Happy Birthday (and Tax Day) Kenny!!

Isn't it ironic for an accountant's birthday to be on tax day? He can NEVER take the day off, but he usually gets the next day off and it makes it a GREAT day to celebrate!
At his firm, his manager and then a partner signs off on every return, so most of his clients returns were completed the week before to give time for review. This week he's been busy filing extensions for clients who aren't ready to file their returns. But we always celebrate the end of tax season (and an end to crazy work hours), and the opportunity to have our Dad and husband back! We went to dinner with Krissy and Taylor, Tuesday night to celebrate.
Today, Kenny worked a full day then we all went to Serrano's for dinner for his birthday. He couldn't decide what he wanted (and we are leaving for Disneyland in days!), so we gave him a card and some cash to spend however he wanted. The office is traditionally closed on April 16th, but because they had some network problems during tax season, the company needed to upgrade the computer systems and chose to also close the office on Friday while they made the upgrades throughout the long weekend. Since we had scheduled our Disneyland trip for the next week, this all adds up to 11 days off work for Kenny! Happy Birthday, huh!?! He's going to be sick of us by the time he goes back to work!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENNY! WE LOVE YOU!!

Happy Easter!

Easter was pretty low key this year.
We haven't been brave enough to take all the boys to the Easter pageant in years. Since it's during tax season, and usually on a school night we usually skip it. But this year I decided the boys were old enough to help me out and pay attention. I decided Thursday night would be best 'cause it would be a late night and the boys were out of school on Friday. I packed up some subs, drinks, apple slices, and chips for dinner and some blankets and jackets then headed out. Kenny met us there for dinner (since it's so close to his office), but had to leave 'cause he had several hours of tax work to complete and wasn't excited to stay up way past midnight doing it. (The life of a tax widow during the final week of tax season!) Ryan fell asleep within the first 1/2 hour (which I should have expected, he is SO NOT a night-owl), but the other boys liked it. It was a great way to remind them what Easter is all about!

On Sunday, the Easter Bunny found us, but since it was a fast Sunday for our ward(what a cruel trick!) he left a note to wait until after church for the candy, as well as toys and things to keep them busy (mostly things for our upcoming Disney trip). Happily it worked! Later we went to my parents' house for a yummy ham dinner. :)

I am so grateful for Easter and the atonement and sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us so we can repent and live with our Eternal family again. I am so grateful for my family and their love, and the opportunity to teach them the gospel, and everything they teach me in return. I'm thankful to know that whatever our trials and pains are, He knows our pain and can comfort us and help us to overcome our trials. I am grateful to be a member of His church and to have this knowledge. I hope to live my life in a way that would be pleasing to Him.

I'M SO SICK OF BEING SICK!

I had strep throat in November, the weekend of Kenny's MBA graduation. Two months later I got strep throat again in January! That time the Dr. told me one of my kids could be a carrier, who gets it from school and brings it home to me, but doesn't get sick themselves! NICE! (Well, I think it's Ryan!) And here we are two months later in March...
Last week, Ryan told me he had a sore throat, and he fell asleep in his bed after school one day while doing his homework. But he never had a fever, he didn't complain about it again and it didn't slow him down any. So I never worried about it. Tuesday morning this week, Tyler had a sore throat. We had some friends over to play, and after they left that afternoon, Tyler fell asleep on his bed. When he got up, he had a headache and was obviously not feeling well. I gave him some medicine and he seemed to be doing better. But, my throat started hurting that night, and I was completely worn out. (I'm beginning to notice this pattern!) Wednesday, Tyler was still sick and throughout the day, I got worse. Kenny was working late, but I asked him to stop and buy a thermometer on his way home (can't find one around here - go figure!). Once Kenny got home at 8:30, Tyler had a 102* temp, and mine was 100*. We were both miserable so I decided to take us both to Urgent Care. I drove all the way there to find out they had already closed at 8:00!
So first thing this morning, I dropped off my other 3 kids at Krissy's and Tyler and I went to Urgent Care. YEP, STREP THROAT and anti-biotics for both of us! ARG! This is the THIRD time for me in SIX months! Every other month! Let's hope the Third time is the Charm! I wonder if I could convince my Dr. to take out my tonsils so I don't have to keep doing this!

Things I LOVE about our new house!

We haven't been here long, and we are still searching through boxes for things, but we are so grateful to have this house and are loving it more everyday. SO far, these are a few things I LOVE: (sorry, no pics, I'm still unpacking and cleaning!)

