SATURDAY WITH THE JONES'

How's your Saturday folks? Mine's going great. We had a fun day...friend's birthday party...library...and fitness center swimming pool. FUN! Now it's time to go sleepy-bye for a little nappy-wappy.
Oh, goodness. I'm so happy right now. I've been reading a book from the 1970's called The Art of Homemaking. It's so cute and gives good examples of how to run a household. It's put me in a good mood just by doing a few of the things she suggests. For instance:
1. When you wake up in the morning, put on a little makeup and comb your hair and wear something cute but comfortable, including shoes on your feet. Then you'll be ready to tackle another day!
2. Make every room fulfill it's function. Eat in the kitchen, bedrooms are for sleeping, playroom for playing etc. The point is: don't allow your kids to eat on foot, or undress in every room leaving behind crumbs and dirty clothes all over.
3. Doing your routine morning chores (Laundry, dishes, and garbage etc.) gives you a foundation on which to build. If you don't get them done in the mornings you won't be able to build very high that day.
I really believe these things make you feel happier and more successful as a homemaker. That's my story anyway. I started getting up earlier and showering so I could have better days.
It also helps to have a loving husband who is always willing to help me out with everything around here. I love you Mr. Husky Wolf-man. LOL
Here's some pics. of the kids this week. They are my angels. Sorry this is so boring. Have a great day!

Boys, boys, boys!!!

My boys went out exploring in the woods the other night and caught 4 frogs , as well as some other bugs etc. I asked them what they were gonna do with all those things, and they answered that they were going to put them all in a container together and then watch to see what they do to eachother! That is pure old fashioned entertainment, the food chain in action, nature at it's undefiled best. BOYS!

When we were at the park it all started. Jr. caught a big frog and didn't know what to do with it til we got home, so he handed it to me and ran off to find more.

It didn't waste any time emptying it's bladder all over my hand. I had toad pee running down to my elbows. It was SO GROSS! I put it into the stroller's fanny pack and zipped it up. Then I poured the rest of my bottle of water on my hands and tried to wash them as good as I could.
This is the "Frog-dome" where the frogs resided for about 24 hours before their forced evacuation.
This is Jr.'s new pet he bought with his summer school money. It's a hermit crab. The whole set up was only $10. Crab cake anyone?

I also found that our dryer can dry out grasshoppers pretty well. I pulled a crispy, dried grasshopper from the dryer just this morning. I guess I should check pockets a little better. BOYS!

This week is flying by. I am doing great this week, because I decided not to stress too much about everything. I'm just enjoying the ride. I am enjoying my kids! Here is a cute poem for ya'll:


Babies Don’t Keep
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton


Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren’t his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.
The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.


One of my personal fav's.

Sunday

Today was a good day for me. I was able to take a great nap this afternoon (after Jared took his nap). We always take turns so we don't both go crazy. It really helps refresh us before the start of another week. It's sad because I can remember a time when we both took a nap every Sunday afternoon, so those of you who still have that opportunity-- LIVE IT UP WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!!

It was Sam's birthday last Tuesday, but we were so worn out that we didn't celebrate it til today. We baked a cake, and he really enjoyed eating it! We invited Jared's Mom over also because her 60th birthday was on Thursday. We were glad to see her. She seems to be doing so well at her new apartment. She is happy and it shows. She also loves her new ward. There are a lot more seniors in that ward, so she has a lot more friends it seems.

I was hoping that all my troubles would just melt away when the kids went back to school, but it didn't quite happen that way. It's still a lot of work to try and clean this house while 3 kids are still at home. Rusty is staying awake a lot more these days. I only had them gone for 2 days last week, so maybe it will be better when they go back tomorrow. I'm also trying to figure out if the school lunch is cheaper than making them a lunch each day. Anybody got any ideas on this? It costs 1.75 per day for school lunch, which is about $35/month for each child...$105 a month total for 3 kids. They would probably have more healthy food than mine since I only pack a sandwich, chips or crackers, a snack such as yogurt, or some kind of fruit and a juice box etc. Well, it's probably healthy, but I just worry about them eating a sandwich every single day, you know? How boring.

In other news, we went swimming at our local health club on Friday and had a lot of fun. The kids are always excited to go there, and best of all they finally let Isaac go down the huge water slide. That kid has been waiting for a year and a half to be tall enough for that thing.

Mary said the cutest thing today, she said "Mama, I wish you could grow down to my size and be my sister". What a poor little sweet girl!!! I feel so sorry for her sometimes! Jr. and Isaac tease her really bad. They took all her underware out of her dresser and hid it under her bed the other day. What should I do??? I have no clue! Stinkers!

I am glad to say I went to church today and had a great time. I love my ward. I love the gospel and I know the church is true. Lots of love to all my family and friends wherever you are out there in the universe!

First Day of School!

