a few more

all my sisters ...and crazy Ama in the back and little Tal sneaking in the front :) Mom and Dad Tate with Mimi and Grandpa

What a blessing family is.

the wedding

Michael and JaNee got married at Red Butte Park. It was beautiful and the weather was perfect, sunny and nice but not at all hot. They had a cake table which I thought was so fun.
Tate kept busy during the ceremony :)
My newest sister, JaNee
The Babies, Tal, Reggie, Tate and Joneaux
Our family.
Grandpa and Tatum.
All my siblings and their spouses. Jose and Emily, Alec and Kelly, Val and Ryan, Anna and Amadeo, Michael and JaNee, Me and Big, and Andrea and Yoho.
All the men.
Mackenzie and Joneaux

It was really fun to see some old friends that I haven't seen in a long time and to see all the babies and my sibs!

wedding morning

The menfolk all met up to go shooting.

Meanwhile the sisters met and went for pedicures and shopping. I got the cutest shoes! We went for lunch at Zuppas and it was delish, I had the best salad ever, blueberry vermont maple heavenlyness and the Thai lobster curry. I could eat that every day!

Good morning

Me and Papa and almost all my sisters!

At the rehersal dinner Tate and I went out to pet the horses.

Stop 3

Stop #2

Its so nice to be in civilization again! Diet strawberry limeade and cheddar peppers.:) Sweet!

stop #1

Made it safely to SLC. Our first stop was the temple for a couple hours. It was peaceful and sweet.

trip

getting ready to go somewhere is kind of a pain in the neck. I have to do essential to travel chores like sweeping the laundry room, washing every item of clothing we have and emptying all the trashcans in the house. I like to leave it neat and clean, just in case. Big and I are going to Utah tomorrow for Michael and JaNee's wedding. I am looking forward to seeing everyone. I wish I could take the kids. We haven't seen my parents in 3 years, and this will be the first time in I don't know how long that everyone will be together. Mom and Dad, all my brothers and sisters and their husbands and wives and all their children. My 5 will be the only ones missing, which makes me sad :( We just could not fly 7 people across the country and it was the wrong time of year to drive. We could barely fly the 2 of us. $$$ cha ching. Tonight at bedtime I gave extra long hugs and kisses, snuggled in extra close and agreed to "one more story" one more time than usual. Being away from the babies for any days is always hard. I miss them. I am very grateful that Colleen is so sweet and willing to keep them and that our kids get along well. I know they will be safe and well taken care of. In other news, Emily and Jose are expecting a baby boy in July. This will be cousin #15! Jenna had her orchestra competition tonight and they did really well and got the good news that they are going to state. She is very excited. Lu's class chicks are peeping and rocking and we are expecting hatching soon :) That's it. Wish us safe travels, and to find all well when we return.

the groundhog lied

It's almost April, yet we had the unexpected surprise of a snowy Sunday morning.

We had a lovely Sabbath morning. The testimonies were sweet and strong, the songs were uplifting and the fellowship heartwarming.

Lu has a friend over, E is on the wii, H is reading and S and J are still at church. It's going to be a nice afternoon too.

#8

First game of the spring season, looks a lot like the last game of the winter season (last week) but outside :)

The boys really hustled and they did awesome!

We spent a lot of time outside today watching sports and playing at the playground.

Park fun, again

lacrosse

Lu started "chicklettes" lacrosse today.

cutest thing ever:)

Playing at the playground. Hannah is at her first ever soccer practice. She is one of two girls on the team and has no experience. This should be interesting.

luau

It's 33 degrees out right now with an expected high of 45. It is luau day. I am happy to dress up but I will not freeze my feet.

look who can ride her bike!

She's been working on it and has the bruises and scratches to prove it but now she can ride up and down and all around. She's a zippy bike rider!

All the trees are blooming and beautiful, I guess that means spring is on the way, although it's still too cold out for my liking. Everywhere you look there are blossoms of pink and white, lining the streets and in the fields and church yards and schools and every where. Across the street from my school is an old church with the most delightful garden all around it. It looks so "churchy" and the cheery blossoms are just drooping the branches they are so heavy. My favorite tree is by the funeral home in front of the hospital. It has enormous pink flowers all over it. I don't know what it is but I want one! Gorgeous!

Last night was our youth temple trip. It was really nice. We had 33 young people and all their "old" leaders. We got there a bit early and got to spend some time in the visitors center, there is a new art display there that is very nice. Then we walked over and did our work. It is calm and peaceful and wonderful there. We got home late, and I wanted to sleep in this morning but other than that it was a good trip :)

Looking forward to a crazy weekend and then next week a trip to see mi familia! Yeah!!

Fancy Nancy

This fancy girl went to school today very excited to check on her chicken eggs. They are doing well.

