Makely Mania

Malachi's book

2011-05-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

So excited The Earth's Elements is just days away from being on the Market. Malachi has written a 263 page adventure novel. It is full of excitement, adventure and action. It took him only four months of writing and is incredible for an author his age. You have to check it out!! We were so excited to get together with two brilliant artists to create the cover. Here is a sneak peak of what the book will look like.

Be sure to check out his blog at jasonmcclainseries.blogspot.com Take a poll, read the book summary, and enjoy a snip of the chapters. E-mail him if you would like to order a copy. Retail price only $15.99 malachimakely@yahoo.com

Makely Garden Part 1

2010-03-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

We love the spring. Not only is it baseball season but it is time to grow our garden. A few weeks ago in Sacrament meeting at church I was reminded of the timely counsel of President Kimball he repeatedly emphasised to grow our own gardens. "Get together with others and seek permission to use a vacant lot for a garden, or rent a plot of ground and grow your gardens."

So we set out to grow our garden again. Each family member will be given a row to till, plant and sow.

After working the soil we took a trip to Home Depot to pick out our plants. Each person will be incharge of growing two types of plants here is what we chose.

Faith- Sunflowers and Cucumbers

Malachi- Jalapeno Peppers and Artichokes

Hope- Carrots and Cucumbers

Ephraim- Sunflowers and Carrots

Gideon- Carrots and Stripey Tomatoes

Samuel- Onions and Chives

Mom- Cherry Tomatoes

Dad- Big Beef Tomatoes

Some of these veggies we have never grown before. I guess we'll see if they work.

Along with the garden we are also growing 4 kinds of grapes, Nectarines, Apricots, Plums, Apples, and Lemons.

We are excited about our garden and hope the birds stay away!!

2010-01-06T21:39:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2010-01-06T21:31:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox invite

Holiday Re-cap

2010-01-06T18:44:00.000-08:00

I thought I was totally prepared for the holidays. Isn't it funny how they still seemed to catch one by surprise? Here is a re-cap of what took place here at the Makely's.

We had a nice Thanksgiving with the Makely family. We were happy to see some of the cousins from out of town. I was happy to have my annual crafty gift done in time to pass out at dinner. I made a fun Christmas Count down. For the 12 days of Christmas our family turned over one square each day and did what the calendar said to do. Some of the things that we had to do were: Share a Christmas movie, drink hot cocoa with marshmallows, give to the homeless, and so forth. I think doing the count down helped us focus on the real spirit of the holidays.

All my shopping was finished on Black Friday. Christmas cards were printed and ready to go by the 1st. Thanks to my mom helping me get them printed. I think next year I will skip the whole "homemade" look and go with the store bought cards everyone else does! "Homemade" somehow always turns out to be a little more than what I bargain for!

It just isn't the holidays with out the Annual Winter concert. We enjoyed Malachi's Christmas concert on his clarinet. I am amazed at how well he is playing already.

Seven Christmas Parties, One really big successful Bishop's Open House, Christmas Eve pageant and we finally made it to Christmas!

Faith had a very Juicy Christmas, Malachi had everything Harry. Hope really wanted a violin and Santa came through. We are excited to see her talent blossom. Ephraim and Gideon have new RC cars that make walking in our house a little tricky. Samuel was happy playing with what ever was left on the ground. He was awfully proud of himself when he learned to open chocolates that had been emptied from sibling stockings. Our family was thrilled when Santa left a new Wii for us under the tree. We have really enjoyed playing games together.

Christmas was all we had ever dreamed. Everyone got what they wished for and a whole lot more. Mom and Dad can't wait till all the batteries die and our home becomes quiet again!

Basketball Training

2009-10-21T09:39:00.001-07:00

So, our boy has finally decided to walk. We contribute his success to the........BASKETBALL!! I know our sporty friends will be thrilled! He spots a ball and picks it up, walks one to three steps and throws it. Occasonally he dribbles it a few times before the toss! It is cute to see him try to walk with such a large ball!

H1N1= 7 sick

2009-10-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

Boy, what an adventure we've had with the H1N1, Swine flu. About 13 days ago Gideon, Samuel and I took a trip to the Doctors office to get Samuel's well baby check up. Saturday night Samuel began to get really fussy. I thought that it was a reaction to the shots he had gotten the day before. All night Saturday Gideon, Samuel, and I were up. We were sick!! Thankfully Sunday was General Conference and we were able to stay in our jammies all morning and just be home. The next few days brought on the most terrible sickness I have ever had. The symptoms included fever of 101-103.7, runny nose, extremely stuff nose, stabbing painful headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, dizziness, hot and cold sweats. The fever would last for 3-5 days and the symptoms would change each day. The vaporizer blew 24/7 for the last 12 days. I called the Pediatrician and they said we had the H1N1 and that they didn't want us to come in. My doctor also confirmed that I had it and that I should stay home. After what feels like months Malachi, Hope and Ephraim returned to school. Faith will be going tomorrow, she was the last to get it. Thankfully Richard managed to steer clear of the flu. Someone had to be well to help administer all the medicine!! I thought it would be funny to list all the things it took to make us well again. Here it is.....

3-calls to the Doctor

1- office visit

1- vaporizer going 24/7/12 days (wish we had two)

4-days of soup and chili

15- phone calls from concerned friends and family

2- boxes of Kleenex

10- rolls of TP

30 - Motrin pills

1- bottle children's Tylenol

1 box chewable Tylenol for the teenager who won't swallow pills

12- sudafed pills

1- bottle of much needed Vick's vapor rub

4 pk. saltine crackers

128 oz. Gatorade

25- Popsicles

2- thermometers

1- bottle Febreze spray (to kill the germs on the pillows!)

1- bottle Lysol spray (I've never cleaned so much!)

15- loads of laundry ( just towels, sheets and blankets)

200+ movies

15- hours of video games

1- entire season of a TV show

25- hours of pointless web surfing

400- pages of Harry Potter

125- pages of Junie B. Jones

16- baths (mostly Gideon who loves to soak)

5- trips to the store

1- Pack N Play

42- Prayers for Help

16- lost hours of sleep from midnight to 5 am

Cost for a Healthy Family: Priceless

Happy Third Birthday Gideon

2009-09-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

Poor Gideon, We were gone on his birthday. Thanks to Aunt Cindy she called the cousins and had a little party for him at McDonalds. When we got home we made a birthday cake and bought some presents for Gideon. He is such a sweet little guy. He got some new legos, clothes, and some imaginex Alien guys.

Happy Bitrthday Gideon, WE LOVE YOU!

Happy First Birthday Samuel!

