First Week of Summer

Last week, I had so much to blog.  This week was our first week of summer and I really didn't take any pictures, so I don't have much to blog.  How nice!  A little bit of a break!

C did go to cub scout camp all week.  I have gone and chaperoned the last two years, but, due to my pregnancy, CK went with him this time.  C had a great time all week-even when it was canceled due to rain and thunder storms.  :)  He was so excited to have CK with him.  I love the bond that they share.

We also started our summer schedule.  It is working well.  K finds it easier to control her attitude when she is allowed to sleep in.  They also love "upstairs time."  This gives the kids time to play games together or watch a show together before "bed time."  It is definitely a win-win.  They get a later bedtime and CK and I get time together before we go to bed to read our scriptures, watch sports on TV, finish up the dishes, etc..  They so look forward to this time.  My children all do better with structure, so even a loose structure in the summer works better for our family than no structure at all.

AND....best news of all....CK went up to St. Louis yesterday to get A.  They flew in last night and I am so grateful to have her here with us.  Our family is complete when we are all together.  :)

I still struggle with the non-idealness of our family.  A in St. Louis.  The other three kids gone for a portion of every week with their dad.  It just isn't how it is supposed to be.  I long for a nuclear, intact family.  But, that is not the hand I have been dealt.  And-in reality, I am so blessed.  I have four wonderful children and one on the way.  I have a husband that treats me better than I ever could have imagined.  Our marriage is amazing.  After all the heartache and sorrow, I am blessed beyond measure.  Life is by no means perfect.  I still experience much heartache with regards to my children and their struggles.  I haven't been there, but being a child of divorce is not easy.  :(  But, no matter the trial or the heartache, I have a loving priesthood holder husband to be right by my side, to comfort me and to inspire me.  I am truly so blessed.

Piano Recital

Just under two years ago, C and K both started piano lessons.  They are both talented and relatively focused.  I am grateful for the music in my home.  This year's piano recital happened last weekend.  They both were able to play marvelously!  I was impressed with their music.  They are rapidly improving and that is exciting!  

K has spent the last three years in choir and I know that choir has helped her piano and piano has helped her singing.  

C will being playing the cornet in the fall in 6th grade band.  The gentleman at the music store yesterday said that C taking piano will put him leaps and bounds above the non-piano taking students.  I am grateful that they are both developing these talents.

 C played "Cossack Ride" and "Funiculi Funicula."

 K played "Fly's Adventure" and "From a Distance."

Their music was beautiful.  Again, I am so blessed.  :)

5th Annual Last Day of School Waterfight

This is the 5th year we have done this:  Last Day of School Waterfight!  It has become a tradition that my kids and many of my friends and their families look forward to.  Everyone is welcome.  It is so fun!  I missed my old neighborhood this year.  We have always had the neighborhood kids join us.  I figured we would again.  Nope.  No one in our new neighborhood was even out and about.  Hmmm....maybe we will have to send invitations next year.  :)

I purchased 24 pencil shooters, 12 pizzas, a couple of totes for water-All worth it.  Thank goodness that many of my friends contributed some for the pizza.  :)

I have many more pictures, but this will be enough to remember all the fun we had this year.  Lots of friends. Lots of fun.  And, since it was VERY stormy earlier that morning, we were so blessed that it cleared up and we were able to have it as planned.  :)  All four of us got sunburned.  I did not put on sunscreen this year.  Bad Mom!  It was cloudy and overcast when we began and, amongst all the busyness, I did not.  My three kids, due to being half-Hispanic, had never been sunburned.  The good news is that now they won't complain as much when I make them put on sunscreen!  They now know one of consequences of not!

No More Elementary School

 C.  My little C.  He is so grown up.  I didn't have (handy at least) my picture from his first day of Kindergarten- but this first picture is him in the middle of his Kindergarten year.  The second is of my big 5th grader-almost 6th grader- on his last day of elementary school.  He has changed and grown so much.

