Gingerbread House Hunt...Plymouth, MI

To see the full post, click here!
On December 23rd with Mike done with finals and a cold but sunny day outside, we headed to Plymouth for one of our favorite new traditions, the Gingerbread House Hunt. Plymouth is a darling little town with a fun main street and we walk up and down looking for big and little decorated houses. This year was especially fun because we ran into some good friends, the Pence family! They stayed with us for the afternoon and our kids had a blast together and we loved getting reacquainted. When it got too cold, we warmed up with burgers, soup and fries and of course got a chocolate treat before leaving. A perfect afternoon before the real festivities began! (And yes, Pierce came too and stayed asleep in his snuggly car seat for the entire 2.5 hours. He's the best baby!)

Twelve.

It's a bit of a pattern in our life...I worry and question and drag my feet and Mike forges ahead, grabs my hand and takes me on an adventure. In all honesty, what a boring life I would have created for myself without him. I have been blessed beyond what I ever thought possible because 12 years ago he chose me and I chose him. He's been better than the man I'd always hoped to spend eternity with. He loves me unconditionally and praises me for things other husbands just expect; he looks past my many faults and never harps on the little things I do that drive him crazy (leave drawers open, a consistently messy closet, my affinity for losing things). He's my my support and rock. If there is one thing my boys will do well, it's love their wife...it's the only example they've ever had and I couldn't ask for better. Even when things should be falling apart, it was always okay because we had each other.

December is busy but we always take the 22nd to celebrate us. There is nothing more important. We had a beautiful night...watched our wedding DVD with our kids (I decided that will be a tradition. I want them to know how much our marriage means to us and how fun it is. They asked, "Why do you take so many pictures and kiss so much?) and I took the chance to let them know how much I love their dad...Mike is really good about vocalizing his love and appreciation for me and I realized I need to do better. We had a short but fun night out (nursing 3 month old...on a 3 hour clock), ate Indian food, he got me a great necklace and earrings I like enough to keep :), stopped for a little ice cream and talked and talked and talked. I love our anniversary!

More Christmas Fun

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This Christmas season has been full of fun! One thing that is hard about living away from family is realizing it's all up to you...no grandmas to plan fun events no cousins to invite to make activities more exciting, no temple lights to go see. So many of my holiday memories revolve around extended family parties, group traditions and houses so full of people the food runs out. As a kid, December was always an incredibly magical time and I looked forward to it all year. I couldn't wait to get started on all our fun traditons. I want my kids to be able to feel that same way about the Christmas season and feel the excitement of that good kind of hustle and bustle when life feels full because there are so many people to love and important, meaningful events to be a part of.

It's a lot of work, but so worth it as I watch my kids enjoy Christmastime the same way I did as a kid. I can tell that, this year, it's magical for them. They know what is happening, can remember things, can anticipate. It's great! In fact, the other night, Jace said, "Mom, this Christmas chain is so fun, it should be a tradition." I said, "It is our tradition." He said, "No, I mean like the kind of tradition that everyone does...like my kids, and my kids' kids. It's just so great I want everyone to be able to do it." That's all it took and every moment of effort was worth it!

Caroling!
Last week we got a group together (we have the best ward) to come caroling with us at an assisted living facility. It was one of our favorite activities. Before we went, we talked to the boys about the sweet older people we would be singing to and encouraged them to be kind, loving, outgoing and unafraid (we find thoroughly prepping our kids for new situations and telling them our expectations is hands down the best way to ensure a good outcome). I was so impressed with them! They all spoke to the men and women, smiled and asked them questions. They sang well and loved it so much that just Mike, Jace and Parker caroled to the folks on the 4th floor because they wanted to do more. I was very impressed with James too because one of the women kept coming up to him and saying to him, "Aren't you just a beautiful baby girl." Now, for a 5 year old boy to hold his tongue and just give me a look when she says that over and over again is pretty amazing.

The residents loved our singing and especially loved seeing the children---one of the only places left where the people get giddy with happiness at seeing 20 little kids walk in the door. They were crazy about baby Pierce who slept in his seat the whole time. One lady stood at the front of our group and acted as our conductor the entire time. If she was the only one there, her smile and bright eyes would have made the night worth it. As we left, both Jace and Parker talked and talked about how much fun they had and how they felt so good inside, like they really made the people there happy. Parker asked when we could return. They are such great kids.

