Rock.

This weekend we went to the cabin. We went to look for some rock (or shale) to put it in our back yard. After driving around for awhile we found a spot on this mountain where we got some. We got it home and found we don't have nearly enough so I'll need to call Dad and ask if I can come get some more next weekend. Things are finally slowing down around here. Volleyball is over and so are swimming lessons. We only have one week left of softball and t-ball. We're trying to get the yard ready for our fourth of July party (hence the reason for the rock). It's going to take a lot of work to get it done so it's good things are winding down. Now if Elie would just let me help out with it some it would be nice. She has already become so attached to me. She is six months old now and almost every time she watches me walk out of the room she starts crying and screaming. Even if her Dad is holding her or with her she sometimes starts crying. I'm sure glad she likes me though.

Busy!!

We have been so busy around here, and when I do have a minute I just want to veg. It's the middle of June and I finally got a little garden planted. It's really the first nice day we've had and it's pretty windy still. I talked Tom into working outside with me (as much as Elie would sleep we could work together) so we can try and get the yard in shape before our 4th of July party. Hopefully we can work on it in the evenings now. At least I hope the rain and wind and snow will stop. We took Czar to the vet and he had some gastro-intestinal something or other so he's on some medicine but doing good. Tom's bird that his brother gave him for his birthday is quite annoying. Just another thing to make noise that has to be cleaned up after along with the four kids, a husband, myself, and a dog. Soccer is finally over, we had 2 weeks with soccer overlapping t-ball and softball. I'm still playing volleyball. So we have volleyball, t-ball, softball, swimming lessons, cub scouts, and all of the other things that come up. It's sometimes fun but I get tired of driving all over especially with the cost of gas. Last night we were at Shon and Holly's and I realized Keaton was gone. We had sent Shaustia and her friend home so I ran (literally) to see if Keaton had gone home. Sure enough he was walking in the door just as I came around the corner. We weren't going to be much longer and Shaustia was here so I asked if he wanted to stay here and he did. I told him to get his pajamas on and stay in the house, not to leave. So I went back over and was gathering stuff up and just ready to go out the door when I hear Keaton crying. He had walked back with no shoes and in his pajamas and he was freezing. And there was a van following him to make sure he wasn't lost. It turned around and left when I ran out to get him and spank his little bottom. Oh I was, and still am, so mad at this child. He just doesn't seem to understand rules and instructions. Austin is playing t-ball. He was doing really well and having fun, then two games ago he got out. It was the end of everything for him. He started sobbing and went to hide under the bench. We had some conversations with him telling him that behavior was not acceptable and that's what happens in t-ball. But it happened again today he tried really hard to not cry holding his stomach and sticking his bottom lip out. It didn't work though he ended up sitting against the fence crying. Shaustia is doing really well in swimming lessons and improving. She had her dance recital and did a great job. Her softball team of girls is just that, a team of girly girls. Elie is as cute as ever and getting cuter everyday. She's still finding her voice and when she realizes she can make a noise she uses her whole body, especially her face, to force the sound out. Tom had a fun business trip a couple of weeks ago where he got to go golfing and and participate in a booth showing their products. Plus go around to all of the other booths that have products in Walmart. I'm just trying and failing to keep up on everything. Tomorrow is Father's Day I hope it will turn out to be a good day for Tom and for my Dad.

A week of fun and celebration!

Elie rolled over for the first time May 17th.

Austin turned 6 on May 21st.

Austin graduated from Kindergarten May 23rd.

Tom and Austin's birthday party May 23rd.

Tom turned 32 May 25th.

Keaton (& everyone else) had a long and fun week. This is at the end of Memorial Day May 26th.

Oops!!!

A sad thing happened a few days ago. Tom had created another blog which he only posted on once and decided to delete it. He was in a hurry and was clicking quickly and he accidentally clicked on our blog to delete it. So poof it was all gone. He was able to recover the latest page and that's it. So that's why it looks different and the comments are all gone. Both of us were just sick over it and I wished I had printed everything. Oh well, it shouldn't happen again.

Kid's Pictures

Why is it that when you get everyone ready to try to get pictures taken that everyone turns grouchy and tired? Last night Tom tried to take a picture of all the kids for me. Keaton wouldn't co-operate and Elie was not in the mood. Then when we tried to get them all together....major meltdown. If they weren't crying they were fighting with each other or grimacing like someone was hurting them. Here are a couple of our attempts:

May

After school a couple of weeks ago Austin decided he wanted to read his book to Elie. He read it to her and then he was telling her all about it. Who the author was, that it wasn't our book we were just borrowing it from Mrs. Taylor, and that "it was a good book wasn't it." I was very sweet and so cute.

