Diddy did it

Diddy broke the toilet. After 20 minutes of plunging I asked her what she flushed down there. She said,"Ariel & Belle." Well, there you go. How in the world do I get Ariel and Belle out of the toilet???

Guilty, part 2

Yes, I let my child go to school looking like that today. Yes, I know she looks like a homeless person. Remember my resolution about letting things go? Well, this is one of them. Our home is a much happier place when Blake gets to wear what she wants and leave her hair down in a scraggly mess. Her teacher probably thinks that I shouldn't be having all these kids if I can't even keep them looking presentable. I have decided to let Blake do what she wants, and it has made our home that much more peaceful, and I get to start my day without having a fight with Blake.

Brooklyn was being a big grouch yesterday, so Jim put her up on top of the fridge until she would smile. She can hold a grudge & keep a mad face longer than any of our kids. I hate to admit that sometimes it's fun to tease her just to see how mad she will get.

Feeling guilty...sort of

I am the meanest mom ever. I made my kids ride their bikes to school this morning, even though they were begging me to drive them. It was freezing and windy outside. I bundled them up so tight with their beanies and gloves that they looked like they were going to play in the snow. And Lincoln complained the whole time that he looked fat in his big ole red ski jacket! He's a boy! What does he care? And Blake refuses to wear a heavy jacket because she's totally OCD, and so she freezes the whole way. Am I the worst mom, ever? I really couldn't drive them today, because I had to be somewhere early, but to be honest, I probably would've made them ride anyway...

Bling Bling

Brandon hooked us up this weekend! He got us a room at the Wynn Encore, and took us on a personal tour of his store. He manages the Wynn & Co. and the Rolex store in the Encore. I don't know how he isn't a nervous wreck being responsible for all of those diamonds!! I was nervous trying them all on! But it was alot of fun. I got to try on jewelry that costs several hundreds of thousands of dollars.

This was my favorite ring. I secretly want this ring, even though it is so huge I would never wear it. I love the color, though. It is a Mandarin Garnet, and I think Brandon said they are pretty rare.
Isn't that amazing!! I am not too interested in jewelry, but I really liked this ring.

This Rolex was $250K! They had some where the face was made out of meteor rock. I thought that was pretty cool since Jim & I have been obsessively watching all the Seasons of Smallville on DVD.
One of our favorite things is to just get away and stay at a hotel. Our room was soooo nice and we felt totally pampered. It was fun and a little bit shocking to see how "the other half" lives. I can't believe anyone would spend $250K on a watch. It's crazy to see what the "world" thinks is most valuable. It makes me grateful to know what I know. I hope I never lose sight of the big picture.

Wishing...

I was here... My mom took this picture of Hailey & Blake on their cruise. Doesn't it make you want to get away to paradise? 10 more months until we escape to Cancun for 3 weeks. I can't wait.

A few new accessories and a rock band

My mother-in-law, Colleen, is so crafty! Look at these cute bracelets she made! The top one was my Christmas present. She & her husband made everybody in the family a bracelet by hand. From scratch. Like, they start with a piece of wire and make all the circles and tumble and polish them.

I asked them if they would make charm bracelets for all of my Young Women for "New Beginnings". They made each of the girls a bracelet, and all of the leaders! She also said that she would trade it out for a Sterling Silver bracelet when they earn their medallions. They are so amazing!I got glasses. I have never had them before, and didn't realize how bad my eye-sight was until I put these babies on. I have always been a little freaked out driving at night, because it was a little blurry :), but the doctor said I had no business driving at all. Period. Ooops. I guess the world is a safer place now!

Blake made cookies yesterday! I had to take a picture because I thought it was so cute how they were all squished together on the pan. I love that the girls are not afraid to try their hand at baking. My little Betty Crockers.

You know you are doing something right when you walk in the room and your kids are rocking out to Bon Jovi!! Yeah! I guess one advantage to having alot of kids is there is always someone to play Rock Band with.

Tuckered Out!

