Happy Mother's Day Mom!!!

This is Ashlan. I just wanted to write a letter to my mom on this Mother's Day.

MOM,

You are always there for me.

You never let me down.

When I have had a bad day and just need someone to listen to me...YOU listen.

I'm sure you get sick of me going ON and ON about school, friends, and my life in general.

But still.... YOU listen

You teach me to do so many things.

I have learned how to COOK, CLEAN, and TEND TO KIDS...all because of you.

You teach me so many ways to follow my Savior's example.

Your testimony is so strong, and I hope one day mine can be as strong as yours.

You are there for me when I just can't hold back the tears any longer.

You're the shoulder I cry on.

You laugh with me (and sometimes AT me).
You give such great advice to help me get through my life one day at a time.

You are such a great example to me, I want to be more like YOU.

You support me in everything I do.

You always put others before yourself.

You tell me I am going to be a great mom someday, but that is all thanks to you.

So THANK YOU!!!

Thanks for putting up with me even if I am being a brat.

Thanks for taking care of me through my times of struggle.

Thanks for teaching me nearly everthing I know.

Thanks for letting me cry and laugh with you.

Thanks for showing me such a Christ-like example.

I don't know how I could survive without you.

So thanks for making the decision to make it so our family will be together forever.

You help me more than you know!

I know I don't THANK you enough, but now I just want to say THANKS!!!

All my LOVE,

Your daughter,

Ashlan :)

Planned?

With each pregnancy after about #4 I have been asked the question..."Was this planned or was it a surprise?" I actually planned and prepared for 6 (CRAZY, I know), and weeped and wailed for 2 (just not my timing but grateful in the end). This pregnancy however was completely planned. I planned it months ago. I have never pulled an April Fools Day joke in my life (that I can remember). But I have to say, I am awfully proud of this one (april fools!). I really think...Eight is Enough...thanks for playing along!

Now my fear is that the joke will be on me. I will be the girl that cried wolf and it backfired in her face. That would not be pretty!!!

Waking Up!!!

It is miserable and snowing outside. I woke up and looked outside and it depressed me. I am so ready for warmth and sunshine!!! But...then I also woke up to this sweet little face...and I was suddenly able to see the SUNSHINE through the snow and SPRING on the horizon.

HAPPINESS IS...

One of my fabulous friends from Fillmore tagged me so here I go...

HAPPINESS IS...

*My kids laughter!!!


*Boy toys like balls and trucks and wii games. Boys that are dirty but stay in the shower too long. Watching them perform well and knowing that surely comes from my side of the gene pool.



*Brothers that share EVERYTHING...a room, their money, and their treasured football cards!

*Girls without drama, and one with enough to make up the difference. Dolls, bows, dresses, and being able to look at them and see a picture of myself as a kid.

*When your 3 year old insists that she have an extra bubble at the birthday party to take home to her nearly 15 year old sister.

*Watching your kids grow up to be better than you ever thought of being (and a whole lot smarter too!).




*The sound of 8 children hustling around the house doing THEIR thing.


*The quiet time when everyone is finally in bed and Glen and I can FINALLY talk.




*Being able to see the temple from our house!

*Being able to go to the temple weekly now! We live 7 minutes away and can be there and back in about 2 hours.


*When your husband helps clean up dinner, do dishes, help with homework, etc. because we are are both coaches on the same TEAM!!!


*When the TEAM helps.

*A fist full of flowers...dandelions (not from my yard, of course!).

*A shower before 1:00 (you knew that was coming)!

FINALLY...

*Having a testimony and a sure knowledge of the gospel, its truthfulness, and its peace. Knowing I have a Heavenly Father that loves imperfect me, and a Saviour, Jesus Christ, who has made it possible for me to live imperfectly with the hope that I can one day be with them and my family FOREVER!!!



So now I am going to tag ALL of my family members that have blogs. Some of you haven't blogged in a while. Are you up for the challenge?

Malaree's Morning Make Over!

This is what I saw when i turned around while doing the dishes. It was a beautiful sight to see. She was very proud and not very happy when I announced that it was time to go put them in the bathtub. I was dreading the sight of my bathroom and had visions worse that her face all over the wall and counter. But to my complete surprise and delight this is what I saw...

Everything was put away beautifully. I guess she thought maybe if she put it away we might not even notice. However, upon closer evaluation we found that it was Ashlan's make-up and the damage was evident...

She is lucky that she has a nice big sister that loves her VERY much!!! On another note... This is Malaree's little Valentines hairstyle perfected by Ashlan. She loves to search the internet to find fun ways to fix her hair. I am so lucky to have all my girls!!!

Slade's B-DAY

When the kids have a birthday they get to pick the activity and meal for the night. Slade had decided in advance that he wanted to go to Costco for tasters. We told him that it wouldn't look real good if we walked around Costco with 10 people hitting all the taster tables. He conceeded and settled for the Classic Fun Center with a promise that we would go to Costco again soon and he could have the tasters.

All the kids had a fun time. It was nice to be able to sit and watch them have fun but not have to do a whole lot. Glen and I were actually able to talk for a minute or two.

Slade is a GREAT kid. He is full of spunk and energy. He keeps us laughing with his funny facial expressions. He is always making up different words or names for people, especially the baby. A sampling would be...MarGracway, Kuweee, Cutie-and-the-why-a-bow...I am well aware that they make no sense, and where they came from we can't guess at. He is just a crazy kid that keeps us laughing and brings our family a lot of excitement and happiness.

McKade's Birthday

I am playing catch up with some birthdays that I have left out. I am a slacker. McKade looked forward to his birthday. He counted the days. He was so patient with us and waited until Glen to get home from work before he opened his presents.

McKade is our BRAINIAC!!! He hungers for learning. His school is a great place for him. McKade is in 1st grade. They challenge them on an individual level. He came home at the first of the school and reported that he had a test coming up on Mesopotamia. My 16 year old said, "What? I am just learning about that in 10th grade." Since then he has had tests on World Religions (Islam, Judaism, and Christianity), the Ice Age, the American revolution, body systems (circulatory, nervous, skeletal, digestive, and muscular), and the three states of matter (solid, liquid, and gas) informing me that in solids the atoms are tight together, in liquids they are spaced further, and in gas they are WAY far. Okay people, did I mention that this is 1st grade? I think I learned all this stuff in high school or beyond.

McKade is a special part of our family. He teaches us a lot. His prayers are so sweet and heartfelt. He is a GREAT little boy that brings a lot of joy to our home.