Our Christmas...

We have had a great Christmas. Here's is a few of our happenings...

We told the kids we would have a smaller Christmas this year. It's the same thing we have been telling them for the last few years, only then we get carried away and before we know it Christmas isn't so small anymore. Unfortunately, this year we really meant it. I was afraid the kids might be disappointed, but they weren't, and we had a great day.

First we woke up and checked out our stockings...

Then instead of reading the Christmas story from the scriptures, we had the kids perform the nativity as Ken narrated. That was a lot of fun and will become a new tradition.After our at home Christmas pageant, we sat down to a nice breakfast, which is another Christmas tradition. By then it was about 10:00 am and we began to open gifts. This year we let the kids draw names to buy for each other. They were more excited about the gifts they were giving than the gifts they were getting. It was so fun to watch them both give and receive each others gifts. Tyler had Emma's name and after she opened Tyler's gift she exclaimed, "Oh Tyler, it's gorgeous, HUG ME!" We had a great time for the next hour opening presents...

Then we of course played with our new goodies. Which included a new sled for the kids...

These pictures were taken in our front yard...we also took the kids to the Junior High down the street to do a little sledding on a bigger hill. They had a blast!

Grandma Roberts here is a picture of the girls in the new sweaters you sent...

They love them! And I think McKenna looks like such a big girl.

Well I have to go feed a hungry baby now, but I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas! We sure have.

The Studious Student....

In the past year Ken's school has taken a back seat to life. But this semester we are a few credits closer to graduation! Ken passed! Here is a picture of my studious student.
This is Ken studying for his business law class. He's got his chocolate and pop (necessary study aids) so he is good to go. This is what he does each night about the last three weeks before finals. Yes, he crams a semesters worth of studying and tests into the last three weeks. I become a single mom for half of December. But, it's worth it. He passed! And did well! Thank you honey, for working so hard for our family. Good luck next semester, Happy Studying!

Happy Birthday, Michael!

My little brother turned 32 today.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIKE-E-SPIKEE! I thought I'd used one of your old nicknames just to help you feel a little bit younger today. See I am such a nice sister. Hope you have a great day!

My Christmas Treasures...

Last Saturday was our Wolfley family Christmas party. As siblings we drew names to see which family to buy for this year. I just wanted to take a moment to brag about how cool my siblings are. Craig and Julianna drew our families name this year and this is what we got...it's a package way too pretty to open, but we did anyway.

These are a few of the 8 pillow cases that my BROTHER made for our family, each one has our names on it. I love these, they remind me of being at home as a kid, my kids love them too. Instead of a pillow case for Daric, Craig made him a fleece blanket. Which he LOVES to snuggle in.I have mentioned before that although my brothers are not at all feminine, they are oozing with domesticity. (NOT dumb-a**-ticity, dome-esticity...Just clarifying...case my brother thought I was calling him a bad name.) This has at times gotten under my skin, because brothers should not be better homemakers than their sisters, but really I must say that I am proud. Especially if I continue to be the beneficiary of their talents.

Mike and Heather also got crafty and made the kids fun aprons this year. This again makes me think of Christmas's at home as a kid. These are made from towels. So smart! The kids love them!Uncle Mike and Aunt Heather also gave us a gingerbread house. It was a great reason for the kids to use their new aprons. Then there is my talented sister who made each of the scrapbooking sisters a super great tote to hold all our stuff. This is way cool, I'm even more excited now that I have it full. I can see my treasures.

My Dad and Loreen also got in on the action by giving us a framed picture of Christ and this microwave oven warming bag. I'm not sure how much my dad helped sew, but even he knows his way around a sewing machine. I have never seen a bag like this before, but it is cool. I took out some frozen rolls from my freezer and within seconds I had thawed, soft, warm delicious rolls. We had lots of fun and lots of food with lots of people. All of our immediate family but four were able to make it. Their was about 30 of us, 20 of those being children. Here are a few more pics...

Thanks for coming. We love you guys!

I Called In Sick...

