The Whitaker Chronicles

Life

2009-09-13T14:06:00.002-06:00

I really do have great intentions of catching up my blog. Then life comes at me and it's clean the house,laundry to fold, kids to feed, husband to pay attention to and so on. My goal is to catch up. This past week day after day since Tuesday we have had the stomach flue one at a time. That means my sheets have been washed 3 times since then. I have washed 5 loads of towels on the 2hr. sanitary cycle(thank goodness for technology!). We have watched almost every corny Disney movie ever made j.k. but we have watched several in fact High School Musical 3 is playing right now. The funniest is Shane who is the worst sicky, but hasn't gotten it yet(knock on wood) is sanitizing his hands every time I turn around. I feel like that insurance company commercial"Life comes at you fast".I'm sure we will all recover soon and be off on the next adventure.

That's all!

2009-06-20T17:50:00.003-06:00

Shane took the kids to the movie so I thought I would use the opportunity to finish my lesson for tomorrow, but here I sit with a sick sleeping baby, and a sleeping 4 year old, and the last thing I want to do is my lesson! I guess I'll blog since I haven't forever! Where to start?
In January Ashton turned 7.

Where did I get this sassy little girl? She definitely doesn't take after her mother!
February brought Kyler swimming lessons,

Valentines heart attacks and fondue,

and of course sledding at the high school.

In March we went to St. George for Shane's work conference. Thanks for letting us tag along. It is always a much needed break, and we love the sun!

Kyler had his 4th birthday, and Arleigh made him this awesome cake!

Then April, we had our traditional flashlight Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma's.

Arleigh flipped out of the swing and whacked her head really good(she still has a bald spot).

Karston turned 9!

OH!, and I also had a birthday!
May we took 2 trips to Park City, Karst played baseball, Arleigh turned 11 and had her last childhood birthday party at the Lionhouse in Salt Lake.And yes they spelled her name wrong!

Then I decided the yard was bugging me and created a whole lot of work for my husband! All inlew of the surprise party I threw for him.
Which brings me to June. Shane turned 40 and was very surprised about the party.

It was fun to see his reaction, and so many people we haven't seen for awhile.

Adie turned 1 the next day,she must be number 5 because the poor thing didn't even get a cake! That pretty much sums it up! Nothing to exciting, just life as usual.

Coupons Anyone?

2009-04-26T22:07:00.002-06:00

I decided to try my hand at the whole couponing thing and I really can't believe the amount of money I am saving! I went to Albertsons thids week and spent $102 and saved $314. I can't get enough I think it's my new hobby. I am a geek for sure, in case anyone wondered. So I am off to clip my coupons.

Finally!

2009-04-10T16:40:00.002-06:00

Shane decided to start a new e-mail back in February, only he didn't know that he totally messed up my blogger account! How you ask? I have no idea but after hours of trying to figure it out, 2 months later here I am! Alot has happened in the months that I haven't posted so buckle up and get ready for some lengthy posts. But not today reclaiming this blog has wiped me out!

Where to start?

2009-01-24T16:55:00.006-07:00

I have been such a slacker. Christmas was awesome, and the best part is it is over.We did our traditional gingerbread house which is always so fun.
Then of course the ward party with Santa.
The best ever was this year I didn't want the 12 yes 12 foot tree up,way to big,but my kids think it's the greatest tree ever. We decided to use one of my mom's trees. First we brought it over and set it up only to realize that was the one she was going to use. Then we got the right one,which hasn't been set up for along time, that was hysterical it was the biggest piece of crap. Somehow they deteriorate in the box, half of the lights didn't work and it was just crappy. My kids,especially Arleigh were very disappointed. Okay more like furious. Shane and I got tons of mileage out of it.Two nights later we stayed up late and put up the 12 footer. They were all very happy.

Christmas morning started at 4:30, way to early.
Later that week we went sledding with friends then had a fondue party on New Years.

Is This Real?

