Enjoying the moment

Today has been a I love being the mom of five day!  You know the ones broken mop kid jumped on it kind of days.  though I try to stay positive on the mom front sometimes it is hard.  After having a cold for a week and back to back vacations to pack for with only a week between I am finding myself at the end of my rope.  I need to remember that these moments are fleeting and enjoy them the best I can.  I love being a mom and spending time with my 5 kids, sometimes you wish they came with the rule installed so you were not teaching the same lesson 5 times.

Give A Way

Thanksgiving

Everyone talks about what they are thankful for around this time of year. Makes you think if they think about being thankful any other time of the year! We have so much to be thankful for every day why only make it a once a year thing, or only think about it around a holiday. If your living today then you have something to be thankful for. If you have ever loved, then you have something to be thankful for. I read about every one's 30 days of thankfulness and it kind of makes me laugh, because really you have to think about it for 30 days to be thankful for and you can tell when someone is having a hard time coming up with something because they start putting things like "I'm thankful for my cat he always keeps me warm". What about I'm thankful I live in a country that has clean water or inside plumbing! I'm ready for their 30 days to be over so I don't have to read it anymore every time I am on face book. Maybe I should be thankful I don't have to get on face book if I don't want to.

It's not that I am not thankful, but I try to be that everyday not just on a holiday that most people don't even know the history of why on this holiday we should be thankful!

Making the Most of it...

You learn many things when you move around as much as we do. You learn who you are inside and out, how you will handle situations, how you can change an out come, how to make friends, who to invest in. But, sometimes there are bumps in the road. You learn from those as well. I am happy for the changes that we have each made ,who we are becoming. Watching my children learn from these things also. They see the real you, the good, the bad and the ugly. I am thankful to have them watching me, it makes me think about my choices more often and the example I am displaying to them. They learn from how we relate to others. They will know how to be a good friend based on what kind of friend they have seen me be. It never surprises me the people who choose to stay in touch with you and the ones who let you fall by the wayside. It is always the people who value relationship, friendship or who shared a deeper bond. It's about sharing those everyday moments of your life, they become like your extended family. You laugh, fight and make up. I am thankful for all the people who have come in and out of my life. For the ones who have stayed and the ones who have not. They all mean something on this journey!

1st Day

These 4 started school today! 1st day in a new school can be crazy, they took it all in stride. I am glad because I am sure it won't be the last school they go to. We are still settling in to our new life here. We all miss our fiends back in Utah, it is strange how a place can change you. How people can change you. I am looking for relationships here that I tend to compare to the ones I left behind. It is difficult to find people who were as amazing as my friends back in Ut. They each made me want to be better, rather that was a better mother, a better friend, a better wife. I love them and I always will. I will miss sharing my life with them. Those beautiful friends of mine that I shared a unique bond with. I am grateful for your love, laughter and tears. You will forever be in the fabric of who I am. I am sure you will forever be my friends!

New lease on life

It's been a while...we moved yet again this time back to Texas...I am loving the heat and acclimated to life again outside of the bubble. Though the transition has been strange and not what what I was expecting I am adjusting.

Snow

Thanksgiving came and went now we have only 3 weeks till Christmas break. I have no idea where the time goes! The kids and I had a great week. I spent Thanksgiving night from 11pm to 5 am the next morning sitting in the DS line with my friend Sarah so that she could get more then one. We had fun shopping and talking and time went by fast. We spent Thanksgiving with our friends and families. It was fun everyone chipping in and making food.

Last night we had more snow so of course the kids went out to play and go sledding. I want them to enjoy it as much as they can because you never know where we will end up next. We may not have snow for awhile if we move somewhere hot!

I hope that you made the best of your Holiday and made some great memories with your family!

Moment by Moment

Well K-5 took her first step yesterday then promptly fell because everyone was screaming at her and clapped her hands. She knew she must of done something great but was not quit sure what! She will be off and running by her 1st birthday I am sure.

Today it is raining, sleeting and snowing. It will leave a nice mess on the ground by the time for carpool.

I have been reminded of how blessed I am here in Utah. We have a great group of friends. We went out this weekend to a restaurant that had a live band and then to a movie. It is great when 8 of your closest friend and spouses or dates come along. I will miss these days when we are gone. I share my life here with some of the most beautiful people I have ever met. They have enriched my life so much over the last 3 years. They each bring something to the table so to speak. They make me want to be a better friend, wife, mother and all around person. They each have such unique qualities that I love. They have all made the last 3 years of my life worth all that has happened. We have laughed, cried, been by each others side through some very difficult times. I know that I can count on them no matter what or where I am.

