Ferrara Family

hands full

2012-02-10T00:54:00.002-07:00

I wish I had more than one lap to hold my kids on . We love reading together before bed!!

As a mom with 9 children I am very used to people staring, counting, and asking "Are these all your kids?!!!".

Most people just assume they are mine since there is such a strong family resemblance.

I do get many comments - usually nice ones - about my many children.

One that I hear nearly every day (even if I only have my 3 youngest with me - if they only knew how many I left home!) is, "You have your hands full!"

I always just smile and agree.

I've often wished I had something to say back to them........... something that expresses to them how blessed my hands are, or how full my heart is to have my wonderful children.

My sweet friend Hollie expresses herself so much better than I do, so I hope she doesn't mind me quoting her beautiful thoughts.

"If I were to say something about the most precious thing in my life right now, it would be about the sweetness of rocking my own babies, and holding and watching them while they sleep. As simple as it sounds, nothing in my life has opened my heart so wide. There's something so eternal there, it nearly takes my breath away. Never have I felt feelings so pure. The work of motherhood is hard and exhausting. But it is holy. I know it a thousand times over. What a privilege, sweet and pure."

Nothing brings me more joy than having my hands full!!

good things:
working hard
expressing frustration and having my sweetie rush to my aide
running into old friends

open W I D E

2012-02-08T00:01:00.003-07:00

To celebrate the anniversary of our first date 18 years ago, my very romantic husband took me to a hotel.

We went out to eat, we relaxed in the hot tub, we ate strawberries drenched in nutella, we watched psyche, we stayed up late, we slept in and didn't have any kids waking us up, we listened to our favorite romantic music, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the hotel, and we snuggled to our heart's content.

Totally wish we could go every weekend. Sigh.

This is what we found on our camera the next day.......

Apparently no-one could find Lea a smaller bowl and spoon.

She didn't seem to mind.

(I'm so glad I didn't come home to that messy kitchen.....my house was spotless when we got back. I have the best kids ever!!!)

Such a BIG girl!!!

good things:
*18 blissful years

*going to the elective fair (3rd time now) at the high school - my Tanner will be there next year

*having tons of energy and feeling great today

country reports

2012-02-06T10:36:00.001-07:00

All the 6th graders at Adri's school are almost finished up with their country reports.

It's been a HUGE project...... with lots of tears, stress, frustration, and hair-pulling.

They each had to contact a consulate from their country, do a written report, a power point, a poster, a food sample, and a presentation in front of their class. They also had to do a display at an International Fair after parent teacher conferences.

I thought it was WAY too much for 6th graders. Adri is a perfectionist, and the whole thing put a lot of pressure on her!

When I went to the International Fair I changed my mind.

I walked around and talked to every one of the 6th graders and they all knew so much about their countries! I tasted lots of fun things (and some really icky things!), and I was very impressed with their displays.

I think kids should do their own work with HELP from parents (not parents doing all the work so it looks better), and in most cases it was obvious the kids did most of the work. But, I think it was a great chance for the parents and kids to learn something and experience something really great together.

I'll be more excited about the project when it's Annalisa's turn!

good things:
down 30 pounds since I had Landon
the movie 17 Miracles - so so good
Nutella on everything

new purse

2012-02-04T11:31:00.004-07:00

This is my new purse.
Isn't it cute?!

Know why I needed a new purse?

2 Sundays ago we were in a rush to get to choir practice on time because Akayla is the choir accompanist.

Dave dropped us all off (it was a little slippery) and went to park the suburban.

I had 3 bags and didn't want to also bring my purse in, so I left it between the front seats.

Dave had a whole armful of stuff and had his mind on other things because he had to teach an inservice to the whole ward, so he didn't think to lock the doors.

It was a great day - no major mishaps.

Later in the evening I went to find my phone (in my purse) and see if I had any calls.

I couldn't find my purse anywhere.

I had a weird thought that it could have gotten stolen but just figured one of the kids brought it in and set it somewhere so I figured I'd ask them in the morning.

At about midnight I had a distinct impression to go look at my bank accounts online.

There had been several charges made from my debit cards that we didn't make ($60 at McDonalds, $20 at Redbox, gas stations in Fort Hall, etc.), and there were calls made on my phone.

I immediately called and cancelled my cards and turned off my phone.

As I started thinking about all the things in my purse - all of my kid's social security cards, $100 cash, the book I was reading, all kinds of personal things, my house & car keys........ I started to freak out!

My mind was racing and I felt so vulnerable.

I knelt down and poured out my fears to the Lord, and immediately the peace came washing over me.
I knew the Lord was aware of my little problem and He cared so much about my fears.

Although it has been a BIG pain.........I feel so blessed that my family is safe.

I pray for the (probably teenagers) people who took my purse.
They will probably never be caught, and who knows what other crimes they may commit in the years to come.

Plus, I love my new purse!

good things:
the Lord cares about my little insecurities
middle-of-the-night impressions
slow Saturdays with no major appointments

moments

2012-02-02T09:37:00.002-07:00

I love that when Elli asks Tanner to play Candy Land he willingly agrees.

What a cool big brother!

good things:
my new purse
only needing a jacket running errands yesterday
it's Friday tomorrow

4

2012-02-01T10:46:00.001-07:00

Our squishy happy boy is 4 months.

At 4 months Mr. Landon is:

*huge....from the top of his head to his little toes he is just a big chunk!

*so slobbery, and he spits up a lot - but he's still so kissable!

*in love with mommy, but he's pretty good with everyone else unless he's tired

*crazy about being naked and bathtime

*just learned to roll over

*still blue-eyed

*discovering his hands.....almost ready for toys

*super ticklish especially under his neck

*completely bald except for the funny little tuft of hair on the top of his head

*not crazy about his binky - losing interest fast

*a little hothead......if we put him down when he's not ready he throws a little fit (it's still cute)

*claustrophobic.....doesn't like being wrapped up and freaks out if his hands or feet aren't free

We're all still smitten and just want to squish him all up!

good things:
our family circle
our busy home - always so much going on
when everything is still for a few minutes because Lea is sleeping

Mozart's birthday party

2012-01-30T22:22:00.002-07:00

I happen to love music written by Mozart.

I also happen to be a really fun music teacher.

For several years now I have had a birthday party with my students to honor Mozart's birthday.

This year I offered a special prize for anyone who dressed for the time period.

We had a tea party (we always do), we played blind man's bluff (a favorite when Mozart was young), and we learned a little more about the musical genius while listening to some of his music.

It's not the easiest job coming up with clothes from the 1700's -- my students are so creative! I didn't get a picture of one of the other girls who looked awesome. So glad I kept my old prom dress so Adri had something to wear - we've used it for tons of other costumes too!

good things:
hot chocolate "tea"
funny people who can always make me laugh
parties

girlies

2012-01-29T00:33:00.000-07:00

Every Saturday my girlies work really hard to get their chores done quickly.

The gym that I recently got a membership from has a nice big pool, and they let kids 10 and under go swimming free with my membership!

So as a reward for helping me I happily take them for some fun!

good things:
hearing my sweetie laughing in the other room
sending my girls off to the dance (Akayla can drive now!)
helping Adri finish a big project

T I M E

2012-01-23T00:58:00.002-07:00

There are some constants in our lives that our kids count on every day & every week - things that they will remember when they don't live here any more, and things that they will probably do with their own children.......

**reading scriptures together around the breakfast table

**family prayers in the morning and evening followed by hugs & kisses (and whispered I love you's) for each member of the family

**family dinner every night

**Friday date nights for mom & dad (and kid movie nights)

**Monday family nights (don't forget the treat!)

**Saturday brunch (made by the boys).

Every one of these things give us T I M E
.....time to reconnect, time to grow closer to each other, and time to help each other come closer to knowing our Heavenly Father & Savior.

In our fast-paced lives it never feels like there is enough t i m e to do everything we need to do, let alone everything we want to do.

I love the chance we have to S L O W things down

and E N J O Y the simple things in life.

Pictures of our Saturday brunch (yesterday)......
4 batches of puffed up pancakes made all by Tanner (including the homemade syrup)!

good things:
fuzzy slippers
fun plans for the day
our funky table - big enough to seat all 11 of us!

freedom

2012-01-21T11:26:00.002-07:00

I think I'm more excited than she is.......

Now she can drive herself

and her brothers & sisters where they need to go!!

HOORAY!!

good things:

*I didn't have to get up at 6:30 this morning to drive her to dance

*another taxi driver in the house

*waking up with my favorite man in my bed

Books for Gabriel

2012-01-20T11:20:00.004-07:00

Just wanted to remind all to donate gently-used or new books for Gabe.

This is a way for my dear friend Amy to remember and celebrate her sweet son's birthday.

We will be cleaning and organizing next week, so any help would be greatly appreciated!!

good things:
a heating pad on my cold feet
100,000 kisses for my babies this morning
dancing in the living room

What's new with Adri??

2012-01-17T20:22:00.001-07:00

Adriana has been telling me for about 3 years that she couldn't see the board very well at school.

I didn't believe her.

This year she asked one of her teachers if she could move closer so she could see the board, but the teacher embarrassed her in front of the class.

I decided I better get her in for an eye exam.

Imagine my surprise when the doctor told me she is extremely near sighted and really needs glasses!

We picked up Adri's new glasses yesterday and she told me she could see details she never had seen before as we drove.

That makes me sad and happy!!!

I hope her teacher feels REALLY bad!!

A few weeks ago Adri's best friend invited her to join a theater/dance/singing class with her twice a week.

It's right up her alley.

They put on a few productions a year...... they are working on Thoroughly Modern Millie, and after that they're doing the Music Man.

She LOVES it!!

She has also been having fun experimenting in the kitchen lately.

She made us a yummy treat yesterday for family night.

She put butter on 1 side of bread and nutella on the other side.....then put 2 pieces together (with the nutella in the middle).

Then she stuck them in the panini maker.

Wow!

If you like chocolate as much as we do you really should try it!!

Since we're only having treats once a week now we have to make our treats REALLY yummy!

good things:

*new coats that actually zip for our youngest 4 girls

*watching fascinating National Geographic specials

*Dave fixed my disposal, oven and suburban speakers on Saturday!

it figures...

2012-01-15T20:50:00.001-07:00

Last night at the grocery store someone saw my cart full of milk and other items and asked if I was doing my monthly shopping trip.

I laughed and told them it was for a week.

Of course I had to tell them how many kids I have, which always brings a shocked expression.

So it got me thinking about how much food we buy each month.

I had never really thought about it before - I just buy the food.

*We go through about 40 gallons of milk every month (and that is being conservative - I don't let my kids drink a lot of milk, just water).

*We also go through at least 50 loaves of bread.

Since I make my own 3 loaves at a time, I have to make bread every other day.

*We eat about 200 apples every month, and about 100 carrots.

*I probably do at least 75 loads of laundry every month.

*We (gag down) eat almost 20 pounds of oatmeal every month. (In granola, muffins, pancakes, smoothies, etc.)

*We also go through about 175 diapers every month. (Until we decide to potty train Lea. Not my favorite parenting task, so I will wait awhile.......she's not even 2 for heavens sake!)

Can you imagine how it is at the Duggers house!! They have twice as many kids as I do!!

good things:
ice cold milk

crepes with ice cream and amazing fudge sauce for dessert tonight

inspiring talks in church today and being able to enjoy them because Dave stayed home with the 2 little ones

Middle School Band

2012-01-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

Tanner had a band concert last night.

He looked so handsome in his band uniform.

Somehow I turned around and my little boy wasn't a little boy any more.

His voice is deeper and so are his thoughts.

Sigh.

Maybe I'm crazy but in my memory our middle school band was pretty awesome.

But then we had Mr. Findlay.

Tanner has a girl hired right out of college - and I just wasn't impressed.

That's ok.....Tanner has his dad as his private trombone teacher and he's the best!

good things:
sleeping in
finally getting some food in our fridge
a ripe yummy pear for breakfast

teenagers

2012-01-10T13:01:00.003-07:00

I ran into this picture quite accidentally today and it made me smile.

This was from our last trip to Illinois in 2003. I was pregnant with Mariah.

We all look so young.

Somedays I miss when my children were little........... life seemed so simple then.

One of my best friends has 8 children.
Her oldest was only 11 when she had her last baby.... so when her oldest is graduating from high school her youngest will be 6.

Such a completely different situation than we are in.......we have teenagers and babies at the same time.

I'm so glad!

It's challenging at times, but I love having all the stages in our home at once!

I love the precious baby stage. I partly love the toddler/terrible 2 stage. I really love the 4-year old independent and learning-to-read stage. I adore the innocent and exciting grade-school stage. I even love the sometimes rocky but mostly sweet "tween" stage. But I think my favorite is the teenage stage.

People worry about having teenagers, but I actually love it!

I love the people they are becoming. I love the discussions we have. I love the plans for the future. I love the experiences they share with me. I love the way they think and act for themselves. I love the friendships we have. I love that they still rely on me and need to know what I think. I love that they are more aware of the way their choices impact them and their own families someday.

Even as kids reach adolescence, they need more than ever for us to watch over them. Adolescence is not about letting go. It’s about hanging on during a very bumpy ride.- Ron Taffe

Too many parents of teenagers try too hard to be their best friend. Respect is lost, and precious time for molding kids is also lost.

My daughters (not sure about my son, though he does tell me his deepest, darkest secrets) consider me their best friend, and I definitely consider them my very best friends (after their dad) ............but they also know I'm their mom.

