Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Prior to thanksgiving, I took a day off to go on a field trip with Xadia.  The fourth grade went to the Weber landfill, water treatment facility, and the Davis sewer district.  It made me laugh when people asked, “What did you do on your day off?”  There were many funny answers that filled my head, but I just said, “I went on a field trip with my daughter.”  It is always such a treasure to go with my kiddos on an outing.  I got to see her with her friends (Belen, Izzy, and Natasha) and hold her hand as we walked from place to place.  I love being with them.  Our time is so limited together.  They grow so fast which is amazing and painful at the same time.         

We had a full house for thanksgiving and a great feast.  The Squires and Johnsons were able to join us.  There was plenty of food for everyone and so many desserts.  Mimi out did herself with making apple pie, pumpkin pie, cherry pie, and a log roll.  Everything tasted so good.  I was really grateful my siblings and their families could make it.  It was very snowy thanksgiving morning.  Tim taught McCabe how to work the plow on the blueberry.  Tim could not find his usual beaver hat, so he wore a banana head cover (from Halloween) to keep his ears warm.  It is all about function not fashion with Tim.  At least he got the job done.

We love having snow because it sets the tone for extreme sledding.  That is when we hook sleds to the back of the blueberry and go for a ride.  It was so cold riding in the snow.  My fingers were frozen by the time I got home but we had so much fun.  We first went in circles in the parking lot.  Then drove up the mountain behind our house.  I got a little nervous when the kids slide near the edge.  I would tell Tim to slow down or turn the blueberry.  He was doing a good job of steering and I was doing a great job of back seat driving.  I am pleased to report that no injuries occurred. 

The school has been asking us to have further eye tests done on Teagan because he kept failing the machine operated eye exam.  We had him tested and sure enough, he has amblyopia (a lazy eye) in his left eye.  He got some glasses to help strengthen his left eye.  He gets to wear an eye patch and his glasses for 10 hours a day.  Yesterday he did well with his glasses but Sunday he was frustrated with his glasses and eye patch.  He started crying at church.  It is very hard as a mom to see a child frustrated, hurt, or in pain.  I am trying to do my best to support him and the doctor’s recommendations.  He is a champ.  I am very pleased with how well he is trying.

Jacinda is looking beautiful with her braces off.  She is still into cosplay.  Here is a picture of her in her Native American costume and wig.  She took my phone to take a selfie…..now the picture is fair game.  I am amazed at her creativity.  She has drawn some awesome pictures with lighting and shading.  She was definitely given the talent to draw.

Tim and I got to go on a date to the tabernacle Christmas concert.  Can I just say that it was AMAZING!  Kellie O’Hara and Richard Thomas were the featured artists.  Kellie has a beautiful singing voice.  It was so lovely.  Richard did a fine job reading a story.  All the participants displayed their talents in such an impressive manner from lighting to costumes to singing to playing instruments and dancing.  I loved every minute of it.  I would like to go each year and take the kids.  Leaving the conference center I was filled with such a good feeling.  The kind of feeling you want to last forever.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

We had a busy and fun day yesterday.  It started with exercise for the adults and computers for the kids.  Then we had a big breakfast of waffles, bacon, and milk.  I cooked 3 lbs of bacon.  We did not eat all of it.  I will use the left overs for other meals this week.  The house smelled like bacon the rest of the day.

After breakfast, the boys had a piano lesson.  McCabe is learning simplified hymns.  I am pleased with his progress.  Teagan is still trying to figure out where the notes are on the keyboard.  Once he gets the correct hand position, he does great playing. 

 From piano, we raked leaves in our yard and Jeri Burr’s yard.  Our trailer was full thanks to raking leaves from grandma Margaret’s yard last week.  Off to the dump was our next stop.  The kids were a huge help unloading the trailer.  On they way home, Xadia and Teagan kept playing a game where they would try to sit on each other.  I had to remind them to buckle and stay in their seats.  At the moment they like to pass gas on each other and say “door knob.”  It is a weird game I do not understand.  I hope they grow out of it soon.

