Birthdays

Reed turned 4. As is our tradition we lit him on fire! well not actually just some of my amazing trick photography skills.

My parents gave him the individual ice cream that the kids love. I'm pretty sure I should have let Aliza or Livy eat his as I vaguely recall him finishing off theirs. I did notice he ate his quickly so as not to suffer the same fate. Oh well.

Reed is a cute boy who loves to eat chocolate muffins and pie. He is sweet and mischievous. He is careful and kind when he chooses to be and a real menace to his little sister  at other times.

 "I tackle her!" he said proudly as I read this to him.

 He will test my mom radar by randomly smacking or pulling curls for a favorite little sister. He is also very into hugs, playing with tractors that have trailers hooked on them, and loves to ride his stick horse fast! He likes stories and is still snugly. He is also enjoying primary and the fun of sharing his colored pictures from class with me each week. He is our farthest spaced child an island if you will. Almost 2 years from either sibling on each side and our lone male home with 3 sisters and one mom. Wow, he has to be tough. He is a funny duck who is going through the "I'm dead stage."Where he likes to play dead, complete with tongue hanging out.

We also celebrated Greg's birthday. He's 40! It is making us both take stock in where we are, where we are going, and what is working and not in our lives. It's hard to get older and admit you are a bit more mortal than you had previously believed. He is an amazing man. He has more stamina than most people. And I can not keep up with him for 2 days in a row. He never complains, rarely fights back, is a staunch defender of right and a great provider and protector. He loves Cummins, snap-on, pie, his family, and hates sitting still or relaxing. He likes war books & magazines, farming, and marvel comic movies. And he can still do LOTS of push-ups. He is kind and charitable, he loves helping others, especially older ladies. He loves to visit and hear people's life stories. He is super self-disciplined and I'm grateful to say my amazing husband.

At our second favorite restaurant Texas Roadhouse eating while we texted Brenda. Such a modern date.

Millie discovered an open flour bucket. She had a lot of fun feeling the flour on the floor.

We don't do baby bottles much here but she loves the calf nipple. It is good an chewy. We try to keep the used one away from her. So far neither calf nor baby is suffering from cross contamination though. Phew.

Good for sore gums. She now has two teeth.

Addie loves to take pictures of Liza. Here she is enjoying one of the fine days of spring break.

3.31.14 Horses and Hot Dogs

We got a surprise visitor over spring break. A special man in our ward brought us two wooden rocking horses. We had purchased one at the young men/ young women fundraiser dinner and he kindly brought us two. The kids were ecstatic. They are beautiful and fun. All the kids enjoyed them.

The next day we were treated to even more horse experience with a visit to Uncle Ty's and Aunt Rachel's. My girls are infatuated with horses. In fact they even read horse encyclopedia books about breeds. They read any book that has a horse in it. They were in heaven. Although after their ride they admitted it's harder than it looks in print.

 

In the between time of riding the horses there were adorable baby goats and fun dogs that would chase sticks all day long. It was a great way to spend some of the spring break.

Reed had more fun playing fetch with the cow dogs. The dog would bring any size piece of wood to be tossed for his retrieval. Mark was in cow heaven. This would be his lifestyle of choice.

After loving all the farm animals we headed to a hot dog roast. I can say after 2 hotdogs and 4 smores that was enough for this year! It's always fun to cook over a fire and no one got beaned with a flicked flaming marshmellow although we tried a few times too many for this mom.

And the littlest horse rider finally got her turn when the big kids went to bed.

3.31.14 Extremes

I was informed over break that while discussing extremes in class one of Anna's friends had stated: "Anna's mom has an extreme number of kids!" The teacher agreed that yes she does, then went on to speculate that Anna's mom would be pregnant by summer. Lovely.

I hate how it makes me bat an eye at these obvious observations. I would like to state that we are the kind of family that should be adding a child each year. I work hard to make sure my kids are taken care of, taught to be workers, intelligent, charitable, honest, kind, clean and in short good people. Yes it is more than the norm. I have my reasons- I listed them all as I lay there awake not sleeping last night mulling this over. Why do I let little things get under my skin and interrupt my sleep so much?

Red Barn Photography c 2006

I really do believe in the power of family and that there is a great need for good people to raise families to counter and help the very sick and needy world we live in. I try in small ways, to reach out to other children to encourage and notice them. I work to be informed and give ideas and support to the teachers and administrators. I do my part at home of giving my kids love, food, safety, and educational resources and discussions. Oh and discipline. They have been taught and trained since birth to be civil. So while I do have more than the norm, I am seeking to spread more than the normal amount of good.

I don't think of my children as 9 kids. I think of them as individuals that have unique styles, likes, features, struggles, and personalities. I don't claim to know every bump and freckle on each one. I don't know them all on me. But I do claim to love and fight for them all the way through and around. I have given up my aspiration for my name in print for penning some landmark study, but I see my kids names in print for good works, fun activities or the like and it makes me beam.

