We just got back from our annual trip to Disneyland.  Sadly that might've been the last one, it's just getting too difficult for the kids to miss that much school.  They're all still trying to get caught up.

So Jeremy decided to make this trip extra-special.  For starters, we flew instead of drove.  I'm all for that except for the part where Brody and Jace both puked as we were landing in California.  Unfortunately they were sitting by a stranger and she may have gotten a little backsplash.  Fortunately she was VERY kind and understanding.  I'm sure she was trying not to puke herself but she nicely offered to trade seats with me so I could hold the barf bags. 

We got to ride in a limousine from the airport to the hotel.  I'm pretty sure the kids found this even more exciting than Disneyland.  Thanks to the Steffensens for the idea, don't think it ever would've occurred to me otherwise.

We went for one day to Universal Studios.  I really enjoyed it (especially being able to drive right down Wisteria Lane) but the little kids were kind of ticked that there are only 7 rides there.  They don't yet appreciate all the other amazing stuff there is to see.

Disneyland was perfect, of course.  We were able to do everything we had wanted.  A couple times we had to split up, like when for some bizarre reason Brody wanted to go to the Disney Live on Stage show.  We let the older kids go on rides while we did that.  But mostly we were able to stay together.  It's fun not having to worry about height limits and splitting up for that reason.

The very best part of Disneyland was running into Zachary Levi, aka Chuck.  My kids are all obssessed with that show and were beside themselves to meet him and get pictures taken.  Zack might have even shed a tear or two.

At the end of the trip the limo took us back to the airport.  I made Brody and Jace take a Dramamine before flying this time, and they did fine.  I was ticked that Utah was so warm the whole week we were in California but I have to admit, it is glorious to come home to warm and sunny skies instead of ten feet of snow.

After two LONG years, Jeremy is three weeks away from completing his masters degree.  Despite my two years of incessant complaining, I am very proud of him.  It is going to be such a relief to have it done.  And he has done very well, I don't think he has received below an A- in any of his classes.  And this is the guy who didn't even start on his bachelor's degree until we were married with two kids.  I love his ambition, it is so neat to see him want to work so hard to further himself in his career.  It's been very stressful for him but he managed to keep up with his Dad Duties throughout it all.  I can't think of a single sports or school event that he has missed.  He even had a couple stints being the coach for one of the kids soccer teams.  Luckily he was smart enough not to sign on for that while he's been completing his last couple of classes, but he is still there at every game.  It is going to be such a celebration at our house in a few weeks!!

Yesterday was probably my best birthday (as a grown-up) yet.  Jeremy finally learned my love language, and he did a perfect job.  I didn't lift a finger all weekend.  On Saturday he cleaned, got the kids to clean, took all six kids shopping for a couple hours while I stayed home alone, and he even cooked Sunday dinner.  All 8 of us went to Olive Garden on Saturday.  I'm learning that if we're eating out these kids just prefer fast food.  Sit down restaurants don't really know how to make kid-friendly dinners.  Course Jeremy got the staff to sing Happy Birthday to me so that was a real treat.  Corben said I did a real good job of not blushing so that was good.

I loved how sweet the kids were.  Like most grown-ups, half the time I forget it's even my birthday, as was the case as we were bustling around trying to get everyone to get ready for church.  I went downstairs and was rushing to wake up (again) (even though we now have 1:00 church) a couple of the kids.  Corben was coming down the hall and as I went rushing by he held out his arms and gave me a big hug and told me happy birthday.  He even held the hug for longer than the normal .005 seconds!  It was very special.  He's such a neat kid, still singing and playing his guitar and writing songs that absolutely amaze me.  A few months ago he started working as a custodian for the jr. high and is LOVING spending his earnings.  I hope he'll get that out of his system fast and learn the beauty of saving.

