October Already

Wow, well, as usual time flies by too fast. It has been a good two months of school. The kids just ended their first quarter and they all have handled their new grades pretty well. Tyrik has been the biggest surprise. He has done so well in Spanish. He is one of the first to answer in class and has really caught on to the Spanish, so he can already count to 100 in Spanish and say basic sayings. I was worried aboit the work load for him, but he knows what he has to do everyday and does it. I am so impressed at how smart and hard working he is. He does miss seeing his friends from here everyday, which makes me sad, but I am happy with the school and teachers and his progress thus far. Wylie just finished playing his first season of football. He has learned a lot. He was on the kick off team. On one game, he made the best tackle of the game. He is just getting taller and cuter. I kind of wish he wasnt, but the good news is, he doesnt seem too interested in girls yet, so thats good. He misses going to the farm and riding his dirtbike. He wishes so bad he had more time, but with school and football, he hasn't had hardly any. He is doing well in 8th grade. He still works hard. He is now the most sought after boy to use for mowing lawns and or feeding animals and watering when people leave town. He has a few people that ask him regularly and now he just had a couple more. I am proud of the man he is becoming. Last week after I told him that Spencer & I were buying clothing and items to send to those in need to Clancys mission, he went and took out $100. and handed it to me and said "Mom, please use this to get more to send." He continues to amaze me.
Ryland won President of the school and is doing awesome in school. He was excited! He is a great help at home and is excited to start basketball soon. He is getting better and better on his dirt bike. He has so many kids that just love to play with him. He is a great people person.  Kaylese has enjoyed 4th grade so far. They have 3 teachers splitting up the subjects, which I dont love, but I am grateful for how well she has handled it. She just had her friend party on Friday night. It was a Halloween themed party. I made creepy looking food and did a scavenger hunt to feel the different "body parts"(also made of food). Spencer scared the girls while they were in the dark basement just by starting up the chainsaw and he had a mask on. It was hilarious!! On Saturday Kaylese's dream came true. Thanks to Amy Lamb(Spencer's cousin) and Molly(his aunt), we were able to give her a horse. He is a 1 year old colt. She named him Milo. We gave him to her Saturday because that is the only day Spencer has off and Mom and Dad Masters wanted to come for it, which they did, along with Tracy and Marian. Well, we typed up a really nice card for her and thought she could get it after she read it. She didnt. So I took her outside where Spencer and everyone else were waiting with the horse. Kaylese still didnt understand what was going on. She said she thought we were just letting her ride it or something. When she did understand, I will never forget the look on her face. Her jaw just dropped open and she was stunned. She spent the whole rest of the day walking, brushing, petting and loving him. Its a great feeling to see her joy. I really hope that through this, she grows and learns a lot and that having this horse, helps her develop talents and helps her to stay out of trouble as a teen. She is such a beautiful girl inside and out. Her official birthday is tomorrow. Its amazing how much changes in 10 years. We will have her family party and cake and ice cream tomorrow. I love her and am lucky to havr her.
Aynslee loves her weekly playdays with Ellie and preschool. She is becoming quite smart and quitr sassy. ( pretty normal for the age I guess) I am grateful to have her at home with me. She is slowly coming around to the idea of playing with Baylor. They are finally becoming buddies. She can ride her bike without training wheels now. She has been our youngest to learn that.
Baylor has grown a ton. He is getting so much smarter and talks so much. I am sad he is growing up. I wish he would stay a baby for a bit longer. He says " I LUB YOU" now, which melts my heart.
I am so grateful for my life. It is so blessed and beautiful!

