Celebrating Our Anniversary

First off, I just wanted to say HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Captain America and I. 15 years ago today, he and I were married in the Portland Oregon Temple for time and all eternity. Best decision I ever made! I love you forever, sweetheart!

Great day yesterday! My Monday was really very good! It started off at 7:40am. I read scriptures, then got on some workout clothes, then woke up the little boys. And shaved their heads. Joe had SUCH long hair, it was WAY past time for a haircut. Then Jim.

Then I woke up Jake, and shaved his head. Then Tom. And here's the BIG pile of hair. hehe. No one was particularly happy to be woken up to get a hair cut, but they sure did look a lot better when it was all done.

They all jumped in the shower, and got ready for our SUPER busy day. We needed to leave the house at 8:20am, and at 8;30am we finally left. I couldn't find Eme's inhalor. I looked EVERYWHERE and couldn't find it. SAS won't let her stay without it. I was SO upset that my "kid free" day was gonna be "ruined" with kids. hehe.

I said a quick prayer, and found it within 2 minutes. Thanks, Heavnely Father, for helping me look in JUST the right spot! I grabbed it, loaded up the kids, and off we went.

First stop, Milam SAS to drop off Joe, Tom, and Eme. Tom was SUPER mad that he had to go to "childcare". I knew he'd had fun once he was there. They were going to the Franklin Mountains to go on the Nature Trail for a field trip! The same one that we did last Friday. The one that Tom and Eme missed! Sweet, huh?

Next stop, Milam CDC to drop off Jim. The kids were outside playing, and it was a BIG playground with tons of fun stuff. Jim was pretty excited.

I just HAD to pull into this parking spot in the Suburban and take a picture. Too funny, huh? We're DEFINITELY not supposed to be parking here...


Last stop, Milam Youth Center to drop off Jake for Horse Camp. I filled out some paperwork, and they were ready to go. All the teens looked a bit sleepy. hehe. It was a little after 9am when I finally headed back home.

Because I hadn't "boxer-proofed" the house in my mad dash to get out of the house, Boxer had trashed the trash can. There was garbage EVERYWHERE.... And I still hadn't cleaned up the hair mess. And the house was just messy in general...

I decided to go on a walk with Boxer. He was SO excited when I grabbed the leash that he was practically dancing around the house. hehe. And off we went.

He was pretty gung ho the first half, but the last part, I think he was getting tired. He's not used to being walked. I turned around a tad bit before the 1/2 way point. Because he kept stopping in the middle of the trail and laying down. Yeah, that's not a good sign. hehe. I made sure to walk him through a few sprinklers on the way home to cool him off. Poor dog. I'm gonna go earlier tomorrow. Less hot that way.

And sometime during my walk, my phone freaked out. Could be because I was talking to my mom, and sweating on the thing. But the home button stopped working. And anyone with an iPhone or iPad knows, that's how you navigate between apps. So I had to turn the phone off EACH time I wanted to use another app. And somehow, the phone took a picture of my home screen. Strange, huh?

I got home around 10am, and Boxer was SO done. He got a HUGE drink of water, and sprawled out on the floor. Silly dog. Yeah, maybe he won't dance around so excited tomorrow when he sees the leash. hehe. I think we'll just walk to the tank and back. Shorter walks at first...

Anyway, I hopped in the shower, and got all pretty. Figured if I was gonna shower, might as well look good, right?

Amanda came over to pick me up at 11am, and we proceeded to go and get Maggie and Kari too! And off to L&J's Cafe for lunch! It was Terra's birthday party AND graduation from college party! Way to go, Terra~!

Charlotte, and Terra and Eryn met us there. We were seated right away, and had SUCH a nice lunch. Chatting and laughing and eating. What could be better???

Amanda

This is a GREAT picture of Kari!

Terra

Eryn

Amanda ordered a HUGE plate of Guacamole. Nasty stuff.... But everyone seemed to enjoy it :)

This time, the dubbed "White People Salsa" was SUPER hot, and this red salsa wasn't. Go figure...

Charlotte and Maggie

I LOVE L&J's because they have DDP...

It was SO cold inside the restaurant, that after we were done eating and chatting, we stood outside and warmed up. hehe. Then we all headed back to post. Amanda dropped of Kari first (And I snapped a quick picture of Captain America's truck for him - Brian, Kari's hubby, has been keeping it running for him), then Maggie, then she dropped me off.
I changed clothes, and got to work. I spent the next 3 hours straight cleaning. I did dishes, and counters, and sinks, and floors, and decluttered and straightened and swept, and organized, and sweated, and drank water, and sang REALLY loud to all my songs. hehe. And my house looked SO good when I was done. hehe. It needed it SO bad. I also started some Crock Pot chili. Amazing what I can accomplish with NO kids around :)

At 4:15pm, I got in the truck, and headed over to Biggs to retrieve the kids. I got Jim first, then went to get Joe and Eme and Tom. And Tom LOVED it! He said it was SO much better than the Logan SAS. hehe. Good to know. At least I don't have to feel bad about dropping him off there anymore, right? hehe. They ALL wanted to come back tomorrow. Sorry, guys, we only get 16 free hours a month... The next day planned is Next Tuesday.

