He Passed!!

#2 turned 12 on February 10! He had a great birthday and was really excited to reach the 12 year-old milestone! He is now a Deacon and this past Sunday PASSED the sacrament for the first time! He was so excited and asked us several questions before so that he would know what to do. His big brother is the Deacon's Quorum President, so he had the right person to talk to about the logistics of passing the sacrament. #2 happened to be the one that would pass it to the Bishopric... and after the meeting started, a member of our Stake Presidency came and sat on the stand. That threw off his 'who is presiding' plan-- So, Shane had to do 'sign' language to show him who he had to pass it to first. He figured it out and did a great job! Now, Shane and the two boys are all together on Sundays and for weekly YM activities. Shane was the scout master, but is now the 2nd counselor in the YM Presidency.... This is the first time the two boys have been in the same church class! It is kindof cool!!! At least when they go on a campout... they are all together!

#1 also had to speak in sacrament meeting yesterday--our ward had a speech festival and he was one of the youth that was chosen to speak at the Stake speech festival...so they asked him to give his speech in sacrament meeting--! It was a great talk! He wasn't super excited to speak in sacrament meeting AGAIN- he already did that this summer--! But he did it anyway and did well!! He wrote the speech without a stitch of help from me or Shane- he did a great job!

My camera was also having a moment during #2's birthday party! So, no pictures!!! He got a live trap, some new arrows for his bow and a new sling for his slingshot! Can you say.... "I like weapons?" He has wanted a live trap for a long time. He wants to catch jack rabbits & ground squirrels in the desert! Well, two days after he got it- someone STOLE it right out of the desert! Can you believe that? I guess the neighbors said it was a lady on her horse who took it-- I guess she stopped by their house and asked if it was theirs--She said she took it because her cats keep disappearing- evidently- she thinks the trap was for catching domestic cats!!! Whatever! Crazy lady-thief on a horse! Keep your cat in the house if you don't want it to disappear... not to mention all of the coyotes around here that could be snacking on them!! So, he only had his trap for two days!!! Bummer!!! He and Shane went to every neighbor to see if they were the ones who took it!! We still haven't figured it out.... but we are hoping to solve the mystery somehow!!

So now I have TWO boys that hold the priesthood! They are such good boys too...what an honor and a privilege to be their Mom!!

Teaching #4 to ride!!!

I haven't blogged much lately because my photo uploader isn't working... I have to load the pix with the old uploader and one at a time. If anyone knows what is wrong or how to fix it... let me know! I have been trying to post this one for a while now! #4 has been dying to learn how to ride the motorcycle- so the other day-- we gave it a whirl. It was pretty funny-- he kept going off and on the throttle, and everytime he used the throttle--his head would fall back. He didn't crash, but it got away from him a couple times! I was videoing and he almost ran me over--It was pretty crazy for a minute! He decided he might need to wait until he is bigger to ride again! We made him ride it again the next weekend-- so he wouldn't hate it... but he is a little more cautious now!! We love our motorsports!!

Sledding FUN??!?! or NOT!!!

 Getting ready to go!!!

 Notice the fear in my eyes!!!

 There is the jolly green giant!  He flies on that little pink saucer!!!

The older I get the more whimpy I am about sledding!  I just pray that every time we go.... we won't have to take a trip to the emergency room!  It seems that someone always gets hurt!! But, the kids love it and we have a great time!!  The kids are all crazy--- #5 is just a sack of flour-- she can't even make it two steps without falling down-- so someone has to tow her up the hill or carry her!! She called it 'snowin'!! She kept saying.... lets go snowin! It was really cute!  #4 is a kamakazee sledder.... taking all the unnecessary risks to get the most air and go the farthest!  The older boys are pretty crazy too!!  The hill is about thirty minutes away and quite a change of scenery compared to our mild desert winter.  It is nice to be able to still enjoy the snow and not have to live in it!  My camera died right after we got there... so there aren't anymore pictures than these!!  But we had a great time and the boys went again the next weekend!!!

Christmas 2010!!!

