Ethan starts preschool!

Last night was NOT fun! Sophia woke up around 2:30 and I thought I would let her try and cry it out for once....probably shouldn't had tried that in her crib. Duh! But it was late and I wasn't thinking. Finally around 3:00 I tried to nurse her...one last desperate attempt....and that didn't work. So I finally put her in the portable crib and she stopped crying around 3:30. She started up again at 4:00. Enough was enough. I made her a bottle and put her down. I guess she really needs food. So tonight I'll still try the crib and give her a bottle when she wakes up.

Anyway, I was pretty exhausted this morning! Ben was wonderful and let me sleep in, but I was nervous he was going to forget about Ethan going to school today, so it wasn't extremely restful. It was good enough, however, to get me going for a long day. Ethan was excited for school. Here he is all ready w/ his backpack and new lunch box. He looked a little concerned when Ben took that picture w/ his teacher, huh?

Today I had to run to Target to get a baby gift for a shower I had at 11:00. Talk about waiting till the last minute. I knew exactly what I was planning on getting, but just kept putting it off. It was a small shower for my friend Susan Allen. She is having her fourth (a girl) at the end of the month. I hadn't seen her in awhile, so it was nice visiting with her and some old friends from Lake Pleasant Ward. Ethan got out of school at 12:00, so rushed to pick him up and got back to the shower in time for the gift opening and some more visiting . I didn't' get out of there till 2:00 and then had to run to get the kids from school.

Aubrie and Boston did well. It's just like any other day for them now. We are all adjusting better now to the new schedule! Boston said the teacher made new seating arrangements and sat him by his "girlfriend that he is going to marry some day", and still doesn't know her name! Ha! I told him if he was going to marry her he had to know her name. He told me "I'm not going to marry her until I'm old silly!" Ethan had a great time, and Ms. Sarah said he did well. He kept talking about his new friends Logan and Andrew. I'm glad he adjusted well. He has been acting a little shy lately, which is weird. When he gets in a new environment he hides behind me. So I was a little nervous about that.

4 Months!!!

Look who is four months already! What a cutie! She is our doll baby, and quite literally. Aubrie's newest thing is putting Sophia in her baby stroller and pushing her around the house. At first I was a little nervous but, hey, if it supports Boston and Ethan it surely must support little Sophia. Sophia seems to like it too. Aubrie is getting some early practice at Motherhood. Really, it's hard to think how four months have flown by so quickly. On the other hand, I can't imagine our lives without little Sophia. She is a great baby, except when we go out and she is tired. Unlike most of my babies, she prefers to be put in bed and left alone when she is tired. It's great when I'm home! No rocking or soothing required. She just starts to squawk and I just plop her in bed and leave her alone. Instantly she sticks that thumb in her mouth, quiets down and goes to sleep. If we are out, watch out! She wants that bed, so there is some rocking and bouncing required. Today in Sacrament I was shocked when she fell asleep just sitting in my lap. I wasn't so lucky in YW! Sophia has officially weaned herself today and I'm pretty sad about it. Being she is my last I was hoping for a couple of more months. Sophia just prefers the bottle. Now I'm nervous about the middle of the night feedings...more like 5 am feedings. Going downstairs to make that bottle isn't as easy as bringing her in bed and instantly feeding her, while I nod off to sleep for another 10 minutes. I'm hoping she will soon sleep till 7am! Tonight is Sophia's first night in her crib! She started her first 2 months sleeping in the car seat and then graduated to the portable crib in our master closet. I tried putting her down, for a nap, in her crib the other day and she wouldn't have it. I was nervous she would be sleeping in that portable crib forever. Yesterday I tried it again, after the sun moved over our house; her bedroom faces east. She did fine after that. Guess I'll have to get her some darkening shades too. Anyway, decided tonight is the night to try the crib. Ethan starts preschool tomorrow, so if she has a terrible night I can take a morning nap. I hope it goes well. Here are some pictures from this morning, when the kids were pushing Sophia in the stroller. Ethan didn't get in the first picture, so that's the reason for the one of him doing his cutie pose. Church was good today. It started early, 8:30! Our new building is too small to hold Sunday School in the RS room, so they had to start our meetings earlier. We woke up at 7:15 and actually all made it out in time, and even had some breakfast. Of course, not doing my hair helped. The talks were good and there was a great musical number. Young Women's was good. My friend Erin taught, and at the end handed out some "prayer" rugs. They kind of go along the lines of the whole prayer rock thing, to remind you to pray, but they don't hurt and are much prettier!:) She was nice and let me take a few for my kids. Now I have a FHE lesson for tomorrow!:)

After church I tried to take a nap. I had a really bad headache and started to get a sore throat. For some reason I couldn't sleep...I hate that! So I got up and made some cupcakes for my brothers' birthday party. They turned 26 yesterday....again feeling old! We had a nice dinner. My mom made steak, potato salad, beans, etc. Billy never showed b/c he got stuck up at the Salt River. We were a little disappointed. He said he didn't think it was going to take so long. Guess he knows now! Oh well what can you do?

