Back To School

Today was the day...all the kiddos went back to school. My fire alarm went off at 12:30 last night and Annie hopped out of bed to get ready for school. She was that excited for Kindergarten. I think out of all the kids she was the most ready to go. Annie fell asleep at 4:30 this afternoon. It was a long day.
Rachel was pretty confidant this year. She knew a couple of the kids in her class and was excited for that. Rachel always has little admirers right away. There was a boy named Chase waiting at our house after school. I'm gonna have to lock that girl up when she turns 16.
Marcus was a little nervous this morning. He was worried because he didn't have his schedule yet and he thought I'd just drop him off to figure it out himself. We got to school and got him situated and I could tell he wanted us to leave right away. I was most anxious to hear how his day was. I mean middle school is a whole new world. Three more years and he'll be in High School. Am I that old? UGH!
Everyone seemed happy, hungry, and tired after their first day. Always a good sign to me. I got to clean the house and hang out with Christian today. It was nice to have my little buddy with me. He seemed to enjoy the quiet as well.
Rachel Annie
Marcus
Christian, Annie, Rachel, and Marcus
Me and the Kiddos

Vote For Bree!

My sweet cousin Bree entered a photo contest and is currently in 3rd place. We're all a little competitive in our family and want her to come in first place, so if you have a minute I would love if you'd vote for her. I'm pasting her blog post to mine for instructions. Good luck Bree...we're all rooting for you.

Don't forget to vote!
I am less then 100 votes from 3rd place and only 250 away from first! Please vote for me! Every vote really does count, so please please help me out and post this on your blogs for me, message boards and facebook/myspace/twitter. Just think if everyone who read this passed it along to their friends/family/posted on blogs and their friends voted and plugged it....I could have a chance! At this point its all about who can get enough people to vote... :(

So why not try and join them? I would love to at least be in the running to win, not left in the dust! Whats a little fun competition!?! :) I could be the Cinderella Story...coming up from 12th place to take the lead ;) WHOO HOO!

There is a Canon 40D Body with my name on it! ;) (or at least on hold...hahaha)

Whats it gonna take? Do I need to do a giveaway like one of the finalists is doing?? haha Let me know if you blogged/twittered/facebooked/plugged me, I would love to thank you!!! Would a random winner giveaway really help??

Linking love here.....Summer Photo Contest # 8!!!! Buhtafly Wings!
Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!

TAGGED!

My cousin Randa tagged me. Here are a few random things about me.


Rules Once Tagged:

1) Link to the person who tagged you.

2) Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6).

3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below).

4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post.

5. Let them know they are tagged and leave a comment on their blog.

6) Let the tagger (who tagged you) know when your post is up.


Randomness about me:

1. I love Neil Diamond. Since I was a little girl I remember singing along to his songs and dancing with my mom. I get a bubbly excited feeling when I hear his song "America". I think it's an inspired song.

2. My second toe is much longer than my first. A friend asked me if it was my big toes body guard. LOL!

3. I enjoy hiding behind a door to scare someone occasionally. The weird part is when I'm waiting to jump out, I get so anxious that by the time the person gets there, their scream makes me scream.

4. I always carry nail clippers and floss.

5. I lay in bed and dream of being an amazing athlete or pop star and the whole croud goes wild for me. Hmmmm, do you think I need some attention. HA HA!

6. I gave birth to all my kids without any drugs. Of course my reasons were all good, like I didn't want the drugs to harm the baby and wanted to prove I could do it, but the main reason is because my friend told me she had an epidural and she pooped on the floor because she couldn't feel where she was pushing. I knew then and there that I'd rather feel the most ridiculous pain in the world than poop on the floor in front of everyone. All natural for me baby.

Ok so now I'm tagging Julie, Andrea, Toni, Elyse, Emily, and Jared. You better do it Jared.

