A Nephite Christmas!

Our ward's Christmas Social was a Nephite Christmas. The kids all got to dress up like Lamanites/Nephites and for us Karcherites. It was alot of fun! I'm so glad we didn't have a Santa there! If you ask my kids if they believe in Santa they will say "No, we don't believe in Santa. We believe in Christ." (hopefully that's what they will say, I've been stressing this alot the last couple of years)I feel very strongly that Santa is "an incorrect tradition handed down from generation to generation" They talk alot about incorrect traditions in the scriptures. I too use to celebrate the birth of our Savior with Santa. But in recent years I have had some experiences that made me really ponder about where Santa fits in. I have always told the kids that I would never lie to them. Well when Ariana was 5 she asked me "Mom Is Santa really real? I want the real truth." I paused not sure if I should keep up the ruse or if I should tell her. I could see that she was in earnest so I said "No he's not real" She immediately started yelling and crying " you Lied! You said you would never Lie!" That was the first time I really paused and thought "What am I teaching my kids?" The next time came when a friend of another faith who doesn't respect religions other than her own made the comment when asked why she was celebrating Christmas when it wasn't part of her faith "Santa is no one's religion." Needles to say I stood there staring at her with my mouth agape and had to agree. And finally when I was pondering what to do about Santa I was reading the scriptures in one of the Nephi's I don't remember 1st 2nd third...? And it was talking about these incorrect traditions and it struck me so clearly that this was a incorrect tradition. Santa completely over shadows Christ. Is this a ploy by the adversary? I believe so. I've tried to figure out if I can have my cake and eat it too. That is can we have Santa and Christ in the same celebration? And the conclusion I have come to is NO we can't. It's confusing for the kids. Some have tried to make me feel bad about giving up Santa. They say it will ruin Christmas for the children. I disagree. I as a mother feel much better about my children being excited about Christ's birth and exclaiming "I can't wait only ___ # of day's until Christ's Birth! I would much rather hear that then "I can't wait for Santa to come give me stuff!" I know I am opening a whole can of worms here and I'm going to hear all sorts of arguments against this train of thought. I can just see some reading this with the quiet shake of the head as they can't believe I would dare cut Santa out of Christmas... but truth is where is Santa in CHRISTmas?. I'm still working the bugs out of the way in which we will celebrate Christmas. Where to draw the line so to say. But.... I'm hopeful. I think we can make this work. Eradicating Santa from our home completely will take time. But I'm on the right path.

WHY GOD MADE MOMS

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the
following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.



How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just
used bigger parts



What ingredients are mothers made of ?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and
everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men 's bones. Then
they mostly use string, I think.



Why did God give you your mother and not some other Mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's
moms like me.



What kind of little girl was your Mom?
1. My Mom has always been my Mom and none of that other
stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess
would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.



What did Mom need to know about dad before she married
him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook?
Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to
drugs and YES to chores?



Why did your Mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my
Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap
on.



Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because
dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the
stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to
do than dad.



What's the difference between moms &dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to
work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring
them.
3. Dads are taller &stronger, but moms have all the real
power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to
sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic; they make you f eel better without
medicine.



What does your Mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.



What would it take to make your Mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think
some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Dye it. You know her hair. I'd dye it, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would
it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room
clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my
sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible
eyes on the back of her head.

What Are Sister's For?

Having sisters is the best thing on earth! Just ask Abbie and Cloey. I thought this was so sweet and so funny. A sister is a prize possession one to be cherished forever! They got this idea from Sadie and Ariana. Sadie would allow Ariana to step on her back to unlock the front door top lock. Now that's team work and problem solving! I'm glad they are so bright and creative....however that kind of ingenuity could get them into some very sticky situations! Hopefully they use their talents wisely. Unlike some of us who as children used their talents of persuasion, creativity, and a good measure of enthusiasm to no good end. Enough said. I hope they always can depend on each other in their time of need like they did in this picture! Enjoy!

