Dena's Corner of the World

Nathan hates it here.

2012-01-20T09:15:00.002-07:00

Well every time that we move we have to deal with Nathan's emotion. No matter if we move in the same state or to a different one he will hate it. He is not the type of child that likes change at all. We knew it would be hard. Last night he had one of his melt downs. So I asked what the deal was. He said he hates living here and wants to go back to Vegas. He misses his school and his friends. I explained to him he is not the only one that misses Vegas. Here things should be better McKay is working. We have a house where we have room to move. The schools are great. Since last Aug when McKay left I have gone easy on him so his anger monster does not come out. I think that has back fired on me. Things are going to change.

The rest of the kids are handling the change better. I am doing okay. I know as soon as I am more active in church and come out of my shell there I will get to know people. It is just said that everyone I know in Utah lives far. But it does give me more time for my crafts LOL.

Super busy life

2012-01-11T17:53:00.002-07:00

So my one and only resolution for this year is to remember to blog at least once a week. Big this is not to blog about negative things. But with me that will be hard to do. I use blogging to vent out how I feel.

This year started with a bang. For those of you that follow me on facebook kinda know what is going on. So to rewind just a bit. We have moved back to Utah. last July McKay got a job offer that we just could not turn down. So come August he can to work in Utah. The kids and I stayed in Vegas. It was not until mid November we all came here. McKay found a nice house in Eagle Mountain. Things in the house seemed great. Until the day we decided to clean under Joshua's bed and found there was a leak in the wall and it caused black mold. We had to kick him out of his room and seal it off. This week the work is finally getting done. today he came and repaired the drain pipe. I went in and sprayed everything down with bleach and will do it again later tonight. While rolling up the carpet since we are replacing the padding. I found that there is a section that has black mold. I know that we would have to replace the carpet but I really did not want too. Besides all that I am now in search for a new bed for him since it has water damage. So that is going to be a pain.

As for me I am doing okay sorta a bit. I now live out in the middle of nowhere. I am trying to find the positive. I was so happy to move back and be near my family but now I am not yes I am closer but it is such a drive to get anywhere 20 min just to get to the store. I have met a few of the neighbors. Starting this week I am going back to church. So I know that will help me alot. One of the things our RS has asked the sisters to read The Book of Mormon. So I am. It is taking longer then I thought. Thankfully I have it on my nook so it makes it easier.

So I have to go finish dinner I am making chicken fried rice with Chocolate pudding for dessert. TTFN

Birthday

2011-11-08T09:19:00.002-07:00

Today is the birthday of the woman that gave birth to me. I know that sounds really harsh but that is how I feel. I have not spoken to her for about 3 months. When I talked to her then I had to call my sister to have my mother call me. Anytime I want to give her an update I have to call my sister to tell her to tell my mother. It is so messed up. I do not even have a number for her anymore. She does not make an effort to contact us either. My kids ask why I just have to say I do not know. Twice a year I think about her. Mother's day and her birthday. For those of you that are on my facebook pages know I post often. She barely ever likes pictures or even comments. At first I thought she just did not have internet until one day she was commenting on my cousin's post. It made me wonder why she can not do so on mine or email or even just call me. Last week I had a dream that my father was still alive. It was such a great dream. He was a major part in my children's lifes. It made me sad.

But I have to remember that I have 2 other moms and another dad that is there for when I need to talk or even just say hi. I have 20ish brothers and sisters that care about me. I have so many nieces and nephews that I have lost count (not really I can name all of you your spouses and your children and sometimes in order) that care for me as well.

Well I am rambling. So to end this my point that I was thinking is blood does not make a family. LOVE makes a family and I have a very large family that is filled with love!!

Trick or Treat.

2011-10-31T10:04:00.002-06:00

Well today is hard. This is McKay's favorite day of the year. We are spending it 500 miles apart. Normally the house would be decorated with crafts the kids and I would make during the long weekend. This year I have nothing up. WE did have a fun pumpkin carving party. My best friend and her kids came over. Hope's little guy friend came over. WE ended it with jumbo cupcakes. Which they split one sitting on the stairs. As Sasha and I were cleaning up we started a paint war. Which I won of course. It was a blast.

I am happy to end this chapter of our life. I really think we will be happier in Utah. I just have a hard time leaving my friends behind me. I know I will always have them in my life. I look forward to making new friends.

In 2 weeks

2011-10-26T11:52:00.002-06:00

I get to wake up next to my husband again. I am not sure how I will handle sharing my bed. I kinda like having it all to myself. I know I will kick him and might shove him off a few times. But hey that is just normal for me. I have been keeping really busy with the packing. I have posted a few things up for sale but have not heard anything back yet. Would it be wrong of me to set a match to everything?

Mr Avery

2011-10-21T10:04:00.002-06:00

So I am sitting here in the waiting room at Summerlin hospital. They took Avery back about 5 ish minutes ago. He was not really happy that I did not go back with him but the nurses let him keep his Blanket "softy" with him. That made him happy. I talked to Dr Rhee for a little bit and he said he should have all the results Monday or Tues.
I am going to take him over to Jamba juice after we are done. Since I figured he will be sore for the day. I will also set his room up so he can watch movies or play video games all day. They do not want him moving around too much for the rest of the day.

What were we thinking???

2011-10-19T11:53:00.002-06:00

So it has been 2 1/2 months now. For the past 2 weeks I have been packing the apt taking everything apart and loading up the storage unit with what I can. At first I really thought I could not handle all this on my own. I am doing now. But really this is stupid. He should be here helping me. I have cut my leg arm and head bumped my head hard enough to see stars twice. Last week I pulled something in my shoulder. The kids help with everything that they can but when it comes to the big stuff I am on my own. This week I am trying to get the book cases and dressers out.

For those of you that do not know Avery is going in to the hospital on Friday morning to have biopsies done on his stomach. This I DO NOT want to do on my own. I know everyone is just a phone call away. I will be taking my laptop I just hope the hospital internet is working.

The move

2011-09-16T14:17:00.003-06:00

So I have no Idea when we are leaving Las Vegas. Honestly I think it will take forever. I have been busy with packing things that we do not need at this moment. Mostly doing the kids rooms and the food storage. I packed 3/4 of out movie collection which took about 7 good size boxes. Hope and Avery each have a large trash bag of stuffed animals mostly build a bears of course.

This week has been really hard since all of us have been ill. Hope has not gone to school all week, so I have put her to work.

It seems like once we have a bit saved up something happens and a wrench goes in the gears and brings everything to a screeching halt.

I need more boxes and really do not want to have to buy them. I have been calling grocery stores so that helps. I check freecycle and craigslist several times a day.

Empty

2011-08-17T18:24:00.002-06:00

Well it has been nearly a week and a half since McKay went back up to Utah to work. I understand he is doing what is needed and that many people in the world have to deal with a spouse/partner else where in the world. But it does not help me with the empty feeling I feel inside me. I try to keep my brave/strong face on. Day to day it gets harder and harder for me to not just have a total melt down. I keep in mind that my children need me to stay strong right now. I am doing the best I can. Some days I just want to stay in bed and curl up under my blanket and hide. I drag myself out of bed and force myself to do things here. I sleep about 3 hours a night and I barley am eating. I try to eat and sleep but it just does not happen. All I want to do is pack the kids up and be with him so our family is back together. I think that is how it is worse. Service men/women do not have that option. I sit here and think he is only 7 hours away from us. Last week was harder because I knew he was not working and just sitting around fixing things reading or doing what ever to keep the boredom away. This week he started work. So now he is keeping him self busy. I have been trying to pack things up that we really do not need out nic naks posters pictures ect ect. Now my walls look empty my shelves are bare. I think it was a mistake.

Day 4

2011-08-11T10:19:00.002-06:00

Well they days have been okay. Kids keep me pretty busy. We have been watching alot of tv and movies. Trying to make the day go faster. Monday I basically stayed in bed all day watching tv with Alex and Hope. Tuesday I actually got dressed went to walmart and bought some food. Tuesday we watched Beastly, I found that to be a really good movie. I did some cleaning found my kitchen. Today once the kids rooms are picked up I am going to take them to the pool.
It is nights that I dread the most. Unless I have Hope or Avery in my bed I do not sleep. I end up staying up all night watching Netflix or DVDs. Part of me wants it to get better but the other does not. If it gets better it means I do not miss him. I know that is not completely true. Just how it feels. I know it is not easy for him right now. I at least have the kids.

Next week I will be rehoming the fish and hamsters. Kids will not be too happy but I will be finding a new home for the dog as well.

Last Day

2011-08-07T11:23:00.002-06:00

Today day is the last day that McKay will be home for a few weeks. It seems like the clock is flying by and soon he will be on the road. It is a great thing what he is doing. I know that some how we will survive with out him but it really does not feel that way. In the 8 1/2 years we have been together the longest I went with out him was when I went to Utah for a week. But this feels different. I know I will keep busy doing things with the kids packing and such. But it is the down time I dread. The little things like setting the table to eat. At least the laundry will be cut in half.

Bothered.

2011-05-04T15:27:00.002-06:00

Well 2 weeks ago I went to church with the family. Apparently my hair became a discussion among some of the members. Of course nothing positive. Last Sunday I did not go to church die to Avery having a tummy bug. When McKay came home he told me about one member that came up to him and asked if I have changed my awful hair. His reply was no and I see you have not either. Well the comments had gotten back to the Bishop and Sunday afternoon he stopped by to assure me that this was not the views of the majority of the ward members. He said even though yes it is bold but it sits me and looks nice. It was not of him to stop by to say this. I have never been one to really care about what people think of how I look or dress. Since I do not do this all for them I do it for myself.

the part that bothers me is the judgment by this one member. This is not the first time she has made comments to me. Even though I am active in the wards activities and attend services I am not a member. She believes that there are things I should not be included in due to my non membership. I brought this up with the Bishop and they Relief Society Pres. . They both say to just ignore her. Which I do.

