Old As Dirt Part 2

I was talking to Nathan about his new teacher yesterday. He is really happy with her and told me so, but then added a "but"...
He said that he thinks she has a nice face and nice hair, and even her arms and her hands are nice, but when she wears shorts (our school does not have a/c) he said that her knees look all shrively.
I laughed and laughed....
and then asked him if my knees are shrively.
He said no.
Whew!

Getting Back to Nature

We had some fun leading up to the beginning of school. We spent the pre-school-beginning weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's cabin in the mountains. It was a nice getaway for the family before school began. There was no church that Sunday so we didn't need to get back in time for meetings either. Relaxation and getting the kids filled with nature was on the menu...
Along with a little shopping.
I found this on the cabin's deck. Guess what it is, and see if you are right at the bottom of this post.
We found a "mama" moose bedded down next to the cabin, and later found the "daddy" moose down by the road.
We decided to take a little trip into the big city and get an ice cream and do some shopping. I got a frozen banana and shared it with Burke.
Mmmmm...

After that we went for a drive over the pass and saw some beautiful plants and flowers. And the view was breathtaking.


We had to let the kids out to run for a while, and I tried to get some pictures of them, but they were tired of sitting still and weren't very cooperative.
We really had a great time, and I got to see one of these for the first time. Did you guess what it is? It's an owl pellet.

Totally disgusting, yet really cool.
Thanks for extending your hospitality, Grandma and Grandpa. We loved it.

First Daze of School

We have officially started school. It is always an exciting adventure to begin another school year. New teachers, new friends, new experiences.... I love it.

This is a picture of them waiting at the bus stop with the other neighborhood kids. So cute.
It was a very special, very pivotal day for Adrienne as well.
Adrienne to began the adventure of preschool....

Of course, no little girl is really ready for preschool unless she has a pretty princess backpack, picked out all by herself!

She put it on first thing in the morning and wore it until I dropped her off. She even brought it to exercise to show her special friend there, Fred. Unfortunately, Fred wasn't there, so I had to reassure her that we can take it back next "preschool day" to give him the opportunity to see her beautiful princess backpack.

This is her trying to hang up her giant backpack on the peg way over her head.
Maybe I was a little bit photo-happy.
She had a little friend from her dance class who happened to be in her preschool class as well. She was very happy to see someone else she knew.

It was definitely a strange sensation to know I was in the house alone. Alone in a way I haven't been for 10 years.
A little bit liberating, a little bit lonely. I am sad that my babies are all gone, but I am excited for the new stage we are entering as a family.
I haven't gone anywhere with a diaper bag for nearly a year. I don't have any bottles, and my sippy cup supply is dwindling. I just gave a bag of baby clothes and shoes away, and when I go out, I generally know where all the public restrooms are within a 100 yard radius.
It is fun to be able to joke around with my older kids, and have them joke back. It is fun to be able to have a thoughtful conversation during scripture reading and answer thoughtful questions with equally thougtful answers.
My babies are gone, but I am happy with the children I have found myself suddenly surrounded with.
It is an amazing, joyful, sorrowful, worrisome, exhilarating, exciting, and educational experience to be their mother.
Adrienne's preschool teacher sent a sweet poem about shedding tears on the first day of school, but that is not me. I side with a missionary mother in my ward who told me she has sent three missionaries out, but never cried at the MTC. When I asked her how she kept her emotions under control, she told me she didn't feel sad, just really excited for her children and for the knowledge, experiences, and growth they would see during their missions.

I believe that is pure mother's love. Always loving the stage that has passed, and joyfully entering the next.

Old As Dirt

Although (and because) we have had much excitement around here, I have only a moment to post.
I wanted to record for posterity what Annika said to me last night as we put the kids to bed.
I tucked her in and reluctantly took her book--Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone--so that she could get to sleep. (I hate to take a book away from a perfectly happily reading child.)
She asked me if I liked reading Harry Potter when I was little. I told her that Harry Potter didn't exist when I was little.
With her eyes big, she asked me, "Well, I guess you had to get to school in a wagon pulled by horses, right? That would be so cool."
Keeping me humble...

