The Beach

The happy couple. Still happy after 12 years of marriage and 6 kids.

My Dad and Mom, Rick and Penny. Still happy after 33 years of marriage.

The beautiful Sunset.

Another picture of the sun setting.

No, not the bitter cold water!!!

What is this new stuff?

I much prefer it here, up on the beach, away from the water.

That feels so cool on my feet.

And in my mouth.

Ocean, here we come

Hannah running towards fun

Beckham did much better this time.
He actually spent more time in the water, then out.

That water is soooo cold when it first hits you.
Don't you love my husband's butt white body?

I love this candid picture.

Soon after checking into the Hotel on Saturday we suited up and headed to Huntington Beach. Brent really wanted to watch the sun set, and my Parents were thrilled with that prospect. It was a little chilly. We had fun non the less. Brent and Penny had a great time boogy boarding. Jaren really digged it as well and was excited to brave the waves, and sharks? Grace HATED her first experience at the beach. She's not to kean on water to begin with, so this was not her favorite. Although she did love experiencing the sand between her toes and in her fingers. She even had to experience the sand in her mouth. She is such a tactile little thing.

I have to say, the beach is SO romantic. Even with my 5 kids screaming with excitement. The sun setting over the beach is something everyone should experience once in their lifetime. I love the sound of the crashing waves, the feel of sand gooshing through my toes, sounds of thrilled voices in finding a sea shell, screams of joy from just escaping an oncoming wave, the smell of the salt. There's nothing like it.

Autumn Color

When my family and I left for California last Friday there were just hints of colors on the mountains. Upon our return the mountains are now bursting with beautiful Autumn color. I PURE love it. I revel in the feelings of excitement these changes in the mountains bring to my soul. With General Conference upon us thoughts of a loving Heavenly Father come to my mind. How he created the seasons, and the mountains. As I soak up the beauty of the colors, thoughts of a Heavenly Mother come to my mind as well. There is beauty in the ruggedness of the mountains. Each season that ruggedness is balanced out by something soft and wonderful. In the spring, it's the wildflowers, summer -- the deep green color of trees, Autumn -- leaves changing and falling, and winter -- white, brilliant snow. How could this world possibly been created without the help of a Mother, a Goddess. We as women help to balance out our rugged husbands. They need us now, and they will need us when it's our turn to create worlds on end.

SURPRISE!!!!!

Earlier this year Brent and I decided that we would be going to Disneyland again. Much to our disappointment Dental bills were atrocious after the summer. So we called off our trip to Disneyland. Not only did we have to tell our children the disappointing news, but I had to break it to my parents, who Brent had invited several days after Grace's birth. Yes, it had been planned that far in advance.
A week and a half before our scheduled departure date, Brent phoned me. He expressed his desire to still go, since the Hotel was stilled booked. He told me to think about it, and I did. But there really wasn't much thinking on my part. Once Brent makes up his mind to do something, it happens. I invited my parents, AGAIN. Thankfully, and luckily they could come. I decided to make it a complete surprise for the kids. I arranged with the kids Teachers to have their homework sent to the office. I didn't peep a word for over a week to the kids. And it was the most torturous week of my LIFE. Half my kids were in and out of illness. I literally gave myself the runs with worry. NOT COOL!!!
There was no way to pull off the surprise till the morning we left. That would have been the coolest. Too much packing and preparation had to happen so we told them right after Brent made it home from work on Friday. The videos document the excitement of all.



My mom thought it would be fun to put Isabel and Annika's ears on from last year. Can you tell we are just as excited as the kids?




It is so funny to see all the kids different reactions. Isabel takes it so seriously and can't celebrate until she knows "for reals" that the announcement is true.








Grace had just woken up from a nap and was bombarded by the kids. I finally got her growling on camera.

That is cute

In my crazy insane day I needed to take time to post these adorable pictures. This is what I found when I came home from clogging last night. I was expecting Brent to be in the basement which is his usual hang out with baby Grace. Instead, I turn the corner into my bedroom and see Brent at the computer by himself. He glances down to the floor and the photos you see capture what I saw. Apparently Grace was roaming the floor, her favorite past time, accidently bonked her head on the file box, whimpered and when Brent turned to comfort her she had crashed on the floor on top of Brent's shirt. HELLO!!!! So cute. Need I say more?

