Baby feet

I Love Baby feet.
The best description I've heard is from my friend Krista, She called them brand new, never before used. It was interesting to me because feet do seem to be a body part that is always


"used"
It's hard to imagine my feet having once been new and never before used.

I've added pictures of my other kids today just so you remember they are here. Sorry about the "see food" But If anyone asks you've seen pictures that prove I do feed them;)
Jacob and Caleb

Sariah and Gabe


This is what it's like to go anywhere as a family. Every one of the nine seats is taken.

Cute baby Ellie sleeping



She has discovered her tongue. So she makes these little pucker suckie lips all the time now. Careful how you say that last phrase...





So I have been attempting to "spring clean" parts of my house. Friday I got the front room done. Washed the walls(I think paint will be the only real solution there,) steam cleaned the carpet etc. Side note: When we are independently wealthy I will give carpet cleaners as gifts at baby showers. Anyway, I started the family room today, last night actually. I took the rug by the back door and put it in the washer. I then proceeded to steam the family room carpet. It wasn't working as well as I would have liked. When I make an extra effort to clean something I like to see the results. So I got out the laundry soap, Sun oxygen cleaner, spray bottle and brush and went to work on all the "it'll never come out stains" Some of them actually came out. The orange and red stains from various leaky sippy cups, however, have made their mark...permanently. Tip: If you catch those when they happen, (like we really have super vision and know ALL that happens in our houses) put salt on the spill. It will suck up most of the color. What was my point? The only way I have been able to do this super clean is because Jacob isn't feeling well and so he slept most of the day, Caleb played where he wasn't supposed to(Sariah's room) Joey and Ellie just chilled. As I was running the machine over the places I had just scrubbed, I apparently didn't hear the commotion going on in the Laundry room.(See I do so much of it I subconsciously think its room needs to be capitalized) Remember the rug I threw in the washer? It caused the machine to become off balance and start walking. And not just a little jiggle walk. My washer and dryer usually face the same direction. Maybe its mad because we got rid of the old smoking vacuum.(see earlier blog "The best kind of sticky") Or it could have been sending me the hint that the next room to be spring cleaned is the LAUNDRY ROOM, there was quite a lot of junk on the floor where it used to sit.

Good day to ya.

So I must say this first. I am so grateful that we had President Gordon B. Hinckley as the Prophet here on Earth for as long as we did. I must say that, yes, I am a sad at his passing but only a little. He was tired and I know he missed Sister Hinckley something fierce. Thinking of their reunion makes the tears all worth it. Can you imagine the mission report he gets to give. . . and to whom? Wow. I am also grateful for the structure and organization of the church and knowing that everything is still in place and we don't have to panic until the new Prophet is called. I also love Pres. Monson a ton. But this isn't a Testimony meeting so that's all I'll write on that for now.
I wanted to add this quote a couple days ago, but now is as good a time as ever
"God bless you, mothers. When all the victories and defeats of men's efforts are tallied, when the dust of life's battles begin to settle, when all for which we labor so hard in the world of conquest fades before our eyes, you will be there, you must be there, as the strength for a new generation, the ever-improving onward movement of the race." Gordon B.Hinckley





I must welcome Lauren and Niki as the first official members of the AMoM club. Lauren has two cute kids. Niki has 3 and is expecting #4. And since you two are probably the only ones who really read my blog your links are already on my page. I met these two lovely ladies in a magical place called Laramie. I grew up with their husbands and their families. Laramie is magical because it has this magnetic ability that has the tendency to keep its residence coming back. If you manage to leave its trapping range you'll find yourself longing for home and a way to live closer. Its prettier than Cheyenne and Casper, but its not gorgeous. The people are nice though. I've met my bestest friends their. I that is why I like it. But Laramie is not what I wanted to write about today.

