I can't even believe...

My baby is two.

We had such a nice mellow day. In the past I have had a birthday party for 2 year olds and I have decided that they don't really enjoy it. So for Joshua I decded to do what i thought he would like, read books, as many as he wanted. I had bought him a few books for his birthday and after we read those several times he picked out more and we snuggled and read. Then we went to my MIL's where Josh took me to the library and we layed on the ground and read a ton of books. My MIL and I then went to target and let him pick out his gifts. Cars, a ball, little einsteins rocket (a favorite with even the big kids), dollar spot animals. He also wanted lunchables for lunch, thats easy. My kids think they like lunchables but when I buy it for them they never eat. it.

We then went home, took naps, wrapped presents, and waited for him to wake up. He was so fun to watch when he opened his presents. He was in no hurry to move on to the next. He wanted to play with the one he had and I think he would have been happy with one toy.

After this we got pizza and went to the park. Joshua loves the swings and he was so funny when Sarah would push him. He would put his head backwards and hang upside down.

He just loved being free to run and play. On the way home I bought a birthday cake, Yes I bought my first store bought cake ever. That just tells you how great I was feeling. My kids are really not big cake fans unless it is lemon or cheesecake, mom and dad have played a big part in this;) SO when I saw this cake with cookies all over it I thought for sure it would be a hit. The kids ate the cookies and left the cake behind. A week later and I have a huge cake in my fridge.
He was so great though when we sand happy birthday. Joshua got really into it and sung right along with us. I love this kid!

I never thought they looked much a like until I saw this picture. Look at their eyes.

He reminds me of how smart Jared was at this age, he repeats everything we say and can communicate really well with us. He loves to sing and be heard just like Sarah. He always dances and sings when he hears music, no matter where we are. He loves to snuggle and make you laugh like Emma. We were eating noddles yesterday and I was laughing at how he was taking fistfuls and putting them in his mouth. I called Ryan over to come see and then Joshua became such a ham and started make animal noises as he quickly shoved food into his mouth. As we laughed he smiled and kept doing it. He loves his mommy tremendously and sometimes doesn't want to share me just look Joseph. He loves his food and sweets just like daddy, and has a smile that melts mommy just like daddy.

Joshua's names for the kids
Jared= aired
Sarah=airah
Emma= emmy
Joseph= Jouh

I know big families are not for everyone but I just can't imagine if we had stopped having kids before we had this little gem. He makes us all smile and is the best little buddy to his brother. He wants to be just like Joseph and follows him around doing whatever he does.

Joshua, I hope you always know how much you are loved by every member of your family.

Crafting

I made this for the kids school teacher. She really is the best. I wanted to make this adorable summer kit my friend Shannon did but I ran out of time. This I did in about 30 min.
I have felt like crafting again. I am hoping once I feel better to make some wall decor for the girls room, finish Jared's quilt, paint the frame I have been meaning to paint for a few months, and I would just like to enjoy crafting with the kids again.

A day of accidents and booboo's

Sunday afternoon I was curling Sarah's hair for church (it turned out so stinkin cute) When she wanted to show me something and reached across the curling iron and got a horrible second degree burn. I felt so bad. It looked horrible at first, it was all white and got bubbley. Ouch.

This is a couple of days later. This is was the beginning of our accidents.

Monday we had our monthly birthday party. We had a blast swimming. It was time to get out and Emma was having so much fun she decided not to stay in for "just a little longer." She had watched the bigger kids dive off the diving board backwards and decided to try. She didn't clear it and wacked her nose pretty good.It got pretty black and blue and swelled instantly. I kept asking my MIL,"Are you sure it is not broken?" Once she had finally calmed down and rested for awhile she wanted to go play. Then a nephew hit her in the nose with a ball and I just felt so bad for the girls. It was a rough day.

While I was sitting with Emma I hear Jared scream this horrible scream and I go running. He is holding his arm and I expected to see it dislocated hanging there with the bone sticking out. Flash backs from when my brother broke his arm. The first thing he said to me in between screaming is "I's not broken, It's not broken." It actually looked fine but I could tell he was in a lot of pain. I had no idea if it was broken or just sprained. Again I asked my MIL what she thought. I consider her an expert in things like this. She thought it looked sprained. It is still hurting him but we have decided it was just a bad sprain.