The kids got to spend $2 at 7-eleven for helping with the leaves.  Xadia chose donuts.  Teagan chose an ice cream bar and McCabe chose a soda and Dorito chips.  I laughed as they walked out of the store.  Look at all these empty calories my kiddos are going to put in their bodies.

After parking the trailer, we geared up to ride dirt bikes.  Tim taught me how to start and shift a dirt bike.  My take offs were jerky, I will need more practice.  We had a great time riding in the parking lot at the end of the street.  Teagan was crazy.  He made me worry.  His dirt bike has training wheels and he was turning corners and pushing into those training wheels.  If those training wheels were not there, that boy would had fallen many times.

After biking, we came home and cleaned up.  Tim and I went to the temple.  From there, it was dinner time and happened to be Xadia’s month.  She wanted to eat at the Golden Corral.  It is a buffet.  She enjoyed some sweet potatoes, a roll, a glass of milk, some strawberry ice cream with sprinkles and gummy bears, and a bag of cotton candy.  Tim had a steak and I enjoyed a salad.  We liked talking and visiting with Xadia.  She is doing really well in school and likes to play with her friends, Natasha and Izzy.

After dinner, we picked up Jacinda from the Squire’s house and went home.  I made some banana bread and then joined the kids for movie night.  We watched Ice Age.  They loved the part where the baby wipes his face on the mammoth.  It was a fun way to end the day.  We said prayer and then off to bed.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Well there it goes….the month of October.  We were busy (of course) celebrating birthdays and getting ready for Halloween.  I had a fun outing with my childhood friends.  Each year we get together and have lunch.  There never seems to be enough time but I am grateful Kerianne, Leslie, and Rori are my friends.  Kerianne made me promise not to put the picture on facebook.  However, she said nothing about my blog.

We also went out for Xadia’s birthday.  She decided on Chick-fil-A.  Tim and is missing from the picture because he was in Washington state getting our house ready to sell.  McCabe was not feeling well due to a back flip going awry.  He hit his head on the trampoline so he decided to stay home and rest.  The rest of us enjoyed a yummy meal of chicken nuggets, criss-cross fries, and milk shakes.  Xadia got a Coraline costume for her birthday.  That is what she wanted to be for Halloween.  Funny thing, the yellow rain jacket was the wrong size.  Good thing momma knows how to work the sewing machine.  After a few cuts and hems, the rain jacket is a perfect fit.

 

Jacinda got to go to Anime bonsai during the middle of October.  Here she is with colored contacts, a fake face scar, and her costume.  She really loves to dress up and put on character make up.  She is super talented and definitely has a knack for that.  Teagan decided to be in the picture too because he loves to hang around Jacinda (when he is not playing minecraft on the computer).

Tim and I had a little get away to Washington before our house sold.  The house turned out amazing.  I just loved the carpet (Kamden is the name from Home Depot) with the walls (silver strand is the name of the paint).  It made me a little sad to think that would be the last time in our WA house.  However, I am very happy at the thought of only owning one home.  While in Washington, we saw Doug and family.  Doug and Denise are living in a house right next to the water and it is absolutely gorgeous.   Their house is next to an oyster farm. Tim and I had a fun time flipping oyster nets over and watching the little sand crabs scatter.  We kept thinking how much fun the kids would have staying at Uncle Doug’s house.  There was fishing, swimming, and watching nature.

The weather is turning cold and that means baking.  Teagan likes to help me in the kitchen.  He decided to put on Tim’s apron to prevent getting dirty.  Of course he wanted to pose for a picture.  And so here he is flexing his chocolate chip cookie muscle.  He is such a joy to have.

Tim surprised me at work with flowers for my birthday and love notes just because.  He somehow roped my boss into helping him.  After I left work, my boss put loving sticky notes (made by Tim) on my monitors.  It was such a nice surprise.  I was all smiles and it started my day right.

