Friday Letters

Dear Children, once again the week has flown by. You have spent most of your free time playing outside every day. I love that. Sometimes I wish I could have had more of you. I thinks that means you have officially driven me crazy. Dear Easter, had a great time at Gma +Gpa Clarks for lunch and an egg hunt and Vicki did crafts with the girls then came home and dyed our eggs. Sunday we had our stake conference, we had really great speakers who shared things that spoke right to my heart. Dear Avary, Sunday morning you decided to turn off the crockpot because it was making noise...but I didn't notice till dinner time. So we had spaghetti. Stinker. Dear Liam, you were trying to move the couch, bent down and your bum broke the window. It made me laugh and also remember when my uncle did the same thing Ha! Now we say you have buns of steel. Dear Hailey, you have brought all of your grade up. I really am so proud of you for working hard. You have had a baby all week for homec. And even had to get a babysitter for cheer practice. I like this. Dear Yard, I love having a huge yard and driveway because it makes all the neighborhood kids flock to our house where I can hear what goes on. Yesterday we had 8 extra kids over. I love it! I'm sure it might have something to do with having the coolest kids ever. Dear Will, have I told you that I still love you? You are still the one that I would choose to spend my time with, the one I choose to talk to, even though we are up into the wee hours of the morning and sometimes we disagree. You are the one that I want to make happy every single day. Just in case you forgot. Dear Self, I am very blessed. I have my moments of weakness, but it always resolves itself into a greater faith and a stronger testimony of my Savior and the knowledge that He knows and loves Me. That right there is Priceless.

The Real Easter

Because Of Him

Follow the link to watch a short video.

Friday Letters

Dear Children, there is no school today. Woohoo! Don't wake me up. Dear Dr., thanks for shootin my knee up with some juice. I take injections like a champ. So I've been told. It hurts and will not bend now, but next week it will be feeling great. And as for my hand (post surgery) my body likes to over do it with the scar tissue. I don't blame it, it has been cut open a few too many times. Massage and keeping it mobile are supposed to help with the pain. I think it will work better if someone else is doing the hand massage...Will, you fill prescriptions right? Dear Hot Water, Hallelujah!! We now have hot water...on one side of the house. The other side, the bathroom the kids use has no hot/water at all. You turn it to hot and nothing comes out. Oh well. We all got a hot shower and never ran out of hot water. Dear L+L Class, it is very  needed to have reminders every week to improve our parenting. It is definitely working because the kids don't like it, but I do. HAHAHAHA (insert evil laugh). Dear Walmart, beware of the tuna isle. I had a nice man offer to have me if my husband ever decides to let me go. His offer stood even after finding out we share 7 kids. Haha That is what happens when you dress modestly ladies...men shopping for a date mistakenly think you don't have any stretch marks. Little does he know it was only the second day this week I wasn't wearing sweat pants. Oh isn't Will a lucky man! Dear House, I really REALLY need a house of order. I should have a garage sale. Who am I kidding. I can't even organize my pinterest pages. An important part of my brain seems to have completely shut down. Dear Sleep, it's a constant struggle. I desperately need restful sleep. The key word here is "restful". Dear Will, I'm looking forward to having you home this weekend. Sometimes I want to be selfish and keep you all to my self. Actually I always feel that way. Dear Self, with Easter approaching I feel very blessed and so grateful for my Savior. I am so grateful for the peace that comes when we seek Him. Just this week I had a very real reminder that He Lives, He Loves me, And He is always there. My heart warms as I hear my children talk about Easter among themselves and they aren't talking about the Easter bunny. They are talking about Jesus Christ. Couldn't make me happier.

How to Survive an Ice Cold Shower 101

I'm pretty sure that everyone will have to encounter a really cold shower at some point in their lives. And I'm here to help you through it. To share the valuable tips and tricks I've learned to "survive" and maybe even "thrive". 

No. Nope you won't thrive...forget that part.

First, the power of the mind. Stay calm. Force yourself to not think about what you are about to do.

Turn the shower on and step in to the shower BUT under no circumstances touch the water. This is important because you have to trick your mind into thinking "oh I'm just going to take a regular old shower" and if you touch the water at this point it's all over.

