We're back!!!!!

Well I finally got my blog to work from my phone!! I'm so excited to be back on my blog.....I am so sad & ashamed that I haven't been blogging for a little over a year!! I'm not sure if I should try to play catch up or just start posting day by day, I'll probably do a little of both. Our lives have been crazier than ever. In the past year we have moved....again....devin has been in the hospital.......a lot..... and everyone is growing up, and happy to be in the same place for a couple years now. Even though we moved into a new house, it was only a few streets away, & we were blessed to be able to stay in the same ward and at the same schools. Devin, just last week, went through an 8 hour surgery to have 90% of his esophagus removed in hopes that this will solve his medical problems & all of us to have a normal life again. In the meantime I am working at Bellagios waiting tables and started my own business doing eyelash extensions which is going great. I will try to play catch up over the next month, but I'm super happy to be blogging again!!

The train park

I was waiting to download pictures from another camera before I posted about this, but I still haven't done it so I'm posting these in the mean time. I LOVE my friends, like really really LOVE them. I have the most amazing group of girlfriends and have waited a long time to have great girlfriends again (I'm sure I have posted about this several times before) We went for a fun day at the Train Park during Spring Break and it was so much fun! It was a bit hotter than we would have liked it to be, but we still had a blast! We enjoyed good friends, yummy lunch, and a day outside. EVEN loosing Ryker for 20 min (big surprise) it was still a great day and we will do it again.......when its not 100 degrees outside!

Paper towels and Tide

Paper towels make me happy. I know, its really weird but when I have paper towels on my counter it makes me feel blessed and I'll tell you why. There was a time when we were starting our concrete business with Devins brothers over 10 years ago that at its worst we went 9 weeks without a paycheck. I don't know how we managed! Tiffany and I were both pregnant,....both with our 3rd baby; it was stressful and I think all of us involved cried a lot. During that time we had to  make every dollar we had go as far as possible so we gave up simple things in life that were just amenities; things like paper towels, Tide & Downey. We used the store brands of everything just to save a buck, even if the store brand didn't even hardly clean the clothes. Today our lives had lead us to a very different path. Devin being a full time student at 38 with 8 children.....it almost seems as though we are doing life backwards. BUT, even though our satellite might get turned off from time to time, or we are scrounging to find gas money, when I see paper towels sitting on my counter it makes me feel joy and I find gratitude for being able to have paper towels, I smile when I smell my laundry and downey fills my nose. I know its dumb, but I guess I am grateful for the hard times so I can appreciate the small and simple things in life.

Conference Sunday

Conference Sunday is my favorite!! Hanging out with family, staying in my jammies all morning, yummy breakfast!! It's the best! We had everyone over for breakfast to spend afew more hours with Cassie before her flight back to Utah. The girls also did nails.....including Maddy and Mercedes Hahaha! We had a great Sunday!

This little man!

I tell ya.....I forgot how challenging 3 year old boys are!! Little Mr.Ryker is really testing his limits these days! Devin has to take a toilet off weekly to retrieve a car, or fork or whatever else he has stuck in there. Tuesday he poured a gallon bottle of honey into a pencil case.....I guess at least he kept it in the case?? LOL THEN.....this is how the little crazy man saves himself....by bringing me his crayons and coloring book and laying next to me on the couch to color for a half hour! As MUCH as he drives me crazy, he sure is cute...and THAT my friends is what saves his life.

Silly Brinny

This is a little girl that seriously cracks me up! This is what she wore to bed tonight....boots and all! WITH the promise to Liberty that if she could wear the flower to bed she would give it back in the morning so she could wear it to school. Her MOST hilarious thing she does lately, is wear deoderant....EVERY day! Hahahahaha!! Emberlyn started wearing it about a month ago and I guess has told her sisters all about it.....I'm assuming Brinley thinks its SO cool that she must do it to! Really, I love this princess!!!!

1st lost tooth

We have waited a long time for miss Liberty to loose her 1st tooth! The baby girl is gonna be 7 in 3 months and is just now loosing her 1st one!! I was getting a little worried because her two bottom teeth have been loose for a long time AND her big girl teeth have already come in behind her baby teeth, but thank goodness Daddy had a pair of pliers teasing he was gonna pull all her teeth out and POP...out it came. I was cracking up, even more so when Libs started to act like she was gonna cry, then realized it didn't hurt so then she started giggling. She's such a cutie pie! Happy 1st tooth fairy visit Liberty!!

Family Pictures 2011

Ok, here is the disclaimer....none of these are edited yet, but I was dying to get them put on here. Seriously could my family be any cuter??? These are some DANG cute kids! I'm so happy how these turned out! I spent weeks ordering and shopping for clothes, planning outfits, making bracelets and blinging out sandals...ya know....stuff that NO ONE will ever notice but me! But, it was worth it! We got some great shots (afew more to come....I took afew with my camera of the boys I just have to download them) and it was worth all the stress leading up to it!

CRASH and Burn!

Seriously! OUCH!!! You just look at this and wince thinking about how much this must have hurt, but yet here is my Brigham smiling about it the next day! He is the king of horrible accidents, with no dramatic story behind it! He was riding his scooter and fell on the sidewalk out front, poor kid! It will probably take awhile for the skin to heal all the way.....its funny how I can look at a pic of one of my babies being hurt so bad but still think "awwww, hes so cute!"

Valentines Day 2011

This is what I woke up to Valentines morning, I'm pretty sure the little kids were even more excited than I was! I got to enjoy my balloons for about 10 min before the little kids divided them up and decided which one was "theirs" The one that played music when you tapped it was the hot ticket item!

 I was the MOST thrilled with my real gift.....my wedding ring!! Devin surprised me by going and getting it from the jewelers. I took it there over 9 months ago when a side stone fell out and you know how life is....shoes for the kids are more important than picking up your ring from the jewelers. So I was beyond happy to have it back; it was the perfect present!!!

I'm not sure how many years ago we started our annual Valentines Day family dinner, probably going on 5 years? I had kind of a flash into the future this year, of all my kids being married with their own families and continuing this tradition. I figure Grandma and Grandpa can babysit on Valentines so all the moms and dads can have a nice date night and then on like the Monday before Vday or something still have our traditional dinner. Am I weird that I think of those things? Probably....but I love thinking about what life will be like 15 years from now with my family...I guess because I love hanging out with my own brothers and sisters so much!

 This was our pretty little table that I decorated while the kids were outside playing with their friends. I was gonna make super cute cookies, but after all the junk they got at school, plus the candy I put int their cups I figured they didn't need any more sugar. I LOVE and adore my family, and I think even more I LOVE that this once romantic day that just Devin and I celebrated has turned into a day of making sure my kids know just how much their Mom and Dad love them.