We went to baby animal day at the Blackfoot fairgrounds last Saturday with Holly and Shon and their family. Here's Shaustia with a baby chick. Her knee is doing much better we think she may even be able to play at least one soccer game and participate in her dance recital.

Keaton holding one of the baby ducks at baby animal day.

Elie is reaching milestones so quickly it seems. This is her first time trying rice cereal. She didn't hate it but she just kept spitting it out. Her little tongue just gets in the way when I try to give it to her and then she just pushes it back out. We'll keep trying once in awhile and she'll get the hang of it.

This is Elie in the saucer for the first time. She wants to grab everything so I thought I'd try this out and see if it couldn't keep her busy. She enjoys it for a little while and then gets tired. It's amazing this saucer has made it to the fourth child and it still looks nice.

On this day I always find myself wondering what I would talk about if I were asked to give a talk on Mother's Day about mothers. I figure my story of mothers is not exactly the norm and I don't know what I would say.

This Mother's Day though I realized what I would say and decided to share it with you. Don't ask me why I just thought I would. I mean who is deranged enough to write a talk he will never give? Well since deranged is my middle name I guess I'll go ahead with the rest of this blog.

Today I would like to talk a little about a certain mother. See, there aren't many mothers that get to choose who their children are going to be. Most of them come after nine months of pregnancy and start off as a little baby and they usually come one at a time, with some exceptions.

With my situation my biological mother had some serious mental health problems and decided (not consciously like you and I decide) that she no longer wanted to be mine and my brother's and sisters mother on this earth anymore. Just so you know I have three older sisters and at the time three younger brothers. That’s right seven kids ages 3 thru 11 years old found themselves without a mother. Worse than that is that we had been without a mother in the home for almost four years and the oldest ones, at least, had become very independent. Kristin my oldest sister basically became our mom through that time and had a massive amount of responsibility put upon her at a very young age. Probably explains why she is so anal and loves tons of stress in her life all the time.

Anyway, so the year after my biological mother died my father decided that his seven children needed a mother and started dating. He found a woman who was teaching school down in Utah that had never been married before and had no kids of her own. They started seeing each other and things moved pretty quickly. He then brought her home to meet us. If you can imagine what was going through the minds of seven children who really hadn't had a mother for quite awhile and who were used to doing everything themselves when presented with the idea that this woman was to become their mother.For some absolutely insane reason this woman chose to be the stepmother of seven children the youngest of four. Can you imagine trying to take on that task? Not only are these children not your biological offspring but also they have been motherless for a very long time. So father married her and she moved into our home. What a bizarre time this was for all of us. All of a sudden there was structure. There were rules and someone was there to force us to follow them. There was punishment for offenses to these rules. We had a new mom and she took over.

We each reacted differently to her and at the ripe old age of nine I had mixed reviews. We were not easy on her. I remember vividly to this day not finishing my chores before school one day so she made me finish them and be late for school and I turned to her as I was walking out the door and yelled "I hate you, you aren't my mother!" and slammed the door and walked out.

I remember many times hearing the sobbing coming from my parents room after one or more of us had ganged up on her and made her feel as horrible as possible. Why she didn't give up on us I will never know. A lesser person would have flown the coop many many times. Yet she stuck to it. She kept on us like a fly on a fresh cow patty. Some days were of course better than others. When I was in High School I clashed with her more times than not. I was an angry kid and we got into many arguments. I'll never forget the night she caught me sneaking out. She lectured me for hours on end the next day. My dad was on a business trip at the time and I tell you what she laid into me something fierce.

I know my other brothers and sisters were much the same with the exception of maybe Lisa. There were some nasty moments and yet this woman continued in this thankless never ending task of raising some obstinate kids.I never appreciated her until I left the house. Which for me it was the day I went into the MTC. I never knew just how much she had taught me and just how much I owed her for helping me grow up until then.

I knew how to clean my clothes and keep my underwear white. I knew how to cook and clean and take care of myself. My parents had forced me to get a job the day I turned 16. I actually started four days before my 16th birthday and have held a job ever since. But because of that I knew what work was all about and didn't shirk from my duties. I knew how to manage my money and not squander it. I knew how to act in certain situations with proper manners and etiquette. I knew everything I needed to in order to survive on my own. All because of a woman who I had called mother in words but never gave her the title in my heart until then.

She had chosen to be my mother and never gave up on me. I give her much credit in making me the man that I am. I was nothing close to grateful at the time but now I cannot share how grateful I am in my heart. I know some of my brothers and sisters still do not feel as I do, but they should. Usually a child knows the mother from birth and there is a direct bond. This mother, my mother, looked at us and chose to be our mother. For this I cannot thank her enough.

So on this Mother's Day I would like to recognize my step mother, whom I call Mom, for her endeavors and never giving up on seven extremely difficult children.

Thank you Mom! I love you!