Our camping trip!

The kids were so excited to go camping this year, they had so much fun the previous year. We were lucky to have daddy come for the whole trip this year. He worked so hard to get the vending route done so he could have a long weekend. The kids were so good on the way up. Emma and Bryant rode with Grandma and Grandpa Baker, so we just had the three younger girls in the car. The drive took longer than normal because of some heavy rain, car trouble, and bathroom breaks but we did make it to Los Burros campground eventually.

Alyssa in her booster seat on our car trip to the campground. After arriving we proceeded to set up camp while putting up the posts for the awning my dad cut his head open with a post pounder. He and my mom ended up driving to Show Low to get his head fixed and examined. While they were gone, the rest of us figured that they would be gone for quite a few hours and wanted to get camp set up before it started getting dark. We set up the other tents and proceeded to start setting up my mom and dad's tent, it didn't have any instructions and it took a lot of debating how the poles went together and where they went. Finally after an hour we figured it out. We tried several different things and it ended up taking about five of us to put it up.


Shortly after, my dad got back from the hospital with his cut glued together and no head damage reported from a cat scan. He was surprised that we figured the troublesome tent out on our own.

Dad with his hospital paperwork and bloody work gloves (just like O.J. Simpson's). Kaelyn love being outside on the campout, she would just sit in her bumbo seat, our walker, and even play on a blanket. She did so well, I think she enjoyed the change of scenery, and the fresh cool air.

All of the cousins had a great time together, Kaiden, Bryant and Alyssa helped to roll a huge log to the fire pit so we could roast marshmellows at night. Of course we got quite a few pictures of the kids together playing, they could be as loud as they wanted and run around too, and no one cared it was so nice. Just wish I had that much energy.

One of the kids favorite activities was for the kids to ride their big wheels down Wayne's trailer ramp, they would do it over and over again. The hardest parts were waiting their turn, and watching out for Raegan and Sara who wanted walk up and down the ramp. Bryant loved riding his hot wheels bike that he claimed was the fastest bike in the world, just because it was a hot wheels bike.

On Friday around lunch time Paula and Evan came to the campground right in the middle of a huge rain and hail storm. The rain was coming down hard and after a while it started to hail. It was freezing and we all just sat under the tarps and hoped our bedding was still dry, and that the storm would pass. Aunt Paula and Uncle Evan helped to keep the kids warm and love the extra cuddle time before the kids jumped down and ran around again. Thankfully the rain past , and we were able to let the kids run around and blow bubbles in the grass and not get too wet and muddy. Also we were blessed that our bedding was still dry, and that we didn't have too much of a mess on our hands.

One of our biggest problems at the campground was the enormous amout of flies. A group had been there a few days before with horses and instead of cleaning up after them they left the mess for the flies to enjoy. We asked Paula and Evan to bring some fly paper or something to take care of the flies and mentioned how the problem was caused. Amid some confusion they thought we had horses that were attracting flies. They bought some fly repellent for the horses and when they arrived they were wondering where the horses were. It was so funny!

Where are the horses? We don't see they anywhere?

That night we made smores, yummy that is one of my favorite parts of camping. I enjoyed a few glorified smores (roasted marshmellows, graham crackers and chocolate and a peanut butter cup inside) so delicious. The kids had fun roasting the marshmellows and Alyssa enjoyed just the chocolate bars. Dad had us take a picture of him enjoying a smore so that he could debut in one of his own family movies.

During the day we worked on baby shower invites with Karen, coloring stuff, scrapbooking, and went hiking. Of course we played a few board games and horse shoes as well.

We also enjoyed a ton of yummy breakfasts and dinners. And of course a ton of cookies, brownies and junk food.

One of everyones favorite activities was to watch Doug shoot off his rockets that he brought. We did several launches both days. Sadly we lost the best rocket which was claimed by a tall pine tree. My dad even made a rocking rocket video the kids all loved it.

Emma waiting for the countdown to launch.

Doug, Preparing the launch pad.

Once the campout was over we were all looking forward to going home and getting a shower. The only bad part was leaving all that nice cool air behind. Our whole family can't wait to go camping next year!

