Happy Birthday to you!!

I would post a most recent picture of Monica but it is in the last post so just scroll down a little bit and you will see it! :) I just want to wish a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Monica Rose! She turns 6 today!

Monica was due January 4 but I knew and hoped she would come sooner. I was miserable at the end of this pregnancy. There was so much pressure that it hurt to walk. But walk we did, got Megan and Karly strapped into the double stroller to walk around the mall. I felt a lot of contractions while I was walking. The only thing was that it was a Sunday night so we chose the Newgate Mall in Ogden because we were sure no one there would know us. I mean it was Sunday. Got to keep it holy! ;) No luck so I told her in-utero that she had to come the 23rd or wait until the 26th. I did not want a baby born on Christmas Eve or Day. Crazy me because I like it now and so does she. She announces to everyone that she is a Christmas baby! So she actually listened and came the next day on Monday, December 23, 2002 at 12:22 pm weighing 6 lbs. 10 oz. and 20 inches long.

Monica is my sweet and crazy girl. We told her that Joseph Smith's birthday is also December 23rd. She replied, "but he's dead already, right?"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONICA ROSE!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

You can't escape genetics....

It has happened. My third child has gotten glasses. Monica got her glasses this last week. She is actually quite excited to have them! And she looks quite cute I might add! Mike took her and helped her pick the frames. He is better at that than I am. So now Megan, Karly, and Monica all now have glasses. Mike has tried to blame it on my family genetics. Not gonna work. I informed him of all the people in his family that wore glasses, two-thirds of his immediate family were glasses. I got my glasses in kindergarten. I still wear contacts. I feel bad for Katelyn and Mikayla because it is just a matter of time.

....and then California.

First some backround info. Mike is the second child of Merle and Kathryn Jacobson. But they go by Jake and Kitty. I mean if your name was Merle Omar, wouldn't you choose a nick name also? I agree. Mike has 1 older brother, 5 younger sisters, and 2 younger brothers. He is the second of nine. The order is Kevin(37), Mike(35 basically, his b-day is Dec. 12), Michelle(33), Katie(32), Kim(29), Melissa(26), Kristin(24), Matthew(21), and Kyle(15). Now there is a little bit of a guide so if I mention someone you can refer to this list! :)

Anyhoo, Matthew came home from the Texas Fort Worth Mission on November 26th. Yeah!! We have not seen him in 2 years. I got pregnant with Mikayla 2 weeks after he left. So he had never seen Mikayla except in pictures. So we left Utah on Tuesday the 25th, planned to spend the night at the California state line and make it the Ontario airport in time for his flight to come in at 12:20. It was a command performance by Kitty that EVERYONE had to be there to see him of the plane. So we were all there to see him come down to the baggage claim. It was fun. Kitty bought all her grandkids "cowboy" hats for them to wear. They were supposed to yell "Yee-haw!" when they saw him, but you know that this did not happen because they are kids and forgot when they saw him. He hugged Kitty first. And it took him a while to hug everyone else. But it was sweet and good to see him. My kids were way excited and had made signs for him to see.

Matthew when he got off the plane and got closer to the "mob" waiting to see him.


Matthew and Mikayla meeting for the first time. She was not sure about him but she did not cry!

The next day was Thanksgiving. We ate dinner at Jake and Kitty's and had dessert at my parents' house. Becky, Greg, their kids, Mike, Nikki, their kids, my Aunt Ellen, Uncle Larry, Sarah, Hayden, their baby, Greg's parents, and my parents were there. It was good and a lot of fun to see them. Sarah and Hayden's baby, Emily, is getting so big!! She's over 12 pounds now. Not bad considering she was just over 4 pounds starting out in life. She has tripled her birth weight in 4 months! I will post some pics of her another time. She is so cute!

