanging down. She was in quite a bit of pain for a couple of days but she's just happy that she doesn't have to get stiches. Today she came to tell me that her toe was sore so I took a look at it and I couldn't believe it...her big toe was twice the size of her other big toe and full of infection. So, we soaked it in Epsom salt, bandaged it along with a bunch of neosporin and hopefully things will look better tomorrow. She keeps telling me that this is her worst life ever!! Boy, if that doesn't make me feel bad.

On a more positive note, I finally finished putting up pears on Saturday. DJ's parents came to visit for a couple of days and helped me put the rest up. They are such troopers and worked so hard for two days. I think I ended up with over 50 bottles of pears when all was said and done. Yippee!! I must be wierd but I get so excited when I see full bottles on storage room shelves! Thanks to DJ's parents, I couldn't have done it without you.

Good News!

I took Porter for his 3rd hearing test yesterday and he tested within normal range! I am so thrilled and relieved and appreciate all the prayers on his behalf. The therapy for his neck seems to be working and I've seen improvement in the past couple of weeks....it will just take time but meanwhile he is growing and changing so much. I'm not sure of his weight but I do know he is a little tank and enjoys eating. He is still waking up once or twice in the night for a snack while Kamryn has been sleeping through the night for a solid week. (from appoximately 9:30 till 6:00) Anyway, I don't mind getting up with Porter because it allows for a little one on one time that I wouldn't otherwise get. Last week he actually rolled over from tummy to back and giggled for the first time yesterday. LOVE IT!!!!!! Kamryn grins from ear to ear and loves to be talked to. She's turning in to a little momma's girl quickly and has pitched a few fits here and there for her daddy and ward members and then she's all smiles when she can see me. It's hard to believe they are already that old!

Exhausted, dog tired, hammered, pooped, just plain, TIRED

Aren't these the cutest smile you've ever seen????

A couple of months before the babies were born I remember talking to my good friend who has twins that are now 2 years old. I guess in a way she was trying to prepare me for how tired I would be after the babies were born and told me the funniest thing I think I've ever heard. Her husband teaches at BYU Idaho and one day (when their twins were babies) he was giving one of his lectures and he actually fell asleep in mid sentence in front of his whole class. He says he actually felt himself nod off while he was talking. I remember laughing hysterically and wondering how that could actually happen but, now, I totally get it! I"M THERE!!!!!!!!!! The babies are almost 3 months old and I suddenly feel like I've been hit by a mac truck. I'm so tired, I gain a new wrinkle around my eye every day it seems, I get sleepy driving to the church (which is only a mile away), I want to cry when I think about the prospect of sleeping for even an hour, I hate putting my kids to bed because while they complain about having to go to bed, I'm sitting there thinking, "pleeeeeeease, put ME to bed!" Okay, I know it sounds like I complaining but I'm really not, no really...I'm not, yes, I would love to sleep for 8 hours straight but when these 2 beautiful babies give me their biggest grins, "coo" at me and turn in the direction of my voice, it makes the lack of sleep all worth it.

Nothing short of a miracle!

My new babysitter (beggers can't be choosy)

This is what Kaleb thinks of canning!

The first batch of peaches, not the most beautiful but pretty tasty!

"Have I bit off more than I can chew?" "Probably"

I can't believe it, I actually have all 4 kids down for naps at the same time! (a miracle) Please, give me a hand while reading this because I think I deserve it!!! I know there are a million and one things that I should be doing right now but I need to record a few things before they leave my VERY SHORT term memory.

Yesterday I spent the morning canning peaches....I came upon a great deal on fruit through a lady that I serve with on the Stake Primary Board. She has a daughter who lives in Nampa...she goes to visit her this time of year to pick up fruit for a bunch of family members. Okay, so I'm not family but she was nice enough to pick me some up. Peaches were $12.50 per half bushel, pears were $9.00/half bushel! Great price and beautiful fruit. I only got one box of peaches because I still have a bunch in storage but I got 4 boxes of pears....I'm waiting for them to ripen and hoping that they don't all ripen at once! YIKES!!! Anyway, I got started at around 8:30 and finally cleaned up at 12:30 and I only canned 10 quarts. Well, we ate a lot while in the process, that's half the fun and we had to throw a few rotten ones out along the way, and I stuffed the bottles full so as to conserve bottles for all the pears I will be doing. You might be wondering if it was worth all the work, my answer is YES! My kitchen was a complete disaster, kids were still in pajamas at 1:00, I was a messy disaster but I canned from start to finish by myself which is a major accomplishment for me and we have 10 more bottles on the shelf of yummy fruit. The best part of the day was that Kamryn slept all morning, woke up just as I was cleaning up and then Porter slept all afternoon, I feel fortunate if I only have to deal with one. Porter was so cooperative while I ran in and out of the house, he just sat in his bouncy chair smiling and talking to me... I can't say the same about Kaleb, he was only happy when his mouth was full of peaches, and he was a royal pain in the behind for about an hour and then I guess he finally decided that I wasn't going to stop what I was doing so he better get over it. Little does he know, the canning adventures have only just begun...pears will be most likely be ready Wednesday!

Update on a few things!

I took Porter for his first Therapy visit, it went well and I think I will be able to do a lot of it at home but will see the Occupational Therapist once a week for a while. Basically, the muscle on the left side of his neck that enables you to tilt your head and move it side to side is tight therefore making it really uncomfortable for him to have it in certain positions so that's why he always has his head tilted to the side. Yesterday she showed me some easy techniques to help work that muscle such as giving him lots of tummy time which automatically makes him use his neck muscles, simple holds to do that force him to turn his head the other way, propping his head up in the carseat so he can't lean it to the side, etc. Some of them are no brainers that I was already doing since I'd suspected a problem. He was pretty good during the appointment but seemed sore and a bit cranky in the afternoon but I could already see improvement so I'm feeling good about things.