1. More Space! This house is 800 (much needed) square feet bigger. We can all spread out and do what we want to do without all being in the same room and on top of each other. You can actually watch TV or have a conversation without the kids passing in and out, and being underfoot. It's so peaceful!

2. The Location! In High School, my family lived within walking distance of this house (we are in the same stake) so I am VERY familiar with the area. There have been some changes and new stores come in, but it is SO nice to move and know where everything is! And we are so close to most things! Our church building is next to our neighborhood. Many members of our ward walk to church (we haven't yet, because our house is towards the back, and we haven't been ready early enough).

3. Our Neighbors! We have lots of neighbors in our ward and everyone has been so friendly. We met our next door neighbors the first weekend we moved in. They are a sweet couple with young grandchildren they were babysitting while their daughter and husband were on a date. They are LDS and brought us cookies Sunday afternoon along with their name and phone number if we ever needed anything. Down the street a few houses is a cute older lady in our ward who volunteered her driveway while we were moving in if we needed more space. She has been very sweet at church each time she sees us. Our neighbors across the street brought us brownies for FHE and introduced themselves, including their early-teenage daughter who volunteered to babysit anytime! (She has come well recommended too!) We haven't had a chance to take her up on it yet, but we're so excited to have a sitter we don't have to pick up and take home.

4. Our new ward meets at 11:30! This is my favorite time! You have time before and after church. Enough time to sleep in and have a nice breakfast, or finish preparing a lesson, or ironing the boys shirts, etc. After church, you can still make a good dinner, bake some rolls or dessert, take a nap, do some visiting or home teaching, or get together for a family dinner. It's a big ward with lots of youth, and we are adjusting to being the new people. But, everyone has been friendly. We haven't received any callings yet. It's strange, but nice, to get to go to church and just come home. I'm sure it won't last long.

5. The Backyard! First of all, it was professionally landscaped! We landscaped our own backyard about a month after moving into our old house, and neither of us were ever happy with the way it turned out. It's not super big, but big enough for lots of grass, the trampoline in the corner, several fruit trees, and to one side a garden area that is lined with tubing for water. Also, it has a long covered patio that is almost as long as the house. Perfect for BBQ's and family time.

6. The 3 Car Garage! This wasn't something we had even considered before, but it is such a NICE thing! You can have all your regular junk in the garage AND park your cars too! Currently, we only park my car inside, but once I go through some more boxes and get rid of a few more things and reorganize, we will have plenty of room for both our cars. What a strange concept to park your cars IN the garage! (PLUS we have a small shed on the side of the house for our lawn mower and other tools!)

7. The walk-in pantry! I LOVE being able to organize all the groceries and have room to store food storage and other supplies all in one place! I'm excited to fill it up!

8. 4 bedrooms! This gives Tyler (the more organized and clean one) his own room, Brayden his own room (for quite naps, and space for his larger toys), and Ryan and Mckay now share a room (trying to help Ryan take a more responsible older brother roll, rather than the little brother roll with Tyler. We're still working on the cleaning and organizing with these two).

9. The kids bathroom has a door separating the shower and toilet from the sinks and mirrors. I'm sure this would be even better if we had girls who needed to do their hair and makeup, BUT it allows for my boys to brush their teeth and gel their hair while the others are in the bath or shower. It just prevents arguments, and again provides MORE PEACE!

10. The master bathtub! It is one of those big, deep, corner ones, and it has a SEAT in the corner. Honestly, I'm not sure why I like the seat so much. The only actual use I can see are those creepy water births like on TLC, but I guess I just like the fact that it is BIG enough for a chair inside it! I have enjoyed it several times already!

There are so many other things, but I guess you could call these some of my favorites!

The Move

First of all, we are SO greatful for ALL the help we recieved during our move!! This was difficult timing and circumstances for us, so we needed lots of help and we are so thankful to everyone!!

Moving during tax season when your husband is an accountant, NOT such a great plan. One person trying to pack and clean an entire house of six people (after 6 1/2 years living in the house!), NOT such a great idea! Baby getting sick with bronchitis and ear infections the day before the move and spending 1/2 the day at the dr (not packing!) and baby needing breathing treatments every few hours, NOT so helpful!

BUT, thanks to our wonderful ward and amazing family and friends, we survived! We are in the new house and EXHAUSTED! Here's a few pics, more to come later.