I was planning on changing my hair this week but I think I will wait. I love my hot pink hair even if it is fading.

Miss HopeLeah

2011-04-13T19:20:00.002-06:00

Today my baby girls turned 11! So here is a bit about her. so loves all animals and wishes to be a vet. Her true passion is music. She prefers to listen to all music all day. She does not mind the style just is not fond of hip hop or rap. So loves classic rock Beatles, Zeppelin Aerosmith, Abba and the newest music she enjoys is Katy Perry and Pink. She loves to roller blade play any music based video game. Her Best friend is Autumn. They would spend everyday all day together if we would let them.

Stolen

2011-03-29T09:33:00.002-06:00

Well Saturday we took our DS game case to the dentist with us. I remember bringing it back to the truck. We are thinking that one of the truck doors did not get closed all the way or for some reason the truck did not get locked (which is not like me)

So we lost nearly every DS game and Avery's DSlite. Worst is that he just got the DSlite for his birthday he spend most of Sunday crying about it. We can not afford to get him a new or or replace the games that were lost. Kids are all sad. I am sad and pissed. McKay is mostly pissed.

I have searched the Apt and even called the dentist office. No luck.

HSM SINGIT

2011-03-29T00:38:00.000-06:00

Yummy dinner

2011-03-03T22:09:00.002-07:00

so l ast night we did surf and turf. Since we had the left over Mahi Mahi and I was making stake I thought I would put together a nice dinner. I bought fresh green beans and steamed them. We even broke out the good plates.

Work out plan

2011-03-01T21:00:00.002-07:00

I got a great deal on a PS3 game called EA sports ACTIVE. It has 3 monitors 1 I hook to my leg then other 2 to my forearms. 1 has a built in heart monitor. It is linked to an online site to further track my progress. I am liking it sorta. I started on the med level which I am not liking I am not as in shape as I thought I was. I am hoping I am able to change it to the easy then work myself up again. I was amazed on how I can really feel it. I did the Wii Fit and it really did not push me like I needed. The worst part is I can hear the clicking in my shoulder and hip. So I take it slower at times. Today I burned 100 calories then replaced them right after with Chocolate chip cookies. Ya that was smart. Not like I need to lose weight I just want to be toned. I also have a stepper for when I watch tv.

Shang High

2011-02-27T22:56:00.002-07:00

Joshua Alex Nathan and I just played this. Nathan was great. At first I thought he would have a hard time but opps I was wrong. Of Course Josh was spacey and bugged us all. So we ended up cheating most the game trading cards with each other just so he would have alot of points. Okay so it really was not fair but we had fun.

Alex's Birthday gift from me!

2011-02-26T21:28:00.004-07:00

So I decided to make this this morning. I got to use my serger and my baby lock. Along with my rotary cutter and board. So it is a quilted pillow case with yes go figure a fish theme!! For dinner we had lime ginger Mahi Mahi with cilantro. Every one enjoyed it!!

Joshua Played his first full song on his bass. Printed and learned it in a hour. it is a little rough but I say he is great!!!

Nines

2011-02-22T21:45:00.002-07:00

So Eve has taught me to play this and ever lovingly. Being the woman that she is. Gave us 3 decks of Rook cards. I have played 2 hands of nines with the kids Avery did great now we all love it.

Fun Fun Fun

2011-02-21T00:06:00.002-07:00

Today I went to church with my mother in law. I had a good time. It really was not as bad as I thought it would be. I really do not like being around people I do not know and I always feel people are looking at me. This was not the way it was. I learned a few things and really had a good feeling after wards.

After Church we came back home and had lunch then got cooking. We made Salad, glorified rice, brownies and sweet potatos to take over to Eve's house. There we had a great time we did birthdays for Cindra, Jake Lexi and I. Maybe a few more but really no clue. I got to Hang out with Jake which was one of the things I really wanted to do this trip. I also learned to play nines and I hope I do not forget it all.

Right now Olivia and I are on our laptops and watching Letters to Juliet. Who needs sleep when your young!! Lots of snow outside right now. So not liking that at all.

Alison's wedding

2011-02-19T08:09:00.002-07:00

Today is my Niece's wedding. I am so happy to be able to be here in Utah for this. Even more so after last night. Well Grandpa Stringham was showing me some pictures on his computer. There was a file for each of his children. He clicked on McKay's name and there was a folder with our wedding pictures. Mind you I have 1 picture from our wedding and there is nothing of all the people that came to our wedding. Last night I was sitting in my room looking at all the pictures. I asked him to copy them all to my flash drive. And there is Alison, She was there for the best day of my life and now I get to be there for hers. She is the first niece that I can say this about and in our family that is a big thing to me because there are so many nieces and nephews it was bound to happen.

Also in these pictures there are 2 pictures of my Grandfather Lenny. Whom I called Zada. Since my father (Donald) has been gone for many many years now and my Step Father (Michael) was not able to attend my wedding. It was a wonderful thing to have him there. Now I have pictures of him which makes me so very happy.
Once I get home I will be posting up the pictures here and on facebook. They will all be able to be found on my photobucket account as well.

Airport fun

2011-02-17T06:02:00.002-07:00

Well it is 5 am. I am sitting here are the airport. Do you think it would kill them to turn the heater on?? Well I guess it would since I am chilly. Of course here I am complaining about the airport temperature when I am flying to Salt Lake City where the high is like 40ish with snow. I am going to freeze my rear off. But it is going to be worth it. I am happy to be able to see the family while I am there. It is going to be hard not having the kids or Mckay with me. The hardest part will be at night. But I guess I will deal.

If not one thing it is another

2011-02-10T13:14:00.002-07:00

Last night they were painting the downstairs apt. the fumes were horrible and there were there until about 9pm. Called the office. Manager seemed upset they were working so late. they were suppose to stop at 5pm. It stank so bad.

Alex comes home with a hurt thumb. Joshua and his fight. Hope is sick now. I sent Alex and Josh to school all bandaged up. Talked to the school they wanted to know if we wanted to file a police report. Like what are we suppose to report. No clue who did it or why. The Dean has Josh going thru the pictures to try to identify who it may have been. But if I know Josh he will not point anyone out. He does not want anything else to happen.

So today Hope and I are laying in bed watching all the Barbie movies. Her fever is up too 102. I gave her meds and it all down and feeling better. I am hoping she take's a nap soon. When dad comes home he will not want to watch Barbie he can handle Tinker Bell though.

So beyond pissed off

2011-02-09T17:16:00.003-07:00

So Joshua comes home looking like this after school today. Of course since he is in a late class by the time he got home the school was closed. He says all he knows was he got hit by something and fell. I am going to the school in the morning.

To make my life more fun

2011-02-05T23:15:00.002-07:00

So i caught Avery's cold no big deal. This morning I wake up pounding head ache, right side of my face completely stopped up and my ear aching. So I take a bunch of stuff. I start to feel better but ear still bugging me. So this afternoon I just could not deal with it. I am rubbing it all the time. Then it hit me I have an ear infection. take my temp yup there is the fever. Of course I do not have insurance. So I can mom. NOw I am keeping a cotton ball soaked in olive oile in my ear and it is helping with the pain. That and the advil and decongestant I am feeling pretty good. But now I can not sleep.
As I type this McKay is asleep on the floor. Kids got him tucked in and I give up trying to get him in bed. He is going to hate it in the morning.

We had babies

2011-02-04T18:45:00.002-07:00

Our Hamster had 3 babies last night I will try to get a picture when mom is away kids are excited

Nathan's Dr appt today

2011-02-03T21:24:00.002-07:00

I started noticing a few weeks ago that Nathan walks more on the inside of his feet. We got him some better shoes to see if that helps. Well it really did not. So in we went. Dr. Perlow noticed it as well. At this time since Nathan is not having any pain and it is not affecting him playing running ect. We are to just watch him. If there starts any pain then to take him back in and go from there.

While there I got to talk to the doc about his height. Just turns out that he is just a very slow grower and thing can change by the time puberty kicks in.

After the appt we had some much needed time together. We played with cars and his Ben 10 toys. Then played video games together for a while. He is not really happy about me going to Utah. So I should him Skype and video calling and he thought that it was great that he can still see me. now when we are home he calls me from his room to video talk or just instant message.

Hating this weather

2011-02-03T21:15:00.003-07:00

It is so cold here right now. I am so sick of it. I can not belive I am complaing about highs in the 40s when I have family in the teens if not lower. But I never liked the cold. I much rather prefer the warmer weather. Being in the APT makes it worse too. The kids do not want to play outside due to it is way to cold to do anything. I can not blame them at all. I do not want to go out.
Yesterday Alex helped me move up Joshua's new desk. Our hand were so cold after wards it was like burning frozen. I got use to the cold living in Utah. Being back in Vegas has thinned me out. I just want to go out play with my kids go hiking, watch McKay drive his r/c cars.
With it being really warm to freezing cold Avery and I are sick. OH JOY.

Utah bound!!

