A little report...

We blessed BriLynn on the 21st. It was great to have family come and support us even though the weather wasn't the greatest for traveling. I can't believe she is a month old! For Christmas we had Kevin's parents with us. The kids loved having Grandma and Grandpa here and were very sad when they had to leave. Here is a picture of us playing in the snow making our snow family on Christmas day. I wanted to show you all a video we got of Jacob brushing the teeth of the remote controlled dinosaur that Luke got, but it seemed to fail every time I tried to upload. I've never downloaded a video to blogger before is there a secret to it? I just went to the upload video icon at the top. I'm just trying to take it off the memory card to our camera. I welcome any help with that, I'm technologically challenged. I hope you all had wonderful Christmas. With the new year coming do you have a New Years Resolution?

Merry Christmas

Here's hoping that you and your family have a
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

SICK OF SICKNESS!!!

I don't know about you guys but the biggest thing I have against the winter season is the SICKNESS! Ever since we brought the baby home one of the kids has had something or other. From a sore throat and fever to an ear infection. Thankfully we haven't had the stomach bug (knock on wood). From taking BriLynn into her two week checkup and Jacob to his two year. Luke and Danika have both gone in for Ear infections that's 80 dollars just in co-pays in the last two weeks. Now Jacob has a fever...grr. (Of course it couldn't have been last week when we had his check-up, that would have been to easy). It's hard to know if we should take him in though, he's so little he can't tell us if it's his ears or not. I just hope that it's all coming out now and that we will all be healthy for Christmas. I hope your families are all healthy! I have been giving my kids more vitamin C. My sister swears by this stuff called Emergen-C. Have you heard of it? Do you pump your kids full of vitamins or something else when they are sick?
I thought I would add this video, my sister sent me it an email and I got a good chuckle, hope you do to.

Girls Lunch

This last Thursday was my friend Heather's birthday lunch. She chose to go to El Toro Viejo (who knows if I spelled that right). It was nice to get out without the baby and kids. Just so you know if you go there on your birthday you can wear a Sombrero!!!

We've made the Move

Every time we have a new baby it's always a struggle to know when to move them out of our room. For me it's so convenient to have them right next to the bed. Kevin has pointed out that we both sleep better once they are in their own room. BriLynn turned two weeks on Tuesday so we moved her to the crib in Danika's room. I'm not sure I'm sleeping better but I do get colder since I have to get up and walk to the other room. She has been sleeping better, I think she has put her two four hour sleep stretches together so that's nice.
At what age do you move your babies out of your room? Or do you ever have them in your room?
Anyway, here is a cute picture of her in her crib.

SNOW!!!

I don't know about your kids but as soon as my kids saw the snow this morning it was as if they had died and gone to heaven. The older ones wern't able to play since they had to go to school but here is a picture of the younger ones having fun in the back yard.
I was worried that Jacob wouldn't want to be out for long since it was cold but he actually wanted to stay out longer than Luke. Ahh brings back memories.

Halloween in December?

What do you do when your bored? Well my kids wanted to paint their faces. Danika started with wanting to be a mouse. Andrew ended up as Sonic. Kevin is awarded for the great art work done here he he.

Just one of those days!

I should have known that having a great night sleep would be the high before the low. Last night she was awake from 1-4. Plus I have a head cold and that makes sleep that much harder. The hardest part of my day is trying to get Jacob down for his nap. I can't pick him up..I did it a couple times and paid for it later. So today I had to drag him to his room. It's frustrating not to be able to do the things I regularly do like picking up a child. On a positive note, I don't think the baby blues kicked in this time. I figure if it hasn't kicked in after a week it probably won't. Don't get me wrong I have my moments but I'm sure that's normal. Oh just a note to all those in the ward...don't forget the Christmas party tonight. Okay I'm done, thanks for letting me vent!

Bask in the Moment

Sorry I have to take the time to Bask in the Moment....BriLynn slept through the night last night. I know it may not happen again tonight but for right now I'm relishing it. She went down around 10:30 woke up to eat at 3:30 and then went right back down and didn't wake up till close to 8:00. You may not consider that sleeping through the night when still waking up for a feeding but I do if she goes right back down. Her first four or five days home she was awake for a good part of the night so I hope this continues. I can't believe she is a week old today.
I've been so grateful for those who have brought meals. I used to think it was strange because I feel well enough to make food for my family, but maybe number five has worn me down because it has been wonderful not to worry about it. To bad it doesn't last for a couple months HA HA.

