What I wanted to say...

So, while we were eating Thanksgiving dinner at my Mom's...all 30+ crazy people...we went around the table to say what we were thankful for. It started out normal, but as it went on, it got emotional and lengthy. I happened to be last in line (which I thought was a good idea at the time) and the 4 boobs ahead of me bawled their eyes out and talked for like 5 minutes each. So, when it was my turn, people started leaving...getting up to clear their plates, going to their 2nd dinner appt...and the kids were long gone. They couldn't wait to get back outside since it was such a nice day! So, I pretty much didn't get to say what I was thankful for. So, once again...I know not many people read my blog...but, I have to say what I'm thankful for. :)

This has been an amazing year! In January Chris and I celebrated 11 years of marriage. It has been a quick 11 years, but the best of my life!! Chris is my best friend and I love him more than anything!! He is so good to me and our kiddos. He is the best husband and Dad. We have both been so happy! I really couldn't ask for anyone better. He is perfect for me. He also turned 33 in January. He is getting old. :) Chris is such a great guy. He is quiet, so not many people know how funny or smart he is. I know. That's all that matters. I know that he is amazing and funny and a computer genius and that he loves me and our kids more than anything. He works so hard for us and he loves to spend time with us. What more could I ask for?

In February we had our little Sophey and she completes our family so perfectly. It's hard to describe. She is the sweetest, cutest baby and I love her SO much. I am so happy to finally feel like my family is complete and that I can stop having babies. :) Sophey is my little sunshine and she makes me so happy. She is exactly what I needed my baby to be. The big kids still fight over who gets to hold her or play with her. I thought it would have worn off by now, but after 9 months she is still the center of attention and she loves it! You should see the big kids melt when they see her. I love it! :)

In March Hayden turned 2. He is 2 in every sense of the word. I always say it's a good thing he's cute...and I mean it. He is SUCH a cute boy and I love him so much! He is a wild and crazy little boy and he totally keeps me on my toes. I have never had such a destructive child...I think he is usually trying to get my attention, but sometimes is he is just plain being naughty! It's hard to get mad at such a cute baby though. :) Everyone loves Hayden. Ryan and Taylor's friends always want to play with Hayden. It probably helps that he's ridiculously good at sports for a 2 year old, but he is just fun to be around too. (You should see the way he shoots a basketball and swings a golf club.) He is always silly and always cute! He makes me smile. :)

In May Katey turned 7. Katey is a good girl and I love her so much. She and I both have the same stubborn personalities and we sometimes can't agree on ANYTHING. She is always mad at me for something. You know what they say though...you'll get a child that torments you the same way you tormented your parents....I know my parents laugh every time I tell them stories about Katey and the stuff she does. :) When she was 18 months old she started going in her room and slamming her door when she got mad. I don't know where on earth she would get that from! Katey is SUCH a girl! I love it! She likes to go shopping and get pedicures with me. I love having a little buddy! :) I can't believe she's 7!

In June Mason turned 5. That means kindergarten!!!! I was SO nervous about sending Mason to kindergarten! Luckily he got the same FABULOUS teacher that my other kids had! You couldn't find a better kindergarten teacher if you tried! Thanks to 3 1/2 years of early intervention mixed with regular preschool (and awesome teachers and E.I. people along the way) Mason is doing FANTASTIC!!!! I get emotional every time his teacher tells me how great he is! He is an awesome kid. I don't think I would be the same person without Mason. I think that's a good thing. :) He has taught me patience and unconditional love and so many things I can't begin to name them. You can't look at Mase and not smile. My friend Kim Dansie said, "There is so much going on behind those big eyes" and she's right. Mason is pure honesty and love. I am so proud of him. He has overcome a lot and he works so hard and doing what he knows he should. His teacher told me that he doesn't have the ability to lie and she's right. Even if he tries to lie to get himself out of trouble, he can't do it. Half way thru his lie he starts telling the truth. I love my Mase so much! :)