2011-01-27T12:32:00.002-07:00

Well I am going to be visiting SLC for about 4days or so. I can not wait. Granted this will be the longest I have been away from McKay and the kids. I have no clue how I am going to react. Still to be able to see most of the family that I have missed so much since I left is going to be great.

I have been asked why go to Utah for my vacation. Granted I could go anyplace. See good friends visit my grandparents. All this I took into consideration. But my heart still pulled to Utah. As much as I would love to see my grandparents. it has been about 13 years since I saw them last. Right now is not the best to visit Ohio. So I am hoping to be able to go see them later this year. I want to be there while my Aunt Susie is there as well.

I am not looking forward to the snow. But I can deal with it. Now my big problem is what to bring and what to wear. I will probably change my mind about a dozen times before my final pack.

so my going ons

2010-11-30T15:28:00.002-07:00

I am just trying to keep busy and keep my mind of the holiday season. Which is not working since the kids do nothing but talk about Hanukkah and Christmas over and over. Avery keeps asking what is he going to get. I finally got fed up and told him your not getting anything at all. Well that was a mistake. he went to his room screaming and crying. I tried to calm him and well it did not work. Telling him that it would not be a surprise if I told him what he was getting another failure. So I just left it. He had his fit took a nap and was better. The older 4 are making gifts they do this every year. Normally it is just something out of construction paper or just a drawing. I love that they do this. I was going to make robes but McKay says that it will be easier to just buy a robe for Alex since he is the only one that needs it. Kill Joy. I was hoping to have Nathan's quilt done but that is not happening either. We were robbed of our black Friday shopping due to the fact payroll forgot to do the direct deposit. So no Joann's for me. Guess it is a good thing since I would have gone over board.
Hope is doing good with her new braces. She hates that there is so much that she can not eat. Hope is such a strong girl. Nobody at school is making fun of her and if they are she is not caring. She loves her braces. She is going to have them on for a bout a year. She is such a beautiful young lady already!!

Halloween Quilt

2010-10-31T18:58:00.004-06:00

Well I set a goal To have this done by the end of the month. Well it is done today LOL. I have decided for Christmas I want a quilting frame. I gave this to Joshua since his Favorite color is orange.

Alex's Accident

2010-09-02T21:28:00.002-06:00

Not sure how many of you have read my Facebook post about what happened today. So I will post the full story here as far as I know.
Today after school Alex and Joshua were crossing the street to come home. They ride their bike to and from school everyday. They are both in Middle school now. Joshua in his last year and Alex in his first. School started last Monday. To give some background first Joshua has been ridding his bike for a year with no problems. Here they do not have crossing guards for middle school. Well as usual they check for on coming traffic saw it was safe to cross and proceeded. Well the on coming car thought he/she could get across before them. well it did not happen and Alex was hit. The driver was not going fast at all. He was hit on his right leg which knocked him over.
Once Alex got up and out of the way the driver took off. They came home. This is where they tell me this. I called to police to file the report. I had police paramedics and the fire department here filling out reports and checking Alex out. The paramedics felt that Alex was well enough to stay home in my care. Gave me instructions and what to look out for.
Well now is where everything gets worse. I call to tell Brigett (Alex's birth mother). Of course the number I have is no longer in service. So I call her mother no answer. So I text Sean and he gives me the correct number. After talking to her telling her that all is well explained everything. Well later this evening I noticed I had a few messages on the phone. One is from her mother the other from Brigett. I call Patti back and explained everything. She made me feel horrible like there was something I could have done to prevent this. So I get off the phone with her and returned Brigett's call. She wanted to speak with McKay. But he has to be at work at midnight tonight and was in very early this morning he had already gone to bed.
After things where said. It made me think why could it not have been Joshua. It would have been so much easier.
Granted I did not HAVE to call anybody. But I thought it was the right thing to do. But to hear about it the day it happens then later on I thought.

Going ons here

2010-05-27T08:53:00.002-06:00

Well things have been busy here at our house. The weather is nice out again so we have been playing outside allot. Alex has made A honor roll. Nathan has made a/b honor roll and got he attendance award. We are very proud of them both. Over this past month Hope has hurt her wrist and was in a soft cast thing for about a week. It was a bruise on her wrist. Joshua got hurt during PE and badly sprained his wrist. He has been in a splint for the week. He is not happy about that since I will not let him skate board until it is off. Avery has graduated to a big boy bike and loves it. Apartment living is going okay it is still really hard on me since there is not much that all the kids can do. They want to go out and shot the paint ball guns and BB guns but here is not the best place. Next week is my last week of no kids since Joshua will be out of school on the 2nd. Then he will be going to boy scout camp for a week in mid June.

For those who do not know. Joshua has been dealing with a few medical problems. He is nearly 13 and still has issues with bed wetting. So we went to an Urologist and after a month of testing. Joshua's kidneys are both swollen and dilated and is bladder wall is thick. On July 2nd he will be going in for day surgery. They will try to fix the problem then. Of course I do not fully understand everything. Once a doc says surgery my mind sorta turns off. We are waiting longer to do this so he is out of school since he has missed so much due to medical things. And so he can go to camp. I am a little nervous about him being gone for a week. But I am sure he will be fine. His scout Leader is a P.A. and knows about everything going on with Joshua so that really helps.
McKay is working as much as he can but it is still really hard. There are a few opportunities that are possible. One may me a relocation but not sure of it yet.

Look what Avery can do!

2010-04-20T17:41:00.002-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQxGoYbivcI

pics from Hope and Nathan's Birthday

2010-04-19T09:58:00.003-06:00

Mr. Nathan Michael

2010-04-19T09:50:00.002-06:00

Okay so after the busy weekeend I am finally getting around to doing this.

So friday April 16th was Nathan's 9th birthday!! He had a good day. What he got
Pokemon Cards
R2D2 trouble board game
large plush pokemon
build a bear dog
tony hawk ds game
a case for all his pokemon cards
star wars dart gun

Nathan still is really shy around people. His fav food in the world is enchiladas. He love to read. Currently he is reading The Book of Mormon and Percy jackson The lightning Thief. He loves to play outside and go hiking. When the air is good for him. He now takes 3 pills a day 1 inhaler and a nasal spray. He is loving being a cub scout now. He really looks forward to tuesday nights. The Pine wood derby is coming up at the end of the month.

Miss HopeLeah

2010-04-12T22:46:00.002-06:00

Well tomorow is her 10th birthday. I can not believe she is 10. Where has the time gone. Where is that chubby faced baby in pig tails? I remember when she was a baby she had to have her hair up all the time. She hated it down. While she slept she would play with it. Now she does not like it up and I have to nearly beg just to play with her hair.
Things she is really likes now.
Build A Bear
High School Musical
Twilight
Littlest Pet Shop
Reading
Drawing
Playing Video games
Pokemon

She still does not like math or vegetables. She likes her brothers most of the time. On Saturday she will be Baptized in the LDS Church. Her Uncle Quin (favorite uncle), Aunt Eve, Grandma Ellen, Grandpa Arnold, and Grandma Marti are coming down for it. She is very excited.

As per the rules in my House tomorow is her day. We all do what she wants playing games watching movies ect ect. She will not have to do any chores and she gets to pick what we have for dinner.

We did the birthday celebration last weekend. She got a sewing machine 2 new moon shirts a HSM shirt, A pink Build a bear kitty, Bella dancerella HSN DVD (it will teach her 3 dance moves from the movie) I was Hoping to find her the High School musical 3 DVD but could not find it. All in all she was very happy.

Over The Rainbow

2010-04-01T13:21:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Hope Avery and I watched Wizard of Oz. I LOVE this movie. I so want the blue ray. I love that my kids like to watch classic movies. So they are not really fond of black and whites but that is fine. I have been adding some of our favorite to the Netflix instant watch queue. The selection is not that big. I started with what Judy Garland and Shirley Temple movies they had. Today is a nice day out So I kicked Hope, Nathan and Alex out. So they are out practicing on the Heelies. Avery has 1 more dose of antibiotics left so tomorrow he gets to play outside thankfully. Joshua just does not want too. But he never does.
Tonight we are having the missionaries over or movie night. They are bringing a few things to watch. I will be making mini corn dogs with tater tots, Root beer floats and Ice cream cookie sandwiches.
Tomorrow I take Joshua to get his ultra sound of his Bladder and Kidneys. Oh the fun things!

Blowing in the Wind

2010-03-31T07:53:00.002-06:00

We have been having high winds here. Honestly it is driving me nuts. Generally I have no problem with the wind. It helps clean the air ect ect. But in the Apt the wind makes so much noise. I can not open the windows due to the high pollen count and Nathans Asthma. I actually had to turn the air on last night. That did not make me very happy at all. Of course I set it at like 80. Our front room heats up so fast when every I use the oven.
Yesterday was an okay day. The kids getting on my nerves, HELLO when don't they. Poor things are stuck in the apt all on top of each other. Nathan and Avery could not go out side if they wanted to. Josh Alex and Hope just did not want to. So we went to the library. picked up a 2 dvds and a bunch of books. Hope picked up a kids cook book and will be making a full dinner by her self soon. Alex and Joshua got a few books on Greek Mythology. We ordered a few others. Then we were off to Wal-Mart to pick up Alvin & the chipmunks the squeakquel. It was really cute.
Today after doing the cleaning up I am going to call it a video game day. So it will be nice and peacefull. Joshua will be gone most the day for a scouting thing woohoo!!!

