Back To School

I cry every year as I drop them off the first day. This year wasn’t any different! I remember last year. I was crying as I was driving them down TO the school. They were asking me why I was so sad. I told them that I miss them when they are gone and that they are alone and I can’t be there to protect them during the day. It was Kaylee who spoke up and said, “But mom we really aren’t alone. The Holy Ghost will be with us.” What a wise little girl and a comfort to her mom that she knows that!

They finished the new school building and it is beautiful!!!

It is always a task and then some to get all the school supplies bought, the school uniforms, and of course the school shoes.

I’m excited for the teachers that the kids have. This year I was able to request teachers and was able to get the teachers that I wanted. I sent them to school with a first day of school gift for the their teachers. I was excited to see the gift that I had given Miss Smith last year, is still sitting on her desk for this year. Do you remember making those vinyl jars Kristy?!? Anyway, here was this years …

Last night we did Father’s Blessings and talked about academic goals for the new school year. Then tonight for FHE we talked about friends. I had Jacob draw different faces on four balloons. I then did the balloon activity where you give a brief description on the outside, name and traits. Then you pop the balloon and find out what the person is really like on the inside. We talked about how the more find out questions you ask a person, the more you will know and can learn from the person. I challenged the kids to pop the inside of each kid in their classes and find out who they really are.

My favorite picture of the day wasn’t even of one of the school kids. It was of Ashley staring at her older siblings as they were taking pictures, dreaming of going to school herself. I’m glad I snapped this one! However, to tell you the truth I don’t think I will be crying when “SHE” actually goes to school!

Duck Tape Day

I’m always doing projects with the girls, but boy projects are little harder to come by. Well, Spencer came over one morning and we decided to have a duck tape day. Do you realize how many things can be made from duck tape?!? We started out with these wallets. We just followed instructions from youtube.

Our other project was Indiana Jones whips. We braided 12 foot duck tape. I actually braided as the three boys ran around behind me keeping the braid from tangling. When we finished the braid we duck taped it around a hand size dowel. I had Steve help me finish doing the whips, and he stood there cracking them and acting like Indiana Jones.

They were quite tough whips. Nathan would coil his around the swing set and swing from it. It was definitely a boy project day. However, the girls did start making bracelets and rings from the ducktape!

Hey Baby, Let’s Go to Vegas

Stephen and I planned a little getaway to Las Vegas.  After all the arranging of schedules, kids, hotel, flight and entertainment we were off. 

We stayed on one of the top floors of the Trump International Hotel. The hotel does NOT have a casino and for that reason claims to be 100% smoke free.  It was so nice to start out the day walking out of the hotel without having to go through a smoke filled casino.  I also LOVED the views out of our window!

The bathroom vanity had a TV mirror so that you could watch while getting ready.  I thought that was fun!

The pool and cabanas were beautiful and always had a DJ out there doing the music.  We relaxed, got massages and someone also did a little work.  He is smiling here, but I wasn’t smiling!

I was not prepared for the heat!  The temperatures were at 110 degrees while we were there.  Today here in Colorado, it is 52 degrees!

Our first night there, we went out with some friends.  Missy was my roommate at BYU for quite a few years.  I love her funny personality.  She always tells it just like it is, in such a humorous way.  Her husband, Chris is just as funny.  We went out for BBQ and then played Bingo.  I have never played Bingo before so that in itself was quite the experience!  It was late especially with the hour time change in Vegas and you can sure see it in my eyes.

The next couple of days we went to quite a few shows and buffets.  Isn’t that what Vegas is all about?!?

I have always enjoyed the Cirque du Soleil shows.  This time we went and saw the KA Cirque du Soleil.  It was amazing how they would move and change the stage around.  It went from a boat rocking and water illusion, to filled with tons of sand.  The stage then slowly turned on its side and all the sand slid down.  After the sand slid off and the stage was standing up little poles poked through in which the characters climbed up and would slide down.  The entire performance choreography, costumes, puppets and just everything were amazing!!!

We had so much fun laughing, eating, shopping, eating, walking, eating, swimming, eating, reading, watching people (SCAREY!!!) and just enjoying a little getaway.  Thank you so much mom and dad for taking care of the kids and running them around to all the stuff that they had going on!

I sure love you Stephen!  Thanks for the trip!  Can we do it all again this coming week?

Five

I didn’t ever take Jacob’s pictures for his birthday. And I’m trying to get all the kids pictures taken so that I don’t have to pay for school pictures or Kiddie Kandids.

So, I gave a …

Took him out to the path behind our house. Promised him that I would only take five minutes, to which he constantly checked his watch to make sure that I didn’t go over five minutes.

Took fifty shots and ended up with five favorites!

