Our Store for the kids

Well it is 12:00 A.M. and I am waiting for my sweet wonderful husband to finish working so that we can both go to bed before the kids get up. So we finally opened our own store. With the horrible monetary mess that our country is in and the need for our Government to start printing its own money (yes our government does not print its own money) we get our money from the Federal Reserve which is privately owned. Huge long story but important to understand (read Web of Debt) and moving on... the store. I decided if the Government won't print its own money then I will print my own money and so I did. And it is awesome!!! Here's what we did: we made some great money (money is fun to make) Bears ($1), Horses ($10), Eagles ($100), and Lions ($1000) and then we told the kids that each week they will earn money and every Saturday the store will open. Today was the end of our second week (if you have questions just ask otherwise I will spare the details). But this is the funny part Raquel wanted the store to have a set of dishes for her to buy, so each dish is worth one horse. Amelia bought two dishes today and after about 10 minutes of playing with them she came to me and said " I don't want these anymore can I return them?" "Go ask dad" was my reply. Newell agreed to return the dishes with a 10% restocking fee. Then Amelia bought a bag of chips and 3 pieces of gum. Raquel saw all of this and wanted to return her 4 dishes but 3 of the 4 were sticky from Nathan so the store only agreed to return one dish and she bought 3 pieces of gum. Scott decided that he was going to save all of his money this week and buy something big next week so he just bought one sucker. And then he said "mom, the foolish man gave his money for a sucker." "What?!" was my reply. Yes, at 4 he understands that it is foolish to work so hard for money and then waste it with buying candy but at the end of the day he had bought: 2 bags of chips, 3 pieces of gum, 3 suckers, and 2 chocolate eggs. Nathan is just happy because whenever we pull out the store he gets treats!! I could write so much more, but I will stop here and go to bed.

These are the some of the new shelves we got, I wanted the kids to do the Brady Bunch thing where they all look up or down at each other but they didn't understand!


Just a kids picture one Sunday before church. Darren is my biggest baby yet, he and Nathan can share clothes now!!

Posting and FHE

Well I had switched my blog to be private but then I realized that I hadn't given any warning and had a few friends give me a hard time about not allowing them to see my blog. Sorry about that!! I have been really bad about posting because my computer is old (Amelia and Scott have newer computers than me!!) and it is a pain to get my pictures up so anyway the new computer is in the mail thanks to our tax return which we hope to get soon and after that transferring pictures should be a breeze. Hopefully that will help me, I am amazed at how faithfully so many of you are, I can tell that you all must keep great journals as well! I struggle at that too!
So tonight for FHE we are talking about our body and our spirit. I am making a chart one for the body and one for the spirit. Then we will talk about how we feed and exercise our body and how we feed and exercise our spirit. After that I will show them the chart and for the next week we will be putting a sticker on the body or spirit each time we feed or exercise it. If the spirit wins at the end of the week we will have a party (nothing too big). Meal time prayers won't count for feeding the spirit though. Exercising the spirit will be showing obedience and following promptings of the spirit. I am always amazed at how in tune the kids are. The other day in Primary, Amelia won the little competition that I had given them during singing time but when it came time to claim her prize she told me to give it to the other little boy. At home I told her how happy I was that she was so kind and she told me that the Holy Ghost had told her to make that decision.
Darren is crying so I have to go but at his 4 month appointment he was 20 pounds!!!!!!! No wonder he is in size 12 month clothes and no wonder I get winded just carrying him up the stairs!!! I am hoping that he is done with this GROWTH SPURT!!! =)

Pictures of the Kids

I must say that anyone who enjoys getting kids dressed and happy for pictures is truly an amazing person!! For Christmas I like to give pictures of the kids but every year it gets harder and harder!! The worst age by far is 18 months!!!!!!!!!

Amelia is doing great with reading and she learned how to swim on our family vacation to Bear Lake. We always go the week after Thanksgiving and we have the pool to ourselves (at least we have for the last 4 years). I will have to post some pictures of that sometime.
Scott is loving his computer. He, Amelia, and Raquel have their own computer and it is fun to see them all play games together through the network.

Raquel can't get enough of Barbie Diamond Castle. If you have little girls and want a great movie that is the one to get!! Our whole family enjoys it! Nathan is so interesting. Ever since Darren was born he has acted like he is the odd one out. If we are not at his beck and call he is pouting and crying. Finally, now, after 2 months he is getting better and actually enjoying Darren. I think he realizes that Darren is not here to replace him!

Darren is just beginning to be a GOOD baby. After having 4 children who were all perfect little babies that slept and ate we were unprepared for Darren who cried all the time. Now, however, he is quite content to sit in his bouncy chair or even on dads lap. There for a while mom was it!!!
As for me I love having 5 kids. Of course we do have our share of crazy days. I can't complain though because at least Darren is sleeping now, and Nathan has stopped all the pouting! And thankfully Newell stays happy and helpful through it all.