Track Break Day 2

2010-03-30T09:07:00.002-06:00

Well 2 days in and I am already ready or them to go back to school. Joshua goes back on Monday but Alex, Hope, Nathan, and Avery do not go back until May. Currently only 3 of the kids are able to go outside to play. Of course they do not wish too. So we sit here in our tiny apt nearly on top of each other. I am trying to have thing planed to do but it is hard when Avery is still sick and the pollen count is too high for Nathan to go out. Tomorrow Joshua has a scout thing for most of the day. So that will be nice.
Yesterday we had movie day just sat around and relaxed. Last night the missionaries were here or our lesson. They will be back on Thursday and we are doing movie night with them they are bringing the Joesph Smith movie and something else, I will be making finger foods and root beer floats.

Another year nearly gone

2010-03-12T20:03:00.002-07:00

Well that time of year again. in just 13 days I will be 33 years old. In just 5 days marks they day I met McKay 7 years ago. I will be getting my birthday gift from McKay early this year. I will be getting New Moon DVD!!!! I can not wait.
Things I would love for my birthday.

Final Fantasy XII for PS3
Cash for clothing (since savers does not have gift cards)
A massage
A spa Pedicure
One day of not cleaning cooking or having to tell/ask someone else to do it!

See I am not picky!!! I guess one you become a mom not much really matter anymore!

Hope is doing better

2010-02-28T15:40:00.002-07:00

Well we have little or no fever this weekend. We went back to urgent care on Friday and they gave her antibiotics and did a new throat culture still not really sure what was going on. Yesterday we had the Bishop come over for a blessing. Today she has been up and running around let her go out side for a bit to play just o see how she would do. She still has a bit of a cough and sore throat. Tomorrow she goes back to school.

Miss Hopie

2010-02-25T19:34:00.002-07:00

we are now on day 6 of hope being sick. She is still running a fever of 103. So far docs have ruled out strep and pneumonia. If she still has a fever tomorrow I will be taking her back to urgent care for the third time this week. I have no clue what is going on with her. But this is just too long the fever has to mean there is something. They are calling it an upper respiratory infection but have given her no antibiotics.

What a few weeks

2010-02-18T12:27:00.002-07:00

This past weeks or so has just been trying on me. First I was not sure if Hope was allergic to nut or not. She kept having tummy aches after eating nuts and peanut butter. The doc appt was not fun when she discovered that she had to get bloodwork done. But it all came back normal so that was good. Then Alex starting throwing up with no other problems so back to the doc we went. He ended up missing 3 days of school for this. We had an xray done and I never heard back so I guess it was fine. Then Joshua was suspended from school for punching a boy. I guess they were just playing around and Josh asked the boy if he could punch him. When the boy did not respond he punched him. I took away scouts for that evening and the camping trip the following weekend. Was not happy about it but have to do what I have to do.
Avery has decided he does not want to clean his room make his bed or anything. So today I have decided to clean his room my way I have fill 2 large bags to take to savers and 1 bag of just trash and this has just been his toy boxes.
Tomorrow will not be that fun either I will be taking all 5 kids to the dentist, I know Nathan has a cavity and his teeth bother him do to sensitivity. Plus he just does not like the dentist and freaks out sometimes.

Hope Leah

2010-02-14T15:25:00.001-07:00

some of you know how much Hope love to take pictures and videos so this weekend we found a great deal at the pawn shop for a flip vid cam it is only 5.2 mega pix but I thought I would share the pictures with everyone here is a link to her blog www.misshopeleah.blogspot.com

Homework

2010-02-03T13:00:00.002-07:00

Well now that Avery is starting to get homework packets weekly he fights and fight to get it done. He has certain things he has to do each day like write is first and last name 3 times write his weekly words 3 times each i mean it is not that hard I know that he can do it he just won't. To top it all off now he hates school. We think it has something to do with his friend moving away but it has been a week and a half now. We have to drag him to the play ground to even go. I am trying my best to not get angry with him cause I know it will not do any good.

new blog page

2010-02-01T17:57:00.001-07:00

well my Nieces do this so I thought I would give it a shot, I will be starting a picture a day blog for this year please bare with me on this project of mine who knows what will show up!!

just go to www.denastringham2010365.blogspot.com

Heather

2010-01-31T16:20:00.002-07:00

I got this in our email and just have to share with all i can not believe that she just turned 14 SCARY actually this was taken the day before

Well Hi there

2010-01-30T07:54:00.002-07:00

Well things have been go go go here but what else is new. Last weekend was great. Arnold and Marti Stringham flew in Jan 23rd for the weekend. It was great to see them. On Saturday we hung out at the Apt for a bit then Marti Hope and I heading out to the mall for some girl time. We went to Build a Bear and Hope got the new iCarly bear. Which is so very cute. then we wondered for a bit and just talked which was great! While we were there Arnold McKay and the boys hung out and did what ever. Avery really missed his Grandpa and climbed on him most the time.
On Sunday they joined us for church. Quin and Grandma Ellen met us there. Since their flight did not come in till that morning. During the third hour of church Quin ordained Joshua into the priesthood. We are pretty luck to have a great family that are willing to fly in to be here for this. After Church we had a small birthday celebration for McKay Alex and Avery while family were here. I forgot how much my kids LOVE uncle Quin. it was great seeing them all together playing. Grandma Ellen brought pillows with home make pillow cases for the boys still have no clue how she got them in the suit case LOL. Boys love them tho. Quin got the kids these super cute rubber CTR rings. We also revived a belated Christmas gift from Arnold and Marti which was a web cam so we all can do video calls kids are really looking forward to that. Quin also gave me a great book called 52 more weeks of family Night it is really nice to have there is a cdrom wit it will all kinds of fun Scripture activities print outs.
Quin and Grandma were able to get on an early flight wish they could have stayed longer. But after they left We pulled out the Wii Fit plus and Arnold and Marti even played on it is was great seeing them doing it and it really looked like they both had a blast. Arnold tied my high score in the penguin game and Marti got the high score on the ski jump!!

My new boots

2010-01-10T19:40:00.002-07:00

So I picked these up at savers and I just love them and have to share them with the people that read my blog if anyone is out there

New Year Same Stuff

2010-01-06T09:40:00.002-07:00

Well of course there is new stuff but just seems like it is the same train wreak as always.
But I have things to be grateful for like my best friend even tho she is mental but I love her. I love my husband and all 7 of my children no matter how near or far they may be.
So far this year we have gotten to talk to Heather on the phone for a good amount of time she was in CA for a family funeral and was aloud to visit her grandparents so of course she got to talk to us. It was great to hear from her and talk to her with out having to hold back.
This month Heather has turned 14 McKay will be turning 41. My niece is getting married. My father in law and his wife are getting baptized. McKay will be in Utah for this coming weekend for both events. I know he will be gone for only about a 24 hour time but still I hate being away from him for very long yes even though he drives me nuts.

Well Joshua has gone back to school this past Monday which is a great thing except for the fact I have to be up at 630 am to make sure he does what needs to be done. I just do not like mornings. He is also getting ready for his Deaconship and a lot of boyscout events coming up camping trips walks ect ect.
Alex is being difficult nothing of his own doing for the past few weeks he has been down in the dumps head aches stomach aches just laying around not being Alex Well Monday i got feed up with it and took him into the doc. Turns out they believe he has been having cluster migrains oh joy. So they started him on a medication to help this. I feel bad for the kid he has so many medical problems and nothing I can do about it.
As for the other kids nothing new going on there really same stuff everyday.
And me well I am just happy bowling starts back up Friday I need to get out

What's going on

2009-12-02T12:11:00.002-07:00

Well it has been a while for me here. Guess it is just me being to lazy to sit here and type and trying to think of something to say. So I thought I would just ramble on for a bit and see what comes out LOL. So for me things are okay. I am enjoying my Friday night bowling it is great to get out and all but this will be my last year bowling on this league. Not sure if I will join a league again it really has just taken the fun out of it. McKay is working as much as he can but this is the slow time for concrete so things are tight. but hey they are tight everywhere. here is an update on the kids.
Joshua has managed to pull all his grades up and is now passing all his classes we are very proud of him about this. We just wish he would make some friends around here. He says he has friends at school but that is it. He does have a concert coming up this month and I can not wait to hear him play. He is getting better everyday and I actually do not mind hearing him practice anymore.
Alex is well Alex. getting perfect grades on honor roll ect ect. His teacher is trying to get him in the gifted students program. Which will be great for him since he finishes his classwork and home work before the other kids even finish their class work. He spends most of his school day just reading. Sometimes he helps his classmates also. He has made a few friends here at the apts so that is nice.
Nathan is adjusting to the apt and new school alot better then I thought he would. He actually is liking school getting his homework finished and doing great. He has made friends here aswell and enjoys playing out side with his siblings and friends untill i have to drag them inside.
Hope is getting good grades. So is is still struggling in school and I am getting concerned about it. Thankfully she is not failing anything. If she is not outside she is doing some arts and craft project making a big mess and just having fun.
Avery LOVES school. He has a best friend that lives in the apt complex they play nearly everyday. Avery can now write his alphabet his name and numbers he can tell you what letter is what and starting to read a bit.
We discovered this great web browser made just for kids. it is very safe and fun. it is called kidszui. You have to check it out. makes playing on the internet fun educational and safe. It is nice that the kids can play on it and I do not have to sit here and watch what they are doing all the time.
Oh ya Mr Mater is doing great he found his bark. It is cute but annoying. he stopped wanting in my bed at night which I am grateful for. I made him a dog bed and McKay made him a dog house. He is so spoiled!
Well that is really all I will try to get pictures up soon.

