Last games of the season

Last Saturday was the last day of soccer games for the season. Now I will get back some of my time during the week that I have been spending at soccer practices (3 times a week) and games on Saturdays. M&M ended the season by trying out her hand at goalie. She played goalie for one half of the game for the last 2 games and did an amazing job. I'm not sure why she has had the desire to play goalie and it makes me more nervous during the game, but she was surprisingly aggressive and probably the best goalie that has played for her team.

Both Luke's and M&M's teams have been somewhat frustrating to watch. Both teams need to work more on individual skills (dribbling and kicking) as well as team skills (playing positions so they don't bunch up and effective passing). M&M's team played a lot of kick ball instead of actually passing or dribbling the ball and Luke's team started out the season really well but seemed to get worse as the season went on. I'm hoping that in the spring when Baby K is a little bit older that I will be able to help out more at practices.

They are both fun to watch though and I enjoy seeing the kids get better with their ball handling skills.

**Note: Sorry the pictures look so grainy. I think blogger has changed how they upload photos because the quality has gone noticeably downhill in the last few posts I have done. The photos don't look like that on my camera & computer before they are uploaded to blogger. I will see what I can do about it when I get some free time.

Salt Lake Wetlands

On Thursday, DH and I went to the marriage/sealing of a cousin at the Salt Lake Temple and my parents met us down there to watch the kids for us. They took the kids over to the Church History Museum and had a fun time there while we were in the temple. Afterwards we drove up to Farmington Bay Wildlife Preserve where we had a picnic lunch and then we walked around some wetlands. We saw quite a few birds (including some Great Blue Herons), small fish and a big green frog.

Lunch

Last Saturday I was busy (as usual) trying to get things done around the house and taking care of Baby K. It was lunchtime and apparently Blondie and Kitty got tired of waiting for me to make lunch for them so they got busy making it themselves! PB&J sandwiches!

Fall colors

Last Sunday we went to dinner at my parents' house and this is what the mountainside looked like near their house. I just love the beautiful fall colors!

Fun Fall Day

The kids have been off-track since last Thursday so we have been able to spend a little time during the day doing fun things. Last Thursday we went to a pumpkin patch in the morning where the younger kids picked out some small pumpkins to decorate. They also had a small corn maze and some old tractors that the kids could climb on. It was a nice fall day (yes, we're back to fall weather again) and the kids had a good time. I told M&M that if she wanted a big pumpkin to carve she would have to get one at the grocery store (they were a little pricey at the pumpkin patch).

Conversations

There have been a lot of funny conversations taking place in our family lately. Here are just a few:

1. On Sunday we went to church in Perry to listen to a cousin speak who had just returned from a mission. Immediately after that we drove to my parents' house for dinner. As we were heading out to the car to return home after eating a big dinner and dessert Kitty said, "I missed snack time, so can I have a snack now?" (We have a designated snack time at our house - 3:00 - so that I don't have the kids bugging me all day long about eating.)

2. I drove M&M to school yesterday for band practice (it is after school and we are off-track right now). We got there a few minutes early so I parked in front of the school and turned the car off. After school let out M&M got out and I tried to start the car. Well, I turned the key and nothing happened - no dashboard lights, no engine clicking noises - nothing. I knew that since there was absolutely no response and I had just been driving the car that it was most likely a bad connection with the battery. I tried a few more times and the kids started getting concerned that the car wouldn't start. I decided that I would wait a few minutes for the buses and most of the people to leave before I got out to take a look under the hood. In the meantime there was a lot of conversation going on in the car as to what we should do. Luke said that it was too far to walk home. He suggested that we find someone's phone that we could borrow. Then Blondie said, "I know! We should call the police. They will come and help us!"

