Kid Fun!

It has rained here a few times recently and the kids have discovered that rain makes good mud! Well, maybe it's just the dirty water that they love! Here they are loving the wet sand box! They play in it more when it's filled with water than when it's just sand!

Talmage and Grant


Grant


Sandra


Mhari was playing in it too... but she got out when I came outside. She enjoyed posing for me tho! She's a cutie (her feet and pants were wet from the sand box)!

Mhari is such a smarty!

She thinks she's a big kid and will do almost anything they do. It's interesting to have a 4th... Here is today's adventure ~

Mhari climbed up onto the kitchen table (not a new feet) and got the whale crackers (that were still sitting there from snack time).

Since there was a plate right there she loaded it up with crackers. (On a side note if you notice her shirt is completely soaked... from the playing in the sandbox again!)

After several times of loading it up (I told her that was enough)... she decided it was time to eat!


That cracker is going straight to her mouth in case you can't tell :). I'm sure it sends mixed messages to take pictures of this then get her off the table... like she won't do it again (ha ha ha), but it was too cute not to share!

I did sit her down in the chair to enjoy the crackers while I finished getting dinner ready. She's becoming very independent! I need to enjoy these moments... they grow up so fast!

Memorial Day grilling!

We recently inherited a grill from some friends. This is our first time owning a grill and what a great time to start for the holiday! We didn't have any grill utensils so Jeff went out to the store to buy some.

It had to be cleaned out first. Looks like that wire scraper works good!





I had bought hot dogs, but chicken was getting closer to being on the menu... look out hennies!




Jeff and the kids waiting for the hot dogs and corn on the cob to finish cooking.

While they were waiting Jeff heard the propane tanks run out and turn off... bummer (we weren't sure how much was left in it). The hot dogs were quite done, but not the corn. I finished the corn up in the microwave and we had a nice dinner together.

Sorry, no finished food photos... maybe next time :).

It felt like a real holiday with Jeff using the grill.

Maybe next time we'll have enough propane to do the whole meal :).

Projects!

Here are some of the projects we've been up to...

Our bedroom has been in need of some drapes in our little quarter cirlce windows. So much light and heat comes through them and our room suffers every summer. When talking to a friend she gave me a good suggestion she found of using wire hangers, electrical tape, and the material to create my own forms to cover my little windows. I think it turned out great. With some extra material I pinned up triangle valences. They aren't fabulous, but it ties the look together. Our room has been so much better with this improvement!

I also darkened the boys curtains and took down their blinds - they were broken and a real eye sore from the front of the house. See my dark material :)

I also inherited this way cute material and decided to make the girls some pajama dresses. Here is Sandra's. Mhari's is just missing the bottom ruffle. Sandra loves it so much that she wasn't going to get dressed today. I finally convinced her around 1 pm that she needed to put some clothes on or she couldn't wear the dress to bed tonight :)


I have switched the girls to the same room. I've been dreading doing this because Sandra plays so much in bed. I didn't want her to play with Mhari and wake her up (or keep her up). We've done 2 nights and so far so good. I convinced Sandra to switch because now she has a "girl" room. I'm not sure that she wanted to leave the boys otherwise!


Jeff's been keeping busy with projects and planning projects. Yesterday he redid the henny food. This holds tons more than our last food dish and it should stay cleaner too! He has also been working on the hen house - caulking it to keep the rain out, and cleaning it out.


Today's project was cleaning out the dryer vent. Birds think it's a great nest! He redid the vent cover too to keep our friendly birds from rebuilding their nests!

There are more projects in the works... I'll update when they happen :). It's been nice to have Jeff around and be able to get some things done around the house!

6 Flags!

For My birthday this year I decided a good way to celebrate would be to go to 6 Flags! I haven't been for 11 years and it was so fun to go back! I really like roller coasters and I tend to be pregnant any time I think of going so this worked out great. I took Jeff with me so we could spend some good quality time together - since he's been so busy with school recently.
We got on the first ride, Flashback, and after that Jeff remembered why he didn't like roller coasters. Bummer. He didn't throw up, just didn't want to do that again. He stood in line for the rides with me, but would just walk across and go take pictures when I got on the ride. It was a hot, humid, day, but not too busy so it was a great day. I got to ride Batman, Mr. Freeze, and Superman. Then we did a log ride thing - which was really just "it's a small world" with Warner Bro. characters (trying to get Yosemite Sam).
We decided to get some food after that. Well, lets just say that after waiting longer in line for food than for any ride, we decided to forgo the food and eat a granola bar (we smuggled in). We tried one last coaster (no loops) before calling it quits. Well, it was a huge wooden one and man that thing was a rough ride - I think I have bruises from all the banging around! Let's just say that Jeff still didn't enjoy the ride! Then we got a caricature done and headed out for Braums (since we were still hungry). Oh - a huge thanks to my friends for helping out with our kids during this!

Things I learned....
1. I'm not 19 anymore! Man am I sore today!
2. I'm still not 19... sound familiar :) - I got so tired so much faster and we defiantly weren't at the park all day.
3. I love hanging out with my hubby - even if he didn't love the rides, it was great to be together!
4. Getting time with out the kids is nice - I love my kids, but wow, so nice to have this experience without cranky tired kids to drag along too!
5. I still love roller coasters - but I have more side effects from them now (see #1&2) - headache feelings after riding them too.
6. This will be fun to do with my kids when they are older! I'll get to be the one on the rides with them :)
7. I enjoyed doing something "big" for my birthday! Granted it was a bigger birthday, and I haven't done this in forever so that helped it be a bigger thing too.

