My cute boys!

Family

FINALLY......

Wow...it has been a very long time since I have had a chance to catch up. So much has happened and we have been so busy that I dont know quite where to begin. In July we made the decision to start a new business and head to North Dakota to make some money off of the oil boom. Construction around here is very slow and people were bidding jobs so low that it wasnt even worth trying anymore. We partnered up with our friends Cody and Rosanne and started Triple R Transport. Rosanne and I are 50/50 owners. (We decided that the men already had their own companies and that we were going to leave their names off this one.) Dennis made the first trip out with all the trucks and drivers the end of July and has been spending about 2-3 weeks there and then 1-2 weeks at home. It has been a big adjustment for us because I had gotten used to having him here and getting help with Brody. The other boys have stepped up and are WONDERFUL babysitters! The business is going well so far. We now have 6 semis, 3 side dump dirt trailers and 5 water trailers.
We also bought a new house in September and so that was quite a chore getting moved in. We love it now though. It is much bigger then the one we were living in and has a ton of room for the boys. It is in the same school boundaries so the boys did not have to change schools and have been able to keep all their same friends and have made a ton more in the neighborhood. Weston has 3 girls that come over everyday and want to hang out with him. They even invited him over to their "movie" night this past Friday. He thought that there would be more kids there but it turned out that it was only him and his 3 little girlfriends. How cute. I don't know if I am ready for that though. He was my first little baby and now he is 11! Nevertheless, it has given him a huge head and now he thinks he is quite the ladies man.
Football finally just ended last weekend so I feel like I have alot more time on my hands. Weston and Garrett's teams both made it to the playoffs. Weston's was eliminated in the first round and Garrett ended up taking 2nd in the 4th grade. They all worked really hard this year and I was really happy with their teams. Thank god the weather held out. It is so miserable standing out in the cold and rain for the games. This year would have been especially hard with Brody.
Speaking of little man.... he has grown so much I can't believe it. I had forgotten how hard it is to have a toddler running around the house. He tears everything out of the cupboards and drawers and is an absolute nightmare when I am trying to work. His thing is to throw everything down the stairs so I have to make several trips through the house to put everything away that he has drug out. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING that he finds goes straight to his mouth. He has been like that since he was able to get around and I thought he would have gotten over it by now but no such luck. He has even figured out how to open the remotes and get the batteries out and puts those in his mouth!! Crazy kid. He says "mom" and "dadn" alot and has started talking back to me. I don't know where he got the "n" on the end of dad but thats what he says. He gets so excited when he talks to Dennis on the phone but thinks that when he hears his voice he will be able to see his dad on the phone too. He loves his brothers so much. They play with him all the time and have taught him to throw the football and tackle them. It is really cute to watch. If they are home he doesn't want anything to do with me and wants to be in the basement hanging out with his brothers. He is a very stubborn little fart and I'd like to blame all of that on his dad but unfortunately he gets it from both of us.


The boys with their cousin Kaden at Cornbelly's


Brody needs a haircut!!


Eating breakfast is hard work....

Still no time.......

Yup... still no time to update the blog although I've had big plans of doing just that for about 5 months now!! Moving is alot of work on top of my 10 kids and their schedules!! Maybe sometime soon!
I have taken a few cute pictures though.......

Brody loves the bannister!!


Chewin' on a mutton bone!!


Weston & Garrett at the Black Reunion in Torrey


Den doing his job of collecting candy for the kids at the parade during Melon Days. The kids were riding on our float and didn't want to miss out on the candy!


Brody loves his bath


My cute boys


Riding in the wagon at the farm


Not sure how he could have fallen asleep like this but I guess I have the picture to prove it!

Warm or Cold??

