What would you do?

So, today I had the pleasure of sitting on the phone and catching up with my dearest Utah friend right after the kids got home from school. My kids play very well together and are always really thrilled when all 4 of them are home to play whatever fun thing they come up with. I really was happy to just sit on the phone and loved every second of it. Great friends are really priceless.

Well, back to the picture above. All of the kids were coloring Christmas tree pictures in the dining room. (They love to color.) For reasons I am not quite sure of, Walker decided to color himself purple while I was enjoying that great phone call. When I asked him about it, he just said, "I just thought it would be cool to be all purple." (Well, not all purple. The palms and backs of his hands and belly button had green circles on them.)

Anyway, I didn't get upset. I just told him it's a good idea to not color our whole bodies purple and he said, "OK, I won't." Then, I scrubbed him clean in the shower. I was really grateful they were washable Crayola markers. I did ground my kids from markers for a few days till they remember how we should use them. (On paper, not on skin.) I was proud that I didn't freak out. Something about this pregnancy has really mellowed my reactions to kid "projects." Hmmmm.

Mouse Catching!!!!

Tonight as we were getting the kids ready for bed, I went into the bathroom upstairs to pee really quick while Abby was getting her jammies on. As I was sitting on the toilet, I heard a rustling sound coming from a large package of toilet paper sitting in the corner in front of me. Right at that moment, Abby came in to ask me a question (yes, I was still sitting on the toilet, I'm a Mom and privacy means nothing most of the time!), and I said, "Abby, I think there might be a mouse in there." I wiggled the package and sure enough this little beady-eyed gray mouse came running out of it terrified. I screamed and picked up my feet. It was feeling a little cornered because I was sitting there and Abby was standing in the bathroom doorway so it couldn't just run out the door, so it turned around and ran back around the perimeter of the bathroom behind the toilet that I was sitting on. Well, as this was happening, I quickly finished my business and stood up (and pulled my pants up of course) so that I could see where this mouse was going to escape to. All this time, I was trying to figure out how to trap it or kill it. I was doubting that I would be brave enough to handle the situation if it came up, but not wanting the darn thing to be loose in my house! I HATE mice. Each winter we usually get a few inside when the weather turns cold. Anyway, back to the story. As I looked behind the toilet I watched it scurry into one of Walker's dirty socks (yes, there is dirty laundry on my bathroom floor) and so I decided to grab the sock and hold the top of it shut tight and run as fast as I could to Mark. So imagine me, tearing through our house, down the stairs and to our back room all the while squealing and shaking the sock so that it wouldn't crawl up and touch my hand. I don't handle mice well, have I mentioned that? Anyway, when I finally could communicate to him that the sock I was holding in my hand had mouse in it he, like a knight in shining armor, came to my rescue and took it. The kids were quite excited and wanted to touch the sock to feel it wiggle and then we decided to put it in a tupperware dish with a lid so the kids could see it. Walker insisted that it needed a piece of cheese and I obliged only because there was a half slice on the counter from our grilled cheese dinner. So, now we have a fat mouse(apparently it was eating well in our house) in a dish in our kitchen awaiting it's fate when Mark is done reading the kids to sleep. Poor little thing. Just kidding, I am very proud of myself for catching a live mouse in a sock, even if it only was because I was in the right place at the right time. Too funny.

New Post Alert!!!

Today as I was baking cakes for the wedding cake I am making for tomorrow, I took some time to pay attention to my blog. Just a heads up, there are 2 new posts below. More will be coming soon.

Half Marathon Woman!!!

OK, I don't know about all of you, but I think this is far too many posts in a row about the Mom. My kids are way more interesting! Unfortunately, I have been terribly busy and have put off updating this in so long that I don't have any other choice but to put another post about me on here. Don't worry, though. Next will be the darling children of mine enjoying all things Halloween. Then, I think we'll be caught up as far as pictures go. So, here it goes.

I HATE running. I have always hated running. It hurts my body and I think other than run/walking a couple of 5k's in the last few years (that's 3.2 miles), I had not actually run a mile since I think 7th grade. I had convinced myself that I was not built to run and was ok with that. Then, last year, I read a talk from Sis. Elaine S. Dalton of the General Young Women's Presidency where she talks about running and how she started after she had 5 kids and I was very inspired. So, I wanted to try it. This was actually the race I first signed up for, and then as Amberly and I trained for it, the Adventure Race conversation came up and so we ended up doing that the week before.

I trained with Amberly, my really amazing friend who I wish I was more like. She's really pretty cool, and I'm just kind of nerdy. Anyway, she was fun to train with and we had fun doing long runs on Saturdays and then shorter runs at the Y during the week. One weekend we knew we needed to do a 10 mile run, so we did a race with the Terre Haute Road Runners Club. It was really funny. The majority of the runners were old enough to be my parents and they all beat me! The two of us came in last, and didn't mind a bit! Also, I was very nauseous at the time and we were running on country roads and there was road kill. I thought that running in the country here would be beautiful, but it just was stinky and made me want to barf!

