Gilmore Clan

2011 already!!

2011-03-08T20:20:00.003-07:00

Well 2010 came and went and I hardly blogged! I wonder if anyone is even out there to read what I post? :0)

Just an update on everyone: Everyone has had another birthday since I posted.

Shaleea is now 5 and started kindergarten. She really likes it but misses being home with me. The feeling is completely mutual! I miss having her home too. She still acts like "my little baby" sometimes and I guess thats ok, sometimes. She is reading really well and has lots of friends.

Kirsten turned 8 and is now baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She was so excited for her baptism date to get here. Family come from Arizona and friends and family from here all celebrated the special day with us. She is such an athletic little thing. Her p.e. teacher has told me several times that he can't wait until she is in jr high so she can play sports for him. I told him, lets not rush it!

Ashlynn is 10 and is still such a good student. We recently got her latest report card and her lowest grade was a 97. She was so worried about the Taks test but I am sure she aced it. She is still a mamma's girl and loves to do everything I love to do. She is about the most nurturing person you will ever meet. She can't wait to babysit and babies LOVE her!

Cody is now 12! He soon will be ordained to be a deacon in church. That means he will get to pass the sacrament to the congregation every week. He can hardly wait. Cody was able to play sports this year with his school. He played football and then basketball. He is becoming a pretty good athlete and he enjoys it so much. If it wasn't for sports, he would be begging me to home school him. He is not like is his sister. He hates to learn! Typical boy!

Congratulations Cody!

2010-04-29T14:58:00.005-06:00

Cody crossed over from a cub scout to a boy scout right after his 11th birthday in March. I am so proud of him! He worked so hard to earn all of the badges that he needed to finish cub scouts. His leader told him that he has earned more badges than any scout that he knows. Cody is a hard working kid and I am thankful for that.

It was a tearful night for me. It is hard for me to come to terms with the fact that my only son is growing up. He is growing up to be such a fine young man and I am very proud of him. Cody has always been such a happy person and such a good example to those around him. I have parents tell me that their kids think Cody is so awesome! I am glad that my son can be that boy that others look up to.

Cody- You are amazing!! You are my favorite son!!! :0) I hope that you continue to have a strong testimony of our Savior. I hope that you will always strive to reach for the stars and to be the best person that you know how!! I love you very much!

Little Dribblers

2010-03-26T14:22:00.004-06:00

Yep... It's that time again! Time to duke it out on the court apparently! Cody has some issues that he felt like needed to be taken to the court. Nothing like a mortified mother! LOL! I was running the clock and stats and with every foul or every wildly thrown ball, I was wishing I could crawl under the stats table. Wes wasn't so lucky as he was refereeing the game. Hopefully Cody will have a better attitude at this weeks game.

Ashlynn and Kirsten both push so hard while playing. I think that all of my kids will do well in sports when they are old enough to play. The little kids are so fun to watch. Some of the kids don't even dribble the ball! They just pick it up and run! We have so much fun watching them. The kids will play their last game on April 1st. They will each receive trophies there so more pics to come! I will post a video of Ashlynn playing too. I didn't get a good one this time.

Brainiac

2010-03-26T14:15:00.004-06:00

Reposting this. I noticed that it was still a "draft" from March of last year!

I had a late night last night so I went back to bed this morning after I got the kids out the door at 6:30. I had just fallen back to sleep when Shaleea comes running in and tells me to come and look at what she made. I was thinking that she had just colored a cute little picture again and tried to convince her to let me sleep but she wouldn't give up. So I got up almost irritated to see what she had colored so early in the morning. I tried to not show my irritation by putting on a smile while walking into the kitchen. I was in for a little shock!! Low and Behold.....It was NOT a colored picture. She made her version of a xylophone!! What?! Where did she learn how to do this? I have no clue where she got this idea but it sure was a neat surprise! I had to grab the camera and make her do it again!!

I am proud of my little brainiac!!

Disneyland

2010-02-11T11:58:00.012-07:00

We were able to go on a trip to Disneyland at the end of January. That was the best trip ever! Disneyland is truly magical! We chose the perfect time of year to go. The weather was beautiful! We left rain and snow and arrived to warmth and sunshine.

The kids were so excited to fly in an airplane because it has been about 7 years since they have flown. This was Shaleea's first time in a plane so she was ecstatic!!
Our flight was delayed because of the bad weather here and by the time we arrived in LA, got our rental car and drove to the hotel it was after midnight. The kids were exhausted but almost too excited to sleep. We let them sleep in a little but I was too excited so I got them all up and we were off to Disneyland! We tried to take one section of Disney at a time and do everything in the area but later found out that we didn't have time for everything so we had to start to pick and choose what we were going to do.
I had budgeted for eating out one meal a day and I was going to try and have that one meal not be in the park so I didn't pay an arm and a leg for it. Well I blew that theory the first night. It was worth it but CRAZY expensive! We were getting ready to leave the park to go back to the hotel to rest and then go to dinner. I noticed that the Celebration parade was getting ready to start so we decided to just stay and watch the parade and eat dinner there. Cody and I went searching for something to eat while Wes and the girls stayed to save us a spot on Main Street. Twenty minutes later I came back with 6 hotdogs, 6 small bags of chips and 3 small sodas. Guess how much that cost??? If you guessed $53 then you were right!! I told you....CRAZY expensive!!! I had a friend tell me that I should have taken a picture of my $53 dollar hotdog to scrapbook it!
We were able to do most of the rides together as a family which was really fun. I opted out on going on the tea cups because I am a wimp and get sick on rides that spin you around endlessly! One of the best rides that the whole family went on was Soarin' over California in California Adventure. That was awesome! That was the ride with longest wait time and it was only 30 minutes. The rest of the rides were no more than 15. Perfect time of year to go. This is a video of Shaleea on a ride called Fliks Flyers in "A Bugs Land". We went on this about three times while everyone else went on the Tower of Terror. She loved it! In the video she kept digging in her pocket for her lucky two sided penny that she found on the ground because she was afraid of loosing it.

The girls got to meet Cinderella, Snow White and Aurora. We all met Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, Jesse from Toy Story, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore.

