How many kids do i have?

For the last few months Dar and i have been discussing whether or not we want to have another baby. It make me laugh alittle because rarely do i have just my three at home anyway. My kids love to have friends over and I don't mind one bit. Sometimes it keeps me from running errands or going grocery shopping but hey it also keeps me from spending money! Lately I haven't been feeding anyone because I have been out of alot of things (read the blogs about no time to even grocery shop) I didn't even have bread or peanut butter for sandwiches. Well today we were able to have a decent lunch because I finally have bread and peanut butter!! I have been watching my neighbors boys while she is finishing up her last 2 weeks of work and then they are moving...we are so going to miss them! So in the afternoon I have 5 and sometimes 6 with Bella and then if any friends come over we could have as many as 9 (which we did last week in the pool) Zackery has been practicing babysitting and has been really good with the little boys. Today he was teaching him all about Star wars the clone wars. Maybe I am content because I am surrounded by kids most days but I am pretty sure the Lord doesn't count those so I will reconsider and maybe in a few months we will have our answer of how many kids we will have.

Thanks Christy for loaning me a carseat and for Darin coming home a tiny bit early so I could go to the store since we were having people over for dinner and I had nothing!

coupon sense

For years I have done coupon sense. It is a website to help you utilize coupons and save money. I go in spurts especially in the summer when i am lucky to grocery shop once a month (there are too many things going on and lots of kids in an out to do it). Any way I got up early yesterday and made it to Albertsons and was able to get milk, 4 box cereal, eggs, spaghetti sauce, juice, cake mix, sugar, kool aid, refried beans, granola bars, salad dressing, chips, jello, noodles, donuts (not shown cause we ate them) and only spent.........$28.50. I love getting great deals!!

Summer days

Our ward talks alot about food storage and we had a lesson on Sunday about Provident living. One thing my mom taught us was how to make fruit leather. That is my fruit contribution to my food storage. I am grateful to live in Arizona and have the sun at my disposal. Take your fruit (apricot is what is shown), place it in your blender with a couple tsp of honey and blend up. My friend told me yesterday she uses applesauce intstead of honey and it comes out softer so i am going to try that next. Pour out on thick black plastic. I found this at home depot in the paint dept. in a big roll (3.5 ml thick). If you can get it out side by 9:00 am you can take it off about 3:00 or 4:00 pm. I have been mixing up flavors like peach/plum, strawberry/banana, nectarine/grape. My neigbor made strawberry/blueberry/banana, apricot/strawberry. When they are dry, just roll them up and roll them in saran wrap and keep in a ziploc bag.

Zing Zang Zoom

We took the kids to this circus last Weds. The first time we went was when we first moved here. Of course we went with our bosom buddies and that always makes for a fun time. Nickola really got into it. She loved all the magic tricks and walks around the house using magic fingers saying Zing zang zoom to everything to make it disappear. The boys loved the tiger cage and the metal wheel that goes around with guys inside and on top of it doing tricks. We got to go down on the floor before it started and see the clowns and try on costumes. Note the self: Have Darin take allergy medicine before because the horses and elephants where making his eyes water and get a little puffy.

Notice who is missing from this picture.........Nickola was off sitting on the aisle and missed the picture!

Conner, Zackery and Ryan in their true form

Conner trying on costumes

Zackery the magician

Nickola the performer

She loved this clown and he had fun messing with her

Double trouble

We have never lived by family and that is okay. We have/had some great friends that are like family but now that my brother and his wife live close it has been fun watching Nickola and her cousin Alexis grow up together. They are two peas in a pod but can be a handful of fun and trouble when they get their little minds working together. Nickola is usually the ring leader and Alexis is more than happy to go along with anything. What cuties they are!

How can we ever get angry at such a beautiful little girl........Don't worry we have many opportunities!

Who are the people in your neighborhood?

This is the most of the group. We had to take 2 pictures to get everyone.

This is my family.

A few weeks ago we drove to California to a reunion of all the people we grew up with. See up until I was 17 we lived on the same st. and in the same house and we all went to the same school. Dan Dr was the name and playing was our game. Every person had someone their age and we roamed the street. We played late night catch the flag using the whole st and every ones front yard, we had annual block parties, we played volleyball and football and baseball using the whole street. Sometimes the gutters would clog up and we would all grab our inner tubes and float around in the street (I learned at the reunion that the clogging was intentional by some boys who will remain anonymous). That was a great childhood. My mom got together this reunion and we had so much fun reliving old memories and learning just how unique and special it was growing up on Dan Dr.

There were games for all the kids and they all seemed to play together and enjoy each other as much as all their parents had when we were kids.

I love this one of Conner and his cousin Molly with their tongues out

This is my nephew Noah sharing with Alfreds dog.

Darin had our newest nephew Sean laughing by blowing and tickling his neck.

This is Clarissa, my best friend growing up, and Heidi from the street. It was good to see them and their families.

Sally the rat update

As some of you may know, a few weeks ago we had a mishap with one of our pets. I was outside doing yard work when the kids came outside panicked that Sally had her tail ripped off. Thinking to myself "WHAT" I come inside to find a frantic rat bleeding in her cage and kids crying. The skin had been ripped off the last 2 or so inches of her tail. Someone had played to rough with her! I call Darin to inform him we are going to the vet. Now some off you may be thinking the same thing Darin was about spending that much money on a $10.00 rat but you weren't here with crying, worried children. So we left the vet $60.00 later and pain medicine once a day for 5 days and with the recommendation for amputation for $200.00 (I opted to let nature take its course) She was also put on antibiotics 2x a day for 2 weeks. (We just finished yesterday) All this right before our trip to CA. I informed Darin we had to take them because I wasn't going to have someone watch them AND give her medicine by syringe 3xs a day. Well she survived. Her tail turned black and fell off which is what the vet said will happen and now she is left with a shorter but still cute tail. Thanks for every ones concern and I hope you enjoyed this story that is our life.