One of those days!

Ever have one of those days when you are too sick to do anything...but there are still five kids running around the house?  I'm usually very particular about how much screen time we have...but today the t.v. was on from 7:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. (I'm sure all my kids are in bed with mushy brains right now!)  Somehow, I need to make it through 4 more months!

Merry Christmas 2010

Wow!  How can you not have a fun Christmas when you have 5 young kids in the house?!  We did our traditional acting out of the nativity on Christmas Eve with the wise men bringing our Christmas pajamas! I think the kids were ready to go to bed at 7:30 (which was all right with me...I still had plenty to do!)

Ryan and I were up until midnight on Christmas Eve wrapping presents because I had not wrapped anything!  Then the next morning we had 3 girls in our room at 6:30 a.m! (Can I just say that was not enough sleep for this pregnant woman!  My stomach was not feeling well when I got up and didn't start feeling better until about noon.)  We went into the front room to see what Santa brought, Logan joined us about 7:00 and Mason came to the party about 7:45.

We had a yummy ham dinner (in our pj's!  Because in our house we stay in our pj's all day on Christmas!)  I didn't have enough energy to make dessert so hopefully we'll get the banana cream pie and strawberry cheesecake made sometime in the next few days!

It was an enjoyable and relaxing day.  I am grateful for the birth of my Savior and for all of my blessings!

Fall Semester

This semester started out great but is ending in a fizzle (at least for me!)  I found out I was pregnant over Labor Day weekend...just a month after we had started school.  I should be feeling pretty good by now, but I'm not...and it's making it really hard to keep up with my little brood!

Mommy reading time has slowed down a bit.  We just finished our fourth book of the semester...it took longer than normal because I keep falling asleep during quiet reading time and often by the time I was awake enough to read...it was time for the boys to get up and too chaotic for me to read to the girls!

I was hoping to do more "extra" activities with my kids this year...but that hasn't happened as I wanted.  Although, as I think about it we have done several extracurricular activities.

*We go to gymnastics once a week.  Kessiah, Jenessa, Sienna and Logan are all in classes at the same time
*We have gone to the library for story time once a week.  Kessiah and Jenessa usually play on the computers or read while I take the 3 little ones to story/craft time.
*Kessiah, Jenessa and Sienna are all involved in 4-H.  Kessiah does cavy and sewing.  Jenessa and Sienna do Clover Kids.  Jenessa has also been attending Kessiah's cavy club meetings.
*Jenessa, Sienna and Logan all played soccer this fall.
*Kessiah has continued to take piano lessons (although our teacher is moving at the end of this month, so I need to find a new one!)
*Kessiah goes to activity days (church group) twice a month

Kessiah:  She started out the semester with a bit of a lazy attitude, not wanting to accomplish her assignments each day.  We had a little talk after a couple of weeks and she has done really well since then.  She is my early riser...usually up around 6:30...she gets started on her work and gets her stuff done early. 

Jenessa:  This girl is NOT a morning person.  She is lucky to get started on school by 10:00...and it's driving me crazy!  I'm constantly torn between letting her get started at her time or pushing her to get moving!  Because I'm too tired to push to much right now....she generally goes on her time...which means she often doesn't finish until around 4:00. 

Sienna:  I feel like she has suffered the most because of this pregnancy!  We did preschool really good the first month and then I got sick and have been really inconsistent!  Jenessa, however, has decided that she is going to be a teacher when she grows up and has taken it upon herself to do preschool with Sienna and Logan 2 days a week....that has been a great help!

Logan:  He pretty much follows Sienna around all morning and takes a good nap in the afternoon.  He has managed to learn a lot even though he has had almost no "formal training"

Mason:  He wanders around during the morning and takes a good nap in the afternoon.  He continues to have a physical therapist come once a week.

Mom:  I have pretty much gone into survivial mode...so if I get the following things done, it is a successful day (unfortunately, there are very few "successful" days!)
1.  Kessiah and Jenessa get their school work done
2.  I get the kids to any activities I deem important enough to put on the calendar
3.  The kids eat something for dinner besides cold cereal or making themselves a hot pocket
4.  The dishwasher gets started at night
5.  The laundry gets started at night

sick crackers

Logan just asked me where my "sick crackers" were.  He was referring to soda crackers...maybe I've been eating too many lately and complaining about my tummy hurting!

The Santa Card

Yes, it's true...I've pulled out the Santa card...you know the one...where you tell your kids some version of the "You better be good or Santa won't come story"  I've done it a couple of times already this week...unfortunately, it only lasts for about 20 minutes or so.  But tonight I had had enough from one child in particular.  I called Santa's workshop and left a message for Santa letting him know that Christmas would be cancelled at our house until further notice.  The nice man who took the message let me know that it wasn't too late for the kids to start behaving better and Santa would be watching.  The event has left some of my children in emotional turmoil, I just hope I can call back and say that he is welcome to bring gifts!

4-H Week

This week was full of 4-H activities.  Usually, most of these don't fall in the same week!  We had Clover Kids (Jenessa and Sienna) on Tuesday.  They made treats for the white elephant gift exhange that we had on Community Meeting on Wednesday.  Thankfully, I was able to drop Sienna and Logan off at work with Ryan for the Community Meeting.  It made that meeting a little easier on me, especially since I hadn't been feeling well that day.  On Friday, Kessiah had her sewing meeting.  On Saturday morning, I took Jenessa and Kessiah to the mall where we did 4 hours of service at the Angel Tree booth.  They had so much fun they wanted to go back the next day and do it again!  It really was nice to see the generosity in our community.  Saturday afternoon Kessiah had her cavy meeting (Jenessa went too, she seems to be making herself part of that club even though she is technically not old enough!)  All of these meetings are just once a month (except the Angel Tree booth...they need to do 6 hours of service for 4-H during the year)...but they just all landed on the same week this month!  Thankfully, things slow down nicely for the next two weeks!

We ended Saturday evening with Ryan's annual Christmas bowling party!  Santa was there too!

20 weeks and it's a ....

(drum roll please...) BOY!  Not really a surprise, I knew it was a boy from day 1...but it has been confirmed!

I am 20 weeks...halfway there!  April just can't come soon enough for me!  I have been nauseas and on the couch for most of the past 2 days, I was hoping to feel better by now!  This might be one of those pregnancies where I have that nausea hovering over me the entire time!

Getting off the couch!

So, I pretty much spent the entire weekend on the couch!  I started coming down with a cold last Wednesday.  Thursday morning I wasn't feeling very good so I rescheduled a dentist appointment that I had.  On Friday I had my OB appointment and was diagnosed with strep throat!  I was surprised since all I had really been experiencing was nasal congestion...but I went home with a prescription for antibiotics.  I think that being pregnant on top of having strep and a cold just totally wiped me out!  I literally couldn't do anything all weekend.  Ryan took the girls to the light parade Friday evening.  He went grocery shopping on Saturday.  Then came home and took the girls to buy our Christmas tree.  I stayed home from church with they boys (thankfully, they slept most of the time that everyone was gone so I got some quiet time) Last night the tree was decorated as I watched from the couch!  (and yes, this is yet another year when only the top half of the tree will be decorated)

This morning I woke up feeling like the fog was lifting a bit!  But I still cancelled Jodi coming (Mason's PT) and we didn't go to gymnastics.  Hopefully, I will continue to feel better because we have a lot going on this week...mommy can't be sick!

Baby Gates

We have never owned a baby gate.  We just never felt like we needed one.  We've never had a house with stairs and I was always able to distract a little one who got into a room where they shouldn't be....that is until now.  We are now the proud owner of a baby gate and it is up!  Mason just could not stay out of the laundry room and was starting the washing machine a few times a day. 

For the most part it is working very very well.  On a funny note, it has started making him mad when he can't follow someone past the gate!  This morning Ryan went to our bathroom to brush his teeth, Mason followed him as far as the gate and then sat there and cried for 5 minutes because he was stuck!

Happy Birthday Kessiah!

Kessiah walked into my bedroom this morning (yes, I was still in bed!) and said "I'm a decade!"  Yep, she is growing into a beautiful young woman.  I am so proud of her.  She is a diligent student, which makes my job so much easier.  She is an obedient child and really tries to do what is right.  She loves to read.  She likes 4-H; she is enjoying learning how to sew this year (I'm excited that she is learning an important skill) and loves her guinea pigs.

She wanted a double layer chocolate cake for her birthday.  Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling very good this morning so she mixed it up herself!  Ryan took her and Jenessa ice skating tonight as part of her celebration. (A little later...they just got back and both Kessiah and Jenessa did very well ice skating on their own.  Ryan didn't take Sienna because he wasn't sure how much help the big girls would need)

I am so blessed to be her mother.  I thank my Heavenly Father often for the events that brought her into our lives.  As she turns 10, I am struck by how important my job is and the many things I still need to teach her!

