We just got back from a super quick trip to Utah. We left Friday morning and came back Saturday night. I had a meeting with United Way on Friday to train them on their new website and then Bob and I went to a party at Jeff and Shima's house that night. Saturday we went to BYU and went bowling and ate at the food court. Then we went to a BYU basketball game with Casey and Kami. And then I went and met Wendy for ice cream. Then we left for home. The drives were pretty miserable, but we don't have any more trips with the kids planned for a while.
School is out and we can hang out together and do lots of Christmas things with the kids! We are going to finish making our Christmas treats tomorrow and then deliver them. This year we're doing 3 kinds of fudge and 2 truffles. I tried two batches of toffee and they were both horrible. I don't know what I did. I used to be able to make it just fine. So I've sworn off toffee. It's probably good though because I love it and I eat it too much.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
December 11, 2011
Soccer is over and basketball has started. We had another sports filled day yesterday. The boys both had a great soccer season. And Danny's first basketball game yesterday was great. He scored 2 baskets. It was pretty fun to watch.
I think I'm pretty much done with all my christmas shopping. I'm so glad because it is a lot of work to figure out what everyone wants and then try to spend about the same and in budget on everyone and make sure everyone gets about the same number of things under the tree. I went pretty over budget this year. I started out over budget because I decided I was going to use some of the extra website money I made last month to get Bob an Ipad. I'm so excited about it. He would never ask for something like that and he won't really like that I spent that much on it, but he'll love it. And I hope that the kids get things they'll love and will feel fairly equal.
This year the kids drew names for who they would get presents for again. But this year we decided they'd make presents for each other instead of buying them. So I took the kids all out of school one afternoon each to buy materials and make their gifts. It's been awesome. The kids are so excited and they're all making great things.
We got some names from an eagle scout project angeltree and had the kids pick out gifts for those kids. And Bob's work is sponsoring several homeless teenagers. So we're going to target tomorrow and having the kids each buy at least one thing with their own money for the teenagers.
I think I'm pretty much done with all my christmas shopping. I'm so glad because it is a lot of work to figure out what everyone wants and then try to spend about the same and in budget on everyone and make sure everyone gets about the same number of things under the tree. I went pretty over budget this year. I started out over budget because I decided I was going to use some of the extra website money I made last month to get Bob an Ipad. I'm so excited about it. He would never ask for something like that and he won't really like that I spent that much on it, but he'll love it. And I hope that the kids get things they'll love and will feel fairly equal.
This year the kids drew names for who they would get presents for again. But this year we decided they'd make presents for each other instead of buying them. So I took the kids all out of school one afternoon each to buy materials and make their gifts. It's been awesome. The kids are so excited and they're all making great things.
We got some names from an eagle scout project angeltree and had the kids pick out gifts for those kids. And Bob's work is sponsoring several homeless teenagers. So we're going to target tomorrow and having the kids each buy at least one thing with their own money for the teenagers.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
December 4, 2011
Our Thanksgiving was perfect. We left Tuesday after school. I realized I don't like driving with the kids in the dark and it was dark for most of our drive. I have to do so much entertaining when the kids can't see anything. Wednesday my mom and I went shopping and she bought me several things for my birthday. Then that night Kristal, mom and I went to see the new twilight movie. Bob was so nice to babysit so much that day. Thursday we had a great meal and went to a new park after we ate. The weather was perfect all weekend. A little foggy in the morning, but it warmed up every afternoon. Friday I took Danny and Bob shoe shopping because they both needed some. We played games and had fun. We left Sunday after sacrament meeting.
Danny has started basketball. He's in the NJB league. He's on a team with CJ and Ethan Whittle. It's so great to be able to carpool. And we found a basketball hoop on craigslist so Danny is all into basketball. Even though there is still one more soccer game. Both Aaron and Danny have had great soccer seasons. Then we'll sign Aaron up for Basketball through North Las Vegas and that will start in January.
Danny has started basketball. He's in the NJB league. He's on a team with CJ and Ethan Whittle. It's so great to be able to carpool. And we found a basketball hoop on craigslist so Danny is all into basketball. Even though there is still one more soccer game. Both Aaron and Danny have had great soccer seasons. Then we'll sign Aaron up for Basketball through North Las Vegas and that will start in January.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
October 20, 2011
I've been potty training Seth this week and it went pretty well. He's wearing underwear most of the time and has accidents about once a day; not the best record, but pretty good. But so far none of those accidents have been on the carpet or the couch. I've only used little bribes like fruit snacks or chocolate chips. But this week we're going to try bigger bribes at the toy store to see if we can get him a little more committed.
Now that my big website deadline has past I'm working on my house more again. I'm finishing the playroom wall and Bob and I are working on refinishing the coffee table and buffet for the front room. I'd like that room to look a little more finished for when my family comes for Christmas.
Ruby and Danny are sick today so we're home from church again. We're really praying that it'll pass by Tuesday when we plan to go to Visalia for Thanksgiving.
I've been reading the conference Ensign lately. Two of my favorite talks are "A Time to Prepare" by Ian S. Ardern and "The Power of Scripture" by Richard G. Scott. I feel like I just don't ever have enough time to do everything I need and want to. I'm always behind on sleep and have headaches because of it. So the talk by Ardern was so good because he listed what our priorities should be: The Lord, family, work, wholesome recreational activities. That was a good reminder. And I liked when he said "I invite us to identify the time-wasting distractions in our lives that may need to be figuratively ground into dust." And since time is so tight for me right now I find myself neglecting my scripture study as I try to get more things done, even though I know that's not how my priorities should be. So Scott's talk about his love of the scriptures was wonderful.
Now that my big website deadline has past I'm working on my house more again. I'm finishing the playroom wall and Bob and I are working on refinishing the coffee table and buffet for the front room. I'd like that room to look a little more finished for when my family comes for Christmas.
Ruby and Danny are sick today so we're home from church again. We're really praying that it'll pass by Tuesday when we plan to go to Visalia for Thanksgiving.
I've been reading the conference Ensign lately. Two of my favorite talks are "A Time to Prepare" by Ian S. Ardern and "The Power of Scripture" by Richard G. Scott. I feel like I just don't ever have enough time to do everything I need and want to. I'm always behind on sleep and have headaches because of it. So the talk by Ardern was so good because he listed what our priorities should be: The Lord, family, work, wholesome recreational activities. That was a good reminder. And I liked when he said "I invite us to identify the time-wasting distractions in our lives that may need to be figuratively ground into dust." And since time is so tight for me right now I find myself neglecting my scripture study as I try to get more things done, even though I know that's not how my priorities should be. So Scott's talk about his love of the scriptures was wonderful.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
November 13, 2011
Ruby is one year old! We had a party for her of Friday. We had red velvet cake and red balloons and streamers and we had the Deans over. She got some little people sets that she is loving. She's such a great little girl. She's walking like a pro and she has such a happy personality. But she is also getting some strong opinions and she doesn't let anyone push her around. I'm so thankful for her in our family!
We signed Danny up for basketball. He's going to be on the same team with CJ and Ethan Whittle. It'll be nice to have a carpool for practices. It'll overlap with soccer for a month, so it'll be a little busy for a while. But then Aaron isn't doing a sport (just maybe a basketball class in January) and Rachel's tennis takes December and January off (she just got moved up a level in tennis!). And piano takes December off. I'm looking forward to the break.
We signed Danny up for basketball. He's going to be on the same team with CJ and Ethan Whittle. It'll be nice to have a carpool for practices. It'll overlap with soccer for a month, so it'll be a little busy for a while. But then Aaron isn't doing a sport (just maybe a basketball class in January) and Rachel's tennis takes December and January off (she just got moved up a level in tennis!). And piano takes December off. I'm looking forward to the break.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
November 6, 2011
We went to the Stanleys for a potluck and then trick-or-treating again this year. But this time Ruby threw up after dinner so she and I went home and Bob went trick-or-treating with the group. The kids all had a great time. And we were glad it was Ruby who got sick that night because any of the other kids would have been so sad to miss trick-or-treating. The three youngest have all gotten the stomach bug this week. I hope we're almost over it, but we're still seeing the effects.
I'm just about done with my big website conversion. I was supposed to switch it over yesterday, but I ran into a little snag. So I should be able to finish it up tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to having time to do other things.
This weekend was stake conference. I love going to the adult session. I always learn so much. This time Elder Roberts, I think he's an area authority, told a story about a man who whittles figures at scout camp and has a big impact on all the boys he interacts with. The man said "I can't do much, but I can do this" and has been whittling and impacting boys for years. Elder Roberts challenged us to listen to the spirit to know why he told that story. I loved it. I so want to serve and help in the Kingdom, and I know being a mom is so important, but I really feel like I don't do much more sometimes. So this story really touched me because if there is some little thing I can do that will help I want to do it. So as I was praying and reading after conference I was thinking about this and I felt prompted that the little thing I can do is to pray for others. I can look for needs and keep others in my prayers. I can totally do that! And I know that will have an impact on others' lives. So I'm excited to look for opportunities and needs and listen for promptings for who can use my prayers.
I'm just about done with my big website conversion. I was supposed to switch it over yesterday, but I ran into a little snag. So I should be able to finish it up tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to having time to do other things.
This weekend was stake conference. I love going to the adult session. I always learn so much. This time Elder Roberts, I think he's an area authority, told a story about a man who whittles figures at scout camp and has a big impact on all the boys he interacts with. The man said "I can't do much, but I can do this" and has been whittling and impacting boys for years. Elder Roberts challenged us to listen to the spirit to know why he told that story. I loved it. I so want to serve and help in the Kingdom, and I know being a mom is so important, but I really feel like I don't do much more sometimes. So this story really touched me because if there is some little thing I can do that will help I want to do it. So as I was praying and reading after conference I was thinking about this and I felt prompted that the little thing I can do is to pray for others. I can look for needs and keep others in my prayers. I can totally do that! And I know that will have an impact on others' lives. So I'm excited to look for opportunities and needs and listen for promptings for who can use my prayers.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
October 30, 2011
My websites continue to take up too much time. I work 2-4 hours a day and on Wednesday I even had Bob stay home from work so I could 10 hours that day. My goal is to go live with the site next weekend so this week will be very full of websites too. And then I wish it would go back to how it used to be, but I'm sure I still will have lots of less critical things to get done; so hopefully I can find a good balance between family time and making progress on the websites. I'm so thankful I don't have to work all the time. It must be so hard to have to work all day and then come home and do all the mom stuff. I procrastinated too much over the last several months to make that last little while really busy, but there should be an end to it sometime soon. And I'll just be more careful with my sites to not let it get so bad in the future. But at least I do like working on the websites.
The kids had Thursday and Friday off school for a teach work day and for Nevada day. Thursday we rode bikes to the park and met the Deans and then the kids played together all afternoon. And Friday we went to "The Farm". The kids fed the animals and rode the little train and went in the hay maze. It was a fun afternoon. The Deans met us there and then the kids played together all afternoon.
Saturday was full of sports. Aaron and Danny both scored goals in their soccer games and Rachel did great at her tennis lesson. Bob and I went out to eat on a nice date that night.
The kids got to wear their halloween costumes a few times this week. Monday the Deans had a fun Halloween party. Wednesday was their Halloween parade at school and Thursday was the ward Trunk or treat. This year Danny is s a lego guy, Rachel is Medusa, Aaron was Darth Vader twice and a lion once, Seth was an elephant and then a baseball player and Ruby was a frog.
The kids had Thursday and Friday off school for a teach work day and for Nevada day. Thursday we rode bikes to the park and met the Deans and then the kids played together all afternoon. And Friday we went to "The Farm". The kids fed the animals and rode the little train and went in the hay maze. It was a fun afternoon. The Deans met us there and then the kids played together all afternoon.
Saturday was full of sports. Aaron and Danny both scored goals in their soccer games and Rachel did great at her tennis lesson. Bob and I went out to eat on a nice date that night.
The kids got to wear their halloween costumes a few times this week. Monday the Deans had a fun Halloween party. Wednesday was their Halloween parade at school and Thursday was the ward Trunk or treat. This year Danny is s a lego guy, Rachel is Medusa, Aaron was Darth Vader twice and a lion once, Seth was an elephant and then a baseball player and Ruby was a frog.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
October 23, 2011
Potty training didn't go well this week. Seth's back to having no interest. So we'll wait and try again later.
