Honesty is the best policy..

Today I went to pick up Kaleb from Kindergarten and just as I was getting to the door, the secretary came out holding Kaleb's hand just laughing her head off.  I guess Kaleb said, "I should probably wait outside for my mom because sometimes she's in her pajamas and she looks kind of scary!"  For the record, I think I've only been in my workout clothes once or twice this year when picking him up so apparently it must've been a pretty frightening sight!  Gotta love kids!

It's all fun and games until someone breaks a....

brand spanking new WINDSHIELD!!!  On Christmas Eve we made a last minute decision to go see the Christmas lights around town, in particular, the house on Iona rode that has the lights synchronized to the music.  We got a good spot, parked and then I made the mistake of letting Porter and Kamryn sit on my lap and dance to the music.  They got a little carried away  and both smacked their heads on the windshield a couple of times.  DJ told them to stop and I did my best to hold them down but of course, they didn't stop, so Porter was the unlucky little guy that hit it one more time just right and split it all across the passengers side.  I was instantly sick and ticked that I had gotten them out of their car seats.  DJ kept it together and didn't say too much other than, "look what happens when you don't obey." It was a pretty quiet ride home other than Porter's muffled cries from the back seat and no, he wasn't crying because his head hurt, because he didn't even get a bump from the incident, he was crying because he felt so bad.  So, guess what DJ and I gave to one another for Christmas?  Yep, a broken windshield, and the prospect of forking out another $100 for a new one!  Although, DJ thinks he wants to wait a while to get it fixed so every time the kids get in the van, they'll have a visual reminder of what happens when you don't obey:):) 

Santa's lap

In November I took the kids to BYU-I to the bookstore for their pre-Christmas sale which turned out to be quite the party.  They had games, raffles, food, entertainment, and my kid's favorite, sitting on Santa's lap.  I'm pretty sure he was the "real" Santa:) because he was he was just so darn adorable!  He just beamed when the kids hopped right up on his lap and snuggled right in to him with their faces buried in his big white beard (not fake)!!  Kaleb thought he was pretty much awesome and enthusiastically told him he'd like his own giant bag of chips and a blue glowing basketball, Jordyn thinks she doesn't believe in Santa anymore but wasn't about to miss an opportunity to sit on his lap and tell him she'd like a doll and a makeup kit.  Porter and Kami were so excited they could barely wait their turn in line.  As soon as it was their turn they both ran right up with huge grins on their faces and gave him a big squeeze.  Porter announced that he wanted a firetruck with a really tall ladder and Kami asked for a baby doll that talked but I think they were even more excited about the candy cane he handed them when they got down.  Anyway, it was a fun evening and I even got a little Christmas shopping done at some pretty good prices.

  

Kaleb the B-Day Boy (December 4th)

I'm still playing catch up and just found this post that I had started a couple of weeks after Kaleb's 6th B-Day! 

