Devanie.com

AMAZING! Nathan and I had loads of fun putting Thanksgiving together for his family. we ended up with 28 people. My sister in laws sister in law didn’t have a place to go with her family so we had their family of 8 ovr as well. we made loads of cute treats, lots of snacks, goodie bags for the kids and just had a good time. found out Nathans youngest sister Kathy is pregnant. Due 2 weeks after his Brother Aarons wife. there will be a 4 year gap from the youngest stout kids so it will be nice to have those cousins together.

that night Suzie, JenniGolightly and I headed out to do some black Friday shopping Walmart started at 8PM we got there at 9:30. we shopped all night long and got home at 9:30 in the morning went to 4 walmarts, 1 kmart, Old Navy and 7-11 to grab hot cocoa and doughnuts. We had a blast. and we got EVERYTHING on our lists! (and then some of course)

That day Nathan and Joe took the kids to see a movie about old arcade games Wreck It ralph while suzie and I got 2 hours of sleep. then we had a great day fixing up the Christmas tree and cleaning the mess from Thanksgiving.

Saturday(today) Nathans 39th birthday. He says it’s going to be his last. because his health is not so good. But her better be kidding. Cause I need him. He’s AMAZING! the most wonderful man on the planet. For his birthday He got a Solo stove, a min camp stove he’s been wanting for a while, some socks, a belt and a broncos shirt. Then we wrapped all the kids presents it took most of the day but we went out to Wendys for lunch with the kids and had a jolly time there. Then we watched Brave with the kids, and Christmas with the Cranks to finish off the night.

The retired 92 year old WWII Veteran (Col.Jack L. Tueller)that was a fighter pilot and played the trumpet that saved his life in the war was at the Constitution Days Event I volunteered at the past 2 days. He and I sat down and chatted yesterday. he had so many inspirational stories from his life. I wanted to be with him all day. Someday I just might get to. He was wonderful He made my day by talking about how we are all connected how the universe is connected, how God works to keep us connected and how much light people omit when they are good and happy people. then he told me he just see halos around me. the light I was sharing was a good one. He was proud of me for taking the time to sit with him and talk. He was an amazing man you should sit down with him too! I got his business card cause he likes to tell his stories and be a good example to the youth in these hard times that don’t understand what it really means to be free and have patriotism. He truly was a light and an inspiration Thank you Kathy Wilson for inviting me to volunteer. the experience is one I won’t soon forget.

I don’t know why I feel it’s important to post my busiest days and rants on my real journal page but I do. maybe cause I don’t want them to be deleted so I can go back when the kids are all out of the house I can remember the good ole’ days.

While The Broncos are winning games against the Steelers 2012 1st game….I have 6 kids this weekend over nighters too, Had to juggle Soccer games for 2 and pick ups and drop offs, Sierras team won 1-0 =) got to teach the 5 year old Sunday school class, has a sick kid of my own, had my first Cub Scout meeting(I’m Official) had to bring kids to that, watched my sick kiddo gag on the smell of ppop and almost puke, had to run my YW to a fireside that parents were supposed to attend, but couldn’t. Changed poopy diapers, wiped runny noses, cleaned toilets & sinks Swept floor wiped tables multiple times, Grumpy kids, happy kids, had a movie party right after church, 3 neighbor boys showed up and one spilled a soda on the carpet, 3 bags of popcorn popped (will be cleaning kernels for weeks) swept, scrubbed floors, tried to get some Taebo in, made an awesome train track, gave 4 separate baths in the morning, made 3 meals and 2 snacks for all 7 of us,and…that one of them is wide awake now cause he fell asleep at 6PM and woke up at 9PM it’s gonna be a tough nit School in the morning and Picture day for Hailey. I considered making the zucchini bread Nathan wanted…but ran out of time. all while dieting, drinking lots of water all while running a Wellness challenge group of 28 members that just started Yesterday. . . .have I mentioned lately that I work too hard? (****insert Breath Here*****) and pretend that was all one sentence cause that’s how it felt. I’m hungry. way under my calorie goal and cannot eat after 8:30 so i just have to deal with it. … and not being able to go to bed with a child at my side.

