MOTHER Nature

Mother Nature is TRULY a woman. Her mood swings are INTENSE here.

Tuesday the kids got out from school at noon for a snow day.

And even though you just can't SEE the snow, Bronson is SO thrilled because he absolutely LOVES snow (I truly don't know where he came from.......not from me!)

Aleeya was the FIRST one out in the "snow" when teeny microscopic white balls started falling. How adorable is she?!?!

 We started getting a little more. Royce and Iris joined in the fun. The BEST part about this picture is Royce......he has pink gloves on. Buuuuuuut, when you're surrounded by all girls in the family, that kinda happens. And no, he does not have pants, or socks on.....but my neighbor DID come out and note that it was the first time he saw Royce with shoes on, so that counts for somethin, right?

 This face...........he melts me.

And WHILE we waited for the snow, we tried to encourage it to come by having a hot chocolate bar. When I turned around Miss Kellyn Pat was up on the table helping herself to everyone's cup. AND NO ONE PROTESTS!!!! Spoiled girl.....

 The boys are starting to get enough for a snowball.......which ended up being thrown at me.... surprise, surprise!

 And might I add, I think the snow started falling because of me.....when I changed into my (okay okay, it's actually Brooks' from 13 years ago in his bball playing days, but I took it over when I'm pregnant) "SNOW" hoodie.

 The kids found PLENTY to keep them occupied even though there wasn't a ton of snow though......like riding the truck down the slippery driveway.

 Snowball (or snow-pebbles is more like it) fights

 (here is Bronson on TOP of the Yeti since it seemed to be the only place that had the most snow. The ground would melt the snow faster then the cold, metal Yeti)

 Slipping on the road with Royce 

 Wrestling

 And spraying the driveway with the hose so it turns to ice. I looked out my window and saw the 4 older kids playing hockey on the new "ice rink" they made. It entertained them forever.

 Here they are with their hockey sticks (aka- golf clubs) posing for the picture.

 I actually think Aleeya's team won. haha.

School was cancelled Wednesday and Thursday due to the MASS amounts of snow (*insert sarcasm*......well, not really, because one night was REALLY bad. I was out driving in it in the rear-wheel-drive Yeti and was slipping all over the road. Roads just ice up so fast here even w/ nothing on the road. Brooks had to come pick me up......my Utah-snow-driving-merit-badge pride was definitely hurt)

Then it's Friday and all sunny. I TOLD you Mother Nature was a moody woman!!!!!

Over the weekend it got in the high 50s and then 60s. Seriously.

To PROVE how nice it got, even the REPTILES came out to play......and Camden caught himself a mini-snake in our front yard.

This thing gave me the willies and it was only 10 inches long. (the boys stretched the poor thing out on one of their rulers, that's how I know) But the pattern on it was so nasty. Aaaaaaaaand it eventually got lost downstairs in their room. Great, just great.

 While the boys were playing with the snake the girls were....um......I don't know what you call this, but they always seem to bring purses and make piles of stuff everywhere. And even plant fake flowers in my yard (on the left)

 I MUCH prefer Iris' choice of pets to catch..........snails.

They TOO got lost in our house (when I learn?!!?) but I'm not losing sleep over that one.

Today (in the 60s) the boys were doing what they've been doing all weekend (we're talking for 2 hours STRAIGHT today).......and that is riding down the driveway and crazy levels of speed. They're FAVORITE thing is to crash in the grass together.....and their NEXT favorite thing is to say, "Hey mom, video tape this!" and then giggle watching them over and over. So for your entertainment, I included 2 of the videos with 2 of the crashes. Yes, Royce is included in the racing since he does EVERYTHING the boys do. His smile is so big too.

LINK and LINK
Of course while I video tape I'm wearing my everyday-shoes.....my gold moccasins. Wait, what? You can't see them?!?!? Me either. Baby girl is getting big!

And because the older boys really wanted Royce to keep playing with them and not get tired they would carry his car up to the top of the driveway for him. How cute is that?

Yes, my kids are REALLY this cool.

Baby Girl's Name

Baby names........ugh.

