The ZOO Keeper

Blue Bunny and cousin June

2011-10-12T15:13:00.010-06:00

So my awesome brother Joshy makes videos of him and his baby girl June. During our last trip to Utah my kiddlets helped make one and totally threw themselves into the process of film making. AND here it is!

Catch all his videos HERE!

you’re freaking me out cause you’re too cute!

2011-05-29T15:17:00.001-06:00

Here’s my Bubba and Cleo’s little Bitty and a recorded phone conversation. Can i just say i LOVE three year olds, it’s pretty much my favorite age. AND i love my Big because he made this ALLLL for me. But if you like it repost it.

p.s. Big and Bubba love ALL their fans.

If three year olds aren’t your cup of tea and you’re more into boy toys here’s Big’s YouTube channel -MTweedslayer

never endingness

2011-05-26T22:33:00.005-06:00

I've been a little busy so this is what my laundry looks like today-

this is the pile of dirty clothes

and in the bedroom, what's been washed so far

I guess you could say works been piling up.

changes. serious ones.

2011-04-03T14:39:00.001-06:00

okay fine not serious ones BUT whilst being uplifted on this conference Sunday I thought I would share with you what I did this week-

before after

I'm so ready for this winter to be over that I thought maybe, just maybe if I lighten up my hair mutha nature would get a hint that it’s time for the sun to shine! If it works, I'll send you the address to mail your checks to.

pitiful penguin

2011-03-29T21:44:00.001-06:00

This is Pitiful Penguin

named so buy it’s creator-Smarty, in 3rd grade art class. He was given a C- today for his Penguin because his arms were not 3-D…he was devastated but whatever i say.

tonight bubba asked if he could play with Pitiful and i said he had to ask smarty because it was his and THIS is the conversation that followed-

bubba-smarty can i play with da penguin?

sporty-no it’s glassable

smarty-no it’s BREAKABLE so NO

(the pitter patter of little feet)

bubba- mommy i can’t play with him cause he’s glassable.

i just love them! they always(well most of the time) make me smile and today was a day that makes me happy to just be the mommy. that little penguin just melted my little heart.

garden boxes

2011-03-18T14:06:00.001-06:00

Now that Big is safely on his way home life can return to normal, well what’s normal for us. The sun is shining and it’s a beautiful day which has me planning my garden. This is my garden at the moment-

Pretty horrendous I know! It needs work. I decided last year that it was to big for me and I need to down side then I decided I want these-

garden boxes! I have more then enough room for a few and maybe I'll just start with one this year and add another next year….maybe.

the space between

2011-03-17T16:34:00.001-06:00

Today I've been scattered brained- wanting the time to pass quickly. Big and I are separated by lots of water right now, not ocean water but flood waters. Big at times works in the middle of no where with no cell service but will drive 40 miles everyday to use a land line to call me, get a weather report, and tell me he loves me. I haven’t heard from him since Tuesday night when he was concerned about the drive back because of flash flooding. It’s not been a very nice spring here and there’s so much flooding. Not so much where I am but all over the state.

Wednesday morning I woke up and Big was lying in bed with me, his arms around me and I kept thinking this has to be a dream but I convinced myself it wasn’t till I woke up. I waited all day to maybe hear from him and heard nothing. I've waited again today and still nothing. This afternoon Bubba asked where his daddy was and I said “working” he told me “he’s working in heaven” I asked “who told you that” and he said “daddy was here last night in his office and he told me he came back to get his tools to take to heaven.” NOT what I need to hear today. I've had many friends say their children the same ages say similar things but Bubba never has.

Tonight he was supposed to be home but said Tuesday that they would probably have to wait till Friday morning when the water would be slower and frozen over some. So I wait and wait and if I haven’t heard from him by mid-morning I will be out looking for him(with the help of others). I know my husband loves his job and I love that he loves his job I just hate the not knowing, the non-communication, and the space between.

Hopefully tomorrow will be an update that I feel silly and have worried for nothing, that all is well, that they got lots of work done, and caught lots of fish. Till then if you’d keep us in your thoughts and prayers I would be grateful.

************************UPDATE*******************************

I got the phone call 10 minutes ago that Big is safe, not on his way home yet but safe just as i was getting the phone number for the local Sheriff. There are ice Jams all around them which has slowed them down. They were able to get part way to a land line and are now waiting for tractors to plow out some ice jams so they can continue on. Thank you all for the thoughts, prayers, and kind words.

No Scrubs

2011-03-08T18:16:00.001-07:00

Did you know that today is International Women's Day? Today (March 8th) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. what began in America is now a national holiday in places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria.

Why is it not a holiday in America? My reasoning is that I live here. Blame me. If i was on holiday who would have cleaned the primary room, done the laundry(including a 3 year old pee bed) made breakfast, lunch,dinner, and all the dishes, cleaned the spaghetti sauce out of the living room carpet, worked on Big’s website and taken care of 5 adoring fans. No one would have.

It’s so nice to be needed. I’m going to go sing me some female empowerment songs like Alicia Keys’s A Woman’s Worth, TLC’s No Scrubs, Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten oh and some Mary J. Blige’s No More Drama mhmm oh yes now off to the dishes i go! HAPPY WOMANS DAY!!

The Optimists Creed

2011-03-06T19:36:00.001-07:00

I Promise Myself
To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person I meet.
To make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything, and make my optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature I meet.
To give so much time to improving myself that I have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side, so long as I am true to the best that is in me.

-Christian D. Larson – 1912

all dressed up

2011-02-02T00:04:00.001-07:00

it’s

so-

what does this picture say to you?

a little to engagement picture pose-ish?

perhaps it says "Oh no!"

“is that...is that my child over there?

looks like they colored on the walls again

oh well my nails are trendy”

No No actually this photo is part of a series inspired by Adam Lambert

but really who isn't inspired by Adam Lambert, right?!

(white shirt-Big’s, headband and scarf-Ms.B’s)

all we need in this world is some LOVE

I'm excited to get linked up over at

special thanks to April for her late night convo and Cleo for her endless ideas.

Ms.B's 8

2011-01-23T19:57:00.004-07:00

My first born baby girl is 8!

Makes me sad to think how fast she's growing up.

Happy Birthday to my beautiful princess.

Wordless Wednesday-he’s potty trained

2011-01-19T15:09:00.001-07:00

inappropriate? i can use this for blackmail some day right?

What’s on my phone

2011-01-11T21:35:00.001-07:00

I’ve been absent this past holiday season NOT because i haven’t been taking pictures but because i haven’t been taking them with my phone. doh!

But I'm here now with some of our adventures thus far in 2011 on 1-11-11 so lets make it a little more memorable shall we:

first is a picture of what i was wearing today. after i got several strange looks i decided maybe the eyeballs right across my breasts wasn’t such a good idea.

next i realized i have two of the same chargers in my car. hmmm usually i don’t even have one. this MUST be a special day.

OH that blanket reminds me i need to give a shout out to Alex @ before the baby wakes and thank her for the sweet box she sent me while participating in Lady’s Christmas Swap Meet. I do hope she got my package!

Next up, are the very much to common injury photos. first up is Mooner and her bloody nose and goose egg from tripping and falling on the ice. and THEN Big’s blister from snowmobiling this week while working. I'm crying real tears for him.…not.

Next was a birthday PAR-TAY at a local salt water pool. I love salt water pools, no burning eyes, and my kids don’t have snotty noses for days after.

here’s Big deciding if he’s going to get in

aaaaaaaand here’s Big and his BFF chillin’ in the snow BEFOR jumping in

and AFTER

but as long as the kids had fun right……

now if you wanna linky up and participate in “what’s on my phone” go see my amazing friend Jess and play along!

Snow fun getting stuck

2011-01-11T20:46:00.001-07:00

this is Mr.Big and he’s very handsome AND a very good driver when he’s focused

(my sunglasses btw)

last Sunday he was NOT focused on the road because he was trying to video WHERE we were driving, in a snow storm…. with 25 mile an hour blinding winds….. on ice….. and intermittent snow drifts.

SO we got stuck…. and stuck good…... and without cell phone coverage….. in almost the middle of nowhere. SO what was Big to do? get out and get us unstuck! First he used his foot to kind of sweep the snow away…then he saw a grain truck off in the distance. Now this meant nothing to me but to him it meant a shovel(go figure) SO he wandered off to this grain truck and found him a shovel, wandered all the way back and started shoveling all the snow he could away from our Excursion. I was minding my own business contemplating calling 911(because even with no service you can still call 911) when all the sudden i see this………can you see it at all? do you know what that is? it’s butt crack. yep. it sure is. a very COLD butt crack.

After about 35 minutes Big got us out of the 5 foot snow bank and got us turned around and then stuck again. SO he shoveled some more.

and JUST when he got us completely unstuck…help came(of course).

Now i should tell you i did call 911 just so they knew where we were and what was going on JUST incase we ended up there a few hours. Big was offended i called but i thought it better we had a backup plan JUST incase we needed it. After we got out and on the way home i decided we need a shovel and and an emergency kit in all the pickups and cars…...and i still haven’t done it. SO I'm off to get that done. Safe Travels everyone!

