Just an Update

Things are still going good at the Skousen house.... I can not stress enough how much work it is to build a house. I will say that for the most part I am enjoying it- It really is totally stressful though. There is a tremendous amount of organization involved which I would say was a characteristic that I possessed before I had five kids. (key word- BEFORE) Anyway, we are moving forward. The heating and cooling rough in is complete and the plumbing should be finished tomorrow. As soon as the electrician is done we will be on to the insulation and drywall!! The exterior siding and the roof should also be complete this week. Like I said, we are moving forward- and I'm trying not to let everything else fall apart in the mean time. They say that if you can survive building a custom home with your spouse you can survive anything! Actually, Scott has been very, very good about the whole thing. He has pretty much given me free license to do what needs to be done. I guess he knows that I'm handling the budget on this thing so I have to be very particular about which upgrades we do and which ones we don't. I think that's one of the hardest aspects of building... trying to decide which upgrades you can't live without and which ones you can. Anyway, I apologize for so many "House" posts but it is what's going on in our lives right now- besides Soccer! Wholly Cow I didn't mention that the soccer season has started. Conner, Tate, & Jacob are playing and Scott is coaching! Ya- just needed a little something more to juggle in the schedule. The kids really are loving it though. It's so fun to watch them play. I always am trying to find a reason why I need to stay home, but I am always glad when I go and watch. (5:15- hello can anyone say DINNER TIME plus I really feel like Scott can handle this one... I sit with them at gymnastics, piano, swimming lesson- which are now over but still, you get the point. Like I said though, I really do enjoy watching once we get there. Tate & Jacob are such a HOOT! Just imagine twenty 4-5 year olds trying to play soccer- Too funny! Conner's age group really plays the game- complete with referee and positions. He's pretty impressive for a seven year old. Well, off to bed I go.... and yes I know you want pictures- I'll work on it. P.S. I totally hate titles- it takes me forever to think of what to call the quick updates of our lives!!!

Happy Birthday, Papa!

We just wanted to wish my Dad a very Happy Birthday! We love you- From all of us- Scott, Christy, Conner, Tate, Jacob, Grace, & Ethan (man that's a long list! Ha!) We hope that you enjoyed the song we sang to you!

Time Flies!!

I can't believe that it's September already! Wow, time sure goes by fast. Our house is now being framed!! So exciting. Along with all that excitement comes a tremendous amount of work. Being your own general contractor is crazy!! I highly recommend hiring someone- that is if you can afford it! Doing it ourselves is saving us a ton of money so I guess the headaches are worth it. I really am having trouble in the design area. I love so many different things. If any of you have any suggestions for paint colors, cabinet finishes, bedrooms themes, I'm all ears. Anyway, here are some of the latest pics. Oh, and with all this going on, Jacob started pre-school today! Hooray for him. He was so excited.






(Picture #1 Grace & the Footings, #2 Tate & My Dad pulling off stem panels, #3 Jacob sitting on the floor trusses )





(#4 The walls go up!, #5 Roof trusses being set, #6 The Exterior)

F.Y.I. - When I originally started this post it was the beginning of September and the framers were just starting. Now it is the middle of September and the framers are finished. Hvac, electrical, & plumbing are now being roughed in. I'll have to take some more pictures so you can see the house fully framed. Time really does fly by!

It's Only Just Begun

Last week was full of new beginnings for our family. My two oldest boys started school last Monday. Conner is in 2nd grade and Tate started Kindergarten. They are really enjoying it. They love to learn, play with friends, and ride the bus! In fact they wanted to ride the bus so badly that they refused to let me take them to school on the first day. I was rather concerned because they hadn't even had "meet the teacher" nor had they found their classrooms yet. (For some strange reason our school holds meets the teacher after school has already started- weird I know!) Anyway, since Tate was just starting K, I wanted to make sure that he found his way. To my dismay, he said, "Mom," "Conner will show me the way." What could I say to that. I am grateful that my boys have each other. All seemed to go well and they both found their classes just fine, even without my help. Will someone explain to me what happened to my babies!?! I just can't believe that they are off by themselves, totally independent and totally okay with it. I guess that I am glad that they are starting to take care of themselves. I pray that they will continue to grow and learn and always choose the right along the way.

Another journey that we started last week was our house. We finally broke ground on Saturday!!!! Even though we have spent months preparing for this moment it now is starting to feel ''real." Like it just might actually happen! Here are some photos of the guys digging the footings. A big THANKS to my brothers Eric and Paul for their hard work and to Rich for lining it all up. We really appreciate their willingness to help us out!

