Family Ties

Even More Funny Things!

2011-07-13T23:39:00.001-06:00

Today, Ashton and Will went to the farm with Jeremy. He had to turn some bulls into steers... if you know what I mean. The boys had seen this before, but they had never watched a "teen-age" bull get de-horned and it was a little traumatic for them. At one point Will said despairingly, "Daddy is that a nice bull." Jer said, "Yes!" and he said, "Then, why are you cutting off his horns?" When it was all said and down Ashton told Jeremy very seriously, "I hope that I forget the bloodshed!"

Later, they were cleaning junk (equipment parts, scrap metal, wood, etc.) out of an old shed to haul it away. Ashton said to Jeremy, "What you call garbage, I call building supplies." Ha ha! He is such an engineer... junk really is the best toy for him. :)

More Funny Things...

2011-06-03T20:44:00.000-06:00

Will: I am so, so, so grateful for my family.
Me: Why are you grateful for your family.
Will: Because I love my whole family, and that includes Ashton. Ashton, I love my whole family including you.
Ashton: Thanks Will. If I didn't have my family I would just ask someone to kill me because I would want to be with them.

A few minutes later Ashton randomly said, "Mom, who invented the Internet?" I resisted the temptation to say, "Al Gore." And said, "A bunch of people who worked in the government." This was not satisfying... he wanted to know their NAMES. :)

Funny Things...

2011-06-03T11:38:00.000-06:00

With 5 kids at our house, there is always someone saying something funny. But as I was reading the news on my computer, I *just* heard Ashton tell his cousins (as the walked in the door), "Welcome Aboard the U.S.O." I guess they are pretending our house is a ship. And that reminded me of an exchange that happened yesterday. After a not so great dentist appointment, (Katie has one cavity, Will had one filled, plus still has 3-4 more visits to get them all done, and Ashton has 5 cavities) I was driving home and heard this...

Katie: Ashton, no offense, but you don't brush your teeth good enough. That is why you have so many cavities.
Ashton: OFFENSE TAKEN!
Katie: I said, no offense!
Ashton: Well, offense is still taken!

I admit... I was laughing a lot!

A Busy Easter Bunny

2011-05-29T09:55:00.000-06:00

The Easter Bunny visited our kids 3 TIMES this year. Only Will believes in the Easter Bunny (Ashton and Matthew figured out the truth and told Katie and Calvin is too little to care about anything other than lots of candy.) But their unbelief didn't stop them from having multiple Easter celebrations.

Easter #1: Since Jeremy and I knew we were spending Easter in England we decided to have a family Easter celebration for Family Home Evening one Monday. While Jeremy and the kids finished up dinner, I assembled and hid the Easter baskets. Then we had them wait on the stairs until we said go and they could go search for their baskets. Notice how Calvin is already disgusting, but happy? He sneeked down early and ate a bunch of stuff from his basket.

Waiting to see what was in their baskets...

Realizing that their baskets aren't just laid out like their presents on Christmas and they have to go find them.

Digging through his basket with candy-drool dripping

The kids with their gifts

Easter #2: The Saturday before we left, Cox cousins came down from Lehi, so we had an Easter egg hunt that day.

Waiting to start the Easter Egg hunt

Looking around to see if they can spot anything...

Calvin was a little guy last Easter so this is the first time he could really participate in an Easter egg hunt

After the party we had to go to the farm so the boys could ride the new Kubota

Calvin was having so much fun exploring the farm.

Easter #3: I have no pictures of the third Easter (the actual one) because I was in England. But, they were so, so spoiled. We left them each with a card game, some candy, a shirt, and a church outfit. I thought this was plenty generous since they had already gotten a book, a coloring/activity book, and gardening tools. But then my mom saw what their cousins would be getting; and it was just so, so, so much more than what we left for our kids that she went to Wal-Mart and bought them another shirt, bubbles, slime, more candy, and couple of other things. Needless to say... they made a haul!

Hopefully, they don't think that this is the norm and except so much from Easter next year! Needless to say they were some happy kids!

Pictures from the UK

2011-05-15T23:03:00.000-06:00

Scottish Highland Cows... or Hairy Coos as they are called in the UK. They are so cute. Jer couldn't touch them or he wouldn't be allowed near American cattle for 2 weeks. Sad...

The UK was a very festive place to be... what with the Royal wedding and all!

Me eating the yummiest hot chocolate ever at the Elephant House in Scotland where JK Rowling wrote much of the first Harry Potter book.

At Edinburgh Castle in Scotland.

Usborne Trip Earners

Me and Jer with Randall and Carol White outside Westminster Abbey. Randall is the CEO.

Changing of the Horse Guard at Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace

Outside the Tower of London

Tower Bridge

Westminster Abbey. We got there just in time for a nice leisurely tour before they closed for the Royal Wedding.

Guard at the Tower of London outside where we keep the Crown Jewels. Cameras aren't allowed in the vault where they keep the jewels, but trust me they were spectacular. We saw the Hope Diamond which I believe is the largest diamond in the world.

Stonehenge.

This yellow crop was everywhere... it turns into Canola Oil.

Shakespeare's Garden and House... well, the one he grew up in and inherited when his father died.

Big Ben.

What I've Learned From Being a Mom

2011-05-15T22:43:00.000-06:00

Today I was vacuuming oats out of my oven and the drawer under the over because Cal spilt about 6 cups of quick oats which led me to think about how the first time as a mom I had to vacuum up oats I had made the mistake of running over the oats with the vacuum instead of the using the hose. Just so you know the beater brush on the vacuum will grind up the oats and you'll be left rolled oats and oat dust. Anyway... so this got me thinking on some of the other things I've learned from motherhood... many of which I didn't expect. So here is a list:

Pay for the more expensive laundry detergent... it is worth it.
Same with the more expensive diapers and wipes.
Never dress a child in the morning in an outfit that you need to be presentable at 6 pm.
In fact, if a child needs to be in a specific outfit or costume do not dress them in it until the last moment possible! This is true whether they are a baby or a 3rd grader... I don't have any experience beyond 3rd grade yet!
Baby oil removes crayon from the walls.
Alcohol removes marker from the walls.
Sometimes you just have to repaint the walls.
Water based latex paint can be removed from carpet (kind of).
I know why my mom always wore holy jeans! I never understood why she didn't just buy herself some new jeans when we got our school clothes. Or why Santa brought me a doll, books and clothes; but my mom would only get useful gifts like vacuums and make-up... why didn't Santa bring her some new clothes so she didn't have to wear holy jeans! I get it now.
It takes 30 min to get ready to leave for the doctor's office, church, etc. (15 min. to get shoes on and hair re-combed. 15 min. to get kids buckled into carseats and then to make the numerous trips from the garage to the house when you realize you forgot an immunization record, or a snack, or a book, or someone took their shoes off in the 2 min. from the time you put them on to the time they got in the car and the shoes are still in the house.)
Oh... going back to painting walls... always put two coats of paint on a room where the kids are going to be alot because paint washes off when you wash the walls. I learned this one the hard way after I washed some walls down to the primer.
Vinegar... it cleans up a wide variety of things and it is safe.
Playdough sweeps up easily and can provide mom with a few minutes of quiet time!
Don't take an interrupted shower or bath for granted.
The control lock on front loading washers is there for a reason... use it!
Don't plan on being productive after 3 pm. To think you can get anything done from 3 pm to bedtime is just setting yourself up for disappointment. If it is important... plan on doing it early in the day when kids are happier and more cooperative or after they are asleep.
I am reminded of Heavenly Father's love for me when at times I very strongly sense the love that He has for my little ones. And I remember... although I'm not so fresh from his presence or as sweet and innocent... I am His child too. And if He loves me 1/2 as much as I know He loves them... well, it's a lot. I remember when I was a teenager or in college and my Grandma Heslop bore her testimony in church and said that she always wondered how Heavenly Father could love everyone, but as a mother and grandmother she understands because each baby that is born in her family is loved just as much as the ones before... and just because she has a new grandchild, she doesn't love the others less. I also remember worrying when I just had Matthew how I could possibly love another child as much. And now, I know... there are no limits on how much many people you can love more than... well, anything else.

Yes,,. It is April and this is a Christmas Post

2011-03-31T22:05:00.000-06:00

Obviously, I am way behind on this blog. Now that we have Scouts, Achievement Days, preschool, karate, musical theater, plus Usborne and Jer's classes I feel like I am running all the time. Usborne has been super busy since Christmas, which I didn't expect, but am grateful for. Anyway... I want to make a blog book, but haven't yet because I didn't even have Christmas posted. But now, for better or worse it is posted. :)

Taylor Swift or Lady Antebellum...

2010-12-22T23:00:00.000-07:00

I really love listening to Taylor Swift. She is beautiful and her songs have such a depth and maturity. I love some of the phrases in her writing. One I noticed today was "a careless man's careful daughter." I love good writing! Anyway, Taylor Swifts songs really take me back to my high school and college days... dating, heartbreak, falling in love... when each day was exciting and intense.

So tonight Jeremy and I were watching some music videos on YouTube. We started with this Bruno Mars one which was good. Then we watched some new Taylor Swift videos and we liked those. YouTube suggested that we watch some Lady Antebellum clips. I commented on how many of my middle-aged friends really loved Lady Antebellum, but I didn't know anything about them. So we watched and I realized I DID in fact know and recognize their songs.. and I also realized why my middle-aged friends liked them so much (especially compared to younger artists like Taylor Swift) and then sadly... I realized... I could relate to them more than I could Taylor Swift. ... Having a childhood vs. Having a past... Taking me back vs. My emotions now... I am old.

1 Year Old!!

2010-11-21T17:34:00.001-07:00

A year ago, our sweet little guy made a dramatic entrance into the world. He was so sweet and tiny... and loved so much...

And now here he is opening presents...

And eating dairy free birthday cake (angel food cake, strawberries, and cool whip)...

He can run; tries to jump; puts EVERYTHING in his mouth; comforts his siblings when they are sad; gives hugs and kisses; and says: mom, dad, go, no, and Go Cougars! And he is still SO, SO loved!

And the people who CAN enjoy dairy products ate this ice cream cupcake cake that Kiersten made.

Happy Birthday Calvin! We can't imagine life without you!

Fallen Off the Face of the Blogging Planet

2010-10-10T23:03:00.000-06:00

We don't have a camera right now... so I haven't taken many pictures... and I think a post without pictures is boring... so I have posted. There is my excuse. Someday when my kids are reading this family history there will be a gap of this summer/fall, but that is life. I guess I should get a new camera. I've been trying to hold out until the day after Thanksgiving sales, but I don't want to take Calvin's first birthday pictures with my cell phone.

Anyway, here is Calvin. He is quite the climber... especially when he want to see or touch something.

A better shot of "what" he had climbed on.

And here is after having a Matthew change his diaper. I think it is the first diaper Matthew has ever changed and other than the fact that it is backwards he did an excellent job.

Cal in his BYU jersey. He looks SO cute in it.

Speaking of BYU... we have season tickets! And after months of anticipation we had to sell half of them because they conflicted with Jer's EMT class. BUMMER! But we have LOVED being back in the stadium.

