Somewhere beneath the glitter...

To me, Christmas does not last long enough. (even though we have been listening to Christmas music since Halloween!) This holiday season has been simple and magical, full family, friends, food, and full of quiet acts of service. It was not us that performed these acts of kindness though. So many people have given to us this year and we feel blessed, too blessed! Things have been really crazy these last couple of months with the adoption, sickness, two broken down vehicles and when we seem to be getting ahead and things start settling down, something knocks us on our butt. We are so very fortunate to have a generous circle of friends! Some of these friends have chosen to remain anonymous with bags of goodies and money. I really wish I knew who to thanks. It is so hard to receive! I am humbled that there are so many willing to be the Lord's instruments and I have witnessed the power of the Christmas spirit so many times this Christmas. Some amazing people in our ward dropped off one of their extra vehicles for us to drive while ours are being fixed. I was able to get to doctor's appointments and do some Christmas shopping. I wish I had a way to express just how much that meant to me. Another wonderful, giving friend, Jennifer, invited me to go shopping with her in Grand Junction for the day and her husband, bless his heart, watched some of my kids and another awesome friend watched my little ones for the whole day while we shopped. Who could ask for more wonderful friends!
Christmas Eve the kids shopped for each other with their own money. It was the first time I have taken all five kids to the store by myself and it was pretty darn fun! I don't think I will take them grocery shopping with me any time soon though! When we got home, they went in their rooms and wrapped their presents. It was such a beautiful sight to see those little packages with too much tape and not enough wrapping paper under the tree. We read in Luke about the Savior's humble birth and watched Joy To The World and sent our babies to bed. Christmas morning was full of giggling, laughter, squeals! I felt pleased with the reaction that I could hear from my bed! The missionaries came over and ate Christmas breakfast and open presents with us. I made German pancakes, a fruit salad, and little smokies wrapped in bacon! So good! The missionaries got to talk with their families and that evening we had Christmas dinner. The missionaries requested ham and candied yams. They discovered the marshmallow shooters that my mom had bought for Madse and Mike. There were slobbery marshmallows stuck to the walls, carpet, and our clothes. They totally wasted me! You would never believe it but with a little spit mixed in, those marshmallows are lethal! they sting! I got pelted in the nose and throat and it left a mark!!!
Our Christmas tree will linger til January even though there are more needles on the floor than on the tree. It is sad to see all of the beauty end. I think the song from The Forgotten Carols says it best "I cry the day that I take the tree down. I want the season to last all year 'round."

Some Minor Setbacks

I have hesitated writing anything about the adoption. I wanted to write one spectacular blog about the whole process with a wonderful happy ending of us in the temple as a family and the journey that got us there, which I will when it is all over, but I am just a little frustrated and feel the need to vent a little bit of that frustration. All of the paperwork is getting turned in except for one very important paper and that is from the birth father. We call him sperm donor because he doesn't deserve the title father. He is contesting the adoption. He wants custody of Hallie. He has until the 26th of this month to retain a lawyer and take it to court. Right now he is asking for a ten day extension. It is all very complicated. If he takes us to court before the 26th then Michael and I have to get a lawyer but if he does it after the 26th then LDS Family Services can use their attorneys. I just don't understand what this guy is thinking! Does he really think he can take care of a child? Why has he waited until now to do anything? It is my understanding that he has had no contact with the birth mother or Hallie since she was pregnant. He has not paid child support. Now he wants to get involved. I really don't want this to go to court. I don't like the thought of Hallie being removed from our home. She is our little girl! I wish I could send him all of her poopy diapers in the mail or call him at random hours especially late at night with the sound of her cry. Maybe that would convince him that he is in over his head. It is all up in the air and we don't have very much information. All we have is prayer and faith in the witness that we have received that Hallie was meant to be in our family for eternity. I have just been praying for this young man, that his heart will be softened and that he will do what is best for this little girl. I just wish he understood that she is loved and adored. That I have nursed her, changed her, stayed up with her when she is sick, taught her how to play peek a boo, that Madse can make her laugh harder than anyone else, that her and May like to share a little bowl of popcorn and attempt to feed each other but get it all over the carpet instead. I wish he understood that we are her family.

