According to the calendar, this was a fairly MILD month. THe weather of course is still chilly. We still have snow on the ground that hasn't melted in forever due to colder temps.
Brennan is playing basketball on a Rec team. Again, he does not love it. Derek is assistant coaching. He does not love it. Hmmm. Why are we doing it?
Mady is in a continual fix trying to Juggle her social calendar with dance and Cheer classes. This semester, she is trying Jazz/Ballet, because there were no hip hop options. Hmmm... I do not know if I like it. We will see. Ballet is one of the oldest forms of dance. Traditional. Graceful. BORING! I pray we make it through.
Before we knew it, it was already Valentine's weekend. We went to the cabin with dear friends to celebrate- our 2nd annual sweetheart sledding extravaganza. I think this is by far my most favorite weekend of the year. I do love my children, but this is for sure one weekend that I do NOT feel guilty about leaving them with a sitter - (and I swear they appreciate us more when they are without us for a few minutes) The weather was stormy but still good enough to go sledding. Thanks to the Simonsen's again for their navigation skills and knowledge of the trails. One day we are hoping to be familiar enough with them that we recognize where we are:) I still laugh at our pathetic movie projector and makeshift quilted screen setup. What were we thinking? My eyes still ache from squinting to make it seem more focused :) Maybe next year we can celebrate Valentine's day somewhere warm... with a real theater room??
Right after Valentine's day was my 40th birthday. To be quite honest, it seemed like any other day, aside from all of the wise cracks & crazy aging gifts... Steph got me the darn-dest sack of old lady items I have ever seen. It kind of looks like the crap we hauled up to Quailridge for Grandma Belva! Yeeesh! :)
Spent the day doing literally nothing important. ok... maybe I did. I took Chloee to Dance. She loved it, we had a bonding moment. although I have never been a ballerina, I love that she is having a great time and is excited to be with other sweet little 3 year olds that are having as much fun as she is....
I spent time with my sweet husband at lunch who has been with me through thick and thin this last year...
I took Madelyn to Cheer after school - it is fun to see her excel at something that I can only do on accident.... (things like the splits and stuff...) sheeesh!
Our family went to dinner tonight @ Ruby Tuesdays.... I was again reminded that it is not a bad thing to take your kids out in public once in a while so they don't forget how to use good manners and to be on their best behavior. Yeah, it is 60 minutes of pure chinese torture to sit there with them all doing whatever it is they do.... but important.
After dinner, we all went to icecream at Farrs with Steph's family... again, was reminded of an important lesson, how important it is to have a FIRE EXTINGUISHER on hand when having birthday cake for anyone over 10 years old. Damn.... that was a lot of candles. Pretty sure we could have set the smoke alarm off when we blew them out.- and it took 3 of us to blow them all out. Sick. The cake top is in shreds after removing all of those candles.
I did get a new laptop out of the whole torturous day... so it was not all bad... oh and a couple of liters of Pepsi. Only a true friend will bring you Chocolate Ganache cheesecake and pepsi for your 40th birthday :) Tiffani is pretty swell. So the day was not entirely the pits ;).
On the 20th Noelle and I took picture for a Clogging team. I did not know that clogging was so popular. Lots of kids. Lots of cute costumes. Lots of laughter... There is never a dull moment with Noelle. My sides nearly split at times laughing at her...
It seems no matter how we try, we just can't keep our house clean lately. My kids are a whirlwind of messmaking mass! They THRASH everything they look at and leave it in a state of shreds! That little poem that mentions "One day you will miss my little hand prints" CHA! AS IF. As if there were only handprints. What about all clutter and craziness? That, I will not miss.
So, I have decided that I am grateful that I am not a cleaning lady by profession. I am happy to fill in and help out in a pinch - Steph and I went to clean an apartment today after the cleaning lady quit. (Yeh. GOod move sister!) That place was scarry! We needed a stick of DYNAMITE to clear it out first so we could even start cleaning. Again, there is never a dull moment when doing anything with Steph! Is it just that nothing is funny at my house? I didn't think my life was dull or lacked humor. Apparently it is. This woman needs to be on stand up house wives - totally hilarious... for sure laughter is the best medicine while cleaning something that calibur of GROSS! Laugh or you will end up CRYING!!
I took Basketball team photos for my nephew Dallas on the 23rd. There team is undefeated so of course they think they are smokin' hot studs! Funny. 'Took some pretty cute shotz, action shotz for sports posters. They are going to love them... but what 10 year old doesn't love to look at themself doing something totally cool like a lay-up or jump shot?
