Jake & His friend playing in the leaves!

After all of the leaves fell from the tree Jake wanted to play! Jake has a good friend across the street that he just loves to play with all the time. I blew all the leaves into a big pile for them to bury themselves in. While I went to get the camera Jake and Malaya where covering their faces with leaves to hide from me! Soon after the leaves where gone we got our first snow fall. Just in time for a little fun!

Time for bed!

This is one of those sweet funny moments all of us mother's have. Jake, after eating a good meal is fighting the urge to close his eyes. We kept trying to talk to him to keep him awake. As you can tell that didn't work. He crashed at the kitchen table almost falling out of the chair. My new philosophy is who needs to buy beds for you kids when they will sleep just about anywhere but their own bed.

NKOTB

NKOTB Yes we went to the New Kids On The Block Concert!

My friends came into town this last weekend and we went to the NKOTB concert. What flashbacks of the 80's! We had a really fun time. The boys still had all their moves. They sang alot of their old songs you know like Hanging Tough, Step by Step, Cover Girl, and Right Stuff. Wow we are getting old! It has been 15 years since they were together.

The Good, The Bad, an The Just Plain Ugly!

3- My friends Erin, Ellen and I went to the Virgin Islands. On our way home an engine blew in our plane. We saw dark clouds of smoke and heard alot of noise. We were crying and holding each others hands. We thought we were going to die! But we made it!

2- I put salve on everything. My husband calls me the salve women. Lips, pimples, cuticles, toe nails, scars, stretch marks, bug bites, ingrown hairs, dry skin, noses.
Anywhere on my body! I love salve and chapstick! It works!HA

1- My favorite day is July 12th. That was the day I got everything that was important to me! I recieved my temple endowments and made promises to my Heavenly Father. I Married the love of my life Jason McDonald!

This was fun just read and then forget right! Don't hold it against me! I want to keep seeing other's join in. So whoever reads this now you have to do it!

The Good, The Bad, and The just plain ugly!

OK can't we just all admit that we are normal. I have just way to much dirt! I tried to forget about it along time ago. But here it goes for fun!!!

10- My junior year of high school I wanted to show off. So I decided to steal my Dad's candy apple red Porshe. Of course he was out of town along with my mom. I marked where the tires were in the driveway with a marker to make sure I parked it back just right. I hit turbo once!! HA

9- I never snuck out of the house without my parents knowing. I just plain left!!

8- When I was pregnant with Jake I was a teacher in Relief Society. I was probably 8 months along so I was pretty big. While teaching my lesson my pantyhose began to slip down spontaneously without stopping. They reached my knees and I had a knee length skirt on. I had to do some serious improv. So I had all the sisters closes their eyes and listen to me read a quote. I tied it all into the lesson. In the mean time I had pulled my pantyhose off and stuck them under the small podium if front of me. Nobody new! Thank goodness!

7- I loved to kiss the boys! But only a little kiss! I won't tell how many but there was alot.

6- My senior year of High school- I got really sick and had to go to many Doctor's to find out the problem. After seeing an ENT (ear,nose,throat specialists) I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease. Which is a cancer of the Lymph system. My Aunt had had this and was in remission. But our family was devastated. Come to find out I was mis-diagnosed and after a biopsy of a lymph node in my neck we found out it was Mononucleosis. Yes I stopped kissing the boys!!

5- I got a 8 point reckless driving ticket traveling back to Provo after visiting with Jason. Here's a little back ground. Jason lived in Las Vegas going to UNLV. I was going to hair school in Provo. We were engaged to be married in 8 months. I had gone to visit him over the weekend and didn't leave till 11:00pm. I was trying to get back to Provo quick. I got pulled over clocked at 108mph. He said he clocked me for 15 miles. I cried he let me go. My brother who is a police officer came with me to court. The ticket was reduced to a non moving violation and no points on my record. I never drove that fast again. Learned my lesson!!

4- I was in the Jr Pre Med program in High School. I wanted to be a Anethesiologist. School would have been 3-4 yr under grad, 4 yr med school and 72 month residency. I decided I would start right away. I was registered for class's the summer after graduation. Got married at 19, baby at 20 plans changed!

We have to what?

My kids were telling me how boring I am I never dress up for Halloween. So I thought I'd drag some old stuff out to dress up for Halloween. Thank goodness others dressed up too.

BOO!!!

The weather for Halloween was perfect it was in the high 70's. We decided to have a neighborhood bonfire and roast hot dogs and marshmallows for smores. The kids had alot of fun trick or treating with their friends. It only got scarey when a teenager dressed as Jason from Friday the 13th came running down the street with a chain saw. After Lauren saw him she wouldn't treak or treat anymore.

Lauren at the Trunk or Treat!