I am so proud of him.  During this time, we faced many challenges in our family and his faith and determination have carried him through.  He is a willing helper.  He was also voted Best 5th grade best friend in his class, as well as Most Admirable.  His teacher said these two awards don't ever go to the same person.  I think these awards mean more to me than his A honor role throughout the entire year.  I am impressed that he has made that much of an impression on his classmates.

 Here he is with his teacher, Mr. S.  Mr. S was the best teacher that he has ever had (according to him).  I have associated with Mr. S a lot over the years as I spend a lot of time at the school and I have frequently subbed for 5th grade.  He is a good man and C was lucky to have him.

 Here is C with one of his best friends, G.  They have been together since Kindergarten when they were also in the same class.

 And...Here they come: Ready for the 5th Grade clap out.  What a great group of kids.  What a bittersweet moment to walk their last walk in the halls of their elementary school.

 Here are the younger kids waiting for them.

 And, across the hall, the principal and some of my other favorites at this school.  :)

I loved this sign.  Their mascot is the gators.  She waved it and waved it at the 5th graders.  I thought it was very appropriate.

This good-bye was like a good-bye for me, too.  I have spent the last 6 years volunteering, mentoring, and just being in the school.  I have spent hours and hours there.  Now, we are moving on.  We moved and now J will start going to a different elementary school.  I will miss our old school.  I love the principal.  I love the counselor.  I love the teachers.  I love it all.  We have been very blessed.  I will miss them terribly.

C's Last Field Day

 J and I got to go and be a part of C's last field day.  It was hot.  It was awesome.  I have been so blessed to be at every one of K's and C's field days for a total of 8 years.  Since C finishes elementary school, he is done with field days, however, J starts Kindergarten this fall and the streak of field days will continue.  In fact, due to the baby being born in September, I know that I will have at least 12 more years of field days.  20 straight years!  Awesome!

 I absolutely love the above picture!  Look closely and you can see that C is concentrating-his tongue is sticking out.  :)

 C and the boys worked sooooooooo hard to beat the girls.  The girls outnumbered the boys and the girls won-every time.  They still had fun!

I think this was C's favorite event.  It was so hot outside and this water slide was not only fun, but also refreshing!  :)  He loved it.  Many kids came out muddy-both sides had mud pits at the end of the slide.  C was great about avoiding the pits and I am so grateful!  :)

There were more events-and more pictures, but these are my favorites.  It was so fun!

I am so blessed to be able to attend all my children's events.  I am grateful for both XDH and CK that have allowed me to be home with our children.  I am one lucky woman!

Rededication

I love to blog.  I haven't.  DUH!  I have been busier than ever, but I do love to document my family's history.  I haven't been doing well at this and I am striving to do better.  I have been thinking the last few weeks that I really need to rededicate myself to blogging.  Then, as a further push, my children have been reading the blog books that I have printed- from 2007 and 2008- and I see how much they are enjoying our family's history in both pictures and words.

As a result, I have determined to take an hour or so each Sunday afternoon to document the events of the prior week.  This may not be as good as up-to-the-minute blogging, but it is what I can do right now.  We will see how much I can get done when I jump back into the nursing baby routine!

And....the baby is.....

 We went to our ultrasound yesterday.  I am 19.5 weeks and counting.  So far, so good!!!  When we got home (after a 3.5 hour doctor's appointment-mostly waiting), We found the above at our doorstep.  What a great idea!  How loved we feel.  It is anonymous.  I checked with a couple people, but it wasn't them-or they are great at faking.  I have been blessed with so many dear friends, that I cannot pin down who it could have been!!!!  If you are my secret friend, thank you so much!  This truly made my day.  (I really think it was my sister-but I cannot pin her down and get her to admit it!)

 And....THIS is the bag I opened.  Yep, our baby is a little girl.  I was surprised that I was disappointed.  This whole pregnancy I have wished for a girl.  CK has wished for a boy.  Perhaps during the last few months I have changed my wish to his.  I was definitely shocked that I was disappointed at all.

Not for long- This is what I found in the bag:

Isn't this outfit sooooooooooooooo cute?!? (Even cuter in person!)  I think that shopping for my baby girl will alleviate any and all disappointment!  I haven't had a baby girl in 13 years.  This will be fun.  I also LOVE patterns and this is my family now:  Girl, Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl.  Sweet!

