Kleinhenz Family

Kelly's Bridal Shower- rated PG-23?

2010-06-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

Many of you know my baby sister Kelly is getting married this Saturday to Alexander Klein of SouthHampton, England. She just got home from her mission in December from Germany and now she is leaving us again, this time for love! They will be in England two years while he is a student and then an extra year in Germany to finish up school. These are photos of her family bridal shower (Olivia was at work). We went to OCharley's and made sure we were alone in the back. As you can see from the first photo, we needed some privacy! It was hilarious; every time our waitress would walk up, Kelly would put her stuff under the table- thank goodness we didnt' have a male waiter! I love all the faces she is making in these photos, it is hard to say whether it was shock, horror, embarassment, or excitement! The basket full of food and candy is something Jamie has put together for each bride after her to take to the hotel room- we added funny things to the food names. We had a great time. It was one of the last times we were all together before she becomes a bride. I love you Kelly and I will be thinking of you this Saturday as you wed your sweetheart! See you in July.

Grant's a tv star!!! (hahahahaha)

2010-06-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

http://www.fox2now.com/videobeta/03fa62ff-81b4-41fe-bd12-240c2d651658/News/Flags-Desecrated-In-Centralia

As many of you know, Grant is the City Manager for the city of Centralia. Here are some of the important issues he MUST take care of- and guess what? Fox news was there to capture it! Enjoy!

Easter 2010

2010-05-17T19:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am a little behind. This is what happens when you don't download your photos for a while. This is Eatser morning! Yes we make our kids wear these silly ears. Since Jane is our late addition her ears are different from the other kids. Everyone had fun getting their baskets and then the big kids got to hunt for eggs. That is always a fun filled event. I had to put this close up picture of Jane. She is so beautiful. We get stopped almost everywhere we go. Our Bishop's son told my mother on Sunday that she is the most beautiful baby he has every seen. Thanks- we think so too! Jane is four months in these photos-(she is five months now). Happy Easter!

My girls

2010-02-13T07:48:00.000-08:00

So much to write- Emma finally got a hair cut and when she got up from the stylists chair I gasped- the reason? She looks like she could be 13! Maggie also got a trim and the woman curled her hair- which is a treat because Maggie has stick straight hair.

Then Emma had 80s day at school. We put her hair in a side ponytail and peg rolled her jeans, she had two pair of socks on and some plastic jewlery. Very 80s.

And then of course we have Jane. Her father gave her a baby blessing this past Sunday. It was so beautiful. I feel so blessed to have her in our lives. I was thinking last night how she has extended our parenting years by at least 7 years and how I am just fine with that. So basically when Elijah leaves for a mission, she will be 12- and entering junior high. She is truly a delight- especially now that she is sleeping better. We also had a well baby visit yesterday with vaccines- she did not like that, but she is now 23 inches and 12.4 lbs. and she is only nine weeks old. Two months down, eternity to go!

And even though this post is titled girls- I want to mention my sweet, sweet son Elijah. He had his adenoids removed this month and was such a trooper- he didn't cry or wine even once. In fact he kept insisting he was fine (aside from throwing up twice) and never wanted pain medication. He is such a great big brother and helps with Jane and of course he is a typical little brother- but all in all he does a great job fitting into a family full of sisters. I keep reminding him that eventually he will have brothers- it might be after his sisters are married and so they would be brother-in-laws, but brothers nonetheless. What a wonderful time to be a mother!

Children

2010-01-21T09:20:00.001-08:00

We were home for New Years and we couldn't resist buying these ridiculous looking hats for the kids to wear. We also had horns to blow and poppers to pull. It was a lot of fun.

The my sister Jamie gave me an idea. This white bear is Jane's- her Grandpa Ogden gave it to her when she was born. Each month I want to photograph her laying next to her bear to see how much she changes. Of course when I was taking these photos, Emma wanted in on the fun. So she layed next to Jane and had me take a picture. Emma is a great help to us. She LOVES to hold Jane and talk to her and just be with her. It is very sweet. Maggie is starting to warm up to Jane a little more, wanting to help too. Elijah just likes to come say hi and then he runs off to do his own thing. It is fun to imagine how their relationships will grow as they get older.

