Sick-o's

The head cold bug has mad a mad dash through our house, and I think it may have come from Kessler. It then went to Kessler, Bauer, Cooper, Me (although I was downing "airborne" or the Target brand alternative every day a few times a day before hand.) I think it helped with me not too linger long. Although it has been around longer than I like. I thought my head was going to explode on my flight last night. It is such a weird sensation when your ears are relieving pressure but it squeals like a balloon inside your head.

So this week I have had the opportunity to have a different children home from school with me all day. I think they thought the previous child got to lay in bed all day and watch and unlimited supply of cartoons, drink chocolate milk, and just relax. They did get to relax, but no t.v, no video games only reading and or coloring. Alivia was pretty shocked when she tried to turn on the t.v today. Personally they weren't as "miserable" as they should have been and had a little too much energy for being sick:)

Having them home reminds me so much of how fast time goes by, how the clock never stops clicking as I sit here and can hear my watch, tick, tick, tick, tick. It never stops for joyous occasions or for complete heartaches, they time you need it to stop the most or want it to anyway. Even for time to slow down, ok maybe not when I am working out but for the special moments you want to seal in your heart.

So blessed to have these little sick-o's home with me, I love them so much and am so grateful that our bodies work they way they are supposed to. I have had a few set backs with my health, nothing serious by any means, but nothing that I have ever dealt with either. So learning new things all the time and not taking for granted one breath, one peaceful moment at home, the ability to walk/run, walk/run for miles and having it to do with someone who makes the time "go by fast" is a good thing!

Deal of the century, was a find that Ben got at Target some of our best deals have come from "non-located" items or items returned from on line purchases from people. I don't really know what non-located means other than it goes clearance and it is not out on the floor to be bought and so it finally gets found and it is really cheap. Ben has been wanting to buy the boys for years a basketball standard, and I never thought it was a good idea until now...ha ha 250$ basketball standard for 35$ Yeeee-hoooo!!

I took a pic of poor Ben's head trying to put the dang thing together...nice little reminder of how much he loves his boys!

 I am not a "selfie" kind of gal like some others I know, I always enjoy their "selfies" funny or pretty I like them all. We were on a break at work on Saturday (we had a service class to sit through) and we were being silly and taking really silly selfies, here is one of the "better" ones, I am not a good selfie taker....

 You know when he is sick, he will sleep anywhere and at the most random times. I loved this photo, he is right in the cats spot for her nap and so I loved that she was laying right next to him, what you can't hear is she was purring so loud, I think she loved her visitor.

weekend plans and random photos

 I love finding random photos, it is one of those things that make me happy. In this case it was finding an old memory card, that Alivia got a hold of. Looks like some of the photos are a bit older than others. Enjoy!

 Just in case you were wondering we have a PlayStation 3 :)

 I love volleyball, sad this doesn't get set up all the time, but it was long enough to get a picture of it I suppose.

 This one cracked me up! I am not sure what they are eating, but I thought it was awesome!

 Also if you were wondering what my neighbors house looked like.

 Incredible is still alive and kickin, hasn't ran away so much but has pee'd on my curtains.....SO a new dog kennel for him.

The boat parked in the vacant lot, rumor is it was taken over by a Realtor, does that mean grass in the near future? 

I have a feeling this is a shot of Ben fixing the sprinklers.....we have had a lot of broken sprinkler heads this year, some thanks to the lawn mower, who ever mows the lawn needs to be more careful dang it!

Weekend plans

*Ben is OFF!!! YEAH!! I see a honey do list in his future:)*

*Andrea is NOT off.....BOO!! I have a mandatory service class or as some other flight attendants are referring to it as "charm school". I am excited we were able to choose the day we went and so a bunch of us signed up together. It will be fun to hang out with my work friends.*

*Primary program, my favorite Sunday of the year.*

BYU vs. University of Utah foot ball game, I am sure we will watch it (if it is on) if not I have prepared a special dinner for rivalry night.

Hockey is on this weekend as well. (poor Canucks are 0/2)

I started a NHL fantasy league with the Whidden fam and I draft my players this weekend.....(I have no idea what I am doing)

Onto this post that I read a local website, I loved it so much I have definitely been caught up in some of this but in different ways than the writer expressed. But this is what stood out to me, inserted with my own thoughts.

