Things to Remember Week of 8-17-14

BLACK BEAR DINER
We met up with Nate's family at the Black Bear Diner and had some yummy food.  If you bring a teddy bear, kids get to eat free.  One kid per adult of course.  Reagan and Eli were visiting from New York, so it was fun for the kids to hang out with them for a little while. 8-19-14

LOFT BED
We found a great deal on a loft bed on KSL, so while we were out in West Jordan we went and picked it up!  I was so excited! :).  The things that excite me :).  We brought it home and did some more work on the bedrooms!  We got the twin bed out of the girls' room and moved the bunk bed over.  I put together the loft bed with very little instruction, all by myself :).  I'm proud of myself :).  Then we moved the dressers underneath the loft bed.  Now we just need to rearrange the decor.  Looks good though, definitely more roomy.  8-19-14

BACK TO SCHOOL KJH
Charity and I got to go to KJH for Back to School night.  We got to walk around the school from class to class meeting her teachers and getting to know their teaching style a little.  It felt really informative for how short it was.  Five minutes with each teacher didn't seem like it could possibly be useful, but I feel really good about 7th grade for Charity!  I was really impressed with all the honors and academic classes she chose.  I already knew what she had chosen, it was just interesting to witness it all in that format.  She is going to have her work cut out for her it sounds like, but I know she can do it.  One class, her National Academic League class, as the teacher was describing it made me so nervous!  It's a class that combines English, Math, Social Studies, and Science and basically prepares them for the competition team in January.  I was thinking, 'oh man, I would transfer out of this class!  Sounds stressy!' I really had no idea what that class was when Charity signed up for it.  So then as we were walking out of the school after that class, I told Charity I was surprised by that class because I didn't remember her signing up for something like that and she was surprised that I didn't remember and then said, "Doesn't it sound AWESOME though!!"  I couldn't help but smile.  It is definitely right up her alley.  She LOVES competition.  She loves trivia, and she's REALLY good at it.  It did sound awesome for her :).  I'm so excited for her year ahead.  I hope she can keep up with all the work and have a good time still. I want to be as much help as I can.  She's going to do great.  Sidenote:  I would love to meet the person who numbered the classrooms in that school... made no sense at all.  Otherwise, it seems like a cool school. :).  8-20-14

LIGHTNING AND MILKSHAKES

Wednesday night, as I was driving home from YW, I was craving a Dylan's (half off after 8:00) shake. I wanted to go get one, but not have to share it with the kids (horrible, I know), so I decided I would just go get it and then park at the ponds and watch the lightning (because there was an AMAZING light show going on). But as I pulled in to Dylan's I realized I was missing something... MY KIDS!!! I was wishing they could see the lightning, and even though it was WAY too late, I decided they needed an escape from the house, and a yummy treat :). So I called Kelly and found out that some of the kids were already asleep (of course, the ONE TIME they fall asleep before I get home!) so I instructed her to send out the kids who were awake, and that we were going to go get shakes. She was kind enough to volunteer to stay with the sleepers as long as I brought a shake home for her :). When I pulled up all 6 little kiddos (Jack in Bradley's arms and Erika in Kelly's- still half asleep) were waiting at the door :). Funny kids. I was so happy though, to have them all there. We drove slowly down the frontage road so we could enjoy the lightning. I love those moments with my family. I feel like I don't let them happen often enough anymore. I'm too busy trying to keep order that I forget how fun spontaneity can be. So we went and got our shakes, and most of the kids couldn't finish theirs, and they ended up in the freezer to get ignored, but it was fun and memorable to me. I hope my kids know how much I love them and enjoy their company. Lightning is just not the same without them! Charity missed out on this activity because she was at a friend's house, but we missed her. 8-20-14

JACK JACK
Poor little Jack got sick last night.  Came to my bed as he has pretty often ever since putting him in the toddler bed, and I let him climb in.  Unfortunately he started coughing and when I rolled over to help him find a more comfortable position and as I discovered he hadn't just been coughing.  All over my pillow.  So I took him in the bathroom to finish up and then undressed him and bathed him.  It's really been a long time since we had throw up in our house.  I am not sure why that is, but oddly enough I just finished putting some of my throw up posts from 2011 in my blog book and was thinking the same thing.  I am not sure how that happens, but I need to make sure I don't think about that stuff, because it always happens after I talk or think about it :).  Jinxed it.  He was a sweety and totally cuddled with me all night on the couch as we watched movie after movie and took little barf breaks in the bowl.  Jack is just like the rest of our kids, he tries to just swallow it and keeps it in as long as he can.  He hated having the bowl in front of his face too, so it was a little messier than it needed to be.  Is this TMI?  Anyway.  It was sweet that he actually wanted me.  Nate had gotten up to clean up our bed while I was bathing Jack and then came down to offer to take him, but Jack wanted me :).  Made staying up all night worth it :).  He is doing much better today.  I am hoping it was just something he ate and not something that's going to go around to everyone in the family/neighborhood.  We'll see I guess :).  8-21-14