Trev is my child who is most like me, so it makes me laugh (not really) that I'm so impatient with him.  He's got a strong personality, but man can this kid get me on the floor laughing.  It is impossible to get him to be serious, he is so stinking funny! He can defuse any tension with one word, and my scowl will turn into a laugh whether I want it to or not.  His church teacher was talking to me about him the other day and telling me what a tender heart he has, and it's so true.  He acts tough, but he's a big softie.

Lance is my quiet handyman.  His most favorite activity in the world, no joke, is to go shopping at Lowe's with his dad.  Anytime Jeremy is working on a car, a bike, any home improvement project, Lance is right there glued to his side helping.  Jeremy trades work with a mechanic friend of his and when he went there one day to work on the guy's computers, Lance was in seventh heaven when Jeremy invited him to come along.  They were there for several hours and I finally decided to go grab Lance, knowing he'd be bored to tears by then, but he was in his element.  No way was he leaving with anyone but dad.

Zack is a lot like Trevor, acts tough but secretly has a very soft heart.  He is the only kid who will still (willingly) cuddle with me.  He gives me hugs just out of the blue, all the time.  He is the goalie for his soccer team and loves it.  He gets to go to an out-of-town tournament this month and has been most anxiously awaiting the trip for months.  He does not love school, which is frustrating to me because he is such a smart kid!  Once they switch schools to functioning 100% electronically I think he will get straight As.

Brody is kind, smart, rebellious, funny, and sassy.  I never know what I'll get from him from one minute to the next.  His hair is so long and shaggy but he will not let us trim it.  I'm all for forcing him but I then get ganged up on by Jeremy and Corben who think "he should be able to express himself."  My favorite thing that he's been doing for several months, no idea where this came from, but anytime I call his name, instead of shouting "What?!" like every other kid, he comes right up to me and says, "Yes Dear?"  It is hysterical.  This kid is OBSESSED with soccer.  He has become quite the little player and he is just on cloud 9 whenever he scores for his team.  He had a game the Saturday after Christmas and in the days leading up to Christmas he was more often asking how many days til my game instead of how many days til Christmas.

Jace is the calm one.  He definitely has his moments but overall he is patient and easy.  He is so smart and does such a good job at school.  He does hilarious dances, faces, voices, etc.  His whole life, however, is soccer.  He knows everything about Real Salt Lake and is thrilled that his dad took a tenth mortgage out on the house to get season tickets this year.  He is the goalie on his team and is AWESOME.  They just started another session and he has helped keep them undefeated in the first few games they've played so far.

Corben's Solo

This is Corben's solo at the Syracuse Jr. High Choir Concert.  He is singing with a neighbor girl, Lindsay.  They did absolutely awesome, we get goose bumps when we watch it again.

It is really neat to see all his hard work, and the benefits of it.

Trevor was in this concert as well, in the beginner's choir, he did so good in his first concert, we are so proud of both of them.

I don't understand how some people can get so into Halloween.  We had our neighborhood trunk-or-treat tonight over at the church and I couldn't believe the effort of some of the costumes.  My favorite was Katniss.  This little gal had the mockingjay pin and everything.  I asked where she got the pin and she had no idea, her mom got it.  Well, here are the efforts I went to for my kids' costumes.  Jace wore an adult-sized Angry Bird costume that Jeremy got on clearance after Halloween last year.  Brody wore a Power Rangers costume, about 2 sizes too small, with no mask or make-up so nobody knew what he was supposed to be.  Zack did not dress up at all, I think he was half-heartedly pretending to be a football player because he was wearing his jersey.  Lance was a soccer player, wore the uniform he just wore in fall soccer.  Trevor wasn't dressed up but as I think he is already too old for trick-or-treating I'll be darned if he wasn't going to wear a costume, so he put on a vampire cape and a clown wig over his regular clothes.  Oh, and he was wearing roller blades.  It reminded me of my favorite childhood book, Me and the Weirdos.

