WE'VE MOVED!

I finally got serious and purchased a domain name. We've moved and you can find us here:
my5littlemonsters.com

Watch Prae

Dear Prae,
Last year I listened to a speaker that talked about people who always have their eyes open and see where there is a need - those people jump up, act and do what needs to be done. You are one of those people. When you come to visit you are always helping the adults but especially helping the kids, playing ball, tag, getting drinks, helping on swings, or hurt toes... whatever it is. When Grandma and Art were here you stuck by Grandma's side and helped her with everything! Dressing, bathroom breaks, translating, eating, walking, climbing...  I have been trying to teach my kids to be like this. Maybe they just need to be older but now I can say, "Watch Prae." :)

Keep Moving Forward

Dear Misty, there has been so much excitement going on this week about your graduation! Cleaning, cooking, planning and surpises, we can't wait! Since you won't be at the main graduation today I will just tell you to "Keep Moving Forward!"

The Other Mother

 

Dear kids.

This week and today have been super stressful for me. I have been trying to wean Keira at night and am getting little sleep. Kylan has been running away left and right, and ran behind a lady backing up in the softball parking lot tonight. I've been playing the mental game all day with Jaida for softball. After an exhausting (five kids), frustrating (had to go back home to get cleats and then talk you into playing), exciting (cuz Jaida you hit and scored at the game), harrowing (kylan) few hours of softball by myself with five kids I came home sat on the couch and said, "You are going to have to find a new mother. I cannot do it anymore. These past few days have killed me off and I can't do it anymore. I'm sorry but you'll have to find a new mom. Can you believe that you all became really concerned? Like really concerned? Kayla started crying real tears and hugging me saying, "I don't want another mom!" Jaida started blaming it all on Kylan, and I don't think Kylan really understood what was going on. Joey on the other hand was a little bit concerned. You came and stood by the couch holding a mysterious present that was sitting in the living room when we got home. You were playing with the ribbon and asking why you have to find another mother. After all my explanations, Kayla's tears and Jaida's blame game Joey quietly says, "Well our other mother would let us open this." All while stroking the ribbon on the beautifully wrapped package.

WHAT?!

I then chased you around the house, kicked your butt and tickled you! Our other mother...

Bug Catcher

Dear Miss J,
Dad talked you into getting this bug catcher - after I had left the table, and guess what you decided to catch? Grasshoppers!  I HATE grasshoppers - which I don't think any of you realized until now. I went outside this morning and there were two inside the catcher sitting in the hot sun. I couldn't let them die like that so I made Joey and Kylan release them. I have no idea why I am like that. All grasshoppers should be eliminated, yuck!

I Love Cheetos

Dear Keira, actually you love all kinds of chips. We had a little picnic on the deck yesterday and when Jaida took the bag of chips from you, you smacked her in the face! When both me and Jaida together went, "Ah!" You looked at us and then threw yourself backwards onto the ground to cry. You are definitely going to be a handful. (and will not be pushed around)

Red In 10 Seconds

Dear Kayla, the other day you ran up to me and said, "MOM! Watch! I can turn my face red in 10 seconds!" You immediately held your breath, fisted your hands and started to swell and turn red. Holy cow, that was funny Kayla! :)

Misty Is Graduating!

Dear Misty, you not only went back to school but accomplished a lot more than most grads. Most of us just want to get it done but you were inducted into the Honor Society, were published in a few SUU magazines, had a video created about your project and have made many, many connections. You worked hard! I hope my girls - at least Jaida, is old enough to understand and admire your hard work. I know you don't think it's that big of a deal but it really is!

Having gone to your MKD Honor Society Induction, (a total of 90 minutes) I completely admire how you have been able to stick to your values and beliefs. ;)

You have been such an important part of the family these last four(?) years and we will miss you. (and hope that you stay with us for awhile longer. :))

The Wanderer Part II

Dear Kylan.
One day after we found you WAY to far away from our house you did it again. This time you got mad at Joey for running off and you walked to the park. By yourself. In only your diaper. This time we were a little more mad than worried and when Kayla spotted you from the deck sitting on a rock at the park I headed over.  Luckily we have Angels all over Cedar City watching over our kids.  There was one talking to you and making sure you were safe. After carrying you and Keira home I gave you to Dad and told him you needed a spanking. A poopy diaper saved you from a bare bum spanking but you have only gone out the front door once or twice since.

I posted the above picture because you just start walking with your head down but looking like you have a purpose. All of a sudden you look up and you are quite far away.

The Wanderer

Dear Monty, thank goodness you always come to the rescue. This little guy just gave us each 50 brand new white hairs - one for each crack he stepped over walking up towards main street. I just have to sit home with all the kids and worry, you get to do the searching.

