I can't believe that we are over halfway through September! It's been a busy month!
Over Labor Day weekend Rich and I stayed busy assembling a playset for the kids. It took all day on Saturday (until time to go and watch the BYU game), and the entire day the next Monday, but we finished it and there were no left over parts! ;) (a few screws and stuff, but I think they sent extra's of those. lol!)
The weeks are starting to fly by really fast as well. With three kids in school all day, and Angela in school in the afternoons every day I feel like I've been able to get a little better balance on taking care of the house and having a little bit of quiet free time to myself each week.
The second weekend in September, Rich and I were able to take a little trip on our own without the kids. It was a great escape for us to be able to spend some time together and have some fun. We went to DisneyWorld and checked out one of the waterparks. It was sprinkling with rain all day long but it was a great day to go to the water part because your already going to be wet, and the lines were non exhistant! Rich goaded me into going on the scariest water slide I've ever seen... a humongously high water slide that goes straight down! They even put a radar gun on it to show you how fast you went on it! We were also able to enjoy some nice dinners without having to watch out for kids fighting and spilling their drinks and reminding them to use their forks and napkins. :) We even had to dress up a bit, and that was fun. Rich also surprised me with tickets to the La Nuba show at Cirque du Sole. It was amazing and so fun to watch! The acrobats were wonderful, the comic relief parts hilarious, and the music is all done live- live vocal, live instrumentals for the entire 1 1/2 hour performance! Very amazing and great to watch!
While we were out of town the kids stayed with our great friends, and so this past weekend was our turn to return the favor and we kept their 5 kids while they went off for a weekend. It was loud, and crazy at times, but lots of fun having so many kids in the house. They left yesterday and last night at dinner it was so quiet... even though we still had our 4 kids there talking. lol!
This week a good friend is in town visiting, and I get to go and get some dental work done, there is activities wed night, piano lessons, volunteering at the school, and I'm going to start a new goal... on Wed I'm going to start weight watchers. I just have not been accountable enough to myself, so I'm going to do this to get my weight back down. I'm also starting fresh with exercise. I'm not going to beat myself up for my past failings, and I'm just starting new and going to get my exercise in each day.
So... that's a short synopsis of our September... I will try and get some pictures put up on the Family blog sometime soon. I need to just take a bunch of pictures of the kids to show how much they've been growing. :)
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Happy Birthday to me!
It's been over 4 1/2 years since we moved into this house. From when we sat down and planned the house and went over the floor plan with the builder I've envisioned what our back patio could become. Through out the years we've had kids toys, lawn chairs, plastic kids picnic tables, and trikes and stuff on the patio. It hasn't been inviting for me to go out and sit and enjoy it at all. I've also never had a grill.
For my birthday this year Rich asked me what I would like, and I told him I'd like to get stuff for the patio, to turn it into a nice place that I can enjoy. It took a few months, but we have gotten pieces of stuff and today the last piece arrived and we now have a nice living area out on the patio. For me and the family to use the space and enjoy the space outside out house just as much as we use and enjoy the space inside our house. :)
For my birthday this year Rich asked me what I would like, and I told him I'd like to get stuff for the patio, to turn it into a nice place that I can enjoy. It took a few months, but we have gotten pieces of stuff and today the last piece arrived and we now have a nice living area out on the patio. For me and the family to use the space and enjoy the space outside out house just as much as we use and enjoy the space inside our house. :)
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Schools in, Schools in...
So we now have two weeks of school under our belt.
Three kids catching the school bus each morning, three kids lunches to pack and three kids to get their hair combed before they head off to school.
We've missed the bus about the same number of days that they have caught the bus.
But overall I think we are doing well. I've been able to keep up with lunches and the kids have plenty to eat in their lunch boxes with a little variety as well.
The kids all like their teachers, and are doing well in their classes. Ashley was feeling a little bit lost without her good friend in her class that she's had in her class the last 2 years, but she has lots of other friends as well and is doing fine.
