The Princess and Her Protectors

Lego Creations

2012-01-02T19:44:00.001-08:00

We had a Lego competition for New Year's Christmas with the Varney's! Landon and the kids created a space station complete with spacemen, space ships and satelites! All the kids added something and had somuch fun! The hours spent building all the Legos were well worth it! Oh the imagination of my family :)

They had a garden and a kitchen that even had lego fish inside!

New Title...

2011-12-19T10:52:00.000-08:00

Well Ruthie isn't exactly the Princess in the middle anymore...not with 5 brothers...so we need a name change for our blog... suggestions? :)

Baby #6

2011-12-01T13:42:00.000-08:00

Here is our little man - coming in January! Our first 3D ultra sound was SO much fun. The kids loved seeing him look like a baby... it sure makes it real for us!

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-01T10:01:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas 2011! I must admit that buying 4 ties and 1 dress makes it easier on the budget :) The kids loved doing a silly face for their pose and it was very fitting, considering their ages!

Porter (11) James (9 1/2)
Ruthie (8)

Weston (5) Blake (3)

Ruthie was in the Nutcracker with Studio R ballet. She was a baffoon - the cute little dancers that come out from under the 'big ladies' skirt! She was so adorable and danced perfectly! We are so proud of our little ballerina. Even her brothers liked the performance!

Ruthie's Baptism Pictures

2011-08-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

She is trying to be like Jesus... I love this one!

We had 2 very talented photographers take themost amazing pictures of our beautiful girl! Thank you Ryan Bitter and Kari Kerns for your amazing camera skills :) !

I absolutely LOVE the lighting and 'bow' shot with her gorgeous hair!

How did she grow up so fast?

Oh those eyes!

Family Pictures 2011

2011-08-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

Big Brother

2011-07-03T21:48:00.000-07:00

YES...Blake will be a BIG brother in January. We are so excited that #6 is on the way! James is excited to share his Birthday month - now we'll have 2 in sept, oct, nov and jan! So fun. I'm feeling great and Landon and I couldn't be happier for this great new step in our lives. It's amazing, our Father in Heaven's Plan and timing in all things!! We find out August 9th if we'll be adding a sister or brother to the mix... with 4 boys and 1 girl - the odds are for blue...but we'll see!

Elder Brandon Varney

2011-05-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

Our oldest Varney nephew, Brandon, left for the MTC in Provo, Ut. to serve in the Paraguay, Ascension Mission. The kids loved getting their picture with Brandon, so they could look at it everytime we write letters to him. We are so proud of the righteous example that Brandon is setting for his younger cousins!

Our Little Ballerina

2011-05-21T15:29:00.000-07:00

Ruthie is in a wodnerful ballet class with Ms. Robbin! We were so excited to see her demonstation and dance with her friends! In only 2 months of lessons, Ruthie really picked up on all of the ballet terms and technic!

Potty Training...my baby!

2011-03-31T08:32:00.001-07:00

My big 2 year old! Blake woke up dry and was so excited to go peepee on the potty! SO....Thomas underwear it is...and of course juice boxes for bribery! Wish us luck!

First Time Skiing!

2011-03-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Colorado Mountains! First time skiing together as a family!

Fun family day skiing! Purgatory was awesome!

Ruthie and James after their ski class! They loved it and really did great! We were just bummed not to ski with them - their instructor was having so much fun with them that he brought them back late LOL!

Look who Got Snow! Not bad for not skiing in 14 years!

Landon and I had never been skiing together! It was so much fun - especially with his arm around me on the ski lift!

Fun in the Snow....real Colorado Snow!

2011-03-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

Landon and I took the kids sledding up past Purgatory Ski resort... The hill was small but the kids had fun :) Between friends and walmart, we were set for warm clothes! Ruthie is our little snow bunny and James is fearless! Porter and Blake weren't too sure about the snow - mainly because everytime they would take a step they would sink and that freaked them out! It was kinda cute hehehe... Weston LOVED going down the hill on the sled and even Porter went down with a big smile on his face!

Fun in Durango

2011-03-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

We came to Durango Colorado fro Spring Break and the kids have been having a blast!

Good Morning Daddy! The kids loved having their slumber party and being at the Tuckers for our Spring Break! The red carpet was rolled out for us! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for having us! The kids had a blast exploring and finding walking sticks and looking at the fish in the pond! James even found a frog swimming in there...

We went swimming - YES - swimming at the awesome indoor pool at the Durango Community Center! The kids LOVED the indoor water slide and Landon did flips off the diving boards... the kids loved the lazy river with the whirpool in the middle and other than it being freezing outside :) we loved it! and what is better than baths after?! Hailey girl (1 1/2)wanted to join her cousins and had so much fun!

The kids had so much fun with new cousins' Ryin (5) and Ty(3), Sam and Jen's kids! They were so excited to play and swim... Ruthie and Ryin loved that they both had names starting with "R's"...they had matching hair all day too

The little chairs were just perfect for sitting and eating and hanging out too :) We have been having a blast and being spoiled too!

A Day Out With Thomas

2011-03-05T10:41:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun in Globe, AZ on Saturday! Landon and I took the kids to spend a Day Out with Thomas the Train! Our kids, especially our boys have always loved Thomas Trains, so we decided to take them to see the actual Thomas Train. To my knowledge, this is the first time Thomas has come to AZ. They had face painting, tatoos, megablocks to play with, train tables with wooden and electric Thomas trains to play with...story telling, a huge tent to buy stuff - of course the kids loved this...I was smart and brought a baggie with our trains, to avoid the overspending.... We had lunch and listened to the band...at 2:15pm we boarded the train and rode 1st class in the coach right begind Thomas! What a wonderful day and so much fun! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Huso for meeting us there and having such a great day! Blake played trains during lunch! Good thing we brought ours so we didn't have to buy any there!