In July Ryan turned 10! TEN!!!! I can hardly believe that! I have been a Mom for a decade! It has been the best decade of my life! Ryan is SUCH a good kid and I love him so much! He was so meant to be the oldest of 6 kids. That's a big job and he does it so well! His teacher wrote on his report card, "Ryan is a teacher's dream." I asked her about that at PTC and she said he's the best student she's ever had. Not only does he get straight A's he is a good friend, a good helper, a good listener, etc. I couldn't agree more! Being the oldest of 6, he has to help out quite a bit. He does get rewarded for his efforts and I do appreciate his help so much! This morning he even climbed in my bed to snuggle with me. I know he's 10, but he'll always be my first baby! :)

In August I turned 32. Seriously. When people ask how old I am I always want to say 25. For some reason I haven't mentally turned 32. Or 30 for that matter. :) I have had a great life. My childhood was fun and crazy with 6 brothers. They STILL tease me relentlessly...I'm sure it's because they love me. Right? :) My parents have always been good to me and still continue to do things for me and for my little family. I was lucky enough to find the perfect husband who has made all of my dreams come true. Words cannot express how fabulous our relationship is. I have had a pretty charmed life and I am grateful for all of it. :)

In September Taylor turned 9. Yup, he is 13 months younger than Ryan. Sometimes that is a huge blessing and sometimes it's a bit of a challenge. Taylor is such a wonderful kid! He is cut out for life's challenges. He has a great personality and so much of it! :) When I think of Taylor the word that comes to mind is "personality"! He is so full of it! He keeps me laughing and smiling all day long. :) He just came up and started massaging my shoulders just now. He hugs me constantly and says, "I love you" at least 100 times per day. I'm not exaggerating either. He is just like that. He is a great helper and always goes above and beyond to do good. He is a good friend and a good brother and so flippin' smart you wouldn't believe it! :) He makes life fun and I love him for it.

At the end of September/the beginning of October, Chris and I spent a week in New York and Boston without kids. It was heaven. I'm not lying. We went with Chris' parents and it was so fun to take them to the places we went to on our last trip there. (My parents took us to New York last year and we took Ryan and Taylor with us. We also had to make a stop in Boston since we were so close.) Oh, and Chris and I went to Boston by ourselves the year before too. So, we went to Boston 3 years in a row and New York 2 years in a row. We are dying to go back again! This trip was probably the best. I think you have to go to New York twice to truly love it. The first time I went, I couldn't wait to get out the crazy, dirty, loud city. The second time I knew what to expect and I didn't want to leave. ;) I think Chris and I "reconnected" better than ever and we needed the break! We heard Jay Z's "Empire State of Mind" EVERYWHERE we went in NY and now every time I hear it I get chills! It was such a great trip & I want to go back! And, of course, Boston is always fabulous! :)

So, here it is November already...Christmas is just around the corner! It is positively my favorite time of year! I get all of my shopping done super early so I can just enjoy the holiday season. It never works though. The earlier you start, the more you end up doing! My kids are such good kids, it's hard not to spoil them! Christmas morning has always been my favorite! All of the work that leads up to it is always worth it. I have great Christmas memories from when I was little and I hope my kids will too! :) Oh, and Chris is giving me an awesome Christmas present! It's going to be hard to top next year! :) I am looking forward to 2010! It's going to be hard to have an even better year than this one, but I'm sure it will be! I am grateful for 2009 and the happiness it brought me! :)

Last, but certainly not least, I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who gave us things like families and the gospel and a Son who sacrificed so much for us all. What more can I say? I have always known the church was true, but my testimony was truly strengthened when I had Mason. I have had so many experiences with him over the last 5 1/2 years that now it is undeniable and I am so grateful for that! :) It gets me through a lot! I have so much to be grateful for!!

