Busy Bishop Bulletin

California!!!

2011-10-04T16:31:00.001-06:00

I won't try to update anything from the last 7 months that I've missed (at least not right now) but for the benefit of Grandparents in China...here are some links to pictures from our long-anticipated trip! I hope it works (you will have to be logged in to Facebook to view)...Enjoy!

Cali / Beach pictures

AND

Disneyland Pics

Catch Up!

2011-03-03T15:21:00.005-07:00

Yikes...here we go for the past month:

Holly was baptized! It was a wonderful day; she looked beautiful.

A sledding day with Daddy:

Bryce is learning things way too fast! He learned to crawl about a week and a half ago, and he quickly learned to pull himself up to things. Here he was peeking at me through the french doors, making some awesome faces (and drool) on the glass!

Ella has been in a musical theater group - they had their final performance last week and she did AWESOME! She loves to perform and was so cute!

My girls started begging to get their ears pierced, and I didn't really have a problem with it, so off we went! Here they are trying to smile through their tears...I just reminded them that they asked for it! They do look cute.

Josh played Jr. Jazz basketball...

Ammon on a trip to the Bean Museum. He was okay with the bears behind the glass, but wouldn't really get close to anything out in the open. His favorite thing was the big elephant.

Showing of his cool truck...

We are soooo glad to have Mark's parents back from their mission.

Bryce already loves his grandma like they've known each other all along.

(thanks Amy for the cute hat!)

First time seeing them after 18 months:

That's all!

Happy Birthday Holly!

2011-02-11T14:49:00.003-07:00

January 31, my lovely Hollyberry turned 8! Can that be possible? She had a fun birthday party with friends, which I didn't photograph, but we did catch a few shots of her special day:

Reading a birthday letter from her dad:

She requested cupcakes because she didn't want me to have to work too hard. What a sweetie. I admit they were a welcome treat after the tractor cake for Ammon. I love how photogenic Holly is - I think the camera likes her :)
Josh, the master builder at our house, had no problem assembling her new zhu zhu track for her

Daddy got carried away in all the excitement...

As requested, wii just dance 2. we had a blast playing it as a family...super fun!

I swore I would never buy another barbie (these girls already have too many) but I couldn't resist getting her the adorable Tangled doll from Disney...too cute!

I think Grandpa Horton nailed it with this gift :)

Some stuff about Holly: She is a fun, friendly, bubbly girl who loves life and loves people. She has a big heart and doesn't judge. She loves to perform and has a very laid-back personality - don't try to rush her! She is very gentle with baby Bryce, an absolute tease to Ammon (grrr) and a best sister to Ella. She admires Josh. She loves time with friends and is a great student. She is very independent and has taught herself to do all kinds of things. I'm hoping that will pay off when we start piano lessons! We love you Holly!

Happy Birthday Ammon!

2011-01-23T15:46:00.008-07:00

I can't believe this sweet little boy is already three! He LOVED having a birthday, and since it was also a holiday, the whole family was home to celebrate with him all day! We love you Ammon!

Plenty of help opening presents:

Trying out his new scooter
Ammon loves anything with wheels, especially tractors. I had a great time making him a tractor cake!

Here he is listening to the mickey mouse birthday song!

Playing with a new Thomas Train set & Donald duck fire truck

He looks way too big! Stay little, little guy!

pointing up at the balloon with tractors on it

My handsome little guy!

We had dinner and a fun celebration at Pirate Island - the whole family had a blast. Holly and Emily even did karaoke!

Riding the motorcycle with Daddy

We finished off the night with what else, cake and ice cream. Here he is blowing out his many candles...and for the record the (pound) cake was really yummy!

Some stuff about Ammon:

He is super sweet. Mild mannered, obedient, and just plain cute. Not many tantrums come from this boy - he just goes wih the flow and is a great little brother and a great big brother! He loves Bryce and is happy they share a room. He is good at sharing toys. He says "Zow!" instead of "yes" which you have to hear - it is so cute. He has a good ear for music and picks up songs quickly. He LOVES what most boys love - cars, trucks, trains, tractors - anything with wheels. He gave mommy a great gift when he potty-trained himself when Bryce was just a newborn. He is awesome at taking naps still. He loves Bob the Builder, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Thomas the train. He climbs into bed every morning with me, pats my face, and says, "I love you Mommy!" What more could I ask for?

ski day

2011-01-23T14:36:00.002-07:00

01.07.11 Josh and Mark headed up to the Canyons with friends Mike and Soren. Josh tried skis rather than snowboard this time and loved it! Although the pictures don't show it, he did really well!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

2011-01-03T15:59:00.014-07:00

We had a wonderful holiday season! I can't be bothered to put all the pictures in order...but at least there's lots of fun ones :) We decided on December 30 when it was soooo cold and roads were so bad to paint our living room. This is the contraption we had to assemble in order to reach the 10+ft high parts over the stairs: It was a little scary!

Bryce on his 6-month birthday:
The girls on Christmas with their new "pets"

Merry Christmas Mommy!

Merry Christmas Daddy!

Bryce's First Christmas! As expected, he was trying to eat the wrapping paper! He also was working on getting in his "two front teeth" for Christmas, along with two more...that's right...four teeth all at once on top. Not such a nice Christmas gift for Mommy...Merry Christmas Ammon! He opened this present first and that's all he cared about the rest of the day. He couldn't be bothered to open the rest...he LOVES this tractor!

"Belle," I mean Ella, Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Holly!

Merry Christmas Josh! Incidentally, the Harry Potter legos game is really fun!

Christmas Eve

Hot cocoa bar

We were lucky to spend Christmas Eve at my sister's house - thanks Janelle!

Ammon was entertained for a long time with some big legos. Give him anything with wheels and he's good.

I made "Challah" bread for Christmas Eve - it is a Jewish celebration bread. I made two loaves & they were yummy! It was fun to learn how to braid with six strands of dough!! Not bad for my first attempt:

Christmas party with Mark's family - 7 of the grandkids waiting for present time

Gotta love a cheeser

Janelle & Emily

I hosted the 3rd annual cookie exchange party for all the girls in my family - yummy dinner, delicious cookies, great company, lots of fun!!

What would a girl's party be without dress-ups and a fashion show?A fun snow day

Visiting with Santa at the Black family Christmas party

Dec 17 we took Heidi and Josh up to the Garden in SLC for dinner - Josh got to come because he finished reading the Book of Mormon (in only 3 months!) and this was our congratulations dinner

Bryce was such a good boy that night!

He loves to eat anything he can get in his mouth

That's all folks!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-12-15T13:38:00.004-07:00

I was totally shocked with this gift! Mark had seen me drooling over it in a catalog...I had no idea he would actually splurge and get it for me! I can't wait to try it!

We had a fun outing to Temple Square to see the lights. It was a beautiful evening!

My awesome kids woke me up with breakfast in bed! They fixed cereal, sliced oranges, cinnamon toast, yogurt, and a drink of milk. How sweet is that? (especially since Mark was already gone to work!) They even gave me an awesome foot rub while I was eating. Ammon came in and said, "Mom, they're giving your toes a back rub!" ha ha ha! Here are my five reasons I love to be called "Mom":

Slacker

2010-12-04T13:30:00.007-07:00

I have had to let some things go lately...with five kids including an extremely demanding baby (& a 4th grader with a lot of homework!), I've had to make peace with the fact that I can't do it all. So, blogging was one of the first to go. I won't try to make up for lost time, but will simply post a few pictures here and just say that we got grass in the backyard (woot woot!), had a fun Halloween, had fun celebrating Mark's birthday, had a fun trip to Park City, pinewood derby (Josh's is the red truck), and had a great Thanksgiving. We are fully enjoying the Christmas season so far and are looking forward to my birthday, our anniversary (11 years!) and Christmas. My favorite time of year!

October all-at-once

2010-10-27T15:06:00.006-06:00

In no particular order...I figured I'd better do a post before we have a birthday and Halloween to post about as well.

Here is the cute little guy. He is always happy and talkative if he's held or played with...the rest of the time he's still a "big baby" but somehow we manage and we love him bunches anyway! He's getting his two bottom teeth right now (He'll be four months old on Saturday) - take an already fussy baby and give him pain = not much fun. At least he can hold toys and chew on things for some relief - and luckily he's not doing that to me!

We frosted sugar cookies and delivered them to a few people Monday night for FHE. Lots of fun!

A shot of Mark's water feature with the snow this morning! We just planted the tree too - a Serviceberry - will be pretty and practical (has fruit similar to a blueberry). We will have three of them.

We finally have grass in our backyard!! Mark has worked TIRELESSLY to get rid of TONS of ROCKS back there - Mark, Josh, and my Dad all worked quick to get the sod down Saturday morning just before the rain came - what a blessing! We are so excited! You can also see our Mimosa tree which will give us nice shade and is really beautiful with exotic pink blossoms. We also planted grapes and wysteria which will grow up on an arbor along the back fence which is yet to be completed.

Ammon. Full of love, energy, and fun. All boy - loves anything with wheels. Potty trained (woot woot!) A playful little brother and incredibly loving big brother. Smiles!

A few more cute shots...

One night, when Mark and I got home from a date, we found these treasures on our pillows :)

5 cute babes

2010-10-19T14:04:00.001-06:00

Can you tell who's who?

Wow...two posts in one week!

2010-09-21T17:00:00.007-06:00

This is a record for this year!

I actually found time to get back in the kitchen and make some bread this morning (between loads of laundry, dishes, a trip to Walgreens, and kindergarten drop-off/pick-up!). It was so wonderful to bake again! My heart was happy when I pulled these beautiful loaves out of the oven just in time for lunch. Every time I taste this bread I ask myself why I ever stop making it - absolutely nothing compares (even if I am tooting my own horn).

We had our second annual Horton family fall party Saturday. Although it was a toasty day, we had a lot of fun! The girls were also helping celebrate a cousin's birthday so had fun dressing up.
bouncing boys
Ammon, as usual, kept himself busy with a few trucks

Ella enjoying the bounce house

Mark enjoying the hammock. As long as he kept Bryce happy I didn't mind!

Blowing Big Bubbles

Cheese!

Ella and three of my great-nieces. yes, I am a great-Aunt. I don't feel old enough to be a great-aunt! My girls love to play with these girls ;)

Mark's innovative leveling tool: a big timber weighed down by some cute kids! Drag us around Daddy!

Everyone has worked hard to get rocks out of the back yard. Almost ready to lay sprinklers!

Happy September!

Lots of Updates

2010-09-17T13:10:00.012-06:00

Wow! Who knew life with five kids would be so hard! I am amazed at how much things changed by adding #5. I have been busier and more tired than I ever thought possible. Tons has happened since my last post, but I will only touch on the highlights:

At the beginning of August Mark was gone for the good part of a week to scout camp and for the first time I was left on my own, days and nights, with five kids and an incredibly fussy newborn. The morning he left I was in tears. A few hours later these arrived. Need I say more?

Ella's first day of Kindergarten...she was so proud!
Walking to school with her new friend:

Showing off her "all about me" poster:

Bryce's blessing day: September 5. It was a beautiful blessing and focused a lot on what a great missionary he'll be. Grandpa Horton gave him his outfit. It was a nice day with good support from family & a nice dinner at our house after. Love his pouty face:

With Mom and Dad:

Can't get enough of these thumb-sucking pictures!

Mark used the bobcat to get all the [millions] of rocks out of our backyard. We are trying to get sod in [finally!] before the cold weather hits. The kids loved riding in it with Daddy:

Ammon is part tractor I think. He spent hours out there with Mark.

We had a fun trip to the cabin last weekend with our friends the Abeggs. The weather was so beautiful and a bonus of no bugs! I LOVE this picture of Mark and Bryce!

