Back to School

Last night was Meet your Teacher and it went great!! The kids loved each of their teachers and were all very happy as we left the school.  Which made this morning even better since they were excited to go back to their classes and teachers and friends.  

Greg gave each of the kids a blessing to help with school this year.  Callie and I also got one.  What a special experience for all of us.  I am so grateful that Greg has the Priesthood and can bless our family with it.

As I sit here in the middle of the day and update my blog I am amazed at all I have accomplished today (and before 2pm).  

• I exercised--yeah me!!  
• I got three kids ready and out the door for their first day of school.  Greg and Callie helped, too.
• I mopped the floors
• I made brownies for our after school snack
• I played and sang with Callie a TON!  

•  I made a grocery list and actually look forward to shopping with just Callie tomorrow.
• I planned meals for the next 2 weeks
• I balanced my finances
• I took brownies to and chatted with a friend
• I made and ate lunch with just Callie
• I read books and put Callie down for a nap
• I got the house picked up
• I picked veggies and watered the garden.  And found a strawberry in my patch, I guess they are going to produce again before the summer is over!

I am amazed!! 

I can't believe I have a 5th, 3rd, and 1st grader!!  They are growing up so much and none of them showed any signs of nervousness this morning.  I asked Annabelle is she was nervous since it is her first time begin at the school all day and she said, "I am more excited than nervous!"  They all looked so put together this morning.  I hope that they have had a wonderful day!  I need to go get them right now so we shall see...

We just finished our after school snack and chat.  That is a fun name to give our tradition.  It is my favorite part of the day.  The kids come home and I have a specific snack ready to go and we all sit around and chat.  Today we had zucchini brownies and carrots with ranch.  Callie even sat with us and we all talked about our day.  I loved how the boys asked Annabelle about her day, knowing that it was a big day for her.  All of the kids had fun.  All are still looking for friends in their class and getting used to recess again.  While I worried that Annabelle would be lost at lunch, it was her "favorite" part of the day.  She even helped a classmate who fell down and got hurt.  And now the kids can go and do some reading and we will have a nice day. Hooray for back to school!! 

Wrapping up Summer

The last weeks before school started were filled with fun and shopping and more fun and lots of late nights.  I think we did a lot this summer and had lots of fun. 

 All three of my kids were able to participate in a Thanksgiving Point day camp.  They go from 10-3 and each of them had a blast.  The boys did it near the beginning of the summer and spent the day talking about Fabelhaven and science fictiony things like that.  Annabelle did hers last week and it was about Fairytales.  They all had a lot of fun and while I was worried about Annabelle since she didn't have a friend or sibling with her, her first response when I asked how it was was, "I want to do it again!!" 

 We tried to make it to the pool more often this summer.  The boys are able to play around without supervision. They can both swim and are really safe.  Nathan goes everywhere.  Ryan stays where he can reach since he gets anxiety otherwise.  Annabelle also stays where she can reach but she keeps trying to branch out and swim in the deeper waters.  Callie loves to jump to me, over and over.  She also loves areas where she can stand up.  We would usually go in the afternoon and so Callie would miss her naps.  She would usually konk out on the ride home and look like this for awhile.  She didn't wake up that happy having slept in her swimsuit, but she and I really need her to nap so any sleep is positive.

 These portable applesauces are my new favorite thing!  It takes Callie a long time to eat them and they aren't messy.  Well, at least if you don't leave it down in the playroom and then a sibling steps on it.  The older kids like them okay, but Callie LOVES them!

 

 Our Cub Scout Pack wasn't able to pull off pack meetings this June and July due to leaders being out of town so this last week we finally pulled one off and had close to 200 awards passed out.  Nathan earned his webelos badge along with 10 more things.  Ryan earned 4-5 belt loops.  Next month we are looking at Nathan earning his Arrow of Light.  CRAZY!  I can't believe he is getting things done so quickly.  I am so proud of both of my boys for working so hard.

 These are the finally otter pops of the summer.  We finished off the box.  I bought a variety of other popsicles over the summer, otherwise we probably would have gone through a couple boxes.  I am glad the kids like them because they are cheap, but I didn't eat any this summer.  I prefer the finer things like a creamie or chocolate bar.

Remember how I said Callie loves to hide.  After pack meeting all the kids were playing and picking up when Callie ran out of the gym.  We looked around for 5 minutes before we found her hiding behind this lamp.  Good thing she is so cute!

