I am not dead

Hello to all out there. Some of you might have wondered where we went...well, we were just crazy busy. I know lame excuse but that truly is what happened. For those of you that noticed and are maybe a little unsure about the amount of kids in our picture, yes, we did have one more baby. That is part of the busyness of our year. We had number 5 a.k.a. Grace on Oct 12. My mom was able to come down and stay with me while I recovered from another c-section. Grace was our grand finale, we will not be having anymore, we made doubly sure about that. Another big thing that happened this year was Macayla was baptized the same weekend Grace was blessed, Nov 20. I know it seems hard to believe that my little Macayla is already 8 years old, but it just goes to show you how quickly time flies. I will do a post all for Macayla to not take anything away from her special day. There is not a whole lot new at this time. We are just going along day by day. Joe is up for a promotion, he has the interview portion in two weeks. If he gets here we are here to stay in Texas, at least for a while. If not then we will be trying for other jobs and moving. To tell you the truth I am not sure which one I would prefer. I love it here in my little town, but it would be nice to be closer to family. We will keep you all updated on what is happens. This weekend we are attempting to paint Elijah's and Everett's bedroom. This plan has been in the making for 18 months. I am soooo excited, we will be doing stripes. I will have to take pictures when we are all done so you all can see what it looks like. I am going to try to be better about my blog especially so I can mark all my kid's milestones. Keep checking back, and hopefully you won't be disappointed. And yes, I know I need to update the pictures on my blog. Just give me some time.

Desperate Housewife

So I was surfing around on friends blogs and I saw this fun widget on my friend Elizabeth's blog, which desperate housewife are you? I thought I would take the quiz and see who I was. It turns out that I am most like Gabrielle, you know the supermodel, obviously who I would have picked. Take the quiz and let me know who you are, the widget is on my sidebar.

Please Forgive Me!!!

Hello to all my faithful blog followers. I apologize for my lack of blogging, I have a list of excuses so please allow me to ramble them off:
1. My children have become more demanding
2. I got a new camera and can not figure out how to upload pictures
3. I am now the Primary President of my ward and planning the program, Christmas stuff for the kids and the new year has really taken a lot of my time
4. I have had so many things go on in the last few months and got overwhelmed so everytime I sat down to blog I said "Forget it!"

Enough with the excuses, I hope at least one of those suffices you guys. So since my last post my kids have started school, we had Everett's first Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Joe and I went back to Reno for Thanksgiving, total blast. We went to Oklahoma City with some friends and were able to see the monument, we got a cat, had our first Texas Christmas, and took out a tree from our front yard. I know the last event seems pretty small compared to the rest, but try telling that to Joe who took the tree out with help from only two other people. Besides I like the way it makes my yard look more open without it. So as you can see there is a lot for me to blog about and of course I do have pictures to go with each event but I really cannot figure out how to get them loaded on my computer, as soon as I figure it out I will get them on here.
I am going to try a new thing and not look so much in the past but live in the present and prepare for the future, so I will not give each event their own posting like I would have if I was up to date, but I will comment on some that affected me the most. First is the most recent, the trip to Oklahoma City. We were able to hang out with some good friends that we knew from GA, the Tongis. We had just been able to see Elizabeth, Io and the boys in Nov on our way home from Reno, but this time we were able to see Margie, Elizabeth's mom, who we love very much and have missed seeing. We enjoyed spending time with them and wished that it could have been longer. Like I mentioned when we were there we went to see the monument from the bombing in 95. I cannot begin to express the feelings that overcome as you walk through what they call the gates of time and see the empty chairs. This is something that I have wanted to see for sometime now, the event happend on my 14th birthday and I will never forget waking up to those pictures. I was hundreds of miles away, but it affected me very much. Macayla was very interested in everything about the museum and monument. She was trying to take in as much as her little mind would. Who knows, maybe she saw and felt more than I did, it is an experience that I am grateful to have had. It is breathtaking and you leave there wanting to be a better person, to not waste the life you have. Also, like I mentioned, we were able to go to Reno for Thanksgiving. It was exactly what the Dr had ordered for me. When I left for TX in March of 08, things were to say the least strained, but space and time healed the wounds and we were able to be a big (huge) happy family. I love you all very much and can't wait until our next little family reunion, hopefully this next summer sometime. I am grateful for family and friends and the strength that you each give me in my life. Thank you for your examples and for your love and support.