Anyway, lucky for me, the weekend of the race I was 13 weeks pregnant and feeling like the morning sickness was behind me. Hallelujah! I was hoping for that. Amberly and I drove to Indianapolis bright and early to pick up our race packets and get ready and our husbands drove over a little later with our fan club (aka kids). The race started off great. We ran nonstop for the first about 5 miles and then my foot started killing me. It felt like I got a flat tire. I really think my left arch collapsed and that's what was causing all the pain. I was really disappointed, but didn't want to quit, so we decided to run hard for 5 minutes and then walk for 2 to give my foot a break. It seemed to work really well and we made it through the whole race. We got to see Mark and the kids at about the 5 mile mark and then they were at the finish line. It was the most amazing feeling to run that last tenth of a mile with the street lined with people. I was bawling and the sense of accomplishment was incredible!

It's kind of fun to rediscover just what I'm capable of and just how far I can push myself if I jsut believe. I think it's a good lesson to remember not only physically, but emotionally, mentally and spiritually. I did decide though, that I will not continue to let my running mileage match my number of weeks pregnant. 13 miles at 13 weeks was my maximum!

I've had to take a little break to let my foot heal, but this week I got on the treadmill and was running, and guess what? I actually really enjoy running now. Who knew?

NSAAR 2008

I was starting to get tired of the nice fish face picture of myself that has been gracing this blog for the last month, so I decided I should play a little catch up for my memory's sake.

October 11, 2008 I participated in the No Skirts Allowed Adventure Race for Women in Norman, IN. It was about a 2 hour drive to the Maumee Boy Scout Camp on Friday afternoon and then my teammates and I spent the evening getting registered and attending "clinics" on changing flat tires, reading topographical maps, using an orienteering compass, wearing a harness, etc. I was a part of a 3 women team and we called ourselves the Haute (hot) Mamas. I have always dreamed of doing this kind of thing, and luckily I have a great friend here that made it happen. Amberly is one of those people that doesn't just talk about someday doing things, she just does them. I love it. Our other friend Melissa was such a good sport and was very excited to be our "costume designer." We were quite the force to be reckoned with! With the help of family, friends and local businesses, we were able to get the entire event paid for as far as registration went and were even able to get the gear we needed. One local camper place loaned us a tent trailer to camp in Friday night! It was awesome.

The actual event began at 7 am Saturday morning when race maps were passed out. Part of the "adventure" of an adventure race is that you don't get to find out anything about the course or distances until an hour before the start of the race. Very cool! We looked over our first two maps (one for canoeing, and one for mountain biking) and decided which route to take. Basically in an adventure race, you're given topographical maps of the land for each section of the race with checkpoints marked and a clue sheet and passport with a space for each numbered checkpoint. Everybody begins and ends at the same time and the goal is to punch your passport at as many checkpoints as you can make it to. Each checkpoint has a distinct punch tool. You can choose to spend as much or as little time on each section of the race as you wish. There are also surprise events involved at random points during the race. Also, each checkpoint has a point value. Most are 1 point, some are 2 or 3 or more depending on their difficulty to reach or find.

We started off with Amberly blind folded while we jogged carrying 3 oars to the first checkpoint and then down to the water's edge to board our canoe. Once there, Amberly was allowed to remove the blindfold. Melissa's awesome husband Clint happens to have a helmet cam, so we took turns wearing it at different sections of the race. We did one lap around the perimeter of the lake to hit all 7 water checkpoints and then headed back to climb on our mountain bikes. Before heading out to hit any biking checkpoints, we stopped by our campsite to say hi to our kids and so that nursing babies could be fed. (We were in this for the experience, not the intense competition.) I don't know that any other team had anywhere close to the same experience! Anyway, after feeding babies, we were off for some fun riding. We hit I think 5 of the the 11 checkpoints and covered a little over 10 miles on gravel roads and mountain bike trails. I was the only one to crash as I came down a hill. My lower pedal hit a tree root and I wiped out. I was laughing until I remembered that since I was 11 weeks pregnant I should probably be a little more careful. Nothing serious though. At the end of the biking section, we each got to do a zip line which was pretty awesome. I wish I had somebody take a picture of me doing it, because I think I was quite graceful gliding across the ravine like a ballerina! Our husbands and kids actually came and found us at that point and Mark even brought me a really yummy ham sandwich to eat while I waited for the other girls to do the zip line.

