Gooey Eye Monster

The Gooey Eye Monster came to our house and infected our little Zoey. It's so sad!! Here eyes are so gooey and red. I took her to the Dr. this morning and even the Dr. said "WOW, that's horrible", when she saw Zoey. Unfortunately, Kaia's eyes are turning red too, so more gooey crap to come!

How do ya like that snot along with the gooey eyes?? This is her typical look for now!

Visit to Santa

They day after Thanksgiving we visited Santa at Bass Pro Shop. The kids loved exploring the store and especially liked their HUGE fish tank with very large fish in it. Everyone was excited about Santa but Zoey was scared to death when she saw him. The only way she would get close to him was if Thayne or I were holding her. Jaed was not going to sit on his lap no matter what and Josie had about 100 things she was ready to tell Santa she wanted.

My first born!

It's time to spotlight my kids. Today I'll spotlight Jaed:






















I don't think I could ask for a better 'first born' child. He would have never made it as a middle child and especially the youngest. He needed to be the first in our family. He protects his four little sisters when someone tries to hurt them but also tries to keep his sisters in line. He's very loving, empathetic, and funny! He and his Dad are the best of friends and Thayne is so excited to have a gamer for a son. They love to play games together, talk about different games, and learn new games. I think they are both in their own little heaven when games are involved.

Some facts about Jaed:

• Jaed is extremely smart and LOVES to read. He has quite a library in his room (thanks to Mom) and I catch him rereading books all the time.

• He's not a guy that has lots of different friends. He has a few very good friends and is extremely loyal to them.

• Jaed loves Legos and Star Wars. When the two things are together he's beside himself.

• Jaed enjoys bike riding, taking things apart and rebuilding them, and teasing his sisters!

I don't think I tell Jaed that I love him enough. Even though there are times I wonder if he'll make it in this world, I know that he will be a strong man with great success. He came into my life when I thought for sure that I wasn't going to have any kids. He truly was a blessing from God!!!

Beer breath!

My baby (ok, she's not a baby but she's my baby!) is a Wino!! My friend's son was having a Birthday party at the bowling alley and invited our whole family, so we went. Well, if you've been to a local Bowling Alley you know that they usually sell beer and you're not allowed to drink it in the bowling area, SOOO the drunkards leave their beer on the tables above the bowling area without even realizing that the area is FULL of kids. Can you guess where I'm going with this??? Well, I turned my head to watch Indi bowl and when I looked back to check on Zoey she had her back to me, and was tipping a cup up and drinking something. I was not too worried cuz I just assumed it was someone's root beer from the party but...nope! When she turned around she had a cup of beer in her hands and was smackin' her lips! I was so shocked that I just yelled her name. Well she spilled some of the beer on her clothes and the owner of the beer cup turned around to see her holding it. Thank goodness I got to her before he did and I grabbed the beer, handed it to him and grabbed Zoey. He mumbled something about his cup being full at one time and now it was only 3/4 th of the way full. I just gave him a dirty look and walked away. I wasn't sure how much she drank but when she breathed on me I about passed out. She certainly had enough to cause wino breathe and her clothes smelled like beer as well.

My first thought was, WHAT HAVE I DONE!! Now my child can't say that she is alcohol free...EVER! But then my friend told me that if she really got a good swig of beer she'll sleep well tonight and I was calm again!!

This isn't her at the birthday party, but it is a frequent thing she does!

























Here's some more cute pics of Zoey:

Parent Teacher thingy`

Last night was parent teacher conferences and I was a little nervous about going in. I think I was basing my kids level of academic skills on how well I homeschooled them.

Jaed's teacher said that he was doing great and had no concerns academically or socially. What??? I know.....it's great!! We know he is super smart but we also were ready to hear about any problems socially he might be having, but we didn't hear any such thing. YIPPPEEE!! His teacher is also going to recommend him for the gifted and talented program as well. WAY TO GO JAED!!

Josie's teacher is very nice young girl (yes, I said she was a girl. She can't be older than 25!). She said that Josie is starting to raise her hand and answer questions and seems to be making friends in class. Academically, she has concerns. We're not surprised because we have concerns as well. She is struggling with retaining things and reading. She does seem to pick up on the math quite quickly, so we're very happy about that. We discussed things we can do to get her the help she needs and I do feel confident that Josie will get the help she needs because I won't accept anything less than that. Thayne and I are determined to make sure she succeeds and is not left behind!

