Southwell Blog

Some of our Favorite...

2011-01-26T11:49:00.000-08:00

...PEOPLE!

I can hardly believe it's already been a month since we were there, but our time in good ol' Loomis will not fade from memory any time soon!

Here are some pics of cousins and siblings. We just LOVE this crew!
Two little ones attempting to "share" their peas.

One of my favorite sites...all of these little rascals sitting around G'ma and G'pa's big kitchen table. The sounds of them talking and laughing are just as great as the sight of them.

Then, there's the parents. Always enjoying any free moment from
tending to those rascals.

Aunt Kaylynn and Uncle Kyle were heroes and had ALL the cousins over for a slumber party!

I know my kids loved every second of it! They are asking when they can do it again!

We are so happy to have such wonderful family to go visit! You never know what kind of party is in store when we all get together.

Christmas Break! (part 2)

2011-01-06T12:32:00.000-08:00

While we were visiting the Southwell G'parents, we went ice-skating!

Ezra was nervous at first, but loved the little helper they had for beginners.
Soon, he was skating without it...even trying tricks!

Zamboni!!!

These two loved the ice!

G'ma helped entertain William so we could all have a chance to skate.
Brrrrr! It was COLD!

Emily was like an old pro on the ice. Not bad for only making it an annual tradition.

Thank you G'ma Southwell for a fun day!

Christmas Break! (part 1)

2010-12-26T20:05:00.001-08:00

I made my first attempt at home made gingerbread houses. With real gingerbread.

It smelled delicious, it tasted delicious, but it was WAY too much work!
(because all the kids want to do is smother ANYthing with frosting and candy!)

The kids had a really good time decorating their own house.
They each had a tube of frosting and more candy than
they've ever seen in one place at the same time!

Then, we went with some friends to the Christmas House!
This place was out of control! I think Santa himself lived here!
Yep, if you tune your radio to 96.9 fm you can see the show - all the lights choreographed to music. What a sight! Then we got to tour the inside and back yard.
A Christmas village, trains and even hot cocoa and cookies. WOW.
it takes him 9 months to prepare for this!

Even a snow machine!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the YEAR!

2010-12-21T07:21:00.001-08:00

I love, love, love Christmas vacation with my kiddos! 3 weeks of NO SCHOOL and being lazy. Baking, watching movies, playing wii, doing puzzles, cooking up our favorite meals, and lately...watching it POUR RAIN for 4 days solid. The house is a mess, and the laundry is not done. But we are going to try and enjoy every day of our break.
Last night we went "caroling" in the rain...well, we DROVE from neighbor to neighbor and delivered our little hot chocolate mix gifts. We ran up two at a time and said Merry Christmas instead of knocking as a family and singing a couple of songs. ( It was probably a preferred method for some).
When we got home we decorated some cookies with MY new favorite (early) Christmas gift...The "Message in a Cookie" Holiday set from Williams Sonoma. It was so fun! Now all I need is the good kind of frosting for writing...not the slimy gel.

Oak Glen

2010-12-16T00:34:00.001-08:00

My new favorite place!

We tried for months to find a day to get to these beautiful farms,

but the weeks just kept flying by!

Finally, we found a day we could escape from our urban life.

Ezra showing me his apple treasures

Sooo delicious!!

William, enjoying the deliciousness of

freshly picked apples

Climbing, playing, picking...it was so great!

Emily wanted to fill bag after bag, even our pockets and purse.

A girl after my own heart.

Joel could climb these trees all day!

After attempting to feed the cows by hand, we resorted to feeding them

"by stick". Their tongues were a little too long and rough

for my kids' comfort level.

We even got to make our own freshly pressed cider. 20 lbs. of apples later,

we had a gallon of perfectly delicious cider.

(did I mention the apples were delicious?)

Try It...

2010-12-02T00:28:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was curious as to what would happen when I "Googled" some of my friends' names, including myself. It was weird to see different things come up. Most of which was completely irrelevant to the person I was actually thinking of.

Then I typed in "Ryan Southwell". I was expecting to see different "Ryan Southwells" from all over the map, like I did for myself and other names I typed in. However, I was in for a pleasant surprise! How did I not know I was married to a virtual Media Celebrity?! He took up the entire first page of Google, and then more! Just him and his amazing video work! Then I continued to sit here for another hour and weep, giggle and stare in awe as I watched his productions!

He didn't pay me to write this. I sincerely had no idea how many people admire his work and visit his sites. I'm just blown away by the results I found and I have to plug for my incredible husband and say how proud I am of him!

Feijoas

2010-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

...Also known as the pineapple guava.

I have been getting these for 2 weeks in our CSA box and they were a mystery to me. But after cutting into them and tasting them I love them! I hope they continue to be in our box for weeks to come! They have a tough, leathery skin but the inside is soft and delicious. They taste exactly like their name...pineapple guava! Sweet and tangy. This week I am going to add the pulp to muffins, smoothies and whatever else sounds tempting. Last week we just cut them and ate them with a spoon.

I love trying new foods! Especially locally grown, fresh produce. These certainly did not disappoint.

25 hours

2010-11-13T20:49:00.000-08:00

We may not be sisters by blood, but we are sisters through marriage and I love them all! What better way to spend a whirl -wind 25 hours in San Francisco, than with these fun girls?

I arrived in the City at 11:30 a.m. on thursday morning. We played and ate and talked and laughed all day and well into the night.

(at the theater, waiting to go in. We were the most colorful group there.)

There was food, always good food. There was dancing, Latin to be exact. There was jumping.

There was shopping. There were taxi rides, with prayers we would live. There was a musical at the theater. There were giggles. Lots of giggles. There were cab drivers. There were fancy outfits. There were colorful jackets. There were lots of photos taken. And there was more food.

(in the back of the cab, praying and holding on in hopes of a safe arrival to our destination).

(Kaylynn was a sport and sat in the front with our new friend, Kaz the -taxi-cab-driver.

We may or may not have gotten his number...but that's another story - and it's not what it sounds like).

(I love how happy we all look!

I'm not sure why we are crouching)

What we do...

2010-11-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

...at soccer practice, while the big kids are on the field.

Ezra loves to entertain all of us by capturing life through his eyes...with my phone camera. I love it!

running for my life!

2010-10-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

I wish I had words (and photos for that matter) to tell you about the incredible RACE I did last weekend.
However, I did not document one bit of it, I was just worried about running, and decorating vans (and making it to the bathroom on time). However, a few other people did get some great footage. And they did such a fabulous job of documenting it, I'll just link you to their site. HERE.

It's insane, it's amazing, it's fun, it's hard, it's exciting and frustrating all wrapped up into one. Did I mention Addicting? We are all looking for the next one to run

And, my talented husband put this together...in hopes of winning a free team entry for next time. I say he has a good chance.
watch and enjoy:

Ragnar Relay : Las Vegas from Ryan Southwell on Vimeo.

No Regrets...

2010-10-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

I love cheesecake.

My favorite is the classic, New York Style cheesecake.

I love the crust. I love the sweet, tangy center.

Occasionally I love it with fresh fruit piled on top or on the side.

Yummmmm.

So, I finally made my own, fresh cheesecake from scratch. PASSIONFRUIT cheesecake. Made with the juice of the passionfruit that was delivered in my organic produce box last week.

Oh WOW!

And, because of last week-end's events and success, I felt I deserved a little treat this week.

And so, I have eaten a healthy-sized piece of homemade passionfruit cheesecake every day this week! (maybe even 2).

And don't regret it one bit!

Jaydon being goofy and helping to make the crust

I've never seen a passionfruit before. The inside took some getting used to.

Juice from 7 passionfruit!

Just what I needed

2010-10-07T23:32:00.000-07:00

I don't listen to the news very often. But tonight, as I was in my quiet house, with all the kiddos down for bed, I turned on the news while I cleaned up the kitchen.

Kidnapping

Pornography

War

Suicide

(a roller coaster accident at Knott's)

All these terrible things kept coming up and were briefly talked about and then the newscasters moved right along to the next horrible headline. It was so discouraging and reminded me of why I don't listen to the news very often.

Just as I was feeling down and discouraged about raising 5 little blessings in this crazy world, I remembered a small portion of President Monson's talk from General Conference on Sunday afternoon:

"We live in a troubled world, a world of many challenges.

We are here on this earth to deal with our individual challenges to the best of our ability, to learn from them, and to overcome them. Endure to the end we must, for our goal is eternal life in the presence of our Father in Heaven. He loves us and wants nothing more than for us to succeed in this goal. He will help us and bless us as we call upon Him in our prayers, as we study His words, and as we obey His commandments. Therein is found safety; therein is found peace".

marathon stats...

2010-10-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

And photos I got from the company who was there taking pictures...they are not purchased, so they are really small. oh well.

Dying! why is the finish line SO far away?

Leilani, my trusty training friend!

Feeling good and having fun (before mile 18).

Official Stats:

Category: Age: Sex: Chip time: Overall: Women

WOMENS 30-34 32 F 3:58:33 2063/5697 614/ 2457

Caught it!

