Just life!

As kids get older things get easier but also busier. I didn't think it could get busier than having a bunch of little kids but it does. I love it though. Morgan was in Volleyball, and Austin was in Basketball. Luckily they were at the same place at the same time. That was very helpful. Morgan did a good job. They were learning to serve and Morgan couldn't get the ball over the net. I told her to pretend it was Aden's Head and really give it a wack. I was thinking that that would be a good motivator considering they fight all the time. All she said was, "That wouldn't be very kind mom." And then continued to barely hit the ball. I don't know where she came from she is a lot more delicate than I am. Austin loves basketball. He is very aggressive and really good if you don't take into account double dribbles and traveling (which they let them do other wise they would never play). He would steal the ball from whoever had it and block it. Then he would yell at his teammates waving frantically pass it to me. He is a pretty good shot as well. Of course Ashdon thought that every time we went to Basketball that it was for him.

I have been playing basketball every Wednesday night. It is one of my favorite things. I am not the greatest player but I have a great time. The ladies I play with are wonderful and very funny.

Aden is going into 6th grade. He had a tour of the school and filled out his electives. I thought it was funny because he said he didn't pick one elective because it had a fee. He chose band instead. Little does he know that I will have to buy an instrument for that class which is probably more expensive then that lab fee. Apparently there was a parents night where you could tour the school with your child. Aden was adamant that he didn't want to go. I was thinking I should go and help him to feel comfortable with the school. He said, "Mom, I don't want to go. I already know where everything is and I'm fine. I don't want to go." I said, "Are you sure? You feel ok about going there?" "Yeah Mom, I feel fine about going." So there ya go. I am sending him to a school that I know nothing about, because of course I didn't go. I had plenty of other things to do that night.

For Memorial Weekend we went to Cedar. It was so lovely. It was a bit cold though and I don't like cold. But I just love family and trees and grass. We had a great time. We took family pictures and like always that was very interesting.

Well it's about time!

I know I know. I just can't seem to find the time to blog but I want this for memories so I am going to try to start again. Today was stake conference and it was good. I always feel like I've been in a wrestling match when all is said and done. I really feel as though I need to wear a comfy outfit to church it would be much easier. I left today with bits and pieces of each talk and I'm hoping the things that I remember are the things that I needed to hear the most. As mom's isn't that what every Sunday is like. I always hope I walk away with one thing to improve on. I think that is one reason why I love adult religion class so much (aka Institute). I love getting into the scriptures and really applying them to my life. I am hoping that I learn how to do that on my own. You would think at my age that wouldn't be an issue but it is. The missionaries came over today and for me it is always a bit awkward trying to talk with them. I don't know why but I run out of things to ask. Anyways, they had sat down and talked for a little while, I realized I didn't ask if they needed a drink or anything. So I say, "Do you guys need something?". I'm thinking water, food, etc. But I could tell by the shifting of positions and his stammering that he thought something totally different. I might as well have said, Why on earth are you here and make it snappy so you can get out of here. I had to quickly try to save it. I felt so retarded. Meanwhile the whole time they are here Austin is throwing a paper airplane, the kids are making noises and there is just a general ruckus going on. Then Maryn takes a nerf gun and shoots Aden in the eye. And then as they are leaving Austin has this balloon that he has blown up way to big and it just pops. It was so loud. I was 2 feet away and my ears were ringing. Austin was holding the balloon so it popped right by his ear. He starts to cry and says my ear is ringing. The look on his face suggested that he thought he did some permanent damage to his ear. And being the loving mother that I am I start cracking up. Then I explain to him that it will go away. It had to be the weirdest day. But good news is a friend of mine has scheduled an appointment to talk to the missionaries and they want to know if they can do it here. I am so excited. We have some good missionaries.
So I have started doing crossing guard. It has been good so far. I work my corner pretty good. Just kidding. It's pretty scary though. Ironically the people who are irritated with us are usually other parents dropping their kids off or picking up.

Surgery!

