Can you say....IT'S ABOUT TIME!!

Yes I am finally posting the pictures of the first day of school.... Life has been just a LITTLE crazy here lately. But someone told me it is better late than never!!
Brookey the Wookey is 8 years old and in the 3rd grade. She loves to read and I find that I love that she reads. She reads to Cora every day (and any of the others that will listen) without having to be asked plus she then reads her books for school. Her favorite subjects would HAVE to be Math and Science (I think someone is taking after her Dad!).
Jayden is 6 years old and in the 1st grade. Something we realized with him is that he will not be in a class all by himself until he is in 6th grade over in Manilla. Here in DJ we only have 2 teachers, one teaches K-2nd and the other teaches 3rd-5th. When he was in K he had to share class with Brooke and when he is in 1st and 2nd he will share with Cora then to start it all over again in 3rd grade with Brooke again. Unless by some MIRACLE we get a lot of kids and we have to get more teachers. Right now our WHOLE school is 23 kids in most schools that would be ONE class!! But we wouldn't change it for the world!! But back to Jayden...He loves school and loves art and recess. He is working really hard on his reading and we think he is doing great!!
My little CC is 5 years old and in Kindergarten. I miss having her help with the other two left at home but I am so happy that she gets to experience school. She LOVES everything about school except that she doesn't get to eat lunch at school yet. ALL IN DUE TIME!!!! She can't grow up THAT fast! She can't wait until she can read all by herself. She has come home with little books that they have made at home and has been SOOO proud that she can read it to us!!! Come January she will be reading full on!!

So there you have it! I have 3 of my 5 kids in school and have started to worry about what I will do with MYSELF when they are all in school. I might just get ALL caught up on scrapbooking and I CAN'T wait to have the house remain clean for more than 10 minutes!!

"Puppy Love!!"

We puppy sat Sammy the neighbor dog for a week while the parents were gone. We tried to get the dog over only occasionally because the kids would wear her out. This particular day Sammy fell in love with Anna 'cuz she didn't want to do anything but sit in the stroller and hold her.You can't see it but her shirt that she is wearing actually has a puppy on it and above it says "Puppy Love," nope I didn't plan this outfit for the pictures. If I had I hopefully would have done something with the mismatched socks and her hair... Gotta love summer days when you have nowhere to go and no one to impress so the kids get to get away with wearing whatever they want and I, as Mom, get to get away without having to comb hair every day!!

"There is Beauty All Around...."

How does that hymn end? Oh yeah...When there's Love at Home!!! We'll there hasn't been too much of that in our home lately! With sick kids and sick parents we have been a little bit on the snippy side! Emmy got sick first a week and a half ago for only a day (or so we thought, it all goes around and around and around in our family!!), followed by Brooke the very next day who was sick for two days but lapsed with both Cora and Anna but the last two girls were both sick for five days (yes, poor Cora had to miss a whole week of school!), JayDee got sick last Monday and is still gurgling apple cider vinegar to help clear his throat. Me, I started getting sick Friday night but by Saturday it was full blown, and then Jayden, bless his little heart, (thanks Kirsten) was trying to be so brave but finally admitted today that he didn't feel so good. Let's just say that this has not been a productive week for us Dutch John Guymon's by any means. Last night as a full week of lows started catching up with me I started playing the poor me, poor us game and started making bargains with the Lord. Yes, I did repent later because I do know that that is not the way He works. I forget all to fast that everything has a time and a purpose. Maybe with us all getting sick now with prevent us from getting hit with the BIG flu later this year!! Who knows!! I do know that last night I went to bed with a prayer in my heart that my eyes would be reopened to how blessed and lucky I am. And you know what - I did learn somethings today...

