Also...

Last summer was just perfect. I have so many wonderful memories. Before Salt Lake, I was able to do a few fun and exciting things. John and I celebrated 10 years of marriage!! And I ran my first 5k...The Color Run.

I didn't realize we would be going anywhere for our anniversary when I signed up for the Color Run which was on our anniversary day. When the summer got closer, John and I decided we should do something. We decided to book a couple nights at a really fun hotel in KC. It's one with the themed rooms, we got the Castaway room...super fun. We were able to spend 2 1/2 days without children!! We went shopping, went out to eat, saw friends and just had an amazing time together. I love that man to pieces!! I can't believe we have been married for more than a decade. We have been through a lot together and I really wouldn't have it any other way. I know it's cliche but it's true. We were married young by today's standards but we have grown together and been able to share so many experiences and memories. I have that much more time with my eternal companion, and yeah, I wouldn't have it any other way.

A few weeks later it was time for the Color Run. The winter before, some friends and I made a goal. Not only did I want to lose weight and be healthier but I wanted to RUN a 5k, so we all registered for the Color Run and began a journey. At least it was a journey for me. The last Friday in June, we headed for KC. We went out to eat, had a hotel and had a blast. Dinner was delicious and so much fun, and having a "sleep over" with friends was also a lot of fun. We got up in the morning and headed for the stadium where the race was to take place. There were over 30,000 people there!! We were a bit late and we waited in the sea of humanity until we were at the start line. I think we were in the 10th heat. Anyway, I ran the whole way!! It was a BLAST!! Really hot, really colorful and just so much fun. I was so proud of myself and the ladies that went with me. We all finished!!

I have gone on to run another Color Run, the Glow Run and a half marathon with a friend that set up her own here in town. I have to say that if you are starting a weight loss journey or you want to be a runner, start with a goal. One that is attainable, one you aren't doing alone, and one that is fun. A 5k is a perfect way to start. It was for me and I will be returning to KC for the Color Run with an even bigger group this summer....so excited!!

After the race

After we showered

The Glow Run. This one was actually timed and I was really proud of myself. 

The second Color Run.

The Fourth at my MIL's.

Baby S was a little confused. She thought the crate was the best place to be.

 E likes dirt

At the beginning of each summer we make a list of the things we want to do. Usually there's picnics, camping, catching fireflies, bike rides and so many other things on it. It is has been a wonderful tradition for us. Last year, I started something else for summer...a project. Each of the kids got to pick a project at Hobby Lobby to complete. A's was this bag, J made a model solar system that hangs in his room, Ike made a dream catcher and E colored a poster.

 John and I took the kids to the Kansas History Museum here in town. There is a little area they can dress up in. J had the perfect serious cowboy face and A had to try really hard not to smile. Ike wouldn't even try the cowboy stuff.



The boys adore their baby sister!!

The kids were invited to do a Friend Camp with a bunch of kids from church. They met everyday for a week and played fun games, got treats, and went swimming. 

hello again

Wow!! June 2nd was a LONG time ago!! A lot has happened in the last 8 months. We have had birthdays, holidays, school and some fun family stuff. Let us start at the beginning shall we...

We spent the summer at the pool. The Fourth was spent at my MIL's eating good food and doing fireworks with the kids. The weekend after the Fourth, the kids and I headed to UT.

The drive was long and the baby was sick the whole 16 hours. It was worth it though, we did so many fun things. We spent some much needed time with Grandma and Grandpa Love, aunts, uncles and cousins. We went boating, camping (twice), went to museums and the aviary. We got to spend time at Aunt Jessie's and Uncle Travis' house. We toured Temple Square and we even all "ran" a 5k that ended in the Pioneer Day Parade in SLC. The kids thought it was amazing to walk the parade route and get cheered on by the people sitting out waiting for the parade to start. Jake had a blast at the Planetarium and the copper mine was very interesting.

