Catching Up

WHEW!! It’s crazy around here. I have decided NEVER to work the Christmas season again. LOL There is just SOOO much to catch up on now. Just since Saturday, I’ve cleaned the kids’ room ( a MAJOR undertaking on its own), rearranged all their furniture to make room for the Teepee Megamaze that Santa brought them, and I’m about a 3^rd of the way through what seems like 16 tons of laundry. I’m in a cleaning/organizing fervor. In fact, for the first time in my LIFE I want to put all the Christmas stuff away BEFORE mid-January. I mean, like, NOW. : ) And I haven’t even mentioned the sea of gift wrap that can’t go out to the dumpster, yet, because the darn thing is FULL to overflowing, nor the boxes of superfluous kids’ clothes that need to go to DI, nor the mountain of dishes in the kitchen that, despite running the dishwasher at a fever pitch, I can’t seem to get ahead of. I’m SWAMPED!! Between the dishwasher running and the washing machine running, I’m lucky to get 60 seconds of hot water in the shower to wash my hair with! And yet, in the midst of it all, I am so completely and blissfully happy to be HOME, HOME AT LAST! : ) When I started working again I thought it was going to be no big deal- two months. What’s two months, right? I’ve discovered that I was completely spoiled over those eight months I got to be a SAHM. I love being here with them every day. I have missed Spencer (yes, Spencer!) and Hannah and all the funny things they say and do. I’ve missed lunch time stories and snuggles. I’ve missed actually MAKING breakfast. I’ve missed getting to pick up Jake and Aspen from school and hearing about their days in class. Even though I was home when they were home I’ve had so much to DO that I’ve hardly been able to sit down and breathe, let alone connect with anyone.

So. I am happy to be back, and I have a lot to catch up on, but much, much more than just housework. : )

My (mostly impossible) Christmas List

In no particular order, I present to you, my Christmas wishes. : )

 

1)A new shower curtain. The cheap vinyl one I bought when we moved in has popped 4 of the “grommets” and is now basically useless. Modest is hottest and all.

2)A KitchenAid. Oh the cakes I could bake! Oh the cookies I would MAKE! : ) I’m supposed to be making 12 dozen cookies for a cookie exchange this weekend, but I’m putting it off. I keep thinking how much more excited I’d be about it if I had a mixer. I’ve only been wanting one for the last 8 years. At this rate, by the time I get one, I’ll have no kids around to tank up with warm cookies, and I’ll have to turn to fattening up my neighbors instead.

3)Fabulous black Sicily Boots by Duo. Le Sigh. Even when I’m “slim” I have calves that flout any attempt at wearing knee high boots- which are SO in vogue in my ward. Seriously, a cursory glance around the Relief Society room on Sundays reveals that a good 70% of female LDS feet are shod in beautiful, oh-so-vexing knee high boots. Duo Boots are made in the UK and come in custom calf widths, which means I could finally have a pair that fit over my very … muscular calves, but also means that they’re NOT cheap in any way. Well, a girl can dream.

4)If not Duo Boots, then fabulous black pumps to go with the fabulous black dress that I know Duke bought me for Christmas. The last pair I bought came from Wal-Mart, which probably explains why I haven’t worn heels in years. I’m actually quite excited about the idea of being glam-ish.

5)A new vacuum. Oi. Our vacuums last, on average, about 2 years. The latest one bit the dust-bunnies about 3 months ago, and it is SOOOO much fun to borrow my mom’s vacuum when sweeping the carpet has become completely ineffective.

6)A couple Love Sacs. I am so done with traditional furniture. : ) Perhaps, if I could get the kids to stop climbing over, jumping on, and sitting on the arm of the couch (and perhaps if we ever had new ones, rather than the trickle-down sets we end up with after my grandma and then my mom are done with them) couches my last longer around here. As grateful as I am for free furniture, we’re on the third couch of our married life, and I’m ready for it to be the last. At least until the kids are older. Plus, Love Sacs are much more mobile, which fits better with my obsessive need to move the furniture around every few weeks.

6)A tent. We are trying to focus on bulking up our emergency preparedness supplies this year. By “bulk up” I really mean “start from scratch”. : ) We’re truly pathetic, even the flashlights we DO own have dead batteries in them. So we’ve been buying bits and pieces here and there, but we are definitely lacking in the “emergency shelter” category.

