Whoa! Long Read!!!

I thought that I would do another catch up post.... Sheeze, were does time go! I have had a really hard time keeping up with Blogging. Seriously, every time I sit down my kids ATTACK me. One on one knee the other on the other knee, can't hardly move...and certainly can't type! Unfortunately, I've still been too tired to stay up very late thus, daytime computer use or no computer use! Sooooo, here are a couple of things that we have done lately..............

Rich & Shari came to visit

Tate

Grace & Bella

Conner

Shari & Rich

Rich and His Family came to see us in early March. We had an enjoyable time and even convinced them to stay another day! Scott & Rich worked on the phone system while Shari & I went to the Cannery. We all meet back up and ate Ribs for lunch! Soooo good! Scott is fabulous on the grill! Bella & Grace were a force to be reckoned with. They loved being together. I love when my family comes to visit. It's such a treat!

Conner Received his Bobcat

Conner earned his bobcat award in Cub Scouts! He was very excited and did a great job. Keep up the hard work, Buddy!!

Swimming

Well this is the next best thing if you ask the kids. They have been begging me to let them "swim" in the whirlpool ever since we moved in. I finally gave in! And yes they were wearing Swimming Suits!

Spring Break & Easter

We spent the week in the valley at Grandma & Grandpa Johnson's. We arrived on my birthday, you know the big one, the one that I have been anticipating for awhile now. That's right, I'm THIRTY! Whew, it's quite the load off to actually admit it. I'm not sure why thirty was so hard for me to swallow. All that I can figure is that I had set a lot of goals for myself when I was younger that should be accomplished by the time I reached the ripe old age of thirty. As the time approached, I found myself contemplating life...what had been accomplished... what had not. I guess that because multiple goals are still left undone, I was hesitant to admit my age. You know, everyone should always accomplish everything that they set forth to do!!! (wink) I will say that when your twenty, not married, have no kids, and very little responsibility, it's easy to project what you think that your life should be like in ten years!!!:) Until you have actually experienced being a wife and mother it's very hard to understand the daily trials that are faced, they are just way to different from the one that you deal with prior to marriage. Well enough of that, I'm thirty and I'm proud of it. I hope that the next ten years will be as wonderful as the last. I just will try to not have any preconceived notions of what raising teenagers will be like!!:)

After arriving, I dropped my kids off at my Mom's (she had hired a babysitter) and my whole family went to dinner. Serrano's was the place of choice because my Mom & Sisters were preforming in the Easter Pageant and they had very little time to eat before they had to be there. Plus I really like the chips, bean dip, and the Pollo Serrano. I actually got to sit and enjoy dinner without helping anyone or trying to keep anyone quiet. My mom did spill her water on me though just so I wouldn't get to used to going out alone:) Afterwards, I hung out with Rich & Shari....we went to Mesa Frozen Yogurt (a family favorite), Deseret Book, and the movies. All in all a very enjoyable evening.



Easter



The rest of the week was spent swimming, shopping, and enjoying being together as a family. We had a cook out for Easter, a money filled egg hunt for the olders in the family (a fun family tradition), a traditional candy filled egg hunt for the kids, we went to the Easter Pageant, visited my brother's grave, played Rock Band..or at least tried to, watched movies, picked oranges, and stayed up late and got up early!

I enjoyed being "home" for awhile but was also ready to come "home" when the week was over. Thanks Mom & Dad for putting up with us:) (Pictures are in no particular order)

Ethan Before


Ethan with a wig on courtesy of Conner & Haylee

Conner & Grace dancing the night away with Haylee

Me & my crew at the Easter Pageant (Ethan stayed with a sitter:)

On your mark get set GO!

The Boys

Grace: "Look at me Mom, I can swim!" (Or at least put my face in)

Sisters

This photo was taken sometime around Thanksgiving/Christmas. While I was visiting my parents I realized how important my sisters are to me. I loved watching them interact and interacting with them. We even got in trouble one night for being too noisy and waking my Mom up. Sorry Mom but it was too funny. It was a real dose of youthful medicine! Nothing in the world replaces SISTERS. Even though mine are quite a bit younger than me I wouldn't trade them for anything. Plus, they'll get old like me someday!!! HEE HEE! As I reflected on my relationship with each of them I started to feel sorry for my poor little princess who lives all alone in a world brothers. If I could give her a gift it would be a SISTER! Someone to share her darkest moments with, someone to be there for her greatest delights. There is just something special about a sister. So for you my angel....a sister!

Scott & I found out that we are expecting a GIRL! Honestly, this came as quite the surprise. I have always felt like I had to have another boy...that someone was missing...so we just kinda assumed that this baby would be him. You know six kids by thirty (one of those preset standards for myself that I spoke of earlier), and we'd be done. Sometimes, I think that the Lord laughs at our plans. I said that I'd never be raising babies and teenagers together. My advice to all of you, NEVER SAY NEVER!!! Anyway, we are very excited to be able to give Grace a sister. We pray that they will always be close. Now for a name....got any ideas?