"Take your eyes off me"

So, we went to Logan today for my neice's baby blessing. We live the farthest away out of everyone in my family...and we have more kids than anyone else...so, naturally we were the first ones there. :) We didn't stay long since it was a blizzard and we knew the canyon was going to be bad on the way home. We were right. It was BAD! It took us FOREVER to get home. It only took us about an hour and 45 minutes to get there, and it was no big deal. The kids were SO good the whole way there. The 3 big kids sat in the back of the Yukon with their ipods. The 3 little kids were on the middle row with a movie. Not one of them even slept on the way there and they did great. The way home was quite another story. The 3 big kids fought (even with their ipods AND a movie) and the 2 littlest slept most of the way home...but, once they woke up they were naughty. :) It took us 2 1/2 hours to get home. The canyon was a big ol' mess and the parts of the freeway that are under construction weren't much better. However, the best part of the trip home was when Mase was getting restless towards the end. He must have been touching the t.v. screen or something because Hayden said, "Mason's touching soooomethiiiing!" (In the sweetest voice you can imagine.) Mase replied (in a bit of a naughty voice), "TAKE YOUR EYES OFF ME!" So, that is my new favorite thing to say. Next time someone is giving me any kind of a "look"... I'm going to say, "Take your eyes off me! :)

Betcha didn't know we had a McDonald's in our basement

Mase and Katey working hard in their restaurant
Mase made a sandwich...he is so proud! :)

Katey is quite the chef!

Hayden loved "cooking my fries" and "refilling my drink"!

Can I refill your drink? :)

Can I take your order? :)

Katey, Mase and Hayden made their own restaurant in the toy room and insisted on serving us dinner. It was quite delicious! :)

Date nite in the toy room. What could be better on a Saturday nite?

Why I love my husband...

So, after I posted last nite about Tay's tooth and the M.I.A. Tooth Fairy, I turned off the computer and ran out to the family room. Chris was on the couch and I said frantically, "We forgot to be the Tooth Fairy last night!" My super calm, chill hubby said, "Nah, I did it." I had to express myself in how many paragraphs and he just took 4 words. Sounds about right. :) That's why I love my husband. He evens me out. That is no small feat either.

OH SNAP!

I just realized I forgot to give Tay money for his tooth last nite. Chris took the tooth downstairs last nite after he tucked the boys in and reminded Tay to put it under his pillow. I forgot. Chris forgot. Apparently Taylor forgot too. I seriously can't believe it. If I wasn't so dang tired by 9:00 that might help. Or if I didn't fall asleep on the couch trying to catch up on tivo EVERY night that might help too. I even sat and blogged about it thinking that would remind me and I'd go down once I was sure he was asleep. I can't believe he didn't notice the tooth when he was making his bed. He ALWAYS makes his bed...as soon as he gets out of it...he is SUCH a good boy. How could I possibly forget? The real problem here is that I ONLY forget when it's Taylor. The very first time he lost a tooth, he came into my bathroom the next morning. One look at his face and I knew instantly what happened. Luckily I snuck some money under his pillow when I went down to check it out. You should have seen his face. It was as if he had lost his best friend. How do you forget to be the Tooth Fairy for a child's 1st tooth? Their 7th tooth is quite another story...BUT STILL! Oh well. This is why I'm loving my blog. My kids don't read it, in fact...I don't think anyone reads it. It's more like my online journal. I created it mostly for selfish reasons...and to help me with my fb withdrawals...and to let go of my guilt for being the "bad mother". :) I think I'll sneak a dollar under his pillow right now. Maybe he'll think he just didn't see it. Maybe he'll forget that he even had a tooth under his pillow last nite. Maybe I'll give him 2 dollars...or 10. We'll see what I've got in my wallet. Maybe I'll have to borrow money from Ryan's stash like I did to pay the babysitter the other day. :0

