Pleasant Surprise

Usually when I notice that Macy has been way too quiet, I don't like what I find. This time...it wasn't so bad.

Donut Falls

We went on our annual Labor Day Hike. We went up to Donut Falls, which apparently was the hot spot of the day. There were a lot of people there. It was a great hike for the kids though. It was probably 1 1/2 miles roundtrip. We hiked to this water fall that was pretty cool. The kids got to "rock climb" a little bit to get down to it, they were able to cross the river on some logs, climb up close to see the falls. My mom and dad are always good sports to come, and we took a picnic with us. Macy wanted nothing to do with the backpack carrier we brought for her, and thought it was fun to run as fast as she could on the trail (she of course took a tumble :), she also climbed up the rock ledge all by herself. Kate thought it was awesome just being strapped on to mom and getting a new view. Dogs twitch their tails when they are excited. Kate twitches her legs. They were going for most of the hike. Avery liked holding hands with people and kept her eye open to see if there was any way she could manipulate herself into the backpack carrier. She was excited about all the flowers. Carston had his walking stick of course, and tried to keep himself in the "leader" position. He thought it was pretty cool to go "rock climbing." It was fun, I like hiking, and we even got to see a moose.
P.S. As a general rule, we don't usually tuck in our t-shirts. However...our children do have agency.

A Magical Place

Avery has started a dance class. When I took her picture she insisted on doing her "Mermaid Pose." When I took her down there, it was so fun to watch. All these little girls prancing around in their pink tights and pink leotards and pink ballet slippers. Soft music playing, lights turned down low, a sweet teacher, ribbons, hula hoops....What more could a little girl dream of? It really was magical. Even for me :)

Giving in to Temptation...Sort of

So the other day, after looking at the macaroni that Macy had thrown all over the kitchen floor, I went outside, looked around for Lady (the neighbors' dog), and gave a semi-loud shout of "LAAADDDY!" I was a little embarrassed by my actions, so I didn't yell quite as loud as I could. It was all to no avail though. She was nowhere to be seen. I had to clean the floor by myself. Maybe I could start a business of renting out dogs to clean crumbs.

Win-Win

My mom gave me a better idea. Instead of getting a dog, maybe the neighbors would let me borrow theirs a few times a day to come in and "vacuum" the kitchen for me. Next time Jenny comes for a visit, I'm seriously going to ask her :) My mom might have been kidding when she mentioned it, but it sounds like a great alternative to me.

Temptations

With four small children, attempting to keep the kitchen floor clean is nearly impossible. I don't even know how many times a day I clean that floor, and most of the time to look at it, you'd think I hadn't cleaned it in months. Well, today as I was cleaning up the crumbs in the kitchen for the MILLIONTH time, I thought about getting a dog. Forget the fact that my kids have been wanting one forever and I told them we can't get one until our house is baby free, forget the fact that it will be an issue every time we go on vacation, forget the fact that it would shed hair, forget the fact that it would be another Being to feed, bathe, and clean up its poop.......Just imagine......spotless floors every second of every day with no sweeping or vacuuming.........Mmmmm.........sounds heavenly.

Sayings from August

Macy
One day after we got back from New York Macy said, "Where's Daddy?" "At work." "I want my Daddy to come baaaaccckkk!"

Macy thinks she is pretty funny. When I asked her what sound a cow makes, she paused for a minute, then said Meow with a smirk on her face. Now any animal says, "Meow" and she laughs super hard each time she says it.

Avery had been singing, "You got the beat." Later that day Macy walked up to me and said, "You got the beat Mom. You got the beat."

Macy saw the red sled in the garage. "I went on that with Daddy!" she said. (She remembered from last winter, I'm glad she didn't remember going on it with me and crashing:)

Kate
August 12: Kate pulled herself up to standing position. She's only been crawling well for a couple of weeks. It's like she can't wait to see what she can do next. Crawling? Check. What comes after that? Standing? Check.

August 16: Kate got her first tooth today!

