Baxters Blogging

A New Job for the New Year

2011-12-23T07:08:00.003-07:00

So, Nate is going to be starting a new job right after the new year. Why? There is a myriad of reasons...the most prominent is just that it was time. It was funny because he wasn't looking. The job found him. He interviewed once and initially felt like this may not be the job for him. He tossed it back and forth quite a bit. However, after his second interview he felt much better and more confident about this job. He was able to negotiate a nice package and so he decided to take the job. Starting Jan 1, Nate will be the newest employee at ...drum roll please....PARKER HANNIFIN. This is a very large company. A billion dollar international company. Not what we are used to but something I think will be beneficial to us. Big companies come with nice perks. Better benefits and better money. They have a manufacturing division in SLC that makes o-rings. They make really big o-rings...like the kind that go into street pipes and stuff. That is where Nate is going to be working. What is an O-ring....if you don't know I am probably not the one to explain it to you. :)
Anyway, Nate will be a do-it-all guy. He will turn a process currently being done by hand to a process done by a machine. He will design the machine, build the machine, install the machine, and make sure it works right, write the manual for it and essentially be the father of it. :) The huge requirements of this job are both the good part and the bad part. Nate has had a hard time being a desk man. He sits and designs all day, every day. Not really what he had in mind when he chose engineering as his career. So, with this job, he will get to do lots of different things. I hope he will enjoy it. I guess I will have to update again after he has been there for a few weeks.
We are thankful for the other jobs that have brought Nate here. He couldn't be here with out the experience he has gained from all those jobs. :) It will be an interesting new year. :)

Boogie Nights

2011-12-10T07:50:00.004-07:00

At our house when things get boring the music comes on and we get crazy. I do have 3 girls now. :) Those girls really know how to shake it. I love that about them. For me, music has always been cathartic. I still like to turn it up when I am alone. My girls did, however, inform me that I dance wierd. WHATEVER! Apparently I won't be invited to dance with them in public. Sheesh! At least I can participate in the boogie nights at home. :)

That Didn't Last Long

2011-12-09T04:12:00.010-07:00

Well, my daily thoughts lasted all of 2 seconds. :) At least they lasted that long. It is 4am which seems to be the only time I sit down and do this anymore. Christmas is coming. One more week and I get a two week break. So excited for that.

Our family is pretty excited for Christmas. I haven't done a stitch of shopping yet...but we have enjoyed putting up lights and listening to music and generally reveling in the season.

Sarah is no exception. She loves the Christmas tree and the Geo Trax train we put underneath. The kids are beside themselves and can't wait for the big day.

(By the way, Sarah is up crying right now. Will she go back to sleep on her own?)

Ben had a couple big moments last week. First, he finally received the patches for his Bobcat and Wolf. Ben has had a great time in scouts and was pretty proud of himself for the achievement. Ben also promoted to a purple belt in karate. Awesome...except for the sparring gear he has to have now which will cost us a pretty penny. I don't know how that don't have to disclose all these little side expenses at the beginning. Check out this video of Ben's awesomeness. As you go up to get your new belt you get to do a trick or kick or whatever.
Thank goodness he bounced right up from that. :) His hand stand was pretty awesome though. He told us the surprise at how long he held his hand stand was what actually brought him down.

Anyway, it is now quarter to five. I have got to at least attempt going back to sleep or I will be a bear tomorrow...I mean, later today. :) That is not acceptable. Tis the season to be Jolly, right. :)

Daily Thought #3 -Small Miracles

2011-11-25T07:20:00.004-07:00

Well, it hasn't been totally successful but this is my 3rd post this week. I would like to express my gratitude for small miracles this morning. Let me elaborate.

Last night we left our Thanksgiving party about 9:30 pm. We had a wonderful day and really enjoyed our time at my parent's house just hanging. Maybe I will blog that later. Anyway, of all the stupid things, we were totally out of formula. What?! Yes. I dropped off the kids and went looking for an open grocery store. I drove from Lehi to Lindon. The only place open...Walmart. I don't know if you knew, but their Black Friday deals started at 10pm last night. I had no choice but to try to buy formula at Walmart. By the time I arrived there were already 10,000 people in line to buy there Black Friday treasures. All I needed (as desperately as I needed it) was a can of formula. I pressed my way through the crowds to the back of the store, grabbed my precious treasure and headed to the front of the store. On my way up to the front I decided I would just get $20 from the atm and buy my way to the front of the line by asking someone to pay for my formula and keep the change. I could hardly get passed the people crowding the checkout stands. I found a break in the crowd and headed for the atm. When what to my wondering eyes appeared...a check stand with only 4 people in line. I literally walked right into it. Seriously, I was so grateful.
It was funny. When I got home last night with the formula for Sarah, I told Nate about my luck. He told me he had prayed for me. :) We had been talking on the phone while I was driving around looking for somewhere so he know I had been forced to go to Walmart. Prayer changes things. I know, it was a small thing. I could of waited in line for an hour and a half. It wasn't that important. Maybe it was coincidence. I choose to see it as a blessing from a sweet Heavenly Father. :)

Next little miracle. We threw away our pathetic, cheap, broken artificial tree last year. Well, this year, we were faced with buying a new tree. Do you know how much a decent artificial tree costs... Wowzers. Anyway, we saw that Home Depot was going to have a tree door buster. $50 for a 7 1/2 ft. pre-lighted Christmas tree. They opened at 5 am. Nathan, my hero, got up and made it to the store by about 5:10am. He walked in and said he saw lots of people in line with the tree. He knew it was pretty hopeless. As he was walking around looking for the display a Home Depot employee asked him if he needed help. Nate showed him the tree in the ad and the guy said they were all gone...but he offered Nate the display tree. :) He gave Nate a note and told him to go pay while he got the display tree down and brought it to him. :) Yea! Nate just bumped into the right employee. We have a lovely new tree sitting in our living room to decorate with our kids tonight.

It was Thanksgiving yesterday. I can't really put adequate words to all that I have to be thankful for. This year we were able to buy our first house. That has been such a blessing and wonderful thing for our family. Our kids are very happy here. Nate and I are very happy here. We are close to family, which is so fun. We have some other blessing waiting in the wings that we are excited about as well. I sometimes wonder why God keeps providing for me when I am such a slacker. He is so patient and kind to our family. I love my Heavenly Father. I don't deserve his patience but I am immeasurably thankful for it. I don't deserve the small miracles but they come frequently.

Daily Thought #2

2011-11-22T13:20:00.001-07:00

Random Daily thought #2 is only being written because Sarah woke back up about 30 minutes ago and is now happily playing on the floor with my shoe. She can crawl now. Did I mention that before? Cutest thing...that is going to really add to the work I have to do. We need gates for the stairs and possibly to keep her out of the kitchen. Who knows what she might find on the floor in there.

I am tired, but thankfully, tomorrow is a low key day at work. No schedule. Just paperwork. So I guess if I am up all night I will survive. I just finished reading Michael Vey. Good story. Very easy read, which is what I always like. Let's face it, that's the only thing I like these days. :) The majority of my meager brain power is spent on other things.

Next week Ben will finally get his first scouting patches. The Bobcat and the Wolf. He is a Bear now. This ward has been awesome for scouts. Ben is also in Karate...he enjoys it. I am just thankful to see him like something besides video games. :)

Yawning...and the baby has now found a piece of paper to entertain her. Energy level seems to be high. Go to sleep my little one. Go to sleep my little baby. That is a song, right?

Daily Thought #1

2011-11-20T15:40:00.004-07:00

In an effort to try to warm up to my blog again I am going to try to enter random daily thoughts until the end of November. I will see how it goes.
First random thought - Isn't she sweet. I still can't get over how much I enjoy her. I love all my kids, but Sarah has been so easy to really enjoy. I don't have so many little ones hanging on my leg. I can enjoy focusing on her and catering to her while the others handle most things for themselves. It is great. She is truly adored by all at our house. A very popular little lady.

Then there are the rowdy children. I sat in church this morning with my rowdy little bunch, thinking, Ugg. Why do you have to be so noisy. We were at the front of the chapel. Ben, Rachel, and Emily were playing hang man together. They would have continued to have a great time had it not been for the mean mother who separated them. They don't know how to whisper or play so people can't hear them. They think that as long as they are sitting they are being reverent. At the same time, they are the excitement and fun of our family. Everyday at our house is crazy and I really do love it. I love the things we do as a family. I love my kids bursting personalities that have no boundaries. My life would be utterly incomplete without them.

I Miss My Blog :(

2011-10-16T15:58:00.003-06:00

Happy Fall! Looking for good ways to fit blogging into my not so flexible schedule. Taking suggestions. :)

2011-07-28T08:16:00.002-06:00

We finally got Sarah's baby blessing done this month. Truthfully, it was last month, but who's counting. She wore the same goofy dress that my other girls wore. I made it for Rachel and have been cursed by it ever since. :) It's those sleeves. They are just so round. At any rate, the blessing was lovely. Sarah is destined to be a loving girl who takes others under her wing. All my kids have been blessed to have a sense of humor. I guess they need it living with me as there mother.
Anyway, another great thing about the blessing was that we got to have a family gathering at our house. It was so great to have everyone over. We sat under our big trees in the backyard and enjoyed associating with one another.
This morning is Sarah's 4 month appointment. Shots. . . I hate them. It might be a long day.

What Happened to the Last 4 months???

2011-07-05T17:23:00.009-06:00

Well, in my last post we had a beautiful baby. Little Sarah. Since then she has become the most popular person in our home. She is "so cute" and that phrase is repeated more often then any other. She has gone from a little tiny infant...

To bubbly little baby ...

I don't know how that happened.

So Happy!!!!

2011-06-05T08:52:00.003-06:00

Life is whirling wildly around me right now, but I am so happy. Right before our little Sarah was born we put an offer in on a house in American Fork. Two months later, the week before the kids got out of school, we were able to close on that house. It was a short sale, so it can be a super long process. Two months was an extraordinarily short amount of time to wait on a short sale. I was talking to the listing agent when he came by to pick up his key box. He was telling me he has two short sales that have been waiting over a year. At any rate, we were blessed and now we own our first home.
We moved in a week ago. Inside the house is still a mess. Boxes everywhere. We are trying to get the kids rooms all ready for them...we wanted them all to have rooms they loved because for the first time...we can do that for them. It's taking longer than we thought, but I think it will get finished up by the end of this week. I will take pictures then. I have a lovely kitchen...lots of light and lot of cupboards...and a pantry. Oh how I love the pantry. :)We have a living room where I have set up my office. Not ideal for people to walk into, but ideal for me to perform my job while keeping an eye on the kiddos. I can see most of the house from "the office".
We have a lovely little backyard. Lots of shade, a garden, two fruit trees...it's just a nice little space. Yesterday we had a bunch of Baxters over helping us add mulch to our garden and flower beds. Afterward, Mary (my mother in law) and I went to buy plants and got the flower beds and the garden planted. It was a back breaking all day affair, but it is done.
The neighborhood is very friendly. Yesterday a stranger stopped by to say hi to us and offered to bring us dinner. :) She is not a stranger anymore. I am sure I will get to know her very well as she has an 8 year old son. Across the street is another 8 year old boy. Ben has immediate friends. He loved his first day of scouts here. I am so happy for him. We have been a very busy household since we moved in. Lots of family in and out helping us get things done. It is so fun to be so near to everyone.
So, I am so happy. I will try to add pictures of my happiness later.

And Then There Were Six

2011-03-27T19:00:00.009-06:00

Ok, I am home. Actually, I came home yesterday. Partly because I can't stand the hospital, partly because Nate has an even more serious aversion than I do and I know that every minute he spends there is a minute spent in pain. So, 24 hours after delivering our little bundle of joy, we packed her up and brought her home. They are making us rent the stupid bili light bed until her bilirubin count goes down. . .I don't really think it is that high. . . but just the same she is spending plenty of time in there. I digress. Back to the message. We are home. I forgot what the first little bit is like. I feel like I just did a hundred push ups and sit ups. My body hurts everywhere from the waist up. I am sleep deprived in the most horrible way. I cry about really silly things. Like Nate leaving me alone this afternoon so he could go pick up our kids. My gut is hanging. . .no longer am I cute pregnant. Just fat. ;) But it was all worth it because I have to say that Sarah is amazing. Now I am crying again. HAHA.

Sarah entered the world March 25, 2011. She was born in the early afternoon. So perfect. Let's talk about the delivery. Thanks to the fact that I am a VBAC patient, my doctor was nice enough to induce me as soon as it was IHC approved to do an elective induction because he was leaving town and didn't want me to end up with a doctor who wasn't willing to do the VBAC. Apparently it is kind of a pain in the butt because the doctor has to be in the building throughout the entire labor. . . and it has a small amount of risk involved. At any rate, I love my doctor. This is him.

So, getting to the point. That is how I ended up being induced a week early. I was a little nervous. I was induced with both my other girls, but it was only a day or two before my due date. I was afraid things may not move smoothly along. However, to play a long story short, I progressed very quickly. Everyone thought it was going to take 10 or 12 hours and they all ho hummed their way up to Ogden. Surprise to all of us, I was complete in only 6 hours. Ready to push.
Now, every story has some less than desirable circumstances. Well, maybe not every story, but this one did. I am not a woman who relished pain. Epidural is the only way in my book. So, early on I got my epidural. Ah, heavenly. Well, at some point my body started progressing pretty quickly and I realized that I was feeling things that I shouldn't with the epidural. I mentioned it to the nurse and she paged the anesthesiologist to come add some more drugs to my drip bag. Bad news. He was at the bedside of a woman having a c-section for triplets who were only 24 weeks. Hence, he was not able to leave to come to my bedside. And, I was progressing so fast that he probably wouldn't have been able to do much anyway. So,for the first time, I suffered at least some of the actual pain of labor. It was painful. I would share a picture of my face and how that felt, but frankly, I'd rather people did not remember me that way. So, we will just say that it was painful. Lucky for me though, I only had to push three short rounds to get Sarah out. Her shoulders got stuck for a minute and the first time her head came out the cord was around her neck. Doc took care of that. She was delivered and was the most purple baby I have ever seen.

