Coming Soon....

I have one more week of craziness and then I will catch up my blog. I have so many fun things to write about. Stay tuned for the exciting details of:

- My "secret" 43-pound weight-loss
- Hannah & Haylee's awesome performance in Stadium of Fire
- The end of Softball season
- My "Girls Gone Crazy" Fabulous weekend with Robin & Denise
- The "Party Every Day" week of the Beatty girls' visit to our home
- Family picture event
- Heritage Ward Girls Camp

I'll make sure to attach lots of pictures too.

Although you'll have to go to Denise's blog to see the one of me in the bathroom!

Who Needs a Green Thumb?

Turns out that even though I haven't got a green thumb- I can still keep an orchid alive. I've had this one a whole year! Ed gave it to me Mothers Day in 07. Everyone I've talked to says these are hard to keep alive and very finicky. Which is funny because I've killed every plant I've ever owned- usually within 4 or 5 months. This is the first time it's bloomed 5 different flowers! I think it's absolutely beautiful.

4 Down and 1 To Go

Kindergarten Graduation!

I can't believe it! This is him and his teacher, Mrs. Olson. She has taught all of the kids- 4 Huhtalas in 5 years! I asked her if she was tired and ready for a break from our family. :)

I'm proud of Logan and happy that he finally caught on to school. He didn't start reading until about January so I was a little nervous. Turns out it just took him awhile to "warm up" to learning.

Congratulations Logan!

Any Ideas?

Next month, my RS lesson is "Gifts of the Spirit" from the Joseph Smith manual. This is a fabulous lesson and I'm really excited to teach it. It happens to fall on Mother's Day. And as a favor for all the moms, the men in the ward are covering Primay and YW so that every single woman in our ward can attend Relief Society that day.

All the women in our ward can be a pretty intimidating bunch. Now, I'm not one to intimidate easily and I wouldn't say that's what I'm feeling. I actually feel more honored that this happened to fall on my Sunday. I feel a great responsibility to uplift and inspire these women. They're leaving their stewards in the hands of the men to become my stewards so I want to make it special.

So if you haven't read the lesson, could you? And please pass on any ideas you have on how to present the lesson. Thanks for your help!

BYU Who?

My friend Misty is a Ute fan.

Actually, let me rephrase. My friend Misty is a University of Utah fanatic. There are only 3 things, that I've found that she loves more than the Utes.... her husband, her boys, and her dog. Other than those things, she lives for Ute football and basically anything waving the crimson flag.

She invited me to an Utah vs. BYU gymnastics meet. I thought it would be fun for the girls to go too. So the 3 of us, escorted by the Utes #1 fan, Misty went to the meet. It was so fun! Actually watching a meet live instead of on TV was great! The Utah team was in a totally different league. It was exciting to watch the routines, especially when someone "stuck it". It happened to be the last meet for 3 of their seniors so the stadium was packed and the crowd was great.

We had a great time- it was fun hanging out with my girls and Misty. And I even let Misty think she converted us...... until football season. :)

Damn that Hannah Montana!

So the girls decided yesterday that they wanted to perform again in the Stadium of Fire. Since they have performed before, the dance studio's, owner Tresa was happy to make room for my girls without an audition. We dropped off a check and we're good to go.

Until..... I got online and tried to purchase a Stadium of Fire ticket! They are sold out! Rumor has it, they sold out in half an hour. What? This is crazy? In previous years, I didn't even buy my tickets until May or June. Well, guess who is performing? You got it- Mylie Cyrus! Now for those of you who aren't from around here you may not know that she performed in SLC about 6 months ago. That concert sold out in 6 minutes. So they added another concert night which sold out in about 1/2 day. A lot of these tickets ended up on Craigs List and Ebay for double or triple the cost.

So... Number 1: A lot of these people who bought SOF tickets don't even care about the event. They are not going to go. They are going to try to make a killing on the tickets that they bought. Number 2: I am not willing to allow my 10 and 9 year old girls go to the SOF without me in the stands. I'm not willing to pay $150 per child so that I can sit outside in the parking lot and wonder what they look like on the field.

Had we been prepared or decided to perform sooner we wouldn't have had this problem because the dancers of each studio had a chance to pre-purchase up to 5 tickets. The only reason my girls decided to do it was because the next door neighbor girl decided to and they, being veterans of the event, wanted to support her (the neighbor girl passed the audition but with a few conditions so she needs a little help) I'm proud of them for wanting to support her and do it with her. But now I've got a find way to get into the Stadium of Fire without paying another $300 for a ticket!

Here are my ideas so far:

1. E-mail all the radio stations and Good Things Utah to see if they'll take pity on me.

2. Talk to everyone I know to see if they have any connections whatsoever that can help me.

3. Let the Studio owner know that I need a ticket in case one of the other dancers' mom's has an extra ticket to sell. (I have already done this)

If you have any other suggestions, that would be great!

You know me, I will not stop without a ticket in hand.

