Ketchup

what did the tomato say to the tomato behind him?

Ketchup!

I am that tomato tonight. I'm playing ketchup. (which is a little more sticky than playing dressup.)
For halloween, Dev, Calvin, and Bogey were dead set on being super heroes. And since I didn't want to stress myself out sewing super hero costumes, I was lazy and bought them at the store.


but they loved them and that's what really counts, right?

I thought for a long time about what costume to put on Iggy. After all, this was his first halloween, and he is still tiny, so I wanted it to be something cute-but also comfortable and warm for him. I finally got this idea, and he looked SO cute!

(don't you think?)

So I figured, why stop here? and I made some for me and The Hubby, too.

Maybe next year, I'll post a tutorial, eh?

I also preserved all this:

(apples from our friends' tree, box of peaches, tomatoes, carrots, and green onions from our garden) Our garden didn't do very well this year for three reasons: 1) our drip system hoses got clogged, 2) the stupid stinkin' javelina's got into it and ate/destroyed almost everything, and 3) I was too busy having a baby to do anything about 1) and 2). But i am still happy with what we did get.



these carrots are in love (and we should probably give them some privacy ;)


Dev is filling her position as second mom most completely (and also loving it.)





Iggy was given a Name and a Blessing. (if you're lost about what that means, go here )

I love his little white tux! Each of my boys wore it for their baby blessing.




and he learned how to smile (and now he's reaching for things, and drooling like crazy, and laughing, too.)


On Christmas Eve, we got to go on a carriage ride. The ranch where The Hubby works sponsored it, so we got to ride for free! It was lots of fun. Bogey and Dev especially liked it.


He even let Bogey drive. This was the highlight of Bogey's year.

We stole a Christmas tradition from our friends, the Burch's (hi guys!), and had our gingerbread building contest for our Christmas Eve party.

This is mine and Bogey's rendition of the boys' room. Notice the bunkbeds and the messy floor.


And Calvin and The Hubby went for a traditional gingerbread house. Notice, though, the bottle cap snowman. Calvin was particularly proud of that.


But the winner, and third time champion was Dev. She chose to do a bird house this year. See the bird inside sitting on the nest? There were even little jelly bean eggs in there. She worked long and hard on it, and I love her creativity!

Christmas Eve is also the night of our Christmas Pageant. This year, Mary was thrilled to have a real live baby Jesus, Joseph used his sword for a staff, the donkey was also the angel, and the narrator was also the camera man. Also, when the angel appeared to Bogey the shepard and said, "Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." Bogey adlibbed, "ok, hey thanks, mr. angel. C'mon guys, lets go see this baby." *picking up a stuffed cow and a dragging a rolling squeaky puppy* Well, I thought it was funny anyway.




Christmas morning we were too busy opening presents to take pictures, but here is one of our little Jelly Bean's (Iggy aka Jelly Bean) favorite presents (mine too!)

and the aftermath of the Christmas hurricane. Can you spot Iggy? It's like Where's Waldo, but more fun!

AND, the absolute, hands-down highlight of the year (the decade, really. Second only to my wedding day), was the day I watched my best friend accomplish his goals and finish what we came here to do.

Words can't describe how proud I am of him. He did such a good job his last semester. He learned and changed so much. I love him!

I'm not even going to fain modesty here. It was really, really hard to get through school. He couldn't have done it without me (nor I without him). We worked together, sacrificed, worried, prayed, lost sleep, argued, laughed, and cried together over this goal we've been working on. And when they called his name and handed him that diploma, I took the picture but didn't see through my tears that the camera was blurry. (we're ordering the professionals anyway). Words don't describe the relief, the happiness, the absolute sense of resolution of that moment. It was an amazing thing to be able to turn back and see the mountain we've climbed.

People have said, "when you get to the top and turn around, you'll see that it really wasn't that bad." I didn't find that to be the case. Instead, I found myself at the top, turning around to see what I've just climbed and thinking, "wow, that was really, really hard." then the revelation I wasn't expecting, "Look how much stronger I am."

