Little chickies

my sister Heather had some chicks that needed special attention they wouldn't survive in the group that she bought. So she gave them to us two of them ended up dying that night the other three are still alive and growing fast we hope to get more soon.

Mammoth springs

We went to Mammoth brings another day and the kids love this old train car they can play on.

Royce's bum

Roy likes to go commando one day he put on his pajamas backwards and couldn't get the zipper up and walked around like that all morning You can look in the picture and see he has his little bum hanging out.

Tire swing

Like puppies

Even though we have separate bedrooms for the girls and boys the kids like to sleep in the same bedroom at night. It is really cute to see them all piled up on each other like puppies. Occasionally will even let Shiloh join in on the fun.

Hotel swimming

On the way back from Ohio we stopped at a hotel and the kids went swimming. We forgot Luke swimsuit so he wore Bellas hot pink leggings shorts. It was quite the sight to behold lol.

Charlotte's baptism

At the end of December we drove out to Ohio to visit my sister Michelle and so James could baptize my niece Charlotte. It was a fun trip we stayed there for a week and enjoyed spending time with her family. Shiloh loves her aunt Michelle.

Roycita

Just a funny picture.

Mammoth springs

After church one day we stopped at Mammoth Spring Park it is on the border of Arkansas and Missouri, And we drive past it every time we go to church. The water there is very beautiful. James actually got in the water because of the spring it stays warm all year long there are fish in it all year long as well. Sometimes I wonder if we will ever get a normal family picture again with all these squirrely babies around

Happy thanksgiving 2014

We had Thanksgiving at our house last year. We had my sister Heather and her family and my mom over. It was nice having family around

Lumberjack James

James has taken to chopping wood since we got a wood furnace. At first we only had an axe which James accidentally chopped himself in the leg with (it wasn't good). But now we have a chainsaw and this nice outfit passed down from James Dad. Hopefully we won't have any more emergencies from wood chopping. Fingers crossed.

Royce's 4th Birthday.

Royce had his 4th birthday on January 27th. He was a very happy boy he got presents from Grandma's and mommy and daddy made him a ninja turtle costume. Royce is quite clever. If he can't get someone to get something for him or do something for him he figures out a way to get it done. We had hidden his birthday present from his grandma and he somehow founded and opened it the day before his birthday. He is very independent and things that I would expect him to still want me to help him with he wants to do all by himself. He also loves to help with everything and if you don't let him help he just does it when you're not looking which is kind of scary. We love our Royce. We are so grateful to have his special spirit in our family. He teaches us so much. He has started to help take care of the little siblings. Especially Shiloh. Who he calls his little fat face, with a mischievous grin.

The outhouse

Our house only has one bathroom and we decided to remodel it. It took about a week and while it was out of commission James took the old toilet dug a hole under it and set it in the field. That's what people use until we got the new toilet installed. We have the bathroom about 75 percent done now including the new toilet but I periodically see the younger children out there using the toilet still .

Holy Cow

James went camping Friday night with the young men. I decided to take the kids to the auction and buy a goat. this was the first auction I have been to and it was a little scary. I figured things out pretty fast and when they started bringing the cows out they were selling for really cheap. I couldn't stop myself from bidding and we came home with Violet. She is a 2 year old Holstein Jersey cross. She is about 5 months pregnant. We started milking her that night and have been getting about a gallon a day which isn't a lot . But we hope when she calves we will be getting more. She is really sweet and very friendly we got lucky with that. The kids have been enjoying the fresh milk and when we get a little more from her I will start making our own dairy products. I think James was pretty happy that we ended up with the cow and not a goat.

Jesse in the box

Sweet little Jesse boy in the basket.

Fire

We just accidentally lit our field on fire. Very scary. Luckily we have a volunteer fire departments and neighbors who came and helped us put it out. I don't ever want to do that again. We do feel blessed that the fire didn't spread or harm anyone else's property.

The road were on

We are doing a renovation to our family, the add on is schedule to be done July 2015

The year is coming to and end

 We have moved 4 times in the past 2 years. We most recently bought a 6 acre farm in Southern Missouri. James is no longer an employee for his company he is now an independent consultant with his own LLC. The house was a total fixer upper but is coming along nicely. It no longer smells like cigarettes and there is very little wood paneling visible. We love Missouri, it is everything we expected and wanted! The kids are enrolled in the local elementary school. They are both in classes with their cousins and seem to really enjoy it. It is a small school, Luke's class has 8 kids and Bellas is the biggest in the elementary with 16 kids. My sister Heather is approximately 1.5 miles from our house. They have started a little dairy farm and they are going to have their 7th child come May. We love having family so close.

