First Day in a New School

Well, a new school year began yesterday again. I am always saddened at this time of year as I send my little ones back to school. I know it is where they need to be and I know they love it; however, I hold back tears every year because I miss them while they are away. It is a hard thing to send them off to school. As we were having family prayer yesterday morning I started to tear up and choke back my words. Afterwards Thomas asked, "Mom, why are you crying?" I replied, "It's just hard for mom to send you off to school because I miss having you home." To which Spring replied, "Well, we were gone for the last 10 days so you got used to not having us here. This should be easy for you." If only it were that easy!

They were excited to be able to ride a bus to school as well. I wasn't as excited at this prospect and wanted to drive them to school but they would have nothing to do with that. They happily climbed on the bus and waved goodbye to me as I watched them ride off with tears in my eyes! They came home from school just as happy. They made new friends and had fun all day. Some of their highlights (other than riding the bus) were:

*Music-they get to have music one day a week and they go to a music room with a music teacher.

*They also have art class one day a week and PE two days a week.

*In 4th grade (Thomas) they can be on safety patrol, student council, and choir. Spring is excited to be in choir next year.

*They have lockers!

*Of all the new kids at the school they moved here from the farthest distance away!

*Thomas' teacher talked on the phone with Mrs. Villi (from their school in California).

*Spring was happy that the playground had 4 basketball courts.

*Even though they were worried about not knowing anyone, they made lots of new friends.

*Spring thought it was so cool that when she got home from school she had an email from her 1st grade teacher in California asking how her first day of school was. This made her smile so big!

Awesome!

I love that stores put fun lunch items on sale just before school gets back in. I usually use this time to stock up on snacks and treats that I usually don't buy because they are more expensive. By stocking up and hiding them the special treats last longer and the kids have some fun surprises in their lunches during the year. Well, today I really scored. With sale prices, coupons, and fuel rewards I brought home everything pictured (5 boxes of granoal bars and 8 boxes of fruit snacks) and I didn't pay anything...best part I made $11 on it! And the 3 little ones that were with me all got their free cookie of the day from the store! Can it get any better?!

A Much Needed Gentle Reminder

I watched this video a few nights ago when Joel was at the church and I thought the kids were all in bed. I was so touched and reminded of the sacred role we have as parents. A short time later I went up to check on the kids and couldn't find Sammy or Mary. After searching bathrooms, closets, and under beds, I heard them in the basement. I went down to find them watching cartoons with the TV turned ever so quiet so I wouldn't hear. I asked them, "What are you doing?" The looks on their faces were priceless as they discovered they had been caught. I walked down to them and asked them if I could watch the cartoon with them. Their faces changed immediately as they climbed up on the couch and snuggled in with me and we enjoyed some cartoons and conversation. I am grateful I had just watched this video because I know it helped me react in a more positive manner with them. I was able to share a few precious moments with my little ones before taking them back upstairs and tucking them into bed. As I kissed Sammy goodnight he told me, "Mom, this was the best night ever. I got to cuddle with you after I was already supposed to be asleep."

As I have watched this video again I've been touched and prompted to do more and be a better mom to my children. To take the time to listen and not just hear them. It is so easy in a busy and hectic day to go through the motions and forget to enjoy the moments. I have already had too many glimpses of how fast time with our precious ones will go. I know there will be day, not far distant, that I am sitting in a clean home void of strewn toys, dirty dishes, full laundry baskets, fingerprinted windows and walls. I know that it will also be void of the joyful sounds of our children...the laughter, giggles, excitement and calls of ,"Mom, watch this!" as well as the sounds of them struggling to learn to love one another and treat each other with kindness and respect. Our children are indeed blessings from our own Father in Heaven. I vow to try harder each day to remember the sacred obligation I have to rear our children in righteousness, love them unceasingly, look for teaching opportunities, and to enjoy the moments that are so fleeting.