Now off to getting things ready for tomorrow...kids folder, lunches, etc. Ethan is excited for school. Hope he has fun and behaves himself!

One week down....

Thursday night ended late for me. During Entrapment I thought I would design a few bracelet sets for YW. It was more work than I thought, and spent over an hour putting together just 4 sets! Good thing I started now, since there are over 40 girls!

Friday started w/ a unique Visiting Teaching visit. Instead of my Visiting Teachers coming here, we all met at Marji's house to learn how to make bread. I already new how, but the company was nice and I learned a few tricks that I didn't know before. I'll have to try them when I get motivated enough. The visit was long, from 9 till 12:30. So by the time I got home and got Sophia to bed, there wasn't much time to do anything before the kids got home.

I can't believe that a week of school has gone by already! Boston has adjusted so incredibly well. I'm so glad b/c I had a hard me letting him go! I really miss having him around. He is my sweet boy! The kids were glad the week was over. Boston said, "Mom! We have 2 day's off! I get to stay up late and watch movies and I don't have homework!" I love the weekends too! No homework, or studying for Math or Spelling tests, and no activities! Aubrie did well for her first week of school. She got a 100 on her timed Math test and a 95 on her spelling. She is funny that way. She slacks all week and I panic, and then she always does well when it really matters! I hung her tests up to make her feel good! It did!

After school we spent over and hour picking out books from the Scholastic catalogues, and then Ben and I went on our date. I finally feel comfortable enough to leave Sophia, so Ben and I finally were able to go to the temple. I have never been to the temple when it was that busy. It was so busy they ran out of lockers. The sessions were full, so we did sealings. It was good! The first sealing we did was a tear jerker for me. I felt the spirit really strong. I felt like those people were there, and had been waiting a long time for their work to be done. That has only happened to me one other time when I was in YW and did a baptism. Anyway, I couldn't hold back my tears, and so the sealer pulled out a tissue and handed it to me. After we were done the sealer told everyone that he felt inspired to tell us (meaning everyone in the room) that if we did sealings often we could avoid divorce. Ben and I laughed about it later, wondering if my crying made him think we were having troubles! HA!

Anyway after the temple we ate at Rosa's and made it home for the last 30 minutes of High School Musical 2! The kids were excited to see it, and were even more excited that we got to see the end with them. It was cute, but I thought the first one was much better.

Today we got a lot done. Ben woke up early and cut our tree's back and cleaned out the garage. Ahhh, I love a clean garage! The kids did their chores and I did the usual laundry and pick up, while Ben ran to an emergency call for work. When he got back we ran to get some errands done. We finally decided it was time to get in shape and so we went to Sports Authority to look at Elliptical Machines. They had a Nordic Track on sale for 500 dollars...a steal! After that we took the boys to get some new shoes, the Vans we got Boston for school hurt his feet:( We than ran to Petsmart to FINALLY get the Litter Maid! I have been trying to convince Ben for years to get it, and I finally convinced him it would be worth it. I'm hoping I'm right.

After all that running around we came home to get cleaned up for Lorraine's birthday party. We all met at Manuel's, a Mexican restaurant, to celebrate. We had the back "party" room, so it was nice not having to worry about the kids disturbing other people. It was fun, but a little crazy! I'm not the biggest fan of that restaurant either, but it's Lorraine's favorite, and the food isn't what we were there for. The best part was that we didn't have to make anything and we didn't have to clean up. I think we should do that more often to celebrate birthdays! After the party we came home watched Just for Laughs and put the kids to bed. Ben just finished putting the Elliptical together (hopeful I'll lose some weight now!), and now we will probably play a little Guitar Hero, now that we finally got a new PS2 that will play the games. Yeah! I'm tired now! Goodnight!

