September (updated). or started.

What a lazy lady I have been. Unmotivated and feeling overwhelmed. I don't even have any excuses. At least not anything coming to mind. Just not blogging. (remind me to never refer to myself as 'lady' again. not ever. Tonight's post will be a compilation of photos and a brief explanation. Here goes...

Sarah started preschool at Orange Patch with her cousin Rachel

I don't love this picture, but it makes me realize even more how much we look alike

Jaxon had a contest with Blake to see who could grow their top teeth in first...

In this picture it was still undecided, but the winner is......Jaxon!

I wish you could smell this hair-do. I caught Raegan and Sarah each with an aerosol can of air freshener "makin' him look handsome..." Mission accomplished, ladies.

Found matching shoes for all of my boys and couldn't pass them up. The baby's cost the most-dad's the least. I don't get it.

Rae has taken an interest in doing her own hair and comes up with some really creative do's.

One day I came across Sarah playing. Should I be concerned? We went to the outside movie at the amphitheater and loved it. The weather was wonderful!

The kids had their primary program yesterday and because their parts were memorized and they were brave and didn't need help, Dad let them have all the ice cream and toppings that they wanted after church. Can you say, "sugar high"? Stay tuned for part two.

It's Great to be Eight...months

Okay, really. This kid is just the cutest thing EVER! We love our Jaxaroni! At 8 months he finally loves food, but only the big people kind. These pictures are when we game him a piece of sausage and he was incredibly pleased! He has 2 bottom teeth and almost 2 top teeth. He makes funny faces and when we laugh, he makes more! His very favorite friend is Blake and gets really excited when he comes home from school. When Jaxon was 6.5 months old, he decided to sit, crawl and stand all for the first time in the very same day! Now we just can't slow him down. He still is famous for his adorable fish faces and makes them whenever he is really concentrating on something. He's not quite sleeping through the night, but takes two two-hour naps during the day. He loves baths, Flash, going nakey, getting tickled (he has the best thighs!), falling asleep in my arms, and popsicles. He absolutely hates getting dressed and the texture of pureed food. That's about it. We sure love this kid to pieces!

Rolling Over the Billows...

Yesterday we took the kids camping. I originally wasn't going to go because Jax has been so grumpy with teething, but Jake REALLY wanted us to come so we decided to hop in at the last minute. Uncle Nick was able to come with us, too, so we were full to the brim and ready for an adventure. We went just past Payson, not quite to Pine at a little turn-off that looked promising and green. The weather was beautifully refreshing and we were all excited to stretch our legs when suddenly the clouds started to drip. Then drizzle. Then sprinkle. Then hail. Then pour. Then it just became ridiculous! And we had only been there 10 minutes. Jake and Nick were trying to put up the tent while I was trying to keep 4 kids and a

dog dry all while slip-sliding in the mud. I got the kids and dog loaded back into the car, but not without doing a number to our clothes, shoes, and even the interior. When the tent was set up with the rain flap, I went to work mopping up puddles inside the tent with Huggies diapers (great absorbent qualities) because we had more of those to spare than we had blankets. Jake and Nick thought I was a genius. I just used what I'm familiar with. After I accepted the fact that this was going to be the dirtiest camping trip E.V.E.R., I was able to let go and have a fun time. We, (meaning Jake and Nick), finally got dinner made while I entertained children and dog in the tent, then we proceeded to eat in the tent and change into dry clothes and tuck into bed. The kids had a great night and I realized that they were having a great time because none of the work fell on them and that they would most likely have some fun memories of this trip. Because of the rain, we all got to bed super early...like 7:30. Because of that, we all got up super early too...like 5:45. We made delicious boil-in-a-bag omelets and cleaned up camp. We were packed up by 8:00 because everything was muddy and we were basically out of clothes and dry shoes. On the way home, we decided to stop by the bicycle graveyard, which by the way is not a graveyard at all, but a very lively bike lot that ships things (not sure what things) all over the world and is also one of the 50 most popular destinations in AZ for a day trip. The boys enjoyed it and seemed to find things they absolutely.couldn't.live.without. As for me, I could totally live without the fact that my washing machine and dryer have been running non-stop since we got home at 10:30 this morning. That's all.