Next you are going to grab whatever soap, cloth, or whatever you normally use to wash your face. You are going to get it wet (still keeping your body out of the water) and lean forward to bring the cloth to your face. Cleanse and rinse.

Now if you have long hair like I do you need to listen up. You are going to lean back (again, keeping your body out of the water) and slowly carefully get your hair wet. Now you have to lean backwards far enough that your hair and the water does not pour down your back. Grab your shampoo and get to work. Quickly.

There is no time for luxury here so I multitask and use the shampoo to shave my armpits.

Again you are going to use the back bend to rinse your shampoo out of your hair. At this point you are going to be getting wet. You will notice that you have muscles that you weren't aware of because they will all become very tense. Also it may become hard to breathe. 

Repeat steps to condition your hair.

*If you are a man, according to Will...who is a man, you most likely have shorter hair. Now he says you will bend forward instead of backward to shampoo. And you will be using the shampoo bubbles to wash your face. I think you need a man face to be able to get away with this shortcut though.

Now for the body wash.

I use a poofy shower thing to lather up the body wash and soap up (still out of the water) get good and clean, no need for short cuts here or it's all in vain.

Now things are going to get dangerous. Pay Attention.

You are going to start with one body part at a time and quickly rinse under the water. 

One. Part. At. A. Time. 

You may realize that you have stopped breathing due to the shock of ice water on your skin causing your lungs to freeze and your heart almost stopping. You need to force your self to keep breathing. We aren't going to pretend that you can take deep breaths at this point because we don't need to be putting unrealistic goals into your head. We just need to keep your mind kind of blank, kind of just go into a denial mind set.

Beware of the porcupines aka legs. Do Not even consider shaving your legs. They are not the same as your pits, which have to be done. It is impossible really and should not be attempted. Frozen shards of leg hair can be dangerous and cause quite a bit of damage. If you are like me and shave your legs everyday this is a time of adjustment and you just have to let some things go knowing that there will come a day soon when you can once again regain your dignity.

OK! You are done! You will be shivering and your color will be blue or purple, don't worry this is normal. Some slight convulsions may occur.

Lastly, this may be the most important information.

There is no need for anyone to try and be a hero. We don't want anyone to get hurt. And there is nothing to prove. 

DO NOT- under any circumstances immerse your whole body under the ice water!!! Paralyses may occur!!! You will lose all common sense and scream uncontrollably...you may even cry. Your mind will become completely irrational and you may become delusional and begin to believe that you can go without showering. We don't want to hurt the innocent people who are forced to be around you so it is important to follow this warning.

*If possible marry someone who is awesome and thoughtful. Because they will notice when your life is in danger and they will get a room heater, turn it on full blast and point it directly into the bathroom while you are in the shower. That way when you step out of the shower the air will be warm and you will recover/thaw much more quickly.

Well, there you go. Survival tips to help you feel confident that you CAN face your ice shower and you CAN survive. It's best to Accept the fact that you will not ever like it.

*some statements may be slightly exaggerated.

                                               *No...no...they are quite accurate.

Totally Pointless Rambling

I'm gonna ramble on. Sometimes that happens.
My house is a mess. Like a really big mess. And it's a little overwhelming.
It wouldn't be so bad except I still feel like crap most of the time, so exhausted from the smallest things, nauseous, dizzy, headaches. My body is so weak. I'm either freezing to death or so overly hot and sweating. When I try and sleep my body just aches and hurts. My body is wacko.
It makes accomplishing anything so hard.
I have my moments of self pity. Really it's moments of guilt. I want to be able to be the Mom that I normally am and do all of the things that are normally not a big deal.
Just getting the laundry out of the dryer is a big deal.
I think I traumatized my body just a little bit with all the surgery. And now I have to be patient with myself.
And also menopause at 34 wasn't on my to do list. It is taking some time for me to adjust to. Someone email me if you have any advice about that.
I'm pretty sure that a hot shower would make things a little better-
They are outside, inside, and in the attic right now replacing pipes. I was really REALLY hoping to have a hot shower instead of a cold one tonight. Not today:( Now I'm REALLY hoping tomorrow. We've gone without hot water before. The kids and I took cold showers for awhile when we lived in the shack. And I would rather have cold water than no water, but it doesn't matter how many cold showers I take I will not ever like it. I do not tolerate temperature change very well, never have. Too hot or too cold and my body panics.
I will say we have really awesome landlords who always fix things right away, spray our weeds, take care of the trees and even come and do the irrigation. They didn't raise the rent when 5 more people moved in and even installed an air conditioner when we thought about moving because a swamp cooler wasn't cutting it. So basically I know we are pretty lucky. And they did offer for us to come and shower at their house every day, but I have a problem imposing on people. I'd rather take cold showers.
Heard enough about that? Call me when your hot water goes out, I'll listen.
Hazel has pink eye. Avary almost threw up. Will snuck flowers into my car while I was in a movie with my bonus girl B. It made me like him. Also he killed a spider that was right next to my head and didn't even make fun of me. Killed it before I even spotted it! He has come a long way in being sympathetic to my extreme reactions.
My kids are watching a really dumb movie about a bunny puppy. I am not even kidding, it has been showing them dying eggs for TEN MINUTES. Even the kids are wondering what this movie is about. Avary said "they shouldn't be doing that on the bare table it could get dye all over it" That is how boring this movie is.
The dog is singing about pooping easter bunnies now! What!
I think I'm gonna have to intervene here.
And my Mr. just got home early. That never happens! Smile.

