Where to start

  Okay it has been way too long,and I promise to do better.Where do I start? Well Reed has been sick since last spring.We didn't know what was wrong .Then in June ,Reed received test results that showed Multiple Myeloma.Which is pretty much a death sentence with no cure and just the hope of buying a few yucky years of life .It has been really hard! Reed has lost the law practice that he has worked so hard for. He has lost his health and we are hoping and praying that we don't lose our home.
 Somehow, through the grace of God, we are still surviving. Our kids are handling things better than most,and thanks to church and state assistance ,we are still in our home( for the time being ),and we have food in the cupboards.|
  We just found out last week that it looks like Reed has a form of Leukemia instead of Myeloma. I never thought I would be happy that my husband has a form of leukemia,(and I'm really not) but it has a much better prognosis than the alternative. We will ,somehow,get through this! I am grateful for an AMAZING bishop and ward family ,and for friends and our own sweet family members. I am especially grateful to my loving Heavenly Father for the constant tender mercies that he continues to show me in my life and for the peace that he has granted me and my family.I don't know where we would be without the atoning sacrifice of His Son ,and Our Savior ,Jesus Christ. Without this we would all truly be lost. |It sounds crazy,but I am grateful for my trials and for all that I have and will continue to learn from these experiences.

A GREAT HOLIDAY

What an awesome fall this has been!Full of family and food and tons of fun. We were lucky enough to get to spend time with John and his cute family ,and Glens, Earls,Scott and my Dad.We had so much fun with all of the cousins ,aunts and uncles. We had a great talent show at our church with food and craziness. Besides all that everything is great with our family.Ashton is getting bigger everyday he is about 5'6" ,and full of everything!He loves to torment everyone!He is very handsome and the girls are starting to notice him. The twins are great,and doing very well in school.They are both at the top of their grade level .Abby ,especially,has made huge strides over this past year she is now in the highest spelling group .Up from one of the lowest in her grade just a year ago.Amelia is reading above the high 5th grade reading level. Ammon is so cute and TALL .He is very well liked and has lots of friends.He is still really struggling with dyslexia,but it has not seemed to effect his self-esteem as much as it did Ashton's at that age. Aliza is still just a princess.So beautiful and smart.She is starting to do well in school and doing better with her speech.She tries very hard!She hates jeans and long sleeved shirts and is pretty picky about her shoes ,but it's all minor. she is wonderful!!!! Isaac is unbelievably cute! He had his tonsils ,and adenoids out, and tubes put in back in September.It was a really tough two weeks,but since then we have seen major progress .He is talking ,eating, growing,and gaining weight so much better! He gives lip kisses to everyone. Tells everyone "I love you",and is just so ,so much fun! Reed and I are super busy just trying to keep our heads above water.This is always a really hard time of year for Reeds Firm. No one wants to pay their bills! somehow we will manage .We always seem to.We are very blessed! Oh yeah Sally had puppies!

Fall into Autumn

Summer is over and school is in full swing.So are all of the crazy days and nights of raising six children.
My days are full of cleaning,home-schooling Ashton, cleaning, chasing Isaac, cleaning,helping kids with homework,cleaning,laundry, cooking,trying to keep peace in our home,changing poopey bums ,snuggling with a sleepy toddler listening to the details of 5th grade drama,pulling out teeth,brushing and flossing teeth,wiping bums,changing wet sheets(in the middle of the night),hugging,kissing,driving,running,and oh yeah, CLEANING!!!!!
I love my life! ,and I wouldn't change a thing ,except for maybe the cleaning part.

it MAY have been a crazy ,fun month.....

