big brother and big sister

kolby rex losee

10-25-07

Do you ever notice how those things that make our lives more convenient are the things we feel like cursing? Like the times when you work on the computer forever and then it has a glitch and there went everything you worked on for the last several hours? This has been a car month for us. We own 3 of them, you would think one of them would be nice and stay fixed? The month started off great, our fourth grandbaby was born, Kolby Rex Losee, weighing 7 lb 6 oz, 19 inches long, on October 8, 2007. We had the siblings. As we were leaving to go take the children to see their new brother and deposit them with their father for the evening, our van sprung a leak from the radiator hose and antifreeze was spewing out all over the parking lot of ShopKo - I am sure that was much appreciated. That was settled, baby is beautiful (pictures included), and problem fixed.

A few days later, my husband calls and tells me that his new truck, only a days old (to us) has been in a car accident and has been smashed in---so it actually sounded much worse than it actually was, more internal damage, so off it goes to have all the estimates done. No sooner did we complete that little project and my 16-year-old son calls (I think I might quit answering the phone) to tell me that he hit something on the side of the road which ripped off the rearview mirror and caused it to come charging through the passenger front window, shattering the window. As it was raining, we threw a deflated air mattress over the top of it for the night and called the glass people the following morning. THis facilitated us having to drive said son to school and work (should have made him walk- but he is just so cute). Then, van starts making a horrible squeaking sound, brakes have worn down and hitting the wear bar. My husband snuck off to a night by himself in Park City only to have his check engine light come on during the quite ride home. That truck was placed in the shop to have tested, spark plugs and wires replaced to it will pass emissions, and the car repair place says they can't figure out what the problem is totally but the engine is now missing and can't be driven at all and will take several days to fix as they were about to rip into the engine. Well, quiet I am not and I inisted that my husband call and give them a piece of his mind, which, to my surprise, they did, thus having the shop pull their most experienced mechanic off another job and put him on this one... He checks things over and finds, get this, a loose wire, plugs it back together and voila, we are back in business. My husband, who had been driving the white car, decides that the no heat problem that both of my sons, for years, had been complaining about was real and we took that in to get fixed as well. So, for the time being, we are back in business, but did I mention that there is a 9-inch crack in the truck windshield and those brakes in the van are still squeaking? But I tell you what, that baby is sure cute. Hope everyone is well and having a great month.

Yummy cake

Jaycie's first birthday

It is october already??

Time sure seems to be flying fast. Even my 12-year-old the other day asked me why it seemed like time went so fast. I told him, overall, that is a good thing, it means your life is full of great things that keep you busy - a much better alternative than having nothing to do and having to "kill time". A few weeks ago, I had such an experience. I have not been bored in at least 15 years; i will admit there were a few times when the children were small that I found myself wishing for something more to do than wait for my husband to get home and take over, but a few weeks ago, on a Friday night, I found myself "bored". It was National Guard weekend and Russ was gone, Taylor was at a birthday party, Austin was working, and Haylie had a friend over. I usually relish time alone in my house to do whatever I want, so I don't know what was different, but I kind of felt lonely. I found myself wondering if this was how life was going to be now - with the missionary gone, husband getting ready to deploy, and the other 3 kids involved in activities that kept them busy. That feeling quickly ended and I haven't had it again, but what I found is that was a small blessing and it sure changed the way I think about the things that keep me busy in my life. My average day includes waking at 6:00 am, showering, scripture reading, getting kids ready for school (the older kids are gone by 7:20 and the youngest at 8:00), reading scriptures with them, taking my turn at the junior high carpool, coming home, straightening the house, getting my youngest out the door. I drop her off, hopefully I am still smiling, and go pick up my first batch of medical tapes for the day. I come home and generally work until 10:30, then might eat something, and usually my second batch of medical tapes gets delivered and I pretty much work until the kids get home from school starting at about 2:30. In between all of this I am throwing in laundry, calling to yell at insurance, paying bills, visiting teaching, having presidency meetings, etc.. At 2:30 the real rat race begins and each day is filled with something different. Right now Taylor is in football and Austin is running cross country, each taking a 2-hour practice a day. Austin is driving himself to and from, not even arriving home from school until 5:30 each day, and then a couple of days a week getting to work by 6:00. Monday is early day and there is, usually no activity to run to for Haylie, dad takes care of football for Taylor. Tuesday Haylie has dance, wednesday it is gymnastics (and taylor's football games,), as well as youth activity night at church for me and the boys. Thursday Haylie has activity days and right now is, for 3 more weeks, cheerleading for flag football and so she practices on Thursday. I have YW volleyball this day as well. Friday Haylie has a drama class and Friday is my temple day as well as grocery shopping day (I only get my first batch of medical tapes on Friday - usually). Saturday we have cheerleading and usually cross country meets to which I try to attend most of them. Sunday, of course, is filled with meetings for church and family time. All in all, we live a pretty busy and full life, and no one really feels too overwhelmed, it sounds crazier than it feels. It is really weird, but after spending a lot of time feeling overwhelmed with running around, getting things done, working, and doing my church business, i, again, have come to realize that there is much to be grateful for. I am grateful for having a choice of what to wear and having clothes to wash, I am grateful for having the choice of what to make for dinner. I am thankful for the job I have which provides me with the money I have that meets our needs and allows for our children to be involved in such great activities, as well as a great minivan to take me there. . My sons-in law swear they will never drive a minivan and ask if we are excited to only have 3 kids left at home so we can get rid of it). I happen to love my minivan and will probably always have one, there are the grandkids to cart around after that. My job also helps pay for my son's mission, and the greatest thing about it is that I don't ever have to leave my house to work. what a blessing. Anyway, I realize there is much to keep us busy, but when we look at is like that instead of the drudgery of doing it all, it feels different, and very fulfilling. Have a great October.

