December Already?

Every time I look at the calendar, it seems like weeks have slipped away without my knowledge. I suppose we are keeping busy enough that we aren't marking the passage of time.

Thanksgiving week we had a snow storm that closed the schools for a couple of days. Fortunately those days off fell before Thanksgiving. I was so thankful for the extra couple of days even if it means we will be making them up later this year. I was able to sleep in most days and prepare ahead of time for our Thanksgiving feast. It was also nice to be home bound. Every "normal" day involves running here and there so it was a blessing to be forced to stay home.

The tree is up. The cats have pulled ornaments off the tree. Keith's Christmas village is set up. The lights are up on the house. Most of the Christmas shopping is done. Only 7 more days of school till a 2 week break. I don't think I would be very sad if we had another snow storm that closed everything down again. Slow life down again.

Life as we know it

Every week I hope it will be slower than the last but it only seems to get busier. Between work and managing the kids schedules, some days I think I am going crazy! This week has been especially hectic. It is Parent/Teacher Conference week and the kids are expected to attend the conferences so they can be accountable for all their work. So far I have been to 2 conferences. Fortunately, both conferences went well and I am proud of how hard Hunter and Lauren have been working in school. I have Connor and Bryce's conferences tomorrow and Kiersten's on Monday. I am sure those conferences will be good as well.

Yesterday while I was still serving lunch, I sent Kiersten to the library to check out the book fair. She would come tell me how much the book was and I would send her back to find a cheaper book. Finally she settled on a book that I agreed on based on the price. I only had a $20 bill, so I sent her back to the library to pay for her $4 book. She came back so excited and said, "Now I have lots of Park City money!" I told her it was my money and she said, "But they gave it to me in my bag!" Of course it looked like a lot of money too because they gave her change in all $1 bills. It was so funny and just goes to show how much this girl loves to shop. She is saving her pennies for Utah this summer and shopping at the outlets in Park City.

The kids are excited for Halloween. Any excuse to dress up and get candy is a winner in their book. I will have to post pictures later when they are all in costume. Hunter is reusing Bryce's costume from several years ago. Not sure what it is but some sort of spook. Lauren is going to be a vampire. We talked Kiersten into wearing Hunter's old undead pirate costume from a couple of years ago too. She went from wanting to be a fairy princess to a pirate. I'm glad she could be accommodating. I'm not sure if Connor and Bryce will dress up.

I am headed to bed. Lucky for me and Kiersten, we don't have school again until Monday. I am really looking forward to sleeping in! The older kids have half days the rest of the week but still have to get up in the morning. I hope they are considerate and leave me to my slumber!

Reflections

I am always amazed at how quickly time passes. When you are in the moment, it seems to take forever to get through the day, the week, and even the month. Afterwords, you look back and wonder where the time went.

I have spent a lot of time thinking today. What is special about today? Connor and Bryce turned 14 years old. On one hand, it makes me sad that they are getting so old; but on the other, it is rewarding to see them grow and develop their unique personalities.

When Connor and Bryce were born, I was so overwhelmed with the thought of 2 babies. Due to their prematurity, they had to remain in the NICU for a couple of weeks. From the beginning, Connor was the stronger of the two, a definite leader. I never worried about Connor while he was in the hospital. He did everything he needed to do as a premie, he just needed to gain more weight.

Bryce worried me from the beginning. He had to be placed on a ventilator for a couple of days. Then his sucking reflex wasn't working right. Finally it all came together and he came home two days after Connor.

I still see some of these traits in the boys. Connor is still very much a leader. He is ahead of the game and school is a piece of cake for him. He is still skinny but is starting to "grow" muscles. Connor has been very involved this past year in competitive shooting. He has won many matches and plans to continue improving his scores so hopefully he gets invited to the Olympic Training Center. Also he wants to earn a college scholarship with his skills. He is also trying to get an online aquarium store going. He sells aquarium supplies and just received the first order from his website today.

Bryce is a follower. School isn't easy but the social aspect of it makes school bearable for him. Bryce has tried many different activities and just can't seem to settle on one that makes him happy. He is hoping to take up archery and wants a bow for his birthday. Bryce is very much in the "now". He doesn't want to think about the future, the everyday stuff is enough for him.

