When you have 4 sisters sometimes.....

You get toenails painted...BRIGHT RED~
and you proudly show them off!

Even if you're knees are bruised and blisters on feet...at least you have pretty toes!!!!!!!!

What do you give a baby when it's 95 degrees outside?

A mighty mini popsicle of course!!!!!!!!!!!!

Running a 5K is like having your first baby!

I ran my first ever 5K yesterday. The day before the race I had butterflies the whole day. I was super excited but super nervous. What if I can't do it...or fall or come in last. Then I would think to myself- I can do this, I know I haven't trained very much ....OK at all. Still it will be great.

Before the race starts I had a great friend there to keep me pumped..and help settle the nerves. I watched tons of people stretch and hear others talk of the dozens of races they've done. * just like when you have a baby...you hear EVERY ONE'S birth story*

I have my number I'm ready to go. I take off with the pack. I pace myself and think just remember to breathe. I run the 1st mile without stopping once...but then decide I have to walk for just a minute...they have cones every 100 yards. I decide to only walk from one cone to the next...I didn't come here to walk a 5K after all. Sometime between mile 1 and mile 2 I am by myself. I realize, bummer I don't have my ipod with me...but then again I think I have maybe 2 songs on it..yeah I really need to put some songs on there. OK so I am by myself and it is very rare to have no one asking me for something. By this time I am really starting to feel it...I have a side cramp but their is NO way I'm giving up. There was another kid running somewhat by me..I say kid because he had to be maybe 18. Him and I were constantly passing each other...when we got up to the water spot...I don't know what to call it except they hand you cups of water and you are allowed to drink it running and throw it on the ground. I kept thinking my girls would've been mortified at all the littering :) Anyways I turn to him and said come on lets run hard. So we did. That was the extent of our conversation. I go down a trail and cross a bridge, I am breathing heavy but still not stopping. I come around a corner and go up a hill where a group of people are cheering runners on...it was so nice to hear them cheer you can do it 491 you're doing great. Even if it was a stranger it still feels good. The concept of time is totally gone..I'm thinking I really hope I am under an hour. Then I get to the last bend before coming up to the school where we begin and a cop yells out " you're almost there and you're under 40...I'm like..what no way! Sure enough I get up to the finish and get a time of 37:02. I was so excited...but immediately sat on the curb. I was bummed I didn't have my cute family there to cheer me on when crossing the finish line..but with 5 kids Saturdays are always super busy.

Now that I have run one..I am ready for another one...this time I will do a lot more to prepare.

* just like I say every time we have a baby!*

Sometimes it's good to be a FREAK!

The past couple of weeks I have been in a funk. Not a big one. Just a slightly overwhelmed and pretty crabby at times one. Most of this is due to lack of sleep I am sure. I had told my self a few days ago that I was over this and talked with Brett and had a good cry...really it was a good cry. I instantly felt better. Than I get to school one day with the kiddos and meet up with some of the greatest friends out there. Where I find out the kids Evil Principal was talking about me again!!!! Errr, that's a whole other post. Anyways, my shoulders slumped down and I dropped my head and said...I'm sick of being a freak! Everywhere I go with all 5 kiddos, I get. WOW, you're hands must be full...are they ALL yours? Don't you know how this happens? Are you done...NOW? and many more incredibly rude and personal questions. I usually have a pretty good attitude and just roll with it...but lately it's been getting to me. Luckily my friends instantly grabbed me and hugged me and told me I'm not a freak...then we all laughed.

-Mother's Day started on Friday for me. I went to a Mother's tea with Jillian. Giselle came too but Jakey went to my friends house....THANK YOU KATIE! * she has 5 kids too and of the group she has 2 sets of twins...so I really shouldn't be complaining*

The preschool did a great job with a yummy breakfast and cute flowers and even cuter songs. They also did a how well do you know your mommy paper...Always good for laughs. Jillian said I
was 53 yrs. old and 66 lbs...and my favorite drink is coffee....OK, nice since I don't EVER drink coffee and in my faith we don't drink coffee...so that one was the biggest laugh..for me!