First I woke up with my husband next to me, we did have ONE little three year old who was frozen who had found her way in but the thing I realized is that we are blessed to have a warm place to sleep. Helps to have the same incredible husband sew by hand cuz' his wife doesn't have a sewing machine, I guess maybe that is what I could get him for Christmas!! :)

Next, Brooke had gotten up and fixed her own lunch and Jayden's (even though he didn't go to school today!) helped Cora with her snack, got breakfast for the kids that would accept it (not Anna, nothing works except for when Dad does it), all without being asked. I noticed this morning that even though my babies are growing up they are growing up into people that I can be proud of! Thank goodness they aren't perfect or they would be taken away from me but you know what - for the oldest being only 8 years old I would say we are doing alright! No big head here, just the knowledge that we are all given the same tools to teach these special children and we happen to use that knowledge!

As we start into the colder days the first thing we like to do is check our thermometer gage outside and compare it to average according to the news or even just to compare it to what the weather was like yesterday. Well, today it read a WHOPPING 43* a WHOLE 13 degrees above freezing! So yes, I even learned from that. We should all be greatful for those extra 13 degrees of warmth or the rain we got very easily could have been SNOW!!! When Jayden told us that he was sick we decided that now we could go to Vernal and all be treated if need be so off I went with the kids (yes, JayDee had to go to work!), as we got to the summit we had hit snow. There was snow on the ground on the side of the road and still snow flurries falling on my car!! As I got a little bit lower toward Vernal Mr. Sun came back through shinning down on ALL of the beautiful fall colors that we have being in the mountains!!

I want you to know that it was on the way back home that I realized that my eyes were open and I was seeing things as clear as I ever have. I sat fighting tears the entire way home, good thing cuz I so wanted to just go to sleep - I felt so GREAT :( But I would do it again just to see all the beauty we have but take for granted so often, and to be reminded of some of the many blessings that my family and I enjoy!! I love that I know about our wonderful, loving, and forgiving Heavenly Father who did forgive me for my grips and groans and just loved me by opening my eyes and heart - let's not forget about that very vital organ!!

Like Mother Like Children...

If you notice all these pictures they are ALL sleeping on their tummies. No better way to sleep. Although how many of them are going to have TMJ (locked jaw) problems later on. My chiropractic Uncle says that is the best way to get it started!! But don't they all look so sweet and innocent!? Too bad it doesn't last during the day!! :)

Bird Healer...

JayDee saved this poor little hummingbird from our garage. Now that it is enclosed we find that the hummingbirds will fly in and then they can't figure out how to get out. As JayDee was letting it go Jayden thought it would be so cool to hold it himself so here you go....

My BB turns EIGHT!!

I know that is is a month late but I wanted to wait for her birthday party pictures to add to this but then of course there turns out being toooooo many pictures to choose from so here we are a month late and going to have to take two posts!!Our sweet Brookie turned eight years old on August 12, 2009. She is our oldest child and for sure JayDee and I have probably made the most mistakes on her over the years compared to her siblings. I think that comes with any parent with their first child. Who can say they know instantly what to do and how to do it so that their child grows up perfect? The thing I have learned over the years is that they are NOT perfect but then neither am I and I will never be (in this life anyway!). I have made a lot of compromises over the years but I wouldn't have it any other way. I really hate it when you get parents who say that things are their way or the highway!! Who gave them the power and the knowledge? God did, and he sure as heck didn't make any of us perfect so there should always be some learning and changing...to keep things interesting right!?
Anyway...back to Brooke...She is the BEST first child we could have ever been blessed with. She is absolutely beautiful and she loves to be loved. In this picture all I did was ask her to stand and smile so we could get a picture of her new outfit...and here you go...Brooke to the "T" she loves to pose and be pretty!! If only we could figure out these bangs...hers and mine!!! When I was in Reno and had my hair cut the lady told me that the "IN THING" was bangs over the eyes. What? How can you see past them unless you are always pushing them off to the side and then even that I don't think looks great but I have been trying to get used to it. Brooke wants to grow out her bangs and if you look at most of the pictures of her lately the bangs are swept to the side but still in her eyes!! A couple more months and they just might be long enough to tuck them behind the ears so not so much in her eyes!! :) But she is still beautiful to me!!
JayDee and I did a lot of talking about this subject and decided that she was the right age to get her ears pierced!! My parents had us wait until we were twelve but I think that was too long to wait. I KNOW I pestered my parents over and over and over and probably over again to have them let me just do it. They stuck to their guns (which is good but I am not good when it comes to pestering questions...I usually just give in to the kids...don't let them know that cuz I don't think they have learned that secret yet!!) and I remember being overly excited to have my ears pierced so it didn't matter how long I had waited!!! So Brooke and I had a Mother Daughter day in Vernal (thanks Becky and Ali for the idea!) and went and had her ears pierced. Because of our GREAT selection of stores in Vernal we ended up going to Vernal where Brooke had to pick 4 different earrings before we found one that they had in stock!! The lady behind the counter asked Brooke for her ID. Brooke looking confused looked to me. I told the lady that she didn't have ID. How old did she think my little girl was? Do they ask the younger girls for ID as well or did she really think Brooke was 16? Not a good start...then the lady put the little dots on her ears and had me look at them. I told her that one of the dots was too close to her head when the other was not. The lady told me it was because Brooke had different length ear lobes. Oh my goodness have I really made a mistake!? I asked the lady to move the dot to make the two even and against her judgment I am sure she did and we proceeded. Trust me they look so much better then if we had gone with the way the lady wanted to!!

