Ballroom

Dawn and Rachel have been busy Tango-ing, Cha Cha-ing, Foxtrot-ing and Merangue-ing.   And they've been loving it!  They danced in their first ballroom competition a few weeks ago.  They were fabulous!  And I felt so silly, and therefore didn't tell them, but I was so nervous.  I couldn't sleep the night before, I woke up early with a stomach ache.  I even forgot to eat breakfast.  I think it was a little too familiar a feeling dredged up from my long lost youth!  But all was well.  They danced great and were so darling. 

Scott rocked the (school) house

Scott had such a great year.  He loved his teacher who was all about music.  They made a cd and this track was one of Scott's finest!  He does the speaking at the beginning and ends it with a sweet solo.  Enjoy!

Bananas, pancakes and babies

This morning I fed my 6-month-old sweetheart bananas for the first time while listening to Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson (I love that song). Summer didn't love the bananas as much.

But being so cute counts for a lot.

103, 104, 105, Oh My!

All week long my sweet daughter has had a very high temperature.  The only list I've been keeping this week is when she last had her Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen. She feels awful.  6 days now.  I'm hoping this will not stretch into another whole week of missed school.  And that is all.  I'll see you again soon.  I hope.

One by One

Today we're having a birthday party for my oldest, Dawn.  She turned 11 in December, but, well...you know December.  So today we are having a friend party.  She's so excited.  It's not a huge affair, but it is hers.

Having 6 kids is, well, busy.  Really busy.  We try to focus on each child, knowing each one has an infinite amount of worth, love and life inside.  But as I mention, we're busy.  And I know you are busy, too.  That's the life we have.

But you know the story about Jesus and blessing the children, the one where he is very tired and his disciples try to give him rest by sending the throng away.  (Throng would be a good word for how my family feels at times!).  But Jesus welcomes them, beckons them.  And then he blesses them one by one. 

One by one.  Each one individually.  So that's what we try to do with our kids.  All too often we don't get it done.  We try to have one on one "special times" with each child.  It varies a lot.  So we are working on it.  And tonight Dawn gets the attention.  It isn't one on one by any means.  But it is a special favor just for her, just to help her feel special.  To help her know that we value just her, all by herself.  Because she is worth it. 

Blessings on the (Kiddy) Throne

I hinted yesterday that we are potty training at our house.  Little Charity is learning to be a big girl! Yea!  I was so nervous to start, because, I think we can all agree, potty training has to be one of the worst parts of parenting!  Okay, I may be overstating that, but you'll understand in just a moment.

Our last child to potty train was a train wreck!!  We worked on it for a year. and. a. HALF!  I kid you not.  We would go for weeks on end with poopy pants every single day.  Yucky, really stinky poopy pants.  We'd throw up the white flag and go with pull ups for a few weeks.  Then we'd repeat the process while trying something different. 

Food rewards, toy rewards, wearing no pants at all, being time-out-ed, charts, bribes, maybe a time or two of yelling (yes, I admit I lost it more than I wish I had).  We tried everything we could think of or read about or dream up.  We prayed, and prayed and cried.  Seriously, this was major drama for us.  Imagine 18 long months.  78 weeks!  540 days in a row of failure!

Fast forward to our sweet Charity.  Last Tuesday her friend at play group had panties on.  I thought, "Oh yeah, with the holidays over, I should try that."  So we went home and pulled out the big girl panties. 

We put them on and a cloud of potty blessings descended upon our tired and very nervous potty training nerves.  She is done!  She was done in three days!  She had 3 accidents the first day, one when I was in the shower, one when I was on the treadmill and one during family prayers (on my lap I might add). 

The next day she had an accident when she pooped.  But the third day when she figured out how to poop in the potty, she was done.  She's had like 2 accidents since then.  She doesn't even get me for help.  I just hear the flush, and I go help her wash her hands.  We've been shopping, to church, to play groups and she's fine!

It is a certified miracle, a blessing from heaven direct to my tired head.  Someone is watching out for me.  I just might be able to handle six kids after all.