Thanksgiving

We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.  My parents were able to come down and spend some time with us.  Sienna kept my poor dad moving constantly for the first two days they were here with wanting to go on walks, bike rides, playing in the backyard, and playing Barbies.  He helped her master riding a two-wheeler!  After two days, I guess she decided he could do his own thing and she found other things to occupy her time!  It was nice for me because he did almost all of the dishes while he was here!  Mom helped Kessiah sew a vest that she wanted for 4-H, I was very glad since I'm not the best sewer and I'm not really in the mood to figure it out!  They left this morning to go back home...so I guess I'm on my own with the dishes again!

Thanksgiving dinner was delicious!  Turkey, homemade cranberry sauce, mashed sweet potatoes, orange stuffing,  creamy corn and a homemade roll were some of the yummy things on my plate!  Cheesecake and pumpkin pie were on my dessert plate!  Of course, at our house a banana cream pie was also available...but it's not my favorite!  I got lots of help from Ryan, Kessiah, Jenessa, and my mom getting all the food together.  Thank You! 

It was nice to have my parents here for Black Friday!  Yes, Ryan and I got up at 5:00 a.m. (we had planned on 6:00, but I woke up and was wide awake so I decided we should just go!)  We found several things that we wanted, but missed out on a few others!

We got to celebrate my dad's birthday while they were here...instead of making a cake....we had more pie!  Dad took Kessiah and Jenessa to gymnastics on Monday...the rest of the kids stayed home with me and Mom due to some developing colds (and Mommy wanting to do a little cyber shopping on cyber Monday!)  On Monday evening we put together our annual gingerbread house.  It's a fun tradition that may soon end up being more than one gingerbread house!

I have so much to be thankful for, I'm very blessed.

16 months

Mason is really starting to walk all over.  He still has that adorable unstable gait, but he is getting the hang of it!  He has four teeth now and loves to eat!  He thinks he is pretty smart because he can open the doors in our house...unfortunately, we have those lever door handles not the round knobs!  He loves to push buttons and has recently learned how to open the laundry room door and start pushing the buttons on the washer and dryer!  Ahhh!  He has started the washing machine more than once!

As a side note...my due date is exactly 5 months away!

Mason is walking!

Yes, he is really starting to move!  He is now walking all the way across a room!  I love to watch babies learn to walk...it is so cute to see their unstable steps and often amazing that they stay upright!

Sienna's Birthday

Wow!  My baby girl is another year older!  She was excited that she didn't have to do her jobs today and I even let her pick a movie to watch this afternoon after school was done.  She picked mac & cheese for lunch and enjoyed opening her presents...although she was disappointed that the Barbie she got didn't have a dress!

This evening Ryan took the girls to an NAU basketball game that was played here.  I was surprised that Sienna agreed to that activity on her birthday...but it's a nice daddy/daughter's date!  I'm home with the boys watching Toy Story (Logan's favorite!)

Sienna is an energetic, fun-loving girl!  She is learning to read (she would be reading if her mom had more energy...but that seems to be lacking right now!)  Sometimes she feels caught in the middle of trying to be like her big sisters and wanting to stay little.  She is pretty good most days about playing with Logan during morning school time...that is helpful...most of the time!  I'm excited to start Kindergarten with her next year, she is ready and eager to learn.

Birthday Party and End of Soccer Season

Sienna had a birthday party on Friday!  We had a princess theme and enjoyed a good time with 4 of her friends!  Ryan ended up needing to be gone during the party even though I had planned on having him there to help...but the big girls helped me out a lot.  Jenessa pretty much ran the party games and Kessiah was a big help during cake time.

On Saturday we had our last soccer games of the season.  It has gotten really cold this week and that weather pattern held this morning...brrrrr.  Unfortunately, I think we had to get Logan up too early this morning so he was a little cranky and therefore got very little playing time!

Wedding Weekend

We went up to Utah last weekend for my brother's wedding.  It was a nice (but long for the kids!) day.  At one point during the reception, Jenessa came up to me and asked me when it was going to start!  I said "This is it!  It has started!  People come to congratulate the couple who got married, they bring presents and eat some snacks."  We did break up the reception time a bit when Ryan made a Wendy's run for food...since we didn't get dinner that day, the chicken nuggets helped to fill their bellies!

It was fun to see some aunts, uncles and cousins that I don't get to see very often.  My friend Joan was even able to come down for a short time during the day.

Ryan and I even made a visit to Primary Children's Medical Center to see our 3 month old niece who had surgery earlier this month.  She was sedated with lots of tubes in her...I look forward to seeing her next summer when she is happy and alert!

I missed a conversation (but heard about it later!) between Jenessa and my sister-in-law Linnea.  Linnea is pregnant and due in March.  Jenessa was telling her that she could call me and ask me anything if she had a question because I was a professional (a profession pregnant person?  is there such a thing?).  She was very adament and wanted to make sure that Linnea had my phone number.  It is pretty sweet to think that my daughter thinks I'm so smart!!!

We were a little worried on the way up because we couldn't find the cords to our portable DVD player so there were no movies on the 11 hour trip.  The kids did amazingly well!  Ryan did buy another player while we were up there so they did have entertainment on the way back home.

We discovered another tooth in Mason's mouth!  He now has 2 on top and 1 on bottom.  He has started taking steps...so it may not be long before he is walking.

Halloween

We pretty much celebrated Halloween on the 30th this year since the 31st fell on Sunday.  We had soccer games and pictures that morning.  Unfortunately, Ryan lost the camera during the pee-wee game so when we were done at the soccer fields he went to Sam's Club to buy a new one so we could take some Halloween pictures!

That afternoon we had a ward potluck at the church and then the annual trunk or treat.  It was a cold day, but the kids had a great time. 

We did get some treak or treaters at our house on the 31st and the kids had lots of fun handing out candy to them.

Mason got his second tooth this weekend.  Now he has one on top and one on bottom.

We won't go to jail!

We went out tonight and "booed" some people with cookies.  At one point during our adventure, Logan had undone his seatbelt.  When we stopped and I buckled him again he said "We won't go to jail now!"  Funny!

What do you do when soccer games are cancelled?

Friday was a rainy day so soccer games were cancelled for Saturday.  We enjoyed our day anyway!  Saturday morning we got our jobs done early and watched "Journey to the Center of the Earth"  Later in the afternoon we went swimming at the Y and then went and bought our pumpkins.  Of course, everyone is anxious to carve them and we have to keep reminding them that is is too soon...we'll do it later this week.

Friday evening we went to a Halloween party at the Y, the kids dressed up and enjoyed playing the games.

$2000 shoes

Mason got his Sure Steps ankle braces today.  The physical therapist said he needed them to make sure his leg bones developed properly because his feet lean in when he stands.  Thankfully insurance paid the majority and it "only" cost us about $350!

Falling for Art

We went to the Falling for Art Festival today sponsored by the town.  As part of the fun and games they had laid out a huge canvas outside on the ground and put paint in 3 small plastic swimming pools.  The kids could get into the pools with bare feet and walk on the canvas.  As you can imagine...by the end our kids were covered from head to toe with paint!  Thankfully, they had a shower station set up for the kids to wash up.  But of course they were all soaked...since they didn't just get paint on their feet!  So, we just came home and put everyone in the shower!  Even though they were complaining about being wet when I asked them if they wanted to do it next year they said "YES!"

side note:  We didn't let them do it last year because they were all in their soccer uniforms...but this year we had gone home and changed first!

County Fair

I got my act together and for the first time the girls entered things in the county fair.  We did tye-dye t-shirts on Labor Day that they entered and Kessiah also entered a hand embroidery piece that she did with my mom.  I actually ended up staying home with the 3 youngest while Ryan took Kessiah and Jenessa to the fair because Sienna didn't want to go!  She said it was boring (she's never been to the fair!)...but she changed her mind after her big sisters got home with cool face paintings and telling her about all they saw and did!  Everyone got blue ribbons (Kessiah and Jenessa's age group even gets money for blue ribbons!)  So they are very excited about entering stuff next year!

Mason has a tooth!

Finally!  Ryan noticed today at church that he finally had a bottom tooth pop through!  He will be 14 months old this week.

Firsts of the Season

Today was the first soccer games of the season and Kessiah's first cavy meeting of the year.

