The Reynolds Family

Our Little Surprises!

2012-01-11T00:36:00.001-08:00

I suppose it's time to introduce our newest family members, Sade and Reese Reynolds!

I became pregnant at the beginning of our fabulous year in New York. We kept it a secret because we thought it would be fun to go back to Florida with a BIG surprise. We ended up coming home with TWO big surprises. Sade and Reese were born October 4th. They were 8 weeks early and spent about 6 weeks in the NICU. They are now beautiful, healthy, and tiny 3 month olds. I will post more details later. For those interested in their hospital adventures you can visit sadeandreese.blogspot.com.

Sade weighed in at 3lb 3oz.

Reese (twin b) was 3 lb 9 oz.

Reese

Sade

Sade (left) Reese (right)

November Catch Up

2011-12-22T08:48:00.000-08:00

My biggest (ok, maybe she's not the biggest). My oldest baby turned ten! I remember being very upset on my tenth birthday. I didn't want to be double digits. I wanted my childhood to last forever. Tay on the other hand is a pint-sized grown up. She thinks, dresses, and acts like an adult. I have to remind myself she's only ten. Ha ha, I can't believe she's already ten, yet at the same time, I can't believe she only ten. She received a kindle for her birthday. The children in her class made a going away book for her. Many of them made collages of her reading on her kindle. She LOVES it.

Also, Tay, Tigue, and I took a road trip to New Jersey for her first grade teacher's wedding. Ms. Sequeira asked her to be what every girl dreams of, the flower girl!

Tay with Grandma and Grandpa Miller on her birthday

The best part of staying in a hotel............jumping on the beds!

matching outfits to get ready in

A gorgeous bride and flower girl

On our way home from Jersey I saw an exit for Tigue Street. It was the middle of the night but I couldn't pass this up. It turns out there was no on ramp at this exit. I was forced to backtrack and got lost. Grrrrrrrrrrr. We finally made it home safely.

Our BFFFE (best friend forever for eternity) Emily

We had 19 people living under our roof for Thanksgiving. Grandma and Grandpa Reynolds, Cody and Jess, Uncle, Ryan, and the Ellsworth's crashed Fredonia. Ryan, pictured above with Tagg, surprised us from Turkey!

Cody and Tigue

Headstand contest

A tornado went through Fredonia hitting our garage. Thank goodness it missed the house.

Another episode of Tigue Greed anyone?

Rook pulled a burnt grilled cheese sandwich out of the garbage. Yum!

Grandma and Grandpa Miller had us over for a memorable Family Home Evening. We "let our light shine" by making candles. Thanks for a great time Mom and Dad!

Camping!

2011-12-21T22:59:00.000-08:00

Reese took the kids camping every weekend throughout the Summer and into the Fall. We have some dear friends who own some property on Lake Erie. They set up a campsite for us and we were able to leave our tent up through the season. I loved allowing the kids to freely explore the woods and lake. I especially loved seeing their smiley, hot chocolatey, dirt smeared faces..........oh, and the laundry that followed.

Trick or Treat!

2011-10-31T19:17:00.000-07:00

Finally...........a real fall! We have been looking forward to this time of year since we moved to New York. Try as they might, though no fault of their own, Florida just can't do it right.

A view from the bridge next to our house

The kids played in this creek everyday in the Summer

Pumpkin picking

Tay feeding a pony

Payte and the goats

Our pumpkin family. Reese carves a special one for me every year. Can you guess which one it is?

All six of them. We have Juliet, a skeleton, Luigi, a tiger, and salt 'n' pepper.

A look from behind

T-man

Artistic Dad

Someone forgot to tell Payte that skeletons don't have tongues.

Payte the Great is 8!

2011-09-20T12:15:00.003-07:00

Baptism Day!

Dak is 6!

2011-09-20T12:09:00.001-07:00

We loooooooooooove Dak-man!

Summer Stuff

2011-09-20T05:50:00.001-07:00

We had a SuPeR Summer!

We spent some time in NYC. This is us getting ready to get on the subway. We took pictures of our trip on three different cameras and two phones. This is the only one from NYC I've uploaded so far.

Crabbing off the coast of Maine

Hill Cumorah Pageant

"Samuel Precsott" giving the girls an earful on the Freedom Trail in Boston

The kids and friends getting a treat in Boston's Little Italy

A Wampanoag home at the Plymouth plantation

The Plymouth settlement

The Mayflower

Scripture camp at cousin Rebecca's

Rebecca and Abigail at the stick pull

What is Maine without lobsters?

Rock tower

Reynolds' and Diviney's on the beach

Reese and Prince

Sitting on the original doorstep of the prophet Joseph Smith's home.

Joseph Smith monument in Sharon, VT

Our good friends the Crane's came for a visit!

Maid of the Mist ride at Niagra Falls

Corporate 5K!

2011-06-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

Reese and the girls ran the Corporate 5K in Buffalo; their first............and Payte's last, or so she says. Our little troopers couldn't move the next morning.

Hmmmm, someone looks like they're gonna die.

Just Pics!

2011-06-03T03:21:00.000-07:00

Corn on the cob and softball

Tay and Tigue

Thing One with a tongue

Thing Two with a tongue

Rook loves to push her around

Dak in a tree

Three boys

Apples! The twins are always trying to take them from each other.

R-O-O-K

Tagg-man

Just enjoying some Mother's Day waffles

To the Zoo!

2011-06-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

The boys went on a field trip to the Erie Zoo. I got to go too! Opportunities like that minus toddlers are few and far between. It was a small zoo but I had tons of great animals. Check out this super fat Orangutan.

Riding the train.

It's Been Another Long While

2011-04-25T00:50:00.000-07:00

These are all pics from Feburary and March. I must say that we LOVE living in New York!

Rook's gotten into sword fighting.

Tagg turned 4!

Our new favorite toy.......Citiblocs. I used to build block towers all the time when I was little from some homemade blocks by Dad. He made some for my kids and they love them. I picked up these citiblocs at Costco one day. They are TONS of fun.

Tay documented our trip from Florida to New York with blocks for a school project. Above is our Suburban pulling Reese's Landcruiser on a trailer.

Pit stop at Waffle House in the middle of the night

A stop at a park. The lego guy on the ground represents Tay falling off the monkey bars and into the mud.

We put Striker (our snake) in a pillowcase so he could come too.

A little "scripture power" with the Addison's. They came up from Florida for their Winter and Reynolds fix.

Cruisin' around

Uncle Rossy!

Grandpa Miller!

The kids began tennis lessons when we moved here. It's on Saturday morning at 6:30! It works out great because it doesn't interfere with the rest of our day. We came home to find the bird in Reese's hand flying around the house.

These two are TROUBLE! Twin toddlers is WAY harder than twin infants (in my opinion). The first year was nothing compared to this.

Cody and Jess came! Woohoo! Easter egg dyeing.

Tay loves to dress Tigue and her doll up in the matching clothes.

Rub a dub, three boys in a tub.

A LOT has Happened Since Last Post..........

2011-01-23T11:05:00.001-08:00

We are still alive..........barely.

Here is what the crazies have been up to

nice lip gloss guys

Tay turned 9!?!

This pic was taken a while ago (just hours before the twins were born actually) She was little Cindy Lou Who in her Broadway class production.

Tay doesn't like cake so we had homemade birthday donuts with the Ramsey's

Every few years Reese goes on a trip with his best friend Correy. It's the kind of "'roughin' it" trip I'm happy NOT to go on. They went to Nicaragua this time; had a blast.

Rook and Tigue turned 1! We made it through the first year. Had I known how hard twins would be at the time I found out I was having 2, I'd have cried my entire pregnancy. I swear it's more than double the work, but it's double the fun too. They make us laugh AlL the time.

Payte lost her snake.......again. She usually loses it because she forgets to shut its aquarium. It never ventures far and we always find it within a few minutes. However, this time she had no idea where she was when she set it down. GREAT! We turned the house inside out and upside down to no avail. Well......six weeks later we heard a loud ScReAm from Tay. Striker was slithering up the side of her bed in the library under the stairs. I had thought he was dead. Snakes can obviously go quite a while without food or water. I booked it to the pet store to purchase its dinner. Striker readily ate the first mouse. We put the second mouse in but he wouldn't eat it. In fact, he seemed scared of it. The above picture is the snake trying to get away from the from it's prey.

We had Christmas of course! Here the kids are in their Christmas pj's from Ms. Sequeira. We LOVE her!

We made a gingerbread village. The twins found the leftover candy the kids had "put away."

Dwarf tossing (actually a real thing). Where do we sign up?

Nice form Rook!

Payte and her bff Isaac.

Tay and her bff Bella jumping at Airheads on Christmas Eve.

And now for our big news..........we MOVED!

Reese's company transferred him to a small town in New York for a year. I was going nuts trying to tack a move on top of our Christmas festivities, so Reese took ALL six kids up to Brady and Julie's house for a couple days. Isn't he AmAziNg! I don't know any other dad who would brave such a task. I was soooo grateful as I got TONS done.

Cousins are the best! We love these dudes!

Cousin dog pile! Their girls are BEAUTIFUL!

Tigue almost got boxed up.

It wasn't so hard to say goodbye because we're going back.

The girls at their going away cookie exchange hosted by my AwEsOmE friend Heather.

We are LOVING the snow! Reese wrapped a tarp around a mattress and pulled the kids behind his truck. I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical, but it worked great. Again, he's SO amazing!

They spend hours in the snow everyday after school.

This is the house we are renting. It's nearly 200 years old and lies on 11 acres with a creek. What a find! We love New York!

Watch Out!

2010-11-10T18:58:00.000-08:00

There are monster babies lurking about!

Dak is 5!

2010-09-12T18:27:00.001-07:00

Our big 5 year old. I mean, our 5 year old. Had a hoot of a birthday; got himself a new bike. He was a great sport when his Christmas bike 18 months ago looked unsettlingly similar to what a polished up version of Payte's old bike might have looked like. This one was his own, brand spankin new.

Here's a shot that the kids call "Dak's floating head". They think it looks like his head fell off and was floating around in the water.

Grandma Reynolds sent Dak some workout stuff, since he is quite a muscle man and was very much into her headband when were in Washington this summer.