In all fairness to myself, It wasn't entirely my fault.  If any of them had an ounce of decision-making skills I would have gladly helped them put a costume together.  But nobody gave any thought or care whatsoever to their costume, and I've never been a major Halloween fanatic so I'm not going to go to all this effort if they don't care.  The problem is I need to come up with something for the school parade otherwise I'll be embarrassed for them.  

On a happier note, Zack was the hero at his indoor soccer game today.  The game was tied with just a few seconds left and the other team was taking a penalty kick with Zack as the goalie.  The second the whistle blew Zack charged the kicker and was able to block the goal.  It was so awesome!  We were standing right by the team and they were so cute erupting into cheers.  One of the boys turned around to me and shouted, "Zack did it!"  CUTE! 

Oooohhh, I hate technology.  Nnooott as much as you you see.  But IIIII still hate technology.  Now and forever.

It's true, I hate it so much.  I first started a blog because I'm real lazy about writing in my journal so I thought oh, it will be much easier to type all of our goings-on.  But all that happened was I stopped writing in my journal all together because I'll record this or that event on the blog "tomorrow."  So now I have guilt about not  writing on the blog OR in my journal.  And it didn't help that when I finally logged on to blog after more than a month that the blog thingy had TOTALLY changed and I had to sit there and figure it out from scratch.  And also, I really like to have photos accompanying my posts but it takes me a good couple of days to figure out how to put a photo on.

Speaking of photos, I am even MORE bitter about the technological advancements in photography.  What I wouldn't give to go back to a 35mm.  I don't even remember the last time I've printed photos.  Hopefully all our photos from the last 5 years are on our computer somewhere, who knows.  And to think I complained about the hassle of deciding on which film to buy, taking it into Kmart and waiting TWO DAYS for it to get developed, deciding if I wanted double prints, etc.  What I wouldn't give to have that back.  When my poor grandkids ask to see old photos of their parents I'll have to gather them all 'round the computer and spend a couple of days trying to find them.

Kids well.  Will write about them "tomorrow."

We had a fun couple nights at our TimeShare at Wolf Creek.  Short drive, two nights, and a nice pool with a slide made it a fun, end-of-summer getaway.  Not to mention that we had a free two-night stay, so it didn't use any of our points or tokens.  Here are a couple shots we took with our underwater camera, the kids had a blast with it:

We really want to believe that he WASN'T flipping the camera off.

They also really loved being able to re-enact the tetherball scenes from Napolean Dynamite.  I didn't know that "Napolean" was a style of play when it came to Tetherball.  It was so neat to see them all cheering each other on when it came to beating the court champion.

However, once Kelly took this type of approach, I had to remind her that she is playing kids...besides, that ball really hurt when it hit your head...ask any of the children you see here to validate that claim.  Kelly showed no mercy.

So this summer got off to a rocky start.  Jeremy went out of town on a business trip the day after school ended, which isn't too big a deal now that there are no babies to contend with, plus it's nice to not have to feel guilty about how I don't keep a very clean house or cook very good meals.  He left last Saturday and the next day as we were getting ready for church Zack was being such a pill.  I finally got very angry at him and next thing I knew he had hit me.  Now I hate to sound all indignant because I've spanked him a million times, but I was probably feeling unsettled with Jeremy gone because my feelings were SO hurt that I started bawling.  A half hour later when it was time to leave for church I was still bawling.  I considered just staying home but couldn't bear the thought of missing out on the 2 hour break I'd get from them during primary, so I tried to pull myself together and we left.  When we got to the church we walked in next to my darling friend Becky.  She cheerfully asked how I was doing and to my horror I started bawling again.  She looked at me so tenderly which only made it worse.  I cried all through sacrament meeting and then managed to pull myself together enough to be able to play the piano in primary.

That was the worst day, but the next couple days didn't go much better.  The kids just want to do what they want when they want to, and if I have the audacity to ask them to do a chore I am the biggest jerk in the world.

