Sundays

 

We go strong all week with constant practices and games.   When Sunday comes around I am so thankful for a day of rest.  I need it so that I can be refreshed to go again on Monday.

Kaylee ran 7 miles at school on Friday.  Played a soccer game in Denver Saturday morning and a basketball game Saturday night.  Can I just say her legs were sore!  Her basketball team played again today, but do you know how grateful that little girl was to put her legs up and rest. 

Nathan’s soccer team played yesterday and then had a make-up game in Broomfield today.  Uh, so glad that I didn’t have to make that drive up there and could just chill here with all of the family, especially after all of the driving I did last week.

Sunday is my regrouping day, to get me ready for another week!  Our minds and bodies just need that rest.

 

Magnet Mummies

The last couple of Fridays we have been doing Friend Fridays.  Rebecca had a blast over at Neely’s last Friday.  I didn’t think she was ever going to come home.  I know she would live over there if I would let her.

Kaylee had Emma over here.  Those two are so funny together.  They wanted to do a project and decided to make mummy magnets for their lockers.  They used the white first aid adhesive tape and googley eyes.

I’m so grateful for good friends.  Just listening to the giggling and laughter makes me smile!  :)

The Yeti

Jacob helped with the Freshman Homecoming float this year.  The theme was Fire and Ice.  He was in charge of the snow monster or Yeti.  They had quite a few “get togethers” to put it all together.  My camera wasn’t allowed anywhere near the project, BUT Jacob took some pictures on HIS cell phone…..

 

The Yeti did turn out awesome and he had a ton of compliments on it. 

The night they had the Homecoming parade was insane driving around.  I took Jacob to his swim practice.  Then I picked him up and dropped him off at the Homecoming football game.  THEN I picked him up from that and ran him out to the forest for night games with some of his friends from church.  It probably wouldn’t have been so bad if I didn’t have so many other kids that I was running around at the same time.

The problem with teenagers is that their activities and parties are LATE at night when all of my energy is gone.  Jacob really needs to get his permit so that he can get a license!

Denver Aquarium

I went up with Kaylee’s class to the Denver Aquarium.  I am always in awe of how different God’s creations are.  How colorful and beautiful a flower can be deep in a rain forest OR how bright a fish can shine in the deep dark ocean. 

   

Check out this fish and his lips.  I think he was one of my favorites from the day.  Just something about him.

  They dissected squids and learned about rays.

It was great to be around Kaylee and her group of friends.  I smiled at the conversations and interactions with the boys.  Sixth grade is really a fun age!

I was sad that I missed Ashley’s archeology dig on this day.  She had found and brought home a huge T bone.  She announced that it was probably from a T-rex since it was in the shape of a T.  One of the kids burst her bubble telling her that it was from a T-bone steak.  She quickly replied, “Ya, a T-bone steak from a T-rex!”

The Moment

“Sometimes you will never know the value of the moment

until it becomes a memory”  - Dr. Suess

I’m trying to take full advantage of having Jerrica home with me.  She goes in the morning to pre-school, but then I have her all afternoon to myself.  It’s “our” time together.   We bake goodies, do projects, read and then read some more, snuggle, go on walks or bike rides….  I just CAN’T waste this time with her!  It passes way to quickly!

Sure love this girl, and am trying oh so hard to live in the moment with her!

Monkey Bars

Ashley is obsessed with monkey bars.  She loves the ones out back, and at school, and at the park, and ANYWHERE she can play on them.  Her little hands have those blisters on her palms like I remember getting when I was a girl and would play on the monkey bars.

She wants the Olympics to add a monkey bar race event.

Prayer

We have been talking about prayer in FHE and in conversations lately.  Sunday as we were driving home from church, Kaylee started talking about a girl at church that drives her crazy.  She told me, “And mom you should hear her prayers!  It’s like a long shopping list that goes on and on.”

Kaylee’s analogy of the shopping list just made me smile!

USA vs Australia

Last Wednesday the Women’s USA Soccer team played Australia up at Dick’s Sporting Goods park.  Some sweet friends took Kaylee with them.  Before the game they made shirts, did face paint, and fancified their hair with red, white and blue ribbons.  Kaylee had a BLAST!  Can you find her in the picture? 

Abby Wambach is quite a soccer superstar to Kaylee.  Don’t her eyes say everything in this picture as she looks up at her.

US won 6 to 2.  A night that Kaylee will not soon forget!

Little Bits of Randomness

Ashley and I were walking to the parking lot after her field day.  She ran up to the cross walk guard and threw her arms around the lady saying, “Mom, I want you to meet my favorite life guard”.  I quickly corrected her that she was a “crossing guard” and not a life guard.  She then quickly corrected ME.  “Are you serious!  This is a lady that saves lives from these fast cars that go by.  You wouldn’t just say crossing guard when she is really a life guard!”