Three cute girls

Ella was so happy to have some time with her good friend Grace

I spent a good part of the time up there with Bryce like this. He slept great in the carrier:

Learning how to blow grass whistles:

Target practice with all the kids:

Cracking nuts for the "chippies"

Mark grew giant sunflowers this year - this shot is in August before the heads filled out. These were about 12 feet tall I think:

He entered his biggest head in the Utah State Fair and it took second place for size! Way to go Mark! We went up to the fair Monday, a fun family tradition, and were happy to see Daddy's ribbon! Too bad we didn't take a camera.

Today (Sept 17) - some more cute smiles:

Other than that I have been busy keeping up with three kids' homework, Holly's jazz class, Ella's "Broadway Bound" music dance theater class (with required at-home practice), canning peaches (although I swore I wouldn't can anything this year I couldn't turn down 2 bushels of free, beautiful peaches from my Dad!), potty training Ammon (incidentally he's doing quite well, but still - ugh!) and all the other general mommy/wife duties that run me ragged! I have been able to get "out" and play volleyball with the ward a few times & although it's not at the level I would prefer, it is fun and a much needed break. Now I'm just really glad it's fall - my favorite time of year!

Some smiles

2010-08-25T15:25:00.002-06:00

Our little guy has really sweet smiles - here he is learning to smile, in order approximately 6, 7, and 8 weeks old. All of these I did alone - I'm sure we could capture even better smiles with someone helping me man the camera!

Good think he's a cutie - payback for all those times I get up with him at night :)

A funny

2010-08-19T16:53:00.003-06:00

Ammon's latest gem: When wearing his brother's watch yesterday, Ammon said

"It's hurting the neck of my arm. I can't wear it any more; it's hurting the neck of my arm."

A two-year-old's description of the watch hurting his WRIST. So cute!

The past few weeks...

2010-08-03T13:57:00.007-06:00

We had a wonderful family reunion in Bear Lake with the Stum family. Preparing for the trip was a beast - it took me DAYS to get laundry, grocery shopping, and packing done. Nursing every 2 hours will do that to you. We looked like we were heading out of town for a month with gear & food for 7 people - the van packed tight, a cartop carrier, and our trailer. Crazy! We camped (in cabins, thank goodness) at the KOA and spent a good amount of time at the beach. Lots of yummy meals, fun activities, and visiting. I was really nervous about taking Bryce, being only one month old, but we managed ok and although I didn't participate in as much as I would have liked, I don't regret going. It was great to see everyone and especially wonderful to get out of the house and have a change of scenery. The kids had an absolutely great time with all their "new" cousins! They wish we could to it every year!

Josh...mud...water...have at it!

Holly

Ella

Ammon fell asleep watching the horseshoe tournament. Must not be his sport of choice. He slept forever - it was awesome.

Ammon loved having his dump truck to play with in the sand

mmmmm....cheetos!

no words...just adorable!

Mark and the kids rafting

Ammon and Ella konked out after playing hard at the beach

Uncle Karl helped the kids make a way fun sand castle

Marci (in the background) and I were debating whether it was harder to be at the reunion with a newborn (me) or very pregnant (her). I still think it's debatable. I was way tired, caring for a rather unpredictable baby, and couldn't get in the water, but I'm positive she was more uncomfortable!

Mark, Em, baby Bryce (4 weeks old)

Bryce sleeping - August 1. I LOVE how he's holding his hands

His cord FINALLY came off when he was three weeks old so he was no longer banned from the tub. Here is his first real bath - he loved it! Even got a little finger sucking time.

Watch that finger, Bryce!

Sleeping peacefully at the beach - 4 weeks old - July 30, 2010

Boys!

2010-07-18T15:34:00.005-06:00

My boys have been busy this week! Here is Bryce last Sunday, sleeping soundly on Aunt Kristen's lap. Love the arms!

This angle of this picture makes it hard to tell, but at about two months his cousin was huge next to him!
The lighting here is horrible but I had to snap a pic of him sucking his thumb to put himself to sleep. Priceless!

Grandma and Grandpa Bishop this one's for you! He looks so cute in the little outfit you sent.

Sweet Dreams! July 17

His stats at two weeks were: 8 lb 1 oz (nearly 1 lb over his birthweight already!) and 20.5 inches (2 inches taller). He is growing like a weed, which is to be expected when you nurse every 2 hours round the clock!

Ammon LOVES to hold Bryce...he is so proud to be a big brother

He is really gentle...most of the time

AND the boys had Fathers and Sons campout this weekend. They had a great time!

Also, congratulations to Joshua! His little league baseball team took first place this week in the state tournament! Way to go!

Baby Bryce

2010-07-07T15:00:00.014-06:00

This post has taken me a few days to complete - life with a newborn (and four other kids) is demanding and this last week has been a blur! In fact if there are incomplete sentences or mistakes don't be surprised. Some words that come to mind to describe my feelings over the past week are blessed, overwhelmed, amazed, stressed, scared, faith, prayer, snuggles, love, exhaustion and gratitude. Lots has happened -

First the birth story: Wednesday, June 30, was my induction date. I didn't sleep much the night before, and then that morning was the slowest ever! I waited, and waited, and waited for a call from the hospital to tell me when to come in. I knew I was 6th in line but didn't count on all the spontaneous labors that came in that day. We took the kids to their library reading groups that morning, and Mark got a bit of yard work done, and we waited. Finally I got a call and headed to the hospital, getting up to my room just before 3 pm. Dad Horton was our on call babysitter for the day, so the kids were excited to have time with Grandpa.

So they got my IV started, started the Pitocin at 3:45, and broke my water at 4 pm. I might be a baby but I think an IV in the hand is one of the worst parts of the whole experience! At that point I was dilated to 3, 80% effaced, and the baby was at "0" station. Nothing much exciting happened over the next while - the contractions took a while to pick up. Once they finally started going they gained momentum and strength...I labored through them until they were coming every 2 minutes and hard. I finally asked for the epidural which I was given at 7 pm when I was dilated to 6. It was the best epi I've ever had - I could still move my legs which was awesome. And I could still feel enough to know what was happening. Within just 30 minutes I was complete & ready to push...baby was at a +3 station and the nurse said pushing usually starts at +2 so I was really ready. I ended up having to wait a bit though because my doctor was performing a c-section! It's a real good thing I had an epidural or that waiting would have been impossible.

When the doctor finally arrived it was a whirlwind - they immediately prepped the bed, got me in position, and told me to push on the next contraction! I pushed hard once and the head came out, pushed hard again and Bryce was born at 8:18! Probably the smoothest delivery I've had. Only 2 pushes! I was so excited to have him here safe and was thrilled to hear that first newborn cry. He was so cute! They wiped him off, Mark cut the cord, and they immediately let me have skin to skin time with him. That was amazing. He did great on his apgar too - a 9 and then a 10. I also got to nurse right away. Mark was so excited to have a son that looks like him. And as a side note my labor and delivery nurses were awesome!

The time in the hospital was annoying, as always. I am always itching to get out of there as soon as possible. I don't know how anyone can sleep there with all the interruptions & noise. Bryce was so asleep however he didn't even eat much so it came as no surprise that first night home that he wanted to eat ... ALL NIGHT! The kids loved coming to see baby brother in the hospital - all but Ammon who had to stay away due to a nasty cough.

Proud Papa

Holly is really gentle
Ella is full of love

Josh is so proud

A cute happy dream

He loves his fingers and always wants access to his hands

Day 3: sweet, sweet boy

Monday was a very emotional day. First of all the poor little guy had his circumcision that morning. That is definitely a question I'll have in the next life...why? He wasn't happy and Mommy was crying right along with him. Then to top it off, we had Bryce's bilirubin levels tested for the third time (a sad blood draw from the heel) and he was high risk which meant he had to go on bili lights. I've never experienced that with any of my other kids (which I guess is lucky since it's quite common) but it was no fun at all. He had to be in this little UV bed as much as possible except when nursing. As you can imagine, it wasn't easy especially when he was awake and wanted to be held. His level tested at 18 and the nurse said if it reached 20 he may have to go back in the hospital for treatment. I was so worried. Mark gave him a beautiful blessing and it brought much peace and assurance that he would be OK.

The night shift was especially hard. He did NOT want to be in that bed any longer. Thankfully, the next morning's test showed his level at a 15 - a significant drop. He had to be on the lights one more day although not quite as intense (we could hold him when he fussed) to get his level down below 14. By the next morning the news was wonderful - his level was at 13 and he was done with the lights and no more trips to the hospital lab for heel pricks! I knew instantly our prayers had been answered and his blessing had been fulfilled.

Bryce is horrible at night. I hate to say it but it's true. I think I have had one three-hour block of sleep since he was born. Other than that he wakes VERY frequently. Some nights I sleep a total of two or three hours. He sleeps great being held but doesn't like his bed. I know it will change - I am not giving up, and not really complaining either, just looking forward to a time when nights improve. Until then mommy is a little loopy and I don't have much energy, so I sit and hold him and stare at him in amazement.

1 week old

Today (Thursday) was Mark's first day back to work, and I survived! The kids are all adapting pretty well. Every time Ammon sees Bryce he says "Hi Baby" and gives him a soft kiss on his head - so cute! The other kids all love to hold him and are for the most part pretty helpful with things. I am so so so grateful for Mark - he has been amazing over the past week - taking care of me, the kids, the house, and even finding time for projects in the yard. He truly stood by my side and supported me through this whole experience. He is a super daddy and a wonderful husband and we feel really blessed he was able to have the time off from work. I'm also grateful to my dad & Kristen for taking over while we were in the hospital, and for all the friends and family who have helped and shown kindnesses. A new baby truly is a miracle...we love you Bryce!

He's here!!!

2010-07-01T07:19:00.003-06:00

Bryce Joseph Bishop

7 lb 3 oz

18.5 inches long

Cute as a button!!

Bryce's first bath

Proud mother!

Just a little bit of hair!

Anytime now would be nice, Bryce!

Any time now...

2010-06-22T16:18:00.002-06:00

Just got back from the doctor and the good news is I've made good progress since last week. For those of you that like the details: I'm now dilated to a full 2, 70% effaced, "soft", and anterior, which gives me 9 points and means I'm "ripe" enough to deliver any time. The doctor seemed to think there's a good chance I won't make it until the 30th - especially considering this is baby #5.

During our visit he was telling me about another patient at the hospital today who had been pushing for two hours and the baby's head was just barely starting to show. Miserable. I'm lucky my deliveries have always gone quick - three or four pushes and that's it. Hopefully this little guy cooperates too. Now I'm getting nervous to think it could be any time now and also pretty excited! Sometimes I've been so focused on the pregnancy part I forget that when it ends I'm going to have a baby! I know that doesn't really make sense but who can make sense of a pregnant woman's brain anyway!

I got his little bassinet set up yesterday in our room, and got my bag packed for the hospital. I've been doing laundry today and will hopefully do a grocery trip tonight - the only thing left to do is put the carseat in the car so I guess we are pretty much ready! Hopefully the next post will be about our newest family member...sooner than later!

Baby Update

2010-06-17T15:53:00.004-06:00

I had my latest doctor appointment Tuesday. Some mix up in the office paperwork led to a two hour visit, mostly waiting time (half dressed), totally ridiculous! I was starving and had to "go" so bad by the end I was miserable! Anyway, there's been some progress since last week, so that's always good to hear. I’m dilated to 1.5 cm , 60% effaced, with my cervix having moved anterior (which is where we want it to be), and the baby’s position is -3 (needs to drop down to a +2 to start pushing). All these things have a point value, and my total was 6. He said 6 is probably enough to start induction if necessary, but he would like to see me get to a total of 8 or 9, which shouldn’t be a problem at all since I still have ~2 weeks. We won’t know until that day (June 30) what time I’m supposed to go into the hospital unless I’m first on the list for 7 a.m., for which they’ll call me the night before. Otherwise I’ll have one hour's notice. I would love it if I just happened to go into labor on my own, say, the night of the 29th! Sorry, no tummy pics, I'm way too insecure at this point to step in front of the camera! Although at the park the other day some lady goes, "Wow, your belly is really low!" Yeah, thanks, I had no idea...

btw I've posted several things today so don't forget to scroll down!