Despite what people think, a LOT goes into a name. Every mom (or is it just me?) sits there and repeats that name over and over in their minds to see if it "fits".
-To see if you can see yourself cuddling and whispering that name in their ear.
-Or see if it sounds good coming over the loud speaker at a ball game (okay, so that's Brooks' thing).....or loud speaker at the store reporting a lost child maybe? (that's more my thinking)
-Or to see if you can hear yourself cheering on that name at an event and not feel silly hearing it come out of your mouth.
-Or see if it comes natural with the middle name since I tend to use their FULL name when I'm kinda mad or am getting my point across.
-Or to see if it sounds respectable and tender coming out of their dad's mouth as he might start a Priesthood Blessing for them.
-Or to see if it would look RIDICULOUS on a plaque in a nursing home hallway. (seriously, I think about that. I volunteered many hours at nursing homes and would walk past rooms and think, "what the heck?")
-Or think about in 20 years if this child will be thinking, "UGH, it was cute as a KID but who wants to bring me home to THEIR parents with this name?!?!"
-Or see if the name meshes with Spanish enough when you have to smile and threaten them in Spanish while you're in the grocery store before they are "consequenced".
-Or to think of calling to your child in a crowded room and having them not turn around because the OTHER 10 people named that name turned around instead
-Or to think of your child's response when they are asked to write an essay on how they got their name and how their essay should NOT have to say, "My mom saw my name on a missing child poster in Walmart when she was pregnant with me waiting in the line to go to the bathroom."
-Or to see if the name turns into a song easily. Yes, yes, I really think about that and love to turn every song into my kids' names.

I'm tellin' ya, those are just a FEW of my thoughts........it's a LOT OF PRESSURE!!!! 

(I mean I pathetically stood in front of the birth announcement billboard at my OB office on my last appointment for 15 minutes reading every pink one on there! Hey, better then the Walmart wall!)

The GOOD thing is, I'm a planner......and I thought about this day ever since I was 12. I just remembered in my 12-18 year old journal I used to write down girl names I liked (funny how I only listed girl names and then married a man who assured me he would have all boys). Phew, let's just take a looksie and see what gems I find:

 Ooooooooookay. On second thought, maybe that WASN'T so helpful considering 1) I married a man who doesn't "shorten" names and 2) well, this 32 year old lady apparently has different taste then 12 year old Melissa who thought the letter "Q" was the coolest thing.

Thankfully, the list goes on and I could get some more ideas.....

I know EXACTLY how old I was when I wrote many of those names. Some were co-workers at McDonalds with me, another was my best friend in high school, one was my penpal in France and "Dorothy" must've been a lady at a resthome I knew? 

Let me give you teenagers some free advice: don't waste your time coming up with girl names.....because you juuuuuust might marry someone who does NOT like those names

Fortunately, I have plenty of kids who have suggestions. Like today for instance......

Aleeya came home with the "prettiest name ever" of one of her classmates. Ready for it?

DAIZHANNA.

(pronounced day-jshawnna)

Now why didn't I think of that before?!?!?!?

Baby name problem solved. 

Thanks Aleeya.

11

We celebrate birthdays all the time around here..........but for SOME reason seeing your first baby get older and older is hard to comprehend.

I mean it REALLY wasn't 11 years ago that this sweet baby joined me and Brooks, was it?

Or that his hot dad wasn't the doctor that delivered him (like Kellyn's birth) but the working phlebotomist that pricked his heel in the newborn room.

And how I would just sit and feed him and just stare at my ONE baby......because I could. No one else was calling for my attention. Then get him all bundled up to go watch Daddy's basketball games in Martin, TN......obviously the only player with a child......or married for that matter.

(Funny thing is, that's STILL Bronson's favorite thing to do......something with Dad, and basketball. Hence the reason for TWO nights in a row now he's gotten home late.....10:00 one night....... returning watching from Dad/basketball related activities)

And NOW this responsible/fun/jokester boy is 11. What's even MORE weird, is I'm a MOTHER of an 11 YEAR OLD!!!!! Wasn't that always the title of "old" moms?

Anyway, his birthday was on Sunday. I was staying home from church sick, along with 3 kiddos. Church is at 9:00am (thank GOODNESS) so it was wake up/hurry and eat/get dressed/and go type thing.

Before they were getting ready to walk out the door my boy comes in and said, "Did anyone remember what day is today?"

He really thought we all forgot. It was PERFECT!!!! (because I was going to surprise him after church)

Then we said, "Oh, yea.....Happy Birthday Buddy! Looking forward to your party tomorrow!"

After church he came home to the house decorated, a few presents on the table, candy bags for all the kiddos and his own personal cookie. I wish I could've captured his face when he saw it!!!! I surprised him BIG TIME!!!! 

 (Yes, Emerson DOES take off his church clothes that fast and no, Iris did NOT go to church.....looking.....like.....that. She was home with me)

The "AW" and the "those are so cool" comments from the boys made me laugh. These boys and shoes.....

The next day was his party. Bronson took 3 of his friends to the trampoline place, SkyZone. 

 Backwards dunk

 Getting ready for a mean Dodgeball game (Bronson's favorite)

 He gives the SAME look his Dad gives before he just chucks the ball hard at someone!

