Taneal's Choir Performance

Taneal signed up for choir this year. She is in the 4th grade and finally old enough to do extra-curricular activities. The choir has been practicing all year and this was their first performance. It was at a local church and the choir sounded so good.
Can you see which one she is? She is right smack dab in the middle on the 2nd row.

Happy Thanksgiving

I just wanted to wish ya'll a Happy Thanksgiving. Even through all the turmoil this nation is facing, we have been blessed. We have so much to be thankful for.

Sunday I taught a Sharing Time in Primary and I thought I would share some of my lesson:

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yeah," said the son.

"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

I really liked the story. And then I followed up with a little lesson about the similarities between the Pilgrims, Lehi's Family, and the Pioneers. If you get a chance, it is a fun one to do:

Pilgrims
Came across a large ocean in a boat
Left their own land for religious purposes
Left their homes and possessions to be free
Said a prayer when they landed
Brought scriptures with them (Bible)

Lehi’s Family
Came across a large ocean in a boat
Left their own land for religious purposes
Said a prayer when they landed
Considered this continent the Promised Land
Brought scriptures with them (Brass Plates)

The Pioneers that crossed the country also did
many of the same things:
Came a great distance, sometimes walking
Left their own land for religious purposes
Left their homes and possessions to be free
Said a prayer when they reached the Salt Lake Valley
Brought scriptures with them (Book of Mormon & Bible)

I colored and cut out and then attached Popsicle sticks to make puppets and tell the story.

Bob and Stripey

Spencer is my first little boy, so all this boy stuff is new to me. Spencer found some long lost toys in the animal bucket. We have had these toys since probably before we had children. Something between these lizards and Spencer clicked. He named them Bob and Stripey, and they went EVERYWHERE with him. To the bathroom, slept in his bed with him, he carried them around in his little hands everywhere, even to the neighbors house. Did I mention they went EVERYWHERE with him? I was amazed he didn't loose them. And when with Bob or Stipey was misplaced, we had to go on the hunt and find them FAST or Spencer lost control. One day he was at my friends house being watched and he lost Bob. Thankfully Jana had a lizard that was very similar, named Herbert, who was able to take Bob's place until Jana found him the next morning.

And sometimes I wonder if Spencer thinks Bob and Stripey are real. He has me feel their soft belly. He tells me they like to be rubbed like this . . . One day he came up to me and said, "Mom, I think Bob wants me to let him go. I'm going to let him go." So, Spencer opened up the back door, set Bob on the patio, and came back inside and told me he let Bob go. Later, as I tucked Spencer into bed, I saw he had Bob in his favorite spot, clutched in his hand.

I think Spencer discovered Bob and Stripey back in the beginning of September. He somehow managed to loose Bob about two weeks ago, but replaced him with Sunny, a yellow lizard. Spencer has also taken a liking to Soft Shell, a little soft shelled turtle that he got as a prize at the dentist.

I sure love that little boy and his cute imagination. He pointed out that Sunny's tail makes a "s", just like Spencer starts with "s". He was excited that Sunny would do that with his tail for him.

Camie turns 8

We had Camie's party two weeks before her birthday so we could have a Halloween theme. It was loads of fun. It was a lot of work, and I told her I would only make her one fancy cake. I was willing to make her another one, just not decorated. She decided she wanted pumpkin pie and I was willing since I LOVE pumpkin pie. We had Troy and Becky and cousins over for a special lasagna dinner, Camie's favorite meal. I learned to make lasagna in the crock pot and thought it turned out very well. Thanks, Nicole, for the recipe. We have late church, so all our Sunday dinners have to be in the crock pot so it is ready when we walk in the door from church. And the nice part about having the birthday party separate from the birthday is Camie got two days of attention. Whoo hoo!

So a little about Camie. Camie is great. She is a super helper, has a compassionate heart, and loves to serve. She loves getting little gifts and collects things. If you give her something, she will have it until the day she dies, or until I help her declutter, which is a day she feel like dying. To get rid of something is very hard for Camie. I think it runs in the family on the Black side.

Camie is super smart. She has always impressed me with her ability to grasp concepts, how she can read so well and at such a high level, how little she has to study to learn things. Learning comes so easy to her. She can get all A's at school and never have cracked a book or done a worksheet at home. Of course she is always reading books open for pleasure.

Some of the books she likes have been of course, Harry Potter. She finished A-Z Mysteries (all 26 of them) in about 2 weeks time. She kept telling me they were too easy for her, but they were "sooo, soooo good" and that she just couldn't put them down. She is love with these fairy books like Pet Fairy's, Rainbow Fairy's, etc.I bought a couple of them and she had each one read in 30 minutes or less, but she loved them. She read the Doll House People, Spiderwick, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and so many more that just aren't coming to mind. One of her favorite birthday presents was from Bailey, a gift card to Barnes and Noble. I took Camie yesterday and her eyes were practically popping out of her head looking and the selection. She had such a fun time deciding where to spend her money. She finally bought 3 books and started reading as soon as we got into the car.