It took me soooooo long to talk to Nathan who is out of town about how amazingly crazy my day was today and how it will be the same tomorrow. I couldn’t even stop to take a breath there was too much to say. I’ll have to try to write some of it in my journal. Sierra had her 5th grade program, She finished her Volcano, picked up some tomato plants form Sam-Tiffany Shapiro I took her timeline and gobstoppers in for her 1990s decade report had to shop at 2 stores to get gobstoppers, Zotz, Mentos, Diet Coke. Visited with Alice Stout ‘s mom for 1 1/2 hrs while the kids played since Aaron and Alice are in Hawaii. Aurora had and ear appointment, she cried and she’s usually so brave. We need to do a different drop now so went to fill the prescription bumped into Cassie DeJong at and event selling Norwex and chatted about joining ItWorks, stopped by McDonalds for Sundaes since the girls would be getting home from school when I got there. Got a call from flustered Sierra who dropped her big bag of gobstoppers and Zotz on her way to the bus and a bunch of 6th grade boys mugged her took a bunch of the Zotz and crushed a bunch into the ground while some helped her pick it up UGH!. Ran to the store to get more Zotz went home, Then cleaned up a little, got my jewelry shipment in, Zach made us all blueberry eggos for dinner =) while I helped Sierra make baggies of treats for the kids at her school for her Decade report, and swept the floor, unclogged a toilet, visited with Sue Giatras for a minute well maybe 5 minutes, Packed the kids in the car for the program. Went to the store for model magic clay since the air dry clay homemade animals just crumbled and wrecked 2 of the 3 Wombat-Caecilian creations my 7th grader needed to make for a science project that is now 2 days overdue due to the cruddy clay. kids stayed up late finishing baggies of candy and the wombat-amphibian snake. Tried selling my Fish tank with no luck because we want to put a piano in for the kids. Have a bunch of eBay auctions I need to put together to ship. Practiced Auroras Parts for her Preschool Graduation tomorrow. Ran 3 businesses successfully-well 4 with eBay, Got a Cookie Lee order and new shipment in and 2 Scentsy orders and a 3 possible preferred ItWorks! Customers on the phone today. Shared some Mormon Messages and some testimony I have of Jesus Christ and if you cannot breathe after reading this and really thinking about what each thing entales then my hands are clapping for you are a brave sole to even read this far into it. In the evening a neighbor offered me tons of fruit she got from a truck driving thru the neighborhood thank you Nicole White Moultrie I considered getting fresh produce at the store today but was too hurried, that saves me another trip. Now off to print shipping labels and package items for delivery. Then clean out the car since I will be the carpool lady with Alice’s mom to Preschool Graduation tomorrow. Never did pick up that prescription. Tried to video-record the whole 5th program with 2 busy little kids and 1 near teen trying to control the 2 little ones with my husband out of town. there is a great video of a 50s dance where the class was dancing and aurora was copying them in the front row. sooo cute. and when the veterans came up and walked around with flags and kids my eyes were waterfalls as I tried to video streams were coming down my face and I was shaking from emotion of all the soldiers that have and now work hard to protect our freedoms. it was a very moving demonstrations lots of ladies in the audience crying, not just me.

Importance of Journals.
I used to write daily. until I got married. Then I wrote about my kids on Devanie.com and on my trip to Europe every day was an amazing adventure I would FORGET all things without having it written down. I go back thru them and remember the exact day. Without them my brain would not remember itself. My Mother in law kept a journal of one of her vacations a trip to Jerusalem. As she was typing up her journal a few months later she realized they bout a very expensive ring that needed to be engraved. She had forgotten about it until she war typing the information up the info on the place, phone number and what was engraved on it was there. There ring would have never come and would have been forgotten without a journal. and that was a very expensive thing to lose track of. Journals brings back swarms of memories of the day it happened when you read about it years later. Journals are amazing. Our brain capacities doesn’t remember everything at the same time. It takes little things to conjure up those memories and a journal does just that. and Ancestors journals. we have some great family stories about the pilgrims in Utah and their journals. http://www.devanie.com/

Amazing Amazing trip so far. Nathan’s parents we are on our first week. Having a great time. Visiting with his parents. We rarely do that and now we get some good time with them. You’d think being 45 minutes away would be easy to always visit with his parents, but with kids and life it gets hectic. It’s been really nice talking with them. Listening to their stories, traveling with them. We have been to France and Belgium with them in the past 4 days it’s been a nice trip. The baguettes are delicious, the buildings and statues are amazing and very very big. The cobblestone roads are very cool, well at least until you tip your food on one one bonk you knee in front of a lot of Japanese tourists that gasp in horror and make it out to be a much bigger deal than it really is. which made it very funny. I got to go on a boat tour around Paris. And of course a visit to the Eiffel tower. Very big and built very strong.

Only 1 more day in France and the we are off to England.

It is very cool to see all the old buildings, learn about the history. And learn that there are 2 million people living in this city. The fist level of almost all the apartment buildings are shops and restaurants. It’s very cool. I want to go into every single one, but there isn’t time for all of them and I’d wear the boys out. I did buy a couple hats I’m excited to have.

The waffle in Belgium was the yummiest one I’ve ever had. Sweeter and softer than any American one. Mmmmm.

