Finally I know...

Thanks to Jared reminding me how important the 1st year birthday is...even if he is a third child! Some how life, memorial weekend and my upcoming Relief Society meeting has taken my days and filled them! So thanks for his encouraging words we made a MONKEY cake for Caleb. This kid has got a big mouth, big two teeth and some ears that most people would laugh at...but not his family! We just adore this kid. So here's to a birthday MONKEY cake for our special little guy. He was just as thrilled to see the candle again as he was to munch on some cake.

Oh, he's learned the "cheese" face already! Cute kid...Can you see those teeth? Honestly, they are so BIG!

Here's just a cute smiling picture of my favorite one year old ever. Little Caleb we love you! We know the love is still strong because Jared and I still fight over putting him to bed. Somehow that's the best part of the day...snuggling you and seeing you suck your thumb. Are we the only ones that thinks he looks like a monkey??? Cute kid!

Memorial Weekend

Here's to Memorial Day Weekend! Here is the view from Herriman Cemetary. We don't know anyone YET who is going to be buried here. But I must admit my parents decided that this is the place for them. So that made for interesting conversation with the kiddos. We were out for the night for some quality family time, having pizza at the park and the park of choice was right next to the cemetary. So I must admit it started out a wonderful holiday weekend!

Here we are battling the sun for a picture. If we faced the other direction the picture was black. If we faced the sun on the side bad light too. Yeah, I need to take a photography class to figure the lighting thing out! Either way my favorite part of the picture is me holding Jake with a great mom hold to keep him in the picture. And then there is Caleb...just having some more dinner...eating Jared's head! Sweet Alayna just jumped up and gave us her sweet smile, despite the sun!

YIKES...is this a reflection on the possible future? Well, I sure hope not. the adults under the pavilion were cracking up laughing at her hand on her hip and her intensity in making a "pretend" phone call. Randy (Jared's dad) gave Caleb this old cell phone as a toy. But Alayna insisted on carrying it around in her jacket and acting like she was making real phone calls. Oh, my little girl please stay little just a bit longer. Since I'm thinking about her growing up here is our conversation and cute moment on Saturday morning.

Alayna is by my bed drawing a darling picture in my gratitude journal. It happened to be a picture of me. (If you haven't seen her people picture drawings you are missing out!) I was looking down on her just thinking how this sweet little picture will soon stay and the sweet little girl drawing it will grow and get old. I was taken over for a brief "OH...my little girl...stay little" moment. When I said, "Alayna, don't grow old." She said, "Sorry, Mom I have too." I said, "No really Alayna please stay my little girl, don't grow!" (I'm hugging her and keeping her from drawing which she is putting up me oozing all over her but trying to maintain composure.) To which she replies, "I'm sorry mom, there is no other way. That's the plan. But don't worry I will still love you when I'm a mom!" I laughed and said, "I'm not worried about that I know by then you will LOVE me the very most, it's when your a teenager." She then laughed and said, "Mom, I will love you forever!" At which point I gave her another gigantic squeeze and hugged her so tight she screamed. Honestly, do they have to grow up?

Speaking of growing up, Caleb has. He's one years old and WALKING! Yeah, for those of you that celebrated with us just a week ago, as of June 1st (at Olivia's birthday party) he took his first two or three steps. Tonight he did about 6 or 7. He even managed to walk one handed with his thumb in his mouth! (Brian and Ashley don't worry we will get you online to have you witness it first hand!) This picture is even showing off a little ball quilt that I managed to sew for him for his birthday. Cute Aunt Ashley sewed one for Jake and let's just say it's his own personal lifeline that he can't live without. So I insisted to collect darling flannel fabric from Walmart and sew the little man one too.

Here's to another wonderful Sunday cooking away with Brian and Ashley. Yup, you guessed it Margarita pizza! Yum. Really, why don't we eat this everyday???

Aunt Ashley and the crazy man!

