March 29, 2018
We took a drive up in the mountains Sunday and found ourselves in a bit of a snowstorm.
It was amazing since it only snowed twice at our house all winter. Twice.
Bry had her yearly appointment to test her milk allergy. They test her blood and whatever they tested came back at a 5 and last year it was a 7.5 so it went down for the second time which is great. I guess a 3 is what she is aiming for. But, the allergist did a back poke allergy test and because her reaction measured a certain amount (I know, I'm being real scientific here but I don't totally understand what they measure and what the numbers mean), Bry gets to do an in-office real food test. I guess they send me a recipe and I make a certain muffin and they give her small amounts and wait to see what kind if any reaction she has until she has eaten most of the muffin. I guess it's a two hour ordeal so that should be fun (I'm rolling my eyes). However, depending on the results from that she can begin eating food with milk and milk products that have been baked for at least 20 mins and then more from there. We'll see. She had a piece of candy the other day and she broke out quickly and pretty good.
This poor thing has been poked and prodded so many times in her short little life. She has real anxiety everytime I take her to any doctor.
March 21, 2018
Brightyn called 911 this morning...twice. Then dispatch called back and Nathan answered and told them he didn't know where his mommy was when the dispatcher asked him and hung up. I got a visit from a not so understanding/told me I was responsible for keeping my phone out of my kids' hands/must not have kids/threatened to charge me with 911 abuse/wouldn't help me figure out where the emergency button on my phone is so I could possible prevent this in the future cop. The real slap in the face is I was simply one floor up cleaning up the same two kids' playroom. Some thanks from those kids, sheesh! Next time they ask, I suppose I should give them the chocolate milk for breakfast they wanted so badly...#Ryanwasalsohomeworkinginthebasement #howdoyoukeepyourphoneoutofyourkidshandswheneverytimeIsetitdowntheyimmediatelypickitupandwillclimbtogetit #gladIwasntactuallbeingmurdered #atleastIknow911canfindmeifIam
September 11, 2017
As promised, here's a picture from Ryan's birthday. Let's see, Seth and Maybe will generally just smile for a picture, Bright will run away, Savannah and Nate always strike a pose. And then's there's Zachary. He wasn't in a bad mood at all. I mean, he was about to get ice cream. So many pictures of my kids have him looking just like that. I wonder if he'll do that forever.
I've been missing a hub cap for a year or so now. I don't even know when or where it fell off. I've been mad about it. Everytime I walk up to my car I feel a little angry. It's just so stinkin' ugly. Sure, my vans not new, but I always thought it looked somewhat decent. Well, the same day we took our last ride in the mountains, my friend left me a surprise on my front porch. A brand spankin' new hub cap. Granted, it was generic so no Toyota symbol but who cares. My van looked glorious!
Well, it was a little loose and I didn't want to risk losing it, so before I took off the next day I took it off and set it on my front porch steps. I was going to research a little and see if there was something I could do to make it fit tighter. So I never got the chance. The next day it was gone. Just gone. I searched my yard and garage and harassed my kids to tell me who moved it. They all swear it wasn't them. I even went as far as sending out a little FB message to the hood asking if by chance one of the little neighborhood kids walked off with it. I got no response. Sigh, so somebody somewhere took my glorious hub cap. It never even had a maiden voyage. I guess that wheel just wasn't meant to be pretty ever again.
September 10, 2017
Just like all of your kids, my kids started school recently.
Seth 5th Grade
Maybe 4th Grade
Zachary 2nd Grade
Savannah Kindergarten
This is Savannah's first day of Kindergarten, which was different than the others kids' first day, so that's why they are dressed different.
Life seems to be moving so fast. I still remember being a newbie mom with my first kid going into kindergarten and suddenly I have 4 going to the same school. The good thing is, I know that each of my kids have 3 other people who have their backs, not that they need it because their school is really awesome and amazing.
September 8, 2017
Today is Ryan's birthday!! He's another year older and what's crazy is his hair is turning more blonde and not silver =). We haven't celebrated yet today so I don't have a good recent pic to put here. I'll work on that.
Here's an awesome selfie of me and two of my boys from our ride last Saturday.
Last Saturday we took a very much needed break from life and headed to the mountains. We started at Hobble Creek Canyon and drove about 2 and a half hours to Daniels Summit. It's a small tourist destination with a lodge so we had ourselves some very expensive lunch and just relaxed. I never knew I was such a mountain girl until we bought our Mule, aka The Blue Stallion.