Aaron had his birthday party yesterday. He had 4 friends over and they played in the backyard and on the trampoline and had a paper airplane contest off the balcony. Bob was awesome at coming up with activities for boys. It was fun, but I think we are going to switch to having friend birthday parties every other year. That way it'll be more special and we can put more work into the parties. The last few we've had have just been more like playdates with cake. And maybe we can do more different fun things to celebrate.
Soccer games started yesterday. I helped in Aaron's class this week. And I took Danny out to lunch.
I'm going to the gym at least twice a week to go to the masters swim class and a spin class on tuesday and friday. And on Thursdays I get up and walk with Jamie the swim teacher and Erica from the swim class. They are both air force families that live near me. I really like them. But they are both pregnant right now so we walk slow. But I like talking with them so I go even though it isn't the best exercise. I'm working 2-3 hours a day on websites. It's a lot more than I want to but I'm trying to get the provo site done before November. I feel like I've had websites hanging over my head forever. I'm looking forward to going back to maybe one hour a day or less, especially with the holidays coming up. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up so I can do that.
Aaron had his birthday party yesterday. He had 4 friends over and they played in the backyard and on the trampoline and had a paper airplane contest off the balcony. Bob was awesome at coming up with activities for boys. It was fun, but I think we are going to switch to having friend birthday parties every other year. That way it'll be more special and we can put more work into the parties. The last few we've had have just been more like playdates with cake. And maybe we can do more different fun things to celebrate.
Soccer games started yesterday. I helped in Aaron's class this week. And I took Danny out to lunch.
I'm going to the gym at least twice a week to go to the masters swim class and a spin class on tuesday and friday. And on Thursdays I get up and walk with Jamie the swim teacher and Erica from the swim class. They are both air force families that live near me. I really like them. But they are both pregnant right now so we walk slow. But I like talking with them so I go even though it isn't the best exercise. I'm working 2-3 hours a day on websites. It's a lot more than I want to but I'm trying to get the provo site done before November. I feel like I've had websites hanging over my head forever. I'm looking forward to going back to maybe one hour a day or less, especially with the holidays coming up. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up so I can do that.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
October 16, 2011
The boys all went camping this weekend. Bob even took Seth. They went up to Goblin Valley in Utah and met Josh and his boys. They left Friday morning and came back Saturday night. So I just had the girls for two days. It was a great girls weekend. It was fun to give Ruby some time with just the two of us. And I got a lot done when she was napping. And Friday we went and picked up Rachel and took her out to lunch. After school she had practice for the primary program and then that night we had a Wii dance party. Saturday we got up and went on a bike ride. Ruby really liked the trailer and this was the first long bike ride Rachel's ever been on. Then Rachel got to go to Stake Activity Days. They did an awesome job and Rachel loved it. Then we went to Bath and Body works and Uswirl. It was a great weekend.
Ruby is getting to walking really well. She loves to climb up the stairs, but not down. Seth is talking pretty well now. We've tried potty training a few times, but he doesn't seem to get it. We are going to give it a good try this week but if he doesn't show any improvement after a couple of days we're going to drop it again and give it another month or two.
Rachel and Danny both got into the GATE program at Goynes. We're all really excited about that. The school has a really good program. They get to go to GATE three times a week and they are supposed to get some really good field trips too. Their teachers are also really good. They seem to expect a little more than at their other school. Both of their grades have gone down a little this year because they were working the same as they did at the other school. I'm glad they'll have to work a little harder now. Danny also started back at piano.
Aaron is settling into kindergarten really well. He is becoming a good reader. And his tantrums are so much better.
Ruby is getting to walking really well. She loves to climb up the stairs, but not down. Seth is talking pretty well now. We've tried potty training a few times, but he doesn't seem to get it. We are going to give it a good try this week but if he doesn't show any improvement after a couple of days we're going to drop it again and give it another month or two.
Rachel and Danny both got into the GATE program at Goynes. We're all really excited about that. The school has a really good program. They get to go to GATE three times a week and they are supposed to get some really good field trips too. Their teachers are also really good. They seem to expect a little more than at their other school. Both of their grades have gone down a little this year because they were working the same as they did at the other school. I'm glad they'll have to work a little harder now. Danny also started back at piano.
Aaron is settling into kindergarten really well. He is becoming a good reader. And his tantrums are so much better.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
October 9
Last weekend we went to Visalia. Gma Monte and Grandaddy Gene were there and Kristal. We went on Friday and came back Sunday night. It was a nice relaxing visit. The kids were all so happy to see everyone. Seth has been asking every week to go to Grandma's house. I don't remember any of the other kids wanting that so much.
The bummer was that Seth got a stomach bug there Saturday night. Then Rachel threw up all the way home in the van. Then Bob's grandparents came to visit on Tuesday. Bob had been so excited to for them to stay with us and drive around and see things. We cleaned everything in our house several times and they still both got sick. So they checked in to a hotel and we only saw them a few hours a day. And Bob didn't get to take them anywhere.
Rachel tried out for the school play a few weeks ago. As soon as they announced they were doing a play she came home so excited and she knew she was going to try out. That made me nervous. She's never done anything like that. I worried how she'd feel if she didn't make it. But she was so excited. So she tried out and she made it! She was cast as a gnome in a play written by her teacher. She went to practice for two weeks and loved it. But then she came home on Friday with a letter from her school that said there were budget cuts and there would be no more drama teacher at our school. I'm so sad for her. But I'm proud that she did something hard and tried out and hopefully she'll remember that and try something hard again next time. But she's still doing tennis and piano and she's loving both of those.
The bummer was that Seth got a stomach bug there Saturday night. Then Rachel threw up all the way home in the van. Then Bob's grandparents came to visit on Tuesday. Bob had been so excited to for them to stay with us and drive around and see things. We cleaned everything in our house several times and they still both got sick. So they checked in to a hotel and we only saw them a few hours a day. And Bob didn't get to take them anywhere.
Rachel tried out for the school play a few weeks ago. As soon as they announced they were doing a play she came home so excited and she knew she was going to try out. That made me nervous. She's never done anything like that. I worried how she'd feel if she didn't make it. But she was so excited. So she tried out and she made it! She was cast as a gnome in a play written by her teacher. She went to practice for two weeks and loved it. But then she came home on Friday with a letter from her school that said there were budget cuts and there would be no more drama teacher at our school. I'm so sad for her. But I'm proud that she did something hard and tried out and hopefully she'll remember that and try something hard again next time. But she's still doing tennis and piano and she's loving both of those.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
September 18, 2011
Bob and I joined a soccer team with several other couples in the stake. I thought it would be fun and social. But they are pretty serious players. We went to our first game friday night. It turned out pretty fun. Bob did way better than I though he would. He even scored a goal. I can run with everyone, but my ball skills aren't so good. It was a fun date though. And it'll be more fun as we get better I hope.
Saturday night we had the Deans over to watch the Utah/BYU game. We just love the Deans. I'm so thankful for them. Everyone has someone to play with and we have such a great time with them. The cougars lost by a lot, but it was still a fun party. Bob and Danny and CJ and Collin got into making a BB gun out of a lighter. The boys found it on youtube and the Deans went and bought all the materials and the men spent at least an hour trying to get them put together. The rest of us played in the playroom and played the Wii Dance party. We had pizza and cookies.
I worked on websites a lot. UWUC wants their drupal site ready by October 1. Hopefully I can get it done. The extra money from these sites is great, but I'm looking forward to not taking any big new projects for a while.
Saturday night we had the Deans over to watch the Utah/BYU game. We just love the Deans. I'm so thankful for them. Everyone has someone to play with and we have such a great time with them. The cougars lost by a lot, but it was still a fun party. Bob and Danny and CJ and Collin got into making a BB gun out of a lighter. The boys found it on youtube and the Deans went and bought all the materials and the men spent at least an hour trying to get them put together. The rest of us played in the playroom and played the Wii Dance party. We had pizza and cookies.
I worked on websites a lot. UWUC wants their drupal site ready by October 1. Hopefully I can get it done. The extra money from these sites is great, but I'm looking forward to not taking any big new projects for a while.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
September 11, 2011
School started great and the kids are getting settled. They like their school and their friends and teachers. It's nice to be home with just Seth and Ruby. And to be able to run errands with just two kids and to clean up the kitchen after breakfast and have it stay clean. And the kids get home by 2:30 so we still have lots of time together after school.
Last weekend Rachel got baptized. We had a great weekend. Ryan and his family and Dustin and Mom and Dad came. Rachel chose to go to her special lunch at Red Lobster because Danny had talked it up so much from when he went. And she invited Danny to come too since he's baptized too.
Her baptism was nice. Her friends Savannah Dean and Jaclyn Salmon and our old neighbor, May Robinson came to watch. She was so excited to get baptized. We're so proud of her.
We also went to see Hoover Dam and saw Bill Cosby perform, while every one was here. And we swam and ate a lot. It was a nice weekend.
Last weekend Rachel got baptized. We had a great weekend. Ryan and his family and Dustin and Mom and Dad came. Rachel chose to go to her special lunch at Red Lobster because Danny had talked it up so much from when he went. And she invited Danny to come too since he's baptized too.
Her baptism was nice. Her friends Savannah Dean and Jaclyn Salmon and our old neighbor, May Robinson came to watch. She was so excited to get baptized. We're so proud of her.
We also went to see Hoover Dam and saw Bill Cosby perform, while every one was here. And we swam and ate a lot. It was a nice weekend.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
August 28, 2011
School starts tomorrow. We've had a great summer. We swam every day. We went on great trips. We had some lazy days. I think we really used our time well.
This week we went to the Dinosaur park. We haven't been there in so long. We haven't gone to any parks for a while because it's so hot. And the dinosaur park is so big I have a hard time watching five kids going five different ways, so I prefer other parks. But we went at 8:00 one morning. We were the first people there. We stayed for an hour and by the end a few people had come, but it was definitely one of the more enjoyable trips to the dinosaur park, even though it was so hot.
One day we went to the water park by Heckethorne e.s. We love that one because it's never been crowded when we've been there. We hadn't gone yet this summer. So we packed a picnic and went. The kids had a great time. Seth and Ruby even loved it. The kids loved to play "jail" and get trapped in the middle of the water sprays. And Seth kept saying, "I get vet! (wet)"
Friday night was the Daddy-Daughter campout. Bob and Rachel had a great time. And the boys and I and Ruby had a "boys party" with the Deans. When the boys go on their campout, Rachel loves all the mother-daughter time. But when I was planning the boys time with them, their ideas kept including the Deans. So we ended up going to Panda Express for dinner and then the Deans came over and we swam in the dark with the pool light and played Mario Kart and stayed up until 10.
Saturday was our annual End of Summer party. We barbequed and swam and played water balloon volleyball. That was the hit of the party. They hadn't played it before. And we have a volleyball net we bought in GA and haven't been able to use since then because our backyard was too small. But now we have a great backyard so we took advantage of that. Even Seth loved playing and he was the official "balloon getter". It was his job to reload the towels with balloons when we popped one.
Rachel got glasses and Danny got new contacts. Rachel picked out some really cute purple frames. She's so excited to be able to see so well. I had asked her a few times before we went to the doctor if she could see the tv from the farthest couch and she said she could see it perfectly clear. But the eye dr said she could see about 20/80 so I guess Rachel didn't know what she meant when she was saying she could see clearly. And Danny has gotten good at getting his contacts in. I think he'll like using them this school year.
I'm excited to be able to get more of a schedule going now that school is starting. And to get more done. But it's also nice that they moved the school day up so the kids will get home at 2:00. I'll still have time to play with them every day after school.
This week we went to the Dinosaur park. We haven't been there in so long. We haven't gone to any parks for a while because it's so hot. And the dinosaur park is so big I have a hard time watching five kids going five different ways, so I prefer other parks. But we went at 8:00 one morning. We were the first people there. We stayed for an hour and by the end a few people had come, but it was definitely one of the more enjoyable trips to the dinosaur park, even though it was so hot.
One day we went to the water park by Heckethorne e.s. We love that one because it's never been crowded when we've been there. We hadn't gone yet this summer. So we packed a picnic and went. The kids had a great time. Seth and Ruby even loved it. The kids loved to play "jail" and get trapped in the middle of the water sprays. And Seth kept saying, "I get vet! (wet)"
Friday night was the Daddy-Daughter campout. Bob and Rachel had a great time. And the boys and I and Ruby had a "boys party" with the Deans. When the boys go on their campout, Rachel loves all the mother-daughter time. But when I was planning the boys time with them, their ideas kept including the Deans. So we ended up going to Panda Express for dinner and then the Deans came over and we swam in the dark with the pool light and played Mario Kart and stayed up until 10.
