Play Ball

It is every father's dream to watch his kids play ball. The other day we were outside and the boys grabbed the tee and started hitting balls off the tee. It was fun to watch them play together.

They took turns and each smacked the ball. I am very impressed with them and most impressed with how they encouraged each other and worked together.

Aubrie also gets in on the act occasionally and I love to watch them all play. Aubrie right now is more into her Heelies and Hoola Hoop. It is amazing to me to watch the kids grow up so quickly. I am always worried that they are going to start picking up my bad habits and doing what I do. I see some of the things that they do and I cringe. I need to keep working hard to not let them fall into the same traps that I did. I need to be a better example so that they can be better than I was. Ethan is really starting to come into his own. He is speaking very well and can express himself very well. The other night he was saying prayers and I thought he was finished. I was getting ready for his closing when he stopped and proudly said, "thank you for letting me hit my balls!" I almost died. I tried so hard to maintain my composure. He obviously did not get what he said since he is innocent and pure and I am jaded and rotten. I love the kids and they are so fun. They always get me when I am not ready. They say the funniest things and really follow our lead. Ethan's favorite expression is "this is going to take 2 ever" instead of take for ever. He is a very sweet boy and is the biggest daddy's boy in the world. When he gets hurt I am the only one who he will go to. I am the only one who can get him out of the car seat. He always tells me that he loves me. It warms my heart when my kids tell me that. I am so lucky to have each of my children.

I pretend a shark is trying to bite my butt!

This will be my first foray into the world known as blogging. I am never bashful and I am sure that Rachel will do her level best to review and edit this before it is posted! We are slowly getting back into the groove of school. I hate it. The worst thing in the world is waking a sleeping child. I guess it is payback for all those early mornings that they gave us. The biggest bummer is not having enough time with them at night. I usually get home from work around 5:00 p.m. and the kids are headed off to bed at 7:00 p.m. The usually don't get to bed until 8:00 p.m. but it is just not enough time. The kids are all doing very well and seem to like school. Ethan also enjoys preschool and talks about playing on the swing set and new friends that he has met. I am glad that he can have something in common with Aubrie and Boston. He loves to go in the car with us every morning as we drop Aubrie and Boston off. He gives them each a squeeze as they crawl over him to get out of the car. He would like to get out and go with them but he understands that he still has a couple of years before that will happen. Boston is doing very well and two years of preschool have served him well. He and Aubrie also had a great deal of exposure to the Waterford Early Reading Program. They are more comfortable on a computer at 5 and 7 then I was at 17. It is crazy how technology changes.
The other day we were out swimming. Rachel was gone with the youth to a temple trip and I had the kids from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Needless to say I was spent. Women have a reserve for patience that men will never attain. The kids were very good for the most part. They tried to take advantage of dad once in a while but I was on to their tactics. I put Sophia down for her mid-morning nap and then we hit the pool. We had a great couple of hours splashing and sliding. During the festivities I looked up to see Boston literally flying across the water. I had no idea that he could swim that fast. I mean he was moving! When he got to the wall I looked over to him and asked him how he swims so fast. He looked over to me and said, "dad I just pretend that a shark is trying to bite my butt!" I started laughing and couldn't stop for a couple of minutes. He is a classic and always keeps us on our toes.
My grandparents were in town for a funeral and I was excited to see them. They are getting older and won't make too many more trips down here so I want to spend as much time with them when they do make it down here. After the funeral and dinner they came over for a visit. The kids ate it up and had a great time showing them the house, the pool and their sweet piano skills. Grandpa Jenkins really loved watching the kids play on the piano and I had to go back into the house as they were leaving to retrieve Grandpa who was instructing Boston. It is always nice for the kids to see their great grandparents. I vaguely remember meeting mine. I was 5 when my great grandfather passed (I think). We were able to get some sweet photos of the kids with them. Rachel got home about 30 minutes before they did and helped me to straighten up the house before everyone got there. Once everyone left we had to get dinner on the table and then get ready to leave for the ward activity. The ward activity consisted of jamming 16 pounds of refined sugar into every small child and then send them home with their parent's! I honestly think that Ethan had 4 or 5 small ice cream cones and 4 cookies. He is a sweets eating machine. Boston looked up at me and said that his stomach didn't feel so good. At the time he was holding a bowl of m&ms. We did our best to monitor the sugar intake, but we were no match for the spread that the activities committee placed before us. 3 or 4 sugar cookies found their way into my stomach before I realized what had happened. They are so good....how can they be bad?! This time I actually stayed behind and help clean up. Usually the kids are acting up and we need to leave anyway. This time I stayed behind and helped clean up. I looked around to see many others doing the same. This ward is so awesome and we are so lucky to be a part of this family. Rachel and I got the kids home and sedated them the best that we could. I think I heard buzzing coming from their rooms as they started to settle into bed. Last night was fight night! Once a month we all congregate over at the Jarman's home to watch carnage. Last night was a great fight and we got to watch as Randy Cotoure retained his title. It is always fun to get together with the fellas. I brought over the chili cheese dip while others brought brownies and other healthy snacks. This was not such a good idea coming on the heals of the ward party. Of course I did not let this deter my crap food intake and pounded more chili cheese dip and candy and soda. Sleep was not very sound last night. I woke up late and missed Ward Council and Sacrament Meeting. We did make it to the last two hours of church and managed to save our Sunday. We spent the rest of today swimming, coloring and having lots of good, quality family time. I love Sundays. This is truly the one day that everything we do is together.

THREE!