I'm pretty sure we forgot to have a summer break this year. June was pretty amazing and then at the end of June, Seth broke his foot and Ryan's dad had a stroke. Seth's foot slowed us down quite a bit and then Ryan's dad's health slowly deteriorated throughout July and then at the first part of August he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He's home on hospice now and we have all pitched in and become his caregivers. Life seems to be kind of at a stand still while we wait to see what is going to happen with Ryan's dad. I'm not trying to complain, just giving a bit of an explanation of where we've been and maybe why I haven't had the time to write much of an update. Hopefully , Erin, this little blurb will keep you checking =).
June 13, 2017
Obviously a lot has happened since Seth's birthday. I probably will never get caught up but who knows. Have I ever mentioned how busy a person can get when they have 6 kids in 8 1/2 years?
The other day I looked up from folding laundry and saw these two:
I was immediately overcome with memories of this picture:
The boys are right about the same age. The girls are off just a bit since Maybe is only 14 months younger than Seth and Bright is exactly 2 years younger than Li'l Nate.
I decided to look for a picture of the other two and this is what I came up with:
I guess since Maybe is turning 9 this week I'm feeling a bit nostalgic.
April 11, 2017
Sethie turned 10 today.
Seth requested tacos, french silk pie and strawberry ice cream. His grandma and grandpa and Uncle Nate came and celebrated this amazing guy. These same people drove to Orem at 2:00 am on April 12, 2007 bringing a ginormous chocolate cake just to meet their first and newest grandson/nephew. I still remember it so clearly. It's so hard to believe there's been 5 more births since that day. I'm so grateful that I have memories of these three people for all the important days in my family's lives and pray that Brightyn will be old enough to have memories of them as well.
P.S. Gramma's feet are in the background of the picture of Bry. Just wanted to make sure she was in one of the pictures I posted and I just like to look at beautiful Nina so that's why she made it in the lineup as well.
March 6, 2017.
This cute boy has strep.
I don't think any of the kids has ever had it, although they've all been tested a gazillion times. His throat doesn't even hurt. I took him in because he couldn't turn his head either direction and he had a raging headache for two days. Saturday his tummy hurt and he threw up and had a fever. Apparently all these things are symptoms of strep. I was seriously shocked. It never even crossed my mind and I was a little confused when they tested him. So, either we're about to have strepcopolypse around here or since the kids have never had it, it will be contained to the one kid.
March 5, 2017
Bry turned 17 months today. She's getting to be such a big girl.
Zachary lost his first tooth this week at school. You have to lose them at school to be able to put it on the class chart. My kids are pretty much drama free tooth losers. They don't pull them. They wait until they just fall out on their own so there's never really any blood or pain. His permanent tooth is pretty much full grown behind it so you can't really tell too much.
We got RJ this week. Look at him. He's the cutest little animal I've ever held. I've been wanting a bunny since last summer but didn't really think I'd go through with it. I don't regret it....yet. The kids have all been really helpful taking care of him, so far. It's good to see them caring for something and possibly learning a little responsibility. Alright, I'll be honest. I'm smitten. I love the little guy. He's soooooo soft and I want to snuggle him allllll the time.
This little bit that Seth wrote about me and Ryan was pretty sweet, however, the part that really gets me is the last sentence, "They give me more stuff than I need". It makes me feel appreciated and perhaps we're raising a good, humble, and grateful kid.
Seth earned his Bear rank in scouts on Tuesday. We have a new Cub Master and he didn't have Seth pin me, so he came back to his seat and pinned me there.
On our way back from Island Park we stopped in Idaho Falls. This is what it looks like in case you've never been. The temple is right across the street from the falls. We've been once before and it's a fun place to visit when you're driving through.
February 27, 2017
Just like Garfield, I too hate Mondays.
Don't get me started on my ghetto tire without a hubcap. I'll save that rant for another day.
At least we were able to definitively say that Seth is taller than Maybe, but not by the 3 feet he was hoping for.
And check out this video Seth and his dad made explaining the water cycle.
The Water Cycle
February 24, 2017
None of us know for sure just how deep the snow was up at the cabin. Do you see how far away we are from the cabin here? We had to literally crawl to get that far. Every step we took we sank at least to our knees and usually for me to my waist. Nina seemed to float across the snow though, lucky girl. We had fun building a snowman and finding the fire pit and picnic area buried. There was a dry river bed with fluffy snow so Ryan threw the kids into it and they squealed with delight. We jumped off the railing of the deck and got ourselves stuck (alright, I might be the only one who was stuck) but we all giggled.
