we all had a wonderful time at Sam's baptism.

Saturday was such a special day for all of us, especially Sam. It was his baptism day! He woke up with a big smile and a great attitude...he knew he was making a good decision and choosing the right thing to do. Mike and I were so happy for him and his younger brother and sisters were excited about his decision to get baptized. Sam was surrounded by his friends and loving family. It was certainly a special day for us all.
After the baptism we had a luncheon at our house. Plenty of good food and company was had.

and we made it through Thanksgiving dinner without braking anything!

We had the pleasure of going to my aunt's house for Thanksgiving dinner. For the first time in my life the adults out numbered the kids at the annual feast. It wasn't any quieter, though, there were 6 kids and 4 of them are mine. Anyway, the food was fabulous! I cannot describe how yummy everything was...the turkey, the ham, the potatoes, the stuffing, the green bean casserole! OH, and Mike's pies. Oh, oh, oh, Mike's homemade yummy, yummy pies. Every bite was worth every calorie! We all ate until our bellies and pants could hold no more.

The weather was perfect for outdoor play so we took advantage of it and sent the kids to 'work off' their big meal. They happily played with bubbles (until Joe spilled them all) and I taught them how to play ninja destruction (awesome game).

Other than that, I've been trying to update my house with a new bathroom while planning my black Friday shopping and Sam's baptism. Yeah, I know, bad idea. I am already in over my head! Our hallway bathroom is still not put together; the vanity, sink and facet are in my front room still in their boxes. And where is the old toilet, sink and vanity? It was sitting on the front porch but now it's in the back of Mike's truck waiting to go to 'bathroom heaven'.

I have to mention how grateful I am for all the wonderful things that I have and enjoy on a daily basis. Things such as (in no particular order) freedom, modern medicine, conveniences of technology, religion, the list can go on forever. I am especially thankful for my wonderful husband and for my four happy and healthy children! Oh, and all my family (lest no one be offended)

today was a busy, busy day

I had a bright idea: Ask the neighbor if her husband would be willing to tile my bathroom floor for $100 (small bathroom). I already have the supplies, all I needed was for someone to do the labor. I double checked with Mike to make sure it was okay (price and all) and, thank goodness 'cause I already committed, it was a go! Mike did insist that we put in a new vanity. That meant that I had to run to a store and pick one out and bring it home TODAY.
Well, that didn't happen. Vanities are major bucks, jimminey. I was able to find one that was reasonably priced. I purchased it and a sink topper (counter top). I will pick it up in the morning and hopefully the grout will be dry by then. (Neighbor guy will be back in the AM to grout.) The tile is down and it looks great. He did it all (take out old floor, rip out sink and base, pull up toilet) in less than 2 1/2 hours!
A new bathroom floor and vanity! Exciting! Bonus: I already have a new fixture for the sink. All of this will be done just in time for Sam's baptism on Saturday (we are having peeps over for lunch afterwards). I can't wait to share the pictures will y'all.
Until tomorrow.....

Title change

I decided to change the title of my blog. Since I don't keep a daily journal (or a weekly or monthly one for that matter), I thought it would be a good idea to 'double dip' and expand the purpose of my blog. I will call it a journalog. Or a blogurnal. Something that combines a blog and journal together. I am open to ideas.
In case you were worried, the format of my blog won't change. I will still write about the daily happenings and goings-on of the Lee family, just more frequently (I hope). OH, and maybe the writings will be (might be) a bit more personal. You know, for the children. I hope you don't mind. I figure that my memoirs (used loosely) would be read after I expire by all who wish to expand their knowledge of the daily dealings of a housewife. So, why not pass the time by reading them now?

Scouts!