If all of those who read this can just remember us in your prayers, it would be greatly appreciated. I know that it will all work out. The Lord had always provided for us. That thought is very comforting. I so look forward to being inside the temple with our little Hallie and sealing her to us for eternity. Even though it has been a tad bit frustrating, it has been worth it.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!!!

FINALLY!!!

We have been waiting for a good snow fall with great anticipation!

I think Madse is in love!!!

He has been out in it every day for hours.

When he finally comes in, he insists on a cup of hot chocolate with a spoon!

May wasn't as impressed as Madse with the white stuff. After her first face plant she was done!

It was worth getting them stuffed into their snow suits, snow boots, gloves and hats just to see the expression on their faces and the wonderment in their eyes!

Getting them out of all of that gear is another story!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, You Fill All Hearts With Gaity!

Christmas is magical

with children!

Their little hands handling

the oraments with care

and intrigue!

No fancy decorations just ones handed down from grandparents now gone and ones I have made as a child. Now the kids are adding to the collection with their handmade ornaments. Each one has its own special story!

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

All I Want For Christmas Is My...Health!

All around me is the hustle and bustle of of people preparing for their holidays. Lights are being hung on houses, Christmas trees are being placed in front windows, gifts are being bought and stowed away, everything that seems to make the seasons special and define it as Christmas. Absolutely none of that is going on here at the Nash home, at least not yet. No, it is not because I am a scrooge, I just can't get well enough or get my kids well enough to get into the Christmas spirit. Around the middle of November I started having severe back pain, a fever, and some other symptoms. I seriously felt like I was in labor! After suffering for a week (because suffering is what I do best), I finally went to see a doctor because it was getting increasingly worse. Tests were runs and a lot of cups were peed in and the doctor says that there is something going on with my kidneys. I was put on some super strength antibiotics because my body did not react to normal ones and I was given narcotics. During this time I was too sick to celebrate Mikie's birthday. Some friends brought her little gifts and some cupcakes, which was so sweet and she has been so understanding, but it still breaks my heart that she hasn't gotten to have a party. I go back for more testing later this week to see if my urine is sterile. Here's hoping for sterile urine! I was well enough to make a simple Thanksgiving dinner for our family. Michael worked but came home with a couple of guys he works with. They stayed for a couple of hours and went back to work. Ever since then either the kids or I have been sick and not just boogers and coughs, it has been H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS kind of sick!!! I'm talking painfully sore throat, high fever, vomiting, ear infections. Pretty much everyone has had a turn. Mikie has been miraculously been skipped. So we have been laying on the couch watching movies and feeling miserable. As of now we are on the mend and I am looking forward to our returning health and celebrating a simple Christmas with my family.

Good fences make good neighbors...Too bad I don't have any!

Someone called the cops on us...again! It must be the cool thing to do here in Rifle. Apparently our Dog has been barking and roaming the neighborhood. Our dog is an inside dog. He goes outside to go to the bathroom. The rest of his time is spent getting dog hair on my furniture and chewing up the kids' toys. I admit that occasionally I have found random things that he has brought back to the yard from who knows where or I notice that he is in the neighbor's yard but I quickly get him in the house and am always apologetic if he gets into the neighbors yards. I am not one of those people that let their dog roam and run a muck with the other neighborhood dogs.
What frustrates me is that someone obviously has a problem with me. Why can't they come and talk to me about their problem and let me do my best to remedy it? Why involve the cops about something so petty? Have enough nerve to come to me and I will take care of it. Just don't call the cops. That's just lame! I am sure they have better things to do. It doesn't help my case at all that moments before the officer arrived, Mikie opened the sliding glass door and let the dog out so that when the cop arrived Nacho was on the front lawn barking. I can't argue that my dog isn't usually the one barking when he is out there doing just that. It is just SO embarrassing to have the police on your front porch and the neighbors gawking instead of hanging their Christmas decorations on their house. The only thing going through my head as I am out there is "what cowardly neighbor was pathetic enough to call the cops on me?" Who does that!? Poor Nacho will bear the brunt of my frustration with solitary confinement to the kennel and supervised bathroom breaks. Like I have nothing better to do with MY time.

We Enjoy So Much.

