sharper than the sharpest

Great Grandma's Quilts and the Christmas Sleigh Ride

2010-12-27T15:05:00.000-08:00

Great Grandma Ruby has made a quilt for each one of our children (not to mention hundreds of others). Even though her hands hurt, she pushes through it so she can give them all this wonderful gift. I thought it might be nice to let her see the kids all snuggly in their quilts. She displays this picture proudly in her living room.

Papa Sharp treated us ALL (there are a lot of us) to a christmas sleigh ride and dinner with entertainment. We sipped hot apple cider as we awaited our turn on the horse-drawn sleighs. Some of us sat by the blazing fire outside and others stayed indoors by the huge christmas tree. When the horses arrived we bundled up tight and climbed aboard the sleighs. The horses pranced through the snow, bells jingling. We raced past scores of light displays seated at the feet of the towering Teton Mountains. It was magical! Jacob loved the horses. I mean he LOVED them. He wouldn't take his bright eyes off them. He risked frostbite to point at them the entire ride. I kept trying to put his hands under the blanket but he would promptly take them out again and point at the horses behind our sleigh. Afterwards I took him up close to them. Surprisingly, as much as he loved them, he was scared of them. He wouldn't touch them. The girls thoroughly enjoyed being with their cousins all night.

The group.

Aaron and Jacob

Nana and Macey

Treyton and Jocelyn

Joci

Olivia and Makell

Jocelyn sipping cider

Liv and Nana

Jacob and I

What I see when I look outside.

2010-12-01T14:59:00.000-08:00

These are just some of the things I see when I look out the window. Winter has it's own beauty but I sure can't wait until Spring!

Jacob and the cowboy boots/ Peanut butter play-dough

2010-11-15T13:45:00.000-08:00

One of Jake's favorite things to do lately is to carry around Papa's boots. He'll carry them from place to place. He can only manage one at a time. They're pretty heavy for a 1 year old! He will try to get into them as well but he's found that that's no fun because then he can't go anywhere! He has to fall over to get back out again.

After we made peanut butter play-dough, the girls made these creations. You can't tell by looking at them but they are all cow sculptures in honor of Papa's cows. Then they gobbled them up! Even a peanut butter cow tastes good, although I'd still rather have a steak!

just a little memory...

2010-11-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. ~Anatole France

I found this quote today and it brought to me a memory. I recall over the course of my life, leaving many stages of it to enter a new one. I don't know that I agree that we 'must die to one life before we can enter another' I think that we carry with us parts of ourselves, but I understand the statement. I remember the day that Aaron and I drove away from my parents' house. We had been married for one day. We needed to return there to pick up all of our gifts from the reception that was held there the night before. My parents had long since returned to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. They had had to have permission to attend our wedding. So in a sense, that part of my life, my loving and caring parents had already left me. But I still had my own leaving to do. We packed up our gifts. It was a warm September day. Aaron was driving and I had my window rolled down. There was just a hint of sweet fall in the air. It rushed in and surrounded us as we slowly rolled down the driveway. My sister, Allyson, came to the lawn's edge to say goodbye. I waved emphatically. Purposefully and intensely. I held back the tears that wanted to roll down my cheeks, to comfort me somehow. I ached as I died to that life. The childhood and dependence in me yearned stay, and yet, I was in love. Passionately so. Profoundly so. I wanted to be with my new husband more than anything else. I watched and waved until Allyson was gone from sight. I continued to look earnestly at my old home, my old life. Then, resolutely, turned in my seat and have never once longed for that life since. Now Aaron and I have OUR life together, and oh, what a beautiful life it has been!

Typical day.

2010-11-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

On any given (week) day...

When the girls get home we do homework. Makell normally has one page of work and Olivia has 2-3. We do that first. I know if we don't do it as soon as they get home, then they will certainly find other fun things to do and homework will then be forgotten. As soon as they get that done, then it's time for reading. Olivia's required to do 15 min. while Makell feels sorry for herself because she has to read for 20. Usually one of them will go and practice the piano while the other reads. Then they change places. Once all the reading and piano are done they 'get' to do their chores. We alternate weeks of dishwasher and all it entails and the kitchen floor and all that comes with it. Then I tell them to clean their room they share. I rarely check on that to make sure it's done. Therefore it hardly ever does. But they have at least learned to bring up their dirty clothes so I can wash them. They play for awhile with their siblings and then it's dinner time, scripture/prayer time and bedtime. Not much time for playing with friends or for getting into trouble. That's how I prefer it. I try to keep them busy. Weekends are a lot more fun for them and for me! I miss them when they're gone to school. I worry about them when they're away from me. So weekends are just for spending time together. We've had an occasional slumber-party as a family. We do hand shadows on the ceiling with flashlights, watch movies, eat popcorn and then sleep. That means that Aaron and I wait for them to fall asleep then we go to our bed so we will sleep well.

It's so nice that the bus comes directly to the house! I love that!

Jacob has been found imitating his sisters. I couldn't be more pleased with that!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T14:10:00.000-07:00

The kids got all dressed up and Nana came and took them to see Papa at Cal Ranch. They went trick-or-treating around the office then they went to see Great Grandma Sharp aka Cookie Grandma. They got some candy there, too. It was a preview for Halloween night.

The cowardly lion.

The two witches.

Cinderella and Belle

The next night, on Halloween Aaron dressed up as the Brawny-Man and I, his trusty roll of paper towels.

I told Aaron that he needed to stay by my side all night at the trunk-or-treat at the church or no one would know who we were. Well, he left a few times and I got some pretty strange looks coming my way. As for him, he just looks like a regular Idahoan. I don't think half the people there even knew he was dressed in a costume!

A Macey-bite and Jacob loves food!

2010-10-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

I think that Macey must be starving when she wakes up. She plunges her spoon into her cereal and heaps it on as much as she can. She opens her mouth as big as possible and has to shovel it in using her had as a barricade to make sure she doesn't lose even one Marshmallow Matey. It's one of the funniest things I've seen.

Jacob's eating habits also make me laugh. He's found the baking drawer. He loves those butterscotch chips, just like his mommy! He fills those little cheeks so full it looks like he's preparing for winter.

He learned this dandy little trick, too. He's fascinated that Cheerios stick to snot! This kid cracks me up!

Just a little snuggle with his favorite man on EARTH! I hope he turns out to be just like him....

Yes, I joined them shortly after. :)

Olivia's Baptism

2010-08-07T13:54:00.000-07:00

Today was one of the most important days of Olivia's life. Today she was baptized.

We had a luncheon at our house which was pretty crazy since we were moving 2 days later. Hence the bed on the floor and laundry with no drawers to go into. Everything was packed. We used paper plates and plastic forks, although I probably would've done that anyway. :) We drove to the stake center and I realized that I had forgotten Makell's talk that she was going to give on the Holy Ghost. By the time I got back, Olivia was already dressed in her baptismal clothing. It broke my heart. I guess I just always wanted to help her with that. :( She said she got dressed all by herself. Such a big girl. The baptism was beautiful. Everything went perfectly. She came out of the water glowing. I thought Aaron would've grabbed her and hugged her tight, but he didn't. Then he later told me that he had forgotten to bring an extra white shirt and didn't want to get it all wet and have to wear it for the confirmation. :) I was able to help her get dressed and talk to her a little. She said the water was so warm and she wanted to do it again. She told me how good she felt inside. We moved to the confirmation room and Olivia and the 3 other children that were baptized performed a musical number called, "Today I will be baptized." It was beautiful and Olivia sang with the voice of an angel. I was so proud of her. Makell then gave her talk on the Holy Ghost, Olivia stood at her side to help her. It was so cute. Olivia was confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and received the Holy Ghost. Her blessing was beautiful and included some of the following:

She has been given a gift from Heavenly Father that will lead and guide her throughout her life. Today she started on the correct path and her Heavenly Father promised to be with her as she continues on the path of covenant making. She was blessed to make covenants in the temple and be sealed there. She was blessed with strength. She was told that she is a good example and should continue to be one. Live the gospel and look to your mother (me!!) as an example. (It still makes me emotional to read these words.) Your mother is an example of womanhood and righteousness. As you follow her you'll conduct yourself in a way that will be pleasing to your Father in Heaven. Search the scriptures and you will find answers.

I'm so proud of our little girl. I don't know how she got to be eight years old! It seems like yesterday that we were just bringing her home from the hospital as a new born baby. I'm so glad she's ours, forever and ever!! After the blessing and confirmation Aaron made up for the hug or the lack there of after her baptism. He picked her up off of the ground and squeezed her tight for a long time. It reminded me of when he'd held her up after he blessed her as a baby. I could see how proud of her he was. They are great friends and I sure hope that she's lucky enough to find someone like him to marry someday. If she does, she'll be loved and happy all the days of her life!!