I earned several day passes to Lagoon by working there during the school days they were open, so I decided to try and take the kids on Wednesday.  That day reminded me why I love them and why it's all worth it.  First of all it was a very exciting day because FINALLY all the kids were big enough to go on most of the rides.  We kept discussing when we would split up like we normally do so the big kids could go on all the big scary rides, but after several hours I realized, we don't need to split up!  I was excited, so excited that I kept going on rides that I knew I shouldn't due to a severely queasy stomach.  After several wild rides I wasn't feeling too hot, but then we discovered yet another ride we could all go on together.  So we went on the roller coaster and right away we went on it again.  For some reason that's when my stomach hit a wall.  My head started spinning and I was sweating bullets.  I had to sit down perfectly still. The kids went on some rides in the general area where I was sitting.  Suddenly I knew I couldn't hold it in anymore and I hurried behind a planter and puked.  This was the moment when I realized that my kids really do love me.  Trev saw me bent over and came running over.  When he saw the puke he demanded my phone so he could call someone.  In hindsight this was so funny.  I asked who he was going to call and he said he didn't know, but I was really sick and he needed to call someone (I wouldn't give him the phone). He ran and told the other kids we needed to leave immediately.  They all gathered around all concerned.  The little kids, bless their hearts, weren't quite sympathetic enough to be willing to just leave.  So I told the big kids I would be so appreciative if they would just all go together on a few more rides.  So they all stuck together and went on several more rides, checking in with me in between each one.  At one point Trev could see I was chilled from my drying sweat and he draped his jacket over my shoulders.  We finally convinced  the little kids it was time to go (it was 9 at night, it's not like we were being unreasonable!).  The kids were all so solicitous and tender  the rest of the night.  They all got showered and ready for bed and they let me go right to bed.

By the next morning things were back to normal (fighting, crying, whining, lazing about), but I'll always remember that day that they took such good care of me.

DISNEYLAND!!!

This year we, unsmartly (?), went in March. We'd gone in February the past few times and it was perfect weather, no crowds, just perfect. People tried to warn us but we soon found out for ourselves that just because you verify that the area immediately surrounding Disneyland will not be having spring break the week you're going does not mean that every other district in the WORLD won't be having theirs. So while there were still good times, it was my least favorite trip so far. And while there's always fighting on trips, this trip seemed to have a lot more fighting. But it was because there was a lot more boredom from standing in a lot longer lines.

There were some pleasant surprises, like corben making the 85 pbj's that I normally make.
And they were very excited and the buildup was fun. These are our suitcases all lined up and the twins were desperate to get a photo of everyone by their suitcase but no one would cooperate at the same time so we just got this cute one of Brody & Jace.

As is custom, this is the pg-13 rated ride home where no one can keep their clothes on!

When we got home we found that Lance's Nintendo DS was missing. We had looked EVERYWHERE. We finally called the hotel in California and asked if anyone had found it in our room. They hadn't. This is the part that I can't stop laughing about. So Jeremy had to admit to the girl at the hotel, over the phone, that he had ditched our brokendown stroller in their parking garage because we didn't want to pack it back in the van, and could she maybe check in there? Boy was his face red when, sure enough, that is where the DS was found.

Vacations are a funny thing. I always have the fondest memories after a vacation and had wondered if this one would be different since we all got on each others nerves a bit more than normal, but no, it's no different. I got to spend an uninterrupted week on vacation with my boys, just playing and having fun with no outside stresses. I can't wait to go back.

In gym class this morning everyone was oohing & ahhing over this girl who had run a half-marathon last weekend. Well, I am forced to toot my own horn since I ran a self-organized, single person half-marathon a month ago. I decided to run to Zack's soccer game in Ogden. I didn't think I'd make it but figured I'd just have Jeremy & the kids pick me up on their way. Less than 2 1/2 hours later I was at the arena. I wore Jeremy's Garmin & I had gone 13 1/2 miles. I couldn't have been more proud. I couldn't even run a mile until I was 30. I repeated the same run again 2 weeks later. I want to enter an actual half-marathon so I can brag & get all the accolades, but I can't bare to pay the hefty entrance fees. Guess I'll purchase my own trophy.

