The last sunny day…

Idaho weather is dramatic.

It really doesn't fit. The people are all fairly laid back and easygoing…but the weather, not so much!

In other words… it snowed.

The high; 34 degrees.

Moving to Arizona or California or someplace warm and sunny with occasional bouts of "partly cloudy" has never been so much of an option.

Fortunately, yesterday we sent the sun off with a farewell to be remembered…

with a long walk off into the sunset.







And this morning we geared up for the cold.

Weather...

They are predicting snow for tomorrow~ today it was 78.

Up to our eyeballs in laundry...

why? well I know why. It is because Isaac changes his clothes more than I wash! My personal take on this is that he has the smallest bladder in the world! On a 1.5 hour drive~ we stopped 3 times for Isaac to go potty.

I foresee a remedy to this malady in the near future as we have an appointment at Primary Children's Medical Center in SLC to meet with a Urologist.

They had two available dates for the month. This Friday at noon.... or the 16th anytime. Since our family vacation mandates that we will be down in Utah anyways, it fit perfect for the 16th.

That puzzle fit together nicely!

I am sure it will all go well.

INTRODUCING....

Bella (bey*ah)

Our temporary adoptive member of the family...

The kids absolutely adore her! I don't know if she is happy

about the undivided attention... or hiding from the kids.

The kids have generously offered to join the

poop scooping club!

Good job guys!!

Quirks...

Meet Eli. Eli is a typical 3 year old boy in many ways. He loves climbing trees and smooshing ants. He loves playing with his siblings. He loves Thomas the Tank Engine... but there are also a few quirks about Eli that just make me nervous. The likely reason is due to the fact that I already have one child diagnosed with Aspergers so when a similarity presents itself, I fret a little. Not for myself... I just know what a hard time Seth has and would hate to see another child of mine go through the same.

Eli and I went to the library. He loves going with me to the library because they have a few toys for the kids to play with. This months theme happened to be Farm Animals. Notice the way he is lining up the tractors in an A-B pattern. Then there are the cows in the background. Note the way ALL the cows are together placed onto a picture of a cow! Hmmm... time will tell. In the meantime....

I love my little genius, quirky children!!

Slow it down...

I am protesting time. It needs to slow down.

Today, both Sophie and Eli went to pre-school. ALL of the kids are now officially in school. It saddened my heart.

Eli went in without even glancing back.

Sophie left early at 9 am for three hours of speech therapy/ot/pt before heading to school.
I thought for sure she would be happy to see me when I picked her up.

She cried!

Until I consoled her through bribery.
Eli, on the other hand, fell promptly asleep. Too much singing and dancing can do that to a kid!

NOW.......What to do with all this extra time...

Time...

Holy Toledo... this week has been intense.

From Monday until now it has been non-stop~ Go, Go, Go.

I try to cherish Sunday's as a day of rest... but I doubt it will be such.

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New Events:
Family-

I'm trying to decide whether or not to add a new member to our family. A doggie named Bella (bey-ah). My friend, Jeremy, brought her over and I accidentally fell in love. She's such a good dog. She was amazing with the kids. I know that it would be really good for Seth especially and really me too! Just not sure if I am ready for that responsibility. I would really like a running companion though.

Went to a wedding reception. Congratulations to Marcie and Daniel. Although Daniel is not officially a member of my family. He lived with us for over a year. To me this constitutes a close enough relationship to be in the family section:)

Eli and Sophie both have a spot in pre-school! They will start next week!

Grandma is out of the Extended Care center and living with my Sister. She is doing well. Still not sure if she will ever be able to live in her home again.

Church-

A member of the bishopric stopped by tonight. I got a new calling in the Primary. One I am sure to love. Unfortunately, he did not stop there. I also get the privilege of speaking in church next Sunday. The topic... Music and Dance.

Went to a lovely super Saturday today. I now have one less Christmas present to buy!

Work-

Planning and Zoning meeting this week~ All I have to say is ...ugghhh! Still working on it.

I did get a computer and a cell phone for my other "at home" job. Now I just have to figure out how to use the programs. Especially the cell phone!

School-
As of Sunday- I will have 2 weeks left before I am an official graduate. I have one project to finish and some paper work to get my diploma. Not too shabby!

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I could say more... but it would be a bore. (rhyme)

Road trip update...

Although it is good to aspire higher. Disneyland is just out of my reach. I settled instead for Wolf Creek, Utah. I am taking all the kids and along the way we will be stopping in Ogden to get our family pictures done by a dear friend that I have not seen in ages. http://www.bekahjeanphotography.com

I am sooo excited!!! Not only have we not done family pictures since Isaac was born, we have not taken a family vacation all summer long! Both are long overdue.

I am sad that we could not make it to enjoy the sun and the sand but I will enjoy the mountains and the crisp, clean air. I think this is an excellent way to celebrate my upcoming graduation!!

Courteous sister....

Everyday Sophie, Eli and myself go and pick up Isaac and Seth from the Community Center after school. Everyday when they get home we eat a snack.