Getting ready to go to the Stake Center.

Hair up tight? Check. We don't want any re-do's.

Proud parents and Grandparents of Olivia.

Olivia and her favorite guy.

Liv and Daddy.

We're so proud of her!! We love you so much Olivia!

We took a picture of us kissing her cheeks when she was a baby.

It's hard to believe she's so big now. Time has flown on butterfly wings.

Dad or aka Papa, took us all out for ice cream after Olivia's baptism.

It was a sweet ending to a perfect day!

Sweet Jocelyn.

Jacob. Papa's little man.

I love these pictures that mom, Grandma Sharp, took of Olivia.

They are precious. I love my little princess.

Olivia got a necklace and a triple from Aaron and me,

a beautiful necklace from Grandma and Grandpa Sharp, a card from

Great-Grandma Sharp and a purse from her good friend, Alex.

After everyone had gone home and it was quiet in the house, Makell

came to me and asked, "Mom, when can I get baptized so that I can get presents?"

Very cute but I think she missed the reason why we are baptized.

You can be certain that I took the

opportunity to tell her.

Lake Powell July 2010

2010-08-01T16:31:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite vacation-spots of all time. I'm so glad we get to go at least once a year! There's really nowhere better than Lake Powell. It's hot, the water is warm and there's always good company and good food. We get to pig-out at Lake Powell and not feel too guilty because we have so much fun burning off all those calories!

Not a great picture but you get the idea. Here's our view the first night there. The nights are pretty miserable but the days more than make up for it! This year, our family all slept on top of the boat. The girls up front against the railing (there's no way they could fall out or slip through) then Aaron slept at their feet. That way, if someone woke up and tried to walk around, they'd have to step on him to get to the stairs. Then we had Jacob's port-a-crib and then me. We put a fitted sheet over the crib so it stayed dark and the wind (when we were lucky enough to have some) didn't bother Jake. It's normally really hot, even at night, during July but it was perfect this trip. We actually used the blankets we brought this time.

My mom is amazing! I truly hope I am still skiing at age 63. Seriously!

Aaron had gone down to Lake Powell before all the rest of us this trip to drive the houseboat around for some friends of ours. They had found this perfect cliff to jump from so when we got there we had to go try it out, too. It starts small and then ascends to about 25 feet. So it's a "choose your own adventure" cliff. It was just right for the kids and adults alike. This is Jocelyn's limit, about 4 feet.

I found out this year that Olivia is a daredevil! I was so surprised that she dared to jump from the high cliffs. I went after she did and I almost didn't jump. It seemed so scary to me. It had to be about 25ft high, which really isn't that much, but it sure seems like it is when you're looking DOWN!

Left to right: Adam, Caleb, Brigham, Hyrum, Dianne, Mom (Grandma), Makell, Mariah and Olivia. They were trying to jump at the same time. This was a close as they got.

Dianne's family--plus Grandma.

Grandpa doing a swan dive. Now I see where Olivia gets her guts from! (Besides the fact that Aaron has NO fear.) I'm just glad that everyone wore lifejackets while cliff jumping.

Makell at her limit of about 10ft.

Adam, Hyrum and Grandpa.

Olivia and Makell.

Olivia decided she wanted to try wake-boarding this year. (Yahoo!) I was in the water with her coaching her a little and helping to hold her up straight. She actually got up for a second but I think it scared her so she let go of the rope. She never did get up again after this, but there's always NEXT year!!

Macey, completely worn out after so much excitement. She had so much fun with her cousin Sophie this year. They were inseparable. They played in the sand and swam like little fishies, always side by side.

Jacob did what he does best, and most, which is EAT. He was in hog heaven once he found the food totes! Usually both hands and a mouth full, then he's happy.

Since Aaron just had back surgery in February (only about 5 months ago) he couldn't ski or wakeboard. I think it almost killed him, too. He still got just as tan as usual though. I wish I had his skin! I tell him to just keep tanning so then maybe he'll look as old as me when he has leathery, skin! I'm sure even he can make leathery, wrinkly skin look good though!

Grandma and Grandpa just relaxing and watching the kids play in the water.

We brought the "glow ball" that we bought for a YM/YW black light volleyball activity. It was so fun at night. You just stick a glow stick inside it and have fun. The kids absolutely loved it. They played on the sand with it and a little into the water. Afterwards we took it to the back of the boat and threw it in the deep water. Olivia and I went after them (there were 2). It was really late by then and I have to say, it's really freaky swimming in dark black deep water! I won't go in without a lifejacket though, so it was all just in my mind.

Really, does it even get better than this?

Eating something, as usual. Hopefully nothing he picked up off the deck floor!

Grandpa decided to take all the grandkids out for a ride on the big tube. Unfortunately it ended up sinking the front of it because of all the weight. I didn't get a picture of that part! I guess Macey got pretty scared but everyone had on lifejackets so it was fine.

Since we don't have a boat anymore, the Meyer's let us borrow theirs. It was extremely generous of them and we were very grateful. Lake Powell just isn't the same without a boat! We took good care of it and then had a "boat cleaning party" after we got home. We washed and waxed and scrubbed and vacuumed. It was sparkling when we gave it back.

Sittin' on the dock of the bay...

2010-07-16T18:09:00.000-07:00

She's our little honey-bear!

Who taught her to pose like that? So cute!

These were taken during our Rudd family reunion on the dock that Aaron built. Jocie is all cuteness!

2010-06-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

This is another of my favorite pictures. Aaron might not agree, though. I just love the "realness" of it. Aaron is such a fun, playful, great dad. This is totally him. And Macey, well that smile is so darn cute. I can actually feel how happy she is just by looking at her face! Man, I love my family. I am so lucky. Or should I say blessed? Luck's got nothing to do with it. I'm so thankful for all I have and especially WHO I have!!

Nap time. My sweet, sweet boy...I love you dearly.

End of School Dances

2010-05-26T16:49:00.000-07:00

Olivia and Makell both practiced really hard for their school dances. Olivia did the mexican hat dance and then a hip-hop routine. Makell danced to the song 'You've got a friend in me'. They couldn't wait to show us what they had learned. I was so proud of them! Good job girls!

Jacob sat quietly through the whole thing. He's content to just be outside. Today is his birthday too. Happy birthday little man!

Jocelyn kept asking when she gets to go to school. She wants to go so badly. Unfortunately she was born in January so she'll have to wait another year and be almost 6 when she starts kindergarten.

Macey loved watching them dance when she wasn't playing in the dirt.

Jacob's 1st Birthday!

2010-05-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

Princess and the Frog & Fruit Throw-ups

2010-05-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

We have the movie 'The Princess and the Frog" and lately the girls have watched it several times. Today I gave them some fruit roll-ups and from the next room I heard them talking about "frog tongues". I went into the kitchen to see what they were doing and this is what I saw! Hilarious!

When Macey was done with her fruit roll-up she came and found me and said, "Mom, those are so yummy, can I please have another fruit throw-up?"

Haircut Time

2010-05-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

This is Jacob's 3rd haircut. The sound of the razor made him a little nervous so we turned on the water in the sink and that kept him occupied for awhile. Aaron was his barber and did a fantastic job!

Now we've gotta get all that hair off!

It's just not fair that a boy can have eyelashes that long!

2010-05-16T17:51:00.000-07:00

This is the fireplace that Jacob would actually climb INTO. Luckily we always kept the gas turned off.

Look at those chubby thighs! I love them!!!

Wild Man.

Jocelyn (4) and Jake (1).

I can get in but I can't get out!

2010-05-12T16:08:00.000-07:00

Now that Jacob is almost 1 he loves to climb on and in everything. This is one of his favorite places. He also loves to climb up and into the gas fireplace! He hides little toys in it and then goes back to find them later. No worries, the gas is shut off. He loves to take everything out of the cupboards and climb right in, too. I can tell that he has a lot more energy than any of the girls had at this point. He definitely keeps me on my toes!

Little Mermaids

2010-05-10T16:00:00.000-07:00

"Look mom, we're MERMAIDS!"

These two came waddling and hopping out of their room to show me their mermaid tails. It was so cute!

Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

My day started with Aaron making waffles with whipped cream and strawberries on them. Yum! I was lucky enough to be able to see both of my moms on this special day. My in-laws were staying with us because of Ryan's graduation and Caleb's baby blessing so I was able to spend a little bit of time with my mother-in-law. I love her so much and have learned so much by watching her over the years. She's an amazing example of love, humility, service and faith. She has treated me like one of her own since she knew I was going to marry her son. I'm so grateful for the encouragement she gave me as a new mother. She has given wise advice and has rendered hours and days of endless service to me through the years. I adore her and hope to be more like her as time goes by.

