Carlisle Chronicles

Finally a chill in the air!!!

2010-12-08T19:07:00.000-08:00

It's begining to feel a lot like Christmas! We went to Lani's Christmas concert last night, they did a lovely job. The twins got the giggles through the it. Which gave me a little bit of the giggles through it. They have very infection laughter. But I straightened up and played Mom.

Tonight was the Young Women's in Excellence program. Lani's value was integrity... she told about the spiritual thought slips she made for the year and about her 14 hours of volunteer time at the city library.

School SMHOOL!

2010-11-13T19:40:00.000-08:00

Feeling a bit distgruntled that after all these years of schooling it seems like there is so much more left to do. Each transfer doesn't want to accept the other credits.. blah blah blah. Get tiresome. I have so many classes that can't be used for anything... BUT I guess i have lots of great information! HA.. I keep hoping there will come a time that i will be able to use them. We shall see. I will keep plugging away and see if Leelani graduates college before me.

Thankful log Day 13- I am grateful for the blessings, gifts and talents that my Heavenly Father has so abundantly given me.

Thankful log Day 12- I am thankful for my Robinson family. I am grateful for all the gifts and lessons they have instilled me with and the fun active life we led growing up. They have alwasy been so very talented and supportive. I don't get to see them very often but they have left a stamp on my life. I am appreciate of my father who never said "we can't do that". But who always said, "You know what else would be cool!" Then had the wits and creativity to make is happen.

Thankful log Day 11- I am thankful for all the selfless men and women of the armed forces, emergency services, all law enforcement officers / agencies and organizations as well as security forces that help to keep us safe.

Thankful log Day 10- I am thankful for washing machines and dryers. I can't imagine how long i would spend doing my families laundry wihtout them. I guarantee we would not have as many clothes to our name if i had to do them all by hand.

Had a lesson on Gratitude for FHE

2010-11-09T17:07:00.000-08:00

Last night for Family Home Evening we talked about Gratitude. First of all, Anthony actually remembered that President Monson's talk was on Gratitued... I was floored and so proud of him. We all shared ways we can show gratitude and each kid wrote down 5 things they are grateful for and drew pictures. I have to say... Mom, Dad and Hot Chocolate made the same list. I have been letting them have hot chocolate at least once a day. It was a big hit!

Thankful Log Day 9- I am grateful and truly blessed by the wonderful Carlisle Family I have married into. I am so glad we spent our first 7 years living in MT getting to know them and feel a part of them. I am amazed time ang again at the generosity they pour out to the world! We are very proud of you all!

Christmas is coming....

2010-11-08T08:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas is on it's way. I am trying to get hints of realistic things I can get the kids. It felt like I had started to gather things earlier... but apparently not that many things. HA I know time is clicking along so fast. It seems like just last week i was complaining about how summer was here... now here we are less than 50 days away from CHRISTMAS!!! UGH...

I have friends all ready planning the BLACK FRIDAY strategies. I just don't know how it is all going to come along this year. We shall see. I think it might be fun to do an all homemade decoration tree this year. There are enough of us that the ornaments would fill up fast.

Thankful Log Day 8- I am thankful for church youth leaders, school teachers and all positive mentors who help teach our children how to be faithful, positive and productive members of society and show them they are loved outside the home. Thank you for being part of "Our Village"

Thankfullness Count Down!

2010-11-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

Over on Facebook, we have been posting things we are thankful for everyday as a countdown to Thanksgiving day. I thought i needed to bring them here as well.

Thankful log Day 1: Thankfull for the song Ninety and Nine by Michael McLean. Ever since hearing it a few weeks ago at the Time of For Women, i have been so touched by it. We always hear songs about our Savior out looking for the lost souls... We rarely hear a song written just for those of us who try day after day and follows the Savior with all our flaws.

Thankful log Day 2: Thankful for modern technology and that i don't have to build a fire every day to cook or make my own flour or gather my own eggs. I am greatful for grocery stores and all the modern conveinances we have.

Thankful log Day 3: My kids are growing older and smarter at a normal rate. They are getting big dreams and starting to have goals for their futures! Coincidentally this makes them ask for more and more expensive things at Christmas time.

Thankful log Day 4: I am thankful for lovely energetic children that actually want to talk to me. Hopefully we can work it out so it is not all at the same time. That gets hard.

Thankful log Day 5: Love it when my children are happy in the mornings and for one on one time with sick kids. Very important when we have higher numbers... everyone needs it!

Thankful log Day 6: Grateful for the gorgeous FALL weather we are having and the fantastic world GOD has created.

Thankful log Day 7: I am greatful for a wonderful loving husband; who makes me laugh, cry and want to hit him... Sometimes all at the same time. He is an amazing father, husband and my perfect match. I thank God every day for bringing us together!

Fall Frenzy!

2010-10-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

Fall is in the air... just noticed I have not updated this since April!!! WOW Time Flies!
School is progressing ever so fast, the kids are growing too. Leelani has been working hard in cross country. I got to go to the Time Out For WOmen this year. It was great fun!

Bill and I are both back in school this semester.. Busy times.

Twins LUAU Birthday

2010-04-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

Aloha Cousin!!! This was my favorite creation that made me laugh all the way to the check out counter when i thought of it. I was tickled and it turned out even better than i imagined. The kids LOVED IT! They are those cheap little HUGS drink with straws and umbrellas. Then they just kept refilling them with lemondae when they were done. IT was great!

JR appeased me by looking refreshed with his daughters drink...

The Lovely Nichole...

The comedian Kaiyla...

THey were a bit excited when it came to present time...

But they had a great time...

Mahalo Friends!!!

Anthony's B day April 7th

2010-04-30T12:28:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to Anthony....

We had a great swim party at the hotel! The little fish had a great time!
He is getting so BIG!!!!

Even Leelnai enjoyed the party! Tween's are hard to please.

EASTER PORTRAITS!!!