Dear Kylan, thank goodness those ladies found you and wouldn't let you go. When the policeman came to the house to make sure everything was okay I should have made you come out and have a little talk with him - I didn't think of that until later. NO MORE GOING OFF ON YOUR OWN! We have no idea what you were thinking heading up that way when everyone else went to the park, but it scared us!!

Strawberry Hill

Dear Kylan and Joey, you both had to have maps at the little park we played at today. Joey's took him to a cowboy birthday party and Kylan yours took you to Strawberry Hill (I made that up). On the way back to the van I said something about going to the van and Kylan, you very seriously corrected me, "We are going to Strawberry Hill!"

Lauging Like Crazy

Dear Grandma, I'm not sure if you know this, but no one can make my dad laugh like you and Au Oui. One of these days I'll know what you're saying but for now I'll just laugh a long with my dad. Hahaha!

Asleep in the Hammock

 

Dear Jaida, I was washing dishes watching you be the sweetest big sister. You were playing with Keira, putting her on the little bike, swinging her around and swinging her in the hammock. You wrapped her up in a blanket, and hoisted her onto the hammock like a sack of potatoes. You arranged her so she wouldn't fall off and then sat there rocking her and reading. When I went out to take pictures you said she had fallen asleep! So cute... Thanks for taking such good care of her Miss J.

An Adventure In Old Siam

Dear Mom, you did an awesome job creating this book for all the kids. They will love it!

Great Grandma Sitthichai

Dear Grandma, we were all so excited to see you coming down the street - all the kids were waving their flags and were so happy you were able to come. I'm sure you were tired and just wanted to sleep but you stayed up and talked with us, took pictures and met all the new great-grand kids.  You look great!

Dear Jaida, you kept saying, "I feel so left out." Because you weren't able to understand a lot of what was being said. I know how you feel. We'll have to learn Thai together so we can speak to each other. Its almost like we'll have our own secret language - until Grandma and Grandpa come to visit. :)

Kayla Shy?

Dear Kayla, when Great Grandma first arrived, you were so shy to be sitting by her. It must have been because you didn't know what she was saying. The next day you said, "I know that Grandma loves me because of all the hugs she gave us, but I couldn't understand one word she was saying, not a one."

My Pocket

Dear Kylan, today you were pretending to get me ice cream out of your "pocket". Your pocket was your diaper and you would stick your hand down the side or back of your diaper, wiggle it around and make a noise, whip it out and say, "Here you go!" It was kind of gross, but mostly it was funny!

Bleaches or Dyes

Dear Joey, today I rented a beast of a carpet cleaner. I was reading the instructions out loud and said, "Do not use any bleaches or dyes." You calmly ask, "If you use bleach you will die?"

By the way, you asked me to tape that crown to your head - you even brought me the tape.

Who's The Princess?

Dear Keira, today Jaida dressed you in her pink silky nightgown, put a silver necklace on and gave you a unicorn. I'm not sure how, but you could walk in the nightgown even though it was dragging under and behind your feet.

We are amazed at the things you can do at almost 11 months (tomorrow). You are walking, running, climbing on things, climbing up the stairs, opening cupboards, waving bye, saying "bye", throwing tantrums... Today Joey was playing with some boxing gloves and you went to the kitchen drawer, opened it up and got out a kitchen glove thingy (can't think of the name!). Was it a coincidence? I don't know, but you are a smarty.
Oh, I almost forgot about you being able to grab things off the table, just today you pulled over a huge water bottle, that really shocked you!

Poison Control

Dear Kylan, is it you that's giving me gray hair? I came out of the shower today to find our bottle of homeopathic cold pills sitting on the couch EMPTY! "Kylan, where are all the pills?!"  You opened your mouth pointed inside. Ahh!  Talk about giving me a heart attack - there had to be at least 100 pills in there - it's a 500 pill bottle! So I call poison control and talk to Ann. She thinks that everything will be fine and that you probably won't get any side effects - if anything just diarrhea. Ann called back an hour later to make sure you were fine - which you were. (shaking my head.....) Oh, and after the pill thing I found two aaa batteries that you had chewed up! Crazy!!

