i've been a very good girl.

So, you see this?!!!

I don't think this has ever happened!

Every last bit of laundry done!

FREEDOM!!

Stacked and ready for the kids to put away.

I also have been making delicious meals every single night.

You heard me, a planned meal every single night. (three weeks running)

Unheard of!

This is one of my absolute favorites. Thai coconut chicken (it has lime in it of course).

I served it over brown rice. Although my joy in eating it was diminished

because my kids don't like it like I do. Made me mad. How could they not.

It is so incredibly divine. The recipe is in the surprise ward cookbook.

Kendra Stone's sister's recipe that she invented. love it!

Now this is the kicker. I am finally scrapbooking!!!! Yeah.

I think I have already filled two albums. I am working on 2004 pictures.

I am only a little behind. ha. I'll share some pages later.

Also, last night I taught a yoga class at the gym. I can't believe how happy

it made me feel. I did it spur of the moment. The teacher didn't show up because

he was sick, so I just volunteered because I really wanted to do yoga.

It was great because I didn't feel any pressure to be amazing.

I didn't even have music or anything.

I even made a delicious hot breakfast this morning, only to realize that all of the kids

can't eat because they are getting their blood drawn this morning. oops.

So they are coming home after to eat. They are being tested to see if they have

genetic high cholesterol like dave. We found out that jacob does, so we are getting

everyone tested. My heart sank when I first heard, but like everything in life...

it's all in God's hands. Fortunately, we are so blessed to be able to be proactive in

treating it, and knowing about it. Modern medicine is a gift.

Yeah, it's the weekend. Today is Lizzie's birthday party, jacob left for japan for football,

rebecca and leah have soccer games, life is good. Life is busy and happy.

And laundry free! (for one day)

happy friday!

First Haircut.

Ammon would have nothing to do with this, until the hairdresser gave him a milky way.

The kid lovesssss chocolate.

All the tears dried up pretty quick with chocolate in mouth.

all done. I had her leave some curls. smile.

"The chocolate's gone and I'm outta here!"

He still had to put up with some last loves.

I'm a little bummed the pictures aren't that great, but they tell the story.

I handed my camera off to a guy that didn't speak english and then

Ammon was so done the minute the chocolate was gone.

Girls are so different! Especially when a mirror is involved. ha.

cozy weather please.

In one day our weather went from hot and humid to cool, with the hint, a tease really

of fall in the air. I have been waiting patiently for a cool, crisp fall day so

I can watch "You've got mail." Doesn't that just sound perfect?

Kathleen Kelly and her cozy bookstore "The shop around the corner"

ooohhhh can't wait. hurry hurry fall.

Holy Garlic Batman

This picture was actually taken on Father's day back in June when we were driving to a friends house for dinner. It was the 4 and 9 market that day and apparently garlic

harvesting time. the streets were lined with trucks and piles of garlic. So crazy!

If you like garlic, you will like korea, and you will have a particular odor as well. smile.

Dave and I have to both eat korean food together or not at all. ha.

love this

You know I am obsessed with lime and basil.

Can you imagine my joy over this hand soap!!!!

I love it so much, and seriously stocked up.

It is perfect for at the kitchen sink.

(because I have exotic coconut in my bathroom. It's like being on vacation

every time I am in my bathroom. smile)

LOVE IT!!!

Thanks Katie for getting my hooked. Dave is so glad. ha ha.

thank heavens for personal revelation.

The topic for the visiting teaching message this month is on strengthening families by increasing spirituality. Sister Beck says..

I have felt that there has never been a greater need for increased faith and personal righteousness. There has never been a greater need for strong families and homes.”

Sisters can help create strong homes and families as they act on personal revelation. “The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life,”

Personal revelation has saved me many a time. Here is a simple answer to prayer

that has changed my life. Because guess what? My kids like to argue with me, and they often

don't like to be told what to do. Can you even believe that? ha

Have you ever had to ask your children multiple (like a hundred) times to do something?

Me too, and times that by 6 kids. It is tiresome, frustrating etc etc. to say the least.

What's a mom to do? Why go in prayer to Heavenly Father. He always knows what to do.

Then bing, the ideas come to my mind. It's like the best free advice ever!

Anyway, my answer was the white boards for each kid.

Every day, I write their to do list, and any questions that I have for them.

They check off the list when they are done and answer my questions.

Simple.

When they do everything that day, they get a star at the bottom (by me), and that

star is worth a dollar. They may have extra checks that they can earn by doing

something that they are struggling with like.... exercise, reading etc. That

has rewards connected with it. Whatever is best for that child.

