Summer's Over...It Went By Too Fast

 Our summer was so busy.  It makes me sad to think of how quickly it passed.  We arrived home from California on Saturday the 27th, and school started on Thursday the 1st.  I did all of our back-to-school shopping the week before we went to CA, so I didn't have to deal with that.  I did go through uniforms and find out what fit who, and what we needed to buy.  Monday through Wednesday flew by.  I wanted Wednesday to be a family day with the probability of a Harry Potter marathon. Alexis ended up babysitting all day, and the boys were invited to play with friends.  I cried.  I am never ready for the first day of school, but feeling like I didn't really have my kids for the summer made me even more sad. Can we say "I wish we were still homeschooling"?  I came to a realization, one that was already in the back of my mind from Julie B. Beck's talk "Mothers Who Know" .  Mothers who know do less...and this past summer I was doing more.  My realization is that my kids are only as busy as I let them be.  Alexis and Tommy have the opportunity to play sports after school.  Alexis wanted to play volleyball, and Tommy wanted to play flag-football.  The school does not provide sports transportation which would mean that I would be toting little kids around after school dragging them to games and practices.  The other option the kids have is running cross-country.  The meets are only on Saturdays, and all age groups would be going to the same meet.  The other sports were not guaranteed to have games at the same location, but would be at the same times.  I want to be able to support my kids and cheer them on, not have them carpool with friends and tell me about it later.  So my decision is they must both play the same sport.  Cross-country it is.  My evenings will not be filled with driving around the city with hungry babies, and cranky tired kids. Saturday mornings with an hour of running sounds good to me.  I can let them play a sport, and keep my sanity, and not feel overwhelmed with the fact that time is flying by.

The kids are doing great in school.  None of them have cried at drop off.  That makes it easier on me.  I remember one day at our old school when I dropped Michael off, and he had to be dragged into the school. The principal had to tear him off of me and hold him as I ran out of the school.  Michael has had a smile on his face everyday since school started this year.  Alexis loves being in junior high.  Tommy still wishes he went to his old school, but hasn't complained nearly as much as he did last year.  Amy loves being anywhere.  She is just a happy girl.  Burke, Amelia and I are in a good daily routine.  Now I need to remember how I used to organize my days before they were born.  My house used to be clean with only four kids, I know it can be with six.

While we were in CA, I finished my second trimester of the BYU-I Pathway Program.  One more to go and then I become an official BYU-I student.  Class starts on September 13.  I am grateful for the break I've had, but am anxious to finish this next trimester.  I have already planned out my first year and a half of classes for after the Pathway Program is done.  Steve has been so supportive of me.  I am so happy to say that so far I have a 4.0 GPA.  That is something I have never been able to boast before.  I am happy to be going school at the age I am.  I am paying for it myself, and I am motivated to do well.  I am trying to be a good example to my kiddos.  I hope they see (or will someday) that my education is important to me, it just wasn't a priority until I had them.  I can be mom and student, and I don't have to give anything up. I couldn't do any of it without depending on the Lord for help.  I need His help.  He has made my days long enough to do all that I need to.  I thank him everyday for giving me patience, strength and guidance.

I am going to be better about posting.  It is a priority of mine to remember the events of our lives...

It's Time to Catch Up Again

So I'll go back to April, because I can't remember much before then.

April-
2-
We celebrated Tommy's 11th birthday.  He took the day off from school and hung out with me all day.  We took him to Red Robin for his birthday lunch, and had pizza for his birthday dinner.  He had a soccer game that evening and played his heart out.  He is growing more handsome everyday, and is so helpful around the house.  He took babysitting certification and now is in charge of the younger boys when Steve and I go out on dates.

15-
 We celebrated Michael's 8th birthday with a dinner and the traditional strawberry shortcake.  Because the school had standardized testing that week, we kept him home the Friday before so he could enjoy his day off for his birthday.  We took him to Pizza Hut and Scooptacular for his birthday lunch.  It was probably the first time he's ever had Pizza Hut brand pizza.  If I buy pizza, it's Little Caesars.  He loved it and had a fun day.  He is such an interesting person to talk to.  He has an amazing imagination, and I love it.

22-
Amelia turned 1.  We had a little party for her, and I don't think we took her out for her own lunch.  I can't remember.  I do know that we visited grandma's house, and had some friends over for cake and ice cream. She is so petite, and fun.  She "talks" all the time.  It is fun to hear her make words.  I can't wait until I understand what she is saying.  her favorite song is "The Wheels on the Bus".  She can sing along.  She loves music, and can count to one.

27-
Michael was baptized by his Steve as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I am proud of him for choosing to be baptized.

May

3-
I accomplished my goal to run a half marathon.  A half marathon is 13.1 miles.  It turns out that the race I chose is one of the most difficult in the country.  You gain 2,000 feet of elevation in 6.5 miles, and then turn around and run like a cartoon character down the mountain.  It was hard, but rewarding.  I actually expected it to be worse than it was.  My official time was 2:10:33.  Now I am training for the St. George marathon which will be on October 5.

23-
The kids were released from school for the summer.  I was so happy.

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This has been the busiest Summer Vacation we have ever had, and school starts on the 1st of August.  I don't feel like I have had time with the kids yet!
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June-

We had two Microsoft Camps, two sports camps. My sister Molly and her two girls came to visit. We welcomed a new member to our family (more on that later).  We went camping which was a bit of a disaster caused by lack of communication.

18-
Burke turned 3.  He chose McDonald's for his birthday lunch and so he ate his first Happy Meal.  Because of our gluten free home, we haven't been to McDonald's for years.  I love this boy so much.  He is a little tornado but is the sweetest boy with the sweetest kisses.  He has been potty trained since March.  It is nice to have only one child in diapers.

July-

4-
We went to Sedona with the Findlay family for the day.  It was the best day ever.  We went hiking, and let the kids play in a creek and had a picnic.  After the picnic we hiked a bit more, and then went back to the car.  We bought dinner and drove to another creek to play and had another picnic.  We then drove to a town called Cottonwood for a great fireworks show.   The kids had a great time, and so did Steve and I.
We ended up having to pull off the side of the road and take a nap on the way home because we were so tired.

10-13-
Alexis went to Girl's Camp for the first time.  I'm pretty sure she had a great time, but she hasn't told me anything about it yet.

This week Alexis will be gong to Time to Blossom.  I hope she has fun.

Next week we are headed off to Carlsbad State Beach for our 3rd annual camp out.  We love it there and have been looking forward to it all summer.