She took her time getting that first breath. I was laying there thinking, Breath baby, breath. After what seemed like a long time. . .but really wasn't I heard her first little cry. Then I knew she was here and she was ok. A few good cries and her purple turned a lovely shade of red. :)

And I was happy. Let me show you some other happy people.

And that is how this family of five became a family of six. I am panicked. I have no idea how I am going to succeed at this new ball to juggle, but I prayed this afternoon and I think we will be ok. :) Thanks goodness we are not alone.

The Man of My Dreams

2011-01-20T15:42:00.004-07:00

Nate turned 35 last week. That means I have pretty much known him half of his life. When we met in high school he was this cute, funny, and completely clueless teenager. I was just head over heals in love. I chased him relentlessly. . .ok, maybe I wasn't quite that bad. He went on his mission. . .very dedicated to his calling. Despite difficulties with his mission president he knew who he was really there for and had a wonderful mission. He came back slightly wiser, but not wise enough to marry me right then. We have grown together for many years. Really, we have gained a lot of wisdom together. He has been the source of complete frustration and utter joy in my life (just joy now, of course). Nate is the Father that every kid should have. His children adore him and are totally loyal to him above all others. For his birthday he took Ben to a Jazz game. The girls and I were going to have a girls night and we did, after some disappointment on there end that they couldn't go with Dad. Apparently, I really need to up my fun factor.
Last night Nate had to work late. I was tired and kind of ornery when he got home. The kids were stir crazy. So, instead of relaxing and watching TV after a 12 hour day, he played games with me and the kids and then let me lay on the couch and watch TV while he did the dishes afterward. I just love him. He is a year older and a year wiser and a year more wonderful. He is the man of my dreams. Happy Birthday.

New Year's Eve

2011-01-16T16:30:00.004-07:00

We saw "Tangled". It was super cute and I loved it. Then we marched around the house around 10pm to celebrate the New Year. Hey, my kids are not wise enough to check the time yet. Maybe next year we will actually have to let them stay up until midnight.

The Best Christmas Ever!!!!

2011-01-16T16:03:00.003-07:00

Christmas is always fun. We were definitely on the go this year. Back and forth between our Ogden abode to Utah County for parties and entertainment. By the time the Stalker Family Christmas Eve was done I was ready for a long winter's nap. At about 9pm we finally loaded up in the van for out treck back to Ogden. Nate opened the sliding door to throw a couple more things in....and you will not believe what happened. The door just fell off. It was hilarious (well, I found it funny. Nate did not find it so funny as he was trying to get the door back on.). All I could think was "How are we going to get home without a van door?" I ran inside and got a couple more strong arms to help Nate out. Luckily they were able to shove the door back on and we were able to still go home. (We just got it fixed to the tune of $175). At any rate, the crisis was averted. It reminded me of many years ago when my family went out to dinner on Christmas Eve. The only place we could find open was a Wienerschnitzel. We all filled our belly's on super grease and we were ready to head home for Santa. Out to the car we went only to discover that my Dad had locked the keys in the car. Oh, the fear I had that I was going to miss Santa Claus. I am sure the kids were a bit worried about that same thing.
Well, anyway, we did get on the road. Arriving home pretty late. The kids all slept in Ben's room. Shockingly, they fell asleep pretty quick. Then, all we had to do is wait for morning. We woke up about 8am and had a delightful time opening presents. The kids kept saying "This is the best Christmas Ever". It was very satisfying that they were so happy. The kids made us books for Christmas. They were great with pictures and stories included. Nate and I were a bit slow and didn't get around to shopping for eachother. However, Nate, being the better one, did buy me a necklace that I love. Then I went out and bought maternity clothes on super sale after Christmas. We havent' really gotten anything for Nate yet. His birthday came up right after Christmas so it sord of threw me off. Anyway, blah, blah, blah. We stayed in jammies almost all day and played. It was perfect.

Grandma Stalker's Grandma Party

2011-01-09T16:58:00.004-07:00

What do you get when you mix 11 cousins and a Grandma. A big fat party with tons of chaos. This was Grandma Stalker's Christmas Party. The kids had a blast and regardless of it being somewhat exhausting for the adults, it was worth it. Somehow I did not escape being one of those adults. . . even though I tried. Then, Nate, being the good sport he is decided to help out too. We survived. I am always so glad that my kids have tons of cousins, Aunts, Uncles, Grandmas and Grandpas. They are bountifully blessed.

The Nativity

2011-01-09T16:50:00.003-07:00

I always love that we can do crafty things around Christmas. I saw this Nativity at Seagull Book and just had to have it. Mostly because I know one day I will look at that Nativity and remember my little children as they were. People keep telling me that I will miss that one day. :) We had so much fun painting these little figures and each of the kids was very proud of their finished project. I can't wait to get it out next year and find it a special place in our new home (we better have a new home ;).

Rachel's Kinder Program

2011-01-09T16:18:00.006-07:00

A highlight of the Christmas season this was was Rachel's Kindergarten Program. Rachel was so excited to perform for us and I couldn't wait either. She was fabulous and knew most of the songs by heart. What I love most about things like this is the opportunity it gives to make individual children feel special. The bigger our family gets the harder it is to single them out for their accomplishments. A program night is a night to shine and the whole family gets to support and congratulate the one on a job well done. We all need that occasionally. Good job Rachel! You were beautiful and fabulous at your program.

Silent Night. . . Crowded Night.

2011-01-09T16:03:00.004-07:00

Tradition dictates that we visit Temple Square every Christmas season. It is not optional nor will it ever be optional. So, we packed up and jumped on the Frontrunner to head down town SLC for some Christmas cheer. Now, let me just say, though it was crowded everywhere, we had a divine time. We always love the frontrunner. The kids think it is an extra special treat to get to ride on the train. . . and we get on at the beginning of the line so we usually get seats even on a busy night. We met Auntie Adrienne on Temple Square and bullied our way through the crowds to see all that we wanted. My biggest concern was losing one of my precious children, but then I realized I have three of them with another on the way, so what's one less. HAHA. Just kidding.

After making it around temple square safely we were starving. . . so we thought we would just pop on over for a bite to eat at the new eatery. HAHA again. It was closed. After an hour of looking we finally had to make our way back to The Gateway where we all got to pick whatever our hearts desired from there 5 star eatery restaurants. And, since I was feeling generous we picked up some cookies before making our journey back home. We arrived home around 11pm. Tired but satisfied with the adventure we had enjoyed. Can't wait for next year. . .when (note to self) we will visit Temple Square on a weekday. :)

Kick off to Christmas

2011-01-09T15:55:00.003-07:00

Sadly, there are signs that my children are getting a little older. Such as the one I had when we took the kids down town to see the Christmas Village. I personally thought it was divine. The weather was fair, the lights and little houses were magical, and there were cute little groups singing and dancing on the stage in the center. With all that, Rachel broke down in a pouting tantrum and said she "did not really have that much fun." Why? Well, we didn't buy anything or get a treat. Essentially, we spent no money and she knew it. . . and true fun can only be had when you spend money, right?

Well, we only had to ignore her for about ten minutes before she got over it and we went home for hot chocolate. In the end, we were all happy. :) And hey, I was personally always happy.

2010-12-22T13:16:00.002-07:00

We have gotten so many cute cards this year. It's a little late for me to do something as awesome as actually mailing out a card. . . but I will blog a card. :) So Lame! I know. I will probably work on it someday.

We have had a great year. Blessing have been poured out on us as we have started to see some of our dreams coming to fruition after so many years. So many exciting things are coming for next year as well.

So, the run down, after trying out three separate jobs this year, Nate has settled down with AccuSystems and seems to be enjoying it. He has made some good friends there and is happy. I have to say he is the worlds most awesome husband and father. He never stops giving and makes sure that I always have the help I need when he gets home. I wouldn't be able to keep up with my job and being a mom without his help.

I went full time with Utah Virtual Academy this year. While it has been an adjustment, we are getting used to our new life. I love my job. . .which I have never really experienced. I have thoughts of staying with K12 for the rest of my career. They are very awesome and allow for so much flexibility with family life.

Ben is half way through the second grade year. He is doing very well with his teacher and is really a bright student. We look forward to the coming year when we can move to a neighborhood where some boys live. :)Ben is constantly a friend to his sisters and loves his family.

Rachel started kindergarten this year. She loves it and is anxious to go to school everyday. She has natural talent for making friends and is always coming home telling me about each new person she made friends with that day. What I find amazing is her ability to remember the names of the children in her class. She really takes a personal interest in them.

Emily is still our cute little pumpkin. I can't believe she is four already. She has such a playful and fun personality. She keeps us all light hearted and happy in the home. She has been so patient with my work schedule and rarely complains.

Next year we will welcome another girl into our family. We are all looking forward to that moment. The kids are very interested in the coming baby. We feel very blessed that this pregnancy is progressing normally. Hopefully I can handle a little tiny one again. It's been awhile and life is so different from what it was.

So, there you have. A Christmas update from me to you. Let me end by just saying how I love my Savior. His birth, life, death, and resurrection are the true miracles in this world. Merry Christmas.

Love, The Baxter Family

Finally Caught Up

2010-11-07T15:41:00.002-07:00

Well, I think that I am finally caught up. . .well, when this post is done. My kids are out riding bikes right now. . . with no shoes on. I watched them for a little while and thought "If I was a really great mom I would probably make them get shoes on. I would proabably also make them disassemble their makeshift bike jump that looks quite unstable." But, it is just so nice and quiet in this house right now. I hate to do anything that might make it end. It was really funny watching Emily try to get up the jump with her tiny bike and training wheels. She tried and tried. . .but didn't want to get going fast. Once again I thought to myself "if I was a great mom I would go outside and help Emily get up that jump." Instead I watched her frustration increase until Ben and Rachel came and pushed her up and over the jump. At least she has a brother and a sister watching out for her.

Anyway, to close up my marathon day of posting I thought I would end with Halloween. We had our Baxter Family Halloween Party at Wheeler Farms this year. It was quite fun and actually relaxing. Afterward we drove up to Silver Lake and walked around.

Halloween was also a good time this year. Minus the rain. We went out anyway. . . and five minutes late had to go home because Rachel's shoes "were not waterproof" and she was crying because of her wet feet. No worries. A couple minutes later we had her in snow boots and we were back on the prowl. We got plenty of candy and my kids were hyped up on it for about 3 days. I am glad it is all gone now. Our neighbor painted us that awesome Halloween Pokemon pumpkin in the second pic.

So, that is it. I am done blogging just in time to go through the major holidays. We have our big sonogram appointment this Wednesday. It is a pretty big thing at our house discussing whether this baby is a boy or a girl. I am the only one who thinks it is a girl. It will be fun to know. I just hope the rest of the family can accept it when they find out that I am right. If I am cool I will blog it. :) See you then.

Emily's Birthday

2010-11-07T15:31:00.003-07:00

Emily's birthday was October 4th. Poor Little Emily. Nate and I both had to work in Salt Lake on her birthday. Thank goodness for grandparents who made sure she had fun all day. My baby is four years old. She loves her older siblings and will follow them to the ends of the earth. She is a good girl. I work all day everyday and she is so patient with that. She quietly entertains herself and never causes me any trouble. She saves her trouble causing for when I am not working :). Emily still gives us kisses on special occasions and loves to be tickled. We do homework every night with Ben and Rachel. Emily loves to do her homework too. . . out of one of those preschool workbooks. She really is a doll. I keep wondering when she will stop being so cute. . maybe never. She is very excited for a new baby to come to our house and I am sure she will make a wonderful big sister.

Ten Years. . . Ten Years

2010-11-07T15:01:00.006-07:00

This year Nate and I celebrated our tenth anniversary. Hard to believe that it has been that long. We have known each other for 17 years. Pizza, pizza in 1993. We met doing the dishes. I remember just talking for a couple of hours because. . . well, frankly, there was nothing better to do. We were stuck there for the night with a pile of greasy, disgusting pans. We just hit it off. I was hooked immediately. We had the wonderful blessing of developing a very solid friendship over those first years. It has made our marriage better. We have been on a lot of rocky roads over the years. I am just so glad that I have been on those roads with Nathan. And, I have to say, it is awesome to be on some smoother roads with him now. :)

We were hoping to do something really awesome for our tenth anniversary but that didn't work. So we stayed in Park City at the Waldorff Astoria. Way too classy for us. Valet parking only. We had a great time and enjoyed swimming in their very heated pool under the stars and a full moon. The jacuzzi was great too, if you minus the drunk people who seemed to gravitate to that point. We shopped (because I love to and Nate knows it), we had a nice hike, we ate, we went down the zip line at the Olympic park. We had a lovely time. And one day, Nate will take me to Italy for our anniversary. I am sure of it. Oh yea, and we still like to shove cake up in the other one's face. . . figuratively speaking. True Love. :)

Rachel is SIX

2010-11-07T14:53:00.003-07:00

Rachel had her sixth birthday on September 23rd. She is such a stellar little lady. Starting school this year has been a wonderful adventure for her and she is proving to be very good at it. She has already gotten a safety award in an assembly for learning the rules of the school and doing them and this last week we got a note that said she had been invited to be the student council representative for her class. I know, she is only in kindergarten and not likely to do much with that. . .but it just shows her personality. She is very obedient by nature. A trait that I am sure will serve her well for many years. She is also a leader. She often comes home and tells me about how she befriended a new person or stood up for a student who was getting picked on. I think part of it is being one of the oldest in her grade, but she seems to take on responsibilities easily. Rachel is a joy to my life. :)

Some Things Never Change

2010-11-07T14:38:00.001-07:00

My girls will always be Daddy's girls.

Neighborhood Parade

2010-11-07T14:34:00.004-07:00

These are the kinds of things I don't want to forget as my children get older. The kids and their friends put together there own parade. I was the one and only spectator. . . I tried to cheer really loud.

Red Butte Gardens

2010-11-07T14:26:00.005-07:00

Let's see, this was done on Labor Day. We went to Red Butte Gardens. Surprisingly enough, I didn't hear any butt jokes that day. They are plentiful every other day :). We had a nice time as the weather was perfect. . . although I remember Nate was kind of sick that day. Anyway, it was still a nice daycation and we took some cute pics.