TOP 10 REASONS I LOVE HAVING 6 BOYS

in no particular order

10. I will get to have 6 daughters-in-law.

9. All the holes in the walls give our home character.

8. I am never bored as every day there are new puddles of urine pooled at the bottom of the toilet for me to clean.

7. I don't have to pay for dance classes.

6. As no one has EVER pointed out to me, I have a basketball team + 1 sub.

5. I don't have to worry about being skinny because I don't have anyone who would want to borrow my clothes.

4. I get to hear about all the inner-workings of the Nintendo 3DS.

3. I'd rather referee physical altercations than emotional drama.

2. I do not have to go clothes shopping all the time.

1. They smell so good.

Happy birthday a month late, Zack! Poor thing, I still feel guilty for having him so close to Christmas. He definitely helps us make the day his own, though! We try to completely forget about Christmas for his one big day & solely focus on him. This year he chose to go to Famous Daves & Nickelcade. We took the whole family & had a great day together. I especially had fun during Nickelcade, since while they were all glued to the video games for 2 hours I strolled the streets & did some window shopping. They didn't miss me at all! We had a family birthday dinner about a week before his birthday. He had asked, begged, for a guitar and a radio control car. Easy enough, so we got him both, and ended up returning both. The guitar had a broken string and the RC car had something wrong with it, so we took the easy road & combined the money from the returned gifts so Jeremy could take him to pick out his own present. He picked out a double edge light saber thingy, which he enjoyed for about 20 minutes before becoming bored with it. He's never really been into toys. I swear he was born with the mind of a 14 year old, he talks like one, sasses like one, plays like one. When I picked the kids up after school today I couldn't find him anywhere. I had long since collected Lance, Brody & Jace, so we started driving around looking for Zack. I finally spotted him at the schoolyard basketball court, shooting hoops with about 15 6th graders as if it was the most natural thing in the world. I had to explain to him that although he thinks he's big, he's still small & a 7-year-old cannot go wandering off wherever & whenever they please.

Zack is currently playing basketball & indoor soccer & LOVES both. He gets so excited for every game & practice. I love watching him, it is so much fun to see his passion. I am so proud of his abilities. Can't wait for him to start football this fall!

Despite his "maturity" in most areas, I like to think he is still a mama's boy. I volunteer as the library helper for his school class. The kids are usually getting lined up in the classroom when I arrive to take them down to the library & every time I walk in Zack's face lights up & he runs over to give me a huge hug. It absolutely melts my heart. I hope he never outgrows that part!

Side Note: First lost tooth, right before he turned 7. Don't know what took him so long. And it still needed prodding via string & doorknob. He was brave!

Dear Dad, please do not go out of town anymore. Mom feels way too justified to take us out for junk food when you're not here. She's determined to not even use the microwave until you get home.

Corben purposefully shuts his eyes everytime someone points a camera at him. Well Corben, hope this is better.

Next we went to visit great-grandma and also got to see grandpa Greg while we were there. We were able to knock out our week's requirements of cookies and candy while we were there.

Then we went down the street and watched the Christmas parade. For once, we thought a parade was too short! That pleased Mom because it made for less whining!

As we drove home from the parade Lance said, "I wish Dad would've been there," and all the kids agreed.

We ended our 13 year tradition of trick-or-treating in Kaysville this year. Missed seeing Gayla. The kids have been phasing it out as they get older & this year they all insisted we go in our neighborhood. Jeremy started a Halloween tradition last year (stolen from his old friend). He puts a movie on in the garage and grills hot dogs to give to friends/neighbors who come trick-or-treating. He's loved doing it and a lot of the neighbors get a kick out of it. The kids also loved it when they got done with trick-or-treating. They never last very long, which was a good thing this year since I'm trying so hard to diet & I usually steal over half their candy.

