Happy Birthday Aiden!

We started today off with wishing our firstborn, Aiden, a very happy birthday. Seven years ago today, the first of the Bishop boys joined our family. We're so very grateful for our smart and caring little guy. He was the best Christmas present we could have hoped for! The crazy Christmas Eve stuff will come later. More on that next time.

A Visit with Santa

We have a great guy at work that makes it possible for our kids to have a visit with Santa. It makes it so that we don't have to haul the kids to the mall or anything. Each year our employee rec committee sponsors it and it is so great! Here's the little ones with Santa's helper.

Merry Christmas Everybody!

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SNOWBALL FIGHT!!!

The Book of Bishop

Now behold, it came to pass in the commencement of the eleventh month of the reign of the five Bishop boys, an exhausted mother and father attempted to keep on top of the arduous task of keeping a house and entertaining five spirited boys.

A small one answering to the name of Jace, had the single-most talent of destroying anything in his path either with his brute strength, for he was unnaturally strong for his age, or with the wiles of his small two-year-old mind. On many occasions he was found on top of a high object such as the kitchen island, the washing machine, or the top bunk found in the bunk house at the end of the home on Indian Rain. On one particular morning, the mother had to throw all of her plans of grocery shopping and post office errands to clean up the strategically sprinkled laundry soap after a chance happening with All and a little, green scoop. Who knew that those green scoops could entertain for so long? After the mess was created, the mother just allowed the fun to continue for it kept the wee one from other messes for the time being and it allowed her to put sheets on the bed before tackling the aforementioned disaster area.

Wherefore, the mother of this little elf-like boy still loved him dearly, for no one in the world gave tight squeezes such as his. And the Father hath shown great wisdom in creating such angelic faces and crafting such precious speech development in the world’s two year old population to keep them alive despite their parents’ frustrations.

And it shall be said that the oldest of these boys, Aiden, loved his school days and delighted in the pleasure of the company of his peers. The six, including the mother and the five children, enjoyed a party for a classmate at the park, and behold, the mother’s eyes were opened. For one, the children came to adore, the boy named Aiden and it was his attention that the others at the party sought. Unbeknownst to Aiden, he was singled out and invited to all the various festivities, and he basked in the positive interactions of his peers. Popular and clueless is a pleasant combination, and, therefore, this six-year-old had no idea how favored he was. Perhaps this trend may cease, but a mother can hope that it will continue, for a humble, clueless young man may be a quality worth possessing when the ladies begin to call upon him in years to come.

If thou art called to pass through disaster with one’s eyebrow, Gage answered the call. Yet again, this young boy raged with the furniture, and the furniture won- and yea, it raged with his eye once more. While practicing his stealthy Batman acrobatics, Gage tumbled into the TV cabinet. A blood curdling cry escaped his tongue and blood spurt from the slice above his left eye. With tutoring students coming in minutes, the mother was preparing the meal for later and really did not want to drop it all to spend six hours in the Quick Care. Do you really need stitches? The tears began to dry in a short time, and the mother ascertained that if stitches were necessary, perhaps the face could be sown AFTER tutoring, dinner, and the father returned home. And, lo, a doctor in the ER was upon the Bishop family in just a few hours, for the tutoring students that were in route were the children of an ER doctor. The students were sufficiently taught and, hark, the doctor did come to retrieve his children. The mother candidly asked the fine physician if stitches were required. After taking a look, he said, “Oh, yes, but I have Permabond in the car and that should do the trick.” What fortune. The kitchen island was made into a make-shift table with just a pillow. It took both the father and the mother holding Gage down for the ER doctor to adequately administer the glue, but a few weeks after the disastrous day, Gage looks great and only a small pinkish line remains.

And now behold, the second born child too has a tale to tell. Young Grey accompanied his father home teaching and after the visits, the father took his child to Wal-Mart to preview some Christmas gifts, for the season is upon us. They walked up and down the toy aisle looking at Lego sets, tackling the Transformers, scrutinizing the superheroes, examining the Express Engine, considering the cars, sizing the cycles, and probing for present ideas. With plastic tubs in hand and only plastic tubs, Greyson questions his father, “We looked at all those things, and you are not buying me anything?” With a smirk on his face, the father replies, “Nope, it is Christmas!”

And now I bid the final details of the smallest of the Bishop boys. And again, as with all the Bishop babies, young Cooper is considerably larger than all other babies his age. This young one, just a week from his fifth month, is fully filling his 12 month clothing. And behold, when Cooper is beheld, no one can believe that he is still a four month old baby. Huge and heart warming, this baby flashes his gummy smile to everyone, and mother enjoys every moment with him. This week he ventured off with his parents for a conference in Denver. He flew on his first airplane, visited the US Mint, enjoyed frozen custard hours after his mother enjoyed it, and just generally enjoyed all the attention from both his mother and father since the remaining four were with their grandmother in Las Vegas. And it came to pass, that a grateful daughter gives a billion thank yous to her mother for allowing her this experience. Mitch had a Groundwater Conference in Denver and Coop and mom got to go along for the ride.