I then got to see my own mom at church, since we're in the same ward. We were able to sit close to each other and listen to Olivia sing 'Mother Dear' in sacrament meeting. I was so proud of her! I never would've dared do that at 7 years old! My mom, now, is one of my best friends. I can't believe there was ever a time when we didn't get along. But there definitely was. I was a somewhat ungrateful teenager and I thought my mom didn't understand anything. I kick myself now for how snotty I was at times. My mom is such a good example of hard work, perseverance, silliness, forgiveness and compassion. I'm so grateful for the help she is to me. I love living on the same block as her! She's always so willing to babysit and teach piano lessons (to the girls AND me) and stop by to tell bedtime stories. I am so blessed to have been raised by her.

I hope that over the course of my life I can take the strengths of both of these great women and make them my own!

Thanks to you both for loving me, forgiving me, believing in me, encouraging me, helping me and teaching me. I love you more than you know!

The kids made cards for me. Since it was Mother's Day I got to call in special favors, like family pictures! Ha! Aaron hates doing pictures but felt obligated since it was mother's day and he wanted to make it nice for me. :) I know it's a dirty trick, but hey, we got some great pictures so it was worth it!

Aaron bought this corsage for me from the Young Women in the ward. The picture doesn't do it justice. It was beautiful!

Macey showing her silly side. :)

I had such a nice mother's day!!! I feel so lucky and blessed to have my own children. To have been able to have their life start within me and grow. To have been able to experience labor and delivery. To nurse them and watch them grow chubby and strong because of me. To see first steps and hear first words. Watch reactions to new foods. To kiss boo-boos, sing primary songs, play at parks and go swimming with. To watch them make new friends and move away from old ones. Mend broken hearts and rejoice over accomplishments. Tell funny stories and pull silly faces. I love rolling down grassy hills, jumping on the trampoline and looking at the shining stars with them. Camping and boating and sledding and sliding. I love teaching them about God and of their Savior Jesus Christ. I love their examples of faithful prayers, forgiving hearts and loving service to each other. I love them so much! I am full of love and gratitude for them. I can't even imagine my life without them. I'm the luckiest mother ever!!!

How did she get so big?

2010-03-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

I still remember pushing her around on her first trike up and down our driveway in Ogden. Then getting her a bike with training wheels and walking up and down the block. I remember Aaron taking off the training wheels and then running down the street behind her, holding her up. I remember when she finally 'got it' and rode her bike for the first time without any help in our Saratoga Springs cul-de-sac. That seems like yesterday. Now she's doing crazy stuff like this!

Look who's walking!

2010-03-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

10 months! Are you serious? You're my last baby and you're gonna start walking at 10 months!?

This sweet boy has gone from his silly crawling on his fists (yes, like a gorilla) to walking! And I don't mean holding onto furniture walking either, (like this picture makes it seem) but real, all alone, big-boy walking. I'm so sad that he's growing up so fast!

Sleeping Beauties.

2010-03-10T12:04:00.000-08:00

Makell and Jocelyn asked to sleep in their princess tent tonight. I went to check on them and lock the basement door and this is what I saw. We are so blessed to have such great kids that love one another. Aren't they cute?!

I love sleeping pictures!

2010-03-06T11:38:00.000-08:00

Just some random pictures of Jacob sleeping. The first makes me nervous since it looks like he's precariously dangling over the edge of the bed. Aaron had been right next to him until he got up to take this picture. I love this outfit he has on. My mother in law gave it to him. The front of the shirt says: Handsome... Just like Daddy.

These next ones were taken after Aaron fell asleep while trying to get Jacob to fall asleep. Awww, I just love these two... (smile)

Cookie the Cat.

2010-03-01T10:46:00.000-08:00

Our family has tried our luck with several different pets. We've had fish, which died and got the swirly-whirly flush to heaven. We had a puppy who wouldn't stop going potty on the carpet. He now lives with our Aunt Becky. We've even had rolly-polies in tupperware. They stink when they die! We've had several kittens. The first one was forced onto us by my friend Heather. ;) During a visit one night at her house she shoved the kitten in the car with some cat food and said "Enjoy!" The girls were thrilled, I was thrilled, Aaron was not. However, he let us keep her. We named her Mia. She was a cute little calico kitty. We had her a few months and then I noticed she had fleas! I threw her outside and doused her with flea spray and collar. Well, I may have over done it because we never saw her again. I prefer to think she found a nice, loving home rather than dying from flea spray poisoning! So sad!

Our next cat was actually one that Papa bought for Olivia. He would stay at the ranch in Idaho and be a mouser. He was a friendly older cat. They named him Tigger. One night I thought it was especially cold out (his water was frozen solid in the bowl) so I suggested we put him in the big garage. Little did I know there was rat poison in there. He met an unpleasant death. So after that we stopped at Heather's again to see if she had any more cats to offer. I doubt she would've considered giving us another had she known of Mia's and Tigger's demise but I left that unimportant information out. We got a cute little black kitty that we named Licorice. Unfortunately she was a shy, skittish little kitten and she ran away. The girls were so sad. I'm sure secretly Aaron was happy to see another one go. For days I searched the classifieds and found another little kitten. The girls have named her Cookie and so far she's still here. Let's hope she lasts a lot longer than the others!

Olivia adores this kitty. She thinks she's the boss of her. She wraps her in blankies and carries her around like a baby. If anyone else wants to hold her, they have to ask permission from Olivia. :) She sleeps with her every night and couldn't be happier!

When Olivia is gone to school Makell takes on the role of "mother" to this little feline. One of her favorite things to do is put on her kitty coat, that papa gave her, and hold Cookie because then they match. :)

Here's Olivia sleeping with her baby.

After Makell goes to school then Jocelyn and Macey finally have a turn to hold her. They all love her to pieces! Jacob follows her around and tries to pull her tail. She is a very calm and nice cat. Jacob pulls on her and hits her and carries her and she endures it all without retaliation. (I save the kitten as often as I can, I don't let him beat her up) I think we've finally found our forever family pet. Well, as long as her nine lives last her, that is!

Olivia's new clothes. Thanks go out to Papa Sharp!!!

2010-03-01T10:32:00.000-08:00

My in laws were here for a visit and noticed that Olivia was growing out of all her clothes and had rips in the ones that still did fit. So Papa gave us some money to go buy her some new things. Here are just a few of the things that we got. I appreciate my father-in-law so much. He is always aware when there is a need. He is such a good example to me of love and giving. We all love him so much and are so grateful for how much he's given to us. Thanks Papa!!! Olivia looks so cute and she feels so pretty in her new clothes and shoes!

Howdy Partner!

2010-02-25T10:25:00.000-08:00

We took a trip up to Papa's ranch with Josh and April and their kids. We had such an awesome time snowmobiling, hot tubbing, sledding, eating and relaxing. These were the only pictures I took while we were there but they are some of my all-time favorites!! I love this little boy!!

Thanks to my wonderful in-laws for letting us come on up. We had such a great time as usual!

2010-02-20T10:20:00.000-08:00

I walked into our bedroom and saw this:

Olivia loves her little brother. She is so cute with him and helps so much with him. I am so grateful for her.

2010-02-17T10:15:00.000-08:00

I looked out the kitchen window and saw this hawk eating it's prey this morning. It was so cool. The girls loved it, too.

Valentine's Day poster!

2010-02-14T10:05:00.000-08:00

Although Aaron had just had back surgery he still made time to make this awesome poster for me. I loved it! Thanks babe!

Hey Hot Tamale!

We hope this gives you a snicker as you read your runts' message. We are not playing twix on you. You are always a bit-o-honey. We may have had a few rocky roads and lost over 100 grand but you have always been there for us in a crunch. We have had a good and plenty life together. We hope you were able to take 5 for yourself. We wish you mounds of almond joy this valentine's day. I will always be york big hunk! We love you. Hugs and Kisses.

Your, sugar babies.

2010-02-13T11:27:00.000-08:00

Last monday on Feb. 8th Aaron had back surgery, finally. It's was hurting him for over 6 months. He had a cyst that needed to be removed and one disc that was damaged that might have had to come out too. Had that happened, the doctor would've also had to fuse his vertebrae. Being concerned about that we called for reinforcements and saw a miracle. I know that due to fasting and prayer the doctor only had to remove the cyst (which was "by far the biggest" he'd ever seen and that's saying something since he's been doing back surgeries for 15 years or so).