Marshmallow Dipping!
For our neighborhood gifts this year, we decided to dip large marshmallows in chocolate and roll them in yummy toppings like crushed candy cane, graham cracker crumbs, toasted coconut, crushed toffee, and almonds. It was great fun and a perfect activity for the kids to help with. They "stuck" it out and dipped over 150! The sticks made the dipping especially easy and germ free. When the marshmallow suckers dried, we wrapped them in sucker bags and tied them on to our Christmas card with festive ribbon. I think this will be our gift every year.

Celebrating Baby
He's just such a cutie. It's been so fun to have him around through all the festivities. He's SO good, SO chubby and SO delightful. I need to get more pics of him...2 1/2 months is a tough age to get a good picture...especially when you always have to use a flash. He's started giggling and we all love it so much. And, yes, his eyes are still blue. Crazy!

Par-tay!
Around Christmastime we love gathering our adult friends together to enjoy some good food and good company. These last 2 years we've invited some of the students in Mike's program to our home...we provide soup and salad and they bring an array of desserts and we hang out and chat and catch up. We've been so lucky to meet such great people at the University who have been incredibly welcoming to us. They are so sweet to our kids and have been unbelievably kind and open to our crazy big and hectic family. We never expected such a warm welcome in a University atmosphere. We feel very blessed!

Still lots of fun left to come. Boy how we love the holidays!

Welcome Christmas!

Christmas is in full swing around here! For us, it's definitely the most wonderful time of the year!

We started the season off with our Christmas Chain. We have loved this tradition for the past few years. We change it just a bit depending on the year and it helps us keep the spirit of Christmas all season long with one activity each day ranging from fun, to giving, to spiritual.

To see the activities, click here

Daddy Love

With Mike's hectic schedule this semester (school-18 credits, work, student org president, resumes, job apps, interviews, fly-outs, recriuting trips, 3 boys, a tired wife, bishopric, etc.) he's very selfish with this little guy when he has some time at home. Basically he walks in and swoops him up, turning him over only when he must and usually reluctantly. We both love having a baby in our home again. I love watching the two of them together.

Too see these cute boys together, click here.

Smiles

Right on target at 5 1/2 weeks, this little guy started smiling. Mike caught it on his phone. He now has 5 people in his face at all times trying to make him do it again. He is such a good, happy baby. We can't get enough! To see his darling grin, click here.

The BEST stuffing

Before you decide what you are making for Thanksgiving, put this on your menu. It's the one thing I cannot live without. Everyone I've made it for, even the skeptics, love it. I promise, make your original and this one too...you can never have enough stuffing!!

Cornbread Stuffing

9 x 13 pan of baked cornbread (I've done homemade and Jiffy, both work just fine can make the day before and let it get dry)
1/2 lb. of pork sausage--mild with sage
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 8 oz. can water chestnuts, rinsed, drained, chopped
1/2 c. pine nuts
1 T. finely chopped fresh sage or 1 1/2 tsp. dried
1 1/2 C. turkey or chicken stock

(I have also added craisins, the full pound of sausage and more pine nuts and I love it that way)
Fry sausage in a large skillet until brown. Remove from pan to a large mixing bowl, leaving oil and drippings in pan. Saute the onion over medium heat in sausage pan, add celery after about 2 minutes. Cook until onions are translucent. Add to sausage mixture in bowl. Add baked corn bread, crumbling in pieces, sage, water chestnuts and pine nuts. Add stock. Mix all ingredients. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Cover with foil and bake on top rack for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes until the top is crunchy and brown.

I always make this salad too!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Birthday Boy (James, age 5)

A Conversation with James on his 5th Birthday

My favorite food is: Chicken Bowtie Pasta

My favorite sport is: Tennis

The best show on TV is: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Phineas and Ferb

The coolest person in the world is: Mom

My best subject in school is: Art

 

(To see all the questions, click here)

Halloween and Award Winng Chili Recipe

My goal for Halloween this year was to be able to get through it without missing anything important, survive not thrive was my mantra...and we did it. I provided the games in 2 classroom parties and helped at both in addition to helping at our neighborhood party, attending the ward party where I won first prize in the chili cook off! (see recipe below), and organized our neighborhood parade/trick or treating and remembered to buy candy to hand out at the door.

We made it! Everyone (except me) had recycled costumes that required no effort and would not win a costume contest, we forgot about carving pumpkins (next year!), didn't deliver "boo" treats to our neighbors (next year), did not put up Halloween decorations, didn't even think about a Halloween meal or craft, forgot to get something to gather candy (thanks, mom), didn't record or rent a Halloween movie...hmmm, shall I keep listing my failings?

Amazingly, it was still a fantastic Halloween where everyone had lots of fun and lots of sugar. And, who doesn't love a one month old in just about any costume. He totally cracked us up in each of his little outfits. To see the pics, click here!



