Life Lately

I thought that once school started and we settled down into our routines again, life would slow down a little bit and not be quite so hectic. That lasted all of about two weeks. It's not like I didn't see it coming, but I guess I was hoping for a little more quiet before the storm. Sometimes I long for the simple days of when they were all younger and we didn't have quite so many things filling up our plate. When we could go outside every night together and ride bikes, draw on the sidewalk, and enjoy being together. We still enjoy being together, it's just now on the sidelines of the soccer fields or in the bleachers of a middle school gym. As busy as we are, it's always nice to slow down and play in the grass. Then, when they all go to bed and I look at what's on the calendar for the next day, I can remember these down times!

Kelsie made the middle school volleyball team and has been busy every night with practices and games. I love going to watch her play and have so much fun cheering for her and her team. The boys keep me company as well as some of her friends from church. It's been so great to see her more confident as a result of volleyball. In addition to all the demands of her sport, she also has school, homework, young women activities, babysitting, and friends. She really doesn't have a whole lot of down time, but when she does, we love spending as much time with her as we can (even when it's waaaay past her bed time).

The boys have also started up sports again. We spend our Saturday mornings at the soccer fields, with Wally and I switching games at halftime to watch each of them play. Brandon is a natural at sports and is already starting out great on his team. He scored his first goal for the season during the first game. We are trying something new this fall with Brandon playing both soccer and flag football. We're hoping that we didn't make a horrible decision and that we don't go crazy between all the running around that is inevitably going to happen. He joined the Morning Miles club at school on Friday's and stays busy with Cub Scouts each week as well. He is very determined to pass off everything in his book as soon as possible.

Caleb was excited to play soccer again this fall and quickly made some friends after his first week. We're hoping that he'll have a great season as well and that he'll realize that he's got to kick the ball if he wants it to go anywhere. He loves kindergarten! There hasn't been a single tear about going to school. He has made lots of friends and always comes home with a big smile on his face. I am able to help out in his class once a week and he is always so happy to see me come. His new love is Lego Ninjago. It's pretty much all he eats, sleeps, and breaths. Even at school.

Isaac is just along for the ride. I guess that's how it is when you're two and the youngest of four busy kids. He and I get to spend every day together. He's my little shadow and is constantly narrating everything that I do (Mom washing dishes? Mom vacuuming? Mom reading?). He also thinks that he's just as big as his older brothers and can do just about anything they can do from running football plays with Brandon and fighting ninjas with Caleb.

So, yeah, we're busy. There is always something going on. We try to squeeze in as much family time as we can in addition to all the other balls we're juggling. The kind of family time that involved taking updated pictures which didn't go as planned the first time around. If I'm completely honest with myself, I really love to be busy. Even though it feels like I'm running a marathon for months, it's totally worth it to see all of my kids learning, excelling, and gaining experiences as they grow. There really is nothing sweeter. Except, maybe, bedtime for Isaac at 6 pm.

First Days of School

The kids started another school year about 3 weeks ago. We were all excited and anxious to start. We had an order of all new schools (again) this year, so there was quite a bit of nerves to go along with all our excitement as well. We also had a brand new kindergartener, which means a certain little guy misses all his older brothers and sister while they're gone all day.

Kelsie started 7th grade this year. She was pretty nervous about starting another school, but after we walked through her schedule a few times and made sure we knew where everything was, she was good to go. She has been able to see a lot of friends from church and has also made quite a few new friends as well. She is a great student and is working hard for straight A's again this year. Her favorite class and teacher right now is P.E., and comes home everyday with a new story to tell about it.

Brandon couldn't wait to see who was in his class when it was time to find out who his teacher was. He was so happy to find out that one of his best friends from church was in it with him! He loves his teacher and is making a lot of new friends. He has even made friends with the nurse within the first week of school after he tried playing football on the cement. Not his best idea. He came home with some pretty big bandages on both knees and hands.

Waiting to find out who Brandon's teacher would be. Caleb wasn't too sure about going to school anymore.

Caleb was so ready for school to start, that is, until it was actually going to start! He started school a day after Kelsie and Brandon did. He was nervous about meeting his teacher, but once he did and saw his classroom, there was no turning back--especially once he found the bucket of lego's! He did amazing on his first day, and there were no tears coming from him at all! I, on the other hand, may have showed my emotions a little more. He leaves every morning with a big smile and a wave as he gets on the bus and comes home just as happy. 

Getting ready to line up for his first day of school!

