Biker Babe!

My girl finally did it. Her cousin Wesley told her Sunday that he learned how to ride his bike without training wheels and that was enough to motivate her. All the other kids took off on their bikes when they were 4 or 5 but not C. Which surprised me because she usually does whatever she wants to do-once she sets her mind to something. Like potty training at 20 months-she just decided one morning she hated diapers and that was the end of that! Well thanks to Wesley for putting the fire in her pants-Monday morning we were out early working on her new adventure! She was determined to accomplish what her cousins had already learned to too!

Auction Questions

For the scripture auction the way I am keeping up with it is pretty simple. If they are ready to tell me a scripture or article of faith or song they bring me the note cards. After they repeat it to me I sign their initials and pay them their play money. They each have a plastic jar labeled auction that they store their money in. I do room checks any time during the day and if there rooms are dirty or beds unmade they don't get their dollar for that day. If it's clean they get an easy dollar. The scriptures and prayers are just the honor system if they do it they go get a dollar.

This has worked for 4 days. It may very well fall apart by day 30! I am a little more easy on c than the others...she's still learning to read. Although there is a place on lds.org that repeats the scripture and songs back to them.

Let the auction begin!

I got this idea from Lori's/ mom. She is the seminary teacher in their town. They came to have Will's 9 month pictures made and she was telling me of this neat idea to get the seminary kids to memorize scriptures. I decided to adapt it to my own family and add and take away some things. Here's what we came up with.

I printed the scripture mastery scriptures from the new testament http://lds.org/ off and cut them out-put them on index cards and priced them

I printed the articles of faith out and did the same thing. The hard ones were worth more money.

We have some homemade play money all $1 bills.

If any of us memorize one of the scriptures we get the money for that index card. For example if we memorize Article of Faith #1 we get $1.

Also I do room checks and there room is clean they can earn $1-they don't know when room checks will be

If they read their scriptures daily=$1

and if they say their personal prayers=$1

I bought up a few prizes and made some coupons at the end of the month we are going to have an auction. They can bid on the prizes with their play money. We did a pretend auction to make sure they all understood.

Some of the prizes are your fav. breakfast, rent a movie, ice cream at baskin robbins, invite a friend to go the movies, build a bear, we got some gift cards to sonic and good places they like. And of course some CANDY!

Steve and I are adding a challenge with the boys. If I ask them or they ask us to repeat the scripture at any time in the month that they have already signed off...if they can't repeat it they have to give back their money.

Of course they have already made tons more money than me. I haven't gotten any scriptures memorized yet. We started Sept. 1 and they are whipping them out left and right. I am excited to see how it transpires.

Thanks Sis. Moffitt for the great idea. My kids are so excited.

Go Blake Go!

Getting ready to kick it in for the last few yards!

Powering up!!!! GO BLAKE!
And he's gone!
Proud cheerleaders on the side lines. Cousins and friends! Aunt Brandi, Andrew, Mitchell and mom not pictured!

Blake loves to try different sports. He seems to enjoy everything he tries! Steve and I get so excited as he takes on each new adventure! He has been training with our schools cross country team since July. He would have morning cross country practice and afternoon wrestling practice. I wish I had his self motivation! I keep telling him his hard work will pay off! Last week his team had a competition to see who got to be the varsity team and run for this past Sat. meet. They were only taking the top 10! Blake was number 10! Thank goodness- He got to go. He came in 6th place for our team Sat. and number 33 out of all 200 runners. We were so excited for this being his first ever run! Tonight he did it again. It is amazing to see him come out of all those big cluster of kid and kick it in! It is so fun to watch. My little guy is getting some muscles-he starting to kinda get some buff going on! It almost makes me emotional to watch. I was one proud mama! I know this sounded bragging but I had to do it!!! Way to go Blake. He finished #21 out of 200 today and number #5 for our school team. I can't wait to see how he does Sat. again! He's trying to talk our friend that is pregnant with her 6th baby to run with him on his off Sat. in Sept. Too bad his mama's not in good enough shape to kick some bootie!!!Proud Daddy and sisters!

one week down!

One week down and 15 to go! My head hurts from my brain stretching. So "they" say to actually grow you have to stretch out of your comfort zone...I am stretching! I am definitely in survival mode. I have already called Nana to see if I can drive down and get some HELP with this huge project! My expectations of myself are so different now than 12 years ago! We went out to eat 2 nights...one for Steve's birthday so does that count? I am 5 loads of laundry behind and tons of homework and reading behind already even though I went to bed every night at 11 and got up at 5. I am feeling a little ADHD. I guess I need to drink some of Charity's green lemonade or I could call Katie to hook me up!!! Even though I am feeling completely overwhelmed and BROKE I am so excited and I loved my classes. I learned something new in all of them already and I took it so serious. I actually enjoyed myself!!! I felt like I spent more quality time with my kids even though my house and everything else went by the wayside! My kids are so excited that I have homework Ha Ha.