Today I wanted to write about yesterday. Yesterday was Sunday. Sunday sucked, and no they don't have a song for that one(that's it Jenn write one about that) I didn't prepare on Saturday like I should have. We did pretty good about getting dressed and ready to go, so I thought. I wasn't rushing to make it on time because Sacrament meeting is becoming pretty unbearable when Jason is gone. So my aim was again the Relief Society room, where we can practice sitting and listen over the speaker to the meeting. I asked the older kids to find Joey some shoes, I made sure to tell them to make sure they got him two shoes that were both size 5. We have 3 pairs of the same shoe, 2 size 5's and 1 size 6. I also asked them to get everybody in the car while I got the baby ready to go and made sure my outwardly appearance wouldn't scare anyone. I had actually contemplated staying home but I knew that would be an open invitation for Satan to join us for Sunday dinner. I really do not enjoy his company. So I pressed for obedience and going to church. Back to the car. We were all in and ready to go. Everybody was complaining. We got to the building(10-20 mins away depending on which way and how fast you go)and as I went to go get Joey out of his car seat I noticed that he had his left shoe on his foot and another shoe on the floor. No biggie except as I went to pick it up I noticed that it was another left. Gabe said from the back of the car "They both said 5." "Yes, Gabe I suppose they did." So Joey went to church with no shoes. When we got in the RS room I noticed that Gabe had no socks on. I had specifically found his black socks for him and left them on his dresser. I guess he thought that church was not a formal affair and that it was 'black sock optional'. All the kids 4 1/2 and under cried through the rest of Sacrament meeting, which happened to be not even half way over when we got there. Joey is usually pretty amiable and I couldn't figure out what his issue was until I realized that I had not fed him, again chalk one up to the anti-mother of the year award. I asked my friend who is the nursery leader to feed him quickly so he wouldn't starve until snack time. Everybody went to class and I got to sit in Sunday School for about 5 min then I was called into the older nursery because Jacob was throwing a lay down on the floor fit. He was fine after a little while and I got to leave and go to Relief Society. After the lesson started, just barely after the lesson started who should I hear messing around very loudly through the halls on their way to class. Dang Deacons. So I had to go yell at my Deacon and his whole class. His was the voice I heard most but it wasn't the only one. Man was I on a roll. Then I went to the mothers lounge and talked to my friend Stacey.
Church was over. I hope I get points for trying.

As first action in the MoM and AMoM club I would like to elect myself president. That is funny. All in favor? . . .Say Aye. Aye. . . The Aye's have it. hehe Now my first order of business is to lay out a format for how we say the funny things that happen to us. I would like them to be in "you might be a redneck" form according to your club. For example. If You find banana in a shoe. . .
you might be a MoM.
GROSS HUH? I guess they are tired of bananas
Now for the AMoM group it would be "you might be an AMoM"
OK meeting adjourned. Yeah, I don't know how long this will last. We'll see
good day to ya.

MoM and AMoM

I'm starting a club, well two clubs I guess. I never like anyone to be left out. So the first club is the Mommies of Many club AKA. MoM. The second club is the Aspiring Mommies of Many AKA AMoM. Now there are certain requirements to belong to these clubs. Lets talk about the MoM club. First and foremost you must have at least 5 children to belong to this group. That would automatically include myself with 7, Stacey with 5, Christin with 5 ( you actually could qualify twice with 2 sets of twins), my friend Tami (who I haven't heard from in a while)who also has 5 and 2 sets of twins. Now the exception to this rule is if you have 4 kids that are all boys. Which can feel like 5 kids if not more. This qualifies me twice as 5 of my 7 are of the male species. Now for the AMoM club. I know that all of us out there are not as old or fertile (with or without help) or crazy as us MoMs so the AMoM club is for you. This club is for those of you with 2-4 children. Unless your situation falls into the above exception. It also applies to those of you who are aspiring to be a MoM member, but are not yet, or cannot get to that 5 mark. For those of you who just have one and are finished by choice, these clubs are not for you, you just won't get it. If, however, you wanted more but couldn't have them, you are more than welcome to join the AMoM club because you will have them later. Please declare your membership by commenting and letting me know you have joined. These are the general requirements for both groups: You must have experienced sleepless nights; aching backs; sticking to various items in your home due to unknown causes; cleaning disgusting unthinkable things. . . a lot (see Christin's blog of messes;) watching your children breathe just to make sure they are; taking a bath with more than yourself(husbands do not count;) needing to lock your bathroom door in attempt to have 30 seconds of privacy; sleeping with children under your legs,arms,backs,heads; walked mindlessly through the house at 1,2,3,4am in answer to the cry of "Mommy;" stressed over the acceptance of your children in their peer groups, so much so you feel you are back in Jr.High; made the comment that you have already passed 3rd grade why do I have to do the homework again; tried desperately to remember how to do fractions; figured out that you're not crazy, it's just more difficult to think for more people than just yourself; cried because you just did 8 loads of laundry and three more loads just appeared magically on the floor; said yes, after just saying no so that the constant "Mommy can I have . . ." will stop repeating; been proud because your 'Mometer' (the natural ability to take a temp. by feel) was only a tenth of a degree off; finally stopped wondering about the floaties in your drink; kissed boogers and booboos; given million hugs; and loved more than you thought you could. These clubs are for you! The perks are knowing you're not alone, sharing comments about crazy MoM and AMom experiences and stories. Sign up today and I'll put your link on my blog and we can make our crazy world a little bigger.
Good day to ya.

