Dear Winter

Dear Winter,

Please go away. I don't think I can handle you much longer. You are beautiful to look at, but you have made my family and I so sick. Literally. My checking account can't handle you much longer. Each one of my children have been to the doctors office at least once this month. It isn't a cheap place to go. Co pays do add up. My children and husband are feeling better now, but now I'm sick again. As a mom, I don't get a sick day to lay in bed and rest. My job must go on regardless of how I am feeling. I had to go the the ER last month, and am now having to pay almost $400 for that visit. I am so anxious to get outside and play for long increments of time. I know my husband and children are, too. I actually want to go RUNNING! Every single day in fact! Can you believe that? I hate running. So, that must tell you how desperate I am to get outdoors. I know it is your turn to do with mother nature as you please, but I'm begging you, PLEASE step aside and let Spring shine down on us too. Thanks for blessing us with your abundant beauty, but I know you'll be back soon enough. So, take a nice long rest to get ready for next winter.

XO,

Jamie

Sick baby and toilet paper hair

 My poor little baby has been sick :'( 

She was stuffed up and running a fever all night Thursday night, so I took her to see our pediatrician first thing Friday morning.

Thursday night was a long, exhausting night. I felt so bad for my little baby. Nights like these are tough. I know this stage in her life will pass all too quickly, and that it is important to cherish every single moment. Especially the hard moments. These are the moments that teach me patients.

The pediatrician said that she may be at the beginning stages of RSV, and that her left ear looks like it's at the beginning stages of an ear infection.

He put her on an antibiotic for her ear.

This is her very first ear infection. She has been a healthy little squirt.

She has healed quickly, and is doing fantastic now.... other than a little stuffiness, and diarrhea from the antibiotic. 

***************

 Mady has such a fun personality. On Friday, I heard her singing a song to herself in the bathroom. The song said something like, "I'm a rock star" over and over and over again. She was looking at herself in the mirror while singing that song and putting different headbands and bows in her hair. I started singing it back to her, "Mady is a rock star". She started laughing and kept popping in and out of the bathroom. Eventually I went upstairs to attend to the baby. She came running into my room laughing her head off because she just put toilet paper in her hair under her headband. 

Quickly after she left, she came running back in like this.

She is too funny for her own good.

I'm glad she has such a fun and outgoing personality.
Later that evening while the boys went to get pizza, Courtney turned on some music and us girls danced around the kitchen. Dorky dancing of course. It was much more fun dancing around while unloading the dishwasher rather than just unloading it the "normal" way. You all should try it sometime. ;)

There is never a dull moment in our household with 4 spunky kids. 

They brighten my life.

Oh for the love! ;)

When I was looking through my photos, I came across this photo I took of me a few months ago. It made me miss my long hair. A few weeks ago I had about 4 inches chopped off. That may not seem like a lot, but it is to me. :'(

 OK, now to the important stuff ;)
On Courtney's birthday I noticed a message Mady had left for Courtney. This is what it said:

I am not saen (saying) happy bithday (birthday) to you.

 I asked Mady why she wrote that. She said that Courtney made her mad. Awe, gotta love the sisterly love. I told her that wasn't very nice. She said she felt bad for writing it, and erased it and wrote her a new message. This is what it said:

I am sore (sorry) for not saen (saying) happy brithday (birthday). Happy Brithday (birthday) Courtney.

 She then wrote this message on Courtney's board:

I Love you. To Courtney From Madison

Marshall decided to leave Courtney a message, too. This is what he wrote:

Happy Birthday Courtney

:)

Happy Birthday Courtney! Your letter included!

My sweet, little Courtney turned 5 yesterday. I cannot believe it has been 5 years since I held her in my arms for the very first time. Yesterday I kept thinking about the day she was born. Her sweet new baby scent. Her soft hair. The way we looked into each others eyes for the very first time. Many people say that when they saw their baby for the very first time, it was love at first sight. It wasn't love at first sight for me. I fell in love with her long before she was born. The bond between us began when she was growing in my belly.

We had Courtney's birthday party the day before her birthday because her birthday was on a Sunday this year. We invited a few of her friends over. They all had a blast.

My beautiful Courtney wearing her new birthday dress!

She requested a cake with a crown on it

Playing duck-duck-goose at her birthday party

Isn't he the cutest boy ever!? I think so, too!

