Pidcock family

October 2011 Where has time gone???

2011-10-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

Okay I know the answer to that but I thought Iwould ask..... This last year and a half have been CraZy!! My family has been going through the refiners fire. I know that we are not the only family who has been going through hard and difficulttrials, in fact I know that there are a lot of people who have far more difficult struggles than I do, nonetheless for me and my family this has been a hard time. Thus the not contributing to the family blog. We have gone in hiding for a while, but it is now time to come back up for some air. I am looking forward to the upcoming year because I know that things have got to get better.

Ali is now a junior in high school and she is busy working at Seagul Book, doing FFA in school and being the historian for FFA. She also has fun dating and hanging out with family and friends. I can't believe that she has such a limited time left at home. I am not looking forward to the day when she decides to leave. She just went to Homecoming a couple weeks ago and we had fun shopping for her dress and getting her ready. I was sad that I missed her actually going to the dance because I was in St. George for a little girls get away.

She had a good time, and she was beautiful.

Emily- She is finally in high school which she has been looking forward to for a long time. I don't think it has been quite as exciting as she was hoping for. She really wants to be more involved and one of the things she wants to do is join the bowling team. She is on the debate team, (I don't think she needs any more tips on debating ;) and she is still clogging. Her clogging team is thinking about going on a cruise this year and of coarse her mother will have to go and make sure she is watched after. She is so fun to watch excel. She is learning how to do cake decorating and she just did her first one. She did a really cute frankenstein.

Buddy- Yeah!!! he is in school and he likes it!! We had to go the rounds this last summer about where he would go to school. He did NOT want to go to the charter school, and we kept telling him that is where he would be going--- which he did, and not he likes it! It has been better than he expected. He had a job this last year mowing lawns. He is learning to work hard. I love to watch him with his little sisters especially Reagan. They have been little buddies lately. For conference this last week they made a fort equipped with a spy cam which was pointed at the TV so that they could have conference play on the little TV they had in their fort. I will just say that some of the items used for the fort were couches, blankets, rocking chair, spring board and mattress' from beds and some chairs. It was quite the fort! Speaking of forts he and his friends this last year dug a holeon the side of the house that he put a plywood house down into. It was 8 feet by 4 feet. He even had trap doors and about everything else that a secret fort would need.

Boo- She is growing into such a beautiful young lady. She loves to be at home, and she loves to cook. She is a pro at making brownies!!! Any time I am baking or making dinner she wants to help. She is quite the little artist also. She loves to play school and has taught Reagan to read. She has played school with her so much that Reagan is reading some chapter books. This year she has reached an exciting mile stone- she has started to shave her legs and she has been really excited about that. :)

Saige is one crazy little girl! I love her and she makes us all laugh. She also gives me a lot of stress. Some of the things that she does just makes me sigh and hope that she-- or I will make it through this childhood of hers. She is probably the most loving child I have and the one who is most like her father (which explains a lot what she is like). She is loving that she goes to school all day. She loves cooking shows and she has done some of the cutest cooking shows where she has shown how to make graham crackers with frosting... It is adorable.

Reagan-- Like I said.... she is a little smartie thanksto her big sisters. She is four and she is reading small chapter books. She can almost read as good as Saige. She knows what a vowel is and I am amazed at her ability to do some of these things that she does. She is in preschool this year and she is loving it, although I think that she feels like the teacher should be spending her entire time with Reagan. I have loved spending time with her while all of the others are at school. She is my little buddy. We love to go shopping and playing together here at home.

I know that this post is getting lengthy so quickly I will say that Mike is doing well in his job. He loves what he is doing and it has been quite the process to get to where he is, but he is loving it. I also got a job, which was really difficult for me on several different levels, but I do like what I am doing and feel really blessed to have the job that I do. I know that I had help getting this job and it is what I am supposed to be doing right now. I have to say that I had to pass some tests which I haven't done for years!!!! That was hard- trying to study and pass these different test- But I did it!!!! Who knew??? Well we have all made it through these last two and a half years I guess we will make it a little while longer! :) I do love my family and I am really glad that if I had to go through it with someone I am glad it has been them!

Big Sisters!!!

2010-04-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

So last week I was trying to sleep and it had been a long night, so I was not very happy when I heard noises coming from the bathroom. Ali and Emily were up early getting ready for school like normal, but it just seemed like things were louder than normal. So me being the patient mom that I am stormed out of bed to go and tell those girls to be quiet there are people still trying to sleep. I know at this point you are thinking "shouldn't she be up with the kids" and I probably should but I was tired. Anyways I went in to give them a reminder to be quiet and as I rounded the corner there was one of the sweetest things that I have seen in a long time. Reagan was just staring at Ali and asking questions about make-up, while she was putting hers on. Lucky for me I didn't say anything and they didn't see me. I quickly went back to my room to get the camera before the moment was gone. My little girls are so lucky to have such great big sisters. Ali and Emily are so good to them, and the little girls idolize them. I always wished I'd had a big sister!

Endless ramblings

2010-04-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

So it has been a long time since I have last posted anything. I think that the reason for that is that sometimes it is easier to not say anything at all rather than actually put into words feelings and events that occur in my world. Maybe if I don't write them, they will go away. They don't. The past year has been probably the hardest year of my life. I don't say that to have any one feel bad for us! For we have truly learned some great lessons along the way, and we have seen tender mercies even when I doubted that they existed. I know that others have their own struggles too and that in comparison mine might seem small. I am grateful for all of the angels who God has sent our way this last year. I have been touched by peoples kindness and thoughtfulness. I guess one of the reasons that I want to document some of these raw feelings is so that someday if my children look back and ever read anything that I said they will read this and remember that even in the darkest hours, that I know that God lives, and that He is watching over us. Our lives are in His hands and that they will know that their mom tried to have faith. Faith is a funny thing..... There was a story that I read a couple of weeks ago about a nine year old girl who was coming across the plains in the winter snows. She was extremely exhausted and she wanted to get into a wagon and ride for awhile. A man on horse back came up to her and asked if she would like to ride in the wagon, she replied yes. The man then took her hand and made her run along side of his horse. She thought she would die, and she was sure that this man was the meanest man she had ever met. Little did she know that he was actually saving her life. After she ran along side his horse he did put her in the wagon and he saved her life. I feel like that little girl that is running and being dragged along side the horse. And just when my "wagon" comes up and I think that I want a ride -- I am required to run next to a horse. I am looking forward to the day that I get to sit in the wagon for a little while!

Just a little thought!! I am learning how to just enjoy the journey!!! I love my family!

Black and White!

2009-11-13T14:40:00.000-08:00

Almost 5 years old!!!

2-1/2 years old

13 years old

15 years old and driving!!! AGHHHH!

11 years old

I love my family!!!!

So I was trying out some black and white photos! I am working on getting better---

Wheeler Farm!

2009-11-12T16:33:00.000-08:00

So I have been wanting to take my kids pictures and I finally did it! They have all been sick for about 10 days each which, when you take into account they all did not get sick the exact same day, some got it later than others etc--- we have been sick a LONG time!!!!!! I couldn't take any more so I loaded the kids in the car and off we went to take pictures. What else are you going to do with sick kids?? I want everyone to know that I am not all that bad. . . . . I gave the really sick kids a bucket to take with them in the car :| Okay so I am not up for mother of the year, but at least I got some cute pics! See if you can tell what kids are sick. . . . .

Best Buds

2009-10-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

Nathan and Boo really are close. I love that they like each other! :) This could prove to be beneficial in a few more years. It is funny to me that usually it is the big brother that is teasing and/or bugging the younger sister, but he really is such a good big brother. Boo really likes to just be with him, and so at school she is always trying to hug him and say hi to him. He gets embarrassed sometimes. They started in a new school this year. It is a charter school, and I was not quite sure how I would like it. It has been fabulous!!! I love the uniforms, and I love that they are on the same schedule as the middle school kids! They are having a good time there, and they don't mind the changes that they have had to make.

Buddy is in 5th grade this year!!!

Boo ready for 3rd grade!

"WOW!! What an experience that was. . . . . "

2009-10-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

These are my daughters and their cute friends! They got all dressed up for the ward prom!

I am glad that my girls have such good friends! They are all so beautiful!

