James turns 8

This has been an eventful week for us!  Monday the kids were off school.  We mostly took it easy, but Grandma and Grandpa came up during the afternoon to take the boys out for ice cream.  Then they took Aaron to pick out a present.  (James' present was going to come after his birthday)  He picked out two huge nerf guns which now reside in our back yard and the boys have fun jumping on the trampoline and shooting each other.  They have been having a blast together though. 

Tuesday was the now usual crazy - school, work out class, play time, Robotics, piano lessons.  In addition to all that, I had a hair appointment, so after the work out class, David played for a little bit, then we headed down to Frisco.  Everyone loves David there - he is such a sweet and well behaved boy usually and he just charms everyone. 

On the way home, I stopped at Micheal's to drop off the pressed cross stitches which still didn't look as good as they would stretched, but they had told me they couldn't stretch them and still put them in the frame and while I know how to stretch, I don't know anything about framing.  Thankfully, there was someone who knew more what he was doing when I went there this time.  He said he would stretch them for me and fix the matting and that we could replace the mats in the older ones to match for a cheap price.  So I left the new ones and said I would bring all the others in later in the week.   

That evening, Dan had an Elder's Quorum activity that he wanted to be able to go to.  So we hurried through dinner so he could go.  Eileen had been having a hard time with a math problem, so she took it to Dan who also couldn't figure it out, so Dan took it with him to the activity, turns out that the only other person who came was an Electrical Engineer and between them, they figured it out.  Eileen was so much happier after that and Dan had a great time getting to know him and working together to solve the problem.

Wednesday was great!  After school, it was kind of a crazy rush to get things ready for the Primary Boys activity, and in the craziness, I lost track of time and forgot to pick up Aaron from his UIL practice.  I finally got him home in just enough time to eat a quick dinner before taking Evie and James in to their activities.  The boys and I brainstormed ideas for future activities, then we made monster bookmarks and played some games.  The boys really seemed to like the bookmarks - James kept wanting to make more even after we got home.  It was cute!  Dan picked up the younger kids, dropped off the older ones and then I stayed and practiced organ.  Then I almost left Aaron again - I'm still getting used to having to take three kids home from the Youth activities....  Sigh... poor Aaron.  

Thursday was James' birthday!  My little boy isn't so little anymore.  Anna was decorating his cake for him - he gave her 5 different ideas for his birthday cake - he just couldn't seem to settle on one thing, so she picked the one that would be easiest to decorate.  She got up early on Thursday to get the rest of the decorating done, but it looked amazing!  

The girls and I had choir practice Thursday evening, so poor James didn't get as much excitement on his birthday as he wanted, but he did get pizza and ice cream and cake.  

Friday, Dan took the day off work, so he and I spent the morning running errands together.  He needed to make a stop for work, and we ran by Costco and got the boys suits for their birthday presents from Grandma and Grandpa.  Then we ran by Michael's so I could drop off the other cross stitches, at first the girl there was going to charge me $90 for the matting that the other guy had quoted me as costing $10.  Thankfully he was there and came by in time for me to get everything straightened out.  Now we just need to wait on the pick up.  

I went to get the kids from school while Dan went to see a doctor before heading down to the airport to get his parents.  Turns out Dan's mild cough and stuffiness had turned into a sinus infection, so he got some prescriptions which I tried and failed to pick up after half an hour of waiting.  So we finally all got home and had dinner together.  Grandma and Grandpa gave David his new quilt - it's BEAUTIFUL!  I gave her free reign, and I love the colors and pattern she chose!  And so does David!  

David loves having them around - he wants to sit with them, play with them, do snuggle time with them, have them get him dressed.  All things he usually only lets mommy do.   We spent what was left of the evening playing games and eating more cake and getting things ready for the baptism. 

James' baptism was wonderful.  He was so happy!  And the wonderful thing is seeing him trying to keep those covenants he's made!  He is such a sweet boy!  We are so grateful for the friends and family who were able to come and those who were with us in spirit.  

We spent the rest of our Saturday chatting and having fun together.  My parents came over for a bit after the baptism to chat.  We played lots of games and had a yummy chicken noodle soup dinner.  Then more games and chatting before the kids went to bed.  Then I went to practice the organ for a bit and Dan played with Dwayne.  

Church was wonderful!  Aaron gave his first talk and looked so good in his new suit and tie!  Dan let him borrow his pocket watch to wear in his vest!  He was feeling pretty good!  He did a wonderful job on his talk, and while he felt a little nervous, he didn't let it show!  My organ playing went mostly well.  Eileen directed the music and did a great job despite having a very hard song to direct!  Primary was wonderful - though James wasn't happy because his baptism book wasn't ready for him yet.  He sulked a bit, but I was glad.  Since I was playing piano during the baptism, I didn't have time to write him a note, so I was able to write one today and stick it in with the others.  