While I was waiting for the buses to leave I pulled the owner's manual out of the glove compartment to see if it had any words of wisdom for just such an occasion - nothing (Surprise!). Then I popped the hood and took a look at the battery. There was some corrosion around the posts but I was able to wiggle the connectors a little. Then I got back in the car to try starting it again and as soon as I opened the door the kids all said, "The light came on!" Then they pointed to the glove compartment, that I had left open, to let me know that the light in the glove compartment was on - apparently they have never seen a light on in there before - and which was a good sign that I would be able to start the car up. :)

3. Last night for FHE we were sharing a story about one of DH's ancestors. We were trying to explain the connection between them and the ancestor and mentioned that the wife's name was Sarah Jane. This is who Kitty is named after and she said, "Me?!? He married me?!? Did he kiss me?!?" The part that makes it even funnier is that her name is not exactly the same but she recognized the similarity enough to respond like that.

4. Today as I was driving with the kids in the van I took my right hand off the steering wheel to change the radio station. Kitty saw that my hand wasn't on the steering wheel and said, "Hey! No one's driving the car!" Then Blondie piped up, "No. Mom's driving the car, she's just not steering the spinning wheel..."

I think we've been watching a little too much Sleeping Beauty lately...

6 months old

My husband thought that it would be neat to see the weight of each of our kids at 6 months old so we could compare them to Baby K. As you can see, Baby K is our heaviest by over 1 1/2 pounds.

Furniture store circus!

Yesterday I went to R.C. Willey, a local furniture store, to look at something we were interested in buying. We went after lunch after Blondie got home from school so I had Blondie, Kitty and Baby K with me. After deciding on a purchase (more on that in a future blog) and having one of the salespeople enter it into the computer, this is the circus that followed:

First I had to go to the cashier window (or so I thought) to get my driver's license updated on our account (they still had my Virginia license down). So I talked to the teller and she sent me to the account window which is where I needed to go in the first place. After getting my account updated, we went back to the cashier's window to make a payment on the purchase I had just made. Then I asked about ordering a part for our kitchen table that broke several months ago (the pulley system for inserting leaves in the table). We had a repairman come out and look at it a couple of months ago but we needed to pay some money up front before they would order the part and with Baby K I just haven't made it to the store to pay for it until now. The cashier sent me back to the account window to see if they could find record of the part that needed to be ordered. They were able to find the service order but I needed to go to the parts window to actually order the part. So we went over to the parts window, it took several minutes for her to find all the info that she needed to be able to order the part and update some account info again. Then she sent me back to the cashier's window so that I could put money down on the part before they would order it!

After all of this was over we had to drive around to the back of the store to the will call department to pick up our purchase. By this time Baby K was more than ready to get home for her nap - poor baby! (This was the same day that she went to the doctor's office and got her shot.) Luckily the other girls were fine for me - when we first got to the store they kept trying out the different couches and chairs that we were walking past - they were all cushiony. Hopefully everything got sorted out with our table and we will get it fixed shortly...

My big baby!

Chillin' on the couch with Dad.
I have now discovered why my neck has been hurting more lately and why I have been getting headaches more frequently - my baby is HUGE for her age. (Now I understand what Chez went through with her first baby...)

I took Baby K in for her 6 month checkup yesterday and she was 18 lbs 14 ozs (93%) and 27 3/4" (>95%). So now it has been confirmed that she is definitely our biggest baby. She is basically the same size that Kitty was at 1 year old (just 3/4" shorter). The doctor couldn't stop commenting on how healthy she looked with her chubby legs and arms.

And can I just say that I love our pediatrician! She has been awesome since we first starting seeing her 5 years ago! She is perfectly fine with the fact that my babies are born at home and doesn't bat an eye when I decline certain immunizations and wait on others until the kids are older. They have written on all of our kids' charts to ask what immunizations I want instead of telling me what ones the kids will get that day (if we followed the "recommended" schedule). Baby K got her first shot yesterday and the pediatrician thought that that was great. Because I breastfeed my babies until at least 18 months old and they don't go to daycare, they have a pretty low chance of contracting most of the diseases that are routinely vaccinated against.

