Doin' it my way...

Some of my favorite days are when I get to mingle with, chat with, and get uplifted by other homeschooling moms. I get to do this at play group days, at our science group, and now at our newly formed gymnastics class, which is the highlight of the week for us all! It is so nice to sit and chat with other moms who know what I am going through on a daily basis. We talk about what curriculum we like, or don't like. We talk about our challenges and our joys. It is always a good time and I walk away feeling rejuvinated.

Today I was able to share what we do on a daily basis to a mom who has three kids, is new to homeschooling and is currently sending her oldest to public school part-time, mainly because she doesn't think she can do it, from what I can gather from talking to her. I felt like I was able to give her some ideas on what works for us, and what doesn't! It makes me happy to feel like I was able to help someone in their homeschooling journey.

Then it was my turn to get some help. Someone made the comment they haven't done science all year and I piped up that we hadn't either; a fact that I feel horrible about, but have been unsure on how to fit it in!! We do meet with a science group twice a month, but I had wanted to do more and even bought new curriculum to use......But, it has sat on my shelf. We have been doing US History all year and US Geography, which both were on my list of goals to achieve this year. So, we are doing things, just not as much science as I had intended. Anyway, this mom, who I seems to be a bit of a pro at this homeschooling thing, said they will do science next year; this year they are really focusing on history. What a great idea! Is it ok to do that? Yes, it is! That is one of the wonderful things about homeschooling. You do it your own way. Maybe your way is very similar to public school and how they do things. That is perfectly fine. Or maybe your way is nothing like public school, and again, that is fine. I don't have any idea how often the public school kids do history, or science, or art, or geography. For us, we do history on Monday and geography on Tuesdays. Wednesday is a "whatever" day; after the basics, we play phonics games, do our book reports, do an art project or whatever. Thursday's are for science, art, and gymnastics. Friday is a catch-up day or a cleaning day, or baking day, or a field trip day, or whatever I need it to be. I am grateful to that mom who helped me realize that it is ok to do it my own way. I often worry about if I am homeschooling my kids "right". Finding what works for our family is a personal thing and you will be guided to know what you need to do. That goes for anything regarding your family, not just homeschooling.

I have felt that my day is never long enough and I have so many things I want to or should be doing. I am glad that I can do things my own way and it'll be ok............

I confess...

I haven't done a post like this in awhile so here ya go:

• I have not uploaded or printed pictures off my phone for so long, I may never catch up.


• I am so sick of commericals showing people buying their spouses new cars for Christmas. Who does that???? "Hi, Honey! I just made a major purchase without taking to you first. Merry Christmas!". So weird.


• I think it is so funny and bad that my Audrey has learned to say "Fart". Where do they learn those words? I try to not say that word cause it is not my favorite, but golly, it slips out. Now she says it, and I can't help but laugh.


• I am grateful for good people around me who step up to help me with my calling.


• I secretly wish my Christmas tree looked like the ones from the magazines. I let the kids decorate, and redecorate ours and it is......well.....it's cute. Addie has been playing Barbies in and under the tree for days. The ornaments are all over the place........


• I love waking up at 5am. Noah is my little alarm clock and after he eats and goes back to bed I stay up, usually.


• I love this time of year; this year more than ever, it seems, I appreciate the true meaning of Christmas.


• I have not started Christmas shopping yet.........I am usually done by now.


• I love this time of year because the oranges are in season and I eat like 2 a day. YUMMY!


• I am really excited for our Christmas break so I can get some things done I want to\need to and also plan out the rest of our school year!

Well that is all. Wow, that was random and probably dumb. Well, hey it's me! Have a great Christmas everyone! I probably won't send cards this year....again. So don't feel bad if you don't get one, cause nobody did!

End of the 1st Quarter........

....is that what we divide our year into? I dunno. Anyways, we are nearing the holidays, where school tends to get a little crazy, so I found myself thinking about our school year and how things are going thus far.

• I can homeschool with 5 kids! It is crazy, messy, and takes way longer than it used to, but I am doing it. AND I think my kids are actually learning something.......most days. We are starting by 9am going until 11:30. We break for lunch and start back again when Audrey goes down for her nap from 1-3. Noah is seriously so good-natured he just is happy to be along for the ride. I have been going to bed by 9pm (except for tonight cause I am staying up "late" to update my blog....) and am up by 5am most days. I am such a morning person and I LOVE having the house quiet so I can exercise, read, pray or wander around the house and think about whatever. Talk to myself. You know, stuff like that. Noah wakes up anywhere between 4am-6am to eat and goes back to sleep for a bit so I am very happy about that! I feel very lucky he is sleeping so well at night so I can get up and have "me" time before our school day begins. It has made such a difference!




• I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the history cd-rom I have started this year. It is called "History Study: Time Travelers". My friend Jennie told me about them and I have been buying them off her when she is done with them. They are so awesome! Each lesson has hands on projects, penmanship, and lesson notes so you just read the lesson, do the projects and have a blast! I love history! We are doing the Civil War and we worked on: a lantern out of a soup can with the star constellations on them (the slaves used to follow the North Star to freedom), a map of the Underground Railroad, an ongoing newspaper with things the kids wrote based on events we learned about, and an ongoing timeline with pictures of important people or events from the Civil War period. I cannot say enough about this program!! It has been exactly the fun element I have been looking for with history and my kids ask each day if it's "history day". Hooray!




• We are learning the states and capitols; which was on my list of goals this year. The kids each pick a state a week, we get books from the library on their state, we look up facts about it, they draw a picture about it, we memorize the capitol and on and on. It has been cute to hear Addie tell Will, "Daddy, the capitol of Arizona is Phoenix". I also paid to join "Enchanted Learning" because they have some really good worksheets to print about all kinds of things, including states. It has made it fun for them.

There are still some things I need to improve on, and I will use the holiday break to reevaluate things. But, I feel good about our year so far. I go to bed totally exhausted each night, and feel like my housework is never done but all is well. Carry on.

Canned Apple Pie Filling

I had a request for my recipe so here ya go! I found it on www.pickyourown.com. They have a lot of great recipes. My applesauce recipe is from there as well. Actually, I don't really follow a recipe for applesauce. I just cook my apples down, adding water as needed. I add whatever spices I want, and a little sugar. When it tastes good, I process it.

6 cups diced apples
4 1/2 c sugar
1 c cornstarch
2 tsp cinnamon
1\2 tsp nutmeg
3 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
8 c water
Blend all except apples in large pan. Cook until thickens. Pack apples in jars and pour thickener in leaving 1\2 inch space in each jar. Process 30 minutes.

Simple! I actually don't make apple pies often, I mostly use this for apple crisp! I just dump a jar in a microwave ceramic dish, put some of my homemade granola on top, and plop it in the microwave for 5 minutes. Delish!!

**Update on Biggest Loser**
I decided to not compete in this. I was comparing myself to the other competitors that had voluntarily posted their starting weight, and how much they had lost so far (Mind you those who posted did NOT even need to be in this competition at all, so it made me feel worse). I was starting to feel very bad about myself and I decided this was not a good thing for me right now. I am still exercising regularly and eating better, so I will still reach my goals, but it needs to be on my own terms, and without pressure. I have such issues with how much emphasis on being thin is placed on women. It drives me nuts! I am just trying to find the right balance in my life and be healthy...........

Family pictures 2011

A friend of mine has a daughter who is getting her photography business going, so I had her take our pictures this year. She did a wonderful job. Looking at these pictures of my precious, eternal family makes me so happy and feel so very blessed. LoVe ThEm!

Me holding my little Noah Brian.

Um, this one is just about as precious as can be!!

Audrey had reached her limit, at this point. Her face makes me giggle!!

LoVe my BoYs!!

We survived the photo shoot with only a few tears!! Yay!! We went to Burger King right after this. Can you say "Whopper"? Yummmmm!

Biggest LOSER!!!