So last Saturday our ward had a prom for everyone 12 and up. Sister Anderton the oldest sister in our ward was the prom queen. This was kind of for her, she had mentioned several times that she had never been to prom. So we had one for her. My girl borrowed some prom dresses from our neighbor- (they are beautiful dresses). The girls spent all afternoon with their friends getting all made up for the night. Somehow I could see my future as I looked into the bathroom with five girls all taking their turn in the mirror, curling irons all over the counter, and poofs of hairspray that seemed to be clouding the room and into the hall. I myself had to get all fancy to go to the prom. After all I was asked. Yep, Mike asked me to the prom. He had my friend Julie take me to get fries and he hooked a piece of yarn to the front door and had fish every few feet that he had cut out, on the back of the fish he had written things that he liked about me. Then at the end of the string the last fish said "Out of all the fish in the sea will you go to Grandview Ward Prom with me?" It was funny. . . .Anyway so we went with the girls and we had a fun night. WAIT. . . . . . My house is flooding. . . . . . . I will be back to finish. . . . . . . . AGHHHHHHH the story of my life right now. . . . Back to the prom. We had a fun time, especially with our daughters. It was fun to be with them and I loved to see them dance with their dad. We have a lot of youth in our ward. We have about 50 young women and about the same number of young men. They all seem to have a good time together, and just have fun. One young man in our ward has aspergers, he is a nice kid but he walks to the beat of his own drum. He loved the dance and he really enjoyed showing his skills. I really do like him, his mom is one of my really good friends. So now skip ahead to Sunday, it is testimony meeting and we are running late. This young man (he is a senior in high school) gets up and talks about how much he likes this ward and all of the friends that he has here. He then goes on about the dance and how danced with Kayla -------- and that he really loved the dance off, when he just got to show his moves, and then he says "The last slow dance I danced with Ali ******* WOW! What an experience that was!" I really thought I was going to lose it!!!! I looked over at Ali who I have never seen so red in my entire life. I was laughing so uncontrollably I had tears running down my face, my shoulders were bouncing up and down so hard from trying to keep my laughter at bay. I even snorted twice! I am sure it is not as funny reading my lame attempt to recapture the moment, but I still get a good chuckle. Ali made his week! In his Sunday school class they asked him what he meant by that and he just kept responding with "She is just such a princess". The experience I'm sure will stay with Ali for a long time.

Sisters. . . . Sisters. . . .

2009-10-12T09:05:00.000-07:00

I love my sisters!!! And my mom! We had a fantastic time this last weekend. For the past few years my mom and sisters have taken a weekend and gone to Park City. We go and just be..... We stay up at a lodge in the Canyons. It is gorgeous up there this time of year. In the past we have all had money to spend, and we would go to the spa one of the days. Not this year :( But all was not lost because we gave each other pedi's, we painted on glitter toes, and we did each others hair and make-up. We had a lot of fun just being girls. We played a lot of games, and I won't give away too much information but let's just say that the loser of the game was expected to do things she might not normally do (nothing bad. . . just could lead to embarrassment) And mom lost three times in a row!!! Ha HA ha . . . . . . She was a good sport! We went to a movie and of coarse I had popcorn with my Milk Duds- is there any other way to eat popcorn??? One thing that is tradition is going to get a Carmel apple and Rocky Mountain Chocolate MmmmMmMMmmmm! My favorite is the Apple Pie Carmel Apple- Once again is there any other Carmel apple??? We had a fun time. We painted a Halloween sign, and we sparkled pumpkins. I love being with my sisters! It seemed like for a brief moment I was in another life! Now I am back in town and everything has come back. . . . If I click my heels and repeat "There's no place like Park City. . . . . . There's no place like Park City. . . . . . " That I might be magically transported back to the land of no worries? I guess it is good to want to return, that means that we had a good time, and I will look forward to next year!

Me, Mary and Rachael

Jerika, Erica, Rachael, and Robyn doing our signs

Oh yeah! Who says you have to spend money on a pedi when you have sisters and mom!?

Staycation!!!

2009-10-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

So this year we were not able to leave and go on a big family vacation and so we did what we would like to call a "Staycation". A staycation is where we find things that we can do close to home and this year it was one that did not cost much money. We actually had two weeks of staycation, one with Mikes family and one with my family. The first week Mikes entire family came here to Salt Lake and each family was in charge of a different day. They had to come up with an activity and the food for that day. It was fun to have his entire family here for a few days. One day we went to the park and did relay races, had a picnic and went swimming. The next day we went up into the mountains and camped for one night. It is funny because Mike's mom and dad and his sister Kelly are NOT campers, so I am sure that this was not their favorite day. We had a lot of fun. I had to come down the canyon and take Nathan to football practice and so the week was a little crazy for me, bringing him back home for football every night. The family went hiking up to doughnut falls which I heard was a lot of fun. The next morning on the way down the canyon we stopped at the base of Little Cottonwood canyon and we went rock climbing. WOW!!!!! Jenny and Jason are pretty much professionals!! Yep- they helped everyone of us scale the mountain wall. I have to say that I was nervous and not sure if I would be able to do it, but I just kept looking up and I did it!!!! Yeah!! I made it to the top. The kids were even able to try. That night they did a talent show at a church and all of the kids were able to show off their talents. They had so much fun and it was funny because Reagan wanted to get up on stage so bad and dance that they let her get up there and they put some music on and she went to town. She was dancing like no one was watching. And just like the energizer bunny she never quit. The next day was our day and so we were going to a park to do the zorbes. I think everyone had fun but the wind started up and it was just too much for the zorbes so we ended up at our house playing games. The next couple of days were spent up at Kelly's house in Logan. Then the following week we were packing up our gear again to head up to the campground again for a week a camping with my family. It was kind of sad that only us and Rach and Jon's family and mom were able to stay the entire time. Mary and JD came up for one day and dad could only stay a day, but it was still fun! We ended up having a fantastic staycation!!!!

This is the first day- She still looks happy and clean!!! Wait until the last day. . . .

Mike and Blueberry or "Blue Mary" as Reagan calls her

Trying to do the relay races with the little girls. . . lol

She couldn't get enough balloons!

I think this is the biggest tire that they have ever seen

Me and Ali

Reagan and Thatcher at Bingham Copper mine

Boo and Blueberry up camping. Boo loves to take care of babies.

Nate figured out this trap, and was sure that he would catch some wild animals. . . .

He was right.... He did catch several potguts during our week of camping. In fact he even caught one and I am not sure how he did this part, but he made a leash and he even got it around it's neck. He was going to take it for a walk around the campground, but the potgut didn't like that idea to well.

This one got away- you can see him jumping out. Eventually Nathan and the little girls made a containment center that was taller and the animals couldn't jump out- it was their own private zoo.

Em and Jen

I am not really sure how many hours that Saige spent catching the potguts that were up at camp. She would stand there for ever. If you look closely you can see the one that is between her and her trap.

There goes Buddy. . . He did get a little nervous he made it about 2/3 of the way up. It really was high.

There he is. . . . . yeah, yeah!

"Mine Sagie" She is so cute. . . . especially in the repelling equipment. I don't think the girl knows what fear is.

She only went up maybe 15 feet to a little ledge and then came back down but I thought she did a good job.

Ali is amazing! She was nervous but you would never know. She just put the harness on and got to work. She made it all the way to the top, she looked like a natural. She really liked it and is hoping that Santa for Christmas can bring her some repelling equipment.

Reagan and Thatcher

Emily has conquered a lot a fears this summer. She wasn't sure she would try this but she did. I am proud of her for trying things that are hard to do! I had to just keep telling her

"You can do hard things"

Boo Boo did a great job. She was a little nervous but at least she tried.

It was my first time ever really rock climbing- I loved it!

Yes that is me at the top of the 85 foot mountain!!! I did it!!!

What is camping without tin foil dinners????

Nathan and I had to go down the canyon for football and on the way back up one night we saw these moose right on the side of the road. So of coarse I had to pull off the side and take a pic. They were so close to the car at one point Nate could have reached out and touched them.

I don't think you are supposed to look cute while camping-

Waiting and waiting. . . . . . . . . ..

That's my man!

No matter what we did it seems like the face was NEVER clean

Camping is rough! You can tell that she has had a long day, just look at that face!

Yep! Staycations are exhausting!!!!!

That about says it all. . . .

Our cRaZy Summer!

2009-07-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

So life just keeps on keeping on! Who knew that when the kids got older that life got a lot more cRaZy!!!! Seriously, I am not sure what I was thinking as a young mother with all of my little kiddies under my feet when I would cry out in frustration "I can't wait until the kids are older and I will have some time to myself!" I am sure that if I had expressed those feelings to more "mature" mothers that they silently enjoyed a good chuckle, or even an out-right belly laugh. My life is not my own. So this is my life the last few weeks according to Ali, Emily, Nathan, Boo, Saige, and Reagan---- oh yeah and the other one Mike.

My little pioneer! Ali went on trek this year. What a "great" experience. I was really worried about her and what kind of time she would have. She did have a good time even though it was really hard. The missionaries were new there and this was their first trek, they had our stake treking all over the place. When everything was said and done they walked 36 miles!!!! It was supposed to be 25 miles total which was still long. My dad just got back from his and the total of theirs was 13 miles. The first night they walked pushing their handcart 17 miles. There were a lot of bloody feet the first night. She really liked the women's pull. How grateful I am that I live in this day and age, and for all that the pioneers did for us!