The day after Thanksgiving we did not go shopping. Instead we went to SeaWorld. We were very lucky to have one of Mike's suppliers give us free tickets for our whole family! And the coolest thing is that when you bought day passes they automatically converted to season passes for the entire year of 2009! We live in Utah and have season passes for our entire family for the year of 2009! Very cool!! The kids were thrilled because they had never been there and I hadn't either from what I could remember. We went with Mike's sister, Michelle, and her family. Michelle's husband, Jason, and her kids, Kaylee and Austin, were great. They showed us around and told us what we should see. We also met up with Mike's brother, Kevin, and his family about lunch time. So it was a group of 6 adults and 12 kids! We had a blast and the kids loved spending the day with their cousins.

After we left SeaWorld, Michelle and Jason suggested that we go for dinner at a place in downtown San Diego called Dick's Last Stand. It was a hoot! They gave you cloth napkins to use for your dinner because the dispensers of paper napkins that are on the table are used to throw at people! Seriously!! You have paper napkins fights with any one that you see! It was crazy and so much fun! I mean, who would not have fun when you can have a paper napkins fight during dinner!

Saturday was spent at my parents house. But late in the afternoon we met up with Mike's family for family pictures. Then we had dinner back at my Mom and Dad's with Becky, Greg, Mike, Nikki, Sarah, Hayden, and all their kids.

Sunday we went to Mike's parents ward to hear Matthew report his mission. He did a very good job and it was great to hear some of his experiences in Texas. We left right after Sacrament Meeting because we had to get home. We drove home all in one day on Sunday. We were planning to drive home on Monday but Mike's boss said he had to be there for a meeting Monday morning so home we went.

Monica seeing the dolphins. She also petted them too with Uncle Jason's help!

The kids with their cousins, Kaylee and Austin. Austin is easy to pick out because he was the only boy in this picture! They are such great kids! We love them!

The Beluga whales (or at least one of them). I thought they were the coolest animals there. Sure the polar bear, the penquins, sharks, killer whales, and dolphins were cool. But I loved these!! They way that they move through the water is amazing!

I will post some more pictures later! There was a lot more!

First, Arizona....

First, I am going to write about our trip to Arizona. Leaving the day after Halloween is not very bright I tell ya, but we survived. Packing for a trip plus 5 costumes is a little crazy but you just make it through. Mike had to be down to Nogales by Monday so we left Saturday. We decided to drive it in 2 days because it is a very LOOONNNGGG trip. It takes about 12 to 14 hours depending how much you stop. So we get to my sister, Susan's late afternoon on Sunday and had dinner. Mike had some guys from work pick up and he headed down to Nogales. I mean Mike working was the whole reason we were there. He was helping with a third party food safety audit that was on Wednesday. So Susan took me and all my kids in. Bless her soul! Monday we took the kids to the park because the weather is about perfect down there this time of year. Tuesday is when all the "fun" started. Susan broke her hand when she tripped and fell down taking a neighbor's daughter to school because the neighbor had broken her leg. Susan had a double compound fracture of her right leg almost exactly 4 years earlier. She is quite talented I know. Then that night I started feeling sick to my stomach and threw up from 8:30 pm to 2:30 am. I felt better the next day but weak. Katelyn started to throw up Wednesday night but was better Thursday morning. On Thursday, Susan and her oldest daughter Amy got sick. Karly got sick Thursday evening, threw up twice and was over it. Lucky! On Friday, Susan felt better, Amy was still sick, Sean (Susan's husband) got sick, as did Daniel and Kimmy (2 of Susan's other kids). On Saturday, Becca (Susan's youngest) got sick. By Sunday, everyone felt better. We only had 3 holdouts who never got sick, Aaron (Susan's oldest son), Monica and Mikayla. Sadly Aaron lost the fight on Sunday afternoon. So of the 13 people in the house on 2 did not get sick. Megan got sick Halloween night and threw up. I thought it was too much candy. So I guess we took it to Susan's house. I felt so bad and kept apologizing. She felt bad that we couldn't do all she planned. So we forgave each other. I was glad that I was there to at least help out after her hand. On Monday, all the former sick people had a cook out in their back yard. Arizona uses a lot of rock in their landscaping so in their side yard they made a fire pit and we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. The kids had a blast! It was a lot of fun! We headed home on Tuesday about lunch time. We got home on Wednesday, November 12th and relaxed until it was time to get ready for the trip to California!