Ben's Baptism

2010-10-31T13:20:00.009-06:00

BOO!!!
Wow, it's Halloween. That means I didn't blog once for the entirety of October. I have a ton of things to catch up on so I will just give this a whirl.
First off, the reason for not blogging.. . life is just crazy. You know how they say you only use 10% of your brain. Well, work is taking up at least 5%. . . probably closer to 7% of my brain. That leaves me a measly 3% to handle the more important things in my life. The kids have adapted incredibly well to our schedule. I have adapted. . .not as well as them. I so don't have it in me to get motivated to blog. Yet, i don't want to leave all of the lovely things happening behind. So, let's start with Ben's Baptism.

Well, we were very excited for this event. Many of our family memebers made the long drive to Ogden in order to be with us on Labor Day weekend.

Doesn't Ben look handsome. All ready to go. We, of course were running late, so let's hurry! But before we could get out the door the phone rings because. . .

something is wrong. The doors to the Stake Center are locked. What in the world!!! Phone call, phone call, phone call. . . .finally over an hour later success. Someone who has a key to the building and the font.
Gracious family waiting and waiting.. .

Finally inside, we still have to fill the font. Apparently Labor Day weekend is the worst weekend to have a baptism. It came down to a simple mistake. . . the guy in charge forgot and was out of town for Labor Day. The baptism was supposed to start at 6:30. We started about 2 hours later. You know what though, we still had a beautiful baptism. It was really neat to watch Ben be baptized and recieve the Holy Ghost. He isn't a man of many words. After the baptism he simply said "I feel good."
Ben was baptized along with a sweet girl in our ward. . . Anna.

Our family. . . they are just awesome. Not one of them complained about the long wait.

So, it was a really fun day. We had a nice bar-b-q before. . . so at least everyone had full belly's during the wait. We can't say enough about how much we love our family. Can't say enough about how much we love Ben!

The First Day!

2010-09-12T22:21:00.002-06:00

Two children in school. Slowly my children are growing up and leaving the nest. I will tell you what, Rachel just couldn't wait. She was so excited to start kindergarten. In fact she said "I just can't believe it is FINALLY time for me to go to kindergarten." It was better than Christmas for her. I took her that afternoon for her first day. She was a little shy and I sat on the stage with her until they were ready to start. Then they told us to wave goodbye and I left my girl to start finding her own way in the world. She comes home everyday telling me about her new friends. I think it is amazing to her that there are so many girls in the world to play with. This will be a very happy year for her. :)

Now, Ben. He was not excited at all for school to start. I can't believe he is already at that stage of "my favorite subject is recess". However, I have to say that he is doing great so far. He has a new to teaching teacher and he seems to like her. He has to read and write 3 sentences for homework every night. He tries to think of how he can say what he wants to say in the fewest words possible, which Nate praised and I condemned. Another attribute that must come with being a boy.. . for the most part. There are always some exceptions. All in all, for how difficult the school year ended last year, so far this year things seem to be going well.

Back to the grind stone. It is nice to have kids in bed before 10 pm and start to regain a little of the evening time. We are trying to be on a schedule of homework at seven, jammies by eight, and in bed by 8:30 . . . well, I mean quiet time. They still don't go to sleep until 9:30 or 10:00, but at least they are out of my hair. . . I mean that in the nicest way possible. :)

Ben's Birthday

2010-09-12T21:59:00.003-06:00

Well, Ben's birthday was a big hit. We had all the neighborhood kids over for a celebration. Games, a pinata, and of course cake and ice cream. Planning parties is stressful for me. I am not amazing at it in anyway, shape, or form. However, I am determined that all three kids will get to have a kid birthday party this year. . . so now I have one down. I wish I were more like my sister in law who has amazingly creative birthday parties. Anyway, on with the show.
Ben's favorite gift this year is a remote control airplane he bought with birthday money we gave him. When Nate and I went to buy the plane we didn't see exactly what Ben was looking for, plus they were all pretty expensive. Now, I don't mind Ben getting a nice toy. . .but I did want him to understand that he had a set amount of money for his birthday. If he chose to spend it all on a remote controlled plane then he could. I don't know, I just wanted him to take good care of it and be happy with it because he would have to give up other presents to get it. In the end, it has been a great present. It is a remote controlled plane about 10 inches long. It is very lite weight and sensitive. You have to fly it at a big park because it can get some distance. I highly recommend it to anyone who may want a beginner remote controlled plane.
I can't believe Ben is 8 years old. He is such a cute kid and we love him so much. He has been nothing but fun since the day he was born. He is a wonderful older brother and great example to his sisters. He does love to tease them now, but they also play together and get along wonderfully. Today I went in the bedroom where they were playing and asked if I could play with them too. They told me no because it would be too embarrassing. Apparently it is not cool to play in front of your mom when you are 8.

Here We Are!

2010-08-29T16:07:00.007-06:00

The crazy fast summer is over. And, it has been crazy. We were supposed to move mid August but the week before we (when I say we I really mean Nathan) decided that we didn't want to rent anymore. So, we have been trying to get someone to give us a home loan. . . it may be a few more months before that pans out. If anyone has talked to me personally then you probably know I had to eat some words I may have said at the end of the school year. I won't reiterate them. I still have hope that we will get moved by Christmas.
In more exciting news, we found out that we are expecting another baby. I am only about 9 weeks now and haven't even gotten to the first doctors appointment. It seems like things are going pretty normal so far. Nate and I already have a bet about whether or not it will be a boy or a girl. It's a girl . . . I am telling you right now. Nate thinks I am crazy. We'll see who's crazy. :)

So, aside from those things, I have also started working full time with Utah Virtual Academy. Still special ed, just a bigger case load and I am still working from home, which I love. Aside from the distractions (housework, children, and the list goes on and on). Nate has been working with his new company, Accu-System, for about 8 or 9 weeks now. He mostly redesigns machines that are made to cut wood cabinets or a ton of other wood things. He likes it there. The people and the job. It's a pretty secure job since the engineering team only consists of himself and an electrical engineer. Our two jobs together are a much needed blessing and the only reason we can even think of buying a house right now.

Now, summer has been filled with a lot of fun. Recap.

Isn't this the cutest picture of my girls. Rachel has turned into an excellent big sister and it shows.
We had our Stalker family reunion at Jordanelle. It was a lot of fun as usual.

We went to Lagoon. We debated because we went on one of those terrible rain storm days. It poured rain until about 1:30 but we trudged on and the sun came out about 2pm and stayed out for the rest of the day. We had a fabulous time. I was so glad we still went. Half the reason was because a couple of years ago the same thing happened and we chickened out, only to have the sun come out about 12:30 and taunt us for the rest of the day. I was not going to let that happen again.

For a catch up blog, this is short. Coming soon are the first day of school, Ben's birthday and baptism, and then the girl's birthdays as well. I am sad to see summer go, but glad to have some structure again. I'll be back soon. :)

Wait JUNE, wait, Come Back!!!!!

2010-07-02T08:14:00.021-06:00

I simply can't believe June is already over. July isn't going to go any slower either. Man, I love summer. It's so easy going. We stay up late and the kids sleep in until 9am pretty much every day. I wake up earlier, but just have lots of quiet time in the morning. It is wonderful. So far summer has been fabulous. We kicked it off with that great memorial day trip and here is some of our other adventures.

Family Reunion
This was a very extended family reunion for Grandpa Baxter's family. The kids just had a blast exploring around Mutual Dell. The highlight was this awesome zip line.

Ok, so that was fun. A few days later my kids and Nate decided to officially kill my birthday. . . by destroying my huge birthday balloon. :) I told them all that my birthday would live on as long as the balloon did. I think that balloon would have lasted until next year. So, my little family took matters into their own hand. The balloon did well until Nate got to it. Then it was over. I am still mourning the loss.

Antelope Island
What to say about Antelope Island. The first time we went was last year. I think we went on a warm spring day in April or May. It was beautiful. No smells or bugs. This year we wanted to go again but didn't get around to it until the second week of June. As we drove over the pass from the main land to the island the most atrocious smell hit. I thought I was going to barf. I held my breath over the entire pass. Now, once we got over the pass the smell was significantly better and we were able to have a pretty good time. Bugs were plentiful, but it was fairly harmless little flies. We didn't get any bug bites, although we did put on bug spray. The water does look a little gross. Lots of little floaties. I didn't mind putting my feet in it, but I did not want to touch it. Nate was less afraid and got down and dirty with the kids. He always does. I love him. :)

Nobody told the kids that fully submersing themselves in this water could be harmful to their health. We just let them play. They had a great time. . . and I learned to take my trip to Antelope Island before May is over. . . probably in late April or Early May.

Just a fun little side note trivia. At the end of June we have officially gone through 5 bags of Popsicles and about 200 otter pops. Early in the summer I decided to make Popsicles and microwave popcorn the snacks of choice. They are cheap and I don't mind feeding them to the neighborhood kids. On the down side, our yard constantly needs picking up due to hundreds of popsicle sticks and otter pop wrappers. Don't worry. The kids do it. I also make them clean their room every day. They are beginning to not like me. HAHAHA.

Waterfall Canyon
Waterfall canyon is a beautiful hike. It is fairly challenging. Mostly uphill with many large rocks to climb up. It is well worth the effort. Unfortunately for us, this is the hike that we dropped our camera in the creek. Thus, I only came out with one picture from the entire hike. I know, we are still in the parking lot. . . but I promise we made it to the top.
Miraculously, after dropping our camera in the water, it still works. I brought it home. Took the back off of it and let it dry out for almost 2 weeks. The day I decided to brave it and put it back together I prayed that it would work. Now is not the time for us to have to buy a new camera. I closed my eyes and flipped it on. I almost jumped for joy that it still worked. It doesn't have even one problem. I personally attribute this to a blessing of tithing. God is good to us. I am grateful.

Just the Boys
Nate takes Ben on a special camp out every year. I can't say enough about how much Ben looks forward to this event. This year they rented a kayak and went to a breathtaking little reservoir east of Ogden. They had such an good time. . . until they got stranded on the way home. The road was closed because of a terrible accident in which five people died. They had to wait about three hours before they could get through. Other than that though, they had a blast.

Random Ramblings
If you didn't already know, Nate scored a job in Taylorsville. He started this week and it is going well. Consequently, we have decided to move closer to the family. I think we have settled on Lehi as it is half way between family and his new job. We are hoping this job will be a longer term situation and we can settle down for a few years. We are planning on moving sometime the last week of July. Hopefully we will find a place by then or we may have to live in my parents motor home for a few weeks. :) We can't wait to be back close to our family and friends. It's really exciting. It has been 8 years since we moved away to get Nate into school. We have gone through lots of wonderful growing adventures during that time, but I am ready to move on. :) I am ready to come home. I was thinking that might never happen so I am just thrilled with these current events. I can't wait. :)

Memorial Day Weekend 2010!

2010-06-07T07:31:00.029-06:00

A number of years ago my parents decided to buy their first motor home. They used their starter motor home for a couple of years. . . but then they moved on to a bigger motor home. Generously, they kept the first motor home and allow all of us kids to use it whenever we want. Well, we decided to take a short trip for Memorial Day Weekend to Dinosaur National Monument. Sadly, the really cool parts of the visitor center are closed right now and many of the roads around the area are closed as well, so we didn't see much in the way of Dinosaur National Monument. However, we managed to have an absolutely terrific time anyway. This is the story of our trip to Vernal, Utah. Let's Ride.

Travel in the motor home is different. Seatbelts are not required (perhaps they are but we didn't use them). It takes a bit to learn how to walk around while the motor home is moving. I made sandwiches on the road. . . going up Provo Canyon, in fact. . . I was very sick afterward and will never attempt that again. Word to the wise, large vehicle+canyon=lots of swaying and car sickness. The kids had quite the good time though, as seen below.

We stayed at a KOA in Vernal. This is not considered camping. No campfires are allowed and you are packed in like sardines. . .but it had electricity and water hookups for the motor home. I guess if we consider the motor home, then it is not really camping anyway. I have no pictures of the KOA. Sorry to disappoint

Our first order of business was to visit the Dinosaur National Monument. We thought we were going to get to see Dino tracks. . .unfortunately we only got to see fossilized fish scales. Not the easiest things to see. But this little hike was beautiful with some fun rock formations to boot. A shuttle bus takes you to this hike and it is practically the only thing you can actually reach at Dinosaur National Monument right now.

This is the beautiful flower that was growing all alone in the desert. . . that we stepped on trying to take pictures in the strange rock formation. I hope it grows back next year. I felt very bad.

Construction will be finished in about another year. . .so two years from now we will probably try again. However, do not fear, we found other great things to do in Vernal.

After our somewhat disappointing visit to Dinosaur National Monument during which we saw no Dinosaurs we headed back to Vernal. They have a very new Natural History Museum. This was great, with hands on displays for the kids and real Dinosaur bones. Yea!

This museum comes very highly recommended by our family. Our next task was swimming. The KOA had a pool. . . but it was a bit cold to swim outside. So, on we went to the brand new rec. center in Vernal. Another great spot. Emily got herself ready for the pool. Something seems to be amiss.

Now, after our huge day, we thought we would treat the kids to a big meal at Golden Corral. We got in line and paid for our meal. . . and promptly after Emily fell asleep and Ben and Nathan became ill. I won't specify the symptoms, except to say we had to leave the restaurant without eating. I convinced them to give me take out instead. I don't know if it was the pool. I hope not, because the pool was awesome. Anyway, we all slept it off and by the next day we were ready to go again.

What's that? What's that you say? You say you are getting bored and could I end this post already. . . well, just remember this is for posterity. You don't have to like it. :)
Ok, so on with the show.
If you head East of Vernal and get into the back country their is this great place to go called Josie's Cabin.

Josie lived off the land and built this cabin. She raised pigs, cattle, chickens and probably some other farm animals. She used the box canyons to create natural corrals for her animals. She was friends with many outlaws who roamed these parts back in the day. She lived here until the 1960's when she died. No running water or electricity, but beauty all around. We explored and hiked around Josie's cabin for most of the day. This was, by far, my favorite part of the trip.

