Tamales

Ian's class has been studying traditions around the world and I went in to teach all the kids how to make Tamales!! It was alot of fun and not nearly as stressfull as I thought it would be. 28 kids can make a lot of tamales!! I had made some the day before so they all got to eat one for their snack. It was all very Rachel Ray. Tamales at any time of the year Rock!! It is always so much fun hanging out with sisters and friends making them, but even better is the eating them part!!!!

Christmas Wishes

Dear Santa,
You got it all wrong...I asked for less animals. Why, oh why, did you bring back the runaway cat??? This was the 3rd time he ran away, he obviously doesn't like it here. It is because of all the kids petting him and hugging him and dressing him up that pushes him overboard. He was happy in the wild I just know it! Now you have just started a new cycle. Rascal will stick around for a few months and then get fed up and escape through a cracked door and the kids will be devestated and cry and I will have to drive all over and visit the pound, just to make sure he's not there, because they kill the animals left over 5 days. sad :(
Think next time Santa. And just remember, just because my kids ask for something doesn't mean they get to have it!! Ask them and they can tell ya, they never get what they want!

P.S. Since ya brought the cat back can I please have a year's supply of food for him??

Late Halloween Update

We have: Brooke~A Vampire, Ian~A Cowboy, Emily~A Cheerleader, Anna~A Fairy, Andrew~"I'm a teenager...it's stupid to dress up for Halloween!!!"

So, I am totally remiss in not talking about Halloween which was an amazingly fun and tiring night!!! The School's Music Department was in charge of the Halloween Carnival so Anna and Emily had to be there the whole time...which translates into the whole family being there the whole time! There was fishing and dart throwing and ring tossing and all manner of carnival games...plus the added craft section where you could create your own crap..um i mean keepsakes!

Anna and her friend Anna were in charge of the photo booth. "only one ticket... cheaper than Kmart lady!!"

Ian made a clean sweep at bingo and won every round he played I am not saying his card was the cursed one or anything but a little too spooky for Halloween night if ya ask me!! He also had a ball eating a donut on a string...I am not sure what the point was, well except to put smiles on all our faces.. it totally worked by the way!!!

And in this picture you have to look closely because it may be the only one of laverl there is this year because he changed out of his costume early cuz it itched!!! Can you see him??? The sad thing is you cannot see the Chihuahua on his left shoulder (ya know instead of a parrot) From left to right we have half of Zariah then laverl and then Emily and Audrina fishing for treasure.Pirates playing Bingo...who says all pirates want to do is pillage???

The best part of the night (for the kids) was the booths where you put your hands in something gross... like spaghetti or beans or pumpkin guts, and it felt all slimy and squishy but then you got a really cool prize like a penny!
The best part for me was going home, putting on some comfy sweats and eating some yummy dinner. It was so late by that time we didn't even make it to our usual trick or treat rounds... sad, but all for a good cause. Then we sent the kids downstairs for a movie of their own and we discovered the wonder that is the Alfred Hitchcock Show! Seriously, if you have never seen it it is totatlly worth renting!!! funny funny stuff. Who knew he had such a sense of humor??? I only wish they had left the original commercials in. I would pay some serious money for that!! Okay, not serious money, but it would really make my day!!

Saddest part of the night...well, for the kids not really for me, when Sean went to take Anna's friend home the back door got left open and Rascal escaped! One less mouth to feed, and Brooke doesn't seem that sad yet. But he does have our phone number on his collar so if he's found he could be returned...i suppose.

Three Little Kittens

We (and by "we" I mean the kids) got to take care of some tiny tiny kittens. A girl from work found these cute little things in some hay with their mom, but the mom was dead. So she has been bottlefeeding them and taking care of them but she had to go out of town for a couple days and so we watched them for her.

Hannah and Brooke did most of the work. It was like christmas morning for Brooke! From left to right; Aurora, Hannah, Sugar, Buterscotch & Brooke!!

All the kids helped though, Emily and Brittney took their turns!

Billy helped play with them and wear them out so they slept so nicely! This is Aurora and Butterscotch.
Ian got in as much time as the girls would let him! This is Sugar and Aurora.

I did absolutely nothing.

Well, I did feed them when the kids were at school,

but I did not get attached.

Honest.

I am definitley not getting another cat.

Seriously.

I am not.

Really!!

Bonus Features!!!

I just have to say that I am sick of the movie people trying to pull the wool over our collective eyes!!

Wake up world and rally together in the bonus feature cause!!

Because guess what?!

Sneak peaks and commentary by producers are NOT bonus features!!!