Indiya's teacher couldn't say enough about Indi. She called Indi a "true delight", a "great worker", a "very kind child" and ended it by saying "I love having her in my class!". That is exactly what every parent wants to hear. She also went on to say that Indi is in the top of her class and she will be submitting Indi's name for the Gifted and Talented class. She said that she is more on a second grade level than a first grade level. WOW!! We weren't expecting that but we're happy for her!

Halloween

Since Halloween is on a Sunday this year our church has organized a Trunk or Treat the day before and my friend Tammy's congregation was doing the same but theirs was the weekend before so the kids get to go to hers and then ours. I think that will be plenty of candy for them.

Jaed wanted to go as an army guy so here he is! I found the girls's costumes at different thrift stores so we didn't pay to much for them but they look great! You would think that since I love to sew so much that I'd make their costumes but for some reason making their costumes intimidates me. Maybe I'll tackle it next year!

(Zoey is the little witch, Kaia is the yellow fairy, Indi is the angel, and Josie is the big witch!)

Face Painting

We went to a church function the first weekend we were here and their was a professional face painter there. The kids stood in the long line to get their face painted. Josie ended up waiting the longest (over an hour) but I think hers turned out the best. Thayne and I were so impressed that she was patient long enough to wait for the face painting. Usually she gets bored with waiting and decides it isn't worth it and moves on to something else.


Doesn't Josie looked great?!?!

























Indi started scratching her face soon after the painting was done so it started to come off.
























Kaia just got a rainbow on her face because she couldn't sit still long enough to do the more professional job.



















Jaed had a cool batman face but he started playing basketball right after and sweated all over it!

Anti pumpkin carvers

Thayne and I HATE carving pumpkins. It's disgusting, messy and so not fun (in our opinion!). So, instead of carving a pumpkin, we bought small pumpkins and let the kids draw and color them. They seemed to be thrilled with it and didn't mind that we weren't stabbing them with knives so all was good!

(Me and all the kids)


















(Thayne)
























(Josie and Jaed)
+






















(Indiya and Kaia)























(Zoey)

Early Trick or Treating

The MOMS Club that I joined scheduled a trick or treating activity at a local nursing home so Kai and Zoey got to go. Zoey was so mad that candy had to go in her bag. She threw lots of tantrums for the residents. Some of them laughed, some of them look disgusted, and others just looked away. I let her eat some candy in between trick or treating but that wasn't good enough for her. She wanted it ALL in her mouth. Kaia just ignored the scene Zoey was making at every stop. I think Kaia might have been acting like she wasn't related to us....cuz that's what I would have done!!

Runny nose

Indi had a horrible runny nose about a week before we left Washington and this is how I found her one morning:
























I have no idea why they were running around in swimming suits but I didn't really care. Indi is wearing Zoey's swimming suit.......seriously....it couldn't have been comfortable but she insisted that it was fine. I allowed it until they started asking to go outside to play. I do have my limits!

Moved in and adjusting

We made it to Denver 3 weeks ago and we're doing great! I put the kids back in public school and they were overjoyed! I had a hard time driving away from the school the first day, wondering if I was doing the right thing but I am just fine with it now. I LOVE having only two kids at home during the day!!! I joined a 24 hour Fitness gym and get to go whenever I want and the two youngest have a great time in the kids club area while I workout. I joined a MOMS Club, a card club and have enjoyed getting to know an old friend all over again. Tammy and I were nannies in New York together and we lost contact for a while but about a year or so ago, I found her on facebook and we reconnected. She lives about 15 minutes away from me and we have so much in common. It's nice to move to a new city and have an instant friend!!!

Thayne is enjoying his job. At first he made several comments about how slow things were (not fast paced like a law firm) but now he seems to like it just fine. I love that fact that I know he'll be home after 8 hours :). THANK YOU GOVERNMENT JOBS!!! No overtime allowed and the deadlines are far enough away that he can finish his work in the 40 hours a week schedule.

Jaed turned 9 a week after we got here so we had a big family party! He got lots of legos and a new bike. He had been riding a bike that Thayne's parents bought for Josie but it was too big for her. He never complained about riding a girl bike until some boys saw him and said, "Nice girl bike!". That was the end of that, so he now has a totally boy bike! We live in a cul de sac so the kids can go out and ride their bikes more often then they did in Ellensburg. They love it!

Josie was the most excited to go back to school, I think. I spoke with the principal and her teacher about my concerns about her learning disabilities and they want to meet with me every month to update me on her work. If there is still concerns then testing will start and they will get her the necessary help she needs to be successful. Josie can now ride a two wheeler all by herself. This was a HUGE accomplishment for her. Thayne has been trying to teach her how for about a year or more but was having no luck. Something just clicked a couple of weeks ago and she was off and riding like a pro.