October 25^th was birthday tables for Xadia.  Tim and I were able to join her along with her 3 friends, Izzy, Belen, and Natasha. Tim took the picture of Xadia with her friends then dropped my phone and cracked it (LOL I love Murphy’s law).   Xadia requested chicken nuggets and a frosty from Wendy’s.  Of course we bought a frosty for each girl.  That is something kinda fun we like to do along with bringing balloons and a small gift to the birthday girl’s class.  This year Xadia got balloons with a 100,000 grand candy bar and glitter glue pens.  As I write about Xaida’s birthday I am amazed at everything we did.  She also had a birthday party.  We tried to do an escape room but the puzzles were a little hard for 10-year-olds.  Nevertheless, they enjoyed making slime and decorating graham cracker haunted houses.

We had a family get away (along with Kade and Izzy) to Lake Mantua.  It was a little cold but so much fun.  The kids fished, rode bikes, and played at the playground.  For some reason the kids called the giant sand hill on the playground “poop mountain.”  They are so silly.  Tim had a good time also letting the kids hang on him as he played on the zip line.  Tim painted my nails and some of my fingers bright red (and I loved every moment of it) as we sat on the dock.  To top off the getaway, we bought a big slice of cheesecake and carrot cake (Yum!).  These desserts are incomparable.  They are so good.  Unfortunately Jacinda could not join us because she was working her last day at Lagoon.  I am so pleased that she stayed the entire season with her job and was so responsible.

At home the kids are always being so creative.  McCabe and Teagan decided to put toilet paper on their fan and turn it on.  As the paper spins, they dance in the middle of it.  It looked fun until the paper started wrapping around McCabe’s neck.  That is when I say, “game over kids and it is time to take it down.” 

Saturday, October 5, 2019

     I had such a fun week.  We celebrated my birthday.  It started out with celebrating a few days early by eating at Joy Luck (a Chinese restaurant).  The kids ordered strawberry Italian Sodas.  We then enjoyed a big dinner of cream cheese puffs, egg drop soup, strawberry chicken, sweet and sour chicken, peeking ribs, cashew vegetables, and black bean asparagus.  The food was delicious and I had left overs for lunch for the next 3 days. 
     On my actual birthday, I was surprised at work by the family.  They brought me 2 dozen red roses, a bag of Lindt chocolates and some birthday cards.  Xadia and Jacinda made me cards.  Jacinda took time to sketch a character on her card.  I love the cards.  I taped them to my wall at work so that every time I need a break from work I just look to my right and see the cards and it reminds me how much I am loved.
     After I got home, we had a nice pot of macaroni and cheese for dinner, that is what Teagan wanted.  I do not like mac and cheese but I was not very hungry so there was not need to argue.  After dinner, Tim and I went to the temple.  Because of a policy change, I got to witness a bunch of sealings.  It was a tender experience.

       Thursday was the tech trek.  Xadia and Teagan had a great time running laps at the school to raise money.  There was a lot of kids and the music was so loud.  I was exhausted.  Usually I run laps with the kids but after about 7 laps I had to sit down.  The kids did a good job and had a lot of fun running with their friends and eating snow cones.  I am so thankful they get to have this experience because it helps build their character in a positive way.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

I got a lot of catching up to do.  First off…..school is back in session.  Teagan is in 2^nd grade, Xadia is in 4^th, McCabe is in 7^th, and Jacinda is in 9^th.  (My babies are getting so big!)  I took some cute pictures before their first day.  The Squire children are also in the pictures because they are temporarily living with us until their house sells.  It has been fun having them.

The Squires like a lot of the same thing my children like.  They play the computers.  I think they play Minecraft, Roblox, and Fort Nite.  They are also good helpers with the lawn care business.  They have made a few dollars also.  Brinton will not miss an opportunity to mow a lawn because, “it is his only source of income.”  Kate and Jacinda like anime.  They dressed up as Hetalia characters for Fan X.  Jacinda was Prussia and Kate was Germany.  I was so impressed with their costumes.  They made them from D.I. clothes.  Jacinda’s boots were originally black and she covered them with a white vinyl material.  These kids are super talented.

Labor day weekend was no vacation.  Someone started a fire in the mountains and we had to be evacuated from our house.  Luckily the fire did not touch our house.  It was about 150 yards away.  However, three people lost their homes all because a campfire was not fully extinguished.  It was so said seeing the losses on t.v.