2010-04-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

We love our new family portrait. I think the kids had a lot more fun than normal! Shows their personalities off a bit more too... can tell who is more cautious for sure. Here is the whole Carlisle Bunch...
This is just our branch of the clan...

Visitors from MT, AK, AL... YEAH!!!

2010-04-30T11:51:00.000-07:00

March 2nd we were descended upon by Carlisle's!!! Jim, Evelyn, Heather, Christine, Kenny and Baby James. We were very blessed to have them visit... We miss them!

We were very lucky and had the whole Carlisle Clan come to visit this Easter. Anthony's birthday happened while they were here so he felt like he celebrated all week long. JW and his handlers came as well. It was nice that the cousins were able to get to know each other a bit.

The game was nice... it wasn't so crowded where we were so we could stretch out. It was a beautiful night as well.
The kids got to stare and Grandma in shock as she yelled her particular brand of motivation at the team.

Here is Grandma and Grandpa with their grandchildren.

We all had a great time... The boys have really taken to baseball.

Texas Blizzard???

2010-02-12T15:18:00.001-08:00

The kids were so excited about not having school... the only problem was they missed out on their Valentine's Day parties.

(Please note the snow skateboard on Tyrell's snow dude.)

I thought the song was called Texas Tornado...

not Texas BLIZZARD?

We got about a foot of snow this past couple of days. This a lot of snow for us! Everyone else was so excited... Bill and I help saying, "Didn't we move away from all this?"

Kaiyla is a harsh supervisor... she was not happy with my first attempts at a snowman head. She kept telling me to make it rounder. Luckily I discovered the snow packed well enough i could use a knife. HA HA FINALLY i came up with one that made her happy. Anthony was grounded and he got a reprieve to come and play in the snow. He was pretty glad.

Everybody worked hard on their own snow dude.

Anthony helped me make a TX snowman...

Kaiyla worked hard on hers...

It all started of course with a nice snowball fight!

I particulary enjoyed the argument the twins got in because trees kept dropping a bit of snow on them, and they kept accusing the other twin. It was quite funny. They each were convinced the other one was telling a lie about not throwing snow. Whish I really wish I would have videoed it.

Basketball Time

2010-02-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

The boys have been working hard playing ball. It is so funny... one week they will be "on fire" on the court. I will think to myself.. they get it... they are starting to get it. Then the next week they stand and just watch the ball.

I figure it is all part of the learning curve. They both had pretty good games today... they both won. YEAH!

Parental Reflections

2010-01-10T18:43:00.000-08:00

One of the lessons today was talking about how God loves us so he lets us make mistakes so we can grow from them. It made me realize that many times I do that with my own children. But that I should allow them to do it more often.

I get so used to helping them avoid catastrophes that I help them avoid lots of things that will bring them pain or suffering. There are some things they need to learn on their own and I need to let them. I need to practice more love and logic parenting and let them create their own lives. They are little... but need to learn about their freedom to choose and that there choices have real consequences in life.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2010-01-01T17:53:00.001-08:00

We had our 4th annual New Years kids party with the Holt's. We added our new friends the Green's last year and were able to have them this year as well. We had good food, fun games and lots of loud horn blowing. After so much confetti last year, the kids did snow angels in it, I opted for no confetti. Well they figured that out very soon and I was guilt ed into pulling out the confetti.

I made them do it outside this year. So they had a confetti fight, only one casualty.

We are grateful to have such great friends in our life. We miss our old ones, look forward to meeting new ones and appreciate the ones that got away. May the new year bring you happieness and enlightenment.

Carlisle Christmas

2010-01-01T17:38:00.001-08:00

She look happy now... but when they opened the box that looked like a Wii, but was filled with books they were TICKED OFF! Tyrell snooped and found the hidden Wii. So we taught him a lesson and swaped the box. Well he had told everyone they were getting a Wii. So he looked pretty sheepish and was waiting for the kids to get mad at him. Chirstmas morning was a hit. They were very sweet and woke us up so we could watch them dump out their stockings. They were sleepy, but the magic of Christmas hasn't washed away yet. It is close, the Santa talk at school is hard to put the kybash on but we try.

They had fun decorating the tree. They did a great job! It was a lovely holiday season.

Bethelehm Revisited

2010-01-01T16:52:00.000-08:00

Our friends told us about this reenactment of a night in Bethlehem. Think Renaissance Fair in the holy land. They have a permanent village set up and they have the craftsmen and artisans set up and they explain to all the kids how to do things. These ladies were knee ding bread and baking it in a wood powered brick oven. They gave away samples and handed them out with sage honey.
They had garment stores that they let all the people try on head scarves, the girls loved it.

They got to pet the camels, chickens, goats and see the donkey.

Then at the back side of the village they had a manger. Every 30 minutes Mary and Joseph would come through the town and try and find space at the inn.

This lady sold fabric and they had them making the fabric and rugs on site so they kids saw the looms. They also were spinning the yarn made from flax, sheep wool, camel hair, rabbit. The kids got to see all the different types of thread made.

They had the pottery makers, carvers, net menders and makers. It was much more historical and educational that i realized it would be. I thought it was cool and the kids had a great time.

They had markets and we tried to explain to the kids they didn't used to have Wal mart's. They think Wal-mart is easier. HA.

It was a great experience, on the way home we talked about how different it would have been to live then. I was hoping to create some gratitude for the things we do have in life.

JUINOR HIGH CHOIR

2009-12-13T20:59:00.001-08:00

It is Holiday Choir Concert time again... She is getting so grown up! She is an Alto and sad about it, soprano is so much more fun! I understand, i used to be a soprana, now i am more an alto but i only know the soprano parts, so i guess that makes me an Tenor now. HA HA

The FREEEEZING performance at 6 flags we fun. I got to be a chaperone. I made it out alive with all of my charges intack. YEAH!!!

