June 26, 2013

Kate and Samuel played T-ball this year.  Our first time at it.   And we got to be on the same team just like soccer.  Two kids on one team is way better than two kids on two different teams. We had to go and get mitts, and balls, and bats, and we even got some hats too since we were new to the sport.  Then we had a session or two of skill learning in the front yard. The kids took to it pretty well.  They at least were able to participate and contribute to their team.  Kate because she is left handed seemed to have a minor advantage because all the other kids hit the ball to the exact same spot every time- somewhere between the pitchers mound and first base.  But Kate hits the opposite way so her balls always went between the pitchers mound and third base.  We signed up for neighbourhood t-ball, which is cheaper than the rec leagues and you get teamed up with everyone you live by, except so many kids from our neighbourhood signed up that there were two teams.  We got to be on the Green Gators Team.  Mary, Bethy and I cheered them on every Monday and Wednesday morning for an hour for the last several weeks.  It was so much fun to watch them in action.  Each time Sam would come up to bat he would look at me on the bleachers and give me a thumbs up, except he gives me his index finger so it is more like a "number 1"  which works to.  Their favorite parts of T-ball include snacks, and playing catcher and first base... or so they say.  Not hitting, though that is the part they are best at..... well and eating snacks of course too.  They say they won every game except one, and that was because they played a team with a more ferocious mascot.  Nobody keeps score in these games but my kids deducted that it was based on what your team name was.... for example we played the Mosquitos, and they couldn't believe somebody would choose to be that because of course Gators would win in a battle against mosquitos.    I can't remember all of the teams but they are all an animal, and since a Gator is pretty mean and scary we won almost every game.... except when we played something of a similar ferocity... perhaps it was a bear, and they decided that the bear team won.  Funny stuff.

June 29, 2013

I love my Bethy-Roo.
How is it that somebody who I had never seen before two months ago, is suddenly the most familiar face to me.  I have memorized her face, her expressions, and now that she smiles and giggles it is all that much better.

June 23, 2013

 A week or two in photos.  Where has the last month gone?  I think I could sleep for a year.  The yard and four kids are wearing me out.  Especially now that Bethany likes to wake up every hour between 1am and 5am. I hope it is just a growth spurt.

Seriously though, I was telling some friends this week when they were asking about what four kids is like -how you just get to a point of choosing your sanity or not caring.  And that is what makes four kids easier than three.  You are more likely to choose not caring instead of going crazy.  Lucky for me I usually choose not caring now- not always (ask the kids what I am like trying to get them ready to go to church).

Choosing not caring over sanity is exactly why until she pooped all over herself and the carpet this afternoon, Bethany had not received a bath in 8 days.  Eight Days!  I shouldn't tell the world that.  Is it better if you know I wiped her down with wipes a few times in between?  It is better if you know that my other children  had baths at least every three days?  It is worse if you know that the main reason she hadn't had a bath was because I bathe her in the sink, and I like to clean the sink before I bathe her in it, and I hadn't clean the sink in 8 days?
Did I tell you how I was most certain we had a flea infestation in our home.That is how I know how long it has been since Bethany had a bath. Because it was during the "I'm sure we have fleas in our house" panic that both her and the sink were cleaned.  Now I really shouldn't tell the world that, but since it ended up not being true- the fleas- it is now a humorous story.  Or a horrible commentary on my sanity. I woke up one morning (at 3am) with itchy spots and was certain they were flea bites.  That is what being completely sleep deprived and researching health issues on the internet at three in the morning will get you.  So I got up  proceeded to clean the entire house with as much steam power, sanitizer, etc as I could as well as throw every article of clothing, blanket, towel etc. into the laundry room.  Make a run to Walmart at 6am to purchase flea traps, spray and more cleaning supplies and return home to do the laundry until the family woke up an hour later.   I am still doing the laundry I threw in the laundry room 8 day later.  I did not catch one flea with my traps, not one other person was bitten, and with some more sleep, I later and more reasonably concluded the itchy bites did not resemble flea bites and were actually hives (likely caused by stress, not sleeping, one spider bite, too much sun, being covered in dirt, mulch and yard work all the time, some Doterra Oils,  not sleeping, not sleeping, having three sick kids for the last two weeks, not sleeping and stress) and not fleas.  See it is a fine line that sanity.

Here are the pictures-


1&2.   Sam enjoys a water fight with some of the kids in the nieghborhood. I think it was his first water fight ever.  At first he was mad when some of the kids threw a balloon at him full of water.  Then he got into it. "Boys against Girls"  he told me, with about 8 kids for about two hours all around the yards.

3.  Mary still love her blocks.

4. Bethy studying up on her animals/ tummy time

5. Catching a smile

6.  Her eyes are getting bigger

7. Sam's silly face.  I think he has my skin.  He has a pretty good tan right now.

8. Marianne stacking books.  Who knows why.

9.  Her eyes are even bigger.

10 & 11.  Marianne hams it up before church

12.  Sam joins in.  He gave a his first talk in Primary today.  He was so excited he kept loudly telling everyone in the Primary room " I get to give the talk"  even after we reminded him twice to be reverent.  So glad he was so excited and not nervous one bit.

13 & 14. Kate obliges me with a photo.  She wants to be a dancer now and likes to dress up pretty.

15. What has Bethany got herself into around here..... pretend fleas, no bath and so many silly kids.

June 9, 2013

Saturday was another family fun day.

First up.  Free fishing day at the State Park in Midway.  It was not a success.  Our poles all broke and didn't work, the kids were not into it. And we spent 7/8ths of the time fixing poles than actually having our poles in the water.  We gave up.  We caught no fish, though many people around us were. We did see a muskrat swimming around though.

Next up the Saftey Fair.  We sat on a fire engine, saw a helicopter take off, and got free treats and stickers.

Next up.  A day at the farm at the dairy in Midway.  The Dairy Council was putting on a festival.  Games, petting zoo, free lunch and ice cream.  The kids loved the ice cream and petting zoo the most. Marianne got lightly trampled by a goat but otherwise was smitten by all the animals.

Everyone was very worn out by the end of the afternoon, 

June 6, 2013

These pictures look like summer to me.
Visiting Amy and her kids last week we spent the day in swim suits and eating popsicles.
The kids like sititng in our front porch chairs, eating popsicles, drinking ice, and reading books.  Sam looks pretty kicked back.  Kate is taking the library reading program very seriously.
I'm making some pretty great home made popsicles.

June 8, 2013

Our little Bethy-roo is growing up so fast.  Starting to smile more.  We all love her so.