2012- 1st Day of School

Okay, even after the weird, crazy summer we had I will still say WOW..... where did the summer go?!?!?And furthermore, where did my babies go? I cannot believe how grown up my little ones have become. It really does seem like just yesterday that  they were scattered through the house in various devices to keep them quiet and in one place. (baby swings, bouncy chairs,high chairs,and walkers)  Today?!?!?! They are running around like wild ninjas and making a WHOLE lot more noise!!  (I know alot of you may not believe that is possible....but trust me it is!!!)

What a fun year it is going to be though!!!  We were lucky enough to get into the new STEM school of choice this year.  The principal was at Sundown Elementary where we started 3 years ago. The kids love her and know her well.  Plus we got lucky, in that, a lot of the fabulous staff moved with us.  The kids wear uniforms, play before they eat, there is a lot technology and just plain "cool" . (according to the kids).  Two days down...... and the verdict is...... they love it.  I do think one  of my precious ones was bragging about how they have less homework.  Hmmmmm.. might it be because we have only been attending for a day and a half.  (Let's not tell them.) 

 Here we go.....  Hunter 5th grade (he just wanted to leave )    Bryan 3rd grade  Cassie 3rd grade  

Nathan 3rd grade   Tanner 6th grade (I am not old enough for a sixth grader!)   Jayson 3rd grade 

Proud of my Six-Pack!!!  Good job kiddos!!  Now sleep in tomorrow!!! :>



Wind Caves

One of the things we wanted to do this vacation was enjoy the outdoors.  And what better way is there to do that than to take a hike.  So after some prodding, (on Jay's part) we decided to take the kids up to the Wind Caves, in Logan Canyon.  I was not so sure about this hike......mostly because it had been 15 years since I had done the hike. All I could remember about it was that it was farther than I thought it should be.I remembered it being really awesome when we finally got to the top, however,  it seemed to take a really long time to get there.  (After climbing Mt. Whitney that is now all relative!)  When we got to the spot....... the hike was described as a difficult.  I was a bit concerned!!! (keeping track of six kids is one thing, keeping track of six kids on the side of a mountain with a drop off is entirely different!)

Turns out it was a very great hike and the kids had fun.  This picture is the end of the hike and they are still smiling.  It was about 4 miles round trip and I was very proud that they did such a great job.  Daddy only got lost once with his group (Jayson, Hunter, and Tanner).  And we only had a couple of times where we slipped a little and thought we might fall off the mountain. 

After the hike we went to Texas Roadhouse.  Whew, we were a hungry and very sweaty, stinky bunch!!!  I would not have wanted to be our waiter!!!  On the way back to the cabin we had to stop and play in the river.  So much fun!!!  Learning how to skip rocks and just cool off the feet!!!

Funny story.....as we were hiking back down the trail we passed 3 college students on their way up.  2 boys (who of course had taken their shirts off because of the extreme heat) and a young lady.  As we pass them.... Cassie turns around and says to me, " they are soooo strong!"  (oh no, whatever are we going to do in a couple of years?)  I giggled and thought how that would have been Jay and I 15 years prior and here we were hiking the mountain again but this time with six little ones in tow.  Who would have ever thought?  Certainly not me!!!

Who Knew?!?!?

Who knew that dear sweet little Natey had such a revengeful spirit?  It was his turn to drive the boat on our vacation........   I must say he was hilarious!!!  The louder the kiddos screamed and expressed their fear the more motivated he was to scare "them".  I am not sure I have laughed that hard in a  very long way!!!  It was crazy!!!  Such amazing fun stories, I will post more soon.  But for now enjoy the look on his face.  PRICELESS!!!

Funny Questions: Part 2

Sooooo...after reading the funny answers to the questions...... Jay became curious about what the kids would say if they were talking about "DAD" instead of "MOM".   Of course, I then decided it would be fun to see the differences.  So here we go:
Somebody on Facebook recently posted 23 questions to ask your kids and write down their answers. I thought it would be fun. So here are the questions and the answers. I asked them the questions when none of their siblings were with them so that the answers I would get would be their own, and I did it over a period of several days. (For those of you that need a reminder:Tanner is 11 1/2; Hunter is 10 1/2; Cassie is 8 1/2; Nathan is 8 1/2; Jayson is 8 1/2 ; and Bryan is 8 1/2)


1- What is something Dad always says to you?
T-You're a fart smeller
H-say yes sir
C-Hi little munchkins
N-Don't touch my car
J-Go to bed
B-I love you

2- What makes Dad happy?
T- when I help out
H- saying yes sir
C- when we follow directions
N- his car
J- when I tickle him
B- all the kids

3. What makes dad sad?
T-When I am rude to him
H- me being bad
C- when we don't listen
N-I don't know
J- not following his directions
B-us being mean

