Field Trip

Our little Miss is at the same preschool that her older brother and sister were in. They take an annual trip to Deterring Orchard. This was the first time that we have gone and it was really raining. I was able to attend because I had a doctor appointment later in the day. Ken came along, Midge got to come because she is homeschooled, and Huck was in because tractors were involved.

 Huck was also interested in the school buses.

 There were a ton of kids there. It was a little crazy and kids were crying and losing it because it was raining and muddy. Parents were screaming at their kids. It was all pretty funny. Our little family had a great time and we kind of did the opposite of what everybody else was doing and avoided the crowds. 

 They let you pick an apple straight from the tree and there is nothing else like it. 

 Little Miss chose her favorite pumpkin out of the field. 

 We let Huck get a green one. 

 This little girl is Little Miss's best friend. Her mom brings Little Miss home each day. 

 Little Miss with her teacher Mrs. Potter.

 Huck in absolute heaven with the tractors. 

Other kids would come and try to ride and he would tell them to go away. 

Lots of changes

 Several weeks ago we told our kids some big news. We had 4 scraps of paper folded up and we had them race to them and put them in order to make a sentence. I was so excited to see the expressions on the kids faces. Little did I realize that the children would swap the words to say Are we buying a house. Midge in disgust replied, "Yeah that's been the big question all year. Are we buying a house?" The kids started to walk away thinking it was a joke. I reminded them that sentences start with a capital and end with a period. 

They than rearranged the words and got this...

 Then they were excited. Here is our new house on the very first day we got the keys and got to go inside.

 When we walked in the front door they started screaming in excitement because the realtor had left us a basket full of candy and treats. They thought it was the best house ever. 

 We moved into the house Friday night. A ton of people from the ward came and helped us move from our tiny duplex and into our new 3 bedroom. My parents took Huck and Midge. They brought them back on Sunday morning. We took Midge and Leo individually and told them that Ken was going to be set apart that morning as bishop of our ward. 

Midge is very close to her dad and she is not naive enough to know that this would be a big sacrifice on her part. She expressed her concerns that she wouldn't be able to spend as much time with her dad. We talked to her about the fact that it is a blessing she is part time home schooled and is able to be taught history and geography by her dad this year. While he will be busy I am grateful that they will continue to have this time together. Leo on the other hand simply shrugged and wanted to know if he could go and play. We decided not to tell Little Miss because she has a very difficult time keeping secrets. 

 The major surprise was Mike and Judy McPheters were able to drive 1,000 miles from St. George, Utah to see Ken set apart. They were a major part of Ken's conversion to the church and he was greatly admired them for years. We have shared our family with them over the years, but I had never met them. As soon as we were sitting in the stake President Ennis's office and he extended the call I got a clear feeling that I needed to contact them. I contacted them over e-mail and they said they would try to do what they could. I then didn't hear from them for several weeks. Then all of the sudden on Friday morning 3 e-mails came in each with a more urgent message asking me to call them because they were on their way. Luckily I was able to call and make contact and give them all the information. 

When we arrived at the church building I spotted them sitting in the congregation. Ken didn't notice them. I turned him around to face them and he did a double take and suddenly realized who they were. He was in disbelief that they had come and was emotional to be able to give them a hug and have them there to support him. Later Mike, my father and the stake presidency was able to set him apart. It was great to be surrounded by family and friends. 

When it was announced in church that Ken was the new bishop there were so many people that expressed their approval and support. Some saying that they had known he would be the new bishop. Ken and I were both asked to talk and share our testimonies. Ken talked about his disbelief at being asked to be bishop and questioned who was more surprised at the extending of a call either himself or Paul Campbell, a friend who was recently called to be the primary chorister. He also talked about the many people who were an example to him and who had formed him into who he is. He called these people his heros. He than implored people to come to him and give him the opportunity to serve them. 

 The other wonderful thing that has happened to our family is chance to spend time with one of our favorite families. We have tried to help by taking the kids to church while their mom studies for her nursing degree. They have 4 sweet little girls and our children love them. 

 The girls love Leo. He has a special bond and is so patient with all of their attention. 

 Two kiddos have developed a special bond. Huck has formed an attachment with one of their younger daughters. The two of them have a similar personality and a tendency to get into mischief together. They would often shadow each other and were usually always playing near one another. 

 The other bond that has been formed is between Leo and the other youngest daughter. I think these two have similar personalities too. They tend to be calmer and more easy going than their more boisterous siblings. I would often find these two in quieter spots playing and laughing together. We have loved the opportunity to spend time with them and get to know them even better. 

Overall this month has been probably one of the biggest top events in our family's life. We are excited to see the changes that will come and the balancing act our family will need to achieve. The amount of peace that has been in our home despite the immense challenges has been unbelievable. Ken and I have grown so much closer and without even fully speaking we are often able to sense what the other one is thinking or needing. We have experienced some tremendously personal things and it has created a deep bond. My hope is that my children will be able to also feel this peace and always know the tremendous love their father has for them. 

Little Miss goes to Preschool

This week marked the first day for preschool for our little sunshine. To say that she was excited was an understatement. She has been waiting to attend this preschool for a long time. 