Yikes, I almost forgot to include a pic of the Indian graffiti, of which there was quite a bit. That's it. That was our vacation to Vernal, Utah. I would say it gets an A+ for beauty and places of interest. It was a super fab weekend. My bum now hurts from sitting here so long. Gladly, I can now resume with my regularly scheduled life. THE END.

Why I Married a Baxter

2010-06-01T22:06:00.000-06:00

And the Winner Is. . . .

2010-05-26T15:34:00.008-06:00

Ben

The school called this afternoon right about the time Ben was getting out of school. In my mind I thought "Oh no." To me, a phone call from the school is never a good thing. Today, however, they called to tell me that Ben won the bike in the "Road to Success" reading program. "I couldn't believe my ears" was what Ben told me about hearing his name called as the winner of the bike. He was very surprised and excited. There were 4 bikes given away in the entire school and Ben got one. I was really excited for him. He probably read hundreds of hours this year to get that bike. . . so he deserves it! Not to mention the fact that he endured the 1st grade twice. Man am I glad this year is over. Congratulations to Ben. I love you buddy! (Funny side note. When I went to the office to pick up the bike one of the PTA women in charge was there. She told me that Ben also won a baby pool but when he went up to get it he told them he didn't want a baby pool. They couldn't even convince him to take it for a baby sister. I think the lady thought he was a little ungrateful. . . and maybe that's it. But, I think he just says what he thinks. He hasn't learned about the beauty of lying. Oh well. My child is not all politeness.)

Sing it!

2010-05-22T09:00:00.003-06:00

Ben first grade class put on a program at the Ogden Train Station this week. I loved going. They did great. But, really, my favorite part is how important it was to Ben that I was there. As he walked in and lined up on stage I could see him searching around for me. It took him a minute, but when he finally saw me he got a huge toothless grin on his face and started pointing me out to his neighbor. :) Good job Ben. I loved all the songs and your sweet moves.

EXTRA, EXTRA, Tooth Fairy Runs Out of Money! Say "Kids, Please Stop Losing Teeth"

2010-05-22T08:56:00.003-06:00

The First Annual Stalker Family Girls Weekend

2010-05-22T08:45:00.004-06:00

This was such awesome fun. My mom was so generous and got us a condo for two days in Midway. We partied all weekend. Jacuzzi, Movies, eating out, shopping, and in general just having so much fun. We were all sad to leave. It was awesome. .. oh, I think I already said that. But it was. And I loved having my nieces there because they made it so I could be silly without feeling silly. One morning, my niece Sidney got up and started doing toning exercises. We all joined in on her workout while she yelled at us to get our shoulders off the ground and keep going. She is a machine and has a core of steel. I told her to put her routine on You Tube and I would make her famous. I am still waiting. Overall, GIRLS WEEKEND, highly recommended.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

2010-05-22T08:31:00.005-06:00

Yes, I had my birthday. . . which also happens to fall the same week as Mother's Day. It's the best week of the entire year. Of course, if you were to ask Nathan, he would groan loudly and wish the week would never come. I can't imagine why seeing as he has the great privelage of serving me night and day for two whole days. :) This year I got an awesome present. A brand new sewing machine. Sadly, I haven't been able to use it yet but I will soon. School is almost out. I have plans and even material. Just need to get started.

I got a really big cake. . . eventually I had to throw away half of it. It was making me too fat. HAHAHA.

Oh, and check out this balloon. I told my family that it is my birthday until the balloon deflates. It's almost been a month and the balloon is still flying high. :)

Primary Talent Show

2010-05-22T08:09:00.005-06:00

So, awhile back we had a primary talent show. I got this idea from my good friends blog about her primary talent show, which looked so fun. We have a small primary and about 15 of them came for the show. It was so cute. No body did anything fancy. We had jump ropers, somersaulters, recorder musicians and even a little guy who played his toy guitar rock star style (rocker jumps and everything). It was a fun night.
Here is Ben hoola hooping. Seriously, he is amazing and could keep going forever. We finally had to get him to stop. You can only watch the hoola hoop go around so many time.

Emily did a super magnificent somersault. So cute!

And finally, Rachel, who played a stirring rendition of . . . well, I really don't know what it is called. You know the one. . . dadada dada. . .dadada..dada. Oh forget it.

Floating?!

2010-05-04T22:42:00.002-06:00

I feel like I am floating. . . such a strange time of life for us. We have a little bit of money for the first time ever. I have bought a few things, but I am scared of not using our money wisely now that we have it. I want to move into a bigger house and a neighborhood with more children. . . but I am scared that the things we suddenly have now won't last. We have looked at a few houses but nothing has really spoken to me yet. We probably won't buy for another year and it's hard to find a rental home that is what I want.
So, in short, I have no idea what we are doing. I haven't blogged lately, mostly because I have just gotten lazy. . . and I have been slightly busier than normal with some work related items. Right now I am just babbling.
Nate likes his job. That's good. My job is good. That is good. Ben will be out of school soon. That is good. It's all good.
oh, well, I will add this one funny story.
After Valentines Day Walmart clearanced these cute little mail boxes. I bought each of the kids one. Well, yesterday, Nate saw Ben taking a note down to put in the girls mailbox. He said he thought about how sweet that was that Ben wanted to give the girls a little note. Well, a little while later Ben was complaining about the girls being in his room. Then he revealed the contents of the note. "I told those girls to stay out of my room!"
Ah, darn, and we thought we had such precious and loving children. :)

Autoliv

2010-04-18T22:06:00.004-06:00

Tommorrow marks a big day for Nate. He starts his new job. He will be working in Brigham City for Autoliv, a company that makes airbags. He will be doing a lot of designing and sitting at a computer.
This is all such a blessing. It is funny because his other job ended (they ran out of money) about 3 or 4 weeks ago. Obviously, it was kind of stressful. However, now we are grateful. He is going to get paid much better at this new job. I am having a little trouble not thinking of all the things I am going to buy now that we have money. Save girl. Save.
Really, we are so grateful. I give all the credit to Heavenly Father. By his sustaining power we made it through years of school and some rocks in the road as we tried to get to a good paying job. Many tears, prayers, and much patience has gone in to getting to this point. We have gone every step together and we are so much better for it.

Easter and Spring Break

2010-04-12T21:13:00.008-06:00

Well, it is harder to sit down and blog now that I spend all day working on the computer. I have gotten behind. Things are going great though. We have had a bit of a hiccup in the job area because Nathan's contract job ended. . . but, he is doing fine and is getting some interviews so we are very hopeful that it will be a short term situation. As for me, I love my job. I couldn't ask for more. It is a great way to make money and I think I will be with this company for an indefinite period of time.
Anyway, on with the show. Easter. . what a blast. Here are some recap pics.

Spring Break was at Fat Cat's. . . not much but enough. We got $25 worth of tokens and the kids just went crazy. At the end we had 562 tickets to spend at the counter. Little kids are so easy to please.

Arrividerci!

As I Listened

2010-04-12T20:56:00.003-06:00

Rachel and Emily were playing in their room while I cleaned. . . yes, I usually make them clean their own room, but no tonight. Anyway, that's beside the point. They had the pretend phone.
Emily says "I am calling my boyfriend. His name is bunny because I am a bunny."
Later I hear that some dramatic things have happened in their playtime. Rachel informs Emily "We are in the hospital because I broke my leg and you are having a baby." Oh my.
I thought back to my little girl days. The joy of playing, unembarrassed by your imagination. Anything can happen then. I have eavesdropped on a number of play sessions in which my children pretend that they are orphans because we died. This last Sunday they all suddenly arrived in our room wearing their Halloween costumes from two years ago. Well, Rachel was dressed in the transformer costume, which they all thought was just hilarious. And, really, they are hilarious. I hope they enjoy it and don't grow up too fast.

General Conference

2010-04-04T21:46:00.003-06:00

Today was the close of the 180th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I took notes this time. I never do that, but I did this time. I thought I would share with you some of the highlights for me.
Wilford W. Anderson said " Hope is not a product of circumstance." (May not be an exact quote) This is a thought I have been pondering for some time now. I believe it. I feel it is one of the greatest gifts the gospel of Jesus Christ provides. . . the permission. . . the ability to be happy and hopeful always.

I really enjoyed D. Todd Christofferson's talk in which he told about William Tindel, the man who translated the Bible into English because he felt like the Bible should be available to read for all people. I thought he was a very courageous man and I would like to read a book about him. It made me more appreciative of the Bible sitting on my night stand.

My favorite talk on Sunday was President Dieter F. Ukdorf. I have a special place in my heart for him anyway because he was in the area presidency over Europe when I served my mission in Italy. I went to a zone conference once. He was there, speaking much more broken English, but just as filled with the spirit. But, his talked today about showing love and compassion to all and not looking down on them struck a cord with me. I want to do better with this.

Quentin L. Cook said something to the effect of If we want to have the inspiration of the Holy Ghost we must find a way to slow down, ponder, and pray. Last week I took a few minutes to go off to a quiet place and ponder. It was a very enlightening hour It was something I used to do a lot before marriage and children entered my life. It is something I obviously need to do more.

Many spoke about our responsibility to raise the rising generation. All good talks, but I especially liked what Elder Robert D. Hales said about "understanding the hearts" of our children.

So, those are a few of the highlights for me. I have all kinds of things to work on, but maybe I will just focus on one or two for now. :) Hope you all had a good Easter weekend. Our Savior lives.

Secrets Revealed

2010-03-21T21:18:00.006-06:00

Today I was in charge of sharing time. As I prepared I came across the talk by Boyd K. Packer called "Spiritual Crocodiles". Interestingly enough, it came out in the Ensign in May of 1976. The same time I was born. (yea, that is totally irrelevant). Anyway, I decided to do my sharing time on how the apostles and prophets protect us from spiritual crocodiles. I had these crocodiles taped up all around the room and on the back was listed a spritual crocodile to watch out for. You know, dihonesty, unclean thoughts, not paying tithes and offerings, not praying. . . you get the picture. Then I had a quote from an apostle or Prophet combatting each crocodile.

Anyway, we were going along just dandy when the spiritual crocodile of bad music came up. I thought I ought to explain to the kids what bad music would sound like. I explained that bad music might have bad words in it. Suddenly, Ben pipes up and says "You mean like the ones on your playlist."

There were some wide eyes and many chuckling adults in the room. I just smiled, a bit embarrassed, and moved on. I guess I will have to talk to Ben about keeping my sins a secret from the primary. The funny thing is, he wasn't tattling on me or trying to imbarrass me. He just made the connection of what I was talking about and compared it to what he knew. We had talked several times about this particular song. In my defense, the song he is talking about is "Suddenly I See" by KT Tunstall. I really like the song as do my children but she uses the work Hell over and over. My kids kept asking me to put the song on their playlist so I decided that we would ban the song, but somehow it is still on my playlist. I guess it's time to take care of that.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

2010-03-15T22:36:00.002-06:00

I should be working. I have a meeting that I have to conduct tomorrow. I am nervous. . . though it's no big deal and I have conducted meetings like this many times in a brick and mortar school(brick and mortar is how the online school world refers to schools in a building). Anyway, I noticed how neglected my blog has been for a couple of weeks. Maybe I have had nothing to say. Maybe nothing has been happening. . . but I am sure there have been things. Like. . .

we had both cars inspected and both failed. We have probably spent close to a thousand dollars between the two (even with Nate doing most of the work himself) and are hoping to have new stickers on the plates this week. Please oh please.

This morning I shut my door to work for several hours. When I finally surfaced around noon I saw every rag from the drawer covering the floor. Emily wanted apple juice and tried oh so hard to pour it for herself. Unfortunately, the gallon spilled on the floor instead. Mop for lunch anyone.

Nate and I have watched way too much "Lost" and we still have way too much to go. It's all we watch anymore. Will it ever end?

The sun has come out and we have returned to life outside of our home. It is awesome to sit outside and watch the kids play again.

After an entire winter of inactivity I have returned to my walking regime. . . and my shins are so in pain.

Life is happening all the time. I love it.

February in Review

2010-02-28T13:12:00.003-07:00

Let's see if I can pick up some of the missing pieces of February before it is gone for good. This month Ben sang with his class at the Harmon's grocery store. Now if you know Ben, you know that Ben does not put up with annoyances very well. So, there was the entire 1st grade in Harmon's singing away. Ben was standing by this girl. . . she was a head taller than him. Ben was having a great time singing. On the last song Ben kept including actions. . . probably ones they had learned with it, but I don't think they were supposed to be using them there. Anyway, this girl next to Ben kept getting after him about it. Finally, the song ended. All was quiet, except I saw this girl get after Ben again. Suddenly he turns to her and yells "I wasn't doing that!" He got pulled out of the group until they lined up to leave. However, in his defense, this girl was annoying him the entire time. I would have yelled at her too.
Of course, there was this other incident. The chorister in our primary works in the lunch room at Ben's school. She told me that the other day Ben got into a yelling match with another student in the lunch room. Lucky for me, my friend keeps an eye on Ben, so she ran out to take care of it. . . and probably kept Ben out of trouble. Apparently this other kid said Ben was not very good at basketball. Oh, imagine. Ben, who is pretty easily offended took great offense at this. How could someone say something like that. Sounds like Nate and I need to get out and play a little basketball with Ben.
Yesterday we did mommy/daughter, daddy/son dates. Ben and Nate went to play lazer tag and race track. The girls and I got our hair done and went to watch cousins Nikki and Sidney dance at a competition here in Ogden. We had a great time. Rachel was mesmerized by all the beautiful costumes and dancing. Maybe we will finally get her some dance lessons.
February 2010. . . over. I wonder where we will be in February of 2011.

That's Not a Word

2010-02-28T12:55:00.003-07:00

This last little bit I have been playing Facebook Scrabble with a few in my family. Last week Nate and I started playing eachother. Last night we were playing. Rachel was watching me as I tried to brainstorm some way to use an X. When I brain storm I try all kinds of things. Hey, I have a limited vocabulary, so I am always trying to stumble on a word that is not currently in my vocabulary. I had laid ASEX down. Rachel laughed and said "SEX. Mom, that's not a word." Nathan was just agreeing with her when Ben piped in "SEXY!" Hmm. . . we couldn't find a way around that one. We just changed the subject. I am going to have to be more careful with that X.