Cousins

Last night just about killed me! I couldn't fall asleep...don't know why it's not like I'm sleeping in now or anything. I finally fell asleep around 2:00 am, but it wasn't restful. Then Sophia woke up at 3:30. I don't know why she is deciding to do this lately. I tried to make her cry it out, but by 4:00am I gave up and fed her really fast. I was so tired this morning. Ben got Aubrie and Boston ready and off to school without me even knowing. I could have slept another couple of hours! Instead I had to get up w/ Sophia and get ready for the day. I had Shea and Carson for a few hours this morning, while Nicole went to a CPR class. Ethan and Shea played well together. They played in the fort outside, played w/ Aubrie's baby dolls and his cars, and also played a game of Pretty Pretty Princess (see picture.)Carson stayed busy and was fascinated w/ Sophia. Sophia started to figure out her eye and hand coordination today. She sat in the bouncy seat for a good hour and played with the toys hanging in front of her. It's so amazing to watch little babies discover the world and things they can do.

After the cousins went home, I made dinner and played the Dora Explore board game w/ Ethan. When the kids got home things went smoothly...homework, piano, chores. After dinner we went swimming and put the kids to bed. Aubrie waited up for my Mom to get home. My Mom told her she was going to buy her a hula hoop today and Aubrie was waiting anxiously for it since the minute she got home from school. My Mom showed up around 8:00 w/ a lighted hula hoop. It's actually pretty cool! Aubrie was so excited to show us how well she does it. I guess they have been practicing in PE. While my Mom was out she bought me a new necklace. It's a star pendant. I guess that's the new thing....instead of the circle. My Mom likes to spoil me, probably more than she can afford. Mom's are good at that, right?

Now Ben and I are just relaxing and watching Entrapment and its only 8:30. We got an early start tonight. I think we are slowly getting back to a schedule here. Yeah!

Oh, here is a picture of some beautiful flowers Ben picked up for me. I thought I should document it in case he ever stops and I can't remember what it was like. Ha! Actually he has always been so good at bringing home flowers. I always make him promise me he will never buy them on Valentines day....RIP OFF!! But he sure makes up for it the rest of the year.

Boston's girlfriend?

So I forgot to mention something funny Boston said last night. At dinner he whispered in Ben's ear "I have a girlfriend, don't tell anyone". As soon as he said that, he said really loud, "Whoa, I'm glad you didn't tell anyone I have a girlfriend". So much for him understanding a secret. So when I put him to bed I said "Tell me about this girlfriend, whats her name?" He told me he didn't know and I asked him how he got talking with her. He said "Mom! I haven't talked to her yet. I just saw her and thought she would make a good girl fiend. I'm to shy to talk to her." I tried so hard not to laugh until I got out of his bedroom.
Today was nice. My Mom told me to take a day to myself while she stayed home with Sophia and Ethan. I left around 10 and headed to the Nail Club to get a pedicure. I love going during the day b/c its not busy. After my pedicure I headed to the mall. I ate at my favorite place, Paradise Bakery, and then did some serious shopping. There were some great deals! Good thing b/c I was in desperate need of jean carpi's and had to splurge big time at the Buckle. I never spend more than 40 dollars on jeans, but I couldn't find jean carpi's anywhere else (that fit me), so I decided "what the heck, might as well go for it". Now watch, I'll lose 10 pounds in the next couple of weeks. ha! Oh, I also was able to find beads for bracelets I have to put together for a YW function. I have been looking all over for them and finally found them on sale at the mall. Glad to finally mark that off my list. Now I just have to take them apart and redesign them...but that's the fun part!
Ethan did well today. He did all of his chores and made his bed so nice and was so excited to show me. I gave him lots of praise and told him what a good bed maker he was. I guess that got him motivated b/c he then said "I'm going to make Boston's bed so he can be so happy". What a sweetie (when he wants to be:). The kids did well when they got home. I started this new thing this week where I put on the BYU radio network when the kids get home from school. Ben and I have really noticed a difference. It really sets the tone, and it's a little harder to yell at the kids when you hear church music in the background:)
Tonight I got wonderful news. I got a call that I needed to see the Bishop tonight, and I knew it had to be for new calling. I was praying so hard that it would be in YW, but I wasn't counting on it since I was just released from there 6 months ago. I figured it was to be a primary teacher, since I mentioned that I would love that calling and they are really desperate in that area. So I was so shocked that I was called back in with the Laurels, as an advisor. Not only do I get to serve w/ the girls I love so much but also with one of my best friends. Can't get better than that.
When I got home Ben had to leave for a church meeting, and so I was flying solo... giving baths, reading, helping Aubrie study, feeding the baby and putting her down, saying prayers, etc..
Whew!! It's just tiring typing all of that, nevertheless doing it. Kids are sure a lot of work, but I wouldn't have my life any other way.

