Catching Up

I'm still in purge mode. I've discovered that it's harder for me to get rid of older things. Things like my old "biker drug lord" boots that I bought for myself in high school. I don't wear them, they don't match anything I still wear, and they are not practical in Florida's hot weather...but still they sit in my closet neglecting less fortunate boot wearing people. *sigh.

I updated my mormon.org profile. As I went on to add some thoughts, I learned some things about me that I had forgotten. Funny how that works. Use it or lose it I suppose. Glad I check up on myself on occasion. http://mormon.org/me/490K

I'm finally ready to join the gym, but I was supposed to do that last week. I wonder how many weeks will pass before it actually happens...

I have been focusing on my flat surfaces in our home. Some would call them "hot spots." I have, in the past, just swept everything on our big counter into the garbage. I am ready to do it again. I think if I keep it up then people might stop putting their things there. I currently have nine permanent and two temporary "hot spots." Fly lady is a great resource! http://www.flylady.net/d/new-links

I have great plans. In the quieter moments so many things just make sense. It's not that I am super woman, it's just that I expect to be able to accomplish all my designs. Especially the good ones!

I want my garden to produce food not weeds. Or..both!

I still have nodules on my vocal chords. I had to whisper that last part. ;)   I have great plans to get rid of those too.....maybe after I join the gym. Ha!

I am SO thankful for Heavenly Father's love for his children! And I'm glad to know that I am one of His children and that He listens to me. Knowing that He has perfect love for me helps me realize that He truly wants me to be happy. He wants to bless me. I have thought recently, "How does it make sense for me to even try to fulfill all my responsibilities without His help?"

The Savior said,

(Matthew 11:28-30)
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

For peace at home...prayer and scripture study.

Shouldn't I Be Making Dinner?!

I should be making dinner, but the truth is that I don't know what to make tonight. I have some leftovers here and there that I could put together for a little buffet. Everyone loves a good buffet right? Honestly my children would love dinner from a box...hm. Bummer for them!

I am rolling right into 2014 with a to-do list five children long. To begin with...purge Purge PURGE! Wow is there a lot of "stuff" around here that can be put to use elsewhere. 

Day 1: Computer desk. Papers, misplaced items, and good intentions. Gone!
Day 2: Entertainment center. Broken equipment, VHS, DVDs, and Super NES. Gone! -I mean seriously...Super NES? 
Day 3: Oh, darn. I was supposed to be purging. Oops.
Day 4: No time for that now, I'm blogging!
Day 5: I'll let you know tomorrow.

But there are some wonderful memories that I would like to savor from 2013. No time to get all fancy, but I had SUCH a great time with family and friends and family last year!!

Mohawk Brothers

Eden has braces!

Gideon thinks he's a ninja

Before picture with no After picture

Can't ignore Jett anymore

Eden got baptized! 

Gideon was not tired. Nope. Not at all.

And we all love Brad..er..uh Monday morning, multiple personality disorder, whoever he was that night.

Ah! They really are ninjas! Oh, and royalty of course.

Gideon wasn't tired this day either.

It was about time, and now it's fixed.

We even made NEW friends!

Just Jett.

Aw. Sweetness!

Family came to visit US!

It's not that Jett loves electronics....ok I'm not going to lie, he's obsessed.

New ice cream maker. Master and students.

Because I have this same picture of Brad with ALL our children.

Harper's birthday. Almost. Early because....

We went to Europe!

And I got sister time.

I love the sunset in Spain.

And more Europe pictures to come...eventually...maybe.

The Noels in St. Augustine!!!

Gideon WAS tired this day.

And new pictures of our family...Thanks Jill and Dad!

See! 2013 was great!!!  Although I wish I had more pictures of more friends. And I wish I had all my pictures on my computer so I could have included more of my family...So I will most likely add to this in a few days. After dinner.     :)        10 minutes to whip something up...

Oh, the Joys!

 Eden loves pose with the frogs she catches. I think this one is named jumpy. And she had a blast performing in her dance recital as a mouse. There were lots of mice! They did a great job and looked so cute doing their great jobs. It was fun to help with the face paint. The people from We Paint Happy Faces! were WONDERFUL! They were very pleasant and accommodating.


Jett is all over the place, but we're all patient with him, even Sophie.

I love the summer time! Face painting, swimming, tadpoles, building, and last minute fun. I'm excited to get rolling to the beach too!

Oh, and thanks Frank for modeling those mouse ears!! 

2013 Has Begun

 Frank has HSP. 

Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) is a form of blood vessel inflammation or vasculitis. HSP affects the small vessels called capillaries in the skin (which is what is causing Frank's red/purple spots). It also affects the joints (non erosive arthritis) and often the kidneys. In rare cases the person can go into renal failure and/or have lasting deformities because of the arthritis. 

So far Frank's labs are normal. There is no sign of kidney damage. He is, however, swelling in his wrists and ankles. He will have arthritis for the duration of this virus which is keeping him mostly on the couch and home from school. His pain is intermittent and just when I think he's getting over it he seems to be in more pain. 

The Popsicles and soda pop are helping his spirits, and really he's doing well. I hope this only lasts a few more days though. I would like to see him back to normal.

In other news...

Harper had a diagonal mow-hawk for "Wacky Wednesday." I got a hair cut. Frank and Gideon wanted ponytails, but only for about 45 seconds. Brad makes us all laugh. Eden loves caring for her brothers (who will let her) and she's as tall as my shoulder! Jett is 8 months old already and MOBILE!

Let the Good Times Roll!

Things are well, but it's way too hot already. Brad has built a compost container, and we're going to get our garden up and running in the next two weeks. YAY! I'm excited for that. We already have some flowers coming back to life and pushing up new sprouts.

I have been helping friends paint, and learning how to make pasta. I have tried some great (and some not-so-great) ravioli. And the kids LOVE to help roll it all out.

The boys have new piggie banks, and I've been teaching them about tithing. Harper broke his the same day he got it, but it's getting mended. While we were camping Frank had a "fun" experience. He fell off of a dock head first while we were in Key Largo. Brad pulled him out by an ankle. He spent the rest of the day in a t-shirt provided by the owner of the shop, and a baby blanket (provided by a friend) tied around him. Wonderful!

Eden really LOVES school. And taking care of Gideon. According to her, she loves Gideon the most in our family. She's good at doing a lot of things at school, and she's discovered art on a whole new level. I have been in to spend time w/ her and she loves that too. Both of us do :) I took Harper w/ me a few days ago b/c we had to get Eden out early to go to their yearly dr. appointments. They are both off the charts tall.

Harper got his shots for school next year. He didn't cry on the first one, but the second one made him flinch while the needle was in his leg, which caused him to cry. He was so proud of himself after the first one was over too, but his excited smile turned into tears so quickly that it made me sad. :( He's fine now though. The other two just happened while he was still crying, but he really did a good job sucking it up.

Gideon is eating pieces of things. He stopped sleeping through the night at one point. So after about two weeks Brad asked me if he was getting enough to eat. Hmmm. Guess not. He's been chowing pureed fruits and veggies multiple times a day now. Sometimes eating more than a cup of smashed, milled food in a sitting. Who knew. (I'm sure I did with each child, and then promptly forgot.) He stood up unsupported today a few times.

SLOW DOWN GID! (and be nice Del Fuego!)

Where Has The Time Gone

I have about five weeks until my fourth child is due. I still feel pretty good, and I am able to accomplish a lot by way of projects.

We went to the beach yesterday and the kids flew kites for the first time. My husband and I had both forgotten how much fun that is! Kites rule!! And so does the beach. The water is still cold, but as we all know that doesn't stop the enjoyment until it's time to go home.

Lots of things are new (especially since it's been five months since my last post) like Frank talking, Harper helping, and Eden reading. But I'm not able to take time to go into all of it right now. I'll have to write it down somewhere though because I've been doing a lot of laughing lately! Life is good!

Puerto Rico was a BLAST!

The kids' favorite part was swimming in the pool at the hotel. It was rather awesome. We did that every night before bed time, and most days too.

I don't think I had a favorite part. We swam, walked around Old San Juan, saw El Morro (a Spanish fort),

donned hard hats for a walk through a cave at Camuy,

walked around in El Junque and hiked up to a water fall (breath-taking, exhilarating, and heaven on earth),

laughed w/ my siblings (one just freshly home from his mission), and hung out w/ sisters at Hard Rock Cafe. Oh yeah, and huge, strange road kill. Good stuff!

After Puerto Rico, we spent five days in Georgia. We were all there (though we had to drive to Columbus, GA to include Spencer - He'll be a 2nd Lieutenant on Dec. 17th!) hanging out and chasing kids ;) It was great fun to be all together. I also learned how to make gum paste/fondant flowers. I didn't get pictures of the best ones, but I'll be working on some more soon. Thanks Alana!