life in the fast lane

So I haven't posted since our weekend trip.  I really want to keep my blog positive.  Mostly for myself.  It's like therapy I guess trying to write down only the good things in my life.  So lets just say the weekend getaway was really good because I have never been so happy to get home to see my husband and kids.

So the kids had Monday off so we stayed at gramee's until monday night.  Then Tuesday I literally just laid around the house all day recuperating from a emotionally and physically draining weekend.  I should have got more done on Tuesday because I haven't been home since.  Oh and Tuesday was also the day that they had to evacuate Patrick's work because of a gas leak.  He didn't get home until after 8.  Wednesday we had dentist, dance, babysitting, more dance, then YW.  Thursday I went to deer valley to help my mom with some stuff, came home went to K's science fair stuff in provo, took T to dance, went back to provo for more K science fair, then got home way too late.  Friday I worked, got home and took the kids to Deer Valley to ski with gramee Saturday, then came home and went to sis's house to watch her little boy while she took her hubby to the ER. (back pain, he's having surgery next week).  

So it is helpful for me to write that all down and realize why the wash looks like mount washmore, the kitchen floor looks like a chuck a rama buffet, and something in the fridge doesn't smell very good.  Time to clean, get my lesson ready for tomorrow, wash lots of clothes, try to decide what we are doing for spring break, and all while hubby is gone to Logan again to help my dad.  They have to be out of the Logan Coach building by Monday.  I will be glad when that is over.  Not as glad as my dad though, I think he has been working 20 hour days for more than a month now, I am getting worried about him.  

I keep thinking someday things are going to slow down.  But they aren't and I just need to get used to them.  I really do have a great life.  I just get bogged down by the details a lot.  I am really looking forward to next weekend.  Watching conference and chilling with the kids.  

I am off to the land of gross, to make it shine. (well at least livable)

I'm going to Boise, Idaho!!

Oh the excitement.  Actually my mom and two of my sisters, one of my aunts, and my grandma are all loading up in our suburban and heading out tonight.  We are going to the Utah State NCAA game Friday morning.  Go AGGIES!!  Anyway it should be pretty fun.  We are staying at my cousins house and just crashing on her floor.    We decided that since the guys are working hard taking down the Logan Coach plant, we should take a girls weekend.  After this week of having Patrick gone,  Toree having a sinus infection, Dance pictures for 4 girls, and Young Womens combined being at my house, I am really looking forward to the break.  The girls were all in tears about me leaving this morning, but I have come to the point in my life where I realize that it is important for me to get away every once in a while.  It makes me a better mom.

My grandma is quite the lady.  She is 92 years old and still a huge Aggie fan.  She sits on the front row at every basketball game and has for as long as I can remember.  Her attitude about life is amazing.  Just a year ago this week she had two heart attacks.  The first happened while she was at the temple.  They didn't think she would make it through the week.  Then they said that there was enough damage to her heart that she wouldn't last a year.  Well she not only lasted she has thrived.  She still goes to the temple every week and stays as long as my mom will stay with her.  A couple of weeks ago she got a wild idea to see how many sessions she and my mom could do in one day.  She made it to 8 sessions.  I was talking to one of her neighbors about it the other day and she said that when grandma does finally go the hillsides will be covered with the people that she has gone to the temple for,  welcoming her home and thanking her.  I just loved the image and idea of that.  She says she is going to live to 114.  And she is just stubborn enough to do it.   Grandma you go girl!!!

Happiness is...

Happiness is....

Teaching your 3 year old how to wink, and watching her practice on her older sisters.  "What's wrong with your eye?"

Watching your daughters (Ainslee, Bailee, and Kasadee)  make up a synchronized dance while sitting at the counter.  Bounce, bounce, lean, bounce, bounce, lean.  too cute.

Being married to your best friend, and realizing how much you miss him making you laugh when he's been gone for four days.

Kids who help me clean the house, sometimes even without complaining.

Sisters who will drop everything, when I need them.  Even when they have kids and family of their own to take care of.

Being debt free, other than the house, and learning (slowly) to save.

Having five daughters, who love, laugh, giggle, fight and squeal.  Even though its not all fun, its my life and its wonderful and beautiful.

Having a testimony, realizing that its grows everyday, and finding ways to make it even stronger.

Family prayer.

Chocolate muffins,  my kids eat them faster than I do, so I only get one, and don't have to eat them all.

Finally, to quote Dave Ramsey "happiness is where you are right now.  Claim it for yourself."

Cleaning the toy room AAAHHH!!!

So I hate this job.  I didn't make the mess.  However most of the stuff I was dumb enough to buy.  About every six months I make the kids sort through all the toys and organize them and then throw out all the junk we want.  There is not a nice way to do this process.  It always involves crying, screaming, flopping on the ground, complete meltdowns(and thats just what I do to get them to help me).  I have come to the realization again that our kids have too much stuff.  So I am giving away the barbies.  All of them.  I hate barbies, now I know why even though there were six girls in my family growing up, we never had barbies.  They are always naked,  their hair only looks nice while they are still in the box, and only the kids who don't help clean up like to play with them.  So they are in the DI pile.  I also realized that my kids don't take very good care of their stuff.  Nice expensive American Girl stuff is crammed in the bottom of some bin all wrinkled and ruined.  It makes me want to beat them.  Not sure how to teach them to have more respect for it.  Maybe I will take it all away from them for a little while,  that should be fun FOR ME!!  Just rambling, honestly we only went through half of the bins today and we will do the other half another day.  Last time we did it we made this great big pile of all their toys in the middle of the room, but it was just too much to do all at once.  It might be a week before we get to the rest.  It only took 2 hours but you would have thought it was the longest 2 hours of their lives.

Anyway Patrick is out of town for most of the week.  He is in Logan helping my dad for his spring break, fun huh.  What a great guy.  He is totally willing to drop everything and help anyone who needs it.  Most of the time its me.  I am needy.  

So I like to do big home improvement projects when Patrick is gone.  Last time he left I painted the front room.  It just keeps me occupied since I don't sleep much when he is not here.  Well we are trying to be good with saving and budget this month and so I really don't have the money for a project, but if I did I really want to put up a big shelf all around the top of Bailee and Ainslee's room and then paint it light blue and purple.  It would be really cute with their bedspreads.  Oh well the ceilings in the bedrooms are to high for me to do it without Patrick's help anyway.

Teaching a YW lesson tomorrow on honoring your parents.  Should be fun.  Since I don't think you truly understand and respect your parents until you are a parent yourself.  Then you realize that they were just doing the best they could and they were actually incredibly wonderful people who loved you a lot.  I also need to write Ainslee's talk today.  I asked her what she wanted to talk about this morning and she said "I don't know.  Maybe Jesus Christ"  Too cute.

I need to post some more pictures but they are all on Patrick's computer.  Someday I will get them up.

Sleep Please!

Will someone please tell my 3 year old to go to sleep. I have tried. Its not working. Everytime I tell her to sleep Ainslee says "I love you mommy". How am I supposed to argue with that statement? In primary on Sunday she was walking up to the front to help with something and a little boy in her class leaned over to his teacher and said "isn't she beautiful". Apparently, she is good at getting all people wrapped around her little finger, not just her parents.

We went to the Draper temple open house today for YW/YM activity. It was fun but not as meaningful as when Patrick and I took the girls a few weeks ago. It was really nice to be in the celestial room with Patrick and the girls. Also, being a mother of five daughters kind of makes me partial to the brides room. It was really pretty.