What the heck?? And here I am . . . 4 years later . . . and still going strong!

I'm BAAACCCKK! I remembered somewhere, deep in my brain, that I had started this blog years ago. It was really fun to read the old posts. My kids were so little!! We were still jobless! Things have definitely changed.
Lets see... we left off in Feb of 2011. We are still loving Rexburg. Arthur was offered a job as a Teacher Specialist at JCC, a juvenile corrections center in St. Anthony, Idaho. The great thing about it is that we got to stay here in Rexburg, he is FINALLY teaching, and we got to buy our first house! We really felt grown up!

Ezri is 14! Can you believe it?? She's gorgeous! She is such a fun, wonderful daughter. She's already taller than me. She loves her cousins, loves her Ipod, and loves anime. I mean, LOVES it. She's always watching something or reading something that I have no clue what it is about . . . even if she explains it to me. I'm glad her and Arthur can share that part of her life together because I just don't get it. She's kind of at that awkward age right now. To young to get a job, to young to drive. She never has the money she wants for her unquenchable need for Taco Bell. It's weird to think that I only have a few more years with her. Being a parents is hard. It's hard to see your kids go through so much change and SO fast when it feels like I stay the same. I hope she never gets over needing me. She's got so much a head of  her! She is going to take French this next year. She wants to be a Chef and thinks that French will help her with that. She's always up and down with her friends here. She's learning the hard way to stand up for herself. I sure do love this girl! I'm excited to see where life takes  her.

Check out this handsome young man! Xavier is 12 now. He's growing and GROWING! He's even taller than Ezri! His feet are 2 sizes bigger than Arthur's! He's loving Young Men's and is currently on a week long leadership training called Cedar Badge. He's definitely a camper. If he's not outside floating in the canal or trying to catch wild things down by the river, he's in the basement watching survivor documentaries. HA! He's going to be in the Jr. High this next year. He and Ezri will be walking to the same school. He still struggles in school a bit. I actually attended a day with him last year to let him know how serious I am about his education. He's a very loving boy. He's always ready with a hug for me. He and Arthur butt heads quite a bit. Maybe it's the age. Maybe it's because Arthur is surrounded by criminal boys all day long... who know. We do love this boy and are so happy about the great young man his growing into.

Tanis! Still our family clown.  He'll be 11 this year. He will be changing schools and going to the Middle School. He loves Legos, still the guy who LOVES his video games, and eating. That pretty much sums him up. His favorite food pizza. In fact, he asks if we can have pizza at least 4 times a week. He enjoys playing with his friends. Unfortunately all of his good friends live far across town so that has been a little inconvenient. He's great in school. His teachers always love him. He is actually turning into quite the writer and has written several stories his teacher just raved about. He's not really into the scout thing. Maybe it's the age, but he pretty much likes to test limits to see how much he can get away with doing or not doing. It's a stage all the kids have seemed to go through. I guess it's his turn. Even though he's a turd, I couldn't imagine our family without Tanis! Our wonderful middle child.

And next up . . . Zarek! He's 9 this year. Zar Jer is our softie. Our Lovie Dovie. He is our cautious child. He is completely fine watching all the other kids float down the river on rafts but won't go himself because What if?? I think he gets a lot of this from me. I'm the same way! He LOVES to have his back scratched. I can usually see him coming from across the room, backing up towards me. Yeah, I know what he is asking. He loves when Grandma Talbert comes because she gives the best back scratches. He is great in school. His teacher are trying to encourage him to have confidence in himself and his work. He tends to give up if the going gets hard. He is extremely dependable. Always the first to get his chores done and always willing to do what ever is asked. Zarek is such a sweet heart.

Last but not least... Ryker. He's grown a lot since the last picture. He just turned 6. He definitely knows what he wants and usually wants it all NOW. He loves video games like his brothers. He is very active and jumps and runs all day. He graduated Kindergarten and is excited about going into all day school next year. (So am I!!) He loves to eat, but only what he wants to eat. He is a junk food junkie! It's  hard to get him to sit and eat a Sunday dinner since he "doesn't like" everything. He loves to be with his brothers but is perfectly content to be by himself as well. He is funny! He loves to tell jokes and make people laugh. LOVE HIM!!

