Happy Days

I keep thinking it will turn into fall weather, but last week we had a little taste of it.  Thursday evening we had a big thunderstorm and lots of rain.  The rain lasted through Friday.  We got about 3 inches of it.  This storm cooled everything down and for a couple of days it felt really nice outside, with highs in the 80’s and lows into the 60’s.  Then we got back up to highs in the 90’s and lows around 75.  I guess I should be thankful we have a short winter.  Thursday evening right after I put the kids to bed our power went out.  I did a few things with a flash light and then just went to bed.  I put my watch by my bed and hoped the power would come back on sometime in the night and I would wake up and notice so I could set my alarm clock.  Well, I woke up at 5:58, looked at my watch with my flashlight and was surprised the power was still out.  Right then the power came back on.  So it was out for about nine hours.  I am thankful I woke up in time to get Ruth up for school.  It wasn’t raining when she had to leave so that was nice for her.  When I took the boys to and from school Friday it was pouring rain!

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day.  We were all happy for the nice weather.  The kids spent all morning outside.  They built cute little stick houses under the tree.  The ground was all soft, so they could push sticks into the ground.  I took Spencer and Caleb to a birthday party for a family in our ward.  They had fun playing outside at the party.  In the afternoon we had a babysitter come over.  The kids like her.  Neal and I went to Baylor’s art museum room and saw a display on Ansel Adams black/white photography.  The prints were so beautiful.  There were some I would have been happy to have hang in my house.  We then went for a walk by the river and then out to dinner.  It was a nice afternoon.  The babysitter had fun braiding Ruth’s hair in small braids.  Sunday morning Ruth took them all out and enjoyed some frizzy hair for a couple of days.

Last week Ruth’s glasses broke.  The hinge of the frame broke.  Thursday was an early out day for the kids (they get them once a semester for teacher development time) so we had time to go into the eye doctor and try to get something for her.  We weren’t eligible for insurance help since it hadn’t been long enough to get another pair of glasses.  We were able to find an inexpensive frame that her lenses fit into though.  I was thankful we found something for her.  And she likes that the new frame is purple, which is a hip color with girls right now at her school.  She thought it was fun how many of her friends like her new glasses.

Andrew has been talking to me more about things going on at school.  It is fun to hear about his day and what he thinks about.  He usually talks to me while we are doing work together.  Last night he helped fix dinner and told me lots of fun things.  Monday was his GT day and he was so excited when he came home because they had been building with Lego at school!  They were working on building a robot with the Lego in class.  He has really been into Lego lately and is always building something with it.

Spencer likes the Lego too.  He is starting to do better following the directions to build things.  Although his favorite thing is just putting together some creation of his own.  He is always so happy after school.  He says it is wonderful every day.  He is reading well and got all his spelling words right on his first spelling test ever.  

Caleb is really enjoying playing with trains.  He will build some great layouts of track and play with the train most of the day.  Sometimes I get on the floor and help him build it.  He also likes to play puppy still.  Yesterday we went to the zoo with his preschool group.  We had a fun time seeing animals and visiting with our friends.  Then we went shopping.  While at the grocery store he was chanting “momma” in different tones and being very silly.  Many people laughed with him and one lady even started saying “momma” back to him.  It was funny. Then we got home and he crashed for 2 1/2 hours.  He has been taking naps in the afternoon and often I will carry him out to the car to go pick up the boys from school and then carry him back into the house, still sleeping.  I think it is funny he can take a nap even with going to the school.  Today he fell asleep 15 minutes before we needed to leave, he stayed asleep going to and from the school and will sleeping on the couch right now.  

Saturday Neal was able to work on the garden and we got things planted.  I guess we will see what we can grow before it freezes.  We are planting a month late, because it was just too hot.  Last night I went to my book club and enjoyed getting out and visiting with the other ladies.  I am looking forward to the Relief Society meeting this Saturday.  Things are good and the kids are happy and well.

Ruth with her hair styled and her new glasses.

Spencer asked me to take a picture of him too, he is always goofy.

Caleb playing trains before church.

The kids fun stick houses for their animals.  They are still standing.

This bush has been so pretty this year.  I am glad that there are flowers in my yard all summer long.

The garden all planted.  Amazingly the pepper plants we planted last spring are still alive and are starting to flower again.  So we might get a good harvest this fall.

Is Fall Here?