All Dressed Up

2011-01-05T14:54:00.001-07:00

I wasn’t gonna play today but i HAD to it’s the first time my totally radical friend Michele is doing her All Dressed Up Wednesdays and who wants to miss out on the FIRST one. Now, as i said i was not going to play because some of these girls have set the bar a little to high for me on a moments notice BUT the wheels are turning and next week is going to make up for what i threw on out of desperation today cause no one wants to see what i was really wearin. SO here it is-

who doesn’t like polka dots right?

This is my gangster/sweet mutha look. it works right?

I would tell you where i got my threads but it’s a secret. well, it would be if i could remember.

bringing happy back

2011-01-03T19:20:00.001-07:00

Unless you’ve been in a cave or drunk since New Years Eve you know that it’s 2011 and it’s gonna be goooood! I can feel it!

I’ve already had my first big surprise of this year- my mother got an FB page….oh yes she did-

MY first baby girl is getting baptized at the end of the month-

We already have a couples retreat planned for February that is going to be super fun, relaxing, crazy, cold, cozy, and amazing-

So can’t you see that it’s off to a good start already? mmhmm

See 2010 was a good year but there were a few things I'd like to do without this coming year,

drama and negativity.

It takes up so much space in our lives if we let it and I'm sad to say that I let to much of it in my life. So I'm going to cut it out! There have been some very recent changes lately that have made this easier for me to do and for those changes I am very much grateful!

Now I know I am NOT part of the target audience for a Tyler Perry show BUT I love Madea…ever heard of her/him?

Black or not he/she speaks to me. Some of my favorite lines are-

"You will always find jealous people.They're the ones promoting you."

"You can’t make yourself happy by causing other peoples misery “

and my favorite-

"Don't make a black woman take off her earrings"

In her/his new movie Big Happy Family, Madea tells the kids

“Don’t let no body talk about ya, let them say what ever the hell they wanna say, hell, they gonna throw dirt on you in life. When you die, they gonna put dirt over the casket when you die. Let it be what it’s going to be.”

“you are gonna be all right”

I’ve let what others think and say about me have an influence over how I see myself this last year. I let it bother me to the point that I let it change me. I haven’t been as happy as I have been in years past but….

I’m over it, I'm done. I am me and I think that’s a pretty good person to be.

I AM a daughter of God, I AM a wife to an amazing man, I AM a mommy to 5 incredible kids, and I AM a good friend WITH good friends and that’s what really matters. I can’t do it all and I AM okay with that. This year is going to be a good one and I AM going to bring happy back!

Famous for a minute

2010-12-15T20:31:00.021-07:00

So I'm pretty lucky to be married to such a stud. He's got skills you know, like nunchuku skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills. He even made me famous, er well to 20,000 people who were waiting to see this guy-

He's famous, real famous. SO famous..... you don't need me to tell you his name Clay Walker.

Anywho i'm going to tell you this story in pictures from my engagement up on stage in the middle of this concert. I made it a while back for all my FB friends because sometimes FB is a bit easier and faster. Just ignore the light colored high waisted mom jeans, and almost belly shirts, and you'll be fine. ahem:

boy loves girl

so boy plots, plans, and takes girl to concert

girl ends up on stage

when a mic is in her face

boy sees girl

girl cries

because he is now her prince

with a mic in his face

then on one knee

boy asks girl

and i think she said yes

because....

girl loves boy

AWWWWW cheesy i know but weren't we cute! Wasn't he SOOO romantic! Didn't he do SUCH an awesome job! Don't you love his glasses? I didn't. That's why he got lasik. Not really, but kinda. That was almost 12 years ago......12 years ago! SO glad i got rid of the mom jeans.

What’s on Demy’s phone

2010-12-14T10:12:00.001-07:00

Well looky here it is still Tuesday morning and I'm ALREADY here. lets celebrate and take a looksy…

It’s been a busy week and I've done ALOT of shopping, who hasn’t right? I was SO excited to round the corner and find these. Am i crazy? Does this not look like Pepsi with Lime?……it’s not, look closer. those glitches.

Then to make matters worse they tried to trick me. All those diet bars and drinks and then what do you know, they sneak in a little treat. geeez. can you say SABOTAGE

But what do you know, they do have these-

Christmas isn’t Christmas without a little coal.

Now really. I just REALLY don’t get this….and I'm a little concerned. There was no explanation for this quilt but i really do feel that it needs one…..am i right?

really confused. and slightly worried.Now on to something more uplifting like…um… me

i sent this picture out to all my besties who i thought might be in need of a little holiday cheer. *Crossing fingers* that the picture on their phones are small so they don’t see what I'm hoping is just a shadow but looks more like something else.

I love my Big who always starts the truck for me so it’s all nice and warm and even lets me sit in the warm truck whilst he cleans it off. LOOK at his white teeth!

Do you follow tractors down your Main street? SLOWER. then. TAR. We pulled up next to him at the next red light and revved our engine…..he didn’t think we were funny.

I finally got some holiday baking in. I figured i’d start out with something easy, chocolate chip cookies. Who can’t bake chocolate chip cookies?………………….. This girl. Well i could go on but i won’t. Thanks for lookin and if you wanna play go see Jess @ www.lowefamilynews.com

Ms.B and Monster Tammy

2010-12-09T22:21:00.001-07:00

I know every mama’s crow is the blackest BUT mine really are so just deal. I'm going to share the paper Ms.B(7) brought home tonight.

My Monster

One snowy day I was going to the store with Allyssa. Suddenly i heard a funny noise. I looked around and saw a crabby MONSTER!

I took the monster home and we became friends! I named her Tammy. I taught her to sleep without snoring, cook, and go to the bathroom on the toilet.

We painted the couch with peanut butter.

She sleeps in an egg carton.

I hope she can live with me forever.

She has always been my favorite first born daughter! She’s my comical drama queen…. i don’t know where she gets it from but i wouldn’t trade her for anything!

what’s on my phone

2010-12-08T10:13:00.001-07:00

Tardy to the party i know but better late then never BECAUSE Jess has an official button. it’s over there---->

SO grab it, use it, and link back up here.

First off a shout out to my snuggy loving friend Kristina there’s another imposter in our midst. But it looks like it may come with super powers.

Thinking about taking a drive to my house? Well it’s not for the faint of heart. Get out your 4 wheel drives and your mad driving skills.

My favorite stop this week was this antique dealer even though i know absolutely NOTHING about antiques.

I put these three items on my list for Santa…I'm hoping he gets it.

Big took me to meet some knew friends of his. This is what was in their driveway….i was scared but they were nice,i guess.

you say they’re neglected, i say I'm encouraging creativity

for example-

remember that bathroom i just repainted? i found this last night on the wall by the toilet.

then this on the counter this morning

we got ready to go to Wal-Mart, Bubba wanted to be a dude

THEN he decided he wanted to be a cowboy.

THEN decided my cart closely resembled a hors-eh.

he kept saying giddy-up hors-eh giddy-up

weeeee hors-eh

he’s just like his father

Then it was time for lunch and since I'm low carbing it i stopped and grabbed a large Pepsi mmmmhmm and these cheesy fries. don’t drool.

Now it’s your turn. I wanna see what’s on your phone!

Gingerbread House Faceoff 2010

2010-12-06T16:06:00.001-07:00

This year it was boys against girls.

On the boy team: Dad,Smarty(9),Bubba(3)

On the girls team":Mom,Ms.B(7),Mooner(6),Sporty(5)

The job was to make the BEST Gingy house. You were given extra points if you finished first, made the least mess, and were the best sports. The prettiest house got the most points as well as the one standing the longest(which we added at the end).

The Girl House

The Boy House

does anyone else see that it’s leaning? i tried to tell them but what do i know I'm a girl.

the mess

Side by Side

boy/girl

AND the final result:

boy/girl

Poor boy’s there’s always next year!

what’s on the keepers phone

2010-11-30T20:07:00.001-07:00

It feels like it’s been AGES. Far, far to long. Much to go over, so let us get to it.

THIS is what my husband gets to wake up to every morning….well the mornings he’s actually here. hmmph.

my life is so hard sometimes. I have SO many hard decisions to make every day….like…buckles or no buckles?

ever wonder what my eye color is? no? oh well here it is anyway.

wait I'm sounding TOTALLY conceited…I'm really not, well not really.

MY Carebear from when i was little wrapped up in black duct tape in my eldest daughters bedroom perched on a chair…..should i be concerned? thoughts? never mind I've decided that we’re just all kinds of crazy around here. my kids MUST have figured out about this linking up business cause this is what i found on my phone this morning-

she’s not Asian

and lastly but CERTAINLY not least-Thanksgiving was a BLAST!

and then it was time to come home to MY winter wonderland.

where we got flocked. that’s right Cleo, FLOCKED ;o)

There now it’s your turn. Don’t forget to go see my Hussy here and link up!! Do it!!!

tueaday -thursday

2010-11-18T21:40:00.002-07:00

I'm missing out on linking up here with cute pics i haven’t taken all week because I've been sick (stuck in bed sick). And because I've been in bed i ALSO haven’t been out in the first snowfall of the season taking pictures with the kiddies so that i can link up for this. I also had to miss out on all the fun here-

I didn't go. sniff sniff.