John joined us out there for a couple weeks and we had even more fun.  We were able to travel to MT to visit John's brother, Scott, and his wife, Laura. They took us hiking to waterfalls and to the hot springs. We went to some caves (super cool!!) and to the kids' great excitement, a playground. We were able to attend church with them and visit Laura's sweet family. We ended our six week stay away at Lake Powell with my siblings, parents, and extended family. I love the lake! Rustic camping is a lot of work, but it is so much fun. We eat, play and chat for a week. I don't have to worry about schedules or naps or making them eat their vegetables. Life is simple. Love it. The kids play in the water and sand all day. The adults visit, water ski, wake board and tube. Actually, A tried wake boarding and she even got up a few times. She also loves to tube. J and Ike were content just to swim and play in the sand. E wouldn't even get in the water past his ankles...weirdo. They all love riding on the boat though and Grandpa loves to take them. John was such a good sport and we both went out wake boarding on Manda and Terron's new boat. I hurt my ankle pretty badly...it's just now healed all the way. I was able to hike to the top of Hole in the Rock for the first time and we had a great beach with lots of cool placed to hike and explore nearby. A and I went exploring one day and made up names for all the "mountain tops" that surrounded our beach. John and I decided to take the kids to a "mountain" they wanted to climb one day. After rowing/swimming a big channel with all of them, we started up. We made it to a narrow ledge and A had a panic attack that scared us all to death...so we turned back. Such great times, and great memories.

So, we had a blast with our awesome family. The kids and I were gone for a LONG time. It is very important to me for them to have a relationship with the family members they don't get to see often. My parents are so important to me and I want them to be a big part of my children's lives. That is just difficult to accomplish from 1,000 miles away. We had, and always do have, such a great time with them. We came home from our vaca to school and schedules and extra kids and life. That will be another post though. I am going to try to be better about posting, if for no other reason than to just have some kind of documentation of my awesome life.

 Sick Baby :-(

 We had just had a major battle because none of the boys wanted to sleep next to each other and A "could never" sleep next to one of the boys. I am so glad we worked that out

 J is a monkey, he can climb anything. This pole was a good 12 feet high on the U campus. We were with Aunt Jess waiting for the bus to go back to her house after having lunch with Grandma.

 Natural History museum with Aunt Jess and Cousin Riley

 Natural History Museum. We went on a free day...it was insane!! We witnessed a panicked lady lose her son. I hope they found him. It was pretty cool and the kids had a blast. Their fave was probably digging up dinosaur fossils in the pit outside.

 Completely taking over Aunt Jessie and Uncle Travis' house, and Cousin Riley's toys.

 Planetarium

 Ike was just so pooped. HAHAHA

 At a splash park in SLC with Aunt Jess and Great Grandma Von

 Right before the Pioneer Day 5k

 Temple Square. We were on the roof of the Conference Center after our tour

 I believe I have mentioned that E is a weirdo

 We were lucky enough to visit the Hill Air Museum again (love it!) and make it for a class for the kids. They made these little paper rockets and then we went outside and they got to launch them with an air compressor. So cool!! The kids LOVED it.

 J is going to be the first man to walk on Mars he says. He loves space.

 Taken in MT after our picnic and our hike up to the beautiful waterfall.

 At church with Scott and Laura, Baby G was sportin' her first ponytail.

The Lewis and Clark Caves were so cool. They brought back memories of Carlsbad Caverns. Baby G was getting frustrated not being able to get down and get around. E was a bit clinging too, but the other kids loved the caves.

We had so many opportunities to teach the kids, build relationships with loved ones, and just have fun. It was a great time!



Three months is a long time without a post. A lot has happened since March 6th or whatever it was at my last post. A is finished with 2nd grade and is loving being out for the summer. She LOVES to go to the pool every day and get new books every week at the library. J-bird is a first grader now! He has really excelled this past year academically and is really interested in outer space right now. Ask him anything....he probably knows the answer! Ike had his tonsils removed in April (which went reasonably well) and he was happy for preschool to be over. Weird kid. I am pretty excited to have him home all day next year. Nap time will be perfect for me to spend some one on one time with him. I think we will do some "preschool" stuff with a friend and a cousin. E-man is all potty trained!! He did so great and now we only have one in diapers!! I am pretty excited about this. Pretty Face (aka Baby S...yeah, I don't know where John comes up with some of these names) is getting so big! I can't believe she is 9 months old...it makes me a little sad. She absolutely adores all the older kids, until she is done with them, then she yells at them until they get out of her face. She won't eat anything unless she can feed it to herself, yet she refuses to hold her own bottle most of the time. She crawls all over the place and has started to pull herself up on everything. Awe, my baby.

Life has been pretty wonderful around here to be honest. We made our big Summer List shortly before the kids got out of school and now, two weeks after their last day, we have accomplished many things on that list already. We have been to the pool several times, the library and the zoo. We have done bike rides, picnics, sprinklers, a BBQ and so many other things. We just recently made a trip to the craft store where everyone picked out a big project that I will work with each of them on. Super fun times over here!! We will knock out many more things on that list and top off the break with a trip to UT to see Grandma and Grandpa Love and, most of all, our annual trip to Lake Powell. We had to miss it last year with me being 9 months prego at the time, and we all (the kids and I anyway, the man is not a huge camper...we still love him though) are so psyched for it!!!

