Crazy Week

This week has been a bit busy.  :)

Monday we got a bit of respite since Swim practice had to be cancelled because the head coach couldn't be there and I wasn't official yet.  So we spent the afternoon getting piano lessons done and laundry and such.  I stopped at the grocery store with James to get some stuff for dinner.  The sister Missionaries came over for dinner and gave a great lesson about the temple and family history.

Tuesday was school for the big kids, except Eileen who wasn't feeling good.  She was throwing up all morning, but with some help from a priesthood blessin and pepto bismal, she started feeling better after lunch and still came to swim practice with me, but she didn't swim.
After she was feeling good enough to go to Skate City, so for once, we all got to go!  We all had a lot of fun skating and being together.

Wednesday was the big day.  I spent most of the morning getting things ready for the meet.  I had to figure out who would be swimming what and then get everything submitted for the meet.  I also made a quick stop at goodwill for their $1.00 jeans sale.  After school, we all got ready for the meet - but because of busing issues, it started late which meant that I was running late for choir.  Dan took the younger kids home to get them fed and then came back for Eileen's last 2 events.  Then I rushed to choir and Dan rushed to young men's.

Thursday was school for the kids, James and I ran some errands - I had to do some things to get myself as the official assistant coach.  I got in the pool with the girls and we worked on some more stroke stuff and did some more work on diving off the blocks.  Then we had one night off from anything but the normal piano practicing and homework and stuff.

Friday morning, Adeline came to play for the day.  I had to run some errands, I had to get my paperwork turned in and finger prints taken and a badge made and I was official!  Then I headed down to pick up our peaches for canning.  After school, we had the dry land work out for swimming and Anna got to do her robotics club.  In the evening, we played some games together with Eileen and Anna then called it a day!

Satrday morning started bright and early, I got up and headed for a chorale concert at the Ralston House .5K run.  I was there all morning, while Dan took the kids to flute lessons and piano lessons and worked out getting the young men to help set up chairs for stake conference.  After I got back, we grabbed a quick lunch, then headed to Ft. Collins to get to walk through the new temple!  I think the kids really liked getting to walk through the temple (except the itchy shoe covers.)  It was a beautiful day and a beautiful building.  Then Dan and I got a quick dinner for the kids, then I went over to the church to practice for stake conference musical number, then Dan and I enjoyed the adult session of stake conference before heading to the grocery store together to grab a few things to get us through the weekend.

Sunday morning, Dan headed to the priesthood leadership meeting, then the kids and I met him there so I could sing with the choir and then we got to enjoy another wonderful session of stake conference.  After the Bishops came over to eat and play games with us.  We had a great time playing and chatting and watching the kids be silly!  After putting the kids to bed, Dan and I played Dominion again and now, I'm about exhausted and ready for bed!!  

Just Keep Swimming

School is back in full swing.  Eileen started swim practice on Monday.  I went to take her and talk to the head coach and found that she had never coached a swim team before and didn't have any parent helpers with experience either.  So I am helping coach the swim team.  The other kids are mostly playing in the seats and I'm trying to help them learn how to swim.  We already have our first meet next week.  So we spent this week working on strokes and turns and starts.  I also found out that they have a club water polo team for all ages that plays at the same pool and I'm hoping to get info on that!
Dan's been sweet and has been finding the US water polo olympic matches for me to watch this week - it's been so fun watching - and the US women's team is VERY good!!

So every day this week after school, we have had swim practice.  James and I have been keeping busy at home then we go, go, go after school until evening.

Wednesday after dropping the kids off for late start, I asked James if he wanted to go to the library and he said he wanted to go to the park instead.  We let a few friends know we would be there and we got to have one friend meet us there with her kids.  The kids had a fun time playing, and we had a great time chatting and having fun.  The evening was the usual insane schedule for Wednesday, Choir, Cub Scouts, Activity Days, and Young Men's

Thursday morning, I met with the other mom's in our preschool group this year.  We got the schedule and stuff figured out and James is super excited about getting to do preschool again this year.  Then we had our now normal crazy afternoon.  Piano lessons are now moved to Saturday morning - so no piano lessons on Thursday.

