Kindergarten Graduation

Our little #5 graduated from kindergarten today. She is so little that it is hard to believe she is old enough to graduate from kindergarten. Then again, she is loud enough and bossy enough to be much older. Here is her first day of school picture and her last day of school picture to compare.

This was her first day of school at the end of August 2007

This was her last day of school May, 2008

This is her with her teacher.

Where has the time gone?

It has been a while since I have posted anything. I have to admit my favorite thing lately has been reading other peoples blogs. I have found lots of old friends. I have truly enjoyed reading about all the people I have fond memories of.
I found some very fun posts to read but nothing has really inspired me to write anything fantastic lately. So I have decided to just do some updating about my family and our very busy life.
First, I am so glad that school is over in 2 days and baseball is over in 2 weeks. I do not do very well at baseball games in the cold with 5 kids that are not playing the game but running crazy. I would rather go to watch #1 and #2 by myself so that I can actually see when #1 pitches a no hitter or #2 catches the pop fly. I will take some pictures of them playing baseball this week and post them soon.
#4 is going to be baptized this Saturday, it is hard to believe that child number four is old enough to be baptized. I am feeling old. He is very excited, I think, he kind of played dumb in his interview with the Bishop.
#1 graduated from 6th grade today. I am a slacker mom though and didn't get any pictures of the even. The batteries are dead in the camera and I cannot remember, on my multiple trips to the store every week, to get batteries. I really think it is silly to have a graduation ceremony from 6th grade though. It has been a challenging year for him and we are both grateful it is over.
#5 graduates from kindergarten tomorrow. It is hard to believe teeny tiny little #5 is going to be a first grader next year. She is still so small, she hasn't even hit 35 pounds yet. Maybe by September she will hit the magical 35!
#6 had a little graduation ceremony last week from her second year of preschool. (She still has another year to go) It was very cute and she hammed it up quite well on the stage, blowing kisses and grinning from ear to ear. I really don't know where she gets it from, honest!
I have had a really rough couple of weeks and am finally feeling better. The day after Mother's Day (and my birthday) I finally went to the dentist for a much needed exam and cleaning. Well, since it has been a very long time since I had anything done to my teeth there was a lot of work to do. Being the tough woman that I am I decided to get the work done in to visits, one for the left side and one for the right. I had a root canal and some fillings done on the left side that went really well. The right side, however, proved to be a lot worse. I ended up having a filling put in my wisdom tooth that the dentist didn't want to pull. Little did he know, the tooth was abscessed. My x-rays did not show that. Well when he put the filling in the drainage that had been coming out of the filling now had no where to go...my face ended up very swollen. The grossest part was when the abscess actually burst in my mouth....can you say GROSS!!! Needless to say I was in the next day getting the tooth pulled anyway. And Yes, I am feeling much better.
Hubby is in his 3rd section of classes. He is doing very well. It is quite a challenge going to school and trying to help support our very large brood. I am so very proud of him and all he is doing.
My biggest project right now is our garden. So far it is going great, I will post about that later, with pictures, of course. This project has been very rewarding!

Baby's First Day at the Park

So...for a few days this week spring actually sprung. #1 and #2 were at baseball practice and #3 was at a birthday party. The little kids were so excited to get to the park and we were ready too. This being our first outdoor outing this spring, it was #7's first trip to the park. She loved it!!! She loves being outside. Hubby says we will probably have a hard time keeping her inside this summer because she thinks that the sun and the grass and the dirt are great. Enjoy the pics.