2010-10-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

I can officially say I have run a marathon! 26.2 miles are under my belt ( or should I say shoes).

The St. George, Utah marathon was on Saturday, Oct. 2nd and me and my whole gang trekked out there for the event.

It was Glorious and Terrible all wrapped up together!

Glorious to be there with 7,000 other runners. Glorious to be there with my 5 kids and husband! Glorious to be there with my friend that I trained 5 months with! And Glorious to say I've finished! It was Terrible to be soooo tired at mile 18 and Terrible to have NO more mental motivation at mile 25 ( I wanted to walk right off the course with 1.6 to go...who does that?!). It was Terrible to be so incredibly THIRSTY!

After all is said and done, and after learning many new things about myself through this event...I realize I have CAUGHT THE DISEASE! I hope to actually do another marathon again someday! Crazy, I know.

Pics and official stats to come soon!

still alive!!!

2010-09-23T17:29:00.000-07:00

I think I have forgotten how to blog...what button do I push next? ...

We are very much alive and kicking over here. It's insane how ALIVE we are...we are usually going 3 places at once at any given time of the day. I need to be cloned! PLEASE, just one more of me to go around would be nice!

I love everything we are doing, although the soccer practice schedule has taken some getting-used-to.

Soccer (x 3) Scouts, Activity Days, Marathon Training (finally I'm tapering my miles), home-school, pre-school and a new Relief Society calling are all on our calendar every week now.
William turned 1 and is crawling around getting into EVERYTHING, but it's so cute to watch. My house is a mess and my laundry piled high, but we are living life to the fullest and (mostly) having fun while doing it!

I've got a summer's worth of pictures to post up here as well! Hopefully this is the return of blogging for me...we'll see.

Also, I got released as the Young Womens' President and I feel so conflicted about it. I love and miss those girls VERY much! However, the time and energy is nice to have "back".

Haiti

2010-04-23T00:19:00.000-07:00

In case anyone here is interested in seeing a quick preview of what I captured in Haiti, I've got it on my blog, over here.

-Ryan

Easter Festivities

2010-04-06T12:58:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, we colored 2 dozen eggs!

Sunday morning, (early) the kids awoke to a basket hunt with strings attached!

They had to follow the string with their name to find their basket. It led them on a wild hunt all over the house!

I know Willie's head is cut off...but this picture captured his latest look. Now imagine him breathing in and out of his nose quickly while he makes this face. It's so funny!

Jaydon, biting into his chocolate bunny. Who says eating chocolate at 7:00 a.m. is against the rules? (well, I do, on a typical day).

Emily, donning the fancy headband she found in her basket.

Ezra. Trying out his new Easter Basket treasure.

Even Ryan and I got a little Easter treat to hunt for...it was in the oven!

Burt's Bees almond hand cream is just what I needed.

Ryan always loves his Ovaltine!

(Thanks to little Em).

On the hunt for eggs in the backyard.

We spent the rest of the day watching LDS General Conference and being uplifted. Remembering the real reason for the Holiday.

Later that day, we felt the rolling, shaking effects of the 7.2 earthquake that hit Northern Mexico.

Don't worry Sheena, I think it's all out of it's system!

Easter Park Day

2010-04-04T00:12:00.000-07:00

Our HOA threw a big bash at the park today. I got to climb a rock wall (and show the little kids how it's done :) But it was more fun messing around with my new fisheye lens.

Thought this was a cool point of view with a lens this wide.

All right, he's not my kid, but a nephew and a funny one to boot!

After the mad dash to get all the Easter eggs, they sat right down and ate it ALL! These are the wrappers at the bottom of their bag.

5 senses

2010-03-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

I made a discovery.

Each of my five children has a different dominate sense. It really is quite interesting and entertaining to me to see how true it really is.

Emily is so observant. She will notice the tiniest details on just about everything.

If we're looking at a patch of wildflowers, she's noticing the little lady bug down on the stem.

She pays attention to what is around her by looking at the shapes, patterns and colors involved.

I appreciate that she can see the individual and not just the crowd.

From infancy, Jaydon had to learn about his surroundings by putting something in his mouth.

EVERY toy, gadget, you-name-it, went into his mouth...

It made it very difficult when the floor wasn't always spotless.

Once he got teeth, oh boy...it opened a whole new world of exploring

(just ask cousin Jackson and Evan).

Biting.

His poor twin brother had bite marks up and down his arms as a toddler.

Today, however, he's no longer putting toys in his mouth, but he does still bite things.

just kidding.

But he loves to test new flavors and tastes from the food around him.

Joel loves to feel things; soft blankets, prickly grass, or smooth stones.

He has always been one to appreciate textures.

He loves touch.

He's the first to give hugs, or pat my back.

He loves the feel of Baby William's soft skin and hair.

Ezzy got my "Kennan" nose.

This boy can smell something 5 miles away and will ask about it...

like the BBQ dinner someone's cooking

or the cow smell from the local dairy farm.

When I tell him to get a clean cup from the cupboard, he SMELLS it to know if it's clean.

Before he tests a new food that's put in front of him...you know, the nose has to do it's job first before he can pop it into his mouth!

I'm telling you, he'd smell the smoke before the fire alarm ever went off!

My sweet William.

His cute floppy ear. I love it!

When Will was born, I couldn't hold him.

My arms were pinned down and covered from having a c-section.

I wanted more than anything to just have him in my arms!

I could hear his brand-new-baby cry and wanted to comfort him.

Ryan brought him over to me, and amidst the crying, I spoke softly in William's his ear.

"Hi, Baby. It's Mama."

He stopped crying for an instant as I kissed his ear.

Ever since then, I have noticed how sensitive he is to different sounds, especially voices.

I love that the simple sound of my voice is enough to make him happy.

It's so fun to see each of them grow and develop their own sense of the world around them.

I hope as a mom, I can magnify their qualities, as different as they are.

A day of Infamy

2010-03-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

Well, not a "day", but more like a very long time. It's hard to know where to start in expressing my anger for the filth who represent our elected officials in D.C.
Yady yady yada.. this may not seem at all interesting to you but there will be massive repercussions in our future. We will all see.

It makes me wonder how people have gone so wrong. Really. Today's events, namely what's happening tonight with Congress and the executive branch astounds me on so many levels. Why the changing of the flag? It should be obvious. Anyone who knows anything about the establishment of our nation and the founding fathers know that we are on a very dangerous path. Government should not belong in our free market (namely auto and bank industries), they should not mandate my health care, and they should not make scholastic institutes an equality issue. Hmm, sound like anything? Russia, Poland, China, N. Korea... all attempts made at socialism and all failed. I'm sorry, but our government officials think they are doing good, and I truly believe they think they are too, but they are without a doubt socialist pigs, whether they know it or not. This is not what the freedom seeking pilgrims, pioneers, legal immigrants, the founding fathers, nor I have signed up for. I'm scared, you should be too.

I am self employed. It is very likely that I could lose my house and all I have built up all because I am being taxed and compelled to pay for someone else's abortion which is against my deepest ethical codes. Goodbye opportunity and the free world. I'm glad I at least had the chance to make my own future. Time to get out the old hammer and sickle.

This is ridiculous.

This and That

2010-03-10T22:34:00.000-08:00

For Family Night, two weeks ago,

we planted our seeds in our little starter boxes.

The kids were so excited to get their hands dirty in this family activity.

We planted a variety of seeds.

216 seeds to be exact.

22 different kinds.

It's so exciting to plant them, then see them sprout.

Everything has started to grow, except the dill and the peppers.

Pretty soon, they will make their way to our garden and before we know it,

we'll be picking our very own fresh veggies! Yum!

In other news...

Our little scientist got to enter the science fair this year.

She chose her own project, did her own research, conducted

her own experiment and wrote (typed) her own report.

I was so proud of her.

We were all ready to get it on the display board for Tuesday night. The judging was to take place on Wednesday.

Well, come Tuesday morning at 10:20 a.m. I get a phone call FROM SCHOOL.

I worried - someone's sick, or broken a bone, or gotten in trouble...

"Mom, my science fair project is due TODAY at 1:00".

Awesome.

So, who felt like they were in the 4th grade again, putting together a display for the science fair?

yup. Me.

I am SOOO glad that Emily had typed out the entire report. I just had to set aside everything I had planned for that morning and make a science fair project look a little fancy. Not too fancy however, it was HER project.

Long story short - She came home with a 2nd place prize!

all of OUR efforts paid off!

It now goes to the district to be judged next week.

Good job, Em!

Snow Play in the Sun

2010-02-28T21:16:00.000-08:00

Ha! Kelly said this footage would never be seen!

Knock yourself out.

Extra Long Weekend, Part 2

2010-02-23T13:43:00.001-08:00

We were NOT leaving for a week long vacation, even though

it may appear that way from the looks of the car.

We WERE headed up to the snow for day!

Ryan and I decided to just drive and see what adventure unfolded before us.

After driving for just over an hour,

We came across a FABULOUS sledding hill!