I'm a crappy blogger these days....actually just plain pathetic. I'm finding many other things to occupy my time. Namely, Christmas prep, cooking, planning, parties, projects, homework, piano, recitals, reading, running,  decorating, eating, gift wrapping,etc. I can't complain that I don't have time, I just don't make the time. Anyway, guilt got the best of me today. My little man, Kaleb, had his 6th B-Day a week ago Sunday so here is the low-down on his big day. We actually celebrated Kaleb's 6th B-Day on Saturday because DJ isn't never home on Sunday's. Furthermore, our church is at 1:30 which means we don't even get out until 4:30 and it seems that all heck breaks loose at our house with no dad, 6 hungry kids, messy house, dinner prep, and literally herding the kids off to bed. Long story short, it just worked better to have it on Saturday afternoon and of course, Kaleb wasn't a bit disappointed because it meant breaking in to his presents one whole day early!:) Grandma & Grampa Rose & Grandma Johnson joined us for the party (so glad that they live close enough to be able to attend so many of the kids things). We ate a yummy dinner, opened presents and enjoyed cake and ice cream. Kaleb requested cheesecake because he knew Grandpa couldn't have B-Day cake and he even offered to eat Grandpa's crust :) Such a cute little guy who adores both of his Grandpa's! He's always been really concerned about Grandpa Rose's food allergies and when we have any type of get together, he'll always ask me what things Grandpa can eat. Anyway, he got spoiled as usual. I was finally on the ball this year and purchased his B-Day gifts in November so that I wouldn't mix it in with Christmas and gype the poor little guy! He got some really fun toys and some cute clothes which he was pretty excited about. Kaleb is just a fun kid all the way around. Yes, he has his typical misbehaving moments but all in all he's a happy little guy and genuinely wants to do what is right. He loves all things boy, monster trucks, bikes, legos, imaginext, basketball, remote control anything, and he also loves to color, draw and make up pictures with stickers, pretend play with his sisters and brother, loves to create all sorts of intersting contraptions made from anything he can find in the house and in the garage. He'll spend hours working on projects and then come and explain them to me right down to the very last detail. He loves building legos and spends hours building with his latest sets he got from his B-day and Christmas. He likes school and is becoming a really good reader, hates riding the bus, loves his teacher, Mrs. Schuster, loves riding his bike, loves going to Cokeville to Grandma & Grandpa Teichert's, loves going branding with Grandpa Rose and playing with Grandma Rose's toys in Blackfoot. He loves playing with friends and cousins, loves eating (goodies are his favorite), chips are a close second. In fact, he asked Santa for his very own bag of Tostito Chips and a glowing basketball. He has enjoyed the bag of chips more than anything else he got for Christmas! I have to laugh at how the chip request came about. We were at our friend's house for a party and they had the family size bags of Tostito chips out and Kaleb just thought they were the best! I guess he didn't think Santitas cheapies were good enough and he kept saying, "those are the best chips I've ever eaten. I've got to ask Santa for my very own bag." Poor deprived child!!!!:):) He can be a stink sometimes but he is genuinly sweet and comes up to me frequently to give me big hugs around the waste for no reason at all! I love you Kaleb!

  

Grandpa and Grandma Teichert gave his this nice dress outfit which he wears almost every Sunday!!

"cool, I've never has a transformer before" 

Morgan, "helping" her brother!:) 

Kaleb and Grandma Johnson!  I love this picture so much.  It tells a lot about my Grandma J., she adores her grandkids, loves attending any activity that she possibly can, and makes each of my kids feel like a million bucks! 

Pictures like this one are just priceless...shortly after Kaleb's B-Day she had a bad fall in her apartment and broke her hip. She underwent surgery and is recovering at Promentory Rehabilitation Center right across from Bonaventure where she had been living.  She is a gem and I feel blessed that she is my Grandmother!

"Awesome...my cousin Jack has one of these!" 

                                                         Kaleb with his B-Day loot!

Kaleb with Grandpa and Grandma Rose--they gave him two awesome lego sets which he loves!

One, two, three, make a wish and blow!! 

Kami playing with Grandpa's hair, okay...head.  The other day she said, "mom, I don't want dad to give me a haircut because if he does, I'll look like a Grandpa!  (ha ha ha)  The kids seriously LOVE playing with Grandpa Rose's fuzzy head, good thing he's such a good sport about it! 

Kaleb left Grandpa and Grandma to put his new Lego set together while he tried out some of his other gifts.  I had to laugh at the two of them trying hard to put the little lego camper together!  They finished it finally and Kaleb was pretty thrilled! 

After the Birthday party, Kaleb, Morgan and I got dressed up and took Grandpa and Grandma Rose to the Brian Stokes Mitchell Christmas concert on the BYU-I Campus.  If you haven't heard this man sing you must!  He's got the most beautiful, pure voice and is such an entertainer.  Morgan and Kaleb loved the concert though they were a little tired and fidgety at times.  They particularly loved his rendition of "The Friendly Beasts"  (you need to pull this up on YouTube if you haven't heard it)  It's Morgan's very favorite.  Anyway, it was a perfect day spent with family celebrating Kaleb's 6th B-Day.   

Can't get enough!

Sometime in the craziness of December we were lucky enough to babysit my niece, Tatum's, baby, named Maggie!  She is an absolute doll and possibly the chubbiest little 2 month old I've ever held.  The kids thought they had died an gone to heaven!  Especially Kamryn who thinks she is the mommy to every baby that comes around.  She insisted on holding her, feeding her a bottle, lying with her on the floor, and she'd chastise the boys if they played to close around her:)  The kids cracked me up at the things they said in the few hours that she was with us:  "mom, get her out of her car seat, she can't breathe in there,", "Can I walk with her,"  "can I look at her," "we need a baby, pleeeaaassse mommy!", I want a baby now, where can we get one?,"  when Maggie sneezed, Porter said, "mommy, her snuffed at us!", "her looks like a bunny in those clothes," "isn't she so adorable mommy?" and my personal favorite, Porter asked how old she was and Kaleb said, "she's not even one, she's just a plain old baby, she doesn't even know what Birthday's are!" 