Pictureless Post

I don't know exactly what to blog about. And I don't know how long I will be able to type considering my five year old son is throwing a fit and it is almost time to start dinner but I guess I will just type until it is time to log out. I guess I am just feeling very grateful for all of the blessings in my life, (despite the fighting in the background). I am grateful most of all for my Heavenly Father and Savior who have stuck by me no matter what has happened in my life. I am thankful for my husband, who loves me and our kids, and that I am blessed to have him by my side each day. I have seen and heard of others who are not as lucky especially with some horrible tragedies that have happened to my friends and family lately and they have really caused me to be even more grateful for the companion that Doug is in my life. I am grateful for the blessing and trials that motherhood is. I love each one of my kids so much and enjoy seeing each one of them grow on a daily basis. I feel so blessed to be able to stay home with them and watch each and every thing they do. Just to watch them discover something new, sing a song, or read them a story is priceless. I love to be able to share the gospel with each of them, and hope that they will be able to feel it's light in their lives as I have in mine. I am grateful for a home to live in, food to eat and electricity as well as running water. These things may seem basic to some, but yet I am still thankful for them. They truly make life so much more comfortable and give us time to do more important things with our families. I am grateful for my dad and mom, and my three sisters who bring me so much support and strength each day. For the service they render and the kind words and love they share. I am grateful for my testimony, and the temple and the strength and power they give me. I guess writing this post was more so just for me to let out some emotion. This probably should have gone into my journal verses our family blog but my heart is so full and at peace I just wanted to share it with others and remember it as I look back. Hopefully it will not bore you all to tears. Hopefully I will be able to strive each day to find something new and unexpected to be grateful for, and continue to find the little things.

Joyful July, well for the most part!

There were a few unjoyful things that happened in July like our cars kept breaking down and our air conditioner went out but at least we had a place to stay. My mom and dad were so helpful in letting us stay at there place until we solved the problem, and of course my loving dad helped us out with our cars. One of the many fun things we did while we were at their place was have a costume parade. Paula had bought a ton of cute costumes online after halloween last year and the kids decided to try them all on and parade around. They had a blast. So here are the pictures, some of they are really cute!

Bryant the turtle, he is getting way to old to do things like this but you have to admit he makes a good turtle!

Sara and her lion costume. Love the face of I can't believe you are making me do this. Believe it or not she brought me the costumes on her own people.

Kaelyn the chicken, she looks like she is either going to lay an egg or fly away!

Kaelyn and Grandpa, maybe we will have her be a pumpkin for halloween she is soooo adorable!Uh oh! Kaelyn has been eaten by a shark, she was definately a little small for this animal costume but we thought we would try it anyways.

Alyssa as an Elephant, she wanted to be realistic and get on all fours for the picture, good thing she is a kid and can do that so easily.

Another one of the great joyful things that happened in July was that my mom, and sisters Karen and Emily and I were lucky enough to go to ASU Gammage and see WICKED! I was excited about this because I love the arts and haven't been able to go to a musical or performance for a long time. I had been told some of the plot of the musical and heard some of the music before but did not expect it to be so wonderful. My dad dropped us off so we didnt' have to worry about parking and we really enjoyed the show. Thanks mom and dad! It was a great evening, now I need the soundtrack!








In the middle of July we were lucky enough to have a couple of the Wilhelm cousins come and stay with us for a few days. It was so nice because they were a big help with all the kids, we did a few fun activities, and they all played together so nicely. One of the days they were here was Family Home Evening night and so everyone got to help make the treat. We tried a new recipie which turned out yummy! I was a brownie recipie with mini m&m's in it and then coconut frosting like on german chocolate cake topped with more mini m&m's. Oh, it was divine!

Everyone got a turn to add a few ingredients and to mix it, the process seemed to take forever but the kids loved helping out with the cooking.

All of the kids with the finished product. I should have taken just a picture of the dessert, but then everyone would want some, including myself. We had a great lesson about prayer and of course enjoyed our treats!

After dinner we decided to start Kaelyn on Oatmeal, She had been looking at our dinner plates with longing eyes for a few weeks now. I as the mother was just being lazy, and wanted to wait as long as possible to add one more thing to do in my busy schedule.
We had quite a crew there for the rite of passage to human food, other than breast milk. Lori, Bryant, Alyssa, Sara, Emma and Tara were all there to cheer Kaelyn on as she ate "baby food because she was a baby" as Tara would say!

She was a little hesitant to open her mouth at first, and seemed a little concerned about the whole process. Probably because every person was watching her and talking to her at the same time. Oh such are the woes of being the fifth child and having two cousins, and two parents present.

Kaelyn's messy oatmeal face after enjoying her first taste of solids. Doesn't she just look so proud of herself!

Of course we had to go swimming while our cousins were here in Uncle Wayne's pool. As
usual we all had a great time and the kids got all nice and worn out. As the summer has worn on all of my kids have gotten more comfortable with the water, especially Sara and Alyssa who both swim with floaties on now. Sara still likes to be held but she is doing great for only being two.

Sara having a relaxing time on the raft. Ahh, to just float around in the water and not have to watch five kids while swimming. Sounds great to me, well is will happen someday.