It’s true even I get sick….this is like the second time this year already. WTC? But this was a little different for some reason my body picked up a little infection in the nether regions and my body decided to welcome it with open arms and in a matter of days it spread through allot of my body including my kidneys and lungs. SO Saturday night i got to visit my local ER . My goals in going were clear i wanted to 1. get some antibiotics 2. really piss off the nurse and 3. get some pain meds. It was a successful evening all the way around.

Now. You should know that i have not take ANY pills or prescriptions since i was pregnant with Bubba (i know a little backwards but what are you going to do about it??). I was in so much pain and so weak that i didn’t care so one pill went down after another. Two days i still wasn’t feeling better. I decided to take (are you sitting down?) 2 Tylenols with codeine yep 2 not 1, 2. I was hoping to feel GOOOD. real good.

This wasn’t what happened, instead i started to feel a little unsettled and a little paranoid of what was going on around me. I thought maybe i should just go do some vacuuming since the whole house was going to crap with mom being sick. Vacuuming always makes me feel better but the next thing i knew i was in my living room on a Shiny Silvery Pogo Stick that actually looked more like a Bedazzled Crutch….But i was SO excited to have my Bedazzled Silvery Crutchy looking Pogo Stick! and then i thought to myself “i bet my dad STILL has my Pogo stick at HIS house. Next thing I'm looking ALL over my bed for my phone so i could call him and have him RETURN my Bedazzled Silvery Crutchy looking Pogo Stick and i could NOT find the phone. Then i realized i hadn’t been vacuuming and i did NOT have a pogo stick growing up BUT sissy Kera did but hers was watermelon colors…..i was back to feeling Paranoid again for hours till they finally wore off.

I’m no doctor but if i WAS I'd tell myself not to take those anymore. So I'm going to listen to myself and continue fighting it out with no more pain killers……maybe the nurse spiked them?

I’ll be back next week and should be all ready to go and be better then ever. Also if you wanna join up with me and my super sexy Soldier Lady she’s doing a Christmas Swap on her page here who doesn’t like giving/receiving eh? I’m IN!

what’s on the Keeper’s phone Tuesday

2010-11-08T21:32:00.001-07:00

SOOOO the idea is that every Tuesday we post our crazy, shameless cell phone pics and then linky them up on the masterminds page here.

SO with out further ado:

Some pictures don’t need an explanation

this was my gift from the Hussy. my favorite color, favorite team(when they win), AND my favorite State.

Big forgot his V-8 obviously.

A yummy match made in heaven.

Our Halloween Haul

I got a wild hair and cut my bangs again. Then Big decided he liked me better without bangs. ppshht. So i comfort myself with this little JEM i found written on a wall.

Bubba dressed himself for the dentist…i thought this looked a little better.

I needed a friend to tell me if this was to much cleavage for church. Cleo reminded me that God made cleavage nuff said.

Speaking of Church my girls could see I was struggling so they did me the favor of getting themselves ready AND they color coordinated…I'm so proud!

I did my part, did you?

I was reminded of a conversation once…is it jeggings, or leans? i guess we now know.

I finally, finally today was able to wear my SA-WEET headband i got at the CBC in May. Finally!

There you go i unloaded me phone, now it’s your turn. Remember to link it up to my favorite Hussy.

witches tea 2010

2010-11-08T18:33:00.001-07:00

It all started with these lovely ladies-

They were my inspiration for a witches tea.

I had originally decided i was doing this with my local friends BUT sometimes my local friends are stick.in.the.muds! Who wouldn’t want to get together and celebrate all things witches'??? well apparently only me. BOO

SO it became a Witches tea for these little witches-

Aren’t they cute? They take after their mother.

Don’t feel too bad for me because i was able to do WAY more fun things with them then i would have done for KranKy old ladies.

SO we made invitations:

We decorated:

and decorated:

Then it was time to get the FOOD,goodie bags, and crafts ready:

Then it was time for the PARTY!! I had grand plans on taking LOTS of witchy pics with one of the mom’s helping me but then the mom decided to stay at home and play cards SO i ended up with 11 Witches ALL to myself. Not one other mom offered to help (hmmph) i thought it was odd….i would have offered to help. Anyways, this is the ONLY picture i got:

But in the end they were happy little witches and I'd do it ALL over again….Like next year.

embrace the camera Thursday

2010-10-28T17:08:00.001-06:00

Big left today and it’s always hard on Bubba the first day he’s gone, it’s me and Bubba like white on rice. SO we sat and cuddled most of the day today talking about dad’s pickups, his snowmobile, bugs, and tractors.

My favorite part of the conversation-

Mommy? Ty calls you Demi, Hunter and KaKa call you Demi, but I don’t call you Demi, nope. I call you Mommy cause you are MY MOMMY!

I wish he would just stay little forever!

I wish i could take credit for this idea but after eating fistful's of M&M’s i'm having enough guilt SO if you want to Embrace the Camera every Thursday go HERE.

cute or pretty?

2010-10-27T23:57:00.001-06:00

My funny girls have been talking allot lately about what’s CUTE and what’s PRETTY…I wasn’t sure there was a difference but they assure me there is. They chat back and forth about shoes, Barbies, and Barbie shoes and divide them into the before mentioned categories. I was just not understanding the difference UNTIL i recently(Monday) re-did their bathroom.

We were all standing and admiring my handy work when ms.B in a very definitive voice said “now this is PRETTY” and Mooner followed up with “yea, before it was only CUTE”. Then i remembered that not so long ago i was not happy when Big called me CUTE, i told him I'd rather he’d call me PRETTY…...those funny girls hear everything!

scary Nielsons

2010-10-15T11:10:00.001-06:00

We’re Krazy and we’re KooKy!

i LOVE Halloween!

to have Pink eye or not to have pink eye

2010-10-05T21:10:00.001-06:00

Does this girl look like she has pink eye? i know it’s hard to tell BUT-This week is homecoming and poor Mooner just wanted to go to school and show off her new hello kitty skirt and glittery hairdo. It was ONLY 15 minutes after school started that i got a phone call from the school saying Mooner’s eyes were bright RED and she probably had pink eye and she needed to go home. Now normally i would have reacted probably with a:

OH NO my poor baby I'll be right there, thank you for calling.

Instead it was a long:

uuhhhhhh ooookay I'll be right there(click).

Why? WHY? Because last week they called me because Sporty supposedly had pink eye and at 1pm right after coming in from recess on a VERY windy day they called me to take her home. When i picked her up she had so much sand in her hair that i could have made my own private beach. What do you know she must have had sand in her eye. weird.

Back to Mooner it was 8:15 in the morning and she wanted to go back to school! The ONLY way she could go back to school was to get a doctors note saying she did NOT have pink eye, and being that we don’t have a primary care doctor(which is another story for another day) no Dr.offices were in a hurry to get us in until 11am. So we waited and then went in and got the little piece of paper saying it was WHAT? glitter in her eyes from her hair causing an allergy. You better believe i was just as kind handing them the >pinkeyefreeslip< as i was on the phone that morning.

Disclaimer: I'm not saying i don’t appreciate that the school is being cautious I'm just saying, lets use the brains God gave us. Is that being unreasonable? Or could i have the school pay the $80 doctors visit. Here’s a link to the symptoms if you’re curious.

I also got a ticket for being behind on my registration AND i got the kid’s school pictures and Mooner’s picture has a purple background….a PURPLE background. sigh.

I’m sure I'm just PMSing and way blowing this out of proportion, it happens….. I’ll let you know in a week or so.

embrace the camera Thursday

2010-09-30T18:24:00.002-06:00

He calls me Doll Face I call him Jerk Face,

but we do love eachother.

SugarBeets 101

2010-09-29T00:22:00.002-06:00

So these are sugarbeets-

ignore the date…i don’t know what that’s about.

Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production.

The sugar comes from the bulb of the beetroot plant, chard and fodder beet, all descended by cultivation[clarification needed] from the sea beet.

The European Union, the United States, and Russia are the world's three largest sugar beet producers,[1] although only the European Union and Ukraine are significant exporters of sugar from beets. The U.S. harvested 1,004,600 acres (4 065 km²) of sugarbeets in 2008 alone.[2] Beet sugar accounts for 30% of the world's sugar production

Anyways, this weekend was the celebration of all things Sugarbeets, weird, right! but we live here so that’s what we do. The kids got to take these Sugarbeets and decorate them or carve them into whatever they wanted so that they could enter them into a contest for money. SOOO what does a good mommy do? Call in the big guns to get help. And Cleo is a Super Creative Genius.

SOOO with Cleo’s ideas we got to work Friday night and this is what we made-

A witches hat, a construction cone, and a mega phone(with incorrect spelling and all). Big and Smarty made the deerish thingy. So Saturday morning we dropped them off to be voted on through out the day by festival goers', and this is what came of it-

Our megaphone got 2nd place for a decorated sugarbeet and our deerish thingy got PEOPLES CHOICE 1st place and 2nd place carved sugarbeet! Smarty made himself some money!!