She had so much fun

Myriam had a turn playing duck-duck-goose. She tagged everyone as the goose :)

Everyone LOVES the baby

The birthday girl blowing out her candles

The only person missing from this photo is one little girl who left before I remembered to take a picture of all the guests with the birthday girl. All of the boys she invited showed up, and 3 girls she invited couldn't make it. It's okay though, the boys didn't mind all the pink and princess stuff. I think they were just happy to be here and involved in the fun.... After this picture was taken, Mady had to make sure that her fingers behind Courtney's head were visible in the picture haha.

Later that day the girls wanted me to draw faces on their balloons. I'm an artist, can't you tell?

Mady LOVED her balloon. It ended up popping the following day. She was devastated. :(

Marshall was too busy playing a game on the computer to join in the balloon face making fun. He decided to make one for himself later that evening.

Every morning on someones birthday, we always get doughnuts for breakfast. The girls get surprised with flowers and a dress on the morning of their birthday. I need to be more creative when it comes to Marshall, because I don't think he would like being surprised with an outfit and flowers. Ben picked out her dress and flowers. He did a great job!

The birthday girl posing with her flowers

She is so silly. This photo captures her personality perfectly.

Courtney LOVED her big flower sucker

Courtney,

You are a one of a kind. You have such a spunky and fun personality. You have such a big heart. You're always looking out for others. You are so independent and want to do almost everything on your own. You are so smart. You are so beautiful. You are strong willed. You are stubborn, haha.... I wonder where you get that trait from.... it couldn't possibly be me. ;) You brighten my days. I am so grateful that you chose me to be your mommy. I am so blessed to be your mommy.
You are definitely a leader, not a follower. That is something I hope you carry with you throughout your life. You will go far with your leadership attitude. If you have your mind made up, there is no stopping you. I know that you will make a great missionary one day if you choose to go on a mission when you are of age. With your strong willed and leadership attitude, I know you will bless countless lives. I have no doubt that you will do great things in your life. I know you will go far. I will always be here for you, ALWAYS. I will always love you, ALWAYS. There will be times where you and I will butt heads. There will be times when you feel like I don't understand. Even through those times, never forget how much I love you, and that I will always be here for you no matter what. Always remember that Heavenly Father understands. Our savior Jesus Christ understands, too. They want to hear from you and help you, too. Kneel and pray often. Open your scriptures often. They will help guide you down the right path. I will help you, too. All of our family will. You have so many people that love you so much. You are beautiful. Never forget that. But more important than being beautiful on the outside, you are beautiful on the inside, too. Remember that beauty is defined by what's in the soul, and darling, you have a beautiful soul. You will date lots of boys when you are much older. Let them open your car door. Let them pay for the date. Let them hold the door open for you. Remember to take things slow, and don't rush things. Anything that is meant to be will be. It is not uncool for a man to be a gentlemen. Steer clear from the men who think it's uncool to be a gentlemen. They will only bring you trouble. Always remember that you are loved so much, and that you have a family here for you, ALWAYS. We are rooting for you. We want to see you succeed, and I have no doubt that you will.
I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be!

Love,
Mommy

Crazy winters & happy love day

I have been extremely tired lately. Winters are busy here. A lot of holidays and birthdays to be celebrated in our household.
Valentine's Day was rushed, and I wasn't able to do our tradition this year of cooking a delish elegant dinner for my family with lots of pink. :) But, that's OK. We will try for next year. Marsh, Mad, and Court had a wedding to attend. Their cousin Sam got married. Ben, Myriam, and I dropped by for the reception. It was beautiful. She made a gorgeous bride.
I am anxiously awaiting summer. I can't wait until I have all my babies at home with me, and I don't have to ship some of my kids off to school. I don't like spending part of my day with them gone. It has been a long, cold winter. I love the snow, and I was ready for it, but I'm anxious for the warmer weather so we can go outside and PLAY!
Marshall has strep throat :( Ben isn't feeling well. Courtney, the baby, and I are over our colds except for the baby's runny nose. Mady and Courtney are still spot 1 and spot 2 (refer to my previous post for explanation). What a month for sickness it has been. I am craving a house full of healthy people, and bathing in the warm sun. Mmmmm.