Soccer games were a litle tricky since Jenessa's game started 30 minutes before Sienna/Logan's game...on different fields and Ryan couldn't be there (he was at a 9/11 ceremony).  Thankfully, we know people on Jenessa's team who also have a son on Sienna/Logan's team (isn't that convenient!).  So, Kessiah watched Jenessa's game with our friends while I took Sienna and Logan to their game.  Kessiah and Jenessa came to the pee-wee game with our friends just as it was ending...so it all worked out fine. 

Jenessa did great...she is a good little soccer player.  She almost made several goals and assisted with one.  Sienna and Logan had a good game too.  Sienna has no trouble getting out on the field and being aggressive.  Logan was eager to get out and run with the pack...he was the littlest one out there and his shirt practically comes to his feet...it just adds to the humor of seeing little people out there running up and down a field! We hit a major milestone with Logan...he is our first child where we haven't had to get out on the field with them for the first game (or second or third)...he had no problem getting out there when the coach called him in!

Kessiah was excited to get going with her 4-H group again.  They practiced showmanship today...for those entering the fair.  We aren't entering the cavies in the fair but it was good practice for EXPO.

The girls wondered where Ryan was during the soccer games, so I had the chance to talk about what happened on September 11, 2001.  I'm not sure that I've ever really explained what happened on that day...it was a good discussion.

Happy Anniversary!

WOW!  Has it really been that long!  I married such a great guy...he really is so good for me.

If those young people in that picture only knew the adventures that were ahead!  On second thought...I guess it's best that they didn't know!

A quote from one of my favorite songs "When we started this journey it was just me and you, now look around us, we have our own crew."

Labor Day

This morning we decided to splurge and go out to breakfast at Denny's.  Yummy!  Then we went to Fain Park and hiked a 1.5 mile path.  It was fun to get outside with the kids like that.  Logan was a trooper and walked the whole way.  Ryan carried Mason in the baby backpack.

We came home and just enjoyed the rest of the day not doing too much of anything!

I helped the girls tie-dye t-shirts!  That was a new thing for me!  A few weeks ago Kessiah decided she wanted to enter a tie-dye t-shirt in the fair so I bought a kit from Walmart and some t-shirts and we did it!  They turned out cute!

Our Week

We finished a session of swimming lessons on Thursday.  The girls all did really well but Kessiah and Jenessa did not move up...still I'm very happy with how comfortable they are becoming in the water.  Sienna did move up, she has been a little fish this summer.  Logan has become more comfortable in the water as well since we get in the pool everytime we go to swimming lessons...he will be ready for lessons next time we sign up.

Soccer season is gearing back up.  Jenessa had her first practice this week, she is very excited about her pink uniform.  She is playing on an all girls team this year.  There are 2 other girls in our ward on her team...we have already talked about carpooling so we don't all need to go to every practice.  We got Sienna and Logan on the same team with the coach we wanted...we know a few people on that team as well.  It should be a good season.

We have been going to preschool story time at the library every Wednesday for Sienna and Logan.  They have been enjoying that.  I felt like I needed to make sure and do some preschool this year...so that is part of our "curriculum"  I had been doing a letter of the week with a few activities for them, but I wasn't liking it very much.  So, I switched this week to a theme...we did shapes.  I like doing a theme much better (I have done it that way before)...so I'm tossing the letter of the week idea and going back to a theme of the week.  I also started doing some phonics with Sienna (she started reading simple 3 letter words last Spring but I was reluctant to start a phonics program at that time)  I have a Hooked on Phonics program that I used with Jenessa that I started with Sienna this week.

I've been trying in earnest to potty train Logan this weekend.  We are struggling a bit, but I'm going to be persistant!  He keeps bringing me a diaper to put on him instead of underwear!

Happy Birthday Logan!

Yes, this little guy is 3 years old!  He had a great day.  We put up a calendar every month that has special squares for special days...he has known all month which square was his birthday.  So when Sienna said "Logan, it's your birthday!" this morning, he walked right over to the calendar and pointed to the right date!

It was a pretty lazy, casual day since it was Saturday.  I even had to get Jenessa and Sienna to go get dressed before we did cake and presents because they were still in their pajamas!

Logan had fun opening his presents and then trying to protect them from Sienna!

Logan is such a cute boy.  I was nervous about adding a boy to our family of girls when he was born, but he has been such a fun addition!  He is definately turning into a 3 year old (3 seems to be much harder than 2 around here!)  He loves to follow Sienna around even though they have a love/hate relationship. He likes to break things just because he can...a very annoying habit from his mom's point of view!  And he loves to talk (and talk and talk and talk!)  I think he talks more than his sisters did at this age.

I am a superhero!

In warm-ups for the tot gymnastics they do an excercise where they pretend to be superheros...before they do it they go around and say what superhero they are going to be.  This morning Sienna said she wanted to be ME!  WOW!  Especially since this very morning I had to give her a few swats on the bum!

New Sleeping Arrangements

We finally moved Mason out of our closet last night...yes...it's official...the boys are sleeping in the same room!  It went well...Mason woke up ealier than he usually does...I was expecting that!  He has definately been with us longer than any of the others!

Our Weekend

Friday morning I woke up feeling awful, my stomach hurt and I knew I was going to be sick...I was.  I laid on the couch for the entire day except for a few trips to the bathroom!  My food intake for the day consisted of a sleeve of Saltines and 2 cans of 7-up.  Finally, around 9:30 p.m. I felt hungry enough to eat a bowl of chicken noodle soup. 

Saturday was much better, although I was still a little weak that morning.  I ordered a box of tomatoes with my Bountiful Baskets order because I wanted to try canning salsa.  I did it!  Yummy...the store bought stuff just isn't as good as homemade salsa.  We planted a jalepeno plant this year, so I was able to use those in my salsa.  Next time I will have to double the recipe because I only got 4 pints out of it.  I still have some more tomatoes that have been blanched and peeled waiting for me to do something with them.

Kessiah finished reading the Book of Mormon this week.  We told her that she could go on a date with Mommy and Daddy when she finished (although we decided they had to be separate dates so we wouldn't break the bank!)  On Friday, Kessiah and Ryan went on a long bike ride on a trail through town.  On Saturday, I took Kessiah to a movie (Cats & Dogs).  It was fun to be able to reward her for completing her goal.

Saturday morning, Ryan took Jenessa and Sienna to a free soccer clinic.  He also got them signed up for soccer this fall.  Logan missed the age cutoff by a month...but they let him sign up too!  We requested that Sienna and Logan be on the same team to make it easier for us!  Kessiah decided not to sign up for soccer so she could make it to all of her 4-H cavy meetings.

Swimming Lessons

We started swimming lessons this week.  I thought I would get one more session in before soccer season started!  The girls are all enrolled in a class...I sit in the shallow end with the boys!

Back to Gymnastics

We are back in gymnastics after taking a break for June and July.  And this time I have 4 kiddos taking classes at the name time (or pretty close...Sienna/Logan start class 15 minutes before Kessiah/Jenessa and K/J go 30 minutes longer than S/L)  It is great having Logan in class...the poor guy was getting so bored at the end of last year!  Mason just tags along with me and Logan (Logan's class is a mom and tot class).

Mr. Talker

I have never seen a 2 year old boy talk as much as mine does!  I thought girls were supposed to be bigger talkers...but I really think Logan talks more than any of the girls did at this age!  It's exhausting sometimes! 

Kessiah's Teeth

We took Kessiah to the orthodontist a couple of months ago and he suggested that she have 2 teeth pulled.  We finally got that taken care of.  She has been VERY anxious about it and has shed many tears.  But, now it is over and she is relieved to have it done!

Cups

I read an article a couple of weeks ago about a large family.  The mother had bought 1 plate, 1 bowl and 1 cup for each member of the family.  Each person was responsible for cleaning their stuff before the next meal (little ones obviously needed help)...it helped tremendously!  I had been mulling this idea over...the plates and bowls seemed a little extreme for our family...but the cups, now that was an idea I could use!  So, this week I took four different colored cups and put names on them.  Those were the cups the kids were to use all day, then at night I would put them in the dishwasher.  It has been great!

Our Weekend

On Friday morning while Ryan was at the movies with the girls, I took the boys to Sears to get their birthday pictures taken!  Ummm....I love my little guys....but taking pictures is a joke!  Mason won't sit still now that he has figured out how to move and Logan just wanted to play with all the props.  We did somehow manage to get at least one shot of each of them and one that was ok of them together.

Friday evening was the town's annual employee appreciation barbecue at the pool.  Unfortunately, it had been raining/drizzling most of the day...so we didn't go swimming in the pool which didn't make the girls very happy!

Ryan got three trees planted by Saturday evening.  He planted 2 more in our front yard and 1 in the back.  They look nice!