Sam is officially a Cub Scout. Doesn't he look dashing in his Scout uniform?
His first Scout meeting was last week, they went to the Wildlife Zoo in Phoenix. He came home showing me the Scout sign and talking endlessly about the 1/2-day trip.
We went to the scout shop yesterday and purchased his uniform and the basic materials a Cub Scout requires. By the time we got home, Sam had already read half of the Scout Handbook. Talk about excitement!
Sam will attend his first Pack Meeting tomorrow. I heard those meetings are really cool - the boys who've earned badges and arrows and other things (?) are recognized and congratulated. It won't be long until Sam is one of those boys.

Messy House

I just swept my floors. Oh. My. Gosh. You should see the pile of 'stuff' that was on my floor. Dirt, sand, food, bendaroos, hay, sticks from corn dogs , grass, paper, wipes, gum, candy, chocolate, water bottle lids, popcorn, cards, wrappers, old fruit, a chicken nugget, the list could go on and on.
Since yesterday was a no-school day, I feel like today is Monday. It feels like a Monday and I definitely have Monday-house. Anyone want to come and do my laundry and dishes? I need a nap.

Sam turns 8!

Happy 8th Birthday, Sam!
New clothes, Wii games, a remote controlled helicopter...this 8 year-old has it made! In addition to all the wonderful presents, he has his health (the best gift of all, I think).


post party note: The party went so well - the kids had a blast running the obstacle course. Some of the kids wanted to do it again and again and again. I had no idea that 7 and 8 year-olds can be so competative.
Sam got some really cool gifts and already played some of them into extinction. I can't tell what his favorite gift was but I am sure that the fact that he gets to stay up 'til 8 o'clock, now that he is 8, is in the top 5 gifts of all time.

Halloween

We had a great Halloween. The kids ate at Chik-fil-a for free (kids in costume, talk about a bonus), we visited grandparents, went to a friend's for a 'weeny roast, visited Aunt Linda and Jean and Blaine, and trick-or-treated until the cows came home. Talk about a ton of candy....sheesh. The night was full of fun and adventure. I wish I had pictures to post: Sarah was a beautiful mermaid, Mary was a cute little princess, Joe was a energetic spider man and Sam was a Ghostbuster (proton generator pack that glowed in the dark and everything)! Whew!

A new week

I am excited that a new week is starting. I am also excited that this new week ends with lots and lots of candy.

It's a park kind-of day!

How perfect is the Arizona fall weather? Pretty darn perfect, if you ask me. The mornings are crisp and fresh, the midday is ever so calm, afternoons are cool and evenings are relaxing. Yep. Nice. Ahh.
Since the weather is do dang perfect, I am taking the younger 3 to the park today and who knows when I'll come back. Last week, we were there for more than 3 hours, enjoying every minute of it. We only came home because it was just about dinner time and we had eaten all of our lunch leftovers.

First Family Camping Trip

We managed to survive our first family camping trip. We didn't plan this trip, we happily (maybe not Mike) participated in the Souther Estates Ward Family Camping Trip - and it was sooooo fun. It was only one night and there were bathrooms with running water and flushing toilets but we did sleep in a tent on the hard hard ground. Oh, and it was a bit chilly at night.
We had a great time visiting with ward members, playing games, hiking, eating, putting more wood on the fire, roasting marshmallows, singing songs and enjoying the cooler weather. I wish I had pictures to show you. They would have been neat to look at. They probably would have made you wish that you were there with us. Unfortunately, both of my cameras are broken and I didn't even consider taking pictures with my cell phone. Sorry. Maybe next time. And, yes, there will be a next time.

Happy Birthday Sarah!

