Christmas card 2009

See more HERE

flash-back a little catch-up a lot

See more HERE

Roobles is 11 months!

See Here for pictures.

Remember Revolutionary Wednesday?

Well, it has been on the back burner for quite awhile. I decided to turn over a new leaf the other day. I made my bed, and I tried a new recipe. Kyle immediately noticed the bed, but it took him awhile to notice the food.

We thought it was delicious. So delicious, that Kyle thought it was one of those heat up and serve deals at Costco (but of course even better). I worked hard in the kitchen and was waiting for his awesome reviews and of course his worshiping of the cook of the kitchen but I got nothing. I finally complained out loud and that was when he discovered that I had actually made it! Then of course the compliments were plentiful.

(recipe and picture from my kitchen cafe...just click on the big red words:)

Sweet and Sour Chicken

yum.

I followed the recipe and her helpful tips completely. Except we served it with broccoli. Hope you love it too!

Santa Baby!

I love Christmas and I love Traditions.

view Santa baby HERE

Another Arizona and monkeys in winter

Lots and lots and lots
see more HERE

Flashback Friday because it sounds better than Saturday.

I remember when Ruby wasn't sick. It was just a week and a half ago, although Kyle and I both agree it seems like 3 weeks ago.

Flashback Friday: November 10, 2009

One day while Isaac was in school, Luke, Ruby and I enjoyed the fall leaves and the unseasonably warm weather.

You think you had a bad hair day?
Take your pick--a nearly bald with a "lets try and pretend we have enough hair for this clip" kind of hair day? Or, "I just roll out of bed and my curls take care of everything else" kind of hair day?

Ready more HERE

A little bit of Thanksgiving and this and that...

Read it HERE

A quick one.

Next, we did this.
Lots of kids...wonder why so many more boys?
10 boys (plus three if you count the two at school and the one in Beka's tummy)
3 girls (plus two if you count one in school and the one in Stacie's tummy)
First picture Trey escaped.
2nd picture Henry followed
(I'm wondering if it is because he didn't want to be caught on film carrying around a naked dolly?)

On the third shot, we all got in the picture. These are some of my good friends from my AZ days. Miss them all! It is always so much fun to see them and catch up---even if it is just once a year. Thank goodness for blogs! Thanks for coming to lunch everyone! We missed you if you weren't there.P.S. I do have other AZ friends, but I have lost touch with them over the years. Hopefully someday I can hunt them down..or at least see them at a highschool reunion!

Where to begin, where to begin...

One of Isaac and Luke's favorite books starts out that way and I'm using it as my title because it correctly describes how I feel right now. We had a great trip to AZ, and I guess we were meant to stay there, because as soon as we get home bad things start to happen. Ruby is sick, Isaac and Luke are fighting non-stop, Kyle is perma-exhausted and I started to wish we could just eat out every meal and throw our kitchen away (but I might have always wished that).

But for the sake of blogging, I'm going to ignore all of that and just dive right in and blog about the last 2 1/2 weeks.

view it HERE

Running wild in October

View it
HERE
:)

You drive your mama crazy!

Dear Louie,
What am I to do with you?
See more HERE

fall is in my air

I love traditions. We have quite a few. One of our traditions is to take our kids to Cornbellys. This is a fairly new tradition since we have only been in Utah for 3 years, but have have loved every visit!

October 2007
Our first visit started a picture taking tradition with the singing chickens.

October 2008
(mommy was sick at home pregnant with Queen Bee...can you tell? Their clothes are coordinated for the picture...daddy tried his best.)

October 2009
We must like the colors orange and brown. And singing chickens.

See more HERE

Here are some Halloween crafts I want to make with my kiddos..any other suggestions?

Googly-eyed-green-blobs
silly little bats
monster hats

Dear Tooth Fairy

Dear Tooth Fairy,

I'm not the only kid around you know. Other kids need a turn too. Please leave me alone for awhile. Do you really need all my teeth all at once? At the rate you are going, my baby teeth will all be gone in just a few months. I have lost 3 teeth (all in traumatic ways) in about 4 weeks.

Let's review.

See more HERE

Never again...

...will I let that much time pass between posts.

I have way too much to catch up on and it is overwhelming. So overwhelming that when I think about doing it I quickly bypass the computer and head into my room for a little nap. Ahhhhh...and this just after I teach a mini class for enrichment on journaling!

Here is my catch-up attempt.

A summary in collages.

See more HERE

so much to catch up on...

But for now....

Roo is 9 months!
And she is crawling all over the place and keeping us on our toes...especially her mommy!


We love you Roobles!

Blog on the Back Burner

Too much goings ons...
HERE

Mouths...who needs them anyways?

Want more? Read it HERE

Growing up

Growing up

way, way, too fast.

see more HERE

Stale Mate

I don't want to refer to Kyle as a "stale mate" so I won't. BUT we were growing a little "stale" in the relationship/dating category. Are there times in your marriage that you feel like you are living with you roommate instead of your lover?:).......

Nah, me neither;)

But, I have attended some excellent enrichment classes lately that have really gotten me thinking.

How much time do I spend "dating" my husband?

I know I spend a lot of time cleaning, and fixing dinner, and grooming the kids, being annoyed, irritated, and frustrated and maybe a little bit on blogging.

It makes sense that Kyle and I should be spending a lot more attention on one another since we are supposed to spend like FOREVER with each other.

