Little peices of Heaven

Jonathan gets BAD DAD AWARD! :)

2012-02-01T14:53:00.000-08:00

I help with a play here in town. I had practice on Monday. I asked Jon to make sure to get Avery to dance on time....4:45.....That he did, that he did....
I get back from the play around 5:40... Jon was at his parents working on his new/old truck :) I go looking and find all my kids except Avery. I go in the garage and ask him where she is. His eyes get big and says "What time was I supposed to pick her up?" "5:15!" I say. I run out the door as fast as I can....I am calling her teacher while driving and I get up the street and I see Avery walking....:( I stop the car. She had no coat on and her arms and face were red and freezing. She walked like a mile...I grabbed her and held her and said over and over how sorry I was. She just kept saying "my eyes are only wet because it's windy." I asked her why she didn't just tell her teacher I wasn't there and she said that her teacher was busy and so she walked.
She was so sad but wouldn't cry. I felt like BAD BAD MOTHER AWARD...And I wanted to PUNT my husband! I am so so proud of my daughter who knew which way to go and made it safely home. I am so glad we walk as a family a lot so she knew the roads a little bit. She did say "I almost went down one road but it didn't look right so I kept going"
Some parents probably think that is so stupid of me to worry, but when my Kindergartner is walking all the way across town by herself without a coat during winter, it makes my heart hurt. Those are the moments I am grateful I prayed for my kids to be safe and protected that day!

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS!!

2012-01-24T12:17:00.000-08:00

I read my sister Lacey's blog and I almost cried! It was so sweet and I am so excited to say she is going to have babies almost as close as my first ones were! I am so excited for her and Patrick! But reading her blog inspired me to write how I really feel. She was so honest and I think she is such a good mom and friend.
I realize that I only write the surface things on my blog. I must totally come off as lame and boring- when in reality my life is wonderful and fun! I always worry about writing all the good stuff and having people think I am bragging and stupid.... Or write the bad stuff and have people think man her life must stink! But I guess I may as well be what I am right?! And plus I haven't blogged in so long that I am pretty sure no one reads it any more...So now is a good time...lol
I am trying to be a better person this year. I am trying to be more kind and more outgoing. Those are my New Years goals...I am working hard to right the wrong I have done in my life. It feels so scary but so good to actually write a meaningful letter to someone I should have a long time ago. Or to say sorry to people when I was too scared to say it before. I truly want to be a good person. I want to know God and Jesus Christ. Not just know about them like I have done before...but truly know THEM. Through my search to find God in my life I have realized the many things that I do or have done that led me away from Them. I also see the things I do that bring me closer to knowing them. I am so not perfect and never will be. I am sure I will screw up and people will see it and think I am not Christ-like at all....But I am trying. I am trying to be the person God intended me to be. Hopefully this year I can be more kind, more outgoing, more helpful and more Christ-like!
If I have offended anyone who may read this I am truly sorry. I can and have been immature unthoughtful, insecure, and unkind.... Hopefully (cross my fingers) I won't be anymore!

Anywho....That is what is new in my life! My kids are still healthy, fun, sweet, ornery, screamy, lovable and smart! Here are some pictures from the last 8 months that I never blogged! And of course I wrote first so when I added pictures it totally messed it up! Oh well... my life!! :)

2012-01-16T18:16:00.000-08:00

Hmm....It has been...8 months! Holy smokes! Where to start, where to start?!
1. Evanna did brake her arm and she broke it again falling off my mom's trampoline. A week after that she climbed up her dresser and fell off and hit her head. She started throwing up and I had to take her to the ER by my self because Jon was gone for football. She ended up just having a concussion. (just?!) Needless to say, I am making her do balancing exercises at home. :)
2. Halloween was fun. Our family was the scooby gang. Jon being Fred, me being Shaggy, J.T. being Scooby, Avery being Daphne, Evanna being Velma and Alyvia being scrappy doo. It was fun to see Ashley and her family since they moved. My moms party was great this year. I think Micah won being the hulk! lol
3. Thanksgiving was great. Jon was working that day but the trains didn't show up until later so we actually had dinner together at my moms and his moms...(We have learned to ration our food)
4. Christmas came and went. Jon was working Christmas Eve and Christmas but the trains didn't show up until night so he was home for both of those! I can't believe Christmas is over. It makes me so sad because I have to stop listening to Christmas music! lol
5. The new year came...Jon worked and was gone for New Years Eve so I put the kids to bed and cleaned the house and watched 300.

Ok, so that in a tiny nutshell were our Holidays! The other things happening were:

1. Alyvia potty trained herself right when she was two! A little sad that my baby wants to be big but also happy it was so easy! And soooooo happy I don't have to buy diapers anymore. Can I get a WHOOT WHOOT! lol
2. J.T. started first grade! How in the HECK did that happen? He is so smart and loves his teacher and his class.
3. Avery started Kindergarten again and is doing great! I decided I didn't want them in the same grade so she is doing another half day of K. She has the same teacher and is still loving school.
4. Evanna gave me grey hair...lol...not really but if any kid will do it, it will be her.
5. Jon still works for Midland and still loves it.
6. I am getting ready to go to Hawaii in March! I am trying to work my butt off. (literally) I am finally back to normal from having Lyvi, so I have no more excuses...
7. Birthdays!!!...Jon first, Ave next, J.T. after that, then me, Lyvi only a week after me and then Evanna!!!
Well, thats about it... Yay, I posted!

My poor EVANNA!!!

2011-05-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

Here is Evanna...at the doctor getting a splint and sling for her arm... It actually happens to be the one the nurse is holding while the splint hardens, the other arm is just in the stuff to show her it didn't hurt.
STORY: My sisters and mom and I went to the Rest Home to visit on Sunday... Jon was watching the kids (hmm... (: ) I get home and Jon tells me that Evanna fell off her bike and hurt her arm but that it didn't look bruised or anything.
Evanna wakes up and cries and cries and cries saying her arm hurt and that Cheyanne, our neighbor, ran her over (come to find out later when her mom did ask her, she totally did run her over with her bike...) Jonathan says shes fine (she isn't bleeding out and a bone isn't sticking out of her arm, so she must be alright?! WRONG!!!) So I watch her that night and she is moving it around. I figure if she is moving it, she probably just bruised it. MONDAY: She holds it close to her body and it hurts her but she is still moving it.... hmm... TUESDAY: It gets totally swollen around her elbow... Her arm is like twice as big.. DANG IT!!!
So we call and make an appointment for the next day. They do X-Rays and inform me that she has fractured her growth plate and tweaked the bone. So they did a splint and said if she can keep it REALLY STILL for five days, she will only have to wear a splint for a couple weeks. If she can't she will have to get a cast for a few weeks. (ok, what 3 year old can hold still?) I think i would have felt better with a cast to start off with. That kid is giving me heart attacks, as she falls on it, pulls her sling off, climbs on the table only to fall....AHH!!!
We go back on Tuesday to take more X-Rays to see if the splint has worked....My guess is going for cast....I will be really really shocked if it has healed after all she has done.... I can hope right?

Just what I needed...

2011-05-21T22:43:00.000-07:00

So it seems like life has been crazy lately... Busy and crazy and fast.