Some ladies in my neighborhood are doing a little competition similar to the "Biggest Loser" show; I have not seen it so I don't know for sure. Anyway, they did round 1 in the summer, and I could not participate, obviously. But, I am ready for round 2!! I have never done anything like this and I really would like to win......and lose........know what I mean!!?? We weigh ourselves each Friday and email the person in charge. If we gain we have to put $1 into the pot. What a bummer that would be!! I am going to have one "free day" a week where I can eat whatever I want. The other days I will be "good". I will shoot to exercise 5 days a week, but realize that might be hard.....Anyways, wish me luck. The competitition starts on Saturday so I have a few more days to get ready.........and eat a few candy bars...........

Finding our groove........almost!

Well, we are into our 3rd week of our school year and things are going better and better. We have been doing three days of full-tilt school, and the other days a little lighter. Today was a lighter day so we went to a park with a pond near our house. The kids rode their bikes and I pushed the little ones in the stroller. I ended up running a bit so yay, I got my workout in! Finding time to workout while I am still up so much in the night has been hard. We came back home, did math, researched come caterpillars we found while out, drew pictures of them, and played phonics games. Easier day.

Using Audrey's naptime has been huge! Today we played phonics games, on the floor which would have been impossible to do with her around. I still have things I have not added to the mix; like science but I know as the year continues to roll on, we will fit that in. We do tend to do more school when the weather turns colder and we can't play outside as much. I like to spend as much time outside as I can; just letting the kids play and explore.

So, I am feeling good about things and am loving being with my kids. They fight like cats and dogs, cry, complain, and so on, like all kids do, but I really am glad we homeschool.

On a different note, on the Davis County Homeschool group, someone shared a link of an article about homeschooling and it was pretty negative. So were some of the comments. It kinda amazed me that some people get so angry about homeschooling. Wow. I quit reading the comments because I really didn't want to waste my time doing it! Knowing that others don't approve of homeschooling doesn't bother me like it may have in the past. I don't feel like I need to justify my decision to homeschool, nor do I feel like I need to convince others how wonderful it is. Live and let live. You do what you want, and I will do what I want. I am not about to tell public schoolers how wrong they are for sending their kids to school. We are all doing what we feel is best and we are all lucky to live in a great nation that let's us have so many options. I do believe we as parents are all doing the best we can to raise our children the best way we know how. :)

Mourn with those that mourn...

I don't make it a big secret that we have lost too many precious babies, at different stages of gestation. Two were around 20 weeks. Both boys. All my losses broke my heart but losing those tiny sons were especially hard. I have wondered why in the world I have had to lose so many, and two so late in the game. I still don't know. I have grown closer to the Savior, for sure. I have gained compassion for others that have had a loss that I would not have gained any other way.

The other day I was on facebook, (yes, shocking I know. I am on there too often, aren't I?). Anyway an old friend I haven't seen since our Law School days in Iowa, made a vague post and I just knew something had happened to the baby she was carrying. I knew she was expecting, but wasn't sure exactly how far along she was. I sent her a private message asking if the baby was ok, and apologizing if I was wrong. I wasn't wrong. I wish I was. She went in for her appointment and there wasn't a heartbeat. Been there. It takes you totally off guard. It takes your breath away to hear the words, "There isn't a heartbeat". Then to have to go in, get induced and deliver your tiny one....no words can describe how painful that is.

So, to my friend "J", I am so sorry. I mourn with you and anyone else who has lost a tiny one. I hope that the Savior will ease your pain and help you carry this burden. Just know, you aren't alone...............

1st Day of School....Take 2!!

Oh, but first, here is little Noah on his blessing day! He looks so dang cute, huh?!! It was a good day.....

Here is how we ended our day: At the park. Audrey ran around and I chased her..... She thinks it is super funny to go in the road.

Seth, Addie and Sasha launched water balloons in a big grassy area where they could let 'er rip without worrying about them going in the neighbors yard. Every family needs one of these.

Well, I decided to wait until after Labor Day to begin our official school year. It went better than our "other" first day of school.

Things that were good:

• The kids now do independent scripture reading. Sasha reads on her own. Seth reads the BOM illustrated version on his own, and I read the same book with Addie. Yay!




• The kids each did: math, journal, phonics, reading, and pe. (We jumped on the tramp and went for a walk in the afternoon). Sasha did her Spellwell and was so happy to have only missed two problems on her math assignment. Go, Sasha!!




• Working during Audrey's naptime worked well. We will do this each day. We started our day at around 9:30 and stopped for recess (shower for me) and lunch at 11:15. After lunch I put Audrey down and we had "school, part 2" from 1-3:30.
  

Things that were not so good:

• Audrey made a mess of anything and everything! She ate a crayon or two. She scribbled on a workbook or two as we were laying on the floor in the living room working.




• Seth spent an hour mourning the ending of summer. I timed it. It was funny, but NOT funny all at the same time. When he finally got it out of his system, he got his work done.....mostly. He never did finish his journal and I just let it slide....this time! LOL!




• I went to bed completely exhausted and with a huge headache.

I was not entirely excited about getting up and doing it all again today......so we did an abbreviated version of school today. I am still so tired during the day, so I did the best I could today! We played dice math games and a dice game with parts of speech for something fun besides the workbook stuff. We ended the day yesterday, with a walk to the park so the kids could launch some water balloons with their new balloon launcher we got on clearance. It was hilarious.

A breakdown, of sorts....

I had a mini-breakdown the other day. It was sad and kinda scared my hubby, I think. Don't know what triggered it, but I was not feeling like homeschooling was going to work out this year. I was actually wondering what my life would be like if I sent my kids to school. Haven't had that thought even once since I started homeschooling. My poor husband got bombarded with my fears, concerns, and my tears just as soon as the kids were in bed and not around to hear me. He was so good to me and listened to my concerns and talked to me. He promised to help me in whatever way I need him to as we begin our schoolyear. He gave me ideas on how to homeschool three kids with two little ones to care for and love, as well. I went from dreading the school year to being excited and optimistic. He is a good man.

Some important things I have thought about lately:

• My homeschool day might not like anyone elses and that is ok. I might not teach my kids greek, and spanish, and have them do 1,000 extra math problems each day, and have them compose music, but they are still ok. I am ok. We will get important things done each day.



• Don't compare yourself to another homeschooling mom. We are all different and have different goals.



• Have a plan. Have a good one. Stick to it. As much as possible, that is.



• Be flexible. What worked last year, might not work this year. We might have to do math when Audrey goes down for her nap at 1pm, which is not when we have done it in the past. But, if that is the only quiet time in our day, I have to wait for it, and use it wisely.

I am grateful for prayer and for knowing that this is still right for our family. I am well aware this year is going to be a challenge. But, we will make it and the goals we have for our family will still be achieved. I appreciate the friends I have made since I started homeschooling, as well as the ones I have had all along; and for the words of encouragement I get from all. :) Keep calm and carry on.

1st day of school......if you'd call it that!

I thought we'd do a little school today. Will was surprised that we were when he called this morning to say,"hello" like he always does. We were waiting until September. But, the kids are getting restless, I said. They are ready. I am ready. Sorta. Not really, but guilt is not a good thing as a mom when it has to do with your kids. I read a few posts from other homeschoolers on facebook about it being their first day of school, so I felt like we should do something!!

So, we started at 10am and the kids were bummed. I don't blame them; I didn't warn them. They thought it was still summer break. Ok, I won't do that again. So, we eased into it. Phonics. Reading. That was as far as we got. **sigh** It was crazy. I knew it would be hard, but was kinda hopeful.......... Noah fussed all morning. Audrey ended up running around without a diaper on for longer than I should have let her. What happened to her diaper, anyway? Not sure. Oh, and our craft room\school\Noah's room has math manipulatives all over the floor. And clothes. And yarn. Thank you, Miss Audrey Anne.

