Terrell Times

Holy Cuteness!

2009-05-31T20:04:00.000-07:00

I found these pics on the camera. I have no idea who took them, someone short I am guessing....

Jacob's Blessing Day

2009-05-31T13:55:00.000-07:00

"Jacob Jeremy Terrell, you will be strong and healthy throughout your life and be able to withstand the elements to remain healthy and live a long life. As you grow, you will strive to seek the Holy Ghost and opportunities to do right and be drawn to the spirit. You are blessed with the ability to discern between right and wrong and to gravitate toward those who will lift you up. You will grow strong and receive the priesthood and be a good priesthood holder. You will be able to serve a mission and be sealed in the temple for time and all eternity. You are blessed with the ability to listen to your parents, siblings, and your church family for guidance throughout your life. You will find an eternal companion, and you will be an example to those around you and a beacon of light."

Buddies

2009-05-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

My friend Gretchen had her baby, Davis 10 weeks before I had Jake. She has 3 girls and was wanting a boy just as bad as I was. We had so much fun being prego together with our boys.

Special Visitors

2009-05-20T19:21:00.000-07:00

Uncle Johnny came to visit Jake while on leave from Iraq. He has to go back for several more months but he will be done for good in December. Uncle Johnny and aunt Melly.

Jake N' Daddy

2009-05-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

Love when this kid falls asleep on you! I think he likes daddy's "extra" cushioning!

Jenna's Preschool Graduation

2009-05-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Jenna had a great year in "Mrs. Dana's" preschool. Her field day was a blast. The tug of war is a favorite for sure. The sponge game is a lot of fun too!

Here is the class.

Eating yummy Popsicles.

Dana is such an amazing women! ALL children flock to her. She will no longer be teaching preschool because her youngest will be starting school....so sad. She is such a wonderful, caring and loving person. She does such a great job preparing them for kindergarten.

Jaxon's First Haircut

2009-05-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

My friend Heather gave Jax her first haircut. She is not so sure about this......

Kindergarten Graduation

2009-05-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

Jillian graduated from kindergarten.....sniff.....
Here she is going up on the stage for the program. Singing one last time as a kindergartner.

Getting her diploma.

Mrs. Brown is the best teacher!

Violin Concert

2009-05-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

This is Jillians 1st year playing the violin. She loves it! This is Jaydens 4th year and she is doing so well. She wore the headband so that we could pick her out on the stage.

They had a great concert!

Photo Shoot

2009-05-09T16:53:00.000-07:00

Jaycee decided to take Jake to her room for a "Photo shoot"

Jilly's Teeth

2009-05-04T16:36:00.000-07:00

Now you see them.... Now you don't!

Her baby teeth would NOT come out! So we took her to the dentist and had them pulled....OUCH!!

Jayden's Talent Show

2009-04-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

Jayden sang a solo in the talent show. She is an amazing singer.She also danced with some friends.

Introducing Jacob Jeremy

2009-04-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

6:30 a.m. on 4/13/09. Getting ready to deliver. I'm scared to death...even after 5!Jake was born at 10:30 a.m. weighing in at a whopping 8lbs. 2oz.I could not ask for a better father for our children. He has so much patience and is crazy in love with his kids. Some of my favorite (mind) snapshots are of him sleeping all snuggled up with one of the girls. I love watching him "gently" wrestle on the floor, and the shrills of laughter he can get from them during a tickle fight are priceless! He always has the best advice to give, when needed. He is so Christlike it astounds me! With every baby he takes over in the hospital he does everything (except feed) and loves to sleep throughout the night with the baby on his chest. Taking a quick nap before ALL of the big sisters arrive! Looking into the nursery.Jenna getting her gown on.
Jaxon getting ready to hold "Baby Jacup"I think she likes him!Jenna JillianJaydenJayceeOne BIG happy family.All went well until that night when Jeremy got a case of food poisoning! I felt so bad for him because he had to go home. It broke my heart that he could not be with his son during his first night.So it was up to me. I have to say that it was such an awesome experience. He was ALL mine. I woke up at 3:20 a.m. to feed him. The lights were off but the computer had a soft glow that lit up the room perfectly to see his face. We just stared at each other for the longest time. I wondered if he knew how much I wanted him. Tears started to form as I remembered my visit to the temple at around 10 weeks pregnant. After a session and sitting quietly thanking Heavenly Father for helping me with so much, and for the first time not getting really bad morning sickness. After my heartfelt prayer of thanks a voice plain as day said "You are having a son" I have never, up until then, received such a powerful experience. I have always envied those that have. What a special blessing that was for me. So as I sat there breathing in his newborn scent and enjoying watching him stare at me, I wished for time to stand still. All dressed in Blue! Going home...... Grandma Smith came from Utah to see him.So did Grandma Jackson.And aunt Ashley.Nana and Papa were thrilled.Nanny (Jeremy's grandma) came to town to meet him as well.

Easter Day

2009-04-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

Easter morning was the usual egg hunting. I just rested (still doped up from the meds.) The bubble machine was a big hit.....

Easter Baby?

2009-04-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

So the night before Easter I started into hard contractions. My mom just happened to fly in that morning. We waited until they were 4 min. apart and then left for the hospital. This picture is of us leaving the girls. Jaycee and Jeremy's little sister Evelyn, were left in charge of the kids. They were also in charge of the Easter eggs.......here they are posing as Jeremy and I.....since when do I wear my bra on the outside of my clothes???

Cute eggs....

Hard at work.....

The sad news is that I had to miss out on all of the decorating fun. They gave me some heavy duty medicine to stop the contractions because nobody wanted to deliver on Easter weekend if they did not have to....what the heck? I was dilated to a 5 1/2.

