End of March!

I can't believe that March is over!!!

This year is just flying by!!!

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The kids have been making their own casts and slings out of anything they can find around the house.

Wanting to be like Dad in his sling that makes his arm stick out like he is gonna shake your hand.

They think it is fun...and I just love the creativity in Cassi's sling! Made by Madi, of course!

As soon as I got the camera out...Madi ripped the cast she made off her leg.
She didn't want me taking a picture of it...
But I asked if it was okay to take one with her wearing her Fievel hat!
I think it is so cute on her...you should see Porter wearing it...now he looks just like Fievel!
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So I am realizing more and more how much Brent does around the house...I know he is a big part of how the house runs...but man...I can't do anything by myself!
Tonight we decided to make 'Firehouse Chicken'.
But I had no clue how to make it...and Brent was hooked up to his ice machine...plus he's no good with just one arm! (ha, ha...he is, just teasing!)
So I just followed what he told me to do, and made the dish.
Yummy!
We figure that it turns out better when we do it together!
It was like that Ratatouille movie.
I was Linguini , and Brent was Remy.
Fun stuff!
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*I am Thankful that it didn't pour rain (or snow) today!

*I am Thankful that I got my shopping done, FINALLY....I should have gone on Monday...we had nothing good to eat!

*I am Thankful I didn't put make-up on today, so I don't have to take it off...

Crazy Boy!

I feel like I have forgotten all the funny things the big girls did when they were little.

I remember little things, but I don't remember when they did it, how old they were, what they looked like doing it, and all the stuff like that.

This is why I love blogging.

If I hadn't recorded how much I loved Porter holding onto my thumb when he was little (seen here), I would have forgotten all about it!

But now it recorded forever!!!

Anyway, this little dude is nuts.

He loves when we put blankets on his head, and he runs around like a chicken with it's head cut off.

I swear he is just wanting to run into stuff!

Crazy boy.

Brent says it is good...shows he will be great inside a fire!!!

He will grab a towel while we are folding clothes, and throw it over his head and take off.

He is gonna be a little goof ball.

He is really starting to LOVE making us laugh.

I just love him!

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Brent has been doing really good today!

He has been up and about.

He still has his arm in a sling.

It has to be out, like in a handshake position for 3 weeks.

Not too comfortable, especially to sleep.

But he is doing good.

I have learned that I just can't run things around this house without him.

How pathetic is that.

My kids have been eating not the best prepared meals...cause Brent is the ones who makes the awesome dinners!

The house is a wreck, cause, let's face it...I am not the clean one in this relationship.

So I am Thankful to him for letting the last few days slide while I try to take care of 5 kids!

But I am trying.

I am just glad he is doing good...but I definitely don't want him to over do it!!!

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*I am Thankful for DVR, so we can watch LOST commercial-less!!! Even though I am going mad crazy watching it!!!

*I am Thankful that I am starting to work on the girls Easter dresses. Yes, I am insane, I am not sure why I am always do this to myself, but the fact is, I do...so I deal with it!!! If I actually get them done, they will be darling!

*I am Thankful that Jenni got me out for a run this morning, even though it was raining! It was actually refreshing!!!

Easter F.H.E.

It is way too late for me to be blogging...

But I wanted to write a little something about Madi's F.H.E. tonight.

For her Activity Days last week, they made Easter F.H.E. kits.

Madi stayed up in bed that night they brought them home and looked up each scripture.

She was very excited about sharing it with us.

So tonight we did it...even though it was a crazy madhouse with the little ones.

I am very proud of Madi for doing it, and I am sure she will want to head up more F.H.E. for our family!

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*I am Thankful that things are getting better for Brent. If we can just get a few more days behind us, we will be in good shape!

*I am Thankful that we get to do Family Home Evening as a family...we need to be better about it...it is so hard with the little ones, but that is no excuse!!!

*I am Thankful that I get to get in bed RIGHT NOW!!!

Expert walker!!!

I just have to brag a little bit about my little Elsie Rose.

I think she is amazing...but everyone knows that.

Elsie has really been walking, really well.

We haven't taken her walker to church for the last couple weeks and thought I would just hold her hand down the hall.

Well, Elsie has refused to hold my hand and wants to walk it herself.

She stays close to the side, usually, so she can get back up if she falls.

But even in the crowded halls, she wants to do it all on her own.

I just love it.

And she has such confidence in her walk...

She wags her little arms side to side, swings her hips.

It is just adorable!

She is such an example to our family of hard work and perseverance.

We are so blessed to have this little angel in our lives!

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Dad missed out little trip to the park today.

He is still hurting pretty bad.

But I figured he could use some quiet time, so he headed to the park.

There is a metal thing of sorts...seems like a top of one of those carport things...

Well, the kids had a blast playing on it.

It kind of looks like he might be trying to help...but I think he is trying to pull Madi down!

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*I am Thankful that my early morning runs start back up tomorrow...hopefully I can get enough sleep tonight!