Well tonight I took all the kids and cooked hot dogs with my mom and Ashley's boys. Ashley and her family are moving soon so they were busy packing.
So we do hot dogs and then we took the kids to a playground to play. The kids had so much fun and I am sad I didn't get pictures. But that is most my life... I am too busy carrying a child or children to grab a camera so most the time, unless it's a planned thing, I miss the everyday pictures.
After getting back, Lyvi was asleep and all the kids were zoned out to the TV (A whole lot of running around and playing...I do parks to tire my kids out) I started reading the ENSIGN. I just opened to a random page and started reading and what I read really spoke to me. I don't even know who's talk it was, it was on becoming like a little child... The part that stood out to me was when it said...When Jesus came to the America's, he gathered the little children and held and blessed each one...And after he blessed them he wept...Then he spoke to the parents and said "behold your little ones"
I got all teary eyed picturing the Savior weeping because of how precious all the children were. Then the talk went on to say something to the effect of : Behold your little ones, it is not just glancing their way or looking at them once in a while, it is seeing their worth and really caring. It's seeing their potential.
I looked down at Alyvia sleeping and looked at all the kids sitting there so calm and realized I have been doing it all wrong lately. I have been too busy with all the things that in a year I won't even remember or care that I did. I have said things that I wish I could take back. I have rushed almost everywhere we go, not even enjoying the getting there... I need to love all the little moments. I have been a really cranky mom lately. I suppose I needed to read that right now...

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T12:38:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter. It was filled with lots of fun and wildness! My kids' favorite aunt (AUNT NELLY) Janell is going on a mission to Seoul Korea on her mission and her farewell was Easter Sunday. It was really good. We are going to miss her so much!!

It has been about a year since I have taken my kids pictures. These were after egg hunts and church and lots of playing! But, some turned out nice... I need to do better with taking pictures and videos. Time is flying by so fast and my kids are growing and so many things are changing and I really don't want to forget.

Anyway Easter was a great one and I am grateful that we got to spend another Easter with all (most) our loved ones! Hope you all had a great one as well!

8 !!!EIGHT YEARS!!! 8

2011-04-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone? EIGHT years?! Wow, we are old! Or got married young...Whatever the case eight years seems so long and so short all at the same time.

It is crazy to think about how much has changed since then... Like Jonathan can now grow some hair on his face...

We have twenty beautiful children... Did I say twenty, I meant four...

I am totally teasing... I love my life! Eight years ago I married the man I loved and today I love him even more, so we must be doing something right.

Jonathan is my best friend... He can make me laugh and make me cry, he can drive me nuts - both good and bad, he can embarass me like there is no tomorrow, he can tease me until I want to scream, he can make me laugh until I can't see straight, he can win bets without being too smug and will pay up when he loses them, he can be so thoughtful, and he makes me feel like I am the most beautiful women in the world.

I love my crazy husband.

I am so glad I married him!

It has been so long since I looked at our wedding pictures! It was fun to go through all of them with our kids and tell them about our wedding day... like how nervous their Mom was and how NOT nervous their Dad was, why their Dad's fingernails were blue and black in the pictures... because he was building houses and had so many blood blisters from hitting them with hammers, Why we "had" to kiss so many times in the pictures...

It was fun to go through and answer questions. It helped me remember what I was thinking and feeling.

Anyway, It's been a good year and I am still glad I am married! :)

And did I say how much I love the music on blogs? I always turn on my playlist and listen to Jon and my favorite songs. So I decided to put our song on number 1. It is on our wedding video...Speaking of that I can't remember the last time I watched that...

I am sick of my kids being SICK!!!

2011-01-28T20:00:00.000-08:00

You know, the other day, I was talking to Jonathan and I happened to mention to him that we have been so lucky that no one has gotten sick in our family.....IMMEDIATE REGRET!!!!! I think like the next day Avery started coughing and then Evanna and then Alyvia....It has now been a few days and Lyvi is still sick right now...She wants me to hold her ALL day long...that is not a joke or me exaggerating...literlly ALL day... Luckily Avery and Evanna have been better with the coughing, although two nights in a row Avery had ear aches.... AHHH.....Thanks to some good ol' onion oil, she is better and healthy as can be....Evanna still has a runny nose but other than that is great! Lyvi on the other hand just breaks her Daddy's heart every time he sees her. Thank heavens it has only been a couple days, and today she ate well and drank well! So that is a good sign. She really does look quite pitiful....her sad tired little eyes... I HATE HAVING SICK KIDS
And, did I mention I am EXHAUSTED?! If not, I am so freaking tired... I have been up almost all night with one kid or another for the past three nights... Lucky for me, but unfortunate for Jonathan, he helps and so he is just as tired as me...Poor Jon...
I cannot wait to sleep in my bed, all night, with my husband, and without any kids waking up or getting in our bed!! Some parents are adamant about NO KIDS IN OUR BED! But after being up so much and being so DANG tired, I didn't give a hoot if all of them were in my bed, as long as I could get in a few minutes of sleep!(Thank heaven's for KING size beds...lol)
Enough complaining i suppose....I have so many good things that I should try to mention those too...lol..... I am thankful my kids RARELY get sick....between eating healthy and vitamin C we have lucked out quite a lot! I am thankful that my babies and kids have always slept through the night...I cannot imagine what it would be like to have a baby up all night! Poor sleep deprived mothers! I can handle a few nights I guess! I am thankful that my husband was home by the time they got sick! (He was gone the week before, work related, and we all missed him SO much!) Come to think of it, I think the four days he was gone was the longest we have ever been away from each other since being married! I know, LAME! lol... I don't know how people do it being away from each other! I can tell you something though, We would not have had as many children so quickly if Jonathan had a job where he was gone for long periods of time! So in essence I am grateful for his job and could not do it without him!
When I look at it that way I am SPOILED! I guess life isn't so bad after all.... :)

WHY ME?! OH WHY ME?!

2011-01-02T14:07:00.000-08:00

If you can top my day, well then heck, I wanna hear it!!!
The day started off good... church at nine and we were going to make it on time!
So, we pull up, I grab my church bag and Evanna and I get out of the car.... We are walking kind of fast because there was snow all over the ground..... I just happen to forget that my skirt has gotten too big for me..... Ya, you're thinking NO not that....But oh yeah, all the sudden in the middle of the parking lot....WHERE EVERONE CAN SEE..... my skirt hits the ground.... was I wearing a slip???? NOPE!!! I drop my child and my bag and pull my skirt up.... When I look up my "SWEET" husband is laughing so hard he has to bend over to catch his breath, then says "nice legs but next time can you show me in private?" SO FREAKIN HILLARIOUS JON!!!
Ya, why me? I didn't even look to see who was out there, I just ran inside.....

THEN: after church I go to get in the car and there are like three tampons sitting on my dash!! What the?! WHY ME? WHY ME? (It's not even my time of the month....so where did they come from?....I have sweet kids...) :)

TO SAY THE LEAST, I AM HUMBLED.... completely humbled.......

Christmas is over?!

2010-12-29T11:38:00.000-08:00

These are our Christmas pictures to our Christmas cards that I still haven't sent out...Ya...I know...! I am actually surprised that anyone is smiling in these pictures.... :)

Christmas this year was nice... Jonathan worked Christmas Eve and Christmas this year. It wasn't too bad though because he only had one train. So he was home all of Christmas Eve! (Which happens to be my favorite!) It was so nice to give our kids their pjs and then have them sit on the floor and listen while Jonathan reads why we truely have Christmas... My kids were sitting in front of their daddy and listening so intently I just had to take some pictures.

Yes, Christmas morning is fun and exciting and we did have a great one!

We really do have so much to be thankful for...I am sure we all do!

Jonathan and I always go through our year and we say the best things and worst things that happen. It ends up being something we usually end up laughing over. My answers: BEST: Moving into our little house so we can be out of debt soon! :) And of course the obvious...Having my whole family safe and healthy this year! Nothing beats that!

WORST: Not having our cement walkway done before Christmas.( I can't tell you how much dirt we track into the house not having them done) (but I can't be too sad, when they are done they will be beautiful I am sure... All stamped and stained.....Hopefully soon!)(see, I have so much to be thankful for if that is my worst this year!)