Here's Aaron enjoying his dinner. Yummy! Beef broth, white grape juice a popsicle and some green jello (that complimented his green hospital gown and bedding just perfectly!) Ha, ha.

The incision was smaller than I had expected but still very painful.

Here's my little old man's walker that he used to walk to the door and back and then later, down the hall a little ways and back. Now who's OLD, Aaron?? :)

He was so bored. I told him I'd love to be there. I'd be enjoying that peace and quiet and reading a great book! That's just not his 'cup of tea'. He'd rather be up playing with the kids or doing some kind of service project. What a guy! Seriously, how'd I get SO lucky??

All smiles, probably due to the morphine drip. The surgery only lasted 2 hours instead of the 4 we thought it might. He's healthy and strong and has a good attitude. He should be back to his normal crazy self in about 3 months. The doc told him to find a new profession.

Macey's ER visit

2010-01-25T10:41:00.000-08:00

So, the sunday after the last post Macey had a febrile seizure. The night before she was really hot. We gave her some tylenol and Aaron brought her into bed with us. I went to sleep in the spare bed to avoid being kicked all night long. In the morning I had just gotten Jacob out of bed and changed him when Aaron yelled for me to come into our room. I hurried in and saw Macey having a seizure. Having had experience with this before with Jocelyn (and my nephew) I knew it was a febrile seizure and we began taking off her jammies to cool her down. I felt I was keeping pretty calm until she stopped breathing. I turned her on her side assuming her tongue was blocking her airway. She wouldn't breathe. She turned blue and then gray. Aaron was in the kitchen getting a cold washcloth when I started screaming for him to call 911. His cell was dead, and the home phone wasn't working. I grabbed her and told him that we needed to take her to the ER (we live only a few blocks away and figured we'd get her there quicker than they could get to us). We couldn't find the keys to the van! I opened the garage door and ran her out to the freezing cold air. I learned that morning how desperate your prayers can get when you're praying for your child you think is dying in your arms. She was completely limp and grey. Suddenly she tried to inhale. She foamed at the mouth. My sister Allyson who lived in the basement heard the commotion and came upstairs. She gave Aaron her keys and we took her car to the ER. Luckily it was early on a sunday in Utah so the roads were void of traffic. We ran stop signs and screeched into the hospital. Aaron ran her inside while I drove to park and then ran in. We both had bare feet and I only had on a robe. They gave her oxygen, IV, x-rays, medicine and ran tests on her. They explained what we already expected, that it was a febrile seizure. They ran tests on her blood and told us her white count was high. Now let me explain, the only thing I associate with high white count is leukemia. For about five minutes I worried about this, praying and dying inside. I'm so sorry to all those parents who experience that. It was like we were living in a nightmare, in slow motion. Finally the doctor came in and I asked him about it. He quickly told me that her white count wasn't THAT high and she was probably just fighting an infection. What a relief! My dad came down and he and Aaron gave her a blessing. She stayed in the ER for an hour or so and then they let us come home with instructions to keep her fever down. That's one day I never, ever want to relive.

She liked her pretty, pink "bracelet" she got there.

They loaned me some scrubs and socks to put on. She was very tired after the whole ordeal and slept a lot that day.

Here is the hospital gown they put on her and let her wear home since she came in with only a diaper on. It's so sad they even have to make these gowns in this size!

Aaron asked her what she remembered about her trip to the ER. She didn't even know what the bandage was for on her hand. She didn't recall them giving her an IV or anything else that happened there. I'm so grateful for the priesthood and that Aaron and my dad were there and worthy to use it. What a comfort it is to know that we have the power of God at our sides. Think about it for a minute. It's amazing!

Our little Macey-Moo. We're so blessed and happy to have you in our lives! Glad you're still with us!

Catching Up

2010-01-15T15:50:00.000-08:00

Well, since I haven't blogged since May, I have a lot to catch up on. I've been dreading this, but I finally started today. I need SEVERAL more pictures for our Sharp Family Reunion. When I get them I'll add those. I still need to do Olivia's 7th Birthday, Aaron's 30th Birthday, Jocelyn's 4th Birthday and so on. Wow, this is going to take forever!

On top of that I have so much updating to do. We've moved again! We're in American Fork now. We love our new ward. Aaron's a primary teacher. He was Olivia's but now that it's a new year he's got Makell in his class. They are both in school now and loving it. It was so hard for me to let them go at first but now I'm so grateful they're there since I've been helping Aaron out after he seriously injured his back (for the second time) about a week and a half ago. It's been hurting him since the Sharp reunion back in July. Initially it was hurt wakeboarding and then made even worse after shingling a roof. He had to have several MRI's where they've discovered he has a large cyst on his vertebrae. It didn't respond to the needle treatment they did to remove it so they said if it didn't get better he'd need surgery and possibly need to remove a disc that had bulged and fuse his vertebrae together. Sounds like fun, huh? He's been making himself work as much as he can since then but recently brought an inversion table home hoping it would help. Well, it only made things worse. The first time he tried it it really messed something up. My sister and I had to help him off where upon he collapsed to the floor. He wasn't able to move because of the pain for two hours. He said it was like the worst charley-horse you could imagine that wouldn't go away. I ran and got him a muscle relaxer and ice. He couldn't even roll to ice it. He sobbed. I had never seen him in pain like that. I've never seen anyone in pain like that. It was horrible. I called his back doctor and he said to call 911. The ambulance came, which scared the kids because they thought he was dying. It was awful. Anyway, they stayed with him for a half hour and said to call if he still couldn't move in another hour. They said it would cause him too much pain to strap him to the gurney and drive to the hospital just to be told that he has a hurt back. He was in the initial stages of shock so I put some blankets on him and we waited it out. 2 hours later he made it into bed and didn't leave it for two days, other than to the bathroom. He's still there most of the day. He's scheduled for surgery February 8th and I guess he'll be living on painkillers until then. Such a crazy time right now!!!

Christmas was fun. We spent it in Idaho although we left the camera in the van until Christmas morning so it was too cold to take pictures. We managed a few later on and I'll get around to posting them sooner or later. Anyway, if anyone is still reading this and wouldn't mind, please keep us in your prayers. We sure could use them. It's an unsure time for us although we still have great faith that even all of this is Heavenly Father's will and eventually we'll understand it. We know that this too will pass and hopefully soon we'll be back to life as usual. It really could be so much worse, so we're grateful for good health, a wonderful marriage and great kids, and all the help from so many family members and friends here. This time is made so much easier by all of you so thank you so, so much. We love you all!

Long Christmas get-together.

2009-12-20T16:09:00.000-08:00

My family reserved the Mutual Dell Lodge for our Christmas get-together. It was such a good experience that I hope we can do it every year. It was totally free and they had so much for us to do. We went sledding first. Olivia even tried snow boarding (standing on a sled). She's got pretty good balance! Then we played games inside, colored pictures, ate yummy food and set up our beds to sleep there. The highlight was when one of the three Magi (wise-men) came to visit. It was so great to have the Magi instead of Santa there. The magi told us all about his travels to find the baby Jesus. He showed us a slide show of all that he saw. It had pictures of the shepherds who were watching their flocks when the angel came to tell them of Jesus' birth. We saw the big, bright, new star that appeared and we saw pictures of Mary and Joseph and even baby Jesus. It was wonderful!! We all felt the spirit there. I really hope the Magi will come visit us again next year! Hint, hint, Dad!

Thanksgiving Pictures

2009-11-24T08:23:00.000-08:00

I said I'd be playing catch-up... Here are pics from around Thanksgiving.

Quick trip to "Lost Begas".

2009-11-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

We decided a day or two before that we were going to go to Las Vegas. Aaron's parents, Grandparents (Rudds), Aunt Kerrie and her family (who live there), and Mandi were going to be there. We didn't want to miss being with everyone so we packed a few bags, invited Kristi (Chewey) to come along and we took off. Does the song, "I drove all night" come to mind?

Aaron and I at the Bellagio.

At night we went to see the light and music display in the old part of vegas. Makell was dancing around like crazy until the movie on the ceiling started. She was mesmerized.

Papa took us all out to eat dinner in some fancy top floor restaurant. It was really yummy and so generous as always of him. It was so fun to see him with Jacob. I don't know how I didn't get any pictures of Grandma or great Grandma or Grandpa! I'm kicking myself.

I took a few pics of Chewey. Of course she wasn't really gambling but I thought they turned out so well that I just had to post them. Below, she's getting robbed by the one-armed-bandit.