Dak's birthday cake. I'd tell the story about how this thing was made, but suffice it to say that about 1/3 of the cake was left by the time I finished carving, fixing, recarving, refrosting, etc. It was a nightmare, but Dak was pleased with the outcome nonetheless.

While I struggled mightily to salvage the disaster I had created, Kat found great humor in my repeated failures so she thought to take a picture or two. You'll see in the picture a large bowl, full of failed cuttings, frosting, cake chunks, etc. Yes, we threw out more than actually survived on the cake. Don't be deceived by the smile - that's after the absurdity of my repeated messes and the lateness of the hour left me with no other reaction but to laugh. Trust me, it was preceeded by plenty of frustrated groans and growls.

Payte is 7!

2010-09-12T17:55:00.001-07:00

Payte turned 7. Not much to say about that, just thought this was a cute picture. Of course she wanted a soccer ball cake, though her league was cancelled this season which has her a bit bummed.

So, we had a family lesson where we talked about self-control and sacrifice. The girls decided they wanted to try to go without sugar for a while. They set a goal of 2 months - I never thought it possible - but they were awesome. No syrup on pancakes, no candy, no ice cream, nothing. When it was over we told them both they could have an award for how well they'd done (the whole idea of sacrifice bringing blessings). Tay chose some new roller-blades, and Payte chose Draco - that's her snake. For all you parents out there who freak out at the site of snakes, just remember that we feed this guy once every two weeks, he rarely goes to the bathroom, rarely sheds, no potty training, and totally loves being held but doesn't care if you don't. We go on vacation and don't have a single worry. This is a dreamy pet if you ask me.

Payte's a goofy kid. She's obsessed with animals - dead or alive. She found this dead fish and dragged it around with her for a while.

Wall climbing with Gramps! Her face is painted, of course, like a soccer ball.
Payte and an unfortunate bird who had too close of an encounter with the roof rack. See previous note on her animal obsession. Of course we always say something like, "Payte, you can't pick up dead animals". Followed by, "but hold onto it for a second while we take a picture".

Tigue Greed

2010-07-15T10:47:00.000-07:00

2010-07-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

Myco What?

2010-05-28T06:46:00.000-07:00

My mom always said if she could choose one person in the family to get sick it would be me. Not that she wanted me to. It's just that I was the perfect little patient. I locked myself in my room and didn't come out until I felt better; never asked for anything, never whined. Well, Dak caught a cold three weeks ago. No big deal right? When my kids get colds they get a runny nose and cough like crazy. Does that slow them down? No, not one bit, much to my dismay. But not this time. We should have had a HUGE "out of order" sign on our front door over the last few weeks.

I'm not one that rushes to the doctor every time my child spikes a fever. It takes a lot to get me to go in. Maybe it's the doctor blood running through my veins. My dad was the same way. Once my brother fell out of the tree house and hurt his leg. My mom wanted to take him in but my dad said "Aww, he's fine." She took him in for x-rays a few days later. Sure enough, BROKEN.

So Dak got bad, FAST! He had high fevers, slept all day, and coughed all night. Seriously, I've never seen anyone cough as much as he did. He couldn't talk, eat, or do anything. I had to carry him from room to room. We went to the doctor and she immediately sent us to the hospital. He had pneumonia. Dak was a trooper (at first)! He was hooked up to a million different things and had what seemed like constant breathing , pounding and shaking treatments. Poor baby had six IV's in the five days he was there. Fortunately, he doesn't remember a whole lot of it; too traumatizing I guess.

While Dak and Reese and/or my mother-in-law were in the hospital I was at home taking care of the rest of us sickies, me included. We had strep throat, pink eye, ear infections, you name it we had it. We were all on antibiotics but getting worse. And why was that one might ask? We had something called mycoplasma. You catch it just like you would a cold, but regular antibiotics won't treat infections caused by it. After our medications were switched we started getting better, slowly. Our house was like regular pharmacy. Kids were passed out all over the place with cool wet rags over their foreheads.

Just after Dak got home, Rook started getting worse. Same story. He had a temperature of 104 when we got to the hospital. Still there actually. I'm rocking Rook now. I can't wait to hold him sans tubes and wires coming from every appendage. The good news is I just found out that Tay might have a serious urinary tract infection that can only be treated through an IV. GREAT! What next?

Seriously though, this month has been awful awful awful. Watching your children suffer has got to be the hardest thing in the world. But, I know we go through these kinds of things for our own learning and growth. And, I am very grateful we had the means and resources to get our children healthy again. I'm also thankful for the power of priesthood blessings and a fantastic mother-in-law (she got sick too) and friends that have helped us through this. Now that we've reached our out of pocket maximum for the year Reese can get that back surgery he's been needing!

This is Dak at the doctor's office. Reese has all the good hospital pics on his phone.

Rook just after his IV was put in

He didn't smile for over a week.

Tigue (little rascal) never got sick! Amazing. They shared a crib before all this. No longer my little friends. Our nurse held Tigue while I went down the hall to shower. She had a nice BIG blowout all over the nurse. Nice! She got to sport a hospital gown the rest of the night. It was interesting. Rook's spirits seemed a little brighter when she was around.

I think we've all seen enough of the hospital for a good LONG time.

Silly Bandz!

2010-05-04T18:54:00.000-07:00

Are anyone else's kids into silly bandz? My kids love 'em.

Adorable Onesies!

2010-05-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

I had to show off the CUTEST onesies my friend Becca made for the babies. Isn't she amazing!

Who knew simple onesies could be so stylish.

Road Tripping!

2010-05-03T04:50:00.000-07:00

We did something CRAZY for Spring Break. We loaded our six kids in the car and made a 14 hour trip to Virginia. Ahhhhhh, Virigina! I love it there. Great friends and great times. I need to stop going there in the Fall and the Spring when it is so beautiful. It makes me want to move.

Reese was asked to speak at SVU, the college we went to, so we got to stay in the guest house. I don't know that we would have all gone up if it hadn't been for that. A family of eight descending on a household, when they are not related, might be a bit too much to ask. Reese was able to teach a couple classes too. He's the BEST speaker! Truly, I love to hear him speak. He taught a Sunday School class the first time I ever saw him. I was so impressed. He's so captivating.

So, moving on......... I took off midweek for my parent's house. Yes, I braved an eight hour drive with six kids by myself. The kids did great! We just stopped once to feed ourselves and the babies. Reese wanted to come but I wouldn't wait for him. I wanted to be with my dad on his birthday, and it so happened that my brother's new baby was born the same day. I got to help watch his other two kids, Taden and Lily. It was NUTS but fun!

When the week was over Reese flew, and I drove, to Nashville so we could drive home together. So much fun! I wasn't ready to come home.

My dad and I took the kids to the park I grew up playing in. Much of it was unchanged.

Dad pushing the kids

We went to an indoor waterpark. My poor short kids. I sent them up the stairs to go down the big waterslides. They were SO excited. They came down crying. "We're too short," they said. So, I sent them over to the lazy river. They came back crying. "We're too short and they're making us wear a life jacket." My kids are awesome swimmers. We live in Florida for heaven's sake! I tried to see if there was some kind of swimming test they could pass so as to be able to do all the stuff they wanted. Nope. Well kids, maybe in ten years.

They still managed to have a FANTASTIC time.

Michael and Lily

We went through the house I lived in until I was five. It's being torn down to be turned into a driveway for doctor's office going up behind it. It was fun to take the kids there. It smelled the same, had the same curtains, and carpet. It was pretty much unchanged too. Nothing like some childhood nostalgia.

Meanwhile, Reese snuck away from the school and went camping with his best friend Correy. We all got to see Correy and his darling family. Man, I wish we lived closer to them.

The pic above is Reese with the "wild" ponies.

Reese and Correy

Great Grandma Basket + Aunt Mary!

2010-04-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

That's what Tagg calls my Grandma Bascombe, "Great Grandma Basket"

My Grandma and Aunt Mary came down to see us while we were in Indiana. They got to see the twins for the first time as well as Mike and Maranda's three day old baby Thomas.

four generation pic

My WONDERFUL Aunt Mary

She had Tigue laughing for the first time!

A big cheese for Great Grandma

Thank you thank you for coming down guys.

We just love you SO much!

FHE with the Davis'

2010-04-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

If only arranged marriages were acceptable these days. We'd be set! The Davis kids were TONS of crazy fun. While in Virginia we spent an evening with one of my favorite friends, Kari, and her family. She's amazing in just about every way. I love her to death. Our kids all begged to go back the next day.

Payte caught a dead fish

Payte, you're amazing!

tin foil dinners and s'mores on the lake

Betcha wish Ya Lived in Florida When.......

2010-04-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

You can get gallons of strawberries for NOTHING! Have you noticed how cheap the strawberries are in the grocery stores lately? Florida's "harsh" winter caused the strawberries to ripen all at once. Fields full of strawberries were going to waste. We scored 40 quarts for 8 bucks!

Time to Jam!

My Babies!

2010-03-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

They're getting so big!

Rossy!

2010-03-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

My AWESOME brother Ross came down to Florida for Spring Break. I just LOVE Ross. Lucky is the lady who pins him down. He brought three friends with him; Dustin, Kyle, and Ryan. One would think that it was mayhem in our house with six kids and four college boys, but really, the week was nothing but enjoyable. It's no surprise that Ross chooses great people to be friends with. The boys were considerate, helpful, and fun, and they ate a TON! I seriously there was enough food on one their plates to feed our entire family. I hope they all come back again.

Ross and the kiddos. I don't know what Payte's and Dak's deal is in this pic.

The leaves fall in March here.

The Spring Breakers

Jumpin' in our lake

Catching Up!

2010-02-23T18:57:00.000-08:00

Just surviving, that's what we're doing. These last couple of months have been CRAZY. We've been SO grateful for all the friends and family members that have come from near and far to help...........cause we needed it! The babies are doing great. They are nearly 11 weeks now. Wow! The days are endlessly long but the weeks fly by. They are sleeping through the night now which is HUGE. I was getting tired of, as Reese puts it, "lots of little sleeps."

I love this picture.