Camie turned 8 this birthday, which means she is now old enough to be baptized. She really wants to be baptized and is so excited. We have talked and she understands exactly what being baptized will mean. She is ready to have the promptings of the Holy Ghost in her life to guide her. She is excited to go into the waters of baptism and be washed clean and take upon her the name of Christ. She understands all that and is excited to do it. Her testimony is growing.

Camie is an amazing young girl with a heart of gold and a temper that can sure flair. She is your best friends and with the flip of a switch can be crying, yelling, and hugging you. Check out our Easter pictures, and you will see the other side of Camie that she only shows with a choice few.

I have had a wonderful 8 years with Camie and feel I am the luckiest mom to have so many great children, Camie being one of them, who fill my life with so much richness and joy. Camie has taught me so much. I think Camie is the most like me and when I see her temper flair, I understand how she feels. When I see her break down and cry because her heart is hurting, I know how she feels. And when I see how giving and kind she can be, I know how she feels. We can laugh together, cry together, and smile at one another. She is my friend. But more then that, she is my beautiful daughter that I have been so blessed with.

Camie's Birthday Party

Camie REALLY wanted a Halloween birthday. Her birthday isn't until half-way into November, so we decided to have her party two weeks early and embrace the Halloween theme. And it was so much fun. I think Camie will always have to have a Halloween party from now on.

She wanted a haunted castle birthday cake. Check it out. It was so simple to make but I was happy with how it turned out. Camie was especially excited, which was my goal.

Camie and I had fun designing the invitations together, planning the food, and thinking up activities and crafts. She had it all well planned in advance, I just had to make it work and do all the shopping.

I limited the number of friends she could invite to 4 church friends and 4 school friends. All but 1 came, and Camie was one happy girl. I love when they are so excited and all the attention is on them. Camie doesn't get that too often with all her siblings, so it was fun to have a day to focus on her.

Just the two of us

It isn't too often it is just the two of us. My children all sleep in their own beds, but at the crack of dawn someone (usually Danielle) comes and joins us in bed, sandwiched right between Evan and I. Then Nathan awakes and is on the other side of me usually followed by Spencer, who crawls in bed and lays on TOP of me. Camie then comes and lays at the foot of our bed and Taneal joins us in the room sitting in the chair. Evan just shakes his head and climbs out of bed and gets ready for work. The patience and sharing that man must endure with 5 children. He takes it all in stride. Coming from such a large family, it is all normal for him. I imagine he was the one climbing in bed with his parents, kicking his dad out of bed so he could cuddle with his mom. Maybe not, but Evan is pretty understanding.

Evan is a wonderful husband. We have been married 13 years and I have learned so much. I thought I came into the relationship with a wealth of knowledge and understanding, but he has taught me things I never imagined I would even need to learn. And through it all he has loved me, let me "throw my little temper tantrums", and refused to fight with me. I don't think he has ever been mad at me (except when I painted the playroom a beautiful shade of dark tan which he repainted over within days). He is very easy-going, the complete opposite of me. Of course opposites attract. That is why we do so well together. Where he is lacking, I am strong, and where I lack, he is strong. Of course I don't want to turn this into mushy stuff, so I will stop, but I love being married to my man. He is a great example to me, helps keep me level-headed, and loves me no matter what. I am blessed.

New Family Pictures

My friend, Ginger, took our family pictures last week. I got them back Thursday and I was so excited to get them back and share. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

Happy Halloween

We had a great Halloween. It began with an 8am soccer game, another one at 10:30, and Camie's birthday party at noon. Around 5pm we started getting ready for the evening of trick-or-treating. It is a lot of work to curl/crimp Taneal's hair for Hermoine, put make-up on three girls, do Danielle's hair into a princess bun, paint whiskers on Nathan, help Spencer into his costume and then out again the use the bathroom and then into it once again. Then we had the gathering of treat buckets, the application of bug spray, the individual pictures, group shots, silly face shots, use of the bathroom again, quick trick-or-treating to the neighbors, loading into the van, and off to a friends house in our same subdivision to go trick-or-treating.  We had a great time,

Nathan was exhausted from the busy day and after a few houses he only wanted to kick his bucket like a soccer ball instead of filling it with treats while throwing fits. Being tired is so hard. But he made the cutest little lion. And when only family was watching, he would even growl.

