All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth!

After going toothless for the entire first year - Little Ethan finally has some teeth!!
Not only did he get his two front teeth for Christmas - Santa really delivered, and sent 6 front teeth!! He has two on the bottom (which you can barely see in the picture), and then four on top.

I call him our little vampire baby because his front teeth on the sides (the fang ones) started growing in first, so he looked like a vampire. At first I was a little nervous those were his front teeth, and I was beginning to think he was going to have some seriouse orthodontic issues - but Jen (who is a dental hygenist) let me know that the side teeth can grow in first sometimes, and that helped me feel a better. :) The top front teeth are slowly beginning to make an appearance now.

The boy is SO darn cute!!

Happy Birthday To My Hubby!!

Chris is now 30!!! The big 3-o! And he is as handsome as ever!
Because his birthday is on Christmas day, we had a suprise party for him on Dec. 19 so his family could be there. I wanted to have a special day that was all about Chris without any "Christmas Stuff" mixed in.
We did a pretty good job of pulling off the secret, until I had to let the kids in on the secret the day before because they were helping me run errands for the party. It was just a little too much excitement for the kids to hold in, and though they did a great job on keeping the BIG secret, they did end up divulging a few minor details to Chris - but not too bad.

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!! Thanks for all you do both in the home as well as at work and in school for me and the children. Thanks for keeping us laughing through it all. What a wonderful husband and father! You know the kids and I all adore you - and is it WELL deserved! Love you! And by the way - 30 never looked so good!

And another "Thank You" to Jen for letting us use her house, for all those who helped in any way, and everyone in the wonderful Horton family who was able to be there - we missed those that couldn't be there. It was a lot of fun!

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas this year was wonderful! We had a great time together on Christmas Eve. The kids all drew names, and then we split up and the kids went shopping for eachother. They had a lot of fun choosing gifts for eachother and then coming home and wrapping the gifts while keeping the secret of what was inside. Chris and I had a great time watching them!
For dinner on Christmas Eve, Chris made a FABULOUSE dinner with salmon, roasted potatoes, and roasted asparagus. It was DELICIOUSE!! Next it was on to all the family night kind of stuff for Christmas Eve.
The kids all had a wonderful time! It was fun to see them all get so excited about Santa, and of course Christmas morning was a blast!
We put together a little video about our Christmas. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Little Ethan!!

Ok, so this post is SOOO late - but better late than never, right? :)
Little Ethan had his first birthday! It was on Dec. 10. We had a lot of fun! Little Eaf is such a fun boy, we are so happy to have him in our family. His happy-go-lucky personality definately makes anyone smile! We Love You Eafies!

AND... Here is the birthday movie! This is why the post was so late - I was too busy getting ready for finals - but that is all over now, so I finally was able to get the movie done!

Dear Santa...

This is pretty good!

Christmas Tag!

Jen (Chris's sister) sent this our way, and I thought it was fun - so here goes.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bag? Wrapping Paper

2. Real tree or artificial? Really, Really, Really want an artificial - But also really like the smell and atmosphere of having a real one. Can't wait until the kids are big enough to go cut our own tree down.

3. When do you put up the tree? Because it is always a real tree, we have to go with the first couple weeks of Deccember and hope that the tree lasts till Christmas - it rarely does.

4. When do you take the tree down? Sometime between the day after Christmas and New Years Day - whenever I can get to it.
5. Do you like eggnog? LOVE IT! A total weakness of mine - even worse, I like it straight up man! I love the thick texture to it. Last year when I was out of commision from having a c-section with Ethan, my mom stayed with us and would make the BEST eggnog shakes! Totally not a good way to get started on losing the baby weight... :)

6. Your favorite Christmas gift as a child? The Popple I still have and my children now play with. THANKS SANTA!

7. Hardest person to buy for? I have a hard time buying gifts for most anyone. Shopping for gifts is not really my forte. :)

8. Easiest person to buy for? Any of the kids. I get have ideas for their gifts and am generally done shopping for them way ahead of time because they are so fun to shop for.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. A small one Debbi gave us. I would love a bigger one, but I am having a hard time finding one that is not hoky and that is still relatively kid friendly.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I don't have one, but one year for Chris's office Christmas party Chris gave a ratty, old, used toothbrush away - seriously disgusting, but it turned out to be pretty funny. :)

12. Favorite Christmas movie? The Christmas Story - love it!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually around September-ish. This year I actually had the big gifts for all the kids from Chris and I done in July. NOt too shabby!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I can think of. Wedding presents on the other hand...