But, I worked with Addie and feel better about her reading skills. I felt like I didn't do enough with her last year and she didn't learn a thing. She is ok and will do better and better. Sasha is always the willing student and I feel good about her school year. I went over how I will be writing her assignments in her planner and know she will get it done. Seth, will take some work only because I have a hard time getting him to do his assignments. He is capable, just not always willing.

I am not sure how other mom's who homeschool with 5 kids or more do it. I am sure we will work it out. Right?? Sometimes I do wonder what I am doing!!?? But, as I laid in the floor with Addie, helping her read, I had a moment of peace, which reminds me why I am homeschooling. I get to teach her to read. That makes me smile.

Today was not ideal at all, but I think I do need to take some more time to: get better sleep, get a few more things organized, get some better sleep, wait did I say that already???

Our day ended with me nodding off on the couch while feeding my Noah. Then we all took a dip in the pool cause, glory be, it's hot out there. Oh, and our grand finale to our sad excuse for a 1st day of school was Seth finally mastering what he and his dad call "pit farts". Did I just type "farts"? So classy. During family night a few weeks ago Seth asked his dad to teach him how since the neighbor boy can make such lovely sounds with his hand cupped in his armpit. Soooo, Daddy showed him how. Seth has been practicing for days. Today he got it down. (What subject would that fall under????)

Hope your first day back went well. If not, I feel your pain. There is always tomorrow.......or next week, right????

Baby Noah.......

He is here! Born exactly a week ago today and weighing in at 7 pounds 14 ounces! He was 20 1\2 inches long. Perfect! So far he seems to have a very easy-going nature! My stay at the hospital was good, hard, nice, too long, too short; but all in all, a great experience. They had fountain drinks right by my room so I would get my exercise by walking out there for a little Diet Coke. Nice!! Here are some pictures of our litte man, whom we all adore.


His first day home and getting a little snack from Addie!! They all have been such good helpers!!

Here is the gang, picking me up from the hospital. Audrey totally loves him and wants to squeeze\choke him all the time. She loves to "kiss" him which means she puts her lips on his head for a good 30 seconds. Then she turns around and smiles big at me and I smile big at her. Good big sister!!

Here is Noah getting ready to come home from the hospital. That was the smallest outfit I had that wasn't a baby nightgown, but also had the hand mittens. He has the longest nails ever and I can't cut them for another week or so! He also has long toes and big feet! Got another heart-breaker on our hands!! Handsome boys!!

His first picture! His cute hair made us all smile! He has tons of hair, just like all his siblings did! It is kinda blonde and curls like that when wet! Yep, he is a doll! I know, I know!!

Ok, this one is so cute! I took this one this morning after a long night thanks to his circumcision. He is ready to start his day: eating, sleeping, going potty and getting love from the whole household!!

I am feeling pretty good; each day is better and better. I am grateful I heal pretty fast from c-sections and by the time a week goes by, I don't need the pain meds anymore and I feel more and more like my old self. Just one more week and I can pick up my little Audrey again. She has been doing well and I have been giving her lots of love and handfuls of chocolate chips.

My mom has been coming over each day this week and that has been so nice. We hang out and watch TLC: What Not to Wear. Cake Boss. Love it.

Once again our ward has been amazing and have brought the best meals ever!! I feel so blessed to have such great people surrounding us.
It is so crazy to think we have 5 kids. I hope I do well at raising these precious ones I have been given. I am grateful to a great husband who is kind to me and enjoys these 5 kids as much as I do and works so hard for us! More pictures to come.....................

Our Schedule.....

We might have to be kinda, sorta flexible this year, at least at first. BUT, I have followed this schedule for the last few years and it has worked for us. But, then again, Audrey took 2 naps last year and that was very helpful for us to turn and burn while she was asleep. Plus we will have a little blue bundle to work around. But, we WILL get the basics done each day. Mark my words.....

Each day:
*Breakfast, clean-up, morning jobs done, dressed, hair combed and ready to start school by 9am.
*Family Prayer to start our school day. Scripture reading as a group and\or reading from the Friend.
*Pledge Of Alligence (we did forget this a few times last year. Bad teacher).
*I use a sort of "work box" method. I don't have room for the whole box thing for each kid. (Each child would need like 10 plastic shoebox sized bins and something to put them in and I don't want to do that. We do our school in the kitchen\living room area and the only other room upstairs is a smaller room that has craft things in it. Oh, and Noah's changing table and bassinette are in there now. No room.) Anyway, the younger two have a file sized plastic bin with a lid that I fill each night with their assignments, put in numbered gallon sized baggies. They don't have to do it in order, but it all must be done. They can choose what to do first, but they can't choose something I need to help them with if I am already helping someone else. Make sense?

I usually do math with Sasha first off to get it done while the other two do their handwriting or something like that. Then I just rotate through them all, doing one-on-one with math and reading with the younger two. I map out what I want them to do each week, in each book so I know how far they need to get each day. Sasha doesn't do work out of each book, each day. Her list of textbooks is a little long, so I just make sure we are getting to them all each week.

12:00-ish Lunchtime. Naptime for Audrey, who has been doing who-knows-what all morning. Oh dear, this will be interesting. Play outside for a bit while I get lunch cleaned up and Audrey to bed.

1pm-3pm or however long we need: I have been doing a "subject of the day" and it has worked well. I need to tweek it a little since our new science book said if I want to complete the entire book, I need to do science at least 3 days a week. Wow. We usually only do one. This will be an experiment for us to do more than that......
Monday: History, maybe Geography
Tuesday: Science
Wednesday: Geography and\or Latter-Day Prophets; Probably one more lesson in science so we can finish our textbook.
Thursday: We are either having science group or swimming in the morning. Then Sasha has art in the afternoon. We try to get at least a math assignment done, but that is hard sometimes since we need to gone by 10am or earlier. I have had to be kinda flexible on Thursday's.
Friday: Has been a catch-up day, or a deep cleaning day, or a baking day, crafts, sewing, or a day of chilling out!! Sometimes we go to a play group that meets once a month.

I try to be all done with school by 3pm. Jobs must be done before they play.
3pm-4pm: Kids can play electronics or watch TV
4pm-5pm: Dinner prep and cooking. They each have a night to be my helper.
5pm-5:30pm: Clean-up and get ready for dinner.
Evenings: We mostly just hang out and play. Sometimes there are sports my kids are doing.

Family scripture study, prayer and beds by 8pm. My husband reads to them each night whatever they want him to. Well, that is it. We also follow of a traditional school year. I don't take time off during the school year; we just keep plugging along to be done by the end of May. I love having the summer off and don't want to do anything but play in the sun!! Speaking of which, I think I shall go outside and work on my tan..............

p.s.
I am having my baby tomorrow and I am so nervous, and excited, and slightly apprehensive. I can't believe we will have 5 kids. Can I do this? I hope so! No turning back now. Having c-sections is always a little scary and I always get a little nervous. It always goes well, but I still get nervous. I am so glad I will be getting a blessing tonight from my dear husband and our home teacher. I will post pictures here but probably on facebook first since it is easier to do with my phone than on here..........

Our curriculum 2011-2012

I think I am ready to rock and roll as far as curriculum is concerned. Here ya go, for those that are curious. (I LOVE knowing what my homeschooling buddies are using, so I figure they might be curious about what we use as well.......)

