samantha's birthday

 samantha had a little princess party for 5th birthday this weekend.. we made magic wands

 played kiss the frog..

 had a tea party and had cupcakes.. the girls had a wonderful time..

 sunday was her actually birthday.. we had pizza and pop for her requested dinner

 and then a pink cake with purple frosting.. she is def a little girl

 

as far as gifts she wanted her ears peirced which we did and she got a shirt and a tea set from her party and a few little things with her bday money.. all in all she had a wonderful weekend..A-

christmas day

i figured i would post a video of each of the kids from this morning.. we had a great morning after having a ruff day before.. we had a bug go through our house but thank goodness it was quick and over so we could enjoy this day.. merry christmas everyone..A-

christmas part 1

 

well my folks were able to come up for the weekend and visiting with us before they headed off to Logan to stay with my sister tiffanie for christmas.. we got to visit with them friday night and some of saturday before we went bowling.. omg was that so much fun.. we got two lanes and of course the kids had the bumpers.. to watch the kids bowl was just fun.. every time emmett went up and was just so excited.. all the kids even the big kids had a good time.. in the end samantha won with 114.. how awesome is that.  she even got a couple of strikes too.. after that we went to rupes and got ice cream which ended up being corn dogs too..we had dinner and a good visit with them sunday and they were off.. well why not so we played games with our good friends the randalls on sunday.. no one had to work the next day so we played.. we normally play on friday nights with the boys playing at our house and the girls with us.. we played a game that involves stickers and this is how we looked in the end.. way fun..

bday party

 

cameron had his friend bday party on sat and had a great time.. we let him invite 5 freinds to come play.. we had pizza and pop.. presents and they decorated cupcakes..some were kinda gross but they enjoyed them.. they also had a nerf gun party too..good party for some 9 year olds..

laughing

 

emmett and daddy were playing before bed.. i just thought it was funny.. enjoy..A-

camerons bday

well my little boy turned 9 today.. its so crazy how time flies.. corey and i keep thinking that we should still be in our 20's with no responsiblity but here we are with 5 crazy but wonderful children.. so happy birthday to u buddy.. love ya..A-

50th anniversary

Wheeler Electric had their 50th anniversary party last night and we got to go..wahoo.. corey has been with the company for over a year and it has been a wonderful place to work.. we had dinner and dessert and then they had a drawing for the employees and spouses.. we eneded up with a couple of gift cards which is awesome.. they also gave away tshirts and we got chocolate covered almonds too.. anyway it was a nice date night and congrats to wheeler..

grateful

i totally forgot to take pictures over the thanksgiving holiday but wanted everyone to know that we had a great time.. we stayed at home and eneded up with some exteneded family for the holiday.. it was fun to be with cousins, aunts and uncles to celebrate the day.. we had good food and good company.  corey had to work the day after so the kids and i just hung out but then on sat we were with family again.. it is just nice to know that even if its exteneded family its family and they love u.. A-

homemade christmas take 3

so here is the next gift i did for samantha.. i found the idea off of pinterest.. omg i love that site.. it has so many good ideas.. anyway.. u essential take a pair of pants and cut them off at the crotch and then add a layer or ruffle of fabric.. super easy.. i had all three of these done in just an hour or so.. would have done it sooner but my poor sewing machine is on its last leg.... she knew she was getting them and i asked her if she wanted them now and she said no mom u can hide them for christmas.. but im goona go and buy some leggings or some heavy tights to go with them.. oh and i had the pants and the fabric was on sale at walmart.. so i got  3 yards of fabric for 7 bucks.. not bad huh.. happy crafting...A-

homemade christmas take #2

so this weekend after all the sugar my friend and i got busy making theses.. we essentially took 1 in scrapes of fabric and wound them around the plastic headbands u can get at walmart.. they were super easy and all u need then is a hot glue gun.. we also did the bows/barretts.. u can buy the barret clippy things at sally beauty supply.. we took the ribbon (.47 roll from walmart) and wound it around a dowel rod.(use wooden clothes pins to hold each end). sprayed it with fabric starch and baked it at 350 for 25 mintues.. it comes out curly and stiff.. u then do what u want and hot glue it to the barret/clip.. anyway she had all the srapes and head gear.. so i bought the ribbon and dowels and spent about 6 bucks and walaa..awesome huh.. now go look and see what u have or how cheap u can make them...A-

birthday bash

 well this weekend was carters and coreys birthdays.. for carters we did homemade pizza with a camo cake and ice cream.. he got some money from us and from the grandparents and ended up buying himself some nerf guns.. def a hit and yes there were some injuries..nothing bad but funny..

 corey got his homemade sweet and sour chicken with egg rolls(bought them) and ham fried rice..(friends made it).. he also got homemade banana cream pie..(friend made that too)..

