Driving Straight

I grew up in the country as a girl.  There were plenty of little chores that needed to be done like bringing up the milk cow, gathering eggs, driving cows from one pasture to another, and DRIVING the old green pick up.  The last one was quite fun for a little tween girl.  Grandpa Jones would put it in low gear and I would drive it as he would throw bales of hay on the back or on the trailer it was pulling.  I loved cranking up the old radio and thinking that I was all that because I was driving.

My first few times of this I had a little problem.  I wouldn't drive straight in the field.  I thought that I was going straight but all the grass and hay look the same and sure enough I would be going crooked headed over a dike in the field.  Grandpa would say, "Shauna look down the field and find a fence post.  Don't take your eyes off the post and you will go straight to it."  AND it worked!  However if I wouldn't concentrate on a fence post and was busy messing with the radio, gawking out my side window or chatting with a sister in the passenger seat, I would end up meandering around the field.

I haven't thought about this memory until this past week.  I was mowing our lot.  It was really hard to tell property lines because of the tall grass, so I just guesstimated and went for it.  After I made my first cut and looked back behind me, I was embarrassed at how curvy my cut path was.  Of course Ashley had been riding with me and bouncy around on my lap AND I was gawking at Nathan shooting on his goal AND looking at the wild flowers.  Well, after I saw that ridiculously crooked line, that memory of Grandpa Jones popped into my head.  So as I made my way on the next side of the lot I found my fence post and concentrated on it.  Sure enough when I approached the fence and turned to look at my line it was STRAIGHT.  Grandpa knew what he was talking about.

So as I sat there riding around our lot I thought about the importance of keeping your eye on course and not deviating.  When you get distracted you lose sight of the course your on and it takes a while to get back on.  I know that in my life I need to keep my head up and my eyes fixed on Christ.  Then I can drive my life straight.
Thanks for the life lesson Grandpa, I sure do miss you!

Little Workers

After Ashley got home from pre-school I made her and Jerrica help me a little by dusting.  They were just too cute working together to not drag out the camera.

 

Don't you think Ash could be the model of "Great Value" dusting spray and Jerrica the model of the duster.  I'm thinking that I may have to redo their work chart pictures with pictures like these.  And yes I know I'm pathetic to take pictures of them DUSTING!!! .... I just really enjoy little camera breaks in my day, and am lucky that the girls enjoy it as well.

What am I going to do when they both are in school all day ... do photo shoots of our dog Shadow?!?!?

Socks

I HATE socks!  I don't mean wearing them, but washing them.  There are eight in our family, which means sixteen feet.  Times that by seven days a week and I'm dealing with 112 socks PLUS sports socks, push it up to 120 socks a week.  That is A LOT and that's why I HATED socks.  Yes, I did say hatED because a year ago "Just a Girl" posted an ingenious idea to help with the problem.  Here is her POST.

I started these drawers back then and have LOVED this solution ever since.

When I'm folding clothes and come across a sock, I just toss it into the correct drawer.  It's quick and easy and I'm not sitting there trying to pair over a hundred socks with each other.  Then when the kids take their pile of clothes up they pair THEIR own.  The boys have the same brand of socks but both of them like different lengths on the leg so they can tell theirs easily from each other in their bin.  The big girls are kinda the same way with one having pink toe and the other purple. Then they actually share their knee high uniform ones.  Once again it's easy because they aren't sorting through EVERYONE's socks, just their own.  I LOVE not having a string of socks laid out waiting for a mate, I just pick one up, toss it and don't have to think about it again.

I still suck it up and do mine AND Stephen's socks.  Your WelCOme Steve!

Jeans

It was a chilly day ...

"Ash, you need to wear jeans today"  She only wears skirts or dresses.

"NO mom, that is for boys"

"Ash, I wear jeans."

"Ya, and when you do, you look like a boy!"

Sweet Tooth

Kaylee LOVES chocolate.  She is always downing some dessert with her dad.  If there isn't a sweet treat, she is quick to bake one up.  She also loves to copy my recipes.  Sometimes I print some of my favorite ones up at Costco for her to add to her recipe book.

She is going to be such a good little mother and homemaker.  But in the meantime she is making her mom fat!

American Girl Doll Books

I have LOVED the simplicity and straightfowardness of this first book here is the link for it. The Care & Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls (American Girl Library)


  This review sums up exactly what I think -
"I bought this book for my 9 (soon to be 10) year old and was impressed by the head-to-toe body care topics it covered. It touches on everything from hair care, to face cleansing, to washing your hands, to exercising and nutrition. I was wondering how I was going to broach the topic of starting her period with my daughter and this sure helped relieve my anxiety. It covered it honestly, straightforward and not intimidating at all. I think it helped because it was only a minor focus of the entire body-care book. (A brief introduction to what a period is and how to handle it and the fact that it is completely NORMAL and all girls go through it)."

