Cute picture!

This is Reagan with two of her most favorite people in the world!

Taylor and Callie are brother and sister.

Taylor is her "boyfriend" and Callie is her best friend!

The three of them play so good together (most of the time).

I love how happy Reagan's face looks in this picture.

Cute kids!  

I can only imagine what they must have been playing dressed up in their robes.  Thanks for e-mailing me the cute picture Michele!

It gives you L!

The All American Rejects have a song called, 

"It gives you hell".  

The kids all like this song and it seems like it's played on the radio all the time.  When it comes on the boys sing, "It gives you H, it gives you H..." or they sing, "It gives you beep, it gives you beep..."  I've never really said anything.  I just sit back and spectate.  It's kinda fun to see how the kids deal with the world and what it dishes out at them!  I'm thinking to myself,

 "Good for you guys for refusing to say a bad word!"

Then the other day Reagan protested as the kids were singing the song,

 "It doesn't say it gives you H!  

It says, it gives you L, it gives you L!"  

I love it!  Innocence is a beautiful thing isn't it!  Nobody dares to tell her what it really says.  So instead the boys continue to sing, 

"it gives you H" and Reagan continues to dispute it every time!

"IT GIVES YOU L!"

Is this pooch worth it?

Today I received a letter in the mail from the 

4th District Ct.  of American Fork.  

I think to myself, "What in the heck could this be?"

I open the letter and begin to read,

Records of this office show that you have failed to appear or deposit bail for the citation described below...

Then it lists the violation date, my drivers license number,

 and the BAIL AMOUNT of $131.20! 

 

I still have no idea what this is about!

I continue to read,

A warrant for you arrest will be issued or you driving privilege will be suspended if you fail to appear or deposit bail before the warrant date shown.

WHAT?

What in the heck is this?

So I pick up the phone and call the 4th District Ct. of American Fork.

IT'S A TICKET FOR MY DOG BEING AT LARGE WITHOUT A CURRENT LICENSE!

Seriously is this stupid dog worth it?

So on March 4th our dog got loose.  He ran across the ravine behind our house to American Fork.  He got picked up by an American Fork police officer and taken to the animal shelter.  When I discovered he was missing  I called the animal shelter and sure enough he was there.  I drove down to get him.  I payed to get him out of the shelter, I payed to have him licensed (It had just recently expired), and I payed to have a chip put in him.  

The lady gave me a stack of papers and I was on my way.  

Little did I know but one of those papers must have been a ticket for my dog being at large! 

 

Dang this dog is expensive! 

Teegs we love you...

 but seriously sometimes I wonder if we should keep you!

Becoming a Domestic Diva!

I have to laugh at myself.  

There are some women who were born to be mothers, loving every aspect of motherhood.  Born the be good little housewives, tending to her husbands every need.  Born to be in the home, queen of her domain.    Queen of cooking, cleaning, mending, child rearing, multitasking and so many other fine and wonderful things.  Some women were born Domestic Divas!

...And then there is ME!

I'm not saying that I wasn't born to be these things, I just haven't become these things! 

 

I love being a mother, but I am happy to see my children go to school.  In the evening when I am tired my patience wears thin and I can't say that I love this aspect of motherhood.  Or the aspect of cooking and cleaning and disciplining the children.  I don't greet my husband when he comes home from work with a big "Hi honey, how was your day?" followed with a kiss.  I am terrible at keeping up with the laundry and I am the #1 worst person I know at multitasking!  Do I love being home all day?  Not working outside of the home, Yes!  But being within the walls of my home 24/7, No!  I am always looking for an excuse to get out of the house! 

Do I find shame in my inadequacies of motherhood?  No I embrace them!  I am proud of who I am!  I'm fun!  My children know that I love them and I know that they love me.  They are fed, bathed, clothed, inconsistently disciplined and happy as far as I can see.  However there is a part of me that wants to become a Domestic Diva, queen of my domain!  