This year- Christmas was great!  Not only did we 'score' with these two battery powered cars.  (Our friends' kids didn't use them anymore...so we offered to take them off of thier hands and put them to good use!) We scaled down the 'gifting' and focused more on quality instead of quanitity!!!  We spent a lot of time together as a family having fun and doing things together!  We went sledding, played games, watched movies, went shooting and just had a nice relaxing holiday!!  We were hoping to get some family to come to town... but that didn't work out-- so --we were happy to just have each other!!  The older our kids get... the more I realize how precious and special this time is with our children!  Our oldest son will be gone in less than 5 years!! After that-- it will only go faster!  So, instead of being lonely and wishing for visits from grandparents and relatives... we tried to focus more on having fun and enjoying the family right in our midst!!  We are so blessed to have these wonderful children in our home-- they are so much fun and bring us so much joy!  We really like hanging out with them!!  

The new 'Mustang'!!  It even has a radio that works!!!

 Cutie pie in her pink jeep-- she however, could use some driving lessons-- she is a horrible driver!!!!

 #1 got some really nice binoculars for spotlighting-shooting-critters and a graphing calculator

 #2 got his long wished for 17 HMR rifle-- He LOVES IT!!!

 #3 Got a digital camera!! It's even turquoise!!!

 See the DOG???

 He better hang on.. she is not trustworthy!!!

How cute is that???

 All 'GQ' and everything!! Just chillin in the STANG!!!!

The dog really likes our new RIDES too!!!  He just sat there and let them drive him around!  It was so funny!!!

Snare Traps & Hayrides!!

#2 decided to do "How to make a SNARE" for his HOW TO project at school!  So why not try it out, right???? With the determination and persistence that only #2 has.... he made about 50 homemade snares,  checked them twice or three times a day and after using a whole spool of  wire... and many hours of bending wire....he finally caught something!!!  The poor little critter got snagged around the waist-- it was awful!!  I didn't think he would catch anything!  After he proved us wrong with his catch.... he decided to start digging bunkers for the next big neighborhood airsoft war!!!  It is always some kind of project with him!! HAHAHA!! Boys!!!

On a less disgusting note.... We have started a tradition the past few years of having a hayride on Christmas Eve. We go throughout the neighborhoods singing Christmas carols and looking at Christmas lights.  This year, we seriously underestimated our combined gross weight and bottomed out our trailer... so the adults took turns riding in the suburban while the kids sung and had a great time on the trailer!! Next year... we either need to get a bigger trailer or eat less Christmas goodies!!!   This is 'shortly' before departure....

 Notice the shorts!! Don't let that fool you--- it wasn't that warm-- all of the rest of us had coats on!!!

Happy Christmas Eve!!!

She is THREE!!! (and has been for a whole month!!)

So... we are only a month behind, but our little #5 has turned THREE!!! The whole week before her birthday.. we were telling her that her birthday was coming and that she was going to be three!!  Not knowing if she understood or not... when the day finally came-  she was thrilled that it was her birthday! She was so happy and cute all day long!  Everything we did was, "because its my birthday!" She got to wear what she wanted- a lovely dress-up dress with about four other frilly-puffy skirts underneath it... I made her a tinkerbell cake with yellow and pink just like she asked, she got a baby stroller and some pretty shoes for her birthday and a doctor kit.  Overall, she had a great day.... UNTIL we took her bottle away... because she was three!  We felt like rotten parents to ruin her day.. but we had been waiting and putting it off long enough.. so we told her when she turned three- she wouldn't get to have bottles anymore-- she was great with that until she actually turned three!  She screamed at us for about 45 minutes.. then finally fell asleep-- the next couple days - she would ask where her bottles went... but she got used to it pretty quick!  I don't even think it totally ruined her day... just the end of it!!  She is such a cutie-- she loves to snuggle and hug! She absolutely ADORES her dad and worships the ground he walks on!  She will just sit and rub his face and kiss his cheek!!  She also reminds us all to be nice all day long- not that I ever need reminding--ha --and keeps us all laughing!  She is such a sweetheart! As long as we don't cross her!  When we do....watch out!! She is also a SUNBEAM and POTTY TRAINED!!!  Whoot!!  We have made great progress this last month!!  It actually makes me a little weepy!  She is growing up too fast!!