Dreaming

My girls have been coming in pretty often this week into my bed at night. Cali walked in last night when I was dog tired and dead asleep and I heard her say something about having a nightmare then for some reason I mustered the words: "Just wait there until the police come."

If you know Cali you know she is always worried about something. So what woke me up out of my sleep was her response:

"gasp. Huge intake of breath in horror!"

haha That woke me up enough to realize I didn't know what I was saying and I mumbled for Cali to get into my bed.

I've been laughing out loud today thinking about her intake of breath to my response. haha That's some funny stuff. Doesn't take much these days to amuse me. :D

From the mouths of strangers

Today I was checking out at the craft store when I heard the cashier say something very quietly and though I thought I knew exactly what she said I asked her to repeat herself.

Cashier: "I don't know why some people have six kids".
Me: "I have five children".
Cashier: "You do!" "And you like it?"
Me: "Yes, I love my kids"

Duh!

She then said "well it's just a lot of work."

I don't understand how our society has come such a long way. To me, family is the most important thing. Not giving our children everything they want or having the nicest possessions. And yes, lady, having any amount of children is hard work. And it's so worth it. :D

My favorite part: "And you like it?"

I don't understand why some people offer their opinions so openly. I have opinions and I keep them to myself. I think it's so important to always use our words to uplift and show love to others. I try not to judge.

The cashier didn't mean harm, she seemed very sweet. Just thought I'd take a minute to share how much I like raising my kids. Even though it's the hardest thing I've ever done. Each day I fall short and make mistakes. Thank goodness we have Jesus Christ to make up the difference. Thank goodness for family.

First Day of School

We went outside to take some pics before school and it was so MUGGY that my camera fogged up and I was upset these were the best pics. haha 

Cali- 5th Grade!!!!

You'd think she was mad but...

NOPE. She was super excited to go ESPECIALLY since she is a big Safety Patrol girl this year! 

She wore this shirt on purpose. It says "CALI" on it for California and she told me if anyone forgets her name she will just point to the shirt. Smartie! ;)

Bell 3rd Grade :D

Ken 7th Grade

Bentley - How'd he get in the school mix? haha Home with his momma!! 

Brabes 8th Grade! I can hardly believe this! 

A sharper pic! My 5 babies!!! 

He's so hilarious. When he's full he does this! hahahahaha

...and he knows he's funny! :D

Sample of Photo Album

This is a post particularly for one person I love who I know isn't on Facebook.

Click here to see one of my recent albums :D

I HAVE to share this somewhere!!!!

This was part of a photo shoot last week and I am not posting it on "The Facebook" but I really do LoVE it! 

The End of Summer

Normally, I am not ready to send my angels off to school after a lovely summer break. I am ready this year though! :) We've been rather cooped up and there's been so much bickering that my arms are outstretched as the morning comes of the first day (tomorrow) of escuela (we practice Spanish in our home) haha

Here are a few shots of us the last few weeks:

Girls playing in my heels! 

He climbs on everything now. His big accomplishment (at least he is thinking so) is going down the stairs standing up. Yes, he's about to give his mother a heart attack but he's proud! He thinks he's as big as his five mothers. 

hahahaha cute bunns! He was losing his diaper the other day and I saw this from under my desk. 

Such a beauty! This is one of my favorite shots of her!

Ken! LoVE

We took this today after church. 

Cali: "Mom, the other day Bentley was walking around touching his man-boob"

Details

On Father's Day I made the decision that we needed to move from Clear Lake (home shown below) to Spring. I knew with all my heart it was good and what the Lord expected me to do for reasons I won't share on here. So, that's the day it all began. 

I LoVED this house and the neighborhood, schools, ward for church, the streets, people... EVERYTHING about Clear Lake. Loved it. It felt like home to me. I was planning on living there for at least another year before making a move. Shannon and her family are in Spring and the girls dad is in Dallas so I had "future" plans to move up closer to them (if circumstances permitted moving to Dallas). 

Through some events I knew it was the right time to move now. The confirmation I received was the strongest one I've had yet as to any  move I've made. So I knew it was right. However, July brought with it the most horrid month. Every small detail was left for me to deal with. It felt like none of the details of the move were made easy. I felt so much opposition that I had to take a step back and see the big picture more than once. I've had experiences where the opposition was a reflection of something being wrong. But I knew this opposition wasn't coming from a wrong choice but rather opposing the right one. I knew where it was coming from. It was a lot to handle. 

Here is a bit of what happened in July:

4th: We had a sleepover at the Hair's (Bentley and me since the girls were in Dallas for 5 weeks) and then that night he and I drove to Kemah and watched the fireworks from our car on the bridge. It was amazing!!! 

5th: Babysat three extra kiddos WHILE foundation work was done on our home. It was so loud that I literally could not hear myself talk. Lights were flickering, the house shook but we survived! Well, I survived because my friend, Rana, brought me a Super Size Dr. Pepper because as you can see I was trapped in with no way for help (help from my Dr P)

I had my little friends I babysat over at our place up until the day we loaded the U-Haul. It's not something I write to gloat about but rather the challenges it brought in more ways than one. We have had Mees since he was 7 months and now he's 17 months old. He and Bent are best buds. They love each other and we love him so much. It killed to say "goodbye" to him. He's one of our "twins" and we are crazy about him. 

