{Pink Flowers}

Saturday was the day we decided to plant flowers in our pots on the porch. It just happened to be raining on and off. It did the same thing last year when we decided to plant our annual flowers. When we got to our beloved Lowe's (seriously I should have bought stock) Lauryn was demanding that we get pink flowers. As I have mentioned in previous posts, Lauryn loves PINK. In fact the other day she asked me if we could paint our van pink. She just couldn't understand why I didn't think that would be such a great idea. Anyways back to the flowers. We are in the garden center listening to the rain fall on the plastic roof and Lauryn is hollering every time she spies a pink flower. We had tried to convince her that there were no pink flowers, but we were quickly informed that in fact there were pink flowers and lots of them. If had let Lauryn have her way we would have come home with every shade of pink flower Lowe's carried. Lauryn got to pick ONE pink flower (see above) and Ayden and Meysa got to pick out their flowers which thank heavens were not pink. I like pink and all but there has to be moderation in all things right?!! Ryan and I rounded out the colors with purple, red, orange, yellow, light blue and white. We like our pots to have lots of color. It makes me happy!! It also makes me happy that there are blue skies and sunshine today, sure signs that spring is truly here, finally and hopefully to stay!! Spring is here people!!! Oh, did I say that already? My bad, I'm just really excited for the new season to be upon us!!

{Ayden}

I guess I am finally at my first born. Ayden, boy where do I start? He is growing up faster than I think I would like him to. He is almost nine and wants to be so responsible for things. Just this morning when he was up at 5:30 I was wishing we lived on a farm out in the toolies so I could send him out to milk the cows or feed something. He thrives on tasks to be done and is really pretty capable. He loves baseball but also wants to try playing football this fall. He has a love- hate relationship with reading right now. He loves me to read to him at bedtime, but doesn't so much like to read aloud to me in return. He is going to eat me out of house and home if I am not careful. I bought 5 doz eggs not quite two weeks ago and I am down to less than a dozen. He loves to cook himself a fried egg for a snack before AND after dinner. This kid had three hamburger sliders for dinner and was still hungry so he had a bowl of cereal not 20 minutes after dinner. He is really close to earning his wolf badge for scouts. He only has 4-5 things left to do to earn it. He loves Math at school and is a great speller. He loves to build things and draw out his own inventions. Any scrap of wood he wants to save and build something with it. He was in hog heaven when we were doing the remodeling a month ago. He loved holding all the tools and getting in there with the guys, feeling like he was doing something productive. He is 120% boy. He loves guns, and machines, and tools and sports. He is the one that reminds us to have family scriptures in the morning and he will ask me to read them with him at night too. He is a good big brother, most of the time. He does love to tease and torture his sisters. Much to my, and their, dismay. Ayden is the poor kid that we have made most of our parenting mistakes on and he is resilant and looks no worse for the wear, thank goodness!! Hopefully he will be forgiving of his mother, with the mistakes I made because he was my first!! I love my Ayden and don't know where I would be without him.

{Meysa}

Miss Meysa, aka Molasses, Meys, Sister. I find it hard to comprehend how she got this old already. She is almost 6 and a half going on 16. She can be so helpful at times that she makes me think she is truly older. Meysa has an understanding of the gospel at such a young age, it amazes me. She strives to do what is right and glows under praise for the good things she does. The other day in the car she and Ayden were fighting over who was going to get out of the car first. I know such important stuff to be bickering over. I had had enough and told them they were going to decide who was going to be the peacemaker and I was giving them one minute to figure it out. Meysa decided it would be her and of course Ayden was perfectly happy with that. Fast forward to today and Ayden was trying to get out of the car first again and Meysa threw it in his face. "Ayden I was the peacemaker on Friday so it your turn to be it today!!" Ayden didn't have much of a come back for that.