2009-08-19T08:33:00.000-07:00

Well it has been an entire year since Samuel has joined our family. We have truly been blessed to have him in our home. He is such a sweet,easy baby. We had a nice time celebrating his birthday. We invited some family over for a nice turkey dinner and had some cake and ice cream.

He was a little afraid to get frosting on his fingers at first but, soon he got the hang of it and began finger painting his tummy.

Samuel got a new big ball, some fisher price farm toys and truck, and really soft Grover puppet. He got several other toys and some new clothes. He also got a new tooth! He now has his front 8 teeth.

2009-07-14T21:58:00.001-07:00

A Triple Birthday

2009-07-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

Ephraim's two best friends, Mark Miner and Thaddeus Zundel have Birthdays real close to his. So this year us moms decided to have a triple party. Each boy likes a different color so it made decorating fun. We got a triple slip-n-slide, waterguns, and some water balloons. Mark's dad brought his candy cannon and shot candy all over our yard. The kids had a lot of fun getting wet and catching falling candy. Ephraim got lots of nice gifts and really had a great time.

Happy 10 Mo. Samuel

2009-07-14T20:58:00.000-07:00

WOW! I can't believe how fast time has flown by. Little Samuel really has been such a wonderful baby. I think I can recall 3 times that he has been difficult and I think all are related to teething. He crawling everywhere. He seems so content to just crawl as fast as he can to keep up with the older siblings. He has started to wave good-bye. He really waves when we say "night night". He now loves his sippy cup. Mom not so much, I really wanted a baby a little longer but, Mom is really excited about not having to deal with breaking him from a bottle. This month he started going to sleep by himself. It has taken longer than Ephraim or Gideon to get him to go without crying. It was hard to let him cry, but after a few days he is going to sleep pretty easily. I have to say it is definately worth it. I love him sleeping through the night!! Happy 10 mo. Sam!!

Water and Snow fun

2009-06-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

So where can you play in the water and in the snow on the same day? Huntington Lake. The kids and I went up to the lake for the day to visit Grandpa Bob and Grandma Lyn who were there for the weekend. The lake was beautiful. We went out on a boat and loved it! After playing at the lake we decided to take a walk. At one of the campsites we found some snow that was in the shade and hadn't melted yet. We had a great time playing in the snow. Just wish we would have brought some gloves our hands were frozen!!

Medical Update

2009-06-10T23:42:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all of your comments, phone calls and E-mails. I really didn't post about my experience to get any sympathy, but I have really been blessed by having so many care about me.
Update- I now have had this experience 5 times. The last three times I could tell that it was going to happen again. Once I become paralyzed and am able to talk again, usually 10 min. later, I can tell someone else to begin to move my body. Starting with my fingers helps so I can begin to work on the rest myself. The next 24 hours I feel totally wasted. Extremely sore and tired.
I have had total blood work up and a MRI done, of which I was having another episode during, and both have turned up negative. We have ruled out MS, Lupus, and heart, lung, and metabolic problems. I am now waiting to see a neurologist and will probably have an EEG done.

I have become less scared of the episodes and more frustrated that we can't fix me. I hope that we can find what is wrong and get started fixing it soon.

Camouflauge?

2009-05-15T08:38:00.000-07:00

Camouflage jammies you say? Look closely

Those are frogs.

My most favorite part about bedtime is getting Gideon in his Frogaflauge.

I hope he never out grows these jammies!

He is my little frogman!

Future Phillies

2009-05-15T08:35:00.000-07:00

While Malachi and his team are scoring runs and hitting doubles Gideon and Zarian are warming up in the dugout. They only have 8 more years till they can play for the Phillies!

Bug meet Bee

2009-05-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day to go walking in the garden. So we thought till Gideon started wacking the flowers with a bat. Hope, our little bug, thought she had been hit with the bat. Not so! She soon realized that Gideon had scared a bee right into her shin. Poor Hope. She was stung, Not Fun at all!!

Training them early

2009-05-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

Its never to early to teach them to glue to the TV!!

Warning, Super Long Story!!

2009-05-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

I have really debated whether or not to write about my incident. I think that I really just want to pretend that it really didn't happen and leave the memories way in the past. But, it did happen and if in the future I am asked exactly what happened I want to remember all the details. Hopefully my doctors will be inspired to find out what the cause was and get me some help. So what happened, you ask? Well get ready for a long story.

Last week was your typical week with sick kids. I had been coming down with a cold and now was feeling pretty lously. Gideon and Samuel hadn't slept well for 5 days now and it seemed to be really catching up with me. Saturday was a normal super busy day. We woke early went to Ephraims t-ball game. Came home dumped the kids off with Faith and ran to the grocery store. Fixed lunch and put them down for a nap. I then dropped off Malachi for warm-ups and ran back home to get everyone else. It was hot and Malachi's game seemed to go on forever. My mom offered to take Faith to her harp lesson, Thanks mom! After the game we headed over to the Brazell's to drop Mal of to get ready for the talent show. Ran home. Bathed everyone in record time and fed them a little. Didn't have time or energy to blow dry my hair so I wore it in a pony tail (something I never do!) Went to the talent show. Ate a little. Enjoyed the show. Didn't want to go home. Still very tired. Get home and realize there is no medicine left for Gid. I call Richard and ask him to pick some up after he helps clean up. He brings home Faith and goes to the store. 10:35 my neighbor knocks on the door. Totally not in the mood to visit I answer anyway. As she is talking I am thinking," I really need to get to bed!!!!" Phone rings, Richard wants to know what kind of medicine. He reads off what they have and I can't seem to comprehend what he is saying. I keep asking him to repeat. He is getting frustrated. My neighbor is still talking. In mid sentance I walk away from the door and go into the bathroom. I'm feeling like I am going to be sick. Still trying to tell Richard what I want I decide to lay on the floor. I get out a clean towel to lay on and slowly melt to the floor. My leg stays on the edge of the tub where I had been sitting and my hand holding the phone slowly drops the phone beside my head. Richard really frustrated now hangs up. First thought was, gee I really am tired. I think I will just sleep here for a moment. My eyes are still open. I can hear Faith talking to my neighbor and she shuts the door and goes to the other bathroom and starts getting ready for bed. Gideon wakes and is crying. I have to get him. I try to move and am stuck. I can't move anything!! I can hear my heart beating and I am breathing. I try to call for Faith to get Gid. No sound. I lay there. Soon Gid is out of bed and walking aroung crying looking for me. Eventually a little sound came out. He found me! He says he wants his blanket. I tell him I can't get it. "Go get Faith". He says no. He just wants to lay by me. The thoughts of Swine flu cross my mind and I am scared. Am I going to die? Tears well up. Gideon begins to cry. "Mommy is going to be okay", I mutter. I know lets sing a song. I begin " I love mommy she loves me", not a good song for the moment. After what felt like 30 min. Faith sticks her head in the crack of the door. " What are you doing??" " Faith call dad and tell him somethings wrong and then call 911". She dialed. The 911 operator began asking her questions. Soon I heard sirens. Richard pokes his head in and took Gideon out. Another head appeared. A woman EMT introduced herself and asked what happened. She squeezed in and sat me up. I was able to sit up I just couldn't lay back. Soon another EMT arrived and helped me into the kitchen and onto a gurney. They proceeded to check all my vital signs. Everything seemed to be normal. They loaded me into the ambulence and headed to Saint Agnes Hospital. When I got there they said that the hospital was completly full. I was put into a wheel chair and taken to the main lobby. There I sat. For 2 and a half hours I sat. I still had feeling. My hands would fall sleep and need repositioning. Richard would have to tilt my head when my neck began to ache. I was scared. I cried and would need to have my tears and nosed wipped. Just before 2 am. I had had it. I was not going to be pralyzed anymore. I am not sure if it was the blessing I was given before leaving home or my shear determination to not be there anymore I began to move my head. Slowly my first finger moved. After being able to move one hand I used it to masage the rest of my body. Within 30 min. I could move. I stood. We talked to a nurse and since she had never heard of this happening and I appeared to be fine they let me go home. What an experience. I have never been more grateful to wipe my own nose!