5th Grader Sasha:

Saxon Math 6\5
Math Wrap-ups or dice games for math facts
Rod and Staff Grammar 5th grade
Explode the Code 8 (this has been super helpful for my little sweetie who struggles with phonics a bit)
Spellwell
Wordly Wise
Journal or letter writing
Open Windows book 5 from the Reading to Learn Series. (Added this to the mix for the year. It is basically a book of short stories, poems etc and each one starts with a scripture that relates to the topic. It also has words highlighted in each section that you could use for vocabulary and spelling. I hope I like it! My other two will use books from the same series, according to their grade).
Art Class each Thursday taken from an awesome homeschooling momma who teaches out of her home. This will be Sasha's 2nd year with her. LOVE it!
Cursive Handwriting workbook (continuing from last year.....)
Reading: Books of her choice with a few thrown in I think she would enjoy. I have a few classics I would like her to read this year. She is working on reading Treasure Island right now.
Typing.....I am surprised kids her age are already typing, so I might get a program for her to start in the winter. I didn't take typing until 7th grade!!
4-H sewing group, twice a month
Swimming twice a month

2nd Grader- Seth
Saxon 2 and 3. He is about halfway done with Saxon 2. Math comes easy to him, the lucky little stinker!!
Math wrap-ups and dice games for math fact practice
Explode the Code 3 1\2, 4 (I have them do at least 4 pages a day, but they can do more. I give them $3 for completing a workbook, so if they want to do more each day, they can! I just see how far we get and order the next one as needed. Seth needed to do the "1\2" book they offer just to reinforce the concepts, but he may not need to do that each time.)
Beyond the Code, for extra reading comprehension
Journal or letter writing
All About Spelling for review as needed
Happy Phonics (a great collection of games and little books created by a veteran homeschooling momma from Utah! Her family has a great website http://www.lovetolearn.net/. I have her homeschooling handbook and that has been very helpful for making curriculum choices).
Happy Hearts Book 2 from the Reading to Learn Series
Handwriting Workbooks (Found some on Amazon, but I still am looking for something better.....we will get by with what I have for now)
Scouts in the fall!!! Yay, Seth
Swimming twice a month

1st Grader-Addie
Saxon 1
Math file folder games for math fact practice. Other games I make up as we go........
Explode the Code 1, 1 1\2, 2 or however far she gets.
I Wonder: Book 1 in the Reading to Learn Series
All About Spelling Level One
Happy Phonics
Journal or letter writing
Handwriting Workbook
Other File Folder games I have made up and are ready to go on various topics. These have been great to keep her busy while I help the older ones. I found them all for FREE on http://www.filefolderfun.com/ Great resource!
Swimming twice a month

All together:
Science--Apologia Zoology 1. This is our first try at this. I have just done science on my own but have felt I need more structure and less prep work. This program got great reviews, so I hope it works for us. I also bought the notebooking program to go along with it, as well.
We also belong to a science group and this will be our 2nd year with them. We have a topic a month and meet twice; one for a lesson and one is a field trip. We take turns teaching each month. It has been fun and something we look forward to.

History--US History Part 2. I used The Complete Book of United States History from American Education Publishing. Low cost. Short chapters. Fun to read. It is written for grades 3-5 but it still worked for the younger ones. We did up to the Civil War last year, so we will pick up where we left off. I use the library a lot for history and get books relating to our current chapter so all my kids can look at them. I need to include more notebooking, lapbooks etc this year to do more, I am thinking. We also sing songs from the cd Wee Sing American Songs and that has been fun.

Geography:
I bought some GeoPuzzles (world, Europe, and the US) and can't wait to use them! This year I plan on using them, but focusing on the US since we are studying US history again this year. We will pick a state a week or so. Can you say "Library Books rock"??!! What a blessing to have all those books right at our fingertips. My goal is to have them know the states by the end of the year. Sasha will know the capitols as well.

Latter-Day Prophets--I would like to get back on track with this and do two prophets a month. I got off track last year and stopped doing it. Being pregnant is not good for me and being on target with extra stuff like this.

I think that is it! I don't have a list for our read-alouds yet. I do have lots of books here to pick from so I will go with that for now. I am sure our year might get off to a rocky start with a newborn and a toddler along for the ride, but I am sure we will find our groove...........right????

I can wait one more day.......

Well, Little Noah won't be joining our family on the day I thought. I was scheduled to go in on the 27th during the lunch hour. But the midwife who scheduled it didn't check my ob's schedule first........

I went to see my ob today and told him I am on the books for the 27th and was that ok with him? (Just being silly.)He began my ultrasound and kept saying, "The 27th? Hmmmm, I have something going on that day. Something big. Now what is it?" Finally it came to him. He is taking his daughter to the MTC that day. Pretty important, wouldn't ya say!!?? So, would I mind waiting one more day to have this baby? Of course, Dr. H. Anything for you! Just don't make it two or three more days later or I might just cry right here and now!!

So, the 28th it is. I can wait one more day...........I can smell his sweet little newborn skin already. I can't wait to pat his tiny little newborn bum. :)

p.s.
Could someone break the news to Miss Audrey that I won't be able to pick her up for at least a week or more once her baby brother arrives? I don't think she is going to take too kindly to that news. Oh dear............

What a SURPRISE!!

About a month ago, my cute friend, and fellow pregnant momma, I have gotten to know sent me a text about her throwing me a baby shower. My husband is her and her husband's home teacher and they were Addie's primary teacher last year. (Something they will never forget, I am quite certain. Addie would take off her tights each Sunday, hand them to my friend who would apologetically hand them to me after church. "She wouldn't wear them! I am so sorry!!" is what she would say. I would say, "I am the one who is so sorry that you have my daughter's tights in your hands week after week!!". So funny.) Anyway, I told her I didn't need a shower and I would feel kinda awkward having one since it isn't my 1st baby. That was that. End of discussion. Ha ha.....

Last night, around 7pm I was sitting on a chair outside watching my kids run around in their swimming suits, eating popsicles, and I was also waving to several of my friends as they drove by....one after another.....

So, along comes my sweet neighbors, the parents of my friend. Her mom, Ellen tells me, "Did Will tell ya I am here to take you out for a night on the town with Destree?" Nope, he didn't tell me. He had been working long hours the past few nights, and was nowhere near getting home. (Hooray for settlements just in the nick of time!!! Golly!!) Will is known for planning little things like this for me, so I thought it was sweet and was totally up for a little night away. Brother H. was going to stay with the kids until Will got home, (what a nice guy, as Audrey, sensing I was leaving, started wimpering and wanting me to hold her.....). I asked Ellen if I could go freshen up cause it is summer ya know and I was kinda sweaty.....and yucky!! I asked if she wanted to go get Destree while I got ready. Nope. She didn't want to do that. Hmmmmm, ok.

So, I freshened up a little, and later wished I had done more. We drove around the corner to the house where Destree and her hubby are house-sitting. Cars all over the place. Hmmmmmm. We ring the bell, and yep, all my friends from my ward were there at my surprise baby shower that I remember saying I didn't need. She didn't listen to me! Will gave her the extra push she needed I guess cause after I said "no" she asked him if she should do it anyway, and of course he said "YES!!".

It was a fun night, for sure! The refreshments must have taken them all day!! Everything looked so pretty!! I am truly amazed at how loving and generous the people around here are. I came home and cried as I looked at all the gifts I was given for our sweet little Noah. Yes, it has been nearly 8 years since I have had a boy, and yes, I don't know what happened to the things I used for Seth. But, I never expected or thought I deserved a shower. Sitting there laughing with the sweet sisters in my ward, and knowing they are celebrating the birth of our baby boy really touched me. Most of them probably don't even know what having this little boy join our family means to us. We lost two little boys, both at around 20 weeks and that has left us yearning for another son. A brother for Seth. Well, here comes Noah and we feel so very blessed. So, to have a baby shower celebrating his arrival was very special.

Destree, thank you for not listening to me! I had a blast! Thank you to all who came and celebrated! July 27th is the day he will come join our family. I can't wait!

Summer: I love you....I love you not!

I love summer, but then I don't. I thought, hey why not make some lists and put it on my blog. So, here ya go:

I love summer because....

• Because, hello, it's SUMMER!



• Staying up late, sitting outside in the evening is the best! Oh, and summer mornings are my favorite.



• Eating a watermelon every other day is my favorite! YUMMY!