Yesterday, like half of America, I had the stomach flu. It started out as a mild upset stomach then quickly progressed to....Oh, my heck, I'm going to die! As I lay in the recliner..dying...I tried to figure out how I was going to make it through my day without...dying..AND take care of my children at home. Then it came to me...it's worth a try I thought. I called Ken at work and called in sick! His employees do it all the time, why not give it a shot. I didn't come right out and beg for him to come home. I just told him I was sick and expected that he would read between the lines. I loathe rejection in the slightest form, so I couldn't put my self on the line like that, but my dear husband came to my rescue. I was able to crawl in bed and sleep a few hours while my...dying...body alternated between burning hot and icy chills. But hey, on the bright side thanks to my frequent trips to the bathroom I did lose 5 lbs. Was that more than you needed to know? Sorry!
Later that evening Ken had to go take a test at UVU, then he had YM's to go to. I was too weak and tired to get out of bed, so my six older children took care of themselves downstairs for 4 hours. Sydney used my cell phone to call me upstairs if she needed anything, (She got tired of coming up and down). They made themselves dinner, cold cereal, ego waffles, and apple juice. They really stepped up to the plate and did a great job watching out for each other. Ken got home around 9:00 and got the kids in bed. I stayed in bed for the rest of the night. This morning before Ken went to work he warned me that the house was a little messy. He said trust me I cleaned a bunch, but it's still messy. When I went down stairs I saw what happens when you leave six kids alone for 4 hours. Oh, well. There was no blood, or broken bones, and only very little screaming. It's all good!
I am thankful for my husband and children, because of them I expect to pull through. Good news, I'm not going to die!

Sydney's State Fair Project

This is Sydney's State Fair project, on Florida. Each of the kids in the 5th grade did research on a different state, then they displayed what they had learned. Sydney worked really hard on her report. I could tell she was really proud of herself. She received an A on her project. Mom and Dad are really proud of you to, Syd. Especially, that you are working really hard on not being so shy, you were able to speak up and share details about Florida as the children in your school came through the state fair. Good job, Syd!

Like Father...Like Son

Daric and Daddy enjoying a snooze together. It didn't take Daric long to figure out he wants to be just like his Dad.

Thanksgiving...

We had such a nice Thanksgiving. We didn't go anywhere. We just had a quiet, relaxing, fun weekend as a family. We stayed up late having movie nights with the kids, and slept in late in the mornings. It was great to have Ken home for four days. Friday night we went up to temple square to see the lights. It was cold, but the kids enjoyed themselves and it was beautiful. Here are a few pictures from our holiday...

This years bird was named Chestnut, but we all called him Chester. As a Thanksgiving tradition Ken tenderly massaged, and spoke kind words to our little bird friend before as Tyler calls it, we layed him in his "coffin". As you can see he turned out pretty well, he's not burnt, he's seasoned! Actually this was a really yummy bird, which has only happened twice in my entire bird baking career.

As we went around the table and expressed the things we are grateful for my heart swelled with the love I felt for those eight people sitting around me. My family! All mine as Todd would say. They are all mine. My children expressed their thanks for things like...our new baby brother, our new home, the gospel, our family, and Todd all by himself said he was grateful for Jesus Christ. We are so blessed!

Husband Tag

I saw this on a friends blog and thought it was cute!

What is your husband's name? Kenneth

How long have you been married? 11 years, 2 months, & 8 days

How long did you date? 3 long years

How old is he? Older than me ;) -he's 35

Who eats more sweets? We both have a sweet tooth, but Ken can down
more in one shot than I can.

Who said "I love you" first? To be honest I don't remember the golden moment. But knowing me I would not have said it first. I'm sure it was
Ken, that boy was smitten!

Who is taller? Ken

Who is a better singer? This is so a matter of opinion-let's just say we're even.

Who is smarter? Ken is way smarter at math and banking stuff. I am pretty smart with common sense stuff and odd things like car repairs. I did better in school, but we both have our own strengths and weaknesses. To sum it up...we are both dang smart. :)

Who does the laundry? I do most of the laundry, but Ken does separate and wash his own clothes. He also irons all his own clothes everyday. He has a fear that if he mixes his clothes with the rest of us he may not see things for months at a time. Sometimes that is true!