Jonathans answers: BEST: Healthy family, good job, actually achieving his goal of getting more fit and not getting me pregnant this year!(that one is a joke...sometimes he has crude humor...we LOVE kids and love being blessed with sweet babies...although four right now is good! :)

WORST: Hiring and Firing (I asked him why hiring....He said it's like having one or two families totally appreciate you and then having a hundred or so families hate you forever...(ya i guess I can see that side) He also did say hiring could be on the BEST too, because it's nice to get to choose who you work with.

And about the firing, It KILLED him to fire someone... Ya that was his worst! He says he will be more careful on the hiring part, so as to erase the latter part of firing! lol...

Pretty much we had a great year....All the bad in the world cannot erase how much good we had this year. I know where all the good comes from and I love my Savior. I love Christmas and I am sad that it is over...Hopefully we can keep the spirit of Christmas and the spirit of giving all year long!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2010-12-21T09:20:00.000-08:00

Jonathan cleared off our computer and put all my pictures on mybook. I am too lazy to hook mybook up and too lazy to go get my SD card, so I will put our Christmas card pictures on later! (which by the way, did not turn out very well...picture four crying kids....one frusterated mom and one husband who hates pictures anyway...not matching clothes...a quick "lets take a picture") ya, not the best moment..but mostly thats our life!
I can't believe Christmas is in four days! Where has the time gone?! You know, Jonathan and I have tried something new this year...We decided not to do any Christmas shopping until the very end. The "very end" ended up being...THE VERY END!!!! We finally went yesterday! As in Monday the 20th! lol... But it is done! It was SO hard not to do any shopping... but, I am glad we did it. It made for a really fun day for Jon and me. Janell watched our kids ALL day and we took Alyvia and went shopping. One thing that makes it easier is we only do the three gifts... sometimes that is so hard, seeing all the fun things they would absolutely LOVE, but I am glad we do. I like having more meaning to Christmas and then we don't feel bad spending a little more to buy nice gifts that will last instead of just buying to buy. IN FACT my kids still have their gifts from last year...they play with them everyday!!
Well, this post was going to be our Christmas letter and pictures... but isn't ... Maybe someday in the next three months I guess! :) Any who, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

GOOD DAY!

2010-11-11T19:56:00.000-08:00

This picture cracks me up! :)
Story behind it: J.T. rented Spy Kids 3 D. But, they don't give you glasses for it.... He was so sad and he cried and we told him sorry. THEN his daddy decided to get him these...(Flashlight Filters) AND they worked!!! He was so happy, but his little arms did get tired from holding them up. He looks so funny to me, but I am glad his dad is smart enough to figure things out...Richardson Rigg....It works on everything from cars to 3D movies....lol

I really did have one of the funniest best days the other day! From seeing J.T. wearing those to just having a good day.... So I decided to put up a couple pictures of my good day. There really wasn't anything that special, just one of those days where you are in slow motion and can enjoy every little thing....I Love my husband for making great days that I remember!

My birthday and Alyivia's birthday!!!!

2010-09-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

The night before my birthday, I got something in my eye, so I kept rubbing it and rubbing it. And I hadn't realized it, but, I had torn my contact by rubbing it. So, after I took it out, my eye was all red and looked hidious!(at least to me) So the next day, On my BIrthday, It was still red, and I was afraid that I scratched my eye, so I wore my glasses. (not my best looking birthday)

I went with My mom and Megan and Ashley out of town to eat and a movie. Mine and Ashleys birthdays are only a day apart, so we all went to PARTY! lol

When I got home that night, this is what I came home to! They had decorated the house and had cake and presents. It was so fun! I love my good family! So. here is a picture of me being "surprised" at my suprise party! :)

This picture is of my little decorators and me! My decorating husband was taking the picture!

Then we had miss Lyvi's birthday! My baby is ONE! We got her ears pierced a couple days after!

The new addition to our family is "Puzzle" Our new Shih Tzu puppy. Lyvi and Puzzle are best friends. And why do you think they are? Because they eat together!:(

I will find my baby eating dog food ALL THE TIME! It is discusting. Jonathan thinks it is soooo funny. He says she could be eating worse things. Probably true, but on the other hand, I have to nurse little doggy breath! :(

Here she is, the little dog food eater. Jonathan is planting grass and building a fence for our front yard. (which looks amazing!)He says he will take her out while he waters it, and this is what I come to find. Her and puzzle eating together I need to lighten this picture, but I figured my last post was a month ago, so I better just put them on!

This is my Lyvi on her actual birthday! This is her eating her VERY cute cake!(bigger picture on the bottom!)

She had a great day! We let her "dig" in her cake before we cut it, and she wouldn't really do it. She was a little scared to get her hands dirty and didn't know she was supposed to eat it. So her daddy put her fingers in her mouth, which made her cry! She didn't know what it was and it terrified her to have it forced in her mouth!

This is all of us on her birthday! My big little family!

My sweet Alyvia with her first ever "ponytail". I figured since it was her birthday we would try to put her little teeny hairs in a pony tail! :)

This is her cake! It turned out so cute! I absolutely LOVE it. It says Happy 1st BEE day Alyvia!

I wanted her to have a Bee cake so bad and I love it! It had Chocolate cake with banana cream pudding inbetween the layers! I don't know why she was afraid to eat it! lol

We have had sooooo much cake these last months! First, we had Avery's Ice Cream cakes, They turned out cute and each person got one to decorate their own, those were fun! Then we had a Sonic cake for J.T. and then we had the Treasure Chest cake and the Barbie cake. Then a chocolate cake for me and now a Bumble Bee cake for our little "doo". We are definitely full of cake! We need a break from cake! lol...Poor Vannie wants her birthday to come soooo bad! She wants a Minnie and Mickey cake for her's! So when it comes, I will post a picture! Meantime, Evanna says "My birthday is soo soo soo soon!" Poor kid...

My School Kids?!

2010-08-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

This is J.T. on his first day of Kindergarten. He was nervous and excited. He didn't want to go at
first... I on the other hand, CRIED all night before he left...lol. I was so sad but so excited as well. So, we all got up early and got ready and headed off to take J.T. to school. When I brought him into his classroom, his teacher was so kind and "excited" to see him..(which helped him a little) When I told him I had to go, he looked at me with the whitest and most sad/terrified face I have ever seen...THE LOOK...The look that said "You are leaving me alone, how could you?" But, I just told him I loved him and I would peek through the window...lol...Then went home with GIRLS?! :) I was a little sad, but... drum roll... No tears at all! I did keep checking the clock every five minutes!!
When we picked him up, I asked him how his day was and he did a little jump and said "I loved it!!" "I love school so much!" So school was a success! He still loves his teacher and looks forward to school every day!
I love this little boy sooooo much! He is so dang smart. He has recently made a friend named Kaiden. So all is well with my J.T.!

(his nervous little face before school!)

(What Avery and Evanna were doing while J.T. was gone) Ya, at least all the paint is now gone. Jonathan about freaked out when he walked in and saw them...lol!

THE REST OF THE STORY!!!

Ok, So J.T. goes to school... Well Avery cries all day, saying she wants to go to school too. I tell her no and surprisingly she says, "Don't you want me to be smart?"

I say yes

She says, "Then I need to go to school!" Well she bugged Jonathan and me all day. ALL DAY! So Jonathan says that she is five and we should send her too and see how it goes. I freak out a little and can't decide. So JOnathan goes and registers her "just in case". Well, I realized how shallow I am, because the main reason that I didn't want her to go was because she didn't have any school clothes....Ya I know! We didn't do a lot for J.T., (it is only kindergarten) But, we let him pick out a couple shirts and let him pick what he wanted to wear for the first day and tried to make it fun for him. So, I run to the store and get her an outfit until I can actually go shopping somewhere nice.