Brody is dressed as a Power Ranger, though unless you're a hardcore fan you can't tell what he is because he wouldn't wear a mask or let me come within 10 feet of him while holding Halloween make-up. Jace is, of course, Spongebob. This costume has served us well. Glad Kira bought it for our exclusive use.

Zack was changing his mind about costumes until the night before, and this is what he decided on. He kept saying he was a dead zombie & I kept lecturing him not to say dead zombie, as zombies are already dead. I just don't want my kids to sound unintelligent. Corben had the great idea that he could go as a living zombie, no costume required.

Lance was pretty much the best Frankenstein I've ever seen. He's got the perfect tall lanky body, and he was a champ with getting the make-up on. Usually they're such squirmy worms that it's all smeared, but he is one patient kid.

This was hilarious. Trev & a bunch of his friends dressed as evil looking clowns. Trev went one step further & brought his unicycle to school & rode it in the school costume parade! It was so funny. His uni skills are aMAzing.

No picture of Corben because despite the fact that he completely disobeyed my insistence that he is too old to trick-or-trick & went anyway, to make matters worse he didn't even wear a costume! What a geek. And he wouldn't even share his candy with me. Jeremy finally found it hidden in his school backpack which I was then forced to accidentally rip in my struggle to get it from him to get some candy.

I don't know why (fear of my kids with knives, I guess), but I really loathe pumpkin carving. I loved that Jeremy was walking on thin ice with me just in time for pumpkin carving night. He INSISTED I take a nice long bath while he supervised the carving. I missed the whole thing! Yay! The kids did a great job. Their pumpkins looked awesome & we had delicious seasoned pumpkin seeds for days.

My cuties on the first day of school

Better late than never, I need to write about my baby Ainge turning 14 last Sunday. Unbelievable, especially because of all my kids, I remember his baby years the most. Obviously we went through a lot together at the time, but I just cannot believe it has been that long. Corben's birthday present request wasn't quite as quirky this year as in years past; he wanted a guitar. Luckily I have Jeremy to rely on for things like this and he is the one who researched & ultimately ordered it. I wouldn't have had the first clue where to get a guitar or even what to look for. Corben can't be completely unquirky, of course, as I also got him the Mario (yep, of Nintendo) t-shirt he has been begging for for weeks.

I'm so proud & impressed with Corben's talents. He's never had any lessons to speak of but he is constantly working at teaching himself how to play different musical instruments, and he has an AMAZING singing voice. He is in the advanced choir at school this year, which his school counselor told me is a big compliment for an 8th grader. He has even written several songs. One of them Jeremy and I were so impressed with that we played it for anyone who showed up at our house. When Gifford & Shirelle came over & heard it, Gifford was so sure that Corben had plagiarized the song that we had to get on the internet for several minutes googling the lyrics to make sure they didn't show up anywhere. It was pretty funny.

Corben remains, by far, my most obedient child. I NEVER have to ask him twice to do anything. He is very sweet & loving, in his own special way (i.e. doesn't like to show ANY emotion). He is very smart and makes mediocre grades at school, but this is after NO effort is made on his part (now that's talent!). And I know it's only a matter of time before this current phase ends and he lets me cut his hair!

I'm so thankful for Corben & for the young man he is turning into, and for fighting against all the challenges that were thrown his way as a child to come out a better person for it. Love you Bud!