Summer In Her Mommy's Dress

All of my girls have worn this sweet, blue dress when they were newborns. I also wore it when I was just a tiny baby. All my girls look so alike, I need to find their pictures and show you. When I get some time...

Starting school

My kids are all liking school this year. This was their first day. Dawn is in 5th grade, Rachel in 4th (don't you like how they wanted to match their first day:) and Scott is in 3rd. He has a teacher who plays guitar and sings and moves a lot. Scott loves him! His favorite song so far? I am My Own Grandpa (if you haven't heard it, google it. It's great!)

Andrew also started preschool, though I don't have a picture of him. He is loving it also, learning his letters, and making new friends. We've been on two sweet field trips, one to the fire station where we got to go here...


(The full 200 feet up!)

And one to the pumpkin patch where he and Charity both picked out a sweet pumpkin.

Charity is even going to a (structured) play group once a week.

So, we are busy learning. I know because each night we around the dinner table we've been telling what we learned. This can be enlightening, interesting or funny. I've been learning about 7 wonderful people and how much I love them! And how not to cry each night when I didn't get to the laundry AGAIN! Ahhh!

Girls, and Boys and Baby, Oh my!

Life with six kids has been, how shall I say this,

kicking my trash!

I have barely been able to survive (along with keeping the other 7 people in my family alive) let alone write about how I was surviving it.


(How's that for keeping it real?)

But today, while my kind friend and neighbor took my two preschoolers to the park and my baby is napping, I decided to take a few minutes to look back at what I've missed telling you all about.

Since it is a lot, I will space them out over several days, so check back!

So here goes...

Sunday

A few Sundays ago I snapped these pictures of my sweet kids. Andrew was looking especially dapper in his new jacket, don't you think?



This was the day of our Primary Program. It was wonderful and so sweet. I love Primary songs!

Fabulous play kitchen

Can you believe that this kitchen was once this:

Awesome huh! Found here.

Just last night I told Matt that when we are old (ish) and retired or at least have older kids, we should make things together (woodish things). He agreed, so we are all set.

A Spot of Sun

Early this morning, as the very earliest light started to creep in the window of our nursery, I rocked our little Summer. She had just eaten a little, and I put her up on my shoulder to burp. She quickly let her eyelids drop shut and fell asleep. Despite the strict feeding regiment we are on (due to some nursing problems), I just let her sleep.

How could I wake her? She was making that sweet, soft, I'm-full-and-content baby sigh with each tender breath. I love that sigh. It's one of my favorite things about newborns.

So instead of undressing her, changing her diaper, or doing the vigorous foot rub to wake her, I let her sleep on my shoulder. In fact, I took her to bed with me and felt my heart grow a little larger. Because it does, with each child I give away part of my heart that forever lives in that baby. And somehow with all those missing parts of my heart walking around the earth, inexplicably, my own has grown. Warmer, softer, and so much larger.

First Bath

Getting wet

All clean!

Whew, worn out from all that washing

All tuckered out

Welcome Baby

Welcome Summer! 9 lbs. 8 oz.



Sweet as can be.

Birthday Week, 3???

Will there be a third?

Birthday Week, 2

Next up, Scott.

A Birthday Week

First up, Rachel!

My Girls' Piano Recital

We had a lovely piano recital with both our girls. Both are so good at practicing and not complaining. They really like it. It also helps to have a great teacher!

Memorial Day and a Birthday

Matt's birthday happened on Memorial Day this year. We celebrated with a early neighborhood breakfast at the park (unfortunately he was in charge of it and so had to be up working early!), a picnic up Provo Canyon with his family, and a yummy dinner at his brother's house. I love Matt's family and always enjoy spending time with them, they really are my family in every sense.






The beautiful hike



with lots of opportunities to throw rocks in water

and a cool beaver dam.

The sweet kids all had presents for their dad. Here Andrew has just bequeathed his light saber. Lucky for Matt, Andrew will continue to store it and keep it working for him!

Dawn and Rachel each bought a sweet present, too.

I love the sweet ideas that come from my kids. They make life beautiful and full of happiness.