Here is Susan's dog, Missy Good Puppy. Very sweet dog. She would sit in Sean's chair when he is not home. :) Katelyn loved her and called her Missy Puppy.

Cousins having fun and wrestling.

Susan holding Mikayla and watching the wresting.

Karly, Monica, and Megan in front of the Christus statue in the Mesa Temple Visitor's Center.

The fire pit in their back yard. The kids thought it was so cool!!

Ok, I'm a little behind....

Halloween...it was so long ago, I know and I am just getting around to posting the pictures the day before I leav on another trip. Crazy!! So during the month of November we have only been home for almost 2 weeks. We left November 1st for Phoenix. Mike had a business... thing in Nogales so my eldest sister, Susan, was good enough to take my 5 children and I in for a week and a half. During which time Susan broke her hand and all but 2 of the 13 people got the stomach flu! Good times!! We got home November 12th. Now we are leaving again for California for 6 days because Mike's brother Matthew is coming home from his mission in Texas. Everyone, and I mean, everyone is commanded by my Mother-in-law to be there at the airport on the 26th to see him get off the plane. So 2 parents, 8 siblings, 6 in-laws, and 18 nieces and nephews are going to be waiting to greet him. Fun!! We get back December 1st. Just in time for the girls to go back on track for school. Actually, they will miss the 1st day back but I'm sure we will all survive.

Anyhoo, Halloween pictures...


Mikayla as Piglet


Katelyn as Cinderella (her obsession)


Monica as a black cat


Karly as Cruella De Vil


Megan a doctor

All very cute I know!! :) More details about Arizona and California later!! Let's see if I can survive it all first!!

200 things...

I found this list on my friend, Lisa's blog. If you want to do it, just copy and paste it onto your blog. Then just high-light or bold the things you have done!


1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it!
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing (indoor and outdoor)
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie (self production or local)
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone - verbal not physical
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people .
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe.
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent ) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one (miniature golf)
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunch box
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz (waltz)
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a camp fire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

Tagged....

I have been tagged! I have seen these blog posts where people get "tagged" to post things they have done and so on. I was asking how on earth people get tagged until it happened to me. Thanks Lisa! :) I may actually have a little fun with this!

I honestly don't remember much about what was going on 10 years ago. I had just had my first baby, Megan. :) So between covering from an unplanned c-section (32 hour labor and 2 hours of pushing and then a C-section) and having a new baby, I honestly don't remember what was going on 10 years ago. It was all...baby stuff. So I agree with Lisa, and I will do 5 things you may not know about me.

5 Things you may not know about me:

1. I was on the swim team in high school. It was my life. I made varsity my freshman year. I also DQed my first race on varsity. My feet in the breaststroke were wrong. Oh, well. I swam for 3 years. I was always on varsity but never lettered. I was incredibly consistent but never a stand out.

2. My movies and DVDs have to be in alphabetical order. It's just logical to me. My great room could be trashed but as long as my movies are in order there is some sense of order for me. Crazy I know.

3. I do not like chocolate ice cream. I love chocolate, the candy kind. But I do not care for chocolate ice cream, mousse, pudding, or anything like that. My sister, Karen, says that I am just weird. Okay, I will give her that one.

4. I just barely bought my first pair of tennis shoes in almost 8 years. I do not like tennis shoes. I do not like wearing socks and shoes. I love flip flops. I will wear them in freezing weather if I can avoid stepping in the snow. I just don't like the way shoes fit my feet. I did buy a pair hoping to get in better shape. Baby steps, people, baby steps.

5. I make homemade pizza. The frozen ones are fine and I do buy them for a quick and easy dinner. But for real pizza I make my own dough. It is my sister, Susan's recipe. It is very good but I have to start the dough about 2 hours before dinner. So if dinner is at 6 then I have to start the dough about 4. As it has been said before, I am weird.


