Baby Dragons

Joseph asked me today if dragonflies were baby dragons.

It's an interesting train of thought, really.

Because of all the dragonflies we get around here, I'm very glad that they AREN'T baby dragons!

Cornbread Aftermath

Daniel made the corn bread to go along with dinner tonight. He did it all by himself. (I'm sure it tastes fine.)

I was a little surprised at the amount of measuring cups it required to get all the ingredients into the batter. I didn't realize it had that many ingredients! (I'm sure it tastes fine.)

Here are the dishes he left on the counter when he was done. I'm guessing (hoping) that the mixing spoon is in the sink. It obviously isn't Daniel's night for dishes, or he might have been more conservative. Then again, it probably wouldn't have mattered.


The cookie sheet is not part of his mess...it's part of mine. ;)

I can't wait to try some of that corn bread! (I'm sure it tastes GREAT!)

Creative Writing

The boys have brought home some of their schoolwork over the past few days and I made sure to flip through it all to find the creative writing. I found some interesting things. (I won't be using spell check on this post, due to the developing skills of my budding authors. So, I apologize now for any spelling errors I make!)

This first one is from Nathan. It's even illustrated!


In case you can't enlarge the picture, here is what he wrote:

My snowman is really naughty at night, he quiety climbs over the fence around my yard, goes across the bumpy street and across the long field. Finaly he gets to the park and believe me its wild.

A Night in Monsterville
I ran after my naughty dog into the old and deserted house. "Midnight," I yelled, but there was no one there. then I herd a bark at the far end of the hous. I ran in the diretion of the bark and I was in what must be the living room. "Midnight," I called again. Then I saw the fire come on and then of again. I looked around and saw chairs covered in cloth, suits of armor, and a piano playing by itself. I walked to the end of the room and and opened a creaking door that lead into the kichen. I opened a cupboard and there were half a dozen skeleton shaped cups. Then I herd a noise behind me. I turnned around and saw something walk into another door. I followed it into room after room. It started to walk down the steps but I could keep hearing my dog walking upstairs. Then I remembered, I was looking for my dog not what was downstairs. When I looked back at the stairs, the door had shut. I open the door and instead of seeing it going down the stairs went up. This must lead to the room I heard my dog in. I went up, but there was a dead end. Just then the ground collapsed, and down, down, down I went and hit his bed. "Crazy knightmares" I said in disgust.

My Morning
When I wake up I see the faint shadow of my dad standing over me. Every morning I wake up and get dressed. If I'm lucky, the heater will be on. Once I'm dressed, I go downstairs to the laundry room put on my coat, gloves, hat and maybe a head light By the time I'm ready to go outside, my dad is already pumping water into a bucket. He opeans the gate and I say, "water." It seems that breakd Ice is easier the giving hay to the animals. Now that I have my stick I start the process of breacking ice. "Thud, thud, thud, crack, thud, thud, thud, crack", the sound of hitting the inch-thick ice rings in my ears. Well there goes the first one, Next its time for the other one. Finally, now that the buckets all contain ice water and the hay is given to all the animals, I can go back inside to a nice, cozy, warm, house.

The Day of Snow
The news report said there would be snow in the moring. As soon as I could, I ran downstairs. Then I found my boots, gloves, and hat. Before you knew it, I was running back upstairs to tell my little sisters the good news. After I told them, I told my brothers the wonderful news to. They were pretty excited about the possibility of having a day off from school. My mom was the only one who didn't think that a snow day would be fun. She said that weekdays were the time for her to relax and for us to think. We told her that we would just outside and play, and it would be like we weren't even there.


At the very least, the boys keep me entertained. And who knows, maybe one day they'll break through the mechanics and grammar rules of writing to earn lots of money and make me a mother to an author(s)!

Campout

Chad is gone for the night on a scout campout, so we had a little fun tonight.