Alex is adapting to the busy schedule of 5th grade and changing classrooms for different subjects.
Alyssa is doing just fine adapting to 1st grade and being at school all day long. She enjoys being at school and getting to go to Gym and Music and Health classes. She loves having lunch at school and riding the bus too and from school with her friends.
Angela is doing awesome! She is excited every day to go to school. We are carpooling with friends and when I drop her and the other little girl off she is just full of smiles. Our friends pick her up and bring her home from school and she can't wait to show me whatever item they made in school that day. She is so cute learning her nursery rhymns and loves to wear her "school clothes" I tried to get her to wear an outfit last saturday and she told me that it was her school clothes and she couldn't wear it on a Saturday when she wasn't going to school! lol!
I am finding lots of ways to fill my time during the day when they are all at school. I've exercised, gone shopping, cleaned the house, had lunch with friends, and more... it's been nice to just have those few quiet hours where I still am getting stuff done, but I also can just have my own thoughts to fill the time and not get interrupted all the time. :)
The weather is gorgeous now and we don't have school today so I'm about to head outside and insist that the kids find something to do out there. :)
Three kids catching the school bus each morning, three kids lunches to pack and three kids to get their hair combed before they head off to school.
We've missed the bus about the same number of days that they have caught the bus.
But overall I think we are doing well. I've been able to keep up with lunches and the kids have plenty to eat in their lunch boxes with a little variety as well.
The kids all like their teachers, and are doing well in their classes. Ashley was feeling a little bit lost without her good friend in her class that she's had in her class the last 2 years, but she has lots of other friends as well and is doing fine.
Alex is adapting to the busy schedule of 5th grade and changing classrooms for different subjects.
Alyssa is doing just fine adapting to 1st grade and being at school all day long. She enjoys being at school and getting to go to Gym and Music and Health classes. She loves having lunch at school and riding the bus too and from school with her friends.
Angela is doing awesome! She is excited every day to go to school. We are carpooling with friends and when I drop her and the other little girl off she is just full of smiles. Our friends pick her up and bring her home from school and she can't wait to show me whatever item they made in school that day. She is so cute learning her nursery rhymns and loves to wear her "school clothes" I tried to get her to wear an outfit last saturday and she told me that it was her school clothes and she couldn't wear it on a Saturday when she wasn't going to school! lol!
I am finding lots of ways to fill my time during the day when they are all at school. I've exercised, gone shopping, cleaned the house, had lunch with friends, and more... it's been nice to just have those few quiet hours where I still am getting stuff done, but I also can just have my own thoughts to fill the time and not get interrupted all the time. :)
The weather is gorgeous now and we don't have school today so I'm about to head outside and insist that the kids find something to do out there. :)
Friday, August 21, 2009
Birthday Cakes
All of our kids have summer birthdays. We get to celebrate a birthday, then a week later celebrate another birthday, and then have a month off and then celebrate two more birthday's within a week and a half.
My favorite thing to do for the kids birthday's is to make them a cake. Now I am no professional. The cakes are flawed in many ways, but it is perhaps the most creative I am during the entire year when I make cakes for my kids birthday's.
Here is my gallery of cakes that were made this year for birthdays. Alyssa and Ashley each got two cakes- a family cake on their birthday and a birthday party cake. Alex with his birthday falling on the first day of school- had a store bought cake for the family party, so I can't take credit for that one, and Angela had her party on her actual birthday, so just had one cake.
Angela:
Ashley:
Alyssa:
Alex:
My favorite thing to do for the kids birthday's is to make them a cake. Now I am no professional. The cakes are flawed in many ways, but it is perhaps the most creative I am during the entire year when I make cakes for my kids birthday's.
Here is my gallery of cakes that were made this year for birthdays. Alyssa and Ashley each got two cakes- a family cake on their birthday and a birthday party cake. Alex with his birthday falling on the first day of school- had a store bought cake for the family party, so I can't take credit for that one, and Angela had her party on her actual birthday, so just had one cake.