Saturday was our annual End of Summer party. We barbequed and swam and played water balloon volleyball. That was the hit of the party. They hadn't played it before. And we have a volleyball net we bought in GA and haven't been able to use since then because our backyard was too small. But now we have a great backyard so we took advantage of that. Even Seth loved playing and he was the official "balloon getter". It was his job to reload the towels with balloons when we popped one.
Rachel got glasses and Danny got new contacts. Rachel picked out some really cute purple frames. She's so excited to be able to see so well. I had asked her a few times before we went to the doctor if she could see the tv from the farthest couch and she said she could see it perfectly clear. But the eye dr said she could see about 20/80 so I guess Rachel didn't know what she meant when she was saying she could see clearly. And Danny has gotten good at getting his contacts in. I think he'll like using them this school year.
I'm excited to be able to get more of a schedule going now that school is starting. And to get more done. But it's also nice that they moved the school day up so the kids will get home at 2:00. I'll still have time to play with them every day after school.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
August 21, 2011
Kristal came to visit this week. She is going back to school so she had the summer off. She came last Sunday night and stayed until Friday night. It was so nice to have her here. She watched the kids for me several time so I could run errands or go to the gym. And we went swimming lots. We got a babysitter and did some real shopping one day. And we went to a movie. The kids had a great time with her. And it was so nice to spend time and get to know her better.
Tuesday morning I woke up to hear Ruby crying in her room so I went in to her like usual. But Aaron was holding her in the rocking chair. I didn't know he could get her out of the crib. And then as soon as I took her from him she threw up all over. He told me she fell out of the crib. I knew that couldn't happen, so they he told the truth and said he'd gotten her out of the crib and set her on the twin bed to play with her. Then he walked away to turn the light on and she fell off the bed. He said he just couldn't get back fast enough to catch her. He was so quick to suggest we pray for her and he wanted to say the prayer. So we did that. Then she continued to be really grumpy and didn't want to do anything. So I left the kids with Kristal and took Danny with me to help with Ruby in the car and took her in to see the doctor. She turned out to be fine. So thankful because if she had been hurt it would have been so sad for her and Aaron. We have much stricter rules now for getting Ruby out of bed and carrying her around.
Linda came on Friday afternoon for the weekend. The kids just loved it. She brought plenty of little gifts and took the kids to the dollar store, which was a highlight of the visit. They went swimming and played. And she watched the kids both nights so Bob and I could go out.
We've all had a cough for the last two weeks. We don't feel very sick other than the cough, but it just keeps hanging on. What a pain. I hope we can clear up by the time school starts in a week.
Rachel had her baptism interview this morning. She's so excited and we are too. Just two weeks away...
Tuesday morning I woke up to hear Ruby crying in her room so I went in to her like usual. But Aaron was holding her in the rocking chair. I didn't know he could get her out of the crib. And then as soon as I took her from him she threw up all over. He told me she fell out of the crib. I knew that couldn't happen, so they he told the truth and said he'd gotten her out of the crib and set her on the twin bed to play with her. Then he walked away to turn the light on and she fell off the bed. He said he just couldn't get back fast enough to catch her. He was so quick to suggest we pray for her and he wanted to say the prayer. So we did that. Then she continued to be really grumpy and didn't want to do anything. So I left the kids with Kristal and took Danny with me to help with Ruby in the car and took her in to see the doctor. She turned out to be fine. So thankful because if she had been hurt it would have been so sad for her and Aaron. We have much stricter rules now for getting Ruby out of bed and carrying her around.
Linda came on Friday afternoon for the weekend. The kids just loved it. She brought plenty of little gifts and took the kids to the dollar store, which was a highlight of the visit. They went swimming and played. And she watched the kids both nights so Bob and I could go out.
We've all had a cough for the last two weeks. We don't feel very sick other than the cough, but it just keeps hanging on. What a pain. I hope we can clear up by the time school starts in a week.
Rachel had her baptism interview this morning. She's so excited and we are too. Just two weeks away...
Monday, August 15, 2011
August 15, 2011
We had a normal week at home. We swam every day, made cookies, the kids watched a lot of tv and played the computer. We had a few families over for a bbq and swimming on Friday.
Rachel turned 8. She had a tye-dye themed swimming party. It was so nice to have a pool for her party. It's always to hard to have a birthday party in August because it's so hot. But this was perfect. She had 6 friends over and swam and then did cake and presents. Super easy and fun.
We sure love our Rachel. She's so fun and loving and a good helper most of the time. She's great with Seth and Ruby. She loves her friends. She has a strong testimony. I took her on a lunch date this week. I asked her if she's nervous or excited about school starting and she said both. Then I asked her the same thing about getting baptized and she said she's not nervous at all. I asked her about her testimony and what she knows about the church. She said "I know Jesus will take care of me". She said it with such faith and surety. I love her.
Rachel turned 8. She had a tye-dye themed swimming party. It was so nice to have a pool for her party. It's always to hard to have a birthday party in August because it's so hot. But this was perfect. She had 6 friends over and swam and then did cake and presents. Super easy and fun.
We sure love our Rachel. She's so fun and loving and a good helper most of the time. She's great with Seth and Ruby. She loves her friends. She has a strong testimony. I took her on a lunch date this week. I asked her if she's nervous or excited about school starting and she said both. Then I asked her the same thing about getting baptized and she said she's not nervous at all. I asked her about her testimony and what she knows about the church. She said "I know Jesus will take care of me". She said it with such faith and surety. I love her.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
August 8, 2011
We had a great vacation last weekend. We went to Ryan's for our Woolley Family Reunion and Grandma Monte's 80th birthday party. We left Thursday afternoon. Friday we went to Hurricane Harbor, the waterslides attached to Magic Mountain. We had a good time. The lines were a little long, but the lazy river was a hit and being with everyone was great. Saturday we went to Ikea in the morning. Then we went on Ryan's friend's boat and rode the tube. The kids all loved that. Rachel was the wildest and got tossed off the tube. Bob stayed home with Ruby and Seth. That night we had Grandma's 80th birthday party. She talked about her life and her testimony. It was really fun to learn more about her.
Monday we went to Ventura Beach. It was pretty windy, but the kids still loved it. Seth chased the seagulls and played in the water. Ruby even had fun playing in the sand.
Tuesday eveyone else went home and we went to Legoland. We had such a great time. The rollercoasters had long lines, but we loved seeing all of the lego models and displays. We made lego guys of all our family members. There were lots of "younger" rides that Seth loved. He didn't nap once and he was happy all day. We left at 8:00, when the park closed. Our favorite rides were two boat rides that our whole family could go on.
One of my summer goals has been to read 5 books. I read Spiritual Solutions by the Eyres, the three Hunger Games books and The Help. I forgot how much fun reading is. I don't have time for it in my regular life. But it's been so fun to feel justified in doing it because it was my goal.
Monday we went to Ventura Beach. It was pretty windy, but the kids still loved it. Seth chased the seagulls and played in the water. Ruby even had fun playing in the sand.
Tuesday eveyone else went home and we went to Legoland. We had such a great time. The rollercoasters had long lines, but we loved seeing all of the lego models and displays. We made lego guys of all our family members. There were lots of "younger" rides that Seth loved. He didn't nap once and he was happy all day. We left at 8:00, when the park closed. Our favorite rides were two boat rides that our whole family could go on.
One of my summer goals has been to read 5 books. I read Spiritual Solutions by the Eyres, the three Hunger Games books and The Help. I forgot how much fun reading is. I don't have time for it in my regular life. But it's been so fun to feel justified in doing it because it was my goal.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
July 24, 2011
It was nice to have a normal week at home. Girls Camp was this week so Bob was gone two nights. We mostly just stayed home. I did venture to Sams Club and DI with all five kids though. Errands take so much longer with all the kids. We swam every day. We made some fun treats like rollo pretzels and tye-dye cake.
We had our baby shower yesterday. It turned out to be a bad day for it because only two kids came. But we still had a great time. The kids reached their service goal. And a small party is so much easier to manage.
Seth has a cold so I'm staying at home with him and Ruby. I went to the 9:00 sacrament meeting before Bob had to be at meetings. Seth's cold isn't too bad, he just gets so snotty when he's sick that I can't take him to nursery. I'm praying that we'll be healthy by Thursday because then we'll leave for Ryan's house and Grandma Monte's 80th birthday party and we have lots of fun things planned--waterslides, the beach and Legoland.
Ruby is crawling! She still doesn't go really far so we haven't had to put up the baby gates yet, but she can get to whatever she wants. She's such a fun, sweet baby.
We had our baby shower yesterday. It turned out to be a bad day for it because only two kids came. But we still had a great time. The kids reached their service goal. And a small party is so much easier to manage.
Seth has a cold so I'm staying at home with him and Ruby. I went to the 9:00 sacrament meeting before Bob had to be at meetings. Seth's cold isn't too bad, he just gets so snotty when he's sick that I can't take him to nursery. I'm praying that we'll be healthy by Thursday because then we'll leave for Ryan's house and Grandma Monte's 80th birthday party and we have lots of fun things planned--waterslides, the beach and Legoland.
Ruby is crawling! She still doesn't go really far so we haven't had to put up the baby gates yet, but she can get to whatever she wants. She's such a fun, sweet baby.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
July 17, 2011
We just got back from Lake Tahoe last night. We had a wonderful time! We left last Friday and stayed until this Saturday. Wendy and her family came too. Amanda has a great new house that fit all 6 adults and 12 children perfectly. It was so fun to spend so much time with my girls again. We went to the beach several times and we went on a few little hikes. Lake Tahoe is just gorgeous. The Smiths just got a jet ski and kayak, which our kids adored. The girls and I went to dinner by ourselves one night. Bob and Danny went to a golf tournament and met Jimmer Fredette one day. Just our family went to Carson City one day. We did that last year too. The capital grounds are beautiful. We had a picnic and took tons of pictures and went to a museum. On Sunday my parents came and went on a hike with us after church. They were driving home from a family reunion in Idaho and just thought they'd call as they were driving in the area. But it turned out they were one mile away so they stopped and spent a couple of hours with us. The adults played Settlers of Cataan every night. We played Minute to Win It games and had a kid carnival. And we ate so much food. I feel so blessed to have those two girls in my life. I love them so much.
The week before we left we had a super fun party with great friends on Fourth of July. We had five families over for bbq, swimming, water balloons and fireworks. It was a great time. We love that we have such great friends and now we have such a great house to entertain with.
My breathing thing was completely gone in Tahoe and it came back within an hour of being home. I remember it did the same thing last year when we went. So maybe the heat triggers it. It sure is annoying whatever it is. How unlucky is that to be "allergic" to the heat and I live in Las Vegas?
Do we have another baby? I'm pretty sure we're done having kids. I gave away all my maternity clothes and all of Seth and Ruby's baby clothes. I really don't want to be pregnant again and I know Bob doesn't want to do a baby again. But we've always said the only way we'd have more is if the Spirit told us to. A couple weeks ago a friend told me how another friend is having her 7th baby because they went to the temple and found out they weren't done. That kind of scared me. Then I was remembering how I saw Aaron in the temple when I was pregnant with him. He was smiling. And that has helped me so many times when his tantrums are at their worst. But there was also a girl spirit that I saw that day in the temple. I thought it must be the girl I was doing the endowment for. Her name was Anna. But maybe it was a daughter I should have. If I had another girl I would name her Anna. I'll have to think about this more. We have had such a hard time since Ruby was born. We love her to death and wouldn't change a second. But moving and five kids and the bishopric and three kids at home and Seth and Ruby so close have all made life difficult a lot of the time. We barely feel like we're keeping our heads above water. But if I had to pick the trials I have in life, being pushed to the limit with lots of babies would be way better than a lot of other options.
The week before we left we had a super fun party with great friends on Fourth of July. We had five families over for bbq, swimming, water balloons and fireworks. It was a great time. We love that we have such great friends and now we have such a great house to entertain with.
My breathing thing was completely gone in Tahoe and it came back within an hour of being home. I remember it did the same thing last year when we went. So maybe the heat triggers it. It sure is annoying whatever it is. How unlucky is that to be "allergic" to the heat and I live in Las Vegas?