Life of a Soccer/Baseball/Football/Clogger/Ballet Mom

Hannah getting ready for her soccer game.

Annika rummaging through the over stuffed soccer tote
to find her soccer essentials.

Annika getting ready. All children know how to get ready on
their own. Which makes a huge difference.

I remember the good old days when my children were all under the age of 7. I had only Jaren in sports. I thought it was such a chore to get Jaren dressed and ready and then load all the kids in the van and head to his game. Gone are those easy going days.

Now any day of the week my nights are filled with 2 if not 3 sporting events. Anything from a soccer game to a football game. From clogging to ballet and a baseball practice thrown in for good measure. AND homework to add a little spice.

Have you ever committed to something without realizing the consequence that comittment would bring? My eyes have been opened to that huge mistake. My life is so OVER BOOKED right now it' not even comical. I feel as though I am running from game to game to game to practice to practice to me going crazy. I'm sure sometime in the future I'll be able to look back and say, "Dang you fool!! What were you thinking?" And maybe throw in a good chuckle.

Not right now. I blame my husband for our over scheduled lives. If it were up to me, my children wouldn't be in sports at the moment. Homework is hard enough to keep on top of. I have told Brent repeatedly, "We will NEVER do this again," (said with the evil eye).

Moral of my boo-hooing: JUST SAY NO!!!!

Brighter side to 9/11

Last year on 9/11 our family was in Disneyland. My sister was due in about 5 weeks to have her twin boys. There were several messages on Brent's phone saying that my sister had to have them early. She had gained 40 pounds in 3 weeks and the babies were in danger. I felt terrible that I wasn't available for my sister to call me. I'm sure she was scared out of her mind. To make things worse, she has no family out there but her husband. They had to deal with all this stress on their own. I wasn't able to hear her all that well when I did finally talk to her since we were still at the park and the connection wasn't that great. The c-section went well. Both babies were fine and due to Jessica's complications she had to stay in the hospital for a few extra days.

Yesterday was Asher and Soren's first birthday. They have changed my sister's life dramatically. She lives and breaths for those boys. My sister lives with a lot of passion. I knew she would fall completely in love with them. She had to go back to work and has struggled with that ever since. But she and Jamie are doing an AMAZING job raising those boys. They are happy and healthy.

Thanks Asher and Soren for making me an Aunt for the 2 and 3 time. It's fun to be called Aunt Amberlyn. Beckham asked me yesterday if Asher and Soren were coming over. I sadly had to explain to him that they live in another state. We wished we lived closer so we could celebrate this monumentous day with you. Happy Birthday boys!!!! (a day late).

The Oh So Resourceful Cooking Sorceress

A few of the items found in my grocery bag.

This is the soup and croutons I made out of those items.
And yes, it was delicious.

This afternoon I met my Mom at this new place called Sunflower Farmer's Market. It's suppose to be similar to Trader Joe's. But it doesn't come close. Yes, it does have some cool things. Like 33oz bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil for 4.99. AND, they had Sushi samples that were REALLY good!!!
As I walked a lady came up to me and said, "You are my lucky customer today" and handed me a grocery bag FULL of free groceries. SWEET!!! This is now my new favorite store. Before my busy day started I wondered what I would be making for dinner. I knew there was something I could make for dinner with these items so they wouldn't go to waste. I ended up making roasted tomato and red pepper soup with sour dough croutons. Oh my goodness, it was the best soup so far this Fall. I also had some pepper jack cheese that Amy so generously shared with me so I diced that up and used it as a garnish.

The Cooking Sorceress strikes again.

The Greater Good

Notice Beckham's fingers.
These are things worth fighting for:
Freedom
Faith
Family

Brent now gets to help the Scouts put up the flags in
our Neighborhood.

As most of you, I remember 9/11 vividly. I know exactly where I was and what I was doing. I was a new mother of twin girls and two other small children. Brent called me early in the morning. I was up already since my children couldn't seem to sleep past 6am. I turned the television on and watched. "This couldn't be real" I thought to myself. It was almost like watching a movie. As horrible as the images were, I couldn't turn away. I couldn't turn off the t.v. I was in shock of the scenes blazing before my eyes. I watched as the second plane came into view and with all it's fury and evil slam into the second building. Without my full realization, I was watching people lose their lives. Yes there is pure evil out there. Organized by demented mad men. But there is also the GREATER GOOD. There were men and women who ran into those buildings without a second thought to their own lives, and what they were risking. Devoted to saving others. And yes, they did save some lives. I realize that more was lost that day. I am grateful to those men and women who proved to us that there is good still left in this world.