I called over to the Youth Center to see if Jake wanted to come home, but he didn't. So we headed back to post. And swung by the Commissary to pick up a few essentials. 4 kids at the commissary is a little stressful, but they did pretty good. And we headed back home.

And Terra and kids and Amanda and kid came over for an evening Pool Party! I fed everyone chili and chips, and then they all got in to swim. The moms didn't, but the kids did. I filled up the little pool for the twins, and Eme had a friend from Purple Camp who lives on our street who's name I don't know yet come to play. She seemed like a very nice girl.

This swimsuit is SO old. It used to be my moms. hehe.

She wanted in the big pool SO bad, but couldn't go without Eryn. Eryn went in with her for a bit, but didn't wanna be in there with all the crazy kids. hehe. Don't blame her :)

Joe's Dorito hands, and the HUGE mess Jim made with the Sunscreen. Turd...

At 6:40pm, I left Terra and Amanda in charge, and drove on over to the Youth Center to get Jake. He'd had a GREAT time at Horse Camp, and then a fun time at the youth center from 1-7. He seemed in a great mood. Yeah!

He didn't wanna get in the pool when we got home, so he just ate some chili and hung out and watched a movie on the couch with Boxer.

The party wound down around 8pm, and I had everyone change and get ready for bed. Joe and Jim went to sleep, and Jake and Tom and Eme did their chores, then wanted to hang out in the living room and talk. Can't say no to positive sibling bonding, right? hehe. I retreated to my room to blog, and it's now 9:35pm. I'm finished here, and am gonna go check to see if they ever went to bed.

Jake goes back to Horse camp tomorrow, a little earlier this time. 8:25am. And I have therapy on the West Side at 9. So it should work out great. Tom is babysitting. And then we're doing free lunch at the childcare center at 11am, and a Slip N Slide party at Amanda's house. FUN times! I'm excited :

Click on the link below to go to my account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks!

4shared
box.net

OMHeavens, Sharon, this is PERFECT! Totally gonna snag it and make it my profile picture in honor of my anniversary for Facebook. *Hugs*

What's Going On?

Not much to report today. We got up a little after 8am, and HURRIED hurried to get ready for church and out the door. Grabbed quick breakfast, no showers, threw on some clothes, and out the door we all went. And everyone got up and came today. Thank goodness!

I was really quite impressed with Jim during Sacrament. He sat quiet most of the time. I was quite proud of the child. Jake did almost great. He started to get bored towards the end of sacrament, and started poking people and being a tad loud. And then during the closing prayer, the sister who gave it said it in Spanish. So Jake turns to Tom and goes "bla bla bla bla bla bla bla". And he was sitting 4 seats away, so it was hard to shush him. Sigh. i guess that's what he thought it sounded like.... Kids are so embarrassing sometimes. hehe.

I sent the kids to their primary classes, and saw Charlotte and Sister Wilkes in the hall. She teaches Singing time. She and her hubby had spoken in church today, so he hadn't had a chance to feed her newborn before Primary. She asked if we could cover for her. Certainly!!!

We did a reverent song, then a few wiggle songs, practiced the Father's day song for next week, sang a few more songs, and turned the time back over to the primary counselor. And Charlotte and I ducked outside for a Diet Coke. I know, I know, we're sinners. hehehe.

The older couple missionaries assigned to our ward came in as we were chug-a-luggin', and joked with us that we were outside chugging a beer. ROFL! Those old people had a sense of humor. hehe.

Charlotte headed back to class, and I headed down to Relief Society. We still had a few minutes before it started, and I hung in the halls for a bit. Jake wandered down between his classes, and we chatted for a few minutes. Then it was time for classes.

Our lesson today was all about the value of Work. Teaching our kids to work, working ourselves, understanding the lessons to be learned from work. It really was a great lesson. And work doesn't just have to be the 9-5 job where you get paid. What I do is work. Believe me. hehe.

We all loaded up after church, and headed home. We're still listening to "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" in the truck. We're on the 2nd book, I think. It makes for a nice, peaceful trip home. People are quiet and pay attention. Gotta like that.

We got home, everyone had some lunch, and I told the kids that AFTER their rooms were cleaned and their chores were done, they could watch a movie. And yeah, they didn't do it. So they didn't' get TV privileges.