Our last night at Disney we went to the fireworks show and I had the biggest "mom"moment then. I am a big baby and I almost cried at how awesome it was to be in such a magical place with my beautiful family sharing some of the best memories of their lives. I have always felt that family trips were a necessity to bring your family closer but this just confirmed it. The fireworks show was absolutely unreal! Tinker Bell flying over the castle with a million beautiful fireworks going off all around her, was just the icing on the cake!

The next day we decided to go to the beach before we flew home. We found a really nice beach in New Port Beach to stop at and let the kids play. By kids, I mean all of us. The water was a chilly but that didn't stop my children and husband.

While we were at the beach, Wes went to the van to get out a bag of cereal we had left over. He started to feed the birds and HOLY COW... they came from everywhere! He was surrounded by them. Reminded me of the bird lady from Home Alone 2. Anyway, Wes would toss cheerios into the air and the birds would catch them with no problem. I couldn't believe how quick they were. The best part was a big pelican even flew in to join in on the fun! The kids followed him around and pet his head. I was laughing and thinking of my good friend Ruth the whole time (she HATES birds). This picture is for you Ruthie!!

Busy Day...

2009-10-07T22:52:00.001-06:00

I'm done with that big batch of tomatoes! I never would have been able to do it without my awesome hubby!! Wes put the lids on them and pressure cooked them for me! He is so handy! I think I will keep him! (wink wink)

End product is 12 jars of tomatoes and 18 jars of yummy homemade salsa!

What shall I bottle next week?????

Shaleea riding bike

2009-10-07T10:10:00.001-06:00

Sorry it is so shaky!!!

Don't they know I am busy???

2009-10-07T10:06:00.001-06:00

Tomatoes anyone??? Our garden is really putting out the tomatoes this year. I LOVE it!! So far we have canned 11 jars of tomatoes and 10 jars of salsa. I am going to make more today with all of these that we picked yesterday. We are getting about this much every week. When it cools down a little, we will be getting even more!!!

Diva of the Dirt

2009-10-07T09:55:00.002-06:00

Doesn't every girl want to work in high heels doing even our dirty work???

Homecoming

2009-09-08T06:51:00.000-06:00

Did my kids sleep in their hair or what????? Ha Ha! It is homecoming this week. As you can guess, today is CRAZY HAIR DAY!!!

I remember homecoming being so much fun when I was in high school. I don't remember the little kids doing much but here in Dell City, everyone (k-12) does all the activities and dress up days. It is so much fun to do this with my kids. They of course absolutely love it and I love getting them ready.

Ashlynn has really come out of her shell this year. She normally is so worried about what other are thinking (don't know where she got that from ha ha) and worried if people are going to laugh at her. This year she was elected to be on student council so she has to dress up for all the dress up days. She is loving it and actually having fun with it!

Yesterday was pajama day (yes my kids had school on Labor Day...BOOOO!)
Tomorrow is inside out day
Thursday is jersey day (wear your favorite team jerseys)
and Friday is of course spirit day!

HAPPY HOMECOMING DELL CITY!

Back To School

2009-08-24T10:43:00.000-06:00

Ashlynn

Cody

Kirsten (she lost her front tooth last night!)

Shaleea

Well- School started this morning. BOOO HOOO! LOL! I was not ready for them to go back this year. Summer flew by so fast and I don't feel like I got to do much with my kids. We usually go to the zoo or go camping every summer and it just didn't happen this time. Too busy working I guess.

Cody is in 5th grade and his teacher is Mr. Dees. He is really excited. He had Mr. Dees a couple of years ago for math and he loved him then. Cody is the only boy in 5th grade but 5th grade and 4th grade are combined and he has some friends in 4th.

Ashlynn is in 3rd grade. She was pretty scared this morning. She has a new teacher named Mr. Ramirez. He is a permanant substitute for now until they can hire another teacher. She is the only girl in 3rd grade. Her class is combined with 2nd grade and there are a couple of girls in there that she is friends with.

Kirsten is in 1st grade. She has the same teacher as last year, Mrs. Mustain. They are combined with the Kindergarten class. Kirsten hung on to me a little bit this morning and didn't want to go to class because there are so many new kids! There are only 3 in 1st grade and the 13 in kinder! I am sure she will make some new friends real fast.

Shaleea is still at home with me. I am really looking forward to keeping her home and doing school with her. She wants to go to school so bad so I let her get all dressed up this morning with her backpack and everything and she went with me to drop off the kids. She is already bored to death and constantly at my side!

2009-06-18T17:26:00.001-06:00

Its Done!!! Well almost anyway!

Wes has worked his behind off and when it came down to only needing two more boards, he ran out! So project was delayed for a couple of days but we are now restocked and hoping that Wes will get it all finished tonight. (Yes I am crossing my fingers, toes, hair, arms, eyes, legs.....You get the point!)

Most of the base boards are back on and everywhere that you see blue plastic, is being covered with either base board or quarter round or something.

I am anxious to get my disastrous room clean again. I don't have to work again until Tuesday so I will get that taken care of this weekend.

After I painted my dining room I was so excited to get my curtains back up and check out the finished look and I was SOOOO disappointed when I saw the end project. My curtains clash with the new paint job! Oh Well! It will have to stay that way for awhile cuz I am done redecorating for a week or two!

Construction Zone

2009-06-12T23:51:00.000-06:00

So we are "remodeling" our home and it is a disaster!! My bedroom literally has a pathway to get from one side of the bed to the other and that is it because it is currently the storage room for the living room and dining room items. Our big dining room table and chairs are crammed in the kitchen and the stools and other items are stashed in the kids bedrooms. To get down the hall you have to walk and leap over a huge roll of carpet and padding. FUN FUN!!

Why you ask???? We are FINALLY putting down wood flooring in our dining room (which needed it soooo desperately) and in the living room. Carpet in the dining room does not work out people!

So here are some pictures of the construction zone. When it is all finished I will post the after math!

Go to Sleep, Go to Sleep, Go to Sleep Dear Shaleea

2009-06-12T23:46:00.000-06:00

Don't you wish you could sleep just anywhere????

My Baby and My Babes Birthdays!!!!

2009-06-12T23:43:00.001-06:00

Shaleea turned 4 on the 25th!!! We celebrated her birthday at Chuckee Cheeses! Granny and Papa and some friends from church were able to celebrate with us. The kids had a blast. As you can see in these pictures, Shaleea is quite the character. She has such a fun personality and she is spunky taboot! I love her to pieces!!!!

