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. 

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

     Happy New Year!  I had a great holiday break.  We kicked off December with decorating for Christmas.  The house looked great.  I love the pine on the banisters and above the kitchen cabinets.  I also love the Christmas snow village.  The kids like decorating which is a good thing because each year I get a little less motivated to pull out decorations.  I don't love cleaning up the mess.
     Saturday, Dec. 8th we had a ward Christmas breakfast.  The kids wore their pajamas and Tim wore his "Buddy" the elf costume.  Some people were asking what his part was in the program.  He told them with a big smile that he had no part in the program and was dressed for the occasion.  I love Tim's enthusiasm.

December is one of our busiest months and keeps us very tired.  Monday, Dec. 10, I was able to capture this sweet picture of Tim and Teagan taking a nap.

     Christmas was so fun.  The kids mainly got clothes and books.  Tim splurged on a PS4.  I got a video of the kids opening some of their gifts.  After opening presents, Jacinda spent her time in Virginia with the Clinch family.

The kids got some scarves from grandma Margaret.  Props to Teagan for his dramatic pose in the picture below.

The day after Christmas, we took down the decorations and cleaned the house.  We looked forward to the new year.  We celebrated the new year with a movie and popcorn night in the basement.  We watched "Small Foot" and "The House with the Clock in the Walls."  The kids went to bed at 12:30 a.m.  The next morning Tim and Teagan did a polar plunge.

Later in the evening, we did a rootbeer taste test with friends.  There was not a clear winner.  The kids liked different brands of rootbeer.  However, everyone got a rootbeer float and left with a liter of soda.  It was a good evening.

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Jacinda is having a great time at school.  She is so bright with math.  I am so surprised at how quickly she grasps the concepts.  We spend nights with a white board doing equations.  She gets them right and finishes quickly.  I enjoy our time together.  She is very good with numbers.  Jacinda has joined a robotics group at her school.  I was able to go a competition last week.  I was amazed at what her team’s machine could do.  Stacking, lifting, pushing, and pulling objects.  It is so fun.  I like cheering in the stand for all the kids…..but I really like cheering for Jacinda’s team.  I guess that is part of being a mommy.

November 14^th, I got to go on a date with McCabe and Teagan.  We saw “Honk.”  It is a play based on the Ugly Duckling.  Our neighbor, Grant Nielsen was the cat in the play.  He was one of the main characters and did such a good job.  That boy was born to be on a stage.  I asked McCabe if he wanted to be in a play and his answer was a strong, “No.”  I can respect that.  After the play, we got a picture with Grant and then headed to Baskin and Robbins for a double scoop ice cream cone.  It was a fun night.  I liked going out with my boys.  It is good to spend special time with them.  

Tim took the girls out to the Grinch movie.  It looks like they had a good time.

Thanksgiving was great.  We had Mimi’s family, Tarra’s family, and grandma Margaret over for a wonderful meal.  We had the basic food: turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, green beans, rolls, fruit, pumpkin pie, and pecan pie.  I think the kid’s favorite part was putting the whipped cream on the pies.  They get really good at stacking that stuff.  In preparation for thanksgiving, the kids put up decorations.  Xadia, McCabe, and Jacinda taped their turkeys to the front door.  Teagan taped his turkey to the sliding door and a pair of corn ears to the garage door.  I am going to miss these decorations when the kids are gone.  I hope my grandkids make fun decorations so I can put them in my house.

Tim and I went out on a date to a Jazz game.  It is a good thing that I like the sport because the Jazz was slaughtered by the Pacers.  They lost by 33 points.  It got ridiculous in the 4^th quarter.  There was poor rebounding, lots of over turned balls, and lots of missed shots.  I did enjoy the plays made by the Pacers.  They had some amazing team work.  I also enjoyed being with Tim.  We laugh and talked and had a good time together watching from the 17^th row.  After the game, we went to Café Rio for a salad.  I went to bed with a full tummy.

Sunday, November 11, 2018

      Today was a good day.  We went to church and learned about leaning on the Lord to help us make it through our trials.  Sarah Sorenson told a remarkable story about her brother-in-law snow boarding at Lake Tahoe.  He landed a jump on his neck and severely damaged his back.  He became a quadriplegic.  He received a priesthood blessing at the site of the crash and after years of rehabilitation has been able to walk again. He is limited in his motion but it is such a miracle that he can walk un-assisted and drive, and go to work.  It is simply amazing how the Lord helps us and others.
     Teagan and I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  They are the best tasting cookies.  I took a photo of Teagan scooping the dough and placing it on the cookie sheet.  Tim is photo bombing the picture.

      Friday was a scone fry day.  The kids invited many friends and they played and ate cinnamon sugared and powdered sugared scones.  Xadia and Teagan and friends played in the basement.  They were pretending they were on a cruise.  I think they got that idea from Zoey Kister who is leaving soon to go on a cruise.  McCabe and friends were on the tramp and in the office playing fortnite.  Jacinda and Addy sat on the couch and watched "Fresh Off the Boat."  Tim and I stood near the stove frying scones.  We talked about how fun it is to have so many kids in our house and how quiet it will be when all the kids are gone.
     I had the opportunity to meet with all the teachers this past week.  I am so proud at how well the kids are doing.  Jacinda got a 3.77 gpa.  The other kids had all threes (the highest grade) on their report card.  We celebrated by getting each child a new book and/or some trinkets at the coin shop.  Xadia got a "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book" where you can make up the story.  McCabe got "Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Meltdown." Teagan got a "Cool Building" minecraft book. Jacinda got a lot of neat replications of old English money such as schillings and pences. 

Monday, October 29, 2018

October is nearly over and I finally have a moment to update the blog.  The month started out with my birthday.  I ate lunch with some childhood friends; Leslie Higginson Harkness, Kerianne DiLello Bangerter, and Rori Richins Boseman.  We all met at Olive Garden and chatted about life.  It was so wonderful to see these ladies.  I wish only the best for them.

My family made a birthday banner and a birthday song.  Teagan and Xadia made it just for me.

  Then we all went out to dinner.  We went to El Matador.  They surprised me with gifts from Mrs. Cavanaugh’s chocolates and the dollar store.  I got an angel figurine, new lipstick, and Hershey kisses.  I love my family.  They treat me so well.  They make my birthday so special.

The following week was Xadia’s birthday.  She celebrated at Boondocks with a bunch of friends.  I only planned 2 hours to play at Boondocks.  Next time, we will do 3 hours. 

 I was really surprised to see that Xadia got a lot of bracelet making kits.  The family gave her a hamster.  She has named it Fluffy but for some reason, I like to call it “Fluffy Amadeus.”  The hamster is really cute.  In fact, McCabe commented that Fluffy, “melts his heart.”  That was a journal worthy line.  McCabe does not usually say things like that.

                We also went to a Halloween carnival at the church.  The kids wore their costumes.  Jacinda was England from Hetalia.  McCabe was the plague doctor.  Xadia was a weeping angel.  Teagan was Bendy from Bendy and the ink machine. Tim and I did not dress up this year.  I was exhausted from getting the kids ready.  Some of their costumes came 2 hours before the carnival.