Sadie, Sadie, Sadie

Well here we are again another trip to the ER. On Thanks Giving we were at Ty and Tricia's. Their new house has stairs. Need I say more? Sadie tried to jump from the sixth stair to the bottom. She didn't make it. It's so hard to tell if kids are really hurt or if they like the attention. Sadie has been dying to use the pair of crutches we have. Well here's her chance. The Doc said her ankle is sprained but that there is an area of suspicion on the x-ray and that if the swelling doesn't go down or if it still hurts by next week we have to bring her back. They didn't have the right size boot for her so the one she is wearing is 2 sizes to big. Well three kids down. Just three more to go and all of them have been to the ER this year. Of course Skylar has been enough times for all of them. Any ways with six kids all the spitting image of Mr. Mark Karcher what could you expect? So far I think we've gotten off easy. Just wait until they are all teenagers! We'll be in for it then. I should put the triage nurse on speed dial. Maybe we can speed up the check-in process when we visit next.

Holiday Greetings!

Happy Thanks Giving to All!

And special thanks giving wishes for our soldier in Iraq! We love you and miss you soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much! We hope you have a great day! To all our family and friends near and far we say we love you and are very greatful for each one of you in our lives! We have much to be grateful for. We are blessed in so many ways big and small. Thanks Giving always makes me think of the religous freedom we enjoy in this great land thaks to some very brave pioneers. Best wishes to all and a special welcome to Anne soon to be the newest member of the Karcher clan. We look forward to meeting you and getting to know the girl that finally won Matthews heart!
Love, The Texas Karchers

Silly Girl!

This is Abbie and she's asleep. When I took this picture it was about 6:40 AM. I got up to get the kids ready for school and shortly there after Abbie got up and plopped herself on the chair but not before grabbing the bag of skittles. I don't know if she was trying to hide with them so she could eat them or what. She fell asleep before she had any. It was really funny to walk into the living room and see her sitting there like that. When I lifted a corner of the blanket and saw that she was asleep it was even funnier! She didn't even notice when I took the skittles. She's always up to something. Whether it's sneaking (or trying to)treats or teasing the other kids she's always in the middle of something. Just recently she decided that she wants to go on the potty like Cloey. Every time I turn around she has her diaper off and is either sitting on the potty or trying to put on panties. So far she has peed on the bathroom floor a couple of times but as far as I know has not succeeded in using the potty. She is determined to potty train herself and that is just fine with me. We plan to have a no-more-diapers party when Abbie is potty trained. That Will be a great day.

Favorite Time of Year

The Fall/Winter is my favorite time of year. The weather turns cooler, the leaves change color, the kids are all in school. It inspiers me to bake. I'm going to make some srumptious home made cookies. I haven't decided what kind but biting into a warm moist chewy cookie sounds like heaven. I think I'll bake some home made yeast rolls to top it off. Yummmmmmmo. I love scented candles especially the ones that smell like various home made confections. I think I'll light a couple. I enjoy Thanks Giving but I can't wait for Christmas music. Usually the first Saturday in December is when we put up the tree and other decorations. But this year with Mark comming home so soon after Christmas we're going to put the tree up about a week before the big day and then leave it up until he gets home. We don't have a date yet for his arrival. Actually we don't even have an approximate. All we know is that it will be some time in January. It would be nice if he were here for Skylar's B-day but thats not likely. Poor Skylar is drowning in a sea of estregen. He needs another man in the house. He's home sick today. Hopefully he will be better tomarrow and will be able to go to school. I need to do some grocery shopping. We have two birthday parties to go to and a bridal shower this saturday. I am also doing visitng teaching interviews which overlap with one of the birthday parties. I wonder if I can be in two places at once? Hmmmmmmmmm. I'll figure something out. I decided to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. They are baking right now. They smell sooooo good. Well I better get I don't want to be on this thing when the munchkins get home from school it causes chaos. Ciao

It's Fixed!

It's official the vehicle is fixed. I took it for a drive around town- we even went to the store. And here"s the best part we didn't have to walk home or get pushed home! We're going to buy Toyota next time. If we can afford it. Knock on wood. Any ways gotta go!