At this point I am crazy in the head. So many "what ifthis and what if that's" I asked everyone and everyone's sister if I should send her, send her to pre-school, homeschool her like I did J.T. last year, let her go to half day kindergarten both years... I am seriously surprised I did not wake up the next morning with wrinkles and grey hair. I figure if that wont do it to me, nothing will...:)

Well, we tell her no, then we tell her yes, then no....So J.T. goes to school agian and I talk to his teacher and she says we should try it! It is only half day she says and we can always pull her out. SHe makes me feel 100% better and like it's ok if she goes. It was an answer to many many prayres and blessing from my wonderful husband! So, I run her home dress her up, do her hair, snap some pictures and we run her to school.. Only 5 minutes late..lol....And she LOVES it as well!

We don't know what we are going to do later or even next month. We will let her go until she does poorly or until the Lord says otherwise. I am so thankful for prayre and for my husbands priesthood!

Jonathan and I did walk away from taking BOTH of them and only leaving with two, a little dumbfounded on what to do with only two kids! lol

I love that my kids love school! And we are getting into the swing of things. We went from homeschooling J.T. again because he is ahead and didn't want him to be bored, to sending him to school, to sending two to school. It has been crazy and exciting!

AND, I do appreciate all the good advise, but in the end I realized I was asking everyone but my intuition and my Heavenly Father. So we ended up just doing what is best for us and not what everyone thought we should do. And it is good!!!! :)

This is Avery with her teacher!

Party and life

2010-08-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

ok, so I still don't know how to use my blog. I wrote first then added pictures... So it is all off. Oh well.. The writing is all at the bottom!
Lyvi after dumping her plate on her head a couple times. She finally has gotten to the point that she cries to eat with us and she wants her own plate.

J.T. and Avery earning their keep...lol...I got on a kick last night and washed base boards and walls and my sweet kids don't know to hate doing that yet!!! They were the biggest help!

Evanna today! lol... she was so ready to go swimming! Too bad it stormed so we couldn't go.:(

The vinal Jody printed off for me for J.T.'s room! I am just starting to decorate his room and he wants pirates... This is the start...more pictures when it is done. Thanks Jody!

This is Lyvi at J.T.'s and Avery's party... She snoozed through most of it!

Jon's family at the party!

Some of the kids. Taytum, J.T., Evanna, Avery, Rylee and Connor.

Jacob and his kids Katelyn(?) and Adam were able to come! It was good to see them! Too bad Stephanie and their baby Melanie couldn't come!

Avery and Rylee. Ave LOVES her cousins!

J.T. and his friend Jace. Thanks for the present!

Janell playing with the kids! They LOVE aunt Nelly!

I actually am in a picture! lol... I am almost always taking the pictures! I think I am in like two...lol...I was there and it was fun!

I don't know why but I am LOVING my blog lately! I normally don't get on very often, but lately I have so many good things in my life. And i know I am probably the only one who LOVES my blog, and that's ok, because I am who I do it for!!!:)

First this month my Avery turned FIVE!!! That made me so sad, onlt because when Jonathan tucked her in the night before, he said to her..."Ave, tonight will be the last night EVER that you will be four years old!" That made me so sad to think that seriously never again would this baby of mine be four... I cried and cried and wrote like ten pages in my journal...lol. Jonathan probably wished he hadn't said that, because he had to deal with the after math! I am not an emotional person, but sometimes I even scare myself! lol

Then, we had J.T.'s Birhday! He turned six, and he will be starting school! Now that breaks my heart! Jonathan and I went back and fourth about Homeschooling him or real School and we prayed and prayed and finally had J.T. kneel down with us and we all prayed and we felt ok about letting him go to kindergarten. So here we go!!! Some parents are so excited when their kids can go to school and some are not. I am inbetween somewhere. I love all the stages my kids get into, but I do miss the old ones. I LOVE babies! And mine are growing up too fast. I am not ready for my J.T. to be a school kid. I remember being a school kid!!!

On the up hand about them being a year older, we did have a great party!! I posted cakes on my last post. We went to Chucky Cheese and friends and family came ane it was great not to have to clean up after a party! I posted a lot of pictures! They all had fun...And thank you to everyone who came and it was good to see you all! And thanks to Jody for letting us stay with you and thanks for the vinal for J.T.'s room. It looks awsome!

Lyvi can now WALK! She is everywhere. She has been taking steps for about a month...But now is completely mobile! She is EVERYWHERE! I love this cute stage. She just turned eleven months and is basically running! We seem to have early walkers. Evanna was running at ten months. So at least we held off a month! lol

Football started so life is pretty busy... this may be my last post for a while...lol...life is starting...

CAKE, CAKE and more CAKE!!!

2010-08-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

J.T. and Avery had a birthday recently!! Six and five! Where has the time gone? Lacey my sister made J.T. the most awsome Sonic cake my kids and I have ever seen!!! J.T. LOVED it!

And I made the Ice cream cake for Avery's birthday. Not as technical as the Sonic cake...lol... BUT, Avery LOVED it!!!

Then, not on their actual birthdays, we had a super fun party at Chucky Cheese!!! It really was a lot of fun!! These are the cakes that Jonathan and I made. We stayed up until TWO in the morning trying to get them to look good. PIRATES TREASURE CHEST- decorated by Jon! He did a great job. I guess he figured since I started them so late I would need a little help, and he did, and it looked GREAT!

Then we have BARBIE CAKE! This one was not as simple and easy as it looked. I had never done one of these before and if I were to do it again I would totally find room to FREEZE it before decorating and frosting it! But I think they turned out super cute and J.T. and Avery were so happy with them!!! We definitely had a LOT of cake this month!!! :)

TEMPLATES???

2010-08-03T23:10:00.000-07:00

Someone HELP me! I cannot get a template to work... I am so freakin confused. My bakcground got deleated somehow...It just was gone...then I couldn't put a new one on until I changed my template... and this is all I can find...
If anyone is an ounce smarter than I am, PLEASE help me!!!

BOB MARLEY?!

2010-07-06T16:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I never thought my children would absolutely *LOVE* Bob Marley... They know his songs, they know how he died and they know his son Ziggy Marley.
J.T. was the first to convert..."What kind of music is this? I Love it!" "Please can we listen to Bob Marley?" "My favorite music is Reggae!"
And he will sing to everyone..."I need an ammar an ammar an ammor to ammor dem down, I need a runuh a runuh a runuh to run dem down" (the correct lyrics are I need a hammer to hammer them down and a runner to run them down)
He is so dang cute singing it! I need to record him doing it!
Avery was next to convert..."I wanna marry Bob Marley"
me: "You can't Avee, He is dead"\
Avee: "He is alive in heaven"
me: "Yes, but you need to marry someone who is alive here on Earth."
Avee: "No one is as handsom as Bob Marley, I want to marry him!"
me: "Well, I am sorry he died Ave"
Avee:"Well...uh...how did he die?"
me: "I don't know, we will look it up when we get home."
Avee: "Ok" then grumbling quietly "No one is as handsom or sings
as good as he does. I AM going to marry Bob Marley!"
SERIOUSLY???
Ya, no lies, my almost five year old wants and is determined to marry Bob Marley!
You know, I actually like Reggae music, but I never thought my kids would latch on to it like that. Now on our trips, that is what we listen to the WHOLE way!!
Even Evanna sings it...
Jonathan thinks it is hillarious. He has J.T. sing it to everyone we know. And he tells Ave "You know Ave, If he were alive I bet you could marry him, You are definitley pretty enough to marry him!" (That makes her happy as can be)
You know life has thrown us a few surprises, and Bob Marley is one of them...lol
If any of you haven't ever listened to gool ol' Bob, give it a whirl!!!