Spencer was sooo good. He got some green teeth at the ward party and wore them all night. He said his timid little "trick-or-treat" and "thank you" with the green teeth in place. He got his candy then came to the side walk in front of each house and sat down waiting for everyone to finish. And as we were walking along if he saw a flower growing in the grass, he would pick it and bring it to me. The little boy/dinosaur just knows how to mely my heart. And you should hear the roar of that dinosaur. He has been practicing it since we bought his costume back in September. I MUST capture it on video, He even told Evan that he needed to take a break from roaring because it was hurting his throat. It is some pretty serous business.

Danielle was so excited about her rainbow fairy costume, It was fun to make because she liked the costume so much. She really liked wearing make-up and knew whe looked beautiful. She had a harder time following the rules of trick-or-treating, but for Danielle, following rules is hard in general. She had fun and got way too much candy.

Camie's costume was by far the funnest costume I have ever made. Camie is so easy to please and is so grateful afterwards. She isn't picky, is happy with any results, and is so fun to do things for. She designed her costume from a book she read, Trixie, the Halloween Fairy. I finished the costume back in the beginning of October and then found to cool tights at Target. She was one happy, happy trick-or-treater and managed to get about double the candy of anyone else. I don't know if she double-dipped from each house or what, but she sure scored in the candy department.

Taneal bought her robe with her own money this summer. She finished reading the whole Harry Potter series this year and is so fascinated with the character, Hermoine Granger. For the costume we added in the tie and a wand. Lucky me, I didn't have to sew a thing for Taneal's costume and she was very pleased with the results. She even bought herself a three barrel curling iron this summer to make her hair wavy like Hermoine.

We had a great Halloween. It was nice having Evan home this year for the occasion, even though he opted to pass out candy instead of going around with the kids.

And how do you spell check with this new blogger format? I don't spell worth a darn and I don't want the whole world to know that.

Adoption

Have you noticed this on my side bar? Daren is Evan's brother. Daren married Shannon about four years ago. They met before Daren's mission, Shannon waited for Daren, and they were married about two months after Daren returned home (Hopefully I'm accurate on that, I know it was wonderfully quick) They have been chosen by a birth mother and will be able to have a little girl in January. We are so excited for them and thrilled they are able to be parents. They are an amazing couple and will be wonderful parents.

Texas Bloodsuckers

aka. Mosquito's.

Pesky, annoying, itchy, and allergic.

We've been in a drought. Summer water rations. We live in a place where we get almost as much rain as Seattle, yet our storms come and dump and leave. Rarely do they hang around and keep raining. Sometimes we will get a storm that lasts a few days, but we have sunshine and blue skies for a few hours here and there within that same storm. It doesn't leave the dreary mood like in the northwest Seattle. We got somewhere around 8 inches last week. Yes, we needed the rain. But what comes after the rain (Remember Hurricane Ike?) are the mosquito's. They need a few days of standing water to grow and then they become so hungry that we have to stay indoors. Our neighborhood occasionally pays to have planes fly above and spray mosquito stuff, which really helps, but the interim is horrible.

Nathan seems to be really allergic to mosquito's. Last Tuesday he woke up with a HUGE ear. It was red and swollen, stuck straight out and drooped. He kept touching it like it bothered him a little, but didn't complain too much. The next day we could see where that bloodsucker had gotten him. Poor kid.

Saturday Nathan was outside playing. It was a beautiful day. Later that night as I bathed him, I noticed a small welt right under his eye. I should have sprayed him before I let him go outside today. Note to self. Well, the next morning he woke up with his eye nearly swollen shut. It looked like he had been beaten or had some serous fall. I got pictures, but they don't give justice. I didn't realize just how bad it looked until we were at church and I don't know how many people kept making joking comments about how we beat our children. The swollen eye didn't really seem to bother him as well, but is sure looked bad.

Yesterday I noticed more bites on his legs and arms. They were hot to the touch. Last night he started running a fever. He doesn't have a runny nose, cough, or anything. I can't help but wonder if it is those nasty little bites on his legs and arms.

School Field Trip

Last week I was able to go on the school field trip with Taneal's class. I got to ride the school bus with all the kids. We went to a historic park filled with homes, barns, and equipment form the late 1800's and early 1900s. I got to be a tour guide to half of Taneal's class. We got to wash laundry by hand, see a working kitchen without electricity, ice box and all. We watched wool spun into yarn, learned how to make soap, and many more cool things. It was a lot of fun seeing Taneal learn.

Spencerisms

I love the mind of a 3-year-old: Their logic, their imagination, their thinking patterns. It is all wonderful stuff. I could sit and listen for hours and be thoroughly entertained.

Today, Spencer said to me: "See, mom, I'm fat. Because I am a boy, I am fat."

I said: "really? you think you are fat?" (Spencer is barely on the charts with his skinny bum).

Spencer: "yeah, mom, see my fat head! I'm a boy and I have a fat head!"

Had to hide the laughter coming from me on that one.