• Eating veggies out of your garden is so wonderful. Now, if mine would get growing, that would be nice. It took awhile to warm up, remember? I kinda forgot that since it has been kinda hot these past few days.



• The smell of sunscreen is delicious.



• I could go to the swimming pool every...single....day! Love that!



• My kids wear their swimming suits all day, every day, so I don't need to buy them many summer outfits! Nice.



• Shoes are optional when running an errand. Well, I put mine on, but nobody else does. What a timesaver!!
  


• Popsicles are delicious. But not the blue ones. Ick.



• Being tan rocks. You...should...see....my kids!!!! They have been playing outside in their swimming suits for a month and they all tan so fast, so they are so dark!!!



• Fireworks!! Parades!! Yay!



• Celebrating Father's Day, The 4th of July and Will's birthday, all back-to-back is awesome!



• Grilling........yummy!
  

I don't love summer because:

• My kids stay up way too late, and certain ones get a wee bit cranky and cry a lot in the late afternoon. Not gonna name names........but it is getting kinda old.



• Towels. Wet towels. Hoards of them. All over everywhere!!



• Wet floors from wet bodies coming in and out all day long. Audrey keeps falling down, poor baby.



• Popsicle sticks and Otter Pop wrappers strewn all over the yard. I am certain the whole world can hear me holler: "I am NOT buying any more if you don't pick up your trash!! NOW!" I even have a garbage can right outside for them. Sheesh.



• Kids swimming outside all day long equals very hungry kids, all day long! I swear, I am always making someone a sandwhich or something from dawn to dusk and beyond! No wonder my kitchen sink is always full of dishes. I can't keep up! I actually wanted to cry tonight as I stood in front of my kitchen sink and looked at all the dirty dishes that had piled up in a blink of an eye! But, that is just the pregnant lady being emotional.
  


• Fireworks being let off by the neighbors late into the night. After midnight is kinda rude, don't ya think?? Showing patriotism is more than shooting off a bunch of fireworks, ya know.



• Cooking in the summer is challenging. I don't want to use my oven. Nothing much sounds too good but salad, and the kids would not enjoy that every night. I WOULD! So, we end up having really easy, sometimes not very exciting meals. Good thing Will is so sweet and eats anything I put in front of him with a genuine smile upon his face.
  

Hmmm, I think that is all. I do believe my love of summer is stronger than my annoyance at the little things that bug me. We have been having fun! Our neighbors gave us a good sized pool they had no place for in their yard. Best thing EVER! It is only about 3 feet deep and has plenty of room to splash around in. The kids swim from morning until evening with a few breaks here and there. I have not had them do a single math worksheet or much of anything "school" related. Bad mommy. I just want them to be kids and PLAY!! Some of my fondest childhood memories were of summer and just being a kid. Living in my swimming suit, sleeping in a tent outside........

Hope you are enjoying your summer. I am off to do some dishes and prepare for another day of summer fun..............

p.s.
My curriculum came this week! I am excited and will post about them soon. I am trying a new science book and some readers this year. I love getting all ready for a new school year.

Things to do before the end of July....

(Here is Miss Audrey Anne "helping" me with the laundry. She climbs in the laundry basket whether it is full or empty. She is my little shadow, and oh dear is she in for a big surprise coming in 6 weeks or so..................)

Ok, I just noticed on my trusty little Lillie Pie baby tracker, that I have 44 or so days left before baby Noah arrives. That kinda scared me. I had all these big plans of what I would do before he came. But, I did not plan on the daily things taking all my energy and motivation. You know: the laundry, the cooking, the chasing of Little Miss Mess Maker herself. Oh, and breaking up a fight or two a day is making me even more tired. How many times have I told my kids: "Well, ok then. If you want to fight all summer, let's cut it short and start back to school tomorrow!". They gasp in horror and ask their Daddy at bedtime after I have already shuffled up the stairs, if they are really doing school tomorrow???!!! I don't even have their books for next year, sheesh. But oh, I could find something for them to do!!! Speaking of things to do, I MUST:

• Get this year's journals bound at a copy store for each child. I love the idea of binding their illustrated journals so they will always have it to look at. I need to get their journals ready for fall, as well! They write in them nearly every day, or else they can write a letter to someone to mail.



• Get their handwriting workbooks printed and ready to go. I am going to make my own this year, for the most part. I want to have them copy scriptures mostly, or other neat quotes I come across.



• Work out my plan for history and science. I like to have goals for how far we will go each month so I can finish by the end of the year. We will be doing year 2 of US history, from the Civil War on. I am trying a new science program this year: Apologia! We are starting with Zoology 1 and I am anxiously awaiting it's arrival.



• Basically I need to have everything school-wise all in order so when I am ready to start back at it, everything is organized.
  


• I need to give the infant carseat a good scrubbing.......there are a few mushed up crackers and whatnot here and there. Maybe the kids can help with this????!!!!




• I need to take the kids to the pool a time or two. Did you know they have nachos there? Yummy!



• Make another baby boy blanket. Where did all my blankets I used with Seth go? Not sure, but I don't have any besides the one I made last week. I also like the single layered flannel ones for newborns; do you know what I am talking about? Perfect for swaddling. Eeee, I can't wait! Newborns are so sweet!!!!!

Well, now that I have it written down, it seems doable. I am trying a new reader for each of my kids this year and I will post about that as soon as it comes. I do love planning for our new school year. I know some homeschooling families that keep going all summer long and I sometimes I feel like I should keep going as well, and just take more breaks during the school year. But, to me, summer is for playing, swimming, eating watermelon, just enjoying the season! I know myself well enough to know I...need....a....break. To do a craft at 9am if I want to. To mess around on the computer all morning long if I so desire. I need time to ponder, and plan our upcoming year. We still go to the library and get books to read and I might require a math worksheet every now and then. But for the most part, I want my kids outside playing in the summer sun, and I want to be there with them. Oh, and I want to get a Slurpee or two whenever the mood strikes us. We better get going..........

UHEA Convention.........

Today was the yearly Homeschooling Convention done by the UHEA (Utah Homeschooling Education Association, in case you are wondering what the heck "UHEA" is....). This is the 2nd time I have attended. Last year I was on Trek, so I couldn't attend. The 1st year I went, I had just finished our first year of homeschooling and came home with lots of notes and lots of ideas.
I rode with two of my homeschooling friends and we ended up going to almost all the same classes. We got to pick four this time and I was quite pleased with my choices.

I packed my sack lunch, picked out a nice, new, unwritten-in notebook and even got a cute pen that had four different colors of ink. I felt like I was in junior high again...writing notes in pink, blue, lime green, and purple..... Anyway, here are some things I learned today:

• Unit Studies are something I want to do, in some way this year. (Unit Studies are a way to study a topic that ties all subjects together in one central theme.) For example: Your topic is OCEANS. So, you would study ocean life or weather patterns for science. For literature you could read Treasure Island, Swiss Family Robinson, etc. For geography you could study the different oceans and seas. Naming them and locating them on a map. For history you would learn about different ocean explorers. For language you would create vocabulary lists from the ocean books you are reading.........you get the idea? I love this concept and would like to do this at least a little bit this school year. You can do your own research for your unit studies or purchase them on sites like http://www.homeschoolinginthewoods.com/ . I will be looking into this........Sounds fun, doesn't it??!!



• Another class I loved, and needed to attend was called "Staying Focused". It emphasized the importance of having a mission statement for your family; something to remind you why you are homeschooling. Having your long term goals written down will help you make short term goals, and more importantly, it will help you continue homeschooling during hard times. She brought up: moving, a death, having a new baby, financial troubles and so on. I really needed to hear this and was so glad I went to this class. We have been riding a roller coaster ever since Will had to open his private practice back up, nearly three years ago, and keeping my sights on the reasons why we started homeschooling has been very, very hard. But, having a mission statement will help me keep my focus where it needs to be. Our hard times will pass. But, if I give up on homeschooling, I will never reach the long term goals we have for our family. I think this philosophy can be used for any family, not just a homeschooling one. So, as a family, we will be writing a family mission statement! I am not sure if I will share it on the blog or not.....guess you'll have to wait and see!