My cute little Reagan! One of the cutest things that she does right now is sing the entire song of "I Love to See the Temple" She knows all the words and I love to hear her sing it especially with her little lisp.

My sister got married in June. She made a beautiful bride! I am so happy for her and JD!

Some of the nieces and nephews! Always there to help!

Mary with Saige and Reagan. They thought she was a princess- she looked like it

Girls Camp!!!!!

Our girls camp this year was excellent! The camp director's uncle owned this fantastic property. It was full of fun things to do. The whole time I kept thinking how much Mike would love to have a place like this that he could just create all of these super fun things. This high log was one of the many fun toys that was there.

This swing was probably about 20 feet high. The first day we were there, almost all of the girls went on the swing. I was nervous to go on the swing, it was a lot higher once you got up on top. Emily is TERRIFIED of heights. The first day there was no getting her even close to the swing. The next day I could see it in her eyes- the desire to go on it and claim her victory over her fear. I could also see how scared she was, and I knew that she had to try. To make a long story shorter. . . We were up on the top of the log for probably 45 minutes. She was paralyzed with fear. Her legs were shaking, she was in tears. I was in tears as I looked down to the ground where about 40 young women and leaders looked on and gave her the "I love you" sign with their hands. The encouraged her as she faced one of the scariest things that she has ever done. All of these fantastic young women were so supportive even though at this point they were all waiting for dinner which had been ready for a long time and it was getting cold.

SHE DID IT!!!!!!

I am so proud of her! She is a hero to me.

There was a pond and a huge water slide that girls would go down on a boogie board and skip across the pond. What a fun place!

The leaders would wait until the girls were asleep and then we would have

FuN!!! We would swing on out into the night which was really cool. We also went cow tipping , we laughed and laughed!!!
Ali and Breanna. I had such a fun time being at camp with my girls. I love to be with them, There is so much more that I could say about camp. . . . It really was a fantastic camp!

Where did April and May go?????

2009-06-06T14:54:00.001-07:00

What the heck is going on? My life is crazy! I know it has been too long when I can't even remember what the name of my blog is. No need to worry though. . . . . rest at ease I finally remembered. Whew:) The kids and I have had a couple of crazy months. Ali and Emily were in the Temple Celebration. What a neat experience. Ali was in the choir and Emily was a dancer. I hope that it is something that they will always remember. I know that I will. I was such a whaaaa even at the rehersals. We went for the dress rehersal where the kids ran through it twice. Yep, I cried both times. That's right both times. It really was one of the neatest experiences. It is kind of nice to have it done and not have to go to all of the practices, but it will be something that I will always remember.

I am also happy that dance is over for the summer!!!!! We have had Nationals where Emily did really well- She got a 1 in one of her dances and a 2 in her other one. We just had our dance recital too. I love to see the kids dance, and then it is nice to have it over for a couple of months. I also did the dance pictures this year again. I think that they turned out cute.

Mike, Nathan and Boo all had a birthday in May and this was the big "8" birthday!!!! Boo got to have her big party at Classic Skating! Nine Screaming, Giggling, singing loud little eight year olds at Classic Skating! If I get to it there might be a post about her birthday- We will see :) She also had a fantastic time going to get her ears pierced and go with grandma to pick out her baptism dress. It was a really fun day.

My mom broke her shoulder in McDonalds parking lot just a couple of days before my baby brother left on his mission. He is going to Lima Peru. We will all miss him!!!

Soccer and Football for us have also ended----- about two weeks ago. . . . hmmmm that is because I am kind of a loser and I did not get the kids to their practices, or their games. Something had to give and I am afraid that soccer and football were the ones that had to go. It is not all my fault though. Mike took Nathan with him to Alabama to work with him for a few weeks. I really miss him, but he needed to be with his dad. I think that he is really loving it! He doesn't even miss me---- What is up with that??? All I do for him :)

My sister Mary is getting married in a couple of weeks! Yeah for Mary!!! We really like her man. He is a good guy and he is lucky to have Mary. What a fun time for them, and a busy time for us. This is one more thing that has occupied some of my time.

Now all of the girls camps are going to start. Monday the girls leave for Oakcrest. I hope they have a great time. Emily is not so sure. Then they come home and the next week is girls camp. I love girls camp!!!! It will be fun! Then they come back and the next week is Mary's wedding. Then the next week Ali goes on Trek--- She is really nervous for that one. I know that it is hard but I am hoping that she had a really good experience.

That is my month of June!!!! It will be fun and busy! I love summer!!!!

She Looks Harmless!

2009-03-25T17:49:00.001-07:00

That's right she looks like a sweet little girl, and she can be if she wants but oh boy watch out!

So there are no cute fun pictures to remember these "funny" little things, no smiles yet- but I am hoping to use this when Saige is a mom to show her what she put me through and when she comes to me in tears because of her own daughter, there will be proof that she put me through *#@$^*. These are a few of the things that went on this week. . . .

1. Nathan has a long metal rod with a dinosaur bone on the end, it is really heavy and she beat up Jane with it.

2. She has pulled out all of Reagan's clothes from her drawers and all of the ones that are hanging up and covered the floor at least four times in the last two days.

3. She has pulled out fake green grass out of my decorations and scattered it throughout the house.

4. She painted not only her toe and fingernails, but Reagan's nails and her feet almost the entire top of them. She also painted table and carpet.

5. She poured her fruit punch onto the couch in the kitchen.

6. She got my stamps from my office and stamped the rug in the family room orange.

7. She held her hand to me (we hold up our hand when we are leaving with the I love you sign) with all five fingers and said "this means I don't love you cuz' you are mad at me!"

8. She found a stick and she said it was her wand and she ran around hitting everything she could around the house including trying to break the fireplace.

9. She dumped out a box of cereal.

10. She completely ignores me when I try to tell her something. She will just keep on running.

11. The other day when I said she could not play with friends, she snuck out and went to a friends house. Later I found her and then said she couldn't even go in our back yard. I turned to make dinner and about one minute later I heard her saying "come on Reagan, just be really quiet, come on shhhhh" she turned around and saw me and while laughing said "OH I didn't know you were there" I asked "Are you sneaking outside?" Saige replied "Ahh. . . .Yeah"

The list could go on and on but I think you all get the picture. Finally I had had enough!!!! She was sitting eating something when I said I was going to take something away and she said Santa would bring her one the next day to which I replied "Santa will NEVER come and see you again unless you start making good choices! If I were you I would start to make good choices" To which she said "Well if I were you I would not get so mad at everything." AGHHHHHHH!!!!! Please help me!! I love her though!

They Came!!!

2009-03-17T07:53:00.003-07:00

I thought that we should document that the leprechaun did indeed come. They came and left their magic footprints all through the house. They jumped in the kitchen window walked all over the counter and jumped to the floor where they treked over to the fridge and turned the milk green!

Yep! once again they left green candy and gold coins in the shoes that were left by the front door. Last night I went to the store and when I got home Nathan thought that he was clever and put everyones shoes in the closet and filled the front hall with all of his shoes, slippers, and boots. He was hoping for all of the treats-

Saige could not believe that the leprechauns left footprints everywhere! Her squeal of excitement was so cute!

This was the last we saw of the leprechauns feet. He must of climbed up the front door on his way out of the house. Now I can't wait of the green dinner tonight!!!

When mom doesn't help!

2009-03-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

Saige now likes to do her own hair! Beautiful!!!

I think this is the "new" look!

Thank you all for all of your words of encouragement! Life is looking up, and each day is getting better. I really do appreciate all the thoughts and love that you shared. Now it is time to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and realize that God in in charge of my life and all things are in His hands :) Now on with life......

This is what happens when mom lets the girls be in charge of themselves. Saige as you all know is an independent spirit (to say the least) so when it is time to get dressed, get Reagan dressed, do hair, and pretty much anything else you can think of Saige knows how to do it better than me EVERYTIME--- and really is it worth the battle? Picking my battles with her is going to be key. She may win a lot of the battles but I will win the war!!! (I hope) I wish that I had taken more pics of all of the beautiful outfits that she comes up with but these will have to do. I will also say that both of the little girls 98% of the time will only wear dresses. Everyday they NEED to wear a "princess dress" so that they can dance, so needless to say all winter long we have looked like a polygamist family with the dresses and the jeans underneath. I have been worn down....... There are Sundays that we have walked into the church with Saige in full Cinderella garb, or when she is in princess attire with "crown" and all. Hey however I can get her there without the fight. I am just happy that we have avoided the Ariel costume with the long flowing, flaming red hair--- not that is hasn't been asked for, because it has I just conveniently can't find it especially of Sunday's.