And just like that, with graduation behind us, we were offered a job in Kansas. We feel it is best for our family, even though it is so far from home. That is sad, but we feel very good about it, and we're excited for the next adventure.

(Just Follow the Yellow Brick Road!)

Stay tuned!

I will blog tomorrow, this I vow!

Not because you're on pins and needles, waiting to hear all about me....
not because you cry every night when you see that I still haven't posted...

(for some reason this reminds me of a song)
"not gonna write you a love song,
'cause you asked for it, 'cause you need one.
Not gonna write you a love song,
'cause you tell me it's make or breakin' this,
not gonna write you, to stay-uh-ay!
but you're dreamin' if you're askin' me to write you a love song, TODAY!
(ok, I may have made that last part up, but those are the words I sing when it's on the radio)

Where was I?

oh yeah. I will blog tomorrow.
Because I still take pictures thinking I will create wonderful posts later.
and they are starting to stack up on me.
We're talking Halloween pictures here, people!
But I am super duper (cuper luper) busy right now.
You may recall that 3 of the 6 of us have birthdays within a month of Christmas in this house.
and a fourth within 2 months of Christmas.
yeah, that's what we call "poor planning."
also, the hubs graduated, which was hecka exciting!!!!!!! (as noted by all the exclamation points)
and Iggy is finally sleeping through the night. so, by all counts it would appear that things are finally settling down for our little family.
but wait, what's that sound?
yes, you're hearing it right.
it is the winds of change blowing us far, far away.
in the coming month, we'll be moving to heartland America.

I'll be blogging tomorrow. I want to show you the awesome Halloween costumes I made.

giving thanks #3

Our internet is on the fritz (whatever that means). Last night I couldn't get online at all! I caught a glimpse of how dependent I am on my computer for entertainment: I couldn't see what anyone was up to on facebook! I couldn't blog! I couldn't listen to music on youtube! I couldn't even watch SURVIVOR! (*gasping sobs!*) What could I do? Everything that I thought to do had to do with the internet. And everything that didn't have to do with the internet didn't sound that fun. So what did I end up doing? I popped a bowl of popcorn and sat in front of the blank computer screen eating it. (the popcorn, not the computer screen).

That's how pathetic I am. (I'm ok with it).

You know, the communications the pioneers had were few and far between. They would be like, "oh, by the way, I've had another baby since I last wrote you. He'll be two tomorrow." My, how far we've come.

I remember watching my grandpa mail a letter when I was little. He dropped it in the slot and said, "There, now she'll have the letter in two or three days. That's so fast!"
Now I can text my sister on the other side of the country and get a response from her immediately (if she has her phone on her). I can also chat online with this same sister in real time. So, really, our "letters" to each other are instantaneous. It's a miracle!

I have a lot of opinions about the internet and what a time waster it can be. In fact, I have strict rules for myself about when and how often to get onto the computer, because it's such a time waster (I really can't afford to kill time these days). maybe I'll talk about that another day. For today, I'm grateful that I live in an age where communication is instantaneous. I am grateful that, even though I am thousands of miles away from family, I can still talk to them all the time. I know what they're up to. I know how they're doing (I know when they have a baby). It really is amazing and wonderful. I'm grateful to be a part of it.

now hopefully the internet will be working tonight so I can post some pictures!

giving thanks #2

Story #1--I am one of the young women leaders in my ward. Tonight we had Young Women in Excellence. In case you don't know, it's a time for the young women to show off some of the talents they've gained while working on their goals in Personal Progress. (check out LDS.org if you're still lost) Anyway, I was listening to all the talents the girls decided to share: singing, playing guitar, playing piano, writing songs, writing poems, baking cookies, painting, photography, public speaking--it was pretty impressive. Some were just starting out, and had simplistic and basic displays for their talents. Others had been working for years on their talents, and they were pretty advanced.

