Easter is coming...

So, this year we are going to Utah for Easter and I have already started working on my punch list for all of the things that need to be done! We are very excited to be spending Easter with my family. My sister, Joanna, as well as Broc & Brady will be coming up too! My other sister, Jenna, is due with her first baby right about the same time. We haven't seen Chad since Christmas and all of the other Utah Isoms since August and I can't even remember the last time we got to visit with the Utah Isom Cousins. So, this will be a fun and exciting trip. The kids are hoping for snow. I am hoping for warm weather since our cool weather lately has been plenty cold for me (I know, I am a wimp!). I can't wait to have so many of us together around Easter. Garth will be coming home a little sooner than me so that I can enjoy a couple of extra days. The kids are thrilled to have this time during Spring Break. I am thrilled not to have Independent Study Contract work to do! :-)

So, Easter is coming and we are already very excited...

Simplify

As I was thinking today about my list of things to do I was grateful for all things simple. My list every day is about the same. I have a few goals that I am working on being better at this year. I have a cleaning schedule, a reading schedule (our stake president challenged us to read all 4 standard works this year) for personal study as well as family study, a dinner schedule, a basic schedule for my calling (& Garth's), a homework schedule for the kids (includes musical instrument practice), etc.-we have been trying to incorporate these more and more since the beginning of the year. Is everything perfect yet? No. But, we are getting there. I know that as a family we are getting even more done. We are definitely looking forward to our garden and planting schedule (coupled with the weeding schedule). I am not sure how all of you do what you do. I feel overwhelmed a lot of the time with just the basics, but at the same time I am thankful for things that bring me peace and contentment. So, what is on my mind right now? Simplify. :-)

Oh-and the previous post! :-)

Bells Birthday...Part 2

The morning after Shelby's birthday we went to breakfast! Kerity and I went with Shelby, Starlee, Kirra, Breezy, and Noel. It was so much fun! I am so grateful for such a great friend with such cute girls that we love so much. Noel is like another sister for Shelby too! It makes it really nice to be close to such great girls!

Bell's Birthday Morning...with brownish hair

Our 11 year old woke up this morning very excited to start her day! Garth and I were already up making French Breakfast Muffins and scrambled eggs. Last night we had hung a little sign, blown up some balloons, and put out the card from my Grandma & Grandpa Goodner and Grandma Gigi as well as the gift that my parents had sent and, of course, arrived right on schedule (I am still working on that kind of timing). Bells was so excited to open her present on her birthday! Here are a few pictures from this morning. Note the shirt that my parents sent her and the fact that she is wearing it today (she went and changed before school she was so excited)! Our family is definitely a chocolate family and this is the perfect shirt for one of our kids!! :-)

**PS Shelby's hair is darker in the pictures because we dyed it. Before anyone freaks out-it is the wash out kind. But, it takes 28 washes or so. (We are figuring a bit more since she is so blonde.) She had a school report to do where she dressed up as that person, and well, her person had brown hair. She thought it would be fun to dye it, I thought it would be fun to see how the other half lives with brunette daughters that actual resemble them, and so Garth and I dyed it. It is already a bit lighter. I will have to post about her "dark hair" experiences later. But, enjoy-you get a double kind of post and I didn't even realize it! :-)

The Track...

SO, Garth had made a track in the side yard. He could tell you how many jumps, whoops, turns, etc. (Garth just corrected me-no whoops, ...yet) Anyway, the kids are LOVING it! All of our crew thinks it is pretty fun and Garin's friends think it is the place to be. Which, I am very happy with. This past Monday was a holiday and Garin had a few friends over to ride on the track. The four of them had a great time jumping, turning, laughing, and just getting dirty (there was still a bit of mud in one of the turns from the rain). I think this is one of my favorite additions to the house so far. That and...nope, just that. ;-)

**PS-the helmets are for safety and to protect the anonymity of the talented riders-we wouldn't want the paparazzi in the yard too!