There is such competition between Meysa and Ayden. She definantly isn't going to be told she can't do something because she is a girl. She reminds me of myself with my brothers. Meysa has such a strong opinion and strong personality. She makes friends really easily and tries to be a good friend. She LOVES school and her teacher Mrs. S. She is reading up a storm and loving the freedom that that brings her. Just this morning she was trying to teach Lauryn how to read one of her sight words books. She likes to figure out math problems and is proud of herself when she figures them out herself. She has always been so independent that way. Always capable and wanting to do things by herself. She loves to draw and write stories. She can take her sweet time doing anything. That is why one of her nicknames is molasses. She can move just about as fast molasses does. Which can be so infuriating especially when we are running late for school and she is only half dressed and playing in her room. She loves to have her special one on one time at night. She LOVES her daddy and tells him 20 times that she loves him before she goes to work each day. She doesn't do well with goodbyes and frets over changes in schedules. She acts so independent but there is a vulnerable side to her to that gets embarrassed easily and doesn't like being told she was wrong in doing something. She loves to do chores, especially windows and bathrooms, which is just fine by me!!

Meysa is just a ball of special things. She complicated and simple all at the same time. I love her to death and I am constantly learning how to be a better mother to her. I think she has taught me the most about being a mother!! What would my life be without her? Dull and much less exciting that is for sure!!! I love you Meysa-

{Lauryn}

Oh my little Lauryn!! She is one of a kind, a true individual. She is sweet, sassy, funny, stubborn and adorable all rolled into one. I can't keep shoes on her feet and her hair fixed. Most days her hair is crazy and she looks like an orphan. She can get the best bed head!! She changes her clothes frequently during the day. She will wear anything pink. Let me rephrase that, she has to wear something pink. Pink is her "signature color" (name that movie!!). She loves her letters and can write her name along with Meysa's and Ayden's but could care less about her numbers. She has a wonderful imagination, always creating some story for her dolls to live through. She is a tease and finds it satisfying to hear her little brother scream often during the day. Some of the things that come out of her mouth amaze me. She has such a vocabulary. She has an infectious laugh. The kind that comes from the depths of her little body. Speaking of little body. She is such a petite thing. It might have something to do with the fact that she eats like a bird, but more probably to do with the genes she got from her mother. She will eat most things if she has ketchup to dip it in, a trick I am learning to get her to eat. She loves being in Sunbeams at church. She will be 4 in three weeks. Where has the time gone? She and Wyatt are starting to play really well together and can keep each other occupied so I can get stuff done (like blogging !!). Lauryn continues to be the comedic relief around our place. Her facial expressions, her laugh, her stories, they make her so irreplaceable. I wouldn't trade being her mother for the world. Lauryn makes my day, everyday!! I Love You Lauryn-

{Wy-Man}

Wy-Man is the nickname this little fellow has received from his dear daddy. I felt like it was about time for me to do a few posts just about the kids, individually. It makes me stop and think about each one and what each of them brings to our family. I am starting with the youngest and right now also the loudest of the family (literally he is screaming in my ear because his sister stole his toy). When I think of my little Wy-Man I can't help but feel really blessed. There is not a day that goes by when I look at him that I don't have this overwhelming feeling that confirms Wyatt was suppose to be mine. Heavenly Father really did mean to send him to me, for me to be his Mama. It is a sobering thought to have, it makes me want to be a better Mom to all my kids.

He makes us all laugh and then the next second he makes me want to pull my hair out from making me go crazy. He is chattering up a storm, we understand most of what he is saying and still he has plenty to say that we do not have the slightest clue about. He loves dogs and will pant and bark on command. He likes to throw things, like balls, bowls, and shoes. Frighteningly he has a really good arm. He loves music and asks for a song every night before he goes to bed. "You are my sunshine" is his favorite. He adores his oldest sister because she dotes on him and acts like his other mama. The other day when Lauryn was crying and being whinny, without any prompting Wyatt took her by the shoulders (as if to say get a hold of yourself) and told her in a very commanding voice to "STOP". I about peed my pants from laughing so hard. He sometimes seems beyond his years in comprehension about how this life of ours works.