Sunday was Mother's day. I slept. Richard, Malachi, Hope and Ephraim went to church. Faith stayed home to help with the littles and to watch me. I was really afraid to be left alone again. Everything went fine. I drank tons of water and ate well. Sunday night again it happened. I was terrified. After laying on the floor for 20 min. in the familyroom infront of Richard and Faith who thought I was just resting I was able to regain movement.

Mondays Doctor appointment was what I thought. He had no clue. I will be going back tomorrow for the results of my blood work. Part of me is hoping to find something. The other part would like this all to be just a bad memory.

This experience has really changed me. I really thought hard about my feelings about my family. I love my Husband very much. I am grateful for the life he has lived with me. I love our 6 children more than anything in this world. I am grateful Heavenly Father has allowed me to stay here a little longer to raise them.

I hope you never have an experience that makes you feel as though it is the end. But, it sure helps you realize all that God has given you!

It was just to Good to put down!

2009-04-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

Happy 8 Months Samuel!

2009-04-26T21:57:00.000-07:00

Definately cute but not so innocent!

2009-04-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

Gideon's Mug Shots

Every where I go I get comments on just how cute Gideon is. He is so super friendly. He always has a smile on his face and laughs at everything. At church he waves to every one and loves to play with the other kids during the baseball games. But this kid has another side to him. Recently he discovered how to call Ephraim names. Luckly for us his biting stage is finally over. Last weekend Faith and her friend McKenna babysat my friends kids and ours. Gideon helped another 2 yr old out the front door. Soon a knock came. A neighbor had seen them escape and brough them back. Yesterday again he made it outside. Ephraim came and told me that he had gone down the street and around the corner. Malachi asked Ephraim why he didn't go after him and E said" I didn't want to loose me!" I gave Gideon the long talk about strangers and asked do you want a scary badguy to take you away?" Knowing Gideon he'd love the adventure. So Gideon is no longer allowed out in the front yard and we have a nice new lock on the front door knob! We have voted him "Most Likely to get Kidnapped!" This one we'll have to watch very closely!

Totally Cool Diaper bag post from my Sister

2009-03-22T23:02:00.000-07:00

Check out My sisters post. She has made a really cute diaper bag. If any one wants to be the first to try them out let her know!! http://cami-lu.blogspot.com/

Here's her post. I couldn't get the pictures to transfer, so go to the site to see them!

So I made a bag this weekend. It is by far NOT perfect, but I am pretty happy with how it turned out, regardless. I had to scrap a few design features and pare down a few others because it seemed excessive, but it is really user-friendly, I think.
The exterior features one large pocket that could be used for a changing pad or whatever, two smaller pockets that are perfect for cell-phone and keys and stuff like that, or a bottle or two, and a side pocket that is sized to fit mom's water bottle.
Inside there is a divider running down the middle that has two bottle-sized pockets on one side. The sides of the bags have two more pockets that could work for bottles or snack containers and one REALLY large zippered pouch that I designed for mom's stuff or for things you want to keep hygenic like clean nipples or binkis, etc.
As far as the closure goes, I'm really terrible at installing zippers so I just have a tie closure. I haven't decided whether or not to adjust that on future bags.
The plastic bag liner didn't work out great because I couldn't get it to fuse to the fabric without scorching the fabric so I'm going to stick with traditional interfacing for future projects to avoid the floppy wrinkly look that I got here. I can still get the plastic bags to work great for wet bags and changing pads, and I'm still really committed to using found fabrics- I mean this little beauty is the bastard child of a set of recycled sheets and a $5 skirt! Can't top that, especially for 100% silk.
Anyway, I probably won't sell this bag because it's too sloppy and the inside was picked apart too many times while I was messing around with the dang divider (long story). I'm thinking of turning it into a laptop case because it's exactly the right size. Either that or like a bad-ass purse. Maybe a bag to carry around my Primary stuff in, since the one I have is SADLY ill-equipped.
What do you think? Any takers?

Update: I transferred my purse over to the bag. It's great! There are so many pockets that I feel like my stuff is really organized for the first time, with plenty room to grow. The plastic bag lining is really strong, yet lightweight, so at first I was worried that the bag was going to be too flimsy- but it's holding strong. I was also worried about the tie closure. It's working great for me, but I can see how a magnetic button or snap would work better on future bags. I may not have diapers to change or bottles to tote around, but as a working mom it's great to have a place for all of my stuff plus the random junk I have to carry around for hubby and the boy as well as all my school crap.I give the bag a B+ on construction (still not happy with the wrinkly appearance, and one of the exterior pockets would work a lot better with elastic) and a solid A on design.I can't wait to start cranking some more of these bad boys out.

It's Official

2009-03-22T22:28:00.001-07:00

It's official, she's a TEENAGER!!! Faith turned 13 on the 9th. We had a nice family party for her in her favorite colors, Hot Pink and Apple Green. She got a lot of money, gift cards and new bedding. Two very cute "older" guys from church came by to wish her well. She had a great time.

About time

2009-03-11T12:56:00.000-07:00

Okay so it's about time I do another post. No my computer has not been sick, its just that I have discovered Facebook! And well since my computer time is very limited. Facebook has won. But, not for long. I am back!!!

So, where do I start? How about

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOPE!"