Baby Shower

2009-04-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

My friends gave me a baby shower. We had it at the church and it was so much fun. My friend Cora decorated this beautiful cake. I received so many nice gifts and a TON of diapers.......enough to last 4-6 months!! Loved the Superman outfit......and the spa gift certificate (for me) that came with it.

Seriously SUPER HUGE!!! Just a couple of weeks away from popping.

Catching Up!

2009-03-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

Well as far as blogging goes I think I get a big fat F! I have however posted a few things and am working on catching up on everything. Thank you Jaycee for helping me.

Well this pregnancy has been unlike any of the others. the best part is I NEVER PUKED!! Can you believe that? With all of the others I slept by the toilet all day and all night! This time I decided to actually pray and ask for help and to not be sick. Funny how I never did that before. I am always thinking I can do stuff without my Heavenly Fathers help.....lesson learned! The most exciting news is that we are having a boy!!! We are so excited! I am so ready to say good bye to the color pink! I have about 4 weeks left until his arrival. As of today I am dilated to a whopping 1 & 1/2 . Which means NOTHING!!! I have so much left to do before he comes so I hope he can wait just a couple of weeks. I have been nesting like crazy and driving my family up the wall. I am such a clean freak anyway that this over the top stuff is crazy!

As for his name we are not 100% sure. We are leaning towards Jacob Jeremy and calling him Jake. Jaxon is already calling him "baby Jake." It has been a fun few weeks several of my friends have delivered babies and I just can't wait to see my little guy!

Kindergarten Christmas Program

2008-12-03T04:16:00.000-08:00

Jillian had such a cute little program and sang like an angel.

Christmas tree hunting

2008-12-02T04:05:00.000-08:00

Christmas tree hunting at the Christmas Tree Plantation has become a fun tradition. We love the hot cocoa and popcorn they offer while loading the tree for us.

Jaxon wants to help like her big sisters.

What a big heavy tree!

Jenna is pulling with all of her might.

We like this tree...thumbs up!

Dad said this is the tree to get. The girls did NOT agree!

Thanksgiving Feast

2008-11-20T03:59:00.000-08:00

Jillian had her kindergarten Thanks Giving Feast. So cute.......Jaxon thinks her sister is so cool! She can't wait to be big!

Long time not blogged

2008-11-19T03:20:00.000-08:00

Jaycee in her cheer uniform. Her squad took 2nd place in their competition. Go Jaycee!!!

Our Little Super Star

2008-11-18T03:51:00.000-08:00

Jayden was in her school play The Jungle Book. She was very sad to learn that she got the part of the coconut tree. She thought it only had a couple of lines. She was very happy to learn that she actually had a BIG leading part with three solos. She has such a beautiful voice! Our dancing tree

Jayden and Sarah

Jenna Len

2008-11-12T03:42:00.000-08:00

Our Jenna Len turned 4! And of course wanted to celebrate at Fugi's. Jaxon is afraid of the first fire burst...so funny!!

Our beautiful little princess!

She had a cute Pretty pony cake.

Two Short Men And One Big Tank!!

2008-11-02T03:36:00.000-08:00

Jeremy decided to help his friend Danille move some left over furniture to Utah and on the way drop off this HUGE tank in Colorado. Silly boys!!

::Halloween Fun::

2008-10-30T03:27:00.000-07:00

This is Halloween night at the Parry's house! All the girls had lots of fun walking around.

Jayden was the color black

Jaycee was a cheerleader

I was a man

Jenna and Jaxon were Princesses

Surprise!

2008-09-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

So I knew that I would have another baby someday down the road... maybe in a couple more years. But Heavenly Father had different plans for us and decided to send us the baby a little sooner! I was very shocked (as always) but the girls were very excited. Maybe a baby brother? Wish us luck!!!

First Day OF School!

2008-08-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

Jaycee Is very excited to start 7th grade. I am a wreck!! Jayden is so happy to start 3rd grade. She got the teacher that she was wanting AND her best friend is in her class!
Jillian was a little nervous about starting kindergarten. She kept saying "I only know 3 things!" Silly Jilly!
Jenna is on cloud 9 to be starting preschool! She has been waiting all summer to be big like her sisters!

Jaxon Claire Turns 2!

2008-08-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

We had a small family party to celebrate Jaxons birthday!
Jaxon is such a fun baby! She is always making her family laugh. She was excited for her party and kept singing "Happy Day, Happy Day!" It amazes me how fast the time goes by, it seems like it was just yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital. We love our Jackity Jax!!

Hot Rod

2008-07-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

My dad came for a visit. He rented a car and when it was time to return it the girls and I just had to take it for a spin.
This is when I hopped on the freeway. We punched it (just for a second).

Jayden lookin so cute in her "driving cap."

Memphis Redbirds

2008-07-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

We took the girls to a Memphis Redbirds game.

Jax was a handful but other than that we had fun!
After the game there was a fantastic fireworks show. It was Elvis' birthday so that was the theme for the night! Good times!!

Water Park Fun

2008-07-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

We headed out to meet the Stephens at the water park in Paragould. It was so fun! We are so out numbered!

Jax took a little time to warm up to the water. she ended up liking the squirters!

My Handsome Hubby!

2008-07-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

So you leave a man in the car with a camera for a few minutes while you run into a store, here is what you'll get! He is going to kill me.........enjoy!!!
This picture posted twice. But it is still funny!!!

Jaycee doctored this picture up!

Denver Again!