"I will try the faith of my people"

2009-02-10T08:22:00.000-08:00

I have heard this my entire life and we read in the scriptures that the Lord will try the faith of his people, but who knew that it would be so often and it would be so difficult. It seem like the harder I try to do the things that you hear will bring you closer to our Heavenly Father and our Savior the further away I feel like I become, and the more I feel, and hear the thoughts of the opposing team screaming in my ear. Sometimes finding joy in the journey becomes a full time job. After all is said and done I am hoping that this job will have benefits. I am sorry that this has been somewhat of a downer, but in the end I have heard that down times are good for us right? During hard times I am really grateful for the power of prayer and the strength that it can give to me. I appreciate that each new day is just that it is a new day :) Here is to a new day!

That party was KICKIN' !!!

2009-01-19T08:05:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite "dance" pic of the night! Boyd and Natalie perfect picture! I am sure that my dance pictures looked a lot like that- nervous to be with a boy :|

We stayed late after everyone had left and sang into the night! Karen took the cake with the her solo....... "I like big butts and I can not lie ......... " Oh I wish I had that on video!

Janae and West

Kevin and Dawn

Kenny and Pam wanted this picture to embarrass Kayla

Kristen and Spence- what a classic dance pose

Forrest and Karen- You can tell that Forrest is loving it!

Steven and Collette- who knew that Steven could sing like that! Wow! American Woman....... I didn't even recognize him when we first got there.

Ted and Norma- She was dancin' like there was no tomorrow! She had been talking to me for while when she finally looked at me and said "Who are you anyways?" I told her and she looked a little confused. At church the next day she came up to me laughing and said "You do not even look the same. Now this looks like you."

Bryan and Alayna

Cliff and Wendy-

Troy and Julie

Troy and Jen

Jared and Jen

Will and Joyce

We had a party for our friend Natalie who turned 40. This was a tight party! It was an 80's surprise party at a funeral home. We got to dress up in totally rad clothes and just putting them on I felt cool! I was lucky enough to have scored the most totally awesome shoes! I found the Reebok high tops! The jewelry was from Claire's yep that's right the jewelry is back "IN". My girls were fighting for who got to wear what. They wanted it all after the party. I felt like I had got the hair and the outfit just right when Ali looked at me and said "You look like you were on Back to the Future. Yes I was ready for the party! I had such a great time at the party. I did miss Mike and was sad that he couldn't be there. This is right up his alley... When he gets home we are going to have another 80's night and maybe go out to eat and go bowling, and who knows we just might bring it ALL back!! :)

My baby is Two!

2009-01-14T14:49:00.001-08:00

My little princess.... She doesn't want anything to do with pants only dresses for this girl. She refuses to even wear jammies it has to be a "pretty dress" also known as nightgowns.

The baby and stroller were a hit!

It's funny that she knows where the make-up goes just getting it there is a little harder than it looks when I do it.

I can't believe that my baby turned two years old! Yeah!!!! and Aahhh sad!- I have a little of both feelings. She has been so fun. She really has a sweet personality. She was so excited for her birthday, she would sang happy birthday to herself all day long, and told everyone she came in contact with happy birthday! She got a baby and a stroller there is nothing better, she was so happy. In her little life right now we are struggling to keep clothes and diapers on her, and my make-up off of her. She just makes me laugh, I guess that's what happens with your sixth- It takes too much energy to get to worked up about all that stuff. There is a definite difference between mothering my first ones and my last! (Poor Ali and Emily)

Better Late than Never

2009-01-12T14:03:00.001-08:00

This is my little cook! Anytime of the day, anywhere we are she wants to help cook. How did Santa know she would love this????

It looks like both girls were pleasantly surprised with what Santa chose to bring them.

OHHH NOOOO! now Santa did it he got Nathan a 22. Mike was jealous cuz Nathans in nicer :)

These two girls were so fun to watch on Christmas morning!!! Everything was super exciting!

Back by popular demand..... Back in the day when I was a kid at the Nielsen Christmas party my dad did this skit. A duet with "Animal" we always loved to watch him sing, and it never ceases to amaze the little kids that Animal can sing too.

This year Abe's family skit was Merry the Christmas fairy saves Christmas. I think that Abe makes a great flower.

Rachaels little boy Ben portrays Rachael for their family skit. He is so cute!

Jake's little kids on the island of misfit toys! Their skit even scared them, they were not even able to finish the skit! LOL

These are the hot men in my family! Top right Abe, Mike, Adam, Jon. Bottom right Jake, Ike,

Dad, and my little buddy! I think this should be on a calendar :)

Okay so here are our Christmas Eve party pics and Christmas morning! My favorite family tradition for as long as I can remember is the Nielsen Christmas eve party. We have done it as long as I can remember, and after grandma and grandpa Nielsen died my family kept on goin! When I was growing up my dad was inevitably the MC and every year he would go to the D.I. and purchase his new Christmas outfit. It usually consisted of red and green of course, some plaid and a snazzy vest of some sort. He was the only one who would dress up for the occasion. That tradition has followed us, but it has also expanded. Every year on Christmas eve morning all the boys meet at a D.I. somewhere. The attire has had to change a little bit, it is sad to say, because you just can't find the same awesome clothes that you used too. So now the boys come up with a theme. This is a family blog so I probably shouldn't tell all of the theme's! HAHAHA So this year when the boys got together they decided to choose a color for each other, thus the array of color :) They come to the party dressed in their new outfit with tags and all. The other part of the Christmas eve party is the skits. Every family puts on a skit, they come up with it usually the day of and we perform it for everyone. Some of the skits throughout the years have been really funny. I wish that I had a video to put on here of the one we did this year. Our family did synchronized swimming to the nut cracker. Yep that's right, we all paraded out in our swimming suits, and the swim caps and had a "swim" routine that I think we pulled off rather well. We lined the front of the stage with chairs covered with blue blankets to look like water. We were awesome! :) hahahah..... Needless to say the night was a huge success ending with Santa making an entrance. The kids were so excited, and to think that he took time out of his busy schedule to make an appearance.

We need help this new year!!!

2009-01-07T07:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!!! I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! We had a fabulous season. It seems like somewhat of a blur...... Was I really there??? I think so. We had such a fun time. Christmas is always fun with kids, I love to see their faces when they take their first glimpse at the tree with the presents all around it. Fun times. On New Years we had some friends over and played games. I had a great time we had over 30 people in our house which I thought was fun. I just wish there was a little more room.

As this new year has started I thought that I would come up with some goals for me and some for our family. One thing that I have not been to good at is having family home evening consistently, so I thought that I would start off the year right. We had our first family home evening of the year and it was on the first vision. Joseph Smith, 14 years old, sees the Father and his Son... You know the one. I figured that I should start with the basics, turns out that I might need to start out even more basic... is that possible? Mike was telling the story about Joseph going into the grove to pray and asked the question who appeared to Joseph? To which my SEVEN year old (BOO Yes she is seven... she will be eight in a few months) replied "Wasn't that Pete and Pickle?" AHHHHH..... I thought we had done a little better than that :) I guess that there is always room for improvement right? I guess anything for us at this point will be an improvement:) I am pretty sure that this (the first vision) is something we have discussed before. She will be going in for her baptism interview in not to long and I hope she will pass! Looks like the family home evening goal will be a good one for us this year!

Dance Pictures (I HOPE!)

2008-12-29T11:09:00.000-08:00

My cute Boo!!! She did such a good job. She is the youngest in her class I wasn't sure she would be able to keep up but she did fantastic.

Yep even I got into the action again, and I think that we improved since last year. It has been a fun out for me.

Ali and Emily were both in this dance and they both did fabulous!!! It was fun to see them dance together.

I think that this dance got the loudest cheers!!! Buddy and the boys stole the show. They did such a great job in the hip-hop dance. Little studs!!!! I was surprised how good they did!

Buddy started out on the floor and did the worm across the stage.

"Ellie the Elf" was the name of this song and it was all about how this one little elf is so naughty! Hmmmmmm....... But what a cute naughty little elf.

Boo in her other dance... caught in mid air! good shot!

Breanna, Emily, Jessie (the teacher, and friend) and Ali

Emily

Ali

Buddy

Boo and Saige

Boo

Saige

Santa Baby....

Emily and the clogging dance team! They are so fun to watch. I love it, they do fantastic!!!

Christmas Dance Recital

2008-12-23T13:52:00.000-08:00

Okay me and the computer are in a fight!!!! I could not for the life of me get it to post anything that I wrote or any pics..... So here we go again. I will try to say a little something. We had our Christmas dance recital which was really fun. I think it is more fun for the grandparents because we had someone in our family in I think all but four dances. The kids did so good. I am proud of them and all of the hard work they put into it. You guys did awesome!!!!!!