All in all, it's been a successful start to a new year. I still can't believe that Caleb is old enough for school and am getting used to having the three older kids gone all day! Isaac really is beside himself on some days. He is starting to enjoy this new found freedom he has while everyone is gone though.We have settled into a routine that starts pretty early now, but everyone is happy and learning again! Here's to another great year of school and happy kids!

Brandon showing some nerves, just before the bus came.

Another Year Gone

Summer has officially begun here in New Mexico. I can't believe another year of school is done and that we will have 3 (three!) kids in school starting again in August. I am so proud of our kids and all that they have accomplished this year.

To say Kelsie was a little anxious to start middle school would be quite the understatement. It didn't take long for her to realize that it wasn't as bad as she thought. In fact, this little smarty pants earned straights A's, 3 out of the 4 quarters in school and had lunch with the principal because of it! She excelled in all her classes and made some really great friends in the process. She may or may not have been the teacher's pet in more than one class. She is a little disappointed to start yet another new school (since we moved again) next fall, but I'm sure will not disappoint once she's there.

Brandon started off the year pretty excited and then wasn't quite sure about his new teacher so he had some stomach issues in the beginning. Once he realized that she wasn't as bad as he thought, it turned out to be a great year. In fact, when I asked him how his last day went, he said "It was really sad, I almost cried!". He also excelled this year in academics and even on the playground where he picked up 4 square like a champ. We are so proud of him and all the things he accomplished this year.

Caleb is so excited to start kindergarten this fall! He has been so anxious to learn and go to school like his older sister and brother. He practiced a lot over the last 9 months and is now able to read and write and is very prepared for the demands of a kindergartener. I am going to miss my little buddy next fall, I love having him home with me. He's as silly as ever and my prediction is that he just may be the class clown. I guess I should be prepared for that!

Isaac had a great year as well. I've write a lot about what he's up to recently, and he continues to keep me busy all. the. time. He's not really sure what's going on right now with everyone home, but he loves it! I predict a little loneliness once school starts again this fall, but we're going to live it up while we can with everyone home for the summer!

A (Not So) Funny Little Story

Anyone who knows Brandon knows his happy, energetic, love for life attitude. It's great to have such an optimistic kid around at times and he always seems to help us see the good rather than the bad. He also definitely has a one track mind! There are a lot of good things that can be associated with this quality, like never quitting, try try again, and never let it get you down kind of philosophies. Sometimes, though, it can get him into trouble.

Mario Kart Wii was recently added to our growing  arsenal of video games and the kids have had a lot of fun racing each other. They recently have figured out how to unlock new levels and open new characters to beat the game. Wally and I have had our suspicions about a certain little boy who was getting up extra early in the morning to play a game or two before everyone else wakes up. This wouldn't necessarily be a problem if it wasn't a rule in our house about no video games in the morning. We asked him repeatedly if he knew anything about this to which he always replied with "not me!" (fortunately he doesn't cover his tracks very well). Well, lucky for us a friend gave us a motion sensor when we moved into the new house.

You can imagine the startle when we heard the receiver "ding dong" at a very quiet, early hour of the morning. I gasped when I saw what time it was. It went off a little before 3:30 a.m. Quietly, Wally made his way down the stairs to confirm our suspicions. There he was, with the volume turned all the way down to zero with controller in hand, racing to his little hearts content. Wally made a little sound with his foot, to which Brandon turned his head, realized he was caught and just let out a sigh as he hung his head down that confirmed his worst fear, getting caught. After a firm command to get back to bed and to not get up again until morning, the night was quiet again.

So, this is the part of the story where I start to wonder what it is that makes a kid so focused and so determined that he gets up at insane times during the night to play a video game. If only I could just channel that energy into something that is actually constructive and good for him, like school or sports! It is pretty funny after the fact and a sentence was given and he lost any and all gaming privileges for two weeks with the threat of it being lost forever is this every happens again, along with more than a few extra jobs. Oh, and we have our little secret weapon we make sure is on every night now. Nothing's going to get past us, or at least the sensor.

New Beginnings and Pinewood Derby

We have had a lot going on around here this week! Brandon participated in his first ever pinewood derby. We got his car a couple weeks ago at a pack meeting where he advanced from Bobcat to Wolf rank. They had everything all set up for the boys to design and cut out their cars that night. Lucky for Brandon, I'm not to bad with a band saw and helped him cut out his car that night. And even more lucky for Brandon, he's got an awesome dad who helped him paint and finish it off for the big race. There was the last minute gluing on weights (quarters in our case) and weighing in, but it all paid off. He won first place in his den and second place over all. We were all pretty surprised and proud at the same time! Way to go Brandon!