I do miss my kids and my parents. Wish I could get more time with them while they are at my house watching the kids for 3 weeks.

I’m looking forward to the rest of the trip and loving what I have been able to see so far…even the trip on the cobblestone path

We drove through the Normandy countryside lots of fields and cute red cottages.

We took the Chunnel under ground and water train from France to England.

Went London first Nathan and i hopped on a double decker bus and that was one of my first experiences with the English people driving on the opposite side of the road. we were in the top of the front and I thought we were turning left because we were in the left lane but we turned right. so crazy!. we were heading to where the movie sets of Harry Potter were created and made. the producers made a tourist exhibit out of it. It was very neat. We got 3 of the kids wizard wands and Aurora got a Hedwig the owl backpack.

We stayed in a very nice hotel overlooking Big Ben and Parliament right next to the London Eye ferris wheel. we took a day tour of London in a bus and made a few stops like, Notre Dame, Westminster Abbey, The London Eye and a boat trip on the Seine River.

After A couple Shows in the City we saw Wicked and Symphonic Rock. We went on a driving tour of England thru the Lake District and Up to Scotland. Along the way we stopped at Many Castles and national Trust houses where rich people kinds and queens and their families lived or vacationed.

Everywhere we went there were shops and Nathan and I got Fridge Magnets of the places at as many as we could.

The countryside was like a postcard everywhere you went lots of farmland many areas full of sheep or Canola/Yellow plants also called Rape fields. There were hedge walls between farms or stone walls all about 2-3 feet high.

In Scotland we stayed at Stuart Castle where Nathan and his family had stayed when they were younger. It was said to be haunted. It was so neat. We scared the daylights out of 4 ladies touring the Castle and trying to get into our tower room one night not knowing people were in it. =)

We drove around Lochness looked for the monster Nessie you could say we saw something, but it was probably just a sailboat.

We drove back thru England stopping at more awesome castles along the way.

Arrived home 3 weeks later. My Parents were troopers. Had some extra parenting to do, and had the house all cleaned up when we came home. Everything was great and the kids were happy to see us. we took my parents to The Golden Corral for dinner and they left the next day. My dad had a good time at the Genealogy library and taking the train into the city. while my mom slaved over meals, laundry, 4 kids, homework, attitudes, and more.

Glad to be home, but would do that trip over and over again =)

Some simple updates on the family. Nothing super entertaining.
Nathan had been having worse and worse stomach pains lately. Headaches
Ike usual but is on day 6 of one on the right front and side to the back of his head. He take at least 4 Advil a day just to get thru the day. Poor guy. I wish there was more I could do and that the doctors wouldn’t have pooed off his symptoms as fast as they did.

I have been taking care of kids, laundry, car registrations, homework getting done and trying to be a good mom and read more to the kids. Since we moved into the new house it’s been different with the kids in their own rooms far away from each other so reading to them is a little harder. But I’m trying.

Hailey has all As and Bs right now. Had she not missed 3 days of school it could have been better. It is very hard helping her stay on task get her homework turned in and remembering to do her schools work. It’s almost as though I have to do it for her and if I’m not micromanaging and Nathan is. She still seems to loose an assignment thru the cracks. I am hating jr high 7 classes 7 teachers with her. It’s too much work for us. It could just be that everything is Internet based and not everything is on now website. She started PE this term and seems to be one of the laziest in class. Always an excuse not to do the work so now she has 3 hrs of physical activity she has to do as homework….whaaaaattt? I have never have PE homework. Besides that she has to write papers for gym. She’s actually starting to gain a bunch of weight in her belly. She has a sweet tooth and keeps eating snacks. I’m going to have to tell her but I’m afraid show will take it to an extreme and go the other way. She is still super smart.

Sierra is having a birthday this month. She’s been doing well in school we were just working on a history assignment together. Show got to choose the topic in history and chose the history of Art I spent quite a while on it with here only to find out after she turned it in that there was a whole list of paperwork with how to do the assignment on it. I think she may have missed a lot of what she should do on it and she should have followed the rules a little more closely because this is a big project like a science fair it’s a history fair and it is judged…..it’s going to be a big week trying to make her posters and work on that project. She is addicted to an internet game called city of heroes.

Zach is getting better and better at reading. But there is a series of books his teacher is having him read that when read slowly is not fun to read. So she added another series he likes better. It makes more sense even whe read slowly. Zach has 1 volume lately.. His voice is set to loud and wee are having a hard time getting that calmed down a bit. He just gets so excited about things and his passion comes out in a loud voice. He’s starting to like Pokemon movies and getting into the computer game city of heroes with his sisters.