Indi has made so many friends at school!! She is a real social butterfly. Her teacher is constantly sending home things that says how great she is. She comes right home from school, does her school work, does her chores and then asks for a snack. I never have to worry about her not doing what she is suppose to do. What a relief!!! She's not completely perfect, though. She is a participant in the many cat fights that occur in our house. Usually they are between her and Josie. She does try and mother Zoey too much which leads to Zoey screaming and swinging her hands at Indi, but most of the time Indi is a true darling!!

Kaia.....what a doll. She is still very mischievous but she I love to hang out with her during the day. We have great conversations and she tells me she loves me a lot. I joined a MOMS Club here in Denver so we get to go to lots of different activities during the week and she loves it. I can't believe how fast she is growing up.

Zoey.....wow....I don't even know where to start. STINKER is the word that comes to mind when I think of Zoey. She is completely independent and very opinionated, but has this look that melts you away. She is a bully to other kids, throws the best tantrums ever, can cry forever no matter how you try to pacify her, but she loves to cuddle next to you, hold your face in her hands and look at you, wrap her arms around your neck and squeeze and will plant a kiss right on your lips when she feels you deserve one. I have heard Thayne say many times, "I don't know what to do with that girl!". We are both terrified of how she will be as a teenager.......we're praying for her now!

We really like our new house. We're renting for right now but we rented our house site unseen (only pictures) so that is always a little scare but we lucked out. It's big and we love all the room we have. It's not a new house like I was hoping for but for right now it meets our needs! We're hoping to buy in a year or so.

First day of school!

Football player

Jaed played football for the first time and he really liked it. He was the biggest kid on his team and other players were quite intimidated by him which seem to give him more confidence. They didn't win a lot of games but most of the kids were brand spankin' new on his team so they were all learning the "ropes" together. We hope he continues to play because he really was good at it! Here's our big football player:

My sweet Josie

On the move!

Well we are about to start another adventure in our life. Thayne got a new job in Denver, Colorado. Thayne has been unemployed (doing some contract work for a local law firm) for about six months. He applied for TONS of federal jobs because he really wanted to work for the government. They have great benefits, pretty secure job, and his long term goal is to be a judge so a federal attorney job would be great. But, he was not hearing back from any of the those jobs he was applying for which was extremely frustrating. He was also applying for jobs in law firms around Washington but for six months he was only receive rejection letters. Finally, he got a call from a firm in Seattle area for an interview and then a day later he received a call from one of the federal government jobs he applied for three months prior. They wanted to do an hour long phone interview. After both interviews he was offered a job in Seattle and we waited as long as we could to accept it hoping to hear from the federal government but nothing. So he excepted the job in Seattle and we started to make arrangements to move that way. Thayne stayed with a friends parents that lived in the area so he could start work right away and the kids and I stayed here and were excited when Thayne came home on the weekends.

After three weeks of working in Seattle, Thayne received the call from the federal job in Denver. They offered him a GREAT job. We know that the government works on their own time line and has been known to take a while to make decisions but I think we had really given up hope. How wrong we were. We were only a couple of days away from putting a large deposit down on a house in Seattle area and are so grateful that the offer came before that. It's better pay, better benefits, better job security and just a better thing for Thayne all around. We hear great things about Denver and are excited to be somewhat closer to family in Utah. We have found a house already and are packing away. They kids are so excited and ....well...I am too.

One week down...

I think the first week was quite successful, even with the new "no t.v." rule. We weren't able to do the science experiment that I had planned because I fell and fractured my wrist and ankle so we put it off until next week.

Friday night, the kids asked several times if there was a restriction on t.v. for Saturday morning, and since I'm not that cruel of a mother, I told them to have at it. Well here is what we saw when we came in the playroom Saturday morning:

(you would think the t.v. was 3 inches big with how close they are but it's not. It's actually a 20 inch t.v..)


















Is this a picture of deprived children who have never ever watched t.v.? They were sure acting like it!!

Paper panties

Josie reminded me of a funny thing she did several months ago and I never sat down to blog it so here it is. I hope you get a little chuckle!

Several months ago, I was slacking on the laundry and the girls ran out of clean panties. I hurry and put some in the washer and told the girls that they would have to wait to change out of their pj's until the clean panties were ready. Well, this was not the answer that Josie wanted to hear. She decided that she was going to make her own panties.......out of PAPER! I didn't know what she was making at first so when she came and asked me for scissors, tape and paper I gave them to her and was pleased that she was going to do some kind of art project. After some time I heard Josie getting upset in the other room so I went to check on her. Here she was butt naked trying to put her feet into some paper concoction and was getting mad because it was tearing. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: "Josie, what are you doing?"
Josie: "Trying to put my panties on that I made!"
Me: "You made some panties?"
Josie: "Yeah, and they aren't working. I didn't want to wait to change my clothes and decided to make my own panties but they're not working!!" (she starts to really cry!)
Me: "Oh Josie, I'm so sorry that I didn't have clean panties for you this morning. But you know what, I don't think panties made out of paper are going to work."