So now you can say you’ve seen a sugarbeet. You’re welcome.

My babies 3

2010-09-27T15:07:00.000-06:00

Digital Scrapbooking Photo Tinks by WiddlyTinks.com

embrace the camera

2010-09-23T18:35:00.004-06:00

okay i couldn't stay away to long. So to kick off my return i'm starting a new tradition "embrace the camera thursdays" my super sexy hussy friend does and what can i say i'm a copy cater. Well when it's a super idea, cause that's what good friends do.....right? SO the idea originally came from here another little hottie and i thought SHOOOT i can DO THAT!

SOOOO:

oh wait that's not me

See Big took my zune to work for the week and ended up going through a small portion of ALLLLLL the photos i have on there and when he came home he said "you sure do like to take pictures of yourself" to which i said "ahem, i HAVE to take many photos to get one that looks just right....kinda like a little kid" he was less then amused. Then i realized that from the time i was oh about 20 till well 27ish the ONLY photos of me were those in the delivery room. Every other photo was of my babies...so just take it as i'm makin up for lost time.

So there i admit it I TAKE LOTS AND LOTS OF PHOTOS OF?

Now go give my hussy some loving she's a little sad right now.

Love her part 2

2010-06-20T22:56:00.001-06:00

Remember the girl that did this?

Well she’s at it again!! She stopped into my bedroom today to visit Big and i, and this is what she was wearing-

I’m thinking she was going for something along the lines of White Rabbit with a little dab of Mad Hater….maybe? and yes those are socks on her hands.

I LOVE HER!

Hcg, Bloging and me

2010-06-11T20:10:00.001-06:00

So here’s the lowdown-

CBC was a BLAST! I learned allot, met new friends, met already friends in REAL LIFE, and had a great time.

HOWEVER to be brutally honest the pictures sucked! Okay really just the ones of me in them. I know, I know i need to be nicer to myself but I really, really didn’t realize how big I've gotten having all these babies until all those hateful photos.

So while i was still down in the promised land i stopped in to see a plastic surgeon i know and said how about a tummy tuck? He said sure and preceded to tell me all about how tummy tucks are done. Okay, i was okay with the idea until he said “DRAINS” and not just one 2 i started feeling a little woozy and thought maybe this isn’t for me right now.

I thought about those photos of me and many other amazingly adorable ladies and realized my problem isn’t JUST my tummy. I shared my feelings with the Doc and he told me that I should give HCG a try. Have you heard of it before? I had and wasn’t all that excited about it until, UNTIL he promised me 40lbs in 40 days. Enough said!

I am now doing HCG injections 6 days a week and have already lost 11 pounds woot! I also have made another blog to journal this little adventure. Here’s the website http://hcgtest.blogspot.com/ if you wanna follow me and my progress.

The Zoo keeper

C.B.C. the real story

2010-06-06T15:41:00.001-06:00

C.B.C. Casual Bloggers Conference
The Mission: find knew gang members

The full conference pass was Thursday Friday and Saturday. My minions had school till Thursday at 12pm so we spent Thursday afternoon driving while plotting and planning.

Friday night was the social. I came in undercover with Lady P. and the not so hairy shoe fairy.

Something you need to know: there where three attending that i already had marked as “potentials”- Jessica better known as the Hussy , April who will here on out be referred to as Smalls and Kristina.

The night was going super other then that some of my attention was being pulled in another direction i.e. Cameron Rafati oh why did he have to be so yummy! I had to pull myself together for all things Gangster so it was time for a break from ALLLL things sexy.

After a short time at the bar with Lady P.,Joanie, hairy shoe fairy, and April it was time for some of my own kind of beauty rest because day 2 would prove to be far more productive.

Saturday morning came far to early so as usual i was late. I decided to see what they had to offer and came across some new gang apparel from Oh Sweet Sadie!

i know what you’re thinking BAD A$$! right? !

Time was running out i had to get it done so i swooped in and BAM it was done. Here are the five new members of my gang: Lindsey, Smalls, Amber, Hussy, and Jones.

Mission almost accomplished- there was still one that kept evading me UNTIL i got her-

Kristina was SO beyond ready. She told me “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” oh wait no that was Nicholas Pileggi anyways what’s most important is that she’s IN.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a more serious note my time spent a C.B.C. made me slightly insecure about my blogging AND whoring abilites SO I'm taking some drastic measures. More info to come.

The Zoo Keeper

Kids, Cousins, and Carousels

2010-06-03T00:44:00.001-06:00

Ever wonder what it's like to be me? Well here's a snap shot....CBC post to come.

The morning started out with a Dr. appointment and Mrs.Crazy watched not only MY 5 but her 5 also, that's a total of 10 kids 9 and under.

tired yet?

My 30 min appointment turned into a three hour appointment, what a good sister i have! No complaints just several texts and a few phone calls saying "one more minute and I'm feeding them all to the kittens".

Once i got back we got all 10 kids in swimsuits, packed a change of clothes and most certainly DID NOT load everyone up in a red excursion, and headed to SF to go swimming with 6 MORE cousins...that's right Dolls that's 16 kids 9 and under. It was hell i mean heaven! No really i don't think there was one single fight....that's how good of moms we are.

They swam and jumped and ate while us moms discussed the current situation with a little girl we know. If interested type in "Sisters for Samantha" on Facebook.

Then we loaded up our 10 and headed for the Hello Kitty Store. We were told the Hello Kitty Store was having a store closing sale. You know what was on sale? Hello Kitty candy...that's right Hello Kitty Candy who knew? So to make up for Hello Kitty we rode the Carousel. Not quit as exciting as it was when i was 7 and it almost made us barf... My kids didn’t want to ride a horse no, they wanted to ride the dragon, a chicken, and what i think was a reindeer?

View Full Album

The Carousel about did us in so at 7pm we were slowing down. Toxic Hell for dinner and then the drive back home. We put on a total of 220 miles today and hopefully just as many memories.

Love her

2010-05-27T10:41:00.001-06:00

Sporty(4) said she needed a paper towel this morning so she went to go get one. When i came back to the kitchen i found this:

She said we are out of paper towels.

Snow in MAY

2010-05-23T13:35:00.004-06:00

There's an old wives’ tale that goes something like this: 90 days after a fog it is supposed to storm (rain or snow) and bring precipitation. Who knew, right? The farmers and ranchers i live near swear by it. This does not bode well because we had a VERY foggy January, March , and April. Soooo.....

We only had to drive a few miles to find snow yesterday.

Snow: May 22, 2010

When is it going to be summer?

Food Husbands and Kids

2010-05-16T17:00:00.010-06:00

Sooo i have this pretty stinkin easy recipe for a salad that doesn't SOUND like it would be good but it's pretty yummy. It goes like this-

1 green pepper(chopped)
1 red onion(chopped)
2 cans of corn
1 cup of mayo
1 cup of cheddar cheese(shredded)
1 bag of Chili Cheese Frito's
you can totally change up the amounts, but using 1 measuring cup brings a sense of balance to my world. Now this is not my STORY.

My STORY is that today is potluck at my church just like every third Sunday. Right after church we all gather for whatever anyone could whip-up before 9am. I was wanting to bring the before mentioned salad so i sent Mr.Nielson to the store just before it closed last night for
1 bag chili cheese Frito's
1 green pepper
Sounds easy right? Well what i got was
1 bag of Honey BBQ Frito's
1 bunch of Green onions

Needless to say i did not take the salad and this is how Mr. Nielson looked....kind off

In other news the bulk size bottle of syrup was NOT a good idea. EVERYTHING in my house is sticky...sigh....

Tuesday's Testimony

2010-05-04T19:34:00.012-06:00

Tuesday's Testimony that works right :o) This is a video of nienie and her family. Maybe you've heard of her, maybe you've seen her on Opera but please take time out of your busy day to watch this.

I love this woman! Even though I've never met her i LOVE her. I love her strength, I love her courage, and I love her testimony.
I have a testimony of adversity. We all know what it is. We have all had our trials in life but I know we were NOT left here alone. I know we have a prophet on the earth today Thomas S. Monson who continues to lead us in this crazy world we live in today. I know we have the scriptures, stories of those who have gone through the SAME things we have only in different times and that those who are wise will "Feast upon the words of Christ" because they ARE his words. Our Saviour will always be at our side. He will always fight our battles. He is always our hope, will always be our salvation, and He is the way.

The Zoo Keeper

here's a link to nienie

HOT, HOT, HOT

2010-05-01T23:02:00.002-06:00

Follow-up Friday: The Sassies strike a pose & GIVEAWAY
Check this out! you'll like what you see ;o)
http://www.mommymodelsblog.com/
Now go here!!
Follow-up Friday: The Sassies strike a pose & GIVEAWAY

wordless wednesdays

2010-04-28T17:24:00.001-06:00

moms gone wild

2010-04-27T13:29:00.008-06:00

Yes this is what happens when you let us moms of small children out on a Saturday night. What? you can't see me? Well that's because I was the one in the purple bat girl get up, it's true.

and my personal favorite....
very gangsta!

