day 3

I got up with the sun this morning and walked the dog. We went a little over 3 miles and I realized half way through that I had gone too far. It was just so nice and cool (only compared to the 110 degrees in the afternoon) that I didn't want to go home just yet. Sunny is a good, big dog and loves to be outside. So do I, especially when the sky is pink.

When I arrived home, Ben was waiting for me on the driveway. I was surprised to see him and asked him what brought him outside so early in the morning. He had a question: "Is this outfit okay for school?" I took a look at his striped shirt and plaid shorts and smiled. "What do you think?" was my response. He shrugged and said, "I don't think it really goes together." I told him it would probably be better to wear the stripes OR the plaid, but probably not at the same time. He ran upstairs, changed, and came to the breakfast table in style.

For the third day in a row, Dad has been there when I've dropped off the kids at school. Not because he's overly attached to them (as if there is anything wrong with that) but Aaron's car is in the shop and I have to take him to work after I drop the kids off. It's great timing.... being down to one car the week school starts. But I have to admit it's been "fun" dropping them off as a family. Simon gets a little sad when they leave the car, but Zack cheers him up quickly with a few simple silly faces.

Today when Luke jumped out of the car he said, "Mom! Where is my backpack?" I asked him where he left it. "Um... on the couch." Oops. I told him that he would have to go without it today and that he could put all of his papers in Ben's backpack. Their lunches were in the same bag and luckily Ben was in charge of it. Had Luke been responsible for it, it might not have made it to the school either. Dad gave Luke a high five through the rolled-down window and we smiled as he ran off, backpack-less, to catch up with Ben who was already at the playground.

We watched as both boys joined in a game of dodgeball (their favorite part of going to public school :) As we drove away, we saw Luke get pegged in the face with the ball. It was so sad, but he smiled at the kid who threw it at him, and walked to the outside of the court to wait his turn to get back in the game. I wanted to blow a whistle, stop the game, tell my boys to get inside van and drive away. Instead, I pulled out my cell phone and snapped a quick picture. Aaron and I laughed about it all day, but I kind of felt like crying about it too. Day 3 and no tears shed, yet. But I can't make any promises.
Their teacher wanted to meet with me after the final bell rang. I love that there are only 12 students in the class and that she has the desire/ability to talk with us on a more personal level. She told me she was worried about Luke because he hasn't said much the past three days. I told her not to fret. He's not shy, but he won't talk unless he has something to say, and he usually doesn't have anything to say. On the drive home, I asked Luke if he remembered getting hit in the head in dodgeball and he said, "Um. I think." Then I asked him if he said anything in class and he said, "No, not really." I am sure it will take us all a little time to warm up to this public school routine.

After dinner, Dad went to the church for a bit and the rest of us wanted to play Boggle. Unfortunately, the school-kids needed to write a short story. It's not fair that they were gone for 6 hours doing work and have to do more when come home. Why can't we use our family time to do something we WANT to do? Would it be so detrimental to their "education" to play a game where you spell words? Apparently so. Ben wrote a story about a tiger escaping from a zoo at night. He used capital letters at the beginning of every sentence and periods at the end. Luke wrote a story about four brothers who found a meteor in the middle of a soccer field. The youngest brother (who was only two) jumped on the meteor and started flying around the field. They finally got him down and put him in jail for disobeying. While we were reading (and laughing at) Luke's story, Simon got a hold of Ben's finished homework and ripped it in three pieces. We taped it back together. I wonder if his teacher will believe his excuse tomorrow about why his homework isn't perfect. Simon got put in jail/bed for disobeying.

It's now 10:15 pm. I am tired and frustrated. I wish I wouldn't have walked so far this morning. I wish I would have been able to play a game with my kids today. I hope that Luke will remember to duck next time a ball comes flying towards his face. I hope I am doing the right thing for my family. We didn't read scriptures tonight or say prayers like we usually do. But the sun will come out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, they'll be sun.... and another day of public school.

first day of school

I'm so behind, but today needs to be documented.

Ben and Luke went to their first day of school EVER today. They are in the same 3rd-5th grade class. I have to drive them out to this little school (about 10 minutes away, totally worth it for the small-town feel). There was about three other cars in the parking lot and ten other students in their class, 20-something in the entire school. Can you say "Little House on the Prairie"?

