Brooke Turns 6!

Brooke had her 6th birthday party with just our family this year. It was really nice not having to plan a friend party because those are a LOT of work!

Brooke always gets so excited about everything. It's so much fun to watch her open presents because she's just giddy with each one. Sure do love this girl.

Sunday Box

So, with my newly organized life (she says, tongue-in-cheek), I've decided to conquer yet another project...a Sunday Box. I got the idea from a yahoo FHE group I'm a part of, and I'd love to hear some ideas about what to include in it. The whole purpose of the SB is to give the kids something to do , in keeping with the spirit of the Sabbath Day. It's only brought out on Sunday, so everything in it stays fresh & hopefully they won't get bored with its contents. I thought about putting in paper & crayons or colored pencils, envelopes, stickers & stamps to write letters & make cards for family members & missionaries. I also want to include issues of The Friend w/ copies of their coloring pages, mazes, word searches, etc. for each of the girls. That's where my creativity hits a brick wall, which at this point, I'm just going to blame on the pregnancy...because I can. I'd LOVE to hear your ideas about additional items & I promise to share my completed box contents with you all!

Seeing the Light

Mike & I have spent the day trying to rearrange the house in order to make room for our newest addition. We moved our bedroom to the smaller office, and are in the process of moving all the computer stuff, including the desk, bookcases, file cabinets & craft gear into the master bedroom, where half the room will be reserved for the crib & a small dresser. Of course, that means that the entire office is in my tiny living room right now, as we try to fit things into their new homes. Maybe it's my nesting instinct kicking in already, but I really hope to purge as much as I possibly can in order to feel less crowded. I think I'm going to try to sell a bunch of stuff, either on ebay or ksl.com...we'll see how far I get.
The point is, there's just something to be said for cleaning up your life! Whether it be physically, spiritually, emotionally, financially, etc. Light just seems to shine through when there are no obstacles to block its path, and I feel as though I've been in the dark for a while with all my clutter! Of course, my mind is a bit cluttered since I'm off my meds, so I think that's manifesting itself in the rest of my life...but that's an entirely different story. For now, the house will hopefully be coming together tomorrow & I'll once again be able to see the Light!

Change of Pace

So, it's official. The days of buying 4 pink dresses, 4 Barbies, 4 My Little Ponies and 4 of anything princess, HSM or Hannah Montana will forever be altered by what the ultrasound revealed to us last week.

B-O-Y

I'm not sure I even spelled it right, it's been a not-oft-mentioned word in this house for the last 8 years. As you can imagine, Mike's reaction was one of complete TRIUMPH, as he raised his fists victoriously in the air (as if he was Rocky finally making it to the top of those ominous stairs) and exclaimed, "I CAN do it!" Then, afraid it could all just be the unreachable dream, he continued to ask me if I was "sure."



Mike, "Are you SURE it's a boy?"

Amanda, "Yes, Honey, I'm sure."

Mike, "Are you SURE the doctor said BOY?"

Amanda, "Yes, Dear, she said it's 100% boy."

Mike, "So there's NO doubt that it's a boy?"

Amanda, "I think that's what 100% means."

Mike, "So there's not even a CHANCE it's a girl?"

Amanda, "If there was a chance, she would've said 99% or less."

Mike, "So we're REALLY having a boy?"

Amanda, "No, Honey, it's twin girls--good luck with that."

Three hours later....

Mike, "It really IS a boy?"



I don't think he'll really be convinced until this little guy is actually born on June 19th. He's already told me that the first thing he's getting for him will be a Laker's onesie--except that I cheer AGAINST the Lakers, no matter who they're playing, and I'm the one who'll be dressing our little man, so you figure that one out!

I'm still a little shocked and unsure of how this little boy will fit into our family. It's been so easy so far--same toys, same clothes, same movies. No wrestling, video games, light sabers, or fighting over Saturday morning cartoons (sorry you never got to watch He-Man or Transformers in your houseful of sisters, John David), which I have to admit has been REALLY nice! I guess the Lord thinks we're ready for little Dixon or Eli or Ace or Jack, or whatever his name ends up being. But no matter what reservations we may have, we're grateful for this new adventure in our lives. We're grateful that Mike will have a son to pass his name on to, and we're grateful our girls will know the joy of having a brother--though it may be a few years down the road before they feel the same!

All I can say is--Change, it is a-comin'!

Goodbye, Hello!

It's certainly been an interesting month. Having John David and the girls here and visiting with Mom & Dad & Julianne & her family was so great, though I'm now utterly exhausted. I wish we lived closer together as to avoid these kinds of marathon visits, which tend to wear on everyone. We spent our days shopping, which included about 3 trips to the grocery store per day on average, since no one could seem to get it together enough to compile just ONE list! Maybe that had something to do with the 16 kids cooped up in the house for the week with nothing to do but harrass each other and remind us of how bored they were. There were a few setbacks, including a nasty storm 2 days before Christmas, which thwarted our attempts to travel to Salt Lake. We missed out on the lights at Temple Square, going to the Planetarium, my roommate reunion, and a photo shoot for Julianne's family. (I'm SO sorry, Heather! They'll be back at the end of summer--maybe we can try again then!) We also had some sick monkeys, which thankfully got over it quickly, because Christmas morning was sure fun for all of us! You can just imagine these 16 kids all tearing into their presents at once, (not to mention the 9 adults) squealing with delight at whatever they had received. It made all the madness somehow worth it.
Now life is getting back to "normal." At least it will be, starting Monday when the girls go back to school. I can tell they're getting bored being at home because the arguing has escalated in the last couple of days. It will be good for them, and me, to get back on schedule.
I'm grateful to have another year laid out in front of me like a blank slate waiting for me to write the next chapters of my life. I think I've inherited some of my Dad's cynicism because by the end of every year, I just can't wait to close the chapter on all my failures and start all over again. I hope to be more optomistic this year. Not that I think life will get any easier for any of us, but because I'm putting my trust in the Lord more than ever before. I think that's the best any of us can do as we face a time foretold by prophets, ancient and modern. Because of that, I'm truly excited for the opportunity to teach the Doctrine & Covenants this year. Teaching has given me a new thirst for learning, and the more I learn about the gospel, the more I realize I don't know nothin'! (Which, of course, only makes me eager to learn it all!)
Yes, 2009 is going to be full of challenges, trials, & adversity (I told you I was cynical...), but I will continue to cling to the hope that I will rise to my challenges, grow from my trials and overcome all adversity that will most assuredly crowd my path. I hope I've learned from this last year, that as much as I hate to admit it, I can't make it on my own, and that it is painful to even try!

The Madness Has Begun!

I had intended on writing at least a couple of times a week, but I'll just blame my inconsistency on the holidays for now, since we've already had family with us for Christmas for the last week! John David flew from Germany, picked up Cami and Isabelle in Texas, then flew with them to Utah last Sunday. It's been so nice spending time with my brother, as it's been quite some time since we've been able to really catch up. My girls are LOVING having their cousins here, too! They all get along really well--at least for this first week--we'll see how worn down they get in the next two!!! I'm excited to get the rest of the family here on Saturday. THANKFULLY , they'll be staying with Meredith since having 9 people in here is already making our tiny house bulge at the seams!
I really should be taking advantage of everyone being at school and out shopping, and clean my house before they all get back. There's now toothpaste in places I never knew existed, and seriously, who knew milk could superglue cheerios to the kitchen floor? I've already told the rest of my family that I can't guarantee what I clean today will stay that way by the time they all get here, and until my children learn how to fold laundry, clean the dishes and mop the floor WITHOUT me having to redo it, they'll just have to be satisfied with what I get around to doing!!!