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!