LOWE'S Build and Grow

2009-12-13T20:39:00.001-08:00

Lowe's has a great program to help kids learn how to do woodworking. We go a couple of times a month and build something. They have pre done kits with pre drilled holes to make it nice and easy. The kids LOVE IT! They get these cute aprons and goggles. Every time they build a new project they get a patch much like a boyscout patch. The patch goes on the apron. They have a great time.

The first time we went, Tyrell made a special point to thank me for taking them. That seems to be my guage for how much they actually liked something.

They have sticker packets so they can decorate it when they are done. It works out GREAT!

Ponder Panthers Sugar Shack!

2009-12-13T20:22:00.000-08:00

It has been a busy school year! We just finished the PTA Float for the Town Parade. Out of 50 amazing floats we got The Most Holiday Spirit award. We were very proud. The kids walked in the parade, funny how kids can walk miles and miles to go to the park, but yet the 1/2 mile parade was taking SOOOOO LOOOONG!!! HA HA

It was fun but I am glad that it is all over!

2009-08-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

BACK TO SCHOOL

2009

Oh the twins were so proud to pick out their own back packs. The boys have customized Rangers back packs. The artwork is on the straps so they can see them. SOmetime i am glad i am so artsy. HA HA

Here they are lined up before they go inside for their first official day. Tyrell was too cool to let e go to class with him. The twins were excited but a little bit nervous. They did great after a bit.
Here was the walk to school. A lot of them ran, Nikki held my hand for a while because she was so nervous. She went as far as to share that her stomach hurt.

We mad eit through the week all right. They had a good week and the twins think they should be able to walk to school all by themselves. They get mad when we wont let them. Ohhhhh they want to get old too fast.

JULY FAMILY FUN

2009-07-26T20:49:00.000-07:00

We have found a FABULOUS lake spot!!!

Same lake just a different part and it is SO much cleaner and has actual sand and not just mushy silt.

You can see the Marina so it makes it feel more like an exotic destination and not a weird swamp.

We rafted and Bill triedtoconvince them there was an alligator near a buoy. They were too smart to beleive it. Even when the alligator allegedly drug meunder the water, they laughed.

The kids collected shells.

I did not get sunburned, all was well.

JUNE SUMMER FUN

2009-07-24T16:15:00.001-07:00

THIS HAS BEEN SUCH A FUN SUMMER!

We went to Dinosaur Valley in Glen Rose TX and swam with the footprint fossils from real Dinosaurs. We went with the Holt's and The Green Family. The kids had a great time and of course Bill and I got sun burned and our kids just got more beautifully bronze.

Chicken fighting is good for the soul!

Bill is quite the cheater,he chose to try and chicken fight from below too. Joke is on him, he dislocated his shoulder trying to sweep my legs from under me.

"The Summer Fun Kid Crew"
Top left- Lani, Jessica,Tyrell, Anthony, Josh
Bottom left-Connor, Kaiyla, Sam, Nikki

Tyrell and Josh sizing up how big they think that Dinosaur would have been. We had a great time swimming and hiking to some other footprints after our picnic.

GIRLS CAMP OR BUST!!!

2009-06-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

Leelani left for her very first Young Women's experiance and it happened to be GIRLS CAMP! YEAH FOR HER! I loved girls camp growing up. She will actually turn 12 a day after camp but they let her go.

What a wonderful way to be welcomed in.

I hope this will help make her feel part of the YW program faster.

They had a huge trailor they loaded all of the luggage in. Leelani was very excited to be able to go with them.
Ok the fact that she is grounded this month and she is going to camp
in the middle of the grounding probably make it seem extra sweet to her.

LAST PTA MEETING!

2009-05-22T03:43:00.001-07:00

Well I Presided over my very last PTA meeting this year. It was a fun and interesting introduction into PTA. I was very touched the ladies got me a cake that said Thank You Paula and a card with gift cards to Texas Road House and for pedicures. YEAH that just made my day. It was a lot of hard work and it was very nice that they honored me in that way. It somehow really did make it all worth it. Next year I am the historian and I vowed to be at only one school too. I will have 4 going to the same school for a couple more years, that will be a pleasant break. So I will settle in to the PTA that I have the most children on. It was a learning experiance and I got to know a lot more people and feel more of the community. And more importantly i had many chances to embarass Leelani, and it doesn't get any better than that!

2009-05-10T13:51:00.000-07:00

Leelani and I got our first ride in a stretch Hummer limo. It was huge and would seat 18. There was a group of ten of us for our friend Katie's birthday. We took the Limo and went bowling.

We went bowling. I have not been in ages and Leelani had never been. I am proud of her she never fell on her shoes and she never released the ball back into the crowd. So she did good.

Katie however took the biggest spread eagle belly flop I have ever seen halfway down the lane. But her mother was ready with the video camera, apparently she knows her daughter and knew it would be film worthy.

Leelani got to play with the camera on the way back home and strut her inner super model.

Ya know the limo thing is cool but i have to rant. The price of them are not too bad, (not that i paid i have looked into them before though) But they have a three hour minimum. So essentially you pay for it to take you somewhere, then you pay for it to sit in the parking lot while you eat, bowl whatever. So it is kind of a rip off that way. I bet they would have more clientell if they raise the hourly price just a smidge and then let people go hour by hour. I think it would open up the market more and have more people use them. But hey, if I ever have an extra bazillion dollars to buy a hummer limo service that is what i would do.

Twins B day!

2009-04-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

THE TWINS TUNRED FIVE TODAY!!!

We had two seperate parties this year.

We had them at school so their school friends could attend.

We danced and danced!

They got to open a couple of presents at school.

And they danced some more...

Then it was Nikki's turn, we moved to her
classroom and sang and opened presents.

Then we came home and sang to them again and let them

eat their little seperate cakes...

And of course we opened up a few more presents.
It was a great day! I just can't believe how big they are getting.

My babies are FIVE!!!

