Blue Shades

Mandy took this picture in the car the other day. She was teasing me for being dressed as an upstate New Yorker and having glasses that screamed Friday! Eclectic is how we like it :)

Too bad IPhones don't take that great of quality of pictures because
 I have a lot of random shots on my phone.

One last ski...

I had to add some more pictures from Sundance this year. Ella had a successful first year of skiing thanks to the Lindahl brothers. They gave her private lessons. If I didn't have them it would have been really scary! It also worked out great because I had Melinda and Spencer to help juggle all of the kids and their gear as you can see in the pictures.
Sundance was beautiful as always.

We brought Trina from school up in the car with us every time. She is in Kinley's class.

Melinda and Mandy helping with the poles, ski's etc.

Whitney had a fun time sliding down on her board at the end of the day.

Ella and Lexi are so cute to watch play together at the bottom of the hill when they are tired.

One day Spence bought us all some hot chocolate that was really good.

My great friends Snow and Dingo

Brighton had a great time...Now would be a good time to mention that the reason her name is Brighton is because I love the ski resort Brighton. I used to ski there growing up
and it was always so beautiful!

Springville Art Museum

Last week I went with the kids school to the Springville Art Museum. They should know by now not to trust me as a chaperon...but they don't. I was trying to keep all of my group quiet, but we were having all together too much fun :) At first we were calm until I had the idea to act out the scenes in the pictures. All of a sudden the art came alive for them...and me :) We were trying not to laugh too hard but some of the pictures were so funny when we saw each other trying to recreate them. I also took pictures of some of the girls favorite paintings.

U2 IMAX SHOW

This was a really fun U2 concert that played at the IMAX theater last week. We went for DJ's first birthday bash....(haha) probably more for Dave and I. It was great because you could see better than any real concert. It's obviously different then being there and dancing with thousands of people, but a close second! When I took these pictures there was a man behind me that said,"You know, that is really annoying!" I said, "Yea, and so are you, you will be ok." What was so funny about that was that 5 minutes later the movie broke and we were sitting by each other in the light after he was so pig headed and rude. Awkward hehe. They gave us free tickets for waiting for them to fix it, and then another ticket each when they couldn't. We ended up with 16 free movie tickets. Definitely worth it. I thought I would have to drag Dave out of the theatre because he wanted to see it so bad. Oh well...we will have to go to another live concert to make up for it!

Boondocks

Jon took all of the kids to Boondocks a few weeks ago so I could have a day to catch up on sleep. What a sweet guy. I have been really tired and needed to rejuvenate!! It was pretty cold so Jon ended up buying them all a sweatshirt. They stayed for

about six hours! I think I slept the whole time.

The Sound of Music

Today was a fun musical day... That may sound weird, but it makes perfect sense to me. I grew up playing the violin, piano, and dancing every day. When I was young I grew tired of practicing like so many other children. Now I see it as a treat. It is so hard to fit everything in every day. Music is something that makes me happy and I have missed it being part of me. Ever since I started having kids my time and energy has been in raising them. I do think it is possible to spend time on the kids AND develop talents of my own, it just takes a lot of determination and causes a lot of frustration ;) Today I started out helping Brighton practice the violin. Mandy was hovering and let me know how much she would like to develop a talent in music. I asked her which instrument. She didn't really know so she started practicing everything. I gave her a lesson on the violin and the piano. I also let her know that the guitar is fun because you can take it everywhere and the kids can sing with you. I still don't think she has decided but it is fun to teach her. We went to the music store and bought some sheet music to practice. Overall I think we both want to be pro in a day and start our own band but the reality is that it takes time....bummer. Mandy and I are very good at setting a million goals, but then we have to find a way to implement them!