School Dance

2009-09-17T12:18:00.003-06:00

Well on Wed Joshua's school had the first dance of the year. Joshua asked me if he could go. There was a girl behind all this. Once he told me this I decided to allow him. It was only for an hour and Joshua said he had a great time. The girl Megan told him he was a good dancer and cute when did my little boy grow up.

first day of school

2009-09-17T12:12:00.001-06:00

well here we are all my children are now in school.
Avery has been doing very well. He is upset when it is time to drop off but the teach says he is just fine in class. He is enjoying it it seems. The others are really liking the new schools and all the teachers

New School year

2009-08-21T19:11:00.003-06:00

well here we are a few days away from Joshua's first day of 7th grade. where has the time gone?
In a few weeks Alex starts 5th grade. The last year of elementary school. Hope starts the 4th grade and Nathan starts the 3rd grade. Oh ya Avery starts Kindergarten. He will be only gone 2 1/2 hours a day.
So fort he first time on Sept 14th all my children will be in school. This reality has now hit home and I am freaking out. Granted yes I have been away from my children but only for a few hours and they were always home with either McKay or another family member. But always in my own home. And never with a complete stranger.
I knew this day would come but never realized it would be this quick.

what fun

2009-07-25T14:06:00.002-06:00

Well many of you know that I love to play video games. Well my favorite has to rockBand and Guitar hero if my hands would allow me to play all day I would. So here in a few weeks Beatles RockBand is coming out I soo want it bad Then in November Lego RockBand how fun is that going to be. The kids love watching me play and know when to leave cause i failed to many time or was at the end with no notes missed and bam miss a simple note.

Well kids are doing well we are just busy with going to the library or playing in the pool.
I can not wait till the end of August now and be able to have a few hours of an empty house.

Been like for ever

2009-07-21T10:51:00.002-06:00

Okay so blogging is not super my thing.
So I have told myself that I need to start putting something on everyday. Mostly family read this. Since we are not close anymore thought i should try again.
Well here in Vegas it is HOT hitting about 115 everyday. So we are melting but we try to get in the pool everyday so that is fun.
School year is nearly over for Alex Hope and Nathan and in a months from now Avery will be starting. I am not dealing with that too well but I will be okay. I was thinking of joining a gym for something to do during the day. a few ladies I know go so we can go together.
Yesterday I took Alex to See Harry Potter 6. Movie was good but was disappointing.
As for me I have been gaming alot I play a mmorpg called Free Realms it is really fun but of course I have my Wii and my PS2 that I still play.
My niece Kingslea will be in Vegas for a few days I am hoping to see her but know she will be busy with cheer leading camp
There is a killers concert coming up Hoping to go if I can win tickets

Nathan's Birthday

2009-04-16T20:05:00.001-06:00

well wow he is 8 years old now!! We have had a great day with him. Today our fish eggs hatched Nathan things it is so cool it happened on his birthday. Tonight we had pot roast with potatoes onions baby carrots and fresh green beans. Then we had sundaes for desert! He got a Happy Birthday balloon. We are taking him birthday shopping on Friday to pick out what he wants he is hard to shop for but I have a feeling he will want Pokemon cards! I can not believe How much he has grown up since we have been back in Vegas!!

Hope's 9th Birthday

2009-04-13T21:08:00.002-06:00

well today was the first day back to school from Spring Break. Does this phase my little princess??? NO WAY!! She was happy to go ad see her friends and teachers. She had a great time. When she got home she cam home to a Happy Birthday balloon and daddy home early. What else could a little girl ask for. well I can answer that. A sewing machine. Yes you heard me Hope got her very first sewing machine. She has been asking or one and I found a battery operated one at a yard sale. Oh boy was she happy. She also got a barbie doll 4 new Littlest Pet Shop toys.
For dinner i made Chicken nachos, Which we ate watching Speed Racer. For dessert we had strawberries with whipped cream with marshmallow peeps and sugar cookie. Of course I took a plate filled with whipped cream and shoved it in her face.
It was a great day. I will get the pictures up soon.

If you wish to see videos of the family please visit my you tube channel.
http://www.youtube.com/DrlSgtDena

Trampoline fun fun fun

2009-04-06T13:13:00.001-06:00

So we are having a blast on the trampoline. It is great that we make it a family event nearly everyday. Did you know that Hope can fly!!! Yes there are pictures of me but do you really want to see me in a bikini LOL

Right now we are setting up are new pool. Okay well it is not new but new to us. It is taking longer then we hoped due to the fact we keep finding little holes. And I think it will take a day or more to fill and about a month to warm up LOL

I have bee busy with sewing I repaired the wedding quilt Grandma Ellen made us. I made a few sets of curtains and still need to make several more.

Kids are out of school this week so they will keep me busy.

One man's stuff is another's treasure

2009-04-03T11:10:00.003-06:00

Well I have been stuck on craigslist.com and freecycle for a few months now. Able to get some nice things. recently we received a 15 foot trampoline in great condition we all love it. A large bathtub with shower doors. We will be putting this into Hope's bathroom since it is just a shower stall. 2 nice oak frames medicine cabinets. A patio table. A dresser. Today McKay is picking up a new gas stove and refrigerator. the fridge needs a minor repair but we are fixing it up and already have a buyer for it.
I watch these sites all the time. Sometimes you never know what you are going to get.
I am happy to fix things up to either make my home better or to resell. At least it gives me something to do and plus driving around town to pick them up I am learning the areas better!!

science fun

2009-03-24T16:56:00.003-06:00

well while making the duritos we figured it would be fun to see what would work in oil and what would not
works
duritos
popcorn
eggs
bologna
bread
apples
bananas

doesn't work
grapes
maraschino cherries
skittles
water
rice

undecided
fruit loops

see how fun my house is LOL

my new addiction

2009-03-24T16:02:00.002-06:00

So this is my new thing. We have this guy that walks around the neighborhood selling these things and corn and snow cones well duritos are my new fav thing in the world. they are also called duros you buy them in bulk sections of your store then fry them it only takes a few seconds. you can eat them plain or sprinkle chili powder or really anything you want on them best if sprinkled right out of the fryer!!!

how to deal with avery

2009-03-16T21:04:00.001-06:00

so i figured it out Avery just LOVES Becca so if she comes and teaches kindergarten here at his school then he can be in her class and all will be great.. Okay well it is a stretch but I can try I think he will be fine it will be me flipping out

what has been happening

2009-03-16T13:02:00.002-06:00

well besides I have been super busy with playing video games hey what else am i suppose to do clean ya right LOL. Well I found out yesterday that kindergarten here is full day so I am freaking out a bit cause I am just not ready to not have Avery all day long I was ok with half day but now don't know. there is a half day pre-k at the school so i am going to look into that I hope they have an open place for him. So I am flipping out here. Yesterday I went to church with Josh and Hope. Ma it is amazing on how our new ward is sooo very different then our Utah ward. Sacrament is first here. primary is totally different. There are not many children so they do things weird they have 8-11 year olds in the the same class. Hope was not happy about this. Besides the fact she is so tiny she was the youngest child there. The only 2 girls are both about to turn 12. the rest are boys and there is only like 5 of them and they are all 10 and 11. So she flipped out and would not let go of me. I was going to take her with me but she was all I want to go home. so we did. It is going to take time for her to get use to it. I am going to be calling the Primary pres to see if she can go to the younger class so she can feel more comfortable. Since she has not been baptized I hope she can. Well during sacrament one of our missionaries spoke. Elder Butler is great the kids really like him and he makes the lessons fun. really to me that is a big deal. It was odd seeing the member sleeping and balancing checkbooks and stuff like that during sacrament. But all in all it was good to go.

I have been taking and hosting playdates for Avery and I am starting to make some friends. Tomorrow we are going to the zoo. We are all going to wear green and make green snacks. We also have mom nights out and a sewing group. So I get to get out with out kids and have grown up talk. We have a big project this fall. We are putting together a craft fair. There is going to be bands booths all sorts of stuff. exciting stuff!!

pictures above

2009-02-12T20:53:00.003-07:00

well nothing much is going on took the kids bowling a few weeks back never again with four kids way to much just for me but we had fun
Avery is now 5 can not believe it

as for me I am doing okay I am tiered lately Just taking it easy I am hoping that it is just my body catching up with the move and stress of holidays and such. I will be going to the doc here soon to get a complete blood work up since i am way over due for it. Now that the insurance has kicked in it will be nice. I will be returning to my old primary doc I had before we left for Utah So that will be nice. Besides the blood work up I need to go in to have my kidneys checked something that was suppose to be done in Utah but never did. So i am taking it easy. I am trying to do things for me which for me is very hard. I love going bowling on Friday night it is great time just for me takes alot out of me but hey I love it. I am talking to an old friend of mine from here and it is great.

Mckay is doing well he is working and Liking it and that is what matters. Since we have been here medically he is better the RA is not acting up as much and his allergies have nearly gone. I think he is growing his hair back out he says he does not know what he wants to do yet.