*I am Thankful that I made it to church today with all the kids, and they all did pretty well.

*I am Thankful that I have the big kids home to help all this week...okay, that is hopeful wishing...lets hope they realize how much I need their help and for them to get along and hopefully they will just do it!!!

Better day...

Well, things went pretty smooth last night.

Brent was pretty comfortable, we got him his medicines at the right times...things went good.

He was having a hard time getting comfortable today.

The nurse called from the hospital today to see how he was doing.

She said that today would be the hardest day for him.

But he did good and even got a nap in this afternoon, which was good.

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The kids have been pretty good today.

It wasn't great timing to do this over spring break...but then again, they can be great help when they put their minds to it...so we will see how things play out.

The kids were out in the sandbox again for a while today.

Porter had his face covered...so I wanted pictures of it...

He moves so much, it is hard to get a good picture.

So I end up taking a ton.

Then when I go through, there are way too many to cut down...

So here were some favs.

The middle one is what he does when you ask for a kiss.

Yummy!

Isn't he such a cutie!!!

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The kids made their own little reclining invention...

Hmmm.....

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And I just thought this was cool, and the girls liked it too!

I was cleaning up under Porters chair after dinner and found this guitar shaped puddle of milk.

Pretty cool, right???
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*I am Thankful that today is almost over, since it should have been Brent's hardest day...so here is to better days!

*I am Thankful for the little cat nap I stole today while laying on Cassi's bed with sounds of Made and Elsie playing in the background. Cassi was at a birthday party and Porter and Brent were in bed.

*I am Thankful the tomorrow is Sunday. Hopefully things will go well at church with the kids...it has been a while since I have taken them all to church on my own!

Not always so peachy...

Do you ever feel like this...............................?

Or this.........................?
Well today was definitely one of those days.
I am not sure why, except when things get a little hard sometimes everything else tumbles down too, you know what I mean?
Well, first of all I thought I could bring Brent home early this morning...but didn't get him home until 5:00 this evening.
Which is probably good, they can help him there a lot better than I can here.
But we have all he needs here now and we will get things figured out soon enough.
Nothing really bad happened today...just one of those days.
One you just want to go to bed and start all over!
I am sure tomorrow will be a great day...hopefully we will have great weather and get the kids outside to play...

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Just a side note...the kiddos are happy...

I told Porter to pinch his nose, that is his new thing, to plug his nose when I change his diaper...but he must have been having a hard time finding that nose...and Elsie was just kinda in a daze watching what Porter was doing...silly kids...
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*I am Thankful that Heather was willing to take my kids today while I went and got Brent form the hospital. That a bunch...It would have been a madhouse to haul all four kids there with me!

*I am Thankful for the nice nurses who have been taking care of Brent. They were very nice and helpful and let me know everything I need to know to best take care of him...

*I am Thankful we are going to bed soon!

Surgery Day...

Brent told me today that he understands why Madi get so embarrassed when I pull my camera out.

But I know how much he loves that our life is documented for generations to come...so they can deal with being irritated with me...cause when his Grand kids pull out our books in the future and see poor old Grandpa with his shoulder surgery...they are gonna love it!

Surgery went well today.

We got to the hospital at 10:00, surgery was at 12:00 and I didn't get to see him again until 4:30.

Talk about a long day...full of way too many treats and HGTV.

The Doctor came out and talked to me at about 3:00.

He told me that he wanted to keep him over night because he knew that once his nerve block wore off, he would be in some real pain.

So they wanted to keep him to monitor him and his pain level.

So Doc first scoped the shoulder...checked out what needed to be done.

His rotator cuff looked great.

The piece that was anchored from last surgery was still attached to the glenoid.

But that was also the piece on the glenoid that had broken off.

So he reattached the glenoid bone with two screws.

Then he had to tighten up the tendons...ligaments, I don't know for sure.

He tightened them up in the back, but didn't have to mess with the front...that looked good.

We still aren't sure if he shaved that hooked acromium that we have been talking about for 2 years...but Brent talked to him about it before surgery, he said he would take a look and decide.

So hopefully he remembered to take a look.

Brent was in good shape when I left him.

The girls have shed a few tears since I got them home.

Cassi especially.

She keeps saying she just wants her Dad.

I told her that they just want to watch him and make sure everything goes fine.

Which I guess was the wrong thing to say, because then she realized that there was a chance something could go wrong.

Poor kids.

But that is why he sent this 'I Love You' sign for them.

At night they each do an 'I Love You' sign and their hands 'Kiss'.

So when I showed the picture below to them, they touched their little 'I Love You' hands to the camera.

I thought it was adorable.

These kids love their Dad more than you could ever know!

Sorry babe, these are the kind of pictures that need to get in the book, and they have to be on the blog to get in the book!

But I didn't add the picture of him wearing purple socks.

I knew the girls would think that was just hilarious...so he allowed me to take a picture of him and his purple hospital socks...adorable!

I was right...the girls LOVED it!