Now for the White Bean Chicken Chili...an award winner in 2 chili cook offs, so cheap, easy and one of our family favorites!

3 T. oil
1 large onion, chopped
the meat from 1 rotisserie chicken or equivalent
3 C. chicken broth
3 small cans of chopped green chilis
3 cans of white beans, undrained
3-4 tsp. garlic powder
1-2 tsp. garlic salt
3-4 Tbsp. cumin
1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (if you like spice, I don't usually use them)

Heat oil and cook onions until translucent. Stir in broth, chilies, chicken and spices and let simmer 15 minutes. Stir in beans, simmer 5 minutes. Taste it...because of differences in chicken, green chilis and broth sometimes it needs more spices. If not flavorful enough, add more garlic, garlic salt and cumin until it tastes just right. Let simmer for a few minutes. Top with cheese, avocados, sour cream and  crumbled chips. Makes about 12 cups. For a large crowd I 3x this recipe (still only use 2 chickens). Great to make in the morning then put in crockpot until time to serve, fantastic leftover.

Hallelujah! Mimi is Here.

After 10 days on our own and doing fairly well, the whole family was ecstatic to see Mimi arrive. She swooped in just in the nick of time as Mike was gone almost the entire week with interviews all over the country. Without her we would have had lots of tearful nights, hectic mornings, and sleepy days. Instead, thanks to her we had mild mornings where I could sleep in as she made breakfast and took the kids to school, delightful days with fun company and lots of things getting done around the house like laundry, freezer meals, all the winter clothes washed and put away, and so much organization you would not recognize my closets and loving nights with happy kids, music moments. baby snuggles and bedtime stories.

It was so much fun to have her here and I'm so grateful she could come out to slave away for us and she did it with a great, big smile. It made all the difference in what could have been a very tough week...plus, she got to see soccer games, celebrate James' birthday, see fall leaves, go to a cider mill and spend some quality time with Mike. When he was gone, we got to have so many good chats and great times, plus a few naps and lots of Target trips with too much loot in tow :). I wish everyone were lucky enough to have a mother-in-law like this. Thank you, thank you, thank you Mimi! We love you so much. The only problem? I did not take enough pictures... to see the pictures I did take, click here!

Michigan Fall

Our favorite time of year for lots of reasons...weather, leaves, cider mills, homemade doughnuts, crisp evenings, college football. Fall in Ann Arbor is just the best.
to see the fun, click here!

Beacause with 4 kids, the show must go on...

To see what else has been going on, click here!

Smitten

To see an embarassing amout of pictures and lots of sappy descriptions of a new baby, click here!

Introducing Pierce Olsen Romney...

Pierce Olsen Romney

September, 24th 7:10 pm

7 pounds 11.5 ounces

Practically perfect in every way!

 

To see this beautiful baby, click here!

Meal Planning

I like to cook. I'm not a gourmet, but my family thinks most things I make taste pretty good...however, it consumes a lot of my life and time between the planning, the shopping, the prepping and the cooking. I often feel like it's my full time job. So, when my cousin asked for ways to do it a little "smarter" I helped her brainstorm and have put the ideas into practice. It's working out great, and is so much less stressful, so I thought I'd share!

Step 1:  Have your family gather (maybe an FHE even) and list the meals they like to eat. Ideally shoot for about 25 meals (or just start with what you have). This is your "Master List."  These should be "go-to" things, and I like to organize it in types of food: Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Grilled, Soups Crockpot, Breakfast, etc.  If anyone would like a copy of my "master list" I'd be happy to send it your way. I'm also happy to send you some of my "staple" recipes.

Step 2: Plug these meals into your monthly or weekly calendar in a way that makes sense (not Mexican 6 nights in a row...). You can also have your family help you decide. A few tips:

• Don't put intensive meals all together...if you do, you know you won't make them night after night.
• We like leftovers, so on some dishes (enchiladas, lasagna, etc) I make sure we have enough for 2 nights.
• Cooking meat can be a hassle, so if we grill I'll put a few extra pieces on to use in another dish the next day.
• Each week there is one easy meal...maybe breakfast for dinner, grilled ham and cheese, or quesadillas...you know you will need one, so just plan on it.
• We often have people to our home on Sunday, so I make my biggest meal that day.
• In addition to splitting up cuisine, I like to switch up the meat from day to day and throw in one vegetarian meal each week or every other week.
• On busy nights, I like to have a soup, leftovers or a crock pot meal. I know which nights those are and I plan for it.