On Sunday morning Ryan gave Mason a haircut (Ryan has wanted to do it for months but I told him he couldn't until Mason's birthday)...Mason wasn't very cooperative, but Ryan got it done.  It wasn't too bad, Ryan had used the longest attachment so there were still some curls left.  While we were at church I noticed that Mason's hair had some uneven spots.  So that evening Ryan got out the clippers again and cut it shorter...oh...sadness...he looks like a different baby!

My baby is one!

Wow!  Was it a year ago that I delivered that 9 pound baby boy?  What a year it has been!  Five children has made me dig deeper, reach farther and stretch in new ways.  I am learning to rely on my Heavenly Father more and more as I strive to be a good wife and mother.  It has been hard, yet very rewarding.

Mason has mastered the art of crawling in the past couple of weeks.  Yes, he has discovered that the pickings under the table are tasty and often available!  I'm trying to work on that! 

He has just started pulling himself up to standing.

Ever since we got back from vacation he has decided that he doesn't want a morning nap.  Most mornings I put him in the crib for an hour...he cries at least half of the time.  He does take a good afternoon nap and sleeps for about 12 hours at night...I'm not sure whether or not to give up on that morning nap!

I think he was our "cleanest" birthday child.  He wasn't too excited about the cake, but he did have fun opening his first present...the other two presents he didn't care about so his siblings happily took care of those for him!

He is such a happy, smiley little boy.  I'm so excited to get to know him as he continues to grow and develop.

Favorite Quotes

In this month's Ensign there is an article titled Our Parental Duty to God and to the Rising Generation by Elder Robert D Hales...several things really struck me as being important.

"Do we recognize the urgency of our duty to help our children understand and live gospel princeiples?"  I found it interesting that he used the word urgency...it implies that is is more that just important...it is vital that it happen NOW!

"Do our actions tell them (our children) that gospel living is not a burden but rather a joy?"

Among other things he mentioned how we need to help our children develop personal religious practices such as personal scripture study and personal prayer to help them develop faith and their own testimony.

Our Summer...What worked What didn't!

Our summer is wrapping up, we have started some school and starting to get back into our school routine.

We did a session of swimming lessons in June.  We did the T-Th for 4 weeks session, it seems to work better for us than trying to go 4 days in a row for 2 weeks.  We are signed up for another session in August.

We have one more week of the summer reading program at the library.  Kessiah and Jenessa always love that.  This year they lowered the participation age, so Sienna was able to fill out a reading log as well.

For the first time ever we did the cheap summer movies at the theater.  With Ryan having Friday's off it worked out for him to take the girls that day.

I changed up our chores just a bit this summer.  We have morning and afternoon zones.  Kessiah, Jenessa and I (with Sienna and Logan) rotate through 4 zones.  Yes, that means that one zone does not get done, the girls can do it for some extra money or it just doesn't get done that day.  I really wanted to continue with our devotional time and our morning jobs during the summer...and for the most part we did really good.

I did take the kids to a park a couple of times, but it is hot enough that we didn't stay more than an hour.  Our backyard has enough toys that I probably just need to get outside and play with them more often instead of trying to go to a park.  We've also been swimming at the Y a couple of times as a family...they have a great pool for me to be able to keep track of everyone!

I made some good progress on my continuing education credits for my RD credential.  (During my last 5 year credentialing period I was really cramming at the end...I am trying to avoid that this time!)  I also got out the scrapbooks again after too many years!  I didn't get a lot done on them, but enough to hopefully get me going again!  I also got the girls school work scheduled out through December, I wanted to be able to take most of the month of December off to do Chritmas things...which is one reason that we started early!

I did not get Logan potty trained like I had intended.  It seemed when I started pushing it he backed off and wouldn't do it!

I've been spoiled!

It's an adjustment when your baby doesn't crawl until he turns a year!  Until now I haven't had to worry too much about what is on the floor in the next room!

Starting School

Yes, we started school today...we only did a couple of subjects...but enough to get some structure back!  We celebrated in the afternoon by going swimming at the Y!

I was tired of all the complaining of boredom last week...we had all our supplies (except Kessiah's math which should be here soon)...and we'll just take some extra time off during the year because we will be ahead!

Mason is crawling

Mason officially started crawling today!  I'm so excited for him!  I guess I'm going to have to start paying more attention to what is left on the floor!  He has spoiled me by waiting so long to start really moving around.

Jenessa quote

To preface this...Jenessa has been trying very hard to earn extra money around the house for some rollar blades.

There was a library book sale this morning that I wanted to go to while Ryan was at the movies with the girls...I didn't have any cash so I was asking Ryan for some money.  As Ryan was handing me some money, Jenessa said "Why is Daddy giving you money? You haven't done anything!"  I'm thinking "Are you kidding me...I do tons of stuff around here, most of which you know nothing about!" 

I guess that's the joy of being a child!

Vacation

We just got back from 10 days of fun and family.  Here's a rundown of what happened

• Friday July 2:  We drove to Richfield and spent the night
• Saturday July 3:  We got up early and drove to Salt Lake City for Marissa's baptism, enjoyed a yummy barbecue at Janel's house and then headed up to Idaho Falls for fireworks that night
• Sunday July 4:  I woke up with a pit in my stomach to let me know that I was sick!  Ryan went with Kerry and all the girls to church...I stayed home with my boys and Patty stayed home with Christopher.  I was feeling pretty good by that evening (thank goodness).  We set off our own fireworks in the back yard that night.
• Monday July 5:  Ryan took the girls (with Kerry and most of his kids) to see Toy Story 3.  That evening we had a barbecue at Brett's house with everyone that lives in the area.
• Tuesday July 6:  We went and explored the sand dunes around St. Anthony and then went to the little water playground in Rexburg.  That evening we made smores in the backyard...yummy!
• Wednesday July 7:  We drove to Yellowstone and saw Old Faithful, went on an easy hike around several geysers and pools.  On our drive out we saw a lot of buffalo...several were very close and passed right in front of us!
• Thursday July 8:  We went to the zoo in Idaho Falls...we purposefully tried to keep this day lighter.  That evening we drove to Janel's house.
• Friday July 9:  Lagoon!  Logan liked the rides in kiddieland that stayed on the ground and didn't go too fast.  Sienna would go on anything she could and got very upset when she was too short to get on something...she was just barely tall enough for The Bat. 
• Saturday July 10:  Thanksgiving Point...we spent time at the farm land and the dinosaur museum.  Great places to take kids!
• Sunday July 11:  Church...unfortunately, Logan was so tired he couldn't handle going to nursery.  He slept on my lap during Sunday school and half of Relief Society.  After church we drove to Richfield.
• Monday July 12:  We drove home!  Aaaaahhhhhh!

Swimming Lessons

We finished a session of swimming lessons today.  Swimming is not Kessiah's favorite sport and it shows!  She will take her class again...which I expected.  Jenessa moved up and will be in the same class as Kessiah next time.  That could be good...the last time they were in the same class it created enough competition that I think it helped them both.  Sienna also moved up to the next class...she has become a little fish!  Logan was not old enough for lessons yet but I did get in the pool several times with the boys.  Logan wasn't scared the first day until he was trying to follow Sienna around the pool before class and ended up in water over his head...I was right there so no harm done.  But after that he has been very cautious and didn't even want to go in up to his chest when I was right by his side....until today!  Unfortunately, I did not get in the pool today and he was being brave again!  I had to tell him twice to come back to a shallower area.

We should get at least one more session in...maybe two...I haven't decided yet.  We have also been to the pool a couple of times as a family in an effort to help the girls feel more comfortable in the water...hopefully, that is helping all the kids!

Mason's New Accomplishments

I just went to get Mason up from his nap and found him sitting up!  That is a huge step for him!  He has never been able to get to a sitting up position from laying down before.  In the past couple of weeks he has started getting up on his hands and knees from his stomach.  He has also been able to get to a sitting up position when I put him down on his hands and knees.  But he hasn't been able to go from his stomach to knees to sitting...until today!  Yeah!

Christmas in July

Ok, I guess it's really Christmas in June!  We got our school supplies for next year!  It's always so exciting to get those big boxes on our doorstep and see what is inside!  Jenessa was ready to start right away...Kessiah....not so much!  It will be nice to have some time to look at the materials before school starts.

Lazy Days of Summer

We have nothing on the calendar today (except for Ryan's softball game tonight)

I haven't seen Kessiah or Jenessa in hours...they are in the fort reading.  They both get so excited about the summer reading program at the library...I love having kids who love to read!  Jenessa is currently reading the Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew books and Kessiah is reading the Encyclopedia Brown series.

Sienna and Logan are outside in the kiddie pool...although they have been in the house with me a lot this morning as well.