This country IS worth fighting for. It is what gives us the right to have our own opinion, and worship how we please.

Yes, we live in evil and tumultuous times. Times that frighten me. Soon I will have a son old enough to go to Junior High. Junior High is tough, I'm scared for him. But we also live in a time of Great Good. If I arm my children with the gospel and teach them proper principles they will (cross my fingers) make the right choices. Surrounding themselves with good friends and good activities. I hope they are strong enough to stand up for what is right and good. It's going to be tough. I have confidence in them. I have to. Otherwise I would lock them up in the basement and accidentally lose the key till they are 30.

Gracie Grace is 7 months Old

I love this face. This pretty much describes what Grace
is all about these days.

Grace can often be found with her fingers in her mouth.

Loves to scrunch that nose.

No one is paying attention to me, so I'll
just gnaw on my seat.

This video isn't all that exciting. Grace does make a few funny faces toward the end. I did it mostly for Aunt Jessica so she can see what Grace is up to these days.


I finally got Grace to the Doctor yesterday. She weighs 15lbs 1oz., and is 27 inches long. She's a little thing, but very busy!!! Grace is crawling EVERYWHERE!!!! She entertains herself by moving from room to room to room. The other day Hannah was freaking out because she was crawling on the kitchen floor and exclaimed, "she's crawling in such a dirty environment!!!" It was so funny to watch Hannah follow Grace around making sure she didn't tip over and hit her head on anything. Not only is Grace crawling but she pulls herself up to a standing position when ever possible. Her favorite thing to pull herself up to is a brother or sister that just happens to be laying on the floor. Grace LOVES her food, she LOVES to make faces and sounds. She is such a delight to have in our Family.

That's resourceful

This week when I went grocery shopping I didn't make a list of meals that I would make like I usually do. I only had a certain amount to spend, thanks to a crappy economy and tight budget. I remember that I had some chicken in the freezer. I thought, hey, I'll make home made chicken nuggets. I remember seeing a box of Shake and bake in the pantry. When I went to pull it out it wasn't the right kind. I wasn't feeling the whole b-q thing. Then I remember a box of golden onion soup mix which I've made nuggets out of before. I read those directions and realized that I didn't have the breadcrumbs required for the recipe. As I sat stairing into the depths of my pantry I knew I could use something in there. A Stove Top Stuffing box sprung out at me. Hey, it's dried bread. So I took my rolling pin, bashed the dried bread cubes and made seasoned bread crumbs. I added all ingredients together and voila, home made chicken nuggets. Aside from the fact that I forgot to season the chicken, it was a success. Move over Sandra Lee, I'm taking over.

A night with a sick baby.

Grace hasn't been feeling well lately. Last night before I put her to bed she was running a fever of 102. I knew I was in for a rough night. First attempt at going to bed, 9:30pm, after nursing for well over 30 minutes (yes, I know I was being used as a human pacifier, we've all done it for our own sanity). I read a few pages from my book and quickly doze off to sleep. Wailing comes what seems like 5 minutes after falling asleep, I look at the clock, 11:30pm. What the heck? I pick her up not wanting to wake the whole house and nurse her in bed. Luckily she falls right back to sleep and right back to her crib she goes. Wailing again, this time 4am, this time she's burning up. Stumbling downstairs trying to encourage my what feels like super glued shut eyes open so I don't fall down the stairs to get the tylenol. Why didn't I bring it upstairs with me? I new this was going to happen. I gave her the medicine and again, not wanting to wake the whole house I nurse her in bed. This time, sleeping is not what Grace had in mind. Instead she rolled, flipped, crawled, stood, squealed, farted, pulled, scratched, kicked, burped, plopped, tugged, rolled, crawled, stood, plopped, squealed, scratched etc., etc., etc. After an HOUR of this nonsense and no sign of slowing down, I plopped her into her crib. She can roll, crawl, stand, plop, fart and burp in her own space!!!!! She had no objections and finally fell asleep.

Oh the JOYS of babyhood!!!!