Do we have another baby? I'm pretty sure we're done having kids. I gave away all my maternity clothes and all of Seth and Ruby's baby clothes. I really don't want to be pregnant again and I know Bob doesn't want to do a baby again. But we've always said the only way we'd have more is if the Spirit told us to. A couple weeks ago a friend told me how another friend is having her 7th baby because they went to the temple and found out they weren't done. That kind of scared me. Then I was remembering how I saw Aaron in the temple when I was pregnant with him. He was smiling. And that has helped me so many times when his tantrums are at their worst. But there was also a girl spirit that I saw that day in the temple. I thought it must be the girl I was doing the endowment for. Her name was Anna. But maybe it was a daughter I should have. If I had another girl I would name her Anna. I'll have to think about this more. We have had such a hard time since Ruby was born. We love her to death and wouldn't change a second. But moving and five kids and the bishopric and three kids at home and Seth and Ruby so close have all made life difficult a lot of the time. We barely feel like we're keeping our heads above water. But if I had to pick the trials I have in life, being pushed to the limit with lots of babies would be way better than a lot of other options.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
July 3, 2011
Bob and I had a great anniversary. We took the kids over to the Deans and Ruby and Seth stayed with Lexi Thursday afternoon. We went to a city council meeting for an hour first to support a man in our ward who is running. Then we drove down to Mandalay Bay. We got milkshakes on the way. The show was so good and the costumes were amazing. Friday morning we got up and took Seth over to the Deans after breakfast. We decided we wanted to get a few things done around the house that morning because two whole days is a long time to be lazy. So we painted the flagstone on the pool with sealant. And Bob aerated the lawn while I finished sewing the curtains and Ruby took a long nap.
Then we drove down to Lake Las Vegas in the afternoon. We stayed at a hotel called Ravella. It was really nice. We got a suite so there was plenty of room and Ruby had her own room to sleep in. It was nice to have Ruby with us because she never gets that much attention from both of us. She ate it up. She was performing and growling and smiling the whole time. It was really fun to play with her. And she was really good to play with her toys some and nap and sleep well so we could have some time just the two of us. We walked around the resort and went to a Mexican restaurant. Then Bob took Ruby and went and got us some candy and a redbox movie while I read.
Saturday we had a nice breakfast at the hotel and I read some more and Bob went to the gym while Ruby napped. We checked out and stopped at Costco and Walmart on the way home to get food for our BBQ party we're having at our house tomorrow for July 4th.
The kids had a great time at the Deans. They were so worn out when they got home from their sleepover.
Seth is getting really hard. He won't stay in his bed at night and he has lots of tantrums and he wants lots of independence. And with four other kids it's really hard for us to be as consistent as we need to be with him, so that just makes things worse. Hopefully when the kids go back to school things will settle down for him and we'll be able to get him more under control. I miss my cute, easy Seth.
The kids and I went and saw Cars 2 at the theater this week. We left Ruby at BJs. They all paid for the movie themselves with their allowance. We had a great time. And we got a bucket of drumsticks from KFC on the way home. They thought that was the greatest thing ever.
I went to my Dr. appt on Monday about my breathing. He did a bunch of tests and my heart and lungs are fine. He said it must be some kind of anxiety thing, which is frustrating because I don't know how I'm controlling that. But it has been a little better this week knowing that it's more in my head and not a big deal. So I guess I just live with it and hopefully it'll go away in the fall like it did last year.
Then we drove down to Lake Las Vegas in the afternoon. We stayed at a hotel called Ravella. It was really nice. We got a suite so there was plenty of room and Ruby had her own room to sleep in. It was nice to have Ruby with us because she never gets that much attention from both of us. She ate it up. She was performing and growling and smiling the whole time. It was really fun to play with her. And she was really good to play with her toys some and nap and sleep well so we could have some time just the two of us. We walked around the resort and went to a Mexican restaurant. Then Bob took Ruby and went and got us some candy and a redbox movie while I read.
Saturday we had a nice breakfast at the hotel and I read some more and Bob went to the gym while Ruby napped. We checked out and stopped at Costco and Walmart on the way home to get food for our BBQ party we're having at our house tomorrow for July 4th.
The kids had a great time at the Deans. They were so worn out when they got home from their sleepover.
Seth is getting really hard. He won't stay in his bed at night and he has lots of tantrums and he wants lots of independence. And with four other kids it's really hard for us to be as consistent as we need to be with him, so that just makes things worse. Hopefully when the kids go back to school things will settle down for him and we'll be able to get him more under control. I miss my cute, easy Seth.
The kids and I went and saw Cars 2 at the theater this week. We left Ruby at BJs. They all paid for the movie themselves with their allowance. We had a great time. And we got a bucket of drumsticks from KFC on the way home. They thought that was the greatest thing ever.
I went to my Dr. appt on Monday about my breathing. He did a bunch of tests and my heart and lungs are fine. He said it must be some kind of anxiety thing, which is frustrating because I don't know how I'm controlling that. But it has been a little better this week knowing that it's more in my head and not a big deal. So I guess I just live with it and hopefully it'll go away in the fall like it did last year.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
June 26, 2011
The kids finished their first week of swimming lessons. They have one more week. Aaron is doing so well. It's so nice to have three good swimmers now. Ruby loves going in the pool. And Seth is getting better at it. He loves playing on the step and is pretty brave there. And he's let us take him off the step a few times in a floaty. We're loving our pool. It's so great to be able to go cool off every day.
The kids all finished tennis yesterday. So we have the rest of the summer off from sports. Bob and I are looking forward to easy Saturdays.
I have an appointment tomorrow with my regular doctor to find out about my breathing. I hope he has some answers for me. I went to my OB this week for my annual appt. and she prescribed a nasal steroid to try in case it is some kind of allergy; and a chest xray.
This Thursday and Friday the kids are going to the Deans' house while Bob and I and Ruby celebrate our 10th anniversary. We're going to go see Lion King at Mandalay Bay and we're going to stay one night at a hotel at Lake Las Vegas. We decided not to go anywhere far because we have Ruby and if we stay here she can sleep in her bed more and have her toys to entertain her and we can get babysitters really easy. So we're just going to go one night away and the other night at home. We've been married 10 years! I love Bobby so much. He's so perfect for me.
The kids' summer goals are going really well. Our Wii broke in Visalia, so we decided that the reward for all of us completing our summer goals will be that we get a new wii. I'm excited that I found a great project for us all to work on for our Serve goal. It's pretty hard to find things the kids can actually do, but I found an agency called Baby's Bounty. They give baby necessities to low-income new moms. And they always need donations. So the kids and I are going to organize a mock baby shower for them to have with their friends. We'll do all kinds of cheesy baby shower games that kids will love. And their friends can bring diapers or other items that we can donate to Baby's Bounty. We all think it will be lots of fun.
Their jobs are going well too. I'm not very good at remembering to enforce dinner jobs, but they're doing their laundry and rooms and Saturday jobs really well.
The kids all finished tennis yesterday. So we have the rest of the summer off from sports. Bob and I are looking forward to easy Saturdays.
I have an appointment tomorrow with my regular doctor to find out about my breathing. I hope he has some answers for me. I went to my OB this week for my annual appt. and she prescribed a nasal steroid to try in case it is some kind of allergy; and a chest xray.
This Thursday and Friday the kids are going to the Deans' house while Bob and I and Ruby celebrate our 10th anniversary. We're going to go see Lion King at Mandalay Bay and we're going to stay one night at a hotel at Lake Las Vegas. We decided not to go anywhere far because we have Ruby and if we stay here she can sleep in her bed more and have her toys to entertain her and we can get babysitters really easy. So we're just going to go one night away and the other night at home. We've been married 10 years! I love Bobby so much. He's so perfect for me.
The kids' summer goals are going really well. Our Wii broke in Visalia, so we decided that the reward for all of us completing our summer goals will be that we get a new wii. I'm excited that I found a great project for us all to work on for our Serve goal. It's pretty hard to find things the kids can actually do, but I found an agency called Baby's Bounty. They give baby necessities to low-income new moms. And they always need donations. So the kids and I are going to organize a mock baby shower for them to have with their friends. We'll do all kinds of cheesy baby shower games that kids will love. And their friends can bring diapers or other items that we can donate to Baby's Bounty. We all think it will be lots of fun.
Their jobs are going well too. I'm not very good at remembering to enforce dinner jobs, but they're doing their laundry and rooms and Saturday jobs really well.
Monday, June 20, 2011
June 20, 2011
We had a great visit with my parents. We went to the roller coasters and had a great time. My mom got a babysitter so she and I could go shopping one day. And we went out and picked blueberries with my dad. I think that and the roller coasters was the highlight of the trip for the kids. I loved being able to relax and be spoiled. My dad seemed more "present" on this trip, which was really nice. I have such wonderful parents.
We came back Friday and Bob got home from scout camp that day too. So we got to hang out together all day Saturday and go to tennis and get a few things done around the house. And we all swam in the pool. It was a nice, not-t00-busy saturday.
Yesterday was Father's day. We got Bob a bunch of BBQ things--so we can have fun parties with friends and our pool this summer. And he got four ties that my dad picked out. We made him blueberry pancakes and peanut butter cookies.
We came back Friday and Bob got home from scout camp that day too. So we got to hang out together all day Saturday and go to tennis and get a few things done around the house. And we all swam in the pool. It was a nice, not-t00-busy saturday.
Yesterday was Father's day. We got Bob a bunch of BBQ things--so we can have fun parties with friends and our pool this summer. And he got four ties that my dad picked out. We made him blueberry pancakes and peanut butter cookies.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
June 12, 2001
We ended up getting a pool guy too. That pool is ending up to be complicated and expensive. But I'm still so glad we have it and think it will be so worth it to have such a fun thing to do when it's so hot outside. And Aaron learned to swim by himself this week. He's taken swimming lessons for three years, but doesn't ever want put his head under or do what the teacher tells him to. But he was watching Cannon Dean practicing swimming with Kata and he decided he could do it. He told me he wanted to swim to me and he did and he started putting his face under and everything. Now he swims across our whole pool. We start swimming lessons when we get back, so that'll be great to polish up his skills.
I'm at my parents' house now. The kids got home from school at 12:45 and we were on the road at 1:00. The drive wasn't horrible. We stopped and got out at Mcdonalds once so I could feed Ruby. There was some fighting, but Ruby and Seth did really well. So far the weather has been perfect here. The kids have been swimming everyday at the neighbor's house. We went to the mall to pick out fathers' day presents--ties for Bob and new in-style jeans for my dad. I went and swam laps at my mom's gym. And the kids have been feeding the turtles a lot. Tomorrow we're going to the roller coaster place next to the Fresno Zoo. The kids are all excited.
The kids had their last days of school and Antonello. Danny was a little sad because he had a great group of friends this year. Rachel did too, but she she's never been as sad about moving schools, she's more excited. They had their award assemblies and Danny got A/B honor roll all year--I think he got one B on his first trimester report card. And Rachel got A honor roll all year again.
Bob is back in Las Vegas now. He had a great time on his trip and got 6 out of the 8 high points he had planned because of bad weather.
I started having my weird breathing thing again like I did last year when I was pregnant. I forgot how miserable it is. And it also makes me nervous about what can be causing it. Last year they couldn't figure it out and said I just had to wait until I had the baby came. And it did get better within days of having Ruby. But this week it just started again. This is the same time of year so maybe it's an allergy thing. Or tuesday I went to my swimming class and we worked on stretching our breathing out so I really stretched my lungs. But that seems bad too if my lungs can't handle that. I have a Dr appointment in a few weeks to check it out.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
June 5, 2011
I painted my chairs this week. Monday was Memorial Day and Bob was home so he watched the kids inside and I primed and painted for about 6 hours. Then I put a touch-up coat on Wednesday and Friday I touched up a little more and put the gloss on. And now they're in our kitchen. We all love it. And I bought the fabric and sewed the curtains. Bob hung one of the rods yesterday. Our house is starting to look like we live here more permanently.
Monday for Memorial Day we had a bbq and invited Sandy and May and the Kartchners. We had a great time with them. The Kartchners got in the pool too, but it was barely 80 degrees that day and the heater wasn't working so they didn't swim long.
We had a pool guy come and get the pool filter working better this week. Now I need to get the heater people to come look at that and then we should be good to go for the summer. We've had a long spring, which is nice and rare in Las Vegas, but school gets out this week and summer and heat are coming. The kids are excited to swim every day.