I don't have pictures but the beginning two weeks of July were consumed with getting a house to live in up in Spring. We tried two houses that fell through and the third one I wished at times would have fallen through too. The management company had me jump through so many hoops to get in and get approved. I had to chase down bank statements from an account that had been closed for over a year to prove we had a residence at some apartments all bc the apartments wouldn't answer their phone, fax and when I went there in person I found out their entire system would be down for two more weeks and they don't show any of our records until the system is fixed. The management company finally agreed to let me move in without the apartments help but then the financial burdens came. I had TWO rent payments in July bc their requirements for the new house were different than what we expected it to be. That plus a move in itself was about to do me in. 

I taught a lesson in church on the 10th and got the girls home that night as well. Then had one day to pack them up and get all the shopping done for them to go to Girls Camp for church on the 13th. Babysat extra kids (many) on the 12th, sent the two oldest to camp on the 13th, got them home on the 16th, then we had Bella's baptism on the 23rd (the next weekend). All of this while babysitting, doing my vinyl work, and packing to move! 

Great pic of Bella we got as we took pictures for her Baptism

Bella and Madeline were baptized on the same day. In our religion we wait until they turn eight (8 is Great!!!) and reach an age where they know right from wrong and can be accountable or their actions. This was the picture on the front cover of their program. 

It was the most beautiful ceremony. All of Bella's family in Texas made it down. Her dad and step mom, new baby brother, aunts and uncles from Dallas ALL came down and Shannon, Jared and all her cousins came. Skyler baptized her. It was so special and in the chaos of the day (because OH YEAH Bentley had the stomach flu that day and was throwing up all over my friends) I forgot to get family pictures :( Such a regret! ha

The day after the baptism (Sunday before our move) Kensington gave a talk in Sacrament meeting. She did a really great job preparing for it and seemed calm while delivering it as her dad and his family came to hear. It was her first talk in church!

Since we got the keys to the new house two weeks before we needed them we were able to do some work to it. This is a pic of the day we drove up to meet what I thought was the "Water Guy" so he could turn on the water. What I didn't realize was that I was actually meeting the "Gas Guy" (who never showed that day but I guess it worked out bc once the Water Guy came and went so did we). The next day the Gas Guy attempted to come but we weren't here obviously so he had to re-schedule (which is where Shannon came in to SAVE me bc I was going to have a melt down with all of this)

The day we got this there was no electric in the house and I had 8 kids with me. Totally hot and bored. It was pouring down rain outside and everything just seemed out of control. 

July 19th Abandon came to our side of Texas and played at Kemah. Me and 3 of my babies went to see them. It was amazing. I had a lot on my mind that night so I felt pre-occupied but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Ashley, Josh and Justin. The boys put on a fabulous show! I was so proud of them. 

The thing that actually went smoothest was the packing and loading itself for the move. I felt organized and ahead of schedule the week of the move. So much so that on Wednesday (27th) (day before we loaded the truck) I took my babies and two of Ken's friends to Putt Putt Fun House where we had free tickets to play. It was really fun (HOT)!!! Then we went to Snoball Hut for one last hoorah! 

Bentley was always amused! 

So, I had high hopes that after the move things would calm down. At least as far as the million details were concerned. After all, I was done dealing with the water company, gas company, ATT, internet, house hunting, packing. BUTTTTTTTT, a million tiny new details waited for me at the new house. 

A lot of things are broken and I am struggling to have anyone call me back from the management company. I took two cold showers the first two days bc it hadn't dawned on me to find the water heater and do something to it. WHAT- I didn't know,  but something to make it get hotter. ha 

Lights are flat OUT and need to be replaced. Towel racks are falling out of the wall, leaving gaping holes behind. Both garage door openers didn't work. The kicker for the house is in regards to the mail. I was left a key but it unlocked NO mailbox (those silver community boxes where you have a little cubicle of space with a lock). 3 different people tried that key in EVERY box with no luck. So I was told to go to the Post Office and show them my lease and id to get it figured out. I hate the post office anymore. I swear it is torturous! One worker, line out the door, hot summer day in July, 4o minutes I waited in line. Four. Zero. 

I got up to the counter and the lady told me it would be $25 and three weeks before they could replace my locks and in the meantime I could come back in 3 days to get the mail retrieved that's been waiting in my box for a week. Then, next week I could call the 800 number and find out about my new keys and when it would be ready. Never moved into a rental and have to PAY to get my mail. Just feels like it's not functioning. It's not smooth. It's not ok. I want to know where my peace is. I am following the Lord. I am praying and reading my scriptures and trying SO very hard. And here I am floundering. I feel so vulnerable in a new place. I feel like I can't handle anything anymore. I am barely getting to any of my responsibilities even though I am getting up and trying every day so hard. 

Oh, and my car is acting up. It died on me the day after we moved and freaked me out. It's been acting up since then and I am so paranoid that it's going to end up needing work done. 

This was taken today while Brae and Bent were listening to her ipod. 

This is our new pad. It's super nice! I really DO love it (believe it or not). I am just struggling with details that seem to overtake my life. My counselor said that all the details and everything I've been struggling with are not of eternal importance. I wonder if this truly is a test for me to keep an eternal perspective. If so, I'm clearly failing. haha 

...to be continued! 

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