Jane's birth

2010-01-07T11:50:00.000-08:00

I know you all have been waiting for photos. This is me the morning I was induced and the rest are after she arrived that evening on Dec. 8th

Happy Anniversary!

2010-01-06T17:11:00.000-08:00

Today Grant and I have been married 14 years! We decided to go out to lunch since we would only have to take Jane (the other kids were at school). I drove to city hall to pick up Grant and Jane and I went upstairs to his office to introduce Jane to his co-workers (who are all women except one). They convinced us to leave Jane at the office and go to lunch by ourselves! And we agreed!!!! So while we were gone, they played with her and took some great photos. She will be one month on Friday.

And a quick tribute to my husband- when we got married 14 years ago I really didn't know him that well (I thought I did though, we had dated for 16 months). And it has been the greatest surprise to get to know him more each year and discover that I really chose well. Not to bad considering I was only 19 when I married him! I love how forgiving he is and how quick he is to apologize and what a great father he is to our four children. I also enjoy his sense of humor, he can still make me laugh out loud. I love how compassionate he is and how much he wants to help others that he sees suffering. I still think he is very handsome and am still excited to see him when he comes home at the end of the day. I love that he knows things that I don't (he answers all kinds of farm questions for me and also city government questions for starters). I also am blessed that he is true to his covenants, which I think has been the greatest gift of all to our family. I understand completely why women need men and men need women, how boring the world would be if we never had our better halves! I love Grant just because he is Grant. Happy Anniversary!!!

Jane Alexandra arrives!

2009-12-14T12:46:00.001-08:00

Jane Alexandra arrived Dec. 8th at 6:36pm weighing 8 lbs. 11 oz. and is 21 inches long. She has lots of black hair and already loves her pacificer. It is so sweet to have a baby back in our home, it has been a long time and I have to say Grant and I are a little in shock- we must have forgotten the lack of sleep and round the clock care, but I guess that happens when you have only school age children in the house. The kids adore her! What a great Christmas gift to our family! We will post pictures as soon as we download the software for our camera- we are a little distracted at the moment!

Tomorrow!

2009-12-07T08:58:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow is the day! We are pretty excited and of course making plans with friends who can help with the kids. We will update with more info. when we have good news.

Baby update

2009-12-03T11:41:00.000-08:00

A quick baby update- it is most definetly a girl and we will name her Jane. Now if we can just get her to arrive. I am not due until Dec. 13th, but my doctor told me she will induce at 39 weeks. That was my plan- I am 39 weeks on Sunday and I thought, okay, Monday will be the day. Now here is the surprise. My doctor, whom I love, is going to Pakistan for 3 weeks (this is her native country). So she is having another doctor (whom I have never seen as a patient, or met until yesterday) take over my care. He did my cervical exam, and then informed me that he will not induce me until my cervix is a 9 on the Bishop scale. I am only a six. I have another appointment on Monday to see if I have made any progress and if I am at a 9, then he will induce me Tuesday morning. It was all I could do not to cry- luckily Grant was there and kept reminding me to breathe and it would be okay. They did another ultrasound to check her size- she is 8lbs. 2 oz. as of yesterday (not to big compared to my others). I am really hoping to start labor on my own before my doctor leaves (which will be a new experience for me, I have been induced all three times so far)- I would really appreciate your prayers. My doctor leaves Monday- so come on baby!

Bedrest

2009-11-06T06:42:00.001-08:00

I think bedrest is everyone's dream until it happens and you realize that it is really boring and uncomfortable. I was on bedrest with Emma and here I am again, with five weeks until I am due. Plus this giant living inside of me (I am measuring at 40 weeks) loves to kick me til it hurts. The nurse called her an "Active Baby". Luckily the bedrest is working and my swelling has reduced greatly and my blood pressures were amazing yesterday. It is too bad we can't proclaim our own bedrest days- I think we could all use a day to just take it easy and cut things out of our lives that are stressful. But mostly I am just thankful to be having another child and the good thing is there is a deadline to my bedrest- I'll be up and busy again soon (and tired) and wishing for more bedrest.

