On His Honor

Today was a big night....Joe earned his Webelos Badge as well as his Arrow of Light.

Now...for those of you who have never done scouts...this might not sound impressive. But let me tell you...It IS impressive!

And I am so proud of him.

Some of you may know, I'm not a huge fan of scouts. I would just as soon the boys focus on faith in God awards and do what they can to make sure they earn it.

But...having said that, this is what Joe wanted, so it was my goal to help him accomplish it. And Joe worked really hard -- REALLY hard.

Look at the awards he won tonight:



And...even with that huge pile...he had 3 more they had to fix.
To put it in context, Joe completed over 100 different tasks to earn these awards...from a service project, to a campout, to making his own rocket.

It's amazing and I could not be prouder.

Hurry Up and Slow Down

Today really kicked my butt.

Joe, Emma and Josh all had chess club this morning...then Mikayla had piano lessons and a try out for the all county orchestra. Oh I love dragging all the kids to middle school activities at what should be their bed time!

I feel like I have been running all day.

Seriously.

I thought when the kids were little that I could not wait for them to be older so life could slow down and I could get more things done.

Ha!

I get less than ever done...and we are busier than I could have imagined possible. What am I going to do when Joe and Emma start middle school next year?

ack.

So...if you are struggling at home with a toddler right now...let me just say...enjoy it. It's a blessing.

: )

Like it's 1986

So...i'm coming downstairs this morning...and I hear one of my kids singing.

Loudly.

"Whoa...ooo...we're half way there...whoa....oooo....Living on a Prayer....take my hand....we'll make it I swear....whooaa...ooooo...Living on a Prayer."

Seriously.

Bon Jovi.

1986.

But what really blew my mind...was that it was BECKY doing the singing.

Yeah.

You know what this means.

Too much guitar hero and hanging out with the Kunz family.

Andrea...I always knew you'd pass on your rocker ways to one of the kids...I just didn't know it would be mine!

: )

Unplugged

Well...I did it.

I went on vacation and I totally unplugged from my life.

No e-mail.

No blogging.

No phone calls.

And I survived.

We had a really great time in Massanutten...it's a little resort a couple of hours from here with an indoor water park. Just perfect for a frosty fall day!

I have a ton of photos...so I will work on getting up some photos to go with the fun we had.

It was super nice to get away!

And I am super glad to be back.

Halloween 09

Oh man. Halloween was a bust this year...and I have put off posting until I had some photos to share...but of course I still don't have any.

It rained on Halloween and with sick kids to boot, we just didn't get any photos taken.

I have kept the costumes out, and since the kids are home from school tomorrow we are going to try and get a few shots.

I just have to say...this was a most interesting Halloween for me.

Because some of the kids were sick I did many things this year I have never done.

For one, I missed our ward Fall Festival...which I have actually NEVER done since we have lived out here.

How strange was that!

And then...I stayed home and passed out candy while Troy took the kids trick or treating.

I have never stayed home to pass out candy and it was strange.

Can I share a little of what I observed?

Most kids are very polite.

They mostly said thank you and were very pleasant.

Having said that...there were a few interesting moments too.

There were the kids who actually had the nerve to request a specific kind of candy, with one child actually expressing his frustration at the type of candy we were giving away -- he wanted M&Ms and we didn't have any. What were we thinking?

There were many who did not say thank you, and even when out with their parents were not reminded to be polite. Oh. We said "you're welcome" regardless.

There were many children who did not even both to wear a costume...they just showed up in their school clothes with a sack asking for candy.

And seriously...how many children came to my door wearing a ski mask as their costume? Yeah. Like 10 of them. People! A ski mask is not a Halloween costume.

Sheesh.

And...I am not a officially a firm believer that there is such a thing as being too old to trick or treat. I don't know what that age is...but I know it when I see it.

And seriously...when the porch light is off it means we have run out of candy.

We passed out over seven pounds of candy.

But, even with all the craziness...we had a good time at home.

Katie thought Halloween was a blast and thoroughly enjoyed passing out candy to all the children...okay, all the ones not wearing ski masks!

And every time a child would walk up to our door she would smile and say, "Trick or Treat." eek. It was cute.

Oh yeah...THAT mom

Well...I have officially become THAT mom.

Oh, I know.

I've been THAT mom before...but now...there is just no going back.

As you may (or may not) know, I have strong opinions.

seriously. it's true.

And one such strong opinion is the idea that children do not need cell phones.

I mean really...where is your eight year old going that you can't totally reach them in any given situation?