End of Summer With My Babes

So, today was Aynslee's 4th Birthday. She had a fun day playing with Kaylese and Tyrik all day. She got clothes, PJ's, make up (her favorite), books, a play microphone, a stuffed animal dog, and an ice cream cake. She got to watch Disney princess movies today with her family and put on quite the performance for all of us including singing, dancing, and tricks. She is getting to be quite bossy, sassy, and opinionated for only being 4, but she is also so funny, happy, entertaining, and adorable! She is a blessing in our family. I am grateful she had a good day. :)
My children all start school this Thursday. I have loved every of summer with them! From our Vegas trip to swimming, camping for the Cook reunion last weekend, reading together, sleeping in 😊, walks together, 4th of July, Lamb Days, parades, play days, Lagoon, the list goes on and on. I couldnt have asked for a better summer with my kids. I love being out in the sun and I love spending time with family, especially my kids, there is nothing better. ☺
I am sad to see it come to an end, but grateful we had such a great one. Without Spencer working so much overtime and an extra job, it wouldnt be possible for me to have done all of those things and be home with them everyday. I am grateful for his hard work and willingness to let me be home with my kids. There is nothing harder, but nothing better in the world. I hope that we can keep our relationships good during the school year. It just seems harder because of all the things my kids have going and all the places they have to go, not to mention all the homework. I hate nagging and pleading and yelling. I am making a goal to be nicer amd calmer as this yearand rolls out. I know for a fact that if I am calmer, everything just goes better. We may not always be on time, but atleast we would be happier and nicer to eachother if I could stay that way. I hope and pray I can have the energy I need to wake up early and to keep up with it all, while staying calm. The only way I see it being possible is with Gods help. I am so grateful that God is aware of ME and my worries and struggles and that he cares so much that he is always willing to help me.
I feel so blessed to have this beautiful life. I have a beautiful garden, yard, home, and Valley to live in. Most of all, I feel so blessed to have the family I have. Grandparents, Parents, Brothers, Sisters, Neices, Nephews, My husband, and my beautiful children. My life is so full. Thank my Father in Heaven for all of it. The Gospel brings so much Joy if you live it. I am so grateful for that. I will write about the rest of the details of summer later. Until then.

What a Great Month

Well, this has been such a great month
Its always filled with lots of family time and sunshine, which are my favorite things. So the 4th of July was great as always with The Cook family. Baylor, Aynslee & Tyrik had a bad cold for a couple of weeks before that, which totally set off the asthma. The two older finally got over it, but Baylor ended up at the Dr. The Friday before. I was grateful the antibiotics started to kick in by the 4th. Wylie & Ryland went to a basketball camp that weekend and really enjoyed it. Loris family was down for the 4th. They have all grown so much. Avery & Saylor are officially taller than me. It is so weird to have the big group of teenagers now. Its so different than just having little kids around. It is really fun to see how much they love their cousins though. I have realized over this past month, just how lucky I am to be part of the Cook family. I appreciate their strength, their examples, how much they can accomplish and how much fun they are. So Lori and Tom left after the 4th, but their kids stayed, which was fun for our kids. The week of Lamb Days Spencer & I drove up on evening Nx bought a motorcycle for him from a guy off of KSL. He was excited. The kids did great in the Lamb show this year. They all improved in showing and their lambs were really nice, but didnt quite make it to the top (the two boys lambs were both 3rd in their class). Kaylese won showmanship overall in her age group, which was exciting! She was the Little Miss Lamb Day queen also, so she was on the float in the parade, then ran back and got in to be in the parade again with the Cooks ( Marian & Tracy's little sheep camps). The kids had a lot of fun doing that again. They even had shirts with their grandkid numbers on them. The Lamb sale wasnt so good. They sold them for a lot less this year. Hopefully things will change for the future. The kids had a fun day playing  with cousins at the park and my Mom & Dad Masters came to spend the weekend, which was a great help and lots of fun for the kids. I always enjoy having them come so much. My Mom & I made the cutest sheep cupcakes for the lunch, which was fun. The parade I think, was the best yet, because they had so many sheep camps in it. Tracy had his Dads sheep camp put up on top of the Bank building he owns on Main Street and he had some really neat panels put up that are metal pictures of old sheep herders. Really neat! I always love the fireworks, it's my favorite part.
The week after Lamb Day, my Aunt Fae, her son James, my Aunt Gretchen, and her grandkids Brylee, Taylee & Jeffrey came to visit from Vegas. It was so much fun! We took them to Maple Canyon, a rodeo in Fairview, which James and Wylie ended up doing the hide race in. It was hilarious. Brent Daniels(Marian's brother) talked them into it. He even let Kaylese ride his horse around the arena. She was in heaven. We even went to the Drive Inn movie. I enjoyed having them so much! I love and miss them all of the time. My kids loved having them here. They played so well together and got along so great. Brylee is a beautiful girl, inside and out. My Aunt Gretchen adopted she and Jeffrey and is in the process of trying to adopt Taylee because my cousin Blythe has been on drugs for years. Its one of the saddest things ever. I grew up playing with her all of the time. She was one of my closest cousins. I still love her and pray for her. I still have hope that she can overcome this addiction someday. Anyhow, I was so grateful they came. It made for such a great visit.
The next weekend was the Cook family reunion. It was a really good one this year. Its one of the first times we stayed over night up there as a family for a couple pf years, which the kids loved. I ofcourse got no sleep because of Baylor, but thats what kids do everytime we go camping. Oh well. It was a great reunion. They opened the time capsule, which we put pictures and letters in 15 years ago. The neatest was the letter that Grandpa Cook put in there, for his whole family to read. What a neat thing to read about his testimony and tribute to his family. I had written a letter about where Spencer and I thought we would be and what we would be doing. It was funny because I said I hoped we had 6 kids, he said 4 maybe. I also said two of the names I liked were Kaylese and Wylie. Funny how those things came to pass. I really enjoy the Cook family and the strong heritage they have. What a neat family I married into. Millers Flat is such a beautiful place! I wish we could talk some sense into those that want to sell it. Grandpa Cook told of the hard work and years it took him to purchase it. I will be so sad to see it go. I hope they change their mind. Anyways, the next weekend was my brother Cory's wedding. He married a girl from West Jordan. Her name is Emily. They had a fun Bbq the night before and then we did family pictures the next morning. The kids got to swim and play with their cousins because Jeff & Anna stayed at my Moms house with us. Their sealing was beautiful. I am so happy Cory is finally married. I know he has wanted to be married for years. She is really a nice, cute and sweet girl. I think they will be very happy together. That was a good last weekend of summer for my kids. Sad to see it go.