The crossing guard was beaming just as big as Ashley.

Nathan is finally home.  He has been off at Mountain Lab with his 8th grade class.  He was THRILLED to share a cabin with 12 of his favorite friends AND have Mr Brunk as their chaperone. 

Nathan is so good to pitch in and do jobs without me asking.  It was hard having him gone.  He really enjoyed the games, speakers, and FRIENDS!

Over the weekend the girls wanted a project so we made these skeletons. 

Do you notice anything special about their bones?….

Yes, each is quite unique with their own name.  Jerrica’s “J’s” jutted out for perfect clavicles.  Kaylee and Rebecca’s cursive names were fun.

Rebecca was trying to be scary by her skeleton and let’s just say she DOES look a little scary.  :)  I found the idea for this here - Name Skeletons

 

Jacob

He’s older.  He’s a teenager.  He doesn’t care for me snapping pictures of him.  Yet there are images in my mind that I want to remember.  I want to remember his big smile as he jumped out of the car to go to the dance with his friends on Saturday night.  Then an even bigger smile the next morning as he talked of a girl from the dance.  I want to remember his serious face as he is rubbing his hair and reading a book.  I don’t know how many times I have went up to his room with that bright afternoon light streaming in his window, and him enthralled in a book as he is propped up in his bed.  I want to remember his sweet smile that is mixed with tired eyes and a mop of wet hair as I pick him up from swim practice.  As he hops in the van, he is always in the process of thanking me for picking him up.  He is the child that is always quick with a thank you.  I want to remember the confidence and twinkle in his eye after he conquers a piece on the piano and wants to know what I think of his song.  I give just a bit of praise and that twinkle in his eye and smile on his face sure gets brighter.

I need more pictures of my boy, but for now these reminders will have to do.

Fall Picnic Days

My girls have half days on Fridays.  Sometimes they each have friends come over.  Sometimes we get all of our Saturday cleaning done.  AND Sometimes we pick up lunch and head straight to the park for a lazy afternoon.

 

Sure love this sweet little grin, grinning over at a silly sister…

My reader reading as usual…

Supposedly, its a good one!

I finished up my book that I have been reading. 

I can’t even imagine living with left neglect!  So many simple tasks that become time consuming to accomplish.  I appreciate how books open my eyes to other people’s worlds.  Sometimes I get stuck in my own little world and assume everyone else is living just like me, but oh how different our lives can be.

ANYWAY, there is something about laying under the shade of a tree, with the perfect weather, an icy drink, a good book, and my girls by my side.  It’s heaven!

I just don’t like all the laundry and work that waits for me at home.  :(

Energy Ball Recipe

Here is the recipe.  My family LOVE these.  I can’t say if they are any good or not because I hate peanut butter and refuse to try one.  I have however made MANY batches.

Things to Say

LOVED these reminders on this link-

19 Things We should Say to Our Children

Now to remember them, I probably should print me up a cheat sheet.

At any rate, it’s definitely worth a look!

No More Training Wheels

We have used training wheels for YEARS, but not anymore.

 

We officially have all six kids on two wheels. 

Let’s go on a bike ride!

Random

I need to catch up on a bunch of randomness!

Stephen has been gone for a while on a new business venture.  We all miss him terribly when he is away, but Jerrica especially.  Stephen has worked from home since she was born.  She is so used to having him around to spoil and dote on her.  She walked thru our closet one day and spotted his slippers on his shelf.  “Mom, I just saw dad’s work shoes.  I just miss him so much”.   She constantly would make comments about him.  She is now thrilled to have him home to start movies and pop popcorn for her instead of chasing kids around with me.

Stephen looks half awake in this picture, but I just love that joy in Jerrica’s face.

A friend introduced me to Energy Balls last year, and we have been making them ever since.  They are such a perfect treat to grab before practices.  Jerrica thought they were called “Injury Balls”.  The kids laugh when she calls them that, and joke that they keep them from getting injured at practice.  Whether they give the kids energy or keep them from injuries, I’m all for it!

 

The girls keep the mailbox hot with all of their letters they mail.  It makes me glad they enjoy writing so much.  I hope they keep it up after they leave home.  We mailed six candy packages to different extended family members.

Our garden and fruit trees have been awesome this year!  We made an apple AND peach cobbler with our own fruit.  They were both divine!  Our cucumbers have been non-stop this year as well.  The tomatoes are pouring in.  We simmered a yummy batch of salsa the other morning.  I LOVE chips and salsa.  I deem myself a connoisseur of salsa because of the quantities and kinds that I have eaten.

Last of all I wanted to mention my high school coach that past away.  He was only 52 and died of a heart attack.  I feel like he was so young.  I played varsity basketball all four years and had him for my coach all of those years.  He was such a part of my life.  So many practices and games with him there mentoring and encouraging me.  He made me feel like I could drive on ANYONE, no matter how tall they were.