Happy Father's Day Jon!

2010-06-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

I love my husband so much. He is amazing! He does so much for our family, I I need to tell him more.
For this Father's Day, I had no idea what to get him... So, Michelle and Megan and I decided to take our husbands camping for Father's Day. We went out to Lyman lake and camped for Friday and Saturday. And you know what, it was actually kind of fun. (I don't think we will be doing it again anytime soon) lol... It was nice to get together as friends and the kids all had fun. I have pictures but I am so tired and so sunburned that I will have to put them on later.
I just want my good husband to know we love him and I am greateful that he is such a good dad. And the kids can't wait to see you when you get home from work...

2010-06-11T16:33:00.000-07:00

This is my BEAUTIFUL sister Lacey! Her and Patrick Gatewood got married last Friday. I was lucky enough to get to take her pictures for her. I LOVE taking pictures! I have a million on my computer...I need a laptop...Or I just need to settle down?! LOL...I have taken some senior pictures and some baby and family pictures, and if I ever had an ounce of time, I would create a blog and put them on! But, life for us Richardson's is pretty busy! Busy with babies, kids, fixing up our yard, almost sinking at Lyman, football camp for Jonathan...this, that, and almost everything in between!

BUT, I love my sister and I loved taking pictures for her! So, here are some random pictures that were taken that night. I was soooooo lucky, the lighting was so great!! I need to go through the other...ya....500....pictures! LOL... I know, I am insane! You wonder why my kids run! Now you know!!! But, I wanted Lacey and Patrick to see some, so I pulled some random pictures and put them on so they can see them on their honey moon!! Love you guys and hope you like them!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JONATHAN!

2010-06-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

(a little late)

Jonathan wont let me take pictures of him... He absolutely hates it! Come to think of it, since I have gotten my new camera, everyone runs when I get it out! lol

So this picture is yesterday when Jon and the kids were out trying to fix Jay and Jody's boat for Roosevelt this year.

It is so sad that I have to sneak pictures! This is my old little camera, so he wouldn't see it! And this is as close as I could get before he could see me...lol... But, this is Jonathan! And I LOVE him and am so greatful for him! Happy Birthday babe!!

Alyvia!!

2010-05-10T22:09:00.001-07:00

My baby! She is eight months and man has the time flown by. She is sitting and scooting and laughing and just recently gets up on her hands and knees and can take a few... crawl steps?!
This baby absolutely loves life. She is happy almost all of the time. When she is not she will say "ma ma ma" or "dadada". She loves to be carried everywhere! I am surprised she is as mobile as she is, considering she is carted around either by Jon and I or her brother and sister. She gets her way usually because if I leave her down crying, Avery will pick her up and walk with her. She normally likes this, but as you can tell in the next picture, she sometimes gets mauled!
Everyone loves "miss lyv's" or "lyvi doo" Kisses and hugs, pokes and pats and occasional "bites" (Evanna has learned she cannot do that)... This baby is tough! She makes everyone smile. J.T. acts like her daddy and Avery acts like her mommy, and if Evanna could pick her up without dropping her, she would be her mommy too!
This picture represents life pretty well!

Here is Alyvia being carted around in the doll stroller... yes...this is happening... "wanna go for a ride Miss Lyv doo?" That is Miss Avery speaking.
She is a fun baby... I love to see my kids interacting with each other. Life as a mom is pretty good when all your children love each other. I would not trade a day of this wildly fun life Jonathan and I have created.

This picture just makes me smile to see. I have tons of "nice pictures" of this baby, because she cannot tell me no or run and hide! lol... I just love the everyday ordinary life pictures.
I love Alyvia. She has added another part of our family that we absolutely need. She is so happy, peaceful, bright, smiley and snugglie! She has all of us tied around her little finger.

I am greateful to be a mother. Sometimes it is hard and people stare or make the typical comments "are those all yours?" And I smile and say "yes sir they are"! It is not always roses, but hey, i get to kiss owies, play in the dirt, get wet slobbery kisses, be a "mommy princess", play nintendo, teach letters and sounds, dance my heart out, sing out loud, stop tears, feel chubby little hands and arms around my neck... I get to be everything I want to be. I am lucky that Heavenly Father choose me to raise his beautiful children... I absolutely Love The Life I Live!

J.T.

2010-04-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

This is my J.T. This is after we had Lyvi.(the date is wrong) I put this one on because J.T. LOVES his sisters. He takes care of all of them. He is kind, patient, happy, smart, and handsom. He is a great boy (especially since he is the only boy) He keeps asking when we are going to have a brother!? Jonathan told him that would be fun but then he would have to share a room and toys... That made him think a little bit...lol... come to think of it, he hasen't asked since!

I love these pictures of my kids outside. I take so many pictures, and these aren't the best, but I just love how peaceful J.T. looks. He is not always a peaceful boy! lol... He is wild and strong! He LOVES wrestling... He went to his first tournament this year and got second. (you think he would be proud) NOT J.T. He wanted to win... He is SO competitive. He got that from his dad. And I mean BAD! NEVER, I mean NEVER play a game with both my boys!

At the same time, he is so kind, and this picture makes him look that way!

J.T. is my first baby. Which is good and bad it seems. We try not to put too much responsibility on him. most children that are the oldest always seem to get it a little harder. (more responsibility) We try hard not to do that.

At the same time, it might just come natural for them. He is the first to help with anything. He cleans the best(always has) he is the one to keep the peace, and the one to boss the best as well!

This is his new thing. Whenever I try to take a picture of him, he starts flexing. It is a little funny, but drives me nuts! I am going to have a million pictures with him flexing!!! Dang kid. He sure makes me smile...lol

I love this little boy. I can't believe how fast life is flying by. I want him to stay my baby forever!

When Jonathan and I first met our little boy, we were absolutely struck by him. We found out this is why we are here. This is the reason...It has grown with each of our children. Each one adds a little piece of Heaven to our life.

To see that little boy grow is a little hard for me... I LOVE MY J.T.!!!

My Avery

2010-03-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

I have a thousand pictures of my Avery! She will pose and smile until I get what I need...my little model. I chose these pictures, not because they are good, but because they represent her. She is sweet, wild, funny, loving, determined, smart and beautiful.
As you can tell in this picture, she HATES her hair being done. And her hair is curly, so it is always CRAZY! Very rarely does she want me to do her hair. And when she does, she wants it straight?! Why??? It is starting already.
Jonathan straightened her hair for her one day about a year and a half ago, and now...this...lol...and this girl is very determined! Nothing will change her mind. I lover her adventerous side. She is so dang fun. She can wear high heels and dresses, but can also hang with the boys. I love her!

This picture is so offset and was just one of those quick shots that I am glad I didn't miss. She is my dancer!!! She loves to sing and dance to her own music.
A funny story about that....Walmart...all of us....(crazy I know, but we all shop together) I have J.T. and Avery in my cart and I am getting groceries. Avery is singing SOOO very loud..."I am a Child of God"...people looking....me smiling (how can I tell her to quit singing that?) Ok, so she is singing and she then stops. J.T. all the sudden yells super loud...."YOU'RE GOING TO HOLLYWOOD!" Avery then screams with excitement and clasps her hands over her mouth. (and this happens over and over and over and...) People keep looking, laughing and following us, to hear the audition of Avery!!! It was a little embarassing but so cute. (we obviously watch too much of American Idol)
Anyway, she loves life. I hope she always has something to sing and dance about!

This picture is one of my favorites. She loves to dress up and have "princess parties". She is normally in a dress with wild hair. She LOVES to be outside(as do all of them) She loves riding bikes, playing in the "dark forest" of our side yard, loves riding the four wheeler....anything to go outside. She is a fun girl.