Aurora loves painting drawing and play dough. I have spent a lot of the last week sweeping play dough off the floor she sakes for play dough everyday. She’s loving preschool I am too she’s getting a lot out of it. Ee register for kindergarten tomorrow. She loves kangaroo zoo. A bouncy house and slide activity play place for kids. Lately she has been having a runny nose and 2 days in a row it was bloody. We turned up the humidifier in the house Zach also had a bloody nose but he was at school. I’m not sure what is going on. I’m not sure if aurora has allergies to something or why she is getting so stuffy all the time.

That’s just a little bit of what’s been going on around here. Nothing too exciting. Just life.

Zachs Peanut allergy…on a scale of 0-6 he is a 2. His first reaction was at 1 year old he got white hives and red skin where he was exposed. He is fine with almost everything(even in a plant that processes nuts) I have been spreading peanut butter on him every so often to test his reactions and he’s not coming up with many(if any). I think he is growing out of it a bit even though they said it’s not an allergy they can outgrow when he was 1 but we expose him to it and eat it around him to build up a tolerance. We don’t let him eat it knowing it’s a peanut product lice Reese’s or PB & J. If he ate it he would probably get an itchy mouth like I do with MANY foods. He’s eaten Chik Fil A nuggets cooked in peanut oil with the only adverse reaction that he doe not like them very much and prefers McDs. His case is very mild.

Sinusitis for me, Possible Anemia for Hailey – 2 nurses that have been taking blood for 15 years couldn’t get a drop out of her no matter how hard they tried thru arm, hand, sitting up, laying down, and a baby needle, they asked me to feed her and rehydrate her and bring her back. she is detesting and doesn’t want to go back and get prodded and she is losing more blood than she should be in her tiny frame. Aurora is immune ti Amoxacillin so we are moving up a notch trying to get her better. I have been in bed for 4-5 days. Zach’s nose won’t stop snotting, Nathan is feeling the same but can’t do anything about it. and Sierra is still drinking milk when she shouldn’t be because she is allergic and comes home with stomach aches. I just need to get to the store to pick up prescriptions and I can hardly pull my hear off the pillow to do it.

Nathan Traveled over 130 Days for work, Ran a huge convention for his company, went on a family Vacation to Utah Arches National Park, Moved the house without a moving service, got a fish tank for his birthday, works his butt off for the family. And takes good care of us!

Devanie got the old house rented out the market was too hard to sell in, suffered a kidney stone passing, volunteered at the kids school for the Halloween Party and dressed up as Mrs Clause, drove the kids to school 2-3 times a day for 3 months while we were waiting to occupy our new house 10 minutes from the old. Her dear Grandma Leavitt passed away this year and the family took a trip to her funeral. Her oldest niece got married and the family got to take a trip to Idaho to be there.

Hailey has had 2 Orchestra Concerts she is playing viola and has moved on to Jr High. She has read a lot of really big books and is learning responsibility at school with 7 classes, lots of homework from each and working on getting things turned in on time. this year is a learning year for all of us. She is in TSA Technology Student Association and loves it. working with robots, and technology. her Christmas gift was a Lego Mindstorm robot. that and a comfy chair to read books in. 2 of her favorite things. she is in Young Women’s now and enjoys the girls at church a lot.

Sierra is fitting in at school well, she is fun loving and very outgoing. She loves to get a crafty idea and expand on it. She loves to go shopping for whatever project items she needs and works hard to earn money to do her own stuff. She has been a great help around the house and a wonderful babysitter for us. she made it to her school spelling bee and was top 20 in the Bee itself. she did well. Her many many hours of reading books has been paying off.

Zach is reading at the top of his class. He loves Legos. Loved having mom do his Halloween Party, Likes to play Lego computer and XBox games. He has 1/2 day kindergarten so we still get to spend a lot of time with him. He is getting a little more adventurous with foods but will gaga and puke if he really doesn’t like it or the texture. kinda silly, but that’s just how he is. He got the biggest bedroom in the new house because his train tracks and Legos take up so much room when he is playing. it’s a great space for his little mind to go on great adventures.

Aurora Stays home with Mommy, we watch TV, play birdie, puppy, Ipad games, shop, cuddle, snack, and chill together a lot. she loves little animals and loves pretending to be an animal. She is very active and loves being on the move. Her favorite place to go is Kangaroo Zoo. her second fav is chuck e cheese. kangaroo Zoo has a lot of blow up inflatable bouncy houses and big slides. she loves racing thru adventure areas like that. She is still working on reading we have a program called head sprout we try to do 2-3 lessons a week on when things aren’t crazy. with the new house her own room, lots of busy stuff with Mom reading is coming along slowly, but then again she is only 4. she is learning a lot on mommys ipad.