The 25th was our ward skiing party. Did we have hot dogs and chili you ask... (that is a joke at our house...) Why yes, they did. Of course we had fun skiing. I am always reminded of how BLOODY OUT OF SHAPE I AM when I ski - beginning with putting my boots on. SHEEESH! Then my knees are screaming by the end of the night. WOrth it? Of course it is. Chloee skiied with Derek tonight for the first time. We thought she would be a whining mess and want to go back to the lodge after 5 minutes. SHE LOVED IT! She skiied most of the night. Amazing.
Gage is improving and BOMBS is down the hill. He gets really sick of waiting for me at the bottom. I am in no hurry to get to the bottom. I do not need to be reminded of what it feels like to "YARD SALE" it on the hill. I am good with moderate slow and steady s curves. I am completely comfortable with the fact that my 6, 9 & 12 year olds can out ski me. Most especially, I am grateful to be able to walk in the morning after it all :)
The next night, we were invited to a good old fashioned dinner party at the Simonsen Home. We are truly blessed to have such great friends & such great memories of fun times. Cooking is FOR SURE an ART FORM and a lot of work and planning! There is beauty in great tasting food & beautiful presentation, a table set with china, crystal and personalized place cards! She is an amazing cook! (totally need to raid her recipe box for Chicken Cordon Bleu, twice baked potatoes and PEACH CHEESECAKE!) Oh my! LIfe is GOOD :)
Friday, March 26, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Happy New Year 2010!
Again, please note that I am recollecting memories written on the calendar in order to write this entry. I promise to be better for March :).
Our New Year was most uneventful - THANK HEAVEN! We spent the day at home, watched a few movies, did some laundry How great is that? I am pretty sure that 10 years ago I would have been pretty BUMBED not to have smokin' hot plans for New Years Eve. Derek made call ahead reservations at Texas Roadhouse. It of course was amazing food. - anything that I don't have to cook is out of this world.
Monday marked our first day back to school after the break. The kids of course did not want to get up. We were up late and slept in nearly every day. Totally love that. We are all night owls, except Gage-R. He falls asleep the second his head hits the pillow, unless he is watching Fineas and Ferb on Disney. He stays awake to see what they are building and then falls asleep :) I am sure when my kids are grown and gone, I will be sad , but right now, it makes me crazy that my room is the HUB of our house. My bed is where we hang out, watch movies, take naps, read scriptures, have family prayer, and where my little babies fall asleep for the night before they are transferred to their beds. Alot has happened in that bed over the last 14 years. WOW. All Hail the California King Pillow TOP!
I went to Lunch with some dear friends on TGIF. Ladies Lunch Out. On the way home, after a most enjoyable meal and amazing uninterrupted conversation... I found myself wondering if these incredible women know how grateful I am for their constant support & friendship. We have been scrapbook chicas for many years, and are really the only ones who truly know how much money was spent on scrapbook supplies in the craft room. SHHHHH. Nobody else needs to know.
We scheduled more Dance photos for the Rec Center in conjunction with the dress rehearsal prior to the recital. IT was a ZOO, but as always, we were grateful for the opportunity. With every photo shoot I think we get a little more organized, a little better at our poses, and our pictures are little bit cuter also. WOW there are some really darling little girls in this city.
Along with the day to day HUB-BUB I have been working on 3 different temple orders for Enrichment meetings. I totally love this, but wonder for how long. I am out of practice staying awake all night so my day time is crazy trying to juggle more. One of these days when I am like 90 or something, I will wish I had things to do to keep me busy.
The 12th was Mady's Dance Recital. She LOVES DANCE & CHEER! We love to watch her. Upon arrival, Chloee asks me, "Mom did you bring my dancing clothes?" I am saying to her... " UHMMM no, not tonight. She asked me several times when it was her turn to get up there and do her dance show. Hmmm I thought to myself... if you run up there during a performance, I will die! We were able to contain her through the recital, but she has bugged me since to take a dance class.
For the first time in the History of the Leslie Cabin, we did not go there for Martin Luther King HOliday. Yeah. It was great. I can't figure out why I am so far behind all of the time... because we never stay home.... that's why. It felt amazing! Every Saturday this month the kids and I have ripped into at least one room to get some deep cleaning done. This weekend, we did the kitchen. We had everyone on a dust rag wiping cabinets and baseboards. Amazing how fast it happens when we all pitch in. All of a sudden the hardwood started to get a little slippery so the kids were sliding in their socks... of course having a great time, while the rest of us nearly killed ourselves. After about 20 minutes, I finally realized why the floor was getting slick. GAGE WAS SPRAYING HIS SOCKS WITH FURNITURE POLISH AND THEN MAKING A RUN FOR IT DOWN THE HALL. Leave it to Gage to think of that one! Needless to say, the floor was slick for at least a week.