2008-07-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

We took Jeremy to the Aquarium because it is too awesome! We played at a park.
We rode on a "Choo-Choo"
We did not plan that well because when we were heading out of Denver it happened to be rush hour! So we pulled over and decided to go to the movie Wall-E. After that we headed home. We saw some pretty amazing weather!

No More Monkeys Jumpin On the Bed!

2008-07-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

The girls got a hold of my camera. The pictures are a little blurry but they were so funny I had to share!

Back To Arkansas!

2008-07-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and I loaded up the girls and headed back to Arkansas. We stopped in Denver to spend the night. And do a little swimming at the hotel.
Jax in her "hotel" crib.
Outside heading to the pool. Love the mountains!!!
Jenna floatin away. These blow up suit's are awesome for moms like me with 50 KIDS!!

Girls Night Out

2008-07-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

My mom Nicla, Sheena (Ashley had to work) and I went out for dinner and a movie. We had a great time. I sure do miss my family and hope that someday I will move back to Utah. My arm looks gigantic in this picture!

At the lake

2008-07-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

We went to a local lake for some fun in the sun. They had a great beach to play on.
The water felt so refreshing. The kids had fun swimming. So did the moms:)

4th Fun!

2008-07-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

We headed off to Layton and enjoyed an evening at the park. Followed by a spectacular fireworks show! Boys playing with the football.
Me and my sisters. Sheena decided to go dark haired, but she still looks like us!

Me and Grandma Smith. I love her so much!
Jenna with a sparkler.
Bridgett and Jayden sharing some yummy cotton candy.
Aunt Nicla helping Jaxon.

Centerville 4th of July Parade

2008-07-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

The kids were so excited for the parade. I wish that we had taken a family picture. The girls were in matching red shirts I was in a white one and Jeremy was in a blue shirt. It is so funny because you have to put your chairs out the night before or you won't have a good seat. They know how to have a parade. The floats were amazing!!
A favorite for the girls. Can you guess why?
Dashing for candy!

2008-07-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

Jenna sleeping in Grandma Smiths lap. Waiting to go have some fun!
Bridgett and Jenna playing The Princess Game with Jaycee.
Shaela is a little monkey! She taught Jayden how to climb up the swing set. Wyatt was pretty good too.

Princess Jaycee.

Fishing

2008-06-23T16:21:00.000-07:00

I love this picture of Jenna and Jaxon. Playing in the lake.

Bridgett and Jenna.
Lots of kids.........most are mind....sigh.
Grandpa teaching Jeremy how to fish.
Climbing on grandp Jackson.

Uncle Jerry and Aunt Sheena took us all fishing. What a great day!!! Here is Jerry helping Jayden catch a big one! Jillian waiting patiently.
Jaxon waiting for her "Bishie" to bite!
Jaycee's catch of the day!
Aunt Sheena helping Jayden and Jillian.
Jerry and Sheena invited us up to stay the night with them in there cute home. We had fun hanging with them. They have a trampoline and mud. What more could you ask for? I love my sister Sheena so much she is so kind and thoughtful to everyone!

UTAH!!

2008-06-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

We finally arrived in Utah with a blow-out. A BIG BLOW -OUT!! Jaxon pooped up her back all over her car seat and all over her. Because of my awful gag reflexes my sister Nicla had to clean it all up! She loves me :) The kids had fun getting reacquainted in the basement while the adults talked upstairs. Many days were spent in the backyard......... in the sandbox.
On the slip and slide..........
Making smores........
And swinging on the swings.
My sister Nicla has such a wonderful home that she so graciously allowed me and my family to stay in. I had such a great time staying with her and her family. The kids had a blast in the backyard, from sun up till sun down! Thanks for everything Nicla I love you sooo much!!

An After Dinner Romp

2008-06-20T15:35:00.000-07:00

So after our yummy dinner we were leaving the Aquarium when we came across this fun bike thing........ The lady said it was kind of hard to do. So we tested it for a second and it seemed pretty simple. We took off into the park. After about a couple of minutes it became harder and harder and HARDER! A man had to come and push us up a hill! We were laughing so hard I almost peed my pants! We made it to the top of the where we watched a man being arrested. We wanted a picture of us so mom asked the cop (after I told her not too) to take a picture. He said he was too busy.... duh mom he was arresting a man!!! A nice couple stopped and snapped this picture.
Then we turned the wheel to head back...... and a tire popped right off!
Look how scared Jenna looks! I have NEVER NEVER laughed so hard in my life! We pushed the thing all the way back and did not have to pay a dime! Notice the cop car in the back?
The girls had a BLAST with the water blaster! We had a wonderful day in Denver. We stayed in a great hotel and had a yummy breakfast before we headed off to Utah.

Denver

2008-06-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

So we made it to Denver just in time for a wonderful show at the Aquarium. This place was AWESOME!! Our table was right up to the glass of where they were feeding the fish. And the food was to die for.....yummy!!!

We played on the fun fish while our food was being prepared.
Oh no! Jayden and Jilly being swallowed by a whale!

Hays Kansas

2008-06-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

After the Museum we headed off for another 5 hr. drive to Hays Kansas. We decided to let the kids swim before the pool closed for the night. After swimming (11:00 p.m.) we ordered pizza for some VERY hungry girls! Almost an hour later the pizza still had not arrived. So I called and canceled the order and Jaycee and I headed off to Walmart for turkey, Cheetos and grapes.Don't you just love free Continental breakfasts?