McCabe just got braces.  He is suffering through the pain.  The first 3 days meant soft foods.  He lived on mashed potatoes, applesauce, yogurt, and ice cream.  He is very excited to have straight teeth to compliment his good looks.  He is very much into trying to create a six pack.  He likes to flex his muscles in the mirror.  He is a cute kid. 

Xadia set up her “squatter’s camp in the hallway.  She got lots of blankets, chairs, and pillows to make a nice bed.  Teagan and Canda also joined in the fun.  She slept there for 3 nights.  It is fun to see what Xadia will do next.

Caught Teagan the other day putting his “babies” down for a nap.  My heart pretty much melted at the sight.  Teagan still shows some of that sweet baby boy side while being a tough adventurous 7-year-old.  It is so fun being a mama to all these wonderful children. 

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

It is an exciting time in our lives.  After nine years of renting, we are going to sell our Longview, WA home.  It has been a great home.  Three of my four kids lived there for a season.  Tim and I built it with the intentions of living there forever.  It is just over 4200 square feet.  It has an intercom system and HDMI cable all throughout.  We had missionaries living in the basement during our occupancy.  I love the double headed shower and that the laundry room is on the floor with all the bedrooms.

Our last set of renters really did a number on the place.  They painted the walls and got some of the paint on the ceiling and carpet.  One of their children decided to paint the outside of the house.  There was markers and writing on doors and walls.  Pieces of candy were stuck in the carpet and it reeked of urine.  That was really frustrating.  They did not take care of the yard.  There were over grown weeds and moss on the roof.  My heart dropped when I saw the condition.  They tried to blame the previous renters but Tim and I visited the last set of renter and saw the condition of the home.  It was not that bad.  It also did not smell nasty.  It was frustrating to see that the current renters did not keep their side of the contract to do $300/month of home repairs.  Needless to say, we helped the renters move and did a major overhaul on the house.  It took a lot of time and money to restore the house.  Now it looks beautiful.  New carpet will be laid in 2 weeks.  Part of me wants to hold on to the house.  The other part says to let go.  I took lots of pictures to keep as memories.

Something really cute that has happened this past month is Teagan copying Tim with pen placement.  Tim always has a pen.  On Sundays, Tim puts the pen behind his tie in between two buttons on his shirt.  Teagan does the exact same because he wants to be like his dad.  It is the cutest thing ever.  I just love it.

Thursday, May 16, 2019

      Well a lot has happened since my last entry.  Easter was a blast because we got to do the egg Olympics.  Uncle Matt and Aunt Mimi were good sports because they did not come down too hard on Xadia’s BYU decorated egg.  In fact, they had a lot of fun tossing it around.  I almost won the luge but got beaten out by Vaughn.  I found out that the shot put and I don’t mesh well.  This is the event where you put a shelled egg in your mouth and spit it out as far as you can.  My egg did not go very far.  Roxanne (my sister) thought it was hilarious.  Every time I was up, she would gut laugh because I looked so funny.  We go some good pictures.  I think the best event was the 400 meter dash.  Aunt Roxy is super competitive.  As soon as the race started, she whacked my egg off the spoon along with anyone else who got next to her.  That did not stop us from having a good time.  We would pick up the egg, put it back on the spoon and keep running.  The kids all had a good time.  Uncle Tim was in hard-boiled egg heaven.  It seemed like every time I turned around he was salting an egg and eating it.  I think the egg Olympics is one of the best Easter traditions ever.

     The weather in Utah is absolutely beautiful.  The kids walk to school every day.  When the weekend arrives, as a family, we like to go to a park or ride bikes.  The flowers are so beautiful.  I love seeing the phlox on the rock wall.  It looks like a vibrant floral waterfall.  God sure knew what he was doing when created this earth.

