Jackson's Great Find

Jackson picked the BEST card for Mark's birthday! All of the kids loved it so much they decided it would be from all of them. You should have heard Jacks and Matt in Target as they read it aloud to each other and the girls, they were laughing so hard, it was hilarious! Even the girls were repeating phrases from the card, I'm sure others in the store thoroughly enjoyed the comical entertainment! I've never seen the kids so excited to give something to their Dad. Their happy chatter, laughter and beaming faces were better than any gift they could have ever given!

Mark found the card just as humorous as the kids and the whole "Target" scene was reenacted at home, only this time Mark joined in! My kids are so lucky to have such a fun Dad! We had a great night of laughs and the kids enjoyed reciting phrases from the card for days after!

I've Been Tagged!

Six Things That Make Me Happy

1. My absolutely adorable family

2. Summer - sunshine and warm nights

3. My relationship with my siblings

4. Hanging out with the girls
5. My Scrapbook Room, or as I like to call it, My Sanctuary

6. The feeling of my just cleaned house

(Hasn't happened in a long time, so no picture!!!)

I Tag:
Julie, Heather and Audree

My Worst Fear Come True

Macie Cut Her Hair!

I don't know if I have ever been so upset with any of my kids as I am with Macie right now.
Matt, Maya and I were in my scrapbook room setting up Matt's face book account and I thought Mae was watching a show on TV. Little did I know, she was watching TV with a pair of SCISSORS!!! Normally this wouldn't be a problem. She loves to just sit and cut a piece of paper into a thousand tiny shreds, which I always thought was fine, it kept her very entertained and helped develop dexterity. Unfortunately this time her HAIR was cut into a thousand tiny pieces.
My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach when Maya left the room and I heard her gasp and say in a very worried voice, "Mom, I think Macie cut her hair!" I ran into the family room to find Macie looking at me with very nervous eyes, half her hair GONE and a pile of hair with scissors on the coffee table next to her.
Of course, I started crying! I immediately picked her up and stuck her in time out. I told her that we should NEVER, NEVER cut our hair and that now she wouldn't be able to have braids (which are her favorite), pony tails or curls. I asked her if she felt sad about cutting her hair off and she said "no", can you believe that?! I know darn well she feels bad, she had silent tears streaming down her face, she's just so dang stubborn she won't admit it! I, on the other hand am torn between throwing up and kicking her!
I so hope that this is fixable or blendable . . . something!!!

February is a Crazy Month

Mark and I both celebrate our birthday this month! In fact, our birthdays are only four days apart. It's totally against the "rules" to marry someone with your same sign, but for us, two Aquarius's is a match made in heaven!

Boston is celebrating his first birthday on the 12th. All the kids are really excited for his birthday. Macie wants to have a birthday party for him and invite all of his dog friends from the neighborhood. She wants party hats, doggy treats - the whole works - so cute!Last, but not least, is Valentines Day. Our kids especially look forward to Valentine's Day because they are always visited by a "mystery admirer" who leaves them fun surprises on the doorstep! February 14th was also my Grandpa Bert's birthday. Each Valentine's Day I am flooded with childhood memories of going to his house to celebrate his birthday and exchange valentine's with all of my cousins - for me, it was as exciting as Christmas! The memories are definitely bitter-sweet, but I would not trade them for the world! I only hope to give my children the opportunity to create such meaningful memories!

Happy February!!!

Mark's Dream Come True!!!

For as long as I can remember, Mark has wanted a dog. Not just any dog, but a little dog that would live in our house. For those of you who know me, a "house dog" was out of the question! No way in @*## was I going to have a smelly, messy, furry creature living in my house!

For almost twelve years I was able to stick to my guns, but one wonderful Sunday evening my sweet sister, Julie, had to knock reality right in my face! As we sat together as a family having our usual Sunday dinner, Mark brought up the fact that now that we had a bigger house and a large backyard he wanted a dog. I, of course, went on with my usual spill of why we would NEVER get a dog. Suddenly Julie pipes up and in an oh-so-innocent way, reminds me of what a wonderful husband Mark is and that he gives me absolutely anything and everything I want! Usually my being spoiled by my husband works to my advantage, but this time I knew he deserved to get what he wanted!

The very next weekend we took a little trip to St. George with the kids. At some point during the trip Mark and the kids got online and found a litter of Boston Terriers that were for sale in Price, UT. According to Mark it was meant to be because a Boston Terrier was exactly what he wanted and Price was right on our way home - yeah right! I've driven home from St. George dozens of times and I don't recall EVER going through Price!

Needless to say, we took a short detour through Price where Mark found the puppy of his dreams! The puppy we took wasn't exactly the one that we intended to take when we were looking at the pictures online, but when we got there we all fell in love with this puppy's demeanor. He was so calm and sweet, you just couldn't help but want to cuddle him. As we drove home we all gave our input as to what his name should be. For some reason food names and girly names just weren't working, so I, with my brilliant insight, suggested that since he was a Boston Terrier, we name him Boston. Thankfully everyone agreed and our cute little new family member had a name!
We were so lucky to have chosen Boston! He was such a good puppy! He immediately slept through the night, which was a very good thing because I was NOT about to get up with him, I already did that with the other four kids! He potty trained right away, which was my biggest concern and he even put up with a VERY jealous Macie. Plus he was EXTREMELY cute and cuddly!

Our anniversary is in May and so for Mark's present I had professional pictures taken of Boston with the kids and me. He was totally surprised and loved them! These are just a few of our favorites!I have loved watching Mark fall in love with his dog! He treats him just like one of the kids. He is always buying things for him; cozy little beds, chew toys, treats and even a special winter coat! Mark and Boston have a special spot at the bottom of the stairs that lead into the kitchen. Whenever Mark sits down on the stairs Boston comes running from whatever he is doing to get his massage and "one on one" time with Mark. It's one of the funniest things ever! Mark totally spoils him, I like to tease him and say that he treats Boston better than he's ever treated our kids, sometimes it's true!

I have to admit, as much as I didn't want a dog, I am grateful that Boston is a part of our family! He has made a special connection with each one of us and has shown me how important a relationship with a pet can be for kids. He truly is one of the best things that has ever happened to our family!