Report cards

Wow so I just have to tell you how wonderful my children are doing in school and how much all the teachers love them.

Teague was first He is my 5th grader Mrs. Inglet kept saying I love Teague he is such a good, smart kid, I love him even without his grandpa being a police officer. (her husband is also a police officer for the city) He got all A's and B's so he gets to snow board this winter which he is very excited for.

Sayla was next she is my 1st grader Mrs. Brian said "she is one of the best girls I have, there is no Drama with her so that is so nice, she is right on track all 5's is reading really well, is a great kid wish I had a whole bunch of Sayla's in my class.

Taya is my Kindergartener Her teacher said she is one of the top students she is sad that she will not have anymore of our children. She had Ethan, Sayla and now Taya. She is already reading knows all her letters and the sounds.

Sydney is in 4th Mrs. Andrus she has all A's except one B+ in Math. She said "I have her in 5th grade math, you can put her back down to 4th grade if that B really bothers you or you can keep her in it and have her just keep trucking along." Chris and I decided to keep in the 5th grade math. Even though Angelia has given her such a hard time about it and had her in tears over one B. Angelia never has even had an A in her life so who is she to talk. Mrs. Andrus also said how she is so helpful. When she finishes her homework she always asks if there is anything she can do to help her our. Sydney was also chosen to be on student council this year. She is very excited about it.

Tate my 3rd grader Mrs. Julian the first thing out of her mouth was "I love Tate" she even wrote it on his report card. She said "there is just something about that kid that makes me love him so much." He has all A's the only problem he has is he likes to fiddle around in his desk when he is suppose to be working." All of his teachers have said the same thing how much they love him.

Ethan was last 2nd grade. Mrs. Olsen said "I will make this quick, Ethan is perfect, he gets all his homework done on time, he listens, does what he is supppose to do, is quiet, he is kind to eveyone, everyone likes him, he gets along well with everyone I wish I had 14 Ethan's in my class. His AR goal was 20 and on his own he had 37 points so she said she is doubling his AR goal for next tri-mester to 40 points. He is such a good reader. She just went on and on about Ethan. Ethan has always been my obedient child.

I am so proud of my children. I am very blessed to have all 6 of them in my life.

From the mouth of Babes...

Some funny things the kids have said lately.

Start with Taya
I asked Taya to do her chore, she did it without hesitation. I then said to the other children "look how good Taya is at doing her chores when I ask her, she always does it right when I ask her to. I really appreciate it and it would be very helpful if you all would do the same." Taya replies "yeah and I never listen" I was laughing.

Sayla
I was on my way out the door for work and Sayla says "mom do you want me to brush your hair for you." I said "I already did my hair does it look bad" She replied "well it is a little nappy on this one side." Where did she get that from?

Ethan
At dinner we were talking about "Black Friday" and how it is the day that companies go from the being in the red to being in the Black and Ethan said "and the shoppers get in the red" Very True Ethan you are too smart.

Tate
Tate was making lunch I said" is that all you are taking for lunch. He said "yes" I said "are you going to be okay". He replied "Don't worry Daniel's mom always packs extra in his lunch for me." Thank you Kym for taking care of my child.

These kids just crack me up. Everyday is full of so much fun.

Ethan turns 8

Today Ethan turned 8. He will be getting baptized this saturday. He is most excited for scouts.
How blessed I am to be able to be a mother to Ethan. I have been in his life since he was 4 years old. I remember the first time I met him. It was his smile that really caught my eye. He has a smile that lights up the room. I was teasing him about his age. I was trying to guess his age and said 25,13 he would just smile and say nooo. It was very cute.
Ethan is very obedient when he is told something he does it and he gets all the other kids to do it also. If he gets grounded from video games or friends he reminds me. "Remeber I am grounded" He takes his punishment and does not complain. (Imagine that a child that does not complain)
He is great at sharing, and is so good at helping me around the house.
He is an excellent student. He reads so well.
I sure do love this kid. He brings so much joy into our home.