So Baby K got a combo shot of DTaP/Hib/IPV and didn't even cry! The medical staff at the doctor's office has been really impressed with this shot because it's been relatively painless for the kids to get. Baby K reacted when the needle was stuck into her leg but never made a sound. She was a little more fussy during the day than is usual for her (she wanted to be held more) but other than that she hasn't had any adverse reactions.

I have a great book that I recently bought called The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert W. Sears that talks in detail about all of the immunizations given - how they're made, how the diseases are spread, how severe the diseases are, potential side effects of each vaccine, and how to decide what to give your kids. It has been a great reference for me because every time I have a baby there is a new set of shots that the AAP recommends. I just get really concerned with the high number of vaccines that are given at such a young age and potential side effects. There really haven't been any studies done on the effects of so many vaccines given to such young babies - especially ones with aluminum in them. And I always worry about the high incidence of ADHD and autism today. As a parent I feel more peace of mind when I take an active role in deciding what vaccines my kids should get and when.

Change... finally!

When we first moved into this ward my husband was called to be the Elder's Quorum secretary and then several months after that he was called as the first counselor in the presidency. A year or so later our ward had some boundary changes, a new Elder's Quorum president was called and my husband was kept in as the first counselor. Finally, after just over 5 years of serving in the presidency, a new presidency was called. It's been a little frustrating for him at times and he has definitely been a little burned out lately. The day that the new presidency was put in, it seemed like about half of the ward was reorganized - including a new Young Men's presidency. The other members of the old EQ Presidency were immediately put into new callings, but my husband went untouched for the last month. We were a little fearful at first that he might be called to scouting (he's not a big camper) or the Activities Committee chair.

Then on Sunday morning at around 8:15 he got a call from the stake executive secretary asking if the two of us could meet with a member of the stake presidency at the stake center at 9:15 - our ward meets at 9:00. Apparently they really wanted to get him called and sustained that day in whatever this new calling was so we agreed since there weren't really many other options. We showed up to church at 9, DH dropped the kids off at their classes while I played the piano for primary opening exercises. A few minutes after that I asked someone to fill in on the piano for me until I got back and then we jumped in the car with Baby K to head over to the stake center (luckily here in Utah that is usually not too far).

So, my husband's new calling is Assistant Ward Clerk over finances. He has been a ward clerk before in our married student ward so this one shouldn't be too bad. It will mostly consist of counting tithing/donations after church on Sundays and then probably some more time required around tithing settlements at the end of the year. On Sunday he stayed after to count the donations and was there for 3 hours! This ward is definitely going to be a little more time involved then the student ward - but it was Fast Sunday so that took more time also. He really enjoyed the time that he was able to visit with the bishopric counselor and getting to know him a little better.

And then comes winter...

Well, we had about 1 week of nice fall weather and then winter came. Last Friday it started getting cold and windy and we had a little bit of snow Saturday morning. The weather forecasters were forecasting a good size snow storm for Saturday afternoon but that never came. It was very cold for Luke's soccer game in the morning so I just sent DH and then planned on bringing the girls for the second half of the game. Well, we were a bit later than that because I had to find winter coats and hats for everyone - of course Blondie and Kitty had outgrown theirs and I needed to find one for Baby K since this was our first taste of cold weather. M&M's game was a little bit warmer in the late afternoon, but there was still a bitter cold wind.

On Sunday we woke up to a dusting of snow and then again on Monday. My parents got a little more at their house. The temperatures have gotten down below freezing since Friday and we had to turn the heater on in the house. I'm putting Baby K in a blanket sleeper at night but some mornings she wakes up and her hands are so chilly! So much for fall!!

Getting up early

Apparently getting up early for school every day has finally taken its toll on Blondie. On Friday the kids get home earlier from school. Not too long after Blondie got home I went down to her bedroom to see what she was doing and this is what I found:
She didn't stay asleep for too long but I guess she needed it...