We have AWESOME neighbors! On the morning of Ashton's birthday, Katie looked out the window and saw this on their garage. How great is that!

Ashton with his farm scene cake Grandma Cox made him.

And with his "Holly" (New Holland Tractor) cake that I made him. It turned out pretty great if I do say so myself.

Jeremy bought two goats. They try to sneak in the house and sometimes succeed. It has been fun to have them, but really, really, really annoying.

What the Kids Want for Christmas

2010-10-05T21:28:00.000-06:00

William: Useful, big, toy crane & pajamas
Ashton: Builder set & another builder set
Katie: Nintendo DS, necklace, Santa's autograph
Matthew: For all the poor people and the homeless to have presents. Then, if there is any time left a shelf for his scriptures.

The 1900s

2010-10-05T21:26:00.000-06:00

My kids have a funny view of time. For example, in FHE this week Katie was telling us about Lorenzo Snow and how he died in 1901 and then she added, "That means he was alive around the same time as mom and dad because they grew up in the 1900s."

Later, she told us about George Albert Smith who was married when he was 22 years old. At that point Matthew shouted, "Hey, that is when I'm going to try to get married." This led Ashton to ask Jeremy, "Who was born first, you or mom?" Jer said, "Me." Ashton had knowing look on his face and said, "OH! That explains why you are taller."

Another funny statement from the same FHE... Katie said, "Sometimes Heavenly Father and Jesus see what you're struggling with and they tell the prophets and then they talk about it in General Conference. Me, Dad, and Matt experienced that." (She was referring to advice on no sleepovers, being home more, and not spending too much time playing video games.)

What $20 Can Get You...

2010-08-22T14:01:00.000-06:00

$20!!

A large pizza and breadsticks without cheese

OR
All these books,

Plus $80 worth of business supplies

And an amazing OPPORTUNITY to promote literacy, get free books,

and make money!

You can contact me at jill@utahusbornebooks.com if you want more info! This offer ends Aug. 30 @ 9 am.

My Favorite Picture of Calvin

2010-08-22T13:45:00.001-06:00

I love this picture of Calvin... I took it with a little point and shoot, but my friend Amanda edited to make it look lovely. He has grown up so much since then... I need to take one of his sweet little baby curls now.

Some Summer Stuff

2010-08-22T13:26:00.007-06:00

This summer we did a lot of fun things... we just didn't have a camera to capture them. My cell phone even died so we didn't even get them on there. (I did get a new cell phone so I will post the pictures from it.)
Some of the fun things we did include: St. George and touring Brigham Young's winter home, the mountains for the 4th of July, petting tigers at the Sevier Co. Fair, Jeremy and the kids went camping of the 24th of July and I went to Usborne National Convention, bridal and baby showers and Kellie's wedding, pageant and swimming lessons.

Okay... it looks like the only pictures I have are of Calvin and Will. I guess the big kids were too busy playing with friends, riding bikes, being on the farm, etc. to get their pictures taken.
Will was attacked by wasps.
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He LOVES watermelon
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Oops...
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Grandpa Cragun with Calvin and Bailey
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A Girl and Her Baby Brother

2010-07-04T22:34:00.002-06:00

I love to watch Katie with her brothers. She especially loves to play with, care of, and be around Calvin. He adores her too!

Stacie & Stephen: THE WEDDING

2010-07-04T22:07:00.019-06:00

May Day

2010-07-04T22:01:00.008-06:00

May Day... way back in, you know... MAY!... was cute as usual. It was also bittersweet for Katie who did not want to leave first grade and her wonderful teacher, Mrs. Jordan. The kids had a great time and after the performance enjoyed the traditional lunch with Grandpa at Tin Plate/Roys/Pollies.

June... Where did you go?

2010-07-01T13:31:00.002-06:00

So, June was crazy and I have no pictures right now, because Stacie borrowed my camera for her honeymoon and it broke... so I will scrounge up and see what I can find, later. BUT JUNE WAS CRAZY... I am so glad it is over. Here is a summary:

Weeks 1 & 2... WEDDING STUFF... making cookies, going to the temple, shopping for wedding clothes, etc.; pageant practices; four kids in swimming lessons; Wedding!
Week 3 & 4... Pageant performances, Seven Peaks water park, Two Usborne Books booths!
Week 4 1/2... Trafalga, Little Girl Cheer Camp and two Usborne parties!

The pictures from the wedding are really cute... now I just need to post them!

Out of the Mouth of Babes

2010-05-26T20:02:00.003-06:00

Will is saying the funniest things tonight... like:

Will: I've looked everywhere and I can't find my John Deere tractor. Will you buy me a new one tomorrow?
Me: We'll see.
Will: See ONLINE that means look for a new tractor online!
???How does he know about online shopping???

Levi: Who is this picture?
Will: It was me when I was a baby. I was a cute baby that day and I am still cute now! Katie was a cute baby and she is cute now. Ashton was cute back then and is still cute now! We were all cute babies and cute now! (Getting more excited with each sentence.)

Will: Mom, you aren't fat.
Me: Thanks, Will.
Will: But Dad is fat.
(Let's just hope Jeremy doesn't read this post. Ha ha.)

Will: Levi, did you know your brother is my uncle?
Levi: Yeah. Did you know I'm your uncle.
Will: Oh.
Me: What brother is your uncle.
Will: Andy and Steve-o!!!!

Will: Mom, our house is just great!

Will: Levi, where is your car? Is it the brand dan? (Grand am)

Will: Levi, my mom is going to look online for me a new tractor tomorrow.
Levi: Why don't you ask Santa Clause for one.
Will: Okay, I will.
15 minutes later...
Will: I'm going to play with my new tractor when Santa bring it to me tomorrow.

Important Post!

2010-05-23T20:35:00.003-06:00

On my much-neglected "other" blog I have an important post for ALL parents. Here is the link: http://readstome.blogspot.com/2010/05/dumber-in-summer.html.

p.s. If you have success stories/habits that help with summer reading or developing the reading habit in general please leave a comment on that blog and share them. I will compile them into a post later. Thanks!

Vacation!!

2010-05-23T19:53:00.009-06:00

Last week I had a book party in Green River, WY. Instead of making the 4 hour drive to and from the party myself we decided to take the opportunity to take a tax deductible vacation. We pulled the kids out of school an hour early and drove to WY. While I was in my party, Jer & the kids swam at our hotel, enjoyed a free dinner at the hotel, and watched some nature shows. Our hotel room was AWESOME and we had a wonderful time! The next morning, we visited Fort Bridger and then ate lunch and visited the Olympic Park Museum in Park City. We learned so much at both locations and had a wonderful time!

Because of our busy "wedding schedule" we won't be taking a regular summer vacation this year, but hope to do some more excursions like this one.

Half of a Year!

2010-05-23T19:36:00.007-06:00

Calvin is 6 months and it has been a very eventful month. He mastered sitting up in the first part of May, cut his first tooth, and the next day had surgery to open a clogged tear duct. He also started eating vegetables... he likes carrots and hates peas (so far). He is big kid... 93% for height (26+ inches) and 82% for weight (18+ lbs). The last six months have flown by, but at the same time it is hard to remember a time where he wasn't part of our family... we love him so much

For a Good Cause

2010-05-23T19:35:00.003-06:00

I donated these baskets for the Sanpete Gives Back fundraiser. I thought they turned out cute and was grateful that I was able to help in some way.

The Treasures Inside the Piano

2010-05-08T22:06:00.004-06:00

Our piano is really old. It was the first piano my Grandpa and Grandma Heslop got when they first got married. It is not fancy. It is was made even less fancy by brothers who carved their initials in it when they were kids. Last year, Katie discovered this and decided to add her initials to the wood.

Because it is so old and crappy I wasn't too surprised when it started sounding like the pedal was down all the time. This was in spite of the fact that the pedals wouldn't work at all. The kids complained about it so much that one night Jer decided to take it apart. We immediately saw the problem. Laying across the strings were:
1 DVD
A business card
2 puzzle pieces
Letter "G" from a kindergarten letter bag
1 coupon
1 sticker
The metronome stand... this was the real problem
A bobby pin
1 red pen
$.27... one nickle, one dime, and a bunch of pennies
A piece to a VERY old game... I'm thinking from 1950 or so...
A note my mom wrote to person about 15 years ago
LOTS and LOTS of dust and cobwebs (which we vacuumed out).

We also discovered that the last time the piano was tuned was 1957... Yikes!

The Best Walker Ever

2010-05-08T21:56:00.002-06:00

Calvin loves his walker. We bought first bought it for Matthew when he was about 4 months old because he wanted to be able to sit upright and play. Within a couple of days he had learned to walk in it. All of the kids have just loved it. We have another "cheaper" walker that we bought when Katie was a baby and we were moving and couldn't find the good one and they just don't like it as much. This walker is the BEST ever.

Anyway, one day I had to sort my book inventory (I have to do this about 3 times/year) and I thought the driveway would be a good place to do it. Calvin enjoyed "walking" in the garage with his walker, falling asleep in his stroller (with Ashton pushing him around)... definitely a different experience for the little guy.

Diet & Exercise

2010-05-02T19:38:00.002-06:00

I've been exercising faithfully, five days a week, for about five weeks. In the first week I lost five pounds, then I gained it back in the form of muscle and then I lost it again in fat. Then, I plateaued. I am still THRILLED with my exercise efforts because I am so much stronger, toned, fit, have more energy, and feel better all around. I also have LOTS more clothes that I can wear, which was my initial motivation for exercising... YEAH!!

But I would like to lose more weight (like 15-30 lbs) and I realize that I need to both diet AND exercise. So, I joined the Biggest Loser Club. I am excited because it gives me customized menus so I don't have to think about food choices. This is really helpful to me. (I would do Slim Fast because it is so easy that way, but it just tastes gross.)

I don't diet very often... I've dieted five times before... once when I worked at the Malt Shop and then after each of my other four kids were born... because generally I eat a healthy diet and don't really gain weight very often. But when I'm pregnant I eat for TWO and so I've got to get rid of that extra weight. Then I can go back to my generally, "healthy enough" diet and be happy.

Anyway... the diet starts TUESDAY. Wish me luck!

Superior!

2010-04-17T14:32:00.005-06:00

Matthew and Katie love piano lessons. It is only their first year and I hope the novelty doesn't wear off and they continue to love their lessons. Piano has been such a blessing for me, I want them to have a good experience too.

Since January they have been preparing two pieces each for their Spring recital and the Jr. Festival piano competition. They had their pieces SOLID. Then, as it got closer to the competition Matthew started acting really stressed out and his pieces started going downhill. We knew he was under too much pressure. So, we (Matthew, me and Jeremy, and his wonderful teacher) decided to have him pull out of the Festival and just perform at the recital. He was still PLENTY nervous the night of the recital, but he did GREAT. So did Katie. In fact, today was the Jr. Festival and she received a "SUPERIOR" which is the highest ranking!!

Video from their recital is on our youtube site.