Day Two

Day two of our new schedule was much better. Of course ask me in two weeks, when Aubrie starts gymnastics again. Ben had the kids off to school early and Ethan didn't wake up until 8:30. I was able to get in 20 minutes of DDR for some exercise. (I bought a jump rope today for an even better work out!) I spent the rest of the morning getting some church stuff done and Ethan spent most of his time playing with his cars....his new favorite pastime. Finally around 1:00 we left to do some grocery shopping and to get Ethan a lunchbox for preschool. He picked out a Superman Lunchbox and was very excited to show Aubrie and Boston.
While we were at Walmart Ethan informed me that we needed to get chips. When we got to the chip isle I asked him to pick out any kind he wanted. He put his finger to his chin and started tapping it and then said "hmmm....what to do?". How cute is that, out of a 3 year old at least? Then when we got to the car he wanted me to get something for him while I was driving. I told him that I couldn't b/c I was driving and he did the same thing ( tapping his chin) and said "hmm I have an idea". He was on a roll!
We went straight to school from Walmart to pick up the kids. When we got home Boston was so good, going straight to his chores, homework and piano. Aubrie, on the other hand, took FOREVER. Of course her homework took a little longer, but it took her two hours to finish everything. After their responsibilities they all played cars and babies upstairs for over an hour. They are playing so nice now that school is back in. I'm really enjoying it. Wish it were like that all summer!:) Before they went to bed we took in a 30 minute swim. Sophia joined us and cried when we took her out. She LOVES the water!

summer movies

Ben and I were talking about how many movies we have seen lately. We typically don't go to the movies "just to go to the movies". We only go if there is something we really want to see. Before Sophia came, our date night consisted of dinner and Walmart b/c there was never anything worth seeing. As soon as Sophia was born everything seemed to come out. Sophia has slept through many of them. We realized that on average we saw a movie a week over the summer. That's a record for us! So I decided to write them all down and put them in our "blogjournal"! So this will probably be boring for anyone else who might read it.
Spiderman 3 (All of us...including Ben's parents and Krista) Better than the 2nd
Pirates 3 ( All of us, minus Ethan and including Ben's parents and Krista) First is still the only good one!
Evan Almighty (Ben, Sophia and I) (Ethan, Aubrie and my Mom on their Saturday out) It's a good laugh
Oceans 13 (My Mom and I ) Better than the second, not as good as the 1st! But Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and George Clooney....can't not see that!
Ratatouille (All of us...including Ben's parents and three sisters. It was the Fourth of July and we had to wait in the theatre for an hour and a half with all 4 kids!!! It actually wasn't too bad.) Very cute and funny!
Transformers (All of us, including Danny and his family. We were in California)Surprisingly Good!
Harry Potter Order of the Phoenix (Ben and I) Like the rest of them... someone is after him and he lives throught it!
Bourne Ultimatum (Ben and I) Our favorite of the summer!!!
Hairspray (My Mom, Aubrie, Boston and I) Can't stop singing when you get out!
Live Free or Die Hard (Ben, Sophia and I) Very action packed. Kept us on the edge of our seat
Shrek the Third (All of us) Some funny parts, but pretty boring.
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Boston and I on a mother/son date) Glad we saw it, but wasn't the best movies of the summer.
Surfs Up (Boston and my Mom)
Under Dog ( The kids and Ben's parents)

Back to School

Today I had to let another one of my kids go:( Last night I didn't get much sleep thinking about Boston going off to school. For some reason I am having a harder time with him than Aubrie. Luckily I am more familiar w/ how everything works at school or it would probably be even more difficult for me. We woke the kids up at 6:40...yikes that came early! Aubrie was all excited to wear an outfit I bought her a month ago. Boston acted like it was just another day. Ben and I both went to drop them off. Boston didn't cry or anything when it was time to leave him. I was hugging him VERY tight and didn't want to let go. I started to tear up while I was hugging him, but amazingly (those who know me understand) was able to control it. I didn't want to worry him so I kept praying that I could hold back my tears. Aubrie was excited to see her friends. Her best friend from Happy Valley, Alexis, is in her class. Ben was in there when they called roll and they didn't call her name. I guess they ended up putting her in Ms. Morris' class after all. Ben quickly went to the office and the principal said he would make sure she stayed in Ms. Johnson's. I'm glad he was there to help me take care of it b/c I wanted to be with Boston for his first day.