There is not much to write this week. We have been stuck in the house and I am not sure if that is harder for Austin, Maryn, Ash or Me. Friday I was going stir crazy. I wanted to sit outside under a tree on some grass, but I live in vegas and my choice was sitting under a trampoline on some sharp rocks. Hmmmm. I didn't do it.

Austins surgery (for tonsils & adenoids) went well. The recovery I have decided is actually the hard part. He hasn't been eating very much because his cheeks hurt? I don't get it and he can't open his mouth wide enough for me to peek inside to take a look either. So I hate it because he looks sick, pale and has little energy. That's what happens when you don't eat. But hopefully he will get better, soon.

Morgan is our graceful one. We were at the springs preserve and she managed to fall off a two foot high brick wall, bruise her thumb and hand, and scrape the side of her leg. We like to call her grace!

Canning Extravaganza! oh and more!

I have canned and canned and canned. It has been great. I made pear butter and it said to use 6 cps of sugar. Well I just couldn't do that. That is just to much sugar so I put in 1 1/2 cps sugar. You would think that it would not be enough well let me tell you I should have put in maybe 1/4. It is so sweet, but it is also soooooo goood too. I am going to do it again but this time little or no sugar that is for sure. Then I dehydrated pears. Oh man, I don't need chocolate when those are around. I love em. I canned homemade salsa. I have to can some more we are going through it way to fast. I also canned tomato soup. My mother-in-law makes the most delicious homemade tomato soup and every year for my birthday that is was I ask for. But this year I wanted to try it so that I would not have to ask for it when I run out 6 mos. before my birthday. Mind you she doesn't care, and I know this, but I just wanted to try it. Mine is not like hers but still I did it. I made peach, boysenberry jam. MMMM. Is all I have to say. I tried to make fruit leather but I can't get it off the stupid wrap stuff I used. It just chaps my hide like nothing else. I love this type of stuff and now I just need my own orchard, and garden. Someday, until then I will just pretend.

Aden's foot is still bothering him. What to do? His expander is working because now he has quite a gap between his teeth. So now his big teeth can come in with ease. He tried out for both choir and instruments and made it into both. He is really excited and has to go to early morning practice on wed.'s. He is also class representative but is disappointed that he can not run for an office now. He is quite motivated and likes to be involved. I can tell he will keep us really busy but that is good. He is getting better at basketball. I am still screaming my head off at the games though.

Morgan is loving school. Her teacher is really great and she enjoys going. She loves to sing but can't try out for choir until she is in 4th grade. She has more homework than Aden and Austin combined. But she does it and does it fairly quickly so that is good.

Austin is preparing for surgery. He is trying to not be nervous. Heavens I am trying to not be nervous. The healing process it what worries me most. He will have to miss about 7 days of school. I think he is going to go nuts and I know he will drive me nuts in the process. He is constantly asking why. He doesn't mind obeying rules if he knows why it's important. That's good and it's hard. Sometimes I want to yell because I said so that's why.

Maryn is bored most of the day and wants to have a friend over all of the time. I feel bad but what do you do.

Ash just likes to do his own thing and will wander and play. He is talking a lot now and his favorite word is NO!

I have to run to choir so that is all for now.

what! No pictures!

I just can't seem to download pictures. It's just one more step so it's either blog or pictures I chose blog.

Aden is doing basketball. He loves it and works really hard. He has a great coach who teaches them and rides them hard but the encourages right after. He is great. His last game was intense, they were behind and kept making simple mistakes. But they were able to catch up and then they tied. In this league there is no overtime which we are grateful for I don't think I could have lasted another minute. I had a lady move away from me because I was yelling so much. On the way home Austin asked Aden if he could hear us, and why didn't he listen to us. Austin continued, "Mom was yelling a lot and Dad was yelling in his angry voice." Adam wasn't but it is hard to decipher his loud voice is sometimes his angry voice.