This is of Ave just getting ready for bed. I love getting them all ready for bed. I have some of my favorite journal moments at that time. Avery loves me to sing "her" lullaby to her at least twice, and normally begs me to "snuggle her". I will lay by her and she will tell me "mommy, you are my biggest sunshine!" Every night, I tell all of my kids that they are my sunshine. Avery loves that. She also LOVES, LOVES..."snuggles"...(toys in bed) She will line them up... she probably has about twenty toys lined up around her, by her feet and by her head. I have many pictures with her asleep with all her "snuggles"!
I love Avery! We all love Avery! She makes people laugh. She loves to help with Lyvi...LOVES it. She is so sweet. I learn new things and love new things about her everyday, as I do with all my children. It is sad when they get a little bigger, but fun too. I can't look at her face and not smile. I can't look at her face and not wish I could see her every moment in life.

I LOVE my husband

2010-03-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

I am so terrible at blogging! I wish I would have gotten on sooner... then I could have read Jonathan's note earlier. I have a wonderful husband. I really do. He makes me feel loved. I know people hate reading "mushy" stuff... but I am going to return my husbands note with ten things i love about him.. (you can stop reading now if you hate things like this)

1. I love your dimples (those holes in your face make me want to kiss you over and over)
2. I love how funny you are. (you make me laugh everyday...like you promised)
3. I love your competiveness (you never give up... the only thing i can beat you in is bets.)
4. I love your work hands (there is nothing worse...to me...than a man with soft hands...I love, love, love your hands and all that they represent....like the next number
5. I love how hard working you are (you are a true hero.. you take care of our family...you don't have a uniform or any medals...you don't get acknowleged for what you do. But you do the most important thing in this world. You created a family and you keep us together. You provide for us in every aspect you can ask for...food, money, clothes, and most important, love.
6. I love your laugh and your jokes (although not always rated E)...(for Everyone...if you don't know what E is)
7. I love your handsom face (you get more handsom everday to me...I could stare at you forever)
8. I love your ability to not worry ( I am a worry freak! You balance me out well. You keep me sane...hey, because of me, our children are alive with minimum injuries...and because of you they love life.)
9. I love your body (you are athletic and strong...I love when you hold me tight. You make me feel safe..You are dead SEXY babe!!)
10. I love that you made me a wife and mother...and everything I am. You are everything i have ever dreamed of and more. You started out for me as the handsom, muscles guy in school. You then...changed...You started becoming the man you were supposed to be. You started making really good decisions and started realizing what was important. You are a really good man. I loved you when we were "kids" (we're still young but I would like to think mature) but I love you so much more now. You have really grown up and you are amazing. Any woman would be lucky to have you. I am so glad you picked me. I am glad we have forever. A promise is a promise....A Celestial Love...It doesn't get better than this (you know what I am talking about)
I LOVE YOU MR. RICHARDSON!!!
One more thing...I love how shy you can get. I know you are going to want to kill me for posting this. But too bad...I will shout it to the world...I LOVE YOU MORE THAN LOVE!

2010-03-14T23:15:00.000-07:00

hey babe you fell asleep putting the kids to sleep and your blogg was up. so I just thought I could embarass you. i havent written you a note in a while. I have so much love and appreciation for you but so little space so here is the top ten. but believe me there are way more. 1. I love your smile. 2. i Love how smart you are and not some bimbo. 3. I love your hair 4. I love your alarm system when I work nights and i get home and hear stuff sliding behind the door or the tipped chair in the hall way. 5. I love your competitiveness how i have won 1 bet out of 100's you think i would learn. 6. I love your crazyness how fun you are no matter where we go. 7. I love your spirit how strong it is I know I am lucky to have such a precious daughter of god. 8. I love the joy you bring into our home. 9. I love your jokes and your pranks. 10. I love your eyes and the pureness in them. now these are in no paticular order i could go on forever like I love your tattoo and what you do to me at church. And some probably cant be put on here. I Dont deserve you. I just want you to know I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU MORE THAN LOVE!

Evanna

2010-03-10T15:33:00.000-08:00

I hardley ever post anything new... I(or we) I should say, are pretty busy living life. I did however get a new camera and have been busy taking picures of my kids... some of these pictures i try and take nice and some i like just every day snapshots. I figured I would post some.
I just figured I would start with Evanna. She is our third sweet baby. She is a funny girl and is getting very opinionated! She recently had to get two of her front teeth pulled out...(i was so sad about that!) She is our wild one and figured out how to get INTO the crib... she got in and was jumping...tripped...hit the side and chipped two teeth! Our dentist capped the one that needed it, but it soon fell off. He then recommended to send her to the Vally, as he doesn't sedate kids, and she was too young to sit still. We went to the Vally and they said the roots were bothered and it was better to take them out. We said what will they fill them with? They said... nothing...!? WHAT??? Her back mollers are not in, so they can't fill them until they are. WE were sad, but now just ADORE her little smile!

This is one of my favorite pictures of my Evanna. She was sitting on our bench putting her dress up shoe back on. She loves playing dress up and absolutely loves being outside! This picture represents her well. I probably should have cropped it. But i love it just the way it is. there is just something about this picture... At least to me!

This one just describes her little attitude. She is talking so well. And with all that talking comes some sassin'! She recently has been bossing everyone! "Daddy Alice!" " J.T. Alice!" ... Apparently we call Avery... "Avery Alice" A little too much. So, Evanna thinks that is what you call someone when they are...hate to say it...bad. (Poor Ave) So if she is mad at you she will say "Mommy Alice!" It is quite funny. Especially since J.T. gets quite upset being called a girl name! She certainly is funny!

She LOVES dress up! She will find these and wear them all day! She is a daddy's girl through and through. She is with him constantly. He likes her a little too...smile.

I figured I would just switch things up a little and put the third one first for once. We really love her as we love all of our kids. Each one brings and adds so much to our family. They are good kids and we wouldn't trade them for the world!

Christmas and New Years!

2010-01-08T16:40:00.000-08:00

We didn't get a picture of Lyvi on Christmas Eve in her PJ's because she and I fell asleep while "Santa" put together a Kitchen for Evanna! I tried to stay awake but after an hour and forty five minutes...lol... It was in a million pieces - Poor "Santa"! But, I did get a cute picture with Jonathan playing on the floor with Lyvi Christmas day!

Here is Avery, J.T. and Evanna on Christmas Eve! (Don't mind the date) :) The excitement of a child is priceless!

We did have a great Christmas Eve and Christmas day! We were so blessed this year and are so greateful for our Savior's birth!
It is definitely fun to have kids old enough to understand why we have Christmas, instead of "Santa, Santa, Santa!"

AND... We had a great NEW YEAR! Even though Jonathan and I were asked to put on the Stake New Year's Dance! It was crazy these last few weeks! We were in charge of decorations, refreshments and party favors. Thank heaven's for Megan and Larry! They helped decorate! And when Jonathan and Larry had to go to work, Megan stood by me and helped keep the dance running. We had fun! Even though they worked, Jon ran into town and helped clean up. I didn't get a dance but I did get a New Years kiss!
They told us only about 100 to 200 people to plan on coming, but about three hundred or so showed up! At first only a few showed up and Megan and I started getting worried, but after about thirty minutes, the party was on! I think we made more frappe then anyone in history! Oh well it was fun and I really appreciate my mom watching the kids!!!

2009-12-04T11:30:00.000-08:00

This is the "Welker" family picture this year. We as in (Jonathan and I) still need to get our family picture for Christmas cards this year.
I am so behind on my blog... so much and so many good things have happened lately and I will put pictures of all those fun occasions!