The last day of school is this Thursday. I'm leaving with the kids right after school to go stay with my mom for a week. Bob is going to do a bunch of high points in New England from Wed to Saturday. Then Tuesday through Friday the next week he'll be at scout camp. So it'll be nice to be at my mom's instead of home by myself.
Monday for Memorial Day we had a bbq and invited Sandy and May and the Kartchners. We had a great time with them. The Kartchners got in the pool too, but it was barely 80 degrees that day and the heater wasn't working so they didn't swim long.
We had a pool guy come and get the pool filter working better this week. Now I need to get the heater people to come look at that and then we should be good to go for the summer. We've had a long spring, which is nice and rare in Las Vegas, but school gets out this week and summer and heat are coming. The kids are excited to swim every day.
The last day of school is this Thursday. I'm leaving with the kids right after school to go stay with my mom for a week. Bob is going to do a bunch of high points in New England from Wed to Saturday. Then Tuesday through Friday the next week he'll be at scout camp. So it'll be nice to be at my mom's instead of home by myself.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
May 29, 2011
Now we're done with Baseball. Danny had 2 playoff games this week. They were close, but they lost both and it was a double elimination tournament. He played well, though. He got a hit, which he hasn't done in a while. And he made a few runs from getting walked. He was really upset when they lost that second game. He got tears in his eyes as we went home. Sweet little boy.
I got my pillows and love them. Now I'm going to paint my kitchen chairs to match the table. And I know what curtains I want and I'm going to the fabric store tomorrow. It's so nice to have a plan.
All three older kids are now playing tennis. Aaron asked if he could play and then Danny wanted to also. The coach is really good and easy going so he had no problem adding the boys even though the session already started. It was so fun to walk over there with the three of them and watch them all work on a new skill together.
I got my pillows and love them. Now I'm going to paint my kitchen chairs to match the table. And I know what curtains I want and I'm going to the fabric store tomorrow. It's so nice to have a plan.
All three older kids are now playing tennis. Aaron asked if he could play and then Danny wanted to also. The coach is really good and easy going so he had no problem adding the boys even though the session already started. It was so fun to walk over there with the three of them and watch them all work on a new skill together.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
May 22, 2001
We thought baseball was done last week, but Danny's team is in the playoffs. So he has at least 2 more games. But Aaron is done. And Rachel started her last session of tennis for the summer. She just moved up a level. It was so fun to watch her be really good even compared with the older girls in her new class.
I've been searching for how to decorate our house. But I can't find something I love to start from. I've looked online a bunch and gone to fabric stores. Then I found some pillows this week at Crate and Barrel. They are great and have a lot of color. So I ordered four. They'll come tomorrow and then I'll go get curtain fabric hopefully next week. And yesterday I stapled the laminated fabric I bought onto our $5 table. I think it'll work really well. At least for a year or two while I figure out what kind of table I'll want and save up money for it.
Kata and I planned a going away party for a friend who has moved out of our ward. And things are really moving on my websites. I think I'll be done with my big projects by the time school gets out, like I planned.
Ruby is sitting up now and eating solid food. She's had rice cereal, peas and graham crackers so far. She takes a bottle great thanks to BJ. She's so fun. She's interested in everything and wants to touch and hold anything she can reach.
We've been getting things a little more organized in our family. We're trying new things with the kids fighting. When 2 kids have a problem, they have to go do "handshakes" together. Usually they get 5 but it can be more if it's really bad. They have to go do our Cox family handshake 5 times and then they have to ask each other to forgive them. So far it's been working great. It really diffuses the situation. We also started a job and allowance system. They get allowance once a month. They get twice their age and they have to save 20% and pay tithing. I have an app on my phone that tracks their money like a bank account. And we'll pay 10% interest quarterly. Their jobs are to clean their room before school. They have to fold and put away their laundry. And they each have a dinner job-set, clear and vacuum. And then they have Saturday jobs. I make a list of things that need to be done on Friday and assign them.
I've been searching for how to decorate our house. But I can't find something I love to start from. I've looked online a bunch and gone to fabric stores. Then I found some pillows this week at Crate and Barrel. They are great and have a lot of color. So I ordered four. They'll come tomorrow and then I'll go get curtain fabric hopefully next week. And yesterday I stapled the laminated fabric I bought onto our $5 table. I think it'll work really well. At least for a year or two while I figure out what kind of table I'll want and save up money for it.
Kata and I planned a going away party for a friend who has moved out of our ward. And things are really moving on my websites. I think I'll be done with my big projects by the time school gets out, like I planned.
Ruby is sitting up now and eating solid food. She's had rice cereal, peas and graham crackers so far. She takes a bottle great thanks to BJ. She's so fun. She's interested in everything and wants to touch and hold anything she can reach.
We've been getting things a little more organized in our family. We're trying new things with the kids fighting. When 2 kids have a problem, they have to go do "handshakes" together. Usually they get 5 but it can be more if it's really bad. They have to go do our Cox family handshake 5 times and then they have to ask each other to forgive them. So far it's been working great. It really diffuses the situation. We also started a job and allowance system. They get allowance once a month. They get twice their age and they have to save 20% and pay tithing. I have an app on my phone that tracks their money like a bank account. And we'll pay 10% interest quarterly. Their jobs are to clean their room before school. They have to fold and put away their laundry. And they each have a dinner job-set, clear and vacuum. And then they have Saturday jobs. I make a list of things that need to be done on Friday and assign them.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
May 15, 2011
Last Monday and Tuesday I watched all four Dean kids while Kata and Collin went to San Francisco for 2 days and 2 nights. We decided we'd take turns watching each other's kids. And it really wasn't that bad having 9 kids. I had to arrange rides and carpools for all the kids activities because we couldn't all fit in the car for me to drive them. And I just planned on not getting anything done except watching kids. Everyone had a blast. Our kids were so excited about their sleep over party. And it was so great to have so much room for everyone to go.
We've had sickness around here again. Rachel, Aaron and Ruby so far. Hopefully it's over soon.
The kids are loving the pool. But this spring has been really cool, which is great for everything except swimming. Oh well. My trampoline is getting a lot of use.
We've had sickness around here again. Rachel, Aaron and Ruby so far. Hopefully it's over soon.
The kids are loving the pool. But this spring has been really cool, which is great for everything except swimming. Oh well. My trampoline is getting a lot of use.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
May 8, 2011
Aaron got in to all-day kindergarten! Yea! And I found out there are two other kids in our ward doing the all day class. Hopefully we can work out a carpool.
Danny's fasting didn't quite go as planned, but I think it worked out still. I talked to him in the middle of his fast and he said he thought he was feeling good about staying at Antonello. Shoot! That wasn't what was supposed to happen! So then I had to go with the spirit and figure out how to turn it around. So I told him that his dad and I were feeling good about Goynes and parents can get revelation for their children. I talked to him about learning to understand the spirit and about how it feels to me--some of the key points like it'll make sense in your mind and heart; Heavenly Father doesn't use fear as an answer. He was a little mad about me saying he should plan on going to Goynes, but I think he really listened about the other stuff. So I just left it with him being mad about my answer, but the next day he was fine and talking like it had always been the plan for him to go to Goynes. So I guess it didn't work how I planned, but it still worked.
It's Mother's day today. I got to sleep in and the kids all made me cards. I made some muffins the night before and Bob cooked them for me this morning. He's so great. They didn't turn out to be the best muffins; I was just trying a new recipe. They turned out to be a little dry so Bob made icing and put it on them, which helped them a ton, before I was awake. I was pretty impressed that he figured it all out. Then I found a website open on the computer--it was yahoo answers and the question was "Um..How do you Make Icing for Cinnamon Rolls?" He's so cute. I love my husband!
I wanted a trampoline for my present. Our old one broke before we moved. So Bob got me a new 15 foot one and put it together for me yesterday. Our old backyard barely held our 10-ft trampoline. This one feels huge and and backyard has plenty of room for it. We're so blessed.
I worked a ton on my website last week. The drupal site for United Way in Illinois has been hanging over my head for weeks and now I'm finally at the deadline and just had to get it done. I worked 3-4 hours every day. The kids went to BJ's 3 days this week and I worked at night. I made some really good progress. I'm not done, but I have enough to show them and get their feedback before I finish. I feel like I'm really understanding the software better now though. There were so many unknowns for me before that it was a little daunting. But now I feel like I still have some things to do, but I'll be able to do them. I still have to do the second site for Illinois. And then I have to do one for United Way in Provo. So I still have a lot, but I have a month before school gets out. I'm really hoping to keep this pace up for the next month while kids are at school and I can still use BJ. Then I won't have to work much this summer while the kids are home. Because I think 5 kids at home all day is going to be a big enough job. And I want to do a good job with them.
Danny's fasting didn't quite go as planned, but I think it worked out still. I talked to him in the middle of his fast and he said he thought he was feeling good about staying at Antonello. Shoot! That wasn't what was supposed to happen! So then I had to go with the spirit and figure out how to turn it around. So I told him that his dad and I were feeling good about Goynes and parents can get revelation for their children. I talked to him about learning to understand the spirit and about how it feels to me--some of the key points like it'll make sense in your mind and heart; Heavenly Father doesn't use fear as an answer. He was a little mad about me saying he should plan on going to Goynes, but I think he really listened about the other stuff. So I just left it with him being mad about my answer, but the next day he was fine and talking like it had always been the plan for him to go to Goynes. So I guess it didn't work how I planned, but it still worked.
It's Mother's day today. I got to sleep in and the kids all made me cards. I made some muffins the night before and Bob cooked them for me this morning. He's so great. They didn't turn out to be the best muffins; I was just trying a new recipe. They turned out to be a little dry so Bob made icing and put it on them, which helped them a ton, before I was awake. I was pretty impressed that he figured it all out. Then I found a website open on the computer--it was yahoo answers and the question was "Um..How do you Make Icing for Cinnamon Rolls?" He's so cute. I love my husband!
I wanted a trampoline for my present. Our old one broke before we moved. So Bob got me a new 15 foot one and put it together for me yesterday. Our old backyard barely held our 10-ft trampoline. This one feels huge and and backyard has plenty of room for it. We're so blessed.
I worked a ton on my website last week. The drupal site for United Way in Illinois has been hanging over my head for weeks and now I'm finally at the deadline and just had to get it done. I worked 3-4 hours every day. The kids went to BJ's 3 days this week and I worked at night. I made some really good progress. I'm not done, but I have enough to show them and get their feedback before I finish. I feel like I'm really understanding the software better now though. There were so many unknowns for me before that it was a little daunting. But now I feel like I still have some things to do, but I'll be able to do them. I still have to do the second site for Illinois. And then I have to do one for United Way in Provo. So I still have a lot, but I have a month before school gets out. I'm really hoping to keep this pace up for the next month while kids are at school and I can still use BJ. Then I won't have to work much this summer while the kids are home. Because I think 5 kids at home all day is going to be a big enough job. And I want to do a good job with them.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
May 1, 2011
We signed Aaron up for all-day kindergarten this week. There were more than 30 kids who signed up so it'll go to a lottery and we'll know in a month or so if he got in. I've been going back and forth with this for a while. Originally I really wanted to do it. Then I realized I'd miss him and Seth was getting bigger and maybe they could play more, plus it costs $325/month. So I decided he'd be fine at home with me. Then I found out they are changing school times next year so he would only go to kindergarten from 8-10:30. Getting done that early seems like there's hardly a point in going. So I brought it up with Bob again and he said he thinks all-day kindergarten would be great for Aaron. He's already been going to preschool for 2 years and he's already reading. So I finally asked Aaron what he wants and he was super excited to go all day like Danny and Rachel. He said he wants to learn faster. And he wants to take a lunch to school. It'll also make playgroups for him easier because his friends will all be in first grade this year. So hopefully it'll work out for him and he'll get in to the all-day program.
Joan Faircloth has adopted us on Sundays and sits with us and helps me take care of all the kids. We love her. She also works in the office at Goynes--the kids' future school. So she gave us a tour on Friday after school. Aaron and Rachel were really excited. Danny has been really nervous about the change and doesn't want to leave his school. He's actually fasting about it today. I pray that goes well for him. Because I think I need him to move to Goynes with the other kids. And I think he'll adjust fine.
We took family pictures Wednesday night. Celise took them at the Butterfly park. The weather was perfect. And it was right between two really windy days. Seth and Ruby didn't cooperate very well, but I guess that is to be expected with two little ones. I told Bob, it'll only get better. In a few years we'll all actually sit and look and smile at the camera and won't that be amazing.