I give up

I tried my very best to potty train Hayden. MY VERY BEST! He is #5...I have some tricks up my sleeve...believe me! He just wanted no part of it. The smart mother in me knows that he's just not ready or he'd be a pro by now. The impatient mother in me wants him to be potty trained anyways. I tried everything I could think of and then some. I even had a rare day, about a week into potty training, where there was NOTHING on my calendar. I vowed not to shower, not to answer my phone, not to get distracted by the computer. It was going to be our potty training boot camp day. I set the timer every 20 minutes and got him to sit on the potty. At every ten minute interval inbetween timers he ran downstairs and peed in his underwear. (Keep in mind that on the more casual potty training day he did better.) Go figure. After 6 accidents I decided that it was ok to answer the phone and get on the computer. Then after the 8th accident (which was a yucky one) I quit. I even made him a sticker chart and he only got 1 sticker on it all day. ONE. The very first day we started potty training he peed in the toilet several times, no problem. I just don't get it. Why aren't there any REAL potty training experts? I'd sure like for them to figure that one out for me. Well, my sweet little Hayden is back in diapers and I haven't said a word about potty training in days. Now he is telling me every time he pees in his diaper. Seriously. I have to go to the store tomorrow to buy more diapers. The coupon freak in me is just sick that there aren't any good sales on diapers right now. Oh well, it's that or cleaning up more accidents. I'll choose full price diapers, thank you very much! :) Maybe when he's closer to 3 I'll try again. Maybe I'll let him figure it out on his own when he goes to kindergarten. Who knows. I guess none of my other boys were potty trained at 2 1/2. I just thought I was a better teacher now that I'm older and wiser. Guess I was wrong. :)

Do you believe?

I want to just sit my kids down and ask them all point blank. I am tired of guessing and trying to make sure it doesn't get ruined for those that do still believe. I know Ryan is WAY too old and WAY too cool to believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. I mean, after all, he is 10...even though he thinks he's 15. Taylor is 9, but is really old for being a 3rd grader...which means a lot of his friends are a whole year younger than him and some don't have older siblings that ruined it for them yet.

I overheard Taylor's scout leader telling a story at Super Saturday about one of her scouts that said, "Santa's not real" in front of her 5 year old son. I said, "It wasn't Taylor was it?"...knowing full well that Taylor would NEVER say something like that in front of a little kid. The look on her face was priceless, as if she didn't realize I was standing there at all. Turns out it was Taylor. So, when I got home, I sat Taylor down and gave him a little talk. It started a little something like this..."You would never tell a little kid that Santa's not real would you?"...and I went on and on about how even though Santa's not real, little kids still believe in him and that's the whole magic of Christmas and you should never say to anyone that he's not real because you just don't know if they still believe in him or not. His face kind of fell a little as if I was the one that just ruined it for him. Perhaps I did. Perhaps he still believed in Santa JUST A LITTLE BIT. Perhaps he just tries to look cool in front of his friends. Perhaps I have too many children and can't possibly remember which ones have had "the talk" and which ones haven't.

I know Ryan has had "the talk". He is a very mature little boy and he asked me 2 years ago to just be honest with him. He said he didn't believe in Santa and that his friends told him that Santa's not real. He also said that he still wanted presents and he promised not to ruin it for the little kids. Apparently "little kids" included Taylor. Ryan doesn't beat around the bush. He just wants to be treated like an adult. Always has, always will. Taylor, on the other hand, is just like my brother Matt. He will ALWAYS be a kid at heart. He will most likely have a transformer collection in his 30's. He will be addicted to video games forever. It's ok. He'll enjoy every ounce of his life. He is very tender hearted and wants to just be a kid for as long as possible. He may have believed in Santa for a few more years. Who knows. But, like any good mother, I went ahead and ruined it for him. No thanks necessary Bug. :)

So, at least Katey told me she still believes...I didn't even have to ask her. She believes with her whole heart that Santa is watching her (that doesn't keep her from being a total brat at least once a day) and she is bound and determined to get every one of those toys she asked for. We'll see how it goes. She asks me at least once a day if it's too late to change her list. I keep telling her I already mailed it and it's WAY too late to change it (since I am already done shopping) but that doesn't stop her from trying to add to her list. I'll try really hard not to ruin it for her. At least not this year. :)

So, the point of this post is that Taylor lost his 7th tooth tonite. When they don't really believe in the Tooth Fairy and they're old enough to just pull their own teeth out and tell you about it later, do they still get a dollar? I suppose I should walk ALL THE WAY downstairs and put a dollar under his pillow. I have told the boys several times that if they stop believing, they stop getting paid. So, I think Taylor is still clinging to the hope that the Tooth Fairy is real. And besides, if I don't give him a dollar he'll say something in the morning and then Katey will start to wonder.

Oh, and by the way...about my "talk" with Taylor, he said he doesn't remember saying that at all and that he would never say that to anyone...especially a little kid. (Why would he...he still believed before our little talk...no thanks to me.)