9-16-07

Okay, so yesterday I spent the better part of the afternoon taking Austin shopping to get the proper homecoming attire. When I let people know what my plans were, reactions were, "Austin has a date?" Tis true. His second date. He was a bit disgruntled, though, when he got his answer. The cross country team all goes together and they all take someone different everytime, but still go as a group. They all know what a die-hard BYU fan Austin is, so much to his dismay, when the answer came, it came in the presence of paint on his car window that said, "Sure I will go with U." Now that should bring excitement, but he was a bit preoccupied with the shape of the U on the car, nice and bright red, similar to the U of U. It was actually very humerous. But this led us to having to go buy him something to wear. He also had to speak in church today on being a righteous father and i do have to admit, wearing that new jacket, he was a pretty handsome future father. He had 2 cross country meets this week and did amazingly well. And speaking of being a die-hard BYU fan, is it okay to pray the drive through at Subway is broken so he can close earlier and not miss as much of the BYU game on TV last night. Amazingly enough, when he got to work, the drive through was broken......coincidence??

As far as the other kids, football practice every night for Taylor, dance, gymnastics, drama, and cheerleading for Haylie. Took her to see "High School Musical" last night (the play) and she got autographs from the cast . She was in heaven.

As far as mom goes, I am hanging in there. I am doing well if I get everybody everywhere they need to go and still manage to get dinner on the table ---does throw in the oven chicken count?

Brandon is doing "spectacular" in Brazil. He leaves the MTC in 9 days, and will hit the pavement. He is good and ready. The language is coming along fine and he is loving the spirit there.

jaycie

jaycie faith jensen

shantel's first birthday

September 7, 2007

To anyone who might be reading this, our family is keeping busy as usual. With school setting in, and the initial shock of that wearing off, we are back to the grind. Austin has cross country every day after school and then a couple of nights a week heads off the working world. Taylor has football practice every evening, and is pretty tired by that time and head off to bed, of course after checking his email from his many admirers. Haylie is back in dance, gymnastics, and a drama class (need somewhere to channel that drama), as well as activity days and keeping up with her social calendar (there just aren't enough days in the week to cover all the friends she wants to play with). Most of the time it is pretty quiet around here, comparative to when everyone is home (even just the 3 of them). Brandon sends greetings from Brazil and is loving the mission life. He is getting a little tired of classes at the MTC and is anxious to hit the pavement and get going. We get weekly email and usually a weekly letter on the weekend. There is definitely a hole in our home and in our hearts, but he will be an inspiring, awesome missionary. Mom just keeps going and going and going, but aint life fun??!?!?!

is it really that time again?

