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Last night we had some indoor soccer fun.  The games are fast paced and the boys play well and love it.  They love to play off the wall and to have no off sides.  It was an exciting start to our weekend.

 

Hannah finally went back to school yesterday.  She was sick for a long time.  She got cast in the ensemble cast which was disappointing but hopefully she will have a lot of fun none the less.

 

This morning was our first chess team match.  It was a tournament and it was oddly exciting to watch too.  Ethan won his first match, lost the second, won the third, lost the fourth and won the last.  Not bad for his first time out.  He is anxious to go again and do better!

 



 

 

When we got home Lucy and I took the doggies for a walk in the woods.  It's pretty out today.  Not too cold and the leaves were crunchy which is fun.

 

Tonight Hannah is going to a regional fireside.  She's going with Chelsea.  I am anxious to hear all about it.  I decided not to go because we really have a busy month and I have to be home sometimes.  It's hard to find the right balance.

perfect record

Last night was the pinewood derby.  We ended with our record of embarrassing losses intact.  Ethan's cars are always slow :)  Oh well.  His was the pink one.  Nate's "carrot car" won.  I heard it was a fun night.  I stayed home with Hannah and Grace. 

Hannah is finally feeling better.  She was in bed for basically 4 days.  Today she was home but is up and grouchy and fighting with her siblings so tomorrow she goes to school.  She'll have a lot of make up work :( and will find out her part in the play.  I can't imagine that it will be a happy day.

Poor little Penny has RSV.  I am so sad to hear that news.  It has been a winter of illness.  The flu is every where.  Kids are missing school by the droves.  Between the illnesses, the economy and the lack of quality television programing on it's a wonder we are getting through the winter.  At least I figured out how to get pictures on. I don't know what is wrong with blogger but I can switch to HTML mode and get one in.  Strange.

summer daydreams

 

I always daydream about summer in the winter.  It makes me want to declutter, I don't know what that has to do with summer but it does.  I love to go to the beach.  Last year we had the best time at Hilton Head.  I loved it.  So relaxing and fun.  The water was beautiful and we talk about it and relive it all the time.  I can't wait for this summer.  Maybe we will have a kayak and the kids can paddle around with us.  Or maybe we will sit on the beach and dig our toes in the sand. I still want to go to see the wild horses or up to Nantucket..or Tahiti :) I love the sun and the sand and the water and watching the kids splash and swim and catch waves.  They are brave to my fear. They are wild and free and I am reserved and wear a hat.  They are like little merkids and I am a watcher.  We both love it though. 

 I was looking at summer art on etsy.  It was fun to look.  The top picture is me, in my mind anyway.  Me and Bub a few years ago when he was smaller. 

The bottom one is me in a few years.  LOL

shell # 3

It's chilly outside.  January.  Gotta love it. 

Lu is getting ready for her birthday.  She is very excited to turn 8.  She is going to be baptized on her actual birthday.  Two days before we are going to have a birthday party/field trip.  She's asking 3 of her friends to join us on a zoo trip.  Lu is a smart girl, she is chatty and loves animals.  She's learning to like to obey and sometimes is easy and sweet.  Sometimes she  is sassy and stubborn.  We love her at all times!

Poor Hannah is still stick.  She missed her callbacks and now fears she will be cast as "shell #3".  I had to laugh at her when she said that, she is so funny.  I hope she gets a part she is happy with.  We will hear today.

I had a long day yesterday.  My job is good.  I like the kids and what I do.  I don't know how people who work every day and take care of home and family do it.  Really.  Han has been so sick and I have felt so horrible about leaving her home alone.  Today I stayed home, and then I feel bad about not being at work.  It's ridiculous.  Today she is actually a little bit better and is out of bed.  I am happy to be with her and wait on her though.  Also I am sneaking in some debris removal (always needed) and working on YW stuff.  We had a presidency meeting last night.  I sure love my presidency.  They are funny, hard working, good women.  We laugh a lot.  We also work a lot and there are tons of big things coming up.  I got home a little before 10.  Rob had held down the fort while I was gone and took Lu to Brownies and helped Ethan build his pinewood derby car.  Thank goodness for his support and help.

Wedding plans are also slowly unfolding.  It's a busy year ahead for us.

stuff

Hannah didn't do DI this  year.  She literally spent days and weeks thinking about this.  You can not do the play and DI and she really wanted to do the play this year.  So auditions were last week and she rocked it.  Han is definitely comfortable on stage.  She is a born drama queen!  Anyway she got a call back for Ariel.  So exciting.  Then began a series of catastrophes.  First her practice CD didn't work.  We spent a day and a half trying to work that out.  Finally we had music and script and then worst of all...the flu hit.  Poor girl has been SO sick.  She has slept probably 45 out of the last 50 hours, waking up only to be forced to drink and to take some meds.  So call backs have come and gone.  I talked with the director and she promised Han a part and was very understanding, the flu is ugly this year, but it won't be Ariel.  She is sick and she is sad :(

In the afternoon of yesterday I met Lucy at the bus with our girl scout cookie selling paraphernalia in hand.  We walked home very very slowly as she stopped to knock on each door.  An hour later she had sold 83 boxes!  Yea!  Really selling GSC is more a public service than anything else.  People love them.  We were hoping to sell 115 boxes total but are now thinking of trying to reach the next prize level which would be 175 boxes.  Lu has a good door approach. She says "Hi, my name is Grace and I am selling girl scout cookies.  How many boxes do you want?" as she slides very very close to the threshold and hands them her card.  Then while they are looking she launches into a spiel about wanting to sell 1000 boxes so she can earn the super deluxe, water proof, something something digital camera and tells how the cookies are such a great deal at $4 a box unlike the overpriced and not as tasty boy scout popcorn.  It's pretty funny.

