Happy 80th Dad Teichert

DJ's dad turned 80 years old on November 2nd so the family all got together last Saturday for a late Birthday, put together by mom Teichert. It's been a long time since we've all been together since it's nearly impossible to get 9 children and their families together. We were still missing a few people but the vast majority attended. I love DJ's family and feel so blessed to have married in to such a wonderful heritage. His parents are such great examples and have been so good to DJ and I. I can't believe that dad is 80....he looks and acts a lot younger, though mom might argue that because of his hearing loss (which I like to call "selective hearing") and the occasional memory loss (which I also like to refer to as "selective remembering") I have that too. Actually, dad amazes me, it seems that no matter where we go, he meets up with some long lost friend and has an amazing story to go along with it. I have always appreciated DJ's mom and dad's willingness to help us. We've had several occasions when we've needed a babysitter at the spur of the moment and they've dropped everything to drive up and be with our kids. Most recently with my pregnancy and birth of our twins. I was on bedrest for almost 6 weeks and they spent a lot of time taking care of our children, cleaning, cooking, shopping, etc.....all with a great attitude. Anyway, it sure was fun to get together with DJ's siblings, we have a lot of fun together and it's fun to see how our families have grown and changed over the years.

Love, love, love these pictures of the brothers + Val (Ann's husband, far right).

All the grandsons in attendance, DJ's sister, Patty, Mom & Dad T. & all the kids

Dad Teichert, Tim holding Porter, Dad T. again and Mom Teichert holding Porter

Ashlee holding Kamryn, Katelyn, & Shawna, Brookanna holding Kamryn, Morgan, Tanna & Jordyn performing at the microphone

Jed & Jordyn, Hailey w/ Kamryn, Dustin & Jordyn

Kaleb trying to snatch the microphone, all the granddaughters in attendance, Regan, Leonna, & Janae helping Grandma in the kitchen

Things I'm thankful for today!

I had a doozy of a day with my kids on Monday and just wanted to ring their little necks so since then, I'm trying to repent and be more grateful for them as well as many other things because I do have MUCH to be grateful for...


* a kind husband who is willing to watch our 6 kids last night so I could go to Enrichment (Ladies Night out at a restaurant.) By the way, it's so much fun, you really ought to do it!


* a wonderful husband who was willing to watch our 6 kids again tonight so I could attend ward temple night. He went last month w/ the ward so he wanted me to have a turn. I never knew how badly I needed a break at night from "mom duty."


* DJ's employment at the college, and my being able to stay home with our children. Watching some of our best friends and ward members struggle with employment issues has given us a chance to step back and realize just how lucky we are to have a job.


* Disposable diapers, (yes, random, and out of place) but today I changed 4 diapers on Kamryn in 5 minutes so as to avoid some serious diaper rash. Poor little gal, she just really struggles with tummy problems.


* A fight between Morgan and Jordyn that ended in 3 minutes without me even stepping in to break it up.


*Gorgeous Fall weather!

* An occasional night home with the kids plus DJ and no phone calls. I had no idea how much the phone would ring with DJ being Bishop.

* Generous, kind, helpful, selfless, patient, loving, ward members who continue to help me each week with babies. What would I do without them?


* Kaleb is back to going poopy on the toilet, he regressed a bit in that area for the last week and I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. But, he is back on track once again!


* Babies napping at the same time for 2 hours straight which allowed me uninterrupted time to help the girls with homework.


* Good kids who are really TRYING to make good choices.


* ear plugs- to dull the noise of fighting children. Kaleb started doing the most obnoxious mad yell/growl thing, it just about sends me through the roof.


* An extremly sensitive 10 year old who knows when her mother is at her breaking point. She's always willing to step in a lend a hand.


* A phone visit w/ my sister. We are in the same phase of life right now so it's fun to compare stories of our days with kids.


* A sweet ward member that just happened to be grocery shopping at the same time helped me get my 4 kids and 2 carts out to my van!

* the internet to find answers to confusing 5th grade math questions. I'm embarrassed to admit that I sometimes have a hard time helping Regan with her homework. YIKES!