I Feel Sick

Dear Miss J, I just love the little notes you leave around the house for me. This one is great! (Screen shot of my computer)

That Didn't Hurt

Dear Kylan, yesterday you had me laughing so hard! I asked you quite a few times to go and shut the bathroom door. You kept looking at me with this mischievous look of "I don't think so." Finally I went over and swatted you on the bum. "That didn't hurt." You sang it taunting me.  So I went and laid on my back and you got on my legs and I started kicking my legs in the air so you would hang upside down. Then I swatted your bum again. "That didn't hurrrrt."
Swat.
"Ah-That didn't huuuurrrrt." Laughing
Swat.
"Ow-That didn't hurt." Laughing
Swat.
"Ow-that didn't hurt." Laughing
Swat.
"Ow-that didn't hurt." Laughing

I was laughing so hard at this point. Hilarious! (and maybe you had to be there)

Linger Dinger

Dear Ling, yesterday I took you to the vet to get you fixed. When I took you to the back to get your "knock you out shot" there was a dog on the table lying on its back and roped down, all shaved and also getting ready to be fixed. It was hilarious and sad at the same time. I used to want to be a vet. My parents even got me a big book about a veterinarian and his stories. Maybe after the kids grow up I will like animals again. I can't even find a picture of you to post - Jaida would be very disappointed.

Early To Rise

Dear Kayla and Joey, just yesterday I was thinking how nice it was that all my kids are "morning people," and that I'm glad you get up early.  This morning I got up about 6:30 to work on a project and guess who I hear tip toeing up the stairs as soon as I sit in the chair? About five minutes later Joey comes out of his room. You two were not just awake, you were hyper! Laughing, squealing, yelling, stomping... I think I told you about fifty times to be quiet.  

Kayla, you brought this dragon drawing home for me yesterday. I love it. I hope you don't mind but I put some color to it.

Imagination Basket

"Mom, this basket is sound proof, you can hear me but I can't hear you."

Dear Kayla, today you created an "imagination basket". I would give you a name and you would imagine what they were. I was a silver dragon with golden wings and red and purple fiery breath. Jaida was a shark (because she is mean). Hannah was a shark, Sidney a wolf and Jenna a dolphin. We named everyone at your bus stop, teachers, friends, cousins. Jaida got in on the action too and thought of Big Emmett as a hippo, hahaha. After awhile I started dozing off waiting for your answers. Nap time!

Conference Activities

Playing store. I admit that even I got into it and started finding things to buy/sell.

Our lovely conference tree.

Dear kids, I was pretty surprised how well we did this year during conference. I think I heard the majority of the talks and even you listened a lot of the time. Thanks to Suzanne's ideas, we did a candy/food hunt during each of the songs and during each speaker we found their picture and glued it on one of the leaves to our beautiful tree you all created and decorated. We also played store, legos, pet shops and cars. Joey and Kylan, you are both sick and in the middle of the night Joey threw up what seemed like his entire blueberry snow cone. Yay, I got to clean that up along with your wet bed sheets after your nap. I know that one day I'm going to look back and really miss these plain and ordinary days.

Enthralling

Dear kids, guess what you're watching? Not a computer game, not a movie, not a bug on the wall... We are listening to My Turn On Earth and you are watching the Windows Media Player do all kinds of designs to the beat of the music. It's almost as enthralling as watching cartoons...

Name One Fun Thing

The dam is BREAKING! RUN, get more sand!!

This morning I asked all the kids to name one fun thing they did yesterday.
Jaida: Ethan's Water Party
Joey: I don't know
Kayla: ??

I said, you don't remember the dam you made in the front of the house? Riding bikes with all your friends, going to the park to swing, eat and listen to some crazy revivalists, going to the Hula Hut for snow cones, going on a candy hunt during General Conference, playing with friends that came over?
OH YEAH! We forgot about the dam, that was definitely the funnest thing we did yesterday!
We haven't had a fun-filled day like that in a long time and I couldn't believe they couldn't remember any of it. Glad I took pics to remind them. :)

"OH MY GOSH! Look at all the water!!"

Joey and Kayla saving the "houses" from a dam break.

5th Grade Science Project

Dear Jaida, don't be mad that I posted this pic. I couldn't help it. I could have posted the one with you smiling and happy and all proud, but this is how you really felt doing your project. Actually when I took this I asked you to cry and this is the look you gave me. Classic!  And oh, I love you. :)

My First Tantrum?

Wow Keira, I hope the tantrum you threw last night is not a sign of more to come. I wouldn't let you play with my phone and you threw yourself off me, rolled onto your belly and laid there crying. Me and Jaida just laughed because it was so funny.

I'm not sure if you are teething, but for the last couple of days you have been staying up way to late and basically screaming yourself to sleep - and you're super clingy. Maybe you've been having nightmares??

Wrong House

Dear Joey, it's funny that you keep saying, "I can't believe the Easter bunny went to the wrong house!" I know for sure that you had a lot more fun than the other egg hunt we went on (below). You stood in one spot the whole time with this pouty face because I told you to get the good candy and it somehow confused you?? It was pretty frustrating to watch and then the rest of the day you kept telling me it was my fault!