Ephraim is a Tree City

2010-04-17T14:26:00.002-06:00

Ephraim is an official Tree City. It has been for 13 years. I'm not sure what that means other than they have a city council person over trees. That happens to be Grandpa Cragun. (He has other responsibilities too.) It also means that on Arbor Day each year the city has to sponsor some kind of tree event. This year the event was planting trees at the new park by the fire station.

While Katie, Jeremy and I were at the Jr. Festival, the boys went with Grandpa and Grandma and Levi to the tree planting. It looked like a great event with people from a variety of walks of life participating. Here are the boys by "their tree."

I think it will be fun to watch that tree grow when we visit the park.

Space Derby & School Programs

2010-04-17T14:00:00.008-06:00

Our big kids sure keep us busy with scouts, school, and their extra-curricular activities.

My camera ran out of batteries so I didn't get any pictures of the Jr. Genius fair. But they were cute and their project was dinosaurs. Grandma Cox did get a picture, maybe I can get a digital copy from her.

The night of the scout Space Derby, Matthew also had a class play. It was a musical. Sadly, I had to miss it because I couldn't find a babysitter and we had a couple kids, but Jeremy took pictures and video.

Around that same time, Katie had the first grade program. The multi-purpose room was so crowded (can't wait for the new school) that the boys were miserable. We tried to keep them entertained with their favorite books. I love the first grade Patriotic Program. I loved it when Matthew was in first grade and I loved it just as much the second time around. Katie looked cute with a patriotic hair do. She recited her lines perfectly!

Family Pictures

2010-04-17T13:43:00.012-06:00

One of the things I love about Usborne is I can earn fun stuff (in addition to books and money). This October, I worked really hard to earn a free portrait shoot from Sears. I know Sears isn't the best portrait studio out there, but the price was right. I got the sitting fee, 10 sheets, 5 enhancements, and an 11x13 wall portrait for free. Here are the unedited ones. My mom is picking up the finished products as we speak. I am so excited. (We got a couple extras of Cal because he had never had a professional picture taken.)

Catch-Up

2010-03-28T11:27:00.002-06:00

FINALLY... I have a moment to catch up on this blog. I wouldn't worry about it, but this is what I use for our family history and I believe very strongly in recording family history. So, while Jer wanders around the house spraying febreeze (in hopes of doing something about the baby barf smell) I am updating. Lots of posts follow...

How He Has Grown!

2010-03-28T11:10:00.006-06:00

In the past two months our little Cal has gone from a sweet little thing who mostly eats and sleeps to an amazing, adored, and skilled little guy.

At his four month check up he was big... 82% on height and 64% on weight. He was also meeting all his milestones on target or early. (A huge relief because I've been worried about the time he went without oxygen during delivery.) He laughs, talks, rolls from tummy to back, and walks in his walker. He is trying so hard to crawl! He just can't quite figure out how to coordinate his arm and leg movements.

He brings us so much joy! I often tell Jer I don't think there is a more adored baby in the world. It is so fun to see his siblings interact with him. Katie and Matthew are such good babysitters. Ash frequently tells him, "Calvin I just have to give you lots of kisses 'cause I love you so much!" and this morning Will said, "Hi, Calvin. It's your big brother. You're the cutest baby! Yes you are! Wanna a kiss?"

We're so grateful he is ours forever!

p.s. Jer recorded some cute video on his phone. We posted them to our youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/jerandjill.

Secret Agent Men

2010-03-28T11:09:00.000-06:00

What would I do without these boys and their crazy antics?

A Month of Book Fairs

2010-03-28T10:53:00.005-06:00

Our February could basically be summed up in two words: BOOK FAIRS. It was a crazy time with 3 book fairs all needing advertising, set up, take down, close out, etc. One weekend we had 35 boxes of books delivered. That is a lot!... Like $17,000 in books. Our poor UPS guy.

Jer and the kids were troopers. Especially, Will, Ash, and Cal who spent A LOT of time traveling from one set up to another. It is a good thing these boys like road trips!

The awesome thing was two of the book fairs were tied to a Reach for the Stars!! reading incentive program that rewards kids for reading. We have received so many "thank yous" and success stories from students, parents and teachers at the those schools. It is an amazing feeling being able to help kids discover the joy of reading and become better readers.

Superbrothers!

2010-03-28T10:52:00.005-06:00

Playing House

2010-03-28T10:49:00.001-06:00

One day Katie amused us by putting Ashton and Will in Calvin's diapers and telling them to get into Calvin's crib where she read them stories. Hahaha!

Usborne Regional Training

2010-03-28T10:40:00.003-06:00

Usborne Regional Training is always one of my January highlights. I get to hang out with wonderful Usborne ladies, be inspired, and connect with the business builders on my team. This year was a bit more challenging because I also had Calvin to worry about. Thankfully, Stacie and Steve watched him most of the time and shuttled him back and forth from Stacie's house to the Provo library where Regionals was held. I could not have survived with weekend without them!

Reflections... again!

2010-03-28T10:37:00.002-06:00

Also, in January we learned that Katie's poem on beauty won first place in Region reflections. This was quite the honor because she was competing against k-2nd graders from two school districts. We are so proud of her!

Our Actress

2010-03-28T10:31:00.005-06:00

Katie had a part in her class play. She told us she was one of four main parts, that the play was super cute, etc., but then we started hearing from the director and her teacher that she was an amazing little actress. When we went to watch it we were dumbfounded. She IS an amazing little actress. She was in character, she projected, she was believable in her role as a naughty little frog. So, now we aren't quite sure what to do with this info. Should we have her audition for stuff? Should we wait until she is in high school and see if she is still interested in drama? Seriously, she was freakishly good. We could not get over it for a few days.

Makes me wonder... What other "hidden" talents do our children posses that we haven't had the opportunity to discover?

Grandma's Birthday Party

2010-03-28T09:28:00.007-06:00

Way back in January, Grandma Cox wanted to have a birthday party where her grandchildren played the types of games she played when she was little. The kids had a great time helping Grandma with the cake, playing pin the tail on the donkey, London Bridges, and just being with their cousins.

When You Are the Mom...

2010-03-14T19:29:00.003-06:00

When you are the mom being sick is THE WORST! Seriously... it is so difficult. Life goes on for everyone else and so moms just can't get the rest we need to get better. So illnesses seem to drag on and the house gets more messy...

I don't remember my mom ever being sick when I was a kid. I remember when she had morning sickness, but I don't remember colds, flu, etc. So, I have to wonder did she have an amazing immune system that managed to ward off all the germs that SEVEN children brought home? Or, did she just handle it so well I can't remember it? I'm pretty sure my kids are going to remember my sicknesses. I just hope they don't carry permanent damage from the way our house gets, the food they eat, they way they have to take care of each other, or the way they have to search for clean clothes when I get sick.

Baby Secrets

2010-03-13T19:08:00.005-07:00

My day-old child lay in my arms
With my lips against her ear
I whispered strongly, "How I wish-
I wish that you could hear;

I've a hundred wonderful things to say
(A tiny cough and a nod)
Hurry, hurry, hurry and grow
So I can tell you about God."

My day-old baby's mouth was still
And my words only tickled her ear
But a kind of light passed through her eyes
And I saw this thought appear;

"How I wish I had a voice and words;
I've a hundred things to say
Before I forget I'd tell you of God-
I left him yesterday."
-- Author Unknown

I love this poem. It is was on the wall in the NICU at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center where two of our babies have spent some scary times. Before Ashton was released one of the NICU receptionists gave me copy which I framed and has been on the wall with pictures of my kids in their blessing outfits.

My friend, Amanda Padgett, took some of the very amateur photos we took of Calvin in his blessing outfit and turned them into beautiful frame-worthy photos. There are more that I'll post later, but I wanted to get this one on... and then I wanted to share the poem too.

Adventures in Potty Training

2010-02-20T22:32:00.002-07:00

Someday I'm going to write a book and call it "Adventures in Potty Training." (I hope that title isn't already taken.) And I am going to write about the time that Jeremy and I set up the State Fair booth and then decided to take Ash and Will and eat at the Lion House at Temple Square. After lunch we were admiring something at Temple Square when all the sudden Will shouted, "I'm peeing on the flowers." His pants & undies were around his ankles and he was standing in a flower bed facing the Church Office Building. He was only 2 and had only been potty trained for a few months so we couldn't get mad. We just laughed. And my book is going to have other things about life and parenthood not related to potty training... maybe practical time management tips, and funny stories to keep perspective, and inspirational stories (also to keep perspective).

Just writing this down now... so I don't forget later. :)

Arranged Marriage

2010-02-17T12:21:00.002-07:00

I have tons of pictures and such to post because the last 3 weeks have been AMAZINGLY busy, but super fun... but I don't have time right now. BUT I am going to post this, because I just overheard it and if I don't post it now, I'll forget it.

Katie and Ashton are playing in the kitchen when I hear...

"Ashy, I don't think you two are right for each other. I think you need to find another true love. And I get to pick her. I'll find you a new true love." (Don't know who they were talking about, but I had to try so hard not to laugh out loud.)

Then, when I was logging into blogger to type this I heard Katie say this:

"Okay, I'll tell you about her... she likes long walks in the park. She likes a clean house. She likes machines and transformers. She likes all the colors that you like." It sounds like Katie found Ashton the perfect woman. :)

Lullaby

2010-01-26T08:28:00.002-07:00

We finally bought Calvin some toys and now the little boys think they need to entertain him constantly. This morning they have been singing to him. In addition to traditional lullabies Will sang him this:

Once upon a time there was an alien
And he lived in a castle with a monster
And the princess saw them an she was scared.
Let's sing it again!
(Repeat)

Phone Pictures

2010-01-16T14:01:00.011-07:00

There are so many times I see cute things and wish I had a camera handy. Lots of times I have my phone, but as you can see the pictures just aren't the same.

FYI... If your 3 year old ever spills oats on the carpet and then drives trucks through them, do not, I repeat DO NOT, try to clean it up with a vacuum with a beater brush. It will mostly just "roll" the oats and leave an oat powder (suitable for feeding farm animals) behind.

Cal sleeping on my bed.

Jer reading to the kids. Too bad I didn't use a real camera. This picture would have been cute.

Christmas plates for neighbors: orange icebox cookies, meltaway cookies, mint brownies, whole wheat bread. Those look good. I miss Christmas treats.

Nine... Yes, NINE Shots!

2010-01-14T13:16:00.008-07:00

Today was Calvin's two month check up and so of course he had to get his immunizations. Three shots for the little guy. His three shots reminded us that Ashton and William were behind on their immunizations. So, we had Jeremy's mom look it up on her health department computer and sure enough they both needed 3 shots too. So 3x3=9 shots in one morning.

Ashton and Will were not happy. As Ashton said on the way home, "I was screaming like crazy!" "Me too!" Will added. Mom and Dad felt like screaming too, boys.

Calvin is growing so fast! Too fast! At two months, 1 week he is:

12.44 lbs. (64%)

23.5 in. (67%)

It's Great to Be Eight

2010-01-14T12:58:00.004-07:00

A Baptism, A Baby Blessing, and Some Birthdays!