After, we went home for a yummy pancake dinner and some fun games and a beautiful walk around the neighborhood.  The weather has been perfect for going on walks this weekend!  David is really going to miss Grandma and Grandpa when they go home tomorrow.  It has been so wonderful having them here this weekend!  

Music, The Temple and a Wedding...Oh My!

We had a bit of a crazy week.  Monday was the usual sort of day it usually is.  Laundry, grocery shopping, school, seminary, and FHE.  Tuesdays have become regularly crazy.  There are all sorts of early drop-offs for the kids for extra-curricular activities.  Then David and I head to the church for the work out class and play time.  Then in the afternoons there are piano lessons and now Anna is doing Robotics which meets after school on Tuesdays.  So we scramble to get everywhere and then come home for dinner. 

Wednesday morning, I had some errands to run, and one of them was a stop at Michael's.  Dan had taken some needlepoint to get framed and they had framed them and sent them back to us with the folds in the fabric still clearly visible.  I was rather frustrated, so I took them back in hoping they would be willing to get these fixes done with out re-charging us for them.  Thankfully they were at least not going to charge, but they said they couldn't press it or stretch it as is usually done, so I took them home to press them and they will put them back in when I bring them back.

This week, we had MCO rehearsal on Wednesday.  And we needed to be there a bit earlier than usual.  There was a parents meeting before and both Stewart brothers were there to ring in the new season.  Rehearsal was a ton of fun - The Grand Chorus got voiced and it was amazing!  Plus he said I have a gorgeous voice!  :)  This season is going to be amazing, I'm so glad the girls get to participate in this!  plus, it ended early enough for them to still get to go to most of the youth activity that night.

Since choir was on Wednesday night, we had Thursday night open and used it to go to the temple.  Dan and I headed out after getting the kids some dinner, and had a wonderful time serving in the temple.  We stopped for a quick Ramen dinner on the way home, then got home and collapsed for a bit before bed. 

David has become obsessed with Play-dough lately.  But it keeps him happy and busy for nearly half an hour, so it's worth it the clean up.

While we were going to the temple, Anna realizes that Evie isn't her usual happy, bubbly self and tries to talk to her about it.  Evie doesn't want to talk to her about it.  She manages to get from James that Evie has been bullied some at school.  She finally gets Evie to open up to her about it - some girls have been calling her fat (I don't know any healthy kid who is further from fat than she is) and she was feeling very upset about the whole thing.  Anna handles this all like a pro while we are gone.  After, she asks if she can get Evie a journal and decorate it for her so she can use it to get through this.  So on Friday evening after all-region, I took her to Walmart to get the journal and decoration supplies, (I also took Evie to get a present for a birthday party on Saturday - then we had to try to hid the stuff from Evie!) Then Anna stayed up late that night decorating the journal's cover for her and putting inspirational quotes on the inside to help cheer her up.  My momma's heart was just swelling with love and pride for this amazing young woman and her thoughtfulness and her desire to use her talents to bless her family! 

Friday was the beginning of a busy weekend.  After getting the kids off to school, David and I headed over to the church to help a friend set up for her daughter's wedding.  His friend Addy was there with her mom also, so he had a blast running around and playing while we set up.  We had lunch with them then headed home so David could nap.  Anna had all-region band practice all day at the high school. 

Saturday began nice and crazy.  I started out the day with a quick musical number rehearsal with Brihana, then I was at the church all morning and most of the afternoon.  I was helping set up the wedding luncheon and then making sure everything was ready for the wedding.  It was kind of crazy watching the wedding party - they seemed so young (granted they are young - they are right out of high school) but it made me feel rather old!  Dan wasn't very nice and said "You know it could be just 5 years before we are looking at this."   Thankfully I don't think Eileen is the type to get married early.  Or Anna for that matter.  Life goes so fast sometime.  The wedding and reception were beautiful - I helped with set up and food prep and making sure the food didn't run out and had fun chatting with friends and trying not to cry - apparently I'm one of those people who always cry at weddings....  It was all beautiful though and our bishop did a great job with his first wedding.  After, we left to head to Anna's all-region band concert.  She was first chair trumpet in the concert band!  They did an amazing job!   We got to sit right up close to her, which was fun!

We came home and had some dinner and got kids to bed before Dan took Anna and some friends down to her first youth dance!  She called two of her friends from church and offered a ride and they had a blast together! 

Sunday was ward conference.  The talks were wonderful - my organ playing went pretty well, and my musical number went well.  I'm always amazed at how much better it goes in church, than it does when I'm practicing.  The Lord helps magnify my meager efforts to bring the spirit into the meeting!  After church, we met with the Stake Presidency for a little bit.  It was a great Sabbath day! 

Back to School

The weather was beautiful on Monday, so we used one of the last days of freedom to go to the zoo.  Anna was babysitting Taz and Kai, so I offered to pick them up and take them with us.  So we all had a fun time at the zoo, we rode the monorail and the carousel.  We ran around and played and climbed on things and had a great time!  The kids loved getting to go with cousins and the weather was just perfect! 