And again, we must comment on one other trip we have had this month in the city of Saint George for the holiday of Thanksgiving. The seven journeyed up to the quaint little city in hopes of spending time with 65 others. The Great grandmother, in her ninety-second year hosted Thanksgiving and the masses joined her. We had a cousin campout for three nights playing UNO, wrestling on air mattresses, and eating whatever we could find in the cupboards. Seventeen of us stayed in a condo in Green Valley, Saint George and we treasure the memories that were created! The boys are already requesting a return trip!

And behold, I bid you all a farewell. I do offer my apologies that I do not get time to pen these as often as I would like anymore, but I do hope you enjoy them all the same. I do look forward to reading all the Christmas letters that arrive during this season. And with that, I close.

Our Little Elves

Click on the Grey Grey Elf to see the boys in action. You can elf it out too at www.elfyourself.com

Kim Turns 29+

Happy birthday to one of the greatest people in the world! (Of course I'm not biased, that's just fact, OK.) This is that great time of year that Kim becomes two years older than me and not just one. So for the next two months I am going to live it up. It is what we the younger generation do you know! H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y K I M ! ! !

Jaceroo Turns Two!

He gave us a little scare when we first saw him two years ago. Not able to breathe real well, he had to spend a few days in the hospital before he was able to come home, but there was no looking back for him. After a brief stint as the "Best Baby in the World" (a title that thankfully he passed on to Cooper) he has exploded into full toddler-hood. As evidenced by the above photo, he frequently bumps his noggin, gets everything on his clothes, face, hands, etc. Yet even on the verge of tears, he can crack a smile and give us a "cheese!" with the simple appearance of a camera. We love our Bubs and wish him all the best on his special day today!

Random Photos of the Boys

Here's some random photos of our crazy kids:

The Bishop Royal Family

So Halloween came and went. We had a wonderful time dressing up, and since we were invited to a party, we actually got to use the costumes three times (party, track-or-treat, and Halloween night.) Kim made Cooper's jester outfit and some touches on her costume and mine. Thanks to Audri's wedding dress, Kim had the perfect medieval chic look going on. I added a Bishop family crest to my shirt that I found on the internet that looked a lot like a framed one my dad had when I was a kid, so we truly were Bishop royalty.


King and Queen, Two Knights, Two Dragons and a Jester



Cooper Jester (He really hated the hat when it was too tight. As soon as Kim opened it up for his huge noggin, he was just fine.)



Jace - tough guy - Dragon (Notice the sucker in the mouth and one in the hand.) He loved Halloween and as soon as he realized he would get candy from every person on the track he was really into it all. He would hold out his pumpkin, get candy, and then keep holding it out to see if they would give him more. It usually worked. Have we mentioned how much this kid loves candy?



Sir Aiden leading the pack of knights and dragons.

Sir Gage fending off the fierce candy mouthed dragon. Those are the worst kind. Instead of spewing fire, they drown you in thick, syrupy slobber and paw you with goobery hands.

h A l l O w E e N - Ha hA Ha ha! ! !

So, we're trying to come up with what the Bishop family costume concept will be this year. We pretty much have had a group theme every year. Starting with me as a baker, Kim as the oven and Aiden as the "bun" inside Kim's belly. We've done Batman theme, zoo theme, construction theme, farm theme, Cookie Monster and cookie jar, etc. I do think there were some years in there that Kim and I didn't dress up, I know "Blasphemy!" you say, but I'm sure we didn't.

So this year, I was thinking of going as the super cool Yodajuice as pictured above - that's a little shout out to my bro, Bryan, and his SupaJuice days - Not to be confused with his high school band SuperTed, which was also excellent. But, this year transformed from Star Wars to Magnificent Seven to scary monsters to knights and dragons (no, we won't have twelve-sided dice). Let us know if anyone has cool knight costume ideas. We have the dragons (Grey and Jace) - although only one of those truly fits the "dragon" persona, Grey really wanted to be one instead of a knight. Kim and I will be the king and queen, but I thought we should be servants since that's how I feel.

Here's a little blast from the past:

2003 - Cookie Jar and Cookie Monster

2004 - Life on the Farm

2005 - Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Poison Ivy and the Penguin

2006 - Zoo Family

Bishop Family Update - October 7, 2007

Oh, how I wish I would keep up with these newsletters better. So much time passes each time. I imagine things will never slow down so I need to accept that I am only mediocre in my journaling.