We continued our Pioneer Day tradition this year of waking up in the middle of the night (3:30 a.m.) to run in the Deseret News 10k race in SLC. Jeremy impressed me by registering for it as well, but then we realized he would be gone to scout camp. So this year it was Kira, Dave, my dad, Denny, & me. It's so curious how despite all the hideous factors of doing this race (getting up in the middle of the night, running, etc.), I always look back on it with joy & excitement, & know I'll do it again next year. It makes me feel so good to accomplish something that ten years ago I never would've thought possible, & it's even better doing it with my awesome family. I'm especially proud of my dad. At 58 years old & having spent part of the past year recovering from cancer, he completed the whole race. It was a neat sight watching him jog toward the finish line. Of course Denny, having never run 6 miles in his whole life & doing the race on a whim, left us all in the dust.

Of course with Jeremy & the big boys gone, it was a fun treat to scrounge up a babysitter, let alone one who would be willing to come over in the middle of the night. At the last minute I had the thought that maybe they could spend the night at Rob's house. Luckily he & Alisha are so laid back & generous that even with the last minute notice they gladly agreed. And I had Cami on stand-by all morning in case I didn't make it to pick the kids up in time. I didn't, since my dad couldn't get off the bus (ha ha!), so Cami went & grabbed them and had them all fed by the time I picked them up. Where would I be without my awesome family?

Many lessons learned this Mother's Day. First and foremost is to stop having ANY expectations from my kids, then maybe I won't be disappointed. I was telling everyone today, I don't know if their fighting was actually worse today, or if it just seemed that way because I foolishly expected them to behave better. Jeremy, on the other hand, has definitely made some progress from years past. Instead of spending money we don't have on a lame present I may or may not like, he spent the last two days taking care of the kids and doing everything around the house so I could sit around and be lazy all weekend. Bless his heart, it doesn't come easy. One of his big responsibilities was Sunday dinner with Steffensens and Denny. I had requested that he grill and make his delicious homemade ice cream and brownies to go with it. Well, the ribs were delicious, but when he went to make the brownies he found that, SHOCK! Brownies need eggs! And we were out of eggs! I told Kira that I secretly like when stuff like that happens because it proves how lost our husbands would be without us.

I got so many gifts from the kids: chocolate, bubble bath, a Tinkerbell puzzle (thanks, Jace!), some cooking stuff, and several cards and crafts they made in school. I was very spoiled! I've got to single out Corben, though. He is the only one who didn't even attempt to buy or make me a gift, but he is the only one of the kids who made an effort to try and help around the house and make our home a little more harmonious by getting along with his brothers, and I am so grateful for that. I think that's the gift any mom would prefer.

I'm going to repeat what my sister said today. I'm so grateful I've been blessed with these wonderful children so Mother's Day can be a happy time about me and my kids, and not a sad day where all I can do is miss my beautiful mom. Mother's Days were so hard the first few years after she died, but slowly they have turned around and now I have tender memories and thoughts about her throughout the day, but not the devastation I had before. I only hope my kids remember me with such fondness as I remember my mom.

Finally an update from one of us!

It isn't often that I update this, I think this is my second post. I've made a habit of reading this frequently, and today, I finally recognized a couple things.

First, I have a deep love for my family, so much that I am nearly brought to tears when I read Kelly's posts. It's kind of embarrassing at work when I look like I've been crying, but it is ok, and helps me remember what a great family I have. Kelly loves our boys, and would do anything for them. I know that, and I love her so much for it. I love that she has this blog, though I wish it was updated more frequently by either myself or her, but she is a busy person and I understand.

Second, I realize that I should be updating this way more. It would be a lot more fun to read if I shared some stories on here of things I do with the kids (aside from my persistent lecturing). Things like: Nearly being ejected from Trevor's soccer game (I'm the head coach), playing '21' with Corben and Trevor and their friend Avery (of course, I always win because I'm awesome:O), trying to keep Zack from seriously injuring himself (nearly happens every day), or letting lance go to scouts instead of soccer (I'm the head coach here, too), helping Brody and Jace (they are not twins you know) have internet access, or netflix access...lol, it's funny how much they do on the computer.