     In the beginning of May, Tim, myself, Aunt Amy, and Uncle Ethan went to Rome and Italy.  What a fantastic trip.  The landscape and history are unbelievable.  The pictures do not do it justice.  I was so amazed at how advanced the Romans were.  They had their own little sewer and plumbing system.  Their roads had speed bumps to prevent chariots going too fast and hitting pedestrians (saw that in Pompeii).  I was really intrigued with their tall buildings and short doors.  However, the buildings dedicated to their gods were super ornate with huge doors.  I believe it was the Pantheon door that is 23 feet high.  Another church/baptistery door in Florence was decorated with gold and depicted bible stories.  There is a lot of religious influence in Italy.  It was bizarre to see interpretations of hell in the murals.  It looked like a scary place with some very strange creatures doing weird things to people.  I was glad we were able to go to the Rome temple.  It was very powerful doing a session and hearing people respond in different languages.  Humans have not changed much over the course of thousands of years.  Some strive to be close to God, others choose to live a different type of life.  I am so glad I was able to go and see and learn the history of Italy.  I could not help but think about the age of the structures (some over 2,000 years old) and compare it to the U.S. only being about 250 years old.  It made me laugh.  Here is a fun fact, Michelangelo did not want to paint the Sistine chapel ceiling because he considered himself a sculptor not a painter.  However, the pope kept asking and so eventually he said yes.

Sunday, March 31, 2019

     We had a fun week with the kids.  We did so many things.  We made cinnamon rolls.  Teagan has reminded me that Saturday and Sunday mornings there should be cinnamon rolls or a ring-a-ling.  The kids always like to help make the food.  The cinnamon rolls turned out delicious.

McCabe threw a scone and potato chip party.  He invited some friends from school and they came and made potato chips and scones.  They also had a good time playing in the basement.  The party was to go from 6 to 8.  But the kids were having such a good time, they did not leave until 10 pm.  I am glad they could hang out at our house.

Teagan celebrated birthday tables this month at school.  He was able to invite one friend.  He invited Amelia.  She was a very quiet but nice girl.  Amelia's sister was also at birthday tables and her sister, Rhea invited Xadia as her friend.  It was so fun to see my kids at school.  I like celebrating their existence.

Jacinda had her first day at work.  She stood all day taking money and allowing people into Lagoon.  When she got home, her feet were so sore.  I am very proud at her enthusiasm to work.  She gets to go back the next day and stand some more.

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Seems like the days blend.  Nothing too exciting to report.  I have been exercising more and as a result, eat more.  Also met with the accountant and now need to pay some hefty taxes.  Tim is getting the lawn business ready.  This weekend he will change the oil and lawn mower blades.

This past weekend, we drove by the Farmington house.  That was an amazing experience because the owners were outside working.  They invited us in for a tour.  It was so incredible to see that much of the work Tim and I did 15 years ago did not change.  We but a lot of sweat equity and good memories into that home.  The owners were so nice and come to find out, I went to high school with Adam Jensen.  It was funny to find out that Michelle Jensen lived in Longview, WA and knew many of the same people we did.  Side note: we moved to Longview, WA after remodeling the Farmington house.  We hit it off so well that they are coming over in May for a BBQ.

Jacinda has surprised me this past week with taking the initiative and cleaning the house.  She even mentioned that she needs to focus more on her school studies.  I don’t know what sparked this change but I love it.

McCabe is doing his thing which is playing fortnite and doing evening math with me.  He likes to get me just before going to bed to review his math.  I have told him that Tim can review it, but for some reason likes it when I check.

Xadia is working on her marionette.  She made a puppet of Malala.  Just the other day we made a vibrant dress for her puppet.  Now we need to make a head shawl for her.  Xadia is also working on identifying adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, and verbs in a sentence.  We had a short review yesterday as we were chopping hard boiled eggs for egg salad sandwiches.

This past week, Teagan has been wanting to sleep in my bed.  That is a big NO because he likes to flail his arms.  History shows that I have been hit too many times in the face by him while I slept.  I know better.  So we came to an agreement.  He could sleep on our bedroom floor in his train tent.  Oh the simple things in life that bring joy to a seven year old.  He ran down the hall and in 10 seconds was back with his tent, 3 blankets, and a giant teddy bear.  He laid on our bed as we watched the news then once asleep, Tim put him in his tent.

Egg Master Teagan has mastered cooking eggs in bread.  He likes to surprise us with his specialty dish.