Okay I see that we are still in a fight, me vs. the computer. The computer is winning...... I hope to post the pictures soon. For now it is time to go to the Christmas Eve party... The best night of the year!!!!! I will pick this up in a couple of days and hopefully get the pictures on there then :)

AGHHH!

2008-12-09T19:29:00.000-08:00

Last week we had our Pidcock family party. It is always a really fun party- but this year was a little different. Grandma and grandpa always give us money and that day we go out and we buy ourselves a gift from them. We all love it, especially grandma! It makes her shopping really easy. This year Mike and I split up and I took the two oldest girls with me and we were off the hit KHOLS where there seems to always be great sales! :) Anyway in our rush to get there, we were at a stop light and out of the corner of my eye I could see the cars moving.... so I started going and did not realize until it was to late that the cars that were going were only the ones turning left. Yes, I got in my first real accident----- AGHHHH And it was my fault! That really takes the fun out of shopping! Luckily there was no damage done to the truck, but our little car was not built to run into things! I have somewhat been beating myself up over this little incident and today I read something that I think has helped. I was reminded of the talk by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin "Come What May and Love it". So I read through it again. I loved the talk when he gave it and I loved it again today. One thing he said was this, "The next time you are tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable". (I sure could have used this advice on Saturday.) He reminded me that all of these things in life can make us better. Come what may and love it- no matter what is going on. It has given me permission to forgive myself for running into a big stationary object! Next time I will pay more attention!

The newest ornaments!

2008-12-02T07:54:00.000-08:00

Boo found a fabulous frog that moves it legs when you pull the string!

Buddy got a snowman playing soccer... which is so him.

Emily stayed with her bird theme. I love it!

I picked out this chicken and Ali loved it too and so gave it to her.

Reagan picked a "thishy" (fishy) that she LOVED! In the store she saw the fish and said "AWhhhh comeear thishy" and held it like a baby while she pet it like it was her puppy. She was fun!

Dad also got a fishy!!!

The infamous bells! read on......

Every year we have a tradition that we go out as a family and everyone gets to pick out a new ornament for the family Christmas tree. It has been fun every year to look back and see what the kids have picked out in years past. The first year we started this Emily picked out one of the funniest ones that we have. She picked out a red bird. It is not just any red bird it is about 10 inches long and it really is quite big. It doesn't hang on the tree it has to sit on a branch. We actually tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't even think about it. Now I am glad it is one of my favorites. Years have come and gone and the ornaments are always fun, but none have really compared to the bird....... until this year I think we have a winner. Saige was so funny picking out hers. She at one point had probably ten in the basket ready to purchase every one--- but she did have a favorite that she had to have. This duo of bells- big brass bells. It was the most beautiful thing she had seen and it made music. I believe this will also go down as one of the favorites!

Disney on Ice!

2008-12-02T07:21:00.001-08:00

Mike was so cute he told the family about a week in advance that he had a surprise for us and that we shouldn't plan anything for the upcoming Saturday. The kids were sure that the big surprise was that we were all going to go and clean the church Saturday morning! They were not that excited. Needless to say the questions of what are we doing? where are we going? are we doing it with anyone? really... are we cleaning the church? were relentless. The day finally arrived and we were on our way to the secret destination and Ali and Emily in the car were calling out I can't stand it anymore- I just need to know. Mike and the boys in my family had all decided to surprise the families with a night to Disney on Ice. We had such a fun time the kids loved it especially the little girls! It really was magical for all of them watching the princesses. The paraphernalia that was sold there was even more expensive than that sold at Disney Land- So yes it was magical for the parents as well as we all watched the money disappear from our wallets! :| We did have a great time! Thank you babe for a great night!

Good Try Em :)

2008-11-23T15:40:00.000-08:00

Emily did such a great job with all that was involved in running for student body officer, but it is not her time. The race was so close that the person who came in last missed by only 20 votes. It was a very close race! I am so proud of Em sticking with it even when it was hard. I think it just gave her some good practice for when she does it again. It was our first time ever doing anything like that. We will be better prepared if she decides she would like to run for 8th grade SBO. Way to go Em!!!!

My Son "Patrick the Starfish"

2008-11-15T13:19:00.000-08:00

If any of you have watched Spongebob you might recall his best friend Patrick... He is a starfish that seems to be missing a few brain cells and any time Patrick talks he sounds slightly stupid. Now I know that later in life I will want to recall this proud parent moment so I am writing it down. I am sure that Nathan will want to remember it as well. Here it goes..... About a week ago we went to parent-teacher conference at the school. I was doing my duty as a parent to sit in long lines, behind parents that don't remember that each person should only take 10- 15 minutes with the teacher. When really, if you have that much to say you should probably schedule in a time after school to visit with the teacher. Anyway, after 1 hour in line to talk to Nathans teacher we sit down to start our own conversation, that I am sure will take only 5 minutes.

Mrs. Brown asks if I have looked over his report card, to which I reply "Yes"

Mrs. Brown: "Do You have any questions?"

Mom: "I was a little concerned about the 1 in independent reading"

Mrs. Brown: "Nathan, do you know why you got a 1"?

Nathan: (In that voice of DUHHHHH) "I dunno" I look over to my son to find that something is dreadfully wrong with his face. He is staring straight at his teacher with glazed eyes and his two front teeth protruding forward, mouth wide open, and slumped over across her table.

I look over somewhat stumped, I don't recall ever seeing such a face. Surely it was just in my mind. We proceed with our conference and I explain that the reason that his calendars are not filled out is because he refuses to fill it out if it is the next day- he thinks that it is dishonest. I have even put down some time on his sheet and he erases it because he didn't write it in the day of reading.

Mrs. Brown: "Nathan do you think that you can put the calendar in a place where you will remember to write down your time?"

Nathan: With the exact same look as before "I dunno"

Mrs. Brown: "Could you put it in your book?"

Nathan: Still sounding like something has grabbed hold of any brain cells that were left he replies "NHOOO"

Mrs. Brown: "Why not?"

Nathan: "Cuz my pencil might get on the book" mouth still wide open, eyes still fixed on something and all in the same DUHHHHH voice he has used all night.

Mom: I am not sure how to describe the look on my face I couldn't believe my eyes and ears! It was all I could do to remain calm and not drag him out of there by the earlobe. All I could say to my son in that moment was "WHAT"??????

Nathan: "K- Yeahhhhh" STILL sounding like Patrick the starfish!

Mom: To Mrs. Brown "Does he always act like this"?

Mrs. Brown: "Oh it's okay, sometimes he gets a little loud but for the most part he is a good kid".

Mom: To herself in her mind..... I am going to kill him when we get home. What the crap is he doing????? I can't believe he is acting this way.. I am soooo embarrassed. What have I done????

What happened to my sweet boy? If I grab him by the ear and drag him out of here will anyone call me in? What is going on?

Well, we finished the conference and I did get a couple of straight answers out of my son to the teacher. It might have been the look of death that he received or maybe it was the red face, or even the steam coming out of my ears. Whatever it was we finished and as soon as we rounded the corner as to not be seen by any faculty, or other bystanders... well you know the rest. It was one of those moments in life when in the middle of it you can't believe this is happening to you, and now a week later you hope it never happens again, but you laugh about it behind his back. I don't want him to think it was funny. I can't wait to tell the story at his mission farewell! I love you Nathan!!!

"It's the little girls birfday"

2008-11-15T12:59:00.000-08:00

The birthday was actually yesterday and our little Saige turned 4 years old. I love the age of 4!!! She is really fun right now. I know you all think that she has always been fun :) but it is just getting better and better. Almost every little thing she says makes me smile. With each present that she opened the excitement was almost uncontrollable. She was soooo excited with each new gift, and with each one would say "OHHHHHH it's a ........" no matter how big or small everything was exciting! Mike was videoing the morning and asked her if she wanted to say anything to the camera to which she stood on her chair, stood up straight and delivered a great acceptance speech that went like this.... "Thank you all... I love you mommy & daddy......... Happy Birfday to you all" Then throughout the remainder of the day and into today anything we ask her depending on if it is something she wants or not it is "I can do that it's the little girls birfday" or "I can't it's the little girls birfday" She used it this morning to go with Mike and when we explained that it is not her birthday anymore she replied "That's okay it's still a little girls birfday". I wonder how long we will hear about a little girls birfday????

Vote for EM!!!!

2008-11-10T08:33:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it is that time in my life when I stay up late at night helping one of my children make posters to run for S.B.O.!!! Yep Em is running for S.B.O. I think that she did a really good job on the poster. I am proud of her trying something new. She has been a little nervous doing it but I think it is a great growing experience. She wouldn't take the poster this morning because she didn't want to be the first one to have a poster up- so today after school we will hang it up. Good Luck Em!!!!!

WOW!