7)Lastly, a Disneyland vacation with my funky monkeys. I have such wonderful kids, and they are so wonderfully crazy and fun and sweet and occasionally naughty. As much as I’ve been wanting to take an actual honeymoon with Duke, I desperately want to take the kids on a vacation. Jake and Aspen have been working really, really hard this year at school, and Spencer and Hannah have been so wonderful these last two months that I’ve been working. They all deserve a week of no chores, no homework and Mickey Mouse ears.

 

And that’s it. All my Christmas wishes. Even the impossible/unlikely ones. : ) And I’ll betcha every single thing I get under the tree will outshine every one of these. I’m expecting some awesome handmade gifts from Jake and Aspen. Those are my favorite. : )

 

Oh, wait, I forgot the Chia pet. I’ve been DYING for one of those.

 

A Day In The Life

*Time to get up!

 

*Get up, monkeys!

 

*If you’re not out of bed when I come in here again, I’m getting a cup of water.

 

*Well good morning, Mary Sunshine.

 

*I love you bunches.

 

*Did you sleep in your clothes?!

 

*Come here and let me brush your hair. No, right now.

 

*What do you mean you have nothing to wear? Look, there’s clothes IN your drawers. Amazing, huh?

 

*Darn it, let’s get your hair brushed. I haven’t even started, stop crying.

 

*Please change your shirt.

 

*Yes, we’re having oatmeal AGAIN. It’s good!

 

*No, honey, a CLEAN shirt.

 

*Hussle, hussle, monkeys!

 

*Go brush your teeth.

 

*Wow! Good job helping! (Now let’s clean it up…) J

 

*Five minutes!

 

*Oh for heaven’s sake. Give me that shirt! You can’t wear this for at least 7 more days.

 

*Did you brush your teeth? You’re paying for the dentist visit then.

 

*Ack! We’re late!

 

*WHERE are your shoes?

 

*Coats, coats, coats!

 

*Here we go! Is everyone buckled?

 

*Have a good day! I love you!

 

*Wait! Your backpack!

 

*Okay, you two. What are we going to do today?

 

*You’re my special guy/girl.

 

*Please, don’t touch the tree!

 

*Thank you for “helping”!

 

*Oh, for the love!

 

*Well, go potty then. The light is on, get in there.

 

*What shall we have for lunch today?

 

*Ew. No. Peanut butter and bologna do NOT go well together.

 

*See, I’m SHARING.

 

*What color/shape is this?

 

*Let’s empty the dishwasher. Who wants to help mommy?

 

*Thank you, sir!

 

*Hurry, hurry! Let’s go potty!

 

*Okay- you can’t both snuggle me on the SAME side.

 

*Stop pushing/hitting/kicking.

 

*No- stop it right NOW.

 

*That’s it. Everybody out.

 

*Time to get Jake and Aspen, buckle up!!

 

*Hey, gang!

 

*How was your day, today?

 

*Where’s your homework?

 

*What do you mean you don’t have any? I’m calling your teacher.

 

*Your chore for today is to straighten up your room. Again. Feel free to watch some tv/play outside when it’s done.

 

*These dishes aren’t going to wash themselves. See, I do chores too. You might as well get used to it. It never ends.

 

*Daddy’s home!! *smooch* I missed you.

 

*WHAT are you doing outside? Is your room clean?

 

*You’ve been in here for an hour. Have you done anything?

 

*I at least need your laundry.

 

*Duke! Please talk to Spencer. He’s making me crazy.

 

*Thank you. I love you, giggle-butt.

 

*You’re awesome.

 

*Duke Jones! Get out of the fridge. I’m making dinner right NOW!

 

*Everybody wash your hands! Dinner’s almost ready!

 

*So how was work?

 

*Who wants to set the table?

 

*I love you monkey-face.

 

*Shush. We’re saying the prayer.

 

*Yes, you have to eat the green beans/salad. Well, just TRY it.

 

*That’s enough potatoes. If you’re still hungry you can have seconds.

 

*So, what was the best part of your day?

 

*What did you learn at school today?

 

*What? No. You dished it yourself, you have to finish it.

 

*5 more bites, then you can be excused.

 

*Let’s clear off the table… anyone? Hello?

 

*Okay! Bath time! What? No- you shower.

 

*No- the SHAMPOO is for hair, the SOAP is for bodies.