After that, it was time to hit the TA (transition area) to ditch our bikes and start the final section on foot. Our kids joined us as we took off our helmets and shed more layers of because it was hot. They also enjoyed findind our stash of Gatorades and jelly bellies, gummy bears and other necessary "energy snacks." We had just under 2 hours left to navigate as many checkpoints as we could and try our skills with the orienteering and topographical map. We had fun. We did a couple of bonus checkpoints. One was a team work experience where we were given 4 cinder blocks and 3 1 by 4 inch boards. There was a circle about 6 feet in diameter drawn in the dirt, with an x drawn right in the center. The goal was to suspend 1 block over the x without anything else being inside the circle. We really rocked that one and finished in about 2 minutes! I think it just goes to show how good moms are at solving any problem that can come up! We got a couple of other checkpoints as we headed around to the far side of the lake for the second bonus checkpoint. We had to put on our leather gloves and walk backward down the side of a very steep cliff/hill about 150 feet and ring a bell at the bottom, then we had to climb back up the side while hanging onto a narrow 6 inch wide seaman's ladder with our hands. It was surprisingly easy and fun. The whole side of this cliff was very soft dirt so it was easy to plant your feet and dig them in to get traction.

We headed back to the finish line after a couple of more checkpoints and finished with about 5 minutes to spare.

It truly was an adventure! How often do three busy moms with 3 even busier husbands get to canoe, mountain bike, mountain climb, zipline and orienteer? And all in one really fun morning! We finished with I think 27 points, which we felt really great about considering our laid back attitude about the competition of the whole event. I think the winning team finished with 45 points. Amazing! Well, it gives us something to work towards, and maybe next time we can improve that 27 for a new personal best.

Definitely a fun experience and worth doing again. Thanks to good friends and a great husband for making it possible! Also, all of our sponsors were really appreciated!

Answer Time!!!

<The Mom photo by Abby Green

I know there are probably gazillions of people dying to know what the "right" answer really is (ha ha). So here it goes:

A-While going on strike sure seems tempting sometimes, it's a little ridiculous. Who would I being striking to, or what for? I LOVE being a full time wife and mom 98.5% of the time, so this is not the answer.

B- While I am training for this specific adventure race right now, it really hasn't eaten up that much of my time or energy. The race is Saturday and should be loads of fun. I'm on a team with two other young moms from my ward. Between the 3 of us we have 9 kids! We get to leave tomorrow and camp out in the forest and then the race is 8am-2pm on Saturday. Our awesome husbands get to come cheer us on and be SuperDads while we are laughing our heads off lost in the forest somewhere!

C- Yes, this semester is really tough on us, but surprisingly we are handling it ok. The kids have gotten used to a LOT more mom, with very few Dad times. We definitely appreciate each other more and I am so grateful for Mark and his willingness to trudge through school! I know he appreciates me, because he tells me so much.

D- Ding, Ding, Ding! We are expanding our family once again. (While it may seem like to some of you that we are on quite a regimented schedule for the distances our children are apart, we're not.) We are thrilled and eager to see what life will be like with 5 Little Green Beans running around. I'm 12 weeks along right now and am due the middle of April. So, we'll keep you posted on how things are going, and sooner or later, we'll know if Walker gets a brother or if we're packin' another one in the pink room! Either way, life's awesome.

Pop Quiz!!!!!

Please choose the answer that best explains the reason for the Green's house being in such a state of disarray!

A) Mom has gone on strike- "Why do I have to be the one to pick up after everybody?!"

B) Mom is training for the No Skirts Allowed Adventure Race For Women- "Mountain biking, trail running, canoeing, orienteering, a ropes course...count me in! Who needs housework?"

C) Tough semester- "Pretty much self explanatory."

D) First trimester of pregnancy- "I'm tired and want to barf and sleep and nothing else, but it won't last forever!"

*** The correct answer will be posted at the end of the day! Hopefully, I will be able to give you a good report on the state of my house! Good luck!

