What! The wonderful world of blogging.

I'MMM BAA-AAACK!
That's right baby, after about a 4 year sabbatical I have decided that blogging is where it's at...again. There have been so many changes I don't even know where to begin, let me start with a small recap of the last 4 years.
I had a few health issues to deal with and learn to cope with pretty instensively over the last few years. I have also been quite busy being mom to those 4 kids I was always writing about.
Next of all, Mike and I decided we would start the journey of college education in the fall of 2013, Ha!!! Two old married people going to college, what could be better? Oh, only that Mike was called to be the Bishop of our ward 2 days later... double Ha!!! That was crazy! But I digress, then two years later he was called as the second counselor in the Stake Presidency. Ummm. That was crazier! We are still a little in shock and still in college. Ha ha.
Mike also found a great job with advanced md. He likes it.
The kids are hugeungous! As in super grown up. Sonia (12) is unbearably beautiful and just got her patriarchal blessing because she is awesome.
James (one week away from being 11) is super handsome and smart and a little funny and broody all at the same time. He is amazing at sports which we hardly let him participate in because we have no time as a family.
Macey (7) is super funny and sassy along with being beautiful. She is a natural popular girl which sort of scares me but combats it with the fact that she grapples with being nice to every one she comes in contact with.
Joey (5) joey, joey, joey. It should be said that the kid never stops talking. Is uncontrollably extroverted, and super funny. Perfect baby of the family and according to his siblings is spoiled too. I have to make mention that he spent the better part of the last 4 years throwing up spontaneously due to his incredible gag reflex. Ba Ha! He may have set some sort of world record--- and remember how throw up phobe I used to be, he cured me of that!

The older three are all in piano and getting really, really good! I also started piano and am just fair despite telling my kids all the time what a good piano player I am.

Ok--- all caught up? Next time I will give you a little snapshot of a day in the life of us, it's gonna be great!
Lindsey

If only I werent too tired to post a picture of this or use punctuation

You should seriously see my house. The basement is done aside from the carpet on the stairs and 1 room. Words cannot express the amount of work we have done. It has been outstanding. Our kids don't even know which way is up at this point. And their homework is proof. We are a mere month away from having the entire home reno done done and done.
We are now starting on the upstairs, but here is a little recap of everything we have done
wiring
framing of basement
drywalling
mudding
plumbing (last 2 we hired some work on)
cleaning floors
building out closets
filling nail holes
painting
cleaning floors again
trim work
painting trim
wood floor
glueing wood floor
cleaning up wood floor glue off everything
rocking the fireplace
grouting the fireplace
tearing out carpet upstairs to put into basement
lots of tears from mom
lots of junk being moved to garage so we can fill our house again once upstairs is done
lots of runs to home depot......
Life has been nuts!!!!
But the basement is so pretty and if nothing else our kids now know mom and dad know how to work HARD.
Now that the basement looks so good the upstairs looks like a bomb went off. I havent been to bed in the pm hours of the day in 4 months!
Now for the upstairs
Paint
wood floor
fireplace
the end

PS someday along with everything else we are doing I will learn to make my kids feel more loved and gain everlasting patience with them because I love them....

I am so grateful for our 4 children, my jewels, and the oppurtunity I have to come to know the true nature of Heavenly Father through raising them. Even if I am so grateful today it feels like my heart will explode!

Happy One Year Old and Sonias Style and Other Musings of a Momma

First of all may I say... I love a ONE year old....why are they soooo cute? Joey may have been the cutest of all one year olds, do I say this with all of them?
At first I scoured the internet for party themes, this is where sonia may get her love of themes, then felt terrible for not being a better cake decorator, party planner, mom, human being-the internet does this to me- settled on  a monster cake, it was super cute, then I remembered a tid bit I have picked up from being mom to 4 kids. All a one year old wants for their birthday is balloons, and boy did he get them...cute ones. Success!!!




