All Because 2 people Fell in Love........

Junior and Senior Prom and Senior pics

2011-05-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

Kyra had her senior pictures done by a sweet friend. I think she did a pretty good job! We are proud of you Kyra!!

Then she got to go to senior prom with Vernon...he seems super sweet and she had a lot of fun. This also happened to be her very first date!

Alaina got to go to junior prom and also had alot of fun with her group of friends. The mothers of the guys in the group put on a fabulous dinner for them before the dance and then they hung out afterwards.

It's so fun having girls! Next year I will once again have 3 in high school and it will be Alaina's turn to be a senior! She is so excited and has plans to be a nurse. Kyra will be joining the work force and is interested in attending culinary arts school...she's amazing in the kitchen!

Wow! I feel like I just graduated a few years ago and now I have kids graduating!! I could be a grandma in a few years.That's kinda creepy but exciting too :)

Date nights and such...

2011-04-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

We started a new family tradition. The first Friday of every month we take a different child out to dinner. Just mom,dad and that child. So far we did Ty in March and Natalie in April. Said child gets to choose the restaurant and dessert place. Ty went to Panda Express and decided since it was his night, he got to choose what we eat and the conversation. We all had orange chicken. We talked about Ty's future career choices...fireman, policeman, car fixer guy. All of them, that's not the options, that's the way it is. Then to Baskin Robbins for ice cream and more "Ty" conversation. On the way in, we had to hold hands and do the "1..2..3..swing" that we did when he was a toddler. Fun night, fun conversation! Natalie had us go to Olive Garden. She had to order off of the adult menu so she would have leftovers to extend the date as long as possible. When the salad came, she picked out all the olives. Our waiter noticed so he brought her a whole plate of olives. She was telling me about her awesome score on her test at school and in the midst of our high-five..she spilled her coke in my direction. I have quick reflexes, she has a cute laugh! After dinner, we headed to Baskin Robbins for ice cream :) and then to pick up other kiddos from a track meet. I'm loving having these special times with 1 child at a time. Since we have 7, it's hard to get alone time and have a conversation. A conversation about them, for them, with them. Amazing! We will continue this tradition as long as we can and wish we had started it years ago!! We have also had 2 birthdays in the last few weeks. Natalie turned 11..1 more year until mutual and girls camp and personal progress. They are all growing up faster than I can handle! Jake turned 14! He's a teacher! No more fast offerings, no more passing sacrament (unless there's not enough deacons) And he gets to go on the "cool campouts" He went on his first one the week of his bday. It got cut short because 1 of the boys got lost for 20 hours. He was found and fine but it was so crazy that they came home. But he can't wait for the next one!! Jake also got braces. He will get them off in 2 years right before he's old enough to date. Date?? What?? Ugh, he'll be in high school next year! I planted my very first garden and already have tiny green tomatoes and strawberries..so freakin' excited! Life is fantastic! I feel good enough to exercise (that hasn't always been the case). My kids are (mostly) healthy, happy, smart and just all together awesome! My man is losing weight, working hard and treating me like we just got married even though we "just" got married 17 years ago :) I'm happy and hoping and praying that all my dearest loved ones (if you're reading this you are included in that) are also so very happy and enjoying all that life has to offer..the little, big, bad, good and great..that life has to offer. We have to remember to be grateful for the bad times too because they are also blessings!! They make the sweet times sweeter :)

For Mark...

2011-02-23T15:14:00.000-08:00

OK--this is day #3 that you've been gone. We miss you terribly. Natalie had to sleep in our room last night cuz the house isn't safe without you here. I don't know how we will survive "the long trip" But we are so very grateful that you are willing to leave your comfy bed and sleep in a truck, leave your private shower and get clean in a public one and leave your "hot" wife and look at "lot lizards" all the time. Oh, and not to mention the whole not eating thing...

Anyway--update!

Natalie got an A on that project that she has been working for a month on :)
100% the topographical map (the thing with the clay)
91% on her powerpoint
90% on her oral presentation
plus she got an extra 2 points for having the display board

Kyra had an ortho appt today and guess what---ya, she 's NEVER getting them off!

Jake and Alaina seem to be feeling better. And as I speak (type) Natalie is getting attitude with...everybody!

Ty had a fabulous morning. He got ready in 30 minutes. Plus, he had a great day at school.

That's about it for now. But it's only 4:20 in the afternoon. There's bound to be much more excitement happen today but I'll fill you in on that tonight during our "before bed chat"

Love you tons and bunches and can't wait til you're home on Friday!!

Times...they are a changin'

2011-01-25T16:21:00.000-08:00

It looks like I'm going to be a part-time single mom!
Mark's new job is taking him for at about 2 solid weeks per month!
He will be a transporter.
Picking up and dropping off vehicles between here and Florida and here and California.
The FL trips take 10-14 days, the Cali ones are only about a week. So,I'm left here with 7 kids, 7 daycare kids, a calling in young womens and all that goes along with all of that. I'm a little overwhelmed at the thought of it all but I know I have a good support system and great kids.
So, I'm going to try to keep up better on our day to day activities and craziness. Mostly because Mark will be missing out on our family life and that's the only way to keep him up on it all.
So,feel free to peek in once in awhile and share in the crazy that is us!
Mark, please check in here and there while you're on the road so you don't miss everything. We love you tons and bunches and will ache for you to be near!

Quick update

2011-01-14T08:28:00.001-08:00

We moved January 1st! We got the house we wanted (I will spare you the horrid details) so we didn't have to change schools or wards! And it's in our price range (because of the horrid details) I found 7 (yup,I'm crazy) kids to babysit. That means after school there are 14 kiddos in my house! I look forward to summer break,haha. Mark's business is still struggling but he has a few things coming up that could be awesome financially,more prayers needed. But for now my babysitting is helping.

Despite all the changes and uncertainty, I'm feeling very blessed and loved right now. We had a ton of help with the move and lots of concern (I have felt the prayers)

Anyway,things could be better but they can always be worse! I have enough people around me struggling with health issues and worse financial issues that I count my blessings everyday!

Plus--I love my sweetheart and my kids are pretty awesome (and forever entertaining)

OK...back to unpacking/sorting/organizing

P.S. We are selling some appliances and furniture...if you are close and need stuff contact me,we need to get rid of stuff!

On the road again!

2010-11-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

The house we have been renting for almost a year is being sold!
We had such a hard time leaving our old ward after 8 years and the schools we thought we loved. But, we are loving loving our new ward and everybody is doing so much better in their new schools.
Then we got the news that since our lease is up next month, they are gonna go ahead and just short sale it!
UGH!
We were planning on signing a new lease and just hangin' out here for a few more years. NOPE!
So,we've been on the hunt for a new place.
Priority #1..stay in the same schools...Priority #2..stay in the same ward...all while trying to find a big enough house for 10 people that is affordable.
Again,UGH!
Then last night our sweet Bishop called telling us about an elderly woman in the ward who is moving to UT to live by her kids and wants to rent her house out. It just happens to be a 6 bedroom which is almost perfect but better than anything we've found and we would hit BOTH priorities!!
So,here I sit,waiting to hear from her on how much she wants for rent and how soon she can move.
Also, I am desperately trying to find kids to do daycare for so I don't have to go to work and leave my kiddos. So,if anybody knows of anybody lookin' in the Gilbert/QC area...please pass it on. I really really wanna be home for my kids!!
Also,pray with us that this lady will make the rent be in our budget (she has the house totally paid off so she can charge whatever she wants)
And pray that Mark's business will do better so I don't need to work at all.
We need all the prayers we can get right now!!
Love you all :)

A new family member!

2010-09-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

Today my parents added to their family! They adopted AGAIN. This time it was an awesome 14 year old boy named Boston Carter. I have a new brother. In the past year they have gone from 6 kids (3 of each) to 8 kids (4 of each). He's fun and he adores me :) Can't ask for more than that!! Welcome to the family Boston,we are blessed to have you!

This me me with Boston, my little sister Madison
that they adopted last year and my older sister Becky.

Just me and my brother

I'm fine! We're fine!

2010-09-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

I think my last post sounded a little like a downer! I've had a few people worried about me since they've read it. I was jsut venting. Alot of this blog is for memory sake (for me) not for pity (from everybody else)

Anyway..yes,money is tight,our job situation sucks! But..we are fine. We are hangin' in and praying and hoping.That's been our constant for 2 years. It just seems like lately it's gotten even tighter than it was so it's been a bit scary.

But..we have a home (for now) we have great kids who understand and try not to ask for too much and are willing to earn money to pay for their own extra stuff (which is a good learning experience) we've all learned to stretch a dollar and be grateful for what we have.

I actually feel our family has grown and become closer going through this. So,It's not all bad.

we.are.fine :)

September

2010-09-20T10:58:00.001-07:00

It's almost the end of September. I feel like we just moved (which happened in December) I'm still missing a few wonderful people from the old area but am loving this change that was forced upon us. We are surrounded by very caring, sweet and (I have to add) talented people. I have found myself reminiscing a little lately.

Missing the home that we worked so hard on. Missing my trees that my grandchildren were going to climb on and have picnics under. Missing the playhouse that we put so many hours into and the kids helped paint with their hand prints even after they were told not to. Missing my huge back porch.

But I need to stop looking back and look at the present...

We live in a fabulous neighborhood with actual roads so my car stays clean. With lots of kids so my kids are entertained and not getting sick of the constant noise of each other. With 2 fabulous parks containing volleyball courts, basketball courts, a jungle gym and a huge field for the kids to play football (sometimes tackle!),soccer or any other thing their hearts desire. A feeling of safety so I can go running in the evening by myself for a moment of peace. A MIL who lives with us and helps to cook,clean,shop,run kids and be an extra shoulder to cry on when mom and dad are doing "everything else" My parents (though they drive me crazy sometimes) are still alive to talk to when I want to. I have some amazing friends to keep me sain and have GNO's or couple date nights. I have a truly awesome husband who makes me feel like I'm the most important being on the planet at any given moment.I have 7 kids who love me, respect me and entertain me!

And to look at the future...

There will come a day when we can actually pay the bills without stressing, get the kids what they need and then what they want. There will be a regular income to depend on so we can take a vacation with lots of laughing, good food and pictures. We will go back to having weekly date nights if for no other reason than to get out from in front of the TV and stare at each other enjoying the quiet.

It's almost the end of September. Getting very close to the holidays. I love this time of year because of the weather, the smells, people going out of their way to serve others. I also dread it because my kids love Halloween and I can never think of costumes. Thanksgiving is hard because we have to decide..his side,my side or stay home and somebody always feels unloved because of the choice made. And Christmas...will we have $$ for presents this year? Will the kids understand if we don't? Can I be creative enough to make the $ stretch? Can I help my kids remember that it's not all about presents and it's OK if there aren't any?

So,we just keep living. Doing what's right and having faith that because we are, everything will work out fine.We don't need a job and money to be happy. We just need to help each other get through it with as much laughing as possible.

I really should be putting this in my journal. But right now I think it's important for others to see..you aren't alone in this. Alot of people are suffering and understand and it's OK to say it out loud! I love you.

The end.

Love

2010-07-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

Loving that my kids are back in school. Loving that they are excited about a new year and new start. Loving my quiet days to do whatever I want. Loving the bits of rain we are getting. Loving my hard-working, ever-worrying husband. Loving my new calling at church and the awesome people I get to work with. Loving life.

Recent activity

2010-06-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

We had a hair day..we went to my friends house and she did 5 hair cuts and 5 dye jobs in 7 hours! All that with 5 little kids running around needing attention!!