Meet My Husband

My husband and I started dating at the end of February ten years ago. We got married at the beginning of May that same year. Short courtship must make for a long marriage. That and a whole stink load of kids in between.
Let me tell you a little bit about the man who was crazy enough to marry me. Well first off he IS too young to have this many kids, but he does. He'll turn the big 30 this April. In his young life he only imagined having one offspring. He also wanted to go to Mars. Then I came along and said we must have more than one and Mars? That's just too far and I don't want you gone for three years. So he settled for a degree in Physics and seven children and a wife that, I know on occasions, drives him nutty.
These are some of the reasons I love my husband.
He does not put on a phony facade. He is the way he is and it doesn't matter who knows it. I used to say that he was integritous (thank you lady in my head for that word) to a fault. He is the most honest man I have ever met. I used to think this was bad because sometimes I felt like there was a certain social air that you must keep about you. Not true according to my husband. I am OK with it now. I am learning that in a world of "used car sales men" honest men are hard to come by. I just happen to have one of my own.
He has an incredibly dry sense of humor. Which is hilarious.
He has this loyalty to his family that I didn't know could exist. And then there is the sense of responsibility. We have been through the financial wringer since he graduated(Physics alone is NOT marketable) and yet he still attacks his responsibility to provide for this freakin' huge family with vigor. That is why daddy has to go to the middle of the Gulf of Mexico for three weeks at a time to work. He is in charge of every piece of inventory that goes on and off the semi-submersible oil rig. His job title is Storekeeper. He was a utility hand and a roughneck for a while, but the goal was management which he made in about a year. He has done a lot of other things to pay to feed our ever growing nest. Pizza has been involved more than once. We owned a shop here for a little while. Then Little Sleezars moved in real close. How can you compete with National advertising? We couldn't so it was on to something else. That is where the oil business came in. Here is the interesting predicament. My husband has a moral issue working where he does. Having a scientific brain causes him to mentally problem solve, all the dang time. So when the idea of alternative fuel comes up, there go the wheels. So while he is helping them drill for oil he is trying to solve the energy crisis in his brain. This is why I appreciate him even more for going to work. That isn't his only issue with going away to work. I mentioned his dad in an earlier blog. He was a sailor which meant being away from home to work. Jason grew up with dad being gone half the time and knows life on the other side as well. He never wanted to do what he is doing, but he does. I thank him for it.
He is a super good dad, occasionally grumpy, but who isn't? He has an amazing ability to love these kids. I'm grateful for that.
Another reason why I love him. . .He loves me. For no reason in particular. He says there doesn't need to be a why. . .he just does.
He is my best friend.
He honors his Priesthood. I don't know how many of us take advantage of that on a daily basis. My husband "gets it" and it means a lot to him. Not bad for somebody who didn't grow up in the Gospel. He has his own testimony. I don't have to share mine. (I share it but you get the point, right?)
Oh yeah, He loves me.



There is a new definition to the phrase "rough house"
Please put your seats in an upright position , the Daddy plane will be landing momentarily and you must exit
What a "mess o' kids"



These pictures were taken 2 1/2 years ago. . . not much has changed. Just the amount of kids

















Gabe's first day of School










and welcoming baby Joey home














I'm so lucky


Good day to ya.

Ode to the blue Van

It was a year ago today (OK it was a year ago yesterday)
that my BLUE van went away.
You see, I went to Wal-mart
Parked close to where I found a cart...
Went in with all my children dear
Came out to find my greatest fear...
My van was not where I had left it...
Because some Mexican had theft it.
You may say that I am racist but I'm not
It's just not so
You see,They found my van 2 months ago in
PUEBLA, MEXICO!