We decided to turn our game on!
Have I mentioned before that we like games? We aren't the board game kinda of couple (although we try every few months to pull out a game and pretend we are having the time of our lives). We do like a little friendly competition and we are always looking for ways to strengthen our family and our marriage.
So thanks to some enrichment ideas, as well as some ideas from some wonderful friends, we are ready to invest some more time in each others' well being:)

Here is what we have been attempting--

1. Light reading
Do you want cold gravy or cherry pie?
(a great article about keeping the romance alive)

2. Dating on a budget
Date at home : We alternate weeks and take turns surprising each other with our genius dating plans (confession--we were going strong for about a month...and then, well excuses, excuses!...we are ready to start again THIS week!)

3. Playing a game called our Our lovely little Jar.
I'm looking for the link to this but I can't find it right now. Basically we have a little jar and we are supposed to each choose one (keep it a secret) and perform that service during the week. I'm sure some people think it doesn't count because the idea wasn't he/she's idea. Well, I don't care about that. We are having fun and here is what we chose this week (we decided to just choose one to do together):
"This week issue a romantic report card. Grade each other A-F in the following categories: intimacy, creativity, gifts, communication, thoughtfulness. Be sure to talk about this one! As you are honest with each other, this can help you enrich your marriage in many ways. Keeping the lines of communication open is very important in every marriage."
Other ones have been...leave message in his/her lunch every day this week, compliment your spouse at least 2x a day this week, (Kyle) cook a special dinner for your wife (Emily). --Another thing I have learned over the years and that I keep on learning--men think differently than women, sometimes when we think they are being rude, they are CLUELESS!! Because, thank goodness, men and women have different brains!!
FYI--I am TOTALLY beating Kyle on this report card thing. He is SO far behind, I don't think he can EVER catch up:)

4. Just plain talking.
We have been spring cleaning around here in the last summer days (I guess we are closer to fall now) and I have come across some old letters and cards that we have given to each other. It has made for some fun subjects to talk about! Like how the cards that Kyle gave me in the beginning of our marriage were actually cards purchased at the store that had fun and loving and witty messages--But now, a few years later I am getting b-day messages written on computer paper...and this past year written on the back of some junk mail. We actually have a good laugh about this and I think it is just too funny! Kyle and I haven't really had a hard time talking (well hello, those of you who know me, know I never have a hard time talking) and Kyle DOES participate when he knows he needs to:) Sometimes we just talk about the yesteryears because it is always fun to talk about how we were smitten back in the day with no kids and how we are smitten still but with a little more baby drool and peanut butter fingers in between. I know some people have a hard time conversing in their marriage--you can always make a jar for this to help give you topics to talk about. A little more work, but I'm sure it is worth it!

Through the year of talking to others about their relationships, reading, and yes, Enrichment, I have found one thing that is key to doing any of these games. Humility. If I'm angry with Kyle because he didn't remember to choose a note from the jar and think, "why does it always have to be me who remembers this stuff? Doesn't he care? Doesn't he realize we are supposed to be a TEAM?" The games aren't fun. It doesn't matter whose idea it was, just that it is a GREAT idea. Woo hoo if it is you/me every time! Points for you/me!
I have also found that TIME is an issue...is it the right time to work on these things? I am too busy, I just had a baby, we just moved, we don't have a job right now, etc. etc...there will always be excuses! We have to start now and continue to do the things that will strengthen our marriage and our family.

What do you do to keep the relationship growing so that when the kids stop growing, you aren't stuck with a stale mate?

Over the years I have done many "programs" and "systems" in our family...I have tweaked and twisted them over the years to find what works best for us. I am still trying to figure it all out but here are some things we do in our family to STRENGTHEN our family.
Read more HERE

I'm thinking...

That I don't like my private blog.
We've had some issues.

8 months

Roo you are 8 months old now!
You are still a sweetie and so much fun.
Getting teeth is not so much fun though. You have 2 but I'm sure you have a whole mouth load just wanting to pop up--because you have been a little fussy and a lottle drooley.

See more HERE

The Balance of Life

I am still learning to juggle all the different parts of my life. I know most people do this throughout their lives but I am out to master this one NOW. I want to have that happy balance that works for me and my family.

I've been really thinking about what that is for me....asking myself a lot of questions.

Do I spend enough quality time with my children?
no

Am I spending enough energy on "dating" and "appreciating" my husband?
no

Will my house ever be free of clutter?
no

How many programs, chore charts, schedules, family cheers is too many?
not sure yet...still working on this one.

Does blogging have a place in my balanced life?
yes!

Well, at least I'm doing one thing right!

All joking aside, I'm excited to get this balance in my life. I'll let you know when I do. Hopefully very very soon. But until then...

I will blog about THIS

(if the link "this" doesn't work for you, you need an invite to my blog, leave your e-mail address.)

Stop and READ!

If you have this blogspot address on your side bar (blog reel) keep it there! I will be updating this blog with a link to our new private one each time...that way this blog will go to the top each time I have a new post so you won't forget all about me...which is what I tend to do with private blogs unfortunately!!

Here is my most current post (just click on it)
11 toilets, 4 urnials, 3 floors, 9 sinks and a mothers lounge later

You will need an invite to view it. Did I miss you?
Please leave your e-mail address if you did not get an invite!
I think I've figured out how to exceed the reader limit so we are welcoming everyone!