Are You Freaking Kidding Me?!!?

Holy crap.  I got Tristan's schedule in the mail yesterday.  He is signed up for drivers ed the first semester.  I. can't. deal.  For reals.  I can't even.  I don't understand these parents that keep smiling and joking about it like it isn't the freaking weirdest, scariest, most awful thing they have ever heard.  I am petrified.  I have let Tristan drive the Expedition once on the flats. It was fun and lighthearted and he was shocked that I let him do it.  Cedric was in the car with us and wanted to drive too.  What am I going to do when all the boys are teenagers and all of them driving.  BOYS and DRIVING do NOT go together.  At all.  Boys are so dumb with cars at that age.  I have been in too many cars where I totally should have died....all with stupid freaking boys driving who think it is cool to go way too fast and not obey traffic signs or anything.  And then I hear how much I am going to love him driving because then he can take kids places for me or run errands for me......ppssshhhhhh, whatever.  I don't want to put my younger kids in a car with a brand new driver.  Ummm, no thank you.  I don't want him to go to the store for me because like any man, he won't bring the right thing back anyway. And I sure as heck don't need him taking our cars and wrecking or breaking them in some way.  What a shit creek we would be up then.  And getting a kid a car for their 16th birthday is literally the stupidest, most irresponsible thing I can possibly think of to do for a 16 year old on their birthday.  "Happy Birthday, kid.  Here's a new car. Hope you don't die." Ugh.  I hate this.  Freaking hate it. And with the trillion other things on my mind too, it is all just too much.  Why are they all getting older?  Why am I getting older?  Why is all this happening?   

Cute Little Liam Pie

 These are photos we got taken at Sears back when we used to have more time and brain space.  These first few Liam was 6 or 7 months and we still had no idea that his hair was going to be so darn curly and cute because there was no indication of it yet.  

 In just a few months (these are his one year photos.....see how much more time we had?!!?) his hair was a all kinked up and super duper adorable! 

It all seems so long ago and yet, like it as yesterday.  Time goes faster the older you get.  I don't like it, not one bit. 

Randoms from 2005 (Nov. and Dec.)

 These are some pictures from when we lived at our house on Young Street in Nauvoo.  That is a picture of the first time that Jeremy grew his hair out.  And bleached it apparently, lol.  I didn't remember that part.  He didn't get it as long as he did the second time.  And where in the heck did my Cure shirt go!!?? I loved that shirt.  I had it since I was 17.  

 My little Liam pie!  (and Vivi twin,lol!)  It really is striking just how much they look alike.  And I love it. I am just tickled to death that my kids are so freaking adorable.  Pretty sure I have the cutest kids on the whole dang planet.  

 The rest of these pics are of the three boys playing and wrestling in the living room with a bunch of bean bags.  I don't know who was manning the camera but, they got some interesting shots, lol!  If it was me, I don't know if I was heavily medicated or what, bahahaha! 

 I remember having the grand idea to get a bunch of bean bags that the kids could lounge around and play with.  I think I bought like 6 or 7 of them.  And they did play with them, that is for sure.  But, they sure didn't last long.  I think they all broke fairly quickly.  And broken bean bag=huge mess. 

A Day Out With Thomas

 Wow!  This seems so weird looking back to when we were a family of FOUR!!!  Oh my goodness!  This was for Tristan's fourth birthday.  I was about 6 months pregnant with Liam and you can barely even tell!! Ha! Liam was the one that I had just lost a ton of weight when I found out I was pregnant with him.  And he is the one I gained the most weight when pregnant with a whopping 70+ pounds!!! How embarrassing, lol!  But, anyway, we took the boys to Chicago for an event called A Day Out With Thomas.  Both boys were super into Thomas the Tank Engine at the time.  We spent all day at the little Thomas festival and even got to ride on Thomas the Train.  I remember that we bought the boys a GIGANTIC Thomas balloon that cost us like $12 or something ridiculous and it took up the whole dang vehicle we were driving!  We also got to meet Sir Topham Hatt(pictured above). 

 I remember this day being awesome.  I look back on it with fond memories of not being and overwhelmed lunatic! :)  Oh, I thought I was overwhelmed then but, little did I know then, that it could get even  more overwhelming.  Live and Learn.  But, a learning experience that I would never ever change.  

Look at how tiny they are!  I can't believe it.  We were still such new parents even with two kids and one on the way.  I hope the boys look back on things like this with fond memories as I do.  

Bears, Oh My!!

Oh my goodness.  I am going to be a basket case while Tristan is in Philmont.  I am reading over the list of things they need to bring.  And one of the most important is a FREAKING BEAR BAG  to put all smellable items in so as to not attract BEARS.  Yep.  So, he leaves on the Amtrak train on Friday evening of the 7th of August.  They will ride the train all night and part of the next day until they get to Raton, NM.  Then they get off the train and take a bus the rest of the way to Philmont.  They will be hiking through mountainous terrain for 6 days and hike 45 miles.  Along the way I guess they are learning to shoot rifles, climb poles, ride horseback, and learning to survive off the land.  I am really, really nervous sending him off to do all this but, SO excited for him to experience it all!  They will be back on the train and arrive in Ft. Madison on Sunday the 16th.  I can't wait to hear all his stories from his adventure!!