I don't even think the word fat is allowed in our house. Where does he learn this stuff?

Gymnastics

I started taking Nathan and Spencer to a gymnastics gym once a week. It is open gym time, mom's stay with the kids and the kids pretty much get to play on the equipment. Spencer thinks it is great and especially likes it because Taneal and Camie are quite put out that they don't get to go. This last week I decided to grab the camera and get a few shots. I wasn't able to capture many pictures of Nathan, he is such a busy-body, so most of his pictures were blurry. He was back and forth and all over the place. Once when I looked around for him, couldn't find him right away, and finally found him over in a corner sticking his fingers in the handles of a jump rope. His mind is working like crazy. I'm thinking his mind is like my dad's, the engineer kind. He looks at the world wondering how things work. He bounces a ball and watches it until it stops and then does it again. Cause and effect and how things work. Nathan really enjoys going to the gym.

Spencer really liked doing the balance beam, jumping on the cool trampoline, and swinging on the ropes. He played and played and was bummed when it was time to go. Of course when we got in the car I asked him if he had so much fun and he told me it wasn't any fun at all. And every day since we've gone, he has asked to go back. Hmmm. I think he really did have fun just wasn't happy to leave.

Books

One of my favorite things to do is hold a sleeping baby while I read, during the day. I love to read. I come and go with my frequency of reading, but my love for it never changes. I made a rule that I am not aloud to read while my children are awake (a general rule) because while I am reading I want to do nothing else. I don't want to change diapers, play, eat, sleep, anything. I neglect my responsibilities and everyone, EVERYONE gets cranky.

Tonight both my babies fell asleep at 5:30pm. WHAT?!?!? That never happens. So, as I held Nathan in my arms, I finished reading a book to Taneal, Camie, and Danielle. I try to read a chapter to them each night, we had about 50 pages left in the book. I was sure the boys would wake up, but they slept. And we finished the book and everyone was happy, I was content.

As I was trying to fall asleep tonight (didn't succeed, I'm back up and blogging), I was thinking about how peaceful it was to hold Nathan and read. It brought back a flood of memories. When Taneal was about 4 months old, she cried. I didn't realize she probably had colic, but I was tired, depleted, and needed a break. By 4 months Taneal had given up naps, only two 10 minute naps a day. She went to bed late and got up early. I was a first time mom. So, I sat around for two days holding Taneal (actually nursing) all day long while she slept (she was getting what she wanted) and read a book. She would sleep if I held her, but on normal days I wouldn't hold her while she slept. It brought peace and relaxation to my soul. It was my break.

As the years have passed and more children have come into my home, I occasionally take a needed break with a book and a sleeping baby in my arms. If I put them down they wake up, so I hold them and I rejuvenate. Reading during the day is something I do probably two or three days a year, life is too busy and I have to stick to my rule of not reading when the kids are awake, or I would do it all the time. But every once in a while I take a break and curl up with a book . . . and a baby.

Oh, my last read during the day was Goose Girl. I highly recommend it. It took me less then a day from start to finish. I couldn't put it down.

Halloween Costumes

One of my favorite holidays is Halloween. I like Halloween before dark. After dark it seems to change from the magical dressing-up to something dark. Last Halloween I drove home late and was quite creeped out by the parties and people that were out. I like the Halloween that sweet, cute children in happy costumes go trick-or-treating.

And I like to sew my children's costumes.

Before children, after college, I had about a year. For Christmas my parents got me a sewing machine with strings attached (not literally, sort of). I could have the machine on the condition I promised to take a sewing class. I was done with school, no problem. I signed up through Community Ed and took the best 8 week sewing class ever. I learned to sew. So, I have a little "know-how". Just a little. Over the last 10 years I have sewn several Easter dresses, many Halloween costumes, and a few things in between. I even learned to sew a suit jacket in my class.

I finished Camie's "Trixie, the Halloween Fairy" costume last night and Camie couldn't be happier. She hardly slept because she was so excited. That is why I like to make the costumes, because my children get so excited planning and then me being able to make their ideas come to life.

The problem is this. I can sew, I know how. The item I sew stays together. But if you look very close, it looks terrible! The zipper is a little crooked, the seams don't line up, the darts pucker, etc. So how do you make the garment look nice? How do you get from beginning sewer to one that isn't embarrassed to have anyone look very close? I like knowing how to sew and I really have fun with it. But, is it just not my talent? Is that why the fine details looks so . . . not so fine? I'm not giving up, will continue to sew as long as my children will wear what I make them. I was just wondering.

Spinach

What is the best way to get a 3-year-old to eat Spinach?

Tell him long-neck dinosaurs eat spinach like leaves (as shown in cartoons) and he should act like a long-neck!

Evan demonstrated and Spencer followed. It works! I couldn't believe how much plain, raw spinach Spencer ate!