Hey, if you can believe it, this is what it looked like when I was trying to take my kids to their first day of school this morning. It was kinda dark and rainy. They were excited anyway! I hate that my kids are growing up so fast, but I sure am glad to have a little break while they are at school so I can get some stuff done. I've been waiting for this day to come...haha I'm sure all you Mom's out there can relate. My house is a DISASTER! The kids spilled cinnamon/sugar mixture on the kitchen floor on Monday, and all I did was sweep. You can imagine! It's still in there waiting for me. I was up til midnight last night just looking for the boy's shoes and washing dishes etc., and I'm so tired today that I'm worthless. I need to just take a nap and then start working after that.

Ok, I couldn't resist posting these pictures. Jr. gave me this robot made out of legos when I returned from my trip. He put it in front of my lamp and snapped these photos of it. It looks pretty menacing doesn't it? haha Boys are so cute! Oh yah, and I saw that he made 3 different heads to go on it, and one of them had white hair on it and he said it was the "Granny head" hahah!
Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhh! Fear me!

I'M BACK!!!

Hello Friends and Family! I'm back! I had a great trip to Utah! I'm so glad to be back home. I stayed with Lianne, of course, and we had a blast. I never wanted to say goodbye! I knew that I had to come back home though and take care of my family again. Here's some highlight photos for you and I will post a slide show later today or tomorrow.
Here is me and Lianne...I LOVE YOU SUGIE!!!!! We took this photo when I was about to leave yesterday. I cried my eyes out after I said goodbye to Ang, then again when I said goodbye to Lianne, and again when I had to leave my Mom. We will have to get together again soon.

Ang had her baby girl, Serena Florence White! She is such a little doll! Isn't she? She looks a lot like Ang I think. She is sweet and petite, only 7 lbs. What a sweet little Angel. I was so sad to leave her too. I gave her a bunch of kisses on her sweet little soft head.
Yah, of course we had to paint our toenails together. That's me and Lianne! Cute, huh? YOU BET IT IS! Sisters are the best thing in the world! This will be a fun reminder of my trip for a few weeks.

Here is Lianne, my Mom, and little Camo. Lianne got a great haircut, now that I'm looking at it. We thought it would be too short, but I think it's really cute. It will just be a little hard to style. She's always had the greatest hair. Don't you all wish you had hair that would have some volume to it like that?
Cameron wanted to have horsee-back rides on me the whole time I was there! He would just chuckle and smile. He loved it. He kept trying go around behind me and climb up. That was TOO CUTE!
Here is Lexi (My brother Dave's daughter). She got her Mom's beautiful Yancy good looks. Isn't she just gorgeous??? She's gotten really good at playing the piano. She dazzled all of us with her great songs. We also had a good time being goof-balls together on the piano. LOL Here is Dave and Amber with Zach and Lexi. Can you believe how much the kids have grown up? Zach is so cute and tall. He was a great babysitter for me too. He fed the baby and burped him, and held him and carried him all over for me. It was great. I hope my boys will be like that when they grow up a little bit too.
Ok, here is Josh (Dave's oldest) and my Mom. He finally outgrew even his Dad! Yes, he is taller than Dave, I thought it was impossible to get any taller than Dave, but Josh did it! What a handsome young man he became. I remember when I used to change his diapers! My, how time flies!
Here's me and my little Camo. We became good buddies while I was there, as you can tell. What a cute little smile! What a sweet little boy! I miss him!

Here's when I visited Ang in the hospital. Doesn't Ang look so good for just having a baby the day before? She is so pretty. It's like all that pregnancy stress just washes away, doesn't it ladies? It's the greatest feeling.
Overall, my trip was great. I'm glad to be back in the swing of things at home. The kids start school on Thursday morning. I am so excited to have them back in a routine again. I have a lot of things I'm going to do with all that free time (yeah, I know, I'll still have 3 at home, but that's paradise for me!). I'm going to look into maybe starting a karate class with the boys or something. GLAD TO BE BACK!

Anyone want some firewood?

If you want some, you have to come and chop it and haul it off! Jared cut down a few trees and now the fun part will be to clean up the aftermath! We are going to have a better yard.

Update on our week...

Here are a few pictures to tell you what is happening in our life this week...

Sam loves to play in the bathroom while I'm putting on my makeup. He is an early riser and has nothing to do until everybody else wakes up, so he's usually stuck with me. He comes and rams his head into my side to wake me up! He's such a cute little angel though, how could I possibly be upset about it? I love spending time with him.


Here is Isaac and Rusty. Isaac loves to hold Rusty any time he possibly can. He also protects him from Sam, who always wants to give him bear hugs and sit on him, or fall on him. What a wonderful big brother he is! Rusty is growing so fast. He's staying awake a little bit more now and he's smiling big bright smiles at us. He is the newest joy of my life.

Here is little Sam again. We were having fun watching Jared cut down a bunch of trees in our back yard. We're thinning out the forest so we can plant some grass and have an actual "yard" for the kids. It's coming along great.

Here is Isaac in one of his trademark poses. He loves to be silly just like his big brother. I have goofball kids (hey, could it be because their Mom is always acting like a goofball too? I wonder.)