Lori, Emma and Tara, the three fish that swam all over the pool, jumped in off the diving board and had races across the pool.

My brave little Alyssa fish even jumped off the diving board a few times.
Wow talk about no fear!

Sweet Kaelyn! What a small baby on a huge raft, she was so adorable just chillin' and blowing bubbles with her constant waterfall of drool.

We feel so lucky to be able to spend so much time in the water. Thanks Uncle Wayne and Aunt Maren!

Why I Love My Babies!!!!

As I have watched my babies grow and change I always think to myself, I really need to write down what makes me cherish this first year so much so here it is. Hopefully it isn't too personal, if anything this post is for me in the future when that sad day comes when my kids are no longer babies.

Why I love my babies . . .

* The way they play with their feet, and eventually have to stick them in their mouth like everything else.

*Their sweet breath, especially nursing babies.
*The sound of them gulping as they are eating.
*When they grab onto your shirt when they are falling asleep.
*Their sweet little newborn feet, all wrinkled up and soft. Ahhh!!!

*Getting them to sleep and cuddling with them. I love trying to stay awake with a sleeping baby on me, it is next to impossible.

*Baby dreams- when they smile in their sleep, probably because of angels well I think so.

*Milk dribbles down their little or not so little chin, have yet to capture that one on film. So sweet!

*The way they loose their hair, and get that bald spot on the back of their head as they get bigger. Just like when we get old. Hmm vicious cycle I would say.

*Their laughs and squeals

*Their loud pooping noises, yeah I know that is weird but it's okay for babies right?

*Their panting when they are waiting to eat, and wanting it right then.
*The way they hold onto your finger with a death grip and never want to let go.

*Watching them grow, learn, and discover something new about life.
*The way they go cross eyed especially as newborns trying to focus on the world around them.

*Having them stiffen their body when they are so excited about something. A noise, toy, person, whatever.

*The way they cry "un-gee" when they want to eat. Well my babies do this I am not sure if all do.
*The way they suck their fingers and drool.

*What more can I say except that they are hard to care fore but they sure do make it worthwhile. I love my babies each and everyone.

4th of July

I love holidays because it gives me an excuse to go to a party with my family or friends. For this July 4th we went to my parents house for a huge Baker Family 4th of July Celebration. We had a lot of fun eating dinner together, swimming busting open a pinata, and just plain old visiting. My kids really enjoyed the swimming part the best. I love this picture of Bryant, he looks so comfortable in the water when in reality he just always stays on the steps and plays. Hopefully he will get over his water fear soon, and be brave enough to swim away from the step. He did great at swimming lessons this year, and after one more year I think we will have another fish on our hands.

Alyssa really has turned into a fish this summer. She went from screaming everyday at swimming lessons to not wanting to sit in her tube at all. We recently tried putting floaties on her and she really liked to independence it brought in the water. Next summer we might have three fish, uh oh!

Aunt Paula was kind enough to take care of Kaelyn while the rest of our family was in the water. To Kaelyn's disappointment I had forgotten a swim diaper for her. She was really jealous of all of us in the water, especially since she had started to learn how to splash and get all excited while swimming. Whoever holds her in the water will no longer have a dry head at the end of swim time. Maybe next year we will be able to get Paula and Evan in the water. Come on guys it's just family. We love you no matter what, just kidding what ever you want is fine.

After swimming we had hamburgers and a ton of yummy sides. Emily and I made sugar cookies, a ton which I ended up eating a lot of the leftovers. So glad I didn't take pictures of them, cause then I would want one right now. After our delicious meal and a lot of fun visiting the kids had the chance to break open a pinata. After each kid got the chance I mentioned that I wanted a turn, and ended up breaking it. Of course I did have a bit of an advantage being a full grown adult and all but it was still fun.


Sara, along with all of our other kids candy eating age and older enjoyed ever piece of their candy. Of course, why would candy ever go to waste with five kids and two adults in the house. Our fourth cutie, Sara always enjoys sweets the most. I think she ate every piece out of her bag by the next day. My theory is always get it gone so they can't have anymore, as long as they haven't collected too much.

Overall it was a memorable 4th. We even got to watch a few fireworks in the backyard that were being shot off in Chandler. I love America and am so glad that we were able to celebrate with so many of our family members.

Our June Mystery Dinner!

Each year my friend Mandi Tollison and I plan a murder mystery dinner. We have planned several different themes including a Luau, Chinese, Chicago Gangster, Old English, High School, and a Paris France Train Murder. This year for our 7th year we decided to plan a Hollywood Themed murder, with screen writers, directors, actors, and actresses. My brother in law Evan would have been perfect for one of the parts especialy the screen writer but Paula and him had already come to our Luau and High School dinners. We decided to invite a few new people instead.