It breaks my heart to think of those days when I won't get to be with my kids every day, but I know the days ahead are going to be another beautiful part of the never-ending cycle called the plan of happiness.

It fills my soul with joy!

good things:
*flexible spending - so glad we have money set aside when emergencies come up

*a good school my kids can attend

*my husband's organizing spree

Nana's visit

2012-01-08T02:38:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in another post (here) that we all choose how we spend the money we have. I feel very strongly about that, but sometimes I feel disappointed that it's not possible to just hop in a plane (all 11 of us) and go see all the beautiful places in the world, and visit family that lives so far away.

It has been 10 years since we have gone to visit Dave's family in Illinois, and at least 3 since Dave's parents have been able to come out here and visit us. In fact, we haven't seen Dave's youngest sister for 6 years.

Until this past weekend Dave's parents hadn't met Lea or Landon, and the last time they saw Elli she was a tiny baby.

That's really sad to me.

Hopefully Big Mama can change that a bit.........though it's still hard to drive across the country with such a large family!

Dave's mom was able to get time off of work to drive out here with Matt (coming back to school at BYU-I), and then she planned to fly back home after a week.

Mom and her boys

We had lots of fun making blankets, playing games, eating all the fondue leftovers, reading books, and just letting her see how we do things around here.

She's a really great woman and we all love her!

Everyone cried when she had to leave, and the kids moped around a bit for the rest of the day.

We've already started planning our trip out to Illinois this summer and we're so excited!!

good things:
a mother-in-law that is like my 2nd mom
heart-to-heart talks
65 degrees in December

party like it's 2012

2012-01-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

Traditional Ferrara fondue party......

We've done the same thing Dave's family did growing up since we got married almost 18 years ago!

The past 5 years we've celebrated with Dave's brothers, Matt & Jim (and his wife Amber and their 2 boys).

This year Dave's mom drove out from Illinois with Matt to spend a few days with us.

Best part of the night: kissing my sweetheart at midnight, chocolate fondue, and clinking goblets with my cute kids that should have been sleeping!

Landon was zonked out by 9:00..... so jealous!

Jim

Grizzly Matt - had to shave his facial hair before returning to BYU-I!!

Akayla

Corina with her good friend Jordan - the 3 girls went to the regional New Year's activity

Mom, Amber & Alex

Anna & Elli playing with Elli's Christmas present

Adri & Mars

Daddy & Lea

Tanner & Jacob - Tanner is the sweetest cousin. He lets Jacob come in his room and play with his train

good things:

detoxing from all the sweets of the season

my kids giggling in their beds

waking up sore from my workout last night

California or bust

2012-01-05T13:37:00.001-07:00

We had such a great time on our trip!

We took hundreds of pictures on a borrowed camera - mine broke just a few days before our trip. These are the highlights that are probably long and boring for anyone else reading, but I still want to document them for our family journal!

Most of our trip was paid for months ago - we just had to get gas along the way and pay for the food when we ate out.

Day 1 & 2 Wednesday and Thursday (Dec. 21 & 22):
Packing and driving to California

Loved Big Mama, our flat-screen and the laptop with all of our Christmas and Disney movies!
We only had to stop to get gas once and to sleep in the Wal-Mart parking lot (we're so classy!)
Also loved all the dollar store crafts I brought and a table to sit at to do them.

Mariah

Lea coloring

Adri & Anna up in the "loft"

Day 2 evening: planned to go to Disneyland for the first evening but it was very windy and so COLD! We decided to just go for a little walk. We walked around Anaheim garden walk and got ice cream at a Mexican market. We played for about an hour on the escalators there (who needs expensive theme parks when there's an escalator!!).

Akayla, Mars & Adri

Tanner

Anna, Corina & Elli

I'm totally loving Akayla's face in this picture!
yummy ice cream and we were the only white people in the entire market

Day 3 Friday (Dec. 23):
San Diego Zoo

Anna & Lea

Mars

Adri, Anna & Corina

Mars & Akayla

Tanner

Elli

trying not to fall off the hippo

Mars, Elli & a sea lion stuck in the ice

Lea in the snow caves

so tired on the way back!

Our day to feed everyone (my parents, Foster, Genelle, Carissa, and Brandon, Ayrial and their 3 girls all came to enjoy California with us so we did meals together for 3 of the days). We got our food in the crock pot but that plus getting everyone showered and ready for the day took a little longer than planned.

We had already set out late, and the drive to San Diego should have been about 1 1/2 hours but it took us an extra 1 1/2 hours to get there because of a huge accident on the freeway.

Had a great day even though it was shorter than we planned.

Favorites were the huge hippo, the lion and the elephants.

We all drove back and had a yummy dinner of potato soup and bread sticks, and then off to bed!

Day 4 Saturday (Christmas Eve):
Universal Studios

Curious George play area - so fun and no lines!!

typical Ferrara family faces!

favorite ride - the Mummy........Tanner, Akayla, Corina & Adri being Egyptian

Lexy & Elli copying the big kids and making "egyptian" faces

Amora & Mariah - favorite cousins!

Elli with Uncle Foster and Bumpa

Perfect weather and a perfect day!!

Loved running into Brandon, Ayrial and kids right before the studio tour and LOVED the new king kong attraction. WOW!

Loved holding my sleeping baby and seeing all my kids and their cousins on the tram.

Loved sitting with my whole huge family in the special effects show and going on all the big rides with them afterwards.

Loved that everyone else was going home to be Santa so we had the whole park to ourselves (practically) and got to ride the Mummy, Simpsons, and Jurasic Park several times!

Loved seeing Anna's face when she got off the Jurassic Park ride and begged to go again and again!

Loved going through the House of Horrors with my big kids.

Drove over to Brandon & Ayrial's hotel to eat crock-pot bbq chicken, rolls and fresh veggies.

Loved having my dad read the full Christmas story. It was our first Christmas with my family in at least 7 years.

Came back to the motor home - kids got to open their Christmas jammies and Christmas book.
We all crashed immediately and didn't even read our book.

I was so tired I almost didn't get out all the Christmas stuff and fill the stockings but Dave talked me into it!

Day 5 Sunday (Christmas Day):
First (and hopefully only) Christmas in Big Mama

we piled the presents in the front seat and all over the floor -
it just about made my flesh crawl with all the clutter.....but I made it through!!!

my cute kids on Christmas morning....
jammies were brown, pink & hot pink
the girls all got these cute flower headbands from our talented neighbor!

We kept things really simple this year because our California trip was our big family gift, but here's the list of gifts the kids received:

Akayla: a really nice garment bag with her team logo and her name on it for clogging competitions, and $ for clothes

Corina: The Hunger Games series, and $ for clothes

Tanner: a very cool sled (that he has not been able to use yet - where's the snow?!!), and $ for clothes

Adriana: a jacket from Aeropostale, her own straightener, and $ for clothes

Annalisa: an American Girl doll (Rebecca), and the Justin Bieber movie (Never say never).

Mariah: an American Girl doll (Marie-Grace the newest doll), and a charm bracelet making set

Elora: a tabletop easel (marked at $90 but I got it for $9!!), an art set, and a puppet theater with lots of darling puppets (also marked at $90 and I paid $9!!)

Leandra: cutest cloth doll I've ever seen (marked at $50 and I paid $5), and a toddler purse with all kinds of goodies in it (marked at $35 and I paid $3.50.........I'm very excited about the 90% off sale I found can you tell?!!)

Landon: hmmmm......lots of hugs, kisses, and clothes! He's a newborn baby for heaven sake - what else does he need?!!

We also received really nice gifts from both grandparents and from our siblings that had our name this year.
We actually felt very spoiled this year!

We spent a nice relaxing day swimming and spending lots of time together, and at dinner time we went to the hotel my family was staying at for dinner and games. My mom made a delicious dinner of salsa beef tacos (not traditional but yummy anyway!), and we were able to have the conference room of the hotel for our family party. We played a really fun candy-bar game, and we played a short game of Quelf (SO FUNNY!) while the kids played barbies and ran around like crazy people!

We went to bed early so we could be ready for DISNEYLAND the next day!!

Day 6 Monday (Dec. 26):
Disneyland

We found these shirts the night before we left but I never could find anything for Adri and Tanner

My 4 little Minnie's and a Mickey - dresses made by my mama! She made dresses for 5 of my nieces also!

Such a great day!
Only complains --
*everything takes longer with a double stroller and 11 people
*long lines are difficult with a baby and an almost 2 year old
*I brought shoes that are just a little tight (after the zoo I was already hurting, and by the end of the day at Disneyland my whole body was in pain!). I've never felt such horrible pain in my feet --- so dumb! Dave bought me a pair of shoes from Wal-Mart the next morning that were a size too big and the rest of the trip was great!

All of our kids could go on almost all of the rides, and if they couldn't there was a parent switch.

Loved going on Indiana Jones with Mariah and Pirates of the Carribbean with Elli & Lea.

Brandon & Ayrial took our youngest 4 kids back to their hotel at 8 so we could enjoy some time with our oldest kids and the next night we took theirs home so they could have fun without kids for the night!

Elli just had to have cotton candy - it was the perfect distraction for a long pirates line!!

we ran into Brandon, Ayrial and the girls so we had to get a picture of all the girls in their Minnie dresses
Ambree, Amora, Anna, Mars, Lea, Lexy and Elli

we finally ran into my family and went on the Roger Rabbit ride

time with just the big kids was so fun!

everything was so pretty all decorated for Christmas!

Anna surprised us by wanting to go on big scary rides and LOVING them!!

Loved the Minnie dresses my mom sewed for all the young girlies. (She's amazing!)
They looked sooo cute and so many people commented on how adorable they looked.
Several people even took pictures of the girls.

Of course we had lots of people asking about our large family, or just outright staring.
Apparently not a lot of people see a family with 9 kids very often.
We did get several comments on how well our children behave and how gorgeous they all are.
I would have to agree - they are the best darn kids!

Loved going on Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, the Matterhorn, and Star Tours with my big kids, and I LOVED holding hands with my husband for a few hours because we weren't carrying or pushing anyone!

Day 7 Tuesday (Dec. 27):
California Adventure/Disneyland

Best way to keep track of all your kids in a big crowd.....matching shirts made by my dear friend Holly

my handsome boys!

love this sweet girl and her beautiful smile!

We've never been to California Adventure so we didn't know what to expect.
I really didn't like it and all of my younger kids wanted to go back to Disneyland.

So Dave took Akayla, Corina, Tanner and Adriana on the Tower of Terror and California Screamin' while I took Annalisa, Mariah, Elli, Lea, and Landon back to Disneyland and went on Pinocchio and Pirates of the Carribbean.

waiting in line for California Screamin'!!

Miss Elli

I had so much fun with my little girlies in Disneyland! Elli & Mars

It could have been scary being alone in the crowds with my 5 youngest kids,
but Anna &Mars were super helpful!!
Anna & Landon

We met up with Brandon & Ayrial to take their kids and after we fed our entire group - including the extra 3 - I stayed with the oldest 4 while Dave took all the other kids back to the RV to watch a movie and sleep! He wasn't feeling very well so he was happy to miss out on another late night!

eating at the McDonalds right outside of Disneyland

I love spending time with my big kids! They are such awesome people and they have such fun personalities!

Day 8 Wednesday (Dec. 28):
Sea World

dad says "make your best sea lion face"

the shark encounter was SOOOO COOOL!!

We slept in and didn't get on the road until after lunch, which meant we didn't get to see everything.....but after the long week we had it was really ok.

We got there just in time for the final Dolphin show - loved it!

Walked through the shark encounter - awesome, and got to feed sea lions - kind of gross!

Dave went to save a whole huge row for the Ferrara and Johnson clan at the Shamu show while I took the kids to the Sesame Street playground.

The Shamu show was beautiful and our favorite of the day.

So funny to look all the way down the row and see our entire huge family!

We all went through the whole huge arctic exhibit and then we were done for the day.

It was Ayrial's birthday so we decided to get the kids pizza and turn on a movie in the motor home while Akayla & Corina babysat, and then the adults went to dinner at the Olive Garden - yummy!

Day 9 Thursday (Dec. 29):
Disneyland and heading back home

on the shuttle heading to Disneyland

almost to the front of the Indiana Jones line

Anna really wanted a huge sucker!!

We decided to use our 3rd day at Disneyland to ride just a few favorite rides and pick up souvenirs.

Dave and the older kids got in line for Splash Mountain while I took the younger kids on the Jungle Cruise. Unfortunately by the time they got to the front of the Splash Mountain line they closed the ride!

We all voted and decided to wait in line for Indiana Jones.
Dave got a parent switch and took Adri and the youngest 3 on a few rides while I waited with everyone else in a 90 minute line.

It was well worth the wait (Mariah's favorite ride of all time!), and by the time Dave and Adri went through the fastpass line the standby line was up to 165 minutes. Ouch!

Apparently everyone thought the 2 days after Christmas would be too busy so they all came on Thursday.
The crowds were suffocating!

We all had enough, and even though Anna was really disappointed not to get to go on Splash Mountain we decided to go get our souvenirs and get out of there!

It was still a great day and everyone was very pleased with what they bought with their Disney money!!

Day 10 Friday (Dec. 30):
long drive

We only drove a few hours on Thursday night, so we had a long drive ahead of us.

We wanted to get on the road early so none of us took showers, in fact most of us stayed in our pajamas all day - expecting to get home in the early afternoon.