I thought perhaps I would do our news in alphabetical order…



A is for artichoke! My boys love artichokes. I have bought them three times in the last month, and they literally devour them. On all three occasions Mitch has been late coming home when we have eaten them. One day he did not get any. The other two times, he ate only a few leaves. And yes, Jace knows how to scrape them too! When I go to the grocery store, Gage begs me to buy them. Some kids ask for ice cream and others ask for artichokes- OK, Gage begs for ice cream too!

B is for Beige Man Group! Jace found some of my liquid make-up (which I never use) in the bathroom and covered himself in it. He was literally unrecognizable. His head, arms, and legs were covered in it, and he had splotches of it on his clothing. Gratefully he was in the bathroom so I stripped him and threw him in the tub. I did have to scrub the tub afterwards, which was the most clean up of all.

C is for Cinnamon Rolls and Cartoons! Jace took a spatula and chopped Mitch’s homemade cinnamon rolls that he baked at 6:00 a.m. for their new season of cartoons Saturday Morning Extravaganza! The boys had been looking forward to the new season of Saturday morning cartoons for weeks and Mitch made a yummy breakfast to accompany their morning of TV. Jace decided that he could “help” Dad by cutting them up. Gotta love him!

D is for Dropped a table! Mitch and I got a stellar deal at the RC Wiley Clearance Center on a new kitchen table. As we were trying to get it into the house, I dropped the table out of the back of the truck. Yes, the table top cracked a little, but we are hoping that with a little TLC we may be able to make it less noticeable. Argh!

E is for Editing! I have been editing my friend’s English papers every week. It has reminded me of the good ole’ days of college papers. Were those good? Oh, yes they were because in the midst of the papers, I remember the drives in the canyon where boys peed on the fire to put out the flame, Y days where I organized massive service projects, and dollar movies at Movies 8!

F is for fundraising. What is with a different fundraiser every week for the schools? I taught for years and I never knew where the funds went that we raised. I just send it all back and Aiden languishes over the fact that he never earns those Oriental Trading like prizes that I could buy thirty times over for the amount that he has to sell to be awarded one! What a marketing scam! It is kind of sad that I am an educator, and I do not do fund raisers. I will if they ever sell anything stellar, but thus far- nothing.

G is for Gallbladder. I finally got my appointment, and I am getting a test on my gallbladder, liver, thyroid, and cholesterol check. Apparently my doctor thinks my body is all out of whack. I have done the blood work, and now I wait for the ultra sound. I have had no other attacks- yeah!

H is for Hot Air Balloons! We went to Balloonapalooza with our five boys and Deven- our nephew. The boys loved the bee balloons and the panda balloons the best.

I is for Italian Seasoning! Jace poured a Costco sized Italian Seasoning on a plate of Texas Sheet Cake brownies. Oh, was I sad. I love Texas Sheet Cake brownies.

J is for Jace and the laundry soap! Jace spilled an entire box (warehouse sized) of laundry soap on the floor as we were trying to get Aiden off to school. I was not willing to trash it. I swept it up and put it back into the box. I decided if laundry soap washed dirt out of clothing and linens, then a little dirt and dust from the floor would not hurt it.

K is for knitting hats. We're back knitting hats. Our stake is making hats for people in Serbia, so I've started knitting and have enlisted Mitch again. He asked me yesterday how much I spent on the yarn and if it wouldn't be cheaper to just buy some. I told him that then they wouldn't receive something homemade. It was very funny as we discussed the different goals of the effort. He argued it was to keep them warm. I argued that it was to keep them warm and give them something I had made. I won, of course, so we're still knitting.

L is for Lukas David! Krista and Derek had their baby on Monday, September 17, 2007.



M is for Mount Charleston. We drove up to look at the fall colors. The aspens were changing and it was breathtaking.

N is for Naked Jace! The other morning, I lost Jaceroo. I was looking everywhere and calling for him throughout the house. I was starting to look in each room more carefully hoping that he would be hiding somewhere. When I came into my room and called him like three times, he opened the sliding closet door and in just a diaper (He was clothed prior to me losing him.) exclaimed in an even seductive like voice, “Hewwo Mommy!” I am totally dying with fits of laughter. If I didn’t know any better, I would think he has been watching some adult TV. No wonder we call him the "Naughty Gnome!"

O is for Open House. We went to Aiden’s Open House and my, we were the sight to behold. I think we barely all fit in Aiden’s classroom. Aiden’s teacher even asked for a favor from Mitch regarding a field trip to the Springs Preserve. I imagine she loves having Aiden in her class. Not only is he a terrific kid, but he has connections!