Story #2--Bogey is learning to do a hand stand. He came up to me today and shouted, "mom! Watch this!" then he ran over to the wall and started trying to flip onto his head and lean against the wall. The only problem was, he couldn't get his feet up. They kept falling back down to the ground. Every time he fell, he said, "Oh, wait, that's not it." Finally, when he kicked his feet up into the air, I caught them and put them up against the wall. "Like this?" I asked. "yeah!" he shouted triumphantly from the floor, "I told you I could do it!"

Story #3--my mom came to visit last week. She is an amazing person. My mom had cancer last year and had a surgery to remove the tumor, half her sinus cavity, and her eye. Her face is deformed now, but when I see her, I don't see that. I see an amazing person. (if you want to catch a glimpse of the amazing person she is, read the quote at the top of this page: she's the one that wrote it.) While she was here, we were visiting in the bathroom while I trimmed her hair. One of the hairs fell on the counter, and when mom went to pick it up, her depth perception went askew and she missed it with her finger. We laughed about it, as I helped her put her finger on the hair and guide it to the garbage. For a few minutes after that, we stood in silence while I finished trimming. "Mom," I asked her, "how do you not feel sorry for yourself all the time? After what you've been through no one would blame you for it." She shrugged. I said, "I would be throwing a pity party for myself all the time." She shrugged again and said, "It gets old. No one comes to those parties. I'd rather be where the fun is."

These three stories have combined in my mind today. I am grateful for my body. I'm grateful for my mind, for all the things I'm capable of doing. I'm grateful that I can think and develop talents and try new things. I'm grateful that I can figure out problems. I'm grateful that I can exercise and laugh and cry and feel a million other things. Of course there are times that I look at myself with disgust. My belly is flabby, my nose is too big, I'm too short, blah, blah, blah--it's so easy to fall into that trap of "never good enough." I know because I fall into it A LOT.

But today I'm grateful to have a body that allows me to be and do and experience life is so many ways.

giving thanks#1

I'm typing away on the computer in the dark because Iggy is asleep next to me (and so is The Hubby). I should be sleeping--the next feeding is in 4 short hours, but I feel the urge to write, so here I sit.
I love this time of year--when the produce is ripe for the canning, and the leaves are the color of fire, the air is crisp, and I start thinking about how blessed I am.
My blog was made for this time of year.
I love this time of year. Thanksgiving runs a very close second on my list of favorite holidays (Christmas, of course, is the favorite). A VERY close second. Whoever decided that we needed a holiday to remember how blessed we are is a genius.
It's so easy for me to complain. To focus only on the things that aren't going right. That's a habit I intend to break starting right now.
I gave Iggy a bath tonight. The others were all in bed. I was reminded recently to enjoy these little night time experiences with the baby because it's really the only time I have to enjoy him. He looked so cute and little kicking and splashing in the water. Every once in a while his head went down close enough to the water that he could lap at the water with his tongue like a dog. After he was clean, we sat by the heater and I put lotion on him. He was feeling warm and happy and he started cooing and smiling at me. I love how his hair is all fuzzy when it dries. I love putting lotion on his little grapey toes. I love that he stares at me until I notice and he breaks into a huge smile, just for me.
One thing you need to know about me is that I LOVE being a mother. Sure, kids are challenging. Sure, there are times that I get frustrated and yell, but at the end of the day, I'm always glad for them. I'm always glad that I'm a mother. I would be incomplete without them.

I am so grateful for the chance to be a mother.