Cabbage and Bandaids

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I wanted to post this poem on Thanksgiving but of course my routine is a little crazier than normal.

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

The way I stuffed myself I'm sure it won't he he. Okay as to the Title of this post, I am now very grateful for Cabbage. Why you ask? One of my friends once told me that to ease engorgement you could use cabbage leaves in your bra. I've tried it this time and it works. As for bandaids, I was nursing BriLynn and Jacob said owie and ran to the bathroom to get me a bandaid, I thought it was funny.

Here is another picture of BriLynn, with clothes on and her eyes open :)

SHE'S HERE!

After a push and a half we welcomed BriLynn Westwood into the world at 3:13. She was 7lbs 11oz. and 19 inches long. We had a hard time deciding how to spell the name. There was Brielynn, or Breelyn, or Brelynn etc.. you get the point. We like the way the capital L looks. Anyway I'm sure there will be more pictures to come. Oh I also wanted to share something I thought was interesting. As Kevin was in the Nursery, giving her a bath they discussed weird names that have come through. I thought he was joking but someone here actually named their baby Dragonslayer. Poor kid, my doctor said it was one of her patients that named their son Indiana...their last name is Jones. Another strange one was Abcde. I think it's suppose to be pronounced Ab-si-de. I find it interesting that parents can name their kids these names, don't you?

Packed and Ready!

So today I have been cleaning and cleaning to get things ready. Sometimes I wonder why I bother since it gets dirty so fast with four little ones running around. I also have been packing the "bag." I remember being told not to bring a pair of pre-pregnancy pants to wear home when I had my first. I still did it, and of course was so sad to see that they wouldn't even go past my thighs (sigh). I know better now. I'm also excited to take some movies to watch. Packing the babies clothes into the bag is fun but weird.... I didn't ever think we would have another little girl. My wonderful Mother in Law got me this onesie that says "Don't wake me, I'll wake you." Very fitting don't you think?
Isn't it strange how you anticipate for so long bringing your little one home and ponder how it will be, but when you actually have them it's like they were always a part of your family? Do any of you feel that way or is it just us? Anyway, we will be sure to post pictures as soon as possible. Thanks for every one's "good luck" wishes.

Fun News and Food Frenzy Friday

Last night Jacob went in the potty!!! Well I guess I should say on. He grabbed his diaper and said potty. He has done this a couple times and I'd humor him and put him on the toilet (doesn't hurt to get him used to the idea right? He'll be two next month) Well as I was getting a diaper from his room he peed all over the seat. I've never been so excited to clean up pee before.

Well as for the names we still don't know but THANKS for all your ideas and responses. Don't worry Steph, I would never "steal" a name if you really liked it. Tina, Stacy is my sister in laws name and LOL Leanne on "Serenity my foot" he he. I keep bringing up Abigail to Kevin and he keeps forgeting it and says "whats that "A" name you keep mentioning you like?" So maybe that's not a good sign? Anyway thanks again for all your comments. If you think of anymore names we would love to hear them. :)

I haven't posted a recipe for awhile so I thought I better post one. Sorry if it's a repeat, I haven't been keeping track I guess I should eh?

Bacon Chicken Alfredo
Ingredients:
1 pkg fettuccine- cooked
1 lb. sliced bacon, diced
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken cubed
1/4 tsp. both salt and pepper
1 jar (16 oz) prepared Alfredo sauce
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
In skillet cook bacon- remove and reserve 3 Tbs. drippings. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Cook chicken in drippings. Stir fettuccine into skillet and add Alfredo sauce, seasonings and bacon. Cook until heated through. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

The Name Game

As most of you know we still haven't come up with a name. I'm getting nervous as were five days away from having to name her. Here are some names that have come up. If any of you have names you wouldn't mind sharing I would love to hear them. Plus let me know which of these names you like, I'll take a poll :)

Elizabeth
Abigail
Saralynn
SaraAnn
Brilynn

These are some I have found while searching and think are different but pretty.
Meritessa
Nichelle
Serenity