He LOVES to play outside and feels very left out when his older siblings get to play outside and he doesn't. He loves his Daddy and gets so excited when he comes home. He also loves to wrestle with Daddy. He will finally let me leave him in nursery with out completely losing it. His little personality is coming out more and more each day. With every smirk, funny noise, or teasing of his sisters we come to understand more and more how much trouble we are in with this little man. Our family sure wouldn't be complete without him in it. We love our Wy-Man!!

{Baseball has Begun}

Another year of baseball has begun for Ayden. We are happy to report that he has improved on his hitting, throwing and catching. We are even more happy to report that he actually pays attention to what is going on in the game. We have yet to have Star Wars battles in the outfield and there hasn't been any playing in the dirt or rocks. The season is a success already!! Another change for this year is we are not the Cardinals again. We get to be the Colorado Rockies!! He also has a new coach that is really good about drilling these boys on where the next play is and where they need to run when a ball is hit. Two very key elements in winning a ball game.
In Ayden's first game this last week he got to start the game at first base. He was able to catch a fly ball for an out and also tag a runner out at first. He was stoked. I tell ya it is amazing what a year of growth can do for a kids' coordination and ability.
He went 3 for 3 at the plate and was pleased about that. He would be happy to be the designated hitter for the whole team if they would let him.
He can be such a poser already. Heaven help me!!
Then he trips at first base and lands on his kiester and all the showboating kinda goes up in smoke. I love the look on his coaches face!! Like, "What in tarnation are you doing on the ground kid? Get on the bag!!"
But at least he is safe and can live until another out!!

How about that he actually made it to third without tripping again. He is having so much fun this year. He is also gotten into watching major league games with his Dad and that has been fun to watch them discuss the complexity of baseball.

About a month ago Ryan had a Monday off so he decided to take Ayden out of school early one day to go and watch his alma mater LCSC play St. Martin's. Adyen was so excited as you can imagine to get to ditch school, hang out with just his Dad and to watch a baseball game. They came home and I asked Ayden how it was and he said good. Ryan prompted him with a "did anything else happen?". Ayden said, "oh yeah, I got to meet Dad's old coach (Ed Cheff) and he is gonna send me an LCSC Warriors shirt. He got my address and everything!!" Well when we got back from our spring break the package was here with a sweatshirt and two shirts. The girls got he t-shirts and Ayden got the sweatshirt. Coach Cheff also sent a note to Ayden wishing him the best of luck in his little league season and told him that his Dad was a great player and that he will be a great mentor to Ayden. I just thought that was a nice note to send and it made Ayden's day.

I think baseball is just in his blood!! I am already thinking of all the bleacher bum I am gonna have watching this kid play!!

{Always lots to do}

As always when we go to Papa Chip and Grandma Kristie's house there is no lack of things to keep us occupied. There are 30 acres for the kids to run and tons of things for them to investigate. This last visit was no different. To start off when we got there they were just pleased as punch to be out of the car and to see their cousins. We hadn't seen them since our trip last July!! We got there about dinner time so we ate and the kids were off exploring until it got too dark to see.

The next day was the start of General Conference (a semi-annual conference for our whole church) and so we watched that on my parents TV. We stuffed plastic eggs during the afternoon session in preparation for the Easter egg hunt which was to start as soon as my brother and sister's families arrived. Before the hunt started I was able to take some family pictures for my niece Mahaley, her husband Mike and their little cherub Braxtyn. It was cold and windy, so needless to say it was a FAST shoot and I would like to do some more for them when it is warmer and less windy!! But I was pleased with some of the ones I did get. We took them out in my parent's orchard where the blossoms were just starting to come out.

We didn't get the eggs dyed in time for the Easter egg hunt but we did get them dyed sometime that weekend. As I mentioned before the weather was cold and windy, well just as we stepped outside to start hunting for the candy Easter eggs the heaven let loose. The poor kids were racing around in sleet trying to find their 7 eggs alloted to them. I had my camera all ready to take pictures of Wyatt on his first egg hunt but I had to tuck it under my sweatshirt because it was coming down so bad. Once each person found their seven eggs they retreated into Papa's shop to devour their candy. Wyatt was no exception. We had to extricate the bag from his death grip or he would have eaten all the candy in his bag.