"The Prophet Joseph said at one time that one of the greatest sins ofwhich the Latter-day Saints would be guilty is the sin of ingratitude.I presume most of us have not thought of that as a great sin. There is a great tendency for us in our prayers and in our pleadings with the Lord to ask for additional blessings. But sometimes I feel we need to devote more of our prayers to expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving for blessings already received. We enjoy so much. (God, Family, Country, Salt Lake City:Deseret Book Co., 1974, p. 199)."



I tend to be pretty needy when it comes to prayers, especially lately. I tend to worry about things too much. No matter what seems to be weighing heavily on my heart, The Lord always provides. It is always so humbling to see miracles in my behalf. We got an email saying that we are approved for a loan for the adoption. That was indeed a miracle! We have been blessed with a doctor that was willing to dig a little deeper and get me feeling better. Friends have been inspired to come and visit or call or take my kids while I have been sick. Mikie's teacher called to tell us that Mikie is so above reading levels that they want to move her to first grade reading. I think I am going to take some time just to express my gratitude in my prayers because I truly have so much to be grateful for!

I Am Going Through Withdrawls!

Last month the transmission on our Ford Expedition went out. It didn't just go out, it exploded! So we are down to one vehicle, a beat up Dodge truck. It is comical to see it loaded with all the kids! It is a real pain in my butt to get them all in there and buckled in their car seats. For the most part I do not go anywhere. There are times when I haven't left the house in a whole week! If it weren't for church on Sunday, I probably would never leave the house. I have the GREATEST neighbor in the world that picks up and drops off the girls from school. I would really be hating it without Tracey! (She would kill me for mentioning it!) Well it is all starting to get old and very inconvenient. I do not like burdening others like this. I do not like bumming rides all the time. I do not like taking Mike to work at three in the morning. I miss my Expo! I won't be getting it back anytime soon either. We don't have the four grand it is going to take to get it fixed. Michael is busting his butt and working eighteen to twenty or more hours a DAY to get it and the adoption payed for by next month. We have other options that might work out too. Most importantly we have the Lord and he always seems to pull us out of these deep holes we dig ourselves into. I wonder how long He will keep doing it?

The Fine Print Of Motherhood

It seems that May is monopolizing a lot of my blog entries, but she keeps doing these mischievous things that are just too funny. It is not even winter and we have had a share of sickness. It must be easier to make the rounds when there are so many little ones to get infected. This time it is Madse who is sick. He kept complaining that his tummy hurt. Well he was up in the bay window playing and before I could do anything, he puked all over the back of my couch and in the bay window. I grabbed a bowl as quickly as I could but watched helplessly as he moved from one spot to the another. Why do little kids do that?! They travel with their vomit. It's really not cool. So I caught the last tablespoon of puke in the bowl I so desperately ran to get and then I stripped him down and put him in the tub. I had a game plan. Let him soak in the tub and I would start the nasty job of scrubbing and disinfecting my couch and carpet. When did I sign up for this? No one tells you this stuff when you are planning on having kids. It's like a veteran mother's revenge on a new mother who has no clue when she keeps this information to herself. So anyway, I was frantically scrubbing when Madse yells from the bathroom "MOMMA! May's in da tub wif her twose on!" I just left her there. What else could I do? I couldn't interrupt my game plan. I couldn't resist snapping a few photos and taking some video but then I got back to scrubbing the crap out of my sofa.
The look on her face is priceless, so sheepish and too cute to get mad at! Even though I had no idea what I signed up for, I get a kick out of the fine print of motherhood.

Carving Pumpkins Is Fun To Do, To Do, To Do!

Halloween is not complete with out a little pumpkin carving. Conditions were perfect. We fed the missionaries and Mike was home early from work. Michael was in charge of the pumpkin carving while I cooked dinner. He really did a fantastic job with the kids.





Elder Gardner helped light all of the jack-o-lanterns. I am pretty sure he burnt his fingers a few times. I have pictures of that but wouldn't want to hurt his pride by posting them! The elders asked me to help them with their halloween costumes. They were a nephite and a lamanite. I had this orange red fabric that we made into skirts and the elders drew pecks and abs onto a tee shirt and I attached some brown fabric strips to their sandals and lace them up their legs. We made headbands too! Pretty realistic if you ask me! They were a big hit at the ward trunk-or-treat party. I hope they got pictures because I didn't.