P is for Pie Painting! While entertaining friends, we enjoyed pie for dessert. We then turned our back to the counter where Jace climbed up and helped himself to the remaining pieces in the pie tins. He then climbed down, all unnoticed by the six of us who were playing Apples to Apples and thinking that all the boys were in our bedroom watching Tarzan. He went into the bathroom and created a masterpiece on the bathroom mirror, using chocolate silk pie and dutch apple cheese cake as his paint. Oh, we wanted to eat those remaining 5 pieces, but I draw the line at licking the mirror even if I had just wiped it down hours before.

Q is for quick. Our days just fly by and before we know it, another week is done.

R is for Ringing Chimes! Aiden goes to a little music class at the library and learns how to ring those pipes to Christmas tunes. He has said now that he wants to play the piano. I do hope I can get my kids into piano lessons some day.

S is for sewer run! Mitch spent three hours using a huge trencher that is self propelled on Friday for the sewer run for the casita. He was so sore. He did an awesome job and we saved like 5500 dollars doing it ourselves. CRAZY! Thanks to Grandpa and Bryan that came to help him steer the beast!

T is for tutoring. I am tutoring five kids now and I got three more calls this week alone. I told them no! I am so proud of myself. I do like tutoring and I enjoy keeping up with my skills, but I need to say HOLD IT because I want to enjoy tutoring not dread it.

U is for uninvited guests. Each morning, because the evenings are cooler, Mitch and I have an extra child or two or even three in our bed. They typically join us about 3:00. Grey rarely ever joins us so in the night time hours, Grey is our favorite.

V is for Victory! We went to Uncle Derek’s alumni football game and Derek’s team won. We have to say that Derek is a good player. He can tear it up even at 26 or 27. These guys played full contact, tackle football in pads and everything. Derek’s team won 21 to nothing!

W is for Wrestling! The boys live to wrestle. When Mitch and I were trying to push the table back together, Jace climbed on top of Mitch’s chest and began to hug and wrestle. Mitch was lying on the floor with his arms above his head and squeezing with all his might, and Jace thought he would join in the fun.

X is for XII Night! For a Girl’s night out, Tara, Kim, Cooper, Dax, and I braved wind advisory 50 mile per hour winds at Lake Las Vegas to watch Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. It was too cold for Dax to sleep so we had to go home early, but it makes for a funny memory. We also lost the car in the parking garage. As soon as we packed up to go home, Dax just smiled and chilled in his stroller- gotta love babies. They learn to rule our worlds so soon, don’t they?

Y is for Yawning! Do I need to explain?

Z is for Zucchini! Mitch took Grey and Gage to the Gilcrease Orchard and got a zucchini as big as Cooper. We made six loaves of zucchini bread and froze enough to make 5 more- incredible. It was delicious!

Hope you have enjoyed my alphabetical journey.

Until next time…The Bishops

Top Ten Reasons Why Kim Doesn't Have Any Time

Seeing that I have not made the time to sit down and update our blog, I have decided to write in the spirit of David Letterman and write the 10 reasons as to why I have no time anymore.

10. I am still recuperating after a thrilling vacation to Utah! After Mitch finished his school, we piled into the car- we really do pile now seeing that we fill every seat and need 4 suitcases and 5 bags of stuff- between diapers, car diversions that are individually wrapped to make the dollar store treasures even more appealing, extra changes of clothing for Cooper and Jaceroo, DVDs (again, how did our ancestors live without these?), Junie B. Jones (Book on tape that the boys adored and I did too since she is a little like Anne of Green Gables- If I am never going to get my girls, at least I have Anne and Junie B.), food, drinks, and food for lunches while vacationing because who can afford the hotel room for a week and food out while on vacation?, we filled our car. (David has some great run on sentences in his top ten so I thought I should too.). It took me two days to complete all the laundry- and then I had to do the new laundry on the third day.

9. VACATION! While on vacation, we visited with friends and family (Skinners, Jones, Cooks, Clarks, and McDonalds--we had a fabulous time with all of you!), went to the This is the Place pioneer village, the Hogle Zoo-perfect size for the Bishop family, IKEA and bought nothing but milk in the café, the Heber Creeper and rode the three hour train into Provo Canyon, the big Red Barn for ice cream, peaches, fudge, chocolate covered cinnamon bears (I got em for you, Aud), and Christmas tree ornaments, and Cove Fort. While on vacation, we did not have one temper tantrum until the very end at Cove Fort. Gager came unraveled in the middle of the tour and you could literally hear him 300 yards away. The tour guide was an angel and helped me with Cooper while I wrestled and I mean wrestled with Gager. It was one of those moments where you ask yourself, “Am I teaching him anything here, or I am embarrassing myself for absolutely no reason at all.” He pulled it together, and I think that the woman helping me did not think I was a terrible mother. I do not know why we get so embarrassed when our kids have melt down in public. I know nearly every child has had one. I never think twice about it when I see another mom struggling with an unruly child- I always think to myself that I am glad that a parent is dealing with it rather than giving in to their naughtiness. It is a face-reddening ordeal nonetheless regardless of how rational the reflection is afterwards!