Carston
We had talked about service for FHE and how it makes you happy. We decided to put a paper on the fridge and draw a smiley face on it whenever you did service for someone or they did it for you. One night the kids got really into it. They kept asking what they could do. At one point Carston said, "Is there anything else I can do to help you?" It made me laugh. It is one thing every mother would love to hear from her kids, but I didn't expect to hear it from him when he was just 6 :)

Sacrament meeting can be a struggle, trying to keep all the kids quiet and occupied. I don't neccessarily want it to be playtime, but I also can't have them be a disruption (which we are even on a good day). I'm always trying different things trying to find the elusive miracle that ends with all kids sitting quietly and still understanding that church is a place to learn and feel the Spirit. One thing we started doing was not getting things out of the bag until the sacrament was over. Realistic expectation for Carston and Avery, but not so much for Macy. So one Sunday as soon as we got there, Macy started pulling out crayons, and I didn't have the energy to fight her. So of course Avery and Carston wanted to know why Macy got to color and they didn't. I said that I liked for them to wait until the sacrament was over, but they could choose. Avery, being four, thought it was great and pulled out her crayons. Carston thought for a minute and told me that he'd wait. So he sat there quietly until it was over. Then he leaned over and said," Mom, I'm not going to even color for the WHOLE time!" He was being so sweet, but I felt a little bad. I told him it was okay if he wanted to, but he held his ground. He actually listened to some of the talks.

Carston says that Kate is the cutest one in the family. Avery told me not to feel bad because I'm still cute.

One day, Carston went into his room and shut the door. When Avery tried to follow, he told her not to come in because he needed some "alone time."

Avery
One day I realized that Avery and Macy were too quiet. When I found them in the bathroom, Avery had put soap all over Macy's legs, arms, tummy, head...everywhere. I didn't know what was more funny, the fact that Avery had done it, or the fact that Macy had sat still long enough to let her.

Sayings from July

Avery
Carston has become quite the reverence police, waiting for everyone to fold their arms and close their eyes. He doesn't start unless he's absolutely sure everyone is ready. With Macy as part of the group, believe me when I say the wait can get pretty long sometimes. On one night, while we were dogsitting Tecoh, it was Avery's turn to say the prayer. She kept looking around and around until I finally told her to say it. "I'm waiting for Tecoh to get ready," she says.

Avery put a little hair elastic around Daddy's finger and told him that now they were married.

We were at the cabin and it was the first time that Carston, Avery, and Macy were sleeping in the same room. Macy was so excited she was practically bouncing off the walls of her crib. She kept saying, "AAHHH! There's a scary monster!" I stood by the door for awhile and listened. Avery sang Macy one song after another to "help her go to sleep." It worked better for her than it did for Macy, because next time I checked, Avery had sung herself to sleep and Macy was still wide awake talking and singing to herself.

Carston
Carston had taken a bath and gotten ready for bed. I was in his room, waiting of course, for him to say his prayers. Finally I said, "Carston, say your prayers you Stink." "No I don't, I just had a bath," he said. And he wasn't saying it to be funny.

Macy
Whenever Avery doesn't want someone to play with her things she'll call them "special." Apparently Macy figured out Avery's intention when she uses that word because she walked in the room the other day yelling about how Ava had her "beshial" purse.

Macy went with me to take Kate to the doctor. It wasn't that long after her own appointment, so she remembered what happens at the doctor. While we were waiting for the doctor with Kate smiling and laughing, Macy kept saying over and over, "Kate's sad. Kate's sad mommy." It was cute how she was showing empathy for Kate because she knew how sad she was when she went to the doctor and got shots.

We took all the kids to the temple open house. I was hesitant to go because Macy is a child who lives her life at full speed. She likes to run and go fast and be busy, and she has absolutely no concept of a "quiet voice." We decided to go anyway though with my parents. She did pretty good but.... she was a bit noisy, she wanted to run from one room to the next, she got under the rope in the celestial room, and we had to take her out of the sealing room because she started screaming when we wouldn't let her touch the altar. Needless to say, I questioned whether it was worth it in the end to take everyone. I got my answer a few weeks later. We were driving in the car and I was talking with Carston and Avery about random things. Out of nowhere, Macy said, "I went to the temple with Graama (Grandma)."

A few days before John and I were leaving to New York, Drake came to stay at our house for a few hours. He was not happy about that. He was crying, and didn't want anyone to touch him or talk to him. Macy kept saying, "Drakee's sad. It's okay. His Mommy will be back soon." It was so sweet. I hoped that when we left for New York, she would understand that Mommy and Daddy were coming back, it just wasn't going to be soon!

Kate
At six and a half months, Kate crawls across the room and puts herself into a sitting position. She also had her first "Hairs-Cut."

Kate is always super excited about life. The places she can go, the people she loves, the things she sees. How do I know this? Because she is constantly pumping her legs as fast as she can. She is practically jumping. She is such a cutie and the minute she wakes up she is smiling and pumping her legs :)

Watch out for those Olsen Girls!

