Face Lift

Do you like my new look? I love these colors! We just got back from a week long, good time, family reunion. I love my family! My kids cried when everyone left. Stay tuned for lots of pics and rundown of what we did!

sandy fun

Do you love to play with sand, but hate how it works its way into all your nooks and crannys? Wish you could play with sand in your house without the mess? Want to be creative? Do you need something to waste time on?(is that enough questions?) I was looking at Tip Junkie's blog, and she had posted about this fun virtual sand art site. Give it a try. Let me know what you think. I had good fun, I hope you do, too!!!

Mosaic Me!!!

Saw this awsome meme (still don't know why it's called that) on my blog pal Amber M's site. I thought it looked so cool, I'd do it myself. It took me forever, so you'd better enjoy it!!

If you'd like to play along, here is what you do.

1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.

2. Use only the first page of results, and pick one image.

3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Lab’s Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food?

3. What high school did you go to?

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. What is your favorite drink?

7. What is your dream vacation?

8. What is your favorite dessert?

9. What did you want to be when you grow up?

10. What do you love most in life?

11. What is one word that describes you?

12. What is your Flickr name?

Everyone's doing it!

Several of my blogging buddies are doing this fun memory blog. Thanks for the idea Holly, Montay, and Ashlee! Here's the rules....

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses.

Don't let me down, people. Show me some love!

Have you seen my children?

In the past week, I've recieved 2 different mailer coupons from Pull-ups. One tells me my child is 36 months old. The other tells me my child in 24 months old. Where are these children to which they refer? I don't even remember giving birth to them. I rember giving birth to the 4 year old, and I remember giving birth to the 3 month old. The other two just don't ring a bell. And I can't find them anywhere. I must have misplaced them. I feel really bad about that. So if anyone finds my 24 month old and my 36 month old, please let me know. I have some coupons for them.

Hey...

What? Another post so soon? What is wrong with me! Heehee.

Here are some random momemts and thoughts from our life.

Family Home Evening...

We are brilliant. We have discovered how to have a simple FHE lesson with the kids actually paying attention. We have the lesson while we eat dinner. I think it will work with simple gospel topics. Last week we talked about prayer...how to prepare for the prayer (fold arms, etc.) and how to behave during the prayer. The 4yo is having a difficult time with that one. Tonight when we blessed the food, he was sneaking olives. So we made him fold his arms while everyone else got to get food first. Believe me, for a kid who loves food, it was a harsh punishment. Anyway, back to last week. We also set goals to have personal prayer morning and night, and family prayer nightly. We did mostly good. Did good with the family prayer goal, but we still need to work on the personal prayer goal. Tonight, we talked about how to behave at the dinner table and at restaurants. We are the poster family for how not to behave. You know, sharing bodily funtions, crawling across the table to get the item you want, feet on the table (not me, that's a kid issue). So tonight we discussed manners, and practiced passing the food to each other, and saying please and thank you. I believe it was a success. So, two FHE's in a row. (patting myself on the back). We're on a roll!

Kids..

Last night, Cory and I went to a meeting for being ushers at the Temple open house. We ate dinner, and then it was time to go to the meeting. I left Madi in charge (we took the baby with us) and left instructions for the kids to clear the table and load the dishwasher. When we got home, we had the same "hell froze over" moment Bonnie ( a different Bonnie) had with her kids. They had not only cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher, bet they had also straightened up their rooms, swept the kitchen floor, picked up the family room, and picked up our bedroom. I realize it was the Sabbeth, and cleaning the house may not have been the most appropriate activity for them, but I didn't want to say anything to deter them from doing it again. We'll have to have a FHE on appropriate Sabbeth day activities. Last night we just showered them with praise and and chocolate chip cookies. ( the Otis Spunkmeyer ones from Costco...yum!) And I ever so politely ignored Gabby's question of "Do we get payed?".

And here is a picture of Jaxson and Gabby watching Camp Rock. Gab got him all set up and comfy to enjoy the show.

House...