The end of August always comes with mixed feelings. It is the time of year when all the kids go back to school, and while I must admit I enjoy the 6 hours of peace and quiet and being able to work without countless interruptions, and the fact that I can clean my house before 8:00 in the morning and it miraculously stays the same until 2:30 when they all come home, I have found that I already miss the carefree time of summer. It is the rush of getting up at 6:00 a.m. and trying to get the kids out of bed, including chores, packing school lunches, and doing the hair and having them look like they have parents, being bombarded with homework after school (and what is that anyway - doesn't school get enough of our time?), various activities to drive them to, trying to make them well rounded, dinner, and then the endless bedtime routine, trying to be responsible and get them to bed at a decent hour, reading to them, making sure homework is done for those teenagers, and trying very hard to get myself to bed at a decent hour, only to fall into bed realizing the same thing must be done tomorrow. I almost feel more in need of a quiet weekend after a week of school than I ever did during the summer. Oh well, the routine is good and keeps us all in check, but I really miss them. it seems so quiet. only 8 more months until summer.

keeping up with technology?!?

Remember the days when we used to have to actually write a letter, LICK a stamp and put it in the mail box? It is such a vague memory in my mind as we now have email which keeps us in touch with people we probably wouldn't ever touch base with. When my son left to Brazil a few weeks ago for a couple of years, I was mentally up to having to write those letters, grateful for self-adhesive stamps, and I can generally find the time to go to the grocery store and put my letter in the mail slot. There are now websites where you can actually go to where you can write a letter and submit it, they will print it out and put it in an envelope for you. And, once a week, we get email from Brazil just like he was next door. I wait anxiously every Wednesday morning for that email to come, and yesterday....it didn't come. I know it was written and sent because he let other family members know it was coming and to read the longer details of his letter, but the only ones that came through were emails saying "Is anyone home" and "Are you there"? Had I been online, I would have been able to have a little "chat" with him, but it was too early for me that morning. So out there somewhere in cyber space is a letter from a missionary son and I hope someone enjoys is, because it is killing me. So today, I can figure out if I want to submit a letter electronically, or...heaven forbid, get out a pen and paper, stick a stamp on, and head off to the store to mail my letter. ...What did we do without technology?

where did the summer go?

I just absolutely cannot believe it. Where did the summer go? It seems like just yesterday that i was blogging about my trip to the store where the kids were fighting about who got to sit in the front seat, etc., and here it is 1 week until school starts. Of course, settling back into a routine will be wonderful, but then we are back to getting up at 6:00 a.m., making school lunches, car pools, and all the things that go with it. I am, I will admit, looking forward a little bit to being able to clean my kitchen before 8:00 a.m. and having it still be clean until 2:30 when they all come piling home, and being able to finish a thought or being able to get out the brownies in the middle of the day without having to share, but then it is back to just me at home, no more late night movies and junk food parties, smiling through gritted teeth trying to drag my 9-year-old out of bed, not to mention dragging myself out of bed. But if the school year goes as fast as the summer has, which is usually does, then it will be summer again before we know it, and I will thorougly enjoy it.

off he goes

help...get me off this treadmill

This has been just a couple of crazy weeks and I am not sure what I have to show for it. It is like that feeling of being on a treadmill and it goes faster and faster, but I am not moving anywhere and I can't jump off or I will fall flat on my face. We are in the last 8 days now of mission preparation and sending my son off to Brazil, and trying to get those last-minute tasks done to have him ready to go and completely screwing up. I sent him down to the health department to get what I thought were his last 2 shots, thinking great, one more thing to cross off the list, and he comes home and asks about another shot...so off he goes again the next day. I take him to the drivers' license division to get his license extended, only to realize, stupidly, that it won't even come in time, so he is stuck with the temporary, and half way home I remember that he is supposed to have a copy of his driving record so back we go to take a number and wait in line again, and so it goes. We are hoping the visa will come in time, but at least that won't be my fault, i sent him the papers, even though they were sent back because we forget to sign them...oh well. At the same time, we are having our wood floors refinished, long overdue, and ordering carpet for 2 bedrooms. When all is said and done, our son will be on his way to Brazil and we will have beautified our house, and we can relax...at least for a few days... it is then off to girls' camp and, dare I say it, starting preparations for school. FIre up that treadmill.