The Toy Museum

2008-06-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

We loaded the girls up and took off around 4 a.m. With the G.P.S. we felt safe that we would not get lost! After the first hour or so Jillian got car sick and had to throw up! But never fear, I planned on that so she neatly hurled in a puke bucket. FYI- we learned from the Pharmacist, that Benedryl is the best thing for kids as far as car sickness medicine. So we dished out the whole bottle by the time the trip was over. And it made them sleepy:) So our plans were to had out there goody bags of treats and fun things to do every 2 hrs. And stop every 5 hrs. for a fun activity to do. So we are heading to out first "fun" destination The toy Museum. And the G.P.S. is guiding us. It was only supposed to take 5 hours but we were driving forever! Then once again mom and I are in the ghetto! We were heading deep into some scary neighborhood. We even got to see people enjoying some pot! "You have arrived" said the G.P.S. and we pulled into a small scary looking home! Could it be that some crazy man lures people to his home saying it is a Toy Museum? that might explain the 1 review it had!! We were laughing sooo hard. the kids were not! Come to find out the museum is in Kansas City MS. NOT Kansas City Kansas!!!! Who knew that there were two Kansas Cities? After a few hour detour we found the museum and it was AWESOME!!!!
Jaycee and grandma playing Jacks.

It was just what the girls needed!

Trip To Utah!

2008-06-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

On June 19th my mom flew in. She was driving with me and the girls to Utah. I have such a great time with my mom. We are always laughing! When I picked her up in Memphis we ended up getting lost on the way home! We were in the ghetto! We were laughing so hard I could barely drive. Anyway, that night we went shopping for goody bags that the girls could could open every couple of hours. We bought soooo much fun stuff. We then went on line to find fun destinations to stop at on the way. We found a Miniature and Toy Museum in Kansas City. That had 1 review (by the owner) so we were a little worried that it might not be that great.

Fly away little bird, fly away.

2008-06-10T11:54:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that the time has come for my oldest to go to Girls Camp! Last night as we were preparing for her trip I became very teary eyed. I am not ready to let her go. I feel like the time is zooming by too fast! It is exciting though, to see her growing up into a wonderful young lady. She is such a joy to have around. I really hope that we will stay as close as we are now. I can't wait for her to return and share all of her camp stories with me!

While You Were Out!

2008-06-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

My in laws went to Hawaii for a vacation. Evelyn my sister in law is almost 16 years old. They said that they would pay me to clean her room for her while they were gone. JJaycee and I decided to do a "While You Were Out" for her and make over her room! It started with a whole day of cleaning.........8 bags of trash and 10 or more loads of laundry! you can't tell in these pictures but the walls have blue and white flowered wall paper on them. And UGLY blue flowered curtains! So 70's.
We painted her walls chocolate brown. We had a hard time coming up with an accent color. We found some photo's that she has taken and decided to frame them. they had a lot of blues so we went with blue. Her bedding was a peanut shell color and was new so we used it. Here is an after photo. The blue box on the wall by the window was still wet when we took this photo. It is a magnet board and actually the same color as the walls. It is framed out with a black frame.

This is my homemade headboard. She did not have a headboard so I wanted to give her one. I went out to our garage and found these square boards and decided to cover them in the same fabric as the curtains and turn them on their sides to make diamonds. We used batting to make them look like cushion's. We then added some diamond jewels in the middle. Jeremy helped by building the back and hanging it for me! Thanks honey!
Even though we spent way to long and even worked through the stomach flu it was fun doing it for her. She helps us out with the girls and is such a fun aunt! She loved the room and was very surprised!

Calling Dr. Smith!

2008-05-31T10:52:00.000-07:00

Our good friend Daniel has finished his residency............yeah! So they had a fun get together with family and friends! Here is a picture of Jeremy and Daniel.........and I learned that Daniel will not smile for pictures! Tara Smith, Heather Haskins and me!
I am so excited to announce that we are expecting another baby! We have discovered a way for the man to do it! How lucky are we????
The kids had fun playing in the sand box.
And jumping off the tramp into the pool!
The Smiths are officially moving to Utah at the end of the month. Jeremy is helping them and will meet up with me and the girls. Where we will enjoy fireworks with the family and a great vacation!

Mud Island

2008-05-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

So with gas prices being as high as they are I have decided to explore Arkansas this summer. Actually 4 to 6 hours around where we live. Our first outing was to Mud Island in Memphis Tennessee. Only 1 hr. away. It was a hot day! Here we are getting ready to ride a tram over the Mississippi river to Mud Island. Jayden and Jillian having fun on the tram. What cute pole dancers we have!
Jenna and Jaxon sitting oh so nicely.
Jaycee and Jayden enjoying the views!It is good luck to kiss over the Mississippi river!
There is a wonderful museum there. So much history! The girls had fun exploring and wearing the little head sets that they give you to guide you through.

On a boat full of cargo.
In the boat acting like "fancy ladies."
I have been on many moving side walks, but never that goes up!
Good ole cat fish. They get so big!!
There is a mile long model of the Mississippi river that you can walk and play in. Jenna loved it!

Following the river.
Jaxon had a blast as long as Jaycee would help her navigate the rough terrain!
They also had small waterfalls that represented different states.
The girls were soaked!
We had a great time! I love spending time with these crazy bunch of sisters!

Goodbye Elementry!

2008-05-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

This picture sums up the whole last day of school for Jaycee. After the parties were over she did not want to come with me to the car. She wanted me to drive around and pick her up one last time. So as I was waiting in the LONG line I started to cry thinking how fast my little Jaycee was growing up. I can't believe she will be going into Junior High. When she hopped into the car she was crying too! She has made some wonderful friends. There are two Junior High in our district so some friends are going to a different school.

Last Day Of School!

