Lots of Reading, Lots of Money!

Reading this summer has been so fun.

Thanks Grandma Bills for the great motivation to read.

I mentioned before how Grandma Bills paid a penny a page for each of her grandkids to read or be read to.

Joyanne read 4,533 pages in August.

Noah read 4,054 pages.

Hiram read 1,315 pages.  He doesn't like reading all that much.  So this was good.

Jaden read 3,295 pages.  He's quite the reader for being only six. 

He loved those "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books.

James read or was read to 1,364 pages.

James is reading quite well now and he's only 4 years old.

Grant was read to about 374 pages.

Way to go to my kids!!!

For the months of June, July, and August my kids read and earned:

Joyanne: $76.13

Noah: $52.14

Hiram: $20.15

Jaden: $39.52

James: $16.89

Grant: $4.74

We reminded our kids to pay tithing first and then split the rest evenly to go into savings, then spending.

They were thrilled with all the money they've earned.

Last night Joyanne said a tooth was bothering her.

She wiggled it for about 10 minutes and out it came.

Goodbye molar!

Grant fevered yesterday, last night, and this morning.

He fussed and cried and didn't fall asleep until 10p.m.

Then he was up at 6a.m. this morning not feeling well.

I went out to the couch with him and we slept until 8a.m. 

Joyanne has had quite reaccurring stuffy nose about every other month for the past year.

So I took Joyanne AND Grant into the doctor's this morning.

Grant, of course, has an ear infection.  No surprise there; I was sure of it.

Joyanne was treated for allergies and congested sinuses.

They both started feeling better this evening.

Joyanne had fun playing with Grant in the play area at the Doctor's office. 



Building Blocks and Building Sickness

Daddy and James had fun building this block tower while I went visiting teaching.

They followed the picture out of the "Friend" magazine and read the story that goes with it.

Daddy also played Candyland with James this morning.

They were hiding from me when I got home.

They were fun to find. 

Poor Grant has a little fever.

Joyanne was sneezing a lot this morning and blowing her nose.

She sounds like a fog horn when she blows. ;)

Hiram has had a little sore throat and a frog living in his throat. ;)

James also has had a little stuffy nose.

We talked this morning about making sure we wash our hands after using the bathroom and before we eat.

We talked about eating healthy and getting plenty of rest.

With the start of school, germs are rampant.



Cute Little Terror

How can you be mad at this cute face?

Well, you might get a little mad when he dumps all the dog food in the dogs water.

Or you might get mad when he comes in wet from playing AGAIN in the dogs water after you just cleaned out the water bowl.

You might get mad when he dumps a laundry basket full of dirty clothes all over the hall floor.

Or when he opens the dishwasher and climbs on it to get to things on the counter.

You might become frustrated when he pulls cups out of the cupboard.

Or when he slides a chair to the snack cupboard and raids it.

You might get a little impatient when he dumps your fruit smoothy all over the wall and floor.

Or when he tips all the shoes off the shoerack.

The list goes on, but these are some of the things he's done just today!

So you might get a little mad, frustrated, or impatient, but I sure love this cute little terror.

He keeps me on my toes and makes life exciting.



Bear Scout Badge

Noah received his Bear Scout Badge tonight.  Way to go Noah!

Noah got to pin the bear pin on me.

We worked together and doing scouts is fun! 

I love my Noah boy! 

For their activity, the theme was angry birds.

They used a big sling shot with bean bags and tried to knock down the boxes.

You can't see it very well in the pictures, but those cans and things have angry bird faces on them.

The boys and all the kids loved this activity. 

Migraine tonight.  I think I've figured out what triggers them.

Trying to cope and relax is key.

Migraines help me slow down and remember what's important.

I realize I'm an uptight person, but I'm working on trying to be a calm figure.



Talented Children

 

I love these boys I got to spend the day with.

Daddy said, "There is definitely something wrong with our kids when they choose a salad over meat and potatoes." :)

Isn't his devious smile attractive. ;)

"Can't help lovin' that man of mine!" (From the movie Showboat)

Daddy and Noah worked on his scout achievements tonight.

So nice to see them working together.

Noah also did a report on Hummingbirds for one of his bear scout achievements.

He worked hard to finish his achievements so he can earn his bear badge at pack meeting tomorrow.

I told Joyanne that my favorite music to listen to is . . .  her playing the piano.

She has composed about 10 or so songs, and hearing her play soothes my soul.

I've decided to change how I discipline a little.

But I am struggling giving up my old way and find myself snapping at my kids a bit more.

With the start of a new school and adjusting to schedules and all, it can be challenging.

Park fun and HOMEwork

Noah likes making faces in the Ipad.

He did this a while ago.

I loved relaxing with James and Grant this morning.

We went to the dinosaur museum and then played at the park.

James and Grant didn't want to leave the park.

When I said, "Let's go see Daddy," they wanted to stay and play.

When I said, "Let's go get a treat!" They still wanted to stay and play.

When I told them I wouldn't give them a treat if they didn't come, they finally came.