Grandma is hatching some new chicks and Papa needed Lauryn's help checking on them. It had been a little too cold for these bitties and they had already lost two chicks because they got to cold and froze to death. So we were checking on them several times a day to make sure the remaining four were snuggled under their mama. Lauryn of course had no shoes on so Papa had to pack her hiney!! I thought it was a sweet picture anyhow!!

The babies were so cute. By the time we get back there next month they won't even look the same!!

I got to love on this little man too. What a sweet little guy. He was having the best time playing with his sisters' crocs and enjoying a moment being naked. I couldn't help getting the camera out and getting some sweet pics of Conner. I have to show some restraint with this little guy or I would devour him.

Wyatt found a buddy. He and Teancum were two peas in a pod, or in this case a dirt pile. They were having so much fun chucking dirt all over grandma's patio.

Wyatt was "helping" Grandma get her room picked up and her laundry put away and he discovered Papa's boots. He was insistent on Grandma putting on a pair too and they gave us a fashion show. Those darn boots kept turning backwards though so it was hard to walk very far without falling down.

This is the fort that Ayden decided to build with the scrap wood that Papa has laying around his place. I didn't have to wonder where Ayden was, he was always in the shop tinkering with some tool and trying to build some contraption. He worked on this fort for a few days, having to take a break on the day that we had 50mph winds. I didn't think it was safe for him to be outside around loose sheets of plywood and nails. Wind and nails are not really a good combo. After the day of wind he was complaining about the fort still being drafty. I don't know why!! Ayden loves going to Papa's if not for just the free roaming and the ability to imagine and then create. Sadly on Thursday night he came down with something and was throwing up through the night. By the next day he was almost back to normal. It must have only been a 12-24 hr bug. Thank heavens.

Like any real man, Wyatt enjoyed the tractor, 4 wheeler and lawn mower. He would get up there and drive all day if I let him. His little face says it all, he is a man and he is in heaven!! It really is amazing to see how these little guys come hard wired for this kind of stuff. The girls like to ride but the infatuation is not the same with them.

I realized when I was going through my pictures once I got home that I didn't have a picture of Meysa. I actually had one of her holding Braxtyn but it was really blurry for some reason. She had a blast playing with her cousins and loving on baby Braxtyn. She fed him and rocked him and she fell in love with him. She is such a good little mother to the babies. She had a rough day one day though. She cut her finger, slammed her other finger in the door and got stung by a wasp on yet another finger all in a matter of an hour. Poor thing, nothing was going her way it seemed.

I was so nice to get a break away to Papa and Grandma's house. It is as much a break for me as it is for the kids because they play outside and I don't have to worry about them. They come in when they are hungry and pass out at night from exhaustion. Not a bad deal if you ask me. We will head back that way in less than a month when my brother gets off his mission. The kids can't wait!!

{Spring?....Yeah Right!}

Just when we thought it would be safe to travel over the pass, we got socked right in the face. The kids and I were traveling to Idaho to spend our Spring Break at Papa Chip's. I knew that it was going to snow on the day we left but it wasn't suppose to come in until later in the day. I left early enough, or so I thought to get through the pass before it hit. Well I miscalculated, or the snow just decided to come early. Either way the kids and I didn't have traction tires or chains and just after I passed exit 47, they both were required. And they closed the pass right behind us. Yeah it was fabulous!! So there I sat on the mountain trying to figure out what I was going to do. I tried several times to put it into a lower gear and make my way up the hill but I had absolutely no luck. I wasn't the only person who got stuck which made me feel better.

This was the sight from our car. It is nice and pretty unless you are stuck in it. Then it wasn't such a pretty sight. The kids kept saying, "we're going to die" (with lots of drama added for effect), "no one will be able to find us", "we're doomed"!! It was all really helpful to have such positive thinkers to help me figure this all out. I called my dad and he got a hold of someone at Les Schwab in Ellensburg and they sent someone with chains to my rescue. At $90 bucks an hour it was a steep price, but I figured it was that or spend the night where we were. There was more snow on the way!!