Tate turns 9

Man does time fly my little Tate turns 9 on the 19th of October. He is such a fun kid. He is so imaginative. He comes up with the craziest games and costumes. He wanted to be Indian Jones

so he got on a white T-shirt some Kahaki pants found a leather looking vest, a jump rope for his whip. He went outside and tied the jump rope to the swing set and played for hours. He wanted to be a ninja so he took a black t-shirt and cut it up and made a ninja mask. He glued it together and it stayed. He did a very good job. He is always impressing me with his creative mind.

He is loved by everyone. He has lots of friends. I will be at work and kids will come up to me and say aren't you Tate's mom. He is my friend.

He is so good with his younger cousins especially Hewitt. He loves playing with him and helping him out. He gave Hewitt one of his batman stuffed animals once because he had grown out of it.

Once some of our friends stopped by to visit. They have 5 boys. The boys were all playing around having such a great time. They started doing races. Well the little boy Benny who is only 2 was getting frusted cause he was not getting included in the big boy games or races. So Tate took him "in" and became his little buddy. He raced him and let him win. He would say come on

Benny come play. He is a very sweet kid.

All of his teachers love him. Things we hear at parent teacher conference. I wish I had a whole classroom full of Tate's. He is so quiet and obedient. He listens and is respectful. Those are the things a parent likes to hear. (although at times I do wonder if we are talking about the same kid.) He had a student teacher that just loved him. She told us, "I know I am not suppose to play favorites but, Tate is my favorite".

You always have fun when Tate is around.

Tate likes to play football, basketball, and video games.

Tate We all Love you and are so glad you are a part of our family.

Happy Birthday!!!

Sayla turns 7

On Monday Sayla turned 7. She is my second youngest. Man she was excited she was counting down the days and then of course the hours. At church the week before she would go up to people and say "guess what! only 8 more days until my birthday" It was funny. When 6:30 rolled around on Monday night and no one was here yet she was very nervous. Of course the family and a few friends came through.
She opened her presents she got 4 Barbie's, a Barbie movie, clothes, a soft bath robe, a gumball machine, a bracelet, nail polish, money, a earring holder, some earrings I am sure there was more but that is all I can remember.
Sayla is such a sweet little girl. She makes me laugh. She has lots of questions for me always. She is very smart. I cannot slide anything past her. I always get caught. She is very tender hearted. She loves anything pink and sparkly. She always has to be dressed up and wants heals and make up. She loves to dance and sing. tgwr
I cannot believe how time flies and how grown up she is.
She is so fun and I am glad she is part of our family.
Happy Birthday sweet girl.

Health Forgranted

I have been thinking how much I take my health forgranted. My husband has a chronic illness. He wakes up everyday sick. He is in pain and nauseated and some days cannot function or even get out of bed. It physically exhaust him. I don't know how he does it. I am a baby I would not be able to. I know how I get when I get the 24 hour stomach bug, I lay in bed and moan and groan. He usually takes care of me. This is what he lives with on a daily basis. Some people say well he is probably use to it so it does not affect him. No! it still does and it does not get better and sometimes it gets worse. The only thing he hates about it is that it affects the family so much. He says "this is my cross to bear, I just wish my family did not have to suffer from it also."
I have heard family members say to me "Well if he would live his life right, maybe this would not be happening to him." Whether he was living his life right or not it still was happening. He has been suffering since high school. It has been worse in the last few years.

This week I am going to be grateful for my health, and not be a baby about any aches or pains or stuffy nose I may have. I challenge anyone else who may read this post to do the same.