We had our ward conference on the 31st. As a general rule, this is uneventful for me, but our Bishop gave a talk and I actually felt inspired by a comment in his talk. Many people know how slow the construction business has been. This has been a real trial for me. We have been sooo busy for soooo long that I just didn't think we would ever get a break. Well, we have had that break. We have not had a closing since July. It is only because Derek has always managed & budgeted our money so well that we are surviving the economy. Bishop spoke about how many righteous, faithful people had lost their jobs, or would be loosing jobs in the future but that we would all see Miracles. Those miracles might not be in the form of a better job, or a job with better benefits, but that the miracles might be in our ability to learn to live with less and to better manage what we have. This is totally the Leslie's. It has really been a difficult lesson for me, but I am learning it. We have all made some lifestyle adjustments and are adapting. I am grateful to have been taught the importance of food storage, managing debt, saving money for a rainy day, and that our home is paid for! That is a great feeling. oh, and it never hurts to have your own "School of Boating", just in case you need to earn a little bit of cash on the side ( This was a joke made by our good friend the Stake President... he made reference to Holli's school of Boating in his talk, and that my philosophy was that if you aren't having fun, you aren't going fast enough... Oddly enough, some thought he was serious. We can always count on him to keep things lively :)
January has come and gone and I am wondering if I am going to survive the cold weather & lack of sunshine - or my pasty skin tone, rather. Mom and dad are in Nevada, soaking up the rays. We are just here...grateful for a slower pace.
Our New Year was most uneventful - THANK HEAVEN! We spent the day at home, watched a few movies, did some laundry How great is that? I am pretty sure that 10 years ago I would have been pretty BUMBED not to have smokin' hot plans for New Years Eve. Derek made call ahead reservations at Texas Roadhouse. It of course was amazing food. - anything that I don't have to cook is out of this world.
Monday marked our first day back to school after the break. The kids of course did not want to get up. We were up late and slept in nearly every day. Totally love that. We are all night owls, except Gage-R. He falls asleep the second his head hits the pillow, unless he is watching Fineas and Ferb on Disney. He stays awake to see what they are building and then falls asleep :) I am sure when my kids are grown and gone, I will be sad , but right now, it makes me crazy that my room is the HUB of our house. My bed is where we hang out, watch movies, take naps, read scriptures, have family prayer, and where my little babies fall asleep for the night before they are transferred to their beds. Alot has happened in that bed over the last 14 years. WOW. All Hail the California King Pillow TOP!
I went to Lunch with some dear friends on TGIF. Ladies Lunch Out. On the way home, after a most enjoyable meal and amazing uninterrupted conversation... I found myself wondering if these incredible women know how grateful I am for their constant support & friendship. We have been scrapbook chicas for many years, and are really the only ones who truly know how much money was spent on scrapbook supplies in the craft room. SHHHHH. Nobody else needs to know.
We scheduled more Dance photos for the Rec Center in conjunction with the dress rehearsal prior to the recital. IT was a ZOO, but as always, we were grateful for the opportunity. With every photo shoot I think we get a little more organized, a little better at our poses, and our pictures are little bit cuter also. WOW there are some really darling little girls in this city.
Along with the day to day HUB-BUB I have been working on 3 different temple orders for Enrichment meetings. I totally love this, but wonder for how long. I am out of practice staying awake all night so my day time is crazy trying to juggle more. One of these days when I am like 90 or something, I will wish I had things to do to keep me busy.
The 12th was Mady's Dance Recital. She LOVES DANCE & CHEER! We love to watch her. Upon arrival, Chloee asks me, "Mom did you bring my dancing clothes?" I am saying to her... " UHMMM no, not tonight. She asked me several times when it was her turn to get up there and do her dance show. Hmmm I thought to myself... if you run up there during a performance, I will die! We were able to contain her through the recital, but she has bugged me since to take a dance class.