Heather and Chelsey came to visit. Can I just say how much I love and enjoy my sisters? Seriously, I love them so much and hate that they live so far away. We planned lots of fun things while they were here, but whenever Heather is around I get lazy about taking pictures because she takes so many awesome ones. Anyway, here are a few I had, but I'll post more when I get pictures from her. I just figured if I was playing catch up I might as well do it all the way :)

Carston's first rollercoaster. He enjoyed it more than Drake :)

I love Avery's face in this one. Macy went on this coaster and liked it. Crazy girl.

Macy was in heaven, running from one ride to the next as fast as she could :)

The cutest swimsuit ever. Why is it that when we get older, the chub in the spandex doesn't give us the same feeling?

Splash Pad in Highland-once again it is free so we had to check it out :)

It was pretty cool. If you go, bring things that can float down the river part.

We went to the Barnyard at Thanksgiving Point. I see this picture of our family and think, "Wow, that is a big family." How did that happen?
Don't answer that. I know.

The story of Macy's life, trying to break free and do what she wants when she wants :)

Cute little Kate feeding the ducks. She thought they were so funny and just kept cracking up.

Heather, Chelsey, when are you coming back????

Utah County Fair

We went to the Utah County Fair in Spanish Fork. It has improved a ton since last year. I thought it was definitely worth going to. It's free (just say free and I'll be there with my kids to check it out:) There were tons of free little doodads that kids eat up- glow in the dark slime you make yourself, sheriff badges, candy, popcorn, stickers, etc. It was definitely worth going to. We let all the kids pick a ride, and Macy was in absolute heaven. She is at such a fun age because everything is so exciting to her.

Kate Leta Roberts

We brought back shirts for the kids from New York. John picked this one for Macy the second he saw it. It makes me laugh every time she wears it.

Summer is Over

Carston and Avery had their first days of school. Carston is now in first grade, and I have to say I think I'm having a harder time adjusting than him. I hate that he is gone all day. I might feel better if I didn't think that a lot of it is wasted time. It is hard for me to control my attitude so it doesn't rub off on him. Today I was asking him if there were times during class where he finished his work early. When he said yes, I asked him what he did during those times. PUT HIS HEAD ON HIS DESK. He has to put his head down. Excuse me? Isn't that a punishment? We are punishing those who work hard and are successful? And he's at a charter school that is supposed to push kids more and offer more for those who need a better challenge. And he isn't alone. By far, the majority of kids in his class are bored and need a faster, more challenging curriculum. UGHHHHH. I could go on and on about public schooling. I wish I had a good solution. Every option out there has so many cons, that I really feel like whatever I choose isn't a good solution, it is just the least crappy one out there. Anyway.... please excuse my tirade. Now you know not to get me on the subject if you don't want to hear about it :) Back to the first days of school. Carston has grown so much. When I went to pick him up, he had this huge mark on his face. I guess he was too close to the monkey bars and got kicked pretty hard in the face. Someone got the aide and he put ice on it and everything. He was tough though. If that would have happened two years ago, it would have been such a big ordeal. Carston is such a stud. We moved everyone's rooms around, so now he shares his with Kate. He was telling my mom how he has to sneak out in the mornings, and that sometimes it is hard, so he gives her a book and then sneaks out. The other night, she had cried a little going to bed. When I checked the kids before going to sleep myself, I found Carston's huge stuffed elephant in her crib :) He is such a sweetie.

(This was a few days later-so it looked worse initially)

(I love the face-nervous excitement:)
Little Miss Avery had her first day of preschool too. She was so excited. I can tell that she just loves feeling like she is so old and that she gets to go do all these things she's seen Carston do. She loves preschool. When she came home, she couldn't wait to read her books (she's just started reading the last few months). Today she brought home a turtle she colored and told me that when we move it is the only thing she'll take with her (her other toys she'll leave here so that when new people come, they'll be so excited about all the toys-we aren't moving, we just talk about it:) Oh yeah, my mom took her on a special date to pick out a new outfit for school. She choose this Hello Kitty Shirt, some peace sign leggings, a kitty for her hair, and another shirt that said "Best Friends Forever." She told my mom that if she wore it to school everyone would think she looked so beautiful:) I love my little Aver Babers.

WooHoo for Vacations!