Stake Conference Weekend

This past weekend was our Stake Conference. For those of you who don't live "in the mission field," (I really don't like that phrase), we live about an hour and a half from our stake center which is in Bloomington. Every six months, we arrange for Mark to ride with some men Saturday afternoon for the leadership session, while I stay home and get the kids fed and bathed and arrange a babysitter, and then I ride with a bunch of ladies to meet up with our spouses for the adult session. We usually get home at about 11pm, and then Sunday morning, we wake our kids up, get them dressed and head on our way by about 8am to make the trek to the general session. It's always worth it, but a little bit nutty to take freshly rested kids in the car for an hour and a half and then arrive to have them sit perfectly still for 2 hours. It usually is a bit too much to ask and we end up in some overflow room listening as much as we can. After conference, we(all the Terre Haute members) pull out our picnic lunches and sit out in the grass and feed our kids, feeling a lot like pioneers.
Well, this time we had the brilliant idea of finding a very cheap motel 5 minutes from the Stake Center and staying in town! We invited our favorite Penwell Abby and another 16 year old in our ward to stay with us. So, during the leadership meeting, I swam at the motel with the kids and then bathed them and ordered pizza. I joined Mark for the very lengthy but amazing adult session, and when we got back to our room, those amazing babysitters had all of our kids asleep! Heaven! Mark layed down to watch some sports highlights (Go BYU!!!!) and I took the professional sitters for a late night ice cream run. Sunday morning the kids slept in till 7:30 and then we had a deluxe continental breakfast in our jammies and got ready for church. We actually arrived 45 minutes early feeling rested and relaxed and almost didn't have to sit in the over flow part of the chapel! Conference was so good. The kids still had to be taken out a couple of times ( they still are 1, 3, 5 and 7), but for the most part, it was well worth the 60 bucks for what we saved on gas, breakfast and that priceless thing known as sanity!
PS... I never took the camera out the entire time we were there, but I'm sure if you just imagine lots of happy kids jumping on beds in a tiny dumpy motel room, you've got the right idea!

Reflections on a new semester

I have often wondered how long I will measure my life in semesters. I've been married to my best pal for over 8 years now and all of that has been measured in semesters. I don't know how else to measure time really. Do people with children in school measure in school years? Do accountants measure in tax seasons? Do others actually measure in months or seasons?

Anyway, each August, January, May and July for almost the whole last 8 years a new semester has begun and new growth has occured. Yesterday we watched a home movie of when Walker was born in Provo over 5 years ago. At the time, our life was very full and demanding. The trials that we experienced that final year of school in provo were so hard and yet so priceless. I remember at the time thinking, "Heavenly Father, I trust you and I know I can do this with your help, but feeling totally overwhelmed and stretched at the time.

Fast forward to the present. Watching that home video yesterday, I kept thinking, "My life was so simple then." It was. Two small children. Almost no debt. A husband working on his undergrad and working full time (a real income!!!). Evenings together with Dad around. Almost no bills. A beautiful rental home to live in. No cell phones. Life was simple.

I am filled with gratitude right now for a loving Father in Heaven that knows how much we can bear and who molds us and stretches us, for the most part, a little bit at a time, so that we don't even notice it unless we look back and reflect. There may be times of more "discomfort" as we're stretched beyond what we feel capable. But He knows. As long as we cling to Him and understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we will pull through.

When we moved here to Indiana, we felt like we were moving "home". We really have felt like this is where we are supposed to be at this time. It was wonderful in those first semesters to have life a little bit more simple. Mark had school once a week and spent another day a week doing an internship, but for the most part we were together quite a bit. The whole Master's program was quite bearable in that way. Each semester demanded a bit more time and effort, but it was just a tiny bit of stretching. As we began the PhD program here a year ago, the demands grew a little bit, and Abby started kindergarten and Walker started preschool. I recognized as Mark's schedule became more demanding how I was buoyed up and energized. I don't think it's an accident that I have felt the need to have a very healthy body at this time. His first semester last year demanded him gone one night a week for me to do bed time alone with all four kids. Winter semester came and he was gone even more, and yet our family has grown closer through it all. Summer was a killer for him this year. The kids and I took off to Arizona for a month thinking that would free up his time, but he hated it. In August, he started what will be his FINAL year of course work.....EVER. He will have another year to work on his dissertation after, but no more classes. This semester is demanding 4 days a week of classes, 3 drives to Vincennes per week (3 hours each day) for an internship, teaching a class and 10 piano students. Last week, the kids didn't see him for nearly 3 days because he gets home after they're asleep, and leaves before they wake up.

It is humbling however, to see that we are happier and closer now than ever as a couple and a family. Five years ago, I would have never thought that I could get four little kids to bed each night alone with teeth brushed and prayers said. Heck, even last year it was nearly impossible for me to get Abby to kindergarten on time (she was a pro with the tardy pass!), and this year so far we have never been late! I am grateful for the important family moments now. The prayers, scripture stories, FHE's, bedtime stories, morning breakfast and after school homework times. Our couple prayers and scripture time have become priceless.

I know that this semester will be one of trial and growth in our home. I have felt that over and over. I am grateful for my sweet supportive husband who calls on his long commutes so I feel emotionally supported and who whispers sweet nothings in my ear so I know that he is more in love with me than ever! Life is good in the Green home. We just keep on keepin' on and try to do a little bit better each day. Unfortunately we spend a lot of time stuck in the mud spinnin' our wheels, but not all the time!

Here's to a new tough semester for all of us. Good luck Mark, you are awesome! We'll be here cheering for you at home, with probably a load or two of laundry and dishes piled up! Love you, my Head!

Out of the mouth of Alyssa...