Gone are the days of being able to pop in your dvd and see how a movie was made or see alternate endings or funny clips with dare I say, a few off colored words that "accidentally" slipped out.

Now all we have to look forward to is some guy who couldn't cut it as an actor telling us over the sound of the real actors why the lighting was particularly good that day.

Or what other lame films the studio chose to produce.

Seriously. When I rent or buy a movie I want extras too! don't you??

Otherwise we might as well be living in 1980 when our movies had to rewind

and the only thing at the end was black and white fuzz!

The Whole Gang!!!

Here we are.... the entire Arnold family!!!

Can you name them all???

Here is a list of the individual families see if you can pick them out!

And can I just say thanks to all the kids who did not:

pick their noses, pick their neighbors noses, give anyone bunny ears, and hide in the bathroom!

All of us parents appreciate it!!!

David & Lenni

Sean & Karyn; Andrew Brooke Anna Emily Ian

Josh & Christy; Melissa Julie Jonny Alex Megan

Michael & Marie; Brent Aaron Paul Hyrum

Joseph & Lydia; Emma James Isaac Mathais Thomas Luc

Andy & Sarah; David Lili Michael Katie Laura Allison

Sam & Michelle; Isaiah Janelle

Matt & Nicole; Rachel Jocelyn Madilyn

Is it me or does it not really look like that many people??? Huh it felt like a ton of people! Well, not to worry there are several who are still thinking on having more babies. The family will grow and before we know it the older ones will be going off to college.

It was a beautiful summer Saturday, one of the last few remaining in the year so we fully took advantage of it! Grabbed some snacks and lunch and then headed off to Kanarra Falls. If you have never done this hike it is a fairly easy one. The hardest part is the beginning! You used to be able to drive to the trail head but for whatever reason they have blocked off the roan and you have to walk up the steep road now. If you can make it up the road the rest is a piece of cake!!

Once you are off the road it doesn't take too long before you are following the creek. (Now if you are from Utah you should be pronouncing that crick) Water shoes make this hike so much more enjoyable. You are not always in the water but a portion of the hike is so a nice multi functioning shoe works well. Just don't wear something that you care is going to get ruined because it probably will. Notice all the cutoffs and swimsuits? We are about to have some fun! Fun= Dirty!

Emily Wins for being the first one down the first little "waterfall" we came to. The creek has lots of large flat rocks that create these "falls". So if you were picturing waterfalls like Niagara Falls you were way off base! You can see how deep the pool is where Sean is standing. it is never deeper than that. And then only in a couple of places was it like that. Of course we have never been when spring run off was in full swing so....

Anyway we climbed over logs and walked through the water and had a lot of laughs. We found lizards and butterflies and even passed a family who had caught two 7in fish in the creek! You can see little white Audrina there she was the second person to get wet. Ian was the third but it was only because he tripped and he was not happy about it. funny how when they want to get wet they laugh and when it just happens they cry even if it is just seconds apart. And after a couple of hours we reached the entrance to the slot canyon. Once you get inside the canyon the walls get to be pretty close and then you reach the point that I hate. This particular fall is in the actual canyon so there is no way around it and the only way past it is up a fallen log that some pioneer who has come before has nailed boards to. A makeshift ladder if you will. A very scary prospect. It wasn't so bad this time because the log itself was dry. however a couple of boards were missing and I have vowed that the next time we come we bring new boards, screws and a drill.
Once up the ladder you hike a little further and come to more flat rocks that create Kanarra Falls. Well we assume. this is as far as we have ventured because at this point the hike has taken about 3 hours and we are tired! Here he have lunch and play in the water and take lots of pictures. The slot canyon continues up further and on day we may try it without the little ones. Just to see where it goes.

And even though the summer is waning and almost over, yes the water is still cold. Because when snow melts on the mountains and runs down into creeks... it's cold!

Back to School

What a magical week!

This was the week that saved everyones lives.

The kids were bored out of their minds and I was going a little out of mine too! But then the day came and we were all saved!!!!

Doesn't he look so excited to start High School?

Okay maybe it was a bit too early in the morning to expect excitement.

Brooke was a little more excited though. She has been dreaming of this day for many many moons!! She loves school! That's right, little Anna Banana looks way to grown up. 5th grade here she comes!

Emily was entering a new level so she gets a whole new learning environment! She was too happy to be tired!

Notice how I pick my battles with this guy. Long hair is fine but his room better be clean! We did get him to trim a couple of inches off so he could actually see his mentor and friends!!