Friday, was a dry land practice for the swim team.  Eileen wasn't crazy about it since she hates running, but at least we got done a little earlier than usual, so we could go home and do some clean up before our friends came over!  The Nelson's came over for dinner and games and brought a fun game we hadn't played before called Sansoussi.  The kids had fun playing with their little girl and the grown ups had fun playing our game.  :)

Saturday morning, the kids had piano lessons, then we headed over to Dwayne and Nicole's house for Tayanna's early birthday party.  It was so fun to see them and hang out with them again - with all our summer travel, it had been too long!  Then we headed home, Dan went to Natasha's to give her a blessing, then came home to help get ready for more friends!  The Wells' came over for dinner and fun.  They have 4 daughters, the kids all had fun playing with them and I had fun holding the baby!  We had a pizza party and the kids watched Zootopia while the adults played games again.  Then for the girls hour up, after our guests left, we played our new Dominion expansion (it was Dan and I's anniversary present and just arrived that day!)

Sunday started out mostly normal.  Evie's tummy wasn't feeling good (I'm afraid they ate a bit too much junk...)  So we drove to church and when we got there, Evie snuggled up in my lap and stayed there for all of sacrament meeting.  The talks given were wonderful and there was a beautiful musical number.  I had the overwhelming feeling that sitting there being uplifted by wonderful talks and wonderful music while I snuggled with my kids and my husband was the absolute best place in the world to be!!  After church, we had our early dinner, then Eileen and I went to Stake Choir while Dan babysat the Bishop's kids.  After, Eileen and Anna and I got started on making some barbie clothes, just for fun!  Then after scriptures, Dan played games with the kids while I went to the Bishop's house to practice for a musical number for the Saturday Night session of Stake Conference.  It was so fun singing with that great group of singers, we were all enjoying it so much that after we were done rehearsing, we kept singing for a bit just for fun!

Our poor puppy isn't feeling too well - his tummy seems to be bothering him a bit and it's led to a couple emergency baths and more clean up than we would like, so hopefully he feels better soon!

Back to School

This was a big exciting week for us.  Eileen started Middle School - still at Quest - but she's officially middle school with a locker and different classes and electives and such.  As a big - middle - school kid, she started school on Monday - and she was so excited!!  

Tuesday was mostly just hanging out at home and doing a bit of clean up.  The Elders were scheduled for dinner, but were late because of some issues they had with appointments going long.  So while they came and ate - it was after the kids had gone to bed and we had to re-heat dinner for them.  

On Wednesday, the rest of the kids started school leaving James and I to ourselves again.  They also were excited to start school!  This was the second picture I took - the first one they just wanted to show off their back packs....  They had a blast, then after school was piano lessons.  Anna quit lessons - so it was just the 3 kids who had lessons.  We are going to have to move lessons to Saturday now so Eileen can do her swim team after school.  In the evening was cub scouts, young men for Dan, and Choir for me.  We were getting ready for our concert on Thursday.

On Thursday after school, we packed up picnic dinners and I took all the kids to my concert - Dan met us there after work.  And they listened to the fun outdoor concert (with just a little rain) and ate their dinner and had fun playing with the kids of other choir members.

Friday Eileen was going with the rest of the 6th graders to a ropes course.  Eileen however is a little afraid of heights.  Despite that she did all the activities even though they were scary for her!  I'm so proud of her willingness to face her fears and do hard things anyway!  Not even all adults are able to do that - She never complained about it - she just did it!  In the evening, we had some friends from church over for games.  We played a fun party game that they brought (I don't remember the name) but it was all about being silly and laughing at yourself.  Then we played Love Letters and Mille Bornes while waiting for brownies to get done.  Then I made a quick grocery trip for the kids.

Saturday we had our family trip to Cherry Creek Reservoir.  Veterans are free for the month of October, and the girls needed to plan a family event.  So the girls planned and packed and made lunches and snacks for every one and got it all ready and then after Eileen's flute lessons, we headed to the lake!  The kids had a blast - we sunscreened up repeatedly, but still came home with a few sunburns (especially Daddy!)  We all had a great time playing in the sand and playing in the water and eating yummy food and playing together.