Family canning

The last time I went to the dry pack cannery (in August) I asked about canning our own food. A couple of months ago one of our local grocery stores had a huge sale on bulk items. After doing some calculating I figured out what would be cheaper to buy at the store instead of at the cannery and we bought several 20 lb bags of rice, 25 lb bags of sugar and one 50 lb bag of quick oats. The cannery used to allow people to bring in their own food and can it there. About a year ago they stopped allowing people to do this. The church cannery does own 3 portable canners that they allow people to check out for free for one day at a time. So I decided to sign my name up for one of the canners so that we could can the food that I had bought. The problem was that each of the canners was already scheduled for 2 months out so the earliest day I could sign up for was in October. The worker at the cannery told me that I would be called and reminded when my day got closer.

I forgot exactly what day I had signed up for (for some reason I was thinking October 13th) but I knew that it was getting closer. Then on Tuesday after lunch I took Baby K to J.C. Penney's to get her 6 month pictures taken and when we got back home there was a message from the cannery saying that I had signed up for the canner for that very day and had to have it returned by 11 a.m. Wednesday morning. AHHH!! I called my husband at work to let him know what we would be doing that evening and then called my parents to see if they were free in the morning and if they wanted me to bring the canner over to their house for them to use. I quickly had to put off everything else that I wanted to get done that day and get the kitchen counter cleaned off completely so that we would have room to spread out the cans there. I then had to sit down and figure out exactly how many bags of everything I had bought and how many cans and lids and oxygen packs I needed to buy to can it all.
As soon as M&M and Luke got home from school we loaded everyone up in the car and drove over to the cannery to pick up the canner and buy the cans and things that we needed to can with. That evening right after dinner the kids pitched in to help us out. I would pour the sugar or rice into the cans and then I had Luke banging them on the counter to get all the air out and then Blondie & Kitty helped to fill the cans to the top. Then they helped put the oxygen packs in the cans (not in the sugar), put the lids on and put labels on the cans while DH sealed the cans using the canner. The oats were a little bit harder to do because the bag was so big and heavy that I couldn't really lift it up to pour into the cans. So I had the kids hold the empty cans for me while I filled them with oats that I scooped out with a bowl. We ended up canning 40 cans worth of food. M&M had tumbling that night so she was only able to help at the very end when we were carrying the cans to the basement.
Then on Wednesday morning after the three older kids left for school I drove over to my parents' house with Kitty, Baby K and the canner and helped my parents can some of their food storage as well. We finished pretty quickly over there and then I took the canner back to the cannery and made it back home before Blondie came home from school.

Eleven?

The other day when we were driving to M&M's soccer practice, Blondie said to M&M, "You're 11."

M&M said, "No I'm not. I'm 10"

Blondie: "No, you're 11."

M&M: "Nuh-uh, I'm 10!"

Blondie: "How would you know?!?"

At this point I was really confused and piped in that M&M was 10 years old. Then Blondie said to M&M, "No, the number on your shirt is 11!" (She was wearing a soccer jersey.)

Then we realized what she had been talking about the whole time and M&M looked and said, "No, the number on my shirt is 14, not 11."

Six months old!

Check out that tongue!My baby is 6 months old today! I am sad that she is growing up so fast but happy that she is so happy and healthy! We have been very lucky and have been blessed with 5 very happy, content babies. Baby K is definitely our best sleeper and probably our biggest at 6 months. She is wearing 6-9 and 12 months clothes and has even grown out of some of the 6-9 month ones already. Baby K usually wakes up super happy and loves to kick both legs on the ground at once when she is excited. I can usually hear her starting to wake up because I keep hearing a banging noise as she kicks her legs in her bed. Then when someone goes in to get her she smiles a big full-face smile and flaps her arms and legs up and down on the bed.

