Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! We have had a wonderful, lazy day, and hope everyone can say the same. Tylor says that this was the "Best Christmas Ever!", so I feel like I did O.K. as a mom today. It is snowing here, and I am just so happy to stay inside our nice, warm house all day wearing my pajamas and taking it easy. Sometimes I actually remember to "savor the moment", and that is what I am trying to do today. I did want to take just a minute today to mention how thankful I am for all the goodness in my life. I am so very blessed! I have a husband that is wonderful to me, kids that I adore, family that I love being around (not everyone can say that!), and the knowledge of an amazing Savior that has given me more that I deserve. I am grateful for this time of year, and want to wish everyone all the best this holiday season!

Uncle J.R.'s Birthday

We got to celebrate my brother's birthday while he was at our house Thanksgiving weekend. I always love being able to spend time with my brothers. We went bowling and to dinner at a Japanese steakhouse (one of our favorite restaurants). It was a fun day!

Thanksgiving 2008

We had Thanksgiving at our house with my brother, J.R, and some of our friends (the Paskett family). We cooked way more food than we needed - but that was part of the fun!

Seeing as how it is almost Thanksgiving, I thought this would be a good time to write down a few of the things I am grateful for this month.
First of all, I am thankful for good health. After weeks of feeling yucky, I have been reminded of how nice it is to feel well! I am also very grateful for the sweet little things in my life - holding my kid's hands, hugs, smiles, thoughtful words, and laughter. I have been blessed so abundantly in my life, and I can only hope to be able to pass on some of that goodness to those around me. Lastly, I am thankful for holidays and how they make us take a break from our usual routine and spend time focused on those we love.
I hope all of our family and friends have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Number 6!

O.K., so I haven't posted much lately - but there is a good reason why! We are expecting another baby in May (that is number six for those who have lost count!). I haven't been feeling too well and fall asleep on the couch most afternoons, so I haven't had much time for anything but the necessities lately. This week I have started to feel a little better, though, so maybe I am through the worst of the nausea stage! Anyway, we are all very excited and can't wait to find out if this is a boy or a girl. People think we will be disappointed if this baby is another boy, but we would really be fine either way. We feel so blessed to have 5 healthy kids, and just hope and pray for one more healthy child. Bringing children into the world certainly is a miracle! Anyway, I need to go tuck some of my little ones into bed. Good night!

Uncle Wayne & Aunt Teri's Backyard

Coleton, T.J., Crew, and Tylor Taylor's aunt and uncle invited us over a couple of weeks ago to roast hotdogs and marshmallows in their backyard. It is always a treat to get to spend some time with family. As you can see above, they have a large raspberry patch that our boys went crazy on! Wayne and Teri also grow pumpkins every year and always let our kids pick out a few pumpkins to take home as well. They sure are good to us!


Coleton roasting marshmallows
Taylie enjoying a hotdog
Mike and Crew
Tylor

October Gratitude

I have set a goal for myself to write a blog every month about the things I am grateful for, so I guess I will start that now. First and foremost, I am grateful for the people in my life. My family and friends mean the world to me, and shape me into the person that I am. Second, I am grateful for good health. I have seen first-hand how much more difficult life is when you have health issues. It really affects every aspect of your life, so I am so thankful for a healthy body (and family!). The next item on my list would have to be the Gospel. Having a knowledge of a loving Heavenly Father and our Savior has made all the difference in my life. I know many wonderful people who do not belong to the same church I do, but I know they are missing out on some wonderful guidance from up above. I hope that doesn't sound like I feel I am better that anyone else, for that is not the case, but I know I have found the Truth in my life, and I just wish that for all my loved ones! Another thing I am grateful for is sunshine. This might sound corny, but it has been grey and snowy and cold here the last couple days, and it has really made me appreciate the sunshine and warmth. That leads me to another thing I am thankful for - our house! The saying is really true (at least for me), "There's no place like home!". One of my favorite things is just to have my family all home with me and know that we are all safe and warm and protected inside our little bubble! I am really not paranoid of the outside world, I just enjoy being home! Anyway, there are a few things to start out the gratitude portion of this blog. I know I am incredibly blessed in my life, and I just want to start being more grateful for my blessings!