 

he got the welding cap for under his hard hat and has been wearing it all weekend.. he also got a new bath robe which took a while to open.. our friends wrapped it in lots of duct tape.. anyway it was def a fun weekend with our friends and with our little family..A-

homemade christmas take 1

well my friend ali and i are doing alot of homemade christmas this year.. we both dont have alot of money to spend.. so after searching pinterest we found some really fun ideas.. well this is #1. i made this tutu for samantha.. it cost me 4 bucks and took like 15 minutes.. i bought 3 1/2 yards of tool and layed them on top of each other and then cut them out in 6 inch strips.. i sewed my elastic together and then just simply folded the strips in half and then tyed a knot.. really easy.. the 1/2 yard i did the same thing..just inbetween the other colors... so anyway..here goes to making christmas easy and inexpensive this year..A-...

1st day of preschool

well samantha had her first day of preschool today.... the local high school puts it on for 2- 6/7 week sessions..now and in the spring and it is the best.. its 30 bucks and totally worth it.. plus i cant afford much else..anyway she was up early and ready and wating to go.  so was so excited.. after 2 hours i picked her up and that is all she has talked about today.. glad she is loving it...my big girl...A-

good grades

well the past weeks have benn good and busy around here.. wyatt had parent teacher conferneces and is doing really well in school.. cameron and carter both recieved awards this past week in there classes and corey has finished his 4th year of his appretniship program.. he got a 90 on his final and then 90.25 for his final grade.. i am soooooo proud of him.. now all i can say is bring on year 5 and lets get this done.. i still cant belive how fast the past 4 years have gone.. but it has been an interesting and amazing yet very very hard time too.. all i know is we have made it and i just hope and pray we can finish it with just as much courage as we did to start this adeventure..A-

glasses and leaves

 well carter has been having headaches for awhile and so i took him into the eye doctor to see if it was his vision..and yep he now has glasses.. he is like his dad that way and needs them to read and do homework..thank goodness

 we also have been doing my mom and dads yard this summer as our summer family job..well now its fall and that means leaves..lots and lots of them.. we have already done 18 bags from the front yard and there are still more to come off.. but hey atleast the kids had fun too

i am offiically done with band..yeah..we had our last competetion 2 weeks ago and got 2nd place..wahoo..then we preformed sat at the playoff game..snake river won and is advancing..the kids did such a good job and am so proud of them..now its time for mommy time with the kids and doing all the normal things like volunteering and etc..now i have a few months off till it all starts again..
anyway..we also had a visit from grandma and grandpa and the kids had fun with them too..sorry forgot to take pics.. we did our usual hot tub and donut day and just visiting was nice.  anyway hope all are doing well.  we are too..A-

lately

 well i finally am done canning..i have canned my brains out this year..not complaining either..i am so grateful for eveything that i was given because my garden did not do well this year..esp my aunt and uncle.. they gave me a ton of things..i have canned pie filling, applesauce, grape juice, pears, peaches and salsa..not to metion the green beans and squash i have frozen.. i feel pretty good and blesses going into the winter months..

 band has been going really well too.. we have our last competetion this week.. the kids have done so well for it being there first year.. we got our scores back from our last one and we did well.. the color quard which im in charge of got good scores which made me feel awesome and grateful..

 sam and emmett have been enjoying the warm afternoons when they can just play outside before everyone else gets home from school.. thats ok cuz soon enough it wont be warm enough to play outside..

 and yes samantha lost her first tooth this week and couldnt be prouder of her self.. daddy bought her tooth and she was super excited to get her tooth money..

and yes with all the craziness that has been going on and things not going super my friend bought me these..and yes i wore them today..wahoo..something fun and pretty..hopefully this week goes better and hopefull with better and bigger things too come.. im tired of the bitter googles.. A-

crazy

sorry i havent posted lately but life has been insane...im pretty much done canning so the kitchen finally got a good scrubbing..kids have been busy with school, scouts, freinds etc.. i have been busy with band.. we performed for the 1st time a few weeks ago and the kids did great for their 1st time.. then sat we had our 1st competiton..so nothing else really but soon life should slow down...A-

crinkle cut pears

 

 

well i did my pears yesterday and can i tell u i will never do another way again.. i have always hated to can pears cuz they take forever.. yes forver..u have to peel them, cut them in half and then spoon out everything..well this year with all the canning im doing i was trying to save some serious time..well this was so fast.. i had 13 quarts of pears peeled and quarted in 20 mintues with the help of my kids..yeah 20 mintues..so fast..anyhow i used my apple correr peeler thing but i put the corer part down..then we used my apple slicer and cut them into the pieces and then into a cool bath of lemon water to keep them from browning..after that it was filling the jars with the pears and then with my syrup..(i use 3 cups sugar to 7 cups water and bring to a boil..)..then it was adding the hot rings and lids and then process them for 30 minutes...so anyway there done and now i am about done canning this year..usually i am starting right about now but it has been such a hot summer that evrything came on about 3 weeks early this year..wahoo for me..A-

full week

well we have made it through the first full week of school.. we have also had scouts, back to school night,i have had 2 practices, made apples butter, lots of laundry and on top of it colds..yep the stupid cold bug hit our house..yeah yeah i know..ugh..well after a visit to the docs office, vitamins and emern -c we are doing better..tomorrow is going to be a day of catch up and more canning..my pears are finally ready and i am super excited cuz that means i am just about done canning..i know way early this year too..but fall has hit the air..it is super cooling down at night and the leaves are even starting to show signs..wow not ready for the cold but def for cooler days..hope u all are doing well..off again to get a handle on things..next week is a duzie..A-

the fair and school started

 