Another busy week in our lives has passed us by.  Last Thursday was my last parent meeting at the school.  Since Neal works late on Thursdays I had a friend come over and watch the kids for me while I was gone.  The kids had fun with her, because she just played with them for an hour.  I am always thankful for the service friends give to me.  It was good to go to the schools and hear from the teachers the things going on in the class room.  I feel blessed that we live in a school district that I think is doing a good job and I feel comfortable sending my kids to each day.  And, the kids love going.  Spencer said to me the other day “Mom, school makes me happy!”  

Caleb and I enjoy our time together during the day.  We went to the park for play group, library story time and getting new books there too and just hanging out together at home.  He really likes a green rug in the children area of the library.  He will go in there and lay down on it, rolling around saying how soft it is.  He is enjoying his little preschool.  This week they did the letter B.  I had asked Andrew to help Caleb pick out something he could bring for show and tell.  Andrew helped Caleb find about 10 things that start with B and filled up his back pack with them.  Caleb was so excited about it I let him take it all because he couldn’t decide what to leave home.  He had so much fun going.

Andrew had fun going to cub scouts last week.  It is fun he can be involved in that.  He looks forward to his GT class too.  Monday morning he was so excited to go there again.  He is doing better with his reading.  His teachers are encouraging reading chapter books, to increase their stamina, that not all stories end in a few minutes of reading.  

Ruth is doing well in school.  She gets her work done at school most days.  I asked her last week if she needed to study for her spelling and vocabulary tests on Friday.  She responded “I feel confident I will do fine and don’t need to study.”  She got 100’s on the tests.  She is excited that tomorrow is an early release day for teacher development classes, because she said she hasn’t been getting enough reading time and wants to read tomorrow afternoon.  She was also disappointed that she can only check out one book a week from the school library.  Good thing we have lots of books at home and have the city library.   

Spencer is working at learning to build with Lego.  He likes making his own creations more than following the instructions that come with kits.  He had lots of fun Saturday when Neal let the boys play with his Lego.  This week is Spencer’s first spelling test and he is working hard learning his words.  His reading is coming along really well.  I am happy with him that he is doing so well with it.  He loves books and is excited to read them.

Friday evening we had the missionaries over for dinner.  As we were talking I just was so impressed with these young men.  It made me really think about why we send out young people to teach the gospel.  They are young and pure and have strong testimonies from going through the young men program and seminary.  They are so ready to share it with others.  It is so wonderful to have them in our home as an example to my children.

Saturday evening we went over to a friends home for an open house for their son who went into the MTC today.  That is exciting for their family to have a missionary.  When we first moved here he was 11 and Neal was called to be his scout leader.  He has grown into a great young man and will be an excellent missionary. 

Last week I tried making split pea soup.  I had some old peas that had darkened but I thought they would be okay.  Well I cooked them in my crock pot for about 8 hours and dinner time came and they were still crunchy.  I was surprised.  So we opened can soup to eat for dinner.  I cooked those peas over night on low in the crock pot and in the morning the peas were a little softer but still crunchy, and they had turned brown.  I was sad because I like split pea soup and was frustrated that it didn’t work.  I will have to use fresher peas and try again!  We ended up putting the soup into the compost pile. 

Saturday morning Neal took Ruth and Andrew to Cameron Park to ride bikes.  They got up early so they could do it before it got too hot.  They had a great time and I thought it was great they could do something together.  We have also decided that both Ruth and Andrew need bigger bikes.  They are growing so fast!

I put out all my fall decorations hopeful that it will help me feel like it is fall, but so far it is still hot and hard for me to want to be outside.  Neal was able to dig up our garden area.  I hope we can plant something in the next week or so.  We are already almost a month behind in planting because of the heat.  So I might not get much of a fall garden.

No pictures this week, sometimes I just forget to get out the camera. :)

Hot Summer

September is being a hot month this year.  It has been really hard for me to want to be outside.  I go for a walk after I get the kids off to school and get so hot and sweaty that I have to come home and shower.  Then I stay inside as much as I can!  I have no motivation to get my fall garden going either.  This week we did get a little rain which will help a lot to get the ground softer for the garden.  Things have been so dry this summer.  Saturday afternoon I took the kids to Burger King and used our coupons we had for free ice cream. It tasted good on a hot day.

Last week I stopped by the consignment furniture store in town.  I stop there every once in a while just to see if there is anything interesting.  This time I found a great deal.  I was able to buy a swivel rocker chair, the exact type I have looked for but couldn’t find in a new furniture store.  It reminds me to the type of chair they have at church in the mother’s nursing room.  I also found two 3 shelf book cases that match what we already have in the front room.  I was excited about that.  Amazing that I found something that matched!  And they were in good condition.  What we have we got for wedding gifts, so this is an old style from Target that they no longer make.  Neal was able to get the furniture home for me and I have been enjoying the chair in my bedroom.  When we got the book cases home I realized that the one case that had shelf pegs with it, the pegs were the wrong size and the other case didn’t have shelf pegs.  So that was a set back.  I looked up the company on line and requested information on shelf pegs from them.  I got an email back saying they would just send me some, at no charge, since they were a small item.  I look forward to getting the shelves up and rearranging all my books. 