Now my kids love!!!! to get their chores, and they love to check things off,

and they love to see what comments I have made to them. they love it.

It has seriously saved my voice (smile) and our home is a happier place.

I just can't say enough about it and how much the kids appreciate it.

Here are the kids boards from the first day of school. Except for Rachel's (i don't know why).

I love on Lizzie's how she asks what a semester is. I had just signed a contract

(Rachel makes me sign a written contract so i don't forget) that the kids will

receive a monetary reward for straight A's for the semester (which i highly

recommend for older children. it doesn't have to be that much. Again, kids just

love that kind of thing. I guess we all love rewards).

So lizzie explains that she is planning on getting straight A's, but what is a semester.

She is so dang cute. She always has the best questions for me on her board.

So, maybe this post will be an answer to one of your prayers (since God works like that you know). I think I put more parenthesis in my posts then anyone. I am so talented. ha ha.

P.S. they always love me to draw pictures for them too. I didn't so much on this day.

Marriage is hard.

(just a little humor for you. you're laughing a little too hard dave. it isn't that funny.)

Plain and simple marriage is hard. I came to grips with that reality long ago. But oh the heart break when soon after marriage I discovered this devastating fact. I naively thought that I would have marital bliss 24/7. I mean, I saw my parents have problems, but that was my parents. They have problems right? It was so disappointing to humbly realize that we are all imperfect, and that this life is one of growth and Heavenly father has so kindly given us the means to that growth. But oh the long hours of sobbing in the shower before i bravely faced this truth. That marriage is not for the weak or the non committed. Why do we have to do this???? Just like parenthood, it comes to us so sweetly at times the answer. In those moments where we get a glimpse of celestial love and harmony in both our marital union and our parental role. No it isn't 24/7, but it happens often enough (if you are working at it) the moments that give us hope. That there is more to come. More of that joy that you maybe for only a small moment experienced, but was so heavenly that it rocked your world, and gave you a buzz for days. If it has been a while since you have felt that.....let's look to Marge Hinkley for some words of wisdom. (you know she is my favorite, and it has been a while right?)

The family is eternal. Love must be

nurtured. It must be spoken. We must

put away our pride, our haughtiness,

our shyness, our misunderstandings,

and with humility say, "I love you. Is

there something I can do to help you?"

You can never be completely happy

under any other circumstances.

If you have been married for any amount of time at all, you know the utter truth of this statement. But easier said then done, right? it seems so beautifully simple. But when it comes to those relationships (family) that we cherish the most, it can be so painful to be humble, to

forgive etc. I don't know why. I think because we feel the hurt so much more acutely.

Anyway, this has just been on my mind. Could it be because I have been feeling some growing pains lately? Yes indeed. But how sweet the outcome always is.

How grateful I am that i have had sisters that i can turn to for strength, wisdom, humor, and guidance in all of the trials of life (and yes, we all have husbands. smile). Know that you are not alone. We all are on this same journey towards our betterment. It just isn't always fun. But what thing of great worth is gained with little effort i ask you?

Gotta go. Today is Leah's 11th birthday party and of course, as always, she is so stressed and worried that it won't turn out how she has imagined. Which means all the pressure is on me! I have to come up with some cool scavenger hunt for her and her friends to do, and I haven't even started it. (i don't know why she worries?! ha) Happy Friday my friends.

ammon's favorites

To know ammon is to know that he absolutely loves and adores his

pooh bear (baboo). And balls are all he thinks about.

Pooh bear has been through a lot. Teething was hard on him. His nose is

almost completely off now. Ammon bites and kisses on him constantly, which means

he usually doesn't smell all that great. ha.

I love how he rubs pb's ears for comfort and now he carries him around by looping is arm

through pooh bears shirt. So cute.

Keri Peterson gave ammon this bball when he was born with his

name on it. Keri, he loves it! thank you so much.

Jacob has ammon already working on his form as he shoots. ha.

love that smile.

right now, he is really wanting to share everything that he loves with baboo.

So I have to put crayons in his hand and have him color etc.

Here he is wanting to have a chance to hold the basketball.

His other great obsession right now. Orange slices. We seriously have to limit

his intake of oranges. Before it was bananas. Now it is oranges.

He couldn't be happier watching elmo and eating orange slices.

happy boy. happy mama.

have you seen the new jane eyre yet?

I wish I hadn't yet, so I could watch it and have it be new and wonderful again.

I kept pausing it and doing other things, like getting hot cocoa, so it could last longer.

I loved the musical score as well.

ahhhhh perfection.

oh yah, it's on.

take a look at jacob's game face.

Thursday night was the first game of the season and a home game.