Wes turned 31 on the 29th so he got to celebrate a little too. I think he and Rob had a good time playing the games at Chuckee Cheeses. Big boys with their toys!!! For Wesley's birthday, he and I were able to go to El Paso to celebrate with some friends. We went out to dinner at Wes' favorite restaurant, Red Lobster. Afterwards we went to the El Paso Diablos game and then went out for dessert at Applebees afterwards. We had a lot of fun being with friends and having no kids for the night. When we got home the next day, my house was spotless and the kids were happy as can be! I had an awesome babysitter and I am wishing I had found her before. She just graduated from high school and is moving to go to college in just a few short weeks. GO FIGURE!!! LOL!

I love you Wes, my babe and Shaleea, my baby!!!!

Crazy Texans

2009-05-19T13:23:00.000-06:00

So the other day I went to get my mail and when I opened the mailbox I start pulling out shreds of paper. I was of course confused wondering who would stuff shredded paper in my mailbox?? Then I pull out my magazines (Ensign, New Era and Friend).
This is what I found.

What is that you ask?? A bullet hole. Yep, A bullet hole! Someone shot my mailbox and it left a nice big bullet hole through my magazines! Ha! Crazy Texans and their Guns!!!

2009-05-17T20:52:00.003-06:00

One of my dear friends had this on her blog. I wanted to support her in her desire to help others. So...I signed up! Here is how it works. Because I signed up with my friend she now has 365 days to make me a homemade gift and send it to me. I now return the love by doing the same thing for three people. So, if you are interested in participating leave me a comment and I will put you on my pay it forward list. If you sign up under me you will receive a handmade gift from yours truly within 365 days! You then do the same thing for three people. Sounds like a great way to spread some sunshine in the lives of others.

Our Garden

2009-05-14T14:36:00.000-06:00

Once a year for FHE, we plant our garden as a family. I love to watch the kids get out there and get all dirty and excited about growing our own food. Too bad I can't get them excited about pulling weeds in the garden two months later! Maybe its because I don't like it either!
This year we have lettuce, jalapenos, cucumber, bell pepper, several types of tomatoes, zucchini, yellow summer squash, okra, corn, cantaloupe, honey dew and watermelon.
Wish me luck in trying to keep it all alive!!!

Is it summer break yet???????

2009-05-04T19:49:00.003-06:00

So is anyone else getting ants in their pants about summer being here? Is it time to sleep in just a little bit??? Maybe even just until 8 or heck, I will even take 6:30 at this point!! I am ready for school to be out!!! This time of year I just want to be outside with absolutely no schedule, lying in the grass under a shade tree and enjoying the warm air. I am going to be a true "molly" and create a countdown scrapbook page! Ha Ha! Count down begins now!!!

LOL!!!! I am laughing because in about 2 months I will be saying "Isn't it time for school to start yet??????"

Spring is here!!!

2009-04-08T21:06:00.006-06:00

I LOVE spring break! It is so much fun to be able to take that week to sleep in and just spend time with the kids. On Friday before spring break, the kids and I got to go on a field trip to the Lynx museum in El Paso. Robots was their theme at the time. It was really cool. The kids enjoyed the hands on games and touch screen tv's where they got to build their robots.

I even enjoyed myself a little bit too!

Later on in the week we drove to Dallas to go to see friends and spend a day at Six Flags Over Texas! WOO HOO! That was a blast! Cody and Ashlynn are tall enough now that they got to ride most of the rides. That was so much fun for all of us to experience their first real roller coaster rides together! Ashlynn freaked when we went on the roller coasters that had loops. She wound up somehow putting her head between her knees!! What a blast! They asked if they could go back again this summer. I Should have bought the season passes!!! Miss you DeAnne and Exsa!!

While we were in Dallas we decided to go shopping and came home with this. Ours is black.

Happy Birthday Son

2009-04-08T19:36:00.004-06:00

My eyes fill up with tears every time I say that I have a ten year old. It is hard to believe that Cody turned ten last month. We decided to surprise him by throwing him a family surprise party. Granny and Papa came over and we yelled surprise as he walked in the door.

His sisters then thought it would be so fun to tackle him since he would be in a good mood and not beat them up!

Life would not be the same without my sweet Cody. He is absolutely the hardest working boy I have ever known (school not included) ha ha! He really takes care of his sisters at school and is just a good kid.

To Cody.... I am so proud of you son! You bring so much light into my life. I wish that I could keep you little forever but I am happy that you are growing up to be such a fine young man! I love you!

A Subtle Hint

2009-02-26T16:57:00.004-07:00

It says: "Our tent", "My Best Dad and Me camping in our tent by our Fire", on the shirts it says "Boy Scouts of America"

I thought this was cute. Now that Wes is in the Young Mens presidency at church, he "gets" to start going on camp outs with all of the boys. They have a camp out this weekend and it just so happens that they decided to come to our ranch. When Cody found out, he asked if he could go camp with his dad.

He drew this picture on the bus on the way home today. Just a "subtle" reminder that Wes can't back out!!

Shaleea Own Version of Twinkle Twinkle

2009-02-19T21:44:00.003-07:00

Shaleea was so tired tonight but she didn't want to go to bed. I finally put her in my room so that her sister could go to sleep. I walked in and she was singing and doing everything she could to make herself stay awake. I made her do it again so I could get it on video. The quality is horrible but the cute little voice will make up for it!

2009-02-15T13:49:00.003-07:00

Ashlynn is so blessed to have family and friends who love her so much. Both sets of her grandparents were able to make it to her special day and that just made it all the more precious for her. She had family drive in from Arizona and friends come from the ward. It was a neat day and Wes and I are very pleased with Ashlynn that she made the decision to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

I asked Ashlynn who she wanted to speak at her baptism and she immediately said me. I kept trying to wiggle my way out of that one but she wouldn't have it. It ended up being Grandma and I who spoke and then Aunt Corri sang a beautiful song called "Baptism". It was a beautiful ceremony and it was nice being able to hang out with everyone afterwards for dinner. Thanks so much for those of you who helped put this special day together and especially thanks to all the family who were able to make it!