Tuesday, March 13, 2019

I cannot believe March is half way over.  We celebrated Tim’s and Teagan’s birthdays last week.  We threw a pizza party for Teagan.  He had 10 friends over for games and cake.  Two of the friends were handfuls.  The ninety minute party felt like three hours.  We did run out of time.  He had to open his gifts after his friend’s left.  Two really fun presents received were a giant slinky and Bey Blades.  It has only been a few days and already we have untangled the slinky 3 times.

Monday we went out to eat dinner for the boy’s birthdays.  Nana and Lynn Hansen took us to Texas Roadhouse.  Teagan was so excited to sit on the saddle as the birthday.  On the other hand, Tim did not share the same enthusiasm.  He could not be convinced to sit on the saddle.

Xadia started girls on the run this week.  She is getting conditioned to run a 5k race.  I think she is really going to like it since her best friend Izzy will be joining her.  When she runs the actual race, Tim will be running with her.  Last night I tried helping Xadia with her multiplication.  She is learning her fours.  She knows all of her multiplication up through 12 except for 6, 7, and 8.  After about 30 minutes of whining and crying, I called it quits.  She begged through her tears to keep going and kept saying she was not tired..  Ha…moms know when kids lying.  She was sent to bed. 

Something funny about Xadia and Teagan, when they are out of school they like to play school.  Saturday they had flipper over laundry baskets and used them as desks.  They also got out paints and were going to town on an artistic picture.  I was not thrilled to find drops of paint on the carpet.  Oh the joys of being a mom.

McCabe is working hard to complete his school projects.  Thank goodness for parents.  I read a book with him (Lincoln’s Grave Robbers).  He did a book report and I spent a good hour proof reading and making corrections on his report.  After he submitted his report via computer and receiving a passing score I felt so relieved and good.  I was ready to move on.  The next day I get a call and he tells me that he read the directions wrong and has to re-do his book report.  Noooooo!  I helped him again with proof reading and minor corrections.  Once again submitted the report.  I love going through the sixth grade for the 3^rd time (first time was for me, the second time was for Jacinda, and the third time is for McCabe).

Since it is starting to warm up, McCabe is contacting his clients for lawn service.  Yesterday, he and Thorin went door to door and sold lawn aeration services.  When they got home, Tim asked how many they sold.  Thorin said about ten.  When Tim checked the app, he only saw 4 new clients.  I don’t know where the other six went but somehow they did not make it in his client app.

Jacinda is gearing up for her job at Lagoon.  She has one more training.  She will be a cashier.  I am kinda freaking out because at the last training she learned what to do during a robbery.  I never thought someone might rob Lagoon but it could happen.  It made me panic and worry about her safety even though the chances are very slim.  I guess mom’s never stop worrying about their babies.

Tim is a changed man.  He has discovered the Walmart grocery app.  He loves to order his groceries and then have them delivered.  Sure it costs $8 to deliver but he says, “it is the best $8 I have ever spent.”  This is a total game changer for him.  No more impulse buying.  No more nagging kids.  Of course this also means, no more hot dates to Walmart.  I guess we will have to find something else to do.

Thursday, February 28, 2019

      The weather is starting to turn warm and the box elder bugs are appearing.  Jacinda got a job at Lagoon.  Today is her first day of training.  I am very proud of her.  Work experience will only refine and make her a better person.

                McCabe just registered for Jr. High.  The reality that my babies are growing too fast hits me hard.  I am happy for his next chapter in life but sad that he will no longer be in elementary school.  As he registered for school, two of his friends (Thorin Carlisle and Ben Anderson) were there also.  They decided to film and act funny as McCabe was receiving his immunizations.  They were hoping McCabe would cry when the needle went in his arm.  They were sorely disappointed.  McCabe was a champ.  No tears from him.

                Xadia is enjoying spirit week.  I think her favorite was crazy hair day.  She wanted her hair to stand up.  It took both Tim and me to construct a mechanism that would hold up her hair. I think she liked all the silent attention. 

Xadia is also wanting to get into running.  She has decided to try her abilities at “Girls on the Run.”  A program that coaches and prepares girls to run a 5K race.  Of course she will need a running buddy.  I think Tim will be the perfect fit since I am suffering at the moment with dizzy spells.