2008-12-22T23:04:00.010-07:00

I find myself wondering what is happening to my life? I wake up every morning with this list. It seems so doable at 7:30 a.m. and then we are off and running. It seems like I get the kids out the door and check the clock again and it is already 11:30 time for lunch. Then after lunch Kyler needs a nap so we lay down. It never fails I beat him to sleep every time. Hopefully I wake up in time to pick up the car pool, if not Arleigh let's me know. I keep telling her it's really not that far to walk. Any way then it's homework, piano, scouts, soccer or whatever the flavor of the day is. Dinner then occasionally, a haircut or two. Reading, prayers then off to bed. Oh and feeding a baby every few hours, changing bums! I tell you I feel so complete. Then it's Shane's turn for my time. HA HA! One thing is for sure, I am never bored. I found this and thought it was fitting.

36 Years!!

2008-11-25T22:14:00.013-07:00

Today is my mom and dad's 36th Anniversary.

How time flies when you're having fun.

The things I know about them are.1- They love each other unconditionally.2- They are a great team. 3- They are great parents and grand-parents.

I truly feel so blessed to have been raised by them. They have taught me to have compassion for others, to work hard until the job is done, and to be forgiving. (Though I may not always do these things.) Looking back I have some great memories. We did and do alot together as a family. One of my favorite memories was of a crazy camping trip. As usual we got out of town a little later than planned. We were headed between Preston and Montpelier, to Strawberry. We pulled into camp around 10:30 p.m. It started raining so mom and dad quickly put up our awesome hand me-down,sewn up a few times, tent. They got us out of the car and settled in for a long night. It was pouring rain and needless to say our tent quickly filled with water. Fortunately dad had purchased a couple air mattresses, the kind you pumped up with a foot pump, we were basically floating around the tent. Much to our dismay the people in the camp ground next to ours had a baby who was not into camping. I think that baby cried for two hours straight. We were all finally asleep, around 1:00 a.m. when my mom awoke to a growling sound and several people screaming. Again she heard it so she woke up dad and told him" There is a bear in the camp, we have to get the kids to the car". Calm and collected he laid there a minute and they heard it again. Ready to wake us up they heard it one more time and realized it was a herd of "lost sheep". The next morning when we woke up everything was dripping wet. Needless to say we cut our camping trip short and went home. We always seem to have a good laugh even if it is a the expense of our mother. Thanks mom and dad for being you. I am proud to be your daughter, and I look forward to many more years of celebrating you two. May the good times roll! I love you guys.

Garden Anyone?

2008-11-21T17:00:00.009-07:00

In my moms old house she always had a garden. It always seemed prosperous. We now live next door to each other and have this great garden spot, however when the gardening talent got handed out I must have been in the back room. The first summer we lived here we hauled out all the dirt and debree from building, then we put some manure(P.U.) on and tilled the heck out of it. Everything we grew that year tasted like crap(truly) and we had mountainous weeds. Needless to say my mom was a little disappointed. So last year I promised that I would be a better helper. She was very excited and bought all these different types of tomatoes and even blueberries. We had squash, cantaloupe,cucumbers, and all sorts of other stuff. Now rewind a bit to my dear husband who is a habitual thrower awayer(I know that's not a word but that's what he is). This has caused several different contentious moments in our marriage. So the garden was looking pretty good, but then Shane decided to help out. This time he didn't throw anything away, no worse, he went out in the garden with round-up. Why on earth would you do that? Only he didn't tell anyone. One day my mom and I were talking and she said " alot of the stuff in the garden is dying" hmmm. That night Shane and I were talking and I asked if he knew anything about this. He got that guilty look, the one I am familiar with, and told me about the sudden need to kill those big weeds. Which in turn were the squash. Again the garden was not great and I promised my mom next year I would do better. When it was finally nice enough to start the garden this year I had been put on bed rest with Adie. My mom and dad were very diligent. This was "Our Year". They hauled in truck loads of dirt, tilled it, planted posts, and on and on. I just sat in my house and occasionally in the lawn chair and watched. It turned out to be awesome.Shane promised that he would stay out(I forgot to mention that the first year he pulled out some random tomatoes that he thought were weeds.) Any how it was going great, then one day my sweet dad was out spraying the bark with ground neutralizer and he got this wild hair to spray the rows in the garden. What the Hell!!! Needless to say my poor dad didn't hear the end of it for quite some time, actually he hasn't heard the end of it yet. I would suggest not buying that stuff because apparently it doesn't work,luckily for my dad. Again the garden was overtaken by weeds.Althouh, we did have these yummiest tiny tomatoes and some really good peas, so maybe there's hope. It looks like good "next year" country to me. Shane and dad have been banished unless supervised.HaHa. And mom I promise I'll be a better helper.