Sarah is officially a 6 year-old. She woke up to find presents wrapped and tagged bearing her name. She politely asked if she could open them. I was still in bed, it wasn't even 6:00am. She opened her presents with her siblings looking on...she got just what she wanted. A new outfit to wear to school, some decorations for her room and something else (I can't remember at the moment).
She wanted other things, too. Lucky her, she got them later on in the afternoon from her friends who came to her party bearing gifts galore. It was a mixed party - boys and girls her age from school and church. Oh, and cousins. What a great bunch of kids, all were well behaved and polite.
Her party started off with coloring Halloween pictures (while the pizza cooked). After they ate pizza it was time to decorate cupcakes. Each kid did a fabulous job frosting their cupcake and decorating it with colored sugar, sugar shapes and other confection decorations. YUM! You know what I'm talking about! Sarah got the biggest cupcake to decorate, of course. Then, we all moved over to the patio where we watched Sarah open her bounty. Oh boy, what a bounty. Finally, the party ended with a bang and a pow and a whack - a pinata. (How do I put one of those ~ things over the 'n'?) Anyways...all the kids got a hit, some kids got two hits. Xave, my 15 year-old nephew, put more muscle in his swing than any of us could and knocked the pinata right off of the rope. It hit the ground and lost its bottom. In the end, the kids got enough candy to last them 'til Halloween. What a great day for me and everyone who got to celebrate Sarah's special day with her.

Cell Phone Photos

I have some very cute photos on my cell phone but I am unable to get them into a program that accepts 'this' type of image. I am unable to copy them or send them to my desktop. Any suggestions?

edit: so after many, many (limited in size) emails from here to there, I got some photos to a safe place where I can share them with you!

El Conquistador, Tucson, AZ

Ah, one last hurrah for summer! We followed Mike to Tucson for some needed R & R. We didn't get any R & R but we had a good time. The weather was great, can't complain about that. The pool was kid-friendly, can't complain about that. The kids had a great time, can't complain about that. Now don't get me wrong....it wasn't all peachy and perfect. The nights were long. The kids did not want to sleep in their beds or in their sleeping bags. Instead, they wanted to jump from bed to bed and climb the tables and jump off of the hotel furniture. If we weren't on the
3rd floor I probably would have let them. Their landings sounded bigger than a loud thud and I was almost positive that we were going to be asked to leave.
These pictures were taken the first day we swam. Enjoy. We sure did.

It's already the middle of September!

What the heck...where has the time gone?
I am still working on being motivated to get somethings done.
The twin club I am in is having their huge bi-annual garage sale next weekend and so I am taking full advantage of selling off stuff that I don't need and don't use. I'll admit, easier said than done. I am a Whetten at heart and we Whettens like to keep stuff around, just in case.
On a lighter note, we just got back from a mini vacation and I will post about it soon. On, and my new camera broke. The same way my old camera broke. Darn
In the meantime, vote in my poll.

Motivation

I am in serious need of some motivation to.....do everything that needs to get done.
I could easily make a list of all the chores around the house and in the yard that I should work on daily and weekly. But I won't. It would take too long and, frankly, you would be bored. So, I am asking you to post a comment with a suggestion on something that I could (should) work on. Let's see what you come up with and let's see what I can get done. Together, yes we can! Ha ha! (notice, that in my statement, I am not implying that you come and do it for me or that I am suggesting that anyone do my work for me when I am capable of doing it myself)
Hope to hear from you soon!

Summer Wrap-up

Summer break has come and gone! School started on the 12th and it seems like we are finally on a schedule that we can all follow.
Here's the skinny on our summer break: No schedule = a whole lot of nothin' to do. I'm not complaining...I thought it was the best summer in the history of 'summer with the kids' summer (huh?). Anyway, we spent just about every weekday at the pool, hanging out and soaking up the good 'ole late-afternoon sun (no sunscreen required). The kids had a blast playing in the water, jumping off the diving boards and going down the slides. I followed the twins around the pool (shallow end) and occasionally took them to the deep end where they could kick their legs freely while hanging on the edge. Sam and Sarah also took swimming lessons to improve their rank in swimming survival; I'm still not sure how well they'd manage, sometimes their freestyle and breaststroke looks a lot like they ARE having a stroke. We filled in the spare hours with basketball camp, trips to the zoo, a bounce house and afternoon movies. Any other spare-spare hours (or hours where I couldn't take it anymore) were spent with friends or cousins or our fifth child, TV.
We squeezed in a quasi family vacay in St Johns and spent a few days with the in-laws. They kids had a blast playing with cousins and watching a parade.
I will update with another slide show soon. So many pictures, so little time.

