WOW!! Lot's of stuff!

Allright! The last week has been a fun-filled busy one!! Last Saturday was Faith & Hyrum's play. They perfomed The Tempest. The play was an adaptation written by an elementary school teacher of the Shakespeare play. It was really fun!! Faith was Prospero (yes she played a boy!!)

Hyrum played Caliban!! It was so cool. The play was awesome for a bunch of little kids. It was especially cool because they did not use elaborate sets. In fact their sets consisted of tree branches that two kids would hold in front of their faces to be trees, and a bunch of metal folding chairs. The kids had simple costumes. It was all about imagination!!

After the play we got to have fun at the jamboree. There were children performing such things as gymnastics and dances. They played music, of course the kids were excited to hear the favorite : "Cha Cha Slide"!!! At their school this has become a very popular song!! The crowning moment for Vilate came when she got to take this picture with her friend...Darth Vader. So here is Darth Vader and Darth Vilater!!!

Helaman got excited when we got to jump in the bounce house and go down the slide many, many, many, many times. He also got a stack of free coupons of food and was thrilled when he got his own can of Sprite and a plate of baked beans. Gloria had fun, but by the end she was worn out!!

It was a very fun, and totally tiring day for Mom. I was so glad to see the car when we were done!!

I have started my classes at ARC and am really enjoying them. I am taking World Music and English 301. The English class makes me nervous....I hate writing essays, but there is this new program that AR English professors offer. It is FREE one on one tutoring with one of them. It is a .5 unit class and they will meet with you as often as you want and give you any help that you need throughout the semester. I am excited!!

Okay, some more random stuff...we finally did a photo shoot of Nephi...so here is one of the best pictures...not that any are bad...it's hard to get a bad shot when you have such a handsome subject!!!

Tonight was our Stake Trunk-or-Treat. It was really fun, crazy, busy and FULL of kids!! It started at 6:30 and I got the costumes finished at 6:40. Pretty good timing. Today was also the school carnival and I would be a terrible spouse if I didn't brag to everyone about my awesome hubby!! He braved the school carnival and all it's chaos with all 6 kids, including Nephi the one that refuses a bottle!! I dropped them off at 12:30 and off I went to school. I did not return until 4:10. When I got there the kids were all there, safe, having a great time with a bunch of candy and toys that they had won at the carnival games. Way to go Dave!! You are brave!! They had a marvelous time!!

So, now the costumes are done, the kids are in bed, I have done the dishes, it is time to fold laundry and go to bed!!! Ya know, my job is never complete. There is never a time when I can say that I am done. Mom's are great!!

Crazy

Can you tell that I like the word crazy? Man, I did not know how much I use it!!! Kinda funny! Well, tomorrow is the big day for Faith and Hyrum. They have their performance!! They are so excited and can't wait! I am really glad that it is not supposed to rain. We just found out that they are performing outside!

I went to my first class at ARC. I am not sure yet if I will be added, the teacher will let us know on Sunday. I was fun to be there. I really enjoyed being in a classroom that was full of adults. With no baby sounds, I was shocked by how quiet it was. Even at church there is always a baby around, but there were no babies in that room and you could hear a pin drop. I have to admit it was a little uncomfortable for me to be in such a quiet environment!! But, I am glad to be back on the road to a degree...even if I never use it, I am glad that I will have it!

Well, gotta go and take care of the kiddos!!

POOR BABY

Shots are the worst invention of man!!! Today I took my sweet, innocent, smiling baby to the doctor for his 4 month check-up. He weighs a whopping 15 pounds, 11.9ounces!! After we saw the doctor, we got to go into the playroom at Kaiser. After waiting more than an hour with 3 kids (the older 3 were at school), they finally came out an called Neffy Cox. We went into the room and they started by giving my smiling boy these yummy tasting drops, then he gave the nurse a huge smile and laugh.

Way to go Neffy, make her feel guilty!!!!

