way too fast...

Avery Rose turned just turned 8 months.

I can not believe how fast the time is going.
She is perfect. Seriously- there isn't one single thing I would change
about this sweet girl.
She eat great, sleeps wonderfully, plays with her toys,
sits in one spot on a blanket, doesn't crawl (maybe my favorite!),
smiles constantly, travels like a champ and the best part...
she's a total MAMA'S GIRL! I am thankful for her every, single day.
When I think that sometimes I wanted to stop after #4-
I can't even comprehend that I would have missed out on HER.
This month:
She is sleeping 7:30 pm to 8:00 am. With 2- 2-3 hour naps.
Eat solids for breakfast and dinner- and 3-4, 6 oz bottles throughout the day
Weighs 17 pounds.
Just broke her first 2 teeth.
Sits up by herself. Rolls both way.
Copies us when we say "ha" and "da-da."
Loves to be held.
Got bronchitis/RSV this month and was on breathing treatments.
Is great in the car and when we're out running errands and driving the kids around.
Hardly cries- only when tired.
She makes our family complete.
She really is the perfect ending to our family.
These are the words that describe my Avery:
sweet, gently, soft, cuddly, beautiful, perfect, fuzzy hair, deep dark brown eyes,
always smells delicious, all mine, a gift.I love you, Avery Rose.
Thank you for coming to our family.

just do it

Sometimes it's hard to get 5 kids ready and out the door. And even harder to take them someplace for the day. I decided a long time ago that just because I have 5 children, I don't want to deprive them of fun activities because it's a lot of work and would be easier to stay home. Whenever I am spending days and days packing for vacation or a few hours getting ready for a beach trip, I remind myself of this and then I get over it! Yes, it's a lot of work, but we ALWAYS have fun! Just do it!!

Since we had a day off school, I convinced Aaron to come with us and do something new. We decided to check out the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana. We had such a fun time and ended up buying a yearly pass, so we can go back again.

Jake thought this bed of nails was super cool! He did it over and over and over.

The kids and Aaron had fun standing in this little box that replicated winds like a hurricane! Aaron is standing there like 54 mph winds are old news!
Picture break!


We definitely have our little repertoire of fun things that we like to do around here: park , Chick fil A, skate park, Victoria Gardens, etc. But I am glad we decided to find something new to try. The kids could have stayed there all day- discovering new things and having a fun adventure.

laundry, schmaundry

With the amount of laundry I do on a weekly basis, I have been trying to fine tune my laundry routine for several months now. I have tried many different ways- once a week, once a day, whenever the basket is full, etc- nothing worked!

I was talking with a friend several months ago and she mentioned that she does laundry twice a week- on certain days. I liked that idea- and thought about how I could get 7 peoples laundry down to twice a week- and make it manageable. I finally figured it out!! At least this is what works for me.

I bought 2 laundry baskets and put them side by side next to the laundry room. One for the girls, one for the boys and then Aaron and I have one upstairs. There is also a smaller basket in the laundry room for towels, placemats, misc stuff. I do laundry once a week for each group of people: boys on Tuesdays , girls on Wednesdays and ours on Thursdays. I throw the random stuff in when the basket fills up or I have extra room in another load. What's amazing is that I have actually kept up with it! I think the main reason is, that if I skip a day, I get behind. I love this system, it's quick, easy and not overwhelming at all. Each day usually ends up being 2-3 loads. I wash it in the morning, fold it in the afternoon- which only takes 15 minutes or so- and put it away before bedtime. Wa-la! Done!

Along with our new laundry system, I decided to try making my own laundry soap. It was easy, fun, cheap and it worked great! Plus, I had a handsome little assistant, who is always willing to pull up a stool and help mommy.

Homemade Laundry Soap

3 bars Pink Zote Soap
4 pound box of Borax
4 pound box of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda
4 pound box of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
1 small bucket of Oxygen Cleaner (like Oxyclean)

Grate the Zote soap. This part takes the longest! Mix all ingredients together, with Zote soap. You need a really big bowl or mix it in a garbage bag. Then pour it into a container and use a small scoop with your next laundry load!This homemade detergent has no odor. I love yummy smelling laundry- so I bought some Meyer's lavender laundry softener- and added it to my loads. It did just the trick and made the clothes smell so yummy and really, really soft.

my boy

It's been a month and I still can't wrap my head around the fact that my boy is 8!

It's true- IT'S GREAT TO BE 8!!

It seems like just yesterday, this sweet baby came into our home.
I blinked... and now he is a boy. I really thought he would always be little.