2008-11-06T09:24:00.000-08:00

The theme for reflections this year was WOW! I think this is the first year that I have had kids want to participate in the reflections program at school. Nathan did "MOTH ART" which is what Adam my brother named his art. He has put it on shirts and last year it was all throughout the Riverton High school yearbook. That is not the point- but that is where Nate received his inspiration. Nate did a great job on his poster. Boo did a super job as well. She did a sculpture with clay. The title of her piece is "Little Boo" She had to re-do it about three times because she happens to live with a couple of little sisters who enjoy creativity also.... theirs is a little more destructive though. In the end they were both pleased with the finished product. I think they both did an amazing job. I am sure that those who see it will say WOW! Way to go kids!!!!!

Ali's Birthday!!!

2008-11-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

AGHHHHH! I can't believe that my little girl is now able to join the flocks of youth at the Stake dances. Yep that's right she has turned 14!!!! I can't believe that she can go and actually dance with a boy if she wants. When I went to the stake dances I think I spent most of my time on the sideline because I was too cool to actually dance.... Ha Ha :) Ali decided this year that she wanted the money and she wanted just the two of us to go shopping- so that's what we did. We went first to Wild Orchid where she got her first set of nails! She picked a really cute peach color for the tips. Then it was off to walmart to buy some make-up. We then made our way over to the district where she found some really cute clothes and some fantastic jewelry. We also went out to eat at Tepenyaki FABULOUS!!!! I love that place. We had such a great time together. I am so grateful for Ali and for the good girl that she is. We are so blessed to have her in our family. She is such a wonderful daughter and a great friend! We have such a good time together. When we came home I wrapped up all the gifts and set them out for Sunday morning which was her actual birthday, so in the morning she was able to be completely surprised by what I had picked out for her. She loved it all!!!

Pink, Blue, or Green?????

2008-11-04T14:14:00.001-08:00

What size sponge curler do you think that the girls slept in? Was is pink, blue, or green? I remember back in the day when that was the only way to go. I remember having my mom roll my hair as I sat in front of the T.V. watching Little House on the Prairie. Where I loved watching the episodes where Laura and Almonzo fall in love. Almonzo was such a hottie! ;) (What was I thinking) I also had a really cool curler cap that went over the top to ensure that they all stayed in place so every hair was curly come dawn. The girls slept in theirs and yep sure enough the hair came out curly. We all enjoyed the new look but they were not so sure it was one worth keeping. I think it will be a while before they try the too curly look again. I do recall that the nights sleep was not that great while wearing sponge curlers all over your head, but oh how I love the pictures. I think they would be fantastic on a wedding video :)

My Roots...

2008-11-03T19:10:00.001-08:00

My cute sister made me this cake for my birthday! It was her first one like this, I dare say she has talent!

This is on the way to the party. Guess what the ride home was???

What life is like after the candy!!!!!

Ali, Emily, and Aunt Mary the Joker without the make-up.

Dad and Mom Great Costumes!

Baby brother Adam and his friend.. (sorry I don't remember her name)

Jerika and Abe Rock On!!!

Ike and Rita! She has four kids four and under, he should have a turn :)

Rach and Jon. They make me laugh!!!

Halloween Night!!!

2008-11-03T17:53:00.000-08:00

My Edward!!! MMmmmm......

Okay, Yes I admit it I had to dress up the dogs (Eddie wouldn't sit still for his pic)

Thank goodness for Aunt Mary and all of her old dance dresses!!!!

Don't even ask because I am not sure what the heck he is!

The Snow Princess... Reagan ready to head out for the night!

Saige was our little Ariel.... Isn't that the princess who goes against her father and does what ever she wants??? hmmmmm.

The other princess!!! Boo decided to go with her friend Kayla this year and she has been kinda sad about that choice because Kayla's mom said that going around one block was enough...... That will teach her to think twice about who she's going with :) She has told me a few time "I should have went with Dad he gets ton's more candy"

So I am just a little late in posting the night of fright.. Oh well, better late than never. I love Halloween! We had a good time we played yes you guessed it Ticket to Ride!! You all think that I am kidding but I really want to play- I am addicted. Ali and Emily had a Halloween Party this year with some friends in the ward. It "sounded" like they had a good time. They watched "The Private Eyes" an oldie but a goodie with Don Knotts and Tim Conway. Funny. They also went Trick-or-Treating and brought back lots of treats. There was a lot of giggling and some screams..... I didn't ask. I love that the girls have such great friends. It has been fun to watch them grow into the beautiful young women that they are.

Go Leprechaun's!!!

2008-10-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

Buddy's team is the Leprechaun's. This was his last game for the fall. He is getting better and better all the time. For the last game we decided to show our team spirit, and luckily right now is a really good time to find green hair color and face paint. I really enjoy going to his games. He would really like to play indoor soccer but I am not so sure about that. When he grows up he wants to be a professional soccer player. GO BUDDY!!! Next year he wants to try out for a competition team which will play about all year I think. I guess I better look into it. Way to go Buddy! Keep up the good work!

28 Again!

2008-10-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, Yes I did celebrate a birthday and I turned 28 again. So I have been 28 for several years.... whose counting??? It was such a busy day but it was a fun day and the only reason I even bring it up is because after the opening of my gifts I was sitting on the couch and Saige came and sat on my lap and as we were cuddling she looked at me and said "I will make all your dreams come true". I am not really sure where she comes up with all of her stuff, but to me she is funny. She better keep going she is fun to write about! I did get a game that I LOVE!!! It is called Ticket to Ride. It is such a fun game and the kids like to play it with me YEAH!!!! I like to play games but Mike doesn't really care for games, although I think he likes this one. Anyone up for a game????

WELCOME HOME DAD!!!

2008-10-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

Yeah!!! Mike is finally home after almost three months. I know that there are a lot more families out there that have a lot more challenges than us, but it is a little hard when Mike is gone for so long. We miss him and we are so happy to have him home for a while! We had a few signs made for him. I love the one Saige made. She didn't want it to blow away so she was sure that every inch of it was taped to the door. I don't think she realized that the wind is not near as strong inside the house as it is outside. :)

Mess? What Mess?

2008-10-23T10:32:00.001-07:00

You know you have been spending a little too much time blogging and/ or watching Smallville when.... You come out to find that your house has turned upside down. Every towel you own from the smallest dish towel to your favorite beach towel has been used to form bridges from room to room. The books from your once organized book shelf have magically turned into stepping stones as to insure your safety from the hot "LABA". You turn to your bright three year old to inquire of the mess and her face shows complete confusion-- "Mess? What mess? You have to have this or you will die" I think she has also seen a little too much Smallville. Well sacrifices must be made right?

Diamondback of the Month

2008-10-23T07:49:00.000-07:00

Emily student of the month!

Mrs. Holm & Em

Ms. Nelson & Em

Mrs. Strang & Em

This was an exciting morning for Emily. She was selected to be student of the month at school. The school sent us a letter earlier in the week saying that she was chosen and they would be recognizing her this morning at 7:00. So yes even I got up and got ready for school, which by the way I am so glad that I don't have to do every morning! I forgot how hard it is to be up and going and dressed and ready for the day by 6:50. We went to the school where they had a breakfast for us and they recognized the students. They gave the students letters that their teachers had written to them. It is one of those pay day's that parents get every so often when you are proud of what your child is becoming. And you realize that somewhere along the way you have done something right- at least you hope you had a small part in helping them be who they are. Emily I am so happy with the choices you are making in your life. You are such a special daughter, and we love you so much. It was fun to read the things that your teachers said about you. They like you but not quite as much as we do! Keep up the good work!

Toothless Boo

2008-10-23T07:34:00.000-07:00

Boo thought that this week she would single handedly build the tooth fairy's tooth castle. On Sunday she went out to jump on the tramp. She was doing a very special trick when it went all wrong. She took a knee right to the mouth. This could have been a tragic experience-- but-- it did make a tooth really loose and after all when we lose a tooth that is exciting because we get "MONEY" so after a little twisting we lost the first front tooth. Now in our house for some bizzar reason we have a ditsy tooth fairy and she never remembers to come unless the tooth is left on the kitchen table in a baggie next to the child's seat who lost the tooth; and even then it's any ones guess. But I am happy to say the tooth fairy did make it. Well this was such an easy way to get some quick cash that the next day something odd happened and Boo herself can't seem to recall exactly what happened. The only thing that is for certain is that the knee came up and hit another tooth. Yes this knee secret is out and it worked well. The second tooth was lost on Tuesday. What an exciting week for Boo and the tooth fairy. I have told Boo that maybe the secret weapon should be put away for a while or she will not be able to eat anything at all. The draw back is now she won't be "rich".