(Conner and Tate's creature. We kept him for 24 hours and then we released him.)

Experimentation #2

Here's another one just for fun!!

Experimentation

Okay, today I dropped my boys off at the Neilsen's to play and put Ethan & Grace down for a nap. The following was a conversation I had with myself. "Did you hear that?" "Hear what?" "Exactly." Since I had some "free" time (something that happens seldom to never) I decided that instead of doing the usual, (clean, cook, change out laundry,....) I'd do something that I've wanted to do. Here it is. My first go at Adobe Photoshop Elements. This took me forever!! I must be computer challenged. These pictures rock though. My Aunt took them at Davy's funeral. Isn't she cute! Enjoy!

Just An Update

It turns out that not only did my SIL have an infection, she also has a blood clot in her lung. After the doctors found it, they put her on some sort of blood thinner medication. They are now just concerned with whether the clot was a piece of a larger clot or if they have found it all. I guess that after you give birth women sometimes clot really badly. Supposedly that's what caused the clot to form. Anyway, we are just glad that it lodged itself in her lung and not elsewhere. Had it landed near her heart or brain it very well could have been fatal. It's also a blessing that she was in the hospital already so she could be treated right away. Thanks for your prayers and concern. The doctors anticipate that they will release her on Saturday if she continues to improve. Bella (3) and Chloe (4 months) got to see their Mommy today too which really has helped them (especially Bella) understand what is going on. Thanks again!!

Dearest Dave

For those of you who do not know, my little brother Dave Lee Johnson II passed away three weeks ago today. I am trying to write my feelings down, but have been struggling with the right words to say. I guess I didn't think this would be as hard for me to do as it's been since I got to speak at his funeral, but none the less I've struggled to acurately protray my feelings. I will be working on "the right words" for a while so check back because I'll edit this post later. For now just know that I loved my little brother more than I am capable of expressing (that's part of the problem) and even though a string of poor decisions cost him his life, he'll always be my little Davy.

We Need Your Prayers

On Saturday, my brother called to let me know that his wife had been admitted to the hospital because of an infection. Originally they thought it was mastitis (sp?-milk duct infection), but when the infection entered her blood stream and her blood pressure significantly dropped they determined that something else must be wrong. She has been in the Intensive Care Unit hooked up to every antibiotic under the sun since Saturday and is still not stabilized. Death is all to close to our family right now, and while we don't anticipate that happening, the thought is enough to do us all in. So, like Hillary Weeks says in one of my favorite songs, "I did what I could, I said a prayer." Please take just a minute and do what you can, offer a short prayer in behalf of our family, especially my brother Richard, his wife Shari, and their girls Isabella & Chloe. Thank you. I know that prayers work!

Exciting News!

Sheeze...a lot happens in 4 months. After finding the pictures of Jacob's birthday party, I was not only reminded that we were in the valley for that special occasion but that we were also there so Scott could take his PE (Professional Engineer) exam. After months of coming home from work to study (hard to do with 5 kids) and even some nights at the library, the day finally arrived. The eight hour test was on Friday, April 20th. Scott left with a feeling of comfort, knowing that he did his best in preparing for the test and had a prayer in his heart that the Lord would make up the difference. I'm happy to say that we found out in June that Scott PASSED!! He is now a Professional Engineer. Great Job Sweetheart, we are all proud of you.

Jacob turned 4!!

April 18th was a long awaited day! Jacob is officially four years old. He really enjoys his new bike and the Peter Pan movie he got.

Four things that I love about Jacob:
1. His smile and sensitivity. Jacob has a gorgeous smile, it really turns heads. Combine it with one of his incredible hugs and you have a winning combination. Jacob has a fine line between his emotions and is able to express his feelings accurately. If he is happy, you know it, if not, you know that too and he doesn't mind talking about it.
2. His love for his siblings, especially for the ones younger than him. He is always watching out for them.
3. His love for music and art. Jacob is a great singer- he might not always know the words or even the tune but that doesn't keep him from trying. Out of all my kids, Jacob is the one that is constantly getting into the crayons, paint, markers, glue, glitter...... This can be quite scary at times but I do love that he loves to create.
4. His ability to try until he succeeds. Jacob is a very strong headed child. When he wants something he is going to figure out a way to get it. Often this causes power struggles between himself and others (especially me) but it also shows his character. He is a leader and a winner. He doesn't give up or give in and I think that is a wonderful quality.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAYBUB! (as Grace calls him)

(I can't imagine that I didn't take any pictures but I seriously cannot find them. I lost a memory stick for my camera awhile ago. I hope that they weren't on it. I'll keep looking and post pictures later if I find them.) -Okay I found them and when I did I realized that I had forgotten that we celebrated Jake's Birthday at my Mom's house. He was so funny, all he wanted to do for his birthday was make a cake with his Grandma, a cow cake to be exact. Well my mother and I were not sure what exactly he meant by a cow cake so we talked him into a lizard cake. He seemed to be perfectly happy with that. I think that he just wanted to spend some one on one time with his Grandma!

