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.

June 2, 2013

My four dears in their Sunday best.
These bee dresses I bought for Easter, and bought Bethy one too in case she was here, but more because I thought they were cute and they were really cheap.  Today I joked with Jake, that Bethy will hate these bee dresses as she will have one to wear almost every year since there are three and we do hand me downs in this house.  So funny.
The kids fought over who got to hold Bethany in the picture.  So they all took turns.  And Mary held her baby too.

May 30, 2013

Kate graduated kindgergarden this week.  Last day of school pictures.
I can't believe she is old enough to go to school all day next year.
She had  a lucky afternoon.  Both Jake and I were able to come to her graduation without any of the other kids.  Just her and us.  They had a program where they sang a few songs that they had practiced all year.  Kate had  a little speaking part where she said "E is for excitement, this year we have had some"  Her teacher Mrs. Lloyd gave out diplomas with hat and awards.  Kate received a spelling award.
I have been so proud of her work and learning this year.  She has learned to read, is great a math- it is her favorite other than art of course, and most importantly has made a tons of friends and been a great student in the class room according to her teacher.  I don't doubt she will excell and love school next year as well.
She was a little disappointed she didn't get to ride the bus home because they were going to have ice cream on the bus, so we offered to take her to ice cream. But she wanted a snow cone instead.  Who wouldn't?  One giant cotton candy, watermellon snow cone for my kindergarten grad.

June 1, 2013

1 & 2
Marianne is almost two.  It has become obvious at our house.
Either that or she is missing her bottle which was taken away finally.
Or maybe she has an ear infection again.
Or maybe she is hungry, she is constantly eating and still always seems to want more.
Or maybe she isn't getting enough sleep.... she does wake up around 5:30am.
But she has gone from my always happy delightful good listener to a crying mess.
It is hard to be small when the other kids are big and get to do big kid things.
She has figured out what she wants and that she has choices I guess.  She has been giving me a run for my money this week.

3.
Marianne plays with Mallory in her room.  A first friend it seems for Marianne.  She really is getting bigger.

4.
Sam plays the piano.
We got this piano around Jake's birthday. A long awaited purchase we've been excited about.  We imagined ourselves playing in the evenings, brushing up our creaky skills.  Instead mostly the children play it..... all the time.  And I am constantly running to hush it when one of the baby girls is taking a nap.  Kate has already taught herself how to play a few songs, just listening to the sounds and figuring it out.

5.
Father son campout.  Jake took Sam to the Father son campout this weekend.  Saying he was excited about it would be an understanment of grand proportion.  He asked every day if it was friday yet.  He was excited to pack his bag.  They had a fire which Sam was scared of, and ate hot dogs and did normal camping stuff plus went on a paddle boat.  Sam told me his favorite part was building the tent with his Dad.  I should have guessed.  He loves building and helping more than playing.  Jake told me he would only sleep in a cheap little kid sleeping bag they had brought for him, instead of sleep with it and a normal sleeping bag.  He woke up in the night freezing and Jake helped him get into the 2nd sleeping bag.  He came home and even after a bath was covered in dirt I attempted to scrub off, but he cried I was scrubbing too hard so I quit and he still has dirt on him.
While the boys were away the girl and I attempted a fun evening of our own.  We visited our cousins, got snow cones, and I let Kate rent two movies from the library which we watched together in my bed and then she got to sleep in my room which she thinks is really special.

June 1, 2013

Last year we moved back to Heber.  I was 6 weeks pregnant at the time.
When I saw my dear friend Janalyn  I was suspision she might be too.
Mostly because it wouldn't be the first time we were due with children very near to one another.
I was right.
And as it turns out we actually had the same due date at one point.
Which is pretty hilarious really.
This picture of the two of us is the Saturday before we both had those babies.
We ended up having those lovely  babies thre days apart.  They have met serveral times already, but I finally snapped a picture before they get any bigger yesterday afternoon.