What's Happening Squire's???

So this post is mostly because I am getting ready to make my journal from my blog for the year 2011. So basically this is about what's been happening to the Squire Magnificent 7 since we have moved into our new house. (I have not been very good at blogging since the move). So here we go...

Josh had his 16th birthday. The kids wrote this on our drive way...

( Yes at our house we call Josh, Chosh thanks to Ben, don't tell anyone but Josh likes it)

We had the first day of school... Josh 11th grade, Trav 9th grade, Meg 6th grade, Jake 3rd grade

Jake played soccer, his team the strikers...

Ben had his 5th birthday, his party was all about the movie Cars

Travis had his Eagle Court of Honor

We had a Happy Halloween 2011

As much as I hate the fact the Travis is a trader and is no longer a BYU fan, I did forgive him just this once because he had the most awesome pumpkin this year. He did this all himself no tracing. Don't worry I am back to not forgiving him for being a trader!!!

My little guys got caught reading in dad and mom's bed.

(best place to read according to Jake & Ben)

Travis had his 15th birthday...

(I loved that Trav wanted ice cream sandwiches for his birthday dessert)

Jake got his Wolf in cub scouts. December 7, 2011

It has been a VERY busy half of year. I am really looking forward to next year in hopes that maybe things will slow done if only a little bit I would take it. As much as I love being a mom to my five children, I hate living in my car from the hours of 2:00 pm to 6:00pm daily. So maybe I will organize my life a little better next year. Oh wait that is what I will make as my
goal 2012!!!

Travis' Eagle Court of Honor...

This past Sunday was Travis' Eagle Scout Court of Honor, It was a really neat evening and here are some picture's of this great event...

Here is Travis telling everyone thank you for all the help and support that he has received. Travis wears his heart on his sleeve so it was a little hard for him to talk much. Sometimes it's not all about what you say but what you show....

Travis showing off surprise, surprise...
Travis' favorite merit badges where swimming and wood working. Well I couldn't fit a swimming pool in the church so we went with wood working. These are all the things Travis has made in the past 3 years....

Brian Berlin was Travis' assistant scout master, he said some really great things about Travis you could tell he really loved working with Travis...

Jerry Smith was Travis' scout master, I think it was great that everyone let Jake help and be part of this evening. Jake's favorite thing about himself is that he is a cub scout. Jerry also said some really special things about Travis and how Travis is such a great leader...

Here I am pinning on his Eagle, one of the greatest things as a mom I have done...

Travis gave him mentor pin to Nick Berlin who is serving a mission in Boston. So he wrote a letter and presented it to his parents to give to him. Travis loves Nick as a brother this was a very emotional thing for him, he misses Nick as much as Nick's family does. Brain and Carol mailed this to Nick's mission president with a letter telling him what and why Nick got this. They have asked him to give it to Nick and take picture's for them when he presents it to him....

Bishop Burns swearing Travis in as a Eagle scout...

Again a very emotional event for Travis I love this kid, as wild as he gets sometimes he is a really great young man...

Travis and us very proud parents....

My scouts I love them so much, proud momma moment...

Finally not to leave out Ben here is Jake, Trav & Ben...

So many son's I love it....

I Don't Feel Old...

Travis and Meg when the used to like each other Josh and Meg they where so cute together...
Now Meg is almost 12 and in young women's, in less than a year she is be in Jr. high...




Josh and Travis they where such cute fun little boys...
Now they are great young men who honor their priesthood...

So lately I have been feeling like "when did I become a mom with an older family?" I can remember not to long ago feeling like will the diaper changing, night feedings, play dates, the store trampers end. Now I find myself thinking and remembering those days like they where so long ago. I am now the mom of two teenage boys and a daughter who will be 12 and in young women's in 3 months. Over half of my children are going to be in high school and Jr. high. My baby is five and lets me know it at least two times a day. Their needing me for loves after they fall down or blow on their food when it is to hot has changed to needing me to take them to work, helping them plan their dates. It went from mom knowing what is cute to wear to mom please just let me show you what I will wear. It went from spending the mornings running around getting all the homework done and signed, doing hair, picking out clothes, making sure they brushed their teeth. To just making sure their lunches are made and talking them into wearing a jacket. I guess what I am getting at is I don't feel that old. I don't feel like I have a 16 year who is a 11th grade and starting to get paperwork for college. Or a 15 year old who starts his first day of work this Wednesday. I don't feel old enough to have a house full of teenage boys everyday asking me questions about girls because their moms don't understand and Josh and Travis' mom does. I think it helps that they know I will cook and bake of them, (having good food at all times is key to having your kids friends wanting to hang out at your house, this way you always know what they are doing and getting into). Gone are the days when in the evenings we had nothing going on. Now it is at least two things at a time going on and Lynn and I dividing and conquering. The weekends are so full that when Lynn and I don't have much going on we don't know what to do. I guess all of this remembering and all this going on in this blah, blah, blog post comes down to this, my family is growing up and now it is time I do too...