(Can I get one of these for my house, except replace "Honk" with "Whine")


John and I went to New York and Vermont all by our lonesome. We made an arrangement with Brett and Ashlee to switch off babysitting each year so we could go on "Couple Vacations." Not that we don't love vacationing with all our kids, but I'm sure you understand if you have a houseful of little youngsters yourself. The kids were going lots of different places, so there was LOTS of packing, and different bags, and organizing that went on before we left. I feel so blessed to have amazingly great people in my life who gave us such an awesome gift by caring for our kids. Because it really was a gift for John and I to spend the time together. Thank you so much Mom, Ashlee, Bobbi Ann, Lindsay, and Tiffany. I didn't have to worry and be nervous about my kids because I knew they were in such good hands (I only worried about the sanity of those who were taking care of them:) Anyway, New York was pretty fun. That was definitely not the relaxing part of the vacation. We went to bed every night with our legs aching because of all the walking around we did. We saw a lot of tourist attractions, which you know, isn't super cool, but you kind of feel like you have to do it at least once right? My favorite part had to be seeing "Wicked." It was awesome. I love the storyline and all the things it gives you to think about. I also loved all the awesome, cheap jewelry I got. Definitely a favorite. It was also fun spending time with Randy. And I apologize for not being quite so eloquent about your apartment. I'm not used to bacholor pads with minimal dishes and little guests (I apologize little mouse for jumping onto the chair when you ran across the middle of the kitchen-you startled me).
Halfway through the trip we headed to Vermont to see some of our oldest friends. Todd and Gina. What can I say? We both kind of started our journey to marriage together, and there is just something about those friends you had while you were dating and newly married. They know you differently than those who have only experienced since kids came along. We love spending time with you guys. There is a side of John that only comes out around certain people like Todd, and it is a side that I love. We wish they lived closer, but after finally visiting Ver-mont, I can understand why Todd would want to return to the place of his childhood. It really is beautiful there. It is a forest. Seriously, a forest. When you are driving on the roads, you can't see around you at all because you are surrounded by trees. We had fun sitting around campfires, making smores, going cliff jumping into a gorge, hanging out by the lake, sliding down a natural waterslide in a river, playing the wii, etc. I surprised myself by being the first one to jump off the cliff after Todd led the way. It was awesome. Sorry about losing your shoes Gina :) That and the waterslide were so awesome. We sat down in this river (ice-cold!) and it pushed down and spit us out into this pool of water. I loved it. It was interesting to come from New York where people marvel at all the creations of man, but as cool as they were, they just couldn't compete with the creations of God. It was beautiful there. Thank you Gina so much for letting us stay with you just days before your baby was born. I think you are amazing.
(John demonstrated his Manhood by cutting down one of Todd's trees)
I thouroghly enjoyed our vacation, but by the end, I was ready to come back home and get back to work raising our kids and running our household. What can I say, I love what I do. So we hopped on the plane where we got stuck on the runway for almost two hours and I was on the verge of a panic attack. Never so glad for a plane to take off. While flying, we went through a thunderstorm. I would say it was amazing, but I think I've used that adjective several times already. It was incredible. So was the whole trip. I love John. I love spending time with him regardless of where we are. Thanks again to everyone who made it possible, hopefully I can repay the favor some day.

First Grade Trauma

I had one of those moments today where Avery was so sweet it almost made me cry. I guess a little boy at Carston's school had some Backugon (? I think that is what they are called?). So Carston has been talking about them a lot, wanting to get some. He finally went last night on his Daddy Date, and was in heaven that he finally had some. He couldn't wait to take them today for Show and Tell. When I went to pick him up, I knew immediately that something was wrong. Apparently he was sharing one at recess with a boy he didn't really know. When the bell rang, the kid didn't remember whose it was and gave it to some random boy. I guess someone told Carston's teacher about it, and she tried to find out who it was, gave a lecture about returning it, how much it meant to Carston, etc- all to no avail. I know he had to work really hard to not cry at school, so the minute he got in the car he just started bawling. It was pretty sad because it was something so special and exciting for him. I told him that if no one returned it tomorrow, then we could go get another after school. Sweet little Avery. As Carston went crying into the house, she came up and was telling me that when she was a grown up like me she would surprise Carston and buy him another one. Then inside, she called the first brownie, but gave it to Carston all on her own to help him feel better. She is such a little sweetie. I love it when my kids show love and compassion of their own accord. Makes the hard stuff in parenting worth it.