This NEVER happens!! She is always so full of energy. That will tell you how busy we have been the last couple of weeks. When the kids noticed her asleep on the floor, they all just kinda hovered around her and watched her sleeping. It was so cute! I love that the kids are crazy about their baby sister.

I was rounding up the kids for FHE on Monday, and I found these 2 in the living room. Lincoln's favorite thing is to have his back scratched. Brooklyn was scratching his back with a Barbie brush.

Taylor and her friend Abby and cousin Britten decided they wanted to try out for the school talent show. They got together and made up a dance to a Jonas Bro's song. They decided that for the audition, they would wear side pony-tails!! So, here's Tate's side pony-tail.

"Uh, are you gonna eat those tots?"

After a lot of waiting on Brooklyn's part, her mom finally found a dance class that would fit into the already jam-packed schedule. She was so excited that it made me kinda sad that we didn't get her started earlier. She takes it very seriously, and follows her teacher's directions precisely. I am so proud of her. She is such a sweetheart!

Resolutions

As I have read so many blogs about New Year's resolutions, I have realized how completely flawed I am. I'm not putting myself down, either. It simply motivates me to be better. As a mother of 5 young children, I don't have much time to just sit and reflect. I can't even go to the bathroom in peace (you all know what I am talking about). So, I have decided to make a small list. Emphasis on small. If you don't expect too much, you aren't too disappointed when you fall short. Next year I will see how I did...

• Find balance between my family & my calling.
• Sacrifice more. There are things I can live without, which is why I will not be re-hiring my cleaning lady just yet.
• Study more. Not just read.
• Work less, play more. There is always something to be done. Life is too short to obsess over doing it all. Time to start letting some things go. But not too many things...
• Serve more. There are more important things and people...enough said.
• Eat healthier. I do not take care of myself. As for the Pepsi habit...maybe next year.
• Simplify. It doesn't always have to be a 3 course meal. They're not gonna like it anyway.

Oh, What a Night!

Saturday was my Dad's birthday, so we all went out to dinner and to see Brandon's show at the Suncoast. It was a blast! Brandon sounded AMAZING, and he claimed to have a cold but I don't believe him. He was soooooo good! It was a tribute to Frankie Vallie and the Four Season. The music was really fun to listen to, and Brandon showed off his sweet dance moves!

Here's the little table they crammed us into in the Showroom. It was so hilarious, after the show these two little old ladies swiped all our tickets off of the table because you could get a free cocktail with each ticket stub!

I love Robby's expression in this picture. Why you always gotta look like you're causing trouble, Robby!? We went to the Mexican restaurant at the Suncoast, then we saw the show. Then we stopped at Denny's for dessert with Carol and Robby. We all ended up ordering food, though! I felt so guilty later for eating so much that night! Oh well....
This is my new best friend for 2009. I gained a few pounds in December. I don't know what got into me. I think I ate more in December than I did in all of 2008! Too many pancakes. The kids & I have been obsessed with these...

Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes. These are the best pancakes I have ever tasted. I found the recipe online, and we cannot get enough of them!

Just a few pictures

We have had a pretty mellow track break. We haven't done anything too exciting, and the kids and I have been content to just hang out at home. I have spent ALOT of time cleaning up after these 5 little rugrats, and cooking 15 different meals a day...but soon they will all be back to school and I can restore some order to this place.

Last week Taylor, Dylan, and I did manage to venture out to Town Square while the other kids were at their cousins. I desperately needed make-up, and since I was down to 2 kids, I thought it would be a good time to make the trip. Not that I mind dragging 5 kids around wherever I go, but I wasn't in the mood for the "looks" and the "comments" from strangers. You know, the stares and the wide eyes and the "Wow! Are those all yours!"

Anyway, I took some fun pics at the playground. I'm sure you all know about the playground, there, but if you haven't been, it is amazing! Definitely worth the trip!

Diddy had a little melt-down because she couldn't go on the big kid's slide. She stopped crying when I told her she could go on it later. She accepted that answer and was fine the rest of the day.

I had to post this picture, because Dylan has been beating the crap out of all of us with these. It is hilarious. She runs up and yells, "Want a piece of me!! Huh, huh??" She is so funny.