Hope turned 7 on the 3rd of February. She had a real fun HSM 3 party. We sang and danced and had a great time. She had a lot of fun with her friends from school, church and her cousin.

Samuel turned 6 months on the 16th. He is so cute. He is a real happy and content baby. He is not rolling yet. I think it is because he could just lay on the floor all day and be happy. He got his first tooth on March 6th! Didn't even notice. I cried. I am not ready to have him grow up.

Malachi and Ephraim have started Baseball season. Gideon really wants to play too. Malachi is going to be a Phillie and Ephraim is an Indian. Pictures will come soon!

Happy Birthday Eric

2009-02-15T10:59:00.000-08:00

Today would have been my brother Eric's 27th birthday. 6 and a half years ago Eric was killed in a sand rail accident. Today I was trying to imagine what he would be up to if he were still here. I'm sure he would be married and could have 2 kids by now. I truly miss him. I hope he is happy and still watching over us! I love you Dad and Donna. I hope this day brings you joy as you remember the sweet guy Eric was. He is still very missed by us. Our Vanilla candle is lit!

Child Labor, cheap way of getting things done!

2009-02-11T14:33:00.000-08:00

Okay, so here is an update on figuring out what to do with our chores. First of all, I have found that no matter the system it seems that if the mom wants to have kids do chores I have to find a way to let them know what needs to be done. So how do I do that? I have enjoyed reading all of your comments. Thanks for all of your ideas. They have been very helpful. As I have been brainstorming new ways I have come up with a plan. I found some dry erase stickable paper that my husband bought a long time ago at Lowe's. It was super cheap and he knew I would find use for it eventually. I cut 4 large squares of the paper and stuck them behind the oldest 4's bedroom doors. I would have perfered a central location, but I am funny about those types of things being out where guests can see them. I perfer them to be hiden behind a door. During the morning when the kids are at school or before they wake on a weekend, I go to their spot and list all the things they have to get done. I will list the usual; make bed, clean up room, practice piano, home work, dishes, laundry and one other item like, hug someone today. The oldest three are paired up with the three younger and are to help with their dish duty or laundry. They usually have 30 min. break before they have to get started on a school day or we get started at 10 am on a weekend. 1 hr. before bedtime I check their progress. If they still have work to do they will be reminded. Hopefully they are done and have gotten free time if not they work. Just before bedtime if they have fininshed all their work they get a bedtime treat and a star on our family chart. Each star is worth $.25. We get paid once a month, so when the month is over they can add up their stars and we get to go to the book store. I like using this system for the older three that can read. I don't have to remind them and they know what they have to do in order to get free time and mom off their back. Ephraim and Gideon usually do what their partner is doing. It works pretty well so far. I guess when they rebel against the new system I will be back to the drawing board!

Family chores?

2009-02-02T22:44:00.000-08:00

Okay it is hard for me to admit that I just don't have it all together. But, lately it seems like everything is just a little crazy. No matter how hard I try I just can't keep up with the household chores. I realize that it is time to ask the kids to help out more. I have in the past been really good at having job cards for the kids. Lately I ask them to do things and they do them. I have noticed that I usually don't get much help that doesn't accompany fussing. I know that if I am consistant in whatever we do they get used to the routine and just do the jobs. So, I am trying to revamp the old system and make it new again. So my question for you is how do you divy up the jobs. I have had jobs separated like so..... Each has a room to vaccum and a room to dust. Each has a sink in the bathroom to clean or a mirror. These are usually done only on Sat. The older children are paired up with the younger ones on some of the items. Doing dishes, they each have a part of the dishwasher to unload (i.e. plastic cups, silverware, glass cups and plates, misc. stuff) I usually load and have the oldest handwash any pots and small things. We have no dinner setting table routine. On weekdays they have usual chores(i.e. teeth, hair, bed, putting away laundry). SO how does it work in your home? How have you seen it work in others? Do you pay kids for doing their chores? If so how much? What ideas do you have for incentives?
I look forward to your ideas!

42 Reasons Why I Love Him

2009-01-26T22:53:00.000-08:00

Well I have been really wanting to dedicate one post just to my Husband. A few months ago I was tagged by my sister with a post about husbands. I promptly began drafting my reply and then my computer shut down. I was frustrated and then life just got in the way, so now that it is Richard's birthday tomorrow I am going to make an attempt to say a few things about him. Since he is now 42 I am going to title this "42 reasons why I love him"
1. He loves me.
2. He loves Faith
3. He loves Malachi
4. He loves Hope
5. He loves Ephraim
6. He loves Gideon
7. He loves Samuel

Okay no more cheating ....

He is .....
8. A wonderful Bishop, the best Bishop I've ever had
9. A hard worker
10. A good provider for a wife, two daughters and 4 sons that will soon eat us out of our home!
11. Trustworthy
12. Faithful, to me and to his Heavenly Father
13. Honest
14. A wonderful example of all that is good to me and the kids
15. Realiable
16. Puts others before himself
17. Dedicated
18. A wonderful son
19. Patient
20. A great story teller
21. An excellent gardner
22. Very handy, he can fix just about anything!
23. Very good at keeping money in his wallet (unless I find out there is some in there)!
24. Good at sitting through those girly movies with me.
25. Good teacher to not only his High School kids but ours as well.
26. Good friend
27. My best friend
28. Great at singing with my children.
29. A pro at putting the fussiest babies to sleep. I just wish he was home more often!
30. A good driver. I really appreciate his lack of road rage most men seem to have.
31. Helpful. He is great at loading the dishwasher, washing clothes, and vaccuming.
32. Excellent painter.
33. Gentle.
34. Healthy. ( and doesn't have a healthy appetite!)
35. Fun to play games with.
36. Good at making cool things with legos.
37. Humble
38. A wonderful partner. We work well together raising this large family
39.Makes great eggs
40. Good listener, especially at 11 pm. when he needs to be sleeping
41. Cheerful in the morning, when I'm not!
42. Willing to put up with me and all the crazy-ness I put him through.

Happy Birthday, Richard. I am Thankful that your parents chose to have 8 children. Thanks for sharing the last 16 years with me!
I love you and hope your birthday is full of happy memories.

A Lost Tooth at your Age?

2009-01-21T09:53:00.000-08:00

Well it finally came out! About two and half years ago Eprhaim's face hit the table. His bottom two teeth went through his lower lip. This resulted in lots of blood shed but no stitches. A few months later while playing he jumped on the couch and happened to hit bellow his gum line his mouth on the back of the couch. This resulted again in lots of blood shed and a trip to the dentist. After looking at some x-rays it was determined that he had fractured a part of his lower jaw. At the time no damamge had been done to the teeth. About 6 months ago Ephraim was playing again and hit his mouth on a toy. Once again a trip to the dentist. This time the x-ray showed that there was no root on one of his bottom teeth. The only thing holding that sucker in was the gums. Well yesterday while playing dogs and biting down on a plastic apple, the tooth, with a little help from mom, fell out! I guess in about 6 years he will get a new one. Maybe I shouldn't let Ephraim play any more its just too dangerous!