Finally-A Post! Another Weekend with A.

It has been a while since I blogged.  Life has been crazier than crazy and my pregnancy is leaving me with little-no energy.  I think there is definitely a difference being pregnant at 22 and being pregnant at 35-even if it is merely being a mom of older children.  We are still unpacking and moving in, prepping the old house for going on the market, driving kids back and forth to their old schools, taking care of some unforeseen problems with the new house, etc...

So, I am beginning with NOW and hopefully I will be able to catch up soon with all that has gone on.  This blog is a great family history and that is the main reason that I desire to keep it up to date.

This last weekend we got to spend with A.  I feel so blessed and lucky that we get to travel each month to see her.  She is a member of our family and we don't get to be around her that often, so getting to see her every 3-4 weeks is a huge blessing for us.  We hope that she always feels loved.

On Saturday, we met some of her friends that she doesn't get to see often.  It was pouring rain, so we went to an indoor playplace and they had a blast.  CK and I are friends with the girls' parents, so fun was had by all!

 I actually didn't take many pictures this weekend.  Not like me at all!  This is A, ready for church yesterday.  The number that she is holding is a tradition that I have done since K was born of taking a picture of them each month, so we can see how they grow.  A is 98 months old and this is the picture that we will use to remember her!

I am such a blessed woman.  Life seems overwhelming and challenging with all we have going on, but it really is a wonderful time to be alive.  I have been blessed beyond measure.  So grateful!

One Last Night

It has been a while since I made the time to blog---and I have had a lot to blog!!!  Hopefully I get caught up soon.  Life has been extra, extra crazy.  Life is already crazy, but it has really accelerated these last few weeks.

A quick run-down of JUST a FEW of the events:

• Feb 26: Turned 35!!
• Feb 28:  CK and I were in charge of the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet.  We did a lot, but others helped also, for which we are so grateful.
• March 1:  Closed on our new home
• March 2:  Left at 4:30 AM to drive to see A.
• March 3:  A was baptized!!!!!  It was awesome and even if I don't get to it all-there WILL be pictures of this!  She also was performing in a play that night and we all got to go!
• March 5:  Drove another 12 hours home.
• March 6:  I had a doctor's appointment:  Yep....12 weeks pregnant.  It is so exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time since we lost the last one at 14 weeks.
• Now we aren't doing much. HA!  It is Spring Break, we are painting and prepping the new house for our move, and packing.  We move Saturday.  (Also TRYING to take care of myself and that baby!)

That brings me to my title:  ONE LAST NIGHT.

Tonight is the last night my kids will sleep in this home (they will be with their dad Thursday-Sunday).  It is so bittersweet.  It is time to move.  We need a bigger home.  Out old home is only 1600 s.f. and we have outgrown it.  When XDH and I purchased it back in 2003, we planned it as a starter home for 3-4 years.  Nearly 9 years later, we are finally moving.  When we moved in to this home, K was a few months away from being 4 and C was a few months away from being 2.  Now they are a few months away from being 13 and 11.  CRAZY!  Of course, J came home to this house.  It is also the only home he has ever known and really the only home that the older two really remember.  A has also only lived with all of us while here at this home.  It is sad to leave.  

Our little house has seen us through a lot:

2003:  Bought house

2004:  Life was good.  Busy, but great!

2005:  Started our own business: a chiropractic clinic.  What a leap of faith!

2006:  J was born

2007:  We went crazy.  The clinic was super busy for both XDH and I.  We also had a newborn/toddler.

2008:  XDH told me, among other things, that he thought that he might want a divorce.

2009:  That separation and divorce happened.  Such horrible heartache!

2010:  Met CK.

2011:  Married CK, lost a baby.

2012:  Moving out and to a new home.

This little home has been there through it all.  I have been so blessed with a great home, a great neighborhood, great schools, a great ward (church congregation), and great friends.  I have been truly blessed beyond measure.  As we look forward to making our new house our home, we are so excited about the many opportunities in front of our family.  Change is hard, no matter the change, but change can also be very good.  I am so blessed.