8. Preschool- I not only taught preschool this last week, but I am teaching preschool this upcoming week and I had to finish getting ready for preschool since I am the one who organizes it. I love it and this time was no different. We made homemade pretzels, made mirrors so we could practice our good speech, made All About Me Books, practiced opposites with cold ice cream and hot fudge, practiced our letters in shaving cream and play dough, sang songs, played alligator and shark with bean bags and sorted items around the house. This next week we will learn about friendship! Jaceroo was wonderful- he was actually as well behaved as the other kids in the preschool. Cooper slept both mornings for the entire two and a half hours and then an additional half hour while I cleaned up. Gotta love it!

7. Kool-Aid! The day before I left for vacation, Jace dumped an entire container of Kool-Aid all over the tile floor. It took me HOURS to clean! It was a brand new container that you can buy at Sam’s. I was feeding the baby and in just about five minutes, Jace managed to get it all over the pantry shelves, all over the kitchen, playroom, and hallway, and ran into the den and got little red Kool-Aid footprints all over the edge of the carpet-Ohhhh….. was I ever overwhelmed. I did not even yell at him. I was so in shock by the mess and the red that was everywhere (How he introduced moisture into the mix, I still do not know.). For the entire rest of the day, whenever his nose would run, it ran Kool-Aid red. I scrubbed and scrubbed the floor, but I still cannot pull all the red up from the carpet. I thought that I had swept and vacuumed it up, but, oh no. As I began trying to mop it up with my Floor Mate, the red filled the discard water tank. I used three tanks to wash up the floor, and yet to this day, I am still mopping up pink. I will never buy Kool-Aid again!

6. First Grade! Aiden has begun first grade and loves it! He loves Mrs. Eeklor. My only complaint is that all the work he has brought home is way too easy. I am not sure if this is just the beginning of the year and I need to chill or if I will need to supplement all year long with more appropriate work. He is bringing home preschool work in my opinion. Gage, yes my three year old, did one of his pages of homework. I am serious. Aiden completed it in 22 seconds. I timed him.

5. Passing of a dear friend. A friend of ours lost a battle to cancer- a three year fight. The services were so nice. Her principal offered the eulogy and said such kind and endearing things. He even had some of Linda’s former students write letters to her. It ripped my heart out. I have never seen such a kinder tribute to a teacher in my life. It makes me want to sign up and give to children tomorrow. This season may come again….I need to remind myself that I can do more good within the walls of my own home right now.

4. Aiden and his 10 dollars! I gave Aiden lunch money, for he wanted to buy his own lunch soooo badly. He was so excited that he could barely sleep. He woke up and asked four times if he was going to buy his own lunch. I said, yes again and again and again. I sent him off to school with his first and last name along with his student ID number on a white card and ten dollars! When Aiden got home from school I excitedly asked him how his lunch experience went. Oh, no! Wrong question to ask. He quickly said that he was never going to get hot lunch again. He informed me that he got a white card, they took his money, they had no idea what to do with his white card with his name and number, and he did not even have time to eat all of his lunch. When I looked at his “white card,” I read that he owes $1.40 for a hot lunch that he did not even eat and he paid the five dollars to the lunch to which they gave him no receipt for. I guess tomorrow I get to drag Aiden and his four brothers into the lunch room to reclaim my five dollars and settle his account. Perhaps they need to revamp their procedures for the lunchroom to help the poor six year olds who become scarred for life after buying their first hot lunch with their very own money.

3. Gallbladder! I tried to go to the doctor and get an ultrasound to see if I have stones in my gallbladder. About every other night I am waking up with dull aches in the upper right quadrant of my abdomen. It is not a full attack—I am waiting for that. I know that dairy foods make it a little wiggy, but sometimes I can not trace a food at all- it is merely the fact that I am eating past 7:00 at night. Well I have an appointment on the 18th so I am hoping that they can figure this all out for me. A woman needs her sleep or she yells at her children a little more than usual.

2. Cooper. He is actually sleeping sometimes 8 hour stretches, and he is really good, but no mother of a new born can not describe their newborn as one of the reasons why she is tired. He adds to it, but I actually think he may be the least of the reasons as to why I am tired.