Our new addition

No the baby isn't here yet but I'm scheduled to go in on the 25th. I had an appointment today...I really don't like the last appointments when they have to check dilation etc... They give you that little napkin to cover yourself. I have been tempted to ask for three or four of them he he. Kevin took this picture of me, excuse the disaster in the background. Yep still prego!!! PS. Why didn't anybody tell me my butt was so big!
Anyway here is the story with this:It's not Andrew and Luke with their funny faces, it's whats was behind them. This 50" TV used to belong to someone in our ward, it stopped working. When they moved they gave it to another person in the ward, who in turn gave it to someone else and then we got it. We took it in to find out what was wrong and they said it would be 500 dollars to fix. We didn't want to fork out that of course. Kevin had mentioned it at work and found someone there who has worked on TVs before. So 100 dollars later Kevin finally has his big screen. Geesh, the thing is the same size as our old entertainment center. Of course the kids have enjoyed watching movies and playing game cube on it. As for me, I'm excited that Kevin can't answer that he wants a big screen when I ask him what he wants for Christmas!

Summit ward talent show olympics

I had to share this video my cousin sent me. I think it's hilarious, I have watched it a couple times and still laugh. I hope it puts a smile on your face, have a great weekend.

Not fond of this stage

This is the stage that tries my patience. Well there are other stage that do that but right now it's this one. Jacob's favorite word is now "No". He fights taking a nap and he is also fighting me when he gets his diaper changed. It gets really tricky when he has a poopy diaper since he squirms to get away. The other day he didn't bother to come and tell me he was stinky, he just examined for himself and gave me a nice gift to clean up on the windowsill. Luckily that's the only place he got it (I'm not complaining, I've heard worse stories). I just need to remember Pres. Monson's words "Finding Joy in the Journey" while I'm holding him down right? :)

Pictures Finally!

We finally got the pictures that were on our camera downloaded but the sad thing is that there were a lot more that were on the memory card that were lost. These are just ones that were on the camera's memory. Anyway sorry that they are late. We got another memory card but it seems the camera is really shot. Were going to urge Andrew to pray for it, hey it worked for the game cube. That stinking thing has dropped a couple more times and is still working.
The first two are of the parade the kids had at the Elementary school.

Funner stuff

Trina your comment was right on!!! I feel guilty about complaining because he is serving. It's also because we had a list of things to get done on Saturday that didn't get done because he was gone. I'm learning that it's not the end of the world if things don't get done when I want them to. It's nice to know that I'm not alone in things. Thanks guys.
On to funner stuff.... we got a new printer and I got print shop 23 so I can make invites for the kids birthdays or blessings, baptisms etc. I'm excited to start playing around with it. We have been looking at cameras and will probably get one next week so don't worry Steph, we will have it before the baby arrives. I went to the doc on Friday and I'm 80% effaced and dilated to a 1. She says the baby's head down and ready. I think we will schedule to go in and induce on the 25th. I just don't want to be in the hospital for Thanksgiving plus my doctor will be gone for Thanksgiving and the day after. I've never delivered early so far so I'm banking on that, plus I don't want to miss seeing Twilight on the 21st he he. We need to plan a girls night for that!!!

I need Emma's Strength!!!

Sorry to pour things out but I always feel so much better when I vent. I had a hard time when Kevin was put in the Bishopric. Not only was I sitting alone with four kids in Sacrament. Tuesdays (which I was used to being alone since he was the YM pres. before) he's gone all night. Sometimes he doesn't get home till 11:00. He also has other meetings a couple Thursdays a month. Sundays he leaves at 7 in the morning and then gets home around 5:30. So as if he isn't gone enough, today (a Saturday), he was called by the Bishop to go help someone. I love that my husband is a worthy Priesthood holder, he is such a good example to me. He never complains about the jobs he has to do. I on the other hand need to improve. I've been reading the letters Joseph wrote to Emma in the Joseph Smith manual. When I start thinking I'm going to break, I think of her. Her husband was put in Jail. Kevin at least comes home every night. There were nights, she didn't know if he would ever come home. I feel bad because I take my frustration with it out on the kids and they don't deserve it. They are missing their Dad just as much as I'm missing him. I'll keep trying harder; especially to control my emotions, since my hormones are out of control, but it sure would help to have Emma's strength.