2008-05-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

Second grade friends, Rebecca, Katie, Jayden and Ebeaince. Mrs. Bishop and Jayden saying 'goodbye.'
Sixth grade friends, Alyssa, Jaycee and Maddison.

Trip to the dentist

2008-05-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

We all took a trip to the dentist! All four of the oldest girls went in at the same time! Jenna looked so tiny in the chair! Jillian did great! I don not know why I don't have pictures of the other girls but they were cute too! And very brave!!

Lice Happens!

2008-05-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it but my child has lice! Yep, Jaycee brought home the dreaded bug from cheer leading! I guess it happened while all of the girls were trying on uniforms. So I treated her with the RID. Well it did not kill them so I went on line and found out that the bugs are becoming resistant to the medicine. I found a natural remedy and it worked!!! Jayden had one bug and the other girls had none. I still treated everyone and even me and Jeremy! I then proceeded to bleach the whole house! Good times! NOT!!!!!

Jayden's Baptism

2008-05-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

It was such a special day today. Jayden looked beautiful in her white dress. I just love this kid!
This is a picture of her before getting dunked. She said she was so nervous!
Jayden and her daddy. Don't you just love the ole' jump suits?
After being dunked! "The water was sooo warm," Said Jayden.
Our friend Larry Adams conducted the ceremony. We sang 'When I Am Baptized' for the opening song. Jaycee gave a wonderful opening prayer. Grandma (Maca) Terry gave a perfect talk on baptism that made everyone cry. Jeremy baptized her. We played the movie 'Reflections Of Christ' while Jayden dried off. Uncle David and aunt Evelyn sang a beautiful song. Then Grandpa Johnny Terrell gave a talk on the Holy Ghost. After the confirmation we closed with the song 'I Am Trying To Be Like Jesus' and my good friend Rachel Stevens gave the closing prayer. We had so many friends and family there to support Jayden. The room was filled up to standing room only! Jayden felt loved!

First Game

2008-05-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

Jaycee cheered in her first game. It was just a scrimmage but very exciting nonetheless. Jaycee is the one being put on top. Not bad for just a beginner!

Graduation

2008-05-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

Jillian graduated from preschool! She had a fun "field Day."

Miss Dana is wonderful and the kids LOVE her! Jillian said that she is "sad to be leaving teacher." I must admit that I am sad she is growing up so fast! Watch out Kindergarten here comes Jilly Beans!

Food Pantry

2008-05-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

My next act of service was volunteering to gather food for the local food pantry. The food pantry is totally out of food, so off we went to Wal Mart to beg for non-perishables. It was very interesting to see who would give and who would not. The biggest givers were the ones that you could tell had little money. And when they found out which church we belonged too......forget it!! How sad. When it came time to unload all of the 'goods' it was storming!
We filled up a whole room!
Jayden said, "Mom you really like to serve others huh?" Wow, they do see everything I do!!!

Go Wild Cat's!

2008-05-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

Jaycee was in her school play 'High School Musical.' She played a cheer leader. She is the third one in from the left. She did a terrific job! Here she is with a cute smile!
I love the group of friends that she has made at this school.

Zoo

2008-05-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

My Mom and Dad gave us a family pass to the zoo that will last a year. We finally went, after our visit to the Temple.

Here is Jeremy holding a creepy spider! The girls thought that their daddy was so brave!!

I love this picture!
Taking a break.
There is an awesome exibit that has polar bears and seals swimming around. You can go into an air conditioned, stadium seating area and watch them. I really think that it is my favorite exibit.

There was a little boy who had a pink gum wrapper in his hand. The seal would chase it all over. The kids would run back and forth forever playing with the seal. How fun!!
Jenna and Jax
Do we know how to pack them in or what?
Jax attempting to get a good look at a cheeta.
The Memphis Zoo is one of the best that I have visited. We love going there and am excited to spend a lot of time this summer with our animal friends! Thanks Mom and Dad for such a great gift!

Temple Trip

2008-05-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

We all took a trip to Memphis to attend the temple. Jaycee was able to go for the first time and do baptisms. Jeremy got to do it with her. Our babysitter fell through at the last moment (shame on you Evelyn), so I got to spend time playing in the nursery with these silly goofs!

Where Are They?

2008-05-07T18:20:00.000-07:00

There is nothing more frightening than when your children are missing. And also nothing more sweeter than when you finally find them..... sleeping in your bed. I guess that they were tired from all of the morning fun!

Service

2008-05-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I wanted to focus on this year was service. With five children keeping me busy I feel like I am lacking in the area of service. So when friends of ours asked us to keep their little girls, Molly 3 months and Savannah who just turned 2, for 4 days I jumped at the chance! I mean how hard can it be with a couple more?

Here is Jaxon Claire on the left and Savannah on the right after a messy dinner!

Savannah was into climbing on everything! She really liked to climb onto the piano and stomp on the keys.
My girls were a big help. Unfortunately the visitors were sick. I did not sleep at all because the baby was having such a hard time. She could not breath because of her cold. I felt so bad for her.
So after all of the poopy diapers, snotty boogers and crying babies we were exhausted and ready for the parents to come home. I was happy to serve though and look forward to the next time I can do so!

Savannah found our "missing" Easter egg during all of her exploring! Yeah Savannah!!!

Jaydens Birthday Bash!

2008-04-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

The birthday party fun started at the movie theater where we watched Nims Island. We came home and opened up the gifts.
Then we headed off to the kitchen where they made their own personal pizzas.
Instead of one big birthday cake I bought them each a small puppy cake.
After a night of NO sleep they woke up and had cold cereal.
Jayden said she wants more friends at her next birthday. Heaven help us!!!