I am always in ah of women that seem to be able to do it all.  For me, I'm a work in progress!  Now that I have been married for almost 13 years and have 5 children of my own, I am sorta starting to desire domestication.  Becoming a Domestic Diva is sorta like a 12 step program for me.  Baby steps if you will!  And someday I will be one of those women that other women look at and think, "Man she has it all together!" 

So what are the 12 steps exactly?  To tell you the truth, I don't know!  But I feel like I'm getting closer!  

This last Sunday the Draper Temple was dedicated.  David and I along with Ethan and Bradon got to go to our stake center (an extension of the temple) and be apart of the dedication.  We were to each bring a white hanky and a temple dedication recommend.  We looked through our house and couldn't find white hankies.  David went to the store to buy some and there were no white hankies to be found.  (I guess this is what we get for waiting until the last minuet when we are surrounded by active LDS temple dedication attending people!)  David got a brilliant idea.  "I'll just buy white T-shirts and Stephanie can make them into hankies."  He came home and shared with me his brilliant idea.  I thought, your right!  I can do that!  I'm a Domestic Diva now!  So I got out my little sewing machine and my sewing scissors and went to work.  They didn't turn out perfect, but they DID turned out!

So there you have it, I'm becoming a Domestic Diva!

A visit from Grandma and Grandpa Haws.

Last week my mom and dad came for a little visit.  They brought my nephew Milan with them.  They were here from Saturday afternoon until Thursday morning.  It was a lot of fun having them here except for I felt bad that we didn't do anything special while they were here.  Usually when they come I plan all sorts of activities to go and do.  This time I was a dud and planned nothing!  They kept telling me that we didn't need to go and do anything, that they came to just hang out and to be with us.  So hang out we did!

The weather was especially nice while they were here.  You would have thought that the kids would be excited to go outside to play.  No!  That just wasn't the case!  All they wanted to do is play on the stupid computer.  If they weren't playing computer games they were playing Xbox , the Wii, or the DS.  Oh yeah, occasionally they watched a movie.  We had to beg them to go outside and then within minuets they would end up back inside again!

They enjoyed showing Grandma everything they could do on the computer.

Turns out that Milan fits right in with my kids.  He loves the computer too!  On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, we took turns pulling a different kid out of school 2 hours early to play with their cousin Milan.  Every day no matter which kid we checked out they ended up playing on the computer together.  I finally gave up and told the kids that it was their 2 hours, do with it what you want!  

Club penguin was a real favorite!  

Grandma and Grandpa both got to bond with Talan again.  

He loved being with them!  

He loved all the attention and love they gave him!

He especially loved the swigs of Mt. Dew Grandpa was giving him!  

What kid wouldn't be in heaven?

It was a lot of fun!  I think the kids all had a fabulous time hanging out with Milan and I know that they all already miss their Grandma and Grandpa Haws terribly!  To bad they couldn't move here to be closer to us.  I think that everyone should move here.   It's my secret plan to convince the whole family to make the move!

I never got a trophy!

Carsten is our middle child.  

Sometimes life just isn't fair and it seems like everyone around you is getting more stuff and having more fun!  Lately Carsten is feeling this way.  Almost every night when I tuck him in bed he expressed to me something that didn't go his way, something that isn't fair, or someway his life just isn't any fun.  I try to point out the good things in his life and he figures out a way to throw a negative spin on it.

Last year Carsten was pretty excited to play basketball and football.  He had watched as his older brother Bradon had played these sports and how at the end of each season Bradon was awarded a really cool trophy!  

So on the day of Carsten's last basketball game of the season when the trophies were going to be awarded, there was a blizzard and we were not able to make it to the game.  We never saw the trophy!   

At the end of Carsten's football season we went to the end of the year team party and they didn't pass out trophies at all!  Carsten was devastated!  He did a pretty good job of not showing his disappointment at the party but let us know after the party was over that it just wasn't fair!  David and I felt sorta bad for Carsten.  We told him that we would get him a trophy.  

Every now and then Carsten asks us about the trophies he never received.  "Oh yeah, we said that we would get you a trophy!"  This last week as Carsten was having one of his poor me middle child melt downs, I remembered about his trophies he's never received.  I told me mom about it and she insisted that we go out and get him some trophies!  So off the the trophy shop we went!

