Can Time Stop?

Tonight we got out all of the old family videos from the year 2000 to now. Almost 10 years! We didn't have time to watch everything, but we all laughed and smiled together at the funny lines and special moments. I seemed to RE-experience all of the proud and wonderful moments of 4 births, 2 college graduations, and our first home. I do think, no...I know, the most defining moments in my life have been that of becoming a mother (4 times). It is eternal. I just wonder sometimes if time could stop.

Just for a bit.

I want to soak it all in without any other distractions...soak it in before my kids are grown and have families of their own. Do you think it's possible?

Two Beautiful Nieces

Soooo much to catch up on, but I can do that later. The latest, greatest news is that on Sept. 19th Noelle had her 1st baby...a precious little girl named Sabrina. Then...6 days later on the 25th Katharine had her sweet Claire. They are gorgeous and I can't wait to meet them in person. Congrats to my wonderful "sisters" (and their families)!

Sag Harbor, NY

One of our favorite places to visit is Sag Harbor, NY. We love go and visit family, enjoy the beautiful weather and beaches. Well, this year Aunt Kay turned 90 and everyone was going to her big birthday celebration at their home in Sag Harbor. We all wanted to go, but the final decision was that just Sean and Austin would go. (We had to factor in the price of 6 tickets and that it was the 1st week of school.)

Taylor and Jake got to go White Water Rafting this summer in Colorado and Austin, being the 3rd child, sometimes...how else do I say this..."get's the shaft". T and J were not too thrilled about the decision. I believe their words were, "We got to go rafting for 2 hours and Austin gets to fly to NY for 6 days!" They got over it quickly. Overall, it was good that they didn't miss 4 days of school like Austin did.

Austin and Sean had an amazing time! The 90th birthday party was wonderful - Happy Birthday Aunt Kay! I would gets calls of excitement as they were at the beach, canoeing or crabbing (they caught 14 inch crabs). They would also tell me of the beautiful homes in the Hamptons, the beautiful yachts in the harbor and all of the great seafood. I longed to be there, but hopefully soon!

I'm so happy that Sean and Austin had father/son time. Amazing memories!

Three Cuties Starting School

A 4th grader, 2nd grader, and Kindergartner...wow! I can't believe my oldest 3 are in school all day! They are each ready and (mostly)excited, so I can't be too sad.

The morning of the 1st day Jake and Austin ran up ahead. I kept calling to Austin to "wait" because I really wanted to walk him to his class, but off they went. Taylor and I took our time. She went to her class and I knew Jake was fine, so I went to check on Austin in his classroom. He was already sitting at his desk ready to go. I stood at the doorway saying things like "have a great day" and blowing kisses! He hardly even looked over :( He seemed so grown up.

I walked home with feelings of sadness and excitement at the same time. How does the time go so fast??? (After a few days of school Austin said, "we have to do bubbles and duck tails all day". If you don't know what those are just ask).














































































Yep...this is what Matthew looked like on the morning of the first day of school.

Olympians Jason Lezak and Josh Davis

Taylor had the opportunity to participate in an Olympic Swim Clinic over the weekend where she was able to meet and swim with Jason Lezak and Josh Davis! Josh Davis is a 5 time Olympic medalist and Jason Lezak is a 7 time Olympic medalist.

If you watched the Olympics at all last summer Jason Lezak was the anchor in the 4x100 Freestyle relay. He helped the Americans with an AMAZING comeback to win the Gold over France. Click here to watch the clip.

These two men were so inspiring and great teachers. They actually got in the water with the kids and gave them drills and great tips. My favorite part was when Josh Davis said, "Remember that you are loved! We love you, your parents love you, your coaches love you...most of the time, and God loves you. Never forget that"!

Taylor loved every minute, especially wearing their actual medals :)

HAPPY 11th

I can't believe it's been 11 years since we were married. What a perfect day that was! Some highlights: 4 kids, our college graduations, Valley Fever, new jobs, 3 moves, 6 wards, 2 dogs, and lots of fun. Thanks for the greatest years. Happy Anniversary!

What Kind of a Mom are You?

School is officially out and yesterday the house was roaring with 5 extra kids besides my 4! It was a day of good old-fashion fun. Slip n' slide out, sprinklers on while the kids played baseball, boys chasing girls and girls chasing boys, squirt guns, pink lemonade outside and screams of delight billowing in the yard.

Three things happened yesterday that made me think....hard.

1st: Some boys were joking around dialing 9-1-1 and one actually hit the green button and then hung up...the call still went through! Since this is the 3rd time this has happened since living in Texas...I was fully aware that the policeman still had to come out to the house (even though I assured them that all was well here). I had the boys stand out in the front and let the police officer tell them why we don't dial 9-1-1 if it's not an emergency. Those 4 boys were nervous as can be, but I can tell you, not one of those boys will ever do that again. I thought about how grateful I am for law enforcement that is here to keep us safe.