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* I am Thankful that Jenni took my kiddos for 8 hours today. 8 HOURS!!! You rock Jenni. Thanks so much! I owe you BIG TIME!!!

* I am Thankful that I get a free day each week for my wellness challenge...today was nearly impossible to stay on track! Not with being in a room with a vending machine for the better part of 6 hours!!!

* I am Thankful things went better than expected in surgery. Hopefully the recovery will be the same way...better than expected!!!

LIFE...

The kids got their homework done in time for us to sit down and watch the first 'episode' of LIFE.

If you have ever seen Planet Earth...this is made by the same people.

It is amazing.

It is on the Discovery channel and we are DVRing it so we can watch it with the kids when we have time to sit down.

They have been begging to watch it and so it was nice to finally get the chance.

Elsie was so excited about every animal it showed.

It really is an amazing show and you should watch it (or DVR it) if you can!!!

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And here is a semi-before and after of the bathroom.

Before we had a chair rail and we did originally have a toilet...ha ha...

And it was just linoleum flooring.

So we are very happy with the after.

At some point I think I am going to have Brent put up a little rim at the top so I can sit picture frames on it...but for now I am okay without it.

I need a few accessories...a cute rug for the sink, and basket for the curling irons and blow dryer...

But how do you like it???

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So tomorrow is the day.

hanks for all the calls for a good luck wish and to let us know he is in your thoughts.

We aren't sure yet if they are gonna keep him overnight.

Actually, the whole day is kind of up in the air.

So wish us luck...

I will try to get another picture with the correct shoulder marked 'YES'.

I think that is so funny!
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I got to go out with some great friends today.

My friend Lyric has been cooped up in her house after she had back surgery about 2 weeks ago.

We wanted to bring her lunch and hang out...but she wanted OUT of the house!

And we had a lot of fun.

It is so great to have such great friends!

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*I am Thankful, like I said before, for such great friends. Real down to earth people that are easy to talk to.

*I am Thankful that tomorrow is almost here, and therefore almost over! We just want to get it done so we can get going on the recovery!!!

*I am Thankful that I have so many people willing to take my rag-a-muffin kids for us tomorrow! Like I said before, we have such great people in our lives!!!

Nice sunny, happy, day!

Well, it was a great day.

I had a little more motivation today.

I put the final coat on the cabinet in the bathroom and Brent sealed the grout.

So it is all done...just no picture yet.

Sorry, tomorrow I will get it up.

I helped in Cassi class then got home and found out that Brent had been calling me to get to the hospital because my friend Alesha was close to having her baby.

My phone was set to vibrate...but I guess it is not working, cause I didn't get the call!

So I rushed to the hospital and made it just in time.

Alesha did an amazing job and everything went so smoothly.

Her new little man is absolutely adorable...I would post pictures...but I think I should let her post pictures before I do.

It is amazing to see a new life come into this world!

Thanks Alesha for letting me be a part of your special day!

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I came home and did homework with Cassi, laundry and put the doors on the cabinets.

We made a run to Albertsons came home and Dad made shish ka bobs!

Our fav!

It was such a nice warm afternoon we decided to have a picnic.

Oh I so excited for when we get to do this every night!

So it was a great day.

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*I am Thankful that Alesha invited me to be there for their babies birth. It was really amazing!

*I am Thankful for my new calling I got tonight...hush, hush...

*I am Thankful that we got to get out in the nice fresh air this afternoon!

No motivation...

I would have slept all day today if I could.

I just had no motivation to get up and get stuff done.

Maybe I am to the point where there is just SO MUCH to do...it is just easier to not do anything!!!

I also think Brent and I are sick...

Oh well, maybe after a good nights sleep.

I did get one coat of paint on the bathroom cabinet.

I have to wait overnight to re coat.

I think it looks good.

But I think I am leaning towards getting a sprayer for the kitchen cabinets.

I want a very smooth finish.

The bathroom cabinets look really good.

Just not that real smooth glossy finish I want for the kitchen.

Has anyone out there ever used a sprayer for a big project???

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At dinner today Madi told us that she has decided that she was in a helpful mood.

I asked why she felt that way.

She said she knows that I (mom) am going to need a lot of help when Dad has surgery, and she wants to help out and not fight.

I told her how proud I was that she saw the need and was prepared to do what she needed.

She was very helpful all night.

She cleared the table.

Did the dishes.

Helped get the kids upstairs and get them ready for baths and bed.

We only had one little fight when I told her that she could only have half of an ice cream sandwich.

She said it wasn't fair.

I told her that it wasn't because I was being mean, I just want her to be aware of what she is eating.

There is no reason for little kids to have a FULL ice cream sandwich.

Am I wrong???

Anyway...it was good cause we both listened to each other, got it figured out, hugged, and got on our way.

She was very helpful in finishing up cleaning Elsie and Cassi's room.

She, and Cassi, moved all Elsie's clothes into her new dresser while I gave the babies a bath.

So I am excited...she is such a good kid.