Saturday is always a busy day but my wonderful husband let me slip in a pedicure with friends so now I have pretty toes! We then had 2 soccer games and then headed over to Brett's parents house for a BBQ. After that we went to a friends for cake for her daughters bday and then after that we put the kiddos to bed and Brett's dad came over and watched them while Brett and I picked out a firepit...YAY, we love it. We also did some grocery shopping....aren't we exciting!

Sunday- I stayed in my bedroom until 11am....SWEET!! The family brought me a wonderful breakfast with flowers and cards and tons of kisses...just what I needed.

We headed to church and Jakey did not fall alseep on the way..bummer, but the kiddos in primary sang to the mom's. Who cares if our oldest 2 daughters were fighting on the stand..I choose to ignore it and just listen! Giselle was swooped away by other wonderful mommys who needed some baby love.

After church we headed home where Brett grilled TONS of food. He made chicken and steaks and hot dogs...potato salad, watermelon, strawberries, chips and lots of drinks. Then a yummy cake and to top it off smore's off the new fire pit. We were lucky enough to have another super mom here with her 2 kiddos, since her husband had to work Brett didn't want her to have to cook.

The night ended watching Friday Night Lights.

Why did I write this all down? Well, this is like a journal for me and you know what...If this is what a freak does, than I think sometime's it good to be a freak.

There is a GREAT quote from the wife of the former President of our church:

This is how I feel about my job:

" I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed,and with long perfectly, manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someones garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheek and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here, and that I really lived." Marjorie Pay Hinkley

Mommy sit!

Lately when we leave the house or come home, Jacob sits on the bottom step and says " Mommy" and pats the step. He wants me to sit next to him and he points out all the stuff he sees. It is the sweetest little moment and I have to do it every time he asks me, even if we are in a hurry, because I feel these moments are too precious to miss out on!

Jolie's 9th Bday Party!

Jolie's party this year wasn't a themed party...the first one. It was all tween though. Pink and green and tons of fun. We got these fun lanterns and hung them from the tree outside. and had streamers on the island.

As friends began to arrive the energy also came in. I put Giselle in the high chair to protect her as much as possible. ALL the girls LOVED Giselle and I am pretty sure they all got a turn holding her.

We started out eating pizza, chips and fruit salad, with Pink Lemonade. Those girls can eat!

We started our first game which was Musical dress up...since I didn't have enough chairs we used a blanket. We used Selena Gomez music and when it stopped they had to sit on the blanket whoever didn't get a spot had to run over to the dress up bucket and grab something to put on as we all loudly counted to 10. Some conviently didn't get a spot on the blanket every time...Genna had a sad moment here and there...it's always hard when it's NOT your party.

All the girls dressed and ready for their fashion walk. I made them walk around the block all dressed up and then do a runway walk in the house.

Jolie luckily loved her cake. The wonderful Costco had one with roses so it worked out well. She told me later that her wish came true...that everyone would have fun at the party!

I didn't get any pictures of this but we played "I've never" with m&m's. That was a fun get to know you game, since we had both church and school friends there. After that we made flip flops. I got 4th of July colors and started cutting ribbon. The girls were very creative. Some wrapped it around the straps..some tied lots of ribbons some did just a few. Sooo cute. The whole time we were doing this Jolie had her CD player playing Selena Gomez and the girls were so cute. They sang along to every song...i mean it every word!

Some of the finished flip flops. By this time it was dark out..we did the party from 6-9pm. I had lots of fun with these girls and it gave me a fun peek at watching Jolie with her friends. Brett was cute, he was down there a lot but I have to say these girls are mighty loud, so he would sneak upstairs with Giselle just to give them both a moment of peace.

We love you Jolie and love watching you grow up!!!!!!!!