• The last class I attended was called: "Myth of Me Time". It was important for me to hear and realize that if my needs aren't met, I can't meet the needs of anyone else very well. Having help around the house, having time for my own interests or hobbies, meeting my own mental health needs are just some of the areas that need to be addressed. Figure out what you need to take care of yourself and make sure you get it done! For example: if it's really important to you to not have any dishes in the sink in the morning, make sure all the dishes are done when you go to bed at night. If you really need adult time, make sure you schedule a lunch date with a girl friend on a Saturday or something. Don't feel guilty about it! One thing she said I loved was, when you are struggling on a particular day, show your kids "how" you are taking a break. "I am feeling a little frazzled today, kids! So, I am going to go read a book for a few mintutes and when I come back, I will be better!" Let them see you doing things to vent, or to calm down, so they will learn to cope with stress better. Lastly, she said if you do need to "get away" you need to realize that when you come back, the same issues will still be there, needing to be addressed. Don't teach your kids to run away when things get tough. Good advice, huh?!

It was a good day and I feel very happy with the classes I attended and have some things I want to work on so next year will be an even better year than this one was. Having a new baby, a toddler, a 1st grader, a 2nd grader and a 5th grader to homeschool sounds completely NUTS to me and at times, I am certain I must be NUTS to even want to homeschool. But, I am going to use our summer break before little Noah comes to get my plan in order, get my curriculum ready to go, and get my mission statement written, so that come September whatever-the-date, we end up calling the first day of school, I will be ready. And if I feel frazzled, you can bet I will announce that to the kids, and find some way to calm down.........any ideas for me on that issue???

Trying something new.....

Those that know me well, know I like to use coupons. A lot. I went to a class about coupons about 5 years ago, and walked away with stars in my eyes. I loved it!!! In the months that followed, I filled my food storage with so much food, that I hardly paid anything for. Boxes and boxes of cereal, fruit snacks, granola bars, Hamburger Helper, and on and on. As time went on, I decided that I didn't really like feeding my family stuff that came from a box. My mom cooked from scratch and that is what I prefer. For taste as well as for health reasons. The less of all those super weird ingredients, the better, right??! Plus, it is always nice to know exactly what is in your food. So, I scaled back my couponing. I make things from scratch more. I have found you can make just about anything from scratch. Enchilada sauce. Tortillas. Karo syrup. It is kind of fun to search for "homemade granola bars" online and make them yourself. I buy a lot of my food storage items that I use daily from the cannery and save a ton of money. Did you know you can get a #25 bag of oatmeal from the cannery for around $14??? That is way better of a deal than I ever got using coupons!! I buy all my wheat, flour, sugar, noodles, powdered milk, hot cocoa, oatmeal and beans there. Best deal in town. Without clipping a single coupon, baby!

I still coupon, but not like I used to. I just don't use many of the coupons that come out these days, and since we started homeschooling several years ago, I just don't have the time to run to 2-3 stores each week to get the deals. I shop once a week. That's it. Usually one store. Are deals passing me by? Totally. I do miss that whole "I just scored a ton of food for $xx.xx!!!", sometimes. So, tonight I found something I want to try called http://www.dealstomeals.com/ . I put a ticker on my sidebar if you wanna check it out. For $5 a month, (there is a "2-week free" promo going so that makes it even cheaper), she tells you where the deals are, and makes a menu out of those deals for the week. That is really appealing to me as I have been in cooking rut for awhile. I need some help!! She recommends price matching at Walmart, which I plan on doing, cause, hey my time is precious! She does not use coupons to get her deals, but I will if they match up. She also helps you know how many of a certain item for your food storage, so you can get that built up as well. Has anyone tried this website?

I have been on free websites like http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/ which is great, but I don't get on there much anymore and have been looking for something more simple and not filled with endless dialogs and questions. Give it to me straight so I can get off the computer and do something else. I liked what I saw on deals to meals and thought for $5 I will give it a go for a month and see if I like it. I am excited to see how it works for our family.

I want\need easy: 1. Tell me what the best prices are and where so I can price match them at Walmart. 2. Tell me what the heck to make for dinner out of it while you're at it. Sweet?! Crossing my fingers I love this............... :)

p.s.
Baby Noah is coming in about 8 weeks. I will have 5 kids. (Insert giddy squeal with a hint of panic). Maybe that is why I am feeling a wee bit apprehensive and am feeling like I need to try something new that will make my life a bit easier........hmmmm. I think so.

Homeschooling Resource....

I found a couple of great websites for homeschoolers with some great FREE printables. I am trying to find some handwriting printables to use next year.........or should I just buy a workbook to make it easy on myself?? Decisions, decisions......Anyway, I found http://www.guesthollow.com/ and I like what I see. They have some great printables for lapbooks, worksheets for several different subjects, as well as curriculum reviews. I think they are worth looking at, for sure.

They also had a link for a pretty cool website with free printable schedules at http://www.donnayoung.org/. She has quite a few printables for daily schedules to chores. Kinda makes me wanna get crazy and get ultra-organized........

A day for ME.....

Today I turned 36 and it was a good day. Audrey woke me up right on schedule.....no sleeping in for me, but that's ok! The kids picked out a card with a hamster on it that sings "Happy Birthday" and you can push the "fun button" to alter the voice. I could hear them playing with it this morning while trying to sign their names. It was precious. I made a yummy lemon bundt cake. I went to lunch at Rumbi's with my mom and sister who then took me to the mall and spoiled me. My sister got me makeup. My mom got me some maternity shirts. They made me sure I picked out something I wanted, and looking at stuff for the kids was not allowed! I feel so blessed to have them in my life. They are my favorite shopping partners!! My dear, sweet, loving husband took the day off so I could have an afternoon away. I don't get that, like ever, since we homeschool and it meant a lot to me. He takes such good care of me and said many times to the kids today: "Don't fight! It's Mommy's special day!!" Too funny. My dad came over and brought lilac plants and a lavender plant for my yard. Just last weekend we stood in my yard and I told him I wanted to plant some lilac bushes because I love their scent so much. How very thoughtful!! What made this day even more wonderful was going to Seth's first baseball game! I was the 1st base coach (stop laughing at me) and I thought I would cry as he hit the ball and came running full-speed, (with the bat still in his hand), right toward me! He got on base three times and I was so happy for him. He loves baseball and I love watching him play. What a perfect ending to a perfect day! Happy Birthday to me!! And the best part is we still have some leftover cake for breakfast! So, the party can continue tomorrow................

I love a good book....

I have loved WWII books for several years. You know, the goooood ones. The ones that are written by someone who lived through it. Why do I like reading books about such a horrible time in our world's history? It is awful. Morbid. Heartbreaking. I have read quite a few of them. The Pianist, Unbroken, The Hiding Place, just to name several I have read. What I love about them is what helps them through it all, what helps them recover, to forgive. It is the Savior. The book Unbroken, especially touched me as it tells of a man that had been through horrible, unthinkable trials in the war as a soldier and then as a POW. He came home and turned to alcohol to ease his pain. He was self-destructing. He had a wife and tiny son, but could not break away from his addictions. He had survived through the most horrible circumstances, but he could not overcome this. And then, he found peace in the Savior and he was able to heal. He turned his life around and spent the rest of it a changed man. All because of the Savior. It is truly an amazing story that touched me deeply for personal reasons. The Savior offered these people what only He could provide. They trusted in Him. I love reading their stories and crying as I feel the Spirit and feel the love for my Savior increase. I "stumbled" upon this book today and I was delighted to discover this man met some LDS missionaries after the war and eventually became a member of the Quorum of the Seventy. He lived through WWII and was a POW. He was searching for life's purpose and meaning. He found it, looks like! I am only about 20 pages into the book and I love it already. Helaman 5:12 is our scripture for the week. Go read it. I sure do love a good book........