Moments

Sometimes things happen and I never want to forget them.  I don't have a chance to grab a camera and then I don't get to my journal fast enough and the memory slips away.  I am sure there is at least 1 moment a day that I don't want to forget, but do.  Here is a few that have happened recently:

• Callie has really bonded with her brothers this summer.  She loves being with them.  We went to store the other day and she wanted to hold their hands, not mine.  It was so cute to see the two boys with Callie in the middle.  They tried to swing her a couple times.  It was fabulous.  
• Callie loves to hide.  She sometimes scares us when she does this because she is so good.  She is always so happy to see us when we find her and is ready to do it again.
• The boys and I finished reading the Book of Mormon today.  We started at the beginning of summer and read 3 chapters every day and 4 on most Sundays.  What a special thing was it for me to see my boys reading the scriptures every day.  Curled up on a couch and reading the word of God.  I am so grateful for the inspiration that I received to challenge my boys.   
• Annabelle loves to talk about when she will be a mom someday.  It comes up at least once a day.  She will talk about how she will pass on her toys or clothes to her children.  How she will do this or that with her kids when she is a mom.  It makes me feel like I am doing something right.  Amidst all the crazy times, I somehow must be showing her that I love my job as a mom and wouldn't want to do anything else.
• Music is such a powerful thing at our home.  I may have mentioned this before but it is key to success for us.  When it is time to clean up or cook we always turn on music.  During the week we will listen to Katy Perry, Disney songs, Shakira, Erasure, ABBA, Taio Cruz.  We have so much fun dancing and singing to the songs as we work together.  Callie even knows the words to some of the songs.
• Today Greg came up with a wonderful Sunday activity.  He made a chart and for 15 minute rotations that kids got to plat with each other, two at a time.  So in 45 minutes they had each played with all of their siblings and Greg and I had some down time.  After each 15 minute rotation we met back up and talked about what we did and how we had fun together.  There was NO fighting.  Everyone got along great and I loved the feeling we had in our home.  This will definitely become a weekly event.
• My boys are classic siblings.  They get along great, until they don't.  They will be the best of friends and then someone slips and they will punch each other really hard.  But all that goes away when they go to bed.  They would talk for hours if we let them.  Sometimes we do.  I love hearing their jabber, at least for the most part.  I am so grateful they are friends.
• Callie loves to say please and thank you.  And she always wants a "Your welcome" after she says thank you.  Recently she said thank you to someone who didn't respond right and she looked at me and said, "They didn't say 'your welcome' mom!?"  She also plays excellently by herself and I like to creep in and listen to her talk to her toys. It is precious.  Right up there in the precious category is her singing church songs or saying praters and repeating scriptures.  Her voice is so cute and little still.  We all just eat her up!

I am sure there are a whole lot more things I wish I could remember.  My kids and my family are so precious to me.  I can't imagine any other place I'd rather be that right where I am right now.  With school starting in a couple days and my three older ones going to be gone all day, I really don't know what I will do with all the quiet.  Callie and I will get lonely.  I will miss the music, the friends and the moments to talk to the kids.   I love school and I am excited for the new experiences my kids will all have this year, but nervous for how it will all play out.  We will find out soon enough!

Annabelle is 6!

 Tuesday was a special day at our house.  Annabelle finally turned six like the rest of her friends.  She was SO excited.  We had a great morning eating yummy pancakes and playing with our new things.  Last Christmas Annie got a My Generation doll and has loved dressing it in the outfits she got or some of my old ones from my American Girl doll.  The boys and I were at a craft fair this summer and came across a place selling these matching outfits.  The boys agreed with me (not joking) that Annie would love this outfit, and they were right.  After wearing it like this for 10 minutes she found a shirt to go under it (she hates being immodest) but then she wore it nearly the whole day.  A neighborhood friend also had a doll clothes sale at her house so I was able to buy some more outfits for her birthday and Christmas.  For her birthday she got a mermaid costume and a vet outfit complete with animal scrubs, a dog, a dog bed and a syringe.  I love watching her play with her doll as it reminds me of all the fun I had with mine growing up. 

 For birthdays in our house we let the birthday child choose what we eat for the day, within reason.  After our pancake breakfast we went to McDonald's for lunch.  I even went inside and let the kids play for a bit.  It was right at lunch time so it was a bit chaotic, but they had fun.  For dinner Annabelle was adamant that she wanted ramen noodles.  Since we had pack meeting and soccer that night I didn't argue.  I didn't eat the ramen noodles, but she LOVED them!  And that was what mattered.  She had a fun day and enjoyed reading her new book and playing with her new things, anticipating the party the next day.

 What can I say, I love birthday parties.  I love the planning and the preparing and the faces of all the kids that come and have fun.  Some people think I am crazy.  Others tell me they can't compete with my extravagance.  I am not trying to win any awards, I am just having fun with my kids.  This is one of the ways that I can do it.  Maybe it is because I have an elementary education degree that I can handle the kids and the messes and stuff, I don't know, but Annabelle and I had a lot of fun with this party.  She decided to have a baking theme since she loves to help me in the kitchen.  Thanks to tips online we found cheap aprons that I sewed some scrap fabric onto to make them look extra cute (and I was getting rid of scraps!). 

When the girls came (all 20 of them), they got to pick an apron and then start decorating their hats.  A few years ago with Ryan's preschool I made hats, but this time around I just bought a bunch.  Some girls were done coloring real quick, others I had to finally stop because it had been over 30 minutes and we needed to move on. 