15 Years!!!!

2008-10-23T07:12:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that Mike and I just celebrated our 15 year wedding anniversary. WOW! In some ways it seems like the time has gone by so fast and in others ways it seems like we have always been together. He has been working out of town for the last couple of months, but he did make it home for this special occasion. We got to go up to Park City and spend a few days up there, thanks to my mom and dad! They have a time share up there so we were able to use a couple of their nights. It is crazy to think back to the day that we got married. What a spectacular day! I love him more today than I did on the day we were sealed in the beautiful Salt Lake Temple. When Mike asked me to marry him in the most romantic place (Hardees, but that is another story) there was a couple that watched the event unfold. She came up to us and said "Say yes... We have been married for 15 years and it has been wonderful". Mike and I both thought that they were so old and it would be an eternity until the fifteen year mark. But as we all come to realize time flies when your having fun :) In those fifteen years we have brought in to this world six great kids. AGHHH It makes me realize that I am getting old. I was single just a few more years than I have been married. The journey has been good. I love you babe! Thank you for being the man you are, and thank you for the last fifteen years!

Great Salt Lake with the Kids

2008-10-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

I love these kids! We have a great time together. I am so glad that on this journey through life I get to spend it with these fun kids and a fantastic husband!

There is this really cool old train that is just sitting out in the middle of no where-- what else can you do- a picture must be taken!

I love the pictures that are a little different than normal, so I was happy to find some unusual things at the Great Salt Lake that make for some fun pics. I was taking pictures of Mike's cousin and her daughter here the next day so I decided that I had better do a trial run with my own kids. I likes how they turned out. I don't think the kids have ever been to the Lake so they found it interesting as well, although the lake is so far away you would have to walk a long time to get to it I was happy that they settled for a small pond that was close by.

The Subjects of Grandpa's Painting

2008-10-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

I took Nathan and Saige and we went with my dad to take pictures for his next painting. While we were there we took the opportunity to take a few extra pictures. Saige is such a little poser. She is very dramatic when it comes to the camera, but it does make for some fun pictures.

Taking time to smell the flowers. If only I could always remember that!

Find joy in the journey!

It was fun to go and spend some time with Buddy and Saige. I am so glad that I was able to have one son. He is such a joy in my life.

It will be fun to have a painting of the three of us.

My dad is a fabulous artist. I did not get any of those genes. I love to take the pictures though and if I could I would have him paint one of each person in my family. If you would like to see some of his paintings you can visit his web site ltnart.com

Saige was funny as we walked through this garden area to take some pics she would tell me "take this one of me like this" she has a mind of her own, and she knows what she wants.

A girls best friend

2008-10-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

I have never had a child who "needed" a blankie or anything like that until Reagan....

I love my blanket!

There have been times when we have thought that we would have to travel hours back home to get the blanket so she would be able to go to bed, or back to someones house because we know from experience that she doesn't sleep through the night unless she has it with her.

My mom made her this blanket along with two burp rags when she was born. Thank you mom :) I came up with a brilliant idea after having to lug around a big blanket. We would use the burp rags for tiny blankets! It worked fantastic for the most part until she decided she needed the two tiny blankets and the big blanket to go anywhere. It has been cute to have a baby so attached, but the blanket is starting to get holes in it and I'm not sure what we will do when it is completely worn out.

18 Hour Lipstick

2008-09-30T07:49:00.000-07:00

If it is not a sunflower necklace it is your 18 hour lipstick. Girls just want to be beautiful.... can you really blame them. After all they see all the older girls putting on necklaces and lipstick. Reagan loves to be with me as I put on my make-up. I always pretend to put it on her too. So it was no surprise when we found her with gorgeous red lipstick all over her face. In fact she was quite upset when we took it away. I think she was a little shocked see the masterpiece she had created because when I showed her herself in the mirror she just stared. I am not sure if it was in awe of the beauty of it all or in horror of what was all over her face. When I say it was the 18 hour lipstick it really is. There is no amount of scrubbing that can take it off unless you are willing to inflict minor burns. We also found out that you should NEVER use a Mr. Clean magic sponge. When Saige had done a similar thing a few years ago Mike figured that the magic sponge takes everything off of walls etc. that surely it would take lipstick off of little girls faces. Yes it does take the lipstick off but it also leaves behind a small burn. We felt really bad and so decided that on Reagan we would just let her ride it out. She did look beautiful all day until the next morning. It was still there and so we tried Mary Kay make-up remover which worked fantastic and did not leave a burn.

Sunflower Necklace

2008-09-30T07:23:00.001-07:00

The look of panic!! No matter how many times you tell them "Don't put the wreath on your head it won't come off" sometimes they have to learn for themselves. One night we were not really "surprised" to see that Saige had decided to try on the sunflower wreath, rather we thought that it was quite funny that she tried it despite the warnings. She didn't find it as funny as the rest of us. She was not happy that we were laughing and even more unhappy that we would take time to take pictures rather than save her. She now felt like that flowers were attacking and she was the victim. We did try to pull them off but... no luck. She was now really nervous that this would be a permanent addition. Mike and I are not really nice when we said we thought they looked nice and that because she wouldn't listen to the warnings we had said that it seemed to us she would just have to get used to the idea. Ok we didn't make her keep it on long we did have to take all the flowers out to get to the actual wreath part so we could cut it off. I am happy to say that we have not had another wreath incident since:)

School Days!!!

2008-09-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

Yeah! school has started. And finally all of the kids are in school at the same time. Because the younger kids are in year round school they were off when the older girls started but now for the last couple of weeks we have had everybody in school. It is so fun to start a new year of school. Ali is now in 8th grade. She is still playing the violin which she is doing really great at, and she started dance. She will be doing competition this year in Jazz and lyrical. Emily started middle school this year 7th grade and she loves it. She has been nicknamed "Sunshine" by the other moms in the carpool because every morning and every day after school she has a smile from ear to ear that just stays there. She is loving middle school and everything about it. She is taking art and choir this year and I think she really likes it. She also started dance and is so excited to be back clogging. We are back to always having stomping sounds around the house, and feet never holding still. Nathan has started the 4th grade. He is now the oldest one in the family at the elementary so he is "the Man" He really is a good kid, I have to say that he does not like school as much as Emily he would rather play soccer or spend his time on the x-box. He is playing soccer again this year and his games are really fun. The team is now playing positions instead of running around in one big clump. I have really had a lot of fun watching him play. There are two goalies and he is one of them and he does really well at that although he prefers to play forward or middie. He really wants to play competitive soccer in the spring- we will see. He is taking an all boy hip-hop class this year. I went into watch them a couple of weeks ago.... They are so cute it is really fun to watch them. Boo is in 2nd grade this year and she is having fun. She likes her teacher and all of the friends that she has in her class. She is dancing and playing soccer this year. She has really improved on the field since last year. Saige really wants to go to school and is just not old enough or believe me we would find somewhere for her to attend :) She is dancing and loving that. Reagan is growing up so fast she is quickly headed for the two year mark. She is so funny right now she loves to watch Smallville (a series about superman) and she is always singing the song "Somebody Saaaave Me" it is so cute I love it. She is at such a fun age right now. Mike right now is in Washington building a church. He has been there about 6 weeks and has a few more to go. We will all be excited to have him come home! We love him and miss him, but we are also grateful that he has work. I am staying busy always running someone somewhere. I have started dance too, which is really fun. Who knows maybe this group of 30 something moms will be on Americas got Talent!!! just kidding hee heee! I hope that all of you are having a great day!!!

Cute Grammy

2008-09-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

As many of you already know my sweet grandma passed away a little over a week ago. I was with her the night she passed away, along with my mom and dad. It was a very solemn experience. I had also stayed with her the night before she left us. I want to thank all of you who have been so thoughtful and kind. I was fortunate enough to be really close to her. I received my love for shopping from her which Mike blames her for and some of my personality traits come from her (like laughing till you cry when someone falls down, bumps their head, smashed a finger - you know things like that). She is such a great woman and I am so grateful that I was able to know her in this life. I am happy for her. She is now with her boyfriend and I am sure she is loving every minute of it. I had talked to her a few weeks ago, when she told me that she is not so sure she wants to go to the other side because all they wear over there is robes. She hates robes, nobody looks good in robes, short people especially don't look good in robes and certainly not white robes. (Grandma is probably 4 foot 9 inches tall) I told her that she will look great in anything and maybe she will be able to wear a cute summer dress. I will miss her and someday probably a long time from now I will be excited to see her again. She will be deeply missed.

2008-08-03T20:42:00.000-07:00

Bubbles

2008-08-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

Okay.... here it is. We went over to our friends house where we had the best bubble party ever. We had the fire department come and they sprayed bubbles on the front lawn. It was more bubbles than I have ever seen. Everyone had fun espically the men:) It looked like snow in the middle of July!