Crazy Week

Guess how many kids I have this week?...8! I get to have my sweet nieces and nephews for six days while my sister and her hubby are off to the Bahamas. We're watching the news hoping tropical Storm Fay will cooperate for them. I spent last week getting prepared with snacks, juice boxes, an easy menu, and different activities we can do throughout the week. It's the kids last week of summer so we're going to live it up as much as Aunt Heidi can handle on her own. Wish me luck! :) I wonder if Andrea will have baby number 5 in stow after their cruise? HA HA!
My Mom and Dad are off on a cruise to Alaska with my Dads side of the family. It's a long awaited trip and much deserved as they've had a stressful summer. It took two months for their house to close in Utah, but it finally did and they're officially in the works to move to Texas. I can't wait for Grandma and Papa to get here. I know my kids are super excited too.
As I mentioned before we have the last week of summer. WOO HOO! I'm very ready for my darling children to go back to school. I still need to get their school supplies. That's the worst part of going back to school. Marcus will be in 6th grade, Rachel in 4th, and my little Annie bug in Kindergarten. I think Christian will miss them when they head back.
One of my best friends is flying in from Reno over Labor Day. I'm trying to find fun things to do with her while she visits. I can't wait for her to come.
Life is pretty good. Wish me luck with all these kiddos! Does anyone want to go on a cruise with me? I'm totally willing to go with you. :)

The Little Joys In Life

This little boy of mine absolutely melts my heart. I was watering the yard last week and naturally Christian wanted his clothes off to run through the sprinkler. I sat and watched him feeling perfectly content. There was no other place I'd rather be than watching him digging and even sampling the dirt. He even pooped on the lawn and said "what happened mom". I about died laughing. The other kids were preoccupied in the house so it was just my moment with Christian.
My sister Andrea and I were talking about how much were enjoying our two year old boys the second time around.I'm so glad I got to have another little boy. They say and do the cutest things. Yes, they can be handfuls at this age, but truly, I love their young inquisitive innocent mind, working in full force to grasp the world around them. I love you my baby boy.

A Meme

My dear friend Amy http://mamanirvana.blogspot.com/ came up with a list of questions for her readers to answer. I thought it'd be fun to answer them.
1.Besides your family, what is your most prized possession?When My Grandma Clavin passed she left me her wedding ring. It's a classic beauty, but whats special to me about it is remembering how it looked on my Grandma's long slender fingers. It was loose on her finger and I remember her always moving it around with her thumb. I knew how much she loved Grandpa and what the ring meant to her. She made promise to always keep it.
2.If you were on death row, what would your last meal be?
I love food so this is a really hard question. Would it be too much to ask for a samplers platter? It would be a combination of Dads tacos, Moms cabbage rolls, my lasagna, and Andrea's Strogonoff.
3.At a party, would you be hiding in the corner or hanging out at the punch bowl talking it up? And, what food item would your bring to the party?
I'd definitely be at the punch bowl, but I know I'd walk over to the corner to see what y'all had to say. Lets get out on the floor and do the running man together. I'd probably bring a cheesecake.
4.What is the most "girly" thing about you?
I'd say the most girly thing about me is I love to wear pretty summer dresses and skirts.I feel very comfortable in them since they hide my big booty and show off my little waste.
5.What is your favorite piece of furniture in your home?
My armour. It's antique white and has a shabby chic look to it. I bought it at Dillard's for $500 dollars and have never regretted it.
6.What is most likely to be painted -- your toes or your fingers?
Definitely my toes. I like to put a pinkish red on my toes during the summer and a dark red during the winter. I keep clear polish on my nails, but color is too hard to keep up with four kids.
7.If I was going to buy you a bottle of Bath and Bodyworks lotion, what scent would you want?
I love Irresistible Apple. I put it on and want to lick my arm. Weird huh!
8.Do you like to nap? If so, how often do you get to during the week?
I love naps, but found if they're too long I get a headache and feel worse than I did before the nap. Cat naps are key at my house. I set up the train set for Christian and close my eyes for a few while he's busy.
9.Do you have a place in your house where you "hide"? A place where you can have a long phone conversation with a friend without interruption? Where is your quiet place?
I always hide in my closet. I go there to talk on the phone, to catch my breath, or for a good cry. My hiding place doesn't last long before I'm found by one of my darling children.
10.At this point in your life, are you living the life you imagined back when you were in high school/college?
Ummm NO! I definitely thought things would be different, but hey we can't always have what we want.
11.Would you ever get plastic surgery? What would you have done?
Heck ya! If you know me, you know what I'd have done. :)

12.What have you accomplished (besides having children) that you feel most proud of?
I can't say there is one particular thing I'm most proud of, but I feel most proud of myself that I'm a survivor. I've faced a lot of hard knocks and still manage to smile everyday and feel blessed in some way or another.
So now I get to tag someone else. Tag Toni and Marisa, you're it.