We were also grateful we took the pictures on Wednesday because Thursday Aaron smashed his face into the floor. The boys were dancing and Aaron never does that half-way. He was trying some new, cool move and he kicked his feet out from under himself and rolled in the air and came down straight on his face. Both lips were bleeding and his nose. After we got the bleeding stopped he laid on the couch for a while and then went to bed. He seemed like he'd be fine. But then around 10:00 he woke up crying "mom, mom, mom!" That's all he said constantly for 20 minutes. The only time he said some thing different was when Bob said his name and Aaron asked "Where's Aaron?". That made us a little nervous. We couldn't get him to calm down, so Bob gave him a blessing of comfort and then he and I left for Urgent Care. We got a third of the way there and Aaron threw up all over himself. So we turned around to clean him up before we took him back to the dr. He threw up a few more times, but then he was doing much better. Bob took him to urgent care then so I could stay with Ruby, who has a cold and isn't sleeping well. The doctor said nothing was broken and he didn't have a concussion. His stomach was just irritated from swallowing a lot of blood. Bob slept with him and checked on him through the night and he was fine. He's fine now. He has some scabs on his chin and a black eye, but he says he's back to normal. And I'm so glad his swelling is mostly down now because it was so sad to look at him with that huge, puffy face.
Joan Faircloth has adopted us on Sundays and sits with us and helps me take care of all the kids. We love her. She also works in the office at Goynes--the kids' future school. So she gave us a tour on Friday after school. Aaron and Rachel were really excited. Danny has been really nervous about the change and doesn't want to leave his school. He's actually fasting about it today. I pray that goes well for him. Because I think I need him to move to Goynes with the other kids. And I think he'll adjust fine.
We took family pictures Wednesday night. Celise took them at the Butterfly park. The weather was perfect. And it was right between two really windy days. Seth and Ruby didn't cooperate very well, but I guess that is to be expected with two little ones. I told Bob, it'll only get better. In a few years we'll all actually sit and look and smile at the camera and won't that be amazing.
We were also grateful we took the pictures on Wednesday because Thursday Aaron smashed his face into the floor. The boys were dancing and Aaron never does that half-way. He was trying some new, cool move and he kicked his feet out from under himself and rolled in the air and came down straight on his face. Both lips were bleeding and his nose. After we got the bleeding stopped he laid on the couch for a while and then went to bed. He seemed like he'd be fine. But then around 10:00 he woke up crying "mom, mom, mom!" That's all he said constantly for 20 minutes. The only time he said some thing different was when Bob said his name and Aaron asked "Where's Aaron?". That made us a little nervous. We couldn't get him to calm down, so Bob gave him a blessing of comfort and then he and I left for Urgent Care. We got a third of the way there and Aaron threw up all over himself. So we turned around to clean him up before we took him back to the dr. He threw up a few more times, but then he was doing much better. Bob took him to urgent care then so I could stay with Ruby, who has a cold and isn't sleeping well. The doctor said nothing was broken and he didn't have a concussion. His stomach was just irritated from swallowing a lot of blood. Bob slept with him and checked on him through the night and he was fine. He's fine now. He has some scabs on his chin and a black eye, but he says he's back to normal. And I'm so glad his swelling is mostly down now because it was so sad to look at him with that huge, puffy face.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
April 27, 2011
We're in our new house! We moved in last weekend, April 16. It's been a whirlwind. We found out that week on Monday that we were going to get to sign papers on Thursday. So I boxed and moved over a lot of things that week. Then Thursday night Ruby and I flew to Utah. Bob had bought me tickets a few months before to go stay with Wendy and go to a Power of Moms retreat. We just had no way of knowing that that weekend would end up being when we would move too. So I gave Bob a map of where I wanted the furniture to go and my mom made plans to come out Friday night to help with the kids while Bob moved our things.
My trip to Utah was great. The flights were smooth with Ruby. She was great the whole trip. It was so much fun to get to spend time with Wendy at her new house in Draper. I love that girl! And Saturday we went to the retreat at Linda and Richard Eyre's home in Park City. I was excited to go to the retreat for a lot of reasons. They Eyres are amazing and my friend April Perry was going to be there because she organizes the whole thing. And it was fun to be in the same place with so many amazing people. And Wendy has a nursing baby too so it was nice to have someone else to stand in the back with when the babies got tired of sitting. I learned a lot of things for our family. I'll try to remember to put some of them in here when I get my notebook out sometime.
Bob did a great job while I was gone getting us moved over. And it was so wonderful having my mom here for the whole spring break. We took turns watching kids and putting things away and cleaning. I got the whole house unpacked in that week because she was here. I still need to decorate and organize a little, but almost all our boxes are gone. And the extra space here is incredible. Ruby is doing so well in her own room. And we just have so much space to spread out! We all absolutely love it. The kids love their rooms and the pool. They swam every day of spring break even though it was a little cold.
All my family came for Easter weekend and to see our new house. That was fun to be with everyone and having enough room for everyone was an amazing feeling. We had a good time with everyone. Easter got downplayed quite a bit this year because I just couldn't do much more with all the moving stuff, but next year we'll do better with traditions and focusing on the Savior's resurrection.
We got our other house rented last week also. The first person who looked at it wanted it. What a blessing. So Bob spent most of Easter weekend cleaning up and fixing our old house to get it ready for the renters who moved in this Tuesday.
Now we're trying to get into our regular routine in our new house. I'm chipping away at projects and trying to get my websites finished.
My trip to Utah was great. The flights were smooth with Ruby. She was great the whole trip. It was so much fun to get to spend time with Wendy at her new house in Draper. I love that girl! And Saturday we went to the retreat at Linda and Richard Eyre's home in Park City. I was excited to go to the retreat for a lot of reasons. They Eyres are amazing and my friend April Perry was going to be there because she organizes the whole thing. And it was fun to be in the same place with so many amazing people. And Wendy has a nursing baby too so it was nice to have someone else to stand in the back with when the babies got tired of sitting. I learned a lot of things for our family. I'll try to remember to put some of them in here when I get my notebook out sometime.
Bob did a great job while I was gone getting us moved over. And it was so wonderful having my mom here for the whole spring break. We took turns watching kids and putting things away and cleaning. I got the whole house unpacked in that week because she was here. I still need to decorate and organize a little, but almost all our boxes are gone. And the extra space here is incredible. Ruby is doing so well in her own room. And we just have so much space to spread out! We all absolutely love it. The kids love their rooms and the pool. They swam every day of spring break even though it was a little cold.
All my family came for Easter weekend and to see our new house. That was fun to be with everyone and having enough room for everyone was an amazing feeling. We had a good time with everyone. Easter got downplayed quite a bit this year because I just couldn't do much more with all the moving stuff, but next year we'll do better with traditions and focusing on the Savior's resurrection.
We got our other house rented last week also. The first person who looked at it wanted it. What a blessing. So Bob spent most of Easter weekend cleaning up and fixing our old house to get it ready for the renters who moved in this Tuesday.
Now we're trying to get into our regular routine in our new house. I'm chipping away at projects and trying to get my websites finished.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
April 10, 2011
We didn't move this weekend either. We almost did. We got one of the two approvals we needed, but the third one said it would be at least Monday. But the Lewis's said we can move in if we want. So we really thought about it because I'm going to be out of town next weekend. We started getting ready to move on Thursday. Bob felt fine about it. But I kept getting this pit feeling in my stomach. And when I'd try to pray about it, I couldn't focus my thoughts on it, my mind kept wandering. And I've been thinking about moving all the time for months, so not being able to think about I realized was a stupor of thought. I prayed and prayed about it our situation because Bob felt ok with it and I didn't.
I had Bob give me a blessing because I've not understood these kinds of feelings before and ignored them and then I really regretted it after. Satan can really get to me when I mess up like that. The blessing said that the fog in my mind would clear and that my heart and mind would both make sense. I thought about it all night. Finally about four in the morning I realized I didn't feel good about it not because the sale is going to fall apart and that the house won't eventually be ours, but because it's not ours yet. And it really doesn't feel like it's the Lewis's to give either because they haven't been paying on it for almost a year. But that answer gave me the peace I was looking for. I explained it to Bob and he was good with it. So, he's probably going to have to move in without me, but he's fine with that.
Hopefully things will go well with the banks this week and we'll be able to buy our new house and move in. I've been praying about that for weeks. I even started praying for the people who will be signing the approvals with the banks. I hope they are happy and have nice lives. And I hope we get our house soon. In the meantime, we have a key to the house and we've found excuses to need to go over there most days this week. We all like to go try out all that nice space.
I also had a great experience already with assigning a day of the week to each family member. On Monday I felt that I need to get Danny reading the Book of Mormon every day. So I printed out a reading chart for him. He seemed excited about it. And then on Friday, as I prayed for Ruby, one of the things I asked for was that she would learn to roll over since she hasn't done that yet. That day she rolled over two times! And then it was just nice to have time to focus and pray about each person and make sure I spent some good time with them.
My websites are hard to get going on. I keep running into delays from server issues, but I'm also procrastinating. But I'm coming up on my May deadline for both United Ways and I'm starting to feel the pressure of that. It'll be great money and good experience, but right now I'm wondering why I'm doing this. It's just adding to my stress with moving and five kids and all the things I have going on. But the only way to get rid of that is to push through it and just do it. So I'm hoping to move this week and then really make some good progress over spring break when my mom is here and can watch the kids for me.
We've all been quite healthy other than allergies for a long time. I feel so blessed with that.
I had Bob give me a blessing because I've not understood these kinds of feelings before and ignored them and then I really regretted it after. Satan can really get to me when I mess up like that. The blessing said that the fog in my mind would clear and that my heart and mind would both make sense. I thought about it all night. Finally about four in the morning I realized I didn't feel good about it not because the sale is going to fall apart and that the house won't eventually be ours, but because it's not ours yet. And it really doesn't feel like it's the Lewis's to give either because they haven't been paying on it for almost a year. But that answer gave me the peace I was looking for. I explained it to Bob and he was good with it. So, he's probably going to have to move in without me, but he's fine with that.
Hopefully things will go well with the banks this week and we'll be able to buy our new house and move in. I've been praying about that for weeks. I even started praying for the people who will be signing the approvals with the banks. I hope they are happy and have nice lives. And I hope we get our house soon. In the meantime, we have a key to the house and we've found excuses to need to go over there most days this week. We all like to go try out all that nice space.
I also had a great experience already with assigning a day of the week to each family member. On Monday I felt that I need to get Danny reading the Book of Mormon every day. So I printed out a reading chart for him. He seemed excited about it. And then on Friday, as I prayed for Ruby, one of the things I asked for was that she would learn to roll over since she hasn't done that yet. That day she rolled over two times! And then it was just nice to have time to focus and pray about each person and make sure I spent some good time with them.
My websites are hard to get going on. I keep running into delays from server issues, but I'm also procrastinating. But I'm coming up on my May deadline for both United Ways and I'm starting to feel the pressure of that. It'll be great money and good experience, but right now I'm wondering why I'm doing this. It's just adding to my stress with moving and five kids and all the things I have going on. But the only way to get rid of that is to push through it and just do it. So I'm hoping to move this week and then really make some good progress over spring break when my mom is here and can watch the kids for me.
We've all been quite healthy other than allergies for a long time. I feel so blessed with that.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
April 3, 2011
We didn't move in this weekend. They had paperwork problems. They said it might be this week, we'll know more in the next few days. We're sure hoping it'll work this weekend because the next weekend I'll be gone and then after that is Easter, when everyone is coming. But this weekend my mom can't come and BJ and Kata are going to be out of town. So I'll have to find lots of help with the kids. Hopefully Seth will be ok because there aren't that many people he likes to go to. We went swimming there this weekend. The house is empty now and the kids loved running around in all that space!
Danny's birthday was yesterday. He's 9. I can't believe it. He's such a great boy. Here are some of the things I said about him on our family blog:
Danny is such a great boy. He's a hard worker and loves to go at 100% when he gets into things. His current loves are baseball, cub scouts, playing with his best buddy CJ, school, and riding bikes.
He has a strong testimony and sense of right and wrong. He tries so hard to live the gospel. He's a great example in our family. He's patient and loving with his younger brothers and sisters. He takes good care of them and loves to organize big games and projects with them.