Red Barn Photography c 2012

 As I'm slowly learning I could do 'some' myself, but I can do exponentially do more with each child that is trained to work, think, and act for good. How humbling and overwhelming it gets at times to teach them those skills and that mindset. How awesome it is when it happens and miraculous when I see them self-initiate.

So yes my "hands are full!" and I am blessed to be able to have nine and counting in my heart to love and teach to be a positive influence on this world and in their individual classrooms. One teacher called them naive students, I rebutted with wholesome. My contribution to being on earth is an extreme amount of wholesome kids who positively contribute to our community and then will also have extreme families to continue the chain. That we aren't just a ripple, but a wave of good things. It's good to be different!

And one last disclaimer I'm pretty sure I will get the slap in my face for claiming we are good, yet I know life is a running score not a one event race. So come what may we are working hard to lay solid foundation and build strong character houses that will be strong enough to withstand the tempests of life. Just like building a house you don't use all the products purchased you saw some pieces off, you have extra, you have packaging you dispose of. You make a mess of dust and debris.  We have habits and faults we discard and saw off, and messes we have to clean up but hopefully the end result  will be good and strong.

3.18.14 Fortune Cookie - Hillbillie Style

The kids take cold lunch 3 out of 4 days of the week Today was popcorn chicken with sweet and sour sauce over rice with a fortune cookie. That was not high on their list like cheeseburgers or pizza so they packed a lunch. Well lucky for them they were invited to share in the extra fortune cookies.

Some essential background information- any and all Chinese food is detested by head Saunders here. He comes by it honestly as it is not a favorite among most of the Saunders men. I however, really liked Chinese food in my previous life and would treat my self to Panda Express in grad school. Well fast forward to many years of being pregnant and dating only one non-appreciative restaurant goer and so my experiences with Chinese food were small and the pregnant thing made it not so desirable. Hence, my children are very lacking in their craving or eating of Chinese food.

back to the story-
So they excitedly get the cookies, find their fortunes and read them. They were then  instructed by more wise or wily classmates that to get the fortune to come true they must eat the fortune. Yep eat the paper! While hearing this story I was shocked they fell for it, I mean really eat paper?! One favorite son said "but mom it wouldn't come true if I didn't!" I shook my head in disbelief, really? Come true?! Oh my silly innocent hill billy kiddos. So far many hours later they are resting peacefully in bed. Eating paper must not have hurt that much.

3.17.14 Ward Wood Service Project

You can hold almost any size for just a few seconds

These men cut over half that pile they split A LOT of wood! Thank goodness for hydraulic presses!!!

We are blessed to experience 4 seasons. One of those seasons happens to be really cold with two others being sometimes cold. This means there has to be some means of additional heat to make homes comfortable and safe. One way to do this is by burning wood. We were able to participate in a ward service project were we cut, split and stacked wood to cure over the summer and then can be used by anyone that needs it when the cold weather comes again.

It was awesome to see how many people showed up. We had been tricky and called it a ward DONUT PARTY/ service project bring gloves and chain saws... My responsibility was food and workers. I headed out at 9 to Nyssa to get the valley's best donuts. My crew was up and assembled and we had even located gloves for everyone. We made it back to town with just a minute to spare assembled the group and headed to the location. A farmer had cleared all the trees from his land to install some pivots. These trees were all piled together some cut, some pulled, some hauled, some split, and some took pictures and watched little people (me). It was a good day for all. The camaraderie that is created and the atmosphere of good will is unlike any other experience.

These two were great sports, these logs were just right to roll with their little bodies.

This father son team split all day long they were great workers.

Getting started clearing the brush from the trees.

This splitter has a scope function that allows the operators to lower the bar and roll the log on, then roll onto the splitter. The kids ran this for about 2 hours!

Better with two!

Because they were full size trees the limbs were sometimes cut up for kindling and little hands to move. It took all sizes to get the project done.

Elder Taupo is Tongan he didn't even break a sweat with these big heavy chunks of wood. No one else was able to hoist them onto their shoulder, we rolled and cradled.

 

The wood was drug out of the pile with the tractor. It takes all kinds of power and know how to get jobs done. 

3.15.14 Harold's Dream Come True

Willowcreek, the kids school, competes in a small school basketball tournament each February. The 5/6th grade class and various 7/8th grade alumni make up the teams. Harold really wants to play sports. Football in the fall and basketball in the winter. His first report card of the year was not stellar. He is capable of much better. Simple things like turning in assignments and correcting when given the chance would do wonders for his final composite scores. We talked about this and made a plan. We even discussed his athletic future being very dim if he didn't pick up his grades. Fast forward another 9 weeks and it was the same story which also coincided with basketball season starting. I had to stand firm and deny his repeated requests to play because he had not kept his end of the bargain. It was torture for him and me.