15. Favorite thing to drink at Christmas? EGGNOG - I am a glutton for punishment. :)

6. Lights on the tree? Yes, white

17. Favorite Christmas song? I like all Christmas music, but I love the softer, more spiritual ones like "Oh, Holy Night", "Silent Night", ect.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home. I love just being with the kids and Chris all day, just a relaxing nice and cozy day at home.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? No, but I heard a funny joke about them from my dear friend Lesley who just moved to Arizona. Here it is...

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December. Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring. Therefore, according to EVERY historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, EVERY single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen, had to be a girl. We should've known... ONLY women would be able to - drag a man - in a red velvet suit - all around the world in one night ....and not get lost!

That is pretty good! :)

20. Angel on the tree or star? I would like an angel, but I have had a hard time finding one that is not hoky-looking.

21. Open the presents Christmas eve or Christmas morning? Pajamas Christmas eve and rest on Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Tacky Christmas music.

23. What do you want for Christmas this year? Oh, I havn't even thought of that - as long as I get A's in my classes I am good to go!

Ok. Now I tag all the lovely ladies who are reading this - Deb, Jo, Sarah x 3 (Sarah is a popular name), Rachel (and Rachel is just a darn good name) , Meagan, Becca, and mom - and anyone else who reads this!

Finally - A Christmas Tree!

Hurray! We finally got our Christmas tree up! Though I would love a fake tree, Chris loves real trees, and since Christmas day is his birthday - I lovingly oblige. The trees are always BEAUTIFUL for the first week or so, but then it all starts to go south, and by Christmas day, it is clearly evident that the tree has gone the rounds with 5 curiouse and excited children.

A New Room, And Old Toys.

Along with all of the other fun stuff we did over Thanksgiving weekend - somehow we were also able to repaint the boy's room! The goal was to get it done over Thanksgiving break before we got back into school, and we did it!

I have been wanting to paint it for them for a long time, and the boys have been eager for it to be done as well.

There was a big rush to get it done before Christmas because the boys bedroom plays a key part in one of the most AWESOME Christmas presents we got for the boys! The boys are totally into anything about outerspace, the stars, and the planets these days. So, right now we are in the middle of painting the boy's ceiling the same navy blue as the bottom of their walls, and I bought them an inflatable solar system to hang from their ceiling, and we are going to put glow in the dark stars all over their ceiling as well. I am SO excited! I know they are going to absolutely think it ROCKS!

So on Christmas Eve we always have a family slumber party downstairs (so Chris and I can go upstairs and be Santa's helpers after the kids all finally fall asleep). So this year we are going to put the solar system up and wrap their bedroom door on Christmas Eve so they will have to "unwrap" their bedroom! AWESOME!

And while we were repainting the boy's bedroom, the kids had the job of going through their toys and deciding which ones to give away. The kids had a hard time at first, but with a little coaxing (sinced I happen to be in cahoots with a little guy named Santa, and I know they are going to be replenishing their toy supply come Christmas day) they finally were able to clean out their toy boxes and part with a lot of the toys they no longer play with anymore. Then it was a trip to the DI. In the picture the kids are working going through the girl's toy box. They had a fun time doing it.

Ahhh - That Was GOOD!!

Oh, Ya! That is definately the sign that dinner was good - and Thanksgiving certainly was not a disappointment!

We had a great time up in Newdale with the Simper family. Dinner was fabulouse! The desserts were amazing! After we had eaten more than our fill, we all headed out to play night games with all of the Simper family. That was a blast, and even faced with the threat of frostbite on their sweet little toes and noses, the children were disappointed to have to go back inside!


On Friday morning, I was up and at 'em with all my sisters by 4:oo am, ready for the doors to open at JC Penny! We had a GREAT time - mostly just casual shopping and enjoying that we were all out enjoying a day of shopping together without any children - and no reason to fell guilty about it because all the children were at home asleep with the hubbies! By 8:00 a.m. I was able to have completed the remaining Christmas shopping I had left, and the kids were just barely waking up - GLORIOUSE!

