I always write these blog posts on Sunday nights. It is a good time for me to sit down and reflect on the past week and take some time to myself. Tonight as I write, I am asking myself what was important from this last week. As I think about this question, I'll jot down my thoughts.
1) I did two more photo sessions this week. This time of year, I always have people emailing or calling me at the last minute to get pictures. I try not to turn people down because it is decent money and I enjoy the learning, but I have to note that when I do more than one session a week, it makes me very stressed out. I'm not really sure what my future with photography holds. I would love to have, what I consider, a legitimate business, but I don't want to sacrifice my sanity!
2) I went to watch Brooklen play hockey yesterday. I haven't gone and watched him for a few weeks. I was SO impressed with his progress. What a difference practice has made. He is much more skilled in his skating and he is being quite a bit more aggressive. I am so proud of him for working hard.
3) On Friday night, the girls got to go to a fun Halloween party at Sienna's house. I wanted to be a bit spontaneous, so I didn't make dinner and told Brooklen that he could pick anywhere he wanted for us to eat at. He really wanted to go to a good burger place, so we ended up at Big E's, a sports bar that is attached to the Holiday Inn. The meal was more pricey than we usually spend and the food was a bit underwhelming, but I could tell that it made Brooklen feel so good to get to pick the place. Kaiton was asleep for the entire meal, so it really got both Rob and I to himself.
4) Hurley lost her first tooth at Sienna's party! The tooth fairy was tired and forgot to visit on Friday night. On Saturday night, she showed up and left 2 dollars that were folded into hearts for Hurley.
5) Kaiton has really started testing Rob and I this week. I put him in time out twice today and he started biting me when I went to get him to show me how mad I was. I hate being stern with him, but it is time to start discipling him. I want him to grow up to be well-behaved and sweet, like the rest of our kids.
6) Today the kids performed the primary program in church. I played the piano for it. I was impressed with all 3 of my kids; they memorized their parts without us asking them to. I guess peer pressure works!!!
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Week Forty-One
This past week I started getting ready for Halloween. Zaya and I worked at getting the house a little bit decorated for the holiday. I also started preparing my kid's parties for school. This year I am going to be a room mom in both Brooklen and Hurley's classrooms. There are 5 other room moms in Brooklen's class, so I shouldn't have a lot of work in there, but I think I will be doing most of the planning for Hurley's parties. I really love being able to have that job, since being a room mom is something that I can do from home and I don't have to schedule babysitters for my younger kids.
On Monday, I also got another chance to work in Zaya's classroom. She really thrives in social situations and she absolutely LOVES doing her work. All three of our older kids are so focused when it comes to school. She is so meticulous when she is doing her work and makes sure that she does everything perfect.
Later in the week, I also had the chance to work in Hurley's class. She is a very good student. She too, is very focused and intense at school. She is so well behaved and I have peace in knowing that all of our kids will be respectful when they are in outside environments.
On Friday night, Rob took Brooklen to hockey and after hockey Brooklen got to go with the Nymans to the Bridgeport Haunted Train Ride. He had a blast with Jake and he said that he wasn't scared. I stayed at home with Hurley, Zaya, and Kaiton. We played in the basement and then we went upstairs and cuddled in my bed while we watched "Frozen." We had so much fun and even Kaiton paid attention throughout the entire movie.
On Saturday, Rob and Brooklen went to hockey in the morning. When they got home, I took the girls out and ran a few errands. During the afternoon, Rob and I got some work done around the house and in the yard. Later in the afternoon, I went to the back of our neighborhood with the girls to take pictures of the Bills family. Brooklen went over to Jake's house to watch the Michigan vs. Michigan State game (he ended up staying there until 9pm)! Rob had to leave at 6pm to attend a stake youth fireside. Again, I stayed at home with the girls and with Kaiton. We worked on our jump roping skills in the basement and then we took baths and watched a Barbie movie while I blow-dried the girl's hair.
Today, we went to church and then came home and relaxed for a while. This afternoon, Alta Bills took our family photos. We haven't had family photos done since Zaya was 9 months old. It was a lot of work to get outfits together, but I'm glad we finally got pictures done and I'm glad I found someone to trade with. This evening, we took a nice Fall walk around the neighborhood and then the kids played outside a bit with the Nymans.
On Monday, I also got another chance to work in Zaya's classroom. She really thrives in social situations and she absolutely LOVES doing her work. All three of our older kids are so focused when it comes to school. She is so meticulous when she is doing her work and makes sure that she does everything perfect.
Later in the week, I also had the chance to work in Hurley's class. She is a very good student. She too, is very focused and intense at school. She is so well behaved and I have peace in knowing that all of our kids will be respectful when they are in outside environments.