Monster Mash!

2009-10-12T16:56:00.000-07:00

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/Fw6GnijCcvACmkc6

We made this just for you for Halloween!

Aunt Crawfish and the Hurricane

2009-10-08T07:12:00.001-07:00

This weekend opens the latest play that I am in. Some of you are wondering what it is all about- well here goes. Aunt Crawfish lives on Tybee Island. There is a hurricane coming and alot of the residents come and hang out at her house instead of leaving the island (they are calling for evacuation). My character is from Detroit and has recently moved there with her husband. He wants to stay on the island- I DO NOT want to stay. We end up staying at Aunt Crawfish's house with a group of people, including some people that are not from Tybee. During the night, there is a murder in the house and we are stuck in the house with the hurricane outside, a dead guy in the kitchen and a murderer still with us. That's all I am gonna say, I will not reveal who did it, you are gonna have to come and see it to find out! This weekend is dinner theatre so tickets are $25, but next weekend you can see it for $8 a ticket. It starts at 8pm. Hope to see you there!

Chicago

2009-10-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

Grant and I got to go to Chicago for a work conference (I just played- yeah!). My parents came from Indiana and stayed the four days we were gone. My kids LOVED it! They saw a movie and got to pick a place to go out to eat- each! They also had some new games for the DS. The surprise was Grant and I had new things too. My dad installed a new toilet and sump pump (is that how you spell that?) and a new vacuum which my mom used to dust my entire house and she also painted the trim in the bathroom and they installed a piece of trim that was missing. My dad also fixed a piece of our floor in that bathroom that had broken (boy, that bathroom sounds like a mess...hahaha.) It was pretty exciting to come home and "magically" all those things were done. It was fantastic!
We also rode the Amtrak to Chicago, which we had never done before and we went to the American Girl Store. What a racket!!! But it was fun. I called Emma and told her where we were and she gasped and then started dancing around the kitchen. When I told Maggie where we were she yelled "What!" into the phone- it was worth going into that store just to hear there reactions on the phone. Of course we took pictures and brought them catalogs- who knows maybe did some other things too, but we won't know until December!!!

Sister Kelly Ogden

2009-09-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

Kelly comes home December 16th! Can't wait! I am so curious about the woman she has become- when Brum and Jamie both came home I remember being pleasantly surprised about how they had changed- not that they needed improvement, but they were more reverant and had so much more life experience, life experience that had nothing to do with our family, but all to do with serving the Lord and others. Can't wait!

First Day of School

2009-08-21T12:43:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day back at school. It only lasted two hours, but my kids were so excited to tell me everything about their day that it was actually really fun. Emma is now at Lincoln Elmentary (this is all 5th graders) and has Mr. White. Maggie is at Schiller in 3rd grade and has Ms. Martin. Elijah is also at Schiller and has Mrs. DeMattei (I think I spelled it right). They each told me they got the best teacher (so funny, how would they know?) and then gave me a play by play of the day. Interestingly enough, they don't have many kids in their classes that they know, so this will give them a chance to make some new friends. They had such a great day, they were actually disappointed to have to come home. Can't wait for Monday!

VACATION

2009-08-17T08:02:00.000-07:00

Well folks, I am having technical difficulties due to my camera sitting in a puddle of water on the beach. If you look under The Ogdens and link to their page, you will see proof we actually did go. It was super fun! Seven days flew by!

School Supplies

2009-08-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I decided that I needed to get a jump start on school supplies since we will start school the same week we get back from the beach. I went to Walmart and got a list and then a store employee, handed me another list- this one was different from the one I had, but had the correct calendar year on it, so I took it and loaded up the cart. Later after I had separated everything and written everyone's name on their things and put them in the new backpacks, I was talking to a fellow mom and was telling her about my shopping. She told me she had a different list than me. Huh? So I didn't think much of it, but just today I checked and realized I had the school list for our neighboring town "Central City" instead of "Centralia City". Completely embarassed and frustrated I had to compare the lists and check to see which items I bought and don't need and which items I now needed to buy. It wasn't to different, but I still bought about $7 worth of items I don't need and now can not return thanks to the "write your name on everything" school rule. Well, lesson learned, read before you buy! I can't wait for school to start!