We had to stop a few times, and Big Mama had a battery issue - which meant NO movies, and a much longer drive.

We stopped in Utah and got our battery fixed, but we were stuck for 2 more hours.

I'll admit it - I was really crabby!

Luckily we were able to watch a movie the last 3 hours of the trip and everyone was a lot calmer the rest of the way home!

So glad to be home!!
It's not a perfect house, but it's ours and it's the best place to be!!

good things:
a quiet uneventful morning
getting back to a routine
Corina being 1 of 5 from her hs chosen to go to a leadership seminar this summer

A new year

2012-01-03T14:58:00.002-07:00

My resolution from last year: resolution 2011

I had some high expectations of 2011.

It was a very good year -- Dave finally finished his masters degree, I gave birth to my 9th baby, we made some purchases that we've been saving for several years to buy, and we did a lot of small and unimportant things that made our year lovely.....but it did not go as planned!

The only reason for that was because I got pregnant.

I certainly did not lose the baby weight from Leandra, and my relationships were strained rather than strengthened! (I'm really not a nice pregnant person)

But I still really love the word I chose for myself because it holds everything I want to improve about myself....

Strengthen

To strengthen my body (by continuing my workouts at home and at the gym, and by making healthier food choices)

To strengthen my mind (by using my library and limiting computer time)

To strengthen my relationship with God (by keeping a scripture journal with me as I read my scriptures to write my thoughts and inspirations, and by improving my personal prayers)

To strengthen my relationship with my family and people who are close to me (by taking the time each day to reconnect with each member of my family, by taking my children on monthly time-outs, and other personal goals that I will not share :) )

2011 was a very good year, but I am excited about the start of a new year, and making changes to improve myself!

good things:
a quiet morning to read and ponder
beautiful sunshine outside
having lunch with my lovely mother-in-law

heading out

2011-12-21T00:56:00.002-07:00

image from here

We're nearly all packed up (it's only taken me about a whole week) and ready to take off on our first big adventure in Big Mama!

We're taking off for California tomorrow afternoon.

You really wouldn't believe the amount of STUFF (clothes, food, and practically the whole house) 11 people need for 10 days.....especially if one of them is a baby.

It's kind of gross.

But we are REALLY really really REALLY really excited!

We've only been talking about this trip for a year now....
and our Disneyland jar is bursting at the seams (enough pennies, nickles, and dimes for all the Ferrara kids to have $50 to spend on whatever they want!)!

Happy Holidays!

good things:
anticipation
the Mickey Mouse shirts I found for $6 at Ross today
my beautiful kiddos asleep in their beds

Day 13 Reading Christmas books by candlelight

2011-12-18T23:32:00.007-07:00

Back in 1995 when it was Akayla's first Christmas, I bought a Christmas book.
Not just any book - one that made me cry and gave me goose bumps when I read it.

Every year since then I have bought a special Christmas book that we read on Christmas Eve after we put on our new jammies.

I have a whole box filled with beautiful books that we pull out December 1st, and each night through the month of December we read a few of them before bed.

The kids each have their favorites and I let them each have a turn picking which book to read next.

These are my favorites:

I always get choked up even though I've read them many many times.
My kids always look back to see if I'm crying when my voice gets all funny.

Every year we have one night that we turn off all the lights and light a bunch of candles.

There is something so magical about reading by candlelight.

Love this tradition!!!

good things:
sweet stories
the sound of sleeping children
packing for our trip

Day 14 Christmas from another country

2011-12-15T08:34:00.011-07:00

Last night we celebrated Christmas Mexican style.

We enjoyed a mexican dinner, music (technically it was Venezuelan from Dave's mission, but the kids will never know! Hey - it was in spanish!), dancing in our pj's, and a pinata.

What a blast!

(Blurry photo because we were dancing hard!!)

Notice the 2 lumps on the couch.........ugh!

Teenagers sometimes! We finally had to make them get up and have fun!

Adri & Lea

Akayla & Mars

Landon boy - I want to eat those cheeks!!

Anna & Adri

Elli belly!

good things:

the tiny daughter (Akayla) delivering the final blow to drop all the candy

Landon didn't even wake up once last night

early morning pondering

thoughts on Jesus Christ

2011-12-11T22:21:00.003-07:00

I'm not a good writer.
I have a lot of difficulty expressing my feelings.
But I can express myself through music.

Tonight I played in the Messiah with my 2 lovely daughters.

I know it's hard for some people to listen to, and it might be for me also, but I love playing it.

It speaks to my soul, and it's a way for me to honor Jesus Christ.

This afternoon we had a little blow-out at the Ferrara house.

It was ugly......unkind words and raising voices is always ugly.

It felt bad because whenever the spirit leaves it feels wrong.

We strive to always have the holy spirit in our home - with our words, actions, the music we listen to, and the movies we watch.

But the spirit doesn't want to be around when people are not being nice.

When it was over we gathered our not-so-little-family around and we prayed.
We asked for forgiveness.
We spoke words of love and repentance towards each other.
There was warmth and happiness surrounding us again.
Because of the Savior.
Jesus Christ can mend the broken heart and heal all wounds.

I believe in the atonement.
I believe with all of my heart that He saves us.
Because of the Messiah my family can feel that love and peace here in our home, but we will also feel it forever with Him.

Hallelujah!
Jesus Christ was born..........He lived, and He lives!!

good things:
telling my children stories about their grandparents
remembering
Russian tea-cakes like my grandma used to make

Baby it's cold outside!!

2011-12-11T01:34:00.004-07:00

I don't know who took this picture, but Landon's face totally cracks me up! I wonder what he's thinking!

Don't you sometimes wish you could get all bundled up like that to go outside?

I just try to stay inside when this time of year rolls around.

I put some soup in my crock pot, turn my heater up, and snuggle with my kiddos in a cozy blanket (and don't forget the piles of books)!

good things:

winter doesn't last all year

sleeping with my heating pad on my feet

hot showers

25 Days of Christmas

2011-12-06T23:09:00.005-07:00

A friend of mine was asking about our 25 Days of Christmas tradition.

This is the link explaining what we've done in the past.....

paper chain tradition

Last year we tried something a little different that we loved.......
12 Days of Christ and Shepherd's Night

This year I changed things up just a little bit more so we could do the 12 days of Christ and the fun family activities together. It just started getting overwhelming for me to try and keep everything straight.

In each box is the daily activity we will do together.

This is our list: (We change some of them up every year)

(1)To start off the Christmas season let's enjoy some candy cane ice cream together!

(2)Mosiah 2:17. Today we are going to spend time doing service for others by working at the Idaho Food Bank and then singing Christmas carols at the hospital!

(3)Secret Note Saturday - write as many secret I LOVE YOU notes to your family as you can and deliver them when no one is looking!

(4)It’s the perfect night to watch a Christmas movie together as a family!

(5)Tonight we are going to make Christmas cookies. Make a plate for a neighbor, drop it off on their doorstep, and run like crazy!

(6)Enjoy some hot chocolate with your family tonight and take a deep breath. It’s the only way to make it through a busy day like today!

(7)Call your grandparents and sing them a Christmas song!

(8)Tonight we are going to remember some of our family members who have passed away. We will tell stories and eat some of the yummy recipes they used to love!

(9)Today mom has a special Christmas craft for you to make!

(10)Sneaky Service Saturday – do as many sneaky service acts for your family members as you can!

(11)Today is a great day to show appreciation for our neighbors and special friends from church. Bring gifts and sing Christmas carols to our neighbors!

(12)Sharing your talents is a way to honor our Savior. Tonight we will have a family talent show and play our favorite Christmas songs!

(13)Tonight when we read our Christmas stories get out all the candles and turn out all the lights!

(14)Today we are going to enjoy Christmas the way they do in another country! Read all about it, try some recipes, and play some of the games children in other places enjoy!

(15)Think of your family members that live far away. Today write letters to let them know how much you love and miss them!

(16)Today we can show appreciation for our teachers at school and at church. Help mom make gifts and write a thank-you note for them!

(17)Matthew 2:1-15. (Wise Men) The Three Wise Men brought gifts to Jesus. Prayerfully think of the gift you would like to give to Jesus this year and write it on the paper mom gives you. Place your gift on the tree to help you remember!

(18)Luke 2:13-14. (Angel) Sing Christmas songs together!

(19)Luke 1:26-37 and 2:19. (Mary) Today you get to celebrate your mom. Give her a big hug and tell her how much you love her. Do as many nice things for her as you can today and write love notes to tell her how much you appreciate everything she does for you!

(20)Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:48-49. (Joseph) Today you get to celebrate your dad. He needs lots of hugs too and he would love a head scratch. Do as many nice things for him today as you can think of and write lots of notes to tell him how much you appreciate everything he does for you!

(21)Luke 2:8-18. (Shepherds) Listen to the forgotten carol of the shepherd and then quickly get your best shepherd costume on so you can enjoy our Shepherds night!

(22)Helaman 14:5, 3 Nephi 1:21, Matthew 2:2, 7 & 9. (Star) Go on a ride with your family and see all the beautiful Christmas lights! Don’t forget to sing our traditional silly song whenever you see lights on the houses!

(23)Find your favorite scripture of Christ and share it with your family!

(24)Help mom make a special Christmas dinner and enjoy it together. Make it even more special by lighting candles and listening to Christmas music!

We have done some of these things for years, and some of them I have stolen from friends who had a similar box (Lisa Johnson).

Sometimes something comes up and we have to postpone the activity until the weekend, but I try really hard to plan ahead and place certain activities on days I know we will be able to do them.

Next year I will rearrange the order and add/delete as things come up.

good things:

finally getting my tooth fixed at the dentist

watching Hallmark Christmas specials

walking through the candle section at the store - smells so good!

my old man

2011-11-30T09:54:00.004-07:00

Dave turned 40 this week.

We surprised him at my parent's house with an "over the hill" party.

The best gift was this walker I found at the DI for $5.......awesome!

He also got prune juice, jello, old man glasses, and some real gifts.

Nothing fancy, but my boy felt loved!

And he is.

At 40 he is better than ever!

I'm so lucky to have him as my old man!

And here is Mr. Ferrara's twin separated at birth trying out the glasses..........

good things:

the double layer german chocolate cake Akayla made

getting paid by someone finally

our first Christmas card came in the mail today

1st annual Johnson Family 5K Turkey Trot

2011-11-28T09:36:00.015-07:00

My mom and I decided to put together a Fun Run before our big Thanksgiving feast this year.

My dad set up the course (we didn't realize it was a 5K at first).

Even at the end we all agreed this should be something we do every year!

I was so impressed with my kids.

The whole group started together, but I was at the back because I had Landon in a stroller.

After just a few minutes my nieces came back because they were tired.

I figured my oldest three or four would finish the race but maybe Anna, Mars & Elli would be coming back soon.

I stayed back and watched Lea and my nieces at the park.

Lo and behold after several minutes all of my kids came running past me and finished the whole race!

most of our group before the race

Dallin & Jamie

Leandra loved running and ran for about 10 minutes before she pooped out and needed to be carried!

Tanner came in 4th place.....

....with Mariah only about 10 steps behind him in 5th place!!

Annalisa and Elli were tempted to stay back and play at the park with their cousins but they decided to finish the race together!

My mom rode her bike so she could be at the halfway point and at the finish line to see who the winners were!

Adri didn't bring the right shoes but she still ran her little heart out!

Corina and Akayla took turns carrying Lea at the end and got one of the prizes for runners carrying or strolling younger kids

Ferrara's kind of dominated the prizes this year....

Dave took 1st place (not bad for a 40 year old!!!)

Tanner won the age group 11-18

Mariah won the age group 7-10

Elli won the age group 0-6

and of course Akayla and Corina got the prize for helping younger kids

My sister Carissa ran her own 5K earlier in the day, and my SIL Ayrial ran a 5K and participated in our 5K.

We all felt much less guilty eating all the great Thanksgiving foods later!!

good things:

a good run

working up a sweat

healthy bodies

Oh what do you do after eating Thanksgiving dinner...........

2011-11-27T11:46:00.009-07:00

...........when all your bellies are stuffed!

Do you....

Take a long nap,

or read a good book,

or watch football games,

or do all the dishes,

or try to take care of the disgusting turkey carcass?

Is that what you do?

So do I!!!

good things:

family

trying out hilarious new games

staying up late and sleeping in

2011 newsletter

2011-11-23T01:59:00.025-07:00

2011 has been an eventful year for our family and we have much to be thankful for…..

David (40 this month)

Finished his Master’s degree with straight A’s and can finally work on projects around the house!

Thankful not to have any papers to write or assignments to complete!

Angela (just hit 36)

Made it through 9 months of pregnancy and another safe water birth with her 9^th baby (2^nd son!!!)

Thankful for a new beautiful baby, a month with no lessons to teach, and no more pregnancy!

Akayla (16)

Junior year – finally able to drive and date (she has had 3 dates on several weekends -- lucky girl!)

Thankful to be a girl so boys pay her way for everything, and for her best friend Corina!

Corina (15)

Started sophomore year with 2 AP classes and joined National Honors Society

Thankful for weekends with no homework (doesn’t happen very often), and that she gets to turn 16 in a few months and join in the fun Akayla is having!

Tanner (13)

Last year of Middle School – has a mouth full of braces but still plays trombone in the symphonic and jazz bands at school

Thankful for a brother (finally), days off, and cold weather so he doesn’t have to mow the lawn anymore!

