Chalk the Block

All summer long my sidewalks have been covered in drawings. In fact I have bought two giant boxes of chalk and all we have left is little tiny slivers of color. Each year the drawings are getting better and better. Maybe they are practicing to one day do this......

Yep, last weekend we went to Chalk the Block at the Riverwoods. We missed the Chalk Festival this year so when we heard of this we made a spur of the moment decision to go. We weren't disappointed 

It was especially fun to see this one which was drawn by some friends of Karebear

Bud Boy had the perfect seat to see this one

As mentioned it was a last minute decision to go. It had already been a chalked-full day (that puns for you sweetie).  By the end Bud Boy was doing a little of this

This girls were like this

and all our tummies, especially the baby's, were doing this

So we headed off for dinner and hopefully a little peace.

Sugar & Spice

This morning was one of those days where I would have preferred to just go back to sleep. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible.

It seems like the only thing constant about a baby is change.  You just get used to one thing..... say a certain sleep schedule and then...... Wham! up all night again. And sure as shooting if  I can sleep in she's awake, but if I can't sleep she'll sleep for hours.

After taking the kids to school, we pulled out the camera 

I don't know if you caught it when I mentioned it  here . When she is happy her tongue is out and moving around.

Lately Princess has started to hold her hand out and move it side to side. Looks just like waving. So cute!

When she wants to go to someone she will reach out her hand and then lean.

The girls have starting saying, "give me five" and oftentimes she'll put her hand up to theirs.

Speaking of hands. Here's are getting pretty quick! Eating, while holding is a dangerous game. She has now spilled a bowl of cereal and managed to grab a bowl of chocolate ice cream spilling it all over her and mom.  Brown matches pink right?

(sorry kind of blurry)

Princess rubs her feet together.   Rubs them when playing, crying, nursing, excited- You name it. Done it so much she has calluses on the inside of her feet.
 

It is so nice that she will sit and play with toys for a few minutes.

It's a good thing babies have lots of smiles, giggles and cuteness for sometimes it's the only reason I can handle the other times.

And a brother who loves to entertain. It's just the break mom needs.

Thanksgiving Point

Going places with a baby means a lot of stuff to remember to bring. Most of the time I am likely to forget something. Before school started we went through the gardens at Thanksgiving Point. Want to guess what I forgot?

The camera

I was pretty disappointed when I realized we had left the camera at home. Luckily my phone has a camera. While the pictures aren't near as good as quality it's better than nothing. I once heard a professional photographer comment, "the best camera is the one you have with you".  That day  we proved that comment and were grateful  I had some sort of camera for......

there's waterfalls

 

fountains

And of course gardens and flowers a plenty

which combined with cute kids is the ideal setting for taking pictures. 

Manic Monday

I don't know about you but most Mondays I find myself thinking of this song . It seems like Monday is spent playing catch-up. Trying to get all those tasks done that didn't get completed on Saturday or I've put on hold for Sunday. The older two have late start Mondays; meaning they start school 30 minutes later than the rest of the week. For Minnie, it's a choir morning, so it means she has school an hour earlier. These different schedules just make Mondays that much more hectic for isn't our routine.

As the song goes, "I wish it was Sunday". Such a joy to have a day where I don't do my usual routine. Yesterday I was able to do a little work on Princess's baby book. Her book is one where it has you make an entry for each month. I feel so guilty when I look at it and see the past six months blank. I want to get some things recorded before I forget. Which is already happening. Isn't it amazing how much we forget? My husband has started converting our old VHS family videos to a digital format. Yesterday we were watching one of these while he was doing this. I had forgotten how high pitched by 2nd daughter's voice was. It was also good for Karebear to see herself acting "goofy" and realize her younger sisters are just normal. I also realized I need to video Princess some. She is at such a cute, verbal stage. Hopefully even capture her laugh.