The kids helped dad clean out the garden, now hopefully it will be ready next year. Dad and Shane really haven't been banished, however I hope they'll both think twice before spray weeding again.

I AM THANKFUL FOR……

2008-11-20T16:29:00.003-07:00

…the mess to clean after a party
because it means I have been surrounded by family and friends.

…the taxes I pay because it
means that I am employed.

…the clothes that fit a little to snug
because it means I have enough to eat.

…my shadow who watches me work
because it means I am in the sunshine.

…the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot
because it means I am capable of walking.

…all the complaining I hear about government
because it means we have freedom of speech.

…a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning,
and gutters that need fixing
because it means I have a home.

…the lady behind me in church who sings of key
because it means that I can hear.

…my huge heating bill because it means I am warm.

…the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours
because it means that I am alive.

…weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day
because it means I have been productive.

…the piles of laundry and dishes
because it means my loved ones are nearby.

My mom's visiting teachers gave this to her, and I loved it so here you go. Enjoy.

Catch Up

2008-11-18T22:57:00.042-07:00

Sometimes I forget how much fun we have. I just downloaded my pictures and realized I am not as boring as I thought. We have had quite a busy Fall. First we carved pumpkins.

Then on Halloween Eve(?) the kids made mummy hot dogs, and I made them brain soup.

Needless to say they were all a little disturbed about the brains, however the neighbor ate it all, what a polite kid!

Then on Halloween my mom and I took them bowling. It's pretty sad when your 3 year old gets a better score than you. And if any of you has ever bowled with me you know I am not lying!!

Next we were off to the trunk or treat, as if that wasn't enough junk, Mike took them trick or treating. They had a great time!

The next day they made this awesome box fort with the neighbors.

Meanwhile Adie and Grandpa napped.

Every year we go to Park City for a weekend. It's so much fun and this year there was enough snow to go sledding, of course with Uncle Mike ,Aunt Sandy, and Grandpa.

After that they went swimming!

Adie turned 5 months old and I am just beginning to think that I am in a time warp!

We also got to see some of our really good friends and we had a little cook-out. So much Fun!

I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family. We always have such a good time, and we are highly entertaining!!!

You speaka my language?

2008-11-11T22:24:00.006-07:00

I feel a little unbloggable right now. Nothing exciting, other than a crazy dream which I had a blog in, is going on here. My kids have parent teacher conference tomorow, hopefully good reports. I have to teach Relief Society this Sunday. It's a really good lesson "The Second Coming and the Millennium", a little intimidating, or alot. I love this calling though. I feel like I am gaining so much knowledge of the Gospel and I am getting over public speaking, slightly. If anyone has read it and has any good ideas I'd love to hear them! Has anyone else had problems with your blog going to first spanish now german? My spellcheck is giving me german words ,weird. Maybe this is really all in my dream!

Knowledge

2008-11-05T19:26:00.013-07:00

I have to say that I feel so blessed to know that I am a Daughter of God. At times like these it is awe inspiring to know that things that are going on have been prophesied for thousands of years. I am not extremely happy at the way this election turned out, however I will move forward and hope like heck that it turns out okay. This is where I have to put my faith in the Lord and know that the only men I truly need to follow are the Prophet and Leaders of the Church. I am so grateful to know the truth of why we are on this earth and what we have to do to return to our Father in Heaven. This is an excerpt from a talk by Neal A. Maxwell from 1978.