It worked, she said she was so sorry, because he was soooo cute!! (I know it!!) Then the 3 shots came. Helaman, the awesome big brother that he is, stood next to Nephi and just about cried for him. He was so sad and I could tell he was trying not to cry, but the tears were forming in his eyes!! Finally it was over!!!! We survived another shot experience...boy am I glad that they space these things out!! So, we have another 2 months before we have to go and repeat this fabulously fun procedure!! Tomorrow I am planning on doing a full photo shoot of Nephi, I will try and post more pics as we take them!!

Crazy Busy Week

Well, another Saturday gone by with not much accomplished. How is it that I seem to be on the go all day long yet nothing ever seems done? I guess that is not quite true...we went to 2 stores, did 2 loads of laundry (with 5 more waiting), went to a party for a friend that is going into the army (Hyrum was excited..."She's going to be an army girl?!?!?! Cool!"), took David to work, cleaned the toys and junk off the floors of the kids rooms and the front room, bathed 5 of the 6 kids, did the dishes, fed people, and of course...most important...I made brownies for my sweet, overworked, tired husband. So it seems I got a lot of things done...there is just always SO much to do!!

The last week was a little crazy around here. We did not have a phone for 5 days...there was a problem with the outside line and the phone company kept missing the appointments to fix it. It sure was quiet around here. I must admit that I enjoyed the lack of phone ringing that I usually hear all day long. While our phone was out, the boiler at our apartment complex died. It was the original boiler...so it was old. We had no water for one day and no hot water for 4 days. I had to boil water to make the bath water lukewarm for the kids. I am SO glad that I am not living on the praire with a bunch of kids. I LOVE MY HOT WATER!!! I must commend my brave husband, he showered twice in the FREEZING water. I boiled water the second day and I really tried to get into the shower on the third day, but it was SO COLD. I thought that I was going to freeze to death and seeing as I was the only adult here, David was at school, I figured that I should not risk death...there were kids sleeping at the time!! So I did the best I could with a wash cloth. The minute that I had hot water I was in that shower and boy, it was wonderful!!!

Add to all that the disappointment of my 3rd grader. Faith was all set to go on an overnight fieldtrip to Camp Winthers, up in the mountains. The morning before the fieldtrip the school got a call that Camp Winthers was under 6 inches of snow, the pipes were frozen and some were breaking. To make matters worse, there was another storm approaching on Friday, the second day of the fieldtrip. Well, the trip was cancelled. They decided to go on Thursday and drive along the river to see the water cycle up to Auburn, the conflunce or something?, and just not drive the final leg of the trip, but to come home the same day. According to Faith it was not very fun because they didn't get to sleep in cabins. SORRY FAITH!! The good thing about Mission Avenue School is that there is always another fieldtrip!!

Speaking of the kids school, just to give you an idea of the fun times there...on the same day as Faith's fieldtrip, Vilate had her French Cafe. The kids all dress up in red, black and white and the parents play restaurant for the kids. They come up in groups of 2 and 3 and are seated by a Maitre'd and are served crossiants, grapes, yogurt, sparkling cider and for dessert, chocolate eiffle towers!! The kids all wear berets, that I made this year (80 of them!! it was a crazy 20 hour job) and they are sooooo cute!!

The same day as these other great events Hyrum had the dentist come to his school. She told them all about teeth brushing. It is amazing that no matter how many times I tell the kids that you don't need much toothpaste to get the job done they don't listen. But then a dentist comes to school and suddenly Hyrum comes to me and says, "Mom, you know that toothpaste is not the most important part of brushing your teeth. The brushing part is and if you have too much toothpaste, the brushing doesn't work so good!" Thank goodness for the dentist!!

I love the kids school, but it is so much work. On top of the 80 berets I made, I also spent 2 hours this last week working on bookorders and grading homework for 3rd grade, an hour on 2nd grades reading charts and at least an hour on phone calls for the school carnival!! Sometimes it seems as though that school is over running my life!! I have learned over the past 4 years how to say NO much better and I will continue to practice that word!!!