That evening we had some neighbors over to help us celebrate Brooke. The Coombs and the Kellys are always great to put up with us and our many kids birthdays!! Because of it being Brooke's eighth birthday we went all out (the only year that gets the GREAT BIG FUSS!). JayDee hung the Hannah Montana Pinata and Carson helped with the spinning of the kids and then watching out for the swinging stick!! And of course it was great to be able to capture him on camera playing with the Hannah Montana guitar!!!!! He is so positive that he won't have to have any of "that GIRL" stuff!! I have proof that he does play with girlie stuff!! Go ahead and print the picture if you need blackmail Casandra!! :)

And of course you can't have a GREAT party without cake and ice cream!! Brooke picked cupcakes instead of a normal cake and Emmy went to the extremes of helping me eat. I have been doing really well staying away from stuff like that but she felt it important to see that I got some along with everyone else!!

We LOVE you Brooke and can't wait for the next big day with you which is coming up in less than a month. The day you have chosen to be baptized! This is a "Great and Marvelous Day" and I can't wait to see you take this next big step in your life. You are so special to me and I am SOOO happy that you are apart of our family!!

Oh So Sweet!!

I love MY little Emmy!! She has such a funny personality. These pictures were taken on August 9th, 2009. It was my Mom's birthday and we had just tried to call and wish her a happy birthday. Oh my goodness if there is ANY phone in her sight she will be on it talking. A lot like most kids right!! I couldn't just pick one cute one to post so enjoy all these photos of Emmalee!!

How do I get out of the mess I have created?

Are you serious? Why? Are you crazy? Are they all yours? Do you know what protection is and why not use it!? Are you going to have anymore?

Just a few of the questions I get asked a little too frequent. Some more often than others. Up until Emmalee was born I always thought that maybe, just maybe, the ones asking the questions were really paying me a compliment somewhere in their questions. I know now that I was just delusional. In the last two years I have been seeing Doctors about my depression. Even after hearing that others in my family suffer with depression as well, as soon as they hear that I have 5 kids under 8 they ALL have told me the same thing. "Well, there you go. That is your problem!" Wait a sec. If this is true why oh why was I not told about this before I had five kids. Oh and where does it say in the scriptures or from any of our prophets that we should have children (seeing how that is something told to us by God through these great men) but only so many other wise you will suffer!

Let me back up just a few years here! After we had Brooke while JayDee was still in school he and I had discussed that it wouldn't be wise to have anymore until he was through or even NEARLY through with school so I went on birth control. Well guess what? Either this stuff that was supposed to work didn't or I was meant to have another child cuz even on birth control I got pregnant with Jayden. We decided that it wasn't that bad and that having Brooke and Jayden 18 months apart was definitely close but we would handle it and we did! Well again here came the birth control and yet here came Cora 15 months after Jayden. At this point should I have turned the blame on the Doctors who prescribed the birth control and yet it didn't work? Well I didn't. In fact I looked at it as God was in control of all and He always knows best and JayDee and I both were okay with the fact that we had three under 3 years. But let me tell you the looks and the questions all started there. So for 5 years I have put up with them and yet not really cuz look at me now! I feel like the worst mom in the world all because I don't have enough patience with the kids and their NEVER ending messes!!