But she just turned 5!

2010-06-17T15:40:00.005-06:00

Ella lost her first tooth last night! I am not happy to see my baby girl grow up so fast, but she was sure brave and soooo excited! Here's a picture this afternoon - about 16 hours later - and you can already see how much the adult tooth has moved into place!

Here's a few other cute pics of my big girl

Love these big blue eyes! Think they look related??

Peter Pan

2010-06-17T15:25:00.002-06:00

Holly finished up her dance season and had a fun time being an "indian" in their production of Peter Pan. I think she's one of the cutest indians around, but I am a little biased :)

Is it just me or does she look a little too grown up here? Let's keep that makeup put away for a few more years!

#1 team

2010-06-17T15:12:00.003-06:00

Congratulations to Josh's little league baseball team the "Diamondbacks" - undefeated in the city league! They ended the season in 1st place and are now preparing for the state tournament which is in the middle of July. Way to go Josh! He was a fairly strong hitter and played left field. He was lucky to get excellent coaches, who he will get to play with again next year - this time as a 4th grader (he was one of two or three third graders on his team this year so it has been a great learning opportunity).

We have had a fun time watching his games - although with the crazy weather this year 90% of them were cold, windy, stormy, or all three! It was worth it though - there's something special about watching your own kid that makes it so much more exciting!

First Cabin Trip of the Year

2010-06-14T15:07:00.006-06:00

Unfortunately...two thumbs down for our first cabin trip of the year! I guess it wasn't that bad, but it definitely could have been better.

We arrived around 8 pm Friday night after an uneventful drive, and had a pretty good time that night letting the kids mess around, eating s'mores, etc. Bryant & Summer were there too with their kids so their was a lot of kid chaos. It must have been around 11 pm by the time we got most kids settled down. Then the adults played Manila (one of our favorite games) until almost 1:00 a.m. Bad idea - although the game was really fun I had no intentions of staying up that late and I am still trying to recover! I slept horribly - maybe got four hours tops - and can I just say how grateful I am for my nice big, comfy bed at home! Being 9 months pregnant is not the right time to be on an old, hard mattress! We were all up by 6:00 a.m. (way too early). I started a fire, started breakfast, and started contractions! Still not the real thing thank goodness, but definitely painful.

I was bummed the water (plumbing) wasn't working - it's never quite the same there when you have to trek out to the outhouse (again...9 months pregnant = lots of potty trips). And with lots of kids to clean up after running water would have been nice. I sound spoiled, I know. I can rough it - I've done tent camping my whole life - but that's one bonus about the cabin is it's not supposed to be roughing it! I was hoping for this to be a nice little get-away before the baby is born. Anyway, it was cold outside so the kids crafted with popsicle sticks all morning, then around 11:00 we headed over to Potter's Ponds to go fishing. The weather looked threatening but we were hoping it would hold out for a few hours. Wrong again! It started sprinkling as we were setting up poles, started really raining for the first cast or two, and then it started hailing! Needless to say we didn't stick it out, and got back to the van with pants and shoes all wet and caked with mud. Yuck. Poor Ammon was so sad - he really wanted to fish and didn't want to give up that fishing pole!

We made it back to the cabin and started lunch, and snow started lightly falling. I've never seen a snow storm at the cabin and it was beautiful - but it also made us nervous. Mark said, "I have a feeling we need to get out of here, now!" So we threw together all our stuff, took our lunch to the car, did a rush clean-up job, and headed out as quick as we could. The snowfall was getting heavier. We made it down the dirt road fine (thank goodness) but the main road was starting to accumulate snow. We drove white-knuckled all along skyline drive with about four inches of snow on the roads and almost a white-out storm. It was so scary. We saw a truck that had rolled & the cab was all smashed in. Luckily the kids seemed to sense what was going on and they were all super quiet and most fell asleep. It seemed like an eternity before we made it low enough that the snow turned to rain and we could breathe easy. It is really scary to travel like that feeling so helpless and with such precious cargo - praying is about all you can do.

Then while continuing home between Fairview and Thistle we noticed they had resurfaced the road. They must have sprayed tar and laid gravel - a crazy idea for a freeway - and thanks to that we got three major rock chips in our windshield. So frustrating. Every time we would pass a car going the opposite direction rocks were flying at us and there was nothing we could do! AND a van covered in tar splatters.

So, the overall feeling after this trip was frustration and exhaustion. We had to come home about six hours earlier than we wanted to, the bad weather spoiled any outdoor fun we might have had (and kept all the kids trapped in the cabin...boo) and left us with a lot of muddy mess & chipped windshield to worry about. Way more work than play. Not a vacation at all. Of course for the kids, being with their cousins was fun, being at the cabin was fun, being in the mud was fun, staying up late was fun, and washing the car when we got home was fun. So I guess from their perspective the trip was a success. I guess that's what's important in the big picture...but Mommy is sure tired!

The end is in sight

2010-06-08T13:48:00.004-06:00

So I went to the doctor yesterday and everything is looking good and on schedule. I’m 1 cm dilated (yes, there is such thing as zero!) but I wouldn't have expected much different for 36 weeks. For a multipara (woman who's had more than one child) the changes to the cervix usually come much later. But the exciting part is that I scheduled an induction date! We will be headed to the hospital on Wednesday, June 30, to have this baby! That is one week before my due date and only 22 days away!!

I thought a lot about whether or not to be induced. I had conversations with many people, and many had strong feelings about a "false" start to labor. I also heard a lot of great things about natural (drug-free) births. I won't pretend it was an easy choice, but when it comes right down to it I have to do what is right for me. I've had some real concerns that many ladies don't have to deal with:

#1: Mark works in downtown SLC. He rides the bus and is therefore at the mercy of the bus schedule to get him home. Express busses do not run all day. We only have one vehicle, so if he drives to work that leaves me stranded.

#2: This one is my saddest issue: I don’t have a mother or mother-in-law here to help. My own mom has been gone over four years now (maybe she'll be allowed to be at the delivery in spirit), and Mark's mom is on a mission in Hong Kong (who I know really wishes she could be here).

#3: I have four other kids to make arrangements for while I'm in the hospital. This is a major concern for me...and with school being out this is a full-time job!

#4: I’m due so close to a holiday weekend...if I went into labor during the Freedom Festival celebrations it could be really hard to get help.

So scheduling the delivery and being able to address those issues really seems to make sense. I feel really good about it and no longer have [as much] anxiety about what’s going to happen. Being induced doesn't worry me - I was induced with Josh 11 days early (necessary because he stopped growing) so I know the routine. I'm hoping that since this is #5 baby my body will cooperate nicely and will be ready by that point anyway.

Although I like to feel like putting a birth date on the calendar has given me total control, I know there's still a chance he could come earlier than that on his own! With both Holly & Ammon I was one week early; 2 days early with Ella. So if that happens all my careful planning will be out the window!

Anyway, with 22 days left until we get to meet this little guy (I am so excited!), I've been asking myself if there's anything left to do to prepare or anything I myself want to do before he comes (and once again my life is not my own). I can't think of anything! I mean, sure, there's lots of stuff I'd love to do, but waterskiing and ballet aren't exactly possible right now. Let's face it...my body is not my own right now either! One thing I am excited for is a trip to the Stum family cabin this weekend - I'm really happy to have a chance to get up in the mountains for some R&R. And then next week is Strawberry Days in PG which will keep us busy and entertained, and then it's just a matter of time! Wish us luck!

Hmmm....I'm tempted!

2010-05-25T18:17:00.003-06:00

Went to the doctor today - I'm now 34 weeks pregnant...and it is a wonderful milestone to reach. If the baby were born now he would have as good a survival rate as if he were full term. Whew! I'm so excited to be that far along...although it also makes me nervous to be that close to delivery! I'm not sure I'm ready to have a newborn, but I'm definitely ready to have my body back so I guess it's one or the other!

Everything is looking fine and normal with the pregnancy - and the doctor confirmed that I am indeed carrying the baby really low...thus all the nerve pain in my back and legs. He is head down (low low down) and he has a favorite position with his rear end on one side of my tummy (making me all lopsided) and his feet pushing against the other side. You can actually see these two little bumps where his feet are pushing - it's crazy! Dr. said that usually when women carry a baby that low it means a quicker delivery...here's hoping.

So the reason I'm tempted is that he also gave me the option of being induced early to avoid the chance of being in the hospital for the 4th of July holiday (I'm due on the 7th). I've never had a doctor offer to induce me early purely for convenience and I must say at this point it sounds really appealing. I've been all gung-ho this time for laboring in the tub and trying to avoid an epidural. But if I get induced that concept is out the window. I was induced with Josh and I know how much more painful it can be. But the trade-off of delivering early may just be worth it. AND even more of a consideration is that if I am able to schedule the delivery, I can plan for babysitters and eliminate all the worry of wondering who will be available to help with my other kids, as well as making sure Mark is nearby since he works in SLC and normally rides the bus which might make it tricky for him to get home if I were to go into labor mid-day. Then again, maybe I will just go into labor early on my own and that will answer the question for me. I was a week early with Holly and Ammon...so there is a good chance. Mark is on a business trip in Mexico City so I haven't yet gotten his opinion...any advice anyone?

Preschool Graduation

2010-05-23T16:35:00.002-06:00

Ella was so proud to graduate from preschool Wednesday. They had the cutest ceremony and I could hear her singing nice and loud (she loves to perform). We are grateful she was in such a good program and enjoyed herself so much. I can't believe my baby girl will be headed to kindergarten in a few months! I would love her to stay little forever...

I have some really cute video clips but blogger is giving me troubles...I'll try to post them again soon! Congratulations Ella!

Once in a while...

2010-05-08T14:19:00.003-06:00

you get the chance to experience the perfect Spring day. That happened to us a few weeks ago when Mark was gone on a scout campout and I decided to take the kids to the "Baby Animal Birthday Party" at Thanksgiving Point Farm Country. As you can see the skies were blue and clear, the sun was out, and it was absolutely beautiful. This was a fun event with lots of activities for the kids. One of the favorites was the "cow train" - they drove it around the pasture and it was really bumpy which made it lots of fun...even Mommy rode it and was laughing!

Ammon still talks about the cow train...he LOVED it

Some of the babies were in cages, but we did get to pet a cute little goat

Cute little fuzzy ducklings

Bubble gum & whipped cream "pig trough"

Hooray for a great family outing!

Happy Birthday Ella & Josh!

2010-04-15T13:43:00.005-06:00

Do you think Josh was excited to go to Pirate Island for his 9th birthday? We had a great time - our first time there and loved the atmosphere, were pleasantly surprised that the food was yummy & reasonably priced, and of course had a great time in the arcade (although it could have been a little less cramped). We will definitely go there again.

Mark was really excited to get his boy some "GEAR" for his birthday. I have a feeling Josh was excited too!

It's always fun to get something you were hoping for!

More gear - a headlamp - think he likes it?

Percy Jackson books - he wasn't expecting - he LOVES to read

More fun at Pirate Island...

Ella hit the jackpot on this game and it gave her 100 tickets! She was thrilled!

Ella also had her 5th birthday two days before Josh's - this girl had been counting down to her birthday for MONTHS! So much fun!

She wanted a strawberry cake with a heart on top

We celebrated her birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's. No pictures, but we had a great time (especially since we didn't eat there!) and then had play time with a cousin. All this made for a fun-filled week of Spring Break! We also headed to the zoo on Friday - I'll post if I can get the pictures off Mark's phone!