Zero tears were shed by anyone, including mom. Dad was able to be there to drop them off, which made everyone happy. When we arrived, their teacher was out to greet them and while we were talking to her, Ben and Luke ran off to play at the playground. We saw them mingling with friends and decided that goodbyes were unnecessary. Everything that needed to be said has already been said. These boys are two of the sweetest, smartest, kindest children I know. I wasn't worried about them for a second. I know they will behave and listen and do all the right things. I am so proud of them and feel privileged to have them in my home.

Zack tested out of Kindergarten and into 1st grade, and even though he wanted to attend school all day, it just didn't feel right.. He will be home with Simon for another year and we are all excited about it. (this is a decision we made just a few days ago....) Zack is also a smart boy, but he still has a lot to learn about manners and helping and being productive. I know this next year he will grow up a lot being the one in charge at home for a few hours. This afternoon he played "sargent" and got Simon to clean up all of the toys and Legos before lunch... and they both felt so accomplished! Simon would be such a sad little toddler in an empty house, so even though they're both troublemakers, I am excited for the time we will have together. It's only 6 more weeks before a little girl will shake up the routine and join the excitement at home!

We are all feeling blessed and happy and busy... Life is good.

I pledge allegiance, to the....

You know you've had a disappointing week when THIS is the highlight:

Let it be stated that he was walking along a very busy 6-laned highway. The first time we passed him, he was flying solo.. The second time we passed, Ben was sitting in the passenger's seat and had the camera ready. We were surprised to see that a lovely lady had joined him and brought him a drink. Apparently, some women are attracted to patriotic packages.

not really worth posting, but i'm gonna anyway...

worst things about this week:

• temperatures from hell.
• having to run errands with four kids.. with 112 degree heat and a pregnant tummy.
• going to pack meeting by myself-- I mean, with four boys.
• having to put the kids to bed without my husband.
• wanting to call my mom and cry, only to realize it's 2 AM in Chile.
• not ever being able to catch up on housework.
• being in charge of/responsible for too many things.
• Simon not napping-- ever. So annoying!
• not fitting in anything.. not wanting to wear the things that actually do fit.
• not having time to put a gazillion pictures on the blog.
• school shopping for my kids (such a sad thing for a homeschooling mom)
• not sleeping well-- charlie horses, having to pee every hour, etc.
• feeling annoyed and emotionally unstable...

best things about this week:

• watching The Help with girl friends... yes, it was a late night, but so worth it.
• a neighbor bringing over a delicious dinner. It could not have been better timing.
• fun field trips.
• talking to my sisters on the phone. they are almost as good as mom.
• lots of time in the pool.
• watching Simon grab a hose and spray down unsuspecting adults at pack meeting.
• eating delicious Indian food with a few families in our ward. YUM!
• a thoughtful present brought over by a sweet friend-- for no reason at all.
• spending quality time with my boys-- knowing that everything is going to change next week.
• bubble baths
• getting complimented by strangers about my awesomely behaved kids.
• eating at cafe rio for lunch. that place always makes me feel better.
• seeing a man walking down a busy road wearing only an American flag speedo (+ shoes & socks).. I will upload the picture soon.

wreck

I've been kind of a wreck these last couple of days. Two weeks ago, I was doing great... feeling blessed and had the energy to clean my house and keep up with the insane amount of responsibilities I had. Last week I was coping-- getting by with my "must do" list but not having the energy to do anything else. This week has basically been a disaster. I am literally on the verge of tears every time someone asks me how I am doing. I am not crying while writing this post, and that's a good sign. I think I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It's Friday tomorrow and maybe, just maybe, I will see my husband this weekend.

There's nothing really wrong, particularly. But I really think I can blame everything on the heat. I swear I was just saying how this summer has been mild.. but ever since we returned from our trip to Utah (where it hailed/rained on us everyday) I have been completely miserable. Today it was 112 degrees. We were out running errands or in the car ALL DAY and I just wanted to die. Running errands with four kids is miserable enough... add the blazing temperatures and a pregnant tummy and you have a recipe for depression.  I need a therapist.  and some strong medication. and a nap that lasts two months.  I can't believe I still have two months before this baby is born.  Heaven help me.

boating

we spent all day saturday out on Lake Mead. Our awesome home teacher took our family on his boat and it was SO NICE to spend a day away from the "real world" and just enjoy time together. We left at 6:00 am and didn't come home until everyone was wiped out. literally.