So glad we are all back on a schedule again. I thought I wouldn't survive the summer another week. Luckily the kids are just as happy about it as I am. Social little butterflies that they are! It is all about friends and fun with a pinch of learning thrown in just for good measure!!

Tuesday was a very exciting nervous day. There was a fire by the freeway over pass.

Which is not too far away from our house.

The kids were perfectly safe and Andrew got some pictures from our balcony.

Our fire department rocks though and had it out before any structures or people were harmed!!

Thanks guys!!

Welcome to an afternoon without mom!

First up we have a swimsuit fashion show where the latest fashions are worn by the cutest girls.

Notice the rich lines and just picture the runway music!

After a long fashion show remember... Girls just want to have fun and relax. What says relaxing more than doing each others hair?!

Braids and curls are the latest fashions...all the girls are wearing them!

Martin's Cove Pioneer Trek

Well, after a 4 day adventure, Andrew is home safe and sound. He was gone with our stake to Wyoming's to have a genuine pioneer experience. Well, as genuine as it gets.

We filled a bucket with everything he would need for the 4 days and EVEN kept it under the allowed weight of 17lbs. Okay so it was a little bit of a struggle because what teenager wants to leave his comfortable home and go walk 27 miles with a handcart???

But after much persuasion Andrew was dressed in pioneer clothing and removed of all electronic devices and contacts (which may have been the hardest part for him!)

The hardest part for me was knowing he was driving on a bus for 11 hours (one way) far from home. But I knew that he had great leaders watching over him and that he would have a super experience. Of course, he IS a teenage boy, so, I may not ever actually hear about the experience without prying it out of him! Question, by grueling question.
So if you happen to talk to Andrew, ASK him some questions and maybe we can all compare notes. For example, in Testimony meeting today the people who went on the Trek talked about the women's climb. I can only piece together what that is, but if I try really hard I may get the memories of the experience out of him.
He didn't even fill out the journal they gave him. How is he ever going to remember stuff if he doesn't write it down??? I never remember anything until Cyndie reminds me of it. Seriously, I totally blanked Emily's perpetual bruise on her forehead until she reminded me.
If his memory is anything like mine he will regret not having recorded everything when he had the chance. Someday, when his kids are about to go on a trek, he'll be like "ya I did that.... " THE END because he won't remember anything else, except that he did it once.

P.S. The pictures are not actual pics from his trek.

I don't have those yet, but as soon as I have them you can be SURE I will post them.

Our New Home

We moved! that's right we have found ourselves in an interesting set of circumstances and wound up in a new home. New home means new ward and that can be a little hard on the kids. Luckily it is the same stake and the kids already have friends on our street. I hate sadness so I will not focus on all the things I will miss but on all the advantages:

~BIGGER house, by almost double!
~Just a stones throw from Jen and Char... the closer for cousins to play!
~Cheaper on our budget. I know doesn't seem logical but there you have it sometimes bigger is cheaper!
~Better neighborhood... after all it's pretty sad when you can joke about living in the ghetto... well, as ghetto as Cedar can get.
~More hills to keep Sean in shape. They say it's good to change up your workout routine... baby just got hills!
~1 mile closer to Cyndie...woohoo!!
~Further away from fast food... seriously it was so easy to have the midnight snack of my choice, now I have to actually drive farther and that late at night makes me think it's just easier to eat a bowl of cereal.
~HUGE master suite! Seriously never dreamed I'd have this much room for my own space...I suppose I could share with Sean...maybe.
~Jetted garden tub, really it's my dream house.
~More things to fix up... normally not a plus for most but I love to see things transform like dead yards, old wood floors, Bumblebee (he he he just kidding). It will be a lot of fun to see the end product.

~THERE IS A BASEMENT!!!! Sometimes I can't even hear the kids in the house. I don't think there has been less than 7 kids here on any given day in the last 2 weeks. We always seem to have friends over... which is fine because I CAN'T HEAR THEM!!!

So there you have it, all the reasons I am excited about this change in our lives.

E-mail me for the new address.

So much fun camping! Natalie and Me on the four wheeler getting ready to escape for a minute

We decided to go hiking and Travis said to take this cool short trail he found last year hunting... The plan was to be dropped off in the meadow and then he would meet us at the bottom of the hike and drive us back to camp.Right away I should have seen that if we had to be driven back to camp it was probably further than a short trail. 2 hours later after a nice little bit of fishing Travis found us near the end of the trail. It was a beautiful trail that was mostly in the shade because we were surrounded by forest. A river followed the trail (or did the trail follow the river??) so we heard the water the whole way. The kids did not even start complaining until near the end.
Cameron did his tree hugger impersonation...And he helped everyone cross the creek so no one got wet. Very chivalrous!