2010-01-11T18:58:00.010-07:00

January 2, 2010 was a very special day for our family. It was Matthew and Kathryn's birthday and they woke up early so we could open some presents because we needed to be at the church by 9:30 am for Matthew's baptism.

Matthew was so, so, so, excited to be baptized on his 8th birthday! We were so excited and proud of him and his decision to follow the example of the Savior. Matthew was baptized and confirmed by Jeremy. Both of his grandpas served as witnesses and Grandma Cox gave a talk on the Holy Ghost. He was so happy the rest of the day and we talked about how that was the Holy Ghost letting him now he made the right decision. The next day Matthew gave a talk about his feelings about being baptized to his class. Throughout the day I kept thinking about his blessing day. It seemed like yesterday he was a sweet little baby that I was dressing for his blessing and now he has made a covenant with God.After Matthew's baptism and confirmation (and while we still had our family and friends gathered at the church), Calvin was given a name and a beautiful blessing by Jeremy. We are so grateful for this sweet little guy and what he has added to our family. Like all our other babies, Calvin had a special blessing blanket made in Bethlehem that I brought home from Israel.

I was so grateful for a good husband who honors his priesthood and could bless my boys that day.

After the stuff at church we went to my dad's office for a birthday party and luncheon. My mom took lots of pictures that I posted to facebook, but they take forever to upload on blogger so here is the most important one.

The Birthday Kids!
Matthew (8), Katie (7), and their cousin Josh (6).

Oh Willy...

2010-01-06T08:52:00.003-07:00

Will has said the funniest things yesterday and this morning.

Yesterday to me: "Mom, we're [Ash and Will] going to Grandma's to get Levi and tell him to bring his ukulele and join our rock and roll band.
Later that day to Levi: "Hey Levi, do you want to be in my band?"

First thing this morning:
Will (calling from his bedroom waking me up): Mom!... Mom!... Mom...!
Me: What?
Will: Do you love Dad?
Me: Yes. (Very tired)
Will: Me too! I love Dad. He is the best pal I ever had.

Later today:
Jer: What's your name?
Will: William
Jer: William what?
Will: William Henrie Joseph Cox
Jer: Are you a Henrie
Will: I am a Henrie Joseph Cox
Will: Can I call you Joe?
Jer: No. You can call me William if you want to.

A few minutes later... he announced, "My new nickname is Joe." Then he left the room.

A few minutes after that Will walked back into the room...
Jer: Hey Joe, what do you know?
Will: I know nothin' Dad.

Cal was laying on the living room floor and Will came and lay beside him and said, "Hi! Cutie Pie!" Then in baby-ese, "Does your Mommy love you? Yes. Yes, she loves you. Yes she loves you."

Then he decided Cal needed some entertaining so he started spinning around. And narrating, "Calvin is saying 'What you doing big brother?' Now, I'm saying, 'I'm spinning around little brother.'" This went on for a few minutes before he got too dizzy.

Then he said, "Mom, you better leave the room. I just tooted!" (BOYS!)

A Night at the Museum(s)

2010-01-03T21:15:00.013-07:00

To celebrate Matthew and Katie's birthdays we went up north to the aquarium and dinosaur museum. That was our first visit to the dinosaur place and it was awesome!

Will clinging to Jeremy's leg out of fear. Ha Ha... He was scared of the fish at the aquarium and absolutely terrified (screaming) during the 3D Dinosaur movie. During the movie Ashton shouted down the aisle to him, "Will, take off the freaky glasses! That will solve the problem!" To listen to him describe the movie you can go to www.youtube.com/jerandjill. (You can't see anything because we recorded it in the van on the way home.)

First Smiles

2009-12-27T20:05:00.005-07:00

Totally made up for the diaper blow out a few minutes earlier.

Yet Another "Best Christmas Ever!"

2009-12-27T13:29:00.012-07:00

Christmas morning our kids told our parents, "This is the best Christmas ever!" They've said that before, but I think this Christmas they might be right. Katie said, "I'm so happy I think I'm going to cry." And for the record: Will got the almond in the rice pudding.

We had a great day on Christmas and Christmas Eve, but we don't have many pictures. Instead Jer used the camera to record video of our annual Cragun family Christmas program and of the kids reactions Christmas morning. I was going to try to load them here (and I did get two added), but it was taking SO long that I opened a YouTube account and posted them there... much faster. So if you need some comic relief go to www.YouTube.com/jerandjill and you can watch the Cragun "tribute" to the Lawrence Welk show and some EXCITED kids on Christmas morning. Note: The lighting is terrible... especially in my mom's living room. But she did get a new lamp for that room for Christmas. Yeah!

Here are a few pictures and a couple of videos... the good stuff is on YouTube.

Not the best picture of Cal, he wasn't cooperating, but we had to get a picture of him in his "Baby's First Christmas" jammies on Christmas Eve

Sweet Baby on Christmas Day wearing a new bib from Grandma Cragun.

Matthew and Katie spent Christmas night playing with their cousins and sleeping at Grandma Cox's house, but Will and Ashton were happy to come home and play with their jeeps.

Ashton and Will were so excited for jeeps that they started putting them together by themselves. In fact, when Ashton saw the jeep he said, "Yes! We get to build stuff!"

The day after Christmas the boys decided to play in the snow while they waited for Matthew and Katie to get home.

It was SO cold they needed hot cocoa to warm up.

Ohhh... My Heart Hurts

2009-12-11T12:32:00.005-07:00

Today was the Reflections assembly at the kids' school. For the second year in a row Katie won the literature category and will be going on to Region. She got an awesome medal. We are so proud of her! (I'll share her poem at the bottom of the post.) Matthew entered a photo of Calvin (his teacher made entering Reflections an assignment) and he got a certificate for participating. They both got passes to the Clark Planetarium... yeah!! Jeremy and I are excited about those.

So, Katie was on-stage after receiving her award and after they read the photography winners she started crying on stage. My mom thought it was because she couldn't see us and she could see all the other parents taking pictures. I thought it was because her photo (she also entered photography) didn't win and I was a little put out thinking she should be grateful for her talents, she doesn't have to the best at everything, etc.

Anyway, after the assembly I had to run my mom to her Statistics final and so Jeremy stayed to take pictures of the kids. When I left he was trying to get Katie to smile, but her eyes were red and she wasn't happy.

When I returned Jeremy said that Matthew was excited for Katie and trying to put on a happy face, but Jeremy could tell that Matthew felt bad that he didn't win. So my heart broke a little for my sweet boy.

Then, Jer said he found out the reason that Katie was crying on stage was because she also felt bad that Matthew didn't win. She told Jeremy, "It's not fair that I get to win twice and Matthew hasn't had a turn to win." Now I really wanted to cry because 1. I totally misjudged Katie and thought the worse of her when I, her mother, should have thought the best and 2. I was so touched at her empathy. In fact, her love and concern for her brother makes me so much more happy than her cute award winning poem.

Now for that poem...

When I Think of Beauty

by Kathryn Cox

When I think of beauty

I think of the moon at night

I think of the stars so bright,

The daffodils, the violets

The sunshine and the blue sky.

I think of the trees so high

They almost touch the sky.

I think of the world.

I think of my home,

My family and friends

And that is why I wrote this poem.

Four Weeks...

2009-12-06T14:30:00.015-07:00

The Kids on Thanksgiving

The last four weeks have been a whirlwind!

Four weeks ago today I was sitting in stake conference with a headache, watching my feet swell, and wondering if my doctor's appointment the next day would be my last prenatal visit. (And it was.)

In addition to recovering from childbirth, experiencing sleep deprivation, and helping kids adjust to some life changes, we've been BUSY. Here are a few of the things that have kept us hopping the last four weeks:

Three Usborne booths
Thanksgiving and Christmas preparations
Reflections projects
Jer finished Organic Chemistry and got another "A." Is he brilliant or what!?!
Black Friday... shopping and book selling
The Holiday Gift Boutique with the accompanying planning and phone calls, parade float, advertising time, etc. and then worrying.
Exclusively nursing. This is the first time I've had a four week old that I was still only nursing. Why? He doesn't like the taste of formula and won't eat it. So, I feel like I spend over half of my day feeding the little darling. And he doesn't sleep as good as a baby who has a bottle of formula at night. And the two times I've left him have required extra preparation to make sure he has a bottle of milk in case he gets hungry while I am gone. On the upside... he hasn't stained any clothes with formula spit up and he always has that delicious nursing baby breath and baby smell. Thank goodness he will still take a bottle.
Regular life stuff... homework, piano practicing and lessons, karate, etc.

Here are some pictures from the last four weeks...Katie's Thanksgiving decorations on display at my mom's. I love little kid spelling...

Loving our cute baby Calvin...
Decorating the tree...

Making gingerbread houses with Kiersten...Also, in the last four weeks we've fallen more and more in love each day with the little boy Heavenly Father has blessed us with. We are so thankful he was sent to our family. This holiday season we are also so grateful for the birth of another Babe whose life and atonement make every good thing in life and happiness in eternity possible.

Skip to My Lou

2009-12-01T19:13:00.002-07:00

Conversation tonight...

Me: Katie, it's time for bed! Go potty!
Katie: I'm looking for a book.
Me: Read your chapter book for school.
Katie: No, I just found the perfect book: Skip to My Lou.
Me: I think your school book would be perfect.
Katie: No. This is my perfect because I have to go to the bathroom and this book is called Skip to My Lou and the toilet is a loo.
Me: Okay. Fine. (Go into the other room and laugh.)

Happy Anniversary!?!

2009-11-22T10:11:00.003-07:00

So... when we found out that my due date was 5 days after our wedding anniversary we knew that our celebration wouldn't be very exciting or elaborate this year. (We were just hoping that I wouldn't be in labor on our anniversary... we'd had that experience with Matthew. Thankfully, Calvin was born 11 days earlier and so he has his "own" birthday and we get to keep our special day to ourselves.)

Yesterday pretty much stunk though... It was like a normal, non-special day, only crappier... I had weird health problems and passed out, Jeremy had to work on the farm, Will ruined my make-up (and destroyed the house), I saw the sad state of our budget, etc... We did pick up take out from Stockman's Grill and enjoyed a delicious, but not hot by the time got it home, steak and shrimp dinner.

In spite of the way the day transpired, I still had time to reflect on the day we were married and I feel like the luckiest girl ever to be eternally attached to Jeremy. I love to be around him... he makes me laugh like no one else can. He is such a good dad... I love to watch him interact with our kids. He makes their lives fun and happy. And he is so good to me! I am so, so, so grateful I get to be with forever.

Ashton

2009-11-22T09:48:00.007-07:00

Ashton is a funny kid. He comes up with the funniest ideas and says the most hilarious things. Like in the picture above... The other day he decided to use some rock climbing clips to hook him and Will together. They then ran (literally ran) around the house hooked together for about 20 minutes. At one point they stopped for a rest and Will jumped up, ready to run some more, before Ashton was ready. Ashton said very exasperated, "Hold on Jose!" Kiersten and I couldn't stop laughing.