For my Decorating Inclined Friends

2009-01-16T12:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've seen your houses so I know that you can help with my decorating dilema. After looking everywhere for the perfect bedding I have given up and am going to be happy with what I have. Now that the colors of my bed are chosen we moved onto painting, well Richard moved onto doing the painting. After sleeping in the Family room for 4 days the painting is done. So now what? The bed is made and it is awfully empty above it. Do I put a picture, wroght iron circle thing, or a vinyl word saying? How about a shelf? What should I do? What do you have above your bed? Do you have any favorite websites for decorating tips? Let me know what you think!

btw, we painted the walls Toffee Cream and Spanish Galleon. The walls look nice!

Samuel is 5 Months

2009-01-16T11:11:00.001-08:00

Well today our little Samuel is 5 mo. It makes me sad to see him growing so fast! We took him to his check up and realized why mom's back is always hurting. He went from being 11 lbs. at 3 mo. to 16 lbs. 10 oz. I guess he is making up for lost time. He doesn't seem to really eat all that much. His schedule is pretty nice actually. He usually wakes around 4-6 for a morning feeding. This is really not a big deal since I usually take him to bed with me and fall asleep feeding him. Around 9 (if no one pounces on him in my bed) he wakes. Around noon he is ready for a nap. If I am lucky I take him to my bed again and he eats and we go to sleep till 2 or 3. Again his sleeping time totally depends on Gideon. If Gid is busy the baby sleeps longer, especially if we can manage to hide the baby and if we don't have to pick Faith up from school Samuel can manage to sleep till 5. If he sleeps that late he is good to go till about 9. If he wakes earlier he will take a nap around 8 and will wake up shortly after and be good to go till midnight or later. Not fun for a tired mom! All day long Samuel is a happy baby. He coos at us and loves to watch his brothers and sisters run around. They can be very entertaining. He is almost sitting up on his own and we are looking forward to him rolling soon!

Christmas card Photos

2008-12-21T23:52:00.001-08:00

Okay so everyone is asking why they didn't get a Christmas card with a photo. Well things didn't go as planned so here is what I had intended to send plus you get some background footage!

I know I have a problem but, I just love to dress up my family like they are dolls in matching clothes and making them sit still for 100 photo shots. It is amazing how hard it is to get 8 people to all smile and look at the camera at the same time. Maybe it isn't so fun any more. Any way we finally go it all together. Here's what we got....

Behind the photo footage

This year I had this brilliant idea that it would be easier to have the family to just take pictures in our yard than to get all dressed up just to sit for three hours at a photo studio. So we tried the boys first.....

Didn't go so well, Then the Family...

Some acting silly, some bored out of their minds, the rest just plain tired!

Maybe if I pout mom won't make us do any more!

Come on Dad do it with me.

Well after several hours and two different days we did get some pretty good looking photos of us individually. Thanks to Meredith Ellis running around our yard chasing our kids with her camera. Next time she says she is going to bring her sports lens, if we can talk her into coming back!

Merry Christmas,

May your holidays be filled with Joy and Cheer!

2008 Christmas Letter

2008-12-17T21:53:00.000-08:00

Well here we are at the end of another wonderful year. It is so hard to look back and capture all the amazing things that have gone on. Of course the highlight of the year was welcoming our Sweet little Samuel Royal.

He arrived on August 16th, one month early. After 8 weeks of several doctor appointments, he finally figured out how to suck and he is now growing like a weed. He has such a wonderful temperament. He sleeps or just looks around all day long. So far he loves to suck on his fist. Occasionally he captures a thumb. We are hoping that he doesn't find it permanently! We are very blessed to have such a wonderful little healthy baby.

Gideon Maverick turned 2 on September 1st. He is such a sweet guy. He has to be the friendly-est kid I know. He is really cute when we go to church and he walks to our seat waving to everyone and loudly saying ,"Hi Guys". He is so fun. He is however at a very curious stage of his life. Many times he has gotten into things he shouldn't have. He loved playing outside this summer. One time he came in the house very excitedly and showed me a snail that he had found in the garden. I pretended to be really excited too. Soon there was several in the house on the kitchen table. This was a good time to talk about how bugs and gross things belong outside.

Ephraim Nolan is now four. He had a fun swim party on the 16th of July. He has really changed a lot this year. I think that he has grown the most too! He is now the same height Faith was when she was 6 1/2. I guess he is going to be a tall one. I've noticed that the little round tummy is now stretched thin! Ephraim is such a great brother to Gideon and Samuel. He really loves them. I love having him home with me and the other boys during the day. He is such a great helper. This year he has learned how to use the computer,(which now makes it harder for me to use it!) started preschool, and was superman for 6 months straight. Needless to say when it came to Halloween he wanted to be a vampire.

Hope Madelin has been 6 since February 3rd. She is so grown up! She started first grade in the fall. She has a wonderful teacher and is doing so well. I am so amazed at how fast she learned to read. Her teacher is so encouraging and Hope is just taking off! She is so inventive. If she needs something she can make it out of paper. She made herself a laptop computer like Faith's so she could e-mail her homework too. She has lost 6 teeth in the last three months. It was a scary ordeal for her on the last one. She really hates blood and it makes her a little worried about it being pulled out. But, when it came she was thrilled!

Malachi Daniel turned 9 in April. All he wanted to do for his party was to have his very best friends come over and play video games all night. Easy enough! He gave us a scare in May. He was hospitalized when a large amount of blood was detected in his urine. He had a blessing and some antibiotics. After two days in the hospital, some testing, and some follow appointments he is now fine. We are still not sure why his kidneys produced masses of blood cells in them, but we are glad that they are gone. Truly an answer to our prayers. He started 4th grade and has for the first time the same teacher Faith had. Mr. Carlo has been wonderful for Malachi. He really seems to connect with Mal. Malachi is pretty smart. He is on the Honor Roll and is trying to beat everyone in his class for the most reading points. Malachi has discovered a series of books that he really likes. They are called Hank, the cow dog. There are 53 books in the series. I think he has read at least 20. He is so into these books that he got his whole class to raise money to buy the complete set. Almost everyone in our family is a character in the book. He goes around calling Samuel "J.T.", the rooster and Gideon "Eddie", a curious Raccoon. He got glasses for seeing the front board of the class room. He says they make him look smarter. He also ran for the cross country team this year. We were real excited when he made it to the City Finals. Malachi is also really enjoying Scouts.