I took this pic at six weeks. Now, at nearly eleven weeks, Rook is 10.5 lbs and Tigue is 8.5. She feels like a feather compared to him.

Getting a morning shave.

Diaper heads

Grandma Reynolds and the babies. She was able to see them in the hospital. We are sure happy to have her close by.

Tay and Tigue

Tay and her friend Sarah dressed the babies up in American Girl Doll and Build-a-Bear clothes.

Each of the babies' personalities are consistent with how the were in the womb. Rook didn't move a whole lot. In the hospital the nurses had me eat and drink certain things to get him to perform on the NST's (non stress tests). Tigue, well she was another story; always kicking. The ultrasounds showed how she forced Rook into a little ball in the bottom of my tummy while she was sprawled out and comfortable on the top. Now, Rook is the easier baby. He sleeps well, eats well, and well, that's about it. Tigue seems to have an opinion about EVERYTHING. She spits up all the time and will only take a certain pacifier which, of course, is hardest one to find in the stores. She doesn't care for formula, insists on having a dry diaper, and wants someone's attention all the time. When all of those "needs" are met, she's great! But, really, she's such a doll! I can't hug and kiss them enough.

Our SUPER friends Dee and Shelby came to help from Illinois. It was SO nice to take LoNg naps during the day while they watched the kids.

Vicki came from Seattle. She's the greatest. She got up with the twins during the night! She helped me get them on a four hour feeding schedule as opposed to a three. Having that extra hour helps me a lot! Ahhhhhh, I miss Vicki.

Chula cuddling up to Rook.

Payte and Rook

Uncle Mo!

Mo stayed with us for a week. It was great to see him. He leaves on his mission to New Hampshire next week. We miss you Mo.

Grandma and Grandpa Miller with all the kids. They came to help out and be here for the twins' blessing. They've been at every single one of my kids' blessings. My mom got up with the babies at night too. Sleep in heaven.

Grandpa Reynolds flew in for the blessing too. He flew in Saturday and left Sunday; way too quick of a trip, but we're so grateful he came. He walked in, picked up Rook, and was immediately doused with spit-up.

My boys

Uncle Daman wrestling with the kids.

Brady, Julie, and fam came down too. Brady made new doors for our kitchen cabinets. He's amazing. Just show him a picture and he can build it. He, Julie and Daman all worked hard to get the project done. It looks great guys! Thanks.

This is how we all feel by the end of the day.

We Did It!

2009-12-22T17:36:00.000-08:00

5:30pm

December 19th

7:30 pm

December 19th

Rook

5 lb 7 oz

Tigue (Teeg)

4 lb 8 oz

The proud Dad

The proud and very happy to not be pregnant (ever again) mom.

Tigue, Dak, Tay, Payte, Tagg, Rook

Tigue and Rook

Rook and Tigue

Back in Again:(

2009-11-28T06:24:00.000-08:00

Howdy all. Reese here, stepping in to post on behalf of Kat.

Well, her cheery post about being home on bed rest turned out to be short lived. Apparently all our concerns about her keeping her keester in a bed full-time were warranted. I don't know if it was pity on me and my woeful performance as Mr. Mom, or the simple fact that anything short of chains, rope, and heavy sedatives will fail at keeping her down, but either way the whole "bed rest at home" thing didn't work. I must give her credit for a valiant effort, but it just wasn't to be. On Tuesday we came in for another appointment and she was dilated to a 3 and 80% effaced. I'm not sure what all that meansspecifically, but I do know it means she is moving along more quickly than she should be for this stage in the pregnancy. She is still 8 weeks from really being due. Nobody ever expected full-term, but they also are not prepared to let her deliver these babies any earlier than is absolutely necessary. They are hoping she can keep them in the oven till mid-December, so in their wisdom they have put her back into the hospital till the babies decide to come. Strangely, they openly admit that there is nothing they are necessarily going to do in the hospital that couldn't be done at home, other than they can force her to stay off her feet and they just don't trust her to do that at the house. Expensive hotel stay, but the truth is that they are right - this is really the only way she'll stay down.

We love you all - we'll keep you posted. Providence continues to smile down and watch over us, for which we are eternally grateful. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

Bed Rest Projects

2009-11-22T17:57:00.000-08:00

I'm home now! And much more comfortable. I was only in the hospital for four days. They got my contractions under control and gave me steroid shots to speed up the babies' lung development. And yes, we are having twins. A boy and a girl!

I can't even express how grateful I am for all the people that are making this bed rest thing possible. We've had people from church, teachers from school, and Reese's co-workers bringing in meals, cleaning, and taking the kids. My moms have been a HUGE help. As I mentioned before my mom was here when I went into the hospital. Yay! Reese's mom came last week while he was out of town. She was fabulous!

Best of all I have an amazing husband who has been very supportive and patient. He has been VeRy busy at work and then comes home to do all my jobs. He's great with the kids. He got home from traveling in the middle of the night on Friday and spent and good while giving me a much needed back rub. Thanks Honey! I love you SO much.

My friend Becca came over one morning to keep me company. She taught me how to make these cute flower hair pins.

I love to knit! I made these hats for the babies.

I had taken much too long a hiatus from my project this year. I wanted to get all the kids stocking done in time for Christmas. My current situation has made this possible. Sorry for showing these off, but I'm ToTaLlY proud of my work.

Preggers!

2009-11-12T13:14:00.000-08:00

I didn't think my belly looked SO huge in my last post but, some have inquired, so obviously, I was wrong. Actually, I was going to post this anyway.

This comes as a shock to some, but I actually have to go on fertility to get pregnant. Just clomid, and it always does the trick fairly quickly. Right before Tagg turned one I felt very strongly that there was at least one more spirit waiting to come to our family. So, I started treatments again but to no avail. I got pregnant and miscarried, then went through further testing only to find nothing wrong. My doctor put me on a new drug that I was totally non responsive to. I was SO SO discouraged. I felt like I was doing everything in my power to have another baby but nothing was happening. My AMAZING husband daringly suggested that I was focusing too much on myself. He was right. I was feeling sorry for myself and forgetting about all that I have been blessed with........which is a TON. I decided to devote my energies to my relationship with the Lord. The more I read my scriptures, attended the temple, sincerely prayed, and served others, the less I cared about being pregnant. I was comforted and knew everything would happen as it was supposed to. A few months later my doctor let me have one more shot on the clomid. It worked! And, here I am almost 30 weeks along. There is no doubt in my mind that this pregnancy has been nothing but miraculous.

This is the only good prego picture I have. This was two months ago. I get HUGE.

And this is me, today, in the hospital. I'll be here for at least a few days. When and if I go home I'll be on total bedrest. Thankfully my mom is in town and is holding down the fort while I'm in here.

Tay's Baptism!

2009-11-12T06:20:00.000-08:00

Tay was baptized on Sunday! It seemed as though she felt it were the best day of her life. She radiated. She was blessed to have both sets of grandparents there........... and a surprise visit from Uncle Ryan and MIA!!!!

We invited all of Tay's school teachers, and they ALL came! WOW! Thank you SO much everyone, for being there with her on her special day.

I am so proud of your decision to be baptized Tay!

Mrs. Spinosa (her current teacher)

Ms. Sequeira (first grade)

Ms. Cavezzi (kindergarten)

Mrs. D (her book club advisor)

Tay and her good friends

I regret not getting a picture of just Reese, me and Tay. I guess we could dress up and take one.............probably not gonna happen.

Cousins!!!!!!

2009-11-12T05:37:00.000-08:00

Ashley and fam came out to visit us!!!!!!!! We were SO thrilled they came.

The kids had TONS of fun together.

I LOVE hanging out with my sister. She is amazing. Every time we get together I wish, so so much, that we lived closer together. But, they might be moving overseas. I'm crazy jealous.

We miss you Nelsons!

The kids spent lots of time putting together plays and performing songs. Ahhh.....brings back memories. My kids look so much like me and Ash's daughter looks so much like her. It almost felt like we were watching old home movies.

Tagg and Noah playing trains

The kids wouldn't leave Mike alone. Here he is, showing them who's boss.

Dak and Ez

at the beach

burying Uncle Mike

Dak was super proud of his sand castle

Halloween!

2009-11-12T05:23:00.000-08:00

Late but inevitable..............

From left to right: Tagg refused to dress up (didn't surprise me). Tay the Mexican dancer, Dak, John from Peter Pan, and Payte the Mexican cowgirl.

Dak's costume this year topped my list of favorites. What four year old boy thinks, all by himself, to be John from Peter Pan? Reese and I were cracking up as we watched him walk down the street in his top hat swinging his little umbrella.

Grandparent's Day

2009-09-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

Wow! I'm on the ball...........posting the same day I these pictures were taken.

Today was Grandparent's Day at the kids' school. This may be the last time we'll have grandparents close enough to come. G&G Reynolds have packed their bags and will be heading west in two weeks. Many tears have been and have yet to be shed by our fam.

Tay was asked by the PTA to play the piano for the grandparents while they had refreshments. This, I guess, was considered quite an honor, as the school traditionally only showcases the fifth graders. Way to go Tay! Payte is hoping to be ready to play next year.

I love this one of Payte and Grandma Reynolds

Everyone thinks Tay is in Kindergarten, which I guess is a good thing. People end up getting a lot more out of her than they anticipate. She had to stand on her tiptoes to see the music.

Ahhhhhh! Life on the Farm

2009-09-12T05:24:00.000-07:00

So it was the Friday before Labor Day and I called Kat from the office. "We should go somewhere" I said. "I know, let's go to Illinois", Kat responded. Because of my crazy summer with boy scouts and youth camps we didn't get anywhere this year with the kids. It was time to get away, but I wasn't sure an 18 hour drive each way for 2 1/2 days of fun was the ideal option. That being said, I did have an itch to get out to see them as well. Truth is, there are few places on earth where our family can really relax like we can at Butch and Dee's farm. So, at 3:00 on Friday afternoon we hit the road and arrived the next day at 10:00am. We just love those guys. Their door is always open to us, and there is no end of fun to be had. We swam in the pond, played in the river, grilled out with friends, rode around the woods and cornfields on 4 wheelers, let the kids drive the truck around the field, and perhaps the highlight, played in a mud pit. As Payte, Dak, Tagg and I were cruising around on the mule we ran across an open patch of cornfield, and it had been raining all day. No sooner had I suggested that we play in the mud that Dak started peeling clothes. With a "superman" holler he dove headlong into the slop. Payte wasn't far behind. Tagg got some mud on his foot and freaked out - he decided to watch from the sidelines. I couldn't let the Tay miss out so I left them there in the pit, and Tagg and I burned back to the house to get Tay. In no time we were all neck to toes in it. We played tag for a while, painted each other brown for a bit, then found an overgrown somewhat less muddy puddle to dive into - to start the cleaning process . . . or at least get the big globs off. We hosed down back at the house in freezing water then jumped into the jacuzzi. What a day. Dak really surprised me - he was the wild man of the crew - you would have thought he grew up in a bog.