It is nice to have her as such a great helper around the house.

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*I am Thankful for my sweet Madi Bell who is such a great person inside and out.

*I am Thankful that I got SOME of the things done on my to-do list. I am Hoping that I get more checked off the list tomorrow...one major fun to-do...I get to take pictures of my friend Alesha and her baby in the hospital...Alesha, I will be waiting for the call...

*I am Thankful that this evening was not a stressful one. The kids were all good...stuff got done. It was good.

Our Sunday Tradition...

There is nothing better than having a routine.

There is something that feels safe and secure about having a routine.

I LOVE that we, the Terry's and us, are heading to the park every Sunday afternoon.

The kids can run and be free.

The dogs can run and be free.

(The husbands can run and be free!)

It is just nice.

It was great weather, it started to rain a few drops on our way home...but no big deal.

The best part...the kids are WORN-OUT!!!

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*I am Thankful for the amazing people I get to come in contact with when I go to church. Also the amazing people who teach my kids in their classes. There really are such wonderful people there!

*I am Thankful that everyone seems to be feeling better. So far everyone will be going to school tomorrow.

*I am Thankful that I get to start back up on projects tomorrow!!! YAY!!!

Cards from Grandma!!!

Isn't it great to get REAL mail???

Each of my girls got their very own card, addressed to them, in the mail today.

My Mom sent them each a card...

They were very excited.

Every day when we get mail they ask if there is anything for them.

And today there was.

Thanks Mom, they were very happy.

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We had another busy Saturday...

I got to sleep in and when I woke up Brent was playing the Wii with the kids.

Then I went running.

The kids were begging to play in the sandbox since the minute they woke up!

We had to wait a little bit for it to warm up.

We worked more on the bathroom.

Brent's work in there is done.

Now it is just the finishing paint work for me to do.

And the cabinet.

I have the cabinet all primed, and might even get a coat of paint on tonight.

I got all my chairs sanded.

Brent cleaned his garage, which makes him very happy.

The kids spent hours in the sandbox, filled their clothing full of sand.

Took time off to watch a movie together...

Laundry...a lot of that got done.
It was a busy day.

It feels good to get stuff accomplished.

I can't wait to get the bathroom done and show it off.

I am really loving how it turned out!

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*I am Thankful that my children have such wonderful Grandparents on both sides. We really are so lucky to have them! And we are dying to come visit...but it is gonna have to wait a while for Brent to re coop from surgery.

*I am Thankful that we got so much done today...I am exhausted, but it is the good kind of exhausted!

*I am Thankful that we had another beautiful day and I am Thankful that it is finally Spring time.

One huge sandbox!

What do you do on such a nice almost Spring day???

You build a giant sandbox...that's what you do!!!

We have wanted to make the bottom of the playhouse into a sandbox for a long time...so today we finally did it.

Don't you love how I say we...ha ha...I helped I guess, and painted...but Brent whipped this thing out very fast.

The kids spent hours out there!

Elsie would sleep out there if we let her!

You can see how excited she is about it in the picture...she was like that the whole time she was in there!

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Poor Cassi stayed home from school today.

She had a high fever this morning when she woke up at 4:30 a.m.

So she stayed home, and she has been pretty good, a little more emotional...

But every once in a while she seems to really be in pain with a sore throat, and she says the back of her neck hurts too!

Poor girl.

She didn't play too long in the sandbox.

At one point she was laying on the tramp warming in the sun.

I hope she gets some good sleep tonight and feels better when she wakes up.

And lets hope that the rest of us stay healthy!

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*I am Thankful that there was NO WIND today!!!

*I am Thankful that we have a good sandbox to keep the kids busy thins Spring while we do yard work!

*I am Thankful that tomorrow is Saturday, and hopefully we can get a lot of stuff done! Only a few more days...and MANY more projects! Drew, you might be getting a call....

Bad news...

We got a call from the shoulder doc this morning.

He needs surgery again.

HUGE bummer!

He actually has a broken bone in there.

When he had his surgery a few years ago, the doc put three screws into the glenoid bone. (see picture below)

Then about a year ago he was doing an ice dive for work, and fell on the ice.

He went back to the doc and was told that he had a hooked acronium that needed to be shaved off, which was supposed to be done in surgery, but the doc figured it didn't need to be done then.

Anyway, we figure that he fractured the glenoid then.

His shoulder just hasn't been right since then.

Then when he dislocated his shoulder it broke the back part of the glenoid off.

So since the glenoid was holding the screws in, the last surgery was completely undone too.
So he will have the same surgery as before, but the doc also has to go around back, fish out the bone and fix that up.

The doctor gave the example of his glenoid being like a golf tee.

And the humorous is like the golf ball sitting on the tee.

Well, pretend that half of the tee is chipped off, see how the golf ball will easily fall off.

That is why his shoulder keeps slipping out.

The worst part about this recovery, and the thing that is making Brent sick to think about is that they have to cut through all those tendons to get to where they need to be.