Darren is Born

It has been a LONG time but I guess that being pregnant with baby #5 sort of wore me down. I didn't realize how exhausted I was those last few months!! The days flew by and I never had time to get everything done. Now, I have time and I feel great (well as good as one can feel a week and a half after labor). It is so fun having Darren in our family. The kids accepted him from the very first moment they saw him! Even Nathan is smitten by him. He says Darren WAY more than he says anything else!! I was induced after being a week over due and then I decided to have him natural (it just felt like the thing to do). I love new babies!! I love the way they smell and the little sounds they make, and how they snuggle up to you. Someone told me that I was just made to be a mom but I can honestly say that I am growing into the position. Each day I love my life more and more. There is nothing I would rather be doing!


I little update on everyone else: Amelia is loving school. She learns so much and remembers everything. In math she has been learning about tallying and she tallies everything. Scott, is my computer boy. Each of the kids have their own computer (except for Nathan and Darren) and Scott finds all the games and then gets on the girls computers and opens the games up for them. He is a whiz with the mouse and Newell has him playing all sorts of physics demos. I can honestly say the Scott learns from the computer. Raquel, is an angel. She begs me to let her watch Barbie Diamond Castle every day. She even has most of the songs memorized. She is definitely my princess girl. Nathan, is learning that he can be like the big kids. Everything they do he does too. Even biting his toe nails (YUCK!!!!!) Darren, of course sleeps a lot and eats a lot and it is hard to imagine that someday he will be running around trying to catch up to his older sibs but I wouldn't have it any other way. Newell and I are doing great. We are happy parents and grateful for the blessings we have. Thanks to everyone for the love and support. I will try to stay more on the ball.

Happy Fourth Birthday, Scott

Scott had a great 4th Birthday!! It was the High School's homecoming parade so he got to go to the parade for his birthday!! He even got a hat with 24 on it (his Birthday). All he wanted was swords and Batmen. I found a lot on Ebay of over 30 batman figures (unbeknownst to him there are still about 15 men up in my closet--probably part of Christmas). He is going to be Batman for Halloween!

This has nothing to do with Scott's Birthday but the boys are so cute especially after they get haircuts!!

Bear Lake Vacation

Well, since I haven't blogged for 3 months I thought I would put a few pictures of our Summer vacation in here. Here we are at Bear Lake. Every year that we go the kids have more and more fun. It is fun to watch them go from sand hating to sand eating!!

The picture above is of Sara, Me, mom, and Merri Lyn (and Nathan). I am 7 months pregnant in the picture.

How fun it is to play with Grandpa!! Scott, Raquel, and Amelia had so much fun whenever dad was down at the water with them!! Unlike Newell, Dad doesn't mind the cold water so he just jumps in and the kids LOVE it!!

Legos and Mess

Well, for those of you who think my house is never messy, here is proof. The kids wanted lego planes and I gave it my best try. Although Newell was made to make lego anythings!! Lately, he has been playing a Lego game with Scott and Amelia on the computer. They are all networked together so they shoot at each other and sometimes help each other. I guess Newell is getting them started on Gaming early.

New Things..

Well I know that it has been quite a while but we are doing great and having fun this Summer. I am not really ready for School to start as we are home schooling Amelia with the K12 curriculum but I figure Kindergarten is a great time to see if home schooling will work, and I figure if I can do it with a New born plus 4 kids I can probably handle it. Amelia has started to do puzzles like crazy. She loves mazes and puzzle games but now she really likes to put puzzles together. Her biggest size is 64 pieces but she flies through those so I guess it is on to 100 piece. Scott is my COMPUTER BOY!!!!!! We have 8 computers in our house and he always wants to be playing on one of them. He likes to play Unreal 3 with dad, Scooby-Doo, and Batman. I sometimes go crazy because when he gets stuck he calls and calls and calls for help. Then he asks me if I know how to play. If I give any indication that I have any ability whatsoever then I am in trouble because he informs me that I KNOW how to play. I am so thankful that Scott has two sisters to help mellow out his 'Boy' side. Nathan is walking and that is about all that he worries about right now. Then there is Raquel. I never really knew that people played the copycat game, and then I never realized that they could keep playing the copy cat game. Poor Amelia, she is Raquels hero and Raquel wants to be with her all the time. Copying everything Amelia says and does. They are cute together and Amelia is very patient and loving (most of the time). When I go to get Raquel from Nursury I will ask how she was. They always tell us that she was very good. But when we ask her how she was she responds with "I was BAD." She is a smart little girl!!