We were not going to pay a dime, but this place was worth the

"week day" rate we ended up paying. Such a bargain for HOURS of fun!

With all the gear and changes of clothing, and piles of snow clothes in our car,

we were prepared for a blizzard!

In actuality, it was nearly 70 degrees! The snow was melting pretty fast,

But not too fast to get in some hours of incredibly fast tubing!

Short sleeves and sunglasses. Ahhh

And, Yes, that's William in the stroller behind us.

We had to put the stroller to the 4 wheeling test.

This was the top of the biggest tubing hill. Ezzy was the FIRST in the family to go down.

Intentionally.

Joel never quite made it down this one. But he did the "medium" hill all day.

After some groomed-hill-tubing-fun, we headed across the street for some

trail-blazing, rock-climbing, adventurous snow fun.

Ryan has that pro footage.

Can't promise we'll ever see it.

But it was GREAT!

This extra vacation day was greatly needed and I'm so glad we went while there's still snow to be played in!

An EXTRA long weekend. Part 1

2010-02-23T13:24:00.001-08:00

Last weekend was already an appreciated 4-day holiday. However, we needed to make it just one day longer.

We just

Were.

Not.

Ready.

to go back.

For Valentine's Day we rolled, cut and decorated some delicious sugar cookies. Recipe given by THIS "Martha Stewart". They were fun and yummy!

We love sprinkles around here!

I don't know if more frosting went in their mouths, or on the cookies.

(and THEN in their mouths).

We are silly and didn't take any pictures when Cousin Makenna was here. What a bummer.

If you ever need one of the BEST babysitters in the WORLD, you've got to have her come to your house! Unfortunately, she's not a local around here.

We had so much fun with her in town.

Parks

shopping

out to eat

baking

crafting

art projects

She even (voluntarily) mopped my kitchen floor for me!

We love you Makenna!

our "skills"

2010-02-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

We've been pretty busy around here the past month. Well, we're always pretty busy around here. But we've been honing up on some of our "skills" lately so I thought I'd document what we've been doing...it's a little random.

Our O.J. making skills have been neglected until we picked 1/2 a tree

load of oranges from G'ma & G'pa Southwell's tree. Oh YUM!

We learned a new "skill" at the Western Science Museum.

This little guy got to make a mold of a Mastodon tooth fossil.

He loved the museum field trip with a few of his buddies.

He also helped me with my train-track-designing skills.

When we were finished, we had used every piece in the box!

(notice how colorful they are from my other kids getting creative with their art skills)

For Family Night, William had the lesson. It was all about how to take care of him and keep him safe. Everyone had the chance to practice their diaper-changing skills.

We also talked about things to keep the littlest guy safe. (like cleaning up the legos!)

Our littlest guy has also been learning some new skills.

Here he is, loving the fruit he's munching on through this

fabulous mesh holder (I love!).

Eating is a skill he's always been good at!

Then there's the "will-never-be-a-skill" skills.

That includes my attempts at bowling!

I got to bowl one ball the whole evening, but it was fun.

What a great mutual activity...

(what's going on with the fly-away left arm?)

We also recently improved our sledding skills, but that's for another day!

AAAAHHHHHH!

2010-02-07T19:23:00.001-08:00

My open-mouthed- smiling baby.

He loves to giggle and be tickled.

He's so happy 99 % of the time.

(unless he's very tired).

He's sitting up all by himself now.

His new favorite "toy" are his toes.

He's eating a few things now, while in his high chair.

(more pics on that later).

He pushes up like he wants to crawl.

He's 6 months old already!

I just can't get enough of HIM!!

Date Night...

2010-02-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

This is me and My Jaydee Boy.

Date night.

We got to go to Whimsicle and get a delicious treat! Just the two of us.

One on One time is pretty rare around here these days. So, we take turns having Mommy dates and Daddy dates. It's so great!

We got to be silly together, laugh together, share bites of our treats together, and chat about whatever HE wanted to!

I love Date Nights...

I also love being super silly with my Jaydee Boy.

He got vanilla, with about 6 toppings.

I got chocolate, with mint oreos.

We shared and they were both delicious.

He's so quiet and bashful. He is hard to get to know when around a crowd. But when it's just the two of us, he's a cute and silly boy. Smart as can be and a funny little jokster, I'm always interested in what he's got to say...you never know what's coming next.

I love him!

Can't wait for our next night out together.

Still Here

2010-01-27T12:16:00.000-08:00

We are still around! I don't mean to leave blogging as the last item on the list, and I want it to be fun...it's just hard to find the time to escape to the computer these days.

We just had a fun-filled week with G'ma and G'pa Jibson!! The park, the games, the stories, the shopping, the organization projects, the tickle wars, and all the other fun stuff kept us busy all week. We are so glad they could come and spend a few days in the busy-ness of our family life.

WE LOVE YOU G'MA & G'PA !!!

we will blog again soon, with some pictures included...

Happy Birthday Goose!

2010-01-03T19:28:00.000-08:00

My daughter is now 10 yrs old. I can't believe it. She's also the craftiest and most talented little girl in the world. She's the best big sister (except when she shouts she hates her brothers) and decided all on her own that this year she wanted a green and purple theme with a carrot cake. This girl has got it all figured out.

little chub

2009-11-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

Can you believe this big, little guy is three months old already? Oh time, please slow down!

He loves to be around his brothers and sister...constant entertainment.

He is a sleeping champ, and an eating champ.

He weighs over 12 lbs.

He's so happy to be in his Bumbo or the swing.

...Or resting his double chin on my left shoulder. He loves my shoulder....he can see the whole world in a different view.

He's a delight to our family.

Why do I let myself?

2009-11-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

I was abnormally productive today. It felt great! And LOOK! I'm even blogging, AGAIN! (that's just unheard of lately). So, after roasting and puree-ing 5 pumpkins, sanding and spray painting my daughter's bed frame, and garage sale-ing ... all while doing the other daily tasks involved in raising 5 little ones, I realized a small (maybe not so small) miracle taking place in my life.

A few weeks ago, in Stake Conference at church, we were asked by an area authority to really think and pray about what we can do to be better people. I took on that challenge. Sort of hesitantly. I wasn't sure I was up for any more challenges right now. But I did. My answer was easy..."read my scriptures daily"! I already know the blessings that come from this seemingly simple task. I had just fallen out of the habit and became lazy. Actually, truth be told, I've been "drowning" in my hectic state of life and couldn't imagine adding one more thing to my plate!

What a miracle. For 2 weeks now, without fail, I have read for a full 1/2 hour in the morning when I get up to feed William. Instead of wishing I was still in bed, and letting my head bob in a half-sleep state, I grab my scriptures and read away. All of a sudden, life is manageable. NOT ONLY manageable, but it feels like I have MORE time in my day and MORE energy to get the things done!

It's not all roses and butterflies, don't get me wrong, but that's another thing I've noticed: I've been more relaxed when things don't go as planned or there are messes that I haven't been able to get to yet. I've had a bit more patience too. I actually find myself laughing with Ryan when the milk inevitably gets spilled, or the kids start fighting or dinner time turns into family fued / chaos!

I love how I feel. I need to remember how I feel and NOT let myself slip out of my reading habit.

Just had to share.

More Halloween

2009-11-06T22:57:00.000-08:00

We used to do this every year. An open-house Halloween party.
Since we moved, the tradition died.
This year we brought it back!

Complete with "spooky sounds of the season" playing the background,
it was a Thriller kind of night.

We had all kinds of games for the kids:
Halloween coloring pages
Halloween Twister
Pass the Pumpkin
Doughnut on a string (We didn't get to, bummer)
and the trampoline all a-glow

(I thought the red eyes were appropriate)

Next year we'll have a "photo-op" for all dressed up couples...
maybe.
Vanilla Ice and Angelina/Octo-Mom...odd couple

Now for the decorations and food!

We had the back yard appropriately decked out to fit our
haunted house theme...

I loved prepping all the food and goodies with the help of my kiddos
(and Ali, thanks).
Three different kinds of Chili, hot and delicious

Emily loved her job of making labels for the food

Jaydon and Joel helped these little cats see
(my favorite baking find at Target this year...candy eyes)

And they could all help out with these simple, spooky treats

Ali pitched in and made the darling cemetery pudding cups.

We also both tried our hand at decorating these monster eyeballs.
So cute, fun and delicious!

Another favorite baking find...ghost-shaped baking cups.
So simple, and a hit!

Next year we'll take more pictures...
so come and join us next year, if you're in the neighborhood!

some of our Halloween...

2009-11-03T18:34:00.000-08:00

Mummy pizzas for dinner

a variety of costumes to parade around in for the night:
Vanilla Ice, bringing back the 90s
Angelina Jolie, with babies all around me...or is it Octo-Mom?
An Indiana Jones trio...Indiana, Mutt and Marion
and don't forget Batman!