We watched "Zookeeper," enjoyed some doughnuts, and then got out the Bingo game Daniel got for Christmas. We used conversation hearts for our Bingo markers while eating enough of them to make us sick. After a couple of games of Bingo, we read scriptures and had a song and prayer.

Then the kids got their blankets and settled in for a couple of chapters of Little Town on the Prairie. I turned on some Kenny G for them while I washed dishes and gave them a chance to settle down.

Nathan had been complaining about having to listen to music, but he was asleep first! He didn't even make it through 3 songs. Don't mess with a sexy saxophone! ;)

I had the boys (and everyone else) at the dentist this morning to have some teeth pulled. Nathan had four teeth pulled and Daniel went in for two teeth but ended up losing three. One was loose, so the dentist gave us a "freebie." I don't know how free it really was because it cost the Tooth Fairy an extra 50 cents!

So by now all kids are sleeping, the dish washer is going as well as the laundry. The Tooth Fairy has made her visit and I am heading to bed.

Here is what it looks like in the living room right now. Those blue eyes in the back belong to Cleo, our cat. :)

I remember the days when it was fun to sleep on the floor. Now I only do that when I have no other choice!

Rebekah's Monster

Rebekah (first grade) wrote a little story for school. She followed a given pattern, but the creativity is all hers!

"My new friend is a pink tickle monster.
It says smooooooockie smock.
It eats stufing.
It plays hide and seek."

Personally, I would love to hear this monster!

One of "Those" Days!

Today really started last night when Chad was hooking up the trailer to his truck in anticipation of making a trip to Rexburg to buy some hay. When he went out this morning, he realized he'd locked his keys in the truck. No big deal...I have a key to his truck. The problem was that he'd left the key turned in the ignition and the battery was DEAD.

I had no clue that there was a problem until Daniel mentioned something about Daddy having a hard time getting the van out with the truck in the way. I threw on some pants and went out to help. By that time, he'd unhooked the trailer, put it in the garage instead of the van and had the van up to the truck as close as possible (there is a fence in the way). We got the truck started and headed back inside to finish getting the kids ready for the day.

I changed back into my pjs and finished getting the kids out the door. Chad had already said good-bye and had been gone for at least 5 minutes when I looked out the window to check on the kids (waiting for the bus). There was Chad again, trying to tow the truck into a good spot so that he could get the van up to it. The engine hadn't run long enough and the battery was still dead. So while the bus is pulling up to get the kids, we are straining to push the truck. We were no match for it, but were able to get the van closer (barely).

Once he was on his way, Chad had no more trouble. But he was late and couldn't stop at the bank to get the money for the hay. So I took Joseph and Sarah with me and pulled out what he needed. The plan was to be waiting for the afternoon bus to immediately take the boys and the money to meet Chad at work so he could get to Rexburg on time.

WELL, the school called just as the final bell was ringing to say that Leah didn't feel well and thought she might throw up. Did I want to come and get her or just have her come home on the bus? I couldn't load up the kids that fast, and how many times have we heard a child say they thought they were going to throw up and never do it? Besides, Sarah was constipated and I had just given her a suppository that I was waiting on.

When the bus was late (and Sarah still had not pooped), I wondered if Leah had thrown up. It finally arrived and Leah got off with a red and tear-stained face. Yes...she had thrown up...twice. The bus was late getting to the middle school because of it. I'm very sorry for her having to get sick publicly and to have the bus driver get that nice present, but I'm grateful it happened on the bus and not in my van! They can just hose down the inside of the bus!

So she and Rebekah stayed home while I drove the boys to meet Chad. Joseph and Sarah came along for the ride. :) Everything was nice and calm and Leah only threw up once. It took Chad a while to get home because he was over-loaded with over a ton of hay and was sticking to back roads. (He fell off the half-loaded truck once while he was loading it and is still finding places that are sore.)

When he got home, I went out to help him unload. We got the trailer backed up and unloaded and Chad pulled out to park the trailer so we could unload the truck bed. Remember that we recently got a new drain field? That left us with loose dirt. Normally, this time of January would give us frozen ground. But because of the warmer weather, we have MUD. And the truck found a really soft spot, burying the rear driver tire up past the bumper. It was still loaded.

