The Feast

Ella's kindergarten class held a fabulous feast before Thanksgiving. She was SO looking forward to this grand event. She would talk about it constantly. About the food that would be prepared. About the entertainment that was continually being refined. And about the decorations that would add to the ambiance. She also told me about the "top secret song". They weren't supposed to tell their parents about this one song because it was going to be a funny surprise. Only Ella couldn't keep this in because the top secret song was the famous "Squirly squirly" that my brother has made legendary from his preschool days. The kids were each asked to bring one item for the soup we would eat at the feast. Ella was assigned egg noodles. "Mom its not even hard to get those." True not hard. She came home from school that day to tell me about making the soup. Her job: cut broccoli. She told me she did a great job and then pointing her thumb at herself along with some jerky hip movements informed me, "If you ever need to chop broccoli I can do it for you. I am a good broccoli chopper".

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Finally the day of the feast arrived. Eric was able to take a day off so we could go see this once in a life time event. The kids sang about 10 songs that were so so adorable. We sat at tiny tables with place mats and a candle that Ella had made. And then we ate the uh, wonderful? soup the class had made the day before. I am not sure Ella even took one bite of it before declaring it was gross and she wasn't going to eat it. I am not really sure how many of the kids did. None of the ones sitting at our tiny table that is for sure. It wasn't so bad because we had apple juice that I was rationing between every few bites. That is until Ella asked for my juice.

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It was a great feast and even greater to see my Ella with the biggest grin on her face. We love this girl.

How Do They Do It?

The other night I was searching for a cute idea for a MiaMaid activity. I came across several blogs of very crafty people. There were tons of cute projects and crafts and cooking tips and decorating ideas and on and on. How do these people do it? I am just trying to keep my kids fed, clean, homework done, house some what clean, YW stuff done, get an occasional run in, coupon so I can get the stuff we need and stay in our budget, have FHE, scriptures, pay the bills. y\Ya know the basics. How can I squeeze in making cute hair bows for my girls, cute homemade decor for my house that by the time I finish the project will be out of style and I won't want to put it up anyways, make super fab meals 3 times a day that are healthy and my kids will want to eat, do thoughtful things for those around me, and look good while I do it? Oh and have the time to make step by step tutorials, with amazing pictures and witty commentary, for my blog about each of the previously mentioned items. Really they must have some secret. More hours in the day? One of those necklaces like Dumbeldore gave Hermione so she could take more classes? A maid? A cook? SoMeThInG?! Well I don't aspire to do all those things. Maybe one or two of them would be nice. But I am grateful for these people and their amazing talents so that when I do have the need for a MiaMaid activity or time to make some cute thing for my house, I can copy their ideas. :)

The Summer Fun of 2010

Two and a half years ago when we sold our townhouse were on a mission to find our dream house. Too bad our dream house was out of our price range so we looked for a house that would work for our family. Shortly after looking, we found it. It wasn't the biggest house we looked at, or the nicest, or the biggest yard, or best finishes, but it had a lot of what we were looking for. Good yard for the kids, the school we wanted, same ward, great location for Eric's ever changing job sites. It was great for our family without pushing our budget. There was some cosmetic updating that we planned on doing but nothing extensive. One thing we knew for sure that we didn't want to take on was siding. The neighborhood our house is in has houses with LP siding. This siding was recalled shortly after this neighborhood was built because it was failing. There were other houses with a floor plan we liked, but if it still had the LP siding we didn't even entertain the thought of buying them. Sure my talented husband could reside the house, but we didn't want to have to put in the time that would require because the guy is busy enough as it is and you just never know what you might find. So the house we bought had "the great hardiplank siding" as our realtor stated. And hey we even thought the paint color was ok.

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If only our inspector had truly inspected our house, which after all is what we paid him to do, we would have been saved so much time, effort, money, tears and heartache and more tears. See these next two pictures clearly show that there is damage going on with this window. This lovely window was in our master bedroom. The inspectors contract states he will inspect all windows. Yeah I am guessing he didn't do that. Turns out there was A LOT he missed.