Independence Day and Lots of Fun

We had a great time celebrating our Nation's Independence on the 4th of July! We took the kids to our ward's flag raising ceremony and continental breakfast. They ate donuts, drank juice and played in the water. Continuing the fun, we took the kids to the movies to see UP (which is sooooo cute). Done with fun and after lunch, we rested our pretty little heads before heading out to watch an amazing fireworks show. I just love the 4th of July.
On Sunday, we had a yummy dinner with family and visited with relatives visiting from Mexico. The food was great, the company was even better - what a night. On the way home I noticed a sign with a temperature display. It read '102 degrees'! It was 9:00pm! Wow! Is there anywhere else it can be 102 degrees at 9 o'clock at night? Oh...and it felt nice outside! Summer. Summer.

Uncle Jake and Megan and Ari

The kids are worn out from two full weeks of unlawful amounts of playtime with Uncle Jake (on military leave for those of you who don't know that already) and Megan (his girly-friend). Pokes, pinches and tickles were handed out free of charge by Uncle Jake. Laughter and smiles were given in return, well, most of the time (Sam swears he doesn't want Uncle Jake to poke him anymore 'cause it hurts!); but everyone goes back for more.
During Jake's visit we managed to get in a family picture with everyone present (yeah!), an 'everyone who's related come' BBQ, friend reunions, movie nights and swimming. My favorites were the late night movies (Transformers and The Hangover). My kids loved the swimming (more pokes and tickles from Jake) and the times they got to play with Ari (Jake's daughter from Hawaii).
It might be another year and a half before we see Jake and Megan again. Hopefully, if things work out, we'll get to see Ari before then.
This I know: Sam, Sarah, Joe and Mary's happy-times memory bank is full, thanks to Jake and Megan and Ari.

Basketball Camp

Sam and Sarah have been busy this summer. As I type this, they are enjoying their last two days of basketball camp. I signed them up for a one hour instructional/fun activity in a sport that I wasn't quite sure they would enjoy. They both proved me wrong - they love it. And, they are learning mad basketball skills! Watch out (insert popular basketball star's name), Sam and Sarah are here!

Joe and Mary like to goof-off on the bleachers while we wait for the big kids. I let them because they look so cute. Yes, it usually ends with one or both of them getting hurt.

Walmart funnies

I tried to make a quick trip to the local Walmart Supercenter this morning with the twins while the older two were at basketball camp. I only needed to pick up 2 items, underwear and some picante Ramen noodles, both for Sam. I ran in and immediately got distracted with fabulous clearance items. Knowing this might (will /would) happen, I left my wallet in the van and stuffed a $20 in my pocket (that's how I budget).
I picked up a shirt for myself at a whopping $4 and headed over to the boys department. I found some undies for Sam and, while chasing the twins out of the center of the every clothing rack, shuffled off to grab some Ramen noodles. I grabbed an entire case of noodles and encouraged the twins to step up their pace. They were rushing like a heard of turtles and I feared I wouldn't make it back to pick up the other kids on time.
I headed towards the checkout and that's when I realized that there is no such thing as a quick trip to Walmart. The checkout lines are always painfully long - I needed to get out of there FAST! Holding the case of noodles, I looked desperately at every lit-up checkout number. Each one was 2-3 customers deep. Then something caught my eye - a checkout counter without a line (not even one customer)! I looked at the lit number over the cash register to verify it's location, made eye contact with the cashier (male) and mouthed, "Yes, it's open." I turned around and asked the twins to hurry, hurry, hurry. When I turned back, the light over the cash register was off and the cashier was nowhere in sight! Where did he go? I looked left, I looked right. Surely, if he closed the register, I would be able to see him walking away. No bother, I was in a hurry and needed to move fast. I mouthed, "Darn, closed!" (My mouthings were really loud enough to hear by all within a 15' radius.)
Anyway...after I said that out loud, the cashier popped his head up from behind the counter and flipped on his light and said, "Ha, just kidding!"
I laughed so hard and so did he. He said the look on my face was so funny that he wished he had a camera to send it into one of those home-video shows. I told him that he made me think I was crazy and imagined the open/no-customers-in-line register. We laughed and laughed and laughed. He said that right before he turned the light off and ducked down he asked the Lord for forgiveness. I told him his little joke was wrong but funny!
It's nice to know that good humor (on both sides) is still alive and well.