Sorry for little snipets at a time. Putting pictures up on this website takes me FOREVER. I have to format each one. I started this probably 13 years ago when I took an html class post graduation so I could continue my education and now there are so many better ways to do it. Maybe in 5 years when Bry is in kindergarten I'll take another class.
February 23, 2017
Yep, definitely back. Puke, puke and more puke and fight with Maybe about school clothes. Sigh. I want to go back to glorious Idaho.
February 22, 2017
We just got back from 3 glorious days in eastern Idaho. Nathan has been asking all day today if we can "keep the cabin". Someday little buddy.
A little teaser photo while I gather some more.
We stopped in Rexburg on our way home and Zachary asked if we could go walk around the temple. Maybe saw this on the wall and wanted her picture next to it because, you know, she too was created in 2008. She's also making sure you can see her shirt, Awesome Since 2008.
January 4, 2017
I think I've mentioned this before, but my kids have a band. It's called Cinefuss (sin-uh-fuss). It looks like this time we have some vocals, Nate on bongos and now introducing Seth on guitar. Usually Savannah is also part of it. I guess she took the night off. Every few months Cinefuss comes around and puts on a concert. A fun reason to be in a big family.
This post is a little bit of randomness, but randomness that makes me happy.
Christmas Eve opening ornamnets from Indiana Gramma and Grampa.
New Year's Eve was a stay-at-home event, but perhaps not even an event. I remember cleaning all day, our friends Karver and Hawk spent a bunch of time over, getting pizza, and then just being worn out from this family of 8 being home all day every day for a week. Don't get me wrong, I love this bunch, but we require a whole lot of maintenance. For the second year, we set up our huge tent in the living room and the kids had a little getaway for the next two nights. We also decorated cookies. Going back to the whole I was worn out thing, I didn't even make them. I totally bought them. I had no desire to clean up ANOTHER mess. Didn't matter to the kids. They still had a good and delicious time. I tell ya, I don't regret creating this big, fun family. There's always a party to be had.
And last, I keep coming across this picture. I know they are just stockings. But look at that bunch. I remember buying that sign and only being able to fill 2 spots. Now, it's full and there's no room for me and Ryan. Back then I had no idea what was waiting for us. The Lord has blessed me with more than I ever thought I was worthy of. A family of 8 is big. It's busy. It's noisy. It's tiring. But it's wonderful.
December 28, 2016
Christmas!
I wanted to live in the moment, take in the excitement with my family so I didn't take many pictures. I can't believe what a difference a year has made though. These little guys aren't going to be so little for too much longer so I welcome the chaos and exhaustion that Christmas brings to our home right now.
2015
2016
2015
2016
November 15, 2016
I am so so proud of Maybe Baby! She is so brave! She entered the school Reflections art contest and received the Award of Merit (the blue ribbon around her neck), which is runner up to first place. The medal is engraved with her name and the category she won. It is so neat! In her age group she competed againt third, fourth, and fifth graders. Maybe spents several days with her grandpa, who is an incredible artist, and learned so many new skills and used them to draw a self-portrait. Maybe loves art and all things creative so this was right up her alley. Also, she spent so many one-on-one hours with her grandpa, which is priceless.
November 1, 2016
The most perfect photo that could have been taken. It is my favorite.
October 29, 2016
It's a Halloween miracle.
They are ALL in the same picture. They are ALL looking at the camera. They are ALL happy.
This is a group of the best kids you'll ever meet.
October 2, 2016
Happy 3rd birthday to the cutest boy around!
September 22, 2016
I actually started this post clear back on August 26 and just haven't had the time to finish it. Six kids is definitely my limit. The thought of having any more kinda gives me a mini anxiety attack.
So this adorable girl...
Was diagnosed with a milk allergy. That means absolutely no dairy. She breaks out in hives all over her body when she does have dairy and you can actually see the line of red work it's way up her face and when it reaches her eyes they itch her so bad. I took her to the allergist to be tested. She didn't even flinch when they poked her back.
So milk is an allergy kids sometimes outgrow. I was told if I wanted to continue to nurse her I needed to stop dairy too. If we can keep all traces of milk out of her system, there is a chance she will kick this thing. I get to have her tested again in 6 months. It has been quite the lifestyle change for me, but totally worth the sacrifice if it means my baby may not have to deal with this the rest of her life. The kids all ask now if what they are eating has milk in it and have been so good at helping us keep her dairy free. It's amazing once you start paying attention at how many things have milk in them (taco seasoning, who would have thought?!) I thought not having cheese would be hard and surprisingly it has actually become kind of nauseating to me. I would love a big cold glass of milk before bed though. I'm going to stay dairy-free as long as Brightyn needs to be so that I know whatever I'm eating will be safe for her. Potlucks have become a whole new anxiety for me. Anyway, this has become the new norm around here and don't be offended when I don't eat your food. I will take a milk allergy over so many other childhood allergies and illnesses. We really have been blessed!
