New Family Picture!

The beginning of December we went and had a new family pic taken. Not the best, not the worst! We went to Picture People and I'm just not satisfied with them! Oh well I guess.

Christmas

We had a GREAT Christmas this year! Santa done did treat us well! We started off witht he kids coming down at around 8:30. The kids loved how many presents were under the tree! Thanks to those secret santas!! We ate our orange rolls around 10:30 and then everyone got ready to go to Christmas brunch at mom and dads. It was a very nice relaxing day!! Everyone loved their gifts! They each got what they wanted from Santa. Sariah wanted Lara Croft, Tomb Raider for xbox 360, Caylie wanted the game of LIFE, Joseph wanted Lego Star Wars II for xbox 360, Jaren wanted Halo III for xbox 360 and Spencer, well he didn't have any requests but got some cute toys! Mom and dad got us date boxes! A bottle of Sparkling cider and some gift cards to go enjoy ourselves without the children. We got cards to Old Navy (can't forget the shopping), Olive Garden, Coldstone, and Stewart Andersons. Thanks Mom and Dad. The kids got starting with Sariah, a digital camera, that she doesn't like, it's not what she thought it was going to be, so It's going back to the store, and a fun hair kit thing where she can put colored streaks in her hair. Caylie got a much wanted Art Easel. If any of you know Caylie you would know that her passion is Art!! She opened it right up. It's like a professional easel and came with lots of paints, brushes, a pallet, and even some canvases. When she gets home this weekend I will have her pose with it! Joseph and Jaren got cool Darth Vader laptops. They are enjoying them. Spencer got his little ride on, push along car. He hasn't had the time to enjoy it yet, but I know that he will. All of us kids went together this year and made mom and dad a quilt with all the grandkids pictures on it. Theya really enjoyed it. Me being the dork that I am didn't get a pic. As soon as I get over there I'll take a pic and post it. It's awesome. We aren't professional seamstresses, but it turned out well!! All in all it was a very merry Christmas! Hope you all had the same!

Happy birthday Nathan!

This last weekend the kids were able to go to their cousin's birthday party. They all stayed the night at grammy and papa's and then the next morning we all went to JJ Jumps! It's a place with all the inflatable jump houses. The kids had a blast! Thanks Greg and Melinda!

Girlfriend's Dinner

The last 2 years, some good friends in the ward have hosted a girlfriend's dinner. A group of 8 of us get together to eat and have fun. The two hosts cook dinner for the group. This year it consisted of roast, potatoes, green beans, yummy orange rolls, "Christmas Salad" Which is awesome, a fruit cup, and to top it all off a very yummy chocolate fudge suffle! We do a dessert exchange, white elephant style, and here's what I came home with this year!! I only got it because I had stolen it for the last time and no one could take it from me!!! King sized cupcakes that were decorated totally cute. They were soooo yummy. I like them sooo much that I had Shule get me 2 pans for Christmas. So, now I can make them!! YIPEE!! After dinner we have craft time, and we all made the cute little ornaments that you see in the pics. Super easy, super cute project!! Can't wait for next year!! I don't have many pics because of course my camera wasn't working before. I got pics of the projects after I was home!! I know there were lots of pics taken though, If I happen to get some, I'll add. Thanks Emily and Alisha!

What happens when children are home alone and find a camera!

Halloween fun

Yipee!! I was finally able to download pics off the camera!! So, the next few posts are going to be catch up posts!! Enjoy!!

Family traditions!

With me going back to work, it's kind of been a whirlwind of a Christmas season! Some of our traditions have been put on the wayside, but we aren't giving them all up and we are even going to add a few new ones! Anyway..I just thought I would share with you what we like to do:

* Christmas eve we have homemade clam chowder with breadsticks. Shule's family growing up has always done this and is something that we have carried on. Two years ago we started the tradition of eating by candlelight. All the lights in the house go off, including the tree, because it's too bright and we enjoy our clam chowder, and martinelli's by candlelight. The kids love it and it makes it more intimate and special for them.

* Christmas eve we open up jammies for everyone. They don't match, but it's always fun getting into new jammies for Christmas morning. I usually leave it up to Shule to buy me pajamas and he never does, so this year I bought my own and gave them to him to wrap for me! :)

* The last couple of years we have had the kids draw names with each other, and they get to open that gift. We go shopping as a family and split up so that no one will see the gift that the other person bought. It's fun and exciting and the kids love going to find something for their siblings!