 Next up was fruit kabobs.  The girls seemed excited to make something they saw a fancy places with their moms.  The fresh fruit was great to snack on while I helped the girls.  I have to mention here that I had two of my cousins stay and help. I could not have pulled the party off without Adarienn and Sarah.  I can't thank them enough!

 We then got to decorate 2 cupcakes.  One for now and one we put in cute boxes to take home as the party favor.  It was kind of crazy managing all the sprinkles and frosting so we almost forgot to sing happy birthday to Annabelle.  Luckily she still had most of her cupcake when I remembered and we were able to give her a proper birthday song.
We made little finger puppets, read some baking/cupcake stories, and opened presents.  We didn't get to a couple things, but they weren't necessary so it was okay.  My only regret from the party is that I forgot to get a picture of all the girls in their cute little aprons and hats.  I always have a group shot, but not this year.  Oh well.  I know it happened and I know they all looked great.  I did tell Annabelle that next year she can only invite 7 girls, since she will be seven.  We'll see if I can stick to that.  It is had not to include everyone.  The best part is that Annabelle was happy.  She had a lot of fun and every thing went smoothly.  Whew!

 

End of Summer Parties

 We have managed to make it to the park multiple times this summer.  Not always the same one, but somewhere around town.  It is so fun to watch the kids play, or even play with them.  For the library's end of year party they had a magician at the park.  We arrived just before it started and so the girls and I were sitting in the back.  The boys found a place to sit up front.  For the 4th time in his life, Nathan got called up to help.  I think he is destined to become a magician!  Happily he went up there and put on a great show.  I have to admit that I watched the show once Nathan was up there.

 Nathan was a math tutor through the library this summer.  They also had an end of summer party and the whole family was invited.  They had a bunch of minute-to-win-it type activities for us to play.  The kids had fun blowing ping pong balls, scooping noodles on spaghetti, launching angry birds, tossing balls at each other, fishing with gummy worms, picking up cotton balls with a vaselined nose and lots more.  My kids were a little nervous at first, but got into it and had lots of fun.

 

 

Spruces

 

 

 This year we were able to go with my cousins on their campout (last year it was the same week as Greg's family campout).  I was really excited, as were the kids.  But, honestly I was a little nervous because I hadn't loved the campsites of the last few places we had went.  Luckily this year we went to Spruces up Big Cottonwood Canyon and it was FABULOUS!  It was so pretty, so shady and just a perfect place for our families.  The cousins are all spaced perfectly.  We have 4 older girls.  5 boys around Nathan and Ryan's age.  3 girls around Annabelle's age and then 2 toddlers.  The kids got along great and were able to run around, explore and enjoy themselves without us having to watch them 24/7.  We did have to keep an eye on Callie, but that wasn't too hard.  We all slept great, Greg and I even had our air mattress and were able to zip our sleeping bags together.  Callie did great for her first time in a sleeping bag.  She woke up a couple times on the trip because her body had slipped out of the bag.  The food was fabulous and we were able to go on hikes, tye-dye shirts, sing crazy songs and have a skit night that I ended up hosting. Greg and the boys did a bunch of whittling. The kids loved throwing rocks in the stream (I was sad that we couldn't wade in it since it was SLC drinking water).  All in all it was a great 4 days in the woods.  On the way home, it was a Sunday, Ryan asked if we were going to make it to church.  I replied no and then he said, "Mom, can you promise me that we won't miss church next week?!"  What could I say to that?  We had missed the last three Sunday's with all of our traveling and while I missed it too, coming from my 8 year old it meant a whole lot more.  I promised him we wouldn't miss again for a long time, and we haven't the last couple weeks.  When we got home we unloaded the car and then relaxed the rest of the day in front of the Olympics.

Back to Reality After the Olympics

The Olympics are over and my nights are once again my own.  So sad, but good at the same time.  I have a lot of catching up to do.  And not just on my blog.  School starts in one week.  It is Annabelle's 6th birthday tomorrow and I have a bunch of little girls coming over on Wednesday that I need to prepare for. 
Let's back up a couple weeks.  We got home from my parent's home on Sunday and we had a few days to rest, clean up and get packed for my cousin reunion here in Utah.  It was a hectic couple days but here are some highlights:

 Greg loves sushi.  I like it, but I don't love it like he does.  He probably eats sushi once a week.  He decided to buy the stuff so he could make it.  He went to a little Asian store and with the help of the employees came home with everything he would need to make California rolls.  I was surprised how much I enjoyed them.  Watching him make them was pretty cool.  Nathan ate 2 and seemed to like them.  Ryan and Annabelle both barely even touched it to their lips before they spat it out.  Callie just tried to get the rice.  Oh well, they all ate PB&J and some leftover cucumber spears that we didn't use. 

 

 It was great to see friends again after a a week away.  We played outside and enjoyed our water toys in the hot sunshine.

 

 I finally went through the kids school stuff.  We picked a bunch of things to save and took pictures like this of the things we were going to toss.  I love that my kids are willing to let go of things.