That began the job of unloading the truck on the other side of the pasture from where we wanted it. Meanwhile, we were fighting off two very hungry calves. Once the truck was unloaded and a bit of digging was accomplished, Chad was able to free the truck. That began the job of REloading the truck to drive around the soft mud to get the hay bales where we needed them. It took 3 trips.

At one point, Chad was chasing after the troublesome cows and stepped (fell) right into the hole the tire had been in. He was in mud up to his knee. Maybe it sounds mean, but I laughed so hard I almost fell out of the back of the truck! When a cow fell in the same hole and also struggled to get out, I thought the show was well worth my money. :)

We finally got the hay moved and were driving the truck out of the pasture, so I walked ahead to open the gate. I stepped right into a different mud hole up to the top of my chore boot! I had to pull my foot out and have Chad pull out my boot. Ah...more laughing. And now my foot was cold and muddy. We had to move the trailer by hand and get it out of the pasture.

The best part? That isn't even half of the hay that Chad paid for. He has to go back! It will take two more trips. We are sad farmers, but we laughed a lot. Our coats went right into the washer, including Leah's coat with throw-up on it. The pants and socks still need to be laundered. Chad's shoe came in filled with water because he's sprayed them off. His sock was dripping mud. We both have sore muscles and new bruises.

BUT, I was able to accomplish something during a quiet moment this afternoon. I made this menu chart for our dinners. We chose some of our favorite meals then I divided them into categories and color coded them. We'll pick from our tried and true favorites and add a new recipe every once in a while. Knowing what I'm going to make for dinner has really helped this week!

We expect tomorrow to be boring after the day we had! How was your day?

Neglected Children

While I was outside shoveling the snow off the sidewalk and driveway (so glad we finally got some), Joseph(4) and Sarah(2) were left alone inside. I knew Sarah needed to be dressed, but PBS was doing such a good job keeping them busy, that I decided to let it wait until I came back inside.

I have such helpful children. It doesn't hurt that Sarah is so fun to take care of, either. So when I got back in the house, Joseph mentioned he was having trouble getting Sarah to let him put her shirt on. BUT, he did told me, he was able to change her diaper! And before I was able to put my boots away and hang up my coat, Sarah had pulled her own shirt over her head.

Here are the triumphant children. The shirt is on right (she got lucky, think), the diaper is on backwards. However, I think it would have still served its purpose. Good job, you two!

I'm just glad you didn't decide to start cooking while I was outside!

Leah's first birthday party...at 8 years old!

I like planning, I like challenging my creative brain cells, I like parties. I do not like work (I admit it, do you?). Because I am lazy, I have not hosted too many birthday parties for my kids.

Daniel has had the most parties...because I didn't know yet how lazy I was. Daniel's last party was at 8 years old. Nathan's only birthday party was when he turned 8. Leah was really looking forward to her birthday party (for about 2 years).

I heard someone mention that they have promised their kids birthday parties at 8, 12, and 16 (the "big" years). I thought that was reasonable. I have adopted it as my own plan. That means our next party will be in June, when Daniel turns 12 and then we won't have another one until August next year when Rebekah turns 8. (Of course, we celebrate as a family. I am referring to inviting friends.)

Another guideline for parties I use is one guest per year of age. So Leah was forming a guest list of 8 girls. Leah is very social and this was a hard list for her to form! In the end, I allowed her to add one more.

Not surprisingly, we were having a horse-themed event. It started with the invitations.

Of 9 invited guests, 8 girls arrived (but we were prepared for all 9). I think I can remember when people knew what "R.S.V.P." on the invitation meant. With Leah and Rebekah, we had 10 little girls and LOTS of giggles!

We played a couple of games. This one was a version of horseshoes. I thought bean bags would be a lot better to throw inside that horseshoes.