I forgot to get Jenna in her foils and there's no way I was going to post me in foils..but we all turned out super cute..what happened to the after pics??

Kyra and Jenna did a benefit concert to raise awareness for foster care and adoption. It was an amazing night but somehow this is the only pic I have!

My daddy :)

Not a great pic..but..this kid will be my new little brother in a few months!

My parents are adopting again, he'll make child #8!

Natalie at her end of the year awards assembly..she got highest honors

(all A's and B's for the whole semester)

Great job girlfriend!

Snow Trip (playing catch up)

2010-06-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

Mark had to work up North for the day in December so we all hopped in the car and went with him! He spent a few hours working while the rest of us hit Wal-Mart for snacks and Big 5 for sleds (on clearance woohoo!) We finished right when he did and then we hit the slopes (the big snowy hill we found)

Ty with Mark's help
Jake at the bottom of the hill

Jaren,,posing

Such a good daddy

Sweet Natalie

Me and Ty enjoying the car ride

more car fun..they're so cute!

these 2 love each other..so cute!

We didn't get a pic of it but on the way back to the car..Alaina slid on ice right into me.We both hit really hard! It was hilarious!! Love fun little day trips with the kids!!

Bored kids

2010-06-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

Kids have been getting bored and using the camera to entertain themselves..

Alaina

Kyra

Alaina and Kyra on the staircase

Kyra and Jenna in the street

At least they're using their imaginations!

INSANITY

2010-05-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a new exercise program for almost 2 weeks..It's called INSANITY!

It fits the name!! So stinkin' hard,,ugh!!

My friends Nick and Cortney (who are hot) turned me on to this program.

I wanna be as hot as they are, so I'm doing it!!

I totally forgot to measure myself at the beginning (finally did it today) but I've noticed a difference so it's ok if I don't have "numbers"

But I did weigh myself at the beginning and I've only lost 1/3 of a pound. BUT--my pants fit better, my shirts that were tight are no longer tight, and I'm starting to like the way I look! So I'm ignoring the scale for now. My husband keeps asking me if I've lost weight so it's not my imagination!! :)

My MIL and my husband and kids are being so supportive and congratulating me for keeping up with it even though "it looks so hard" and none of them can do it,,even my "fit" kids.. hehe!

It's a 60 day program..I WILL stick with it and I will post my results so you know if it's worth your effort! Wish me luck!!

A Little Late

2010-03-03T21:55:00.000-08:00

We had another birthday in our family but with sick people and tons of craziness there was no time to post. But, I'm sitting here at 11 pm with a house full of sleeping people and no desire to go to bed. Soo, it's getting done.

Happy 15th birthday Jenna! We love you!!

She got the one thing she's been asking for....a phone. She freaked!

On another note..
Alaina has taken the drivers permit twice, flunked it twice. She gets one more try and then they make her stop, so they tell us. Let's hope that Jen does better when she can take it in 6 months.

Oh, the crazy that goes on around here..Today my mom told me she never knows when to call...in her words..in the morning I'm getting kids off to school, during the day I'm either doing Ty's home school or running errands, after school I'm helping with homework/chores, then it's dinner and the bedtime routine (which can take up to 3 hours)then the kids are in bed and I'm either doing laundry or exercising or watching one of my shows on TIVO. Sometimes I forget to shower or eat. Anybody else have that problem??

We're Old!

2010-02-02T06:48:00.000-08:00

We have a 16 year old! Kyra turned 16 on January 28th. We delivered a bunch of balloons to school (which she was hoping for so everybody and their dog would know it's her bday cuz Kyra is all about attention) and while she was at school we re-did her room. She is in love with everything pink and zebra right now. So, her new curtains and bedding are zebra and dark pink. She absolutely loved it. We also got her a monogrammed zebra umbrella and water bottle. The other kids wanted to do something for her so they pulled their money together for the curtains. Her sweet aunts from DC sent her some really cute cards and she was excited to get mail for her bday.Then (as per tradition) she got to choose anything she wanted for dinner and dessert. She chose stuffed baked potatoes and strawberry cheesecake. I never know what weird choices they will make so this was pretty tame. Kyra has come a long way in the past year and we are very proud of her. Happy Birthday Chicky!

Here we go again....

2010-01-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

We made it through December--

we moved
Jake broke his toe walking down the stairs and is in a walking boot
got through more testing for Natalie for her kidneys and bladder (still no news)
celebrated Christmas
had a New Year's party with friends

I thought once we got through December everything would settle down and we could breathe a little..YA RIGHT!

January is already filling up--

3 dentist appts
1 ortho appt
I have surgery on the 11th (finishing off my hysterectomy and shoving me into menopause, yippee!!)
Mark gets his tonsils out on the 20th
other random check ups and dr appts along the way

So, here's to hoping that February will slow down. Although, Mark is seriously looking into going back to school and one of them he is looking at starts in February, so maybe not!

Happy Day!

2009-12-04T08:27:00.000-08:00

After weeks of packing we are finally moving today.

But, even more exciting--

Today Mark and I have been married for 16 years!! It's so amazing how much we still love each other and how much fun we have. We laugh all the time. I'm so excited to celebrate this day, even though we are packing and moving.

Sidenote--this year on my birthday we were moving out of the old shop. This has been a year of change and I think I'm OK with that.

So, my dear sweet Mark--here's to the next 16 years and the eternities to come. I love you so much.

Updates....

2009-11-20T18:29:00.000-08:00

Alot has happened the last few weeks:
Mark is being sent to a kidney specialist because he's having pain and his creatinine(sp?) level is really high.
I am trying to pack and keep up with all the dr appointments.
Kyra has had several choir concerts and is trying to get people to donate to the choir fundraiser that will help them get to Boston early next year to compete nationally.
Alaina is hyper as ever and is trying so hard to get ahead in school and adjust to the idea of moving.
Jenna is busy with friends and worried about moving to a new school but she makes friends pretty easily so I'm not worried about her.
Jake is very busy with cross country and working on a play for Christmas--he's "King Herod". Jaren is enjoying running club.
Natalie is also working on a Christmas play--she's "the angel to the shepherds" and she's going through more testing to find out why she is getting repeated infections and having alot of kidney pain.
This is a good time to add that kidney problems run in Mark's family--his sister is currently on dialysis and the transplant list.
Ty has started some new meds for ADHD and is doing so much better in school and is even spending more time in the mainstream classroom, yeah!!
And of course--we are moving December 5th! I am trying to pack up a house that we have lived in for 7 1/2 years and we have also gained 5 people since we moved in. That's alot of stuff! We are excited/scared. But it's a new adventure and apparently one that Heavenly Father wants us to experience because He is making it happen. So, even though we never planned to move--bring it on! New neighborhood, new ward, new friends, new schools, new experiences, new problems, new blessings. We have felt His hand in so many things in our lives lately. He knows us, He loves us and He knows where we need to be and why. Good thing, because I don't! I am so thankful to have an eternal perspective on things and to know that though I am not in control--I know who is and I know He cares.

The Bumm's are on the move...

2009-10-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

As some of you may heard, we are moving. We found a great home. We are still in Queen Creek. Unfortunately, not in the same ward or stake. But we aren't going very far. It's only at Crismon/Ocotillo. Most of our kids will be changing schools at the end of the quarter. The house we are moving into is bigger and less expensive! It's in a great neighborhood with lots of kids (which we haven't had for almost 8 years) Our kids are excited to have other kids to play with. I'm excited to be on a real road so my car stays clean. We are close enough that we will see everybody quite often. But, we will miss the awesome people that have become extended family that we have become so close to in our ward these past several years. Thank you all for your love and help as our family has grown and changed. We will miss you so very much!

ALT FUEL SYSTEMS

2009-10-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

We have had many questions recently about our business. So--here it is in a nutshell. Alt Fuel Systems is no longer in business. However, we have opened a new shop with a new name. Some of the same employees but some are gone. We are now "Green Energy Conversions" We do all of the same work--regular automotive repair and of course anything to do with converting/repairing propane and CNG vehicles. So, if you need anything done to your vehicle please give Mark a call. Our new business number is 480-709-6414. Thank you!

Happy Birthday to an awesome man...

2009-10-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

Mark's birthday is tomorrow. We will have a busy weekend so I'm taking a minute this morning to honor him.
Mark is a wonderful father. He was thrown into this role at a young age and totally stepped up to the plate. We were married very young and the plan was to wait 5 years to have kids...didn't happen! Then the plan was to have 2 or 3 then maybe do foster care. 7 kids later....he loves our children, he loves to goof around with them, play video games, go on trips, he LOVES to tease them. He is a fun dad!! He is super good at helping with homework and talking with them after they've been in trouble. He's much better with a few of them than I am.

He is a wonderful husband! He makes me laugh every single day. We can talk and laugh for hours after the kids go to bed. He can read me very well. He knows just what to say to cheer me up and get me back on track. He will always help cook, clean, put kids to bed, deal with a problem child or just hold me when I have a bad dream. We have been best friends since we were 16. We got married so young we grew up together, and I look forward to growing old together. We have been married almost 16 years. Sometimes it feels like we've always been together and sometimes it feels like the time has flown by and I can't wait to see what the future brings for us.

One of his favorite things to do is go to the Dunes and have fun! He loves to ride. He's so happy when we go. He doesn't mind all the work it takes to get 9 people to California just to camp out for days. He loves to load everybody up and go on a family ride with everybody lined up together. He loves to take the boys up to competition hill and watch the races. He absolutely loves to ride up a huge hill, that alot of people wouldn't even think about, with his wife and children looking on in amazement! Unfortunately, with the state of finances right now, he was even willing to give up all the toys and hope that one day we can rebuild our collection. So sad, but just one more thing to show how much he loves his family and the sacrifices he's willing to make for us.

He is also always so willing to help anybody or take in anybody. We have had 2 siblings live with us. We had over 20 foster children. Now his mother lives with us. When it came to adopting our kids, he didn't even hesitate. He just knew we needed to bring them into our family and love them. There aren't very many 34 year old men that are willing to be in his position. But he LOVES it. He's GREAT at it. He makes it look so easy.

We are so blessed to have him as a husband, friend and father.

Mark-thank you. We appreciate you. We love you. Happy Birthday my love!

Back to school...

2009-10-21T10:23:00.000-07:00

Today my sweet children returned to school after a 2 1/2 week break. We spent the time:

doing yard work
making s'mores
playing card games and video games
going winter shopping
making more s'mores
moving more of Pam's stuff from her old house
more yard work
deep cleaning the house
coming up with Halloween costumes
exercising/training Jake for cross country
finding new recipes/cooking them
going to yard sales
playing hide-and-go-seek and tag in the house

We certainly tried to keep busy. It was definitely helpful having Pam around to keep the kids entertained. She is even teaching a few of them to sew, which is good because I'm not talented in that area in any way, shape or form!

While it was nice having them home, it's nice having them back at school too.

I realized over this break that although being a mom of 7 kids is very challenging...I actually love it...remember I'm the one who always told my mom "2 kids tops"! But I feel their love and appreciation and the smiles on their sweet faces and it makes it hard to remember the not-so-fun times. I'm starting to realize how quickly they are growing up and how I need to treasure every moment with them. Wow, the Lord definitely knew me better than I knew myself. He knew I would love having a large family gathered around me. Of course if I didn't have such an awesome husband it wouldn't be this great. Thanks honey, you're a blessing!