Spring Happenings

2010-04-08T19:59:00.003-06:00

Last Friday night we dyed Easter eggs. Nothing too fancy but the kids had a great time. There's something a little magical about traditions. The Easter bunny comes to our house each year on Saturday instead of Sunday - helps differentiate between the bunny/eggs/candy stuff and the real Easter celebration. We don't really do egg hunts...but the bunny does hide the kids' baskets in the house and they have to find them...Josh figured out the "truth" about the bunny this year and thought that was pretty funny - luckily he can keep a secret! (but he made sure to inform me that he definitely believes in Santa)

Everyone feeling baby Bryce kicking in Mommy's tummy...around 25 weeks I think

A few weeks ago we had a tractor in the backyard digging a trench for Mark's water feature (his dream is finally coming true!) The boys sure loved watching & sitting on the tractor...Ammon still hasn't stopped talking about it!

More posts to come soon for Ella's & Josh's birthdays!

Updates...

2010-03-06T12:53:00.012-07:00

Seems like life has been pretty mundane lately, but I guess there have been a few fun things to post about. Last week Mark's sister Heidi had her birthday and she requested that we all go bowling. This was a fun outing (sans Mark who had a late work meeting) and the kids had a blast. Josh totally beat me (although he did have help from the bumpers) but I guess all that Wii bowling has paid off for him! But in my defense, bowling while prego did seem a little awkward.

We recently learned that Ella's best friend, Gracie, will be moving out of state in a few weeks. We are really sad but trying to get in as much play time as possible before they go.

Ella came up with this number on her own one day - she came upstairs and announced that she was a sunflower!

Couldn't believe the huge snow storm we had last week...getting all these kids ready to play in the snow first thing in the morning was quite the task but they sure had fun!

Mark decided the kids should help him stain a bar stool. Don't mind Ammon's pink shirt - we grabbed it out of our rag box for him! Mark is always great to involve the kids in things like this. I don't always love the messes, but at least the memories are made!

In February the PG library had this great little "Fancy Nancy Tea Party." I took the girls and they had a fun afternoon of fancies and sweets.

And his name is....

2010-02-22T12:46:00.006-07:00

Oops I forgot I promised an update on our little one's name! Drumroll please...............

he is now officially known as:

BRYCE JOSEPH BISHOP

We all love it! Joseph is Mark's middle name...Bryce doesn't really come from anyone or anything - it was just what seemed to strike us as being the "one." If he wants, when he's old enough to care, he could go by his initials "B.J." I think it's really cute.

Anyway, I also humbled myself enough to step in front of the camera for a hump day picture. Nice pun, huh? I hate cameras when I'm pregnant - I don't really want to save my fat face for posterity's sake...so this may be the only one! This was at 20 weeks and 3 days...a little more than half way. Hopefully even more than that if he'll cooperate and come at the end of June like I'm hoping (I'm due July 7).

My body has been reminding me already that this is baby #5 and it's getting worn out. As soon as the yucks of the first trimester were over, I got the new companionship of round ligament pains and sciatica...neither of which I can do anything about. These next four months could be LONG.

I did have fun this morning sorting through some borrowed maternity clothes (thanks tons Jess!). I'm really glad I won't have to go out and buy new stuff (since this is my first summer-time baby) because really, who wants to buy new clothes that you'll wear for a few months and then never again? (Yes, this is the last baby for us!) I'm just too frugal for that. Gotta love sharing the goods!

On a side note, Ammon has been very grumpy today after a busy weekend with no naps. He must have heard me tell one of the other kids that this morning, because just now when I told him it was his nap time he immediately said, "He's grumpy today!" It always surprises me how much these little one's pick up on! Now it's time for me to get something done while he sleeps!

Happy Birthday Sweet Sis

2010-02-11T13:37:00.005-07:00

Happy 7th birthday to my sweet Holly. I was really sick with the stomach flu the week of her birthday, so thank goodness I had the shopping all done already & thank goodness for Maceys bakery for a b-day cake. It was the first time ever that I have bought a cake...and I was pretty mortified that I couldn't do something special for her special day...but she was very understanding (a strength of hers). She went to get a "real" haircut for her birthday (since Mom usually does it) and I think she looks so cute and grown up. Grandpa's birthday is the day before hers so we sang to them both together at the family party. I think it's safe to say that the #1 gift was a Jonas Brothers mp3 player...I think I have a tween in the making :) Yet I'm still so happy to see her in dress-ups and playing with dolls too - such a fun age! Josh and Ella were also very considerate - wrapping up some of their own things to give to her. Happy Birthday Holly we love you!

2nd Ultrasound

2010-02-09T16:28:00.006-07:00

I had my second ultrasound today (first diagnostic) and am happy to report that we are still having a BOY, and everything looks great! I always anticipate ultrasounds with a nervous excitement...always a little worried that they might find something wrong. It's such a relief to see all organs, systems, and extremities as they should be. He looks perfect!

Top: his four chambered heart. Bottom: still a boy!

Top & Bottom: cute little feet
Top: the cutest little leg I've ever seen! Bottom: hand

Top: arm. Bottom: face. They still look like aliens at this point but I just know he's going to be cute!

The unexpected news of the day was that I've lost 4 lbs since my last appointment. I attribute this to the lovely stomach flu I had a few weeks ago - but I was still surprised. Does that give me the liberty to eat whatever I want now??!!

Also...our name poll has been removed because Josh informed us that he really doesn't like the name Spencer since there's a Spencer at school who is mean (can't blame him there). We have also found a name we like better than Brigham (which was the second choice) so although we appreciate the votes they have all been repealed and our little guy's name will soon be announced after it is discussed at the dinner table this evening and we have the go-ahead from all the kids :)

Tooting my own horn

2010-02-08T14:30:00.004-07:00

So I know a lot of ladies out there do couponing, and with their practice and expertise practically get paid to grocery shop. So although I am still learning how to manage the whole process, today was my second time coupon shopping and I feel the need to "toot my own horn" a bit because I felt it was a success. Here is a picture of some things I got:

Items: 3 Propel fitness water, 3 Crest ProHealth mouth rinse, 3 Softsoap, 3 Colgate Total, 3 boxes Nature Valley granola bars, 1 Goldfish crackers

# of (name brand) items: 16

Total Retail value of items: $52.18

Total price I paid: $13.85

So yeah, I think this is going to be totally worth the effort. Toot Toot!

We're Binky Free! (for a while)

2010-02-03T15:38:00.004-07:00

So two weeks ago, I decided it was way past time to get rid of Ammon's binkies. I've never let my kids have them past 18 months before...so I was six months overdue. I was out of excuses: the holidays were over and my "morning" (all-day) pregnancy sickness was gone. I had to face it. It was easy to get rid of binkies with my girls...they just kinda "disappeared" one day and it wasn't even an issue. Easy. But that's how my girls are - very agreeable. Josh never took a binky (that's a whole different post) but with Ammon being six months older, he was also six months more attached, and I was nervous.

So naptime came, and when Ammon asked for his binky and we looked at the shelf where they normally go, and they were "gone" I said, "Binkies all gone - no more binkies," and I handed him his blanket. I left the room, he cried, and I knew I was in for it. And then...miraculously...after five minutes the crying stopped. And the child slept. And the mom rejoiced!

That night was even better. No crying. Not even a wimper. Just a peaceful bedtime. Was this for real? I thought so and patted myself on the back for having such amazing kids - the binkies went in the garbage (to avoid temptation) and for several days we forgot about it.

It didn't last. He has now been taking shorter naps, and struggling with going to sleep here and there, but we are slowly making the transition. Today felt like magic when he went down for his nap immediately - no fussing - and slept 2.5 hours. I'm glad the binkies were in the garbage - there have been days where I would have used them - but I am proud of the little guy and at least there haven't been any tantrums. Actually I don't know if Ammon even knows how to throw a tantrum - he is such a sweet little guy.

I have learned my lesson though - the binky is only welcome in our home for 18 months or less...I just hope Ammon doesn't freak out when little brother arrives along with new binkies. And looking forward? The next major transition will be from crib to bed...and then potty training...oh dear! Here's to the daily grind of motherhood!

Stuff

2010-02-01T13:26:00.005-07:00

We have a little poll on our blog (top right side) for naming our baby - please vote!

So yesterday morning, Ammon woke up at 6:30 a.m. (which is NOT my idea of a nice start to a day of REST). I had the stomach flu over the weekend, and was still recovering (another gift from Ammon) and so I ended up bringing him back into bed with me hoping for a few more horizontal minutes. He is usually pretty good at cuddling. We were in there a few minutes, I was keeping my eyes closed so he knew I wasn't really awake, and then I felt his warm breath on my face and heard his low husky, two-year-old whisper say "something to eat." It was all I could do to keep a straight face. I pretended not to hear. For the next two minutes he continued to whisper (to his credit he wasn't yelling) "something to eat." And the finally he added, "get in chair, something to eat." I couldn't contain myself any longer and started giggling & got up to get the poor kid some breakfast. Although I was tempted to be grumpy for being wakened so early, I couldn't help but hug and squeeze my sweet little guy and enjoy a quiet morning with him.

This morning I went out grocery shopping. Not a big deal I know, but it was an adventure for me because I have decided to start trying one of those couponing programs. I've been to a few classes, and after monitoring the deals and seeing if there were offers we would actually use, I decided to give it a go. So every Sunday now I'll get three papers and start clipping, organizing, and planning. So today I successfully shopped at three stores all within one hour, and saved a good amount of money. Ammon was amazing. I don't think it will be normal to go to three stores a week, but since they are all within 5 minutes of my house it wasn't a big deal. I am excited - I hope I can get it all figured out and be successful at it - if anyone has any tips to making it work (especially with kids in tow) please let me know!

Watch for another post soon about Holly's birthday...she turned 7 yesterday!!

Happy Birthday Little Man

2010-01-20T13:15:00.004-07:00

Hard to believe this sweet little guy is already two! He is such a fun kid and brings our family so much joy. He is talking up a storm these days and can effectively communicate everything he wants - hopefully this will help avoid any tantrums that sometimes come with this age! He loves trains, trucks, cars, etc. (anything with wheels) and also loves Mickey Mouse, Tigger and Pooh, and basically anything "Playhouse Disney." He loves to read stories, sing songs, and play with his brother and sisters. He is especially a Daddy's boy and every time I am on the phone, regardless of who I am talking to, he follows me around and says "Talk to Daddy!" Mark never fails to get a thrilling "welcome home" from work with Ammon yelling "Daddy's Home!" running to the door, and smothering him with hugs and kisses. We love you Ammon - Happy Birthday!

Blowing out the candles (or at least thinking about it)

Josh started prepping Ammon for his presents a few days before his birthday. I thought it would be in vain, but one of the first things Ammon said when he woke up in the morning was "open presents?" He got the hang of it no problem!Enjoying a musical tractor from Grandpa H

Enjoying a musical card from Grandma & Grandpa B

A train puzzle that makes a choo choo sound when it is done. He figured out how to do this puzzle so fast!

Excited about a new Richard Scarry book

Poor little Ella was sick all weekend. Even though she had a high fever, my ever-selfless sweetie managed to color a train for Ammon, which of course he loved.

I love how excited the kids are for him

His Super Sleuth Cake!

Ultrasound Successful!

2010-01-12T14:02:00.003-07:00

Thanks to Steph, my awesome sister-in-law who has some sweet connections, I was able to get an early ultrasound today! So fun to see my baby 5 weeks earlier than scheduled! AND the funnest news of all is that we found out the gender! Check out these pics!

These are the little legs, kinda crossed...cute!