We came home to the rest of the fam (where Brooks had put them to work!) to open presents and have cake. One friend gave him a football (which obviously got used out in the road right after present-opening with all the boys and Brooks)

And the other two boys gave Bronson something that is new to me.........and well.......I never remember getting as an 11 year old or even WANTING. But when he opened them all the boys in the room were approving and saying how cool they were, etc. I don't think I will ever understand this, but I kid you not, these two gifts were REALLY cool.

They. were. socks.

Yes, you read that right. SOCKS!!!!!!!!

Nike Elite socks. And the brighter the colors, the better.

I don't get it, but either way, Bronson was over the moon excited.

Happy Birthday to my longest little buddy...........who's not so little anymore. 

(but still isn't too big for a back/neck scratch)

"I think I'm gonna like it here"

(hopefully you don't have "Annie's" annoying voice singing that song stuck in your head now like I do)

 Whenever we move someplace new I guess we always wonder how the neighbors and neighborhood will be. After we moved in we got a few friendly waves from people passing or calling out "welcome to the neighborhood" and everyone seemed nice enough.

The 3rd day in the house a lady stopped by to welcome us and give us a flyer to her church right down the road inviting us to come. I've actually been invited by 5 neighbors total to their church since. I just love the South. The most friendly thing you could do for someone new is invite them to your church. Love it.

Every single neighbor is retired/grandparents/great-grandparents of different ages, but all within that category. We also keep seeing a lot of visiting grandchildren. One neighbor was so excited that her grandchildren had other kids to play with when we moved in. 

STILL, you wonder if they're thinking, "WHAT is this CIRCUS that moved into our peaceful domain?!?!!"

Shortly after we moved in we had baked bread (ya know, to kiss up) and gone around to deliver loaves to all the homes on our small street. We were quick to find that MAYBE 50% were home......or answered the doors. I was thinking it's 6pm on a Sunday night, where would they be?!!? Apparently a few were at church, but we also learned that most neighbors are kind of hermits. I liked that too. 

Nice hermits. I mean they still gave my kids some of their chocolate turtles or old-people mints they had on hand, but also don't bother or aren't bothered easy. Perfect.

My next door neighbor (who is married to a cop.......can't decide if that's a GOOD thing or a BAD thing) is a sweet lady. Saturday morning she brought our family over a huge southern breakfast casserole, a container of grits and a big jug of orange juice. I was grateful beyond measure because the kids had already eaten breakfast but I used her food for dinner since I was flattened sick with everything going around here.

She is ALSO the neighbor that we had made a mutual agreement to stop the wanderers. She takes care of her elderly mother-in-law with Alzheimers......and I take care of......well.......Royce and Kellyn. We decided that if SHE sees any toddlers wandering away she would stop them, and if I see any 90 year old ladies wandering down the road, I would stop HER. I think this will work out great.

Then yesterday morning the Ladies Brigade of Walkers stopped by. Okay, okay, so I made up their name, but they were three ladies who walk together every morning. They came bearing stories of their great grandchildren, great nieces/nephews and grandchildren alike. They also came with thoughtful gifts. Two of them were teachers before retirement and brought the kids a pile of children's books. How sweet is that?

Then they brought ME 3 magazines saying they hoped I get a few minutes to myself during the day to read. Southern Living..........that pretty much describes these sweet ladies that have lived here for decades.

I don't think they were in it much for the walking though because they stayed for quite a while (hour and a half?) enjoying the action I think.......with smiles on their faces.

Get this, JUST now as I was typing this post (8:45 a.m.) I get a knock on the door. I went to answer it and it was another neighbor that I hadn't officially met yet (they were at church) that came home to tell me my lights were left on in the Yeti after driving the kids to school this morning. He's the man with the golfcart.......or that's what the boys call him. Mr Doug (another great-grandparent) just said when the weather got better that he can't wait to take my kids on golfcart rides. I hope he realizes how many trips he would have to do to cover everyone. ;)

All in all, I think we'll be weeeeeeeeeell taken care of here and fit in quite nicely.

And the BIGGEST evidence of that to me was the fact that every lady around here before 9 a.m. walk around in their bathrobes to the mailbox, cars, etc.

Can I just say, 

YES!!!! I FINALLY FIT IN SOMEWHERE!!!! I'M  IN BATHROBE HEAVEN!!!!!

Haircuts

Although I'm basically done w/ putting things away and decorating the new house now, Aleeya beat me to it. She "decorated" her room probably the 2nd day we were here by taping all these random.....I mean "BEAUTIFUL" things to the wall in her room.

