Kyle Skye Mckenna Carson Halle Claire

It's been awhile

2010-08-03T21:30:00.002-07:00

I don't even know where to start, It has been way to long since my last post.
Life has a crazy way of getting away from me as it has this last year

My kids are growing too fast
Mckenna is starting 3rd grade, Carson is in 1st and Halle is starting preschool.
Claire is almost out of diapers.
I know I should be happy, but that really only means that she is growing up
and I no longer have a 'baby'.

I am trying to find my way again.
We need schedules and plans and goals that involve something other than our business.
Baby Half Off has wings of it's own and growing in record speed.
We moved to a warehouse and opened a boutique this month.
Crazy!! I still can't believe what it has become, how blessed we are with the business.

School starts next week- so of course I had to buy 20 packs of brand new crayons!
I am a certified crayon snob...I like the new pointy ones and buy them in bulk.
I think another 20 or so packs should last until the next back to school sale in 2011.

Claire is up right now, as she usually is late at night when the others are already asleep.
She chatters and talks and repeats everything we say.
Kyle sings, she sings. She walks around naked because she had to go "pee now" or "poopy now" and we are both too tired to put another diaper (yes, a cloth diaper) on her.

Today is our 10 year Anniversary. Kyle cleaned out most of my front room and moved the Baby Half Off shelves over to Seth and Amy's garage. It is so nice to have my home be a home and not
a warehouse. Thanks for making life more sane Kyle :) What a great Anniversary present (other than my new Droid that you are getting me)....you know me too well.

I know every year I say that I post that I am going to start posting more regularly
But this year I mean it.
I need to remember and document our family experiences
I have too much going on to remember and enjoy the little things each day and I hope that my blog can help me take some time and remember the day-I don't want to miss this! :)

A New Post-Gasp!

2010-02-05T07:02:00.002-07:00

It has been forever since I have posted. Again.
For some reason even though I would love to be a daily poster, I am not.
Life is busy, so busy in fact that I feel like it is passing me by-and I don't want to miss it.

I want to remember the good times. Blogs are good for that!

Claire has reached the 'no' stage. Everything to her is 'no' and it is not a nice 'no', it is a high pitched quick NO! It really is cute, at least for now. Funny how quickly I know that will change. She really is stinkin' cute! Everything she does is cute-I love this age.

Mckenna reads ALL the time. I love it. I have my own little book worm. She is turning 8 in a few months. I almost can't believe that she will be baptized soon. I remember thinking about how that day was so far away when she was born. I admit in those first few sleepless months, I couldn't wait for the day she was older. Now, I would like her to slow down a little bit and my baby for longer.

My life is crazy busy. I can't imagine being any busier or even fitting one more thing in. I wish that I had time to read(like my little book worm) something other than business e-mails, invoices, company info. etc... Please tell me that someday life will return to at least half way normal.
Don't get me wrong. I am happy for the success of Baby Half Off. It has just grown so fast that
there really wasn't a slow growing/adjustment period.

I hope to post more often. I need to get some pictures on here.

In the meantime-go check out www.babyhalfoff.com-my other 'baby'

We are back!!

2009-06-18T22:30:00.002-07:00

We arrived home late last night from our 11 day San Diego trip. I am exhausted and wishing that I was still in Cali. I have a ton of pictures and fun stories to post, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Kyle still needs to get the pictures off the camera and I need to go to bed. We had a blast and made some great memories!
More to come.....

A Great Giveaway!

2009-05-04T14:19:00.003-07:00

I have set up a new blog for my Cloth Diaper Business and to celebrate it's opening and the arrival of one of the BEST cloth diapers out there....I am hosting a giveaway! in collaboration with the Work At Home Mom's (WAHM'S) behind the AppleCheeks Diapers we are giving away an AppleCheeks Starter Kit. Details are on my DiaperStyle Blog or on the front page of the Diaper Style website!

Just wanted to share!

Sickness.

2009-04-27T13:06:00.002-07:00

So the Flu has made it's rounds in my family. It started with Mckenna having a headache for 2 days. It quickly turned into a fever and a really bad achy body. Then Carson, Halle and Claire all had a fever and were throwing up. Next Claire and I got what Mckenna had. We are both still fighting it off, but it seem's like we are on the mend. Kyle has managed to avoid it all so far (what a blessing!). In true form, I can't find any pictures that I took over the last few weeks-augh!! I think that it is time that I learn how to download pictures off the camera!

Swinging Double Style

2009-04-12T13:30:00.003-07:00

This video and picture is from December. I can't believe some of the things that the kids
come up with or for that matter, the things that we let them do-lol!
We got them another swing for Christmas, so now there is one for each of them.

I can't seem to get the video to work, I will have to have Kyle fix it when he gets back from church. I am home with Carson-he is sick today.

New Blog!

2009-04-12T08:37:00.003-07:00

I am starting a new blog for cloth diapering info. and for posting specials and giveaways from my cloth diaper and more store, Diaper Style. I love to share how great cloth diapers are, but I want to re-focus my blog on my family. I am determined to keep it current and hopefully be able to print a book next year to keep for family history. I have a ton of scrapbooking stuff that I just don't use and figure my blog is the next best thing for keeping a record of what we are doing!
So...you are welcome to bug me when I am not keeping up on it, in fact you are encouraged to do so! It is so easy to let things slip, but I think that keeping a record of our lives is important and really only takes about 15 or so minutes to update.
So here it goes.....again!