Today was no different. I gave Sophie the 5 minute notice and went to go find Eli... and his pants.

As a courtesy, Sophie took it upon herself to arrange snack time.

I think she did a marvelous job!

Hilarious and truthful...

This is a must watch. Mute the music down below and feel free to sing along! I did!

One year...

by the way... Happy Birthday to my blog! It was created one year ago today!

Fare fair....

The fair is here...

The one moment that totally and completely ushers in fall for me has finally come. The Eastern Idaho State Fair.


Since the time of my birth I have been attending this great fair of ours. Missing only a few years when I was living in Wyoming. It has not changed much. The culligan booth still has the huge faucet of water that seems to run from the sky along with paper headbands with a feather in the back. The Union Pacific Railroad booth is still handing out free pencils and RR crossing stickers, and you can still get a grab bag full of unwanted items that the children seem to go bazonkers over at the overpriced toy booth.











My most favorite aspect of the fair has got to be the food. I suppose it is all the smells of grease laden sweets and forbidden foods that leave me coveting the items I would not dare eat at any other time. Buttered corn, tiger ears, scones, funnel cakes, navajo tacos... really I could go on and on.

The next best thing about the fair is that I truly believe it is the ONLY place that you can eat such fattening, messy foods without having any tinges of remorse. No matter who you are, what you look like, or what you wear... there is always someone at the fair that is far worse than yourself. It is truly a boost of self-confidence. This year I saw a bearded woman and she was not intended to be "part" of the fair itself. (I'm sorry bearded lady if you inadvertantly cross my blog and feel badly but you could have shaved before going to the fair!)


We had a good time and I hope to be able to go again before it leaves for another year.Sophie met Miss Idaho and fell in love with a pony named salt and pepper. Isaac was in food heaven and Seth (although feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the people) was able to add masses to his paper collection. Eli took a nap through all but one hour of it!






















Now, I'm going to go watch a movie and wait patiently for my sister to bring me a funnel cake :)

Sunday News...

Sunday's are always interesting for me. It is a gamble going into Sacrament meeting as to whether the kids will behave or not. I never know quite where to sit... in the back... in case I need to make a quick getaway, or the front where there may be some semblance of respect out of propriety. I generally pick somewhere in the middle, attempting to casually blend in with the families with other small children. Silently hoping that the family of 5 in front of me will outscream my children that day.

I usually try to pick a good order to sit the kids in too. These are things that are mandatory for a good flowing sacrament meeting. Any slightest variance in arrangement can create confusion during the passing of the sacrament.

We were running behind today and I did not take the time to structure the children and myself as I should have.

It all started when they confirmed a little boy a member today. I love confimations. I think they really bring the spirit close... so I was intently listening.... with my eyes closed. This of course is generally the proper thing to do. What I didn't remember is that I have a 3 yr. old son who is a practicing escape artist. By the time the confirmation was over... Eli was gone. I of course, thought he was just playing quietly with his thomas the tank engine toy underneath the pew. I did not notice he had vanished until towards the end of the sacrament song. There I was, leaning far under the pew trying to see where he made off to when I heard snickering behind me. The sister gently tapped me on the shoulder and directed me across the aisle and up three pews. I couldn't see him.... but I could hear him!

I convinced Sophie it was okay to stay put and casually sauntered... okay... I quickly sneaked, to Eli's pew. He was laying on the floor quickly devouring a stash of coco puffs that he had found from the pews previous tenants. I picked him up and carried him back trying to keep from laughing outloud.

Next, was sacrament. Usually I try to arrange the children in a manner that will make passing the sacrament easy. Sophie is obviously too young to pass the water tray because it is too heavy, as is Eli. I have to keep an eye on Isaac when the bread comes around because he will try to take more than one piece. I try to have the order be Isaac, Eli, Me, Sophie, Seth. Today the order was Isaac, Me, Seth,Sophie, Eli. Of course I noticed it at the last minute and I quickly told Seth to scoot past Eli and Sophie to get the bread that was headed down our pew. It took a minute for Seth to register what he needed to do. He quietly stood up, passed the two littles and sat down. By the time he had done this, the little girl that was sitting next to us had passed the bread to Sophie as Seth was passing. Seth sat down to see that the bread had already passed him and was sitting in my hands. The forlorn look on his face was too much to bare. I grabbed a piece of bread for him and placed it into his hand and got the rest of the kids theirs as quickly as possible. I snickered the rest of my way through sacrament meeting. I might possibly have saved myself a seat in hell for this one today!

Good dinner turned bad... very, very bad...

Tonight for dinner we had sizzling lime steak fajitas. Very delicious.

After dinner we raced to hurry and get faces washed, shoes, jackets, etc. in order for me to get to a baby shower for a dear friend. While I was busy getting children ready to go... Sophie was busy eating her most favorite vegetable/fruit in the world... avocados.