Our house may never sell here in Twin, but that hasn't stopped us for looking for homes in IF. Three weeks ago we found a house we absolutely loved. It was perfect. It had been on the market for 300 days. It was brand new. Someone bought it the next week. That was a bit discouraging. We looked the next week and found a few that we liked, but when we went through them again this last week, I realized they had absolutely no closets. Seriously. One had a coat closet that was like 2 feet wide. And the other house didn't have any. No coat closets or linen closets. The bedrooms had closets, but that's it. I need storage. Obviously the plans were drawn up by a man, because no woman in her right mind would build a house without closets. So, after that I became a bit discouraged...again. Then we found another perfect house. The only problem it it's built by someone that is not really friendly with Merlin's Insultation (The family buisiness, and our livelihood). This is the floorplan. Notice all the closets. The basement isn't finished, and we'd have to put in fence and lawn. But I loved this house. We're hoping they'll do an early occupancy option where we'll pay rent until our house sells. Keep your fingers crossed!

Beading...

I've started beading again. When I went to girls night last time, one of the babies was sporting a binky keeper that was beaded. I made one for Jaxson. Then the bug hit and I've been beading while we travel back and forth across Southern Idaho. Here's are a few things I've made.

So, that's life here. We've got a family reunion this week, so I probably won't post till next week. So I hope y'all have a fabulous 4th of July, and enjoy being free!!!

Time to catch up....

Well, hello. Is it really almost July? What the heck? I've apparently taken a brief, completely unplanned hiatus from the blogging world. I must say, I've totally missed it. I haven't even had time to read my favorite blogs. We have had an insane Month of June. My sister even called me to yell at me for not blogging for so long. She said she doesn't have anything to read. Whatever. Wendy, I don't have anything to read, either, since you never comment!! By the way, you really should start one of these blogs, too. You are a funny lady.

So, this will be my catch up post. Randomness at it's finest. It may be long, so be warned. Or, maybe I'll just split it up into a few posts....we'll see.

Weddings...

June is the month for weddings, right? Well, we had two. The first was Cory's sister, Darlyn. She got married here in Twin on the 13th. Yes, Friday the 13th. They met on a Friday the 13th which is why they chose that day to get married. Her husband, Chris, is a BASE jumper. He's an awesome guy, and we are so totally excited for both of them. They wanted to get married under the Perrine bridge at the landing spot for the BASE jumpers, but the boat to ferry people was way way too much. It was a fun little party. They had a bounce house for all the kids to play in. Can't say I've ever seen that at a wedding, but it was definitely a big hit. Lots of yummy food, too. It was a great day,and we are glad to see her so happy again.

On the 20th, another of Cory's sister's, Hailey, was married in Idaho Falls to Kyler. Kyler's family and Cory's family used to be in the same Ward. They moved across town when Hailey an Kyler were young. Hailey is about 4 or 5 years older than Kyler, so they really didn't know each other growing up. They met at ISU this past year. They are so perfect for each other, it isn't even funny. We are so happy for them, too. That event was pretty much a weekend of fun for us. We went to Poky on Thursday for a family dinner and ate yummy pulled pork and several tasty salads. Do you notice a trend...yummy food? It doesn't take much to make a party a success in my eyes!! Then we went to IF for the wedding on Friday. It was beautiful. The weather was fabulous, which was great. The kids played at a park near the Temple. There were some older cousins there to take care of Jaxson, so I didn't have to stress. The ceremony was great. The Sealer was President Loveland, who knows both of the families. There was a point in the ceremony where Pres. Loveland stated he knew Kyler's Dad was there, and was so proud of him. (Kyler's Dad died in an auto accident when Kyler was very young) At that point, I stopped to "feel". I later told my Mother-in-law that I could tell there were a lot of people there we couldn't see. I'm sure my Nathen was there. I could feel him there. It was a very comforting thing. Another thing that stuck out was something he said while giving them advice and stuff. He quoted Pres. Hinkley and said "Soft words in the home is the language of peace." I totally want some vinyl words of that to put in my home! I'm gonna make my kids memorize that one!

Movies...