Here is Aunt Mandi and Chloe. It was awesome to see them again. We wish so badly they lived closer so we could spend more time together.

Kris posed next to this cool car we saw in a parking lot.

I love Aaron's family so much. I really am so lucky that I get along so well with all my in-laws. I feel like one of the sisters or one of the kids. It's always so fun to be with them.

Halloween '09

2009-10-31T15:02:00.000-07:00

Trick or treat! This year I made costumes. It was so much fun and I think they turned out WAY better than anything you can buy in a store.

Aaron carved a pumpkin for each girl.

Mandi gave Jacob this outfit so he got to be a baseball player.

Olivia got to be a hot air balloonist. She LOVED her costume. She thought it was the greatest. I admit I thought her and Makell's costumes were the best out of their entire school. I could be biased though-- naw, I'm right.

Joci was a scuba diver. How cute is that?!

Makell was a black widow. So awesome! Everyone loved her costume at school too. My mom made a black widow costume for me when I was little and I thought I'd carry on the tradition.

I did her hair like a spiderweb. It did take a long time but she was surprisingly patient.

We quickly threw Macey's gumball costume together. I sewed an old shirt up, added some pink striped tights and Aaron drew on the Dubble Bubble. She stayed nice and warm while trick or treating. People could not stop looking and commenting on all the costumes. It was so much fun.

Fall Family Fun!

2009-10-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

We decided to get out of the house and go on a little adventure before it got too cold outside.

First we went to the river bottoms and hiked around a bit.

Then we went to a park and played in the leaves.

Then we rolled down a hill.

The girls had fun playing on the slide and other equipment.

More fun in the leaves...

I had to get some father and son pictures. Such handsome boys!

Yellowstone Trip

2009-09-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to Yellowstone and Grandma Sharp came along with us. It was so much fun! The weather wasn't that great but that actually made it all the more memorable.

The girls went swimming in the pool while grandma stayed in the room with Macey and Jacob. I felt bad leaving her alone but upon returning it looked as though she thoroughly enjoyed herself. I've never met a woman who loves and cares for her grandchildren the way she does. We're so, so blessed to have her in our lives! We're so glad you came with us and made precious memories with us grandma!!

I loved the white on the mountains, green trees and browns of the grass. Nature shows us such beautiful colors.

During our trip we saw elves (elk), buffalopes (buffalo) and Makell was certain she saw an alligator and a parrot, too. Yellowstone is a pretty amazing place!

Grandma Sharp and Joci. I just love this picture!

Makell posing at the geyser that was named for her. Notice the sign. :) We love you Kell!

I had nothing to do with putting snow on the 'L' but it made me laugh so hard I had to get a picture of it. Aaron was ahead of us, maybe it was him.

Little bear-cub all bundled up.

It was very cold outside, so cold that the steam from the geysers made it almost impossible to see anything. We stopped at this geyser and hoped we'd see something if we walked the path to the edge of it. Olivia braved the weather with Aaron and me.

This is all we could see of it. The wind was blowing so hard it looked like it was snowing sideways. And because of the warm steam it turned the snow into slush. We were completely drenched and freezing and could barely see anything but we couldn't stop laughing. This was one of my favorite moments of this trip. I was so happy that Olivia was there with us and we were just laughing and laughing.

See the sideways snowing? And the slush?

Good times!

Here is the buffalope we saw. :)

Family picture at Old Faithful.

Jacob slept through most of it.

Jacob was being ornery on the way home and I had this great idea to put a rootbeer barrel in the bottom of his footie jammies. He LOVED it. He sucked on it 'til he fell asleep. I have used this trick on several other occasions including sacrament meeting! Why didn't I think of it four kids ago?!

Aaron sleeping at the wheel. Of course not really but he was really exhausted.

1st day of School '09 thru Aaron's Birthday

2009-09-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I didn't even get a picture of Aaron on his 30th Birthday! I'm fired! I guess I was just too excited about this cake I made for him. It took two tries but I finally did it.

Macey is known for falling asleep anywhere. Don't ask me how she doesn't fall off. Silly girl.

I had to get a picture of the back. Ha, ha, ha...

Here are more of her sleeping standing up on a different day.

Jacob is around 4 months here.

Around 3 months in this and the next ones.

Papa Sharp got him these cute boots and shirt. They are awesome. I love the chubby legs!

He wore this outfit (plus pants) to our yearly ward rodeo. He was a hit. Everyone talked about this cute outfit. Thanks again Papa!!

First day of school for Olivia (2nd grade) and Makell (kindergarten). They wanted to show off their backpacks. I got Makell's from walmart and had to sew some flowers on it so she'd be able to tell it apart from the other kids with the same one. Mom and Dad Sharp got Olivia hers the year before for 1st grade but I ended up home-schooling her. It was stuffed full of school supplies. It was such a thoughtful gift and she was so excited to finally get to use it. Thanks again!

Lake Powell Aug. '09

2009-08-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

Makell found this cool flower thing at the sand hill.

Joci gets a ride on her favorite Lake Powell Monster.

My two boys!

Makell at the sand hill. It's so fun to jump or roll down.

Joci at the sand hill. We found this place a few years ago at lake powell. It's a nice hike to get there. Lots of frogs to play with in the stream on the way up.

Liv and Joci and Hannah in the background.

Joci and the ultimate cheese!

I had this idea to put Jacob's feet in our hands together as a heart. I should've done it when he was itty bitty when I first thought of it but it still turned out pretty cute!

I love the look on his face in this one!

Happy boy!

Olivia

Macey-Moo

I love this picture. Pretty in pink with her piggies in the mud.

Jacob is the baby so of course I took several pictures of him. I'm so glad I did, he's changed so much already. He was really good this trip.

His shirt says it all!

Makell getting ready to go look for fish.

Jacob and his cousin Ryan taking a siesta.

Aaron and I enjoying some time alone (for a few seconds anyway).

Olivia's 7th Birthday!

2009-07-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

Olivia invited some of her cousins and some friends from church over for her birthday party.

They sat on the front lawn and ate cake and ice cream.

As Daddy brought the cake out for her to blow the candles out the top spire almost fell off. Great thinking Aaron!

Opening a few presents. I wonder if my nephew Campbell felt outnumbered. He's so cute! :)

They all slid on the slip-and-slide. Macey preferred drinking from it.

She looks like she should be in a homeless person's documentary. "I growed up in hard times. We drunk from the slip-and-slide when we was young and we liked it!"

As you can tell I was pretty proud of the cake I made. It took forever! She loved it though so it was completely worth it.

They all got in the hot tub.

We decorated the house for her. Her friends still ask her, now almost 7 month later, if she's gonna have a hot tub party and a princess birthday cake for her birthday this year.

2009-07-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

Macey's 2nd Birthday!

2009-07-07T13:36:00.000-07:00

During the Sharp family reunion in Idaho we also celebrated Macey's second birthday. I had bought a cake mix and frosting but left it home. Luckily I have the most wonderful mother-in-law in the entire world and she had it covered. Thanks mom! Uncle Nate actually made the cake. It was perfect other than we forgot to take any pictures!!! I'm still kicking myself. But here are some pictures of her during the reunion and pictures throughout her life.

Macey is sweet and independent. She can fall asleep anywhere and since having Jacob, she has become Daddy's little baby. She loves to play with her sisters and tries to act like them. We love you Mace!

Well, I went a little over-board with the pictures, but it was such a fun walk down memory lane! Enjoy!!!

Jacob's Blessing Day

2009-07-05T13:06:00.000-07:00

We blessed Jacob during the Sharp Family Reunion on July 5th, 2009 in Idaho. He was blessed in the singles ward where Aaron's dad is a counselor in the branch presidency. I'm sure a baby blessing in a singles ward is unheard of but they gave us special permission and is was wonderful. My dad and all the priesthood holders on Aaron's side were there and participated in the blessing. We love you Jake!! We are the ones who are blessed to have you in our lives! Thanks for finally coming to us!

A good friend of mine loaned me this blessing outfit. Isn't it just darling?!? It fit him just right, it was so perfect. Thanks so much, Staci!

My sister April blessed her baby Ryan on the same day. I felt bad that my parents couldn't be at both blessings. They figured this was most likely the last baby we would bless so they joined us. It was so nice to have them here!

Look at the tails on this tux! I just loved this cute outfit!

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails....