 My kids wear mostly hand-me-down clothes,{not so much Alivia, but the boys for sure) and I’m working part-time not because it’s fun and exciting but because I need to help pay for soccer (choir) fees and our mortgage. I have long been feeding my kids too much sugar and not enough vegetables (true, true have you seen our soda wall) a problem I am working on but haven’t totally fixed. Our family nights sometimes end with little-boy fistfights. (or somebody getting sent to their room for being a total crazy person)

Here’s another thing: I love being a mom. (AMEN) It’s the best thing that ever happened to me, (AMEN, Hallelujah)and, to paraphrase a quote I keep seeing on Facebook, I don’t want to get so caught up with being a super mom that I forget to be a good one. I want less ironing and more fun, less obsessing about perfection and more recognizing joy. (AMEN< AMEN

That’s why when I see children at church with wet hair and mismatched shoes, I want to throw my arms around their mother and weep. (SO TRUE, although we are pretty good at getting ready for church around here,  but have had our moments)  A dear friend once said that she let her house get messy in order to help other people feel better about themselves that (i love friends like that)  I laughed about that for weeks.( I love laughing) But this friend does make me feel better about myself, and it has nothing to do with the state of her house. She is genuine and caring, positive and real. (I love people that are real, that love me because of me and are not trying to compete with me)

That’s all I’m asking of myself, and everyone else. Let’s be real. If you love to sew and can whip up children’s clothing cuter than anything at Nordstrom (or Gymboree, Old Navy, GAP just to name drop) that’s fantastic. Make a dress for me too. If you are a great cook, or just naturally gifted at elaborate little-girl hairdos, let those talents shine, shine, shine. I will love and applaud your efforts. (Please applaud my efforts too, I am not perfect I am just trying) But if some days the most you can manage is stringy hair and sweatpants at Walmart, (or Target) and you don’t even have enough left in the tank to reprimand your kid when he pees in the cart, that’s fantastic too. As with the Velveteen Rabbit, our imperfections make us loveable, make us real. (AMEN!!!!)

Besides, I promise to crop out your pee-pants kid and add a flattering filter before posting your picture to Instagram. Really, it’s the least I can do.

I want to add as well, I love facebook, instagram and twitter, there are many amazing posts, finds, and info that makes it worth it, but it can also be a very competitive world out there in the social media world. I find myself feeling like people hold back positive thoughts because they are acknowledging that something is awesome for someone else. So when you see me "like" your post or comment, it is a sincere cheer out loud  or in my heart for your happy news or cute pic of your family. It is not just an act because I can or I want you to "like" my status. I am sincerely happy for your situation. AMEN!!

"Don't be gloomy. Do not dwell on unkind things. Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. Even if you are not happy, put a smile on your face. 'Accentuate the positive'. Look a little deeper for the good. Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, with great strong purpose in your heart. Love life." -Gordon B. Hindkley

Cooper

I have blogged a lot about Coopers struggles in and out of school. His biggest challenge is staying on task. This year he was put into a 4/5 grade split. The fourth graders come in at 8am and the 5th at 915. They split into respective groups throughout the day. Well we had a really bad experience on Friday, long story short. Cooper was asked to read a paragraph and re-write in his own words what the paragraph said. Well that can be tough for him, keeping his thoughts in his head long enough to write them back down, to say the least he felt very overwhelmed. The teacher didn't like the fact that he wasn't doing his work like she wanted him to and so she grabbed his paper crumpled it up and threw it in the trash. She then sent him 3 separate times into other teachers classes to finish his work. Cooper was confused on what he wasn't doing right, was in tears by the third classroom he was sent into (which was Alivia's class ) He walked in with tears streaming down his face and walked up to Alivia and told her his teacher was being rude to him today. According to Alivia and Cooper the teacher commented to Cooper that he needed to stop crying or was going to be sent to the principals office. 

We found out all of this information when the kids got home. Ben was furious, Ben and I went up to the school after all the kids were out and spoke to the teacher to find out her side of the story (we believe Cooper but wanted to hear the teachers side obviously) Ben was very frank and asked her what happen and why she would do those things to a little boy who struggles with learning, well......she denied all of it. Well I do believe she crumpled up his paper, I do also believe she threatened to send him to the office. She also asked him about his medicine, which I have specifically asked teachers not to mention anything about medicine to Cooper. If she had a question about his medicine she needed to ask me. I don't want Cooper to think that his medicine dictates his behavior and so when he is having a bad day, I don't want someone to say, "did you take your medicine?" in which she did. She also denied that she threatened to send him to the office. No matter what is true or not it was handled completely wrong. He never should have been sent out of the room 3 times. I could go on and on. But it made me grateful for many things, Ben and his care and concern for our kids, for a Principal who looks out for the students, parents and teachers in a fair way. Thankful that no matter what Cooper is a sweet, lovable little boy and may not be perfect but tries hard to do the right things.

Love that little guy so much!!

September update

 School and homework are back in full swing. I am loving the fall schedule it is nice to get back to a routine as much as I love doing whatever I want during the summer. It is also nice to have the house stay clean for a little while during the day.

 We took a four day weekend and headed over to Flaming Gorge, we decided not to take the boat this time and just fish from the shore, since last time we caught more fish from the shore and the boat has been acting up again.