Then while dealing with all the pet damage inside the house we found out why that window looked the way it did. To get rid of the damage from the horse, er, cat they had living in their house, Eric had to cut Sheetrock 2feet up throughout much of the house. One night we were at the house late working and he cut open the wall in the master bedroom. As he did this HUGE carpenter ants came pouring, and I mean pouring, out of the walls. It was like a creepy movie and a really bad nightmare in one. We started stomping on them as fast as we could. Eric ran to the garage to get some pest spray and starts spraying away. Finally when the dust settles and the ground isn't crawling anymore Eric shines the light on the wall so we can figure out what is going on. Turns out not only was the interior of the house a mess because of the previous owners cat, but when the house was resided, new hardiplank was put right on top of failing LP. This led to continued water damage, mold and carpenter ants with plenty of soft wood to feast on. NOT a happy day for us. Soooo after 2 years of owning the house we were in a position to take on the huge task of residing. Since Eric had inspected all of the interior walls (thanks to cutting out Sheetrock) we decided only one side of the house needed to be done. So in August the fun began.First up, tear off all the hardiplank, tar paper and LP siding. Not an easy task since before putting the hardiplank up they drove a million screws in the failing LP siding.Next: Remove the rotting window and replace the framing that was rotting and damaged.Then realize that the house gets wider at the top so Eric had to cut strips of plywood for the studs on the bottom half of the house. Add some new insulation, figure out how to deal with the utilities on the side of the house and then get ready to put up the plywood. Finally it is ready for new hardiplank siding. Results: New bathroom window stemming from rearranged master floor plan,
new side door into the garage, because just our luck the old one was rotten,
and new siding and paint

Finally repaint the front of the house because it was so faded that even with color matching the sides looked too different. And because my husband is a perfectionist. And I say that in the nicest way. :)

We couldn't have done this without the help of family and friends and especially Eric's determination to figure out how to get a job done and do it right.

6 Months

Avery is 6 months. Seriously 6 months. Crazy.
She is doing so great sitting up.
Her laugh is like music.
Loves to snuggle.
Does what we call the penguin flap with her arms.
Smiles so big for her family.
Talks a lot.
Loves to be held.
Is a good sport getting carted everywhere.
Sleeps pretty well at night.
She is called Newblett(coined by one of my MiaMaids), Aves, May, MayMay.
We love this girl.

Sisters

I am so happy that my girls have each other.

Natalie and Ella share a room. Avery currently shares with Eric and I. We have discussed what to do with bedroom arrangements when it is time for Avery to move out. Do we give Natalie her own room? Have Avery and Ella share? Have Avery and Cameron share? Keep the playroom? Get rid of the playroom? And on and on.

It seems that since Natalie is the oldest she should have her own room, but I think the big thing keeping me from this is that I love the idea of my girls going to sleep talking to each other. Tonight I was reminded of how much I love that. I was in the hallway doing what else, laundry, and I could hear the girls talking. First they were pretending to be the kids in the story that we had just read. Taking turns acting things out. I could tell they were out of bed, but I resisted going in and telling them to get back in bed. Then I heard them talk about people and happenings at school. Natalie got quiet and soon Ella says, "Natalie, are you awake?"

Natalie responds with a very groggy, "Hmmm."

Ella in a very awake voice, "Will you tell me a story."

"What kind of story?"

"A happy story."

Natalie starts with once upon a time and then her words become a bit slurred, as they do when you are fighting to stay awake. So Ella says, "Say it so I can understand you."
Natalie perks back up and finishes the story.

I smile to myself thinking how happy it makes me to overhear these happenings.

Last week the conversation was a bit different.

Natalie: "Hey Ella you know that guy Brandon I was talking about?"

Ella: "Yeah"

Natalie: "Well he really likes me. Everyone is saying he likes me."

I think there was more on Brandon but I must have blocked it out because 1) Natalie hadn't said anything to me about this and I was a bit hurt to realize she was already hiding things from me and 2) I thought I had more time before the nighttime conversations were about boys!

So for now I will keep them together and work on what room assignments don't involve splitting them up.

Cameron's Future

Cameron played his first arcade racing game this weekend. He had a great time. Such a great time that I think it was the inspiration of our conversation as I was putting him to bed.

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Cam: Mom, when I grow up to be a mom...

Me: You mean when you grow up to be a dad.

Cam: Yeah yeah. When I, when I, when I grow up to be a dad.... (Light bulb goes off in his head)
Do I get to drive the car?!!!! (because when we all go somewhere Eric drives.)

Me: Sure you can drive the car when you are a dad.

{He is so excited at this point I can just see his little mind envisioning the wild racing he had done a few hours ago.}

Me: How many kids are you going to have?

Cam: Four, in the back.

(pointing his thumb back as if he was sitting in the drivers seat and gesturing to his kids in the back)

Me: {Trying to figure out how to ask him about his wife, but not sure he knows what one is}

So is there going to be a mom?

Cam:Yeah, yeah you will sit in the front seat by me!

(awww, melt my heart)

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So there you have it.

My little man can't wait to be a dad with four kids driving the minivan.

HIS Dad sure has the life!

1st Place!

A few weekends ago Natalie's soccer team competed in their first tournament.

They played so well and had their toughest competition of the season.

The took first place in their age division and maintain their winning streak.

Gooooo Red Flames!

Some Summer Fun

The kids loved jumping on the tramp with the sprinkle under it. One day our neighbor girl brought all her pool toys which made the whole thing even more exciting. I think only one toy didn't make it though the kids jumping, surfing and sliding.

I think Cam felt safer on the grass.

The girls also set up a lemonade stand on the corner with the neighbor. They had a ton of fun waving cars down.

Cameron, Avery and I walked down to check out the sales. Over all they did pretty well and after raking in the money the girls wanted to do the stand EvErYDaY! But we didn't. Cause I'm no fun. So Cameron would say, "You are not invited to my birthday party!" A pharse he likes to throw at you when you don't give him what he wants.

Enjoying some delish Popsicles from Grandpa. On our deflated pool. With plywood in the background. And a broken screen door. Yeah, our neighbors our jealous.

Maybe I will get around to posting the oh so fun project that the plywood was for.

Skinny Jeans

Skinny jeans are all the rage these days. You can even get them with zippers. Quite the flashback to elementary school. Ahhh, almost nothing I wanted more then pink Guess jeans with zippers in the back. Well, my super nice neighbor gave us some clothes that her daughter had grown out of. In the bag were a cute pair of gap skinny jeans in great condition. I had Natalie try them on and they looked so cute! Her response to my enthusiasm was, "I don't like skinny jeans! I want fat jeans!" I was a little unsure what "fat jeans" were so I asked her. The response, "Like your jeans." Hmmm. Fat jeans = mom's jeans. After thinking how that made me feel I informed her that the word she was looking for was bootcut.

Avery's Blessing

We blessed our newest addition a while back and I am finally getting around to putting it up. Avery is such a sweet baby and we love her to pieces. Eric gave her a sweet blessing that was maybe cut short because she started crying. Really loudly.
She wore the blessing dress that all of my kids, myself and all of my siblings wore. All of my girls wore the cute flower headband. I think it may have been a bit stretched out since it kept falling down and looks more like she is wearing a sweatband in most of the pictures. The blanket was one that my Grandma bought for Natalie and all of the kids have used it the day they were blessed. It made me miss her.

Ella's Future

I think when Ella grows up she may have a chance to be on TV. Unfortunately I think it would be on the show Hoarders.
Here is a shot of her bed. Periodically I have to go through her stuff and take out things I don't think she will notice are gone. This girl like to keep EvErYtHiNg!
Lets say I check the mail and there happens to be a Toys R US ad in there or American Girl catalog, or coupons in the form of post cards, or, well you get the idea. Well for sure Ella will want to look at them. And then after looking at it she will need to tuck it away in one of her bags, purses or lunchboxes.
Or maybe she gets invited to a birthday party. Gotta save that invitation for the next 6 months. I also think she has about 6 blankets on her bed. Oh she wanted more but I had to draw the line somewhere. And really can you ever have too many dolls, stuffed animals, pillows, toys or pictures of Hello Kitty?

The First Child

Natalie in many ways tests me and teaches me. I often feel bad for all the "learning" and "trial and error" that I have to do with her. She is very skilled and figuring out what bothers her younger sister and brother and sees how far she can get with it. But every now and then she will do something really sweet for them.

Today she gave Ella the last half of her popsicle because Ella had chosen the cookie and after it was gone felt a little bummed that Natalie still had her treat.

She helped Cameron down off the counter and got him some milk since I was feeding Avery.

For the most part she can be trusted to hold Avery when there is something I have to see to (Cameron screaming from the bathroom "Mooooom, I'm DONE!!!").

On these occasions I think she really likes being the oldest one that can do more than the others, but there are also the times when I think she wishes she wasn't.

Like the time when she said, "Mom, when we have the next baby.." and I quickly interrupt,

"Oh there is no next baby."

"But Mom why not?"

"Because I think 4 is enough. When you are a mom if you want you can have 5 babies."

"No, I think I'll just have one."

"One? Don't you think they would be lonely?"

"I'll get them a dog."

or the time she said,

"I wish I was a baby. Everyone adores babies. I just want people to adore me!"

I love how Avery is holding on to Natalie's shirt. SOOOOO sweet.

Pale Green Pants

When I was little we had a tape recording of several Dr. Suess stories. To this day I can still hear the man's voice reading Too Many Daves, Ooblek and of course The Pale Green Pants. A few weeks ago I read Cameron the Pale Green Pants for the first time. He thought it was the greatest thing EvEr! So we have read it every night since then. Sometimes when we are out somewhere he will go up to someone and just start reciting the story, word for word. When I read it I use some of the same inflections in my voice that the man on the tape had so when Cameron recites it he does too. It always gets a big reaction out of people and its some pretty funny stuff.
A few days ago Natalie came out of her room with these pants and told Cameron they were the pale green pants with nobody inside. Oh the joy! He was so excited. For the next two days he carried those pants with him almost everywhere.

Natalie's Birthday

For Natalie's birthday dinner she wanted artichokes and fondue. Yum! We had a great family dinner and then Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Rachel, Nana, Kaylee and Jaden came over for cake and presents. It is hard to believe that she is 8 years old. I am sure that I am not old enough to have an 8 year old! She is feeling very grown up and looking forward to her baptism in a few weeks. She continues to be an outgoing, strong willed and friendly kid and we are so happy she is part of our family.

Natalie and I looked through pictures of cakes online and she chose this cake. It is a unicorn in case you are puzzled. :) All the kids thought they needed a picture with the cake.

Cameron and Ella were very helpful with the presents. Cameron opened the days of the week underwear and were sure they were for him!

Natalie was really excited to get her own set of scriptures with her name on them. She told me that she was going to read them every night before bed.

She was also pretty excited about her new scooter.

The Birthday Party

To celebrate Natalie's birthday she invite 10 friends and we went to Safari Sams. Usually I am an at home kind of party person, but with a three month old that need to be held all. the. time. I made the executive decision to have it somewhere else. I know the birthday girl had a blast and I think her friends did too.

They played in the HUGE indoor jungle gym

Played black light mini golf

Played arcade games

Ate cake and ice cream

And of course the presents!