More of our doings....

I cut Audrey's bangs. That was HARD. I put a pile of chocolate chips in front of her, plopped her on the bathroom counter and went to work. It is kinda uneven......She looks so grown up now! Oh, and don't eat a Popsicle in front of her unless you want to hear a very loud scream.....gotta share with the Ree!!

Seth's first season with baseball. He tried basketball in the winter and now he is giving this a try. So far, he likes it and seems to have a knack for it. Will is his coach, which is very cool. He has his hands full with 10 kids all over the field. I am not much help chasing Audrey all over the place, plus I have huge belly that slows me down some! Sasha has been his helper, by feeding balls into the pitching machine. Sasha rocks!! The 2, yes, only 2, practices are over and his first game is this week. Go, Seth!!

Sasha and Addie are taking dance, from someone besides me, for the 1st time EVER!! They are both very excited for their recital coming up in a few short weeks. Brings back memories of my dancing days and having dance recitals at Box Elder High School. Fun times!!

Here is Addie getting ready for dance picture day. Make-up on. Hair curled. Pose mastered. Can't wait to see her dances. The little ones always crack me UP! She comes home from dance and tells me how so-and-so isn't doing a move right and I am kinda nervous she will correct them during the recital, like I have seen some of the little ones do. I keep telling her to not worry about it and to let her teacher be the one to correct the other dancers. So, sorry in advance to any child who gets told to do it "this way". I tried to stop her.......

Warm, for a day.....

We had a day or two that were warm enough for swimmsuits, slip-and-sliding, and ice cream...

Seth showing his muscles. He got sunburned that day. I know, I know, what kind of mom doesn't put enough sunscreen on their kids on their first swimming day outside of the season? A pregnant one that was trying to have a little nap and was only slightly aware they were outside. I did put sunscreen on them but it was too late for Seth. He is still mad at me.

Addie enjoying an ice cream sandwhich that I told them to only eat one of so Daddy could have at least one when he got home from work. He always comes home wondering if we have "any of that ______"(fill in the blank with a yummy treat that he has been thinking about eating all day), only to find we (the kids, never I) have eaten it all. Poor guy. I was trying to do right by ya this time, Babes.

And last but not least, Miss Audrey Anne pointing to a poor, unsuspecting tulip that right after got a petal ripped out. Ouch. She calls them "Baa-boo's". She calls balloons that lately, as well and we love it. She has been walking now for over a month. 14 months old, she took her first steps. Not too shabby. She wants to go "ou-sigh" all the time, and if you go "ou-sigh" without her, you are in trouble. She loves her baby boy doll and holds him all the time and says, "Oh, baby" while she lovingly pats him. Then she throws him down and goes along her merry way.

"So, were any of your other babies big?"

That is what my ob asked me yesterday.

Me: "Well, yes actually. I had a 9 pounder (Sasha Belle) in the mix. They have been getting smaller, though."

Him: "Oh, because this little guy is measuring a week and change ahead of schedule."

Me: "Oh, well I have been eating too many treats lately....Easter Candy...you know....".

Then we discussed which Easter Candy is the best and why. He doesn't share my love of Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs. Shocking!!! Anyway.......

Me: "I wonder if I have gestational diabetes?".

Him: "You aren't showing any signs today. I guess he will just be a big baby boy."

Well, so there ya go. I guess I won't need any teeny tiny newborn clothes for him. Straight to 3 month sizes, apparently.

We can't wait to meet him and kiss his little face. I still can't believe we will have 5 kids. Yippee!! I still remember plain as day thinking there would be no more babies for us. Then came sweet little Audrey Anne.

And now Noah is on his way, in all his chubbiness!!

So grateful!! So happy!!

p.s. I guess I need to add that since I have my babies via c-section, they are free to get as big as they want. It won't make a big of difference. I just think it is funny. My boys seem to grow bigger than my girls......well, except for Sweet Sasha Belle.....

No doubt about it.....

It's a boy in there. For sure. No more guessing.

He sure showed us today at my big ultrasound.

So cute.

He is a wiggly little fella, and I love it.

Love to know he is ok in there.

I am doing my best to keep him happy: ie eating lots of treats...oops, I mean

lots of healthy foods!! (Do you ever feel like you just wanna

eat junk when you are pregnant cause it tastes good and it makes you feel better?

Actually I feel like that, pregnant or not!!)

Anyways, I am beyond thankful he is healthy!

The tech today kept trying to get a great 3-D picture of his face

and I wanted to tell her, "I just wanna know he is ok! That's all!".

Just show me that heartbeat and let me hear it for a bit.

******************************************

A few more things that are noteworthy

1. 
   
   Audrey has taken her first steps this week! She likes to walk to each of us as we sit in a circle! So sweet! Having older kids to enjoy moments like these with Will and I are the BEST and something I did not really anticipate when we were expecting her. What a blessing Audrey is to our home.


2. 
   
   Being pregnant with #5 is hilarious and scary at the same time. I giggle as I look at a cute, younger sister in our ward that is due the same time as me. Granted she is tall, but she.....is.....hardly....showing. At all. Then here I am: sausage fingers, huge belly and all! I haven't worn my wedding rings in weeks. OUCHIE! Yes, #5 is a hoot! I could easily pass for being 9 months pregnant. I am just waiting for someone to act shocked when I tell them how far along I am.


3. 
   
   Having water seep in mysteriously from your food storage room and soak the carpets in the basement is: fun (if you are a child and like seeing water squish between your toes as you walk down the hall), and also educational. (What subject would "wet carpet\flooding fall under anyways??) We have had lots of wonderful (ha, ha) moments cleaning up wet carpet, throwing away wet carpet padding, and trying to figure out how in the heck water keeps coming in. Fun times. Two different contractors are pretty much stumped about it. Ya, we are pure excitement over here!! Try to not be jealous!

But, at least all my precious food storage is in buckets, so nothing got ruined! Now that is something to smile about!

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

I tried my good friend Jennie's recipe today and it was gooood. I love food. I love cooking yummy things to eat! It is a hobby for me, I am thinking. I love making things from scratch. So much cheaper, and better for you. I know what every ingredient is! LOVE that. Anyways, I posted a picture of it on facebook and got some request for the recipe. So, here ya go!

• Chicken Pot Pie


• 1 1\3 cup frozen peas and carrots


• 1 c diced potatoes (if using fresh, raw ones, dice and cook a bit first. I put them in my trusty pampered chef microwave cooker bowl for 5 minutes with a bit of water and it was perfect.)


• 2\3 butter ( I didn't use quite that much)


• 2\3 c chopped onion


• 1 t salt


• 1\2 t pepper


• 3 1\2 cups chicken broth


• 1 1\3 c milk


• 6 cups cooked, diced chicken (I just cooked 2 chicken breasts and chopped them up. Probably wasn't 6 cups, but it was enough for us!)


• 2 pie crusts


• Rinse frozen peas and carrots. Melt butter, stir in onions, flour, salt and pepper. Cook stirring contantly until bubbly. I used a whisk. Remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to a boil, stirring constantly with whisk. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Stir in chicken and veggies. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan.


• Place 2 pie crusts over the top. Bake at 425 for about 30-35 minutes until the crust is golden brown. You will want to put pan on a cookie sheet to catch the sauce that will bubble over.


• If you don't want to buy the pie crusts, make them! I got this recipe a few years ago from Sister Taylor who is an amazing cook! It is yummers!




• No Fail Pie Crust (I have included the entire direcitions for the pie crust in case you want to use it for dessert pies, not just for this pot pie recipe. Hope it is not too confusing.)