We started out with a stormy morning but it ended nice and the boy is out playing ball with friends, and Lu is out adding to her scratch collection with Big.

I paid some bills today:(

We are having leftovers for dinner. Last night we had the missionaries and the Nelsons over for dinner and we have some left. We had a nice evening. Brother Nelson is a test pilot and he talked airplanes a little with our boy, admired his telescope and brought him a key chain with an x-35 joy stick on it. Pilots at our house are like rock stars elsewhere so it was a pretty cool night.

cool treats

Is this an awesome ice cream truck or what? It made me want to get a little jar and stick some dollars in it so next time we can run out and get a refreshing treat while listening to reggae music!

We had no dollars, but we did have Popsicles in the freezer that tasted just as good (at a fraction of the cost)

catch up

Catching up. Life is too busy.
Monday night we had our pi party. The whole family was looking forward to it. Big and little made a fun game where they had different significant pi equations on paper plates, and what they meant on other plates and you had to match them up. We made a poster of fun pie facts, like did you know that Mark Twain's fav pie is/was huckleberry pie? A pie chart where everyone could indicate their favorite pie (chocolate won in our sample but in the US apple is the #1) and we had a pi recitation contest, which E won with his stunning 36 digits out. Now he knows 50 something (he's going for 100). Lots of friends came over and we ate and played and visited. A perfect evening.

Wednesday we had a fun YW night. I was looking forward to it. I told the girls about my love of literature and how I always relate to different characters in the books. When I was their age always related to the heroine, now I often relate to the mother in the book. My girls will tell you I am like Mrs Darcy (so not;) ) but the mother I told about is Mrs Pig, of the 3 little pigs. She taught her little piglets well and all they needed to know to make their way in the world. Then when they grew up they moved out of the house (and off to BYU) and were on their own. They each had to make their own choices. I had three volunteers go to the board and we talked about some of the choices you make in life and what might be a "straw" choice, a "wood" choice and a "brick" choice. After a while of that I told them that while all the houses looked nice and were holding up for now when the Big Bad Wolf (Satan) came by to tempt them some of the houses would stand strong and others would fall down.
After that I gave them each a brick to paint with whatever inspirational thoughts they wanted that would help them build a strong foundation.

Thursday was St Patty's day. We wore green. I had a YW/AP round table meeting in the evening. I was very grateful because Lu was invited to go to Emily's house after school and to stay for playing and dinner . She hates when I am gone but this was such a fun treat for her that she didn't mind.

Friday was sunny and pretty out. We went to the park.

Today we had a stake women's conference. I wasn't going to go because Saturday time is precious and chores are many. I am glad I decided to go. Amy, Laura, Johnna and I drove up together and it was a lot of fun visiting with them. The workshops were wonderful and the messages were uplifting and positive. Meanwhile Big got the first sunburn of the season as he spent the day with the children outside digging up the ground for our garden, sealing the deck and helping Lu bike.

Little Lu is excited, they got an incubator with 20 chicken eggs in their classroom. They are looking forward to hatching them and seeing how cute they are. She's also been working on riding her bike, which resulted in 2 bloody knees and a scrapped hand today, but she is getting better.

We got E's STEM application done and turned in, now we have to wait to hear the news.

J's phone broke.

H is got to spend all day Saturday playing at her friend Susan's house.

E had a soccer game this morning where he made two goals.

an essay

Things we like about day light savings time, by Hannah and Mommy













The End

ready for pi day

two apple, one pumpkin, two razzleberry, one cherry, one blueberry. Three for J to take to school, one for Big to take to work, three for the family.

Is this the stinkin cutest little family evah? or what?!! My sister Anna and Amadeo and baby Joneaux. Can't wait to see them in a couple of weeks!!

Went to church, went to cub committee meeting, went to an adult fireside, baked pies for pi day, made soup and corn bread for dinner. That was my day.

tagged

I was tagged by my friend Debby in this four by four meme that revels some little facts about me. It will be great fun getting to know my blogging buddies better! So check at the bottom and if your name is listed copy and paste this list onto your blog and insert your information in the four categories below.

1st ~four places I go

church
school
the playground
to bed :)


2nd~ four favorite smells

Princess by Vera Wang
new babies
baking
oranges


3rd~ four favorite TV shows or movies

Survivor
Iron Chef
Throwdown
house hunters international


4th~four recommendations

smile more
don't sweat the small stuff
read the scriptures every day
a little chocolate brightens any day

Tag: Caroline, Val, Marcia, Dani

littlest helpers

While everyone was working this morning E and Lu were partners and they were to go upstairs and make their beds and pick up their toys. They were happily occupied for a long time. I knew that was a problem but decided to not investigate.

When I finally went up I found them building forts and tunnels in the linen closet. They had a great time.