Here are some cute pictures we took of Claire (for my website) yesterday at Kyle's family Easter Party.
There are more pictures to come of the rest of the kids during the easter egg hunt, but for now these are the only pictures that I can find on my computer.

Claire has started to walk. She takes tiny little steps, it is so cute.

I can't believe that she will be ONE yr. next month.
My little baby is growing way too fast!

Hello!! Anyone there?

2009-04-11T10:46:00.002-07:00

Wow, I can't believe how fast time goes by. It has been a long time since my last post. There has been so much happening that I don't really know where to even begin?

We have had 3 birthdays in the last month. Halle turned 3 on March 23rd. We had a little family party for her complete with her highly requested Care Bear cake.

Kyle and Mckenna turned 37 and 7 on April 4th. Kyle and Mckenna started their birthday off by going to get free breakfast at JB's and then on to Krispy Kreme for their free dozen donuts, each (like i really needed 2 dozen donuts around here).

Mckenna got a new bike this year and she loves it! She really wanted a girly but sporty bike and I think we delivered. She has pegs on the front and back, it is a cool green color but has a black floral design on the frame. Kyle had Mckenna, Carson and Halle all on the bike at the same time riding around the circle (Mckenna sat side saddle on the frame, Carson was on the back pegs and Halle was on the front pegs), it sorta looked like a circus act. I wish that I had a picture of it, but I couldn't find the camera (next time I guess)

That night we went to Joes Farm house for dinner. They give you $10 off on your birthday, so we got $20 off !! We ate outside under the citrus trees, it was a beautiful day. Joe's is the perfect place for a dinner with 4 kids. They were able to run around and play until our food came. The food was good and afterward we walked across the little road to check out the farm. On the way back to the car the kids rolled down the grassy hills and then we booked it home so that Kyle could get to Priesthood.

I will add pictures in a day or 2, I have to get Kyle to get them off of the camera first.

A call for action!

2008-12-19T19:31:00.002-07:00

There are a number of small business (that provide safe toys and clothing for your family) in a world of hurt right now. You can help! Please take a moment and read this and this for more information.
Thanks!

Another Giveaway!

2008-11-28T20:44:00.002-07:00

Diaper Style is being featured on Momma In Flip Flops 2. I have offered a Thirsties Fab Fitted and Thirsties Diaper Cover for a giveaway....be sure to check it out on her blog and enter for your chance to win. Momma In Flip Flops 2 has on going giveaways, and lots of great reviews on products that we as mom's need and use often! So Fun!!!

We had a great Thanksgiving!!! I will post some pictures as soon as Kyle gets them off the camera and on too the computer. I spent the day today fighting crowds and loving the deals!
Even though I didn't have a lot of $$$$$ to spend this year, I can't seem to avoid the hustle and bustle of Black Friday, it starts the Christmas Holiday off for me. What a day:)!

Sweet Baby Kaiya

2008-11-18T22:12:00.003-07:00

My good friend Angela was blessed with a precious baby girl on October 29th (she looks just like a Hodges baby-so cute!).

Kaiya was born with a heart defect and has been in the hospital being treated since birth. On November 12th Kaiya returned to live with her Heavenly Father.

Angela posted this message on her blog....."Last night, our sweet baby Kaiya went home to be with her Heavenly Father. She is now in the loving arms of her Heavenly Father. She no longer has to endure the pain. She got to spend her last day in the arms of her mother. We will miss her more than words can explain. We have faith that we will meet again one day and cradle her in our arms."

For those of you that know Angela and Kevin, Kaiya's funeral will be held this Friday (Nov. 21st) at 9:30 a.m. at Green Acres Cemetery located at 401 N. Hayden Rd. in Scottsdale.

A fund has been started to help pay for the Funeral services and other Medical bills. A link to the paypal account is on my friend, Jennifer's blog, if you would like to donate . There are also a few auctions going on to raise money (the funeral services alone will be around $10, 000.00).

Jennifer has thought of another way to help out the Hodges (I stole this from her blog too!)

"SO! I was just thinking that another great way to help the Hodges out with the horrid bills they will be paying is to buy a bag from Angie! She sells way cute hand bags, totes and diaper bags!

Here's a link to her online boutique: Afton and Elaine's!

Her shipping prices are very reasonable! Just remember that she's going to be in Arizona for a while and so your order will take a little longer to be shipped!

Just another way to help...and get a cute bag too! Who can resist that!? :) "

Anyway....I love the Hodges. I am so sad that they are going through such a hard thing. I think about Angela all day and pray for her to have some peace and comfort. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers!

Photo Shoot

2008-11-10T10:46:00.004-07:00

Our camera bit the dust a few weeks ago and so Kyle has been playing with our new one using our kids as test subjects-what could be better?

Carson my handsome boy.
(We need to work on what is going on in the
background when taking pictures)

Last Sunday when I got out of the shower
I found Kyle giving Carson a BUZZ cut!
I about died. But at least Carson is proud of his buzz cut
and it is starting to grow on me.