Morgan noticed at the end of sacrament meeting that she had on 2 different shoes. One was dark brown and the other black. I was cracking up which made her cry because she doesn't like anyone laughing at her. I tried to tell her I wasn't laughing at her just about the situation but she didn't get it. She wanted me to go home and get her the same shoes. I couldn't so she had to deal with it.

Maryn's birthday is today. She had a princess party a couple of Friday's ago. In the first 10 minutes one of the girls said this is the best party ever. Yeah that's right. We had fancy punch (sherbet and soda), pink popcorn, pink playdoh (that I made from scratch) and they added fine glitter to it. Then they decorated wands and crowns. After which they jumped, played, had cake, presents, then whoosh quick the party was over and they were all gone. We rushed out the door to the park to meet some friends and then when we got home, my head hit the pillow and I was in a mild coma for the rest of the night. Now she is four and hopefully she will learn to say her g's, c's, d's, s's, etc. Everything is a t so when she says I saw a kitty cat it comes out I taw a titty tat. It's great!

I made a great acorn squash. prepare a squash as normal, peel, core and dice up an apple into fairly small pieces. Add butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Let it cook for 45 minutes. Then yummo, it tastes a lot like apple pie. My kids loved it too. Now I need to try to sweeten it with agave nectar or honey not sure which.

Well taw taw for now!

funny tid bits

Maryn calls a praying mantis a pretty mantis not because she thinks it's pretty she just thinks that is what it is called.

Austin was saying prayers and is trying to expand what he is praying for. So at dinner he blessed Grandma and Papa Moore's food and that it would make them healthy and strong. On another occasion he blessed Grandma and Papa marchant to sleep in their beds all night long. Papa marchant does need that help so hopefully it worked for them.

Aden got on braces and an expander (I'll post pictures when I am not to lazy to download them). His mouth hurts and he does an amazing sid the sloth (from ice age) impression. But now that he sounds funny, you can't get him to stop talking. I think like all kids he loves the attention.

Morgan's teacher has them pick words ie, honest, trustworthy, positive, etc. and they have to read the definition, discuss it and try to be that all week. Well as Morgan was arguing with me she said, "Mom, you are making it so hard for me to be a peacemaker!" Yep that was her word and it was the hardest word for her ever.

The Hiney Shot

So on our way home from church we pass a wal greens where they are advertising a shot. Aden says, "Mom, I don't get it. Why for the hiney shot do they do H1N1?" I couldn't help but crack up. "Because it is the H 1 N 1 shot not the Hini (hiney) shot." Ha Ha ha ha ha.

A quick update: (and by quick I mean really long so enjoy)

*Summer in a nutshell: =craziness! My sister with her six kids was here for a month so of course it was a party every night and day for a month. We, my sister and I, snuck in a camping trip. Two adults and 11 children. It was awesome, and we felt like the coolest mom's ever. It was so great. Then for the month of July we all headed to Cali to help get the yard ready for a wonderful wedding reception for my brother Logan and his wife Amanda. (It was a great wedding and the yard was awesome.) I was in heaven working outside everyday. It was such a bummer to come back to a place where the most yard work is trimming the front bush, yep I said bush singular. 15 minutes after arriving at a pool, rush to 5 different Urgent Cares to get his chin stiched up from a fight with the pavement (the pavement won). Just to learn that he can't swim at all with the stitches in. (Don't worry it was harder on Mom than it was on Austy). August we went to Williams AZ for a rain soaked, wake up to flash flood warnings, trees falling over nearly missing a vehicle because it was so soaked from the rain, quickly throw everything into a vehicle including kids (which isn't easy because camping you have so much stuff anyway), get the van stuck in the mud, get pulled out and cross the flooding river amongst cheers from all the cousins and families, cut the weekend short by a day, camping trip. It was insane! Good times, good memories, Great family, awesome kids.

*After a successful day and a half of homeschooling I realized I didn't like the program and wasn't prepared to teach 3 kids from my home. I couldn't eat, sleep, and breath it like I would need to.

* Signed the kids up for public school (got them some good teachers so they could get a good edumication)

*Started public school on Thursday of the first week of school.