These are pictures of my van covered in a solid sheet of ice. We loved this van... We had modified it to hold all eight of us(at the time) by going to a salvage yard and buying a used 3 person back seat and putting it in the middle. I really can't believe anyone stole it. There were two car seats, scattered toys, a Pooh blanket, french fries, spilled ketchup, milk, chocolate shake, and who knows what else.
My mother-in-law was visiting and we went shopping, I believe we only had Caleb, Jacob, and Joey with us while the others were in school. Jason was luckily working at the office in Houston, my sister was living in my house, so we had the cavalry close. Anyway, we came out of the store with a cart full of groceries and a cart full of kids. It was chilly and rainy. We walked to where I thought I had parked. . .Looked . . .walked. . . looked again. I thought I was loosing my gourd. When I finally realized my van was not playing hide and seek, I went in and told the lady at the door that my car had been stolen. We then talked to this punk kid manager who had the nerve to ask me if I was sure and that maybe I should go and make double sure. So just to appease him I went out and walked from one end of that parking lot to the other, still halfway expecting to have my van jump out, uncover his headlights and say peek-a-boo, fooled you. In strange disbelief I wandered back in the store, cold ,wet, and (cover your eyes if your apposed to strong language) pissed. Finally the Sheriff was called. My husband made it to the store before the cops did. My sister had come and picked up the kids and groceries. When the Sheriff got there he took some notes, commented on how he needed to buy new ink, told us that if we found it before they did that we should call so that if we were driving and got pulled over we didn't get a gun pulled on us. And he also said that they really weren't gonna go look for it, and that it was probably going to be used in crime and wrecked if not torched. No, I am not kidding. He also said, when asked if he was going to watch the security tape, that there was no point because they were ten dollar cameras and you couldn't see anything on them, and then he went and bought ink. We actually watched the security video. It made me sick. It was fairly well planned. A big Dr. Pepper van pulled up in front of our van blocking a lot of what we could see, but we did see a little maroon car pull up on the other side, someone get out and move back and forth between the front and back of the van. We couldn't fill in the blanks because of the Dr. Pepper van. Anyway a few minutes later I saw somebody else drive away in my little blue van.

It's all good. Now it is, anyway. See there was planning involved in the disappearance of my van. Not my planning. Somebody upstairs. Not that anyone on the right side of heaven would want anyone to commit a felony, but they did know that if we still had the van there would be no room for Ellie. I got pregnant two weeks after my van went away. Right at the same time we bought the 9 passenger Suburban. We have been compared to fish in the fact that we seem to grow to the size of our container. I guess that it's a good thing we didn't buy that 15 passenger van.


Good day to ya.

Why I blog

Why do I blog? Let me count the ways. . .Actually lets not. My husband asked me why I blog. The truth is that this stuff is running around in my head anyway I might as well get it out and make room for more useful rememberings. I am not a journal user. I never have been. I have entries from when I was 10, 15, 18, 21, 23 and maybe a few since then. I am grateful for this media to help me mentally puke and to keep up with friends and to share crazy motherhood experiences. Writing them helps me see the lighter side and I think it helps relieve my husbands concerns when he is away. Anyhoo. . . I guess it is helping me become more technologically in the swing of things(what a joke, no it's not) but whatever. By the way can these pages be printed? Lauren? Stacey? Anyone? Hmm? I guess the other reason, is so that those of you who want to see what's happening in my part of this mortal experience may do so without getting annoying pushy e-mails from me. So there ttpbbsptpsss. Too much caffeine(oh shush) today and I am officially without my hubby for another 3 weeks and I'm feeling, as my friend Stacey would say, a little punchy.
Um that's all

I'm still here

I'm still here. My husband goes back to work on Thursday so I will be posting regularly (I have problems speaking that particular word- regularly...particularly is another I have trouble saying. It's the 'larly' part I think.) Anyway I'll be back when he goes bye. OK. . .
Here are some animal pictures just because. . .

This is Lucky, and yes, he is.
Murry and Maverick
Gabe, Spencer and Milo the hamster


Maverick is turning 16 this spring, Mogli will be 14 next month.


Murry died in May of last year. . . that's a tough lesson for kids to learn.


That's all for now
I'll type at y'all later
Good day to ya.