Add an Injury.

I thought that we had all escaped the car accident without injury, but where the air bag exploded on my arm, it is quite sore. You can't see too well, but that is bruising all up my arm from my wrist up to above my elbow. I had it x-rayed just to make sure it wasn't broken. Thankfully it's not. Just really swollen. Max ended up with a seatbelt mark on the side of his neck, but everyone it fine. Thank goodness for prayers that are said each day that we will be safe.

Emma Emma Emma!

While waiting for the tow truck, Emma was so restless and my arm was hurting from holding her, so I just stuck her up in the window and she was happy as a lark. Until I put her in her carseat and she screamed for about 10 minutes.

Giving Thanks

I have been Pondering lately about life and how funny it's twists and turns are. It is amazing to me just how much our attitudes effect all that goes on around us. I have come to realize as of late just how great life can be no matter what we are going through, if our attitude is good. Just the other day, I was really frustrated because I had a lot of homework to get done and the stress of all that has to be done was really getting to me at that particular moment, and the kids would not go to bed. It seemed like everyone had all these needs that had to all me met right then. I was so anxious for them to just get to bed, and I was crabby! I finally thought that I had them all to sleep and Mara woke up Emma with her crying. It was just the last straw. I got mad and used harsh words and unkind actions and swept her upstairs to my bed and said "don't get out again." When I went back down to do some more work, needless to say, I felt awful. I couldn't even concentrate on what I needed to do. I finally admitted that I was being a brat and went upstairs to apologize. She so willingly forgave me and said "will you say prayers with me." Make me feel like a louse. It is really hard to say prayers when you know that you are in the wrong and have hurt the feelings of one of Heavenly Father's sweet children. So in light of the fact that I had just been hurtful, I felt it really hard to then pray with Mara and ask for blessings that I didn't feel that I deserved, so I just gave thanks instead. My whole attitude of having too much to do, and feeling like I was in too deep, gave way to me seeing just how much I am able to accomplish with the help that he gives me. How grateful I am to know that when I do make a mistake I can always try harder and be forgiven as I am learning and growning. What a great time of year to focus on our blessings! And just how much we are watched over and protected and helped on our journey here. I just wanted to list a few of the most important things that I am thankful for. First, Family, what greater tool could we have been given to make it through this life than family? What a great plan that we get to be in a family to help lift us up when we fall, and to know us intimately, know our faults and struggles and still love us, to encourage us and help us endure those times that we don't think we can. I am so grateful to my little family, Ryan is so supportive of everything that I want to do. He is always so thoughtful to ask, "what do you need me to do tonight?" he is so helpful and willing to help with dinner or the kids when I am up to my eyballs in other things that need to be done. He is so understanding, and is such a good listening ear when I just need to "vent" I love him emincely. I truly love each one of my children. This morning we were saying prayers, and Max was still asleep and I just couldn't get over how much of a hole it left in our family to have just one missing. I don't know what I would do without each one of them. I am so grateful for our extended family as well. We are so lucky to have Ryan's great family, his parents are always willing to help us and are great to come and spoil the kids, and his siblings are such great people that I am lucky to get to call them in-laws. I so appreciate their friendship and their consideration with our family. My Parents are so great, and I realize that I am so much who I am because of them. How interesting it has been to me as I see my mom's family, all the cousins and their babies and families, and I see how much we look alike, and what traits and mannerism that we have that are similar. We truly are a product of our families. Next Nature, There is nothing like getting out in nature with my family to remind me of the simple pleasures of life. When we get to take time to be entertained by what was created for us, there is a quiet peace that comes, that doesn't come at any other time. I have been so grateful that since we have moved to Montana we have had so many more experiences with our kids that involve being outside, enjoying nature and working the land. There is a feeling of drawing closer to our creator that comes when we are out in nature that you can't get anywhere else, and I have loved being able to share that with our kids. And Lastly, Our Savior, where would I be without him? I am so grateful that he loved me enough to willingly, and that is the key, willingly sacrifice his life for me so that I can forever enjoy my family and live eternally with my Father in Heaven someday. I so look forward to the time when I will see Christ again, and pray that in all my struggles that I can endure to the end and live worthy to stand in his presence and feel of his love for all. I am so grateful for his example of christ-like love, and hope that I will more fully be able to have that for all men.