Feeling peaceful

2009-09-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

My life is crazy right now. Being the planner I am and having every almost every aspect of my life being up in the air is very hard for me. Normally I have lists. Lists of things to do, lists of places to go, lists of what money is coming in and lists of where it needs to go. Lists of who needs what from the store. Lists of who needs to go where and when. My family knows "if it's not written down, it doesn't get done"

Lately there have been no lists (almost no lists, I can't be totally unorganized) No amount of planning or scheduling or list making will help me. There is too much in our lives right now that we just don't know! Luckily due to some of my last posts I don't need to go to that place right now. Despite all the unknown, unplanned, crazy going on--I am learning to find reasons that some of these things are happening and being grateful for them.

Our family has had a hard year. Physically, financially, emotionally. BUT-- our family has learned:

to be patient

to live within our means

to talk through problems before they get out of control

to read scriptures together on a regular basis

to say personal prayers more often(we were already doing pretty good at family prayers)

to forget our problems and help others through theirs

to be more giving

to speak kind words more often

to find cheaper entertainment (which can be more fun)

to talk about our fears, hopes and dreams, openly and honestly

to solve problems together (not just letting the parents make the decisions, kids can have some great input!)

to ask more often--"what are we supposed to learn from this?" and "what does Heavenly Father want from our family, what are we supposed to be doing and where are we supposed to be doing it?"

We are so much closer as a family. I feel so much closer to the Lord and pray that my family feels the same. Mark and I have been married for almost 16 years and I feel closer to him than I ever have. These trials have pulled or maybe pushed us closer. We both have our moments of weakness, but we seem to take turns and pull the other through. I am so thankful for Mark and for every single one of my sweet children. I am also thankful for having Pam living here. She is such a big help in every way and lets me vent. She is having trials of her own and I do my best to help her in turn.

So--despite all the insanity--I am feeling peaceful. I know that many prayers have been offered on our behalf. I know that prayers are heard. I know that our Father in Heaven knows our hearts, our wants, our needs. I know that He has a plan for us and is just lining things up to carry that plan through. I have felt Him carry me and hold me many times in recent months. I am so thankful for that comfort. If these trials are what it took for us to learn so much and become closer to each other and our Heavenly Father, then I am thankful for what we have been given. Good and bad.

And that makes 10

2009-09-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

We were supposed to have 2 weeks notice to paint, pack, move, etc for Mark's mom (whom I will refer to as Pam from here on out) to move in. We found out yesterday, due to some crazy uncontrollable circumstances, that we have today to paint and the weekend to not only move Pam in but help Mark's brother move also. AAAHHHH! Can there be more crazy added right now?? So, after a desperate call to our RS Pres, I got lucky enough to have 2 awesome boys (thanx Connole's) come and knock out the painting in little more than an hour! WooHoo! Mark just has to paint around the ceiling and it's ready for occupancy.

So, after this crazy weekend, we will have 10 people living in our home. We are excited to welcome Pam, Gramma, Mom into our home. The kids love her and I couldn't have asked for a better mom-in-law. We get along great, she's a huge help, likes to cook and naturally wakes up early enough to take the girls to zero hour so I can sleep YEAH!

Now all I need is for Mark's business to pick back up so we don't lose our house. I cringe just thinking about having to find a new place for 10 people....YUCK!
So, prayers are welcome and encouraged on our behalf. Better business or a whole new job, whatever it takes to stay where we are...we love our ward and don't want to leave it. But at this point we go where the work is. So, even if that means we leave here, it would just be nice to have a house to live in and a job to depend on.

So, on to a new chapter in our lives...the beginning of living with Gramma...fun times ahead!!

Loooong weekend!

2009-08-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

Friday:

Picked Ty up from school at 9:30
Took Ty to occupational therapy in Mesa
Had to have Mark pick up Jake from school and meet me in Chandler so he could take Ty back to school and I could take Jake to the hand surgeon to have a cast put on his broken wrist.
Picked kids up from school
Took Natalie for allergy shots (10 minutes late)
Fed the kids.
Got to go for a break with friends (dinner and movie)

Saturday:

Woke kids up at 8 to get ready for Mark's dad's funeral
Left for funeral at 10:30
Headed home about 4
Went grocery shopping
Friends came over to BBQ and help finish Kyra's room so we can get started working on the room that Mark's mom will be moving into.

Mark's brother,Scott, gave a beautiful eulogy and then all the grand kids sang "Families Can Be Together Forever" Two of my kids were crying so hard they couldn't even make it through the song. It was really heart-breaking.

Mark's mom's RS served a wonderful lunch and wouldn't let us help with anything. It was really sweet. We had some relatives from Utah come down for the weekend so after the luncheon we went back to Mark's mom's to visit for awhile. It was nice to see them since we haven't been up there for 4 years.

Sunday:

Overslept and missed church
Went to Mark's mom's house to start going through and packing everything and to have dinner and visit with family some more
Left her house around 7
Came home and moved Kyra's stuff into her new room

By this point my back and legs hurt and everybody was exhausted!

It was a very long and emotional weekend for all. But it was fun to be around family and see the love that surrounds this family. We are all experiencing financial and/or health issues right now. But when it comes to being there and showing love for each other, this family is NOT in short supply!!

So, over the next few weeks we will finish prepping Pam's room and packing some of her most treasured belongings, having a charity yard sale (selling almost everything else she owns) so she will have money to live on for awhile and moving her from her home to ours and moving Mark's sister into her new apartment....

Farewell and a birthday...

2009-08-25T09:49:00.000-07:00

This is Mark's nephew, Vince. Sunday we went to his farewell party. This 'do' was one of his last freedom acts. He left yesterday for boot camp for the Air Force. We are all very excited for him! Despite how he appears in this picture, he is insanely smart and super sweet and we love him to death. Good luck Vince!!

And now on to Alaina--HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY!

Alaina Rochelle was born at 6:03 pm. She counts down to the minute every year. I can't believe how fast the past 15 years have flown by. It seems like yesterday I was getting frustrated because she had colic and Mark slept right through it.

Alaina did everything early.

She crawled at 4 months, walked at 9 months, spoke complete and understandable sentences at 18 months, started kindergarten at age 4, got her teenage attitude at age 9 but mostly outgrew it by age 12. Now she is trying to graduate a year early.

We are so grateful to have Alaina in our family. She tries so hard to do what's right and she can be very spiritual. She always thinks about others and does things without being asked. She loves to clean and organize which is nice since my other 3 daughters don't share that passion!

Alaina--you are awesome! Stay just the way you are, we love you so much. Happy Birthday,baby Llama.

Everything update...

2009-08-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

OK. I haven't posted in awhile but that's because I've been waiting for Mark to download the pics from my camera cuz I still don't get it. (sad,I know!) But whenever he's home,I forget. So,here's yet another post without pics!

School started a few weeks ago. I thought I was excited to not have the kids home saying "I'm bored" 15 times a day.

I.was.wrong.

My schedule has been so insane,I can't think straight. So,here it is:

Kyra has been doing a little better this year at keeping up with homework and actually turning it in. Her attitude is getting better, most of the time. And after groundings piling up on top of groundings--finally after 11 months--she is free!! And hoping to stay that way so she's watching everything she says and does.

Alaina is still having alot of problems with pain from what we think is arthritis but they still can't find any proof that anything is wrong. The dr said it could be beginning stages but that could take awhile to show itself. But she is taking an extra class at school cuz she is trying to graduate early. She is very motivated cuz she wants to hurry and start college courses for fashion and design.

Jenna is still doing great in school. She is not as motivated as I would hope but we're working on it. But she's still as fun as ever and keeps the kids laughing (even during homework)

Jake has finally hit some growth spurts.He has complained for so long about being short and now all of a sudden I have had to buy him new shorts (twice in 6 weeks) new shoes and shirts cuz he keeps growing.He also has a love/hate relationship with junior high. He loves some of his classes/teachers. But of course there's some he doesn't like. Mostly he loves that he made the football team. Out of the 105 boys that tried out, only 32 made it and he was one of them! Daily practices are making him tired and he's trying to adjust.But he's doing awesome! His first game is today so we'll see how it goes!

Jaren is in 5th grade and that means he gets to play an instrument! He chose the alto saxophone and he loves it. He is doing better this year at being organized and getting things done.He has grown a little too.

Natalie is in 4th grade. She has had so many health problems this year, it's hard to be excited about school. She is having a ton of stomach problems and had to go through some not-so-fun meds and treatments. We are being told (if it's what they think) it could take 6 months to 2 years to get her back to normal. Long road ahead.....

Ty is in 1st grade. Back at his old school but with a new teacher. We've had some ups and downs but this new teacher is doing a good job to make sure there's more ups. He's still in self-contained but will be starting in with some mainstreaming soon.

Mark and I have had our own health issues to deal with. The scary job situation doesn't help the health situation much. But we are having faith that Heavenly Father knows what He's doing. I hope He does cuz at this point--WE DON'T!

I'm trying to end this on a more positive note....sorry....I just don't have anything right now.

A Little Help

2009-07-16T10:16:00.000-07:00

I need recipes for a diet that will lower cholesterol. Preferably meals that my whole family will be willing to eat. Recipes for desserts and snacks would be helpful too. Or if any of you are a nutritionist or dietitian, we could use your help. Thanks!

My crazy is leaving

2009-07-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

Alaina has been hired to go on a 9 day trip with some people she regularly babysits for. She will be going basically as a nanny/extra set of hands. I'm a little nervous for her. I hope this doesn't totally wipe her out. That's alot for an almost-15-yr-old to handle. She's excited partly because we haven't done anything major exciting this summer and aren't planning on it and partly cuz of the money. It's not going to be a huge amount but to her "money is money" Good luck Alaina, we'll be prayin' for ya!

Happy Birthday baby boy!

2009-07-01T09:20:00.001-07:00

WOW! He's 6 years old. That's crazy! We love our little Ty Ty. He is such a sweetie, even when he's not. We are so lucky to have this entertainer in our family. Ty will be going to first grade in a few weeks. For his bday he chose to take his friends swimming, go shopping for Transformer toys and going to see Transformers. We made the movie a family event since Jaren's bday was a few weeks ago and he wanted to see it too.

Double Digits!

2009-06-11T00:56:00.000-07:00

We have yet another child who has entered what we call "the double digits"

Jaren is now 10!! He has been a blessing in our lives for 6 years now. He has changed so much. He went from a quiet, shy little guy who went along with anything and never stood up for himself--to a loud, obnoxious, crazy boy. But he's still a sweet helper. He jumps up whenever anybody needs anything, even if they've been arguing. He has learned to be daring and dangerous, as boys should be. He loves to talk about where he wants to go when he serves a mission, he only has 9 years to go! He hardly ever gets in trouble. I've told him if all children were as easy as him, everybody would have 20. We are so blessed to have Jaren in our family, as we are with all of our children. So,

HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY JAREN !! WE LOVE YOU BUDDY !!

The last 2 weeks....

2009-05-27T09:48:00.001-07:00

Natalie had her first choir concert. She had a speaking part introducing a song. She used such enthusiasm, it was so cute. I really hope she continues with choir.

That same night (we had to run from one to the other) Kyra had her final choir concert for the year. She had her 1st solo and did an AWESOME job!! The following week she tried out to be advanced and got it! She is now in the 2 upper choirs. Unfortunately we didn't get any good pics.

Jake had a band concert. He plays the baritone and does an awesome job. He has played for 2 years and I hope he continues as he enters junior high next year.