2009-06-10T08:08:00.000-07:00

Our son Jacob was born May 26th at 2:30 pm. The delivery was quick and easy (thanks to the epidural). We arrived at the hospital at 9 am, started pitocin around 10. My midwife came about 11:30 to break my water. We listened to the baby's heartbeat and I watched my contractions on the monitor. When I'd see real big peaks I'd think, wow that one would've hurt! :) I tried going natural with 3 of them and that's a pain that I never want to experience again. With Olivia and Jocelyn I was actually at a 9 1/2 when I got the epidural. So I know what it feels like. No thanks! It's worth every penny! I actually got a spinal headache with this epidural that lasted a week but it was still worth it.

Anyway, it was a great epidural because I could still move my legs and feel everything, just dulled the pain. I pushed a few times and 'wallah' the newest member of our family came to join us. The peace and joy and love that you feel at that moment is beyond description. I love having babies!!! If I didn't have to be pregnant, or raise them all, I'd have a million babies just to experience that feeling over and over. It overwhelms me, it is pure love. I'm sure that that is what our Heavenly Father must feel for us all the time.

After Aaron cut the cord he came and sat with us. We kissed and held each other for a long time. There's nothing to explain the feeling between a husband and wife when you have a brand new baby. I'm so lucky to have Aaron. He's such an amazing man and such a great dad.

We're so happy to have our son here. I love all my kids so, so much. I've got wonderful children. We are so blessed!

I saw a bunch of different midwives during this pregnancy. Roberta, on the right was one of them. Erica in green on the left was new. I had seen her once but this was her very first delivery. It was emotional for her and she did such a terrific job! She gave me a sweet little white hat for Jacob afterwards. Only the first baby delivered receives this tiny hat. Thanks Erica! The nurse in yellow on the left is named Brittany. She's one of the best I've ever had. She was right there helping and comforting. She was awesome!!!

Here we are, proud parents...for the 5th time!

I swear the IV added 10 lbs to my cheeks!
Here are the boys! I love that Aaron's aunt pointed out that it looks like Jacob has a big smile under that blanket. His eyes are smiling. I wouldn't be surprised at all. I'm sure they're very happy to finally be together!
Blue eyes and brown hair, I love it! I'd be surprised if it stayed that way though, most likely his hair will go blonder and his eyes will go brown. He'll follow in the footsteps of his sisters.

My parents had the girls for us that day, they all came to see the new addition. It was love at first sight.
Macey loved touching his toes. I don't think she realized he was real and not a doll.
Olivia was so excited to see her baby brother. She's such a great helper. She's really the only one I trust to hold him by herself for a long period of time.
Makell kept saying, "It's ALIVE!" It was so funny. Like he was Frankenstein or something.
Jocelyn was so excited to finally get to hold him. She said, "Your tummy was big mom, but now it's small". (If it were only true! ha)
Macey couldn't get enough of him. I think she thought he was a new toy. She keeps trying to poke him in the eyes. "Eye" she says.
My mom was so cute with him. She kept saying, "I just love him so much!"
This was the first time my dad held him. I love how he just looks at him for a long, long time. The next picture is when he looked over at me in the bed. He had tears in his eyes!
When I first saw Jacob I thought he looked like my family. His eyes and eyebrows especially remind me of my dads.
Olivia said she wanted to get a bed like this one that can move up and down.
The Girls.
The Boys.

Just a few hours old.

Jacob was 2 days old here. Getting a little jaundiced but nothing to worry about. Nothing that milk and sun can't cure. I was supposed to go get it checked to make sure he wasn't getting worse. I didn't. He's my fifth kid people, I know what to do. Why should I let them prick his heel again just to tell me he's jaundiced? I'm not blind, I can see it and I know how to take care of it too. I know that some babies can get it really bad but I know my own kids and they get over it in a few days.
Just over a week old. He lost the belly button, and he's not jaundiced anymore.
No he's not crying here, just a big yawn.
My little sweetheart.
I got a few pictures of him "smiling". It's when he's asleep so I know he's not really doing it on purpose but it's still dang cute.
Love that toothless grin! What a sweet boy!

My little sister had her baby exactly one week after Jacob was born. We thought they might look a little bit alike but here's the picture to prove they don't. At all. This is at the pool in AF. Our husbands took the girls swimming while we watched. Ryan is a little jaundiced here I think. He is 4 days old and Jacob is 11 days old. How cute is that!?!

39 Weeks...almost there!

2009-05-24T18:54:00.001-07:00

As of last thursday I am dilated to a 4, effaced 90% and at the station 0. The hospital has me scheduled to be induced this tuesday if I don't go into labor on my own. I will be a few days short of 40 weeks. There are 13 women ahead of me on the waiting list though so hopefully I'll get in. I've been feeling so miserable lately and can't wait to have this little guy. I'm sure I'll get less sleep, if that's even possible, but at least I'll be able to bend over to sweep the dirt into the dustpan without having a contraction. I'm excited to see what this little guy is going to look like. I can't wait to hold him...just two more days!! Wish me luck!

Thanks to Aaron for sticking with me through the photo shoot and being a great photographer! I love you babe!

Spending time down on Dollar's property.

2009-05-05T13:21:00.000-07:00

We went with Josh and April and their kids and spent the night at the Dollar's property. The water was freezing but they played in it anyway.

I don't know how he's gonna fit one more kid on there.

Brooklyn and Hannah.

34 WEEKS

2009-04-18T15:14:00.000-07:00

Yay! This is the good time in pregnancy because now I get to start going to my midwife EVERY week. I think it helps the time to go by quicker! That said, that is the only reason this is the good time in pregnancy. Unfortunately it also includes sleepless nights, backaches, hiccups(that aren't mine), heartburn and really weird dreams just to name a few. I am counting the days until I get to hold this precious baby in my arms instead of in my tummy!

Olivia is my photographer, hence the angle on most of these. I finally made her sit on our bed so she was a bit higher up. Thanks Liv!

I wuv you baby boy! (Even if you DO kick me all the time).
Whoa! Undeniably pregnant. How do some girls hide THAT? How do some girls not even know they're pregnant until they go into labor? No mirror? Can't see their shoes to begin with? That just boggles my mind!

Rock star party!

2009-04-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

The girls were invited to their cousins' (Maribelle and Campbell) birthday party. It was a rockstar theme so we dressed accordingly. It's crazy but it proves that people will act different depending on what they are wearing.

Macey is thinking, "Holy Cow, what happened to you guys? Where are my sisters at?"

Joci was crazy. Her hair was my favorite. You can't see because of the glasses but they all had on rocker makeup too. It was so much fun.

Easter '09

2009-04-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

Easter. The day we eat candy for Jesus. Ha, ha...I swear, some of these holidays are so off the real meaning of why they exist... Anyway, we went to church and then talked more about what the meaning of Easter really is at home and then we went to my parents house for an easter egg hunt.

Easter Morning.

We all went to grandma and grandpa Long's to have an easter egg hunt.

Sophia was content to just find one candy egg and then sit down to eat it.

Aaron looking like he should be a model in some family magazine. The Easter issue of course.

The twins, Hannah and Brooklyn were in heaven.

Macey with her loot.

Jocelyn finding some treasures.

Olivia showing off her big egg. Each kid got one.

Makell having fun during the hunt.

Easter Dress Photo Shoot!

2009-04-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Papa Sharp got the all the girls matching easter dresses. They are so cute, we love them, thank you so very much!!! Here are the cute results of our photo shoot...

This is one of my favorites. Olivia looking at Makell looking at Joci looking so coy at the camera. So darling!!

Kissing the big belly!

Wow, we have some beautiful girls!!!

Olivia and Makell got haircuts!

2009-03-30T11:15:00.001-07:00

BEFORE........

......AND AFTER............

Since she was a baby, this is the first time Olivia has had short(er) hair. Makell has had short hair for a while because I think it looks DARLING on her face and also because it's much easier to brush. I think they both look like angels with their new haircuts.

I just took them to Fantastic Sams in Draper. They couldn't wait for Aaron to come home so they could show their daddy. "Do you think Daddy will like it?" they kept asking me. "He's gonna LOVE it!" I said, and I was right. They run around the house flipping it around. It's so cute.

Need some advice...

2009-03-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

So far about the only name we agree on is/was Brock. We both really liked the name until we realized that people might assume we named our son after Barack. I'm sure Barack is a nice guy, but I'm definitely not naming my son after him! What would YOU do?

We're leaning towards Jacob now but I still really like Brock. Help!

Sugar Goal.

2009-03-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

I figured I should come clean and let you know that I put the sugar-free goal on pause while I was on vacation. I'm adding 10 more days onto the end to make up for it though. Let me tell you, it's harder starting it the second time! I can't wait to be done with it to tell you the truth. It's seemed extra hard this year but I will see it through.