Danger: Way too Personal

2010-02-22T17:58:00.004-07:00

I have thought about what to write here or if I should write anything at all. The outcome is, though this is probably too personal for a normal blog, it is cleansing to get it out to a small group of friends.

I erased my last couple of posts so if you didn't already know, we lost our baby. It was almost a week ago that I found out. Thursday, dreading what was about to happen we checked into the hospital to get the miscarriage going. They gave me a medication to soften my cervix. I was afraid the pain was going to be bad, but I labored mild for about twelve hours and then it was over. I only had to have one dose of pain medicine. Once the baby was out we found out it was a boy. He got the cord wrapped around his leg really tight. It cut off the blood flow. The doctor said that it is very rare for the cause of death to be a cord accident so the chances of my next pregnancy being normal are good.

I thought I had dealt pretty well with things. By the time Thursday came I didn't even need to cry anymore, but coming home, everything over, was harder than I imagined. It was a overwhelmingly empty feeling. I was so thankful to have Nathan with me every step. Our family gave us the entire weekend to just be together while they kept our kids. We needed it and enjoyed the time we had together. Although, by the end we were both anxious to have the commotion return to our home. We were missing the kids.

How do I really feel about all of this. I feel that it wasn't God's will for us to raise this little boy. I am ok with that. Just wish I could have. :) And. . . I am so thankful for my noisy, naughty, wonderful children. Never have I been more grateful that they made it to me to make my life what it is today.

So, the far too personal blog is done. I went back to work today. It feels good to try to return to normal. . . like how I just asked the kids who had stinky feet and Ben replied "it's me. I have fart feet." Thank goodness for children who are able to leave sadness behind and return to normal easily. They make it easier for me too.

Mother Guilt

2010-02-13T09:21:00.002-07:00

I am two weeks into my new job now. . . really three if you count my first week in which I did nothing. :) I received my first paycheck. . . and consequently, since I am on a salary, I still got paid that week. Getting a paycheck again was awesome. So far I am liking my job. Last week was my first week using my online classroom. Admittedly, it was a little scary and awkward. I got through it though and next week will be much easier. The students are all nice kids and I had a lot of fun getting to know them. I like working with a little bit older student. They have a bit more of an opinion in life. I have two students here in Ogden so I talked with the parents about visiting them. I might as well get to see some faces.

In the end though, work is still work. I get up, get Ben ready and off to school, then I come home and go to work. Some days I work for a couple hours and then break. Those days are better because i can give a bit of attention to the girls. Wednesday's it seems like i am scheduled non stop. Last Wednesday was really hard on the girls. I may have to get a sitter once a week. Friday I had done my break, but I could see the girls were still bored. I had to get back online so I did something desperate. I got out paints, real word painting paint, gave the girls some wood blocks and left them to paint there hearts out. The whole time I thought I must be crazy. . . but actually, they did very well. Two hours later when I emerged from my office (unfortunately, that is also my bedroom) there was no paint on the floor and the blocks were painted. Rachel even put her name on the blocks.

I know it's hard on them. I sat down with Rachel and reasoned with her in terms of money. I told her how much I make an hour. She was amazed. . . I mean.. . I doesn't take much to amaze a 5 year old who thinks in terms of the toys she could buy with that money. It's hard not to feel guilty about not being there 100%, but at least I am there. I still feel very lucky, even with my guilt, that I got this job. Especially with so many teachers being laid off this year after many districts doing major budget makeovers. There are going to be a lot of people looking for jobs. So, once again, I am so thankful for this blessing.

Goodbye January

2010-01-31T18:56:00.006-07:00

It's the last day of January. I thought I would just wrap things up with a few things I forgot or wanted to blog.

The other night Emily was sitting on Nate's lap talking with him. I said "Dad is such a sucker for little girls." We continued talking for a bit and Nate was playing with Emily. I said "Dad's nice." Then Emily responded. . ."Yes, but Dad is not a lollipop." At first Nate and I looked at each other wondering where she got that until we recalled the sucker statement. We had a little giggle.

We always do our family home evening on Sunday nights. Tonight we played a game that Nate used in his primary lesson today. Since Nate is in the Bishopric he had to come in and teach the 5th Sunday Sharing Time for primary. It was really good. He talked about service. He shared how when he was a kid his mom made he and his brothers learn to sing and dance together so they could perform for the old folks. He talked about how he hated it at the time. . . but how it taught him so much about service.

(Can you guess which one is Nate?)

Then he played a game with the kids. They had a spoon hooked onto a dowel. They had to figure out how to eat M and M's with the super long spoon. Of course, the answer, was to serve others by feeding someone else. The kids loved the game and so we played it again for family home evening.

Nate got the idea from a thought book he kept from his mission. The story talks about a man who dreams about hell. He gets there and there are people surrounding a table set with a delicious meal. But the only utensil they have is so long they can't eat. Then he goes to heaven, and sees the same scene, only this time the people are happily enjoying their meal because they are feeding each other. Clever.

So, February will start with me truly getting into my new job. I go to Salt Lake tomorrow for a training meeting. I also get to pick up my laptop. . . hehehe. . . a laptop no one can use but me. Exciting. I am liking this job already. I still have a lot to learn but hopefully within a week I will be going full speed ahead.

I am not sorry to say goodbye to January. It is always a long and cold month. Actually, it went by fairly fast. . . but it was cold and gloomy. Only one more month and then we will start seeing some signs of spring again. I was thinking about it today. Although I hate winter, nothing beats those first moments when the snow melts and everything is reborn. It is a reminder to me of the constancy of the human spirit. How, even when we are beaten down, seemingly to the bottom, rebirth and continued growth are an absolute fact. True life. . . the divine spirits within every one of us, can never be beaten.

My New Job

2010-01-25T16:18:00.003-07:00

I am doing all the paperwork and training for my new job this week. . . and I will technically start next week sometime. I must say, it is very exciting and a little intimidating. It is like that every time I change jobs. So, if you are curious about the school here's a link. Utah Virtual Academy.

So far I have trained in Illuminate. . . the online meeting room they use for all meetings and teacher/student lessons. I also learned a little about the reading program they use to help struggling readers. Both are really cool. I will have 16 students in 6th and 7th grade. These students have a regular education teacher. I just do support and enrichment in areas where they are struggling. This is exciting to me when compared to the self contained classrooms I have taught in previously. I had to teach all the subjects in those classrooms plus make accommodations for any differences in the students learning levels, not to mention the major project of behavior management. It was very hard to be successful in academics that way. So, essentially, now I will just give extra support to kids in math and reading. Most of whom will have a learning disorder, autism, or a health impairment that keeps them at home.

I feel very blessed. . . I couldn't have asked for something better. Really, I knew I needed to go back to work. I prayed and prayed things would work out ok for the girls. I never dreamed there would be a teaching job I could do at home. Whenever I think about it I am amazed that this worked out. I just knew 2010 would bring good things to our family. . . and we are just beginning.

Rock a Bye Baby

2010-01-21T09:28:00.004-07:00

Here is the earliest possible picture I could have of a baby. I got this because I freaked out when I first found out I was pregnant. Two years ago I had a tubal pregnancy and had to be rushed into emergency surgery. So, I panicked and was super worried I might have another tubal. I won't go into how pathetic I was. My doctor was very kind and pretended that it was normal for me to be so psycho. To make me feel better I got this picture of our baby when it was just a sweet little ball. Hello baby.

At my first official appointment I got to see another view of this beautiful little kid. I couldn't believe what had changed in just a few weeks. Kind of cute, don't you think.

Finally, at 12 weeks I got this picture of our little one. You should have seen that kid moving around during the sonogram. Flailing of the arms and legs. Again, I just couldn't believe the life that was going on in there. It's miraculous. I am thankful. So, keep growing little one.

I know, this baby has a face only a mother could love.

Prayer Changes Things

2010-01-18T10:11:00.003-07:00

In our house we have a sign with the simple truth. . . Prayer Changes Things. We have tried to teach our kids that they can pray anytime they need to and Heavenly Father will listen. Well, Ben has really internalized this. Let me give you some examples. One day Ben was playing with Nate's phone, which had a pair of ear buds attached to it. Ben lost the soft little covers off the ear buds which didn't make Nate very happy. Ben was told he could not play anymore video games until the soft covers were found. He looked and looked to no avail. He had lost them somewhere outside in the van. Now, I started feeling a little sorry for him so I thought I would go out and help him. When I walked outside I saw Ben kneeling on the driveway, the palms of his hands together, gazing up into the Heavens, obviously begging Heavenly Father to help him find those soft covers. While he didn't find them, after that Nathan softened and forgave Ben anyway.

This week we went to the mall to play at the play land there. Whenever we go to the mall we bring quarters so each of us can get a little something out of the candy machine. For some reason we just had bad luck that day. Three of our quarters we eaten up by the machine with no reward. Then, I gave Ben and Rachel each another quarter because I felt bad for them and they left those quarters on a table in the eatery. When we went back to get them they were also gone. Finally, with the last of my quarters in their little hands they arrived at the quarter machines. They both decided what they wanted. Then, to my surprise Ben kneeled down in front of the machine and once again began praying. This time that the machine would not steal their last quarters from them.

Now, I have to admit I let a smile escape my lips. After all, we were in the middle of the mall. But, now that I think about it, I am just glad that the kids are learning. Prayer changes things. It really does. You know that expression "On a wing and a prayer". Well, that's how Nate and I have made it through a lot of things. I am just glad that Heavenly Father listens to our incessant pleas. So, I hope Ben keeps praying in malls and on driveways, as long as he is learning that it works.

The BIG 34!

2010-01-18T09:37:00.018-07:00

Well, Nate's birthday has come and gone. We really wanted to go sledding, but with no new snowfall and the smog we decided we would save that for later. The girls and I worked on decorations and cake while Nate was at work and Ben was at school. The kids worked very hard on there birthday cards for Dad. When he got home we stood in the doorway and yelled Happy Birthday at him as he walked in. Poor guy. He looked a little beat but he was a good sport and we had fun. The kids were so excited for him to come home. I'll tell you what. . . my kids adore their Dad. No one beats him. I am not even close. All three of them think Dad is #1. I keep trying to tell them they have it all wrong but they are loyal and I will never be able to take over the #1 spot. Really, who am I kidding. Nate is #1 in my book too. Happy Birthday #1!!!

Incredibly Bored!

2010-01-09T18:52:00.004-07:00

Sometimes I become incredibly bored. Today. . . was a day I was trying to overcome. Nathan had to work all day. We cleaned the house yesterday so I didn't have to stress about that. I mean, who's kidding. The house got messy again. . .but we did do the deep cleaning so it was easy to put off the rest. This morning I finally figured out how to make my own background for my blog. Now, every month when I make my new header, I will also be making a background to go with. That was fun and something I have wanted to figure out for awhile. Anyway, continuing to fight the boredom I opened the "restaurant" for lunch. This has become a little trick I use to get the girls to play instead of watching tv. I just tell them the restaurant is open and then they immediately want to play house and come to the restaurant. Works like a charm. After lunch was a fun sledding trip. Yes, I braved it alone. Lucky for me, all the kids are old enough to go down and climb back up with their sleds by themselves. I just sat at the top and helped them get started. I didn't sled once. This afternoon I sat on the couch and watched "13 Going on 30". Oh, and I made dinner at the same time, so I was productive. I called Nate 3 times, hoping he would have something entertaining to tell me, but alas, nothing. And now, it is 6:59. I am blogging about my day and I have no idea why anyone would want to read it. The kids are taking a bath and not fighting which is a miracle. Nathan should be walking in the door any minute. I can't wait. What a day.

Summer Dreamin'

2010-01-08T20:42:00.004-07:00

I can't help it. When Christmas gets over my dreams turn to summer. I need the sun like the plants do. In the winter I die a slow, slow death. . . maybe a bit dramatic. But, just the same, I need the sun. So, this week, as the haze hung heavily over my house I thought, wouldn't it be lovely to be here

Ok, so I have never been anywhere that looks like this. . . but a girl can dream can't she. Instead, I am here

This isn't really so bad. . . I mean, the kids aren't so bad. And making the snowmen was kind of fun. I sent the kids out to play in the snow hoping for a little peace and quiet. But, when they started building the snowmen I knew they would need help so I told myself I had to have some proof that I wassn't always the boring mom. It was my once a year, token snow time with the kids and I forgot to get a picture of myself there. Dang.

Glorious New Year!

2010-01-03T20:44:00.008-07:00

Well, it's a new year. All I can say is it's going to be a good one. I feel it in the air. I have a new perspective to go with this year and I am going to use it well. New Year, come and get me.
My mom and dad babysat and gave the kids a New Years Eve Party so Nate and I had a date at Outback. . . which was excellent until 8pm with everything in the entire city closed down. Good Grief. That left us with nothing to do but return to the kids party. . . which turned out pretty fun. My mom was all set with get ups for the kids and Sparking apple juice to ring in the new year. I swear, that is what my dad is pouring into those cups. HAHAHA. Every time I look at that picture I laugh out loud. It looks like we are trying to raise a new generation of serious party bums.

Anyway, I barely made it to midnight. . . but most the kids were still awake. They were all so cute. The next day we hit the Jr. High for some sledding. I just took pictures. What a bore I am sometimes.

So, this new year is bringing big things to our house. We have a new baby coming July 31st. I still don't know how to feel about it. Emily just barely got out of diapers. Part of me is mourning things I could have done and the other part of me is sure that this baby belongs in our family. Many things are not perfect for this event. . . but the important things are in place. So, come on down little one. We will give you plenty of love if nothing else.