Mandi and I always plan on having so much food. We have a different course between each round of the game. We usually start one round, and then have an appetizer. This year we had cheese fondue, it was yummy. Then we play another round and have the main course, by this time everyone really is getting into the game, and being their characters. We also are already trying to speculate who the murderer is. This year we had chicken cordon bleu, strawberry salad, and twice baked potatoes. Then we finish the game and have dessert. We had a ton of yummy desserts this year, everything from cheesecake bites, to eclairs, chocolate dipped strawberries and cream puffs. Wow, now I am hungry! Below I posted our guests and their real names as well as their character names.

Wendi (Ivonde Be Ahlone) Doug (Seldon U. Loyde)

Jason (Hackford Ryder) Mandi (Denise N. Dayer)

Craig (Savoy R. Faye) Daisy (Heidi Voltaje)

Ambre (Tatyana Eltale) Ryan (Stuart Dyron)

We all had a lot of fun, visiting and playing the game, the night was a success and we will definately be planning another murder mystery for next year. Yes, and I will not tell you who the murderer was in case you want to borrow the game and play too!

Remembering May

May Update

I feel like I should go backwards a little bit and talk about what happened in our home in the month of May, if anything just for posterity. It was the last month of school, and so the craziness began at the beginning of the month with class programs, and parties. Emma gave her animal report where Emily went instead of mom because she was more exciting. She chose the animal of Tiger Shark, and found out some really great information on it that a lot of us did not know about. According to Emily she did a great job, unfortunately we don't have any pictures from this event.

Also in the month of May we had Emma's Piano Recital. It is so wonderful that my mom is teaching Emma piano, we will always be greatful for that, considering how much piano lessons cost and all. I tried teaching her myself but it was just too hard with the whole mom daughter relationship thing. Emma played the song "I'm Late" from Alice and Wonderland. She did awesome, and luckily she is blessed with her dad's talent of memorization and had no trouble memorizing the entire piece in no time.

In May our garden began producing a lot of different things, we were lucky enough to get some tomatoes before the plants got some kind of disease, zucchinni, and summer squash, eggplant, okra, peppers, jalepeno peppers, carrots which the kids loved, and beautiful sunflowers. All of our neighbors loved driving into the neighborhood and seeing the sunflowers over the fence because they were so tall. We only have a photo of the sunflowers after they wilted and started producing seeds which a few parakeets enjoyed. If was kind of weird to see tame birds out in the wild.

Unfortunately we did have something really sad happen in May, on our anniversary we got the news that Doug's Grandma Nina passed away, she had been battling breast cancer. She was such a positive, loving and caring women, we were upset, but knew that she went to a better place with no pain, and is with Grandpa Ernie now. We were able to attend the funeral in Mesa and then drive up to Lakeside for the burial services. We stayed with my sister Karen for a night in Eagar before driving to Lakeside Cemetary. Below is the first pictures we have of our family of seven. Wow what a big number, but we love it!

Some of the few things that I will always remember about grandma Nina are how she always called the little kids Dolly, how uplifting and happy she was no matter how bad things were, and her service and love for all of us. We will really miss her. Whenever any of the grandkids would come and visit she would have them go and get a cookie out of the bread box in the kitchen. So at the funeral they put cookies in her bread box out in the foyer. Bryant loved that, and kept wanting to go get more cookies from the bread box.

While we were in Lakeside most of the cousins, and aunts and uncles were there. Emma just loves spending time with all of them and is sad to part when it is time to go. Here is a picture of her with her cousins Tara and Lori.

After the burial service Karen and Rand drove to Lakeside and we went to the McDonalds in Showlow. The kids had a great time burning off some energy before it was time for the long drive home.

A few funny things that happened in May were that Alyssa discovered that my little ponies can stick to the corners of the room, because of there magnets.



We discovered Sara loved wearing Bryant's pants, and made us all laugh by putting them on and off.



Emma and I bought a giant chocolate egg for 90% off at Hobby Lobby and all of us enjoyed it together. It was so funny because it was almost as big as their heads.

Lastly, our sweet Kaelyn discovered how to play with her feet. Which I love!!!

The best thing that happened in May was that Doug and I celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary. My mom and dad took the kids for Friday night all except the baby of course and we partied! We had a lot of fun going to dinner, playing games, shopping and scrabooking. Yes my sweet husband wanted to do something tha meant a lot to me so he sacrificed and made a scrapbook page. It was a great weekend of time spent together, and remembering the past 10 years. Here's a look back with a photo from our wedding.