Kyle built a light box for taking pictures of my inventory for my web site.
We decided to see if Claire would fit in it and take some pictures.
We will edit out the box edges before we print them up.

Claire has just started sitting up this week.
She is growing way to fast.....slow down baby girl!

Playing with Photo Shop!

We will be using Claire to model some of our cloth diapers for the website and she will be on my business cards.....too cute!

And the winners are.....!!!!!!

2008-11-01T14:38:00.002-07:00

First a big thank you goes out to everyone that visited my blog during the bloggy carnival!

I had Halle draw 2 numbers out of a bowl to pick the winners (I know, so technical)

The winner of the first giveaway for the Paci Clip is comment #39 who said "It really doesn't sound as horrifyingly hard as I imagined. And there's no "dunking or swishing" needed these days? Yay!", congratulations Brianne!!

The winner of the second giveaway for the set of 6 Thirsties Fab Wipes is comment # 12 who said "I like the orange! I would use these instead of the homemade cloth wipes I made! Thanks for the chance to win. =) It's great to find contests cloth diaper related."
Congratulations Andrea!! I hope you enjoy these super soft cloth wipes! And it is good to find someone who understands my love of all things 'CLOTH' :)!

Thanks again!!!

Bloggy Giveaway #1

2008-10-27T22:14:00.009-07:00

I am so excited!!! It’s the week of the quarterly Bloggy Carnival at BloggyGiveaways.com
In the past, I have always enter the giveaways hoping to win something :), this time in celebration of the opening of my new store, I am giving away 2 items (yea! my first giveaway).

This giveaway is for a Customized Paci Clip. You pick the ribbon and the saying from the many choices on the website!

And so how do you win?? Here are the rules!
1) Visit Diaper Style and take a peak around!
2) Leave me a comment telling me something that you did not know about cloth diapering, or what your favorite item is from the website.

*Make sure you leave a valid e-mail address if you are not a blogger

*I will randomly pick a number out of a hat on Friday Oct. 31st (after trick-or-treating)
and will notify the winner:)

The LUCKY winner will then get to choose a ribbon and name/saying for the paci clip. It will be shipped to your door in about 2 weeks!

Good Luck

***Through Oct. 31st, I will be offering a 10% discount on your whole order (whether it be cloth diapers, baby carriers, mama products etc.)!!! Just use coupon code "first10" at checkout!

And remember: These aren't your mama's cloth diapers!

Bloggy Giveaway #2

2008-10-27T21:58:00.009-07:00

My second giveaway will be for 1 set of 6 of the Thirstie's Fab wipes.

"The average household will spend about $800* in wipes from birth to potty. Switching to washable baby wipes, is a simple solution to put money back in your pocket.
Thirsties Fab Wipes measure 8x8 inches and are 2 ply. A textured cotton velour on one side to assist with bigger wipe-ups and delicate microfleece on the other side for drying or for lighter messes. These wipes will fold and fit perfectly in a recycled wipes container or warmer, or look great stacked on a shelf or changing table displaying all the beautiful colors!

How to win...Here are the rules!
1) - visit Diaper Style
2) There are many other uses for fab wipes besides just for babies. Just tell me how YOU might use the FAB WIPES and what your color choice would be.

Good Luck

Bloggy Carnival

Feeling Generous?

2008-08-28T09:43:00.002-07:00

Today is NieNie Day!!! Please help support this amazing family.
Go here to join all the fun!

There are MANY great auctions going on with all the proceeds benefiting the Nielson family.
And don't forget them in your prayers!

First Day of FIRST grade!

2008-08-21T21:01:00.006-07:00

Mckenna is now in 1st grade! Here is her first grade photo shoot taken by Kyle (yes, I got mad at him for having her lay on the sidewalk in her new school clothes!) I can't believe that she is already a BIG first grader. I was surprised at how different first grade is than kindergarten. They expect so much more out of them, when really they are just a summer time older. When we went to curriculem night Mckenna's teacher was talking about how they would know their multiplication to 12 by the end of the school year.....WHAT???? Starting in September she will also have about a half hour worth of homework every night. She is only 6 for crying out loud! I am blown away by how much she has to learn to learn this year. She is already getting extra crabby and emotional. She has pretty much kicked Halle out her room at night because she claims to need her sleep because 1st grade is much harder than kindergarten.
Here she is with one of her friends from her class last year. They are happy to be in the same class again this year. Mckenna was pointing to their teacher from last year, we will miss Mrs. Standage, she is an amazing teacher!

On a side note: Halle is a little night owl and usually is up later than me, so no one really wants to share a room with her. Whatever room she ends up in, you can guarantee that she will keep them up until at least 9 or 9:30. Sometimes we keep her out of the bedroom until the other kids fall asleep, but she doesn't seem to mind too much because she gets to stay up late with her dad and eat cereal. Halle usually doesn't fall asleep until between 10pm-11pm.

NieNie Dialogues

2008-08-20T09:29:00.003-07:00

One of my favorite blogs to read is NieNie Dialogues. Stephanie and her Husband were in a private plane crash last week and are in need of prayers and support. Please check out her blog by clicking the "I read Nie" button.