I could barely keep my eyes open here. This mama needs rest. But hey, at least I'm keeping my new years resolution of keeping my blog updated. My kids will thank me when they're older (I hope) for being able to look back on these memories of ours. 

Courtney's preschool had their Valentine's class party the day before Valentine's Day. She came home with a bag full of Valentines from her classmates, and a cute little "Special Delivery" sign around her neck. It was so cute. It was her Valentine's gift to me. She had been telling me that she was making me a Valentine's gift at school. My gift had a poem on it, and at the end it said to pucker up my lips because my Valentine's gift is a great big kiss! So cute! 
Best. Gift. Kiss. EVER. :)

Courtney loves to dunk her food into her drinks. I see her dunking anything from bread to ramen noodles into her drinks of all sorts. She is silly. The other day she was dunking her cookies into green kool-aid. She said it was good. I think I'll pass on trying that one, and just take her word for it. 

This is my "BE <3 MINE" decoration that I made with my sister the other day. I was impressed with how it turned out.

We hope that your Valentine's Day was filled with love, and that you got to spend the day with the love of your life. I sure did! :)

All about MOM and GRANDMA; sleepover in brother's bed; spot 1, spot 2 & spot 3.

This is my week to teach preschool. For those of  you that don't already know, I rotate with 4 other moms in my ward to teach preschool. I also have Courtney in another preschool, so she goes to preschool a total of 4 days a week. She goes 2 hours per time at once school, and 1.5 hours per time at the other. Just after I had signed her up for preschool, a mom from my ward asked me if I wanted to participate in a preschool group with them. I had paid a non-refundable $50 registration fee for the other preschool, so I didn't want to pull her out of that one before even giving it a try. Also, I was a little hesitant with her being in school 4 days a week, but she loves preschool, so I'm glad I gave her this opportunity. I have really enjoyed our little preschool group. We have fun. I can't believe my sweet little Courtney is old enough to be in school (sniff, sniff). I love her so much.
During preschool today, I had the kids answer an "all about my MOM" questionnaire, and an "all about my GRANDMA" questionnaire. Here are Courtney's answers.

All about my MOM
My mom is 28 years old.
My mom weighs 30 pounds.
My mom's favorite color is pink.
My mom's favorite food is broccoli with cheese in it.
My mom always says "I love you."
My mom cooks the best macaroni.
My mom's job is to take care of us.
My mom laughs when we do silly things to her.
If my mom had time, she would love to read me a book.
My mom & I like to teach preschool.
My mom really loves her kids.
I LOVE my mom because she takes us to fun places.
By Courtney

All about GRANDMA
My grandma is 22 years old.
My grandma weighs 30&5 pounds.
My grandma's favorite color is purple.
My grandma's favorite food is macaroni and pop tarts.
My grandma always says "I love you."
My grandma cooks the best pop tarts & granola bars.
My grandma's job is to take care of her kids.
My grandma laughs when we make fun of her. (Then she asked me, "Mom what does make fun of mean?")
If my grandma had time, she would love to take her kids to the beach.
My grandma & I like to cook food with each other.
My grandma really loves us.
I LOVE my grandma because she makes the best food.
By Courtney

A little boy in my class said his grandma is 50,000 years old. Wow, now that's old!

I will keep, and cherish the "all about my MOM" survey forever. When she is much older, I will read this to her and give her a giggle. I love looking back at all the things in my baby book. I hope she will find joy in looking back at hers, too.

Madison and Courtney (mostly Courtney) often beg me to please please please let Marshall come sleep in their room with them. 95% of the time I tell them no, not on a school night. Weekends are free game, but school nights are not so much. They like to built forts on the weekends and all sleep together in their fort. I gave in and told Courtney that Marshall could sleep in their room tonight. Well, they all ended up in his room in his twin sized bed. They are silly. I love them. I love that my children are such good friends. I know they will cherish these years with one another forever.
I look back and cherish my memories with my siblings. I'm glad my siblings and I still have a close bond. This evening I looked on my phone and saw 2 missed calls right in a row from my sisters. One from Cody, and one from Terrie. Then I saw a text from Cody that read "Call me ASAP". My heart was pounding. I thought something bad had happened. When I called Cody, I found out that all she wanted was to know if I still wanted to go to the craft group with them this month, and if they should leave the money for me with the lady who was hosting it. I guess they were at her house, and wanted to know what to do before they left. I told them what jerks they were for scaring me like that LOL! We all had a good laugh.