Highlights: *Raegan and Sarah insisting that they needed to go to the bathroom no less than 106,779 times because it was just so fun to get to go wherever they wanted.*Jaxon eating everything. No joke.Not kidding.*Flash finding a great chew toy. Look closely.Yep. not joking on that one either. *Having 2 men there. And having them admit that if I hadn't come, they would have left the minute it started raining, but they had to prove their manliness to me. *Coughing all night. ALL night. *Getting the van stuck in the mud and not knowing if we were going to be able to ever go home. *Getting home less than 24 hours after our adventure began. The End.

that question again...updated

Today as I was carting the 4 kids and a stroller around the tiny elementary campus faithfully meeting new teachers and vigilantly filling out all the important papers as my face slowly melted away and the kids cheeks turned a clammy pink, I was once again caught off guard by the question. You know the one that is nonchalantly thrown in at the bottom of the page almost as an after thought? Which to me is ironic because it is so thought provoking. I was immediately taken back to the first time I had a kindergartner and the flood of emotion I felt at seeing the question. So, needless to say as I sat at an all too tiny desk in a way too tiny chair thinking about what I could possibly write on the two inch line following the question: Is there anything special that you feel is important for me to know about your child? , I was overcome by memories and the reality that there isn't enough paper in all of that tiny elementary school that would be adequate for me to write all that I wanted this teacher to know about my precious girl that I was turning over to her care from here on out. So, once again, I gathered my thoughts, papers, and children and sheepishly informed the teacher that the baby was hungry (partially true) and that I would return all the papers to school in Raegan's back pack tomorrow. So here I sit, Mrs. Smith, doing my homework so I can return it to you tomorrow all neatly filled out with emergency contacts and all. And to answer your question, yes, there are a few things I would like you to know about Raegan, * She's very timid at first but will eventually warm up to anyone that is kind. *She might be a little bit of a blond on occasion. *She let's her little sister sleep in her bed when she gets scared. *She is strong willed. *She calls belt loops on pants- bell peppers. And I don't correct her. *When she doesn't know an answer, she'll probably tell you that her brain is on vacation. *She is wise beyond her years. *Her voice can go up 3 octaves in one sentence! *She loves to sing, but not be the center of attention. *If she believes something is right, she will not budge! *She loves her family. *She is the only one in our home who loves cockroaches. And she does. *She is sensitive to loud noises. *She's a good friend, but afraid of rejection. *Her laugh is infectious. *Her smile will melt you. There you go, Mrs. Smith. A tiny glimpse into what is so special about my Raegan. If you're wondering why the paper only says that she's a good kid, incidentally, you didn't leave enough space.

**Update**Kindergarten, Mrs. Smith As we arrived at school this morning, she quietly informed me that I didn't need to hold her hand anymore.

Then as the bell rang and it was time for her to line up, her hand slipped quickly into mine and she held on and asked me never to let go. Oh! How I wanted to take her up on that offer!

Second grade, Ms. Meinhardt Blake on the other hand, practically took off running as soon as we got to school, but tried to not show me how excited he was. So they're off on a new adventure and so am I... Tempe beach park with only 2 kids, woo-hoo!

Bionic Woman.

It's true. I am robo-woman now. Last Thursday I got my first prosthetic. I say first because eventually, I'll have two. Cool, I know. Jealous? Yes. You are. Really, to be honest, it wasn't any fun at first. I felt like I was in one of those fun houses at the state fair where you can't walk straight and you've eaten way too many fried Twinkies and you have a really bad ear ache to top it all off. Now, I just feel like I'm in the fun house all the time but I can hear the teenage girls all the way over in line at the fried Twinkies stand whispering about the cute boys that just walked by. Inner-ear surgery really messes with your head. Walking straight is a little game that I'm getting better at, but haven't quite mastered.It's even better when the people you're talking to start to sway back and forth just to throw you off. I don't think there is anybody that I've talked to since Friday that isn't guilty of this. Thank you all for messing with my head. The best is when I hiccup or burp or cough or sneeze or yawn, my head feels like it's being slingshot to the left and I always grab for anything close by. Quite comical to watch, I'm sure.I couldn't get the camera to focus, but that spec is my old stapes bone. The smallest one in the body.

I am amazed that anyone could decide that a hearing problem could be narrowed down to one TINY bone and figure out how to fix it. Heavenly Father created something amazing and complex and I am in awe of the capabilities of the human body. Just understanding more about one of it's functions makes me so grateful for my Creator and those who pursue education to serve others. Side note: The night before I went into surgery, we had family prayer and sent the kids into bed. I walked into Blake's room a little late and he was leading the girls in another prayer just for me. It was very sweet to see their little faith as they prayed together for their mom.

The happiest place on earth. Promise.

I love snuggling in my bed with all my babes...especially when they're all happy and silly.

