State of the House

I haven't updated this for a while because things have been a little crazy here, and not the good kind of crazy we usually have. Instead of a Happy New Year 2011, ours was a Crappy New Year. Without warning, on New Year's Day, Shane's work decided to "go another direction." We still don't know why and they wouldn't give him any reason. So, we started off the year unemployed. Lame.

Luckily, Shane had been thinking he wanted to find something else, and had made a couple calls at the end of the year. We were pretty nervous to be unemployed in this market. Scary times. We also pondered the option of Shane finding a job out of the car business so he could have a more family friendly schedule.  His pay would be obviously less to start something different and, with little ones still at home, I was hoping to not have to go back to work. We were blessed to find out that one of those calls Shane made really panned out. We are so blessed to have only been out of work for two weeks. There were many prayers on our behalf from family and friends and we are so grateful for the love and support.  There have also been many prayers of gratitude from us.

That was a long intro to the post I was actually going to write. Since this past week brought us the sadness of tv that was preempted by the State of the Union, and the State of the State addresses, I thought I would give you a state of the house address. Just a little idea of where we are now and some usual things that are happening daily around these parts. Mostly so I have it documented.

Shane is working for Ken Garff Fiat and Mitsubishi. Fiat cars are not in this country yet, so Shane is getting a new store put together, staffed, and trained to have this new line of cars. I am glad we had him home for a couple weeks, because he will be living at that store for a while.

We cut back on some of our extra activities and changed some around. Hallie is no longer in gymnastics. Abbie is taking a break from dance. It is nice to not have so many things to run to after school every day. Abbie will probably get back to dancing at some point. I think Hallie is done with gymnastics.

Hallie is doing her first year of Jr Jazz basketball. she gets better every week. she started the season never having seen a game, and she is getting really good. she has work to do on shooting, but her coaches are keeping here in for most of the game because she is picking it up quick.

Jace breaks into dancing anytime a good song is on. He loves it. He is pretty decent. When we watch any dancing show on TV he is always trying the moves he sees.

When Jace grows up he wants to be "a dancer, a hunter, or a policeman." good luck bud.

We are losing teeth around here like crazy. Abbie especially. she can hardly eat. for a while there she looked like Nanny Mcphee, but now she just has an empty mouth. Hallie is still losing her last baby teeth. There have been many nights when the tooth fairy is visiting more than one kid at our house. last night jace's tooth looked weird and it was super loose when I touched it. Here we go again!

Natalie is loving her cell phone. she is texting her friends all the time and seeming more grown up every day.

Natalie loves to get dropped off at the District to watch a movie with her friends. She even let Hallie tag along last night. They sure felt cool to go to the movies "alone." (but really with a friend and her big sister)

We still love to spend an evening together watching a movie and having popcorn.

The kids love to play super mario bros and mario kart on the wii with dad. They really love to play mario kart with me and laugh at my inabilities.

I am helping out in Nursery at church. There are some real screamers in there, but the majority of kids are cute and fun.

Natalie is the beehive president, so she spends a lot of time calling people and helping the leaders. She sang a solo and a duet at different young women's programs lately. It is fun to see her talents growing.

Lots of time is spent dragging tons of stuffed animals around the house. I tried to limit the number to 5 on their bed at a time. You would think I was torturing them.

The kids love to spend time riding their scooters, sledding down the back yard, and doing lots of things together. I love when they are doing something with just the 4 of them.

The kids are getting better at cleaning. Not doing it on their own of course, but at doing the job right. We have days where they get their "list" on the counter and they work until it is done. Those days are usually followed with a trip to the gas station, or a fun lunch.

We hit the Holiday gas station almost daily. My ice addiction gets the best of me. my kids get something off the "bottom row" of the candy isle. (those things are 25 cents or less. my ice habit cant be a budget buster)

We spent much of the last year going to training table every Wednesday. They know us there and they know our table.