Things were a bit weird not having them home today. Things were definitely much quieter! I really missed the kids, especially Boston. Only b/c I'm not used to having him gone. I was so ready to go pick him up from school. When I picked him up all he had to say with a smirk was "I'm done w/ my first day of kindergarten"! I tried to ask him what he did but he didn't seem to remember anything except music time, where they sang "The Wheels on the Bus". At dinner Ben asked him what his favorite part of school was and he said "snack and lunch"! Ha!

Aubrie's day went well. She is a little nervous about being in Ms. Johnsons class b/c she is VERY strict. She is always so worried about making a mistake and having to change her stick. I'm hoping that Aubrie can relax about things a little and just learn to do her best.

Things were a little stressful this evening. Aubrie had homework, two hours of dance, piano to practice and then we had family home evening. She didn't even have time to get in her 30 minutes of reading. We are definitely going to have to figure something else out to make Monday's go much smoother. I remember talking to Mom's with kids in school when mine were all toddlers, and them saying how having them in school is harder. I didn't believe them b/c I couldn't imagine how it could be possible. I am understanding more and more why that is true. The only perk is not having to drag all 4 kids in the grocery store!:)

Back to Reality!

Well we are back to reality....otherwise known as home. It was a good trip and we were able to get a lot done. I forgot to mention that we forgot our camera, so we didn't get any pictures till Saturday, when we realized we could use our phone...DUH!! Well, we ended Friday night w/ some pizza and a movie ( Lilo and Stitch) in the pool house. Ben and I were so tired, we barely lasted. Sophia woke up early again, 6:00am, and didn't go back to sleep till 7:15. I was so tired and I just let her lay down next to me and play until she was tired again. She only slept for another 45 minutes. I quickly woke up Ben and told him it was his turn! After Sophia's first nap we headed off to the Ventura fair.
I love the Ventura fair b/c it's right on the coast. It's so much cooler and the air is nice and refreshing, unlike every other stinky fair I have ever been too:) The kids had a great time. We started off riding rides. The boys especially liked the dragon roller coaster; that small roller coaster that just goes in circles. They rode it twice. They also rode the











Speedway cars. Boston and Aubrie rode the "superman" ride, and Aubrie tried some adult rides b/c she finally passed the 48 inches "mark". Mom wasn't ready for that! She did the pirate ship with Ben,and then she did some spinning ride that also flew up in the air. I was so scared to have her on that. Especially since she did that one by herself. She just seemed too little to for it to be safe. I just imagined her falling out and me never forgiving myself. I guess I'm not ready for her to be big yet! After the rides we got some hot dogs and lemonade from the Hot Dog On a Stick booth. We got huge cups that we refilled later and Ben felt like he couldn't let it go to waste, so he was "floating" out of the fair! HA! After









lunch we looked at the animals and then left for the beach.
The beach was really windy so we only stayed for 45 minutes. It was enough time for for Ethan to bury numerous sticks, Boston to climb on the rocks, and Aubrie to swim in the ocean. I don't know how she could swim in such cold water, but she seemed to be enjoying herself. I guess I didn't' have a problem swimming in it either when I was here age.
After the beach we headed home and had a BBQ at the house. After the BBQ we all headed to Cold Stone for one last treat. Things got a little crazy when Ethan ran right into a pole by our table. He is always hurting himself. It's that big head of his! Anyway, that was are cue that it was time to leave! When we got back to Danny's we all went to bed.
We left Danny's around 10:00. Sophia did much better, only crying a few times for only a few minutes. It made the trip go by faster. We got home at 4:15. We made good time considering we made two stops. We really needed to get home so we could get things ready for school tomorrow. We had a good dinner, got the kids lunches ready, Ben gave them their father's blessings, and they picked out their clothes for tomorrow. I also wrote them notes and put them in their lunch boxes. Bostons was simple note, of course, b/c he can't read big words. I wrote Aubrie a card reminding her what a wonderful girl she is and to remember she was a daughter of God!
I still can't believe summer is over already. I also can't believe that my little boy is starting kindergarten. He is getting so grown up. I hate sending my little babies off to full day school. Aubrie's first day of school seemed like it went on forever. I hope that Boston likes it. I worry that it will be too long and that he will miss us. Aubrie was much more independent, and Boston is much more sensitive. I'm probably worrying for nothing. It does make me feel better knowing he is at Happy Valley. Kids seem so much more innocent there. I guess they have to face the real world sometime.....next year!