It's a Girl! We think!

2009-07-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

So we had the ultrasound and the tech thinks it is a girl, the umbilical cord was in the way, but she didn't see any extra parts. We also got one of those 4D pictures and of course our baby has her arms in front of her face. Other than that everything is perfect!

99 things

2009-07-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

99 ThingsHere are the rules: Bold the things you’ve done and post on your blog!

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you are not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold girl scout cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Got a tattoo

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

Brace Faces

2009-06-29T14:02:00.001-07:00

The day Maggie got her braces off was the very same day Emma had her's put on! Maggie will get braces again once her permanent teeth all grow in (this first time was to correct her bite) but luckily Emma only has to wear them once (20 mos. total). Here are the before and after pictures. Elijah will get his first set of braces in about 6 mo. You can see from his photo that his mouth looks like a jack-o-lantern at Halloween. Even with all the teeth issues (and there are many) they are still a good looking group!

Emma in Wonderland

2009-06-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

Photos of Emma after her last performance. Isn't her dress amazing, Grant took the photos so you don't see the back but she looked beautiful and did a fabulous job. I am looking forward to future performances!

Paisley in Wonderland

2009-06-12T18:20:00.001-07:00

There is something magical that happens in a theatre. It doesn't seem to matter if you are in the audience or performing, it is unlike anything else. Emma had her first speaking role this weekend in Alice and Wonderland. Her only line is "I want to play!" She says it three times in a row. She is one of the Royal Children. She gets to wear this long beautiful red dress with a bustle on the back, her hair is all curled and her makeup is red. She looks so beautiful. Yesterday during a children's performance, her friends came to watch, and at the end some of them wanted to be in a play too. I am so grateful for a community where we have a Cultural Arts Center. Our little town offers a outlet for arts of all kinds from writing and photography, to orchestra and choir and of course acting. I have felt more at home and more belonging when I am there and I am so grateful for the welcoming and warm people I have met. It took me three and a half years to finally make it over there and participate, but I finally did it and I am so grateful! What a blessing! My own wonderland!

baseball + bleachers= ER visit

2009-06-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

On Monday at a baseball game, Emma sprained her ankle while running around in flip flops. She is still limping a little. Then on Friday,

Emma and Maggie and I were watching Elijah and Grant during their baseball game. The girls were playing around and under the bleachers. Emma decided to jump off the bleachers by pushing off with her hands and smacked her mouth on the bleachers. She came over crying and complaining that her tooth hurt. I checked the teeth and they looked fine. So then she said the area under the nose hurt. When she lifted her lip I realized it was split wide open thanks to her teeth. The gash was so wide that I wasn't sure if she would need stitches (normally they don't stitch in the mouth). After flagging Grant down (he was pitching) we headed to the ER and got treatment. She ended up needing an ice pack and some serious antibiotics, but other than that she was fine. The worst part was how embarassed she was. You can see in this pictures how the right side of her lip is super fat. She talked funny for a day too. Then to top it off, I thought Maggie's softball game was at 8pm and we hurried and left the ER and made it just in time to discover I had the wrong time and her game has just ended. Maggie was so disappointed she cried for at least half an hour. This was not my most proud parenting moment! Needless to say, this was the start to a busy and hopefully safe summer. If you can't find us, check the ball fields or the Cultural Society (Emma's doing a play)!

Let's Go Fly A Kite!

2009-05-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

Jamie told me that recently her 1 yr. old Lucy was saying the word "kite". Jamie said, "Yes, you flew a kite with your cousins." And then Lucy said, "and Grant". I thought that was so sweet that she remembered Grant's name. I have noticed that most kids can remember the names of other kids, but adults become a blur. So here are some photos of Grant, Lucy, Emma, Maggie and Elijah flying a kite during our trip to Arizona.