Joel, as Mutt. On the neighbor's mini-bike

We had so much fun at the neighborhood party, then trick-or-treating. Then we headed home for our very own party...more on that to come.

brief update

2009-10-26T15:12:00.003-07:00

As I sit here feeding little William, I figured I could at least give a short run down of what we've been up to.

Halloween Party Planning is under way: We used to do an open-house-type party every year before we moved here...well, it's been 3 years now, and we figured it was time to start the tradition again! Yea! so, we are baking, simmering cider, and making chili all while planning and prepping games and other activities for Halloween night. So, if you are around, come on by anytime after 6:30 on Halloween night. (sorry for the plug).

This last week we had a ward Halloween party, with a chili cook-off, games and trunk or treat. We all had a blast! Too bad, "family theme" costumes are a thing of the past now, but we all got a little dressed up.

William is growing like a weed! He's in the 49th % on the charts at the DR's. office. None of my kids have ever been over the 35th%. He's such a great eater and sleeper. He still loves to nap out in the family room with all the ruckus around him. He was "Little Super Man" the other night, but the kids all agreed he should have been called "Little Super Pooper"...that he is.

The older kids are loving the Halloween excitement that surrounds us this time of year. Their "Indiana Jones" themed costumes look pretty great when they are all together.

Ryan's busy as ever, working too hard to not get paid what he deserves...ha ha ! he's such a great man!

I just had my life changed by ordering my groceries at Vons.com and having them delivered to my kitchen (free for the first order). It was AWESOME!

Other things keeping us BUSY:
laundry
homework
yard work
laundry
cleaning up after the 3 year old
meals
laundry
an occasional movie night with my husband
feeding the baby
laundry
and Young Women events

Phew!

Brave or Crazy?

2009-10-17T22:15:00.000-07:00

How about a little of both!?

I just returned from Thousand Oaks. It was my first time taking all 5 of my children on a "road trip" by myself! It is a 130 mile trip. With 5 little ones in the back of the car, that can either feel like 6 hours, or it can go by really fast. This time, it happened to go by really fast...phew!

We visited with G'ma and G'pa! We saw family and cousins!
We met up with wonderful friends we haven't seen for some time! We tried to get all caught up in a short period of time. It was great.

We played at the park, and we played in friends' homes. We played in G'ma and G'pa's back yard and on their computer. We played their piano and watched a movie or two. We watched G'ma sew, and learned a thing or two about her fabulous talent.

We went HERE.

It is the annual Harvest Festival right now. Little did I know it would be $10.00 per person to get in! and that does NOT include food or activities. oops.
We made the most of our $10.00 admission and did all the free activities we could .
Just me and 5 kids.

(Will's too little for his head to show)

They had a free tractor hay ride
Pig races
all kinds or picture op. wooden-face-cut-out places
a pyramid of hay to climb
a fantastic corn maze
tons of animals to check out
and a hill with tunnels to run through.

All of this we did for free. On a hot, hot day. In Thousand Oaks. Just me and 5 kids.

After a fabulous dinner and G'ma and G'pa's house, and ice cream with home made hot fudge, I packed up the kids gear (there's a lot of stuff with 5 kids...even for just one night) and we drove 130 miles back home.

I can't believe I did it.

And now, I'm exhausted and going to bed!

Something I Love

2009-10-10T20:47:00.001-07:00

I'm so happy to be back to doing two things that I love. It's been months since I've really been able to cook and be in the kitchen as much as I love to.

I also haven't been able to run. I just started that too. It feels great. (a little jiggly).

There is something about Fall that makes me want to bake and cook more. I love chopping, grating, peeling, saute-ing, and tasting, of course. What I love more, is adding a little of this and a pinch of that to make something taste "just-so". Spices & herbs, are so fun to add. I love to experiment with recipes. I'm afraid I"m not much of a measurer either. Unless it's really important.

After thinking of what to make, or searching through my recipe box or on-line for whatever tempts my pallet, I love to put it all together. I enjoy the smells, the textures and colors. My favorite thing is to sit down with my family, after preparing a meal and wait for their reactions. Knowing I made it for them, and I know exactly what's in it, is so satisfying to me. I feel so good to know they are enjoying what I made. They love knowing that the majority of the ingredients came from our garden, or they helped me pick it out at the grocery store.
Fortunately, (or UNfortunately, I don't know) Emily has a sophisticated pallet and helps me in the kitchen. She loves to have meals that include different cheeses or fancy herbs & spices. She even makes up her own recipe combinations. I love when she joins me in the cooking process.

Baking is almost as enjoyable but there's so much more guilt when I have the finished product. I always want to devour the batch of cookies, or rolls or cake after I've baked. Trouble. It's a good thing my family is big, so we can share all around and keep our portions under control. (until all the kids are in bed...).

I'm so happy it's that season and I'm back on my feet in the kitchen. YUM!

which one are you?

2009-10-08T19:07:00.001-07:00

Today we watched this movie.

I realized I used to be more like this happy-go-lucky,
fun and care-free guy!

Now, however, I am afraid I'm turning into this
much-too-practical-for-his own-good
guy.
And I'm about that exhausted too!

I need to find the happy medium.

This Little Guy

2009-10-06T08:16:00.001-07:00

Now, I know I'm far from being a photographer...but in my defense, the only way to get this half-smile was to peek out from behind the camera...so I didn't realize I was cutting off his head!

On Sunday, William was 2 months old!
How? and Why?
As much as I'm happy the time has gone by quickly for ME,
I'm so sad it's slipping away so fast for HIM!
He is a pure joy!
I was lucky to get this little half-grin out of him...
Daddy seems to be the only one who can get a
big, dimply smile out of him!
(and he's out of town, so that pic will have to wait)
He LOVES his Daddy!
When he's around, Will smiles. He has double dimples
(they just kill me!)
He still has his super dark hair,
although it's now starting to fall out.
His eyes are getting more blue.
He loves to nap around all the commotion in the family room.
He can hardly nap when it's too quiet.
He loves to be in his swing,
or on his tummy,
with his brothers and sister,
and on the go.
He was MEANT to be child number 5!
He is sleeping 6-7 hours at night.
He lets out a really good cry before he falls asleep!
He cries so hard that he turns a shade of purple!
It has scared Emily when she's trying to console him.
Then he just stops.
Like turning off a switch.
and sleeps.

So happy he's here!

Summer 2009

2009-09-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

What an eventful summer, to say the least.
I have not given up on blogging, although it appears that way right now. I am an avid journal writer...you know, old school...with a pen and a book. So, blogging has taken the back burner since our life has changed this summer. I hit the old journal before I get to the computer. By the time I get here, I"m usually out of energy and desire to blog. But tonight I wanted to pay tribute to what has been a remarkable, and quite memorable summer. A summer of learning.

Be Forewarned: This is long, and possibly boring.