At some point in the middle of all this I notice that Joshua's foot is bleeding and he has other blisters. I saw these blisters on Joseph earlier and wondered what they were. But once they both had them I worried it was hand, foot, mouth disease so I take Josh to my MIL and it turns out it is just from the bottom of the kiddie pool. Not really a big deal at all.

One good thing came out of all this, we went home early and I got to bed before to late. Usually we love to sit around and visit and stay way to late, so fun though. I love living near family.

Actually I felt very fortunate. With all these accidents none of them ended in the hospital, a few were close, but that is it. What a blessing!

I normally make the choice to not complain on this blog. I like to reserve this space for the positive things in my life. But today I feel like I just need to be grumpy and I am hoping getting it out of my head will help me feel less negative.
I always have great anticipation when going to my first OBGYN appointment when I am pregnant. I am anxious to see that the baby is fine and hopeful that I will like the doctor I am going to, moving makes it hard to keep a dr you know and love. Plus the added wondering if I am farther along then I though or am I having twins, I recognize twins is probably a passing idea put into my ever day dreaming head and not so but either way I would love to know.The past few nights I have not slept well with anticipation of my appointment. I guess you would say I can be a worrier sometimes.
I woke up feeling really sick and with a pounding headache. One of those mornings you just want to stay in bed. But since I had to leave the house at 9 with the kids fed and ready as well as myself I had no choice. I was running a little late, another down fall of mine is anxiety over being late.
So when I walk into the office, tell the lady my name, and she says, "Oh I think they are rescheduling you." I start to cry. I held it together so no one new but me but it had just been such a long night and such a rough morning I felt like this was the last straw. I have felt sick for 4 weeks now. I feel like my functioning ability has been decreased to nothing. I normally don't even get sick till 8 weeks and here I am 8 weeks along and already sick for a month. I guess my hope for a good day os decreasing. Why do some days feel so very hard. When time passes I recognize how silly it is to be so upset but in the moment it feels so real and frustrating.
Yesterday was the last non black out day for the Disney passes in awhile so I had told the kids we would go. The night before Emma had hurt her nose diving off the diving board backwards and Jared sprained his wrist really bad. So when I woke up feeling really sick my desire to go had diminished to nothing. But since I had told Joseph and he was so excited I decided to go. Jared no longer wanted to go because his wrist hurt so bad. We finally get off and get there before 11. It was almost 90 when we got there and it was so crowded we had to park way far away and walk a ridicules ways. I kept a good outward appearance for the kids but let me tell yeah, never go to Disneyland in the summer, Never go the day a new ride opens, never go when you feel like you shouldn't but go against your better judgment, and never go when the high temp is over 85. If you were thinking of going in the summer, don't! Pull your kids out of school
shortly after they have started, near the end of Sept. You will coast on every ride, enjoy wonderful weather, children and parents will all be happier. I didn't last long and the kids were so drained the hardly said anything all day.
I will probably delete this post tomorrow but I do feel better now that I have complained.

You Are An INFJ

The Protector You live your life with integrity, originality, vision, and creativity. Independent and stubborn, you rarely stray from your vision - no matter what it is. You are an excellent listener, with almost infinite patience. You have complex, deep feelings, and you take great care to express them. In love, you truly see relationships as an opportunity to connect and grow. You enjoy relationships as long as they are improving and changing. You can't stand stagnation. At work, you stay motivated and happy... as long as you are working toward a dream you support. You would make a great photographer, alternative medicine guru, or teacher. How you see yourself: Hardworking, ethical, and helpful When other people don't get you, they see you as: Manipulative, weak, and unstable

What's Your Personality Type?

I don't like to be a bragging mom but....

...sometimes it just has to be said. This last few months have seemed crazy and home school has seemed even crazier. Today was our last official day. We met with the kids teacher and it felt so good to hand everything over to her. We are going to have a bonfire with the rest of the papers! I also got there testing scores for the end of the year. This test is the nation wide test they do at the beginning and end of each school year.
Emma is to young to test but Marina let me know she is above level and reading really well.