This was right after school started. It was such a calm peaceful trip to the store with just the three of them. A mother of three probably thinks that sounds nutty. And Savannah isn't mad. She was posing and busted up laughing the second the picture was taken. I wish she could stay 4 forever!
The playhouse is coming along. We started shingling the roof last Saturday. Weather and time has slowed that part of the project down. It would sure be helpful if the sun would quit setting so early nowadays! This project felt like it had stalled out for several weeks, but getting the shingles on is really exciting. Next the windows will go in.
Back in August we took a trip up to Bear Lake. That is my new happy place. Hopefully one of these summers we will actually have the vacation time to rent a cabin a stay a few days up there.
My baby started preschool a few weeks ago. I really really miss her when she's gone. She is just such a ray of sunshine.
When someone tells you to take all the peaches from their tree, what can you do but take them and preserve them? I know my limits and only took maybe a quarter of them, but now that it's been a week I'm ready to go again. I like to warm them up with a little bit of cinnamon. Mmmmmmm.
And since I don't feel like I get to be in a whole lotta photos...
August 23, 2016
The playhouse is AMAZING.
You can see it from the road behind us and people are always commenting or asking about it. It's even better up close.
August 22, 2016
Fourth, Third and First grades.
They pose themselves and it makes me giggle.
August 11, 2016
It must be a good summer if this is how the car looks 30 seconds after loading up.
Or if you got to play in a big pile of foam with dad.
Or if you get to share a sucker with both your brother and sister. Yick.
July 28, 2016
I have been wanting to put this up in my laundry room for the last few years and last night I finally did it. Swimsuit organization at it's finest during the swimming season. I will no longer feel bad for anyone who cannot find their swimsuit.
July 18, 2016
July turned out to be a super busy month. Today was our first day that we didn't have anything. It was nice just being at home. I even made the kids stay home and not play with friends. They got off to a rocky start, but for the most part they had a lot of fun being siblings today.
Saturday we worked hard and I decided we earned a night out at Chubby's. Every once in a while they just get out of the car and line up. They're all in a pretty good mood since Chubby's is a family favorite.
July 15, 2016
Are you ready for my randomness?!
I have no idea why Ryan took this, but I love it. All 6 kids in one photo just being themselves.
This picture makes me seriously jealous.
It's blurry but it was so good. I love my chicken parm, homemade spaghetti sauce and all.
I got the best boys.
After Maybe's baptism we headed up to Snowbird Ski Resort. This was at the top of the tram. I could have stayed up there all day. Something about being on top of the mountains is so refreshing and just reset me. I should probably make an effort to get up in the mountains more often.
Clearly cribs are for playing, not sleeping. This little thing is 9 months old and hasn't slept in it yet. Someday....
Can YOU believe she is 9 months old? Me neither. Her pregancy and birth are just still so clear. She's crawling all over the place and loving her new freedom. Her siblings are also having lots more fun with her. She's amazing and our family wouldn't be complete without her.
The playhouse is moving right along.
And last, we may not go on fancy vacations, but put on some jammies and head out for ice cream at 10:00 at night and just look at those smiles. Almost as good as Disneyland.
July 10, 2016
Yesterday Miss Moo was baptized.
I am so grateful for everyone who came and showed their love and support to Maybe and our family.
I gave up a while ago with any hope of getting any cutsie family photos. Now I just ask that everyone be in it. Anyone who is looking at the camera and smiling is just a bonus at this point.
After Maybe's confirmation Seth leaned over to me and told me that he had a really good feeling in here and pointed to his chest. The church is true! Even my 9 year old can tell you that! The Spirit is a wonderful gift that I am so grateful for in my life. I am so grateful I have witnessed it in my children as well.
July 8, 2016
Tonight we separated the girls' bunk beds and put Nina in the nursery where Brightyn is suppose to be but at 9 months is still sleeping in a pack'n'play with us. That tiny baby HATES her crib. Nina has been sleeping on our couch in our bedroom for probably over a year. Even if we make her sleep in her own bed she always ends up on our couch. Hopefully this move solved that problem. Maybe and Savannah make terrible roommates! The boys wanted to help Nina celebrate her new room. Seth got kicked out shortly after this.