But now it is coming to an end. I am happy and sad ,at the same time, that this school year is coming to an end.Time just seems to be going faster and faster.I wish I could find a way to slow it down.Life just gets way to busy.I feel like I don't have time to just enjoy the little things like I so badly want to.I get so caught up in the mundane daily tasks of life that it is eating up all my time, and my children are growing up before my eyes! What can you do!?
Ashton finished his end of level testing and felt pretty good about how he did.He is such a good kid .I feel lucky to be his Mom.He is now officially a teenager.
We had a huge party at a park with a lot of his cousins , who were visiting.It was windy ,but fun! He also got to go to jumping' jacks.Over-all I think it was a success.
Abby has grown tremendously , this past year. She has made huge strides,this year academically. She has always done very well with math,and this year she has become an awesome reader, and writer.She also just gets more and more helpful as she grows.She is still a second Mom to Isaac.She is my Angel.
Amelia is also doing very well in school ,and scored the highest ,in her class in a science test.She is an amazing dancer and picks things up so quick(that did not come from me) .She is very sweet ,and(all on her own) offered to clean house for a sick neighbor.She and Abby spent a good part of a Saturday helping her.
Ammon is very well liked and accepted he is just happy-go-lucky,and people like to be around him.He does really well in math.His teacher said that he is able to do math problems in his head ,when other student have to work them out on paper.His scout leader said that he is super creative and artistic.He always comes up with cool things,he seems to have an eye for art.
Aliza is her own designer package of five-year-old precociousness.We love her.She has a lot of friends,and isn't afraid to be herself.She touches bugs when even the boys won't.A friend of our asked "how she got so smart,did you get that from your Mom" She,with a big smile,shook her head no.I replied"you better not say your Dad,where did you get that from?" She then said "my Dad" She says the funniest things,and is truly a delight!
Isaac is sooo "TWO" .He is so busy, and really fun .I refer to him as "THE HUMAN WRECKING BALL".He dumps,drags,spills,throw,yells screams and throws tantrums,but he also laughs,runs,plays ,sings,talks, signs, makes us all laugh and smile,gives hugs and kisses,brings so much joy to our family.
Reed is busy, as usual. Between High-counseling ,work ,and being a Dad he doesn't have time for anything.He is wonderful,and I am so grateful for a sweet ,hard-working ,faithful husband ,and he's pretty cute too.
Well there is a fast update.You can read between the lines for all the things that I don't have time to mention.Duty calls.Isaac is crying!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

THIS HAS BEEN A CRAZY BUSY TIME OF YEAR, AND I AM WAY BEHIND ON MY BLOG, SO I WILL TRY TO QUICKLY CATCH-UP. I AM STILL BUSILY TEACHING ASHTON AT HOME , AND I LOVE HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND SO MUCH TIME WITH HIM. IT HAS BEEN SUCH A BLESSING! I WILL MISS HIM WHEN HE GOES BACK TO PUBLIC SCHOOL. HE IS A REALLY GOOD BOY,AND NOW HE IS A TEENAGER HE TURNED 13 ON THE 9TH OF APRIL.HE IS GETTING SO BIG! ABBY IS JUST GETTING SILLIER BY THE DAY! SHE IS ALSO REALLY BLOSSOMING IN SCHOOL .HER TEACHER COMPARES HER TO A FLOWER THAT IS BLOOMING . SHE IS STILL SO SWEET AND BEAUTIFUL. SHE IS A HUGE HELP AROUND THE HOUSE ESPECIALLY WITH ISAAC.SHE ALSO WON 3RD PLACE ,IN THE 400 METER EVENT, LAST MONTH AT THE HERSHEY TRACK MEET. AMELIA IS STILL DOING WELL IN SCHOOL AND IS WORKING HARD ON MEMORIZING HER TIMES TABLES. SHE IS ALSO AN AWESOME DANCER. SHE CATCHES ON SUPER FAST AND ALL THREE OF THE GIRLS ARE PARTICIPATING IN A RECITAL LATER THIS MONTH. SHE STILL HAS BOYS CHASING HER! AMMON IS ABOUT THE CUTEST KID I HAVE MET. HE IS SO MUCH FUN ! HE AND ASHTON ARE STILL IN KARATE AND DOING WELL. HE HAS DYSLEXIA SO I GET TO GO TO THE SCHOOL 2 DAYS A WEEK TO HELP HIM I AM REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE ONE ON ONE TIME THAT I GET TO SPEND WITH HIM.HE ALSO WON A CHARACTER AWARD ,FOR HONESTY, LAST MONTH IN SCHOOL. ALIZA IS JUST A BALL OF ENERGY. SHE IS SO ADORABLE AND A DELIGHT TO BE AROUND . SHE HAS VERBAL APRAXIA AND GOES TO SPEECH 2 TIMES A WEEK. SHE IS VERY WELL LIKED BY EVERYONE WHO KNOWS HER. SHE IS CONFIDENT AND OUT GOING .DALTON,A BOY IN HER PRIMARY CLASS, ALREADY WANTS TO MARRY HER.HEAVEN HELP US WHEN SHE TURNS 16! ISAAC HAS HIT TWO WITH FULL FORCE ! HE IS INTO EVERYTHING! AND HE DOESN'T STOP UNTIL HE IS ASLEEP, BUT I WOULDN'T WANT HIM ANY OTHER WAY. I AM SO THRILLED WITH HOW WELL HE IS DOING HE IS UNBELIEVABLE CUTE AND ADORED BY EVERYONE! HE IS STILL TINY,WEIGHING IN AT ABOUT 22 LBS. HE SIGNING AND TALKING LIKE CRAZY! WE STILL TAKE SIGN LANGUAGE ,AS A FAMILY ,ONCE A WEEK. IT HAS BEEN A LOT OF FUN! REED IS JUST BUSY, BUSY ,BUSY AND STRESSED, STRESSED , STRESSED. HE IS MOST OF THE TIME. IT REALLY MAKES ME WORRY ABOUT HIM. I TRY MY BEST TO BE A GOOD SUPPORT TO HIM . I DON'T KNOW IF IT DOES A LOT OF GOOD. I PRAY A LOT FOR HIM. I AM JUST TRYING MY BEST TO BE A GOOD MOM AND WIFE . IT IS A THANKLESS JOB , BUT I WOULDN'T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY. I JUST HOPE THAT MY KIDS WILL TURN OUT OKAY IN SPITE OF ALL MY IN PERFECTIONS. LIFE IS GOOD WE WENT ON VACATION TO SO.CAL LAST MONTH .DID THE WHOLE D-LAND THING AND DAYS AT THE BEACH IT WAS SO MUCH FUN JUST TO GET AWAY FOR A LITTLE WHILE. WE FINALLY SOLD ALL OF OUR PUPPIES ,GOT RID OF CUBBY, AND GOT A NEW POODLE PUPPY ,NAMED TOBY. HE IS CUTE . WELL THAT IS ABOUT ALL FOR NOW .WRITE MORE LATER.