Happy Birthday!

2009-02-02T16:29:00.003-07:00

My beautiful daughter Ashlynn has turned 8! She felt shafted because the stockshow that Cody showed at was on her birthday. I tried to make her birthday extra special by having a surprise slumber party the night before with her friends from school. Then a few days later, we celebrated again at Chuckee Cheeses with her friends from church.

Ashlynn is so beautiful and smart! I am a proud mama!! She attended UIL in Balmorhea and received a medal for 3rd place. She is the only elementary student who received a medal from Dell City. She is in second grade and is reading on a 4th grade level. She came home today with a Goosebumps chapter book and has her nose in it right now.

The most exciting thing about turning 8 is that now she can be baptized which will take place on Saturday. She is looking forward to it so much. We have family coming in from Arizona which is even more fun!

Happy 8th Birthday Ashlynn Elaine!!!

WOO HOO

2009-02-02T13:41:00.007-07:00

Well he did it again! Cody has been raising two pigs this year for the stockshow and he walked away with a lot of awards. Here is what he got:

The first pig (Lilly) received only a third place in the weight class. Lilly had hurt her hip a few days before the show and the judge picked up on that right away.

The other pig (Penelope) received first place in the heavy weight class. Then Grand Champion for its breed and finally overall Reserve Champion!! He received this beautiful belt buck to go with the Reserve champion. It is 5 inches long and 4 inches wide! Cody was able to sell both of his pigs and make a pretty good profit.

There is so much work that goes into getting ready for the stockshow. Everyday after school and on the weekends, Cody had to walk (exercise) his pigs and feed them. We are proud of his great accomplishments.

Ashlynn's "new" room

2009-01-15T20:26:00.004-07:00

So I have this really cool friend with really cool ideas. She had this awesome idea to put flowers on a wall and make this adorable princess canopy thing. Cute huh? So I made her come and help me paint and put it all together!! Just kiddin, she really said she wanted to come and help I promise! So anyway, we did all of this without Ashlynn knowing a thing. She had no idea that we were painting, or that we had even planned anything for it. She loved it! She put her cute little hand over her mouth and just screamed. It's nice when your kids don't always think that your the mean mom who always says no! Thanks soooooo much Brookieeeeee!!!

oh yeah....I have a blog!!!!

2009-01-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

Ha Ha! I have not posted in FOR-EV-ER! Yes Janae, FOR-EV-ER! Oh... the good ole' days! Remeber our FOR-EV-ER club???? Anyway... I am alive. My family is all alive too (barely, that is) We have all been so stinkin sick forever, I mean FOR-EV-ER (ha ha) but thanks to clorox, lysol, fresh Salt Flat dirt and air, I am hoping we are getting over it.

Christmas was awesome!!!!! All of my fam was there except one bro and his fam. (Yes I am meaning to shorten these words just to make my sis laugh!! You are as cool as me Corr I promise!!) anyway, we all went caroling around big ole' Thatcher which was fun. We spent lots of time playing games and letting the kids terrorize Grandpa and Grandmas house. Always a blast! Believe it or not, it even snowed in Thatcher!! We all had so much fun at Christmas! Family is awesome!!

2008-11-02T21:06:00.005-07:00

Even though Halloween is always so exhausting it was still such a blast! I spend a lot of time on Thursday finishing putting together costumes, baking and decorating cupcakes and cookies, making chip dips and preparing everything for Friday. I got up 1/2 hour early on Halloween morning to make them a "scrumptious" breakfast. I got this awesome idea from my good friend Abby. Can you guess what it is? Let me tell you.... It is bat brains, bat wings, bat dung on the bread and bat urine!!! YUCK! I am usually not gross but I knew that my kids would think that this was totally awesome.

We hurried to take some quick pictures before it was out the door to school.

At school the kids got to play all kinds of carnival games and ate all kinds of yummy food. I brought in the ingreds to make homemade rootbeer. The kids all loved it. Everyone (k-5) just had to take a turn stirring the witches brew!

When school was out we went to El Paso to the trunk or treat at church. HOLY MOLY WAS IT PACKED!! The kids had such a good time. They got to go through their first haunted house and they all absolutely loved it. Ashlynn talked my ear off the WHOLE way home telling me about each step she took and each character who screamed at her. Yes really.... the WHOLE way home!!!

Wes and I as Twilight characters.....

2008-11-02T20:56:00.002-07:00

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

You are strong and playful, with a good sense of humor. If there’s a problem, you’d rather be actively doing something than sitting around coming up with solutions. Despite you’re aggressive and competitive nature though, you’re always there to backup those closest to you.

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

You are observant, diplomatic and often aim to please. You are unaware of your
attractiveness and despite being uncomfortable with any form of attention, people enjoy your company. You can be impatient, stubborn and headstrong, but you are true to your word and mature for your age, often taking care of your family and enjoying a good book over chatting with girlfriends on the phone.

I am sooo excited for this movie to come out!!!

Good Advice...A Little Too Late!

2008-10-30T16:46:00.005-06:00

So today I am talking on the phone to my good friend Susie and Shaleea comes in to ask me a question. When I looked at Shaleea she had some hair in her face so I reached up to brush it away and a HUGE clump of hair come out into my hand!! Being the panic type of a mother my first thought was "oh my gosh! My daughter is really sick!"

Phone conversation-

Me: Oh my gosh! A huge clump of Shaleea's hair came out in my hand!

Susie: What? Why?

Me: I don't know, oh my gosh more just came out. What in the world?!?!

and then I remembered that this has happened before.... MANY times before! So I look up on the top of Shaleea's head and just start to scream!!

Me: OH MY WORD!! My daughter cut her hair!!!

Susie: What? (laugh) (laugh)

Me: Oh no! I forgot to put up the scissors last night!

Susie: (still laughing)

Me: I cut the other girls bangs last night and forgot to put them up. Shaleea has a MOHAWK!!!

Susie: (still too busy laughing)

Finally she composes herself and being the awesome friend who keeps me in line she says...."Well.. you see! Put up the scissors."

Thanks! Thanks for the advice Susie! Ha Ha! I guess her son never put her through the drama of cutting his hair before!