We then went to visit our dear friends in Champaign. First, we were lucky enough to spend a morning with one of my mentors and close friends, Paul and Karolyn Magelli. We had a great breakfast with them and visited the new Illinois MBA building - I did my MBA there so it was nice to get back and see all the changes. It really was nice, and was accomplished in no small part because of Paul's commitment to it.

Then we went to visit Tim and Jen Ellsworth. They are the sweetest people. Their kids are always so wonderful and happy, and their home always feels warm and inviting. Time with Ellsworths is always too short. We did make time to stop by Lil' Porgys to eat some ribs and buy a couple gallons of their magic BBQ sauce. We also went to Curtis orchard, wandered through the corn maze, ate Kettle Popcorn, Apples from the orchard, and apple donuts.

Finally, we drove back and got home at 4:00am in time for me to get to work and the kids to school. It was a whirlwind trip but totally worth it. We're lucky to have so many great friends. It was a delightful weekend, and now that we know we can do it, it will definitely not be our last Illinois road trip.

Dak loved it - would have spent the night in the mud if I'd let him.

Here's the Tagg-man picking apples in Champaign at Curtis Orchard

Payte was nice enough to take turns pulling her little brothers around the farm in the wagon. She's a great sister.

This is Butch. Everybody should know him - he's a man among men, and a treasure to all of the Gary Reynolds family.

Here are the kids with Ella Ellsworth in the corn maze at the farm.

Crazy Tay jumping off the dock at Butch and Dee's farm

Chula, our dog, living the dream of all dogs - to live and run free on a farm

Fearsome Mud Warriors

Great Old Friends!!

2009-09-12T05:07:00.000-07:00

We spent time on our trip visiting dear friends that we haven't seen in years. I miss these good old days.

Butch and Dee

The Ellsworth's

At breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa "Jelly"

First Day Pics

2009-09-12T04:57:00.001-07:00

I had to post these. The kids are excited to back in school, though first grade has been quite and adjustment for Payte. I love school uniforms! It makes our crazy lives a little less complicated.

6 and 4!

2009-09-12T04:03:00.000-07:00

Dak and Payte had their birthdays last month. Reese always takes them on a special birthday date. They got hooked up this year.

He flew with Payte up to D.C. to pick up a car we bought there. They went to all the monuments, and saw the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. She got to play with her cuz Isaac too. They had a blast driving back home, visiting old friends along the way.

You can go to Disney World for free on your birthday. Our super good friends have a son that shares a birthday with Dak, so the dads took the boys for the day.

Tay has no interest in Disney World. We best be thinking of something to match Payte's and Dak's dates. Tough!

Dak and his football cake.

Payte's checkerboard cake. Checkerboard!?!

We had a big "water party" for the kids. We did tons of water games with the kids complete with shaving cream balloons.

"And He Will Sit By Me"

2009-08-30T17:17:00.000-07:00

My children take life in the SLOW lane their first couple years. Milestones are reached at a later date than most. This used to worry me, but I've come to realize that it's just the way they roll. Tagg, for example, didn't start crawling until he was 13 months. He walked at 18. And then, out of nowhere, they hop on the express and seem no further behind other kids their age.

Tagg is suddenly bursting with personality. Two year olds are so dang cute! I could just eat him up. One thing he LOVES to do is sing. I don't even think he is conscious of it. He sings ALL THE TIME, and I love it. I think just about any member of our church, worldwide, knows the words to the song "I am a Child of God."

Here is how it really goes............

I am a child of God, and He has sent me here.

Has given me and earthly home with parents kind and dear.

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, help me find the way.

Teach me all that I must do to live with him someday.

This is Tagg's version..............

I am a child of God, and He will sit by me.

Has given me an earthly home with presents kind and dear.

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, help me find the treats.

Teach me all that I must do to live with him someday.

Yep, I could eat him up.

Swimming with the Dolphins!

2009-08-11T08:30:00.001-07:00

My parents came down in June and took us swimming with the dolphins! They are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary next month, and this was an anniversary present for my mom. Funny, we live an hour and a half from all the Orlando attractions and this is the first thing we've done. My parents are awesome! We had so much fun with them. THANKS Mom and Dad!

Tay riding on the dolphin

Tay kissing it

Payte takin' a ride

my dad

and Reese.

Limo Ride

2009-08-11T08:29:00.002-07:00

Reese had the privilege of marrying his boss last Friday. Wait..........that didn't sound right. Maybe I should say, had the privilege of performing the marriage ceremony of his boss. It was a fantastic event, and we are so happy for you Mike and Chevi!

The wedding party rode together in this Hummer limo. The kids were SO excited.

We were the first ones picked up so we had it to ourselves for about 40 minutes. The kids ran and danced and jumped around as only they can. They loved it.

Before...........

and after.

Flour and Burritos

2009-08-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

The kids love it when we roll them up together in a blanket. That's Payte at the top and I think Tay's feet sticking out.

A favorite Family Home Evening activity. We make a little flour tower and put a penny on top. One by one we cut the flour. Whoever makes the penny drop has to find it and pull it out with their teeth. The kids, of course, try to make the penny drop.

Summer Swimmin'

2009-08-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

The girls found a little snake in the pool. It actually let them play and swim with it for quite some time before slithering away.

Reese took the girls to the beach one day. I sent him with sunscreen fully expecting it not to be used. They came back nice and red. We did the old chocolate chip melt on their burns.

Father's Day

2009-08-11T07:51:00.001-07:00

The kids spelled DAD with their bodies. We put the pics on a glass jar and filled it with candy for Reese to keep at work. He loved it. And let me tell ya......Flordia grass is not at all comfortable to lay in.

Muddy Buddy!

2009-05-17T05:00:00.001-07:00

Reese and I entered the Muddy Buddy challenge in Orlando thanks to our good friend Dolly.

Here's how it works. You and your partner start at the same place same time, but one is on a bike and the other is running. There are four different points over six miles where you must do an obstacle and take off running (or biking if you had previously been running). There is a mud pit at the very end of the race that you must crawl through. Our bike broke on the second leg of the race, so we ended running more than we'd expected. We're going to do it as a family next year. They have a mini-muddy buddy for kids.

Hau Ruk!

2009-05-17T04:48:00.001-07:00

Hau Ruk (I have know idea if I spelled that correctly) is the German version of spoons. We used pennies instead of spoons and had to mark our faces if we lost. These three people are from our ward, one of whom is from Germany. We had SO much fun with them. I can't believe it took us that long to have them over.

Reese, me, Dolly (in the back)

Gary and Walt Burns (she's the one from Germany)

Isn't Family Great!

2009-05-17T04:07:00.000-07:00

Reese's parents are moving away and we are DEVASTATED. We have been SO blessed to have them close to the last two years. Each of our children have a special bond with their grandparents that they wouldn't have otherwise developed. As a result of our close proximity to Mom and Dad, we have enjoyed frequent visits from family members we don't usually get to see. We have seen Jane and Brian, Doug, Shar, and Shacey, and Steve and Karen. We have been able to see more of Reese's siblings and their families. Don't stop visiting because Mom and Dad are gone guys!

Lucy, Payte, Isaac, Dak, Tagg, and Tay (baby Emma not seen)

Aunt Morgen is an AMAZING story teller. She went to the girls' school to perform for their classes. The kids were totally captivated. They all thought she was the BEST story teller ever!

I think this picture of Tagg and Anabelle was taken at Easter. To Tagg, all little girls are Anabelles, and all little babies are Lilas.

This was taken at MaShay's bridal shower in February.

Rub a dub dub

Paintball wars at Mom and Dad's. I don't participate in this one.

Mom is the best! She's always game for anything.

Piano Recital!

2009-05-17T03:29:00.000-07:00

Tay had her first piano recital two weeks ago. We would be hard pressed to find as good of a teacher if we moved away.........and we're not anytime soon. Mrs. Frueh is GREAT with the kids! She is sweet and fun, yet expects a lot out of the kids. She pushes them and they really don't want to disappoint her. I am shocked at some of the pieces she assigns the girls thinking, "There's no way." Yet, they rise to the occasion and learn their music. Tay is further advanced after one year of playing than I was after four. The right teacher can make a HUGE difference. Paying the extra money for an excellent teacher in this case is worth it to me.

Tay and Mrs. Frueh

Payte didn't play in the recital because she just started. She loves it!

Camping!!!

2009-05-17T03:17:00.001-07:00

We wanted to take the kids camping one last time before it became unbearably hot and humid. We had a BLAST!

Tagg wants to do everything we do. He was frustrated with not being able to scale the "castle" wall by himself.

We put Tagg in the tent and the rest of us slept outside (with lots of bug spray).

Eating foil dinners

This is me scaling the wall.

At the Drive-In

2009-05-17T03:09:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to the drive-in to see Monsters vs. Aliens. I thought the movie was dumb and the kids might have too, but they were too busy loving the experience to care.

We Love Florida Because....

2009-05-16T19:10:00.001-07:00

....there are all kinds of critters to catch and birds to chase. I can't walk out my front door and not see a lizard dashing off. I regularly see ALLIGATORS along the bank of a pond I roller blade near. We often have to stop to let peacocks cross on our way to school. We've seen wild turkeys and loads of cranes. There are lots of snakes and frogs too. I'm okay with all of these things as long as they don't end up in the house. The kids fished a huge dead frog out of our pool the other day (disgusting, I know). Frogs are my least favorite of all the above. They are slimy and fat, and I'm about to loose my dinner thinking about them so I'll stop.