Carsten now not only has 1, 

but 2 AWESOME trophies!

Congratulations Carsten on a great 

basketball and football season 2008!  

We love you son!

Are you feeling LUCKY?

OUR KIDS ARE!

They woke up this morning to their very own box of 

Lucky Charms for St. Patrick's day!  

Along with a few toys from Grandma Haws.

We feel very lucky to have Grandma and Grandpa Haws visiting with us right now.  This week is Grandma's spring break so they jumped into their truck and came up for a visit.  They also brought "little Milan" along.  My boys couldn't be more excited or lucky to be able to spend time with their cousin Milan.  Thanks Christopher and Cheryl for sending him our way!

Happy St. Patrick's day!

Gracie Jean Gledhill

Sweet Baby Gracie passed away on March 2, 2009  

Her funeral services were Saturday March 7th.

This is the front of the program for her funeral.  It was a perfect funeral for a perfect little girl.  Everything about it was beautiful.  The prayers, the talks, the music.  It was all absolutely perfect!  Gracie was beautiful.  I don't think I have ever seen a more beautiful baby.  Gracie was loved by a countless number of people.  She made a bigger impact and influenced more for good in her short 11 months of life than most people do in a lifetime.  We are so grateful to have known her.  I will never forget her big bright eyes... she never took her eyes off you!  

We love you Gracie girl!

On Gracie's blog Michele posted special lyrics written for mothers who have lost a child.  

The lyrics are to the song 'I am a Child of God'  

I thought that I would post them on my blog 

because they are perfect in every way!

I am a child of God and He has called me home.
My earthly journey's through but still, I do not walk alone.
He leads me, guides me, walks beside me, helps me find the way.
He welcomed me with open arms. I live with Him today.

I am a child of God and I have gone ahead.
My earthly life was brief but oh, such peace and love you gave.
You loved me, held me, stood beside me and though I cannot stay.
You gave me much to help me and I live with Him today.

I am a child of God and I will wait for you.
Celestial glory shall be ours, if you can but endure.
I'll lead you, guide you, walk beside you.
Help you find the way.
I'll welcome you with open arms
One bright Celestial day.

--Donna Kulliard

At the graveside we let off 347 balloons.  

One balloon for every day Gracie lived on this earth.

The thought of losing one of my own is almost more than I can bear.  Tom and Michele are such an amazing example to me.  Their strength and courage is remarkable!  They have handled everything about Gracie's life in the most Christlike manner.  They have done nothing but love her and cherish everyday they were blessed with her.

Thank you Tom and Michele 

for sharing your Gracie girl with us!

Knowledge Bowl 2009

On Saturday Ethan competed in the district knowledge bowl.  

This years subject was humanities.  Humanities is a very tough subject!  A subject that I defiantly never had to learn about in school.  In fact I'm pretty sure that most people haven't learned the things these kids were expected to know.  I think they did a pretty good job  considering the tough subject.  David and I really enjoyed watching Ethan doing something he enjoys and has studied so hard for.

This is his team before 1 of the 4 games they played.

Ethan ready to play with his hand in buzzing position...  

Doesn't he look excited!

This is the whole team with their coach Mrs. Child.

Way to go team! 

 Next year the subject is Geography.  Ethan is a little more excited about geography.  So hopefully the district doesn't drop the knowledge bowl program along with all the other cuts they plan to make due to the poor economy.  I think the knowledge bowl program is perfect for these smart little kids.  It gives them a time to shine!

Terrible ONES!

Seriously over the last few weeks I've starting thinking, 

"Heck with terrible twos, this kid is in his terrible ONES!"  

Talan is into everything!  Every time I leave him alone in a room I swear I come back in to find him on top of something!  Usually it's on top of the kitchen table or on top of his high chair tray.  

Today it was inside an opened drawer!  

Oh but look at that oh so sweet innocent face!  How could you get mad at a face like that?  

I love my little climbing monkey!