It was a lot of hard work to get those to loosen back up and get some strength.

Lots of hard work ahead.

But luckily the doctor bumped a few surgeries and got Brent in pretty quick.

It totally ruins our Spring Break plans...but we need to get this done!

Poor boy!

So you know how Brent is...

He has to get as much done as possible before he goes in for surgery.

His shoulder actually feels really good, except when is comes out...and sometimes it catches...but for the most part, he feels good.

So he is working on finishing up the bathroom downstairs...which I am totally loving, by the way!!! (pictures to come!)

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*I am Thankful that we finally know what we need to do about Brent's shoulder!!!

*I am Thankful that tomorrow is Friday. No real reason...just glad it is Friday.

*I am Thankful for my sweet family...

Happy St. Pattys Day!!!

Hope you all had a fun and very GREEN day!

I have very fond memories of my Mom and Dad turning EVERYTHING green on St. Patty's Day.

Today I had a free day from my wellness challenge...

So I tried to think of some kind of fun dessert to make for the kids.

I found a cute way to make cupcakes into shamrocks...too bad I really am no good in the kitchen.

Oh well, they tasted good!

We had green milk all day (and probably tomorrow too!)

I also made green rice crispy treats...

Green jell-o, which actually didn't set up in time...so they can have that tomorrow!

We had egg sandwiches for dinner...green eggs.

And I painted green shamrocks on the bread.

Kinda goofy, but the kids loved it.

They frosted their cupcakes after dinner...with green frosting, of course!!!

Oh, and last night I made them some green shamrock hair clips.

They liked those too.

So I think they had a fun day.

I had fun.

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* I am Thankful that my parents took the time to make things fun for us as kids...I hope it is something I can do for my kids more often for Holidays!

*I am Thankful that today was an amazingly awesome day outside...and Thankful that Jenni took Cassi all day again and took her to the park when I couldn't cause the little ones were sleeping! Thanks a million Jenni!

*I am Thankful that we are going to bed early tonight and I am skipping my early morning run tomorrow. I am so EXHAUSTED and just can't keep up. I guess it is because I am 30 now, right??? Ya, that must be it!

My Charitable Madi Bell.

This morning was a BAD morning!

First of all...it was so hard to wake up for my morning run...but I am happy I did.

Then I had to WAKE UP Madi and Cassi...which is never a good idea...but they were sleeping too long...

Well, since they slept longer, we were all in a hurry to get ready...which is always stressful, for all of us.

THEN...as I was putting Elsie on the potty, I hear Porters scream of pain and realized he had grabbed the curling iron...

So I ran him to the sink and ran it under cold water until Brent took over so I could do hair for the girls.

All this time we are dealing with a very stressed out and emotional Madi...

This months she was chosen as a character student, with the trait of Charity.

She was terrified to go up in front of everyone.

What if she messed up?

What if kids made fun of her?

A lot of 'what if's'...

Finally, somehow, Brent got through to her, gave her a blessing, and she went and changer her shirt.

The one I picked out had sleeves that were too puffy, and looked like it needed to be ironed.

But that was the style of the short...(it was the shirt she wore for her picture in the side bar.)

So she went and changed her shirt, so she felt more comfortable...

Elsie's bus showed up, got her on...they drove off, then pulled over next door.

Madi and Cassi's bus came, they got on and left.

Then I walked over to Elsie's bus, and it stunk like a burning belt.

So I took Elsie off so we could drive her to school.

But since it was such a hectic morning I did not get a shower after my run.

And we had to be to school by 9:00 for the character assembly.

Porter was REALLY grumpy, so I laid him down hoping to get a small nap before we had to go.

So Brent ran Elsie to school while I jumped in the shower...

Then Jenni called me and told me that Tanger was at her house...this is while I was in my towel...so she ran him back for me (Thanks Jenni) and I got dressed and blow-dried my hair in about 10 minutes.

I got Porter out of bed and ready just in time for Brent to pull up and drive us to school.

I was so ready for the day to be OVER!!!

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We got to school in good time with a not too bad seat.

Not many kids were in there yet, and only a few parents.

When Madi came in I tried to get her attention...when she finally saw me, I got the "Oh Mom, please don't embarrass me" look....

From the day she found out she was getting this award I was told I could only take one picture from my seat in the back.

She does not like attention and she does not like to feel like the odd one out.

I kept telling her to look around and see that EVERY other mom was taking pictures of their kids...

But I didn't fight with her.

I was proud that she actually went to school and got on that stage.

She was honored for Charity.

I think my Madi is a great example of Charity.

I know that she is very kind and giving to others at school.

She is definitely like that at home...but sometimes the pre-teen-ness takes over...

But she really is a wonderful girl and I am so glad that she was honored this way today.

I did do one dumb thing.

After the Character part of the assembly, we were getting ready to leave, cause Porter was being a naughty boy...

But I needed to ask Mrs. Stred, Cassi's teacher if she still needed me in class today.

