A quote from Ashlyn

I overheard Ashlyn talking to her friend the other day. I'm not sure what prompted her to be on this topic, but quite clearly I heard her say, "If you are my mother's daughter, you must love chocolate!" Yep, she's absolutely right, I eat so much chocolate when I am pregnant (and when I'm not), that it is mixed into their bloodstream when they are born. I'm afraid they are addicted at birth to chocolate...what kind of a mother am I?

Wax Museum

Last week Lauren's fifth grade class participated in their annual Wax Museum. At the Wax Museum each student picks a famous person, and then they dress up as that person, along with a backdrop and a blurb-explaining the most interesting facts of that person's life. Lauren decided to be Julie Andrews, and we chose the backdrop and the costume to represent one of her most famous roles as Maria from the Sound of Music. (Not pictured is the carpet bag with a cd player hidden inside, playing all the songs Julie Andrew sang on the Sound of Music soundtrack.)

It was a great surprise to see Grandma and Grandpa at the Wax Museum, and we were glad they came all that way to support Lauren!

Rolling, rolling, rolling...

Last month we sold all our sugar gliders, along with their cages. Then, we moved the office downtstairs and began work on changing the glider room/office into Ashlyn's new bedroom. Lauren and Ashlyn kept a close eye on the painting, making sure we were doing it correctly. (Ashlyn chose a light green paint with a creamy white accent.)

Trek and Treating

Ashlyn, our little angel (most of the time)

Lauren as a wood nymph

Caleb our "red-neck" hillbilly

Nate as an old-fashioned golfer

For Halloween, we went to a local walking path, where neighbors set up spots and the kids walked around the path "trek-or-treating." Besides a lot of candy, we also had hot dogs and hot chocolate. The weather was perfect...warm and dry. After the trek-or-treating, the girls, Steve and I went out for some traditional trick-or-treating, to make sure the kids don't forget how us old fogies did it way back in the day. Although the boys were willing to go out to the trek-or-treating, they decided they were too old for the "kiddie" trick-or-treating. I figure they received enough candy and weren't willing to work for more.

Carving Up Some Fun

We continued our annual tradition this year of carving pumpkins for Halloween. Everyone picked their own pumpkin and pattern for carving. While I was at the stake center, officiating volleyball, Steve got the gang started on scooping out the gooey stuff from the pumpkin.

This year was the easiest year yet, because everyone except Ashlyn could manage most of the carving on their own.

It was a fun evening, and another successful pumpkin carving event. The pumpkin seeds with the garlic salt were a hit as well. The end result was well worth the clean-up afterwards!

Weekend Wedding

This weekend we traveled to California for Mike and Melissa's wedding. It was a whirlwind weekend, with our arrival in Sacramento on Friday, wedding on Saturday, reception in Redding that night, and return home on Sunday. Luckily the kids behaved well, even after being in the car for over 28 hours. (Blessings on whomever invented the portable dvd players and books on cd)



The wedding colors were purple and purple.



Trying to find purple for the girls outfits this summer was nearly impossible. It took three determined mothers and all the stores in three counties to find what we needed. But, wouldn't you know that now there is purple in all the stores, because it is the hottest color for Fall. (Murphy's Law strikes again)

Interestingly enough when we asked the kids what was the most memorable part of the trip, it wasn't seeing Mike and Melissa married (sorry Mike & Melissa), the 30 wild turkeys on the Sacramento Temple grounds, seeing Mt. Shasta and Mt. Lassen, or staying three nights in three different hotels...it was a breakfast at a casino just west of Reno. That worries me just a bit.

Our Typical Week

I've recieved a little bit of abuse because I've stopped updating the blog. I am sorry... I figured I'd give you a run-down of our last week, so you could see that I'm not ignoring this blog. I just haven't found the time. (This is a typical week.) With 4 kids in soccer, there is soccer training or soccer games every day of the week-excluding Sunday (along with the other activities). I love soccer season, and the running around is part of the craziness. However, In a few weeks when soccer season is over, I will definitely be glad.

Monday-
7:20-Nate and Caleb leave for school.
8:00- Steve leaves for work.
8:30-Lauren and Ashlyn go to school.
9:00-Lana substitute teaching.

3:15-4:00-Lana and kids are home from school. Quick snacks, jobs finished, piano practiced and homework started.
4:00-Ashlyn's soccer practice. I'm coaching Ashlyn's 1st/2nd grade soccer team. Nate and Caleb are my helpers.
5:30-Lauren's soccer practice.
6:45-home and finishing homework/starting dinner.
8:20- eating dinner
8:45-getting kids to bed, cleaning up the house, and preparing for substituting on Tuesday.

Tuesday-
Morning to afternoon- usual routine of getting to school and work.
5:30-soccer training for Caleb and Nate. (Of course both are in two different locations-30 minutes apart)
6:15 UAS meeting for Lana
6:30 Soccer game for Ashlyn. (Rainy game-luckily I was in my meeting, so Steve got to hang out in the rain with Ashlyn)
7:00 YM for the boys.
eating dinner around 8:45.

Wednesday-
Morning- piano lessons for Lauren and Ashlyn (7:30 and 8:00).
Afternoon-piano lessons for Nate and Caleb, and gymnastics for the girls.
Caleb game at 5:30.
Nate referee soccer game.
7:30 home from Caleb's game, starting dinner, homework and jobs. Eating dinner at 8:20.

Thursday-
Morning to afternoon- usual routine of getting to school and work.
Community Council mtg.
Nate soccer training

Friday-
Morning to afternoon- usual routine of getting to school and work.
Lauren on extended fieldtrip
Nate away game at 6:30-home at 10:00

Saturday-
Caleb's away game. Leaving house at 7:30.
Baptism for Sydney, our next door neighbor
Nate refereeing game at 12:00.
2:00-3:30-Cheering on our Cougars-wasn't that a great game!
3:30-Lauren's soccer game.
5:30 heading out to Nate's soccer game.
9:00-home and working on dinner.

Sunday-filled with 3 hours of church, 2 meetings and dinner with family.

Since I've been subbing this week, I am now truly amazed at Mothers who can work and keep their house clean. I'm not sure where they find the time. I am satisfied with a load of laundry and a load in the dishwasher each night after I've tucked the kids in bed.

I've been cleared to substitute teach from Kindergarten to 12th grade. But, Nate's asked that I stay out of his classes. (Though he wouldn't mind me subbing in his school- so I could take him out to lunch on those days.) It is very interesting to see how the kids have reacted to me working. I think they are worried, because in each family prayer they bless me and my substitute teaching. It makes me wonder how they act when there is a substitute in their class. When I come home from a subbing assignment, the first question they ask is how was the class. I may just get the opportunity to find out how they behave-we'll see.

I'm falling asleep right now as I write this post. Time for bed.