So yeah... my beautiful daughter has a rooster like mohawk on top of her beautiful head of hair. I can't help but wonder if this is payback. I cut my hair really bad when I was 4 or 5. My mom had to go get my hair cut really short and I remember my mom saying that my dad was really upset because he didn't want another boy. So now this is about Shaleeas 5th time cutting her hair and I seriously wonder if the payback will stop before I have to cut her hair super short!

Grouchy Mom

2008-10-19T20:35:00.005-06:00

So there is nothing that makes me more grouchy than when my kids fight. I am not talking about the normal 2 second fight. I am talking about the whole shrieking and screaming and crazy fighting. I CAN'T STAND IT!! Well- yesterday all of my kids wanted to go with daddy in his semi truck to take a load of hay to the dairy in Hobbs New Mexico. I was happily smiling saying "I just had the kids all by myself for 3 days, so here's your turn." But he wasn't going for it. He said that if all the kids wanted to go, then I had to go too. YIPPEE!! NOT!!! So I decided begrudgingly that I guess I would have to go.

Picture this... 4 kids in the sleeper of a semi truck for about 6 1/2 hours, jumping on each other, swinging from the shelves. Yeah, you see my reasoning for being....shall we say... less than excited.

So of course the kids have a complete blast at first. They are going crazy jumping on the bed, laughing, playing, swinging from the shelves, watching the DVD player, coloring, reading books, playing with toys and then we reach... the end of our road!!!! (no kidding) and all heck breaks loose!! Yep, 7 whole miles of complete fun and happiness and then it was all over. "How may more hours do we have?" I asked!

There is just something about kids having no seat belts and no confinement that just makes them go crazy. At least in a car I can turn to talk to them, read to them or whatever but the truck is so loud that they can't hear me and they can't see me because of the divider between the cab and the sleeper. All we could hear was every minute someone would scream "get off of me!" I finally had to crawl back there and play "mom games" with them. Thank goodness I learned a few things from my mom. She is AWESOME at keeping kids entertained for hours with nothing at all.

We have driven to Washington state with our kids twice, phoenix several times a year, and in the car for hours and hours ever week but getting to Carlsbad was absolutely the worse trip I think we have ever been on. Carlsbad is not even half way to Hobbs!!! After forcing my husband to stop (which he absolutely hates to do) and let the kids out for a little break, the rest of the trip was thankfully somewhat peaceful.

When we were leaving Hobbs, we noticed some signs that said "Fall Festival" and "Pick a Pumpkin for Free". We decided to check it out and wow! It was amazing. They had tons of activities for kids. There were lots of little carnival games, face painting, entertainment, horseback riding, hay rides, candy galore and you even got to go out into the pumpkin patch and pick out a pumpkin. The best part was that it was all free. The kids had such a good time. The trip home was so peaceful and boy was I thankful!! I just knew that I was going to go insane if I had to deal with more fighting and screaming on the way home.

Tonight we got to carve the pumpkins for Family Home Evening and they turned out pretty darn cute. I am back to loving being a mom again!! Ha Ha! I hope I am not the only one who has really crappy days and wants to leave hubby and kids and run away for a little while!!!

Is it seriously October???

2008-10-14T20:25:00.004-06:00

Most of the time when I take pictures I think "oh man, that would make such a cute scrapbook page!" or "I could blog that and title it...."!! Does anyone else do that or am I just crazy? :-) Maybe you shouldn't answer that honestly if you know me well. Ha Ha! Anyway- when I took this picture last week I though "Is is seriously October?" and then thought "Oh.. I could put that on my blog"

Now that I am actually getting around to posting it, I am seriously sitting here thinking about turning my heater on!! It was stinkin cold today!! The weather is so unpredictable this time of year. Who knows, maybe next week I will be posting my kids playing in the water in their swimming suits again and the following week, them playing in the snow!! :-)

Crazy Crazy Gals

2008-10-13T20:44:00.003-06:00

So my friend Brooke and I had a super fun experience last month. I laughed until I cried (or at least had tears). We put together a Daddy Daughter date for our Activity Day girls from church. We had a western theme with a jail and everything. Pretty cool huh?!

Well.. When it was all over with Brooke and I were so exhausted and thirsty so we decided to go to Sonic to get a drink. I remembered I had to run into Wal-Mart to get a few things. Brooke was still all dressed up in her "western gear" which was a camouflage shirt, shorts, boots and a bandanna. She was too embarrassed to go in, so being the good friend that I am, I told her that I would put my western gear back on. Ha Ha! So I did. I even rolled my pants up above my boots. We walked around Wal-Mart like this. OH Man was it funny!!!! We got some looks. I was even a nice Activity Days leader and hid myself when I saw one of our girls so she wasn't embarrassed to know me! I giggled all the next day because I haven't done something like that since I was in college. It was fun!

Brooke is such an awesome friend and an amazing leader to our girls. I love having her in there with me. We just had a "beauty shop" party for the girls and we did their hair and make-up. It was so fun. Brooke... Thanks so much for all you do and for your friendship!!

Fair Days are Here again!

2008-09-15T18:17:00.011-06:00

Out here it is the tradition to have the school Homecoming and the County Fair the same week. Each year, at least one of my kids have been asked to escort the homecoming court out onto the football field during half time. Kirsten and Luis escorted this years homecoming queen and Cody and Sarah escorted last years king and queen. Don't they look so beautiful and so handsome!

Friday night after the football game, the fair is kicked off by a street dance. We are party poopers and have never gone. Then Saturday they have a parade and then a BBQ and fun things for the kids along with the exhibits to see. This year there were several fun activities for the kids. One was a bungee jumping and boy did they have a blast!! They have two hydrolic poles on either side of them and a trampoline under them. The operators move the poles up so the kids are up off of the trampoline quite a ways. Then they basically spring them into the air and the kids would spring about 20feet up from the trampoline. Kinda scarey for me! They begged us to go back up later that evening to go bungeeing (is that a word?) again. So much fun! Cody was being brave and doing flips. Shaleea didn't go very high but the little bit that she did, she didn't like it very much!

This just speaks for itself......

PRICELESS!!!

Life....