The Summer in a Nutshell

May was full of Tee-ball games, pre-school graduations, a trip to Conner's class zoo, and camping. Yes, keeping up with the kids schedule is a lot of work all in itself. Swimming lessons and lunch at the park started in June. In between the swimming lessons session we went to the valley TWICE! Scott has had to travel a ton- way more than I bargained for. Thankfully, since it was summer time, I was able to go with him to the valley (he usually flies out of Sky Harbor on Monday and back in on Thursdays) and stay with my parents. The kids love going to Grandma & Grandpa's house and actually the low key "mini vacations" (all we did while we were there was swim) helped me start to feel better. Grace also celebrated her second birthday on June 27th. She enjoyed being princess for the day- truthfully she is our princess everyday, just ask her brothers. They'll tell you that she's our, "pretty, pretty princess!" July came so quickly- sometimes I really wish that I could turn back the clock- we had Scott's brother, Curtis, & his family come and stay with us over the fourth, went to the valley TWO more times, (once for another "mini vacation" and once to take care of some family business that I will post about later) went to Greer for the Johnson family vacation, and then finished the month at Curt & Jeannine's for the Skousen family get together. Can you just say exhausting!! And now it's August. Do you think that things will slow down once school starts? My guess is no, things are just going to get crazier. School starts, soccer starts, Grace needs to be potty trained, and we are starting to build our NEW HOUSE!!! Yep, it's official, I have become a General Contractor in order to save us some money. So with all of the added blessings/stresses, I have determined that the only way to make all of this work is to rely on my Father in Heaven and just take one day at a time.

(I hope that these pictures will help all of you that are so far away feel just a little bit closer.)

Conner and his paper mache vulture

Ethan (or Efee as Grace calls him) learning to eat

Jacob at his pre-school program

Tate at his pre-school graduation

Conner & Tate Tee-ball May 2007

The boys with their cousins - Camping over Memorial Day

Grace, Jacob, Tate, & Ethan enjoying free lunch at the park!

Grace's 2nd Birthday

The Fourth of July

My Dad teaching the kids to play the piano during one of our visits

The Kids at my family vacation in Greer (Grace, Haylee & Tate, Ryan & Ethan)

Long Time, No See

I know that it has been a long time since anyone has seen a post from me. Of course there is always a story behind everything. To keep it brief, I'll just say that I have suffered from major postpartum depression or maybe just depression in general. (My fifth has almost done me in) That combined with a myriad of other overwhelming challenges had left me unable to cope with all of life's daily excitement. I decided that since crawling in a hole was really not an option, I needed to remove some of the "extras" for a time. Unfortunately, blogging and a few other very enjoyable but not completely necessary things were neglected. I am happy to say that things are starting to look up:) so I will try to ease my way back into blogging. Wish me luck as I start this journey again. (I will try to do an entry for each of the months that I missed- We did have some exciting things happen too that you might want to know about!)

How Full is Your Pot?

My Mom sent this to me. I liked it so much I thought I'd post it. It's just a little reminder how important your prospective is.

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house." The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?" "That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them." "For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house." Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them. SO, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!