Friday Letters

I'm pretty sure this is where they get the water for my shower

Dear Children, you have had testing all week. There have been a lot of grumpys and tears this week because of it. Dear Avary, you made me laugh as you were going into how much you wish you had a BigFoot as a pet. Dear Gas Leak, yep. We had noticed that our bill was really high, but never thought we had a dangerous gas leak. I'm glad they caught it...even though it means no stove, oven... or hot water for a week and a half. Is it so hard to bath your kids in ice cold water, it makes me really sad. I can't say I enjoy it either. Dear Landlords, you guys are great. Doing everything you can to get things fixed as soon as possible. And even offering for us to come and shower at your house. It's nice to have good landlords. Dear Conference, I needed you. I love re watching the talks, I need it every day. Dear Will, we need to go on a date. Today. Dear Self, I'm ready to feel better, to be myself again. This week has been hard to have patience with that. My To Do list is never ending at this point. Perfect timing to add a new calling, right.

Friday Letters

   

Oh that girl

Dear Children, the week has gone by quickly. I think that you all may be caught up on your school work after being sick. Lets hope so. Dear Sick, I'm just a little tired of being run down and catching every thing the wind blows by. Dear Church, it's been awhile since I have been healthy enough to see you. After the first hour I was done. After the second hour I thought I was going to just fall over in my seat. At the end of the third hour I was straight up panicking. WHEN WILL IT END!!! I needed a nap. But yes it was nice to get to be there. Dear House, it would be nice if you magically organized yourself because I may literally be going nuts over it. Dear Hand, wounded right hand to be exact. I need my hand to work properly. It is driving me nuts!!! Dear Hailey, I paid you $10 to deep clean the bathroom from top to bottom. It amazes me how much of a better job I get out of you when money is involved. Overall it was $10 well spent to have a nice clean bathroom. Dear Miracle, after school ALL the kids were at friends house for over an hour! Will and I got to go to lunch by ourselves. I think I heard angels sing. Dear Will, we talk a lot. I like it, even if we stay up way to late on a regular basis and are tired all of the time. Dear Self, I am hoping I am on the mend, for the most part. Well, I've decided I;m going to decide that I am until I really am. Positive thinking you know. That's where I'm at at the moment. Fake it til you make it, right.....

Spring Break - 4

With a nice spring break special we got to ride the train to the Grand Canyon.

The kids waiting for the train. They were pretty excited.

It was pretty cold that morning.

The looks we get when we go places...

The kids had fun on the train.  Our stewardess was entertaining with little riddles and games. And also had great music, an accordion and later a guitar. And just so you know when you get put on the spot to yodel it will really embarrass some of your kids. Will took the easy way out and just kept saying he was still warming up. Someone had to do something!

We passed the "North Pole" on our way. And now the kids are begging to ride the "Polar Express Train" at Christmas time.

We finally made it!

Now that is a happy view.

All those little faces.

There's a bum missing.

 We needed way more than two hours to explore. We had to eat lunch which took up too much time. During lunch I got so cold I thought I was going to freeze to death. It was so extreme and no one else was freezing. I had hot cocoa and coat and gloves and it didn't help.