So Alyssa has about the cutest little accent we've ever heard. We wish there were a way to capture it and bottle it forever. It sounds a lot like she is an old lady from Long Island or something. Maybe I'll get out Mark's digital recorder and do a little interview with her for memory's sake. Anyway, today we were on the way to the Terre Haute Family Y for a little workin' out and she and I were playing "I spy with my little eye." Right before we got to the Y, she said, "Mom, my foot is sprinkling!" This has happened once before, and I finally figured out that her foot was asleep and tingling. She was a little worried about her "sprinkling foot" and wanted to know why it was doing that. I told her that sometimes our feet fall asleep and when they wake up they feel funny and "sprinkly." She said, "Yeah, when my foot sprinkles, then it feels vishery and that means hot." I was pretty impressed and amazed at her ability to express a confusing feeling, even for adults to explain. As we got to the Y and I was unloading her, she was nervous to stand on her "sprinkling foot", but she stood there for about 30 seconds while I unloaded Sadie and all of the sudden, she said, "It stopped!" She's awesome.

Also, for about the last 6 months at very VERY random times, Alyssa will stop what she's doing and get an excited look on her face and say, "I grew!" A couple of times it's been during a meal, but other times it's while we're reading a story or she's in the middle of a very fun activity. It's funny because the way she reacts, makes it seem like it catches her off gaurd everytime, and she is so surprised and has to share her exciting news with us. I love kids. 3 year olds are quite extraordinary little human beings.

Saturday in St. Louis!

We spent this last Saturday driving to St. Louis to attend the temple and play with our friends, the Baum's. Besides some little detours because of major freeway construction, the day was so much fun! We took our favorite Abby Penwell along to watch the kids so we wouldn't have to switch off going to the temple. She was such a trooper to watch 6 kids for 2 hours.

After our session at the temple we ate a yummy picnic and headed to the very awesome free St. Louis Zoo. We only had a couple hours left to before it closed, but enjoyed lots of big cats and African animals, along with some silly seals and sea lions. Here are a few pictures. The leopard was pacing back and forth across the top of his cage right along the nets so it was very close to the kids, and Abby Penwell wanted a picture with Melman from Madagascar (we watched it on the way to the zoo). The picture of Sadie and I is one of my favorites. She is still my little girl and I just love her! Anyway, enjoy a glimpse at our wonderful day!

Exciting day at 1st grade!

The little girls and I walked over to the school to pick up the big kids today and Abby walked out of the school beaming with a brand new hole in the front of her mouth! She just looks so darling. She said she went to the nurse's office when it fell out and the nurse wasn't there so she went to the office and one of the secretaries helped her and made her promise that if the tooth fairy gave her $10,000.00 then she had to take the secretary to lunch in Hawaii or China, but if it wasn't that much, then she could just keep it for herself! We'll keep you posted on the tooth fairy's offerings! On another note, Walker had a green light day! Mrs. Halls is learning to appreciate his zest for life and his "perfectly Walker contributions" to every lesson she's giving!

Alyssa Jane 3 year old.

I just have to write a few words about my Lyssa Jane. She is the cutest little dimpled girl. I don't ever remember a time that she wasn't talking. Maybe she was born talking? Anyway, she has quite the vocabulary and spunk for a barely 3 year old. I absolutely love having conversations with her! Mark has always called her our "teeny tiny princess" because she was our smallest little baby girl. She is so precious to us. For her birthday back on June 1st, she wanted to have a tea party, so we invited over her dear friend McKinley for a cute little tea party. All the other kids her age are boys, so we just had a very simple girl party. They dressed up in dresses and I set a small table up and decorated it for just the two of them and made miniature everything: sandwiches cut out with A and M cookie cutters, tiny star shaped cheese slices, flower shaped cucumber slices, a miniature bowl of strawberries and tiny tea cups with red koolaid. There were flowers on the table and party hats and bead necklaces for them to wear. It was really cute to sit back and serve them lunch. Amberly, McKinley's mom, and I wear laughing the whole time at how cute they were! They reminded me of two little old ladies who had been friends their entire lives having discussions about all kinds of random things.

After lunch, we moved the table and let the girls dance to all sorts of fun music and did the hokey pokey. Afterwards, we went in the back yard and let each if them plant their own gerber daisy in really cute pots. To finish off the party, I had made a cute little 4 inch round birthday cake and decorated it to match the design on the tea set: green with yellow polka dots and pink flowers and such. It was the perfect amount of party for Alyssa!

Here are a few great things about Alyssa:

*She leads the music every Monday for Family Home Evening. The ritual includes pulling in a chair from the dining room and finding a pretty enough pencil( pink and sparkly are plusses!) to use as her baton. She leads both the opening and closing songs.