Tonight we went to our ward trunk or treat. Lauren was hilarious. Kristin made a chicken costume for her. She wore it well. She walked and ran like a chicken. Every now and again she would even say "bac bac bac". We think she even layed a couple eggs. Katelynd was a 50's Dancer, Lindsay was a witch, and Jake was a cowboy. They all had lots of fun seeing their friends dressed up.

Somebody is Watching!

I Love to blog. I just wish I had more time to spend keeping in touch with my family and friends. And when I don't have email address's and blog's it makes it hard. I know many of you have visited our family blog. Well we want to visit yours and keep in touch. It is so fun to see your familys, interests and hobbies. It is good to know that there are others out there that have the same goals, striving to raise a righteous family. We are not alone. We have others to support and strenghen us. Help me to keep in touch with you by leaving comments and your email or blog address.

Jason's Been Editing Photos

Jason Finally got some more photos edited for me to post. We found this barn in Chesterfield by Jason's school. It is located on a 10 acre parcel that is just next to Logan. The man who rents the home on the property said that it is going up forsale for 1.7 million dollars. It is an old estate passed down to children from the original owner. The barn is amazing.

I Love my Boys!

Family Pictures...

Jason And Kristin Finally got some pictures!

McDonald Kids

Halloween Preparations!

Well with 4 girls in the family you could of guessed this would be the most important halloween decor. Especially when mom can do it for us! The girls talked me into manicures and pedicures for Halloween. With stickers and glow in the dark nail polish they are ready to trick or treat. To bad it is in the 40's out here they will have to keep their little toesies covered.

The Big Camping Adventure

Well Katelynd finally went to 5th grade camp this last week. It has been long awaited. She was able to earn all of her money to pay for her camp. Lucky her she got to miss a whole week of school Lindsay was so jealous. They went to the Cuiver River State park in Troy, Missouri. Their camp included hikes, cave exploring, fishing, dissecting owl pellets (regurgitated hair balls), group games. I told her she was lucky because they had cabins to camp in and mess halls to eat in and bathrooms to pee in. I thought maybe by the end of the week she would have missed us but she said she didn't. She had lots of fun and met alot of new people. She was missed at home. One night Lindsay slept with a picture of Katelynd by her side on her pillow. That saying "can't live with them can't live without them" they can fight alot, but when their sister's gone they sure do miss them. Lindsay can't wait to go to camp next year. It is good to have Katelynd home. She's been a big helper!

Captain Help me put out the Fire!

Jake went to the Cottleville Fire Department today for a preschool field trip. He was able to touch the jaws of life, hold the fire hose, and set in their new fire truck. The captain geared up with everything on boots, gloves, mask, coat, helmet and breathing tank. Jake was so scared he wouldn't even touch him. We had a long discussion about why he shouldn't be afraid. That in a fire that is who you would see coming to save you if Mom and Dad couldn't. He told me he wanted me to save him!

Scooter Training!

Lauren decided she wants to be like the big kids. So she took over their scooter the other day. She worked so hard on getting up on the scooter but it just didn't work. But it sure did keep her entertained for awhile.

Nellena's Wedding

A few weeks ago I was able to fly out to Salt Lake to do Nellena's hair for her wedding. It was fun to get to visit with everyone. I really enjoyed going to the Bountiful Temple. It was my first time going to that temple. Thank you Nellena for flying my out. I was also able to visit with my sister Jill and her family before they left for France. It was a great little vacation for me.

Holly Goodrich, Tracy Bonadio, Leslie Harms Tag your IT!
If you don't have a blog put it on your facebook wall! If you do have a blog and read this share your blog with me in the comments Thank You!

This was fun! Thanks chelsea! Just don't hold me accountable for some of the things I said!HA HA Cute idea to get to learn some fun things about others.

3 SURPRISING FACTS

1. I repelled off a 300 foot cliff comando! Comando is going facefirst not feetfirst!

2. I kissed Ronnie Vannucchi the drummer from the band The Killers. In High school of course.

3. I can cut and highlight my own hair.

3 OBSESSIONS

1. I'm a neat freak! I've always been told I'm a Perfectionist! Jason says he can't even put a cup down, because I will take it and put it in the dish washer.

2. I must say I am obsessed lately with what I eat. I look at the ingredients of everything I eat. It makes me go crazy sometimes. High fructose corn syrup, bleached flours, hydrogenated oils, and refined sugars are in everything. It's hard to find food that doesn't have those in.

3. OK! You can't repeat this to others. I am a Picker/Popper. I pick anything but noses, and other gross places you may think of. My babies never had baby acne Mom took care of that.

3 FEARS
1. When Lindsay was 2 she fell into a lake at a family reunion. I had to jump out of a 2cd story window to get down into the water to save her. Now since then I am afraid of my kids drowning. I even have night mares about it.