Solemn Assembly

I don't typically wax spiritual on my blog (not intentionally really- just don't do it often) but I wanted to mention what an awesome experience this morning's session of General Conference was for me and my family. Usually on Saturday's we half-heartedly listen because we are taking care of Saturday chores, shopping, etc., but this weekend I wanted to make sure we sat down as a family for the sustaining of our new prophet, Pres. Monson.

I felt the spirit so strong when I was asked as a member of the Relief Society to stand up and sustain him. It also gave me a chance to bear that testimony to my children as Hannah and Haylee were asked to stand and sustain him as well. What a wonderful gift we are given to have the Holy Ghost to testify of truth and what a wonderful blessing to have a living Prophet! I'm grateful for my Savior and for the restored Gospel.

And on a lighter note, I'm grateful to have a break from church twice a year!

Water Logged

This was so adorable! I hollered to Haylee to bring me the camera- quick! He loves his baths- in fact I haven't had a kid that didn't love bath time. Anway- thought this was cute so I wanted to share.

April Fools!

So I thought I would do something fun for April Fool's Day. The boys actually thought it was dirt! They should make gummy worms brown- it would be more convincing.

Doggie Periods

OK- I know this is the last thing you guys want to read about but Sadie is on her period again. We have never gotten her fixed because we really wanted her to have puppies at least once. Well, I threw away her "panties" because she had outgrown them and never went to Petsmart to get a new pair. So, Ed and I being inventive, put her in a Pull-up. Well, actually, it's a Good Night-but same concept.

Oh! The things I do for this dog - we love our Sadie Lou!

Reasons for Allowance

I never used to pay my kids allowance. There is a lot of work to be done to keep a home running and part of being a member of a family is doing your fair share around the house. That was my philosophy. So the only way they got paid for chores was if they asked for, were assigned, and completed an extra job.

Surprisingly, no one really asked for these extra jobs on a consistent basis.

I realized that by not giving them an allowance, that I wasn't creating a situation to teach them about tithing, money management and financial obligations.

So we started paying them a weekly allowance that is equal to the amount of daily and weekly chores that they are assigned. I pay them the last Saturday of the month (I can remember it better like this- kind of like a bill).

Well, the boys have been getting invited to a lot of b-day parties- much more than the girls. They each got invited to a friend's party Friday night. All of these parties were getting old. So I put a new rule into place.

If you get invited to a birthday party and would like to attend, you are responsible for buying the gift. I thought this might deter the boys from wanting to go on Friday. Nope. They ponied right up! They each gave me $10 (all the money in their bank) to get a present for their friend.

At first, I felt a little guilty since I don't know any parent who makes their five year old pay for their friend's present. But then I realized that this helps them learn exactly what I wanted them to learn in the first place by paying them an allowance.

So tough or not- this is way we're going to roll when it comes to friend's birthday parties.

(Side note: Isn't it funny to watch how each child saves or spends their money? It's like an inherit trait or something. Haylee is our saver (she has over $50), Alex is our spender, too soon to tell about Logan, and Hannah has figured out that quality matters so while she doesn't save just to save like Haylee- she will save for a specific item rather than buy the first junky thing she sees at Wal Mart.)

Here? Already?

Hannah had her first babysitting job today.

So I was sitting around the house in the early afternoon just watching the first 4 episodes of Dancing with the Stars that I had missed in the last couple of weeks when a woman from the ward called and asked, "Does your daughter babysit?"

I said, "Well, she's 10."

Miranda: "Right. But she seems so much older."

Me: "She is very mature and very responsible and I do leave her home alone with her brothers and sister occasionally and she does a great job but she hasn't really had any official babysitting jobs."

This didn't matter to Miranda. She had called all of the YW and there was absolutely no one available. So I asked Hannah if she wanted to and she said yes. She ended up babysitting about 3 hours for Miranda's 4 year old and almost 2 year old.

She called me 3 times to ask for guidance.

How did I get here? When did I get here? Obviously I know the answers but for the love..... we're here already? It just seems like yesterday that the was walking around in her dress-up high heels and her underwear fully accessorized with a beaded necklace and tiara.

I'm old. My kids are old. And I want time to slow down.

I do feel proud and consider it a compliment however, that others think my daughter is responsible and mature. And I think it's to her credit as much as it is mine.

And now more than ever, I'm trying to "Enjoy the Journey" and not wish it away- because this is it..... I'm trying to enjoy each day I have with Hannah and my other children because it won't be long before they're gone.

Oh... and her and I are going to make a babysitting bucket this next week so she'll be prepared for her next job. At least she is still young enough to think that having her mom help her with this project is a good idea!

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday was great! Ed's sister, Melissa, asked him to bless her baby so we went down to Santaquin at 1 p.m. for a luncheon and the blessing was at 3 p.m. We did an Egg Hunt in between. We had several people taking our picture so half of us are looking at the wrong camera but this is as good at is gets.

The girls and I had kind of a black and white theme going on and the boys were supposed to be blue and green. But Ed wore a white shirt since he was doing the blessing. My color scheme obviously looks better when the boys and girls are pictured separately.