Well I will leave with a little story: For FHE last Monday I decided to focus on getting answers to our prayers. I want the kids to know and learn that they can pray and they will be heard and their prayers of faith will be answered. So we have been praying for opportunities to share the gospel. Now I know that there are other ways to get answers to prayer but this month in primary we are talking about missionary work so it just seemed to fit. Well, I took the kids to the park on Thursday and I left the keys in the car, I had no pockets. After about an hour of playing in the hot sun the kids were ready for a snack so we sat on the blanket to eat. There were some people over by the van and I asked Amelia if she would go and get the keys out for me. So she ran over and then ran back. "Where are they keys?" I asked. "In the Van," she said. "If you don't have the keys then what did you do?" "I locked the van instead." Oh great!!! I was not happy, here I was quite a ways from home, 11:30 in the morning, with 4 little kids and no one around. Amelia said "Mom will you say a prayer?" And in my frustration I told her that if she wanted to pray she could but I didn't want to. Well, she prayed. As we walked to the van a vehicle pulled up, the girl jumped out and grabbed a sippy cup that she had left. We were standing just a few feet away and I knew that this was the answer to Millie's prayer. Well, we called Newell (with her cell phone, mine was in the car) and he came and got us. But I am just so thankful for prayer and for the faith of my children. I know that without Millie's prayer I would have been walking a ways to get to a house to call for help (not a fun thing with little kids in tow). Motherhood teaches me so much, I am CONSTANTLY humbled!!!

Minnetonka Cave and Bear Lake

We went to Minnetonka Cave in July with Newell's mom and Sister (Natasha). Natasha works at the cave and she was our awesome tour guide. It was so fun for the kids and they wanted to walk right by Natasha the whole time. The cave is 1/2 mile in so 1 mile round trip. I didn't now if the kids would be able to make it but I was mistaken, they walked up and down those stairs so well and they really like caves now. Thanks for the great time Nathalia and Tasha!!!


We also spent some time at the beach by my parents cabin. The kids has so much fun with Grandma. Scott especially loved playing Mario Kart with her and he still tells me that he can win Grandma!!!

Nathan is Walking and Walking

Nathan is finally walking! It seemed like to took so long, probably because of my expanding belly and his added weight. Well, he is much happier and now he can start to follow his kids around even closer. He can sort of say everyone's name, at least he gets the syllables right. Nathan is now on a big bed (twin) in the kids' room, so now we have 4 kids in one room but they sleep well and they like being together.

Amelia's Birthday

Amelia turned 5 on June 9. I am amazed that she is getting so old!!! She invited 5 friend to her party plus her sibs. It was a lot of fun and they made some cute flip-flops with flowers.

It's a BOY

Sorry I posted so much, I just haven't had a chance this month with doing yard work, finishing up Joy School, losing the internet for a WEEK, and oh yes playing, playing, playing. What a life I have!! I absolutely love being with the kids and even though they think I am really old, they still like to play with me. Today we found out that baby #5 is a BOY. I am so happy, he looks great and Scott is thrilled. Tonight in his prayer he said thank you and then explained (in the prayer) because we like boys. I told the girls we would be outnumbered but then Newell piped in that the boys would protect the girls and that made us all happy. It is fun seeing my family grow even though I wish that everyone would slow down and not grow quite so fast. I just hope that I am doing the Best that I can. I guess that is why I really haven't blogged for so long, not having the internet for a week(we switched our ISP) taught me just how much time I was spending on the computer and I don't want to miss out on this valuable time with my kids. It was fun telling the ultrasound technician the ages of my kids because for the next two weeks my kids are 4, 3, 2, and 1. In two weeks Amelia turns 5 and we are having a GREEN Party for her. Green is her favorite color. Thanks everyone for your love and support.

Happy First Birthday, Nathan

We love Nathan so much and he just keeps us all smiling, that is until he eats the erasers off of the kids new pencils and sticks things in the toilet but that doesn't happen often. I am amazed that he is already one. We had mini cupcakes for his birthday and he didn't get messy at all. He likes to be clean and I can't blame him. We want him to walk but he won't. Whenever we try to practice with him he just falls to the ground and crawls quickly away. I guess he thinks that he can get where he wants to go a lot faster on his hands and knees. He has the cutest crawl, one foot is down and the other leg just drags along. But boy can he move.

I just love the pictures of the kids in the sink, one: it helps remind me of how small they used to be and two: they love it. The only problem is now Nathan wants to sit in the sink every time I go to wash him.

I just had to add this last one because it isn't that exciting but it was pretty gross. Amelia made me this treat the other day and was SO excited for me to eat it. I ate it, but in pieces. It is two Cheez-IT crackers with a Marshmallow and Caramel center. She made several and the kids were eating them as fast as she could make them. So yucky, my stomach still turns just thinking about it.