Pictures

Since I can't post any pictures of our family, I thought I would post these funny pictures I got in an email. I've recieved this email a couple of times so I'm sure you all have seen them too but It never fails to bring a smile to my face. I had to add this one since we are getting our flu shots at Kevins work today.
You might have to enlarge this one to get a good look at the baby's face. It's so funny!

Could it be.....

So in church on Sunday Jacob bit the tip off his pacifier (like the one above). Then of course he got mad and threw it. Let's just say that sacrament wasn't the funnest for me after that. Well since he saw what he had done and didn't want it anymore we thought this might be a good time to get rid of it completely. Last night he went to bed for the first time without his pacifier. HOORAY There's hope. I just put him down for his nap and the poor boy kept asking for it. I told him he broke it and he finally laid down. At one point we had six or seven and they all have slowly disappeared. Hopefully this keeps up and we will be rid of Binky's!!! Although it will be harder in Sacrament....that thing was a good plug. (Sigh)
On another note, my poor little family is sick....tis the season. It's just a head cold thank goodness, I always fear the dreaded stomach flu. Poor Kevin has had a cold for a few weeks. We are going to get our flu shots on Thursday. Do you and your family get flu shots? What medicine do you use when your kids are congested? I ask because I gave Luke some Motrin cold this morning and it didn't even seem to do anything. It's frustrating when certain medicines are not for kids under six but the ones that are okay for kids under six do nothing to help.

Quirk Tag

Trina tagged me and while I'm not big in to tags (no offense to anyone) I just have nothing new to post. I really don't mean to offend anyone that tags me, it just stems back to those emails that you get that have a list of 25 things for you to fill in. Like what are you wearing at the moment? What was the last thing you ate? Lets not forget the whole...you will get hemorrhoids if you don't pass it along. Okay you get the point, just don't feel bad if you tag me and I don't do it.
Okay here we go:

1. I have to have the dishes taken out of the dishwasher before I can go to bed.

2. I'm with Trina on finishing the cereal....you get sawdust in the bottom of your bowl.

3. I don't like others in my kitchen when I'm cooking. Kevin has learned to stay out and not to say things like "does that need more pepper?"

4. I'm a holder inner...Kevin is the one that does a lot of the talking in our relationship. Usually the women is the one who want to talk before bed. Nope I just want to go to bed. I'm learning to open up though (thanks Dr. Phil) j/k

5. It drives me crazy when I can't finish something I started like.... a carton of ice cream he he. Nope, I mean like my hair in the morning before getting the kids ready or making a bed and having to stop to get a screaming child. Finishing a paragraph in a book or magazine. Does that make sense?

I think I've done this quirk tag thing before, oh well. Anyway your all tagged...feel free to do it or not.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Happy Halloween everyone, I hope you all get lots of candy....hopefully your little ones get more chocolate than years before he he. May your night be full of gorging. For those who don't know, if you go to Papa Murphy's they will let your goblins choose between a mini pizza or cookie dough for their treat. It has become tradition to get the jack o' lantern pizza for us and the kids get their own mini one. Have a great Halloween!!!

So sad

Well our newest thing to bite the dust is our camera. The kids were playing with it taking pictures and the next thing we know the memory card can't be read anymore. I've been wanting a new camera, but didn't think we would have to get one so soon. We probably could get a new memory card but the camera is in bad shape anyways, it may not be worth it. It has actually lasted through a bunch of torture. Danika dropped it on the concrete a few years ago and busted a rim around the lens. So I guess I should be grateful that it lasted as long as it did. Well I guess the whole reason for telling you this is so you know why you won't see pictures of us for awhile.

Pumpkin Walk

On Friday's I volunteer at the Elementary school. I switch back and forth each week from Danika's class to Andrew's. This last week I was to go to Danika's class but my babysitters daughter was sick, I didn't want to drop the boys off. I was excited that Andrew's class was headed to the Pumpkin walk and needed parent volunteers. I could take Jacob and Luke with me and they did great! I was grateful that Jacob stayed in the stroller the whole time. Of course their favorite part was the cookie at the end (mine too he he). It seems like there are not as many entries as in years past? Is it me? Have you gone to the pumpkin walk this year or previous years? Are you planning on going? I need to take Danika now so she doesn't feel left out. Here is a picture of his class, it's not the greatest picture (man I need a new camera!) Can you pick out Andrew?