* As a youth my family started a tradition of eating donuts and drinking hot chocolate right before we went to bed. That's a tradition that we have kept going and the kids love it. We've added to it Shule's family tradition of reading Twas the Night Before Christmas! It doesn't get read except for that night!

* We normally go out a few times during the holidays and look at Christmas lights, well with me working most nights, we haven't gotten around to it yet. So, tomorrow we decided that we would go drive around for an hour or so and look at them just after dinner!

* The kids get to have a special sleepover with each other on Christmas Eve. They look forward to that every holiday when someone special comes!

* We read the nativity or we watch a video about it. The kids seem to do better with videos at their age. We have also started watching Mr. Kruegers Christmas! If you haven't seen it, you should.

* Christmas morning we get up and open presents and then eat orange rolls, orange juice and eggnog. We then get ready and head over to my mom and dad's for festivities over there!

Well, I can't think of any more right now! I'm sure there are other things that we have done every year but my brain is tired of thinking! :)

We sure hope you all have a very merry Christmas!

Santa visited us early today as a large package of gifts was left at our door by a secret santa! Thanks to whomever you are! We love you!! We have been truely blessed by our Savior! We feel his love daily! Godbless you all and Merry Christmas!

Still no pictures!

Well, I got my new usb cord, but now the freakin camera is having problems. It never seems to end. The computers dont want to see the camera so now I am trying to figure that one out. We haven't had our camera for too long, and we are having problems with it, so I'm hoping that we can send it back and get a new one, or get it fixed. We'll see...keep your fingers crossed that we'll be able to figure something out!!!

IT"S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

I'm so grateful to be in such an awesome part of the world! Grateful to be close to my family and my friends. Tonight we were greeted at our door by a BIG group of people from our ward singing Christmas carols to us!!! How nice!! I love the Christmas season. We woke up to snow flake flurries this morning! The kids think it's awesome when the snow falls, only to be disappointed when it doesn't stick to the ground and doesn't come down too hard. I have to admit I love the look of snow, but I sure as heck don't miss it when it's gone!! Then this evening as the kiddos were getting in bed, we received a knock at the door and an older couple in the ward delivered a handmade gingerbread house for the kiddos. They love it. This is the 2nd year we have received one. Thanks J and N!!! You are awesome. We love you!! Well I just thought I would share. I ordered a usb cord this week so I will have pictures available once again!! YIPEE!! This time I'm gonna lock it up!! :)

! Black Friday!

Free Glitter Graphics

I must be crazy!! Last year I wasn't in the mood to get up and join the crowds being pregnant and all. But this year, My sister K, and my 2 best friends got up and went shopping! We left the house at 3:45 am and had a great time! We found some good deals, but boy was it cold outside! We made our first stop at 7-11 for some hot chocolate and donuts. Then we headed to Kohl's, then the Fred Meyer sock sale, then we went to Walmart! Won't go there again! After that M, S and I hit Fred Meyer AGAIN! and then M and I headed to Target and just for old time sake headed to Goodwill! It was a fun day, but exhausting. I tried to get some rest before after we got home at 3:00pm because I had to be to work at 6:00pm. It didn't really work, but I made it through work and getting home at 3:00am the next morning! What a riot!

It was a good time!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Awesome Graphics at pYzam.com

What's up with me?

Ok,
I realize that it's been forever since I posted!! It's been busy around here and when I came to download bunches of pictures off the camera the other day, the usb cord magically disappeared. I still haven't found it. So, I will post without words for awhile, until I can order a new cord!

Halloween was fun for the kids. For the first time in 11 years, I wasn't there to take them trick-or-treating thanks to work! I enjoyed my time at work, but missed taking the kids trick-or-treating, but they got to spend the time with daddy! So, that's good. We managed to get most of the kids in their costumes, but somehow, Sp didn't get a picture, and neither did Jn. I guess I could dress them up just for the heck of it, so we have it on record. This year the kids chose their own costumes, except for Spencer of course, who was the cowardly lion. He looked so cute. and Chad several different costumes this year, some of which included, goth girls, an army brat flirt, and a dead chearleader. Jh and Jn were both Ninjas. DH dressed up as Popeye and I as Pippy Longstocking! It was a fun Halloween and the kids came home with LOTS of candy! All of which is already gone! :) I think Jh and Jn ate most of it! Little Piggies!!