• Sift together:


• 3 1\2 cups flour


• 1 T sugar


• 2 scant t salt


• Then cut in 1 1\2 cups shortening with a pastry blender. Keep going until the shortening pieces are about the size of peas.


• Beat together and stir into the above mixture to moisten: 1 egg 1 T vinegar 4 T cold water Knead lightly and form into 5 equal portions. (For the pot pie recipe, I just used enough to cover the pan. I put the rest into the fridge and will probably make an apple pie from the leftovers.)


• Roll out between two sheets of Saran wrap; this makes it so easy! Rolling pie crust can be a pain and doing this way works perfectly! Remove top sheet of saran wrap and fit tightly into pie pan (if you are making a pie).


• Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes if you want to use it for a pudding pie. If using it for an apple pie, follow directions for the kind you are making.

"Miss Scarlet, with the rope, in the study..."

Ok, so still no picture on my posts. You don't care, right?

I am gonna get that cord. Soon.

Here is what we have been doing:

1. We taught the kids to play "Clue". Will and I both spent hours playing this as kids. LOVE it. It is actually kinda morbid to be playing a game with your kids about someone getting murdered, for heavens sake. Oh well. Does that make us bad parents?? We had to change the rules a bit since Seth and Addie are a little young and easily frustrated. We just let them pick a room to go to and they don't have to roll the dice to travel around the board. Seth must always be Mr. Green. Addie and Sasha both want to be Miss Scarlet. I was the same way. The first time we played, Addie was Miss Scarlet and she was the murderer. She cried for a good 15 minutes about that. For reals. Huge tears. So we played again, and she was Miss Peacock. Guess who was the murderer? Yup, Miss Peacock. Again, the tears flowed. Will and I laughed as quietly as we could. Oh, Addie we love you. The kids want to play "Clue" all the time now.


2. 
   
   Baby #5 is naughty. My ob said so. "He" won't show us if he is for sure a "he" or not. As of my most recent appointment, (22 weeks, yep, yep) it is still a "he" but we will see. My mom says she thinks it is. I think it is. Seth will hear nothing about it being possibly a girl. Boy or nothing. It will be fun to have another boy. I will have 5 kids.....5......kids! That is exciting! Can't wait. Sasha is a pro at laundry. She is getting ready to take Audrey and be her mommy #2. Seth and Addie are great helpers too! :)


3. 
   
   I am grateful for the Gospel and good people in our life that love us, uplift us and help us. I am grateful for a fun calling. I am grateful for lots this week which is good since last week I was a grouch and a brat. Ask Will. He will confirm.

The End...........

Off to play "Clue"........again........I wonder if I can be Miss Scarlett this time????

Crockpots RULE!!

Yes, it's true, I have found another hobby: using my crockpot! Have you looked at the blog, http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com/?? You need to. Right now! I have used my crockpot a lot this week and I love it! I tried her recipe for Cranberry Pork Roast, but I used a turkey roast because that is what I had on hand. Pretty good! Today I am using her Apricot Chicken recipe! It is similar to my recipe for Russian Chicken, only you plop it in the crockpot! Hooray!! Oh, and I tried her recipe for Split Pea and Barley Soup with Ham. Super dooper! We all love split pea soup, so I was excited to try her version with barley added! It was really good!! It is a great website!

Here is a great recipe I got from a magazine that I made this week. My kids gobbled it up and I thought they would hate it since it looked like mud. Black bean soup looks like mud but tastes divine! Can you say "cheap meal"??? I had most of the ingredients in my food storage, so I bet it cost me pennies to make. Yippee! Here ya go:

No soak Black Bean Soup
(Yes, NO SOAK!! It is hard for me to plan the night before when I want to use dry beans, since you need to soak them overnight. So this recipe was a dream come true for me!!)

1 T olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 T garlic or more if you want
1 pound dried black beans, rinsed and drained (about 2 cups)
5 cups water (I had to add more water throughout the day since my crockpot tends to cook fast and the water gets used up quick)
3 cups chicken broth
2 (4 oz) cans of green chilies, undrained
1 T ground cumin
1 t dried thyme leaves
1 t salt
1\2 t black pepper
2 dried bay leaves (remove before serving)

1. Add olive oil to crock pot and saute onion on highest setting for 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients to crock pot. Cover and cook on high for at least 8 hours.

2. Before serving, mash soup a little with a potato masher to break up some of the beans and to make the soup a little thicker.

3. Top with sour cream, cilantro, chopped bell pepper, onions, or our favorite: crushed tortilla chips.

This is seriously yummy! It works great as filling for a burrito the next day, if the soup is thick enough. Or as a dip for your chips or veggies!! YAY!

It's all good, baby!!

I went to the ob today and saw my little one's heartbeat and was very relieved. I swear, my blood pressure gets so high during my appointment, they have to take it twice. "Oh, I am just a tad nervous!" I say. I am pretty sure they don't know my chart by heart, or my history so they must think I am cooky. Oh well. I pretty much am, I think.

I am 18 weeks, and baby is growing well. Ya, and I about died when I looked at the scale, by the way. I should just NOT look. His scale is 9 pounds off cause I did not weigh THAT when I weighed myself this morning. I know, why would someone like me care about that; you would think I wouldn't with my baby-losing history. But, I am human, and I gotta stop eating cookies for breakfast............bummer.

The baby was not in a good position to tell if it was a boy or not. But, he said he still would say it is a boy. Sweet baby boy. I still wonder if I will make it all the way with him. With Audrey I was seriously nervous at each and every appointment; even up until the end. So sad I just can't relax and stop thinking, "What if.....". But, I am grateful to have made it this far. Now if "other things" would fall into place that would be super-dooper. My glass seems half-empty lately. But, I am truly grateful our garage door broke when we were both OUT of the garage. The spring is broken and we can't lift if manually. So, we can park in our driveway, no problem, until we get it fixed. I am glad our cars weren't stuck in there until we got it fixed. That would be a big fat bummer!!

The End

Yay!

I can't find the cord to our camera to upload pictures. Yay!

Guess I have to buy a new one. Yay!

Our garage door won't open. Yay!

I find out soon how much the bid is to fix it! Yay!

Audrey still won't sleep through the night! Yay!

Seth is doing better at his Jr. Jazz games and hasn't

sat on the court and cried for various reasons for a game

or two! Yay!

Sasha loves playing basketball, too and has lots for "pointers" for Seth.

He loves that........not really! YAY!

Addie loves to watch Indiana Jones movies. Yay! I suppose. I hate the

Temple of Doom one. We don't watch that one. Yikes.

It is almost March! Yay! I want spring to come now!

I go see my ob on Monday to see if little one is doing

ok. Yay! I still feel the yucky pregnant feeling, so Yay!

Hope you have lots that make you say "Yay!", too!

I knew he was special

Once upon a time, about 12 1\2 years ago, I was having a conversation with my equally tenderhearted friend Heather. We both have soft spots for the elderly, and shy, nerdy teenage boys, to name a few things. Both of which we came across often in the clinic we worked at. We are quite a pair. So anyway, one day at work we were talking about how hard it must be to be blind, for many reasons. We were saying that we walk around on campus during the day and say "hi" many times to friends we see along our way. And blind people, are not able to greet their friends as they pass, if their friends don't say "hi" first. They could easily go an entire day without being talked to. We both thought that was just so sad...... Tenderhearted, I tell ya!

So fast forward to a few weeks later. Will and I had chatted a time or two in our early morning Institute class and one day he asked if he could walk to the gym, as I was headed that way. Off we went, talking and suddenly he put his hand on my arm and said "Just a second". He stopped and called out to a blind friend of his, saying "Hey!! It's Will!! How are you doing today?". I got a lump in my throat as I watched him go out of his way to be a friend to someone that would not have even known they had passed. I knew Will was special. I hoped he would ask me out. He did. And 10 days after that he proposed to me. Happy 12 year anniversary, Will. I love you!!!