Claire's Blessing day

2008-08-20T09:09:00.005-07:00

Claire was blessed on August the 3rd. Kyle's mom has made each of my girls a Blessing dress, this year she made it and sent from Palmyra, where they are on their mission. As usual, the dress was perfect! Thanks Marie!! We are lucky to have almost all of our family here in town with the exception of my Brother Matthew and his family (they are in Texas) and Kyle's parent on their mission.

It was a wonderful day. Kyle gave Claire a beautiful blessing. Claire did great during the blessing. She just laid there and looked up at the men with her big blue eyes! She is a keeper that's for sure!

Prepare yourselves....

2008-06-11T13:51:00.001-07:00

I have some time and Kyle finally made these pictures accessible from my computer so I have a ton of posts to catch up on!

From Kyle!

2008-06-11T13:44:00.004-07:00

Kyle got this beautiful necklace and earrings to celebrate the birth of Claire, our last baby. I sent him an e-mail awhile back that had a link to Lisa Leonards etsy shop and told him that if needed any idea's for gifts for me, that I would love something from her shop. I was totally surprised and so happy when he presented this to me at the hospital the day after we had Claire.
I love it so much! (I do have to send it back and get the names re-done because she placed the stars wrong), it is the coolest gift ever!!! I still wear it and get a ton of complements on it! I have a great husband!

I am a baby too!

2008-06-11T13:32:00.003-07:00

I think that I mentioned it before, but when we were going through the baby clothes for Claire, Halle kept trying to put on the clothes. I told her they were for the baby and she said, I am a baby too. Well, she pretty much uses all the baby things like the swing, bouncy seat, etc. I guess it helps that she only weighs 22 lbs at 26 months old and can fit in everything still. Well, the other day I had put her down for a nap and put the gate up in her door. About 10 min. later I walked down the hall and noticed that her door was open and she was not in her room. I started looking for her and finally found her in my room......guess where she was.........

Yep, in the baby bassinet!

Claires first bath!

2008-06-11T13:25:00.002-07:00

Claire's umbilical cord has FINALLY fallen off completely. She had her first bath this weekend and loved it. She was so content and calm and even slept great that night.
Poor Halle is having a hard time not being the baby anymore. My mom looked over at the kitchen and saw that Halle had stripped off her clothes and was trying to arrange herself so she could lay down and have a bath in the sink too. She didn't quit fit. She was so sad. (don't mind the dishes soaking in the sink-gross)

Daddy time!

2008-06-11T13:19:00.003-07:00

Halle likes to "help" Kyle mow the yard. It takes him about an hour to the back yard and she will stay with him the whole time. Sounds boring to me.....but she loves it! Usually she has a hat on and a sippy cup in hand.

Missionaries!

2008-06-11T10:18:00.004-07:00

Papa and Grandma Dugger are on a mission at the Palmyra Temple. These are some pictures from the day that they left. My kids were so sad that they were leaving that we had to stop by one more time, even though we had been at their house for hours the night before.
They have been gone for a few months already and will be back by Thanksgiving! Claire will be about 6 months old when she meets them for the first time!

Don't ask...I have no idea what Mckenna is doing.

Papa giving Halle one last kiss good bye.

Grandma with her suckers!

One last hug for Carson.

Carson has started calling everyone 'Grandma Marie', he even calls me 'mommy Marie' sometimes. My mom laughs about it, but I think it is getting a little old to her now being called by the "other" grandma's name. He misses her so much.

Irrigation anyone?

2008-06-11T10:03:00.007-07:00

This is what we do when we have irrigation! Anyone want to join us this Friday for some boating fun? It is all Kyle's idea. I think he wants to be a Toys R' Us kid too (see next post)!

Boating under the trampoline!

This is actually our second boat. The dog popped the other one and so Kyle HAD to get another.
Usually Kyle is in the boat with them, but I couldn't find the camera before he got out.
The water gets so deep out there. I have to keep the door locked and take the key out when we get the water because I am afraid of Halle drowning. As gross as it is, the kids (this includes Kyle) love to be out there in the boat.

Are you a Toys R' Us kid?

2008-06-11T09:48:00.003-07:00

This morning just after Carson had woke up, he said in a very serious voice and with a very serious face , 'Mom, I'm a toys r' us kid'. I kinda laughed and said you are? Then he said 'ya, I don't want to grow up', and hugged me. It was the funniest thing! He was so serious and made a kinda sad face when he said he doesn't want to grow up. He is too cute.

T Rex teeth!

Carson buddy, I feel the same way!

Baby Daze!

2008-05-20T11:02:00.002-07:00

I only have time and energy for a quick update. We are doing alright. We had Claire on Wednesday May 14th at 8:54 pm. It was a long day, but everything went well. Claire has her days and nights mixed up and likes to sleep all day, and play (or cry) from about midnight to about 5am. We are so tired! Thankfully our ward is helping a ton with meals and other stuff. And my sister called today and said she wants to come stay the night and let us get some sleep--THANK YOU MEGHAN!!

The kids are loving to help with and hold Claire, she is spoiled already.

Mckenna is the best big sister, and has been with each baby. I couldn't ask for a better big sister than she is to each of her siblings. She takes great care of each of them, they are lucky to have her!!!