For the first time in the History of the Leslie Cabin, we did not go there for Martin Luther King HOliday. Yeah. It was great. I can't figure out why I am so far behind all of the time... because we never stay home.... that's why. It felt amazing! Every Saturday this month the kids and I have ripped into at least one room to get some deep cleaning done. This weekend, we did the kitchen. We had everyone on a dust rag wiping cabinets and baseboards. Amazing how fast it happens when we all pitch in. All of a sudden the hardwood started to get a little slippery so the kids were sliding in their socks... of course having a great time, while the rest of us nearly killed ourselves. After about 20 minutes, I finally realized why the floor was getting slick. GAGE WAS SPRAYING HIS SOCKS WITH FURNITURE POLISH AND THEN MAKING A RUN FOR IT DOWN THE HALL. Leave it to Gage to think of that one! Needless to say, the floor was slick for at least a week.
We had our ward conference on the 31st. As a general rule, this is uneventful for me, but our Bishop gave a talk and I actually felt inspired by a comment in his talk. Many people know how slow the construction business has been. This has been a real trial for me. We have been sooo busy for soooo long that I just didn't think we would ever get a break. Well, we have had that break. We have not had a closing since July. It is only because Derek has always managed & budgeted our money so well that we are surviving the economy. Bishop spoke about how many righteous, faithful people had lost their jobs, or would be loosing jobs in the future but that we would all see Miracles. Those miracles might not be in the form of a better job, or a job with better benefits, but that the miracles might be in our ability to learn to live with less and to better manage what we have. This is totally the Leslie's. It has really been a difficult lesson for me, but I am learning it. We have all made some lifestyle adjustments and are adapting. I am grateful to have been taught the importance of food storage, managing debt, saving money for a rainy day, and that our home is paid for! That is a great feeling. oh, and it never hurts to have your own "School of Boating", just in case you need to earn a little bit of cash on the side ( This was a joke made by our good friend the Stake President... he made reference to Holli's school of Boating in his talk, and that my philosophy was that if you aren't having fun, you aren't going fast enough... Oddly enough, some thought he was serious. We can always count on him to keep things lively :)
January has come and gone and I am wondering if I am going to survive the cold weather & lack of sunshine - or my pasty skin tone, rather. Mom and dad are in Nevada, soaking up the rays. We are just here...grateful for a slower pace.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
DecembRRRRR!
So far this month there has been no decking the halls with anything that is staying here. Everything is headed out the door to the Festival of Trees crafty booth. I have been frantically painting, staining, packing, etc. things for this 2nd show. Somewhere I lost a week on the calendar. I was thinking I had 2 weeks between these shows and in reality only had one. WOW!
Although, a long and crazy week at the Festival of trees, I met some really amazing women and had a few moments of downtime to get my act together. I am also making a note to self to get tickets to the Princess Tea for my girls... I think they would seriously love it!
On the 9th we began taking dance photos for the Pocatello Rec Center. There are some seriously darling little girls in this city. We had to start early this time...my little partner Noelle Merzlock is very pregnant... She is actually going to be induced on the 17th. I pray she makes it until then.
On the 11th, we spent the entire evening setting up the foyer for CeleBrate Christ. Somehow that was my responsibility again this year... thankfully that was only one night this year and we were able to tear it all down on Sunday after the program.
I still have no Christmas tree up... I still don't care that I don't have a tree up.
On the 13th we had our annual Leslie cousin Christmas party. Good food, good company, fun activities, were had by most.
The craziness continues... on the 17th we had the adult Leslie party... we went bowling in Blackfoot - there is never a boring moment with Brandt in your company.
The 18th was our Ratliff Christmas party. We had it at the Red Lion... the kids swam, we sat in the hot tub, opened great gifts from mom & dad and slept over, only to wake up and leave the mess for the merry maids! It was the greatest.
As all of this is going on, I continued to make temple pictures... was trying to pack for our trip to Arizona, Christmas shop, wrap, Plan a school Christmas party, clean up messes from the previous month, decorate a spec home to free up the red trailer that was full of decorations, had a tooth pulled, was drowning in laundry, had two birthdays to buy presents for ( Chloee 21st and Gage 26th) birthday cakes to make..... woOOOOOW! I'm not so sure I don't need to be evaluated after this month is over.
Our trip to Arizona was anything but relaxing for me. We,, well, I worked from the minute we arrived until them minute we left. Painting... cleaning... cooking... we put up a tree, finshed the shopping, wrapped presents, made cake, baked cookies for Santa, watched the Nativity movie.... seriously. By the time Christmas was here, I was struggling to even CARE!!!