5 things on my do-list today:

1. Take Katelyn to and from preschool. Make sure she is wearing her costume for the party.
2. Go grocery shopping. Every Thursday with a weeks menu planned.
3. Take Monica to afternoon kindergarten.
4. Do the dishes, pick up the great room, and clean the kitchen.
5. Pick up my kids and 2 others (carpool) from school.

Only five, huh. I could keep listing if needed.


5 snacks I enjoy:

1. Tootsie Rolls
2. Cheesecake!!
3. Chips and dip or chips and salsa
4. Ben & Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie ice cream (I said I didn't like CHOCOLATE ice cream)
5. Fruit (mainly apples, strawberries and pears)


5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:

1. Hire a housekeeper and part-time nanny.
2. Pay off my house sooner.
3. Make sure our parents (Mike's and mine) can retire comfortably.
4. Give some to Humanitarian Aid, General Mission Fund, and Perpetual Education Fund.
5. Set up HUGE saving account and trust funds for my kids.


5 places I have lived:

1. Rowland Heights, CA
2. Rexburg, ID
3. Provo, UT
4. Riverton, UT
5. Clearfield, UT


5 jobs I have had:

1. Barro's Pizza in Diamond Bar, CA
2. Carrows in Diamond Bar, CA
3. Western Insurance (data input for my Dad :0)
4. Casa Blanca Mexican Restuarant
5. Rowley & Co. (Produce company after I got married. Bankrupt now and not because of me!)


5 people I tag:

1. Stacy
2. Jenifer
3. Crystal
4. Amy
5. Rebecca

And of course, any one who does want to do this for fun! I tag you too! :)

Mikayla turns 1...

Here are some pictures of Mikayla's 1st birthday. I can't believe she kept the hat on the whole time! She is such a ham for the camera already that is she is so much fun to take pictures of. I don't know why she is the main subject of pictures around here. Maybe because I am pretty sure she is our last baby, I take a lot of pictures. A friend said it best about this age..."All personality and no back talk!"

4th folder, 4th picture...

My friend, Stacy, had a post on her blog where she posted the 4th picture from the 4th folder in her pictures file on her computer. I decided to do that, too. Thanks Stacy! ;)

Here is my picture. It is of Megan and my new and only sister-in-law, Nikki. My brother, Mike, and Nikki got married in the Portland, Oregon Temple on July 19, 2003. This is after the ceremony. Megan matched the colors of the wedding so the photographer asked her to be in a picture. Megan looks so little here. She is only 5 years old. I love my sister-in-law, Nikki. She is a fabulous person and makes my brother very happy. They have 2 beautiful kids, Ryan and Lydia. She is a good friend of mine. I always felt sorry for the girl Mike would marry. I mean, the poor girl is marrying a guy with 5 sisters! But Nikki is great and we all love her (and Mike,too). ;)

"I'm the little sister"...

After Mikayla was born her sisters brought her a present. It's the shirt the says "I'm the little sister." Mike wanted to get all the girls shirts that said "I'm the big sister" for all the girls but decided that was crazy considering how many shirts that would be.

In the top picture Mikayla is 2 months old and look how huge it is on her. I just took the bottom picture this week. She is wearing the same shirt! Look how much she has grown! My baby is getting so big! *sniff* She is a very cute and easy going girl. She is a complete ham for the camera. She hears the sound of the zoom or sees it and she starts posing and smiling! These past 14 months have gone by so fast. I still need to post pics of her 1st b-day. Okay, it was 2 months ago but who cares!

That's my Monka...

We got back from Park City today. I will post more about that later when I actually get the gumption to download that pictures from my camera.