On Friday night, Rob took Brooklen to hockey and after hockey Brooklen got to go with the Nymans to the Bridgeport Haunted Train Ride. He had a blast with Jake and he said that he wasn't scared. I stayed at home with Hurley, Zaya, and Kaiton. We played in the basement and then we went upstairs and cuddled in my bed while we watched "Frozen." We had so much fun and even Kaiton paid attention throughout the entire movie.
On Saturday, Rob and Brooklen went to hockey in the morning. When they got home, I took the girls out and ran a few errands. During the afternoon, Rob and I got some work done around the house and in the yard. Later in the afternoon, I went to the back of our neighborhood with the girls to take pictures of the Bills family. Brooklen went over to Jake's house to watch the Michigan vs. Michigan State game (he ended up staying there until 9pm)! Rob had to leave at 6pm to attend a stake youth fireside. Again, I stayed at home with the girls and with Kaiton. We worked on our jump roping skills in the basement and then we took baths and watched a Barbie movie while I blow-dried the girl's hair.
Today, we went to church and then came home and relaxed for a while. This afternoon, Alta Bills took our family photos. We haven't had family photos done since Zaya was 9 months old. It was a lot of work to get outfits together, but I'm glad we finally got pictures done and I'm glad I found someone to trade with. This evening, we took a nice Fall walk around the neighborhood and then the kids played outside a bit with the Nymans.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Week Forty
As I sit here on Sunday night reflecting on the past week, I am finding it a bit frustrating that I can't remember much about this week. I think that this period in my life is so busy that I sometimes it just seems to be rushing by. My kids are growing bigger everyday and some days I think I definitely forget to be grateful for all of the little moments, even if they are busy and often frustrating, that I have with my sweet family.
We had some awesome fall weather days this week. On Tuesday morning, the weather was perfect and I had remembered that Zaya had a new bike basket that Jenna gave her. She had mentioned to me a couple of times that she really wanted to pack a picnic and carry it in her bike basket. She is still a new rider, so I didn't think she could quite make it to the park, but I asked her if we could pack a few snacks and go for a ride. I was surprised at how far she rode. I had to run with the stroller to keep up with her. We rode all the way through the Oakridge neighborhood to Midland Christian School on Wackerly. Once we got there, I suggested we take a break and asked if she had any snacks. She was so excited to be able to pull the snacks out of her bike basket and provide for Kaiton and I. I made sure to complement her riding skills a lot on the trip and once we made it home, it was very apparent that she was proud of herself.
The kids had the day off of school on Friday. We took the kids to Leahman's Green Apple Barn in Freeland. It was a splendid day! All four of our kids were entertained and the orchard for hours. We played mini golf, looked at pumpkins, played in the sand, rode the barrel ride, looked at animals, and of course, ate cider and donuts. We ended up being there for several hours. At the end, we even convinced the kids to go through the corn maze with us. Although Brooklen and Hurley weren't excited about the idea, they ended up having a great time in the maze.
After we left Leahman's, we ran to Old Navy and then we went to Chuck E Cheese to let the kids use some extra tokens that we had. They all just LOVE that place. We spent about an hour letting the kids play games and then they redeemed their tickets for a few prizes. After that, we drove home and Rob was so awesome . . . he volunteered to make dinner. He made these "gourmet" burgers for all of us with pepper jack cheese and apples. They were delicious and I was so grateful that he stepped up and took charge of dinner because I was pretty beat by the end of the day.
On Friday evening, we played outside for a while and then we had a spontaneous movie night. We were out playing football and Rob mentioned to Brooklen and me that we needed to have "soft hands." He started telling us about a scene from the movie, "Mighty Ducks." I have been wanting show the kids that movie, so when Rob suggested we watch it, I was all in. Within 20 minutes, we had bathed the kids, rented the movie through Amazon Prime, and we were piled in our bed watching it. I think all of the kids liked the movie, and it was fun for Rob and I to watch a "classic" from our childhood.
On Saturday, I woke up and fed the kids and then Hurley, Zaya, and I ran to Meijer to do our grocery shopping for the next week. At 11:30, Brooklen had hockey, so we all went to watch. He is learning a lot and I am so proud of him for stepping up and taking on this intimidating sport. After hockey, we went to Saginaw so that Rob could skydive. We waited a couple of hours, but the wind was too bad, so he ended up having to postpone skydiving AGAIN!
When we got back to Midland, Rob had to leave to a youth counsel meeting. He just got called to be the secretary in the Stake Young Men's Presidency. He will be awesome at that calling! He left the meeting early to come home and watch the kids so that I could go to a photo session.
Today, we went to church and then came home and enjoyed the 74 degree weather. We went on a nature walk on a trail off of Saginaw. The kids enjoyed the time outside and I soaked it in. I think this week might be the last week of 70 degree weather for the year.