On the ride home, all 16 hours of it, I had plenty of time to review the hellacious month(s) previous. Nobody cares that i am stressed to the max, Nobody cares that I get fewer than 5 and sometimes 4 hours of sleep / night, Nobody cares that I have a "To-DO" list as long as both of my legs. NObody. As I found myself longing for days as a child when I was bored and had nothing to do, I also took time to think about resolutions for the New Year... and funny, many of them can easily be achieved by learning to say the word(s) NO, and Gee,I am sooo sorry... wish me luck!
Although, a long and crazy week at the Festival of trees, I met some really amazing women and had a few moments of downtime to get my act together. I am also making a note to self to get tickets to the Princess Tea for my girls... I think they would seriously love it!
On the 9th we began taking dance photos for the Pocatello Rec Center. There are some seriously darling little girls in this city. We had to start early this time...my little partner Noelle Merzlock is very pregnant... She is actually going to be induced on the 17th. I pray she makes it until then.
On the 11th, we spent the entire evening setting up the foyer for CeleBrate Christ. Somehow that was my responsibility again this year... thankfully that was only one night this year and we were able to tear it all down on Sunday after the program.
I still have no Christmas tree up... I still don't care that I don't have a tree up.
On the 13th we had our annual Leslie cousin Christmas party. Good food, good company, fun activities, were had by most.
The craziness continues... on the 17th we had the adult Leslie party... we went bowling in Blackfoot - there is never a boring moment with Brandt in your company.
The 18th was our Ratliff Christmas party. We had it at the Red Lion... the kids swam, we sat in the hot tub, opened great gifts from mom & dad and slept over, only to wake up and leave the mess for the merry maids! It was the greatest.
As all of this is going on, I continued to make temple pictures... was trying to pack for our trip to Arizona, Christmas shop, wrap, Plan a school Christmas party, clean up messes from the previous month, decorate a spec home to free up the red trailer that was full of decorations, had a tooth pulled, was drowning in laundry, had two birthdays to buy presents for ( Chloee 21st and Gage 26th) birthday cakes to make..... woOOOOOW! I'm not so sure I don't need to be evaluated after this month is over.
Our trip to Arizona was anything but relaxing for me. We,, well, I worked from the minute we arrived until them minute we left. Painting... cleaning... cooking... we put up a tree, finshed the shopping, wrapped presents, made cake, baked cookies for Santa, watched the Nativity movie.... seriously. By the time Christmas was here, I was struggling to even CARE!!!
On the ride home, all 16 hours of it, I had plenty of time to review the hellacious month(s) previous. Nobody cares that i am stressed to the max, Nobody cares that I get fewer than 5 and sometimes 4 hours of sleep / night, Nobody cares that I have a "To-DO" list as long as both of my legs. NObody. As I found myself longing for days as a child when I was bored and had nothing to do, I also took time to think about resolutions for the New Year... and funny, many of them can easily be achieved by learning to say the word(s) NO, and Gee,I am sooo sorry... wish me luck!
NovemBURRRR!
Baby it is already really cold outside - or am I just a serious wimp! Maybe I am just cold because I am unable to maintain my own body temperature due to my LACK OF SLEEP these past few weeks. I am wishing I had started making crafties back in March or something for this show and wonder what in the world I have bit off this time! I have made over 120 temple plaques myself, ok, mom and steph also helped, 5 snowmen, 3 large pumpkins and now am working on large santas and blocks. SHEEESH!
We have continued to make temple pictures for Super Saturdays and Fantastic Fridays... by the end of the month, we will have made close to 1000 copies of various temple pictures.
On the 12th, Brennan got his braces off! His teeth look so great!
Derek made me a crafty booth - we finally got it all painted and I think I know how it is all going to work together with my display tables, etc. It is insane - all of the things to think about. My kids totally love the cash register that I bought. Madelyn wants to come help at the show so she can be in charge of the money.... right....
On the 20th we finally got the trailer packed up thanks to Steph and Ronnie. We would have never made it without their help. We arrived in I.F. in barely enough time to get things set up, before the janitor kicked us out. That place is intense. I haven't seen anything like it ... ever.
Our show was a success, it thought. Certainly, we sold enough inventory to have made it worth it and received a few custom orders in the meantime. Will I do it again? We'll see.
Thanksgiving was a little different this year... neither of the Grandma's were there to celebrate with us, but we invited aunt betty. Immediately following dinner, we got a call from RJ at Grandma's Motel, saying the Hot Water Heating system had blown loose! There was water shooting everywhere! What a way to illiminate a post thanksgiving dinner nap! We threw the carpet cleaner in the truck and away we went! I pray that place doesn't blow itself off the map before Grandma's will is settled. That could be another nightmare all by itself.
