Talk about talent

He almost blew his face off and singed a huge bald spot on on the other side of his head at the same time.
That's our boy!

Speaking of the forth of July

When I think of the forth of July and Fire works I think of Jacob.
He loved to play with them and never worried about any thing he had done this so many times he could do it in his sleep. I worried too much. I let the little ones do sparkles on the bridge and then we went far far away from the older children and especially Jacob.
This is July 2007 when Jacob and Josh were playing. Jacob thought it was a dud and leaned right over it to check? He got up and bore his testimony the next Sunday and told everyone what he had done. For the next two years he will be safe. =)He won't have as much fun but he has his memories and his eye lashes.

My Mom, Nana, Papa, Aunt K, and Uncle Walt

From the left this is my Papa Clarence, Aunt Kim, my mother Lynne, my Uncle Walt, My Nana Thelma. They all live in Florida. We get to see them in July!
I love to go back and visit. I love you very much.
These are people who made me who I am today, and I thank them for it.

This is Haylee when she was eight months old. Her Daddy put her in a box, I guess she was a presant.

Jessica

This is Jessica at her 8th grade band concert. She plays the trumpet and is learning to play the piano. She is teaching herself.
She is going into the tenth grade and in the upward bound program. She spent June at Crowder in the dorms. Next week she will be going to Chicago with the program.
She is a wonderful big sister and little sister too.
She is a great daughter and missionary.
There isn't anything I can think of she can't do.
I hope she knows how much is is loved and how special she is. We do tell her a lot.

When it rains a lot it floods.

This is our yard after it rained all night and all day the next day.
This raging river doesn't usually exist. There is usually a very shallow creek and then about fifteen feet before the bottom of the bridge.
There is a small path that usually goes strait under the bridge, instead it spread out almost all the way to the driveway. I thought this was unbelievable but the fact it was back to normal the very next day, that was unbelievable.
I love Missouri it is beautiful and amazing.

This was a fun day.

Jacob bite off a little more than he could chew. He thought they were little and it would be easy to take them down. Brooklyn, Mariah, Joseph, James, Jennifer, and Haylee out numbered him by far.
He tried to tackle them and they took him down every time. He ran from Brooklyn and she wrapped herself around his legs and he went down like a big tree.
The next morning was Sunday and Jacob saw Brooklyn and told her what a beautiful dress she was wearing. This was not normal for Jacob, he must have felt everyone turn to him because he explained himself. He said it was beautiful because she couldn't wrestle him in it.
What sweet memories they made that day.

Jordan made us do it

They were helping Jordan make bread and eating a little dough and having lots of fun.
I asked them how they got flour all over their faces and they blamed Jordan.
These are the moments they will remember and I am so glad to have a picture of it.
Jordan is seventeen and with Brooklyn 10, Jennifer 6, and Haylee 2, they will need a little help remembering how much time they spent with her and all the fun they had.
To Jordan it was a little thing to let them play in the dough and flour while she made bread, she may remember cleaning it up a little more.
I hope she will be able to look back on days like this and be happy about her big family and especially her little sisters.

Happy Birthday Brooklyn

This is Brooklyn (and Joseph).
I have pictures of them separately but not many they are together a lot. They are about two months apart.
Brooklyn turned ten today!
She has been extremely independent since the day she was born. She was my fifth child and my second home birth. We had a water bed and when ever one of us would roll over it would send the bed rolling and I would have a few small contractions this went on for the last couple months of my pregnancy. I got up early to go to the bathroom and realized that one or the other of us had "rolled over" consistently most of the night, I was in labor! I let myself wake up enough to time them for a little while but there was no doubt. I called my mid-wife and told her, I also added that she was coming faster than the others. I called my dad and step mom for them to come over. Everyone was there with in an hour and Brooklyn was there with in two.
I was in labor that I could almost sleep through for a while and actual labor for three hours from start to finish. When it was time to push I remembered what a good friend told me, if you have strong but controlled pushes you won't rip. I would push through one contraction and then breath through the next. I could feel Brooklyn coming down and the water rushing out while I relaxed and breathed. I worked through one contraction and then she worked through the next. It was amazing, I would remember the birth experience as I looked down at her for months later and love her even more for her "easy" birth. (she was 9lbs and 5oz and I didn't rip)
I put my mothers name and her fathers middle name into her name. Lynne and Ray BrookLYN RAYn. Her father passed away January 2007 and I am happy she has that connection.
Scott and I met when she was 5. She called him dad while we were still talking on the phone, we hadn't even met yet. The kids favorite question was whens the wedding wheres the ring"
"Not if but when and it wasn't up to me anyway". When we met Scott's extended family had already planned a fifth Sunday get together and his moms house was packed. I was helping in the kitchen and heard Brooklyn loudly and excitedly calling Dad and running through the house.
I went to find out what was going on, to find that she had lost her tooth, her first tooth!
She ran past me to find him. It still makes me smile because they have been that close from the start and it has and will continue to bless them both. (He adopted my girls except Heather and we were sealed to them the summer of 2006)
I love you Brooke! Happy Birthday and thank you for being my child.