TAG

2009-05-18T18:09:00.000-07:00

About Me

A book I highly recommend: Tuesdays with Morrie

My favorite flower is: roses in any shade except red

A game I like to play is: Ticket to Ride

The music I listen to most is: anything I can sing too

A movie I watch over and over is: Twilight

My favorite quote is: "A piper is down, I repeat, a piper is down!" So I Married an Axe Murderer when the bag pipe player passed out from playing at the wedding reception

My favorite thing to buy is: food I don't have to make

If I could afford to buy anything at the moment I would buy: A new house

If my house were burning down and I could only rescue three things, they would be: I am going to assume my family is already out of the building, my purse, my car keys, my camera

A smell that makes me pause is: Grant's breath= yeah, i know that is weird

My favorite sport to watch is: Colts football

The city I would like to visit most is: today it is Miami

A moment when I achieved absolute happiness was: when I auditioned last summer at our cultural society, I hadn't done it in about 10+ years and it was truly a spiritual experience- you can ask me about it and I will give you details

My favorite meal is: Mexican

A piece of music that makes me sentimental is: What a Wonderful World

Someone or something that made me laugh this week was: Grant made me laugh out loud for a while and I don't think he thought it was funny

My earliest memory is: starring at Jamie (my sister) with pure disgust because she couldn't talk and she was ugly, I think I was 2 or 3 at the time, she was probably almost 1

My first paying job was: Santa Mall Helper

The memory that still makes me laugh is: When Emma was 1 and I was on the phone distracted, she kept winning at me and I kept ignoring her, finally I looked over and she was giving me the boy scout salute ( the first two fingers held up close together) and they were covered with poop, she had stuck them in her poopy diaper and when she realized they were dirty, she didn't like that, so she was winning at me to clean them off

My best birthday was: 6 was pretty good thanks to a HUGE party my mom threw, thanks mom!

A smell that reminds me of my childhood is: Strawberry Shortcake doll

My favorite color to wear is: black

When I exercise I like to: walk.

The best vacation I ever had was: Ft. Lauderdale with Jamie, I didn't have to pay for much and it was a super nice hotel

The best thing about being married is: when Grant comes home

The thing I am most passionate about is: the gospel, don't get me started!

What is one thing you did as a child that you hope your child will NOT emulate: I was pretty demanding, of time and pretty much everything else, selfish in short

You are all now tagged.

Welcome to my neighborhood!

2009-05-16T17:22:00.000-07:00

Some of you are probably wondering about this post. When Grant and I bought this house, it was cheap. It was also 3 bedrooms with an entire attic to finish (which we did). The lot is 11/2 lots which is pretty good to find in town and the yard is all fenced in. Since that time, Grant has made more money, we have decided to stay and our family is getting bigger. I keep pressuring Grant to buy a new house and he says, "No, well lose our shirt and who knows how long we'll be here" Okay, he has a point, we don't want to throw our equity down the drain or take a loss on the house (because I can almost promise we will end up taking a loss, like we have on our other two houses), and so I just try to stay in the house. As long as I am in the backyard and can't see the neighbors or their houses, I am fine. I actually like the inside of my old home and it really does meet our needs. It only becomes a problem when I sit on our porch swing and look around, or hear the neighbors yelling at each other, or how everyone's friends honk when they drive by, or when the neighbor lady comes to talk to me about her son and the "BB gun". To this day I have NO IDEA what she was talking about. So anyway, here is to home ownership and adventures. I am truly grateful we have a home, even with my complaints, but it is pretty funny!

This house is probably my favorite. This was actually a nice home at one time, it belonged to an older couple. They rented it to their grandchild who used the house to live in and cook meth. So eventually everyone had to move out and they boarded up the place (this all happened before we moved in). A year ago, some people took the boards off the windows and moved in. They were there only a short time and then moved out, taking the windows and the doors with them. So the boards went up again. Here is my favorite part, the house is now on the city tear down list. So eventually it will be an empty lot and that is looking good to me.