Finding Spring in the Fall

This has been an exciting fall.We had a great Halloween , not too many sicknesses, and a surprise visitor ,A mountain lion in our garage and on our deck.Pretty cool right!? It was actually kind of scary. Abby saw it in our side yard ,one morning, climbing up our rocks to the neighbors yard she said to Ashton"I just saw the biggest cat" .After realizing what it was we were on the look out later that weekend I was cutting some boards in our garage , Isaac was out there with me, and I heard a noise in the corner of the garage ,every time I turned the saw on .It scared me a little,so I thought I would put the dogs in the garage to scare or eat what ever it might be.About 2 am we heard a loud crash in the garage ,of course I made Reed go check,because I was too freaked out.I also heard an spooky kind of howling sound.Reed said the dogs were in the corner where I heard the noise,but they were fine .We didn't think much until the next morning when we could see that something had broken through the window in the garage .Something very big. I guess the dogs must have scared it out.Reed and Aliza saw it on the deck the next night ,but we have not seen it since .Hopefully he has moved on.

I also ran the St.George Marathon And finished in 4:57 31 . It was a lot of fun!

We also found Spring,Our lost dog, which disappeared from our home 8 mo. ago ,along with one of her puppies.Someone found her by the freeway ,tied up to a post with a shoe lace.There was no sign of the puppy .Aliza had wanted me to pray,just a few days before we found her, that we would find her.The faith of a child is amazing.In the end we let her stay with her new owner ,who is unmarried with no children.The thought of us taking Spring from her almost gave her a brake down,so our family disgust the problem and felt that was best.We got to go visit her ,and take some pic's .I know she is very happy,and is totally spoiled.We are so glad that she is alive and well.

We just finished a nice ,small Thanksgiving, with our family ,Grandpa, and Scott and Stephanie.It was nice and I thought it was comparatively quite to other more crazy Thanksgivings,but Stephanie had a really hard time with the noise .Oh well that's who we are.What can ya' do.

All in all everything is great .The kids a doing well.Ashton has discovered the joy of reading through the "Twilight saga" He loves them ,and is on the 3rd book.I can't believe I am actually telling him to put a book away and go to sleep .It is AWESOME!!

Abby is doing well .Her teacher LOVES her and thinks she is an angel.She is doing well with her work.

Amelia was moved into Abby's class last week.We had a hard time with her teacher .She is much happier in the same class with Abby.

Ammon has been struggling with reading and at his last IEP I felt like it was the exact same thing that we went through with Ashton 5 yrs ago.We know he has dyslexia,but the school won't do anything special to help him,so I have decided to go into the school twice a week to tutor him one on one. I really hope and pray this makes a difference.We are catching this a lot earlier than we did with Ashton(11).I hope I am up for the challenge.

Aliza is great and here long term substitute adores her .She is still really struggling with speech ,but making progress.She is such a doll!!!

Isaac is talking more and more all the time,and we all have so much fun with him.He is rapidly approaching 2 ,and he knows it . He has discovered tantrums and is not afraid to use them.He is adorable.

Everything else is great ,and we are looking forward to Christmas.We had a great time in SL visiting family,and going to Jared's wedding.Reed's mom made a great early Thanksgiving dinner for us .We had a good time.My kids love Grandma's cooking.Ta Ta for now.