Monday, January 29, 2018

Monday, January 29, 2018

McCabe received his arrow of light this past week.  He and Tim worked very hard to make sure it happened.  We are also planning McCabe’s birthday party for Friday.  He is going to be 11.  I cannot believe how big he is getting.  He can be the sweetest boy when things go his way, but when things do not go his way, that is another story.  Tim and I are trying to teach McCabe to cope a little better when situations do not go how he wants.  For example, he did not get to go to a gas station to buy chips.  His reaction is to stomp off and get angry at anyone in his way.  Tim and I try to talk to McCabe to inform him that a better way to deal is to realize that things will not go his way and to accept it or post pone and get the items at a later date.  This is a challenging lesson.


Teagan is wanting to change his name again.  Yesterday he wanted to be “M-adocious.”  This morning he wants his name to be “T-adocious.”  I cannot keep up with all these name changes.  So I usually call him, “big T,” or “sweetness.”  It works and he responds.  I got to visit Teagan last night for bed time.  He was holding my hand and rubbing my cheek.  He is so sweet.  These are gestures I usually do to him and he was copying me.  I just love it.
Xadia is the queen of pancake crepes.  Every moment she gets, she wants to make a meal and it is usually pancake crepes with blueberries and whipped cream.  I am so glad this little eight-year-old wants to cook but the mess is so big.  I am usually the one cleaning the stove and the mixing bowl.  Xadia is also a very active and intuitive girl.  While playing with Leilani, they decided to find the billiard balls that accidently ended up in the ball pit.  They bagged 6 huge trash bags full of balls.  They neatly placed the filled bags against the wall.  They have a long way to go.  There are about 15,000 balls in the ball pit.  One trash bag looks like it holds around 200 balls.  They did find half of the billiard balls.  I hope they find the rest soon so we can put the balls back in the pit before they end up all over the floor.
Jacinda just gave her first lesson in young women’s.  It was on the Holy Ghost.  I know she did a great job.  That girl has so much spiritual knowledge that she is an asset to the kingdom of God.  We got to visit last night.  Her 13 year-old concerns consist of wanting a variance to Mill Creek Jr. High and not being able to take 3D art.  Of course I listened but there are such bigger concerns such as getting her room decluttered and cleaned and washing her jackets so she has some clothes to wear tomorrow.  I also go to scrape the warts on her foot.  Originally there were 5 now we are down to 2.  It is taking months for those things to go away but at least they are going.
Tim is working on the blueberry this week.  He is trying to hitch a wench to it.  Of course we don’t have all the pieces and the Polaris shop only sells the items in a kit and we don’t need a kit, just a few individual pieces.  (Another good reason to use Amazon.)
I am working on my jacket.  I have the jacket part done and now working on the lining.  I am not using a pattern.  I am combining my likes from different pictures on the internet into one creation.  I am surprised as how easy the ruffles were to sew.  The part that took the longest was the tail.  I did not like the pleats so I had to do some modifying.  I will be good not sewing for a few months after this project is done. I do love my new sewing machine but the urges to sew come in spurts.  Jacinda wants to make an outfit.  She showed me a picture.  It is very steampunk.  I want to help her make it.  She would look fabulous in it.

Monday, January 22, 2018

Monday, January 22, 2018

Super busy week with work, kids, and playing.  Friday we finally got some snow.  We took advantage of that on Saturday by sledding at the old stake center.  It was so fun.  McCabe took his friends, Cayden Kister, Cohen Haddock, and Kyle Nielson.  Teagan took Gabe Haddock and Kade Mcpheter.  Xadia saw her friend Afton there and so those two sledded together.  Jacinda was at Brooklyn’s house (we missed her).  Tim and I had a great time ridding on sleds and racing the kids.  I drove the suburban with half the group.  Tim drove the blueberry and froze the other half of the group. 
After sledding, everyone came to our house for dinner.  We had apple slices, turkey stroganoff, brown rice, and garlic bread. Gabe, who is 5 said, “I am so full, but I don’t want to stop eating because this is so good.”  Tim told Gabe he could come to our house any time with and attitude like that.  It made Tim really happy since he made the stroganoff.
Last week was a short week in honor of Martin Luther King and the end of the term. The kids stayed home and played the computer and did lots coloring.  When Tim and I got home from work, we played snakes and ladders and sleeping queens with Xadia and Teagan.  We also played a game or two of mancala.  It is really funny playing with the younger kids.  Xadia likes to look at the queen cards before placing them face down.  She does a great job memorizing the placement of the Rose Queen.  Now when I play that game with her she says, “I am not going to cheat.”  She has been doing a good job so far.  But the truth is, I don’t care.  It is more about spending time with the kids.  Eventually I will crack down on the dishonesty.
This week I look forward to Jacinda playing church basketball and coming with me to cocoa and conversations at the church.  She gets to babysit while I attend the activity.  I am also looking forward to helping Jacinda with math.  She is adding and subtracting negative fractions.  McCabe is memorizing part of the Gettysburg address.  So I am planning on reciting that a few times this week with him.  I am also hoping to finish my latest creation.  I am sewing a jacket and making up the pattern as I go.  I love my full life.

Thursday, January 18, 2018

      We had such a great winter break.  I finally got around to putting together a movie of our trip to California.  We went to the Ballard's Christmas party.  Then we had Christmas at Chris and Tricia's house.  We went to Lego Land, the beach, and saw the Rose Parade.  It was fun filled and very busy.  I loved every minute of it.


Sunday, January 14, 2018

Monday, January 15, 2018

      The funeral went well.  I loved seeing the family.  I put together a movie displaying all that happened.  The pictures do a better job of explaining.