We have been trying some new recipes and trying to have better dinners at home. The kids also love to help cook.

We all put a puzzle together. It was a tough one. It was fun to see everyone stop at the puzzle when they walked by to see if they could find a piece or two.

I am loving where we are with the kids right now. We have a lot of fun. They are old enough to do most things with and to be helpful, but they aren't so old that they don't want to spend time as a family. I am going to soak it all in before it changes.

Those are just a  few things I can think of. The state of our house is sound.

Natalie is 13!

We have a teenager at our house! How crazy is that!?! At least she in a sweet and pretty one! Though we are seeing the teen monster rearing it's head every now and then, if I am truly honest!

Here is my beauty with her presents. Her greatest hope was a cell phone. She kept telling us she was going to get a cell phone for her birthday and "she had no doubt." We had convinced her that she had to be 16. She really believed us.

She was so very surprised to get a phone! There was a lot of giggling and actual tears of joy!

What a happy birthday she had.I am so grateful for all the help this girl gives me and I think she deserves something special. Let's hope I feel this way a few months from now. . . .

Here she is with her melted candles and her requested cake with marshmallow frosting! Happy Birthday to my first born. 13 years has FLOWN by!

Christmas 2010

On the stairs before we opened presents! The kids woke up at 6!

The tree before we got started!! The kids must have been good! This is the first year for our 12 foot tree! It was fun to have such a big tree, though it took a long time to decorate!

Santa filled the stockings too!

New hats from Oma! We are finally getting some Real Salt Lake gear! We have lived next door to a Real Player for 5 years. Pathetic that we haven't shown our support!

Here are the Toponce grandkids by the grandkids tree. Maria buys them all an ornament each year and it goes on this tree.  A merry Christmas was had by all! Some favorite gifts were ipods for the big girls, a nice new doll and remote control jeep for the little ones. Body pillows, pillow pets, clothes and wii games. Lots of happy faces all around.

Christmas Eve 2010

I always try to have the table look fun. Here is this years attempt! On the menu: big deli sandwich, artichoke dip, fried mushrooms, shrimp, little smokies, 7 layer Mexican dip, and treats. A lot of food for 9 people!

We played some christmas pictionary. It was funny to watch Jace (4) and Jack (3) compete against each other to draw a wreath! Those were some great scribbles!

We always have Dana's family over for dinner and Santa bingo. This year was a little sad. Russell and Aiden had to stay home because Aiden was so sick. We felt so bad that he was having such a bad night. I can't believe how bad it would suck to be 9 and super sick on Christmas!

Here are my cuties in their Christmas jammies!

Abbie's Dance Recital!!

Our camera was set on something wierd, but oh well.  Here she is getting ready for the dance.

Here is my beautiful girl!

Santa was there!

This was the end pose of her dance. We had to get it in one more time!! Great job Abbie!

Temple Christmas Lights

 This is our first trip to see the Christmas lights in several years. Pretty sad, since we live like 20 minutes away. My youngest three don't remember ever being there! Oops!

 We went with Shane's mom and brother and then to Spaghetti Factory for dinner! It was a fun family evening! Great Plan Maria!

We had a great time, and might have to be more consistent in this activity!

My Attitude of Gratitude

I had good intentions of posting something I was grateful for every day this month. That obviously didn't happen. So, I am taking my friend Christina's idea and I will do an alphabetical list of some of the things I am thankful for.

A is for Abbie. She is a sweet girl and always a good helper. She is teaching me that, even though I have had two girls before her,  I have a lot to learn to be her mother. I have had to learn new ways to teach her and help her with school and her emotions. I think it is a good thing. She is keeping me on my toes!

B is for bed. I love the rare chances I get to sit on my bed, cozy up, and read a good book. I also love when kids are in bed and the day winds down.