The next day, he had Jeremy cut out arm holes in empty Usborne boxes so he and Will could be Transformers. Later, they used the same rock climbing clips to hook their boxes together so they could be a train. Again, they ran around the house hooked together for 20 minutes or so. At one point, I heard arguing about which direction the hotel was... not sure what that was about.

Since Cal existed we've seen a different side of Ashton. When I was pregnant, he would often come up and stroke my tummy and say things like "Our new baby is going to be so cute." He also confessed to Jeremy that he had a secret toy he like to play with... a baby doll he received for Christmas a couple of years ago.

Since we've had Calvin home, Ashton has been so cute! He is always coming up with cute nicknames for him (like Calvin the Chipmunk and Cutie-pie). He loves to hold him and for a couple of days he asked how and when he could feed him. So, one day Jeremy helped Ashton feed the baby a bootle and then burp him. Ashton's happy face in the picture below is pure delight when he got Cal to burp. It is so fun to see this other side of Ashton.

Yellow Baby

2009-11-22T09:39:00.003-07:00

For the 5th time... we went through the daily blood draws and hassle of bili-lights last week. I do have to say, little Cal didn't have it nearly as bad as some of his siblings. For one thing, he had the bili-bed and bili-blanket so he didn't have to wear "sunglasses" and lay in a tanning suitcase. Also, because we were oh so familiar with babies getting jaundice we caught it fast and stayed ahead of it so he was only on the lights for a few days.

Still... it is always such a relief to be done with the daily trips to the hospital. I'm sure Baby is glad too.

Welcome Baby

2009-11-12T22:39:00.007-07:00

Our new little guy, Calvin Michael Ray Cox was born Tuesday at 1:31 am. We were excited when the clock struck midnight and we realized his birthday would be 11-10-09. It goes quite nicely with Katie's birthday 01-02-03. At 2 1/2 weeks early, he weighed 7 lbs. 4 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long.

The 1/2 hour before his birth and the 1/2 hour after were a stressful time to say the least. It was very fast. I went from 5 cm. dilated to completely delivered in 1 hour and 15 min. My blood pressure was too high. His heart rate was unstable. I had to labor in one position on one side which meant that the epidural settled in one leg and didn't actually block pain (but that one leg was nice and numb for HOURS). I had a placental abruption which is very dangerous for mom and baby. And the cord was tightly wrapped around his neck twice (which probably caused the abruption and the heart rate problems). He swallowed quite a bit of blood from the abruption.

The NICU team was ready and waiting when he was born and after working on getting him stabilized they took him away. We LOVE NICU teams!! His cord was also immediately taken away for labs so they could determine how much oxygen he had missed out on and if he was going to be okay. Although it was nerve wracking, I felt surprisingly peaceful while Jer was in the NICU with Calvin and I waited for the test results.

We were so, so, so blessed in the way things turned out. If my epidural would have numbed me the way I wanted I wouldn't have been to get him out so fast. After he was born the doctor told us several times that it was good that everything happened so fast and that if labor had taken any longer Calvin would not have survived. He also said that my health (and possibly my life) was spared because it was so fast. We are so grateful my water didn't break at home, but in the hospital were they were monitoring him and could take steps to save his life. We are so grateful we were in Provo so we didn't have to be separated from him the way were from Ashton and that there were experts there ready to help him. We saw the hand of the Lord so many times in that critical, scary hour. And now that we know how things turned out we can see His guiding hand in so many other things. Why don't we trust Him more? We feel so blessed and grateful that Calvin and I are both here and alive and pretty darn healthy.

Because of H1N1 and the hospital rules about visitors, the kids were just able to meet Calvin for the first time today. To say he is adored is truly an understatement. Katie, Ashton and Kiersten spent quite a bit of time arguing over whose turn it was to hold him. Matthew said, "I just can't stop looking at him." And so far Will has only shown affection for his new little brother (crossing fingers). Katie read story after story to him and did all of her homework with baby on her lap today.

We feel so grateful for our sweet little ones (especially the littlest) and family and wonderful friends who have already offered so much support. We are so blessed!

What Happens When Instincts Take Over

2009-11-03T15:34:00.004-07:00

Sorry I have to record this here or I'll forget it later and I don't want to forget it...

Today Will and Ashton wanted to go the farm with Jer and they were so cute about it he took them. I also think Jer was hoping I would have a nice relaxing day at home. It was not relaxing... I am driven... driven by instincts I can't control.... Instincts that force me to push and bend in spite of extreme back and joint pain. Here was my day:

7:30 am... Help kids get ready for school, remind to brush teeth, comb Katie's hair, etc.
8 am... Check emails, reply to urgent Usborne emails, online banking, pick up living room
9 am... Watch Jer research how much different jobs pay in Utah vs. the United States.
9:30 am... Jer and boys leave. My instincts to clean take over! I start sweeping.
9:45 am... Mop kitchen, entry way and bathrooms
10:15 am... Clean kids bathroom and all of mine, but the shower
10:45 am... Clean stairs with carpet cleaner, Start on family room
11:45 am... Eat quesadillas, grapes and crushed ice while I talk on the phone to JoDee
12 pm... Continue on carpets, discover carpet cleaner is not suctioning properly, call Jer, he will come home and look at it.
12:37 pm... I troubleshoot the carpet cleaner myself!! Call Jer back and tell him not to come home, I've figured it out!
1 pm... Sick of carpet cleaning, my back KILLS but I can not stop. Wash walls, door frame and baseboards in my bedroom, hallway, and entry way.
1:30 pm... Must finish the basement carpet cleaning!
2 pm... Basement is done! Set up fans to speed up the drying process... hopefully before kids get home from school and want to play down there.
2:05 pm... Scrub my shower. To do this I have to climb the shower and get on my hands and knees. My tummy is too big and my back to weak to clean it any other way.
2:15 pm... Shower and dress... for some reason I feel more exhausted than refreshed.
2:30 pm... Break out the pedicure stuff my friend Rachel gave me for Christmas last year. My whole body hurts, but my swollen, swollen feet especially need some TLC. Watch the end of Biggest Loser online with Kiersten. That show is so inspiring. I always get emotional when some sacrifices themselves for their friends.
2:45 pm... Start the dishwasher before kids get home so we have dishes to eat off tonight.
3 pm... Reply to the emails that have accumulated in my in box.
3:15 pm.. Kids home from school! Time to focus on homework, piano practice, etc. and figure out what I can make for dinner that won't mess up my clean house.

Halloween... Harry Potter Style

2009-11-01T07:49:00.008-07:00

This year Jeremy and the kids were the Weasley family from Harry Potter. My friend Tiffini made the kids' awesome Gryffindor costumes. They looked so cute! Here is her website.

We had a fabulous time at the school Halloween carnival, Grandma Craguns for scary movies, chili and breadstick dinner at church, followed by trunk or treating in the church parking lot. The kids made a haul!!The kids were very excited to go into the Spook Alley. Here they are waiting in line. When the time came though they started to get a little nervous and clinging to each other. (See below)Here we are at the ward party. I've been hiding from the camera for awhile... 8 months pregnant isn't a good look for me. :)

Jeremy wanted to decorate our trunk with a Harry Potter theme to match the costumes, but of course he was delayed on the farm so the kids and I threw it together a half an hour before we had to leave. Sometimes I think that my creative juices do not flow until crunch time because although I'd been thinking about it for a couple of days it wasn't until I realized I was going to have to do it myself that I got some decent ideas. And HOORAY!! our trunk won 3rd place!!! The kids were so excited (especially since they had helped so much... with the ideas and the actual decorating).

Our award winning trunk... Harry Potter & Ron Weasley's room with Gryffindor posters, a picture of Mrs. Weasley, a quidditch game out the window and potions class assignment brewing.

The Carpet

2009-10-29T09:08:00.002-06:00

I can not find my camera cord so I haven't been able to upload pictures. BUT if I could... I would definitely post a picture of my mom and dad's carpet cleaner. My siblings and I bought it for them for Christmas last year. I didn't want to be the first to use it, but we had to clean some carpets! So, I finally broke down and borrowed it. I love it! I can just use water and it gets out so much nasty stuff.

Carpet cleaning has become my new obsession.

Now I must get off so I can go do another room while the boys are happily playing trucks.

Nesting

2009-10-21T17:20:00.004-06:00

I am seriously so sick. I can hardly talk. I have a headache. My throat is on FIRE. I feel quite miserable. And what have I done the last couple of days?...

Painted, cleaned carpets, and laundry...

It is that DARN nesting instinct. It won't let me rest!! And I still have a list of projects that I want to do in the next four weeks. Most of them require spousal assistance... poor Jeremy!

On the upside... my living room carpet looks like new and Will will be moving into his new bedroom on Friday. He is SO, SO, SO excited!!

Ashton's First Lost Tooth

2009-10-20T13:13:00.003-06:00

Ashton lost his first tooth this week. He has such tiny little teeth! He said his tooth felt weird. I felt it and it was SO loose. A few minutes later he pulled it out himself!

All day, I kept thinking... I can't believe he is old enough to lose a tooth. I know he is... he is 5 years old after all... but where does the time go.

Incidentally, he has already figured out that his dad is the tooth fairy.

Pumpkin Day

2009-10-20T13:04:00.005-06:00

I have been quite sick since Friday, but yesterday I felt a bit better and got too ambitious. (Now I am really sick again.) I ran errands in Provo, taped off the old office so it can be painted, went to WalMart and for Family Home Evening we had "Pumpkin Day" where we enjoyed some of the 16 pumpkins Levi grew this year.

Dinner was "Dinner in a Pumpkin."
Then, we decorated pumpkins... with sharpies, not knives because the kids are all very independent and insisted on decorating their own pumkins and the LAST thing we need right now is a trip to the ER.

We had a great night and the kids finally feel ready for Halloween.

Only in Sanpete...

2009-10-10T15:42:00.005-06:00

Today we were driving from Ephraim to Manti and about two miles outside of Manti we had to come to a near complete stop behind a trail of several cars. At first we were annoyed because we thought that there was a farm vehicle ahead that people were too timid to pass. But then, Jeremy spotted the real problem and started laughing. Ahead of us, running down Highway 89 were...

FOUR HORSES.

The horses ran side by side covering parts of both lanes, at about 10 miles an hour, with a trail of cars behind them, all the way into town where they were met by a Sheriff's deputy. The Sheriff's truck and another truck tried to herd them with their vehicles and finally got them stopped and cornered at the fairgrounds.

We couldn't get good pictures while they were running down the middle of the highway, but the one above we snapped with Jer's cell phone, once we got close to town and the Sheriff was rounding them up.

Baby Bailey

2009-10-07T19:53:00.003-06:00

Bailey Helen Cragun

Born Today!

Congratulations Andy and Jenny!

Where to Go...

2009-10-05T15:28:00.003-06:00

William was thrilled when Elder L. Tom Parry talked about the Manti Temple during General Conference on Sunday morning. He loves to drive past the temple and look at pictures of the temple and often asks, "When can I go to the Manti Temple?"

Last night, when we were talking about his reaction to the talk my mom said, "Will, do you want to go to the temple?" And he replied, "Yes! I do want to go to the Manti Temple." Then after a pause he added, "Cuz, I miss Jesus."