Tay caught a lizard and Dak caught a little snake. The lizards will bite down on her fingertips and she walks around with them dangling from her hands. Is she mine?

These sandhill cranes frequent the neighborhood and let us get quite close.

Sandwich Switch Up

2009-05-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

"If you complain about dinner you'll get it for breakfast too." That's what we say to our kids though we rarely follow through. Our kids just know they HAVE to eat what they are served.

Payte always wants a ham and mayo sandwich for lunch, and Tay, PBJ. I make the sandwiches side by side and didn't realize that one day I packed Tay a peanut butter and turkey sandwich and Payte a jelly and mayonnaise. I didn't hear about this until about a month after the incident. Neither of them complained to me. They just ate it all up, YUM!

The Harts!

2009-05-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

Reese's good friend Greg Hart's parents were called as senior missionaries to the Florida Tampa Mission. They left two weeks ago and we were SO sad to see them leave. The kids knew Elder Hart as the MONSTER!!! We all loved it when they came over.

Any Bostonian should be familiar with the book "Make Way for Ducklings." They gave it to us for Christmas. We miss you Harts!

Tagg's Birthday

2009-05-16T14:02:00.001-07:00

Tagg turned 2 in February. I know, I know, that was a while ago. I love this cutie!

We went out for ice cream on his actual birthday.

Here he is in the junk drawer. The junk drawer my place for things I am to lazy to put away at the moment.

We didn't have birthday candles so we used BIG ones. Jane, Brian, Kristi and Van were visiting from Wyoming.

Soccer Dudes!

2009-05-16T13:45:00.001-07:00

I took these pictures months ago. I've been a bad blogger. Dak completed his first soccer season and Payte her fourth. They LOVE Soccer!

Two of the four goofballs

Dak worked super hard every practice.

The Problem with Dogs and Kids Under, or On Top of the Same Roof

2009-03-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

Chula comforting Tagg when he was sick.

I love my kids dearly, even fiercely. I love our dog too. She's great. I can take her out in the front yard without a leash and AlMoSt not worry she will run away. She's playful and affectionate, and I love that too. She loves cars. One time I went out to the garage to find her sitting calmly sitting in the driver's seat of Reese's car with the hazard lights on. She got in through the sun roof. The problem with the kids is that they give her WAY too many opportunities to be a dog; toys and shoes left for her to chew, doors wide open for her to escape, etc, etc. Here is a list of things she has done in the last two weeks.

1. Dug two different holes under the fence to get into each of the neighbors' backyards.

2. Ate all our neighbors bird food.

3. Learned how to climb OVER our fence. It's high and she is not big. You should see her jump!

4. Got on the roof twice.

5. Jumped from our second story balcony to the ground. She was fine. I kind of wish she had gotten a little hurt so she won't do it again.

6. She is currently working on digging a pit for our trampoline. It may be a long time before that's done.

And here she is on the roof.

Kyle and Erica!!!!

2009-03-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

Our GREAT friends Kyle and Erica came down for a visit. We knew them in Seattle. Funny.......we all moved to and from Seattle around the same time. It was SO fun to see them. I miss them. Erica is as sweet and lovely as ever, and Kyle continues - despite having been away from us for over 2 years, to be a huge hit with the kids. It's so great to see old friends doing well and making a difference in the world. We love these two!

Kyle and Tagg

Travellers

2009-02-22T18:03:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody. Reese here. Why Reese, you ask? Well, the truth is that while I'm usually an avid dish doer, I just couldn't get excited about it tonight. So, I thought and thought about what I could do for Kat that she genuinely dislikes more than doing dishes, such that she'd be happy to wash if I took the "other" task. Well, I nailed it - to Kat, writing the blog ranks somewhere between the chicken pox and getting hit by a car. So here I am doing my duty, and she is happily doing dishes, knowing she just bought herself at least another few weeks before she has to post again.

So, what to update you on. Well, as she mentioned we did go to San Francisco which was a hoot. For all those who have a money tree growing in their back yard, I highly recommend moving there (make sure to bring and transplant the tree). If you don't have a $ tree, a visit is about all you should risk. It is beautiful and a blast, make no mistake. We saw all the basic stuff one is meant to see there - Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, etc., and we also snuck across the bridge to see a Redwood forest, which was fantastic; I always love to go to places like Seattle or San Francisco that are completely metropolitan but have nonetheless shown the foresight to preserve some natural sanctuaries. We loved hiking through Muir Woods - it was probably our favorite part of the trip.

Alcatraz!!

Muir Woods

We were also lucky enough to get out to Utah to attend the sealing/wedding of my little sis MaShay. She is the youngest of six siblings in my family, and the only girl, so it was quite an affair. She was also the last of the lot of us to be married, which added to the meaningfulness of the occasion. I can't remember a more spiritual time in quite a while than standing in the temple with all my siblings and our spouses, seeing the last of us sealed for time and eternity. My mom was of course a blubbering mess and pops wasn't much better. I can't blame them, though. Who could imagine anything better than standing with all of your kids and their spouses in the temple. What an overwhelming, indescribable blessing it was to be there.

In classic form, the five brothers stayed up playing basketball till 4:00am the night before the wedding proving to each other yet again that while we may not have moves, we'll not leave the court till somebody is injured beyond the ability to continue. I love those stinkin' brothers and sister of mine. Jessica - (Cody's wife and the last woman to marry into the Reynolds cult) had the hardest time understanding why we just stay up, and stay up, and stay up, coming up with the absolute lamest reasons imaginable to keep awake. And then, when we can't physically stand any longer, rather than deliberately turning in, we just decide to "watch a movie"; that is actually unspoken code for, "let's start a movie; that way we all fall asleep and spend the night in the same room." We just love each other, and when we get to be together it's just hard to waste time sleeping. I think we did however reach an all time low at Christmas when the idea well had run completely dry so we just started smacking each other in the face - I wish I could explain how it is that this was so hysterical, but I cannot - just take my word for it: smacking people you love in the face - very, very funny.

Wedding went swimmingly, MaShay found herself a winner of an eternal best buddy. Trust me, the brothers were not going to be easy on this one, but Jason (the husband) really is the whole package (yes, of course that means he can play soccer).

We were grateful to be able to spend a lot of time with Kat's sister Ashley and her husband Mike. They're great, and their kids are a blast, not to mention that mammoth of a dog that they call a pet, most would call a . . . well, a horse. It's a 110 pound black great dane that bounds about, leveling whatever might be foolish enough to stand in her way - sweet as she is, she's just huge! I loved wrestling her, and the kids liked riding her. Our kids also had a great time playing with theirs in the snow in the back yard. For Tay and Payte it's been years since they've played in snow, and they were beside themselves. We were grateful to have Mike and Ashley there - they provided nice respite from the madness and mayhem of the Reynolds tornado. They are also good at living life the right way - we sure love those guys. It's also so much fun to see our kids building relationships with their cousins - times like those you just wish it wasn't so hard to get together. However, the time apart sure does make you appreciate the time together.

Snowman

Dancing with Livi

Smoothie Time!

Kat and the girls were able to get to the open house of the new Draper Temple that is set to be dedicated shortly. They went with our coolio cousin Katherine (sp? hope she's not reading this). They loved it; I'm so glad my kids now have some perspective on where we're going when we say we're headed to the temple. All you Utah folks are pretty dang lucky to have such great temple access!

Anywho, as you can see all is quite well, kiddies are great, life is fantastic, and well, the dishes look to be done so I'll be signing off. Take 'er easy cluck cluck.

Sans Computer :(

2009-02-13T18:32:00.000-08:00

I always have an excuse not to post. But.......my latest excuse has been legitimized by the absence of my laptop. I'm coming close to a month without now. Here's the story. Reese and I vacationed in San Francisco last month. We packed everything so as to carry it onto the plane. But, the overhead compartments were "full" (which we later discovered weren't). The airlines made us check our baggage which contained my computer, which was either damaged in flight, or damaged by those reckless baggage dudes. I was REALLY bugged as US Airways refused to give any compensation. I rely on my laptop for lots of things, but it's been kind of nice in a SmAll way. I haven't found myself more productive (I can get a lot done in a day). But, I've been more thoughtful and more in tune with the needs of my family and of others. I'm getting my priorities in line......again.
I'm doing this on Reese's computer, still not knowing when I'll replace mine, and I'm just fine with that. I don't think I've ever posted without pictures. CrAzY! That's more than half the reason I look at any one's blog. I love pictures.

Bloggin' in Bulk

2009-01-14T08:57:00.000-08:00

I apologize to anyone who even looks like this anymore for not updating in a while. I'll try to be good about it from here on out. Wait, maybe I'll go for better, not good.

We went to my parents' house for Christmas!! It was SO much fun!

Look out ladies! Ross is home from his mission as of Dec. 24th.

I love Ross! I'm pumped he's home.

At the airport.

Ross and Mo.

Does anyone notice anything different about me? Okay I'll tell ya. Earrings! I was allergic to metal my whole life. I must have outgrown it! I've worn the beautiful jewelry my daughters give me from time and time and, yay, no rash. I got my ears pierced in October without any problems and got earrings for Christmas for the first time ever. It's been fun.

My sweet Dad and sweet Lilly

Tagg and Taden. Don't they look like trouble?

Payte and Mo

The kids had a blast with their uncles.

-

Mom, Maranda, Lilly, and Tay

The kids AdOrE my mom. She is the BEST! She's so imaginative and fun. She gets a hotel room for the herself and the kids when we come. They love it.

The holidays took their toll on Dak and Tagg. Too much partying I suppose.

Thanksgiving

2009-01-14T08:24:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Reese's cousin Katherine and her GORGEOUS family came to Florida for the long weekend. I'm SO glad they came. They were tons of fun to be around and made easy house guests. And guess what?! There was frost on the ground Thanksgiving morning. I soak in every cloudy, cold day we get.

We went canoeing on The Little Manattee River near Mom and Dad's. So fun.

Mom, Payte, Dak and Dad

Tagg HATES boating. I think he really just hates wearing a life jacket. I managed to get a smile out of him.