(Without getting old because I DON'T FEEL OLD)

Finally Here Taylor Swift Concert...

So it's finally here a good event, story, reason to blog again. To begin I have to go back to December 2010 and a little girl starting to talk about her all time favorite person in the world (besides me her mother of course) Taylor Swift. As she starts talking about how great she is as a person, singer, gorgeous woman she starts slipping in the fact that she is also coming in concert to Salt Lake. Fast forward to January 2011 her dad and I start asking her what she would like for her birthday in February. Well Meg wouldn't tell us she just would say whatever. Lynn, Meg and I were all sitting around the kitchen table on a Saturday afternoon, Meg still not saying what she would like for her birthday. So Lynn looked at her and said, "OK I guess we don't have to get you anything, I think mom and I will take that money and go on a date." Well that went well, she yelled out "NO, what I want is to go see Taylor Swift in concert". Meg being daddy's little girl, yes we all have faced it that she is a daddy's girl got her wish. Lynn went right to the computer and looked up tickets. After spending way to much money for broker fees to make sure we had tickets and after waiting 7 1/2 months, Meg finally got her birthday present. The best part of all this was the fact that we were able to talk her aunt Sheri into buying tickets and taking herself and McKenna with us on our girls night out. With McKenna's birthday just a few weeks before the concert in September it made it a little easier to talk them into it.

Fast forward to last night September 28th 2011, two little girls birthday wishes about to come true...

I think they were more than ready... Meg celebrating her 11th birthday, Kenna celebrating her 10th birthday Kenna you ROCK, what a great poster you made...

Their birthday dinner at Wingers,

their hands already for the concert.

Meg and I outside before the concert...

Sheri and Kenna outside before the concert.
Thank you Sheri for being willing to use up all of the phone battery to take picture's for us!
Meg and I had so much fun with Sheri and Kenna they made the night a memory of a life time.

Honestly these girls were so ready to have fun. I know Meg was happy to have me go with her but honestly without her best friend McKenna the night would not have been the same. Sheri text this picture to the concert and it made it onto the big screen at the concert. It was so cool and fun to see...

OK, so this next picture had the most work put into it out of the night. Why do you say this picture was work? Well let me tell you. The really cute Taylor shirts that the girls are wearing took me about 45 minutes of pushing my way though 1oo people to get. It was crazy no line or order at all to this. It was so bad Sheri and I couldn't even stay close by each other and she just ended up having me get what she wanted to get. Believe me people you have to really love your daughter to go though what Sheri and I did just for these shirts. Neither one of us wanted to go back empty handed.

This was so cool, Taylor Swift sat down right in front of us in this tree to sing 4 songs. I thought the girls had died and gone to heaven. I'm just glad they remembered to breath!!!

All in all this was one of the best highlights I have had as a mother. As silly as it sounds I teared up a few times just by watching Meg enjoy herself so much. It was worth every dime I spent to see her so happy. It was worth every minute we had to wait the past 7 1/2 months. It was worth going to a concert that I really didn't know much about the music I was listening to. Taylor Swift put on the best concert I have ever been to!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS MEG

I LOVE YOU!!!

School Shopping Again???

Well it's that time of year again, when moms all over start stressing, sleeping less and rejoicing all at the same time. Yep, it's time for the kiddo's to go back to school. Normally I really am happy and can't wait but this year I feel a little cheated that summer has come and gone and I haven't even had time to stop and see it, it just ran on by. So this week I have devoted my days to getting my children ready to go back to school. I was doing fine until I went to go buy them shoes. You know buying shoes for 5 people all at once was all it took to put me into a panic. Really, are shoes that much even at a bogo sale? I guess so because that's all it took for me to go into sticker shock. I guess if I didn't have to buy 2 pairs of men's and one pair of woman's I would have been fine. But no, my family has grown up so much that I only have 2 in children sizes, therefore this year school shopping was sticker shock for me and my bank account. When I sit back and think about it I will have 3 teenagers starting this coming February. Life just isn't suppose to go so fast, they were suppose to be my little babies forever, in some way I guess they will always be. Ok, so back to school shopping, after 5 pairs of shoes, 8 shirts, 3 bags of new socks, 4 new pairs of pants, 4 new backpacks, and almost $500.00 in school fees, I think I got a good start at getting the back to school shopping done (that really only gave each kid one new outfit). In less than a week I will be back to it with all the long lists of stuff they need for their classes. So I'm not worried sticker shock will be back to visit me soon. I just keep asking myself "Who wanted a big family?" Oh yea, ME!!!