Right after the pinewood derby, Kelsie and I quickly changed clothes and went to New Beginnings for all the incoming Young Women this year. It is so hard to believe that I've got an almost 12 year old in the house (a pretty cute one, too!).  She was a little nervous, but did great when they introduced her and told some interesting facts about here. My favorite was when they announced she had been to 34 different states and the audible gasp throughout the room (lucky girl!). We learned all about the Personal Progress Program and ended the night outside lighting paper lanterns to go with the theme this year, Arise and Shine Forth. It was really fun, but because it was windy, they didn't fly as high as we would have liked. She's more excited than ever now to start the Young Women's program and can't wait for June when she'll officially be 12!

Sometimes I really feel like my kids are growing up so fast! Then I sit back and think about all the fun things they get to participate in now that they're a little older and it makes me so happy for them. They are great kids and I really am excited for these new adventures in their lives.

My 3 Boys

These boys are usually running around all over the place and have so much energy. Half the time I feel like I don't know what to do with them! They definitely make life exciting and not always calm around here. It was nice to capture them during some down time. As rowdy and rambunctious as they are, I'm so glad they're mine. My life wouldn't be nearly as exciting without them!

First Days

I guess I thought that after the kids started school again, I was going to have a lot of free time on my hands. I was right, the first day anyway, when I realized how much time I wasted on the computer and just doing what I wanted to do for the day. That day was short lived however. It's already been a couple of weeks since school started and I feel more busy than ever! Turns out, it's hard work to keep a preschooler and a toddler entertained when my at home entertainment isn't at home any more. Sitting on the computer, addicted to pinterest just doesn't cut it.

I still can't believe that I have a kid old enough to be in middle school. Kelsie seems to really enjoy it though, despite the crazy nerves that invaded her body and mind the few days before school started. She's been great since the first day and realized that aside from all the peer pressure and that middle school is just plain hard anyway, it isn't so bad after all. Along with a sudden interest in her hair (what's next?) she still seems to stay pretty grounded to her old self. Picture day is a really great example (in her own words):

"On our way to get our pictures taken, all the girls had to, like, stop in the bathroom to make sure they looked all perfect and everything. My teacher came up to me and said, 'Kelsie, don't you need to go to the bathroom and make sure you're all beautiful before the picture?' I said, 'I don't need to because I'm beautiful just the way I am!' Then he started laughing really hard!"

That's our girl! :)

I swear it was just yesterday that I dropped him off on his first day of Kindergarten, but Brandon seems to be enjoying 3rd grade (mostly). He's had more than a few stomach aches since school started and has gotten even more upset when I won't come pick him up early from school. That only happened once and it ended in something like,

"Mom, I really like being home, will you just homeschool me? 

No. 

Why not?

Because I don't want to."  

I finally got it out of him that he's having a hard time adjusting to his new teacher and class and even that his sister isn't at the same school as him anymore. He's doing better now and after going to back to school night, I think he will end up really enjoying this year of school, but we'll have to see what happens.

Nerves on the first day

Caleb can't get enough of his lego's and is building and rebuilding all day long. He also spends a majority of his time during the day protecting his creations from his little brother who likes to tear them apart and put those small pieces in his mouth. Caleb has gotten pretty good at the command, "out!" signaling his little brother to spit out whatever he's snuck into his mouth. Caleb has completely remastered his two wheeler again and I'm trying to convince him to move up to Brandon's old bike. Sometimes it is really hard to move out of comfort zones. I should know. I've also decided that we need to add a little more structure into his life and have been trying to figure out a schedule for him each day. So far, it's not working out so well. Hopefully soon.

See? No more training wheels

Isaac, on the other hand, is wondering what happened to everyone. I think he's liking his new freedom around the house without so many eyes on him all the time. He runs outside any chance he can if a door is left open and loves to follow Brandon and Caleb around looking for lizards or drawing on the sidewalk with Kelsie. At 15+ months now, he's all over the place and it is getting harder and harder to keep up with him. He likes to think he's just like one of the big kids and has especially enjoyed bike rides in the trailer up and down the street we live on.

Another victory catching another lizard

Don't let that sweet little face fool you. This kid is a little spit fire and demands a lot of attention when he wants something. Oh, and Sunday's? They're pretty much a joke now at church. Only three more months before nursery...

He also needs a haircut. That's got to go on my to do list ASAP. He's sporting a wavy fro right now and adds to it at each meal with whatever he's eating. I don't think I'll ever understand why it always ends up in the hair.