Faith Nicole, boy what can I say. Definitely a teenager. She will be 13 on the 9th of March. But in my book she is already 13. I had no idea how fun a teenager could be. She almost feels like a little friend to me. She got me hooked on the Twilight books. I was really bummed when the movie was rated PG-13. It was hard for her to not get to go see the movie. We hope it comes out on DVD in time for her birthday. We have fun arguing about being on Team Edward or Team Jacob. I still think Jacob is better. She really has grown a lot. She has had so many fun experiences this last year. She promoted from 6th grade being on the Honor Roll, and rode in a Limo in June. She made the Junior Varsity Cheer team, and was accepted to the laptop program at her Junior High. Her harp skills have really grown. She played for an entire hour for a wedding reception, a garden reception for several book authors, and performed with the Tenaya Junior High orchestra. We are looking forward to buying her the concert pedal harp in the coming year. This will open her up to new material. Her goal is to get straight A's this year. She is working real hard. We are real proud of her.

Tiffani, well I am doing fine. The highlight of my year was giving birth to my 6th and last child. And well, getting a new van. I was so excited to get a new Honda Odyssey. It is my favorite color and has all the bells and whistles that I always wanted. And no, there isn't DVD player. We watch enough TV! My favorite part is the automatic doors. I can open them from several feet away and say "okay get in" and by the time I reach the car they are buckled and ready to go. So COOL! One of the sadder points of my year was being released from being 1st councilor in the Primary. I knew it was coming but still had a hard time letting go. I really loved being in there the last 3 years. I never knew how much I love kids until I had that calling. After my release I was immediately called to be on the Enrichment board. I have enjoyed the three events that we have put together. It has been really fun. Shortly after Samuel was born I was also called to teach the Marriage and Family class during Sunday school. I really love to teach that class. The materials and the topics are just wonderful. I am amazed at how much my marriage and relationships with my children have gotten better.

My children keep me busy. I now know why when people have three boys in a row they stop having kids. Boy, is it going to be crazy. I already can't keep up with the cleaning and the eating. I have realized that I have to be ultra organized or I am going to go crazy. I think having things planned ahead helps me accomplish so many things. I am also Malachi and Hope's room mom's this year. Our Holiday parties are going to be fun! I really enjoy being a mother.

Richard, is teaching Chemistry and Physics again this year at Hoover High School. During the summer he had an opportunity to teach some students involved in an upward-bound program through UC Merced. It was a wonderful experience for him. They asked him to teach several Saturdays this fall as well. He is really doing a wonderful job teaching.

In March our Stake had a few ward boundaries re-drawn. This brought on many changes in our ward. It has been wonderful to welcome so many new people into our ward. In November his first councilor moved and a new councilor was called. Once again new challenges but he is doing great. Richard has been doing wonderful things as a bishop in our ward. I am always amazed at how much he can accomplish each day. I have no idea how he deals with so many things. I am truly thankful for the leadership in our ward that help him make everything work.

Well that's about it. We are grateful for the blessings of this year. We are grateful to have an income, a warm home, and food to put on the table. We are grateful for our many friends and family that do so much for us. We have had so much help through out this year especially when Malachi was sick and when Samuel was born. What a blessing it is to have the gospel that provides us friends and the knowledge that we need to help us through our trials. May the Lord bless each of you and your families during this coming year. And may we as our Prophet Thomas S. Monson has said "Find joy in our Journey".

We came, We saw!

2008-11-22T23:04:00.000-08:00

TWILIGHT

Last night I joined ten other women from my ward for dinner and of course the movie TWILIGHT! We had so much fun. When the Cullen family appeared my heart skipped a beat. But, when Jacob came on the screen I was more excited. I think he is so wholesome and sweet. I guess if you like the dangerous type you would go for Edward. I usually tend to be a little more cautious. It was fun acting like a bunch of teenagers. I enjoyed the movie. I really had a great time hanging out! Can't wait for the next one!

So are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?

All I want for Christmas is my one front tooth!

2008-11-18T20:26:00.000-08:00

Well she did it! Hope pulled out her tooth all by herself. She was so excited! We were too since we don't have to pay the dentist this time. We think she looks real CUTE!

Happy 3 Months, SAMUEL

2008-11-17T16:04:00.000-08:00

Boy, has he grown! Samuel is so sweet. He loves to be on the move. He really loves the car, as long as it is moving.

He loves to be in the swing. Most of the time he is hanging out in it watching the rest of the family run around. He smiles at just about anyone. And YES, his hair is red. Don't get too excited it won't last long!Since our breastfeeding is finally okay he no longer likes the bottle and gags when I try to get him to take a pacificer. He has however, found his hands and loves to suck on them. GREAT, just in time for the flu season. I have to make sure his hands are washed!

Forgotten useful tips

2008-11-13T20:34:00.000-08:00

As I was folding and putting away the laundry yesterday I ended up with several used bounce sheets to be thrown away. On my way to the trash can I remembered that a used bounce sheet shines crome pretty nicely. So I headed to the kitchen sink and shined my faucet before depositing the used bounce sheet into the trash can. If you haven't tried it you should!

There are so many uses for even the smallest thing. I would love to know what tips you have found useful. If you have one post it here!

Opportunity Cost

2008-11-09T22:27:00.000-08:00

My first sememster in college I took a business management class. I remember coming across a vocublary word "opportunity cost". For some reason it seems to be the only thing I can remember from that class. Today I was visiting my little sisters blog and read the news that she and her husband have a great opportunity to go to London for two years for a work related job. Suddenly I felt jealous and wished it were me. I know that I probably will never travel father than a days drive. Then as I read on she talked about having to stop the adoption process that they have just begun. She talked about having to decide weather they should go or not. The words opportunity cost came to mind. Each of us have to decide in this life. Most of us turn to prayer for the answers. Sometimes the things we choose to do lead us away from other choices. I suddenly felt like although I will never travel the world over it is because I have chosen to have six beautiful children. My lot in life is to raise them. A blessing that some don't have. I really feel that it is important to not compare ourselves to others. Sometimes it may look as though they are more blessed, but in reality we all are blessed just in different ways. I am excited that Emily and Brent get the opportunity to travel. I hope they can find opportunities to adopt in London. Maybe if I starve the kids and scrimp on the food budget I will get to come visit!