 

*For goodness sakes.

 

*The couch is NOT for jumping on.

 

*Please stop banging on the piano, I’m TRYING to talk to daddy.

 

*Did you bring your laundry down so I can wash it?

 

*Time for family prayer; who’s being the MOST reverent?

 

*Snug as a bug.

 

*I love you more than peanut butter cups.

 

*Okay, ONE more story. No, not three.

 

*Goodnight, monkeys. Sleep tight.

 

*There’s plenty of light. Just relax.

 

*WHAT is due tomorrow?? Well, you’re just going to have to get up early then.

 

*Hannah, stop touching your sister!

 

*If I have to come in there, I’m NOT going to be happy.

 

*Go to SLEEP!

 

*Hey- it’s pretty quiet in there… do you think they’re sleeping, or causing trouble?

 

*ZZZzzzZZZzzzZZZzzzZZZzzz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Testing Email Blogging

Just testing out this email blogging to see if it works. I've been having problems with my google sites for some reason, but if I can blog from email, all the better!!

 

I guess I can update while I try this out. Things have been crazy busy, but good. : ) Duke started his new job at Big 5 in October, and he really loves it. He's full time and training for management. The store he works in is losing both their assistant managers in the spring, so he has a really good shot at moving straight to 1^st assistant manager. This job has been a really good fit for him, being in sporting goods and all. : ) It's been great for me, too, being so close. Before it got all snowy, he was able to walk to work most days.

 

I've been working at Deseret Book again for the Christmas season. I LOVE it. It's always been nice to spend the day surrounded by inspirational and faith-building material. I didn't know how much I had missed the people and the atmosphere until I went back, and I'll be kinda sad to leave after Christmas. However, I'm excited to move on to other pursuits. It looks as though I'll be giving college the old college try (har har) in January. I'm really looking forward to working the old grey matter again, and, for now anyway, I can't wait for homework. That will change soon enough, I'm sure. : )

 

The kids are doing great, just growing like weeds. Jake's finally found a book that excites him and keeps him hooked- he practically sleeps with it these days. I was able to go with his class on a field trip to the Planetarium recently and it was so neat to see him get excited about learning. I'm so grateful to be able to go with him on field trips and take part in school activities. Aspen is excelling in all her studies. She's well ahead of her grade level in reading and math, and she LOVES all the supplemental things she gets to learn. The school recently wrapped up a semester long focus on the arts, during which they brought in several specialists that the kids could study from, including a master puppeteer, a professional story-teller and an acclaimed opera singer, among others. We were able to attend Arts Night at the school again, and had a blast. The first one we went to focused on dance alone, and it was a lot of fun. They involved the entire family in creating an interpretive dance number that we performed for the group. This most recent one brought in all the specialists from the semester (puppets, dance, storytelling, visual arts/bookmaking and opera) and we were allowed to pick 2 out of the 5 to see a presentation from. We ended up going to pupeteering and opera. It was a lot of fun. I got put on the spot to perform pupeteering, and I think I did a pretty good job.

 

Spencer and Hannah continue to crack me up on a daily basis. The other day, Spencer was having a disagreement with some neighborhood girls, and after trying to reason with him about it for a few minutes, I finally gave up with a sigh and said "Well, Spence, I guarantee you'll survive." As he ran out the door, Spencer yelled over his shoulder, "But mom, I don't want to survive! I want to LIVE!!" Classic. : ) Hannah has been showing her more creative side lately by giving herself one interesting haircut after another. I'll have to post a picture soon, but suffice it to say that we're going for a pixie look these days. : ) It has been considerably more convenient, to be sure. I think she was sad about it until she got to nursery and the wonderful teachers in there told her how pretty it looked. I love those guys! : )

 

The biggest news of ALL though, is that we finally have a van!!!! A family in our ward was so very generous to give us their old van when they bought a new one, and a friend of mine who is a wonderful mechanic was kind enough to work on it in his spare time. So, after several months of being in the shop, it's done! We've had it for a week now, and it's been so nice to be able to drive around as a family. Not to mention not having to take car seats and boosters in and out of the car all the time! I'm in vehicular heaven right now.  : ) It's been such a blessing.

 

And that's about it! : ) If this email blogging thing works, I'll probably start blogging more often again. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!!

