I have much catching up to do

I have been meaning to update this blog forever! But I didn't until this morning. If I'm late to church, well, the prelude won't be as long since I'm playing the organ. So I've gone through all my pictures since August, of which there aren't many. But before we review, first we have my Isaac. One night in the middle of Kaleb's miserable coughing, at three or four in the morning I got his coughing to stop enough to send him back to bed, and we found Isaac like this. I had to take a picture. Enjoy!

Ian's 5th birthday

Ian had a very strung out birthday this year. His birthday, sadly, landed on a Wednesday, the day of all horror. For his birthday day, he went to school, got picked up by Grandma Terry, then was picked up by me and suffered through his and his brother's lessons, getting home late. We did get Wendy's for dinner for the poor kid. At least he got a frosty and a toy! Then we opened presents on Thursday night at our house, then Friday he had his birthday time at kindergarten, and then Sunday we had cake and ice cream with Fulwiders. I'm not sure the kids knew when his birthday actually was, but he seemed to enjoy it!

Presents at our house:



Derek's invention this year: G.I. Joes against Star Wars. Hmmmm.

Blowing out candles at Aunt Nicole's house

Daddy time

Sometimes at Daddy time, the boys watch "how to" movies, or funny videos, or Derek shows them things he's bought, or things they're learning about. I just love how packed they all are around their Daddy.

Evin's first cookies!

My Evin is working on learning how to cook. Mommy encourages this, because if he cooks, I don't have to! At least maybe someday. So here are his first cookies that he made entirely by himself (except for some oven stuff). I wasn't even in the room!

The park and Thanksgiving point with family

Isaac learning about light

Melia trying to hit her golf ball in the hole

Lynnette's tower, or ex-tower

Ian and his boot

Ed and his little friend Lana

Ed and part of his "harem" of little girls, who just adored him

The kids outside the gardens at Thanksgiving Point, waiting for Uncle Keith and Aunt Heidi

Fourth week of school

It shouldn't be my fourth week of school, but it is. I don't feel any more organized than I did at the beginning of the semester. I despise mornings. They're difficult, chaotic, and traumatic (some days) for all involved. After school. is better, as long as we don't try to do too much. Piano practicing for Evin, Isaac and Kaleb has completely gone out the window, and I'm not sure how I'm going to get it back. Maybe later.

On the plus side, I can make a bed with someone in it, take vital signs, change iv and central line dressings, as well as any wound dressing, and take a very involved and in depth health history. I can take a more detailed health history than anyone has ever taken from me! In the next couple of weeks, I'll be doing all sorts of fun things you probably don't ever want to know about. :)

The boys are doing well in school. Ian has a little bit of a hard time going every day. He frequently whines that he's too tired, and he is tired. But he's doing great, of course, and he's always happy to go to school and happy when he gets home. The other boys have friends, don't eat enough fruits or vegetables at lunch, and think recess is the best time of the day.

Practicing with the boys is an interesting thing these days. Mondays I can get them started, but then I leave before they're done, and they probably don't do much. Tuesday and Thursday I can practice pretty well with them, and Wednesday we do a short practice day since it's lesson day. Although I think I may have to start switching that with Monday. Friday we don't practice at all, which means we have to practice Saturday morning. It's fairly torturous, but at least I can spend the time to help all the boys instead of one or two. However, by 11, there's usually one who just won't finish, and I want to throw them out the window. But this is probably how life is going to be for the next three years, so I'd better get used to it.

First week of school!

The first week of school is almost over. I intended to get a lot more done in the summer, but we had so much fun with the kids, I don't even feel too guilty. The boys are loving their teachers and classes, and doing well already. Of course, we haven't had any homework yet. We have a new morning schedule, which requires me to be out of bed at 6:20 which is interesting, but it's working. The boys are riding the bus in the mornings this year, which is something I wouldn't have done last year, but this year, when I have to leave before they do three mornings a week, it just makes more sense. They're enjoying it, and it's a good threat when they're not getting their practicing done!

I had my first day yesterday. Left at 8:15 to go to Geneva Rd, just north of University Parkway. Spent 45 min. driving. Stupid construction and accidents. I'll be leaving earlier and just going and studying, because I cannot be late, and idiots screw up the freeway. Then I spent 5 hours in a classroom, with 5 minute breaks every hour. Long. could be worse though. I still don't know exactly how these classes are going to turn out; we'll see next week. And now, on to the rest of the week!