M's visit

We were soooo lucky to have CK's sister, M, with us for the weekend.

We had such a great time. I am so grateful for her sacrifice to come out here. We loved her visit!

She came in Thursday night.

Friday she helped me pack and we went with J to visit the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.  CK and her and I also got to go out to dinner together.  Yummy!

Saturday, we went to the temple and did some more packing.

Sunday was a day of rest and some games.

Monday, we packed some more and enjoyed hanging out together.

Tuesday, we had to say goodbye. :(. We miss her already!  Come back soon!

Weekend with the kids! How fun!

 This last weekend was our one weekend a month with K, C, and J.  We had such a great time!  I love being with my children on a Saturday.   There is just something incredibly special about it. 

We had a great day.  First, we went to the baptism of one of our friends, E.  We love this family so much.  They have been our friends now for 8 years, almost as long as E has been alive.  It was an honor to be able to be present at her baptism.

Next, we packed and we packed and we packed.  We are moving into a bigger house in March and we definitely needed to get started.  We took 5-6 bags to Goodwill Saturday and have at least that many ready to take to the dump.  It feels so good to clean out what has accumulated in the last almost 9 years since we moved here!

 After the packing, we went to do something "fun."  All the kids agreed on going to Putt-Putt.  It was cold and windy, but we still had a great time. 

 C felt a little frustrated.  Many times his ball went right to the hole-looked like a hole-in-one, but, NO, it would bounce out.  :(  He handled it well, though, and we all had fun!

 

After a round of mini-golf, we went in and spent some time with the arcade games.  All the kids had a blast and it was definitely worth going.

Next, we went out to dinner.  There was a lot of discussion on where we should go-anywhere from In-N-Out to Red Lobster and more.  Finally, they each got to put a choice in a"hat" and we pulled one out.  It was IHOP, so off we went.  It was actually very delicious and everyone enjoyed their meals.  Success!

I am one happy, happy woman.  I have an amazing husband.  I didn't know that it was possible to have a marriage be this good.  I really think my marriage now is better than I could EVER have dreamed it could be.  I have four amazing children.  They are each so talented and unique and I am truly in awe of the blessing it is to the be their mother.  I am shocked that I am old enough to have a middle-schooler, but I do and I love her!  Next year, I will have two in middle school.  SHOCKER!   It was interesting to me recently that I attended two events with groups of women.   At both, I was the oldest.  WOW!  When did that happen?  I have spent most of my life being the youngest in the group and now-boom-I was the oldest.  I think that all of a sudden, graduating in 1994 makes me ancient!  How time flies.

Life is busy, as it always is.  In addition to the normal chaos of life, callings, and etc., we are moving next month.  It is just how life is.  I wouldn't change it.  This is the life I live and the life I love.  :)

A time! :)

 

 So, I don't know exactly what is going on, but I am struggling with being able to type and arrange my pictures as I want.  I wasn't able to get it as I wanted, but I will just type starting here (For some reason, I couldn't above).

Last weekend, we had the opportunity to go visit A.  We are so blessed to see her every month.  I am so grateful that we have sufficient for our needs, including taking care of our family.  We got in early Saturday morning.  We went straight to pick her up and go grocery shopping.  She got to open a present from my parents for Christmas (see above).  She loved it. We also went and watched a movie and we went swimming.  We had a nice hotel suite and so we had plenty of space to play games and hang out together.  A loves to pretend store and she loved pulling around the ottoman and selling us her wares.

Sunday, we went to church, hung out, and enjoyed a quiet day together.

 Since Monday was a holiday, we also got to spend time with A.  We went and rode a couple of ferries across the Mississippi river.  It is bald eagle season there and we saw a few above us as we drove to the ferry.

 

This was the bridge we took to get back home instead of the ferries.  We had such a great time.  We ate pizza for lunch and played apples to apples in the car as we drove back.  Always such a great bonding time.  We are lucky indeed.