There, there, little blog, don't you cry...

you'll get back on my priority list, by and by!

each morning, as I watch myself in the mirror brushing my teeth, and think about what I need to do today, I always think, "today's the day. Today I'm going to blog." and at that time in the optimistic dawn light, it seems totally doable.
But then my day starts:
Feed Iggy, change his diaper, get him dressed, feed him again
have breakfast
oversee the clean up of the other kids' disastrous breakfast shenanigans
get the kids' going on the morning chores they missed
clean the kitchen
put Iggy down for a nap
have "together time" (prayers, chore chart, books, music, and alternating days of science, geology, history, and crafts)
do skill sets (more about that to come)
get Iggy up from his nap
feed Iggy, burp him, change him
get Bogey lunch
help Dev and Calvin make their lunch
put Bogey down for a nap
put Iggy down for a nap
have lunch
(go to the bathroom!!)
finish up skill sets with Dev and Calvin
clean up lunch
clean house
start a load of laundry
help Dev and Calvin do their chores
do projects (like canning, mostly, lately)
Get Bogey up from his nap
help Bogey with chores
start dinner
get Iggy up, feed him, burp him change him, bounce him while I try to
finish making dinner
Kiss the Hubby who's just walked in the door
help Dev and Calvin set the table
eat dinner
bounce Iggy (who's super grumpy this time of day)
Kiss Hubby goodbye (he's got homework to do)
help Dev and Calvin clear the table
send one to shower
clean the kitchen
Give Bogey a bath
help Bogey in jammies
Tell Dev and Calvin to get ready for bed
Help Bogey brush (all the while bouncing Iggy)
have scripture study
say prayers
read a few chapter from our chapter book (if we haven't done it already today)
say goodnight to the oldest three
take Iggy back to my desk
check facebook one handed
bathe Iggy
feed Iggy, burp him, change him into his jammies, and feed him again.
Lay Iggy down in his crib *sweet dreams little man*
get ready for bed
kiss Hubby goodnight if he's home yet
go to bed *phew!* hoping to clear some time to blog tomorrow.

The day's are getting away from me. Even now as I type, I am going back to Iggy's room every few minutes to re-bink him (aka-put his pacifier back into his mouth), and thinking that I shouldn't be blogging, I should be working on my lesson for Young Women's tomorrow. Or writing out my grocery list, since I get to hop over to the store when Hubby gets home tonight. Or planning our Halloween party that we're having on Tuesday. Or folding laundry. Or making dinner. But blogging I am, so all the other stuff can wait.
I have a ton of pictures and blog posts lined up in my mind, waiting to burst out, like a champagne bottle about to explode. I'll get it all out eventually, but right now, it's all building pressure in the bottleneck.

Introducing...

I wish that I could somehow write the 5 minute silence that preceded these words while I sat here thinking of a way to start. I got nothin'.
All I can say is that I had my baby. That's such a short sentence for such a humongous, life changing thing. He's here, and he's beautiful, and we love him dearly, but heaven help me, I am reeling from the change.
My days are filled to the brim with homeschooling, diaper changes, nap times, feedings (my nights are full of feedings, too.), spit up, etc, etc, etc.
Even worse is the prospect that The Hubby is in no position to help. At all.
Two words: Senior Year. While I am happy we're almost done with school, part of me is really wondering what God was thinking by having ALL THIS come all at the same time. I'm being magnified. And it kind of hurts.
But I didn't come here tonight to complain. I hope it doesn't sound like I am complaining. We prayed and cried over and wanted and tried for this little baby longer and harder than the other three combined. We were thrilled when we found out he was on the way. I am very blessed to finally have him here, to have him healthy, to have him in my arms. So forget the far reaching task of adjusting to another family member. I'm just going to rejoice that he is here!

I'm also happy that I am now on the downhill side of recovery. Things may be crazy here, but at least I can say that I know they will level out and get better soon. I am excited, and already have some posts lined up, to just concentrate on homeschooling, and homesteading, and homemaking--the passions in my life.

So, allow me to introduce to you my new baby son, who, for all intents and purposes shall henceforth and forever more be known on this blog as Iggy (the fourth great and wondrous messmaker.) Welcome to the world, Iggy!

(P.S. please excuse me for getting cross with the overly excited brother in this video who wanted his share of screen time.)