Bright Ideas

I love July, because in July there are two beautiful weeks of Bright Ideas. When Evin was in kindergarten, he got a little flyer for a summer program. It said that students should be "highly motivated, interested in learning new things" and that students would "experience provoking, high-level thinking activities" among other things. Since poor Evin was the oldest and currently had two 3-year-old brothers, and one 1-year old, we figured getting out of the zoo sometimes was a good thing. It has turned out to be fabulous! They go for two weeks, every morning for 3 1/2 hours, and learn about the chosen theme for the year. Last year was "Ancient Cultures", the year before was something about inventions, and this year was "House of Science: Biology in the basement, Astronomy in the attic, Chemistry in the kitchen, and Physics in the playroom". My high school chemistry teacher did demonstrations, Evin came home explaining Charles' Law to me, they made bird feeders, learned about the stars and the different animal kingdoms, and went on a field trip to the Bean Museum and the Eyring Science Center. Apparently the star show was their favorite.

This year was especially wonderful for me because Ian got to go. So for two weeks, every morning, all my boys left. Of course, this left me lots of time to make dentist appointments, doctors appointments, tuberculosis testing, immunizations (ouch!) and do all sorts of other errands. I don't really feel that I had that much time to myself. Of course that could have something to do with having Marilyn's girls for three days and Mylie for one day. Not a problem, it was a blast, but I didn't get as much done as I was hoping. My study still is not organized. Although that just may never happen, really.

Now we seem to be entering the two or three weeks of family trips and visits, which will be great. Then only a couple of weeks before school!

Middle of summer

We have been having a wonderful summer. I spent the first two weeks just spending time with the kids, making sure they practiced really well, and trying to do fun things. The third week I spontaneously decided to drive to Arizona with the boys. Derek went with me till Page, having one-on-one time with each boy, and then stayed overnight in Page with me. We had so much fun. We went swimming, which we had promised Evin we would do before he started swimming the next week. Then Derek went back home and I went on to Arizona. We had so much fun with Mom and Dad and Grandma and Lynnette and family. I learned that I can drive by myself places with the boys. It was nice to know.

Then we started our two weeks of swimming. I helped Mari with Ehlana when she didn't feel good enough to bob about in the water. I got to do waterslide day too! I was very proud of my boys, especially Evin. By the beginning of the second week, Evin had decided that it wasn't so bad to swim, and he really could do it. He can now swim the short way across the pool, jump off the diving board, and be fairly independent. Next year we'll work on more technique.

We went right from swimming into Bright Ideas, which the boys are just loving. I used that week to finish organizing and cleaning the basement, getting all those boxes emptied. I now have a very large pile of boxes to break down and toss and another large pile of boxes to either break down and keep or use. They're the nice ones, so I'm not tossing them. I'm starting to feel like I'm accomplishing something this summer.

This next week is the last week of Bright Ideas, and I'll have Ehlana and Shiara every morning. So we'll be working on organizing the study and other things that I can do while keeping an eye on them. Then who knows what will happen the next week. We're supposed to go camping with Fulwiders, but we'll see what plans change. Practicing definitely needs to move up on the list again. Early bright ideas has not helped the practicing. Maybe next week.

I love summer, really I do

It's the second week of summer. The honeymoon is over, and now I'm trying to survive. No, it's really not as bad as that. We're still doing a lot of productive things with the kids. They're still enjoying their playtime, and I'm still getting not much done. I did discover that Daddy HAS to be home at least one evening, very early evening, so Mommy does not have to clean up dinner and put boys in bed. It's a cruel irony that in order to get time to do family stuff like camping (which takes more work for mom) or swimming (which takes more work for mom) or hiking (which takes more work for mom) that Dad has to be gone more in order to get the time off. This doesn't work for me all the time. There's something wrong with that world. Oh well.

Every morning the kids get up and play, and then by 7:30 have to be dressed and doing their charts. We have these lovely magnets that are two colors (thank you Uncle Keith) and they get to flip them over when they've done the task. Getting dressed is first. Today we're going to try and hurry them (really, just Evin) along by bribing them. Flip a magnet over, you get a marshmallow. Plus, it will help that today is lesson day, and therefore short practice day. I love short practice day.