Big and I got to refold everything after they were done. The after picture is above.

Well, at least the closet is all organized now :)

no such thing as a bad Saturday

We had a good day. This morning we woke up and had family cleaning hour, that lasted all morning but we got a lot done. H and Big worked outside. The rest of us worked inside. When they were done they came in a helped inside too.
When we were done we had some lunch and then Big and Little went biking, H went off to play with her friend Ally and Lu and I went to shopping. First we had a stop at Target. We got, among other things, some spring colored chalk and play-dough. Very fun. Then we had to get some new shoes for little miss. She's been growing a lot and her shoes were all pinching her toes. She was extremely excited because the shoes she picked came with a pink bouncy ball. Ahh, the joys of being six. Then we went to Giant for groceries.
Meanwhile the others had headed to the drill hall for some racquetball and after Lu and I put away the groceries we met them on base for a free showing of "Gulliver's Travels". It was funny and very silly and I was glad it was free, but the popcorn was good :)
We topped off the night with a trip to CiCi's pizza.

date night

Sitting at the Front porch enjoying a date I almost didn't go on. Big really likes and needs to go on dates. I like them too but need them less often and need to be home more. I really wanted to do chores tonight. However I have to say we had a lovely evening. it's so cute there and the food is good.

I am looking forward to a weekend without too many plans.

Update: this was my first try at mobile blogging from my new BFF, my little droid2. It was a little cumbersome but fun.

For homework this month Lu had to build a leprechaun trap. It's due tomorrow. I have been putting it off. She and E have been coming up with many great plans but explosives and lasers and multi layer structures are all out of my ability level, and out of the expectations of the Kindergarten teachers :) Today I could not put it off any more and went to Michael's on the way home from work. I bought green paint, glitter and some jewels. When I got home Lu was waiting, apron on, at the kitchen table. We got a shoe box and she painted it green, then glittered it. While it was drying we went down to the basement and sewed a little bag and leprechaun legs. We stuffed the legs and stuck them in the bag upside down (like he had been caught in the bag) and then used yarn to hang him in our trap. Lu painted a tiny pot with glitter and filled it with jewels, we also spread jewels around the box. All that went under the leprechaun. Done. She was happy, it only took a couple hours and although we had to throw away the table cloth because it got so much glue and paint on it that was okay, it was made of plastic and someone had already "accidentally" cut it.

It's raining today. Pouring actually. Tonight J and I went to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription and we could hear the bugs chirping out in the woods, through the rain. It was super loud, I guess the weather is warming up and spring is on the way!

I am behind on laundry.

After work today we had an all hands meeting. The school board has approved their budget for next year. Basically they will have to eliminate 135ish jobs. Tenured teachers are no longer safe and there is a lot less money going to education. Our county used to spend 52% of it's budget on education, now it's down to less than 42%. This is criminal. At my school the kids are so low, so needy, so delayed that it takes tons of staff and resource people to support the kids in the classroom. They are on the low end, but really all kids need our resources. Our high kids need a curriculum and learning environment that allows them to excel, not one that tries to push them to the median. Our "average" kids need to be pushed and encouraged and helped to rise to their potential. To do better than they think they can.
What are we thinking?
We are getting a new jail, I guess we'd rather incarcerate then educate...and with the quality of education going down I am sure we will have more and more need for jails. Ridiculous

when in doubt charlie out

We are in the throes of MSA testing. I am an accommodator, which yesterday meant I spent 4 hours reading math questions out loud to kids who have that stipulated in their IEP. The only hard part was staying awake, wow, that was long and tedious.

Yesterday was fat Tuesday, I am not Catholic or Protestant but i do like pancakes so we had a pancake dinner. We did talk about the tradition of fat Tuesday and lent (which I looked up on line) and then we decided as a family to spend the weeks leading up to Easter studying the Saviors earthly ministry. It will be a good preparation for Easter, which is really the bedrock of Christianity. Christmas is wonderful and we love to remember with reverence the circumstance of the Lord's birth but Easter is the foundation of all that we hold dear, the greatest miracle of all. The fact that Jesus Christ died and then broke the bonds of death and was resurrected and opened that door for us so that we can all be resurrected and live with Him again is, for lack of a better word, miraculous. How grateful I am. I am looking forward to spending these next weeks walking, metaphorically, with my children through the days of his life and ministry.

Yesterday we had a warm afternoon. We spent the afternoon playing at the park. Jenna went for a run with Millie. It was delightful! Come on spring! we are ready for you :)

be obedi"ant"

Tate and Mimi like to Skype :)

I am loosing track of time, I don't know how 5 days passed without me being on the blog. Busy busy.

Wednesday night we had scouts and activity days and YW. Liz planned a fun personal progress night, we built puzzles and it was really fun.