Conference was great this weekend. I missed quite a bit from trying to watch it with five kids in the room, so I'll have to go back and watch it again. But there was so much that I needed to hear. I've been working since the beginning of the year at being better at finding needs and serving others, but I feel like I still have so far to go to be good at it. So I was really praying I'd learn more about how I can do better at that from conference. This year is the 75th anniversary of the Welfare program, so there were tons of talks about service. I got so many good ideas!
I was also praying about how I can help my family more. And last week I got the prompting to assign each family member to a day of the week and focus on that one in my prayers and actions. I'm excited to try that out. I think it'll really help me to do a better job.
Danny's birthday was yesterday. He's 9. I can't believe it. He's such a great boy. Here are some of the things I said about him on our family blog:
Danny is such a great boy. He's a hard worker and loves to go at 100% when he gets into things. His current loves are baseball, cub scouts, playing with his best buddy CJ, school, and riding bikes.
He has a strong testimony and sense of right and wrong. He tries so hard to live the gospel. He's a great example in our family. He's patient and loving with his younger brothers and sisters. He takes good care of them and loves to organize big games and projects with them.
Conference was great this weekend. I missed quite a bit from trying to watch it with five kids in the room, so I'll have to go back and watch it again. But there was so much that I needed to hear. I've been working since the beginning of the year at being better at finding needs and serving others, but I feel like I still have so far to go to be good at it. So I was really praying I'd learn more about how I can do better at that from conference. This year is the 75th anniversary of the Welfare program, so there were tons of talks about service. I got so many good ideas!
I was also praying about how I can help my family more. And last week I got the prompting to assign each family member to a day of the week and focus on that one in my prayers and actions. I'm excited to try that out. I think it'll really help me to do a better job.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
March 27, 2011
Seth's cold last weekend ended up being two ear infections. And one of the ear drums had ruptured and the other looked like it was about to. But we got him on medicine and it cleared up quickly. Ruby got the cold and has had a runny nose all week, but no grumpiness or fever.
It looks like we're going to be able to move in next weekend! There are still a lot of things that could stop us, but we're moving ahead like it's all going to work out. We did the home inspection yesterday. And we have the financing all in place. So we're hoping everything comes together and we get to close on Wednesday the 30th. We're so excited for all the extra space!
Danny went to cub scout day camp this week. He was in heaven. He loved all of it so much. But best of all was the bb gun shooting.
My computer had trouble this week. It was at a repair place for three days, which was especially hard because we were trying to get paperwork back and forth for the financing. But it all worked out. At least I didn't have any pressing website projects.
It looks like we're going to be able to move in next weekend! There are still a lot of things that could stop us, but we're moving ahead like it's all going to work out. We did the home inspection yesterday. And we have the financing all in place. So we're hoping everything comes together and we get to close on Wednesday the 30th. We're so excited for all the extra space!
Danny went to cub scout day camp this week. He was in heaven. He loved all of it so much. But best of all was the bb gun shooting.
My computer had trouble this week. It was at a repair place for three days, which was especially hard because we were trying to get paperwork back and forth for the financing. But it all worked out. At least I didn't have any pressing website projects.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
March 20, 2011
We're still waiting to hear on our house! What a pain! We got approval from 2 of the 3 loans, but the third one was supposed to let us know last Wednesday and still nothing. But we got the financing part started. So if we get the approval early this week there is still a chance to close by March 30. I'm really hoping for that. Then we'll move in on April 2. Our loan guy says we have about a 60% chance. But if not then, I hope it'll be the next week so we can move in on April 8. But that's really the last weekend that will work well because the week after that, Ruby and I are flying to Utah to stay with Wendy and go to a Power of Moms retreat. And then the weekend after that is when all my family is coming for Easter. So I really hope things work out well for us.
Seth has a cold today. He woke up with a fever last night. So the babies and I are staying home from church today. I was supposed to teach sunday school, but Bob is going to do it for me. Hopefully it'll be a fast cold and we'll all be back to health soon.
We're fully back into tennis and baseball. Our weekends are so full. It's hard to imagine how we're going to handle things when Seth and Ruby have activities too.
Aaron is doing so well at preschool. He's reading now. He can sound out words and he loves it. We went to U-swirl friday night to celebrate it. And Danny and Rachel got their 2nd trimester report cards. We went to Krispy Kreme because they give a free donut for every A. Rachel got straight A's and Danny only got 1 B.
Seth has a cold today. He woke up with a fever last night. So the babies and I are staying home from church today. I was supposed to teach sunday school, but Bob is going to do it for me. Hopefully it'll be a fast cold and we'll all be back to health soon.
We're fully back into tennis and baseball. Our weekends are so full. It's hard to imagine how we're going to handle things when Seth and Ruby have activities too.
Aaron is doing so well at preschool. He's reading now. He can sound out words and he loves it. We went to U-swirl friday night to celebrate it. And Danny and Rachel got their 2nd trimester report cards. We went to Krispy Kreme because they give a free donut for every A. Rachel got straight A's and Danny only got 1 B.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
March 13, 2011
Two weeks ago we went to Visalia for the weekend to visit. Gma Monte and Gpa Gene were visiting my mom, so we went too and Ryan and Venessa and Kristal. It was fun to see them. It rained all weekend. We went shopping and to a children's museum in Visalia.
Last week we were at home, but I was working on our family year book in my free time on Sunday. I finally got that done and printed for 2010. We've been healthy still. We've gone to church for a month. We are really being blessed. It's so wonderful to all be healthy! And Seth has got to go to nursery enough that he's starting to do ok when we leave him.
Seth is also doing great going to BJ's. He has a great time there. This week when Aaron left for a playgroup, Seth asked to go to BJ's--he thinks that's his friend's house. So cute. And Ruby started taking a bottle for BJ so both of them are happy there. It's great. I should be using some of the time to work, but I've just been going to the gym to take classes when I drop off the kids.
Today is Bob's birthday. Kenton and Joe came this week to go to the Mountain West Conference with him. It's so great how that is always right by his birthday. He loves going and having friends come go with him.
I've been reading my scriptures with a notebook again. It's amazing how easy it is to get promptings when that book is open and I say a prayer first. I have to really work to find time while Ruby is sleeping and Seth is entertained, but it's such a blessing when I do.
We're still waiting to hear on our house. I'm getting so anxious to move. Ruby is four months now. She needs her own bedroom so bad. She still sleeps in her carseat in our bathroom or in our bed. We were told we'd probably hear by last friday, but we didn't. All we heard was that the Bank increased their price from $230 to $235, 000. Which, of course, we accepted because we're (I'm) so ready to get into a bigger house.
Last week we were at home, but I was working on our family year book in my free time on Sunday. I finally got that done and printed for 2010. We've been healthy still. We've gone to church for a month. We are really being blessed. It's so wonderful to all be healthy! And Seth has got to go to nursery enough that he's starting to do ok when we leave him.
Seth is also doing great going to BJ's. He has a great time there. This week when Aaron left for a playgroup, Seth asked to go to BJ's--he thinks that's his friend's house. So cute. And Ruby started taking a bottle for BJ so both of them are happy there. It's great. I should be using some of the time to work, but I've just been going to the gym to take classes when I drop off the kids.
Today is Bob's birthday. Kenton and Joe came this week to go to the Mountain West Conference with him. It's so great how that is always right by his birthday. He loves going and having friends come go with him.
I've been reading my scriptures with a notebook again. It's amazing how easy it is to get promptings when that book is open and I say a prayer first. I have to really work to find time while Ruby is sleeping and Seth is entertained, but it's such a blessing when I do.
We're still waiting to hear on our house. I'm getting so anxious to move. Ruby is four months now. She needs her own bedroom so bad. She still sleeps in her carseat in our bathroom or in our bed. We were told we'd probably hear by last friday, but we didn't. All we heard was that the Bank increased their price from $230 to $235, 000. Which, of course, we accepted because we're (I'm) so ready to get into a bigger house.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
February 20, 2011
We're still sick. It must be teaching us something. But I have had much more capacity to handle it this week. Ruby and Bob are the sickest. But today they are mostly over it so we will all go to church. Two Sundays in a row--this is the best we've done all winter.
The boys found out who their baseball coaches are and when practice will be. The busyness is starting. But they are both on teams with CJ and Cannon Dean and their practices are all at the same time, so it shouldn't be too bad. And Rachel's tennis started last Saturday. She did awesome. She's really picking it up. I'm so proud of her and glad she found something she likes to do.
Ruby and Seth have been going to BJ Lecates to be babysat for the last two weeks. They go on Tues and Thursday mornings from 9 to 12, while Aaron is at preschool. It's been awesome. So far I've just been working on websites while they're gone, but I plan to start going back to my swimming class too. Ruby does fine, except that she gets hungry at the end and won't take a bottle. Seth cries bad when I leave every time. But BJ says he's getting better and he's happy by the time I pick him up. I think it's good for him to learn anyway because he still cries at nursery too. Hopefully he's learning that I can leave and I will always come back.
My website work is pouring in. If I can get it all done sometime, I'll be able to make quite a bit of money. It's such a blessing to feel so secure with our money.
The boys found out who their baseball coaches are and when practice will be. The busyness is starting. But they are both on teams with CJ and Cannon Dean and their practices are all at the same time, so it shouldn't be too bad. And Rachel's tennis started last Saturday. She did awesome. She's really picking it up. I'm so proud of her and glad she found something she likes to do.
Ruby and Seth have been going to BJ Lecates to be babysat for the last two weeks. They go on Tues and Thursday mornings from 9 to 12, while Aaron is at preschool. It's been awesome. So far I've just been working on websites while they're gone, but I plan to start going back to my swimming class too. Ruby does fine, except that she gets hungry at the end and won't take a bottle. Seth cries bad when I leave every time. But BJ says he's getting better and he's happy by the time I pick him up. I think it's good for him to learn anyway because he still cries at nursery too. Hopefully he's learning that I can leave and I will always come back.
My website work is pouring in. If I can get it all done sometime, I'll be able to make quite a bit of money. It's such a blessing to feel so secure with our money.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
February 10, 2011
Seth's cold didn't turn into an ear infection. And Ruby got it too, but she only had one small fever and hasn't really been grumpy from it, except when it was hard to breathe through her nose at night. Prayer answered in the way I wanted! What a blessing!
But it was still a week long cold and he still has a very runny nose. We've just been sick for so long! So last Sunday was fast Sunday. I fasted that we can be done being sick. Sick season for us is usually from November to March or April. But we've never been sick the whole time. So I prayed that if there isn't any reason for us to be sick, like to teach us or give us immunity in the future or whatever, then I really want to be done with sickness for this sick season. I thought of it like my labor and asking for an epidural. The pain of the contractions is just part of the process, but there's no real reason for me to feel that pain if I just ask for an epidural. I usually go as long as I can before I ask for it, but there really is no reason to not ask for it. So, we'll see if that sickness is needed for us. I hope it isn't. And I think there is still plenty of hard things in my life with learning to handle five kids and Bob in the Bishopric and gone a lot, so it's not like things will be too easy if we aren't sick. So we'll see what the rest of sick season has in store for us, but I think my prayer was a righteous desire, so I think the Lord will intervene for us if it's best.
But it was still a week long cold and he still has a very runny nose. We've just been sick for so long! So last Sunday was fast Sunday. I fasted that we can be done being sick. Sick season for us is usually from November to March or April. But we've never been sick the whole time. So I prayed that if there isn't any reason for us to be sick, like to teach us or give us immunity in the future or whatever, then I really want to be done with sickness for this sick season. I thought of it like my labor and asking for an epidural. The pain of the contractions is just part of the process, but there's no real reason for me to feel that pain if I just ask for an epidural. I usually go as long as I can before I ask for it, but there really is no reason to not ask for it. So, we'll see if that sickness is needed for us. I hope it isn't. And I think there is still plenty of hard things in my life with learning to handle five kids and Bob in the Bishopric and gone a lot, so it's not like things will be too easy if we aren't sick. So we'll see what the rest of sick season has in store for us, but I think my prayer was a righteous desire, so I think the Lord will intervene for us if it's best.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
February 1, 2011
In a Relief Society lesson a few weeks ago the teacher challenged us to learn better how the Holy Ghost talks to us. I knew that's something I should do. I know that Heavenly Father listens and answers all my prayers. I just don't always hear the answers very well. I love getting blessings because then I can hear with my physical ears and spiritual ears and I'm confident I hear the answer correctly that way. But I really want to be better at hearing and obeying promptings and answers to prayer.