Valentine's Giveaway

You know those days that you have a little bit of extra time (well maybe you don't have the extra time, but you carve it out anyway) and so you, well kind of, blog stalk. Or blog surf-does it just depend on the area of the country you are from or whether you are a nice or not so nice person? For arguments sake, let's call it blog "surfing." That wonderful thing were you happen to find blogs of people you know through other people you know. I had been looking at my sister's blog, then checked out her friend's blog, and then went to her friend's brother's wife's blog (did you get that?), and then on to the friend's brother's wife's sister's blog which is located here and saw a Valentine giveaway! So, I couldn't help myself-I love her jewelry-so I entered. And then Valentine's hit, our computer and internet were acting a little funny, and I finally checked my blog a few days later. Marleen (the friend's brother's wife) had left a comment on my blog that I had won!!! I must say, and my family that was home can attest to it, that I was VERY excited. For the link to the announcement you can click here. So, I am the winner of these very cute earrings in pink, which I love! Yeah for me! And maybe, Garth will check out the website (Darleen's jewelry site) that I emailed him and start thinking about my birthday now, and then our anniversary, and so on. Darleen, who designs the jewelry, is very talented and I love her stuff. So, that is my awesome news-probably for the month since I am still very excited for them to come!! :-)

SNOW and Valentine's Day

On Valentine's Day we had snow here in Alpine. Somehow with the craziness of the day I forgot to take pictures! Silly, huh? We started off the day with Garth making french toast for breakfast and then the kids headed off to school for Valentine's Parties, learning, and fun times! While the kids were at school my sister Joanna watched the kids while we went to the temple. It was so nice to attend during the day! We arrived about 40 minutes early for the session, so we were running a little late by the time that we got out of there! My friend, Crystal, picked up Ethan & Shelby from school and poor Garin & Trevon had to walk up from the bus stop (the walking wasn't the big deal, they always walk up the easement-it was that it was raining). But, Garth and I were able to attend the temple and on our way home (after grabbing Starlee & Ryden) Crystal called to say it was snowing. They received a lot more snow than us-it actually stuck to the ground there! The kids had fun seeing the snow at their house and were amazed to see it falling at our house too (too bad it didn't stick)! Anyway-then we headed home to have pizza for dinner (it was Thursday, so the kids wanted it even on Valentine's Day). Shanae came at about 6:30-7 pm and Garth and I headed out to run some basic errands. Not the most exciting evening, but we were able to go to the temple, hang out with the kids, and spend some time together while running errands, so it was a perfect day! A little cold for my tastes, but perfect none the less!

TAGGED...

So, my sister Jenna tagged me. I have tried to answer to the best of my ability, but after asking Garth to verify some answers all I got was "I don't know." (Obviously I am very memorable or he is so busy loving me that all that past stuff is a little fuzzy.) ;-)

How long have you been together? 13 years 8 months

How long did you date? 2 months + 2 months engaged (I think this is where I interject that we met 2 years prior to our 1st kiss, and were friends for 1 year)

How old is he? 36

Who eats more? Garth

Who said "I love you" first? I'll have to check...I think he did.

Who is taller? Garth

Who sings better? Neither-we both stink

Who is smarter? I am going to say Garth...although I am hoping he doesn't read this since it might go to his head ;-)

Who does the laundry? I do most of the time. Although Garth isn't unknown to throw a load in if I haven't had a chance to get to it.

Who does the dishes? The kids-chores are great! ;-) If they don't do it, I am the "fill-in" girl.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Looking at the bed-Garth does. He always sleeps closest to the door.

Who pays the bills? I have in the past, but we are trying to switch to both Garth and I being in on the action.

Who mows the lawn? Garth and Garin.

Who cooks dinner? Both of us, sometimes I am more gourmet, sometimes Garth. I would say we are equally matched in the cooking skills department.

Who is more stubborn? I am going to say Garth
**note-my totally cool brother-in-law says I am more stubborn!**

Who kissed who first? It was a mutual thing

Who asked who out? Garth asked me out first.

Who proposed? Garth

Who is more sensitive? Me-I think

Who has more friends? I think we are pretty evenly matched.

Who has more siblings? I do (7 to his 5)

I tag anyone who hasn't done this yet! :-)

Vote for Mitt on Tuesday...