*Alyssa is very excited to be growing up these days. At very random times, she'll stop and say, "I just grew!" If it's convenient, she runs in the back room to measure herself on our growth chart wall.

*I love that she still sucks her thumb and twirls her hair. She'll tell me how many ponies she wants in her hair when I do it depending on how she wants to twirl it. I know we're in for some major orthodontia in the future, but for now, I just love that she does it.

*Alyssa loves her sleep. She has always been a pure delight to put to bed. She transferred to a regular bed without even a night of problems. She always took 3-4 hour naps. Even now, when she's really tired, she'll tell me she's gonna go rest in her bed(or sometimes Abby or Walker's) and I'll find her a few minutes later crashed out. We have learned that a rested Lyssa, is a pure delight to raise!

*Alyssa has a great sense of humor. She makes up silly jokes, loves to be tickled and can be quite the tease. There is quite a bit of drama in her also. The other day, she hit Sadie and was sitting in the "thinking chair." When she was done, I went over and asked her to please go tell Sadie sorry, to which she replied very whiny and dramatically, "I'm too allergic to say that." What?!

*She is the perfect 3rd child in our family. She brings so much spunk and joy to our house. She is a great helper and always has fun ideas of projects to do. She loves to be on a chair helping in the kitchen.

That's a little bit about our sweet Alyssa Jane. I am so excited to hang out with her this next year when Abby and Walker are in all day school and just me and the two little girls get to play all day. It will be so much fun!

Aaaah, Summer.

The Green's are still alive and loving every second of our summer so far. I have quite a bit of updating to do to this silly blog. Hopefully this week I can get you all caught up on our happenings. Till then, I thought this picture perfectly illustrated summer for a kid: eating ice cream cones on the front steps. We were babysitting friends, so that's who the extra boys in the picture are. This picture was taken just after dinner, and yes, Walker was wearing his pj's the entire day, and Abby is indeed wearing his Spiderman costume. Love it!

My Sadie Sunshine

Today is Sadie Elizabeth's first Birthday! I can't believe my baby grew up so fast. She is such a joy to have in our family and she adds so much to the love and chaos that is our home. Last night she even took her first steps! She is getting so big. She truly is our little Sadie Sunshine and lights up the room wherever she is. Here are a few of the things I love about her:

*Sadie has the cutest faces. She loves to scrunch her nose all up and smile with her twinkly eyes just to be silly.

*Sadie loves to lay on anything remotely soft. She is a pro at emptying my dish cloth drawers and then she'll rest her head on them on the kitchen floor.

*She loves to also empty anything that is full: drawers, laundry baskets, purses, cups of liquid. She is quite efficient and full of joy as she tosses things out one at a time.

*Any time Sadie finds an item of clothing on the floor (which is often at my house), she tries to put it on over her head. We find her crawling around with the other kids clothes around her neck.

*Sadie is fearless! She loves to play with Dad and thinks it's great to be tossed in the air. She also likes to stand up in the seat of shopping carts with no hands and do a little boogie dance, crawl down hard stairs face first and climb anything she can get her little knees up on.

*Sadie is such an explorer. She crawls faster than any of our other kids have and zips all around our house checking things out. We think it's funny that when she crawls, she smacks the floor with her hands pretty hard. We like to say she crawl with a vengeance!

*Sadie adores her siblings. She thinks they are the greatest people in the whole world. Especially Abby. She is thrilled when Abby plays with her, reads to her, or carries her around.

*Sadie loves Dad, but is Mama's girl all around. She loves me and if I could hold her all day and then sleep with her in my arms at night, she would be content! I absolutely love it 97% of the time!

*Sadie can say all the names in our family, "kinky" (binky), more (in sign language), and she loves to clap, wave, blow kisses, and kiss Dad.

Happy Birthday little Sadie Boo, Sadie Sunshine, Sadie Lady, Baby Girl, Saders! You are the sweetest little #4 I could ever imagine for our family. I love you!