Since Tyler would be getting baptized when he turned 8, this was quite a big year for him!
We spent the whole month before, on Family Home Evening nights, talking about and learning about baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost.

He had a party with his friends- skate park, pizza and back home for
presents and cupcakes.

My favorite things about Tyler:

he is smart- amazing reader, smart at math, perfect speller

he is a good brother- he LOVES his baby sister, is sweet to Carter and Addie
and gets along with Jake really well (for the most part)

he is a gentleman- he always offers to take my purse or open the door for me

he has a testimony- he is shy, so doesn't share often- but he has a testimony of
the Savior and the gospel, he listens when we teach and he wants to choose the right

he is funny- he makes us laugh all the time

he is athletic- he plays soccer and baseball and is good at both! He loves to
ride his bike and scooter and is getting really good at both of them!

he is my oldest- I have a special place in my heart for this green eyed, tan boy.
We tried so hard for him- appts, drugs, prayers, blessings, fasting.
You name it- we did it.
We wanted him more than anything in the world.

And we finally got him...
and I am thankful for that every, single day.

Christmas '10

Better late than never, right??

Our first Christmas with 5 kids! It was awesome and crazy and loud... and fun! So many great memories! I will let the pictures do the talking.

We started off by decorating our Christmas tree- they all are such big helpers!
To finish off the crazy school week and class parties- Addison had a little celebration at Tiny Tots. They always do such a cute job- and she's always so excited to be on stage and see us out there, cheering her on!

Next on the agenda, was Addison's dance recital- a highly anticipated event. The night before was our ward Christmas party. My parents came out to attend the party with us and then go to Addie's recital the next morning. My poor mama ended up getting sick in the night- and couldn't get out of bed the next day to go to the recital. I felt so bad for her! We had a good time though and Addie was so cute.(That's a pretty hot Santa! Does that make me Mrs. Clause??)


I love this picture of the boys- all there to support their sister! They even brought flowers. They were actually totally into it and love watching!
Addie and Grandpa

The kids, all dressed up in their Christmas Sunday best. Love those little faces.

One thing we always like to do, is visit the residents at Aaron's facility. I think it is so good for the kids- we go there quite often and the kids have gotten a lot better about talking to the residents and not being shy or afraid. This year they worked SO hard, making over 50 little crafts to hand out. The made christmas trees out of pinecones, little nativity sets and Frosty ornaments with thermometers. (thank you Oriental Trading!) They were so excited to walk around and hand out g their handmade gifts and tell everyone Merry Christmas.
Finally- the 24th arrived! We did our "usual" routine... just a little earlier this year, because we went to my parents for dinner. At my parents house we had a yummy dinner of clam chowder and salad. Then the kids acted out the whole nativity scene- it was so cute! And of course- opened gifts! Earlier in the day the kids were busy... they squirted the roof off- to make it clean for Santa and his reindeer, then they cleaned out the chimney and later that night- they prepared a yummy snack for Santa (cookies and milk) and lots of yummy treats for the reindeer. Then they all had a sleep over in Carters room on the floor. That boy likes his sleep- so at first he wasn't really happy about that idea- he wanted them to go in another room, but he got over it and was fine.

The next morning came all too quickly! Actually the kids slept until after 7- which isn't too bad- I know it could be a lot worse! We put an alarm on their door so we know that no one sneaks out at night to peak- so around 7- we heard them knocking - ready to go. I always take pictures of everything all set up.

Tyler and Jake
bikes, new lego's, tech decks and ramps, remote control helicopters and little handheld things that text
Addie
Leapster, pink case, Dora game, pillow pet, baby doll
Avery
stuffed giraffe, play keys and Sophie (teething toy)
Carter
pillow pet, Buzz doll, race track, monster truck, puzzle


Every year, I am so shocked that after all the many hours of preparation- the actual morning goes by so FAST!! It's so fun- but I'm afraid if I blink- I will miss something! We let the kids do the Santa toys first, then the wrapped gifts, then we have breakfast (Grammy's cinnamon rolls, egg casserole) and last, stockings.


Christmas sure is magical with little ones to enjoy it with! It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

Fall Fun

Daddy decided to rake leaves in the yard... that's all the prompting the kids needed to go outside and have some fun. I love that a pile of leaves will entertain my kids- good ol' fashioned fun.

And while the big kids were out frolicking in the leaves... this sweet baby was smiling away inside while mama made dinner. What did we do without her? She is perfection.

How can this not be the very best season of the year?
I love FALL!!