Friday night, Chris and I totally wimped out, and rather than brave the weather with the kids for the light parade, we stayed home and played games with the kids and had chips and dip. The kids loved it, and we all had a great time.

Next, it was off to Debbi's house on Saturday night for more games and left over desserts from Thanksgiving. The kids all played with all their cousins, and the adults played some fun games. Chris had a research paper due for one of his classes on Monday, so I went with the kids, and Chris stayed home for some much needed quiet study time.

A fun weekend for all of us. I REALLY am not looking forward to the real world beginning again tomarrow morning! Oh well, a couple more weeks of school, and then a nice break for Christmas, Woo-Hoo!

Just Another Day At Work... a pretty grusome picture to follow - I won't feel bad if you skip this post :)

That is right - look a little closer, I really am holding an amputated FOOT!!
Ahhh, the joys of working in the grossing lab in the pathology department. This happened to be a particularly cool day! I was not kidding when I said that we take ANY tissue specimens removed from a patient. Amid all the gallbladders, placentas, and biopsies, this foot was on the line up for grossing as well.

The foot was almost a week old though, so it did have a certian unpleasant smell about it, but I still thought is was pretty awesome!

I TOTALLY love my job!! It is always a different day with new suprises waiting when I get to work. It's great!

"Mom, What is a Master?"

As with any mother of small children - I am constantly being asked question after question about the wonders of this life by my curiouse children. Though I am happy for their curiousity and their desire to learn - sometimes my least favorite word is "Why". Anyone who may not agree - just wait until you have 4 little ones, soon to be 5, asking an endless stream of questions. A lot of times, the questions come so fast and from so many different mouths, it is quite hard to keep up and remember which question I am answering - WHEW!
I do, however, like to answer their questions as fully and honestly as I can. I try to communicate the answers on their levcl without depriving them of the information and explaination they are seeking. So, the other day the kids were watching a show where one of the characters called another character "Master". As soon as I heard the word, I knew there would be a question to follow. Of course, the boys asked "Mom, what's a master?" So I tried to explain how a master is someone who is incharge of another person, place, or thing - the first object lesson that came to mind was the dog. I said "You know, like daddy is the master of Shilo (the dog), he tells her what to do, and she obeys." The kids thought that was pretty funny.
But Chris does a really good job with the dogs we have owned. He always takes the time to feed and walk them. He is a great dog trainer - the dogs we have had have always been very attentive and obedient to Chris, and Shilo is by far the best one yet. Dogs have become a sort of hobby for Chris. I am always impressed with the work he puts into them, and the respect and affection he receives in return. Anyone interested in a good breed of dogs - I would definately recommend a German Shepherd. We have never experienced a dog more willing to obey commands and quietly be a part of the family - Good Call Chris!

Night Out With The Girls!

Saturday night was an awesome night out with the girls! It was a night with the Simper sisters filled with laughter, food, and "Twilight"! We pre-ordered tickets for the Twilight movie for the late hours of the night (after the kids were in bed, so we wouldn't have to feel so bad about going). To get things started, we grabbed a quick bite to eat before the movie. Then, it was off to stand in line for an hour so we could get good seats - and it's a good thing we did, cause it would have been miserable to be the ones standing in the cold outside!

The movie was fun. There were a few hoky (?sp?) parts, but they did a pretty good job. Hopefully they learn from the mistakes made in this movie, and the next one comes out a little better... :)

Still - a ton of fun with the sisters, and a much needed night out!

My Current Obsession...

Between school, the kids, work, and other activities that might come up - night time around here gets pretty hectic, so we usually don't have time to watch some of our favorite shows. Wait - we are actually pretty good at making sure we get "The Office" worked into our schedule. That is a show that we will allow the kids to stay up a little later for, so we don't get stuck reading bed time stories while "The Office" comes on - totally worth it, and the kids don't complain either. :)

So I was catching up on a little bit of past "So You Think You Can Dance"on you tube, and I have become a little obsessed! I was usually at work through the summer when this would come on - so forgive me for being a little out of the loop. :) I made Chris sit with me a couple nights ago to watch some of the dances - and he was sweet to hang with me while I drooled over the amazing talent.
So here is one of my favorites. The dance is not super technical - but the dancers still totally rock it out! The kids think it is me dancing - and OH, HOW I WISH!! It is just the hair that throws them off - I am just lucky I can still teach pre-schoolers how to stand in first position! :)

So enjoy - it pretty much rocks! (I probably said that like 20 times through this post...)

