Tag's Turn

Today we brought out the exersaucer for its' final Childs destination. It is Tag's turn to use the happy seat and then it will be retired. Knowing us it will be sold on KSL! He is still a little young and still a little wobbly but he seemed to enjoy it. He will just continue to get stronger and I am sure he will love it more and more! I cannot believe this will be our last little one to use the seat. Time just goes by too fast!

On this day....

On this day, eleven years ago, Joey and I met for our first blind date! I told him today that it was my most awkward and wonderful first date! I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was wearing a red shirt, jean skirt, and bedazzled flip flops. Joey was wearing a red/white plaid shirt and jeans. We survived an awkward car ride and dinner. After the bill was paid I reached down to get my purse and when I came back up he was gone. I looked around and saw him going out the door. I ran to catch up to him and said "Is the date going that bad?" This was the turning point. He knew that I was witty and sarcastic which I came to find out, so was he. We decided to go to Borders to look around at books and music. We had fun looking around and bantering back and forth. He bought me a James Taylor cd and bought Travis for himself. We talked about all of our similar interests. We had a good time. He then took me home. He sat in the car and did not walk me up! Great manners bud! I remember after the shock of the "no escort to the door" wore off, I told my roommate that we would probably not date but we would be great friends. Little did I know that this was so true. We are much more than great friends, he is my best friend forever. So grateful for the last eleven years that have brought about five kids and tons of memories. Still so in love!!

Deciphering the Gray Code

Gray is seriously the funniest kid. Ever since he has gotten his tongue clipped he is talking up a storm. He has the cutest voice and I often find it hard to discipline him. He has his own language that I am beginning to understand. Here are some of the key words that he says but the meaning is pretty much opposite the word. **Down actually means Up **Uh Uh (No) actually means Uh Huh (Yes) **Toy Story 1 actually means Toy Story 2 **Cars 2 actually means Cars 1. He is so funny when he says these things and if you do not do what he really means, such as turn on the wrong movie, he is not happy! I wonder how long Gray will be having opposite day. I correct him everytime but he will do things his way!!

Tag is 4 months

As I am typing this I am in disbelief and a bit in denial. Can this cute boy already be four months? It seriously seems like I just had him. He truly is a joy to have in our family. He is always smiling. He only gets upset when he is tired or hungry. It is so funny because he will go from smiling constantly to screaming. That is when you know to get him a bottle and fast. We are just loving him and could not feel more blessed to have him as our caboose! What a great note to end on!

Swimming Lessons

This last week the kids had their annual swimming lessons. We decided to go with another teacher this year. His name is Zach and his home was beautiful. The kids had a great time and learned so much in a short period of time. Luke and Riley were in a semi-private class together. They worked on strokes. They learned the freestyle with side breathing, the back stroke, and they started to learn the breath stroke. Luke did such a good job. He is even thinking about trying out for the city swim league.

Harlee, Nash, and Harlee's friend Grace were in a class together. They worked on the elementary back stroke, back floats, and jumping off the diving board. They had such a good time and looked forward to going every day. Nash scares me a bit though. He has no worries about being under water for a significant amount of time. His teacher told me to really be careful at the pool!

Nash and his clothes

I love the funny things that kids do. Nash has always had a thing about laying out his clothes. He lays them out as if all that is missing is his body! He puts the shirt, then the shorts/pants, and then the socks. He is such a funny boy and I love all the quirky things they do. *Loving his outfit of choice for a hot summer day!

Chillin in the big boy chair

Finally on kid number 5 we get a Bumbo! This is a chair that people swear by to help babies learn to sit on their own. Tag is still not quite strong enough but we put him in it for a few minutes yesterday when we were cleaning Nash and Gray's room. He really liked it! He is growing up too fast. I cannot believe in just a few days he will be four months. I just want to slow time and enjoy every minute of this happy guy!

Seriously in LOVE!!

Honestly I LOVE this little Tag! No matter what craziness is going on in my day when he flashes his perfect smile all seems right with the world! I am so so grateful for this sweet boy that has truly blessed our family. Do not know what we would do without him!

New Member of the Childs Family

Joey's car has been struggling a bit lately and after 8 great years, we decided it was time for him to get something new. We have been looking for awhile and decided it would great for him to have a truck. Since he commutes we needed a truck with great gas mileage. So we settled on the Honda Ridgeline. We searched for a few weeks and found our new truck on ksl. It is black with tan leather. It has heated seats, dvd player, xm radio, cd changer, his/her air, all the upgrades! It was being sold by a doctor who has taken great care of it. We are all so excited- especially the kids. As soon as Harlee woke up on Monday morning she said "I am so excited!" I asked her why and she reminded me that we got the truck that day! So fun to see them excited! And how perfect is a truck for the Childs who are always picking up something off ksl!