I love you girls, you are sown into the fabric of who I am, and who I will forever be... Thank you for being a friend!

Life moves at warp speed

Once school started we have been going no-stop. Time is flying by and it is now October. I am expectant and awaiting the next phase of life while I wait to see where life will lead us next. I am excited but also have mixed feelings. I love my girlfriends here in Utah. They have become my family. Without them I would have never survived the last three years. I depend on them, confide in them and share my life & family. I love them, they have become an extension of me. I adore you and you have made my life beautiful. You have laughed, cried and stalked with me! I would not be this person without you and the experiences we have shared! Every moment is like a snapshot in time making memory traces that I hope go into the long term memory! Are you laughing yet I am!

Summer has come to an End...

The kids are all back in school and this week I am off again to the gym! I need to loose the 30lbs I put back on after having baby k-5.

The other day I was at Wal*mart and a mom looked at me dazed shopping with only 1 kid and said two more days only two more days. Like I could identify with her, while I am shopping with 5 kids who were well behaved! Two cart full of groceries and 5 kids makes for a long shopping trip! In that moment I was thinking how sad I would be to not have the boys around everyday, how bored their sister would be without them to entertain her. With 3 in all day and one going three days a week it will be way to quite and leave only me to keep k-5 out of trouble.

I miss them already!!! I am sure by the time I get use to them being gone they will be back again for another summer!

Summer Lovin'

The summer has been in full force. We left to go back home the day school got out! Spent three weeks between Oklahoma and Texas. We had so much fun with family and friends. Then as soon as we came home we got right back into the swing of things. We have not had one free day since landing back in Utah with no signs of it slowing down! This week the boys are in VBS half the day. This afternoon we are headed to Seven Peaks with some of our favorite people! All week we have more then one thing on our days list to do. I will try to catch up soon with a more in depth post!

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Making the most of every moment!

I am of the mindset when life gives you lemons make lemonade. I have never been the cry over your sorrows kind . When the pressure is on I am a go to girl. The more you throw my way the more you will get back. I don't know what it is about being a fighter mentality but it's in me. I love the people I love and I if I don't like you, you will defiantly be able to tell. Don't mess with my kids, my husband or my friends or family. These are the things that make me up. I live in the moment and try to make the most of it. I never go a day without laughter except when I lost my dad. Life is to short to worry about the small stuff and normally I have a full plate to keep me going. With five kids there is not alot of time for much else. So if you are self absorbed, arrogant, or looking for a one sided friendship I don't have the time!
We all need to step outside ourselves and put our self in someone Else's shoes from time to time, it builds compassion and relationship. Most people who do not have friends it is because they have never taken the time to be a friend. Friendships and life you get out of them what you put into them.

Uncertainty

Even when everything is turned upside down in my life and I should be overwhelmed, I can feel at peace. With a future that I cannot see or know what it looks like. Decisions that need to be made and not know which way to go. I find comfort in the fact that God is in control and I am not. I have always been of the mindset that if I learned a lesson a bad choice or the trial was well worth the pain. All because I gained knowledge from it. The last two and a half years have been difficult in every area of my life. My faith has been tested, I have lost my father and countless financial and work related issues. All of which any one could have crumbled my world. I became a mother again and was unprepared for that as well. Through it all I have found grace and very valuable lessons. These lessons and difficult times are the ones that in the end define who you are, what your made of and ultimately how you will overcome adversity in your life. Though the story is not yet finished and this chapter has not yet closed I am hopeful for the outcome.

Living in the moment

This year I am tying to live in the moment more. To not let things get to me. There are so many obstacles in life, we all need less distraction. I am learning more to take things in stride, what you cannot change and continue to move forward. No matter what that may look like. This year is bound to be better then the last. It has already started out better, we have a beautiful daughter. With the many changes facing our family I will rest assured that it is all in God's hands and that He knows what is best.

Today Kevin turned 42. As I think back to when I first saw him he was a striking 6'7 210 lbs and he had muscles back then. He was wearing khaki pants, white button down shirt and a floral tie. He was tan just coming back from vacation and he would not even look me in the eyes back then. He would get to nervous and smile all the time.