2009-04-28T20:24:00.001-07:00

I am going to try to post to my blog from my phone. This is a test, of the emergency blogging systems.

PUPPY POWER

2009-04-18T14:44:00.000-07:00

We played with my friend Trish's puppies. They are a mixed breed collie and cocker spaniel. So we have decided they must me Collie Spaniels. The kids had a great time. Puppies are always fun.

Everyone picked their favorite puppy and got to pamper it for awhile. Trish said the puppies have never been so calm. They didn't have to fight for attention.

It was another great day!

HAPPY EASTER!

2009-04-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

We took a non traditional approach to Egg decorating this year. We rolled, baked and decorated Easter cookies instead of dying eggs. Easter kind of stuck up on us. I have decided I like to hide plastic eggs, it is so much better to mow over a lost one of those than a rotten real egg.

The kids were very creative and had a lot of fun doing it. Of course they didn't mind that they get to eat the first cookie they made.

I was so very impressed at how well they rolled out the cookies this time. They are getting so much better at it. Of course the Christmas cookie cutter with lots of narrow areas make it harder. So I guess from now on We will only decorate round christmas bulbs. HA! OR ...maybe it means I need to use this exam same recipe.

LONG WEEK OVER

2009-04-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

After a very long week i am glad to be resting. However i am sad that it is flat on my back. Overtaxed my body and tweaked my back. Glad it was General Conference so i could take a day on the couch. Hopefully i will be 100% tomorrow. I am avoiding calls this week to make up for an over busy last week. HA

I WILL BE SO EXCITED WHEN THE WEEK IS OVER!

2009-03-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

SO this will be a week with no mom at home at night. MONDAY- So i had to go shopping for all the food for the PTA Open House dinner tomorrow and delivered it to all the various ovens. Then I had to run to school and take an exam, for which I was not as prepared as I would have liked. Then we get to go to an open house for Tyrell and Anthony's school. TUESDAY-Tomorrow I get to finish up all the silent auction baskets from people who don't understand what a deadline is. Then set up for the dinner, and the auction. WEDNESDAY-I have cub scouts. Thursday I have a PTA meeting that will run fairly long because it is nominating time for next years board. I WILL SOON BE DONE YEAHHH!!! I am looking forward to being a nameless grunt again. I will get to spend Friday evening at home with my family. I really hate weeks like this. I will be happy when it is over. Then I am going to turn my phone of and hide in my room for a week to recover. Just not looing forward to it.

ANOTHER TWIN SPECIAL DAY

2009-03-25T21:34:00.000-07:00

I had another fun day with the twins. I kept them from preschool today and we played. We went to a new park. There were ducks and geese at this park. We went to feed the geese and two HUUUUGE geese came straight at us and attacked us. It even came up and started biting my toes. I was distracted by Nikki running away screaming, "MAMMA THEY ARE FREAKING ME OUT!!!" I tried hard to get that on video but I too was running from the crazy geese. This park had a three story play structure. After Kaiyla went down the slide she came and told me, "That was kinda creepy!" Oh I love the twins vocabulary. They crack me up.
Maybe they watch too much Disney Channel with Lani.

The squirell's at this park are not afraid of people. As you can see here by how incredibly close the squirell's would get to the girls. The squirell's obviously don't know the twins reputation or they never would have been so brave.

The girls went back to the geese while I stayed at aour picnic table with out things. The squirell apparently wasn't through begging for food. Pretty soon he came over and started scratching at my toe nail polish. That was as Kaiyla would say, "a little bit creepy."

The day was broken by two simultanious claps of thunder, which of course was followed by two screams and two little black heads hurling their way back to me on their tip toes screaming IT'S GONNA RAIN!!!

SPRING BREAK COMES TO A CLOSE!

2009-03-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

The luck of the Irish was upon us on St. Patrick's day. We had traditional Irish stew and the stereotypical corned beef and cabbage. We also had a traditional Irish dish called Champ. Now if i tell you the ingredients you will laugh. Champ is made from boiled potatoes, butter, salt pepper and green onions. Yes, this sounds a lot like mashed potatoes to me. But if you serve it with an Irish brogue and hide a six pence (or a dime) wrapped in waxed paper in the dish, It becomes IRISH Champ. Serious, not a Paula made up thing. The person who finds the money claims luck for the year because they got served "the lucky champ."

I KID YOU NOT!!!! Kaiyla is our "Lucky Champ for this year- YEAH KAIYLA!!!

Anthony made a great volcano then was happy making trenches
in between "shooting hoops" with his brother Tyrell.

It has been a fun week of playing and lots of time at the park.
No official Spring break trip, but we had lots of fun at the parks around.

Where has the time gone?

2009-03-09T06:28:00.000-07:00

WOW it has been so long since i posted. Sorry about that. You havn't missed much except for a whole lot of fever, throwing up, infections and stitches. It has not been a great time for sickness for out family. We snuck away to San Antonio one weekend with out friend Amber and her kids. It was really quite lovely there, more hills than here but still very green. Riverwalk was gorgeous. Of course the kids enjoyed the time in the pool the most. I enjoyed laying on a lounge chair and reading.
When we came home i had two kids that had fevers and we have been trading it around ever since. Our littlest one finally had to go on antibiotics for crud in her lungs. Then last week at cub souts, Tyrell took a catapult mishap in the face and got five stitches. It was a fun ER night.

Bill work is still weird as ever, there are rumours daily they are going to shut down his center. We will see, now they are talking about switching to 3 12 hr and one 8 hour days to cut down on people calling off sick.

I was braggin at church about how today i would finally have all my kids well enough that they would all go to school today. (monday) Well within the hour i started throwing up and had to come home, now this morning Leelani started throwing up as well. UUUUGGGGHHH!!!

School Break's Over!!!