Hurray For Ethan!!

Let's hear it for Ethan! He is now our sweet little sippy cup totin', whole milk drinkin', no more crawlin' WALKER!!! Ethan has pretty much sworn off crawling and has become a full fledged toddler! He is absolutely thrilled with himself - and we are as well! He has been walking since about Halloween - and now he is gettting quite good. He has gotten past the point of total clumsiness, and now can stop, turn around, and crouch to pick things up then stand back up again. Muy impressivo! He will be turning 1 in a littel under a month now (Dec. 10), so we are working on weaning him over to whole milk, and so far so good.

Oh, and the bottle thing - that was SOOO yesterday! Only sippy cups for him now. :)

The little dude is growing up! And the kids are all excited to include him even more in their play - which delights Ethan beyond comprehension! He had dreamed of this day pretty much since he figured out how fun they really are and how much of a barrier his imobility was causing. :)

Good Job Little Bud! Can't wait to see what else you begin to do!

COUNT DOWN!!!

The tickets have been pre-ordered! The date and time have been set! The Simper sisters are taking the night off and heading to the movies!!

See you on Saturday girls! I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!

One Of My Favorite Moments Of Each Day...

This is one of my favorite moments each day. When we get the boys to school each morning and they are heading over to the playground to play until the bell rings. I can't take my eyes off of them until they have mixed in with all the other children to the point that I can no longer see them anymore and the mothers in the line behind me are about to see how easy it would actually be to push a mini-van out of the way with thier own vehicles...
I love to watch the boys walk away together, always looking to their side to be sure their brother is doing okay. I especially love it when other little boys come running up to them and engage in the "Cool Happenings Of Yesterday" stories. How nice that they get to experience this new phase of their lives with eachother. I know I always loved having Joanna just in the grade above me, and Stephen just two grades behind me.
Watching the boys in the mornings always reminds me of growing up with brothers and sisters always around the corner ready to play or help. For some reason, I always think of seeing Debbi standing in the 4th grade library line when I was in kindergarten, and thinking she was pretty cool. The fun memories of grade school through high school with Jo and Stevo (The Beef-Yo) and all the fun we had. "Hangin' with the friends" in high school naturally meant that those two were going to be the first ones invited! And Josh was always ready and willing to offer creative ideas on how to have fun in small-town Newdale. What fun we all had together!

Moments like this leave me feeling content that all our children were born so close to one another. It certainly gets crazy and tough at times - but I know they will enjoy the love and friendship I knew then with my own siblings and still enjoy now.

By the way chicas - Up for a "Craft Day" - I think we are far overdue!

Out With Halloween -- In With The Christmas Music Baby!

Ahhhhh, doesn't that sound absolutely wonderful! Absolutely GLORIOUSE!! I have been chomping at the bit waiting for the time to play Chirstmas music - I absolutely love it! I actually cheated a couple time, and I listened to Josh Groban's Christmas music after it snowed back at the beginning of the October. Now it is officially leagal - Christmas music is now allowed!

Mix a little Josh, Celine, Martina, and throw in a bit of Charlie Brown - it's like the voices of angels. And for any of you searching for the ultimate listening experience - Josh Groban and the Mo Tab singing "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" - that is basically like getting front row seats to the dress rehearsal for the cherubic chior haralding in the second comining! AMAZING! Now if only we could work in some of Handel's "Messiah" in there - that would blow anybody away!

Well, I am ready for the wonderful holiday season to get started. I have been asking the kids what they want for Christmas since the beginning of October - secretly getting them as worked up and excited about Christmas as possible! Christmas is like 10,000 times better when you have kids, and each year it gets better as their understanding and excitment grows - LOVE IT! Nothing can top bed time on Christmas Eve, and then Christmas morning when you have kids. To be honest - I have to admit I have to wipe some tears away every year when the kids let their innocence and excitment show. It is certainly a gift to be the parents of such sweet children!