Mother and Father's Day

Sunday morning the kids were out of bed a little bit before us. They like to just wake up and go
downstairs quietly and get their day started. Mark and I were enjoying the peace and quiet since it was General Conference Sunday and it didn't start here until noon. At about 7:45, I went downstairs and the kids didn't want me going in the kitchen. I knew they were up to something! Alyssa kept giving me updates on all the yummy breakfast being made and I could hear Abby and Walker working so hard together each creating part of the meal. Well, about 20 minutes later, they had Mark and I sit down with them to a lovely breakfast at the dining room table. They had set the table and Abby made toast (no butter) and Walker decided we needed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but couldn't find the pb, so we each had a yummy jelly sandwich! Mark's jelly was about an inch thick! They even attempted to make oj, but we ended up needing to help dilute it enough. It was really sweet and after the meal, I pointed out to them where the peanut butter was in the cupboard.
On to today, I woke up at 7:30 to the sound of kids already downstairs(it always makes me feel like a neglectful parent, but I'm just so tired from being up with Sadie), and got up quickly to help Abby get ready for school. As I came downstairs the kids said, "No, no you have to get back in bed! It's a special day!" Anyway, I told them I wouldn't peak while I gave Abby some clothes to change into and then went back up to bed to wait for the surprise. About 5 minutes later, here came Abby and Walker singing "Happy Mother and Father's Day to you!" (Alyssa and Sadie were already in our bed hanging out.) They had a tray on it with, you guessed it, toast with butter this time, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They also brought us each a drink: water for me, and clear Walmart soda for Mark. It was really sweet. Abby said that Walker told him it was Mother and Father's Day so they needed to make us breakfast in bed. Mark was nice enough to eat my pb&j for me because that just isn't my idea of a tasty breakfast. Luckily the kids never noticed. As we were "eating" they told us they had a surprise for dessert and ran downstairs. As they were walking up the stairs I heard, " This used to be ice cream, but now it's all melted, so it's just cream for you." In they came with two bowls of cherry chocolate chip ice cream drizzled with chocolate with a cherry on top! We officially have the sweetest most thoughtful kids in the world! Now we just need to figure out how to get enough sleep so we're up before them, or padlock the food cupboards!
Just a side note, the damage to the kitchen was minimal and they even unplugged and put the toaster back away when they finished. I still can't find the lid to the cherries...

What is something special about you?

Last week, I was a t a primary presidency meeting at the church and I had all 4 kids playing in the room with me because Mark was in class. It was quite an adventure. During the meeting, we decided we're going to start "spotlighting" one child each week and each of us in the presidency is responsible for our age groups. (Nursery & Sunbeams, CTR's, Valiants- we only have 5 primary classes in our ward) Anyway, my friend Rhena decided she would ask Walker all of the questions on the spotlight paper and get hers completed for the month right there. We kept having our meeting while she would ask Walker random questions while he played. She got to the final question and asked him, "Hey Walker, what's something special about you?" Without even a moment of hesitation he responded, "My unibrow." We were all laughing really hard. He is quite proud. I thought you would all enjoy seeing a picture of his infamous unibrow. Just a few facts: 1. Walker was born with it. Even pictures from the hospital you can see it. 2. He told us when we was about 3 that "one long eye brow is cooler than 2 short eye brows." 3. One day I saw him looking in the mirror and licking his fingers to smooth it out. He said, "I was just making sure my eyebrow was smooth." I really never know what to expect coming from him! It might seem like we talk about his uni with him a lot, but it hardly ever comes up. He just really thinks it is something special and I have to agree!

I Did It!!!!

I have to mark this moment and share it with anybody who cares. I have, since Dec. 1, officially lost 25 pounds and it feels great! I have been working really hard and doing it the most healthy and permanent way and every single day when I step on the scale I still can't believe that the numbers keep going down. I'm not at my final goal weight, which is 14 more pounds away, but this was a huge deal to reach and it will be celebrated! Mark and I already went out shopping together and I got a couple of pairs of new pants 2 sizes smaller and we're also planning to go on a real date here soon to Indy to see a show of some sort. I'm really looking forward to it. That's a big splurge for us since our regular date motto tends to be "the free-er the better!" It feels great to have accomplished something all by myself and to remind myself what a disciplined person I can be. It's also fun to start recognizing myself in the mirror again. Let's face it, 5 pregnancies in 7 years has done a number on me! It's good to give my poor body a little break and TLC. I am really looking forward to losing the last 14. It's a pretty fun challenge. Anyway, just had to share my excitement!

Ace of Cakes: the next generation...

Well, most of you know that I LOVE to decorate cakes. It has become a nice outlet for me and it is so much fun to try and figure out how to do new things with cake all the time. I really love it. Anyway, I also love to watch cake competitions on Food Network and I don't think I've ever missed an episode of Ace of Cakes! Once I told Walker while we were in the grocery store that I needed to get some cake supplies and he started saying, "Make is bigger, make it badder, make it awesome!" while we walked around the whole store. For Alyssa's birthday, she wanted a Princess and the Pauper cake and she said, "I know, make it bigger, make it badder, make it pretty!" (she was turning 2) This last weekend there was a new cake competition on and we also happen to get a whole bunch of new play dough, so as soon as the competition was over, Abby and Walker said, "let's go play Ace of Cakes!" Walker said his job was mixing the colors and rolling out fondant, and Abby's job was adding details. I think it's a riot that they even know the right cake terminology. The pictures are pretty cute and they created quite the masterpiece. Abby said, "The people asked for a cake that looks like a very colorful rock with a unicorn on top." I think they got exactly what they asked for! Now if I could just train them to actually assist me with the real cakes.... maybe one of them has mad piping skills....

