Keeping it real

Remember how I'm trying to keep it real? Well, this is as real as it gets. Jim has officially moved out of the bedroom. He has a really soft, cushy air mattress in the loft. He waited as long as he possibly could to move out, but it is impossible to sleep when you have a pregnant wife that snores so loud. We have been married long enough and had enough kids to where it's just not that big of a deal. Even though, it makes me feel awful for him. I calculate that with 6 pregnancies, he's probably spent at least 3 years of our marriage sleeping on the couch. Poor guy! So, here's the conversation with the kids...

Kids: Hey Dad, how come you are sleeping on that air mattress?

Mom: 'Cause your mom snores like a lumberjack.

Dad: No, 'cause your mom snores like a lumberjack being attacked by a bear!

Ha, ha very funny.

Drumroll please....

Look at this face. It makes it all worth it.

Here lies...

Roxy

We enjoyed having you part of our family for a short time. Even though you were extremely aggressive and violent and we never really could get you out of your cage. Your biggest accomplishment in life was knocking up Yoda, our other hamster. We could've sworn you were a girl. Thank you for entertaining the kids by eating crackers and running in your wheel. You will be missed...by the kids.

We buried Roxy on the side yard. Each of the kids threw a scoop of dirt on him, and said their goodbyes. There were crocodile sized tears from Lincoln and Blake, and alot of questions about resurrection... "Can Roxy be resurrected to our family?" I know. Bless their little hearts.

Redrock with our Czech friends

A couple weeks ago, our Czech friends came to visit us. Jim served his mission in the Czech Republic and met this amazing family. We have kept in touch over the years, and they send Christmas gifts every year. They spoiled the kids with gifts this time. They have come to visit twice, now, and Jim & I were able to spend a week with them in Prague when Brooklyn was a baby. Anyway, the kids took the day off from school and we headed up to Redrock to look around. We had fun being tourists in our own town.

Diddy didn't like that.

The kids weren't really cooperating with the picture taking, but I got them to pose for one group shot. I didn't realize that I got a nice sharp picture of the rocks behind them. I promise I'm a better photographer than that. I just had to post it, cause I thought it was funny.

So, I haven't been posting much lately, 'cause there really hasn't been anything very exciting happening. I have decided that I am going to just start posting the everyday stuff. Even if it is boring for everyone else. This blog is a record of my little family, so we are just going to keep it real...

Youth Conference 2009

For Youth Conference last weekend, we had a game show night. We had 3 game shows, and each ward filmed a commercial to watch between the game shows. Jim & my dad built this amazing Hollywood Squares set for "Bishop Squares". It was 16 feet tall and a huge hit. We also played Family Feud, and Are you Smarter than a Beehive & Deacon. It was such a fun night, and Jim did such a great job as a host.

My mom & I found him this sweet purple tux in the old costume warehouse. It pays to have family in theatre. It was a busy week. I was pretty much Jim's slave all week. Not that I mind. Youth Conference is the one time of year when him being Stake YM President + me being YW President + 5 kids= chaos & madness. Until next year...

Now I remember

Today marks the beginning of my 2nd trimester. I am hoping to get some energy and motivation back, because I feel DRAINED. I have not had any morning sickness, so I guess I'm lucky. I have been able to hide the pregnancy pretty well until this past week. I find myself trying to suck in, and my pants are feeling snug. The last couple of days I have been exhausted & starving all the time. Jim thinks the baby hit a growth spurt. He's probably right. The kids are sooooo excited to have a baby brother, so I really hope it's a boy. If it's a girl, we will have to convert our loft into another bedroom, and try to squeeze another bathroom somewhere. But, it's a boy, right??? I am still in denial about having baby #6. Am I seriously pregnant? I can't believe I am doing this again...

Back to School

So I'm a little late with my back to school post. The past 2 weeks have flown by. The kids are loving school and their teachers. Yes, Blake's hair is a wreck for the first day of school, but notice the smile on her face.

Check out the crazy shoes.

Dylan's first day of preschool with Miss Heather. She was so excited, and she loves her class.

It makes me sad how big she is, and I can't picture her as a big sister.

Brooklyn's first day of Kindergarten with Mrs. Evans. She LOVES her class and ALL of her best friends are in her class with her. We lucked out. This is the last year I will have all the kids at the same school. Taylor is 5th, Blake is 4th, Lincoln is 2nd, and Brookie is Kinder. Next year Taylor starts Middle School and things will be crazy from then on. I feel like the days are flying by. I'm almost into my 2nd trimester already. Time just needs to slow down.