2008-10-29T22:44:00.001-07:00

Remembering the Warm Summer Nights

2008-10-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

Little bit Dopey but Happy

2008-10-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

Which of Snow White's Dwarfs Are You?
	You are part Happy. Perkiness is your middle name! You are so positive that your skin actually glows with a natural sunshine. Your laughter sets off a chain reaction of happiness and your friends love to be part of your life. A smile from you is genuine and can brighten even the dullest days.
	You are part Dopey. You are so silly and amusing that you can make even the most serious people start laughing hysterically. Some may consider you a bit ditzy, but that doesn't offend you. You are absolutely the person that others want around them when they are blue because you find a way to make them smile- even if it is a joke at your own expense! You are a sweetie!
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

OOOO.. Slide shows are fun!

2008-10-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

Samuel's first Moments

2008-10-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

RAH! RAH! RAH!

2008-10-23T21:13:00.001-07:00

4th place at this years Rain Gutter Regatta YEAH!!

2008-10-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

Malachi and Samuel

2008-10-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

Malachi is so good at taking care of Samuel. After Samuel is done eating I give him to Malachi and he takes him and does this little bouncing thing that he calls"Bing Bing Boy". It is so cute. Samuel looks like a little frog bouncing along. "Bing Bing Boy" has been proven to relieve even the worst gas bubbles!

Hope's First Ice Skating

2008-10-23T19:44:00.001-07:00

Hope was invited to a friend's birthday party at the ice rink. She was really excited to go. When we got there, she took one look at the skates and wanted to go home. Stupid me I took her by myself with little Samuel in tow. They offered for me to skate with her knowing that she could hardly stand up. Well, what was I supposed to do with the baby? Just leave him in the lobby to fend for himself? I decided to stand outside the rink door and try to reach in as far as I could to help her balance on the ice. Meanwhile, Samuel is frozen stiff on the floor in his carseat. Finally, the birthday girl's mom helped her onto the ice and around one time. It really helped. By the end of the session she had made it 1/4 of the way around by herself. She felt very proud of her accomplishment! I was proud of her for trying and not giving up.
*Note to self. Next time a kid of mine is invited to a skating party, bring socks for me and come by myself!

Albert Thomas Makely

2008-10-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

Albert Thomas Makely
October 18, 1923 - October 28, 2006
This week I thought a lot about Albert. He would have turned 85 on Saturday. He was such a wonderful Father-in-law. He was always so sweet to me. He always had something to talk about, and if you know me I love a person that can chat. He was a wonderful grandfather. For the first 4 and half years of Faith's life he took care of her while Richard and I worked or went to school. He also watched Malachi till he was two. We were very blessed to have him watch our kids. He was good at putting them into his buggy and pushing them around to get them to sleep. He was famous for his shhhhh-ing them to sleep. He loved to serve the kids "toast bread" for breakfast and having chocolate ice cream for an afternoon snack. I truly miss him.

Happy 2 Months, Samuel

2008-10-16T17:22:00.000-07:00

Today Samuel is two months old. Boy, what a rollercoaster. I can't believe that two months have passed. He is such a sweet baby. We finally got our nursing figured out. I really believe that he just needed some time to wake up! The last few days he has started to smile at us.

Twilight Quiz Results

2008-10-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

And again I say unto this people.....

2008-10-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

I love General Conference. Maybe because I actually get to sit by my husband on a Sunday. Or, because I don't have to struggle to keep Ephraim and Gideon from making noise during sacrament meeting. This year while browsing the web, looking for ways to help the kids pay attention the the speakers, I came across the idea of creating the atmosphere of King Benjamin's day in our own family room. On Saturday we set up a sheet tent and worked on conference coloring pages (all found at my favorite website http://www.sugardoodle.net/ ). On Sunday we decided to construct King Benjamin's tower out of marshmallows and toothpicks. Hindsight, stale marshmallows would have worked better. Use the stale ones for construction and eat the fresh! We had a great time. I think we even learned something amongst the fun! I can't wait till April.

Mommy's little helper

2008-09-23T23:22:00.000-07:00

Out of all the kids I think Ephraim loves Samuel the most. He is constantly kissing, holding or talking to the baby. He is so helpful. He gets me the bottle and helps feed him too! Ephraim is so sweet. He says he is going to marry me in the Fresno Temple. Well, today he got mad at me and said he is no longer going to marry me. Talk about hurt my feelings! I'm sure tomorrow he'll be back to wanting to marry me again. He also says all the time that he is thankful that Heavenly Father sent us a cute baby.

Horray for Hope!

2008-09-23T23:19:00.000-07:00

Hope was chosen out of her class mates to get the Character Counts award for Responsibility. The little boys and I went to her school, ate cookies and soda, and enjoyed her award assembly. We are very proud of her. Her teacher Mrs. Papasian loves her and is really enjoying her in class.

2008-09-23T23:13:00.001-07:00

Faith is doing real well in school. She is so busy. She loves to read and really enjoys having her classes lap-top based. I hate it only when her laptop gives us trouble. Faith played her harp for our Sacrament meeting at church on sunday. It was beautiful. I could listen to her play all day (if she would only practice more than 30 min. a day). She is a wonderful babysitter. I don't know what we would do without her willingness to watch the kids while Richard and I go to meetings and out on dates. We are very thankful for her.

OWEE Mommy!

2008-09-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took Samuel and Gideon to see Doctor Lattin. Gideon loves to go see Dr. Lattin because he can do chalk on the wall and always gets a sucker from Lupe the Nurse. After weighing, Samuel at one mo. is now 8 lbs. and 15 oz. He has gained 2 lbs. so far! Gideon for his two year check up is now 26 lbs. He is still little. Especially compared to Ephraim who was 26 lbs. at one year! Well, after a quick once over we were told it was shot time. Samuel went first since he was already crying due to hunger. He was fine once I found a pacifier. Gideon sat very still. He made a grimacing face and then said "Owee Mommy!" He is so sweet. Not a tear. We are really proud of Giddy. He loved his new shinny band-aid!

Malachi's New Glasses

2008-09-23T22:53:00.000-07:00

Now that we are back to school and Malachi is sitting a little further away from the chalk board than he was to the video games during the summer, he says he can't see the chalk board. So off we went to the Eye Doctor. The Doctor says Malachi has a slight perscription and can wear his glasses when he is doing his class work. I personally think that the Doctor saw what kind of insurance we have and thought "$$$$ Let's Get this BOY some Glasses!"

Malachi does however, look very cute in the glasses he picked. He thinks he looks much smarter.

Who said Bottle Feeding was easier?