Tay and Noelle getting comfortable

Big Cats and Little Kats

2009-01-13T18:33:00.000-08:00

I said "Little Kats" because Tay's first name is Kathleen and she is SUPER little (for her age).

Tay's birthday was on November 7th. She was lucky enough to have both sets of grandparents there. She's seven going on 30. Her interests and tastes are way beyond her years.

Here is a list of things she wanted for her birthday.

1. Homemade chicken noodle soup

2. A Precious Moments figurine

3. An abacus

4. A subtraction book

Tay loves to write, read and play the piano, which she will choose to do over playing with other kids. I learn A LOT from her example. She always wants to do the right thing and is super disciplined. We challenged Tay to read the Book of Mormon by herself before her baptism in November. She's on track and honestly loves it.

I need to watch myself! For her, doing the right thing means doing what Mom does. In November the kids voted in school. She, not knowing anything about either candidate (my fault) voted for Obama, like everyone else. Of course, Payte voted for Obama because his name sounded cooler.

She had an "I VOTED!" sticker on her shirt when she got home from school. I asked, "Who'd ya vote for?" She proudly said, "Obama! Are you voting for him too?"

"Probably not," was my response.

She immediately broke down. She thought she had done something terrible. In vain tried to explain that everything was okay. On the real election day she tried in desperation to get me to change my vote. She fumed all the way to the bus and wouldn't hug, much less look at me as she stormed on.

I love that girl so much!

Reese's old boss Abilio took us to Big Cat Rescue. It's a reserve for all kinds of exotic cats that have been rescued from people's attempts at turning them into domestic pets. We were able to walk around the cages and with the cats in close proximity. They had all kinds of cats; lions, tigers, panthers, jaguars, leopards. You name it they had it.

Has anyone ever seen or heard of Christian and Lion? He's on youtube. He was a domesticated lion who was set free in Africa. He had a joyful reunion with his owners some time later. I kept thinking of that while we were at this park. Christian the Lion is the antithesis of what this park is all about.

Pajama Day?????

2008-11-19T17:27:00.000-08:00

Tay, Payte, Dak, and Tagg in their NY nightshirts.

I LOVE these kids!

Well, yesterday was pajama day at school . . . allegedly. I don't know what might have been going on in our minds to simply rely on Payte's loose recollection that yesterday was the day. We have certainly been around with her long enough that it should have occurred to us to verify her info - not to mention the fact that Tay did not remember it the way Payte did . . . and frankly when Tay tells us something, you can bet on it. Nonetheless, we blindly moved ahead with full faith in Payte. As you can imagine, upon mounting the bus it didn't take long for them to notice that strangely they were the only ones participating in the pajama party. Upon arrival at school, it was clear that there was no pajama party. That's when the fun begins. Tay was mortified. She had a cute little pair of blue bottoms with a little blue top and her pink robe. It wasn't long before she was in tears and completely embarrassed. They took her to the office to see what they could do. They eventually found some clothes in the lost and found that they gave her - of course there was nothing close to small enough but with a few rolls to cuffs it would do, and she actually felt pretty cool in her new-found duds, especially when they said she could keep them.

Meanwhile, across the building in the Kindergarten, Payte's experience was unfolding as one might expect. For her, the pajama party was certain to go on. She couldn't have cared less that she was the lone kid in PJ's, in fact she was feelin' pretty good that while all the others had to wear their uniforms, she was chillin out in her PJ's - the fact that they were bright green flannel pants and a loud Christmas tee with a big dog in a Santa hat simply didn't phase her. With her confidence I'm sure that her class envied rather than teased . . . kind of like Tom Sawyer and whitewashing of the fence. That's ol' Payte for you.

I am constantly in awe at how different two kids from the same chromosomes can be. Tay a strict rule follower, proper in every way and determined to be perfect. The only day she got an average grade she could hardly bear to go back to school the next day she was so upset. At the same time, she's tender and maternal, a real care-giver; loves to help others. Payte is not completely oblivious to rules, she just isn't sure she's not here to simply have a good time, and any rules should take that overall goal into consideration. I don't know what it would take to embarrass her. She takes life as it comes, not trying to be anybody's hero, and is totally at peace. What a pair. The amazing part is that they can play together peacefully for hours; Tay running the show, Payte just happy to be there and let Tay do it.

Thought I'd throw this in. They love to play in the rain when it's not thundering.

!!!!!!!!!!!CLOSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-10-26T10:03:00.001-07:00

Tay was sent to time out the other day. She frequents the dreaded purple room a lot less than the other children. But, sometimes the wrong buttons get pushed and she gets worked up beyond a point of no return. It's at this time that she becomes absolutely hysterical. It is utterly impossible to talk or reason with her. She's an absolute MADwoman!

Anyway, I let her calm down and went in to talk to her. She had barricaded herself in the couch with pillows and posted the following sign.

I wouldn't want to talk to me either after an episode like that.

Virginia............Home Sweet Home.

2008-10-20T03:11:00.001-07:00

Reese and I took the girls up to Virginia two weeks ago for SVU's homecoming. It's where we met (awwwwwhhhhh). I LOVE this place. I've been saying that about various different locations lately. If it's not Florida, I love it. But really, it is a wonderful place to go to school. We caught up with old friends that feel like family to us.

This is Main Hall. Isn't it beautiful! I lived in this building when I was there. The fall in this town is spectacular! The rolling hills and mountains are covered in colors of yellow, red and orange.

Reese played in the annual alumni soccer game. These guys are getting OLD! They could barely walk by the end of the game.

This is Tay with Jessica and Jennifer Brotherson. I babysat these two when I was in college. They babysat my two while we were there. The Brotherson's are a super amazing family. We love and respect them so much. And wow, I must say it was so easy to just have the girls with us. I started getting everyone ready for church at my usual time and ended up with an hour to spare!

Chula! Chula!

2008-09-28T13:22:00.001-07:00

Meet the newest member of our family, Miss Tigress Chula Reynolds. Tay (Kathleen Tay) named her. She didn't want to be the only one in the family who goes by their middle name.

We promised Tay a dog when we got back from our Seattle trip. I was NOT really looking forward to getting one. I've always liked the IdEa of having my kids grow up with a dog, but wasn't willing, until now, to let it become a ReAliTy. This change of heart towards pets might shock those who knew me when I was young. I LOVED dogs; not so much anymore.
Anyway, we went to the humane society two weeks ago to scope things out. We immediately fell in love with a six month old, brindle colored retriever/who knows what else mix. She's great! She is playful, affectionate, and relatively obedient. The kids love her and I can honestly say I'm excited to have her in the family. She'll be a GREAT lifelong addition.

Horse Pack Trip

2008-09-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

The Reynolds clan are cowboys at heart. If they could provide for their families just by being cowboys, they'd do it, every one of them.`They must get that from their Dad. He grew up in Cody Wyoming on the back of a horse. For a Valentine's gift the Reynolds wives conversed and decided to send the husbands on a week long Wyoming horse pack trip with just their immediate family. What were we thinking?! I was happy to let them do it and was a LOT happier when it was over.

They had a fabulous time! It was an amazing experience for my in-laws to spend that much time with JUST their grown up kids. I know Reese's parents love all their daughters-in-law and grandchildren. But honestly, every parents' pride and joy are their children, their own flesh and blood. I'm just wondering when I'm going to get to take off for week to a destination of my choice, sans kids.

The whole fam. Cody, Ryan, Reese, Daman, MaShay, Brady, Dad, and Mom

The only injury requiring special attention was Reese's gash in the back of his head. He was breaking branches from a tree. A piece of wood flew at him and sliced his head open. They disinfected it, but alas, it kept coming open. Then, Cody grabbed the staple gun from the horses' first aid kit they discussed the merits of a couple staples in the back of his head. After not nearly enough deliberation, they went ahead and stapled my husband's head shut. Reese admits he could have survived without the staples, but he simply couldn't resist the excuse to see what it was like to be stapled, so he went for it. Besides, Cody was an expert; he'd seen it done once before in a hospital . . . on TV I'd imagine - plenty qualified for the ol' "Reynolds try". I asked Reese how he planned on getting the staples out. He said, "I don't know. You can pull 'em out with pliers." NO WAY! We called our pediatrician neighbor and she took them out with some special contraption which she let us keep. Reese now wants us to have our own people staple gun. Who knows, it might come in handy.

On the trail.

They all slept in the same tent, bunched together to keep warm.

I couldn't believe the amount of preparation a trip like this required. Everything had to be carefully packed and measured. It's a form of art I don't understand. Reese said it took them three hours every morning to pack the horses and get on the trail. Then another two or three hours at the end of the day to set up camp. Not my idea of a good time, but they loved it.

It snowed on them a few times.

Drying out gloves over the fire

Payte's 5!! Dak's 3!! Wooohoooo!

2008-08-31T10:27:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to these two Buccaneers!

Payte's and Dak's birthdays are August 24th and 27th respectively.

Arrrrrgh!

Dak, Dak, Dak.......I love this boy! He melts my heart.

His smile is as bright as his scowl is scary. His greatest love in life is probably his sister Payte. He copies her every word and action, literally. If Payte accidentally trips and falls, Dak voluntarily face plants alongside her.

Payte has the most endearing personality! It is impossible to not love her.
She has a special ability to enjoy people of all different types and ages. She is very confident and comfortable with herself, and others can in turn feel comfortable around her. I honestly haven't seen anything like it. She can make AnYoNe feel loved.

Dak wrapped up in his new Thomas towel.

This is a shot of Payte opening up her pirate sword. She was so excited....obviously.

A Bouquet of Newly Sharpened Pencils

2008-08-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

Does anyone know where this post's title comes from? We had an interesting first week of school. Here's how it went..........

Two excited girls on their way to the bus stop

Uh-oh, Payte looks a little worried. Actually, she was really excited to start Kindergarten. The bus came little earlier than expected and she didn't like being rushed to the corner as the bus nearly whizzed past us.

The second day of school was cancelled due to threats of Hurricane Fay. She never hit us. It barely even rained that day. We were slightly disappointed we didn't get to see more action.

Tay fell during P.E. on the real second day of school and broke her nose.