2. I am terrified of needles! I used to be a Medical Assistant/Phlebotomist. I had no problems sticking other people with needles. But I was never the guinea pig when we were getting trained it terrified me. I had all my kids natural because of that fear! They showed me an epidural needle. There was no way I was getting that in my back!

3. I can't help Jason do any electrical work in the house. Electricity scares me. I thinks its because Jason yells loud every time I touch wires to try to tease me.

TAGGED!

I GOT TAGGED!
A friend in my ward Tagged me. To find out more about my secrets!
It was so hard to narrow down all of my joys there are so many! I am so blessed, I am so thankful to know this life has a purpose. How grateful I am to be here on this earth to enjoy the simplicity of life and learn how to limit the complexity's in it.

3 JOYS...
1. My FAMILY! My relationship with my Heavenly Father. My relationship with my
husband Jason. My relationships with my children Katelynd, Lindsay, Jacob,and
Lauren. They all are so different and bring me so much joy. That all of this is
eternal that is joy to me. To know that this is Forever. Together as a Family!

2. Laying on a beach in the Carribean watching the sunset!

3. Bike riding on a country road. On a beautiful fall day. Or just having a quiet
moment to organize my thoughts.

Lauren's Jealous she wants Braces!

This is what I woke up to this morning. Jake and Lauren were playing in the dress up clothes. Lauren decided to use the Billy Bob teeth. At first I thought she was chewing her cud in her mouth. I was wrong this is what I found!

Anyone have a metal detector?

Lindsay was so excited to get braces on! Until she got them. She didn't realize how much they hurt and how many headaches they can give you. Everyone always told her they were so much fun to have. Mom and Dad weren't prepared either. The orthodondist said Lindsay needed braces and a palletal expander ASAP because of her severe overbite. Thanks to a Mikkelson trait. DR said if she doesn't get this fixed now she will have to have oral surgury later in life to break the jaw and reposition the upper jaw. So we went with the less evasive procedure and put her in braces, palletal expander and full front head gear at night to correct the problem. She has been such a good sport. We call her our own little Silvester you know "I tot I taw a putty tat." It's taking her time to learn how to talk differently. She still sings great though! She joined the Choir this year at her school. We love you Linds.

Katelynd's Bakesale

This year Katelynd really wanted to go to 5th grade camp. So we told her she had to earn all the money otherwise she couldn't go. She decided to have a bake sale to earn the money. What a great job she did. It took a lot of time and effort. But she made the money she needed so she will be off to camp this fall. Good job Katelynd we love you!!!

Birthday at Maggiano's

Jason decided to take me to my favorite resturant Maggiano's for my birthday. The food was amazing of course. The only down fall was there wasn't much on the menu to accomidate my new life style change of eating no refined sugars, bleached flours, hydro oils, and high fructose corn syrup. Oh well I took the day off for 1 day! We had lots of fun as a family. All the kids went with and we ate family style. Which included a 4 course meal. We were there for about 2 hours and the kids did great. Only mishap was Lauren hit a knife into her glass and the glass broke all over the table. But we had fun anyways.

Football's Here Again!

Well Football is back for the season. Jake just started his little tacklers league and loves it. Only when it gets cold outside he says he wants to play basketball.

Busy on Break

Well I finally got a hold on Jason and got some new countertops over his school break. When we moved in the counters were all spliced together in funny spots. So these are the new ones we put in on a school budget. Thank goodness for home depot! It cost all of about $170.00 and some good old liquid nails. Thank you Honey! I love them!

PRESHOOLER LIFE

Jake finally made it to preschool with no stitches, bruises or concussions. He loves to go to his new class. I think Mom likes it too. He tell's me everyday now that his teacher told him to read. So now every book he sees he says "My teacher told me to read this book." I hope that sticks with him.

KIDS TRYATHLON 2008

After seeing Mom having so much fun training for her triathlon the Girls wanted to do the YMCA Tryathlon. I think they just wanted an excuse to ride there bikes a whole lot more, go swimming at the pool more, and go running with mom. It was fun to see them finish. They had to swim 100 yards, bike 2 miles, and run a 1/2 mile. They had alot of fun. I think they will do it again next year.

The Girls Enter the Big Cookie Contest!

Our Ward had a Labor Day potluck at the park on Monday. We had lots of fun. It was a really hot day though. The girls entered the well known cookie contest of the ward. They wanted to make Grandma Mikkelson's crinkle cookies. They had a blast making the cookies and eating the dough. And I must say grandma they turned out just like yours. They took 3rd place.