* Alyvia's blessing
* Halloween
* Moving
* Evanna's birthday
* and tons more!

2009-10-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

This is Avery at the California Adventure parade! She got to give one of the "Incredible" dancers a high five!

This is J.T. and his favorite "cousin Connor" at the parade watching his absolute favorite... Buzz Lightyear!

We were lucky enough to get our picture with Woody from Toy Story... My kids were a little scared at first to stand by him but we eventually got a picture where most everyone was looking!

These were our Disneyland Richardson Reunion t-shirts. We all picked caracters we wanted to be and had them made before we went.

Jonathan and I couldn't decide... so J.T. and Avery picked for us. Their favorite movies have been Hercules and Robin Hood... And they decided Daddy and Mommy should be Hercules and Megara.

J.T. loves Buzz and so that is who he decided to be!

Avery recently saw Aladdin for the first time so of course she is Jasmine!

Evanna talks just like Boo off of Monsters Inc. so we didn't have a choice... She was definately Boo!

Last but not least Alyvia (Lyvi) still is so little and tiny that she was our little Minni!

We actually had our Reunion in Disnyland park! Who doesn't wanna do that? It was a blast and we loved seeing everyone who showed up! Although we were missing some people, everyone from John and Linda's family were there.

2009-09-20T22:46:00.000-07:00

J.T. at Jaylen's reception!

Avery at the reception "clean up"... She is actually a "pink bride"

This was at Jaylen's reception on sat! It was super fun!

Alyvia meets aunt Janell for the first time! I think she is pondering if she likes her...

This is Alyvia today! Her first day at church! (she looks too old to only be two weeks) Time is flying... she is a great baby!

2009-09-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

Before...

After... Our sweet Alyvia!!

J.T. with his new sister! He was pretty happy to meet her for the first time!

Avery meets her new sister. (Jonathan was a little tired after a long night) Avery wasn't tired though!!

Evanna loved her new sister from the start... She poked her mouth, her nose, anything and everything!

2009-09-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

WE HAD A BABY!!!
ALYVIA DENISE RICHARDSON
7 lbs 13 oz - 20 inches long

She was born after a really long and nervous labor. She was born September 4. She is beautiful!! I don't have my camera so I will post pictures later! She is a great baby and I think she looks like her daddy!

2009-04-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

Jonathan looking at the Easter memories with
Sandy Seagle

Roosevelt Lake

Evanna camping

Camping!

2009-04-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

Avery playing with the bubble machine

Our babysitter for J.T. (even getting to drive!)

Evanna riding the bike with her snack

Avery having a snack and a good time

J.T. just having a good time

IT'S A GIRL

2009-04-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

Well, we are having another girl!!
J.T. and Avery were a little bummed... Their comments were... "Can we get a boy next time?" "How come a girl, huh?"
But, they are excited now! I think the moment they were ok with a girl was when the sonogram lady said "look at her legs", and it totally looked like a rain dancer. The babies foot was moving so fast! They were laughing so hard!
It was fun to find out this time. We normally don't, but it was fun and we are super excited. Although I do think Jonathan and J.T. may be in for it... lol
And if I had my pictures I would put them on, but our new little girl looked very cute in her sonogram picture... In one picture it looked like dimples, so we will have to wait and see!

2009-02-25T18:48:00.001-08:00

Pay it Forward!
Here's the idea. Be one of the first 3 people to leave a comment on my blog and you will be the lucky recipeint of a hand made gift from me some time this year. When it comes will be a total complete surprise! Now here is the catch, you have to post the same thing on your blog and do the same for 3 lucky people. GOOD LUCK! This is going to be fun!

2009-02-22T18:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, if it weren't for Tiffany I probably wouldn't have updated my blog. Not because I don't want to but because life with three kids is pretty busy!!

So here are my answers from being tagged

8 favorite TV shows?
1. 24
2. lost
3. American Idol
4. the office
5. king of queens
6. the unit
7. biggest loser
8. survivor

8 things I did yesterday
1. ate breakfast
2. got my kids dressed
3. went for a walk
4. played at the park
5. made pizza with meg and michelle
6. played cards with friends
7. put my kids to bed
8. went to sleep

8 things I look forward to
1. finding out what our next baby will be
2. get over morning sickness
3. going to the zoo with our kids
4. washing my hair
5. actually enjoy the taste of food again
6. Jonathan's next day off
7. going to sleep
8. reading stories for bedtime

8 favorite restaurants
1. speedy bee's
2. fazzolies (i can't spell)
3. Apple B's
4. Macaroni grill
5. The other pizza place (now closed)
6. Carolinas
7. ...
8. ...

8 things on my wish list
1. tree's
2. Truck
3. more cricket stuff
4. Nice camera
5. get out of debt
6. healthy baby
7. healthy kids
8. warm weather... not too warm

Thanks for tagging me... It made me update!

2009-01-06T13:57:00.000-08:00

I know I stink at blogging! But here are some of our Christmas pictures anyway!
We had a great Christmas and we hope that all of you did too!
It's so funny, I look at people's blogs and see all the cute pictures and I wonder if it takes as many tries to get a good picture of their families as it does for us! So believe me when I say these are the best ones!! And it was impossible to get a cute one of all three of the kids together! J.T. and Avery do fine together, but Evanna screams when she is sitting next to them. Yet, she totally smiles and poses when she is by herself! I guess that is the way life is going to be now with three kids!
Any way I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Evanna __all by herself and loving it!!!

J.T. and Avery_____ Without Evanna and loving it!!!

This ended up being our Christmas card that we sent out this year!

2008-11-06T13:57:00.000-08:00

We sure had a fun Halloween! Hope everyone else did too!!!
Ok, so Jon told me I totally look like a wax figure in the picture with just him and I... Let me know if you think I do. He says it looks like he is huggin' up on a statue at a wax museum. . . It does look funny (especially that I have a tan) lol

Family Halloween!Jonathan and I

J.T. (optimus prime)

Evanna (our little fairy pumpkin!)

Avery (Our snow white)

Something Funny...At least to me!

2008-10-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, So I was watching Ashley's two youngest while she got her nails done... We were outside and I told Hayden and J.T. to go stomp on the ants that were on our sidewalk... Hayden looked at me and said " Rachel, those are Heavenly Fathers creatures, we do not step on them!" I said " I am so sorry, you are right, thank you for reminding me.".............................ONE MINUTE LATER........... J.T. and Hayden are stomping on ants.........(smile).........I say "You guys, what about Heavenly Fathers creatures?" ....................J.T. turns to me really fast and says " MOMMY, DON'T TELL JESUS......HE WILL BE SOOOO MAD!!"
Jonathan and I about peed our pants laughing! Kids say the funniest things!!

2008-09-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

I couldn't fit this picture with the rest, but this is part of the last post!!!

Daddy and Evanna at the game!

2008-09-16T11:21:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend at the fair and at the football game!!! Here are some pictures of Jonathan at the football game...

After we won! Jon up on top during the game!

Before the game! (J.T. went with Jon early
to warm up the boys!)
And here we have pictures of J.T. and Avery getting ready to put their bunny "bubbles" in the fair! Of course we needed a picture of them holding the bunny... And of "course" the only way to get him out is to climb in the cage and get him!!! After about ten minutes of fighting, bubbles gave in and let Avery push him and J.T. pull him out....... Poor rabbit....... Needless to say he enjoyed his time at the fair.
Our cute little rabbit won a blue ribbon (good thing nobody entered anything! lol) And our kids were so happy!!
After the rabbit finally gave in!

