Silly kids!

John has been lying on the stairs lately and pretending to sleep. He makes snoring sounds and everything! Well, this morning while we were getting the kids ready for school he was on the bottom step and on his tummy snoring. Elaina thought we should have each kid in order lay on a step for a picture, so here it is. I love how each one is laying different in their own unique way that shows a little of their personality. Very cute!

Yesterday John, once again, was soooo enjoying his applesauce that he had to lick his bowl clean. He can always get the kids laughing, which he just loves!

Makenna says the funniest things! I was trying to clean her up after lunch and she kept twirling around. She told me "I'm BUSY, Mom. I'm BUSY!" (instead of DIZZY!) That is definitely true, the busy part anyway!

Spring is here!!! Right!?!

This month is going by very fast! Relief Society has been keeping me busy but I really love it! We just had our VT conference on Sunday and the RS birthday celebration is this week. The weather has been pretty windy lately but at least nice enough to go out and play. We are definitely ready for Spring break and some warm weather!

A couple of Saturdays ago Jake was working late and we wanted something fun to do so we went to Cabela's. I'm pretty sure John could have stayed there all day! He was so amazed at every animal and probably ran a couple of miles while he was there!

They started building a house in the lot right behind us 2 weeks ago. John loves the tractors and watching the guys out there everyday (even weekends!). It will be nice to have a little less dirt to blow around but it has been nice to have open space and no one too close by. We did find out that the big field to the east of us will not be developed for a couple more years! Yay! The kids love the big rock pile that is right next to our proberty line and the dirt to dig in! Oh, to be a kid again!

On Saturday we had a nice day outside at the park and playing around the house. Elaina and Travis (and even Jake and I!!!) enjoyed ride on the motorcycle. We put up some cones for an obstacle cource that make it interesting! I'd have to say that Jake won for the craziest driver and biggest show off! The girls love to pretend and play together! Travis and Jake played some basketball, too. Travis is getting really good and he loves to play with his dad!

John and Makenna are such fun in the mornings when the other kids are at school. John seems to be always making a mess! The other day I found him cleaning up the floor after breakfast. What a helper!

The kids love to attack their dad! Yesterday they talked him into walking up the stairs with a little help from them. He only had 4 of them on him because Makenna was to afriad she was going to fall off.

Travis and John were so cute playing together yesterday. They were both pretending to be different animals trying to get eachother.

I have been running up and down the stairs at nights lately for some exercise (wow, does it get my heart pumping!). This morning I thought I would work my legs and so John and Makenna helped while we played airplane and went up and down and up and down while we practiced counting (all at the same time!!! we are sooooo good at multi-tasking!).

For family night last week we had a lesson on being obedient. I felt like we needed a little reminder on obeying the first time asked. We talked about how Heavenly Father wants us to obey and he wants us to obey our parents. We did "I have BEAN obedient", where we painted rocks (they are really big BEANS! and like pray rocks can remind the kids to obey and keep the commandments), and then we started a bean jar for being obedient (a bean for being good and when the jar is full the kids will get a reward). We even had donuts because the shape can remind us "O" is for obey. Anyway the kids have liked earning beans and are disappointed when they don't earn one because they didn't obey. Today Makenna was really good at the store and so in the car on the way home she asked if she could have a bean. I told her when we get home she could have one (I thought she just wanted one put in the jar to add to the others), when we got home she reminded me and so I put one in for her but she said she wanted to eat one. She was sad to find out that you can't eat them like candy. I felt so bad so I gave her a sucker!

New family pictures!

We just got our family pictures taken and I thought I would post them. They are always a lot of work, but well worth it!

Two weeks ago 2 of the wards in our stake split into 3 wards. We are still in the same ward but now only people in our subdivision are in our ward. I think it will be nice to not feel like we are overflowing. On Sunday I got called as Relief Society Secretary. I was in the same calling in one of our other wards and I loved it. I am really excited to get to know the sisters in our ward and be in Relief Society.

Suzanna came crying into our bathroom while we were getting ready on Sunday morning because her lose tooth was bleeding (whenever she sees blood there is always tears!). She was so upset about it but Elaina finally convinced her to pull it out (Elaina is quite the Mom and was rocking her and telling her princess Suzanna stories to cheer her up). We got out the pliers and I grabbed onto the tooth and when Suzanna was ready she pulled back and out it came! She couldn't believe that it didn't even hurt. She feels so grown-up!

Makenna has been saying the cutest things lately! She loves to ask what something means - the other day in the car on the way to Grandma's house she asked "what do legs mean?" and that is just one out of hundreds each day. Her other favorite thing is to ask how to spell things - when you spell a word out she repeats it back to you (she is so smart!). But just last week she started another thing - when the bigger kids have been talking about something really cool from school or something fun they did Makenna will say "when I was a little girl...." and then make up the most interesting thing that she did. She is always thinking!

We had such a fun Family Night last night about prayer. I am so glad that everyone enjoys spending time together - we sang everyone's favorite song, read a scripure about prayer, talk about the different things we can learn about prayer in the scriptures, played a prayer board game, colored and ate M&M cookies and ice cream. I hope the kids will always jump up and down on Monday nights when it's FHE time just like they do now! Anyway, when I asked the kids who they could pray for Makenna said "I can pray for my daddy because I love him!" and everyone did that night because Jake had been home all day with a really bad flu cold. Then this morning the kids and I were in the kitchen eating and Jake came out and said "who prayed for me to get better?" The kids all got excited and said they had and he told them that he was feeling better! It really made their morning and got them talking about how our prayers aren't always answered that fast but they sometimes are. Very cute to listen to their comments. I'm so grateful for each one of those 5 little monkeys!!!