So...as more and more of Mikayla's friends have gotten cell phones (some from a very young age)...we have resisted the onslaught.

She is just too young.

And then something happened to change my mind.

That's right she turned 13.



Really...it wasn't the turning 13...rather it was the seventh grade and track and play practice and her busy social life...I can hardly keep up.

With coaches that cancel practices or have meets that end two hours early, surprise play practice, etc...I could not keep up with whether she was coming or going and more imporantly whether I was supposed to be there.

So...we decided it was time...and we got her a cell phone for her birthday.

And...she is thrilled. (I know...you're shocked.)

The best part about it was when we finally decided to do it...we thought we would do it right.

So...as Mikayla was opening her birthday presents...one of the items in her box started to ring.

And of course...Mikayla did not hear it at all.

But everyone else in the room could hear the noise and they were wondering where it was coming from.

Mikayla's friends quickly realized what was happening and were screaming at her to open her present.

It was awesome to so completely surprise her.

So...not only does my daughter have a cell phone...but apparently I am now committed to buying all my other children cell phones when they turn 13.

**big sigh**

What was I thinking?

Mad Dash

Well...I like to think I perform well under pressure...and I do usually manage to pull things out, but at what price?

We have a Halloween Party tonight...which means I needed to get the Halloween costumes done. After taking a break last year from the family theme...we have come back to it.

We are all going as characters from Harry Potter.

But...as of yesterday I did not have any costumes made.

I've now got six costumes done...two more to go.

Phew...hope I'm not too grouchy at the party tonight. lol!

Say Goodbye To My Youth

Cause....today my daughter turns 13.

HOW did this happen?

WHERE did the time go?

WHY, oh why, do I have a 13 year old child?

Seriously...I guess today isn't all about me.

**big sigh**

Actually, Mikayla is the MOST amazing person...and I am so grateful that she is my child.

She is strong and secure in who she is.

She knows where she is going.

And I trust her to make good decisions...even in tough situations.

What more could I ask for.

So...Happy Birthday kiddo.

I love you.

PS. She is a faithful blog reader...so be sure to leave her LOTS of love. Think we can get 13 comments?

Moments of Truth

Do you ever have those moments...when something happens...that you KNOW with absolute certainty that something has to change.

Yeah.

I had one of those moments today.

I was driving home from preschool today and Becky was riding in the back with Evan and AJ.

She says, "Hey. Guys. Listen to this. I can burp my ABC's."

"Burp - A"

"Burp - B"

"Burp - C"

Seriously.

How classy is that?

My realization?

Um. Isn't it obvious?

Becky needs some friends who are girls.

And soon!

Seriously?

Today Becky's teacher stopped me as I was picking up the kids.

"I just wanted to let you know how happy I am that Becky spoke up in class today."

"Oh? About what?"

"Well, I mean, I am just so happy to see that she is finally starting to overcome her extreme shyness."

No response...just stunned silence.

"Um. Becky? Shy?"

"Yes. She never says anything in class...but I think we are starting to break through."

Seriously?

Becky?

Shy?

Quiet?

I think you have my child mixed up with someone else. Seriously.

Shark Alert

Josh and I were driving in the car and talking about his day.

The was being sweet and I said, "Joshua Boshua Bop...you're so cute."

He said, in a very frustrated voice, "Mom....you said when I turned six you would NEVER call me Joshua Boshua Bop again."

"Yes Josh. But, you said when you turned six you would be the perfect child."

"No Mom. I said the DAY I turned I would be the perfect child."

oh.

crap.

I think this kid has a future as lawyer.

And really...if he's figuring out the loopholes at this age...I don't think that bodes well for the future.

Look out world.

Life of Leisure

Lest you think I've been sitting around watching tv and eating bon bons...THIS is what I've been doing in Troy's absence.

It Had to Happen

I love General Conference! It always feels like a chance to be reminded of what is most important...and I need that every now and then!

So...Troy is once again out of town...you know what that means...at least one or two calamities.

So, we had the first today when a gasket blew under the sink and we had a little mini flood. I swear...how does the house know that no one is here that is even remotely qualified to handle this kind of thing?

Sheesh.

Thank goodness for Lyndon and his plumbing know how. That man has saved my bacon more than once and I am deeply grateful!!!!

So...pray that we have gotten the worst of it out of the way...but I won't count on it.

Run, Mikayla, Run

Mikayla made the track team and had her first meet this week. She did great! and her team totally won!!!



Yay Mikayla!!!