We all mostly look like we are having fun.

Andrew helped carry Alecia and even Brittney along the way. And let me take some pictures of him !!

Here is the whole group:

Travis, Tonya, Karyn, Sean, Teresa, Natalie, Nathanial,

Cash, Swayzee, Blake, Billy, Cameron, Brittney,

Alecia, Katelin, Andrew, Brooke, Anna, Emily, Ian,

and Smoke who is not pictured because seconds before the camera took the picture she ran behind everyone...what can you do??

Wow a whole month has gone by...

I guess I have been busy, super busy actually. But on the bright side I have scrapped and beaded and worked like crazy. Throw in a couple of trips to St. George and a wild few days of prepping for our licensing inspection and color me tired. Super Tired!! It could be my super hero title. So tired I am babbling about nothing because I have guilt over not blogging in forever. So tired I am past the deliriously giggly stage. That is a whole lotta tired. It is however Friday, which just makes me smile.

News Update:

Brooke is off at Girls Camp!!! her first year. They are going to have so much fun and she was super excited to go.

Andrew is off camping in the Beaver Mountains with the Fails. He was just as excited to go and I even got some extra chores out of him for "letting" him go.

Anna, Emily, and Ian are loving being "only" children for a few days. Two less kids make such a difference!

But our biggest news flash is that we have decided to move and everyone is so happy about the new house. And before you ask... we are not sure what will happen with our house but I think everything will turn out fine. Andrew is super ecstatic to not have to share a room with Ian anymore, but miserable about getting rid of the dogs. The new house has a dog run but no fence and it would just be mean to not have a yard for them to run and play in. Maybe if he walked the dogs(I'd say more but really at all!) It is what it is. And it will all work out for the best.

Well that's our current life in a nutshell... stay tuned!

Tricked into Talent

Okay so this is one of the many reasons I am probably going to the hottest place in the universe when I die. Anna told us she had a band concert, and we always support our kids in their many talents and adventures. Her statement was just a tiny bit misleading. It was actually a talent show. If I had known I would have brought treats to enjoy while I mercilessly mocked the poor kids. That's right... I am horrible... I mock children who are trying to perform on stage. {not out loud or in front of them though... that would just be cruel!!!} See I told you I was going down there.

Don't get me wrong they all really tried hard and some of the kids were fabulous. But in my mind I could only think of the top 6 things I learned at the Talent Show:

#6 There are no good trombone solo lead pieces. Not really the kids fault.

#5 A tiny little girl, playing a tiny blue violin can memorize a piece of music and perform it with out me finding anything to mock about it. Seriously she was awesome!!

#4 Kids who perform without sheet music ROCK!!! {there were like 5 kids who were able to do this}

#3 Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey even when you are trying to adjust a mic!!! Thank you man in the audience who had to help out a few times!!

#2 Never let not having money for a music program stop you from performing. The Drum Class used chairs and wrote their own music... They called it "musical chairs" ...hehehehe.

And the #1 thing I learned at the talent show is:

Even if you think you rock when you are singing a pop song at home with the music...remember...please, remember... NO ONE sounds good singing A Capella!!!

So for those who were not there I'm posting Anna's part.As luck would have it she performed last so we got to see the entire show! Hurray! { I think they did that on purpose knowing I would have left right after she performed} Look how long her hair has gotten!!

Happy Birthday Emily!!!
This may be the longest day of my life.
So much to do with minimal free time to accomplish everything.
I know what you are thinking...

then why are you taking time to blog??!!!
Because all of the daycare kids are finally asleep and
Cindy did the dishes and I have 2 minutes to myself.

Plus everything I have to do is at home...and I am not.

But Sean is on his way home to save my day even though
he is still mad at me... big fight , long story, and way to boring to blog about.
Well Em, if you are reading this I hope you had a blast at school
and are having a wonderful day!
I super-duper hope you love your way cool presents.

Just remember who loves you the most.. ME silly!!!

Creative Games by Arnold Kids

I think I have the most creative kids in the world.

It was Monday night, which is our Family night, and Emily and Anna were in charge of the family activity.

We have a closet full of games but that does NOT stop our kids from creating new ones!

This one takes the cake though.

They made numbered cards and placed them on the living room floor.

Next to each card they placed items {aka crap} that would be gathered and used later in the game.

These items included popsicle sticks, tissue paper, pencils, paper, ribbon, wooden balls, and a broken brush among other random items.

So the game began with the roll of a dice, like so many other games.

As you pass each number you select an item to put in your basket.

