Snow Sledding 2000

When we lived in Pine Grove, sledding use to be about a twenty minute drive up high way 88. Brandon (16) taking little two year old Julia for a ride.
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Amanda at about 13 years old.

Daddy with fd and Jared at almost 4.

Frosty Swimming Fun

Korie and her kids came over to play Monday...after coming home from the park hot and tired they talked me into letting them go swimming. The water was freezing, (we have no water heater and have not been keeping the pool cover on), but the girls had fun anyway in the freezing water! I can't wait for summer!

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David was so funny this morning when he first woke up. He said, "My body is killing me!" After walking to the park, running around playing tag at the park, walking home from the park, playing "knights" with Christopher; chasing each other up and down the stairs and around the house and them playing outside in the back yard in the water and bending down playing in the mud with his shovel; his little leg muscles were sore!

Our Snuggly Boy

David was so cute tonight as he got up on the couch by Sheldon, cuddled into a little ball and fell asleep. It was his first day at KinderGym so I guess all that exercise tuckered him out.

Of course little Miss Rachel had to get a picture taken too...pretending to be asleep.

Gymnastics Then and Now

When Julia was about seven she took gymnastics for about a year. Rachel at two years old wanted to do every thing big sister did... Rachel always had to look the part when she was practicing with her sissy. It's truly hard for me to believe this was just five years ago!

Rachel & Julia today; ready for Tumbling/Trampoline class.

Practicing their bridges

Rachel was super hungry after class today! I made potstickers and a chicken-rice dish she loves; she started off with eating 6 potstickers but then she also ate the 7 potstickers that were suppose to be for Jared when he got home!
Jared was pretty mad at her for eating his food but it was hard to stay mad long when we all started laughing at how fat her little tummy had become!

Etiquette Dinner

Julia's first combined activity for Mutual was an etiquette dinner. She and Jared sat at the same table with her friend Teaghan and two other boys, Jackson and Jayden. Julia had a great time because Jared and Jayden cracked a lot of jokes and kept the conversation going so there were no awkward silences at their table which seemed to be a problem when she talked to some of her other friends about their dinner experiences. It was wonderful talking to Jared and Julia when they came home and hearing about what a fun time they had together. Especially when they were telling me about Brother and Sister Goold's skit about how not to act in a restaurant, with Bishop Laret as the Restaurant manager. In Julia's words- "That was just so funny!" The only bad thing about the night was Julia and Jared were allergic to the nuts on the appetizer and the chocolate in the desserts! (Chocolate chip cookies and brownies!)

Girlie Girl

I gave Julia a manicure today...She's turning into such a girlie girl! It's been great to see her so completely excited and happy about life; she's looking forward to starting "Young Womens" activities tomorrow night at church.

Julia's Twelfth Birthday

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Happy Birthday Little Brother!

Starting from the left, Me, David, Damian and Laura, 1984.

Rachel used the envelope from my brother David's birthday card to "send" me one of the many "I love you, Mom" letters she colors/writes for me all the time. Jared was the one that actually found this card and showed it to me while we were getting some last minute Christmas things at Walgreens. It's embarrassing to say how hard we were both laughing in the card isle...
Happy Birthday David!

My "Little" Girl No More :(

My little girl no more. Julia turns twelve tomorrow. Stake Conference today; her last time at church as a child of primary age.

I told her to think of something funny and she chose to think of the time she and Jared were running around the block for exercise and her brother Jared bragging that he could run all the way home backwards...in the middle of his bragging, falling down while he was running backwards and ripping his pants open. Hopefully there is something in "Personal Progress" that will challenge her to work on being a little nicer to her brother!

I still have one little girl left; trying to look past the whining/drama and appreciate the sweetness. She tries so hard to be independent; she fixed her hair in pig-tails herself today after church.

Tumbling-Trampoline Class

Julia and Rachel started taking a tumbling-trampoline class this last month. Today was their third class and they both love it! Julia has already progressed from working on her cartwheel to working on a round-off. Both of them love learning the tumbling skills but working on the super springy trampolines are both of their favorites.

Julia, pink cheeked and sweaty after class...
Rachel getting her shoes on after class.
Julia's twelfth birthday is coming up this next Monday; I promised her we would go buy some make-up once she turned twelve but I don't think I will waste money on blush...this girl has the pinkest cheeks of anyone I know!