Happy Holidays Everyone! We hope everything goes well this season for every body!

Happy Halloween!

The kids have been planning this Halloween for about the last month and a half. The boys have known what they wanted to be for a long time, and before they lost all faith in me - We finally got around to picking out some fabric to make the costumes. The kids all picked out their own fabrics (with some help from me...)

Ryan wanted to be a storm tooper from Star Wars, Jonathan wanted to be an indian, and the girls wanted to be ballarinas.

The boys wore their costumes to school and had a fun Halloween party at school. The girls, Ethan, and I all went to their school to watch the boys in their costume parade. Then they were off to trick-or-treating with Joanna at her ward trunck-or-treating where they had a great time. Next it was off to trunck-or-treating with our own ward and the other 2 wards that share our building. And then we were off to hang with the Horton fam at Jen and Jesse's house. Grandma and Grandpa Horton were there, and the kids all played and enjoyed the evening with their cousins. When the children had finally reached the point of exhaustion and were all Halloweened-out, we finally headed back home for a great night's sleep.
Ahhh, a big day, but lot's of fun. The kids loved every minute of it!

The Big Readers!

Hurray for Ryan and Jonathan! They both earned personal pizzas from Pizza Hut for reading 1 book a day all through the month! (How long has that program been running?... ) So we all headed out as a family to reep the rewards of their labors.
The boys were pretty funny. They wanted to talk to the waitress themselves and order what they wanted. They kept reminding us while we were waiting for her to come that they were going to do the ordering. When their big moment finally came, they both got very shy, and with a little bit of coaxing, they each ordered their own pizza and handed the waitress their free pizza ticket. They were both very proud of themselves.
Dinner was great, and we had the boys to thank!

Nice And Cozy!

Chris and the kids have all been sick this past week with the flu. Not so fun for them, but I think we may finally be getting to the tail end of this deal (once one get's it, they all get it).



With all of the time spent cuddling poor sick children and cleaning up/preventing throw-up messes, the washing machine has been working over time and to no avail. By Thursday morning, there were no clothes left for little Ethan, so I put one of the Ryan and Jonathan's sweatshirts on him. He was funny. He would sit on the floor and pull his legs in under the shirt so his legs were nice and warm. I thought is was pretty clever for a 10 month old to figure out, and of course I thought it was super cute and funny... :)

What a funny boy!

The Bane Of My Existence!!!

The absolute bane of my existence -- LAUNDRY! Blah, blah, blah,... blah, blah, blah, blah! It is not so much that I mind washing the laundry. That is toally fine. We all need the clean clothes, and I really tend to apprecieate the way a house smells when there is fresh laundry in the air.

But getting around to folding it - that is a totally different situation! Try as I might to keep on top of it, I always end up with lots of clean laundry, and no time to fold it. It is the never ending cycle that gets me every time. Between one small toddler who can't keep an outfit clean for 3 minutes, 2 little girls who think they have to change their outfits every 10 minutes (forget the toy box full of dress-up clothes, the clothes in their dresser are much more appealing,) 2 kindergarteners who feel there is a strict distiction between play clothes and school clothes, and you must wear the appropriate clothing for each situation, and two adults who's clothing gets accesorized by sticky hands, diaper mishaps, burp-up splendor, runny nose comforting, and playing meal time referee - The hampers get quite full at an alarming rate around this house! Oye Vey! I have to do at least a load every day with big laundry days on both Wednesdays and Saturdays just to keep up!
Of all this - My largest pet peeve is when the children decide to look for a certain outfit that may not have been folded yet - and this is what we end up with... Oh well, what can you do, right? At least they do a pretty good job of cleaning that mess up when we ask them to. I guess it is a good thing they are so cute and funny - it's not a bad balance - most of the time. :) Well, I am off to finish my homework - and fold some laundry... :)

So Grown Up!