June was gloriously filled with usual summer events and activities: camping, swimming, sprinkler-playing, popcicle-eating, and eating fresh garden veggies. Girls Camp was in the mix for June and despite the fear of going into early labor, I managed to actually stay the night with my Young Women at the camp site. I learned a lot about them there. It was great!
July was full, every day, of baby-arrival-anticipation. I just KNEW this little one was going to be early. So, I did my best to get my ducks in a row, as they say, to prepare for Baby to come along. I even missed out on some fun summer events, in fear that I'd be too far from the Dr. in case I went into early labor. ( Next year I'll get up on the surf board at the Youth Beach trip). I didn't , however, miss out on a fabulous baby shower, hosted and presented by Ali DeGraff. Thanks Ali for the yummy, and adorable baby shower. (wish I had some pics.). Nearing the end of July, Baby had turned breech and we planned a C-section for July 28th. Bummer. It seemed that all my efforts to have a VBAC were foiled. I learned that I can't plan everything, no matter what measures I take, or how far I drive for every single OB appointment. Come July 28th, Baby had moved back down! Yea! No C-section on the 28th. I was given one more week to go into labor on my own. So, we scheduled a second C-section on Aug. 4th, just in case no labor set in. ( I just KNEW the baby would come before then ). I learned to be patient. More patient than I thought I already was.
August came.
I was having an AUGUST baby. Who would have thought? August 1st was full of prayers, walking, and hoping that Baby would come. Same with August 2nd. By August 3rd, I was just bummed and had a feeling it wasn't going to happen. And, I felt like I was going to be pregnant forever. Really. On August 4th, even as we drove to the hospital at 7:00 a.m., an hour away, I was praying and hoping (and actually thought) I would go into labor before I got to the hospital. Nope. As I was getting my I.V. for my C-section, I asked the Dr. to check me to see if I could still go into labor on my own ( my surgery was in 10 minutes). Hey, I had to try until the last possible minute. No luck. I learned that some prayers are not answered (at least not the way we want them to be.) Actually, I already knew this...I was just reminded.
This is where the REAL learning came in for me. It was all out of my hands. I had to trust in the Lord (and in the Dr.s) that all was going to be well. As they finished prepping me for the dreaded surgery I fought so hard not to have, they whisked me away on my hospital bed and Ryan went the opposite direction to the waiting room. I was so sad. I was nervous. I won't lie, I was scared. I didn't want Ryan to be in the other room. I didn't want to be delivering my baby in a cold, unfriendly, unwelcoming Operating Room. I didn't want to have my arms bound down, or a blue sheet hanging in front of my face during delivery. I wanted to see my baby. I especially didn't want them to take him away after he was born. I just wanted to see my baby. I wanted to hold him, feed him, kiss him and tell him I was so happy he was finally here! Once again, I had to be patient. More patient than I EVER wanted to be. 2 1/2 hours later, I got to be with my sweet Baby William. I learned patience pays off. (just in case you missed it, check this out).
I will admit, I am still bitter about having had a c-section and not the birth I invisioned. I worked so hard to avoid having a repeat c-section. I figured since I was working and planning so desperately, everything would work out the way I wanted it to. So, yes, it was tough to swallow. And the recovery...a whole other story I won't get into. However, I KNOW that our prayer was answered. Our prayer to have a healthy baby and a safe delivery was answered. We didn't pray that I would have a VBAC...we prayed for a safe delivery. That is where the Lord takes over. For reasons I don't know, and will probably never know, I had a c-section, and it was a safe and healthy delivery. I am so glad we have modern medicine and technology to make it possible to have safe, healthy babies and mommies, even when nature doesn't take it's own course. I learned, once again, to trust in the Lord, with ALL my heart. (it's so much harder than it sounds).
I experienced something new. Baby Blues. I felt good the week immediately following delivery. When reality set in of my responsibilities on top of caring for my new precious baby, I was overwhelmed. I tried SO hard to avoid the dark clouds of fear that hung over me. I wanted to be strong. Every time I cried...darn hormones and pain killers...I would get more frustrated with myself that I wasn't handling things the way I thought I would . I didn't want to be weak. Between exhaustion and feeling down, everything bad seemed to be magnified x10! I was used to "bouncing back" after about a week or two. Going on week 4 was just too much! I prayed and pleaded to feel like myself again. I learned to accept help. Friends were offering to serve and help out however they could. Normally, I am ok doing things on my own. I don't really take the help. But I learned. I needed it. I was so grateful for it! Every meal, phone call, play-date for the kids, and meeting my councilors attended in my place was such a burden lifted. I learned it's a blessing to accept the service of others, and it makes them feel good too!
In just the nick of time, 2 days before my family came, something snapped. The clouds lifted and the sun was shining again! I was happy...really, truly happy! I felt strong, energized and confident. I was so grateful for that prayer being answered.
The rest of the summer, well, it just kept getting better and better. For the first time I had my ENTIRE family plus a few others (32 people) here at our house! It was such a crazy, chaotic, FUN and wonderful time. I've never felt that sense of joy...to have everyone here together. It was awesome. Ryan blessed little Will at church with my bothers, his brother Jared, and both of our fathers (William's name sakes). What a day!
From here we went to the Beach House, which is always a great time. Games, food, sun, water, more food, costumes, thrifting, treats and family. What more could we ask for?
And so, here we are. The first day of Fall. (Never mind that I took my 2 youngest to the pool for 2 hours). I am welcoming fall with open arms. I look forward to continuing to adjust to our new life with Little Will. I am anxious to get back to 100 % capacity and have full energy again. This summer will go down in Southwell history as a glorious one.

I've learned so much about who I am . I still have so much to learn .

Super Hero Party

2009-09-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

Wonder... Woman. Mac Man.
Our alter egos and their events will be revealed shortly.

BOOM! BANG! POW!

2009-09-13T04:06:00.000-07:00

Holy Beach-House, Batman!
just you wait!

It's that time of year

2009-08-18T19:39:00.001-07:00

First day back to school.
Two first - graders and a fourth-grader!!
They've grown up way too fast.
I told Emily she's not allowed to grow up any more after 4th grade!

28 papers to be filled out & signed

They are not the ones with homework on the first day...
I am!
(and of coarse the KIDS get a prize if they turn in all their signed paperwork the next day)

Multiply those 28 papers times 3 students...
I know what I'll be dong all evening.

I'm so happy the kids had a great first day back!

Photo update

2009-08-12T17:54:00.000-07:00

He just didn't want to stick his bum up in the air like other cute babies.
He would rather pee over everything. (you can click on a pic for a slightly better image)

Baby William

2009-08-07T00:24:00.000-07:00

It's been a long long time. As many of you know, we had our 5th child on Aug 4, 2009. His name is William Jibson Southwell.
8lbs. 6oz, and 20" long. There's a full long story to this pregnancy that Kelly can explain later, but long story short... My beautiful wife, after all her months of hard work, was told she had to have a c-section. After surgery, all she wanted was to hold her baby. This background may help explain the story here...
Photos and details are coming but I have to skip town tomorrow so this video will do for now.

No Longer My Baby...

2009-07-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

I have such bitter-sweet feelings about this little one growing up. It went by too fast.
But I have been so lucky to have the past 3 days to spend with only HIM!

While the older 3 children are entertained and busy camping with G'ma in the great out-doors,
Ez and I have been able to share 3 days of fun together!

We've gone on walks, chased the birds (his favorite out-door activity lately), been shopping around- well, browsing, taken naps, late-night movies with lots of pillows and blankets, eating ice cream and playing lots of games. He even got to join the ladies playing Bunco for a GNO! He was a hit! I love eating scrambled eggs with him (as second-breakfast) almost every day at 10:00. He always requests them as "yellow eggs please Mom?" He amazes me at his Memory Game skills and his puzzle abilities. Most of all, I love when he blasts the music to Indiana Jones, Star Wars and Superman and dances around the house to those theme songs (of course, dressed according to each part).

I love his little vocabulary and how it grows every day. He learns so many new things (not always good) and loves to be a big kid and do things himself. I'm glad he's more independent... it will be helpful in about 2 or 3 weeks when he's a big brother! But I'm sad to let go of his little toddler years. I know he's excited to be a big brother and I think he'll make a fabulous one!

belly shots and sushi...

2009-06-27T13:02:00.001-07:00

Every time we go out (which is not TOO often) we always end up at the
SUSHI BOAT. YUM

We just can't seem to get enough of it!

Here's the big belly to prove it. Ha!
35 weeks and counting.
(yes, those are my FAVORITE pants, I'd wear them to church if I could)

US

2009-06-26T06:47:00.001-07:00

What a Fairy Tale Adventure we are on!
I love you Ryan!

BOOOORRRRRING...

2009-06-23T11:41:00.001-07:00

...will be this blog post,
because BUUUUUSY are our lives right now!

-school's out!
-Girls Camp
-date nights (while the kids play at G'ma's)
-laundry
-Wii
-reading
-swimming
-going to the park
-some cleaning
-music
-games
-baby room projects
-walks
-BBQs
-temple trips
-camp outs
-birthday celebrations
-sleep-overs
.... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... ....
just a few of the things keeping us so crazy...I mean, BUUUUUSY around here!

A conversation...

2009-06-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

Son: Mom, I need some tweezers.

Mom: Mmmhmm, ok hunny. (only partially listening to the request as I was busy with 4 other things at the time).

Son: So, where are the tweezers?

Mom: What do you need them for?

Son: For my ear.

Mom: You don't put tweezers in your ear. (Still distracted).

Son: But there's string in there...

Mom: (now ALL of my attention is on him) WHY is there string in your ear? You don't put stuff in your ear!

Son: Well I was trying to do a magic trick and pull string out of my ear, but it got stuck...

Happy Birthday Boys!

2009-05-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

A quick video from this morning.
(Click the HQ button on the bottom right so it looks better)

'tis the season...

2009-05-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

...for STRAWBERRIES!!!
and all the deliciousness that goes with them!
We've been busy making jars and jars of jam,
smoothies,
sliced on cereal,
and just munching on these ruby red treats!
We can't seem to get enough!

Fun with the kids

2009-05-25T00:25:00.001-07:00

Just a visual update on the kids.

an oldie with a new twist!

2009-05-21T10:29:00.001-07:00

I used to play the original version of this Oldie but Goodie
ALL NIGHT with Marie! Why was it so addicting?
Then, I found this Disney version in our game cupboard. I was ready to
put it in the garage sale pile (it was unopened and 11 years old).
I saved it, introduced it to the kids...

and it's now our new favorite game!!

bionic ears

2009-05-13T09:29:00.001-07:00

He heard the truck coming down our street, so he ran to get his approriate hat.
Love this boy!

reminiscing

2009-05-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

On my trip to Utah, there was so much "remembering" going on.

I didn't realize I had sooo many memories from there.

Among other things...we drove by the little house that Ryan and I first lived in, right after we were married. I just HAD to see if it was still "spring green". It's such an odd color. And, as you can see, it STILL is! It was fun to see it.

Ali and I also got to visit with some of our FAVORITE room mates from college. What a blast we had catching up on what's new and reminiscing about college days. LOVE YOU GIRLS!

girl time...

2009-05-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

It's like therapy.

Laughing

Talking

Eating

Walking

Connecting

Eating

Listening

Eating

Enjoying

Shopping

Eating

I

Love

These

Girls!