On to the not-so-fun part of the last few weeks. Alaina was sick all day, so she wasn't eating or drinking. That evening I was in the kitchen getting her some medicine. I turned around to get a stool 'cuz my shortness can't reach the meds, and BAM! I heard her hit the floor. I turned around to see her having a seizure. So of course I screamed for Mark and he came running. He picked her up off the floor and was about to help her walk to the couch and she went limp and started shaking but the 2nd time it was more like she passed out than a seizure. It was taking her long enough to come out of it that we decided we better call 911. They got here and decided she needed to be transported. Keep in mind we lost our insurance the week before this happened--Yeah! Anyway, they got her to the hospital, ran tests to make sure it was safe to come off the backboard (cuz she hit her head so hard on the tile) it took over 2 hours and she was getting really mad. So to add to her mood, I took a picture :) It was decided that her sodium level dropped enough to make her blood pressure drop and that caused both episodes. So we are pushing all the stuff she needs to stay healthy. She hasn't had any problems in over a week so I'm sure she's fine. But the picture captured her mood...
At least she has an ambulance story. I've never had to be in one and neither have most of the people I know. Just more excitement! Always somethin' goin' on with the Bumms!

New Header name

2009-05-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have noticed my change in header name. It used to be bloggin' bumms. I thought that was a little boring. I decided to personalize it. But in the process, I need to explain it. With a houseful of noisy people, it's really hard to get every ones attention when and where you want it. Whenever I need to speak to everybody in a certain room (this happens alot, saves repeating) I stand in the middle of that room and yell "front and center" The kids who heard it will run to the ones who didn't and yell "front and center kitchen" (or whatever room I'm in) They drop what they're doing and come right away. I never have to say it more than once. I didn't train them to do this. One day I was joking around and yelled it. They responded so quickly because they were curious, that it became "the thing to do" and it's worked every time since then. Keep in mind it only works when I yell it for everybody to come. If I want just one or two people and call their name(s) I have to call them 3 or 4 times and send somebody to track them down or go on the hunt myself. But they never question "front and center" Alot needs to be said for military tactics! So, our blog is now personalized!

More Blessings

2009-05-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

Last night our family was the recipient of service. I'm not going to go into detail because the person that did this took great care to be sure it was done anonymously. I'm just hoping that whoever it was is a blog reader because I want to send out a HUGE thank you. It seems like every time things are looking down, a prayer is answered. So, thank you. Thank you for following whatever prompting you got to answer our prayers. I hope I am close enough to the Spirit to do that for somebody else.

Bday and a funny dream...

2009-05-06T08:04:00.000-07:00

OK--my birthday was on Friday. I feel the old-ness creeping in. Anyway, Mark and the boys were camping (I'll share pics later, Mark let Ty take them ALL) Alaina had a party to go to, Kyra had to babysit. So, Jen and Natalie went to my friends house to hang out with her kids so she could go have fun with me! It was me, Angie, Jody and Pam. First we went to Texas Roadhouse, had girl talk, giggles, etc. At the end we decided to go to a movie that started in 10 minutes so I got outta there without sitting on the bday saddle and being embarrassed. WOO HOO!! On to the movies. The one we wanted to see had been replaced by X-Men because of high demand. Jody decided to work her magic. The theater messed up our plans so we each got 2 free movie tickets. Awesome! After the movie (it was 11:15) we decided it was time for dessert. The only place open after 11 was Village Inn. So, pie it was! After 2 hours of pie, more talking, more giggles, we decided it was time to go home. By the time I took Jody home, Picked up Kyra, took Angie home and picked up the remaining girls and got home to bed--it was 2:30!! I'm too old for that :) But, since the guys were gone and the girls were tired, I slept in til 10 HEE HEE!!

The next 2 days were spent finishing moving and cleaning our business (partly to my house) Unfortunately that meant working on Sunday. But we had a deadline and no choice. Sunday was also supposed to be the day that we were going to BBQ and do the family bday thing. I called Angie about 5:00 and was filling her in on the 2 days of back breaking labor and commented that my bday dinner would wait until Monday because we were too tired to cook. No biggee! We finally got home around 7:15 ( I think) To our surprise there was our sweet friends, Angie and Brian. They had cleaned my kitchen, BBQ'd my bday steak, made baked potatoes and veggies and even baked a pan of brownies. They ordered us to go take a much needed shower and left us to have our family dinner ( we finally ate at 8:15) I almost cried, I think I was too tired though. It was so cool. I love surprises. After dinner it was time for jammies and the rest of the bedtime routine cuz it was 9:00!

On to this morning...
I woke to Natalie sleeping on the floor next to my bed. When I woke her up I noticed her bear smooshed between my jewelry box and nightstand. She is very protective of her stuffed animals so I was surprised. When I pointed it out to her she commented with, " I know, I was afraid to sleep with it"
She proceeded to share her dream with me which had me rolling in laughter (partly cuz it was 7 am & I didn't get much sleep) but I didn't want to forget it so it gets to be posted for later reminder. The dream...
We were asleep in the house and an alarm went off. I said to Natalie "yes, that is the teddy bear alarm" so we all went outside. All of the teddy bears in the world had come to life. They ate her tortoises ( her favorite thing since she loves animals) then they started to eat everybody else.
I laughed so hard. She said "it was really scary, not funny" But when I couldn't stop laughing, she thought maybe it was kind of funny now that she's not scared.
It was cuter to have her tell it. But at least I can look back later and remember the moment.

Our lives are such a roller coaster right now. We go from excited to mad to sad to goofy and any other emotions that are possible. Sometimes that's just in an hour. But I'm enjoying it, at least we aren't bored!

WOW!

2009-04-30T22:36:00.000-07:00

OK-I know I just posted this morning. But,wow! It's amazing when you are going through a trial and people come out of nowhere/everywhere to help. Especially in this ward. I hope we never have to move. We were reminded today how much we are blessed. How so many people give a darn! I was also brought back to reality--it could be worse. I need to suck it up and count my blessings. We are still having issues but some great things came out of this day. I have no doubt that it's because of the prayers and the fasting( I love that my kids voluntarily fasted with us). I have literally felt the love today. I love that there are people in my life that let me vent. I love that it's ok to feel sorry for yourself as long as you don't let it consume you. I love that my biggest desire today was to serve somebody. I love that even though it seemed that our whole world was turning upside down, I had a peaceful feeling. I love that my sickie is better. I love our friends that are willing to put their lives on hold to help us. I love that people show up without being asked. I'm feelin' the love people!!

No matter what you are going through, there are people who love you. There are people praying for you. There will always be somebody to help you, it's ok to ask and it's ok to accept it. Just accept it! People want to help. People want to feel needed and we all need the blessings.

I love that I learned something today!!

Bring it on!

2009-04-30T09:48:00.001-07:00

Yup,bring it on! I'm to the point now that He's gonna have to carry me, so I can handle it, right?? I feel like it's being dumped on right now. Does that mean things will be getting better soon???

So...as of today, our shop is closed! We have fasted, prayed, etc. So, the only thing I can go by right now is "He closes a door, He opens a window" otherwise, I'll go crazy!!! I know we need to have faith that this is all part of the plan-- the plan needs to hurry up and do somethin' else!

On top of it all, I was supposed to go in and help move everything from our shop to our house so they can still work here and try to get some moola comin' in but one of my sweeties blew that out of the water when he woke up sick this morning (YAY!) So now I'm stuck home feeling completely helpless AND useless.

So,I really NEED to start doing daycare to help out with the moola situation. Know anybody lookin'? I need to start selling stuff (anybody want a 2007 Tahoe, cheap??)

Because I'm desperate, I'm gonna throw this out there too--Mark is a mechanic, he does computer repair, computer networking, anything with alternative fuel (propane,cng,etc) on almost any vehicle. Give us a call, his schedule is pretty open.

So,off to the Father & Son outing tomorrow (which also happens to be my bday). Hope none of the guys get injured (seems to happen EVERY year)

I'm NOT asking for sympathy!!I hate to complain but if I keep it all to myself, I'll freakin' explode. This is alot to handle. I have been telling myself for weeks " others have it worse than me so I need to suck it up and stop complaining". But I realized that everybody is given their trials at their time. There will always be somebody worse off than you. That doesn't mean that your problem should be made to look like it's nothing. Because to the person going through it, it's something. Never demean your problem by saying "somebody out there has it worse" cuz you have it worse than somebody else too. I've always done that. Not anymore! (even though I know I'll do it with the next trial, it's just in me) It's OK to feel sorry for yourself once in awhile. It's called taking care of yourself, women have a problem with that! So,ladies join me.....say it (c'mon say it):

"my challenge is my challenge and it's ok to feel sorry for myself!!!"

Now repeat that 3 times and take a deep breath!

OK-now get back to what you were doing, I'm off to put on a movie for sickie and do yard work..........

What we've been up to...

2009-04-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

I feel bad that I haven't put anything on here in awhile. Mostly because this is our journal and there's been alot going on. So, for memory sake--here's the latest:

Jake went on a scout camp this last weekend and had a blast. He loves his new scout leaders. I love that they are organized and give us a calendar. It's months in advance. Pretty impressive for men!
Ty has been home sick since last Friday. He's doing better and is tired of being home. He's goin' back tomorrow!!
Natalie is back to going through kidney/bladder problems. We're back to working with the specialist on a regular basis. I thought these days wouldn't return after her surgery several years ago--but here we are again!
Alaina is being looked at for arthritis. She's been having lots of joint pain/swelling for months. She takes after me,yeah! :(
Mark is working hard to keep our business going. It's been stressful. I hate the situation this country is in. I hate that it's affecting us (big time)
I'm trying to start doing daycare again. I know there's alot of moms trying to go back to work. I need to make money without leaving 7 kids to do their own thing. Especially since we are always at the Dr. for somebody. So,if you know of somebody looking,pass the word along.
My parents are adopting child #7 tomorrow. I will have a new 7 year old sister. The next oldest child from her is 26 years old. Now my parents will be even with me!
For now, my grandparents will not be moving in any time soon. Grampa had major surgery a few weeks ago and can't travel (probably ever) He's up and down and we just pray that he's not in too much pain. He could live a few more years with this surgery being done but won't be able to travel. But, if he doesn't make it very long then we have to discuss whether Gramma will be moving here or not. But we are planning a family reunion in California in July. I hope we can make it, it will be a blast to see cousins my kids have never met.

I know most of this post is not fun news. But, these days is life really that exciting?? And I need to remember the stressful times right along with the good times, right? We do have some fun stuff coming soon. Father & son's outing, Mother's Day, My birthday,band and choir concerts,etc. So I will be able to post some fun stories and pictures in the next month.

Stay tuned........

Jake is the big 1 2 !!

2009-03-26T07:53:00.001-07:00

This is the last of our family bdays for a little while. Jake is 12 today. He gets to receive the priesthood, go to mutual and pass sacrament. He's excited and nervous for these big changes. I'm excited and nervous for him. The past few weeks he's been watching the other boys pass it and taking mental notes.

In a few months he'll be going to junior high! He is growing up so stinkin' fast.

He's great at sports and loves to do anything "boy" He loves to mow the lawn and loves it more when people hire him to mow theirs. He's already putting money aside in his mission fund and college savings.

He is doing great in scouts. He was serving as patrol leader until today, he gets to move up to the older scouts now. He can't wait for the week-long camp-outs (much more exciting than the over-night ones) He has earned so many patches!

He does awesome in school and is determined to continue doing well so he can get a scholarship. He has alot of schooling ahead of him--he wants to be a brain surgeon. I think that is an awesome thing to strive for!!

Jake--you are a sweetie. Thank you for being a great son, big brother and little brother. We love you and appreciate you. Thanks for bringing your sweet smile and fun personality to our family.

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Natty!!