We also played "Pin the Tail on the Horse." I think we got the hardest laugh when Rebekah's "tail" ended up in front of the horse!

We had asked each girl to bring a toy horse for a horse show. We had quite a variety of horses!

When it was time for presents, Sarah was center-stage. We made her in charge of picking out which present Leah would open next. This way, we didn't have to worry about her opening the presents while we weren't looking (and she would...because she's naughty!). :) She handed the presents to Leah faster than Leah could get them open!

Leah has got a cute bunch of friends.

While we opened presents, Chad, Daniel, and Nathan (and Joseph) were judging the horses. They were deciding the award for each horse on the spot. I knew they were going to get silly with that. We had awards for fanciest, nicest, happiest, fluffiest, fastest, sparkliest, etc.

After presents were opened and horse show awards were presented, it was time for cupcakes and ice cream! After the horse cake I'd made the week before, I was all for cupcakes! We stuck a horse head silhouette in each one and called it good.

Who wants strawberry ice cream?

Even though the invitation said to wear your hair in a pony tail, Leah insisted on pig tails. Which I guess is fine since I'd totally forgotten about her hair anyway and it was hanging down while all her friends arrived with their hair up!

I guess 10 little girls at one table was too much for the "men" to handle. They took their refreshment in the living room.

It was a two-hour party, but we were done after 90 minutes. The girls all went outside to play afterward until their families came to get them. That was fine since winter still hadn't arrived and there wasn't any snow to keep them from having fun.

I think Leah really enjoyed her first birthday party. And after her actual birthday and then her baptism, I was glad it was all over! :)

Rebekah lost her first tooth!

The darned tooth had been loose forever. The new tooth was already halfway in and the baby tooth refused to go. Rebekah finally got the courage to have it removed and asked her daddy to do it. Have you ever tried to tie a piece of dental floss around a teeny tiny tooth? It's near impossible.

So they moved onto the bathroom and tried something else. After a few tugs and twists, and a lot of screams and squeals, the tooth was out! Doesn't Rebekah look happy about it?


She cleaned herself up and learned that blood doesn't just wash away.


So she got a tissue and nursed herself a bit. Congratulations, Rebekah! You can expect a visit from the Tooth Fairy tonight!


Sarah would like to let you know that she still has all of her teeth (that have grown in). Doesn't she have a nice smile? I always think of a bull dog when she smiles like that!

We had a baptism

When you turn eight years old, you have the opportunity to be baptized. This was a day that Leah was looking forward to and fearful of all at the same time. She was nervous of her interview with the bishop, but came out smiling. Leah surprised both Chad and me by reading (and finishing) the Book of Mormon all on her own. She beat her older brothers!

We made Leah a pretty white dress for her baptism. And then we bought some footless tights to keep things private...just in case! ;)
The nervous girl and her Daddy. There was a small bit of humor when Chad and Leah did a bit of a dance in the font while trying to figure out which way to stand. But the ordinance itself went smoothly and nothing popped up when it wasn't supposed to.

We don't get a whole family picture very often, but a special day like this calls for one. The kids have grown a bit since Nathan baptism two years ago!

Grandma Black was able to come for the event. Leah was glad to have her there! Grandma and Grandpa Collett would have liked to come, but Grandma took a spill the week before and was home with a broken ankle. We missed them!

After the baptism, we returned to the house for taco soup. We had some friends stop by and enjoyed visiting with them. At one time, we had 13 kids around our table!!

Leah got her own scriptures and a scripture tote to read from. No more fighting over scriptures for her!

Congratulations, Leah! We are proud of your good choices!

Leah turned 8!

It was a much anticipated day, but it finally arrived and Leah celebrated her 8th birthday!

As required, there was a birthday cake. I worked much of the night before on a cake top, only to ruin it and throw it out. So the next day I scrambled for plan B. Plan B ended up with me buying a new cake pan. It resulted in this horse cake. Leah is a little horse crazy, as you may know.