Face painting was awesome! James had lighting bolts painted on and Ruthie had a side view of a butterfly! Check out the train tables in the background! So much fun! The kids loved meeting Thomas! It really was awesome to see him on

the tracks, larger than life!

The kids were wiped out! They didn't even stir when we took them out of the car! Of course I had to wake them up after to bathe them - they were filthy!

Get 'Happy' Balloons!

2011-02-21T19:16:00.000-08:00

Grandma and Grandpa Huso brought by balloons to cheer up the kids! They are so sick with the Flu right now! James is the only one who hasn't gotten it and we are hoping it stays that way! Thanks for helping our little ones smile and be happy Grandma and Grandpa. We love you!

Ruthie lost Tooth...at school!

2011-02-09T20:21:00.000-08:00

Ruthie has 2 loose teeth (well 1 now)! She refused to even attempt to wiggle it or pull it out yesterday and pitched such a fit when I even wanted to touch it that I let it go - yes I did- and sent her to school. So today she came through the front door PROUDLY waving a baggie holding the precious tooth, announcing "Mom I lost my tooth at school!" and then proceeded to give me a detailed play by play, down to what everyone in the 'group was doing and wearing and saying, and was ecstatic that her friend Lily covered her mouth (Ruthie's mouth) and accidentally knocked her tooth right out AND "there was only a touch of blood and it didn't hurt at all "...

to which I responded "That is awesome!" and it is - no drama, mess or hassle for me- aka - AWESOME!

Here is the picture she made me take, right before bedtime!

Harlem Globetrotters Game

2011-01-15T15:29:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, Landon got tickets to take Porter to the Harlem Globetrotters Game. So, off they went and Porter was thrilled to get a ball to have them sign...well when he would let it go!!!

Just look at Porter's Face "I'm good just don't touch my ball!!!" He loved the game AND having special time with Dad!

Two sisters??

2011-01-12T21:26:00.000-08:00

Weston and Blake LOVE to put on Ruthie's dress up shoes and clop around in them! They are the little sisters she never had! It is so funny how the boys will fight over which shoes they get to put on too! Yes, we do have tons of BOY dress up stuff - firefighters, doctors, policeman, Thomas conductor...but this is their favorite- sorry Dad :)

Binky Boy

2011-01-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

Blake loves his Binky(s) - apparently loved fitting these 3 in his mouth and thought it was awesome! I called him the Binky Monster! He is such a funny little guy with a great personality. If he ever 'loses' one of his Binky's, I will ask him where they are and one will usually magically appear. They rotate in color, as the one he has right now is blue but yesterday it was the green one - I think they are different flavors to him :) So funny. We love out Binky Boy Blake!

My 2 'Twins'

2011-01-02T14:51:00.000-08:00

I had to share this sweet picture of my 'twins' - Weston and Blake are 23 months apart in age but only 1/2 lb and a few inches apart in size...these sweaters were Porter and James' when they were the boys age...time has flown by and I can hardly believe the clothes that my 'babies' are wearing and how grown up my older 'babies' have gotten! (and just a plug for my ocd way of doing laundry - at least everything still looks like new- and can be passed down thru 4 + boys!- just ask my sister LOL)

Weston's 1st CTR Ring

2011-01-02T14:44:00.000-08:00

Can you remember your very first green CTR ring?! Weston is 4 years old and LOVED getting his very own CTR ring at church! His smile lights up any and every room and he was bursting to show off his new favorite thing! He is such a shining example in our house and we love the joy he brings to our family. What a great way to start out the new year... being reminded to Choose the Right!

A new camera

2010-12-23T21:06:00.000-08:00

Yipee! I got a new camera early for Christmas! Landon surprised me and I could be more thrilled!!! Now for Christmas morning - wooohooo!

Happy Birthday Ruthie

2010-09-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

Our Ruthie girl is 7 years old today! She is such a joy to our family and to her brothers. She loves everyone and helps everyone to be happy! We are so excited for her special day...

RANCH 13

2010-08-14T23:36:00.000-07:00

Growing up here was the best! pinecone ward with cousins, 4 wheeling in the mud, horseback riding with our Uncles, crawdad fishing and freaking out when I caught one :) ... I love that my kids now get to have some of the fun experiences I had!

First Day of School

2010-08-11T08:00:00.001-07:00

Poor Blake wanted to go to school too! Porter, James, Ruthie and Weston all started school today! Porter and James are in 3rd grade, Ruthie is in 2nd and Weston is in Preschool. They were all so excited! No tears and all smiles, except for Blake who wanted to "go too"... I love and miss my kids! I pray they are safe and have so much fun and hurry home to me! (while they still want to)

Spaghetti by Blake

2010-07-11T23:09:00.001-07:00

Blake LOVES noodles! It's great to have a kid who likes to eat!!!

Fun Sunday

2010-07-11T22:33:00.001-07:00

Landon set up 3 'zip lines' in the family room and helped the kids make 'airplanes' attached to straws that they could 'fly' over and over. It was SO FUN! The kids loved it and played for hours. It's so fun being married to Mr. Creative- he is the best Dad ever :)

More Cali pics

2010-06-25T22:06:00.000-07:00

Disneyland

2010-06-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

We saw Mickey Mouse right when we got to California Adventure. The kids were so excited! Don't be surprised if this ends up being our Christmas card picture!

Weston loved meeting Mickey and telling him about his Mickey underwear! Our 3 year old is finally potty trained! WoooHooo!

Blake loved his 'freedom' - Daddy loved not having to hold him all day long!

Our little monster, uh I mean monkey - the face just says it all!