We, of course, thought that was adorable. Then this morning while I was getting ready for the day I was thinking about his comment. I thought about how the temple is the perfect place to be when you need to feel close to Jesus. Then, the oft-quoted phrase from the Bible dictionary popped into my mind about only the home being as sacred. And I realized... for my children our home can and should be the perfect place to be when they "miss Jesus"... when they need to feel God's love for them and be reminded that He has a plan for them... when they need to get away from the pressures and evil and stress of the world.

And I was reminded again about the great responsibility is to be a mother. Because my attitude and what I do and say will determine whether our house is a place they can go when they are really longing for their true home.

Bed Time Without Daddy

2009-09-29T19:53:00.006-06:00

Why do my children listen to Jeremy so much better than they do to me? Tonight I angrily sent them to bed before scriptures were read, chores were fully completed and piano was adequately practiced because a fight over who was practicing first ended up in Matthew having a bloody nose. (They both wanted to practice right then.)

Katie knows she is trouble for the bloody nose and having done very little on her chores. I sprayed "Monster Spray" under Will's bed to scare away the monsters and have threatened Ashton with being grounded tomorrow.

And yet, Will just said, "I don't believe in Monster Spray. Now there are monsters AND crocodiles under my bed." He and Ashton are currently reading tractor books in the hall. And I can hear Katie in her room reading instead of sleeping.

Thankfully, Matthew, "the obedient child" as he calls himself, practiced, worked and is asleep.

Okay... update... Ashton is on the stairs hiding and Will is sitting in my bed saying, "Mom, I'm going to color with you tonight!" Now, he is DELIGHTED because he just drew an excellent circle. "That is cool! Mom!" By the way, while I am typing this Ashton has joined the coloring party. And Katie is telling me I never have time for them because we didn't read scriptures or Nancy Drew tonight.

But I guarantee that if Jeremy were home tonight all four kids would be sound asleep by now. And they would have practiced their piano, finished their work, and received spiritual nourishment and we would have read Nancy Drew. Also, there would not be a trail of blood from my living room to the kids' bathroom or blood drips all over the toilet, floor, and vanity. There would be a lot less contention around here.

p.s. Ashton just said, "I've got to tell you something weird about me. I don't fall asleep at night. I sleep in the morning." This from our little alarm clock.

State Fair

2009-09-16T21:46:00.005-06:00

I really liked Rodgers and Hammerstein's State Fair when I was younger, but only had a few vague memories of what the State Fair was REALLY like. I think we only went a couple of times when my 4-H projects made it to the State Fair.

Now... I go every year to sell books at the fair. It is quite different than I remember. Luckily for my kids though, Jeremy has brought them up at least once each year to enjoy the fair while I work my booth. This has turned into a nice tradition for our family. The kids have seen some really cool things and had great experiences. Here are some pictures from their visit this year.

p.s. If you are planning on attending the fair stop by the Usborne Books booth in the Market Building (near the sheep) and buy some amazing, educational children's books. :)

Menu Ideas

2009-09-06T21:26:00.003-06:00

I really enjoy the blog "Eat at Home." Recently, Tiffany (the blogger) has started posting weekly menus and shopping lists. The menus have been very affordable, easy and it's been nice to try some new things. (Plus since she has four kids too they are perfectly portioned for us.) If you feel stuck in a food rut (like I did) I highly recommend her weekly menus. Here is the link: http://eatathomecooks.com/weekly-menus. You can get to her website from the button on my sidebar.

Awesome Deal...

2009-09-02T21:01:00.007-06:00

I have two dates left in September for Usborne Book parties that I need to fill asap. So if you (or anyone you know) would like to host a fun, easy party (I'll do all the work) this month you'll learn about something new, get LOTS of free books, have fun, AND you can choose a bonus gift of:

The Complete Book of Farmyard Tales, plus CD... my #1 seller. Perfect for boys and girls 0-8 years.

ORThe Internet-Linked Children's Encyclopedia... my #2 most popular book... perfect for ages 4 to adult (seriously, Jer and I learn from this book all the time!)

OR Any set of for 65% off

Plus, we have AMAZING... seriously truly AMAZING.... New Titles (including lots of Christmas ones) just released.

I am happy to travel to do parties!

You can email me at: jill@utahusbornebooks.com if you have any questions. Thanks!!

Some Sunday Inspiration

2009-08-30T16:04:00.002-06:00

Our Miracle... 5 Years Later

2009-08-28T20:00:00.010-06:00

Today is Ashton's 5th birthday! It is amazing to think that he is already 5 years old, but at the same time it is hard to remember a time that he wasn't part of our family. He is SO hilarious and enthusiastic and smart. Ashton is brilliant at puzzles, creating and construction and his sense of humor makes every day life a joy.

At this time 5 years ago, Jer and I were experiencing one of the scariest times in our life. When Ashton was born there was no thrilling first cry and because the nurses quickly took him out of the room as they tried to get him to breath, my first good look at him was when we was about 20 minutes old and on a ventilator.

His first month, Ashton had quite a few ups and downs and he really scared us more than once. For some reason even after we got home, he liked to stop breathing on Sundays. It was also a time of spiritual growth for me. It was very humbling to realize that I had this precious little baby, but I couldn't make him healthy... his life was in others' hands... the doctors and the Lords. It was very difficult for me because I'm a bit of a control freak. I knew that His will would be done and I could only hope that His will was the same as mine, but I had to learn to truly trust the Lord and that no matter what happened it would be okay. I had experiences where I was reminded that the Savior knows me personally, loves me, knows how to comfort me and will take of me.

So... it's been five years and we are so, so, so grateful that we got to keep our little Ashy. When we look at pictures of his first days we can't believe that sick little baby and the active, little fireball are the same kid.

Here are some pictures from this summer of Ashton being Ashton...

Thoughts on the First Day of School

2009-08-24T08:22:00.005-06:00

Today is the first day of school with new teachers (Mrs. Jordan and Mrs. Worthington) and today will be Katie's first day in the cafeteria. The kids didn't seem the slightest bit nervous... just excited. I, on the other hand, felt quite emotional about the whole thing. (Don't worry, only Jeremy saw my tears this morning.) It is so bittersweet to send them to school and the first day of a new year is a reminder of how quickly they are growing up.

As I was driving home after helping them find their new classrooms and blinking back tears I pondered why I was so emotional about the whole thing. I decided it was because I was letting my precious little ones (okay, maybe they aren't SO little anymore) spend time away from me, in the care of someone who will never know them as well as I do, but who will also be responsible for teaching them what they need to learn this year. They will have all sorts of new experiences, they will have to figure out social relationships and dynamics and I won't be there to guide them. I thought, "Wow, what a responsibility to be a teacher. What trust parents put it in them."

Then, as I was turning the corner by our house the Spirit taught me... that is how Heavenly Father must feel about this new little one he is sending to us in a few months (and all our children for that matter). He has to be temporarily seperated from His precious child and put him in the care of people who love him, but will never know him as well as He does. He has to watch as his child tries to figure out relationships and has new experiences and tests and trials. All He can hope is that we teach him the things that he is supposed to learn in this life. And I was reminded... what a responsibility to be a parent. What trust God puts in us!

So... those are some thoughts I had on the first day of school.

Wahoo!!

2009-08-17T21:36:00.002-06:00

Jeremy's grades just posted... two As and one A-!!!! Amazing when you consider that he had to take care of me while I was on bedrest, had surgery, and was super sick; AND he reads to the kids everynight; AND he is working TWO jobs; AND he is Elder's Quorum President; AND Microbiology was a block class so it was accelerated. WOW!!

Although Jeremy is super wonderful, brilliant, and amazing... we must give credit where credit is due... Matthew always prays for Jeremy when he goes to take a test and I think there is some divine intervention going on there. BUT if ANYONE deserves help from above it is Jeremy.

The hospital pays him back for his tuition and books based on the grades he gets so we are HAPPY tonight! Yeah!!

One Down... Eight to Go

2009-08-16T08:25:00.012-06:00

Friday night Jer finished his first semester of his new program. He took three classes and got two As and one A- or B+ (we won't know until next week). YEAH!!! It was definitely not easy on him, me, or the kids, but we survived and learned a lot and hopefully are adjusting to this adventure.

To celebrate the kids and I planned a "Good Job Dad" party after his test of Friday.

The kids all made "Good Job Dad" signs that we hung on the garage door so he would see them right as he pulled up."

Then, I asked Katie to make a list of the things that Dad would like to do to celebrate. This is what she came up with:

If you can't read the picture it says: Play with us, Read with Us, Eat Cake

Then the kids made a cake. Here is Will crying after I screamed "Stop!" when he dumped half a bottle of canola oil into the cake batter. Apparently, I hurt his feelings. He was even more upset when I dumped the batter down the sink and we started over.

Matthew and Katie working on the cake. They really pretty much did the whole thing themselves.

We let Jeremy choose what to have for dinner and he wanted to eat at the steakhouse in Manti. I was thrilled, the kids were not as much. BUT to make it funner for them, Jer read from Fablehaven while we waited for our food. It made the whole experience much more enjoyable. (And took care of another item on Katie's list.)

When we got home Jeremy and the kids played Monopoly Jr. (not Will... he fell asleep on the drive home), we ate cake and the party was over.

Saturday morning we had a garage sale. We didn't get rich, but we did get rid of stuff! Jeremy and I sold everything we wanted to except to end tables, but he really wanted to keep those anyway so it worked out. My mom still had quite a bit of stuff unsold, but it was mostly clothes which are going to the DI on Wednesday. Mission accomplished!

Saturday evening, as soon as Jer got home from the farm, we went down to the city building for Ephraim City Days where we enjoyed free hamburgers (served by the volunteer fire and rescue guys) and free ice cream (served by the mayor and city council, including Grandpa Cragun).

They had a police car, ambulences, and fire trucks open for the kids to explore. This was very fun. Actually, Will was a little nervous at first because he is scared of vehicles with sirens, but he wamed up.

Ashton especially was delighted to sit in the fire engines, look through the binoculars, and try on a fire-fighter hat because when he grows up he "wants to be a farmer and a fire fighter."

It was a super busy weekend, but very fun! We are really looking forward to have Jer all to ourselves this week.

Omnivore's Dilemma = My Dilemma

2009-08-11T14:52:00.006-06:00

Today Matthew, Katie, and I ate Malt Shop for lunch. Sadly, instead of enjoying it, I felt sick and GUILTY... seriously GUILTY.

If you follow my sidebar you may be aware that I've been reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan for some time now. (I am one of those people that has at least 3 books in progress at all times so sometimes it take awhile to finish one... especially the non-fiction ones.) Charity shipped it to me in June because she had enjoyed it so much. (If "enjoyed" is the correct word... I don't know. Let's just say it is thought provoking. When I read passages to Jer he just gets mad and Richard Nixon and his agricultural policy, big businesses, and the world in general. )

FYI... The Omnivore's Dilemma is: What's for dinner?