I used my favorite crafting tool and made a birthday shirt for Leah (and Rebekah and Sarah). Leah is really into "piggie tails" lately.

The highlight of a birthday is the presents. Don't we all know it? Leah got her share. One present came indirectly from Leah's great-grandpa Russell. She received a small metal horse that he had played with as a boy. We're convinced it's a bank, but we've yet to get it open. It has a broken leg, but still stands. We figure the toy is around 90 years old. :)

And while there were other presents...

the other horse was another favorite.

After presents is CAKE! Eight candles? That's going to take a lot of breath to blow them out.

Happy Birthday, Leah! We love you!

All By Myself!

Sarah picked her own clothes and put them on...all by herself.  But what is that peeking out under her shirt and pants?  That would be her pajamas.  :)

She got dressed twice today, by the time we were all done.

This little girl is growing up too fast!

Happy New Year! (Good-bye 2011)

Did you notice that we're in a new year? No kidding, right? I almost feel silly posting about it over 2 weeks late. However, these are memories for our family more than a way to share pictures with friends and family, so here are the pictures and story.

Our New Year's Even party was typical...snacks, games, movies. We watched TWO movies from Netflix through the Wii. We played some games, we argued a bit. And everyone was up at midnight to bring in 2012. We did have to wake Rebekah up after the 2nd movie, and I tried really hard to fall asleep myself. :)

We had noise makers. We wore them out.


We also had some confetti poppers. They were pretty fun and mostly worked. Chad had to help a very cranky Rebekah with hers.

We think confetti is really fun to wear.


I didn't even mean to wear any!

Daniel is too cool to have fun. Did I mention he's a preteen?

I think Rebekah is making a tradition of crying during our New Year's Eve celebration. How fun it would be to get another picture like this next year!

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope your year brings you good fortune and happy memories.

Christmas 2011

Well, we planned and anticipated all year long and then Christmas was suddenly here. At least, that's what it seemed like happened!

On Christmas Eve we had a nice, beautiful dinner, very similar to a Thanksgiving feast. Afterwards, we acted out the Nativity story (somewhat irreverently) and then forced the kids to bed.

Here is what the living room looked like when Santa's elves finally got to go to bed. I think it looks beautiful and peaceful and Christmasy. :)
We told the kids that they couldn't come down until 4 AM. They were then allowed to come take a peek at what Santa left, but they couldn't touch anything! They weren't allowed to wake us up until 6 AM. Daniel was at our bedside at 06:00:00 MST. Rebekah is usually not a morning person, but she found a way to perk right up this time. Sarah, also not a morning person, was not so easily affected.

This year, Santa wrapped his presents; a deviation from his usual behavior. We didn't want the kids to see what they were getting before we were ready. Santa left us a Wii system and we have been having so much fun with it! Definitely, one of Santa's best gifts.

We had a lot of fun opening presents and helping each other open presents.

Daniel got his first official pocket knife. He's been asking for one for quite a while, but his mother was just not ready for that. (You can see the strap of a Wii remote hanging from his wrist. hehe)

That pocket knife came in handy when we needed a box opened!

Leah's face only gets this happy when horses are involved. (It's a horse barn.)

It may not look like it, but we had less presents this year. That felt really good to me!

We had church at 9 AM, so we saved our stockings until after we got home. The kids were a little fidgety, with thoughts of Christmas running through their heads, but the meeting was very nice and made the day for me.

Daniel is a preteen. That should explain why he's off by himself.

Yes, the Christmas hurricane has been here.

My job was to set up the Wii. We got it up and running and then piled into the van for a last minute trip to Utah to have Christmas dinner with cousins.

We got to play a bit on Monday and then had another trip to spend time with family on Tuesday. The girls had fun playing with their cousin's dress-up clothes. :) Three princesses! (Rebekah is on the left.)

The rest of Christmas vacation went typically...everyone lounged and I tried in vain to keep up with everything.

I hope your Christmas celebrations were meaningful and memorable!