Sarah, ending 2nd grade, scored 216 in math which puts her 25 points above average and at the middle of 5th grade level. For reading she scored 216 which is 28 points above average and at the end of 6th grade beginning of 7th grade level with a level of reading comprehension between middle of 7th and middle of 9th grade. For language usage she scored a 223, that's 32 points above average and at a beginning 9th grade level.

Jared, ending 4th grade, scored 229 in math, which puts him 19 points above average, and end of 7th grade level. For reading he scored 227 and that puts him 22 points above average with a level of reading comprehension between end of 9th and middle of 11th. For language usage he scored 222 and that is 15 points above average and at an end of 8th grade beginning of 9th grade level.

Would I love to take credit for their smartness, yes. But I really can't. These kids are so much smarter then I ever was. I believe they came from heaven that way. We have encouraged them. I read a book when Jared was little that explained if you focus your efforts on teaching your children to read and read well then schooling will be easy. I have tried to do that and it seems like it has really helped to encourage what they already had within them. Jared and Sarah love to read and Emma loves to look at books. She is starting to ask me how to spell everything and any time she sees a sign she spells it out and asks me what it says. Lots of times she can sound it out. It is so fun to watch them learn. With that said, I think they might go to public school next year. Just because I am not sure I will be a good mommy trying to home school with a newborn. Besides, I think it will be nice to have more time with the little ones.

And just when you thought my bragging was all done.... Jared one his champion baseball game tonight. They did awesome. Not bad for his first season. They won against their division last week and then played against the north division tonight. We were ranked 4th before the playoffs so I am shocked we won against the 1st place time of the other division which had never been beaten.

Yeah, today was a good day. I welcome the summer with open arms, bring it on!

Random things that make me happy

Everything I grow usually dies so I am so excited to see our radishes growing so well.
See this cute boy? When I looked at this picture I realized how much he looks like Jared did at this age.
I actually created something and I remember how much I love to make things. This was for my SIL's baby shower.

And look how cute these baby sock buds turned out, not bad for a first try. I tied them on to the outside of the present.

And here is my cute family above the Hoover dam.

We decided last minute to head of to Vegas with Ryan for their first boot camp weekend. I had such a terrible couple of days I decided I wasn't going to go. I knew Ryan would be busy the whole time and I wasn't sure how I felt about spending 4 days in vegas with the kids. We ended up having so much fun. I felt pretty good most of the time, had a few bad moments though. Mostly we just relaxed and I needed that so much. Our hotel was luxury. We got a free upgrade to a super nice suite at the Palazzo which was such a nice hotel. The shower had a jetted tub and 5 shower heads. I could get used to that!
I got to visit with my sister and that was fun. We just don't see each other enough. Also my SIL's Sarah, Allie, and Orchids were all there with their hubbies. We spent a lot of time at the pool and it was awesome. It was like bath water and that is my kind of swimming. Plus the pool was perfect for kids. There were 7 different pools to choose from.

On Thursday night we went out to eat at Denny's. "Yeah" sarcasm you might think but it was actually a lot of fun. Because it was only Denny's I didn't worry about the kids being loud. Emma even sung us her concert song in full voice and nobody cared. One old lady even told me how well mannered the kids were. With that said we decided at the beginning of the trip to make a game out of how many people made comments about having so many kids. I think we ended at 15. Most were normal comments were normal but a few were worthy of noting.
1st- a middle aged uppity looking women made a face before she asked if they were all mine. When I said yes I awaited her reply. when she shocked me with a big, "wow, you look amazing." It totally took me by surprised and I am sure my smile took her off guard as well.
2nd- a lady about 20 asked me if they were all mine and then proceeded to tell me how beautiful they all were and how she hopes when she has children the are that beautiful.
3rd- and not s nice. Ryan left somethingin the conference room after it was all over one night and we, as a family, went to go get it. Some of the members were still asking question and one man just kept staring. Then with a big grin on his face he said "You should join a circus" He thought he was so funny and I had to give him props for at least using some creativity and not giving the normal "You must be busy" response.

We went to the Hoover Dam on Friday and this was jareds favorite part of the whole trip. Who knew? He was so impressed that they could build that awesome building.