And she even "decorated" her bed with jewels and "beautiful" cut out colored pictures. 

As Aleeya says, "It's beautiful" now. And speaking of the word "beautiful" Aleeya came to me yesterday BEGGING for a haircut. That's usually just a trim for the girls. I had recently given the boys haircuts and they all got their reward/suckers, I figured she was just doing it for the sucker.

I finally gave in and when we went in the bathroom she said, "I want it THIS short" (as she pointed to her chin). I knew THAT haircut was NOT in my straight-line-across-the-back repertoire.....so I convinced her to go a little past her shoulders.

While I was cutting it I kept seeing her cheeks bones go up from behind. She could NOT stop smiling. 

I think it turned out SO stinkin cute on her.

 When I asked her what made her want to cut it short (afterall, she's had Rapunzel-mentality her WHOLE LIFE!), she said, "Now I'll go to school and everyone will say, 'OH ALEEYA! You cut your hair! It's just so BEAUTIFUL!!!!'.

Uh-oh.

I mean AH-OH!!!!! 

I'm assuming there was a girl in the class that just recently got her haircut and that's what happened to her? Maybe?

There are a few problems with this:

1) I have a child dependent on her confidence by what other people say. (who isn't though?)

2) What if she goes to school today and they DON'T verbatim repeat what she THINKS is going to come out of their mouths?!?!? Do you REALIZE who pays the piper when THAT happens?!?!? 

ME!!!!!

I'm curious as to how this afternoon will go when I pick them up. She's either going to be glowing, or I'm going to spending the rest of the afternoon assuring her of her beauty and the whole sticks-n-stones talk (AGAIN!!!! I feel like I have that talk with my kids all too often)

On to another haircut...........the BIG one............for Royce.

When I cut it and turned around and looked at me and I literally stumbled back. 

I. was. staring. at. Emerson...........only 4 years younger!!!!

CLEARLY our genes liked that pattern enough to duplicate it again.........well, THAT, or we're not very creative.

But I looked out my kitchen window yesterday seeing my four short-haired boys throwing the ball with dad in the backyard and just felt so.........complete. This picture is perfect to me.

 (as soon as Royce saw Camden grab his mitt, he ran to find his and was out there before 2 of his brothers........see? I don't have to worry about him being surrounded by girls!) ;)

We did it!

Towards the end of January in 2013 Brooks heard a comment in church mentioning how their family had always tried to read the whole Book of Mormon in that year for their family scripture study. 

We thought it was a good idea but the kids would REALLY be on board if we made it MORE goal-exciting. We decided that for every chapter we finished that we would put a quarter into a jar.

IF we finished in the year, we would end up with 239 quarters.......$59.25.

With that money we would go do something fun as a family. As soon as the first trampoline place in our town was built in October the kids knew EXACTLY what they wanted that money used for (despite all the extra visits to the ER Brooks had seen from people going to the trampoline place)

We started late.....yes......and we didn't read as long in the summer (vacations will get you everytime) or on Monday nights when we had Family Home Evening anyway. Well.....all those excuses caught up to us and we had to really start reading hard in November. Thankfully, 5 of us could read and the boys got really excited over a read-a-thon idea.....in which we read 27 pages that one time with extra snacks and candy.

Long story short, we did it. The kids and I read the last 3 pages we needed on New Year's Eve. A few days later they got their trampoline park visit.

Turns out those places are REALLY hard to get non-blurry pictures. haha

Oh, unless you  have someone who would stop and hold still ANYTIME to pose for a picture.

Oh yes, we did!

I can't think of a better and more relaxing way to spend my Christmas break then moving.

Oh yes, on the 26th we got our key to our new (rental) home here!

We didn't have to be out of our old home until the 1st though......I planned it like that on purpose!

You see, Brooks and I have been through 8 moves together and about to take on our 9th. (If anyone wonders why we are such "minimalists" then you can understand why we look at everything with an is-that-item-worth-moving mentality!) I knew he was working everyday during the break as well. I decided it was time to do this move MY way, since I would be handling the bulk of it. (and I insisted on moving NOW rather then later when Brooks' work schedule eased up)

Let me explain the difference btw men and women............or maybe it's just Brooks and myself. I like to call him a "wrecking ball" when it comes to moving. He does it fast, furious and in a timely manner.....he's good at it too. At the END of it however, I'm left with 40 boxes staring at me in each room because I want to be the one to organize them and put them away. I HATE the disorganization of those first few days!!!!! (week?) 

THIS move I was going to take it slow. I would pack up stuff in the Yeti with my 10 boxes, take it over to the house (that is probably 2 miles from where we used to live), put them away and organize them and THEN bring back empty boxes to do it all over again. That way, I would never feel super overwhelmed with boxes and everything finds a place faster.