Next time I'm taking the video camera!

So, words cannot do this justice. I just took all 6 kids to the dentist. Well, Soph didn't have an appt. but she still went with us. Our dentist is so fabulous and his office is about as kid friendly as it gets. He has an autistic son and he has the patience to prove it. :) They have a little movie room by the waiting room. They had just started "Up" when we got there. We just watched it the other nite, but the kids were glued to it nonetheless. They were so disappointed when we only "got" to wait for 5 minutes. So, the whole time we were there they were in and out of that room...which just so happens to be on the OTHER side of the huge office from our exam room. I'm sure the receptionist loved seeing my kids running back and forth repeatedly for a half an hour. So, the kids got x-rays, got their teeth cleaned, took turns playing Mario Kart (on the t.v. in the ceiling with sunglasses and headphones on) and got balloon animals for being good. Because I'm sure that compared to most kids they WERE good. :) They drove me absolutely crazy though. In and out of the exam room (which ALL 7 of us were crammed into), fighting over where they wanted to sit, fighting over who was next, fighting over who had the better toothbrush, and on and on. The best was when Mason's turn was up and he had a death grip on the video game controller. We had to pry it out of his hands and then he screamed and yelled and tried to hit anyone near him...then he calmly went to watch the movie again. Luckily the dentist knows and understands Mase...that helps a lot! All of them did, however, sit still for the dentist. Not one of them cried or bit the dentist. (Which is good for us!) NOT ONE CAVITY for the 5 big kids!! Yay! They even got coupons for free kids meals from Del Taco for not having cavities! The best part was, just as we were getting ready to leave, I was putting Sophey back in her carseat (since I had to hold her THE WHOLE TIME)...as the dentist was telling me what a great job I'm doing and what a great mom I am, I whacked Sophey's head on her car seat handle. Yup, whacked. She cried and cried. It was the most traumatic part of our visit. It took her a while to get over it and the dentist was speechless. Apparently I cannot multitask anymore. I used to be able to talk and put a baby in a car seat at the same time. Not so much these days. What do you expect when you're outnumbered 6 to 1? Seriously though, next time I'm taking the video camera! It would have been a very entertaining 30 minute video. :)

I got my Soph back!!

Katey calls this "the chubby face"! :)

I got my Soph back! It was hard having her gone overnight. I spent all of Sat. morning packing for her and making Madi a list of instructions (trying not to be too overbearing, but thorough enough that she could take good care of her). Then I met Madi and my brother at a gas station and made the switch. I didn't know what to do with myself for the rest of Sat. and most of Sun. Luckily Chris' sister Mollie agreed to watch the kids Sat. nite so we could go pick up our giant Walmart site-to-store order and go to my Mom's to sort thru it. Thanks to a Walmart employee who wasn't a total idiot (hard to find, I know) we are officially done with Christmas! So, church was a little nicer without a baby but Mase and Hayden were naughty enough to fill in for her. I seriously couldn't wait for 6:15 when I was going to get her back! Because of some miscommunication (and an accidental trip to the airport in the confusion of where to meet up) it ended up being after 6:30 and it nearly killed me. I have friends who are missing their babies and have to wait a lot longer than an extra 15 minutes to get them back...I don't know how they do it. I can't begin to imagine. I am just so happy to have mine back! So, then I spent Sunday nite unpacking Sophey's stuff and trying to get her to calm down. Apparently she cried the whole time and felt like we abandoned her. She is still adjusting to being home and realizing we're not ditching her again anytime soon. It was A LOT of work for her little sleepover all to hear Madi say that she "doesn't want a baby anytime soon." I guess that's the point of having a 15 year old take care of a baby for 24 hours. :) I'll post some of my favorite pics of my sweet baby...

Missing my Soph...

My 15 year old neice, Madi, has a project for her child development class where she has to take care of a baby for 24 hours. So, Sophey had a little sleep over with Madi (and her parents) last nite. It is super weird to not have her here. It's one thing to leave all of your kids and go somewhere, but it's quite another to just be home and be one short...especially when it's the baby! The kids keep asking about Soph and they are missing her like crazy. Church might be quite nice today, but it would be REALLY nice if Hayden could have slept over too! I am looking forward to getting my baby back tonite...I am REALLY missing her!! Here's a cute picture of her and Madi together from last spring. You can see how much Madi loves her. :)

Really?