Inside the observatory they had interactive games for the kids. That was a hit as well. We then drove by their grandma's old house she lived in when she was little. They thought that was cool as well. Then we came back and met up with my sister and swam some more. I love swimming. After that we went over to the venetian, it is connected to the palazzo, and ate Gellato and watched a show they have in the middle shops. Sarah got picked to help with the magic show and that was fun for her. Then we went to dinner and we all felt so tired it was simply time to go to bed. We really had a great time bonding as a family and I am so glad we got this break.

One other random thing to note is how funny Joshua was with the strangers in the elevator. He would reach out and touch their hand our their leg. One man called him buddy so for the rest of the trip he kept saying "Hi buddy" to people. What a cutie.

We had to leave without Ryan since his little sister was getting baptized Saturday night and he wasn't going to be done till late. The drive was fairly painless and I was relived we made it with 5 minutes to spare.

The baptism was very nice even if the little boys were so tired. I belong to such a cute family After the family party I crashed and I am still recovering from the trip but it really was worth it.

A day to remember

We went to the cemetery today. It was a reverent moment for me. This day can be so awesome if we allow ourselves the time to ponder on the amazing soldiers who have given so much that we may live free.

I have been meaning to blog but this time I do have a good excuse. Baby Chapman #6, grandchild # 12 on one said and #20 on the other is making his/her way into the world sometime in January. That sounds so far away but I have learned that time flies so fast and it seems to fly faster and faster the older I get. I am totally excited and I have already thought of a ton of names I like. Adam and Hannah are top on the list. I have loved the name Hannah since before I had kids and always thought my last would be Hannah but now it is one of the top names and I don't know if I want to do that? Part of me wants to do something non traditional like Eden. Time will tell. I have started a pregnancy journal for anyone who is interested,

We had a most wonderful weekend visiting with Ryan's family. The Chapman's had a family reunion and can I just tell you how much I love these people. The make me smile. How great it is to feel like you belong. A real sense of home.

Friday night we played games at my SIL Sarah's beautiful house. The kids watched a show in the play room while we played Mafia. I am a now a fan of this game. By the time we were done I finally got the strategy. Again we will play this game and I will reign supreme.

Saturday morning we cleaned out our garage then headed over to the church for

family funness/ traditional Chapman family b-ball game/fight.

While they taunted each other we played card games and enjoyed visiting.

Yesterday we had a nice dinner at my MIL's and celebrated Ryan's Grandma and Grandpa's birthdays. It is always so neat to watch the relationships develop in family. Even though we only see each other at best annually.

Joseph just loved Ryan's cousins little girl Staysha. He was so cute with her.After that those who had the nerve stepped up and did a little talent show. Some of the mommies decided to do a little skit/dancing. This is out of my comfort zone but I went along and we had a great time being goofy and making the family laugh, as well as ourselves. Good stuff.

SIL's Hope, Sarah, Amy, Allie, and cousin Leslie. I am in the back in the pink.

Ryan's brothers did an impromptu of the song "My Little Buttercup" from Three Amigos.
Very funny boys.

Joseph wanted to do something but he was to shy so he

and I lead the group in a round of "popcorn popping"

Joshua enjoyed my goggles. He gets my style even if no one else does.

Then today to start off the mode of Memorial day we sung some patriotic songs and my BIL Kyle talked about the importance of this day and paid tribute to Grandpa and his service in the War. We all cried and it was a powerful moment. Then some of my younger BIL's raised the flag and we said the pledge of allegiance. Very cool.

I felt lucky to catch this cute little moment.And then the games began. Wheel Barrel.This didn't work out like he thought it might. Joshua wouldn't go.The day would not be complete without the flour relay. Amy is showing us how it is done.Even Joshua got in on the action.Three legged race wasn't as fun as some of the kids hoped. Yet others booked it.They were so cute. This is Joseph with his cousin Ethan. They just took it slow and seemed to enjoy themselves.

It was a great weekend. I think I just blogged enough to compensate for my lack of in the past couple weeks.

And my new growing opportunity/calling is....

Drum roll please.... (Here you go Ricki, Sorry to leave you in such suspense)

I am the new young women's president in my ward. The girls are amazing. They genuinely love each other. No tension, no catty behavior. They are up lifting and loving. They always tell me something they love about me and thank me for my lessons. I could not ask for better girls. That is the wonderful part. I am going to have so much fun with them.