Today there was a chill to the morning. I love when the nights get cool again! The seasons are changing!
For FHE I think we will decorate for Fall/Halloween and have caramel apples. It's the one time a year we use our fondue pot my husband got at his bachelor party. So glad someone thought to give it to him. We really ought to use it more. Of course, every time I get it out I remember I need to find out where to get more fuel for it. I looked once, wasn't successful, and keep forgetting to look again.

I'm typing this with a sleeping baby in my arms. Reminiscent of her newborn stage.  There is such a peace when she falls asleep in my arms. Makes it really hard to put her down. I just want to hold her. I guess today I am indulging her (and me). In actuality, I rocked her to sleep, wanted to just hold her, decided I really needed to get something done so I put her in her crib. I thought, I need to capture how sweet she looks when asleep.

Then with a memory, far better than this photo, headed off to tackle my to do list.

Fifteen minutes later she was up. It was evident she was still tired. I guess, today, she too wants to enjoy the comfort of being held for she wakes each time I lay her down.

For now, at least, my manic Monday will have to rest.

I couldn't be happier!

Along the Bathroom Sink

The other day I walked into the bathroom and found super heroes lined up along the sink. After years of finding bobby bins, hair bows,  pony tails, barbie shoes, fairies it was so fun to see something not specific to girls.

Being mom to this guy is a lot of fun.

Almost every morning (and afternoon) he heads out to play with his best friend, who happens to live across the street. They love to race cars, dig for rocks, jump on the tramp or lately play with LEGOS(at his friend's house. Bud Boy's Christmas wish is for some LEGOS).  Occasionally they get into harmless mischief such as chucking peaches into the street ("so the cars can run over them"). The other day they decided to do the barbies hair. Let's just say it involved scissors and a lot of tears from his sisters. I'm just grateful it was only the barbies' hair.

Bud Boy loves to work the microwave. Mom is no longer allowed to push the buttons or take the food out. His favorite thing to cook is zucchini. I don't think there is an end to how much zucchini he can eat.

So fun to hear this guy say prayers as well. It's not every day one hears, "thank him for underwear". He doesn't forget a thing in his list of thank him (still working on the "thee"; it's so cute we haven't had the heart to correct).


I love that when our daily "school work" is a little challenging he just giggles as he tries to figure it out.

After lunch and school work he has to watch his current favorite show The Backyardigans (thank you Netflix). We just have to make sure it gets over before Karebear comes home from school (she's not a fan).
 

Most days we are visited by Spiderman and now Flash. His pick for Halloween (because "he's the fastest"). Of course it was hard for him to not pick the Hulk for "he's the strongest". We'll see what he actually wears Halloween night.

All I know is currently he loves to wear anything that has pockets or is red (even if it was the day of the BYU vs. Utah game).

Day Trip

Before school started we went to the Castle Valley Pageant. It was a little cheesy but over all a good production and worth the drive. We especially enjoyed the activities before hand. While reading some of the online reviews of the pageant and the booths, I chuckled at what mom wrote. She and her child were standing in line for the restroom. Her child commented, "I wonder what's going to happen at this one." The pageant  is only performed  every other year(on the even years) so if you are in the area pencil in this as a fun activity for August 2014.

On the way down we decided to make the day of it and went to the Price Dinosaur Musuem. Fridays are a fun day to go for they do a live feeding.

Just kidding.

They do actually have a live feeding to the lizard, alligator and aggressive turtle. The turtle and the alligator share a pond. It really is an aggressive turtle. The caretaker told us they are on their second alligator because the first little alligator they had the turtle ate it. He said this current alligator and turtle are like two kids in the back seat of the car. The constantly poke at each other but never enough to be very malicious. 

One half of the museum is about dinosaurs and the other half is about early Native Americans.

We were walking through the exhibits and commenting to the younger ones what various items were. Such as here's how they ground corn, here is tools they used etc. Tator saw this and said, "And here is what their plungers looked like......."

I'm sure clogged toilets was a big problem back then.