Thursday went smoothly. Yeah! But then came Friday......
..Reese, Tay, and his parents left Friday afternoon for Alabama to attend Lila's baby blessing. We dog sat Chief, my in-law's dog. I love him! We also had Jackson, a jack-russell puppy that Tay wants to adopt. Funny that I got stuck with him while Tay was gone. Minutes after Reese left, Tagg threw up all over me. Dak and Payte soon followed suit, and I ended up tending and cleaning up after dogs and sick children all weekend. I actually felt more sorry for Payte than for me. It's her birthday today and she feels miserable. We will be celebrating her another day.

In Seattle

2008-08-24T14:42:00.001-07:00

We spent the first two weeks of August in the Great Northwest. I was about as nervous to go as I was excited; Nervous because I was afraid I wouldn't want to go back home; and I mean really seriously NOT want to go back home. My apprehensions turned into reality upon our arrival in Seattle. It was cold and rainy. Ahhhhh, my kind of weather! We had a SuPeR GrEaT time! We hit Cow Chip Cookies, the XXX root beer joint, and of course Starbucks several times for hot chocolate. Starbucks does exist in Florida but the experience is just not the same.
I flew out with the three older kids and Reese came out with Tagg a couple days later. Reese had to get back to work so I was going to have to fly back with all four by myself. YUCK! Linda Krulish, a friend from our Sammamish ward found this out and bought a ticket for her 18 year old daughter Amanda to fly back with me. What a lifesaver Amanda turned out to be! Reese taught Amanda in seminary before we moved so it was fun for him to have her around too. We love you Amanda and hope you come back soon!

Dak throwing rocks in the river at Snoqualmie Falls

Reese and Tagg at a beach on Lake Washington

We went to see the Blue Angels fly. We had never been before. I didn't take this picture; that would have been impressive. They flew right over our heads in this formation. It was super cool!

Tagg and me at the city center

My kids loved exploring off trail on the way to the waterfalls. We were all grateful to breath in some fresh crisp air.

With Friends

2008-08-23T17:55:00.000-07:00

(Sigh) How I wish we still lived in Seattle. I had a lovely time visiting old friends. We kept ourselves on the go as we bounced from house to house. I didn't take my camera everywhere we went so I don't have pics of lots of people we saw. I felt like I was back home. There are people there that I love like family.

Our dear friends the Paxman's had a little dessert party for us at their home, allowing us to see lots of friends at once.

Not pictured are the Salmon's. We went to their house one night. They took such good care of us while we lived there. Lori was out of town:( so we skyped her and got to see not only her, but Kath and Tim's new baby twins!

Also not pictured are the Cardon's. I got to hold Dana's beautiful new baby Daniel and go to Cam's eagle court of honor.

I went out one night with the ladies from my old dinner group, Rachel, TeriAnne, and Jen, which was a blast. I saw Chantalle and three of her kids. We also went to the Hansen's new home and spent an evening eating, talking, and boating. I had to cancel a play date with the Jessica Forsgren to take Tagg to the doctor:( He had a bad case of croup.

This is Audrey Elison and Tay. We stayed with them the first two nights. Her mom Tracy is one of my best friends and my old jogging partner. I have a TON of admiration for her. We went walking at 5:30 in the morning, just like old times, and yes it rained (grrrrrrrrr).

We went to dinner at the Ranck's one night. Michelle planned a whole fish-themed party for us. We had SO much fun! She gave the kids fish cups, and let them whack a fish pinata. There was also hat and cookie decorating with lots of rainbow goldfish to eat. (Sigh...again) I miss you Michelle. You are so wonderful!

The pinata fell off the rope so Jeff bravely held it while my kids beat it up with a bat. Becca finally busted it open.

Tanner Paxman and Payte. My kids LOVE Tanner! He graciously played with them many many times. Dak asks me several times a day if we can "go to Vicki's."

Pictured above are Vicki, Tanner, and my kids. We stayed with the Paxman's several nights.
We LOVE them! I don't usually like to talk on the phone but I can spend hours talking to Vicki. It makes my day when she calls. I'm so comfortable with her. She is down to earth, funny, and genuinely loving. I keep trying to come up with a way for someone in my family to marry someone in her family; probably won't happen. I love you Vicki.

I forgot to bring Tagg's pajamas so I put him in one of Dak's T-shirts and Vicki put these huge socks on him.

At Ryan and Angi's

2008-08-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

We spent the week after Cody's wedding with Ryan and Angi. I LOVE those guys! Brady and Julie were there too so it was double the fun..... and triple the diapers. I MISS MISS MISS living close to them. I am always amazed at the strength of Reese's family. I could go on and on but I'll just say that they are the BEST........yep, that pretty much sums it up.

Here we are at the International Water Bowl in the Seattle city center. The kids had a blast!

Posing atop an old stump on a hike at Whidbey Island

Thys is the oldest of the grandchildren on the Reynolds side. He is a wonderful kid! I love hanging out with him.

Josie, Ryan and Angi's youngest. I have the most beautiful nieces!

Taking the ferry to Whidbey

Mia and Tagg. She's a sweetie!

Angi made homemade raspberry lemonade. I didn't even get to try any because they sold out so quickly. Payte was in charge of the candy sales. It was amusing watching her trying to convince people they needed her candy.

Tay and Mia, best cousins.

Slip-n-slidin' in the backyard

Mia, Anabelle (did I spell it right Julie?), and Tay

Cody's Wedding

2008-08-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

Cody married Jessica Gibb two weeks ago! We are SO excited for them. We can't wait to get to know Jess better and are SuPeR excited to have her in our family. I love weddings! They are SO much fun. I would love to get married all over again........to Reese of course.

The happy couple cutting the cake.

Payte watched out for Dak and made sure his bow tie wasn't crooked.

I love this pic of Tagg though it is a little blurry.

Cody's Angels from left to right, Angi, Morgen, MaShay, Jess, Me, and Julie

Don't Mess with a Reynolds!!!!

2008-07-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

Morgen, Isaac, and Lucy (Reese's brother's wife and kids) came down for a visit. Some of my favorite childhood memories are playing with cousins. I was THRILLED to see my kids play, play, and play some more with theirs.
An interesting thing happened with the monsters pictured below at my in-laws pioneer party the other day. I made Reese sit down and write out the story, as he is much more articulate than I. Here it is.........

I witnessed for the first time, the Reynolds Mafia mentality expressing itself amongst the young generation . . . and frankly didn't know how to react.

We were visiting Mom and Pops' ward in Sun City, FL for their Pioneer Day activity. Morgen, Isaac, and Lucy were in town from D.C. so it was particularly enjoyable for Payte, as she and Isaac get along like "peas and carrots" as Forrest Gump would say. They were inseparable for a week and unbelievably capable at working out their differences - I honestly have not seen anything like it before.
Anyway, there they were, running in circles in the church gym as Dak ferociously chased them, making his most intimidating monster growls. It was quickly clear to the by standing children where the fun was at, and they attempted to join in. However, Dak wasn't interested in chasing any of these unfamiliar folks, so he continued only to pursue Isaac and Payte. Well, it turned out that one little boy didn't like being neglected by Dak the Destroyer and chose to deal with it by giving a stout, unexpected shove to Isaac that put him directly on his bootie. Isaac was surprised, and so shocked that he frankly didn't know how to respond. Within literally less than two seconds Payte came charging in at the aggressor, the full weight of her most vicious scowl bearing down on the little boy like a ton of lead. She had seen what happened, and it was not going to go unpunished. Dak, bolstered by Payte's convictions and also having seen the shove, redirected his monster growl upon this perpetrator . . . who was quickly regretting his choice of victims. Isaac quickly came around and was suddenly on his feet, shoulder to shoulder with Payte, the three of them now crushing the little boy with stares that one should not see on the faces of kids so young. Then Payte slowly began to move closer, step by step towards the boy, Isaac and Dak inches behind . . . I honestly did not know what was about to happen, and I actually had a moral struggle as to what I would do - I was so stunned by this behavior that my curiosity was just overflowing to see what was actually going to happen. However, I quickly stepped in and "diffused" the situation - after all, it was in the church.
So, after I had called off the dogs and they had justified to their satisfaction their hostile actions, the scared and humbled boy sulked away. I saw real threat in those eyes of Payte, and in Dak I saw a face that said "go for it Payte, I'm in". I waffled between pride in their defensiveness of their cousin and their self-confidence, and the fact that I had just seen them rally the Reynolds gang to intimidate a boy nearly to tears just with their heavy stares.
I'm glad I stopped it. As for right now, I think we're going to reconsider the Karate class Payte wants to join.

Morgen and Lucy

Lucy at the piano. Isn't she beautiful!?!

Say CHEESE! This is Tagg's camera smile. Nice buddy!

Cousins sleeping in a fort.
"like peas and carrots"

Happy 33rd Honey!

2008-07-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

I threw a big surprise party for Reese this year. He was SO surprised (probably because I did it three weeks before his birthday). I was thrilled! It's VERY hard to pull one over on him. He can always tell when I'm keeping something from him, and always finds (without meaning to) the presents I've thought I hid in a good spot. I think his mom was even more ecstatic that we surprised him than I was.
Reese was out of town and working a lot of late nights on the weeks preceding the party. The night before he told me he felt bad about being gone so much and that he would be coming home at lunch time the next day. I enthusiastically said, "Oh, great! The kids will be so glad!" I was, of course, not so glad on the inside. I called his boss and he agreed to keep Reese at the office for the entire day. Reese was NOT too happy with him, though, and his boss agreed to give him Monday off for not letting him go home early that day. Thank you Kimball and Abilio for helping me pull this off!

This is us on Reese's real birthday. He wanted flan. What the?? I DON'T like flan. It's too eggy. I hate eggs. But, he WAS the birthday boy.

Friends Forever!

2008-07-11T04:47:00.000-07:00

Tagg and I briefly visited Utah during the 4th so we could go to the Miller Family Reunion. I don't have pics from that yet so I'll post them later.

I was able to go out with the ole neighborhood gang. I love these girls! Teresa (far left) and I were inseparable during our Senior year. I loved picking rice out of the pot at her house; lots of good times.