Joshua is okay he was failing most of his 6 classes and now is only failing 2 so if he gets a passing grade in one of those he will pass the 6th grade. I have a new additude about him and it is very hard on me. I can not keep pushing him to do his homework anymore since it does not work and just gets me upset. it seems to be getting better i do have to remind him about projects but he is in a tutoring program after school 4 days a week that helps with homework and anything he is not understanding. Joshua has became to read the twilight books I think he is a bit young but he likes them so hey at least he is reading

Alexander well what to say about him he is Alex nothing else. straight A awards from school. He is Nearly finished reading book 7 of harry potter then withes to read the Jurassic Park books. He has started to built car models. For those of you that remember McKay as a child I think I know what you saw cause I see it in McKay's face helping him. It is a great thing or the 2 of them

Hope is doing good she is handling the new school alot better then I thought she has started Girl scouts. I have looked in to Achievement days for her but still have not gotten calls back but I did find out that there are few girls in the ward so that can be it. She continues to amaze me in the kitchen She asks to help with everything I make and is eager to learn more and help with new recipes. I may have a budding chef

Nathan well he is an emotional roller coaster he is not liking this school and the fact that people are speaking Spanish I think he thinks they are talking about him. He missed his old school and old friends and is very hurt that the few we have tried to keep in contact with have not replied to him at all. Poor kid. I think alot of it is the age. He is doing great in school his math skill have greatly improved here. He is reading better and seems to like to read

Avery well that is my monster and a half. Spoiled rotten to the core and not just by me. He can sing abc well abcdefglmnoprstquv or something but he can count to 9 and write the letter A He loves going to the library. He is not sleeping very well but that can be due to growing. he is alot more vocal as well. he is looking forward to starting school this fall.

Well I thought I have not posted anything for a while honestly I think I am on face book more then anything now LOL We are happy to be back in Las Vegas and since McKay is still talking to most the people we talked to before we left it is like we never did we are just in a different house.

For those of you who know them we did get to speak to Heather she seems to be doing well and liking where she is. We have not spoken to Sean since before we left and it pains me.

Hey all

2009-01-09T13:23:00.002-07:00

Sorry I have not been on much. Much has been going on. Well Christmas went well here. Kids raked it in as usual. But we did more family type gifts this year and the kids seemed very happy. I finally got the tree skirt I have been wanting to make for the past 18+ months so I am happy about that. We had a cold few weeks here but was not to bad compared to everyone up in Utah LOL. New Years eve we had a blast we stayed up playing the Wii all night. Nathan had a wonderful idea of doing gift bags for everyone so we headed to the dollar store bought candy chips drinks ad a few small toys to put in each person's bag. I also had bought some party poppers and snap its to put in the bag as well. It was great. This will be something we do every year. We wet up to the roof to watch the fire works. Kids thought that was the coolest thing!!

Well 2009 is not turning out to be that great for us McKay has 2 severely infected molars. I am have bad bladder pain and know it is infected. Our insurance does not start until the first of February so we both just have to wait until then.

The kids are doing well. I am very happy about that. We have now unpacked everything. I have been thinking of painting but not sure where to start.

Chistmas without the Stringhams

2008-12-23T14:46:00.002-07:00

Okay this is just going to be weird for me. Since McKay and I have been together we have been to Utah or living there for the holiday season. Kids playing in Snow Christmas day and all the fun. I have to say not being up there is a little hard on me. I miss the family and the friends I have/had there. This year it will be just us Christmas Eve we do not have much planned at all. Maybe just watch a few holiday themed movies together. I would like to try to keep the kids up some so that I am not woken up by them at 6am telling me Santa has been here. Well this will be the warmest Christmas that we have had in the past few years so I am happy about that.

This year we will be having our Hanukkah party on the 27th. It will be nice to have my parents over for this I have not had a Hanukkah with them for years. We will be having some good friends over as well.

Happy Holiday's to all my blog readers!!

Things are going well

2008-11-12T07:51:00.002-07:00

things here are going okay. Well better the okay. We are still working things out here at the house. One of the heaters does not work and it heats the upstairs bedrooms and rec room. But our space heaters are doing a good job so far. The kids are starting to get use to school here and enjoying it. Joshua has joined the school's band playing the Tuba. I have no clue why the tuba but what ever. He brings it home on the weekends and it is not as bad as I thought it would have been. I thought I would be nice and not shot a video of him practicing to post here. I do have pictures to post but now I can not find the cord for my camera to hook to my computer.

Avery an I have joined a play group here things are going well. Sad to say there really is not anyone in our neighborhood or even area. But he has fun going and that is all that matters. This week we are going to take it easy and stay home. We had a 4 day weekend this weekend and I need some down time. Next week we are suppose to go to our little zoo here.

Well we made it

2008-10-21T14:11:00.002-06:00

Okay I know we have been here for a few weeks now but I just not had the time to sit down and post here. The house is nice it needs some work but that is fine. It is 4 bedrooms. It has 3 levels but not as many steps as the house in utah. so the downstairs is a very large room it is like 27 feet long. This is our family room. we have set up the Tv on one side and the other wil be like a play area for the kids. the main floor has the Kitchen dinning room front room. The dinning room is too small for our family so we are converting the front room to the dinning room works out nicely. the dinning room houses the 2 refridgerators, shelving and a phone area we have set up with a desk and shelving. the main floor has both the bathrooms and laundry area. there is a bedroom that has a bathroom attached and that has become Hope's room and the girls bathroom. the other room is the office for right now. But if needed it will become my mom's room. the up stairs has 2 large bedrooms each about 16 foot long this is the master bedroom and the 4 boys room. Now that is what is going to take adjusting since the 4 booys have never shared a room befor but they will be fine after some time.
the back yard has a good sized shed and a workroom. the yard itself is all dirt and some rocks. Kinda nice not to worry about grass now but I will miss gardening. i will be able to o some gardening soon but that will take time as well.
The kids are adjusting fine. Joshua is in middle school and not really liking it very much. I have a meeting with all his teachers on thursday along with his couseler. Hope and Ale are making friends fast and like the new school. Nathan is having a very hard time and really misses is friends in Utah.
Today Avery and I went to our first playgoup ever. We met a few nice ppl and Avery got to play with kids.
McKay has been working since the day after we got here. It is nice that he is working But honestley is is wierd not having him home so much.
Me i am holding out okay I get to see my mom ad that is nice and i am back on my old bowling league. friday nights I get a few hours to myself.
of course we are still unpacking and it may not ever get fully unpacked. I am hiding in the family room away from the site of cardboard boxes
Well I will end this I am going to get some pictures taken as soon as I find the charger for my cameras LOL

Packing sucks and Hope's hair

2008-09-23T16:13:00.003-06:00

Well I hate packing ok I really want to know who likes to pack LOL. I am at the point of what now?? I have everything in the kitchen pack that i do not think that we will need for the next few weeks (just under 2 now) I still have to take apart beds desks book cases ect ect. I am so not looking forward to that at all. I have done very well not hurting myself at all during this I am very proud of myself on that point!! Oh yuck I still have to pull things out of the storage closet too. Right now I m enjoying sitting outside writting this it is a bit cool at 72 degrees but still nice. I am really enjoying our view of the mountains and everything so green this is something I am really going to miss alot.

Well I have cut Hope's hair. Came out cute and she really likes it. Plus with it so short it is easier to wash and brush!!

No more Training wheels

2008-09-22T19:19:00.004-06:00

Well we have a new little boy across the street he is 5 years old and can ride a bike with no training wheels. Well this has gotten Hope motivated to try and she did great her first try!! No she is riding with ease. Now this has made Nathan want to try. so the net weekend we took his off. It is great they are riding "big kid" bikes now!! They are asking to ride them to school but that will not happen here there is a steep hill and they are not good enough yet. Well here are some videos for ya

Vegas Baby

2008-09-14T13:58:00.004-06:00

Well as many of you many know or even thought we are leaving Utah and going back to Las Vegas. It will be had to go but we feel that this move will be best for all of us. So we have been busy with the packing and getting ready to go. The kids are handling the move better then we thought they would so that is a great thing. It is amazing all the stuff you gain in a 2 year span. We are not taking many of the desks and stuff like that since we will be moving into a smaller home there. So we are having fun trying to decide what to take ad what not to take.

I am at a loss for words

2008-08-20T18:51:00.002-06:00

Well I know that people read my little blog here but did not really realize how many ppl do care. I feel honored. I have to remember not to take everything to heart all the time and to let myself cool off before blowing up so much. I have found away to o this step aerobics and loud music!! at first I stomp the step cause I am angry then after a while I start to cool off and I keep going until my legs are screaming at me. and it is fun I have found I can do this and watch tv or movies. I use to do something like this when I was a teenager I would go for very long walks with my disc man or Walkman. Funny on how it is now a MP3 player.

So some good things are going on we may be staying for a bit longer. McKay has been offered a good steady year round job we are looking into it all please keep your fingers crossed for us. Plus this company is also in Vegas so if we still choose to leave he can transfer and possible have help with the move.

Everything is up in the air right now. McKay has worked a total of 6 hours this week. So right now we are taking everything day to day. I feel like I am in rehab again telling my self to take things one day at a time LOL.

So the kids start school on Monday. We are hoping to go get my rivers license that day Yes I am SCARED. I drive a Suburban the test car is this tiny Honda.

SO with the kids back in school I may be working again. I know that some jobs i can take avery so that is a help.

I dont know what I have done

2008-08-16T14:47:00.002-06:00

Well apparently this whole blog thing has gotten a few people upset. But I thought the reason for blogging was not just to update on the positive things going on in life and the new achievements of my children. I do not like the feeling of letting people down in my life. I do not wish to have to sensor what I have to say at all. Yes it is bothersome that my life is not all rainbows and sunshine honestly it really never has been as happy and cheerful as people may think it is. I know that no ones is.

So this is going to be the end of my blog for now. I do not know when I will start it back up. But I feel that I have to simplify everything and I do not need the added stress and discomfort of comments, emails and messages. I can not please everyone and I do not wish too.