The branch out here is very small but full of wonderful faithful members. We are happy to be able to use our gifts and talents there.

Updates on the kids

Luke: He is no longer a little boy he is definitely growing and learning. He loves Pokemon, multiplication and playing with his cousin. He is also an avid snuggler and we are hoping to start a cub scout pack here soon.

Bella: Bella loves to sing, dance and create. I often am looking for something only to find out that Bella has it and has created something new with it. She had her 7th birthday this week. She got a pony and named him Prince. She saw him in the morning before school and said " Mom this is all I wanted for my birthday I don't need anything else!". She also lost her first two teeth last night and the tooth fairy brought her $6 ($3 for each tooth) apparently she had some pretty nice teeth.

Royce: Wild man Royce is still getting into all kinds of trouble. Our constant prayer is that he will survive childhood. He loves nursery and will soon be a sunbeam. We frequently hear singing around the house to the tunes of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. "Bless that beautiful Hide". LOL. He love his little Shiloh and can make her laugh like no one else.

Abrahm Jesse: Poor little Jesse fell out of a shopping cart last week and broke his collarbone. He has been a tough kid about it. Today I realized he was feeling better when I saw him jumping from the coffee table to the couch. He has had a language explosion. He is constantly saying things that crack us up. Today he and Luke were wrestling and I heard him say in a very calm voice" Luke thats my arm that hurts". It was so random but in a full complete sentence. Jesse is a sweet loving child who really likes Legos, blocks and just building things.

Shiloh: This girl is turning into quite the wild thing as well. She just goes, goes goe. She is constantly scanning the room for her next attack. When she crawls it looks like she is a charging Rhino she  even does this heavy breathing thing. She is a wanderer. She goes where she wants and doesn't hesitate to look back. She loves rhythm and music. Anytime there is a beat you will find her bobbing her head up and down, side to side, bouncing , rocking, kicking, clapping her hands, feet and body. She is our little baby dancer. At Luke and Bella's Christmas performance the people were watching her dance to the music instead of the kids singing. Most of all Shiloh is our little love. There is something very special about having a baby in your home. It brings so much joy and happiness.

James is so happy. His last couple months with his company were really hard and stressful and we realized that although it was scary to branch out on his own it was the right move for him. He loves taking the ax and cutting down trees, spending more time with the children and telling them bedtime stories at night.

This area is so beautiful with rolling hills, pastures and thick trees. I love being able to create a beautiful house and making do with what we have. I enjoy being creative and trying new things. We have used raw milk to make cheese, butter, buttermilk, ricotta and yogurt. I like being away from the hustle and bustle and spending our evenings singing song, playing the piano and reading books. I am also very happy.


 I am grateful especially at this Christmas season for all we have been blessed with including our savior Jesus, God bless our loved ones and friends.

Luke and the Story Telling Festival (Homeschool Outing)

This morning when the kids got up I told them they were going to the Timpanogos Story Telling Festival. They got really excited and Luke, in his eagerness, asked if he could write a story for. Of course I thought that would be awesome and in theme with the days events. He wrote his story with some spelling help from me, we had lunch and off to the festival we went. Children under 5 were not allowed so my Mom took the older kids while I waited at a near by park.

After the Festival was over Luke come walking down to meet the babies and I with a disappointed look on his face. The first thing he says to me is "Mom! why didn't you tell me you had to be invited to tell a story"? Thats when I noticed he had the sheet of paper with the story he had written in the morning on it. Grandma Cherie then filled me in that when they were at the story telling tent Luke got up walk to the front and proceeded to ask the people in charge when it would be his turn to tell his story? LOL! I had no idea that his intention for writing a story in the morning was to tell it at the festival. Even though he was disappointed that he did not get to share his story. I have to commend his bravery for being willing (even eager ) too. He gets that from James not me.

As a child I was extremely shy and I missed out on a lot because I was too afraid to join in. When I got pregnant for the first time (with Luke)  on the top of my DO NOT WANT FOR MY KIDS LIST was being shy. I remember praying that Luke would not have that trial and although I have witnessed him a little uncomfortable in a couple situations he is not in the shy spectrum.

