Progress!!!

Yes, it finally happened.  We closed on our new house!  I am so super excited to get everything organized and in order in my life again.  There are sooo many workers at our house right now.  There are people working on the new wood floors, people stripping the wallpaper, painters, people working in the attic, and people installing our new iron fence around our pool.  It is so good to see progress in all that needs to be done.  I picked out most of my paint colors today and can I tell you that I stressed more about that than anything I've done in awhile.  I am really good at picking colors for cards/scrapbook pages but when it comes to home decor I STINK..... and I say that with a capital S!!!  I can say that I am learning and willing to make mistakes in the process.  I picked yellow for our Master Bedroom, blue for one of the half baths, tan for Bryan's office, and pink (of course) for my stamp room.  We decided to keep the wall paper in the formal dining room.  At first look I didn't really like it but after talking to people who have taste, I realize that it really could work for us.  I'm willing to give it a shot!!

Today also was the first day of school for the kids.  I will post pics of that later.  One thing at a time.  Hope everyone is doing well!!  

I can't sleep!!

It is 2am and I am still up.  I think the weight of the world is finally coming down on my shoulders.  What have I gotten myself into??  We are closing on our new house Tuesday, moving in on the 27th, and there is still so much to do.  Everyone has asked to help but I can't think of one thing I can delegate.  I just got up out of bed and wrote a "to do" list and it was one entire page long!!!  We are putting this house on the market next week, too.  The kids start school on Wednesday and I have hardly even given that a second thought.  They are going to be in a new school making new friends.  Are they going to adjust okay?  Madie had so many friends in her current school so I hope she will quickly make new ones.  I'm glad we are making this decision while they are so young but it is still going to be a little rough on them.  

Anyway, I hope I am able to fall asleep soon.  I have sooooooo much to do in the morning.  The main one is laundry!!  Our washing machine isn't fixed yet (that's an entirely different story) so my pile is growing and growing.  They will come and fix it on Tuesday, only two weeks after we called to have it fixed.  Not complaining, just giving facts.  :)

I hope everyone has a great week.  I just cannot wait to be in our new home and settled.  What a stressful thing moving is.

Piano

Madelyn & Katelyn both started piano lesson 2 years ago when they were ages 6 & 8. They have both done very well and love to play the piano! This year Andrew is going into first grade so it is time to get him started with lessons, too, but the only problem is we can't find someone who is able to take all 3 kids at once. Hopefully we will find a teacher in our new neighborhood who can fit us in, as there are at least 6 teachers listed in our subdivision. These pictures were taken of the girls at their piano recital in the Spring.

Our little Diva!

Our little Madie is sure growing into quite the Diva!! The other day I came home with a new pair of HSM2 jammies for her and to our surprise they came with a sleeping blindfold. She couldn't wait to go to sleep and try them out. Funny thing is that sometimes Madie walks in her sleep and she came all the way down the stairs and in to my room with those still on. I guess it's not really that funny, really.

We're moving!!!

Okay, the cat is out of the bag..... we are officially moving!!  The "SOLD" sign went up this afternoon and we will be closing on August 19th.  That means that I will have a lot to do in the next 3 weeks so wish me luck.  We are only moving 5 miles from our current home but it will be new schools for all the kids.  It's going to be a big change but our family is so ready for it.  Here are some pics I took today.  

Sweet Brayden

Peach Picking

Yesterday I took 4 of the kids to a farm to pick peaches. It was very hot but we got quite a few. I have 1 1/2 bushels sitting inmy kitchen waiting to be prepared. I'm going to make some preserves tomorrow and can some of the others. Here are a few pics I took.

Jonas Brothers Concert

For Katelyn & Madelyn's birthday they both got one ticket to see the Jonas Brothers. We have all been looking forward to this concert for 3 months. Bryan and I took the girls while the boys stayed home with a sitter. Here are some of the highlights.

Blackberry Picking!

This past Saturday our family started a new tradition. We went to a house out in the country and went blackberry picking. Everyone had their own basket except for Brayden who was happy watching us in his stroller.

I was able to make 16 pint jars of blackberry jam, freeze an entire gallon bag, and make this blackberry pie.

Happy 4th!

I love this video.

I love watching this video. A friend of mine e-mailed it to me tonight and I re-watched it. It is very touching and a good reminder that we are all God's children and we can all make a difference.

The most important thing...

Lately I've been complaining a lot about everything. I have become the type of person who I used to avoid. My children have been driving me crazy, my house has been a mess, etc. etc. After reading an experience tonight that happened to a family with small children I am very humbled and blessed for all that my Heavenly Father has given me. I am going to start right now with a fresh new attitude of gratitude.