Adriana (11)

First year in middle school – taking voice lessons and singing in school choir and Tavaci

Thankful to be turning 12 soon and going to YW, and for lots of new friends at her new school!

Annalisa (9)

Advanced gymnastics class, first piano recital, and first year singing in Tavaci

Thankful for field trips, Friday party days, and all her friends that have horses or puppies!

Mariah (7)

First performance in new competition clogging class, and advanced reading group at school

Thankful for all the money from the tooth fairy, and for her left- handed (amazing) handwriting skills!

Elora (4)

Started primary, learning to read, and piano lessons with mom

Thankful that her best friend lives across the street and that she gets to sleep in the top bunk now!

Leandra (20 months)

1 ½ yr. old Tasmanian devil; slow start to nursery at church, and became a big sister

Thankful that she found her binkie so she doesn’t have to take Landon’s anymore, and for daddy’s lap!

Landon (1 month)

Eating like a hog, growing like a weed; made it to 1 month old without Lea damaging him

Thankful for his family who can’t get enough of him!

After several years of scrimping and saving we were finally able to purchase a motor home that is large enough to fit our growing family. Because we’ve outgrown all of our other vehicles this provides a way for us to visit our family that lives across the country. We already have some exciting trips planned – Disneyland in December, and Illinois in July. We hope to spend lots of time visiting family and friends who live far away!

Love, The Ferrara’s

We only have pictures of the kids this year - hopefully next year (when Ang doesn't look like she just had a baby) you can see our whole family!

Photos were taken by Jamie Johnson (Homespun Photographs)

Akayla

Corina

Tanner

Adriana

Annalisa

Mariah

Elora

Leandra

Landon

good things:
feeling super organized this year
taking a mini vacation
candy cane hot chocolate

co-ed

2011-11-23T01:15:00.007-07:00

Akayla went to another dance...this time it was a girl's choice dance.

She asked Patrick Riley who happens to be her 8th grade fling from the Academy.

We went through a lot of trouble keeping them apart back then, but now they're just good friends and we're happy to see them go on a few dates here and there.

She asked him with a huge candy bar card (wish I got a picture of it - it was so cute!) and he gave her gummy bears with a poem.

They went with a really fun group.
But they decided not to even go to the dance.
They went bowling and out for pizza, and then they went to Ruthanne Spreier's house (the one that was on Extreme Makeover Home Edition) and played games and had dessert.

It was a blast!

The dress caused a little bit of stress.
We found it at Ross again - for $16.

It was strapless and too big for tiny Akayla, but we knew we had to figure out a way to make it work for that price!

We had a prom dress store make a little jacket for her (which ended up being a little too big) but they had a hard time finding fabric that matched, so without talking to me they made it with sheer fabric.

(This caused a little bit of a problem because we believe in covering everything that would be covered by temple garments. Believe what you want, but we feel very strongly about this and Akayla agrees.)

Anyway, she wore her black jacket under the other jacket, and we pinned everything like crazy.

I think she still looked beautiful, but she felt a little awkward all night.

Maybe we better stay away from Ross for the next dance!

good things:
a 5-day weekend
getting away
my baby finally fell asleep

Forgotten Carols

2011-11-21T22:54:00.003-07:00

If you've never seen (or heard the music from) The Forgotten Carols you are really missing out.

I've been crazy about it for about 20 years now.
Hard to believe it's been that long.

Last year Akayla and Corina had to watch a musical production for choir and write a report on it.
They had procrastinated and had only a few days left before the end of the trimester.

We were lucky enough to discover that Marsh Valley was doing their annual production of the Forgotten Carols that weekend and it was even free.

It was a beautiful production.....nearly as good as the one starring Michael McLean (the writer and composer).

Akayla and Corina fell in love with it also, so this year when they were asked to come and play in the orchestra they were more than willing to sacrifice several days to rehearse many hours.

The night of the first performance I brought Tanner, Adri, Anna, and Mars with me to watch it.

They loved it of course and I often hear them singing their favorite songs from that night.

This is for sure a new Ferrara family Christmas tradition!

As we drove home that night it started snowing and we saw the "Season's Greetings" sign all lit up.

It's officially Christmas time!!

good things:
crying happy tears
one day of school left
kids that love the same things I do

kissable

2011-11-20T11:50:00.003-07:00

I'm completely in love with this little guy.

I just want to kiss those lips off!!

He's nearly 2 months old and I'm not very happy about it.

It takes 9 months to get these little ones here (9 HARD months that feel more like 90 months).....

but once they're here the time just ZOOOOOOOOOMS past!

At almost 2 months Landon:

loves to eat - all the time

he's starting to smile and coo

he's getting super chunky - 75th percentile

he gets passed around all day but mommy loves him best

he loves taking baths

he likes his swing

he loves to arch his back and look around

he's a very content baby that rarely cries

good things:

getting a big check in the mail from our insurance co.

ordering my double stroller finally

2 date nights in one weekend!

crazy hat day

2011-11-18T07:59:00.003-07:00

good things:

when teenagers make grown-up decisions

baby chubby cheeks

getting my bedroom all clean at last

this and that

2011-11-17T12:09:00.003-07:00

***I've been thinking about all the "hats" I have to wear.
All the regular mom hats....taxi driver, chef, nurse, psychologist, maid, etc.
I also have the music chairperson/organist hat, the music teacher's hat, and the pto president's hat.

I don't have any choice about the music teacher's hat because it's my job.....and luckily it's a job I really enjoy.
I don't mind the church calling hats I wear - they're pretty easy (except I've found it very difficult to get to church on time lately so I'm grateful for kind people who are willing to play the organ for me for a little while!).

The hat I would really like to throw in the garbage is the pto president's hat.
Seriously, I've been trying to come up with ways to get out of it. Things like:

moving

coming down with a terrible illness

getting in a big fight with the principal and quitting on the spot

dying

Since none of those are going to happen I guess I have to suck it up and just do the job.

***I'm getting really excited for Christmas

I know Thanksgiving isn't over, but it's just not my favorite holiday.

I love everything about the Christmas season.
It makes me so happy.
And since I'm a musician Christmas music starts early.....
I'm in the Messiah and my girls are playing in the Forgotten Carols.

All of my students are learning Christmas music for a recital next month.

I love all of it!!!

I just couldn't resist changing my blog to match my feelings.

The video at the top is my all-time favorite Christmas song/message.

***I loathe laundry

I remember a friend of mine who had 8 kids (back when I only had 4) once mention how much laundry she had to do.

I didn't believe her until I saw my own laundry piles explode before my eyes.

Does anyone have a really great system of getting laundry done?

Someone once told me she did laundry once a week.

She didn't have 9 kids.

***I've lost 4 pounds in the past 2 weeks

I'm working out at the gym 3-4 times a week and riding my stationary bike at home on the off days. I'm also really trying to stick with a healthy eating plan.

Why is it so difficult to lose weight?

It sure is easy to gain it when you're pregnant!!

NOT FAIR!

Sigh!

Too much complaining........ not the kind of person I want to be.

So, I will try to enjoy being the pto president. I will try to find joy in doing laundry. And I will rejoice that I've lost 4 pounds instead of gaining them!!

Hope your day is full of happy things!

good things:

the apple cinnamon smell in my bedroom

fuzzy gloves

hot chocolate from the gas station

way behind

2011-11-16T12:05:00.020-07:00

I took all of October off from teaching, but I started all my piano and violin lessons again the 1st of November.

I have 25 students this year which is less than last year, but with a newborn I am having a really hard time getting organized again.

Things are getting better - but I'm not good at getting everything done yet.

Blogging obviously isn't at the top of my list!

Halloween was over 2 weeks ago, but here's the pictures anyway......

It was a great few days with lots of treats and family fun!

Corina, Dave, Anna, and Elli - trick or treating in Old Town

Dave's brother Jim and little Jacob!

Akayla, Tanner, and Mariah We ate "halloweenies", "terror tots", "spookghetti", and "witches brew" after the ward Trunk or Treat, and we had our traditional pizza and root beer the night of Halloween (while we watched "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken"!!) our little Landon - what a little redhead!!

Tanner - hippie, and friend Boden at the ward Trunk or Treat

Anna - army girl (looks more like a dance uniform)

Mariah - maid

Adriana - pirate

Elli - witch

Lea - pumpkin (never without her binkie lately)

good things:

marking things off my to-do list

Christmas shopping

naptime

hi, my name is Angela....and I'm an addict.

2011-11-08T10:42:00.004-07:00

I'm ridiculously behind on my posting.

I'm just having a hard time getting all my pictures downloaded.....

but I will get it done, I promise!!

So in the meantime -

I haven't mentioned anything about my favorite for awhile.

This makes me happy (and gets me excited for Christmas too!)

and you can skip over anything that isn't David Archuleta if you want to.

Nothing wrong with Christmas music in November.
The holidays start on November 1st and they're all intertwined to me.

I love being with my loved ones, thinking of special things to give them, and remembering my Savior and all of my blessings.

good things:

getting my laundry all folded

baby toes

Christmas projects strewn about my bedroom

my precious

2011-10-26T16:48:00.005-06:00

just one of the lovely photos taken by my sweet friend, Jamie.....

but you'll have to wait to see the rest - we are sending out greeting cards soon!!

To my dear little Landon,

Thank you for being one of the sweetest babies ever born.

Thank you for sleeping nearly 5 hours last night without waking up.

I wish I knew how to slow time down.

I don't want you to grow up.

I want you to need me for everything, to stop crying when I pick you up, to always let me cuddle you, and of course I want to hold you in my arms forever.

Thank you for coming to our family.

You are adored!

Love,

your mama

good things:

the smell of babies breath

little tiny diapers and socks

babies in the bath

a blessing and a birthday

2011-10-25T00:50:00.008-06:00

Sunday was my birthday so my mom and 2 sisters decided they would come up for a little visit.

Since they were coming we decided to bless Landon - so my dad and 3 brothers (including a sister-in-law and 3 nieces) came along for the fun!

I haven't gotten to spend a birthday with my family for a really long time.

Dave's brother Jim and his wife and 2 kiddos also joined us for the blessing and then came over for dinner later.

It was a great day...... and a VERY FULL HOUSE!!

This is what happens when you have 12 extra people in the house on Sunday morning (and church is at 9:00 in the morning!)

Leandra taking a bath in the kitchen sink

Landon looked so handsome for his blessing.

I found matching ties for my boys at Deseret Book and I'm totally in love with them.
(the ties and the boys)

I can't believe I didn't get any other pictures of Landon on his special day - so typical!!

Landon was passed around and loved on all day.
I don't remember ever hearing a peep from him.

We played games and ate yummy food.
My mom cooked everything and cleaned the kitchen.
I even got a nap!

Dad, Ayrial and Brandon

Ayrial hurt her back before she came so she was miserable all weekend, but I'm so glad she came anyway!!

Foster, Evan, Tanner, Annalisa, and Corina - playing Ticket to Ride on ipads

I felt very spoiled!

Thanks everyone!

good things:
homemade cheesecake
eating outside
a perfectly lovely day

fall

2011-10-21T10:41:00.010-06:00

It feels like fall.

Sweaters, warm socks, hot chocolate, apples, rosy cheeks, and red & orange leaves all over the sidewalks.

Apples from our very own apple trees - Dave is so proud! Not a single worm in any of them! Corina made 2 huge pans of apple crisp with some of our apples and it was AMAZING!!

Our Academy kids (Anna & Mars) had their 2-week fall break at the perfect time.

We had a new baby for the girls to play with and I didn't have to get up early to make breakfast or do their hair.

(I love having children that can get themselves ready in the morning and I really really love the cold cereal my husband bought when we had the baby!)

We didn't do anything exciting over fall break - blame the new baby.

But Dave was home for the first week and they love helping him with projects around the house. He took them to see Cars 2 on one of the days (I was in a sleepless fog).

The 2nd week I was a little more awake and we did some fun art projects, decorated the house for fall, and they got to play with friends.

The girls loved finger painting with chocolate pudding.
There's just something really great about getting your hands slimy!

Everyone is back in school now so I'm back to getting up early!

2 weeks was not long enough!!!

good things:

Thanksgiving break is only 4 weeks away

starting to feel normal again

snuggling with my baby

from the heart

2011-10-14T10:53:00.004-06:00

I am usually a pretty positive and happy person.

But having this baby is kicking my buns right now.

I'm sure it's mostly a lack of sleep and messed up hormones.......

I was thinking about it last night - I had Leandra in February 2010 and got pregnant again 5 months later (July). I had a miscarriage 3 months after that (October) and 2 months later (December) I was pregnant again.

My body is completely depleted.

My hair and skin even show it - I just feel limp and dead.

I was blessed with great genetics - and I'm being serious.

I have the same body composition as my dad.

I have a body that is strong and very healthy.

I have a body that has been able to carry and deliver 9 healthy children.

I have a body that can work hard.

But, I also struggle with my weight like my dad.

My husband eats far more than I do and doesn't exercise any more than I do - but because of his genetics he weighs the same as he did in high school. Exactly the same.

I was very thin in high school and college, but as soon as I started having babies the yo-yo started.

Lose all the baby weight, then get pregnant and gain 50 pounds.

Then work my tail off to lose it again.

After I had Mariah (baby #6) I got back down to 130 pounds - wearing size 6.

I was running every day and eating very healthy.

But then I got pregnant with Elli.