Playtime

Whitney

Brighton

Lizzie and Kinley

Kinley, Whitney, Ella, and Brighton

I found these pictures tonight when I was downloading all of Kinley's pictures. This was last week when the weather was starting to be spring-like. They went to Westridge Park and took their bikes. Come to think of it, the tires popped on two of the bikes and they left them there. I think they still may be there. :) Kinley has a camera that is very interesting to download because she has the most random pictures! It is fun to look at them. Most of them are filled with crazy pictures of their faces. I will have to make an entry of the craziest faces, but that will take me a while to compile :)

Sand Dunes

Today we went to the Sand Dunes with the girls. Lizzie our friend came, and we left Halle behind. We figured she would be more of a pain than fun. Jon put in a lot of work to get all of the four wheelers ready and loaded. When we first got there we went up onto the dunes. We had Mandy and Lizzie that were both beginners and our girls that are still getting used to all of the hills. We didn't make it very far before Jon and I realized that they weren't all ready for it. It was very windy today so the visibility stunk. We wanted to show the girls sand mountain so we went out and around the dunes. They couldn't believe their eyes. Sand mountain is pretty overwhelming when you see it for the first time. Especially when you go up it the first time! I used to go up all the time when I was dating Jon. Going up is very crazy exciting, but coming down scares me to death. You don't know if you will stop or not, and it is so steep that the back end comes around sometimes. I hadn't gone up for years until last fall. It was scary but fun. I didn't go up this time because it was so windy it was hard to see. Jon went up and scared all of the girls. I assured them that if anything was wrong he would turn around and come back down. They were squealing with excitement and fear. Over all we had a great time! I miss going to the sand dunes. I love four wheeling on sand with paddle tires. It feels like flying when you go up and down the sand hills. We weren't able to go very fast today....so I want to go back and do it again soon. I think I need to leave them every once in a while so we can fly like we used to. I wouldn't have traded today though because it was SO cute to see the girls all learn the gears etc. Ella even drove for a little bit. When the girls got stuck Kinley was really good at starting the wheelers back up and getting them going again, and by the end of the day Mandy and Lizzie were cruising right along!

Parent Teacher Conference

Recently I attended parent teacher conferences for my girls. It is always an interesting experience! All of my girls have such different personalities. Some of the things the teachers say about them are the same, and some are different.

One thing that they all have in common is their good attitude. Every teacher always says that the girls come into the class with a smile on their face. Another thing that is the same is that they all talk....well what do they expect with Jon and I as the parents?

Whitney has been working really hard on the Poi Balls for their class presentation. She is able to use four at a time. She constantly says she can't, as she is doing it. Kinley always helps with other kids in her class that need someone to talk to or that don't have a friend. Ella always has a smile on her face. She is trying to learn to read. She gets parts of it.. and is struggling with others. Sydney says she wants to learn about business and does well with whatever she tries. She does however struggle with accounting. I don't blame her!! Halle's school is at home still. She speaks spanish better than I do. She has learned from Maria things that I don't even know. I guess I will have to learn Spanish to communicate with her because she isn't speaking too much English!!

Without getting into too much detail about them online :) I wanted to share a funny story about Brighton. Brighton's teacher told me a story about Brighton that made me laugh. Her teacher was trying to teach the kids about segregation. She divided the kids in the class by dark eyes, and blue eyes. The two groups were not allowed to play together, eat together etc. Brighton didn't like this idea from the start. While other kids went along with the rule, Brighton did not. She approached the teacher and told her she was wrong, and it wasn't fair. Her teacher said that she could do what she wanted because she was the teacher and she was bigger than her. Brighton was so upset she stomped her foot and stuck her tongue at the teacher. She let the teacher know that she was going to go to the principle and have her fired!! This was a big deal for her because she loves her teacher. Even after her teacher explained what she was trying to teach, she was so upset by it that she came home and cried about it. I told her I was so proud that she would stand up for what she knew to be right even though it was hard and went against what she was being taught. The other kids were a little baffled to learn that it was OK to disagree with the teacher.

It's hard to teach them to respect authority and also stand up for what they believe. I hope to raise strong and happy girls.

Mack's Program

Mack had her class program at school last week. I was watching Lexus and it was dress day...so it was crazy getting all 6 girls ready and myself before 8:30 am. I finished everything buy Bug's hair and my hair. Bug was smiling huge and was cracking us up!! Mack did a great job and we all had fun. (Just ignore her hair :))

Happy St. Patties Day!

