The Summer Blahs

It has just occurred to most of my kids (and myself) that we are on the downhill side of summer. We had so looked forward to the California trip, that any activities after that were nonexistent. So now we start talking about school, and registering Sarah for 9th grade (!), Pete for 6th (!) and Meri for 1st (!). Andrew, because of his December birthday, still has a year of being home/ preschool (maybe...if I can find someplace that doesn't cost an appendage...). But after that, he goes, and the Benji goes the year after, bang bang. I can't believe that in just 2 years all my kids will be in school. Strange thought...I believed the toddler/kids at home fulltime thing would last FOREVER.

Anyway, the time has come to prepare for the next year. The big kids have choir assessments this next week, and then it's August, and in a blink it'll be time for school to start. Sigh. I hope I can figure out a better plan for homework than I have in years past.

We're Home!

Yay, we're back from CA! We had a wonderful time, and loved spending it with our Collins family, spread far and wide across the country. Kendall survived with out a sunburn, though Peter got a scorcher of one (including a few blisters on his cheeks!) The weather was deceptive, cool, overcast and breezy the whole week, with only a couple of afternoons clear of clouds. It probably made the rest of the family miserable, but Kendall and I loved it. Sorry, guys!

Disneyland was a blast. Benji just skirted the 40" line, so he could ride most of the rollercosters. We even bought a picture of the whole family on Splash Mountain.

We miss you guys...let's do it again soon!

Summer Illness

Sorry it's been so long...I caught a summer cold (maybe the flu), and was fuzzy and out of it for 3 days. Then Meri got sick the day after I did, and even though I've recovered, she is still desperately ill. We took her to the doctor yesterday after 3 days of 102+ fever off and on. The doc thought she might have developed an ear and sinus infection after getting caught unawares by this viral illness. So we have her doped up on everything possible. I'm really not sure how this is supposed to work, with getting ready for vacation, etc. But hopefully the meds will kick in sometime today, and by Friday when we leave for CA she'll be well enough to go. Otherwise....I don't know.

And So It Begins...

Last Friday Kendall was laid off, as of Aug. 1. This means, well, you know what it means. I know we're going to be okay, and in the long run this is for the best, but for today, I think I'm going to mope. Or work out my emotions by cleaning the house. At least that would be productive, huh?

The Joy of Music

Today was a music day. Kendall sang (with 3 other guys) and I played in Sacrament Meeting today, I had choir (the last rehearsal of the summer), and for some reason, my kids seemed to be singing all day.
My favorite is Benji right now. He is rarely in tune, though sometimes he hears it and follows the pitch pretty well. But it's his enthusiasm, the joy he gets from just making the music and singing along that brings a smile to my heart.
I'm trying to be careful not to crush that joy by trying to "teach" him how to sing in tune. For right now, I'm just enjoying the memories of his wide smile stretched in the third time through of "Twinkle, Twinkle" before he goes to bed.

So This is Utah???

It's June 11, and I think we've had maybe 2 days hit 80 this year. I'm used to complaining about the heat somewhere about the middle of May. Kendall JUST turned on the sprinklers about a week ago. And our lawn is still green.

Don't get me wrong...I love this weather. Seattle, WA, or Portland, OR have the type of weather we (Kendall and I) like. But we don't live in Seattle or Portland, and though for the most part I LOATHE Utah weather and all that sunshine, it's a trifle disconcerting to have gray skies day after day.

So, So FUNNY!

I had to post this...I found it on another blog and laughed so hard. The truly funny part was Meri coming to me in the middle of watching to say, "Mom, the bowl I was pouring my applesauce into tipped over while I was pouring and landed upside down and there's applesauce ALL OVER!" After the video you'll see how funny this really is.

A Miracle!

So the other day while I was reading a friend's blog, I found a link to a another blog. Not a miracle in itself, but in this other blog, I found THE ANSWER TO ALL MY PROBLEMS AS A MOTHER OF FIVE CHILDREN WHO RANGE FROM 14 TO 3.

We started a new reward system for the kids. I'm just going to include the link, and you can see for youreself how well it will work. ALL my kids, with the exception of Benji who hasn't stood still long enough to understand it, have gotten on board.

Go check it out! Queen of the Clan

The Countdown Begins

Starting yesterday, it will be exactly a month before we will be in Southern California with my extended family. My parents foot the bill (Thanks, Mom and Dad!) for a beach house that can house them, each of their six children and their respective families.
We did this about 5 years ago, when we just had 3 children, and Meri was only a little over 1. Now she's six and she has two younger brothers to add to the mix. I don't know how we're all going to fit, but that's part of the fun.

One week on the beach, a Disney day, and exploring.

Can't wait!

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

Sorry I took so long to share about Sarah's birthday. May is just birthday month around here. I was also wanted to get a picture of her cake up, and hadn't gotten around to it. So here it is...


Our good friend Deanna has, after 15+ years working for a supermarket bakery, gone into business for herself. Three weeks ago. So I asked her to make a cake. Isn't it awesome? Very "Ace of Cakes".

I chose Eclipse for two reasons: 1, it is one of Sarah's favorite book series (behind Harry Potter.) And 2, since Eclipse the movie comes out on the 30th of this month, I thought it would be fun to take her to see the midnight show. When I went to purchase the tickets, however, I discovered that one of our local theaters was doing a triple feature of all the Twilight movies. So of course we're doing them all, ending with the 12:01 showing of Eclipse.

Happy Birthday to my grown up girl!