Anyway... this book is really eye opening and makes me very grateful that I KNOW where my beef comes from, what it eats before I eat it, how the crops it eats are grown, etc. Sadly, I don't know the same thing about the poultry, fruits and veggies I buy. And this book made me totally disenchanted with the "organic" market. (As if being married to a farmer hadn't already soiled my view enough.)

Also, it has just made me more aware of our (meaning society as a whole, but also, especially me personally) tendancy to eat lots of processed food and not enough whole foods. As I prepare meals I am often taking stock of the ingredients and even the finished product themselves wondering if my great-grandparents would have recognized those foods. I read labels to determine whether the "ingredients in the ingredients" are created by God or chemists. Seriously... what I discover is disturbing.

So, today as I ate my lunch... and felt sick and guilty... I realized I MUST change. I can not in good conscience put junk in my body anymore. Especially for the next 14 or so weeks when everything that I eat is supposed to nourish my little guy too. (Note: This doesn't apply to Hershey's Bliss chocolates, my newest craving/addiction.) I can't feed my family that junk that our bodies were NOT made to live on.

Anyway... so now my dilemma is how do I make this change? What is for dinner?

Gratitude

2009-08-05T08:48:00.004-06:00

Matthew gave me an important reminder last night.... The kids and I were reading and Jer asked us to pray for him and he then left to take a test. Matthew prayed, "Bless Daddy on his test. [Long pause]. Thank you for this wonderful day and all that we did."

After we all said "Amen," he turned to me and said "You should always say you are thankful for at least as much as you ask for." Yep! And I've been asking for a lot lately.

Oh and... Jer got 94%. He is pretty much acing Microbiology. :)

EXCITING!!!

2009-08-03T12:59:00.003-06:00

This is NOT shameless advertising... I just had to share this opportunity! From now until Aug. 9, the Usborne Starter Kit which includes the books above (plus all the supplies you need to start) is $15 and free shipping. It is an amazing deal and an amazing chance to start a business (or a hobby).

If you, or anyone you know, would like an additional $100-500/month, a fun night out of the house, the opportunity to promote literacy, or just lots of books, please let me know. I love Usborne Books. It has been a huge blessing in my life and I love to share that blessing with others.

If you would like more information you can visit this link or email me at: Jill@UtahUsborneBooks.com.

Have a great day!!

Perspective

2009-08-02T11:05:00.001-06:00

So, I just read one of my dear friend's blog entries from yesterday and got some perspective. Can I just say, " I take it ALL back." (Well, all the complaining I posted yesterday.) I am SO blessed.

Sick and Tired

2009-08-01T22:47:00.002-06:00

Okay... I will keep this brief and try not to whine too much, but I just have to vent... I am SICK of being SICK.

I am currently lying in bed with my laptop where, sadly, I have spent much of the last several months trying to recover from one thing or another... nausea and PAIN from a bad gallbladder, morning (all day) sickness, placenta problems, gallbladder surgery, pain from too-loose joints, and couple of regular old colds and flus.

But I finally thought I was getting back to normal life and catching up on things. Then last night (after fighting a terrible cold and cough all week and stomach bug all day Friday) I spent a couple of hours in the ER getting re-hydrated and drugged up with anti-nausea meds.

By the way, IV fluids and anti-nausea drugs are a WONDERFUL thing. Yesterday, I could not keep down 1 Tbsp of water or soda or even one saltine cracker before my ER visit. Today I have mostly kept down a dish of rice, two small servings of applesauce, a banana, a piece of toast, and 6 crackers, plus some water and ginger ale.

Which reminds me... I do have lots to be grateful for.

Modern medicine!! I love not having a gallbladder.
Jer stayed home with me yesterday to take care of the kids.
My mom took the kids today.
My kids have been so good to help me and each other. Seriously, they are great! Since Jer was home to feed them, they weren't put out at all by my most recent illness. In fact, the little boys found it quite entertaining to watch me throw up. The especially liked it when after 12 hours of barfing I started throwing up bile. (Sorry, that is gross, but they loved it.)
Charity and Samantha helped me get through my massive pile of clean, but unfolded laundry.
Pregnancy only lasts nine months (I'm hoping for 8 1/2 months), but a child is ours FOREVER. I'm SO thankful for eternal families and the joys that each member adds to our family.

So even though I had to give away a home show I was really looking forward to last night, and cancel my planned yard sale today, and find a substitute to teach "I Can Pray" in nursery tomorrow, life could be worse. It really, really could. I just need to keep reminding myself of that when I feel like complaining.

Celebrating Pioneer Day!

2009-07-28T19:31:00.007-06:00

Last week was one celebration, special occasion, or other fun event after another! Here are some of the highlights: Swimming with the Cox cousins at Grandma's house
Jumping off a make-shift diving board.

Slip and Slide!!

Playing kick ball with the cousins

Last week of swimming lessons

Eating at a "real" restaurant TWICE. Once after Jer and I went to the Ogden temple with my brother Steve, and other family members. The next day, we went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House. Of course, it was the visits to the temple and not the dining that were the REALLY special occasion.

It was a wonderful week and each activity, in a different way, reminded us about the faith of our forebearers and the sacrifices they made that have blessed our lives, and renewed our dedication to pass on a heritage of faith and obedience to our posterity.

Let's Party!!

2009-07-20T17:52:00.008-06:00

I spent the last week in Oklahoma celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Usborne Books and More at our National Convention. It was amazing!! Some of the highlights (in no particular order):

1. Being whisked away from the airport in a limo. Here are me, Bobbi, and up-up-upline supervisor Deb Casey in the limo.

2. Enjoying a delicious steak dinner and a live, outdoor presentation of one of my all-time favorite musicals Oklahoma! as a reward for making the President's Club.

3. JIM TRELEASE!!! Have you read the Read Aloud Handbook? It is amazing and will make you a better parent. He signed my copy.

4. Not having to think about, prepare, or clean up meals and having my bed made everyday.

5. The Hawaii Celebration luncheon, team parties, late night "Name Game" sessions, and being with my wonderful friends (some that I only see 1-2 times each year).

6. Flying First Class from Atlanta to Salt Lake. Let's just say... I could get used to that! I did pretty much deserve it after Delta kept ruining my day and I spent 12 hours in airports due to their incompetence. They screwed up my flight from Rome too. Let's just say we aren't impressed with Delta at our house. First Class though... was great!

7. It is always fun to be recognized for your efforts. The awards I received were: Supervisor of the Year Honorable Mention, #3 Central Group Recruiting, #4 Group Promotions, #4 Personal Recruiting, #11 Central Group Sales, and #15 Home Show Sales.

8. Coming home to my family. The kids had cleaned up the house (in their way) and Katie had laid out my pjs and the stuff in the picture below.

What great kids!! Now back to reality...

Ultrasound Results...

2009-07-09T19:11:00.002-06:00

And he's coming sometime by Thanksgiving!

What's More American?

2009-07-05T20:02:00.010-06:00

The Fourth of July was a busy day at the end of a VERY busy week that ended a month of ball games, choir practices, cheer camp, surgery, booths, and overall busy-ness.

But it was a GREAT day. We spent most of the day in Manti at the park and the kids got to spend time with both their Cox and Cragun cousins. The day ended with a patriotic program at the stadium where Matthew and Katie (and their cousins Spencer and Cameron) performed a few songs with the Children's Choir.

Here are the kids and their cousins making rockets to shoot high in the air (with help from Grandma and parents of course).

Katie with her fourth of July hair waiting in line to shoot her rocket.

Ashton and Spencer discussing their rockets while waiting their turn.

Jer and Ashton waiting for the egg toss to start. Their partners were Matthew and Grandma Cox. Matthew and Jer did really well.

The kids with their cousin Jayme. They enjoyed the playground just as much as the planned activities (especially the little ones).

"What's more American than... Rock and Roll...

"... and mighty Superman!"

"I am! I am! I am!"

During the program, we watched the Boy Scouts and National Guard retire an old, huge flag. It was a wonderful ceremony. Today, Katie said, "When they were burning that flag last night I started to cry. I don't know why." What a great day to celebrate our country's birth!

Owwweeeee....

2009-07-05T19:54:00.005-06:00

Will tripped and fell into my mom's ping pong table and cut his eye pretty bad. After he calmed down he said, "Take a picture of my blood." It actually looks worse now because in addition to the cut he has a black eye.

This is just a random picture, but too cute not to post. I came out of my bedroom and found Katie and Will in their room enjoying books. I had just added a new bookshelf and de-junked our books so they found many "new" treasures. Will made himself a little bed where Katie could read book after book to him.

Let's Hear it for the Templars... M.H.S!

2009-07-05T19:35:00.007-06:00

Last week Katie and her cousins Ashley and Alex participated in Little Girl Cheer Camp. They enjoyed learning dances, playing active games, learning cheers and rhymes, and doing girly stuff. The performance is always so cute... the little girls do the cutest squeals and "eagles" at the end of each cheer. One day, while I was there waiting I thought about how when I was in high school no one knew what a Templar was (except people who went to Manti High School). We were constantly explaining to kids from other schools who the Knights Templar were. Now, thanks to National Treasure and the Da Vinci code Templars are well known and kind of cool. Just thought that was interesting...

In other sports related news, I am THRILLED to announce the end of the baseball and t-ball season. It was fun (kind of), but I am very relieved to have my Monday and Wednesday evenings back (as well as the hour I spent each Monday and Wednesday hunting down mitts and various pieces of uniforms).

Here is Matthew with his team, the Yankees, after their last game. They were all great kids and had WONDERFUL coaches.

Something I will miss... snow cones.

p.s. Matthew and Katie also had choir practice on Monday and Wednesday mornings and that ended this week too! And I thought summertime wouldn't be so busy.

Fun at the Pool

2009-07-05T19:31:00.005-06:00

Okay, no one is looking at me. It is so hard to get a good picture when everyone is having so much fun!

Stuck!!

2009-07-05T19:28:00.002-06:00

Jer picked up some gravel to make himself a little driveway for his farm car and save our regular driveway and garage from his stinky mud. Well, they gave him more than he ordered and the first time he drove onto it he SUNK. He and Levi spent an hour or two digging him out the next morning.

Ashton's Plan

2009-06-26T22:13:00.004-06:00

Ashton saw our fetal doppler (yes, we have one... we bought it from China off of ebay when I was pregnant with Will and it is really, really fun and if we didn't have it Jeremy and the kids would never get to hear the baby because I go to my dr. appointments alone) lying on the bed tonight and the following conversation occurred:

A: "I am going to be super, super nice to my wife when she has a baby in her tummy."
Me: "You are?"
A: "Yes, she isn't going to have to do any cleaning up the house."
Me: "That's nice of you. I am proud of you."
A: "Yeah, I am going to help her. I am not going to make my kids do any chores either. I am going to all the cleaning. I am going to be the best dad."
Me: "Is that your plan? Wow, you are going to be the best dad!"
A: "You should think about doing my chores for me. You should make that plan."

That's not going to happen anytime soon.

Farm Mania

2009-06-26T08:49:00.004-06:00

This post is not about Jeremy's work or about the way that Will get's dressed in farm clothes every morning and then begs to be able to go help his Daddy. It is about an addicting, heart-racing, computer game.

