Holy Crap! The Twinks Went to Kindergarten!!!

This was Kennedy just as I was leaving after giving me another hug. I think I got six total.


This was what Riley was able to muster when I told her I needed one more smile before I left.

I cannot for the life of me figure out how my twins got old enough for school. I mean, don't get me wrong. It is about time! But how did it happen? It was only yesterday I was being rushed into an emergency c-section eight weeks early. I was just holding their little tiny bodies in my hands. Kennedy was only 3 lbs. 8 Oz. and Riley only 4 lbs. 3 Oz. They were so small! I could not believe I had just given birth to two little ones.

From the start, they were so different. Complete opposites in every way imaginable, but the fiercest friends possible. James gave them blessings last night and they were both so excited. They picked out what they were going to wear and laid it out next to their backpacks. This morning, Riley was pretty sure she didn't think school was such a good idea anymore. Kennedy could not get me out the door fast enough! As you can see in the pictures, Kennedy was fine, Riley was not.

Life moves so quickly! I know it won't be any time at all before little Cameron is leaving me, too. We are going to be great little buddies for the next three years. He is my shopping partner now. I can actually get a few things done around the house now. What a feeling it is to be down from seven to one for three hours a day. Holy Crap! the twins are at school!

Morgan turns twelve!

Last night, Walker was holding Cameron and put him right to sleep. He loves cuddling with his big brothers. It seems that Walker has a special way with him because even when I can't calm him down, Walker seems to be able to. I am so grateful for kids who love each other and want to be there for one another. Even though Walker and Morgan fight constantly and act like they hate each other, Walker was so worried about Morgan finding her way through the Jr. High and getting to her classes on time. He walked her to class the first few days and met her to get on the bus together. He would never admit it,nor would she, but they needed each other and they came through.


Here is Morgan at her birthday party. We had a family one for her on Sunday as we usually do. She actually had a sleepover on Friday with four of her good friends. We took them to the show and had pizza for dinner. It was actually quite enjoyable even though we were at the movies with five crazy tweens! She had a blast and was extra excited for this birthday, because she got her cell phone, mascara and lip gloss. These are all important rights of passage in our family. Last, but not least, she got to go into the Young Women's class at church. Hooray for being twelve!!!

On Saturday, our Stake had a Daddy Daughter Dinner Date. Here are some pictures of James and the two older girls right before they left for their outing. They all looked so cute and had a great time at their Luau. I love it when James gets a chance to go out with the kids. He is so busy with work it gets easy to forget to play with the kids.

Tid-Bits

This guy doesn't seem to enjoy the whole "picture taking" thing these days , so you have to catch him unaware. Thanks Holly!



Cameron wanted me to put this hat on him. He kept yelling "hat, hat!" So, I put it on him and he was so happy about, I left it on even though it made him look like a girl.



I just love this face! She is such a grinner! Makes me laugh no matter my mood!




Kennedy kills me. Constantly dancing and posing. She actually never stops talking! I can hardly wait to see how she does in kindergarten next week!




Here is the official picture if the new "do". She is so lovely and exotic. I kinda want to cut my hair again. I wouldn't look quite that good though, so I probably won't.

Just a few pics of my babies. Note to self: Make the rest of the kids take pictures soon.

Teen Anguish repaired...a bit!

So, I think we all have a moment(or in my case many more) in our adolescence that we feel stupid about.An embarrassing moment, that forever, no matter how we turned out, makes us feel very insignificant and a bit of a loser. Here is one of the biggest. I am late for class. I am running full speed through the halls of Schimelpfenig Middle School in Plano, Texas. Suddenly, my brand new pair of Keds caught on the red carpet and sent me flying through the air. I landed with a thud flat on my face. The first thing that ran through my mind was," Oh, good everyone else is in class. No one saw me." Then I hear a voice from behind."Nice one, Milton!" Oh my Gosh!!! Who is that? They know me, they said my name! Crap! I get up to see Mike. So cute, really popular, shocked he knew my name, and probably the worst person to have witness my flight. Nice.

Today, that memory came flooding back when I found (on, you guessed it, Face Book) the witness to that moment. I didn't think he even remembered me. I thought I was a total loser. Curly hair, huge glasses, you can picture it. Some of you HAVE a picture of it! So, I reminded him of that moment, and although he never said he remembered that particular time, what he said wiped out all the embarrassment of it. He thought I had the most perfect lips he had ever seen and he had always wanted to kiss them! WHAT! Somebody actually noticed me. I can only say I am so flattered and it makes me feel so good.

It is amazing how we can hold on to our insecurities and they all come flooding back now and again. Sometimes, looking at the lives of others, we can feel that we just don't "add up" to what we should have become. As a mother of seven, I can get to feeling down about my weight and never having gone to college. I am not saving the world. I have done very little traveling. There are a million things I want to do some day. I used to be a pretty good writer. etc...
I made the right decisions for me. I am happy with them, but some days, I just wonder what things night have been like if I made other decisions.

It is the little things that make me happy! The compliment I received today really lifted me up. Thanks, Mike!

I so probably shouldn't post this entry, but it is me. It is what I am feeling. I am human. We all are. Now you have a little more black mail info on me. It is what it is.

First Day of Jr. High!

Well, the day has come for my second born. She is a Jr. High student! She has a cell phone! She is turning TWELVE in one week! How did this happen? Really.