* A new vacuum- I love seeing the freshly vacuumed carpet, just makes me smile!

* Popcorn chicken at Walmart, it's an extremely cheap way to keep my kids happy while shopping. The key is to only get it every 3rd or 4th trip to the store so as to keep it exciting.

Proof that you don't have to spend a lot of money on kids!

Ever since Jordyn's B-day in October, she has worn the glasses G & G Rose bought her on top of her head, not on her eyes, but on her head. Every morning it's the same routine, get up, go to the bathroom, get dressed, put on glasses, eat breakfast. It seriously cracks me up, she loves them more than anything else she owns & they probably cost all of $5.00!! She does take them off for church, bed, and bath, but not much else. My friends & neighbors get the biggest kick out of her & always comment on the cute glasses each time they see her & she just grins from ear to ear. I just love that she LOVES them so much.

While on the subject of Jordyn, I should record a few funny things about her. Yesterday we were in Old Navy shopping and she spotted the cutest vest and proceeded to tell me how much she loved it. I'm not one to just buy something just because my kid likes it so I said, well, maybe, just maybe you could ask Santa for it, Jordyn's reply, (with hand on her hip) "mom, now how am I going to explain that vest to Santa" (with a look on her face like "duh, mom")

Last week I was sitting at the computer paying bills when she came in to see what I was doing and this is how the conversation went:

JORDYN: Mom, you are SOOOO lucky you get to pay bills, I wish I could pay bills too.

ME: Do I look like I'm having fun, Jordyn????

JORDYN: Well, yes, you get to type on the computer and you have that neat little book that you write in (check book), I just wish I could have one!!

ME: Someday you won't think paying bills is very fun but if you really want to I'm sure I can find some old checkbooks, etc. around here.

So, for the next hour she worked ferverishly on packing her own purse with "mom" items, checkbook, calculator, pen, notebook, cell phone, gum, you get the idea. The next day we had to go to the bank and while there I grabbed an extra check register and cover and you would've thought I'd withdrawn a million dollars for the kid, she was that excited and has been ever since. Going to the store has suddenly become a lot easier because she brings her purse along and says she's being like me. I remind her on occasion that mom's don't whine or cry, OR, park themselves directly in front of the cart while someone is trying to push their cart (you get the idea.) Anyway, paying bills is also more pleasant these days because she pays her make-believe bills downstairs at her desk and I pay mine in peace upstairs.

There is honestly never a dull moment when Jordyn is around, she's either really funny or really, well.....not so funny. If I could describe Jordyn in just a few sentences it would go like this, friendly, spunky, painfully honest, LOUD (which is why I suffer from migraines), big tease (she drives Kaleb absolutely batty & receives many spankings because of it), loveable, chatty, adorable, smart (sometimes too smart for her own good), LOUD (oh, did I mention that already) hehehe! Anyway, I do love her even though she can make me crazy!!

Regan singing

My Montage 11/11/08
In honor of Veteran's Day, Regan was asked to sing "The Star Spangled Banner" at a Flag raising ceremony this morning at her school and the kids and I got to go up to watch her. This is the first time in quite awhile that she's sang in front of a crowd so she said she was nervous but didn't act it a bit while singing. She really sung it beautifully and I'm sure proud of her. (click on the "My Montage" to view) Fairview is such a great little school; it's always fun to take the little kids up there to visit or eat lunch. Regan and Morgan love taking Kaleb and Jordyn to their class rooms to show them around.

Regan's teacher has a pet Skink in her classroom. The kids take care of it, feed it, hold it, etc. Regan hasn't worked up the courage to hold it yet but I can't say I blame her. Kaleb was obsessed with it this morning and kept begging to go back for another peek so I decided I would take a picture of it so as to save myself many trips back to the classroom. This morning on our way to the school I mentioned that I'm tired of my hair falling out finding it all over everything, Regan says, "mom, it's okay, the skink sheds all the time, so don't worry!" Wow, does that make me feel better!

