Max and Jack

This is Max.  He's three and he's the newest addition to the household.

He's a dog that has spent his life ignored by his owners and left in the backyard by himself so he still has some social skills to learn but he is a nice dog.

This is Jack. He is 4.  We've had him a little over a year now.

We got him from the shelter when we moved here.  He has turned out to be a very sweet dog that the kids enjoy having around.

In the evenings we let the dogs in to spend time with the family before going to bed.  Max is not used to being inside so he is a little excited at first.  Jack is used to it so he just sniffs around for a few minutes and then lays on his bed.

 Max

Jack

 Max

Jack

Get the picture?  Makes the evenings interesting!  The kids especially like it when the two dogs start wrestling each other or wrestling Zane.  I know, who cares right?  Well, this blog is about our lives and the dogs are a part of them so today you get to learn about our dogs!  And if you ever see them running loose through the neighborhood with a line of kids running after them calling their names feel free to join in the fun!

You Raise Me Up

I love Celtic Woman.  They have beautiful, haunting Irish voices and music. It calms me like nothing else can.  This particular song I listen to on a regular basis.  Our move to Green River has been particularly hard.  I have struggled with Michael's work schedule that has taken him from the family.  I have struggled with a child that I don't know how to help.  I have struggled with individuals that don't know their boundaries and can't seem to give me the credit I deserve.  I have struggled with being away from friends that I love in a setting that I love.  This song touches me clear through my heart.  It warms me and lightens me.  I can't really describe it's affect but if you listen to it I think you may feel the same.

I have thought a lot lately about how our actions affect those around us.  We really can either raise people up or do the opposite.  These last few weeks have been particularly hard and I have been blessed by people who have chosen to "raise  me up."  My brother, Spencer and his wife Kimberly, have done it on several occasions - an invitation to hang out and eat cookies, an offer to help transport children from place to place, conversation, and dinner.  My friend, Emily, met me for lunch and we had a great time talking.  We got a package in the mail from our dear friends the Olsens, phone conversations with Grandma Great.  All of these simple things have meant so much to me and have helped to raise my spirits as I struggle.  There are others who have chosen the other way.  There are things that have brought me down, but there has always been some one there to raise me back up.  I hope, as I look at what people have done for me, that I too can help to lift others up the way that I have been lifted up.  I hope I can reach out with simple things and make their day brighter and their way easier.

I listen to this song at nights, after the kids are in bed and all is quiet.  It fills me with gratitude and gives me time to go through the day and find the positive and erase the negative.  I am so grateful for the people in my life that raise me up and help me be stronger because they give me their shoulders to stand on.

Strep...

I hate sore throats and I feel awful when my kids have them.  This morning Zeke told me his throat was hurting and he didn't want to go to school.  I let him stay home. His glands were swollen and later in the morning his fever was 102.  I took him to the doctor and he has strep.  Poor kid.  It didn't stop him from playing outside this afternoon when the other kids got home from school, but it did slow him down when he had to swallow.  We got his first round of drugs in him tonight so hopefully he will be feeling better soon.  Tomorrow we get to spend the day together since he has to wait 24 hours before going back to school.  It will give him the weekend to recover before he has to go back Monday. Now my only hope is that the others don't get it...

Today Started with This...

This is Olivia's inner thigh.  At some point yesterday she got a bite of some sort and by this morning it was big, red, puffy and starting to streak. I called the clinic, took her in, and now she is on antibiotics to get rid of the infection from the bite.  After I dropped her off at school I came home to do my workout only to discover that the new flatscreen TV/DVD I got Michael for Valentine's Day had a DVD stuck in it and I couldn't get it out.  I took the TV off the wall and started taking it apart.  Half way through I wondered what in the heck I was doing that for (as if I would know what to do once I had it all apart) so I put it back together and hung it back on the wall.  I finally finished working out at 4:45 this afternoon.  Tonight Makenna had dance at 6:30 and Maddi had soccer at the same time.  I rushed the kids out the door and locked it behind me only to realize I had left the keys on the kitchen table.  It was coldish outside, we only had on sweatshirts if that much and I couldn't even turn on the car to keep the kids warm while I figured out how to break into the house.  I finally got the screen pulled off the living room window and managed to slide both windows open enough to stick Dillon through the opening so he could get the door unlocked for me.  My fingers were frozen but we managed to get everywhere on time.  Unfortunately though, we now have another thing to add to our fix-it list.  Tomorrow's a new day right?

We Got Mail!!

Yesterday , much to our delight, we got a surprise package in the mail.

It was from one of our most favorite families in the world!  The kids were so excited when they saw who it was from.  They especially liked all the stamps on it :)  It was filled with t-shirts, socks, gloves, treats, water bottles (my kids' favorite thing) and letters. It was so fun!  We are all wearing our new shirts today, the kids all took their new water bottles to school and I stole all the snickers out of everyone's treats!  A mom's got to have her survival kit ready - diet Dr. Pepper and chocolate!  It's so nice to know that even though we are miles apart, we are still the best of friends and we are still always on each others minds and in each others hearts!  We love you Olsens!