We all make it to the truck, buckle up and head out. I look over to see that Isaac has peed his pants. Quick phone call to Grandma and I think we have the situation remedied. I make it over to the stake center. There are alot of cars for a babyshower. I think to myself, "wow, Michelle has a lot of support! That's great!" I even see two older women from our ward toting gifts and head inside.

I get the kids all arranged, (Isaac with a t-shirt wrapped around his waist until Grandma comes to the rescue) and head inside. I am noticing as I walk in that the gynasium seems a bit overdressed for a baby shower... but that the colors ARE pink and blue. Hmmm... interesting. I tell the kids to stay put and take a peek through the gym doors. I see a gift table, people eating cake, and a bride in a big white foofy dress... oh my heck! This is not a baby shower!!

I quickly scoot the kids out the door despite protests from Isaac who saw the cake! I get inside the truck and peak at the invitation. It reads... "Blackfoot Stake Center.... Highland Dr." oops! I'm on Mt. Putnam. Wrong stake center!

I get the kids back into the truck and give my Mom a call to ask where Highland Drive is and to hold off on the clothes until I figure out where I am supposed to be. She doesn't know where Highland Drive is but directs me to two other stake centers in town. Yes, I said TWO! After visiting the second one with no luck. I'm about to throw in the towel. Wait, there is only one more stake center left... it could be it. I randomly drive to where I think it might be... Voile'... there it is.

I pull into the parking lot. Put the truck in park and turn around to see two sleeping little children. I don't want to wake them up so I tell the boys to sit tight and I will just run in the gift and we will go home. Isaac starts crying at this because he REALLY wants to go in... he says to me... "wait, Mom, Sophie is waking up!" I turn around and sure enough... she is waking up. Just in time to throw up her dinner all over the truck. Fortunately, I happen to have a tupperware container handy which suprisingly contains vomit very well and makes for a very tidy clean-up.

Poor Sophie. I ran into the church to grab a bundle of papertowels, cleaned her up best I could, dropped off the gift, and headed home. Eli slept through it all. Isaac helped clean off the carseat with the hose and was kind enough to wash off the windows and the lawn mower. Seth continued to read Harry Potter vaquely aware that there was chaos surrounding him.

When things finally settled, I sat on the couch with Sophie in my arms. She looked up at me and said..."Mama, I'm sorry we didn't get to go to the party." My reply, "It's not your fault honey." To which she said... "I know, it's my tummy's fault!" Which kind of made everything worth while, despite the tumult!

Circa 1923

HappyBirthday Grandma

Things you should know about my Grandma:

She loves Bananas.

She is an expert Chocolate dipper.

She gets SO mad if you spill milk on the kitchen floor.

She has lived in the same home since she was married.

Grandpa was 13 years older than Grandma.

She had 3 daughters and HATED being pregnant.

She's the best at badminton, checkers, and flip.

She loves pink.

She came from a family of 13. There are only two left.

She once babysat 24 children at once.

She LOVES potatoes.

She says the birds sing, "Riverton is a pretty little place."

Riverton is the place where she grew up.

She watches musicals relentlessly.

She has a crush on Lawrence Welk (never confessed).

She is the most beautiful person I have ever had the pleasure of being related to.

School Bullies

This morning I made a visit to the school to speak with the principal. I was fortunate in my timing because not only did I get a chance to talk with the principal, but I also got to speak to the bullies themselves.

We arrived slightly before the school opened for the day. Isaac and Seth were standing at the base of the stairs while I was standing further up. Along comes the bullies, they see Seth, they don't see me. First thing out of their mouths are taunting phrases directed to Seth. I step forward, bullies mouths drop open. I give the "mad Mom stare". I don't have many super powers but this is one I have on reserve- although my own children have a built up immunity.

I talked to the bullies... the conversation went something like this.
Me-"Hey... I hear you two are picking on my boys."
Frantic head shakes "No".
Me-"*Charlie, you know Seth has a hard time. Why are you picking on him?"
Charlie- "I dunno" stares at feet.
Me-"Do you know why I am here?"
Charlie- "To talk with Principal Wilson."
Me- "Yes, but I want to give you boys and opportunity to be honest. Do you want to tell Principal Wilson what happened yesterday or should I?"
Charlie- "I... I will talk with Principal Wilson."
Other boy- "Me too."
Me- "Okay, that is a very responsible decision and I don't want to hear about you picking on my boys again. Do we understand?"
Frantic head shaking- yes.

I then went in and spoke with Principal Wilson about the arrangement I had made with the boys. The boys were nearby so I motioned for them to come forward, which they did and they told Pricipal Wilson they would come in to speak with him.

*Names have been change to protect the not so innocent

I do not recall ever being picked on in school. As a parent, this is hard to watch happen to your child. Fortunately, the school is very good about being as protective of Seth as I am. Principal Wilson was not very happy to hear that Seth had been picked on. I am hopeful that taking care of the matter quickly will put a speedy end to such poor behavior. What are parents teaching their children these days? So sad.