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? We just switched when Daric was born, so now I do. But, we change all the time according to the set up of our bedroom.

Does he snore? YES, sometimes. Not super bad, but when he's tired he can really saw some logs.

What does he do in his spare time? What's spare time? Just kidding-he plays with the kids, plays pool, watches movies, goes on dates with me, does yard work and projects around the house.

Who mows the lawn? We both do. I think Ken thinks that it is his job so if he is home he does it, but I like to sneak out and do it when he's not home. Only if I don't have to go get gas, I hate that part.

What is his favorite candy? Symphony bar

Who cooks dinner? ME! And Little Caesars!

Who drives? When we are together Ken does the driving, unless he is trying to scarf down lunch on his lunch break and I make him run errands with me, then I drive.

Who says they are wrong? Ken has spent many a years teaching me that it's okay to apologize first. He is much better still, but because of him I can admit that I'm wrong. He is a good example to me.

Who kissed who first? Ken waited a month of steady dating before HE kissed me. That adds up to a lot of awkward doorstep scenes. But, when he finally chose the big moment I slept through it. He kissed me while I was sleeping. Oops! Kiss number two was mutual.

Who asked who out first? Ken asked me out.

Who wears the pants? Oh, tough question. Ken would say that I do. I am strong willed and stubborn, so maybe I do, but I hope that when it comes down to the important issues in our lives we both stand with one leg in together, Ken leading the way.

I shouldn't laugh, but it was funny!

This is probably not funny to anyone else, but it was funny to me. A few days ago Sydney and Todd were doing something together when Todd got irritated and said to Sydney, "You're an idiot". Any casual observer would have no idea what we had just said, but everyone in my household has been blessed with the gift of tongues. I knew exactly what he said, but kept quiet hoping Sydney had not caught on to the insult. She had. She immediately said, "Todd, that is not a nice word. Mom, Todd just called me an idiot". "Yeah, I heard that", I said. I chuckled inside to myself and chose to ignore the name calling. Any other 4 year old probably would have received a lecture about speaking kindly. But for some reason the fact that he said it and the fact that she understood it just made me laugh. Later that day, Ken and Todd were playing together when Todd said to his dad, "You're an idiot". I thought for sure Ken wouldn't pick up on what he had just been called. I leaned over just enough to see Ken's face for a reaction, he had a huge grin on his face and said, "Nancy, he just called me an idiot". I know, I said. It seems to be his word choice of the day. I know I shouldn't laugh...promoting name calling is a bad bad mommy-but it was FUNNY!

Daric's first week...

As you know Daric was born 1 week ago today. We came home from the hospital on Wednesday. Thursday morning I took him back to the hospital to have his billyruben levels checked, they were high when we left the hospital. We got the report back saying they were a bit higher, and to bring him back in on Saturday morning to be tested again. I took him in on Saturday, his levels were still too high and now required the billyruben lights. This was another new experience for me. Here's our little guy all lit up with no place to go...

This was really hard for me. I had been enjoying snuggling and cuddling with him so much. I have barely put him down in five days, now I couldn't hold him, unless I was feeding or changing him. This was a long day and night. Sunday morning I took him back to the hospital for another test, then back home again under the lights. Around noon we heard from the nurse that his levels were now fine and we could take him out of the lights. Oh, thank heavens...my stress level just decreased dramatically.

He is now doing fine...actually he always seemed to be doing fine. He is so much fun to love and hold and snuggle. I am thankful I can now do that again anytime I want.

# Seven Has Arrived From Heaven

Our newest little bundle of LOVE arrived Monday, November 10th. WELCOME....

Daric Allen Roberts

8 lbs. 1 oz.
20 1/2 inches

3:34 p.m.

We are so glad to have him here. He really is a little piece of heaven. He is healthy and strong. He loved his warm, snug home so much we had to use the jaws of life (A.K.A-forcepts) to pry him out, but other than that all when well for mother and baby. We are so blessed!