I have to say how proud I am of each of my boys. Corben is doing well in school now, and has joined the track team. He competed for the first time last week, and placed 3rd in one of his events, and ran in a couple others, doing quite well for a 7th grader. Trevor is Trevor...he loves sports, and his favorite is whatever is currently being played, soccer/baseball now, football/basketball in the spring. Lance is such a precious boy. He has his own set of issues, but he is so easy to please, and loves to play soccer. He also likes to read, and has taken after Kelly in her addiction to puzzles. Zack is always going to be full of energy, at least we hope so. If things go my way, he'll be our retirement fund:) He is great at soccer, and is a lot like Trevor in his love for sports. He is becoming a really good reader, and does good at school. Brody is a lot of fun. He's very opinionated, and not afraid to vocalize it. He is best friends with Jace, and looks up to his brothers. He is excited to start Kindergarten now that he's gotten past his shots. Jace is a peacemaker, like Kelly said in her earlier post. He loves to watch Brody play the computer, and loves to "control" when watching netflix. He, too, is excited to start kindergarten, especially since his shots are over with as well.

Kelly is a trooper...That's the all-encompasing statement, but let me expound a little. She does at least 3 or 4 loads of laundry everyday, cooks dinner at least 6 nights a week, keeps the house under control, cleans the kitchen, goes to the gym everyday, helps with soccer, scouts, primary piano playing, family night, goes to a book group (though I don't think any of them read the book anymore), helps her sister when she can, helps me with my hometeaching families, does puzzle after puzzle after puzzle, puts up with me (This is a big one), helps with homework for 4 kids, soon to be 6 kids in school...the list goes on. She is awesome, and I love her for all that she is and all that she does.

Thanks for reading, if you made it this far.

My babies are 5 years old. They will be starting kindergarten in the fall. This is impossible. We went and registered them last week. They were both very distraught and begging to be home schooled because their brothers have scared the tar out of them about getting their kindergarten shots. Once that's out of the way, though, they will be very excited. They come with me to Zack's kindergarten class every week to help with a few minutes of paperwork, and they can't wait to be in the class themselves. I struggled for months with the decision of keeping them in the same class or splitting them up. I asked everyone I could think of for advice, and finally came to the tough decision to split them up. As I was signing the papers and specified to split them, Jeremy decided he would finally voice his opinion, which was to keep them together. Although months later than I would've liked, I was glad to let him make the final decision.

Jace is definitely the peacemaker of the two. He worships the ground Brody walks on and gives him whatever he wants. He is a happy kid and tries to be my helper.
Brody is a little more willing to speak his mind. He won't do anything he doesn't want to, and he still knows how to throw a GREAT tantrum. Although he's more of the "take" and Jace is the "give" in their relationship, he still loves his twin brother more than anything.

Their very most favorite thing to do is watch "Netflix." And that's what they say, they don't ask to watch a specific show or movie. It's always, "Can I watch Netflix?" They will most likely put on Phineas and Ferb or Rugrats All Grown Up. If I won't let them watch T.V., their next favorite thing to do is play games on the computer or my ipod. If they're not allowed to do those things they enjoy jumping on the trampoline, playing in the dirt, or playing with their toys. They are still inseparable. They do everything together. My greatest hope is that they will always be this close.

Every time I'm reminded of how old they're getting I reflect back on their infancy. I know I've talked about it before, but to this day it baffles me that we all came out of that alive. And again, I will freely admit there's no way that would've happened without Auntie Gayla's weekend sleepovers, Grandpa Cardon's twice a week afternoon babysitting, and Kira having the other four boys, well, 24/7. I will always have regrets that I didn't make more effort to enjoy them as babies, but I will always be so grateful for the help that got me through that tough time. There's no way I could've done it alone. I guess I should acknowledge that Jeremy was right there with me for the midnight feedings, diaper changings, and general pulling out of hair, but he's the dad! It's his job!

I love these boys so much and I'm so happy they came into my life!