 Ben's pit stop at the McD's burgers for him and the kids. The drive is easy and it is fun to listen to the kids in the car. I didn't get a picture of it, but they built themselves forts in the spot they were sitting. It was really nice it kept them to themselves and mostly quiet.

 During the day, it got windy so we decided to go on a drive to the Flaming Gorge Dam, and stopped along the route to check things out.

 Overlooking Sheep Creek, which was closed to fishing because the fish were spawning, so it was good we didn't bring our boat. That is where we like to fish.

 It is always amazing to see man made structures and the time and effort it takes into making them. The tour was really cool and it was free that was a nice bonus.

 At the bottom of  the dam, looking down the Green River

 Kids got to feed the rainbow trout, Ben was dying at how big some of them were.

 This little boy is never clean, he had a great time, but lost his patience for fishing very quickly he wasn't catching them as fast as he would like. He was also very sleep deprived. Was having too much fun to go to sleep.

 The most patient person I know, baits, casts, untangles, untangles and untangles lines for hours and it always so happy to be there. Even with me reading in my camping chair.

 The only one who will get up with Ben at 6am to go down to the lake.

 The dad caught the most fish this time.

 Miss Bossy pants! she loves her brothers but sometimes she loses her cool and knows it, this is a guilty face!!

Dirt, dirt and more dirt, but all worth it.

I tried to take more pics but there was a lot I missed, we went for a long walk down the beach hunting for antelope. They were everywhere. We took a trip into town for some treats. We roasted hot dogs, starbursts, and marshmallows. Made Cooper's favorite meal, spaghetti and ate it by the camp fire.

Played charades (again). Swam in the lake and overall had a good time.

Other happenings......Ben is in MSP for his annual Target National Sales meeting. I am guessing the concert will have Michael Buble and Justin Timberlake, but I really don't know, we will find out soon enough. He gets to go to a Minnesota Twins game as well.

I have been busy with the kids, school, homework, at the gym, at work, at Young Womens and taking some pics of my good friends little family. I love taking photos and doing these family shots are great practice. I have no desire to do it as a "job" it is a very fun hobby!

I am excited to take the kids and do their annual fall colors photo shoot. Here are some of the pics, I think I have over 150 pictures so this is a very small sneak peek:)

Coming up:

Primary Program

YW in excellence

Andrea goes to Edmonton

Ben's remodel almost done (thank goodness)

Onto the holiday season though....

Fall break (family vacay, yes!!)

The kids are in choir, yes kids Cooper started this year.

Health update:

I stopped taking the stomach medicine, I was only supposed to do it for 8 weeks and the last 3 days have been interesting since I have been off the medicine. Let's just say I need to stay close to a potty. The anxiety though of getting sick again has not subsided for some reason, but I have learned how to manage it. However I feel okay and hopefully nothing will come back and make my life miserable again. I try everyday to be thankful for the body I have and try to treat it the best way I can; it may not be perfect and that is okay.

I have been able to do some pretty intense workouts and in the past that would put me down, but I have slowly been able to get back to where I was. Running, lifting weights, interval training (my favorite). 

Kessler starts kindergarten

The baby of the family started kindergarten on Tuesday and it was an exciting day for him. He ran into my room at 6:30 was jumping up and down, today is Tuesday, today is Tuesday........

He quickly got dressed hardly ate a drop of breakfast, brushed his teeth, combed his hair and was ready to go.

I picked him up and he was just as happy as when he left.

Wednesday rolled around pretty much the same as Tuesday, super excited, could barely eat. This time he walked with the kids only, I didn't go with. Wednesday is Ben's late day so he left to pick him up right at 10:45 when they get out. Ben calls me about 1050 and said Kessler is not here. What do you mean I said, Ben: the teacher just walked back in and no Kessler. I told Ben to run over to the office and see if they could figure out what was going on. I was worried Kessler never made it to class and he had been missing the last 3 hours. Ben called me and said no Kessler, so I got in the other car and started driving up to the school. A few houses down was little Kessler walking home from school:) He told his teacher I said he could, which he didn't have my permission and the schools policy is that Kindergarten cannot walk home. I called Ben and then called the school they transferred me to the principal, he apologized and was sorry the teacher just let him go. I was so grateful he was okay.

All the kids walking the little brother to kindgarten.

This poor kid (kessler) cannot smile normally, unless you have him say a word.

 I thought this was so cute, the teachers lined up and cheered for the kindergartner's as they walked down the path to their door.

All lined up waiting to go inside.

So happy that he is so happy, this poor mom loves having the kids home so it is kind of an adjustment. Don't get me wrong I will find things to occupy my time, but I found myself the other day turning on the T.V to cartoons for some back ground noise. 

Things I have loved lately

Sitting in the shade

Summer thunderstorms

BBQ'ing

Ben's snoring

Taking baths

Fixing some things around the house