This the the home directly across the street from us. These neighbors are in the middle of a large home improvement project. Unfortunately for us this project has been going on for over a year and a half. It started by replacing the upstairs window (which you can't really see due to the tree.) Next they ripped the existing porch off the house and then poured concrete (four different times) until they got it straight. Next they added the ? onto the left of the house, which is literally plywood painted white. And then they replaced the two front windows and while they were doing that, they ripped off pieces of their siding. That is the black parts you are seeing, their house without siding. They have three school age kids that live there (since the parents are super shy, that is a whole other story for another day) and I will ask the youngest whose name is Dallas, "Hey Dallas, what are you guys doing to your house?" He answers, "We're fixing it up!"

This the the home of our new neighbors directly to the north of us. They too have made many home improvements, like finishing a covered porch into a screened in porch and power washing their home, along with trimming trees. As you can see they are very fond of lawn decoration. In the nicest way possible, this is how my sweet 10 yr. old says it. "Mom, she is putting more stuff in their yard." I say, "Yep." Then Emma says, "That would be hard to mow around all that stuff."
This is our home! We have lived in this home for over 4 years. It was built in 1904 and since we purchased it we have changed the exterior color, replaced all the windows, finished the attic and many, many other projects. It is by no means finished, but we will probably have many more years to perfect it.

Elijah's 7th birthday!

2009-05-11T06:54:00.000-07:00

We went to Indiana for Elijah's 7th birthday. We went to lunch at Red Robin's- Yum! We also had ice cream cake and gifts at my parents house. My sister Vandi and her family were there, Brum's family was there and Tristan's family was there. Jamie called to wish Elijah a happy birthday, that is who he is talking to on the phone. It was alot of fun. We also celebrated Brum's graduation from College and Mother's Day. We only stayed for Saturday, but we had a great time.

Wind Caves, Mesa AZ

2009-04-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

We went hiking in Mesa up to the Wind Caves, it was long and hot, but fun! On the way down I took some photos of what the dessert looks like in Spring- this is mostly for Melani since she and her family are from Arizona. It is interesting to compare the photos of the ones I took here in my yard, spring in the midwest vs. spring in the southwest.

Mesa AZ Easter Pageant

2009-04-20T07:40:00.001-07:00

We got to see the Easter Pageant again this year and since we went early to get good seats, we also had time to take pictures. We kept Lucy and Fisher up way past their bed times and they were soooo good. If you have never seen the Easter pageant it is well worth the trip. It is on the lawn of the Mesa Temple and there are hundreds of people that volunteer their time to put it together. It depicts the life of Christ in the New Testament. It is very powerful and I really enjoyed getting to see it again.

Easter in Arizona

2009-04-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

We drove to Arizona for spring break and spent the week with Jamie and Gary's family. These are some famous Easter morning shots. I think my favorite of all the photos is the one where Lucy is laughing with her mouth open. If you blur your eyes you can actually picture her in about 13 years making this same face at some boy she thinks is really funny! My kids look so grown up next to Jamie's that it makes me appreciate each moment because I know it will be over before I know it!

Childhood

2009-04-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

So I am on my way to lunch with my friend Colleen and 30 minutes out of town when my husband calls her cell phone. I do not have a cell phone by choice, but my husband found me anyway and told me that the school had called and Elijah had a fever. I am thinking to myself, how is that even possible? He has been on amoxicillin since Friday (pink eye). So my lovely friend turns around and takes me to her house so I can get my car and drive back to Centralia to pick up Elijah. I get there and he is sitting on a bench outside the office just waiting for me. We get in the van and I drive thru Taco Bell (which is the answer to most illness at my house)for lunch and when we get home he eats one taco and then tells me he is cold (even though he is wrapped in a blanket) and goes upstairs to sleep. He napped for one hour. When he woke up he came down and laid on my bed where I was perched and I just held him for a moment and then he was off to play XBox. I was thinking how sweet he is and how I hope that he will be this affectionate forever. It seems these moments are becoming fewer and fleeting with my older daughters. Childhood is so brief and although having a sick child is not ideal, there is something sweet about having Elijah at home alone with me. Emma has had a few sick days this year as well, which I know she enjoyed just at much as I did. Maggie hasn't had the chance to be home yet and even though I would never wish a sick day on my children, I am kind of looking forward to the next one.