Baby K also loves hair. A couple of weeks ago Luke was playing with her and got his head down close to her face and she started hyperventilating and her arms started shaking because she was so excited to grab at his hair. It was the funniest thing! She is also at a very grabby stage and tries to grab at anything within her reach. And then the first thing she does is to stick whatever it is in her mouth! I think she is going to be our scary one once she starts moving and can get access to more things.

With each baby that we have my husband enjoys them more and more. He loves to sit and watch Baby K play and we can't help marveling over how good and happy she is. It's fun to just watch and see how quickly she learns and develops new skills. The first year in a baby's life is truly amazing to watch!

Bee in distress!

Saturday morning we opened the front door to get the newspaper and there was a huge bumblebee hiding out on our doorstep. At first we weren't sure if it was alive or not but when we looked closer we were able to see it move a little bit. Later on that day it was still there only it had moved to the side wall next to the door. It was still there Saturday evening and we were wondering if it was going to survive or not. It rained all day Saturday and was only in the 50s so we think it was too cold and wet for it to go anywhere.

Sunday morning it was still there. Finally after the morning session of conference the sun came out and when we looked outside again it was gone. Hopefully it made it safely home. :)

I wanted to get my finger in the picture for size perspective but I was hesitant to get my finger too close because I have been stung too many times in my life. :) Seeing a bee like this always makes me think of the story my husband tells of the one time he has been stung in his life. He was fairly young and was outside playing when he saw a bumblebee that looked so fuzzy that he wanted to pet it. :)

It's autumn time!

It took a while this year, but I can definitely feel autumn in the air now! For the last 2-3 weeks we have been about 10-15 degrees above normal for this time of year. I haven't been complaining though because it's been perfect soccer weather. Then finally on Friday evening we had a cold front come through and the temperature dropped about 20 degrees. On Saturday it rained off and on all day long - and not just the lame drizzly stuff - it really rained hard a few times!

On Friday I finally broke out the fall decorations (I know, I know - it's been fall for several weeks now). I sat down on the couch to nurse Baby K and the leaf decorations were on the couch next to us and she had no interest in eating until I let her play with them for a few minutes. :)

General Conference Activity Packets

For anyone interested in some activity packets for their kids to do while watching LDS General Conference this Saturday and Sunday, there is a free one for download at Deseret Book's website.

General Conference Activity Packet

I also have several others that people have emailed to me. If anyone is interested in them, leave me a comment on my blog or email me and I will forward them on.

Blondie's class

Yesterday I was able to go and help at Blondie's class while my parents came over to watch Kitty and Baby K for me. It was fun seeing Blondie in her classroom and she kept coming over to give me a hug. As they were getting ready to leave for the day, the teacher had them sitting down in a group so she could explain their homework to them. She showed them the paper that they would be taking home and said that they needed to cut on the lines. Then I heard Blondie pipe up, "I LOVE cutting!" And she definitely does, but I was very surprised to hear her answer out loud like that. Just about everyday at home she asks me if she can cut something. Unfortunately she usually makes a mess so I don't say "yes" every time.

Later Blondie was telling me that there was a boy in her class who was going to be leaving to go to another school. I asked her if that was sad and she quickly responded, "No". Then she thought about it for a few seconds and said, "Well, maybe for him."

Family Night Activity

On Monday, DH's department at the church sponsored a Family Night activity for their employees and families. Since Baby K was still sick with a cold I stayed home with her and DH took the older four kids downtown to participate in some of the activities. They ate some food/refreshments first and then went into the Family History library to do a craft activity. DH had is hands full trying to help all of the kids with some scrapbook/personal history books that they were making. Since it took so long for them to do this activity, they ended up leaving shortly afterwards and didn't do any of the other activities. They did stop and pick up some free gifts that they were giving away to all of the kids. Then as they were leaving to head back to the car, Kitty said, "This was the best day ever!" I think that the kids just enjoyed spending time with their dad and having him there to help them.