I love my children. This past month, during Summer vacation, I have felt very overwhelmed with the noise and chaos. I feel blessed that my children are healthy and active. Here are some pics I took of them tonight while they were sleeping. I am going to take my camera with me all the time like I used to and capture moments that will make memories.

It's just a little dryer, right??

Today we were reminded that we have to watch our children 24/7. I went in the laundry room to get something when I realized there was a pillow in the dryer and a little blanket right in front of it. I went around asking which of my children had been playing "in" the dryer. Madie & Andrew admitted it was them. This isn't the first time either that they have done this. Bryan & I gave them a HUGE lecture on how many children in America die from dryer accidents just like this. It really scared me thinking about what could have happened. I watch my kids SOOOO close!! It just takes 1 minute then BAM!! That's it!!! I guess this also has taught me that I need to stay behind on my laundry. I was caught up, for once, leaving an empty dryer in the process. That will teach me to never do that again!!!

Ally & AJ Concert- Part 2

After we rode a few rides we went and picked up a babysitter and took Brayden and Thomas home. We then took the oldest 3 kids and went back to Frontier City to see Ally & AJ in concert. We had such a fun time!! They are so good in concert. For those who are not familiar with Ally & AJ, they are Disney Channel stars who have their own band. We have their first CD and have loved it for a long time. Here are some fun pics.

Our Busy Saturday Part 1

Yesterday was a very busy Saturday for our family. We had a lot packed in to a very short amount of time. It turned out to be a very good day!!

Started out......... I woke up and still felt like junk! I've been sick since Monday and thought it would be gone by now. No such luck!!! I took Madie to a birthday party at a friends house while the rest of us got ready to spend the day at Frontier City. Here are some fun pics I took.

Better

Well, my goal is to be a better family blogger.  This will kind of be like my journal minus the personal and spiritual experiences.  

I am still very sick today.  I thought that my cold would be gone by morning but it was the worst day yet.  I just can't stand being stuffed up, sneezing, and coughing all day.  I'm a horrible mother when I do not feel good.  Just ask my kids and they will tell you the same thing.

About 3 weeks ago now I got a Macbook laptop computer.  I love it!!  I earned it, if you are wondering, by working for Bryan a couple hours a week for the past 5 months.  I cannot believe I have lived without a Mac for so long.  I was missing out!!  If you want a user-friendly computer this is the one for you.  I figured out pretty much everything in a few days and am constantly amazed at how easy it is to use.  I LOVE it!  Did I already say that??

Did I already mention that it was pink??

Okay, life is tough with 5 kids.  I think people look at me and think I am just this perfect mom on the outside but if they got a glimpse of how I really am they would be shocked.  I have a short temper with my children, especially when they don't listen which is pretty much all the time.  I am still looking for the right way to discipline.  I take away privileges and they just don't seem to care.  What more can I do???  Really, there is just so much noise in my house that I almost think I am going insane but.......... sometimes I really surprise myself that I am actually doing okay.  I know that I will look back on these years when they are young and wish for them back.  Right now I cannot even imagine that!

Hmmmmm, what else is new??  Bryan's practice is doing pretty well and we have been able to pay off some debt.  That is a really good feeling!!  We finally payed off my mini van and then, yep, you guessed it, it broke down a month later!!!  We ended up buying an 07 Honda Odyssey LX-R with Navigation & Entertainment.  Wow!  What have I been missing??  We got a pretty good deal on this car considering it already had 40,000 miles on it and it was only 1 year old.  We love it because it has an 8th seat and we always seem to just need "one more" seat.  Now we have it!!  

My mom came out to visit us for 10 days from Utah.  We had a really good time.  We didn't even argue once, which is a big accomplishment for us.  We watched a couple movies, went shopping, scrapbooked, watched Camp Rock, and I showed her how to make jewelry (now she is hooked!)  It was a really good time and we actually miss her around here.

One of the days she visited we were able to go to the OKC Temple.  It was a very special experience for me.  I love my mom and I was so happy to be able to share that moment.

On the first Saturday in June we drove up to Kansas, in our new car that fit everyone, including my mom.  We were able to participate in the Little House on the Prairie Days.  Those of you who know me well know that I LOVE Little House on the Prairie.  I am reading the series for the 2nd time right now and I own & have watched all 9 Seasons from TV.  It was a very neat experience to see the little log house that Laura's family lived in when they lived in Indian Territory.  You will have to read the books if you haven't already.  Here are a few pics.

Nope, I'm not pregnant!  It's just the shirt and I still need to lose that extra 20 pounds!

On the Friday before my mom went home we went to lunch at Inspirations Tea Room with some girls from church. It was such a neat "girls" place. We really enjoyed ourselves.