Potty training Logan isn't going so well...it is going to have to be on his terms!  No surprise there!

We went to swimming lessons yesterday afternoon.  I played in the kiddie pool with Logan and Mason during lessons.  Mason loved splashing in the water and Logan had a good time too.  Sienna was proud of herself for blowing bubbles and putting her head under the water.  Hopefully, we can spend some more time in a pool this summer so the big girls can improve their swimming skills.

Memorial Day Weekend

Ryan had a couple of furlough days that he had to use before mid-June, so we decided to head north for a long weekend.  It was nice to get away.  I'm grateful to have such a patient husband...because, let's face it...2 year old boys are not meant to be strapped into a car seat for 8 hours a day!  On Saturday, we went to Orangeville and the cemetary and I was able to see several people I hadn't seen in awhile.  On Sunday, we went to the Richfield cemetary.  The girls had fun in Richfield with Emily, Marissa and Charlotte.  Ryan even dug a fire pit in my parent's backyard so we could have a cook-out.  Jenessa was especially excited about the cook-out and was very upset when we had to postpone it for a day because of the wind!

Phoenix Weekend

Jenessa's softball team memebers were each given 4 Diamondback tickets to a game last Friday evening.  We decided to go down and stay overnight.  Ryan took Kessiah and Jenessa to the game...they even took the metro system for extra fun.  I stayed at the hotel with the 3 youngest kiddos. 

The next morning after we enjoyed our breakfast we took a dip in the pool.  Only a few mishaps with Sienna and Logan...I see why they say always watch your children around the water!  Sienna was "walking" around the pool when her hands slipped and she went under...I was right there and watching her so she was only under for a couple of seconds and after getting a mommy hug she went right back in.  Later, Logan fell in the hot tub...he just wasn't paying attention and I knew it was going to happen.  Ryan was right there and pulled him right out.  He didn't want to go near the water after that (he didn't want to go in before that!) but Ryan made him get in the hot tub and sit with him.  I thought that was good...kind of the "get back on the horse" theory.

After checking out of the hotel we spent a couple of hours at Cabela's...we had never been there before.  Ryan and I would have liked to spend more time looking at some things...but that is not always possible with 5 kiddos!  I did get a couple of new cast iron items...I'm excited to try them out!

We happened to arrive in Phoenix on their first 100 degree day of the year.  It was a little late this year...we have had a really cool Spring.  When we got back home, we could tell an immediate difference in the temperature...it is much cooler here.

Father & Sons Campout

This is the first year that Ryan has gone on the annual campout with one of his sons!  They both seemed to survive and even enjoy the outing.

The girls were terribly put out that Ryan would take Logan camping and not them!  We definately need to go camping as a family...it has been too long!

The girls (and Mason) stayed home and enjoyed family movie night and a slumber party in the family room (ok, the only ones who actually slumbered in the family room were Kessiah and Sienna!)

While they were gone Jenessa kept complaining about how quiet it was...I really didn't believe her until Logan was back in the mix today and it really was noisier! 

End of the School Year...What worked and What didn't?

We are pretty much done with school for the year.  It has been really hard for us to get everything done the past two weeks.  We've done ok in the morning...but in the afternoon after quiet reading time and mommy reading time things fall apart!  They don't attempt to do their school work and I don't push them...I guess I'm ready for summer as much as they are!  It's not really a big deal...as far as percentages go we are where we need to be (or ahead) in every subject.

I wanted to write down a few things that worked for us this year...so I could remember!  When we started the school year, I had just had a baby and ended a hard pregnancy so we pretty much drifted through the first semester.  Thankfully, our curriculum is all planned out for us so that is possible to do...unfortunately, I'm a planner so I like to do more than drift!  Since we have pretty much shut down for this year I have already started planning a little more detail for next year.

In January we started reciting a scripture every morning before we did our morning jobs.  I've been using the Primary monthly theme and the scripture that is on the back cover of the Friend magazine.  We alternate each day which one we recite.  It was a good addition to our routine. Sienna and Logan always do it as well (Logan pretty much just looks at the pictures and says one our two words...but it works!)

Sometime in the spring I set a time for us to do our scripture and jobs.  9:00 ended up being the magic number.  So often we didn't get to it until 10:00 or later and it just wasn't working for me.  It is the only thing that is currently "scheduled" in our day...everything else is more of a routine.  This change has helped keep us more on track in the mornings.

Just this week we added a couple new things to our scripture time.  We started reading one story from the scripture readers (the ones from Church Distribution)...actually Kessiah and Jenessa take turns reading outloud while Sienna, Logan and I (and Mason) sit on the floor and "listen"  (as well as a 4 year old and 2 year old can listen!).  Then we sing a couple of active Primary songs.  I made this change for the benefit of Sienna and Logan...as a way to include them more.

Sienna and Logan have been a challenge this year.  I've tried a couple of different things but nothing has really stuck.  I plan to do more preschool stuff with Sienna next year...maybe that will help, maybe it won't.  I need to do something different there...I'll have to search for inspiration over the summer.

Something else we started around the beginning of our second semester (not school related) is Saturday jobs.  I set up a schedule of what each child needed to do and it has worked quite well.  About a month ago I set up a rotating "reward" for each Saturday after their Saturday jobs are done.  We were having a problem with everyone thinking they could pick out a movie every Saturday after their jobs were done.  Let's do the math...4 kids X 2 hour movie = way too much screen time for one day!  So now they rotate between a movie, Wii time, computer time and picking what we eat for dinner.  It has been a great improvement!

Mason

Mason is just starting to sit up on his own.  I have been practicing a lot with him this week.  I'm hoping with school slowing down for the summer I can focus more on him and help him work on some of those muscles he needs to develop!

One bonus...he still pretty much stays where I put him since he can't crawl yet.  Unfortunately, he can roll over and always seems to find whatever paper/pencils/crayons are laying around.

Logan

Logan has discovered over the past week that he does NOT have to wait for me to come into his room in the morning or after his nap in order for him to get up and walk out of his room.  He comes out with the proudest grin on his face!

He really does not like softball games.  He is such a homebody!  We are usually at a game for about 20 minutes before he starts asking "Almost done?"  "Time go home?"  I guess I need to start bringing more than snacks and sidewalk chalk to keep him happy.

He has entered the "Why" phase of toddlerhood.  At times everything I say he responds with "why?" Even if "why?" doesn't make any sense!  "why?"  "why?"  "why?"

Sienna

Sienna is the third girl in a row, she is also the middle child in our family. Sometimes feels like life has dealt her an injustice.  She is afraid of being left out of anything and tries desperately to keep up with her sisters.  She thinks she is Logan's boss and Mason's mom (which causes much screaming from Logan and crying from Mason)  She has mastered the art of crying at a moment's notice whenever she feels like it will be to her advantage (I don't understand why she keeps trying this tactic because in my mind it does not get her what she wants)

So, we have taken up pouring water over her head when she starts to cry over __________ (you fill in the blank!)  OK, probably not the best parenting technique...I need to look for a better alternative.

Sienna recently got into her gymnastics class after being on the waiting list for way too long!  She is happy to be there and it has been much nicer for me to have all the girls in gymnastics at the same time.

Mother's Day 2010

I had a good day.  It started with a breakfast made by Kessiah.  She has become a pro at sausage.  This morning she made scrambled eggs for the first time all by herself.  And she made me some toast just as I asked...one slice with just butter and one slice with jam (strawberry freezer jam we made a few weeks ago!  YUM!)

They gave me some gifts...a new Wii exercise game, some earrings, some flowers.

Everyone behaved themselves (mostly)...It was a bit of a wrestling match with Logan during sacrament meeting.

We were supposed to have the missionaries over for dinner, but they called at the last minute and had to cancel...that made the kids pretty upset.  But we enjoyed a yummy dinner anyway.  Kessiah and Jenessa had made dirt cake that morning for dessert.  I love chocolate pudding and Oreos!

This evening we watched an old family movie when we just had Kessiah and Jenessa.  Wow, it was kind of weird to think about how different our lives would be if we had stopped there.  I'm so glad we didn't!

On Saturday, the activity girls planned a Mother's Day Spa Brunch.  Kessiah and I took Mason (Ryan had a softball practice and took the other 3 with him) and we enjoyed some tasty breakfast treats and painted each other's fingernails and toenails.

On Friday, we went out and bought some flowers for our pots in the front.  It's been such a cold spring, I usually worry about them dying from lack of watering (on my part) this year I hope they don't freeze to death!

Potty Training?