2009-01-17T07:51:00.000-08:00

What a GLORIOUS break from schook I have had. Next week that is all over. I purchased my books and am ready to begin. It always amazes me how EXPENSIVE the books can be. We have another basketball game today and the twins are suppose to go to a Birthday party. They are going to be ticked off when they find out I can't be in two places at once! I hate that part about Bill's new schedule, but the time of feeling like a single mom is for the most part over. He gets off early enough in the day that it is only Saturday's and Sundays that I feel abandoned. In reality it goes smoother without him, it is almost like when he comes it throws off our routine and the kids do dumb things. We just love him and want him to be involved.
Honestly after last weeks basketball games he needs to see the comic relief of the boys playing first hand. Anthony is in Kindergarden, and played his first basketball game. he played the whole game with his hands raised up in the air to block. Even when he was running down the court at full speed. He also was guarding his own team mate quite well. Who can blame him, it was the kid they put him against in practice, so he was still following what he was told. Then there was a boy on his team whose shorts fell down around his ankles but he never pulled them up. He just kept running up and down the court with his pants down. OHHH GOOD TIMES!

The New Year is aproaching!

2008-12-28T21:48:00.000-08:00

Another year has COME and GONE! Our family is heading in good directions and I am pleased with the progress we have made for the most part. I have been mulling over my goals and focuses for the coming year. My Christmas attitude has helped me want to make sure Christ is the forefront of my family. I have been THIRSTING for the scriptures and increased spirituality. I find it so hard to get that at church teaching 7 year old's. I have started watching a lot of the BYU channel and found the discussion groups on scripture study. This has helped to water a bit of my thirst. I love & miss discussing doctrine and church history, I have suggested a scripture study group for the enrichment mini groups to help fill the need, but have not seen anything yet. I will have to take matters into my own hands and arrange something to help with this.

I am losing my Paulaness. I am disappearing and Bill's wife and the kids MOM is all that exists anymore. I am trying hard to find her, I need to find her. I am going back to school, but even that is a mothers goal to enhance her resources should something happen to my husband. Where did I go? Every loud laugh or silly song sung that others rebuke me for or become embarrassed by makes my essence evaporate. I feel the spunk and individuality that was me, melt away and drip of my fingers like too much rain water. Does the weight of responsibility automatically crush our heart song? Do we as women mold ourselves around our husband and kids to protect them, yet in the process lose and forget the shape of our souls?

With these things in mind, my two biggest goals for this year are to stop being a lukewarm handmaiden of Christ and find an altered Paulaness that incorporates more of the me I miss. It is almost like I don't know who I need to be so I have created a default stereotypical character to portray. Perchance these two go hand in hand, if I quench the spiritual thirst, I can revive the Paula that I have been dehydrating. we shall see...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-27T13:51:00.000-08:00

Santa brought us lots of fun things but the biggest hit was the trampoline. It was the best thing ever. My house is so much quieter now. However they want to start jumping at 7 am. I make them wait till at least 8:30 and they are bitter. But they are having a gay old time.

School Christmas Parties!

2008-12-19T22:42:00.000-08:00

WHEW!!! The week is over and I am so glad!!! I have been out of school and it is a good thing. This week has been crazy with PTA Angel tree pass outs, student behavior incentive stores, teacher appreciate lunches and school parties in 5 different classrooms at 3 different schools. I guess this is good, cause now I am excited for the kids to be out of school for winter break, just so i don't have to make an appearance at any of their schools. It has been good in that i felt like a good involved mom this week.

Now that I look around my house I just don't feel very Christmas-ey. The Christmas spirit always seemed to be alive and well in my mothers house. I might have to reclaim the stereo I gave to Leelani so i can start piping some Bing Crosby throughout the house. Maybe that will help. We have had the tree up and the lights on it for ages but still haven't decorated it. So tomorrow we are going to finish decorating the tree, put out the nativity scene and finally hang the stocking. Currently they are in a pile next to where they need to be hung.

We have been doing the 12 days of Christmas to 5 families, so we have been busy making those everyday and delivering. The kids have been doing great. We love to watch the twins sneak. It is pretty amusing. Bill tells them they do their Native American ancestors proud with their sneaking skills. Kaiyla tells us it is because she is a little bit super hero. I must agree. It will soon be time to break out Christmas Vacation and really start to feel the holiday. I am surprised that the traditional Christmas shows are not on TV. I blame part of not feeling the holiday spirit on that. However my children think Shrek the Halls is a classic, so maybe I am excited about not seeing some of the shows. I am trying hard not to watch anything on the Hallmark channel or USA. Those can be very tear jerking and suck you in even if you don't think you are interested. BEWARE of those hokey movies, they will draw you in and keep you awake till all hours of the morning.

2008-12-11T12:07:00.000-08:00

Tiss the SEASON!!!
Finals are over for me YEEEAAHHH!!!

We are moving along nicely and gearing up for Christmas. We are working on our 12 days of Christmas which i might just have to do an email version as well. Thank might be fun. I think i may post them on there as well. Not that anyone will actually look everyday. But i did some cleaver ones i was proud of.

We have a Christmas clip from the kids, it took us hours to get a reasonable clip and even that was interesting. Well they say in the movie business never work with kids or animals... now i know why.

Be Positive and KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR! That is what we have been trying to enforce in our kdis this year. I have had to resort to it is Jesus birthday party and he is so special that everybody knows about it and that we give physical gifts to one another because we can't give them to Jesus. Jesus told us to love one another so we give them gives to let Jesus know we remember him. I feel so corny at times, but i really want them to understand what it is about. All of our family home evening lately have been on the subject. I think tonight i need to google the Christian Origins of St Nick and help them understand why Santa is even involved. I wonder that myself sometimes. We focus so much on him we lose the religious signifigance of him. Have a Happy day and reiterate to your kids what Christams is all about! Love YA!

HAPPY FALL YA'LL

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

TO translate, That is Texan for

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Bill and Nikki pose for us while Evelyn (his mom)

teaches Leelani how to make a pie.