Do you know that sinking feeling that you get in the pit of your stomach? That is the feeling I get when I think of John McCain as president. I will admit to not knowing who we wanted to vote for in the very beginning. I wanted to know the facts. I started listening to viewpoints, weighing them with what I thought, and of course discussing it all with Garth. I am one of those that LOVED Ronald Reagan and have wanted another one of him. Every election I find myself looking for a Ronald Reagan. Not that he was perfect, but he was a great man. And finally, we have found someone with the integrity and values to hold a candle to Ronny. :-)

The conclusion: Mitt is our guy. I love that there isn't controversy as to if he has cheated on his wife, how much of a raise he will try and get (Did you know he donates all money earned to charities that he is paid for public service?), and of course the big one-he knows money and our government is in dire need of a big financial fix.

So, for those that haven't looked into Mitt just because he is a "Mormon," please do! Visit his website at www.mittromney.com and check out what he believes, what his experiences are. Decide if you want someone that can balance our budget, someone that has actually worked in the United States instead of just "representing" those of us that work, and someone that has class and will continue to support our troops instead of demoralize them with negative comments. Check out what he would bring to the White House. And then form your own opinion.

As for us, Mitt is our guy!
Vote Mitt Romney on February 5th!!

Oh, and for those that were for Fred Thompson...good news...guess who a bunch of his supporters have switched to...you guessed it:

A Farewell to a Beloved Prophet

My sweet sister Jenna called Sunday evening to give us the news that our beloved prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, had passed away . I love this man. I love him for his example in living a Christlike life by being an example of loving all, serving all, and doing everything with a smile. I know that he is rejoicing that he is able to reunite with his sweet wife. I just wanted to share his testimony as well as a couple of pictures and a quote on marriage (with a link to the entire article).

President Gordon B. Hinckley's testimony:

"I hope that all of you will remember that on this Sabbath day you heard me bear my witness that this is God's holy work. The vision given the Prophet Joseph in the grove of Palmyra was not an imaginary thing. It was real. It occurred in the broad light of day. Both the Father and the Son spoke to the boy. He saw Them standing in the air above him. He heard Their voices. He gave heed to Their instruction.

"It was the resurrected Lord who was introduced by His Father, the great God of the universe. For the first time in recorded history, both the Father and the Son appeared together to part the curtains and open this, the last and final dispensation, the dispensation of the fullness of times.

"The Book of Mormon is all that it purports to be—a work recorded by prophets who lived anciently and whose words have come forth "to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations" (Book of Mormon title page).

"The priesthood has been restored under the hands of John the Baptist and Peter, James, and John. All the keys and authority pertaining to eternal life are exercised in this Church.

"Joseph Smith was and is a prophet, the great Prophet of this dispensation. This Church, which carries the name of the Redeemer, is true.

"I leave you my testimony, my witness, and my love for each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

President Gordon B. Hinckley
April 1, 2006, Sunday morning session of the 176^th Annual World General Conference

on marriage:
"...They are partners.
They are companions in this great venture that we call marriage and family life..."
(Ensign 10/03)

Baking...

This was taken with my cell phone camera since my camera has been MIA since before Christmas. I have a recipe for some very yummy chocolate cookies (I actually haven't tried hers-but Kerity says they are terrific) that a friend at church gave me. Last time I made them they didn't seem to turn out quite right (which was a bit frustrating), so I decided to try and tackle them again today while Starlee and Ryden insisted that we play in the family room. So, I am off to take a plate of these to Kerity to see how they compare. Then, if they are actually closer to what they are supposed to be, I just might post the recipe (the just might depends on if I have time). Anyway, wish me luck...

*As a side not, I did make Jenna's chocolate cookies with the peanut butter center last night and can't believe how much I like them each time I have them! Thanks Jenna for a GREAT recipe!! :-) We made 62 of them last night and are trying to figure out how many to give away, keep, eat, etc. ;-)

SPT Tuesday 1-7-08

So, I am going to try and do the Tuesday SPT every week by Lelly! It seems such a great way to reflect and think about things. This weeks item is what is my "new you resolution?" (in one word)

I have been thinking and thinking about this. Every year I write down things that I would like to better about myself, the things I do, etc.-but this year I would like to go even farther. Maybe actually accomplish at least 75% of the list-something drastic like that. I would like to be more organized, more spiritual, more tone, more thoughtful, more loving, and just more. I would like to put into action all the things (or most of the things) ;-) I think of instead of trying to just get as much done every day. I would like to be more proactive instead of reactive.