Speaking of chocolate..

I just wanted to tell you of something funny that happened this afternoon. Kevin hasn't been feeling well (that's not the funny part). He came home early from work and as I was heating up his lunch he mentioned to me "Oh did you see that energy bar on the counter, a guy gave it to me at work".
"Oh...ummm that was yours? I thought my sisters brought it over. I'm sorry I ate it!"
"You ate my energy bar?"
"Well it said chocolate chip on it"
"Man nothing with chocolate in it is safe with you."
Well it's true!
I told him that if he felt better it really wasn't that good.
Here are some fun pictures of the kids playing in the leaves.

Ahhh...I'm better

Thanks for all the uplifting words ladies. I must say that it helps to have friends like you!!! Jenny, you mentioning Pierce Brosnon in tights did help a lot too he he. Although I haven't been able to get the songs out of my head.
We took these two pictures of Jacob last night. He really enjoyed dinner. Five times over! When he started licking his plate we knew we had to take a picture. This is a picture of Danika and our neighbor, they dressed up to be like farmers. Yee Haw! Speaking of dressing up....are you all ready for Halloween? What are you going to be? Do you have your candy ready? I have to wait till the last minute to get that or I'll eat it before Halloween. (sigh, I just don't have the will power to hold myself back from chocolate)

Don't talk to me I'm Moody!!!

It's all how you start the day right? Well mine started at 5:30 with Kevin's alarm going off......yes 5:30 AHHHHHH Sometimes I would like to kick whoever invented the snooze button because it went off every 15 minutes. Of course MY alarms snooze button is just fine when it goes off he he. Well it's just little things that escalate. Like forgetting to put the garbage out. It's full so who knows where this weeks garbage will go. Having my one year old talk back to me and needing to get the house and laundry clean. Music usually works to change my moods for the better, but it did the opposite when I turned on the radio and heard Barbra Streisand. I must say seeing this picture of myself did make me laugh a little....this is actually the second one I took, the first one was too close to my face and you could see up my nostrils so I thought I'd spared the viewers he he. Anyway, I am determined to change my mood, even if it takes a spoon and a carton of ice cream!

FOOD FRENZY FRIDAY

I tried these out on Sunday and my kids loved them. They were super easy and fun. It was neat to watch them puff into balls when dropped into the oil. What can I say, it doesn't take much to entertain me.

Sugared Doughnut Holes

1-1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs. butter
Oil for deep frying
Confectioners sugar

*In a bowl combine dry ingredients. In another sm. bowl melt butter, add milk and egg. Add to dry mixture and mix well. Heat oil to 375. Drop by heaping tsp. full five or six at a time. Fry until browned about 1-2 minutes turning once. Drain on paper towels and roll in sugar. It makes a few dozen. These are very snacky, let me know what you think.

UH OHH!! What have I done

Tuesdays Kevin has Bishopric meetings so I usually make it a "Movie night" for the kids and I. Tonight I got Disney's Camp Rock.Have you seen this movie? I thought it was a good show but it has done something terrible to my kids. Sure it was fun to see them dancing to the songs but when the show was over and Danika was walking all high and mighty with her hand on her hip, I knew we were in for it. She told me that all rock stars put their hands on their hips. Later when she said her prayers she said "Please bless that I rock the show tomorrow and to be like Hanna Montana." Uh oh...what have I done.

How to get Children up in the Morning

This morning Kevin told me he was going to wake Danika up early. Why? Because she wanted to play game cube by herself before the boys woke up. He woke her up and turned it on. Not two minutes had passed that Andrew woke up. "I heard that sound" were the words out of his mouth. Five minutes later Luke was awake and claiming "I want to play." So I figure I need to find an alarm clock that plays the Star Wars theme and has the sound of light sabors swinging in the background, then we won't have a problem getting them up. On another note, we got the boy's room painted on Saturday. We found a mistint at Lowes for 10 bucks. It's was a high quality paint that would have sold for 30 and went on really well. The picture doesn't do the color justice. Oh and overlook the red valence, we will put a different one up. We are going to go get some big sports stickers to put on the wall. All we have left is our room and two bathrooms then the whole house will have been painted. Woo hoo.

