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!

Cold On The Outside, Warm On The Inside...

Conference weekend was cold and rainy here. Which was fine with us. I love it when the weather begins to turn cold. I love the warm cozy feeling of the home. On Saturday morning I even broke out the hot cocoa for breakfast. I get excited for the change of seasons. I really like living in an area where the weather changes with the seasons. The change to cold weather right now is certainly welcome, but I know that when the cold drearyness of winter is getting old and I am ready for the fresh spring sunshine, along comes spring! It's wonderful!

The kids had a great time playing quietly inside the house. It was fun to watch them play with eachother. They are beginning to do more of the universal grown-up / brother-sister things that bring back a lot of memories from when Chris and I were growing up. It is fun to watch.

Playing "Go Fish" on the top bunk in the girl's room.

Making a fort in the living room.

Reading books to eachother.

Tagged By My Own Sista!

That is right, Joanna got me! That is okay, because this one is a pretty fun one, and I can support my sister when she calls on me!
I am supposed to let you all know about 6 quirks of mine, and then tag 3 others to do the same. Or as I like to call this - The Stocker Portion of The Blog World. My chosen victims have been listed below.



1. Well this may not be so much of a quirk, but it is something that I don't exactly broadcast - at least not until now. Here it is - My feet are a wopping size 11!! I know, you may now pick your chin up off the table. That is right. Proudly adding their names to the ever-increasing list of body parts that increased in size during pregnancy and have remained in that large state yet perhaps lacking the same "Vim and Vigor" they used to know, (ya'll feel me girls?) My feet have become quite a sight. Not like they were porcelain doll feet to begin with. I am a pretty tall girl, and I like to call myself a stong girl with a healthy build - that's all. But up next to Chris' feet, they don't look so bad. :)



2. I love, love, love nice fresh made beds with tight sheets and lots of warm cozy blankets. I love to feel the warm weight on me - ahhhh. Whenever I change the sheets on our bed, I totally look forward to when I can go to bed that night. Poor Chris is not such a fan. He would rather sleep with only a set of sheets, and loose-fit ones as that. Usually, Chris will fold his side of all the blankets onto my side so he is only under a sheet, and I am completely in heaven! Too bad that soon after I begin to enjoy the cozy bedding, there is usually a small child, or two, or three, or four, sometimes five, who is asking if they can share the warm bedding as well..... :)

3. I have a HARD time saying "No" to anybody, including myself. Ask Chris - it totally drives him nuts (but it also tends to work in his favor -- how else do you think we always seem to end up with another dog) :) This is also a sad contribution to the busy mess I tend to get myself worked into. But no worries - "To Do" lists and I are close friends.

4. I am a complete sugar addict. Love it! (really, who doesn't?)

5. When I think of an embarrassing moment I have had, which are many ( I am a classic "Foot in The Mouther"), I will suddenly begin to sing to myself. Totally weird I know. I think it is like a nervouse twitch kind of thing. I suppose I may be subconciously trying to distract my brain from the memory or something...

6. I love the smell of clean laundry. I almost do our laundry obsessivly(not that it always gets folded right away). I just love the way fresh laundry hanging to dry or fresh out of the dryer can make the home smell fresh and clean as well. I also love to hold my children close and smell their clean fresh clothes. In return, I am also a bit picky about the detergent and fabric softeners we use so I can acheive the above goal. I either send a very specific laundry list for Chris when he does the shopping, or I just make sure I am the one that picks up the laundry goods.

There you go. And now to pass on the gift from Jo, I tag Debbi because you an excuse to sit down and get your blog back up and running again chica! :) Meagan McBride, because you are pretty funny - I am interested to see what you will have to say, and finally Jen Wakely, because I am sure between you and your husband, you have some pretty funny things to say as well.
Good luck, and have fun you three!

A Conference Weekend Activity For The Family

I am excited for General Conference this weekend. It always makes a nice weekend at home, enjoying eachother on Sunday morning rather than the usual chaos of trying to get everybody dressed and off to church and the different meetings Chris and I have to attend, and all the other "Sunday Stuff" and such.
This general conference weekend we are going to be doing something new, and I thought it was such a great idea that I just have to share it with everyone.
My visiting teaching partner related this idea while we were out teaching a couple months ago, and I made a mental note right then that I was going to do this.
Anyhow, my VT partner served her mission in Florida, where they are right in the middle of all the action when it comes to hurricane season. So obviously, 72 hour kits are a pretty important deal down there. Well this family she knew would use every general conference weekend as a time to check all their 72 hour gear to make sure they were good to go when they needed them. They would make it really fun. Each member of the family was incharge of their own kit. They would make sure the clothing all fit and was appropriate for the coming season. They would make sure all the batteries in the flashlights were all good, and other necessary gear was working (pocket knives, lanterns, blankets, etc.) They would do by making games out of it, i.e. playing dress up in the old clothes, build tents out of the blankets and play with the flashlights... you get the idea.
While conference was on, they would sit and eat the old food and repack the kits with new goods, that way the food was always fresh and they knew the kids would actually like the food in the kits. And since we are supposed to update and check out 72 hour kits every 6 months - each general conference weekend is an automatic and perfect reminder to take the time to get that done. BRILLIANT - I KNOW!!
So we are starting that as a tradition in our family, and I thought many of you might like the idea as well. I know that we don't actually live in a hurricane zone, and there is not such a high likely hood that we will have to grab our kits and make due at least once a year - but preparation is always better.
I have included some links for anybody interested in a refresher of what to include in a 72 hour kit.


The link to go to if you are going total, all-out, gung-hoe, we can camp out till the world collapses around us.


http://www.avertdisasters.org/html/72_hour2.html


But if you are just getting started and a little on the more practical, just give me the basics, make sure we get through the 72 hours, I don't want to go broke making sure my family can get through 72 measly hours -- which is the side I tend to gravitate toward -- then here is your link. The list can look a little overwhemlming, but as long as we all get the essentials, the rest can be added in along the way. No biggie, right?

http://lds.about.com/od/preparednessfoodstorage/a/72hour_kit.htm

Good Luck! This will be a fun activity!