We posed for a family picture. Little miss Hallie didn't quite make it. She crashed midway through dinner and was snug in bed. Each kid had a pumkin. May rolled hers down the front lawn and I think it is still there. If you look closely at the photo, the last one is all chewed up thanks to Nacho so that one is his. Dang dog!

This Is Halloween!

For some reason I never think to actually get everyone together for a structured picture. So I have a few here and there of our Halloween activities. We did the ward trunk-or-treat party and we went to my friend Liza's for a party. Man does she know how to throw a feeding! Halloween is always laid back and so much fun! I love watching the magic in the kids' eyes when they realize that people give them candy for dressing up. We all dressed up! Ash was a vampire, Mikie was a witch, Madse was Spiderman, May was a purple people eater, Hallie was a care bear, Mike was a redneck, which means he just went as himself. The picture doesn't do his costume justice. He wore cut off bib overalls, a cowboy hat, and work boots. He would wear that every day if I let him. I wore a bright blue polyester dress that I inherited from Grammy. I was something right out of the 70's/ 80's but didn't quite pull it off but it was a blast! At the end of the festivities, Mike rummaged through all of the kids' candy for his favorite pieces. He calls it "The Daddy Tax".

Spiderman didn't want to wear his mask. He casted his fishing pole at the fishing pond.Witchy poo Mikie doing the cake walk!
Redneck Mike and monster May hanging out with Darold.

Little May totally pulls off the purple people eater!
This Carebear was trick-or-treated out!
Me, Liza, and Kristen.
Some of the kids posing for a picture!

I Am It!

I love an excuse to blog. There is some slight discomfort when it comes to writing about myself. Give me a topic about my family and I can write a novel but I just don't think that I am that interesting so bare with me for this game.
The rules:
A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.

B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.

C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

FACT ONE: I love every body! I really get along with almost everyone. I am a people person. I can find something to like and relate to in everyone I meet. Sometimes I feel like I like people more than they like me. I like to strike up conversations with random strangers but have found that most people are uncomfortable with talking to people they don't know. It is so much fun to make eye contact with people and smile at them and watch their reactions. It is really rare to find someone that I don't like.

FACT TWO: I lack discipline. I think I am pretty good at most things at first try but I burn out easily and give up on things because it is easier than sticking to it and mastering it. I have had this characteristic my whole life. I have been in singing groups, dance classes, band playing three instruments, and lots of other things that I never follow through with. I have countless projects that are started and have been abandoned because the became a chore instead of that initial thrill. My house is never completely clean. I get so overwhelmed that it never is finished so instead of working at it I just throw my hands up and tolerate the mess. This habit is not something I am proud of and has resulted in me being average and mediocre in everything I do. I do have intentions to change but isn't Hell paved with good intentions?

FACT THREE: I live for music! Hearing it, playing it (I was better at the latter when I was younger) dancing to it, and seeing live shows. The power of music is incredible. I enjoy music that lifts and inspires. I like music from all genres and my tastes are mog podge. I am into finding new to me music so share your favorite bands with me! People that can create music are impressive to me. I had the opportunity to sing back up for my uncle and to watch him put notes and lyrics together and compose something from his heart. It is a secret dream to do that some day. I have been teaching myself to play the guitar and I can't wait for the day when I can wail!

FACT FOUR: Quilting is my passion and obsession. I love to fondle fabric and hoard it thinking maybe I will find the perfect pattern or project for my beloved material. I often deny myself this pleasure because my house is never clean enough or I should be doing laundry or something practical like that but when I give in to my urges and sew I am in HEAVEN! The whole process is just amazing! Picking fabric, measuring and cutting it with a rotary cutter, feeling the fabric as it is being sewn, pressing it together and piecing it all into something beautiful. The sad thing is that I have never actually finished an actual quilt. I have done a few wall hangings,sewn blocks for others and such but I have these tops just sitting there or almost on the verge of being tops waiting to be finished. Dang fact two!

FACT FIVE: I make a mean loaf of bread! I really love being in the kitchen. I can pretty much cook or bake just about anything. New recipes are so fun to make and sharing them or having friends share their favorites is a bonding experience. There is just this unspoken pride in a well worn recipe. People just light up when you ask them for the recipe. Anyone who would like to swap recipes would be my new best friend.