So now you know what i was doing Saturday night, don't judge!

Musical Mondays

2010-04-26T12:33:00.003-06:00

Keith Urban More CMT Music More CMT Music Videos

before i forget

2010-04-25T14:35:00.018-06:00

My photo essay on our last trip to the promised land.
I needed to hurry and get this post in before my next trip to SLC for the C.B.C. and because, lets face it, I'm getting old and forgetful. Our first stop was me and the four little ones you see below. Smarty and Mr.Nielson were already at the State wrestling tourney so we met up with them there. I wasn't wanting to sit in the stands with my well behaved children and make other parents jealous of my parenting skills so we waited outside in the parking lot.

It was worth the trip because HE TOOK 6TH PLACE!! It's his first year wrestling so the fact that he medaled(1-6) was indeed an accomplishment. Besides look how excited they were to see him after he got his medal! We parted ways with Mr.Nielson and went on our merry way. To my children it's not a VACAY without a little pool time. With the stress of the wrestling season over it was time to chill and my number one tip for Single Parent Vacations is to keep all those 18-and-unders worn out!

CASE IN POINT this is Bubba who had climbed to the very back of the Excursion to get himself a go-gurt and fell sound asleep still holding it in his hands. Photo courtesy of ms.B

his fatigue may have explained how he gave himself a black eye..... The injuries continued with ms.B spraining her ankle to the point where she needed crutches to walk. Had we been at home she could have slummed it on the couch but we had places to go and people to see so crutches it was. Here she's not so patiently waiting for Sissy Kera, Jill, Camille, and Joanie. Unfortunately Jill did not end up coming to feast at one of my favorites and partake in all the chaos 10 kids 8 and under brings... Next was the Tea Party Express at the State Capitol. All of those who know me know how politically outspoken I am. I was worried about getting to outta control so I sent Smarty to represent. (P.S. guess what ms.B made in primary today? A Don't Tread On Me sign. Mission Accomplished.)

While we were down it was my Grandpa's BIRTHDAY!! I didn't get any photo's of the shindig at the chuck-a-rama but I did get a photo...or two of Yo-Yo, my aunt RaDawna's baby.

After nearly dying on the way back to Sissy Keras I took a step back to reflect and prioritize the things most important in life so we then....

SHOPPED
SHOPPED

and SHOPPED some more :o)

I wore them OUT! The next day was Easter and all the fun that comes with that.....

THEN the ride home. All kidding aside I am very grateful my kids are such good little travelers.

We made it HOME SAFE with one day left before school. I took them to see "How to Train Your Dragon". Apparently Bubba already knew how to train his Dragon so he was pretty much bored.

thankfully he got my flexibility;o)

I still don't think I've recovered but there's no time I've got to get unpacked to get packed back up again.

Sincerely,

The Zoo Keeper

for better or worse-really?

2010-04-20T21:15:00.008-06:00

This past weekend i took a trip, a trip to see a very dear friend. It wasn't planned aaannndd wasn't very organized but that wasn't important what was important was that i was hurting because my friend was hurting. I've known my friend for 13 years. We lived together off and on until i was married and i consider her my sister. She was spunky, scrappy, feisty, and fearless and we had a BLAST! After 9 years of marriage and 3 kids my friend found out that her husband has been cheating on her for at least the last two years with many different women.

I know there were problems to start off with. I know he cheated on her when she was pregnant with their first baby. I've always hoped things would be ALL BETTER but now my beautiful friend seems to be quiet, timid, and without her spark. I've heard and seen first hand his insensitivity and overcriticlness towards her. I'm sad and I'm MAD!

What gives these men(and I'm sure some women) the right to do this to another human being? It appears to me at this moment in time that he's not going to change and I'm afraid my friend has been emotional abused. I don't see her leaving unless he kicks HER out and I'm worried if that was to happen she might end her life. I don't understand it, I just don't comprehend it.

From the outside looking in I wonder what is worth staying for, what is left to fight for? How can i EMPOWER her? How can i give her the strength she needs to say i don't deserve this and i won't put up with it? Please help me help her, what would you tell my friend?

The Easter Dressings

2010-04-11T19:22:00.006-06:00

So coming very soon will be my recap of my ever so event full trip to the promised land but in the mean time here's my pride and joy's in their sweet spring attire.

So here's what i bought. kinda blah i thought-

So i worked a little magic and this what i got-

please excuse the faces, i swear it's such a pain trying to take a photo of all of them smiling pretty but i was happy with how they all turned out. A little snip here and little green there and voila Easter duds!

Today's Spiritual Thought

2010-03-14T11:40:00.004-06:00

Okay okay not to spiritual but here you go.
I thought i would make it through this cold and flu season unscathed but i guess you can't "party like it's 1999" and not end up with something. So while i lay here this sabbath morning hoping this will pass very quickly and looking at my work that's sure piling up fast around me the thought occurred:

My Dishes and My Laundry
do not define me.
but perhaps those perfect little hand prints on my stainless steel fridge.... do.

Pig-Pen

2010-02-26T13:40:00.001-07:00

Today for the second Friday in a row there was no school. HOORAY.....maybe. My plan was to pick-up today since it's the first day in a very long time i haven't had to leave the house or had any appointments. So the morning started out pretty good. I had the whole kitchen done by 9am and it was on to the living room, dinning room, laundry, basement, and bed rooms. So my living room was looking super fab, I was excited and making progress! Onto the dinning room but first a drink of water and to my SURPRISE grape jelly streaks across the counter, all down my dishwasher, and on the floor where i also found pistachio shells. So i get that mess cleaned up and go to find the perpetrators in the living room(where i had just come from) and SURPRISE pistachio shells AND peanuts all over the floor. Round and round i went thinking what is wrong with my kids. Then i remembered Pig-Pen. As a kid i could not figure out what this kids deal was. Why did he have a little dust cloud following him everywhere he went. WEIRD! After looking all around my house, and many years, and five kids later I GET IT!

Now can anyone tell me how to stop five Pig-Pens?

text etiquette

2010-01-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

Soo i could not go without sharing this little bit of fun i had the other night. If it bores you i apologize. Really I'm only writing it out for my little sisters. To follow will be a series of texts i received and sent two nights ago...and might i add that I am so glad texting was not around when i was dating....

Jodarryl: Hello pretty lady

me: Who's the pretty lady?

Jodarryl:You're a RA

me: RA?? Rheumatoid Arthritis? Rental Agreement?

Jodarryl: like rhiannon actually. or rhiannamorph!

me: umm....the horse goddess?

Jodarryl: nahh the dinosaur. anyway ima bring some mike & ikes we can eat mike & ikes and drink sprite. then we can drive around for a bit.

me:hmmm but you don't know where i live...

Jodarryl: sure across the street from sawyer. it's not too far from my place. ill pick you up and we can cruise around and eat that candy should be fun :)

me: umm i'm 29.....i think you might have the wrong #

Jodarryl: dang you got old fast since i went to alaska!

me:29 is so not old RUDE!!

Jodarryl: no its not. but you were 16 when i left.

me: hmm not unless you went to alaska in 1996

Jodarryl: nahh i must have been given the wrong number xD da** i thought i was just f****** with my friend. i sincerely apologize maam.

me: hey no problem...just keep your nose clean ;o)

Jodarryl: haha i honestly have no idea what that means :(

me: it means stay outta trouble

Jodarryl: ahh i don't do a very good job at that haha but what's your name? you seem nice

me: wait wait how old r u?

Jodarryl: im 17 y?

me: i gotta go but you have fun with your sprite and mike and ikes!

Jodarryl: haha whats your name?

me:is yours larz?

Jodarryl: nahh but i know a larz. im jodarryl

me: hmmm well i googled this number and saw it was a Larz..(he listed the # on his "myspace")

Jodarryl: haha no maam thats one of my best friends nickname tho. im guessing you're not

going to tell me your name. am i right?

me: if i was 17 and single......i'd think about it...Sorry

Jodarryl: OUCH haha i understand

Friday Book Review

2009-12-18T15:24:00.001-07:00

Well not that it matters that it's Friday but I wanted to share with you my new favorite Christmas book

It's not ALL OF the other reindeer

it's OLIVE the other reindeer!!

I give it 2 thumbs up ;o)

2009-12-15T22:48:00.000-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

It's a Beautiful World

2009-12-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

The Grapefruit Syndrome

2009-12-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

Since the end of a six year long friendship and after much thought and discussion I have come to the realization that the majority of us are far to negative. Now with out going into to much detail I want you to know how and why "I" think things went so wrong.

I had my feelings hurt by this friend a few different times but all right in a row. So I decided to write a letter to this friend, read it to my husband who then said "i really don't think you should send it" but what did i do....i sent it anyway. My way of rationalizing it was that I needed her to know how "I" was feeling, and that hopefully she could and would tell me why "I" shouldn't feel that way. That what "I" was seeing and then feeling was not how things really were.