Sunday afternoon, home from church.  Lu and Daniel swapped for the afternoon.  The boys were engaged in watching Mythbusters, Han was passed out on the couch, the blinds were open in our bedroom letting in the soft winter light in slits across our red flannel sheets, the house was peaceful and we had enjoyed a very lovely albeit kind of chilly, day at church full of inspiring lessons and strong testimonies and then came the best part: Rob and I slid in the sheets, gave each other a kiss, and took a nap.  Sweet! I woke up two hours later and began making dinner.  R slept an extra hour.  It was great! Best part of 9am church for sure!

this and that, no pictures

ok, I give up.  For reasons I do not understand, and can't seem to fix, I can not post pictures right now.  Maybe with time Blogger will heal itself, or maybe not.  Who knows?
Anyway we had a very fun time at the shower.  A lot of dear friends came, which I was grateful for.  Love my friends! I made some soups, 2 of which turned out well, and we had a chocolate fountain.  The games were fun and I wish I could put up pictures of Chelsea and Josie dressed as toilet paper brides. They were adorable.  Jenny, Clayton's sister came from DC and she is a hoot.  Jenna had a great time I think and was a gracious receiver.

I started a full time sub job.  Ms Shunk, who does inclusion support for kids with IEPs had a heart attack and will be out for an indefinite amount of time.  I took her place.  I like it well enough.  The kids are sweet and it's not hard.  I like to not work every day because it's crazy keeping up with stuff at home.  In my perfect job world I would work 3 days a week, only when the kids were in school, and would be paid considerably more than I am at my "volunteer work with a small stipend" which is what I call my job in my head.  But I am grateful for the extra $ especially now when we are preparing for a wedding, in a different state.  It's helpful and I am still home when the kids are...and the house, well it's fine as long as no one comes in to it :)

Clayton had his birthday this week while he was here.  He turned 24.  Jenna had some birthday fun planned for him, then late at night (8pm ish which is late for us lol) we had birthday cheesecake, Jenny came, then we all went to bed and Jen2 and Clayton watched Taken, which I want to see but I wanted to sleep more.  (a sign that I am old)

Last night was our first indoor soccer game of the season. It was very exciting.  The team had a wonderful game.  Ethan scored a goal in the first half and played keeper the second half and didn't let any goals in.  He loved it.  The only damper on the evening was Ethan wants to play travel and spent a lot of time feeling bad about it.  Problem is: travel games are on Sunday.  We honor the Sabbath (.)  Additional problem: his friend, also a member, recently decided to play as long as it was after church.  Which is his choice, not one I agree with and not one we will adopt, but not one I take issue with.  Everyone is free to chose for themselves, which is God's greatest gift to us , our free agency.  I do not similarly give this gift to my minor children as I feel it is my duty, obligation, privilege, honor, etc, to raise them and teach them and therefore tell them what to do.  I believe very much in the teach them correct principles and then let them govern themselves philosophy but we are still in the teach them phase not the govern themselves phase, and honestly mom's always weigh in, always have an opinion.  It's our nature.   Anyway, this made a most excellent game for Bub a little bitter sweet because he knows he can't play where he wants later. 

There has been a lot of talk about new year's resolutions lately.  I don't have any.  I do want to lose some lbs and learn to be a runner, or kayaker, or a person who can walk up stairs without getting winded and I am doing weight watchers...again.  I am a good loser, I have lost probably 200 lbs.  Sadly it's been the same 10 over and over again but it's evidence that it can be done.  Other than that and my on going attempts to be a crocheter my only goals are to get through the events I am responsible to plan this year with stellar results and all my hair.  Beehive Conference, Girls Camp, Jenna's wedding, Palmyra trip to name a few.  High dollar, big pay off, lots of work that I want to do well events.  That's all I can do.
Rob's resolution may be to clean his closet.  I don't know that  for a fact but he has been working on it for days.  Which thrills me and is unprecedented.  He suffers from too much stuff, but he got rid of all the things that don't fit so now with a little organizing he might be set.  I actually, as always, want to organize top to bottom.  Nana is much better at that than I am but I try.  Things don't stay where I put them which is a big part of the problem.  Oh well.  I am blessed to have little mess makers around me.

Jenna and Clayton left yesterday.  It was a good visit.  They were here a long time which was nice because we really got to know Clayton well and he us.  We could only act the way we wish we really were for a few days, then we acted the way we really are, which is sometimes the way we wish we are and sometimes a little less and he still wants to marry Jenna.  So I guess he's committed :) She wants to marry him.  They are different people but are crazy about each other..ah, young love.  I hope they will be very happy together!

lastly I totally get why some people have dogs instead of children.  Not that I am in any way anti child.  I do have 6 of them, which is a decent nod to the multiply and replenish mandate.  And I love them, they are my greatest joy and I would never, even on the worst day with the most difficult child trade any of them.  However dogs are easier and a delight.  I call Ziva and she drops what she is doing and runs to me.  The kids, not so much.  I give her food, she is delighted...the kids, not so much.  I want to spend time with her...she is thrilled and will do whatever I want to do and she does it with nary a complaint.  The children take issue with every wonderful, glitter filled, magical childhood event I orchestrate for them.  Z will never date someone I don't like.  She will never tell me no when I ask her to clean her room (in fairness I will never ask her to but whatevah), she will never break curfew, say she wishes she was never born, hit her sister, stamp around or worst of all move to Utah and leave me grandchildless and without her company just when she grows up to be the most wonderful person ever (as my 3 biggest have done and my 3 littlest no doubt will do)  No wonder I love that little fluff ball.

Bridal Shower Antics

Jenna, Jenny (her new sister in law), Hannah and Chelsea entertained us with a lovely musical selection.