Ten Years Ago...
I was pregnant with #3, our first girl, living in our first house that wasn't owned by Hubby's parents. I was a stay at home mommy of two adoreable little boys. Life was sooooo simple! Oh I sometimes wish for those days!
5 Things on my To Do List...
*Pay off the rest of our debt with the money we just made selling our business.
*File our taxes for this year so I can get a nice return and buy a front loader washer and dryer and a deep freeze, and put in new windows and doors in my whole house. Yes my refund is substantial.
*Get to work...I need to put in atleast 5 hours today. Even if I do have a bit of Vertigo today.
*Clean my filthy house. It is a wreck because Tuesday Hubby and I went to the Temple all evening and the kids trashed it and last night we made valentines ALL NIGHT LONG. (Six kids with each of their classes means lots of valentines to be made!)
*Sleep
5 Things I would do if I where a millionaire...
*Pay off this house and buy a bigger one
*Help my family
*Start a charity for abused women and children
*Take my kids to see the world
*Donate to the Perpetual Education Fund
3 Bad Habits I have...
*Procrastination, although at work I don't do this at all. What is wrong with me at home?
*Eat poorly, I am a junk food junky.
*I don't excercise.
5 Places I have lived...
*Norfolk Virginia, although I don't remember it I was a tiny baby
*Las Vegas, Nevada, I wish I remembered more of this. I want to remember if I ever ran into my husband at school when we were little.
*Page, Arizona, The place I consider my home town. I love that litle town.
*Prescott, Arizona, I include Prescott Valley, Chino Valley and Dewey in that, too.
*Pocatello, Idaho, the place that is now my home. I LOVE it here.
(What is it with the P's?)
5 Places I have worked
*Farmers Insurance...my first job that wasn't babysitting!
*McDonalds...for about 4 months on Saturday's only
*Safeway
*WinCO
*A wholesale C-Store Distribution Company, the best job I could ever have being a mommy. They are so flexible, love the family that owns the company.
Some Things Most People Don't Know About Me...
*I am afraid of the dark and the quiet of the night, I sleep with the TV on all night, crazy I know.
*I am becoming quite the expert on Microsoft Excel
*I hate having to talk to people I don't know
*I have a secret crush on the greatest guy. He is strong, gentle, handsome, patient, quiet,spiritual...the man? My husband!
I have no one to tag!!! Don't have that many friends that Blog.

Cloning

I have decided to go into the business of cloning housewives and mothers...I think I am going to be Rich. Isn't it a fact that every mother has way too much to do? I for instance have seven children who want my undivided attention at any given moment. So I really wish I had seven of ME for them. Next, my husband thinks he needs my attention for all the things husbands want a wives attention for. Third I have a church calling almost always that wants my attention. Right now that would be the Relief Society Presidency over Enrichment. Then I have my full time job...so how many is that so far?.. Seven plus three...TEN of me!!! I haven't even got to taking care of the house or serving my community, let alone taking care of myself!!!

I think this will be really successful, It is a much needed service I will be providing. Women everywhere will want my product...Buy another you...get more done...be everywhere at once!!! Do it ALL!!!

Now all I need is the time to launch my product...How will I fit that in?!?

My Perfect Christmas

So...the long awaited Christmas time is here. I love Christmas, I love the lights, the music, the shopping, the CHOCOLATE. It is a great month for me...in my mind. The weekend of Thanksgiving we put up our tree. My kids were disappointed because it is all gold. I love my tree it is my favorite thing we have to decorate for Christmas but my kids wanted a colorful tree. I would be happy to oblige them except for how expensive it is to replace all my all gold ornaments for colored ones and all my clear lights for colored ones. Oh well, I guess my gold tree will have to do. I don't think the color of our tree will affect what kind of gifts Santa will put under it.
This weekend I set to decorating the banister in our entry. Every year I put it up in pieces. The (fake) pine garland goes first, then the lights and then the bulbs, pine cones and bows. This is a very important place to decorate as this is where all our stockings get hung. This year I decided to make everything I attach to the pine garland permanent, except the stockings. We checked the lights, carefully counted out the bulbs and the pine cones to make sure they were evenly spaced and attached everything with cable zip ties. When the pine garland was finally up and looking great we plugged the lights in...Alas, they no longer worked. After 4 hours of my hard labor, they DID NOT WORK!!! I cannot tell you my frustration. Hubby started searching for the problem, and the kids jumped in to help. Was it a fuse? NO! Was it a burned out light? NO!! Was is a short in the cord? NO!!! Do you think we can find any answer for why my lights won't work? Heck No!!!
Oh well, In my mind the lights are beautiful and next year when I go to put them up I will be sure to put in brand new strands of lights...and maybe I can put colored lights in the garland and keep my beautiful gold tree and that will make my children happy and me happy.
This year I will be sit back close my eyes and imagine the lights that are lining my banister and smile, spend time with my children and enjoy the music and the CHOCOLATE...And pretend it was a totally perfect Christmas...Until next year.

First Update in a VERY Long Time!

This is a picture of the family in March of 2007.This is at our newest arrivals blessing, She was born in January 2007. Our little family is such a blessing. Each of my children are so wonderful in their own little way.