Well, other then the kids which make up 99% of my day, I like to garden and sew. I've also taken up raising chickens which I totally love. Arthur has been painting miniatures. He is very good at it. We are a month into summer break. The kids are all bored out of their minds, and I refuse to let them waste their days playing mind numbing video games all day. Is seems kids these days have lost their ability to imagine! They will all be spending a week at Grandma Longaker's house this August. A whole week without kids for me!?! I'm going to be so bored! LOL!

Wow, it's been a long time since I've seen you Blogspot!

Has it really been over a year since I've written? I can't believe how fast time flies. This winter has been going on FOREVER it seems. Every time I open the door in the morning, we have a fresh layer of snow on top of at least 4 feet piled up in my front yard. I've had enough!! I'm ready for spring and for warm! I guess I live in the wrong part of the country to wish for a spring that begins before May.

Ezri is excelling in 4th grade. She reads like a pro and has made some really cute friends. She is preparing for middle school next year! It's on to the big leagues . . . I think she's a little nervous but I know she'll do great.

Xavier is . . . mostly bored. This winter has been especially hard on him. He loves being outside but with 20 below temps, not much playing outside has been going on! I just had parent teacher conferences and his teacher said he is doing great. There was a little trouble involving another little boy. I guess they thought it would be fun to empty out all the soap out of the dispenser in the boys bathroom! Yikes. He learned his lesson.

Tanis is as silly as usual. He is the family clown. That kid has some killer dance moves! He's always striking a pose and shaking his bootie. He loves to make people laugh and can talk your ear off. He lost his first tooth. He pulled it out all by himself and was very proud. He is such a funny little guy.

Zarek is going through a bratty phase right now. He likes to test limits. I think it's because he has nothing better to do! He is pretty stubborn. He loves Diego cartoons but would deny it if you asked him. He doesn't want to look babyish in front of his brothers! He's testing his limits with bad words . . . One thing I do not put up with! But he's coming along. It must be hard to have 2 older brothers. He starts Kindergarten this year. I think it will be just what he needs.

Ryker is growing so fast! My last little baby! He must know it because he clings on to me as if his live depends on it! It's a little exhausting. We went to Utah this last weekend to visit my family and my mom said, "Boy! Now I know what you are taking about! He always wants to be held!" Tell me about it mom! I can't get anything done. We are trying desperately to get him to sleep in his own bed and through the night. It's not going so well. I think I spent most of last night awake then sleeping. I know that this, too, shall pass. I just wish it would pass a little faster.

Arthur and I are the same as always. I don't think I could make it through my day without the knowledge that every minute that passes is one closer to when Arthur gets home. He is such a wonderful husband and dad. He is searching for a better job and hopefully something will be in store for him.
I have been babysitting. Around kids 24-7 . . . . It's a lot of work for hardly any money but it lets me stay at home and raise my own babies. Life is good. It will be even better this weekend when we get our tax return in!!
Love to you all,
Sarah

Does anybody even read these things anymore??

I just now remembered that I have a Blog! Maybe I should write in it. There just isn't much to report. We are still here, in the little house we are renting, and moving, hopefully, into Spring. I am SOOO ready for Summer! Rexburg winters are killer, but luckily this one hasn't been so bad. The worst thing is that the kids are in the house all day every day. Poor little guys and girl. I know I get cabin fever. Luckily I have a Wal Mart to go wander around. We are still searching for jobs. We submitted an application to a job in Afton, Wyoming. Hopefully something will come out of that. Bad part of that, though, Afton doesn't even have a Wal Mart. What will I ever do?

The kids are doing well in school. After last parent teacher conferences Xavier's teacher said she thought we should get him tested for ADHD. You know, I'm just not willing to face that yet. I know he probably has some ADD, but don't we all??? Sometimes I don't know what is considered ADD and what is just normal kid behavior. He is such a super smart little kid. He and I just made our own secret hand shake that we practice several times a day.