Elli was my hardest pregnancy, hardest baby, hardest toddler......and I never lost all the baby weight.

So here we are today after a long haul.

Desperately needing to lose this baby weight.

I'm only saying all of this because......

I'M READY TO RECLAIM MY BODY!!!

I don't need sympathy. I need encouragement!

I know how to lose weight, but it's a lot of HARD work and I think I'm ready!!

good things:

it's date night

a great talk with Corina last night

when issues with kids and their friends work themselves out

about nothing......

2011-10-10T19:58:00.003-06:00

I was crabby today.

Like really crabby.

Dave had to go back to work today (I know I'm so spoiled....he got to be home with me all last week), and my mom went home yesterday (she came and took care of us this weekend and was a life saver!!!)

Landon still has his days and nights really mixed up.

He is such a good baby.....during the day.........but at night he wakes up quite a bit.

He is so sweet and I really don't mind being up with him.........

BUT I DON'T DO WELL ON LITTLE SLEEP!!

I sat in my room and watched Dick Van Dyke practically all day.

That's all folks.

good things:

when my baby sleeps more than 2 hours at night

when I eat a good meal and feel less crabby

when someone else makes dinner (Thanks Shawna!)

NHS

2011-10-05T14:11:00.005-06:00

I've mentioned before that Corina is a little crazy about her grades.

She has a 4.0 and takes all honors classes except for choir and seminary.

This year she even decided to take 2 AP classes (advanced placement for college credit).

Her AP biology class has been really tough and for the first 6 weeks she was really stressed.

She would study all weekend and every day after school for a few hours.

I have been feeling worried about her and thinking she took on way too much.

She recently informed me though that she's used to the homework load and she isn't feeling so overwhelmed in the class any more.

She was given an application for the National Honors Society and she decided to apply even though most sophomores aren't accepted.

Yesterday she found out she made it in and she's pretty excited.

I think she's pretty impressive, especially because she still manages to find time to practice the piano & cello, and spend time with her family.

She's had to sort her priorities....and unfortunately friends are at the bottom of the list.

She still makes time to do something with friends on occasion, but her sister is her best friend anyway!

I'm a pretty proud mama!

good things:

going for a long walk

getting a nap while the baby sleeps

my sweet husband waiting on me hand & foot

meeting baby brother

2011-10-05T12:05:00.012-06:00

We had the baby in Utah, and our kids stayed home in Pocatello (one great blessing about having teenagers when having a baby).

Dave was really good to send texts all day long so that they knew exactly what was happening.

Akayla told me when they finally got the text that said they had a new baby brother they all screamed and were jumping up and down hugging each other.

Landon is a lucky boy being born into a family with such a huge cheering section!

Since he was born at about 7:30 p.m. we didn't get to leave the birthing center until a little after midnight.

My parents and my 2 sisters came to see us at the birthing center, and then we went to their house to sleep the first night.

Mom, Carissa & Genelle

Saturday morning we went back to the birthing center to check everything out and make sure Landon was doing ok, then we drove 2 1/2 hours as quickly as we could to get back home to his anxious siblings!

I got a text from Tanner saying he thought he should be the first one to hold Landon because all the girls had sisters and this was his first brother. Dave and I both agreed, so Tanner was first in line!!

Tanner & his first (& only) brother

Elora

Mariah

Annalisa

Adri

Akayla

Corina (I'll have to get a better one of her - she was studying & couldn't be bothered!!)

Leandra

Noone can get enough of our sweet baby - notice how they all gather round whenever someone is holding him.
I've noticed Akayla and Annalisa hold him the most. They seem to always be near, but all the kids love him.

Thank heavens for babies!!

good things:
lanolin
my breast pump
getting 4 straight hours of sleep last night

He's here!

2011-10-03T17:08:00.012-06:00

LANDON GARY FERRARA

(named after my dad - Gary Johnson)

Born: September 30, 2011

Time: 7:23 p.m. (10 hours of labor)

Weight: 8 lbs. 10 oz.

Length: 21 inches

Birth story: Landon was a week late so my midwife was ready to "force" labor. Inducing is done with pitocin, and forcing labor is done naturally. When we got to the birthing center my midwife stripped my membranes and I was dilated to a 4 already, so Dave and I both thought for sure this would be quick. We even joked about being done before noon and home to the kids by dinner.

I took black & blue cohosh and we went to a park to walk. I had lots of heavy contractions and Dave started getting worried that it was going too quickly. We went back to the birthing center and in the car my contractions completely stopped.

She stripped my membranes again and I took more cohosh. We decided to go have lunch and walk some more. The same thing happened -as soon as I was in the car the contractions stopped.

Back at the birthing center my midwife broke my water and I was dilated to a 6, but no contractions unless I was working REALLY hard to have them. I had to walk around the birthing center for a couple of hours but if I sat down- nothing.

The contractions were getting very hard and painful but then I'd have several wimply ones, and they were not regular at all. I was afraid to get in the water in case they would stop completely.

After a few REALLY painful contractions I really wanted to get in the tub and just prayed that things would keep moving. It was almost 7:00 p.m. at this point. Ohhhh, that tub! I honestly don't know how anyone can labor without it!

Dave was by my side the whole time talking me through each contraction just as he has always done. He knows exactly what to say and how to relax me completely. My midwife and the birthing assistant were in and out for several hours but at this point they stepped out. They felt that Dave and I needed some private time and they were just in the way. Even though I was in a lot of pain it was really nice to be alone with my sweetheart and best friend. He knows me and has been there for me through so much.

I started getting worried that these painful contractions would go on for hours when I suddenly HAD TO PUSH! Dave had to call the midwife in really fast while I held my legs together.

I'll spare all the horrific details, because it will be enough to just say that I am very loud while I push. It really helps me to let it out for some reason, and I actually feel more in control of my body when I YELL!! I'm very quiet during the contractions, but when I push the whole world knows!

That moment they handed me my precious baby, I was filled with relief, tears, and more relief! It was over and he was in my arms!

They actually had to remind me to check and see if he really was a boy. I've never been more happy to see a little boy part!

first "bath"

He's so precious and I just want to hold him and enjoy every single second with him!

good things:

the tiny cries of a newborn

looking into his eyes

experiencing pain while my best friend holds my hand

being patient

2011-09-27T19:19:00.004-06:00

I know my sweet friends are watching for the post that says our baby is here....but he's not yet!

I actually knew it would be this way so I'm okay with waiting.

Truth be told, as excited as I am to hold my baby and to not be pregnant any more.....

I'm really scared.

I wish I could say labor has gotten easier with each baby, but it hasn't.

It is painful and horrible, and beautiful and incredible all at the same time!

This week I have been keeping very busy nesting.

I'm scrubbing as much of my house as I can without hurting myself.

We got out our sweet little cradle that has held the last 7 babies.

I made 5 frozen meals so it's easier for my family - I know people think because we have teenagers we'll be fine, but they are so darn busy I don't want to cause stress for anyone in our family! (And my husband can't cook........ not AT ALL!)

We're just being patient for a few more days!!

Friday is right around the corner!

good things:
feeling productive
keeping busy
putting my feet up at the end of the day

my party

2011-09-22T00:09:00.003-06:00

For the past year or so my visiting teaching companion (if you don't know what that is feel free to ask and I'll gladly fill you in!) and I have been doing a luncheon every month with all of the ladies we visit.

We have done it at my house a few times, we've met at the park, we've done it at my companion's house and even the ladies we visit have hosted a few times.

The host makes the main dish and everyone else brings something to share.

We have also invited a few different people each time so that we get to know new ladies who have moved in or just people we'd like to get to know.

It has been such a fun monthly get-away (although we bring all the kids that are home), and I have loved getting to know these ladies so well.

Last month a few of them decided to throw me a small "shower" including mostly the same ladies and just a few other good friends.

We called it a party but everyone brought gifts.

The food was so good, and the only "shower" game we played was to see if anyone could list all my kid's names and their ages.

Of course my neighbor Shawna got all of them right!
She knows way too much about our family!

It was lovely and I'm so grateful to have good friends - that I might not necessarily have if I didn't have the opportunity to visit with them every month!

good things:
sweet friends that I can always count on

so many cute baby clothes

finally having some blue in our house!

what I won't miss....

2011-09-20T12:44:00.005-06:00

I won't miss
my feet blowing up twice their size,

or the shooting pains going every direction,
or having a hard time bending over to pick up my kids,

or just not being myself.

Of course, I won't miss not being able to sleep on my tummy
or walking like a penguin either.

I will definitely not miss how hard every day chores are,
or having sore insides and outsides.

But there are so many things I will miss about being pregnant.

I will miss
the time I don't have to share my baby,
and my pregnant belly (it might be huge but I love it!),
and every little kick and movement.

Of course, I will miss my kids and husband talking to their baby brother through my belly,
and all the excitement we feel as we plan for his arrival.

I will definitely miss dreaming about my baby,
and knowing that my body is providing everything he needs.

Any time now I will get to hold my baby, and I'm getting so anxious to see him.

But I'm already starting to miss being pregnant.
I always cry the first night my babies are born because I miss holding them inside me.

And I've learned with that final push they enter the world and have such a desire to push forward. They are in such a hurry to grow up and time moves so quickly!

So I am relishing these last moments of pregnancy with my last baby.

I'm not in any rush!

Lea & I showing off our big bellies.....photo courtesy of Elli

good things:
homemade strawberry smoothies
fresh cold water straight from my fridge
my shopping list is finally finished - now just have to do the shopping!

Homecoming 2011

2011-09-19T12:53:00.007-06:00

Akayla & Joe

this was after the dance - after they'd all been dancing and sweating - but it was a really fun group!

Picked up a lovely dress at Ross this summer for $20.

I knew it would come in handy.

Century's Homecoming was very early this year - 2 weeks after school started.

Didn't even give most boys a chance to get their plans together and get a date.

Akayla was asked by a kid she's gone out with a couple of times - and he's a cutie!

So much going on at our house this time of year - school carnival, baby coming, plus all the regular stuff.

That handy dress I picked up was perfect for Homecoming.

All we needed was a jacket for it to cover her up a bit.....and we couldn't find one.

She had a black one from Prom last year but it looked all wrong.

My good friend Lindsey came to the rescue and fixed it!

She looked perfect and I was only out $25!!!

They did a really fun day date - photo scavenger hunt at the mall and laser tag.

They had dinner at her date's house - steak and all the fixins.

They had a great time at the dance especially since Joe has taken social dance, so they waltzed and did the fox trot - while everyone else was grinding around them (yuck!)!

Then they had dessert at another couple's house after the dance.

So many pictures but such a fun night!!

good things:

Corina can't go to the dances until next year - better start saving and stocking up on pretty dresses!

friends who come to the rescue

my lovely daughter dating such a gentleman

pto

2011-09-16T10:14:00.004-06:00

I got a phone call a few years ago from a good friend.

The pto at our school needed a treasurer and since I had 5 kids in the school they figured I was perfect for the job.

It was actually a lot of fun being on the pto and I enjoyed being a part of things at the school.

I decided to be the vp for the next couple of years and they put me in charge of the Halloween carnival.

I actually really enjoy being in charge of things - as long as I can kind of hide in the background while it goes on.

I don't like being the center of attention and I don't like having lots of people look at me.

Well at the end of last year our pto president's term was up.

The way our by-laws are set up someone who is already on the pto board must be the president.

Noone else was able (willing is a better word) to be the president this year.

So guess who is the new pto president?

Yep, it's the dummy over here (hugely pregnant with her 9th baby) that can't say no.

I'm still in charge of the fall carnival, but this year I decided to do it before the baby came.

It's tomorrow and I'm so glad it will be done.

It's caused a fair amount of stress over here.

I really need to learn how to delegate a little bit better!

good things:
still warm but feeling like fall

it's FRIDAY and I'm ready to play....or at least sit in a comfy chair and watch a movie with something yummy to eat!

a visit with a chiropractor yesterday - now I can walk again!

9

2011-09-12T23:13:00.001-06:00

When my husband asked me to marry him we were in San Francisco on an orchestra tour.

He didn't actually plan to ask me on the trip, but it worked out perfectly.

So, he wasn't prepared with a ring or anything.

When we got back from the trip we went to some places to look at rings.....I saw a few that I liked and pointed them out.

We both discussed how tight money was for my soon-to-be-husband.

I was under the impression that I would have to wait to get a ring until the day we got married.

What a surprise it was when a few days later he came to pick me up for a date carrying a cute little plastic egg filled with candy from his mom (it was almost Easter).

I went to put it in my room and Dave asked me to get him a piece of candy.

There was my ring right in the middle of all the candy!!!

I was so shocked (I don't deal well with surprises at all!) that I brought it to him and handed it to him instead of his candy.

He laughed and put it on my finger.

Great story, but the best thing is my ring.

It was made just for me.

At first we kind of laughed about what the ring stood for- but as time went on my ring came to symbolize some very special things in our family.

If I could get a picture of my ring on here you would see that there are 9 tiny little diamonds (9 children) circling around the large diamond in the center, and there are 2 leaf shape diamonds (Dave and I) at the head of the circle, connecting the circle to the larger diamond (the Savior).

Since we first were married, we have felt that the most important job we have is to center our home around the Savior and His teachings.

If we do this we know that our family circle will be eternal.

Every morning and evening we kneel in a family prayer circle.

It's a sacred moment with my precious family, where we remember our true purpose here in this life and how important it is to keep our circle intact.