Angela:
Ashley:
Alyssa:
Alex:
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Thoughts
I'm sitting on the floor in the little girls room, waiting for them to go to sleep. It's such a struggle some nights to get them to settle down and go to sleep. Yet other nights they are asleep within five minutes of their heads touching the pillows. I know my mom and friends whose children are older always tell me to enjoy this time while the kids are younger. Don't get me wrong I am loving the ages of the kids right now, but at the end of a long day I definitly enjoy the nights that I tuck them into bed and only have to wait five minutes to hear their snores of deep sleep much more than nights that include tucking them in multiple times after additional bathroom a drink trips.
So... I think I do complain a little bit too much about the kids without pointing out the wonderful things I love about our kids.
Alex: He has matured so much in the last year. While we still get complaints about things, he is much quicker to calm down and talk things through. He has such an inquisitive mind and picks up on stuff quickly. On our recent trip he a few times saw the speed limit sign and questioned Rich on how fast he was driving! :). He is becoming great at taking care of younger kids and our friends are noticing how well he plays with their young kids and watches out for them. I think he will have some possible babysitting jobs when he turns 12.
Ashley: She is nine going on nineteen some days. While her debate style can be exasperating for Rich and I some days, she is so quick and so smart. She has developed a great whit and catches the tiniest of details if you aren't specific. She is becoming a great little mothers helper babysitter, and has shown that she can keep a cool head in an emergency situation.
Alyssa has shed her outer shell this year. Where she was once hesitant, shy and very wary in large group situations, she is now bouncing up and down and leading whatever goofy activity she wants to do. I was so surprised on our last trip when she wanted to ride a bunch of the rollercoasters and really liked them! It is so great to see her confidence blossum so much!
Angela: One time a friend of mine mentioned how the Lord seems to send firecrackers for youngest children. That would be an apt description of our Angela. She keeps us laughing daily. She has the greatest sense of humor and uses it to diffuse crankiness so encounters. She is so quick to forgive and forget and move on with the fun times.
Tuesday is the first day if school. We've got the school supplies, meet the teachers and are about to embark on the new school year. I can't wait to see how much the kids learn this year, yet at the same time I'll be content with a snapshot to treasure this moment in their lives.
Oh.... The girls are now asleep... Great timing. :)
So... I think I do complain a little bit too much about the kids without pointing out the wonderful things I love about our kids.
Alex: He has matured so much in the last year. While we still get complaints about things, he is much quicker to calm down and talk things through. He has such an inquisitive mind and picks up on stuff quickly. On our recent trip he a few times saw the speed limit sign and questioned Rich on how fast he was driving! :). He is becoming great at taking care of younger kids and our friends are noticing how well he plays with their young kids and watches out for them. I think he will have some possible babysitting jobs when he turns 12.
Ashley: She is nine going on nineteen some days. While her debate style can be exasperating for Rich and I some days, she is so quick and so smart. She has developed a great whit and catches the tiniest of details if you aren't specific. She is becoming a great little mothers helper babysitter, and has shown that she can keep a cool head in an emergency situation.
Alyssa has shed her outer shell this year. Where she was once hesitant, shy and very wary in large group situations, she is now bouncing up and down and leading whatever goofy activity she wants to do. I was so surprised on our last trip when she wanted to ride a bunch of the rollercoasters and really liked them! It is so great to see her confidence blossum so much!
Angela: One time a friend of mine mentioned how the Lord seems to send firecrackers for youngest children. That would be an apt description of our Angela. She keeps us laughing daily. She has the greatest sense of humor and uses it to diffuse crankiness so encounters. She is so quick to forgive and forget and move on with the fun times.
Tuesday is the first day if school. We've got the school supplies, meet the teachers and are about to embark on the new school year. I can't wait to see how much the kids learn this year, yet at the same time I'll be content with a snapshot to treasure this moment in their lives.
Oh.... The girls are now asleep... Great timing. :)
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