I started this blog to allow the people in my life that are not close to know what is going on. Sorry that it has not all been positive. I guess if someone what to know how we are they can email call or write a letter.

I will be deleting this blog in a few days.

Leaving Utah

2008-08-15T12:26:00.002-06:00

Well I think we have made up our minds the whole work thing is just not going well her. McKay has several job opportunities in Las Vegas so we think we are going to go back. Right now it is really hard being in Utah. I hate to say for nearly a year now I have been fighting depression because of the lack of friends and the whole money thing. It is really putting a strain on our family. I need to make the best choice for us. Part of me hates to leave because I will miss the family very much. Mostly my mother in law Ellen. Over the past 2 years she has become very very dear to my heart. I know that we will be coming back to Utah to visit. But it will not be the same. And will not be that often. I hate to leave this house I have put allot of my heart into it and I know that it is just a house and in time the new house will feel the same. The other hard part is that the boys will have to share rooms But we will all get over it and deal with everything in time

Feeling Better

2008-08-11T20:56:00.002-06:00

Well I did not want to post about this till I was sure he was better. And he is. Of course he is driving me totally insane. He is eating everything he can get his hands on. Running around the house is a new sport for him. Well as things normally go when our children are ill as soon as they are better it is mom and dad's turn. So now it is me Of course I am not as bad as he was but now I know how he felt. Headaches all day that will not go away and my body does not want to move. Oh joy.

Well we have a new plan. McKay is taking the first day of school off work. After we take the kids to school we are heading over to Drive Right for my driving test then off to the DMV to get my license. I am nervous I think I will do just fine but It has been a while since I have driven a compact car. It is so different in the Suburban. So I am going to see is someone will let me drive their car for a bit the weekend before hand so so I can remember.

Sorry I lied

2008-08-07T09:05:00.002-06:00

Okay Avery Is not doing better He does not have a fever so that is good but he is super crabby and the littlest thing will just set him off. He hates that I am making him wear a pull up. I thought that he was getting better but it just is not happening. So of course I am not sleeping. I have gotten mixed advise on what to to with him But so far I found a quiet afew articles online that basically say the same thing on how to treat this
1 keep him hydrated which with Avery is not a problem he LOVES water.
2 The best foods for your him are easily digestible foods, such as rice cereal, pasta, breads, cooked beans, mashed potatoes, cooked carrots, applesauce, and bananas.Pretzels or salty crackers can help your child replace the salt lost from diarrhea. And of course nothing super sugary.
3 Avoid giving your child apple juice, chicken broth, soda pop, sports drinks (such as Gatorade, All Sport, or Powerade), ginger ale, or tea. These drinks do not contain the right mixture of minerals and sugar to replace lost fluids and may make the diarrhea worse.

So I think I will make him some soft pretzels he will like that I hope mashed potatos he loves so I will just play it by ear with him I know that there is nothing that the doc can do at this point for him he is not lethargic there is no blood and he is hydrated.

I just have to deal with it I am scrubbing the 2 bathrooms he uses 2 twice a day and wiping things down after he goes to the bathroom. I have asked the kids to use the basement bathroom as much as possible just to make sure they do not get this. But they have not yet.

Well I am trying to get the kids back on a school schedule it is not going so well. they need to be up feed dressed and have rooms picked up before 8 am since this is the time they would have to leave for school. But since I am not up until about 8 lately it is not happening. But i know that they are all up. School starts in 18ish days!!

feeling Better

2008-08-06T09:08:00.003-06:00

Well Last night McKay picked up Pizza and crazy bread I really did not want Avery to eat the pizza but oh well. But I guess it did well he slept all night last night and did not throw up at all last night. He is still sleeping right now and it is 9 am so I guess he is doing better. I am so happy that he slept. I kept waking up thinking I heard him but I guess I did not. Well we will see how today goes.

my poor baby

2008-08-05T08:16:00.002-06:00

Well Avery is sick and not even a little bit as I thought. He has had a cold since sat was not very worried. Well now he has had Di area since Sunday and now throwing up he is not eating anything just drinking allot of water I am going to watch him and see how it goes but I have to get him to eat I told him that if he eats a gram cracker i would give him some M&Ms but that is not even working. I can not force him to eat something since it will not even happen I had to buy him pull ups yesterday. He is so crabby he want to go watch movies in the living room and I told him no that we are staying in my room since the bathroom is closest. So he is mad at me now He is laying on the floor onmy robe just holding the 1/4th piece of his gram cracker. this really sucks

why even bother

2008-08-04T13:07:00.002-06:00

I mean seriously why bother with anythng bloging trying to make friends It just seems I try to be nice to others and realy it just bites me in the rear. this is all just getting really old really fast. I am sick of trying to be someone I just am not. Might as well lock myself in my house and give up. May be it is cause everyone but mckay is sick in the house or that everything i try to do fails. But i just do not want to care anymore

I sure am Lagging

2008-08-02T08:16:00.002-06:00

Well I know it has been a bit since I have updated here. But Oh well. Things are okay here. Just been playing with the kids working and such. Last wed Joshua turned 11 years old I can not believe he is 11!!! He is getting so old LOL. I also can not believe how tall he is he is like a weed just shooting up every time I turn around. It is really scary. I really think he will be Taller the McKay and I. My Father was tall and maybe that is where he gets it. Well some things about my Boo. Well I still call him Boo and have sice he was an infant. Not really sure why. But I like it. He Loves Star wars Pokemon and Harry Potter. Last week he got his lower braces off and his teeth look fantastic. I can not wait until the top ones come off. They did put in a permanent retainer. He says it feels funny but getting use to it. He lost a tooth the other day. It just popped out. Funny thing is Nathan lost is other front tooth the same night (with the aid from mommy) So the tooth fairy did not have to make 2 trips to the house.

Well I have been working this week. Actually I am heading out here soon. I really hope it is not too hot today. But it will be. Nice thing is I am just working on Kate's yard and she lives next door from us so I am still close to the house if the kids need me. We have worked out that If McKay does not go to work I will go to work. And a few nights a week after McKay get home I go to work for a few hours. Which is nice since it i cooler then.

Well that is all that is going on around here kids are going back to school at the en of the month. It will be nice to have the quiet house back but I know we will miss them

I Do Not Know Why But......

2008-07-25T14:51:00.002-06:00

I am trying to get the kids to do more around the house. Joshua and Alex are old enough to wash the dishes by hand. Well Joshua has been doing them for months now and does a pretty good job at it. Occasionally I find a dish that needs to be redone. Well Alex on the other hand I know that he is capable of doing it. I think he just really does not want to since he does a Horrible job. I mean I understand if there is a little something but he seems to just not even give an effort at it. Sometime I think he just gets them wet. So I have decided that he will be doing the dishes for this weekend and next week I will check them and if they are not clean then he can do them again.

Okay so some of you may be saying wow you are a mean mom. Well fine be that way LOL. These kids need to learn how to do this stuff if they start doing thing around the house they will be able to earn things. Hope helps with the dishes when I do them she rinses them and puts them in the dishwasher. Then she Nathan and Avery will put them away when they are dry.

I am just trying to make sure my children are able to do the things they need to when they get older. I was thinking the other day Joshua is about to be 11 in 8 years (about he will be going on his mission (if he does) I want him to be able to keep the apt clean and cook for himself and his companion(s). That way they are not living off frozen pizza and such LOL.

I just feel these kids are old enough to help around the house. Sometimes mommy just wants to sit on her rear sometimes and relax. LOL

Hope Went to The ranch

2008-07-22T11:18:00.002-06:00

Well Last week was truly an interesting week here at our house. Hope when to the ranch for the Stringham Family Reunion. She had a blast. She got to help cook food for everyone ride a horse shoe a horse go climbing play in a creek I mean I know the list has to go on and on. I am Happy that she went now she will be bale to go places and know that she will be just fine with out mommy and daddy right there with her. I did better then I expected that I would do. I missed her horribly and yes it was hard but I survived as well.

Well I kept myself busy by baking sewing gardening and I coloured my hair again. Yes again LOL I have really gotten the grasp of making bread and I really enjoy doing. Yesterday I made cinnamon soft pretzels and oh boy did they come out great!!

McKay is back to work so it is not to have him doing that but it is weird not having him home. I forgot how grumpy he is after work and how on the weekends he does not want to do anything.

Fun Night

2008-07-03T19:39:00.003-06:00

Last week Grandma Ellen, Krystal, Becca, Brynnlee and Calob came over for dinner. After diner the kids went outside for water play and us adults stayed in and hung out. well Becca had asked to play on the Wii and it turned out Krystal never has. So I stuck in Wii Sports and we bowled for a little while then the boxed. Well it was just so cool watching them so I decided to capture it forever. So here is the video of them playing!!!

Well what has been going on

2008-06-23T07:59:00.002-06:00

The kids are out of school and taking up a lot of my time. What little trolls. But things are going well. We have taken Joshua to the orthodontist and he will be getting his lower braces off in a few weeks. The doc says his teeth are coming together alot faster then they thought. So now the top braces should be coming off in oct or nov. In the begining they would have been on untill christmas. So this is a great thing. He will get a permant retainer on his lower teeth and then a regular retainer on the upper. In a few years he will get on braces again. But they will not have to be on for very very long so that is a great thing.

McKay has gotten transfered to another plant and things are suppose to be better there. But he also has a job at another company so He is still trying to figure out which company will be best for him and give him the hours we need. He is continuing to put in applications at all types of places to see where to go.