Seth is sick AGAIN. Ruby also had a fever for two nights, but no runny nose or much grumpiness. Seth has a bad cold. I know I can get through another bad sickness because I was helped through the last one a few weeks ago, even though it was really hard. But I really don't want to. And I don't want Seth to have to go through that. I can't help him very well or give him the love and attention he needs when he's sick when I need to take care of Ruby too. So last night I prayed fervently with Seth and alone that Heavenly Father would help us and Seth to heal, that the cold won't turn into an ear infection and that he won't feel as down as he did last time. But I know if I can't have it the way I want it and it gets really bad again, Heavenly Father will help me through that. Then today Seth looks horrible. Bob stayed home to help me. But Seth hasn't gotten a fever yet. I started worrying for tomorrow when Bob has to go back to work. I know Heavenly Father answered my prayer last night, but I wasn't sure I heard that answer. As I was thinking and praying about that, the primary song "I Pray in Faith" came to my mind and got stuck there. I kept hearing the line, "He hears and answers me when I pray in faith" over and over. I realized that was a wonderful confirmation that Heavenly Father had heard me and answered me. He wasn't going to tell me exactly what would happen to Seth, but he'd heard me and was taking care of things as they should be. So I still don't know how bad things will get, but they are in His hands and he will grant my requests if that is best.
Seth is sick AGAIN. Ruby also had a fever for two nights, but no runny nose or much grumpiness. Seth has a bad cold. I know I can get through another bad sickness because I was helped through the last one a few weeks ago, even though it was really hard. But I really don't want to. And I don't want Seth to have to go through that. I can't help him very well or give him the love and attention he needs when he's sick when I need to take care of Ruby too. So last night I prayed fervently with Seth and alone that Heavenly Father would help us and Seth to heal, that the cold won't turn into an ear infection and that he won't feel as down as he did last time. But I know if I can't have it the way I want it and it gets really bad again, Heavenly Father will help me through that. Then today Seth looks horrible. Bob stayed home to help me. But Seth hasn't gotten a fever yet. I started worrying for tomorrow when Bob has to go back to work. I know Heavenly Father answered my prayer last night, but I wasn't sure I heard that answer. As I was thinking and praying about that, the primary song "I Pray in Faith" came to my mind and got stuck there. I kept hearing the line, "He hears and answers me when I pray in faith" over and over. I realized that was a wonderful confirmation that Heavenly Father had heard me and answered me. He wasn't going to tell me exactly what would happen to Seth, but he'd heard me and was taking care of things as they should be. So I still don't know how bad things will get, but they are in His hands and he will grant my requests if that is best.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
January 30, 2011
I got my visiting teaching done this week and I'm teaching sunday school for the first time today. It's nice to get back into things in church. And hopefully we can keep sickness away for a while so I can consistently go to church.
We are being so blessed financially. I love doing the budget lately because it always turns out well. Our tax return is going to be really good this year, and I've gotten some big website projects lately that should bring in a good amount too. I just started working with Bob on the website at his side job in Henderson. It's kind of fun to have a project together.
All the extra website work is adding a lot of stress for me, though, because Ruby still doesn't have any kind of schedule (although she did sleep for a solid eight hours last night!)so it's really hard to find time to work on websites. I've been thinking I wanted to find someone to babysit for me so I can go to the swim class I used to go to. And then this week I found out that BJ Lecates, in our ward, wants to babysit. She's the mom of 6 kids and her youngest is 9, so she's just what I was hoping for. And her husband's business isn't doing well so she was looking for some work to make a little money. So it'll be perfect for me because I think I'll use her so I can go swimming and so I can work on websites. It relieves a lot of stress for me. Hopefully Seth will adjust quickly. He still cries through nursery. It'll also be helpful when we're moving and I need to pack.
We are being so blessed financially. I love doing the budget lately because it always turns out well. Our tax return is going to be really good this year, and I've gotten some big website projects lately that should bring in a good amount too. I just started working with Bob on the website at his side job in Henderson. It's kind of fun to have a project together.
All the extra website work is adding a lot of stress for me, though, because Ruby still doesn't have any kind of schedule (although she did sleep for a solid eight hours last night!)so it's really hard to find time to work on websites. I've been thinking I wanted to find someone to babysit for me so I can go to the swim class I used to go to. And then this week I found out that BJ Lecates, in our ward, wants to babysit. She's the mom of 6 kids and her youngest is 9, so she's just what I was hoping for. And her husband's business isn't doing well so she was looking for some work to make a little money. So it'll be perfect for me because I think I'll use her so I can go swimming and so I can work on websites. It relieves a lot of stress for me. Hopefully Seth will adjust quickly. He still cries through nursery. It'll also be helpful when we're moving and I need to pack.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
January 23, 2011
I got set apart for my calling several months ago. I got called as a sunday school teacher for the 12-13 year olds when Bob was called to the Bishopric. I haven't taught yet because I've only been to church about three times since then. I'll teach my first lesson next Sunday. But here's the notes from when I was set apart:
I had lunch dates with all three big kids this week. It was really nice. I plan on getting back to doing that once a month with each kid. Aaron picked Mcdonalds. Rachel picked KFC and Danny did KFC and shoe shopping because he already outgrew his tennis shoes I bought him four months ago. He's a size 5 now.
I went swimming yesterday. I'm so excited to get back in shape and feeling good.
- I'll find ways to communicate with the kids
- Organize my time to prepare lessons
- Balance church and motherly duties
- Have the Spirit in my life to help and guide me
- My pregnancy will go smoothly (which it did)
- That I should follow advice and help from doctors. (I talked to a nurse who said it was just hormonal and would probably be fine in a few days--it was)
- I would be blessed and happy through service. I thought that was a wonderful confirmation that my new years resolution for service was something that I needed to be working on.
I had lunch dates with all three big kids this week. It was really nice. I plan on getting back to doing that once a month with each kid. Aaron picked Mcdonalds. Rachel picked KFC and Danny did KFC and shoe shopping because he already outgrew his tennis shoes I bought him four months ago. He's a size 5 now.
I went swimming yesterday. I'm so excited to get back in shape and feeling good.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
January 16, 2011
Life is crazy! I feel like we're going a mile a minute and never stopping. Most of the time I feel like I can make it, but some days I just get a little too much added to things like a sick kid or more website work and it feels like I can't make it. Then I cry a little and maybe have a small pity party, then I pray and remember the Savior and my Heavenly Father know I can do it. Then I get things under control and get going again. But it never feels easy. I'm hoping that once Ruby is sleeping on a regular schedule, and I can get enough sleep, that five kids won't always be this much work.
Ruby had her 2 month checkup this week. She's in the 75th percentile. She's doing great. She loves it when we talk to her and she coos back at us. Her reflux is getting much better. It doesn't seem to burn her so much and she doesn't make quite as much of a mess, although she still does spit up a lot. I've realized that I think the best part of Ruby's reflux, though, is that she lets me hug her to sleep all the time. I try to keep her vertical whenever I can, so I hold her so her head can rest on my chest and she falls asleep so easily that way and I love it too because she cuddles with me the whole time.
Bob and I were sick last weekend. I was still sick on Monday. That morning I kept trying to get something to eat to see if it would give me more energy, but kids kept needing things. So finally I thought I had Ruby asleep and got some oatmeal, but as soon as I started eating, she started crying. So I just let her cry for a few minutes so I could finish. But then Seth started crying. I thought he was crying about a toy or something. So I finished up and went to find him. He was on his knees crying at my bedroom door. Ruby was in my room crying and for some reason Seth wasn't able to open the door to go in to comfort her (he always tells her "don't cy Uby"--he can't say r's yet). So when I realized what was happening I started crying and we were all a mess! But it was so wonderfully sweet at the same time. These babies of mine are so precious.
We found out this week that our house now won't be ready until the end of March at the earliest. The banks are taking a long time to approve everything. I'm so hoping everything will work out in the end, but the longer things take, the more nervous I get. And I'm feeling more cramped in our house. But week keep praying about it and I'm sure things will work out how they should. It does give us more time to save up money, though, so we can feel more comfortable when we do move.
I have two big website conversions I need to get done before we move, and having more time before having to pack will be helpful. I should also be able to make quite a bit from them so that will be good too. I just have to find the time to do them. Between Seth and Ruby and then the bigger kids needing things now and then, I am so lucky when I find one spare hour a day to do any kind of work. But I really need to figure it out soon. I might have to get Bob to come help me on Fridays or something.
I signed the boys up for baseball yesterday. And tennis signups are this week. So, soon we will be right back in the thick of sports and practices and even busier than we are now! It sure has been nice to not have had any sports for a couple of months.
Ruby had her 2 month checkup this week. She's in the 75th percentile. She's doing great. She loves it when we talk to her and she coos back at us. Her reflux is getting much better. It doesn't seem to burn her so much and she doesn't make quite as much of a mess, although she still does spit up a lot. I've realized that I think the best part of Ruby's reflux, though, is that she lets me hug her to sleep all the time. I try to keep her vertical whenever I can, so I hold her so her head can rest on my chest and she falls asleep so easily that way and I love it too because she cuddles with me the whole time.
Bob and I were sick last weekend. I was still sick on Monday. That morning I kept trying to get something to eat to see if it would give me more energy, but kids kept needing things. So finally I thought I had Ruby asleep and got some oatmeal, but as soon as I started eating, she started crying. So I just let her cry for a few minutes so I could finish. But then Seth started crying. I thought he was crying about a toy or something. So I finished up and went to find him. He was on his knees crying at my bedroom door. Ruby was in my room crying and for some reason Seth wasn't able to open the door to go in to comfort her (he always tells her "don't cy Uby"--he can't say r's yet). So when I realized what was happening I started crying and we were all a mess! But it was so wonderfully sweet at the same time. These babies of mine are so precious.
We found out this week that our house now won't be ready until the end of March at the earliest. The banks are taking a long time to approve everything. I'm so hoping everything will work out in the end, but the longer things take, the more nervous I get. And I'm feeling more cramped in our house. But week keep praying about it and I'm sure things will work out how they should. It does give us more time to save up money, though, so we can feel more comfortable when we do move.
I have two big website conversions I need to get done before we move, and having more time before having to pack will be helpful. I should also be able to make quite a bit from them so that will be good too. I just have to find the time to do them. Between Seth and Ruby and then the bigger kids needing things now and then, I am so lucky when I find one spare hour a day to do any kind of work. But I really need to figure it out soon. I might have to get Bob to come help me on Fridays or something.
I signed the boys up for baseball yesterday. And tennis signups are this week. So, soon we will be right back in the thick of sports and practices and even busier than we are now! It sure has been nice to not have had any sports for a couple of months.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
January 2, 2011
We just got back from Ryan's house. My mom and dad and Kristal, Dustin and Grandma Donna all came. We got there on Thursday. The boys went paintballing on Friday and we went to the park. Then on Saturday the girls went shopping at the mall. We watched movies and football and just hung out at Ryan's new big house. We had a good time.
I had a great birthday going out to dinner with friends on Tuesday and then with Bob on Wednesday. Bob and I went to look at furniture and then went to the mall and to dinner at Maggianos.
I don't like doing resolutions just to do them because I usually fail at them. But it is a good reminder to see if I need to be working on anything. So I have two goals:
1 - I'm going to lose my baby weight by Valentine's day and be able to wear my normal clothes again.
2 - I'm going to do better at serving others. I've gotten a little selfish and focused on myself with being pregnant and then having a newborn. So I'm going to pray regularly to recognize needs and make sure I do at least one act of service I feel impressed to do every week. It doesn't have to be anything huge, I don't have the capacity for a lot and I don't want too much stress or to take the focus away from my family, but I want to do something more and be a better example for my kids.
I had a great birthday going out to dinner with friends on Tuesday and then with Bob on Wednesday. Bob and I went to look at furniture and then went to the mall and to dinner at Maggianos.
I don't like doing resolutions just to do them because I usually fail at them. But it is a good reminder to see if I need to be working on anything. So I have two goals:
1 - I'm going to lose my baby weight by Valentine's day and be able to wear my normal clothes again.
2 - I'm going to do better at serving others. I've gotten a little selfish and focused on myself with being pregnant and then having a newborn. So I'm going to pray regularly to recognize needs and make sure I do at least one act of service I feel impressed to do every week. It doesn't have to be anything huge, I don't have the capacity for a lot and I don't want too much stress or to take the focus away from my family, but I want to do something more and be a better example for my kids.
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