2nd: I was making dinner and an older neighbor boy was following me around the kitchen talking away. (I loved it).

He said, "Your house is way more fun than mine...trust me. It's like your a family from a TV show."

I started feeling pretty good until he said, "You know the brother and sister don't always get along. My sister and I get along perfectly."

I thought...hmmmm...OK.

Then he went on to say, "You guys just have good fun. I have Nintendo DS's and a lot of other electronics, but you guys just play and have fun together."

I have thought a lot about this and I'm so grateful for families! I'm happy that we don't just spend our time separated by technology, but that we try to have "good" fun with each other (even if brothers and sisters don't always get along :)

3rd: Once again I was in the kitchen and Taylor's friend asked...."What kind of a mom are you? A home mom or a work mom?"

I proudly said that I'm a home mom.

She asked more questions and told me more about her feelings of having both parents work all day. This friend has a live-in nanny and spends most of her time with the nanny.

I have thought about this question a lot since yesterday.

If ever asked the question again...What Kind of a Mom are You? I don't just want to be a mom that stays at home. My hopes are that I can be the kind of "home mom" that takes the time to listen, teach and love her children unconditionally, creates an atmosphere where the spirit can abide, puts her home, family and the Lord first, raises her children in righteousness, plays with her kids, has fun, and LAUGHS A LOT!

That is the kind of mom I hope to be.

Trying to Catch Up...Baby Steps

Can you set "New Year's Resolutions" in May??? Well, if you can then mine is to be better at posting more often. So...I have not posted anything in 3 months. I really have not mastered this blogging thing.

My theory is that when I have moments to myself it's usually late at night after other things are done and my kids are in bed. I admit that's when I just want to curl up under the covers and get ready for a new day.

Even if it's just a line or two. With 6 people in a family there are milestones and adventures happening every day. I don't want to miss a thing.

Louisiana Air Show

So our family loves Air Shows...thanks to Sean. I missed out on this one because Noelle was in town, but all of the kids got to go with Sean and Grammy. They loved staying at the hotel in Louisiana and spending time at the show the next day. I think the favorites were definitely taking a picture of the guards (even though they didn't want you to), the big guns, and Blue Angels. "Go get 'em boys"!

Kenny Chesney Concert

For Mother's Day Heather bought us tickets to the Kenny Chesney concert! The forecast for the night was a severe thunderstorm, but we decided to go anyway...along with thousands of other people.

The groups before were great and finally Kenny got on stage. The weather held out for awhile, but finally it was not giving up and we were wet. No, not just wet...soaked. No, not just soaked...completely drenched all the way through! We had jackets, panchos, plastic bags and still were soaked. We had a fantastic time, until the lightening got worse. At this point the band had all left and he was the only one on the stage in the pouring rain. In the middle of a song there was a huge lightening right above us and he said, "Folks, that lightening was right there...we'll take a break." He ran off the stage and 5 minutes later they announced that he'll come again with ticket discounts and everyone needed to leave.

After waiting sometime crowded in the ladies bathroom, we ran to the car and joked most of the way home. What a memorable night. Heather, I swear we have some of the best luck ever...especially with buses, rain, Black Friday shopping and high chairs:)

Gramz and Gramps Come for a WHOLE Week!

I don't know how we got so lucky to have my parents both come for a week at the end of April! It was a fun, laid back, and project-filled week. They flew into Austin, so we had plenty of time to visit on the road and Kristen was so kind to let us stay at her house. The week went by so fast and I'm so thankful to my parents for helping us clean out the garage, dad...change light bulbs and fix things. We got to spend lots of time just being together which was just what the doctor ordered. They are the easiest guests and we all wish they came more often!

One day we went to downtown Dallas while the kids were in school and visited Dealey Plaza where JFK was assassinated, the Old Red House Museum, and JFK Memorial. We had lunch outside at Corner Bakery. It was lovely to sit there while it misted and we enjoyed the birds, tram, and scenery. The outing was complete with 'Sprinkles' cupcakes. Thanks for supporting us in all we do mom and dad. We love you!















































Dad, Matthew and I in front of the JFK Memorial.

















Tiki and Grandpa watching the fountains in Downtown Dallas.





























We had an early Birthday/Mother's Day/Father's Day celebration! We love you Gramz and Gramps. Thanks sooooo much for coming!

Easter 2009

Yes the Easter Bunny visited our house this year. The kids opened everything before church and then we dyed Easter eggs. It was really fun this year to see all of the designs the kids came up with.

After church, the day was complete with a festive dinner at Grammy and Pappaw's. (I'm still kicking myself for not taking a picture when we were all dressed up). It was a blessing to reflect on the resurrection of our Savior.

Fort Worth Zoo

We had the 1st free Saturday in weeks, so we took off as a family and went to the Fort Worth Zoo. It is one of the nation's top zoos! Some highlights were the elephants, feeding the birds with seed sticks, flamingos, and watching the gorilla put the white rag on his head while sitting right in front of us. Great family fun!