The boys jumped off cliffs by the Hoover Dam and we all enjoyed the warm weather (you don't realize it's 110 degrees when you're in the water). The older kids all kneeboarded (Zack was awesome!) but the tube rides were definitely the hit of the day.

Ben took a beating like I've never seen before. Everyone had a turn on the tube, including Sy-Guy and the pregnant woman, but whenever the tube was going, Ben was riding. He wiped out 100 times.. some crashes were so bad that he got his breath knocked out of him, but he wouldn't give up. Sunday everyone was sore, but Ben could hardly walk. His neck was so stiff and I am just grateful he survived some of the wipeouts he had.. It was Keyonna's first time on a boat and we all had THE.BEST.TIME. So grateful for our awesome neighbors! Home teaching on the lake is as good as it gets.

homemade ice cream

last summer we started a tradition of making smores in the backyard over the grill. This summer, our "thing" has been homemade ice cream. It's a super easy recipe that only takes about 10 minutes. We've done it a dozen times or so, but yesterday I finally took pictures. This is the kids shaking the baggies inside two buckets full of ice (we were out of gallon ziplocs)... and what better place to shake them than on the trampoline??

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

*Tonight for the FHE treat, Daddy told the kids we had some ice cream bars in the freezer. They got excited and said, "Homemade ice cream bars??" and when I said, no-- they all groaned, like toffee bars from the store were chopped liver. I rolled my eyes at my husband and said in my best Martha Stuart voice, "Nothing is good enough anymore unless it's made from scratch."

DO try this recipe at home:

Items you need:

• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 tablespoons rock salt
• 1 pint-size (or sandwich sized) Ziploc bag
• 1 gallon-size Ziploc
• Ice cubes

Directions:

1. Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
2. Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
3. Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.
4. Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 10 minutes.
5. Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully. Enjoy!

Tips:

• You can substitute half and half for milk, if you'd like.
• Double bag the small ice cream baggie because sometimes the salt from the ice can creep in... and salty ice cream is no good.
• A 1/2 cup milk will make about 1 scoop of ice cream, so double the recipe if you want more. But don't increase the proportions more that that -- a large amount might be too big for kids to pick-up because the ice itself is heavy.
• We've used sea salt instead of rock salt and it turned out just fine.
• Don't add the toppings until AFTER the ice cream has hardened.

sunday afternoon art project

After church yesterday, my boys took it upon themselves to trace a certain somebody and paint another life-sized portrait. I bet you'll never be able to guess who it is:

I would have taken pictures of the tracing and painting process, but it happened while Simon and I were upstairs taking an afternoon nap. And thank goodness for that.... because 5 minutes after he woke up, SyGuy looked like so:

blue paint taste yummy.