Happy Easter

We had a nice quiet Easter. The Easter Bunny visited us Friday night so we started Saturday off celebrating. After hunting for eggs and eating more chocolate than we should have we went and picked up our latest food storage order. I have no idea where I'm going to put all of this stuff! Anyway, while we were out we decided to go for a drive. It was nice to spend some time together. Everyone is always so busy, sometimes it's nice to spend an afternoon without an agenda. Sunday was beautiful. I love spring time. Someday I'm going to plant tulips. I just absolutely love it when the flowers & trees bloom. I tried to take the kids Easter pictures by our huge cottonwood tree because it's finally getting its leaves. The only problem is that the kids aren't tall enough so you can't see the leaves anyway. I'm going to have it learn how to use some photo editing software so that I can change this background. It turned out absolutely ugly. I was going to try picture taking again after church but the boys primary teachers had given them chocolate, needless to say their shirts weren't exactly clean anymore and Grace had pulled off the bows on her dress. Oh well, I guess you get what you get- right? After Easter dinner (which consisted of ham, potato casserole, green beans, and homemade rolls) we watched Finding Faith in Christ, the Church sponsored DVD on Christ's ministry. It was very enjoyable and sparked a good conversation between Conner and I. It amazes me the things he is starting to pick up on. Boy, they sure grow up fast. Before I know it Ethan will be Conner's age and I'll be wondering what happened to all my babies! Well all in all it was a good Easter. I even got to talk with my brother, Dave. He's been away from home for a couple months so I haven't gotten to speak with him for a while. He sounded so good. He said that he has gained 40 pounds and his health is returning. I'm so happy for him. I know he can't read this now but when he can I want him to know that we love him and are proud of him. Keep up the good work Davy! Christ's atoning sacrifice was for all of us. ALL OF US!!

So Long, Farewell...

I just wanted to let everyone know that we have officially cancelled Dish Network!! We have been on Dish Pause since February 3rd, that means NO television for the Skousen Family for an entire two months. Yesterday, I turned it off for good. They are sending me boxes for my equipment and everything. One might wonder what we do with all of our spare time now?! I for one never watched T.V. anyway so it wasn't a big deal to me but for Scott- WOW- It's a miracle that he survived. NO MORE SPORTS!! The coolest thing though is that he actually agrees with me on this one despite what he might tell his brothers about having an oppressing wife. I'm glad that we are both on the same page. Another one of the many benefits is that we save almost $70.00 a month now. If we put that money in savings we just might get to go to Lego land after all. The bottom line is that we really haven't missed the added noise. Scott still follows sports on the internet and we even watched Conference via internet. Maybe we can justify the large flat screen computer monitor we've looked at. Most importantly we get to spend time doing other things, things you wouldn't normally do if you were being sucked into the boob tube. (ie: drawing, reading, studying, going for walks, playing games, etc.) Here's an example of something Conner did recently INSTEAD of watching television:)

Spring Break is Here!!

This last week was Spring Break for my kids. We had a fairly quiet week. Monday the weather was gorgeous so we decided to spend some time at the park. Wednesday it snowed! On Thursday we packed up the trailer and headed to Lyman Lake for the weekend with some of our friends, the Lee's. The weather was supposed to warm up but of course it didn't (It even snowed Thursday night) until we were packing up on Saturday (and then I got sunburned)! All in all it was a great time though. Since we were staying at an organized camp ground we could have a fire so we were able to stay warm outside and then we just turned on the heat inside the trailer! Loved that! It's so great to be able to pull a mini house behind your vehicle to the destination of your choice. The kids get to enjoy camping and I get to have a toilet, shower, and heat!! We all win. We love making memories together and hope to use our trailer often. (I didn't take any pictures can you believe that- shame on me!)

They Say It's Your Birthday.....

As much as I don't like to admit it... they say it's my Birthday! This year wasn't too hard for me to swallow but next year will be a different story!! I had always dreamed of what life would be like when I was the big three zero. I guess that I have one more year to make a lot of dreams come true. Somethings are just not going to happen. Funny thing is that when I had set all of these stipulations on what life was going to like when I turned 30, I thought 30 was so, so, so old. Thank heavens I don't feel that old. Today turned out quite nice. Some of my friends & I gathered for lunch with most of our children. (15 in all- and that didn't include the ones that were at school) It was delish! I was able rid myself of 4- 25# boxes of tomatoes - I had already preserved 4 boxes myself which was not fun with a screaming baby -the other four were divide between friends kind enough to relieve me of my blessing/burden. A few friends called to wish me a happy day- thanks Shauna & Sandi. My Mother, Brother, & Father also called all at separate times which I really appreciated. Shauna gave me the cutest signs to hang on the wall. I now own some words- Faith, Hope, & Love. They are perfect, I'll take a picture of them when I get them up. I also received some good mail from my friend Anna - thank you for the birthday card & from my family. I always love it when a check comes unexpectedly. Thank you! Thank you! Mom & Dad. Sandi watched ALL of the kids while Scott & I went to dinner at our local Mexican food restaurant which believe it or not is quite good (Sorry Ethan , I couldn't resist the salsa) and when we returned home the kids sang me their rendition of Happy Birthday To You before having ice cream and going to bed. Somewhere in all of that Scott told me that he'd build me a house! We'll see if he keeps his word. All in all it was a great day!