Anyhoo, I sat down today to read with Monica for kindergarten. She is reading those "I See Sam" books that I read back in kindergarten. By the way, the copyright on those is 1972! Older than me I'll have you know! ;) So we started reading and for some reason the words Sam and am throw her off. When she tries to guess what they are we get all sorts of answers. So far, we have had Ammon, salmon, and sandman replace those words that are actually there. My favorite has to be Ammon. She put her arm around me today and told me, "Don't worry, Mom, I'll get this." We have to read each book 5 times for her to pass it off. At the end of the last reading she was telling me, "Look Mom, I can read with my eyes closed!" So she was trying to remember what the words were on the page. Ammon was not in the 3rd and 4th readings but he was sneaking into the 5th reading because she was guessing more than reading. Crazy girl!

I know the picture of her above is silly but that is who she is. She is a very friendly girl who has a lot of friends, even if she can't remember all their names. :0) Her teacher asked her to befriend a girl in her class that no one was playing with and Monica did it gladly. She started playing with her everyday and now they are good friends. Monica can try my patience but she is a very sweet, loving, and active girl who can be a lot of fun to be around. I just love my Monka Rose Jakin. (That's how she used to say her name.) :0)

Good Times...

I have all of the kids home with me right now. They are on fall recess, formally UEA. I don't know why they they changed it from UEA to "fall recess." I was probably told at some point why it changed but I can't remember why. Anyways...It is very high pitched around here right now. I have already had Monica and Katelyn come to the door crying something about Megan while I was in the shower. And less than 5 minutes after I got out of the shower and dressed, Monica was crying again because Katelyn stepped on her head while she was under a blanket. Monica stepped on Katelyn's stomach last night while they were watching TV, so honestly I don't know if I have too much sympathy for Monica. I know that sounds mean and awful of me but I hope she now knows what it feels like and won't do it again. I love my Monka but she is the type of kid that after you tell her not to do something, she will look you in the eye and do it anyway.

We are going up to Park City on Saturday to spend the night in my sister's, Karen, timeshare. Mike has worked 7 days a week for the last 6 weeks so when Karen offered it to us we decided to take her up on it. He wants to get away and go someplace different. And we are taking the kids with us. Call us crazy but you try finding someone willing to watch 5 kids overnight. It is not easy. The kids are actually really excited. Megan wants to go shopping at the outlet stores and Karly wants to go swimming. Monica just likes to go places and Katelyn doesn't care. Mikayla has no idea what is going on and doesn't care, as long as people keep adoring her. :)

There's so much more...

Anyone who knows us well knows we are very close to Mike's office manager, Linda Hill. She is a fabulous woman who my kids adore. She is like an adopted aunt to them and her 7 kids are like cousins to my kids. Linda's youngest daughter, Hayley, is also our usual babysitter. You get the idea, right?

Well, Linda is also a 3 time cancer survivor. She was first dianogsed with Hogkin's Lymphomia at 19. She underwent chemo and radiation and beat it. But she was also more likely to get other forms of cancer because of her Hogkin's treatment. She was also told that she could be sterile and not have could not have children. Obviously, with 7 children (Jennifer, Kelly, Lauren, Molly, Jake, Bubba, and Hayley) that did not happen. :0) She then got thyroid cancer and had her thyroid removed. Then in March 2008, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a double mastectomy in April. She has recovered nicely but cannot undergo reconsruction because of the risk of infection and she has no speen (again due to the Hogkin's).
She has a great sense of humor and has decided to help others find humor in the horrible, life-changing diagnosis cancer can be.

She now has her own t-shirt company. Linda was on the Glenn Beck show on October 14th. She was featured on the Real America segment of his show. She told about her company and had pictures of her parents, brother, all her kids, Chad(who she works with also), and Mike. :0) Her company is called So Much More. The motto of the company is "Cancer does not define us, we are so much more." For every t-shirt that is sold, a $2 gift from that sale is given to the Huntsman Cancer Institute.


We are very proud of Linda and are thrilled with her her beating breast cancer. But what frightens me is the number of people that I know and love that have battled cancer or have had cancer scares. I know that October is breast cancer awareness month, so please check out her site.