Grandma Evelyn taught Leelani how to make her famous apple pie. The one that you only get if you are dying or at a funeral. I must admit this is the first time of 89 years of marriage that i was graced to have a piece. I must admit... it is worth dying for. It was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!! So now Leelani should be able to make it for us anytime. YEAH!!!

We traveled to the Cabelo's superstore. They have a taxidermy museum complete with Elephant, and every kind of deer you have ever seen. It was a lovely day!

Justine and Lydia's family joined us. THERE WAS WAY TOO MUCH FOOD!!! It is so hard to see traditions change so much over the years. The way i tried to honor my thanksgivings past was to have every type of pie known to man so the kids could choose. And we had lots of different types of soda. I know that was something that always sticks out in my head as being so cool about Thanksgiving. We are so grateful Bill's parents were able to come and spend this time with us. We are blessed to have so many great things, friends and people in our life. We love our new home and appreciate all that we have in our lives.

We are truly blessed!

Thank you for being a part of our lives.

HO hum!

2008-11-19T16:29:00.000-08:00

Well i should be running around cleaning... but that is not happening. I painted a room yesterday and apparently my legs didn't like all the up and down on the chair. I am very sore and tired. I had some health issues that wore me out last week and i am tyring to find the energy to do anything constructive. OH well.. i need a 5 hour energy shot and i will be fine.

We are having a bad week with our kids completely ignoring us. I get very tired of little people doing whatever they want to do. It is very frustrating. I understand it from the 4 year old... but from an eleven year old? That is the one that gets to me. She should know better. Apparently we are not threatening enough. I guess we have to work on what will really bother her. Right now she is in her bedroom allegedly cleaning it. We shall see how that goes for her.

I think i am overwhelmed this week. Just too much to do, not enough time and not feeling very well still. OH Well life will go on.

GOOD OLD RUG DOCTOR!

2008-11-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

Well Bill has been working on cleaning carpets. I think i should have stayed away longer, cause now it looks like i am working on them. It is amazing how big the room seems when you are shuffling along at such a low pace. They look so much better that the kids may never get to come in from outside. HA HA. How come the only time they want inside is when you tell them they can't come in? Oh well one day they will be all clean then i would have to start over where i started. If we ever build a custom home. I am going to have a drain installed in the kitchen. Just like you see at fast food places, they soap up the floor then squeegee it down the drain. That and of course i will have one whole wall that is a urinal in the boys bathroom.

Cleaning Extravaganza!

2008-11-07T19:02:00.000-08:00

Well i have just informed the children that tommorrow we are cleaning!!! They are not so happy. I am thrilled. I am going to have to pull out my creativeness to get them motivated. The last month has played out like this... Nikki brought the flu into the house, it then worked through all the kids one by one. Of course we have so many kids that by the time it was done we started all over again. So my puke scrubbing for two weeks led to me screwing up my back. Well i tried to be good and not do too much, but i always did just enough that i had a good day and three bad ones. And of course in the middle of it all we had to stop and decorate for Halloween. So my house is a white hot mess!!! I just don't even want to come home, so it is time to see if i can screw my back up again by doing a major cleaning day. Time to get the rake out and clean under beds and backs of closets too. I loooove to see their faces when i pull the rake out to check way back under the bunk beds. I think we may do a preliminary toy toss from the play room to start preparing for the Christmas onslot. OHHH i love to make kids miserable!

HALLOWEEN SMALLOWEEN!

2008-11-01T17:14:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween! The kids had a great time! We had a fairy, a Genie, a two headed monster, a scream guy and a sassy pirate. I should have known the night would not be my favorite when the jello brain i made for dinner to be cool did not go over well. Apparently it looked so good they were grossed out and thought i was trying to feed them raw brain. Even after telling them what it was and them watching me eat it, they did not want any part of it.

If there is a Halloween equivalent to "Ba HUM BUG" I need to know it. I was sure feeling it at only 7:15 last night. I was ready to send every one to bed and turn the light of and lock the outside door.

I usually love Halloween, but after decorating and then taking our kids trick or treating for a Little while I was so done!Everyone (including me) was so over stimulated they wouldn't listen to anything. They had a good time and were super cute, but i am glad that it is over with. The excitement of the event was killing everyone. To my sweet children's credit, it was the excitement of getting to wear our new costumes and wear make up. The candy was incidental. I appreciate that they are not real candy crazy.

Volunteer Central-

2008-10-25T17:25:00.000-07:00

So this week was Leelani's School Fall Social. Of course i am kinda of in charge of it from being PTA president. We chose a fear factor theme and had a rock wall, carnival, dancing, obstacle course and of course gross food. I did cow stomach lining, cow tongue, weird sardine mash, fish eyes (dried pickled cocktail onions). Everyone had a great time, but i am glad it is over!!!

Kaiyla (left) and Nikki (right) were the most creepy talked about thing. Kaiyla's was hilarious!!! As soon as we put the makeup on her she got her evil face on and would creep around and crawl around looking mean. Every once in a while they would reach out and gently grab someone ankles. OOOHHH that was a hit. I heard people everywhere talking about "those creepy little girls." When parents would tell me how creepy they were I simply said, try living with them. HA!

We did a haunted house, i made a 12 foot skeleton thingy to hang from the ceiling. We had the kids dressed sort of like the grudge face kids. They were uber creepy. It was fun. It is amazing when you phone number is out their for public comment and question how many weird things come crawling through the phone line. So i drug myself home at 11pm from cleaning up and counting all the money, and woke early in the am to realize i had to make spirit sticks and it was my week to work the concession stand for Leelani's Cheer team. I am just tired of being a public free servant this week. Will be nice to rest tomorrow. OH wait it is Sunday, there is certainly no rest tomorrow. Better get my lesson ready to teach kids tomorrow and write a 2 talks for my kids to give at church. I am hoping this is just a busy time of year and not my new life for good.