California!

Wednesday was a full day! First the kids had early morning piano and then I picked one of Aubrie's good friends, Alexis, for a play date. They played and had a great time swimming and doing pedicures. Ethan likes playing with her too! When I told Ethan he needed to come downstairs and leave them alone he started to cry saying " I love you", to Alexis. It was very cute! Around two, Alexis went home so she and Aubrie could get ready for orientation. We went to Aubrie's orientation around 3:30 and left around 4:00. It went from 3-4:30, but the stuff done during the other times were just a repeat from the day before. Ben left from there to go to the Diamondback's game w/ all of his brothers. It was a "brother's" day out. Earlier that morning they all went golfing. Ben had a great time and had his best round ever...he shot a 87! So he was in a good mood all day!:)
After orientation it was just me and the kiddos for the rest of the evening. Sometimes that's easier. I don't' have to think to much about dinner. They are usually happy with something basic, so that's what I did....pene noodles w/ Alfredo! Sophia went down for a late nap, around 4:00. So after dinner she was still asleep. The kids played and I laid on my bed and got a good 30 minute nap before I had to head off to the church to do the Visiting Teaching routes. I got home around 9:00 and probably should have packed but couldn't' get motivated.
Thursday morning Aubrie and Ethan slept till 9:45, making it hard for me to get packing. I spent my morning playing w/ Sophia and emailing. Finally around 11:00 I got packing and we left around Noon. The trip out wasn't too bad. Sophia doesn't like the car seat so there were crying spells ever hour or so, which were a little unnerving. Both her an Ethan did this thing where they didn't like their car seat. It's comforting to know it won't last forever. We arrived at Danny's around 7:30. We grabbed some Taco Bell for some quick dinner and rushed home to get Sophia changed and into bed. Once she got out of her car seat she just wanted to play. She ended going down around 9:00 and I went to bed soon after. I had an early morning wake up call, 6:00 am! Sophia went right back down, but when I looked over Aubrie was gone. I went outside and checked to see if she was outside, she loves playing w/ the chickens and the dog, but she was no where to be found. I found her in the room where the boys were sleeping, and she was trying to wake up Boston...ARGH! I quickly got her out and back in bed, but she wasn't tired. Finally around 7:00 I told her she could go and then I finally was able to sleep until 9:00..AHHHHH!
Today we took things casually, which was nice. This morning I played a little guitar hero, the 80's edition, the kids played in the backyard and Danny made french toast w/ his YUMMY buttermilk syrup. After Sophia's first nap the kids went swimming. We then put Sophia down for a second nap, planning on going to the beach afterward. While she was sleeping we played more video games, enjoyed the backyard, watched Mission Impossible 3 and Danny took Aubrie and I for a drive in his new BMW! Boy was that thing fast! I have never been in a faster car. It went from 0-100 so quick it felt like my heart was leaping out of my chest. When we got back to Danny's Aubrie had a little scare. She was feeding the chickens and when she left the coop the dog ran in between her legs and got a hold of one of the chickens. It was bleeding and Danny was upset. She was freaking out and I had to convince her Danny wasn't mad at her, but was mad at Jessie.
After all of that we were still waiting for Sophia to wake up...she was taking a power nap! Finally we woke her up around 3:00 and headed to the Harbor for my favorite fish tostada and our favorite ice cream stop. After stuffing our faces we headed to the beach. We didn't even swim. We just sat out there on the sand and enjoyed the ocean breeze while Aubrie and Boston climbed the rocks and Ethan dug holes in the sand and buried sticks. We stayed for about an hour before we headed back to Danny's. The car was really dirty and so we ran our car through a car wash. The kids liked being in the car while it went through. Usually we sit and wait in the building, but this one you sat in the car the whole time. On the way home all the kids fell asleep. I guess that's what a long day will do to you. Now they are playing in the backyard again...well Aubrie and Boston. Ethan is still asleep and Sophia is trying to get there. More tomorrow!