Step 3: Find some side dish staples. My kids love salad with ranch, so I always have lettuce and carrots on hand for an easy, healthy side dish. Find something your family likes and do the same. Having a salad also allows me to go easy on some of the fattier dishes I make (I have active, calorie burning boys) and fill up on greens if I need to. I'm also happy to cut up oranges or apples or watermelon if we need a boost of fruit or something extra to fill us up. It doesn't have to be fancy.

Step 4: Try something new! There are a variety of ways to get new, good recipes...blogs, pinterest, allrecipes.com. Once a week it's fun to try something different. If my family enjoys it and I didn't mind making it, it goes onto our master list and will be back in our rotation. Soon you should have plenty of meals to keep your family happy even if you start very small.

Step 5: Plan your menu and your shopping list and shop by the week. This saves money and time. Plus, it has allowed me to beef up my food storage with things we really use. For example, if you know you often cook with canned tomatoes or black beans, stock up on those things when they are on sale...you know you use them and you won't have to pay full price when you need them.

Step 6: Use leftovers wisely. I don't like food to go to waste, so here are a few ways we use up what we have:

Sandwiches: My family loves it when I add BBQ sauce and broil cheese over the top of left over meat (chicken, pork or beef) on the top of good bread. Experiment with toppings like grilled pineapple, coleslaw, or avocado.

Pasta: A little meat goes a long way in a pasta dish if you add lots of veggies.

Pizza: Find a good pizza crust and use any leftover meat in a creative way...like beef with red onions, and tomatoes or BBQ chicken pizza.

Stir-fry: Stir fry is easy and healthy and if you add lots of veggies no one notices how little meat is left.

Tacos: We like tacos with just about anything in the center. If I have leftover fish, this is about the only way to use it again.

Soups: Find your favorite soup recipe and add whatever meat you have left. Also great for using up ham, whcih can be a bit tricky beyond sandwiches.

Omlettes: At our house we love everything with eggs, so find a good meat/veggie/cheese combination that works for your family and have a double dose of protein.

Happy Cooking!! 

Papa Visits the Big House

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There are a few things you MUST do if you go to school at the University of Michigan. One thing is attend a football game at THE BIG HOUSE. The football stadium is the biggest college stadium in the coutry...setting a new record at 114,800. Every game is sold out and the stands are swimming with blue and maize. It's quite the experience. We've all had it...Mike, me and the boys and we all loved it. Go Blue!

When Papa heard about the first ever night game at the stadium against rival Notre Dame he braved ridiculous ticket prices and a Southern California power outage to make it to Ann  Arbor.Even if he was only here for 36 hours we took advantage of every minute of his fun, supportive and vibrant personality. 

He got to watch all 3 boys play soccer, he got to ordain Mike to the high priesthood in our church since he now serves in our ward bishopric, he took us out to a great lunch, he hunted for snakes and frogs in the forest with the boys (the highlight of their life)...and...

He went to his first Michigan football game...and it was a crazy great one with an unbelieveable ending. It will go down in the history books and Mike and Rick were there!

We love you Papa. Can't wait to see you again!

The End of Summer...South Haven, MI and Wild Animal Park, OH

For the full post, click, here!

 

In an effort to take in every last drop of summer and our Michigan experience, we decided to make it to the Lake Michigan beach one more time...this time in a tiny little town called South Haven. It was a nice, relaxing day. The water wasn't quite as clear, but the sand was soft and plentiful and there was a playground on the beach and a fun pier to walk along. Plus a quaint little mainstreet where we got delicious orange, lime and lemone ade and a burger before the drive home.















Our coolest sighting? The pirate ship!

Isn't this harbor fantastic? It was quite the picturesque town.

My least favorite excursion? The Wild Animal Park way outside Toledo, OH. The kids and Mike thought it was just fantastic to have dirty, stinky animals stick their heads into your car and eat out of your hand, lick your face, slobber on your window. So gross. I sat in the back. I was thinking it might be more like the San Diego park, but no such luck...and no tigers or lions either. On the upside the kids thought it was super cool.

Other than our fun excursions, the kids have been in heaven being home! They loved being back on their bikes, riding trails, and seeing friends, but what has really completed their life? Searching for animals!!! We've now had about a million frogs, toads, snakes and crayfish as pets (I let them stay in our yard for 24 hours, then we have to let them free) and we spend a ridiculous amount of time at the creek. It truly is boy heaven here. I'm thinking for our next move, we definitely need to be close to a forest again.