We finished off the day with a family walk around the neighborhood (it was beautiful here) and then while the kids played, Ed and I jumped on the tramp together. It was a very fabulous day!

I Fight Dirty!

27

This was on Dawn's blog and I thought it was funny. You have to think of the worst neighbor kid ever on your worst day ever. Then you'll get a high score!

A Little Ditty....

not about Jack & Dianne.

I must say the funnest (I know... not a word.... one more reason why my blog was rated at a Jr. High reading level! See Denise's blog for details) thing about blogging is coming up with funny titles. At least they are funny to me- I must say, I crack myself up! Nothing new to you though.

So- this is just a little ditty to say Hi and I'm thinking about all of you! I wish I had all day long to sit and blog- I absolutely love it. I was just re-reading some of my posts and your wonderful comments and realized that this forum is great for sharing my thoughts and feelings. Your comments help me so much. (BTW- damn you people for visiting my blog and not leaving any comments! ) Don't know if there are any of you out there- but there is your warning if there are.

Have a great Wednesday (hump day- what a funny term for Wednesday- I prefer Friday's for this). Ok- that might have been a little over the top but I know all of you are laughing your heads off! Probably laughing at me- but I"ll take it.

We all need to laugh more! Let it out- it's fun! Life is fun. Have a brilliant day!

Mary Kay Order

I'm doing a new MK order in the next week or so. I can't really publish the details so if you want something- just e-mail me and I we can correspond that way. What I can say is this, "ouya illwa etga yma iscountda ichwha isa iftya ercentpa." So e-mail me!

Yeah! I did it!

I was tired of my old background and it's 10:50 MST.

Which means that it is is 12:50 EST and that is the time zone where my Professional Blog Designer lives.

I guess I could have waited another hour and she would have been up at 2 a.m. but I thought I'd try it myself.

What do you think?

Title Piece

You know the name of my blog is Enjoy the Journey- and I just have to say, that I am!

Enjoying the Journey that is.

You know when the kids were young, I could never see the light at the end of the tunnel. I was convinced that they would be small and helpless FOR-EV-ER. And now, here it is, about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday- the boys are quietly playing downstairs, the girls are at Activity Days and the baby (who becomes a toddler next Monday) is sleeping. I am so blessed! Seriously, most of you had to suffer through me having four kids four and under- you saw the chaos. Heck- half of you were it the midst of the same chaos yourselves. I love this stage of my life where I have just enough time to myself. I'm doing so many fun things- some new some old.

I get to go to Book Club once a month. Just finished reading our March selection, "The Thirteenth Tale."

I play Bunco once a month. I quit this for about 4 months because book club and bunco were on the same night and I've been doing book club longer so I chose that. But now they are on different nights so I get to go to both.

I get my hair done regularly. Right now I get it weaved with 3 different colors. A blonde, a red (borderline fuschia - love it) and a dark brown. I love the way it looks! She does one red to every 2 blonde and brown so the red just adds dimension- it's not overpowering and obnoxious. And I have a style that is easy to do but looks like I spent a lot of time on it. Fabulous!

I am loving playing with "my look". I just got new glasses- they have kind of a deep purple frame. They have transition lenses when I walk outside so they turn into sunglasses. And I got some green colored contacts for when I'm not wearing my glasses. So cute!

And I love knowing my family is complete. It's such a great feeling knowing I listened when I had the promptings to have another baby. I have no regrets. Now that I can't have any more children, it comforts me to know that I obeyed when I was told to have more kids. Can you imagine my pain, my anguish, if in hindsight I had ignored those promptings? It's unimaginable to me.

I'm sure there are more things that I am loving about this part of my journey- actually I could go on and on. And I know that life will not always be about me and all the fun things I get to do but right now I'm enjoying it!

Confessions of a Skinny Girl

I was talking to a friend (who is skinny- I mean thin as it gets skinny) and she was saying how her daughter who is 10 years old is always eating. She was asking me how I keep my kids from over-eating. That conversation wound it's way to the serving size of a Hershey's kiss (her answer made me gasp! in surprise). This conversation (and other recent friends' blogs) started me thinking, "What would it be like if I was skinny?"

Disclaimer: This post is strictly for laughs- I am not wishing to offend anyone - skinny or otherwise.

Confession #1: I could only eat 1 Hersheys kiss at a time so what is the point of buying a whole bag?

Confession #2: I would get so constipated because there would be hardly any fat in my diet (and I need fat because I don't have a gall bladder.)

Confession #3: I wouldn't have any more friends because they all loved me when I was "fat and sassy".

So I'm happy for now being on the chubby side- this sounds absolutely dreadful!

Primary Jamboree

The girls had their Recognition Night Sunday and I videotaped their performance. My Hannah choreographed the entire dance. Haylee coordinated music, hair, outfits and how to end their dance. The other dancer Hannah is Amberlyn's oldest daughter.

Other than the minor criticisms from me, their perfectionist mother, (which BTW I did not mention to them) it turned out pretty good. Their clogging teacher was very impressed and asked them to perform it at the dance studio's spring recital in May. Please excuse the lamo recording job (technical things are not my strong suit).