...and the livin' is easy.

Well, it is not quite summertime yet. But don't tell my kids. They have been swimming in our pool since we moved in four weeks ago:) it has been so tempting for me too- I LOVE swimming - but the water has been just a few degrees on the cold side. Yesterday I came home from going to the zoo with Maddie to find Jeff and the three youngers in the hot tub. I hung out with them for a while but then I just had to do it. I ran straight to the diving board and jumped right in. It was cold. Really cold. But I climbed right back out and jumped again. And again. Jeff braved up and jumped once but he was a little wimpy and ran right back to the jacuzzi;) It was fun. And today we went out again and I spent about an hour in the pool with the older kids. I am pretty sure I had more fun than any of them. I had to force myself to come inside.

Did I ever mention how much I love our new house? Yes, it is 37 years old and needs some updating. Yes, the kitchen is kind of small and the dining room is carpeted. But I really don't think there could be a more perfect layout for our family. It is cozy and fosters togetherness yet it is roomy. It has all kinds of awesome built-in storage that I don't even fill up. It has a pool in the backyard. And a hot tub. It has a big great room that is perfect for family time. I love it and I feel so blessed.

One other thing, I am married to the best man on the planet. Hands down. He works so hard solving all kinds of problems at work, comes home and solves all kinds of problems at home, plays with our kids, listens to me talk, and then he somehow manages to fit in time for his school work. I am lucky. Our kids are lucky. I love him.

Humility is a virtue...

I went outside to shoot a few hoops with Cole and Cade this afternoon. I was feeling like my boys should be pretty proud of their old mom since more than a few of my shots were making their way into the basket. But then I remembered the laughable way I look when I shoot. Apparently my form isn't normal. At least that is what I have been told. A few times. So then I worked on my form and tried to make myself look better. I don't think it worked.

I moved on to the trampoline and tried a few front flips. I couldn't land a single one. I got close though. Once. And it wasn't very many jumps before I remembered how unpleasant jumping on the trampoline can be for a person who has given birth to six children.

At that point, I gave up on trying to be totally awesome and came inside. Then I thought about this past Saturday's Cub Scout Day Camp. The boys did an obstacle course and I thought I would impress them by my abilities so I tried it. I did ok but my big shoe got caught for several seconds in the gunny sack (jumping in a gunny sack is a lot harder than it looks, by the way) and I did a little belly flop onto the grass that was apparently pretty funny when I got to an obstacle that I needed to crawl under. I think I was good comic relief. Needless to say, I didn't break any records.

This I what I realize: getting older is humbling. Or maybe, just being me is humbling. Because let's face it, I am really not that old. I guess the trick is to keep getting out there and playing and pretending like I am 12 again. I want my kids to someday be able to tell their friends what my little brother told his, "my mom might look old and tired, but she's just old."

Golden Birthday

So Madlyn turned 10 yesterday- I can't believe a decade has flown by so quickly! We celebrated by having chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and orange juice for breakfast. I was so happy when Cole said, "this is kind of our tradition, isn't it?" Yes, we do have chocolate chip pancakes for birthday breakfasts! Then I felt a little deflated when Cole said that "mornings on birthdays are always like this" (meaning chaotic and rushed). Oh well. At least we have some traditions:)

After school, Madlyn got to go to get frozen yogurt with her grandma (perks of living one minute apart), to her new activity day group, she made her own birthday cake (her request), and she helped me make her birthday dinner of homemade orange chicken and fried rice. Grandpa and Grandma L. joined us for dinner and then her cousins who live nearby joined for cake and ice cream. Our gift to her was a new bed and bedspread and freshly painted bedroom furniture. She is working on her Paris-themes bedroom and we gave her a good start.

It was such a fun day and she said she felt loved and appreciated so I think it was a success! I did, of course, reminisce about her birth and am just so grateful that she decided to join our family 10 years ago! We love our Mads!

P.S. At 10, Madlyn loves cooking, music, and planning. She is in her school's production of Seussical and is enjoying that. She takes piano lessons and plays the viola in the orchestra at school. She is very talented and is coming out of her shell. Madlyn really is an extraordinary chef. She LOVES to cooks and will often make entire meals by herself with absolutely no help from me, aside from sometimes helping her find the recipe. It is so much fun to cook with her and it is especially awesome that she loves to chop! She will come ask me if I need anything chopped and loves to do it!

Madlyn is such a joy to have in our family and we all love her!