I often wonder how I am able to keep up with it all and still have my sanity. I've got a pretty great partner who seems to balance me out pretty good. We're constantly adjusting to little changes here and there in our lives, but we're happy. Just as it should be.

photo taken by Kelsie

 

It's Great to be 8!

I know it sounds so cliche, but sometimes I feel like time is just going by too fast. It really doesn't feel like it was that long ago that we were welcoming this little guy into our family. He's not so little anymore. He's grown by leaps and bounds over the last 8 years and we are so proud of him and all he does. He has definitely made our lives more fun and full of laughter. Happy birthday buddy!

I Caught A Lizard!

Summer Begins and the End of an Era

Today was the last day of school for us.  It was actually a snow make up day from last February when a big cold front hit our area.  It was kind of a joke though, since most of the education population was out of town or just didn't show up.  Brandon's teacher wasn't even there. Oh well.  The last day is still the last day of school, right?  I thought it would be fun to compare the first day of school pictures with the last to see how much they've changed this year.  And believe me, a lot has changed for our family.

August, 2010

May, 2011

2nd grade turned out to be a pretty good year for Brandon.  His easy going personality and ability to adapt to new changes really helped him end the year just as good as he started it.  It didn't take him long at all to find new friends and also to find his place in his new classroom. 

These next pictures are bitter sweet for me.  This was Kelsie's last year of elementary school.  I really don't know where the time goes, but we're entering the exciting years of middle school in the fall.  Kelsie loved her old school in Evanston and it was a really hard thing for her to move and be the new kid again.  It was sad to see her say good-bye to her old friends, but she seemed to find her place fairly quickly here. She ended her last year of elementary school strong and ready for what lies ahead, even though she's pretty nervous about that too. Honestly, I feel like I'm not old enough to have a child this old.  My little girl is growing up faster than I want her too, but she is turning into a beautiful young woman. 

May, 2011

August, 2010

Toothless

In all the new baby excitement going on around here, a few other exciting things have happened as well.   Sometime between the very end of April and very beginning of May (I really can’t remember the exact date), Brandon lost his first tooth.  He was very excited and couldn’t wait for it to happen and was absolutely thrilled that it happened during school.  He came out of school at the end of the day very proud holding his little baggie with his tooth in it.  He couldn’t wait to show everyone and even let our favorite crossing guard know about it too.  He couldn’t wait for the tooth fairy to come “pay” him a visit and although he didn’t get as much as the kid next door, he seemed fairly pleased with his 50 cents.  He’s already got another loose tooth and can’t wait to cash it in!

TV Tune-Out Week Talent Show

We just successfully completed yet another week of no TV, computer, or video games at our house. I must confess that this is a week that I look forward to every year! It's so nice not having a certain little boy always asking about computer games or TV. We were busy playing outside, making paper airplanes, and attending after school functions like checkers, chess, and hula hooping. This is also the big week for the school talent show. Kelsie and Brandon both decided they wanted to be in it this year and play a piano solo. While we were walking over to the school for the big night, Kelsie mentioned to me that she really didn't want to be first. Brandon was pretty nervous too, but as long as were able to keep him talking, he wouldn't think about it too much. When we got there and looked at the program, lo and behold, there was Kelsie's name, first. She kicked off the show and did a great job. Brandon was #51 so we were there a while, but we were so proud of him for actually coming out to perform. They both did a superb job and received many compliments afterward and the next day. Yay for TV Tune-Out Week!

Tummy Trouble

Caleb has been noticing my stomach growing bigger and bigger and has started asking me a lot of questions about it.  We had an interesting conversation about it on Saturday.  Luckily his older brother was there to help answer:

Caleb:  “Mom, where did you get that big tummy?”

Me:  “What?  Where did I get it?”

Caleb:  “Yeah, did you get it at the tummy store?”

Me:  “No, umm, Dad gave it to me.”  (I didn’t think there was a need for further explanation here.  He is only 3 after all.)

Brandon: “Caleb, do you know that Dad planted a special seed in Mom and it grows into a baby?”

Caleb:  “Oh, cool!”

A couple minutes later, after I thought we had moved on from the subject:

Brandon:  “Mom, where does Dad get the seeds to plant?”

Me (caught off guard, just a little):  “Um…(trying to figure out the right thing to say)…he got the seeds when he became a man.”

Brandon:  “I’m a man!”

Me:  “No, you’re not.”

I guess I need to give the explanation a little more thought for such inquiring minds!

Happy Easter!