We discovered this game when I opened the free trial as a way to keep Ashton and Will still on the first day that I was home alone with kids after my surgery. It was only so effective at keeping them from jostling me and hurting my stomach wounds. :)

Anyway, the idea is the girl is trying to help her grandpa save the family farm. She only has so much time to feed animals, grow vegetables, send stuff to market, etc. The grandpa helps scoop water from the well and pitch hay, but the girl has to do everything else. If stuff doesn't get fed, watered, or weeded in time it dies. And the whole time the clock is ticking. It is very intense.

Jeremy was laughing/annoyed when he was trying to talk to me this morning while Katie was playing Farm Mania. I kept shouting things like, "Hurry, your goose needs water!" or "Hoe, hurry the pumpkin is going to die." or "Get your money!" He said, "Wow, it's just like a real farm."

Ashton, who is in the stage of life where he is becoming a little obsessed with fairness/justice was put out and said, "Hey, how come the Grandpa gets to take rests?" I said, "He is old." He was only slightly mollified.

My Kids' Father

2009-06-21T09:04:00.003-06:00

So, it's Father's Day and of course I am very grateful for my dad and Jeremy's dad... they made us who they are and are STILL sacrificing and doing so much for us EVERY DAY. But today, especially, I am so, so, so grateful for my children's dad.

To say our kids adore him would be a huge understatement. They love taking turns spending the day with him on the farm. They love the voices he uses when he reads and tells us stories. The second he walks in the door he is bombarded by kids jumping on him and loving him. We have to negotiate who gets to sit by Jer at church because hey, I want a turn too. He is honestly a better parent than me and I am so grateful to share that responsibility with him.

This week has been kind of busy. I had a party at my house on Thursday and then my gall bladder out on Friday. Jeremy has been truly amazing. I don't know how I could have survived the last few days without him. He helped me clean up the house and get ready for the party. Then, he was just what I needed at the hospital before and after my surgery.

Of course he has been perfect since too!! I haven't been able to get out of bed myself so for the last couple of nights since the surgery he wakes up every four hours to give me my pain medications and helps me into the bathroom. He even came home from the farm to get my lunch, medication, and shower. I am so grateful for how attentive he has been.

Jeremy blesses our family with his priesthood and his example and just by being who he is. I am so grateful that my children have such a wonderful man for a father.

Happy Father's Day! We love you!!

Whitey-Tighties or My Failures as a Mother

2009-06-17T11:51:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, we had a great day at the swimming pool. Even though it was cold, the kids and Jer swam, splashed, and spun while I observed and ran to the bakery to get our picnic. After stopping for peaches and toast at Grandma Coxes we made came home. I asked the kids to change into their jammies and get ready for scriptures and stories. This request was immediately met by whines of "I don't know where any clean undies are." AND "I think I used my last clean undies last night." You get the point. Anyway, I told them to go look in the laundry room and in their drawers.

A few minutes later, Ashton come up, naked from the waist down, insisting that he didn't have any. I called over to my moms to see if any of my kids had left any clean underwear there. They hadn't. A few minutes later, Katie came up in her jammies. I asked her if she found underwear and she nodded, guiltily. About 10 minutes later Matthew came up in tears because he could not find any clean underwear. I said, "Ask Katie if you can borrow a pair of hers tonight because she found some." He replied, "I did and she doesn't have an extra pair."

At this point I said, "Katie where did you find your underwear?"

"Actually, I couldn't find any of my clean underwear so I am wearing Ashton's. Actually, they are the ones that Ashton grew out of and gave to Will, so I am really wearing Will's underwear." Now, I understood her guilty look.

At this point I was so tired and sick of the underwear crisis that I told Matthew, "Go get you and Ashton a pair of Will's underwear for tonight." I knew he had plenty because I had just folded them.

When Matthew came into the room to get his jammies, wearing size 3 underwear I started laughing out loud and thought to myself, "That gives whitey tighties a whole new meaning."
They had to be miserable! They were so TIGHT on his little rear end and he was walking a little odd.

I swear, I feel like I've been doing laundry constantly. But thinking back, I realize it is mostly just ball uniforms, dirty towels, farm clothes, muddy clothes, camping stuff, and not the important stuff like underwear for my kids!

Anyway, I wasn't going planning on telling anyone about our underwear situation, but when Jer got home and I told him that all 4 of our children were wearing Will's size 3 Scooby-Do underwear, we started laughing so hard that I realized I had to share... If for no other reason that to help someone else realize that sometimes parenthood is about survival and not perfection.

So, now I've aired my dirty laundry, (sorry that was super cheesy) I can go about my day and make sure the kids have SOMETHING (even if it isn't there full uniforms) to wear to ball tonight.

A Handful of Little Ones

2009-06-14T10:14:00.003-06:00

I guess it is time to reveal one of the worst-kept (but very exciting) secrets of the year... we are adding another little one to our family! He or she will make their appearance sometime around Thanksgiving. I wanted to wait and post the big announcement until after Jeremy could scan in some ultrasound pictures, but after he informed me we need another USB cable to hook up the scanner I figured I probably shouldn't wait any longer.

Anyway, the first three months were difficult. Not only did I have morning sickness to contend with, but I had my third (in a row) subchorianic (not sure I spelled that right) hemmorage. They don't know what causes it because they usually see it in mom's who smoke and use and drugs, but it required two months of bedrest. That was challenging to say the least. It eventually dawned on me that if I wanted to get better, I really had to stay down and once I was more strict with myself I did improve and get better.

This morning we asked the kids what we should name our new baby and these are the names we came up with. I italicized the more entertaining ones.

Boy

Dallin- Jer

Soren- Jer

Jens- Jill

Callen- Jill

Daven- Katie

Spark- Matthew

Holly- Ashton (after the blue New Holland tractor)

J.D.- Ashton (after the green John Deere tractor)

Girl

Holly- Ashton (again, after the tractor)

Pretty Cox- Matthew

Wonder Cox- Matthew

Bella- Katie

Lucy- Katie (after Lucy in the Chronicles of Narnia)

Hazen- Jill

Haley- Jer

Jane- Jill

Lemon- Katie (after Miss Lemon in Poirot). This suggestion brought cheers from the boys.

We still have 5 months so I'm sure we'll come up with some more interesting ones.

Back to Work

2009-06-10T23:19:00.003-06:00

So, after a two month hiatus while I was on bedrest, I had an Usborne Books party tonight. Here is what I learned (or was just reminded of):

I love helping people find the perfect books for the kids in their life! (And sharing a little something that might make them a better parent.)
I love helping people get books free!!
I love having something to look forward to... other than laundry.
I love actually getting dressed up once or twice a week. (Seriously, this is the first time I've worn foundation since April.)
I love getting out of the house!!!
Talking to other adults is FUN.

I've got another party to look forward to tomorrow. It is nice to be doing something again.

My Kind of Camping

2009-06-07T09:37:00.015-06:00

This weekend the kids and I went camping with my family (parents, siblings, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins). We had a great time!! The only thing that would have made it better is if Jer would have been able to come with us, but he is in the middle of hay and couldn't leave his dad high and dry right now.

Anyway... for me to say a camping trip is a wonderful experience is very unusual. I really hate camping!! I hate being dirty. I hate preparing food without a kitchen. I hate not showering. I hate not having bathrooms. I hate sleeping outdoors. I do love being with family. I do enjoy going on nature walks and short hikes. I love playing games. I love sing alongs around a campfire. But, all of the other things I don't like about camping have always out-weighed the things I do enjoy. That's why the place we camped at, Heber Valley Camp, was perfect for me!!

There were working restrooms, including showers. We slept in clean, bug-free, cabins. The pavilion had nice gas camp chefs and sinks and counter tops. There was gravel and bark spread around so it wasn't muddy. And the scenery was gorgeous!!!

Heber Valley Camp was the brain-child of President Hinckley and all of the camps are named after righteous women. It includes a lake where you can do paddle boats and canoes (we didn't do that this time) and three challenge courses (we did do that). The staff consists of couple missionaries. I have to say, EVERYONE, thought this would be the best mission ever! We did have to do a thorough cleaning of our campsite which added probably 1-2 hours to packing up. But I think it was SO worth it!! I enjoyed camping for the first time since we stayed in cabins at Yellowstone about 15 years ago.

The first day, while we were getting dinner ready, the kids and my siblings and cousins played catch. Steve found a left-handed toddler mitt at my mom's house and this was Will's first time to use it.

Here is Katie with my cousin Samantha. Katie and Sammy both just finished kindergarten and had fun together!

I brought tractors and trucks for Ash and Will and they spent HOURS driving around the campsite, filling their trucks with rocks and dumping them. As long as those boys have dirt and trucks they are happy!

It was a bit chilly for June, so we spent quite a bit of time around the fire. Well, not Will, ever since he was burned on my mom's gas fireplace, he is scared of fire. One of my favorite Heslop-family camping traditions is listening to David (and others) singing around the fire.

The next morning, Steve, my mom, aunt Joan, and uncle David took all the little campers (my kids, my cousins' kids, and my little cousins) on a hike. They saw deer, ducks, geese, and beavers up close and personal. I think that might be the first time my kids saw a beaver in the wild.

After the hike and breakfast everyone went to the challenge course. My aunt Vinda had reserved one that as appropriate for all ages. Everyone participated in a variety of challenges and the sister missionaries shared gospel applications like faith and commitment after each activity. One the way home, my kids were discussing one of the challenges and they came up with a couple of different applications. I was impressed at the impact those challenges and discussions had on them.

Ashton and Will had such great times that they feel asleep almost instantly. Ashton kept bobbing his head forward and it looked very miserable. So my mom, who was sitting next to him, took a bungee cord off a foam pad and used it hold is held up. He slept bungeed to the seat for about an hour.

A couple of funny things Ashton said:

On the way up, the road was steep and windy (but well-paved!!) for about 5 miles. Ashton said, "Uh-oh! I think this is Thunder Mountain!" (He was pretty scared on that ride at Disneyland.) Then he added, "I do not want to come down! It really will be Thunder Mountain!" (We went down in second and it wasn't a problem.)

Last week, I took the kids to Night at the Museum 2 where they make a big deal about a night guard having a flashlight. The hero of the show is the night guard. Anyway, the first day/night we were there, Ashton kept insisting on having the flashlight with him at all times. Steve tried to take it away when it was for time for bed. But Ashton wanted to take it with him. When we asked him why he needed it, he looked at us very seriously and said loudly, "I want to be the night guard!!"

The next morning he woke up and said, "Steve, Grandma snores like a back hoe driving. She woke me up." Steve, my dad, and I were laughing so hard.

So now we are home and I am remembering the one last thing I don't like about camping, the laundry and clean up that follows. Thankfully, today is the Sabbath so I can put off cleaning it up until tomorrow. What a great weekend!

What was that?

2009-06-02T22:27:00.002-06:00

Tonight at dinner Jeremy and I had to chuckle over the following exchange:

Katie: Dad, I want to learn to milk a cow. Can you teach me sometime?

Ashton: Eww! That's disguistin'! I never want to touch those gudders!