In the evening, We got the kids dinner, then Dan and I left Eileen and Anna in charge and finally went out on our anniversary date.  We got dinner at a great little Chineese place, then we went to go see the new Star Trek.  We ran into the Doxy's there and had a great time watching the movie together!

Today was wonderful.  We had a nice walk to church.  Sacrament Meeting was great.  I got to teach both my usual Sunday School class and then the Beehives during 3rd hour - both lessons about the family being eternal.  Both were great discussions.  The beehive class was a lot of fun!  It was a bit hard to keep them on topic, but still a great class and a lot of fun!  The Bishop's stopped by before choir to drop off a water bottle that Christina had borrowed.  Dan watched their kids for them while we were at choir, and they gave me a ride there and back.  Then we read scriptures and put the kids (and Dan) to bed a bit early :)  Now it's my turn too!

Home again - for real this time....

Monday morning, Grandpa and Frankie headed back to Denver area.  :(  The kids and I had fun walking around and playing and hiking and such.  In the afternoon the kids and i headed down to South Park City for the afternoon.  Julia wasn't feeling great so she and Doug didn't join us, but we had a great time.  The weather was great, not too hot and not too rainy.  After we got a candy stick and a souvenir and then headed back to the cabin.  Then in the evening we finished Fiddler on the Roof.  It's been so fun watching these great musicals with the kids!  

Tuesday Doug and Julia headed back to Denver area.  The kids and I stayed for one more night.  We spent our last evening hiking up around the mine and looking for cool rocks.  The kids also spent a lot of time down at outside the Wallace's Cabin with Jill and Katherine.  They had lots of fun sanding pieces of wood.  :)  


Wednesday we headed back to Denver after cleaning up the cabin.  We stopped for a quick lunch on the side of the road and got back to town in time to unpack, and get some piano practicing done and get things in order for me to leave for choir practice.  Final practice before the concerts!  We also found eggs when we got home.  Our chickens have finally started laying!!!  

Thursday morning, we had piano lessons, followed by going to the park to meet with friends and talk about a preschool group for James again.  Then we headed home in time for me to go to sing at the Rockies game with the Chorale.  I took the rail there - with the new stations nearby it's a fairly quick and cheap way to get there.  Plus it was kinda fun!  I got back in time for the littles to be in bed and to still have some fun with Eileen and Anna.  

Friday morning, Eileen had her middle school orientation in the morning, then Anna had an orthodontist appointment and then I picked up Eileen.  Then I dropped the kids off and left Eileen in charge so I could get some grocery shopping done.  We were in pretty desperate need of some basics. I got back and tried to get everything ready to go do my girls night out with Becky.  I left with her around 4 and left Eileen in charge again - just until Dan got home.  Becky and I headed to the hotel and checked in for a fun night of digital scrapbooking!  

Saturday morning while I was still with Becky, the kids and Dan went on the primary temple trip to the Denver Temple.  They all had a great time - I can't believe I have 5 kids in nursery!  When they got home we got some clean up done around the house, then I took Eileen, Anna and Aaron to my concert.  It went well and the kids had fun and made a new friend.  After, we went to Chili's for some dinner and dessert.  When we got home and Dan asked them how it was, they said it was GREAT!  - They got a different dessert and it was yummy - yep all they talked about was the dessert....  

Today was fast and testimony meeting.  It was a great day!  Listening to testimonies made me so grateful for my own testimony.  I had a great time up at the cabin chatting with Doug and Julia and getting their perspective on things - but doing so makes me so grateful for my own faith and knowledge about the Lord's plan for us!  It brings such peace and hope to my life!  After church, we had some friends over to eat and play games.  We chatted with Dan's parents for a bit then put all the kids to bed but Anna.  Eileen starts school tomorrow, so she didn't get an hour up, Anna doesn't start until Wednesday, so she did.  Anna played Suburbia with us!

As much as I have enjoyed the summer, and an much as I'm going to miss all the time to do fun stuff - I'm exhausted from all this travelling and ready for a bit of a schedule and a bit more sleep!!