Our New BMW

We brought home our BMW (Big Mormon Wagon) today! We have been leisurely looking for a 12-15 passenger van since we became pregnant. Our current van is completely full so we knew we needed something to accommodate our growing family. The last little while I have been more preoccupied with finding something as the time for our little one to arrive is fast approaching; however, I also was apprehensive with it because we were not having much luck finding a used one within our price range. Last Friday afternoon I was prompted to look up on the internet for vans again. This is something I have done a lot and at first my response was, "I don't want to do this right now. I'm sure I won't find anything different." As I walked past the computer to go to the kitchen the prompting came stronger again and I listened this time, somewhat reluctantly. I sat down to type into the search engine just as I always had done. Yet again I was prompted to type something different into the search engine and thankfully I listened. I came to a site I had not visited before and immediately this vehicle came to the screen. It had everything we had been looking for...price, mileage on the vehicle, proximity of the dealership. I emailed Joel and he too looked at it and felt good. The next morning we called and set up an appointment to go see the vehicle. It was perfect for us. I know our Heavenly Father answered our prayers and guided us to find this vehicle for our family. We feel so blessed and I feel like a burden has been lifted off my shoulders as we now have the capability to fit our whole family in our vehicle.

So, some other fun and funny facts about our new vehicle! First, we purchased it from a dealership entitled "Western Reserve Coach Sales" which is a bus dealership! We thought that was funny. The kids think it is just like riding in a bus! It is a 15 passenger van and on the way home today Mary wanted to sit all the way on the back row all by herself. She was in heaven having a whole bench to herself! Another interesting development is that the dealer here just bought the vehicle from a dealer in Hanford, California (the city that is about 8 miles from where we just moved from!). It came full circle back to us! When we were test driving it on Saturday Joel put it into reverse and we heard a beeping sound. Yes, it beeps whenever it is in reverse. We just laughed and immediately thought of Alanna. I know we have been blessed and will enjoy many adventures in our "BMW."

"I scored a goal!"

Sammy had his first soccer game today. He was home for less than 5 minutes from camping (just enough time to change into his uniform) before we headed off for his game. He was so tired from camping that we were afraid he was going to be really too tired to play. Add to that the heat and humidity already present at 10 am and we weren't sure how he would do. Well, he surprised us all! They have a little mini-practice for the first half and then they play a game of 3 vs 3 (no goalkeeper). He never stopped running the whole time. He stayed with the action and was right there. He was so little next to the other players but he held his own pretty well. He always had a smile on his face too. He was so excited that he scored a goal that we didn't have the heart to tell him he scored it for the other team! He was one tired and hot little kid after the game but he was so happy! I loved watching him play.

Girl's Night

With the boys gone camping Spring, Mary, and I had our Girl's Night. Spring kept telling me, "This is the best night ever!" We went shopping and found some fun craft things to do. Then we went to dinner together. It was so cute to listen to them talk and be able to focus just on them. Mary was so cute saying she liked our party but "when do we have cake?" We finally had to stop calling it a party because she thought we needed cake, candles, and presents for it to be a party. The girls had fun painting their mirrors. Then we went out to Handels for ice cream. We watched some "Food Network" shows before finally heading to bed around 11:30. The girls thought it was great to sleep in bed with me. They actually slept in this morning until almost 8:00. It was so nice! We got up and made some cinnamon rolls and finished their mirrors. It was so strange to not have any diapers to change and to only have 2 of the kiddos home. I kept thinking I was forgetting something. I loved the time we had together and I am so grateful that they look forward to this weekend as much as I do. It brought back memories of what my mom would do with us girls when Dad and Brandon were away. How grateful I am to a wonderful mom that taught me the importance of cherishing the time we have together with our children. I am so grateful that family is such a blessed part of my life.

Father Son Outing

Last night was the Ward Father and Son Outing. It is held later in the summer here because May still gets snow sometimes. The boys had a great time playing with everyone. They didn't even head into their tent until 11:30. Thomas and his buddy, Kaiden, slept in their own tent and stayed up even later. Of course, they were up at 6:00 this morning too. Sammy had his first soccer game this morning so they headed home and Thomas stayed with Kaiden so they could do some fishing. I am grateful that Joel enjoys this time with the boys. Sammy has since decided that he wants the family to go camping for his birthday!

Mary's Sweet Songs

Mary has such a love for music. She has the gift to learn the songs so quickly. Since we always listen to primary songs in the car she knows many of them and can always be heard singing along. It is really cute, even though sometimes we would appreciate a few brief moments of quiet! I know we will miss these sweet sounds all too soon when she no longer constantly blesses us with her songs.