Great Days of the Past:
My birth- Maybe not such a great day for my mother, she was in labor for 20+ hours without an epidural!
My Third B-day- My mom made the cutest paper mache pinatas for everyone that came to my party at Grandma T's house. (that's where we were living at the time) A ceramic girl sitting next to the number three topped my cake. I still have it.
My Sixth B-day- I received my first dozen red roses. They were sent to me at school. I remember that my kindergarten teacher said that she had never gotten roses that were that pretty before.
My Eight B-day- I was baptised a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I huge deal to me. It was a special day, my Dad baptized me, my Aunt Morgan sang, and we ate Hawaiian Haystacks at the park afterwards.
My Tenth B-day- I invited a few friends over for a sleep over. We had an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins and Pizza for dinner. I remember that one of the girls got sick in the middle of the night and threw up all over the bath room. I didn't want to wake my Mom, so I cleaned it up myself!
My Twelfth B-day- I don't recall what happened on my actual birthday, but the first Sunday following it I was welcomed into Young Women's. They gave me a book mark with the YW Theme on it and asked me to read it for Opening Exercises. I was scared to death. Not a great way to initiate a Beehive!
My Fourteenth B-day- My friends threw me a surprise Birthday party. My first Coed B-day party. They kidnapped me and took me to the park were everyone was waiting. Everyone, except my parents who were at a different park cooking hamburgers!! As we loaded everything up a to take it to the park that my parent's were at the boy (Darnell was his name) carrying my cake dropped it! It splattered all over the ground. Oh well- at that point in my life I was weight conscious and probably wouldn't have eaten it anyway! After dinner & fun we went to the Church to play basketball. My team one after I made a shot over James Davis's head! It was great. When I returned home the first of many gifts left by my secret admirer was waiting for me. (Turned out that the kid who had ruthlessly shot me in the face with a be be gun a few years earlier had a crush on me. His name was Lance.)
My Fifteenth B-day- I laid out on the trampoline with baby oil all over my body! Basically I fried myself. Darrell Johnson (not a relative) brought me some cookie dough. The card with it read, "Thought you could use a little extra dough on your birthday." Cute huh!
My Sixteenth B-day- I sprained my ankle really bad at gymnastics. I couldn't even walk nor could I drive!! When I got home Darrell had dropped a teddy bear by which helped a little. I did not get a car on my birthday either- I was consigned to the family van, well at least until the Hoopdee mobile arrived. To this day I can't tell you what was worse- The crashed mini van (right before my birthday someone stole and crashed our family van, my parents bought it back from the insurance company and my Dad fixed the engine- He did NOT fix the body damage) or the tricked out 1980 Buick regal with a boomin stereo and fancy tires & rims (A brother from the hood had to have been the previous owner) oh and it had no A/C which is a major problem when you live in Arizona and were a girl who had to have her hair and make up just so. Anyway, it was a great learning experience. Thanks Mom & Dad for giving me the opportunity to be so well rounded.
My Eighteenth B-Day- I went out to dinner to the Olive Garden with my boyfriend, Tyler Swapp, and his family. Shelly, his sister had gotten me some silk pajamas and my favorite pear lotion from Victoria Secret.
My Twentieth B-Day- I was in Oregon with my Biological Father, Glen Jessie, he told me that I had a 1/2 sister that was born November 4, 1981. He also gave me my Grandma Jessie's diamond earring's which I will cherish forever.
My Twenty First B-day- Scott & I were in Rocky Point on our first family vacation after our marriage. Mom Skousen surprised me with a pineapple cake and home made ice cream.
My Twenty Fifth B-day- We threw a moving away party for our good friends and neighbors, the Greer's.
My Twenty Eighth B-day- We went to dinner with Brad & Shauna Jarvis & Craig & Jana Bloomfield.