Jayden turns 8!

2008-04-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

In honor of the 8th birthday here are 8 fun facts about Jayden:

1. Jayden has really big front teeth!

2. Her teacher said that Jayden is a wonderful friend and a great example!
3. Jayden loves Heavenly Father and has a strong testimony that she shared for the first time in Sacrament this year.
4. She loves cracking jokes and making everyone laugh. She is such a happy go lucky kind of gal!
5. She is such the performer. She is an awesome singer and violin player. Here she is singing a solo in the school talent show.

6. She is a GREAT helper with her little sisters.
7. She LOVE, LOVE, LOVES to draw. What an artist we have!
8. She is also a fashion diva! She always wants to look her best.
We are so blessed to have Jayden in our family. She is such a kind and caring little girl. We love her so much!!

3 Ninja Spy Girls!

2008-04-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

I just love listening and watching my girls play. I remember how fun it was to use my imagination! Today they were The 3 Ninja Spy Girls! So fierce!! They each had a belt around their waist. Hanging from the belt they had their different gadgets. Jillian had a toothbrush, walkie-talkie, black camera and colored sticks!
Jenna said, "And I am a side-kick!"
Ready to take on the day!!! Notice the American flag in Jaydens hair!!

Jaxon-Claire

2008-04-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

Jaxon-Claire has to do everything that her sisters do. So the day after Jenna took a face dive, Jaxon decided to do the same! Her "owie" is even in the same spot! She's good!!! My parents have a picture of me, when I was about Jaxon's age, pinching my sisters arm. I was such a bully! Jaxon -Claire likes to pull hair, scratch arms, hit and pinch! When she is finished hurting us she leans over to kiss us better and gives us a small loving hug. It is hard to stay mad for long! The sisters get a big kick out of her!

Another One Bites the Dust!

2008-04-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

There is NOTHING worse than watching your daughter fall! Jenna was climbing over the baby gate and landed right on her face. I watched the whole aweful scene. It was one of those times when you just can't move fast enough to save them. We hopped in the car and zoomed to the soccer fields where Jeremy was playing soccer. On the way there Jayden was crying. I asked her why and she said, " I remember when I fell on my face. I know how bad it is going to hurt when she gets her stitches!" When we arrived at the soccer fields I jumped out of the car with Jenna in my arms. I had blood on my shirt and Jenna was holding a paper towel drenched with blood (lips bleed alot!) Jeremy stopped playing and came to check her out. We decided that there was no need for stitches........YEAH!!!
This is the next morning. Poor puffy lip!
Her sisters were very concerned for her. Jaxon-Claire could not stop kissing her better! I could just eat that baby up!!!

My Mini Vacation!

2008-04-14T17:54:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to write childrens books. I finally bit the bullet one day a couple of months ago and started to write and write and write. I finished a really cute story and was excited to take the next step with it and send it off to an editor. So I took a field trip to Barnes And Noble and spent way too much $ buying all that I could on publishing childrens books. One of the books directed me to The Society Of Children's Book Writers And Illustrators (SCBWI) where I promptly signed up to attend one of their confrences. It happened to be in Conway Arkansas which is only 2 hours away! So off I went on April 11th! All by myself. Thank goodness for the GPS!! Here is me taking a picture of me in my hotel room. Actually it was a motel room and kind of scarry. Thats what you get when you choose the cheapest on Expedia. Germ-A-Phobic me will NEVER do that again! I was so excited to be away from my children for the first time EVER. After the first nights classes I went and ordered take out and brought it back to the motel to eat it in bed while watching T.V. How fun does that sound? I was so excited to sleep a whole night without a baby crawling into bed and kicking me all night long. The sad thing is.........I only got 3 hours of sleep. Looser me was so homesick for my family. I could NOT sleep at all!!! What the heck???
I was mostly looking forward to my manuscript being read by an editor. This is a picture of the editor that read my story. Her name is Lisa Graff. She is an editor for Farrar, Straus & Giroux. She is also an author as well. Her new book is called The Life and Crimes of Bernetta Wallflower. I saw it at a book fair and wanted to get it for Jaycee. I did get it at the conference and had Lisa sign it. To get published it almost impossible! They explained that in each publishing house each editor gets around 150-200 manuscripts a day! They put them all in a "slush" pile and mabe they will read a few. Lisa's publishing house only puts out 20-50 books a year. There is a 1 in 10,000 chance of getting published! Most publishing houses are closed to writers who are not being represented by an agent. the awesome thing is that being a member of the SCBWI you get to meet the editors in person and in my case make some friends. Lisa wants me to fix a couple of things with my story and send it back to her! So I will not be put into the dreaded "slush pile." I also met a big-wig for National Geographic Kids, Jennifer Emmett, and told her of my idea for a biography, she wants me to send it in to her as soon as I get it done. National Geographics doors are closed to authors who do not have agents. And she wants me to send something to her! So the contacts were awesome!

I also met Melanie Hope Greenberg. She is an Author and an Illustrator. She has some beautiful picture books out. She and I hit it off right away! She is from the "Bronks" I noticed that she would just stare at me on and off during the day. I was a little weirded out until she came up to me and said that she likes to paint her friends in her books and to look for myself in one of them someday. How nice!
Here I am heading home after a long day. I had a great time and met alot of wonderful people. I am looking forward to this journey that I have started. I am excited to do something other than the everyday hum-drum. Wish me luck!!!

Bad Weather!