With the boys so happily busy, Mike and I have accomplished basically everything we needed to do to get the house ready for this new baby boy...bunkbed buying, room arranging, crib building, clothes washing, and I think we are almost totally ready anytime. So grateful to have a little free time with Mike and SO glad he can't stand to sit still. He was such a worker the entire 3 weeks and I was amazed at all we (or he) got done, especially while I was doing tons of stuff for my new job. It was great. Now, school has started and we only have a few weeks before this baby will be here. We can't wait!!

Summertime in Northern Michigan

We got some fantastic photos on our trip...to see the full post, click here!  

 

Kid Rock knew what he was talking about when he sang lyrics about summertime in Northern Michigan. It's beautiful and we tried our best to take advantage of all the fun before the craziness of school and real life starts again. We headed first to a place voted as one of the most beautiful places in the country...

Sleeping Bear Dunes Beach

We were competely shocked by the beauty of Lake Michigan. The water was cold but clear as the Carribbean. We had a wonderful afternoon soaking in the hot sunshine, cool water and soft sand.





Pretty amazing huh?

 Hiking the dunes
The boys were awesome hikers and made it to the top of the second huge sand dune...it's a real natural wonder to see the mountains of sand, then look back over the gorgeous lake. Running down was especially fun.



Traverse City
After the day at Sleeping Bear Dunes we headed to Traverse City to check it out. It was awesome! We got to stay in the coolest hotel that the boys adored...swimming, fitness room, restaurant, great pool and hot tub, king size beds, super cool shower, 3 flat screen TVs....it might have been the highlight for them.

Lighthouse
There are lots of lighthouses on the penninsula, but this was the only one close enought to see. It was kind of small, but still pretty cool.

 Old Mission Store
There was a really fun, old store we got to stop by and check out. They had all kinds of sundry items, candy, old guns, bows and arrows. It was a cool stop.

 Blueberry Picking
We found a blueberry farm that had full bushes and the boys loved helped picking blueberries and we all loved eating them. Yum!!!

 Jet Skiis
When the clouds cleared, we got back onto the lake....this time with jet skiis. It was the boys first time and they loved it!

It was one of our favorite Michigan spots as a family. The perfect mix of everything and the boys were so fun and so good. This stage has been amazing for taking advantage of lots of fun things. I just adore them all!!

Wrapping Up Utah

We had such fun this summer, with so many activities I can hardly mention them all, but here is my attenpt to remember our incredible time in Utah.

To see all the pictures and fun, click here!

Camp Cousins!!

For the full post and an exhaustive amount of pictures, click here!

After a fantastic 7 weeks in Utah, we headed to San Diego for 8 days for our "Romney Reunion," that quickly became CAMP COUSINS... a week full of fun, themes and activities. It was so great to all be together.

Beach Day

Who can be in San Diego without lots of trips to the beach? The kids all loved the times we spent in the sand and waves. Finding millions of sand crabs was definitely a highlight and Jace even started boogie boarding and loved it. Nothing quite compares to the ocean.

 Besides the beach, my kids cannot be in San Diego without eating S'mores. Instead of taking the sticky mess to the crowded summer beaches, we decided to make them over the BBQ. Perfect solution for everyone!

Music Day

We are all so proud of Mimi....she finished her Master's Degree training in music! She is really amazing and passionate about teaching music and the kids loved it as she put them all to work with her fun, new teaching techniques and tools. All of the kids were obsessed with playing with all her cool instruments, drums and guitars and they gave us a very impressive concert at the end of the week. Must have good genes and a great teacher!

 

Books

Leave it to Marci to think of everything...at the end of each themed day, the kids had books to read and a movie to watch that went with the theme of the day. It was so sweet to watch them all calm down for a few minutes and read and hang out together.

 Garden Day

We would have never expected all the kids to love "Garden Day" so much, but it was a huge hit. We visited Olivewood Gardens in National City where they gave us a first class tour of the gardens and let us into their organic kitchen where they taught the kids to cook healthy items right from the garden and they all pledged to always try everything! It was a hot but fantastic day.

 Here they are searching in a pile of compost for living things. My boys were in heaven finding worms!

 In the garden we found 2 old friends, Dot and Gibby, the chickens who used to live at Mimi and Papa's house. The kids were thrilled!

 The kids all went on a scavenger hunt through the garden where they learned about all kinds of plants, flowers and weeds. They especially enjoyed trying all the edible herbs. James is a big fan of fennel. Who knew?

 Again, bugs were the highlight. These caterpillars on milkweeds were some of the most exciting moments. James and Shaina even hid a caterpillar or two in their pocket to take home.

 The other highlight? RASPBERRIES!