Now I think of how we have both changed over the years, rubbing off on each other. I love this man so much and I hope we have 50= more birthdays together!

People are Strange

Why are people so strange? Why do they put to much time worrying about the doings of others? I just do not get it! Is life not full enough already that you have to be thinking about others all the time? I personally do not have the energy to put into that. With five kids it is the last thing I have time for. I think that everyone would be better off if they would just concentrate on their own lives.

I am so thankful for the gifts I have in this life. My husband, children and my friends. It truly only takes one person to make a difference! So if we would all care enough and try to make it better this world we leave to our children someday. We can all do our part and it doesn't have to be huge just try!

Amazed

I am so amazed at how much the heart can grow and stretch. At our ability to love and make room for another person as though they were always present. Every time I have had a child I thought how can I love one more person, and be able to give them all what they need. Somehow it just happens! You make room and the new little person makes all of your lives better just by having them and it re-enforces motherhood once again and our ability to care for ad love our young. In a way that only a mother can love. Watching how the boys have responded to a sister and how they never miss a beat and keep on ticking along as thought things have always been this way. Like this is how life was meant to be. They are my tiny hero's, I hope that when all 5 of my children look back on their lives the one thing they know for sure is they were loved. That they grew up in a loving home, that they never felt left out or not wanted. They are these great people who have compassion, share, and laugh all the time. I hope life is kind to them and that they always stay that way!

Merry Christmas

This is our Christmas present this year. K-5 with all her charm has added love and pink to our lives. Our Christmas has been filled with laughter and lots of yummy food. We hope that you all have a wonderful holiday. We are anxiously awaiting the New Year with hope and joy for what it might bring to our lives.

So Merry Christmas and a Happy and Blessed New Year. I will be sending out Christmas/Birth Announcements soon. Yes, they will be late this year. I know there is a first time for everything right!

Perfect

On December 16th I gave birth to my fifth child a girl. The only one I will ever have. She was born at 3:18p.m. 6 lbs. 15 oz and 19 1/2 inches. I went into the hospital at 8:30 they broke my water at 9:30 went into labor at 2 and the 2 pushes later and some extra pain medication there she was. I never in my life would have thought that I would be the mother of 5. Here I am almost 10 years of marriage to an amazing man and I have 4 sons and 1 daughter. The boys have been over joyed to have her.

It never ceases to amaze me at how my life has turned out. I was the one who didn't want to get married and never wanted kids. To now I cannot imagine anything else better then the life I live. Being a stay at home mom and loving everything about it. Knowing how blessed I am in my life to be able to be at home with them. getting to share in every little thing in their lives right now. Watching them change and mature into the little gentlemen that they are. I know I will find the same joy and comfort with my daughter. I wish that my father could see her, hold her, share all of his wisdom with her. So I will just have to do my best to impart that into her. to give her the confidence that he gave me to face the world and all of it's challenges.

She is perfect and I know that she will bring as much joy and laughter to our lives as her brothers have. I hope she is ready for this crazy life with 4 older brothers. I am sure that there will be times in her life where she will not like being the only girl with all these boys. I think I like it that way....they will make sure she stays in line I am sure!

Choices

We all make choices in life. With every choice we make our lives can take a different path. I still believe that it only takes one person to make a difference. That our actions and words can impact those around us. With every choice I make I think of how will it effect those I love the most. I think of the choice of my children, I often hear myself speaking pearls of wisdom that I wish someone had told me! I wonder if I will push them to much.
K-1 struggles at time in school and has to work a little harder then K-2. I always tell him you can be as smart as you want to be. Knowledge is there for anyone willing to work hard enough to obtain it! That the things worth having in life are the things worth working for. No life lesson was ever learned the easy way. It is through the trials that we are refined and made stronger. I wonder how this all sounds to a 8 1/2 year old.
While I am hoping that any of it or all of it will stick with him. He is a smart, funny, courageous boy. He captivated me the moment he came into the world. But, I always feel like I am pushing him. I know this will turn out one of two ways. Either he will resent me for it, or he will love me for it. I sure hope that he loves me for it. I just cannot stand back and settle for anything but his best. I am willing to work hard for with him.
I know someday I will look back on all of this and think I was crazy, all the sleepless nights worrying about them and they are not even in Jr. High!