Happy Birthday Steve!!!

Happy Birthday Steve! When I am as old as him my oldest son will be 18! Wow! He's getting old! I am not so sure about him being older and wiser since I am the younger I would like to think I am the wiser! Ha! I can't wait till my sugar daddy steve starts getting some gray hair!

To my hard working-crazy playing-fun loving-smooth talking-best daddy& husband! Happy Birthday! We all love you so much. Not too many daddy's I know take their entire vacation week to spend with a bunch of stinky boy scouts at camp and spend every Sat. with these kids doing something different and fun! From riding remote control cars, swimming, camping, Frisbee golfing, riding bikes, going to the creek, planting a garden, shooting BB guns, back of the truck rides, reading books, driving them all over the state for sporting events- and so so much more-They can never grow up saying you haven't devoted your life to them! There is def. never a dull moment with you around. Not to mention never a moment I don't spend worrying for your safety. Just this morning spinning out of the the driveway since it rained all night. The kids squealed and laughed with delight while I shook my head in worry! We are so lucky to have you-and grateful to know that you always stand up for your family even in times that are not always comfortable. Hope you have the best year ever and you are blessed with all the many things you pray for each day! Thanks for all your long work hours so that we live comfortable! Thanks for supporting me to go back to school or whatever task I take on! Sending you happiest birthday wishes! We love you!

NERVES!

I feel like I am starting the first grade with C. On her first day of first grade she said
C-Mom, I really liked kindergarten
M-I know you did
C-First grade is prob. going to be too hard
M-But you are so smart once you get going you will remember everything and it will be easy like kindergarten
C-they don't have centers
M-They'll have new things you'll love
C-MOM you aren't helping-Don't try to make it better. I am just nervous!!!


Today is my first day of SCHOOL! So different than working 30 hours a week in photography where I am in my own zone-I am a bundle of nerves. I was actually fine until I started reading the syllabus for a couple of the classes. My nerves hit the top when I read that I actually needed to do oral class presentations. HMMM....as much as I love to talk you would think that wouldn't be hard for me. But for some reason when I present myself in front of a large group it all changes for me. I become a nervous wreck (thanks to Nana for handing down her best quality) My voice changes-my hands shake-I sweat-I can't remember anything about anything-SO if I can get over the fact that I have to present myself in front of others maybe I can figure out where my classes are held!!!

It's been 12 years with the exception of 1 class in 1999. I took some online photography classes but really 12 years since I went to school. I had just delivered Andrew and thought I was up for some more classes. I cried and was so miserable when I left he and Blake that fall. So, I dropped all my classes and went back home. Although I was really not that far to finish I couldn't keep my mind straight and I worried about them the whole time. So here I am now age 34 praying that my brain cells will come back!! Thank goodness for spell check! Too bad they won't have centers!

chicken in crock pot tonight. This is so easy-if you don't already do this I wanted to share

Whole chicken thawed

a couple of slices of onions

a couple of peeled cloves of garlic (crushed or whole)

Put chicken in crock pot and add slices of onion and garlic into the cavity of the chicken. Cook 8 hours. YUMMY

Mulipication facts cupcakes. No one can eat a cup cake until the person trying to learn their math facts gives the answer! These are for LB. She forgot her math facts over the summer so we are trying to remember. I loved this idea. Wish I had thought of it but I got it from Family Fun!

Warming up

This is my Caroline cold-tired-wet from the pool-trying to warm herself on the driveway in the sun. Could you imagine falling to sleep this way? Crazy girl!

Hanging out and playing games

Last Friday, the boys decided to have their Hale cousins over and a few friends. It turned into around 20 friends. After everyone started arriving I started to worry if we had left people out-since it was so last minute it just kind of happened! The kids had so much fun! We ended up playing some fun games and having a blast. We separated into two teams. We had a watermelon race. Where a swimmer swims the watermelon to a runner-then the runner brings the watermelon back around to the swimmer. This goes on until every member of the team has ran the watermelon! We had a ice melting contest. Our hands were numb. And a eat the donut off the string! We had a couple more games planned but they ended up playing their music and standing around! We ended with a movie (RM) on the garage door and Hamburgers and hot dogs go a long long way. Last night they went camping-but they are already planning another fun night before the warm weather ends!

Land PLEASE PLEASE-not a chance!

Orange flags are the bad ones. We were looking for red! The wrong kind of soil all around us!

Good bye my beautiful almost land!

Well for those of you who know us we have wanted to move out of the subdivision lifestyle for a long time. We "almost" have gotten so many pieces of property but something always happens. We were so so close this time. About a month ago we found the most beautiful piece of land, fairly priced eight acres. We met with a builder. Put an offer on the land-started packing up out house. In fact I was thinking I must really be crazy to go back to school at the same time I was selling a house and building a house. The customer accepted our offer so the chase was on. Our closing date was set- earnest money paid. We were ready to go forward. All the land around this certain piece of property perked. It had once been a cotton field and the owner was 85 years old single and just not needing a cotton field any more. So this past Wednesday was the big day to perk the property. Steve and I met the soil group at the perfect piece of land. We walked the land everywhere-they dug and dug. NO PERK..NONE..NADA...NO perk means NO HOUSE. Oh well on to something new! Maybe next time!

Back to School!

4th grader 1st grader
8th grader
7th grader

It can't be time already!

Summer has gone by so quickly. My kiddos are starting back to school today. Last night at the parent meeting I could feel the sadness kick in. It is overwhelming for me the first couple of days of school. I love summer and the freedom of no homework, less of a schedule, eat when we are hungry, read when we want not because we have too and lots of extra time with my babes. I could feel the agony starting when I was listening to the teachers talking about the fun and exciting things my children were about to do! I wanted to scream NO I'm not ready yet...I need another month!

Our cat (Papa) with 9 lives!!!

skipping rocks with the girls!

Cracking mom up as usual
40 year anniversary!!!

Papa was taken again by ambulance to St. Thomas Tuesday in the middle of the night. He will be having surgery this afternoon if his blood is thick enough!!

He is such a trooper - in and out of the hospital about every other month and just hangs on with such good spirits. He is always joking and has the most uplifting spirit about him! We are so blessed for his will to fight. My brother and I and our children are blessed with this incredible man in our lives. Serious one minute and crazy the next! Just Sunday during a ward conference I looked over at him-he had plastered a silver gum wrapper across the front of his teeth. He was smiling at my girls with silver teeth! They thought he was so funny! And yesterday at the hospital he felt really bad but still wanting to kiss on mom!!!

I have been given what some call a tender mercy this week. I only had a couple of picture appts. scheduled for this week which is very unusual for summer so when all this came about I have been able to spend extra time with both mom and dad that I would have had to do a lot of work to change my schedule. And he would have been worrying if I had changed my schedule for him!!!

Last night he was fortunate enough to have two stake presidents-Meredith and Tipps visiting him at the same time. He was given a beautiful blessing-that was prob. more comforting to me!

We love our sweet-crazy Papa!

Emma-My Story

Steve and I got to go to the movies to see the Emma movie this weekend with our friends. Then when we got to the movies mckenzie and her family was there too.

I loved getting to see it on the big screen and eating way too much popcorn! It is amazing what all that one lady endured. She gives me strength. What an incredible strong woman of faith.

Matching Sister!

Hugs today fights tomorrow. I tell them every day they are so lucky to have a sister!

They are at a sleepover tonight torturing their Uncle A! I miss my little stinkers!!!

It's official

After much prayer and pondering and talking and prayer and pondering and talking-----I am an official college student again!!! I can't believe I said it but I figured--- it was out...between my mom and my husband, they are telling everyone. I was going to wait and just see if there were really any brain cells left in my brain before I spilled the news but it's out!!!
This has by far been one of the hardest decisions I have had to make in a long time but we have been feeling like I needed to do this for a very very long time! I just really didn't want to and have been fighting the prompting for a very long time. So I will be wife, mommy, photographer business owner, church calling person, cheerleader for football and cross country, wrestling, boy scouts, and dance, and now a 34 year old Early childhood major Jr. in college student!
I had come to the conclusion that I would just talk to them and see what they say. When I found out I had 75 credit hours (only needing 120) How could I not go back? THEN I found out not all those will work any more but lots of them will-so what the heck-5 classes-16 hours...I hope my brain will still work! So if you see me and I forget to talk please be patience with me I am trying to add or remember when a sentence ends and begins!!!

We are alive!

We have had a fun, crazy busy last couple of weeks! The boys had scout camp-girls and I went to visit Granny and Nana and Papa. Followed by a week in Nauvoo Ill. at church sites then to see the arch in St. Louis.and now we are at Steve's work trip. It has been incredible. I didn't know how much I needed this. I even left my camera, computer, and cell phone at home for some of our trips! Can you believe it? We took a little camera so we would have memories though. But this week I do have my computer so I am hoping to catch up on some blog pictures. It just takes so long to upload! If you need me for just fun email-I'm still not getting good signal w/my phone-it's come and go but if you need me for work I 'll be back next week ready to work! Pictures to come! I am sorting through way too many trying to decide my favorites to post.