So I walked up the side of the gym and found Mrs. Stred...I passed Madi along the way, sitting with her class and kinda rubbed her head.

Then after I talked to Mrs. Stred I got by Madi again...I bent down and KISSED her cheek!

I don't know why...it happened so FAST!!!

That is the absolute worst thing for a Mom to do to embarrass her kid.

I did it fast and left and when we got in the car I finally realized the magnitude of what I just did...

I was worried that she would be so mad at me.

So I decided to do something for her.

I have been promising that we would rearrange her pictures and put up her cork board...so that is what I did for her.

I am very happy to say that she wasn't even mad at me for kissing her, and she was VERY excited about her wall being done!

She is a good kid.

I am so grateful for her to be a part of our family.

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The rest of the day was a good day...nothing crazy, we went to the park cause it was such a nice day.

Got homework done in time to sit and relax and have some smoothies with the fam.

Now we, Brent and I, are gonna watch LOST.

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* I am Thankful for my amazing, wonderful and charitable Madi Bell.

*I am Thankful that Brent is finally getting his MRI tomorrow...so we can finally know whether he needs surgery again or not!

*I am Thankful that I FINALLY listened to my motherly instinct and went and got Porter who has been crying for the last 30 minutes. His little foot was caught in the railing of his crib and his body was completely turned around his ankle. He was only whimpering by the me went up, and almost asleep. How sad is that...I am glad I finally went up there...poor little guy.

Our brave little girl!

I just love this little girl.

She was a little champ today!

So it was an early morning...our bodies aren't used to Day light Savings time yet!

We got up, got the big girls ready for school, dropped them off at Jenni's so she could get them on the bus, then drove Porter over to Heather's where he was immediately swarmed with girls!

I love it!

Then we were off to the hospital.

We got there in good time.

Elsie was very happy, despite me turning down her requests for milk, cereal, and Popsicles.

When we finally got to the point where they took us back to get her changed and ready, she was still very happy, and handing out smiles to everyone!

She took her Emmy blanket with her and Cassi let Elsie take her little stuffed horse with her, because Elsie's big Strip is just too big.

They gave her some medicine to make her a little sleepy, and it also kinda makes her forget what went on...

She got kinda goofy, then she became dead weight.

They they told me to lay her down and they rolled her away.
She whimpered a second...but she was just fine as they rolled her down the hallway.

She was better than I was.

It took about an hour.

They ended up having to do two pulpectomys...which I guess is like a root canal on baby teeth.

They did x-rays and sealants on her teeth and then they were done.

It was torture waiting for them to get us after they said she was done.

I just wanted to be there to hold her.

Elsie showing off her outfit...I thought the big girls would get a kick out of it.

They FINALLY came and got us.
When we got in her room she had fallen back to sleep.
She kinda woke up when we got in there, and she whimpered a little and wanted me to hold her...
So I grabbed her up and sat in the rocking chair and held her until they told us we could take her home.
It wasn't too long until they came and unhooked her from everything.
She was a good sport, but you could tell she was sick of these dang hospital people!
We got home and she was still very sleepy.
She didn't eat anything until about 3:30 or so.
She had a piece of bread and I have never seen food be devoured as fast as she ate that piece.
By 6:00 she was back to herself.
Feeling good and showing off her new silver teeth.
I know I say it all the time...but this little girl is such a bright spot in our lives.
I am so Thankful that she is in our family and we get to experience her world with her.
She is so positive and loving, and always has a smile on her face.
I am so Thankful that everything went so well today...and I hope we don't have to do this anesthesia thing any time soon!
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Also...
While we were at the hospital, Brent kept calling to check our messages to see if his MRI was being scheduled.
We got a message form the school saying that Madi was in the nurses office throwing up.
So Brent gave Jenni a call and she saved the day by going to pick her up.
She had no fever...and I guess she told the nurse that I had been sick with the stomach flu last week, so the nurse told Jenni to tell me not to send the kids to school if we have been sick.
First of all...how dumb.
We can't keep the kids home anytime one of the other members is sick...they would miss WAY too much school.
Am I wrong?
Oh well.
So I called the nurse and cleared up the stomach flu thing and explained that I was sick because I learned that I had a bad reaction to bananas.
I also explained to her that Madi has been getting headaches, and we think they might be developing into migraines...which would explain the throwing up.
She needs to get her eyes checked, she has an appointment coming up, and I wonder if that is why she is getting headaches.
Anyway, so she was cleared to come back to school if I see fit.
Poor girl.
Migraines are terrible...I would think they would be even worse for a kid!
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*I am so Thankful to Jenni for taking the time to go pick up Madi Bell from school! And for picking up Cassi from the bus, and feeding them and keeping them until we finally got home.

*I am Thankful to Heather for taking my little boy for the majority of the day! It is so great to know that we have such wonderful friends who are there for us whenever we are in need...and even when we are not in need!

*I am Thankful in every way for our little Angel Elsie. She makes every ones life better.

Tree hugger!