I COMPLETED MY GOAL

On Saturday August 30th I raced in the Lake St Louis Triathlon. I can't believe it is already over with. It took over 3 months to prepare for the race and yet it only took 1 hour and 40 minutes to be over with. I am so glad that I pushed myself to race in a triathlon, it was so much fun. There was several members of our ward and stake that raced that day. It was nice to have friends from the ward to motivate and push you to the finish line. The race started at 8:35am for our Heat. First we swam 1/4 mile, then we biked a 16.9 mile ride, and finished with a 2.6 mile run home. The weather was perfect and the water temp was in the 70's. The race was very organized and well planned, they provided a nice lunch after and all the water and gaterade you could chug. Thank you Cory for the bike. I couldn't have done the race with out your info and gear you gave me. Thank you to all of those who helped me through this expierence I loved every minute of it. From the butt pain from riding my bike so much, to the back pain from running. Thank goodness for Chiropractors! Thank's Ryan! It all pays off in the end when you have your family and friends cheering for you as you cross the finish line. I hope to keep setting new goals and challenge my self in future triathlons and races. All of you who have thought of doing something like this JUST DO IT! It was so worth it. I ended up taking 9 place in my age division. That sounds really good but there was only 11 in my division HA. I took 196 out of 255 short course participants. Give me credit though it was my first race. I hope to beat my time next year. Thank you again for everyone's help to motivate me. It worked!

First Day of School

The Summer is finally over. The girls were so excited to start the school year out at there new school. Katelynd is now in 5th Grade and Lindsay is in 4th. They both love their new teachers. We thought that they would be afraid to start at a new school again for the second time but they have transitioned very well. They are making new friends easily and love going to class. Now they are trying out for Basketball at the High School. We will keep you posted on if they make it on the Bulldog Team.

Garage Sale August 9th, 2008

Well I think Jason and I finally decided this was our last Big garage sale. They are so much work. I think the only thing that I got enjoyment out of it was that my house was organized and that I got rid of alot of stuff. Next time I think we are going to just get rid of it instead of sale it. People just want things for free!! It took me a full week to get things together and ready for the sale. The sad thing is the girls Lemonade stand did better than our garage sale. Maybe they can float some loans for the poor student. I did get some good pictures of Jason's special talent though Dumpster Diving. I made him get me some boxes. I couldn't reach. So watch out Dad will just jump on in.

Training For Triathlon On August 30th

For the last 3 months I have been training for the Lake St Louis Triathlon. Wow what a commitment! I never knew how much time it takes out of your schedule for training. I am now up to a 3 mile run at least 5X a week and I try to ride my bike 25 miles 3X a week, and try to manage to fit in 1 mile swims at the YMCA or at the lake at least once a week. I just want to thank my brother Cory for giving me his rode bike. I definitely found an activity I enjoy. And it makes all the difference when you have the right equipment. So thank you Bro you are helping me complete my goal of getting into shape. Just recently my father-in-law Doug sent me an e-mail of a Father and Son Triathlon duo. You have to see this!! I thought I have it hard. This amazes me. Encourages me. Humbles me.
CLICK ON LINK

Trip to Utah

During our summer trip I was able to go see my sister Jill and her family who live in West Jordan, Utah. While we were there we were able to visit the grave site of our Grandparents on our mothers side. The Warburton's. I am thankful for the knowledge I have of eternal life and that our lives don't end here. That we will be able to be together again. I love my family so very much and appreciate what they stand for and their example to me and my family. It was nice to visit family this summer, strengthen relationships and make new memories. That is what gets me through being so far away.

Brad and Solange Woods Visit this Spring 2008

This spring the Missonary that baptized Jason and his mother came out to visit us with his wife Solange. They are from Australia. Brad has not been back to the states since his mission in 1982. It was so much fun getting to know them and hanging out. What a blessing to have had Elder Wood enter Jason's life. I am greatful for Missionary work! It is amazing to think of the impact that Elder Wood had in Baptizing one into the fold. Now there is a temple marriage that is a result and 4 children that will be raised strong in the Gospel. We hope our children will serve missions and remember the happiness that it can bring to Families. We love you Brad and Solange Thank you for coming to visit. We hope to see you in Australia! While here we found out about their famous Magical son. We've put a link on the blog so you can view for fun. He does most of his Magic tricks for charity.

Still New At This Blogging Stuff

Well I just wanted to aplogized to everyone for wasting their time coming to our blog site. As you have noticed I finally updated everything. Time just flys by and I just wish I had more of it to spend on blogging. I Hope everyone is Healthy and Happy. If you have any Blogging ideas or tricks let me know!

Back From Summers Fun!

We have made it back from a long Vacation to Las vegas. The Family left April 17th for a 3 week fun vacation with Dad while he was on break between Trimesters. Dad came home May 10th and we stayed another 7 weeks in Las Vegas while Dad was home in Missouri back to the Grind of school and studing how fun!! We had so much fun visiting with family and friends while we where there. We wish we could have stayed longer. It was a sad Goodbye.