I have been going to the schools for parent meetings this week.  It has been good to go meet the teachers and hear from them what they are doing in their classes.  I think the kids have great teachers for them.  Spencer has a teacher who is bouncy and full of energy, just like Spencer!  Spencer’s teacher is teaching the kids ASL.  He comes home every day and shows me the new signs he has learned.  He loves it.  Ruth loves her science class.  This week they built little ecosystems in 2 liter bottles.  She is getting use to a new school.  Andrew was excited about starting his GT class (gifted and talented).  He is in the same program Ruth has done.  The district does a full day pull out program.  He is bussed to another school (Ruth’s school) for a day in a classroom with GT teachers and students.  He enjoyed going and thought the best part is that one of his GT teachers is a man, his first in his schooling.  

Caleb has been noticing bird houses this week.  It is fun to see what he notices and his excitement of simple things.  We went to the museum Friday and had fun with friends there.  Then Tuesday Caleb started his preschool.  We are doing a small group with three other mom’s.  He was so excited about it and told me lots about it.  It was fun for him and nice for me to have some time to myself.  Caleb has decided to grow up and be done with diapers.  It is so nice!  I am excited to be done with them myself, after 10+ years changing diapers it will be good to not do it any more.  He has done so well and very rarely has accidents.  I am so proud of him.  

Last week my visiting teachers came and I enjoyed a visit with them.  I also enjoyed going to a Relief Society activity last night.  I am thankful for the good people in my ward and their friendship.  

Spencer was given this beautiful blanket for his birthday from a friend in our ward, he loves it!

My new chair

Busy Week

I thought things would slow down once school started but I feel so busy this last week.  I guess we are still getting use to the new school schedule and getting everyone going at the right times.  Ruth is doing well getting up early to catch the bus.  I know she doesn’t like riding it, but it is working well for her to do it.  It is nice that she gets home from school just a few minutes after the boys, so at least she isn’t too late coming home in the afternoon.  They are all enjoying school and getting use to new things.  

Last night Andrew and I went to the school to meet the GT teachers.  He will be starting the gifted and talented program next week.  He is excited about it but also nervous and was very quiet with the teachers last night.  I hope he can warm up to them and enjoy being in the program.

Last week I did some canning.  I decided to try canning strawberries.  I know from things I read about it that strawberries aren’t the best thing to bottle, but I did 8 pounds worth.  After all strawberries have been 98 cents all summer, I thought I would take advantage of the low price.  I thought I really like cooked fruit on pancakes and it will make a nice syrup, I hope.  Then I bottled 14 quarts of apples.  I peeled them all by hand!  That was time consuming.  Next time I decide to do apples I should get me a apple peeler!  

Caleb has been enjoying time alone with me.  He likes to play quietly or sit on my lap when I am sitting down.  He is talking a lot and sometimes distracts me from what I am trying to do.  He is doing wonderful at toilet training.  Last week I decided we would just do it and jumped right into wearing underwear.  He has had very few accidents and is very motivated to do it.  I know that when they are a little older this toilet training thing is so easy.  The hardest thing right now is he still needs help.  But I am sure in a couple of months he will have it down by himself.  I can’t wait to say I am completely diaper free!  Caleb has also been fascinated with water towers and babies.  Whenever we are outside and he sees water towers he gets so excited.  He will even count how many he can see at once, sometimes up to 3 around here.  He loves babies.  Today at the library he went over to one and just smiled so big as he said “he is a cute baby.”  Last week I baby sat for a friend and Caleb was so excited to have a baby in our house he was jumping up and down saying “we have a baby today!”  

Friday evening we had a ward dinner.  It was nice to be with friends and also nice to just get out for an evening.  Saturday evening I did hair cuts for the boys.  I am getting faster and better.  It only took an hour to do all three.   

Monday was Labor Day and the kids were home from school.  They had fun playing in the water.  They enjoyed their slip and slide that Andrew got for his birthday.  Neal came home after working just the morning and we had fun having him around too.  

Things are busy but good.  The kids are getting involved in more things and that also gives me more to think about!  I hope my mind is up to the challenge of helping with home work and keeping everyone on schedule.