We've rented a few videos this month. Last night we we watched Fools Gold. Holy cow, what a great movie. If you haven't seen it, you really should. We laughed. Last week we rented Dan in Real Life. On the back of the movie case it says this movie is a "hilarious comedy". Not so much. It was a good movie, but I kept waiting for the hilarious part, and it never came. Tonight we're going to watch The Spiderwick Chronicles. Hope it's as good as we expect it to be!

Update- We watched Spiderwick last night, and it was a great show!! If you haven't seen it, you should.

Carmen Rasmussen...

A couple weekends ago, Carmen Rasmussen came to Burley. You remember her. She was one of the top 12 in season 2 of American Idol. Cory and I took the 2 girls, while the boys all stayed with Grandma and Grandpa. Yes, even Jaxson stayed, and did awesome! Anyway, she did a little concert and told a few stories from her book, "Staying in Tune". It was awesome. Of course, I left the camera at home, so no pictures. But we bought her book, and her CD. We love Carmen!

Baseball...

So,we've got Alex in baseball right now. I love watching him play. Usually Cory is the coach, but since we didn't know if we'd still be here (wishful thinking), he didn't sign up to coach this year. Big mistake. I never thought I'd be one of those Moms, but seriously, PLAY MY KID! I mean, really, Alex is the only one that gets substituted out, and it's usually only after he plays 2 innings. They had a game on Tuesday. We only had 9 kids show up. (I wonder why? Come to find out, I'm not the only parent with issues!) So, Alex got to play the whole game. Unfortunately, they didn't play as good as the coach thought they should. I thought they played okay. They're only 9 and 10 years old. And the other team's coach also coached Legion ball, so he actually knew how to coach. They were really good. Anyway, after the first inning, they all just sort of fell apart and did horribly. I attribute that to the coach yelling at them the whole game. Yeah, yelling. Get a grip, dude! He kept telling Alex to cover the first base if the first baseman ran to catch a ball. Um, no. That would be the pitcher's job. Anyway. After the game, he made them run laps around the field. What! Yeah, I think this guy has a problem. One of the parents said, "No coach, I don't think so.", grabbed his kid, and turned to the other coaches (yes, this guy put together a coaching staff. His "staff" also thinks he's an idiot), and said (or rather, yelled) "He'd better change his attitude! These kids are here to play and have fun!" or something like that. I should have piped up with a "hear hear", but I'm too much of a wimp. So I hope this season doesn't sour Alex on baseball. It's his favorite sport, and he's actually pretty good, I think.

Well, this has taken me 2 days to type, so I'm just going to go ahead and post what I have so far. I promise I'll write more later. I just know I have tens of adoring fans out there, dying to know what my cute little family is up to. And Wendy, I promise I did not intentionally make you wait forever for this post. I'm happy it makes your day to read all about my life. Yes, you should totally start a blog!!!!!!!

Summer Vacation is here!!!!!

We, at the Blad household, are VERY happy to see school come to an end. I am mostly excited to take advantage of sleeping in when the baby will let me. It's amazing how much good that extra hour of sleep does for a woman! Last week was full of all sorts of fun events. Tuesday, Gabby and Alex recieved their rocket math medals, so we went to that little awards ceremony. It was fun to see them get their awards.

And can I just say, I am not much of a photographer. My pictures always look horrible to me. I'm just gonna blame that on the camera. It got dropped on the cement last year. That has to be the problem....Anyway, on to Wednesday. That's the day Jaxson turned 8 weeks old. Crazy how time flies. He's starting to smile so much more, and he's cooing and babbling at us...so fun! I love little baby voices. He's really starting to show his personality. He's such a laid back baby, which is great for me!

Also on Wednesday, Cory went to a work meeting in Poky with his brothers and Dad. It was decided that they want us in Idaho Falls the beginning of July. If our house hasn't sold by then, the business will have to pay rent for us, because there is no way we can afford a house payment and a rent payment. It kinda stresses me out a little, but it's nice to know there's a bit of a plan in the works. I just pray our house sells soon!