2009-05-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

I'm back...but busy as can be...
We had a BLAST and pictures are coming!

Be Back Soon!!!

2009-04-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

California Adventure

2009-04-24T10:58:00.001-07:00

We tried out a new adventure! The kids and Ryan had never been to Disney's California Adventure.
Thanks to G'ma and G'pa, (and a So.Cal. zip code) this trip was made possible.

We invited our friend Lindsey along so the parent(who-can-ride-on-rides) to kid ratio would be better. She was a life-saver! The kids had a blast with her!

Ezzy and Joel loved spinning and flying and riding in Flik's Bug's Life Land. There is fun to be had around every corner.

Driving and bumping on these little racers was definitely a highlight of their day! They laughed and laughed!

Everyone LOVED the Toy Story Ride. Especially sporting their hot 3-D glasses. Shooting the pop-gun was great too and we had a contest to see who scored the highest...Ryan won, of course.

Ezzy and I missed out on so many rides, so we decided to treat ourselves to a MOST DELICIOUS mint-chip waffle cone. Oh yum! I don't know who enjoyed it more.

I have entered a whole new realm. Emily LOVES going on roller coasters now. She only wanted to go on the fastest, tallest, wildest rides at the park. I couldn't belive how much fun she had on those crazy roller coasters. I can't wait until after baby comes and I can join her next time!
Once again...everyone was wiped out on the way home...and I just love seeing them crash out in the car from pure exahustion from a fun-filled day!

Thanks again G'ma and G'pa!!

miss this girl

2009-04-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

The highlight of MY Spring Break (as opposed to my childrens' highlight) was FINALLY seeing my long- time BFF. The last time I saw Marie was about 6 years ago!!! That is just too long!

What I love best is that even though we now have 9 1/2 kids between us, we've been apart for so long, and live on opposite ends of the country, when we get together the time gap is gone! It's like we just pick up where we left off!

I know this will only be funny to a few, but we found a lost cell phone at the park and were trying to locate the owner. After several failed attempts at phone-calling, Marie decided to text the stranger who was texting that phone. It was quite entertaining to watch the action of her texting for the fist time. I'm not saying I would have been any better, it was just so fun to watch!

The moms got to visit for 4 hours while our little ones played at the park. They played dress up and used their little imaginations for hours!

We chatted, talked about old times, shared stories and laughed. I found myself wanting to cherish every minute for fear of another 5 years going by before I got to do this again. There's just nothing like a long-time friend that you share history with.

Not to mention her perfectly behaved little ones who didn't utter one word of complaint while we were there! Marie, as crazy as you say you are, and may very well be... your kids are great. You are definitely doing something right! Thanks for the fun Spring Break memories!

Spring Break '09

2009-04-18T15:47:00.000-07:00

It's so much fun to have a little get-away! The actual event of driving 8 hours to HAVE the little get-away is NOT so fun. However, we survived the car ride and had a FABULOUS TIME!
Here is a portion of our fun...
EASTER

Dying Easter eggs was a highlight for sure...how can you beat that fun transition from boring white egg to vibrant colored masterpiece? plus, that vinegar smell that goes right along with it? oh the memories. The kids loved dying their eggs with their cousins.
My crafty little one took it one step further and made little chicks to hold the eggs and adorn our Easter Dinner table. They were a hit. Move over Martha!

There were multiple egg hunts, it NEVER gets old!
From "finding" eggs scattered on the community lawn, or reading a clue at home to find your hidden Easter
basket, to truly HUNTING for as many eggs as you can find in Grandpa and Grandma's back yard, an egg hunt is always exciting!

The past month...

2009-04-09T08:38:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone? (am I ALWAYS saying that?)

Here's a little glimpse at the busy, fun things we've been doing for the month of March (and a little of April).

Don't forget, a little "hunny" get away to Utah was somewhere in the middle of all this! You've seen the fruits of that "labor".

So, get ready for probably more pictures than you care to see:

We've been playing "Fire Balls" on the trampoline - hours of fun!

We ate Green Eggs for breakfast - WAY back at St. Patty's Day

We even attempted, yet again, to catch a leprechaun,
with luck of only getting a box of Lucky Charms cereal.

We've performed at another piano / violin recital

(then MOM and DAD escaped to Utah...Thank you Grandparents and Ali for making that possible)

When we returned, we enjoyed time with G'ma and G'pa,
including a BBQ at the park
( I love SPRING)

Performing wonders at the BBQ
soon it'll be in our own back yard!

We took a little "Jungle Cruise" at the Happiest Place on Earth

A new favorite: Tom Sawyer's Island
(now called the Pirate's Lair)

My little aliens...

Who had more fun?

The group at Small World

I couldn't resist this exhausted shot!
It was a long, fun day!

Now that it's Spring, we've been busy planting.

...and planting

We (well, Ezra) also decided to feed Tuck the Turtle, all on his own...
the entire container or two of turtle food!
Poor Tuck!

Now, we are off to enjoy Spring Break in the land up North! yea!!!
Be back soon!

Old film reels

2009-04-06T11:59:00.000-07:00

In full contrast to the colorful and playfulness of the Salt Flats we took to a more serious note and went back a few years. Though the temperature actually got colder so we sure didn't fake it. This is called "Hands in Pockets" which is also the name of the song. Stylistically, I see it along the lines of an Anthropologie catalog. Yes, shot all in HD, but scuffed up to bring out that vintage feel. Staring Kelly, Sheena, and Cara. Filmed in Draper, UT. By the way, Kelly is 22 weeks pregnant here. I can't imagine how hot she'll be when she's not cause this was so fun we're definitely going to do it again (but maybe when its not 27 degrees)

Hands in Pockets from IRIS AND LIGHT on Vimeo.

Business or Pleasure?

2009-03-29T21:15:00.000-07:00

We're back and had a blast in our adventure to Utah. We got business plans laid out, but most importantly we had time to go to fun places and shoot around so that we can all get comfortable together. First day out we went to the Salt Flats raceway where people drive rockets over 700 mph. If you look close you'll see some dude running about that fast.

On the way we stopped by a second hand store to load up on props and colorful clothes. Even though it was about 33 degrees out there, we had a lot of fun. Check out the video below.

Salt Flats, Utah from iris and light on Vimeo.

Drum roll please........

2009-03-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago,
a sweet friend of mine
(who performs cardio sonograms)
offered to check my baby
to find out what we're having.
The two week wait
for my Dr.'s ultra sound
just seemed unbearable!
Needless to say,
after that visit, I've been seeing
PINK
for the past couple of weeks!

Surprise!!!! Today my Dr.'s ultra sound technician confirmed we are having a

BOY!!!!

Yea for 4 boys!

Yea for 4 missionaries in training

Yea for 4 BIG appetites (make that 5...even for our daughter)

Yea for MORE tractors and Transformers!

And yea for the novelty of an only girl!

These Two

2009-03-05T15:34:00.000-08:00

I don't think I will ever stop being fascinated with them.
The things they do,
the things they say,
what one loves,
what one hates.
Our twins will always intrigue me.
From day ONE we have been amazed at the things we've seen.
As babies, they would roll over in their beds at the exact same time.
In their high chairs, they would cross one foot over the other, at the same time...same foot.
Now, they practically finish each others' sentences and fill in where the other leaves off.
As growing boys they are loving math and reading so much.
They both love sports, violin and gymnastics.

Yesterday, Joel lost is front tooth.
Today, Jaydon lost HIS front tooth!

Every day there's something new to see.

For fun!

2009-03-03T15:34:00.000-08:00

Too bad you have to turn your head sideways...
(don't ask me where he got the hands on the head move)

Thought I'd give it a chance...

2009-03-02T23:11:00.000-08:00

But it just confirmed what complete trash T.V. looks like!

A sign....

2009-02-22T11:00:00.000-08:00

...Of a true friend.

I've been under the weather. Then I came out of it.
Then something else hit HARD.
A friend called and said,
"I'll come over and pick up your 4 kids-under-the-age-of-9 for 2+ hours!"

Wow, what a wonderful break.

Then, this same friend, called and said,

"Don't worry, I'll take your 4 little ones (along with my own little ones) to 3 hours of church tomorrow. I'll cover your Young Women President responsibilities....oh yeah, and what do you want for dinner when we get home from church?"

Let's just say I OWE YOU BIG TIME!!!! Thank you Ali and Troy!!!

(yes, I'm posting this while my 4 kids are at church with them)

Project Friday

2009-02-20T06:35:00.000-08:00

Due to circumstances this week....my project will be continued for one more week.
More to come on that!

Things are definitely looking up!

2009-02-19T15:43:00.000-08:00

Thank you for all of your great (and not-so-great-lock-in-the-bedroom-but-sounds-nice) ideas!
I'm feeling much better,
The sun is out
the weather is nice
and my other half will be back soon!

A week at home

2009-02-18T06:51:00.000-08:00

Well, plans have changed for our "vacation week at home."