Sleeping In

I have always had to get up early...I ran a home daycare for five years, then was a foster mother for 14 years after that...If I didn't have one of my own six children as babies to get up early with there was always a foster baby or toddlers or foster children to get ready for school, (they had to be at the bus stop at 7am in Pine Grove).
I woke up this morning a little late; I was tired from cannery last night, had insomnia because I was worried about my daughter-in-law who has been ill and the storms of the last few days have been so noisy I've been waking up frequently even when I do finally fall asleep. One of the blessings of homeschooling is if you really need to sleep in you can, especially if you have older children that can take over some what in the morning, plus Sheldon was up working at home. I came downstairs this morning to Julia teaching Rachel how to use her little lap loom she recieved for Christmas. I felt so blessed to be at a point in my life where I can sleep-in if I need to! I've been mourning the fact that I am too old to have any more babies of my own lately but this morning really made me count my blessings!

Jared ready to head off into the storm with his Dad to get his school done at the office; where there is peace and quiet.
Julia working on knitting her scarf, (she has been working on that thing for two years!)
While Julia made oatmeal for breakfast and I started some turkey spagetti sauce for lunch, Rachel and David played house/baby.

Rachel wanted to show me how her baby sucks her thumb...the proud dolly mommy.
Another favorite game of Rachel and David lately is playing school...Rachel helping David get a drink from his new water bottle that came with his new "WallE" back-pack that Grammy bought him. Rachel was playing "circle time reading" on the Christmas tree skirt that is still not put away.
Rachel reading to David and helping him count the pictures.
David a few days back, (when there was sunshine!), eating one of his favorite snacks; cut up apple slices.

Most of my pictures of my children are in their pajamas lately...I'm tired and getting children dressed before about noon is almost beyond me at the moment. Plus with this cold weather, Rachel and Julia especially resist getting out of their cozy P.J's. I finally got the referral for a cardiologist, my appointment is this Friday so I look forward to hearing what he has to say about my problems.

Cute thing David said this morning: He was standing right by me when I was taking a handful of vitamins and I dropped one. I said, "Could you pick that up for Mommy?" he quickly bent down and got it for me and as he was handing it up to me with his little hand, said proudly, "I just the right size for getting things!"

The Ducking-Stool

Rachel and I were reading, If You Lived in Colonial Times; a little book telling you what it was like to live in the New England colonies during the years 1565 to 1776. We came to a section about what happened to people who broke the laws; part of this section read that "In colonial days it was against the law for a woman to talk back to her husband. If she did, she had to take the ducking-stool punishment." After reading that I commented, "I never would've made it in colonial days!" To which Rachel replied, "You would've spent a YEAR on that thing!"

Rachel Gave Herself Bangs

My darling little daughter decided she needed bangs

and without permission gave herself some!

If she wasn't so cute and didn't cut them so straight she would be in much bigger trouble!

Friday Fun with the Jones's

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Christmas Morning 2009

On top of all my other health issues I have been having this month I spent Christmas morning, 2:30am, violently ill from either food poisoning or some kind of stomache flu...I couldn't enjoy Sheldon's awesome eggs benedict or the fresh squeezed orange juice Julia spent over an hour making but all six of my sweet children, and their significant others were there and my Mom and Dad spent Christmas breakfast and present opening with us too so I felt incredibly blessed. This was one of the few years we stayed home Christmas Day with family get togethers on the 19th for my family and the 24th for Sheldon's family. It was wonderful to just let the kids play all day with their presents and not have to drag them away from playing with their new toys to get ready to go some where.

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The Girl That I Used To Be

Diane Hopkins Blog always gives me that little bit of boost I need...love this poem she recently posted.


Lest We Forget

She came tonight as I sat alone
The girl that I used to be. . .
And she gazed at me with her earnest eye
And questioned reproachfully:

"Have you forgotten the many plans
And hopes that I had for you?
The great career, the splendid fame
All the wonderful things to do?"

"Where is the mansion of stately height
With all of its gardens rare?
The silken robes that I dreamed for you
And the jewels in your hair?"

And as she spoke, I was very sad,
For I wanted her pleased with me . . .
This slender girl from the shadowy past
The girl that I used to be.

So gently arising, I took her hand,
And guided her up the stair
Where peacefully sleeping, my babies lay
So innocent, sweet and fair.

And I told her that these are my only gems,
And precious they are to me,
That silken robe is my motherhood
Of costly simplicity.

And my mansion of stately height is love,
And the only career I know
Is serving each day in these sheltering walls
For the dear ones who come and go.

And as I spoke to my shadowy guest,
She smiled through her tears at me,
And I saw that the woman that I am now
Pleased the girl that I used to be.

—Anonymous

Christmas Eve 2009

This is my third try at this smilebox...I got it done twice before and then it was having issues every time I would try to save it making it so I would have to start all over! It was very frustrating but I finally was able to get it to work:) Super fun time at Grandma and Grandpa's house as usual and their EXTREMELY GENEROUS gift was a wonderful surprise!!!

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Miscellaneous Pictures of Dec 2009

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Christmas 2005

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