Thursday I got called to the principal's office :( My responsibilities at work changed, I am now doing small reading groups for the lowest kids. I will miss my little class, although I still go in and help them with math in the afternoon. I am really debating about what to do next year. I am concerned about taking Lu to that school, also me working full time is stressful for the kids. They hate having me gone from home, except for Hannah who likes running arond the neighborhood in the afternoon with her friends and they all hate that we have to do all the house stuff and shopping when we are all home. I make very little money so I am not sure it is worth it. We'll have to really examine it and decide. For now I will stay until summer.

Friday Lu had Emily over to play, we went to the park, the day was nice. In the evening we went to Olive Garden for soup and salad. So yumm.

Saturday we had soccer practice at the drill hall, then ate breakfast at McD, then saw Big's plane fly, then went to BJ's, then the kids played in the neighborhod with friends while I cleaned. In the evening Big and I went on a date to hear the Cosmic Orchestra. Katelyn, one of my Beehives, was a soloist and she was amazing. The concert was lovely and we really enjoyed it.

Today I had ward council, church, BYC, then home to fix dinner, then in the evening we had a YW class presidency leadership meeting complete with a chocolate fountain . I had the training portion and did an "ant"theme. We talked about qualities of a good leader and how to apply them in our YW group. We talked about being dilig-ant, obedi-ant, assur-ant, and two more ants that I now can't remember. Then we divided into classes and had our class presidency meetings. We try to have one combined meeting every quarter and the other 2 months the classes meet after church and have a meeting. It was productive and we had a good time, the girls are awesome. We got a new secretary today. Kim is moving, she has been wonderful and competent and I am so glad to have served with her. Now we have Kori, and I am very excited to work with her. She is lovely and has a lot to offer the girls.

Finally now, 9pm, I have a moment to relax. We are going to watch "Chopped All Stars" in 3 minutes.

looking back

Here is my boy at 2 years old, in his future pilot shirt. What a fun little guy he was. He has been a delight since day one, still is...although at times he's getting a little big for his britches; he is generally a really nice, agreeable, delightful, noisy, on the go, full of plans, curious boy.

This little miss is leaving the nest in 4 months. She is a wonderful little fish, then and now. A hard hard worker, fun and full of life. She has a spark in her that is bright and wondrous! This picture was taken 10 years ago, seems like yesterday.

Sierra and Han enjoying some time in the water. Two more fish! What sweet girls.

I love looking through old pictures and reminiscing.

I am so glad it's March, so we can also look forward to warm weather and many more good times!

balm

Tonight after dinner Big took little and H to Best Buy. Last weekend little negotiated a trade. He wants the new Pokemon DS game, one of his friends gets an allowance. I am not sure all that happened but at the end of the day Grant traded his allowance, $38, to E for his Pokemon cards, one plastic coin and an old Ben10 game. This happened yesterday but we didn't let him spend it because we wanted to make sure it was fine with Grant's mom and dad. It is, so tonight they went off to get the game. J took Lucy upstairs to help her get ready for bed and read some stories and S was gone so I went to "clean the kitchen" by way of the computer. While I sat there I realized it was so quiet I could hear the heater blowing. It was so peaceful. I miss quiet. A lot. I wake up to an alarm (not quiet), wake up 3 children (not quiet) get them ready (really not quiet) and head out the door. That is my morning.
At school it is constant noise and little people needing something.
Before I got to my car in the parking lot after school my phone had already rang, it was Lu wanting to talk about her day, and wondering where I was and would I "stay with her until I got home". I did. (not quiet)
Walked in the house kids are home, homework, snacks, chatting, dinner fixing, dinner eating needed to get done. (not quiet) Bills, planning, laundry, etc. (not quiet)

My moment of quiet was a gift.

Today little M in my class called me over for some help, turns out she wanted a chat. I sat down by her and she said "Mrs. U, have you ever had your heart broken". I told her yes I had. She said she had too. At this point I thought it was going to be something about Justin Beiber, who's birthday is today and who's life is celebrated in our classroom by the children. He is a hero. Many girls were sad this morning that they don't live in CA so they can't go to his party. But instead she said, my mom broke my heart.
How?
She told me I can't live with her anymore. She was mad because I left my toys on the floor and she stepped on one so she said I had to live with my dad, and maybe she will come back after spring break.
I told her she probably didn't mean it, but it turns out she's been gone for a while :(
She cried, I hugged.

What is wrong with these people?? Seriously, not a day goes by that doesn't shock and upset me. These little babies deserve better.

I find myself turning more and more to the scriptures and prayer and hymns for peace. Life sure doesn't offer it. So many struggles and heartaches around. I can't even list it, all I can do is try to help, and pray.