 Here they are in the kitchen, making veggie hashbrowns and fresh orange soda. They all took the pledge to try at least "one bite " of every new food. My kids are still honoring the pledge!

Marine Day

For marine day, we visited the aquarium in La Jolla. The kids and adults had a fantastic time exploring the sea life and tide pools.

 To extend the theme, each of the kids got a snorkel set and got to dive for hours in pool. Everyone understood and has loved using the equipment. For all of the kids, one of the most favorite moments of the week were the million they spent in the pool and hot tub, sometimes as early as 7:30 am.

Cowboy Day

All the kids love horses, so Mimi and Papa figured out a way for everyone to enjoy a little time in the wild west. Everyone was so good with the horses and enjoyed their time on them so much. Don't they all look so cute?

Movie Day

One of the most exciting things about the week was the notebooks each of the kids kept with notes about what we did and the good deeds they had done. For each activity, they earned "money" to spend at the concession stand during movie night. The kids love watching an outdoor movie and getting to choose their candy, and the adults like it too :). Guess who was the biggest fan of buying his own candy? Yep, James!!

Sports Day

So glad to have Mike and Rick around. With 3 pregnant ladies and 2 missing husbands for most of the week, they were total troopers in helping execute Mimi's plans. They were both totally available and fun the entire week, full of energy for all the kids who somehow never need a break. On sports day, they (and Mimi)  took the kids to play baseball, kick ball, tennis and other games while the preggos stayed home. They all came home hot and sweaty and ready for the pool.  After a good swim, they helped Mimi make very cool baseball brownies to deliver to the veterans. Great day!

 Adults Only!

After so many days dedicated to the kids, the adults needed some time out. The girls started with an impromptu baby shower where Marci took us to an awesome baby store and bought us some very generous gifts for these new additions. Then, that night, everyone came together for a gorgeous, quiet and delicious dinner. We loved being together and having some kid-free time to talk, joke and laugh. So grateful for fun in-laws!

 Look at these bellies! Me, due in 7 weeks, Cassy, due in 11 weeks, and Jenni due in 3 weeks. Can't wait to see all these cousins together!

Spiritual Day

On Sunday we went to church, then exhausted after a week of non-stop fun, headed out to the Mormon Battalion museum in Old Town, San Diego. It was so worth it! If you have not been, you should go. The church has done an incredbile job with the rennovation and it was so interesting and exciting for kids and adults. Definitely a must see!

It was such a fun week, it was tough to leave. The kids all had the best time playing together non-stop and we loved watching the love they have for each other. I'm so grateful for incredible and supportive parents-in-law and fantastically fun brothers and sisters-in-law. Missed you Bryce and Lora! We are so blessed. Thank you all (espeically Mimi) for making Camp Cousins so great! Can't wait to do it again. Love you all lots and lots.

I've been dying to see these!

I've been admiring the work of Sara B Photography for a very long time (and Sara B as a person since high school :), she is positively incredible in every way, but we've never lived close enough to her to get her to take our pictures. So, when we found out she moved to Utah and our entire extended family would be in Utah at the same time this summer, we decided to have a little photo shoot with her for a surprise birthday present for my mom.

The photos turned out just as great as I dreamed they would be...even with 5 crazy boys, 3 pregnant ladies (note to self, no more family pictures at 7 months pregs), and one grumpy Ellie. Sara really is magic. Here are a few (or a lot) of my favorites. Wish I could post them all. Enjoy!

To see them, click here!

Friends, Family, Fun and the Fourth!

Click here for a new post!

A few more adventures

There is still a lot of fun going on here!


To see all the crazy pictures, click here! 

Why there is no time for blog posts

To see all the fun we've been having, click here!

UTAH!!!

We are here and having such a busy blast there is no time for long posts or fantastic pictures, but they are to come soon, I promise. We've had such a great time reconnecting with friends and family! If you are around and want to get together, let me know. We'd love to see you!

Independence Lake

To see the rest of our fun, click here!

Miserable

To see why, click here!

Palmyra, New York

For the full post, click here!

On Sunday we headed to Palmyra, New York which is rich with the history of our church. I was so excited to be there...it's a place I've been envisioning since I was a little girl and I was finally going to see it! What struck me, as we were driving there was how beautiful the area is. I understand why Joseph Smith's family decided to settle there. It truly is a gorgeous piece of our country.

After church, our first stop was the sacred grove, where we believe Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ. As I wandered onto the path, a young boy, about 12, was playing "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" and I was overcome with the spirit. I felt so much gratitude for Joseph Smith and was amazed that at such a young age he was curious enough to ask, righteous enough to obey, and strong enough to withstand cruely beyond imagination. Stepping into that grove felt like a holy place.

