There are Many Reasons

I always get from family and friends, “Shauna why do you run your kids around to so many things?”  Believe me, there are MANY reasons I feel strongly about having my kids involved….

I love seeing the big smiles as they head off to a practice, class or lesson.  I love hearing all about what they did and learned at their activity.  I love seeing them grow and develop their talents.  I love seeing friendships develop at these after school activities.  I love the one on one time I get with my kids as I’m driving them around.  I love the life lessons that they are learning.  I love how it builds their self esteem.  I love that they are learning the rewards of hard work and practice.  I love the coaches, teachers, and scout leaders that are able to help my kids in ways I can’t.

I also love the sweet words and notes from my kids expressing gratitude for running them around.  I got a note from Kaylee tonight.  It will be one that I will treasure in my mom book.  I loved this part of her note, “I’m so glad your my mother, I will always love you no matter where I am or how old I get”

I believe the time spent running kids around is very much worthwhile for many reasons.

Labor Day Weekend

Friday evening we went to Zookeeper as a family.  The kids loved it.  I loved the buttery popcorn.  :) 

Besides the incline Saturday, we also went roller skating.  Stephen hadn’t been with us this summer and I was dying for him to see Jerrica in action.  She LOVEs to skate!

We watched BYU WIN their football game!  Then ate pizza with friends, trying to convince them to go to the balloon glo.  We couldn’t convince and went on by ourselves.  We should have convinced ourselves NOT to go.  There were way to many people, and it’s just not as fun as seeing the lift off.  I did like this picture of Nathan taking a picture with his i-touch.

 

I was thrilled to have Sunday to rest!

Then Monday was filled with actual laboring doing chores around the house.  Nathan handed out water for the marathon runners, along with the rest of his scout troop.  We did go swimming with the Wrights though.  It always seems like everything is more fun with friends.

Random

Yes it’s time for another random post to fit in little bits from here and there.

My tomatoes from the Spring went from this to this…

I used my own onions and garlic from the garden as well.  Only one jalepeno pepper made it in, the rest had to be bought at the store.  I had a really hard time with my peppers this year. :(

Besides canning, Fall is also the time of year that Grandma Charla gets monarch caterpillars for us.  It is so fun to watch the different stages…

Also, it’s this time of year that I start thinking and working on Christmas gifts.  Some of the homemade ones take a while and the sooner I get on it the better.  I’m thinking about these for my reader kids.  Their nightstands are always piled so high with books that they can’t put anything else on them.  I found it on Pinterest, which linked it over to “One More Moore”.  I will make it to fit in between the mattress and boxspring.  I don’t know why it’s pictured under the pillows.  We have a remote control bag that hangs from our bed that sticks in between the mattress and springs.

I’m also trying to get a few more recipes typed and printed up to add to the older girls recipe books for Christmas.   I posted about them HERE.  It has been fun to see the recipes that they copy and add in their books.

Speaking of recipes, here is an oldie but goodie.  My roommate, April at BYU would make it and gave me the recipe.  My family LOVES this for breakfast!

The Incline

The incline here in the Springs is a very well known hike.  Apollo Ohno would do it for training before the Olympics.  Becky Higgins does it every time she is here, click on her name to see her last link about it.

Well, the three older kids have been begging to do it.  It was on our summer list of to do’s.  Saturday morning, really early we did it with the three older ones.  Let’s just say that my kids have WAYYY more energy than me.

Jacob took this one of Stephen and I must be right there behind him somewhere. 

I’m glad that at least Stephen stuck with me and didn’t run ahead.  You can see just how long the trail is by looking at the top of Stephen’s head and seeing the trail extend down to the parking lot. Anyway, we did it!  Check it!

Doing Everything

I grew up in a small town and was able to be involved in a lot of activities.  I did drama, yearbook, volleyball, basketball, knowledge bowl, FBLA, FHA, …. you name it… I was asking my mom to do it.  She used to tell me, “you can’t do everything Shauna”, but I sure tried. 

This video shows though, you CAN do everything.  It is just piece by piece, part by part and before you know it you are doing everything you wanted to.

Mom, you CAN do everything!  At least I’m still going to keep trying to, and don’t forget the other saying you used to say, “It’s better to try than not try at all”.  :)

Cowgirl Day

Ashley had her first dress up day for Kindergarten.  She was soooo excited.  The night before she kept begging Jerrica to go to bed so that Cowgirl day would hurry and get here.  They have been studying Colorado and the exploration of Colorado.  It’s cute how proud Ashley is of our beautiful state. 

Anyway, Ash couldn’t decide whether to bring her stick horse, guitar or gun.  I kept reminding her that the gun was NOT an option to take to school.  Yet, she kept begging to take it.  Needless to say, I won the battle and she took the stick horse.

They played games like snake in my boots and lassoed an “almost real” cow, as Ashley put it.  I really don’t know what an “almost real” cow would be like.  They had stick horse races.  Ashley told me that she raced on her own horse that she brought, which raced just like Secretariat.  They ate baked beans and hot dogs.

She LOVED her day and came home sad that she couldn’t be a “real” cowgirl.  I truly believe that Ash could’ve been an outlaw in the old west.  She scares ME!

Back to School Photos

 

  Then there is Miss Jerrica, who is home with ME doing “Mommy School”

My kids wear uniforms to school.  I always smile every year at how excited they get at their belts, backpacks, lunchbags, and school shoes.  Those are the accessories that they can show a little of their personalities. 

Yeah for a new year!!!

Fruit Loop Necklace

Jerrica stays at home with me and does “Mommy School”.  This pretty much means a little project and story time.  She LOVES every minute of it and doesn’t let me forget that the kids are gone and it’s time for “Mommy School”

I’m always surprised at how just a few minutes mean so much to her.  She will talk at great length to her older siblings or extended family on the phone about what she did in her “Mommy School”.  Today I was lame and sat editing pictures from a shoot and had her in by me working on a Fruit Loop necklace on yarn.  She chatted on and on about the colors of the Fruit Loops and how she was going to make one for everyone in the family.  She wanted to make earrings for Kaylee.  I kept on with my editing, but could NOT resist grabbing my camera and snapping a few pictures of her sitting there by me.  She was just too cute.  

Here we have our few minutes together with undivided attention yet I wasn’t giving it to her like I should have.  SO after a few pictures and lots of giggles I put the laptop and camera away for some “Mommy School” time.  She will be gone and in school before I know it. 

Why does time have to go so fast?!?!? 

I’m so grateful for this little girl and the energy that she keeps in our home.  She is such a sweet girl!

A Night Hike

We had a night hike on our summer to do list.  We thought that it would be fun to hike Helen Hunt at night because the lights would be on the Seven Falls, plus the city views would be pretty to see at night with the city lights.  BESIDES, we had Aunt Janie that hadn’t hiked Colorado with us.

It was very dark, but the kids loved the fun of flashlights.  We could hear the chirp of the crickets, and wondered what other animals lurked in the dark.  The weather was perfect with the cool breeze.  We turned off all of the flashlights and gazed at the stars. 

I just love hiking and chatting.  Rebecca held my hand on the way down and went on and on about her new year at school.  She hadn’t said a peep to me at home, but out on the mountain with nothing else to do, she wouldn’t stop talking.

When we got to the top we rested a bit taking in the changing lights of the falls.  Ash was STILL having fun with her flashlight…

 

   

A big thanks to all of you bears and mountain lions for not eating us!

I HEarT FaCEs

This week’s theme is WHITE. 

The little girls LOVE bubble baths, AND I LOVE the little girls!
Check out other White entries- I Heart Faces