We were playing Seoul American School, which is the high school on the Army

Base in Seoul. They aren't in our league because they are three times bigger than our school,

but we always play them because they are close.

Jacob wanted to win so bad. But then again, he always wants to win so bad.

Jacob is an easy going happy kid, which is why it is so funny when he

plays sports to see him get so very intense. Like scary intense.

It shouldn't be a surprise since Dave is his father. I just always think Jacob is like me,

and then he gets on the playing field and i realize there are some differences. ha.

Jacob had some amazing plays like this long pass that he caught.

If they throw it any where near him, he catches it.

At the end of the game they were behind and I heard a man in the stands

yelling, "Throw it to 10!"

I was thinking the same thing. smile.

he has the ball in both of these.

I think this is so funny. He is all serious and mad that they lost as he passes the guys, and then as soon as he gets to the Seoul cheerleaders he is all smiles. Yep, he's a player. smile.

I forgot to ask Jacob what they asked him in his interview.

They lost the game and jacob came home so angry.

It took me an hour to talk him down and convince him that it was an amazing game

and nothing to be embarassed about. Seoul's team played to their strengths, which was

their enormous front line. They were twice the size of our guys and mostly seniors.

It was a really fun game to watch.

It was so fun to be at the game. It's like the whole town is there and all the little kids running around playing together. I didn't see the little kids the whole time.

Rachel made varsity cheer again, the day before so they weren't ready to cheer for the game yet.

Bummer.

I wish I would have gotten a picture of Ammon in the stands. He kept sitting next to this group of high school kids sharing his big bag of doritos he was holding. We were dying laughing.

I just had my huge long distance lens on and couldn't take a close shot.

Anyway, their next game is in Japan at Camp Zama near tokyo.

Wish i could go. dang.

happy chuseok

Today is Chuseok. It is Korea's biggest holiday, so the kids have school off today.

How I found the kids this morning.

All tuckered out after a late night Little House on the Prairie marathon.

snickerdoodles included.

I knew I smelled popcorn as I was drifting off to sleep last night.

I love how the kids enjoy being together. Makes me happy.

Exercise Exercise Exercise

(post i wrote a week ago, and no this isn't dave. smile)

these are the last words I heard coming from the base wide loud speaker as I drifted off to sleep last night. Either I was really tired or the exercise (practicing for war) ended last night because all week i have been awakened by bugle calls, sirens, and very loud aircraft. Dave (and everyone else) can only be outside with full battle gear on, including all their stuff for chemical warfare. It looks so funny to see these guys walking around, while all around them are moms in shorts and tank tops pushing their strollers. We are all so used to it, and it is nothing out of the ordinary to see tanks coming down the street with everyone in full gear and coming out the tops of them with guns etc. It is comical, how no one even reacts. Plus it is like a full air show all the time. It really is so cool. And no one complains. The sounds of the F16's are the sounds of freedom, as so many say. Thank goodness for those willing to give up home, and comfort to give us this great gift of freedom.

I just watched the whole John Adams movie again this weekend, and I am full of gratitude. What a miracle that this great nation of ours was formed. Seriously, a miracle. Don't take for granted one day your ability to choose to live your life how you see fit. To think and believe how you would like to think and believe. To be able to voice your opinion and have it make a difference. What a new idea at the time it was for an ordinary citizen to preside over a country. And for each to take his turn in doing so. You know what it sounds like? God's way of doing things.

So are you watching the Republican debates? Aren't they good?

family photo shoot.

sad right?

this is all i have. What, do i use this for the christmas card? ha.

I really want to have a family photo shoot, but i just wasn't that organized to think of it far

enough in advance.

I tried to scramble at the last minute to find a photographer in hawaii.

this was the only one who was available.

oh well.

I really really want to find someone here to take photos of us in traditional

hanbok in a beautiful outdoor setting.

Wouldn't that be cool?!

4:45 pm today, a snapshot

I love how lizzie's bear has on the sleep mask that she got from the airplane,

yet is reading a dog book to the other animals.

this picture just takes me back to being a teen and

just hangin in my room looking through stuff.

ah, to be the baby of a big family. Jacob definitely

was never hangin in his room at one, playing connect four on an ipad.

(although ammon prefers touch hockey)

the joy of technology!

Me heading off to yoga at the base gym.

My cozy corner of my room.

i love love love this picture.

It is a drawing/ watercolor by a japanese artist.

I found it in an antique store in Japan

when I was stuck there for three days en route to the U.S.

Almost out the door to yoga.

Little man is saying over and over drink! drink!

of course my sweet baby boy!

(i'm rewarded with a smile)

content.

i heart him.