After you have passed every number, your team goes to the

table and creates something using all the items.

The team to create the best thing wins.

HERE WERE OUR RESULTS: Man on Beach by Sean, Emily, and AnnaBatmobile by Karyn, Ian, and Andrew

Come on, you can say it, the Batmobile rocks!!!

Although, I concede that the man on the beach was pretty creative.

Father and Son's Campout Rocks!!!

For those who don't know Father and son's is a yearly

church camp out for, duh, fathers and sons!

It is supposed to be a gathering to commemorate the

restoration of the priesthood.

However, last year it consisted of the little kids watching cartoons

while the men watching a Utah Jazz Basketball game

{did I mention it was a camping trip??? Is that really roughing it??}

What it means to me is one night all alone!

Seriously it is the one time a year when I get the entire bed all to myself!

I know, I know but I really love having all that room without the

guilt of knowing that Sean is scooched way over on the edge just so

I can have all the room I want.

That much guilt can build up over the year!

But on this one night I have guilt free sleep, and after all, isn't it really all about me?

Cyndie and the girls came over and we had a total girls night in

complete with pizza, spinach dip, chips and Queso, ice cream, jalapeno poppers,

and a wide assortment of candy

{so much for keeping the calorie count down}

and movies {one super funny one, "Lake Placid",

and one totally lame one, "Princess- A modern day Fairytale"

{{Do not watch this, I mean it was totally stupid!!!!}}

and topped off with highlights from "Stick it".

After all it's not called Gym"nice"tics!!!

And now I'm so tired that I am off to enjoy my wonderful bed.

I can't believe Emily and Audrina have started another movie...

I will not be able to last much longer

...ZZZ...ZZZ...zzz...zzz

Happy Mother's Day to all out there!

I have had a nice peaceful day filled with loving, kind words from all... well mostly.

Of course no day is complete without a little fighting and tears so it was a normal day really.

It was actually quite relaxing after a such a busy Saturday.

~Saturday was the Scout Expo. A day filled with fun and sun!~

Andrew and Cameron entertained us with unicycle shinanigans and funny faces!!!

Anna & Emily walked in the opening flag ceremony!

So did Brittney....can you find her cute little pinkness in the sea of red,white, and blue?

Even Andrew and Cameron... under protest and threat though!!

{No facebook for a week if they didn't get involved!}

It was a very successfull day, and everyone got to participate in a myriad of fun activities! There were raingutter regata races, a candy canon, and even blind cookie decorating.

I appreciate everyone who helped but especially Tonya and Becky!

Thanks SO much for making my job easier.

Guardian Angels

Sometimes in life there are moments that make you step back and realize you truely are being watched over and protected by Heavenly Father. This was one of those moments and it was caught on video. Okay, it was caught on video because at first we figured something stupidly funny was about to happen. Our first clue was when the boys came running in yelling for us, "you gotta see this mom!!! And bring the camera!" After hearing that, you know something is going to happen that, while it may not be funny now, in retrospect will make me almost pee my pants. Over and over and over again. For those who are faint of heart. Don't worry, everyone was fine in the end. There was only one scratch.

It's okay, you can rewind and replay that part over and over. We did. Cyndie can't believe it looks so horrible. It looks like she shouldn't be walking. But the trooper that she is she gets right up. I doubt she, or any other child in our homes who have seen this footage, will attempt such a silly stunt again. So, I would like to thank all involved; Andrew, Cameron, Tyler, and Cyndie. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this educational performance.

See Just a little road rash.

We didn't do it!!

14th Article of faith: We believe in organized games, in having fun with others and sharing our knowledge of new games. We also believe that as we come to act upon organizing these games we will be given chocolate. We now also believe the fire department will respond when the alarm in the church goes off.

We started off with musical chairs, because what young child doesn't love a calming game of musical chairs????

We moved on to Uno. It's a fun game that doesn't require reading skills. Perfect for kids!!
Right about that time, the fire alarm went off.

At first we weren't sure if it was real or a ploy by the elders quorum presidency to get more elders there! Nevertheless, we waited outside for the firemen to show up. Either way it worked. Brother Fails arrived to save the day, but was a little too soon for the dessert.

Sorry guys!( we didn't pull the alarm, really, it was some weird wiring thing) From there we broke up into groups and some had fun with Scattergories:
While others learned the very fun, quick game of Speed Scrabble:Andrew and Cameron played on a team and thought they won until the words were closely examined. Sorry boys you lose qecqo and wasert are not real words!! You LOSE!!!!

That's right, all these fun things happened and after the appropriate time of waiting I got my chocolate.