I actually LOVE the FIVE shots for just FIVE dollars and for FIVE minutes!

Reading to Ash

At the start of the summer I set up a little schedule of reading and workbooks after lunch. I went a step further and assigned each of the older kids a day to read to Ashley. Jacob is Monday, Nathan is Tuesday, Kaylee is Wednesday, Rebecca is Thursday and I am Friday. It has been so fun to see them sit and read out loud to Ashley during reading time. I have enjoyed watching them interact as they read and share favorite picture books that they enjoyed at her age. Plus, it has been nice for me to have that 30 minutes of free time. Sometimes I would sit and read my own book with them.

This summer we have taken our books outside to read on the trampoline, taken them on hikes with us and have read while eating special treats. We just really have enjoyed reading time and I’m sad that they will be in school next week reading there instead of here.

Anyway, back to why I started this post. Today Nathan was reading and giggling with Ashley. He turned to me and said, “I’m going to miss reading to Ash when school starts.” That made me smile because that means he has enjoyed reading to her!

Organizing!!!

So I have been doing my “spring cleaning” thing this last month, and have been talking to my sister that is OCD about organizing, which is Kristy. She has been wanting to see pictures and so tonight this post is for HER. Well, I guess YOU can see it too!

Here is our mud room -

You can’t see very well, so I did a little comment picture of it -

We have had the pictures and work magnets up for years now. I love that I can clip new jobs onto the magnet and that we can easily rotate them each week. Sometimes when I’m feeling generous,I clip a little reward $ to their work clip. I guess the really “new” additions are the schedule and the folders. The kids are so excited to have their own schedule that they can check as they are grabbing their backpack. I hung each one under their picture and it’s dry erase so that I can change them as needed. I have the days of the week along the top and then two rows. One is for the specials that they have at school like PE and art and then the other row has their after school activities like achievement days or swimming. Rebecca said to me, “Mom I wish that you would have done this last year so that I would have known what shoes to wear”.

My other new thing is the folder shelf under the calendar. Each kid has their own color folder and that’s where they will put and keep school papers like spelling lists or book report assignments. Last year Stephen would HATE to go through “the pile” of ALL the kids papers to find a spelling list.

I was noticing as I was cleaning out the freezer in here that I have the front of the freezer that I can put stuff on. I don’t know what kind of stuff I should put on it, but I’m excited to have noticed that extra space.

I should have taken a picture of the other side of the wall. I labeled each hook in the organizer with our names for our jackets and then labeled each cubby for shoes. Everything else is basketed! Is that a word, I don’t think so because spell check just highlighted it. But I’m going to just pretend that it is a word tonight! All of our art supplies are also now in the cupboard on this wall. I really should’ve taken a picture of the other side too.

My other fun place that I organized was the garage. But once again I should’ve taken more pics. I organized my garden area and Stephen’s tool section. All the camp chairs are in your old trash can that you gave me before you left. It holds them all up perfectly! I also painted over the drywall which made dad mad the last time he came and saw it. He said that I should’ve puttied and textured before I painted it. I also painted the door to match the color of the garage doors. It now does not show little muddy handprints anymore! I LOVE the ball organizer! I think I might get another one for Nathan’s room because he keeps all of his soccer balls up there.

And as for the backyard’s lawn. Do you remember all of our work here a couple of months ago?

It has turned into …

Oh there is still so much work and things that I want to do. I’m almost embarrassed to post these pictures because I still see all the work that needs to be done. However, it is always fun to see before and after shots. And I’m sure that someday I will appreciate these photos to show how far we have come.

Anyway, that is some of the projects around here. I have done a few other things in the kids rooms, but I will have to post them in a different post! I sure wish that you were here helping and advising me on all the organizing. You are an incredible organizer Ms. Kristy Ann!!! I sure miss you!!!

Pride of the Rockies Tournament

We are back in soccer AGAIN!!!  Stephen and I were able to take JUST Kaylee to her games and then JUST Nathan to his games, thanks to so many different friends watching the other kids.  I am SO glad that the other kids had playdates set up so that they could enjoy their Saturday and so that Stephen and I could enjoy the games.

Nathan was so excited to wear his new uniform and start playing in games again.  He practices three nights a week and just plain LOVES soccer.  You can find him EVERYDAY kicking his soccer ball around the house and in the yard.  ANYWAY, here are some shots from Friday night and today of Nathan …

Right through the defensive player’s legs

Here is a fun one before the game started where I was teasing Nathan.  He is always so fun to tease!!!

