come and gone

I can't believe christmas has come and gone already. As usual the kids got way to much stuff and Dan took way too many pictures. We all enjoyed the day playing and relaxing. After that it was back to work but not at work. We have been painting Nikieshia's and dj's room and getting ready to lay new carpet for them if they ever get done painting before I have to go back to work. I think the consensis for the funnest gift was the guitar hero. We can't seem to get DJ off of it but we have some fun wars as a family and as usual DJ wins since he plays so much. He has more practice than the rest of us. so with all this time off for most of us we stay up too late and sleep in really late, and this vacation is going by way to fast. Not yet ready to get back into the schedule and back to reality. sometimes i really love my job. it is now time to look to new years resolutions and I hate those. I never follow through on them. maybe I should set some realistic ones but what fun would that be? I guess i'll put some more thinking into that one.

thankful for the season

As I read Ryan and Cassie's blog today I was so excited to hear the news of the twins. what a christmas present. not many people can say that. I always thought that it would be so cool to have a twin sister but am grateful that I myself didn't have to take care of newborn babies. I also think that as christmas time draws near another woman who had a remarkable christmas baby. Mary went through so much to bring that baby into this world to save us all. We owe her and her son so much. I wish the giving would last all year and not just at christmas time. We need to remember Jesus year round and to do what he would have us do to help one another get through this life the best we can. Reality sets in and I know that the world will never be the way I wish it would and it is only going to get worse before it gets better, i guess I should be grateful that people are giving at least once a year.
I am so grateful for my family the ones who live near and the ones who live far, and I wish lived closer. They mean the world to me and hope they know it. I am thankful for Jesus who gave his life for me so that I can have the chance to fix what I have done wrong to make my life better. I am thankful for the season and the reason behind it and am sad to see it come to an end. Christmas... the most wonderful holiday there is.

time for christmas

So last month I was way excited for christmas and I am still excited but it is coming way to fast. Ever since i started this new job I have no time for anything except work. I feel like I work and sleep and work and run kids. I am making quilts for all my kids and Dan and I put it off a little too long so now I am trying to play catch up on nights that I don't have somewhere to go which is most nights lately with christmas programs and partys and everyday activities. So hopefully I will get them done in the week before christmas since one of the perks is having school holidays off so lucky me gets two weeks off for christmas. I am looking forward to that.
Dan tells me I need to update my blog more often and I looked at him like he was crazy. but promised that I would try harder. sadly my life is pretty uneventful so i don't have alot to write about but I guess I should be grateful for that.
I like Carri do have my tree up and the outside decorations as well thanks to the help of Dan and the boys. so ready or not christmas is on its way and I better catch up and get ready. I guess I just need to multi task more. so christmas holiday bring it on. I am ready

new job

So for those of you who don't know yet, I applied for a new job within the same company. guess what... I got it. I am now the official center manager of the Idaho Falls West center head start. in other words I am basically the principal of the center and manage the staff. Sadly I did have to take a cut in pay for the job but it is 40 hours a week and comes with insurance which I think will be worth it. Plus alot more responsibility and staying busier. I hate to go to work with nothing to do, makes the day drag on.
So today was my first day on the job. I have done this job before temporarily so alot of my training this week is just a refresher but I didn't realize how much I had forgotten. Man the time flew by. My family is great they are all supporting me in the job and can't wait to volunteer at the center. So it is a great way for my family to learn service outside of the church. I do miss my old job. I worked with the greatest people and I will miss them alot but the crew I am responsible for will be good also, it will just take some time to get to know them better. It is hard to make a change and leave your comfort zone but a lady I work with put it this way; if you don't get out of your comfort zone and stretch you will not ever grow as a person. so I guess Leta I am trying to grow. Scary as it may be.
Spend the weekend at Mom's and loved every minute of it. I so look forward to going down and dread when it is time to go home back to reality. It seems that mom and dad's house is an escape from the rest of the world. You just seem to forget about all your troubles most the time and focus on the here and now and what is really important. Family. I laughed till I cried messing around with Nikieshia this weekend and am more relaxed the kids say they like me better because I seem happier when I am there. I guess the saying is wrong about not being able to go home again. and the other is correct, there is no place like home. and to me home is where your family is and the more of them around the better home is. We did go looking for christmas trees as usual this weekend but sadly we bought a fake tree this year so we didn't have to go to all the trouble of looking for a tree it was kind of nice to just be able to wander the desert and not have to compare tree to tree for the perfect one. it was just nice to explore. Even though according to Dakota Grandma got us lost and we had to go up and down mountains. funny little boy.
Anyway if you didn't get the jist of it we all had a great time and look forward to the next time we get to go down. Hopefully to Baptise Tristen, around the time Brennan comes home so it makes it easier for us all to get together for one trip rather than two. Let the count down begin!!!

my beautiful daughter

I took Nikieshia to get her pictures done tonight and man it took forever at Sears but so worth it. I have put one of her favorites and mine on the blog. Man I can not believe how fast they grow up. I was remembering the last time I took her to sears alone to get pictures and she was a tiny baby now she is a beautiful young lady. The lady taking the pictures asked her if she had a boyfriend and she blushed and said yes, it was the cutest smile and picture because she snapped it just as she smiled sadly she turned her head so we didn't keep that picture. She started young womens this past month and is now allowed to wear makeup. i have decided I don't like that. she looks too old and too pretty I am not ready for my little girl to grow up.
As I told you last time Dan and I were celebrating our anniversary. We had a great time. We got most of our christmas shopping done I am glad for that but now I have to find a reason to go shopping through out the month of dec. Seeing as how I love christmas shopping. I wonder if they will have any good sales the day after thanksgiving. Sadly Price doesn't have that great of a selection of stores but we shall see what the day brings. I sure hope to see most of you at mom's that weekend if not have a great time without us.