Glad I got to have a 6 Flags day! (that's their logo)

The last 8 years and beyond (by Jeff)

With finals now over I thought I would take a moment to say happy birthday, happy mothers day, and why not happy anniversary and happy valentines day while I am at it. All of these days were affected due to schooling finals, competitions, or papers that were due. When thinking of what I want to say about Sharla I could use the methods others have used like a list of things I love about her, a sarcastic remark about how old she is now, or something quirky. I decided to say what it is that that I love about her the most – her beauty.

I am going to begin with a quote from Pres. Benson. We have probably heard it before at some time. Currently it is used with the new YW value of virtue. It reads: (slightly modified to apply to an adult)

“Give me a woman who loves home and family, who reads and ponders the scriptures daily, who has a burning testimony of the Book of Mormon. Give me a woman who faithfully attends her church meetings, who is a seminary graduate, who has earned her Young Womanhood Recognition Award (2 times: once as youth, once as a YW leader) and wears it with pride! Give me a woman who is virtuous and who has maintained her personal purity, who will not settle for less than a temple marriage, and I will give you a woman who has, and will continue to perform miracles for the Lord now and throughout eternity” (Ezra Taft Benson, “To the Young Women of the Church,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 84).

I find the essence of beauty is not the physical for it fades in time. Nor is it in innocence, for it seems to be lost more as time passes. It is not in personality or desires. None of these or any other trait alone satisfies beauty. Beauty is much like the gospel in that it is what one has become which is important. Beauty is a compilation of all the good found in its individual forms and packaged into what someone has become. What Sharla has become due to her choices as a youth and as an adult is what I find so very beautiful. It is this beauty for which to date, I have found no equal in any other woman. When seen in this light, I understand how an aged man can say that his wife is even more beautiful to him during the final years than they were when they were newly married. And currently at our age, 4 kids later, 8+ years of marriage, I see her more beautiful now than I did 8+ years ago. Happy Everyday Sharla, I love you. ---Jeff

The last 30 years

For my birthday I figured I would honor the last 30 years... with some fun photos!

I would love to put more up from my younger days (pre-high school), but this was as much as I had (thanks again Christa!). The years have been good - I've grown up, gotten married, and started my own family! I'm excited to see my children continue to grow and then start theirs too... lots to look forward to in the next 30 years!
Taffery's wedding reception!  Just found out that I was pregnant with Sandra.

Me and baby Mhari

Camping with the family in Arizona, while being pregnant with Sandra.

Sandra's birth :)

Camping in Galveston - pregnant with Mhari

Sandra's blessing day

Baby Mhari

I would guess I'm about 4

Maybe 8 or 9

Helping give service in Mexico.  I think I'm 12

Senior year - 18 years old

20 Years old

Halloween 1999?

New Years Eve - Almost 2000

Jaime's wedding reception!

Trip to Vegas with Holly and Murray.  I'm about 19

Vance and me 1997

1998

Senior ID photo - freshman year

Senior or Junior year

Last year of girls camp. 16 years old

Trying on wedding dresses - with the young women.  I'm about 16

 

Thanks Mom!

Thanks for loving me and raising me! I would not be who I am today without your influence. Thanks for sharing your special day with me :)!

Thanks to my other mother! You have been a great support to me and my family! You would do anything for your grandchildren!

I have been blessed to have 2 great mothers in my life! Thanks to all you have done for me personally and for my family! Your love will go into the eternities!

Survived!

Surprise - the swine flu crisis is over at the school... and they went back today instead of Monday! I was very happy about this lovely surprise. The boys were too! They have missed school. It was nice to have the morning with the girls going on a walk and out to the store - so much easier with just 2!

While we were on "break" we made it to the Botanical Gardens with some friends. Here are a few photos of the fun events :).

The kids! It was overcast and threatening of rain... which means no one was there! It was beautiful... so much in bloom, plus the weather turned out really nice!


There are turtles and fish in the pond. The kids liked helping feed them :)


Just too cute not to share :)

Mhari ate a dandelion with it's seeds ready to blow away! Yuck! I guess that must have been a yummy wish she was making :)

A really cool huge tree with a hole in the trunk and awesome roots. The kids liked climbing all over it.

Feliz Cumpleanos Cinco De Mayo style!

Last night I had a fun surprise! My friends threw my friend Amanda, and me a surprise birthday party! It was so great. Since it was Cinco De Mayo we had a great theme and food! I loved sharing the spotlight with Amanda. She is a great friend and we have enough things in common it's kind of creepy :).
Our husbands wrote 9 things about us and our friends had to figure out which one went to which girl. It was hard because some of them would fit both of us... we weren't even sure!
My 9 things were: I like cats, I'm the 7th of 9 children in my family, I have read the whole standard works, I mumble in my sleep sometimes, I like to play volleyball and dance, I stripped at my husbands brother's bachelor party (before we were married) - really just danced and peeled fruit... I'm not that kind of girl!, I drive with my shoes off, when I was younger I was a good girl, I'm competitive - my husband and I don't play games together because of it (this was his wording, I will play fun games, just not strategic games with him).

Then, because I really like pictionary and play dough (sculptureades, from cranium) we played that for a while. It was hysterical! Screaming, laughing, not knowing (menudo?) fun!

Oh, I almost forgot the presents! We both got certificates for pedicures and money to go out to dinner - priceless mommy gifts! Can't wait to use them!!

Thanks to all the wonderful ladies who made this night possible! I still have a few days before I officially hit 30, but the party totally made it worth getting older... and joining the new 30's group :).

May party!

 

Melissa Rice and Margaret McEwan

 
Amanda's surprise!

 
Me seeing Amanda!

 
The May babies!

 
My sculpturade

 
The competition was fierce!

 
Cindy Killebrew

 
The 30 something ladies

 
The 20 something ladies