Ezri is doing wonderful in school. She loves it and I really hope it stays that way. She is still so friend oriented. That girl is so funny! She has the greatest sense of humor. She has already perfected the art of sarcasm. I think she learned it from me.

Tanis and Zarek are busy as usual. Their days usually consist of X box, eating, and more X box. Zarek is quite good, and Tanis is even better. The other day Zarek informed us that he had a "election" of pull ups. We found out he's been stashing away his used pull ups in the closet. He was quite proud of his collection. Yuck. I think Tanis will be really happy to go to school next year. I can't believe that. I'll have 3 out of the house! 2 more to go!


Ryker is adorable, as always. He is 7 months old now and has learned to drag himself around. He can now clap on command and gives very wet, sloppy kisses. I love it. I'm so excited to see him grow up but sad at the same time knowing he's my last little baby.


I'll just have to snuggle the new babies that my sibling have. My brother Andy and his wife Yula are expecting a baby boy this summer. I'm so excited for them. Well, I hope it's not another year until I write in this again. I need to be better about this. Hope all who reads is happy and healthy. Love to all!

Holy Cow! Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

I can't believe that it's been 5 months since I've blogged. I also can't believe how much has happened in those five months. Time slows down for nobody!

We had our fifth (and last) baby on June 18th. Ryker Jay Deen has joined our family weighing in at 8 lbs 14 oz. He was not too happy about being born and made me work really hard for him! He is such a beautiful little baby. He's almost 6 weeks old already and is smiling. It's nice to be recognized once in a while and those smiles just melt my heart. The kids have really done well with him. Xavier has claimed him more than any other. He loves to hold him and I can already see the mischevieous plans Xavier has rolling aound in his little head about all he will teach this new little guy. I know it won't be long until Ryker is running around with the rest of them.

We moved into a new house just last week. Our lease ran out on the old place so it's to a new house . . . AGAIN. My poor kids think this is normal to move every year. I am really looking forward to a time when we stay somewhere for multiple years. I was a little worried about this new place since it is quite a bit smaller than the old house, but I think it fits us just fine. It's got a huge backyard so we were able to put up the trampoline and the swingset for the kids. They love being ouside and I love sending them there. The street we live on seems to be a very tight community. Ezri is loving it because she has found about 10 friends and I haven't seen her since. I think we will like it here.

Arthur graduated from college. Now it's trying to find a job. It's proving to be very challenging to find something for him to do. He loves his job at Melaleuca and I think he'd rather, in some ways, just stay there in his comfort zone. We are getting a lot of pressure from other people to be more dedicated to the job search. We know that the right opportunity will come along soon. Until then, we are really enjoying living here in Rexburg. Being poor isn't so bad. As long as you have frinds who are poorer than you! Ha!

Well that about wraps it up for me. We've survived another half a year. On to whatever the rest of the year brings. Hopefully it's something good. Love to all!

Updates

It has been quite a while since I've written. We have been busy as usual. I always think it's a great idea to babysit to make a few extra bucks during the semester, but then end up hating myself because of it. Babysitting really makes me appreciate my own kids. When I only have my 4, life is easy! We found out that our 5th baby is going to be another little boy! I am way excited even though I mostly got apologies when I told people the news. I have to admit, It would have been fun to have another little girl to dress up. Ezri stopped letting me dress her up long ago! She won't even let me do her hair! I think another boy is going to fit into this crazy family just perfectly. Zarek broke his leg right before Thanksgiving. He was jumping off my bed and must have landed wrong. He wore a bright red cast for about 6 weeks. At first it was pretty hard on him, but he soon learned to walk with it and did just fine. It took a good 3 weeks for him to walk right on his leg. He was pretty gimpy for awhile. Now he's back to running and climbing . . . right into the next accident I'm sure. Xavier lost his first tooth. He pulled it out all by himself! He got a little freaked out when he saw the blood. I think he used about a half roll of toilet paper to aid in the process. The tooth fairy forgot about coming until the last minute and he ended up with $5 for his first tooth because that's all we had! I made sure it was clear that the first tooth was extra special and to not expect that kind of pay off every time. I would go broke! We had another visit to the emergency room last Friday. Tanis slipped and hit the back of his head on the fireplace. I can't believe how much heads bleed! He ended up with 4 staples to close up about an inch long gash. He was very brave and talked the nurses ear off. That kid can make a conversation with anybody. Not much to report about Ezri. She is doing great in school and loves to play with her friends whenever she can. Arthur is only taking one class this semester and is scheduled to take his teacher certification test in March. We will be (hopefully) starting the application process soon so we can find a place to live and work for awhile. I am excited and nervous for all these changes coming up. Hopefully we will survive.