What is a Word that Starts with 'C'

I was just sitting here at the computer ordering clothes from The Children's Place (they have a super fabulous sale today....I got 39 items(shirts, shorts, jeans, pajamas, etc.) for $108 shipped!!  Anyway, as I am doing that I hear Asher say:"What is a word that starts with 'C'?"  And Cullen answered:"Cynical."  Oh. My. Gosh.  That kid and his vocabulary!!  Reminds me of Tristan....only Tristan was saying these things at 2 and 3 years old!! lol!  I sure do love my kiddos!

Life Right Now

Jeremy and I have been taking half a day off on Wednesdays to go to the Carthage house and work on it until it is done.  It is coming together slowly but, surely.  We have/are painting every single nook and cranny in the entire house. (well, maybe not every nook and cranny....but, pretty dang close!) Yesterday I started in on trim and oh my goodness, it is going to take me YEARS to finish, lol!  But, it is looking sooooooo much better! It is amazing what paint can do!  I wish I had taken before and after pics.  When we are all done, we want to take everyone over to see what we did, lol!  I have to say that we are pretty proud of ourselves. *pats self on back* And if we get to do to the steps what we want to do to them, I will be thrilled!  There are some things we just can't fix right now or ever so what will be, will be. But, I sure hope this house sells for the price we want.  Knowing that we can swing two house payments and double payments on most utility bills is kind of comforting in a weird way, lol.  We certainly don't like doing it, and could definitely find better uses for the money but, there was a time when I thought we would never get to a point like this.  
But, I have to also say that we couldn't do this without my mom and Jeremy's mom.  They have been instrumental in allowing us the time to get this big project done by helping with kids and time.  I literally feel like I have never been so busy in my whole life!  We are constantly do/or worrying about doing something.

Tristan and Cedric have been working for Jeremy this summer at his store.  He wants to start teaching them more so they can help out with the store and earn some money.  Tristan also took the initiative and applied for a job at Pete's Place here in Nauvoo.  And....he got the job!! Awesome!  He is happy to be working there too!  Good job, Tristan!

I am now affiliated with a professional print lab for professional photographers!  Things are going really good with my business and I am excited about the future!  I will complete tomorrow a huge endeavor that I was asked to do this summer, taking team and individual photos of the Nauvoo Athletic Association's summer ball teams.  They had a total of 8 teams and I did photos for 7 of them.  It was so much fun!  I just made up four packages that they could choose from with some a la carte items as well and went from there.  I learned a lot and if I am asked next year or by someone else, I will definitely do things a little differently but, it was a great learning experience.  I am also excited about getting new equipment.  I plan on upgrading my camera to the next level.  I have it all picked out.  The body of the camera alone is $2400.  It is expensive but, it is so going to be worth it! I CANNOT wait, lol!  I am also going to get a new monitor that is specifically designed for photographers to get the best true colors and quality out of the pictures.
I also have quite a few people asking me about senior pictures.  This fall should be quite busy with photos as well.  I love it!!!!!

Eden is getting scheduled for surgery on her mouth in either August or September.  We had two options with her since we have no dental insurance.  The first option was cheaper but, more traumatizing for Eden.  The second is much more expensive but, much easier on Eden.  We chose the second option.  I don't like that she will be completely under or what is going to happen but, it does need to be done.  I am hoping that the house sells really fast because this is one of those things that the extra house money would be perfect for!  The whole thing is going to cost more than our cars. Good grief.

Vivianne is walking all around now.  She jabbers all the time and has so much to say!  One of the best parts of our day is when Jeremy is getting ready to leave for work.  When Jeremy says that he is going to leave she automatically starts waving, blowing kisses, and saying bye-bye!  It is freaking adorable!  We stand at the door and wave until Daddy is in the car.  And when she sees us come back from somewhere it is just as cute!!  She has an infectious smile that just doesn't quit.  Everyone gets the biggest kick out of every little thing she does.  She is pure joy.

We have not been doing Asher's meds much this summer.  I really don't like him being on the medicine.  It does help for when he is at school.  I wish I could homeschool again.  I am considering it but, I really don't think I can do it for at least another year.  Once we own this house and maybe have added on which, we want to do asap.  But, Asher seems to be doing really well without it most of the time.  I have been changing my approach with the kids lately. I felt like all I was ever saying to them was no. Or shut up.  Or telling them to stop or saying how annoying they were.  Not very uplifting stuff.  I was feeling overwhelmed with everything and taking it out on them.  I was even annoying myself.  When I stopped to think about why the kids were being so mean or misbehaving, it made me realize that maybe I am part of the problem.  If all you ever hear is someone yelling at you, then it can't make you want to be a very happy, kind person.  I am doing my very best to be patient and understanding instead of quick to temper and mean.  (Not that I am mean to my kids, don't take this the wrong way....it's just that I feel like I am not being the best example right now....I think everyone does it at some point.)  It is also very hard when you have 7 kids.