1. I have 5 kids and I take them everywhere including the library, Sam’s, the grocery store, the mountains- Mitch helped me on that day, the park, Michael’s, the Dollar store, Target, McDonald’s, Leid’s Discovery Museum, The Springs Preserve-again Mitch helped me with that one too, and the Doctor’s office. I get stares, gasps, and comments such as oh, I bet you are busy, do you sleep?, wow, I bet you have your hands full, are they all boys- oh I am sorry, oh, are they all boys, they will be easier one day, and one lady actually said on Friday to the gal she was with, “wow, why do you think she has so many children- they could not possibly be hers- no one in 2007 would actually have all those kids!” When I hear these comments, I think to myself, so they think I am deaf and dumb! I love my boys and all their craziness. I do wish I had more time for family history, scrapbooking, housework, quilting, and spending time with my mom and girlfriends, but I guess there are seasons for all things.

Mitch actually has more potential time on his hands, but he has been working extra nights lately- irony, eh? He did get an A- for his last class and he will be graduating in December- yahoo! I cannot wait to have all the boys with me as they see their Dad in his cap and gown (yes, you detect a tone of sarcasm…). I want them to see that education is important and I am willing to sit in a boring graduation for the memory, tho. I better film us in the audience too since they will not all remember it. Maybe I will go back and get another degree so I can walk once more, and they can see that in another 5 years- just kidding. That almost makes me want to gag. I will stick to the five credits every six years to keep up my license. That alone makes my stomach hurt.

Love to you all!
Kim and the other 6

This is Mitch... In reference to number 4, Kim just informed me that she went in this morning to rectify the situation. First of all, the lunch lady is not one of the brightest bulbs, so Kim pretty much found out why Friday was so chaotic for Aiden. Long story, short, she finally fixed everything. However, while she walked Aiden to class explaining that everything was now set for next time, he simply said, “Oh that’s OK, I’m never buying hot lunch again, so it really doesn’t matter.” So don’t be surprised if we write at the end of the year that we received a rebate of $8.60.

Mas Yewtah!

Little train buddies


Jace glamour shot


Gage taking on a ferocious mini-goat at This is the Place Heritage Park petting corral


Grey and Aiden at the head of the class, also at This is the Place

This is the Place - Photos Too!

A little refreshment at Southridge Farms in Santaquinn


Hogle Zoo (with a few more Bishop animals added to the exhibits)


Heber Creeper chugging up Provo Canyon


Heber Creeper pitstop at Vivian Park

This is the Place - The Photos

Gage and Aiden at BYU



The Family at BYU

This is the Place

What a wonderful time we had in Utah last week! I really enjoyed the relaxing time, all the visits and the somewhat cooler weather. Thanks to all the friends and family we were able to see (and mooch a meal off)!


I have some great pictures to post, but right now I can't get Blogger to upload them. So they will be coming soon!

So You Think YOU Can Dance? Check These Boys Out

So I debated putting this on here because well it was created from a beer website, and the opening is a little questionable. But, seeing my boys get down is just too funny not to share. Check it out!

Bishop Family Update

Dear Family and Friends,

Well Coop is a month old now and I feel like I may be able to do it! We have had friends over for dinner, friends over for games, and I have been out at least 5 times with them all! I even have been to the grocery store for big shopping trips- that now take me an hour and a half. I remember a big shopping when Mitch and I were first married took a half an hour. My how things change when you begin shopping for 7.

Wash is a whole new experience as well. Laundry is now a swear word here in our house. If the boys even think about making a mess, my sonar goes up and I say, stop if you think it will cause me more laundry or if it will force me to mop the floor. Aiden is even saying things like, “Mom, I wiped the table down so that I made sure you did not have too much work.” If I died this week, I think my children would remember me for begging them not to make too much of a mess.

A mess is inevitable, but I really do not need extra messes since the regular routine causes me to be a slave. Most families with 5 kids at least have one or two kids who can do housework. Aiden now vacuums, but I need to go over it a little because he is not quite tall enough to push it with ease so he tuckers out half way through the rooms. However, when they spilled an entire bag of popcorn on the floor, He vacuumed the entire mess. It took him 25 minutes and it would have taken me 5, but this is a lesson in consequences.

Enough about cleaning…now the fun. Aiden has had many friends over and the other day he actually asked me, “Mom, do you realize how many people fought over me in Kindergarten. People always wanted to sit by me or work with me. Why is that?” You have to love six years old and not getting it. I am glad that it has not gone to his head—it is only a matter of time! He has had a friend over about once a week. I tell him as long as he and his friends keep helping me, it is OK. Remington, his one friend asked me the other day if I needed anything. Oh I laughed and laughed and thought, well I guess I am teaching them something good.