Ok, I was only on the computer for 5 minutes declaring my new found patience. When I went to find Hayden to have him sit on the potty, this is what I found. How does a 2 year old even flip a mattress over? He did this all by himself and he is SO proud of his new "fort". He is SOOOO testing my new found patience already!! :) The good thing about his fort is that it's covering a stack of about 300 puzzles he dumped out the other day. I haven't gotten around to picking them up yet. Why? Because he'll just dump them out again!

The boys decided that Hayden should be a super hero. His name is "Destructo" and he has the power to destroy EVERYTHING!! I have never had such a destructive child!! When my older boys were little, I had nothing else to do but watch them and entertain them. Katey and Mase didn't make messes, it just wasn't what they wanted to do. But, Hayden on the other hand...my big kids are SO sick of picking up his messes. I just can't do it all myself though, there's WAY too many of them!

Inspiration

So, I started following this blog about a lady who was burned and almost died in a plane crash. They talk about her on the news once in a while & I guess she was on Oprah too. She is from Provo and has 4 little kids. So, after I heard about her I looked at her blog. Now I am completely addicted. She is my new inspiration! I can't imagine how hard her life is, yet she does the most amazing things with (and for) her kids! Granted she was in a coma for a long time and came out with a new resolve to be the perfect wife and mother...but still. You should check it out...but, let me warn you...it's addicting. Her link is on here, it's the Nie Nie Dialogues. I couldn't stop reading it last nite, it was like one of those books you just can't put down. Chris was walking me thru turning off the computer so we could watch our movie. You should have heard him, "It's easy...just click on 'start'...then 'shut down'...you can do it..." So funny! Anyways, I went to bed last nite thinking about her. I woke up with a new resolve to be a better wife and mother...notice I didn't use the word "perfect" like I did for her. :) Spending less time on the computer was a big step in the right direction. I have had a little more patience this morning and so far it's working. Now I'm off to start potty training boot camp...no more wishy washy potty training around here! Wish me luck...I'm not sure how long my new found patience will last. :)

It's amazing what I'm finding time for now that I have my life back. :) Hayden went potty in the toilet twice today and NO accidents (yet)! Since my blog is private I figured it was ok to post this picture! And, I realize I've had an excessive amount of posts today, but I'm trying to figure this all out...and besides, the ones who complained didn't get invited to my blog. So there.

Why I quit facebook...

Ok, so here is what Hayden has been doing lately to get my attention. SEVERAL times a day, in fact. It was the straw that broke the camel's back in my fb addiction.

Facebook Detox...Day 2

Ok, so most people don't believe me when I tell them I deleted my fb account. Shocking, I know. But, my friend Lynnie didn't freak out, she just called me and said, "How's fb detox going?" It was quite refreshing for someone to actually look at it that way and not plan an intervention. I swear people are questioning my mental state. Really, it's just a "social networking website"...it's not like I started drinking or quit going to church...or did I? :) Granted I did spend A LOT of time on there...but still. Anyways, I am happy to report that fb detox is successful so far! Not only did I "deactivate" my account, I deleted every one of my fb friends individually so that if I do have a moment of weakness it will take A LOT of effort to get back on. Yesterday I wrote in 6 journals and did at least 15 scrapbook pages...all in the time it would have taken to check in with my fb peeps. I also played with my 2 year old and attempted potty training (at best)...AND my baby did not sit on the floor and cry for a change. I actually held her and played with her. Shocking, I know. Being the baby of 6 she tends to get a little neglected...and fb was not helping the matter. She rather enjoyed that attention. So, hopefully I won't be a blog addict now that my fb addiction is gone. Wish me luck...

My new life as a blogger...

Ok, so here goes...I decided to become a blogger. Facebook was way too addicting and causing way too many problems in my life. :( So, this is my test run of my new blog. We'll see how it goes...)