Austyn's 3rd Birthday

We celebrated Austyn's 3rd birthday about a month ago. We had originally planned to do it the weekend before her birthday, which is Aug 26, and have a luau in our backyard. We were going to have games for the kids to play and munchies for us to well, munch on. Unfortunately Joe's schedule was changed and it turned out that he wouldn't be able to be here for that weekend. Not wanting to do the party without him we quickly changed gears and through together a smaller party at a local park. It ended up being better for me because I didn't have to spend as much money on entertainment so I could spend it on the birthday girl. She had a lot of fun, and almost all of her friends were there. She really missed Ahlana, but there isn't much we can do about that situation. She will just have to wait until Nov to see her : )

This is her blowing out her candles, she picked out the cake. It was so funny because she kept changing her mind. First she wanted an Elmo cake, then she wanted a Sleeping Beauty cake. We got to the cake store and the only princess they had was Cinderella. She didn't want that so she had to pick from a crown, a castle, Elmo, ballet shoes, and the minnie. She picked minnie and then got to tell them what color for her dress and everything. To tell you the truth I am a little surprised it wasn't yellow since everytime we talk about colors she always lets us know that yellow is her favorite color. I wish I had a video camera for her reaction to the cake and her presents. She loved every present and of course her cake. Whenever she opened something up she just opened her mouth with a big gasp. It was classic.

Austyn getting a little help from her big sister opening the presents. She still can't quite figure out how to open wrapping paper, but the bags she never had an issue with. She had a blast and then two weeks later she got to have a second birthday when she recieved a package from Grandma and Grandpa with a couple of way cute dresses for church and a pair of jammies with ballet slippers on them. Thanks Mom and Dad, she really loves the dresses.

Lubbock, TX

About two weeks before school started Joe had a few days of training that he told me he could miss so we decided that we would take our kids on a mini vacation. My friend had told me about how her family went to Lubbock for the weekend and did some school shopping and saw some sights. I thought it sounded like fun so Joe and I planned it last minute, he called in to work and we took off for Lubbock, which is a two hour drive. We didn't get out as quickly as we would have liked because that was the day that the plumber was over and we discovered that our children had flushed the toothpaste. Good Times!! The kids loved the weekend, we stayed in a hotel, ate out, went to the discovery center, and picked apples at an apple orchard. Of course, I think they would have been just fine with nothing but the hotel, but Joe and I had to get some vacation out of it. We had a blast and have plans of going back because there were thinks that we didn't get around to seeing like the Buddy Holly center, and there was a cool park were you could go and dig for fossils. Of course there is always the chance that we might get to go out there for a Texas Tech football game. That would be cool!! Here are some pictures from our mini vacation, hope you enjoy them and we hope to be able to go on a real vacation next summer....keep your fingers crossed!

This is at the discovery center, they had a mirror that you could put one leg up behind and look like you were floating. In order for it to be a believable picture you had to be exact on were you were positioned. Noone got it just right, but it was really fun trying :)

Everett at the discovery center. He didn't have as much fun as the other kids because there just wasn't anything for him. But he sure looks cute when he is bored.

This dinosaur scared the kids and only these two were brave enough to stand by it to take the picture, Austyn was freaked out. Of course I am pretty sure there was some bribing on Joe's part.

This part of the discovery center was kind of interestingbecause it was about dental care and what not and there were some kind of gross pictures but the kids really liked the big mouth.