That Fall Feeling

I. LOVE. FALL. Seriously, Autumn is my most favorite season ever. It's finally been fall-ish around here. The temps are dropping and the leaves are turning yellow and orange. :) Bliss.

I turned on some Christmas music last night. Duke was cleaning up the back yard with Jake and we had the kitchen window open so that we could still talk. I was in the middle of making dinner and the cold air was coming in and the music was playing all jazzy. *sigh* Heaven.

I'm not one of those people that thinks that Christmas music can ONLY be played the two weeks before Christmas. I don't listen to it year round or anything, but once the temp drops I'll put on some instrumental stuff. So, fall = cold = sweaters = Christmas music = hot Tang/cocoa.

We're going to carve up some pumpkins this weekend! I'm so excited! If I can ever get my batteries recharged for the camera, I'll get some pics up, and a picture of the rockin' awesome Christmas cards I made for my friend Erin (to give to her clients this year). I stamped them, and came up with the idea/design all by myself. I'm totally proud of them.

And since it's fall, finally, and we're going to be carving pumpkins, I think I'll whip up this recipe for Easy Pumpkin Spice Cookies:

Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 Spice Cake Mix (or white/yellow cake mix plus cinnamon & pumpkin pie spice)

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin

1 cup chocolate chips (or more if you like :)

Mix & bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes.

This recipe has been spreading like FIRE on the blogs of the women in my ward, and I had some at our ward's game night. They are so good, and, as if you couldn't tell from just LOOKING at the recipe, super easy.

Today is Jake's 9th Birthday!! I can't believe that my little guy is NINE! Time is flying too fast. I was folding laundry last night, and I've been washing up some baby things to send over to my friend Rachel and her brand new baby boy and I had Jake's big ol' size 10 jeans in the same basket with a cute little baby bunting. It was just one of those moments when you look at the different sizes and your heart does a little skip. He's such a strong, wonderful, loving child. Of course, part of me wants to keep him small forever and misses the baby days, but I'm so excited to see what a great man he will grow up to be. So here's to you, kid. Happy Birthday!!

Slacker

Oh my goodness, I am such a slacker. Okay- September was a little nutty. So please forgive me for not posting more. We had a lot going on, and I have no pictures to share! Still waiting on some from friends and family. So let's get updating!

My birthday was at the end of August and to celebrate we went to Lagoon on Labor Day! Some good friends of ours were able to get us tickets at a super low rate because they were having a company party that day. What a blast!! I had never been before. I rode ALL the coasters (except the Samurai, which was down for maintenance) and even rode Wicked TWICE! Yes. But I'm not that brave. I screamed the WHOLE TIME! :) And of course, we rode the rapids ride and the log ride (which, by the way, we figured we had about 1,000 pounds in that log and WHOO-BOY! talk about your HUGE splash! lol) so we went around the second half of the day soaking wet and shivering. The day had started out raining, so we weren't even sure if we were going to be able to get into the park, and even after it had cleared up the air was still cool. Good times. :)

Duke and I celebrated the anniversary of our sealing on the 9th. It's been a crazy 2 years since then! I'd post a picture of it, but I've recently reformatted the old lappy, and all of the pics are in storage. We got to go on a nice fun date to celebrate- Panda Express, a walk around the mall, and a movie. :) My favorite. Yes, I'm easy. Leave me alone about it. :)

After that, we had the State Fair to go to. Duke's mom and step-dad came up and rented us a really nice van so that we could go. It was so awesome to see them, since it's been almost a year! The kids had way too much fun at the fair. We saw ALL the animals and rode a bunch of rides and even had funnel cake! Then Nanna Vi and Papa Shane took us all to Chuck-A-Rama. I think that Spencer has found his new favorite place in the whole wide world. ALL of the kids ate mac and cheese and went back for Jello about 15 times. :) They'd never been to a buffet before, so it was fun to watch them get all excited. The next day we went to a baby blessing for Duke's step-brother's baby and then got to go to ANOTHER buffet- this time the Golden Corral. Duke had steak for dessert. LOL It's sure fun to get spoiled every now and then! I LOVE visiting with Vi and Shane and his family. They are SO much fun, and such wonderful people.

