Looking back...

I'm not really a sentimental person, but sometimes while I'm looking back through old pictures of my kids (when they were REALLY young) I can't help but fall in love with them all over again.

In honor of Halloween I found these old pics that I just couldn't resist posting. They were taken in 2006, back before I was a part of the blogging world. :)

Noah, age 2 1/2

Mia, 17 months

I guess I was so focused on these little ones this year that I didn't even take any of Dallin and Jaxon. Well, at least I couldn't find any in the file. Is that possible? (Grandma and Grandpa Keeler were on their mission, so I couldn't steal pics from them!) Hmmm...I win "Mother of the Year Award" once again. Hey. After you've birthed 4 kids in 7 years, we'll chat.

The truth, the WHOLE truth, and nothing but the truth!

OK, I confess. I've been avoiding it for over a month now, but I've looked everywhere. My camera grew legs and RAN away! I'm sure of it. There's no other logical explanation. I'm very sad, but at least there weren't really any pictures on it. So for the last couple posts and this one too, my pics have come from the phone on my camera. Poor quality, but better than nothing! I WILL find the camera this weekend. *sigh* It has to be in one of these piles...

This little cutie is growing like a weed! OK, more like a flower. :)

You KNOW you wish YOU had cheeks like these.

Mmmmm...

Miss mush face. She had rice cereal for the first time today and LOVED it! What? She needed a little more food...can't you tell she's starving to death? ;)

Her new thing is to suck that bottom lip in to make that cute face. Love her to pieces! She's really slobbery but still no signs of teeth. Oh yeah, and did I mention she sleeps through the night? Yeah. I love her.

Ruby Red Grapefruit

Meet the newest member of the family:

RUBY
She answers to many names. Just plain Ruby, Ruby Red,
Ruby Tuesday, Ruby River, Ruby Roo... We have lots of nicknames for her. She is very sweet and cuddly and loves the kids to hold her.

She is also trouble. Pure and simple. It's a good thing she's cute. It makes up for the trouble. She loves socks. As if I didn't already have a problem keeping them matched! I hate socks! Now I hate them even more because she drags them off to her favorite spots and chews them up. What was I thinking? Really?

Mia just hasn't been the same since Duke died. She was crying herself to sleep at night, moping around, breaking down every time she saw another dog (especially a pug). SO, I caved. The things I do for my kids! I knew I couldn't get a pug, because the wound was still too fresh. So I got the next best thing: a puggle. She's a mix between a pug and a beagle and she is CUUUUUTE.

Just to see you smile....I'd do anything....that you wanted me to....
and now she is happy. AND she has a playmate, so I get A LOT more done after she gets home from school!

4 months young

Sweet Emmeline just turned 4 months young! Here are a few things we love about her:

*She weighed in at a hefty 15 1/2 lbs. :)
*She is 24 1/2 inches long.
*She was a trooper when she had her shots. She only cried for a minute!
*She inherited the "sweaty" gene. She has the sweatiest little hands and feet.
*She is the HAPPIEST baby. EVER.
*She loves men. Especially her daddy. She giggles for him and him only.
*She loves to be sitting up and facing out. She doesn't want to miss any of the action! She has started sitting up in the Bumbo and absolutely loves it.
*She is most definitely a "binky baby".
*She does NOT like to have a wet diaper. (Who does?)
*She is the love of our lives and has every single one of us wrapped around her little finger!

WE LOVE YOU, LITTLE EMME!
(Pics below were taken on her blessing day: July 4, 2010.)

Random thoughts

So, I STINK at keeping my blogging committment. *sigh* My intentions really are good...but you know the road to $#@% is paved with those, right? Yeah, I know. So for now, I have random, constant thoughts running through my head. That's what you're going to get tonight. My random thoughts. Then, I'm going to sleep. So enjoy.

• I can't believe I was pulled over as a suspected DUI while driving to SLC this weekend. With the whole fam in tow. Yes. A blog post is coming with details included. SHEESH.
  
• My bed is full of laundry. Clean laundry. My house is being taken over by laundry. Dirty laundry. It's amazing that one little body can add so MUCH laundry. I hate laundry.
• I miss my dogs. Terribly. And so does Mia. She even cried herself to sleep two nights last week over it.
  
• A 17 year old kid got up in sacrament meeting today (we were in another ward visiting) and talked about the movie "The Last Exorcist". Great, huh? SERIOUSLY. Talk about the Spirit disappearing quick...
  
• I'm worried about Jaxon. His birthday is in August and he just started 4th grade. I'm wishing I had started him in school when he was six, not five. It's starting to catch up to him. I'm thinking about fighting to hold him back. (Opinions, anyone?)
• I love listening to BYU TV. The devotional talks help get me through my day.
• I love my new cell phone. It's a Samsung Reality with a touch screen. It's not top of the line, but it's perfect for me.
• I'm tired. No, I'm beyond tired. I'm exhausted. I seriously wonder if I can do this. Do what? My life. I'm having a really hard time balancing my jobs as wife, mom, teacher, taxi driver, RS teacher, organist, housekeeper, etc...
• I go to bed too late. I never go to bed before midnight. I know that contributes to my exhaustion. I need to go to bed at least an hour earlier.
• My house is a STINKING MESS. Period. If you come over, I may not let you in the door.
  
• September is a killer month for me as far as work is concerned. I have to talk to each student (I have 75) and create an Individualized Learning Plan for each of them. I also have to administer a reading test to all my K-2 students (I have 46). Because of this, I'm taking Emme and Mia to a sitter twice a week through the month of Sept.
  
• I have serious guilt about the previous rant even though my good friend Heather is my babysitter and she's fabulous.
• I really need to get in to the Dr. and have my carpal tunnel checked out, but there's no time for that until October.
• I'm worried that there might be typos in this post but I'm WAY too tired to worry about it, so I'm posting it and going to bed. G'night!
• P.S. I need to register and pre-pay for my 15 year class reunion. That makes me feel old!
  

With all those things on my mind, who has time to think about blogging?????