4. How does your dad make you laugh?
T- when we play games because he tells funny jokes
H- tickles me
C-he tickles me
N-when he tries giving me kisses in bed
J-tickling me
B-says funny stuff

5. What was your dad like as a child?
T-mean to his sisters
H- he didn't talk much
C- smart,nice and good
N-he never told me
J-I don't know
B-funny

6. How old is your dad?
T-40
H- 40
C- 40
N- 40
J- 40
B-40

7. How tall is your Dad?
T- 5 ft 6 inches
H- 8 ft
C- 45 ft
N-10 ft
J- 20 ft
B-6 ft

8. What is his favorite thing to do?
T- play with his kids
H- playing video games
C-play games on his computer
N-drive in his car
J- go to bed
B-play on his computer and drive his mustang

9. What does your dad do when you are not around?
T- works
H- play video games
C-play video games or take a nap
N-go to work
J- play games
B- call us and work

10. If your dad becomes famous what will it be for?
T- Best Test Pilot Ever
H-flying planes
C- dancing
N- having quads
J- Best player gamer ever
B- working

11. What is your dad really good at?
T- his job
H- working
C- singing
N-getting his work done
J-playing games
B-flying a jet plane

12. What is your dad not really good at?
T- nothing
H- beating me at video games
C- putting us to bed
N-he's not a good cooker
J- sleeping
B-cooking

13. What does your dad do for a job?
T- Test Pilot
H- fly planes
C- works in the air forces flying planes
N-pilot- i guess
J- fly airplanes
B- works at Edward's Air Force Bast

14. What is your dad's favorite food?
T- Everything
H-enchiladas
C- candy
N-candy
J-brownies
B- cheese enchiladas with jalapenos

15. What makes you proud of your dad?
T-That he spends time with us.
H- When he works hard
C- that he's my father
N- he's a good pilot and never dies in the war
J-his flying airplanes
B- him being nice to us A LOT

16. If your dad was a character what would he be?
T- A dragon rider
H- Mickey Mouse
C- a bunny
N- He-man
J-Pluto
B- a spy

17. What do you and your dad do together?
T- we fight (fight play)
H- run errands
C- cuddle
N- jump on the trampoline but not often though
J- snuggle
B- play games on the trampoline

18. How are you and your dad the same?
T- We like playing games
H-I have his eyes
C- smile
N-we have the same color skin
J- we do the same things
B- because he says it a lot

19. How are you and your dad different?
T- He has a job and I don't
H-his nose is sharp
C- he's a boy- I'm a girl
N-he's big, I'm small
J- different noses
B- hair

20. How do you know that your dad loves you?
T- He says it ALOT
H-He shows by hugging me and playing video games
C- he always says it
N-he comes in at night and give me kisses
J- he told me
B- because he says it a lot

21. What does your dad like most about your mom?
T-she buys him new wedding rings when he loses them.
H-That's a hard one....her cooking
C- that she cooks dinner for him
N-He gave us a home and family
J- I don't know
N- She's pretty
B- she's pretty

22. Where is your dad's favorite place to go?
T- Chili's
H-place to buy Mustang's
C- vacation
N- work
J- work
B- Disneyland

23. How old was your dad when you were born?
T- 29
H- 30
C-25
N-in the teens
J- 24
B- 15

Once again.......I will say I  got a good chuckle out of this and I still say...... "kids say the darnest things." ENJOY!

5K Training

Six weeks and counting!!! Team JJ and the Six-Pack are going to run their first family 5K.  This morning we went out and ran a fun trail.  The kids did awesome! Some started out a little too fast, however, they all finished and still have energy.  I am so excited to do this together.  I want them to learn  that excercise can be fun and doing things together as a family is great too!!!  It was so great to see them encouraging each other and holding hands to finish this morning. Love these kids!!!

Funny Questions!!!

Somebody on Facebook recently posted 23 questions to ask your kids and write down their answers.  I thought it would be fun.  So here are the questions and the answers. I asked them the questions when none of their siblings were with them so that the answers I would get would be their own, and I did it over a period of several days.  (For those of you that need a reminder:Tanner is 11 1/2; Hunter is 10 1/2; Cassie is 8 1/2; Nathan is 8 1/2; Jayson is 8 1/2 ; and Bryan is 8 1/2)

1- What is something mom always says to you?
T-I love you
H-Don't open your mouth
C-I love you
N-Dinnertime
J-Go to bed
B-I love you

2- What makes mom happy?
T- when I am nice
H-me being kind
C-me being nice and kind
N- Diet Coke
J-watching America's Got Talent
B-me

3. What makes mom sad?
T- when I'm mean
H-me being bad
C-when everyone is mean
N- her baby toe is broken
J-kids not listening
B-me being mean

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
T- tells funny jokes
H-tickling me
C-does something funny
N-tickle
J-tickles
B-does funny stuff