Our boys had a nice time in the grove, though I'm not sure they really understood its significance. Mike read Joseph Smith's account to us from the scriptures and we had a family prayer of gratitude. After the few moments of stillness and reverence, our boys felt like it was any other woods to explore and they were fascinated by the large leaves and tiny bugs. As we walked down the path, Mike and I were discussing how being a parent is often about balancing what you need with what your kids need to stay entertained and engaged without bothering others. It's a tricky act, but I hope our kids remember the spirit they felt in Palmyra.

I'm so grateful for Mike's spiritual leadership in our family. I really admire the way he teaches the boys with such sincerity and ease.

Some of the farmland and acreage the Smith family owned. I imagine it looked a lot then like it still does now. It was a fun historical connection to make.

This is our family in the Smith family home. The church has done a fantastic job at its restoration. My favorite thing about this picture is the smiles on everyone's face, and then look at James...the rolled eyes of a 4 year old. After a long day of sightseeing and lots of "being quiet" "being reverent" and "being respectful," I asked the kids with a happy smile, "So, did you enjoy that?" and James' response was..."Well, I kind of enjoyed it, but I kind of didn't. Actually, it wasn't very fun." Probably a fair critique from a 4 year old!
From the Smith family home, you can see the Palmyra temple. How exciting to have a temple where the church was restored!

These are photos of the priting shop where the first Book of Mormon was printed. I had no idea the great lengths it took and all the pieces that had to fall into place in order for the Book of Mormon to be published. What a great miracle! (Oh, and if you go to Palmyra you MUST get a calzone at NEMA's just down the street from the print shop. It looks like a hole, but it's incredible!!!)

This last picture is on the top of Hill Cumorah, where we believe Joseph Smith retrieved the plates. There is a gorgeous view from the top of the hill and it was exiting to be there. It was possibly my boys favorite spot since they got to roll down a gigantic hill and no one asked them to be quiet. All in all, it was a great vacation and we made it home 7 hours later exhausted and in one piece.

Big Weekend!

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Mike was back for a short visit over Memorial Day weekend and it was HEAVEN. My boys have been good, I've been strong and feeling well, we've had caring and kind friends, and no major breakdowns, but nothing compares to having my amazing husband home. It was like a giant load of bricks lifted off my shoulders the minute he was back.

To make our time count with him, we sure did keep busy! Our first trip was to Niagara Falls, Canada...about a 5 hour drive from here and it was definitely a MUST SEE!

 The falls were incredible. We put on these cute, blue ponchos were were extrememly grateful for and took a boat up to the falls.

 This is Jace's face before we were completely soaked. He didn't liket that very much, but the rest of us thought it was an absolute blast!!!

 Parker trying to shield himself from the monsoon the falls create as you get up close. It was crazy and breathtaking all at the same time!

 Pretty incredible.

 After we were off the boat and getting dry.

 There were also gorgeous gardens to wander through and enjoy.

 And a pretty cute family to hang with!

 Fun statues on the street.

 And, of course, the Hershey's store! My boys were in heaven!!!

 How yummy does that look?

 After some Midway games and a little more sightseeing, we stopped at Rainforest Cafe for dinner and the kids loved all the cool animals and thunderstorms.

 To get them out of the tourist money trap...we lured them to our hotel in Rochester, NY for a little swimming. They were more than happy to go since it meant getting in the water.

The weather was amazing and our hotel was great, so aside from me feeling pretty sick during the day but pushing through it then loosing it all once we were at the hotel, it was the perfect day. Good news was that I felt better the next morning and I was still able to enjoy a great day with my boys!!!

Preschool Grad

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The time has come for my baby to graduate preschool! The scariest thing is that I know in just another blink it will be high school and further. I kind of want to freeze time, just for a bit.


We have been so fortunate in our life to find amazing home preschools with execptional teachers who just love my kids and help them excel. We found it again with Miss Shana who was positively fantastic with James and worked hard to do extra things to keep him challenged. He loved being there and learned so much!


I'm so proud of him and all he knows...he's a great reader and loves books, loves having "spelling words" and catches on to math in a blink. He's completely ready for Pre-K next year. There are definately some advantages to having older brothers! It was a special day to celebrate with him!

Share, share alike

(Bear with me during some of these posts. With the approach of a new baby, I'm trying to document some of the strategies that have worked for us, so far. Hopefully, I can continue some of the good things and discard the bad.)