Blah Blah! October is Over!

I probably say this in every entry, but time goes too fast! The month of October was full of fun for the Deen family. Of course, the grand finale of it all, Halloween!
I have always wanted to have a Halloween party but have never lived anywhere big enough or even had enough friends to invite! This year we finally did it and I think it turned out great. It was pretty stressful planning, and I wanted to bag it several times, but I'm glad we didn't. We had some great costumes and great food.

Another exciting thing that happened in October was that Arthur and I found out we are expecting baby #5! We are excited, a little bit nervous and a whole lot overwhelmed already! (At least I am!) I have been feeling pretty good up until these last couple days. I am so not ready to be sick! I hate that part of pregnancy! But, to get the baby, you do what you gotta do! The kids were less then thrilled. Ezri pouted and said, "It's just going to be another boy!" Chances are leaning in the boy direction, but there's always hope. I would love to have my "girl book ends" as my mother-in-law puts it. Xavier was fine and decided we have to name the baby Allen, after the main character in Jumanji, and Tanis is ok with it as long as we name the baby Shark Boy. So, Shark Boy Allen Deen it is.

The kids enjoyed Trick-or-treating. It seems by the time Halloween is actually here, we are all so sick of dressing up that we trick-or-treat in our regular clothes plus accessories- such as cape, with hat . . . Oh well. Whatever gets the candy!
We started November off with a Bang! Zarek took a flying leap off my bed and broke his leg. We just got the cast on today and he has to keep it on for 6 weeks. He has been miserable, but I hope that now that his cast is on, he will feel much better.

Ezri's birthday was on the 2nd. I can't believe my baby is 8 years old! She will be baptized on Dec 6th, so mark your calendars and come on down!
Well, I'm hoping that things slow down a bit here. I'm ready for some down time. I hope all is well with you and that you had a fun, safe holiday.

Fall Is Here... or maybe Winter

Well the weather here in Rexburg is getting colder and colder . . . We even got snow the other day! I'm so not ready for winter yet. I'm still craving the sun and warmth. I guess I really need to pick another place to live if that is what I want. We all went to Yellowstone this last Saturday. It was SOOOOO cold up there. It snowed the whole way there and the whole way back. We didn't see a single cool animal, and by the time we wanted to go home, the park had closed the road to get out. We had to wait an hour in a parking lot. At least we can say that we went. Old Faithful was cool. It just seemes like a waste to pay 25 bucks to get into the park and to only have seen a bunch of steam errupt from the ground. Maybe we'll have to go again in the spring. Hopefully we'll hve better luck then. I have really been getting into the Halloween mood lately. I want to throw a party here but am having a hard time getting started. Halloween decorations are expensive! Especially when starting from scratch. The kids and I made bats this morning. They turned out pretty cute. Other then this, not much has been going on. Arthur went back to student teaching this morning. He was really nervous! I'm sure he'll get back into the swing of things fast. I'm just going to miss him being gone all the time again. I really liked having him home. On a lighter note, Zarek is potty trained!! I can't believe I am done with diapers! It's been 8 long years and I'm so excited to not have to change any more of my kids poopy diapers. Yay for me. I hope eveyone is happy and healthy. Happy Halloween!