On Friday, Miss Madi graduated from the 6th grade. I can't believe I have a Jr High kid now. I'm starting to notice the beginnings of teenage-hood. She seems to get annoyed with us easier and more often now. But she's still such a sweet girl, and a great big sister. She's always helping the littles ones, which I'm so grateful for. At the awards ceremony for the 6th graders Madi got 2 awards from track and field day. She placed 2 in the hula hoop contest, and 3rd in the wheel barrow race. I can't say I remember those events ever being in a track meet, but hey, I'm pretty sure I couldn't do either of them at this point! So, way to go Madi! She was also awarded the Presidents Volunteer Service Award at the silver level. She was a Patrol student this year, helping younger kids cross the street. Her time volunteered ended up being 94 hours for the school year. That qualified her for the service award. She got a neat pin, and a letter from the President. She was pretty excited about that. We were pretty proud of her commitment to stick it out, even when she didn't want to do it in the cold and snow and rain and wind.

Alex apperently had a little award ceremony for the 3rd grade, as well. I wasn't aware of that one. He got a medal for being the #1 reader in the entire 3rd grade. He accumulated a total of 324 AR points for the year. He just loves to read, and it comes so easy to him. He is now reading on the Jr High level. He also recieved an Academic Award certificate for having all A's. He's a little smarty pants! We're so proud of all the kids. They all worked so hard in school this year, and I saw them each progress and learn. They are definitly smarter than I was at their age!

On Saturday, Alex had a practice baseball game against one of the teams that he won't be playing in the regular season. It was pretty slow at first, but in the end, our little team had it figured out and were hitting the crap out of the ball. They were all getting so excited. They were doing pretty good in the outfield, too. One kid even had a double play, which is pretty good for 9 and 10 year olds. Alex loves to play baseball, so I'm glad we got him signed up. It's definitly his favorite sport

So, that's been our life, lately. I really need to blog this stuff as it happens, instead on waiting till a weeks worth of events happen. It's almost too much!

Memorial Day

We spent a fabulous Memorial Day weekend in Poky. (where else do we ever go?!) I have so much fun when I go to my in-laws. I love my in-laws. They are the best. And there is nothing better than the fun competition that comes from playing a good ol' mexican train game. We usually spend every Memorial Day weekend in Poky. Our second child is buried there. It just doesn't feel right if we aren't there on Monday to take our little family there, decorate his grave, and remind our little ones about their brother. I often wonder what he would look like and what he would be like if he were still here. I often feel overwhelmed that Heavenly Father let such a special little guy be a part of our family. I am grateful for the knowledge that families are forever, and comforted by the fact that we will get a chance to raise him. I like to think of him as a little missionary. None of my Dad's side of the family are LDS, and I just know he's up there teaching them the gospel. I miss him. But I know he is where he is supposed to be, doing what he is supposed to do. Probably shaking his head at my attempt a motherhood, and thanking Heavenly Father he didn't have to be subjected to it here on earth. (lol)

You'll have to excuse the camera strap. This was the only picture that

had us all smiling. We left Jaxson in the car. It was COLD and RAINY.

Also, grateful to live in a free country. And so grateful for those who have given their lives to keep it that way. We truly are blessed, aren't we.

Wii are not so fit....

Let me just start off with this little thought......
I really wish I was made of 100% cotton, so I could wash myself in hot water, throw myself in the dryer, and shrink a few sizes. That would be fabulous.
We bought the new Wii Fit today. It is so fun. There are lots of fun little exercise type things to do, but it doesn't feel like exercising. I love the hula hoop. I'm sure that it looks pretty comical from behind. Nothing better than execising and entertaining the family at the same time. There is just one thing. It's also a scale, and figures out your BMI. I stepped onto the balance board to start to creat my profile. A little voice said "oh!" Seriously. Not so good for my already depleted post partum self esteem. Apparently, I am obese. I'm not so happy about that little tidbit of info. And what's worse, after it figured out my BMI, my poor littl Mii (that is the character I made to represent me when I play the Wii) plumped right up. It even made a little plumping up type sound when that happened. So, I have got to lose some weight, because when the gaming system tells you you're a fatty fat pants, you start to listen. I did a little DDR today, and did some training on the Wii fit, and worked up a sweat both times. Hopefully, someday in the near future, instead of hearing "oh!" when I step on the balance board, I'll hear a "whoowhoo" whistle.