Cute little hands up by the face
Another cute little hand waving at us
And the best one of all...seems pretty certain, huh? Sorry kid, no privacy!
We are so excited to welcome another baby boy! How perfect for Ammon to have a little buddy. He can already say "little buddy" and it is so cute. They will be 2.5 years apart...just about right to be best friends and wrestling partners. The baby looks healthy and seems to be doing really well - this wasn't a complete diagnostic ultrasound (I'll still have that at 20 weeks) but it's always a relief to see a healthy heart, two arms, two legs, etc. Now on to picking a name!

The Rest of December...

2010-01-05T20:51:00.006-07:00

The kids in their Christmas Jammies from Grandma & Grandpa B

We hosted Mark's family for Christmas Eve...after a yummy dinner we played some fun games
Mark and I had an awesome get-away weekend in Park City for our 10th Anniversay. Thanks to Kris and Amy for taking such good care of our kiddos! This is a HUGE snowman that was at the city park...wow!

Holly sitting on Santa's lap after her dance performance

Strike a Pose!

Ella was so happy to perform in her preschool program

And to sit on Santa's lap!

Holly cheesin' it up in her school's Christmas program

Mark and Ammon enjoying a little bonding time outside

Decorating Christmas sugar cookies

Christmas Day...a favorite new book for Mark

Ammon enjoying his new tractor

Holly in her new cheer gear

Ella in her new princess pretties

Reading "The Monster at the End of this Book" - one of my favorites from when I was young

Ella, our ever generous sweetheart, game Mommy her Ariel princess, her ballerina baby, and some awesome glasses! She had them all wrapped up and under the tree for a few weeks before Christmas. She's a keeper!

Josh reading the letter Santa left him; complimenting him on his good deeds over the past year

We also hosted a New Year's Eve party & had a great time eating, talking, & playing games with several families from our neighborhood. Sorry no pics...but the 1:30 a.m. bedtime sure wiped me out the next day! Happy 2010!

Stuff we've been up to

2009-12-15T14:36:00.007-07:00

In no particular order:

Last night we went and drove through the lights at Thanksgiving Point - we've never done it before and so it was lots of fun and very magical. Their designs are really cute, and we especially loved the Simon Dewey display at the end. The kids were also happy to see some live reindeer (even though they were sleeping). A fun and festive night!

We are saddened by the loss of Mark's wonderful Grandma, Gladys Stum. She passed away Friday, Dec. 4 at the age of 92. She was an important part of our lives and we will truly miss her. She was amazing! We especially have great memories of trip to the cabin with her - I love this picture of her reading a story to Ella - she was always ready to do anything for the kids and they really loved their great grandma. I'm so glad they got to know her.

This is in Bryce Canyon at a reunion - Grandma doing some yoga with the ladies! She was a great example for healthy living.

We attended her funeral this past weekend and were very uplifted by the messages and memories. We were also grateful to be able to see so many extended family members - I am very lucky to have married into such a wonderful family!

Earlier in the month I took Ella and Ammon to the Festival of Trees. This is a fun tradition for me - something I've done since I was about 12. It's a fun way to ring in the season.

We were especially amazed by this gingerbread train. I can't believe how anyone could make this - it's even bigger than it looks in the picture. So neat!

Ammon is obsessed these days with anything that has wheels. This car ramp was given to us when Josh was young and he was never into it, but when we found it in Grandpa's play closet Ammon couldn't have been happier. Nice find! Ammon is always carrying around a few cars, trucks, or trains, and loves to watch "I love toy trains." I think he's definitely all boy!

You never know what you'll get when the kids get their hands on the camera! Mark is quite proud of this cute little Rudolph that he made though

My birthday was this week - Ella was so excited to give me her Barbie Computer. How sweet is that? Of course she said I have to share it with her still, but I love how selfless she was to go and get one of her favorite toys and wrap it up for me all by herself! Sigh!

The little angel herself:

One of Holly's many drawings I receive that day!

Holly's picture, and of course the traditional blueberry cheesecake mark made me - Yum!

Don't mind that I have no makeup on...I stayed home sick from church Sunday with a bad cold, but agreed to photos anyway. Mark gave me a new game - "Manila" - it has been on our "to get" list for many years so I'm really excited to finally have it - it is so fun!

another fun gift was the new Lion House Bakery cookbook. I can't wait to try it!

Lots of more events happening in the next few weeks so stay tuned for more posts!

Happy Holidays!

Thanksgiving, ETC.

2009-12-02T14:32:00.009-07:00

Lots to post about! I just wrote a letter to my in-laws and realized I could copy most of it here for my "journaling" sake if nothing else! We had quite the bout of sickness hit Ammon, Ella, and Holly the 2 weeks prior to Thanksgiving. Yucky colds, sore throats, and coughs. Ammon got it, then Ella, then Holly, then it cycled through all three of them for a second time! We had several weeks there where we couldn’t even go to church as a family. It wasn’t flu, just the yucks. I was ready to scream I was so sick of runny noses & kids coughing all over me, and being stuck at home with sick kids! Luckily everyone seems to be healthy now and we are enjoying being able to get out of the house and enjoy some of the holiday festivities.

Thanksgiving was an adventure for me this year! Doing the whole feast on my own was quite the undertaking. We had for appetizers homemade shrimp cocktail, homemade cheese crackers, and roasted pumpkin seeds. Then for the main meal pumpkin bisque, a brined & roasted turkey, homemade stuffing (from homemade bread), potatoes and homemade gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, roasted yams, spinach salad with homemade cranberry vinaigrette, and homemade Lion House recipe rolls. Oh and of course you can’t forget the homemade pies: pumpkin, and cran-raspberry-pear. Yum! I really wore myself out the few days before the feast, but it was worth it because Thanksgiving day was wonderful. The food all turned out great, and although I wasn’t sure how it was going to be, having just a small group was actually nice. Mark's sister Heidi and my dad were our guests; other than that it was just our little family, and having special time with our kids was great. I guess sometimes as we gather with larger family groups we tend to let the kids play with cousins and don’t even spend that much time with them, but this year we really enjoyed each other. The afternoon was even nice enough for us to go outside and toss a football and ride bikes. Here are some pictures of Holly and Ella helping me make some pilgrims and indians placemarkers for the table:

A picture of the table all decked out:

Josh, Mark, Heidi, Holly, Dad, Ella. If you look close in the picture you can see little tiny glasses (holding our cocktail) as well as salt and pepper dishes on silver trays, something I requested special for my dad to bring out of my mom's china cupboard so we could have a memory of her at our dinner. Bless his heart, my dad polished those silver trays for 3 hours to get off the tarnish! And of course Ammon!

Turkey, cranberry sauce, and Stuffing

Green Bean Casserole, roasted yams, spinach salad, rolls, pumpkin bisque. Potatoes and gravy missed the shot, and darn! I never got a picture of the pies...they were beautiful if I do say so myself

The customary nap after the feast

The day after we headed up into the mountains with two other families from our ward to cut down our Christmas tree. It was a really great day. We followed tradition and went to “The Gateway Grille” in Kamas for lunch, then drove further in and then hiked quite a long time before finding the perfect tree. I think it’s even better than last year’s! There was just enough snow to have fun in but not so much to be hard to walk in. And the temperature was perfect – not too cold. The kids had a great time especially because their friends were with us and we came home that night and started decorating.

Saturday morning Mark and the kids did the whole tree while I was at the temple – what a great deal! I got the rest of the house decorated and that night Mark and I watched a really good movie called “Facing the Giants.” It’s a motivational movie, similar to “Forever Strong.” It’s made by a Baptist church about a football coach/team and was really faith-promoting. I'll have to post pictures of the finished tree soon.

We visited Santa at the mall the other night, and after they all sat on his knee we were having a discussion on whether or not it was the “real” Santa. After a variety of opinions, Josh realized that Ammon had sat on Santa’s knee several minutes without crying (Ammon is usually very wary of strangers) so that was the clincher and convinced them all that it must be the real Santa. It was so cute. I'm glad we still have the magic.

We are all looking forward to a fun and festive month. Happy Holidays!

Thanksgiving Prep

2009-11-24T14:16:00.003-07:00

This year I am preparing the whole feast, for the first time ever. It's exciting and overwhelming all at once. We usually are with family but this year things just didn't work out that way, so we get to do our own thing which will have its advantages. So Monday Ella and I started our preparations - we made cranberry vinaigrette for the salad, and here are pics of making the orange-cranberry relish for the turkey. Yum! She enjoyed "together time" with Mom, but afterward she said "Next time I want to have little-girl together time, not Mommy together time." I guess helping in the kitchen just doesn't compare to playing Barbies!

Pinewood Derby

2009-11-24T14:06:00.003-07:00

Josh had his first Pinewood Derby last week! He and Mark had lots of fun making their car and taking it to race...Josh won an award for "Most Futuristic" & took 5th place overall. Great job Josh!

My kids can't keep a secret

2009-11-04T16:42:00.002-07:00

I have been getting a lof of questions lately from friends hearing "stories" from my kids - but who can blame them when it's such fun news!!!! I guess I might as well make it official since the word is spreading like wildfire anyway! That's right, baby #5 is on the way! We are really excited. I figure people would have started guessing sooner than later anyway because I'm sure since this is #5 my belly will be popping soon - I can tell already my body is like, "Here we go again!"

We feel really blessed. Since we have two boys & two girls, this baby will be the tie breaker - the kids are already putting in their bets. It's hard to believe but Ammon will be 2 1/2 when this baby is born - they sure grow up fast! Anway, the good news is - I don't have to feel as guilty as the rest of you when I enjoy those holiday buffets!

Celebrating October

2009-11-02T21:30:00.007-07:00

It's been a busy and fun month - and true to nature I did not have my camera along for some of it - but here are a few fun shots of some things we've been doing:

OK this was probably September - Josh went on a class fieldtrip to Timp Cave

He's lucky to have one of his best friends in his class

Painting pumpkins for FHE Monday before Halloween:

Mark and Ella teamed up to do this scary witch

Josh did a pirate

Holly did a little girl

Ella and friends on Halloween

Ammon - couldn't get him to smile, even though he really does like Eeyore - too bad you can't see his tail!

Pre trick-or-treating (Ammon was too busy running around to hold still for a photo!)

On Friday before school - Holly was Cinderella this time - I think she's got the pose down!

Girls at Gardner Village

It's a tradition for us to go see the witches every year at Gardner Village - this is always one of our favorites. We went twice this year as I took Mark to "Witchapalooza" last Thursday for his birthday - it's a really fun dinner theater - good times!

The fam at Gardner Village

Earlier in October I organized a Fall Festival for my "Horton" family - we had a super fun bounce house (I won the rental at a fair this summer!)

we had bobbing for apples - all the boys really got into this!

Ammon warming up a bit to Paul

We played a hilarious game called Funny Bones - here are my sisters just getting started - yes it gets better!

We also had pumpkin bowling, pass the pumpkin, ghost bingo, guess the candycorns, a popcorn machine (thanks Andy!) and of course what's a party without a fabulous meal! It was a really fun afternoon. I have a few videos to post - check for a next post cuz blogger is giving me fits!

Here's what I'm doing today...

2009-10-21T15:08:00.003-06:00

I have Relief Society cooking group at my house tonight - all about SOUP - so I'm making some of these as well trying out this new shaping technique - check it out:

LION HOUSE DINNER ROLLS

Also mine are from scratch - not from a mix. It's really nice to be done with canning and to be back in the kitchen doing what I really love!

Preschool, Cabin, Canning, Misc.

2009-10-06T18:14:00.007-06:00

Well ever since Disneyland I have been in the kitchen canning, freezing, dehydrating, and juicing. Literally. I don't ever remember a year where all the crops ran together like this year. Usually you get a little break between but this year has been killer. I have been working on tomatoes, pickles, peaches, pears, apples, applesauce, apple juice, pearsauce, varieties of jams & jellies, & pumpkin. Still have to do more apples, tomatoes, pears, pumpkin, and grape juice. I am so ready to be done, but at least it is rewarding to see those food storage shelves fill up again. And it's impossible for me to waste produce we grow or I am offered for free. But, I woke up sick today, and it's forced me (thankfully) to take a day off, slow down, and catch up on things out of the kitchen.