2009-03-21T18:34:00.000-07:00

Today is Natalie's birthday! My baby girl is 9!! I can't believe it's been that long since I've been pregnant (my body still isn't back to pre-baby shape) We took her friends swimming for several hours and then did cake and presents. Everybody is worn out. It was a fun-filled day.
Natalie, thank you for bringing such spirit to our family. You are so much fun. I love how much you love animals (too bad you're allergic to everything) I love how you love to pray and read scriptures. Keep your sweet spirit and your desire to do good and be good. You are going to make such a difference in this world! We love you Natty!!

We're Making Progress

2009-03-05T09:09:00.000-08:00

After 6 months of testing and lots of meetings, we are finally getting answers. It appears that Ty has ADHD and sensory processing disorder. At first I argued with the ADHD diagnosis but was told that it's not the "typical" ADHD so he has different symptoms. But the SPD fits perfectly. It was exciting to have a name to the issues. Now we know what we can do to help him. Step one--after spring break he will be transferred to a different school and be in a self-contained classroom. It is being said that he will only have to be there for 1-2 school years before coming back to our school and being main-streamed.

Step two--he needs a private occupational therapist which we are working on through the insurance. The one the school provides doesn't give hardly any one on one.

And, of course, there are some changes to be made within our home to help him. We've already started and they seem to be working.

I'm having fun doing research and talking to other people who are experiencing this with children. It's fun to put the pieces together of things that have been a problem for several years and realizing that it all fits! It's fun because now I know there's nothing I did wrong. It's not my parenting skills gone awry and there is something we can do to help him. If any of you have input on this I'm open for more. I appreciate any insight I can get. And I want to say thank you to those of you who have been asking how it's going and being excited with me that we have a "diagnosis" and for those of you that know about this and have given me advice and a great book (thanks Shannon) Now we just plug along and try new things. He's an awesome, cute, sweet little guy. We just need to help him through this little trial.

JENNA'S 14!!

2009-02-27T07:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday chicky!!
We have been blessed to have Jenna in our lives! She's been with us for 3 1/2 years. WOW! Has it really been that long? Jenna has grown so much-- physically, spiritually and emotionally. She is a hard worker, especially when it comes to homework. She has the MOST awesome laugh. When you hear her laugh, even if you don't know why she's laughing, you can't keep from joining in. She has a beautiful smile and a beautiful singing voice (when she's not afraid to share it). She doesn't care what others think of her, she is her own person, especially when it comes to her sisters. She is HILARIOUS!! Catch her in the right mood and she'll have you wetting your pants! She loves to make people laugh.

Jenna- thank you for entertaining us and for your sweet spirit. We love you!

To be or not to be...........

2009-02-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is my sweet grandparents. This picture is a few years old and I "borrowed" it from my cousins website, but I love this picture. As I said before, they are supposed to be coming to live with us soon. Last Friday Grampa went into the hospital and had a very hard weekend. My dad drove over to see him, my aunt flew in from Texas, my uncle went to see him. I have another aunt that was already there and has been caring for them for about 6 years now and another uncle that couldn't make it. Needless to say, we all thought it was good-bye. He's very weak and gets tired just talking on the phone. Tests have shown that he is working with 10-15% of his heart capacity. He's on oxygen 24 hours a day. He actually coded twice on Friday but asked them not to shock him again because it hurts. So, they had to make him a DNR. That was hard!
So,my dad sat with him for quite awhile on Sunday morning. He went in for (what we thought)the final "oldest son to dad talk" Near the end of the talk my dad asked him if he was ready to go and offered him a release blessing. He's been in pain for a long time. He can't do much without getting completely exhausted. Basically what happened is that he told my dad there will be time for that, but it's not time yet. He told my dad he's just not finished but he'll let him know when he is.
He spoke of coming here to be with us. He commented that he still has a great-grandchild he needs to get to know (he hasn't met Kyra yet) He did speak with all of the kids on Sunday. Even though Kyra hasn't met him, she ended up crying and saying what a sweet man he is. Which is very true. He helped me through some rough patches in my teenage years. Telling it like it is and trying to get me to listen to the people around me that cared the most.
So, my uncle, who is in the medical field, is trying to find a way to move him here without anything bad happening. He can't fly. He can't handle the long drive from San Diego. I don't know what's going to happen. But, my dad says he is determined to live until he can get here.
I spoke with Gramma on Saturday. She said even if he doesn't make it, she would still like to come live here. I don't know if that will change. I just know we are taking it day by day. Which is killing me since I'm a planner. But there's so much in my life right now that is unpredictable and un-plannable. I'll just have to get over it!! So it's just a waiting game with lots of praying. I really want to see my Grampa again and I know my kids would love to get to know him better. But we all know how hard it is for him to fight and we just want him to be able to rest.
So,here's one of those many times where we put it in the Lord's hands and accept what comes our way.

Running Club update

2009-02-24T07:04:00.000-08:00

I never followed through with the other 2 running club events. Bad mom! Both races have come and gone. The 2nd race--Jake, Jaren and Natalie all qualified and they ran their little hearts out. Sadly, none of them placed. But they did their best and that's all I ask. By the time race #3 rolled around--Jake had an eye infection, Natalie had a bladder infection and Jaren didn't want to run by himself. So we missed that one! Last week was the party for all the runners. Ice cream and every topping you can imagine. Farewell running club until next year. It was fun!!

My sickies

2009-02-13T08:51:00.000-08:00

Whenever one gets sick, especially with something weird, they all join in!
A few years ago Natalie scratched her cornea (no idea how) she ended up needing surgery and expensive drops and almost permanently lost her vision in that eye. At the same time this was happening, Jacob (who was 9 at the time) had a kidney stone. That's right folks--a kidney stone!! That was fun. He had to pee through a screen until we were sure it was gone. Lots of pain later, he passed it. Yeah!! Natalie's eye finally healed. And I think I remember that a few of the other kids were sick with normal stuff at the time but that was the least of my worries.

So,here we go again! Almost the same kind of problems but they switched places. Natalie has a SUPER bad bladder infection. They did an ultrasound of her bladder and kidneys to make sure it's not another kidney problem like she was born with. She had surgery for that when she was 1 but has had problems on and off her whole life. Jake has an eye infection! He is now on expensive drops. Alaina has had colds on and off (more on than off) for the last few months. She is sick of being sick. I told her I'll deal with it when the other 2 are healed.

On top of all the sickness and pain, we are having more problems with Ty and his issues. The school is still trying to be helpful but some of them seem to not be handling it as well as they should.

I just keep telling myself it could be worse! At least they don't have anything fatal or anything that requires major treatments (for now). So I will continue to love and enjoy motherhood as long as I can. I will be grateful that my children are alive and fun and cute! Let's just hope it's another 2 years before we have anymore weird things happen :)

Jury Duty

2009-02-09T08:04:00.000-08:00

I was always told that if you weren't registered to vote, you couldn't be given jury duty. So,not wanting to ever do jury duty cuz of my schedule, I never registered to vote. At one time my grandmother pointed out to me "if you don't vote, you can't complain" So,I've always tried to not complain about our elected officials cuz I don't have the right. After all, I had nothing to do with them being elected,right?? So here I am, 30-something, and I've never voted! Well, that just went out the window folks!! Turns out you can get jury duty if you aren't registered to vote. Dang-it!! So now I guess I'll go register to vote and go do my jury duty in a few weeks. Hopefully it's something exciting!!

A Childs Prayer

2009-02-05T07:49:00.000-08:00

Every time we have a meal prayer or family prayer, Natalie and Ty fight over who gets to say it. They both LOVE to pray. That's one fight I don't mind listening to!!
Last night, Ty won the fight. We have been trying to teach our children to not say the same repeated prayer and to put thought and love into the words they are speaking to their Heavenly Father. So, part of Ty's prayer went like this "Please bless that Heavenly Father won't get sick or poisoned. Please bless that we will be respectful to everybody around us." I thought it was a very original and sweet prayer for a 5 year old. I hope my kids always love to pray as much as they do now.....

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYRA!!

2009-01-27T20:36:00.000-08:00

I can't believe we are the parents of a 15 year old!! Kyra has come so far in the past 10 months that she has been in our family. We are blessed to have her with us. Yes it can be a challenge at times but what 15 year old isn't a challenge?? So, as a tribute to her, the other 8 of us got together and wrote down some things we love about her. Since she's 15, we did 15! :) And I included who said some of them:

She's entertaining

She tells great stories

She's a great dancer

She's nice

She stands up for Ty (Jaren)

She's pretty

She plays with my hair (Natalie)

She has a beautiful singing voice

She breaks up arguments

She cuddles with me (Ty)

She has a strong spirit

She stands up for herself (and is learning to do it respectfully)

She is great at making omelets

She has a great sense of humor

She has a strong testimony of the church and isn't afraid to share it

We hope you have a great birthday and we love you!! And please stop reminding us that you'll be driving in a year, we aren't ready for that!!

More Changes!

2009-01-26T07:57:00.000-08:00

As if we don't have enough going on around here! If I posted the daily happenings it would overwhelm you people. And with not posting it all it's easier for me to forget the chaos. Of course one day I know I will miss it. This weekend:
Saturday: Kyra got extentions,they turned out aweful and most of her bday money is down the drain. I feel so sorry for her. She's deciding today if she's going to tear them out. But, she wanted to do it. She chose the person (her friend) to do it. I had nothing to do with it and I tried to warn her. But,do teenagers ever listen to their parents? So we had Stephanie come over to try to "fix" it so it would look good enough to go to church.She did a pretty good job and I feel bad that she had to spend 1 1/2 hours of her Saturday night at our house.But we kept her entertained with dumblaws.com. You should check it out!
We also cleaned out the garage, went grocery shopping, took kids to friends houses/picked up kids from friends houses. Cleaned the house. And debated on the rest of the "to-do list" that we decided can wait til next week.
Sunday: We woke up for church and found that Mark and Ty were both sick so they stayed home and I took the other 6 to church. We were on time! For us that's huge. In the afternoon some people came to meet me that want me to start babysitting their newborn in July (no,she's not born yet) They were super awesome and I hope I can manage, it's only part time. In the evening I had to go to a fireside at the church. It was all about our teenagers and warning signs and stuff going on at the high schools we should be aware of. Almost makes you want to homeschool--almost :)
Then my aunt from Cali called to inform me that the final decision has been made. In the middle of March my grandparents will be moving in with us! Yes, I am adding to the crazy. Now we will have 2 crazy parents. 7 Spastic kids. And 2 elderly people with lots of medical issues. YEAH!! My days with no kids will now be filled with dr. appointments and handing out meds.
Don't get me wrong. I love them and we are excited that they will now be in Arizona. We have missed them. I'm just afraid of how I will handle it. Please pray for me to have energy, sanity and great organizational skills.
I'm sure there will be lots more to come on this subject once they get here. Some of it may be incoherent ramblings but I'm sure the stories will be entertaining for you! So wish me luck as we grow to a family of 11!

Running Club race #1

2009-01-16T06:45:00.000-08:00

4 of my kids are involved in running club.In our school district they provide this in an attempt to get kids off the couch! They run at the school twice a week and after about a month they compete with other schools in the district.They get into it and love it! Yesterday was the first race (there are 2 more so loook for more results) Jake and Jaren are the only 2 that qualified.Ty walks more than runs and Natalie misunderstood. On qualifying day the coach told them it was time to qualify for the meet. The boys did their normal,Natalie was being lazy. She was really upset saying that she would have tried alot harder to qualify but she didn't know "meet" meant "race" Live and learn!
There were about 300 kids running in this race. Jake came in #8. Jaren came in #31.If Jake came in 2 people sooner,he would have placed and won a ribbon. He may have even made it but on the course he tried to pass a kid (who did get a ribbon) and he shoved Jake into a tree! Bad Sportmanship!!! It's hard 'cuz we know the kid. So I told him next race run faster,and avoid the kid who wasn't taught good sportsmanship.Good luck for the next one guys! And I'll try to remember the camera next time--sorry!