Football Fun

Coleton is playing flag-football this fall. He has really enjoyed it, and I (as a mom) love the fact that we didn't have to do tackle football at 6 years old! This way he gets to learn to play football without as much risk of injuries. He is quite the little stud on the field! :)

T.J.'s 1st Preschool Fieldtrip

It is hard for me to believe sometimes that my little T.J. is big enough to go to preschool this year - it seems like he was just a new baby not that long ago. It is amazing to me how quickly children grow up. Anyway, for his first preschool fieldtrip, T.J. and his class went to the Zoo. Parents were welcome to come along, so Jaymon and I also went. I guess I haven't taken them to the Zoo for awhile because they were so excited to see everything. The Zoo here is not the greatest, but the kids enjoyed it. Jaymon was so funny repeating the names of every animal I told him (in his own cute ways). It was a beautiful day, and one of those mornings when everything went right and you think to yourself, "I should do these kinds of things more often!" I think I need to do better at taking T.J. and Jaymon on outings so they can explore the world instead of watch me do laundry again! I guess there is always room for improvement in life! Here are some pictures of our Zoo trip...


T.J. and some of his classmates
T.J.
T.J.
Jaymon and T.J.
Silly Jaymon

One Last Day of Summer

Some of our cousins came to visit us, so we decided to head over to the splash park for one last afternoon before the weather gets too cold. The kids had such a fun time with their cousins for the few days they were here - we wish they lived closer!

Tylor

Jaymon

T.J.

Dyllon

Taylie

Coleton

Jaymon and T.J.

Janna and Grant

Air Show

A couple of weeks ago, we went out to the Air Show at the Air Force Base. The kids love to get to see the airplanes up close as well as watching some doing tricks in the sky.

Here is our crazy bunch looking so cool on the wheels of a plane.

Tylor got lessons on how to fly the airplane - but I don't think he learned
how to read all those dials in the 5-minute tutorial!

This is what it would look like if I was the pilot - there would be lots of helpers in the cockpit!

One of our favorite parts was seeing the Thunderbirds perform.
The kids wanted to check out the planes after they landed.

We had to end the day with snowcones!

T.J. the Soccer Star

T.J. is playing soccer for the first time this fall, and he is about the cutest thing ever to watch! These are some pictures from his first game, in which he scored 5 goals! My favorite part of it all, though, was when he came running up to me and said, "Mom, which way?" :) T.J. really tries to do his best, and I love to see his effort and determination. Yep, T.J. is AWESOME!

Picking Corn

Taylor has some extended family that owns a farm and lets us come and pick corn every year. It is some of the best corn you will ever taste (we ate some right out in the field), and we are so blessed to be able to freeze a bunch of it so we can enjoy it all year. This was also a fun activity for the kids to do. They loved going deep into the rows where they couldn't be seen so they could find the biggest and best corn. When we left, the kids were all asking when we could go pick corn again - maybe we should have been farmers! Thanks, Zeyers!

T.J.'s Birthday

Our little T.J. (with the BIG personality) turned 4 years old August 31st. We had 2 of his friends (and their families) over to celebrate. It was a pretty simple event, but it served the purpose. We had pizza, played Pin-the-Tail on the Donkey, did a pinata, and had a Cars cake that I made for him. The other little boy with T.J. is his good buddy, Grayson. Maybe I am biased, but T.J. is a very cute boy!

First Day of School

We sent 3 nervous and excited kids off to school and just prayed that all would go well for them. It just makes everything so much easier if they actually enjoy school. Coleton went to first grade and it was quite a change to have him gone all day. I miss him, but I don't miss the fighting with T.J. all day long! Taylie went to third grade, and Tylor went to fifth grade. Next year Tylor will be in middle school, which I am still in denial about. So far, the kids are all enjoying their classes and seem to have great teachers. It looks like it should be a good year!