This is little Mary playing after the trees were all cut down. Isn't she so gorgeous? They all had a great time playing and climbing around on the fallen trees.
OK, this is a funny story. Jr. made a jacket for Tommy using some scrap fabric I had and it's sewed together by hand and has safety pins for the buttons. How creative.
There was a family of blue-tailed lizards that just had babies on our front porch. We caught one of the babies for an hour or so yesterday. It was so cool. and beautiful too.
Today I went to church and enjoyed a spiritual feast. It just kept coming, including dessert and a night cap. I left church completely filled and satisfied. It started with a talk by one of our missionaries in Sacrament meeting. He talked about (what else but...)missionary work! And not being afraid to invite our friends to hear the gospel. It gave me great courage, and now, if I could just leave the house and meet people once in a while, I'll probably be more apt to share the gospel. But hey, I see people in the grocery store, why not start there.
Next I taught my class (16 & 17yr olds) about Alma and the great plan of happiness. Also D&C 138, which is one of my favorite chapters of scripture EVER, go read it if you can. It's about a vision seen by Pres. Joseph F. Smith. He saw what happens to those who depart this life. It is so great to have these truths. It is so comforting.
Then I went to Relief Society and the topic was about finding solace when you lose a loved one. The gospel teaches us that we can be together with our families forever, not just here in this life. I love thinking about that, because if you really think about it, this life is just long enough for us to really form attachments, and by the end of our lives we feel like it would be so hard to be separated from those we love. It is so unnatural to think that we wouldn't be able to continue those relationships. What would heaven be like if we were not knit together as family units like we are here? It wouldn't be a very happy place.
I just learned so much and I was holding back the tears a lot because I felt God's love for us, and a testimony of his plan. He loves us so much that he sent his Son to give us hope and a way to return to Him. What a miracle to know this!
The rest of my week was good. You all know I've had a few bad days where I was a bit overwhelmed, but it all evens out in the wash. I got all my kids outfitted for school, including a long list of school "supplies" that cost me an arm and a leg. Yikes! having kids is so expensive. But it's nice to have all my shopping done before my trip to Salt Lake on Thursday. I also got myself a couple of new shirts so I don't look like a ho-bo when I get there. haha!
I am having so much fun in my life right now. I'm just in a general good mood. I have so much to smile about, so much to laugh about. I'm finding great joy in the little adventures of each day. That is one of my spiritual gifts I think. It just comes natural to me, and I'm so thankful for that. Well, in other news, we had the missionaries over for supper on Friday and enjoyed a feast with them. Fettucini Alfredo and all the works. Then we found out from them that there were several new families in our ward, and sure enough, we met about 4 new families at church today and hope to fellowship and befriend them all. They looked like wonderful people.
I'm just rambling now. I hope everything is going good for all of you, especially my dear cousins Melanie and Melissa. I hope your Dad is doing well and getting better. He is in our thoughts and prayers.
Jared is going to need prayers from Thursday to Tuesday because he will be alone with 5 kids! I'll probably have to have him committed when I get home. Good luck sweetie! You're going to need it, trust me! Have a great week everybody! Love you all!

I'm doing a little better!

I am doing a little better today. I think the biggest help for me will be when these kids go back to school! Then I'll have some time to get back to normal routines. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. Have a good day People!!

Hello Ya'll

It's a Wednesday morning. I guess I'll try my hand at making a post right now, even though I'm sooooo tired. Yes, I have a new baby that keeps me up at night, and other kids who also keep me up. Last night it was 2:30am when Rusty was hungry, so after feeding and burping him, Tommy woke up and needed me to comfort him a little to get back to sleep. At some point Isaac came up and got into bed with us, and I kicked him out as soon as I figured it out that he was even there. I'm so tired I didn't even notice him. LOL I just about went nuts yesterday because I was being pulled in so many directions with the kids. It seemed like everyone needed me to do something for them at once, and the baby was pretty needy too, which always makes me feel like I can't get anything done. I felt like my feet were stuck in glue. What I am trying to say is that there are "moments of insanity" in my life right now. I'm in need of all your prayers people, because I know how much that helps. I know I'll get back on top of my game, but right now I'm a little discouraged and doubting my abilities.
You know what I need? I just need one day to get caught up and then I'll feel so much better. That's always how it is for me, the minute I start complaining, I dig into my work and by the end of the day I feel much better. So, I hope everyone out there will have a good day today!!! I'm going to try my best too! Love and hugs to all

We had a Blessed Day!

Our sweet little Rusty got a name and a blessing at church today. He slept through the whole thing. Our other kids were being rascals, so I didn't get a chance to share my testimony. I'm so thankful for families and for all these beautiful kids the Lord has blessed me with. There is nothing more rewarding in this life than to be a mother. I am so close to my kids, and I love that. They are my whole world, and I know they always will be (along with my husband of course, and when I get old, probably I'll add some dog or cat to the list too)LOL Well, our weekend was good. Here are some highlights for you:


Tommy boy got a new yellow snake from Toy's R Us (belated birthday present) Yellow is his favorite color.
Baby Russel was blessed today. I'm so glad we belong to the true church. It's such a huge gift to have the gospel in our life.
Isaac lost a tooth Sunday night, good job buddy!
Jared Jr. is such a goofy boy! He is always acting silly like this. I love it. I love you Jr.!