Kaylie's Birthday

On Thursday Kaylie turned 9 years old!
Kaylie had an unusual birthday this year. She got to go on a date with mom on Tuesday night. Thursday Ken had to work really late and was not going to be home to celebrate, so he picked her up at school and brought her home for a lunch with mom and dad. That night she got to celebrate with her Aunt Tami and siblings. We decided to have a family party with mom and dad the next night. She was very patient waiting to open her presents. I was feeling really sick, and we ended up unwrapping gifts in my bedroom so that I could stay in bed. Then Ken and the kids went downstairs for cake and ice-cream. I was really afraid Kaylie may have felt shafted because dad had to work and mom got sick during her birthday, but she seemed really happy and grateful anyway. Maybe, because her birthday got to last longer this year. We love you Kaylie!

Thank Goodness It Was Only A Dream....

Last night around 3:00 a.m. I was lying in bed awake. Suddenly Ken popped his head up out of a dead sleep and says, "I just had a bad dream"....in the seconds that followed my mind went wild wondering what awful thing he could have dreamt about. Maybe it was about me having the baby, or one of the children being hurt, maybe a family member getting sick, or something else really tragic. I then asked him, What did you dream about? He slowly, dramatically raised up his hand as if he was holding a ball then said, "I broke my Q-ball". After thinking "Are you kidding me?" I said, "Oh, that's bad". Yeah, he said. With a little desperation in his voice he said, "It seemed so real". I asked if he needed to go downstairs to check and see if his Q-ball was okay. He decided that it was just a bad dream and went back to sleep. I am glad he could sleep after such a traumatic experience!

I have a date, and it's not with my husband!

Of course he IS invited...but my date is with Orem Community Hospital, on Monday, November 10th at 6:30 am. Ye-haw, next Monday I'll be having a baby! There is a light at the end of this 9 month tunnel.

I have a way cool friend!

On Saturday my dear friend Shelly through me a baby shower. She is so awesome and it was so much fun. Some of my favorite things in the whole world are to hangout with my girl friends, playing games, chatting, and eating yummy food. That is exactly what we did. I loved it. Shelly you went above and beyond. You are wonderful friend. And thank you for all your help with my little rug rats. You are the best!

Ken hung this banner from the garage during the shower.

Everyone in my neighborhood thought we were making the big announcement. Sunday morning when we didn't answer the phone our R.S. President started calling the hospitals to see where I was. She was much surprised when I showed up to sacrament meeting with baby still inside. I told everyone we were just practicing to see if they were paying attention. They passed the test.

Thanks everyone who came, and thanks for all the great baby goodies!

Halloween Costumes

This year I didn't have a whole lot of energy to put into Halloween costumes. Okay, let's face it, I never do. Halloween is a fun holiday, but I hate spending money to dress-up for the night and beg for candy. So we usually go to the dress-up box and figure something out. This year most of the kids have grown out of the Halloween box stuff, but I did score a few things at garage sales. Here are the kiddies...Sydney was a cowgirl, Kaylie was a monkey, Tyler was a gladiator, Emma was a candy corn, Todd was a doctor, and McKenna was a little black cat.

I tried to get McKenna to be a little old lady, but it only lasted about 15 seconds. Maybe next year!

On Halloween we went to the mall to do some trick-or-treating. Then we headed home to an open house at our neighbors house, we roasted hot dogs, ate yummy chili and clam chowder, visited with our new neighbors and had a great time. Then we met up with some friends from our old neighborhood and trick-or-treated through our new neighborhood until some of the kids were begging to call it a night. We got loaded with candy. I personally have had a sugar hang-over for days.

Pumpkin Carving Extravaganza!

Monday night for FHE we carved our pumpkins. We had a great time. Here's the proof.....

Ken and I also carved our pumpkins after the kids went to bed. I forgot to take pictures, but they were pretty cool. Mine said, "The Roberts" and Ken's was a scarey face. Lots of fun!