I forgot you were here.

In the crazyness of life, I had forgotten that I even had a blog. It has been 2 years since I last posted. When I came across my own blog again and reread the things I wrote it brought back soooooo many memories that it brought tears to my eyes.
Alot of things have changed in the last 2 years. New baby, new job, vacations, etc. That have gone without being written about. That makes me sad.
If I am blessed enough to have those events brought to my remembrance I will write about them, if not, they will be lost forever.

The Elusive Quiet Time

So here it is sunday, I have worked almost 48 hours this week on top of voulenteering at the kids school and all the other things that come with being the mom. I have the day off which is a miracle in and of itself and I desperately needed a nap. Do you think my children could be quiet for even a few minutes? Ofcoarse not the were fighting and crying and yelling and playing the whole time...that is until I was ready to get up. Then they were quiet sitting watching the end of their movie. Aargh.

Why do they do that?

I am learning about what the teenage years are going to be like. My oldest son has an excuse for everything. He doesn't want to do anything that doesn't have to do with his disc-man or his scooter or his friends. The sad part is he is only 10 years old. Like last night he pulled a fast one and didn't practice his viola, he came up with every excuse in the book when I was confronting him about it, on my lunch break. His teacher didn't give him something specific to practice, he didn't have his book, he didn't have to practice for 20 minutes only 15, and on and on. I was so frustrated I wanted to through him across the room. Ofcoarse I didn't but I sure wanted to. I don't know why they start acting this way and I don't know if I am up to the next 20 years of teenage brain damage that I have coming.

Losing a Loved One

I have always been afraid of the dying process, mainly because I have never experienced it before. But this weekend our beloved family pet, our dog Kiara died at home with her family. We spent the day sunday, knowing that she was going, making her comfortable, sharing memories, praying she would go quickly. These moments were hard but precious. The children talked about each of the special things they loved about her. We sat by her side and had family prayer. We cried and she cried with us. Hubby gave her a priesthood blessing and asked our Heavenly Father to take her quickly. She finally passed Sunday evening at 9:50 it was peaceful at the end and for that I am greatful. I am not afraid of the process as much anymore. I will be forever greatful for that last gift she gave me, and for the seven great years we shared with her. I know she is in a better place, happier, running free, and knowing that I can be at peace.

The Sleep Thief

Why is it that when you have the time to sleep your body won't sleep? I finally have a night to get to bed at a decent hour and my mind is going a mile a minute. There are things to get done, things to remember, things to anticipate, things to worry about, and my mind can't slow down enough to let my body slow down to let me get some rest. Maybe it is my body's way of keeping me ready for sleep deprivation when I need it. Maybe it thinks I need practice. Whatever it is it is driving me crazy.
I also hate how every persons sleep clock is different, it really does not allow for a full night of quiet when there are 8 different sleep clocks. I have Early to bedders, I have late nighters, I have inbetweeners, then I have early risers and sleeper inners. This never works for a period of time when everyone in the house feels well rested and happy and ready for whatever comes their way. There is always a cranky child that needs a nap. Why can't I as the mother set everyone's body clock to what fits my needs and purposes? After all I am the one that gave birth to them.

Moving at the Speed of Children

Why is it that children grow up faster than we would have it? My children are so independent, they don't need me. I am only here for the ride to school when they don't want to walk with their instruments. Or when they think they need money. When it comes to things that they think they can do by themselves they don't want mom to be near. Heaven forbid mom give them some guidance or reassure them. That is until they have triumphed and then they want to tell me all about it. So I guess that is the beauty of their independance, it is always me they want to share that with. I suppose I am blessed with many triumphs in my day and should be proud as they learn, on their own, life's little lessons.

Here is the First Chapter

This is the Nigh family BLOG. I am the mommy of this family. I hope to tell our family story here and try to put the little memories that are created each day here for me and others to read and find joy from. Family is about happiness and togetherness and creating a story. So here is our story.
We have six beautiful kids. They all are very unique but beautiful in their own way.
Tonight I sat through the first of, maybe, a million practice sessions for the viola and the cello. I am sure that it will not always go this smoothly but tonight was joyful. I love making music with my boys, even if all we did was clap rhythms it was bonding in a way that we have never bonded before and it was beautiful.