We always get a picture with Pluto! He is our favorite Disney Puppy!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T23:22:00.000-07:00

Today is Father's Day. We had a wonderful day. We had breakfast and the kids gave Landon their cards and gifts. We then went to the Mormon Battalion and had a wonderful time - the tour was incredible as was the kids attention. They pumped water from the well, panned for gold and saw how bricks were made. We went to dinner after...well that was an experience with 9 adults and 15 kids under age 13!It's been a great day. Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Dad's I know and love. But most especially to my wonderful husband who is THE BEST DAD EVER!!! I love you Landon!

California

2010-06-20T22:37:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to be in california! The drive out was rough but it is great to be here!

Swet Kittens Ready For a Good Home

2010-06-06T13:09:00.000-07:00

Sophie teaching her kittens how to eat

Kitty's playing

our 'spring mix'

6 weeks ago Sophie - our cat- woke me up to help her deliver 7 kittens! yes, 7!!! They are so sweet! They are litter box trained, eating kitten food and drinking water on their own. They love to play and snuggle and are very good with children, seeing as how we have 5 kids that love to play with them :) There is no charge and each kitty comes with a bag of Purina Kitten Chow. Please respond if you or anyone you know are interested in giving a little kitty a good home.

New Beginnings...

2010-05-01T20:54:00.000-07:00

So today I had a wonderful and long awaited reunion! What a wonderful day. I will post pictures soon...gotta get them off my phone first LOL!

Spring Break Snow Trip

2010-03-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

We took the kids up to my Aunt Ann's beautiful 'cottage' in Pinetop for the end of Spring Break. The kids had so much fun in the snow and sledding! I am so glad we don't live in it but can visit it!!!

Pinewood Derby

2010-03-06T21:00:00.000-08:00

The boys first Pinewood Derby was SO fun! The only down side was that Porter had a Special Olympics Meet at the exact same time... so James raced Porter's car for him! Thanks so much to everyone who worked so hard and made it so great!!! The kids loved it and so did we!

Ruthie's 2nd tooth lost...

2010-03-01T09:43:00.000-08:00

Ruthie lost her 2nd bottom tooth this morning. It has been so loose and she was freaking out that it would fall out at school. So, an hour late to school and a LOT of pep talk from Mom and she pulled out her tooth all by herself! She is so proud of herself. I am just glad that it's out and we won't have to deal with it anymore!

Porter and James at the Special Olympics Practice

2010-02-28T18:36:00.001-08:00

James is Porter's partner for the special olympics. They had their practice on Saturday and Grandpa Varney took some great pictures! Here's a preview of just a few...

Ruthie lost her 1st tooth!

2010-02-26T20:27:00.000-08:00

Ruthie has had 2 loose teeth for over a week. She finally let me 'wiggle' her very loose tooth quite a bit today and so tonight - after much 'coaxing' from Mommy, she lost her 1st tooth! Here is our proud girl! So excited for the Tooth Fairy to come and visit her tonight!

17months!

2010-02-25T12:30:00.001-08:00

Blake is 17 months old today! Wow where did the time go? I can't believe that he's almost nursery age...I just had him...well sort of. But he's my baby! A big baby.
Blake loves to follow his brothers and sister around and do everything they do - dance, play guys, climb, eat ice :) - he thinks he is SO big. So here's to my little man who is getting way too big too fast!

Baby Ava's Brunch

2010-02-19T15:38:00.000-08:00

We had a brunch for Breanna and Baby Ava! It turned out perfect (except for Alishia getting sick! Hope she is well soon!) the food was beautiful and the company was great. Breanna got some cute, fun and baby necessities for Little Ava coming in a week or less! I'm sure Breanna is hoping for less :)
The kids had fun playing together and watching Daisy dog in the backyard!

James' Great Day!!

2010-02-13T14:41:00.000-08:00

What an amazing day for James! The spirit was SO strong and we were so grateful for all of the love and support from so many friends and family!We are so excited that James chose this important step to follow Jesus! Congratulations James. We love you!

James' Upcoming Baptism

2010-02-08T21:14:00.001-08:00

James is SO excited to be Baptized! This Saturday is going to be such a big day for him. We are so excited for the choices he is making and the example he is to everyone around him! Congrats James. We love you!!!

My 2 Cub Scouts

2010-01-26T21:54:00.001-08:00

James had his first Pack meeting tonight for Cub Scouts! He was so excited to earn his Bobcat Merit Badge and a few belt loops and pins. Porter was excited to have his brother there with him! Porter earned his Religious Knot and was really cute accepting it. It was so neat to see the boys dressed in their uniforms and all ready to go!Now James wants to catch up on awards to have as many as his brother...:)

More of my Scouts

2010-01-26T20:00:00.000-08:00

Porter receiving his Religious Knot
He is so happy with his envelope
James got the biggest kick out of digging for 'Bobcat poop'

Grandpa Huso came to see James get his Bobcat and Porter get his religious knot! The boys were SO excited to have him there. I was too! Landon was out of town for work and I always love the support! Thanks again Dad.

Much Needed Update! Hospital and more...

2010-01-22T11:47:00.000-08:00

So all the kids, except James, got really sick within about 6 weeks of eachother. We ended up with Weston, Ruthie and Porter in the hospital with pneumonia and spinal menegitis! If I don't go for a stay in the hospital this year, it'll be too soon! Ruthis felt like a little princess; Jewelry with Aunt Sonja, Cards from her classmates, lipgloss and a purse with a unicorn from Cheri,Books and coloring with Grandma Varney, Lotion and stories with Grandma Huso...blankets and stuffed animals and treat oh my! She was such a trooper.I wanted to know how I could get in on this 'SPA' treatment :) LOL
Porter was pretty sick from Friday to Sunday. He finally started to perk up on Monday. Between the new Leapster from Grandma Varney, Big Fish balloon and puppet show from Grandma Huso, watching Cars with Grandpa Huso and visits from family and friends and treats from Cheri and tons of cards from his friends at school. He was a big trooper and we were so thankful when we could come home with him!
Mom was just exhausted from 'sleeping, eating and breathing hospital' for 6 straight days!!!