I'm sorry to go all sober and sad on this post. I will try to be more upbeat next time I promise.

I found it...

I found the 5th comic strip. I was so excited that I had to do another post just to put it up. I know, my life is sad and pathetic and the little things give me joy. But I'm okay with that and I have come to accept it. ;)

Again, I'm sorry about the yellow age of this.

That explains a lot...

I found these in our paper a long time ago. I thought that they were so funny and so true. So please excuse the yellow color from the paper. It was that long ago I cut them out.




There was one more about dinner. I can't find it now because my children found it of the utmost importance one day to go through my desk. :) It was the mom saying that dinner was ready and the they must hear part was "Please start critizing my cooking now." And the 2 kids were making all sorts of comments.

This just lets me know that most of the time my kids are normal. They are just kids. ;)

And you think your child is stubborn...

***CAUTION*** Mother venting just a little bit below.

Katelyn is STILL not potty trained. That child has a bladder of steel. She can go 12 hours with out going potty. I kid you not. We have tried twice to potty train her and are now on our second break. She tells us that she is a baby like Baby Girl (Mikayla) and she wears diapers. I have told her that she has to wear at least a pull-up to school so it looks like we are putting some effort in. She will sit at the table at dinner and tell us, "No diapers!" Then she wets in it and wants it changed. She knows what is going on. She has gone on the potty 2 times in the 2nd round of training. The first round I worked with her for 5 days and nothing went in the potty. Mike had to tell me to take a break. I took a month off and tried again. She did nothing for 4 days that was in the potty. And let me just say we did all the fun juice drinks and everything. We did not buy the peeing doll because one, gross and two, she has 3 older sisters who are perfectly good examples on how to use the potty. So I saturated her with juice and tried again and again to get her to sit on the potty. And just so you know if she really has to go she will stop drinking anything because she has made the connection that if she drinks more she pees more. We have a sit that fits on the toilet and a portable one that she can sit one to watch TV. She has stood up from the portable one to pee next to it. I finally got her to go for the first time on the potty after literally 1 hour of talking to her and sitting on the floor next to the potty. Tile floors are not that comfortable. I finally was literally pushing on her bladder when she went. This was at 6:30 at night. She had not gone since 8:30 that morning. We had the party. She got a Cinderella barbie. Yay! from everyone. Next day nothing. The next day she literally went 12 hours with no peeing at all. She held it that long! I was worried about bladder infections and just her needing to just pee in general. Mike put a diaper on her and she filled it with pee within 5 minutes. She just does not want to use the potty. I have looked on all sorts of internet sites for suggestions and none of them work. First of all, those children are willing to sit on the potty. Mine is not. She is fine being a baby and being in diapers. It does not bother her at all.

So if there are any suggestions that anyone can give me, please do. She is 3 1/2 in October and wants nothing to do with the potty. I have done the saturation with drinks, the constant reminders, the demonstrations (not me, her sisters), the party after the first success, the sticker chart, the new character panties, and anything else I can think of. And the thing that kills me about this is I am not a rookie. She is not the 1st kid that I have ever potty trained. She is my 4th!! I keep getting told that she will not go to kindergarten in diapers. If anyone will test that, it is Katelyn. I have never had a 3 year old go to preschool in diapers or pull-ups (okay, Karly did for the 1st week. She was only like 2 weeks into using the potty) and Katelyn is. Honestly, if I didn't love her so much or think she is so cute I would give her away to the Indians. ;0)

All because 2 people fell in love...