Hey mom, look at me (Freedom run)

exercise (part 2)

I have actually been pretty good this week, walking at least 3 days out of 7. if you count to that, the hour I ran around playing laser tag, you could count 4 days. Then to add this morning, waking up way too early to go watch the Fourth of July Parade, simply because it is a tradtion my children won't let die, and I am doing pretty well. I wonder if it counts that my son, (cross country team guy) took 34th place out of 1048 people in the freedom run. That is something else. I am sure he walked a bit for me. I know exercising is the "right" thing to do, and it really is my goal, it just seems so tedious at times, unless I can drag someone with me, and it becomes pretty fun. I did babysit the little one yesterday and I am sure that counts for some exercise, I don't remember how I ever did that full time. I am counting on the "perfect" resurrected body. Until then, run a mile for me.

feeding the masses

My son is on his high school cross country team and yesterday it was my turn to feed the team breakfast after their morning run. This was no small undertaking. I am not much for cooking a lot, and am definitely not one to cook breakfast, my kids don't like it too often, and so to get out of bed at 6:30 in the morning to make sure everything was in order before the team showed up, was a pretty big deal. We (the hubby and I) fired up the grill for the bacon, cut up fruit, which was a big hit, scrambled 4 dozen eggs, and flipped more pancakes than I care to count. They all piled in just as the bacon came off the grill, and we watched as they went through the line, the girls possibly eating more than the guys. They were grateful and appreciative, and that was nice. The most fun thing, however, was the chance to watch our son who has always been pretty shy in social situations, blend in with these kids like he was made to be there. I enjoyed watching him interact with the other members of the team. It was an opportunity i wouldn't have gotten any other way, and if it takes making pancakes by the ton to be a part of that, sign me up for next week, too.

what is exercise anyway

I have always been somewhat of an exercise rebel, never had much of a weight problem, lost weight fairly easy after having my babies, and have never been highly motivated to work myself to a sweat. But alas, I have (within a year or 2) hit the age of 40 where it has been said that things just go downhill from there. I have, espeically as of late, felt a little guilty as I have watched other people exercise, as I see my neighbors out walking or running, and wonder if I can count running in and out of the house to the car and back again, or running of the mouth as I talk on the phone, and surely it burns a few calories to chew those chocolate chip cookies and M&Ms. I used to be able to get myself up at 0:dark thirty and go for a brisk walk with my friends, but after too many summer night phase-10 tournaments with my children, I couldn't quite bring myself to get up that early. I have tried night walking, but without a partner I am bored to tears. So I resorted to asking my family who would like the pleasure of accompanying me on a walk. The reply from everyone, husband included, was wondering if this was an exercise walk. Then they were gone faster than Superman and I was left on my own. Well, I couldn't leave and miss out on everything and the popcorn had my middle name written all over it and I found myself exerciseless (is that a word?) for yet another day, vowing to do better tomorrow. Maybe someday I will be hit with the exercise bug, but for now, I will stand on the sidelines and cheer the neighbors on, watch my kids run around bases, drive them to gymnastics, and feed my son's high school cross country team breakfast, and then go sit down with a good book.

summer daze

I am sitting here at 2:30 in the afternoon, my oldest is at work, and my 3 others are playing assorted computer games. The house is in fairly good condition given the fact that just the minimal housework has been done today, and most importantly, everyone is happy, the 2 youngest are playing together, and no one is crying. I remembered back to a time when I was the mother of 4 small children, one on the way, and the 6th not even thought about out yet, and it was summertime. I woke up all of the children by 8:00 and we spent the next several hours doing "school", learning new things, singing songs, followed by lunch time and quiet time, sometimes headed off to the library for story time and assorted other things. I think I have wisened up over the years, and other than one of my sons who tortures himself each morning by running with the high school cross country team, no one moves until close to 10:00 and I have the house to myself. As i drive to pick up my morning medical transcription tapes, I see children outside playing tennis and riding bikes and have to smile to myself as I think of my kids at home, fast asleep. They do read and practice piano 4 out of 5 days of the week, and we usually go do something fun in the afternoon, trying to squeeze in as much play time before our missionary leaves in 27 days. We stay up way too late with tournaments of Monopoly (which i won last night) or Phase 10, having sleepovers in the family room or living room, whereever everyone happens to be, consuming bowls of popcorn or whatever else we have available (last night it was homemade no-bake cookies baked by my 9-year old and my 12-year old, and being pretty darn lazy. We might not attempt to learn French this summer, and we won't even talk about the family garden, or lack thereof, but I will treasure this time forever, for school routines will come fast enough, and I, for one, intend to soak up every opportunity to relish in the ease of summer.