Right after Disneyland Ella started preschool. She goes to a great program and gets to go with three other kids from the ward which is fun for her and nice for carpooling! Three days a week - and I sure miss her!

Mark also spent two weekends in September at Woodbadge scout training camp. And an overnight work conference. We missed him but are glad he had a good experience, learned lots, and obviously had good eats:

The last weekend in September we headed up to the cabin for a little overnighter with some friends and Grandma Stum. The leaves were soooo pretty! The weather was beautiful, the fishing was okay, the company was fun, and the scenery was amazing. We even learned a new fun game. It was a perfect weekend. This is the only picture we got (not sure who the fuzzy photographer was) before our camera batteries died...darn!

And here is Ella performing "A too dee ta" for Great Grandma Bishop (with an abrupt ending by Joshua's rear end!):

And who can believe that it's already October 6? I haven't even put up my fall decorations yet. At least the halloween costumes are ready to go. See you in a few weeks when I take my next break from the kitchen!

DISNEYLAND!!

2009-09-22T14:13:00.014-06:00

Finally! Warning...lots and lots of pictures! Sorry they are in no particular order. I am very proud of myself for remembering to snap pictures - 5 days of magic! Captions underneath.

Overall this was an amazing trip! The kids did great on the drive (gotta love iPods)...we were lucky to be able to break up the driving into 2 days each way. Thanks to the Biglers and the Stums for hosting us! We loved visiting with you! The time of year for Disneyland was perfect...since school had started already the crowds weren't bad - most of the time we didn't wait more than 5 minutes for a ride. Some of them we walked right on over and over. And it was still hot enough for the beach! Our hotel was awesome...we could walk back in the afternoon and take a break, go for a swim, rest, and then head back to the park again for the evening. The pool also had a waterslide that the kids loved. We had 2 strollers (thanks Andy & Steph!) so at all times 3 out of 4 kids were riding. Josh was a trooper and walked! This also helped with keeping track of everybody. Even though we had 5 days in the park we never got sick of it & we were able to do lots of things we never had time for on previous trips. This has to be one of the best vacation spots ever - we all can't wait to go back again! Enjoy!

Riding on the Disneyland Railroad - never done this one before - it was fun & saw some cool new things!

On the way home after our trip we stayed in St. George with Justin & Kristen...here we are by the Erastus Snow (Mark's ancestor) monument near the tabernacle.

Mark at the Beach. We went to Laguna Beach and it was such a beautiful day!

Em trying to enjoy the beach but unfortunately Ammon hated the beach & cried most of the time, which meant I wasn't very happy either.

Josh playing in the sand

Holly looking like a natural

Ella having fun

Ammon played in the sand for a few minutes before deciding the beach was not his thing. Honestly I don't know how it can be fun for anyone in a diaper!

My tough boys with Mr. Incredible himself

Lovely Alice

We waited entirely too long to meet tinkerbell but at least we have a photo to remember her by!

Traditional castle shot

One of the characters Josh was happy to meet - Alladin!

Sailing on the Mark Twain Steamboat...this was something we'd never done before - it's neat!

Ammon's favorite ride - DUMBO!

Stopping by to see if the White Rabbit is home...

Of course we all loved the teacups

Faster Daddy!

We girls had lunch with the princesses at Ariel's Grotto - it was fun to have some one on one time with each princess! Holly was worried that Jasmine wasn't modest :)

Aurora... very classy

Snow White ...very sweet

Cinderella taught the girls how to pose...very charming

And of course Ariel - their favorite!

I love this picture! Golden Zephyr...California Adventure. We stayed at Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel & when they saw how many little kids we had they gave us a complimentary upgrade! Our hotel room looked right out over California Adventure - it was especially cool at night. What great service!

Grizzly River Run - Mark is waving. Great ride!

Holly & Josh were both picked for the Jedi Training - it was great! Here Holly is getting ready to fight Darth Vadar! Does she look a little nervous?

Josh fighting Darth Mal (sp?)...He was totally into it!

Bad guy from the front...looked so real

Relaxing a bit in Toon Town

Mark wants to grow a pumpkin this big in our garden next year

Love this shot...Josh and Holly did that without prompting!

Meeting Mickey Mouse - notice Ammon is staring at him...we made sure Ammon liked Mickey Mouse before our trip but I guess the life-sized version was a bit of a surprise!

Enjoying the funny dishwasher in Minnie's kitchen

Minnie's house

Minnie Mouse - hooray!

Goofy gave lots of hugs

Pluto - in Toontown

Ammon totally loved the carousel. He doesn't look super thrilled in this picture, but he loved the "horsies"!! We rode them lots and lots

In line for Peter Pan. One of the perks from staying at a Disney hotel was having Early Entry into Disneyland three days while we were there - so worth it! Lines are so short & you can get tons of rides done.

Cute sisters

Cute sisters again!

O Josh

See how quiet it is? Only on an early entry day!

Miracle: A stranger took a picture for us and it actually turned out great! Ammon didn't cooperate but overall, a good shot eh?

Fun little clip of the teacups

Another cute clip of Ammon on the carousel

It's coming...

2009-09-15T22:31:00.002-06:00

I'm trying! A post about Disneyland is on its way...soon...I hope...
(Mark was out of town last week & again this week so single-parenthood is demanding all my time!) We did make it to the State Fair last night...but no pics...darn. Hosting R.S. Cooking Group tomorrow night...maybe Thursday I can blog? Oh wait...laundry day......

August

2009-08-26T11:18:00.003-06:00

I know it's been forever since I posted...we have been busy working hard and trying to squeeze in a little playing. Some stuff we've been up to:

A little quality daddy-daughter time:

Same happy little munchkin:
Mark is always so pressed for time and his list of yard stuff is a mile long...sometimes he even sneaks a task or two in while in his work duds!

Mark is thrilled by our first little digging of potatoes...1.5 pounds of deliciousness:

First day of school: Josh in 3rd grade and Holly in first. So hard to believe! They are loving school:

Ella and Ammon on the first day of school...glad to be able to rule the roost for a few hours!

I had a fun night a few weeks ago teaching a certain method of bread-making to my sisters & nieces:

Fun times!

We leave for DISNEYLAND in three days and we are so excited...can't wait!

Stuff

2009-08-05T14:23:00.005-06:00

Well we made it through the first week+ after Ammon's injury and I am amazed at how resilient this kid is! He is recovering so quickly and already has almost full use of his arm. Wow! So grateful. Thanks for all the prayers and well-wishes!

You can see he had a nasty bruise on his shoulder (the flash washed it out A LOT) but is still smiling!
Mark and Joshua headed to Fathers & Sons Friday night...wasn't there, so can't comment much on these pics, but looks fun!

Once again I win the prize for not taking very many pictures...like Saturday, when we took the kids to "kids day" at Central Utah Water Conservancy...I only got one when the girls were giving us their best version of a song from Barbie and the Diamon Castle on this little stage: or Monday, when my dad took Joshua 4-wheeling all day (which he really loved!) up American Fork Canyon (thanks Grandpa!)...

or Tuesday, when I braved the crowds for $2 Tuesdays at Thanksgiving Point and we went to the Dinosaur Museum. Not like a camera would have been feasible in those crowds...but we did have a great time...

I am wishing to get a new camera - a little one that will fit into my purse and I can take anywhere - I think I would have a lot more success that way!

My Poor Baby

2009-07-28T15:27:00.004-06:00

Poor Ammon!
We were swimming with Mark's family at the Lindon pool Saturday...having a great time...when Josh picked up Ammon to relocate to a different part of the pool. They were in the shallow part, and another little toddler stepped right in front of Josh (he didn't see her) and he tripped, falling and landing right on Ammon, who was pinned to a platform. At first I thought Ammon just bumped his head hard. But when the crying didn't stop, and I started to notice he wasn't using his arm, I got worried. It wasn't until we took off his swim shirt that we noticed a definite bulge on his shoulder and knew he needed care. The men gave him a blessing and Ammon and I headed off to instacare. Long story short (after a heart-breaking x-ray session) we found out he broke his collar bone! I feel so bad! With the collar bone you don't set it, or even cast it, but we are doing our best to immobilize it. Since Ammon is quite young still he has the advantage of healing quickly - in about 3 weeks he should be feeling pretty good. I think this is a lot harder on me than on him. He seems to be in good spirits and not in too much pain (a result of the blessing & lots of prayers I'm certain). I, on the other hand, and a nervous wreck - hovering over him making sure he doesn't get bumped, or stumble, or fall the wrong way, roll over in bed the wrong way, or even play the wrong way. If I had it my way he would sit on my lap all day or at least in his high chair out of harm's way, but alas he is 18 months old and the advice to "keep still" was never so ironic. You can see in the pictures he's carrying on as normal, bless his heart! Good thing it's summer and he can run around in diapers!

It's his left side, and since he's left-handed he seems a little frustrated, but is adapting well. At least he's happy for a little while to munch on snacks & watch baby einstein. He's been drinking a ton of milk - his body must know he needs some extra calcium - isn't the human body amazing? Since the bones are overlapping about 1/2 cm, they will fuse together, new bone will grow, there will be a bulge for a while, and eventually the body will correct the bulge. In about 3 months if we took another x-ray, both shoulders would look the same. What a miracle!

don't mind the apron...he won't keep a bib on and I do what I can to keep his bandage clean!

Keeping Busy!

2009-07-21T08:40:00.015-06:00

Last week Mark was with the scouts hiking Kings Peak for 5 days...so the kids and I planned lots of activities to stay entertained:

We went to the library for the summer reading program...Had a picnic and playtime at Discovery Park...Went to the movies (Monsters vs. Aliens)...Visited the Walter Wick (I SPY...Do You See What I See?) exhibit at BYU (highly recommend!)ate snacks at Hogi Yogi...enjoyed a cousin play day & sleepover...

hit the PG Promenade...

I stayed up until midnight working on this puzzle with my dad...we played in the kiddie pool,

and a grand finale at the I Heart UT festival No, we didn't get to waterski (I WISH!!!)

What a fun week! I had so much fun spending quality time with my kids, and staying busy really helped the time pass. We sure missed Daddy and we were so glad when he returned to us safe and sound. Now back to the good old routine...for a few days at least :)

Lots & lots

2009-07-10T15:54:00.004-06:00

We started off last Thursday with a trip to the cabin with our friends the Johnsons, my dad, and Grandma Stum. Even though it was a quick trip we had a great time and were blessed with beautiful weather & great compay.

Holly and Alora at the lake

Visiting on the porch

Ammon loved exploring

Ella at the lake

Ammon's shirt says "muscle man" but maybe it should say "pot belly"!

Ella, Hailey, Alora, Holly, & Chase

On the Fourth of July...we really had a great day but I neglected to bring my camera. We went to the parade in Provo with my family (nearly 40 of us!), then went to Seven Peaks with my family too. So fun! It was the first time there for my kids so it was really great and weather was awesome and crowds weren't even too bad. We came home and Holly and Mark washed the car (Holly was an amazing helper) and then we headed to a neighborhood BBQ & fireworks. A fun & exhausting day.

The next day we left for a Horton family reunion up in Midway. This is with my Dad, all my siblings, & everyone's families (around 45+ of us). We had a wonderful time & my brother Paul & family even came down from Oregon so we had a great group there.
We enjoyed lots of visiting time & lots of keeping up with the kiddos!

Coloring on transparencies

Little cousins enjoying snow cones together. My niece Malia has a snow cone maker she brought and all the kids thought that was really fun.