I always love to hear how couples met. The whole story behind where they are now. I love to share how Mike and I met because it is different. Since there is a whole lot of the same old, same old going on here I am going to write about how we met because I love this story. :0)

I was starting my second semester at Ricks College. It was the winter 1994 semester. I have always loved getting mail so I was usually the one to get the mail for my apartment. One day just after the new semester had started in January, I got 2 letters in the mail. One was from my cousin, Mike Corbett, in the MTC. He was getting ready to leave for the Dominican Republic soon. And the other letter was from someone that I did not know. I just remember saying, "Who is this Elder Jacobson? I don't know any Elder Jacobson." My cousin had written on the back of his envelope, "Read my letter first." In his letter, he told me about this great guy named Mike Jacobson who was in his MTC district. As it goes, I had sent my picture to my cousin and Elder Jacobson saw it. Elder Jacobson wanted write me. So my cousin told me to be honest with him, if I was actually going to write him to do it. If not, just tell him to get lost. Nice huh. But in the end, Corbett told me that he had "deemed him worthy" to write me. So I read Elder Jacobson's letter. It turned out that we both grew up in Southern California about 20 minutes from each other. We did not know each other. We grew up in 2 different counties, stakes, school districts, and so on. I figured, why not. What could happen from just writing a missionary. I told my roommate about it and she said "You know, Kathy Jacobson does sound good." I told her, "Don't you dare even think that way. Nothing is going to happen. We are just going write each other." Little did I know.

We ended up writing each other for the rest of his mission. Mike got home on November 17, 1995. The first time I saw him was at his homecoming. My best friend, Stacy, and I drove out to Chino to check him out in person. We started dating a couple weeks later. We got married on November 16, 1996 in the Los Angeles Temple. One day before his year mark of being home. He wanted to get married on his year mark but that was on a Sunday.

So in a nutshell, that is how it all started for the 2 of us. It will be 12 years in November and I am hoping for many happy more years. He can always make me laugh. :)

Just for you Faubus!

This picture is for you, Alex. :) Here is the most recent and most decent picture that there is of me. It was after Mikayla's blessing in November 2007. I just prefer to picture myself as I was in my engagement picture. Oh, to be a size 6 again. Then again my body has been through a lot in the last 10 almost 11 years. Having 5 kids in just under 10 years is likely to reek havoc on your body! Good thing they are cute! Susan says that the bad thing about having babies is they become kids! ;)

My kids have a lot of cousins!

We went to California for the weekend of August 9th. My Grandpa Wayman passed away so we all went down for the funeral. Now Mike and I have no grandparents left and my kids have no great-grandparents left. Sad, I know. Karly is more upset about this than anyone. She is already worried about the Ressurection. :0) While we were there we decided it was a prime opportunity to have pictures taken of all the grandkids on both sides! :)

This first picture is all 20 of my parents grandchilren. Susan & Sean have 5 kids (Amy-17, Aaron-15, Kimmy-13, Daniel-10, and Becca-7). Karen & Jody have 3 kids (Katie-8, Mark-almost 6, and Ellie-17 months). Becky & Greg have 4 kids (Megan Jo-10, Kyler-almost 8, Logan 5, and Kirsten-3). I have my 5. :) Mike & Nikki have 2 (Ryan-3 and Lydia almost 2). Sarah & Hayden have 1 (Emily- 2 months).

I would label the picture, but listing them all made me tired! Susan, Karen, Becky and I are all pretty sure we are done. Mike and Nikki say they want more. And Sarah and Hayden want more...just give them a lot of time. They just had one 7 weeks early in July!

What a handsome group and I am not biased at all! ;0)



This is a picture of all of the grandkids for Mike's parents. There are 18 of them. This was taken the day after the funeral. I will list the sibling first and their spouse second. Mike is the 2nd of 9. The order is 2 boys, 5 girls and 2 boys.

Kevin & Ruth have 5 kids (Christine-12, Matthew-11, Nicole-7, Natalie-5, and Kimberly-16 months). Mike & 1 have our 5. Michelle & Jason have 2 kids (Kaylee-12 and Austin-7). Katie & Ryan have 3 kids (Jacob-7, Peyton-5, and Brooklyn-18 months). Kim & Jon have 3 kids (Taylor-8, Logan-6, and Jackson-3). Melissa & Claudio have no kids. Kristin & Jeremy have no kids. Matthew has no kids (I hope not! He doesn't get home from his mission until the end of November!) Kyle has no kids (Again, I hope not because he is only 15!)

