Grateful - Day 17

I am grateful for my bus.  I hate driving it.  But it sure comes in handy with all the kids I drive around.

What I drive . . .




What I feel like I drive. . .

Grateful - Day 16

I am grateful for the medical professionals.

This is why.

They can bring these little 2 lbs 12 oz babies into the world, one of them even had to be resuscitated.

4 months later they can be mad at me.  But what cute mad faces.

And 18 months later, they can be doing this.  

Yep, Josh crawled out of his high chair and on to Jonah's to eat his food.  But don't worry, Jonah still gets food.

 He is just sneakier.  

Grateful - Day 15

I am grateful for a Heavenly Father who loves me and is there for me.

If you would like to know more about what I believe, click here.

LDS.org

Grateful - Day 14

I am grateful for music.  I love music.

The songs I can't get enough of . . .

I love anything Beatles

I have been to Abbey Road, you know.

(My feet on abbey road.  oh yeah baby.)

Well, I guess you really don't care what I listen to, but I really, really do love music.

Grateful - Day 13

I am grateful for mine and my families health.  When I go to the dr. and give them the list of my medical problems, it makes me thankful, it could be so much worse.

Grateful - Day 12

I am grateful for microwave popcorn.

Grateful - Day 11

I am grateful for nail polish.  I really need to paint my toes.

Grateful - Day 10

 I am grateful for Mr. Clean magic erasers.

Grateful - Day 9

Today, I am grateful for friendship.

Would you like to hear a story?

10 years ago, a friend, Christy, was going to do shelter care.  John and I decided to go a head and jump in too.  So Christy and I started our foster care classes.  It is a bajillon classes and if you miss one, say you missed the 4th class, you have to wait until the next month to take it.  It was hard with 3 little kids, but we got our classes done  Feb. 2001.  Christy told me another family in our ward was going to take the classes the next month.  Kim and Pat Crosby. They also had 3 little kids.  I called Kim one morning to tell her that I would help her finish her classes since it was so hard.  We talked for 8 hours and we haven't stopped talking yet.  John and I helped babysit their kids while they took their classes.  Ahhhh, the things you remember.  I would have her kids at my house and then take them home to hers, bathe them and get the in bed.  Her sister, who was pregnant would come and sit while they slept.  Crazy days.

 It was perfect that we had each other to babysit. It was hard enough taking a newborn foster baby to a mental health appointment let alone having to do it with other kids. Not to mention the creepy, lice infested clinics we had to go to.  Okay, I am exaggerating, but they were gross.

Sorry for the old scrapbook pages, it was the easiest way to scan.

 This is our girls first sleepover.  The Crosby's power was out for days, so the girls slept over.  They are so tiny.  And this was the first of 194,385,325 sleepovers.

 Friends for life!!!

 We would get together and spend the day at one of our houses, the kids would play and we would . . . you guessed it.  Talk.  We would even fix dinner and when husbands came home, the would all eat and hang out.

Here's a couple of the girls a little while ago. 

I have to add that I am just showing photos of some of our bigger girls.  But together we have 17 kids.  Yep, you read that right.  And we take them all places.  Yep, all 17.  And we like it.

I could add photos all day of our kids, but I won't.  You are welcome.  

  

Then fast forward all the years of friendship and kids friendships and this was us.  Having European Adventures.

 This was the beginning of our addiction to scarves.

Anyway, the moral of this post is Happy Birthday Kim. Thanks for being there for me and a great friend for the past 10 years.  Can't wait  for the other exciting adventures ahead of us.  Moral #2 is I hope everyone can find a Kim of their own.

Grateful - Day 8

I am grateful to be a mother.  As of today, I have been a mother for 14 years.  I remember it like yesterday, yet it feels like a dream.  Every once in a while, John and I play the what if game.  Such as . . . what if things were different and we didn't get pregnant 2 months into marriage.  (I met, married and had baby before I got my associate degree and all before John went to BYU.) What if she was our only one?  What if . . . you get the idea.  Would life have been easier?  Heck yes.  Well, maybe, you never know I guess.  I wouldn't change a thing.  We are at such a good place.  I have a husband who provides.  That is not an easy task.  I am very thankful for the decisions that we made years and years ago that I would stay home and be with the kids.  I did work graveyard for over a year and I did it all myself.  My job, baby, johns school and job.  We we did it on our own. That is all we had.  I didn't have help.  No one watched my baby but me.  I wanted to spend every second with her . Then we had another baby girl when Rebecca was 13 1/2 months old.  Little Cassandra joined our family.  Anyway, sorry this is starting to be a life story.  I didn't meant to do that, just wanted you to know how much I love my daughter.  She is amazing.  She is such a people person.  She is a fantablous dancer.  She could be a good piano player . . . someday.  She is super smart.  Way smarter than me.  She wants to be a social worker and help kids.  I am sure that has nothing to do with the fact that she has been a foster sister to 82 foster kids.  She has such a soft heart.  She is also very responsible.  I completely trust her.  Okay, enough on the sappy daughter stuff.  She had a pretty lame day.  The poor thing.  