That is right! Mr. Ethan has decided that walking is the hip thing to do these

days! He is quite proud of his unassissted steps, as are we!
For the past couple of weeks, he has been steadily gaining confidence and balance. He has been crossing greater distances - never fearing the inevitable face plant that follows his great attempts.
He is still on shaky ground, but he's getting there! He is ever so excited to finally be able to race around the house with all the other children, and he is well on his way.... Now, let's just see if he can get a tooth to come through - the boy is still sporting a toothless grin - but that's ok, because it looks SO cute on him!

The Dentist!

It was time for all of the kids to have their six month check-ups with the dentist. They all did really well. They all got their teeth cleaned without a single problem, even Addison! It was really cute, and the kids had a fun time. We have a great pediatric dentist. Everything in the office is all about children - which the kids love! They totally look forward to each appointment they have there. In the pictures, the kids are all wearing silly glasses while they watched "The Incedibles" on the screen up on the ceiling. Addison and Sarah took turns sitting in the big hygenist chair and watching each other get their teeth cleaned. Both Sarah and Addison are completly cavity-free. The boys on the other hand.... Ryan had just a few small cavities that will be filled and easily taken care of. Jonathan was not so lucky. He has a tooth that will need to be pulled due to decay and infection - poor boy! I guess Jonathan had this cavity at the last 6 month appointment in April, but we (for some reason) were not scheduled for another appointment to take care of it then, I was under the impression that we had taken care of everything that needed to be done at that time - now the tooth is beyond repair. I feel bad. Jonathan is even the best at brushing his teeth. He is always so careful and takes his time, and he is always the one to remind everyone before they leave for school and before they go to bed that they need to brush and use their mouth wash. --- Sorry My Sweet Boy!

Tag Again! This Time For Ryan!

And now, for an answer to Aunt Sarah's tag on Ryan - Here we go with his answers!

1. I wish I could be in the news so it could always be snowy in Pocatello. (Ryan want's to be the weather man so he can always announce that it is going to snow -

he is pretty sure the weather guy gets to make that decision)

2. I like to have clean hands. (Ryan is very good about washing his hands - perhaps more so than most adults... )

3. I cry when I have shots.

4. I would like to ride on a horse.

5. I am really good at surfing. (Except, he has never tried it before, so I am not sure where that came from... )

6. I like counting. (Ryan has a current obsession with counting everything in the house. A good skill to practice... at least that is what we tell ourselves when we hear him get stuck between 12 and 13 for the 16th time of the day... )

Awesome! Thanks Aunt Sarah for tagging Ryan! This has become a fun game!

Ryan and Jonathan now give a joint tag to Kaden and Ben. (I think all the other cousins have been tagged...) We'll hear from you soon!

Tag! Jonathan Is It!!

Ok. Now Jonathan has been tagged by his Aunt Sarah. This will be fun, because Jonathan is a funny kid. Here are his answers!

1. I tell funny jokes. Here is one of them.... Once there was a cow that got ate by a dragon. Ha Ha Ha, what a riot! Bringin' down the house with that one!

2. I like to play with Ad. (Jonathan is a very good big brother. He is very good about playing with all the siblings, but he does keep an extra eye out for Ethan and Addison)

3. I like it when it is Easter. Finding eggs is FUN!

4. I wish I could live with the birds. Maybe Dinos would be fun too.

5. I am really good at singing the ABC's. (He is actually VERY good at that. He is already reading books for the homework his teacher sends home. Really reading - I just sit beside him to help him sound out the hard words. Not too shabby... )

6. I am good at spelling. I like to spell "Moon" and "Fox"

Thanks Jonathan, that was fun! And thanks Sarah for tagging him!

A Favorite Clip Of The Kid's

The kids totally loved to watch Dexter's Laboratory before bedtime when we had Directv (That was when we got it for free, we are too cheap to actually pay for it... ) So, we found this the other day, and the kids all die with laughter everytime they see this, they think it is just about the funniest thing ever - totally on a wierd kid humor(little boy especially). It is pretty funny.

Sarah Got Tagged!!

Sarah's cousin Trevor tagged Sarah (not sure if he meant our Sarah or Aunt Sarah, but I am making Sarah answer anyways because - How Fun!)

I just sat with Sarah to ask what some funny things about her are, and here are her anwers. I mostly wrote her own words verbatum. These are her answers.