They kept asking why her outfit had bunny ears, "she's a baby mommy, not a bunny":)

Her chubby little arms and legs just make you want to eat her up!  

Kamryn was in the height of her glory holding Maggie and I think her expression sums it up!

Maggie was so perfect the entire time we had her. I still can't believe she was so patient while everyone took turns holding her!

Kaleb and Maggie!  Doesn't Kaleb look like he's lovin' life? 

Christmas card 2011

Greetings, friends, family, and loved ones. We hope you have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! It's been an eventful year at our home so here's the short version!

Regan (13), in the 8th grade, Enjoyed another successful year of Cross Country, is a great student, had the opportunity to spend 4 days on our Stake Pioneer Trek, 3 days at girls camp & babysat quite a bit over the summer, She's enjoyed attending the temple to do baptisms for the dead with her dad on Friday mornings. She is a beautiful pianist, great help around the house, and is genuinely sweet …most days!

Morgan (9), in the 4th grade. Loves soccer & plays year around, thanks to the indoor soccer arena! Participated in the after school Robotics program, is a great student, avid reader, plays the piano beautifully, loves creating and building, and always wants to know the why's and how's of things. She's sensitive, sweet and a great help when coaxed!

Jordyn (8), in the 2nd grade. The highlight of her year was when she was baptized in October and had the opportunity of attending General Conference in S.L.C. with her grandparents. She recently started clogging and loves it. She spends hours reading and drawing, plays the piano, & loves everything girly! She's full of personality and loves being in charge of everything….including her parents!

Kaleb (6), In Kindergarten. Started wrestling this year and still trying to decide if he likes it Loves to snow ski, learned to swim this year, loves riding his bike & playing with his siblings, is learning to read, loves any kind of music and is looking forward to another snow skiing season! He is sweet & helpful and hates being in trouble!

Porter: (3) Full of energy, loves to wrestle, loves to torture his siblings Loves cars & trucks, movies, Lego's, and candy! Almost always has a huge grin on his face, snuggly, and gives the best hugs & kisses. Loves playing with his brother who he affectionately calls "buddy," and spends most of his day pretend playing with his other best buddy, Kamryn whom he is the first to fight with but also the first one to defend her! A pure delight (most of the time)

Kamryn: (3): Also full of energy, knows exactly what she wants and doesn't hesitate to let it be known! She loves dolls, reading books, puzzles, ipad games, candy, & pretend playing with her sidekick, Porter! She loves mothering Porter, always making sure he's dressed, hair combed, shoes on, and has food in his stomach, even if it means feeding him! She's snuggly and sweet when she's not throwing temper tantrums!:)

D.J. : Enjoying his work at BYU-Idaho and continues to be busy with his church calling, Decided he didn't have enough to do and started a Doctorate Program this Fall. In his spare time he loves running and snow skiing with the kids. Participated in several races this summer including the Temple to Temple Relay. Attends the temple with Regan and several of our Ward youth to do baptisms for the Dead on Friday mornings.

Cindy: Busy being the mom to 6 really great kids! Serving in the nursery, enjoyed a season of snow skiing with our 4 oldest kids, had fun running with D.J. all spring and summer and got to participate in several races this summer, including the Temple to Temple with DJ. Loves following the kids to all their sports and activities and seeing them learn and develop their talents!

**The highlight of our year was our 10 day trip to California where we spent several days at Disney Land, Sea World, the beach, & Universal Studios. It was a dream trip!

We love you all! May the light of Christ be with all of you this season!

Family pics 2011

These pictures were taken by our good friend and neighbor Kara!  She always does such a good job and is patient as can be with our family.  It is no small task to get a good picture of all "8" of us, especially with our little hooligans!!  Here are a few of our favorites that haven't been edited by Kara yet:

  

  

 

  

  

This makes 2 photo shoots from Kara this year for our family.  One for Jordyn's baptism and then family pictures!  Kara deserves a major award:)