FACT SIX: I thrive on budgeting especially when I grocery shop. I do this because I loathe spending money even on food. So I turn it into a game of strategy. I start out with a detailed menu for two weeks and incorporate what I still have in the pantry and make a shopping list. I am on a mission at the grocery store and I never stray from the list. I make these tallies at the bottom of the list for every dollar amount. The final test is the check out counter. I get all flushed and anxious that I may have miscalculated but I rarely go over my budget and my budget is small. I really feel that I have been blessed like the widow who fed the prophet Elijah her last meal and was in turn blessed that the meal in her vessel and the oil in her cruse. I have seen it happen continually through out my married life when things are tight and there are people to be fed that there is always enough.

That was torture!!!! It took me several days to complete this game. Now I get to tag some of you neener neener!!! So get to it Mandy, Bonnie, Amy, Debra, Christine, and Alison. Heck whoever else wants an excuse be my guest! Have fun!

So...About Those Callings...

Are you ready for this!? I know that I wasn't! One of my callings is with Michael. We are on the ward's activities committee. I can do activities. I like organizing gatherings. I am just glad that I am part of a committee and not in charge of everything. The only thing about being the organizer of the good times is that you are usually preoccupied with everything running smoothly that you don't really get to enjoy the party. It should be fun though. Now for the unexpected calling...NURSERY!!!! I know what you are thinking! "Well Ramanda has kids in there anyway so it isn't a big deal." Nursery is one of those less favored calling and seems more well suited for those who are wanting to practice their grandparenting skills. People apostatize because of this calling! I still really don't know what to think about it. I guess it is a step up from spending much of church sitting in the mother's room nursing babies. I wasn't actually there when they announced my new callings in church. I was frantically getting all five children, who have very short attention spans, into the truck and to church. Let me take a minute to be semi pleased with myself. Since Michael has been working an insane amount of hours at work (eighteen to twenty or more hours a day) and having to work Sundays, the job of getting us all to church rests fully on my shoulders and I am usually on time for the most part. I have gotten a glimpse of what every single mother or woman with a husband that isn't interested in coming to church feels like. It is humbling and very hard to have people in the ward help me. Today was the primary program. I forgot to pack a bottle for Hal so I left May and Madse with a family I was sitting next to and sat in the mother's room where I heard Mikie and Ashley say their parts. I was a bit dissapointed that I wasn't in there for moral support but they sounded great and oh so precious! Madse's underwear did a disappearing act. We finally found them around his knees during the last block of church. I sang a duet in Relief society and after I sat down, May was walking back to me and tripped and fell into the wooden chair and sliced her eyebrow open. There was a substantial amount of blood and a huge collective gasp from every lady in the room. I got it all cleaned up and bandaged and she seems to be fine. Anyway...back to the nursery thing. I think this is a test of faith thing. I am reassured by the scripture that goes something like "whom the Lord calls, He qualifies..." I am interested to see what I learn from this calling. All thoughts of apostasy are being suppressed for the moment. We will see how I feel after a few weeks with the little rugrats! On the bright side, there is snack time. They don't have that in Relief society!

"Momma! Nacho's Got My Rope!"

Madse had found this old rope down by the creek behind our house and had been toting it around for days. The rope was caked with dirt and it was pretty brittle so every time he tied something up, it left a poof of dust and shavings all over the place. Madse was pretty devastated when I insisted that he leave it outside. So I left it out on the top of the grill. After lunch, Madse headed back out to play with his rope and Nacho had beat him to it and pulled the rope off the grill and ran away! The first video you will see is a tug of war. Nacho gave up when he realized I was coming outside. I just can't help but love his desperate plea for my help. Super Mommy to the rescue!!! I have the coolest job ever!
I have tried to put a second video on with Madse chasing the dog around frantically for his treasured rope but the uploading thingy is not cooperating! I'll see what I can do to fix it and get it posted.

For your watching enjoyment!!!

Two For One!