An Unusual Breakfast for a Special Day

When the kids got up this morning there was major concern about finding clothing that had green on it. No one wanted to get pinched. Since today is St. Patrick's Day I thought that I'd do something fun for the kids. After we got through our clothing issues , I made Green Eggs & Ham for breakfast. The kids loved it! They even went and got the book out and asked me to read it while they ate. I didn't have any complaints, in fact they, "would eat them here or there, they would eat them anywhere!"
Not only is it St. Patrick's Day but today Ethan is 3 months old!! I can't believe it. Were does the time go? I think that I am going to spend the rest of my life saying that. My baby is getting so big. He is laughing and talking (baby language of course) and is as cute as a button when someone is holding him or paying attention to him. The rest of the time he is either asleep or crying :( This little angel demands attention and certainly will let you know when he feels neglected. Ethan would have made an excellent 1st baby but with a family of five small kids, I just can't sit and hold him all of the time. Conner is a big help though. After he gets home from school he usually sits and talks to or plays with Ethan for awhile. I am very grateful for the much needed break even if it is only for a few minutes. I snapped these pictures a few days ago while Conner was entertaining Ethan. Conner a great big brother to Ethan and a great help to me. Aren't they cute. Conner loves to mention that Ethan looks just like him. He is always saying in a very proud & matter of fact tone, "I am his big brother and he looks just like I did when I was a baby."

Westin's Baptism

We were grateful to have been able to attend Westin Lyle Skousen's baptism on March 10th in Chino Valley, Arizona. I even had the privilege of giving the talk on baptism. Trent & Paige taught us about the Holy Ghost and Jeannine & Paige sang. Paige Skousen's first "Production" was a big hit. (She made a video of Westin's life from birth until age eight) All and all everything went well. The kids especially enjoyed being together. Westin & Conner are not only cousins, they are great friends. They have grown up together and they enjoy the same kinds of things. Westin always reaches milestones before Conner does because he is 11 months older. We are grateful for the wonderful example he sets for Conner and for his willingness to get baptized. Congratulations, Westin, you are the newest member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in our family. We can't wait to share Conner's special day with you next year.

Good Friends, Good Times, & HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

I am supposed to be mopping my floor right now. As you can tell I'm not exactly looking forward to the job but it is already ten o'clock so I'd better make this quick or I really will be up all night. We had a great weekend. Friday morning we drove to Cottonwood, Arizona to visit some very good friends of ours, the Merwins. The kids had a blast and so did Scott & I. We haven' t lived by them in for over 5 1/2 years but we still keep in touch. We call Ed & Jeralyn our life long friends. We probably will never live close to each other again :( but when we get together you would never know it. Conversation always comes easy and my kids are always saying, "Mom, can we go play at YOUR friends house?!" We had a blast and are thankful for the warm hospitality shown in our behalf. Scott sends another very special thank you for the AWESOME homemade ice cream. Can you picture it: A beautiful spring evening spent in the company of great individuals, a light breeze blowing in through the open windows, the kids playing happily in the toy room, pleasant conversation, and HOMEMADE ICE CREAM! What could possibly be better. (Don't ask Ed, he might say that nothing is better than a soda run! Ha!) Well Merwin's, like Scott & I have said before, "There is a great piece of property right next to ours here in Saint Johns with your name on it." Maybe if we ask enough times you might consider it!!

The Secret

Sunday, Scott & I were given a copy of the DVD The Secret. It basically suggests that anything you wish for can be yours through the Law of Attraction. I don't agree with everything that the show talks about but I think that when the principles are combined with the Gospel there are many thing that can be learned. I especially liked what it taught about gratitude and positive thinking. So with that said, here are some positive affirmations I plan to work on:
1. I am a good Wife & Mother
2. My house is a clean safe haven from the world
3. I am Healthy & Happy
I could list many more thing that I would like to improve upon, but I thought I'd better start out easy. These three things alone are quite overwhelming to me when I think about everything that they encompass. I would become a pretty awesome person if I was blessed with all of the attributes and characteristics needed to live up to my vision of what these three simple phrases mean. So, positive thinking here I come. I'm grateful for the reassurance that we find in the scriptures. Mosiah 9:21 says, "Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted unto him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth." I am also grateful for President Hinckley's ability to encourage me with out making me feel bad. He said, "I feel to invite women everywhere to rise to the great potential within you. I do not ask that you reach beyond your capacity. I hope that you will not nag yourselves with thoughts of failure. I hope you will simply do what you can do in the best way you know. If you do so, you will witness miracles come to pass." (Thanks Mom) So here I go...I'm ready to embark on a mission of personal refinement and in the process I hope to bless not only my life, but the lives of those around me. If you had one thing that you could achieve with help from our Heavenly Father and positive thinking what would it be?