It's Summer I Think?

It's summer I think, I really don't know it's been such a crazy few months I can't remember what month or day it is. So I thought before all of this is over and I move on I would blog (record) my families few months. This way I can always remember the summer of 2011. This summer so far has bought one big move to a new house, one trip to Sweden for Josh 8 months in planning, mom and dad Light's 50th wedding anniversary book and party, two lawns to take take of, two house's to move and take care of, countless doctor and eye doctor visits, orthodontist visits, and almost 15 pounds lost ( I like this one), Josh's 16th birthday and driver's permit, scouts camps, a break in our new home, the next day a flood in the yard and the yard of our three new neighbors, trek for the boys, and a flood in one of the basement rooms in the new house. Right now I'm thinking maybe this house is cursed (jk). This new home has been a blessing and right about now it is starting to look like the dream home I always wanted. I know it's August and I still have a list a mile long of what I have to do. I still have planning my parents big party, school to prepare four of my five children for, a trip to Lagoon (our vacation this year), one more big scout camp, Josh's big coming home celebration, mom and dad coming home from their mission and more things than I can or have time to write down.

All in all it's good to be busy, but this summer is just crazy!!!

Well there is always next summer to relax and enjoy...

My son Travis...

Travis' Eagle project painting crosswalks for the National Guard

A few weeks ago Travis had his broad of review for his Eagle. As of May 22nd 2011 Travis Squire is an Eagle Scout. I just want to tell Travis how proud I am of him he works so hard and is such a tender heart. Congrats Trav I love you!!!

Just a little Update...(or complaining however you what to see it)

So this month has been a fast and crazy one already. I'm really looking forward to August, "yes" August when all the big stuff of the summer and the year for that matter are over. As you know we finally closed on the most beautiful home I could have ever imagined living in. But to have this perfect home for our family it calls for a lot of work "A LOT" of work. It is one of those things you get yourself into thinking "oh it's not that bad". Well, wrong it is that bad, I think I would feel different if I didn't have a hundred other things on my "to do list" right now. I do have some picture's of before and during, I hope to have some after as well soon (maybe) that I will be posting (one day when there is more than 24 hours in the day). Besides the house Lynn and I are a Ma & Pa for our stake youth conference so you guess it one more BIG thing on the plate. I do have to thank my mother-in-law who is helping me so much with sewing and honestly giving me the best advice I have had in a long time. "It's OK to take a break", so little did she know I was going to show up this afternoon at her house to take that break. Thank you anyway for letting me hang and sit for awhile it was very nice and just what the doctor (mother-in-law) ordered. So between two houses, two yards to keep up and one BIG trek, I'm hoping to get back to life, "OH WAIT" that's right I have to move. Yes, so the chaos continues, yes after the house with A LOT of work is done I have to pack and move my family into it. "Oh ya" and lets not forget about finishing getting Josh ready for his big trip to Sweden at the end of July. He will leave the day after his 16th birthday. So there you have the reason why I can't wait for August, getting the kids ready for school in August sounds like a piece of cake after June & July!!! Ok ,Ok, I'm done complaining, boy I'm really good at that these days :) haha...

"End Of School Year 2011"

Another school year has come and gone, Jake moves onto 3rd grade, Meg goes into 6th, Travis will be a freshmen, Josh will be a Junior. I really don't know where the time goes. I remember Josh starting kindergarten. The older the kids get time seems to move faster. Here are some pictures from this last month of school and the things we have been up to.

Meg had her year end concert, she plays the viola...

Travis got an award for the most improved wrestler...

We had Jake's end of school play, he was 3 different kinds of vegetable...

(I must say this was the cutest play/concert I have been to all year. Mrs. Jensen class rocks!!)
Jake the Beet...

Jake the Green Onion...

Jake the Ear of Corn...

It's been a great school year, very busy but what else is new about that. These days the Squire family is always busy, and I wouldn't have it any other way!!!

It's a crazy family, but it's mine...