Next up was Duke's birthday! The only thing he wanted this year was books! So we decided to go to the midnight release of Brisingr- the newest book in the Inheritance Cycle (Eragon). It was fun. Duke wanted to share the night with Jake and Aspen, so we took them to the dollar theatre to see KungFu Panda (which Jake hadn't seen yet), and then out to... you guessed it, Panda Express. LOL We are such Panda Express NUTS! :) Then we went down to our local Borders (the same place I went for the Breaking Dawn release) and hung out until midnight. They had a pretty fun set-up there. They were playing the movie in the kids' section, had a treasure hunt, a dragon ring toss, a trivia challenge and a drawing for a free book. We didn't win anything (other than Tootsie Rolls at the ring toss) but it was so much fun! It was a kick to have Jacob and Aspen there to participate in the silliness. I have to say, though, that Twilight Moms are a MUCH cooler and livlier bunch! :)

I think that's it for our September. I went to the General Women's Broadcast on the 27th with my mom and grandma. It was really great! Deiter Uchtdorf is so amazing. And while we were there we bumped into my neighbor-across-the-street, Trista, whose son plays with Spencer EVERY DAY, and HER mom and grandma, who it turns out is actually related to me! Her grandma's dad is my grandma's grandpa. What a small world, huh?

Well, I hope that you all are doing well! Thanks for reading!

Upcoming events:
*UEA/Fall Break
*Jacob's Birthday
*Halloween

Our Wonderful Principal

This article is from the Daily Herald about the Principal of our school!! He really is fantastic! I'm so happy to have ended up living within the boundaries for this school. It's our 4th year at Rees, and, if I have anything to say about it, we'll be here for another 8 or so! Another (former) teacher from Rees was recently honored with a different prestigious award- one that only goes out to ONE teacher from each state. I'll have to see if I can find a link for that, too. For now, here's just one of MANY reasons we have such an awesome school:

Sp. Fork principal is an 'Innovator'

Janice Peterson - Daily herald

A local principal's drive to help students succeed through a variety of new programs was rewarded recently with the Innovator of the Year Award from the Utah Association of Elementary School Principals. Mike Larsen, principal of Rees Elementary School in Spanish Fork, was nominated for the award by principals within the school district. Luana Searle, executive director of the association, said the award is one of several that honors principals statewide throughout the year. Larsen was chosen because he is the leader of the pack for change, she said. "It's pretty prestigious. He's well-deserving of it," she said. "He's kind of an up-and-coming guy." District spokeswoman Lana Hiskey said Larsen stands out as a principal because he cares about students and tries hard to help them achieve. After his nomination, Hiskey said principals around the state then voted in favor of the five-year principal to receive the prestigious award. "It's kind of a neat award because it's other principals saying, 'Hey, you're the best at this,' " she said. Larsen said there are a number of programs he and others at the school have put together for students. Several are focused around reading, including the school's book store and the "Eagle Reader -- It Pays to Read" program. During morning announcements, Larsen asks students "Did you read last night?" and selected children tell the school over the intercom what they read and why they liked it. The "Re-teach & Enrichment" and "Circle of Support" programs the school has started are geared specifically toward helping students excel in their studies, he said. If students are not understanding certain materials, teachers pair off with smaller groups of students to reteach the information. Students who have learned the material are grouped with other teachers who help to reinforce what they have learned. "If the student hasn't learned it, we're providing specific help immediately," he said. Larsen said he is especially proud of the "Circle of Support" program, which involves the entire staff. Every member of the staff, including those who are not teachers, pitch in to offer free tutoring in their spare time. Larsen said that over time he has seen a remarkable improvement in students because of the support they receive from the entire community. "We are in this together," he said. "It's not just the principal, it's a community of individuals coming together." Larsen said he firmly believes that the success of the programs cannot be solely attributed to him, but to everyone at the school. The award belongs to everyone, as everyone has worked together to help students. "We do whatever it takes to help all students learn," he said. Assistant Superintendent Rick Nielsen, who was principal at Rees before Larsen, said a quality that stands out about the principal is his desire to fine-tune principles that are already in place. He does not come up with new ideas that are just flashes in the pan, but instead focuses on what the programs can do for students. "Mike is somebody who really understands how to blend best practices and new innovative practices with tradition," he said. Nebo school board member Debbie Swenson said one of the best programs the school has come up with is the book store. Families and community members can donate books or money, and school children are able to buy a book for only a quarter. "It's a team effort at that school," she said. "A real team effort, led by Mike."