My hugs

2009-01-13T10:05:00.000-08:00

This post is more for me to remember (since this takes the place of my journal most of the time) than for you guys.
Background--when I was dating Mark,the first thing that started turning "like" into "love" was the way he treated his mother. He was very affectionate,sweet and protective. He didn't care who was around,he always gave her a hug and told her he loved her before leaving the house. And he showed alot of respect to her.I have always told my boys that the way they treat their mom is the way they'll treat their wives.And I always add that most girls know that and will pay attention to how they treat me once they start dating.My boys are pretty great.But I worry as they get older how their friends being around will affect this.
So,here's what happened today. Jake forgot something for his science fair project that they were working on today.He just HAD to have it,quickly. Of course it was first thing in the morning,I had just gotten kids off to school and was still in pj's.I quickly got ready for the day and rushed off to the school.When I walked into his classroom his face lit up! He was so excited he got up,ran to me and gave me a huge hug and told me he loved me! Right there in front of his entire 6th grade class. No hesitation. He didn't care who was around. He loves his mom,respects his mom,and loves to give hugs!!
I don't care how old they get,it's the little things that count. And no mom can EVER have too many hugs!

Recommendations anyone??

2009-01-07T11:00:00.000-08:00

I hope this isn't too personal. But, just about everyone reading blogs is female. We all know how important it is to find the "right" doctor. I don't think my current one is the "right"one. So I'm sending out a plea for help. Tell me who your favorite Gyno is and why. I don't like females for this type of Dr, too many bad experiences, don't ask! I prefer one no further than Mesa. So--here we go ladies....help me out!!

Explosions and White Trash

2009-01-05T14:22:00.001-08:00

We started off New Years Eve by having a BBQ with The Clausens and The Brinkerhoffs.

Then we shipped the kids off to the Brinkerhoffs to have their own party with Jenna and Kami babysitting. They had a ton of fun!
We decorated for the adult party while the guys did their own preparations out in the backyard. Imagine watching 4 grown men walking across the yard carrying a large tree and placing it on top of a LARGE pile of wood.Follow this with an explosion and 4 men running as fast as they can toward the house. This continued for most of the evening.These guys had more explosives than should be legal.I'm just happy my house is still intact.

The fire was alot larger than it looks!We had a pretty good turn-out for the party.It was a ton of fun with lots of yummy food and entertainment.
The next day we were invited to go with the Brinkerhoffs to their family New Years Day party which is appropriately named "White Trash New Years"
It consists of a bunch of people BBQing,riding quads and shooting guns.We were barely there 15 minutes and the 1st accident happened.One of the friends of the family was riding too fast without a helmet. He crashed of course. He thought he was turning onto a trail which turned out to be a 30 foot cliff.Nobody knew he crashed so he had to climb out,across a creek and up the cliff,out to the road so somebody could see him.Later we found out he did this with a broken vertebrae,broken pelvis and broken ankle!

This is what it looks like when a bunch of crazy guys feel they can load an injured person into the back of a pick-up and everybody wants a look!

This gives an idea of what the quad looked like when he was finished with it.The crazy guys drove him out to the road,trying to take him straight to the hospital.The women in the family,not trying to be matcho,called 911 to have an ambulance meet them on the highway. They decided not to wait for the ambulance. But by this time the highway patrol knew what was happening. So they ended up shutting down the highway to look for the pick-up with 4 guys holding onto the guy in shock. They hunted them down and called the ambulance. By the time it got there he was out of it and had no pulse in his leg. It was decided that he needed to be air-lifted to Scottsdale Osborn (we were just south of Payson)

This is a pic of the cliff he flew off of. It's much larger than it appears. He flew over the creek and landed 15 feet on the other side of it. Luckily he didn't have a head injury!

We ended the day by roasting marshmallows. This was the end of 2 weeks of crazy!
I'm tired. Now I have a few weeks to recover before everybody comes over for the Superbowl party which my house was again volunteered for!

Christmas Day

2009-01-05T14:12:00.001-08:00

We started the day off with the normal--kids sitting in "their spot" opening presents.Fun fun!

Later in the day my parents and my friend Jody came over for dinner. Alot smaller than the night before but just as entertaining. Jody had "the queen of pranks" (Kyra) making prank phone calls to several people. What Kyra didn't know at the time was that most of the calls were to Alaina's cell phone with Alaina disguising her voice. It was hilarious! Kyra referred to herself as "Boomquesha" from the "How was your Christmas Foundation" She's very talented at pranks!

Christmas Eve

2009-01-05T14:05:00.001-08:00

Both of these parties took place at our house this year. Christmas Eve is with my moms side of the family, always a blast. I rarely get to see my cousins except for this one time a year.

Alaina played Christmas songs while everybody joined in attempting to sing. My family is not musically talented.But it works!

This is just my cousins goofing around like usual! They're a blast

The Dunes

2009-01-05T13:42:00.000-08:00

We,being crazy,decided to go to the Dunes the weekend before Christmas.We weren't finished Christmas shopping, hadn't started wrapping presents and we were having Christmas Eve and Day parties at our house which required cleaning,extra decorating and shopping for food. As crazy as this move was--we had a blast!! We went with Mark's older brothers family, including his 2 girls visiting from Utah. None of them had ever been before so it made it that much more exciting.

Mark's nieces,Jordyn and Kayla

Kyra and Mark's niece,Hannah

Jenna playing golf

Mark showing off

New Years Bash

2008-12-18T08:00:00.001-08:00

Come party with us!!

Just click on the post title to RSVP!

This is where all the cool people will be this year!

15 years and counting.....

2008-12-04T06:52:00.000-08:00

Today is our 15th wedding anniversary!! When we got married people in our families were actually placing bets on how long we would last. Due to some crazy circumstances which some of you know (no,I wasn't pregnant which makes it that much more crazy) we got married my senior year of high school. I was 17,he was 18. We have far exceeded their expectations and are the happiest of marriages in the family. I'd say we've come a long way in that short amount of time. And we both agree it really doesn't seem like it's been that long!! Which is a good thing because this is nothing compared to eternity!

We have gone from immature teenagers to what you see above you. I wish I could put a pic of us when we got married but I'm still working on this whole computer savvy bit.

We met in 9th grade. Were "together" for a week. I dumped him. We stayed friends for the next 1 1/2 years. Then started dating again. Basically, we've been together since. We were going to wait to have kids so we could go to college. That plan lasted about 3 weeks. That's o.k. By the time our baby is 18,we'll only be 45. Then comes the traveling,etc. And we'll be young enough to enjoy it!

So,here's 15 reasons why I'm still so in love with my sweet husband after 15 years of marriage:

He tells me he loves me SEVERAL times a day.
He works hard to keep his business going.
He keeps the peace between me and our 3 teenage girls.
He knows how to have fun.
When I'm in my "crazy" times he just steps back and asks "what do you need,what can I do to help you?"
He still tells me I'm beautiful all the time even though I'm not the size 2 that he married.
He makes me laugh ALOT.
He feels bad when his snoring wakes me up.
He never brings up past mistakes even when he's mad at me.
He works really hard to teach our children how to become wonderful adults.
He holds the Priesthood and is a good example to our boys of what that means.
He constantly talks to our girls about what they need to look for (and avoid) in a guy when they start dating. It hasn't been that long since he was a teenager.
He is one of the smartest people I know. He can talk about almost any subject and actually know what he's talking about. I just fake it and then ask him later.
He always helps the kids with homework. He gets it and he's patient with them.
He is a GREAT example to the boys of how you should treat your wife and a good example to the girls of how they should expect to be treated by their husbands.

So,here's to the future with a wonderful man. Against all odds we've made it this far and we are still crazy in love. I couldn't ask for anything better than that!!

Dr appt

2008-12-03T15:04:00.000-08:00

I had my appt with the surgeon today. Basically he said my films don't look bad and he needs something to compare to so he can see if they are changing. He assured me that if he thought there was even a chance it could be cancer,he would biopsy the lumps.So I need to go back in 6 months for a follow-up ultrasound to see if the lumps are any different.So,for now,no worries!!

The Bee and The Angel

2008-12-03T14:48:00.000-08:00

Jake was in a spelling bee yesterday. I knew he was going to be in it,I just didn't know when because he didn't tell me until he called me afterwords to announce that he got 2nd place! Jake being brave.

Jake being nervous.

Now I suppose you're wondering if I wasn't there,how do I have pics. A very sweet person (you know who you are) was there,noticed that I wasn't so she took some pics of Jake and then e-mailed them to me. This was so awesome to me. I'm really sad that I wasn't there but so happy that I have pics. This was a reminder to me that even though the service we do for somebody might not seem like a big deal to us,it might be HUGE to the person receiving it. To this angel it was just a few extra pics and an e-mail. To me it was a much needed service to get me through the day. I have had some major stresses lately and I'm grasping to any good news and happy thoughts. Getting these pics was so much more than that. Knowing that somebody noticed my absence and went out of their way to help me was just what I needed.Thank you! And--Congratulations Jake! You're an awesome speller!!

2008-11-27T21:01:00.001-08:00

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

Great Story!!

2008-11-21T06:15:00.000-08:00

We all keep hearing about all the horrible things happening in reaction to Proposition 8 in California. We have seen what happens when you stand up for what you believe. And perhaps gotten a very small taste of what it was like in the days of Joseph Smith.I received this story by e-mail today and was told there are many others like it on lds.org.It was so sweet I had to share it.