80's Reunion

On Friday we went to a Murder Mystery Party. We all had our names and our parts and were attending our 10 yr. class reunion set back in the 80's. It was fun to dress up. Well I had fun crimping my hair and putting on so much makeup I looked like a street walker. Kevin went for the preppy look like Zach from Saved by the Bell. Our names were Susan and Steven and in high school we were voted as the couple most likely to succeed. We married after high school and had six kids. (Gee...I wonder why she chose us for this part) This is a picture of me and Christine (the host). Our hair is like so...well like cool! Like don't ya think? Totally!What crazy things do you think about when you hear "The 80's"?

Sleepwalking?

For the last few nights Jacob has been waking up in the middle of the night and wandering the house. I wake up to him crying downstairs. The other night I put him back to bed and couldn't find his binky. I woke up Kevin to ask if he had it and he said "Ya it's right here," he held out his hand and dropped nothing into mine. I just laughed because he did a similar thing the next night, he was completely out of it! Do you sleepwalk? Do you talk in your sleep? I have a twin sister and they say we used to talk back and forth to each other in our sleep. Kevin told me he was dreaming once that he was on a plane bumping into people and woke up bumping into the back wall of his closet.

Thanks Ladies

Thanks for all the words of encouragement on the last post....especially all of you that said I of course shouldn't give up the chocolate! I'm eating a candy bar for each of you he he. I have two more questions though. I get postpartum for a few weeks, I guess they also call it baby blues. I'm hoping that with me thinking about it now and preparing, it won't be so bad. It is usually only a couple weeks but I hate going through it every time. Kevin's aunt had told me she used St. Johns Wart with her last and thinks it helped. My doctor said she couldn't either recommend it or say anything to keep me from taking it since she has not read anything about it. I'm seriously thinking about trying it. I was just wondering if any of you have advice for this issue?

As for the second question....I've been looking online at Vacuum cleaners. Ours bit the dust (no pun intended) after 10 years. My parents had bought it for me for college (RIP ye old Hoover). So what do you use? Do you like it? Would it work well on stairs? There are a lot of stairs in our house so it would be nice if it was light to take up and down them. If you have any recommendations I would love to hear them. Thanks!

What a Big Liar!

I have never been so offended! They act like it's not that big of deal but they make you go through it again and again!!! I'm tired of it and I'm putting my foot down. They need to just get a new one because the darn scales at the women's center LIE!!! How could I put on 12 pounds in a month! It's a conspiracy I tell you!!!
PS. There is no stinking way I'm giving up chocolate!!
PPS. Tina we may need to speed walk in the mornings or walk more.....sigh..
I'm doomed with Halloween coming up....ahh the candy.

FOOD FRENZY FRIDAY

I'm so excited for this weekend!!! I love to stay at home and hear the Prophet and Apostles. It's a bonus to also get Kevin home with no meetings to go to (well except the Priesthood session of course) Plus I won't have to deal with four crazy kids in Sacrament. Do you have your kids watch? We try to have them sit through one session each day. It's tough for them, sometimes it's tough for me ZZZZZZZZZZZ (if you know what I mean) so I can't get mad at them for not paying complete attention. Good thing it comes out in the Ensign huh? Well since it's officially fall I thought I would share this recipe I got from my friend Heather. It's easy and yummy. Especially Al La Mode

Apple Oatmeal Crisp
6 firm apples peeled, cored and cut in 1/4 inch slices
Juice of 1 lemon (3 Tbs. lemon Juice)
1/4 cup water, apple juice or 7 up
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (don't melt before)
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup regular oats
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Mix together first three ingredients. Place in a buttered 9 inch round cake pan. Double if in a 9x13 pan. Using an electric mixture blend (at low speed) sugar, butter, flour, oats, Cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg till crumbly. Scatter evenly on top of apples. Bake @ 350 for 1 hr. Let me know what you think if you try it.