The overwhelming part? I can no longer go along for the ride. I am in charge. The responsibility now lays on my head. I don't just attend meetings, I am in charge of them. I want so much to do right by these girls. To help them in this sometimes hard time in their life. I remember how hard my Jr and Sr years were. I felt so lost. I hope these girls can feel my love for them no matter what dumb choices they may make. I want them to feel of my love for them and in turn be able to feel of the Saviors love for them. I have such high expectations for myself.

I do have amazing councilors. I feel like I have the very best that is to be had. And I am anxious to met with them and get to know them. Before they had been called I had not had a conversation with any of them. But I just feel like we are going to have so much fun.

I was blessed to go to Time out For Women on Saturday with my family. I think I cried the whole day. I felt so feed and edified. It was as if angels were sitting next to me whispering to me what I specifically needed to hear. I felt the love of my Savior in overwhelming abundance. That sometimes we need to be broken down so that we can be rebuilt in to something much more. When we would settle for a simple cottage the Lord is making us into a grand and glorious mansion. Sometimes the stretching and pulling hurts and it feels like more then we can bare but when we have overcome the challenge or hardship we see all that we become not in spite of but because of it. I wish I could put into words all that I felt that day. To sum it up? I felt like I could handle any and all that the Lords puts in my path as long as I strive to remember Him. To recognize that His will is above mine and that is were I will find true happiness.

Mothers Day for me this year was better then I can ever remember any mother's day being. The kids all made me cards. Joseph made a computer out of paper just like the girls did. So cute. But when he was showing Ryan he got upset because his "rat"had fallen off. I thought it was funny that ha called the mouse that. He had the right principle. The kids brought me breakfast in bed then sat with me and helped me eat it. We made cookies for the old YW leaders and cake for Grandma. It was just relaxing. I think what made it so great was that I felt so much love for being able to be their mom. Just that God would trust these sweet people in my care. I had a good discussion with the kids about their names and who they were named after. I felt prompted to have this discussion while at Time out for women. I named them after mighty people that they could see how great they could become. As I explained to each child why I picked the name I did for them and the attributes that person had I realized that my children have the same qualities I admire in there name sakes.

Jared Moroni is a good leader and stands up for what is right like Captain Moroni.
Sarah May is strong and immovable.
Emma Rebecca is loving and concerned for others.
Joseph Mosiah is tender hearted and fun loving, yet resolute.
And Joshua Enoch is strong, determined, and yet joyful.

What more could a mother want in her children. I am so grateful for them!

Wow!

That is such an understatement. Sometimes I think the Lord gives us opportunities that we may feel our strong need to rely on Him. Tonight I received a calling that is defiantly beyond my human capabilities. But I feel such a strong impression that He will magnify me to become the leader he needs me to be. That as I learn to come to him I will be able to be an instrument in his hands. I feel the weight of this calling heavily at the moment and have a burning desire to do all that I can with it. I am simply grateful for this chance to grow and be stretched beyond what I would stretch myself.

The long awaited day has finally come

Since I had Joseph I have been looking forward to the day when I could tell people I was in my 30's. Maybe it is because I was married so young and my family grew rather quickly that growing older has never bother. Almost every time I go out with the kids someone says something about me having a lot of children. It used to bug me but know I just smile and tell them how great it is and usually they get uncomfortable and I have learned to enjoy that. I love my life. I love my children. I made this choice and I never regret it, never. I know it is not for everyone but I have been so blessed to learn from these wonderful little people.

Ryan took me and the kids out to dinner on Monday for my birthday. When they came to sing to me Ryan was in the bathroom with Joseph so they waited and talked with me. Our waitress told the others that I was the mom of all these kids and the one was in shock. "I thought you were our age, like 23. You don't look your age, wait I don't know your age." Then I got to say it, "I'm in my 30's" They were all in shock and it made my day. Yeah, it's all about the simple pleasures in life.

Maddie

I had so much fun playing with baby Madeline. She is such a sweet baby and I could not get enough of her. Here is a little sneak peek.