Green House

We decided to try a Green House again this year but last year our green house was only 4 feet high and the plants grew too big too fast and then we had no room for them all. This year we hope that we got it figured out. My goal is to try and keep my tomatoes and peppers going strong until Christmas. Fresh peppers and tomatoes at Christmas sounds Awesome.

Flying Kites and Building Forts

For Easter the kids all got a kite and it was too cold to fly them for quite a while after Easter. But finally one Sunday in May we were able to go out and fly their kites. Raquel loves to fly the kites but Amelia and Scott really have a hard time letting their kites go so high. In fact they both cried until we would let their kites down. I guess for now the kites are something to hold in the wind.


The kids love to play with dad. And I mean LOVE!! Newell came home from work and they all just started building a lego fort. The funny thing is that Newell gets as much enjoyment out of it as the kids do, you should see him watch cartoons with the kids. He knows more about most of the cartoons than I ever thought was possible. It is fun to be married to someone so young at heart and yet so responsible.

What do kids like to do....

After reading Raquel "HER" book for the 'I don't know how many times' time I just started to think how amazing it is that she loves her book more than any book I have ever bought. For Joy school this week we were talking about imagination and so I thought that it would be fun for the kids to make their own books. I have NEVER seen those kids do an activity for so long or with such determination as I saw them do on Thursday. Even Raquel was VERY into the book writing. Amelia has books that we made when she was two that to this day she still pulls out and asks me to read them to her. Scott and Raquel even love to listen to her books. These are by far the cheapest books ever and yet the joy that they bring is baffling. I admit that the story lines are silly and very unconnected but that is part of the fun, I really like to read the books that Newell writes with the kids. Amelia plays with her 'sisters' and carries all of the kids down the stairs. Here is a sample of some of the books we have made. Help your kids make some, it is fun and they love it!!!

Another thing that my kids love is blankets! It does not matter what we are playing as long as a blanket is involved, we are having fun. I don't know how long we were under the big quilt today playing, and yes my neck and arms were sore after a while, but they LOVED it. Even Nathan can't help but squill with delight when we are playing under the blankets. It also warms you up fast when you are cold, all those little mouths breathing under the blanket really heat things up.

Now I realize that this list of what kids like to do could go on and on. And I won't bore you with all the things but one of the favorites around here is pretending. We pretend everything and it is funny when Raquel comes up to me and tells me that she is a monster. Even Newell couldn't believe how fast our kids ate their vegetables when we pretended that they were a little people family and the kids were the monster eating them!!! (I know how gruesome is that?) But it worked!!
I have kool-aid that is (dare I admit this) 6 years old!!! So today I remembered it and decided to make some. I could not find an expiration date and it tasted fine. The kids loved it and kept asking me when I bought it!! When I told Amelia that I bought it before she was born her jaw just dropped and then she said, this summer we need to drink it at Bear Lake. Bear Lake is everything to my kids. When they pretend to go somewhere it is to Bear Lake. Someday I hope to take them other fun places but I loved Bear Lake as a kid and have yet to get bored of it. Besides with gas prices and little kids that is about as far as we ever go.

If your kids love doing something please share it. Hope you all have a great day!!

Miscellaneous

I am doing great to get three posts in today but I was really behind schedule!! The kids recovered from the Scarlet Fever just great, and none of their friends ever got sick, talk about a huge blessing. They even missed taking their medicine. After every dose I would give them a treat: gum, juice box, ice cream, flavored milk, or yogurt. Scott was begging to take his medicine the day after and I just laughed. It was a nightmare the first day but after Grandma brought them a treat I figured out what I had to do. Bribery is OK for some things. Here they are, enjoying an ice cream treat after the morning dose, yes morning!!!


The kids love to help me and here they are helping me exercise. I mentioned to Amelia that I needed to exercise and so she went and got me some exercise clothes and then proceeded to dress her brother and sister in some of her workout gear. I spared you the picture of myself. I really don't get much exercise done with the kids around but it is just SOOOOO hard to get up before they do and at night I am toooo tired. So I make the attempt now and then and just hope that it is enough!!

We had dinner at mom and dad's on Sunday and I just had to take this picture of Blake (Lance's 2 year old and Nathan) they were playing so cute together. We love Lance and Alycia's kids they are so sweet and my kids just adore every one of them!!

I apologize that I have taken so long to post. Life gets crazy!!! We had our first doctor appointment and everything is great I am now 16 weeks!!! I will let you know the sex when I find out. I am really struggling with names!! I have also taken up piano. My friend wants to give me lessons but I am very shy (really I am) and that sounds just awful to me, even though I think it would be good I just figure I will teach myself. So that is why I haven't posted for so long, every free moment I practice the piano. It is a great stress reliever, but so is this. Not that I am under stress I just need a break now and then. Well, I am now going to play a game with my kids and if any of you guessed Scooby-Doo then you are right. Read my first post today and you will know what I mean.