Fun at the river

Since the weather has finally been warm, we have been able to go to the river a couple of times. The kids love it!!

Rebekah was asleep in her car seat for a while, while we swam, and this is how we found her. She is such a happy baby!

splish splash!

this is one of my favorite pictures

and us being dorks...like always

Fun Pictures

Yesterday I asked Bailey if she could come and take some pictures of my girls. I think she did a great job, and I am excited to be able to print them up for Fathers Day..... Thanks Bay!!!

Bike Trailer mishaps...

The other day I had an Activity Days activity and so I left the 4 older kids with Randy and went on my way. When it was almost over, Randy decided to load the kids in the bike trailer and take them for a ride. They were riding by the church I was at, so they thought it would be fun to come visit me. A car was pulling out of the church, so last minute Randy decided to turn the other direction. That last minute decision was unfortunately the wrong decision. He was going to fast to turn, and the trailer flipped over. It threw Natalie off first, then Emma, then Briallen. Naomi was on the bike with Randy so she didn't get hurt. These photos don't even do justice to what their wounds looked like...

Emma got her knee all banged up with road rash, and all down her back and sides. Also her elbows had road rash. I didn't get a picture of her back because I didn't see it until later...
Briallen got dragged by the trailer. One whole fingernail got ripped off her finger, and another one half way. She also got some other fingers and her knuckles all torn up....

and her forehead....and her nose. It was swollen for a while....

Natalie was thrown underneath a parked vehicle. Her face got beat up, her knees and elbows, and sides.

She also got a big gash in the back of her head that we had to super glue back together. Thank heavens Randy did that, because I can't stomach those things...

I felt bad for my poor babies!!! It was a tough few days. But I also felt bad for their daddy. He was so sick about it. I am so glad that they were all okay. For a while there we thought Briallen had a concussion, and that Natalie would need stitches, but after I calmed down, and we prayed, we knew that everything was going to be okay.

A little change in my thinking...

Lately things around here have been MAJOR chaotic! I have grown to have a HUGE appreciation of Randy. I knew he helped me out around here some, but I didn't realize how much until now. He has been gone for 3 weeks now, and I think I might just go crazy!! The "little" things like him holding a kid or taking out the trash, or loading the dishwasher, etc. don't seem so little to me anymore. I thought I couldn't keep up with things before, and now I would be grateful just to be back to how it was. My house is utter chaos. And all of you who "never" get to see your husband, be grateful that you get to sleep with him!! :) I know I will when he gets back.
I love you babe, and I miss you so bad it hurts! I can't wait to see you again. I hope it is soon!!

My birthday

On my birthday, Randy left out of town for work. It was a crazy day, and nothing turned out the way it was planned, but the girls and I decided to have icecream sandwiches for our cake and ice cream. They all sang happy birthday to me, which was adorable! They made my day a good one! :)

Don't you just love how it's melting on one side? Looks yummy!
Emma took this picture of me. She usually is really good at getting everything in the picture, but this time she cut off the cake and the top of my head...hehe!

7 years!

Okay, all of my posts are "after-the-fact" lately, so I am sorry about that. On May 5th, it was Randy and I's 7th anniversary!! I can't believe it has already been that long. It has been an amazing, wonderful 7 years! I am married to my best friend; we have such a blast together. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful man. I love you, Randy! I look forward to a lifetime of crazy, funfilled years.

Happy Late Mothers Day!

I just wanted to take a moment and say happy mothers day to my two mothers. Carlene has been such a wonderful mother. She is always there for me, and helps me out all the time. I don't know what I would do without her!! Thanks for being so understanding, and rescuing me so often. I am blessed to be able to live so close to you! :) You are beautiful inside and out. Love you!!

And to my mother: I love you so much! I am so lucky to have such a great mom. You are such a good example to me. I hope I can be half the mom you have been. Thank you for always being there for me also, and helping me out. And for answering all of my wierd questions about motherhood. You are amazing, never forget it!! :)
This picture was taken on Rebekah's blessing day. Not all of us girls are here, but most of us are.

Such a beautiful mom! :)

And to all other mothers out there: There is not a better, more rewarding job out there! You are all wonderful and selfless. Motherhood takes patience and sacrafice, but the reward is incredible!! I love you all! :) HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!

Rebekah Bodel on her blessing day!!

On May 2nd, was Rebekah's blessing day, and Randy gave her an awesome blessing! Grandma Bodel was able to come up, which was so exciting. She was so happy to have a baby named after her. Grandma is such a wonderful person, and has accomplished so many great things in life. It is a pleasure to name our beautiful baby after her beautiful great Grandma!!! :)

Another picture day

I like experimenting with my camera, and who better than to experiment with, than my kids??

Another Dance Recital

Last week, Emma had another dance recital. She did so good again!! She has such good rhythm, and when the other girls would mess up, she stayed right on beat. I was so pleased with how she did. My nieces also performed, and they are all so talented. They have been dancing their whole lives. I hope my girls keep it up! :)

This is Sarah, the oldest niece:
Sarah again...

Emma looking so adorable up there on stage:

She pointed right in my direction, but I don't think she knew where we were sitting.

And this is Shelley. I got some pictures of Laura, but they all turned out blurry. I feel so bad.

Bumbo

We got this bumbo chair for Rebekah, and she loves it! She loves being able to sit up and watch everyone....

Look at those fat little legs!!!

Our little visitor

The other day, Randy went in the kitchen and found this little humming bird on our counter. He flew around our house for quite a while because he couldn't find his way out. The kids had a blast watching him!

I am thankful for moments like these....

In a wierd way, I am thankful for crazy moments like these. In the moment, I was bawling, crying, yelling, and saying "why me??!". But it's times like this that make everything else not seem so bad. Overflowing the tub, using all the soap, emptying drawers, eating in the living room, running outside constantly, and all the other everyday adventures seem so little after this:

For some reason, there are bad shadows at the top of this picture....

This is AFTER thier bath: (sorry about the nakedness)

Happy Birthday Naomi!!

Naomi wanted a pink horse:

And of course, she LOVES the make up that Aunt Bea gave her!!

She also wanted a chocolate cake with pink frosting. It didn't work out right, but she didn't care! That's what I love about kids.

Our little Naomi turned 4!! I can't believe how fast all of my girls are growing. Naomi loves pink. She is a happy little girl that loves to discover and make big messes. She can be my biggest helper! She likes to clean off the table and set it at meal time. She loves her sisters and her daddy very much!! She is a great little singer and dancer, and loves to draw and color. We love you, Naomi!! We are so blessed to have our beautiful little girl in our family!!