Carson called her "Claire Bear" the other day and that seems to be her nick name now. He always talks about how cute she is and likes to lay on the couch and cuddle with her. He is so gentle and natural with her.

Halle is pretty much obsessed with her and wants to hold "it" all the time. She is very possessive of her and will hang on to her in a death grip if she thinks someone is coming to take Claire away from her. I am glad that she is just in love with her and not mad at her like I had worried about.

I am very lucky that they have all been smitten by her cuteness and just want too love on her. I love watching each of them with her, she is a blessed little baby.

It is sad to think she will be my last one, I am trying to just enjoy the newborn stage as much as I can because even though it is hard and exhausting, I won't have this again. I will miss the little baby squeaks, smells, cuddling etc. I am always sad when they stop curling up their legs and sticking out their bum when you hold them and so many other things. So, for now I will just enjoy each moment and cherish each moment!

I tried to upload some pictures, but I keep geting an error. Until I can get that figured out, you can go to this site and see some pictures! http://www.reefworkshop.com/claire/claire.html

I am loved!!

2008-05-13T13:41:00.004-07:00

I meant to post this yesterday, but forgot. I just wanted to share how great my Mother's day was! (sorry, no pictures again). Kyle got up with the kids in the morning and let me sleep in until I HAD to get up to get ready for Church (which starts at 9am). When we came home he told me that I was not allowed to do anything in the house for the day. He did everything! Cleaned all the messes that were made, did the dishes, got the food ready for our Mothers Day dinner with my family....EVERYTHING! He would not let me do anything, which is hard for me not to see something that needs to be picked up or taken care of and not do it. He even stopped the kids from whining, crying, fighting, or complaining around me. It was a GREAT day! I loved every minute of it!!!
Thank you Kyle for taking such good care of me all day! I loved only having to enjoy the good parts of my kids all day and not have to clean up after them or do anything other than rest, read the Ensign and have a fabulous day!!! At the end of the dayI did tell him how nice it would be to have a maid. Everyday would feel like Mothers day then!

I hope you all had a great day too!

Tomorrow is the BIG day! We will be a family of 6. Please tell me I will be able to handle 4 kids. That I won't go crazy and be committed!

How do you all plan to spend your long summer days with your kids? What will you do to keep them busy and happy? What can I do with a newborn? HELP!!!

Only a few more days!!!

2008-05-12T09:21:00.004-07:00

Wow! I can't believe that the time to meet out little girl is almost here! I am scheduled to be induced this Wednesday, May 14th, at 7:30am!!! I am starting to freak out, just a little bit (ok...maybe a whole lot). I still feel like we have so much to do to get the house, carseat, and baby stuff ready. Plus, I have not been sleeping well at all, so I am already exhausted and I know it is just going to get worse. I don't function well on little to no sleep.
BUT we will soon meet our sweet little baby! I am so excited to see her and cuddle with her, and love on her! Only a few more days and our family will be complete. The kids are all so excited for her to come home. Halle is probably not going to be happy. She already knows something is up and has claimed total ownership of every baby thing that we have brought out so far. She tells me "I a baby too". She wants to wear the baby clothes, sleep in her bassinet, sit in the swing, etc. She is already very possessive with me, and doesn't really want me to cuddle with the other kids. I am trying to prepare myself to handle what I am sure is going to come regarding Halle being jealous of the baby. Any one have some good idea's for me?

I will post an update this weekend with pictures of course!

Wish me luck!!!

A few names...

2008-04-02T11:26:00.002-07:00

This will be a short post. I still need to post from Easter and Halle's 2nd Birthday which was on Easter Sunday but Kyle still has not loaded the pictures from the camera and I have no idea how. Hopefully in the next few days I will be able to get some pictures on from both events.

Well, here goes.... A list of some of the names that we like so far.

-Claire
-Carly
-Emery
-Avery
-Cate

We would like to narrow it down to about 2 for when we go to the hospital and pick the name once we meet her! There are still a few more written down on a list but I can't find the list right now. So until I find it these are the names that i can remember.

The results are in!!!

2008-02-27T15:28:00.002-07:00

We are having a GIRL!!!!!

So the final count will be Girls-3 , boy(s)-1.

Carson is more excited about another sister than Mckenna. She was actually a little mad because she had prayed for a brother. Finally after she got over her frustration, she decided that she would be like her Grandma Dugger and 'be happy either way'!

Now comes the hard part....We have a 3 bedroom house and don't plan on moving any time soon.
I mean, it will be no problem for the next 3-5 years to have them sharing rooms, but at some point it won't be ok. As it is, Carson and Mckenna sleep in the same room/bed every night, even though Carson has his own room with 2 beds in it.....go figure! So I really should not be worried at this point, right?

I am happy to finally know, now I can start buying all the cute "girly" cloth diapers that I have my eye on!!!!! We also need a name. Anyone have any good idea's? I am stumped. I do have a list of about 10 girl names that I like but none that I LOVE and just have to have KWIM?

Somehow HE knows!

2008-02-17T18:16:00.002-07:00

I got this e-mail from a friend today. Somehow Heavenly Father knows when I need to hear something like this. Lately I have felt like a maid, nose wiper, errand runner, etc. just wondering what my purpose was. I now feel more grateful for the opportunity to do these things!