After Regan sang I went back home for a bit to give the babies naps and then went back to the school to eat lunch with Morgan. Jordyn and Kaleb were so excited, I think they felt really big eating in the school lunch room. I fixed them all home lunches so I wouldn't have to go through the lunch line juggling my tray and 2 others plus 2 car seats. After lunch Morgan took Jordyn and Kaleb out to play on the playground. I snapped a few photos of the fun.

Before naps Jord and Kaleb pulled the babies around the kitchen in their toy saucers. Porter was totally amused for a good 1/2 hour and then started whining (he was probably dizzy after going in circles) Kamryn thought it was great fun and always gets a big kick out of Jordyn. Those two will probably be good buddies. It's crazy to me that they are already at this stage.

Cute little buggers

I snapped these photos today of the babies. They are growing way too fast. Kamryn started rolling over a couple of weeks ago and Porter officially started rolling today (right in to Kamryn)

I happened to capture it on camera.

You can see the difference in personalities here, Porter is pretty mellow and just seems to go with the flow, where Kamryn is a little live wire.....reminds me of Regan and Jordyn as babies. Porter reminds me of Morgan and Kaleb when they were babies. Both are so adorable and so much fun!


Porter rolled right in to Kamryn today & Kamryn actually sat for a split second today. She was intrigued with Porter and kept grabbing his arm and slobbering all over him. He seemed to enjoy every second of it.

A Great Birthday!

I remember when I was growing up and my mom's Birthday would come around I'd draw her pictures and maybe even wrap a homemade recycled gift and she would act so excited about it, year after year. I never really believed her when she'd say those were the best gifts ever....well, now that I'm a mom, I get what she was saying. My kids went to a great amount of work making cards, coloring pictures, wrapping treasures they found hidden away and I have to say, I totally enjoyed unwrapping their creations. It really meant a lot to me that they would go to such great lengths to make my Birthday fun. I had to snap a picture of some of their creations so you can see what I mean. They even used some of their Halloween candy to create candy cards, (now that's sacrifice if you ask me)

You see the $5.00 bill??? That was from Regan with a note saying, "spend this on something fun that you want and don't give it back." Soooooo sweet and thoughtful, but I did stick it back in her bank for the record, ssshhh! She went through her New Era magazines and ripped out stories that she thought I'd enjoy reading with notes stuck to them. Morgan wrote me the sweetest note thanking me for helping her with an FHE lesson. Sooo cute! I love you guys!!

DJ and I spent the afternoon together on Saturday shopping with the babies while Regan stayed with the other 3 kids. I LOVE that I have a child old enough to babysit...and a responsible one at that. It was pure heaven to spend some time with my husband, it seems like a rarety anymore. He spoiled me rotten. He bought me a couple of pairs of pants and a darn cute belt as well as some much needed items for our home. Monday evening he took us all out to Pizza Hut, YUMMY! You can't even imagine how excited they all were. Kaleb was jumping up and down chanting, "We doin to PIZZA HUT." I was just about as excited because I didn't have to cook. Anyway, Jordyn was thrilled when they brought out the basket of breadsticks, "Mom, you've got to be kidding me, they have breadsticks here?" DJ gave me this look like, "we've got to get out more!"

It really was a great day made even better by lots of phone calls & visits from friends and family. I had way too many goodies and I got a couple of yummy smelling candles. Regan made me breakfast and our former Bishop's wife made me a delicious cheesecake. (my favorite) Apparently she had mentioned to Jordyn something about making me a cake and Jordyn said, "my mom likes cheesecake way better than Birthday cake" leave it to Jordyn to tell it like it is.

Be Still My Soul

I had an interesting thought yesterday while listening to Kamryn scream non-stop and thinking about the changes that were taking place in the world with elections. My favorite Hymn is "Be Still My Soul" and I decided that I just need to set it to play over and over for background music in my home. The future seems pretty uncertain so I'm trying to take comfort in the words of that hymn.

Good Students!

DJ and I had the opportunity to visit with Regan and Morgan's teachers last week. They are both doing so well and we enjoyed visiting with their teachers.