Trip to the Cabin!

For our long weekend (4 days!) we went to the Cabin. We got to leave on Thursday night after Jake got done with work. There wasn't as much snow as last year but enough to go sledding and ride the snow mobiles. Our friends and their 4 kids came up on Friday and the kids enjoyed playing with them. We went tubing, sledding, snowmobiling, snow boarding, and swimming. We were definitely out numbered with 4 adults and 9 children but everyone had a really good time!

Here are everyone's favorites from this trip up to the mountains!

Jake: playing Clue, driving the snow mobile

Missy: the new snow on Saturday morning, sledding with John, playing Hearts until 2:30 in the morning!

Elaina: snow boarding and sledding

Travis: sledding

Suzanna: playing with her friend (she kept calling Suzanna her sister, it was very cute!)

Makenna: going out in the snow and playing with her friend ("she pulled me in the purple sled")

John: swimming, riding on the snowmobile

We are very lucky to be able to go to the mountains and enjoy the cabin.

The day we came home Jake was entertaining the kids and had almost all of them on him at a time. Then they played Charades and no one wanted to go home!

Winter Fun!

The other night John was getting Travis and some how the boxing gloves came out. John, as always, thinks he is one of the big kids and wanted in on the action. They really do have fun together especially when they are in a silly mood! Suzanna and Makenna boxed each other and whenever they went to get John they would bonk him on the head (very lightly), he would rub his head and say some things in baby talk. He was making everyone laugh! Then Travis and Elaina fought a couple of rounds with the girls as the "ding, ding" girls.

We are so ready for the weather to get warm! Today we went out to the park (despite the wind!), the kids played on the swings, Travis and Jake played football and the kids played on the tramp. This coming week the kids only have 4 days of school and then a 4 day weekend. We are very excited for the break and we are going to the cabin with our friends and their 4 children. So much for warm weather, we'll be sledding and playing in the snow, at least we can go swimming in the hot pool!

Jake dressed up as "Super Dad" today and got everyone a little crazy. At one point they were all on him and giggling. Then we played "mummy" which I think the kids made up- it's a twist on hide and seek. Even Johnny was "it" and saying "momma" (instead of mummy). It was very cute! I have to say Suzanna and I had the best hiding place- we win!

A New Year!

I can't believe that it is 2009! Time seems to fly by while you're having fun! I have been meaning to update our blog the last couple of months and so here I am. The last part of December we had a family night where we talked about gifts we can give Jesus. The kids all had a fun time playing a matching game that I have that helps you think of what Jesus would like from each of us. I am so glad for the gospel to help teach our children! Each of us decided on something to give to Jesus this year (and hopefully always). Jake's gift (or goal for the year) is to talk with everyone after Church on Sunday about what their lessons were about and tell each of us his lesson. My goal is to read something each day that is religious (either the scripures, ensign, or the RS lesson for the week, etc.), Elaina's gift is to read ever page of the current Friend by the end of the month, Travis' gift is to read out of the Book of Mormon or Bible every Sunday, Suzanna's goal is "to listen and be better for my mom and dad", Makenna's goal is to say her prayers and to be incharge of reminding us to read the Book of Mormon every night, and John, well, lets just hope he has a good year of going to nursery, getting potty trained and sitting still for a moment or two. I also really wanted to be better at journal keeping and hopefully this blog will help me.

Anyway, I do wish I would have posted last year! So much happened last year, it's hard to remember it all. Here are some of the major things: We sold our home on Patricia in April, which was surprising but also very exciting. We moved out the last weeks of school, in May, into Grandma and Grandpa Martin's house. Just 2 weeks after we moved we took a very fun family vacation down to Disneyland with all of my family. We really did have a great time and the kids would love to go ever year! The decision on where we should live was one of the most stressful ones for us. We knew we wanted to move into a home where we could be there for a REALLY long time, which really stressed me out. I didn't want to build because of the time it takes and all of the decisions, but in the end that was the best decision for us. Jake found a subdivision that I definately didn't like at first and then we both loved it. Jake found the perfect lot, next to a park with swings, a basketball court and lots of grass, and in the middle of June they started on the house. Our summer was a fun one with lots of lunches in the park, a trip to the cabin, a camping trip up to Redfish, a Miner family reunion, and fun memories living with Grandma and Grandpa. The kids started school the end of August, and then just a few weeks later our house was done! Elaina is in 3rd grade, Travis is in 1st grade and Suzanna is in kindergarten. They all are doing so well in school, each day they amaze me with their school work and their desire to do good and get homework done. Makenna and John are very fun to have at home, and really enjoy eachother. At times I find myself with time on my hands, which is very different!
These pictures of the kids were on the first day of school - they are growing up too fast!!!
Can you tell Makenna thinks she is one of the big kids!

Well, I have so many more memories of the last year but it's late and just so I don't feel too overwelmed I will stop for now. I am excited for a new year and I know it will be a good one!