Boston's Orientation Day

Today went much better. Sophia was back on schedule, waking up around 8:30. She got a good morning nap, and that made all the difference. When she woke up from her nap she was laying on her side; almost rolled completely on her back. There is hope after all! HA! This morning the kids and I got the house cleaned up b/c the appraiser was coming at noon. So that left the rest of the day to relax until the evening chaos! We spent the day doing piano, reading, playing a little Wii, and the boys made forts and went on "treasure hunts". They like to pretend they are pirates looking for treasures. Ethan and Boston have their moments where they play really well together. Wish it were like that always. Guess they wouldn't be siblings if they didn't fight...right?!
After dinner, we headed off to Boston's school for orientation. He was really excited, but was bored after being there for about 20 minutes. He'll be in shock when he has to be there for 6 hours! Actually I was quite bored myself. That orientation stuff isn't much fun! I'm sure once he starts he will love it! Right now he is most excited about the fact that he gets to eat pizza in the cafeteria!
While we were there Aubrie got to meet her teacher. She originally got Ms. Johnson, who I was concerned about. She is really good, but really strict. I didn't think Aubrie would be good w/ the strict thing, so I called the school and they said she was actually in Ms. Morris's class. They haven't made the switch yet, so we are going to start her in Ms. Johnson's and if she doesn't like it, ask for the switch. Ben and I got a good feeling when we met her. Who knows, maybe b/c she was there and Ms. Morris wasn't! But we decided to give her a try.
When we got home we did the normal....went for a swim. Then our friend came over to show us this new home loan where we can pay our house off in 13 years w/ a cheaper payment! Yeah! By the time we were done it was past 11:00. Yikes, another late night!

FRIENDS and FHE

Today was one of those days! Sophia has been "off" the past two days. Usually she is very predictable. She cries when she is tired or hungry and besides that she is content to lay on her play mat. Today she was really fussy, so I really didn't get much done, or least it felt like it. This morning she woke up early; 7:30. So she went down around 9:00am. I wanted to get to a friends house for a quick visit, so I hurried the kids through their chores so we could get over there. I had to stop at Target really fast to pick up a little something for my friend and the kids did pretty well, except for begging me for everything by the check out counter. When we got to my friends house no one answered the door. I was a little disappointed, but something told me to wait awhile. So I decided to check the community pool to see if she was there. She wasn't and the kids saw a park and wanted to play. It was a little overcast, so I said yes...despite the fact the humidity is off the charts!! After 20 minutes at the park (which was really cool by the way) I went back to my friends and she was there....yeah!! She invited us in and we had an enjoyable visit, as always! I would have stayed longer if I could. I felt bad b/c my kids hadn't eaten lunch and kept asking for food, and then they were joining her kids in a game of jumping off one of the kids dressers onto a bed, then Sophia started crying (and I had no formula)....so I knew it was time to get going.
When I got home I had to catch the kids up on Piano while Sophia napped. When she woke up she was still fussy. I gave her some Tylenol and held her a lot! Ben took Aubrie to dance so she could get another good nap. She is now down for the night, and I hope she has a good night's rest. She needs it... sweet little thing!
Tonight we had our family night on "being the lucky ones", which means being the ones that serve and therefore being "the blessed ones!" It went along with our FHE theme this past month of serving each other. This past week we all drew names and were supposed to serve that person. The kids mainly made each others beds all week. Guess that is better than nothing, and I didn't have to hear anyone complaining that they didn't want to make their bed..HA! Tonight we had our normal smorgasbord of ice cream and treats. Ben bought ice cream w/out me knowing and vice versa, so this is what we ended up with. Funny huh?!


After indulging ourselves on dessert we went swimming and watched that show "Just for Laughs". It's one of those practical joke shows. We love it!

Humprie's hike!

Friday was a little crazy. I had to run to the dance store first thing to get Aubrie some Jazz shoes. The Studio had called the night before and invited her to try out for performance group on Saturday. The day before I had this feeling I should buy her some Jazz shoes, but thought "why would she need those", and didn't do it. Guess I need to be better at listening to those promptings. Anyway, I had to go early b/c Ben's parents were picking up the kids to take them to lunch and to see Underdog. While the kids were out my brother Joe called me up and invited me to lunch. Ben was home for the day and so Ben came along too. We met him at Chili's. It was really nice of him to call and think of me. While we were having lunch we decided we would go hike Humphries trail on Saturday. Later that evening Ben and I met the Hodges for dinner at Abuelo's and after Ben and I went to see the Bourne Ultimatum. It was really good, but I was so tired my eyes started hurting. I'm getting old!

