Derek & Justin who??

Do I really have 6 kids? Some days I feel like I only have 4. Derek and Justin are always at the Anderson's house. They are the family that had us over for FHE the first week we were here and they have 5 boys, no girls. The mom is like the perfect, cheerful, happy to make cookies and play games all day stay home mom - kinda like the one I used to dream of being.

So with baseball for Derek, scouts for Justin and time spent at the Anderson's and outside . . . I really don't get to take too many pictures of these two.

But they are still mine and they do sleep at our house.

Here is a little adventure they had playing in the irrigation ditch by our house when we actually had a couple of warm days.

The Hat Hottie

Erika is suddenly into hats. She also is doing this "Charlie's Angels" pose thing as she sneaks around every corner, door and room in the house. We are constantly seeing her sneak around with her 'gun' saying "pop, pop" as she protects us from all the imaginary bad guys that Nathan tells her are there.

Rock Stars

Obviously Levi is feeling better. Or he has just really lost his marbles and is having an identity crisis. Maybe he really is just a normal 16 year old boy. Whatever the case, he provides wonderful entertainment!

Nathan wanted to be just like Levi. Here's the result of that . . .

This all began with Levi just letting me know today that he is in desperate need of a haircut.

Nathan's Nickel

Nathan swallowed a nickle the other day. LeRoy was with him and I was in the other room. I could tell when Nathan's cry was different and LeRoy yelled for me that something was wrong. It reminded me of the tone in LeRoy's voice when he called out for me at Breckenridge and he had sliced his thumb breaking into a window and ended up with 20 stitches in his thumb.

I quickly ran to the kitchen where they were just in time to see Nathan forcefully puke all over the kitchen floor (thanks for missing the carpet!). As LeRoy comforted Nathan and I cleaned up the mess Nathan kept asking for his nickel. I picked it up with a paper towel, sprayed it with cleaner, washed it off and handed it back to him - hopefully with a lesson learned. Everybody else was grossed out with the fact that I gave him his nickel back.

Now Nathan randomly announces to us that he "choked penny".

This is the 3rd time we have had to do a modified, instinct heimlich on our kids due to swallowed money. It's an adrenalin experience for sure!

Levi Funnies

I have missed Levi during the last week!! He was gone with the orchestra to Disneyland, Wicked, the ocean, anywhere the orchestra wandered. I forgot how much this kid makes me laugh and how he provides such a comfortable, inviting, fun feeling into our home.

I didn't get to see him until 5am after he got home because we were gone when he got home, he was gone when we got home and we all just went to bed at different times. When Nathan fell out of bed Levi came upstairs to lay with him because he wasn't sleeping anyway - because of an ear infection. He didn't want to wake me up about it but because he heard me up anyway he came upstairs. When Levi says he is hurting or sick I take it seriously because he so seldom says anything. Jump forward to Sunday morning: he has a terrible ear infection and cold.

Yesterday he went with Chad to Idaho Falls for Chad's birthday and they ate lunch at Sizzler. He brought home a big container of Hibatchi sauce that he convinced the waitress to give him. Talk about make my heart melt. Not the hibatchi sauce but the fact that even when he is out on the town with his best friend he remembers his mommy.

Late Tuesday night (11:30) I was stretching on the ball in my room and Levi was hanging around with me. He pulled the small ball filled with sand (8lb) and held it behind his back, squated down with legs spread wide, in going-to-the-bathroom position, let out a big grunt and dropped the ball between his legs. I laughed so hard I fell off the ball.

I had a CD on that included a song from "Country Does Disney" and the song was "Kiss the Girl" from Little Mermaid - country style. Levi commented that is doesn't make a song better just to do it country style. I suggested maybe it would be better done rock style with electric guitar. He stands up (in his pajamas mind you), jumps into rock star stance, and while jamming on his imaginary electric guitar and head banging in his raspy rock star voice bellows out: Now you see her, sitting there across the way, she don't got a lot to say but there's something about her . . . . Kiss the girl". Though I had a great laugh, his Rock Star does Disney performance left his infected head hurting even worse.

Levi quotes:

Arriving home from the Dr. office, walking in with a rather resigned forlorn pace: "The Dr. said to just dig a hole and bury myself, it's not worth living through".

Said in his sick scratchy voice while flexing and admiring his muscles: "I make any shirt look like a muscle shirt with these guns".

After hiring Erika to kill his fish, with a sad, wishful, regretful voice singing: "Lonely, I'm mister lonely, aint got nobody since I killed you".

Track Star

This was Erika's first year doing track and she is freakin' awesome!

First, she is blazin' fast!

Second, she flies over hurdles!

Third, she looks hot, even in those disgustingly short track shorts!

She did great at conference. She improved on her times for all 4 events (hurdles, 100, 200 and 400 relay). Madison took home the trophy as champs this year. Way to go!

High school track will be awesome - here she come State Track!

11:34 and Chocolate Milk

Levi is just funny. In a cool, 'sup dude kind of way.