This is not what i got. What i got was the "silent treatment" and a now former friend who is now more self-conscious around others then she was before, alienating most everyone from her.

Daddy and I have talked about how things have gone and I've only heard "I told you so" a couple of times. I've sat and tried to decide if I had it to do over again...what would i do differently. I think the most profound thing Daddy said was "is what you did SELFLESS or SELFISH".... It was obviously selfish. I was more worried about "ME" and the "NEGATIVE" things i was seeing and feeling. That was the reason for the failed relationship.

I was reminded today of story and although it's between a husband and wife i think it can most definitely be applied to any relationship.

As a young wife, I learned that the taste of marriage could be sweeter if I didn’t focus on my husband’s faults.
My husband and I had been married about two years—just long enough for me to realize that he was a normal man rather than a knight on a white charger—when I read a magazine article recommending that married couples schedule regular talks to discuss, truthfully and candidly, the habits or mannerisms they find annoying in each other. The theory was that if the partners knew of such annoyances, they could correct them before resentful feelings developed.
It made sense to me. I talked with my husband about the idea. After some hesitation, he agreed to give it a try.
As I recall, we were to name five things we found annoying, and I started off. After more than fifty years, I remember only my first complaint: grapefruit. I told him that I didn’t like the way he ate grapefruit. He peeled it and ate it like an orange! Nobody else I knew ate grapefruit like that. Could a girl be expected to spend a lifetime, and even eternity, watching her husband eat grapefruit like an orange? Although I have forgotten them, I’m sure the rest of my complaints were similar.
After I finished, it was his turn to tell the things he disliked about me. Though it has been more than half a century, I still carry a mental image of my husband’s handsome young face as he gathered his brows together in a thoughtful, puzzled frown and then looked at me with his large blue-gray eyes and said, “Well, to tell the truth, I can’t think of anything I don’t like about you, Honey.”
Gasp.
I quickly turned my back, because I didn’t know how to explain the tears that had filled my eyes and were running down my face. I had found fault with him over such trivial things as the way he ate grapefruit, while he hadn’t even noticed any of my peculiar and no doubt annoying ways.
I wish I could say that this experience completely cured me of fault finding. It didn’t. But it did make me aware early in my marriage that husbands and wives need to keep in perspective, and usually ignore, the small differences in their habits and personalities. Whenever I hear of married couples being incompatible, I always wonder if they are suffering from what I now call the Grapefruit Syndrome.

Lola B. Walters, “The Grapefruit Syndrome,” Ensign, Apr 1993, 13

I have learned that what "I" feel is never more important then how "I" make other people feel. That always looking for the positive will keep me from seeing the bad. If we all lived this way day in day out how much better the world would be. To my former friend I will forever be sorry and am very grateful for the wonderful husband I have.

Show and tell

2009-11-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

my favorite picture from our trip
Daddy on 007. This was a big horse....then daddy got on him and he didn't look so big anymore..

Don't worry eat HAPPY

2009-11-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

I know I know i'm long over due...leave me alone..i mean read this then leave me alone....j/k
Look at this lady

Love her! Ms. Paula Deen!! I want to share with you something I learned this last week and here's the story:

Two women who were the best of friends worked at a spa in Hawaii as the cooks. To them there was no greater job in the world! Cooking good healthy food that everyone loved AND living and playing in the most beautiful place on the Earth what could be better? Well one day these lovely ladies got in an argument over something stupid...but still had to do their job together in the kitchen. Feisty as they were to one another they got the food done and on the table. Story over? No, cause what happened was that every person that ate the food got heartburn. Why? well maybe the food was spicy, maybe they all had a little extra stress going on, or maybe, just maybe the bad attitude of the two lovely ladies rubbed off on the food.

I was sharing this story with a friend and she told me that she knew that Native Americans have the belief that the person preparing the food would mold the behavior of those they cooked for. So the moral of the story? Be HAPPY when you cook! Know that your making healthy meals for your family and not only feeding their bodies but their spirits too!

My First Day Blues

2009-08-26T08:49:00.000-06:00

My pride and My joy.

Have you ever noticed that the first day of school has a certain smell. I noticed it in the air outside this morning. Maybe it's just me??

They're so excited to go I couldn't keep them if i wanted to.
For CRYING OUT LOUD the dog even wants to go!! Now we have a problem!

Here we go!

My baby boy!!

Have I made you sick yet?? My morning went off without a hitch other then my 3 year old would say "I'm sorry" to her big brother but wouldn't for all the rice in China say "I was wrong" sheeesh!! I blame their Father! I love having my kids home!! I love knowing if their happy or sad or hot or cold. I know they have to grow up sometime but when their this little?? The world is a scary place and my hope for the year is that they'll stay safe and happy.

Obedience and Trust

2009-08-25T12:25:00.000-06:00

My Husband

I have an eight year old who is giving me a run for my money!! I'm hoping it's his age and not my bad genes that are the source of his issues, you tell me. So Smarty has been having issues with listening and obeying which is giving me and Mr.Big some serious frustration.

Case in point:

I asked my son to clean the dining room.

meanwhile I'm folding his and his brothers clothes in my bedroom.

I walked out past the dinning room to put away the clothes in his room down stairs

my son is not in the dinning room and the jobs not done.

I go down to his room and there he is.

I asked him to please pick up his room since he'd obviously rather be there.

As I finish putting away his clothes I turn around and he's gone again.

I go back upstairs and there he is sitting in a chair playing his DS.

**sigh**

This past Sunday I think Mr.Big had enough of Smarty and his wayward ways. He first taught Smarty a little lesson on TRUST. He had Smarty stand on a short table and asked him to lean back. Obviously daddy would catch him and then he could start to explain what trust was. "if you don't do the things we ask then we can't trust you to do the things we ask" "obedience is trust and trust is obedience"

Mr.Big asked him to write about what he had learned and this is what he made:

It says "obedience means when somebody tells you something you do it." then there's a drawing with someone that resembles dad with a bubble that says "do not play your DS" and then Smarty's likeness says "yes dad". Mr.Big closed his discussion with a quote "It is better to be trusted than to be loved."
We'll see how this week goes.....

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

2009-08-21T23:11:00.000-06:00

So me, Daddy, Smarty, and Miley took cousins Player and Sassy with us. Whata beautiful morning it was! We went early in the morning so as we walked into the celestial room the sun was coming right in through the windows and it was beyond beautiful. As we walked out they posted a sign that said during busy tour hours the celestial room would be blocked off and they had blocked it off right behind us. I'm so glad we were able to see it!yeah for us!! Okay, I am so not proud of how this beautiful picture came about, ME sprawled out on the ground in my dress with only like hundreds of people standing around but it was really, really the only way to get this picture.
Me and Mr.Big wait where'd my neck go......has anyone seen it?
Look at these two cute girls!! They both decided that this was the temple they were going to be princesses in and get married in their beautiful purple marrying dresses. We ventured next to the reception tent where it was beautifully accented with items from http://www.osmonddesigns.com/ AMAZING!!! So go take a look or stop by their store in Lehi, Ut.

I love these kids!! What a good day and what good company!! Thanks to Sissy K for watching all the little ones. I really wanted to put these pictures up today because of how important the Temple is to me. Yesterday Morning my Grandfather passed away. I love him and miss him already but I'm so grateful for those sealing ordinances in the temple so that I can be apart of his family forever. I have been so sad but today in primary the lesson was on family trees and I talked to the kids about their ancestry and family history. I was able to tell them a little about my grandad and also how he, and i, and my kids, and their kids are and will forever and always be apart of Our Eternal Family.

Have questions?

http://mormon.org/mormonorg/eng/

Lucky Girl

2009-08-20T12:50:00.000-06:00

So I'm still knew to this whole bloggin thinger, but I love it! I'm having so much fun.....now I need to dress this place up a little. I've been shopping around for a new blog design and realize how much a computer tech I am not. I would love to be able to figure this all out myself and create a really sweet page but.... i can't. So in the mean time I'm having someone else do it for me(that's why I went to college right? ;o) So I've been looking and looking and I found this awesome blog that is adorable and has so much super cute stuff! Love it! Please check it out!!! and keep checking back to see if I've done my redecorating!!

http://www.luckygirlblogdesign.com/

do me a favor..... spread the word

2009-08-18T20:02:00.000-06:00

Here's my Tuesday Tip!!
I've spent the better part of this beautiful day cleaning out our excursion after our summer full of awesome trips, so my auto dilemmas are fresh on my mind. I have a thought I wanted to share and if you would please pass this on I would be very grateful.
This is my beautiful Excursion that me and my five kiddos travel in when we are all together. So that's me, sometimes my husband, and five kids eight and under.