 

 

well  we had the first day of school this week.. i have a 6th grader, 3rd and a 1st grader..wow how did that happen.. the first week went pretty well but we did have a few hiccups with wyatt adjusting to a new school.. he is now changing classes and has a locker.  i hope this week goes better..

we also had the fair this week.. we were not going to go but ended up going.. we just took a few hours to walk around and see all the stuff and then got a few little treats and then came home.. it was good to do something as a family..

 

my girls

well if u dont know i am helping with the snake river marching band this year..it is an awesome experience helping these kids and growing a program that they havent had in like 15 years..i am helping with the color quard and these are my 5 girls..they are doing such an awesome job and sat was there 1st performance..eeeek..im so proud..i was even nervous..A-

another recipe

 

so since i helped out tiff this week with her food blog i thought i give u another quick recipe..

stuffed peppers...yummy

 

these are from my garden so it varies on size but i try to use 1 pepper per person but sometimes its two.

 

green pepers

1 lb browned hamburger

1-1/2 cups cooked rice

2 cans tomato sauce

1 cup shredded cheese

 

wash and cut the tops of your peppers and place them in your pan..i have even halved them too..combine your hamburger, rice and tomato sauce and then put that mixutre into/onto your peppers..cover/sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 for 45 mintues and enjoy..my kids love them

car wash

 

well in all of my craziness this summer i had def neglected my van..so i decided it was time for a wash...i vaccumed and wiped everything down and then let the kids go to town as far as washing it..carter decided to use an entire bottle of soap..yep a whole bottle..oh well but they had fun washing it and them selves..they did a pretty good job too..

just breathe

its been an insane month..band and more band..canning season is way early and the kids still havent started school.. my budget is gone for the month but hay all the bills have been paid..sept will be intersting and hopefully it will all work out.. all i can say is that i have done my best and hopefully its good enough cuz its all i got so i quess now its time to just breath..A-

really

why is it when ur having a good day and then it just turns bad because ur kids are being stinkers, ur tired and pms-ing that people look at u like ur a complete b*(&@.... lately i just feel that way.. i am doing my best in all that im doing.. yah im crazy but who isnt.. ugh...

canning season

 well as u can see my garden has exploded and canning season is here.. i have already froze 14 bags of squash for over the winter.. we have eaten white peaches and cherries (i did manage to freeze a few)..also had stuffed peppers for dinner from peppers from my garden and just did some apple sauce today..got 9 quarts..not much off my moms tree but i need to prune this year and i am hoping to get some more from someone in my neighborhood

this is also my my new toy.. corey had a little o.t. which is rare so i was able to buy this..yeah i have wanted one for years and now i do..wahoo.. i know its sad when i get excited over something for canning..

anyway things are startng to get busy around here.. as u can see i have a very buisy 2 year old and last week he thought he would help with dinner and ended up with 2 stitches..i also finished the 2nd week of band camp for the summer and the kids did really well..hopefully we can keep it going and they can do an awesome job for the season.. anyway keeping busy and sorry i havent posted in a while..life has been a little insane..A-

northing much

nothing much has been going on well maybe im not so sure.. after all the family left emmett ended up with hand foot and mouth..let me tell u that was super fun..not..we spent 5 days in doors going no where.. my kids did nothing i sear but watch tv and play video games because i wouldnt let any of them leave cuz of emmett.  he did well and got throught it..by thurs we got to leave the house..amen..wyatt had his 1st over night camp out and loved it.. we also had a fun day with the local 449 at the summer picinic.. it was hot and we all ended up with a  little heat stroke.  the kids are still having fun with summer..the pool and of course the handme down trampoline (thanks steph)..we have been having a ton of fun with this family in our ward..playing cards and eating..the garden is coming on and my fruit will be ready soon too.. have already done apricots and cherrys.. i just hope i can keep up with it all.. band camp is next week and i hope i can manage that and getting my girls where they need to be as well.. i hope u all are doing well and just greatful we have a whole nother month till school starts.. love u A-

merrifield/esplin reunion

so this past week has been full of a ton of family...my parents, 2 sisters and all their kids plus my broand his girl freind came to town.. most of us visited until thurs night when the esplin reunion started..( my moms side of the family).. it was all her siblings, her mother and all their kids and grandkids.. we had a blast.. we ate alot but played hard too.  we played a ton of games, made jewlery, vistied with one another, and of course ate some more..anyway is was a way good time and i had lots of fun seeing cousins that i havent seen in a while.. ill i know is that i was glad that we got to go and cant wait to do it again next year..