**PICTURES ARE MISSING!! I WILL TRY TO DOWNLOAD MORE LATER!!**

Little Gymnasts

Grace, Jake, Tate, Conner

?, Tate, Chase (friend), Conner

Grace: "I'm Pretty"

Skousen Kids

After 9 months of gymnastic practices, we were ready for the big show. Here are some photos. The kids all did a great job and really had a good time. Gracie absolutely loved performing and actually didn't do anything crazy. You just never know what a 2 year old will do!!

Can You "BEE"lieve It?!!!

Today is Jacob's 5th Birthday! And yes, that is a homemade Beehive Birthday cake just for him. I don't usually make fancy cakes...they are way to much effort...and with all my kids trying to help....insanity, really!! This year though I thought that after the older boys went to school and after we put Ethan down for a nap, maybe, just maybe Jacob, Grace, and I could try to pull off a "cool cake like the other kids Mom's make." Now, why Jacob chose a beehive cake, we might never know, but he LOVES it. He is already asking if we can make this cake again next year. I'm glad that he is happy and that the mess is all cleaned up. Happy Birthday, Big Guy! It's hard to believe that your already five.

Jacob's list of things to do while he is 5:

1. Go to Grandma's

2. Go to the Park

3. Go to a friend's house

4. Learn to swim

5. Go to Kindergarten

I think that he just might be able to accomplish all of his goals!! I wonder what his list will look like when he is 15!!!!

Miss Independent

This is little Miss Grace. Her most favorite thing to do is get dressed and then change...then change again, and again... you get the point. She wants absolutely no help, not even suggestions. On this particular day (February 19th) it was freezing outside. Of course that made no difference in Grace's clothing selection. I couldn't pass up the photo op. You can't beat playing outside in your panties with snow boots and gloves on!! Too cute!

Sneak Peak

Here's a sneak peak at the Kitchen! More to come later.... hopefully..... someday!!!

Conner's 8th Birthday

We actually moved into our new house on Conner's 8th birthday! This is the second year in a row that we have moved on his birthday. Unfortunately, he doesn't find it very fun. This move was a little bit more exciting because he got to open his new army bedding and sleep in his new room upstairs.

Conner was also baptized one week after his birthday. Yes, I know, life is crazy. I moved, unpacked, shopped, prepared food, re-washed sheets, housed over 30 people, fed over 50 family members and friends, and we baptized our oldest all within a weeks time!!! What an emotional experience for me. I really started to wonder if I had taught Conner what he needs to know. Man it amazes me how fast 8 years goes by. Crazy fast!!! It seems like just yesterday that I brought him home from the hospital. I can remember so many memories of him as a little guy (unfortunately, I can't say that for all of my children) it really doesn't seem possible that he is already eight. I'm sure that I'll say the same thing when he turns 19. Anyway, he is a good kid and was definitely ready for his big day. It really did turn out great. We only had one incident. Ethan threw up all over me during the closing song!! Kids...there's never a dull moment when their around. I will say that I was exhausted when it was all over though. Scott leaned over to me a church after everyone had left on Sunday and whispered, "Man, I wish that everyone could have stayed a little longer." Even though I knew what he meant I was relieved to have the week over and a new one beginning.

The Low Down

Okay, so I realize that I have not posted in forever. Life has been completely out of control for the Skousen clan for the last several months. I am still not caught up on everything. Infact I am not really caught up on much of anything. Don't get me wrong, the things that absolutely have to get done do, but things are still crazy. I can see a light at the end of the tunnel now though.

Since my last post a ton of things have happened. We have finished our house!!! (I use the word finished lightly... there are still a million things that need to happen... put up the towel bars, hang the numbers on the front of the house, put up the rest of the fence, stain & install all of the bookcases...to name a few) The house is livable though, more than livable, to us it's heaven. The first night we slept here I asked Scott how he was feeling. Besides total graditute he exclaimed, "I feel like I have been let out of a box!" You have to understand that when we moved to Saint Johns, we left a beautiful NEW house in the valley. It had plenty of space (4 bedrooms & a toyroom) and an extra large backyard. Our "new to us" 30 year old fixer upper in Saint Johns couldn't even touch what we had become accostumed to. The master bedroom was so small that with the bed in it you couldn't even kneel to pray at the side of the bed without your feet touching the wall! Our family growing in size from 5 to 7 members didn't help either. Needless to say that a lot more space means a lot more freedom for everyone! We are loving our new home and thank our Father in Heaven often for all of the wonderful blessings we have in our lives.

Here are some pictures of events that have happened since my last post. Forgive me for not having any house photos yet. Boxes everywhere, dirt on the floor, yada yada... I am working on it though.

Halloween

(Ethan, Jacob, Tate, TJ (Conner's Friend), Conner, & Grace)

Tate's 6th Birthday

Ethan's 1st Birthday

Christmas