First Day of School

2009-08-10T13:08:00.000-07:00

Porter, James and Ruthie were SO excited for school this morning! So was Mommy :) They were on time with bags packed and ready to go! I can;t believe how big my kids are getting. Poor Weston wanted to go so bad....but he ended up sneaking into Ruthie's sparkly lip gloss and having his own fun with his new found playmate...Blake! What a fun day...now to go and pick them up!!

Meet the Teacher

2009-08-06T23:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's that time again...Meet the teacher and back to school on Monday!!! WoooHooo. The kids are so excited and so am I. Ruthie is in 1st grade in Mrs. Zichichis' class and right next door in Mrs. Barry's 2nd grade class is James. Porter is also in 2nd grade at Augusta Ranch and has Mrs. Ohara and Mr. Martin. I know it's been a while since I posted on here and I'll update backwards but for now... pics of the kids...

All I want for Christmas...

2009-08-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

Well he is 1/2 way there :) James lost his first tooth (the bottom 2 had to be pulled by the dentist to let the permanent ones in)...he had 2 loose top teeth and so far one is out...The Tooth Fairy - whom Ruthie claims is Mommy - came and left 5 quarters under his pillow! He is so excited!

Swimming with friends!

2009-06-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

We went swimming Tuesday at my brother's house (thanks Erik for sharing) and had so much fun! Even Blake loved the water although it was hard with so many little ones in the pool - 8 kids under 8 and only 3 who could swim on their 'own'! You should see Alishia's boys swim - WOW! Thanks for coming with us :)

Play-Do Aliens

2009-06-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

The kids had somuch fun with Dalin over. They created playdo aliens of their own imagination! There's Ruthie's Alien Stingray, Dalin's Bunny Alien and James' Genius Cockraoch... so funny what we do in the summer when it's hot!!!

Memorial Day Ranch Pictures

2009-06-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

So I know these are a little late, though they are well worth the wait! Scroll through them, we think they're great! haha

Porter in his Scout Shirt!

2009-05-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

Landon got Porter his scout shirt for Pack Meeting tonight and he was SO excited to put it on!!! He LOVED putting the slide onto his neckerchief and having a shirt like his friends. What a handsome little man. Now James can't wait till he gets one in January :)

Happy Mother's Day to Me!

2009-05-10T23:32:00.000-07:00

What happened you ask? We went to my parents for Mother's Day and my brother's 40th B-day. We had a fabulous dinner, wonderful company, and lots of happy children (14 under the age of 12 to be exact!)...UNTIL... we were rounding up kids to leave for home when Weston comes screaming around the corner with blood gushing down his face - GUSHING! I reacted calmly and told the children all would be well - NOT, I totally freaked out and Landon had to take over! I handed Porter to my Dad, the baby to Bridget and grabbed the cell phone to call Urgent Care. The poor lady on the phone got an ear full when she said they weren't taking any patients for the night and to go to the ER. The ER I said, " Are you gonna pay my $500 co pay for the ER because your doctor won't see anymore patients?" She asked my to hold and then someone else came on and gave me a few other places to try. Poor thing- I totally scared her! I feel bad - sorta... What happened was - Weston and Porter had opened the walk in shower and were playing in there when Porter decided to push Weston out, (at least that what we think happened since neither one can really tell us what happened) well Weston 'landed' right into the corner of the shower door with his forehead and gashed it open!!! Lots of blood. So Landon dropped Weston and me off at Urgent Care and took the rest of the kids home and my parents picked us up and took us home. Thanks Mom and Dad for chauffeuring and entertaining us. The kids were so cute and prayed that Weston would be alright ...and he was - he actually slept through the whole eye's being checked and cleaning and Dermabonding procedure and everything! What a Champ!! The baby was screaming by the time I got home and of course wouldn't take a bottle from Daddy, so we were relieved when everyone was comforted, fed and asleep. What a day. Thanks honey for staying calm in the chaos!

Sitting up...Spitting up...

2009-05-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

Poor little Blake is such a trouper through all of this! He was just having fun sitting up and scooting all over the floor when he got sick with a sinus infection and Thrush. Little man is so good about his breathing treatments and meds. I can't wait to be through with all of this and have a healthy family back! Thanks to everyone who has brought food and lended a listening ear!!! You know who you are :)

Reading With the Kids

2009-05-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

It's no surprise I love to read. It's great to have my Hubby who loves to read to our kids too! You just can't get enough of "who stole the cookie from the cookie jar" - a great spin off a funny book! They can't get enough of their Daddy and scoot in as close as possible...which usually means that someone gets pushed off the couch...but I managed to get a picture BEFORE the chaos hit :) Pajamas and all. Reading books with our kids!

Sick Kids in a Bed

2009-04-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

Weston has a sinus infection, Ruthie has a bad cold, Porter has a stomach bug...all 3 kids snuggled in my bed to watch Ice Age the Meltdown. Don't they look cozy? :) Hopefully they'll all be well soon.

Happy 40th (early) Scott!

2009-04-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

The Birthday Boy!