Well, it is getting late, 12:05am and my poor cold and tired husband has not made it home from work yet. He had to ride his bike home. He is the utility clerk this week at work and it keeps him crazy busy. He has gotten off late every night and tonight I felt bad, but he has to ride home!! Poor boy!! I better make sure his dessert is ready for him!! Here he is...gotta go!!

Adding to the craziness!!

Well evidently I don't have enough to do. I have just decided to register for school. Some people, okay many people might just think that I have lost my mind!!! They just might be right!! We shall see.

I have been really busy these days with the kids and David's schedule. I am so glad that drama class is only one more week. It has been a great experience for Faith and Hyrum, but it is taking a lot of time.

Hey, guess what? Yesterday at drama their teacher, Mr. Alexander came up to me and paid Hyrum the best compliment. He, Mr. Alexander, works for a theater company here in town, called the B Street Theater. He said that they were casting now for A Christmas Story, the "You'll shoot your eye out" movie. He said that they had discussed having a child play the main role and that Hyrum would be perfect...only one problem, he would have to drop out of school for two months!! BUMMER!! Mr. Alexander said that Hyrum and Faith were wonderful actors, very dramatic....hmmm.....wonder where that came from...... Well, the theater company has decided that they cannot really have a kid play the role, something about legalities of kids needing to be in school or something ridiculous like that. But, what a cool thing to hear about my kid!!

My Crazy Days

Just a little outline of a typical day in my life:

6:35 am up, get kids going, shower
7:00 am get kids breakfast and pack lunches, help Helaman, Gloria & Nephi get dressed and fed
7:50 am leave to take Faith & Hyrum to school, unlock the laundry rooms here on the way out
8:05 am got to Kaiser to pick up meds for Nephi, then off to Walmart...Vilate had Kindergarten snack today!! I had to feed Nephi in the car...he was so mad
9:45 am finally home...dishwasher unloaded, got the kids a snack and got Vilate & Helaman ready for school and fed Nephi
10:45 am left to take Vilate and her snack to school
11:20 am got home, made lunch for David & for myself, fed Nephi
11:35 am walked Helaman out to his ride & got Gloria & Nephi in the car to take David to school
12:10 pm finally home for a few minutes...Nephi took a nap, Gloria & I made a cake for FHE
1:05 pm left, yet again, to get David from school, drove him home to change and waited in the car with Nephi & Gloria, then took him to work and went grocery shopping
2:40 pm picked up Faith, Hyrum & Vilate from school
3:10 pm got home, started kids on homework, read all the school newsletters that came home today
3:35 pm Helaman got home, he got a ride, then the kids had a little snack, our neighbor came over to visit, fed Nephi and we frosted the cake
4:30 pm left to get bread at the Ansbaw's, we keep it in their freezer, and pick up David for dinner
5:10 pm got home made quick dinner of leftovers and sandwiches, ate dinner with the fam and then David left to go back to work, fed Nephi
6:00 pm cleared the table and started FHE, Kelli came over and we had FHE with a lesson by Faith and chocolate cake with cookies and cream ice cream, emailed a teacher with a concern
6:45 pm watched pre-recorded Extreme Makeover: Home Edition with the kids
7:30 pm got the kids to brush teeth and put them to bed!!!!!
8:30 pm went to lock the laundry rooms with Gloria and Nephi, then nursed Nephi
9:40 pm had to go back to the laundry room and lock up one that someone was using earlier
10:00 pm Nephi finally went to sleep and Gloria and I laid down
10:45 pm Gloria FINALLY fell asleep and I got to get on the computer

My days are full of excitement and facinating things!! This is the life!! It is best explained my my mother-in-law, "It's like you live on rollerskates!!" SO TRUE!! but I wouldn't change it for anything. It really is fun to be a mom and I love it!! Faith and Hyrum start drama class tomorrow. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays from 3:30 - 5 in North Highlands, about 6 miles from my house. I think that they will have a great experience and I know that it will drive me crazy, but it is only for 4 weeks...I think that I can handle it!! We'll see if I survive!!

First Try

Well, here goes. I am totally new to this blogging thing, but I thought it might be fun to try it!!