Austyn tuckered out at the apple orchard. We had a busy day so by this time she was passed out. I don't think she woke up at all while we were there.

This was Macayla's job to tote the cart around, and she wouldn't have it any other way. She had fun except for the fact that she was in flip flops and she kept getting dirt in her sandals.

Elijah is sampling the apples, which the lady said we could do. He is eating a golden delicious that Joe had picked, this was heaven for Elijah because he loves apples.

I love this picture of Everett and thought it would be a good finale for the post. This was our one vacation that we were able to take all summer and though it was short it was really fun. The time we have as a family is so short that we really try to make the most of it, and I really think the kids came away from this with some good memories :)

Name Tag

I was tagged to do this from my friend Elizabeth because I read her blog. I thought it looked like fun so I figured what the heck....now I tag whoever reads this and wants to do it.

YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car): Duke Freestar

YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fav hobby/craft, fav weather element + “Tour”): The Baking Rain Tour

YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite cookie): Rocky Road Chocolate Chip

YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name): SHUN

YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal): Pink Elephant (Elijah gave me that animal)

YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born): Ann Carmichael

YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first): HUNST

SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink): The Blue Pepsi

STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy): Turquatic Twix

WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names): Michele Refell

WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Hill Houston

SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower): Christmas Tulip

CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”): Pineapple Shirtie

Catch Up

I know that it has been a long time since I blogged, but it is not for lack of events in my life, just not enough time or I just don't take the time....whatever it is there is never enough of it. This is just a quick update on what has been going on with us since I discovered that I was nothing more then a Disney hussy! The first picture is of Austyn's new earrings. We got her ears pierced almost a month ago and she was so good. She just whimpered a little bit, nothing like Macayla who actually assulted the lady piercing her ears....she kicked her!! This is also a picture of one of Austyn's new headbands. My friend Elizabeth came to my rescue after Austyn cut her hair and sent me these cute headbands. You can switch out the bow and put some flowers or other bows on it. She also sent us a pink headband, so we are pretty much covered for Ausytn's hair, THANKS ELIZABETH!!! It gives us a more options then just the 4 bows we had before!

This next picture is of Elijah's cast. For those that don't know, or just don't remember Elijah has Cerebral Palsey that affects his left leg. We have had a cast on his leg for about 5 weeks now, we get it switched out every week. It is stretching his leg so that we can hopefully go without a surgery to lengthen his heel cord. So far so good, tomorrow we get this cast cut off and then we will determine if he needs one more cast or if we can go with an AFO brace. That is just a plastic brace on his leg. Also, we have discovered through all this that his left leg is a little shorter then his right one so we will also have to get some lifts put on his shoes and such. This should help prevent him from standing on his toes on that side and help to loosen the muscles and heel cord. Keep your fingers crossed.

Also, I don't have a picture of this, but Austyn has been going through potty training this last week. She has been doing a really good job, even sleeping through the night and waking up dry :) This has been wonderful for me and Joe because we once again have only one kid in diapers. Just typing this I figured out that we have been buying diapers for at least one kid since 2001. That is a stinking long time, I know that others have had longer, but man I hate to think how much money we have put into diapers in the last 7 years. Back to potty training, the one thing that has made this potty training a little harder is that we are down to one toilet. About 10 days ago we had some plumbers come out because the toilet in the kids bathroom would not flush. They worked on it for an hour even had it removed and out on our front lawn trying to get out whatever object was lodged in there, to no avail. They were done working on it considering it a lost cause so I asked them to break it so I could see what caused the blockage. There was a thing of toothpast that our kids had flushed. It was one of those colgate ones that are not a tube, but more like a triangle. It would not budge even after we broke it open. So we have been down to one toilet with 5 people using it. What fun, but as always it really could be worse. Well, that is just a quick run down. When I have more time I will post about Ausytn's birthday party we had and our fun little family trip to Lubbock.