Swim lessons are in full swing. Do I sign them up for another session and have crazy summer (messy house) some more, or do we sit around the last few weeks of summer in a semi clean house...I think I just answered my own question. Carpe Diem! Pretty soon they will be back at school and I can have a semi clean house, but summer is for sun and swimming and being crazy kats!
Now is the time that I rattle off updates on all the kids.
Sonia is sooooo 8. As we are school shopping she is telling me about her style... apparently this includes dresses that look like Lady Gothal, tangleds evil mother, with swooping arms that go to the wrist and crushed red velvet. She also picked out a pair of boots yesterday that where slouchy black leather with a buckle and knee high with a heel, in her size, why do they even make these? answer: to torture mothers everywhere
 I love that she is asserting her independence but can't she do it in a more unicorn and puffy clouds and pink sort of way?????????? I didn't really mean that....yes I did, no wait, where is the line between supportive and mad they are growing up? And did I mention how beautiful she is?







James oh James I can't believe you are turning 7! You are turning into quite the man, super handsome and ultra smart....sometimes I can't keep up with you. He has learned to swim this year! And is even taking Karate from a kid down the street. And loving it!

Macey Ann is doing great, she is sooo funny and super independent. She has picked up riding sonias scooter because hers is too small. She told me she had a dream about Santa he was a baby and he left her a scooter, she was giggling the whole time. Her hair is such a pretty color it is like gold.
Joey is cutting his 5th adn 6th teeth. Poor kid. He got his top I teeth before his front ones that makes for one cute kid!
One more thing needs to be said. I am tired of these kids growing up.... I worry about what it and I will be like without them here. I worry I am not teaching them all that I need to, how do I know I am not messing them up? Am I giving them a strong enough family identity, how about a strong enough testimony, or sense of self worth....too many things to try to sort out at 4 in the morning, back to bed for this tired mommy.

What I like MOST!!!

If I had to capture moments in time, but I could only have say 20 or so, I would for sure want one of them to be on the lake. This is a family favorite!
Yesterday as I was spending all my day trying to get the boat ready and thinking "this is re-diculious! Why are we doing all this work to go on the lake for maybe 2 hours tops?" I must have forgotten how every one in the family does a collective Ahhh when we first open it up on the lake, I must have forgotten how all our worries melt away. Just thought I ought to remember this forever. I am not posting a pic because I am going to paint one in your mind...little kids on the sparkling lake just before the sun goes down you know the time. Giggling and laughing on the tube....THIS IS THE LIFE!!!

Catch Up!!!!

I just wanted to post a few pics from Joeys baby blessing last fall! He is getting his bottom teeth and spends most of his day either giggling or crying, depending on if he is being held or not. So... I thought it would be fun to take a little walk down memory lane, and show how cute he was, he is still pretty darn handsome!!! We luv ya Joey Ba goey

Its Great to be 8

I finally have a moment to blog about Sonias Baptism. I was on January 7th so she was ecstatic to be baptized on her birthday week.

Lets start at the beginning with all the details, Grandma O. went dress shopping with us and got her the perfect dress, she looked beautiful!

It did snow!!! Is was so fresh and white outside, I love waking up to a blanket of white and it has been such a dry winter I didn't think it would be possible, but everyone was jumping around the house when they saw that it snowed!

The baptism was held at our Stake Center at 9am. Surprisingly every one made it on time ( with the exception on the Campos family who was nursing Poor Auntie Nessa who had pneumonia) :(

Michael performed the baptism and Grandpa Bateman and Grandpa Oliver were the witnesses, Aunt Angie spoke on Baptism and Grandma O. lead the music and Grandma Bateman gave a wonderful prayer, also Uncle Torrey played the piano. Lots of family participation.

After we had a luncheon at our church on Homestead Dr. We enjoyed a soup and salad buffet.

It was such a nice day!!! I am so proud of you Sonia, you are an amazing daughter of God who amazes me with your understanding of the Gospel. WE LOVE YOU. Thanks for being a part of our family.