*A totally new respect for Homeschooling ladies

*Because of this, though, we have instituted some great things
1. Scripture study, complete with there own binders that I am very proud of. This is the only part of homeschooling I really enjoyed because I owned it and did what I wanted to do with it. The binders are way neat and studying has made a huge difference in our house. (We're not perfect yet so no translation to Heaven but hopefully we will be better than we were the day before)
2. Super Saturday Activities: I found we waste a lot of time on saturday's. There is no yard work here and so we do our inside chores then waste time. So I have instituted a super saturday activity where we can do science, art, history, cooking, etc. We can do as many as we want. It's not every saturday mind you but this helps me feel as though I am activily teaching my kids something. I am trying to do things they can't do in a classroom because of cost or preparation etc. They will also have a folder where they will do recording, writing, etc. of our activities.
3. I have realized that I am too easy on my kids. I read this book where it showed a paragraph that was written for 14 year olds to read. I could hardly understand it. I was amazed and thought, wow, yeah our kids are smart and they can handle and do more.
4. We also have a morning routine.
5. I am getting organized (I seriously have issues with organizational skills. I would say it is one of my weakest areas, that and consistancy)
6. We are reading more. We are reading as individuals, a family and to kids separately. We did it before but it wasn't consistant. The kids love it, even Aden who could have read a book in one day but waited patiently every night for Adam to read it aloud to him. Why is reading aloud good for kids? Read a book called the Read aloud hand book.
7. We have very little time for T.V. and electronics in general. In fact the rule now is that they don't come on during Monday through Thursday. I want my time to be spent doing better things, important things. Don't get me wrong this is how Adam relaxes and so it does suck me in but it's a bit less now.
8. I am finding the time, desire, energy to actually do the things I have talked about like setting, making, and keeping traditions. Like Fun, Friend Friday. Making things important, spotlighting a child when they accomplish good things.

I hope this lasts. I hope I can be better.

* Found a nice place to go camping 30 minutes away. Yeah! When will we squeeze it in? No idea. But knowing me I will figure out something. Nature is my friend and my peace.

*Went to Cedar City (where I learned that my blog is not updated often enough for someone who says he has no life, I think he lives vicariously through me so all summer he hasn't known what he's done) and helped clean out Cedar Builders. Wow what a huge building but I love working hard. We inventoried, stacked, counted, moved boxes, broke down boxes, broke down huge shelves, swept, ate popcorn. . . and at the end of the day Uncle Kirk decided to have an asthma attack. His first one. Grandma watched the kids, I was in Heaven again. I could work hard for a whole day and the only butt I had to wipe was my own. Yipppeee! Brought home blueberries, and boysenberries.

*Made peach boysenberry jam, lots of smoothies. And one of my favorite snacks, vanilla yogurt, cottage cheese, roasted almonds and frozen blueberries. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMGood! I am waiting to get completely over a cold and I am making peach boysenberry cobbler. I can't wait.

* Took Austin and Ash to the ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat). Ash is fine of course, why he gets so sick when he has a cold is beyond me. Austy however, has enlarged adenoids that cause dark circles around his eyes because there is not enough airflow to clear it up or something like that. It also causes him to not be able to breath through his nose making him a mouth breather or something of that sort. He has enlarged tonsils, and possibly something in his throat. (they are going to check it out when they put him under). Does he snore the ENT asks? I don't know I don't sleep with him and I have never really noticed. So I say no not really. Then Austin pipes up, "Morgan and Aden say I snore." Oh, I guess I should have consulted with the kids that actually sleep by him.

*Aden is getting some orthodontic work done to correct his bite, spread his mouth open so that all the teeth trying to come in will fit in his mouth. It's expensive but it is so worth it. The smile is everything for a face. I would spend a whole lot more if it meant straight teeth.

*Afternoon activities have started and I feel crazy just thinking about what on earth am I supposed to get the kids to this week. Yeah, I can't remember!

This is us, and i bet it sounds an awful lot like most of you and your crazy lives. We are livin' it up, and living each moment.