First Day of School 2011

Summer is over and in some ways I am sad, in others, I'd be lying if I didn't say I was glad. August was a had a hard month. It started out with a really fun with a trip to Red Fish Lake (photos hopefully posted soon), then a weird sickness which we thought was maybe West Nile Virus, followed by Crew getting salmonella poisoning and then a bought of the stomach flu this last weekend of which Crew, Hailey and I suffered through. Poor Crew, he's gotten all three and his little body is tired and skinny. And in the middle of all this our friend and neighbor was killed in an accident. He was a husband and a father of 4, 3 adorable little boys and a brand new baby girl. His 2 oldest boys, Parker and Joshua are Crew's best friends. Things have been heavy and stressful. So, I haven't felt much like blogging or writing.

Crew started school last week and I forgot to get pictures. I didn't send him this morning with the girls because he is just tired and doesn't feel great. I don't either. I'm ready for a routine. I am hoping now that with a little more time to myself, I can get back to documenting and writing. Sorry to be such a Debbie-downer....at least these pictures make me smile.

Someone obviously loves the camera. Paige holding up 2 fingers for Second Grade, her teacher is Ms. Wood (her best friend Sofi's aunt).

Hailey holding up 4 fingers for Fourth Grade, her teacher is Mr. Rakel, a Harry Potter look-alike.

Paige making Hailey laugh.

On the way to school Hailey told Paige she was going to miss her and that she was her best friend (sometimes). Those are the moments that make all of this worth it.

This Is The Place 2011

We happened to be in Salt Lake again this year for Pioneer Day so we took the kids to This Is The Place for a bit of pioneer fun. I often hear my kids (and myself) complaining about how hard something is whether it be a bike ride, a hike or chores around the house and quickly remind them (and myself) how hard the pioneers had it. I know we probably have no idea how hard it really was, but it always seems to help put things into perspective (at least for me).

The animals are always a hit, especially with Paige.

Crew loves the train rides.

And how can you not do a little jig with the fiddle music going? This sends Paige into a fit of embarrassment as you can see from her desperate attempt to keep Jim's feet on the ground. Hailey covers her face in pure shame for her strange parents. In the spirit of how hard our forefathers had it, I often tell stories of all the embarrassing things my own parents did, especially grandpa.

Ahhh, how nice it was to go back home to Grandmommy's air conditioned home. Paige held my mom's new dog, Rosie, any chance she could get while we were there.

Spa Day (More like Spa Minute)

I got Hailey one of those "things to do in the summer books" and one thing that caught her eye was the homemade face mask.  So, she and Paige mixed it up, improvised with some zucchini slices because we didn't have any cucumbers and set out to smooth their (already very smooth) faces.  

Ok - that took about 10 minutes.  Now what?

Summer So Far - A Hodge Podge

A trip to Grandmommy's.
It's not a trip to Grandmommy's lately without checking out what new Angry Birds game she's got on her iPad.

A walk in the rain

Some carnival rides at Liberty Park

Some creative cooking experiments:  Chocolate Mousse and Key Lime Pie

Really tasty if I do say so myself!

Homemade bagels (I made doughnuts too but didn't take a picture).

A trip to Island Park over Memorial Day weekend with some family where we celebrated cousin Ty's birthday!

A little Wii playing

Jim and Josh got some fishing in (it was snowing).

Paige and I drove back home for church on Sunday so she could give her talk in primary.  She did a great job/  She drew this picture after we heard a lovely violin piece.  I love it.  I need to get her started on the violin.

Some new haircuts

A bunch of yard work, really un-doing yard work.  Jim ripped out the bushes we had here because we hated them.  I'll post after pictures, it's starting to look great but we're not done.

Nanny and Papa helping in their nice work clothes

We found an injured bird in our window well one day.  We tried to set it free but I don't think it could fly.   Paige took it on as her new "pet."  I made her wear rubber gloves.

Indie was surprisingly gentle with the little guy...I think she wanted to play, don't really think the bird was too excited about it.  It was either really calm or paralyzed with fear because it just sat there.

I don't think Indie would make a very good hunting dog.  She's too nice.

A bike ride/run around the riverfront with some very frequent stops to look at the mommy ducks and their cute baby ducklings

A very rare moment of sibling love.  We have to document it because the summer fighting, bickering, punching, yelling, screaming and torturing is in full swing.
Help me.

Yaaay Crew! And Yay for Spring!

Before the frigid winter season set in last year, Crew did get up a few times on his little 2-wheeler bike.  We just never got a chance to document it.  I guess it's true that once you learn to ride a bike you never forget because as soon as it hit a balmy 40 degrees here, Crew got right back on that bike and took off like he'd been doing it his whole life!  

I think he feels very liberated.  I'm very happy he's such a cautious little boy and doesn't ride in the street or go too fast (yet).