2008-09-17T18:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, now that I have Breastfeed 5 babies, I am forced to pump and bottle feed my last one. He is having sucking problems. I wish there was a neat medical term for it but so far no one knows what exactly the problem is. First they said that his tongue is tongue tied. So I was referred to a Pediatric Specialist. After feeling terrible about him having the procedure done, we clipped his tongue. It was a simple, pretty painless procedure. There was only one drop of blood, which happened to land right in the middle of my shirt. Well, I went home that day feeling very excited about the prospect of being able to nurse. No such luck! I've tried everything. Now that I have exhausted the lactation specialists they have referred us to a Chiropractor. Maybe his jaw is out of line. (He is not able to suck he just gums up and down). So, if this doesn't work we are going to see an Occupational Therapist for tongue therapy. Fun! Well, I hate getting up in the middle of the night. Putting a bottle of pumped breast milk in the bottle warmer and having to bounce around a screaming hungry baby. How do bottle feeding mom's do it? I really loved just rolling over, latching on the baby and going back to sleep. I do go back to sleep. Usually sitting upright on the couch till I hear the out of milk, baby sucking it dry, sound, which usually is good for 30 min. of burping. I really hope we get this nursing thing going soon!!!

Toys, Toys, Toys

2008-09-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

I have had it with the amount of toys in our house. This is just one room. We have toys everywhere! Just before Samuel was born every toy had a place and it was in it. Well a lot happens when mom is plugged into a breast pump and then sits for 35 min. bottle feeding a baby every two hours. So, this week I vow to get things under control and maybe in the DI trailer. If you have any brilliant ideas on how to organize toys for 6 kids let me know!

Wish me luck!

Back to Bloggin'

2008-09-15T15:46:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe how fancy everyone's blogs. They look like animated scrapbook pages. I love it! Now I don't have to scrapbook any more. So now that Samuel is 4 weeks old I no longer have an excuse for not updating my blog. So expect great things because I am looking forward to wasting lots of time working on my site!!

2008-09-02T22:09:00.000-07:00

Announcing the final piece to the Makely Puzzle

August 16th 2008

Little Samuel Royal

joined our family

Saturday Aug 16th, As Faith and I were preparing to go to Target to buy a backpack for school my water BROKE! This called for an immediate change of plans. Lucky for me Richard was home and we quickly got into the car. In my past experiences my labors go quickly once the water breaks. So this was not a fun trip. I was a little worried all the way to the hospital. We made it. And unfortunately I was not even close. After 5 hours of constant very painful contractions Samuel came into the world. He weighed 6 lbs and 14 oz. He is our littlest baby. He was also the earliest coming 4 weeks before his due date. We are really excited he is here!

Our Annual Beach Trip with Grandma Lyn

2008-08-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

This year we decided to go to Pismo. It was beautiful. The water was a little cold. The kids had a wonderful time. Gideon got sunburned on his nose and cheeks. I feel so bad! After playing at the beach we went to Grandpa Ashpoles house to bathe and go out to dinner. It was a wonderful day.

Ephraim's 4th Birthday

2008-08-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

On July 16th Ephraim turned 4. We had a fun swim party. Aunt Cindy bought some really fun squirt guns for party favors. We had a fun time. Ephraim got some new Disney Car toys, and a sleeping bag. Happy Birthday Ephraim!

Chocolate Monster

2008-08-05T09:30:00.001-07:00

Gideon loves to eat popcicles, fruit and chocolates from Sees candy. This one really made a cute mess. He is going to have a Birthday soon!

Super Nanas

2008-08-05T09:24:00.001-07:00

Ephraim has been going through a Super stage. He loves to pretend he is Superman. He is however, upset that Heavenly Father did not bless him with the power to fly. Nanas his monkey was playing with him and needed a cape too. Ephraim decided that a diaper would make a perfect cape. It is a good idea, just remember that as the diaper gets older it leaves a sand like substance everywhere. I couldn't figure out why all our beds have sand in them.

Malachi's best Summer

2008-08-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

Malachi has really enjoyed Summer. His time playing video games has doubled since there is no homework. He is in Heaven. He has been really great at playing with Gideon and Ephraim. They are lucky to have such a great big Brother.

2008-08-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

Poor Hope. She had a tooth growing in behing her baby teeth. We took her to the dentist and they pulled out her 4 bottom teeth. She was so brave!

Faith's a cheer leader!

2008-08-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

Faith tried out for cheer at her new Junior High and made the Junior Varsity team. She is real excited. Dad is not to thrilled about her wearing a mini skirt. Mom is not to thrilled about taking her to all the practices, but we are proud of her for trying out and making the team. YEAH FAITH!

2008-08-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

The Makely's Finally got a new car! Mom has been worried about having to duck tape the baby to the top of the car since the old van was out of seat belts. So we consulted the budget and got a 2007 Honda Odyssey. My favorite color Nimbus Gray. It is very nice and I really feel spoiled driving it after driving my other van with no power anything for the last 7 years. O' the luxury of having power doors and windows. We even have a cool sunroof!

Spring has sprung

2008-03-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year when the flowers begin to bloom and the trees get all their leaves. This means I can finally send the kids outside to play! It is just very difficult to keep the kids clean. Getting them all outside to take pictures without getting dirty was a chore!

Happy Easter!

Happy Holidays

2007-11-27T07:17:00.000-08:00

Yes, it is that time of year again. The hustle and bustle of the Christmas season is fast approaching. I order to not get to busy I am trying to get it all done now. The shopping is just about done and the Christmas cards are in the mail. I am really looking forward to this Christmas since I don't have a new baby to wake me all night and I don't have to deal with morning sickness.
We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and May you be blessed in the coming year!

2007-09-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

Hi again,

Life is finally back to normal. Pink Eye is gone. Richard's eye is fine now. All is well. Gideon and Ephraim are adjusting well to having the kids gone all day. It is fun to watch them play together. They love to push the dump truck and ride on the train together. How fun is it to have a Brother!

AUGH!

2007-09-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

Well, this week has been awful in the Makely home. Malachi, Gideon and Mom all have pink eye. I never knew that it actually hurts. Both of my eyes feel like they have been punched. I am amazed that they are pink and not black and blue. Poor boys. I guess it is Heavenly Father's way of helping mom's be sympathetic to their kids by giving moms the chance to be sick too. If this happens to you, get medicine right away and stay away from everyone!

First Day of School

2007-09-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

Its time to begin another Year at Figarden Elementary School. This will be Faith's last year here! She is now a BIG 6th grader! Malachi begins 3rd and Hope begins her schooling in Kindergarten. So far they are all enjoying school and have great teachers!

Labor Day Camping

2007-09-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

We really had a great time going to Huntington Lake with Grandpa Bob, Grandma Lyn, Aunt Emily and Uncle Brent. We enjoyed the lake and hiked quite a bit. Ephraim and Gideon did great sleeping in the tent. I was glad to have 5 kids, for I stayed quite warm all the night.