I remember once getting splinters all over my toes as I climbed my fence into Andrea's backyard. Do you still have that Karl Malone towel you had hanging in your room? It was a towel wasn't it; priceless.
It was SO fun to catch up with these ladies. So much has happened to us over the years and we've only recently reconnected through blogging. But, it felt like we had never been apart. Friends forever!

This is my AMAZING sister Ashley and my BEST friend from junior high Haley.

Haley and I lived directly across the street from one another. We had the GREATEST times together. I remember dragging a cooler up the hill to sell snow cones to the younger neighborhood kids. We gave them a dinky LiTtLe cup with shaved ice, put some kool-aid on it and charged them 75 cents. We made twelve bucks that day and promptly took our proceeds to Baskin Robbins where we bought a turtle pie. Yum yum!

I don't know if Haley and I were immature for our age, or if we were just trying to hang on to our childhood as long as we could. We spent countless hours playing, or should I say romping. Yes, I think romping adequately describes our activities. We just had a lot of good active fun. Love you Haley!

One of the best parts of my trip was spending time with Ashley. She Is Superwoman (and I'm not just saying that because she has done two iron mans). She spent the night in the hospital just before my family descended upon her. She found out that she is diabetic. But, she is also eight weeks pregnant, and those first few weeks of untreated diabetes increases the chances of birth defects. She prepared a HUGE meal for the family reunion all from scratch, gracefully let us take over her home, took care of her three kids and Great Dane puppy, allowed visitors to pop in and out, and made another homemade meal, pie included, all while she dealt with the joys :) of early pregnancy and tried to get a handle on her diabetes. She did this all effortlessly. She is also a wonderful mom! Her kids are so sweet and mild mannered (at least compared to mine). She does lots of fun projects with her kids and religiously keeps a scrapbook/journal for them. I don't know how she does it all. You're the best Ash!

Four

2008-06-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by my wonderful sis!

4 jobs I have had: pizza maker, bank teller, college recruiter, and mom

4 movies I can watch over and over: You've Got Mail, Lord of the Rings, White Christmas, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

4 places I have lived: Washington, Indiana, Virginia, Utah

4 favorite foods: cookie dough, dal makhani (indian food), ricotta cheese, mom's homemade bread

4 favorite TV shows: House, Alias, The Bob Newhart Show, Gilmore Girls

4 places I'd rather be: I'm happy right where I am, but maybe my old house in Seattle, asleep in my bed, or on a Mediterranean cruise

4 places I've been: Hungary, Italy, Austria, Canada

Our Poor SHORT Kids!

2008-06-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

Reese and I knew when we married that our children would inevitably be shrimps. Tay and Dak both fall in the 3rd percentile in height and weight. Payte and Tagg are GiAnTs compared to them, as they fall in the 25th and 40th percentiles respectively. What is so unfortunate about this is that Tay and Dak will soon be looking UP to their next youngest sibling. I am often asked if I have TwO sets of twins!
Last week Tay, my almost 7 year old, went to a Summer camp at a nearby private school. One of the kids asked, "How old ArE you, 3?" She responded, "I do NOT look like I'm 3! I look like I'm 4." I guess she's pretty comfortable with her height if she can admit she looks like a four year old:) So funny!

Tay and her sweet friend Lauren Chapman (same age)
Payte and Tay

This is Dak and Tagg a month and a half ago. Dak IS slouching but Tagg will catch him in no time.

Happy Father's Day Honey! I LOVE you!

2008-06-14T20:58:00.001-07:00

2008-06-14T19:49:00.001-07:00

I know everyone says that their husband or father is the world's greatest Dad. Well, they are wrong because Reese IS the best Dad EVER! I could go on and on about why. One thing that he is really great at is making his time with our children QUALITY time. Work has kept him away from home a lot this year. There has been a lot of traveling and late evenings at the office. But, when he IS home he makes every minute count. Our evenings are filled with reading, wrestling, biking, swimming (I don't participate in that one), laughing, and talking. Even at the park you'll find him climbing all over the playground as he chases them. Reese never wears out. Mommy seems so boring after a few hours with Dad. He also knows just the right thing to say to help our children understand and solve the problems they face. They love him so much and trust him completely. They know they can count on him to do the right thing and that in turn helps them to choose the right. I love him so much too! He really is the best dad! We are SO lucky to have you honey!

Upbraideth Not!

2008-06-09T12:35:00.000-07:00

A few hours after church yesterday I got a call from a cute little black lady in our ward. Her name is Renee. She is probably in her late thirties and is the sweetest little thing. She carries a different picture each week, usually a flower that she has drawn, in a Wal-Mart bag and gives it to someone that is visiting ,or someone she thinks needs a little extra happiness in their day. The other thing is that she clearly has some mental and social disablities.

The first thing she said to me in her sweet southern drawl was, "Now I love ya and I don't want ya to be mad at me ya hear? So don't me mad, ya hear? Are ya gonna be mad?" I assured her that I wouldn't be mad. She then quoted a James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and UPBRAIDETH NOT; and it shall be given him. "

Then she said, "The Lord is not happy with you. He loves you, but you been braidin' your girls' hair and He don't like that, ya hear! He says, upbraideth not. Now ya gotta stop doin' those braids. Now don't be mad, ya know I love ya like a daughter." I tried to cut in and tell her I wan't upset, but she went on and on about how she and Jesus loved me, and how she loved my daughters' hair, except of course when it was in braids. It was all I could do to hold back my laughter! I maybe should have helped her understand what that scripture really meant, but I didn't know what to say at the moment. I'll either have to explain it to her later or stop braiding my kids' hair for church:)

Since I was on the subject of hair I thought I'd add a picture of Tagg. I recently decided to grow his hair out and discovered his beautiful curls! I have no idea where they came from.

Rainy Days and Mondays

2008-06-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

Does anyone know this song? It's by "The Carpenter's," who my mom loves. In it she says, "rainy days and Mondays always get me down." I personally LOVE rainy days. I miss the endless clouds and rain of Seattle. This Florida sunshine has been hard on me. However, I REALLY don't like Mondays. Even as a kid I experienced sleepless Sunday nights, dreading the beginning of a new week. Wow! I sound like I need therapy!
Anyway, I feel like I've had a lot of Mondays lately. When it rains it pours. I won't get into everything that has happened, and none of it's awful awful. But I will say, to those of you who knew I was pregnant, that I miscarried early last week. It didn't come as a shock. I was actually expecting it to happen. We knew from the beginning that the baby wasn't developing properly. I'm sad, yes, but relieved at the same time. I spent so much energy worrying and hoping, and now that burden is no longer there. I'm still young too. I have plenty of time to have that big family I've always dreamed of. Plus I still have four beautiful, healthy children and a wonderful husband.
Does anyone feel bad for feeling sad? I do. If I get upset when something goes wrong, I feel like I need a big slap in the face to remind me how tremendously blessed I am. When I realize how much I HaVe been given I start to feel bad that I had wanted more. I feel so selfish and ungrateful!
Well, now onto my frivolous problem. With each of my four pregnancies I have gained about 15 pounds in the first three to four months and maybe 4 pounds after that. It's awful! I look like a blimp during the first trimester. Then, suddenly, the weight comes off my face, arms, etc, and goes to my belly where it should be. I gained a good seven pounds while I was pregnant for those ten weeks. I NEED to get it off now. I'm starting tomorrow since I can't start today (it's my birthday). I'm also putting a weight tracker on my blog to keep me motivated. I've done the South Beach Diet in the past. It works for me, so here I go again. Anyone want to join in?
Sorry, no pictures in this post. I look and feel like a SLOB! Oh, and sorry for all the whining.

The BIG Melon!

2008-05-24T17:51:00.001-07:00

Dak has a HUGE head! I've seriously been asked at least three times by StRaNgErS if I had to have a C-section with him. And, no, I didn't. His body is in the 5th percentile. I'll assume responsibility for that. His head is in the 95th! That one comes from the Reynolds. This imbalance causes him to bump his head ALL the time! He rarely fusses about it. A loud thud is often followed by these words from Dak, "I bonked.....again."

This one happened today at the park at our ward picnic.

This occured when Dak was sixteen months. Crying followed both of these goose eggs but, as you can see, he quickly bounces back.

End of the School Year Events

2008-05-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

The end of the school year seems just about as busy as the beginning. The kids' folders come home full of JuNk (information) about end of the year sales and activities. Tay's Kindergarten class performed "The Ugly Duckling." It was very cute. Tay was one of the narrators and she did a WoNdErFuL job!

Tay and her best friend Selia, who chose a green cast to go with her costume.

Tay is second from the right (about two heads shorter than everyone else)

This is Payte with her teachers Ms. Annette, Ms. Glenda, and Ms. Rosa. I was thrilled with how well Payte did at school this year. She FINALLY developed an appetite for learning and accomplishment.

We are SO lucky to have at least one set of Grandparents close. We love that they can join us for things like this.

Starting Over

2008-05-16T13:49:00.000-07:00

That's right..........I have to start a new blog. My old one was deleted and there have been many failed attempts in retrieving it. I'm so bummed! That was kind of like a family journal.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day. I LOVE being a mom. I can't count how many times a day I look at my family and think, "What did I do to deserve all this?"

Dak was able to stay at Grandma and Grandpa Reynolds' house for three whole days all by himself. I was SO happy he had the opportunity to do that! I'm also grateful for wonderful in-laws who could give him that experience. I'm am always dragging the boys to the girls' stuff, so it was GREAT for Dak to have his grandparents, aunt, and uncle to himself. I think it's good for children to grow up in large families where they have to share everything. They are deeply loved but

understand that the world doesn't revolve around them. On the other hand, I think every child should have moments, or even a few days like the ones Dak just had where he was the center of attention. He got to go to the beach with MaShay and was attached to Grandpa's hip the rest of the time. He LOVES his Grandpa!

We all got together on MaShay's birthday to see the Lion King. It was amazing. It's worth going to just to see the costumes. Payte chuckled every time Rafiki came onto the stage. Everyone around us was laughing at her loud laughter. Happy Birthday MaShay! We love you! And finally, I was giving Tagg a bath in the kitchen sink. I put a few old markers in with him. He loves markers. I turned around to help Payte with something. I turned back around and saw this.........................