My brother Scott is turning 40. So for a fun early party we all flew to Disneyland for the day Saturday the 25th! So with my parents and siblings, all 10 of us (11 including our little nephew Brock) had a BLAST!! My feet are still sore from walking.
We all got "I'm Celebrating" pins to wear and a Happy Birthday pin for Scott...he actually wore it too! My Mom was SO funny on the California Soarin' ride...I don't think she's had that much fun in a long time. We had to wait in lines, but had so much fun being obnoxious together and eating WAY TOO MANY CHURROS - thanks Ben. Scott almost lost his hat on Thunder Mountain trying to hold Michaela's' hands up, she's bruised but he has his hat (thanks to the lady's lap sitting behind him). Wheelchairs included - for those who were "done" walking and even when they cancelled the fireworks - due to high winds- we had a blast anyway and closed out the park at midnight! 2 1/2 hours of sleep later we were on the plane headed back to reality! We had a blast at the Happiest Place on Earth!!! Thanks for being an old 'fart' so we could have an excuse to party big brother! Love You!

A Sunday Afternoon

2009-04-19T18:49:00.000-07:00

This is our typical Sunday afternoon. Movie on, Dinosaurs and Counstruction mountain, naps (Daddy got one today)Jammies and being together as a family. Gotta love having a family room big enough for it all :)

Pat's Run

2009-04-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

Landon and his brother Lance ran the Pat Tillman Run (4.2 miles) and had fun with about 20,000 other runners. I brought James and Ruthie later and they ran in the kiddie run that went into the stadium at the 42 yard line :) They loved it and Landon kept having to tell Ruthie to slow down and stay close to him! Definitely HIS girl, as I am athletically challenged!

Crazy Hair Day

2009-04-17T08:21:00.001-07:00

The kids had crazy hair day today. James and Ruthie wanted something fun and different. Landon was so funny about James' hair "How did you get those little pony tails in his short hair?" My comment "We do have a little girl, how do you think I got pig tails in her hair as a baby?!" The kids loved their hair! I just hope the green washes out :)

1st Grade Musical

2009-04-16T21:00:00.000-07:00

His best bud Dalin came to see it that night with us!

James had his first grade musical today and did awesome! It was about what they could be when they grow up... James' class was Bakers. He got to hold the Cake and kept trying to sing into the microphone :)

Baptism Pictures

2009-04-16T18:03:00.001-07:00

Grandpa Varney took amazing pictures at Porter's Baptism. We had such a wonderful day. Landon said he felt like when John the Baptist baptized the Savior. Our little Angel had a really special day and we are so proud of him and his decision to get baptized "like Jesus was"...Here are 2 and scroll down to see the rest added under his baptism.

Green Beans Anyone?

2009-04-15T19:08:00.000-07:00

Blake tried Green Beans for the first time...do you think he likes it? :)

Next we'll do sweet potatoes!

More Hair-Do's

2009-04-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

So I told Ruthie that I would only post her new "hair-do's" about every third one...so here are some of our latest hair adventures! I LOVE having a girl - especially one that lets me do her hair!!
This was her princess curls with 3 messy buns...check out the links under cool sites to view!

This was just a cute little side pony flipped to a messy bun

Easter Fun

2009-04-13T10:53:00.001-07:00

We had a fun little Easter with the kids. Even though times are a little hard the Easter Bunny was good to us :) The kids loved their new Umbrellas and Sky Balls (they bounce really high) - note to self...don't bounce them in the house (Cereal flew everywhere hehehe). Hope your Easter was just as fun!

Porter's Baptism

2009-04-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful day! Porter was finally baptised. What a special day with our family and friends. Thanks for all of your love and support.

The Sleepover...

2009-04-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

How many 'kids' are sleeping over??? Can you count them... It's Friday night and this is my date night :) I really am smiling though...we had popcorn and told silly ghost stories and everyone was wiped out...except me I guess!

It takes a REAL MAN...

2009-04-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

The kids got up early and did all of their chores so they could ride their bikes to school this morning. Ruthie is still getting the hang of things, so Landon carried her backpack for her while they rode their bikes. It takes a real man and great daddy to ride down the street with a PRINCESS backpack on!!!

Blakes' First Cereal

2009-04-02T20:32:00.001-07:00

Blake is 6 months old and had his first taste of rice cereal tonight! He was MORE than ready for itand even tried to feed himself...but after me feeding him about 6 bites he was done :)Don't ya love the "chicks dig me" bib?!

Utah Trip

2009-03-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

Those of you who really know me...laugh all you want...and those of you who don't, well you can laugh with them! We went to Utah over spring break with all 5 kids (under age 8, 2 w/ special needs and 3 in diapers)! Yes we are crazy and yes we won't be doing that again any time soon!!! (Sorry Chris and Tiff - we do love you guys!) Anyways, Landon's mom called to give me some tips for the long car ride (14 hours), since she made it twice a year,every year for 16 years with her boys. (Hope I'm right on the math there) She suggested having something 'new and fun' to throw back at them every hour...THANK YOU MOM for this advice, it saved the trip! The kids did amazing...only 2 kids whined only 2 times the ENTIRE trip. Seriously amazing - I don't think my sister and I ever traveled that well(what do you think Sony?). So here are pictures of how I organized it all and the charts to help motivate their GOOD behaviors (Thank you Alishia). You may read this and laugh all you want,yes I know I'm OCD, but it worked like a charm!
We had I spy books,Car Battleship, Road Bingo (from momsminivan.com), stamps, markers, leappad books, sticker books, suckers,special prizes, and treasure box for good behavior!

Utah Pictures

2009-03-27T12:46:00.000-07:00

Precious Brother's

2009-03-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to the Salt Lake Visitor's Center during Spring Break. When we walked up the ramp towards the statue of Christ, Weston pointed to it and said,"Big Jesus!" James knelt beside him and explained, as only a 7 year old can, who Jesus is and how he watches over us! What a precious experience to see their sweet testimonies emerging at such a young age.

I should be posting our spring break pictures...BUT(T)...check out my sassy jeans!