Now I have never claimed to have perfect children and I do my best at "preventative maintenance" so that I avoid the unnecessary. I'm sure we've all seen those crazy people who like to take up not one but TWO parking places.......well, I'm one of those people. I would now like to explain:

In the photo below I have made an attempt at capturing the wing span of my BMW(big Mormon wagon). Now as you can see my right tire is on the line and with my driver door open i am to the line on the left. Have i made my point yet
Obviously in my advanced age I can carefully open a car door without slamming into the car next to me however my children have not been so fortunate. Here is another photo to illustrate better my point. This came from a post called "Ford Excursion attacked my Celica" oh yes here it is

So please, no more notes no more looks. Yes I do know what I'm doing. I do not take up two parking spots because i think I'm bad, or awesome or because I'm worried about my car. No, no I do it because I'm concerned for yours.
So please let it be known.

Natural and Organic

2009-08-15T00:36:00.000-06:00

So soon to come will be many super exciting stories of my trips, and hopes, and dreams but for now you'll have to hear me whine about a recent experience with my sister and some of our Chiclets. Look how cut they are!!!

Now all but 2 of the boys went shopping with me and the beauty queen. We saw many different places and faces and these precious babies were just the little troopers! We got lots of smiles and chuckles for these 7 little kiddos 6 and under until........yes, until we went to the "natural and organic" store.
We didn't even make it into the store before we encountered a woman who would not exit her car until we were no longer in her "area"......yes strange...we were fearless though in continuing on and upon entering the store a slight fight broke out over what else but the little tiny shopping carts. There were only 2 and of course we had 7 children so right then and there we realized the reason behind there only being 2 little carts. Apparently it's not natural or organic to bring more then 2 children to the whole foods store, the stares and glares became more then we could handle. The beauty queen made an attempt to divide and conquer and took some of them up to the restroom where things only got worse. Little Mooner opened a stall and found one shocked and UBER embarrassed woman who apparently doesn't believe in locking bathroom stalls. Mooner does her business and goes to wash her hands where she meets a woman who washes her hands like this:
1. turn on faucet to a low stream and quickly dampen hands
2.shut faucet off
3.get a small a mount of soap and scrub
4.turn on faucet to a low stream and quickly rinse hands
5.shut faucet off
6.tear small piece of paper towel
7.dry

mean while Mooner is taking a bath in the sink right next to her...teehee.the woman tells Mooner that she could turn the faucet off while she scrubs and Mooner looks at her an says "no, that's not what my mom teaches me to do" meanwhile the woman in the stall....is still in the stall, still to embarrassed to show her face.
Upon returning to me the beauty queen says she can't handle the stares and glares any longer and takes all but baby Eva out to the Excursion so that our beautiful, smart, funny,natural and organic children wouldn't be an annoyance to those around us.
Is it just my kids???
P.S. after all this they didn't have what i was looking for.

The Lazy Days of Summer...WHAT??

2009-07-12T20:40:00.000-06:00

There's nothing lazy going on here..... except maybe my children doing their chores no wait I meant not doing their chores...anyways I have many posts to catch up on but this is what three of us were doing last night.
DEMO DERBY!!!
Sporty getting up close and personal with his amigos...

What a good sport I am!!

Smarty with his T-shirt his dad caught!!

Our neighbour.....who decided he hadn't had enough derbying so he drove it home and crashed it into the cement wall behind our garage.....True Story

Cutie Brooke and the car her dad built..she won best paint job..... and came in third in the powder puff.

this is how we roll......

show and tell

2009-04-29T20:32:00.000-06:00

I found these going through some papers tonight and had to share them. One reason is because i love them. The other reason is they are apart of a brief period of my life that brought me much frustration! They are some of our engagement pictures. When my hubby and i were engaged we were cheap there I've said it. we were both young working full time but also in school full time so money was short and we made do. We had a few different people help us take engagement pictures and they never seemed to turn out and what we ended up using i was never very happy with till now. Now that time was almost a whole decade ago and we look so young and innocent i treasure all those crazy, messed up, blurry, offset photos! the ones I'm going to share tonight are the ones that my father took. they are beautiful and SO would have been perfect if he had been using his own camera instead of one he wasn't familiar with. somehow the resolution on these was so poor we couldn't use them. anyways

before I get all teary eyed here they are.

and my favorite.......

2009-04-22T19:27:00.000-06:00

So you want to know how mad my skills are??? I can drop a curling iron on myself leaving two nasty burn marks. It's true....

sluggers big day

2009-04-14T19:29:00.000-06:00

While baby Eva is recovering sister and brother Hannah and Slugger are visiting our house while she continues to recover. Today is Sluggers birthday so we just had to celebrate!

Streamers on the fan, their favorite decoration!

What 6 year old doesn't need a remote controlled airplane.
He's to cool for school! It was a spidery slugger day!!

little baby Eva

2009-04-06T22:59:00.000-06:00

It started out last Thursday when my niece Eva went in for her MRI and when the doctors got the results they scheduled surgery for Monday. I don't think anyone was thinking it was going to be that fast but i don't think the doctors were expecting what they saw in her MRI. Eva has Chiari malformation and a severe case of it. When I heard brain surgery my whole world stopped. I can't even imagine if it was one of my own babies so i made some phone calls to reschedule somethings and Saturday morning me, mooner ,and sporty packed up and headed for the promised land.

From what I understand this morning she went through a decompression surgery where they go in and remove parts of the skull and spine, and with Eva they also sowed a patch into the covering of the brain to allow for natural circulation of cerebral fluid because Eva's had been completely cut off. Eva's circulation had been cut off by her brain being tilted back on her spine so now that they have fixed the problem the repressurising of her head has made for a very miserable day for her. It broke my heart and it was all i could do not to cry when i saw her in her hospital crib!!

I stayed at home with Eva's siblings for most of the day and had a BLAST! I woke up to one 5 year old two 4 and two 3 year olds dying Easter eggs, raw Easter eggs might i add. fun times!! I loved seeing how much concern they have for their baby sister and what good kids they are! All day long they had to tell everyone "my sister Eva had brain surgery today". The look on a few strangers faces was priceless!

I had forwarded my sisters cause on facebook (Please Help Us Pray For Our Baby Girl... Just a few Prayers.....)to all of my friends but apparently not everyone understood that it wasn't my baby it was my sisters. When my sister got up there for surgery the nurse said "oh it's the facebook baby!" My sister was quite puzzled and then the nurse said oh you know my boyfriend i think, Stan. Well she figured out that she must have gotten her confused with me. Anyways long story short it's a very small world and my friend Stan from college who knew about the cause told his girlfriend who happens to work at primary children's and also just happened to be Eva's nurse this morning. How crazy is that!
Well I'm exhausted and rambling so please keep praying for our sweet baby Eva and hopefully she will soon be symptom free!!!

It's all your perspective

2009-03-08T20:51:00.000-06:00

It's not Daddy's favorite thing when I go to lunch with my friends but that day I think he ended up grateful because as I walked into the garage all I could see was a flame halfway across and nothing else but black. I of course remained calm as I ran screaming into the house to tell daddy there was a fire. He runs past me and says "well if it's bad call 911". I thought I'd wait for him to decide. Turns out it wasn't that bad but was only moments away from hitting the gas tank on the pressure washer. The only thing we lost was the pressure washer and of course the heater that had started the fire.

A day or two later Daddy decided to go back to work after about three months of having him home. As the moon and stars would have it, the morning Daddy leaves Bubba starts coughing. Not just a little cough a croupy cough. That night became one of those nights that blends into the next day because I was up all night with sporty because her baby brother generously gave her the croup only for some reason hers was far worse. Had I not been at home alone with 5 kids I would have taken her into the emergency room. Thankfully Smarty has a nebulizer for asthma that I was able to use to take the edge off of her strider. By morning I was exhausted! I called to get her into our clinic but they were unable to get her in till 4 pm. I thought I'd wait till then but she got worse as the day went on and it became an emergency. My wonderful friend Kim watched the other 4 as I went to the hospital. We got there and got things taken care of convinced them not to admit her and went to go home. As my luck for that day would have it my car wouldn't start. I remembered seeing some of daddy's friends in the hospital and went to see if they could offer any assistance and a short time later I was finally on my way home. Sporty's croup turned to pneumonia 2 days later to add insult to injury but we are now back to our normal crazy selves.

As I was going through all this I kept reminding myself that everyday we all make the decision weather or not to be happy. I had decided to be happy because the alternative was to lay on the ground and cry like a baby. I realized that I actually had allot to be grateful for. My garage and everything in and around it were kept safe, my good friend was willing to watch my kids, I have a hospital to take my babies to when they're ill, and when my car wouldn't start there was someone there to help. So I know there is always, always something to be grateful for.

Nothing but Net

2009-03-05T13:40:00.001-07:00

Our First Season of Basketball

Every Saturday morning at 8am we'd be at the gym. Me or Daddy, Smarty, and of course Sporty! That's dedication to me. When I played school ball I always hated the kids that would never pass to anyone else. I must have passed (no pun intended) this on to my children because this is not a problem with my child, in fact he would love it if the ball was passed 100 times from one end of the court to the other before the basket was successfully made. I LOVE IT!

It can't just be me!

2009-01-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

There aren't many days that I count down the minutes till my kiddies go to bed. Tonight was one of those nights! Tonight I wasn't just counting the minutes I was counting the hours, minutes, and then seconds!
Things were going alright today but I quickly got behind and then I ended up having to leave for a few hours when I was planning to be home getting things done today.
Before we could even get on the road Sporty slipped on the ice and beat up her face! This photo was taken hours later and looks much better then it had! Poor baby girl!!

