Week ending 5-29-16

This was our first week off of school and it was great. 

Kylie and Madalyn still had seminary and several baby-sitting jobs, plus a couple of online classes to finish up, but we still had plenty of time to relax.

Monday: I was putting Anderson down for his morning nap when I heard a street sweeper come by multiple times and wondered what was up. Then the paving truck came and started paving our cul-de-sac and up our street. I was going to take Kylie and Madalyn to seminary but wasn't allowed out so they had to walk. I was glad because I got a lot done at home and had fun watching the kids watch the truck. 

Tuesday: I see public schoolers on facebook getting awards and recognition for their hard work. I felt guilty for not recognizing my kids' hard work year after year so I surprised them with a little present they've wanted for years, but without a job we haven't been able to get. 

Ticket to Ride! Year after year they ask for this at Christmas. I hope they spend many happy hours playing it this summer. I'm so proud of the great students they're becoming. It's a pleasure to teach them and I'm so grateful for all of the good times I have with them. I love being home with them all day everyday and learning together. I'm grateful they choose me to be their teacher year after year. 

Spencer about to jump or flip off the railing. They took a bunch of videos too but I haven't watched them. I'm just posting this for us to remember the fun of jumping off the deck and what it looked like for after we move. 

Thomas 

Wednesday: Okay, I'll stop posting these. I just want to remember how frequently this happens. He's so funny. One minute we could hear him singing on the toilet. The next it's quiet. The kids and I were lingering around the dinner table and immediately started guessing he fell asleep. I went upstairs and sure enough, found him like this. 

Thursday: The best night ever!! I stopped at Lowes on my way home from the temple and got a fire pit, something I was hoping to get for my birthday. The kids got to work putting it together. They were SOOO excited and it was fun seeing their excitement. 

Kaitlyn and Makenna got to work making stilts out of the styrofoam. Then they turned these pieces into pianos for their dolls. 

We first roasted hot dogs and pigs in a blanket. 

Then we had s'mores. 

Nathan works till 9 or 10 Tuesday through Thursday nights. The kids and I usually do a reading party or watch a movie. This firepit will provide us with many more happy memories and fun evenings together. I'm so glad I got it. I love campfires and s'mores. All of the kids said that even if we never used it again, it was totally worth the fifty bucks. 

Friday night Nathan, Spencer, Thomas, and Samuel went to the father-son campout. Unfortunately they don't have any pictures of it. We girls had brownie sundaes and watched a movie at home. We don't have any pictures of that either, but it was a lot of fun.

This picture was after Anderson had played in the sink for quite awhile. He was having a blast until Madalyn wanted to take a picture and didn't get him out when he saw her.

Sunday: When I walk into a bathroom Andy lunges for the sink. He loves to sit there and play. 

This bathroom is particularly fun because 7 kids share this bathroom and there are a lot of toothbrushes in it. :)

Trying to take a picture after church today by setting the camera on the couch and setting the timer. Didn't come out the greatest, but it's all we have. 

Kaitlyn's fancy hair done by Kylie

Week ending 5-22-16

Monday: Morning birthday hugs for me! 

Uncle Ben is saying, "I didn't do it." 

It was a treat to have him stop and visit for an hour on his way through Utah. 

FHE with my parents and other brother and his family who came up from Spanish Fork.

Cousin Paige wondering up the stairs during FHE. 

Opening presents. This was a coupon book from Alexis. 

I guess no one took a picture of the cake Brady brought or the cupcakes I made or blowing the candles out.  But here are some pictures of us playing outside afterward.

Kait and Kenna climbing the net.

Shane and Paige. 

Tuesday morning: saying good bye to Mama and Papa 

What the cupcakes looked like a day or two later when I realized we didn't get a picture. Of course the best ones got eaten on my birthday. These ones are all droopy. I'm a picky dessert person and wasn't sure they would turn out how I my taste buds wanted them. But they did! Perfect combination of sweet and salty. I think I ate all the leftovers.

Friday: Last day of school party!! We invited the Bishop and his family to celebrate with us and it was a blast! We made a lot good food and played outside and watched the BYU baseball game. 

Pogo sticking up the stairs.

I had a better video of him, but this one makes me laugh every time I watch it.

Week ending 5-15-16

Sunday: Samuel came home from church and promptly changed his outfit to this. 

The kids relaxing and watching President Hinckley's biography.

Monday: We got a fun storm. We have been so happy with the storms here. 

Utah isn't such a bad place weather-wise afterall. 

We've gotten a lot of rain, thunderstorms, hail, and neat clouds. 

Madalyn took this for photography class. 

Nathan's FHE activity: Mother May I?

I was the mother of course and this was my view as the family came closer to me. 

Nathan was crawling. We haven't played it in a long time and it was super fun. 

Tuesday: Thomas got 3,000+ jumps on his pogo stick! The only problem was that he did it barefooted and got blisters like this on both feet. They were huge! But he didn't complain.

Wednesday; Anderson had a 103-104 fever all week. It's so cute when older babies sleep on me and I'm used to them sleeping in their crib. I wish I could have just rocked and held him and read all day. But I have other kids to take care of, homeschooling, housework, and places to go. And he wouldn't let me sit down with him. So I either had to put him in his crib or go around with an aching back. (He's heavy!! 21 lbs) 

Sam also had a slight fever a few days and put himself down for a nap either on the couch or in his bed every day. But when he was up he acted fine.

This particular day he slept for 4 hours, wet the couch, got up and changed his whole outfit, adding the diaper bags and headband, and walked into the kitchen like this. It was so funny. I was like, "Just a minute ago he was sleeping on the couch in a different outfit. Now he walks in completely changed and accessorized." 

Kaitlyn and Makenna played ballet class all week. 

I was grateful for Nathan to take Anderson when he got home at 9:30 each night.

Thursday: Kylie got to go to a dinner at the Lion House for those who have received their Young Womanhood Medallion. It was a stake event and she doesn't know the other girls (there were a few more who left before this picture) so she was a little bored, but the food was great and the speakers inspirational. It was a fun little mother/daughter date. She got her medallion last May and her honor bee in November. I'm so proud of her!

Friday: Anderson is finally feeling a bit better. First smile all week. 

Madalyn was so pretty this day.

Saturday: We went to my uncle's funeral. I told Madalyn to snap a few pictures while I wrestled with Anderson. I wish we got some of my cousins lined up, posing for a picture, but this is all we got. 

My uncle's treasured car.

Sunday: Getting ready for church. Kylie did Alexis and Makenna. I did Madalyn and Kaitlyn.

Makenna's hairdo. It looked way better in person. Kylie did it and it looked great on Kenna.

Kait and Kenna being goofy.