Just Keep Smiling

You know those times when your kids are so embarrassing that all you can do is smile sweetly and hope that if you look unconcerned, that other people will not notice exactly how embarrassing your kids are?
You just tell yourself to keep smiling, and that it will all be okay...in a few minutes, hours, days, maybe years (if it is especially bad).

The bread missed us on Sunday...
That means that all of my kids had to question loudly where the bread was, and why the guy didn't give us any bread, and why doesn't mom go get us some bread?
When I finally got someone's attention to let them know we didn't get the bread (by now they were passing the water), he hurried up to let the priests know. They looked at us, fiddled around at the table, produced a bread tray, and sent a different deacon wandering around the chapel trying to figure out who didn't get the bread. I had to flag him down and pass the bread to myself and the kids.
Because he has great timing, Nathan decided that was the perfect time to pull his suit coat on without undoing the buttons... over his head... waving his arms and the coat around... trying to get it to slide over his shoulders and head.
While the entire congregation--including our new stake president looked on.
Just keep smiling...Just keep smiling...Just keep smiling...
After church, our home teachers came to visit. It was a nice short visit with a nice short lesson. Just the kind we like. After the lesson was over, one of the men commented to the kids that they did a great job helping with the lesson (he asks them questions and likes to get them involved). Kade smiled sweetly and politely replied, "Thanks! Now you can go."
Just keep smiling....Just keep smiling....Just keep smiling....
However, after Kade said that, and before they actually left, Annika told the older of the two gentlemen, "You know, I don't ever want to be old."
He good-naturedly laughed it off by saying, "Yeah, me neither."
We had yet another discussion about manners....

Still smiling...

I love my kids, school in a week.... I love my kids, school in a week....

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

As anyone who has ever dined at my home can attest, I am no chef. I'm not even at mess hall cook status.
But, I did find a fabulous recipe for Cucumber Tomato Salad that I tweaked which turned out to be really, really good... if I do say so myself.

Cucumber Tomato Salad
1 large cucumber
3-4 tomatoes (depending on size)
1/8 c chopped red onion
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
2-3 T olive oil
1 t salt
1 t sugar

Mix oil, vinegar, salt, and sugar. Add cucumber, tomato, and onion. Chill, serve, and enjoy.
A great way to use the cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden.

Criss Cross Hair

I did this hairdo on Adrienne for the parade we went to with Grandma and some extended family. I was thinking it would be nice to have it up off her neck to keep her cool, but the day was cold, and we ended up wearing jackets!
I took the pictures while we were at the parade, so she wasn't the most cooperative (focus was on catching candy).

We Have Winners!

I was nominated for this award by my sister. I am so honored. I would like to thank her, my parents, my husband, my children, and my agent, and the academy... Oh, right.
Anyway, it's kind of fun to get an award, even if the giver is my sister. I'll take what I can get.

I like to read her blog myself, she has many adventures with her husband and kids with varied and particular issues. Yet she handles everything with an aplomb I am not blessed with.

There are some rules to this award:

1. Put the award on your blog
2. Include a link to the person who gave you the award
3. Nominate 6 or more blogs
4. Leave a message on their blog letting them know that they have been nominated

I will do what I can to think of 6 blogs to nominate:
1. The first blog is from a friend of mine who I don't get to see very often anymore. Emily is an amazing person who helped me during a very difficult time in my life. I will be eternally grateful. Her kids are the same ages as mine, so it is fun to follow their adventures and see that my kids aren't the only ones who do crazy things. She has also been through some difficult trials this past year, and watching her struggle has helped me focus on the things in life that are the most important.

2. The next blog is a friend of mine from the past, Jen. I haven't seen her for about 4 years, but our kids are the same ages as well. She always has lots of fun ideas for things to do, even if I never do them because I don't have the patience or energy she does.

3. I love to read blogs of women who have strong goals and work to achieve them. The next one is my friend and first counselor's, Camille. Here is another amazing woman who has done amazing things and has amazing children to boot. Did I use enough "amazings"? She is. Amazing.