Saturday I had to wake up at 6:30 to be ready to leave by 7:00. I was so tired driving up there. I had a huge Dr. Pepper to keep me going, but all it did was make me have to stop and take a bathroom break a few times! HA! We got to the Snow Bowl around 10:30 and started the hike. I started off hiking pretty fast. After about 15 minutes I was breathing pretty heavy and started getting nervous knowing I had another 3 hours and 45 minutes left! I was honestly panicking thinking "I can't do this, but I have to b/c my brother is really looking forward to this!" After 30 minutes we took a short break, and then I really started to get into a groove. We took a 5 minute break every 30 minutes and the hike ended up going pretty fast! The hardest part was the last 200 ft that led up to the "saddle" of the trail, which is about 40 minutes from the peak. When he got there clouds started to roll in . It was actually a pretty cool sight to see the clouds surround us. We then started to hear thunder and see some lightening far off. The saddle of the hike is where the trees end and we are in the open. We realized we couldn't finish the hike up to the top and then quickly started hiking down to some trees. I told Joe we should wait it out and see if we still could go to the top.

While we were waiting I checked my phone and noticed I had coverage. I called Ben and he said all was well and that Sophia went down at 11:00 and that she was still sleeping. It was 1:30 at the time and Aubrie's tryouts were at 1:00. I asked Ben "who took Aubrie to her tryouts if Sophia was sleeping". He then yelled "oh no!! I got to go!" So I was sitting around waiting for the call. They still let her try out after all, but she missed out on some things. She will do performance group next year I guess!;)

About 15 minutes of waiting, the weather started to clear. We got our packs on and started the hike back up and noticed some huge clouds forming west of the mountain. After feeling some raindrops, we resigned ourselves to the fact that we would have to hike back down. I was a little disappointed to have come that far and not make it to the peak, but it was still quite the accomplishment. ( It is the tallest mountain in Arizona!) It was also a real eye opener of how out of shape I am!!! The hike back down was enjoyable, but oddly enough seemed longer to me than the hike up. At the end of the hike we were lucky enough to see some deer, so I tried to make lemons out of lemonade by telling myself we would had seen those deer if we went to the very top:)

On the way home we stopped for some dinner and had the slowest service ever, so we didn't leave flagstaff until 6:00. Then on the freeway we saw someone broken down. He needed some oil, so we drove to Sedona, 15 minutes there and back, to get the guy some oil. When we got back he wasn't there anymore. It was a big disappointment, but tried to remember that we did what we were supposed to do. We ended getting home at 8:45! Talk about a long day.

When I got home I had a little surprise....a new cat!! The kids took Dad to Petsmart while I was gone and suckered him into a new cat. So now we have a black kitten added to our little family. I wasn't exactly thrilled about it, but she is cute and now the boys have a cat to call their own! Boston picked her out and called her Puma.

Today we had church in our new church building. It was nice to finally get in there, but it was a little weird getting used to a smaller building. Our old building was the Stake Center so it was much bigger. The testimonies were wonderful and the kids did well with our new rule of no toys or food during sacrament. Someone mentioned that they did that and their kids were more reverent. We will see how long this lasts. When we got home Ben and i took a good nap...we both needed it from our long day yesterday. After my nap I soaked my aching muscles in the hot tub. Sophia joined me in her new floatie!!

A new pet?!!

So its been a few days! Yesterday we hit the opening of Marshall's. It was a little crazy, especially w/ all four kids. While I was in there I found a huge picture to go in my Mom''s room. So I was pushing Sophia, herding three kids, and trying to carry the picture all at the same time. I got A LOT of looks. Some were smiley ones, and others where you know they are thinking "why did she come here with all these kids", and then the look that says "are all of those yours?" After Marshalls, Aubrie pleaded w/ me to take her to the Petsmart that just opened (Ben is so not liking all these new stores by us, HA!). I figured Petsmart was pretty harmless, right?! Just gerbals, snakes, birds, etc.... Well, I didnt' know they adopted cats and then sold them. That was all Aubrie could talk about. She offered the idea of getting rid of our beloved cat Simba, who we have had for 11 years. That night he was sleeping on the ground with his paws in the air and Aubrie asked, with a hint of excitement and hope, "Mom is Simba dead?" She really wants one of those kittens!

When we got home we just hung out. I guess the shopping tired out Ethan, b/c when shortly after we got home I found him conked out on his bed. He slept for FOUR hours. He is definatley my biggest sleepy head! Here are some recent pictures of my other sleepy head "Sophia". We proped her up on the couch pillows and she was watching a little TV!