Day 5 stll no car!

Okay so it is now day 5 of no car. Someday we will get it fixed. The key word being someday. We think we know what is wrong with it. Hopefully this time when we put the new part in (which we don't have yet) it will work. So the latest part we are going to "throw at it" (mechanic speak) is a new fuel pump. Meanwhile I detailed the car and took all the car seats apart (we have four) washed the fabric and disenfected the plastic. I also cleaned the kids room which aparently a tornado hit without damaging the rest of the house. It's amazing how that can happen. Maybe this time it will stay clean for a whole 24 hours. I even re-folded all the clothes in their dresser. Why is it that instead of putting their dirty clothes in the laundry basket they put them back in their drawer? So gross. Other than that things are good here. It's been unseasonally warm the last couple of days. The kids are enjoying school. Lilly is doing fantastic in pre-k. I was unsure about sending her but it's been so good for her. she has really opend up and her speech is improving. Cloey can't wait to go to school next year. She already knows what kind of backpack and shoes she wants. Pooh Bear of course. She tells me every time we go to the store that we need to buy them. Kids have no concept of time. Thats it for now I'm kloging off!

Day 3 of no car.

It's amazing how much you can get done when your forced to be at home. I cleaned my room, did 7-10 loads of laundry (I lost track after load 5 I don't remember exactly how many I did), baked bread, helped Sadie get caught up on three days of school work (she's been sick since Sunday)and did all my normal household chores. Not bad for a days work. I even squeezed in a nap! Tomorrow I'll tackle the yard......maybe. It's pretty cold. My car looks ridiculous the way it's parked. I wonder what my neighbors think.....probably something like- whats wrong with that crazy lady with all the kids? Did you see the way she parked her giant suv? Uneducated that's what that is. Some one should say something to her. Just kidding my neighbors are great. Besides they've all seen my car towed home often enough (off the top of my head 4 times in the last 18 months). They're smart enough to figure out the real deal. That or just to polite to ask or say anything. I'm glad I have a sense of humor this could get discouraging If I didn't. On a lighter note I just got my new phone today. For those of you familiar with Lee and her phone "issues" your probably either laughing or rolling your eyes. Hopefully this one will last a full 6 months.lol It's not my fault. No really........okay maybe a little. But when Abbie and Cloey baptised the 2nd to last one in the toilet that definitely wasn't my fault. And who new that If you plug in your phone to charge and then slip it under your pillow before laying on that pillow and forget about it for 10 or 12 hours that it would melt the little gizmo's inside. Well if I have the Family curse as Dad says I think it has extend beyond the family rig to just about any thing I touch. I have lots of examples but it would take to long to list them. When Mark calls the first thing he asks is "Okay so whats broke this week?" He's referring to the children as well. Sad but true. So far kindergarten has been much better for Skylar than Pre-k was. well I better get to stepping 6am comes fast.

My blankety blank blank suv!!!!!!!!!!

I never was a swearing woman but after the lastest adventure with my suv I might start. We can't figure out what's wrong with it. The engine will cut out with no warrning while driving- at which point the power steering stops- now if you have ever tried to steer a vehicle that is suppose to have pwr steering but it's not working you'll feel my pain..... after it cuts out we have to coast to the side of the road and try to restart. Needless to say there were alot of angry motorists in town today. Some nicompoop in a suv kept blocking intersections- driveways and sometimes would sit through the same light 3 times! Sheesh....some people. We replaced the engine modulator on Saturday cost $88.oo. On Monday it left me stranded over and over. so we took it to a auto parts store and had them run "codes" on it. Which means an old guy with a dirty shirt and badly in need of a belt hooked a code reader to some part I don't know which of the car and says "yep it needs work" some how between the old guy and the code reader it was determind that the coil was bad. So we replaced it cost $45.00. It didn't work!!!!!!!!!!! I have failed to mention that we were on our way to a Doctors appt for the two littlest Karchers who have ear infections and are extreamly grumpy. Oh yeah and Sadie stayed home with a fever, sore, throat and caugh. Not to mention the fact that it was in the upper 80"s today. And hears the clencher we hadn't had lunch! Whew!!! My blankety blank oh I mean car is now at a wierd angle half in and half out of my driveway where it rolled to a rest when it was pushed the last 3 blocks home. And there it will remain. I have no kind words for the folks at Chevy. I will never buy a Suburban again. If any one hears or sees or even thiks I'm trying to buy another one...smack me....hard.........and repeatedly.........until I come to my senses. Really..... I'll thank you for it. Does this mean your going to buy a new car you ask? No- I'm a glutten for punishment. Actually I'm cheap that and I don't want to buy one with out Mark hear. So...........stay tuned for more adventures from the exciting drama "A girl and her blankety blank suv" I think I've pretended to swear enough for one day so I'm going to klog off.......