No matter what happens today, next year, or 10 years down the road, Connor and Bryce will always by my sons. I will always be proud of their accomplishments, big or small. I will always love them.

Heat Wave

Connor eating a popsicle in the shade.


Kiersten loving the sprinkler.


Lauren showing how it's done.

First Job

Connor and Bryce officially joined the work force this week. Their job consists of picking raspberries a couple hours every morning. For this, they are rewarded a whole $3 a flat which is about 6 1/2 pounds. They both have plans to use their earnings to buy shrimp for their aquariums. Hopefully the shrimp will breed and then the boys can sell the shrimp for a large mark up. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Gotta pick the berries first!

I started thinking about my first "official" job. Although I babysat a TON and worked at my parent's medical clinic every Saturday for several years, I think my job as a bagger at the grocery store is my first job. I don't remember how long I worked there but it must not have lasted very long. Also as a teenager I worked for 3 summers in a fish processing plant and a school year at the movie theater.

I hope the boys have a good experience with their first job. I'm glad they have a job even if it is only for a couple of weeks. Hopefully it will teach them some valuable lessons like money doesn't grow on trees, it grows on raspberry bushes!

Happy Birthday Kiersten!

I can't believe my baby girl is 5!! She was so excited for her birthday to come. We started counting down the days 2 weeks ago. Yesterday at Church, she told me to make sure the leaders knew her birthday was "tomorrow" so they could sing to her. Today, my normally shy girl told everybody at the mall and Walmart that it was her birthday today.

We love having Kiersten in our family. She is really smart and is a friend to everyone. This past year she has learned to count to 39, count by 10's to 100, she recognizes all her letters, knows how to log onto the computer by herself- even entering her password, she can play games on the internet like Club Penguin and Nick Jr., and she loves to be a girl! It is hard to believe that she will be in Kindergarten in September but I am sure she is ready for it.

We missed celebrating with family this year but I'm pretty sure she has had a good day so far. By request, pancakes and bacon for breakfast, lunch at Wendy's, and tuna noodles for supper. Lauren even helped her take a "deep" bath.

We love you!

New Project

I saw this project on the internet and thought I would give it a try. I took a pair of jeans with holes in the knees and cut them off right below the back pockets and front zipper. I added fabric to the bottom and WA LA! A new skirt for Kiersten! I will soon be making a matching one for Lauren. Right now though, I'm going to start dinner!

Happy 4th of July!

Today I am so thankful for this great country we live in. I'm thankful for the freedoms we enjoy. I'm thankful for the freedom to worship Heavenly Father. I'm thankful my kids can go to school and not have to work. I'm thankful for the freedom of speech. For Connor, I'm thankful for the right to bear arms. Most of all, I'm thankful for my family and that nobody told me how many kids I could have or not have.

The girls and I took pictures before Church in our 4th of July finery. Happy fireworks!

Late Night Visitor

The kids were in bed, Keith and I were vegging in front of our computers and TV when I heard a commotion in the dining room. Usually this time of night our cats, Morgan and Misty, get into a tiff. That is what I thought was happening. The only thing different about the sounds was the banging of the screen door. I got up to investigate and found this new friend on the back porch.


I went upstairs and got the older kids, who were still very much awake, to show them our visitor. The raccoon stayed around for quite a while even though 6 people were looking at him and we kept taking pictures. None of the pictures turned out very well through the screen so I had to do a little photo editing. It was pretty neat but now I am worried about my tomatoes when they start growing later this summer. Keith looked it up online and it says raccoons will eat tomatoes. Maybe he will give up and find a new friend!

Ballroom Dance Take 2

Here are the videos of Lauren's spring dance recital. The first dance is the Quickstep and the second is the Rumba. She is taking the summer off but is looking forward to the fall session. Lauren really enjoys ballroom dance and she is doing great!

Time To Let Go

From the time my kids have been babies, I have looked forward to the next milestone in their development. Rolling over, sitting, crawling, walking, talking....all the things that kids do on the road to independence. In the past couple of weeks, Connor has taken a few more steps with more to come in the upcoming weeks.