"IT'S A CRAZY FAMILY,BUT IT"S MINE" I would like to take just a moment to say how blessed I am, and how thankful I am to have a crazy family. A family that's crazy together, stays together forever! This past few months, yes months that Lynn and I have had to go through to get into this home has been crazy. I think the red tape you have to go through to buy a government HUD home is crazy and they need to change something to make it just a little easier. But even through all the mess and craziness of running around trying to get every piece of paper they need, my kids have been great. They are still laughing and having fun. It makes my days go by just a little better. I want to thank Ben, Trav, and Josh for making me laugh at least once a day with their crazy talk!!

I love you guys, I have to be the most blessed mom to have such great children!!

(I'm sure getting your dad's since of humor might have helped a little)
And yes they can't seem to take a nice picture with out the silly one's first...

17 Years with my Best Friend...

This past weekend Lynn and I had our 17th anniversary. We didn't have anything planned other than our three youngest going camping with grandma and grandpa Squire. With all the headache of trying to close on this new home, and Lynn spending a lot of extra time at work, he just got done doing a MTC training, he decides to take the week off. It was so nice and a nice relaxing week for Lynn. On Friday we got the kids ready and off to grandma's we went. Then we went to lunch and talked about what we wanted to do, go to a movie, a play, shopping? Well we didn't really know so I thought maybe a long ride. Lynn and I have always loved going on rides but with five kids it's not so much fun these days. Lynn liked the idea but where to go east, west, north? They all had snow and rain so south it was. With just the clothes on our back and our coats in the back seat off we went for the day. Lynn is my best friend and it is not hard to get in a car and start talking to each other. That is what we did, we talked about everything under the sun. Next thing we knew we where almost to Beaver, well if we are almost to Beaver then we need to go to the cheese factory. Lynn went and got his cheese and than we did one of the most fun and spontaneous things Lynn and I have done. Lynn said, "well we are close to Cedar City lets keep going", so we got back on the road and off we went. Dinner time we where at Cedar City, we stopped and had a nice dinner. Than Lynn said, "well we are close to St. George", I said "yes we are" so back on the road we went. At 7:00 pm we drove into St. George again with just the clothes on our backs and Lynn's wallet (because I never take my purse when I am with Lynn) we got a room at the Fairfield Inn. We went to the store to get some snacks and a brush for my hair. We spent the night watching movies, talking more, and snacking. This was great and so out of character for us. Saturday morning we had a nice breakfast and decided to take the long way home on the back roads which took us through Zions national park. A drive that should have taken us 5 hours took us 7 and we didn't get home until late afternoon. This was truly a wonderful anniversary and I love the fact I got do to all this with my best friend.

I LOVE YOU BABE, YOU ARE MY BEST FRIEND!!!

Why I will not be Blogging much!!!

Ok so I have not blogged for over a month and the reason why is because we decided it was time to buy a home. So this is a long story I will try to tell as a short story here goes. We have been living in my parents home for 18 months why they have been serving a mission in Nauvoo. Lynn and I have been wanting to buy a home for about 18 months now, but we knew my parents needed someone to live in their home. About three weeks ago on Saturday we were taking Travis to yet another birthday party in the neighborhood (Ivory Highlands) that we loved and knew we would never afford to live in. We drove around because well that is what we like to do and there is was, our future home and why I will not be blogging for awhile. We have been looking at this home for over a year and knew that they had dropped the price to a reasonable price that we could afford. So Lynn called and they said there was already an offer in, but Lynn asked if we could see it anyway. We went that next Monday afternoon and put our best offer in. The realtor let us know that it only takes about 24 to 48 hours to know back with an HUD home. We thought that's funny they hadn't answered back on the other offer. At 10:30 pm Monday night we put on bid in, on Tuesday about 10:30 am we got an "yes" on our offer. We went in and stole it right from the other person's offer who have been working on getting this home for 4 days. With in one day we went from not sure when to buy a home to on our way to being home owners again YEPPY!!! I came home and called my mom to let her know I'm sorry but we just had an offer excepted on a home. She started to tear up and told me they were just told they had a release date October 6th. I know the Lord had his hand in this blessing for both my parents and for us. So like I said, this is a HUD home and needs work so the next few months will be work, work, work on the home. But to be in the neighborhood we love and have a home we love and the bonus of staying in the same schools for our kids it is all worth the hard work. I don't think I mentioned I love having a clean canvas to work with in this home. It's going to be beautiful and if I keep telling myself this, I won't start to hate all the work.... Here are some pic's of the home....

The master bedroom/bathroom has no walls, the whole house has no flooring...

I do not like the kitchen but I'm excited to remodel it. At the price we are paying we can afford to do the work on it that we would like....

Hallway, hall bath, master bedroom, I love the windows...