So how did Maybe manipulate her way into her own room?!
I have two happy girls tonight. So the three boys are all sharing one room and the older girls each basically have their own rooms. Those girls are so stinkin' lucky! I have a feeling we'll be finishing our basement much sooner than I would like.
July 7, 2016
Did you know my Maybe baby has freckles? There are just enough to make her adorable.
She is so dang beautiful!
July 5, 2016
20 years ago Ryan started having the first barbecue of the Fourth of July. It started at 12:00 am on July 4th and there are burgers and hotdogs and what not. "Mmmmmm, what not." (Did I get that quote right?) Anyway, as the years went on and people moved on, Ryan handed the tradition over to Uncle Nate who has kept it alive and strong. We made it this year. See? We barbecued burgers and I even had a little what not.
What the playhouse looked like at the end of yesterday.
And of course we went and watched fireworks. We were home before 11 and definitely ready for bed.
When I was thinking about last week and all we did, I realized I left out some activities, such as a Sorensen family picnic up at Copperton and a bunch of small things sprinkled in there. No wonder I was having trouble staying awake at church on Sunday.
July 2, 2016
We must be having a good summer if kids are falling asleep at dinner.
Our playhouse is becoming a reality. It seemed like we were preparing for concrete FOREVER and then last Saturday we finally had concrete delivered and then by yesterday we suddenly had walls.
So unnatural. The driver was taking pictures in his truck.
After concrete last Saturday we headed up North to the air show to see the Thunderbirds. By the time we made it up there they had closed the base and weren't letting any more people in. So we parked on a street, ran into some friends randomly, and watched. It wasn't nearly as awesome as being inside, but jets flying super close overhead is always awesome.
We found a new pizza place after the jets. It was such a delicious find and I can't wait to go back up.
And because our day wasn't long and busy enough, we met cousins for ice cream. I'm always glad when I get to spend time with them!
Monday Seth's primary teacher brought over a late birthday present. Oh. my. goodness. He brought Seth so much, I was so shocked. I am so so grateful that all my kids have such awesome teachers right now.
Wednesday we headed up North to the Treehouse Museum. It was so much fun and I can't wait to take my kids back. We didn't have time to even explore everything and all the kids had a great time. They have a no stroller rule so me and Bry were nice and cozy the whole time. We got home just in time for Seth's pack meeting and then off to Ryan's parents house to say hello to his aunt and uncle who were in town. Savannah became best friends with Aunt Terresa almost immediately so it's a good thing they stopped by her house the next night so Aunt Terresa could see her room.
Friday was a loooooooooong day, but still fun. We are all still trying to recover from it. We left at 5 am to head down to Provo to watch the hot air balloons and we are so glad we did! The kids all had so much fun and we even all got to ride in one. It was tethered, but it's the highest any of us had been in a balloon. The heat is really intense. I gotta be honest, I'm not sure I have the guts to ride in one way up in the sky.
After the balloons we went with our cousin Melanie to Seven Peaks for the rest of the day.
And then today happened. We met up with most of Ryan's family for a reunion. It was fun to catch up with his cousins who all live far far away. Soccer is just better when it's up in the mountains.
After the reunion we kept heading up the canyon and went to Heber for ice cream and french fries. While in Heber we visited a crater that is a swimming hole. The water is naturally 94 degrees and this beautiful shade of blue. We didn't swim and I don't think I want to and least in the summer. Just being inside it was too hot and humid.
We had a busy busy week, but it was really fun. We are all sleep deprived and I'm looking forward to a nice calm week ahead. Maybe's baptism is this coming Saturday and we are so excited for her!
June 24, 2016
We've been celebrating our city's "days" all this week. Tonight was the stock parade so mostly it's people riding their horses on the way to the rodeo. Aren't you so impressed how compact we set up for this parade?
June 23, 2016
She thinks she's big.
Crawled on Saturday for the first time, first time riding through the whole shopping trip in the cart, and
tonight sat in a restaurant high chair. I really really need time to slow down.
June 22, 2016
Maybe had an awesome birthday.
Me and Ryan have created the absolute cutest kids.
Uncle Nate is THE BEST photographer. He captures my kids like no one else.
I can't believe Maybe is 8. She read The Book of Mormon and prayed about it and received a warm feeling all over her body and she has chosen to get baptized. I'm excited for her and her special day coming up!