Halloween time

I love Halloween, it brings back fun memories as a kid and well and some not so fun ones. I love it because well....candy. You can't go wrong with asking strangers for candy right? The not so fond memories are of dressing up as the same thing year after year. We only had two costumes, a bunny and a clown. I'm not sure why my Mom never got more. So my twin sister and I would fight over who got to be what. The other part I don't enjoy is how creepy it can get. Poor Jacob screams whenever we get near the Halloween department at stores. The statues that talk completely freak him out and he just clings to me. I want to make this time fun for the kids not scary. I love to dress up, Kevin is not as big into it. He's a good guy and knows I enjoy it so when we go to parties he will be a sport and dress up for it. So what are you going to be for Halloween? Do you have any traditional things you do with your kids for Halloween like decorating Halloween cookies? Are your hubbies excited to dress up?

Yaa for a girly room

I finally got Danika's room painted on Saturday, I guess I can say the "girls" room. Kevin had to work so I'm proud to say I did it all by myself. We kept the ceiling how it was (sky blue looking) and this is how it turned out.


I used huge dot stickers to make flowers. These stickers are awesome, they are so easy to apply and can be removed and stuck other places multiple times before they loose their stickiness. Now the boys want their room done. Luke likes green and Andrew likes Blue. Not sure what I'll do with that but if any of you have ideas I would love to hear them. I'm not creative when it comes to this stuff. I hope you all have a great week! I'm excited to put Halloween Decorations up this week :)

A Break Please!

It's a date night tonight and it's a good thing too after what happened this afternoon. Here is a little explanation:
(Kevin coming home for lunch from work)
Me: I don't think you want to be at home for lunch today.
Kevin: Why?
Me: Jacob just dumped a gallon of blue koolaid I just made all over the floor.
Kevin: Oh no
Me: Ya, I got it all wiped up but I'll have to mop it like four times to get all the stickiness gone.
Kevin: Well did you get a picture of it before you cleaned it up to put on your blog?

Does anyone want to go with me tonight?
J/K

Gratefulness

Lately it's been depressing to watch the news. The economy well....is going downhill. Not to mention all the horrible acts of violence. It seems like everyday I hear about another business shutting down. Today I heard on the radio that unemployment is at the highest it's been in seven years. I'm grateful for the gospel, grateful that the Prophets have taught us to prepare with food and savings. Who knows what may come, but I know that we will be okay if we heed their council.

Nesting?

Today I have had a burst of energy.
I got up early
Got all the kids dressed and ready for the day
Made waffles for breakfast
Made Danika's Lunch
Made copies and got some File Folder Games Laminated
Went Grocery Shopping
Vacuumed and armoralled the car
Swept and vacuumed the garage out
Fed the boys
Helped Andrew with his Homework
Mowed the Lawn
Picked vegetables from the garden
Scrubbed the sink
and now I have the urge to go through the kids clothes and bake bread.
I have heard that some women get strange urges. Like taking the knobs off cupboard doors to clean the SCREWS that hold them together. Do you get nesting urges? Have you ever done something strange?

One Last Hurrah!

Luke has been begging to go camping! (I think it's the SMORES!) Since the summer is officially over on Monday we though this weekend would be a good time for one last family camp out. We went to Spring Hollow this time. We were surprised that a few of the sites up the canyon were already closed for the year. We went on a hike the next morning and I kick myself for not taking the camera, it was beautiful!!! We didn't sleep the greatest, but with four kids and being prego who would right? I didn't drink much the night before for fear that I would have to wake up to go to the bathroom....any of you do that while camping? Plus Danika woke up with growing pains in her legs, do any of your kids get these? I did manage to get these few photos. I just wanted to add that while Tina was over here today, Danika had asked to get her swimming suit on and play like she was sun bathing. A few minutes ago I took this picture, this is what she was up to. You may not be able to tell but she hung up a picture of the sun in the left hand corner and then has waves on both sides next to her. She made a little cup with a straw out of paper. Creative...now all the other kids want to get their suits on ....umm I don't think they are ready for the summer to be over yet either.

Back in School

So I think that while pregnant you can still have your "time of the month." Little things set me off, I'm craving chocolate and breaking out. It's like I'm back in High School! (Don't forget to turn the music off at the bottom)

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He He. I just love Kevin's face, it's not cropped well for his mouth but it still cracks me up!