Jordyn's first day at preschool was lots of fun! She came home so excited to tell me that she had introduced herself to the other girls in the class, I'm not sure she was too thrilled about the boys. She also came home with homework which she was anxious to do....sure wish that excitement about homework would stick around! Just seeing her so excited made all the time and effort I will put in to the lessons, worth it!

Jordyn, Kaleb, and I spent the morning in the garden picking a bunch of vegetabled. Kaleb was helping me dig red potatoes and was so excited when we came upon a "hoog big one" (kaleb language) I had to take a picture because it's the biggest one we've ever grown. Our corn was also a success this year unlike most years when the bugs eat it all first. I love this time of year when we make dinners mainly from the garden. Last night we made tin foil dinners and put potatoes, carrots, beans, squash, onions, and a hamburger patty. Maybe I ought to think about getting a cow in the backyard! Anyway, I cooked them on the grill and they turned out YUMMY and the best part was the easy cleanup.

The girls both had their first soccer games last week but I failed to take my camera so Regan played her 2nd game last night and Morgan will have hers tomorrow so I will have more on that to come. They are both having a lot of fun and both are really good players. DJ and I had a ball watching Regan play last night because all the sudden she decided to be agressive and really hussled which turned in to 2 great assists. Morgan cracks us up because she's not super aggressive but when she puts her mind to it she does such a great job. She loves being on the same team with her friends and can often be found doing her friends hair while playing defender. Pretty hilarious and typical of a 6 year old in soccer. Hopefully I'll get some good pics of the both the girls.

Bad parenting moment!

I'm ashamed of myself! I got Morgan in bed way too late tonight (she requires a lot more sleep than any of our kids) She typically falls asleep very fast and never gives us any grief about going to bed but she was overtired and, I guess, needed a little TLC! She kept coming up the stairs crying and begging to sleep upstairs or have me lay with her but DJ and I were putting up more corn and taking care of babies so I kept taking her back down and telling her to, GO TO SLEEP! (in my not so patient voice) At 9:15, 45 minutes later, Morgan is still not asleep so march downstairs and tell her she's going to get a spanking if she doesn't shut her eyes and go to sleep. I went back upstairs and then had a wave of guilt rush over me so I headed back down to lay with her and, of course, she was out within 2 minutes. Why didn't I do that in the first place and save myself a lot of frustration and she would've been to sleep 45 minutes early! Sometimes I'm so ashamed of myself for having so little patience. Hopefully tomorrow I'll do better!

Off to Preschool!

Today is Jordyn't first day at Preschool! She was so excited because she has been very bummed that all of her little buddies went to Kindergarten this year. I was not thrilled at the idea of doing preschool again but decided that she really needs something to keep her busy so myself and 6 other ladies are taking turns teaching preschool once a week on Wednesdays from 9:00-11:00. We bought a preschool book from Sams and divided it up in to sections to work on each week and we each take a letter to work on and do activities, songs, snacks, etc. to go along with that letter. The best part about the whole thing is that we only have to teach a total of 4 times in a 9 month period because there are so many of us! I did this with Morgan for two years and it worked out really well so I hope this year will be no exception!

"Church was long and I'm tired" (direct quote from Kaleb)

This is one of my favorite "Kaleb" poses! This is what happens almost every Sunday since we don't get out of church until 4:00 and he is used to a very long afternoon nap from 1-4 most days! One Sunday about a month ago, on the way home he said, "church was long and I'm tired!" This past Sunday was no exception and he was asleep within 2 minutes of sitting down in his high chair.

Sunday morning before church Regan and Jordyn were acting out several scripture stories, costume and all and Kaleb came up the stairs with this on his head chanting, "I'm Nephi" He loves to get in on anything the girls are doing.

I couldn't resist taking these pictures of Kaleb and Porter in their ball caps! Kaleb loves to wear ball caps and was excited to find one of his old ones that fit Porter. He was giggling so hard and having the best time with Porter, it just made me so excited for all the fun times these two little guys will have in the future. I get the biggest kick out of him because if ever I put on a new outfit on the babies that he hasn't seen before, he'll say, "oh, mom, that is so toot (cute)." He is such a sweet little guy and really gentle with Porter and Kamryn and pretty patient with the lack of attention he gets from me. The other day I was standing in the kitchen and at the moment didn't have a baby in my arms so he reached up for me to hold him and said, "mom, the babies aren't crying." It was a sweet reminder to me of just how patient he has been through all of this. While on the subject of Kaleb I need to list some of his favorite things to do these days:

* loves to ride his bike which he calls his motorcycle

* spends hours trying to tie all of his trucks together with ropes so he can pull them like a train.

* has an obsession with water and often sneaks outside to play with the hose

* loves to dance and sing with the girls

* loves listening to books, particularly, "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" thanks to Lily.

* Loves to fix things with his tools, his favorites are the drill and hammer (of course he'd pick the two noisiest tools)

* loves to pile all of his little farm animals from Grandpa Rose in bed with him for naps and bedtime

* loves to bug hunt with Morgan and isn't afraid to pick up spiders (yikes)

* loves to play house with his sisters and often answers to the name, "Tommy" while playing with them.