To my sister Jamie

2009-03-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, Jamie does not live in the midwest anymore, but in Arizona, the desert part. I was telling her about my yard and that it is in full bloom and she asked me to take pictures and post them. So the blogs that follow are for my sister Jamie. Disclaimer- I have NO photography skills and it was raining, 48 degress and the sky was completely gray. Enjoy!

To my sister Jamie

2009-03-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

This first green bush growing on this fence is a honeysuckle plant. The rest you can probably identify.

To my sister Jamie

2009-03-28T13:30:00.001-07:00

In these photos are bleeding heart, forsythia and tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and more!

To my sister Jamie

2009-03-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

Maggie Hair Update! Again!

2009-03-24T12:42:00.000-07:00

My child. She went to school on Monday with the same hair she hated on Sunday. I asked her if anyone said anything about her hair and she then listed off all the people who told her they liked her hair. So I say, "Are you upset about your hair anymore?" She said, "No, I am over it." I said, "Why couldn't you get over it faster?" She said, "That was fast!".

Maggie Hair Update!

2009-03-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

I am so glad I took photos of Maggie smiling with her new beautiful hair (Thanks to Hollywood Hair) because Sunday morning- two days after it was cut, she decides she hates her hair and basically cries about it most of Sunday morning and halfway through sacrament meeting. Is this an 8 year old thing or is it just a Maggie thing- not the hair, the crying and tantrums? Seriously, this child was determined to let me know how much she hated her hair. I just keep telling her, it will grow!

My sitting room- my favortie room in my house, for today anyway!

2009-03-20T17:23:00.001-07:00

This post is for Vandi. I told her I got a new settee. My sitting room has been neglected for over four years and I finally bought a piece of furniture just for it. This room has walls that are called "ember", it is a shade of orange. I have gold colored valances and red chairs. I love it so much and i am not even done with it yet. Here are some of my photos. They don't do this room justice. Come over and sit with me, we can sit and connect and visit- my kids say I love to talk! They are sooooo right!

Maggie and Mom date!

2009-03-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

So Maggie and I had a Maggie and Mom date and as you can see from the photos, she had her hair cut and styled and then her nails painted. She chose the color "Dress to Impress", it is reddish orange with sparkles. She is my child who refuses to let me do her hair in any way- I am not even allowed to brush it. So we went with a shorter sleek do. When I asked her what her favorite part was she said "Having my hair washed- it smelled like apples and having my nails painted." It was super fun.

2009-03-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

So I noticed Vandi had her new haircut on her blog. So here is mine. I had alot of hair cut off and then colored (I am going gray!) This is the day it was cut off and so it is still in the style the professional put it in. It is hard to tell since it is so dark, but I get alot of complements on it. I am getting ready for Spring, even though is is 21 degrees right now!

Reunion

2009-01-27T15:20:00.001-08:00

So we went to Indiana this weekend for Dean and Jen's wedding reception (of which I have no photos- I forgot my camera). But Friday night we had an overdue reunion with the Decker and Allen families. We became very close friends with Matt and Amy Decker and Liz and Chad Allen when we were students at IU. We were all married within six months of each other and had many fun adventures! Some of which have become legends to our many children. Anyway, we ate some amazing pizza Amy made and a delicious salad that Liz made (notice I did not bring anything) and talked until the wee hours of the morning. 9 of the kids stayed at the Deckers (Liz and Chad had a sick kid to take home) and then we got up and went to a buffet for breakfast (Matt's favorite- okay Grant and Chad's too!). Then we hung out at the Allen's. It was so much fun and way overdue. We will not wait another 8 years before getting all together. The most amazing thing is to realize that the friendship we started over a decade ago is now being extended to our children (which Amy and Matt keep adding too- one due in Feb!). Can't wait for the next get together here in Centralia! Look out St. Louis!