Courtney was sick last week with a mild cold. The baby ended up getting it. Now I have it. Thank goodness it's mild. We have wiped a lot of noses around here lately.
Madison and Courtney have a rash all over their bodies. I thought it was hives. We decided to take them to the doctor today because it was getting worse. The doctor said it's not hives, and that it's a virus. He said there is no medicine for it, and that it will go away on it's own. I'm so glad it's not itching or bothering them. Tonight while I was bathing the girls, I noticed the extent of how bad it had gotten. It was literally covering their whole bodies. I told them I'm going to start calling them spot 1 and spot 2. They liked that idea. Courtney is spot 1, and Madison is spot 2. Madison says that I am spot 3 because I have freckles. I love the silliness my kids have in them.

We hope everyone has a magical Valentine's Day filled with love.

Holding my family a little tighter tonight!

Tonight my heart is aching for 4 little children that just lost their mother and father early this morning. My heart aches for all the other family members and friends that are suffering from this great loss, too. Shaniel Donaldson's (Matt's cousin) life was taken by her husband, Scott Donaldson. When I first heard, I was in shock. I couldn't believe it. I don't have many memories with Scott and Shaniel, but I have a few. One memory sticks out to me: when I had first moved to Price, Shaniel invited me over to her place to hang out and watch movies. She made pancakes for dinner, then we headed to blockbuster to rent a movie. We rented The Notebook. I cried like a baby while watching that movie. I think Shaniel fell asleep, haha. :) She was always so busy being a wife, mom, and going to school. I had a great night with her, and I'm thankful for her friendship. She always welcomed me into her home, and was so sweet to my children and I. I will forever be thankful to her for her reaching out to be my friend.

Today has been a very sad day. I have shed some tears. But more than anything, I have held my children and husband a little tighter. Life is so unexpected, and way too short. I realize that I need to make many changes in my life. I am learning the power of forgiveness, but it hasn't come easy. It has been a long process, but I am seeing the blessings and power of it. 

*************************

Myriam took her first step tonight!! Ben was working with her to get her to stand up alone without the support of furniture, and she took a step toward him. It was so cute. I'm so thankful both Ben and I got to see it. My family is my greatest blessing. I'm so thankful for them. I am so thankful for the Gospel, and for a loving Father and Brother in Heaven. I hear that life is as short as a blink of an eye. I was telling Ben tonight that a blink of an eye seems like forever. I know that one day all the hurt and pain in the world will be gone. There will be no sadness, hatred, and evil in this world. Until that day comes, we must press forward and continually remind ourselves that God will never abandon us. He is real, and He loves us all very much.

Here are some photos of my blessings :)

The other day I was trying to make a shopping list and pay bills. Myriam wasn't too happy about that. She was sitting in her high chair right beside me at the kitchen table eating her cheerios. She started fussing and wanted me to hold her. So, I got a brilliant idea to move her high chair to face the window so she could look outside while she ate. She loved it...... for about 2 minutes haha.

Marshall gave Courtney his old pajama pants tonight. She excitedly put them on, and quickly found this shirt to wear with it. Stylish! I love it! I love Myriam's cute little face behind Courtney peeking at the camera!

Marshall wrote this letter to me when he was in 2nd Grade. "Dear Mom, Thank you for making my bed. You are good at cleaning. Thank you for cleaning the house. You are the best egg maker in the holl (whole) world. You take very very good care of me. You give me lots of good food. You are very good at taking care of me. Thank you for the scooter. Love, Marshall. You are the best Mom". He is so sweet!

This is a story Madison wrote in her 1st grade class..... "Madison White 3 (not sure what the 3 is for). Issac was a troll. He loved to slurp snot. When he would see a dog with droll (drool), he would want to slurp it! 3". Haha, she is so funny!

 My husband and children are so sweet! Ben takes great care of the children and I, and puts our needs above his. He truly is my best friend. I tell him everything, and I'm thankful that I can confide in him, and trust him. I am thankful for the advice he gives me. He is always rooting for me, and helps me become a better person every single day. I look forward to our daily conversations. The kids do silly things that make me laugh and smile every single day. I am very blessed to be able to share my life with them.