Gray's Nicknames

As mentioned many times Gray is our funny boy! He has come up with his own names for each of his siblings. So here is the list: *Luke - Mook or Mookie *Harlee - Harl *Nash - Nashie *Tag - Tagtoos. He calls Joey and I "Dada" and "Mama". One of his favorite sayings at the moment is "Mama, Nashie ameaname" translated is Nash is mean to me! Ever since he had his little tongue clipped he is talking so much. I love it! He is such a stinker but then he speaks with that cute voice and it is impossible to punish him! *Love this picture. He did not want his picture taken- can you tell?

Mom, have you seen this?

A couple of weeks ago, Nash's primary teacher asked us to send a picture of him as a baby and a family picture for her to use in class. Nash was so excited about his baby picture. Almost everyday since he will bring the picture to me and say, "Mom have you seen this picture? This is when I was a kid!". He is so funny! I love the things that come out of this cute boys mouth!

One of the Best Men I Know

Yesterday I was leaving church when the Relief Society President came up to me. She said that her and her husband were talking about our family. Her husband, Eden, use to be Joey's boss at Franklin Covey when we were first married. He is such a funny, sarcastic guy and we really like him. Anyway, she said that her husband is not the most sensitive guy but while they were talking about our family he said, "Joey is one of the best men that I know!" Wow! What a great and perfect compliment. I got tears in my eyes as she said this and I told her that I thought he was one the best men I know too! I am so grateful that she shared this with me and I was able to pass it on to Joey. Joey is one of the best men I know. He is never one to give himself enough credit. He has so much integrity and always tries to do what is right. I feel so grateful to have him for my husband and for my example. I love him so much and feel completely blessed to live my forever by his side.

Gifts

Lately Tag has been getting up around 5am to eat and then go back to sleep. This morning was no different except I could not fall back asleep with him! I lay there thinking about our five crazy kiddos. I was overwhelmed by how lucky we are to have each of them. I was reminded about a line in my patriarchal blessing that talks about being blessed with children, some of the choicest spirits to reside with Heavenly Father. I have always felt so honored and blessed to have the opportunity to be their mom. This morning as I was laying in bed I was thinking about each of them and how different they are. They have been blessed with such unique gifts and so I thought I would write down some of their gifts that stick out to me.

When I think of Luke I think of discernment. He has been given the gift to know right from wrong. He has such an obedient spirit and he really tries to do what is right. If there is a song with a bad word or a show, he will immedietely change the song or show. He is such a good boy and example to his younger siblings.

Harlee is our nuturer. Joey and I joke that she will have tons of kids because she was born to be a mom. She loves her brothers and always wants to take care of them. She has such a big heart and is always doing nice things for all of us. We can all learn from her sweet example.

Nash has been blessed with the gift of gratitude. I never ever have to remind Nash to say thank you! He is always the first to thank me for anything and everything that I do for him. I love this about him. He reminds me through his example how much a simple thank you can mean.

Gray has been blessed with the gift of a strong spirit. He does everything wholeheartedly. He is so passionate about everything. He has the most infectious laugh and he draws people in. I remember in his blessing it talked about people knowing the Savior because they know Gray. I can see how this is so true. If Gray believes in the Gospel people around him will have no choice but to believe!

Tag has been blessed with the gift of happiness. Tag exudes pure joy. He is always smiling. He has the ability to make you feel so loved just by the way he looks at you. He brings such happiness into our family and we are so grateful that he is a part of our family. What a great family we have been blessed with. All of these gifts teach me and make me want to be better. I am so grateful for these children. I know that sometimes I feel overwhelmed and a little outnumbered, but I would never change a thing.

Favorite Friends

Today Aubrey, Harlee's BFF, came over. She recently moved to Pleasant Grove but I am going to make sure that they still see each other often. They are such great friends. There are never any issues and they have the best time together. My only complaint would be the huge mess they make everytime they play in Harlee's room. They immedietely change their clothes into Harlee's dresses and my high heels. It is so cute!

Yesterday they got some home decor of ours and pretended they were microphones. Then they turned on my IPhone and sang along to their favorite songs. When I told them that Aubrey's grandma would be an hour late to pick her up Aubrey and Harlee started jumping up and down. Aubrey said "Yeah, I get to stay with my favorite friend!" I love it!