I cleaned my room for a bit, and sat down to watch some 24. And watched TV and napped on and off all day long. I left my door open so I was aware of what the kids were doing, and still got a little bit of rest. I really wish they'd have done their work. That way, they could have been quieter while watching a movie. hehe.

Eme's friend from the neighborhood came over in the early evening, and the two of them sat outside on the porch swing and chatted for a good hour. I had Eme get her address so they could meet up again. She and Eme met a Purple Camp last week.

Terra came over as she and her girls were out for a Sunday drive, and we chatted in front of my house for a few minutes. Of course, my kids had to follow me out. ha! I was trying to escape from them. LOL.

The kids had fries and ketchup for dinner. Don't judge me too harshly. I was tired. LOL. And yeah, well, Jim came to me crying at one point, and for just a second, I panicked. Then I smelled the ketchup.

Nothing that a nice warm shower couldn't fix :) Kids went to bed at 8pm, and Jake and Boxer finished up their chores and sat and watched a movie on the couch. I watched some more 24, and blogged. It's now 10pm. I may watch just ONE more episode, and go to bed.

Jake had Horse camp from 9-1 (Youth center after that), and I'm taking the other kids to daycare from 8:30am-4:30pm. I'm pretty excited for a day off. ha! Even if I just come back home and clean, I'd be happy. Terra's b-day was Saturday, and the girls and I are taking her out to lunch at 11:30! I'm super excited for that, too! Hope to see you guys there, Terra and Kari and Maggie and Amanda and Alena and Charlotte!!!

Click on the link below to go to my account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks!

4shared
box.net

I know, I know, I'm asking for it, what with all the crazy photos. hehe. Thanks for this one, Sharon :)

Be Still, My Soul

Hey guys! LONG day again today. This first week of summer was brutal. hehe. I think I packed about a months worth of activities into 6 days. I think I need a Sunday for a "day of rest". Can I just sleep all day long? ROLF!

I got up at 7:15am, tried to make myself look presentable, and got my kids up and going. Leo had spent the night, so he and Joe got ready for the last day of Cub Camp, and I got Jim ready too. Eme and Jake and Tom opted to stay home and sleep in and relax. Can't say I blame them. hehe.

Look how TAN I'm getting!

I got myself a 44 oz and a 64 oz of flavored water, and was ready to roll!

Yeah, my truck needs cleaned out....

We got to camp about 15 minutes early, and everyone went to their classes. Jim to the nursery, and Leo and Joe to their Wolfs class. I went to set up for crafts. We were making a 2nd Indian game, and then Neckerchief Slides. Out of Sculpty (clay that you bake to harden). They were SO cool.

We had 4 groups that came through, 2 Wolfs and 2 Bears groups. I got to hang out with Paige from our ward. She's pretty fun! We had a great time.

But I was getting tired by the end, and wanted to go home.

Here's a Neckerchief slide that I made. My snake is eating a mouse. ROFL! CAn you tell I have boys?This one was just CLASSIC little boy. I don't know if he intended for it to look like a pile of poo or not, but Paige and I sure had fun laughing about it!

Camp got over at 12:30pm, the boys were given a hot dog, some chips, a water, and a popsicle, and we packed up to go. Thanks to the Stake leaders who made the camp possible! It was GREAT!

We headed home, and decided to stop at the Dollar Tree that's near the church. Because I hadn't been to that one yet, and Terra found it one day, and said it was WONDERFUL. OMHeavens, she was right! It's the BIGGEST one in El Paso. Simply HUGE! I'm gonna have to come back when I don't have kids and am not so tired. hehe.

I let the boys each pick out one thing (of course it took Joe FOREVER to decide), I grabbed a meal bar, and we paid and headed back home.

And we kinda took the rest of the day off. Leo stayed at our house to play longer, and we did some chores, and got in the pool. And watched some TV. And I took a nap. And we did more chores. And watched more TV. And played games in the backyard. And spent the rest of the Saturday afternoon/evening together. Josephine came over around 3:30 or 4pm, and stayed and played too. I'm SO glad that Kari's kids and my kids get along so well :)

Eme left for a few hours to go to a Birthday Party for her friend, Estefanie. And at 8pm, Kari's kids headed home, and my kids eventually headed to bed. I watched a movie, then started blogging. It's now 10:30 something, and I"m done blogging, and gonna go watch something on TV. Not sure what. Or maybe just go to bed.

My allergies are killing me today. I've never had problems with allergies before I moved to El Paso. I think, this time, it's the fires in Arizona and the lack of rain to wash the pollen away. My head feels kinda stuffy, though. Maybe it's just exhaustion. ROFL!

Click on the link below to go to my account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks!

4shared
box.net

Sharon, my dear, this is SO precious :) Thanks, hon!