4. I nominate my sister in law's blog because she is just too funny. Her view on the world is sometimes a bit different... but often is spot on and she says those things you would never dare... Love ya AJ.

5. My other sister in law, Kellie has a blog that is also a view on adventures with children. She has given her children opportunities to experience many different things, including travel, academic opportunities, music lessons, and other types of classes.

I guess that is all I have to nominate.

Happy reading.

Summer

I think I lost July somewhere along the way.

We are getting ready for school, and we haven't done everything on our list yet.

Just a little while longer and then it will be too late to get it all done this summer.

Lots to do still... but lots has been done.

You can see the summer slide show I compiled at the bottom of my blog.

It is all the things we have experienced this summer--good and bad.

We still have the drive-in, the mine, and the art museum to do... Wanna come?

My Baby's Birthday

She is four! I cannot believe it. I was pregnant with her when we left Michigan. It wasn't the best pregnancy I ever had, and the delivery wasn't that great either (a horrible spinal headache, then a patch that was almost worse).
But despite all that, we are so glad she is here. She has been so much fun to have in our home, and everyone is always happy to spend time with her. She is a sweetie who climbs into bed with me every mornning for a hug. She loves to play dress ups with her sister and can usually get her brothers involved as well. She loves her daddy and goes running to the door to greet him when he gets home from work. She calls him her "Best Daddy", which leaves him wrapped around her little finger. Even her brothers check up on her and take time to look out for her. We all love her very much.

We celebrated her birthday by going to her favorite "big girl" Mexican Restaurant. She would gladly make a meal out of the chips and salsa supplied before ordering. The servers sang to her and put a sombrero on her, which she loved and wanted to take home.

After dinner, we came home and she got to have her cake. I decided not to make one this year, so she picked out a cute watermelon with ants crawling on it. A little untraditional, perhaps, but it was a hit with all of the kids.


She got her favorite book-- The Snowy Day, some cute puzzles, and a Tag reader which I hoped she would spend hours playing with... However it is not looking hopeful on that front. She hasn't picked it up since her birthday. Oh well, I have had some fun playing with it...
She has had lots of fun playing with the dress ups that her grandma and grandpa gave her, however. Snow White was never so demure.

Because I didn't check things out, this video cut off just as she was making her wish...for a puppy or a kitty.
Overall, it was a great day for her and for us to be able to celebrate four years with a sweet little spirit who is generally a joy to be around.

Love you, baby!

Rodeo Queens and Kings

The weekend after Grandpa's funeral we went to the rodeo that has been tradition in Burke's family since before he was born. Despite Burke leaving the tickets in his other pants, we got into the rodeo and were able to sit in the box and really have a great time. We shared the box with some of Burke's extended family, which was fun for the kids. They love to meet "new" people. Despite sitting in the box with them every year, the kids still act like they have never met them before.

That means Annika spends the entire night talking them to death.

Thanks for the tickets, grandma. We had lots of fun.

this one is blurry. sorry.She may be slowing down, but she's never too tired for the camera.

Stinky

Burke took my van to scout camp.

Before he left, we cleaned it out and vacuumed it. It was looking pretty nice.

It carried him, another parent, and two scouts to camp.

The morning after camp, I got in to go somewhere and the stench inside bowled me over.

It was awful.

I looked around under all the seats, under the carseats, in the drink holders, but could not find the stinky culprit.

The kids and I sucked it up and rolled down the windows as we went on our way.

I thought it would get better through the day, but it got worse once the sun came out and warmed things up.

I got an air freshener, but that just made it smell like a stinky van in a rainstorm.

The next day was the same, except Burke had to ride around with me.

He got up the next morning and took out all the seats, carseats, and jumper cables, first aid kit, and 72 hour kit we keep in there to find the offending item.

By this time, I had decided that Webelos are just stinky.

He finally found it in the bottom of the van where the seats latch into the floor.

It was an apricot from grandma's house.

The kids had picked them the last time we were there.

I guess one of them dropped it, it rolled into the latch, and Mr or Miss Not-Me didn't bother to pick it back up.

We cleaned it up.

It smells much better now.