Callings

Last night the entire Bishopric came to visit Scott & I. It really was unnerving to see all of them sitting on the couch waiting to issue us our new callings. Before there arrival, I asked Scott what he thought he was in for. His reply, "I'll accept anything but Gospel Doctrine Teacher." Guess what he was called to, you got it Gospel Doctrine Teacher. Poor man. Our ward is full of Scriptorians. We have several old Bishops and Stake Presidents in our midst. I know that Scott will do great though. He really is an excellent teacher. Isn't it funny how the Lord works. Whatever we don't want to do is usually what He requires of us. I guess that is all part of the plan...to go through challenges that stretch us and make us grow. I got off the hook big time. They called me to be the Webelos Leader. It's been a long time since my official calling was outside of a Presidency whether it be YW, Primary, or RS. I think that I'll really enjoy working with the boys. It is almost time for me to start gearing up for Cub Scouts anyway. Conner will be there before I know it.

A Love for Reading

Grace absolutely loves to read. She hardly plays with toys, but you will always see her carrying a book around. She will sit and look at books all day. This little independent miss likes to read her way though. She has to hold the book, turn the pages, and comment on everything she sees. She doesn't appreciate it when anyone, especially her older brothers try to help her. I love that she is so interested in books. Today I caught her reading in a laundry basket. Too Cute!!! By the time I came back with the camera she had moved to the couch. I hope that this habit is one that Grace continues to nourish throughout her lifetime.

Fun Stuff

Thought I'd post some fun stuff that I recently completed. The card and the layout were both made for a crap (that's what I call scrapbook crop nights, for some reason I always blend the scrap & the crop. Crap is the result!) night that I was helping with. Unfortunately Scott was out of town for the monthly event and since my kids were sick I decided not to get a babysitter so I was unable to attend. A good friend of mine was able to teach the kits for me though. I really enjoyed putting these together. I'm grateful for these kind of deadlines. They give me an excuse to work on something I really want to do but don't usually get to. Just a side note- I can't believe how fast my baby girl has grown. She'll be two in June. Where does the time go!

We Made It!!

I just wanted all of you to know, in case you're wondering, we made it through Sacrament meeting on Sunday. It really was a miracle to me. I can't even begin to explain how afraid I was to take all of my little ones to church by myself on Sunday. It's hard when Scott & I both go together. I talked to my kids all morning about the importance of being reverent. I told them that Heavenly Father was watching so we needed to be extra good. Okay so I bribed a little too and offered them a chance at chocolate chip cookies if they were good. We even asked for extra help from Heavenly Father in our morning prayers. It really paid off. Conner and Tate were perfect!! I couldn't have asked them to be better. Jacob did extremely well and would have made it all the way through Sacrament had I not had to take Grace out. Gracie did excellent for a 20 month old. She almost made it to the end. I had to take her out towards the end of the last speaker. And Ethan, what can I say, he slept through the whole thing. I'm grateful that prayers are answered, I know mine were. Can you just imagine what could have happened!!!! I feel extremely sorry for those who face church alone regularly for what ever reason. I know it's hard but I also know that it's worth it. So we deal. We deal with what we are given and pray for the strength to cope. I'm grateful for my older boys who are good examples to their younger siblings. They sat quietly all by themselves after I took the others out. Conner even cleaned up our bench and packed the church bag before going to class. Great job boys, Momma's proud & so is Heavenly Father. You certainly earned those chocolate chip cookies. Enjoy! (I'm so glad I get my husband back for next week!!!)

Traditions - No. 1

I thought that I would periodically share some of our Skousen Family traditions. Tradition number 1 is pizza night. Every Friday night is pizza night at our house. The kids look forward to it with much anticipation. They all LOVE pizza. Having pizza on Fridays didn't used to be so complicated when we lived in the Valley, we would just order in or throw a frozen pizza in the oven. Here in St. Johns it isn't quite that simple. For starters, there really is not anywhere to order from. We have one little American food restaurant that serves pizza but it doesn't deliver and it isn't open on a regular basis. Small town business owners tend to operate when it's convenient for them, not everyone else. I guess that you can order pizza from FINA (the local gas station) if you call what they sell pizza. They don't deliver either. The third option is buying a frozen pizza at Wilbur's our supermarket. Did I say SUPERmarket. Sorry, I just meant market. If you plan on doing that be prepared to spend a ridiculous amount of money for it unless it's on sale. In that case don't plan on purchasing one because there won't be any left on the shelf. In lieu of all of the obstacles we face living in Saint Johns we or rather I have decided that instead of ridding our family of this fine tradition, I would start making pizza myself. (A scary proposition when you have a husband that is a die hard Barro's fan!!) After many attempts(some successful & some not so successful) Scott has rated my pizza making skills at better than Peter Piper Pizza but not as good as Barro's. He says that the secret is in the sauce. My kids on the other hand are so grateful to be back in St. Johns because they love my homemade pizza. I think that they like it better for several reasons. 1. They get to help make it. 2. We always make at least two pizzas which guarantees that at least one will be their favorite - PEPPERONI! 3. Doesn't your food always taste better when everyone touches it and breathes on it and sneezes on it... sorry, I guess I'm getting a bit carried away. Anyway, here are a few shots of Pizza night last Friday. (Someday I'll get the round pizza thing down) Remember, if you ever visit on a Friday night you know what is on the menu.