2008-08-27T16:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, so tomorrow is my BIRTHDAY!!!! And Jonathan took the day off...(well football is still in the picture)... but hey better than nothin' !
WE have been so busy putting our new floors in... And I love them! We decided to do the lamanent flooring.... It was supposed to be " easy".... Easier than what?! LOL... it is a good thing Jonathan is handy! I do love everything about them. And getting carpet out from under our table has been worth any amount spent!
Jon has been working like crazy lately... the trains keep rollin' in. So... I decided to do some work myself. :) Yeah I pulled all the carpet out of our kitchen, all the padding out and hammered all the tack things out...Pretty much I smelled like a man after I was done! But my husband was pretty impressed! (Not about the smell) :) I now appreciate all the work my husband does even more! ADVISE: Carpet is super heavy... risks include: Broken back, injuries from the tack nails, cursing, screaming, smelling like a sweaty man and death.... :) Don't say I didn't warn you!
That is pretty much all that is new in our house! If any one has any tips on how to get the dang floor to snap in better... let me know! We are almost done... I will post some pictures after it is all done!!!

2008-08-10T22:01:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I am obsessed with taking pictures! And thanks to my favorite husband (smile) , I was able to put some of my favorites for everyone to see!
I know it sounds funny, but I really worked for like an hour or two to get pics on, and after I was about to throw the computer out the window, Jonathan helped and had them up in no time... You would think I could scan?!
Is any one as "not so smart" as I am? If you are, please let me know so that I don't feel so alone!

2008-08-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

__________OK_________ So it has been awhile... I can't believe it is already August!!! My kids are now Four...Three... and eight months! Time is flying.
I just wanted to let everyone know that we had a great twenty fourth! It was so fun to see our friends and families! We also had J.T. 's and Avery's birthday party on that Saturday! It was a blast. I will put picks on when I get them on the computer!
AND....the most important news of August....drum roll..........FOOTBALL!!! Jon is getting excited. We should have a pretty good team. Jonathan's first meeting was today... Oh boy... here we go. This is the season where we see the least of him. Well... at least at home.... If we want we can go to the field and find him!!! :) This is a fun time... Hopefully everyone will have time to come watch some games this year!
Is anyone excited but me?

2008-07-07T14:07:00.001-07:00

J.T. and Avery will both have a birthday this month! They will be FOUR and THREE... HOLY COW... where has the time gone?
I hope these next four years go by a little slower.
Here is a picture of my monsters from today... and yes this was the best one!!

It's amazing how you can love someone so much it actually hurts...

2008-06-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

...Evanna Lee...
(chillin' in the stroller while we swim)

Avery on the jet ski with Janell (nelly) and Jaylen (jukey)

J.T. on the tube with all the kids!!!

2008-06-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

Roosevelt this year was a blast! We had everyone together finally! We swam, ate, slept, ate, swam, ate and slept! :) Here are some pictures to remember!

Roosevelt Family Picture
Funny Family Picture

All the Richardson grandkids!
(Jacy, Tatum, Rylee holding Evanna, Conner holding Jake, J.T. and Avery!)

"Original" kids
(Jonathan, Justin, Jaylen, Jody, Janell and Jennifer)

Janell, J.T. and Evanna
(They were watching tv and really fell asleep! It was so cute.)

2008-06-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

Alright... I know I stink at blogging!! We have been super busy... We put sod in (ya I am pretty sure Jon killed the grass we planted on purpose) But we love the sod! It's been a week and a half and it's still alive: that's good right?
If anyone has put sod down and has any info on how to take good care of it... let me know please!!
We are headed to Roosevelt Lake for a week on Monday. Our kids are so excited! We shouldn't have told them until the day before because now they ask a million times a day "mommy are we going to the lake now?"........Oh to be a kid and have the magic......... We have been packing and i just know I am bound to forget something important. ( I usually do) Oh well as long as I have all three kids I feel like I am doing well. lol
Megan and Larry came to visit this last weekend and we had a lot of fun!! It sure is nice to have good friends. They came even though Jonathan was at football camp for most the time. AND... they brought us the cutest little bunny-- that is going to make me go nuts!! (smile) Our kids love it a little too much... Poor bunny...
Any way, thanks for staying with us! It was a blast!

2008-05-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

Jonathan's birthday is tomorrow!! We don't have any fun plans because he has to work. BUMMER!! Hopefully the train doesn't come in... Well we can hope!
We decided to leave our kids with Jon's mom so we could go for a ride... It was fun until a car didn't see us and decided to pull out! Good thing the road was big enough!! Any way, we are alive and we had fun! Linda didn't though... I guess Evanna cried the whole time!! Sorry Linda!

2008-05-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from roosevelt!!

Grandpa and J.T. (best buds)
Avery, Grandpa and J.T. (after fishing)

Jon paintballing

Evanna sunburned

Grandma helping Avery eat spaghetti

All of us who did the "hike"

2008-05-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

Yeah so there is totally a couple blades of grass poking through!! Yeah not enough to keep it going though...Jon is determined to get sod, and hey, immediate grass...I can totally handle that.
I love irrigation! Jon is helping his parents and my kids love playing in the water and it keeps them busy for hours!

A little bit about us

Evanna will be six months on the fifteenth and she is sitting up and doing push ups! She is trying to crawl or scoot forward but just ends up going backwards which makes her so mad! She is also so in love with her daddy! She will just stare at him until he will look at her, then she will grin so wide with her huge dimples, and if she is sitting up she will fall over from excitement. She is our joy!
Avery will be three in July and is so smart. She definitely gets her temperament from her...dad... OK, not really. She also is so funny! Lately she is totally into dress-up. My mom saved some of our old dresses when we were kids and Avery has found them and wears them all day every day! She really is saving us money on buying her clothes! :) Although people probably think we are broke because she is wearing faded old dresses! Oh well she feels beautiful! And she is obsessed with dancing. She makes anyone she loves dance with her. Jon always says "i would love to dance with the princess," then he spins and twirls her in her old faded dress! There is nothing better! She makes us all smile.
J.T. will be four in july and is wise beyond his years. He is much more organized than anyone I know. He likes things clean and neat and in place. It takes us an hour to go anywhere because we are waiting on him to clean his room or make his bed.(Hey I can't complain) :) He is also the kindest child I know. He loves Evanna more than anyone and always wants to hold her hand. (I think they were best friends before they got here) He loves anything that has to do with learning. He is very smart. He also is such a boy...and Jonathan's favorite thing... He has an obsession with hats. He couldn't make his daddy any prouder. They stick together in our house full of girls!
I am so proud of my family. There is nothing better than this... I say that a lot and I mean it! I love being a wife to my husband and a mother to our children.

2008-04-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

These are our great kids. This was one of our Christmas pictures. I will try to put new pictures of all the kids on soon.
Our sweet J.T., our sweet Avery and our sweet Evanna

2008-04-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

April has been so crazy...Jon's wreck, Our anniversary, the anniversary of my dads death...man I could go on.
One thing kind of fun, we have planted grass in our backyard, which has yet shown any grass. :) Jon wanted to just do sod and I thought it would be fun to plant it...And I think he is killing it on purpose so he can just put sod down...oh well the kids had fun riding the four wheeler(to level the ground) and watering it(the dirt)... maybe in a couple days we will see something...

2008-04-23T18:13:00.000-07:00

This picture is the day he got in his accident. A couple days later he got way worse!!! (black eyes and swollen shut)But this one shows where he got hurt!

Jons accident

2008-04-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

Earlier this April Jonathan was in an accident. He is fine now and we are all so grateful! He fractured his sinus cavity and broke his nose, but thanks to the chiropractor (ouch) he looks great!
A few days after the accident when Jon was looking a little better, J.T. said "Daddy, you have two eyes open today?" It was pretty funny.
Except for a couple scars he is back to himself.