Kaylee and I have gone over a few chapters and had really good conversations about various topics.  Rebecca is up in arms that she isn't included in our discussions.  Truth be told Rebecca will probably be the first to develop and go thru these changes anyway.  Highly recommend this book!


AND while I'm talking about an American Girls book I must mention one of our all time favorite drawing books that come from them.  It is ...

We got it a few years ago and the girls STILL use it!  Here is the link for Doodle Studio

Labor Day

We do the traditional balloon festival every Labor Day weekend followed by eating out for breakfast.  We went on Saturday this year.  They launch at 7am so it's a pretty early morning to get down there to see them.  The balloons are so beautiful and fun to walk around.  Stephen and Jerrica were so cute together.  She pretty much has her daddy wrapped around her finger.

This was our family's favorite balloon.  It was HUGE.  You can tell by the ratio of the basket to the rest of the balloon.  Maybe we liked it because we have our very own energizer bunny in our house.  She is with her dad in the second picture below.

We then headed here for a yummy breakfast.

Came home and worked super hard out in our yard spreading mulch.  We were exhausted!  Then had a late afternoon BBQ over at the Webb's.  The food was yummy as usual.  They are such good cooks.  AND the conversation was just as good.  It was a yummy, fun and exhausting day!

Monday morning the boys helped with the marathon going on.  They handed out water and Gatorade at the 22 mile marker.  They LOVE doing this for service hours because everyone is so grateful and watching people run marathons is definitely inspiring.  Way to go boys, maybe next year you can hand it out to your mom!

Tree Rings and Testimonies

Last Monday we had a special FHE with Stephen's parents.  We talked about how a tree grows each year.  You can't see it growing by staring at it, but you can see by the tree rings how much it has grown.

By looking at the rings you can see that some years the tree has more growth than others.  Some years are very slim.  Then there are scars that are embedded into the tree, but the tree keeps growing.

We compared this to testimonies.  Some years our testimonies will grow by leaps and bounds, and other years there might not be as much growth.  Just as we can't see the tree growing, it is hard to see ourselves growing.  Yet when we step back we can see how far we have come.

We talked how we can grow our testimonies.  Then Grandma Brenda shared her testimony and an experience when she was young and felt the spirit.  Stephen shared how trees need wind to grow stronger just as we need trials to grow stronger.  Grandpa added his advice.  Then we gave each of the kids a thick slice of a pine tree that my sweet accompanist had cut for me.  We challenged the kids to keep them in their rooms and reflect on how their testimonies are growing.

It was awesome having grandparents to learn from!

Rebecca's Baptism

The invitation was sent out to her friends.

 

A photo shoot took place.

A picture after she got her little jumpsuit on.  I wanted to get the reflection like Kaylee's baptism picture but didn't have the right lense.

All of her grandparents were able to be here.  We only get to see the Thompson's a couple times a year.  So we were excited to have them with us.

I'm all about little reminders to help them remember their special day.  I LOVE towels that every time they use them, they can remember the first time they used it at their baptism.  Aunt Kathy AND Laura both made her special towels.  I actually used BOTH, one for her hair and the other to dry her off.  Later in the day she commented on how warm the water was and how soft the towels were.

Other reminders are the pictures in her baptism dress.  I frame a couple to use at the baptism, then use them at the luncheon, and then they go up in her room as decor.  Stephen and I give scriptures to the kids on the day of their baptism, once again another reminder.  Aunt Kristy gave Rebecca a little Hymnal and Aunt Alesha had sent a baptism bracelet, more reminders...

 

Speaking of reminders, there are so many fun FHE's to prepare for baptism.  One of my favorites is the baptism bag. 

Anyway, it was a beautiful day, the spirit was strong and Rebecca was happy!

A Bob

Rebecca has been begging for a bob haircut.  I have tried to persuade her to keep her hair long.  Then she pulled the "Locks of Love" on me, where you donate 10 inches of hair.  The hair is then used for those going through chemotherapy.  So today I called the Veda Salon to make sure they did the "Locks of Love" and we headed over.  Rebecca immediately LOVED the fanciness of Veda from the cucumber water drinks to the aroma of the spa.  Her cute hairdresser even put a dash of lip gloss and glitter powder on Rebecca.

Kaylee was with us and was totally gagging.  Stylists and clients kept coming up to Rebecca commenting on what a gorgeous hair color she has and how cute she is.  Kaylee kept leaning over whispering to me, "Oh brother, give me a break.  They are just doing this to try and make her feel good.  Now she is going to totally think she is all that!"