Christmas Spirit

christmas Is coming and I am so excited. Tomorrow Dan and I are going to do some christmas shopping. it is a tradition that is what we do for our anniversary. I have already gotten out my forgotten Carols CD and have been playing it all week. I am tempted to get the movie out as well. but think my family would think me crazy for starting it so early. The season seems so short when it finally arrives that I have taken it upon myself to start it early and get in the spirit. There is a special spirit that comes with christmas and people seem so much kinder with each other. I love that. Plus I love the music and the decorations. No I have not broken out the decorations yet I wait the the first day of Dec for that. Anyway I am looking forward to shopping tomorrow.
I just wanted to make a little mention of my last blog and thank all those who let me know they were supporting me through this. It means the world to me to know I have such a wonderful family and great friends who are not judgemental and understanding. I look forward to seeing you all very soon.
So get yourselves in the christmas spirit and enjoy the holiday season. And please remember the reason for the season.

torn between two options

So last time I guess I left you hanging on whether or not I would fill you in on my secret. I had ultimately decided I would keep it to myself until I read a comment posted by Carri. Now I am torn between what I should do. I don't want people to think that I am being selfish in keeping this to myself but am worried about what you will think of me. I guess I should just come right out and say it out loud in writing. As you have all noticed I have lost a little bit of weight, well the reason behind it is I have an eatting disorder. I am anorexic and bulimic. yes you can be both. Don't ask me why I have resorted to something so stupid because I don't really think I could give you an answer. I have been working on and and have made some progress. the good side of it is that I am no longer the fat one of the family, or the one who everyone worries about on hikes that I will have a heart attack. as for being in shape I am not that. I have been trying to do better on that end but it is harder than the path I have chosen. My family and my kids know about this but do not know the seriousness of the problem. Dan has been trying his hardest to help me and you would all be so proud of him for his efforts. So anyway I feel like I am just jabbering so I will let you all absorb my honesty and think of me how you may. I just hope that you don't judge me for bad decisions. remember I love you all no matter what. so have a good day and I hope to hear from you soon.

what weekend

what has happened to this weekend? i spent the day doing hair for a wedding and then attended the wedding, came home and crashed. I woke up and the whole day was gone. what happened to my weekend. Sunday is my day for relaxing before starting the week again but now I get to do laundry and clean up the mess the kids made today while i was gone. I am so looking forward to next weekend. Dan and I are spending the weekend together for our anniversary. We are staying at a motel on the other side of town and spending the day christmas shopping and just getting back to basics and spending time with each other that seems few and far between lately. Somedays I wonder how everyone does this on their own without someone else to hold your hand. I am so thankful that I have someone to hold my hand. The kids are great as long as they have a football and someone to watch them. i can do that part as long as they don't expect me to play too often.
I do have something to tell everyone out there but don't know if I am ready to admit this out loud to the world. I am told that it will help me but I don't want your sympathy or pity or anyone looking down on me. I am going to have to put somemore thinking into this before I actually post it but I hope to be able to let you all in on my horrible secret. Now don't let your mind start to wander on the worst thing possible but it is definately something I am fighting, with. Maybe next time I post. Most of you may already know what I am talking about and just have kept it to yourself. so until next time. me and the family are signing off

working hard or hardly working

I am afraid that most of my post will be done while I am at work and so the pictures will be few and far between. besides that I am putting the kids in charge of the pictures seeing as how they take them all and like to pick which ones are posted. See my kids are quite the characters and love to pose for the camera if it is in the pose that they select. so if they seem like a bunch of hoodlum gangstas it is not because they are bad kids they are just showing off what their imagination thinks they want to be. Lucky for me they all still have wild imaginations and they definately keep things going at my house. We are constantly laughing or yelling at someone to stop torturing one of the younger kids. It is definately not a place you go for peace and quiet even in the late hours. You know how teenagers can be or if you don't I am sure you will have your day sometime.
Dan has just started a new job and I am so excited for him. it will be good for him to get out of the house and associate with others above the age of 15. Hopefully he sees it as a good thing as well. We all have our fingers crossed for him that it will work out. only time will tell.
Any how I will get those kids on some pictures for you all to enjoy asap. until then...

up and running

Well this is our first posting and we are trying to get up and running and will soon be putting some pictures on our blog but as of now we are lucky to get this far. Our family consists of 8 of us. Dan, Polly, D.J., Alex. Nikieshia, Braxton, Tristen and Dakota. We are the typical family trying to get through the typical life. football. dance, mutual and Dan's new job.
Dan and I are about to celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary. Can't believe how fast time flies. and how fast kids grow. DJ and Alex are both bigger than us and that is hard to accept but are grateful that they did exceed the height trial in our family. Dan and I are both pretty short at 5'4. We always hoped they would be taller than us and they have!
I will try and have the kids post some updates as well so you can see how things are going in our house from different perspectives. so look forward to further updates and follow us through our journey.