1. I love to play games! My favorite game is "Simon Says" and I like "Duck, Duck, Goose". I like to be the one to say what Simon says. (Anyone who knows Sarah knows that she pretty much knows how to play the role of the oldest sister - she usually takes over and gets things to go her way, whether the other siblings realize it or not. A lot of times, activities end with Ryan and Jonathan yelling at Sarah that she is not in charge - Sarah is usually pretty sure she is in charge.)

2. Being naughty is not funny.

3. I love to watch "Litttle Einsteins".

4. I like to play with my brothers. I like to play Ninjas with my brothers, but Ethan can't play cause he is too little. (Sarah is generally up for any challenge the boys might put before her, and she always pulls through with flying colors!)

5. I love to eat broccoli, carrots, and I loooovvveee treats. (This comment shocked me as well - except the treat part)

6. I like to go to dancing class with my dancing friends (the other girls in the class).

Sarah now tags her cousins Danny, Eva (Miriam, you have to get your blog working to let her answer!), and Elli (cause you chicas need to stick together!). Good Luck - and we look forward to hearing from the cousins!

What A Day!

Saturday was such a super productive day for us. Usually, Chris and I tend to get a little frustrated that we are not able to accomplish everything we had planned to get done on a Saturday (who ever really does?).

But check out what we got done today!!

The first thing the kids saw when they woke up this morning -- SNOW! So we couldn't let that go to waste!

Then it was in for some sweet bread and hot cocoa.

Then, with all this snow - I went right into "Winter Nesting Mode". On top of the normal Saturday cleaning, I got all of the laundry washed - And folded (quite a job)! I even washed all the bedding on all the kid's beds and put extra winter blankets on their beds. Chris did some shopping. We reorganized some cupboards in our basement to make more room for our food storage.

Chris learned how to make this FANTASTIC lentil soup while he was on his mission in Spain, which he made today. The house smelled wonderful all day! Esta Muy Bueno!

Chris is in the elder's quorum presidency, and this afternoon he got a call from the bishop letting him know that the elder's quorum was assigned to clean the church this week. Unable to find any other men in the ward who could help on such short notice - we packed up the family and the kids helped us clean the church. It was fun, and a good project for the kids to be involved in. I told Chris we should do this more often.

Finally, after we had enjoyed a deliciouse dinner prepared by Chris, it was time to watch one of the movies the kids had rented for the weekend, and then it was time for some exhausted children to go to bed.

What a good day!

Turning Mom's Lemons Into Delightful ... Cherry Ice Cream!

This morning, I had the absolutely amazing experience of getting all four of my wisdom teeth taken out!

Actually, it wasn't very bad. Although, the oral surgan used IV sedation, so one moment I was in the dental chair answering questions -- the next thing I knew I was in a totally different room (recovery), in a whole new chair, Chris beside me, and somehow the sweater the nurse had seemingly just asked me to take off so she could get an IV line started was oddly back on me once again. I have no recollection of how I got to the recovery room with my sweater back on - but I know I must have walked, there were no wheels on that chair, and I am pretty sure the women in that office could not have carried me there, I was larger in size just in height alone. I was super disoriented - a very weird feeling that I was not such a fan of. I kept trying to ask Chris questions about how I got where I was and what time it was, but my mouth was so packed with gauze I couldn't get any discerible words out. He finally laughed and told me to stop worring about it while we waited for the sedation to wear off a little.

The Chris and the kids have been wonderful all day, letting me sleep all day. Chris has been Mr. Mom and the resident soft food chef. The kids have totally been diggin' the idea that there is an abundant amount of yogurt and ice cream in the house, and tonight Chris took them to Great American Video (where kid movies are free rentals) and they all got to pick their own movie for the weekend. Maybe mom getting her wisdom teeth taken out was not such a bad thing after all... :)

He Thinks He Is SOO Funny!

Chris and I have a lot of fun in our marriage. We like to tease and play with each other. With all that life has bestowed apon us, we have learned to laugh about pretty much anything that happens - certainly makes life a lot more fun that way, and keeps us eager to see what else might be aroung the corner.

So it is actually quite normal for Chris to pull pranks on me - and he has come up with some pretty good ones in the past. One very recent prank now has me on the watch list of both Wal Mart and Home Depot (I have to admit, it was a pretty good one, that worked out even better than he anticipated).