I have a SNEECRET!

2008-10-18T01:15:00.001-07:00

That is not a typo, the twins pronounce the word secret as a "sneecret". It is so cute we haven't really corrected it yet. Although , when they are 18 it won't be so cute. But then again when they are 18 i will be so busy regretting that we laughed when they used to say "What Everrrr LOSERRRR!!, i won't be so worried about the sneecret impediment. Their secret tonight was they got a strawberry sundae from Dairy Queen while their siblings were at a swimming birthday party at a hotel. My "sneecret" is i got to play mommy at 3 am and scrub strawberry puke off the couch cushions outside in my pajamas. Oh the joy of sick children!!! Yet another difference in the twins, Kaiyla will let it fly where ever she is. Nikki, well, Nikki will hold it in her mouth until she gets to the toilet. As nasty as that sounds, as grossed out as i am by it, it does en deer her to me even more. Just thought I would share since I am wide awake after my outdoor my pine sol aroma therapy session.

Twin Tales

2008-10-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

OK this week has been very boring compared to last week. This week my twins are back to their clever little selves. The new thing for the twins this week... peeing standing up like a boy. This is a delightful new addition to my cleaning regime. I shall add it to the standing on the toilet seat, squatting butt naked and pooping. And of course the gluing all of their artwork to the walls. I am still sad that tacky glue does not get wet again and wipe off. Things you learn. But my shock of the week is magic eraser gets sharpie of from carpet. Yeah!

WE ARE OFFICIALLY ETERNAL!!

2008-09-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

We are now a forever family!!!
Ok ,ok ,ok we know about the whole endure to the end in obedience thing. It was a lovely day in Dallas.

We went to the temple at 12 to fill out necessary paperwork. I guess they want to make sure you didn't pick up random kids are are being sealed to them. Anyway it was sort of cute, as soon as they pinned that little yellow slip on me that said we were part of a sealing, EVERY little old lady that saw stopped me. The first question out of all their mouths, "Are you part of that family with 5 kids being sealed.?" So i told the story about 15 times. They then had to all get permission to sneak down and see our children. I had two of them come back to me weepy eyed telling me how beautiful my kids were.

I must admit they were adorable! I had these little tuxes for the boys and the gossamer sash dresses for all the girls. They looked so cute and were so quiet. I was very happy with how well they did. They thought it was great. Of course it was just because they didn't have to go to school today. HA HA.

Directness is a family virtue!
So my father tell this story about a sealing he went to recently that the sealer went on so long that halfway through the sealing the kids were standing on the alter. Then he gave a little spill about how you just can't be long winded when you have kids involved. The sealer snapped his head and looked at dad... dad just nodded at the sealer. Apparently my dad was putting him on notice. HA! I had no idea this happened till afterward when my friends and Bill was talking about it. Oh well.. the sealer was short and to the point. After Bill told me about it i sort of slapped my head and told him that made me feel like part of the Mormon Mafia.

I did very good and did not cry. I am amazed at that myself I cry at Chuck E Cheese for heavens sake but i didn't at the temple. There were a coule of times i lost it a little, but i recovered fast.

First was when we were all walking in passed the man that checks reccomends. I was behind them and saw all my little ones with their arms folded in there sunday clothes following the temple matron.

Second was when the people that came to watch the sealing came in. I was shocked at some of the ladies that came. It meant a lot to me. I was indeed very happy and relieved it is finally finished.

We are official in heaven and on earth. Thanks for all the well wishes! We love and appreciate you!

I love to see the Temple!

2008-09-19T18:30:00.000-07:00

It has finally arrived. We are being sealed to our children this Wednesday, September 24th at 12:30 in the Dallas Temple. The kids are very happy and excited to wear their whites. I got the cutest little tuxes for the boys , all the girls have matching dresses and are so very happy. My Father is flying in from AZ for the event. Very exciting. Thanks so much for all your well wishes. We will keep you posted.

Hurricane Hide-a-ways

2008-09-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

What do you do when the hurricane is lapping at you cities door? When the news tell you to stay in doors? Well you make Cookies! Lots & Lots of

COOKIES!

We have had our first ever COOKIE-PALOOZA! You make as many different kinds of cookies as you can stand. We are in no danger what so ever. It is windy and rainy but the kids were a bit freaked from talking about the storm at school so much. We had a great day and got some cleaning done. I laughed hard, my children have changed the words to the song "Follow the Prophet, don't go astray" They have been singing "Follow directions, don't stop and play". I laughed very hard. I like it and i think it is our new theme song.

Spirit Sticks for Cheer

2008-09-06T08:03:00.000-07:00

Apparently there are some traditions and customs for cheerleaders here in TX that i am not aware of. My naivety could be an embarrassing problem for my daughter. She brought home a paper that said they needed toilet paper rolls and candy for "spirit Sticks". Well i interpreted toilet paper rolls as rolls of toilet paper. So we got home and i got her a four pack of toilet paper out. I thought about what a "spirit Stick" with toilet paper could be. I envisioned them putting the toilet paper on a dowel rod and letting it stream behind them as they ran around the field.

When mentioned to a friend that i bet the groundskeepers were not happy with all the toilet paper at the games, she crinkled her face and started asking questions. When she finished laughing her makeup off, she told me i was fired from anything related to cheer and my daughter was suppose to call her and get approval from anything i told her, so i didn't embarrass her.

Apparently "spirit sticks" are made by filling the cardboard toilet paper rolls with candy then making them look like tootsie roll presents. Ok so i am daft.

First week of school OVER

2008-08-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

Well we have survived the first week of school. We are settling into a routine and that is good. Leelani also started cheer this week. She is in love and ever so excited. I just think why have i given her another reason to scream. I enjoyed my classes except for math. I won't go on another tangent about how some higher maths just seem so stupid and it seems there are so many steps to make and unmake that negate each other and i find myself asking why we couldn't skip all those steps. OH well i will learn to like it... i don't know that i will ever understand it because it is just not logical in my head. OH WELL.