So, yesterday Logan told me he had to go poo...not unusual, he often lets me know.  I asked him if he wanted to go sit on the potty (I bought a new toddler potty several months ago because I hated the one we had and I still have 2 little guys who need to learn!).  He said yes...so he sat on the potty and did the deed!  WOW!  Ok, so afterwards he peed on his bedroom floor...but one step at a time right?

Jenessa's First Hit and Physical Therapy

Jenessa got her first base hit in softball tonight.  She was pretty excited, unfortunately, she didn't make it past first base because the next runner struck out and that was the end of the inning.

Mason had physical therapy today.  Jodi let him warm up for 5-10 minutes and then she "played" with him for about 5-10 minutes.  He seemed fine but after she was done with that much he was angry.  I've never seen him so upset.  He didn't even want to look at Jodi and had to have me holding him...he wouldn't even let me put him on the floor.

We stayed up way too late last night playing Phase 10.  It was fun to be able to play with Kessiah and Jenessa...but I paid the price today with some crabby kids!

Piano Recitals and Hair Cuts

On Saturday Kessiah and Jenessa had a piano recital.  We joined forces with a couple of other piano teachers who only have a few students and had the recital in the chapel.  Kessiah's teacher is nice enough to let Jenessa participate even though she is still taking lessons from me.  They both did really well, I'm so glad they get the experience of playing in front of other people.

All the boys got haircuts this weekend...I do mean ALL the boys!  Yep, we cut a little off of Mason's top...he was getting the "comb-over look"

At softball games this week, Kessiah got a hit...but it went right to the pitcher who caught it.  Jenessa was playing second base and got someone out.

Are they all yours?

I was asked this twice this week!  And one of the times I only had 4 of the kiddos with me!

Besides the twice asked "Are they all yours?"  I was also asked another common question by someone else "How do you do it?"  Honestly, sometimes I'm not sure!  But I can say that having 5 kids under 10 and homeschooling has pushed me to new levels of organization and spirituality...so there are blessings!

Mason's First Day of Physical Therapy

Jodi came to our house this morning to spend some time with Mason and to give me some pointers on things I can do to help him strengthen the left side of his neck and body.  Unfortunately, he has a cold right now so he wasn't in the best mood and she made him kind of mad a few times by trying to get him to do some things he wasn't used to doing!  But she did give me some ideas of some things that I can do, so I'll work on those and see if we can get this guy up to speed!

Logan is a Big Boy!

Logan is doing great in his toddler bed.  It's almost as if he is still in his crib.  He doesn't get out of bed until someone opens his bedroom door and tells him he can get up!  Amazing!  This has been the smoothest transition from crib to bed yet!  He'll even tell us that the crib is "Mason's bed" even though Mason has never slept in it!  (Mason is still in our closet in a portacrib) 

We'll see how potty training goes...I'm planning to attempt that this summer or in a few weeks when school starts slowing down.  One thing at a time!

One of his favorite pastimes lately is building towers with mega blocks.  As I write this he has been playing with the blocks for about 30 minutes and is still going strong!

EXPO week

This week was our first experience with the 4-H EXPO.  Kessiah has been involved with the cooking and cavy clubs this year and has been excited for this week for awhile.  She had her cavy interview several weeks ago.  On Monday, we made her breadsticks that she was taking for her indoor exhibit.  Tuesday morning she had her indoor exhibit interview.  Wednesday was the small stock judging for EXPO...that includes cavies.  So we took the little piggies to the fair grounds about 11:30 where we got them settled into their cages.  The judge got there an hour late, so judging did not begin until 3:00.  Showmanship started after that.  Kessiah was the only one in her division of Novice Cavy so she walked away with a pretty blue ribbon.

Ryan had taken the day off as a furlough day (Thank you, Thank you, Thank you).  I left the boys at home and had the girls with me.  The day went much smoother without the little boys.  Sienna loved walking around asking everyone if she could hold their animals.  I had to make her stop after awhile because I didn't want her annoying too many people!  It was a pretty cold day, so by the time we got to the showmanship part of the day Kessiah was exhausted and cold!  When she took her coat off for showmanship she was shivering!  We got home about 6:30 and crashed!

The next morning about 4:30 a.m. I woke up with a knot in my stomach and spent the next 2 hours back and forth between my bed and the bathroom.  Then I spent until about 1:30 p.m. in bed.  Thankfully Ryan had also taken Thursday as a furlough day...I'm sure he did not expect to spend it taking care of his kids while his wife was in bed but I was really glad he was home!

On Friday, Ryan painted the boys room.  It is a nice shade of blue...it looks great.  I was worried it was going to be too dark and I was not going to have him paint all four walls.  But after he painted a couple of walls I decided it wasn't too dark so he painted the whole room.  We put up some sports and Toy Story themed wall stickers.  It's very cute.  We also got the toddler bed put up and Logan decided he was sleeping on it last night.  I wasn't planning on having him sleep in it yet but he beat me to his bedroom last night and was already lying on the bed with his blanket over him!  He did wake up and was crying for me at one point during the night, but I led him back to bed and he slept fine until morning.  It makes me feel as if my baby boy is growing up to see him out of the crib!

Back to Business

My parents left this morning, it will be an adjustment after having my mom here for the past 2 weeks!  My dad got here Thursday night so we have enjoyed having him around this weekend as well as my mom.

We went to gymnastics this morning.  I now have the three girls all taking classes at the same time.  Sienna FINALLY got into her class a few weeks ago.  She loves it, of course.

While my mom was here, we moved Sienna's toddler bed out of the girl's room and into Logan's room.  Sienna is now sleeping on the trundle that was under the bunk beds.  We scooted it out where her toddler bed used to be.  She has been in mourning over the loss of her bed, but I think she is coming around especially after Nana made her a princess sheet for her new bed.  I haven't started putting Logan in the toddler bed yet...I have to gear myself up for that change!

Sienna quote

This girl is so funny!

During the sacrament as the bread was being passed she said "Is the bread buttered?"  The people directly in front of us started cracking up!  I can't blame them...where does she come up with this stuff?

AIMS week/Little League

Kessiah had AIMS testing this week.  For us that meant she had to be at the testing location 3 mornings at 8:30 a.m.  I'm so glad my mom was here this week (I actually reserved her awhile ago because I knew her help would be greatly appreciated!)  It was great not to have to have all 5 kids up and ready to go out the door each of those mornings by 8:00 a.m.

I left Kessiah at the testing site for a couple of hours each morning and enjoyed some shopping time by myself.  Jenessa came with me one of the mornings and we spent our time at Goodwill.  That place is great for buying used books (and I'm a sucker for cheap books!)  We had a good time together.

Kessiah enjoyed the week, she thinks it's fun to do something different and doesn't get stressed at all!

This week was also our first Little League games of the season.  Kessiah is playing minor league softball (girls pitch), Jenessa is playing farm softball (machine pitch), and Sienna is playing t-ball.  It was nice having my mom here because I was able to leave kids at home during some games in our unusually cold weather we are experiencing!

Easter weekend

We enjoyed our Easter weekend immensely!

Janel came down with Emily, Marrissa, and Charlotte as well as my mom.  The girls, of course, enjoyed playing with their cousins, colored eggs, had an egg hunt in the backyard, and played some more.  It was fun (and a bit noisy!) to have them here.  We had 8 kids under 10 here and for a few hours when Janels brother and family came up from the Phoenix area on Sunday we had 10 kids under 10 in the house...how fun is that!

It was also General Conference weekend.  It was a good one that should have been subtitiled "Parenting 101"  I'm excited for the May Ensign to come so I can review many of the talks at my leisure, I have much to improve!

Mom is going to stay for a couple more weeks, it will be nice to have her here.

Black Eyes and Outside Time

The kids have been spending lots of time outside in the backyard.  Unfortunately, one morning I heard Jenessa crying on the grass and I could tell she was in pain.  She told me she had been hit in the face going down the slide.  I found out later that she had been hit by Sienna (accidently) because Sienna was going up the slide as Jenessa was going down the slide.  Jenessa ended up with a nice little black eye!

Logan's Version of Duck Duck Goose

Tonight we played several games of duck duck goose.  Logan doesn't quite get the game (we haven't played it in a long time) but he had a great time running around in circles and tapping everyone on the head and saying their name!

Ketchup Week is over

Unfortunately, we didn't have any ketchup this week.  I was completely out of ketchup friendly foods...I'll have to plan better next time!

It was a good week though.  It was nice to take things at a slower pace...it made me want summer to get here soon!  We did get the school things done that I wanted to accomplish.  Kessiah got a good start on her 4-H record book.  The kids enjoyed playing outside more.  I got in a couple of games of Clue Jr. 