                Teagan is wearing out his shoes like no other kid.  His shoe was so worn that the sole bent half way back.  Of course we could not find the match to his cowboy boots and we could not send him to school in his socks, so we found a pair of soccer cleats that did the trick.  Unfortunately they were 2 sizes too big but it worked for the day until we could get some new shoes.  Never mind the cleat flying off his foot when playing tag.  He is a happy little boy.

                We started having the kids plan and help cook dinner meals.  Jacinda chose pot stickers with rice and orange chicken.  McCabe fixed mashed potatoes, steak, and rolls.  Xadia had chicken nuggets, fruit salad, yams, and a vegetable salad.  Teagan chose spaghetti, garlic bread, and pears.  I have never had spaghetti quite like Teagan and Tim made it.  The noodles were like a big pile of mush as a result of overcooking.  It was a very strange consistency.  I did not care much for it.  I focused on dipping my garlic bread into the spaghetti sauce.  That made dinner palatable.  It has been a huge relief having kids help with meals.  I like that they are eating the food and it does not get wasted.  They are also helping clean the kitchen after the meal which is also very nice.

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

The kids are doing great at their ice skating lessons.  They all know how to skate forwards and backwards.  Some can stop, others cannot so they rely on the rink walls.  Teagan is kamikaze.  He is doing turns and hops on the ice.  Last night we took the kids for a practice.  Teagan was hopping over the lines on the ice.  Xadia and McCabe were working on forward skating.  Jacinda was feeling sick so she stayed home.  Tim and I watched from the stands.  I am shocked at how comfortable they are skating now compared to 3 weeks ago.

Jacinda Skating

McCabe Skating (black coat)

Teagan and Xadia skating (Teagan in middle, Xadia behind Teagan)

                McCabe went to the temple for the first time this morning.  He and Tim did baptisms and confirmations.  I took the Jr. High carpool to school.  We got stuck in Steiner Naegle’s driveway.  The 3 kids (Jacinda, Steiner, and Averie) had to push the car out of the driveway.  I noticed some black tire marks on the driveway as I drove away.  I hope my tires are not too bald from this incident.

                Jacinda is getting in touch with her creative side.  She amazes me with her artistic ability.  Currently she takes apart Barbie dolls and modifies them into different characters.  She will re-paint their faces, replace their hair, make new limbs and joints, and design a new outfit for the doll.  She has some seriously awesome talent.

 Kade Stubbs receives the Aaronic Priesthood.

McCabe Fisher receives the Aaronic Priesthood.

                McCabe is caught between playing Fortnite and getting his science fair project completed.  He is researching how many times a deck of cards should be shuffled in order for the deck to be completely random.  So far 4 times is the magic number.  Now he needs to paste his findings on a story board.  Just yesterday he asked if I would help him with adding some “fluff” to his results.  “Fluff” is the added words that make the assignment longer.  It was my least favorite part of writing as a kid and still is my least favorite part of writing as an adult.  I like to get right to the point.

Xadia is my little chef.  She helps me with cooking and making yummy treats.  Recently we made churros and a peanut butter no bake cake.  Each weekend she asks to make something.  I have been making a lot of ring-a-lings.  She likes to crack the eggs or measure the flour and slide the excess flour from the measuring cup with a knife.  Xadia also likes to work with perler beads.  I am always blow over when I enter the craft room and there are beads and ribbons all over the table.  Such messes are causing my kids to work.  I even get the response, “why do I have to clean it?  I did not make the mess.” “Because you are part of this family and you live here,” is my response.  We are all learning to pitch in.

Teagan is our little goof ball.  After all the kids are in bed, Tim and I will watch the 9 pm news.  Within minutes we get a knock at our door followed by a loud, “let me in.”  Last night Tim told Teagan that it is daddy’s time to be with mommy.  Teagan responded, “I want to be with you, mom should leave.”  I laughed.  Tim said, “No, I married her not you.  You need to get into bed.”  Being a parent is full of surprises.  It will be interesting to see what becomes of Teagan.  He is a persistent child who will tell bold face lies while looking into your eyes.  It is an adventure raising him.