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Week Thirty-Nine
This weekend was conference. I wasn't able to listen intently to all of the talks, but I will say, that my cup was filled by many of the words that I was able to sit down and listen too. It is always a struggle to have a spiritual conference experience with four little kids running around, but I was definitely more ready to listen to the inspiring words of the prophet and apostles than I probably ever have been. I have been in primary/music callings for so long, it has been really hard for me to be spiritually fed. I love those callings, but while I need to be better at my personal scripture study, I feel like I really need to be taught. Some of the things that I took from this conference:
1. I need to be less hard on myself. I am enough. I can make my life more simple and stress free by realizing that.
“With such a glorious future,” Aunt Rose said, “why get swallowed up in the past or present things that don’t go quite the way we planned?” -Elder Uchdorf
2. One of the general authorities suggested "ponderizing" scriptures. He and his wife chose a scripture to ponderize every week. I want to do this for my family.
3. I was touched by a talk by Elder Bradley Foster. His talk was entitled, "It's Never Too Early, It's Never Too Late." He spoke about how we need to ensure that our children don't just hear gospel teachings; they need to understand them. The need to know that we are always in our corner. This is something that I want to focus on. I want the gospel to be more of a priority in our home. I want to develop a stronger bond with my husband and with each of my children. I want to be an example.
This week went by fast. I'm not even quite sure what made it busy. I did watch a kids for a few friends on a few different days. I also was able to help out in Zaya's classroom. It was wonderful to be there with her. She is so smart and so kind to other kids. I love the person she is becoming.
Brooklen had an important project to work on. It is due tomorrow. The kids have been very consistent with doing their homework as soon as they get home, but this project was assigned two weeks ago, and he has been very resistant to even start it. I have had a hard time with this, but I felt really strongly that it was time for him to learn his own lessons. I asked him every day if he was ready to start the project and every day, he whined and said, "no." So, Friday came and I told him he needed to start it. He whined and was upset but he did it anyway. Once he started working on it, I think he realized that it would have been easier to start earlier. I hate having to watch my kids make mistakes and learn life lessons, but at 8, Brooklen is old enough to start doing so.
Today was my birthday. Brooklen and Rob bought a small knife sharpener and sharpened the knives for me. I thought this was a very sweet, thoughtful gesture. Brooklen also got me a U of M shirt. Tonight, I made Pho for dinner because I love it! This morning we work up early for a breakfast with the Hales and Ostergaard families. Then, I took Brooklen, Hurley, Zaya, and Samuel Hales over to the church for Laicee Lowes baptism. I played the piano for the baptism.
1. I need to be less hard on myself. I am enough. I can make my life more simple and stress free by realizing that.
“With such a glorious future,” Aunt Rose said, “why get swallowed up in the past or present things that don’t go quite the way we planned?” -Elder Uchdorf
2. One of the general authorities suggested "ponderizing" scriptures. He and his wife chose a scripture to ponderize every week. I want to do this for my family.
3. I was touched by a talk by Elder Bradley Foster. His talk was entitled, "It's Never Too Early, It's Never Too Late." He spoke about how we need to ensure that our children don't just hear gospel teachings; they need to understand them. The need to know that we are always in our corner. This is something that I want to focus on. I want the gospel to be more of a priority in our home. I want to develop a stronger bond with my husband and with each of my children. I want to be an example.
This week went by fast. I'm not even quite sure what made it busy. I did watch a kids for a few friends on a few different days. I also was able to help out in Zaya's classroom. It was wonderful to be there with her. She is so smart and so kind to other kids. I love the person she is becoming.
Brooklen had an important project to work on. It is due tomorrow. The kids have been very consistent with doing their homework as soon as they get home, but this project was assigned two weeks ago, and he has been very resistant to even start it. I have had a hard time with this, but I felt really strongly that it was time for him to learn his own lessons. I asked him every day if he was ready to start the project and every day, he whined and said, "no." So, Friday came and I told him he needed to start it. He whined and was upset but he did it anyway. Once he started working on it, I think he realized that it would have been easier to start earlier. I hate having to watch my kids make mistakes and learn life lessons, but at 8, Brooklen is old enough to start doing so.
Today was my birthday. Brooklen and Rob bought a small knife sharpener and sharpened the knives for me. I thought this was a very sweet, thoughtful gesture. Brooklen also got me a U of M shirt. Tonight, I made Pho for dinner because I love it! This morning we work up early for a breakfast with the Hales and Ostergaard families. Then, I took Brooklen, Hurley, Zaya, and Samuel Hales over to the church for Laicee Lowes baptism. I played the piano for the baptism.
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