2008-04-10T16:55:00.001-07:00

It was forcasted to be very bad weather today. Flash floods, severe thunderstorms and torandos! The local news station talked about what the schools are planning to do in case of an emergancy. They said to not worry, that the children are their #1 priority. That if they have to keep them in the safe rooms until 10:oop.m. they will. They told the parents not to come to the schools to pick up their children if the tornado sirens were going off. They do go off often. Soooo being the over protective mom that I am, I kept them home from school. To be safe with me! The thunder is VERY loud! It can shake our home. Jenna was very scared.
We thought it would make for some funny pictures to have Jayden look like she was being blown away!
She is a great actress. She looks scared to death!
It was all fun and games until Jayden could not hold on any longer and slid down the tree trunk! Have you ever heard of Tree Burn? Well she has a VERY bad case of it on her chest and arms! Poor girl.
The weather was not the kind of weather that the kids could miss school for, but oh well we had fun hanging out! Jeremy told me not to listen to the local news. "They always get it wrong."

Stepping Out Of The Ole' Comfort Zone!

2008-04-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

My good friends Heather, Gretchen and Tara decided to take a ballet class. I was very excited for them. Then they talked me into doing it as well! I was most excited to be doing it with my oldest daughter Jaycee. The class was for young adults 12yrs. and up. So off to the shoe store I went to buy my ballet slippers! The first day was learning how to strech properly. Oh my goodness did we strech! My old rickedy body was VERY sore the next day!
We had such a fun class. Very diverse! We even had a couple of men dancing with us. I never knew what all went into ballet. So much thinking. Getting your body to do what you are thinking.........not so easy!
I had so much fun spending time with Jaycee, just her and I. We experienced something that not alot of mothers and daughters get to do together. I loved watching her learn and watching her confidence grow. We had a blast! Even when we had to stop class early and rush home to safety because of tornado weather!
Tendo, Port De Bra, Piques, Sousou, Coupe, Degage, Eshappe Releve, Glissade, Pas Debourees, Assemble, Tombe Pas De Bouree. These are some of the ballet steps we learned! Here is my report card. Not too shabby!
My most favorite memory from this whole experience is when Jaycee would hold my hand while we walked to the studio from the car. And the kisses and hugs she would give me during class. These things are fading the older she gets, so I cherish them like crazy!

Our Little Smarty Pants!

2008-04-06T18:10:00.000-07:00

Our school district had a math compitition on Sat. There are 5 schools in our district. Each classroom sent one top student to compete. Mrs. Bishop chose Jayden to represent her 2nd grade class. Here is a picture of Mrs. Bishop and Jayden. Jayden was VERY nervous when we arrived. She was shaking when we entered the room where the 2nd graders would compete. She would compete against 15 others. Here she is looking at the clock waiting for the fun to begin.
They had to sit in chairs facing away from the screen. When it was their turn they would stand and face the screen and have 6 seconds to solve the problem. If they got it wrong they were out. During the final 3 they were all too smart. It went on forever, so they decided to make it harder. I was nervous because we did not practice 3 digit subtractions. No need to be nervous though because Jayden pulled it out and won!!!
Her teacher was so excited that she ran up and gave her a big hug! She said,"Jayden this means that you are the smartest 2nd grader in the whole school district!" Then her teacher had to parade her around and show off her #1 student to all of her teacher friends.
We were there for several hours. Jaydens compitition was the first one. They had a bunch of fun activities the kids could do after their compitition. There was a room with lots of jars full of different items. Each jar had a math problem you had to solve or guess, and if you did you would win the jar! Here she is figuring out how many calories would be in this jar full of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.

Relaxing the brain.
Jayden and Mom waiting for the awards ceremony to begin.
Receiving her ribbon and trophy.
To top off the whole day, she even won the jar full of beaded necklaces. She guessed how many meters it would be if you connected all of them together! The sisters at home were so excited!
Jayden is such a smart girl! We are so proud of her. She LOVES to learn and LOVES to do her work! Everyone of her teachers that she has had, have told us she is a favorite! What a compliment! Keep up the good work Jaydo, we love you!!

Look At Me!

2008-03-30T20:43:00.000-07:00

Jillian our middle child loves to be in pictures! She is such a poser!! Here she is doing her Karate kick.

She is such a fun little girl. We love having our Jilly Beans in our family!!

Sunday Dinner

2008-03-30T20:20:00.001-07:00

Our friends Daniel and Tara Smith invited us over for Sunday dinner. I love Sunday dinners and I love being invited to friends homes to eat. It does not happen much like it used to when we only had a couple of kids! I am sure our family of 7 scares everyone! Daniel did a great job of cooking for everyone. Levi loves being on his dads back!
We had to eat in shifts. Kids first and then the adults. It was a great idea! When they were finished off they went while we ate and enjoyed some fun "adult topics."
The Smiths will be starting a new chapter in their lives. They are moving in a few months. We will miss them for sure! I think that Jeremy and Daniel have a secret love affair going on. Daniel has had more dates with my husband this last year than I have. They love the movies and go often!
Tara is such a wonderful and talented women. She has the voice of an angel and I love to listen to her sing. I enjoy our conversations that we have and will miss her when they move. She will be a friend that I will always think about, and am blessed to have known her.

Soccer Season!

2008-03-29T12:07:00.000-07:00

Spring soccer season has started! We are very excited. The three oldest are playing this year. Jaycee and Jayden had their first games today. Jillian did too but they decided to cancel the younger kids games because of the cold wet weather. She was VERY sad! Jayden is the one with pink gloves and black pants on.

She is really starting to "Get It" this season.
GO JAYDEN!!! She scored a goal. Her team won the game, YEAH!!!!
Because it was sooo cold we headed to IHOP for hot chocolate.