*I'm sick, (and I'm not a wimp, this is more than just a stuffy nose)
*minor bank error - halt to fun $$$
*it's POURING rain for day #4
*it's ending up being "survival week at home".

So, because all of my creative juices have been blown into a thousand tissues with this sickness, I need your help.

***What do you do when you have severe CABIN FEVER?

200th POST!!!!

2009-02-16T07:25:00.000-08:00

Let's celebrate!!!! let's have a party all week - no school - no responsibilities - parties - playing - and making delicious treats - all in celebration of my 200th POST!

Ok, not really, how 'bout
just because it's
"Presidents' Week"
at our school.
So, we'll be playing all week.
(with the exception of a few household chores and Project Friday chore).

Here's what's keeping everyone busy so far:

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T06:15:00.000-08:00

Even while he's gone for two weeks...Ryan manages to
make my Valentine's Day sweet!
Thank you Babe!
You are the LOVE OF MY LIFE!

Project Friday

2009-02-13T13:36:00.001-08:00

Even though some of these projects COULD be done in a matter of hours (not a week), I have to remember that I only have a few minutes a day to work on these projects. So, I have to set my realistic goal of a week to accomplish them (if only my time could be divided into 2 hour chunks, instead of 15 minute snippets... between snacks to get, arguments to referee, spills to clean, meals to fix and every-day chores to do...15 minutes/day has to do for now. )
With that said, here's the results of my project this week.

This is Ezra'a closet before

This is his closet after (no major change to see)
Someday it'll have shelves and things...but it's not going to be HIS closet for long
( I cannot get this picture to turn)
After going through the bins, organizing the closet
and getting rid of the old stuff,
I feel great having organized the drawers and closet with all the "new".

NOW FOR NEXT WEEK:
talk about the EMBARRASSMENT of my life!
Ryan will dread that this is posted, sorry Hun.
But between Holidays, vacations, and being sick at the beginning of this pregnancy,
my room has gone to waste! (maybe a trait I inherited, hee hee)
So, I will spare you the pictures of the nightmare
and just show you two clips...that's enough to get the idea across!

Wish me LUCK!!!

just what I need

2009-02-11T11:12:00.001-08:00

This little necklace is the perfect thing to make me feel pretty, and feminine...
on days when maybe I'm not feeling my best.
Something about it (the dainty, beautiful, unique-ness about it)
makes me feel so happy!
Thank you friend!

I can almost taste it...

2009-02-07T18:24:00.000-08:00

Oh how I can't wait for THIS masterpiece BBQ to be finished!!!

Ryan is so handy...I just can't even comprehend how he sees this in his head, he does some research and then he just DOES it! He's been working so hard on getting our backyard done (and we've been saving, and saving to make it all happen). Now that the cement is poured, the BBQ is the next step and my mouth is already watering! YUMMMY!

I love that Ryan thinks about, and follows through with every little detail to make it JUST right!

So, stay tuned for pictures of the finished product soon!

Project Friday

2009-02-06T08:48:00.001-08:00

Before: in the laundry room

After: in the laundry room (not PERFECT but, better!)

Before: under the snack bar

After: under the snack bar

Before: the worst one...in the kitchen

After: in the kitchen (I don't know WHY I can't get a clear picture of this!)
This one shows the biggest change.
I proceeded to scrub (and paint where needed) the rest of the baseboards in the house, and it's amazing what a difference it makes! I feel like my house is new again (at least the baseboards).

AND FOR NEXT WEEK!

I will go through the bins in Ezzy's closet and sort through all of it...
"Out with the old, in the new" (well, hand-me-downs)

Just an up-date...the kids LOVE their hide-out,
keep it tidy and can play to their hearts' content.

I love opening the door to the Hide Out and seeing things like THIS:

all better

2009-02-05T08:33:00.000-08:00

This morning, while lying on the couch, weeping over the events of the morning (and letting my hormones and emotions get the best of me) this sweet little guy came over for some words of cheer:

"Mom, get happy!" he said, with a big smile, and head cocked to the left.

He wiped the tear away, then saw more..."uh oh, Mom, I'll get it." Then he went to the kitchen, got the dish towel and proceeded to wipe my eyes.

After tossing the towel over his shoulder, he got a smile out of me. "Mommy's happy again!" he shouted. Then he laid his head on my shoulder.

A Sunday Afternoon

2009-02-03T08:51:00.001-08:00

I was testing my new camera for the first time. This is just for fun.

Project Friday

2009-01-30T11:57:00.001-08:00

Here are a couple of Before shots from
the toy room, affectionately known as
"The Hide Out"

The kids' artwork adorned the walls, taped haphazardly here and there

What girl can head into a project without her trusty
pink construction tools?
(one of my favorite Christmas presents from the past)

a piece of masonite, for the chalkboard

Magnetic paint!

More magnetic paint!

and, what girl can head into a project without her MAN
using the dainty pink construction tools to help her out?

a work in progress

FINISHED!!!!

...and around the corner.

my favorite part...the right-hand wall is all magnetic!

Now we can play and display without a Scotch Tape mess everywhere!

There were many steps to getting the Hide Out in decent shape:
1. de-junking MANY toys
2. sorting the toys
3. emptying the hide out completely
4. painting Magnet paint on one wall
5. Painting 5 coats of magnet paint on the chalkboard (hanging on the left, soon to be framed)
6. going to Home Depot multiple times for a few supplies
7. Painting the walls green.
8. Painting the chalkboard with 2 coats of chalkboard paint
9. cutting the wood for shelf supports
10. cutting the wood for shelves
11. painting the shelf supports (green)
12. painting the shelves (2 coats each!)
13. hanging a heavy-to-lift-hard-to-handle homemade chalk board
14. hanging the shelves
15. painting the little white floor shelf (3 coats of paint)
16. finally....re-sorting the toys into the fabulous new bins from Target!
(more are on the way, but we're beyond the budget for now).
17. Letting the kids PLAY on the CLEAN floor of the Hide Out!

Now, for NEXT week!
we are taking it down a notch or two...
down to the ground, quite literally!
This week, I am working on the neglected baseboards
throughout the entire house!
They need some SERIOUS TLC!
(it's not that I don't clean them, it's that some of them need some obvious EXTRA attention)

behind the laundry baskets in the laundry room

under the snack bar, by our red barstools

high traffic area in the kitchen
(ps. I swear these look WAY worse in these pictures, and Ryan's not thrilled about me showing our yucky house parts. )

down to the wire...

2009-01-29T20:30:00.000-08:00

But I WILL finish my Friday Project...

Fun Day!

2009-01-26T20:51:00.001-08:00

I can't imagine the day when my kids are too big to go to the park to play.

I hope it never comes.

It's ok to take your 17 year old to park to swing on the swings or go down the curly slide, right?

For now, I will be grateful they love to play. Grateful I can take them to the park. Grateful they WANT to go to the park with me. And most of all, grateful I can PLAY with them at the park!

(there are no pictures of me going down the slide, or swinging, but you bet I was...before the belly gets too big!)

So, even though we're all so busy and have loads of laundry, tons of dishes and chores to be done...go PLAY! In the sun, in the snow, inside, outside...just PLAY! It's such a good excuse to be a kid again!

A little history

2009-01-23T19:23:00.000-08:00

This new header - I LOVE- is actually the entry sign to the CITY OF SOUTHWELL, in England!!! Our friend is there right now and was in the city of Southwell for the day (neighboring Nottingham) and sent us a ton of wonderful pictures from that city. It's especially neat to us because both Ryan and I have a long line of English history. So, we are taking a few of our favorite photos from Southwell England and displaying the art in our home!

Project Friday

2009-01-23T13:07:00.000-08:00

So, I'm sharing this idea that my friend, Ali, brought to my attention. Every Friday I will choose a "project" to do during the week. I will take" before" pictures and post them. And the following Friday I will (hopefully) post the "after" pictures. Some will be smaller projects, others, probably more than I can chew...like this one!
I decided for my project this week I would do the "hide out". It's the closet under the stairs where all the toys are stored. I've had big plans for this place since we moved here...and it STILL has to be done...after 2 years!

So, here are the before photos. Wish me luck!

liberating feelings

2009-01-21T15:54:00.000-08:00

A few random thoughts:

* Getting rid of junk in my house, under the bed, in the closet, under the dresser...junk from ANYWHERE makes me feel so liberated!

*When I was about 16, I went on a walk at 2 a.m. with some friends. As a train passed by us (about 6 feet in front of us) we YELLED at the top of our lungs! oh what a liberating feeling! There are times I think about that and want to do it again.

*When dancing filled many hours of my day, 6 days a week, the most liberating feeling was to
a: take off my restricting, oh-too-tight pointe (yes, it has an "e" at the end) shoes and wiggle my free little toes. AND
b: go home and get out of my tight, worn-too-long-stinky leotard.

*Almost hate to admit it, but taking my twins to pre-school for the first time (4 years ago) was an ENORMOUS feeling of liberation!

