A confession and a bragging session all in one!

I'm going to confess! They say it's good for the soul so here goes! Many of you may not know this about me but I am a blog stalker!!!! LOL I really love to read other people's blogs but as you can tell I have not been very good at keeping mine up! Excuses....Opps I mean reasons are that I am really not the best candidate for an entertaining blog. I don't really feel as if my life is interesting enough for other people to want to read about it and I have to admit that I forget to post pictures or just plain don't take pictures to post. Reason #2 I love to read all the cooking blogs and the crafty blogs and the blogs that belong to friends and family I'm not all that creative and the recipes I use come from someone else's blog. Friends and Family I guess that can't be to much of a reason because I do have a lot of you out there. So with that all out and everything I guess it is time to get back on the band wagon and blog about my awesome kids and let the world know that I am the most amazing mother in the whole wide world (of course that is excluding all of my awesome friends and family that are even better) LOL I didn't say this was going to be one hundred percent accurate just that I am going to put something on here. So yes I can be delusional and say crazy things like I'm the best mom in the world because chances are tomorrow I might change my mind and decide that I am truly the worst mom in the world. For all you mom's out there you know the roller coaster of being a mom.

As time keeps passing I realize just how quickly time goes by. My beautiful Alecia is now almost 17. She is looking into colleges and all that involves. I'm not ready to let her fly so maybe I can clip her wings for a little bit longer. Uggg Oh well I am really proud of her. She is so very active at school. She is the president of 4-H, the founder of a book club, the stage manager for the drama club, a choir member, and also a member of the Spanish club. She has earned her Young Women in Excellence medallion and is actively going to seminary even on the days she can't go to school because of an appointment she goes to seminary. She is in the top 5 or 10% of her class at ASH and she is actively looking for scholarships to apply for. She is one of the best baby sitters that I have ever heard of and she is my daughter. I love her so much and am going to miss her around everyday when it is time for her to fly without me. However, I know that she will excel where ever she is because that is just who she is. Enjoy your babies while their babies because you will truly look back one day and wonder where all the time went!

Opps and a Resulution

Hmmm, A lot of time has gone by since my last post. I have been extremely busy with Christmas, kids, substitute teaching, kids, church, kids, husband, kids!!!! lol I think you are getting the picture. So I am going to try to add a few things I missed but mostly I just want to get back to blogging so I'm not going to stress over the past and try to go forward with the present. So with any luck and a lot of work I may manage to get back on track@

What I have learned from my life as a mom!