Malia, Matthew, Joshua, and Erin making rockets for the launcher

Addie (my niece's daughter...who my girls love to play with) immediately shoved this sandwich in her mouth as soon as I requested a smile Ammon and Eliza had fun eating together - although Ammon usually got a little miffed when Eliza would steal his food!

My brother Andy with his rocket launcher...this has become a fun tradition at our summer gatherings.This is the backyard & view at the property where we stayed - gorgeous huh? Mark is standing out in the garden to retrieve the rockets all the kids were launching.

Holly enjoying some play-doh time

As part of our "Horton Hoedown" we had a corn-husking contest. This is my brother Paul, my dad, brother Andy, and hubby Mark. Andy won but he cheated!

Concentrating hard...

Maybe you can tell in this picture that the guys started throwing the husks on the crowd, so we started throwing them right back!

Ella whacking the pinata at the family reunion

Holly

Josh

Today...Ammon's first real haircut...he's had a trim before, but this was the first time I pulled out the clippers and did everything. It was tricky because his hair is so fine, but he was such a good boy!

Brownie Points for Mark!

2009-06-26T16:13:00.005-06:00

Mark suprised me with the most awesome date last night...he made arrangements for the kids & told me he had tickets for a surprise. I knew he got the tickets from work, so at first I expected to be going to something at the tabernacle or conference center. But we actually headed to the Usana Ampitheater (which I've never been to before). There weren't signs anywhere to clue me into who we were seeing. We took our seats, and I could see by the stage set up that it was a musician (not a singer) so I was very excited and very intruiged. Mark only gave me one clue - that this person was in the top twenty most popular touring artists in the world. Wow! Finally the show started and I was thrilled to get to see Andre Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra. It was amazing - the music was incredible, the guest singers (opera) were sooooo good, he kept the show fun & lively & interactive, and even the women were all in these amazing ball gowns. It was so good and such a great surprise - thank you Mark for the awesome date! Here's a sample...

Dance Recital

2009-06-16T17:44:00.010-06:00

Both my girls were in their dance recital Saturday - "Alice in Wonderland" and they did awesome! It was so fun to see them glowing up on stage & to see how excited they were to perform. They looked so cute! Here is Ella with her friends Gracie and Emmy

Before the show...Aren't these costumes so cute!

Holly is not shy in the least bit

a little excited to go on stage...

a little more excited...

So excited!!!

Holly's 1st dance was after the "white rabbit" said his "I'm late! I'm late" lines...

Ella doing her "clock" tap dance

End of school / Memorial Day / Yard / Theater / Etc.

2009-06-03T15:49:00.007-06:00

Wow...lots to blog about and get all caught up. Here are a few pics from Holly's Kindergarten Graduation. It was a cute little program & they even had little caps & gowns. I can't believe how grown up she is getting. Here she is with her teacher.

Proud of her certificate

Getting ready to sing with her class

For Memorial Day we went to This is the Place Park and had a great time! It's like a little Nauvoo - with lots of replica buildings, people in character, lots to learn & lots to see. Here my Dad is in the barbershop getting a "shave." You can see Mark smiling in the mirror :)

There was an old Z.C.M.I building they relocated from Manti - it was a functioning store, full of nostalgia toys, candy jars, & lots of tempting stuff!

One of the highlights was the petting farm - they had the tiniest little baby animals - so cute! Ella fell in love with the baby bunnies

These little newborn lambs were so adorable!

In the "Deseret News" building the kids got to help work a printing press - it really worked!

Not to mention pony rides...so fun & I loved that they didn't charge extra for them

Holly looks right at home on a horse

Well after so much fun there has to be some hard work, right? This past weekend this was our adventure...cutting down the massive poplar in our backyard. We loved this tree - it gave us great shade and brought lots of birds to the yard...but it was getting too big & seemed to be starting to die, so decided to get it out before we get our yard all landscaped. I'm sad to lose it, but guess it was the smart thing to do. Why didn't we have the construction guys do it before our house was even up? We thought it would live longer. One of those times when you kick yourself. Oh well.

Mark & my Dad started cutting off branches and were planning to do it themselves...until they really got a handle on the size of the tree (and the danger involved) & we enlisted the help of a crane. Thank goodness - this tree was huge! More than 60 feet high with two huge main trunks. Not to mention our house, a fence, the neighbor's house, and our new playground were all withing "damage" distance. Here you can see Mark up in the tree hooking up the ball.
After the first part was cut off - this was so stressful I couldn't even watchA shot from across the street - you can see how tall the tree was

Glad that's behind us! Now, on to trenching for sprinklers. Ugh!

Well then, how about a little more playing (literally!)

After the tree came down we headed up the the Hale Center Theater with Josh and Holly to watch "Treasure Island" to celebrate the completion of a good school year. It was so amazing! We all loved it. The set was incredible - even 20,000 gallons of real water off the side of the "ship" where pirates were falling in and splashing the audience. Lots of special effects too - would highly recommend it! Thanks Jessica for taking care of Ella and Ammon - they had a great time with your girls!

splashin' around

2009-05-18T14:11:00.003-06:00

No yard yet? No matter...Daddy built us a great deck we can swim on! Thanks to the hot weather today we got out our splash pool and the kids had a blast (so did Mommy). The water was a little cold for Ammon so he wouldn't sit down...forced him to stand and walk which was good practice for him!

The girls were pampered with a little picnic oustide too...what a fun afternoon!

Great Outdoors

2009-05-11T21:46:00.003-06:00

Saturday we enjoyed spending the afternoon at a Mother's Day Fair at the conservation garden park in West Jordan. They had some really neat gardening ideas, and a few fun things for the kids too. Can't go wrong with a sandbox:

Getting balloons was a big hit too:

Ammon cried and cried when we took him out of the sandbox :(

A fun rockwall:

Josh zipped to the top so quick without giving the height a second thought - he was a natural

Tonight for part of family night we shoveled loads and loads of gravel into our playground area. Ammon sat and played forever and was just loving it! I could barely get him to look at me for a picture! Josh was a good brother & playmate.

The playground is safe now with gravel beneath, so we are ready for visitors :)

Joshua's Baptism

2009-05-04T22:06:00.003-06:00

Quick note: there are several new posts today so scroll down!

We are so proud of Josh...he was baptized on Saturday and it was such a great day! He was really excited, the whole experience was wonderful, and we are so grateful for all the friends and family who helped us recognize him. We had a really nice luncheon afterward (which I am sorry to say I have no pictures from...I've decided it's hard to play hostess and photographer at the same time). Thanks to all who helped. Congratulations Josh!

Disclaimer on this next photo: this is why you don't give your camera to someone who doesn't COUNT before they snap...hello! Nice hair flipper, I know. At least it's good for a chuckle. I'm really not that vain, I promise!

Playset Complete!

2009-05-04T21:34:00.005-06:00

It's finished! We worked hard all last week and finished Friday night so it would be ready for Joshua's baptism luncheon Saturday. Good thing we worked so hard too because it POURED rain the next day. Ugh! Oh well it's nice to have a deadline to help get these things done. Here's a picture of me after I put on the first roof and some of the rails (yes, all by myself!) I got out Mark's power tools & tool belt and went to town! It actually was a lot of fun and I even got some sore muscles!

The kids playing pirates on the newly finished set Even Ammon joined in on the fun! He loves loves loves to swing!

Ella opted for Batgirl rather than a pirate

Finished Product...now all we need is fill to make it safer (not to mention prettier).

We have a walker!

2009-05-04T21:13:00.005-06:00

Ammon finally decided he's ready to walk...I'm not sure whether to be excited or sad. He all of a sudden seems so grown up :( Maybe he heard us threatening that he had to learn to walk before we go to Disneyland. I love his waving hand while he walks...

I love this!

2009-05-03T16:13:00.002-06:00

This is very touching:

All my Free Time...

2009-04-28T09:22:00.003-06:00

Has gone here...this is what we are putting up in our backyard right now. Of course we don't have the nice green grass and trees yet, but we wanted the kids to have something fun to do while we work on the rest of the yard. Every time Ammon has a nap I sneak outside and work on this - it has been a fun project! If anyone has tips on where to get a good fill to go under the playset please send them my way!

Grateful for Inspiration

2009-04-19T16:16:00.002-06:00

Last week I got all the kids in bed before I headed to dance class and knew Mark would be so happy to have an evening of free time while I was gone. When I got home I knew by Mark's face that things hadn't gone according to plan. Ammon had cried most of the time and just wouldn't settle down to sleep. A dozen reasons cycled through my mind, and I finally decided that he was sad he hadn't spent any time with his Daddy and wanted to stay up and play. So I fixed a bottle, handed Ammon to Mark, and thought a little one-on-one would do the trick. When the crying continued I knew it was more serious than that...I quickly realized that this was a cry of pain. Something was bothering Ammon. There aren't many things that evoke a more helpless feeling than when your child hurts and you don't know how to help. No sooner did I pray for help in my mind than I knew something was wrong with his foot. I started examining and found that his baby toe had some elastic from his jammies keeping it in a funny position...I'm sure after a few hours of that it was really painful. As soon as I fixed it, Ammon instantly settled down and gave a big sigh of relief. And I gave a big sigh of relief and gratitude for receiving an answer to prayer so quickly. This might not seem like a huge deal to some, but to a mother facing a potentially long night of watching a child suffer, it was a true "tender mercy" from heaven.

Power

2009-04-19T14:41:00.005-06:00

This is the "power bread" I made...I cut the dough up into individual servings before baking...so they are more like power bars. Perfect for a snack or pre/post workout replenishment. And yes, they taste scrumptious! More props to Peter Reinhart! Now my challenge is to keep up with the gobblers in my family...at least there will never be such a thing as "day old bread" in our pantry!

And just for kicks here is a picture of the baguettes I just made. I will try not to turn this into a baking blog, I'm just really excited about this new technique & the great bread it delivers!

My latest obsession

2009-04-17T11:03:00.008-06:00

I never thought I would dream (literally) about baking bread...until this week. I started making bread from this cookbook this week and it is seriously the best whole grain bread I have ever tasted!! The author/chef's goal was "to make world-class bread and, let us hope, to make whole grain bread that people will actually want to eat - not just because it is good for them but because it brings them, and us, joy with each bite." Let me tell you, the goal was accomplished! And I've turned into a baking fool!

His cookbook begins with about 80 pages of non-recipe text: Chapter 1, "Following the Flavor: A Bread Baker's Journey Back to whole Grains," Chapter 2, "From Wheat to Eat, a Tutorial," and Chapter 3, "The Theory and Process of Delayed Fermentation." It includes all kinds of helpful (and much of it quite scientific) information. I devoured it and learned a lot...and will continually refer to it.

I have been searching for years for the perfect whole wheat bread recipe. Most I have tried were decent, yummy, but had flaws. And most were not true whole-grain (they all required a bit of white flour). The recipes in this book are truly whole grain and truly flavorful, light, moist, with a great crust & crumb. This excites me even more because it means the wheat in my food storage can be used without supplementing with bread flour - wahoo! There are recipes that also incorporate other grains, such as flaxseed, quinoa, oat bran, amaranth, barley, buckwheat, cassava, corn, millet, rye, etc. I feel healthier already.

This is not a cookbook for someone who likes to whip out a batch of bread from start to finish in one hour. The recipes are not terribly time consuming or hard, but it is a two-day process as you have to let things sit overnight. It might be a little advanced for those who have never made bread before. His method is unconventional, but the results are fantastic. Well let me just say it with pictures:

The first loaves I made (whole wheat sandwich bread & oat bran broom bread baguettes) I didn't take pictures - they got eaten too fast. Here is my most recent loaf, Anadama Bread, made with 100% whole wheat & corn meal & flavored with a bit of molasses. Can't wait to dig in:

This is the wild yeast starter I'm working on...which he teaches you how to do. It uses no commercial yeast, but as you can see on day 4 mine is bubbling away nicely. Can't wait to use it:
Tonight I'm trying his whole wheat pizza crust, and tomorrow I'm making something called "Power Bread" which uses wheat, oat bran, a raisin puree, sunflower seed flour, flaxseeds, and sesame seeds. Sounds dense and heavy, right? Trust me, it won't be...this book is amazing.