beasty boys

Ben-- I've been struggling with Benny Boy lately. I am not sure if it's his age or what, but after ten years, he's finally getting under my skin. It's not that he's disobeying, necessarily.. although he knows very well how to push his brother's buttons. But he's just annoying me-- without even trying. He's constantly making weird noises or blowing spit bubbles with his mouth. It seems like he has a million and one questions and he always asks them when I am right in the middle of something important. I honestly don't lose my patience often, but Ben can hum just the right tune or make the perfect annoying sound that will just set me off. I am sure pregnancy has made it much worse, but I've been snapping at Ben quite a bit lately. The other day, he spoke all his words in the tune of "we're off to see the wizard" and I about lost my marbles. Maybe I expect him to be perfect all the time.. but he has definitely noticed a difference in our relationship. The other day, Luke and Zack were fighting about something silly and they wanted me to take sides.. But before they got to me, Ben stopped them and said, "Let me settle this. I wouldn't mess with Mom right now... if you know what I mean." When I overheard that, I just started laughing. The poor kid knows more than I think he does. I really can't be too hard on Ben because he is still SUCH a great kid and he's still unbelievably overprotective and helpful. One night while we were making dinner together, he told me he really wanted to talk about something. I was gearing up to be annoyed by one of his long, drawn out explanations over a cartoon or computer game.. but he got a bit emotional and said, "I was just thinking that if anything ever happened to any one of our kids, it's should be ME." I asked him what he meant by this and he explained, "Well, if one of us were to get kidnapped or hurt, it should be me. I've already spent the most time with you and dad. I would know the best how to contact police or get myself out of a bad situation. And I would just be sick if something happened to Simon or Zack because they probably wouldn't even have any memories of being in our family." I thought it was just so darling... his cute freckled face is growing up so quickly! I am sure I am being too hard on him and need to give the poor ten year old a break! He stresses about enough as it is. Luke-- this happened last month, but every time I think about it, I feel bad for not having it written down. Sometime during the week, in the middle of the afternoon, my phone kept ringing. I often misplace my cell phone, but it's not that hard to find-- especially when it's ringing. My husband has his own special ring (which is Rihanna's "please don't stop the music") When the phone blasts that song, my kids know that Daddy is calling. Anyway, this particular afternoon, Aaron kept calling.... over and over... but I couldn't find my phone ANYWHERE. I had all four boys around and we were looking everywhere-- under the couches, in between the cushions, inside the drawers.. and it was no where to be found. Each time it rang, the more anxious I got because Aaron hardly EVER calls me during the day and he's never called me over and over and over, so I knew something was majorly wrong. After about twenty minutes or so, it stopped ringing.... and about twenty minutes after that, I found my phone sitting on the counter. I quickly checked the messages to see who had died or if the world was going to end, but there were no messages. And oddly enough, there were zero missed calls. What? The kids were around, and so I asked them who found my phone and if they had erased any messages. That is when Luke finally cracked a smile and said, "Gotcha, mom." He didn't explain much, but after several questions (and lots of laughing) I got him talking. He just felt like playing a trick on me, went into my cell phone music archive and continued to play Daddy's ring tone. He held the phone behind his back and watched me frantically look for it each time the song played. I can't believe he kept a straight face the whole time... so funny and so Luke. I told him that was an awesome prank, but if he ever does it again, he's grounded. Zack-- I wish I could carry a video camera around with me and keep it on Zack 24 hours a day. It's so hard to capture the funny things he says because it's more about his expressions and tone than what actually comes out of his mouth. He puts so much ZEST into everything he does. On the way home from church today he told Ben to stop doing something or else he'd become his worst nightmare... the scary monster voice he said it in was awesome. Last week at dinner, I noticed he was closing both eyes very tightly while stabbing his fork all around his plate. I thought he was pretending to be blind while trying to eat--- but I didn't say anything to him because I wanted to let it play out. By the time he got the attention from everyone at the table, he opened his eyes, looked at his fork, got a big smile and said, "Oh yeah! Random food!" We all started laughing more at the way he said it and because he was so excited to be eating whatever kind of food he'd captured with his fork. Aaron and I commented how lately he's been using words too big for him, but that he always seems to use them in the right context. Something in that random brain of his is working after all! Simon-- has become quite the handful. Haven't I been saying this for months? Well, he's getting worse by the minute. He is just as hyper as Zack ever was, but he's also very stubborn and really hard to reason with. I don't know if he's just so cute that I always end up giving in to his tantrums or if it's that I am pregnant and just don't have the energy to keep up with him. He gets his way 99% of the time. It's awful. But when he's happy, he's so adorable and loving and so cute that we all forget about what a stinker he really is. He makes big messes, won't go to sleep for anything and hates riding in his carseat. He thinks he's much older than he is and wants to be doing EXACTLY what his older brothers are doing. He ruins their lego creations, climbs up on the top bunk in the middle of the night, and demands to sit at the table during meals. No more high chair for him... which really means I have a MUCH bigger mess to clean up after dinner. He insists on drinking out of a cup instead of a bottle or sippy and literally FREAKS OUT if I drop the kids off somewhere and he doesn't get to join them. He is growing up so quickly and probably senses that someone else is coming into the family to play the baby role. He ain't no baby no more. Last week while we were camping, Aaron and I left my boys with my sister who was playing with the kids at the playground. We thought about taking Simon with us to the campground, but decided to leave him at the last minute.... my sister didn't get that memo. She thought he was with us so she didn't miss him when he ran off. When we came back 20 minutes later, Simon was long gone. After ten minutes or so, we found him swimming in the kiddie pool all by himself. Lifeguards were watching him and were aware he wasn't with an adult. But the woman who originally found him wouldn't let me have him back. She gave me a good lecture before she let go of him (I am sure it didn't help that I am 7 months pregnant and can't even keep track of the baby I have.) She said, "He's been with me for 30 minutes. What have you been doing for the last half hour that you didn't know he was missing?" I tried to explain quickly that my sister and I had a misunderstanding, but she wasn't having it. She continued to tell me what a bad mother I was and then said, "By the way, he wouldn't answer ANY of my questions. Every time I asked him anything all he would say was 'Mommy!'" This is when I finally grabbed him out of her arms and said, "Well, he's ONE. Do you expect him to write down his address and phone number?" As she stormed off, the lifeguards told me they all thought he was at least 3 because of his size.. and the fact that he wasn't uncomfortable in the least swimming by himself. I told them if they wanted to see him throw a fit, it wouldn't be at a pool. All you'd have to do is buckle him in his car seat or high chair or tell him he can't have a cookie until after dinner... that will get a reaction out of him every time. Anyway, so glad we found him! This kid is giving me a run for my money..

keeping busy

the past 7 days have been completely exhausting... both physically and emotionally. It seems so much longer than a week since we've been home from our trip to visit family.