We got summer clothes out for all the kids, but I'm still working on getting winter clothes put away...that is always such a process!  So, I still have several diaper boxes (because that's what I store out of season clothes in...the big boxes from Sam's/Costco) lining one wall of the front room.  Logan has a new favorite shirt.  It's a red shirt with all the Toy Story character's on it...he calls it his "Buzz shirt" and I should have bought 7 of them so he could wear a clean one every day of the week!

We got started on softball season this week.  Kessiah and Jenessa both had practices.  I still haven't heard from Sienna's t-ball coach.

We ventured back to the library this week...all 5 kids and me!  Our piano lesson time got moved so I decided to try the library reading time with Sienna and Logan.  I dropped the books off in the book drop outside before we went in the library and that made a big difference.  The outing went smoothly!

Ryan finished laying down our "outdoor carpet" or artificial grass.  We have been discussing whether or not to put some in since we moved into this house.  He found this at Sam's cheaper than anything else we had looked at and decided to get some.  I have to say that it is nice to have.  The kids have loved it, the dogs have loved it...and I love it too!

St. Patrick's Day

I usually don't do much for St. Patrick's Day.  This year I wanted to do something.  So I bought some little black tins from Hobby Lobby and some rollo's (candy).  Last night I filled the tins with the rollo's so everyone had their own little "pot of gold"  I also stuck a green juice box in everyone's tin as a filler (they held more rollo's than I thought they would!)  And I found a box of Lucky Charms (probably from when Ryan did most of the grocery shopping during my pregnancy!) in the food garage and put that on the table along with the pots.  It was cute and of course the kids loved it!

I was reminded why I dislike Lucky Charms so much in our house.  We have some children who just can't help themselves...they must pick out the marshmellows out of the cereal...and then no one wants to eat the cereal without marshmellows that is left!

Ketchup Week

It is our Spring Break this week, I often refer to these weeks when we have a different routine because of a school break as "catch-up" weeks...but my children say "ketchup" week!  And of course they think we should have food that requires ketchup!

Kessiah is a little behind in Math and Science so we are doing one lesson in each of those subjects this week as well as spending some time working on her 4-H record book.

Jenessa is currently not behind in any subjects so she gets to pick three subjects of her choice each day this week.

We have been enjoying some really nice weather this weekend and so the girls have been begging me to get out the summer clothes...so this afternoon that is what we did!  Jenessa and Sienna are set, Kessiah really needs some new shirts.

We also put our school papers from the past several months into our school notebooks.

Kessiah and Jenessa made our Family Home Evening treats this afternoon...pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (yummy...it was my turn to pick!)

I am really looking forward to this week to "catch-up" on a few things that have been neglected!

Basketball tournament

Kessiah had a basketball tournement this weekend.  Her team had 4 games on Friday evening and Saturday.  She missed one of the Saturday meetings because of a 4-H cavy meeting.  It was kind of sad when they lost their second game in the tournament because that meant they couldn't go on.

They were fun games to watch, there seemed to be an increased level of determination displayed from the teams.

It was a good basketball season.  Kessiah had a good coach that made sure she was included as much as possible (she was the shortest player on her team and probably in the whole age group!)  Jenessa did great, she showed those boys how to play (she was the only girl on her team).  And Sienna, although she is too young to play, is already showing some skill.  She can bounce pass and dribble pretty good.

Jenessa's Birthday

Jenessa thinks every holiday should be a major event...that of course includes her birthday!  Last night she was acting as if it were Christmas Eve...she was so excited.  And I don't know how many times today she asked if she could open her presents...actually she started asking yesterday!  Thankfully, we had planned to open them at lunch time so I didn't have to deal with the same question for the ENTIRE day!

I let the birthday kid pick their own subjects to do for school on their birthday...so Jenessa picked an interesting combination for her birthday.  Math, Language Arts, Art, History (several lessons) and Science.  The only one she didn't pick was phonics, not a surprise...it's not her favorite.  Thanfully we only have 2 more weeks of phonics and then we are finished with that course.  Kessiah and Jenessa worked diligently this morning and completed all of their school work so that they would have the entire afternoon for free time.

Jenessa was excited about her gifts:  Littlest Pet Shops, a jewelry making kit with beads, a Barbie movie, and some new pajamas.

I am so glad Jenessa is part of our family.  She is full of life and fun and yet she can have such a soft and gentle spirit.  She is always the first one to want to help someone when they are sick or hurt.  Her organizational side helps me stay on track during our school day and she is really good about putting her books away.

Sleep is Good!

For the most part, Mason has been sleeping through the night for about a month.  By sleeping through the night, I mean from about 9:00 to 7:00...it is glorious! 

Mondays are about to get busier!

The girls haven't taken dance this year.  For a couple of reasons...1)  the dance teacher we had used for the past 3 years moved (so sad!)  and 2) Mason joined our family and I wasn't ready to add too many activities back in when school started last fall.

But...the past few months there has been an ad in one of the homeschool newsletters that there was a dance class for homeschoolers at a dance studio here.  After thinking about it for a few months I decided to give it a try for March, April and May and then I would know if it was something we wanted to pursue into next year or go with someone else I know that teaches out of her home.  A big reason why I decided to try it was 1)  the cost...the same price as what I had paid before at someone's house and 2) Sienna...I thought she needed something like that to do.

Sienna was so cute as we were getting ready to go!  She was so excited and loved every minute of it.  Kessiah and Jenessa also enjoyed it...but Sienna was elated!

Queen Elizabeth

Kessiah is studying the Elizabethan Era for history right now.  I have really enjoyed reading a few books myself about Queen Elizabeth.  I got put a few books for Kessiah to read about the Queen that turned out to be too old for her, I enjoyed them so much that I put some more on hold just for me!

The Day of Doctors

Mason had his 6 month appointment today (yes a little late!)  He weighed in at 15 lbs 12 oz (20%) and he is 27 inches long (75%).  He is a little slow developmentally, we are not too worried though since Logan was slower than the girls as well.  But the doctor (actually a nurse practitioner) thought that maybe he should be evaluated by early childhood intervention..so we will see what they think!  The timing of his appointment was good since he had started to get an eye infection yesterday.  As it turned out he also had an ear infection...so we got an antibiotic to take care of both infections.

Mason is just pretty happy to lay around on his back and chew on his toys.  He has been rolling over to his side quite a bit but hasn't rolled over yet.  I need to get him on his stomach more to help him develop his arm muscles.  He has also recently discovered his toes...I always think that is so cute to see them grab their feet and try to suck on their toes!

I had to have a return visit to my dermatologist today as well.  I had a mole removed last week from behind my left ear and the biopsy came back showing it was severely atypical.  So, I had to go back in to have more skin removed (not the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last...I don't have a very good history with moles!).  Now I have a lovely line of stitches about 2 inches long behind my ear, I get the stitches out on Wednesday and then it shouldn't look so bad!

Sienna quote

This morning Sienna was telling me some things that each member of our family did well...when she got to me she said "Mommy is really good at loving little children!"

I thought that was so sweet, I couldn't help but smile because she is just growing out of being my most difficult child (my children seem to be the hardest between about 18 months to 4 years!)  It's good to know that she still loves me!  I know that I sure love her!

More Snow!

It started snowing this morning about 8:30.  We've had a lot of snow this year.  Of course, we never get "a lot" (more than an inch or two) and it doesn't stick around too long.  But the girls had fun going out this morning to play in it for a little while.

Time with Kessiah

I've been able to spend some time with just Kessiah the past 2 days.  Yesterday, she had a 4-H activity with her cavy/rabbit club.  They went to a preschool and spent some time reading books to the kids and showing their animals.  This morning there was a Stake Activity Day for mothers and daughters.  We enjoyed learning about the Articles of Faith, modesty, journals and we even got to do some quilting.  Nana would be happy to know that the quilting activity was her favorite!

How do you say "I Love You"

Ryan gave me some great Valentine Day presents this year!  He planted some berry bushes that we bought at Home Depot and he put together a small composter for our backyard (we just have to decide where exactly to put it).  I'm so excited as I dream about fresh berries and rich soil for our garden!  He has been telling me not to get too excited about the berry bushes...he is not holding out much hope for them!

Ryan brought home some balloons and flowers on Saturday evening for all us girls...and Logan got a balloon!  The girls love it...this morning Sienna asked Jenessa why Daddy brought them flowers and Jenessa answered "Because he loves us!"

I successfully made a heart cake from a square and a circle and decorated it with pink frosting.  I've wanted to try that for awhile and finally tried it!

I put up a few decorations earlier this month.  I didn't decorate at all last year (I was too sick), so I thought I would this year...the girls love it when we decorate for anything!   I made a cute heart swag out of felt and put it on the fireplace...I was impressed with myself!