Science Fair Project

For Tyler's science fair project he wanted to see if plants grew better with water, milk, or juice. He thought milk would do best because of the extra vitamins and protien and because milk and juice are good for people, they might be good for plants too. We got 3 plants and 'watered' each one everyday, scored them from 1-10 and took pictures each day for 2 weeks. The milk one got very stinky, so did the juice, and they had bugs around them (they were all kept outside on the porch). In the end, the plant given water grew best, then milk, then juice. We learned it was because the milk had fat and other nutrients, and juice has sugar and other nutrients that cause bacteria to spread which harms the plants. Water has the right minerals and nutrients without spreading bacteria.
GOOD JOB TY!

More Changes!

Many of you know we invested in a landscape company several years ago with some friends. Kenny and another partner were primarily responsible for the books, and another partner was responsible for managing the company and crews.

All was well for about a year, but after several setbacks, the company began to struggle. Long (dramatic and emotional) story short, ultimately our business partners decided to walk away from the company, leaving us responsible for a company we had neither the time (Kenny was already working full time, and still going to school), money, or know-how to run as well as the majority of the debt in our names. We closed the company. But, because the creditors still want to be paid, and will soon want to sue us (for money we don't have), we have to file for bankruptcy on all the business debt. Unfortunately, a portion of the debt was equity in our home so we need to include the house on our bankruptcy. After meeting with our lawyer, we have been advised this is our best option.

We are sad it has come to this, but we have lived in our home for over 6 years, and our boys continue to grow, so we have also outgrown our home. Fortunately, there are many nice rental homes out there, and we have found one that will be a better fit for our family and will provide us the opportunity to restart and rebuild. We signed the lease agreement and are officially MOVING the first week of March. The best part is, the rent is less than our mortgage now! The home is located in Highland Ranch, near Power and Guadalupe and is only about 10 minutes away. One good thing is since the kids go to a charter school, they don't have to change schools!



This has all happened so quickly! But everything has just fallen into place so specifically, and we have come to realize when that happens there is a purpose. We know better than to fight it. We have decided to have a positive attitude about the situation, and move forward with faith. We are so grateful for the support and love of our family and friends over the past year and for the chance to start over and have learned MANY hard lessons in this process, but we believe we will be better in the end.

Do you like my PEARD?

I gave the little boys a bubble bath the other night. I don't add bubbles often, so they were pretty excited. At first, Brayden didn't like the all bubbles sticking to him, eventually he liked it. But Mckay just kept scooping them up onto his head and face like Santa Claus. He kept asking me if I liked his PEARD. It just made me laugh, so I never corrected him. Love kids in the bath!

Strep Throat... AGAIN!

I woke up Tuesday morning with a sore throat and a head ache, not a good sign. But, I had things to do, so I took a couple advils and just tried to tough it out. As the day went on, my body ached, I was worn out and I was FREEZING cold. I even put on a sweater and turned on the heater in my car. Finally, at about 6:30 I crawled into my bed to get warm, and didn't get out the rest of the night. When I felt worse on Wednesday, I knew I needed to go the dr that morning before the kids came home early on a half day. I felt just like I did in November with Strep Throat, but didn't remember anyone I know having Strep recently. At the dr, the nurse took my vitals then swabbed my throat for the strep test. He told me he could already see the pockets of pus on my tonsils, so he was pretty postive it was strep. GROSS! Sure enough the test was postive. I told the Dr I had it in November too and asked if it was common to have it again already. He said anytime you're around kids (like my 4 children!) it's common to catch repeated cases of Strep. I told him NOBODY else in my family ever gets it though, just me! He said often times the kids are carriers of the virus so they don't get sick but just pass it on to me. Great! Thanks ALOT, guys! I got my anti-biotics and spent the rest of the day in my bed. So, with Mom out of commission for the last two days, my house is a wreck, my dishes are piling up, my laundry is out of control, and my kids have done almost nothing but watch tv and eat junk food. Gotta love when mom is sick!

Tyler's Pinewood Derby

We all had lots of fun at Tyler's Cub Scout Pinewood Derby! This year he made a brown car with pirate decals (Pirates of the Caribbean is always a favorite around here). We try really hard to allow him to do as much of the car himself as possible... after all isn't that what it's all about? Our stake makes a fun day out of it, each ward is scheduled throughout the day. They take the boys pictures and make pit-passes for them. They have a waiting room with cardboard cut-outs for pictures (Brayden was the only one wanting to pose for one), and a TV to watch the Cars Disney movie.