P.s.s. Madlyn had a fun surprise and had a new cousin born early in the morning on her birthday! My little brother and his wife had their first baby, little Carson Boyd. We are so excited and happy for them and can't wait to meet him!!

Home Sweet Home

Well, we did it. We finally bought a house. We closed two weeks ago and are feeling pretty settled in by now. Of course, I have lots of decorating things I want to do but boxes are unpacked and most everything is where it should be. It is AMAZING to have our own space again- and so much more than we have ever had- we are in heaven!

We are so thankful that it worked out so well for us to stay with Jeff's parents for as long as we did (8 months) - they are so good to us- but we are so so glad to be living two streets away now instead of with them!

We are in the same school and (barely) in the same ward and I, for one, am so glad that we don't have to make that adjustment all over again! I have been lucky enough to make some good friends here and like that we get to stay!

I miss Texas and my friends there still but this is home now. I did retain a little bit of Texas with me- both my new home phone number and my cell phone have the numbers of our TX street address in it, 349. I totally did that on purpose.

Life is good and we are blessed!

Too sick too long.

I think someone in our household (grandparents included) has been sick for over a month. We had a little break around Christmas but we were sick in December too. Someone gets sick, it slowly makes it rounds through the entire family and right when we are almost done, someone else starts it all over again. We are currently working on round 4. 2 rounds of stomach yuckies and 2 rounds of colds, fevers, and coughs. It is ridiculous. We all went to church together for the first time in a month on Sunday but I think it was a little premature because Lane's fever came back that night and Maddie woke up this morning and her fever was back. I am more than a little frustrated. The weather is starting to warm up a little this week so I am really hoping there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Funny thing...while EVERYONE in the house has gotten sick, I have not. I have felt a little off some days and know my body is fighting it off but I have never gotten down and out sick. What a blessing that has been!

Here I Am!!!

Little Callie is our little ham. If she ever feels like she is not getting the attention she deserves, she will start doing little tricks so we can't help but look. She has been this way since forever. It is so funny. Tonight we were spending some quality family time and wrestling/doing gymnastics, etc. After awhile, the kids were chasing each other around the house and the grown ups were left chatting in the living room. It was at this point that Callie came running into the living room, looked at us all, and excitedly announced, "here I am"! Then she proceeded to do a few tricks, including spinning in circles and throwing herself to the floor. Too funny.

Speaking of Callie, she is just a tiny bit dramatic. She is pretty good at coaxing a few tears when she needs to. Her bottom lip pout is stellar as well. The other day she came up to me holding her arm and she tearfully said, "Cade Blade (she always calls him that). Hit. My. Leg"! I could hardly contain myself.

For this next story, let me give you a little background. When my kids are in the bath, I will hand them a bar of soap and tell them to wash themselves. They will then proceed to wash their bums and legs, etc. So lately, Callie has been referring to her bum as her "self". I guess that is what she notices being washed the most in the bath:) so anyways, a couple if times she has very dramatically told me that Cade Blade or Kimber hit her self, as she points to her bum. Cracks me up every time. No pun intended. Haha.

We sure love our Callie girl. She is so cute and funny and we can't imagine our life without her:)

Oh and Callie reprised her role as Thing 1 for Halloween this year. Here she is with her sidekick, Thing 2.

Latest Happenings

Well I had the surgery and it all went well. I spent the night in the hospital and came home Saturday morning. I have enjoyed a lazy week hanging out with my kids and reading:) my mother-in-law has been great and I didn't cook all week!

Jeff and his dad took the four oldest camping in the mountains last night. They were cold. But I think they had a good time. They came back all dirty and smelling like campfire so I'd say it was a success:) Michelle and the little girls and I went to dinner and shopping. We stayed out too late and had lots of fun. The girls were troopers and Callie learned the word "shopping". They are definitely little girls- they loved every minute of it!!

We didn't really do our fall snacks this week since I was recovering but we did manage to make some Oreo ball eyeballs and some football whoopie pies! The eyeballs didn't look too great but we know what to do differently next time. I thought the footballs were cute-and they tasted yummy as well!

Jeff is finishing up one class and getting ready to start another next week. That man is amazing and I love him.

Fall Break is officially over and I have to start making lunches again. It was a good break. Next week we get to have Lane's birthday - big 4 years old on Wednesday! Time flies.

Oh and just for fun, we girls went to a little boutique today and I saw the cutest saying, "a good cook knows that it is not what is on the table that matters; it's what is in the chairs". Love it! It is definitely going on my wall. When I have a house. Which will be someday.