We tried to go to a story time the other week. This was quite the ordeal as any outings tend to be. We get there only to find the entire room packed. I guess I needed to come earlier. I was there 10 minutes early, but because track 5 kids were finally out, the room was crazy busy. Luckily, my boys go with the flow and no tears were shed. They simply accepted that they would only get to pick books and movies and not listen to the storyteller. We had a puppet show when we got home instead.

We went to the 24th of July celebration at the park and had a great time. At the end of the evening, I was pushing Jace in the stroller up this steep hill in the grass and carrying Cooper in the Snuggli. Mitch was taking up the huge pop up shade and the other three were walking along the side of us. I must have strained my back while doing so. On Sunday, Jace fell asleep in Nursery and Mitch was not out of his class. I tried to take him, the diaper bag, and the carrier with Cooper in it. Well my back buckled and I dropped everything onto the floor. My back was out for two days- I could not even pick Cooper up. I had to sit on the floor and roll him onto my lap. I nursed him on the floor for two days. It was crazy. My friend Leah brought me all 6 Star Wars movies and we watched them all. That was my idea for keeping them out of too much mischief. Yes, my 2 hour TV rule was broken, but a girl knows her limits! My back is fine now, and man, am I grateful for a functioning back.

In addition to the back thing, I am also having gallbladder issues. I have had a few nights where I had minor dull aches and two nights of full blown attacks. I have an appointment on Thursday. With every baby I have had issues, but they seem to be more frequent and not going away. I guess I will probably have to get my gallbladder out. If any of you have food advice on what to eat and what not to eat, please share.

My sisters-in-law and my mother-in-law threw me a shower. The invitations were darling, the food was fabulous, Krista made the cutest wooden picture party favors, and it was nice to visit with the girls. I am giving them a thank you lunch this Tuesday to show my appreciation to them. Krista actually asked if I was taking them out to eat. I said that 5 kids in a restaurant plus Deven and Holland would not be much fun. Perhaps entertainment for the other restaurant attendees, but not much fun for us!

The five boys and I went to a free movie as well. It went extremely well and I think I may go to the free summer movie again this week. Jace ate more popcorn than should be consumed by a 21 month old, but he stayed in the seat next to me or in front of the boys for the whole movie. Cooper was terrific and the other three were absolutely perfect. Grey actually said when it was over, “That went well, mom.” Yes, it did, Grey!

I went to the temple last week and little Cooper cried the entire time! I felt so bad for Shari , Mitch’s sister. She actually had all the boys with her. She and Michael, my brother-in-law, took the five boys, their son, Parker, and their dog to the park, and Shari said they got a lot of stares! No one commented- they save those for me I guess. She said it was an adventure, and she knows how it feels to be a freak show J.

We had Cooper’s blessing last weekend, and it was so nice. My mom, my sister, former neighbors, and all of Mitch’s family came. We filled quite a bit of the chapel. Cooper did not cry at all, and he looked adorable. Afterwards we hosted the family with “Super” soups and “Hero” sandwiches in honor of Super Cooper! We had about 40 people over here and wow, was I glad for our larger home!

We had another outing this week- we went and saw a storytelling husband and wife team at the cultural center and the boys were angels! Jace sat on my lap the entire time. I did have to give him 2 dum dums, but I can do that. The show was an hour, and Greyson and Aiden laughed and laughed. It is funny when they begin to get humor. Gage loved it too, but he liked the water spraying his brothers (and not him) and the silly string that they sprayed on the participants. They had many interactive stories and the boys ate it up. At one point the husband of the duo actually counted all my children. I think he thought I was babysitting some of them.

We had friends over on Friday night for dinner and games. Aiden tried to stay up until midnight, but he fell asleep at 11:20 because that’s when the friends left, and we lied and told him it was midnight. The hands on the clock were close enough to the 12 so he actually believed us. We were so tired we were not going to stay up for another 30 minutes soo…. we justified the lie.

I think that is all for the events. See what happens when a month goes by. I have way too much news to share. Mitch is finishing up his final project for his masters. He presents to the faculty on Tuesday, and he has to turn in his final paper on Friday. Following all of that, we are driving to Utah ! Mitch will be done! We planned on going camping in Tahoe, but I am not up for that yet. I hope the drive goes OK. I cannot get to the kids as easily anymore now. Now there are no extra seats, and the floors will be covered with stuff! I hope I have happy news to report next time.