But here I sit wondering how do I get out of the mess I have created!? I love each one of my kids and could NEVER ever say that I could live without one of them. Doesn't that mean that I was meant to have all that I have? Well then how do I get past this feeling of doom?

My family has been given a great chance to get away for the weekend and go hang out with my parents and siblings and their kids and I have been super excited about going until now. Having to see the looks and hear the question today I know that I am a mother that gets judged and can't help but wonder if my family and friends feel the same way. Having the fear of being judged makes all of this so much harder since we are all human doesn't that just happen? I am sure that I will be judged for blogging this. And maybe that is what I need to do more of...voice my feelings or whatever I want without the fear of being judged and HOPEFULLY that courage will run over to everything that I worry about. Who knows!?

Sleeping Beauty...

My Sweet Emmalee can sleep anywhere and through anything (nearly) Here I have the proof. First we have her in her own bed (that is a miracle in itself!), but without her diaper. I am seriously thinking that it is time to have only one baby in diapers and Anna sure as heck is not interested in the potty!! Maybe Emmy is telling us that she is. Okay so of course we didn't want to leave her bare bummed all night so JayDee (ever so carefully) turned her over and stuck a diaper back on her while she slept the entire time!! Amazing!!
Next, this is what I found one morning when I woke up. Yes, I have been able to sleep in during summer vacation. That is the only reason I am not looking forward to school starting up again. Cora and Anna had filled the laundry basket full of toys, books, games, etc. and then had her lay down in it while they tied a "rope" to it and pulled her around the house. Yes, they were able to put her to sleep (I wonder what time they got up that morning!!)
Here is one of my favorite ones. It was on a Wednesday and we had gone to Vernal that day (that in itself messes up our nap schedules). I was so worn out that I had gone to lay down. When I woke up JayDee was gone, the kids said that he had gone to Family History. Well, he called to check in on us (since I was asleep when he had left). I asked him if I should come get Emmy from him. He told me that he didn't have her, which of course gets the panic going, since she loves going to the road. The kids had told me that she was with dad so of course they were no help. After searching for a while Brooke came in and said that she had found her and this is what we found. Her asleep on the tramp. She had pulled herself up on the picnic table and then crawled onto the tramp by herself and then I guess got bored waiting for the rest of us so she took a nap!! Now when we can't find her the tramp is the first place we look and usually that is where she is!
This one was just sweet. Anna came and told me that she had rocked Emmy to sleep. Sure enough she did. With the help of Baby Einstein Movie I am sure!! Who wouldn't fall asleep right Landon!?

All for Ammers!!

We don't make too many trips to Ogden anymore. But we did in July for Ammon's Birthday party. The little guy turned one and even though his parents think it was a party for all three of them it really was just for him!! He is a sweet boy that we don't see often enough. Honestly we don't see anyone often enough! We were able to see Amy and her family for a little bit before we had to head out and I realized just how fast these kids grow. Especially when you don't see them for a while!
I wonder if he has a love of phones (just like most kids)
Emmy got to make a new friend...hopefully they see each other often enough to make it last. Cousins sure can be fun when they are close in age so that there is someone to play with at all those "boring" reunions.
Look at how Brooke is growing as well...she is all but the same height as Aunt Kirsten. And look below...
they have the same size feet!!! Brooke is 8 years while Kirsten is 2... Don't worry Kirsten I wouldn't say how old you really are!!!
Here are all my munchkins holding and loving on Kirstens new munchkin Lily. I still think that they should have named her after me but....maybe next time!

It is amazing that I am past the having baby stage just as my kids all are getting old enough to be the great helpers that ALL Moms want and desperately need!!

You are what you eat!!!

If that is true then Emmy is A HAM.....

eating left over ham and she got her hands on it!!

Misc.