That sweet girl! She was so determined to have clean panties even it she was going to get a massive amount of paper cuts!

So, the other day I was sewing/making some panties for the girls from a pattern I found on the internet. Josie came over to see what I was making and when I told her she said, "Mama, remember when I tried to make my own panties? Well, it didn't work so maybe you should not make any either. I don't want you to be sad."

She was thrilled when she saw the panties I made and even said they were very comfortable to wear. Fabric panties > paper panties!

School time!

Wow, this summer RAN on by without even waving at us. Completely uncalled for and unacceptable!! The new school year creep up on me and I was in a frenzy this last weekend to try and accomplish all I wanted to do before the first day of school arrived. Our first day of school was quite successful. The kids were excited and dove right into their new books. It warmed my heart to see them so excited to do school work. When you homeschool, you don't get the "first day of school" photos that you would normally. My kids stayed in their pj's until lunch time so my pictures wouldn't have been that pretty (especially with some of the hairdo's that they woke up with!).

Last night, for Family Night, we talked about the school schedules and what was expected of each of them. We even put a new rule in place. Most of you that know me, know that I have never put a limit (time limit) of TV watching in our house. I know, I know.......blah blah blah. I don't want any lectures or mean comments! Well, Thayne and I decided that we would make a new rule about TV watching. There would be NO t.v. watching during normal school hours (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.), even if they finished all of their schoolwork before noon (which they almost always do). We feel like they need to be more active and sprawling out on the floor to watch t.v. wasn't our idea of a being active.



At Family Night, they all were fine with the new rule which was a shock to us. Well, when the rule had to be enforced.......well.....let's just say the pouting, crying and begging began. It was like they were begging for their drug they were addicted to. I do have to say that if Thayne wasn't here I think I would have gave in. They were missing their favorite shows, there was nothing to do, life sucks....etc. etc.. They were all counting down the minutes until 3 p.m.. I think after a week of this new rule, things will calm down and it will just be apart of the schedule. I'll let you know how it's going!

Belated Kindergarten Graduation

I was going through my pictures and realized that I didn't post any pictures of Indi graduating from Kindergarten. She had a great year and we all loved her teacher, Mrs. Lane. She was the perfect teacher for Indi. Mrs. Lane is the main reason I left Indi in public school. I think that Mrs. Lane was sad that she wouldn't see Indi next year around the school because she sure had a sad face when I told her that we were going to homeschool Indi next year along with her siblings.

The class learned a song that they performed for the parents. It was so cute and you could hear Indi over all of the other Kindergartners.


















Here's Indi with ALL of her work she did all year. I think it was suppose to be kind of like a portfolio but it was HUGE.
























Here's Indi with Mrs. Lane. School wasn't even out three days and Indi was in tears saying how much she missed Mrs. Lane. I have some big shoes to fill next year as her teacher!

Ashes

While my sister was here visiting we decided to spread my Dad's ashes. His mom is buried in Shelton Washington and never had a tombstone, so us kids decided to pay for a tombstone and add my Dad's name to the bottom with the idea that his ashes would rest there was well. It was a strange trip.....not quite sure how I feel about it. It was a bit emotional when we left because it was like the final good bye......I think. I miss him. My kids miss him. I hope that he is enjoying his time with his Mom right now. She died when he was only 13 yrs. old and when he talked about her you could tell that he really loved her.

Here's a pic of the tombstone


















Yeah, well my husband and sister didn't think the ashes should be clumped up like they were so they tried to spread them out more. DISGUSTING!



















The kids didn't really understand anything about the ashes. They thought we were just there to see where Grandpa was "buried".

Visitors

My sister and her family came to visit at the beginning of the month. She has four boys and the youngest is Jaed's age, but my girls get so excited to see them every time we get together. The boys love chasing my girls around and tickling them which puts them at the top of the "Favorite Cousin" list. Here's a couple of pics from their visit:

Here's Brett holding Zoey. They loved to carry her around!
























This is Adam holding Zoey. He just graduated from High School and is off to BYU Idaho this fall!





















I went out to go to the bathroom at about 2:00 a.m. one night and this is what I saw. Kai did not start out on the couch with Brett but at some point during the night she climbed up there and snuggled right in!