Homemade Granola Bars

I wanted to make a quick snack for the kids when they got home from school. I remembered pinning a granola bars recipe on Pinterest, so I looked it up and got to work.
It was seriously one of the most easiest things I have ever made (well, excluding the good ol' Pb&J sandwiches ;) )
I didn't have honey on hand like the recipe called for, so I decided to substitute it with dark Karo syrup. It worked out great!
Here is the link to the original recipe that I went off of: http://www.laurenslatest.com/no-bake-chocolate-chip-granola-bars-easy-healthy/
These are so much better than store bought. 
Ready for a delicious and easy recipe? OK, here we go!

I doubled the recipe, so the ingredients I'm giving is with a doubled batch. For a smaller batch, you'll want to half the ingredients. 

First mix together 4 cups of quick oats, and 2 cups of rice krispies 

Next: In a small saucepan, heat up 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup (1 cube) butter, and 1/2 cup Karo syrup (or honey) over medium high heat until it comes to a bubble. Reduce heat and cook 2 minutes. Add 1 tsp vanilla to syrup mixture. 

Note: To keep the syrup or honey from sticking to the measuring cup, spray it with non-stick cooking spray first.

When syrup mixture is done, pour over dry ingredients.

Add to other ingredients 2 Tbsp of chopped chocolate chips, or mini chocolate chips

Mix well to moisten all ingredients

Pour into lightly greased cookie sheet and spread the mixture out evenly

If they are having a hard time sticking together, pop them in the freezer or fridge for about 20 minutes.

And there you have it! As my daughter Mady would say: Easy peasy lemon squeezy :)

Living in the moment!

My mind is so consumed with all of the things that I want to do and accomplish for my family that I sometimes forget to live in the moment. It can get overwhelming. When this happens, I have to take a step back and analyze things. When I take a step back I remember that this stage in life will pass all too quickly. That is a saddening realization to me. It won't always be loud. There won't always be toothpaste smeared on the mirrors, rugs, counters, and doorknobs left for cleaning up. There won't always be spilled milk to wipe up or tomatoes that need to be picked out of my goulash for certain children of mine (throat clearing....Mady). There won't always be messy hands and faces that need to be wiped up. There won't always be homework to help kids with, and activities to take kids to and fro. There won't always be messy rooms to clean, hand prints smeared on the walls to wipe off, and piled up laundry to tackle.
My wise mother told me while we were at her house for her Sunday roast dinner, "When you are in the process of raising little children, time seems to go by so very slow, but the next thing you know they are all grown up and you realize that time wasn't going by nearly as slow as you had thought".
I cannot believe that my son is already half way to being an adult. When did he get so big and turn 9? My other children seem to be growing so awfully fast, but when the realization hit that my son is halfway to adulthood, it made my heart sink. So may thoughts surrounded me. Thoughts like, "I only have 9 more years to teach him so much stuff. How can I possibly teach him all that he needs to know in 9 short years? Will he always know how deep my love is for him?"
Having my children grown is an extremely scary thought for me. I am not ready for them to grow up so fast. The thought leaves me empty inside. I will most definitely miss these years when they are gone. It is not easy by any means, but it is so wonderful.
It's moments like these that remind me to live in the moment, because whether I'm ready or not, time will press forward, and if I'm too busy wasting my time stressing about the small stuff, I'll forget to enjoy the ride along the way. By me enjoying the ride, I am teaching my children the most valuable lesson of all.... that happiness is beautiful, and to LIVE. IN. THE. MOMENT! :)

Is it summer? Courtney seems to think so!

When Courtney got home from preschool she did her chores. Once she loaded the dishwasher and cleaned the kitchen sink, she decided to fill the sink full of water and soak her feet. She soaked her pants in the process of soaking her feet. The next thing I saw was her dressed in her old tumbling outfit, and eating a baggy full of cheerios. Summer attire is what she prefers. At night Mady and Courtney take off their pajamas a good portion of the time and sleep in their underwear. I dont get it. They are silly. Luckily I keep my house warm.
Today is Friday and that means pizza night. I love it. Ben makes a mean pizza. Later this evening I am hoping to go to the temple with Ben. There is nothing that feels better than doing the Lord's work.
TGIF! We have some fun plans in store for this weekend. We hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend!