4 years old

It's hard to believe that Little Sis. is four years old now!   It seems like just the other day I was bringing her home from the hospital and wondering who the heck she looked like!   She has turned into quite the character!   She is always full of life, emotion, and love.  She never hesitates to speak her mind, but don't let her catch you laughing at her...or even with her (I tried that once and she wouldn't buy it).   She wants to be taken seriously and will let you know it!  And that will make it even harder NOT to laugh. 

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Lucky Seven

One of my goals this year has been to get more organized and "on top of things" in my life.  Lol...I actually laughed as I wrote that.   I wouldn't let myself set that goal sooner because it seemed so impossible!  It still seems like a lofty goal, but I am now able to accept reaching for it one step at a time.

One of the things I have put off for a while was going to the dentist.  Not my favorite thing to do...especially since my teeth have strangely become decay prone and I am not the most faithful flosser (is that a word?).   Anyhow, I finally got myself back in and was excited that I only had three cavities (I figured it could have been a lot worse since my last appointment was almost 2 years ago). 

The hygenist was kind and when we went over my medical chart asked if I was still nursing (since I had been the last time I went in).  The answer is no..fyi.  She asked me how old my baby was now and I said, "Two", with a smile.  (I love my baby!)

The hygienist asked, "Oh, is she your first?"  I almost laughed out loud.  I couldn't help it, life is just so crazy and full and has been for such a long time...that I almost forgot what it was like to have only one child!

"No.  She's my seventh."  I replied. 

"Well, no wonder you are so thin after chasing all those kids around!" she replied.  Yeah, she's my new favorite hygienist now.


A few weeks ago, my husband and I were at a dinner with his Cycling team.  I was sitting next to another wife and she asked how many children we had.   "Seven", I replied.  

I kid you not, her face did not change.  I looked over at my husband and then back at her.  She blinked and seemed to come to herself and said, "I'm sorry, did you say seven?"   Hilarious!  She totally thought she didn't hear me right!   We were at a large table with quite a few couples and when this happened the whole table suddenly became quiet.  I looked at another friend across the table and she laughed and said, "I love watching people's reactions when you tell them that!" 


I just have to shake my head and laugh.  The fact is that having seven children might seem crazy to other people, but it often seems pretty crazy to me too!  My husband often says that "you get used to your own chaos".    It is totally true.  They came in to our lives one by one and gradually carved out their niche in our family so that I cannot imagine life without any one of them!

Back to work

Well, we have been back to work for a week now. So far, so good. I was able to get Big and Middle Bros. into a 5th-7th grade PE class. Once a week they meet at a local college gym and are taught by a young man who is studying to become a Phys. Ed. teacher. As you can see from the pic., the first class was basketball. I was also told they will spend the next couple of weeks on swimming and then a few weeks on gym hockey (among other things).

On Saturday, I took these same boys to the library for a National Geographic Geography Bee (put on by the local homeschooling organization). My idea was just to have them observe since this was our first time attending. However, the leader and University students who were there to run the Bee assured us that it would be low pressure and encouraged the boys to give it a try. Middle Bro., although a little anxious, went ahead and signed up. Big Bro. decided to stick to observation this year.

I am so proud of Middle Bro. for sticking it out! There were 7 rounds of questions for the 4th-8th graders. Then, there was an elimination round in which those who missed two out of the next three questions were dismissed. Then, the final round went on until the top three students were identified. Middle Bro. made it to the final round. It was a great learning experience, even for those of us just watching. Great questions and great effort by the students! Middle Bro. is already talking about studying geography so he can do better in the competition next year!

Merry Christmas!

Each year at Christmas, I feel a strong desire to return home and be with my family.....the family I grew up with and spent many Christmases with! Now, with a few children of my own, our family has started its own tradition of spending the day at home together. No worrying about driving or weather (or kids fighting in the car :))....just being together.

On Christmas eve we did a little driving to Ooh and Aah over some beautiful Christmas lights. Then we came home to hot chocolate, popcorn, and a movie (Kung Fu Panda 2). Poor Alex got sick, so not so joyous for her...luckily she was much better by morning.

On Sunday, we had to break our Christmas day tradition of not going anywhere--to go to church! We went to our 9am service and made the children wait to open gifts until after church. They were SO excited with anticipation that they could hardly stand it!

Finally, the time they were waiting for arrived! We started opening gifts from youngest to oldest. After a couple of rounds, we were getting hungry and distracted, so we let them just open the rest as they wanted.



(Yes, those sunglasses were my gift...I am not trying to be cool.)

Anyhow, I would venture to say it was a fun-filled day for all! Sending all our love to you and your families and wishes for a great New Year!

Update

If you could only read all the great blog posts I have made since the last one! The problem is they were made in my head...when I was not near a computer...or if I was near a computer, then I had homework to do or a checkbook to balance...writing on my blog just didn't rank as high....what is a girl to do?

Anyhow, I am here now! Here are some things we've been up to (in no particular order)....

Halloween 2011!
Dana had to go to class so it was just me and the kiddos. I never know what is going to happen when I head out alone with seven children. It is always an adventure! It was a little crazy....I had signed up to drop dinner off to the missionaries and of course, didn't get it done early like I wanted to. So, I was trying to get dinner made, help finish up costumes, and yelling out orders for the older ones to help get the younger ones ready.... Fun times..LOL
We were a little late, but made it to a Trunk or Treat at our church and then headed to my sis's house to do a little trick or treating.
Here are my girls at the church. I forgot the camera in the car at first, and just got these pictures right before we left. I didn't even realize until today that I neglected to get a picture of Michaela! You can see the back of her though--she was a kangaroo. In this picture she is waiting in line to get a balloon. Alex was a modern version of strawberrry shortcake. Kelley, we pinned that fabric strawberry you made to the top of her hat. It was super cute!:)

And here are my boys...a clone trooper, Wolverine, and Evan was a "Ranger" from the book series "The Ranger's Apprentice".
We participated in a homeschool gym class this fall and on one of the days we got to go on a field trip to the pumpkin patch. It was a bit chilly that day, but the kids had a blast on the many different activities.





Other big news is that Dallin turned 11 this month. I actually felt brave enough to let him invite some friends over for a party. This picture was of the cake Alex and I made just for the family. The following week we had his friends over. It was a Mario themed party and I hope I have a picture of the cake somewhere...it was actually kind of cute...(I couldn't find the camera for the longest time).



We had a MarioKart tournament first, then I sent the boys outside in the dark (it was a night party) to search for tokens (poker chips) in our yard. We had a few flashlights available, but mostly the boys ran around on their own. Along with the tokens, we also had hidden a "power box" for each boy (simply a paper box w/ mario cards in it). When they came in the boys were able to trade their tokens for prizes such as candy, tattoos, and sticky hands. It was a fun time!