Well my dearest and longest friend Charise Andrus Monson lost her father on Sunday. It has been a very emotional week. Tuesday was the viewing. I showed up at 6 p.m. (I wanted to be there at 5:30 because I knew there would be lots of people) well there were lots of people it went in the south side wrapped around to the north side of the building into the gymnasium on the west side went to the east side of the gymnasium back to the south east side out the gymnasium door on the south side then we went east into the Relief Society room did you get all that? We stood in line for 2 hours. It was so fun to see all the siblings of Charise. I only wish it was in better circumstances.
Now if anyone knows me they know how close Charise and I were growing up. We were at each others houses almost everyday. The Andrus family was like a second family to me. I love them all so much, I enjoy their company, all her Sisters husbands have been so kind to me, her brothers are awesome, everyone of them holds a special place in my heart.
So of course Doug was like a father to me. He was such a great example to me. He was very devoted to the Lord, he loved the Lord and everyone knew it. I remember him always studying his scriptures. There was never a day missed for family scripture study, believe me I was there for quite a few of those scripture study nights. He always treated the guest so special. I remember a couple of times when I was there for breakfast, Deanna had made mush and I did not like it so Doug let me have corn flakes. I remember Stan and Jared whining "why does she get corn flakes and we have to have mush" Doug's reply was "she is our guest" one sunday dinner I was there eating with them and he gave me the first serving of meat and again I heard "Why does she get the good meat with the less fat" Doug's reply again was "she is our guest." Know you would think this would end after me practically living there for 12 years but no he still treated me as a guest and I recieved special treatment.
I remember a story he always told from his mission. He knocked on the door of a gentleman and the man's said "sorry I am Catholic" Doug's reply was "I am sorry too." He was very bold. The man just chuckled. I cannot remember if he actually taught him or not I just remember that part of the story. He was always a missionary.
I remember almost everytime we went into town either with Deanna or with one of her sisters we would stop by the office and get a candy bar or soda out of the vending machine. It was awesome.
Charise and I would go up to Doug and say to him "Say do you know what? You've got stuff all over your face" then he would chase after us. We loved doing that. I am sure he got tired of doing it but he was a great sport about it.
Wednesday was the funeral. I was alone Chris had to work and the kids were in school (plus They did not know Doug so it would not be right for me to take them) Anyway when I arrived I was walking on the sidewalk to the doors. I looked over and there was Elder L. Tom Perry I stopped and said Hello. He asked me what was the best way to get into the building. I said well the only way was the doors on the south side. I told him all the other doors were locked. His reply "they are locked what will they do next" I just chuckled. Wow just to be in the presence of an apostle just for that one moment was an amazing feeling. The funeral service was amazing the spirit was so strong in there. It felt more like Stake Conference than a funeral, although I had a lot more tears here than at Stake conference. All his children, sons-in-law, and daughters-in-law did such a wonderful job singing. It was beautiful! The church was so packed they had it broadcasted into 3 other rooms in the building.
My heart goes out to Deanna what a sweet and amazing lady she is. I know she will keep herself busy with her children and grandchildren, and serving others as she always has but she will have some lonely nights. I know she loved Doug so dearly. I wish there is something I can do, someway I could tell her how much she means to me, and how much I think about her and her well being. I love the Andrus family so much I hope they all know it.
Well I think I have rambled on enough.

Football Football Football and Soccer

So Today was a very busy day. Starting at 6 a.m. up and getting Teague off to his game in Firth. He was pumped up and excited. Teague loves football. I was there at 9:15 I had a hard time finding the place. Teague did so good, he plays so well. His team did not win but we had lots of heart and they did not give up.

Here are some pictures of Teague's game.

Teague Number 54

Teague no. 54 coming up from a tackle

Waiting on the coach and Referee to stop arguing

Teague in the middle of a tackle he is the one you can see his face the best

Teague up against number 60 something

Then it was to Idaho Falls Community Park for Ethan's game at 11.

Ethan was the only one who scored a touchdown on his team.

Needless to say they also lost.

Here are some pictures of his game.

Ethan is the one grabbing the flag

Playing with his mouth guard

Then Tate and Sydney played at 11:30 at Community Park. They are the Bronco's. Their team won. I have a hard time with their coach. When Chris coached last year their was this one coach that we did not like, bad sportsmanship very mean to the kids. Then this year we get a call to be on his team. I gave the kids the decission to play on his team or not at all, whatever they decided I did not want to hear crying and complaining. They both decided to play. I just told them they can still be good sports and not follow

the other team members or the coach in bad sportsmanship.

Sydney is very fast, she always plays defense, she gets the flag almost everytime.

Tate is offense mostly, hiking the ball or blocking.

Here are some pictures of them.

Tate Hiking the ball

Defense, Defense D-Fense

Tate on the run

Then at 11:45 was Taya's soccer game good thing that was at Community Park also so I was able to go from one field to the other watching all of them.