So, the answer to the question so many have wanted to ask me (and many have) is yes.........this is our last baby.

Though it makes me sad knowing I won't be having any more babies.........it feels so right.

Now instead of adding to our circle we can build the one we have even stronger before my older babies start to walk out our door and begin their own circles.

And that day will come much quicker than I am ready to accept!!

good things:
symbolism
knowing when you're done
eternity with my best friends

farewell summer 2011

2011-09-03T22:57:00.006-06:00

We have learned that if we don't plan things we don't do them.

For the past several years we have pulled out our calendar at the beginning of summer and scheduled certain things in.

This year in addition to scheduling things on our calendar, we created a bucket list....things we wanted to do before the summer "kicked the bucket".

Some of them were silly, some were super fun, some were very simple, and some we didn't accomplish because we ran out of time and because I'm so very pregnant!

Our poster was right in our kitchen where we always see it.

If we ever had a day with nothing planned we would look at our bucket list and see if there was something we could do that day.

It was a great way to keep busy on "bored" days.

Here's our list:
Make S'mores - check!
Movie Marathon - check!
Baptisms for the dead - check!
Campfire in the backyard - check!
Reel theater - check!
Homemade ice cream - check!
Sprinklers - check!
Zoo - check!
Go to Utah - check!
Make Puppets - check!
Cookie drop - check!
Bowling - check check check!
Family Reunions - check!
Pick up garbage around the neighborhood - check!
Bike Ride - NOPE! Because of daddy's class and me being pregnant we didn't go on a single family bike ride. Next year!
Hiking - check!
Frisbee Golf - check!
McKee's Petting Zoo - check!
Invite a family over for a bbq - check!
Snow cones - check!
Readout Pigout - check!
Farr's Ice Cream - check!
Ross Park Aquatic Center - check!
Dinner in the mountains with friends - check!

We also did a few things not on the list like meeting our very best friends, the Staffords, (from New Plymouth) in Twin Falls. The adults did a session in the temple while the kids hung out, and then we had a really fun picnic and played at the park. The Boise temple is closed now so they will have to go to Twin Falls (3 hour drive) for awhile now. We hope to see them often as well as some of our other good friends!
These are the only pictures we got and I wish so much we'd gotten more of the kids playing. We all get along so well. Akayla and Cade are really close and text and talk on the phone a lot so they were the ones that really got this outing together, but we all had so much fun we want to do it again soon!

This summer we read lots and lots of books, watched some good movies together, went bowling about 20 times, ate lots of watermelon, went swimming, got tan, went to the park for lunch almost every day, had some great family reunions, and just made some great memories.

Sad that it's over, but also happy because.......

this is the month we meet our new baby brother!!

Farewell Summer ---- hello September!!!!

good things:

true friends

my quiet house

the thought of not being pregnant any more

1st day of school (2011/12) take 2

2011-09-01T11:39:00.012-06:00

all my school kids - Akayla, Corina, Tanner, Adri, Anna, Mars

School is officially in session now and I have to admit......I'm mourning my children being gone.

I love having them home, and if it was the right thing for them I would totally still homeschool them.

But it's not.

So, last night we had traditional father's back-to-school blessings.
Many tears were shed by my oldest 2 daughters.
They are so sensitive and feel the spirit deeply.
I'll admit, tears were shed by their mom & dad also.

Akayla – age 16 junior
how tall: 5’2"
Favorite Food: anything, but I especially love Italian
Favorite Movie: love all kinds of movies
Favorite Song: Good Life (One Republic) & anything by David Archuleta
Favorite School Subject(s): seminary & choir

Classes taking this year: history, english, broadcast technology, seminary, concert choir, nutrition & foods, child development (sounds like a much more fun year than last year!)

Corina – age 15 sophomore
how tall: 5’ 8“
Favorite Food: pasta
Favorite Movie(s): Lord of the Rings & Mask of Zorro, Harry Potter, all Jane Austen movies, etc.
Favorite Song(s): Love you like a love song, My Dilemma & Shake it Up
Favorite School Subject: Choir & Seminary

I decided to ask Corina what her favorite book is since she read at least 60 books this summer (not exaggerating)

Favorite book: Jane Eyre

Classes taking this year: Algebra 2 Honors, AP World History, Concert Choir, AP Biology, Honors English, & Seminary (sounds like a really hard year to me, but she's extremely determined to keep her 4.0 and graduate with honors)

Tanner – age 13 8th grade
how tall: 5’0”
Favorite Food: pizza, spaghetti, pesto pasta, & tomato soup
Favorite Movie: Lord of the Rings & Tron Legacy
Favorite Song: Viva la Vida
Favorite School Subject: lunch

Classes taking this year: Earth Science, English, Honors Algebra, Literature, Geography, PE, Health, & Jazz Band

Adriana – 6th grade
how tall: 4’8
Favorite Food: spaghetti pie
Favorite Movie: Harry Potter
Favorite Song(s): Only Hope (from A Walk to Remember) & My Heart Will Go On (Celine Dion)
Favorite School Subject: don’t have one

Classes taking this year: English, Spelling, Honors Math, Social Studies, Choir, PE, Health, Reading & Science

good things:

Adriana putting Lea in the bath before she left for school because she knows it's really hard for me

My kids surprising me with a clean house when I got home last night

Finally getting to sleep last night & determining not to eat chili again until I'm not pregnant any more - heart burn is torture!

Big Mama

2011-08-29T17:06:00.012-06:00

Warning: Big Mama DOES NOT refer to me, and anyone caught trying to call me Big Mama will receive many crusty glares and will not be spoken to for at least.....3 weeks!

We like to name our vehicles.

Our suburban's name is Bertha....it's the perfect name for our big, old car.

We believe that if we are really nice and encouraging to Bertha - she will last much longer and perform much better.

With our size family it's nearly impossible to go on vacations that we can afford (we certainly cannot fly, and it's not fun to drive in our cramped suburban), so we have been saving for 6 years for a motor home.

We haven't even been able to visit Dave's family in Illinois for 8 years.

We finally found the perfect motor home.
Just the right size, right age, and right mileage.

It was priced well below the blue book price, but it was still a little high for us.

We offered a price that we knew would be ridiculous and figured they would counter offer.

To our surprise they accepted it!

We drove down to Utah to pick it up and paid cash.

We even had enough left over to finish our RV pad right next to our driveway.

We are all IN LOVE with our new toy and can't wait to go on a big trip!

(We will probably take lots of little trips, but we are going to DisneyLand in December and Illinois next July!!!)

The kids have already slept in it and we are having fun stocking it up.

She is dubbed "Big Mama", and we hope if we give her lots of love and encouragement she will give us many years (and many many miles) of happy memories!!

good things:

driving up and surprising the kids

new toys

huge blessings

braces

2011-08-28T01:06:00.007-06:00

These are pretty silly pictures, but we wanted to show what his teeth look like before they get all nice and straight! (He'll be getting the bottom ones on in a few months)

Tanner got braces just in time for his last year of middle school!

He had to get 2 teeth pulled, and while we were waiting for the orthodontist another boy was getting a tooth pulled.

The boy was screaming and thrashing and vomiting like you wouldn't believe.

Tanner started getting really nervous so we went and talked in the car.

Tanner decided to say a little prayer to help him feel better.

I was so pleased with my son because he knows the best way to gather courage, and he knows prayer really works.

He walked right back in - got his teeth pulled and got braces put on without a single complaint.

His mouth hurt for a couple of days, but we stocked the freezer with lots of yummy things to help him get through it!!

good things:

my brave boy

ice cream when your mouth hurts

all my kids got their teeth cleaned at the dentist the same day so we don't have to go back for another 6 months!

accomplishment

2011-08-26T10:14:00.004-06:00

It only took 4 long grueling years to complete.....

July 2011 David finally finished his masters degree at Idaho State University.

The most impressive thing to me (besides the fact that he was in a bishopric, had 8 kids and a wife to take care of.....oh, and he had to go to work and make money!) is that he got A's in every single class.

Wow!

And I can't express how happy we are to have our daddy back.
(the extra money in our paycheck every month is pretty great too!!)

good things:
celebration dinners
finally able to breathe
time with our daddy

1st day of school (2011/12) take 1

2011-08-24T09:34:00.002-06:00

The Charter School that our younger kids go to has a modified year round schedule.

They started 2 1/2 weeks earlier than the other kids this year.

They weren't too happy about their summer being shorter, but.....
the great thing about it is that the first 2 weeks of October they will be on Fall break (right after I have the baby!!!) while the other kids will be stuck in school!

Traditional 1st day of school pictures......

Mariah -- age 7 2nd grade

How tall: 4' 1/2"

Favorite Food: Pesto Pasta

Favorite Movie: Just Like Heaven

Favorite Song: Oh, Shenandoah (from music class)

Favorite School Subject: Reading

Annalisa -- age 9 4th grade

How tall: 4'2"

Favorite Foods: Pizza, spaghetti & chocolate

Favorite Movie: MegaMind

Favorite Song: Country Road, Take Me Home (also from music class)

Favorite School Subject: Music

good things:
traditional cinnamon rolls for 1st day of school breakfast twice this year!!

little girls excited about new school clothes - even if they are boring school uniform colors and styles

traditional back to school blessings from dad

evil wasps

2011-08-23T09:47:00.001-06:00

My parents have a little wasp problem in their back yard this year.

Right after our reunion we all came back to mom and dad's house and the kids hopped in the hot tub to swim.

Before an hour had passed 3 kids had gotten stung.

Kids are resilient though, and they just kept swimming.

Later that evening dad built a campfire and we roasted s'mores.

I was walking inside and a wasp climbed up my pantleg and stung me twice on the ankle.

It was hiding in my pants still so Dave got it out and smashed it to smithereens!

My ankle puffed up quite a bit and it hurt really bad so I know how the kids felt.

Sunday we had a lovely meal outside and the littlest girls all sat at a little picnic table.

Suddenly Lea started screaming and we discovered she had been stung on her bottom lip.

Within minutes her lip had swollen twice its regular size and kept growing.

Once we got her calmed down (with a popsicle), she was fine (besides slobbering a lot because she couldn't swallow very well) but that lip just kept growing.

It was really quite funny to look at.

She has big lips anyway (we call her Angelina Jolie), but this was ridiculous!

Of course we all couldn't help but laugh, and she was a good sport and laughed with us!

I was so happy that by the next morning she was back to normal!!

Here's pictures to prove it.......

good things:
she'll never remember

100% fruit popsicles that made everything all better

my silly overreactive emotions - I was laughing one second and crying the next

Bring Him Home

2011-08-22T08:26:00.003-06:00

Les Miserables is my most favorite broadway play of all time.

I read the book, and was able to go see the play twice as a teenager, but I have yet to take my husband to see it --- someday. He actually bought me the CD of the London cast for Christmas and listens to it as much if not more than I do.

The music and story line are very moving to me.

A story of redemption and becoming like the Savior.

Anyway, I discovered this version of one of my favorite songs in the musical and really wanted to share. This song makes me think of many things, but today it makes me think of my cousin who is in Iraq away from his wife and 6 kids.

It's just plain incredible.

Be prepared for goose bumps.

good things:
the cello - one of my favorite instruments
a day with less to do
making crafts with my girls

granddaughters

2011-08-18T23:12:00.003-06:00

(from l-r) front row: Elora, Aleksia, Annalisa, Ambree, Amora

back row: Mariah (whoops - no smile!), Adriana, Akayla, Leandra, and Corina

We have 7 daughters.
My brother Brandon and his wife Ayrial have 3 daughters.

Brandon and Ayrial went on a cruise and left early Sunday morning, so we had a cousin sleepover at grandma's Saturday night.

Sunday morning we had 10 girls to get ready for church.

Good thing we're used to lots of girls at our house!

That's right - I will totally take credit for doing 8 of those girl's hair (the teenagers can do their own now thank goodness!!).

And we even made it to church on time!!

good things:
I don't have 10 daughters

our next baby won't need any bows or flowers or anything

lots of girls - they really are so fun!

reunion

2011-08-17T18:25:00.002-06:00

Last weekend was our extended Johnson family reunion with my dad's side of the family.

It was my dad's turn to be in charge which meant that I got to help be in charge.

My mom had the brilliant idea of doing a carnival.

We have more kids in the family now than adults because all of the cousins are having babies, and a carnival was the perfect way to keep kids entertained!

It was a lot of work but a lot of fun.

We drove down a few days early to help get things ready.

The reunion was Saturday, and besides being a little windy it turned out to be a great day.

It's so fun to see families explode.....

My grandparents had 6 kids- 5 boys and 1 girl
They have 29 grandchildren
and at least 52 great grandchildren so far!

We all miss grandpa, but it's because of grandma that we get together every 2 years for these reunions.

I hope we keep them up even after she's gone.

Some of the highlights of the carnival:

*The "car wash" that I made Dave build
It was a super hot day and even the adults enjoyed running through and getting smacked in the face with a wet sponge.

*My sister-in-law Ayrial's face painting - so beautiful!!

Elli wanted Hello Kitty
Mariah and Amora (my brother Brandon's oldest daughter) just wanted pretties on their faces

*Snow cones on a hot day are so refreshing!

*Our ticket booth (made from a refrigerator box)
All the kids loved getting their tickets and cotton candy and Tanner loved being the ticket man! After all that work we were not throwing that thing away so we stuffed it in on top of all of our heads for the 2 1/2 hour ride back home. So worth it and I can use it for our school carnival next month!