That being said, I love Lelly's idea of choosing a word for myself to symbolize what I would like to accomplish this year. So the word I have been thinking of is thought.

I would like to give more thought to everything. See things from the other perspective. Take a minute and smell the roses. For someone that likes to have a million things going on, serious thinking doesn't always happen before the action. So, for 2008 I am going to think about it. I am not going to be as impulsive (which has been getting better and better every year anyway), I am going to think about it. Am I going to take as long as Garth or Shelby at a card game? Probably not! ;-) But, I am going to think about who I can help today, whether we really need something or not, if my family is getting all of the healthy food it needs, if spiritually I am progressing or stagnant, and if I am remembering the humility necessary to progress at all. So, here's to taking the time to think about it!! :-)

PS The picture above is obviously not a self-potrait or even a good portrait! (sorry Lelly) I still can't find my camera and my short arm is too short to hold my camera far enough to get a decent picture and Trevon seemed to cut off part of my head (and I thought 5'2" was short enough that it didn't warrant the goal of shortening things) ;-). So, here I am Christmas morning thinking how lucky I am to have such a great family, to be surrounded by those I love, to have the knowledge that my Savior loves me, to have a terrific husband that treats me far better than I deserve or could ever imagine, and wondering why we didn't change the clocks to get them to sleep until 10:30 instead of 8:30. Oh well! :-)

New Years Reflections 2008

When

Garth and

I were married

we had an inter-

view by our Stake

President in the weeks

shortly before. He gave us

some of the greatest advice

that we reflect on every year at our

anniversary as well as New Years

(sometimes we include birthdays too-it is

the list maker in me). The advice was that

this marriage of ours is a partnership with the

Lord. That it is like a triangle-imagine the Lord at

the top point and then our names at the bottom points-

forming a partnership. As we head into the New Year and

think of the different things we wish we did better or reflect

on the few things that we feel went well, we realize every year

that it is when we are fulfilling this partnership that things do or

will go right. So, we are looking forward to 2008 and hopefully becoming even better at this partnership between us and the Lord in this thing we call our life! Happy New Year to all of you!

(and if you want to go even farther-add some boxes under the triangle for kids and callings, etc. to show where everything is supposed to be prioritized)

Krumkake, another Norwegian Olsen-Isom tradition

Usually we get to some of the Christmas baking traditions late (sometimes REALLY late), but this year I think we have done pretty well. Last night we made Fattigmann and today we made Krumkake. I know for the Isom side of the family this will be a very boring post since everyone probably does this, but for those that aren't Isoms here are some of the pictures from today (taken with my cell phone camera since we still haven't found ours)...

First you make the dough, you can't smell it, but cardamom smells so divine!

The iron has to heat up and you spray, or brush, it once only.

Put 2 one in. size balls of dough in the middle of each circle in the iron...

Cook for about 30-45 seconds...

and wa-la, Krumkake. Carefully remove with a spatula and roll around a wood cone, and then...

...enjoy! (we will sprinkle some of these with powdered sugar first since some of us like them plain and some of us like them with that added sweetness!)

I will try and post Fattigmann pictures later (since they are on Garth's camera)!
And hopefully we can make lefse before Chad leaves again too! :-)