2009-03-25T20:12:00.000-07:00

What do you think?

My mom came and rescued me with the kids today so I could go to a meeting. It was a VERY long day and as I was venting to her (as only a daughter can to a mother) - she interupts and says,"turn around" - now I was thinking I had something stuck on the back of my jeans...you know I have 5 kids...and then she says,"where did you get those jeans?"
"Kohls" I answered.
"Well you should go right now and get another pair or two because they make your butt look great!" - have I told you I love my Mother!!!
So what do YOU think of my TooSuperLow Boot Cut 524 Levis' ?
By the way...Thanks mom for getting me another 2 pair!

Blakes' First Hair Cut

2009-03-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

So I know he is only 5 1/2 months old...but I hated the "comb over". Blake only had a few long hairs and they just had to be cut!! Here's my boy on 3/16/09.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T13:18:00.001-07:00

Porter got this cool hat at school...Weston confiscated it and looks so cute. The kids are having a great day and LOVE pinching everyone who doesn't have green on today...so you have been warned!

Bringing the Zoo TO the Zoo...

2009-03-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

How we managed to keep track of them all, I'm not sure :)

Our set of triplets...

Such sweet boys

My Monkey's looking at the monkey's

I wanna walk with my sister...it's time to go home!
We had a great time and the kids did really well. It was a fun day out with friends. When I talked to my mom when I got home...at first she said,"Why didn't you invite me?" and then when I told her how all of us went with 8 kids under 8 years old...
My Mom said "Thanks for leaving me home!" Now on for some well deserved rest!

The BEST brownies EVER

2009-03-13T13:07:00.000-07:00

SO I was at Alishias' and had the BEST brownies ever. Since this post is G-rated I'll spare the details...let just say YES YES YES...the BEST ever! MMMMMMMMMMM such wonderful memories of those Brownies! So without furthur ado...here is the recipe . Thanks to Alishia and family!

Peanutty Buckeye Bars

Ingredients
1 19.5-ounce package brownie mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup cooking oil
1 cup chopped peanuts
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a large bowl, combine brownie mix, eggs, and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Stir in peanuts. Remove half of the brownie mixture and set aside. Spread the remaining brownie mixture evenly into prepared pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter until smooth. Spread evenly over brownie mixture in pan. Separate the remaining brownie mixture into pieces, flatten them with your fingers, and place them on top of the brownie mixture in pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until top is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 32 bars.
4. To Store: Layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

The Sand Box

2009-03-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

Landon had the brilliant idea to do a built in snadbox in our backyard when we built our house 8 years ago. The kids have so much fun in it...castles, tunnels, dump trucks, burried treasure....but it also has the joy of sand in the hair, eyes, clothes; leaves, dead bugs, debrie... YET even though I've wanted to fill it in tons of times...this is WHY we don't! How many kids can you fit in the samd box?

Facebook

2009-03-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

So Alishia invited me to do facebook and now that I'm on there I can't believe how many people have a facebook account! How fun to be able to connect with so many of my friends and family and be able to see how they are...I love blogging first and foremost, but I think I found a new fun toy to play with :) Happy Facebook everyone!

Ruthie with NO training wheels

2009-03-07T14:52:00.000-08:00

Ruthie is finally riding with no training wheels! Landon worked with her today and she just got it. We are so proud of our little 5 year old.

The Little Black Boots

2009-03-06T12:51:00.000-08:00

These little black boots were made for wearin' and that's just what I've done, you'd never know the story of how I finally got them on!
So 1 1/2 years ago my friends talked me into buying these black boots! "They're so cute","you have to have these"," It's about time you got something trendy" (yada yada yada) SO giving into peer pressure I bought these sassy things and promised to wear them the next day (what can I say, my friends know me well) The next day was church and as I got ready and pulled out my fun little boots I saw that the security ink tag was still on one of the boots. I got reamed that day for not wearing them and had to promise to get that tag removed so I COULD wear them...well over a year and a half later - when all my cute friends have been wearing their boots- I finally thought I've got to get this tag off.
The problem was I couldn't find my receipt and I didn't want the store to think I was stealing them..."Hi could you remove the tag so I can wear my boots?"
So my friends hubby was teasing me about not wearing my boots and I said "I'll wear them if you can get this tag off." So Sunday morning it came off - with a little effort and one blow torched tag later :) (Thanks Bryan)
So here are my little black boots and oh how I wish I would've gotten to wear them sooner. Well, better late than never!!!

Weston's Diagnosis

2009-03-04T21:26:00.000-08:00

So today we had a wonderful blessing! We found an amazing doctor that we were able to get Weston in to see at very last minute notice. The drive was about an hour long (Union Hills / 51 North) Insurance does NOT cover the cost ($$$), I went with the 2 kids (by myself)...2 hours and LOTS of paper work later. We realized we found the perfect Doctor for our boys!!! Dr. Cindy Schneider is a D.A.N. doctor. Defeat Autism Now. I took Weston to see her to talk about all of the therapies he is receiving and possible treatments and diagnosis for him...Recap - On Sat. the 21st I noticed Weston was walking funny so I took off his clothes and let him run around in his diaper, so I could figure out what was going on... well his little ankles were rolling in just like Porter's did at that age. I was VERY shocked and wondered how long it had been this way. So Monday the 23rd I had him evaluated by a PT and was told he needed Orthodics to correct his pronation. We saw the DR. Tuesday and she told us Weston was FTT (Failure to Thrive) and hadn't gained any weight in 6 months(even with me sitting for at least an hour for every meal to get him to eat!!) and did in fact need the leg braces (eventhough he has been walking since 10 months) - By this point we were highly suspecting a Mitochondrial Disorder,(and still are) which is what Porter has as well...So today we saw Dr. Schneider and after 2 hours and a very educational appointment for ME... Weston has been diagnosed with Autism. While a lot of mom's would be shocked by this, we are just so grateful to have the help, love and support that we so desperately need to work our hardest to help him reach his goals and achieve the milestones set before him. Autism is VERY common. Some kids have GREAT eye contact and some social skills while others are very closed off from the rest of the world. This affects 1 in 150 kids!1 IN 150!!! Click Here for more info... So while we have a very long road ahead of us, I am so thankful for my angels who watch over me and teach me continually how to be a better Mother (Nurse, Therapist, Doctor, File Clerk, Advocate, Lawyer, Teacher...) It's a tough job and I pray I'll have everything I need to be bale to do it, but I GET TO DO IT!