My heart is overflowing with joy and gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His tender mercies and mighty miracles in our behalf. I just have to share this with you. As most of you know, I am a Temple ordinance worker and work the morning shift in the LA Temple every Saturday. Today, I had the privilege of translating sister Martz-the new assistant Matron's-message during our devotional. She started like this "The prophet Joseph Smith said that no unhallowed hand would be able to stop this Work from progressing. These past few weeks when mobs have combined and armies have gathered against the saints, the Lord has protected His house". She went on to say that those, like her, who were inside the Temple when mobs were surrounding it, did not realize how scary and terrifying this looked on TV to the rest of us, because inside the House of the Lord all was calm and there was peace abundant. After Proposition 8 passed, the Temple began receiving threatening calls and mail from those opposing it. They were warned that more than 5000 people would come to the Temple and burn it to the ground, and stop Its work. The first Thursday when the mob came, the new LA Temple President called the Salt Lake City Temple Offices for instructions. He was instructed to call the local police and to insure the safety of those attending the Temple by closing the gates. The assistant Matron said today, that it was a tender mercy from the Lord that the mob chose that Thursday to come since they had only one person coming to receive his own endowment that day, which he received in time to leave before trouble started. The LAPD and the FBI responded quickly to the Temple Presidency 's summons and patroled the grounds and kept the mob from entering the same. Most of them had never been there before and expressed their surprise at how beautiful and peaceful all around was. They were invited to come back during the Christmas season to see the lights and they promised they would. On Thursday, November 13th, sister Campbell, a secretary in the Temple, was opening the mail and upon opening a large manila envelope found inside a smaller one. When she opened this one, a white powder flew all around her desk. She thought this could be related to the demonstrators and feared the worst-ANTHRAX. She contacted the President, who in turn called the Salt Lake City Temple office again for instructions. The FBI, the LAPD, and even the SWAT teams were once again in the grounds to investigate, and the Temple once again had to close from around 11:30 AM to 5PM. They closed the gates and were instructed to keep all the people there wherever they were found at the time. Those in the parking lot had to remain in the parking lot. Those entering the Temple had to remain in the first floor and those already upstairs were taken to the Celestial Room. Then, the miracles began to happen: A brother serving as a recorder that day is a Microbiologist by profession and used to deal with hazardous substances every day. He was the first to say the white powder in the envelope was only talc, and put every one at ease. Then the sister coordinator upstairs was impressed to call upstairs to the sealing area, and said "They said we can't go down but no one said we can't go up, and I have many people in the Celestial room with their ceremonial clothes on ready to work. Could they do some sealings?" As it happened, there were four sealers present that day and they ran four sealing sessions non stop while the Temple was closed. Downstairs, someone else thought to invite those in the Lobby to do some initiatories, which they promptly did for all those hours too, brothers and sisters alike. Among those waiting in the parking lot there was a large group of young men and women with their leaders who had come to do Baptisms for the dead, and who waited patiently all those hours and decided when the Temple was reopened to go ahead and fulfill their assignment instead of driving back home. The Temple reopened in time for the 5:30 PM session. The next day when recording the ordinances, they discovered that they had performed 2000 sacred ordinances on Thursday, only one less than the day before when three stakes had been visiting the Temple . Once again the assistant matron reminded us of the words of the prophet Joseph Smith, "No unhallowed hand can stop the Work from progressing...". But, this is not all, a prophecy was fulfilled also. When the new LA Temple President was set apart by President Uchdorft of the First Presidency, he received a blessing and these words were pronounced: " The time has come for the LA Temple to come out of obscurity and become an Ensign for Righteousness to the world under your presidency." The pictures of the Temple have been shown on TV, newspapers and the internet, not only in this country but worldwide. People of other faiths have called and sent letters to the Temple thanking the Church for defending marriage and protecting the family, and commenting how impressed they are by how beautiful and majestic the Temple looks . One minister of an African American church, who by his own admission had harbored ill feelings against the mormons before said " I am impressed by your integrity and Christ like behavior, and even if I am not ready to consider you my brothers and sisters in Christ, we can be first cousins!". I asked the assistant matron if I could share her comments and she said to go ahead. I can only addmy own testimony that I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has the power and authority of God on earth. God Lives and Jesus, His only Begotten Son and our Savior is coming soon to redeem His people. I am grateful to know this and I pray we stand firm, steadfast and immobile while the prophecies of the signs before His Coming are fulfilled. "Be not afraid, only believe" He has said, and also " What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." I testify that this is true and testify it in the Holy Name of Whom I strive to serve, even Jesus Christ. Be faithful and safe is my humble prayer.
Your sister in Christ, Patricia H. Arnazzi

Good news and ??

2008-11-20T07:34:00.000-08:00

I got my test results back. My MRI on my ovary came back showing more cysts.I'm only bugged because I went through the claustrophobic horror of the machine just to find out I have more cysts.Why couldn't they be more clear on the ultrasound?? So, I have to go back for another ultrasound in January. Now I have to pick the lesser of 2 evils. Either I can continue getting painful cysts and having them checked on a regular basis or I can finish off my hysterectomy and go through menopause,yuck.
My breast ultrasound wasn't as positive. The first cyst they found 6 months ago is still there. But now I have 3 more "something" that aren't cysts. He gave me some long name for them but said they are basically lumps that they aren't positive what they are. So,he's sending me to a surgeon so he can review the test results and decide if he wants to biopsy them or not. YIPPEE!!
So once again--back to waiting...

Pam the nut

2008-11-13T12:23:00.000-08:00

So,yesterday when I scheduled my MRI the lady asked if I was claustrophobic 'cuz they could drug me for the test. I said "yes and that would be great,let's do that!" That was the only reason I could handle the thought of going in "the tube" So as the lady was putting me on the thing to lay down I said "wait,what about the drugs they promised?" She replied with "whoever told you that was mistaken,we don't do that here" So,I cried.And I cried. She said she would just try to put me in,take me right back out and see how I feel. We tried. HECK NO! So another lady came in and suggested that they put me on my tummy so I could look out the tube and not up at it. That kinda worked.To distract me I listened to the sounds the monster was making and tried to make words out of them.There were 2 distinct sounds.One sounded like "Pam" the other went "da-dut" or better yet "the nut" so I layed there,eyes closed,saying "Pam the nut" over and over! Then I remembered an episode of 'Scrubs' when a lady was in "the tube" and it broke,she was stuck in there for hours. I thought "it's mind over matter" so I layed there chanting "I can do this, Pam the nut!" Hey,it's crazy talk but it worked. That and knowing that my honey was waiting right outside the door to take me away from that place! From the time I walked out to the the time he got me home I was a wreck. It was not a fun experience.So,unlike myself,I was very quiet. Everytime he asked if I was ok,I started crying again.About the 4th time he said "ok,you only teared up that time,you'll be ok now." So,hopefully the worst part is over. Hopefully the results will come back good and I will know I climbed in the tube monster for no stinkin' reason.But that could take until next Thursday (at the latest). So,back to waiting!

Update

2008-11-12T10:41:00.000-08:00

After 2 weeks of fighting with the insurance for pre-authorization,I'm finally going to get my testing done (MRI on the ovary and ultrasound on the breast,that's what the insurance is going for right now). The place that I have to go to get it done is so awesome! I found out this morning that I got approval and within 30 minutes the place was calling to schedule and I'm going in tomorrow! I'm so happy that it's not going to drag out and take forever to get in. Hopefully it won't take very long to get the results. I know the only reason it got approved and that I got in so fast was because of prayers. Never underestimate that power!

If I Were an Angel..........

2008-11-05T08:21:00.000-08:00

A very creative friend of mine made this video. And of course, since it has some of my angels in it, I had to put it here! These are available for purchase through her. If anybody is interested, let me know, I'll get you in touch with her. It's very touching. You can also find this on you tube.

This just reminds us that though they can be challenging, they are gifts from above and we are so blessed to have them in our lives.Thanks Marika!

OK People, what's in the water??

2008-10-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

In June I had a partial hysterectomy due to a big complex cyst on my right ovary and some other issues. I thought "great,no more time of the month,no more pain,etc" Yeah right!! Since then I have had constant pain in my left ovary. They've done an ultrasound every 6 weeks watching cysts mostly come and go(some stay)So today I went in for another one. The routine is usually that after I go home and they call me within a week to schedule yet another one to keep an eye on what they found.But that wasn't the case today. The tech left and came back with the Dr.Ugh,this can't be good.They start discussing the 4,yes 4 things they see very clearly,but unlike usual,they can't tell what they are. Not the normal (or complex) cysts they normally see. Something else maybe but it's not quite clear. So,I'm waiting to find out when they are scheduling my MRI for.

But wait,it's not over yet!! 5 months ago I was sent for a mammogram and ultrasound of my right breast. There was some tenderness,just being cautious. Except they found something "suspicious" So they scheduled another one 6 months out,which was scheduled for November 20. But after talking to him and with the findings today we decided I should get an MRI instead of just repeating the US and mammogram which wasn't very clear last time. MRIs seem to pick up alot more than the other 2.

So,back to my question. What's in the water?? People all around me are getting diagnosed with cancer or having other really weird health issues that are cause for concern.Is this some form of bio-terrorism? What the heck??

So,now I get to be patient. Easier said than done.

TY and school

2008-10-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

Alot of you have been asking if Ty is doing better with the whole "school situation" So,here's the background and the update. When Ty started kindergarten this year, it wasn't pretty! He doesn't do well with change (that's putting it nicely) He doesn't even like going on vacations because it's out of the usual.At Disneyland he kept begging to go home. Anyway,the first day of school I got a call from the teacher,something about a "meltdown" I informed her that was normal because it's a change blah blah blah. It got really bad really fast. We had several days of me being called to the school 'cuz he was "out of control" He hit the principle,the counselor and one time beat up the security guard. That's when they called in the district psychologist :)We were thinking that some of the acting out was tied into to the fact that he was having a hard time writing,cutting,anything with his hands and maybe he was just frustrated. They decided to do all kinds of tests for academics,emotional disabilities,motor skills,etc.So,we had the meeting today. They don't want to label him with anything since he's only 5. But we did find out that his IQ is 115!! (the average ranges from 75-115) so he's at the highest end of average. Some of the more specific things he even scored 118.So,he's smart. So for now they are saying he's "at risk" for ADHD and emotional disability.They are implimenting some new things for us and his teacher to try to get him past this before he's too old. He will also be working with an occupational therapist.So,hopefully he'll be acting a little better. He's so stinkin' cute so it's hard to get upset with him.

Now the part that bugs me (i think)....one of the tests they had him do (I wish they could give me a copy of it)he had to draw himself, Mark and me. Mark was at the bottom of the page and big,which they said means Ty knows dad's in charge and he better think twice before messing with him and that dad is a grounded person. Then she pulled out mine and Ty's. Ty was bigger than me and he was at the bottom of the page and I was at the top of the page. This means--Ty is in charge of me,I'm a softy push-over and he's more grounded than me! Also,everybodys arms stuck out the sides of their heads.At the time we thought "ok,that's weird" but later Mark pointed out "oh,spongebob's arms are on the side of his head!" OK-that makes sense.Anyway,I'm normally very strict,consistant (I've been told I run my house like an army base) but when it comes to Ty,it's just easier to give in than fight him 'cuz he doesn't give in easily.He's been doing so much better with behavior at school.But, today we found out it's 'cuz his teacher knows what sets him off so she just avoids those things. So,she's as bad as me. Avoid and give in!!

At least I know that this is all due to the fact that "his brain is wired differently than other kids" and that I didn't do a bad job raising him.So,I'm off the hook,yeah! But it's gonna be a long road to get him to work with his "wiring" So,wish us luck!

We are finallly final!

2008-10-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning was the adoption hearing. We had family and friends there to be excited with us. Kyra cried,it was really sweet. We took pics with the judge and outside the courthouse but of course I haven't figured out how to download pics from my camera yet. After the adoption we picked up lunch and went to eat at Mark's office. Then the crazy started. We had to clean the house, get decorations, finish painting the girls room (a big thank you to Stephanie G. for running to get more paint when we ran out, I just didn't have time and thank you to Gloria for watching Stepanie's boys so she could go!) And we had a ton of little errands to run to get everything for the party ready.

Saturday was awesome. We had the sealing in the afternoon. Thank you to everybody that showed up to share it with us! Everybody,including my kids (especially Jake who gets along the worst with Kyra)was crying. The Spirit was so strong and the love was definitely felt.
After leaving the Temple we realized the only one with a camera was me and my batteries were dead! So while we are all trying to take pics on our phones,Ada saved the day!! She went up to random strangers asking if they would take pics and e-mail them to us. This very nice couple let us use their (35mm) camera and then just take the film. Sweet Ada went to get it developed so we could have the pics by today. The best part about taking pics was the wind! Ada's skirt kept flying up and tucking it between her legs wasn't working so hot.So Pam C. was on the ground holding Ada's skirt down around her legs. I would have loved to have a picture of that.It was really cute.
We left the Temple and had "linner" It was already 1:30,we hadn't had lunch and we knew there wouldn't be time for dinner before the party.Then off to get the last of the food for the party.