The latest prank.... Let's just say, the stars were aligned for Chris on this one. It has by far taken the cake, and Chris had no idea how great of an opportunity he had before him until it all took place.

Okay, let me set the stage for you.

So for those who may not know, in the afternoons I work in the Pathology Lab in the hospital here in Pocatello. Joanna is generous enough to watch the children for a couple of hours, and then Chris has them for a couple hours in the evening while I finish up work and go to my classes. I generally get home in time to help get all the children to bed, and read a couple of bed time stories before they are off to bed. It keeps us pretty busy, but Chris and I have learned how to work very well as a team so we are both able to get everything we need to do done.

I love my job! I work in the grossing lab - which is where we take the tissue specimens that have been removed from patients, and then we dissect them down to much smaller portions to be put on slides for the pathologist to look at to make a diagnosis. (gallbladder, appendix, biopsies of all sorts, colons, bones... we even get amputation specimens. You name it, I have seen it.). This job is a great work experience builder, and great for school and my major as well.

One part of the pathology job not many consider, is that the pathologist is also responsible for doing autopsies. Now, it may be a little weird, and perhaps a bit morbid, but I have been interested in watching an autopsy since I have worked here - SPECIFICALLY FROM THE ANATOMY PERSPECTIVE. Definately a great way to learn - hence cadavers in most biology labs.
So yesterday, I was able to sit in on two oautopsies. All-in-all, it was quite interesting. I learned a lot. During the autopsies, I was totally fine - it was a little weird at first - but once I got over the weirdness, it wasn't too bad.

Once the autopsies were done, I went back up to get my work done. It wasn't until I finally sat down and had the opportunity to reflect on what I had just seen that the real weirdness started to set in. All through my work and during my class that night, all I could think of were the autopsies. This definately caused me to seriously ponder the fragility of life, and that what we may think are small and insignificant decisions that we have made many times before, can sometimes turn out to be a really big deal, and yes, even life altering. I left my class with a huge desire to just go home and hug my little ones, and sit next to my dear husband and just take in the wonderful blessing to have them all around me.

After the kids were in bed, Chris stepped out to go do the grocery shopping that seriously needed to be done. While Chris was gone, the autopsies were still on my mind. I had told Chris that I had watched them, but I hadn't told him how much they had affected me. Then, about an hour and a half later, as I was finishing up in the bathroom - washing up and all - suddenly the door flew open and this is what I saw!!!







(Except, imagine this on a grown man, yelling in a low pitched sort of growl, looking like he is about to lunge at you. Oh ya, and my husband was not supposed to be home. I was supposed to be the only one there to protect myself and my children - not so harmless anymore!)



All I could do was stand there and scream. A part of me knew it was just Chris, and I should probably start laughing at any moment - but there was an even bigger part of me that saw the mask, and could only think of the autopsies and scream longer and louder as the seconds went by.... I was a total wimp about it. Finally Chris started laughing so hard he was crying - not only wiping tears, but practically bawling with laughter. I finally got a hold of myself and started laughing so hard I was crying - but I think my tears were not so much funny tears, which made Chris laugh even harder.

Yes, Chris certainly stepped in on a perfectly primed victim on this one. I was ripe for the picking, and he got me good!
The boy is in for it, I have to come up with a good one for this one. I have an idea, but I can't let anything slip. I will let you all know how it goes. He doesn't think I am capable of coming up with something very mean, but after this - I would say he has it comin', and I am pretty motivated.... ;)

Visiting Daddy At Work!

Sarah, Addison, and Ethan were the winners of the coveted prize in the Horton household! Yep, they got to go see Daddy at work! All the children love to go see Chris at his office, and he loves to have them all come. Chris keeps a little fish in a bowl at his office, and all the kids like to take a turn feeding the fish while they are there.

Chris is such a good dad. He is so sweet with the kids. He is such a good guy for Heavenly Father to have sent 5 young children in such rapid succession to. Chris handles it very well, and the children all adore him. Heavenly Father certainly knew what he was doing on that one - but then He always does, I don't know why

we are always so suprised when we finally figure things out. :)

And the highlight to the visit with Dad at his office - the candy dish in the reception area. Of course! Definately the way to a child's heart!