Laundry Laundry Laundry

2009-03-03T15:00:00.000-08:00

So last week was so busy with doctors appointments and meetings for Weston that the house was neglected...as was the laundry. SO, 15 loads and an entire day later..this is some of the laundry I got folded and put away, along with 6 beds with clean sheets and all the towels and rags! I even managed to get a shower in there too! It feels good to be clean :)

THE Skateboard

2009-02-25T10:14:00.000-08:00

James got lots of $ for his birthday so we went to the store and he picked out a Spiderman Skateboard. We had told him that if he used his own money he could buy a skateboard - we had originally said "not until you're 8..." So here is one happy boy with his latest present!

Romeo & Juliet Ballet for Valentine's Day

2009-02-16T13:36:00.000-08:00

Landon surprised me for Valentine's Day with tickets to the Romeo & Juliet Ballet!!! For those of you who know my sweet Hubby you'll laugh that his mom said, "MY SON WENT TO A BALLET?" :) It was such a fun night. Thank you to my parents, who watched Blake and Brenda who watched the kids! They had a blast and so did we! The costumes were beautiful (although men in tights is not my idea of appealing), the sets and scenery were gorgeous and the music by the Phoenix Symphony was wonderful. Even Landon had a good time and enjoyed the ballet (although not so much the men in tights) hehehe. The next day I showed Ruthie my point shoes from when I used to dance ballet and she tried them on and walked around the kitchen in them...so then I tried them on and walked around the kitchen - I couldn't do much else - it's been 15 years, 5 kids and ...so many lbs. later ;)...but I did it!
Ruthie on her toes!

Our future Ballerina

Great Love Story...

2009-02-12T09:47:00.000-08:00

"Real LOVE STORIES never have endings."
Richard Bach

I love Valentine's Day! I know this is cheesy, but it is my favorite holiday. What can I say...candy, love notes, flowers...what could be better! James came home with a little love note question from school that asked about my favorite Valentine's gift...after thinking long and hard this is the memory that sticks out the most;
About 4 years ago, with 3 kids under age 4, things were pretty stressful in our house. Porter was sick a lot, James and Ruthie were just babies and we were just trying to keep our heads above water. Valentines was the next day and it was a long night with being up with the kids. After finally getting to be at about 2 am, 6:00am came too early. When I woke up I couldn't help but smile :) Landon had cut out about 100 or more hearts and heart attacked our room and house everywhere!!! Then as I was getting myself and the kids ready for the morning, there were sweet valentine's love notes tucked and hidden all over as well...some were in drawers, inside shoes, under pillows, in the fridge & microwave... What an amazing, sweet and thoughtful husband I have.
That is my all time favorite Valentine's Day. The love that my tired hubby showed me by doing the things he knew meant a lot, just to put a smile on my face! Every year we build new memories and strengthen the love we have for eachother. Every year we work harder to have more charity and do more service. How blessed I am to be able to weather the storm of life with such an amazing man. I love you Landon!

My 2 year old

2009-02-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful for my funny little 2 year old. Weston is so much fun. He has been having a blast with his best buddies Matthew and Micah. Today Alishia watched him so I could go to help in Ruthie's class. He did great! No crying after I left and even when I got there he was great (normally he'll cry when he see's me again)...they did tatoos and stickers and Weston (who has my OCD) did the cutest picture and of course lined his trains up on the track 'properly'! Alishia was laughing and said this is definitely YOUR boy, after showing me her boys' pictures that were adorable with the stickers all over (like 'normal' 2 year olds) :) He had so much fun with them! WOOHOO between that and going better to Nursery I am so excited. Here are some pics of him and his buddies (Blake included).

Our fun hairstyles!

2009-02-04T09:05:00.001-08:00

Ruthie and I have been having so much fun!!! All of these cute hairstyles I got off of the links I have under 'Cool Sites to View' ! I pick out 2 that I think I can do for a school day and let Roo pick between the 2 :) Landon isn't too happy because we barely make it to school on time (and are late a lot too...) But...and here's my justification... I have to do it while I can until she won't let me anymore! You only have a little girl 1 time and I am loving it! Roo has fine hair, but a good amount and it's pretty long so we have a lot of options. I'll post more as we do more! I hope you enjoy and if you have any questions let me know and I'll try to answer them...there are some great styles for short hair too on the links.

My Big Baby

2009-02-01T22:11:00.000-08:00

So Blake had his 4 month well check and is off the charts!!! 4 MONTHS...19.3 lbs and 27 inches long...110th%...seriously, Landon put him in 18month jammies last night. Where did my baby go? He's huge. He has outgrown the infant carrier, the bouncy seat lays almost to the floor and he's just about too heavy for the swing! Since he's not sitting up yet I don't know what I'll do about the grocery store (not to mention my BACK aches all the time and now I know why!) We are so thankful he is healthy and happy (not so much about being the size of a 10 month old) - but, grateful he is such a joy and such a great baby. Blake makes us all smile and loves to watch what everyone is doing at all times. In fact if it's too quiet he can't sleep because he's used to noise all the time :)

James' Birthday Pictures!