Fun First Two Weeks

Well, I can't believe it's already been two weeks since school has been out. They have gone by very quickly. The last day of school was Tyriks birthday. 6 already! He got a Ghost Buster gun, Star Wars Light Saber and some army guy stuff, legos, flipflops, and clothes from Grandma Cook. He had a fun day. I made him Ghost Buster cupakes because thats his new obsession. The next day we worked in the yard all day getting the garden planted and tilled and getting the lawn mowed, weeds pulled, etc...It was a long day, but the work was worth it. On Monday which was Memorial Day, we went up Fairview Canyon. Millers Flat wasnt open yet, so we went and fished at Cleavland Reservoir. The kids had a lot of fun. They ended up catching crawdads instead of fish, but they had fun doing it. We roasted marshmallows, had smores, and went for a little hike. It was a really great day. The next day, the kids and I went down to Nevada to visit family. We stopped on the way down to visit my Grandma Ivalee (Nanny) & Grandpa Vaughn (Papa). We got to Mom and Dad Masters around dinner time. The next day we spent the day at their house visiting with Erica & the kids. The kids enjoyed playing with their cousins. It was so hot there though, especially compared to what my kids are used to. Luckily, they got to swim almost everyday. Thursday we went to Korindi's to visit and the kids swam all day. That evening we went to the Reservoir with my Dad and brothers. The kids had fun messing around on the kayaks. Friday we went to Las Vegas and saw my Grandpa Kendall Zobrist, then met at Uncle James's house to go swimming. Aunt Fae with her son James, Aunt Gretchen with Brylee, Jeffrey, and Taylee, and Aunt Jennifer were there. It was so great to see everyone and visit and let the kids swim and have fun together. I really enjoy seeing them. I miss them more than I even expected to. I took the kids to a parking place right across from the airport after that. They loved it. Baylor was so excited! He kept yelling "Airplane! Airplane!" There were helpicopters going in and out and they even watched a big jet land. It was worth going to. On Saturday, it was so fun to have Tana and Tracy Nelson come visit and we went and had dinner at the Copes house with everyone that evening. I love them like family. It was so great to them and visit. We left for home the next morning. I was sad wasng able to see Elliah or Heather on this trip, but hopefully next time. I love my family so much and am so glad we went.
The week we got home, the kids started swimming lessons, with the exception of Wylie & Baylor. They all loved it. I started them on a "summer schedule" now. We get up, go for a walk(most mornings), feed the lambs and sheep, went to swimming lessons, came home, did chores, read for 30 minutes and then the kids can play for the rest of the day. It has worked pretty well most days. I am surprised how much of a difference swimming lessons made this time, especially for Aynslee. She will now put her face under the water for quite a while and isnt afraid at all. Wylie & Ryland were able to go to an unexpected last minute basketball camp at Wasatch Academy. They really liked it. They said it gave them a lot of individual time because there were only 14 kids total. We are glad they went. Plus, it was nice that it was so close. Conley & Kayla came to visit for one night last week. Their girls are just too cute! Madi is taller than Tyrik and is so beautiful! Their new baby Ashtyn was more than loved here. Even Baylor was loving and hugging and kissing her. He was mad because he wanted to keep holding her. It was so funny to witness. Most babies he hates and has no interest in or is just jealous if I hold them. All of us just fell in love with her. I was so grateful to see them.
The next day we headed up to Lagoon for the day with the Slade family. It wad fun because everyone was there. Even Jeffrey & Anna with their kids, and Aubree & Neil's family too. My Mom & Dad Slade brought their trailer there and had a camp set up right outside the park, so you could go in and out. It was so nice ! We left Baylor with a sitter and unfortunately Spencer had to work, but it was so fun to see the kids go on rides and enjoy new things. My older kids were able to go on big rides with uncles, while I went with the Tyrik & Aynslee on the smaller rides. I was so surprised how brave Aynslee was. She loved stuff that would have scared me as a kid for sure! Wylie even went on the Skycoaster. It drops you on a freefall, lond of like bungee jumping. I did it years ago and it scared the heck out of me. He was pretty brave and even liked it. The funnest moment of the day was going on a ride with Aynslee & Tyrik after dark that twirled you around. Well, I thought it would make them squish to my side, but instead, Tyrik & I were pulled to Aynslee's side. Tyrik ended up behind her and they laughed and laughed the whole ride. Tyrik kept yelling " See Mom, I told you this one would be fun!" Because he kept begging me to go on it. I laughed until I cried because they were so happy and funny! The older kids braved big rides and had a lot of fun! It was great to spend time with the family! Cory is now engaged to a girl named Emily(ya, another Emily in the family), he brought her. She seems really nice and great for him. I am so happy for him. He just turned 31 and has seemed like he just wanted to settle down for the last couple of years to me. He is getting married in August.
Lets see, this week we just had a pretty normal week. We played at Mt. Pleasant's new splash pad yesterday with Chavonne and her kids. We went swimming at the Nephi pool with Cassie Johnson and her kids. Wylie is still working for Grandpa and Ryland has helped too. I really love summer. It is such a great time to spend with my kids, and enjoy the warm weather. I love it! I have even been able to get some projects around the house done that have needed to be done, so that makes me happy. :)
Even though I still get stressed out sometimes taking care of the house and the kids, I truly enjoy my life. I feel very blessed and grateful to Heavenly Father for my family and all that I have in my life. Until next time.