It was a very cold 45 degrees! It even started to rain brrrr. Oh spring time, 75 degrees one day and snow the next!
Our little cheering squad. "Go Jaycee!"

Jaycee is the one in the middle. She is an awesome soccer player. They play co-ed and she keeps up with the boys for sure!!She is the one behind the boy kicking the ball.
Run Jaycee run!
Kick Jayden kick!
We all enjoy going to the games as a family. It is hard though when three play at the same time. I can't even begin to wonder how we will do it when the next two start.

Goodbye Old Friend!

2008-03-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

We have decided as a family that it is time to say goodbye to our friend the T.V. I am very sad to see it go. It has been there for me through 5 pregnancies with aweful morning sickness! It has been there for me while I stuff my face with food! It has been my #1 babysitter. It sometimes is the only adult conversations I here all day. I have let myself slowly get addicted to reality shows. And am becoming immuned to all of the immoral junk that they sneak in. We are taking the Glenn Beck Challenge and turning it off! I am ashamed to say that by doing so I am also saying goodbye to The Bachelor, Big Brother, The biggest Loser, The Apprentice, The Road Rules and Real World Challenge, American Idol, The View, and many others! My girls are sad to say goodbye to Hannah Montana, Suite Life Of Zack and Cody, Thats so Raven, Wizards Of Waiverly Place, H20, Saved By The Bell, Dora The Explorer, Tom And Jerry, I Love Lucy. There are more I am sure. These shows that I have listed are 16 hours of T.V. time. I can't even believe that we have slowly allowed ourselves to get so addicted! It is so easy to just sit down on the couch and veg! We are often telling the girls to go play in the playroom while we watch our shows. They end up turning on the T.V. and being couch potatos too! Well no more! We are excited to see what happens to our little family over the next several months. I am excited that the girls will have to get creative and PLAY! We used to have a rule that only an hour or so of T.V. for them. Then came along 5 kids and out the window that rule went! I know that I am going to have withdrawls, but I am prepared for that.
This morning we took a trip to the cable office to turn in our DVR and cancel our cable. We are downgrading to just several local stations so we will still have access to the weather (tornados) and they charged me $30.00! Can you belive that? We will be saving over $100.00 a month by doing this though! If you really think about it we actually are spending lots of $ just to let Satan in our homes! So goodbye old friend and hello new life! Wish us luck!!!

Warm Weather!

2008-03-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

Jenna loves to swing! Jaxon Claire needs sand with that sand box!
We love our tree house!
Jaycee is enjoying the ball!
Jayden is such the fashion diva. She even
makes dresses with the sidewalk chalk!

What a fun day in the backyard. We can't wait to open up the pool!

Baking Fun!

2008-03-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

We had a bunch of bananas that were starting to get to soft so we decided to make Banana Bread. Jillian ended up getting the batter all over the place while mixing. It was messy!
Jenna just kept on licking the batter that has RAW EGGS! Hope she doesn't get sick.

It is funny how you expect things to work like a Norman Rockwell picture and it just does not go that way. I could not keep Jenna off of the counter. All in all I think that they had fun.

Play Date

2008-03-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

Jayden was invited to her friend Katies home to play for a couple of hours. We are such freaky parents and rarely let our children out of our sight. We did feel like we knew Katies mom and dad well enough to let her go. When I picked her up Katies mom informed me that they were playing on Katies lap top and decided to go to Google and type in 'Single hot 8 year olds' First of all, a lap top for an 8 year old? Second of all, an 8 year old on Google? Third of all, where are the parents? And fourth of all, WHAT THE HECK???? When Jayden and I were driving home she told me that she broke up with her boyfriend and was looking for another. And that Katie heard of on-line dating! Thank goodness nothing popped up when they were looking for their true loves! Seriously, Jeremy and I are in trouble with 5 girls!

Spring Cleaning

2008-03-24T15:31:00.000-07:00

I LOVE TO SPRING CLEAN! I am getting all pumped up to go through the house and get rid of stuff! I was planning on having a garage sale to make a little $ but then I woke up from that dream and remembered I have 5 kids! So the Salvation Army will be getting alot of great stuff! I do love a clean house!

Jayden gets a hair cut!

2008-03-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

Jayden has been wanting a hair cut for so long. So I took her in after school today. She also wanted bangs but chickened out at the last second! I just love the shorter hair on this child, it makes her BIG eyes stand out even more!
Jaxon Claire REALLY needs a hair cut. Why is it so sad to cut your babys hair? I just can't bring myself to do it!

Time to decorate the eggs!

2008-03-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year. I love the spring. We have all been so sick over the spring break we were looking forward to a little fun with Easter. So with our painting shirts on it was time to get creative!

Searching for the eggs!

2008-03-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

We had fun looking for all 54 eggs! Three are still missing though!

Congratulations Jaycee!

2008-03-21T15:19:00.000-07:00

Give me a J! Give me an A! Give me a YCEE! What does that spell? JAYCEE! She made the J.V. cheerleading squad for the upcoming year in Junior High! We are so proud of her!

Spring Break!

2008-03-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

We had some fun plans for this spring break. Then an unexpected visitor decided to pay our family a visit. The FLU BUG! As you can see from the pictures he has not been very fun and we hope he won't stay long!

Cindy Lou Who

2008-03-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

The school is celebrating Dr. Suess' birthday today. The children were all asked to dress as their favorite character's from one of his books. Jayden chose Cindy Lou Who from The Grinch. We had fun getting her hair just right!

Sledding Fun With Friends

2008-03-08T15:34:00.000-08:00

We had some great fun with our long time friends the Haskins and the Stephens!