Dog House Easter

Kayla, Joey found your Easter basket in the dog house! That was hilarious! Someone mentioned that you were a pretty good egg finder too, the older you get the quicker you have to be. :)

Forgive and Forget

Dear Miss J, you were frantically running around looking for eggs and having a blast with your cousins. I hope you had a fun Easter weekend because you got into trouble a lot... I think more than all the kids combined. Hopefully you will forgive and forget and just remember all the fun with your cousins. One thing I'm sure you'll never forget is your little accident on grandma's bike.  I don't think any of us will forget that.

EGG!

Dear Kylan, I got to follow you around and help you hunt for Easter eggs! Every time you would see an egg you would yell out, "EGG!" and run over to get it. It was funny because you were doing this hunched over, arms back, slow motion run for every egg. You were so excited! :)

Dressed All Day

Dear Kayla, I wonder when you will feel old enough to stay dressed all day?

Baby Face

Dear Kylan, the other night you were falling asleep on the couch. I leaned in really close to look at your face and said, "Kylan, you still have the cutest little baby face." You weren't very happy about that and growled back that you didn't have a baby face! Then you fell asleep.

It's too bad kids can't learn to ignore things when they are little - I think that's only an adult thing. It would save so much wasted crying and Joey would never tease you again. Or maybe Joey would tease you even more trying harder than ever to get a rise out of you. I guess we'll never know.

Finally A Tooth

Dear Keira, yesterday I saw that you finally got a tooth! Bottom, front and center! You definitely took the longest of all the kids to get a tooth and were one of the crabbiest. Thank goodness that's over. You have also just started waving - its so cute. You like to copy our noises, especially if its yelling or growling (oh no another yeller).

Jaida's Preschool

Dear Jaida, how awesome you were for having a "preschool" for Joey.  You were literally doing this for a couple of hours - working on letters and numbers. You were very patient with Joey and I have no idea how you kept him doing this for so long. You also took a break to read to him and he just sat by you listening intently. You actually started with all the kids but Kylan eventually got tired and fell asleep on the floor and Kayla got mad and then lost interest after getting 50% on her test. She was not consoled by the fact that Joey got 0%. hahaha

Clogging Competition

Dear girls, you did awesome at your clogging competition in St. George! Your group got 1st place in one of your dances, I think Twist My Hips.

On a side note we took you all to Costco to shop and eat and I think all the adults about died of embarrassment from Kayla wanting to be dragged by the shopping cart, randomly yelling out things and then letting ice cream melt all over her hands, clogging uniform and floor while staring at the TV's. I'm glad I was in the bathroom for that.

Getting Old

Dear Jaida, today you realized its no fun getting old. There were two Easter Egg Hunts today and you couldn't participate in one of them because you were to old. You were sad and mad. However you did get to go with Keira and help her get candy and eggs, thank you for doing that! Just remember that the Easter Bunny doesn't care how old you are.

Ulg, Science Fair Time

Dear Monty, thank you for taking over Jaida's science fair project. After the last one I wanted nothing to do with it. I can't believe how much we had to yell, if we never do another science project it will be too soon! Thanks for the candy bar and cold medicine. Love, me. :)
p.s. your imitation of Kayla skipping and yelling Whooo! Whooo! through the gym is pretty funny.

Bad Dragon

Dear Kylan, yesterday you asked me to draw you a dragon. I told you that Kayla was the dragon drawer but that I would try. When I finished the above drawing (which I thought was pretty good), you said, That dragon is Bad. Oh, you like it? No!

Fruitbeer

Dear Kylan, you say some more funny stuff lately. We have some camouflage band aids and I said, its the camo ones. You said, No! Camel! So now you get to wear camel band aids. Today I asked if you wanted some rootbeer and you said, No, fruitbeer! The other day you were teaching me how to say dolphin, Dah - Al - Fin! I know there's more, I just can't think of it at 1am.

Stair Climber

Dear Keira, yesterday you turned 10 months! Today, you climbed up all the stairs all by yourself - I'm pretty sure this is the first time you've ever tried it too. You went really fast at first and as you got to the top you either were so surprised and took a moment to look around or you needed a rest. CUTIE!

Dear Jaida

Dear Jaida, I love that you are reading AND commenting on my blog. I love hearing your perspective. I'm also going to start posting all these cool pics you make since I don't have any pictures of you. Or maybe I'll have to setup a photo shoot - just you and me. :)

Leprechauns are Boys

Dear Kids, this morning I got you all up to tell you that a Leprechaun had left us some green pancakes! I thought it was awesome that you all believed me. All of you kept asking, "Why would a leprechaun leave us green pancakes." My answer was, because she is magically delicious. Your reply? Leprechauns are boys mom.

Crazy Sleepers

I know, another crappy picture. I just think it's funny how they're all sleeping.