TGIM!!!!

So, my need for a "mental health day" turned into a need for a "mental health month!" February has kicked my booty around here, mostly because of how sick I am of being cooped up. The cabin fever is pretty bad. Yesterday however, when I went out to run errands with Alyssa and Sadie, the freezing cold air had a spring feel to it. Today we even managed to play out in the yard for about an hour. So, now I am very grateful that February 2008 has ended and I am hopefully a better person at the end of it, and March is here! I have the coolest 4 kids in the whole universe and I'm having so much fun playing with them. Abby has a container of rice that she is playing in right now (burying little toys and digging and what not), Walker is painting with banana pudding on a cookie sheet, Alyssa and I found a board in the back yard and brought it inside to play "balance beam" today, and Sadie is trying to crawl and climb everywhere! Yesterday she made it all the way upstairs with Mark watching her the whole way. We've got the gates up, but she just continues to explore our house and find new places to discover each day.

"Mental Health Day"

I have a really good friend in our ward named Jeanne (pronounced Jeannie), who has taught me that everybody needs to take a "mental health day" every once in a while! She is our new Relief Society President and is a nurse at the hospital here and has raised two boys and is having a great time with her 4 year old grandson. It's really cute when even Tristan (her grandson) says, "I'm taking a mental health day," and stays home from preschool!
Anyway, I have been barfed on about 7 times since Friday, have washed bedding from 4 beds (some twice), have changed many many many diarrhea diapers (I know, GROSS!), cleaned my whole house, been up about 4 times a night between midnight and 7 am (Mark, too.), and I'm thinking maybe I need to take "mental health day!" Who do I call in to?
No, actually surprisingly, I am relatively sane after such a weekend. I'm really looking forward to a full and busy week and know that it will just bring even more adventures. Thanks to my wonderfully supportive husband who cleans up the barf because he knows how much I can't stand it. What a man!
We got Abby to school on time this morning, only to find out when we pulled up at the school that it's a 2 hour delay today because of dense fog. So, we'll take her again at 10:15. If any of you figure out who a stay-at-home mom calls into for a "mental health day," let me know!

The Penwell Abby!

We have this great friend and neighbor who we all just love and adore. Her name is Abby Penwell(at our house she goes by The Penwell Abby since we already have an Abby) and she's 16. She lives diagonally across the street from us and she is seriously an answer to many prayers! It is so hard to live so far from all of our family and closest friends and she has become my sidekick helping with the kids when Mark is gone at school so much and she is somebody I can call to come sit at our house when all the kids are asleep and Mark and I want to go grocery shopping together or whatever. She just runs over in her pj's and hangs out. We even took her with us on our trip to New York City for Thanksgiving and I think she really had a great time. Every picture of her in NYC she's got Sadie strapped to her which I think is so cute!

Anyway, she and her siblings spend lots of time in our home and last summer she started asking questions about our beliefs and the Gospel. By Fall, she got permission to attend early morning seminary (how many teenagers would beg their parents to wake up extra early and study the scriptures?!) since they are studying the Bible this year her parents agreed, about a month later she started having lessons with the missionaries and has been weekly every since, she goes to church every Sunday and is a lifesaver while Mark is playing the organ, and goes to mutual most weeks on Tuesday and Wednesday nights! For a few months she has asked her parents for permission to be baptized without any luck. It's been frustrating, but she just knows that when she's 18 she can decide for herself. This last Sunday, she got home from church and her mom said, "Abby there's something on the table for you." Lo and behold her mom had written out a note giving her permission to be baptized!!!!! Out of the blue. We are so thrilled for her and Mark is honored to get to baptize her on February 17th.

Now, I bet you all wish you had a Penwell Abby living across the street from you! We love her and are so proud of all the good that she stands for. She spreads smiles wherever she goes and is always thinking of ways to bless other people's lives. WAY TO GO, ABBY!!!

Thank you Tiff!

Well, hello wonderful blogworld. I have taken quite a break from this thing and am feeling like maybe I am ready to become a real life blogger. Last semester (yes my husband is a student so I still think in semesters :)) was quite chaotic for me. It was a lot to adjust to life with 4 kids, 2 kids in school, Mark teaching piano, me teaching ballet 2 days a week, church callings, a new ward and all of the other madness that goes along with it. 2008 so far feels like a breath of fresh air to me with wonderful new beginnings and peace in my life. Anyway, I will be updating this more regularly and will add pictures later today of some of the highlights of our January.
Thanks a bzillion to my sweet cousin Tiffany for making my blog cute and readable. I think it looks perfect! Now off to do the afternoon school pick up and I will be back to put some awesome pictures up of my awesome kids!