Bringing back the "Buzz Bros"

BEFORE

Luke has been dying to buzz his head. I promised him that after his baptism we could do it. So here we are, two days later and all of the boys joined Luke in the buzz fest. We had to explain to Nash that he was not getting a "Buzz" as in "Buzz Lightyear". He said after we cut my hair we go to the store? I finally understood that buzz meant something completely different to him! So anyway for FHE tonight we ventured out to the backyard and Joey worked his clipper magic! We started with Tag, then Luke, then Nash, and finally Gray. I must admit that I have never been a fan of the buzz. I love the idea of less hair to do but I LOVE a cute spike! BUT I must admit I think they all look darling! I am loving all their cute heads! So here is to the low maintenance summer hair! In the words of Nash "I have bald hair!" Here are some during and after pics: TAG

LUKE

NASH

GRAY

Family Movie Night

After the craziness of preparation for the blessing/baptism day we needed to quiet family time. So after dinner last night, we popped popcorn and watched the Incredibles. It is so funny that in my head we would all sit and quietly enjoy the movie together. When has this ever been the case? Once the popcorn was gone so was most of the attention span. Gray sat through most of the movie but he is our only one that does that. Even though it was a little crazy I so appreciate this family time. Such a blessing to have many little ones. We are surrounded and completely outnumbered but I would not change a thing!

Luke's Baptism and Tag's Blessing Day

What a wonderful day! Today we were able to experience Luke's Baptism and then we came home to have Tag's blessing. I will start with writing about Luke's Baptism. I cannot believe he is old enough to be getting baptized. What a good boy he is! He looked so handsome in his new suit! We arrived at the church at 8:30am and Joey and Luke got dressed in their white clothes. We had two other girls in the ward getting baptized so we split the program up between the families. Luke's Mimi played the piano and Grandma Childs gave the opening prayer. After a few talks it was time to get baptized. Luke was second in the group to go. His GP and Grandpa were witnesses at the font. Joey gave the baptismal prayer including a few tears (love that man!)and baptized Luke. He went all the way under and it was such a perfect moment. One of the kids at the font said "That was awesome!". My feelings exactly. After they got dried off we went back into the chapel for the confirmations. Before they were each confirmed the three new members sang "When I am baptized". Tears filled my eyes as these three clean angels sang that song. I was so proud of Luke for having the courage to sing! So much better than his mom! After the song Luke was confirmed by Joey. What a special blessing. He spoke of how Heavenly Father was so pleased with Luke's decision to be baptized and he was starting down the path of making important covenants. He was told of how he has been blessed with a strong mind and intellect and that he is to use that for good. He was told to be a good example and I know that by making this decision to be baptized he is already doing that! So proud of you Luke!

After the baptism, we all came home to have Tag's blessing. What a special moment. Joey gave him a name and a very sweet blessing. He talked of the blessing it is to have him in our family knowing that he just left the presence of our Heavenly Father. He talked about the importance of Tag serving others and through that he will become more like our Savior. Tag is such a blessing in our family and I feel so lucky to be his mom. Following the blessing we all enjoyed a yummy brunch. Here are some pics from the celebration!

I have such a testimony of the sacredness of this day. I know that Luke has made such a wonderful choice that will effect the path of his eternal life. What blessings this children are to me. They teach me and make me want to be a better person. I love each of my children so much. I will do whatever I need to do to make it possible for us to live together forever as a family.

Getting ready for the BIG day

Saturday is Luke's Baptism Day and Tag's Blessing Day. We thought it would be so special if they could share this day together. So I asked my friend Marisa if she would take a few pictures that I could set out on the table. They turned out so cute that it was so hard to choose. These are my two favorties of them together. I just know that Tag will always look up to Luke. I am so thankful for the example Luke is setting for each of his siblings. By choosing to get baptized he is paving the way for each of them to follow in his footsteps. So grateful for these sweet boys and all the blessings they bring to our lives.

Fourth of July

I seriously love when Joey has the day off and today was no different. We woke up early and decided to go on a hike. We were planning on going to American Fork Canyon but there is a big fire in Alpine and the canyon is closed. So I found a hike in Pleasant Grove that is suppose to be kid friendly. So we got ready and went. It was a little harder than we anticipated especially since I forgot the pack for Tag and had to carry him the whole way. But we had so much fun. It is so great to see the kids different personalities. Nash would not leave my side and Gray would not stay by it! After the hike we stopped for donuts and came home to get ready for the day. We decided to go to Pizza Pie Cafe for lunch. It was so good- a little crazy with the Childs circus but we had a good time! We spent the rest of the day cleaning and getting ready for Saturday. When it was time for fireworks, Joey took the three oldest and they had a great time. I seriously wish there was some way for Joey o be home every day! Nothing beats family time!