The races are run on the track in the cultural hall (complete with sound effects, and a screen showing the boys pictures), then into a different room for awards, and another room for refreshments. Our group was so small, they ran the races twice then averaged the scores together. Tyler was in 3rd place the first round, but 4th place the 2nd round, so he ended up with a 4th place ribbon. Tyler was thrilled. Good Job Ty!


Kenny and I were just happy he didn't get the flat tire award (last place) like last year, but the boys were hoping to win the cake that comes with the flat tire award. With four boys, by the time Brayden is doing Pinewood Derby, he might actually Win!

Changes for Kenny!

What a difference a year makes! Last year, Kenny was working hard in Scottsdale in the already busy tax season. At night, he was still going to school for his MBA. He was also serving as our ward's executive secretary, often spending more time at the church on Sunday's, then he did at work most days. It was difficult to spend much time together.

On Sunday, Kenny received a new calling as a Stake Financial Clerk. He is pretty excited about it, and we have been told it may be far less time consuming. He hasn't been released as executive secretary yet, so he will be doing double duty until he can be replaced. It is hard to imagine having him home on Sunday!

At work, he really loves working for this new firm. They are gearing up for the new tax season and he has already been assigned nearly 200 clients. His older firm did just over 200 returns the entire tax season, so we are expecting him to be very busy. He has also been assigned to several large projects, and can't wait to get started with those.

We are hoping with all these changes, we will be able to see him more, especially after tax season! But, who knows how many more changes this year will bring.

... And A Happy New Year!

On New Year's Eve, my sister Dawn re-married at my parent's house. She married a really nice guy named Paul Bailey. It was a small simple ceremony, with yummy desserts afterward. It was very nice. Congratulations Dawn and Paul!

After the wedding, most of us went to Dave and Felicia's house for some Rock Band, board games, and more food! We had a lots of fun and played until almost 2 am.

After such a late night, we all slept in New Year's Day! Later we went to the mall for some lunch and shopping. We also met up with my sister, Kristin, and her husband, Taylor, since it was her birthday. Happy Birthday Kristin!

Temple Lights

We finally made it to the temple lights for FHE after Christmas. We were glad we waited since it had been so cold and finally warmed up. We actually ran into a friend of mine from high school. It was funny, as soon as we said Hi, our husbands started talking 'cause they knew each other! Turns out they work together at Schimdt Westergard. What a small world!

We Wish You A Merry Christmas...

On Christmas Eve, Kenny worked part of the day, while I finished some last minute shopping, cleaning and preparations. Later I took the boys to my parents house for dinner and festivites, while Kenny stayed home to start playing Santa in the backyard while it was still warm and light out (building a new trampoline since our other one died on us). The idea was he would come over later on, but the enclosure took longer than expected because he was doing it by himself.

We had our family's traditional clam chowder, and quiche for dinner, then visited and played Ligretto while the kids played. My sister Chantelle and her family are in town from Tennessee so the boys had fun playing with their cousins they don't normal see. After delaying for an extra hour we left and took food home for Kenny. Because it was dark, and we closed the blinds over the back door, they couldn't see the fun in the backyard.




At home we did our own Christmas Eve FHE and let the kids open our traditional Christams PJs then watched the Luke 2 movie on DVD while drinking Hot Chocolate and eating cookies. Afterward, the kids went to bed abot 9:00 while we cleaned the kitchen and house until we knew they were asleep. Then we had LOTs of wrapping to do since I hadn't wrapped anything yet. Kenny actually did most of the wrapping this year while I gathered all the hidden bags of toys, and sorted piles per person, then filled stockings. We were finished by 11 and, after making a Santa delivery from our garage to the Lambs, were in bed by midnight - exhausted!




Christmas morning, the kids got up about 6:30 so we all got up to open presents. The boys were all pretty excited about all the gifts Santa brought. Unfortunatly, it rained during the night and was very cold, so they were unable to play on the trampoline.







Afterward, we always eat a big breakfast on our Christmas dishes from Old Grandma Crockett. The kids played with all thier toys, and Kenny and I each took naps. Later, we went back to my parents for Christmas dinner. The kids all played, mostly with the melting beads of Caity's. The adults played more Ligretto and visited. It was a wonderfully relaxing day spent with our family!