A Soap Box Moment

This past weekend we had the opportunity to participate in a Regional Stake Conference. Elder Uchtdorf presided over the meeting of over 130 stakes. I was really looking forward to listening to him speak so I made sure that my family was on time to the meeting. And not just on time, but EARLY!!! For a woman with 6 children this is no easy task. It takes lots of organization and preperation to have everyone ready to leave on time.
When we arrived I told Brent to hop out and save us a seat. Don't worry about me and the kids, I'll meet him inside. Well, I new what to expect when I walked in, it just ERKS me every time it happens. We arrive early and pretty much HALF the benches are saved with books and other items that scream at you, " I'm saving this seat for someone other then YOU!" Oh it's so irritating. Those of us who can actually perform the feat of getting there on time should have the priviliage of sitting in those darn benches. I don't care if you think those other people or more clever then I. It totally should be against church policy to save a bench knowing very well that you wont walk in until 5 minutes before the meeting begins (I am not a retard, I know this is why they do it). Some people didn't even walk in until after the meeting started!!!!

Deep Breath.

Breath in.

Breath out.

The gospel is still true. And Elder Uchtdorf gave a wonderful talk.

Is it a Sacrifice?

To live the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Sometimes it feels like more of a sacrifice then at other times. Recently I have been struggling with my calling as a Cub Scout Bear Den Leader. It's hard for me to give up my time to spend with sweaty, stinky, chaotic boys and at the same time figure out what to do with my own children. At this time in my life it is a huge sacrifice. But in sacrificing I realized something. Someone, someday will be doing the same thing for my son. We all serve and sacrifice together, for each other. And if our hearts and attitudes are in the right place the sacrifice doesn't feel as difficult. And in the end, sacrificing and simply living the Gospel and being obedient brings freedom and joy. Freedom from the world around us. Joy from a loving Heavenly Father blessing us for our sacrifice and obedience.

So, will I keep sacrificing? Yes, I will. As hard as the sacrifice might feel at the time, the reward for obedience far out weighs it.

New things are so exciting

Just me and my back pack.

Not sure whose more comfortable?
Beckham or the backpack.

Dreaming peacefully about Preschool on Friday and
showing off his awesome new purchase.

After preschool I decided that Beckham needed a back pack that was just his size. We ventured into Macey's grocery store. Strange I know. But I new they had some inexpensive packs. Low and behold they had this Lightening McQueen one. There was no hesitation, this was the back pack for him. He wore it the rest of the afternoon. He waited outside on the porch for "the Kids" to come home from school. He even went to bed with his back pack. How stinking cute is that? Pretty stinking cute I'd say. I love the excitement that children show for their belongings.

Preschool

Beckham, so ready to go to preschool

He insisted on a picture with his little sister.
I have a picture like this with Beckham and Hannah.
Memories, like the corners of my mind.

I think that backpack weighed more then he did.
LOVE the mountain in the background.

Me trying to squeeze myself into his important day.
I think we might have the same eyes... squinty.

My crawling babe.

HOLY MOLY my sweet little Beckham started Preschool today. It was a little overwhelming for me for so many different reasons. Frist, I am that much closer to having all my kids in school, scary. Second, I am that much older. Third, I am that much closer to freedom that I haven't experienced for the past 11 years.
Beckham had no problem being dropped off. He hung up his backpack, which was WAY to big for him, sqeezed right in at the arts and craft table and immediately started his first ever project. No tears and boogers today folks, just a whole lot of joy. When I picked him up he showed me that GREAT project and how he wrote his name for the first time. I have been trying and trying to get him to do that for me at home, using the same technique. This is just a testiment to why I will NEVER home school my children. They respond better to other adults. Which is just fine with me.
What did I do for the 2 short hours he was at school? I went to the fabric store to pick out fabric for dance costumes. Then I went out to lunch with the Fabulous ladies from Girls' Camp. We went to this fabulous place called Jaxie's. Not sure if it's pronounced like Jack-E or Jax-E. I'll have to ask them the next time I go. Because I WILL be going again. It was so good.
As I reflect on my day and how I feel right now, it's strange. My heart is beating a little stronger and quicker. I feel like I want to cry, but it's just resonating in my chest. My life is morphing right now into a new stage. A stage that is going to come wether I am ready for it or not. I don't think one is truly ready for any kind of change. If it comes quickly or slowly it's always surprising how it makes you feel.