Once we all got home I was feeling the need to pick up the pace and since the bigger kids were home from school I thought I would in-list them in the cause. I asked Smarty to help me with a chore in the weight room to which he bravely said "I didn't make that mess I don't have to help you". Hopefully you can imagine my shock because I was SHOCKED! I thought for a half a second and thought I would use this for an opportunity to teach so I went on to say "Do I eat the food that goes in your mouth? Do I ware the clothes you ware? Who makes that food? Who washes those clothes? If you don't want to help me I don't want to help you. I'm not going to cook for you or wash your clothes and you can starve and be naked!" whewww I do think I got my point across but not after giving up for the most part for the rest of the night. So there, now you know that things aren't always roses at the zoo!

On the brighter side I did pickup today a fantastic pair of shoes!

There now I feel better!

Me and the domestic goddess!

2009-01-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

Movie Reviews

Our Miley's Big Day!

2009-01-17T17:52:00.000-07:00

This week we celebrated Mileys Birthday and what a day it was! It didn't matter where we went everyone had to know it was her Birthday. I didn't necessarily mind because then it gave reason for the fantastic getup she came up with!

I had a Martha Stewart Moment and decided to make treats for all the kids in her class! That's a Cupcake in the Cone!!
I think they liked them!

What a fun day!

My Girls

2009-01-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

We had a few minutes before church this morning so I thought I'd play with my camera. Here's a few shots. I think I'll do sporty's again but all and all I think they turned out supercute! (I'm not biased or anything)

See Melanie I really do, do thier hairfor church!! ;o)

why we have kids!

2009-01-10T20:11:00.001-07:00

Just something I remembered from earlier this week, a moment that as a mom you can't help but feel pride and accomplishment. Ms. Miley and I were shopping together on a girls afternoon after getting 5 inches cut of my hair. So things were not necessarily going supper great anyways when Miley and I decided to go to Maurice's. We looked at shoes and clothes and Jewelry and mittens. After finding a few items we went to the counter to make our purchases. There was a lady in front of us in line so Miley decided to take a rest against the counter to the left of me and the lady ahead of us in line. A few brief moments later Miley let out a few toots. I looked a Miley shocked and said "say excuse me honey" to which she immediately replied "that wasn't me that was you". She thought that was awsome! Is there anything left to say? sigh

WE'LL PICK YOU UP

2009-01-08T16:35:00.000-07:00

The big boss decided he would pick up the kids from the school bus stop today. He thought he would do it polar style! Miley got a little chilly on the three mile ride and decided if she did some meditation it just might warm her up. Daddy said she had her back to him and miley said she just went ommmm ommmm and showed me her pose. She said it worked so I'll have to remember that one for next time I'm on a sled for a three mile ride when it's 25 above. Kids are great!
P.S. Just before posing for her picture Miley very sincerely asked if I knew anywhere I could get a Flying Unicorn!! I'm not nearly as creative as Lady of Perpetual Chaos and her princess helicopter so anyone with ideas is more then welcome!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST.....

2009-01-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

THE GIRLS

SWEET BABIES
PEEKABOO

TUFF GUYS

GOTTA GET THIER FIX SISTERS

WANT SOME?

WHO DOESN"T LIKE CAROUSELS

THE BOYS

MY LITTLE BUBBIE

GOOD TIMES

MOOBS?

I LOVE THIS PICTURE

More From The ZOO

2009-01-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

We went to the zoo with Grandma and our aunts and uncles and cousins and had a blast!

Here we are with grandma and all our cousins on daddies side.
.

Here's mommy and daddy!

Here's our grandma!

Here's our aunts and some of our uncles.

We don't get to see all our family together very often but when we do we LOVE IT!

New Years

2009-01-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

I haven't found the SD card that Christmas so for now here's part of our New Years at the Hoogle Zoo's ZOO LIGHTS. Moments after this picture Lilly was gone I couldn't find her anywhare and it didn't help that it was dark! Justin and I split up terrifird and after a few minutes later we walked back towards eachother to make another plan and you'll never guess who was trailing Justin? Lilly! I was ready to pack back up and go home right then! We didn't and i'm glad we didn't because my kids had soooo much fun! So here's some pictures of our awsome adventure!

First my kiddos!
Smarty taking a break on the elephant. Miley with her awsome zoo lights mug sitting in the snow. Here's Mooner and her light up Mug. Say Cheese!!

Sporty and her tounge!

My Baby Bubba
More pictures to come!!!!!

2008-12-22T11:25:00.000-07:00

Nothing says CHRISTMAS like a Warning from the Justice Court! Justin told the kids "Mommy's going to JAIL for Christmas". Ti's The Season!!

So apparently I need to explain myself. It all started when.......
Our Church ladies decided to do Secret Sisters for the holiday season, so me being the first counselor, I was more then willing to go along with this and add one more thing to my already CRAZY holiday season. The President then came to me a week or so into this and told me that my Secret Sister's daughter had come to her and that her mother (my Secret Sister) had been MURMURING because she had not yet been given anything so.......
One beautiful winter day I decided to purchase and deliver my Secret Sister Present I was trying so hard to feel not only the spirit of CHRISTMAS but the Spirit of CHRIST. So as I went about delivering my package a wonderful member of our local law enforcement saw that I didn't have a front license plate and decided it was the perfect time to remind me that having one was the law. So while running my plates and verifying my registration I called my WONDERFUL husband to gently remind him that I needed my licence on the front of my car. My husband offered to speak to the officer of the law and take the blame. When the officer did come back my husband told the officer he should be the one ticketed for the license plate but the officer told him that he wasn't going to give me a ticket for the plate, rather he was giving me a ticket for not wearing my seat belt. My ever encouraging husband then laughed and said "well there's not much I can do about that". Eventually my gift was delivered. I can't say I did it with a smile but it had gotten done.
The lovely picture above is of the letter I was sent from the Justice Court after forgetting about my GLORIOUS experience. In the end I am of the opinion that it is my responsibility to have my children buckled-in and safe, however if I don't want to keep myself safe for the 3 blocks I am traveling, this should be my choice. The ticket was paid and they all lived happily ever after.
Merry Christmas

Traditions...

2008-12-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

The mission..... A gingerbread house........ Mission Completed!

Snow Days

2008-12-13T22:09:00.001-07:00

Being that we received a foot of SNOW since last night I knew this was going to be an inside day today. So bright and early like all moms I made a list of all the things I had hoped to accomplish. Now I said HOPED because like all moms know, on any given day we are filled with hopes and dreams of what might be only to lay our heads down come night and think of all those things that still have gone undone. Well at least I do. But today was not one of those days and I am very grateful for all the things I was able to accomplish!! So I feel the need to MEMORIALIZE this for those less then productive days.
The room I decided was worth posting a picture of is Lilly and Evelynn's room. There was no exageration in my last post calling thier room a mess and it's always an accomplishment getting it put back together. Who knew 2 little girls could be such PIGGIES!
So for now I'll sleep tonight better having my feeling of accomplishment!

Hannah Bannana

2008-12-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

Ms. Brinley has recently gotten a new bedroom away from her sisters and thier mess. Her new bedroom is the boys old bedroom. So we cleaned, and we painted, and organized. The color? Well after watching Camp Rock Brinley decided she wanted a room like Mitchys and because it's aunt meme's favorite color. So now we have our purple rockstar bedroom complete with Hannah Montana! Now if only I can get her to keep her bed made!

our hero!

2008-12-03T11:58:00.001-07:00

Here's my kiddies hero!!

no not chucky, uncle sam in the backgroud! we wub you uncle sam!

2008-12-01T15:42:00.001-07:00

Now if only i could get them to remember Santa's watching!

my babies

2008-12-01T12:09:00.001-07:00

No thats not a deer and it's not a rat it's a Chihuahua!

It's Dora the explorer and Diego her cousin but in real life there brother and sister!

homemade or premade?

2008-11-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

So why is it that I have no troubles making rolls from scratch but I have never, ever once been able to make rhodes rolls. sigh!

Any secrets out there?

We're ready for Halloween. All of us!

2008-10-09T19:51:00.000-06:00

Here's Mister Tinkles all ready for the big day!!! Now if I could just get the kids to sit this nice for thier pictures!

This one is for you Emily

2008-08-29T00:11:00.000-06:00

Rock Star Alex, Mooner, and Bossy

They had to much fun with these teeth.

Mooner's 4 years old!!

2008-08-29T00:04:00.000-06:00

Here she is miss america...

Aug. 11 she turned the big 4 watchout world here she comes!

Oh yeah I almost forgot

2008-08-02T13:54:00.000-06:00

Monday is our 8th anniversery!

Here whats' new

2008-08-02T13:46:00.000-06:00

Colin and Brinley will both be going to school in a few short weeks and unbenownst to them they may be at a different school. We'll see how the next school meeting goes.
This will leave me with only three at home(sigh) they grow up so fast!