Last Sunday I was sitting in sacrament meeting attempting to keep kids quiet and in their seat when a member of the bishopric released me from my calling as Young Women's Secretary. The funny thing is that I had no clue that I was being released! OOPS! Somebody dropped the ball there. I sure don't blame any of the bishopric for not giving me a heads up because they have enough on their plates. I was still a little shocked and tried to hold it together. I love being in Young women's. To be honest, I didn't do a very good job at that calling. I was just no good at mailing calendars on time. So it was probably better that someone more capable take over. After a passionate apology from a member of the bishopric, I was given two callings!!! Hopefully I can do a better job in these two calling than I did in the last one. After I am set apart, I will fill you in on what the callings are!! To Be Continued...

One year older and wiser too...well not really wiser just older!

Another birthday has come and gone. I don't mind getting older. October is really the most amazing month for a birthday. It is like the leaves are changing into their golden and red hues as a gift just for me. I also get the gift of General Conference because it is always on or around my birthday (which is October fourth for future reference wink wink!) I think my favorite thing about my birthday was all of the calls and emails I got. It's not every day that people just burst into song over the phone! I admit it is nice to feel loved and appreciated.
Not much happened as far as activities go.




My good friend, Debra, Took me to Lunch in Rangely. It was about half way for the both of us because she lives in Vernal. What a great friend! I had a couple of really nice friends offer to watch my kids so that I could go. How cool is that!? The rest of the day was pretty low key. Michael worked and I made birthday pancakes for dinner cause who wants to cook on their birthday.






The missionaries came over the next night to help celebrate. They offered to make me a birthday dinner but were pretty clueless in the kitchen and suggested that we just go to McDonald's so I made them dinner. They did generously offer to eat the cake that I made though. What good boys! I am a sucker for Better Than S-E-X cake! (See recipe at the bottom of the blog!) I assured the elders that they would not have to see the president if they ate it. Mike didn't even want me calling the cake by its name because it was inappropriate!

So I have one more year left of my twenties. I have some grand plans for the next year. I got some weight to lose and I want to finish a few quilts. I want to be a more observant person and a better friend. I want to improve my home keeping skills and bake more goodies with the kids and actually let them measure and stir and not worry so much about it being done the right way. I just hope I can say that I am a better person than I was last year. The past twenty nine years have been good to me and I wouldn't trade the life and experiences I have had for anything. I look forward to see what the next twenty nine years have in store for me.

Better Than Sex Cake

1 box of your favorite chocolate cake mix

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

1/3 jar Mrs. Richardson's Caramel ice cream topping

1 8oz. Cool Whip

Heath, Skor, or Butterfinger candy bits

Bake cake as directed on pkg. When cool, poke holes in cake with the end of a wooden spoon.

Combine sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping and pour over cake. Refrigerate several hours. Top with cool whip and candy bar bits. Refrigerate leftovers.

Nashes 101

It occurred to me that there will be some that happen upon this blog that are not familiar with the details of my family. So I will attempt to give a general overview to get you caught up. So get a drink, use the potty, get a snack, and then get comfortable because this is gonna take awhile!

The Nash family consists of seven members (so far). Michael and I have been married for eight fulfilling years. Doesn't seem that long yet on the other hand it feels like we have always been together. Michael, for those of you that do not know him well, is impressive! I think the best way to describe him is homegrown. No frills. He is just honest and true. He has a fond, deep-seated, appreciation for family values, traditions, and heritage. That man can work harder than anyone I know! He was raised on his Grandparent's farm. He loves hunting, fishing, off-roading in and fixing his Bronco, and he loves his family. He is a very active presence in the home. He is a dish doing, laundry folding, diaper changing machine! He is a giver and I adore him.

Michael and I on our last "real" date in Dallas.

One night when I came to bed, I found that I was the only one not in the bed! (Ash and Madse were at the bottom!)



When we got married, we hit the ground running in the kid department! Our oldest is soon to be eight. Her name is Ashley and she is too smart for me! That girl keeps me on my toes! She is in second grade and has inherited a love of reading from the Nash's. She is an author and an illustrator. She is an organizer. She is a very good helper to me. She can be very strong willed at times and I am learning quickly to choose my battles.