My time at work outside the home

This is me at Bright Ideas Enrichment Center.
We had three cars break down with in a week and six kids in braces. We had made arrangements with a couple of the kids to make their own payments in exchange for good running cars before they left home and a mission. One of the children changed their mind and another needed the car sooner than expected and we ended up in a financial tail spin. We knew me working would be temporary and that made it easier. Being a full time mom and a full time employee takes a lot out of anyone and effects the family but I was glad that I could be in the field that I was. I was able to take Haylee with me for half the cost and never worked weekends. The best thing about working is that I love kids and teaching. It is hard when the children aren't yours and you don't set the rules. I came home with a lot of stories of some of my worst days. I think my children saw the best of my sense of humor then.
I also had an opportunity to share my beliefs and testimony with my co workers and that was worth the whole experience. I hope I have made some lasting friendships and I know I have made a lasting impression on the children. I am happy to be at home and happy for the experience.

Negociating skills of the two year old.

This is Haylee she is two. She has recently mastered potty training. She doesn't need help but she still wouldn't go by herself. She would track me down to tell me she had to go potty, I would say "okay go" then she would say "come wit me". Last week I went "wit" her and started to help her up on the potty and she told me she could do it herself. so I asked her why was I here? she said"because I love you" how do you argue with that?
This week I decided it was time for her to start going by herself. I told her every time she went potty alone I would give her two m&ms. She was excited and told me when she had to go and then went by herself. It was a great idea and it was working as I had planned.
The problem came after ward, when she came for the m&ms. I was careful not to let her see where I had gotten them and gave her two m&ms, but then she negotiated four?
Don't ask me how the negotiating skills of the two year old trump the physiology skills of their mom but it is written somewhere,it happened to other mothers too.

Trying to get all of the kids together is like trying to nail jello to a tree.
This is 12 out of fourteen of the children. We are missing Nickie 17 and Alicia 16.
This was taken Jacob's last Sunday at home.
For Sacrament meeting Scott and Jacob and I gave talks. Jacob chose the topics, I had Christ our Savior, Scott had Christ our teacher and Jacob had Christ our friend.
Scott was confused he thought he had Christ our friend but Jacob assured him Christ was not Dad's friend he was Jacobs.
Scott and the boys sang the first verse of "I hope they call me on a mission" and then we all sang "I believe in Christ" together.
It was incredible! The spirit was so strong.
In the picture we have from left to right starting in the back Jacob, Josh, and Heather.
Mariah, Scott, Haylee, Julia, Jessica, Jordan, Laura, Joseph, Brooklyn, James, and Jennifer in the front.
It is a beautiful picture but it makes me sad to be missing any family members.
Does anyone know how to photo shop?

St. Louis Temple

Scott took this on a youth temple trip. It is one of our favorite pictures.
From left to right we have:
Jacob who is in the MTC, Julia away at college,
Jordan getting ready to take her GED in July and then staying home to go to college.
Alicia also home preparing for her GED this summer. Nickie also home preparing for her GED, she wants to be a cosmetologist.
Jessica is in 10th grade looking forward to being the first in the family to graduate traditionally.
She also wants to serve a mission.

Christmas at our house could be a little crazy,
and why not in someways it is like many other days. Our home is full of children, noise, laughter,
fun and a little craziness. Brooklyn's face shows the true joy of Christmas some excitement, surprise, and thrill.
I love the mountain of wrapping paper that we know we would run out of.
There is still some behind my bedroom door for next year. =)

This is me and Scott with Haylee in the middle where she thinks she belongs.
She will wake up in the early hours of the morning to go potty or because she rolls over and realizes she is alone and come to our bed. Usually I try to slide over and put her on the outside.
In her sleep she says no... I want in the middle.
Her dad just laughs and slides over.
She is our last and even in our sleep we know how fast she will grow.

This is Jennifer she is six years old and she just finished kindergarten. She is holding her one hundred day project. We cut up an old plastic vine plant and glued one hundred leaves on the cardboard tree. We had a lot of fun, it turned into a family project.

Critter Creek Family blog

My name is Laura and this is a blog for my family. I hope it's big enough. =)
My husband and I got married the summer of 1986 to other people. We started having children and some might say we got carried away. We were married for 17 years and then divorced with in three months of each other. We met on the church web site LDS Planet on April 28th and talked every day for a month. I took my kids to meet him and his kids May 28th and I guess you would say things went well. We got engaged May 30th and we were married September 4th 2004.
He had 8 children all of them lived with him. I had 5 children and all of them lived with me.
We talked a lot about it before we decided to have one together and she is a blessing to our whole family. This is a family picture taken the summer of 2006. We had 12 out of 14 children living at home. Julia is off to college and Jacob is on a mission for the church. Our two oldest are out on their own working and doing their own thing.
We are down to 10 at home. We all fit around the table now. =)