Selfishness is one of my least favorite vices. Stuff is just stuff. Things are just things. I remember reading in Randy Pauch's, Last Lecture that he never wanted the people he loved to ever think that things mattered more than people. I wholeheartedly agree.

So, after I had two boys who wanted the same things very often and who often laid claim to ownership, I realized that I hated spending every mothering moment deciding on who owned what. It drove me crazy. So, we instituted a rule in our house: On Christmas and on your birthday, YOU own your items. You can decide if you want them the entire day or want to let others play, but everyone has a birthday and everyone gets new stuff for Christmas (and everyone remembers how you acted). Every other day, the toys or other items belong to our family as a whole and anyone is allowed to play with them, as long as they are respectful, and we switch off reasonably (with a timer when they were little, now they get it without a lot of monitoring).

For the most part, it's worked amazingly well for lots of years, especially since we have 3 boys all so close. I spend very little time regulating and I really like the way my boys, usually, kindly allow their brothers, friends and neighbors to use their stuff and feel comfortable sharing what they have. There are a few exceptions to the rule...bikes are the owners (espeically since everyone has one) and if everyone has something new that is the same and you loose or ruin yours, you're kind of out of luck for a bit.

For us, it's led to a pretty harmonious home regarding toys and other things and this feeling has extended to a more general attitude in life...my boys pretty much know the expectation is to share, even treats after sports games or bites of ice cream with their mom. That's just how we roll.

There are some drawbacks...there is less sense of ownership, so sometimes things aren't taken care of as well as I'd like, once in awhile it may be better not to share (food allergies, etc.) so we have to be careful, and they often assume everyone is as happy to share as they are and that is not always the case, so we have to talk about boundaries and respecting other peoples' stuff, but I feel like, for the most part it has worked really well for our family, especially with 3 so close.

Now, with this new little one, we'll see how it goes. Five years is a big age difference, but I'm hoping to somehow still create that same attitude in him!

The rest of a great visit

Oh, how I love having my parents in town! For some reason, it was especially fun this time. To see the post with all the photos, click here There were so many fantastic, uncaptured moments, but here is a little snapshot of what we were up to:

Baseball
Both my parents were so happy to be able to see a few games and the boys were so happy to be able to show off. My parents love watching the little guys play sports.


Best sports ever! Mitch and Kelly are so good to my kids.





Cub Scouts

There is an area by our house in the common area that is getting worked on, so there is caution tape to try and keep the kids out of the area. When Jace arrived home from cub scouts one night, he stepped in the dirt, and I reminded him not to. Then, my mom said, "That's not what a good cub scout would do."

So, Jace proceeds to say that he is going to be an example of a good cub scout and do a "good turn." He goes inside and gets tape and fixes all the caution tape that kids have torn down and ties and tapes it back to the posts...all the while telling my mom, "I just don't understand why parents don't watch their kids around here and tell them not to take the tape down or walk in this area. I mean, it's just not that hard to watch your kids." (Please keep in mind what he was doing just 5 minutes earlier).

Then, he comes inside and says to me, "Mom, grandma just paid me the nicest compliment. She said, 'If all the cub scouts in the world were just like you, the world would be a better place. I told her, 'You are exactly right.'"

Life is never dull with Jace!

A Lost Tooth

Parker has been wiggling his front tooth forever, and it finally came out! The he lost it again in the car, so he had to write a note to the tooth fairy. Luckily, she still came through!

Mitch's Law School Graduation

Technically, the whole reason they came to visit was for Mitch's law school graduation from Michigan State University. I was so glad to be there! We are all so proud of him.

This was his sorry attempt at a jumping photo. I'm sure he'll be glad he at least did a fist pump.

Jace's Art Show
My parents really hit the timing jackpot and got to see a piece of Jace's artwork displayed in the University of Michigan Art Show. It was really cool to see his name up there along with lots of other kids from around the city. It was a big honor!

The masterpiece

Marathon of Fun

On Saturday we had a marathon day of fun...outside play, bagels, art show, then the boys went to a movie while the girls shopped for a minute, then miniature golfing and out to dinner. Whew! It was a blast and we are so grateful that my parents could be here and keep us company and provide endless hours of entertainment for our kids.

In fact, my kids are pretty sure that they would like to have their grandparents as parents..."they always say, yes!"  or "Grammy said" or "Just let Grandma be the boss" were a few of the new mantras around here. Sadly enough, they are all true and it's  super fun when they come to visit. I'm a little worried about coming down off such a fun week. We were also so glad to have Mitch and Kelly with us almost the whole time. They are the greastest, most fun, patient and loving aunt and uncle. We wish they weren't moving!