Hope had a sleep over at Krystal/Eve's house this weekend. She had sooo much fun. We are trying to set up another time for the kids toget together!! This wil be great. this is one of the reasons we moved to Utah so we can do things with the family and that we all can get to know each other better. Took 2 years but hey!!

Well we have the ranch trip coming up and we are not 100% sure if we are going or not. We do know that McKay will not beable to go due to work He really needs to work as much as possible since he has not been working for a while now. And i do not want to drive alone either. Plus with the price of gas right now we are not sure.

Well as of last Saturday I completed Drivers Ed. So now I just have to take my drive test and go to the DMV and get my licence. I am really happy to get the school over with.

My garden is doing great I need to do some work in it I need to run some twine for the peas go grow on they got bigger then i thought they would. But that is fine with me that just means more peas!!! The only 2 plants I am not happy with is my green peppers and pumpkin I only have 1 pumpkin plant and I planted 5 seeds. I am hoping that I will be able to get at east 2 pumpkins this year. I planted the white casper pumpkins for something different this year. I can not wait to see them grow.

I will have to put together a new slide show to show all of you greaat readers how it all looks.

This Was our Holiday Weekend

2008-05-27T08:33:00.004-06:00

Well on Sunday we went to Valiants Grave site with the family. Then to the park there in Orem. It was alot of fun seeing the family! There were several pictures so I changed my above slide show. Do not be mad at me if i spelled names wrong. Well Yesterday we were rain out It was yucky really did not want to do anything at all. But I managed to clean the kitchen and cook a pot roast. Well Hope and McKay made cowboy cookies so I took pictures (and mckay is not happy) But over all it was a very fun day!!!

I passed

2008-05-19T14:05:00.002-06:00

Well after being at the DMV for 3 hours!! I took the written test (which is really touch screen) the test took like 15 min i have no clue why i had to sit there soo long that sucked. Well I was stresses about it i never really did well on tests. But I passed I got an 86% So now i can drive but still have to have a person over the age of 21 with me. But this means I can finish the stuff at drivers ed!! and I hope that with in the next 3 week i will have my licence!

wishing you all joy

2008-05-16T07:15:00.001-06:00

http://www.castlemountains.net/flashmar/A_Cup_Of_Joy.swf

My Granola Bars

2008-05-15T08:16:00.002-06:00

Okay as requested by my sister in law Jae!! How did you find out about these???

So my homemade granola bar recipe is very simple if you have made rice crispy treats you can make these!! Now Mind you this is a rough recipe since I do not measure when I cook I kinda toss stuff together!!!

4 cups any type of crunchy granola
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 honey
1 1/2 bag mini marshmallows
1 cup sprinkles, mini m&ms, and or raisins (these are all optional depending on what you like)
4 tablespoons butter or margarine.

Melt butter and marshmallows together until creamy over med heat.
Add Honey stir until blended together
Remove from heat
Add granola and oats Mix well
Add sprinkles ect ect if wanted.
Press into a greased large cookie sheet
Allow to cool.
Cut into bars.

Now get how ever creative you like with these.
I have covered them with chocolate.

I make these bi weekly. The kids take them for recess snack! Now these are not as soft and chewy as the ones you buy in the store. But they are much better for you I think and really fun to make!!

Get your kids involved too. Let them help poor the ingredients and even press them. No matter how young and old Kids love to help in the kitchen!

Now this make a big amount so You can cut the recipe in half if you need too.

Please be careful sharing these they do contain honey and nuts make sure the person you are sharing them with do not have allergies.

If needed you do not have to add the honey. And you can check the ingredient list of the granola to find out if it contains nuts or not.

Let me know how they turn out or if you add something differnt I always like trying new things!!!!

Please Leave A Comment

2008-05-13T07:57:00.002-06:00

I know I have several people reading my blog. But I have very few commenting on it. I love to read the comments!!

This year's garden

2008-05-09T15:56:00.002-06:00

Well as of rightnow I have my garden all planted. Even though it is supose to rain today I am watering it real well. So this is what is planted in the back yard.

Raspberries
Strawberries
Green beans
Peas
Potatos
Carrots
Red onions
Sweet onions
White pumpkin
Sunflowers
Marigolds
Green Pepper
Georgia Greens

There of several of each of these planted in the back yard. I really try to grow things that we are going to use. Last year I had just 1 green pepper plant and I loved going out side and picking my own it tasted sooo much better. So this year I put 6 plants in. The greens I planted for the Iguana at the price of produce now adays I think this will be much better there are 9 of these planted. I hope it grows like last year's Red Chard did just clip a leaf when needed and another grows back. Do not know though.

In the front I have several bulbs dafodils tupips many many many colors. there are lilies irises and several other plants. I am going to get some pictures in soon I hope.

I really love to garden. I love that when people come over they all comment on how great my garden looks!!!

My poor baby!

2008-05-08T09:20:00.002-06:00

Well last night was just horrible! So McKay and I were watching a movie last night in our room. It was about midnight and i thought I heard a sneeze. So I get up and I find Nathan on the couch crying. SO I call him upstairs to find out what happened. He said that he had a bad dream and could not find Hope in her room at all. So I go flying down and there she is crurled up in a tiny ball on her bed. So I wake her up. Turns out Nathan's bad dream was we were all dead but him and he was left alone. All he wanted was his sister to make him feel better.

So being the Harry Potter family that we are. What comes to mind. Chocolate. The dementors suck everything out of you making you feel sad horrible alone. The best way to get rid of this feeling is chocolate. So this is what I tell Nathan that it will make him feel all better. And it worked!!!! I had him laughing in no time. So after a while of playing I let Hope sleep in Nathan's bed. I had to get up a few times to get them to stop talking. But the slept fine woke up this morning extremly happy.

NEVER EVER EVER DOUBT THE POWER OF CHOCOLATE!!!

Nathan Michael

2008-05-05T06:55:00.002-06:00

Today Nathan is 7 years and 20 days old.

He started Primary yesterday and said it was fun.
He is learning how to tie is own shoes.
He wants me to teach him how to ride a bike with out training wheels
He is in the 1rst grade.
He can read at grade level.
He loves superman and Pokemon.
He is learning how to play the pokemon card game.
He likes to roller skate in the house.
He is starting to get more friends.
He wants a pet hampster or gerbile.
He would rather play outside.
He is a good shot with the paintball gun.
He likes to read to Avery.
He still falls out of bed.
He likes to garden with me.

Nathan is my speacil boy. I am very close to him. Getting to spend time with him is great. This school year was hard on us both. Since he started full day school. I missed having him around the house doing things with me. sometime I have to say I keep him home from school just to be with me.

Avery James

2008-05-02T11:53:00.002-06:00

Well my wonder nieces do this about there children so I thought I would about mine. I will start youngest to oldest since I have So MANY children!!!!

Avery is now 4 years and nearly 3 months old!!

He is able to fall asleep where ever and when ever! Even if we have music blasting!
He is completly potty trained.
He can use a knife to cut things and spread stuff on bread/toast.
He can dress himself. Sometimes in questionable outfits.
He can put is shoes on by himself on the right feet!
He can feed his fish and crabs.
He knows how to work a DVD player and VCR
He help clear the table.
He loves to wash walls.
Playing outside is is favorite thing to do.
He know what are weeds and what are plants.
He knows not to walk on plants.
He can play on the Wii all day long if I let him.

Avery is starting Sunbeams this weekend!! I am hoping that it helps him not be so clingy to me. I know he will make lots of friends. There are 7 other little sunbeams in his class and it is taught by Joshua's scout leaders!!

Avery is now out of a car seat and sits in a big boy booster seat when we are in the van.

He is growing up so very fast. I miss that little boy that wouldcurl up on my chest and just lay there and not way so much with a bowling ball for a head.

He loves to punch the punching bag and is getting good at it.

Alex's writting

2008-05-01T18:06:00.002-06:00

How To Learn More About Sea Life
By Alex Stringham

If you're just a kid, start by reading books about sea life.

When you get good at keyboarding, and you know the websites, go to Google. Type in "sea animals", and it will bring up a lot of stuff about the sea and sea-life. It will take a long, long, time to read it all.

If you goto an aquarium, ask someone that works there about the fish you are looking at.

When you get old enough, go to a scientist that studies about sea-life, and talk to them about it.

When you're an adult, dive to see all of the sea animals yourself, or become a scientist and then you will definitely be on your way to knowing about all the sea animals in the sea.

Class Day 3

2008-04-30T20:04:00.002-06:00

Well today was a fun class. We had a diffent istructer and it was differnt but fun. Basicly we learned about the effects of bad driving a ton about accidents basicly it was a day of what not to do!! I was hoping to get my learner permit this week but it is not going to happen. My birth certifict has gone missing and I have to call Ohio to get a new one. Hopefully it will not take long to get here. I am sad and mad about his cause it will prolong my license even longer.

2008-04-29T19:48:00.001-06:00

I am a
Sunflower

What Flower
Are You?

Driving School day 2

2008-04-29T19:36:00.002-06:00

Well today we learned about the speeding laws, signs and what the lines mean on the road. It was a very interesting class. There were a few signs that I did not know. But really it covers the basics. I know it is mostly for the teenagers but geez!! Well after every class we take a quiz and I did not miss many things. I am hoping in the next few day to go get my learners permit. I am hoping to do this on thursday.

I also learned today that I do not have to go on the freeway on the test if I do not wish too. Also it is nice since most of the people there are teenagers there are several slots open for the driving observation and driving times during the day so that will be good for me.