I was glad when we hiked down a ways in the sun just to try and warm up some.

We picked the wrong shop to look for a souvenir for kids but ran out of time.

I hurried half the kids to wait for the train and was hoping that Will would make it in time with the other half. They barely made it. 

 Our train got "robbed" by cowboy thieves on our way back.

It's not every day that a robber is so surprised by how many kids you have that he offers to pose for the camera with them. They put their hands up and screamed...and then gave him their trash.

I have a picture of Will with one of the bandits, smiling. He was pretty brave until Hazel came over and tried to kill him with her breath. Is was so funny because it wasn't me :)

 I love this picture.

After a long day we went to a chick fil a where the kids bothered the balloon maker during her dinner. 

It took forever to make so many. One popped so they made a new one. Kade was pouting because he asked for a sword before he saw Liam's bow and arrows. And as soon as we got in the car two more popped, one was Kade's:( I made it pretty clear that no. one. was to cry if their balloon popped cause I just waited 5 hours for them to get them and I was ready to be in bed.

We took them to the pool again instead.

But this time we made them whisper.

We drove straight home from there. It was fun to get to spend so much time together.

I spared you about 600 more memories in pictures.

When we got home I wanted to collapse. I had just had two surgeries in the few weeks before, but didn't want to pass up making family memories. It wasn't easy for me to be squished in the front middle seat for sooo long. I honestly don't know how I was able to keep going. 

We got home on Wed. had one day at home and Friday had to drive back down to mesa to see Will's kids dance at the Renaissance Fair.

That is another story. 

Spring Break - 3

The next day we weren't in a hurry.

We drove up to the Lava Tubes only to find that the road was closed.

9 mile hike round trip. Yeah that wasn't going to happen. It would have been dark on our way out.

We had passed the ski lifts on our way there so we decided to go see if we could ride the ski lifts and hike to the look out at the top. (this is the same place that I discovered Avary has a fear of heights, when we are half way up the mountain and we were stuck) Only after getting there finding out it was way too expensive for nine people.

We decided the best thing to do was to just pull over and play in the snow.

Not surprised at all to see that Avary found a tree to climb.

That girl.

 As you can see that turned out to be a great idea:)

The kids had so much fun.

I love how peaceful it is when there is snow on the ground and the sun through the trees and that fresh smell. I could have used a hammock and taken a nap.

I love this picture of Kade trying to hide behind the Charlie Brown tree after throwing a snow ball at Will.

After getting to the hotel we realized there was an indoor pool and hot tub.

I don't know why we didn't pack our swim suits when it is freezing out.

We had an interesting trip to the walmart there to grab anything we could swim in. The selection was slim.

It was probably a good idea that Will didn't tell me there was a target there.

We took the kids swimming that night.....

The thing about an indoor pool is that every tiny little noise echos in there and ends up sounding so unbelievably loud. And when the kids are playing they are already loud, so I pretty much couldn't relax cause I was so concerned about disturbing people. Although I think the hot tub does an aching body some good. Maybe not as much with kids splashing water in your face constantly.

I think the swimming was one of the kids favorite things.

Spring Break - 2

Next  Stop Bearizona!

This place was awesome. I highly recommend it.

I think possums are gross. That is what Kade is petting.

It was so relaxing and beautiful there. Look at the fence behind the kids, I'll take one of those please.

If you like out of Africa you will like Bearizona.

I had just been prepped the week before from the kids watching all those weird shows about rescuing or surviving these same animals.

We went to the birds in flight show.

The Owl in flight on the bottom left hit Will in the forehead Ha! I guess it wasn't expecting such a tall person. Can you say you've had an owl fly right into your face? If it was any type of bug I would be able to say yes, but it's a bird. Bird poo, yes....but that's another story.

Do not even drive your own car through!

There is a free bus tour with big open windows and great information. The animals are so close you could reach out and touch them, although it is not recommended.

Also, the driver stops with some of the animals and puts food out. So that is cool.

There were so many animals and some cute little otters. 

And lots of bears.

We stayed until they closed. And looking back we wish we had bought a souvenir from one of the shops there. You should have seen the guys face when we were in there with our kids though, poor guy.

 I'm pretty sure they touched Everything in the store.