Half done stairs

Coming down from the kitchen:

The rest of them:

Evin's new room downstairs (the small bedroom) with almost NO toys in there for him to make a mess with!



We still have some wiring to do before we can put the backs on the stairs. Then they'll really look nice! In the meantime, we use them!

The deconstruction

I know many people (mom and dad) have been wanting pictures from our construction. Unfortunately, I didn't take many except at the beginning when we actually took out the floor in the laundry room. I'll have to go take after pictures later. Here's what I've got!
Evin:


Isaac:


Kaleb:


Ian:




Derek going through the floor. Yes, he fit and went all the way through.

June is nicer

Yes, I know I haven't blogged forever. January through May was absolutely insane, crazy, and ridiculously crazy. I know that was slightly redundant, but really, it was difficult to get through those months! Now we're in June, and it's a very nice thing. I managed to get all my lessons on one afternoon, and all the boys' lessons on one afternoon, so we have three afternoons a week (and Saturday) FREE!!!

So far we've been doing a lot of extra practicing, not really longer, but helped more by me, which is a good thing. The boys also are doing summer worksheets from school and typing and piano. We have two more weeks until swimming starts, when I will have to cut back again. Summer is flying by already.

Money, money, money by the pound

Today I finally got my act together and paid my children. I have been trying for quite a while to come up with a system that works for me. I found a system that works quite well. The boys start each morning with a quarter. On the white board in the kitchen is a record of their quarter, and they keep their quarter until I have to remind them, yet again, to PRACTICE! or GET DRESSED! or whatever. They lose a nickel each time I have to remind them. This is particularly difficult for Evin, who gets distracted by dirt and air, much less interesting books and toys. I like this system, because I keep all the records on the white board for the whole week, and then at the end of the week if I don't have time to pay them, I just add it to the total. Today I finally paid them. I'm actually out of ones and fives, so Derek owes Kaleb four dollars and Isaac five. I had enough for Evin and Ian. In the process, with each small boy, we discussed what the savings were for (mission/college), that we pay tithing first, and what they wanted to save their money for. Hopefully that will inspire them to work faster in the mornings.

Evin turned out to be a fairly rich child. Between losing teeth, winning money for different things, and a mommy that never lets him spend money, he has about $35 to spend. He's trying to decide what he wants to save up for. He's currently on the couch perusing a toysRus ad.

The thing I like most about this system is it doesn't involve the children actually finishing anything. I know that sounds funny, but poor Evin can't realistically finish his practicing. He has far too much to practice now, and that's not fair. Isaac, on the other hand, always finishes because he (almost every day) never stops. So he always would have the most money. He still does, but at least the other boys have a shot. All they have to do is be working on whatever they are currently supposed to be doing, so I don't have to yell at them. It works for me.

So right now, the total column on the white board is zero, everybody has a 25 by their name, and we're off for another week!

A Kaleb memory

As I was out with Emily and Marilyn last night we were talking about our charming children, and I had to write down my proudest Kaleb moment, even though it happened last year.

Every year, the elementary school does a reading program and the kids get tickets for certain amounts of reading they do every month. Twice a year they do a drawing for prizes. Evin won $10 once, a basketball another time, they usually give each child a book, things like that. Last year, my Isaac came home with a brand new bicycle! He was a very happy child, but what impressed me the most was my Kaleb. He was so happy for his brother. And although he wanted a big bicycle of his own (which he got later) he never pouted, or got angry with Isaac, or whined that it wasn't fair. He was so genuinely happy for Isaac and only made comments like "I wish I had a big bike too". I still am so proud of him.

Another post about Ian

I just have to brag a little bit, because I discovered on Sunday that Ian is so close to reading! He can read words like CAT and HAT and MAN and BIG if you help him think through the sounds the practice putting them together. If I actually worked with him he'd get better . . . I'm so glad he wasn't born September 2nd!

The dinosaur world

Today is George Washington's birthday, celebrated at Ian's preschool. I asked him if they sang Happy Birthday to him. "We can't do that, he's not there." Where is he? "You know the dinosaur world that has all the dinosaurs that are dead, he's there. That's where dead people are. Like the other guy with the tall hat (Abraham Lincoln)"