We sure love our Sunday strolls to the park...if only they would open the actual park up!!!

Anyway...

Trees are fun too.

Isn't that a great picture of Elsie hugging the tree...

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We had another great day.

Church, rest, dinner, then park.

Great day.

Elsie has really been on my mind the last couple days.

I am feeling anxious about tomorrow.

I know that lots of kids go under anesthesia EVERY DAY...

But I just worry about my little girl.

You know.

I know everything will be okay and she will come out just fine...I just wish I could hold her the whole time.

I hope we can be there when she wakes up...

She is gonna be one mad little girl if we aren't there!

And I hope she isn't in too much pain.

She is our sweet Angel, you know.

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*I am Thankful for the nice weather today...everyone is so much happier when we are outside!

*I am Thankful that tomorrow is almost here, and therefore, almost over...right?
*I am Thankful that we got the kids to bed at a good time tonight...despite the light outside, and their minds telling them..."hey wait...it isn't bed time!!!"

Full day...

Okay...well, Brent had a full day.

we are doing some stuff in our downstairs bathroom...we are putting molding stuff up...but wanted it smooth underneath...after trying to sand the wall, we decided to put plaster on the wall and then sand it down.

It worked great...but made a huge mess...

This is Brent after only one wall...

(Aren't you mad HE got those lashes???)

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Then we went out and did some shopping...

Brent waited in the car with the babies while Madi, Cassi and I went to Hobby Lobby...love it!!!

Then we went to Lowe's...to pick out grout for the floor...then we decided to get some tile to tile the counter top...

Madi had fun helping Brent by putting in the spacers...

And since I just can't wait for the finished product...

Here is a little sneak peek.

Imagine the cabinets white, and there will be some other cool stuff...

So exciting!

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* I am Thankful to have a handy man of a husband...

*I am Thankful that usually he goes along with the projects that I want to start...

*I am Thankful I get to go relax with him and watch a movie now!

DATE NIGHT ***family edition****

Tonight we decided to go out on a date...

ALL of us.

Brent puts on a good face...but he hates when I make us do dumb pictures like this...

But when I am old, I am gonna WANT these pictures...and he will too.

He is a good sport.

*

On a side note...

Madi is NOT that tall...yet.

She is standing on a trunk...as well as Cassi.

Cassi, I promise, is a very happy child.

She just chooses NOT to smile...something she WON'T like when she gets older!

So when we finally got out the door...we headed to Red Robin, of course.

Lots of fun and the kids all ate good.

Then we headed to Krispy Kreme to get a dozen glazed doughnuts!

I am using my free day, for those of you who are keeping a sharp eye on me...

Oh, and that was WORTH it!

Yummy!

Doesn't that make you want a doughnut???

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We rented 'Where the Wild Things Are' from Redbox.

I am still undecided about the movie.

We don;t have the book, I wish we did.

I know that it has way more than the book did...but from what I remember from the last time I read it...the movie did a very good job portraying the feelings you feel when you read the book.

If that makes any sense.

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And now the kiddos are off to bed.

And we aren't that far off either!

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Today we tried potty training.

She didn't go all day, until about 12:00ish...

That was encouraging...cause to us we thought that means she can 'hold' it...which is something we weren't sure she could.

Anyway...then she had two huge accidents about 10 minutes apart.

But you have to have accidents for her to learn that feeling to have to go, right!

Then after physical therapy she had a nap, so I put a diaper on...and when we went out I put one on again.

So she never went on the potty yet.

We will try again tomorrow.

Wish us luck!

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Brent tiled the bathroom floor today.

It looks so great!
We have other plans...I can't wait to post the finished project!

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*I am Thankful for my sweet family...even though we drive each other nuts...every last one of us!!!

*I am Thankful for the family that threw away their dresser...which I snatched up after my morning run this morning...

*I am Thankful that it is the WEEKEND!!! Now if only it was good weather for us!!!

Our Cass...

Cassi fits into an unfortunate place in our family.

Madi is the oldest and gets all kinds of responsibilities.

Elsie Gets a lot of attention with her therapies we have at home and the attention she gets just when we are out and about.

And Porter is the baby AND the boy.

Sometimes Cassi kinda gets lost in the mix.

Or she gets in trouble a lot.

Trying to get our attention.

But this little girl is one amazing little kid.

She has the kindest heart and would give the shirt off her back to anyone.

She has a beautiful singing voice.

Loves addition.

Can read like a CHAMP!

Has a great memory.

Loves to draw and paint, and is very good.

She is very tender hearted and gets her feelings hurt easily.

She is our cuddler...pretty much the only one who cuddles with me.

I need to make a more conscience effort not to push her to the side.

Now, don't start thinking we are horrible parents...

You all know what the middle child syndrome is.

I just wanted to write a little note about her.

Because we do love her so much.

She is such an important part of our family.

(And isn't she a beautiful little girl?)

Love you Cass!!!