Motherhood

Sigh.....Motherhood is....Motherhood is  the hardest, most wearing, tiring, never ending job I have ever done. Its always at the end of the day that the guilt sets in. When they are asleep, you look at their sweet innocence and remember just how blessed you are. You also realize just how hard on them you were that day. Its so easy and clear to know exactly how you should and want to be as a Mother when you are not in the middle of it. Even when you have a conversation about a certain situation with other mothers, its easy to clearly know how it should be handled. Yet, that same situation could happen with your kids the next day and you could completely flip out because emotions, fatigue, a mood swing might just get in the way. I hate so badly knowing how I should be mothering, but feeling like I fail miserably everyday because of mood swings, fatigue, PMS, etc... I do have good days, but most I feel I regret atleast something I said or did. I want to be a perfect mother more than anything right now. I want my children to feel loved, valued, listened to, safe to open up, etc... sigh....I just hope I can get to a point where I can make them feel all of these things before its too late. I try so hard. I just wish I was different. I want to be better. I guess I need to keep praying for help.

Such a Good Birthday

Growing up, I remember when my parents turned 30 and thinking they were getting up there. Then they turned 40 and I really thought they were getting old. Now at 35, I realize, I am still young. I have such a long life yet to live and so much to learn and to getter better at. I have to admit, 35 bugs me a little, but oh well. Its just a number. I feel younger than that. Time goes by so quickly. Its amazing and sad.
So today was interesting because having a birthday on a Sunday, and on a dat when it rained all day isnt my idea of the perfect day. That being said, it turned out to be one of the best. Spencer surprised me with a new dress lastnight for church, which is way pretty. He also surprised me with probably the best surprise I have had. So I havent been able to find ny wedding ring since March. I thought I dropped it in the car. But after looking and looking, I had no luck. I was discouraged, but I was still hopeful that I would find it. I prayed a lot to find it. I became more and more worried that I would never see it again as time went by. Well, lastnight Spencer gave me a little bag. I couldnt see because I already turned the lights off to go to bed. I was feeling it and went to turn the bathroom light on to see what it possibly could be. Well, come to find out, he found my ring in his car. Before the day I wore it, I had lost a small diamond out of it and the prongs needed some help. He said he saw that it was in such bad shape, so he took it in to get fixed. It looks brandnew! I was so surprised, grateful, and happy! So even before this morning, I was happy. I wore my new dress and ring ofcourse to church. I enjoyed teaching my class. Sacrament was a little rough, but whats new. Relief Society was a great reminder of how I need to become a better scripture reader and how important it is. Spencer was able to come home this afternoon. He made me a yummy salmon dinner, and Marian brought a cake and had lunch with us. My Mom and Dad Slade came down because Kaylese flew to Idaho to visit Aubree with Donette and Ryland and Tyrik had stayed overnight with my Dad for their birthdays. So they brought them back and went with us to the older kids piano recital. They all played so well. Chavonne made a cake and brought it there for me too. Then afterwards. My Mom and Dad came to the house to sing to me before they left. Then the whole family sat on the back deck and watched lighting and listened to thunder, which was awesome! Alyson and Chavonne stopped by with gifts afterwards and more chocolate. Then, my Grandma Slade called me to end my great day. Not to forget all the sweet messages, phone calls and posts from friends and family. I have always loved my birthday and today was no different. Spencer did so great making it special.
