Oh the MADNESS!!

Dirt…Dirt…and more Dirt!!  AHHHH!  I'm going a little bit crazy from the constant presence of this precious powder fine material.  Max on the other hand loves it!  It's like a giant sand box outside and he has taken full advantage of this opportunity.  As a result to my near loss of sanity Shawn….the big sweetie that he is….has started to tackle the sprinkler system in the hopes that some day their will be grass in our yard!  Boy, is it a monster task!  He is doing this solo - and I'm so grateful for his willingness and knowledge that will help save us some major dough!  Love you Shawn!

 I found these apple boxes and couldn't resist a picture.  Shawn and I had these when we first got married and they have traveled the country with us - Utah to Iowa to Idaho to New York and finally coming full circle back to Washington!

Finally the madness continued with the young men and women at mutual.  They did a "Chopped" food challenge with ingredients that they each had provided.  Some of the dishes weren't too crazy but one dish was insane!!  So bad… ramen noodles cooked in squirt, mixed with instant potatoes turned into potato/noodle balls and set up with pork and bean puree to dip with french bread….GAG!

October Happenings

The kids had Dash for Cash on the 9th of October.  They were all excited to get out and run, and it was a great opportunity to cheer them on!  In typical fashion, Sam ran until the sweat was pouring down his face jogging 12 laps = 3 miles.  Lyv skipped/ran with her besties and waved at me after each lap, and she totaled 5 laps.  Jack disappeared from the track twice to get a drink and go to the bathroom - yet he managed to get 5 laps too!  The school earned a ton of money for activities and school improvements, so it should be a great year at Cottonwood!  Go Coyotes!

 I usually HATE school pictures!  Seriously, they are always the worst - horrible backdrop, awkward smiles, you name it its there…but the kids pictures all turned out super cute this year!  Shawn insists upon me buying an 8x10 each year because he thinks school pictures are hilarious.  After I saw them I wish I would have bought a few more…my kids are cute!

Poor Max…he has been struggling with sleep the past two months!  He hasn't napped since he was a toddler so that is not new, but he has been waking up every night and ends up sleeping with Shawn and I.  The other day after church we had heard or seen him for a while so I wondered upstairs to check on him, and found him wiped out in his bed!  Poor guy!

 In other Max struggles….the victory over diapers has yet to be won, and Max has absolutely no motivation to do anything in the potty.  I HATE potty training.  The worst parental responsibility ever - it is just so frustrating!  I have tried and stopped twice now, but we did have one victory - he actually peed in the toilet for the first time.  You think I would have won a million dollars by my reaction.  I danced and cheered, I showered him with suckers and high fives….he was really excited!  I thought YES!  He figured it out…sadly this was short lived, and quickly followed up by two more accidents that indicated it really was a fluke.  Bummer…did I say I hate potty training:(

 Finally Jack Jack!  What a wonder of a boy created his very own library system out of his books.  He colored coded sticker dots to represent a different literary genre.  There was historical fiction, fiction, fables, science, beginning chapter books, music, family books, and learning books.  He is such an amazing mind!  I loved everything about this - and it is just another representation of Jack's personality. He is such a cerebral person and loves to learn - know we all get to enjoy his love for learning in a  very organized fashion:)

Spring Creek Ranch & Grid Kid Madness

Jack had a super fun field trip with his 1st grade class to a pumpkin patch called Spring Creek Ranch.  The kids got to go wild in a straw maze, a corn maze, bounce their brains out in bounce houses and slide down an enormous slide… if that wasn't enough they then got to go on a hay ride and pick out a pumpkin to take home as a souvenir!  Max was able to tag along with the group but being the goof ball he is he didn't try out any of these fun activities, he preferred to play with my hair and have me carry him around like an infant:)

Jack has scored the best teacher ever this year!  Mrs. Petre is amazing!  Seriously one of the best teachers I've had the pleasure to know.  The kids love her and she keeps things fun and ship shape.

 We had the greatest treat ever this weekend - more visitors!! Shawn's parents drove up to see Sam play his last regular season game.  What a game it was!  These kids have had a great season and will head into the playoffs with a great record.  They won 51-0, and Sam threw his first touch down pass, so he was super excited.  He also tried out a new play that he designed himself where he pitches to the running back and then the running back throws a short pass back to Sam.  We are extremely proud of Sam for his hard work this year, and we can't wait for the future of Summers football at West Valley!

Grandparents Day

Grandparents Day was October 2 - and my parents were sweet enough to come over from Idaho to attend!  Jack's class was the only one that had an "official" program and day - so he was able to spend the most time with them.  He asked them questions about what they were like when they were 6 years old.  It was such a treat for my kids to have grandparents close enough to attend, and I am grateful for them for making this memory with the kids.

Not to being one to take advantage of a trip, my mom brought Tyleigh and Addi along.  Tyleigh needed a minor procedure done on her toe and Shawn was game!  We took her to his office's surgery center on Friday.  We then enjoyed the rest of the weekend with yummy food, a football game for Sam, and watching Tyleigh vomit!  Other than the puke, it was a great weekend.  We love family!

September Schenanigans

Football is ruling the house right now, and we all love it!  Sam has been playing quarterback and doing a great job.  It has been so fun to watch this team play!  Right now the team is 2-2 with 2 regular season games left.  Sam's last game was the toughest yet - but Sam came through with two really great stops while playing corner.

 Lyv as been doing great in school and loves her class and teacher!  She is also becoming a pro Mileage Club runner and earned her 5 mile bracelet a few weeks ago.  She is a go getter and I love her determination to do well at whatever she is doing.

Max, Max, Max….someone is taking to being the only child like its second nature.  He is a little spoiled to say the least and gets into a little mischief especially when I'm distracted doing housework.  I am so grateful for the mild mannered, easy going boy he is.  He plays independently which is great help, but almost too good that sometimes I forget that he's there:)  He is such a sweet boy and I'm so glad to have him with me during the day.

He still manages to make it to our bed most nights, and although I don't like being kicked in the back, my hair tangled around his sweaty fingers, I don't mind waking up to his angelic face and snuggling with him….because like all things, it will come to an end, and that will be a very sad day!

Family Pictures 2015

So its been a while!  I know I keep saying this but time really is flying by and before I know it a month has come and gone and no updates!  So here is an over load from the past four weeks.  We decided to try to do our own family pictures and it worked out okay.  I would love to take a photography class and really become familiar with how to take better pictures, but these aren't the worst either:)

I know every mother thinks they're children are beautiful, but I love capturing the personality of each child with film.  And my kids are pretty stinking cute so that helps too:)