Sp popped his 7th tooth this week! Aww...a happy baby again. I can't remember the other kids teething affecting them as much as it is him!! But now we have a happy baby at least for the time being.

I am enjoying my job and looking forward to spend the the Thanksgiving Holiday with the family!!

DH's last day at Washington County was today and he will be starting a new job at Kaiser Permanente this coming week. We are very blessed to have him start right away into something new. He was hoping to have more of a break between jobs so that he could study more for the LSAT but it is a huge blessing!!

We are doing well and just waiting for the house to sale. It's such a slow market right now, there's not even any lookers! Makes it kinda hard to sale. But we're hanging in there are are praying that a miracle happens.

Anyway...I wil post more later!! Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures soon!!

How do you change your backgrounds?

I've had some people asking me how to change your background on your blog. Here's a website that I found. Not as cute as the one I had before, but the other one was shut down due to copyright issues I guess. Anywho...they have simple instructions! Enjoy!!

www.pyzam.com

go to blogger layouts!!

How many of me???

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 26 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

I put in Shule's name as well..there were 0 other people in the us with the first name Shule!! Surprise Surprise!!

A New Look!

A new look for a new time of year! This year has flown by. Here in Oregon it seems we got jipped out of a summer and a fall. We've gone straight to winter! But the kids are getting excited for halloween. We visited the local thrift store and found costumes!! YIPEE!!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It's Official!!

So none of them are actually freshman, but I couldn't resist the bus skin!! Here's Jh and J's first days of school. They went on different days and seemed to do just fine!! We didn't get a picture of Jaren coming off the bus because we were running late getting home from working out and the camera was MIA! Oh well!!

Sunday Dinner!

I made ribs for dinner today and everyone really enjoyed them. Even Sp enjoyed them!! He was quite upset when I took away his bone!! It was a messy meal!! As you can see I think C managed to stay the cleanest of all the kids!!

A Great Joke!

A little American Indian boy asked his father, the big chief and witch doctor of the tribe, "Papa, why is it that we always have long names, while the white men have shorter names like Bill, Tex or Sam?"

His father replied, "Look, son,our names represent a symbol, a sign, or a poem for our culture not like the white men, who live all together and repeat their names from generation to generation. Also, it is part of our makeup that in spite of everything, we survive.

For example, your sister's name is Small Romantic Moon Over The Lake, because on the night she was born, there was a beautiful moon reflected in the lake. Then there's your brother, Big White Horse of the Prairies, because he was born on a day that the big white horse who gallops over the prairies of the world appeared near our camp and is a symbol of our capacity to live and the life force of our people. It's very simple and easy to understand.

Do you have any other questions, Little Broken Condom Made in China?

Super Fun!!

Jh absolutely cracks me up as he flies into the swimming pool!! He's jumping with S, Jn and our neighbor D!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

And the FUN begins!!!

With school in motion now and schedules set, it seems that life would be heading back to normal. Well I suppose with last years homework troubles with S, I guess it is back to normal!! The second day of school and already attitude about homework!! Oh the joys of school and life!! It's been a whirl wind of a day!! I took Jn to the doctor today and found out that he has bronchitis!! Yippee at least he has the weekend and some of next week to whip it out of his system. Him and Jh don't start school until next week!! I will post pics on their big day!! Thanks for listening to me vent :)

First day of school for the girls!!

Yesterday Sept. 4th was the first day of school for the girls!!

C had a restless night Monday and was awake most of the night. She came and woke us up at 2 am and at 3:30 am. She came to the conclusion the following day that it was her nerves!! Luckily for us and her she had a much better night last night!! C had heard that her teacher was a mean teacher and I think that's why she was stressing, but all is well and she likes her teacher!

S enjoyed her first day being in middle school!! She said that it took her quite a few tries to get her locker open, but she finally mastered it!! The middle school here is much different than middle school down in Eugene. They have 8 periods but most of the periods have the same teacher and the same room!! I guess that makes it easy to remember where you need to go!