The invisible MOM!
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way
one of the kids walks into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be
taken to the store. Inside, I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'
Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping
the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see
me at all. I'm invisible. The Invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: 'Can you fix this?' 'Can
you tie this?' 'Can you open this?' Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm
not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a
satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to
order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes
that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now
they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.
'She's going, she's going, she's gone!'

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a
friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and
she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there,
looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to
compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress;
it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was
pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut
butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a
beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book
on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it
to me until I read her inscription:

'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building
when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover
what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could
pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no
record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they
would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God
saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to
visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a
tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why
are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be
covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied,
'Because God will see.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost
as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the
sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of
kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is
too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great
cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.' At times, my
invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is
erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness.
It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right
perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who
show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something
that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever
be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to
sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son
to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom
gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand
bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.'
That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him
to want to come home. Then, if there is anything to say to his friend, it
could be, 'You're gonna love it here!' As mothers, we are building great
cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is
very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built,
but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of
invisible women.

Time for more Snow Video's!!

2008-02-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

Seth is quite adventurous! He blazed this trail, it comes within inches of the tree!

Matthew and Seth racing...And the winner is????

Kyle catching some air! This was the fastest trail that they could find.

Matthew hitting the jump too!

Kyle had to beg and bribe Mckenna to go on this trail. The bribe included a piggy back ride half way up the hill and 2 candies from the country store!

Way Back Wednesday!

2008-02-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

This isn't WAY back, it is actually from Dec. 14, 2007. Matthew and his family were down from Texas and the rest of my family was over visiting. Some of us decided to walk to get Mckenna from school and surprise her.

Here is the gang!

Matthew and Carson on the bike!

Matthew and Levi on the bike!

Mckenna running to us when she everyone who came to get her!! She was so excited!
(I just wish I knew how to crop the picture)

A few crashing video's from the snow!

2008-02-05T17:06:00.000-07:00

Ok. So I know I said that I would post video's tomorrow, but I just couldn't wait!

Here goes Mom!

Matthew attempting take off with Seth narrating, don't be jealous of Seth's encouraging words!

Now what was it that Seth just said about Matthew?

Hinckley Challenge!

2008-02-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

This is not “church” sponsored, but what could it hurts having a lot of people reading the Book of Mormon for 97 days! Who wants to join the 18,993 (when I signed up) people taking the challenge?

Here is the e-mail about challenge that I received.

As you know, our beloved prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley passed away at the age of 97.
I was thinking of how I could honor his legacy and I came up with an idea.

My friend and I have created a challenge for those willing to accept it:

Read the Book of Mormon in 97 days.

We are trying to get everyone to start on the same day. Here are the details:

Goto www.hinckleychallenge.com and create an account (free, of course).
On Feb 4, 2008 (the Monday following the funeral) have an FHE lesson on the Book of Mormon and begin your reading.
Each day you read, record what page number you are on by going to www.hinckleychallenge.com .

We would like this challenge to be heard all around the world! Please forward this message to everyone you know. We would love to see over 1 million pages of the Book of Mormon read by the time this challenge has ended.

Do you want to show your support? Do you want to follow the prophet? Do you want to get rid of all of your excuses for not reading and become a warrior? Then join me in this challenge!!!

We are going to spread this throughout the news media (TV an d radio) and we've already contacted Fox news, KSL, CBS, and ABC. But we cannot get the word out to everyone without your help! Please forward this on to EVERYONE in your address book. Time is of the essence!! This will be the one forwarded message that everyone will be happy to get :).

-Jake Andersen

P.S. You can always see an updated list of those who have accepted the challenge by clicking here (www.hinckleychallenge.com/warriors.php)

Snow or Bust!!!

2008-02-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

Weekend fun at Forest Lakes!!!!!

This weekend we went up to the RIM (brrrr) to my Aunts Cabin in Forest Lakes.

My whole family went (minus my SIL Amy, we missed you) and had a great time! My Brother Matthew came in from Texas with his cute boy to join us! We LOVE Levi! We are always happy when they come to visit.

Kyle and the kids spent most of the day outside sledding, snowboarding and making snowballs. Poor Halle had to stay inside with me most of the time. Here they are all bundled up to go play. No, we didn't send Halle out to play in the snow in her bare feet, she was coming back in the WARM Cabin with me!
Carson was determined to snowboard like his Uncle Seth and Matthew. He was actually pretty good and could snowboard about 10 or so feet on his own!
I think he liked snowboarding the best!

Here is Halle all bundled up going out to sled with Daddy!

Aunt Meghan (Known as Ketchup and Mustard in her snow clothes!) with Halle and Levi.

Aunt Amy (Seth's Amy, both of my Brothers married AMY'S!-augh!)
Amy was such a trooper. This is probably one of the only times she was on her own because one of my kids were sledding with her almost the whole time. Thank you, and sorry! I guess that is what you get for being such a great Aunt. Next time I won't be pregnant and I can sled too!
Kyle and my mom

I don't know what Mckenna is doing in this picture, but thought it was funny so I threw it in!

