Jake's 12th Birthday

We thought we'd surprise Jake this year for his birthday with something fun, to help him get over the fact that he wasn't getting Halo.......or the XBox 360 that it requires........I think he really thought we were just trying to trick him & that on his birthday morning he'd wake up to find that one and only thing he wanted with a big shiny bow..........
I already have four boys. The last thing I need is more violence in my home, so I draw the line!
So, totally last-minute, we thought it would be fun to rent a limo to pick him & some friends up after school for a little surprise party........

So this is what Jake saw on his way home from school.

Later he told me when he came around the corner & saw this, he thought he was in trouble, like the CIA was after him or something. So funny.

It was a great surprise. Jake loved it.

So did Zane.

They drove around the neighborhood for a little bit, then went to Sonic for slushies.

Then headed to Brian's office where we had cake & icecream & sucked alot of helium.

I think I might have all my kids birthday parties at the office. My house doesn't get messed up and there's an endless supply of balloons & helium & cookie dough & Guitar Hero.

Brilliant.

These poor, shy, awkward girls.............

....I was hoping they would feel comfortable enough, ya know, with all these boys........

.......to come out of their shells a little & have some fun.......

And I think Jake actually forgot about Halo for a couple of hours.

Happy Birthday Jake!!!

I can't believe you're 12 already!

pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting

I had a few requests for this, so here ya go!

pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting

Cream together:

2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups butter
1/2 cup Crisco

Add:

16 0z. pumpkin
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Combine, then add to pumpkin mixture:

4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. nutmeg

Drop by spoonful on lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake about 12 minutes in 350-degree oven.
Cool, frost, and top with mini chocolate chips.


frosting:

3 oz. cream cheese (at room temp.)
1/2 cup butter (at room temp.)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Combine with electric mixer til smooth.

The Throes

Aahhhh. The throes of morning sickness.

I would honestly much rather deal with any traumatic bodily injury than this.

This never goes away. Except when I'm dead asleep. So that's what I strive to be doing as much as possible.

I've tried EVERYTHING, from prescriptions to Sea-Bands to Dramamine to all forms of ginger and nothing works. Well, if it does work it's because it's knocked me out & then Gus is on the loose with no supervision, which has definitely happened & it's not a pretty sight when I come to.

Why the H - E - double-toothpicks did I think I needed to do this???
Like I really need more kids?
Like I really need to ruin my body a sixth time?


Each day seems to drag on forever in my misery.


And then I realized......this is one way to solve the time-flying-by-too-quickly problem. Be sick & pregnant.

Right now I'd much rather have time blissfully flying by in a whirl of activity.
Why do we always want what we can't have?!


I know I'm Wendy Whiner right now, but this is my journal & I need to get it out.


It's not like I haven't been through this before.
I've been sick with each pregnancy. I just seem to forget how bad it is until I'm in it again.


So a few weeks ago, after I found out, I set out to get as much holiday stuff done before it hit.


I tried to sqeeze in as much fall cooking (which I normally love) as I could before I can't stand to even set foot in the kitchen.

That includes these babies. I am Mother-of-the-Year when I make these. My kids heart them so.

I got the Halloween decor going......

I got most of the Halloween costumes all set.

Except mine.

My original plan was to be Disco Roller Derby Chick. On rollerskates. Don't think that's going to happen this year.

I even got a lot of Christmas figured out and ordered.

Good thing.

Since now I'm a useless slug in Pukeville.

Here's to October, probably my favorite month, flying on by.

late-start fun

Mars invited some friends over on late-start Wednesday to do each other's hair & wear each other's clothes & shoes & jewelry............which led to a little photoshoot.......

What happened to the Junior High Awkward & Ugly Stage might I ask?

The one that I definitely went through???

There's no awkward or ugly here.

Only lovely. And fun!

still swimming!

Although it's usually Gus & Brian, when he has a day off work, since the other kids are in school all day. I'm a little lazy about getting in the pool these days.

Brian is SO CUTE swimming with Gus.

He makes up all these games.......like Torpedo, and Shark, and Timber Tree (as seen below), where Gus 'chops down the tree' (Brian's neck), then they fall like a tree into the water.

He's such a cute dad!!

And such a cute little guy.......who we need to stop calling 'baby'........why is that so hard to do?

a little news.......

And this was my first thought.........

This never happens.....

Yesterday my laundry basket was completely empty.

So I had to document this rare & very fleeting moment.

Because this probably won't ever happen again.

It lasted about 4 minutes.

kittylove

Who knew we would all find such enjoyment & entertainment & excitement to get up each morning to check on the kittybabies to see if their eyes are opened yet?