Three is the number of carts it took to get my stuff out of Marshalls today. It's quite the mystery since I showed up to the checkout w/ just one. Of course it was a heaping pile, so bad I had to put my hand on top to keep it from falling over. We have just been in desperate need of replacing old towels, rugs, pillows, etc. I just kept seeing one good deal after another, oh and my Mom was watching the kids, so the with the combination of the two that's where it got me. It was actually a little embarrassing as they were calling someone up to help me take these carts to my car. People were staring and I was thinking "hey, it's all practical!" Except maybe a few items:) It's not like I have nothing better to do than shop my day away. In fact, b/c I never do, that's why I'm stocking up now!

My Mom told me to take the whole day, while she watched the kiddo's, but I spent my limit at my first stop, so it was pretty much over. I did have to run next door to Bed Bath and Beyond for those corn on the cob holders. The kids were upset that we made corn on the cob last night and didn't have the "corn poker things that Uncle Danny had", so they just couldn't eat them...the drama. Anyway, while I was in there I ran into Aubrie's teacher assistant from last year. She had some interesting things to tell me about Happy Valley that I was unaware of, leaving me more confused about the whole school thing. School has started and I should be done with the whole thing, right? I don't know why I keep entertaining the idea of switching them. Aubrie's teacher is a great teacher and the school time works for me. Besides I heard West Wing carpool is a nightmare. Too many choices sometimes.

Speaking of too many choices, my brother's business partner, unknown to my brother, called Ben to see if he was interested in buying out his part of the business. Ben was contemplating it. Sounds great at first, right? More money, we get to live in California and get to be on our own again (meaning away from the fam). But the more I made him THINK about it, it didn't seem so great. First he would have to be partners w/ my brother. Yeah, they are partners already, but my brother only has a small part. He could make Ben go insane on a bigger level. I love Danny, he has great qualities, but can you say "TYPE A personality BIG TIME!" He knows it too, so that's why I can say that! Secondly, California is nice and all, but our ward is irreplaceable and I don't want to leave our friends....and do I really want my kids growing up in California. Every time we go visit I fall in love again, and beg Ben to figure a way to get me back. But then I realize how much I would have to give up, our awesome youth program being one of them. My kids salvation is worth a little more than perfect 78 degree weather all year long! Ha! No, I'm sure there are a lot of good kids that come from there....I'm one of them. Don't know if that's a good example or not! LOL Anyway, if we add up the pros and cons that leaves us here. It's only going to be in the hundreds for 2 more months anyway, right?!

Well, back to the day......picked up the kids from school and went swimming. Chores, piano, Dinner, homework, bedtime and now computer time There is our day! Never a dull moment!

4 month stats!

Family Night was a good one. We went over prayer and I gave the kids their prayer rugs. They were excited to get them. The next morning Boston was upset b/c he couldn't use his. Ethan was still asleep in their room, and Ben didn't want him going in and waking him up. Sweet Boston!

Yesterday Sophia had her 4 month Dr. Appointment. Her stats were so unusual. She weighed in at 12 lbs 4oz. A whole whopping 8 oz in one month. That put her in the 20% for weight. She measured 251/2 inches; putting her in the 90% for height. Her head was 15 1/2 inches... the 8th %. So she is tall and skinny with a peanut head. I wouldn't have her any other way! She hated her shots, of course! I hate how they make me pin her arms down while they do it. I covered her eyes b/c I didn't want her thinking I had anything to do w/ sticking her. Dumb I know. Anyway she cried bloody murder, but it was nothing a bottle wouldn't take care of. It upset Ethan a little. He said the Doctor was bad for poking her. I told him he got those too and helped protect him from the bad "buggies". He seemed to understand that. I also walked out of there with 2 free cans on Enfamil, so that was nice! For the rest of the day Sophia slept well, but when she woke up she wasn't very happy. Poor thing! After her evening nap she was doing much better.

Instead of dealing w/ dinner, Ben decided to go out to eat. We went to the Texas Road House; one of my favorites. The kids actually did great, even Sophia. I think the great rolls kept them quiet. Aubrie got her favorite...steak and a sweet potato. When they delivered the food and asked if we needed anything else, Aubrie piped up and said "I would like some A1 please!" The server seemed surprised that a girl her age would ask for that. Aubrie knows what she likes! After dinner we came home and put the kids down. Aubrie is sad b/c we are probably going to take the new cat back to the adoption agency. They said she is litter trained, but we are finding otherwise. The poor kids already got attatched:(

Today was more relaxing. I took a Tylenol PM last night to get some sleep. I'll never do that again! I felt so hung over this morning. I woke up, barely getting Ethan to preschool. While he was at school I finally used the Elliptical while I watched the Price is Right. It must have been a rerun b/c Bob Barker was hosting. I then made some much needed phone calls and surprised the kids by cleaning their rooms and making their beds. After I picked up Ethan we went swimming; My Mom, Ethan, Sophia and I. It's so nice having more one on one time with Ethan. I am really able to appreciate him more and his wonderful personality. He is all boy, but has such tender sweet moments. I was eating some Quaker rice cake snacks while we were out by the pool. He kept coming back and forth to get some. I gave him the two and I said "that's it, there isn't anymore". He stopped in his tracks, turned around and handed one of them to me to share. It made my heart smile, but then I also felt a little bad b/c I fibbed..there was still one more in there for me. Ha! Anyway....having just him sometimes gives me the time to notice sweet things like that more often.

After school was piano and b/c I did their rooms, chores went fast. Homework went fast too b/c Aubrie knew her Math and spelling already. (Her teacher might be strict, but she sure teaches those kids well. Less work for me:) Anyway, that left time to watch a movie before bed, even Sophia was watching for awhile. Watching a movie on a weekday night...it almost felt like summer again! Sophia stayed up for a full 2 hours and fell asleep on my chest sucking her thumb. Ahh, I just love when she does that.

Here is a picture of Sophia after her bath...one of her favorite pastimes!

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!