*Yummy food
Barbecued beef sandwiches and all kinds of other yummy things!
My sister Carissa & Brandon's 2nd daughter Lexie

I have such pretty sisters!

My youngest sister Genelle and my brother Brandon

Our family table. Please excuse the pained look on my face - I am 8 months pregnant and REALLY shouldn't be in pictures at this point!

*Mom's fish pond

She found the best prizes, including several McDonalds Happy Meal toys. Always a hit!

*Grandma's money/sawdust pool
The kids come by age and get a few minutes to search for all the coins they can find. My cousins and I were remembering doing this every year when we were young.

My sweet grandma overlooked the whole thing and loved watching the kids find money! Elli didn't quite get it at first. Tanner finally went in to help her and she had a lot of fine searching for money!

Mariah and Amora's group

Adriana and Tanner's age group - these kids went crazy and ended up with tons of money! (Adri had at least $10)

The oldest kids - my sister and 2 oldest girls were the only ones! They each ended up with about $12!!

Dave and the kids made 50 bags of cotton candy before we even went to Utah - our suburban was so squished with stuff for the carnival we almost didn't have room for the kids!!

Uncle Bruce's Toss the "corn" game

Aunt Bev and Em's Penny Throw game

Aunt Vicki brought Bingo for the adults to play

Akayla & Corina were in charge of the Fish Pond

My sisters helped with our "Shoot the Duck" game

good things:
spending time with family we don't see often
eternal families
next year our family's not in charge

rafting

2011-08-14T01:09:00.001-06:00

Growing up we had a raft that we took out a couple of times every summer.

My favorite memory is when dad took the boys down the river first and had a great time.

By the time it was mom's turn to take the girls the sky was looking a little grey and the water was running a little faster, but my dad told us we'd be fine. It was just a little river and they all had a great time.

We ended up totally white water rafting and it was treacherous.
It was raining and there was thunder and lightning.
We went over a huge rock and the stupid raft popped leaving us stranded.
Some very nice men came and rescued us swearing under their breath about how women shouldn't be out there and what kind of stupid husband would leave his wife and daughters out there alone.

Luckily we all survived, and it made for a great story.....
but the raft was beyond repair.

My dad decided to get a new raft this year so his grandkids could experience the same great times we all had over the years.

We came down for a family reunion and stayed a few extra days so my dad and Dave took the kids out.

Of course they loved it.

Maybe we should get a raft!

good things:
little things that encourage heartfelt discussions
getting all the groceries put away for another month
fresh and perfectly ripe bananas

Corina

2011-08-07T13:46:00.001-06:00

So hard to believe that 15 years ago I gave birth to my 2nd daughter.

She was induced about a week early because our oldest daughter was 9 1/2 pounds so my (very cool) doctor wanted this girl out early.

She was still 8 1/2 pounds and had tons of dark hair that stuck straight up no matter how hard we tried to get it down.

By the time she was a month old that dark hair was flaming red and her personality matched perfectly!

She's one of those people that if you steer them in the right direction they could move mountains.

She is an incredibly gifted girl and I'm so blessed to have her in my life.

I learn so much from her and every day she surprises me.

Just yesterday I was sitting with my feet up because they are starting to really hurt and get very swollen.

She sat down and gave me the best foot rub without being asked.

She's growing up to be an amazing young lady and I can't wait to see what the next 15 years bring!

good things:

eating birthday dinner outside and watching the sunset

playing beautiful music with my oldest daughters and husband

my husband smashing to bits the nasty little wasp who stung me twice

Did you know........

2011-08-04T11:15:00.004-06:00

Even teenagers like making fruit loop necklaces!!

good things:

soft grass

the smell of the air after it rains

a nice cool breeze

Scout Mountain

2011-08-01T10:24:00.013-06:00

We have some good friends in our ward.

We love hanging out with lots of people, but the Vincents and Marleys are some of our favorites!

Their oldest kids are about Anna's age, but my oldest kids are used to that.

It's kind of like hanging out with family - we don't have any cousins their age either so they have fun playing with the little kids or each other.

We decided to go up to Scout Mountain this weekend and have a dutch oven cookout.

Jared & Lindsey are practically professionals!

We all brought up the ingredients for a delicious meal and they cooked for us while we watched!

The kids played in Tanner's teepee, searched for the perfect sticks, ran around, got grossed out by the bathrooms, played in the fire, walked the babies around and around, climbed the big rocks, had pretend sword fights, and pretty much just acted like little savages!!

The adults cooked and cleaned up, chased kids around, talked and laughed, shared pregnancy woes (Serena is due in 3 weeks and I'm due a month later), dreaded taking the hike up to the stinky bathroom, talked and laughed some more, and just enjoyed the perfect weather and scenery!!

The best part: We cleaned up and left for home before 10:00 and didn't have tents or sleeping bags to put away when we got home!

This is soooo Corina.....can't keep her nose out of a book no matter where we are!!

I know Serena will probably kill me for putting this picture up here since she's 8 months prego and has no makeup on but I think she's beautiful. I love these girls!!

I couldn't get any pictures of the boys - they just couldn't be bothered to stand still and get a picture taken! They all looked like dirty little rascals anyway!!

good things:
only one mosquito bite

the smell of campfire

2 delicious dutch oven desserts to put in my files for later

thoughts on Saturday morning

2011-07-30T09:44:00.002-06:00

1. Yesterday I loaded my girls up and we headed to Wal-Mart with our lists to get school supplies.

It's a yearly tradition.....one that usually costs more than we plan ($163 this year to be exact).

But it's fun.

I don't know what is so great about new pencils, erasers, folders and paper - but it's always exciting.

Some of my kids are anxious for the new school year, some are dreading it, and some are just enjoying summer but will enjoy when school is in session again also (love those positive attitudes).

2. For some reason my pregnancy is actually enjoyable now.

It may be that since I started taking pepcid my heartburn is something I can deal with.

It may be that some of the techniques my midwife gave me are working on my swollen feet, hands and other places.

It may just be that I'm realizing that it's coming to an end soon and I will miss having a little one inside me. This will (most likely) be the last time I ever feel that.

It may also be that I have great kids who help so much around the house and take good care of their mama!

3. Last night was my favorite night of the week - date night.

We went shopping for new suits, got some yummy food (Dave's turn to pick the place), and then we always end the night at Wal-Mart. We came home to watch a few home videos from 10 years ago.

So funny!

Best thing in the world is hanging out with my best friend.

I love that he opens doors for me, that he always has a hard time choosing what to eat at a restaurant, that he always wants to spend time with me over anyone else, that he lets me sit in the comfy chair in our room while we watch a movie and he sits in the hard chair, that he calls me almost every day just to say hi (sometimes more than once), and that we always have plenty to talk and laugh about even when we aren't discussing any of the kids.

good things:
Corina's zucchini bread for breakfast
finishing a really good, thought-provoking book
peanut m & m's

24th of July

2011-07-28T21:48:00.006-06:00

Another great 24th of July celebrating the pioneers who settled in this valley.

Dave took us all out to breakfast to celebrate FINALLY finishing his masters degree.

We skipped the parade but we all went to support Akayla while she danced her duet.

We walked around the fairgrounds, played at the petting zoo, got HUGE popsicles and free watermelon.

Some of the party poopers (Corina and Tanner) couldn't stand the heat so Dave took them and Lea home for a nap.

Dave got a lot of work done around the house while I took the rest of the girls around.

We (not me of course) went on a waterslide and got soaked, and Akayla pulled the girls in a handcart.

The rest of the day I craved Indian frybread and navajo tacos, but we ate bbq chicken paninis instead (much easier) and ice cream sandwiches. It was almost as good!

good things:
ice cold water

missionaries sweating up a storm and serving all the watermelon we could eat

at least 100 more freckles

summer memories

2011-07-25T11:07:00.000-06:00

Remember sleeping out under the stars?

Remember looking up and feeling so small in this huge universe and having so many questions?

Remember giggling with your brothers & sisters until your mom & dad told you to stop so you didn't wake up the neighbors?

Remember hearing the crickets chirping all around?

Remember telling stories (sometimes scary) and snuggling up in your sleeping bag?

Remember waking up to someone's foot in your face or your pillow gone under someone else's head?

I do.

So glad my kids are making the same memories.

Love love love Summertime!!

good things:

reading in silence when everyone else is asleep

making up after an argument

tears of joy

Mommy Mondays

2011-07-23T21:33:00.014-06:00

Dave and I have always done time-outs with our kids.

Each child has time alone with each parent every other month.

Usually we go somewhere fun (cheap) and get a treat.
We spend lots of time talking and just enjoy time alone.

This Summer I decided to do things a little differently....

every Monday I have taken 2 kids out together for a time-out.
It's been a little different, but we've been able to do things we wouldn't do with just 2 of us, and it's been really fun too.

Last Monday was even crazier.....
it was me and my 4 youngest (not including Lea) spending the day together because the girls - Adri, Anna, Mars & Elli - had all decided that they wanted to have a cooking day and prepare for a BIG tea party that they would invite the whole family to.

They chose the recipes out of our American Girls cookbooks.

Almond tarts from Felicity's cookbook, and jelly biscuits from Samantha's.

We also made cucumber sandwiches and a huge pot of pero (a barley drink similar to coffee but without all the harmful chemicals).

It took several hours to make the food and we really made a mess of the kitchen!

We had barely gotten things finished and cleaned up when daddy got home from work - so, we decided our tea party would have to be dinner.

We quickly whipped up a pot of potato cheese soup and then everyone got dressed up.

Even dad and Tanner joined in.

The older kids were a little silly, but that's what made it fun.

Everything was delicious!

Our Mommy Monday was a success!

Next week will be the 3 older kids and I have some fun ideas up my sleeve!

good things:
a messy kitchen because it's a sign that we enjoyed ourselves

when my kids clean up without being asked

putting my feet up at the end of the day

BIGGGG!!!

2011-07-17T17:17:00.004-06:00

I remember when I was pregnant (17 years ago) with my first baby.

We were so excited when we first found out we'd be having a baby that we went straight to the store and bought a bunch of maternity clothes.

They sat in my closet for a long time.

I started wearing them when I was about 5 1/2 months along and I definitely didn't fill them out.

I asked my aunt if I looked pregnant and she said "no, not really",
and it totally hurt my feelings! I wanted the whole world to know I was expecting a baby!!

Fast forward........

Here I am pregnant with my 9th baby and I have to say things have really changed!!

I started looking pregnant the day I conceived (basically) and have just gotten bigger by the day.

I still have 9 weeks to go and people at church have already started asking if it's any day now.

I've decided that my tummy has an exceptionally good memory and has wanted to look 9 months pregnant for a couple months now.

At least I look pregnant and not just fat!

My husband and I just laugh about it - though it's a little embarrassing!
He says I should be proud of it! My belly just wants to "own" this pregnancy!

So in case you've seen me or will see me in the next 2 months....

when my belly is actually defying gravity - when you actually stare in amazement at the hugeness of it and wonder how it's possible that it doesn't fall to the ground because it sticks out so far...........

that's when it's time.

SO DON'T ASK UNTIL THEN!!

good things:

maternity belts

drumsticks (the yummy kind, not the noisy kind)

Sunday naps

painting piggies party

2011-07-16T23:03:00.002-06:00

One thing we have A LOT of at our house is fingernail polish.

It's been a big problem actually because the younger girls want to be pretty too and they spill it on the carpet or get it on nice clothes.

We've had to resort to hiding it all and allowing it only when everyone is doing it at the same time and it's supervised.

Here's one of our painting piggies parties.....

Even Lea gets in on it and ends up with pink fingers and toes.

We just have to remember next time to open the windows and doors BEFORE daddy gets home and complains about the overpowering fumes!

good things:
Dave bringing home a huge box of ice cream treats from Costco

90% off sales and scoring big!

flip flops

anyone who is willing to give my aching feet a nice rub!

frisbee. golf.

2011-07-15T10:41:00.008-06:00

very fun family night activity:

even if it is windy and it takes about 20 tries to get the frisbee in the basket.

Lea was very nice to pick up my frisbee when it flew way off the path and put it right in the basket!!

I love where we live - so close to beautiful mountains and the weather in the evenings is DIVINE!!!

good things:
shopping so our fridge & cupboards aren't bare any more

It's Friday so I get to go on a date tonight!

hearing my kids playing their instruments all over the house

30 weeks

2011-07-11T08:44:00.006-06:00

This is what Akayla sees when she looks down........

This is what I see.......

I'm pretty sure I still have feet down there but I haven't seen them in awhile!

At 30 weeks my belly is low and HUGE!

I've never had to go through an entire summer pregnant before and I DON'T LIKE IT!

I'm having a really hard time keeping a positive attitude.

I love feeling the baby move...... but I think I was supposed to have this last pregnancy in the heat of summer so I would NEVER want to be pregnant again!

I'm having all kinds of swelling, heart burn, difficulty breathing, discomfort sleeping, pain in my lower back and other places I shall not mention, and just plain feeling miserable.....ALREADY!!

I'm sure some of that has to do with this being my 9th pregnancy, but I know for a fact pregnancy at 35 is much harder than it is at 25. I'm just so old now!!

I just keep telling myself.......only 10 more weeks, only 10 more weeks.
And even though 10 weeks is a long time - it's a lot less than 20 weeks!

good things:
sunglasses
nice cold smoothies
no more night classes for my hubby

Perfect Weekend

2011-07-05T13:48:00.009-06:00

Maybe it's because we haven't gotten to see much of Dave lately.