I can remember sitting in the locker room before a game and him writing some big word on the chalkboard like tenacity, aggressive, intensity…  We would then be so pumped to define the word out there on the court. 

I still play basketball, largely because of Blaine.  I use some of the same phrases that he would tell me on my own kids when they are playing sports.  I’m just so sad that he is gone.

My sister, Kristy was sad that he had died.  I asked her why she was sad since she never had him as a coach.  She then told me that when her husband was deployed and she lived down there he was a counselor in her Bishopric.  I guess he would drop in and check on her, helping her with anything that he could.

I’m sad for myself, but even more so for his wife and five kids.

So grateful for an incredible coach that helped mold me into the person I am today. 

Quote of the Day

“Life is like riding a bicycle.

To keep your balance,

you must keep moving.”

- Albert Einstein

Preschool

Jerrica has been dying to go to school.  She made a countdown chain and has told everyone she can that she is going to preschool.  She even said that for Halloween she wants to be a school girl with a backpack.  :)

Here Jerrica is on her way to the first day of preschool, totally thrilled and excited….

I on the other hand was incredibly sad and depressed.  She is my baby.  I may have even done the ugly cry when I got home.  I am glad that I have the picture of her smiling ear to ear, instead of me blubbering.

Joy in the Journey

We went to the mountains over Labor Day weekend.  We also went on a very long hike, 4 1/2 hours to be exact.  I love hikes because you get to talk with each other.  There are no i-pods, computer games, or movies, just family to entertain.  I’m still smiling at some of the stories and jokes that were told on our hike.

As we started out one of my kids asked why we couldn’t just drive to the top.  Why did we have to walk?  That’s when I launched into my “Joy in the Journey” speech.  I told them how many little things we would miss if we bypassed the actual hike.  I also explained that to some of the family members parts of the hike would bring more joy to them than the actual summit of the hike.  I was thinking of myself and how much I would enjoy talking and laughing in the shade of the trees as we hiked, rather than the hot, treeless reservoir at the top where everyone would be exhausted. 

I encouraged them to find bits of joy on our way.  It made me smile at what one thought was awesome another wouldn’t even give a second glance.

We found some of the biggest trees to hug…

Bright colored rust moss that matched our hair…

 

Trees to rest our backs on and leaves that prove Fall is coming….

 

Hidden waterfalls with that soothing sound of rushing water…

Moss that would be perfect for a fairy garden front lawn….

 

Twisted trees that provided a perfect perch for a fast hiker that had to wait for others….

 

Berries that would make the cutest pretend tomatoes for the fairies AND a moss stick for a fairy tree (the girls are a STILL into their fairy gardens)

  When we finally arrived at the top, it was hot and basically just a huge reservoir of water.  The journey was beautiful though.  The kids made it beautiful by finding joy in it and in each other.  Oh how I enjoyed the conversations and how I loved seeing them help each other.

As we finished our hike, I asked each one what their favorite part was.  Almost everyone said something that had to do with the journey aspect and not the destination.  I then started my speech to them about how life is the same.  Don’t just be so focused on the destination that you aren’t finding the little joys along the way.  For there IS joy in the journey!

Cupcake Party

Rebecca’s birthday always comes at an inopportune time for a friend party.  Her birthday is always right when school is starting and friends are finishing up summer vacations.  So this year I decided to delay it just a bit after everyone had settled into the school year.  We decided on a little cooking / cupcake party.  Here is the invitation minus a number or two.

We played a few games after dividing up into two teams.  One game we would have a player from each team come up and get blindfolded.  Then I would put an item of food in both of their mouths at the same time, and the first to announce what it was would get a point for their team.  I fed them a marshmallow, chocolate chip, M&M, nut…. They were so giggly and into the game. 

Another game was a relay with wooden spoons with their teams.  It always amazes me how competitive kids can get with a simple game.

I had bought chef hats and aprons for the girls to do the cupcakes in.  We also took fabric markers to the aprons so the girls could personalize them.

We had a couple of different cupcake stations  for the girls to create their own version.

There were twelve girls in all, including Rebecca.  I’m sad that I didn’t get more pictures, especially with all of the girls.  Parties just get too crazy and I always just end up with the before party pictures.  Here is one with quite a few of the girls during a game.

  

The little gift Rebecca handed out to her friends as they left was a package of cupcake lip gloss with a cake mix to whip up at home in their new baking attire.

   

Rebecca had so much fun with such a variety of friends.  My mom was here to help with the party and we just sat there amazed at how different each girl was.  Rebecca received a lot of great gifts, but I think she mainly enjoyed having her friends over.  She was especially excited to have an extended cousin, Maddie come for the weekend with my parents.

It really was a fun party!  Thanks for all the help mom, and thanks for running the rest of my kids around to their activities dad.  You two are awesome!