Joe!

I snapped these pics of Joe this morning. While looking in storage for Jake's TMNT quilt from boyhood, I heard Joe saying, "I making dinner, mommy." How cute.
Summer is going great, so far. We are having fun with basketball camp, lunches and swimming. Whew! I thought I was going to get a break once school let out....nope, life is just as busy during the summer.

Family Vacation 2009

Last weekend marked the first time in history (since kids were brought into the family) that the Lee family took a vacation. Yeah, we've visited family out of town and took short 'work' trips with Mike but, according to Mike, those trips don't count as real family vacations. Whatever, as long as we are together as a family, it's a family vacation. So, this is what we did: On Sunday we drove north to Flagstaff and spent the night at a hotel. The plan was to walk the lava flows and experience nature and the beauty of the landscape. Instead, I ended up in the emergency room with a major earache from the change in altitude. I spent the first 3 house of our (first) family vacation in the ER. I asked to be released to my family with a pain pill, some antibiotics and (safe) steroids. All is well now.
The next day we toured Lowell Observatory and had a blast learning about the sun and stars. The scenery was beautiful - Flagstaff looks a lot prettier from atop a mountain. After a quick stop at a store to get lunch supplies, we drove over to Meteor Crater and toured the museum and crater and everything around it (that wasn't off limits). Note to all who have little kids: visit Meteor Crater with caution, preferably with harnesses on small and unpredictable children. Joe almost took at 50ft plus dive off the edge. On a lighter note, the weather was super: a bit of sunshine, a bit of rain. Skipping to the very end: the kids had a super duper time and me and Mike survived. I am willing to give more details about our trip on a personal level (trying to keep this post short).
We are glad to be home and can't wait for the next Lee Family Vacation Trip! I am dying to visit the old copper mine in Bisbee, AZ.

A convention, lunch, flowers and a yummy dinner

Today is our anniversary, 14 years down and eternity to go!
As the Lee family spokesperson, I have to say that I am pleased with the past 14 years of marriage and am looking wide-eyed toward the next 14 (or 20 or 30). We've worked hard on getting along (very important), entertaining each other, encouraging each other, supporting each other, making up for each other's (rare) shortcomings and many more couple-like attributes since the day we got married. I will admit that it hasn't always been easy, duh, who said it would be? But, hum, I must say that our marriage has always been fun, interesting, entertaining and lovely.
Moving on...
Thanks to my mom and niece (must-have babysitters), we were able to celebrate our anniversary with a trip to beautiful downtown Phoenix for the annual NRA convention (neat) and dinner on Saturday. Then, today, Mike and I went to lunch (kid-free), it was so nice. We wrapped the day up with a yummy dinner and a guest (my mom). What a great day! Oh! and Mike got me a bouquet of the most beautiful flowers!! I will post a pic soon (and yes, they are in a pitcher - see below if ???).

Bouquet in a pitcher

Mike gave me this beautiful arrangement of flowers for Mother's Day. Isn't it gorgeous? It's in a pitcher because, well, I don't have a vase. I used to. I used to have a couple of vases. For some reason, children and vases don't agree with each other. Some how the children always win and the vase(s) ends up with a broken heart (and head and bottom).

It's May, already!

Gee, time is flying by so fast! I can't believe it's May already - wasn't Easter just last week? It must have been because I'm finding jelly beans under the furniture and pieces of plastic eggs everywhere (including in my van)! Either that or, I haven't cleaned out my van or under my couch since Easter.