"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt between two opinions. This is hard doctrine, but it is particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. . . . Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. . . . This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions.
Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened....Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even in these, however, let us leave a record so that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was,till then, unconscious of itself. Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, 'summer is nigh.' Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat."

Private

2008-11-04T20:07:00.003-07:00

I have decided to go private. Anyone who would like to just send me your e-mail. I probably won't change it for a few weeks. I will delete your e-mail adress as soon as I see it.

How Funny

2008-10-27T22:08:00.003-06:00

Tonight we took the kids to High School Musical 3. Shane and I drove separately so that I could go to Walmart and hit the treat isle! After the movie Ashton forgot her jacket so Shane ran back in to get it.I started driving out of the parking lot and noticed a few guys (like 20-60 year olds) who had locked their keys in their car so I rolled down my window and asked, "did you lock your keys in your car?". They of course responded "yes'. So being the good Samaritan that I am,LOL, I said "my husband has a slim-jim, he just went to get my daughters jacket, but when he comes out he'll come help you." I told Shane and he grabbed his slim-jim and headed over. It took him maybe thirty seconds and the car was unlocked. They said, "Thank You, how'd you do that so fast?". To which Shane replied,"I spent the last three years in prison" and then he shook the kids hand and walked off. All the while thinking that I, (with my big mouth) had told them that he was a Police Officer, which I hadn't. The kid just looked at him with a puzzled look and said, "OH!"

Halloween Early

2008-10-24T22:13:00.073-06:00

Last night we had our ward Halloween party, my mom and I took the kids. We had a great time. We had a chili cook-off and then there were some games for the kids. I love to pretend that I too am a kid, (I think I must get that from my mom!)and dress-up all crazy. I guess we get a practice run this year.

Arleigh is such a spooky Zombie. Though most of the time I'm not sure what I would do without her. She really is a lifesaver!

And Karston the awesome Clone War Guy.He is the tormentor of all that is good or smaller than him, namely Ashton & Kyler.

Ashton the mighty Pirate Gal! I'm going to have to say that is a wicked looking face, total mischief is brewing in those eyes. Can you see it? All I have to say is "welcome to my world!".

Next we have the lovable little Giraffe ,Kyler.

This costume is hilarious, it has a really stuffed bum. He looks like he might be severely overweight in it.

And bringing up the rear is the yummy little Kitty Cat, Adie. She's hanging out with our good friend Josh, otherwise known as the baby whisperer. All three of my girls have worn this handy little costume, I guess it's a good thing I save everything.

OH! Here I am with this other hippy dude I ran into. He actually turned out to be my visiting teaching partners husband, but since we just split wards 2 months ago I didn't know him. Leave it to me to pose for a picture with a complete stranger in short shorts! I guess you could say we have something in common now, just check out those happening hairdo's!!!

Grandma also knows how to get wild & crazy, (again something I get from my mother!). She makes a great Witch,(no pun intended)HA!HA! We're so glad that she lives next door and is always here to help us. I feel pretty lucky to have such a great mom and to be able to share all my good and not so good with her. It seems as if we are all ready for the big day. Now all we have to do is carve the pumpkins. I love this time of year. Let the festivities begin!

Isn't it true!!

2008-10-23T00:15:00.011-06:00

They say that the cobblers kids go without shoes. So I guess it's only right that the hair stylists kids (and husband and mom and dad) go without haircuts. That is until uncle Mike gets a hold of the clippers! I've been growing Kylers hair out for our family pictures and this weekend my little I mean younger brother came down to visit. Kyler follows him around like a little puppy.

Any way I hadn't seen the two of them for a while so I came outside and much to my dismay they had been in my shop buzzing each others hair, with of course, Ashton's help. So much for long hair. I wonder if this is Mikes way of getting out of babysitting. I always thought he was to smart for his own good! Just kidding,Kyler loves it and he thinks he so cool and he looks just like Mike.

Seriously?