Well, all of us except Brian, who's never been a fan of cats, & never misses an opportunity to express it.
When we were discussing what to name them, Brian suggested Dead, Dead, & Deader. So mean.


We love them to death!
Gus tells me at least 300 times a day that "Mom, the kitties are soooo cute!"
And he's learned to be nice & soft with them.
I've taken tons of pictures of them, like a mom with a new baby. So pathetic I know!
We're so in kittylove!

I mean, how could we not?? Look at that face!

Magic Moments

Every once in a while, a moment comes along that makes everything worth it.

All the selfless service we give as moms.

Or maybe it's just when we can glimpse, for a moment, the bigger picture.



I have a Magic Moment every time Gus successfully goes on the potty.

But there are also just as many Non-Magic Moments that happen where the Scooby Doo undies are secured in a ziplock bag & put in the garbage.

These moments seem to cancel out the Magic Moments & at the end of the day you hope to be at least even.



And then a Magic Moment comes along like last Sunday.

When out of the blue, Jake, my 11-year-old, walks up to the front of the chapel to bear his testimony.

So much braver than I am.

And he bears the sweetest, purest testimony that made my heart melt as his mom.

Amazing.



Then today, in Sacrament meeting I realize, once again, that I'm the one surrounded by the noisy kids, while Brian's on the other end of our row with the older, quieter ones.......listening to the speakers....feeling the spirit......

......while I'm dealing with Gus who doesn't know the meaning of quiet or whisper & is trying to draw on my skirt, and Zane, who's always trying to lay down in my lap like he's 2 instead of 7, and Max, who kept shooting his brothers with rubberbands.

And I lean over to Brian, exasperated, and whisper, "Why do they always have to sit by me???

And then Zane looks up at me with his sweet little face and says, "Because we like you Mom!"




Then both Brian & I had a different kind of Magic Moment on Friday night when we finally used some massage gift certificates we've had for months.

I've always been way too cheap to ever want to spend money on something so indulgent & fleeting.

I've had one other real massage in my life.

Brian surprised me on our 10th wedding anniversary with a spa package at a really nice Scottsdale resort for a facial & mud bath thing, & massage.

You would think I would be ecstatic, right?

First of all, I don't like surprises.

I strive to have complete control over my own situation & surprises don't work well with that. (I have issues.)

Secondly, we were fresh out of years & years of school with alot of school loans & not much income........and our anniversary is right after Christmas.

It was super expensive & it was already bought & paid for & I didn't want to seem ungrateful to Brian for his thoughtful present but........

This was not how I wanted to spend a chunk of money.....at Christmas-time no less!!

I couldn't do anything about it. No control.

So I tried really hard to relax & enjoy it.

Didn't work.

All I could think of the whole time was what I could be doing with this money at the mall that was down the road, or pay off some bills.

No enjoyment. Only anxiety.

I'm really not as high-strung as this makes me sound....usually.



So....... fast-forward 9 years.

A few more kids later, neck problems, quickly-aging body, gift-certificates.....

I was ready.

And I believe it changed my life.

I hate to sound irreverent, but......

I have a testimony of massage therapy.

My neck feels better than it has in ages!!

Can't wait to go back.



And.........



these amazing Utah peaches are responsible for tons of Magic Moments.

Amazing.

weekend beach trip

And it's not a trip to Coronado without a bunch of MooTime.

Good times.

sunset silhouettes

We escaped the heat last weekend & headed to the beach.

It was a completely different trip compared to the Fourth of July trip. It was just us. And we realized that we have never gone to the beach with just our family. We always go with friends or family.

It was so relaxing, and the kids actually hung around us & played with each other.

Jake had to figure out what to do with himself without a social scene going on, and the lobby elevator somehow lost its charm with no friends around.

But it was good, chill family time. I loved it.

And I loved hanging out on the beach til sunset, which we normally don't do.

It is the best time to be on the beach. Absolutely amazing.

So we had some fun getting some sunset silhouette pictures.

Great.

This morning we woke up to find this.....

.......by our back door.

We had no idea Kitty was expecting. Complete surprise.

Three free kitties. Anyone???

Like I need any more pets to take care of.

But the kids are already in love.

Gus can't keep his hands off of them.

He was being really soft & gentle with them, then I caught him flying one of them around on his spaceship. So now I have to keep a close eye on them.

Great.


Then, this afternoon Gus had his first day of Preschool!


He was beyond excited!!

He's so ready for this. I'm so ready for this! Yet it's so hard to believe my baby's in preschool already!!

My little Sunshine........wearing a backpack..............and a Pull-Up.

Precious.