Look out Brazil, here I come!!!

Austin's night at the prom

the budding entrepreneur

So how can you resist the roadside lemonade stands that taste like watered-down dishwater, or the snow cones with way too much syrup and no ice... that alone would not be so hard, but add to that the excitement of little kids who yell from the corner with enthusiam trying to sell their wares and they are pretty darn hard to resist. My kids have gotten into the snowcone-selling business, with their bag of ice, and 5 different flavorings, and 2 snowcone making machines, one with electricity, and one the old-fashioned grinding way, and I see them sitting outside, after leaving water drippings from the kitchen sink to the front door, yelling from the sidewalk, sign in hand, trying to sell their wares, and my heart tugs just a bit, especially to see brother and sister working side by side, and those poor, unknowing "customers" that consist of the adult neighbors that have become so much a part of their lives, and they sit outside in 95-degree weather to collect their quarters, thinking they have broken the bank. It makes me think of tomorrow and what those same blonde-headed children will be as they make their way in this world, do they have any idea how hard it will be? So for today, as I have mopped up the sticky mess for the umpteenth time, and run to the store for more ice and Dixie cups, I will cherish their desire for working together and what can come from hearing those quarters clink in their pockets.

bumps in the road

Ok - This has been one of those weeks. I woke up last Saturday morning thinking I didn't have much to do, so I offered to babysit some of the grandchildren. I was involved in typical Saturday chores when I get a call from Russ, who is being flown in on a helicopter to the Provo Airport because is father was hours away from dying. We made it in time and sat in the room while Rulon passed away. This was a first for me, and you could literally feel the angels there to take this sweet man home. Life is full of those bumps in the road, some seem like small bumps that you need to slow down for, others like huge pot holes that you must figure out a way to get around. I am always amazed at how life works, when you think things are going smoothly and you then get stopped in your tracks, realizing that someone else is in charge of your life, and isn't that wonderful? So the key for me is to put total faith and trust in He who knows all, let him lead my destiny, and hang on and enjoy the ride.

nothing sweeter than baby girls. This is Jaycie (tiffany's) and Shantel (Ashley's)

Posted by michelle liddell at 9:20 PM 0 comments

they grow too fast
Okay - so I was sitting at Seven Peaks today alone on my towel, the wind was blowing in my face, and I realized, as i listened to all the moms around me trying to keep track of their kids, and calm down, slathering sunscreen, etc., that I was definitely at a new stage of independence' my kids were giving me a little alone time and they all went off playing together. It made me think about how things have changed since the time they were all little. Brandon and I went missionary shopping this weekend to get him ready to go and I am just amazed that the time has gone so quickly. I still have many years of parenting left, and then grandparenting, but it is never quite the same as having them jump out of the tub and having to chase them down with a towel as they drip water everywhere. No sweet little voice getting up from naptime and running to the kitchen to see if there are brown bananas to make banana bread, though this same child still gets excited when he comes home from school to the smell of banana bread. I can sleep until I want to get up because the kids all sleep later than I do, no more singing "If you're happy and you know it" in the car because they are "touching" each other. While I definitely love this season in my life, right now it is my favorite, the memories make me cherish the wonderful gift of motherhood and the blessing of having a big family. And, as I stood at the top of the Seven Peaks tower and watched Haylie go down the tallest slide by herself, she calls it "the wedgie slide", I realized that I was in trouble, because the next time the family all went and I was in my suit, I didn't have Haylie to use for an excuse anymore as to why I coudn't do all the big slides. Happy summer to you all!!

the family

This is our best attempt to get everyone together at the same time.

the first day of summer

Ok - so I have been counting down the days until summer vacation, you know, no more home lunches to make in the morning, no trying to get the kids to practice the piano before school, no energy sapping mornings trying to get children to rouse out of bed. Then the day comes and they run through the door after that pointless 1 and 1/2 hour last day of school and so it begins. I think how fun...we can go grocery shopping together and within a few minutes, they are fighting about who gets to push the cart, asking for unlimited treats, and trying to figure out who gets to sit "shotgun". But this is what kids are right? I have my missionary leaving in July and I just realize they are growing so fast and they are mine (mostly) for the next 3 months....my goal is to come out smiling.