Oh, and here is one of my new favorite additions to the home. We have placed a United States map under my other favorite home item (my plastic table cloth from Walmart). This map has allowed my kids to discuss where family and friends are traveling, living and talking about. It's so cute because even Jake knows just by mentioning a handful of states. Brian and Ashley were impressed to have the kids know where Texas was!

Thanks to Grandma Suker she baked little Caleb a cake that he was able to do anything he wanted to it. He really didn't care for the cake but he did love the candle! Thanks to everyone in sharing in the great weekend together as family. A major thank you to Randy you funded the long weekend trip so Brian and Ashley could come and visit! Honestly, we are so blessed to have such a great family. This was a good holiday.

We have another Birthday!

Happy Birthday Caleb! You guessed it we have another birthday if that's possible!!! Happy Birthday we LOVE you!!! He's one years old and trying to get places on his feet. He is one happy little guy with four teeth and still loving two naps a day! I can't wait to go and get his birthday pictures taken...so fun. I doubt he will stay still for one picture. This kid is ALWAYS on the move...one wiggly little guy!!!

Preschool Graduation

Honestly can it get any cuter than this? I seriously doubt it! Every parent just gasped with the "AHHHH...so cute!" phrase when the kids walked out. They were literally, "adorable!" Here is Miss Alayna proud as can be that she passed preschool and received her award or diploma.

Just smiling and happy!

Here's to the graduating class of 2010...from preschool that is! The best part of the program was when the kids all sang, "I'm Proud to be an American" it was so moving and let's just say I was filled with tears. Every time she has sang it with me at home I tell her I love that song. But when all the kids were together singing it was wonderful. It sure does make us proud to have these kids instill some American pride. It was darling from start to finish! Alayna had a little poem to recite with a friend. And don't you worry she wanted her fair share at the microphone so she grabbed it and forced it closer to her mouth and spoke up extra loudly...all the parents let out a laugh because it was so funny. That's my girl wanting to be the star of the show! Miss Karie does a wonderful job as a teacher and Alayna kept saying the morning before the graduation..."I can't wait to get there to give her a great big hug!" Now that preschool is officially over Alayna is sad because she wants to see Miss Karie again.

Mr. Handsome

"Look it's me...I turned three!!!"

Of course I took Alayna in to get her pictures taken not more than two weeks ago and they didn't email you all of the pictures. So I had to scan them in...but now with Jake they emailed them all to me! So it was great...I just download them and then upload! SO EASY!!! Now going forward I don't think I will order nearly as many. I just like to have a few to remember how cute they are.

Let's just say this kid couldn't be happier to have had a birthday! He LOVES anything that has to do with his birthday...so seriously getting his pictures taken was SO easy because I told him they were his birthday pictures. I'm not sure if he thought there was a cake waiting for him or what! But either way he was adorable!!!

Life with SEVEN Children

Here's to the mothers of SEVEN out there. Let's just say that I am still living after having watched my own THREE children and Shan's FOUR children. Oh, we had them from Friday to Friday. If it's possible to look past the reality of having that many kids we had a great time. Shandra doesn't believe me when I tell her we had a really fun time. I made sure my schedule was clear of anything and we simply did FUN things. Shan was cute to leave fun prizes or presents for the kids each day to look forward too. So that helped create fun things to do each day. We had pizza, movies, classic skating, the mayan, artic circle, cookies, new books, etc.

The kids are showing off their excitement for pizza and a movie!

Due to the RAINY weather all week I had to think of something fun for us all to do. So we headed off to Wal-Mart to pick out fabric for new pillowcases. It was fun to have all the kids pick out their own. This allowed for one day to be spent indoors and snuggle and watch a movie with their new pillowcases. It was SO fun to watch their excitement and love towards their new pillowcases.

Here we are with our six monkies at the mayan. Thanks to my neighbor I left Caleb home to sleep...not sure that I could do all seven out of the house at one time! This was Jake's birthday so it made for a fun day for him too!

Here are my cute kids. I must say that yes I did get teary eyed because they had to leave. Shan and Todd have done a wonderful job raising such cute kids. Not to mention Alayna adores the older cousins and Jake and Isaac live to hang out together. Really the week flew by and now we just get to keep hanging out with them because they are still off track!