Sam saw me sewing some cute little hair clips for an upcoming boutique and asked if I could teach him how to sew. Heck, yeah! Let's get this boy mending his OWN clothes! He brought me a shirt with a 2" tear on the side. Just in case you're wondering, he wears this shirt to bed and I do not send him to school with holes in his clothes (pants and undies excluded). I gave him a needle and thread and showed him the basics of sewing (or is it stitching?). It's not merit badge worthy but he did a fair job for a first-timer.

Canning beans and wheat and rice, do dah, do dah!

Mess in the kitchen = annoyingly common


Kids wanting to help = common and somewhat annoying




Being prepared with food storage = PRICELESS


I have to admit...I'm feeling a bit accomplished. I borrowed the stake can sealer, purchased beans, wheat flour and rice in bulk, bought cans, lids and boxes from the cannery and went at it (canning, that is). I helped a friend can her food and she stayed and helped me can some of mine. I had to make an extra trip to the store for more beans and rice; this gave the kids an opportunity to help me can. It was also a perfect opportunity to talk to them about the importance of food storage, being prepared, etc. So, today, I added 26 cans of food to my growing year supply. Yeah! My next task: more water storage. (I still have 25 lbs of white rice and 25 lbs of pinto beans to can - I ran out of cans and lids. I haven't mastered the art of counting cans per pounds of food or reading the recommended contents from the cannery's chart. Duh and darn).
For more info on family food storage, click here: http://www.providentliving.org

Diarrhea of the camera

I have a new camera! I am so excited about this that I have developed diarrhea of the camera. Symptoms include, but are not limited to: excess picture taking, children crying due to 'hold still' demands, husband getting impatient over wife's constant picture taking. I believe the symptoms are virtually harmless and, well, they're a small price to pay for documenting my kid's cuteness and youth. Germaphobes need not worry, this type of diarrhea is not contagious.
Enjoy this slide show of my family's Easter egg hunt, hanging out around the house and Sarah and the twins jumping onto and bouncing off the couch. Life is great!

Glad it was just the window

Here we go again. This time I am much calmer and thankful things weren't as bad as they could have been. I will explain: Our day was all planned out with errands, parties and such. Mike was headed out to the gym early this morning when he discovered that the back window of our mini van was totally smashed out/in. He came in and told me to get dressed because I will want to come outside. It was raining and cold and I didn't want to go outside but he kept insisting. It's then when I saw the damage. It appeared as though some idiot smashed the window (with a huge rock that is now in our driveway) and ran off. I thought of the last time our van was broken into and my purse was stolen, followed by the van being stolen 3 months later. Uhhh. Sigh. Expletive. Censored.
Mike asked me to check and see if anything was missing. I looked in the back window/hole and saw broken glass everywhere. I also saw my double stroller, the Easter treats I bought the kids and the two new light fixtures for our house in the back of the van. I checked the front and got out the 'valuables' I left in the van. Thank goodness nothing was stolen! I called the police and made a report (not that anything will ever come of it) and called the insurance company to make a claim. There is a crack in the moulding that can be replaced and the frame is bent (but I don't care about that) - I just want the window fixed.
I told Mike that we can only laugh about this: the window's smashed and it's raining (pouring) inside the van. What are the chances that would happen, seriously? Mike put a tarp over the hole while we cleaned out the van (not fun). Mike then taped the hole with black garbage bags for a more secure fit. Ghetto.
As I write this, Sam and Mike are off to get the window replaced (no mobile units will service glass because it's still raining outside). Did I mention that I am extreemly grateful there is a shop open today with the right size glass in stock!? I'm with the twins at home and my kind sister-in-law picked up Sarah for a cousin's birthday party. Even though it is raining, things could have been worse.

Conference good, kids not

Mike and I enjoyed watching conference today. The kids did not. They are excited that they don't have to go to church tomorrow...they don't realize that tomorrow is another day of conference. Life's good.