Favorite Pictures

One of my friends had on her blog her favorite pictures of all of her kids. I thought that was such a great ideas that I decided to post all of mine. This is my favorite picture of Sam. Up at my grandpa's farm, we had a family get-to-gether for memorial day, and the boys all had to pee. They had no idea that I was taking there picture until Sam looked aroung and saw me. He was so embarrassed I thought it was so funny! I know that I am demented, but I think this was so funny, all of them lined up to pee.

I love this picture of Noah, because it totally captures his personallity! He is such a funny kid. And that pose it just him! Sam's pose here is totally him as well.

This is Caleb's smile. One day we hope to be able to say that we miss this toothless grin, but since he has had it for three years now, we wonder if teeth will ever appear. He can always light up a room with his smile.

Max got this cowboy outfit from my parents for his third birthday and he still wears it all the time. He loves to be a cowboy, and I think that this started it all. I love the innocent look on his face. This, of course was taken before he got attitude, but I am learning to love the attitude, and cute sense of humor that he is developing. It is fun to look back and see things that have shaped who they have become.

This picture of Mara before she was even walking I have always loved. Oh, how much fun it is to dress a girl especially after four boys. I lvoed the bows and shoes and flowers! She was always so good to just let me do her all up! what a good sport. I am afraid that won't last for too much longer, she already has an opinion about clothes and hair. Oh....!

I love this picture of Emma. They only stay looking newborn for such a short time. I love the little wrinkled, loose skin and that smell of a newborn is like nothing else in this world. Emma looks so awake which is rare for a new one, I have just always loved this picture of her. I wonder if I will ever not want to have a newborn/baby in my home?

`/Funny/` Sam Tricks!

Sam thought this was so funny one morning while getting ready for school, he discovered that he has a singing sideburn. I am glad he is so easily entertained!

Definitely a Product of Four Older Brothers!

Three things happened yesterday that proved to me, Mara is definitely going to be influenced greatly by her older brothers. We were playing with playdough, and she got her cookie cutter stuck clear down in her thick piece of playdough and she says "I can't get this ssupid ssing out." She most certainly didn't hear that from me...That would be Max influenced.Then in the afternoon Mara got the last rice cake and Max wanted some. Trying to remind her to be nice I said,"Mara, why don't you share a piece with Max." Looking at him and then at her rice cake she broke a small piece off and trying to sound convincing hands it to him and says "here, this is big!" Do you think that one has been tried on her a time or two?

She was walking down the hall after prayers just before going to bed and she says "hey Noah, give me a wedgie." Who asks for a wedgie?

This one I saved for last because I am still in shock that my little princess would say this. Someone tooted at breakfast and Mara said Em's was that you, and Max said it wasn't me. Mara said it wasn't me. Then she got these big eyes of her's and looked down at her eggs and said "it's my eggs...see there is it's bum right there." I did not teach her any of these things. It has to be her older brothers.

Reverse Beaver!

Stinkin' Cute is all I can say! I love this little one! She is truly a joy! She has started to recognize music, and starts dancing if she hears it at all. She does this little head bop that makes me giggle!

I love it when babies get their two bottom teeth in and they have a "reverse beaver". That's what we call it. Their two little teethers poking out of the bottom. I love love love it! Just thought I'd show off Emma's. She is so fun. I tell her everyday! I wonder if she knows just how much I love her?

I Hate to Complain but....