It was just yesterday that we brought this little six pound baby home form the hospital with a hole in her face. We were scared to death, and we never thought we would make it through the first year of her life, let alone the first twelve! Surgery after surgery, tears and enormous fears. Now look at her. We are here at a new chapter in her life and I cannot believe these years have passed so quickly!

She was so nervous and excited. She couldn't fall asleep last night. She needed a lot of reassurance from her Dad and me. When I dropped her off at the front of the school to meet her friends, that was it, I was no longer needed. That's OK, though. I had six others waiting at home for me. :)

My Buddy

My little Cameron is always in my bed. He starts out in his, but at some point in the night we end up with a buddy. The other morning when James got up to go to work, he spotted this perfect picture opportunity and had to take it. I just love baby feet! So sweet and soft. So not stinky:) I keep coming back to this picture and find that it touches me. My last little baby, my last cuddle bug.

Nicholas' Baptism

Today was the the big day. Our Nicky turned eight and was baptized! It was a wonderful day. We had a bunch of family over for the baptism and then afterwards at our house for brunch. The kids were all so good at the church. You could really feel Heavenly Father with us. Even little Kennedy was overwhelmed with emotion. She started to just bawl during his confirmation. When I got her calmed down and asked her why she was crying, she said she didn't know why or how to explain it. So cute!

After the church, we all came back to our home for brunch. It was very yummy! Everyone brought such wonderful fruit and pastries to share, and we all ate entirely too much. We sat and talked for hours. It was so nice to just be with our family and enjoy catching up and laughing together. I love family. I think my favorite thing is having a good excuse to get together. It is otherwise so hard to schedule time to get everyone at the same place. Too many schedules colliding, too much work, too much stress, too much interference with family.

I am so pleased with my little Nicky. He has always been a very special baby, but I am forever impressed with his desire top do what is right. He wants to be a good kid. Bad things upset him, they do not intrigue him. He and Walker alike are very good "Jimminy Crickets" for the rest of the family. They are constantly reminding us of the things we need to fix. Nicky has been begging us for months to get back to our family scripture reading. He is the one reminding me that we need to be doing Family Home Evening. What a good example my sweet boy is to us! I love him so much and I am so grateful to my Father in Heaven for allowing me to be his earthly Mama.

California, here we come!

Little Eli, my nephew. This was the first time we met him!


Cam swimming all by himself in Great- Grandma Frankie's pool!

Mama and Cam on his first plane ride!

Cameron in the airport, havin' a coke. I am such a good mom!

Cam swimming with Grandpa.

Little cousin Noah, having his lunch.

Cam and Grandpa having a snooze.

Cameron and I went to California last weekend all by ourselves to visit Great-Grandma and my brother's family. We had a great time swimming and chatting. It was so good to have some "down time" .

Cameron did so well on the plane. He got freaked out on take off and grabbed hold of my neck super tight! After about ten minutes he was out and slept the whole way there!

We went to dinner at the Mission Inn in Riverside that first night. It was one of the best Mexican dinners I have ever had! After that, we had a private tour of the St. Francis Chapel, where my Grandparents were married in 1941! That was very special and emotional as my Grandpa passed away 5 years ago.

The rest of the time was spent around the pool like when we were kids. Swimming and playing croquet, having long meals and for some, naps. It was wonderful!

On the way to the airport to go home, we stopped and had lunch at a great Chinese place and then had a doughnut at my Grandma's favorite doughnut shop. What a weekend!

Cameron had a ball playing with his cousins, and it was so good to see my brother, Critter. He lives in the San Francisco area, and we rarely see each other.

I am so thankful I was able to go! As soon as I get the pictures that everyone else took, I will post some more.

Our Little Fish!

We have really been enjoying the pool this summer. It has been great to get out and relax in the pool and shut out our worries for a little while. The best part of it for me, is that the bigger kids are old enough to help out with the younger ones and I really am not at all worried about their safety. Everybody knows their limits and respects them. We have had no incidents as of yet, and all of the kids are getting to be stronger swimmers all the time. Even little Cameron thinks he is a fish and is learning quite well what to do in the water. He loves the freedom of the water! And he loves his big brother splashing around with him!

Suburban "0" Concrete pole "1"

So, I had a bit of an accident. It was completely not my fault. It turns out that all those "stories" you hear about signs and poles and other stationary objects jumping out in front of you are true.
No joke! You just would have had to be there!:)

We aren't sure yet if we will be able to get it fixed or if the insurance company will decide to total it. What can you do? Note to Self: Next time buy GAP insurance!

Walker"s Court of Honor

Nicholas blow fish?


Goofy-eyed Mo

So much has happened in the last six weeks or so since I last blogged! We have been very busy beavers! I can only really remember what has transpired by going back and looking at our pictures, so it is a good thing we bring the camera along to most events! Back on July 1, Walker was advanced to the rank of a First Class Scout at his Court of Honor. He was so cute and happy about it! I am really pleased to see him getting back into scouting after a brief pause due to our move and deciding what troop to be a part of. Our ward has only Walker in the scouting age, so he decided to join his grandparents ward up on the bench with a few more his age. It has turned out to be a very positive move! You can see from the first two pictures that Nicholas and Morgan were trying very hard to listen and participate in the program that evening. It is moments like these that really fulfill you as a parent!:)