2008-09-15T17:57:00.004-06:00

Am I crazy for wanting to blog someone elses kid??? This isn't just any kid though, this is my new nephew!!! Isn't he adorable??? He is my sisters baby boy and her first child. His name is Tanner Allan Coons. He was born on September 4th which happens to be his mommy and daddy's anniversary! Neat huh? He came 3 weeks early and surprised his mommy and daddy!! He is so perfect!

My mom was down helping Corri with the baby and she had a spell (don't know what else to call it) again and was rushed to the hospital. As soon as I heard, I flew down to Arizona to be with my mom and to help Corri. Corri is such a good mom and Nate is a natural at being a dad. I loved just watching them tend to and talk to their new little one.

With everything that happened this past week, I have grown to have such a deeper love for family. I have always been a very family oriented person but there is something about your sister having her first baby and thinking that your mom might be leaving earth soon that puts everything into perspective. I am so thankful that my Father in Heaven has a plan for us and that he has given us an earthly family to be with. Wesley and I have amazing, beautiful children and we both are so blessed with amazing parents and siblings. I am most grateful to my Lord, Savior and Brother Jesus Christ who made it possible for all of us to be with Him in heaven again. This is so comforting when you think that you might be loosing someone so dear to you. Mom- I know that I have probably embarrassed you by adding all of this but I am so glad that you are ok. You are the most amazing person I know and I love you so much.

First Day of school

2008-09-07T21:33:00.004-06:00

Kirsten is in Kindergarten!! Hard to believe! She is enjoying it so far. She is not used to getting up so early so she can be pretty grouchy. Tonight the poor thing was in bed at 6:30. Hopefully her little body will get used to it soon. I will post a picture when my internet decides that it doesn't need to take 4 hours just to download a picture....K so it FINALLY worked!

Cody and Ashlynn are really enjoying school too. They are glad that they get to see their friends again. They are already bugging me to have friends spend the night every weekend!

It is already homecoming this week and Kirsten has been asked to be an escort for one of the nominees for homecoming queen. I need to go dress shopping for her this week. I had a really cute formal dress that she could have worn but I burned a hole it in with the iron!! I made it for Ashlynn when she was running for Chile Queen and when she was a homecoming escort. Well it is almost 10:15 and I still can't get Shaleea to go to sleep, Kirsten has woke up already and is now crying because she can't go back to sleep and Wes is wondering when I am going to give up on this and go to bed so I guess I better sign off for now!

Magic in the Making

2008-08-16T08:07:00.003-06:00

Are you tired of seeing the last post over and over? It has been almost a month since I posted so I figured I would get on the ball and post something new.

I was lucky was able to go on a vacation to beautiful Orlando!! WOOHOO! So much fun! I went for a Close To My Heart convention. My cute hubby was able to fly up and spend a few days with me too. It was a belated anniversary celebration. The convention was of course very motivating and so much fun. I had a blast hanging out with the "Acrylix Chix"!!! Hi Ladies!

So I felt really guilty but my friends and I snuck off to Magic Kingdom and played the first night I was there. The second night Wes and I went back to Magick Kingdom and stayed till closing time and then we were able to spend a whole day at Hollywood Studios which was a blast. I felt guilty because I was there without my kids. Silly? Probably not but the guilt didn't last too long when I saw other parents with screaming, overly tired kids.

For our closing banquet Close To My Heart had Anita Renfroe as our entertainment! She is absolutly hilarious!! Don't know who she is? Check her out on youtube. It will be well worth your time.

Well I am out the door to El Paso for the 4th time this week. Have a great day!

Tribute to my hubby

2008-07-25T22:24:00.002-06:00

Are you wondering who those people are?? Ha Ha! I hope you recognize me anyway! Tomorrow (26th) is our 11th anniversary. We were so young when we got married that I sort of feel like we "grew up" together. Wesley had just turned 19. I see 19 year old boys today and think, NO WAY are they ready for marriage. I know that both of our parents were thinking the same thing when Wes and I said "I Do" but I am so glad we did! I knew that I had found the most wonderful boy (ha ha) in the world when we started dating. He was so fun, so much a gentleman, so sweet, and so much my type.

Wes and I lived about 45 minutes apart when we were dating so we didn't get to see each other as much as we liked during the week. So "mister thoughtful" would write me letters and stick them in the mail! (yes snail mail and no we are not that old!) I really looked forward to getting his cute letters which made me more anxious for the weekend to come so I could see him. Still today, once in a while, I will find a beautiful letter from my surprisingly romantic hubby.

After only 3 months of dating, Wes asked me to marry him. He actually asked three separate times and after I figured out that he wasn't kidding on the third time, (yes I did actually laugh and yes he lost his confidence each time I did) I said yes. So here we are. We are just us but we are happy. Wes has surprised me many times with his sweet and romantic side and does something that just makes me fall even more in love with him. One of my favorite is still the full suite, tie, candlelight dinner and bare feet!

Things that I absolutely love about Wes are the way he looks at me, when I think I look horrible, he makes me feel so beautiful. I love watching him on those very few occasions when he gets giddy and giggly. I love to hear him laugh from the other room because it always puts a smile on my face. I love that he tells me several times a day that he loves me. I love that he kisses me hello and goodbye every time he walks out the door, even when we are mad at each other. Most of all I simply love the man he is. He is perfect for me! He is such a great dad and he is a valiant servant of our Heavenly Father. I love you babe!!! 11 years down, eternity to go and I am looking forward to it!!!

Cody's "new" room!

2008-07-25T21:40:00.002-06:00

My kids have bugged me and bugged me to paint their rooms so I finally gave in. I am starting with the oldest and working my way down. I started Cody's room on Wednesday and had Brooke come out to help. Thank goodness! She was such a great help and painting actually went pretty fast... the first day anyway. I had a little drama with the dark blue on bottom. I thought it was too dark so I tried color washing, ragging and everything else I could think of but ended up just going all over it again with the dark blue. We finally got his room finished and put back together today. Well- most of the it anyway. We still need to hang shelves back on the walls and put up pictures. I think it turned out pretty well. THANKS A TON to Brooke for all your help!!

Rain, Rain, Go Away! NOT!

2008-07-16T23:23:00.002-06:00

Today we got a really nice rain and hail storm! It dumped almost 1 inch in less than 20 minutes. The thunder cracked so loud our window shook and electricity went off at the same time over and over.
Even I was scared. Wes, Cody and Papa were out in Wes' field trying to get the hay loaded up before it hit. They didn't make it and when they got home, they were literally dripping wet!!