Shiloh Blessing (3 months)

James was able to give our sweet girl a blessing from our Heavenly Father during sacrament meeting Sunday. We were very blessed and grateful to have friends and family there. It was touching for me to hear my dear husband heart touched by the spirit as his voice cracked with emotion. It instantly brought tears to my eyes

Our Father in Heaven, we take this infant into our arms to give her a name and a blessing. The name that she will be known as on this Earth and on the records of the church is Shiloh Adoré Mortensen. Shiloh we bless you with the knowledge that you are a child of God. That your spirit is precious to the Lord. That he desires you to live a happy life and to return to live with Him someday. We bless you to develop many talents and abilities and enjoy your time on the earth serving, working, and being a participant with your family and other groups throughout your life. We bless you to have a strong desire to follow the example of your savior Jesus Christ and that you will develop a personal relationship with Him. We pray that you will be prayerful in your daily efforts to choose the right and to be an example and leader to those around you. We bless you as you learn and develop wonderful gifts and abilities that you'll strive to find ways to incorporate music and physical activity into your life so that you can find that much more joy. We pray that you will learn to love and follow the guidance and counsel of your mother that Heavenly Father provides you. We pray that you will see the blessings that come as you live the gospel and you will choose to follow the example of Jesus the Christ and join His Church and serve in His Kingdom to prepare for His Second Coming. We pray that you will have a happy childhood and that you'll have a rewarding life that will lead you and prepare you to enter the Holy Temple and that you will eventually find a righteous young man and that you will go to the Temple to be married. We bless you that you will find joy in reading the scriptures. There will be times that you will have to stand alone and the scriptures of the holy prophets will be there with you. We bless you that as you prepare to be a mother that you will find that it is a worth while endeavor in this life and the choicest calling which God can give you. We pray that you will and we bless you to repent when you do something wrong, quickly, and find your way back to the straight and narrow path. That will ultimately lead you to eternal happiness. Shiloh we bless you with these things and with the eternal love of your Heavenly Father on this journey to know that he's there with you even though you can't see him. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

My heart swells when I think of my little Shiloh. She is a joy and a light in our home. She always has a ready smile, is very talkative and lively. Everyone adores this little girl. The kids fight over who gets to sit next to her or hold her next. She has an outpouring of love constantly going towards her. She is very good at expressing herself. I am very grateful for this little baby and the happiness she has brought into our lives. I feel like she is a little piece of Heaven here on Earth.
Shiloh is a very strong little baby.  She has been doing sit ups in her swing since she was born and this month she rolled over for the first time and then the next day she started scooting. She was on my bed when Bella said "Mom she is crawling" (I brushed it off because Bella also claims to have taught her to say her name) then I looked over and sure enough this little one was sticking her bum up get her knees underneath her and moving around on the bed! She has also gotten up on her hands and knees and since then has gotten proficient at rolling around. She loves people but she has a preference for her Mom. We tenderly look forward to watching her grow and being able to lead and guide her. We love her immensely!

Luke is 8!!!!

So on the 5k we ran on Pioneer day we went past the church in Provo that I was baptized in. On my jog back to get the car I stop and went in the church. It was a touching experience. I remembered the day I was baptized. It is so exciting to see my oldest son about to make the same choice.

Luke's birthday is always fun. There are always so many options of what do. Luke decided that he wanted to celebrate at the Manilla Pond. His Aunts, Grandparents, Cousins and our neighbors came (with there Kayaks) They swam, ate cake, played in the sand, ate more cake, fished and went out in the kayaks.

This is the second time I have made this Dino cake the first time it was green

 Luke has grown like crazy this year physically, mentally and spiritually. He is and always has been a very strong boy but now he is almost as strong as me. He beat me at a race for the first time this year, not his dad yet though. He is my big helper around the house. He helps without being asks and makes good choices. He loves to play with people of all ages. 

Something I am always impressed with is how outgoing and brave he is. He is a curious child which I love because it makes it so easy to teach him! He has an awesome memory and can recite a various of facts on a variety of topics at any given time. He love games and media time but even more he loves books he spends several hours everyday reading to himself and his siblings. Luke takes good care of his little brothers and sister and is the natural leader. I often comment to people that I am so grateful that God sent him first because he is just the child I needed. I also frequently hear from friends and family what a good boy he is, very polite and sweet.
He has had an interview with the bishop and has chosen to be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost on Sept 6, 2014. We know his choice will serve him well in his life..

We love you Luke!

 Grandpa George, Grandpa Marc, and Grandma Betty

 Grandma Cherie and Grandpa George

 After being at the beach for 4 hours we came home and Luke's oldest cousin (Christian) came over and they played and played until the sun went down. We had pizza for dinner and instead of ice cream Luke requested this ice cream cake I make sometimes. So the lucky duck got 2 cakes.

Luke with his second cake.

Summer Happenings 2014

We are having a fun busy summer. We have still been doing school most every day which I feel is important for the kids to keep up the habit, plus we took off a lot of weeks here and there last year due to moving and having a baby. It feels good to get into a routine again! We are also ramping up for next school year with some new books and a new homeschool group.