I am doing well on my weightloss journey that I started in January.  I started out at 210(I think) and am down to 177!  That is 33 pounds since January.  That is almost 5 pounds a month.  I am trying to not be annoyed that it isn't happening quicker but, I think this is actually a healthy rate to lose it.  Having a fitbit is great for motivation.  It is also great to make you feel like crap.  When I am editing pictures, I HAVE to sit at a computer for a long time.  And I don't get as many steps as I like.  But, it is still good to have, to make myself accountable and more aware of my activity.  I need to find something to do during the winter to keep my activity level up.  I thought about getting a membership the YMCA or something.  I don't know. We said we were gonna do that a year or two ago and never did.  Completely forgot about it.

Tristan is also getting ready to go on his great Boy Scout adventure to Philmont!  They are all taking the train out to New Mexico(an adventure in itself) then will spend a week at Philmont and ride the train back home.  He is saying that he really doesn't want to go anymore.  But, I know once he does it, he is going to love it.  It is already paid for so he is going, lol!

More of our Father's Day Campout

 I only got a few pictures on our Father's Day campout.  Liam and Asher were playing tic-tac-toe and getting along really well on Saturday morning.  Liam can be a great big brother when he wants to be.  He is responsible, kind, and helpful. 

 I got a great video of Eden pretending to be in a Dora the Explorer episode.  She was marching through the woods, singing "I'm the grumpy old troll, that lives under the bridge".  Then she would turn around and say "Solve my riddles!"  It was super cute! I will have to see about loading it on here. 

 The night before we had to set up camp by the light of the cars and we had two tents and lots of stuff to arrange.  The kids were real trooper and team players.  Tristan got his tent up by himself with help  from Ced and Liam.  We all pitched in on the 8 person tent but, Jeremy was at the helm.  We had the boys looking for sticks to start a fire too.  The walked just a little way into the small woods that were around our campsite.  The next morning when we woke up, we could see finally, and saw that we were literally right next to the lake and the kids almost walked right into it!  It didn't make us feel any better when we went to rent paddle boats about 100 feet from our campsite and saw three poisonous snakes and a huge bullfrog just hanging out on the shore.  *shudder*

We tried renting paddle boats after getting back from the beach.  The guy had to chase away the snakes and frogs and actually EMPTY ALL WATER OUT OF ALL OF THE PADDLEBOATS.  What.the.heck!?!?  It looked like they didn't keep them up at all.  Me, Cedric, Liam, and Asher all went out.  The guy left.  Well, turns out the dang boats don't even work and we pedaled and pedaled until our legs were limp nothings but, just keep going further out into the lake.  Jeremy finally had to go get some rope from our campsite and then throw it out to me and pull us in.  Did I mention that the little lake at The Landing is completely surrounded by RVs, tent sites, cabin and condo sites?  Yeah, well, it is.  lol!  It was quite the experience!  

Also, on our mad dash to Hannibal during the storm, Jeremy was driving his Vibe in front of me with Tristan, Cedric, and Liam.  We were flying to try to beat the main part of the storm.  The sky was dark but, the constant flashing of the lightening was allowing us to see all the cloud formations.  The wind was trying to blow us off the road the best it could.  Well, I was following Jeremy pretty close because we had a few turns to make before getting to Hannibal and Jeremy had the GPS and I had no phone.  Apparently, as were were cruising down the road there was a truck pulling a huge boat and it was losing shit left and right.  At one point, Jeremy scared the crap outta me because he swerved really fast outta nowhere and then I see a HUGE inflatable thing for about 10-12 people.  It was massive and covered our whole lane even deflated.  Jeremy's little car whipped right around it but, I had less warning than him and couldn't swerve fast or far enough(without wrecking the Expedition) and smacked right into it!  Scared the heart outta me!! Then before I could recover my nerves from that, there was a case of beer in the road we had to swerve for too! Gah!! We finally passed the boat once we got on the two lane freeway and he was losing everything. I don't think he even knew it.  I bet he was super annoyed when he got home.  

Cullen was cracking us up all weekend too!! That kid says some of the best things all the time!  I wish I could remember them all or always record them somehow.  Anyway, these three little gems are from the ride to Hannibal on Friday night. It was me, Asher, Eden, and Cullen in the Expedition and we talked the whole way to Hannibal.  

1) "Mom, when I grow up, I think I want to be a kid again."
2)"I really really like Sarah. (Sarah Clark) She is so nice. *pause* And polite."
3) "I wish my name was Jesus."