I went in for my 30 week check up a couple of days ago. So far I've gained almost 30 lbs!! Ouch, I've still got 10 weeks to go. I'm gonna look like one of those whales we saw in Mexico by the end of this pregnancy! :) So the sugar-free thing definitely hasn't helped with that. I'm sure the baby and I are healthier though and that's good.

29 weeks and our vacation to Mexico.

2009-03-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

I've been slacking on my blog lately. Too busy moving (again) and homeschooling and just being pregnant (that's an excuse all on it's own). Aaron and I also took a vacation to Mexico. We have a timeshare we bought when we got married and if we didn't use it then we'd lose it so we saved our pennies for airfare and decided to do this one last fun thing before the baby is born. Since the timeshare was paid for it ended up being pretty cheap too. It was a much needed trip for our sanity. We've both been so stressed lately that it was so nice to relax for a bit. My wonderful mother-in-law watched the girls for us so I didn't worry one bit about them. Thanks again mom!

There's nothing that compares to the ocean. I love it! We snorkeled a bunch and saw some really pretty fish, turtles and coral. Aaron unfortunately got stung by a jellyfish too. Ouch!

We got a discount on a sunset cruise for going to listen to a timeshare presentation. We got to see some beautiful whales really close up. The dinner was wonderful and then they had some mexican dancers for entertainment. It was so fun! I wish I could cook like this!

Here are a few pictures of the whales. I've never seen them this close before. I was blown away by how massive they are. I got some good pictures of the display they were putting on for us but unfortunately missed the best one. They both jumped straight up out of the water at the same time right in front of the boat. It was spectacular. It was the highlight of the entire vacation. We were so lucky to be in the right place at the right time.

Here's my 29th week of pregnancy to keep up with my updates. Don't be blinded by my whiteness. I wore SPF 50 sunscreen the whole time, so I'm still pastey white. Aaron however has the nicest skin from his mom's side and is nicely tanned. (That makes him sound like a hide! Ha, ha)

This picture was taken on the Pacific Ocean side of the famous arch. You aren't allowed to swim here because of the undertow, rip-tides and dangerous currents. This side is also called "Divorce Beach" while the other calm side is called "Lover's Beach". Allow me to explain...

Although you can't tell by the looks of this picture, the waves here are MASSIVE. Aaron wanted a picture in front of a big wave so we went down for the pose. He kept coaxing me to move further to the water. I was paranoid (for good reason) and kept saying, "that's far enough." He moved us closer. We took our eyes off the ocean for a second and suddenly a big wave came up and took Aaron's feet out from under him. We were holding hands and he pulled me down too. Hence, divorce beach. :)

It was pretty funny actually and everyone was so worried about the "pregnant girl". We had sand everywhere, head to toe. Now it's just a silly memory but I'm glad nothing bad happened.
Aaron caught us a Mahi-Mahi or also name a Dorado. We grilled it up and ate it the whole trip. It was excellent, probably my favorite type of fish I've ever had. Yummy!

Here's the famous Cabo Arch.

Aaron will hate this picture if he ever sees it but I think it's great! We went parasailing and this is the harness we had to wear.
This is Aaron out all the way. The rope is 600 ft long. So they said approximately 300 ft out and 300 ft up. Look how high that is!
Normally I'm not scared of heights at all, but being up that high with only a little rope to connect you to the boat was a bit freaky for me. It was a little hard to just relax and enjoy it while I kept thinking of falling 300 ft into the shark infested ocean. They say it's like hitting cement you know. Anyway, I'm glad I did it now. I don't think I would've been able to do this in the States being 6 1/2 mo. pregnant, but hey it was Mexico, anything goes there!

Here we are on our last full day there after we went snorkeling. What a beautiful place!

The Sugar Goal.

2009-02-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

I'm still going strong on my no-sugar goal, are you? Aaron officially lasted a week. He came home with ice cream and it was over for him. I know of a couple of others who have started drinking their 'devil-water' (diet coke) again too. Oh look at the little pansies! :) Come on ladies, if you're gonna give up at least drink coke and not DIET coke. Yuck! You're drinking all that cancer-causing sweetener. You know I have to raz ya! I love you guys, even if you're not physically or mentally strong enough to keep up. Ha, ha, ha. :)

I've been craving juice the most but haven't taken a sip. The valentine's candies are also calling my name but I won't cave! I've started reading my scriptures daily and even walking on my treadmill. I've decided I can't get on the computer until I'm done with both of those things. Hotmail, Facebook and blogs are my 'dirty little secrets' so I reward myself if I get my reading and walking done. We'll see how long it lasts. I'm hoping I can be strong with it.

So we found out yesterday that the bank accepted the offer on this house. We've got until Feb. 23rd to find a new place to live. There's a house we're looking to rent in Highland or a guy in Heber offered to let us live in a house he just bought (for 6 months) if Aaron finishes the basement. We're trying to stay in Utah County until the baby is born and then who knows where we'll go after that. Life is definitely crazy right now but I hope we can look back on these days and these experiences someday with fondness and be able to laugh about it all. Some people say that financial burdens can hurt a marriage but I don't agree. If anything it has made me look at Aaron in a different light and love and appreciate him even more (I didn't think THAT was even possible). It has brought out his best qualities of hard work, dedication and perseverance. He works so hard to provide for us and I've been able to stand back and see the hand of the Lord in our lives. I'm in awe at the opportunities that have been opened up to us for work. We have grown together and have learned how we both cope with difficulties. We have learned to rely on Heavenly Father and have not been disappointed. It has been hard but I'm so grateful for the experience to live through it and the empathy I've gained for others. I'm so grateful to Aaron for being willing to wake up early in the morning to go to work and come home late at night, sweaty from a hard day's work. I know a lot of men would give up but he is so driven. I can see on his face and the proof in his sweat the love that he has for his family. How blessed we are to have him in our lives! I love and appreciate him so much and I don't think another man exists that's greater than him! He's truly one of my greatest heros!

Well, this post got a little more personal than I had intended when I started. I only meant to talk about the sugar-free stuff and somehow it turned into that. I get a little emotional when I'm pregnant and just wanted to say how much I really do love and respect Aaron, he's my superman. I'm glad I get to walk through this life with him by my side.

23 Weeks

2009-02-02T14:53:00.001-08:00

I'm not taking pictures every week because the change is so slight that it's barely noticeable right now. If it's possible I think my belly actually looks smaller than 2 weeks ago. Trust me that's not the case. I feel huge already. I can't see my feet and I can't eat a lot without having a tough time breathing (but I eat a lot anyway and deal with it). lol. I feel him kicking all the time now but it doesn't hurt yet. The first time Aaron felt him kick he was asleep with his head on my lap. The baby kicked him right in the head. He woke up and said, "Was that the baby?!" It was pretty funny.

Test your RESOLVE.

2009-01-29T12:56:00.000-08:00

Every year I go on a sweet, treat, soda pop, sugary snack break for 1-2 months. I always invite friends, family and blog stalkers to join me. So here's your formal invite. Join me and see if you have the resolve to do it for two months. Last year Aaron lasted 3 days. He's going to try again this year. I don't do this necessarily to lose weight (especially not while I'm pregnant) but that is always a benefit and natural consequence. I figure I might as well reverse all the effects of the crap I eat during the holidays.

Although I'm not Catholic, this is like my 'LENT'. I think they've got something there, those Catholics. From what I've researched, once a year they have lent. It lasts about a month and ends on Easter I believe. Anywho, they give up a vice for a month and some of them replace that vice with something good. Like, oh I don't know, going to church, reading your scriptures EVERY DAY, keeping the house clean, not raising your voice, writing in a journal, exercising, not watching t.v., whatever it may be. I've never replaced my sugar with anything good so maybe I'll try that this year. Perhaps I'll grow sprouts and eat them instead or read the BOM faithfully everyday or keep my voice down, I don't know yet. I've heard it takes 30 days to start a good habit, so by the end of 2 months it should be well established for sure.

So if you're not a pansy then do this with me. It's really hard at first. It's amazing how addicted to sugar we all are and you will go through withdrawals in the beginning. But after it's over, the first time you drink some pop or have some sugar it will be so strong and way sugary. Our bodies don't need as much as we eat. I personally don't eat that many sweets and hardly ever drink soda pop but it's still a fun thing to do every year and I know it's beneficial as well so it's win-win. Test yourself and see if you can do this with me. I always lose 10 lbs when I do it, but like I said, being pregnant that's not my goal. In the next 2 months I'll have gained at least that much but my body and baby with thank me for giving up junk food for awhile.

I'm starting this on February 1st and ending on on April 1st. Don't be a wuss and do it with me! :)

Makell turns 5 today!