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*I am Thankful that I figured out (with some help) what was making my tummy/back so miserable. Bananas people....I am allergic to bananas!!!

*I am Thankful that Elsie likes to sit on the potty...cause tomorrow we are gonna try the 'potty train in 3 day' method. We have no idea if she even has control over it...but we are gonna give it a try. Wish us luck!!!

*I am Thankful for my sweet family and for the individual personalities they each have. Now I just need to figure out how to be the best Mom I can be for those specific personalities!

The 10 minute RE-recycle...

We had this old window with a cork-board in the middle in our kitchen ever since we moved into this house.

But now I am changing things in the kitchen...and it doesn't fit the need there anymore.

But you know me...can't get rid of anything...

*

Madi doesn't like having a pink room.

But I don't want to paint it...cause everything in her room goes off the pink...

I have a few yards of fabric I have bought for the quilt I plan to make for her thins year...and it has greens in it too.

So I thought that we could re-purpose the cork board for her room, while bringing some green in with the pink.

She picked out some of the fabric that I have stashed for her quilt...and we covered the cork and WAL-LA...

I think it turned out good.

And she is excited to get it on her wall.

She wants it above her desk.

I have a ton of white frames for her wall to make a collage wall...and we have randomly put them up just for safe keeping...

I need to pull them all down and put them up in a nice way.

But first we need to finish the kitchen!!!

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I went with Brent to the shoulder doctor today...he still needs to get some MRI's and stuff next week, but it doesn't look good. The PA is pretty sure he needs surgery again. Big bummer!

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* I am Thankful that Jenni let Cassi play at Ayden's for the entire afternoon...It gave me some time to just work with Madi making the cork board...and Cassi came home very exhausted, and that is a good thing.

* I am Thankful that we have started reading scriptures as a family in the morning. Sometimes it is hectic (like this morning) but I know it gives a better start to our days.

* I am Thankful for the nap I had today. I must be allergic to something I am eating...the last couple days I have had the worst stomach and back ache. I need to figure it out. But Brent made me go lay down and I felt so much better!

Our day...

It wasn't a real happening day...

It was pretty busy...

Brent and I took Porter to Elsie's school for H1N1 shots.

The big girls had their mist done at school today also...but with Elsie getting the shot...I thought we should be there!

We stuck around a little bit to talk with Elsie's occupational Therapist, who just absolutely loves Elsie Rose!

She gave us some idea to work on some stuff at home and she was very excited to show us some of the fun things she has been doing with her.

We got home and I left again to help in Cassi's class.

After Cassi and Elsie got home, we had lunch and then went to the book mobile.

We love that thing!

Then we went to Elsie's Pre-op appointment with Dr. Ally.

(Who also LOVES Elsie Rose!)

On Monday Elsie is going to the hospital to have some cavities filled.

We came back and Brent got my white shelf out of the office, because I wanted it in the kitchen.

This shelf was one I dug out of My Grandmas barns out back...she thought I was crazy for wanting it...it still had oil rings from Grandpas stuff...

We painted it and put backing on it and it has been in the office ever since...but I am ready for it to be in the kitchen.

I am not sure what I am gonna put on it yet...I have a few ideas...but I want to put lots of color.

We will see.

It still needs some touching up.

I was a pain and wanted the shelf here instead of over to the left...and it JUST barely fit here...

Brent had to rewire the double light socket...one is on the outside of the shelf the other on the inside.

Isn't he great to put up with my craziness????

I will update when I get stuff on it.

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*I am Thankful for all the wonderful people in Elsie's life. We are so blessed to have these people who not only help make her life better...but they adore her!

*I am Thankful for a hubby who thinks I am crazy but doesn't always tell me that I am....He does call me a 'Form over Function' kind of girl.

*I am Thankful that Brent shoulder is feeling better...hopefully he has a good night. We go tomorrow to the Orthopedist to find out the real damage!

Never too young...

...To have chores.......right?

Usually every day there is a load in the dish washer for Cassi to unload.

That is her job.

And Madi loads.

Today Cassi really didn't want to do it...until Elsie offered her help.

It was so cute to watch them unload the dishwasher together...

It took longer, but I don't care.

It was very cute.

Cassi pulled the chair up to the drawer for her and handed her a spoon, or fork and Elsie would put it in the right spot.

Good work girlies!

Now I need to make a chore chart for Elsie...

She is my clean one...she could whip this whole house into shape!

Doesn't she looks so happy!

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I also found a mega block and gave it to Porter and told him to put it away.

I didn't expect him to.

But I watched him walk into the family room and put it in the Mega block truck!

Yippee...another person for a chore chart!

Pretty soon, this house will be immaculate!!!

(But don't hold your breathe!!!)

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*I am Thankful for the Wii that helped to provide out F.H.E. tonight.

*I am Thankful that my kids are reminding us about F.H.E., because we kinda forget sometimes!!! But we are gonna work on it!

*I am Thankful that I am about to put my last load of laundry in the dryer after two FULL days of laundry!!!