Make a slide show, scrapbook or ecard

Tip of the Day

I got nothin........
It's a good idea to give a tip of the day......unfortunately my brain is peanut butter today. I've been up most of the night for the last 5 nights with sick kids. A hot shower would be nice........but I threw away the shower curtain when I found part of it soaking in the toilet.........which those under 4ft can't seem to flush! Yeah I know gross. That's why I don't keep hand towels in the bathroom any more. You never know what they my have recently been in contact with...... Just last week I caught Cloey and Abbey cleaning the toilet with all our tooth brushes one at a time and then like good little girls that put away their toys when their finished they put them back on the counter.........hopefully this was the first time they found pleasure in this activity.............our NEW tooth brushes are now kept on the top shelf of the highest cupboard! :)


I tried to teach my kids the fine art of door bell ditching as part of a fun family outing involving Boo Bags for a few friends...........in short their terrible at it! They miss the whole point of running as fast as you can. At the door of one of our friends Sadie, Ariana, Lilly and Cloey went up to the door. Ariana came flying back, Lilly stood around looking at all the pretty decorations, Cloey stood in the middle of the street and yelled for the others as loud as she could and Sadie.....well for some reason she decide to lay down on their porch in a moment of I'm guessing panic? Needless to say we were caught. lol Ohhhh kids are so much fun.

Top 10 things I've learned the hard way while raising my kids

#10 child locks are not child proof

#9 poop stains

#8 crayons are not tools of self expression rather they are a clever miniature torture device who's only purpose is to drive parents insane. I vote we change there name from crayon to #@%*^!

#7 Never leave your tooth brush unattended on the bathroom counter

#6 to prevent bugger's from being wiped on walls, furniture and siblings always keep plenty of Kleenex on hand

#5 remembering to cover your cough is impossible for those under 4ft

#4 hide a roll fo toilet paper it will come in handy

#3 kids can sniff out sweets no matter where you put them

#2 there's no such thing as privacy

#1 I should have bought stock in Walmart!
(I'm practicly a half owner anyway with how much I spend there!)

1 Year Strong! (almost)

So next week on the 23rd it will be 1 year since Mark left! What a thought.... It's been quite the year. From broken bones, broken appliances to head lice oh my. We have plodded on steadily. Never looking back, always looking forward. Overall it has been an adventure to remember! We've laughed we've cried we've survived! Just another short 3 months and this chapter will close. Only to open on another! What have we learned you ask? Well......where do I begin ? How much time do you have? First I've learned that each of us have within us the strength to overcome all. We only need to allow the Lord to lead us through the refiners fire and unlock the strength we have within. Don't be afraid to leap! I've learned that the Lord knows our needs down to the smallest detail. I've learned in a very personal way what a loving and caring Heavenly Father we have. I've learned that all prayers are answered. I've learned that by taking the Lord as my partner I can not fail. I've learned that doing service for others on a continuing basis will lead you to find gifts you didn't know you had, help you to expand your abilities, help you through your trials and bring you an inner joy worth the effort. I will never regret the things I have learned the strength I have gained or the peace I have been given during this year that Mark has been away.