2009-01-19T11:53:00.000-08:00

My sweet Makell! You have been so fun to have in our family. This year has been especially fun because we've been able to watch you grow and learn. You've been going to The little Redd School House where you've been learning how to read. I've loved being a part of that and seeing the confidence on your face when you read to me. This is the year you learned how to kneeboard too. You flip the handle of the ski rope around and around as you go, it's your own little trick you made up. Makell is flitty and flighty, always dancing around, playing with sisters, friends or by herself. She's got quite an imagination when she plays and is constantly singing little songs she's made up. Makell is tedious and likes to get things just right, she doesn't ever hurry. Sometimes that tries my patience but I see how meticulous you are and love you for it too. You are always fun to be around, always giving hugs and kisses. You are very smart and it's been such a joy to watch you bloom this year. You are beautiful with your big brown eyes and your sweet models-would-die-for big lips. Happy birthday Makell, we love you and can't wait to see what you'll do during this new year!

Makell's 4th birthday.

The next 4 pictures are all in the same year. 2006. You were about 2 1/2 years old.

Daddy used to do your hair every sunday morning.

Flower girl at aunt Mandi's wedding.
In the playhouse Daddy built for you...that was too big to get out the driveway so we had to leave it Ogden. So sad. It was the cutest little house.
5 1/2 Months at Lake Powell. Getting in the spirit of the 4th of July.
Makell on her blessing day. Olivia got a little overzealous on the kiss! Looks like CPR to me. :) She sure was in love with her little sister!

Our brand new little Makell...

21 weeks belly shots

2009-01-19T11:37:00.000-08:00

I've never documented any of my pregnancies but I saw my sister-in-law Mandi do it and she inspired me. Now the world wide web can watch me grow and grow and grow. Here I'm about 21 weeks along so, roughly halfway. This is nothing folks. As you will see my butt likes to play catch-up with my belly, and they both get very, uh voluptuous. Ha, ha, ha. I think it's helps me to not fall over frontwards! :) Enjoy the freak show over the next 19 weeks...and then enjoy the transformation back to myself, assuming I've got the stamina to lose 35 lbs for the 5th time!

Jocelyn turns THREE!

2009-01-19T10:32:00.001-08:00

Jocelyn had her 3rd birthday on Jan. 6th while we were in Las Vegas. I wanted to post a few other pictures of her as a baby. She has been so fun to have in our family. You'd think that when I saw that we had had another girl that I'd have been a little disappointed. It was the contrary. I was so thrilled to have another little bundle of pink in our home. I love my girls! Jocelyn is a good helper around the house. She loves dolls and puppies. All of her teachers have told us she's the best in her nursery class. She loves to be outside and wants to do everything her big sisters can do. She has been a typical two year old this past year. She has to do things her own way and loves to learn new things. She gets frustrated when she doesn't get what she wants or can't express herself. She is very funny and I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up being a class-clown someday. We're so glad you came to us Joci. We love you more than we can even describe!

Aaron came into the kitchen to find Joci and Macey making hot chocolate for the entire family. Aw, thanks girls!

This is Jocelyn on her second birthday.

Ice cream mustache. Thanks Daddy!

Our brand new little Jocelyn!

Happy 3rd Birthday Sweetheart! We love you!!!!!!!

Our spur of the moment trip to Las Vegas

2009-01-19T09:47:00.001-08:00

We have a time share with Worldmark that lets us go pretty much anywhere. We love it because it allows us to go on spur of the moment trips like this for cheap. My parents and April and her family came with us. We had so much fun. It was still a little cold but anything beats Utah in January! We swam and hot-tubbed and went around Vegas and saw so many fun things. Aaron and I went to see Mystere at Treasure Island. It was one of the most amazing shows I've ever seen. We saw lions and tigers and statues that move, waterfalls, volcanoes, light shows, pyramids, castles, the eiffel tower...the list just goes on and on. It was funny to see people's looks when we showed up with 6 little girls and two pregnant women (April and I). I've never felt like we have a TON of kids until I was there. There was a child for each adult! The only down side was all the smut there too, although they have kept all the men handing out cards to one side of the strip so we just avoided them but we'd still see billboards and ads. Our girls would say, "That girl is dressed immodest." I'm sorry that they saw that stuff even though we avoided it as much as possible. It was a teaching time for us though and we took advantage of telling them how inappropriate it is and how sad Heavenly Father is to see his daughters dress like that. The trip was a great success and the girls are still talking about it!

At the Luxor.
Joci and Brooklyn and Hannah with the M&M.

New York, New York.
Excalibur or more commonly know as "The Princess Castle".
Joci turned 3 in Vegas and we let her believe the whole trip was all for her. :) I even made her a cake in the condo and she got a pretty Barbie that was a hit with her and her sisters and cousins.
We went to Circus Circus and saw fun Circus acts.
Here's Macey freezing in Las Vegas. We were walking outside a lot but luckily she was bundled up in the stroller. (Thanks again Ryan and Jess!)
This was outside at The Flamingo. There are really neat exotic birds there. The girls loved seeing them and chasing them.
This guy was a cool street dancer/robot. He was so realistic.
This was at the Bellagio. The music/water show is fantastic. This was one of our favorite things.
At the Silverton there is a huge fish tank and once in a while the mermaids come to feed the fish and visit with the kids. As you can see all the girls loved them. Olivia asked if mermaids were real and we told her they weren't. She was devastated. That would be my dream job, seriously, I love being in water.

Grandma Long's Homemade Bread

2009-01-12T14:19:00.000-08:00

My mom gave us a loaf of homemade bread and this is what happened to it.

Yum, Yum!

So Delicious!

Exquisite!

Thanks Grandma! I love it!

2009-01-09T13:31:00.001-08:00

IT'S A BOY!

I wanted to change my background to blue for the announcement of our BIG NEWS but I can't figure out how to change my template without deleting all my widgets. Does anyone know how to do that?
We went in for the ultrasound at 10 this morning. I saw right away that it was a boy but waited the 10 minutes until she checked to make sure all was ok with the baby to verify it with her. She said it's for sure a boy (although we've heard that before!). Aaron squeezed my hand and when I looked at him he had a huge grin across his face. Aaron had called his parents to tell them before we even left the office. He's more than excited and I'm so happy for him. I'm excited too but I'm a little nervous as well. Boys are crazy! I'm just glad he will be last so I will have hopefully gained some more patience by then. Now we're in search of the perfect name. I never thought this would happen so it still seems so unreal to me. I think I need to let it sink in still, I'm not used to saying "he, him" or "his". I'm so excited to see our SON and can't wait to see Aaron with him. He loves his girls and would've been more than happy to have another one but this is something that is so special to him and I'm so happy for us.

I'm sure someday he'll be mortified by this last picture but Aaron wanted to give "proof" that it's real and we (HE) really can make a boy!! :)

Christmas Morning 2008

2008-12-30T13:44:00.000-08:00

Here we are showing off our loot.

Our kids slept in until about 7:30 as usual. They were so excited when they saw all the presents under the tree. (Thanks to mom and dad Sharp mostly) After opening all their gifts we sent them on the traditional scavenger hunt for the 'big' present of the year. We got a Wii for that. (Thanks to Mary Ann who paid Aaron extra on a construction job he did for her) I'm sad that Christmas is over but looking forward to getting our house back to normal. Thanks to everyone who helped our family out this year. Our christmas was wonderful, we couldn't have asked for more. Hopefully we can sell all our houses and 2009 will be a bit nicer to us! We love you!!

Christmas Eve Day.

2008-12-30T13:12:00.001-08:00

On Christmas Eve day my family came up to our house and we drove a block away to the golf course to go sledding. It was a blast. I don't remember the last time I went sledding and I think this was the girl's first time. They weren't so sure of it at first but when it was time to go they begged to stay, all except Macey who was freezing. It was a pretty steep hill but the three older ones all went by themselves at times.

For you to be able to appreciate this steep hill you must have seen the movie 'Better Off Dead'. This hill is the K-12 in my opinion! Aaron and my dad both took turns going down it which was nigh unto suicide but somehow made it out alive. Fun was had by all then we went home to make scones, and hot chocolate. Then I made a yummy shrimp ceviche before we had our hawaiian haystack feast. We ended off with homemade ice cream and fudge. We played Josh and April's Wii, watched a movie and ended off with a spiritual lesson. It was such a fun day. I was so happy that almost my whole family was here. Mark and Jody and their kids went to Indiana to see Jody's family. I just love my family so much and I love spending time with them. Thank you for all coming. Let's do it again in 2010!

After my family left we ended off the day by opening our new pj's from grandma and papa Sharp.