We decided to go on a family 4-wheeler ride to check everything out when it was over. The wash right behind our house was running pretty fast and on the side of our house we had a lake.

The whole gang piled on the 4-wheeler!

Next to our house we had two ponds. Wes is showing here that the water would be over his knees if he took one more step.

The 4-wheeler ride was just too much for this little one. She gave it up and had a good nap leaning up against daddys back.

Oh No....I've been tagged!!!

2008-07-16T22:48:00.006-06:00

Ok, so my friend Brooke decided to tag me which I have to agree with Roni that it is the worst tag ever. You have to take pictures of your toilet, sink, laundry room, fridge, closet, favorite shoes, favorite room, and your kids. And you can not cheat, just get up and begin taking pictures. My house is NEVER as clean as I would like it to be and when it is clean, it is usually the front rooms that you know people see if they come over.... NOT your closet and laundry room. But, this was actually kinda fun once I got going with it.

My fridge and freezer are not very clean and definitely not organized.

My closet and my toilet. I think my closet is the most embarrassing of my pictures. It is a mess! I am so thankful that I don't have to take a picture of Wesley's closet. Enough said.

My Laundry Room.

My kitchen is always so perfectly clean! The dishes do themselves on a regular basis! It is actually really neat! This is what my kitchen looks like when I cheerfully wake up in the morning and when I go to bed at night.

Oh alright, alright!! Here is the real deal!!!

My favorite room, the playroom (den)

I took a picture of my favorite part which is not too messy today. My not so favorite part is that this is where my kids hang out so therefore this is always the messiest room. The mess and the tv are behind me.

My kids ready and waiting to go to El Paso.

Aren't they cute??

My favorite shoes as of now. I have some that are a whole lot cuter, but these are sooo comfy and I wear them just about everyday.

So that's it! Painful as it was. Just kidding. My turn to tag...I tag Corri (love ya sis), Erin and Jenni. Have fun girls!

Aren't Cousins The Best??

2008-07-16T22:34:00.001-06:00

When we got home from Arizona, Wesley's sister Leslie and her family were here from Chicago. Our kids are all pretty close to the same age. She has 4 girls so poor Cody is the only boy. Don't feel too bad for him though because he is pretty spoiled by his Papa.
These pictures are of Shaleea and her cousin Christin. Shaleea is 3 weeks YOUNGER than Christin! As you can see, Christin likes to give "tongue kisses". We are hoping to take a long road trip in November to Chicago to see them! Maybe I should take a pole on who thinks I will come back sain or not after that long drive!??! :-)

2008-07-12T09:57:00.002-06:00

Post from Dave on June 26th..... I thought it was so good I wanted it on my blog too.

We had so many awesome adventures where we grew up in Southern Arizona. I had a great group of friends growing up and we were really inseperable. In this group, there was never any temptation that wasn't good. These were good kids that came from good families- the temptation was to go to church and to serve missions. The trouble we'd get into was very minor, compared to what we saw other kids going through. I never even had a curfew- this is because my parents knew about the kind of friends I was hanging out with.I look at where these friends are now- from the choices they've made along their journeys. I can totally see the hand of the Lord in their lives.

I am going to get to meet with more of this same group of friends at a small reunion in Mesa, Arizona next week. I'm very excited. I am halfway hoping that we can run off and play, but I know that most of them have families now so it's not going to happen. We aren't going to run off and play at red knolls; we aren't going to get to climb a hill to one of the 'piss points'; we aren't going to get to go hang out at the haunted Solomon graveyard; we aren't going to get to go steal roadwork signs and leave them on Brother Howell's lawn- and then call the cops on him; we aren't going to get to go hang out in the Holliday's hot tub; we aren't going to get to hike around Mt. Graham; we aren't going to get to drag main in downtown Safford; we aren't going to get to hang out at the Sonic; we aren't going to get to float down the canal to Melynde's house; we aren't going to get to hang out around a fire in the desert; we aren't going to stay up late playing games and doing Dr. Pepper shots at the Coons' house... but it's okay. Maybe it's time that I grew up. On second thought, no thank you.

Family Reunion

2008-07-08T12:20:00.000-06:00

This year at the reunion we played Waterballoon volleyball! The kids had a blast! One group flings a water balloon from their sheet to the other group who has to catch it on their sheet without popping the balloon and getting wet. My amazing sister was in charge this year and she did a great job.

Friends Reunion

2008-07-08T12:13:00.000-06:00

So how lucky am I??? I was able to get some of my friends from high school and college together for a reunion! We had such a good time! I would not be the person I am today if it weren't for my friends in this picture. They made me a better person and I am so thankful for that. We had such a fun time growing up and with this group, it was always the good clean fun. I know that we had more fun doing the silly things we did and we stayed strong in the gospel while doing it. We never wavered in our standards and I have them to thank for that. Thanks you guys for being you!!

My friends are a whole lot taller than I am too... See me stretching my neck in the back trying to be taller? Ha Ha!

Cupcakes with Grandma

2008-07-08T11:51:00.001-06:00

Isn't it fun seeing your mom doing "grandma" things with the kids? My mom is making cupcakes with 6 of her grandkids and another child! I dare you to take that task on! This last picture is Alexa and Shaleea. Alexa is my friend Exsa's niece (Malia's daughter).

SUMMER Is Here!!

2008-06-11T18:06:00.005-06:00

RUN SHALEEA RUN!!

We have been having such a fun summer so far! I love having the kids home. My schedule is so much more relaxed! We have all of the kids signed up for the summer activities that they have. Cody, Ashlynn and Kirsten are doing basketball camp this week. Baseball and soccor start for Cody and Ashlynn next week. Kirsten and Shaleea are playing t-ball. This was their first game. They had fun!!

YAH KIRSTEN!!

End of school

2008-06-11T18:01:00.002-06:00

Well this finalized it! This was the end of the year awards assembly. Cody and Ashlynn both received some very amazing awards. Math, Science, Reading, you name it. Cody was most improved on Math which is wonderful being that he started out hating math. Ashlynn received a plaque from the principal for A honor roll for the whole year. She is the only student in K-5th grades that had A honor roll the whole year!!!