Funny stories…

• Gage and Grey went to the bathroom at a restaurant. Mitch was with them and as they were using the facilities, Gage reports, “hey, it’s like we are fire fighters!”
• Jace has shown some interest in going potty. He has peed a half a dozen times or so before his bath or when we are putting swimsuits on. The other day when I am changing his diaper he says, “pee.” I then ask, “Do you need to go pee?” He shakes his head yes, stands up and pees on me and all over the floor. I was so surprised. I guess he gets it. I do not know if I am really up to potty training yet, but if he keeps pushing it, I guess I will.
• I set Cooper in front of the TV the other day, and he started watching the screen. We were watching Harry Potter and Aiden turns to me and asks, “What kind of mother are you?” I laughed and laughed. He did not know that it was funny, but he smiled after I laughed. I guess it was not the most respectful thing to say, but it still was funny.
  

Well that is all for the Bishop antics. I hope this one does not exhaust you too much. I can already imagine that my aunt and uncle will send an email asking me if I checked into the insane asylum yet.

Kim and Aiden Simpson

Mitch Simpson

For your own, check out simpsonizeme.com

Ouch that tag hurt...

OK, so a couple of people think our lives are interesting enough to want to know more details. All I have to say is you asked for it.

Kim
Four jobs I have held:

1. Deli worker at Landmark Pharmacy & Deli
2. Kids Will Be Kids Day Care
3. Aspen Grove - Youth Counselor
4. Special Ed Teacher, autistic & severe learning disabled & speech delayed

Movies I can watch over and over:

1. Anne of Green Gables
2. Anne of Avonlea
3. Pride & Prejudice

Places I have lived:

1. Virginia Beach, VA
2. Cleveland, OH
3. Akron, OH
4. Las Vegas, NV
5. Provo, UT

TV shows I enjoy:

1. Who has time to watch TV?!? - Shows I do not enjoy include Barney and Teletubbies

Places I've vacationed:

1. Europe
2. Mexico
3. Hawaii
4. All over the country but most recently, road trips in the West

Four of my favorite foods:

1. ICE CREAM!
2. Chicken fajitas
3. Thai food
4. Indian food

Four websites I visit often:

1. Internet? Websites? Did I mention I have 5 kids?

Four places I'd rather be:

1. New York
2. LDS Church History Sites
3. Disneyworld
4. River Rafting

Mitch

Four jobs I have held:

1. Caterer
2. Library page
3. Bookstore clerk
4. DJ

Movies I can watch over and over:

1. Raising Arizona
2. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
3. Far & Away
4. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Places I have lived:

1. Centerville, UT
2. New Jersey
3. Las Vegas
4. Ontario, OR; Caldwell, ID; Nampa, ID; Nyssa, OR (Mission)
5. Provo, UT

TV shows I enjoy:

1. Lost
2. Heroes
3. The Office
4. America's Funniest Home Videos

Places I've vacationed:

1. Mexico
2. Utah
3. California
4. East Coast (Washington, DC; New York; Penn; etc.)
5. Catalina Island

Four of my favorite foods:

1. Cream potatoes & peas
2. Any breakfast foods
3. Thai food & Indian food
4. Pie

Four websites I visit often:

1. Askaninja.com
2. Gizmodo.com
3. WickedCoolStuff.com
4. Blogs

Four places I'd rather be:

1. San Diego
2. Carribean
3. Scotland
4. Anywhere with my wife and kids!
   

I Bless the Rains Down in Africa, er...Las Vegas!

It rained yesterday! Oh what a welcome reprieve. The boys had a wonderful time dancing out in the rain. As they walked in the flooded gutters, I remembered all those times that we "swam" in the street. Then I thought to myself, "Sure it's gross, but I'm still alive right?" Then I yelled for them to get out of the gutters. Parent voice in head overruled the nostalgia voice. Dang those voices!

No, that's not Gage on the far left, although he probably would be as dark if we didn't put sunscreen on him - it is one of our twin neighbors (either Jared or Jordan, I can't tell them apart.)

Grey decided to "wash" the truck with the addition of the water.

Gage and Aiden "showering".

Jaceroo just hanging out.

I have no idea what Aiden is doing.

Oh so muy macho!

My Buddy and Kid Sister

If you ever just turned on a TV one afternoon or Saturday morning during the 80s, you were sure to see a commercial for My Buddy and Kid Sister dolls. I never felt the need for one (because I was way too macho and into my He-man and G.I. Joes) mainly because I had Bryan and Krista. I have fond memories of Saturday morning. Maybe that's why my boys like it so much too.

Day at the Water Park

Last Saturday, we didn't have anything going on except for a stake pioneer day activity in the evening so we decided to head over to the park across the street for some fun in the fountains. The boys had a blast and even convinced Dad to join in. Here's some photos of the frolicking.