Several weeks ago we went school clothes shopping. No one was really surprised

 that she choose a hot pink sequin skirt. One of her teachers last year said she always

 looked forward to seeing what she was going to wear. 

I have another picture of her sister in this exact same spot with a bit more of a look of terror in her eye entering the same school. There is something wonderful about being the middle child in that the older siblings pave the path before them. Little Miss hasn't been worried at all about going. 

Here is our beloved Mrs. Potter. All of our kids have had and loved her. 

Everyday Little Miss wants to know if she gets to go to school today.

First Day of School

1999 that was the first year I started teaching 6th grade. That second year of teaching I got pregnant and took that little girl pictured below every day to school with me in my belly. I took her every day to the very school, the very classroom that she is now attending 6th grade in. Do you know how strange it is to work over a decade at a job and to tell parents all about the 6th grade mind and suddenly be on the other side of the table with a 6th grade mind living in my house?

 I remember being in the staff room and having another teacher tell me that I would be an entirely different teacher when I had kids. I think she is right. Today when I dropped off my first born and I tried to bravely let her walk into the school by herself it took everything in my power to not run in after her and escort her to her first class. Then when I went on to work I saw my daughter in the eyes of numerous sixth grade girls today. I understood on a different level their nervous energy, their anxiety about lockers and big 8th graders, their anticipation about what the year would bring. I understood because I had been living with one for the past few weeks. 

Here is my oldest on the first day of school. We are doing something different this year. We are part time homeschooling her. We are going to teach her reading, writing, social studies and math. We are going to do it along with a friend and between her, myself and Ken she will be completely covered. This is the right fit for us and I have to admit I am really excited about it. I live middle school on a 

daily basis and I see and hear first hand the ugliness that can happen. There is a loss of innocence 

that takes place. I am not naive enough that we are going to be able to keep her away from this, 

but I hope is that this year she will be able to find a balance and have the comfort to talk to us 

about the things she is facing. 

In addition to this she is once again in giant classes. We are talking 36 and up per class. This is too many and for a girl who often simply gets ignored I want more for her. She isn't a behavior problem, she doesn't struggle academically and as a result teachers let her do her own thing. The reality is classroom sizes are going to go down anytime soon. So for this year this is the right answer for us. 

Then there is this sweet boy. My little guy is going in to 3rd grade. His Mimi got him this shirt that says, "What if we all lived like heros?" and I think this is my classroom's new motto for the year. I love this shirt. I want one for myself. This sums up my boy perfectly. He lives by these words everyday. He is sweet and kind, he looks for ways to help others. He is funny and independent, but at the same time such a protector and a compassionate person. 

He is absolutely thrilled to finally have so many of his best buddies in his class. His teacher is super nice, Mrs. Johnson, and I think we are going to have a great year. 

This poor little guy is devastated to be losing his best play buddies. 

He wants so badly to go with them to school. He is is such a hurry to grow up, and I just need him to slow down a little so I can savor him being my baby. 

Camping Trip

Last week we headed over to the coast. The temperature change was a bit of a shock 

to our system going from 90s to 50s. Our little tropical girl was freezing. Luckily she had 

her older sister there to keep her warm. 

During our trip it was Midge's birthday. We decorated the campsite for her. All the kids would walk by and wanted to know what kind of party we were having. 

My parents came to camp with us in their RV. The second day we headed out to explore. 

They had a group set up to educate the kids about the seals and whales. They loved watching 

them with their high powered telescopes. 

We then traveled to Shore Acres Gardens to have a picnic and explore the gardens. 

The kids are getting good at taking pictures. 

They took all of the above pictures of the garden plants and flowers. 

For the first time we also discovered the rose section of the garden. I have been there several times 

and I had never seen it before. They had some amazing roses and we had fun picking our favorite 

ones. My personal favorite was pink promise because it was so fragrant, 

but the kids loved the rainbow sorbet rose. 

For each child my dad has made a homemade gift. This was Midge's. She was bummed because our van was jam packed and she wasn't able to bring it home with her, but we will get it soon. 

Midge actually helped decorate her own cupcakes. 

The next day we went down to the docks in Charleston. The kids were so excited to 

see a pelican and seals up close. 

When we pulled up the first two nets there were over 20 crabs in each net. There were so many crabs they were devouring all of the chicken we brought with us. 

Ken sent me to a guy who was cleaning tuna to get a carcass. He said he probably wouldn't give it to Ken because he was a man. Great let me use my feminine charms to get a dead fish. 

We were able to catch 2 keepers that day.

Sunset Bay had a wonderful beach for the kids to play on. After spending several hours on a confined dock the kids loved the freedom of running on the beach. The weather for the first 3 days was overcast like this. Finally on our last full day the sun came out and it was beautiful for the rest of our time.

As the tide went out a sand bar was revealed. The kids loved playing on this. 

On our last full day we took the kids on a ranger led nature walk. The ranger taught the kids about edible plants they could eat. The below plant looked like a butterfly. 

The kid's favorite plant to eat was the below plant that tasted like sour apples. 

We all liked these berries, but don't go eating berries in the woods unless you have a ranger 

because some are poisonous. 

While we were having our nature walk Ken and Leo went crabbing, this time with a lot more chicken. It paid off because they came back with 8 crabs (7 they caught and 1 was given to them)

That night we had a monster crab feast.