GIRLS!!
Friday night the boys (well, Bradley, Luke and Noah) were invited to Evan's surprise birthday party.  The girls, Nate, Jack and I all wanted to have a party of our own.  We left Nate home so that he could go visiting with his Presidency, and took the boys up to Evan's.  The weather was bad and the traffic was bad, so driving just there and back with a stop at Walmart for snacks took us almost three hours.  Kind of a bummer, but we made it work :).  We came home, set up the Netflix (we used to use Steve's account, but since he rarely pays and changes his password frequently, we decided to get our own free trial), and watched Turbo.  This was Kelly's and Erika's first time seeing it.  We ate our yummy snacks, said goodbye to Nate (had to work the mid) and watched our fun movie!  It was a blast :).  I had no idea how much these girls liked late nights and that staying up to watch a movie could be so much fun for them.  They turned down my other ideas for the evening.  Which was good because they wouldn't have worked with our time frame.  About 2 minutes away from the ending credits of Turbo, Erika announced that she was going to throw up (I should say that shortly after we started the movie, she told me her tummy was hurting a little and she then stopped eating the snacks).  Fortunately we had a big bowl sitting right in the middle of the room we had been using for wrappers :).  I quickly dumped it out on the floor and got the bowl in front of her face just in time for her to use it!  It was really awesome actually, the timing of it all.  I was impressed with how well she held it in until the bowl was there.  It was so sad though.  We all felt bad for her and decided we would stay up with her and watch another movie... aren't we sacrificing :) ("we" being Charity and Kelly of course :) - I was in it for the long haul, movie or not :) ).  Erika threw up SEVERAL (and I mean A LOT) of times all night long.  It wasn't until about 6:00 in the morning that she finally fell asleep.  We had watched about 4 movies by then.  Charity and Kelly had ditched us well into the second one :).  It was a very long night.  Poor little Erika.  She was so tough the whole time, only cried a little and just wanted to be cuddling a lot.  It's always nice for me when they like to cuddle at night like that.  Wouldn't have it any other way.  She was a sweetheart too, kept kissing my face :).  I knew I was in for it with the germ swapping.  I kept dozing to sleep minutes before she would throw up and she would just sit up and cover her mouth really fast until I could grab the bowl.  Such a funny night.  I was glad I could be there for her though. 8-22-14

SATURDAY
I needed to catch up on some sleep after having to all-nighters this week, so I was more than happy to take it when Nate offered to let me sleep.  I couldn't get to my bed fast enough.  It was about noon by the time he had gotten home from work and while I had mostly laid on the couch all morning anyway, my bed was totally calling my name.  I got up there and fell right to sleep with the hopes of getting four or five hours of sleep.  Unfortunately there were other plans that took precedence.  I woke up to the sound of a chain saw.  For some reason in my sleepy state I totally thought it was Bradley using it.  Not sure why.  I was thinking that Nate was probably helping him with it, but after about 20 minutes of laying there just listening to it, I had to get up and see.  I looked out my window and sure enough, there was Nate, Gary, Travis and Bradley chopping up our dead Quaking Aspen.  Of all the days in the last year that we've talked about cutting that thing down, they chose the one day that I needed to sleep!!  I was annoyed :).  Needless to say.  It was all good though.  It was nice to see Bradley outside working his little pants off.  I had to have sympathy for Nate.  He had worked the mid and had little sleep that morning.  I know it was not his idea of a good Saturday afternoon activity either.  We're of course happy to have it over with and to have had the help.  I"m not sure who it was really for.  I think Gary wanted it done most :).  Either way though, it really opens up our yard and feels kinda nice.  I'm not sure what I'll do with that corner of the yard now though, with the stumps and all... we'll have to see.  Anyway- funny Saturday.  I was kinda sick most of the evening and worried about what I would do for Sunday if I were to get REALLY sick.  I would have needed lots of subs.  Luckily nothing happened :)...  Not before Sunday anyway. 8-23-14