 

He's had a few minor falls.  He's quick to get up and get right back on.

The girls have been getting pretty good on their rollerblades/skates.  Indie is often utilized as the "puller."

I think she's just happy to be put to good use (Indie, that is).

Paige insists on wearing the least amount of clothing possible (preferably non-matching clothes) if it's above 50 degrees.

Spring is here....finally, just in time for summer.

I just came from the first grade talent show.  Not sure if I'm proud or embarrassed or both.  Probably a little of both.

About a month ago, Paige came home with a flyer about the school talent show and told me that she and her friend Gracie were going to do a dance and she needed a purple costume.  I pretty much just said, "Oh, okay Paige" and forgot about it, kind of hoping in the back of my head that she would forget about it too.  At the same time I was feeling a little guilty, thinking maybe I should help her prepare something but the thought of the two of us with our conflicting opinions, etc. made me just push that thought aside.  I swear we already have that teenager mother-daughter relationship thing starting and I just wasn't feeling well.  It seemed too overwhelming.

She brought it up again a couple weeks later, still intent that she would be participating.  She asked me again for a purple costume.  "What kind of a purple costume, Paige?" I asked, "I don't know, it just has to be purple, Gracie's going to wear a purple costume too."  "Oh boy," I thought, remembering when Hailey decided she was going to be in the first grade talent show.  It wasn't a good experience - at the time at least.  She told a joke, no one laughed and her teacher made a mean remark.  She was humiliated.  I felt like a slacker mother for not discouraging her from doing it, and even more horrible that I hadn't enrolled her in piano, violin or something else at age 3 which would "wow" the audience.  Hailey can look back on it now and talk about it matter-of-factly, I don't think she's permanently scarred.  However, when Paige talked about being in the talent show Hailey was adamant that she shouldn't do it.  I think a part of her didn't want Paige to be humiliated, but a bigger part of her didn't want to have her little sister embarrass her.

A few days before the talent show she told me that her friend Gracie had backed out and would not be performing with her but that she was going to get up and do some ballet by herself.  I cringed a little (she hasn't taken ballet for about a year and a half) but figured I'd try to be supportive.  Needless to say, the day of the talent show came, she was still intent on doing it so I figured I had better show up.  Paige had "prepared" a few ballet moves and packed her leotard, tights and ballet shoes in her backpack.  Crew and I arrived in time and took our seats in the gymnasium.  We watched the first few girls perform.  One of her friends did a dance routine that was completely choreographed and had a cute costume and curled hair, etc.  Paige had to follow her.  I was kind of dying inside.  I really didn't want people to laugh or make fun of her.  Luckily, no one did, people watched her gracefully twirl around on the stage and clapped politely when she was finished.

In the end, I'm glad she did it.  She felt good about herself and thought it was really fun.  I think it takes a lot of guts to get up in front of a bunch of people all by yourself and perform (I'm not sure if you can classify what she did as performing, but none-the-less she did it).   It taught me a few things.  First, Paige has an amazing little spirit and has an innate confidence that I hope she never looses (I guess I knew this about her but this sort of reaffirmed it).  Second, Paige needs an extra curricular activity which gives her an outlet to perform and third, I need to step it up as a mother in SO many ways.  Sometimes I feel like I'm too much in the middle.  I'm not a pushy stage mother who is enrolling my kids in a million things like dance, cheer, gymnastics, ballet etc. like some mothers - not that I want to be that way, but I think I could be a little more in tune with what would bring out the best traits in each of my children and better about encouraging those things individually.  I am guilty of scheduling both Hailey and Paige for the same things to make life easier on me.  I'm reading Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother right now and it's really making me think about my role as a parent and mother.

My friend Tami took a few pictures of her since I only had my iPhone.

Great job Paige!  You never cease to amaze me!

Easter

We were lucky and had an usually beautiful Idaho day (mostly wind-free) the Saturday before Easter.  We spent most of the day outside - Jim and I did yard work and the kids played.  We did take a break to come inside and color Easter eggs.

Later that night, the girls drew pictures and left notes and carrots for the Easter Bunny.

After the kids went to bed Jim and I were "cleaning" up downstairs, eager to get things done for Easter.  Usually, we would wait until the kids were asleep but we were really tired from all of the work we had done that day so as soon as they were in bed, we started.  Paige always has a question or two that she just has to ask us every night and started down the stairs.  We told her to wait, that we were cleaning up and she needed to stay upstairs.  She got frustrated and in true Paige form she yelled, "Oh, I get it, YOU GUYS are the Easter Bunny!  That's just GREAT!" (insert sarcasm).  We never know how far to take the whole "what is real" thing with Paige, she seems to figure things out but then hold on to the hope that she's wrong and that we're using reverse psychology on her.  Somehow she went to bed an angry unbeliever and woke up with her faith restored that the Easter Bunny is real.