I have totally been bugged about what happened to me the other day, and I am hoping that if I vent, I will finally be able to get over it. So if you'd rather not read...just don't, I am warning you right now that what follows is not uplifting or inspiring. I hesitate to write about it, but I am doing it to remind myself to always go out of my way to help others.
So I had to go to Sam's Club with my youngest three...not a big deal I do it all the time. I had to get six 40 lb bags of water softner salt this time though. I usually send Ryan for them, or get them when I don't have Emma strapped on my front, but I had to have them (our water is the worst). I had already loaded the cart full of other things that I needed to feed our family of eight, and I had diapers and a bunch of big boxes of stuff. Max and Mara had already gotten kicked out of the cart, so they were walking.I got to the salt and could already see that I had a dilemma on my hands. I couldn't lift the bags and put them on the bottom of the cart with Emma in her sling on me, so I had to take her off and put her on the floor(there really was no room in the cart). First of all sick, who puts their baby on the floor of Sam's Club? Only desperate women. (I did have her on her sling, so it was a little less gross) I was putting the bags on the bottom of the cart when a worker walked by... HuUuMmMm could have used some help, wasn't it obvious?? She didn't say one thing, just went right on her way. I was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, maybe she was busy with other things, or helping another customer...maybe, but she was pretty nonchalant about it. I got Emma but back on me in her sling, and started pulling my now really heavy cart toward the front all the while trying to keep Max and Mara from running off. I check out with a lady who is highly annoyed that she can't put the items all into another cart as she scans them because she DOESN'T WANT TO MOVE THE SALT. Mara was really hungry and so was Max, and I was starved and just wanted to get out of there. As I pushed the cart, I accidentally knocked into Mara's head and she started bauling like she'd been run right over. I picked her up, and now was carrying Mara and Emma and pulling a obscenely heavy cart. I walked past two workers(one who was a cart guy), and both looked right at me and walked inside. I was livid. I probably passed 3 or 4 other men who could have helped, but didn't. I am not one who usually likes people to help me, I am really independent, and usually think I can do it all...by myself...but that day, I really needed help, even just someone to push the cart to my car. I don't know why it bothered me so much, I just left thinking what kind of world do we live in? I am sure there are tons of people who would surely help a woman pushing a really heavy cart right????Maybe it was just the day???Maybe it was just Montana??? I immediately called Ryan and said"If you ever see a woman who needs help pushing a cart, I don't care if you have to walk across the parking lot, I don't care if you're in a super hurry, you go out of your way to at least help her get to her car." Is it asking a lot to think a worker might help you out? I don't know, I am probably just being a big wanny!! What do you think?

Why Did We Not Do That A Year Ago????

We do not love our basement, but it's just that...a basement and as such it has gotten very neglected. We have spent so much time and money making our upstairs livable, that we haven't done much with the basement. Truly, we don't even know where to begin. I guess I shouldn't say we've done nothing, because I have painted the bathroom down there, and Sam and Noah's room, and the laundry room, and re-organized the storage room...wow! I guess I have done quite a bit down there, and let's not forget that as soon as we moved in I ripped off all the baseboards, they just have never gotten put back up. But as far as the family room goes, it will be a major undertaking, ripping off all the wood, and re-sheetrocking the whole room, let's just say it is way way down on the priority list. I have however wanted to take out the bar that was taking up so much space in that room. We are finding that we run out of room down there when we watch "family movies" as the kids call it, especially if we have visitor. So on Saturday, Ryan set to work on knocking it out. It only took an hour and the clean up was only hauling the wood out and vaccuming. Easy...Peazy!

The kids were excited to get some new wood for their "wild men" forts and I was excited for all the extra space. Not to mention that the "bar" got used oh....never! What good is a bar in our house? Ask the kids, they know exactly what a bar is for, to jump off of!

The result...Lots of extra space The couch fits were the bar was, a good thing since there is now a big hole in the carpet there. I brought in my trees that were decorating the garage to cover up the rest of the missing carpet. We brough down our love seat that was hanging out in the sun room, and even though it is mis-matched, it has provided another two seats down there. We fit comfortably now, and everyone has a seat for "family movies" and there is still lots of floor space to run around. Why did we not do this a year and a half ago?

Let The Trick-O-Treating Begin!

We had such a great time this year trick-or-treating, but after last year, it could only have gotten better. The weather was perfect, we didn't even need jackets, and a miracle of miracles occured, there was no wind--none! Amazing for Great Falls.

The kids were so excited to get dressed up. Sam and Noah both came up with their costumes all by themselves, and were quite excited about it. Noah is Huck Finn and we made his costume out of the Salvation Army pile. He was in heaven though, we ripped the shirt and got it all muddy, he thought that was great. Sam pulled out some of the hairs from his afro and glued them onto his chest. He thought he was so funny and everyone was grossed out by it. He loved every second of it. Ryan tried to convince Mara to be a dead princess and paint her face white with blood dripping all over. Her response to him was "No, I want to be beautiful" Wow, at two, she already knows what she wants. Emma was the cutest little sunflower ever, thanks to Ryan's sister Jamie who gave her the costume, and stole the show. Caleb was a Ninja and Max the hulk. We went to our church at 6:00 p.m for a trunk or treat, and even though I started at 4:30 to get everyone ready, we weren't any too early for the party. The kids got tons of candy at the church, and then we went through the neighborhood next to the church with our friends the Giles. It was Porter's birthday the next day, so Sam and Noah spent the night, and we went home to put the kids to bed. The kids thought is was so much fun to count their candy and trade, trade, trade. On Sunday, they asked if they could trade again. There's the whole crew! Taking up the whole front step. What a great Halloween!