As this month rolls to a close, I am thankful for Family and Home. I seriously would not have made it through this month without Derek, my Mom and Steph and their willing hearts, helping hands, and many hours of service. I am also appreciative of the days when my house was clean, organized and decorated for the holidays.. as of now, it is none of those.
We have continued to make temple pictures for Super Saturdays and Fantastic Fridays... by the end of the month, we will have made close to 1000 copies of various temple pictures.
On the 12th, Brennan got his braces off! His teeth look so great!
Derek made me a crafty booth - we finally got it all painted and I think I know how it is all going to work together with my display tables, etc. It is insane - all of the things to think about. My kids totally love the cash register that I bought. Madelyn wants to come help at the show so she can be in charge of the money.... right....
On the 20th we finally got the trailer packed up thanks to Steph and Ronnie. We would have never made it without their help. We arrived in I.F. in barely enough time to get things set up, before the janitor kicked us out. That place is intense. I haven't seen anything like it ... ever.
Our show was a success, it thought. Certainly, we sold enough inventory to have made it worth it and received a few custom orders in the meantime. Will I do it again? We'll see.
Thanksgiving was a little different this year... neither of the Grandma's were there to celebrate with us, but we invited aunt betty. Immediately following dinner, we got a call from RJ at Grandma's Motel, saying the Hot Water Heating system had blown loose! There was water shooting everywhere! What a way to illiminate a post thanksgiving dinner nap! We threw the carpet cleaner in the truck and away we went! I pray that place doesn't blow itself off the map before Grandma's will is settled. That could be another nightmare all by itself.
As this month rolls to a close, I am thankful for Family and Home. I seriously would not have made it through this month without Derek, my Mom and Steph and their willing hearts, helping hands, and many hours of service. I am also appreciative of the days when my house was clean, organized and decorated for the holidays.. as of now, it is none of those.
OctoBLURRR!
This seriously was the craziest, fastest quarter of my whole life. It is a really good thing I took notes on the calendar - or this might also be the shortest entry on the whole blog.
We started off the month looking forward to listening to conference. Seriously, at first I had a little trouble with President Monson... only because President HincKley was soooo my favorite prophet of all time. Anyway, he is growing on me. I love to hear him speak and now, really love to hear his daughter speak as well. The Monson family will for sure go down in history as being a Power family for me.
Funny... I have been making temple pictures fairly steadily throughout the summer, but October hits and all of a sudden it is Super Slammin Saturday every week. By the time the month is over, I will have developed over 300 temple pictures for different wards.
On the 8th, we went to the cabin. It was cold as heck, but our kids still wanted to ride motorcycles. They came in freezing half to death. This has been an unusually cold Fall. I am hoping it isn't an indication of a subzero winter. It is always fun to go and relax, watch videos, play games and eat great food, but I am wishing we had a housekeeping fairy to pick up the slack while we are packing up to go home. That for sure kicks my rear end!
I have a new calling, I teach the 18 year old Sunday School Class. It is actually ok. Our babysitter Chelsie is in that class, so it is tolerable. Wondering how it will be when she moves on??? I don't even want to go there. She has been our babysitter for 5 years. I can bearly stand the thought of her going off to college this next fall.
This year I was swindled into being a room mother for Mady's class. I have serious brain rot at this time and have struggled to come up with anything worth while. We finally decided to play a crazy halloween bingo game, make caramel apples, and ghosts out of suckers. Thank heaven, kids aren't too picky. The caramel apples were soooo yummy. Those are on the list again for next year.
Halloween is always a pain in the AAAAAAAA for me. Now that we have 4 children, it is an even bigger drag. ok... if we could just dress up one time and go trick or treating once, it would be fine. NOOOOO. Not in our neighborhood. We have a trunk or treak a few days before Halloween, then we dress up for school parties and parade through the school, then actually trick or treat again on Halloween night. YEEEEESH! Besides passing out over 400 pieces of candy each year, My rear end drags by the time it is over. I find myself becoming less and less excited about this holiday every year. And each year, the candy gets thrown away a little sooner because the wrappers are all over my house. Calgon take me away!
I have been full-on in crafty mode. Now that super Saturday is over, I finally have time to work on my own crafties for the Craft Fair in November. Right now, I am working on temple pictures. sanding. painting. mod podging. ..... it seems endless. Derek's garage will never be the same, I am sure.