Twins

Olivia discovered the other day that she and I both have purple striped shirts.  She has been waiting for just the right day for us to wear them and be twins.  Today was the day!  We both had to wear our shirts, blue jeans and flip flops.  We went to lunch together to McDonalds and then went and did our shopping.  We even had a little girl comment to us about our matching shirts and that she and her mom had four matching shirts!  As we were walking through Walmart, she had to hold my hand as we walked and help me push the cart and sing about us being twins, holding hands and shopping.  She got concerned when I changed into my workout clothes that I wasn't going to match any more so I took a picture so she could see it when ever she wanted!  We also took a picture with my phone so we could send it to Daddy so he could see how pretty we were together today :)  She is such a cutie!

Fun Times

Okay, this will be a fun blog - I promise!  With pictures.  I have been slow with the pictures because my beautiful laptop that I got for Christmas crashed.  It is now in the process of being fixed but is taking forever (had to ship it off).  So I finally downloaded all my pictures to my desktop so I could post them.  Olivia is at a friends this morning so I have some quiet time to post.  Valentine's Day has come and gone.  I posted about our countdown we were doing.  The kids loved that and despite the melted ending, they want to do it again next year!  One of their favorite things we did was make ladybug pretzels.  It was an idea we found on Pinterest, my new favorite website.  I dipped the pretzels and the kids decorated them. Then we all ate them!

I think we ended up making these 3 or 4 times throughout the Valentine season.  Makenna even took some to school for her class party.

We've also had crazy days at school.  I only got pictures on the first day - crazy hair and clothes day.  The kids always love dressing up for school.  One day was crazy sock day. Maddi, who is not in elementary school any more, was feeling left out so she wore crazy socks to her school that day too.

We also got new carpet in the basement so I have been able to start organizing that which I have enjoyed. Pictures will follow when I get them taken. Dillon helped Spencer coach soccer and thought that was fun. we enjoyed getting to watch Braden play. Maddi started playing soccer last week so we will get to go watch more soccer in the coming weeks. Makenna is in the High School play "The King and I". She'll have her performances at the end of the month.  We got to see Braden, my nephew, get baptized and spend the day with him and his family. My sister, Sarah, and her family came up for the weekend so we had even more cousins to play with.  Baseball season is right around the corner.  I got the four little ones signed up for that and Maddi has decided to play softball this year so I signed her up for that.  Zane and Dillon have already gone to their first baseball clinic.  Makenna and Olivia have had several dance shows.  I love watching them do their thing!  They both love it!  We got a new dog named Max.  He is a Golden Retriever.  He's a little crazy right now because he has been ignored for the last three years of his life (his only three years) but he will be a good dog.  His energy makes Olivia and Zeke nervous but when he is settled down they love to pet him.  Zane loves to go in the back yard and play fetch with him and they all enjoy taking both dogs for walks.  I even get to take Max with me when I go out running. 

Anyways, that has been our life for the last little while.  Always crazy busy, don't think that will change :)  

Testimonies

Today was testimony meeting at church. The first Sunday of each month we fast and our church meeting consists of people from the congregation getting up and bearing their testimony. Anyone can do it but no one has to do it. Today, four of my six children did. Olivia wanted to but I told her no. However, Maddi, Makenna, Zane and Zeke did. It was so sweet to hear them do that. It warmed my heart knowing that they are learning the gospel of Jesus Christ and know the importance of having Him in their lives. As a parent, I worry about all that lies ahead of them. I worry if they will have the strength to stand strong and make good choices. Times like today, when I hear them speak of their testimonies, calms me and helps me know they are headed in the right direction.

Lunch Date And More

I posted yesterday that I was going to find one thing each day that was positive to help me get through this time. Today I had several. One was a lunch date with a good friend. We got to sit and talk for an hour. It was nice to have that time to talk and laugh. Another thing was the several phone calls I got from Michael today. I love hearing his voice and getting his calls. Another was time with family. My sister and her family, my brother and his family, my other brother and my parents. I love watching the kids play and I love talking with them and teasing. Another was getting Olivia and Makenna all dressed up for their dance show. They get so excited for it and Olivia loves the fact that she gets to wear make up. Also the random hugs from Dillon and the kisses from Olivia. Those always make my day!

One A Day

It's been a while since I blogged. Things have been crazy here. When Michael has his week off, I try to spend every waking minute with him. When he's gone, all the responsibilities fall on me. He is gone now. He started his two week shift in North Dakota. That is where he will be working now for quite some time. He flew out Sunday night. I am not excited to say the least. Neither is he or the kids. It is hard to be doing all this by myself. Sometimes the days get so overwhelming. At night I just sink down and turn off because I am so emotionally, mentally and physically spent. Kids take a lot out of me! I have a new and great respect for single parents! At least I know that I have my partner one in every three weeks! While that's not a lot, it's more than a lot of people have. I have decided since I am struggling right now that I need to focus differently. If I don't I will turn into a depressed mess and feed off diet Dr. Pepper and Cadbury Mini Eggs! So, each day, no matter how stressful the day, I will find one positive thing. If I am looking for the positive, maybe the negative will not consume me. Today my positive was my brother Spencer and his wife Kimberly. They must have known I had had a day! Around 7pm this evening I got a text from them inviting me and the kids over to their house to visit and make no bake cookies. One of the hardest things of Michael being gone is having no one to talk to. Even when he does call, the reception is not good from his room and we have a hard time having a conversation. It gets very lonely. Being able to go there and have some one to talk to was just what I needed. No bake cookies are my favorite so that was a delicious added bonus! I am so glad they are here and that I have them for not only family but friends. It was such a good way to end the day!