Here are her donations.  Her hair is so thick and such a pretty color.

And here are some close ups of the new 'do.

Long or short she is beautiful and will always be my little diva.

 

Thank You Binder

I saw this idea in the Family Fun magazine in the Spring (Here it is on their Website) and am just getting around to doing it.  Rebecca was baptized this last weekend and received many sweet gifts.  I got on to her about Thank You cards.  Of course I got the old "I don't know what to write".  No excuses anymore after this little binder.

I have a step by step page of what needs to be written.  Then I have a page that is filled with descriptive words to help the writing along. 

 

Stuck in Thank you cards, stamps, writing utensils.  I also put a few Thank You's in that I have received that are perfect examples of a nicely written Thank You.  Anyway, no excuses and hopefully they will get this Thank You writing process down before they leave home!

***After a few emails I thought I better just add these.  Here are the cover and outline sheet.  Let me know if you have a problem with the resolution.

Ashley starts Preschool

Guess what today is...

 

Preschool for Ashley! 

Is Jerrica lost without her?...

 

Uh, NO, she's doing just fine, it's ME that's crying and missing Ash!

Escape

The definition of escape is "a means of obtaining temporary freedom from worry, care, or unpleasantness".  Sure, escape is a "temporary freedom" from whatever you have going on, but don't you need those "temporary" escapes.

School has started along with the afterschool activities and that means A LOT of running around.  Add in cooking, cleaning and trying to exercise and it makes for a very busy day!  SOOO I like to indulge in little escapes to refresh myself.  It may be sneaking a chapter of a good book during the afternoon, or making a treat to indulge myself with.  Sometimes my escape is actually WORK.  I love to go outside to water and work in the yard.  The peace and quiet mixed with the breezes are heavenly to me.  When I come back inside I feel like I can actually tackle all the work needing done.  Other times I escape the monotony of the day with craft projects or playing with my camera.  Even turning on music helps me to escape.

Whatever I use as my escape I'm grateful for, because it gives me that temporary break to recharge myself.  And of course every post needs a picture, here is Jerrica this summer at my mom's escaping all the chaos of siblings and cousins into Grandma's viewfinder.

What do you use as an escape?

Glen Eyrie Hike

We took Aunt Erin, Grandma and Grandpa Thompson on a hike today up to the Glen Eyrie punch bowls.  The water was COLD!!!

Grandpa Don is ALWAYS hot but not with this cool dip into the water.  Jacob was the only tough one to brave the waterfall.  It almost looks like he is surfing.

Kaylee was like a cat sunning herself on a big tree branch when we started the hike.

But was then freezing and using the little girls as heaters.

We ended up taking Ashley and Jerrica.  They AMAZED me.  It's quite a hike and not once to Ash complain or want to be carried.  In fact she kept saying, "This is a GREAT hike, isn't it Dad"  Here is a picture of everyone minus ME.  I LOVE the background in it!

I know I shouldn't take my kids out of school for these little family fun days, but they hardly ever get to see their Thompson grandparents.  We HAD to spend time with them!

Getting to Know Grandparents

We LOVED doing this letter activity a few years ago, and I posted about it here last year -

letter activity

So I thought this new idea would be fun for the kids.  I printed up "This is My Life" booklets.  I then paired up each of my older kids with one of their grandparents that they are close to.  I originally was going to take all of them to a restaurant and have each pair sit at their own booth and share a dessert or appetizer.  BUT we were sooo exhausted Saturday that none of us wanted to go anywhere.  So they each found a spot around the house and filled in a few pages of the book.  I had the kids interview their grandparent but then told them they could take turns with the grandparent writing in the book.

I had fun listening in to the various conversations when I went around snapping pictures. 

Nathan and my dad were talking about Work.  My dad told Nathan that his first job was working in the potato fields in Idaho.  He worked from sun up to sundown all week and would earn $25.  Nathan was quick to say, "WOW!  I just pulled weeds for one of my mom's friends for a half hour and she gave me $10."  They kept talking about jobs and money as I left them.

Then I came into Grandma Brenda and Rebecca giggling on the bed.  They were talking about Brenda's first boyfriend named Butch.  Rebecca was hanging on to every detail.

Grandma Charla and Kaylee were all business trying to fill out as much of their booklet as possible.  Of course they DID fill out the most pages.  Doesn't that sound like mom - GO GO Get it ALL done.

Then Grandpa Don and Jacob were all hush hush as I approached with my camera but of course had big smiles for their picture.

I gathered all the booklets and vowed that we will send letters and do some phone calls to answer more of the questions.  Both sets of grandparents are such rich resources for the kids to learn from.  A big thanks to all four of you for taking the time to answer their questions!