The kids loved it when I brought home the empty boxes......

 Emerson blasting Bronson in the fort across the room.

Brooks said, "Why don't you just rent a U-haul and take over one big trip of boxes?" BESIDES the fact that I have 7 children that need......ya know, SEATS to sit in since they were with me all break, he completely missed the point.......I don't WANT rooms fulls of boxes.

Another difference with the mom taking over the move is that.....well......you're still MOM!!!!! I would get in the middle of a good groove and the kids would come and say it was time to eat. I wanted to say, "WHAT?!?! You want to eat AGAIN?!?!? Didn't I JUST FEED YOU 12 HOURS AGO?!?!?"

The first few days I had the key I didn't take TOO many things over since I spent most of it cleaning the new place. It was "clean" but still had a cigarette smell BARELY in the air so I wanted to wash the walls super bien and floors. I'm glad I did because apparently the people before us had a VERY hairy cat. It was good as new after I was done and no smell remained.

On the Monday that Brooks was starting nights we set aside that day for the U-haul trip with all the furniture and big things I couldn't carry.

I found it ironic that a little slug friend would be in my bedroom on my last night sleeping in our old home.

You see slugs just LOVED my side of our bedroom and the wall above my head.

( They stopped going up the wall after I surrounded my bed and walls with salt though). I was just always grateful that slugs ruled MY side of the room whereas Brooks' side of the room (and bed!!!) attracted the cockroaches. To say I am excited to leave that house is a HUGE understatement.

 We crammed the living room full of our "big stuff" on Monday morning......I'm just so grateful for all the MUSCLES we have in the family to help out. ;)

Okay, okay, so Iris and Royce weren't much help but the 4 seventeen year old young men (Brooks works with them at church) that came over were!!! I looked out the window and saw this scene.....it made me laugh because they sat there wondering how to get the basketball hoop in when it CLEARLY wasn't going to fit that time.

 Brooks even left 2 of the young men at the new house to assemble all the beds when he came back for the next load. I will have to say, those young men did a great job on those bunkbeds!!! And I loved that we could move into the house with most of the closets already put away, bathroom/toiletries in place and everything. The kids went over to a friends' house so by the time I got them home I realized the table wasn't set up. We threw rags on the floor so they could eat their hotdogs. Classy huh.

The WORST part is the kitchen.........am I right?!?! It was the LAST thing that was packed up because I was avoiding it like the plague. (Apparently I tend to lean towards the NOT so updated kitchens. haha)

 There has got to be a strategy!!! I mean cooking foods need to be in a good place to cook and bowls need to make sense where they are put and all the things put in the drawers on the bottom need to be Kellyn/Royce proof. The only answer is really just to sit and stare at the boxes and empty cupboards for a hour before you even move......and take a picture.

I'll have to say, Brooks was a stinkin work horse!!!! He would go into work at 6pm and come home at 9a.m. and help finish/fix things around the new house and clean in the old one.....and then repeat. It was ALSO the first time since maybe ever(?) that he stayed up all night New Year's Eve. He's such a party animal.

The New Year started with me hearing Royce in my room at 6:30. I told him it was too early and to go back to his room. He now shares a room with Kellyn (and the new baby soon) so he took it upon himself to wake HER up. Which was fine because they were playing in there while I dozed off. Then Royce's face was in mine again saying, 

"Ba-bay....my room......door won't work".

 "Did you lock the door?!?!" 

(Kellyn crying in the background)

"Yea-ah"

So I jumped out of bed to rescue Kellyn....(she was NOT happy)...but at least she has transitioned perfectly into her new big bed.

I always move our babies into a big bed around 15 months (young enough to be gullible to not try to get out and before our next baby came......since there has always been one coming), but we really didn't have SPACE to keep the little toddler bed so Royce is on the top bunk and Kellyn on the bottom. The changing table is moved UP against the bed in such a classy/stylish way that I'm sure will come in style one day......or not. I'm telling you, it's the PERFECT no-child-falling-out-of-bed method though. She doesn't even try to get out of her bed either. She waits until I get her out. (Iris did the same thing, haha)

Then the New Year continued with my dryer breaking........but don't worry, it's nothing Brooks can't handle by the time he got home at 9 a.m.

 Actually........he couldn't  handle it, but he sure loves pulling EVERY piece out of the dryer to look at it. Still looking for a dryer part but he is "hopeful".

Regardless of how stressful and not fun a move is, I just really am glad to be here. It feels like a home to me and there is something very VERY comforting to me in that.