We went to dinner with some seriously fun couples! We spend so much time trying to act mature, be responsible, appear flawless and speak intelligently as adults. It is sooooo great to ME when you can just HANG out sometimes. We didn't take kids with us so we could talk about whatever came up without being interrupted. We laughed until I think my eyes started watering and my guts were hurting, We we politically incorrect as often as possible, nobody spilled anything or had to go the bathroom 10 times, we ate some amazing food that you can't afford when you take your family out to eat, and drank lots of PEPSI! It was for sure a great night. Only to be topped off with a drag race home. Just for the record... The ladies totally won Baby!!!
We started off the month looking forward to listening to conference. Seriously, at first I had a little trouble with President Monson... only because President HincKley was soooo my favorite prophet of all time. Anyway, he is growing on me. I love to hear him speak and now, really love to hear his daughter speak as well. The Monson family will for sure go down in history as being a Power family for me.
Funny... I have been making temple pictures fairly steadily throughout the summer, but October hits and all of a sudden it is Super Slammin Saturday every week. By the time the month is over, I will have developed over 300 temple pictures for different wards.
On the 8th, we went to the cabin. It was cold as heck, but our kids still wanted to ride motorcycles. They came in freezing half to death. This has been an unusually cold Fall. I am hoping it isn't an indication of a subzero winter. It is always fun to go and relax, watch videos, play games and eat great food, but I am wishing we had a housekeeping fairy to pick up the slack while we are packing up to go home. That for sure kicks my rear end!
I have a new calling, I teach the 18 year old Sunday School Class. It is actually ok. Our babysitter Chelsie is in that class, so it is tolerable. Wondering how it will be when she moves on??? I don't even want to go there. She has been our babysitter for 5 years. I can bearly stand the thought of her going off to college this next fall.
This year I was swindled into being a room mother for Mady's class. I have serious brain rot at this time and have struggled to come up with anything worth while. We finally decided to play a crazy halloween bingo game, make caramel apples, and ghosts out of suckers. Thank heaven, kids aren't too picky. The caramel apples were soooo yummy. Those are on the list again for next year.
Halloween is always a pain in the AAAAAAAA for me. Now that we have 4 children, it is an even bigger drag. ok... if we could just dress up one time and go trick or treating once, it would be fine. NOOOOO. Not in our neighborhood. We have a trunk or treak a few days before Halloween, then we dress up for school parties and parade through the school, then actually trick or treat again on Halloween night. YEEEEESH! Besides passing out over 400 pieces of candy each year, My rear end drags by the time it is over. I find myself becoming less and less excited about this holiday every year. And each year, the candy gets thrown away a little sooner because the wrappers are all over my house. Calgon take me away!
I have been full-on in crafty mode. Now that super Saturday is over, I finally have time to work on my own crafties for the Craft Fair in November. Right now, I am working on temple pictures. sanding. painting. mod podging. ..... it seems endless. Derek's garage will never be the same, I am sure.
We went to dinner with some seriously fun couples! We spend so much time trying to act mature, be responsible, appear flawless and speak intelligently as adults. It is sooooo great to ME when you can just HANG out sometimes. We didn't take kids with us so we could talk about whatever came up without being interrupted. We laughed until I think my eyes started watering and my guts were hurting, We we politically incorrect as often as possible, nobody spilled anything or had to go the bathroom 10 times, we ate some amazing food that you can't afford when you take your family out to eat, and drank lots of PEPSI! It was for sure a great night. Only to be topped off with a drag race home. Just for the record... The ladies totally won Baby!!!
Say it isn't September!
(I am writing this post from notes jotted months ago, that are finally being recorded in January as an effort to keep at least one New Year's resolution from 2009!!!)
SeptemBer arrives, the rest of the year goes by lickety split! This year was no exception.
Our children are of course back in school full swing. PM Kindergarten is seriously the greatest. SO far, Gage doesn't mind going to school, if we agree to take him to SUBWAY for lunch before school. cha. AS IF! Mady loves school and is soooo delighted to be back on the social scene. New friends are alway so great. Brennan is in 6th grade at Hawthorne middle school... the first year 6th graders were moved up. Honestly. I know that I will look back and it will all be well. This added responsiblity of a locker and transporting his personals back & forth is a little much. He will get used to it (I pray... because I don't want to afford to replace another Math workbook!) Chloee and Mom are digging the time to ourselves. Man this joint is quiet until about 2:38 p.m. and then all H-e-double hockey sticks breaks loose!(or is that just gage breaking through the door - so relieved to be home and out the door to play!)
For whatever reason, I have had several requests to take family photos for different people and that started the month off with an extra dallop of craZiness.