This morning I got all of the girls ready for St. Patties Day. This involved green eye shadow of course, so the girls were excited to show everyone. Lexus Lindahl is staying with us right now...if you are noticing a brunette that doesn't belong. Her parents are in Hawaii so she came to join the fun! She goes to the same school as my kids do so it is easy to add another.

She gives me the same funny looks and attitude that her parents do. Today I was at my warehouse with her and Halle. She saw my computer that has swimming fish for the screen saver. She asked if they were real. I said that they were...I couldn't help myself! She gave me this funny Melinda look, and then a Spencer look. I asked what was wrong as I tried to contain my laughter. She said, "ummm nothing..I like it". I had to push it even further and ask what the face was for. She said, " Well did you like take a video of your fish and put it on there?" I said yes and she said, "Well, it's just a little weird." I started laughing and told her that it was fake. She laughed with me. She adds just another fun personality to the group!

Bean

Bug snuggling up with her daddy.

Snowed In!

This picture needs little description, other than this is the snow we snowmobiled in this year! It didn't hurt the big cabin, but it crushed the deck on our little cabin! We will have to rebuild it in the spring. There is no way we could keep up with the snow removal there!

Alpine Fun!

This was a picture taken by our cabin in Alpine Wyoming. This snowmobile was so fast it almost shot me off the back! I didn't realize how fast I was going until Jon teased me... Snowmobiles have come so far over the years! Whenever I used to go off trail, I would have to lean with my whole body to now sink into the snow. Now they are so powerful all you have to do is hold on! This was a ride that Jon took me, Heather, Tiff, and his mom on. Patti jumped her snowmobile along with Jon and I. It was funny!

UV 50 Magazine

Robert and Patricia...We had to bring the parents to share the excitement!

Jon's suit is having problems but he is still cute.

I was obviously not ready for this picture...

Jon received an award last night for Utah Valley Business Q magazine! 


 They accepted applicants from all over Utah Valley. Ron Moore entered RBM into the competition. We were excited when he told us we made number 14 out of 50 they accepted for fastest growing business. This was a compliment ...especially after seeing they business names we were grouped with. Some I can remember are Brent Brown car dealership, Nu Skin, Magleby's construction, etc. They are businesses in all different arenas but all striving to build. It was fun to see especially in this economy.


 Everyone is so down all of the time about money in general. I love to see people educate themselves about the economy and how it relates to their particular business. I love even more seeing business owners forge ahead and staying positive. It is frustrating for everyone, but we can either roll over and die or make what we have work. Don't get me wrong...it is very stressful. Jon and I spend countless hours brainstorming our next best moves. We have made our fair share of mistakes but know this is the only way we get wins. To put ourselves out there and think outside the box. We are lucky enough to have pulled together a great team of people to help us produce what we envision. I am sure there will be bumps in the road ahead of us, but there are for everyone and I am excited about this win!

Noo Noo

This a picture of my cute Whitney. She loves her new coat and I had to get a picture of her in it! Whitney has been really cute with the kids lately. The other day I went hiking and called her on the way home. She had been watching the kids so I asked what she had been doing with them. She said that they had all put on their shorts and swimsuits and were playing outside because it was such a nice day. I was driving in my jeep at the time and looked at the dash to see the temp...It was 27 degrees! I said,"Whit! Just because the sun is out doesn't mean it is hot!" She was kind of taken back but agreed that she would have the kids change. It brought me back to when I was a kid and did the same thing. Us Utah people get so excited when the sun is out in the spring that everyone jumps into spring fever no matter the temperature :)

Potatoes Anyone?

I don't even know what to say about this picture other than this isn't the only time Bug has looked like this after a meal! She starts off with a bib on and hair done, but by the time she is finished she looks like she was taken out of a dumpster! This is also the reason Phylis our dog loves to sit under her while she eats.

Unwind

The other day Jon took the girls to the mall to give me some free time. He let them pick out one thing from Claires for a treat. Whitney and Brighton picked these cute/funny eye patches. I don't know what the real name of them is....but they love them. I had to snap a picture!

Happy Birthday Jon!

Today is Jon's 35Th birthday!