Geez... I wish Mother Nature would make up her mind. I switch the heat on one day and the A/C on the next...tank top one day, sweatshirt the next. So confusing!!!
I finally loaded all my pictures from my camera onto my computer so I could actually DO something with them. I havent been keeping up on very much anymore. Good thing I caught up my scrapbooking before Brody was born or I would really be behind.
Brody is growing like a weed and is really fun to play with now. All I have to do is look at him and he laughs...what a ham. His new nickname is "Brody Weird". I figured I should start calling him by his real name because I had so many nicknames for him that when I actually had to say his real name I would forget what it was!! He thinks he is so funny, constantly pulling my hair, earrings and scratching my face. He likes to touch your face when you talk to him but then he gradually starts digging his claws into you and wont let go.
The other boys are about done with school. What a mad house it will be around here then! I will have to come up with some new ideas to keep them entertained this summer. They all want to play football again but I havent decided if I am going to let them or not. That is such a HUGE commitment, especially with 3 boys.
Garrett turned 9 last week. I cant believe how old they are all getting. We took all of his friends to the new bowling alley here in Lehi. It was fun but quite a process keeping track of them all. A lot of work but still easier than having a party here at the house.


Silly Brody


Den & Brody


Weston modeling Den's new irrigating boots


Braxton's turn


And Garrett... what nerds!!


This is what happens when he puts his binky in his mouth himself


New Bumbo chair


So tired

I can't believe Brody is almost 6 months!! It's crazy how fast time goes by. It seems like I never have a spare minute. Our house is so crazy with everyone's schedules and me trying to HAVE a schedule. Brody has been sleeping all night for 3 months now but I still can't seem to get back in the groove. It's so quiet after everyone goes to bed that I stay up for a while and then it's hard to get up in the morning.
Stupid Comcast still hasn't sent me my wireless router box so I can't use my laptop which is usually how I update the blog instead of sitting in the office. I wish I had never switched from Qwest and Dish Network. I shouldn't have listened to the dumb door to door salesman. I should have known his offer was too good to be true. 2 months and alot of arguing with the company, I finally got what I was promised.... except for the router box which I have asked them to send me 15 times!!
Brody is asleep and my husband and boys are watching American Idol which I could care less about. I guess I should say that Dennis is actually screaming at the TV because it is "Idol gives back" night and they are raising money for people in Africa who have malaria. Dennis is trying to explain to the kids that it is just the corrupt Democrats trying to appeal to the younger generation through American Idol. His idea, which I believe also, is that we have enough poverty, sickness and homeless in our own country and that we should focus on that before trying to solve everyone else's problems. He made many other choice comments about wishing he had never turned the show on, all while continuing to watch it. The kids are probably thinking he is having a meltdown while he rants and raves about politics... things that the kids don't understand. I guess if they didn't understand 2 1/2 hours ago they sure will now. Braxton and Weston will listen intently, ask questions and file the information away for later. Garrett on the other hand will remember every word and promptly go to school tomorrow and inform his teacher, principal and any classmate that he can get to listen, that our government officials are big piles of turds and the country is going down the crapper!!
They make me laugh!! They are all such good kids. They are so good with Brody too! They fight over who gets to sit next to him in the backseat and they love to talk and play with him on the floor.
Brody is such a ham... all you have to do is look at him and he smiles. He is such a good baby! He rarely ever cries unless he is overtired or hungry. This week though he has been a little pissy because he has 2 bottom teeth trying to come in. He is such a slobber face too! He drenches himself with his slobber and is constantly chewing on whatever he can get in his mouth. The other day at the boy's Pinewood Derby Race I had him on my shoulder and he started gagging. When I looked at him I could see that he had shoved a handful of my hair in his mouth!!! What a nerd! He loves to hold your face while you talk to him and he already has it figured out to grab my earrings every chance he gets.
Garrett is taking piano lessons now and is doing really well. I'm a little disappointed that he is not quite as "anal" as he used to be about cleaning his room. I was thinking that I would have at least one child that would try to stay organized. He is still just as anal or even more in every other aspect of his life. If he asks you what time it is and you say 6:30 but it is really 6:29 then he gets mad! I can't believe he will be 9 in May!! Time flies....
Weston has been staying busy watching reruns of his favorite Disney sitcoms thanks to the 'On Demand' feature with Comcast. When he's not doing that he is playing outside. I am going to start him and Braxton in guitar lessons soon if I ever get around to calling the kid down the street that teaches. (Note to self.... add that to your 50 page to do list) He is such a sweet boy and really helps me alot with Brody. He still drags a million toys with him wherever he goes though. Every morning I have to clear an army of men off my treadmill so I can use it.
Braxton is turning into the normal teenager...forgetful and mysterious. He always opens his mouth to say something and then can't remember what it was. He joined the track team in school and has done real well. He hasn't complained about practice at all, even though he usually has a ton of homework. I think we have been pretty lucky with him though. Most kids his age are pretty mouthy but he isn't or at least hasn't gotten there yet. Maybe he waits until he gets to his room to cuss me out... who knows.
Den has been working in town now since last October so that has been nice. He pretty much takes over with Brody when he gets home. They sit in "their" chair and talk to each other. He helped Weston and Garrett build their Pinewood Derby Cars last week and they both did really well and were proud of their cars. They can't wait to run them again in Hanksville for the July 4th derby race they have every year as part of the town festivities.
Other than that, life is pretty busy. I don't know where my time goes. It seems like I am busy all the time, yet nothing gets done!! I feel good if I can at least check 1 item off my to do list every day. The problem is... for every 1 item I am checking off, I am adding about 5 more. Neverending I tell you... but of course everybody is in the same boat and already knows that!