Brennan has Football Practice 4 nights a week and then a game on Saturdays. Go Rams! Seriously... for only being 6th graders, I could swear they get their butts handed to them each practice. I know it will be good for him. He will hopefully learn to be tough - BUT holy cow! Again, they are 6th graders!
Madelyn has started Hip Hop and Cheer/Tumbling Classes again. She of course loves them. If we would let her, she would have something every night of the week. She also is taking piano lessons again. I pray my nerves will stand it. :)
Gage Loves to play outside on the vacant lot behind our house. Derek has scooped some dirt into piles and they have all made some jumps that they like to ride their bikes on. He is quiet the dare devil.
Chloee loves to play with dollies and ride her bike with training wheels. She is a serious GYPSY! I struggle to keep her at home now that she has "Wheels" WOW! She is usually out the door and gone before I can slip shoes on to race after her.
We celebrated Brennan's 12th birthday on the 9th. Yeah. I have a 12 year old. what about it? He is delighted to hold the Priesthood, to get to pass the Sacrament and all of the other great stuff that goes along with being a Deacon.
Madelyn turned 9 on the 13th. WOW! I still to this day do not know what we were thinking having September Birthdays. It seems like this month is NUT_VILLE by the time we pay everything the attention it needs.- oh and we can barely roll out the door because we have eaten sooo much birthday cake and icecream.
I have been busily preparing for our Super Saturday coming up. WOW!
On the 17th, I took a "Mama's day out" trip to the Great Valley. I dearly love shopping in Salt Lake. First comes the TaiPan in Roy, then Taiwan Imports in Murray and then the Taipan in Sandy and then took a few more temple pictures along the way to add to the collection.
As I look back on this month, I am grateful for many things, beautiful autumn sunsets, cooler temperatures, and to be back on a schedule!
SeptemBer arrives, the rest of the year goes by lickety split! This year was no exception.
Our children are of course back in school full swing. PM Kindergarten is seriously the greatest. SO far, Gage doesn't mind going to school, if we agree to take him to SUBWAY for lunch before school. cha. AS IF! Mady loves school and is soooo delighted to be back on the social scene. New friends are alway so great. Brennan is in 6th grade at Hawthorne middle school... the first year 6th graders were moved up. Honestly. I know that I will look back and it will all be well. This added responsiblity of a locker and transporting his personals back & forth is a little much. He will get used to it (I pray... because I don't want to afford to replace another Math workbook!) Chloee and Mom are digging the time to ourselves. Man this joint is quiet until about 2:38 p.m. and then all H-e-double hockey sticks breaks loose!(or is that just gage breaking through the door - so relieved to be home and out the door to play!)
For whatever reason, I have had several requests to take family photos for different people and that started the month off with an extra dallop of craZiness.
Brennan has Football Practice 4 nights a week and then a game on Saturdays. Go Rams! Seriously... for only being 6th graders, I could swear they get their butts handed to them each practice. I know it will be good for him. He will hopefully learn to be tough - BUT holy cow! Again, they are 6th graders!
Madelyn has started Hip Hop and Cheer/Tumbling Classes again. She of course loves them. If we would let her, she would have something every night of the week. She also is taking piano lessons again. I pray my nerves will stand it. :)
Gage Loves to play outside on the vacant lot behind our house. Derek has scooped some dirt into piles and they have all made some jumps that they like to ride their bikes on. He is quiet the dare devil.
Chloee loves to play with dollies and ride her bike with training wheels. She is a serious GYPSY! I struggle to keep her at home now that she has "Wheels" WOW! She is usually out the door and gone before I can slip shoes on to race after her.
We celebrated Brennan's 12th birthday on the 9th. Yeah. I have a 12 year old. what about it? He is delighted to hold the Priesthood, to get to pass the Sacrament and all of the other great stuff that goes along with being a Deacon.
Madelyn turned 9 on the 13th. WOW! I still to this day do not know what we were thinking having September Birthdays. It seems like this month is NUT_VILLE by the time we pay everything the attention it needs.- oh and we can barely roll out the door because we have eaten sooo much birthday cake and icecream.
I have been busily preparing for our Super Saturday coming up. WOW!
On the 17th, I took a "Mama's day out" trip to the Great Valley. I dearly love shopping in Salt Lake. First comes the TaiPan in Roy, then Taiwan Imports in Murray and then the Taipan in Sandy and then took a few more temple pictures along the way to add to the collection.
As I look back on this month, I am grateful for many things, beautiful autumn sunsets, cooler temperatures, and to be back on a schedule!
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