 He is such a great husband and father. For his birthday he wanted an aquarium....yea, I can't believe it either! Especially when I

 found out how much it was. 

 It all started with Brighton at Christmas time. She asked for a fresh water fish tank from Santa Clause. She got what she asked for and was thrilled! Jon took it upon himself to take care of the tank and fish. We knew this was the best decision because I am a fish murderer! There are very few breeds of plants and fish that make it though my care. This is probably why Jon is so worried about the welfare of our children! He will say things like, "Janae, make sure the kids don't play in the road and get hit by a car." All I say is, "Alright, since you asked I guess I will consider that." I also believe in capitol punishment for people as well as fish. When there is a fish that is eating other fish, I just flush them down the toilet. Some call me cruel, I think I am efficient.

 Anyway, Jon was visiting the fish store more and more. After a while I figured out that all of the excuses he was giving were because he was enjoying it as much or more than Brighton! Soon he made his way to the salt water fish store. The next thing I knew he had picked out a monster tank that hardly fits in my front room. It trumps the baby grand piano by far! For the past few weeks the tank has been prepared to put fish in. It takes a while for the ecosystem to be ready. It is finally ready for his actual birthday...and it is a good thing. He is so excited. Don't get me wrong, I love it too. The kids spend so much time staring at all of the creatures in it like the snails and little crabs. 

 We went to lunch today with friends and co-workers. They all bought him certificates for his tank. He is there right now with all of the kids.

For Jon's Birthday I wanted to write top 10 reasons I love Jon.

1. Most giving person I have ever met

2. Genuine...Jon is who he is

3. Hard worker...He works tirelessly to achieve his goals. He just won an award for 14Th fastest growing company in Utah Valley. This is how he shows love.

4. He supports me in every wild hair brain idea I have

5. He loves to play. Boating, Four wheeling, trips, cabin..he is up for it all

6. He accepts people for who they are

7. He NEVER stops working on himself. He is always trying to improve.

8. He is funny..he looks at things from an interesting perspective. I don't always agree but love to listen.

9. He is an entrepreneur. I love watching him build businesses and make them work. We brainstorm for hours together on problems.

10. He loves to make other people happy. I have to be careful to not let him hear what I want because he takes it upon himself to deliver. I actually think it is healthy to want things that I will never get, but he won't give up until he delivers.

Phylis our Dog

I took Phylis hiking a few times this week because she is putting on winter chub like everyone else! She loved it! She probably ran 3 times the length the rest of us hiked. She wore her new sweater from Christmas and felt perfectly pretty, I am sure.

(It is the first time I have ever dressed her up).

Phylis is such a great dog because she is low maintenance, which is just what the doctor ordered. I have enough kids to keep me busy, so Phylis just hangs out. She has never hurt a thing. She only barks to be let in, and obeys MOST of the time. There is an occasional missing meal on the dinner table or trash run when nobody is around, but for the most part we love our Brittany Spaniel. I knew I would love her when I talked Jon into getting a dog because I had the same kind of dog when I was little. His name was "Plunger"! You heard it, Plunger.

I remember like it was yesterday, the naming of the dog. We had just picked him up from the litter and we were driving home. We were all sitting in the back of the car with her because nobody used to wear seat belts in the old days! My dad asked what we should name him and my brother Dan piped up and and said, "PLUNGER!" I remember thinking he meant to say Cringer like on the ever popular "He-Man" at the time. Whether he did or did not, Plunger stuck.

You have got to be thinking how I came up with the name Phylis. It isn't a, shall we say common name! I have a friend named Jared that gives people crazy nicknames. (He along with Kent came up with my nickname Shmonae in the first place). He decided to call his wife Alicia "Phylis" and it always made me laugh. When we brought our dog home I knew I wanted to name her a human name. After much deliberation, I remembered Phylis and thought it was perfect.

Plunger and Phylis are very nice dogs. They were both super busy as puppies but so nice to little kids and that is just what we needed. I often wonder what Phylis thinks of me as she watches the every day life in our home. She has got to be laughing to herself, and sometimes really happy that she is the only *person* in the family that can walk out of a situation

and go sleep in her kennel at any time. What a life!