PTA & The Grocery Game

2008-08-23T21:56:00.000-07:00

Ok... I have had a very grown up feeling week. I realize i am 36 years old. But i don't think i have felt like such a "MOM" ever in my life. Between: getting 5 kids school supplies and clothes, being up at Leelani's school distributing school supply kits, and bringing and arranging food for Teacher Appreciation Luncheon's and calling a hundred people for PTA recruitment, getting my books and supplies as well as getting me registered for college. Then to top it all off, Lydia called tonight and wanted to teach me The Grocery Game. It is this cool system for coupons and store sales. It was pretty fun. SO i have to tell you. I bought $383 worth of groceries and a few remaining school supplies i needed for $194. I saved almost half. My Friend teaching me was sort of sad i had to buy eggs and milk for my standard groceries cause it messed up my average... You just never see milk coupons. Bottom line it was a busy week, but a great week. This week has made it very clear to me that i am just much happier in life when i am busy, like crazy busy. It satisfies some sick twisted need to feel useful. I have given up sleep because it is my only alone time, but i should be able to sleep again when school starts up. HA!

Back to School for me too!

2008-08-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

Becky has inspired me! My personal goals keep getting interrupted with everyone life but my own. Something in the Visitgn teaching message spoke to me. That as women we get lost in our responsibilities and forget who we are at our core. I can SO agree with that. I am someones, mom, wife, president or friend. Where did I go in all of this? Well all 5 kids are in school so i thought this is the perfect time to finish up my degree. I have so many credits here and there that i really need to get them compiled into something. I am signed up for classes again. I was going into special ed. Well honestly i feel like i deal with Special Ed all day with my own little ones. But i still am drawn to teaching and or social work. I will finish my teaching certificate of course, but i am going to social work as well. Do a major in one minor in another situation. As it is i have 3 years worth of credits but i need to get them into some form. I keep having to start over at different schools and that so screws up my timeline. Anyway... i will plug away some more at them. Slow and steady wins the race as they say.

Nearing back to school

2008-08-14T22:02:00.000-07:00

Well i had my first really long day as PTA president. It was schedule pick up and we sold, school supply kits, t shirts and i pimped PTA memberships. I was able to coax the remainder of ladies for my board. I am feeling pretty spiffy. Maybe i won't do such a dismal job after all. Time will tell. We had a stellar turn out and almost sold out of all the shirts. I even found men for the Dad's Club that i want to start. FUN FUN FUN!

Aries Personality Traits

2008-08-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

OK i got sent an email that had one of those astrological personality profiles. I know the chinese zodiac says i am a RAT. I must admit it is scarey how accurate that one is. I do not live my life by signs, astrological nor chinese zodianc. I don't believe the forces of the super creepy natural are good things to follow or search for answers from however I did think this was entertaining.

ARIES - The Daredevil (Mar 21 - April 19) Energetic, Adventurous and spontaneous. Confident and enthusiastic. Fun. Loves a challenge. EXTREMELY impatient. Sometimes selfish. Short fuse. (Easily angered.) Lively, passionate, and sharp wit. Out going. Lose interest quickly - easily bored. Egotistical. Courageous and assertive. Tends to be physical and athletic.

My analysis of its accuracy is thus: Don't know how big of a daredevil i am. However, my mind automatically thinks of a physical daredevil, which would SO. Not. Be. Me! But i guess if i consider dare devil of life risks, IE marrying man i knew in person 2 weeks from online, moving to live with him in MT, adopting 5 children at the same time, moving to TX and buying a sight unseen house, eating at Chinese restaurants who have lots of cats wandering around it. Ya know.. call me Evil Kenevils twin. At first glance some may say i am crazy, impulsive or need to be risky. In reality, i am directly the opposite. I need to be sure it is the right thing. For that i rely heavily on inspiration or a connection with God. There are some things I feel that when God says are decision good for my life, that i need to listen and act on those things. It has been when i don't that i have more regrets.

Oed to the Loop!

2008-08-07T04:54:00.000-07:00

What a nice day i had visiting with Becky Jean, Melissa and Verlyn Berg. They have finally arrived and have a lovely apartment in Euless. I am looking forward to getting to know them all a bit better. I have been informed of the Blogging rule form Becky about occasionally leaving a post. She is trying to bring me up to speed.
I truly am grateful for the friendship the "loop" has provided me in my life. I have always appreciated their love and concern for my life. It is nice to have people that even though we may not see each other that often, i know that if i ever need them they will offer support and spiritually slap me from afar, or laugh and tell me how stupid i am but they love me anyway. It reminds me of that saying that friends are family we choose.

I am often felt like i am on the fringe of the "loop", i have lived farther away from the core group for much longer than everyone. I think they just involve me because they feel obligated since technically i am responsible for bringing those crazy people together. I am grateful they still include me. I know you guys have had lots of fun without me, and been able to nourish and cultivate your relationships much more than i have with you. I will always be grateful for the kindness and love you all have continued to show me over the years. I appreciate you and know that your spirits line the walls of my life. Love you guys!

Great!! Like i needed another obsession

2008-08-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to adapt my page today. Don't know that is is what i want yet. But i must say i am ever so happy because my scrap book pages can link up to the page. I am EV so happy about that. I have been scrap booking my heart out lately and now i have an easy avenue to show them off. So eventually the page may take FOREVER to load. But now it shouldn't be too bad.

BLOG SMOG

2008-08-06T11:49:00.001-07:00

Ok, after a conversation today with Becky Jean and the words, "Oh, You OBVIOUSLY don't read my blog" came out of her mouth several times. I guess i have to get with the program. So here we are! The Blog gauntlet has been thrown down. I was hoping to get my husband excited about a blog challenge... but he just lowered his book and looked at me. So i guess that answers that.