Some Highlights to Wrap it Up

2009-12-30T10:52:00.020-07:00

It's hard to believe 2009 is almost over. It's been a fun, interesting, and unexpected year. With all of it's roller coaster moments I see that life is fashioned to give the maximum learning experience in the shortest amount of time. All I know is there is more of the wonderful and more of the trials ahead and I am glad I am in it with Nathan. Last night, after a long day of working and a two and a half hour drive home in the snow Nathan arrived home to a messy house, a burned out and ornery wife, and chaos. He helped get the kids to bed, cleaned the kitchen, and otherwise just gave me what I needed despite what he may have been feeling himself. Within an hour of his coming home the house was back to happy.

Anyway, getting off my sentimental soap box. . . here are some of our Christmas Highlights.

The Saturday before Christmas we finally made it to the Christmas village in downtown Ogden. This is one of the great Christmas treasures in Utah. I love it. They have about 30 miniature houses decorating the central park. As you walk around and look in the windows you can gaze upon scenes of winter happening inside. The kids love it and the park is also decorated beautifully with lights. Afterward we went to a nearby burger joint for hot chocolate and french fries. A great night.

Christmas approached way too fast. Lucky for me, my sweet sister in law, Tiffany, took the girls for an entire day and I was able to finish shopping before the Christmas rush began. Thanks Tiff. We headed to Utah County on the 23rd for the festivities with my parents. It was fun. . . and the kids couldn't believe they already got to open some presents. My mom gave Emily a cabbage patch doll. I just love it. It reminds me of my childhood. My cabbage patch dolls were my most prized possessions. When I played with them I was a real mommy.

Christmas Eve was filled with activity with Nathan family. Sledding, dinner, a nativity put on by the kids. . . oh yea, and how could I forget more presents. My kids all got Glo Doodles from Grandma and Grandpa Baxter. I have to say, those things are awesome. My kids are loving them.

By the time we made it home. . . it was about 11pm. My kids went right to sleep. Lucky me. They woke up around 8 am. I enjoyed that. I know that we are getting closer to the 4 am wake up. Bummer. Santa brought Zhu Zhu Pets. . . That was the hot item on all three kids lists. I have to say, Santa got off pretty cheap. Thank you Zhu Zhu pet maker.

Christmas Day was very quiet and relaxing. . . excepting that I had some kind of stomach flu. I slept half the day. The day after Christmas we headed to Salt Lake for Temple Square lights. It was the perfect way to end our celebration. Another successful Christmas.

Now on to The New Year. . . .oh boy, what will it bring.

Christmas Cheer

2009-12-17T09:24:00.009-07:00

As soon as Thanksgiving ended Christmas went up in our house. I love the night we put up the tree. . . except this time we bought a new used tree from DI. It was only 5 dollars so I was thinking that even if it was missing a piece of the stand was broken we could make it work. . .and it was way bigger than our current tree. Well, as we prepared to put the thing up, of all the things that could have been missing. . .it was missing the top of the tree. That rendered it completely useless and my dreams of a big beautiful tree were squashed. Back to the tiny tree we have been using for 9 years. Dang. Oh well, it looked cute once we had it up.

Another thing I love about Christmas is crafts. Especially, I like to make ornaments with the kids. This year we went with these cute wooden trains. We painted them and sparkled them and they turned out great. I will treasure those until the day I die. :)

I also made an advent calendar this year. I think it turned out so cute.

A cookie sheet and matchboxes cost me about 6 dollars. The rest was made out of my large assortment of scrap booking supplies I rarely use anymore (I have gone digital). You just cover the matchboxes with brown paper and then decorate them however you like. Inside the boxes you can put candy or fun activities to do that day. The last 12 days we have scriptures about Christ to read and a candy, of course. Unfortunately, my calendar did not survive one mishap. Emily thought it would be a good idea to eat one of the boxes. Don't ask me what she was thinking. I really don't know. :)

Oh, and don't forget letters to Santa. And at the top of every list. . . Zhu Zhu Pets. I sure hope Santa can work miracles.

8 days until Christmas.

This will Be Great Stuff for the Blog

2009-12-08T20:58:00.009-07:00

9 Days out of 10 something happens that makes me repeat in my mind "They are only children, they are only children."
For example. .. this week I have been working on a project which has required me to allow some freedom to the crazy people. On their first night of freedom they played so very sweetly. When finally it was time for bed I went down with praise on the tip of my tongue for their good behavior but before I could get it out I saw this

I think an "Oh my gosh" escaped my lips instead. .. then I ran up for the camera. I can't wait until my grandchildren do these kinds of things. I will have so much proof that their parents were every bit as destructive. When I returned I found them all hiding and I made them clean up every last thing. Evil mother! Funny, when I asked them "Why, oh why would you do this?" they replied that they were trying to build a hut. I don't get it either. . . that looks nothing like a hut to me.

I wish I could say that their ways were changed after that. .. but, alas. . . this would be a lie. For the next day as I worked on my project Emily walked into my room like this

Apparently I forgot to put away the Hersey's syrup after we made chocolate milk at dinner. I am willing to take 5% of the blame.

Oh yea, and then there was the day I heard strange bumping noises in the bathroom only to find Ben doing this

He has some major potential to become a rock climber.

Finally tonight, I smelled an unpleasant odor which I recognized immediately as a bad problem since Emily is finally having some success toilet training and is now wearing panties all the time. She has mastered number one, but not so much number 2. However, she is a sweet girl and tries very hard to be grown up so she obviously thought she could take care of the mess herself. . .you can just imagine from there. I won't give you the details.

But, through all of this, I am lucky because I have a blog. I can always say to myself as I calm down. . . this will be great for the blog.

Thanksgiving. . .A Little Late

2009-12-08T20:18:00.006-07:00

Thanksgiving came and went like a whirlwind. We had a great weekend though. Thanksgiving day was spent pigging out at my mom's house while watchign football. . . well, some people watched football. I only pigged out. It wasn't even the dinner itself. . .though that was tasty. It was all the goodies and football game appetizers. The best thing was I hardly saw my kids all day. They had more than enough cousin entertainment to keep them happy.

Now, for a few years now I have enjoyed this madness the day after Thanksgiving.

The madness is interesting but it is spending time with my sister that I love. When I was a little girl I used to wish I had a baby sister. Now, I am glad it's just the two of us girls. Sandi is someone I can always count on and she is the best friend possible. So, every Black Friday I wake up way too early in the middle of the night and hit the madness. Every year I think. . . next year I won't wake up so early. . . but, when the next year comes I still do it. This year we topped off our adventure by seeing "New Moon". Much better than the first Twilight. . . only a few laughable moments. It was a great day.

Saturday we were invited to Aaron and Melissa's for lunch. Then Melissa and took the kids to the mall before heading over to Tom and Mary's for dinner.

I know, we were some of the only people in the State of Utah who missed the "big game". I should probably be arrested for such disloyalty to my school. . . but I was excited BYU won. It meant Nathan came home happy. . . instead of having to ride home with a grouch. So, go BYU. HAHAHA. And that concludes this years Thanksgiving weekend. Thanks for watching. . . I mean reading.

Saints and Sinners

2009-11-21T17:53:00.002-07:00

I'll just say it right up front. My husband is a Saint. Today was our big Primary Program Practice. . . my husband came to support, help, and pick up pizza for the hungry. Now, while we were there I asked him to do something else and he declined. I was a little annoyed. I shot several eye daggers at him during the next hour until it was finally time for him to go get the pizza. Off he went, even taking Emily with him. We continued to practice for another hour. When we were finished I was surprised to find that Nathan had not returned yet. I ran out to the phone to find out what was going on at the same moment he walked through the door. "What took you so long?" I could see my question irritated him for some reason. He was now throwing daggers at me. "I ran out of gas." Oops! The worst part was he asked me as we were leaving the house "How long has this low gas light been on." I thought about it. . . it didn't seem like it had been on long. "Just since yesterday." I must have estimated poorly. So sorry husband. But I am sure that God has a special place reserved for the patient husbands who put up with sinner wives in heaven. :)

The Ten Minute Kidnapping

2009-11-19T20:05:00.005-07:00

Oh the afternoons. They can be so long and boring. Rachel came to me today. . ."Mom, I have nothing to do." Well, I am a quick thinker so I suggested she go see if our neighbor could play. About 20 minutes later the door bell rang. I opened it to find our little neighbor wanting to know if she could play at our house. I was confused. "I thought Rachel was at your house." No. Well, then, she must be here. I yelled throughout the house. In every room. "Please go home and make sure that Rachel isn't at your house." So, the little girl left and returned shortly affirming to me once again that Rachel was not at her house. Now I was starting to panic. My heart racing, I went outside and began to yell Rachel's name. No answer. Emily was in the bathtub, so I pulled her out, quickly dressed her, and said a prayer. Then I told Ben to start looking for his sister. Ben was only worried about his stomach. . . he wanted a sandwich. "She's lost!" I told him with less than kindness.

Now it just happens that the neighbor girls Father is a police officer. I saw his patrol car in the driveway, so I headed over there. I was ready to put in a missing child report. . . Rachel does not wander off around the neighborhood. If she wasn't at he neighbors and she wasn't in our yard then she was kidnapped. I was near tears when I got to my neighbors house. They opened the door and I said "I can't find Rachel."

They looked at me with a confused gaze and said, "She's here." Oh my gosh. I can't tell you the relief I felt. Even after I left and went home I had to sit down. I laughed and cried together. Apparently, Rachel arrived at there house before her friend was home from school so they invited her to come in and wait and watch Tinkerbell. Well, when the friend came home she didn't even go into the house. She just jumped out of the car and headed to our house. That explains why she didn't think Rachel was at her house. Whether not she actually went home to double check when I asked her to is unknown. All I do know is I never want to have that happen again. It was terrible. The worst ten minutes of my life. I gave all three of my kids huge hugs afterward.

This is Halloween!

2009-11-19T19:23:00.010-07:00

We had a very busy Halloween this year. We abandoned our own house. I was surprised our pumpkins survived. I thought for sure some snotty teenager would take revenge on our empty house. We decided we wanted to spend Halloween with the family. We did miss the super fun Halloween Party because of the swine flu so we had a lot to make up for. Our first destination on Halloween day was the Pumpkin Patch place on Geneva road.

Way fun. Then we headed off for some trick or treating with the cousins.

I think our kids came home with about 10 pounds of candy this year.. . which was all gone in a week. Amazing.

And the best part of all. The ride home was very quiet.

You can't beat that. Thanks to all who made our Halloween killer. :)

Oh yea, and if you were wondering. The girls were dressed as

and the boys were. . .

Moms and Daughters

2009-11-19T19:10:00.006-07:00

I've mentioned how Rachel was having a bit of a tantrum problem. Well, I was really worried about her. So, in the midst of thinking about it, I decided that we needed an outing, just the two of us. I told her about it and we looked forward to it for a week. Color Me Mine just opened in Ogden, so that was our destination. Every part of it was fun. From picking out what we were going to paint, to laughing as we painted together. Rachel loved her finished project which is now displayed in her room (when she is not carrying it around the house). I made Nate a BYU mug which I forced him to take to work and put on his desk. . . really, he loved it.

Food also had to be part of our night, as no night out is complete without it. We went home happy and I will be anxious to do it again. Consequently, spending more time with Rachel has been part of the answer to her tantrums. They have improved a lot. I love my girl.

So You Think You Can Be a Rock Star

2009-10-26T21:05:00.001-06:00

Finally, the end of the day had come. The kids were in their jammies and playing nicely. . . but what were they playing.
"Are you guys going on vacation?" I asked.

"NO, we're rock stars!"
Ah. Yes. Now I can see. I don't know how I didn't guess that to begin with. :)

Pumkins, Apples, and A Big Big Mess

2009-10-26T20:44:00.009-06:00

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

Just Another Day

2009-10-23T22:59:00.008-06:00

Today I was a little camera happy. Sometimes, I just want to snap shot my day. This or that. . . just a moment frozen in time. It started this morning. Nate was home when the kids woke up. One by one they all filed in and piled on top of him. Hey, he's a fun Dad. And they love it when he teases them. . . like when he says "Group Hug!" and smashes them all together.

Sadly, Nate had to be to work at 11:30. When he left, it seemed all the happiness of the morning went with it. Those three little scoundrels started fighting. First, Emily and Rachel wanted the same chair. . . then Ben and Rachel wanted the same chair. . . then Emily wanted Ben's toy. . . then Rachel didn't want to play with Ben. . . and on and on. I thought I might pull my hair out.

We finally left the house to purchase something for dinner at the Walmart. It was a break, I guess. Except for me repeating "Get off the cart. Your too big and heavy and I can't turn it" like 10,000 times. Really, I used to like them to hold on to the cart but now it's like pushing around 100 extra pounds. Unfortunately, I haven't been keeping up on my weight lifting.

Luckily, by the time we got home our friendly little neighbor came to invite Rachel over and that saved us from more fighting. Ben retreated to play games on the computer and Emily and I played peek-a-boo.

Many years from now I will read this blog and naively say "Oh, that was so fun. Look at those cute kids. I miss those days."

Success!

2009-10-21T10:02:00.003-06:00

Sometimes I really worry about screwing up my kids. So much so that I think I might not have anymore children. . . I mean. . . how bad can a mess up on just three children. And messing up three would be better than messing up five. Right.

So, Rachel has been having a little problem with major tantrums. She is a very headstrong girl. And, frankly, I think it gives her an adrenaline rush to fight a battle, which seems to be the perfect brewing ground for her tantrums. Now, you might think that I would be an expert with such behavior. I mean, I spent all last year dealing with this exact behavior everyday. Alas, many times I get frustrated with her and have to remove myself to my bedroom for prayer and meditation before I do something I may well regret.

Well, I have tried to institute a sticker system. Each kid has 5 things they can do each day to earn a sticker. The stickers can be exchanged for a treat at the store, friday night movies, happy meals, and other fun activities. This plan has been working pretty well. Rachel has been doing better with her tantrums. But, last night I had real success. Rachel was in the throws of a rather huge tantrum. During family scriptures she was playing with a toy telephone.
"Rachel, if I hear that phone make one more noise I am taking it away and you won't get it back for a week."
Shortly thereafter, what did I hear. Oh yes, one more noise. She just had to test the limits. So I took the phone. . . and then the tantrum erupted. But the success came about 2 minutes into the tantrum. She calmed down just a little and I said
"Rachel, do you know what I liked about what you did today?" She stopped and looked at me "What?"
"I liked how nice you were to Emily today. Thank you for being such a good sister."
"Do you know what else I liked about what you did today?"
What?
"I liked that you didn't fight with Ben all day. You did a good job on that today."