I will post some more pictures tomorrow. I have a ton more I want to share! I even have some great video of sledding and snowboarding wipe-outs that must be shared!
We really had a great time! I am so grateful to be so close to my family and be able to have so much fun together. Even the BRIDEZILLA (aka; Meghan) wasn't so bad :)!

Don't know yet...

2008-01-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a collage that Kyle made for our parents for Christmas. I dont know how to make it any bigger, but these are the most currents pictures of our family!

Unfortunately we don't know what we are having. When I went for my ultrasound we found out the I have a low-lying placenta (can't I ever have a "normal" pregnancy?), the baby was breech and VERY wiggly. It was very hard to a good view of the baby at because my placenta, which appears 'white' on the screen was covering most of the baby. Dr. Holmes was doing all he could to get a good view. At first he said 'I think its a girl", then a minute later he said "boy" then he said he really did not know. If there happened to be a view where he could tell, the baby was too wiggly or the umbilical cord was in the way. So for now we don't know. I am going crazy!! I don't like not knowing. I like to be "surprised" at the ultrasound, not when the baby is born.
It is the same with Christmas and birthdays, if I know that someone has a present or surprise for me it drives me crazy, I would rather know right away.
Kyle is opposite of me, he doesn't want any hints about what he might be getting at Christmas. He also hates the previews when we are at the movies. He is really embarrassing to sit by at the theater because he will close his eye's and plug his ears and sometimes even make noises to block out the sound during previews. He doesn't do this for all the movies (like the new Enchanted) just for movies like Spiderman, Lord of The Rings, basically any and all 'action' type of movie. So if you are ever at the movies with us or by us and want a good laugh, just watch Kyle and you can be embarrassed for me!

A New Year Goal!

2008-01-05T09:35:00.000-07:00

Ok. So I have been really bad about posting on a regular basis. One of my goals this year is to post weekly hopefully I will be posting 2x a week. One regular post and one Blessing Post (see below). I found this on another blog and really want to do the Blessing Project. What a great way to be reminded of the many blessings in my life and be able to document them. Maybe at the end of the year I can print a little blessings of 2008 book!

The 52 Blessings Project

About 52 Blessings
Once a week post a photo of something you are most grateful for. This gives us a chance to reflect on the good things we have learned from or that have made us better in our everyday lives or things we just enjoy! I think everyone needs to be more grateful for what they have now days instead of always thinking about what we want! This is one of the things we can do to be more gracious people. It will be like a photo gratitude journal.

*****

I am so excited for this new year! I feel that it will be good one. To start off the good year, we are expecting baby #4 in May! I can't believe I will have 4 children, sometimes I start to panic a little just thinking about it. BUT.....everyone tells me that having 4 is no different than 3???? So I am hanging on to that impossible hope. I know that many bloggers pick a word for the year, and I thought that I had decided my word would be "LIVE" but maybe it should be "SURVIVE" because that is kinda how I feel~like I am in survival mode and I can't imagine it getting any better with a new baby around. The problem with 'survive' is that it really is a negative word, at least concerning what it means to me. So maybe I will stick with LIVE and it will help me to enjoy life, to count my blessings, to be a better wife and mother, and most important to take time for myself and LIVE so I can be better at all the other things!

On another exciting note....I have started a new business. I will be making a change from a Director with The Pampered Chef to a new consultant with a great, new company....SIMPLYFUN!!!! You can check out my website at www.reach4theskye.simplyfun.com Did you know that Plato said, "You can learn more about a person in an hour of play that in a lifetime of conversation." What a great thing the power of play is to relationships. At Simplyfun our mission is to "promote the importance of play and create life long memories that enhance the quality of life for our Consultants, customers, and employees." I love this company and all the products.

I tried to post some pictures, that will have to wait until my next blog, for some reason I keep getting an error.grrrrr.

I am going with my Mom, Sister, and SIL to the Bridal Expo today to hopefully get some planning done for Meghans April wedding (yes, I will be 8+ months pregnant and her Bridesmaid-augh!)

Ice Skating with Daddy!

2007-09-09T15:36:00.000-07:00

Mckenna went ice skating for the first time on Saturday, she was very excited!!
Kyle's work had reserved Box seats, with delicious catered food for the Diamond Backs game on Friday. I was suppose to have a Pampered Chef show that night, but it canceled at the last minute. So, to make a long story short, Mckenna was going to accompany Kyle to the game in my place, and she was very excited about it. I was secretly happy that my show had canceled because I really wanted to go to the game. Now comes the problem, Mckenna was determined that she was going to go, not me. So to try and make it a win-win situation, Kyle started bargaining with her to stay home so I could go.

Kyle: You know Mckenna, mom really wants to go to the game with me.
Mckenna: you said I could go, I want to go (in her best whiny voice)
Kyle: How about you stay home tonight and I will take you to the movies tomorrow, just the 2 of us?
Mckenna: No! I want to go to the game!
Kyle: How about I take you ice skating tomorrow?
Mckenna: *long pause* (we know she is going for it) umm. OK!

Wahoo! that was easy! Everyone is happy and I am going to the game!!

Kyle and Mckenna
at the Ice Skate Rink!