Every boy in his class was on the team. Every day they had practice he was super sad, I hate to see my kids super sad. Well we survived. there were some obvious hard days and hopefully the lesson was learned. This weekend we had a fundraiser for the school. Various community members play basketball from the back of a donkey. It is all in good fun. This year they did a different half time entertainment. They had the boys from Willowcreek play against the girls. The kids that had participated in the tournament were showing their skills, a one last exhibition match.

Well Harold was asked to play on the boys team as many of the original players were not there. We were totally surprised.

 He did the tip off. He dominated the girl, and got the ball, being the second tallest kid in class and tallest one by almost a head on the floor. He then went on to score the first points of the game. He wasn't totally sure of the strategy but he kept taking shots and passing the ball and playing defense. A friend made the second basket then two more times up and down the floor Harold scored again!!
I was so proud of my son. His friend made another basket and with seconds left the girls finally scored and the match was over. Of course the comments were made about letting him play next year. And his smile was huge and wide! Final score 8-2. Boys win.

It constantly amazes me the things that happen to remind Harold how much Heavenly Father loves him and is aware of his deepest desires. From snow in May to this totally unexpected opportunity. I did point that out to him after he caught his breath. God does notice our pains and our hopes.

Aliza and partner Addie selling concessions. Addie was delighted to wear the money belt- hopefully people helped get the correct change back.

3.14.13 Family Weekend

One of the best parts of Matt's coming home was that a lot of the siblings and cousins came as well. It was the normal, the tradition, the best!-stuff that we always do. People came in Friday night. We enjoyed visiting, catching up, and teasing. Saturday morning started off with baking powder or Brigham Young donuts and deviled eggs. The kids got busy helping Grandpa change pivot tires, the girls played, the moms worked at cleaning, cooking and chatting. We had a few hours of just discussing current events, church lessons, kid problems, books, and the like. One bonus of being a nursing mom is the rquisite time to sit and nurse. This means you get to sit and talk or read or just plain sit!!

It was awesome to enjoy being together and catching up. It was great to have all the brothers together again.

One tradition Uncle Matt started, and Uncle Jay has preserved, is playing football with the nices and nephews.  The kids waited 4 days to get to play with Uncle Matt. They had grown quite a bit and gained a lot more skill, muscle, and ability.

These four were very busy swinging and playing house in the play house. Aliza is the mastermind and the others have a mostly great time being all together. I heard a lot of singing coming from the playhouse. I'm sure I wasn't supposed to know. They love to go in there and sing songs at the top of their  lungs Rapunzel like.

 

They also patiently play with the smaller kids reading, coloring, singing  and picking up after the small fries. 

Notice Millie with the other 2 and under crowd. She thinks she is just as big because she is upright. Livy is the oldest of the 2012 bunch, Millie is the oldest of the 2013 group. The other two kiddos are from 2012.

Of course we had to learn some other skills as well. Conner is a champion target shooter. The other kids all proudly wore a small bruise on their arms from the experience. (Greg was disappointed I didn't get more pictures, but I was with the moms inside cooking and cleaning up- or maybe resting?!)

An added bonus was the addition of Uncle Dave and Aunt Lexine's family. This is their son Jacob reading to the many bookworms Aunt Gwen has inspired. He was so good to read them a long Disney story. 

 

The master architect of another successful family weekend. Great food, full bellies, smiles on faces and good times to remember. She is amazing with her ability to roll through it all. She's taking pictures of the college kids before they go. 

Getting ready for dinner. Aunt Jill helping Janice her daughter. It's always good to get together. It used to throw me into a panic attack. Knowing my house was not spotless, my yard not perfect and my kids a lot! But as I have realized the power in sameness and crave the time with ladies who don't think I'm crazy. I now truly look forward to the experience of being together. I love hearing singing full volume from the playhouse when I walk by unexpectedly. I love my boys talking about how they are digging a tunnel to each others houses, or riding their bikes together. I love how different kids link up for a few days of fun. I love the insights, the jokes, the shared experience of being in a large family. 

The question is often asked how do you even know them all? How do all of you fit? Easily. Or at least because my mother-in-law is patient and has a system it just works. Yep we do the same basic meals- lasagne, oven casserole, donuts, tacos, spaghetti, roast/ham/turkey, ROLLS!, pies, Grandma's special cold cereal, cookies etc. New things are added as new recipes are tried and loved or someone develops a new talent for something like Sheryl's dessert assortment. There's always enough, it happens in shifts which is pretty natural. The guys can't be bothered with eating when there is work to be done and assorted kids are at various locations on the farm. Everyone washes a few dishes, most the kids pick up something and we try to be patient with taking turns.

I used to think that the relator that sold this farm to Saunders should be hunted down for false advertising, but as I have watched the cousins come and go over the years I realize the farm isn't necessarily about prosperity and ease but about being the rock that has shaped so many souls. Many many lessons, imaginative dreams and play have been fostered here, many bonds solidified and testimonies sprouted. It is a good place. A place many call home.