As we sat and waited for the nice man to come to our rescue the kids thought it would be fun to take snapshot of how dire our circumstances really were!!

In the end, we ended up waiting long enough after they closed the pass for a snow plow to come though and clear the road and then sand it. The tire guy never got to us. He was actually still 30 miles away when I called him to tell him that I was not stuck anymore. It turns out that we were only less than a mile from the summit and as soon as we reached the summit the roads were just wet and slushy. So luckily we were able to be on the move again. This nice little detour only added an extra three hours to our day. Instead of getting to Papa's at 2pm we did not arrive until 5pm. I stopped by the Les Schwab tire place to pay for the guy attempting to come for me and to purchase a set of chains for my car. I ended up only have to pay for the chains, they didn't charge me for the guy's time on the road. That was a nice blessing!! That was the start of a nice vacation in Idaho and I am glad to say it only got better!!

More to come on Easter and the fun things we did at Papa's house.

{Are we done yet?}

Well good morning to you!! Just as we were getting to the floors, my sister Airica and her family arrived at our house, stopping on their way to Alaska!! They arrived late Tuesday night and left promptly Wednesday morning to go unload their moving truck and my dad's trailer into a shipping container in Seattle. It was crazy busy around our house, let me tell you!! When they got back though we had tons of help putting down our floor. They hung out with us on Thursday too and we got a lot done. We also found someone who has bed head just about as good as Lauryn. Meet our newest cousin Tayja, straight from Haiti!! They look like they are related don't they? Well at least their hair does!!
Ayden was right in the middle of all this construction. He was like a moth to a flame when it came to the tools and getting to operate or apply anything. He actually was a big help in laying the tile.
We chose to go with a vinyl tile and we love it. It was so easy to install and it looks great and it was easy on the checkbook too.
It was so easy that everyone got to help put down a square or two. It was nice not having to worry about the thin set and then grouting it. Just peel and stick!! This is Titus, he was so cute about helping. He just jumped right in there and started working.
Tayja helped too, I think she ended up finishing off the dining room for us. It was fun getting to interact with these kids. It was the first time I had met them (they have only been in the states for a little over a month). Titus gave me the biggest hug right out of the car. He is a sweet boy!!
Once the floor was down it was perfect for the kids to whip out some dance moves. Lauryn and Wyatt especially liked playing with Tayja.
Until Wyatt fell off of his tower.
My brother in law Travis and Dad would measure and cut and then we would peel and stick. It was a good system.
Dining room all done. It is so nice to eat in here and not worry about the kids spilling and ruining the carpet worse than it already was.
The kitchen floor went down quickly too. It took a little longer just because we had to cut around the cabinets and appliances.
Ryan finished tiling the back splash. I love it. It looks even better with the grout in place. I need to take a picture of it done!!
We had some laminate leftover so we redid the counter in the half bath and put up a tile back splash too. It matches the kitchen now and looks really nice. Wyatt again had to be wherever Papa and the tools were. He couldn't get enough of all the manly stuff.

Friday came and it was time for Airica and her tribe to head up to Bellingham to catch the ferry!! You may think it strange for us to be taking a picture in front of an old horse trailer. Well this horse trailer has been all over kingdom come in it's lifetime. This is what we moved in as a kid and it has moved pretty much all of us kids once we have been married. It is like a rite of passage to have your household belongings be hauled by this brown trailer. It seemed fitting to document that fact with Airica's family!! I am so glad they got to stop over at my house and that I got to see them off on their newest adventure. It was also nice to have some extra hands for all the work that needed to be done. Thanks guys!!

With Airica's family leaving I think our week of construction was complete. There were a few odds and ends that we took care of on Friday and then my parents left bright and early Saturday morning. We couldn't have done it all without their help. It is great to have family willing to help with such projects!!

It feels good to finally have that post done. Now onto Spring break.