Here are to the lessons I learned as a mother of SEVEN:
1. Wake up early and exercise...I mean like 6:30am (This is VERY early for me!)
2. After you exercise, shower and be done with that activity. Because if you don't it won't happen until night time! Really, I learned this first hand!
3. No matter what read your scriptures and kneel in prayer, everyday! Because this is truly the only thing that will prepare you for battle all day long!
4. Enjoy them. Because really kids are adorable. Enjoy talking to them and tucking them in. Kids are so sweet and I just love them!
5. Don't be alarmed if two little boys run around naked 80% of your day...really what is the deal with potty trained three year olds and their difficulty of getting all their clothes on?
6. Make easy dinner meals...or really all meals must be thought ahead in advance...because once it's rush time you better be prepared!
7. Always use paper plates. Because after each meal your kitchen still seems clean!

So for the next time I watch their kids I am ready for anything! Bring them on!!!!

So good.

Happy Birthday Jake!

Really, how could we live with out this little man? Well it's simply not possible. His smile and personality is so contagious that we all want to be around him.

Funny man...

Happy kid...

Cheese ball... We love you our Jakey!

Happy Mothers Day!

Yes, you counted right...SEVEN...Who would have thought that I would have seven kids? Not me...but then again it would keep me on my toes. I hope every mother had a wonderful of a day as I did. Honestly I can say that it was one of my best yet. For some reason I was so sensitive to the spirit and the love that the Lord has for all of his children. Simply said it was a good day. I was even able to find some quiet time with all my children to write in my journal. I love those quiet moments! Let's just say my husband is amazing.

Happy Birthday Girl!

Can you believe our little girl is 5 years old! Here are a few of her birthday pictures. Enjoy!

Clothes People

Something funny that has turned into a habit is known as "clothes people" at our house.

Thankfully, this has become a good habit. It started out as a joke because Alayna was so detail oriented in having to lay out exactly every layer of her clothing each night. Well, her tradition has not only continued for over a year now but she has passed this silly thing on to Jake.

My favorite part is that the socks are hooked inside the shoes and the socks are always touching or inside the pants. Alayna is insistant on each layer being properly dressed while Jake LOVES to see his underware on top. Each night as they do this I always want to capture it on a picture so I won't forget how silly they are. Tonight I just ran downstairs to get it! They were so excited that I was taking pictures of their "clothes people!" So here is some advice if you are having a hard time getting your kids dressed in the morning...turn the clothes into people and all of a sudden they will want to do this every night!

More Womens Conferency at BYU!

Here are a few pictures from our day on Friday. I was able to recruit a few friends to come with me! On Thursday Emily and her mom were with me for a few classes which made it so fun to not be alone the whole day. But on Friday we were together all day.

This picture represents our tear stained faces and eyes from one of the best talks on Humanitarian Aid and Welfare services for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was so emotional and I loved it!

We were also able to listen to Elder Oaks for the closing session. It was wonderful as well! Really, every class and discussion was so inspiring. I love it!

Campus was beautiful! I think spring time is just as breathtaking as the fall. I especially LOVE the spring because it means COLOR from trees and flowers.

These trees were BRIGHT purple and pink!

I just had to take a picture of the Y for Jake and Alayna. They LOVE BYU and so why not show them where I have been! Alayna was very interested in knowing why I was going back to school. I told her I was going to school to become a better Mommy. She said, "Mom can you take a picture of the desk you sit in?" I had to laugh because she was so intrigued with me sitting in a desk like she does at school. I sadly didn't sit in any desk...so I decided to take pictures of the beautiful campus and when it came time to show her them I said, "Alayna look at these beautiful trees it was so pretty..." She said, "Oh...um..where's the picture of the desk?" It was a funny thing for her to be so interested in and sadly I couldn't please her this time! But I told her all the wonderful things I learned. I have come to a decision that this is the best kind of "break" for mom's. We are away and spiritually fed from morning till night! Thanks for Emily for getting me hooked to these FUN outing!!!