5. What was your mom like as a child?
T- liked school and got good grades
H- kind
C- she was nice
N-she was grounded a lot
J-I don't know
B-really nice

6. How old is your mom?
T- 25
H-39 oh I mean 25
C-25
N- 25
J-25
B-39

7. How tall is your mom?
T- 6 ft 9 inches
H- 6 ft
C- 45 feet
N-25 inches
J-1 yard
B-like 12 ft

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
T- have fun
H-talk to Heather
C- relax and get a massage
N-eat
J-go to bed
B-have fun

9. What does your mom do when you are not around?
T- cleans the house
H-text
C-relaxes and hangs out with Dad
N-nothing
J-go shopping and run on the treadmill
B-have fun

10. If your mom becomes famous what will it be for?
T- Being the best mom on earth
H-taking care of 6 kids and being a fabulous mom
C-6 children
N- having quadruplets
J-Princess
B-dancing

11. What is your mom really good at?
T- taking care of her children
H-cooking and taking care of us
C-taking care of us
N-Drinking Diet Coke
J-running on the treadmill
B-being nice

12. What is your mom not really good at?
T- I can't think of one
H-fishing
C-relaxing
N-nothing
J-making me laugh
B-being mean

13. What does your mom do for a job?
T- cleans house and takes care of children
H-take care of 6 kids
C-takes care of kids
N-take care of me
J-nothing
B-being a cool mom

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
T- homemade macaroni
H-salad
C-Garcia's
N-Diet Coke
J-broccoli cheese soup
B-white chili

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
T-leading me down the right path
H-kindness and loving
C-takes care of us and loves us
N- when she climbed Mt. Whitney
J-taking care of me
B-when she's nice

16. If your mom was a character what would she be?
T- Superhero
H-Minnie Mouse
C-Princess
N- Princess
J-Princess
B-Rock Star

17. What do you and your mom do together?
T- clean house and go out on my birthday
H-cuddle
C-go out with each other
N- go to speech
J-talk
B-have fun

18. How are you and your mom the same?
T- Believe in God and love to read
H-our eyes and hair
C-we are both girls and we have blue eyes
N-both have blue eyes
J-we both have an arch in our feet (daddy is flat footed)
B-eyes are the same

19. How are you and your mom different?
T- I have brown hair and eyes, she has blue
H-she's a girl and I am a boy
C-i am not a big size and we don't act the same
N-I have an outie bellybutton and she has an innie
J-belly button ; mine is an outie and she has an innie
B-she's a girl and I'm a boy

20. How do you know that your mom loves you?
T- she says it everyday and she tucks us in every night
H- she feeds me and takes care of me
C-takes good care of us
N-she feeds me
J-tells me
B-she says it

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
T- that he protects our country and is in the air force
H-his help
C-he cares about her and he cuddles her
N-He gave us a home and family
J-he is a good builder
B- he goes to work and gets money

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
T- JCPenney
H-Olive Garden
C-Paris
N-Home
J-Utah
B-Disneyland

23. How old was your mom when you were born?
T- 25
H-29
C-25
N-15
J-25
B-15 or 20


I got a good chuckle out of this and what can I say except...... "kids say the darnest things."  HAHAHA

Passing Out!!

This summer is going to go down in history as one of the weirdest for us.  1st the bird drama in the attic,  ( I have not blogged about it yet but trust me when I say it will make a great blog entry), surgery for Cassie, stitches for Jayson, Hunter passing out, van getting rear ended and climbing Mt Whitney (for me).  Again the last two will have to be blogged about later. 

Hunter passing out was truly odd.  It was 9:30 in the morning.  He got off the couch , remembers looking at Tanner and down he went.  Kids said he was crying when he was down....... but he says the world went completely black and he remembers nothing. When he woke up he was visibly shaken, white as a ghost and scared, it was obvious something was not right.   The thing that made me the most nervous about the whole thing was he did not bounce back quickly.  He looked that way most of the day.  (As a side note...he had told me the day before that I was mean and he wished he lived with someone else. He did quickly change his mind the next day and tell me he really did not mean it. )  We headed right to the doctor's office.  EKG came back normal and so did CAT scan.  But they want to do further testing.  So we have been to the pediatric cardiologist at UCLA.   All is great with his little heart!  Doctor actually said if he had been running around when it happened that is when he would be worried.  Doc was fantastic, said to email him with any questions and he would answer right away.  Seriously, how many doctors do that? 

Now getting an EEG and into the pediatric neurologist at UCLA, is taking a bit longer.  Luckily, he seems good and has had no more passing out episodes, however, it does make for adventure.  Needless to say my summer plans are being moved, changed and interrupted.  For those of you that know me well, you know that a "schedule" is my thing and this is really putting a kink in my type A personality.  Live, Learn and Relax...... I am trying!!! :>