Christmas 2007

So, below are a few pictures from Christmas morning. I don't have any of Christmas afternoon or dinner. We have misplaced our camera (or more accurately-we think it was misplaced for us by one of the little ones) and so we borrowed Jaleen's. The only reason this is a problem is because usually Jaleen and I combine our pictures since most holidays are pretty busy with 6 kids, friends, and family. Well, this year there was no combining of pictures, switching off of camera duty, so the morning is all we have...sorry! Some of the pictures that you will see is the "blockaded" stairs which causes quite the loud sound if broken through without permission, Garin falling down said booby-trapped stairs because he tripped on a box, Jonathan's wonderful wrapping job, everyone sitting down while opening gifts, Ryden just laying there (he did this all morning because he isn't feeling so hot), and just a few miscellaneous pictures of the morning. Please excuse the lack of make-up in all photos. The older I get the more I am thinking I need it! ;-) I made orange rolls to feast on for breakfast and Trevor & Jocelyn and family came over to enjoy some and exchange gifts too! Oh-and we had a wonderful Christmas afternoon and evening. My parents and little brothers came over in the morning to spend the remainder of the day with us. They brought a very yummy cranberry sauce and one of my favorites, deviled eggs. The kids had a GREAT time playing WII with everyone, I appreciated all of the help in the kitchen, and we loved just spending time with them! Our friends the Behers also came over for dinner in the evening. Poor little Nathaniel wasn't feeling so good Martha had to leave a bit early! But our dinner consisted of turkey, ham with a very good ham sauce that I will have to get the recipe for from Martha, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, deviled eggs, cranberry sauce, homemade rolls, red jello salad (a Pitt family tradition), a baked parmesan squash (another recipe I need), and green bean casserole. For dessert we stuffed ourselves some more with homemade pumpkin pie, a caramel pecan torte, french silk pie, and lemon meringue pie. I am thinking that the 26th should be called running day, burn the calories off day or something like that! ;-) Anyway, Christmas was wonderful. I think that my favorite part was reading the Christmas story with the kids in the morning and the discussion of the times, the circumstances of the Savior's birth, etc. I think this year was even more special in regards to the story and discussion. It really made Christmas morning start off right-the kids weren't even in a huge hurry to go down to the gifts! It was great! Merry Christmas everyone! (sorry so long...)

**I should mention that we were very lucky to have Jaleen, Chad, and Jonathan here! Chad is visiting us for the week and we are very excited! It was great to have him here for Christmas again! We missed having him last year!

SCHOOL IS OUT...

Does anyone else have the High School Musical 2 song going through their head? ;-) Anyway, today was the last day of school before "Winter Break" otherwise known as Christmas Break to most of the teachers and students! The teacher and bus driver gifts have been given out, the contractor goodies have been delivered (we are going to do New Years plates for friends) and about 25 dozen cookies (chocolate chip, peanut butter with peanut butter cups, shortbread dipped in sugar, and minty chocolate brownie bites), a couple of batches of fudge, who knows how many chocolate dipped apricots, and homemade caramels later I am a little exhausted. About this time of year is when I get sick. I think it may be the evenings, like last night, that Garth and I stay up until 2 am doing the miscellaneous things that need to be done. Now I just need to get to my Christmas cards and get the primary teacher gifts ready. For those of you that usually get a card and are reading this...I am getting them out. It is on my list of things to do tonight and tomorrow! But, for now I am very excited that school is out and I don't have to worry about all of the Christmas details and school! I am excited for the time with my kids and I am hoping to be able to sleep in at least a couple of times! ;-) Merry Christmas and Happy School Vacation everyone!

Our Family Pictures...

I know the lighting on this is horrible (I apologize for the glare-I was in a hurry, it was really late at night, and my camera is on its last leg), but here are our family pictures all hung up! They are on the wall opposite of our front door (for those that have been here). Again, a huge thank you to Spencer Kellis for taking the pictures and Jason Tanner for editing them, giving us his opinions, and just being a terrific guy! We absolutely love them and are so excited to not only finally have a family picture, but to love it too!! THANK YOU!!

PS I should probably add that even though the pictures look a little crooked in this picture, they aren't! Garth measured so carefully and everything is down to the 1/16th of an inch (at least)! :-)

Some pictures from Trevon's birthday dinner last night...

Ethan and Jaleen (mostly Ethan I think) took some pictures of Trevon's birthday dinner last night. It doesn't include the dinner (Trevon's favorite-lasagna, french bread, and black & white cupcakes) or that Trevor & Jocelyn plus Violet and Lucas were here-so enjoy the random pictures of a 7 year old! :-)

This one is for Casey...;-)

Have a great day!
(a short post to offset the long post) ;-)

Sick kids, the Christmas tree, and maybe more...