A Piece of Candy

 I've been thinking how after each one of my kids I felt stretched. Isn't it amazing how, when we feel like we are already doing all we can and then we go and do something like, say add another kid, start a new job,or take on a new calling we are able to adapt? Stretch a little more than we thought possible and make it all work.

Yesterday while getting things ready for family home evening, I came across this activity: Give each person a pebble and a piece of candy. Instruct each person to place the pebble in a shoe and the candy in his or her mouth. Take everyone on a short walk. After the walk, ask about their experience on the walk. Explain that sometimes we focus on the small hardships (pebbles) that are part of life and forget the good things (candies) that are all around us.

We didn't do this but it got me thinking. This truly is one of my coping mechanisms. Sometimes when all I have to do just seems overwhelming I have to take a moment, step back and focus on the good. The pure and simple joys.

Like the thrill of going out and picking something from our garden, that we have grown, and eating it for dinner.

Like how good a home grown tomato tastes (even if my kids disagree).

My daughter was reading Frog and Toad to me the other day. Toad was sad for he had never gotten a letter. So... frog went and wrote him a letter. Of course, he gave it to snail to deliver so they had to wait four days for it to arrive. Yeah, I may have a tall mountain of junk mail each week but at least there is something there each day for my kids to bring in on their way home from school.

Some weeks I wonder if it really is worth the time to go through ads and coupons.  I took the time to add up all the savings from last week's shopping trip. I saved nine dollars. That's nine extra dollars I could spend on something fun; maybe a treat.

On Labor Day we got tickets to the Brigham City Temple open house. We made the 2 hour drive up there to find out that so many people had just showed up that there was a three hour wait. For a variety of reasons we decided that we weren't going to wait and discouragingly headed home. We were frustrated that others didn't follow the system set up making it so that those who did couldn't tour the temple as planned. As we drove home, I realized we had past seven temples in that two hour drive. How lucky are we?. We live close enough to a temple that my girls can go do baptisms for the dead before heading to school. They are also building two new temples less than 20 minutes away. We are blessed.

While it may be nice for a day or two, I know if I didn't have my kids, and all that is associated with them, my life would be pretty lonely.

How is it with Six Kids?

I get asked this question quite a bit.

I heard this word the other day and thought it is the perfect way to answer this question.

S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-D. 

That truly is how I feel. 

I am helping one child with learning how to drive and worrying if we have taught her enough to be prepared for dating. She informed us the other day that that day is less than 6 months away.

At the same time I am helping another child learn how to eat solid foods.

I am trying to teach one child letters and their sounds while helping another to sound out hard words rather than just guess. Not to mention trying to stay awake during reading time.

My afternoons are filled with running kids to soccer, dance and karate.

My family expects dinner every night (can you believe it) and I guess breakfast and lunch too.

Every spare minute after the laundry, grocery shopping, paying bills and weeding through the mail pile is spent trying to preserve garden produce and a very productive peach tree. I think my nails are permanently stained orange.

Then there is supervising flute and piano practicing (plus lessons). And we must not forget homework. Oh and I'm supposed to be studying as well (time to renew my nursing license).

They say the first step in starting an exercise program is to be active. Currently that is my only exercise program. So I guess you can describe my wardrobe as stretched as well. Most everything just barely fits. Someday I'll make it back to my ideal size. 

There are many days where I wonder how I can do another day?

Makes me smile every time I see this photo

Funny thing, though, all it takes is one big smile. Or a sweet note passed to me during regional conference that make it all worth it.

Six Months

Half way. 

Can you believe it? 

Princess is six months old. 

She has come a long ways from that puffy, sweet bundle that was placed in my arms just as the day was getting started.

She still struggles with a clogged tear duct in her right eye but her baby acne has left revealing perfect skin with a cute little birthmark gracing her forehead.

Her inquisitive stare has been replaced by sparkling eyes that take everything in.

She has an ever ready opened mouth smile that comes out to greet whomever stops to say hi.

When happy she usually has her tongue out and moving.