2008-10-14T09:20:00.003-06:00

Do you ever think that you can do it all? I must have thought that a few weeks ago when I scheduled a Dr. appointment for Karston at 8:45 a.m. I mean seriously what was I thinking? Well lucky for me I have this guy, named Shane, who yet again bailed me out. What have I done to deserve him? I sometimes wonder how I got here, all grown up with five kids, a house, a car, and everything in between? I keep thinking when I have time for this or time for that and for some unknown reason I keep running out of time. So I've come to the realization that I better buckle-up, hold on, and have one heck of a time!

To the Girls

2008-10-09T23:02:00.007-06:00

Over the last two days I've got to spend time talking to or spending time with a few of my really close friends. I've come to the conclusion that I am really blessed, I've got really good friends and on a rare occasion I can still get crazy! Okay so my crazy has changed a little over the years, but isn't it nice to know that no matter what you still have your friends and isn't it nice to know that you can go, at times a few years without talking and still be able to pick up the phone and start where you left off. So I guess what I'm saying is ," This Ones for the Girls!".

My Eternal Companion

2008-10-07T22:02:00.003-06:00

So I've gotta say that Shane rocks. Adie has been sick and was up most of the night last night. At 3 a.m. as the exhaustion was setting in he woke up and took a turn. I know that's not unheard of but he had worked all day and then went and did concrete until 10:30. I'm so grateful for all that he does for our family and what a great provider he is. I'm also grateful for the knowledge that we will be together forever. Hopefully Adie will feel better tonight and let us get a good night sleep.

2008-10-04T23:39:00.000-06:00

Pictures of Mom

2008-10-04T13:10:00.002-06:00

Okay so I'm grasping the blogging thing whole hearted. I decided that I needed a picture of me for my profile,well good luck with that. After hours of searching all my pictures I decided no one takes pictures of the mom. So today with much reservation I enrolled Arleigh to take my picture. After several attempts I've decided that I'm glad no one takes pictures of mom. She did at one point inform me that "she is not a professional photographer". What was I thinking? Maybe that she could take ten years off or maybe that I would magically appear thin? At any rate here are the pictures and now next time I need one I'll have one.

Who Knew?

2008-10-03T00:21:00.000-06:00

Today I realized that I've been potty training Kyler 3 for the last month or so. I've always had really good potty training techniques, or so I thought. With Arleigh I read the book how to Potty Train in Less Than a Day. Two days later done. Karston It took 1 day, however it does say that if they poop in their pants you should let them clean it up. My advice is not to do it when G-ma is there. My mom laughed till she had to leave the room. He never pooped his pants again. Then on to Ashton, again it took a couple of days. Kyler on the other hand. He thinks it is really fun to swish his underwear in the toilet! I've tried every bribery tool I can think of. Hopefully the desire to go to the new Chuky Cheeses will do the trick. I must say he is one stubborn child. I pray that Adie follows in the others footsteps, or should I say potty steps?

Welcome to Blogging

2008-09-22T09:50:00.000-06:00

So I have finally decided to learn a new skill. The art of blogging! After a crash course with my good friend Rachel , I hope I've got it. The Whitakers are doing well. Arleigh is 10 and an amazing girl. She keeps us all in line (I'm sometimes so disobedient!). She is playing the piano and soccer and is doing well at both. Karston is 8 and also playing soccer and piano. He has started scouts and loves it. Ashton is 6 and is on a soccer team, however I'm not sure that what she does you could consider playing! Awe Ashton. The fourth game into the season she informed me that I needed to call the coach and let her know that Ashton was done. Trying to drive home the point that you have to finish what you start I informed her that she would be going to soccer. When will I ever learn to listen to her? She spent the rest of the season tormenting the other players, did I mention they were the players on her team? I had the discussion that you have to kick the ball not the boy you are playing defender with. Then it got to the point that she would just ask to be taken out. Needless to say we missed the last game and won't be signing her up for soccer anytime soon. Kyler is now 3 and has been carrying a rope around for the last week. He ties up the furniture, his dad, and anything else he can get it around. Adie, who started out at 3lbs. 15ozs. is 3 months and finally about10 lbs. She actually looks kinda chubby. Shane and I are well and just look forward to the next catastrophe, meltdown, or spilled whatever that comes our way. Life isn't it great!