Maybe it's because the weather was a bit heavenly.

Maybe it's because we ate such delicious food.

Maybe it's because we had 4 luxurious days with no work, drivers ed, lessons or anything else.

Maybe it's because we had great company.

Maybe it's because I just love days with my family where everything seems to run smoothly and everyone gets along perfectly.

Dave's sister Jen spent this last weekend with us.

We went hiking, bowling, and had picnics in the park.
Jim & Amber brought their boys over and we had yummy food and played games outside.
We stayed up late talking and watched Ghost Whisperer.

4th of July was lovely.
We had Breakfast flag pizza and a big barbecue for lunch.
Then Jen left and Jim & Amber went home so we relaxed and watched a movie.
We played outside and went to the park to play kickball.
We drove up the street and watched "The Biggest Firework Show in Idaho" on top of our suburban.

Perfect.

Hope your weekend was just as nice!

good things:
family coming to visit
sleeping in
fresh blueberries & whipped cream

encounter

2011-07-02T11:43:00.002-06:00

I had a little issue with someone yesterday and it's pretty much all I've thought about since then.

I tend to say and do things I regret A LOT when I'm pregnant. I've already said this many times before and I'm not trying to make an excuse for my behavior, but I really am not myself when I'm pregnant.

This weekend has been different than usual because Dave's sister Jen is here from Washington D.C. for a visit.

Yesterday I took Corina and Adri grocery shopping with me.

I knew Jen and Akayla were running to Wal-Mart for a few minutes, but I knew Dave was home so the kids had an adult here besides the fact that Tanner is 13 and very capable of babysitting.

I had forgotten that Dave promised to help someone move a piano for a few minutes - but again, Tanner was home and is a great babysitter.....as long as he knows he is babysitting.

We all left and Dave forgot to mention to Tanner that he was in charge - really Dave was only gone for about 10 minutes.

In those 10 minutes Anna & Mariah ran across the street to our friends with a big playset - a very common occurrence. We usually have a pack of children going back and forth. In fact those friends have very young children and we have often had their new walking babies walk over to our house following big sisters. Because we live at the end of a cul-de-sac and because everyone knows there are 16 children between our 2 families and another 5 from other families that are ALWAYS running across the street everyone goes nice and slow and we all look out for everyone else's children.

Anyway, Anna & Mars happened to leave the front door open so out went Lea.

Her hair was done really cute, her face was washed, she was wearing adorable clothes, but she had taken her shoes off and was in the middle of the road. I mention the hair, face & clothes because I'm no white trash mom. My kids don't run wild. I am always aware of where they are and I never let Leandra out unaccompanied.

But this time she was alone and had no shoes on.

When I got home some lady was holding my baby and coming across the street to me.

I asked what was going on and took my baby.
She proceeded to get in my face and threaten me about my neglect.
She said she had come to my house and knocked and didn't get an answer - twice.
She had her phone ready to call the police and was yelling at me and telling me I was the worst mother she had ever seen.

I brought her to my house which was clean and I started looking for people.
I found Tanner out on the deck because remember - he didn't know he was babysitting.
I called Dave and kind of got upset with him - this lady is watching me the whole time - expressing what had happened and what was going on.

At this point I explained what had happened to this woman and that I was so grateful she was the one to find my baby and take care of her. I thanked her for being so kind.

She again proceeded to tell me what a terrible mother I am and wondered how any mother could be so neglectful. She said she still felt that she should call the police.

Then..... the mother bear in me surfaced.

I said a lot of things.... many I regret because I was angry and felt attacked. I eventually told her to get the *bleep* off my property (not proud of that at all) and that's right when Dave pulled up.
Immediately this woman who had been in my face and attacking me became a nice sweet lady for my husband to see.
He could feel the tension and knew I was very upset and was able to appease the situation a bit. Basically he told her to quit threatening me and leave.

It was kind of ugly.

It's funny because my mom has expressed that she can never say what she wants in those situations and she thinks of what she should have said later.
I'm opposite - I can say exactly what I think but I regret it later and wish I had reacted in a more Christlike way.

I don't know if it would have changed anything anyway. She was really being mean and I needed to stand up for myself. I don't think anyone should be allowed to walk all over me.

I think I just needed to write that all out because I feel a little better.

I know many people probably think it's irresponsible to have so many children.
I am sure many judge me because I'm not a perfect mom.
I don't care. I'm not trying to be perfect.
I'd love to see a mom who really is perfect and does everything right!

But I love my kids more than anything and I know that every one of them was supposed to be mine. They are each part of me and a part of me would be missing if I didn't have them. This is the life I was born to live and I love it!

good things:
waking up to the smell of quiche (my sil is a really good cook!)
4-day weekends
taking a hike with my family at night and looking out over the city lights

Anthems of America

2011-06-29T13:35:00.004-06:00

Dave, Akayla, Corina & I were asked to play in the orchestra for a patriotic program this evening called Anthems of America.

This is the first time Dave & I have been able to play in an orchestra together for many years.

(Remember we met in the Ricks College symphony orchestra)

Unfortunately Dave has class every evening so he has had to miss almost all of the rehearsals.

He's talented enough that the conductor was fine with him still playing in the concert.

Last night was dress rehearsal and it was really long.

Dave was able to come after his class for our final runthrough.

I can't tell you how much my heart fluttered

when I saw him walk in with his trombone.

It was such a weird memory of Ricks College (17 years ago!!)

I totally had a crush on him and watched him all the time.

He was always kind to other people and always showed respect.
He spoke kindly of other people and went out of his way to help others.
He joked around and had a lot of fun but he was never inappropriate.
He said the prayer before class started and even that simple prayer was powerful.
He was very good looking and I was very attracted to him!

He still has those qualities (and many more great ones) and I'm so lucky to be married to him.

In fact, tomorrow is our 17th anniversary!

Unfortunately we won't be spending it together but we will celebrate the next day.

Really, every day is a celebration when you're with your perfect match!!

Tonight will be our concert and I have loved playing with my family!
Patriotic music is my favorite. It means a lot to me.
Music is such an amazing way to express feelings without words!!

good things:
celebrating our country
Dave's sister is coming for the weekend from Washington DC
as fun as it has been I'm grateful for no more weekly rehearsals!

Gerber Baby

2011-06-23T20:15:00.010-06:00

We recently got Leandra's pictures taken for our famous "wall of babies".

We frame the 1 year old portraits because each of the kids has their own look by then, and they show a lot of personality even though they still look like babies.

We always get asked why we only have 6 of the kids on the wall when we have 8 children (and another coming soon).

This has been rather a problem.....
some have suggested we use smaller frames and mats, but these are heirloom framed and I'm not changing it - they each cost at least $150 with 50% off coupons.

We have our last 2 pictures now that need to be framed and we haven't completely decided how to put them on the wall.

Any ideas? I personally think we just need a bigger wall!

Well, we have about a year before this baby will get his pictures taken and then we'll figure out where to put the last 3.

Anyway, the real purpose of my post is to show the adorable portraits of Leandra.

She loved being the center of attention and got the photographer laughing really hard the whole time. She even said that Lea was the funniest baby she has ever had the pleasure of photographing!

Leandra has recently discovered that certain things she does make people laugh so she really hams it up!

Just a few of our favorites......

And last of all....this is the lucky one that will be framed on our wall someday. We think she should be the next Gerber baby!

good things:
a painless photography session

2 boxes of cereal from my mother so I didn't have to make breakfast this morning

buying an adorable newborn boy outfit for our baby to come home in

it's a.....

2011-06-22T15:24:00.002-06:00

I went to finally get our ultrasound yesterday (at 27 weeks).

I was so sure it was another girl.

We have a girl name picked out, and I've even washed all my newborn girl stuff.

Dave didn't get to come because he had a regional inservice that he was presenting at and he has the class from he_ _ this month.

Akayla and Corina were the only ones with me.

I told the ultrasound tech (Tim - who was really cool by the way) that we have 7 girls and a boy waiting to find out if it's another sister or brother.

He immediately said, "You better call them up and tell them it's a brother!"

I said "no it's not!"

Then he showed me the little part and I still said "that's not a boy!!"

So he showed me a better picture, and even I had to admit it was a little boy part!

I told him, "You better be sure because I am not going to call my husband and son and tell them it's a boy and have it end up being a girl!" But he said he is 100% positive it's a boy!

So Akayla took a picture of it and sent it to Dave over her phone.

He was in the middle of a meeting but he immediately called me and asked what was going on.

I told him it was a boy and Tim had to confirm it for him to believe it.

We're all pretty much in shock.

It's just so weird after having 5 girls to think we could have a boy!

Now we need to pull out the 13 year old boy clothes and see if there are any that are not disgusting and completely old fashioned looking.......... and we better get serious about choosing a boy name that we both like!!

good things:
BIG surprises!
hearing my husband get emotional over the news
finally giving Tanner a brother

Island Park

2011-06-19T12:57:00.041-06:00

Just got home from our family reunion (with my family) in Island Park.

June isn't the best time to visit Island Park - a bit rainy and cold - but it was still fun.

We all pitched in and rented a cabin, and we each were in charge of a meal or two.

We were missing Foster and Dallin(and his family) but we had a great time.

Here's about 1000 pictures to prove it..........

West Yellowstone

Elli & Lexy had so much fun together!!

the kids played at the park......

Anna was holding Ambree almost the entire reunion. She loves babies so much and Ambree really liked her too!

Genelle is still one of the kids!

.....while the boys shot some hoops!

Dad may not be so young any more but he's still got it!!

Yeah....that's my hot hubby right there! He still gives me butterflies!

Lea thought she needed to hug every bear she saw (and there were a lot!)

All the Ferrara kids (including the unborn one....see my big belly?!!)

Ferrara kids with Johnson grandparents - they're the best! (and I'm loving that face my dad is making!!)

4 great things about West Yellowstone......

1) huckleberry fudge (so yummy!)

2) the very nice salesperson who let me use the employee bathroom instead of walking a mile to the public restroom - he must have felt really sorry for me!

3) the other very nice salesperson who gave every one of the kids a free piece of stick candy

4) we didn't break anything in any of the gift shops we visited!

Yellowstone National Park

You can't leave Yellowstone without a few pictures of wildlife. This buffalo came right up next to our suburban begging for a picture! Check out that handprint on his shoulder!!

waiting for Old Faithful - didn't get any pictures of it but it was fun to watch my kids see it this time. They all thought it was REALLY COOL!!!!

our whole group (except for the other half of Corina - this is what you get when you ask a stranger to take the picture!)
Mom, Carissa & Genelle stayed at the cabin and had a nice girl's day!

watching geysers

good things:

a cheap family vacation

trying new recipes

spending time with my amazing parents, brothers, sisters, sisters-in-law, nieces, and of course my favorite husband in the world and the best kids a mom could ask for!

summer fun 2011

2011-06-16T09:53:00.038-06:00

So far I'm loving summer!

In the past I start feeling crazy because we have no schedule.

This year Akayla is in drivers ed at 8:30 every morning.

So we make the whole family get up at 7:30 for breakfast and scripture study before Dave and Akayla leave for the day.

After family prayer everyone scurries to get ready for the day and finish all of their chores by 10:00, which is when I start teaching.

It has made all the difference!

We meet dad at the park every day at 12:30 and every day we have a plan for our afternoons.....

Monday - Mondays with Mom (timeouts with 2 kids at a time - so fun!)
Tuesday - Free bowling at Pine Bowl
Wednesday - Library day
Thursday - Kid movies at the $ theater
Friday - Bowling again - this time dad meets us

The kids play with the neighbors and friends from school also, and because dad has class every day from 6-9 p.m. we eat dinner at 5:00.

We've never eaten so early, but after we get the kitchen cleaned up we have a nice relaxing evening together. Of course Akayla & Corina are often gone in the evenings....parties, dates, mutual, rehearsals,etc. but I feel like I have more time to enjoy my kids!

We also made a "Bucket List" for the summer that's in our kitchen.
If we need something to do we check our list and have lots of ideas!

Because Dave has his most intense master's class this month and his masters thesis, project and board review in a month our home improvement projects are waiting until August and I'm totally good with that. We all need some relaxing time. Can't wait till Dave can relax a bit with us!!

Pictures of June Summer Fun.......

McKee's Petting Zoo

Bowling
(kids bowl free - we bought a summer pass for Dave & I - big nerds? YUP!!)

Adri's party

Adri & her good friend Abbie.

Adri planned her whole party and had about 15 kids - everyone brought snacks & treats and they played lots of water games. Best game - obstacle course with shaving cream and water balloons. Of course it ended with a good water fight!

I have a feeling Mariah is going to be a lot like Akayla - she has more fun with boys than girls so this is her best friend that Adri let her invite to the party!

Collin's Surprise Birthday Breakfast

Akayla's best friend Collin turned 16 on the last day of school so she called some of their friends and we kidnapped him early and took him to McDonalds for breakfast. We love Collin. He is one of the best guys in the world and he is really sweet with Akayla. There's no romance there at all, and they just have fun together all the time!!

Akayla & Corina have some really great friends. Some are a little crazy but they're good kids!

Whew! That was a lot of pictures! I think I did about 4 posts in 1!!!

good things:

cold seedless watermelon

listening to Rachel Portman radio

taking a long walk at dusk