We have cherries! and I mean alot of Cherries probably a dozen gallon bags frozen and 12 jars of jam. The neighbor across the street let us have as many as we could pick. Everytime we went for a walk we would see cherry trees that no one was picking it made me sad to see all that delicious fruit go to waste.

Shiloh getting ready to go swimming. We put up the pool on the cement pad in the backyard (same pool we had in TX about 12ft diameter and 3 ft deep) We also read some scary statistics on drowning so we used some fencing materials we alread had to make a secure pool.

For the 4th of July we went Camping in Tabiona on a land lease (for cows and horses) in my Sister Heather's family. The kids had so much fun on the four wheelers. Luke and Bella learned how to drive them on there own. (they had a kid size one)

Who needs toys when you have sticks!

and cow bones

Bella and Hailey were making a fort out of sticks. Since we were camping we didn't get to see any fireworks but we did bring glow sticks. The children put on what I would call a Glow stick fire dance after it got dark. It was fun to watch them dancing around having fun!

In my opinion swimming in the river was the best part. There was an area with a little water hole where a tree had fallen over making the perfect diving board. Everyone including James and I had fun jumping off.

My mom also came with us she was very helpful in helping us keep track of our wandering children.

Macey's grocery store is close to our home and they sell these monster ice cream cones for $1.89. I wanted to see Royce's reaction when I bought him the biggest cone they offer. Silly boy! He actually didn't have a reaction at all when I first gave it to him. He just acted like that was what he was expecting the hole time but later I got him to make an excited face.

Royce is our only kid that has ever done this it is hilarious to watch him nod off while sitting at the table.

If any of you are familiar with BYU the Bean Museum has been updated and I do have to say they have made some marked improvements. We went and checked it out on a field trip. The kids all want to go back.

Watch out Royce the Moose is about to jump on you!

Bella is still our little artist! Constantly creating and spending hours everyday doing crafts. She loved the birds at the museum and when we came home she wanted to copy the picture to draw her own. SEE Below

I spend to much time on the computer someone needs to cut me off. I love shopping on amazon or finding new recipes!

Say MOO for Cow Appreciation day. We love free chicken!

Royce loved this cow but was super shy around it. At one point I thought all the kids were in the play area. I glanced outside where this cow was dancing drawing attention from the passing by traffic and low and behold Royce is out there just staring at the cow. That was a bad Mommy moment for me.

James and I went on a date and hiked a trail to this little waterfall a couple blocks from our house. We live pretty much at the base of the mountains

About 5 blocks from our house is the Murdock trail which goes on for miles. For some reason we decided to go roller blading when it was over 100degrees. Thus Bellas red face we made it maybe a half mile and came home. It was still fun just hot! Oh and Bella had clothes on when we left but as she heated up she kept stripping items off, until fortunately she had this swimsuit underneath.

Also in Pleasant Grove there is the Manilla Pond. It is super fun. We have been trying to go once a week. Lots of swimming and sand, plus they have an area you fish. The kids like to stay for hours and that is what summer is all about right!

Introducing Ms. Pumpkin our Olde English Bulldog. She is so sweet, and I like to think very happy to be in our family. She is 6 years old and we have had her a couple weeks now. She isn't perfect but has been easy to train.

Bella has wanted to take dance classes for a while now but I kept telling her she had to be willing to do the performance at the end of the class if I paid for her to go. Up until this summer she was unwilling to do that. She finally agreed until the day of when she put the breaks on. I did a little bribing and she did end up performing. She also gave a talk in Primary this month. She acted like she was nervous but when she got up to do it she was awesome! Very confident, she spoke loud and clearly. What an great little girl she is and such an important part of our family.

-Pioneer Day-

James took the day off work and the whole family ran (more walking that running) the temple to temple run in Provo. There were a lot of people but we still had fun and found everyone at the end of the run. Luke took off in front of us on his scooter. Bella stayed behind and road her scooter with my mom. James and I took the three little ones.

Here we are finishing the race. Royce was so excited in the morning of the race he was outside in our driveway warming up but when we got there it wasn't quite what he expected he seem a little worried and overwhelmed by all the people.

We then went to the Veterans park and enjoyed the Pioneer day festivities which included a petting zoo. Jesse stayed here for a good 20 mins.

The kids got to go on pony rides

Royce like the old school fire engines

Last but no least we went to Golden Coral for dinner. I have not like buffets for a long time because the food is usually gross and they are usually messy. But this place I like to James great relief and joy.