Tuesday was a lazy kind of day - since we knew we would be at the zoo all day on Monday, we saved most of the laundry until Tuesday, so that was laundry day and we mostly took it easy and had a fun last day together.  David managed to sneak a stamp into nap time - so when I got him up, he looked like a smurf.  

On Wednesday, the kids started school again.   Mostly they were excited.  While I miss having them around, it is nice to get back to a schedule.  After picking the kids up, we went home for an early dinner with the sister missionaries.  We realized while they were there that they both knew Bianca.  I had known that one of them served with her while she was in Oklahoma, then other came out to the mission with her.  She is heading home this week to get her back cared for and treated properly and hopefully she will be able to go back out soon.  It was wonderful having the sisters over!  After, we had Primary activities and Youth activities and organ practicing for me.  Then Dan went and hung out with some of the guys from the ward.  

Friday was Aaron's 12th birthday.  It may have been a bit anti-climatic since he was going to be picking out his presents on Saturday, so he didn't have anything to open, but he got his Naruto birthday cake made by Evelyn.  The cake was very yummy and Aaron loved it.  

Saturday morning, Anna and I went to work out with Grandma and Sandi, then we headed home.  We had forgotten to get Aaron his temple recommend interview, so we had a member of the bishopric come over to give him a recommend before we headed off to the temple.  The kids were excited to have a babysitter other than their sisters, and we had a wonderful time at the temple.  The baptistry  was full of families taking their new temple recommend holding kids to the temple - it was amazing to all these youth coming to the temple!  After, we stopped at the church bookstore so Aaron could pick out his scriptures and case and get his scriptures with his name on them.  They didn't have the CTR ring he wanted in his size, so we will have to get that online.  

Church today went great.  My organ playing wasn't too bad and the talks were wonderful.  Primary was a bit crazy - this new later time is really hard on the younger kids.  And they were all a bit talkative and crazy.  After church, Dan and Eileen and I went to visit a family that we minister to.  Their daughter had seen one of the crochet dolls I made for my kids and really liked it, so I made her one.  I brought it with me and gave it to her today and she was so excited!  She played with it the whole time we were there!  She is such a sweet little girl!  We had a great time chatting for a bit, then we headed home for dinner.  After dinner, we did scriptures and prayers, then sent kids to bed.  Then Anna creamed us all in Space Base.  :)  Well tomorrow is back to the full schedule craziness.  We calendered out this week tonight and it's a bit crazy.  Choir is starting back, piano lessons starting back and all the school activities are starting back.   But now it's on the family calendar and Anna and I have it all in our planner, so hopefully we don't forget anything....  

Welcome to the Roarin' 20's!

We've had a fun week with the kids home!  We had a great time playing games together, I beat Aaron 3 times in a row at the game of Life - he wasn't very happy about that.  But he was a good sport and we had a fun time!  We also played Apples to Apples with Evie and her friends and had a lot of fun!  Unfortunately I had so much fun I kept forgetting to move laundry :)  

Tuesday was New Year's Eve.  We had a fairly relaxed morning, then in the evening, we went to a family dace that our friends have every year at the church.  It was a ton of fun - we exhausted the younger kids and rang in the fake new year at 8:00 pm then went home and put James and David to bed.  Then I pulled out the puzzle and we watched "the Sandlot" with the rest of the kids while doing a puzzle.  The kids really seemed to like the movie - and Evelyn is especially excited to now know where "You're killin' me smalls" comes from.  We woke Dan up to help us ring in the new year at midnight, then we all went to bed.  :) 

Eileen skipped out on the family dance and went to see "Rise of Skywalker" with Grandma and Grandpa.  She had a great time - and I think she was glad of an excuse to not go to the dance. 

Wednesday morning, we had the music people all come over to do church music stuff.  First the choristers all met together to pick the music for the next couple months and figure out our schedule, Then Diane and I met with our primary music chorister to talk about the music for the upcoming year and how we would like singing time to go.  It all went very well and now hopefully we are set for a little bit now!

Dan took me to see the same movie Wednesday evening.  We really enjoyed ourselves and Eileen seemed happy to be able to talk with us about the movie after we got home. 

The rest of our week was pretty low key.  On Saturday, Anna and I went to work out with my mom and Sandi, and Evelyn went to go to a Bob Ross painting class with my Dad.  She had a great time and came home having done an awesome painting!  She was so proud of it!  

Sunday was wonderful - church was wonderful and after, Aaron was ordained a Deacon.  It was rather crazy to realize that with 3 kids in the youth program and 2 in primary, I now have more in the youth program than primary - and none in Jr. Primary.  They are all growing up so fast.  After Aaron was ordained, we joined the ward for it's first Break the Fast.  Dan made home made bread, and I made honey butter to go with them.  It was a great time and great food and a lot of fun!