The party was great! We had a good turn-out and lots of yummy food (thank you to people that brought stuff to contribute) We had a picture video set to music that Stephanie F. made when she took our family pics. It brought tears to some including Mark's big brother (he's 6 ft 2 and 36 years old) He was so touched he even hugged Mark. Of course I totally missed that precious moment and had to hear it a day later through the grape vine. But at least we have updated family pictures and a cute video.There was karaoke,air hockey,guitar hero and some fun conversation.

But the day wasn't over yet. The party died down about 9:30. It had been a long couple of days and our kids were DONE. So we put the younger ones to bed and went out for sushi with some friends. I was a sushi virgin,never having the guts to try it before. But after the month I've had,I needed to try something fun. I did ok but I have to say I'm not a big fan. But I needed the conversation and relaxation. But the poor people at the restaurant... It closed at 10 and we were there until 11:15!!
They were really sweet and didn't seem to mind and we weren't the only ones lingering so they wouldn't have been able to close anyway.

The kids all slept in this morning. The younger kids slept about 1 1/2 hours later than usual and a few of the older girls slept til noon.

All in all it was a great weekend. Our family is COMPLETE. And now we can get back to the normal craziness without the extra craziness that we had for awhile.

OK OK OK,we got it!

2008-10-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we finally tracked down the form we needed for the judge,we just needed to get it in our hands. Then.....we went to the church so the kids could do their interviews for temporary recommends and found out that the ward clerk never tracked Kyra's records down. To be able to take her to the Temple we had to have her baptism date. But,there was no record of her in the system. So,of course I was totally stressing. We were actually discussing re-baptizing her! But,thanks to LOTS of prayers this morning we were able to get the paper for the judge AND find her in the church records.So.....the adoption is Thursday morning and the sealing is Saturday afternoon. The party is still on for 6:30 Saturday night for those of you that can come. Now,I'm tired! I've been running on adrenaline for 3 weeks trying to get everything in order. Now when I think of the list of things I have to do in the next 2 days for the party it just makes me tired and I'm taking the "I don't wanna!" attitude. But,it's done so I hafta! See you all on Saturday!

Get your visual DNA

2008-09-30T22:43:00.000-07:00

It's been delayed

2008-09-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

We heard from our adoption attorney today. There was a problem with our paper work and she has to re-file everything to the court. So,needless to say,the adoption will not take place this Saturday. I told her we already have the sealing and party scheduled for October 11th (which is at 6:30,by the way) and people are already invited.And we have people coming from out-of-state that have already bought plane tickets. So she told me she would try really hard to push it through so I don't have to call everybody to reschedule. So pray with us that she'll be able to get us a new court date BEFORE the 11th.I'll keep ya posted..........

I'm VERY SUPERIOR

2008-09-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.magatsu.net/maritaltest/

108

As a 1930s wife, I am
Very Superior

Take the test!

I got 108!! Take the test and let me know your score

And the award for most dramatic goes to.............you decide

2008-09-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

My 11 yr old son who we tend to call a drama "king" ( I'll leave his name out so he can't say I embarrased him) sprained his ankle 4 days ago. He has NO tolerance for pain. He's been on crutches with it wrapped up and using this as an excuse to get out of any chores.He's laying on the couch with it elevated whining alot. So I casually said "you sure are whining alot" and he said "you whined when you had surgery" so of course my response was "so you are comparing my surgery where I had 5 incisions and 2 organs ripped from my body to your sprained ankle? are you kidding?" I wonder where he got the drama from?? I keep reminding him that we have 3 teenage girls in this house and when it comes to injury or illness he out-does them all! I guess he's following in the tradition of guys being babies when they are sick. But he'll be gone before I know it so I guess I'll baby him while I can :)

Another announcement

2008-09-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

We scheduled our sealing.It's gonna be on October 11th. I SO wish I could have EVERYBODY there. Especially knowing (for real this time) that this is our fourth and final time to have our whole family joined in such a wonderful setting. But,since there is limited space(dang-it) We will be having a celebration party that evening. Please come one and all! The few people who actually know about and read our blog are our friends.So please come party with us. I'm not sure on a time yet (I'm debating if I should serve dinner or not) As the time gets closer,I will fill you in. Just know that you need to set the evening of October 11th aside and you'll be set!

It still seems weird to me every time I say "I have 7 kids" I know some of you have more than that so you're like "yeah,aaand,what's the big deal?" But from my previous blog you know it IS a big deal for me. But there's actually been a few times when we are having FHE or getting ready for family prayer and even though everybody is in the room,I feel like somebody's missing. (Don't even think about it!) Of course when I voice this to Mark,he's ready to commit me. But,he's the one that had a dream last week that we had a new little baby boy. That's when I said "crazy" all the kids are in school, NO.MORE.BABIES. Besides our adoption certification expires in like 7 months and the process and cost to renew it are both beyond my capability. So,even if another opportunity popped up right now,the process moves too slow to happen before then. Plus....our car is full! Everytime I get in this conversation with my sweet children, Kyra says "if Heavenly Father wants it to happen,it will happen" Of course she is the same one that said (after my hysterectomy in June) that if He wanted me to get pregnant,He could make it happen. I think in that situation there is a limit to "miracles" right?? But,poor Natalie,surrounded by boys and 5 years younger than the next girl really wants a sister her age. I just told her I was surrounded by boys and was 4 years away from my closest sister and I survived!

So,our family will soon be complete (only 17 more days) and will be eternally complete in 31 days. It's crazy,we are in our (early) 30's and have this huge family when some of our friends are just getting started and are older than us. But,when they ask how we handle it I remind them that when our youngest is 18,we will be 45!! WOO HOO!! We will be young enough to travel,go on a mission or whatever other crazy things (like skydiving) that we've always talked about doing. I forget (on purpose) that if my daughters follow in my footsteps, we could be grandparents by the time we are 37! UGH!! But,I'm up for it! At least I'll be able to keep up with my grandkids without the assistance of a cane :) And I'll get comments like "is she yours? NO,your too young to be her grandma!" I can't wait!

EXCITMEMENT!!

2008-09-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

We went in June back to Washington DC for the 3rd time to get adoption papers signed. We've been patiently waiting since then to get our adoption date so we could get things rolling. It's never taken this long before, but we've never had a child this short a time before putting the papers in, so it was ok. It gave us all time to be sure. Anyway, I just got an e-mail from our attorney, I was excited, so I wanted to share it with everybody. Paulette (who, as most of you have heard wants to change her name to Kyra with the finalization) will be officially stuck with us on September 27th! We are still working on a sealing date. We have people coming across the country so we need to work with their schedule. But it will follow soon after that. We will be a family of 9! That is SO weird for me to say. When I was a teenager growing up in a big family I said on more than one occasion "I will not have a big family, I hate big families" Yet, out of my 5 siglings (except one) I more than double the amount of children they have. I have one sister who comes close to me. But the rest have between 1and 3. Heavenly Father definitely had different plans in mind for me. Was he laughing at me all those times I announced that to my parents?? I was so sure!! I even had bad pregnancies and stopped after 3. So,I thought "see,even He knew I couldn't do more than 3, he made it hard for me to have kids" NO!! He just gave me a few years and then gave me the desire to adopt. Now c'mon, is that fair? Yeaaaahh, I guess. Though challenging at times, we have an awesome family. I have some amazing children. Just another lesson--He knows us alot better than we know ourselves!

Just to add a little venting.......

2008-08-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

Can I just say teenage girls are way too dramatic! What's with the mood swings, the freaking out over little things,the idea that they can yell at parents,the idea that they can pick and choose which rules they will or won't follow based on whether they "like" the rule or not and the totally unpredictable.........whatever!! I don't know what I got myself into having 3 teenage girls at one time. I don't know what Heavenly Father was thinking bringing these girls into my life at such hard ages,especially when between the oldest and the youngest I have 3 girls within a 13 month age range. Holy freakin' cow! What do I do and why was I given this calling in life?

OK--my ranting is over. I do love my girls. Most of the time they get along great. But when they don't, it comes out of no where and I'm not always equipped to handle it. But they can be so entertaining and helpful and sweet too. Today was just one of those days.........And in my bad reaction to it,I actually broke a cell phone (not mine) which set off a whole new set of "crazy" Aren't we entitled to be crazy right along with them? I mean,we are girls too.

hmmmm.......I feel a little better now!

MY NEW OUTLET

2008-08-29T23:48:00.001-07:00

I went to Grub Club for the first "real" time this week. For those of you who don't know--it's this awesome time once a month when some really fabulous women go to dinner! Holy cow--my kids just about died 'cuz I was gone for a whole 3 1/2 hours. I loved every minute of it. I sat by some fun "girls" We talked,laughed and vented. I got to know a few of them a little better than before. And they found out some stuff on me too.I must say, this is my new found love. I'm comitting to going every month now. What a great escape. My hubby even bathed the kiddos and put them to bed,it.was.perfect! I'm kicking myself for not getting into this sooner. I feel like I've missed out on some great possible friendships by passing every month.Let the fun begin!!

WOO HOO!!

2008-08-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

I finally taught myself how to download pics from my computer to my blog! I put one on of the kids but the lighting isn't that great. Now I just need to learn how to download pics from the camera to the computer. I'm obviously not the most computer savvy person around. Hopefully I'll remember to ask Mark for a tutorial tonight and get some cute pics of us going....

FINALLY!!

2008-08-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

This is the 4th week of school. I was so excited all summer because for the 1st time in 14 years I was going to be home with no kids all day,every day. I had a big list of fun things I was going to do:

Spring cleaning
Filing paperwork
mani/pedi
more spring cleaning
massage
facial
work on year supply room
more spring cleaning
shopping
take an accounting course at CGCC

It's not that my house is gross,it's just that when the kids put dishes away,it's not organized. When they put clothes away or put food in the pantry,it's not the way I want it. So this was my chance to clean and organize the way it "should" be and hope it stays that way for a few days. But since school started all I've accomplished is:

going to the school several times to help the counselor get Ty through a meltdown(he's not good with change and kindergarten was a big change)
having sick kids home
taking kids to the dr
going to work to straighten out paperwork issues
taking me to the dr
keeping up with laundry
taking turns at the orthodontist with 4 different people (I finally got my braces off!)

So finally today I starting my spring cleaning.

I wiped out and organized all of my kitchen cabinets and drawers (anybody need a nutcracker? apparently I have 3 of them and we aren't big on nuts that you have to crack out of the shell).
I scrubbed my dryer lint filter (I found out that dryer sheets leave a film on the filter that can cause a fire and/or kill your dryer long before it's time)you should clean it every 6 months.
Then I disinfected my sink--that lint filter was gross!
Washed out the microwave
Cleaned and organized the fridge

Right about this point the thought came to me--I need to get rich and hire a maid!!

Usually I enjoy spring cleaning,but usually I have at least 2 kids helping,talking,goofing around and just being distractions so the time passes quickly. I thought it would be so much easier by myself 'cuz I'd get alot more accomplished. But, IT'S BORING!!

So,if anybody wants to join me in any of the above spa treatments,let me know. My schedule is pretty open.

The intro........

2008-08-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

I feel like everybody and their dog has a blog. I also feel like with my horrible journaling skills,I'm missing out on the memories that make life so exciting. This is my attempt to keep track of the craziness and keep those we love updated. So,here goes............

We've been married for almost 15 years. We have been blessed with 7 kids in that time. We are big advocates of adoption,having done it 3 (soon to be 4) times ourselves. Our kids range in age from 5-14. 4 girls,3 boys. So far,boys are easier!

OK-that's the basics,let the fun begin. I hope I can keep up with this and I hope you are all entertained!!