When the kids came home from school, then it got overwhelming.

I gave Jaden and Hiram piano lessons.

Then it was homework time.

Noah did his homework and then worked on a project for his bear badge for scouts.

Hiram had to redo 3 pages of homework for sloppy handwriting.

He worked on it forever.

Poor kid only got to play outside for 5 minutes.

Trying to shuffle through Noah, Hiram and Jaden's papers and homework was a little overwhelming.

My elementary kids have more homework and papers then Joyanne does from middle school.

Crazy!!!

Another Bunny Dies

Joyanne's little baby bunny died today.

We've been noticing for a week now how it wasn't growing.

We weren't sure what to do for it.

We saw her eat a little bit, but today she was acting limp and lifeless.

Joyanne and I said a prayer before we left for church.

When we came home, the bunny was stiff and dead.

Goodbye dear little bunny.

This little puppy was on our doorstep shortly after we came home from church.

Anyone missing a female pitbull puppy?

I hope we find its owner.

I've decided to hang on to her for 3 days and see if I can find the owner and then I'll take her to the pound.

My kids were highly entertained with her this afternoon.

Jaden's New Bike

Jaden earned enough brownie points to earn his new bike.

So today we went to the store and he picked out the one he wanted.

The bike is a little big for him, and his toes barely touch the ground.

But today he rode a lot and got the hang of it all by himself.

He's so happy with his new bike! 

Grant wanted a picture and said "Cheese!" 

James inherited Jaden's bike and he was excited to try and ride it too. 

Noah played darts most of the day and Hiram joined in tonight.



When I don't get a nap or at least 8 hours of sleep, then when evening comes I get pretty onery and ready to take a break.

Ah, now ready to go watch the show "Revolution" on Netflix.

Lucky Charms

Shopping here is quite the feat.

I shop at Smith's for milk and some produce.

I shop at Davis Jubilee for yogurt, eggs, bread, and some produce.

But I will never buy eggs or milk at Walmart.

Everything else I will.

Prices are high here compared to Idaho and other places in Utah.

So to make ends meet, we shop sells and then buy items where they are cheapest.

Thankfully the drive time for shopping is only about 10 minutes.

Daddy-O is great to help me with the shopping.

Our school carnival was very fun tonight.

It rained, so instead of staying outside, they moved the carnival games inside.

When we came home dinner included . . .

Lucky Charms!!!

The kids were thrilled with cereal for dinner, but first they had to eat 5 vegetables from the veggie tray.

Happy Days!

Just Chillin'

Joyanne and Jaden chillin' on the couch playing her Ipod.

Do you ever have those days where you just wanna lay around and take it easy?

Well, today was one of those days for us.

The kids went to their 2nd day of school and loved it.

I loved school as a kid and I am glad my kids love to go and learn new things too.

Learning can be so fun.

Daddy was home today and we watched movies, read, played our Ipad and just relaxed.

I am still tired from the excitement of this last weekend.

Raising kids is a joy and a blessing.

I feel so blessed to have 6 wonderful children who really bring true happiness to my heart.

At times, it definitely is challenging, but we see daily rewards of love and success from our children.

I am so happy to be a mom!



First Day of School 2013

Joyanne's first day of Middle School.

6th Grade 

She was so excited and talked nonstop about how great school was and all her 6 classes.

Our little girl is growing up!

Look at these handsome boys.

Noah in back is in 4th Grade.

Hiram on the left is in 3rd.

Jaden is in 1st grade and goes all day to school now. 

The boys enjoyed their first day of school.

Jaden was "shy" when talking about his first day.

Noah likes his teacher and got right to work on his one sheet of homework.

Hiram likes his teacher and what he's doing in school.

This afternoon we said "goodbye" to family. 

We had so much fun with them and probably wore them out with hiking each day they were here. 

But we made lots of memories.

Thanks for coming!



Now we are ready to slumber after a fun-filled weekend with family and our first day of school.

Wohoo!!!

So Many Wonderful Memories

DINOSAUR QUARRY - NATIONAL MONUMENT

Jeni and Jason had fun seeing all the dinosaur bones. 

Joyanne and Marissa found a big bone at the quarry. 

Noah enjoyed the hike down the quarry and climbing the large rocks there. 

I had to get this picture.

This morning my neice, Jasmine was pretending to shave her daddy's face.

So adorable!!! 

Stephan and his dad are squeezed up there between those huge mountainous rocks.

They were quite the rock climbers this whole trip.

Where ever there was a rocky mountain to climb, they were there. 

Stephan was a great older brother to his sister, Jasmine. 

Jason and Grant LOVED touching and playing in the water. 

Everyone enjoyed the beautiful hike behind Josie's Cabin. 

Jason found and caught a beautiful butterfly. 

I was also able to hold the pretty butterfly.

Grant was fascinated with it too. 

The background was perfect for picture taking. 

And we made it to the end of the hike where a big rock wall surrounded us. 

This adventurous day wore us out, but we sure had fun.

The best part of this all was spending time with our wonderful extended family.