Anyone want a 2 year old?

So, I made the mistake of taking Logan to the library again.  I took him with me last weekend and ended up carrying him into the library screaming and carrying him out of the library screaming.  Thankfully, there wasn't much screaming while we were in the library.

But today Logan got me kicked out of the library!  Seriously!  He wanted to put books in the book drop...which is fine except for the fact that he didn't want anyone to help him...he was going very slow...and he needed help to get the books lined up in the book drop.  So, I tried to help him...he started screaming!  He laid down on top of the bag of books that we were returning.  I tried to be patient and wait for him to get up and continue putting the books away...but he was too worried about me trying to take the books out of the bag.  So...finally I had no choice!  I picked him up and put the books in the book drop myself...which caused more screaming!  Then we went over to the shelves to get our books that were on hold.  Some lady who works at the library came over and told me (quite rudely!) that my child was being too noisy and I had to leave the library because there were people trying to study.  I hate it when people look at me like I'm crazy to be out in public with my 5 kids...so annoying.  My response was a nice..."I'm doing the best I can."  was all that I said.  Now, really...I knew my child was causing a commotion and I was trying to hurry...I didn't like the situation either.  So, I gave Kessiah and Jenessa the library cards and told them to get the books checked out while I took Sienna, Logan (still screaming), and Mason outside.

So, what am I supposed to do?  Never leave the house with all of my children again...that's not a possibility!  I know that I will save any future library trips for awhile to Fridays or Saturdays when Ryan is home because no way am I taking Logan in there anytime soon!

So, after shedding a few tears I do remember that I love being a Mom...but sometimes it is the hardest job in the world!

Indian lunch

Kessiah and Jenessa just finished studying about India (different time periods, but the country was the same) so today for lunch we enjoyed an Indian feast.  I checked out a few international children's cook books from the library and found some dishes I thought we would enjoy.  Of course, I cut the spices way down....I know from past experience that my family doesn't enjoy too much spice in their food (unfortunately, I could use a little more sometimes!)

We had tandoori chicken, vegetable curry, rice, naan bread and coconut macaroons.  The girls helped make it of course and everybody ate it (so it was a success!)

I Can't Turn My Back On Them For A Second!

Really, I should leash my 4 year old and 2 year old to me so they won't get into so much trouble! In the space of about 30 minutes this morning they managed to turn the bathroom into a flood zone and break a window in the front room! I was only steps away when they were in the bathroom and I was in the front room with them when the window broke! It's not like I had left them completely by themselves (goodness knows what would happen then!)

And then (thankfully not in the same 30 minutes) Logan took off his diaper and went pee in his closet. And lest you think I was too far away..no...I was in the bedroom changing Mason!

Why are Sunday mornings so crazy at my house? Weekday mornings go much better and yet I'm more distracted on weekdays! I don't get it!

Does Mason really need toys while he's sleeping?

For some reason Logan thinks Mason should play while sleeping. Logan is constantly throwing toys into Mason's bed while he's napping. Unfortunately, sometimes it wakes him up. It is a little amusing to find an assortment of toys in bed with him.

Routines are Great!

So, Mason has been sick all week...he's had a nasty cough and chest congestion. I spent a lot of time yesterday with him in a hot steamy bathroom to help loosen the gunk in his chest...hopefully it helped, he seems to be doing better today. It has been a few days full of steamy bathrooms, baby Vick's rub, cleaning up throw-up (he would often throw-up after a few ounces because of his congestion) and of course the humidifier working overtime!

Thankfully, because of our job routines some things still got done even though I was spending a lot of extra time with Mason. Dishes and laundry got done and the garbage was taken out...mostly due to the girls and their morning and afternoon jobs.

Logan's latest discovery

Scissors! Yes, they are fine when used to open his granola bars...but not so good when he starts cutting his clothing! I keep finding articles of his clothing that he has cut (while he is wearing them). Doesn't he realize that he has a younger brother coming up right behind him that was planning on wearing all of his hand me downs?! If he keeps finding the scissors, I'm going to have to buy Mason a whole new size 2 wardrobe!

One of those mornings...

This morning was one of those mornings when I'm oh so glad that I homeschool! There was snow on the ground and it was raining...with no sign of letting up all day! But I didn't have to leave the house to take any kids to school!

Sienna quote

"Logan makes trouble, I don't make trouble!"

She said this after she got in trouble for something that Logan did. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference since they are almost always together and they are trouble magnets!

I couldn't resist adding this tonight...
Tonight during Family Home Evening I was talking about Christ blessing the children and I was emphasizing to each child how much Jesus loved them. Sienna said "But he doesn't love my toot's!" (That's how we refer to passing gas in our house)

Back to Normal...What's That?

At least we all seem to be feeling better. We had the stomach bug hit our house this week...or at least hit the girls. For some reason, the boys in our house have stomachs of steel...but that's a good thing. The worst the little boys had were some icky diapers. Jenessa got sick on Monday, but was better by Tuesday. Sienna and I were sick most of Tuesday night and I found out the next day that Kessiah had also thrown up Tuesday night as well. Everyone was pretty much on the mend by the next morning except for me. I struggled through Wednesday but by Thursday morning I was in recovery mode and by Friday I progressed to clean up mode.

Ryan took an "executive" lunch hour on Wednesday and came home a couple of hours early to help us (mostly me) make it through the day.

For some reason, Mason slept a lot on Wednesday and only had 2 1/2 bottles all day. I would have been more worried if I had felt better...but he was back to normal the next day so I quit worrying about it.

Needless to say school was a little sporadic this week. We did manage to get some things done every day except Wednesday.

Our weekend

Friday night we decided to out to eat at the new place in town...Fuddrucker's...since we had 2 coupons we could use we thought we could do it relatively cheap. We fed our whole family a yummy meat (and I didn't have to cook or do the dishes...bonus!) for only $25!

Saturday was the first day of basketball games for the season. So Kessiah and Jenessa both played their games and Kessiah had her 4-H cavy (guinea pig) meeting. We even managed to make it to Costco and pick up Easter dresses for the girls. I know...way to early for that but Ryan was there on Friday and saw them...so of course we had to get there while the supply was still fresh!

Sunday morning I got one of those calls we all love to get. Could I be at church early so I could talk to Brother Duke about a new calling? Ummm...I don't know (just kidding of course) I am going to be the new Beehive advisor, working with the 12-13 year old girls. I have mixed feeling about part of the responsibilities but I'm sure it will be fun.

We had the missionaries over for dinner on Sunday. Dinner was yummy but our kids were a bit hyper! You would think we never had company over...after last evening I'm not sure we should ever again!

Back to Work

We started school again this week after taking a well-deserved two week break. It was a little tough to get back in the groove. I think Jenessa would actually do better to NOT take a break ever! She had a rough time...there were tears every day but today and that is only because there was some serious threatening from me!

Sienna and Logan did very well this week playing together without causing too much trouble.

We started a new thing because I felt like I wasn't accomplishing one of the things that I wanted to during our homeschooling...that is incorporating some gospel teaching into our day. So now before we start our morning jobs we recite one of two scriptures that we are going to memorize each month. It is going really well and only takes about 2 minutes for everyone to repeat it. Sienna loves to take her turn...and for now I'm happy if Logan can just say the word Jesus!

My Day

For some reason this one has been tough for me...I'm not sure why since my life is pretty terrific! I guess it makes me feel like I'm facing the end of an era.

Ryan brought me flowers and a whole box of cheesecake bites last night. It was nice to see my beautiful flowers this morning and I had one of my cheesecake bite that was three bites of heaven. I got some more gifts at lunch time.

I made myself a pumpkin cake and Mexican food for lunch...because that's what sounded good to me!

Ryan has meetings tonight so I get to enjoy Kessiah's basketball practice with all the kiddos!

Sienna quote

"I like Santa better than Jesus because he brought me "Bolt""

Oh dear, where have we gone wrong! She was referring to the movie that Santa brought.

Happy New Year 2010

Wow, another year has begun! Only Ryan was awake to ring in the new year last night...the rest of us were too tired! We enjoyed our traditional yummy Chinese dinner for New Year's Eve and watched some movies we got from Santa.

Ryan and I actually got a babysitter yesterday and went to a movie! (pretty unheard of for us!) We saw Avatar in 3-D...good movie.

Today we are just hanging out, I'm trying to clean up some Christmas stuff so I can be ready to start our normal routine on Monday! It has been a nice break!

We successfully got family pictures done earlier this week. We really needed an update since we didn't get an update last winter....so the one on the wall is when Logan was Mason's age! Logan did fine since he was able to sit on my lap!