Here's some pics of them just before they went out the door!!!

Homemade Lollipops!

Tonight we decided to try and make some homemade lollipops!! After 1 round of burnt sugar, and one round that didn't quite set up, I think we finally got it!! Sp sure thinks they are good!!

Missing in Action!

C has been missing in action this summer! She's been here and there and anywhere but home!! We managed to meet up with her at family dinner this last Sunday where we managed to get a picture of her!! Then left her later in the evening for another week away from home!

Our chunky monkey!

Dad and his mini!

The title pretty much speaks for itself!!

Fun in the sun!

Jh and Jn sure love swimming! They sure have grown to love the pool! They like to try out new stunts everyday! Here's the latest. I didn't take pictures when Jh said, "hey mom watch what I can do!!" , and then proceeded to do a backflip off the side rail. I quickly responded, "don't do that again!!!" He almost whacked his head on the side wall. It's sad to think that this is their last summer with the pool!! It will be missed tremendously!!

Fun with our new camera!!

We got our new camera in the mail today!! Here's some pics for you all to enjoy!!

Such a Big Boy!

Sp had his 6 month check-up today! He is a healthy baby boy!! He weighed in at a whopping 18lbs 10.4oz. His weight was in the 75th percentile and his height was in the 90th percentile being at 27 3/4". He was such a brave little boy. He didn't cry when he got his shots. Shule accounts it to the fact that he has enough rolls on his legs that he couldn't feel it!! If I had a camera I would share with you! Hopefully in the next few days I will be with camera and will share some updated pics. :)

WHY I LOVE MOM

A friend sent this to me!! I thought it was worth sharing!


Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, "I'm tired, and it's getting late. I think I'll go to bed"

She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches. Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.

She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button

She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on the charger and put the telephone book into the drawer.

She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry.

She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out s o me cash for the field trip, and pulled a text book out from hiding under the chair.

She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both near her purse.

Mom then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her Night solution & age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and filed her nails.

Dad called out, "I thought you were going to bed.""I'm on my way," she said.

She put some water into the dog's dish and put the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked and the patio light was on.

She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps and TV's, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.

In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her 6 most important things to do list She said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.

About that time, Dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in particular. "I'm going to bed."And he did...without another thought.Anything extraordinary here?

Wonder why women live longer...? CAUSE WE ARE MADE FOR THE LONG HAUL..... (and we can't die sooner, we still have things to do!!!!)

12 YEARS!

August 15, 1995!!

My how the time has flown by!!

Today we celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary!!

Look how young we were!

12 years and 5 children later we are a happy family!!

We have had a happy marriage and a happy life!! Our children are our pride and joy!! I am amazed at how fast everyone seems to grow!! The kids are growing fast!!

S just celebrated her 11th birthday and is going into middle school this year! It seems not so long ago that we were celebrating the birth of our first child! Just a couple months shy of 2 we welcomed our second child C and now she is 9! She is going into the 4th grade this year!! Almost 5 years after C was born, and 18 months of trying to have another child we were blessed with Jh and Jn. They are now 5 and starting kindergarten this year! (bittersweet :))They are extremely excited to be going to school and to ride the school bus. We went school shopping yesterday and they got thier backpacks and now they don't want to take them off. They are walking all around the house with them!!

Now 12 years later we have welcomed a new addition to our family! Spe although a challenging baby has been a joy to have around! He keeps us all ooing and awwing at his growth! The kids have really enjoyed seeing how much he changes daily! He finally cut his two bottom teeth and just this week has learned to sit up on his own!! YIPEE!! It won't be long till he's crawling around and mobile!

Time has been good to us and we are extremely grateful for what the Lord has given to our family! We have had our challenging times and continue to have them, but we have faith that the Lord will see us through them!!

(we've all changed since then, but here's our happy family)

Women and Men!!

Click picture to enlarge

DH thought that this was hilarious and soooooo true!!! Hope you enjoy as much as he did!!

New to this!

I thought I would give this blogging stuff a try! There won't be much for pictures on here at the moment since my darling child broke my camera!! Hopefully I will be able to get a new one in the next couple of weeks!! The joys of children!!