We've kept very busy with activities, visits to the hospital and fun outings... temperatures have been miserably high here in Vegas (especially after the cool weeks we spent in utah and idaho-- it rained and hailed on us not very long ago!) so I am sure the heat has a lot to do with how exhausted we've been at the end of each day. But I guess that is what summer is all about.

We've taken bike rides, made sugar cookies, gone on field trips, eaten at a few different restaurants for lunch, been to visit the dentist and doctor and escaped the heat at the pool. I haven't been good about taking my camera everywhere, but I do have a few pictures of our week:

Keyonna is having a hard time sleeping-- and Simon is still climbing out of his crib at 2 am, so the two of them have been great awake-in-the-middle-of-the-night buddies. This is how I found them early one morning...

Tonight we are picking up pizzas and taking our kids over to a friends house. Aaron and I are heading on a much needed trip to the temple. I am so looking forward to escaping the "real world" and forgetting about all our troubles. I am so grateful for the peace I have felt this week. We have had so much support from our friends here, who have become our family away from home. Our boys have been to a different friend's home every day this week- sometimes two different homes- for hours at a time.  One friend even picked them up and took them to the dentist for me.  We have the BEST neighbors!!

And oddly enough, I have been able to keep my house spotless through this whole ordeal, which is a miracle in and of itself. My floors are sparkling, my toilets are clean enough to eat off and my laundry magically gets washed, folded and put away without much trouble at all. I know that angels are surrounding us and getting us through. I truly believe that God is aware of each of us and gives us the strength to do what we need to do, even if it's unbelievably hard.

SO grateful for my testimony. SO grateful it's finally the weekend.

quickly checking in...

so much to say... so NOT going to blog about it today. In fact, it might be a long while before I get to reporting about our visit to see cousins, the week we spent at Bear Lake, & our fun family reunion at Cherry Hill.

Our vacation was cut short with a devastating phone call last week. While we were away, our dear friends and neighbors had a terrible accident in their home. Samantha (our favorite 12 year old babysitter) was tragically injured in a firearms accident. A gun was accidentally fired and the bullet ricocheted off the wall and hit Sam in the head. She is alive, but in critical condition at the hospital.

Keyonna (15 years old) is at our home with us. She is hanging in there after witnessing the event. She is SUCH a strong, beautiful girl. We are keeping her distracted, letting her talk as much as she wants about the accident, and trying not to stress too much about what will happen in the coming weeks. It's going to be a day-by-day, step-by-step process. We have shed many tears together and have said even more prayers. But we could always use more! Please keep these girls in your thoughts and prayers!

The picture above was taken when Simon was two weeks old. Sam is a lover of BABIES! When she's around, no one else can hold or change the baby. Which is great for me and not so great for her sisters.

These were all taken on my cell phone, which explains the terrible quality. Shopping together, painting fingernails, having a girls-only sleepover, playing foosball, etc.

Sam, Keyonna and Luke playing "Marco Polo" at the pool just a few weeks ago.

Last month on a field trip to the dairy.. Ben, Luke, Keyonna, Simon, Zack & Samantha.

I love taking Sam with me while running errands because she holds Simon the ENTIRE time.. (and he weighs as much as she does :) This was inside the dairy farm. Simon was fascinated with and scared of the talking "moo cow". Sam was getting him better acquainted with it.

It's amazing how one minute you think you know what's important and the next you realize what REALLY is. I haven't slept much this past week. I have spent many nights in bed quietly shedding tears and thinking about these precious children of mine and how badly they need our time and attention. I am truly grateful for the peace that has been in our home, for a husband who is level-headed and calming, for the love that has surrounded this wonderful family and for the knowledge that God is aware of us individually and He is watching over each of his children. Life is so fragile and so precious.

January 2009 just before their baptism.