Regan's was a student lead conference so she went with us and was prepared to go through all of her assignments, tests, grades, etc. with us. She was so excited because she received 5 A's and 1 A- and she's really worked hard for them. She is a lot like I used to be with my school work....things didn't always come easy but if I studied really hard, I usually did well. Regan happens to be really good at math (unlike me) so I'm really relieved that she got DJ's "math brains." She really enjoys reading and has excellent handwriting, something she also got from her dad. She says 5th grade is a lot harder and she feels like she's really growing up. I agree, I can't believe I have a 10 year old. Only 1 more year and she'll be in middle school. YIKES!!

Morgan is a great little student. Things come pretty easy to her so far so the key to her is keeping her busy with new challenges. Her teacher is so sweet and takes extra time to come up with new things to keep her busy. She sends home 2nd grade homework sheets along with her other homework and it has really changed Morgan's attitude about school. She comes right home and happily does her homework! She is a great reader and loves going to the library every day to hunt for new books. She has the opportunity to go to a discovery class once a week for 2 hours with some other kids in the school. They do some fun and challenging things with the kids so she really loves it. I'm really proud of both she and Regan for working so hard. Keep it up guys!

A Cccccrazy Halloween!

Kamryn (a little bunny) and Porter (little bat) I think his big eyes fit the costume perfectly!

Morgan (the orphan) & Jordyn (the bride) I sure wish I would've made Morgan a little sign to hang around her neck that said, "will work for candy"

Regan (Miss America) & Kaleb (construction worker)

This is the large amount of candy my kids came home with! They had to surrender a large portion of it to be used for Gingerbread houses in the next few weeks which they are pretty excited about!

I will forever remember this Halloween! It started with us leaving our house at 5:45 A.M. in order to make it to Logan by 8:00 for dental appts with Stanton. I know, kind of a funny day to see the dentist but the kids were out of school and DJ had the day off and, hey, atleast we started the candy fest with clean teeth, right??? What was supposed to be a quick, up and back, trip turned in to much more! A few of us (okay, ME, Regan, Morgan, & Kaleb) ended up needing some work done so poor Stanton put in a full days work taking care of us. Reg & Morg got sealents put on, Kaleb got his funky split tooth filled in (hooray) and I had an old filling removed and a very large cavity filled. I guess my addiction to candy has finally caught up to me and I just may have to cut back. Does anyone know of a candy-aholics group I could sign up for??? Anyway, to condense a very long day, here goes:

* Poor Kaleb had to go w/out food from 6:00 a.m. clear until 3:3o in the afternoon due to his little procedure on his tooth. Good thing he was sedated for a couple of hours during that time. He was so happy to have some chicken nuggets and fries after all that time and ate every last bite with his eyes half closed. After the last bite, he was gone and slept the rest of the way home.

* Juj was gracious enough to watch Regan, Morgan, & Jordyn and fed them lunch while DJ and I did a little shopping with Kaleb and the babies! Juj, thanks a million and sorry for the serious INVASION! I should note that she and her 4 kids came back to the office with us to get our work done and helped with babies while I was enjoying a large dose of "happy gas" in the dentist chair. That's the most relaxed I've been in a long time, (sad but true)

* Stanton is great at what he does!! He worked like a mad man on my tooth so as to get us out the door by 3:00 so we could make it back to Idaho Falls for the trunk-or-treat! We were all packed in the van and headed out of town by 3:30.

* We made it home 15 minutes before the activity. We literally threw the kids costumes on, fixed bottles, grabbed jackets, grabbed candy & pumpkins and made it to the church just in time for the fun. The kids looked adorable and were very excited and relieved that we had made it. Kaleb was still a little loopy from the sedation so I had to hold his hand the entire time or he'd fall over on his face. By the end of the evening he had recovered and was in candy heaven as I like to call it. He dumped everything out on the floor and then must've opened 10 different candies and taken one bit out of each. Poor me, I had to finish each of those 1o things.

* It was a crazy day but we had lots of fun with Juj & Stan and it was fun to see Chloe, Lily, & Brigham, oh, and Julie, all dressed in their costumes. They looked adorable, especially little Brigham in his pirate costume. For some reason it just struck me funny.....he was the cutest little pirate. Juj & Stanton, thanks again for spending your Halloween day with us. We love you!