THREE??????????????

2008-06-11T17:54:00.000-06:00

Is my baby already supposed to be three?!?! I didn't think so either!! Time has flown by!! Shaleea had fun with her friends at the Nettles house. Please no laughing at the funky Dora the Explorer cake! I tried and then got tired of frosting and messes so I called it quits!

Track and Field Day.. Little Cougar Relays

2008-06-11T17:49:00.007-06:00

Every year the kids get to participate in a track and field day at school. As you can see, Cody and Ashlynn played hard!! They got tons of ribbons for first, second and third place for the different events. Wes, Glen and I had fun being in the Three-Legged race with the kids.

Kirsten and Shaleea got to participate in a race too!

Field Trip

2008-06-11T17:41:00.004-06:00

I got to go with the K-3rd grade classes on a field trip to Carlsbad. We went to the Living Desert Zoo and then went to the Carlsbad park for a picnic. This picture is of all of the kids and the parents/teachers that were there. Yes... this is K-3rd. Remember, SMALL school!

While we were at the zoo, I found out that Shaleea has a HUGE fear of bears! The bear was not in its cage area and I told her that the bear "was gone". Well to her I think that meant, "out of its cage". We went walking around a corner and there was an 8 foot tall wooden bear standing on its hind legs. Shaleea completely freaked out and it took quite some time to get her calmed down and explain that it was not real.

Shaleea smelling the flowers in the green house!

Three Amigos!! Cody, Diego & Brandon

Family visit

2008-06-11T17:32:00.004-06:00

Am I totally bias or are these kids just the cutest kids you have ever seen?! I LOVE the pictures of Bryant! He is so adorable! Bryant is Gary (my brother) and Heidi's son and Alyssa is their beautiful daughter. Kirsten and Alyssa played in the sandbox and Shaleea and Bryant played on the swings while Heidi was getting things packed up. I was in Bryants face the whole time with my camera. I am sure that he got tired of the bright flash! Check out his smirk in the swing! LOVE IT!

St. Jude Fashion Show

2008-06-11T17:18:00.004-06:00

The Kids (all but Shaleea) participated in a fashion show to raise money for St. Jude. They each wore 3 outfits that they modeled. I chose to post the formal attire. Here in this little town they raised more than $2500. They did this just by collecting money themselves and by charging a small fee at the door. Thanks to those of you who donated!

After they were done modeling, the girls danced the traditional "Baile Folklórico" dance. They did such a good job!

Ruidoso

2008-04-01T09:31:00.008-06:00

We had a lot of fun on our mini vacation. We were able to go to Ruidoso to relax, see family and do a lot of swimming! That was the kids favorite part besides making and decorating cookies at Les and Sharons.

We got to go to this cool little museum called the Hubbard Museum. There are horse statues all over and they are huge! It is really neat.

In the Museum, they have an area just for kids (even big kids like us)! Our kids had a blast dressing up in old costumes and riding the horse!

Little Dribblers

2008-04-01T07:48:00.005-06:00

This year Cody, Ashlynn and Kirsten get to play in Little Dribblers. Wes and I are coaching Ashlynn and Kirstens team. Their last game will be on Friday. It has been a lot of fun! As you can see by this first video, Kirsten is also the cheerleader!

And as you can see in this video, the referee's are very lenient on the rules. Especially on traveling!

Cody is pretty darn good on defense! He has even put his hands in front of the opponents eyes so he couldn't see! Gottal Love It!

Kirsten 1st tooth lost

2008-04-01T07:40:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we were in the Administrative office at the school and Kirsten comes running up telling me that her tooth fell on her tongue. WHAT? I guess it was so loose that it just popped out and she almost swallowed it! She sure is excited that she gets to FINALLY be like her older sister!

Too Much Trauma?

2008-04-01T07:31:00.004-06:00

So what do you think? Did I traumatize her when I cut her hair? This was taken shortly afterwards.

Shaleea First Haircut

2008-04-01T07:22:00.003-06:00

Well I finally did it! I cut Shaleea's hair. I measured and it was almost 7 inches that I cut off!! She didn't like me at all while I was doing it but she did give me a great big hug when I was done. I am sure that is because she was just glad to be out of the torture chair.

Waking the moon!

2008-03-11T06:51:00.003-06:00

Yesterday Kirsten and Shaleea came up with a crazy idea that they needed to wake the moon!! So this is how they did it.... My ears and still ringing but it was worth it.

Check out my Guestbook!

2008-02-01T09:58:00.001-07:00

Hudspeth County Livestock Show

2008-01-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

We have a champ among us! Cody participated in the
2008 Hudspeth County Livestock show and he walked away
with tons of ribbons and a belt buckle!!

Jill (Cody's pig) weighed in at 242 which was the highest weight
of all of the pigs in the county! WOW! Cody's pig won 1st place
in her weight class, Grand Champion of her Breed and Overall
Grand Champion Reserve! Cody did such a great job of showing his pig! He sold Jill for $1400.00.

We are proud of him!

The girls got to show animals

in "Little Britches".

Shaleea showed a goat,

Kirsten showed a rabbit, and

Ashlynn showed Jill.

They all got 1st place ribbons.

Ashlynn Turns 7

2008-01-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

SNOW!!

2007-11-26T14:38:00.000-07:00

See what we woke up to yesterday morning? We has so much fun having snow ball fights! Daddy took everyone on a slippery ride on the 4-wheeler!

2007-11-26T10:11:00.000-07:00

2007-11-07T20:59:00.000-07:00

Halloween 2007

2007-11-06T06:49:00.000-07:00

We had such a "spooktacular" day! The kids got out of school early so we went to Macy's (Raggedy Ann) house to get ready. We went to the judging contest and finally to the parade. That was so FUN to see everyone in their costumes! Some people are super creative!

We then headed off to the school for some Halloween partying. We were served dinner and everything. When it got dark then it was off to Trick or Treating! My kids have not been trick or treating house to house except one time at Grandpas and Grandmas so they thought this was awesome! We usually go to the Trunk or Treat at church.

Cody is a vampire. Ashlynn is a witch. Kirsten is a lady bug and Shaleea is a very short giraffe!