Friday night was so fun. Alyson, Amy, Chavonne and I went down to the Bank(Tracy & Marian's building) and watched "Moms Night Out", which was perfect for our lives right now. We ate yummy food, visited and looked at pictures of each other growing up. I had the best time. I loved it, in fact! I am so grateful to have such good friends. Its such a blessing. I was able to sneak down to the temple this week and do sealings, which was such a great blessing. I spent the day with Spencer Thursday, and got to grocery shop with Chavonne Friday. I know, I got spoiled. I loved every minute :). I need to be honest. I have struggled a lot lately, feeling like maybe something is wrong with me. I dont have a lot of energy, I struggle to accomplish things that used to be easy. I cant focus on hardly anything. I feel like I have "brain fog" most of the time. Yes, its a real thing. Anyhow. I am going to the Dr. Tuesday just to get my thyroid levels, hormone levels, and whatever else I need checked to make sure nothing is off. I hope things get better. We will see. Spencer and I have also had our struggles lately, but I am grateful for Gods hand in our lives. He cares and wants to help us. I can see it. I know we will pull through. I am grateful for the strength God gives me. I better go. Baylor is crying. Until next time.

Waited too Long

I dont know why I wait so long to write. It makes me sad because I know there are things I will miss or forget. I wish I would take the time to write every night, so that I could remember every detail.
So on March 22nd, we celebrated Baylors birthday. It was the same night as a Republican Caucas meeting, so his party was short and sweet. We sang, had cupcakes and he opened presents. I am sad that he is growing out of the baby stage. It really makes me wish they would just stay tiny. He has started to talk so much, just since his birthday. He now says a couple of words together such as, "Get out", or Daniel Baylor or I funny. He is such a joy. He is so cute it is hard to believe sometimes, and he is just a pretty happy little chap. He has started to throw more tantrums and escape the house and our yard a lot, but he really is pretty happy most of the time. So we were able to go up the Museum of Natural curiosity on Wednesday of Spring Break with Donette, then we went to St George Thursday and really enjoyed the nice weather down there. We hiked. Spencer and Wylie rode dirtbikes, Ryland, Wylie & Spencer went for a long bike ride, we took them swimming. Then on Saturday, we went to Mom & Dad Masters for conference. It was nice because Colby & Erica and the kids came to visit too. We even went out to the Res and let the kids tryout their kyaks. We drove home Sunday. It was such a fun week and great break for the kids and Spencer & I. I loved conference as always. It is so uplifting and gives so much guidance. Chelsea Peckham got married, my cousin Jesse Larson got married and Kaylese had a competition that night. Wylie finished basketball season, which he was very happy about. He has been riding his motorbike a lot more, which he really enjoys. Spencer turned 37, which is just crazy and hard to believe. We celebrated with a lot of good food. Steak, crab, rolls, banana pie. It was a good day. We planted a couple of new trees in our backyard last weekend. We got a couple of bummer lambs this week, which the kids have loved. Kaylese is finishing dance this week and starting to practice for hef first year ever of softball. Tyrik is also playing baseball and has started practicing. It has been nice weather this past couple of weeks, so we've been able to go for walks and go to the park, which the kids loved.
I have been trying so hard lately to get back on a schedule and be more organized. Its been hard with the kids since spring break. I am trying though. I have been feeling kind of down. I think because of the unpredictable weather and  not feeling organized and feeling tired a lot still. I am hoping things are starting to turn around. I had such a good Sunday yesterday. I felt very spiritually uplifted and my lesson went pretty well, so I hope I can use that to make my week go better. I am in a costant battle with myself about trying to be kind to the kids, but then not letting them get away with everything and teaching them to work and be responsible. Its a hard thing for me to figure out. Well, I will try to write more often so I can get more detail into it. Until then.