I have sat at home now for 3 days with sick kids. Ethan has a nasty runny nose, Trev a runny nose and fever, Shelby a fever, Ryden a runny nose, and Starlee says she has a cough (although it doesn't sound that bad to me). Me? I have a headache, a runny nose, and I am freezing! I am tired of illness-I always thought my kids were fairly healthy. They hardly ever have any reason to need a sick appointment (knock on wood-our last one was with Starlee in '04). Maybe they just seem extra sick lately to me because I am one of the fruitcakes (sarcasm inserted here) that does not send their kids to school sick. I don't believe in the possibility of infecting other people's kids and I really resent the rudeness of them sending their kids to infect mine. That said-the kids seem healthy enough to brave school tomorrow. I will just cross my fingers that I don't get a phone call saying "______ doesn't feel good enough to stay-can you come get him/her even though you just dropped them off 30 minutes ago, just unloaded Ryden and Starlee out of the car, and just took a look at your planner?" Hey-at least the school will get their money for my 1 hour hassle! ;-)

And because of under the weather kids I have yet to finish my Christmas decorations. So, I have made the co-executive decision (along with my equally opinionated husband) that we will just leave up what we have and worry about doing more next year! (Did I mention I REALLY love him?) We have all the important things up: the tree, the stockings, a small nativity, a mini tree, and the countdown Santa. Anything else is just fluff. I could pretend that it is because we are so ultra-spiritual, but it is just lack of time. Are we trying to make this year a more spiritual experience? Yes. Is that the reason for the decoration boxes heading back out to the surf shack-nope. Oh well, so far it has already been a busy, wonderful season. We listened to the First Presidency Christmas devotional with the kids, I'll admit I didn't really hear the Stake Christmas concert since we were in the kitchen preparing refreshments for 600 people (stake primary was in charge again)-but the spirit was there as we watched the people partake afterwards. Not to mention every time I work with Crystal (president), Peggie (2nd counselor), and Laurie (secretary) I am amazed by each of them. They are so completely wonderful! I love to observe them, learn from them, and just enjoy them. (I am not saying I wasn't completely exhausted, tired, worn out, and maybe a wee bit cranky at the end-but the aforementioned items are true as well!) ;-) This week I have either District Committee meeting (Scouts) or the Relief Society dinner (depending on scheduling), Round Table + a date with Garth on Thursday (so far my favorite commitment of them all), and Friday and Saturday are only tentative items-yeah!! Next week will be pretty jam packed-but we are excited for Christmas, we are very excited to hang out with Chad for the holiday, and see my parents and brothers again too!

And what am I doing right now? Wondering how to get the mean mom face...you know that one that Moms have? The one that says do it now or it will really be coming to you? The one that evokes obedience that we all remember our mothers having the talent enough to give? The one I completely fail at by the lack of response to what I thought was my "mean mom face" that I give my kids! I guess I need to work on it BIG TIME as Starlee is trying to talk her way into staying up and Ryden is trying to cuddle his way into the same. All this as I try and learn the Troopmaster program since I am also the new Advancement Chair for our ward scout program. I am feeling a little bit confused since I am so in cub scout mindframe because of my calling-calling and now am learning this too. Am I excited to be a participant in Garin's scouting career-sure, am I a tired Mom of 6 little kids, wife to Garth, hopefully at least 30% good at my calling, and maybe even getting a little bit better about staying on top of my daily tasks? yep, that too! Is this where I pretend I am multi-faceted? ;-)

But, for now. I am just going to be Mom. I am going to read Starlee a book so that she can head up to bed having completed everything on the Isom Family Daily Schedule for Tuesday. Which will make her a very happy princess! And tomorrow-we will start all over again (this time with the Wednesday Daily Schedule since our lives have so much variety) with happy faces and hopefully helpful hearts. As this season approaches very quickly I am so grateful for the little and big things-for a fireplace in my room which helps since it is the coldest bedroom in the house, for a wonderful husband that spoils me and loves me, for hiking socks that are keeping my feet warm right this very minute, for children that are witty, kind, and innocent, for family that supports us, strengthens us, sends great packages (Mom-this is you in case you were wondering if there was someone else that sends and awesome package for all holidays, back to school days, summer days, etc.), comes for important events, loves my kids like their own, has taught my kids the value of good sports (Casey & Jenna-this would be you + more of course), and just loved us period. Loves us even though we mess up, forget, are behind, are flaky, and everything else that we do wrong! I am very thankful for my blessings-oh, and in case anyone was wondering-this was the "maybe more" mentioned previously! ;-P

Oh-and on today, which is my Grandma & Grandpa Pitt's anniversary-I am thankful for marriage. For the gospel that my parents raised me in-and for each and every time I get to think about all my happy "grandparent" memories.

Hasta!