Kate's massive bed head

Kate woke up yesterday with the most awesome, amazing bed head I think I have ever seen.  These pictures don't do it justice.

I'm pretty sure she's my favorite side kick so far in my mothering years.  I genuinely enjoy having her by my side all day, every day.  She is so sweet, thoughtful, soft spoken, and helpful.

A few weeks ago, after a family movie night with Frozen, Kate came to me, snuggled up to me, and said, "mom, I will never, ever shut you out".  At first I wasn't sure what she was referring to or talking about.  She repeated it again, with a lot of emotion and more tight hugs.  I told her that I would never shut her out either, then asked where she had heard that.  From Frozen, of course.  The little sister says it to the older sister at one point in the movie.  Then she continued to hug me tight and tell me she loved me soooooo much.  So sweet.

Another Kate funny:  yesterday on our way home from church, Mason commented on how dry EmmaClaire's hands were, how her skin was cracking and flaky.  I said, "I'm pretty sure EmmaClaire is half lizard or maybe crocodile".  

That comment was followed my Abby saying, "we'll, Andersen is half dinosaur" (because he has a massive ridge of bone down the center of how head. . . Very noticeable with his summer buz haircuts").  Then Andersen agreed, and added that he might be half monkey too because he loves to climb trees. 

The conversation went on for a little while like that, then kind of died down.  After a quiet moment, Kate, as serious as could be, said "I'm pretty sure I am half princess".  And of course, we all had to agree with that.  She is our little princess. Sweet as ever.

Spring Break

All but Taylor had one week off from school this year, and Taylor had 2 weeks off.  He stayed busy with tennis practice, lots of fun social activities, and a good amount of work.  He also had to read and annotate a big fat novel for AP English.  I was grateful he stayed busy and focused, because its no fun when teenagers get bored around here.

With the rest of the kids, we planned a fun activity every day after work and cleaning was finished.  Monday, we rode horses at Mima and Papa's house all afternoon.  Papa hired Mason and Taylor for the day to help paint, do yard work, and saddle horses for us.  

Tuesday, I took the kids to a new park in Mesa with about 6 other families in our neighborhood/ ward.  Everyone had a buddy, and the park provided fun for all ages.  Then a quick trip to check on the rental house, then hair cuts with all the girls, then a party for Taylor's friends at our house in the evening.  He invited about 6 kids to come over and play games.  22 kids shows up.  I spent about $50 on treats, candy, ice cream and toppings, chips and salsa, popcorn, etc.  within an hour, all the snacks and treats were gone.  The kids seemed to have a good time playing board games, visiting, jumping on the tramp, eating, basketball in the front, frisbee, etc. . . 

Wednesday, we recovered our house from the teenage disaster in the morning, then went swimming with some good friends in their heated pool all afternoon and into the early evening.  It was a perfect, warm but not too hot, kind of day.  Then we headed home and quickly packed the car for a cabin trip and left for the mountains as soon as John got home from work.

All Thursday and Friday, John took all but Kate to the ski resort.  It was the first time for EmmaClaire and Andersen, and John spent the bulk of the first day with them, teaching, coaching, helping, and encouraging them.  Andersen picked it up really well and seemed to enjoy it a lot.  EmmaClaire did well also but got scared and nervous a few times, which turned into drama, tears, and an "I can't" attitude. John is so loving and patient with that kind of thing.  Mason and Taylor tried snow boarding both days and continue competing about who is a better snow boarder.  They loved it.  Abby did well also, but didn't ever want to challenge herself and improve, but enjoyed staying within her comfort zone and taking things slow. . . Reminded of me as a snow skier.

I really, really wanted to ski with the kids.  But with being 7 months pregnant with #7, John wouldn't let me.  Way too protective.  So what did I do while everyone was having fun?  I took Kate sledding a few times, put together and served snacks and lunch to all the skiers throughout the day, cleaned the cabin, and read lots of books with Kate.  I kind of felt like a mommy-slave.  Was it a vacation?  No, not at all.  Was it "fun" for me?  Not in the least.  But it was rewarding and fulfilling to watch my kids grasp a skill/ hobby that they'll be able to enjoy for the rest of their lives, and to see them gain confidence and enjoy their time together up on the slopes.  All worth it!  On our drive home,  I asked John if he had "fun".  He hesitated ( he didn't get to ski at his level much because of working with the kids the majority of the time).  Then he said, " I'd consider it an investment in the future.  You teach them now, and we'll all get to enjoy it together for years to come".  So true.  

We got home Saturday in time to unpack, clean up, and enjoy a neighborhood BBQ.  

Fun, busy, enjoyable week.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

As goes with tradition, we heart attacked ourselves towards the beginning of February for a family home evening activity.  It's been fun to read, then reread all the love notes throughout the past few weeks.  

Here are a few close-ups.

We also received a Valentine in the mail from my mom and from her mom, my Grandma Bennion, who stayed with us over the weekend.  I laughed at how similar they are.  Like mother, like daughter.

 From my parents. . . 

And from my grandparents. . . 

Lots of love in our house this past month.

