I just LOVE being a Mommy!!!

I have enjoyed my children very much over the last few days. Take it they have been sick but I think that is what has made me remember how important my job as a Mommy is. Norma has just been a doll. The things that she does. The grown-up words that come out of her little mouth. It makes my heart melt when she smiles. Just being a girl. I love having a daughter! I love my boys too, don't get me wrong. They make my heart leap with joy all the time. My job as a Mommy will always be a challenge but as long as I remember that the Lord has chosen me for these spirits here on earth, I can manage anything.

So I got a little carried away when I painted my nails this week and so I thought Norma would enjoy the fun. I had to take a picture of our cute matching toes.

Norma is the one who wanted one of her fingers next.

I just love this girl! Isn't she a doll!

Owie!!!

Nate is almost done with training with the UHP and up til this week is has mostly been classroom and paperwork. This last week though has been hands on. Monday and Tuesday he came home so beat up. They were just learning defensive training and they were not to nice. He is bruised from his ankles up to his eyes. Poor baby! :) Yesterday was the day he had to be Tasered and OCed (fancy word for pepper spray) He said that monday and tuesday were harder than yesterday. When he very first started and the prison over 4 years ago, he was sprayed and made to do an obstacle coarse. If any one knows how to get video from a vhs to dvd let me know and I will post the video from that. This time around it was much better. He was just sprayed lightly and not all over his eyes. He said it didn't even burn until he washed it off. That was in the morning. After lunch was when they all got Tasered. He has been Tasered before. When the transportation officer was killed at the U of U they all were required to carry a Taser. So they all have to be Tasered. There fore the title of this post. He told me he only said one word. It wasn't a swear word even. No, it was just Owie! Over and over again. He really wants to see the video to see how fast he was saying it. I still can't stop laughing over it. I hope he get teased like crazy! I think it is a little werid that in order for them to carry a Taser and the OC spray they must know what it feels like to be shot with them but not a gun? :) Just a topic of conversation we have fun talking about. :) I am grateful for knowing that he has just a few different options when it comes to keeping himself safe. Just knowing that he is coming home to me is really all I care about. Please Heavenly Father, keep him safe.

Dentist Appointments,

Okay so I really should not be saying this but it has been 2 years since I took my kids to see a dentist. I know, I know, I'm a terrible mother but you have to understand my phobia of the dentist. I HATE the dentist!
So to get back to the kids. I actually took Tucker last week. He was so good. Just laid there and watched the t.v. the whole time. But my baby has a mouth full of cavities. No joke. A mouth full. One of his teeth he will have to have a baby root canal done on it. So sad! (Another terrible mother moment:( ) But he doesn't have to have that done til after his birthday.
Today was the day that I took both Thadd and Norma. No small task, so I brought my mother with me. Thanks Mom! But there really was no need. Thadd did so awesome! Now if you know my Thadd man you know he is very shy. To the point of being very rude, shy. So of course he didn't say a word to the dentist. The dentist told me that when kids are like that they usually don't let him in their mouth at all but Thadd did everything he asked. He opened his mouth bigger and smiled for him and he even let him take care of one tiny cavity that he had. He was so awesome! Didn't want to do it with out me in there and I think it was harder on me than anything. They just gave him a little laughing gas and it was over like that. I nearly drew blood in my own lip when I heard the drill though. I repeat, I HATE the dentist!
Norma of course was so good. She walked right in and shook the dentists hand. Let him look in her mouth and even did well while they cleaned them. To say the least my kids desevre medals. I still don't do that well at the dentist. So as a reward, when we stopped to get flowers for Grandmas grave, I let them pick out candy of course. :) My children have inspired me to be better about the dentist. They all are so awesome!

We just can't get enough!

Today we headed outside again. Only this time Daddy came with us and brought out the four-wheeler too. Norma is just loving to be outside sledding! I think she is going to be my one to grow up and try anything. Oh No!
Nate hooked up the two sleds to the four-wheeler and pulled two kids at a time. They had a blast! Norma went more times than I can count! Anytime she fell off she would get up and run after her Dad, "Dad, I fell off!", then climb back on, "Okay, Go!" I think she would sled all day and night if someone was out there to help her get the sled to the top again and again for her.
While Nate was doing rides, I was trying to hold my own in a snowball fight. I think I lost but we sure had a lot of fun! What a way to spend a Saturday with Dad. Not only do the kids get to have lots of fun but Daddy gets to have fun too!

Backyard Play!

We love our backyard! It is just perfect for the kids to go out and play in the snow! The hill is perfect for sledding and we have so much snow it is just fun! Tucker and Thadd were taking turns with one sled and Eric and Norma were sharing the other one. At one point Eric said to me, "I got an idea! We can take turns, Me, Me, Norma!" I told him it didn't quite work that way. He always says the funniest things! Norma enjoyed eating the snow a little more than just playing in it. She does love sledding though! When the sledding slowed down I went and got them all the snow ball thrower that Nana and Papa gave us all for Christmas. It was so much fun to watch the three boys standing in a triangle and just laughing and having so much fun! We love the snow! They could have played all night! Just like at the cabin only much, much smaller. We will be sledding till you see dirt again I'm sure.

More to the cabin than just sledding.

Diane has been such a blessing. It is so nice to see Glade happy and she is so good with all of our kids. My children can be a little demanding and she just went with it. She stole Norma's heart when she agreed to read to her.

Games are a must at the cabin and there was a new puzzle game that Thadd had a blast figuring out.


We totally cheated and brought up movies for the kids to the cabin to help with the settling down to go to bed. It worked like a charm. All the kids got along so well. It was wonderful!
It was wonderful getting to know the new family and I hope that we will be able to do lots of things together. The kids and the grown-ups. I really had a lot of fun getting to know everyone and I'm glad that things have worked out the way they have.

A day of sledding!

We have been looking forward to meeting Diana and all of her grandkids. It was so awesome to have all the kids get along as well as they did and the adults too! We just couldn't wait to go sledding and we woke up to rain! Can you believe it! It had been snowing so pretty and then out of no where, rain! So we waited most of the morning til it let up a little and heading out. Eric and Tucker ran the show. They were awesome going up and down as many times as they could. Most of the time the kids didn't want to wait for the snowmobile to bring them back up to the top. I don't think my kids will be satified with sledding in our backyard any more.

The cabin!

We just love the cabin! It was so nice this year to have the boys be old enough that we could bundle them up and send them out. It was snowing and beautiful! It is so relaxing to be there and watch the kids having fun. The boys played so well together on this trip. So did the girls for that matter. Aubrey had brought a new game and Norma loved playing with her.







Dance on red! Sing on green! Wiggle on blue! Norma even got Nate to play once.

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

We rang in the new year arriving at the cabin. It had stated to snow as we got there and we were all so cold. Nate had taken the boys up on the snowmobile and had left the sled for me to fill up. Norma was just waking up and she isn't always the happiest when she gets woken up. So we tried to get the three of us up at the same time and as we turned to head up the hill the snowmobile tipped over. I just kind of laid there thinking oh well till Nate yelled to help him push. Some how in the falling over, Norma ended up Under the machine. It was very scaring for the first few minutes making sure she was okay. Still makes my heart hurt when I think about what could have happened. All she got was a hurt nose. Heather made it all better with band aids though.