2009-01-29T10:59:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday James

2009-01-29T10:10:00.000-08:00

James turned 7 years old on the 28th! We had a great day. He woke up to lots of decorations in not only the kitchen but his bedroom as well. He got a cool Star Wars Clone Wars carrier (that Mommy & Daddy found for a great deal at Sam's club!!!), some cool figures from his brothers and sister and cupcakes at school to boot! For his birthday dinner he wanted to go to Texas Roadhouse to eat rolls with cinnamon butter and have the balloon guy make him something cool :) After we came home and opened present with his best bud Dalin...he wasn't excited or anything...can you tell?! Happy Birthday James. We love you so much. You are such a sweet boy with so much love for everyone around you. You make us all smile and are such a great helper with all of your brothers and sister. Thanks for being our big man!

Sassy Do's

2009-01-23T07:47:00.000-08:00

I just love having a little girl. With all these boys it's so fun to be able to play dress up and paint nails and do hair. Ruthie is such a great sport to sit and let mommy play with her hair! This is one of the do's that we've done and it turned out so stinkin cute! Though the blog that we loved to go to for ideas isn't there anymore. If you know of one I would love you to post it on the comments!

Reading Stories

2009-01-22T12:06:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this picture! Landon loves to read to the kids and...can you tell...they love it too! I am so thankful to have such a wonderful father for our children. Love you Honey!

Little Sophie

2009-01-21T09:42:00.001-08:00

This is Ruthie with Robin (the sweet lady we got Sophie from). We took Ruthie's stuffed animal carrier to pick up Sophie in so she could be safe in in the car :)

Well we had a fun New Year present for Ruthie and the kids. Our cat Stormy disappeared after getting out one night and the kids were so sad - especially Ruthie. So Landon suggested that maybe we could get a kitty for Christmas. Well Santa found a cute little one on Craigs' List and we picked her up on New Year's Eve! Her name is Sophie and she is a ball of fun. Daisy dog is scared to death of her - it is SO funny! She snuggles and plays and is learning the rules of the house. So here are a few pictures of our little Sophie.

For those of you who know Landon, this is such a sweet picture of my man who 'hates' cats!

Could she have a bigger smile on her face?!

New Year and New Beds

2009-01-09T11:55:00.000-08:00

So Weston was finally ready for a big bed. The big move from the crib to the twin bed...hmmm HE was ready but I wasn't sure if I was ready! Some really awesome friends of our (the Keims) had these amazing custom Thomas Train beds the Kevin made ( he is incredibly talented) and they gave them to our boys (I still don't know how to properly thank them!) We absolutely LOVE them... Weston helped Landon put them together - helped as only a 2 year old can :) and several hours, 4 beds taken apart and put back together and 2 room changes this is the end result!

Christmas Recap

2008-12-29T19:41:00.000-08:00

Here are the great pictures of our crazy Christmas with 5 kids! Even though it was a somewhat meager year...with 5 kids to wrap for it still looks like a lot. We had so much fun watching them. My favorite photo was this one of Weston jammin out with the headphones and ipod to his favorite "move it" song! ENJOY! :)

The 3 oldest received ipod shuffles (generic off ebay for $13) from Santa and loved to rock out to all the fun songs... Weston swiped Porters' and wouldn't take it off!

Porter just loved his giant snowglobe bouncy ball...who could blame him, it was awesome!

Santa's little Angels...

2008-12-29T19:17:00.000-08:00

My Dad plays Santa every year for our family Christmas party (for over 3o years now) and our kids love to have their pictures taken with Grandpa Santa...This was Blake's first Christmas and his first photo with 'Santa'! Thank you Grandma Mrs. Clause for the suit :)

Notice Weston is NOT in this...couldn't get that one to hold still...AND his outfit didn't match :( So cute of my oldest 3!

Weston was SO happy! New Thomas jammies and skittles to boot!!

My (crazy) Wonder Life!

2008-12-11T12:03:00.000-08:00

So this Christmas season I am so thankful to have 5 healthy and beautiful children that bless my life! This pic was from Thanksgiving and we were just thrilled to have 1 with all the kids looking AT the camera and happy (not crying)!!

Porter is our big man! He is 8 years old and doing so great. We started him and Weston on the GFCF diet (gluten free Casein free). While it's taken some time to see results with him, he is talking up a storm and really understanding everything around him on a whole new level!

James is our Big Helper! He is almost 7 years old and takes such good care of his brothers and sister. He is a wiz at math and gets 100% on all of his accelerated reading. We are so proud of him and how hard he tries.

Ruthie is our little mommy! At 5 years old and in Kindergarten we are so excited for the little angel she is. She loves to dress up the baby and helps out a ton.

Weston is our Mr. MAN! He is into everything. He loves to chase after his brothers and sister and get into all their stuff. He is doing great in all his therapies and really has been talking a ton since starting this new diet.
Blake is 2 1/2 months and is HUGE! We call him Bubba Blakers and love him to pieces. He loves to talk and coo and smile at us all and is a light in our family.

Posting WITH a baby...

2008-11-04T12:29:00.000-08:00

There's a reason why it's taken me so long to post anything and HIS name is Blake! My "want to eat every 2-3 hours " is keeping me pretty busy! But as he grows and smiles and coo's, it's ALL worth it...So between 4 birthdays in 2 months and Halloween and adjusting to having a new baby I WILL BE POSTING LOTS SOON- some super fun pics too...so stay tuned :) Loves to you all!

I'm a Bella...

2008-10-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!
Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

So I took the quiz and am Bella :) I am excited for the movie to come out. I love a good book and a good movie and can't wait to see if everything is like my imagination made it out to be... See who you are...