Many times in my life I have dealt with so many crazy people. Those who think that I have lost a marble or two because I have seven children. I love my kids and am so thankful for the many opportunities for growth that they give me. As I watch my oldest daughter Alecia grow and make good choices it helps me to want to be the best example I can so that she will know what our Father in Heaven wants for her. She is such a wonderful young woman. She makes such awesome choices in her life. She is smart and creative. She loves to write and make jewelry. She also loves words. She can make a great study of a word so that she can use it correctly. She stands strong in her beliefs and doesn't care what other people think of her only what her Heavenly Father thinks about what she chooses. It is amazing to me to watch her mature and her testimony grow. I am truly a blessed woman. She has earned her YW medallion and is only 16. She is excited for the opportunity to continue her study and earn the honor bee. Her example is great for her younger 6 siblings.
As I watch my son Brandon I know that the Lord has given me another blessing. He is strong and loves the priesthood. He has always been close to the spirit. I remember when he was about six, if he sat away from the girls he would watch conference just as intently as he watched his favorite shows. He is on the downward slope to getting his eagle scout award and he loves his family. I know that when he turns 19 that he will gladly serve a mission because it is one of his goals and he will achieve all his goals. He is a strong young man who loves his family and the Lord. I learn to be a better mother and strive to be closer to the Lord as I watch my strong young man struggle through the life of a young man in a world that has so many pitfalls. He will make it because he has the spirit with him always.
As I watch my beautiful daughter Katie who is only 12 but looks a whole lot older, I learn the importance of fun and laughter in life. She is so vibrant, her eyes light up and she just glows. She is also struggling in a world of Satan's pitfalls but she will persevere because she has a desire to do good. I love her so much. She has a wonderful example in her big sister Alecia but that can be a hard thing to follow sometimes, especially when she is so different from her big sister. I have had to tell her over and over again that she is who she is and that is good. She can be a great example for good in this world and still be the happy excited person that she has always been. I have learned the importance of difference and fun from my darling Katie.
Krystal is my wonderful 10 year old. She is my little sunshine. When she smiles she can light up the life of the most depressed person. I am so blessed to have her as an example in my life. She has the tough road of being a middle child and I have watched her excel in many things. She has taught me to look out for those moments when I can brighten someone else's life with a smile.
Bethany is a shooting star. She can make you laugh and cry and want to laugh some more. Bethany is only 8 and I watch her looking up to her sisters and finding her own little niche in the family. She is her own little individual and I love to see her smiling face. She has taught me to laugh and enjoy myself. Life is fun and you can have a great time and still serve the Lord.
Jessica is our little princess. She is a calming influence on the family but is also the littlest. It is hard to pinpoint her exact personality just yet as she is only 6 but she is loved by all. She teaches me humility as she looks up to all her sisters.
Jared is the youngest son and has a spirit of energy. I wish I could bottle that energy and use it for myself. He teaches me to be more active and love it. He too is 6 and because he and Jessica are twins they have a love for one another that is amazing. When one is sick they want them to get better and they teach me the importance of unconditional love.
So as the mother of a large family I have learned that I am teaching them but if I watch closely I will learn so much more from them.

School Already!

Is it really time for a new year of school to start!!! Ugg I can't believe the summer went by so quickly. I love my kids and really enjoy having them at home. It also doesn't hurt that taxi momma's duties are less during the summer. LOL Anyway I'm off for a day of shopping. Have to get the kids stuff on less than half of what I need but I will try to persevere and get the best deals. Wish me luck.

Summer Scripture Reading Program

We started a summer scripture program today. It is this awesome program that a website I found does. It is called scriptures4kids and you can find it on my facebook page. Anyway I followed the family home evening for the kick off tonight and then asked the kids to commit to the program. Alecia, Brandon and Katie are to read 8 pages a day and at the end of the summer they will have read the entire Book of Mormon. Krystal, Bethany, Jared and Jessica are reading 15 minutes a day. I helped Jessica read tonight and she managed to get 13 verses done in the 15 minutes. I had her read the words that she knows and then helped her with the harder words. It was a lot of fun. I will let you know how we're doing next week. Wish us Luck!!

Happy Birthday Sweetie!!!

David turned 41 today. I asked him what he wanted for his birthday present and he started naming things that either he would forget about, needed at the office, or would have bought himself anyway. He finally mentioned that he wanted a suit. I figured it's something he's been wanting for a while and he would not buy himself so that is what I got him for his birthday. Isn't he handsome!!!! Ahh I just love this man.

Surprise, Surprise!!!

There are many times in your life that makes you go WHAT!!!!! Today was one of those days. As I was sitting with my family in Sacrament meeting today little did I know what kind of change the Lord had in store for our ward. It is so amazing that our Heavenly Father knows what needs to be done to spread his gospel through out the world. He is always a step ahead so when he does something sometimes our reaction is WHAT. Today our ward of about 120-150 active members was split into two wards. The kicker is that we were actually a ward of about 800 but you do the math and you will see how many inactive members reside in these areas. Not to mention our ward boundaries covered one whole parish and several parts of surrounding parishes.
So when President Epperson announced this and then asked the Ward 2 side to stand, you knew it was right. However then he asked Ward 1 side to stand and it looked more like a branch. Of course we are on the tiny side so there is a lot of work that will be falling on a few strong shoulders until the ward takes off. I believe that our Father in Heaven is asking us to stand up and put our backs into the work. If we can get even a quarter of the numbers back into activation we will be a strong ward. I pray that we will all see that our Father's hand is in this and that we can and will make it work if we rely on Him.