Now for Kaylee!  Her team was put in the boys bracket by accident and they had some really tough games.  The girls were a little timid to play against boys, EXCEPT for Kaylee.  She is used to playing defense against Nathan everyday in the backyard, SO she went right after them.  All my pictures of her have her pushing her elbows and hips into the boys.  I don’t have a single normal picture where she isn’t colliding with someone.  Everyone kept commenting on how scrappy she is and how she can just stop them dead in their tracks.  She had to play a ton of defense today because the boys teams were so good.  Take a look at “Colliding Kaylee”…

Maybe I need to get her into powder puff football instead of soccer!

Tomorrow the tournament finishes up.  We told the coaches today that they won’t be able to play Sunday, we have had miscommunication on that before!  Kaylee’s coach said, “Oh that’s right, I sure wish Kaylee wasn’t the player that doesn’t play on Sundays because we ALWAYS need her.”  Nathan’s team is sitting pretty for the Championship.  It is so hard when the tournaments finish on Sundays and the kids don’t get to enjoy the victory with their friends.  It’s also hard paying for a full tournament, yet only playing in half of it.  But hey, I’m trying hard to raise well-rounded kids and teach them where their priorities should be.

I have missed THIS

It is definitely time to get back into shape!  My summer clothes are ALL now a little tighter.  Kelly called me earlier in the week to start doing the ultimate conditioning class.  It is very similar to PX90.  The teacher is a killer and has a body that the entire class wants to have.  The rest of the week I have been SOO sore.  It hurt to even crack eggs when I was making cookies.  Is that just ridiculous!  My forearms, shoulders, butt, legs, abs… were in PAIN! 

I told Kristy that I was sore from the class and she told me how jealous she was that she wasn’t here anymore to do THIS class.  (She used to come with me)  She was jealous that I was SORE!  Who is jealous of being sore?!?

So today I started playing basketball and as I was getting ready all of my kids were like, “Mom why are going back to the YMCA when your body already hurts?”.  I was like “Good Question!!!”

But the reason is all of these fun ladies …

We took this picture the last day that Kristy played with us before she moved. 

Now I know I’m missing Darlene,  and a few others in this picture.  I wish that I had one with everyone!  Some of them have played collegiate and some just in high school, BUT we all love basketball!  I just LOVE chatting and playing with these ladies.  They crack me up! AND they keep me in shape during the school year.

AND Becki, Alesha, Teresa, and all you others I have made a goal to start running on the days I don’t play.  Hopefully I can get into that runner’s high groove that you girls are all in.

Canning

Remember these …

Well we have had tomatoes in salads, tomatoes in sandwiches, just sliced and salted tomatoes AND I dare say we are starting to tire of tomatoes! Yesterday I sat there eating breakfast and saw 20 tomatoes staring at me on the counter. I couldn’t let them waste, it was too much work growing them. Yet, there was NO way that my family was going to eat all 20 before they wasted. Another problem was that there were only 20, not REALLY enough to can.

So I got on the phone to Aunt Callie for tomato canning advice. She said that I should just do a few jars of stewed tomatoes. Then later on this Fall when I have a lot more ripening at a time I can do spaghetti sauce. She gave me all the necessary tips and other tomato recipe ideas.

SOOOO with the Ball Blue Book in hand I tackled my 20 tomatoes – turned them into four pint jars, and NOW they are NOT going to be wasted!

Aren’t they beautiful?!? I kept saying that to the kids and they thought I was crazy to call them “beautiful”. However, when they “can” their “own” tomatoes someday, I’m sure they will be beautiful to them.

Then tonight I went out to the garden and I’m kicking myself that I didn’t go out before I canned the tomatoes because there were a few more that I could have done. Oh well!

Also, I came across a fun blog tonight from Stephen’s cousin’s blog. She had just posted over some of her canning recipes. Check it out – www.youcancan.blogspot.com.

Photography Night

I just thought that I would throw this out there to see if anyone is interested…

A few months ago Becki and I got together and did a little photo shoot at Cottonwood Park and then went to Panera to use their Wifi and share ideas on editing.  Well, we had a lot of fun and I learned a lot from Becki.  SOOO, I talked to Linnea and Becki today and we set a date of September 24 to do another photography workshop night.  ANYONE out there that is interested in photography is welcome to join us.  We will be going somewhere fun to shoot, AND then go somewhere for a treat to talk editing!!  It will be a fun girl’s night out!!  Email me or comment below if you want to come!!!

Shooting BB Guns

The boys had two friends, (Boyd and Spencer) spend the weekend with us.  The parents were off having a fun getaway in Oregon.  Anyway, one of the things we did while they were here was a little shooting competition.  Stephen had water balloons, pop cans, and targets all set up for the boys.

 

I’m just glad that no one got shot!  The boys sure had fun having friends sleep over.  I told Stephen that we should’ve had two more boys so that we could have four and four.  BUT right now as I type this and have everyone yelling, I think we had SIX too many kids!!!