2009-01-10T15:07:00.000-08:00

I realize Christmas comes BEFORE New Years, but I forgot my camera and had to have photos sent to me from other family members. This is the cousins on the Ogden side minus Lucy and Fisher Jones. The other two photos are at McDonald's on Christmas Eve, which is an Ogden family tradition.

New Year's Eve Celebration!

2009-01-02T08:19:00.000-08:00

Courtney and my Dad were in Centralia visiting us, and since the kids are all under the age of 12, we celebrated at 9pm. We had candy treats and poppers. Here are some photos of the poppers and one of these photos is the mess after I swept it up. Even though it was early, it was still fun!

Maggie's Baptism

2008-12-31T12:19:00.000-08:00

It is GREAT to be EIGHT! On Maggie's 8th birthday we had family and friends gather for her baptism into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Then we headed off to eat Mexican food, cake and open presents. It was a very special day!

Cousin Fun

2008-10-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

My sister Jamie and her daughter Lucy came to visit from Arizona for a week. While they were here our parents and my nephew Courntey (Vandi's son) came to visit. The kids were running around the house having the time of their lives and they finally went outside and braved the mosquitos to jump on the trampoline. So fun!

Spiderman Slip N Slide

2008-09-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

This summer the cousins were all together thanks to Uncle Tristan and Aunt Olivia's wedding. During some down time from the festivities, they all put on their swim suits and headed outside to Grandma and Grandpa's backyard for some summer fun. The grandparents were kind enough to sacrifice their grass so the grandkids could get wet and cool off. Avery was the only cousin who couldn't play, 2 1/2 months is just to young for this kind of fast action! Even Lucy who wasn't walking yet got in on the fun thanks to her dad Uncle Gary.

Poison Ivy

2008-07-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

Grant and I had a city dinner meeting to attend last Saturday and my children went to stay at a friends house. The kids (against the instructions of the mother) went into the woods to play where they discovered a "haunted stable". Maggie swears that everytime they got near this stable it would moan at them (Emma says she didn't hear anything). The kids whose house they were at told them about a man that died there and how he haunts the stable and also how they found a dead deer inside of the stable. To make a long story short, Elijah and Maggie were scared out of their minds and ran back to the house. Emma says she wasn't scared a bit! A few days later, they all start itching- poison ivy on their faces and legs (so far). Nothing a little calamine lotion won't clear up, but the moral of the story- listen to your mother or you'll get scared and get poison ivy!

How much money does the tooth fairy leave for teeth with the roots still on them?

2008-06-27T17:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, it has been forever since an update and I am sure no one is even reading this blog, but it is good practice for me. I am going to master the photo thing-er-ma-gig. Today Emma had a tooth pulled at the dentist. This is of course the worst thing I can imagine happening (I have serious tooth pulling phobias, I don't even want to see it wiggle) but she sailed right through it and is wondering how much the tooth fairy leaves for teeth with the roots still on them. I believe my children and their teeth are single-handedly paying for our dentist's second home in France (okay, I don't really think he has a second home in France, but we are supporting him and his family!) She can only have soft things to eat for the next 24 hours and was happy to devour a milkshake and donut for dinner. I am sure those items are contributing to our next visit to the dentist and the whopping bill he will send to us, but guilt outruled reason for this mom with a teeth pulling phobia.

Technologically Challenged

2008-01-14T11:04:00.000-08:00

To those of you who may be reading this: I DID IT! Thanks Liz. I am not computer savvy but I do want to keep everyone up to date on my growing (way to fast) children and our lives in Illinois. We have been in Centralia for three years now and don't have any plans to leave anytime soon. It is a small community of less than 15,000 people. We are an hour east of St.Louis, but only 3 hours from Indianapolis. That makes seeing our families in a single weekend possible and we love that! Now, if only I could figure out how to post photos!! PS Does anyone know how to get rid of black crows that occasionally nest in the oaks trees in our backyard?