Michael, we call her Mikie, is almost six. This little girl is a nurturer, a little mother. She lives to help and please. She is fragile and petite. Punishment to her is having to wear pants. I stopped buying them. Mikie has quite the fashion sense and loves the eighties style. If she has her heart set on something, she will achieve it, even when I tell her no. She just does what she wants quietly and under the radar. It is hard to get upset with her.

I can honestly say that I have a favorite son because he is my only son! His name is Madse (it's better than Johnny Cash. That is what Mike wanted to name him but I pulled rank.) He just turned three and he is good enough to eat! He is obsessed with "tamping" (camping), "shashwights" (flashlights), fishing at the "yake", and with "mine cowboys...boots." He thinks he is a Jedi, a puppy, Superman, and Spiderman and has sound effects for them all.




Next is May, who is sixteen months. She was born on Mother's Day. May-May is one spunky kid! She gets into more mischief than all of the others combined. She is an escape artist! We even had a run in with the police, which wasn't funny at the time but enough time has gone by that I can laugh about it now. She is already talking in sentences and will soon talk better than Madse. She likes to clean up and throws EVERYthing away. She also has a fascination with the toilet, resulting in a ruined remote and soggy stuffed animals.



Our newest arrival is Hallie. She is now eight months old and on the move. A little background for those who may not know, we are in the process of adopting Hallie. Her mother and I became fast friends. She was nineteen, pregnant and not married and living with her parents. After Hallie was born, I babysat for her often and they both spent a lot of time in our home. When they moved to Texas I wondered if I would ever see them again but we kept in touch and last May I got a phone call asking us if we would be interested in adopting Hallie. I will write more about the whole adoption soon I am sure.


Now for me, I am just trying to keep up with everyone that I have already mentioned. I am nursing both babies and I have three in diapers but Madse is potty training so I won't be changing so many bums. Thank goodness! When I do have a spare minute I like to quilt. I put on a movie and make a cup of herbal tea and I just sew my little heart out! I also play the guitar a little. Someday I would like lessons. Other than that I mostly do the mom and wife thing. Nothing monumental or of great consequence has happened to me. I have no college degree, I haven't traveled, and I don't have a butt load of money, but I have small day to day experiences that have made me who I am. I am sure that there are other things I could tell you but I might as well save that for another blog.

It has been an adventure and life is beautiful, crazy, and so worth it! It has been humbling to look at it all and see how things have turned out. Things seem to change so quickly. My children are all growing too quickly and I feel like I am just watching it all happen in fast forward and wanting to relish in every minute of it because it is constantly changing.

(This is our only current family photo. It was taken the minute we got home from Texas with Hallie. So I am not looking so hot because of an early flight with two nursing babies and then a four hour drive home from Denver. Can you say exhausted!?)

Best Buddies!

When we decided to get a dog (When I say we I mean Michael, who had his heart set on it and promised the kids that we would bring one home and me going along with it because I was too exhausted to argue.), our thinking was that the older kids would enjoy having the attention and affection of a puppy dog. They were the ones who insisted on getting him ( I know Michael had some involvement in that). So I was surprised when May was the one who took a liking to Ignacio/Nacho and he to her. They are inseparable. Nacho is very watchful over May. On rare occasion when May has strayed he follows her, which is comforting, especially when the police are involved. At meal time Nacho is vigilantly perched under May's booster seat and she generously feeds him from her plate.

We picked up Nacho the same day we flew in to Denver with our new four month old baby Hallie. Let's just say that it was a big adjustment having a new infant and a new puppy. Nacho is now six months old and is a big part of our family. I just have to keep him and May out of trouble. I am still trying to figure out who is the instigator of the mischief they get into to.

Fall is here, hear the yell, back to school, ring the bell.

I reluctantly sent my little ones off to another year of school. Ashley is in the second grade. Her teacher is Mrs. Cotner and she seems very competent. Ash is showing the ropes to Mikie, who is new to the whole school thing as a little kindergartner. Her teacher is young and trendy. Her name is Ms. Yankers. It was incredibly difficult for me to stay in control of my emotions. Ashley was more than ready to get started on the new year but Mikie was a little hesitant, which made it all the more harder for me not to break down right there in her class room. I held it together until I got to my car and then I lost it! It brings me comfort to know that they watch out for each other.
It will be exciting to see how much they learn this year. Bring on the school lunches, crafts, learning, and homework!