C is for Christmas Shopping. I love buying things for my family. I spend a lot of time looking and touching and getting just the right things. I think it is so fun, unless I can't find what I want after looking in a million stores--cute little girl jeans that don't look cheap and overly bedazzled, is that too much to ask? Oh yea, this is about gratitude.

D is for dessert. Any time. Not just after dinner. It can make you happy. My new craving: White chocolate raspberry cheesecake from cheesecake factory. It is a good thing I don't live close to one. My stomach and wallet would suffer greatly.

E is for energy. After years of having none, I am so glad that I am getting some back. It is amazing what I can get done when I am having a good energy day.

H is for Harry Potter. I have been immersed in his wizarding world for a few months. Rereading the books and reading some of them to the kids. So entertaining and creative. JK Rowling is brilliant. It is also for Hallie. She is growing up so much and I am loving the girl she is turning into. So witty.

I is for inspiration. I love when I feel like someone has put an idea into my head that is going to make my life, or someone around my life, better. As a mom I couldn't live without it. It is also for Ice. I love it.

J is for Jace. He is a very funny boy. He brings some much needed (though sometimes destructive) testosterone to this house. I couldn't think of a better way to describe the joy he brings better than Nat did the other day, "Of all the brothers I could have had, I am glad Jace is the one I got."

K is for kisses. Love to give them, love to receive them. They can fix so many problems for kids it is amazing. And a good kiss from the hubby isn't too bad either!

L is for learning. I love to discover new things. I love looking things up on the internet to get more information. I love what my kids teach me everyday.

M is for monsters. Jace keeps having nightmares about them. I know it is crazy and I hope it doesn't last forever, but I do love to cuddle him in the middle of the night to help him feel better. My kid cuddling days are passing too quickly and I realized that I am really going to miss them.

N is for Natalie. It is fun to watch her grow up. Blossom. Be in Jr High. It also brings back so many memories of my life at that age. Hey! N is also for Nostalgia!

O is for order. We don't get enough of it around here. Chaos reigns supreme, but more and more I am realizing order can make a world of difference when Organizing a big family, their schedules and their cleanliness. We don't want to turn into an episode of  "Hoarders" around here, but boy could it happen easily!

P is for Pandora. For a total cheapskate like me it is awesome. I like free things. Nothing beats cleaning the house while blaring awesome music from my favorite stations. Wham! and Pink. Yep. They are great. You should try them. It is free!

Q is for quiet. Just a moment here or there. If it lasts to long I know something bad is happening (remember my comment about a destructive boy named Jace?).  Yet, the occasional quiet moments when everyone in the house is calm and content,  those are priceless and fleeting.

R is for Richard. My sweet dad who is a great example of what a dad should be. Loving and helpful and calm. I will always be grateful that I was in his family.

S is for Shane. A great husband, father, provider, and best friend. I am blessed.  It is also for Sandra. A mom who teaches and exudes selfless service. Her willingness to do things for people, and the ease with which she can pull off feeding the masses, will always amaze me.

T is for Tv. I won't lie. I love escaping into a good show or movie. I love introducing my kids to classics. We love to turn out the lights pop some corn and be entertained.

U is for undivided attention. I am trying to be better at giving that to people around me.

V is for variety. Variety in my day to day activities. The variety of colors when I look outside. The variety of qualities I see in all my friends.

W is for whispers. I love when my kids whisper something in my ear. It is usually something they don't dare say out loud. It usually teaches me more about them than I learn in normal conversation. Or it teaches me something that their siblings are doing that they shouldn't.

X is for eXciting. It is nice to do something exciting once in a while. I don't get excited very often (I have no emotions), but it is so fun to see my kids get excited about new experiences. I am going to think of something exciting and do it. What could it be?

Y is for yakity yaking with my friends. It is rejuvenating to go out and have a nice visit with fun and funny people.

Z is for zzzzzzzzz. sleep is good. it makes me happy and kind.

If you stuck with me through this list you are amazing. I am grateful for so many more things, but I have written a novel and will give it a rest.