Here is her day. 

 Sorry, they are backwards and I am too tired to fix them.  She got to open a few gifts earlier to take to Disneyland.  

 If you can't tell, this is her excited look.  She loves Perry the Platypus.  

 And we got her some giant perry slippers. 

 Fast forward to this morning.  She didn't get her breakfast in bed.  She wakes up too darn early for this lazy mom.  But I did make her waffles with buttermilk syrup.  Yum Yum.  Do you like her hair?  She hated it.  She had to do that because she had tech rehursal for her dance concert.  She hated it.  

 James got her smelling her new perfume.  Yummmmm.

 And a Cody Simpson Poster.  Becca is in love with him.  

Now fast forward until tonight.  We met up with Kim and Sammy and Bailey came.  We took cupcakes over to the school.  She had to be there until after 9 tonight.  We go walking in during their dinner break, yes the whole family, and we had to wait in between the two doors.  So we had to have all the kids hurry and hide.  

 She was pretty well surprised when we all came singing in the room for her.  Her face got bright red and she was a bit embarrassed, but she had fun.  Kim had a gift of some cute scarves and a crown for her.  So fun.  

 There is our crew and there is the Dance company.  I am so excited to go watch her preform.  More to come on that.  

 I had some cute cupcakes made.  Perry of course, with purple of course.  

Now just a very very short trip down memory lane.  I can't for too far back because I am too lazy to go dig though her scrapbooks and scan anything in.  So here are some photos from the digital age.  

 Cute cousins.

 This is coming up way to fast.  Ahhhh, heaven help me.  

Happy Birthday Rebecca, I love you.  Thank you or putting up with me and for being so dang wonderful. 

Grateful - Day 7

I am grateful for Disneyland.  I know that sounds stupid, but we just got back and I love that there is somewhere clean and decent that we can take kids.  It is too bad that California Adventure started a club like atmosphere at night.  Anyway, I love Disneyland.  I love it.  It is super exhausting but I love it.  Here are some completely random photos.  

 It is so fun to look for hidden mickeys.  

 This is the photo as we go down the hill on splash mountain.  I love that John got stuck in the front so he was ducking.  Love it.  

 Here is Jason's first time on Screamin'.  Awesome!!!!!

 Family fun.

 I just wish lines wouldn't be so long.  75 mins. to meet Rapunzel and the dude from chuck.  Seriously.    

 At least John is the ruler of all fast passes.  And that stack was after we used a few rides.  

My little star wars studs.

Yeah, pretty random.  I love Disneyland.  

Grateful - Day 6

I wonder if I will ever be caught up and on the right day.  Oh well.

Today I am thankful for teachers.  My kids are in a traditional school.  Today at the elementary school, they perfomed their annual Veterans Day Concert.  The choir sings.  (My 3 kids are in that.  The teacher is so great.  Giving up her extra time to teach music to kids.  Love her!!)  And then each grade sings a patriotic song.  Now, I must admit, I have been tired of hearing "50 Nifty United States" sung on the top of my 5th graders lungs,  I was wondering if my head would explode.  But when the kids are singing, it gives me chills.  Now, it is hard to sit there with 4 other kids and keep them entertained. But I survived.  Kim and I only had to run after lost toddlers once.  That was great.



Anyway, to get back on track, this concert had me looking at these wonderful teachers.  I don't want to start a home-school - traditional school argument.  My opinion is to each their own.  What ever works with your family is awesome.  Do it.  I come from a family of educators.  My father is a jr. high teacher turned college professor PhD.  My mother is a travel agent turned elementary school teacher.  My mother in law is a current principal and my father in law is a elementary teacher turned mail carrier.  Needless to say, we have a lot of books in our house.  I am grateful for teachers everywhere and the time and effort they put into my kids education.  If I was in charge of the world, the teachers salary would be $56,000,000 a year and athletes would get $35,000.   

P.S.  I only have 10 more Veterans concerts to go.
P.P.S.  This is the first concert I forgot my camera.  Oops.

Grateful - Day 5

I am grateful someone likes Halloween.  I just don't.  I didn't mind it in the past.  In fact, I enjoyed it as a kid, but with 9 kids, it is just a waste of time and money.  I admit it willingly that I am a Halloween Scrooge. Yep.  #1.  I get scared easily and I hate being scared.  B.  I hate spending money and I don't sew and I am not very creative.  I keep threatening, but I swear one of these Halloweens, I will just buy everyone a bag of candy and turn off the lights and just watch movies.    But since I just survived that holiday, here are the kids.  

 Cassie had candy pants.  Her hair was painted and she would fill her pants with her candy.  

 The cutest poo I have ever seen.  Oh, I mean Pooh.  And his friend t i double ga er.  

 Elly made the perfect Snow white.  

 And Miss Ariel.

 Super Mario

 A grandma.  She even won best comstume in her class.

 Who called for Batman?

A cutie from the 50's.