Whew!!

2009-04-13T21:48:00.009-06:00

Wow! I had a party at my house five of seven days last week! Along with all my normal responsibilities & other Easter festivities this has been one of my craziest and busiest weeks ever! We had Ella's birthday dinner with grandparents...one day later was a family party although not at my house it still took some preparation...one day later was Josh's birthday dinner with grandparents...two days later was Ella's party with friends...one day later was Josh's party with friends...one day later (Saturday) the Easter bunny came and we went to an Easter egg hunt...one day later I hosted Easter dinner with family. Capital Whew!

Here are a bunch of photos from the various events...I am proud of myself that amidst it all I remembered to pull out the camera most of the time! (no pictures from egg hunts - too many kids around!)

JOSH
I am so excited for Josh to be 8. He has really turned into a little man over the last six months. He is a wonderful helper and is always quick to respond to a request from Mom. He loves his little brother and when the mood is right also plays excellent with his sisters. His passion is bug hunting (we've even run the course of a poisonous spider bite this month) and is a fantastic reader. He has finished reading the full Harry Potter set for the second time and is on to reading "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." He's quite the smarty-pants. Josh was pretty much as excited to start Scouts as he was for his birthday.

Both Grandpas must have been on the same wave-length...both giving him scouting paraphernalea. Josh now has a pocket knife. I am trying really hard to be OK with that!

A bug vaccuum...(at least he takes care of spiders for me!)

A nice stash!

At his pirate party we had a "cannonball stomp"...they had a great time making a lot of noise!

Josh helping his dad prepping the backyard for a swingset...a great worker!

ELLA

All year I have been asking Ella if she would please stay 3 forever. She agreed most of the time, but as her birthday got closer she would say, "Sorry, Mom, but I can't! I'm going to keep turning numbers!" So cute. I have thoroughly enjoyed Ella as a toddler and little girl. I hope she will still be little even though she is 4 now. She gives me at least 10 hugs & "I love you Mom" every day. Ella is a wonderful singer, picking up on songs very quickly and singing with all her heart. She loves to "babysit" Ammon for a few "monies" when mommy needs help. She is a true fan of movies, anything to do with princesses, and of course dress-ups.

How lucky that this picture turned out so perfect!

Enjoying her princess party
I think she likes it!

Can't go wrong with dress-ups and an umbrella!

Ella's Princess Crown Cake - this was really fun to make (time consuming, but fun!)

Miscellaneous

Some of our first tulips...hooray!
During Easter dinner Josh got in trouble and had to put his nose on the wall. The rest of the kids decided to "take one for the team" too and kept Josh company. Funny!

We're going to Disneyland!

2009-03-31T14:53:00.003-06:00

OK... I am so excited...I just booked our trip to Disneyland! Five months from today...Hooray!!!

We are looking for traveling buddies so if anyone is interested let us know!

Anyone considering a trip this year should seriously check out the promotion going on right now: Get 2 more days and nights free (hotel and park hopper tickets) if you purhcase 3. This is valid at Disneyland Resort Hotels and Good Neighbor Hotels. This saves you 40% and is such a deal! go to http://www.getawaytoday.com/ - their rates are better than disneyparks.com. We are staying at Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel which makes me even more excited. AND we are going when it is still warm enough to hit the beach! Ooooh I can't wait!

Soon...

2009-03-28T23:07:00.003-06:00

This will be my feet soon...we are working towards pointe shoes...I am stoked!

Wish me luck (and a high tolerance for pain!)

Crazy8

2009-03-26T14:19:00.003-06:00

I just loaded up on summer clothes for my kids...check it out! Crazy8 is a "child" company of "Gymboree." Their stuff is nice & the prices are good (especially the sale prices). Right now you can get 25% off using the code "C8Friend" or "C8Family" + get free shipping off $75 or more. I am all about shopping online - any time I can avoid dragging 4 kids around a store is a bonus for me!

Three Years

2009-03-24T11:56:00.002-06:00

Today marks three years since my mother lost her battle with pancreatic cancer. Three LONG years - I miss her so much. I love this picture...this is right after Holly came home from the hospital and my parents were actually in the MTC at the time...but on her p-day my mom made sure to take some time out of packing and preparing to hold her newest grandchild. She loved her family so much - we were so lucky to have such an amazing Mom/Grandma!!! She must be doing some amazing things across the veil because she sure did amazing things here (and in my humble opinion she wasn't done yet!)

Mareid Black Horton

More fun for Mark

2009-03-23T21:36:00.003-06:00

Friday and Saturday (while Ammon, Holly, and I were all sick incidentally) Mark and the young men headed down to Goblin Valley for a camping, hiking, and biking trip. Sometimes I wonder if I knew what I was saying when I agreed to support Mark in his calling as YM president!!! I'll get back to you on that one in another month. That's how long I figure it will be before I can get out of the house. Each child gets sick and it takes a week to get better...4 kids = 4 weeks. Ugh.

Very Ceremonial

2009-03-23T21:21:00.003-06:00

Last weekend we were fortunate to be able to go to SLC to hear our good friend (and distant relative) Jan Bigler perform an Organ Recital. Her playing was very impressive, and what made it even more inspiring was the setting. We were in a Presbyterian chapel surrounded by stained glass windows, a wood-beam ceiling, and a massive organ up front. I admit I was a little nervous when we walked in and we were the only ones with little kids in the audience, but with a little bribery from some swedish fish they behaved themselves and became more cultured at the same time! Thanks for the invite Jan - it was fun to see you and we loved your music!

Mixed Emotions

2009-03-23T21:02:00.003-06:00

I tried to trim this clip and only upload the essential part...but I was having issues with Movie Maker. Anyway...It's Official! Mark's parents have received their mission call. Five more months until they leave for the Orient. Right now I have very mixed feelings about this. I know it is right, and I know they will be blessed, and I know it's where they are needed...I just will miss them so much! I am so lucky to have such great in-laws. I'm especially grateful for his Mom who treats me like one of her own when I miss my own mom so much. I guess I'm hoping the blessings will make it to our little family too because we are giving up some great grandparents for 18 months!

Mark said we should save our pennies and visit them over there...Yeah right! I'll be glad just to make it to Disneyland later this year :)

Cute little guy

2009-03-10T22:01:00.003-06:00

So Ammon isn't walking yet (which I am sooo OK with), and you can tell in this little video clip he's perfectly happy to sit down on the job! I love his dancing moves!

Mark's Triathlon

2009-03-10T21:49:00.004-06:00

I'm very proud of Mark - he completed the Blue Mountain Triathlon last weekend! We drove down to Monticello (exciting, right?) Friday night, he raced Saturday morning, and we drove back home Saturday afternoon. It was a whirlwind trip (if you can call 9 hours in the car a whirlwind)! I was sad it wasn't nicer weather...I pretty much froze while he was racing. I had to sit in the car because it was too cold and windy to be outside. I did brave it to try and catch a few pics / videos, but other than that I was glad I had my iPod to keep me company. The race was xx skiing, mountain biking (his best & favorite event) and running. Way to go honey! Oh I should at least mention that it was fun to stop in Moab for dinner - we tried Eddie McStiff's and enjoyed it very much. AND I am grateful that we had so much one on one time - that IS rare these days. When he asked me if I would go and support him again, I said "ask me later." I think that's still my answer for now!

The Finish Line:

A great Valentines!

2009-02-18T14:14:00.008-07:00

We had a really fun weekend! Our friend's Paul & Tiffany and their girls Addie & Sydney came down from Logan and stayed with us.

We all went to the Draper Temple open house Friday night. It was beautiful, and the best part was walking through with my kids & seeing it through their eyes. My girls especially liked the Brides' Dressing Room, of course! Josh & Ammon were mesmerized by the beautiful chandeliers. Then we came home and put all the kids to bed so the adults could stay up late, eat yummy valentine treats, and play games. I forgot to take a picture (this photo came with the recipe), but I made this chocolate fruit tart. Mine actually had strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and kiwi. It was so pretty and tasted amazing (if I do say so myself)!Mark & Paul really spoiled Tiff and me on Saturday! They made us a delicious breakfast of crepes & pumpkin waffles, then sent us off to get massages (aaaaahhhhhhh!)I came home to a beautiful boquet of long-stem red roses & pink carnations from Mark (my favorite!) Wow! Then they swept us off to lunch at the Olive Garden...YUM-O! I had this shrimp dish that was to die for...along with a super sour & delicious Margarita. Mmmmm!

Thank you Mark for a wonderful day! I felt incredibly pampered and very loved. I love you!

This is Ammon Saturday night. I put a chair in front of my PC so he would stop pushing buttons...he is frustrated and still trying to get to it! I love his expression in this photo :)

And last but not least, I saw a beautiful, huge male pheasant almost exactly like this in my backyard this morning! We have a bird feeder out there and he must have been picking at the seeds that fell on the ground. I was able to get within about 3 feet of him. I made eye contact but as soon as I lifted my camera he flew off! What a treat!

Why my legs hurt!

2009-02-03T20:43:00.002-07:00

So I've been back to ballet class for about four months now...feeling pretty confident and some-what in shape...and then I had to go and do this to myself! I did this 50-minute workout for the first time this morning and WOW...it was awesome! I am already getting sore, which makes me really nervous for how I will feel when I wake up tomorrow! I would highly recommend this to anyone who has a little ballet experience...but get ready to have your lower body worked over! btw this is on sale at Amazon for only $6.99 right now

You've had a birthday...shout Hooray!

2009-02-02T21:34:00.004-07:00

Happy Birthday Holly! She turned 6 Saturday and we had a fun day full of celebrations. She opened presents bright and early, we had friends over for a "Little Mermaid" party, we had a date with Grandpa to Build-a-Bear (where was my camera for that?), and then a pizza party with grandparents that evening. Whew!

Some sparkly new Hannah Montana shoes...

I love her reaction in this picture...isn't this what birthdays are all about? She got Sharpay in her pink Mustang :)

Here's the party group eating lunch; we had "shells" and cheese, ocean jello, fishy crackers, and shark teeth (apple bites)...I didn't get other pictures from the party because it's hard to be hostess and be behind the camera at the same time :( We colored pictures, painted our faces with green sparkly makeup like mermaids, did the limbo, had a fishy relay, made mermaid glitter gel (aloe vera with sparkles mixed in), pin the starfish in Ariel's hair, and of course cupcakes and ice cream.

Yum!
I love you Holly!

Some Classics

2009-01-23T14:11:00.005-07:00

I've been reviewing some pictures (from my pre-blogging days) & decided a few of these are just too good not to share. In no particular order...Enjoy!

I must say I couldn't really find any particularly funny or embarrasing pictures of Ella, but I am proud to show that she learned at a very early age all about being a princess!

This was at a family reunion...Josh wore the hat & glasses the entire time!
Is it just me or wouldn't the other end be more enjoyable?

I could think of more comfortable places to sleep...

This is an all-time favorite candid shot of Holly up at the cabin

This is also a favorite - & probably future blackmail material!!

This is in Nauvoo...you can't really tell but Josh and I are literally in between the oxen heads and he was going berzerk!

A favorite from when Holly was just a few months old - she was always blowing raspberries

Josh has always been a little OCD...here is what he HAD to sleep with for his nap. A wagon? With Josh, you definitely learn to pick your battles!

No explanation needed! Doesn't every little boy have some kind of picture like this in cowboy boots?

Josh got himself stuck in a bucket. Of course instead of helping him right away I grabbed the camera.

Hope these brightened your day!