I love being a mom. I think it is by far the most honorable and noble calling I will ever have. I love my children! I wanted to start a new tradition this year so I asked each of the kids two questions:

#1: What is one thing you wish I did MORE of?

(Blake) play more * (Reagan) make cupcakes * (Sarah) help make her bed

#2: What is one thing you wish I did LESS of?

(Blake) telling me to stay in the playroom * (Raegan) being on the computer (Sarah)watching the news

So there you have it, my Mom goals for the year. I love to get their perspective and do a little better in what matters to them. Speaking of perspective, here's my gift that Blake made at school this year. *click on picture to enlarge and read It actually made me laugh out loud, cry happy tears and even a few sad tears. Love it!

Among other things, I also received tigger and pooh flower seeds, 12 cents, and a flat green marble. I love that my children were so selfless in giving what they had. It was a sweet gesture for them to give what was special to them. Unfortunately, I also got a very nice picture of a witch carefully scrawled in crayon with an excited "Happy Mother's Day!" from Raegan. Subliminal message? Probably. All in all, the day was delightful. Breakfast in bed was delicious. But the morning snuggling in bed with the kids was precious and priceless. A glimpse of heaven right here on earth.

Fiesta!

cinco de mayo 2009 mavity style

The day started out with each of us choosing our *mexican names for the day. Even in all my years of *crossing the border for spring break, my vocabulary and expansion of name ideas was quite small. Embarrassing, I know. So we ended up with *Jorge (me), *Gerrardo(Blake),

*Jose (Raegan), *Blanca (Sarah) and *Xavier (Jaxon). The kids enjoyed getting to know their altar egos, even if just for the day. Later, we joined *Ricardo (Rachel) and *Muchas Glacias (Laura) for an *el dippo in el poolo. The *agua was still a bit *el frigo, but the *ninas still had a *bueno time-o. After picking up *Gerrardo from *escuela we went to *la mercado for *el groceries for *la fiesta! We made *tacos y frijoles, chips, guacamole, salsa, and even *mexicana soda.

Yum, Yum Yum, delicioso!After dinner, the family went for a swim, including * Jacobo, the papa. *Xavier even went for his first *dippo en el poolo. Sad baby at first, but soon decided he liked it *mucho. What a a handsome baby! Even found these beauties at the pool we visited! *This in no way is intended to be offensive! C'mon, we actually celebrated the holiday which is more than I can say for April Fool's Day or St. Patrick's Day!

yay me.

kinda new to this whole couponing thing. i don't remember my mom EVER using a coupon. i'm still trying to get the hang of it, but i'm having a lot of fun while i try to save my family some money. here's a picture from my latest trip:

50 bucks! I saved 87! items include:

-2 gallons milk -4 gallons water -2 boxes cereal -10 packages cheese -2 boxes capri sun -6 brownie mixes -cascade dish detergent -6 bags frozen veggies -4 Lawry's marinades -2 bottles seasonings -2 frozen dinners -3 packages toilet paper -marshmallows -graham crackers -chocolate bars -etc.

oops. been a while.

Miss Raegan Paige turned 5!

really? my second child is 5? How and when did she grow up?*3rd birthday* I keep wanting to tell people that she turned 4.*4th birthday* Nope, Sarah will be 4 in a month or so. ouch. My babies are growing so fast! I wish there was a way to slow down time. People tell you that it goes by so quickly but it doesn't always feel that way when you have 3 in diapers. Now, my Blake will be turning seven (seven?) next month. My only real baby left is Jaxon. So I still have one to squish. thankgoodness. Here's Raegan at 5: 36 pounds **42 inches long and lean

:: Favorite movie- "Barbie Island Princess":: Favorite meal- "Hot dogs and ribs":: Favorite vegetable- "Carrots" (but she told the doctor bell peppers and cucumbers) :: Favorite fruit- "bananas" : :Favorite primary song-"umm I am a Child of God" :: Favorite vacation-"umm...hmm Disneyland" :: Favorite toy- "umm..play dough" :: Best friend- "uhh..Haylee and Addy":: Favorite color- "red":: Favorite person- "Jaxon" :: Favorite thing to do-"uh...play a game on the computer" :: What's the best thing about being 5? "umm..having fun":: What do you want to do this year before you turn 6? "umm...having fun with my family." :: If you could buy anything in the world what would it be? "umm..umm...my own candy" :: What do you want to be when you grow up? "A princess from Disneyland." :: Which one? "which what?" :: Princess? "oh, Belle"