She loves to be tickled in the ribs and begs for someone to make her laugh. Usually her brother can get her going.

Her quick hands love to explore everything!

She can now sit up by herself and will roll around a little to try and maneuver to the latest thing she wants to explore.

She still sleeps about the same schedule as when she was little but in her crib now. She consistently will take 2 naps a day for about 45 minutes (thank goodness she settled into this routine just this last week).

She loves to sleep on her side and even sometimes on her belly. 

Unless she is asleep she hates her car seat.

She still prefers to be held and views most of life in mom's one arm hold.

She is no longer a fussy baby who screamed every time she nursed. Now she has mastered that and soon will tackle solids (Just waiting for mom to get her act in gear).

She loves music! The girls have put on Mindy Gledhill so much for her she just might start singing this as one of her first words.

She still has a strong preference for mom but will tolerate dad or her sisters when she has to. If mom comes in the room, though, she makes her preference known by making a " mmm" sound. She then wraps her little arms around my neck when she gets to me.

Her hair is a lighter color than when she was born but still brown. It is starting to fill in and she has lost the bald ring she had around the back.

Eye color is still up in the air. It's looking like they might be going green. (Once again dad's genes won out over mom's)

As I look over the last six months I am amazed all that has happened and the things this little girl has experienced in her first six months of life as the sixth child of our family.

Looking forward to what the next six months bring!

Say What?

I love my android phone! It is so convenient for checking emails while nursing or waiting for kids to finish up karate, dance or soccer practice. It is also the way I read blogs. There are two problems with this, though. 

First off, is it's a little difficult to make comments. I am still reading blogs just not getting comments made. (Maybe I'll have to use my 15 minutes one day to actually write the things I thing when I read). 

The other is that mobile devices (At least mine, or maybe I don't know how to set things up) don't show the side bar. Yesterday, I added some fun things my kids have said to my side bar. Here's a couple from this weekend that didn't lend well to putting them on the side bar.

During dinner we had started quoting lines from various movies. I left to go get  Bud Boy into the bath. My older girls came back.

Girls: Did you hear what dad just said? It's so inappropriate

Me: What?

Karebear had quoted the line from Toy Story 2 where Ken says. "nice leg warmers" and Barbie responds with "Nice ascot". Dad then said he could never be a script writing for he would have had Ken respond with "My name's Ken not Cot".

Girls: It's so inappropriate

Me: How?

Girls: Because it's a swear word.

Me: No it's not. If you put it with another word it is but by itself it's just talking about you butt.

Girls: No, mom, it's a swear word.

Me: So you are telling me you can't say to someone, you have a nice A(we'll just say butt)?

Tator (our six year old) then pipes in, "No, you can't, for you don't"

While combing Tator's hair she asked, "Did you and Dad shower together?"

Me: Yes

Tator: But that means you would have seen him, you know

Me: It's okay when you are married

Tator: This marriage thing is sounding kind of creepy.

Growing and Changing

It is said that when you get older you get more reflective.  I  remember my grandparents always being up early. These early morning feedings are making me feel old.

The first day of school I was up rocking Princess back to sleep.  I heard Karebear get up and start the shower to begin her preparations for heading off to school. Wasn't it just yesterday she was the little baby I was up with? ( Of course back then I could go back to bed when she feel asleep).

It wasn't that long ago I was that teenager getting up, at an hour I would have much rather been asleep, to get ready for school. So glad I'm still not in that stage of life.

This weekend we had some pretty amazing weather. As Princess nursed, I watched the electric light break through the black night sky. Then the deafening crack of thunder followed by a down pour. I remember when storms like these would send my oldest running, in terror, to our bedroom. Now she too has learned the thrill and amazement of a summer storm.

Nothing marks the passing of time as children. Princess recently learned to sit. As we celebrated this new stage of her life I was once again reminded how fast my children (and I) are growing and ever changing. It's a good thing but sometimes breaks my heart.