I will have to post pics later, but at least I got an update in! Happy Summer everyone!!

Taking pictures with 5 kids is torture!!

I-Kick

Mr. Ike turned 4 in February! Let me tell you a little about my second son... He has an unhealthy obsession with Thomas and calls John "fit-fat". I am not sure where that one came from, but he calls me "stinky". I would have preferred John's name if given the option, but I wasn't. Ike LOVES baby S. He will sit and hold her and sing to her and it just melts my heart. He is also very kind and patient with E-man but his second favorite thing in the world (anything Thomas being the first) is to bother his older brother. Ike goes to preschool as an excellent peer model but I think his favorite part might be riding the bus to and from. He still has an ear fetish and started sucking his forefinger too. This boy loves to play and be read to. He says his best friend is "Ainswee", he also says he is going to marry her but I don't believe that one quite as readily.

There are so many things about this 4 year old that remind me of his daddy. He is kind, generous, and goofy. He has a very compassionate heart and everyone says he looks just like his Dad. Happy birthday little boy!!

Ike has a cousin who's b-day is exactly 7 days after his. We decided to make it easier on g-ma Kathi and Aunt Jordan to just come up once and just combine the two. We ate dinner and had cake  and ice cream. Ike wanted a Duncan cake. Not a Thomas cake a Duncan cake so I got a Duncan and stuck it on a cake...lucky boy. He got lots of Thomas things which he LOVED and John and I got him this huge kitchen/market thing. All the kids love it, it's even a hit with friends that come over! The sweetest thing was that each of his cousins used their own money to get him a little gift. So sweet! he had a great birthday.

That Baby!!

So here I am, sitting (laying actually) on my couch, not at church on this fine Sunday morning. Why is that you ask? Well, John is at work and as much fun as taking all the kids by myself is, I just couldn't do it on two hours of sleep. Nope. Little Sis did not have a great night last night. She woke up at about midnight, before I ever went to sleep, and decided it was not necessary to go back to sleep. I brought her down stairs and we crashed on the couch. Well, we laid on the couch so Daddy could get some sleep, because the girl was up until after 4. What the heck?!

 We have a problem in this house....little princess is spoiled. I know, I know, people will tell you that you can't spoil an infant...I beg to differ. The girl is ALWAYS being held or talked to or sung to or played with. If it's not me, it's John, or A, or J, or Ike or even little E-man....you get the point right? Because now she INSISTS on being held, or sung to, or played with all the time. She has also decided that sleeping through the night (something she has done since 5 weeks) is not something she is interested in either. Oh and this same baby refuses to eat rice cereal, or formula for that matter. Napping is also something of the past...20 minutes is about as long as I can get her to go and that is only if I hold her and 'rock' her to sleep. What happened?!

Baby S is a funny baby...but she is my last baby. So, even though my nights are not always spent sleeping like I would like, or I get a little frustrated that she cries EVERY time I put her down, or that I will be nursing her until she's three (not really), or my house is even more of a disaster all the time because I spend my days holding a baby.....that's all ok. I am so grateful that she is part of our family and that the older kids all just adore her and help so much. I am actually grateful I have gotten to a point that I will let myself put aside other things and just hold the baby (we are working on a better balance) because she won't always be a baby. She rolled over yesterday and while I was pretty excited about it, I was a little sad too. She's getting bigger. They all are.

I have a confession...

I think E-man's screaming kicking tantrums are hilarious. They are not encouraged but I definitely have to make a concerted effort not to laugh out loud at him.

A's drama over EVERYTHING drives me crazy but I love her for it. She knows what she wants and she is a seven year old girl...what else would I expect?

I LOVE LOVE LOVE how protective J is of me. He is always getting after John or the other kids when they even tease me. My little boy that is just in love with me right now won't always be.

Ike is insane. I don't know what we are going to do with this child but he reminds me so much of his dad that I just can't help giggling at him sometimes.

And baby S stresses me out!! But I am so glad I have the opportunity to stay at home and kind of glad that she loves to be held, I only wish that holding included cuddling. Nope the girl with have none of it...she just wants to be in your lap so she can see what's going on. Oh, and that she thinks I am pretty much the only funny person on the planet.

So, in conclusion, I am losing it I'm sure, but baby S is not really the most convenient of babies, especially for baby #5, but I made it through another night and I am secretly grateful to have a day to just hang out with the kids, Sabbath or not.

kids