I can't believe how long it has been since I actually sat down to post something. I think about it all the time, but decide that I don't have the time to spare. Little man is asleep and the others are doing their homework and chores.
What a change it has been to have a baby again!! I am so glad that the other boys are able to take care of themselves. I feel bad sometimes because I am so tired in the morning that I dont wake up until Weston and Garrett come in to tell me that they are leaving for school at 8:45 am. What good boys I have!! Braxton gets up at about 6:00 and showers and plays in his room until he leaves at 7:40. Weston and Garrett both get up at 7:00 but they are constantly changing their alarms to an earlier time so they can outsmart the other one and beat them to the shower. Then they get dressed, make their beds and play until 8:00 when they eat breakfast. They brush their teeth and do their hair at 8:30 and are out the door by 8:45!! It is amazing how much they have grown and matured. Last year I couldnt get them to even watch the clock let alone get out the door on time.
They are so good with Brody too. They wash their hands or get sanitizer every time they are going to play with him and know exactly how to calm him down if he is upset. They love to help bath him and to comb his hair.
It was really hard to have another baby in the NICU for 18 days. I thought I could handle it no problem because the other 2 had been in there but it was exhausting having to be there 3 times a day and still try to spend time with the other boys. Dennis was fine with it for a few days and then starting getting upset. There are so many nurses at IMC that we never saw the same person twice and didnt have consistent care for Brody. Everybody had a different answer to our questions and his treatment changed so often that we were constantly frustrated. They even offered Dennis counseling if that isnt the funniest thing you've ever heard!
I also had no idea that in a previous life my husband must have raised about 20 kids because he suddenly turned into this pediatric specialist and was telling ME how to care for a baby!! He is a funny, funny man. Nevertheless, it is soooo nice to have him here instead of out of town all week. He has been a huge help and does as much as he can to lighten the load for me. He pretends that he is so strict and not a push over but he is such a wimp when it comes to Brody. He tells me that I spoil him but every time he lets out a little squawk, Dennis is there holding him and talking to him.
My biggest complaint now is that I have NO SCHEDULE and anybody that knows me can attest to the fact that everything in my life has to be perfectly planned out or I am a nervous wreck!! I am getting more sleep but I am still so tired that I dont have much energy to get moving in the morning. Then it seems like half my day is gone and I havent done anything!! I know it will get better and I just have to try harder but it is alot easier said than done!
Even though our life is so much different now, I wouldnt change it for the world and I am excited for our new adventures together!!

The 3 best big brothers in the world


The cutest baby


He's so comfy


What a happy baby


Such a messy eater