Last weekend Connor had a rifle match in Wenatchee. Due to scheduling conflicts, neither Keith nor I were able to take him for the first match on Friday. Fortunately, we have some great friends whose son is also on the team and they willingly let Connor tag along. Granted, Connor was still supervised by our friend and in the fold of his rifle team, but I have a feeling Connor experienced some sort of freedom. Keith did make it up to the match on Saturday and they both returned home Sunday with 1 medal and 2 trophy plaques.

Then on Tuesday, Connor wanted to go to an aquarium club meeting in Seattle. I had other commitments that night and Keith did not have time to drive the hour home and turn around and head back to Seattle so we found a solution that actually worked very well. I drove Connor to Sumner, bought him a train ticket to Seattle and Keith picked him up at the station when he arrived. Connor made it safely and is looking forward to the next club meeting and a ride on the train. I'm sure it helped somewhat that we have ridden the train in Utah so he sort of knew what to do.

I know I am able to handle these excursions, letting go of the apron strings and all, because my parents did the same for me. Anytime I wanted to go on a school trip to Washington DC or Europe; visit my aunt and uncle in Germany; fly to Anchorage for a date; or any of the other great adventures I had, my parents always supported me and my hair-brained ideas. Even though I worry about Connor when he is gone, I know I am providing opportunities for him that will hopefully make him a better person and fulfill another one of his dreams.

The Kitchen Sink

I can't believe it has been 2 months since we posted anything on the blog!! It's not that we haven't been busy or anything! We decided it was time to move to a new rental and much of March was spent moving our household. Once everything was moved in, we left for Utah the next day for Spring Break.

One of the highlights of our trip this time was a visit to Angie's in Logan. It was here that we ate The Kitchen Sink, two of them actually. And for this feat we were rewarded with bumper stickers. Thanks to Grandpa for taking us for this treat!

The Reptile Man

Tonight at the Elementary School, The Reptile Man put on a show. I took Hunter, Lauren, and Kiersten. We learned some interesting facts about snakes, turtles, lizards, and alligators. The presenter brought tons of reptiles to showcase. After the show, he had a tortoise, burmese albino python, and a rock iguana out for the kids to touch and in the case of the burmese python, hold.

Hunter, Kiersten, and Lauren all took turns with the reptiles. Kiersten said her favorite part was when the tortoise peed on the floor.

Epic Saying Take Two!

As we were getting ready for Church on Sunday, Connor was very vocal about needing new clothes. He continued to complain as we loaded up and drove the the Church building. Kiersten quickly put an end to his complaining with a, "Too tight, huh?".

We all started cracking up including Connor. The only one who was not happy was Kiersten who thought we were laughing at her. One day she will understand if you say something funny, people will laugh with you.

Where does time go?

Here it is, halfway through January and I still can't write the correct year on anything. I look back at the last post and realize it has been a month since I have updated the blog. It seems lately, time has been flying by. So much has happened in the past month, I will hit the highlights.

* Keith's mom came to visit for Christmas. We had a fun time with lots of sleep in days. Grandma took Lauren, Kiersten, and me to the Nutcracker ballet. Lauren really enjoyed it but Kiersten not so much. Afterwords, she thought it was good but it was hard for her to sit still and watch.

*Keith had surgery on his knee. The doctor removed some torn cartilage from his knee. Thankfully he recovered quickly with no complications.

*Connor took 1st place Prone in 2 shooting matches. One of his 1st Place finishes was for the whole state of Washington. Lately he has been building rockets and finding things to solder together.

*Bryce is also doing well in shooting. He has participated in 1 match so far and placed 5th, just a couple of points out of medalling. Bryce also got a metal detector for Christmas and hopes to find something valuable in his treasure hunting.

*Hunter added 2 more hamsters to our menagerie. They are pretty cute dwarf hamsters named Buddy and Cutie. He is really showing responsibility taking care of his pets.

*Lauren started another session of ballroom dance, this time working on the Cha Cha and the Waltz. Lauren also started reading the Twilight series. Will she like Edward or Jacob?

*Kiersten really enjoyed Christmas break, especially the sleep in days! She is back in Preschool and is doing really well learning her letters. She learns scriptures in her Preschool and can quote John 3:16 for you!

*As for me, I am staying busy. I just got back into couponing and had a very successful day of grocery shopping last weekend. Keith and the kids were way impressed!

There you are...all updated. For now.