*I've also heard that running into the ocean with very little on can be a liberating feeling. But to me, I think I'd feel more vulnerable than liberated...that's just me. :)

**Oh...and as I type, my 2 -year-old has taken off his clothes...all of them, and is jumping on the trampoline. Wow, liberating. I better go...

So what kind of things make you feel completely free! (remember my little ones read this sometimes :) )

A little Update (revised)

2009-01-14T12:28:00.001-08:00

I wish I could say it was an update on my wardrobe or hairstyle....however, it's better than that!

I thought I was only 8 or 9 weeks along.
I'm 12! Yea
Due Date: Aug. 1, 2009
(in other words...the end of July).
so far, so good, and we are excited!
I made him check 3 times in the ultra sound...and there's only one baby. PHEW!

Melt My Heart...

2009-01-09T18:14:00.001-08:00

Jaydon is a boy of few words.
He's shy and doesn't like to be "center stage."
My mom found this on her computer after we left.
Just knowing that he went in, all on his own,
and recorded this makes being a Mom completely worth it!

Fabulous Five!

2009-01-07T11:52:00.000-08:00

5 cents

famous 5
(love the hair)

powerful, yet lovely

cute book

5 points

5 pockets

world-famous-five

one of my childhood FAVORITE books!

5 sunflowers, Van Gough style

oh so sweet

Classic

another classic

speed limits

high fives

even better high fives

soon

it's the top rating, right?

The favorite birthday

best movie to see

most of us have five on each hand

different

yes, it is

a nice amount to have handy

(20's better, but I'm not going that far)

We're excited to say...We'll have FABULOUS FIVE in the summer of 2009!

This girl...

2009-01-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

I love how helpful and happy she is in our home.
I love her creativity and imagination.
I love her willingness to share her talents.(I wish she'd give me some)...
I love her love of family.
I love her love for all things crafty.
I love that she is independent and is confident to be herself.
I love her good example to her family and her friends.
I love that she wants to be my helper these days.

Emily is lucky and gets to share her birthday with her Great Grandpa Kennan (Papa). This year, she turned 9 and he turned 87!

Happy Birthday to two of my favorite people!

A first

2008-12-22T07:39:00.000-08:00

This is a sampling of Jaydon and Joel's first violin recital. Emily's an old hand at this...she's done it several times...but had a few jitters with Grandma and Grandpa S. in the audience. (and cousin Lauren). Enjoy!
(the first one is Joel, second is Jaydon):

(We're working on Emily's...it's a longer video...)

where has December gone???

2008-12-16T13:11:00.001-08:00

Here are a few things we've done already this December. Where the time is going, I have no idea!!! But we must be filling the hours with some fun stuff, 'cuz we have a few pictures to show...

We celebrated Ryan's birthday with a few friends. It's all about blowing out candles and eating cake, right? Well, there was plenty of that! A super-chocolaty-death-by-chocolate-made-to-order birthday cake was enjoyed by all.

We then went to our Ward Christmas Party. We ate LOADS of turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and all the fixin's! (not to mention the 20 rolls devoured by my 4 kids alone). Complete with homemade pies and candy-cane ice cream. Oh yum!

The entertainment for the evening was supposed to be Karaoke for the adults...but as you can see, it was sort of taken over by the youngsters in
attendance. Don't get me wrong, there were a few great adult performances, but for the most part I think Emily had a mic. in her hand 80% of the night! That girl loves to belt it out!!

On Saturday, we had a little craft project. The kids made a candy Christmas Tree to take to a sweet, sweet Sister in a local Convelcent home . The kids were a little nervous, though we've been there several times before. But they joined in singing loud and clear and gave Pam her beloved Christmas Tree! (I would post pictures, but it was too dark in her room).

No wonder I don't blog too often...as I write, the kids are seeing how much mud they can get on their feet...in the back yard. Meanwhile, Ezra probably needs some MORE dry underwear... Until next time...we'll keep doing fun stuff and posting when we can!

Birthday Shout Out!!!

2008-12-12T13:27:00.000-08:00

To my husband whom I don't deserve:
You are creative
You are talented
You are playful
You are very hard-working
You are motivated
You are thoughtful
You are funny
You are athelitic

You sacrifice for me (every day)

You are ambitious
You are the kind of father other dads want to be
You actually work at making dreams become realities instead of letting them pass you by
You serve
You laugh at my jokes (thanks for making me feel funny)
You are the computer "go-to" guy
You are handy
You can do ANYTHING (literally) you set out to do
You can build
You can cook
You can film
You can photograph
You can snuggle
You can sing lullabies to our kids
You are loyal
You are worthy....

The list is quite never-ending. I am the luckiest woman in the world to have you for MY husband!
Happy Birthday!

As a Mom

2008-12-12T12:45:00.000-08:00

Today was the boys' first awards assembly at school. Usually in Kindergarten they don't join the "big kids" for this event. However, these two are in a combo. class so they get to attend. I was so happy to see Jaydon get up and receive his award for "People Respecting Others" (a very important skill for a kindergartener). He was so lit up on that stage to get his certificate. It was great to see him so happy. He sat down next to his brother (who did not get a certificate this time) and put his arm around him and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
My heart sank.
I ducked through the crowd over to where they were sitting to give a couple of hugs.
One as a "congratulations" and "great job".
The other as an "everything is going to be ok." and "don't worry there will be a next time".
My sweet Joel was upset and fighting back the tears. How do you tell a twin that shares just about EVERYTHING, that not ALL things in life will be the same, or equal? I tried to let him know that next time it will probably be his turn. (but inside my heart just broke to see him try to be tough against those tears.) I know this will be a good little lesson for him to learn about life. But it is so much tougher than it seems! (side note: It's been 4 hours since the assembly and he's doing just great :) ).

On a brighter note...Ezzy and I got to spend some time at the park today. I love to go and watch him climb, slide, swing and climb some more. Here, he was letting me know it was time to get going for his nap time! I just love how he snuggles.

Best Beach in the World

2008-12-05T22:24:00.000-08:00

I know it's not very typical in December to be posting this kind of stuff, but there are a few places in the world that are just too awesome. This is Leo Carillo state beach. It's probably the last beach considered to be in the "Malibu" area. Every summer growing up my family camped for a week here and we watched many movies and commercials made here. What the photos don't show are miles of open sandy beaches, surfing, and pure awesomeness (a new favorite phrase from Kung Fu Panda). It's a popular place for the perfect sunset, pondering life, and hanging out. I recommend it to all.

A panorama of about 3 photos I put together. Cove 4 looking back at 3. Wish you could see it full size.

I saw this effect once and wanted to try it. Water can create the coolest effects with slow shutter speeds.

When I was 12 I found this cave on the fluke chance of the combination of low tide and sand levels. There already is a big popular cave there but I don't think very many know about this one. Last week I found it again and went in. Whoa! The walls were green and rocks purple. There was a very cool piratey vibe in there. I wanted to bury something and come back in 20 yrs to find it again.

The edge of cove 3 and a slow shutter.

Somebody kill me cause when I die, I'm hanging out on this lifeguard stand forever!

on a bargain

2008-12-04T13:33:00.000-08:00

I bought this CD several years ago because it was about $1.00.

Ryan used it once in a home video-edit he did of our family.

My kid's listen to "The Christmas Song" on repeat ALL day.

They say it makes them think about when they were little (because now they must think they are SOO big ).

As obnoxious as it is sometimes to listen to the same song 100 times in a day, I don't think I could ever get sick of this one.

maybe this is it!

2008-11-30T20:57:00.000-08:00

We are hoping that the flu that 's been haunting us for the past 6 days will be the only sickness we see this season!
While we were out of town for Thanksgiving, we all took turns getting sick...some of us more than others. Even the family members we were staying with (and others visiting) were hit by it.
I usually just say, "bring it on" when I know someone in the family is sick. I expect the rest of the kids to get it sooner or later. This year, for some reason, I wish I had quarantined the first sick one. Having a new family member sick every day, (and then myself not feeling great as well) just isn't something I want to be dealing with this time. But, since we've all had it now, maybe (hopefully) this will be the end of it and it won't bug us any more.

jumping the gun

2008-11-24T22:18:00.000-08:00

I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but we decided to decorate for Christmas today so it would all be up when we get home from our Thanksgiving festivities. So, complete with Christmas music blaring, the kids and I started to put up our Christmas stuff. What a fun way to start their week-long Thanksgiving break!

2008-11-23T16:41:00.000-08:00

Between Face Book and Blogs, and friends in the non-computer world, I feel so loved.
Thank you for sending your birthday wishes! It's been a great day.

plug (part II)

2008-11-22T07:13:00.000-08:00

I have finished my book, finally.

I feel like I know the characters, and it's always so bitter-sweet to finish a book...I just want it to keep going. This author is an amazing writer. Such imagery and personification to make the story come to life.

On the con side...as the book went on, the bad language increased; I'm not a big fan of that.
There were also some parts that were hard to swallow. (I guess that comes with reading about the Holocaust).

Time to start my second novel of the year (it takes me sooo long to read a book these busy days).
Any recommendations?