This is her first year playing any sport. She is fast and goes after the ball she made the first goal!!!!!!! She did not even realize she did it. It was funny.
Here are some of her pictures.

It was very fun to watch all these games today. Next Saturday will be the same with all these games. It is crazy but I love it.

Pondering....

The other day Chris asked me "If we were together from the beginning do you think we would have had all six children"
My reply "No" I have horrible pregnancy's I am sick the whole time, I am mean etc.
He says "Then I am glad we didn't"
As much as we both hate what we have gone through to get to this point, Neither of us can imagine our lives without all 6 children. They are precious and I enjoy being their mother. We are extremely blessed that Heavenly Father trusted us enough to allow us the opportunity to parent these children here on this earth.
Even though I did not birth all 6 of them they are still mine, and I believe however we get them they are mine and it is my responsibility to teach them everything I can. Very Humbling.
There is a song that fits Chris and I very well. One line in the song says "God bless the broken road that led me straight to you." It fits because we both have gone several broken roads to find each other and I am so glad we have. Chris is everything to me. He treats me so well, I walk on water in his eyes. All though I think he puts me on a much higher (peda stool) than I deserve, it feels nice to be treated so amazing.
That is another thing Chris always says "Everything I have gone through I would do it again in a heartbeat knowing that you are my end result"
Isn't he just the sweetest.
I am so glad we are all a family.

A Victorious Day

So most of you know that Chris and I have been going through a custody battle with his ex.
Chris has been the primary custodial parent since November of 2006. Well December of 2007 Chris's ex came into the picture and decided she wanted to be a mom and fight for custody. So since then we have been going through battle after battle after battle, in court and out of court. The trials were postponed at least 7 times and we went through 5 judges. None of which she has ever won. In her vindictiveness she ruined Chris's career, subjected her children to the most unimaginable things you would never think a mother would do to her own kids, all in the name of "Hurting Chris and I" well guess what it not only hurts us it hurts the kids.
Well on Thursday Sept 02, 2010 it finally all came to an end.
Let me back up just a bit.
When Chris went to meet with our Attorney on Wednesday He ,Trevor, told us he ran into Chris's ex,Angelia, attorney and she said. "I know if I just had a few more days I could convince my client to settle outside of court."
Well Chris and Trevor sat down and wrote up a proposal. It was presented to the opposing party. We waited all night didn't hear a decision went to court the next day and Angelia said no to the settlement. Her attorney in her own words said "she is the most unreasonable B@#*!" wow from her own attorney.
Well the judge who is more or less already retired did not want to be there you could tell, says he is going to run the show he is going to ask the questions, there will be no cross examinations, and no witnesses except the Dr. who did the home evaluation and the two sets of parents. Much different then what we wanted or imagined.
The Dr. went first and had no logical explanation or evidence to back up his recommendation of splitting the time 50/50. All he could say was in his readings it has worked but he has never seen it actually work. Time and money wasted.
Then it is Angelia's turn. When the judge asks her what would be her ideal situation, her reply is "I just want more time with the children" Ugh really after all this time, money and energy you change your mind from wanting custody to more time. Could you have decided that 3 years ago and saved alot of time, money, stress, heartache, career etc.
Wow!!!!! Is about all I could say to that.
So the judge gave us primary custodial parents as it already was and she gets two additional night on her weedends and two additional weeks in the summer.
K let me just add in this is what we proposed in Decemeber of 07, and Septemeber of 2010.
The only additional she got that we did not propose was to split the kids breaks. Like spring break and Christmas break.
So all of that for that really, really, really unbelievable.
Well when we returned home from court and told the children they were so happy. They were jumping around and so happy they stay with us.
When we told them they did have additional days with their mom they cried and said no we don't want to. "Do we have to, please don't make us" are some of the things we heard. Sydney even said "can you go back to court so I don't have to see my mom at all." We told her not until she is 12. It is very sad that we have to let them go when they don't want to, and that they do not have a say in the matter.
For now lots of Joy that the children can stay in our home with two parents that love them, are selfless, and want to be with them and take care of them. They know it and can feel it.
I have to thank everyone for all your emotional, spiritual, mental, financial support. We could not have done it without you. Thank you and we love you.