Our 2009 Family Scrapbook

I finally completed our family book from last year. I really enjoy creating these books because of the opportunity it gives me to reflect over the past year and to remember all the tender mercies our Father in Heaven blessed our family with. You can click on the link to see the book if you would like.

"I Get to Play Soccer!"

Sammy has been asking us to play soccer for months now. Before we moved we told him that when we moved to Ohio we would sign him up for soccer. He was the only one that wanted to play this year and there is absolutely NO question of whether he wants to play. He talks about soccer all day everyday. This will be his first season. Joel signed up to coach again this year so on Friday evening they had a coach's clinic and asked to coaches to bring their children to participate in the clinic. Basically, a practice was held with all the kids as they gave ideas and tips to the coaches. Sammy was so excited for his "first soccer practice!" He was dressed in his soccer shorts and what he calls his, "soccer shirt", first thing in the morning and was careful all day to not get it dirty. He kept asking me how much longer until soccer practice (which started at 6:00). By 4:30 he had his cleats, shin guards, and soccer socks on as well and was running around the basement practicing.

He had an amazing time at the practice. We were amazed at how well he listened and followed directions the first time. If only he did that at home too! He did everything he was asked to do exactly! This may be a really good thing for our Sammy! It is the perfect activity for him...he gets to be outside, running around kicking something, he can be as loud as he wants, and he still listens to people! His first real practice and game is on Saturday! We are excited to watch him in this new adventure!

National Night Out

Our city hosted a "National Night Out" tonight. We headed over after dinner. We found out they were giving out free hot dogs, chips, drinks, and cookies. Our kids were in heaven because they weren't too fond of the pork chops and scalloped potatoes I had made for dinner. If I had known there was going to be free food I wouldn't have cooked dinner tonight! The fire station was all open and available to walk through including many different fire trucks and medic vehicles. There were police officers and a K-9, SWAT officers and vehicle, DARE officers, National Guard with their vehicles, bounce house, inflatable slide, booths with lots of freebies for the kids (frisbees, bubbles, Applebees gift certificates, key chains, buttons, identification kits, candy), and more! Sammy was so excited on our drive home because he found a packet of wipes (moist towlettes) in his bag and he didn't even put them there. We were laughing so hard at his enthusiasm and enjoyment over these wipes in his bag! We had a great time and ended up staying for almost 2 hours until it was over. Joel and I kept commenting on how blessed we are to live in a town that offers so much for families. It was VERY HUMID today so we were all drenched by the time we got back to the van but it was fun. We did enjoy the AC in the van on the drive home though!

Family Day

I love that the Day Camp here designates Saturday as "Family Day." It is a full day of activities just like the rest of the week and families are encouraged to attend and participate in all the activities. Our kids were so excited for Saturday to come especially after hearing Thomas tell them all about what they were going to do. We started the morning with swimming and then to the lake for water wars in the rafts. Mary was so happy to be in the rafts until she started to get wet and then she started to cry. They brought her back to shore and through tears she told me, "Some people kept getting me all wet!"

Then we headed to the BB Range. We had 8 cub scouts and 7 of them shot at least 45 of 50 in the qualifying round to earn a special patch to be presented at our next pack meeting. Thomas shot a 48 with the first 4 being bullseyes! He credits this to his time at the shooting range with Grandpa! Spring, Sammy, and Mary all got to shoot BB Guns too! Spring was all by herself and did really well scoring 37 of a possible 50 on her first round! Joel was amazed that they hit the target all 5 times when he was helping Sammy and when he was helping Mary!

Following this we headed to Archery. Thomas shot his first bullseye in Archery and was so excited! Sammy and Mary also were able to do archery but Mary didn't like it too much. Spring, on the other hand, LOVED archery. She did so well and came close to getting about 4 different bullseyes. She still is talking about archery!

We made catapults, patrol ropes, went into a real teepee and learned about Native American culture, and got to go down a big waterslide. The day ended with skits and songs by all the packs. Our boys performed the "Comet" song and did a fabulous job. We had very tired kids on the way home but they were so excited about their day at day camp and are talking about next year already. I am so happy we were able to share this day as a family and create so many wonderful memories together.