And just like that the tantrum ended. I have been thinking about this. I posted a Bill Cosby sketch on facebook today. In it he talks about how parents often get a perma frown on their face. Picking up on the negative, we forget to point out the positive. Well, here's proof that the positive has power to overcome the negative. I spent half of my expensive college years learning it. Positive Power. It's going to be my motto from now on. I can do it!!!

Pumpkin Painting

2009-10-19T09:23:00.008-06:00

This weekend was a big disappointment for our sweet children. See, every year the Baxters throw a Halloween Party for all the grandchildren. They go to a pumpkin patch and have a scavenger hunt as well as other games. Well, after much anticipation, when the time came our family was sick. I couldn't bring myself to spread our pathetic situation to our relatives. So, to make up for it we purchased pumpkins and painted them. A small consolation, I know, but the kids accepted it.
The smallest child creates a beautiful piece of abstract art.

Slightly less abstract with a face is Rachel's pumpkin masterpiece.

Ben planned his out but then his creativity got the best of him.

I made a stirring pumpkin patch scene

While Nathan went with a witch. No, I was not posing as his inspiration.

Clean up time. Gee, where did everyone go?

Next on to the costumes. I have to come up with Harry Potter as well as two Barbie Three Musketeers. Good luck to me.

Why Ben Loves His Class

2009-10-19T09:14:00.003-06:00

Ben loves his first grade class. I didn't know exactly why until this last week. The kids were preparing for a treasure hunt. They talked about it all week. The night before the treasure Ben told me that I better get him to school on time the following day because they were doing the treasure hunt first thing in the morning. Apparently I am often late bringing Ben to school. . . I don't know what he's talking about. :) Anyway, Ben woke up bright and early the next morning and got to school earlier than he ever has. When I picked him up after school he came out clad as the pirate and immediately showed me his treasures. They had a list of things to find in nature. . leaves, rocks, sticks. . . and they also found gold (gold painted rocks that is). He came home with quite a stash and now I know why he likes his new class. What a great thing it is for elementary students to have fun.

While You Were Sleeping

2009-10-19T09:08:00.003-06:00

Last night, when I crept into the girls room to tuck them in I encountered this sweet vision. All of her beanie babies protected in her arms. And Emily sleeping so peacefully with them. I just couldn't resist the photo op. It's so easy to be a parent when the children look like this. . . why can't they look like this all the time? I would get a lot more done. :)

Sniff, sniff, cough, cough, sleep, sleep,

2009-10-18T21:12:00.002-06:00

Well, if you haven't had the swine flu yet. . . I think I can safely let you know that it stinks! The last week and a half has been filled with it in our family and it's still going. Starts with congestion and runny nose then moves into the chest for a deep cough. Rachel laid on the couch for an entire week. I was so happy the day she smiled and got up to play with Emily. I got sick and tried to be strong. I am sure Nathan would attest to the complete opposite as I called him each day practically begging him to come home so I could just lie in bed. He even skipped his bishopric meetings one night so I could do just that.
Anyway, while Rachel and I have served our time in the torture chamber, Nate, Ben, and Emily have just begun. Hang in there guys. I have to admit I am a little paranoid. The news makes you think that you might die if you get this flu. So far we are still living. . . apparently defying the odds. I was going to get my whole family vaccinated but I guess we got it done for free. Just have to sacrifice our comfort. Dang Swine Flu!!!!!!!!!

My Little Buttercup

2009-10-10T18:15:00.005-06:00

This week we celebrated Emily's 3rd birthday. I can't believe my youngest is three now. It makes me feel like I should probably get cracking if we want to have any more little munchkins. But, that is for another years post.
Emily was the perfect birth. I was induced first thing in the morning. I had Emily around 1:30 in the afternoon. I relaxed and enjoyed her for the rest of the day and left the hospital promptly the next morning. It was awesome. And Emily was an easy baby. She is not so easy now seeing as she still has absolutely no intention to potty train and she likes to make me smell her feet. (She does it just to irritate me too.) Speaking of irritating me on purpose, yesterday Emily dropped a cracker on the floor. I picked it up and told her not to drop anymore on the floor because it would make a mess. I headed toward the stairs only to hear the sound of another falling cracker. Emily, you need to pick that up. She smiled her evil smile and said "you pick it up." Then, to up the stakes, she put her foot right over the cracker, taunting me with smashing it.
Hmmm. "Emily, you are going to have to clean up what ever mess that cracker makes." I continued up the stairs. Later when I came back down I found the broom, dust pan, and cracker bits in the place Emily had been. I confess, I finished cleaning up the mess. I mean, she had obviously given it some effort. She's a handful. All of our kids our sometimes. But, I love that. It shows personality and independence. Right?

Baby Steps

2009-10-10T17:58:00.002-06:00

I love the movie "What About Bob". In it Richard Dreyfus plays a psychologist who has written a book called "Baby Steps". Anyway, that is irrelevant, excepting the fact that I feel like our family is taking baby steps to our future. But, at least they are steps in the right direction. This week was funny. After waiting forever for Dillard's to get back to me about the job I thought they wanted me for Nathan and I finally gave up and decided he should get a second job. Promptly following that conversation Dillard's did call to offer me the job. Too little, too late. Nate and I had already put together our plan. He went back to a former employer and got himself hired on for some part time work. We both feel good about that plan. I'll miss Nathan though. It's lonely at night when I am putting the kids to bed all by myself.

You know, I have been thinking about this all week and I finally made the connection that baby steps are necessary. When Nathan graduated I expected huge changes to just drop at my feet. It's taken me this long to accept that God means it when he says "line upon line" or "by small means are great things accomplished". Patience with the process of reaching our goals is part of what we have to learn in this life. Most of the time, though there are some exceptions, getting where we want to be will always take hard work and patience. Otherwise, we experience very little growth.

Great things are happening. Nathan loves his day job. He is learning so much there and they are pretty nice to him. Hey, I got to say, seeing Nathan love doing the work that he put so much blood, sweat, and tears (maybe just one of those) into training to do is a gift. I want him to be happy because he is going to be paying me back for my support and encouragement for many years to come.

Proud. . . of Myself :)

2009-10-10T17:49:00.003-06:00

O.k. I completed my very first canning project this year. We have a huge amount of grapes growing on the side of our yard. In the 4 years that we have lived here I have never given these a thought, really. Then, this year I was chatting with a friend of mine outside and she said, oh I love these grapes. She began eating them as we chatted. Surprised, I thought I might try one. And guess what, they were good. So, I juiced them and made grape jelly. Thank goodness I ran into a friend at walmart when I was searching for cheese cloth to do my juicing. She had a steamer for juicing that was awesome. Although, I let the water dry up once and scorched her poor pot. I hope she forgives me. We actually drank most of the juice but it doesn't take much to make the jelly. The jelly turned out perfect. With the exception of the fact that the recipe called for 7 cups of sugar to 5 cups of juice. I couldn't believe that, however it was necessary. Believe me, I tried to find a recipe that didn't call for those ratios. Anyway, in the end, when used sparingly, it is delicious.

A Lot Can Happen in Nine Years

2009-09-28T16:53:00.006-06:00

Nate and I just celebrated our ninth anniversary. It's crazy how different life is from when we first met doing dishes at Little Caesars. Who would have thought we'd actually get married and populate the world with little crazy people (just kidding kids). We have had a great time. . . most of the time. We have had good times, bad times, successes, and failures. Whatever we have done we have been in it 100% together. I think that's what makes our marriage work. Nate is my very best friend. I love him! I mean, only a great man would take his wife to Color Me Mine to paint celebratory plates for their anniversary date. We also had a fun time hiking a trail up Squaw Peak. . .really, all we did was hike. We finally used a gift certificate Nathan's brother gave him on graduation to the Olive Garden. And of course, what date would be complete without a walk around Walmart. I was a wonderful anniversary. A special thanks to my big sister who let my kids stay at her house so Nate and I could enjoy our anniversary.

Feelin Alive at Five

2009-09-28T16:30:00.007-06:00

Rachel turned five. Last night we watched some video from her birth. What a perfect day. Well, the one hour of the day we enjoyed before Rachel was born. We woke up at 6 am the day before and were hoping to get into the hospital for me to be induced. Well, we finally got to go in around 3 in the afternoon which meant I had her just after midnight. The epidural was perfect and she just popped out. . . well it wasn't too bad anyway. I remember being absolutely starved right after. The nurses didn't want to give me any food because they were afraid I would throw up. It took me awhile to convince them I needed more than soda crackers and sprite. After all was said and done, I didn't get to sleep until about 4 am, but it was worth it. Rachel came into our lives peacefully and beautifully.
I can't say that things are still so peaceful and beautiful but she is a lot of fun to have around. I love her so much. She had a fun birthday and we ended up with an impromptu party. The kids in the neighborhood just heard we had cake and ice cream in the backyard and they came out of the woodwork. Then, of course, since Ben went swimming for his birthday, Rachel wanted the same. We had a great time.

Our Latest Project

2009-09-28T16:15:00.003-06:00

I love projects. And I love pulling Nathan into my projects. Our latest was to make magnetic boards for the kids rooms. We have a fabulous neighbor who was able to get us scrap metal. Nate built the frames and I decorated them. :) They are imperfect (as all of our projects tend to be) but I like them. I think they look pretty cute.

We Try So Hard

2009-09-22T20:50:00.006-06:00

Family scripture at our house lasts a total of 5 minutes. Really, sometimes it's less than that. Sadly, even that 5 minutes is too long for us. Five minutes is just enough time for the kids to start kicking each other and complaining about how they don't have enough room.

It's enough time for Nathan to have to get up and try to control the situation so we might actually be able to hear the scriptures.

And it is enough time for us to be glad when that five minutes has expired.
I am sure, many, many years down the road we will be glad we did this and realize the fruits of our labors. I'm sure.

Week's Highlights

2009-09-20T14:17:00.004-06:00

This week started with Ben heading back to first grade. Ben is an August 31st birthday. That means he has been the absolute youngest in his class during his first two years of school. I have often worried about this. When school started this year Nate and I talked about it again. After contemplating for a couple weeks we decided that the pros of having Ben repeat first grade outweighed the cons. We sat Ben down and told him he could choose to stay in second grade, but that he would always be the youngest in his class or he could choose to return the the first grade for another round and be the oldest. He told us he wanted to be the oldest. So, Monday he started his first grade class. He started crying when he woke up in the morning. I felt so bad. But, I knew it was the right thing for him. We got him to school and voila, he was fine. He actually loves being in first grade again. He has n't even given it a second thought.

Nate's job continues to go well. He is still only a contracted employee and the only way he will become a permanent hire there is if another engineer quits or the company gets busier. He love the company and the people. I told Nathan he needs to start giving some of the other engineers job referrals. "Hey, I saw a great job in the paper this week that you'd be perfect for." If we could just get someone to quit. :)

I haven't heard anything on my Dillard's job. They had to send the hire into the corporate office the be approved and I guess they are slow there. So, I am still keeping my eyes open for other possibilities.

We splurged and went to Golden Corral this week. It's the only restaurant I dare take my kids to. With Ben and Rachel getting bigger we decided to let them wander off to fill their own plates. What did this result in, you might ask. Rachel returned with a plate full of jello and Ben returned with a plate full of spaghetti and ten strawberries. Nate and I just about died laughing, to which Ben took great offense. He's so sensitive. In the end we all had belly aches. The invention of the buffet was a terrible thing to do to people who are addicted to food.

Today Elder Hales of the quorum of the twelve apostles came and spoke to our stake in a special conference. His talk jumped around but I had to laugh when he told us a personal experience. He had a few years where his health was not good. He had to have several surgeries. One of these was a surgery that had never been done. He said he often prayed and wondered why he was going through this trial. At one point he said he offered a prayer in which he said " Whatever you are trying to teach me, I have learned it. Trust me." I laughed because that's how I feel. Alas, he then told us then some of our trials are not meant to teach lessons at all, but simply to give us experience.

So, the experience continues for our family. We have it drilled into the kids that we are on a tight budget. A couple of days ago, in the car we were talking about how one day, when we have our own house, we might build a clubhouse in the back yard. I suggested maybe we could build a big one like our cousins have at their house to which Ben responded "No, that won't be necessary. We won't have enough money for that. Just a small one." Good kid. But one day we will build a big one. :)

Just Peachy

2009-09-20T13:54:00.008-06:00

This month Brigham City celebrated their famous "Peach Days". Well, in my head I thought "Yummy. Peaches. Let's go." So, we packed up and drove the half an hour to the quaint town of Brigham City. I was hoping to find many delicious things made with peaches. Unfortunately, there was only one booth selling fresh peach cobbler and the line was about a mile long. We ended up with Funnel Cakes which we happily shared. They were pretty good.

They had a lot of great crafty booths but the kids were only interested in one thing. Rides. Now, Nathan and I, like any kind loving parents, want our children to be happy. Really. But when I saw the cost of those carnival rides I just about turned around and left. The Ferris Wheel would have cost our family $20 for one ride. We managed to satisfy the children with a cheaper car ride and a huge slide ride. They were happy.

So, it ended up being an interesting evening. To tell you the truth, I found it extremely entertaining to just watch the people. You get quite a variety at a Saturday night fair. I can only imagine what the State Fair would look like. Yikes! I guess we'll try again next year. Maybe there will be more peaches.

Climb Every Mountain

2009-09-20T13:15:00.012-06:00

Being a hamster in the Baxter household means days full of adventure. You might get to follow a bread crumb trail around a train track. Just watch out for the trains.

You might get to climb a high mountain and then use a wonderful little slide to get from the top to the bottom.

And in the end, you'll fall asleep in that mountain and refuse to come out, leaving mother Baxter with only one option. Remove the top of the mountain to pull you out. But hey, no worries, there is plenty of food, everywhere. And I do mean everywhere.