This family could only keep growing! Crazy!



Like I said before...my kids have a lot of cousins!

About last night...

I did not sleep well last night. I have been running a low grade fever for about a week and it was bad last night. I did not sleep well. Hence, I did something that I have not done in almost a year... I took a nap. Okay, it wasn't a great one but it helped me get through the rest of the day. I mean, how well can you sleep when you have a 3 year old watching a movie in the same room with her. Mike knew that I still was not feeling great around dinner, so he took the 4 older kids to the school carnival by himself. As crazy as he can drive me sometimes, he can be quite thougthful at times. :0) Having one 1 year old at home with me was quite easy. It was actually quiet for about an hour and a half. Then they all came home and the noise level went up about 2 or 3 octaves. And it is all high-pitched.

Tomorrow is early out from school. Every Friday is early out. So the kids are in for some major chores for the rooms that they have neglected during the week. I know they will love it and have a ton of fun. ;0)

I have also had something that I have not had for around 21 months (but who's counting)... I had my favorite soda, Dr. Pepper. I know, it's crazy but I am almost craving it. I do not drink caffeinated sodas while I am pregnant or nursing because I don't want my drink to be the reason my baby can't calm down. So I am glad it is back in my life.

Thank You!

I just have to post a quick, yet big THANK YOU!!! to Krisanne for explaining to this blogging rookie how to change the backround of my blog! Thank you again, Krisanne for walking me through it. Now I can change it whenever I want! You're the best!

Another Day...

Well, today is another day in my life. I got the oldest 2 off to school. Thank goodness for carpooling! Then focused on getting the other 3 ready for the day. Today is an easy day I guess you could call it. Katelyn only has preschool on Tuesday and Thursday. So that is less time I have to spend in the car.

I am trying to change my weekly shopping trips to Thursday instead of Wednesday so I one less child to deal with at the store. As cute as Katelyn, she is hard to take shopping. She likes to take her time and look for anything that is princess. She is often carried out of the store while I am trying to push the cart. Good times! :)

Megan and Karly both have Activity Days today. So I have to drive them both to the church at 4:00 and then go back at 5:00 to pick up Karly. Megan will brought home by her leader. Yea!

Not much else going on. It's amazing how your day seems the same but in some ways are very different.

Bear with me...

Please bear with me. This is the first time that I have tried this. Some of my friends have blogs and I decided to give it a try. Given how much my husband says I can talk, I hope that I am somewhat successful at this. ;0)

My kids are all very precious to me. And if you saw how much they crive me crazy at times and the fact they are still here is evidence. :0)

Having 5 kids is not very exciting. It is just chaotic. My oldest sister told me that every child you have just adds chaos to your house and I now believe her.

My oldest, Megan, is 10 and in 5th grade. She is very much a motherly type. Which her younger sisters don't appreciate so much. But she is a big help to me. She is 10 going on 19. She is already worried about clothes and thinks that only some boys are cute. (Heaven help me!)

Karly is 8 years old and born second. She is my tiny little firecracker. She has taught me that just because someone is small doesn't mean that they are helpless. She is in 3rd grade and is often mistaken for a 1st grader. She is a sweet girl but don't make her mad.

Monica is the third one. She is 5 1/2 years old. She is in afternoon kindergarten. She loves it being the social butterfly that she is. She always has a new best friend but can never remember their names. :)

Katelyn is #4. She is almost 3 1/2. She is a cute girl with long curly hair. She is obsessed with Cinderella and a lot of the other Disney princesses. She can be cute and very stubborn at the same time. We have discovered this when we have attempted to potty train her.

Mikayla is our last but not least. She just turned 1 and is adored by all her sisters. She is a Daddy's girl and loves to play with him. She has a cute smile that makes you smile too. She is a very easy going baby which is what you need if you have 4 other children.

That's about it for now. The kids are all home from school now so let the craziness begin!