Mckenna held on to the wall for the
first 10 minutes or so and then was
brave enough to to skate out on her own

Learning how to 'glide'

Good Save!

July San Diego trip!

2007-08-30T16:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know we went on our trip in July, but I didn't have a blog back then, and I want to post about our trip....so here goes!!!

We went to Campland at the Bay in San Diego for 6 wonderful days! The weather was perfect and the campground was great. I would pick this type of vacation (with kids) over staying in a hotel anyday! Of course my first choice is a Beach House, but that is not always in the budget.
Here is a view of our camp site from what we called, the Skate Park because even thought it said "no skateboarding" all over the place, that is where every teenage boy skateboarded! Mckenna, Ashlyn, Bailey and Carson thought it was their duty to tell ( I mean YELL at) the skateboarders that they were not suppose skateboard there.
It was very convenient being next to the fire pit/amphitheater/skate park, because the kids would ride their bikes around the circle and play there for hours!

As soon as we were done setting up camp, we walked to the Bay. Halle wanted to walk straight into the water, she had absolutely no fear. We learned very quickly that we could not her little hand go!

crazy hair day!

Notice the skateboards in the background and the 'No Skateboarding" painted on the cement? Carson tried to hang out with these big boys, since all he had was girls to play with on the trip.

Day at the beach!
cute, sandy feet~these belong to (left to right) Ashlyn, Mckenna,& Bailey. Notice how Mckenna's feet have the least amount of sand on them? I bet you are thinking that is because she is such a good kid and tries really hard to stay clean.
Nope, she had just walked straight across all our blankets and towels, while the other 2 went around! That's my Mckenna *sigh* :)

Day 2 at the beach!
My cute DH and Halle.
Halle started out sitting up, and slowly inched her way onto her tummy, where she laid and buried her arms in the sand, and of course tried to eat the shells! She really loves to become one with the sand!

Waiting for our breakfast outside of Kono's! My Aunt and Uncle introduced us to this yummy little restaurant! They have the best potato/hash brown things!
Mckenna has developed a fear of heights! The cracks on the boardwalk and the steps down to the beach, were very scary to her. She crawled like this, very slowly, all the way across the landing to the steps and all the way down to the sand. When we went out on the pier she was literally shaking with fear! I feel so bad for her...I admit.... I did laugh more than I should have! I had a huge fear of heights when I was younger, and I am still afraid of the Ferris Wheel, although I will tackle any Roller Coaster!

We also had breakfast with Shamu and spent the day at Sea World. I will do a Sea World post tomorrow!

2007-08-24T21:22:00.001-07:00

I just remembered that I wanted to share a conversation that I had with Mckenna and Carson today. It all started with Carson being very cuddly and clingy today, I started to think about when he grows up and he is no longer my 'little boy'. It went like this....

Me: So Carson, are you going to get married someday?
Carson: uh-huh, I yam
Me: Are you going to have any kids
Carson: me yam
Me: are you going to get a house of your own
Carson: (as he hugged me) I want to yive here with you.
Me: Are your kids going to live here too?
Carson: uh-huh!
Me: You know, you will have to get your own house when you get married and have kids.
Carson: (making the saddest face ever, about to cry, hugging me more) No...I want to yive with you
Mckenna: (after listening to Carson and I, and being the logical one that she is) I will get my own house Mom. I can buy Rayleans (our neighbor) when she sells it, then I can live next door. Carson (she says) you can buy the other neighbors house, and live on the other side of Mom(but he was not having any of it, now he is even more sad)
Mckenna again: I am going to have 8 boys and 8 girls.
Me: Wow! Thats a lot of kids.
Mckenna: I know (she laughs) it would be crazy (emphasis on crazy)...there would be babies crying all over the place (as she waves her hand around the room) Then she tried to demonstrate how to hold that many crying babies
Me: Laughing and thinking...she deserves 16 babies!!!
Mckenna: Actually I will probably just have 2 boys and 2 girls. I will either have a boy or girl first (ya think, me laughing again)
Moral of the story....It is way to early to even think about my kids leaving 'the nest'! And I still have many years to be the 'favorite girl' in my little boys life! .

Here we go!

2007-08-24T19:31:00.000-07:00

We are starting our family blog! I am so excited to have a way to record and share our family happenings with our family and friends. I finally made the decision to start blogging when I saw some info about getting your blog made into a book (Thanks Kylie, I saw it on your blog!), I thought this is perfect....now I can get our blog printed every 6 mo. or year and not feel so guilty about never getting around to my scrapbooking.

I guess I will start with our most recent family picture...

Funny thing is, we aren't even Simpsons fans, Kyle just found the site and thought it was pretty funny to "Simpsonize" us.

My next few posts will probably be from past events....Our trip to San Diego's Campland at the Bay, Mckennas first day of school and a few other memorable experiences. Hopefully I can restrain myself from not posting every picture we took!

That's all for tonight. I gotta go help Kyle, he is once again in the 'project mode' and has starting digging the holes for our future Tree House/Fort, huge thing! I will post pics as the project progresses. Wish me luck to make it through one more of his 'projects' AAhhhh!

On a side note, Kyle just found a cute baby frog. Carson and Halle sure do have high pitched squeals! Ouch, my ears!