Hello Again

If anyone is wondering, YES we are still alive! Life has been nothing short of exciting for several weeks now. I've tried to find a moment to blog but have been unsuccessful. Here is an overview of what has transpired in the Skousen Household in the last three weeks.

I officially retired from AZ Firebird Contractors, Inc. on Thursday, February 1st!! I really can't express how I feel. I have mixed emotions. I am very relieved to be able to focus on my number one priority, my own family, but also feel sad to not be apart of the family business anymore. I already miss everything terribly -working with my family, taking care of the accounts, and the feeling of accomplishment that comes after completing beautiful work and making all the deadlines. It's hard for me to think that I'll never have a desk in the brand new office building that we just finished. Most of all though, I'll miss my Dad. Even though most of our talk while working was business every once in a while we'd have a nice discussion about something else. I really enjoyed those chats. I think that is what I'll miss the most, the one on one time I spent with my Dad during the last 10 years.

Conner turned 7 on Friday, February 2nd! I just can't believe how big he is getting. Not only was it his birthday but it was his last day of school at Franklin Arts Academy. Mrs. Natalia Paguia (his teacher) sent him home with all sorts of good things. She was a fabulous teacher, I just can't say enough about her. Conner learned so, so, so much in her class. I'm grateful for the time that he got to spend with her at Franklin. We had celebrated Conner's birthday at Peter Piper Pizza. Since his cousins, Trent & Paige were having birthdays later in the month we decided to throw one big PARTY!! Conner came home with some great things. (thank you everyone) He especially loves his new camouflage watch. (He is really into Army right now) Conner said that the highlight of the day was decorating his birthday cake with his Grandma Johnson. They made a fabulous camouflaged army cake complete with tanks, jeeps, and soldiers. All in all it was a very enjoyable evening in the midst of a very crazy couple of days.

On Saturday, February 3rd we packed the house, loaded it all, and then cleaned (even the carpets) like fools. Quite the task with five kids trying to be very helpful even though we didn't have that much stuff. We ended up finishing to late to drive home that evening because we were afraid that the roads would be bad and we were absolutely exhausted. We stayed with my parents that evening and headed home the next morning.

We pulled into Saint Johns at about 2 pm. When we pulled up into the driveway we noticed a big WELCOME HOME sign hanging on the house. To our surprise when we walked in the house the fire was going, there were balloons and a sign wishing Conner a Happy Birthday, a candle burning, and dinner in the refrigerator complete with homemade bread and chocolate chip cookies for dessert, and breakfast muffins, milk, and bananas for the next morning. We hadn't had but five minutes to look around when 3 of our friends & their families had come over to help unload. No wonder why we missed this place. We really were shocked by the out pouring of kindness shown to our family. Thank you to all of you that made us feel welcomed back into the community. It's good to be home! Even Rio & Remmington (our dogs) were excited to be home.

The next day I ran around getting the kids enrolled in school, going to the grocery store, and verifying our mail situation. Then I came home to start in on the mess and a mess it was. No one could find what they needed so they had begun to dump out boxes in their search for things. AHHHHH! I really, really don' t so well with unorganized chaos. It makes me soooooo crazy! It took me a little over a week to clear through all of the boxes and boy am I glad to be done reorganizing everything.

I had barely finished unpacking when Conner came down sick with respiratory garbage. It had officially cycled though our whole family (including Ethan, which was very scary for me. I hate it when infants get sick!!) when Tate started throwing up! Ugh! I really started to wonder if we were ever going to be well again. It seems like we are on the upside now, thank heavens. Scott left last Wednesday for meetings in the Valley and a quick trip to Arkansas. He will return next Wednesday. If I make it through sacrament meeting with all of my little ones tomorrow I will be able to make it until Wednesday. I'm really scared though. I've even thought about using the sick thing as an excuse. We are all still coughing you know! I'm I awful or what.

Well that pretty much sums up the last couple of weeks. Hopefully now that life is getting a little bit more normal I can get back to blogging.