Summer Ends with a Bang

2009-09-08T09:24:00.004-06:00

I have to say that we are a very lucky family. We have two sets of wonderful, active grandparents who love to get together. So, this weekend we had to find a way to be with both. Thursday night we drove to Thayne Wyoming to stay with Tom and Mary in a beautiful log cabin (really, it was a log house) on a golf course and only an hour away from Jackson Hole. Even after driving 5 hours (we missed a turn off and extended our drive by an hour) and arriving at midnight our kids still said it was worth it because the log house was so cool. Friday morning we got up and drove into Jackson Hole. We hiked a newly developed trail that was a three mile loop to a gorgeous lake that was owned by the Rockefeller's until a few years ago.
We shopped a little and Nate and I reminisced a lot.
We spent our honeymoon in Jackson Hole, the Tetons, and Yellowstone. Tom and Mary even gave us the night off and let us have a date which was so fun.

Us then.
Us now. Saturday we went golfing. We did as much as possible to disobey golf edicate by letting our kids hang with us while we golfed and even drive the golf carts. They had a blast!
And, of course, to my horror, we spent Saturday night watching the BYU game. I said that we didn't drive all that way to watch tv. Nathan said that this particular BYU game was huge and that he must watch it. Honestly, I am glad we did watch it because I would have never heard the end of it if I had made him miss that amazing game. Even I was interested in the last three minutes. We drove home after the game arriving in our drive way at one a.m. Exhausted we all fell into bed.

Now, I know you are all bored but the second half of our weekend was about to begin. After church and Nathan's first time conducting in sacrament meeting(he only messed up a little) we headed in the opposite direction to Aspen Lakes, the camp where my parents have been serving as camp hosts this summer. We arrived there just in time to put up a tent and go to sleep. We spent the next day motorcycling, playing on the ropes course, and zooming down the zip line.

Nate and I even made a determined climb to the peak of a hill where we stumbled on a huge flock of sheep and were almost attacked by sheep dogs.
We all played, got very dirty, and had a super fabulous time. The kids were very brave jumping in the ice cold water from the zip line. I did it and I thought I was going to die. I couldn't move my body. Poor Rachel wanted to jump in so bad. She had watched Conner, Ben, and Sophie all brave it but when it came to her she just couldn't do it. She wouldn't get out of the swing when we pulled her back in. She was so embarrassed that she couldn't do it. She said "I want to jump in but I am too scared." It took me a while an letting her use my camera to convince her that it was ok.

I thought this particular photo was kind of artistic.

So, after that whirlwind weekend and about 15 hours of driving we are all exhausted. My house is kind of messy. And, instead of taking care of it I am sitting here remembering our trip and wishing we could be having more fun. We are so lucky to have such great family. Can't wait to be together again.

Ben Turns Seven. . . Holy Cow!

2009-09-01T09:05:00.008-06:00

I always get nervous when the birthday season rolls around. My three kids all have birthdays within a months time. I am not very good at planning kid parties. . . in fact. . .I always put it off too long and just try to have a family party. Then I stress about whether it will be fun enough to make the kids like their birthday. Well, yesterday was Ben's birthday. Aside from getting the hamster we made his day by

1) Letting him stay home from school. Hey it was his birthday. I called the school to excuse him the secretary asked me if he was sick. "No. It's his birthday" I said confidently. I could hear the giggle in her reply. Maybe birthday's are not a legitimate excuse to the school but they definitely are to me.

2) We went to Mcdonald's. Oh, the amazing happiness that comes into a child's life because of a happy meal and the playland.

3) We baked him a cake. Do not judge me. I am not a professional. . . just close to it.

4) We made Ben cards. He giggled when he looked at Emily's. She just scribbles. But she was so cute when she said "Happy Birday Ben." No one can resist her charm.

5) We squeezed in a few other presents.

6) We wrapped up the night with swimming at the local outdoor pool where Ben showed off his seven year oldness by insisting on going through the lazy river by himself. He is so proud that he can touch the bottom. Rachel had her own moment of glory. She learned to float on her back. Man was she beaming.
So, despite my non professional abilities in birthday partying Ben had a great day. I am so glad.

By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them

2009-08-29T21:46:00.003-06:00

We live in a community of humble, good people. People who love us despite our faults and give to us just because they are good. Everyone knows that summer's end is the harvest. Nate and I, unfortunately, have never had a harvest. But we reap the benefits of many others hard work. We have had numerous neighbors give to us from their gardens this year. Every time I thank them heartily because, really, you can't beat garden tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, green peppers, and on and on. Just today I was given a bag full of ripe beautiful vegetables. I have eaten a quarter of the tomatoes by myself in the last hour. This blog is just to say thank you to him who giveth. . . and I hope to remind me someday. . .when I have a beautiful garden. . . because I will one day. . . oh yes. . I will. . . that I need to give back to someone else. That's what makes people neighbors and neighbors friends.

Pets and Princesses

2009-08-28T21:27:00.007-06:00

This past week has been interesting. Ben went back to school and Nathan was at work. So, for the first time in about a year it was just me and the girls again. The first day was nightmarish. Rachel was very tired from waking early and whined most to the day. My reaction to this was less then patient and loving. The second day we did much better and by the third day I was on a role. When the girls were annoying me I suggested they have a tea party. And then to make it really attractive I told them we would make cookies for our tea party. It worked like a charm. They were entertained by something besides TV and I got to feel like I was a good mom.

This Monday is Ben's 7th birthday. Time flies. Anyway, the other night I had a dream. In my dream I was at walmart where there were teachers with their classroom pets. One of the teachers had two tree frogs. I was so excited to hold these and play with them. I woke up and I thought, Ben needs a pet. So, tonight, for his birthday he went to Petco and found a hamster. . . which he lovingly name Orie. . . short for orange because his hamster is kind of orange. This is also Ben's favorite color. We actually went to Pets Mart first but they only carried female hamsters. I was thinking that Ben wouldn't know the difference but he can read. He found no "male" hamsters. So we had to go to another store. A boy needs a boy pet. We have all spent the evening facinated by Orie's amazing feats. He is quite talented and can even hang from the top of his cage grasping on with all fours. Ben says this is the best present he has ever had. I think it kind of stinks. . . literally. But Orie is a great present.
Sorry about the X rated nature of this photo. At first I thought that Orie was relieving himself but then after several of the same shots it dawned on me that maybe Orie is just well endowed.

What a Handsome Little Devil

2009-08-26T17:03:00.002-06:00

Ben's first day of second grade. I am still as protective of him as the day he went to kindergarten. I worry and worry. I don't know why. He has always shown me he can handle things. Anyway, he went back to Lincoln Elementary where he went in kindergarten. I was unsuccessful at getting him into the other school. That's a long story. I am sure he will do just fine at Lincoln anyway. He is just happy to be back surrounded by kids all day. He is funny. Last year we created a little tradition on the way home from school. I would say,"So, Ben, do you want to tell me about your day?" He would always say yes. I would turn off the radio and listen to him talk all the way home. This year, I am not working so we don't have the long drive home. . . but the first thing he said when he got in the van on the first day was "Let me tell you about my day." I am glad that tradition is holding strong.

What Goes Up Must Come Down

2009-08-17T21:54:00.005-06:00

Well, I did it. I finally got up the courage to go over to this brand new elementary school in my area. . . but not in my district. . .to try to get Ben enrolled there. I have been such a chicken thinking they would just stare at me. Anyway, I went in and told the secretary I wanted to enroll my boy there. She said that they were really full and the only way he would even have a chance would be if he was a second grader. I think I screamed for joy at her "He is a second grader!" I know I was just beaming. I am sure it was funny. Anyway, tomorrow I will go fill out some paperwork and get Ben in. I am really excited.

In other news, I got a call on this job I am hoping to get. I have an interview Thursday. I think this is a great option and will leave me some time to be a mom still. Your prayers are appreciated seeing as they want a spanish speaker. Perhaps you can all pray for me to get the gift tongues. HEHEHE.

So, it was a fabulous day. I was so excited I decided to take the kids to the mall. On the way I called my mom to tell her my good news. I was grinning ear to ear when I heard gagging noises from the back seat followed by full heaving. Emily threw up like 5 times. Oh well, it's impossible to go up without coming back down at some point. Not everything can go perfect. :)

It's No Wonder Making Bread Makes Happy Kids

2009-08-15T22:05:00.000-06:00

Another Change

2009-08-15T21:57:00.001-06:00

Last week Nathan's parents came right from the airport to our house so Nate's Dad could ordain Nathan a High Priest. I thought there would be some magical change. . . but he seems the same. :) He will, however, be starting his job Tuesday. We are so excited and looking forward to that. I will miss him and his incredible skills with the dish washer. Although, he seems to think I will still save dishes for him to do after work. I will have to think about that one. What am I saying. . . what is there to think about. Of course I will save the dishes for him. He just wants to be able to contribute to the household. How could I deny him that.

Can You Do This?

2009-08-15T21:54:00.002-06:00

Ben seems to have incredible flexibility. Even my girls can't surpass his crazy talents. He sometimes does this amazing Yoga pose at the dinner table. He also likes to move from one place to another by somersaulting backwards. I think there is a good chance of him making some kind of living in the circus.

Birthday Wishes.

2009-08-15T21:31:00.008-06:00

Today is my dad's 65th birthday. This year is Smokey the Bear's 65th birthday as well. So, it was suitable that we spent some time with my dad in the mountains. . . Smokey would also have loved this. We tried to do our part in preventing Forest Fires. . . but I think that Nathan built the world's biggest pit fire last night. . . so maybe that was not true.
Anyways, my parents have been serving as missionaries this summer by being camp hosts at their Stake Camp, Aspen Lakes. It is a great place to go with canoeing, a ropes course, hiking, zip lines and best of all. . . hot showers. I just love my dad and I am really proud of he and my mom for giving up most of there summer so lots and lots of girls, boys, wards, and families could go to Aspen Lakes and have an awesome time. Happy Birthday Dad!

Waiting for the Dust to Settle!

2009-08-02T19:05:00.008-06:00

What a week. O.k. I really don't know where to begin. About 2 weeks ago Nathan interviewed for a job. It sounded great, the interview went fantastic, and we thought for sure he would get it. It was in Salt Lake. Yea! I would get to move closer to the fam. Well, as you have already probably put together, things did not pan out. We were really disappointed. I mean really disappointed.
Well, the day before we found out that we didn't get that job another company called Nate. This is a company Nate toured about 6 weeks ago just for fun. They didn't have any job openings but he really hit it off with the engineer who gave him the tour. Anyways, this guy called Nate and asked him to drop by because he wanted to introduce Nathan to the senior engineer. So, Monday, Nate dropped by and they offered him a job. The company is called Setpoint USA here in Ogden. Nate is excited about it.
Here's the funny part. Tuesday Nate got a call from the Stake President's office. They asked him to come on down for an appointment. Okey Dokey. Well, we couldn't get there until Friday. Anyway, long story short, Nate got asked to serve as a counselor in the Bishopric. I just find the timing so funny. I mean, Nate has been looking for a job for months. The day after he gets the long awaited blessing God gets him right to work and seals our fate as far as any moving. . . I see that there will be no moving in the near future.
So, our life feels kind of exciting this week. Which is nice for a change after a summer of really doing a lot of entertaining the kids and not much else. I know Nathan is really excited to get back to work and be busy. A year at home taking care of the kids will do that to a man. I hope everything works out. There is still a lot up in the air about Nates job (mainly a salary). I have been looking for a job and I am planning on doing something for the time being but I think that I have come to the conclusion that I want to stay with the girls during the day so I won't be going back to teaching. Really, I have spent all summer trying to see the end from where we are and I still just can't make it out. But, at the very least, it seems that the end will be here in Ogden for now. :)

In other news:

First annual puzzle contest. The girls win it!

Man Bakes homemade bread. It's miraculous.

Swimming at Auntie Allyson's right before the move.

Goodbye Auntie Allyson. They are off to Phoenix so Matt can become a Podiatrist.

And last but not least. What is Emily pretending to be in these pictures. We may never know.

. . . and more camping.

2009-07-24T07:21:00.010-06:00

We had a great time at Jordanelle this past week. Lots and lots of sun. We all tried knee boarding. . . some more successfully than others.

(Nate was fabulous. . . it was me that did not do so very hot.)

We ate and we talked. And, really, we stayed kind of clean because we were in the water most of the time. However, my dread about sleep was justified this time. Emily woke up in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder. I had to let her come sleep by me, which really ended up being her pushing me off of the blow up mattress so far that I finally gave up. I found an extra sleeping bag and went out to sleep on one of these

Now, this wouldn't have been so bad had there not been a skunk that ravaged our garbage all night long. I didn't dare scare it away for fear that I would get sprayed. So, instead, me and that skunk stayed up together and maybe I have made a friend for life.

To see the web album just click the pic.

Camping. . . oh the dread.

2009-07-19T10:15:00.002-06:00

O.k. So, I just going to say it. I love the mountains. I love to be there. I love everything about it, except the being dirty and sleeping in strange places. So, this weekend, I conquered my dread and we went roughing it with Grandma and Grandpa Baxter. Grandma Baxter is a die hard. There is no roughing it too rough for her. So we camped way up high with no bathrooms and no running water. We all had a fabulous time. Even me. Thanks Tom and Mary! You two are the best!

Something Neat in Ogden

2009-07-19T09:50:00.006-06:00

Every year for the 24th of July Celebration different companies sponsor the painting of horse statue which are placed around downtown Ogden. We did a bike tour of all the horses. These were some of our favorites, but they were all pretty cool.

The Book of Emily

2009-07-14T18:35:00.003-06:00

Every day Emily is adding to her own private book of sayings. Today she amazed us with her wisdom and spirituality by announcing to us, at the dinner table "Jesus wants us to wear lip gloss."

Hmmm. . . we are speculating that this is perhaps another one of her marvelous plans of manipulation. After all, if Jesus wants her to do it. . . it must be good and mom and dad will have to agree. Promptly following this statement she once again found my lip gloss. Really, I am going to have to hide it better.

jordanelle