On the way to Idaho Falls Saturday, he said in a scary voice, "11:34". I looked at him with a 'so what' stare and he gave a disgusted sigh.

"Mom, I've explained this a hundred times". From me, a 'huh' with raised eyebrow.

"Look at what is spells if it is backwards and flipped." Uh-hea-hea. Ok I get it.

He then shared this experience so that I will never forget the importance (or silliness) of 11:34.

He was reading his Steven King book late one night and looked over at his alarm clock to see what time it was. What he saw was blood red letters on his fishtank spelling "hell". He told me that he jumped and was freaked for a minute then laughed outloud at himself for 5 minutes once he realized it was really just the reflection of his alarm clock reading "11:34". Ever since then he seems to always look at the clock at 11:34. It hasn't stopped him from reading Steven King books.

Levi also seems to think that if he 'hides' and pretend I can't see him that I can't. Perfect example: he is snitching chocolate milk. The pictures say it all.

Diaper Change Smiles

My mornings now begin with big smiles from Hyrum. By the time I grabbed the camera he'd already given his biggest smiles but I still caught a few grins.

What a great way to start the day!

The Angel

A baby asked God, 'They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?'

God said, 'Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you.

'The child further inquired, 'But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy.'

God said, 'Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy.'

Again the child asked, 'And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?'

God said, 'Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.'

'And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?'

God said, 'Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.

''Who will protect me?'

God said, 'Your angel will defend you even if it means risking her life.

''But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.'

God said, 'Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you.'

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, 'God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.'

God said, 'You will simply call her, 'Mom.

May 8

Thursday started great though I feel a little bad about that.

Hyrum screamed (not just cried) for about 1 1/2 hours Wednesday night. Finally, he let out a huge belch (which the kids heard in the other room) and then he settled against my chest and went to sleep. After about 1/2 hour making sure that he was really asleep and his breathing had calmed down, I laid him in his bed and walla . . . 6 hours later we were both well rested. I really wonder if it helped to have him on his stomach. His longer naps are on his stomach and he is about the same age as all the other kids when they started sleeping on their stomachs.

So anyway, it was great to sleep for 5 consecutive hours but I felt bad that it came after so much screaming from Hyrum. He probably just completely wore himself out.

I made cookies for the other kids. (Justin and Levi grated 3 cups of carrots last night as their contribution to making the cookies) Nathan tried to help with the spices which helped me decide it was his nap time. He is so great to still go down easily for naps. Hyrum cooperated and went down for a nap shortly after Nathan and I was able to work in the office. I got quite a bit done. Nothing visible for LeRoy to see but the office is so much more than printed invoices and he really doesn't realize that. After 3 hours my eyes were hurting from looking at the computer so I went and ate a cookie, just in time to have Nathan join me for a 2nd one.

Justin finally did it!! He told his dad that he really doesn't want to play baseball. LeRoy snapped at him (in all his tactful glory) that "that would have been nice to know 3 weeks ago when you were making a fuss to get to play". Hmmm. . . I think that was LeRoy making the fuss, not Justin. Now his focus is on Derek and Derek isn't sure he wants to play either. We'll see how much longer it lasts with me on strike.

I had 2 meetings for Erika tonight. One for girls camp and one for dance. I took Hyrum because Levi was complaining that Hyrum always screams when I leave and then calms down just before I get home. I was just glad he was keeping Nathan. Erika went with me to the camp meeting and then insisted that she needed to work with Allie on her homework assignment. I wanted her to keep Hyrum instead but I didn't want to deal with the whining from her so I took him to the dance meeting. He fussed, cried, squealed and pretty much made it impossible for me (or anyone else) to hear so I took him out to the Yukon and missed most of the meeting. By the time I got home I was frustrated and just ready for bed again.

I got home to hear that our apprentice wanted me to call him as soon as I sent the fax that he asked for. He had come into the house AFTER work while I was making dinner and insisted that he had to have it faxed by 9. I told him I would get to it if I had time. Then I finished dinner, fed the baby, ran to Erika's meetings and didn't get home until just before 9. He called and complained to LeRoy that I didn't have it done. Just to get it out of the way I did it so that I wouldn't have to worry about it the next morning but I wanted to give him a piece of my mind. What a selfish, inconsiderate jerk. He acts like I have nothing better to do that meet his needs and he isn't even family. I hate it when the guys act like I am here for them 24/7 and if it were any other office the doors would have been locked by the time he was giving me orders to fax his stuff.

Now I'm just getting even more upset typing it so I'll change the subject.

If I have one more kid ask me to take them somewhere, if they can have something to eat, if they can go to a friends house or if they can get on the computer . . . I'll probably scream.

I hate the daily question, "Mom, what do you want for mother's day". My voiced answer is "a tree". The answer than sarcastically rings in my head: "to not be the mom for a day".

Hmmm . . . that subject isn't helping me to calm down either.

I guess it's time to go take all my "happy" pills and go to bed. (Is there such thing as a 'thoughtful' pill or an 'understanding' pill? I'd invest in that for this family!)