ZORBES

2008-08-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

Wow where has the summer gone! I can't believe it is already August. Nathan and Boo have already started school (which is wrong by the way. Nobody should start school yet:) ) But they did. So we have discovered a new fun family activity, it is called the ZORBE. They look somewhat like a human hamster ball. The ball itself is about 12 feet in diameter. The first is an aqua zorbe. You climb into the middle of the ball they zip you in and put about 2 gallons of water in with you. The next step is to push you off of the biggest hill around and watch you enjoy the ride. You slide around in the center of the ball, and if you have decided to go down the hill with a friend you come out wet and in hysterics from falling on top of each other. It is a good one for all ages. The next zorbe is a dry one. You can crawl into the center of the ball from either side. You then strap yourself in with a 5-point harness. The next step is to hold on to the ohhhh crap handles and again have them push you down a big hill. Needless to say the rush is unlike anything I have ever done before. You can have two adults in at one time. One is facing forward and the other goes backwards. The balls are clear so you can see through them and when you are at the top of the ball beginning your descent towards the ground......... agh...... it it scary! Some might ask the questions Where? Why? What? all of which are good questions. We bought them on the Internet. Mike had seen them on an old Chinese movie he brought back from Taiwan--- so why not buy them? And the what question--- well you know us we seem to always be doing something crazy, there really is no other explanation. If nothing else we have fun:)

The two oldest just got back from girls camp where they had a fabulous time. They got to go to the Heber Valley Camp. Mike and I were able to go up on bishopric night. It really is a beautiful place. They only needed to be careful of the badgers and the BEAR that was in the camp right next door. Yep you heard right they had a bear there. It was good that no one needed the potty in the middle of the night. We are glad that they all got back safe!!

The Bee Whisperer

2008-07-16T07:23:00.000-07:00

I believe that we have a trained bee catcher. A couple of weeks ago Saige came in the house where I was visiting with my friend Jen. Braxton (Jen's son) and Saige came in the house and Saige said "We need baggies cuz we want to catch bee's" To which I replied and said just as any sane mother would say "NO you can't catch bee's they will hurt you they will sting you." She said "no they won't" and the argument went back and forth "Yes they will" .... "No they won't" Finally Saige looked at me and she put both her hand up moving them back and forth like she was giving me the business and said "LOOK I'm going in from underneath... I'll be fine" So I did the only thing I could do I gave her some baggies to catch some bee's. It was probably 2 minutes later and she and Braxton came in the house with their baggies and sure enough they had caught their bee's. Since that day Saige has caught bee's almost every day. She even came in one Sunday morning with a bee in an empty chapstick container. Yes, she has been stung but that doesn't seem to bother her. The bee whisperer is still working.

I hope that everyone had a great 4th of July!!! I always love the 4th. We sleep over at my mom and dad's on the 3rd and then spend the 4th together. On the night of the 3rd we do the small fireworks for the little kids, this year was no exception. We have three little girls all around Saige's age, and during the show we were all informed that that Leah and Sadie had changed their names. We could no longer call them Leah and Sadie...... They would now be known as Diana and Sherrie. Ike(my brother & their dad) said that this is nothing new they have wanted to change their names for a while. Well, Bre' told us all that we could call her flower, and Saige spoke up and let said "You can all just call me 'favorite' ". She does make me laugh.

Saige & Reagan

2008-06-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

Saige, Saige, Saige!!!!! Where do I start with her? I have a little box that I keep in the kitchen with 3 x 5 cards to write little things that the kids do during the day. It is my way to keep a journal for all of the kids. I write their accomplishments or funny things that they say etc. Saige's file is a little different, here is one week in the life of Saige........May 25 2008 We had all of the family over for dinner today. You and Leah went outside to play and when we went to find you, the two of you had pulled about 8 branches off of our little flowering pear tree. You said that you needed them to fight Eddie (our puppy). May 26, 2008 Today you made a swimming pool out of the sandbox. You and Braxton were sitting in mud up to your waist and completely covered from head to toe. You two also decided that Eddie would enjoy a mud bath too. You covered him in mud and then topped him off with all of the grass clippings from the freshly mowed lawn. May 28, 2008 Today we decided to have lunch with our friends. You couldn't handle things with so many friends. First you started pulling my flowers up- then digging with a shovel in my flowers- then you got buckets of pea-gravel and poured them in the sandbox, flower pots, cement by the stars & on the grass. Then you got in the fire pit (with the charcoal). Every time I would see you start something else I would yell outside to not do that and you were off to the next thing. When you had exhausted everything in the back yard you took your friends to the neighbors yard and got completely naked to jump on the tramp. Agggg. When you came home and I asked what you were doing you looked and me and said "Yeah that was a bad choice." These are just a couple of the days. She has lost Emily's hamster, painted her floor, got into Boo's B-day make-up, my make-up and the list goes on and on...... Things are never quiet with Saige around. She has also composed her own song that I hear her sing quite often. It goes like this.... "I don't hate my mom... I don't hate my mom anymore... I don't hate my mom" Hmmmm I wonder what she means???? She really keeps me going and I love her;)

Reagan... The baby... she is a joy to have and after Saige there is not much to say! We love her and pray that she is a little more calm than her sister:)

Buddy & Boo

2008-06-06T07:37:00.000-07:00

Buddy just finished soccer until fall, and he did such a great job. He is finally at the age where they start to play positions on the field. He was always goalie for at least one half. He did a fantastic job at goalie. I guess that is why they always had him play. It was fun, sometimes we would hear the other team say things like "You need to really work together they have a really good goalie", but he really loved playing forward. He also loves to play the x-box. He is learning how to edge the lawn so that he can have some summer jobs around the neighborhood mowing & edging. He just had a birthday and he really wanted an electric guitar. We are forming a rock star!

Boo Boo she just finished soccer too. She did a good job and she really enjoyed playing. She is such a big hel

p around the house. She is the little mother to Reagan and Saige. She is so good with them both. She loves to play school, and playing with her friends. Boo just had a birthday too. May

is a busy month for us. She was so excited to get her new bike, and her "singing machine" because she and Buddy want to start their own band! I can't wait. :)

Ali & Emily

2008-06-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

Ali has finished 7th grade!!! Yeah!!!! I am so glad to be finished doing the car-pool thing. She had fun in the middle school this year. She did really well in orchastra this year. For most of the year she was first chair. She is really glad to be finished with school. She has found some really great friends that she loves to hang out with. They also work with her at Classic Skating. Yep, you heard right our daughter has a job, and she LOVES it. She is really enjoying that and she is getting excited to start dance in the fall.

Emily has had a crazy year. She is finishing 6th grade and next year will be in middle school. Aghhh. She was in a competition clogging team this year. We (me, Ali, Emily) went to St. George for her first competition. She did a dance to Ladies

Choice (Hairspray) which was really fun. We did her hair like Penny's on the show and when we went out to eat after the dance, she had a little girl in Wendy's that kept telling her grandpa "Look grandpa it's Penny" every time Em had to pass her. They did awesome on their dance. They got a 1 (which is the

best you can get) And they got Grand Champions in that dance. (Only one team gets that for the dance bracket it was in.) She did another dance and did the same, a 1 and Grand Champion. WOW! We were so excited for her. She then went to nationals up at Lagoon and she did the same dances and she got 1's in both dances there too. We had a lot of fun this year with her dance.

I sure love both of my big girls. I am happy with the choice's that they are making and I hope and pray that they will continue to make good choice. I have fun being with them!

So much to say.....

2008-06-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

Well here I am trying to blog. I have decided to do this because there is so much going on in our family and I wanted to

have some way to document it all. Life is great!!! Emily and I just had our recital. Yes, you heard it right I have been taking clogging last month and I was in a recital. It was really fun, most of the time the class was full of giggling women. I am actually sad that it is done for the summer. I am looki

ng forward to doing it again next year. I am also starting to do my photography a little more now. I took all of the dance studio's pictures, and have had some bookings from that. I

am really excited to start doing more with it.

Mike and I had a great time on our fabulous vacation to Jamaica. We went there the first of May. We were able to stay there for 9 days. The weather was beautiful. The water

was

so nice... we

were never ever cold in or out of the water. We scuba dived every day, it was so fun. We met some great

people there, Craig and Denise. They are from New Jersey. We met them the first night that we were there and from then on we hung out with them and had a great time. There

were times that Mike and Craig were laughing so h

ard that they were crying. They also enjoyed playing ping pong until the table broke. We realized that if we walked down the beach to Beaches resort that they too had a ping pong ta

ble. The boys were so excited that they had found another table to play on until it to broke. We went to Rick's Cafe' where there was a 35 foot cliff that Mike jumped off of. There was a local named Spider that would jump from a tree that was a lot higher than that, he was crazy... We were not sure if we would ever hear from the friends that we met t

here but they have continued to text and call Mike. They said that they are planning a trip to Utah to come and see us sometime this summer. That would be really fun!!! Jamaica was absolutely wonderful as long as we were on the resort. Outside the resort was a little scary.