Remodel--99.9% Complete

It's been a dusty, loud, messy, and totally unorganized past two months.  And It was totally worth it!  We added a whole new room without expanding the walls of our house, but instead by adding a ceiling over the family room and filling in all that dead, wasted space that accompanied the 22-foot vaulted ceiling.  

I have been dreaming up this big room for months, and it has turned out exactly how I envisioned.

The kids, especially the younger ones, have love love loved the massive magnetic whiteboard on the wall.  Almost daily after school, EmmaClaire gathers a few neighbor kids and plays "school" with them. Buster and Kate are always willing participants.  I love that they are so creative with their free time.

And massive toy/game closet.  How have we lived without all this storage space???

The old loft was framed, all walled up, and turned into a linen closet, full bathroom, and another bedroom- which will turn into a baby room in a few months when this little guy arrives.

And another genius change was removing the cupboards( that were so narrow, you couldn't even fit folded towels in them. . . kind of useless space) and building a large, deep closet instead.  Now, we can fit cleaning supplies, a vacuum, coats that aren't worn by much, holiday decor, and big tubs for each of the kids' prized art work and writings from school.

And the only thing we lost was a 22- foot vaulted ceiling in our family room.  John and I actually like the feel of the new 10- foot ceiling better anyways.

Before the remodel, all the lighting we had in that lofty ceiling was one ceiling fan with three dim light bulbs.  And the fixture was so high up, we couldn't ever change a light bulb without a 15- foot ladder.  Or clean the fan, for that matter.  Now, we have a ceiling fan with light, 2 lamps connected to switches, and 9 can lights.  And upstairs above the family room, we added two ceiling fans and 9 can lights as well.  

We are really enjoying our new space and are soooo happy to have a functional, organized, clean house back again.

EmmaClaire was baptized.

She was baptized a week ago, along with two other  boys in our church congregation who recently turned eight.  The meeting was wonderful, and in my heart I felt such sweet, tender  feelings towards this sweet girl of mine.  She has such a desire to follow Jesus Christ, to choose the right, to be kind and inclusive of others.  She has such a happy, bubbly personality; being around her and seeing her smile is addictive.  We're so proud of her and of all the great choices she is making. 

lj

Andersen's First Loose Tooth

He's been wiggling it for about three weeks now.  As soon as he noticed it was a bit loose, he asked dad to pull it out.  But John said he didn't think it was quite ready then, so every day since, I've noticed Andersen wiggling it during homework, story time, dinner, etc. . . So exciting for this 6 year old!

He was quite nervous about John pulling it out, but quickly gained courage when all his older, more experienced siblings cheered him on and told him it won't hurt.  

As soon as the tooth came out and he ringed out his mouth, I asked him to come over for another "post" picture.  Within seconds of trying to get a picture of the hole in his mouth, he started saying he didn't feel well, then he got all hot, then his face turned white as a ghost, and he all but fainted in John's arms.  Wired.  We weren't sure if it had to do with the taste of blood in his mouth or the whole trauma of it. . . Either way, I didn't get a great shot of the toothless smile I was hoping for.

John carried him up to bed and made sure he was OK before tucking him in.  He woke up feeling just fine, especially since the Tooth Fairy left him with some big coins.

Big deal for this little guy!

EmmaClaire turns 8 years old

EmmaClaire turned eight this past weekend and is super excited about getting baptized this coming weekend.  

This past year or so, she has had a fetish with horses.  Not My Little Ponies ( that's Kate's fetish), but real ponies and horses.  The fear she had of riding horses a few years ago has turned into pure love and excitement.  With Mima and Papa living close by now, the kids have enjoyed riding horses a lot more than usual, and EmmaClaire has been the child that begs for it the most.  I have loved watching her fears change into interest and confidence.  

So, not surprisingly, she wanted a pony birthday party.  Mima and Papa hosted the fun part at their house with three saddled horses and lots of brushes for the girls to comb the horses.  EmmaClaire invited six girls, five of which came. 

 

She love love loves her Papa!

After riding and brushing the horses, Papa drove up with the ranger and took the girls for a ride.

Then we headed back home and played Pin the tail on the Pony ( so original, I know), then had a horse piñata, presents, and cupcakes.  It was a fun and memorable party for my sweet girl.

She didn't have any jobs to do all day, and got to choose the breakfast and dinner menu.  Walffles with berry syrup for breakfast, and out to eat at Chili's for dinner.  Other than her very own set of personalized scriptures, I'm pretty sure her favorite birthday gift was a stuffed animal pony.

As tradition, here's what we all loved about EmmaClaire;

Kate- she plays really nice with me

Andersen-she is a good school teacher, and I like playing school with her.

Abby- she's fun to play with, and she is nice and caring, and she's an awesome sister.

Mason- she's pure girl, she loves everything that a girly girl should love.

Taylor- she's always smily, happy, laughs, jolly.  She's super fun to be around.

Mom- she has a kind heart and is thoughtful and sensitive to others around her.

Dad- she stays focused on her jobs and tasks.  She's a good work and doesn't get distracted easily.

Happy birthday to our sweet, sweet EmmaClaire!