Work

I know a lot of my posts are about work, but so many kids now have no idea how to work, and by golly my kids will work!  Anyway I have been teaching Beckett how to clean the toilet as his new job is the small bathroom downstairs, he is doing a great job!

 Also, sweeping the dining room.  Let me tell ya, he can sweep with the best of them!  He is very entertaining to watch, sometimes he sweeps like he is Spiderman, or Superman, or Kung Fu Panda, you name it.  But, he gets the job done and does a great job!

We started a new discipline - consequence rule sheet at the beginning of the year.  It has been very helpful in taking emotion out of disciplining the kids, which is a big bonus for me.  We have certain behaviors and consequences ranked from 1-3 in offence.  Whatever behavior is done, they have to go and choose a same offence consequence.  It's great! We made the list together and so when something happens I just tell them go and pick a consequence.  It's been really nice.  Love my kiddos, but teaching them to work and do things that are not fun or exciting, is a challenge.  So here's to a good year!

Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy

This was in the paper on Friday, it makes me so proud of my boy for choosing to keep the sabbath day holy.  I know its hard for him, especially because he loves playing basketball, but I am so proud of his good choices!!! Glad he has Jarom there with him and they can rely on each other to make good choices! Keep up the good work!

Crazy!

Today was a crazy day, I think I drove into town like six times.  Everyone had something and their starting and ending times, didn't co-ordinate very well.  The Young Women had New Beginnings tonight, so I got to go with Brooklyn and Chas.  Big shout out to Sis. Rogers who came and put the little ones to bed, they were all asleep when I got home!  I love watching Brookie out in public, it sounds dumb, but I do.  It's fun to see them grow up.  I hope she stays on the path she is headed and continues to make good decisions.  She always asks me why people do things when they are taught something else, I hope she sticks to her guns!  She is a good kid.

School Ball

We are doing a couple different teams of basketball so we differentiate by, AAU and school ball.  Brooklyn had her last day of school ball today, and the team did well.  She scored 10 of their 26 points! YAY Brookie!! All of a sudden it has just clicked, she now actually goes to the hoop when she has the ball, it is so fun to watch her. Finally! I've got lots of video of her playing but not a lot of pictures.
Brady just started school ball, which I am coaching. He actually can't practice with us because AAU is at the same time.  So he will just play games with us when we start on the 3rd.  It is fun coaching the boys and I like that I can be involved.  I have a girl in our ward staying after school to watch the kids, which has been fantastic!!  Then I don't have to worry about them running all over.  We have one more week of practice and then games start.  We love basketball season! Our favorite!
Our last AAU tournament is next weekend, here, so we are all excited about that!

Some more Photography!

Brooklyn loves taking pictures and editing them on my phone, a couple of them are just plain awesome!

 This one is by Brady, a beautiful sunrise outside the house!

 This is of the old school down the road and in the field.

 This is Bro. Flowers barn, looks straight out of a magazine!

 I should have Brooklyn think of titles for the ones she loves, this is one of them.  Looks like it should be in a horror show.

 I love the snow and green green trees!

 This one is my absolute favorite, I think I may print it and hang it in my house!

Valentines Day

We actually didn't do anything special on Valentines Day with the kids because Chas and I got to go out for dinner and dancing, it was wonderful!
Chas surprised us girls with flowers on Friday night and candy and cards for the boys! He is such a great Dad!

 I love that Brooklyn is in her farm clothes, she needs to marry a guy that doesn't mind seeing her in farm clothes, makes them that much better! Chas has probably seen me in grubby's way more than nice clothes, and he still loves me ,waddayaknow!  Not afraid to get dirty, love it!

Beautiful!  We were going to have a special dinner tonight, but Brooklyn wanted to go to a friends house, since none of them were going to the dance, so she went there.  We decided to do it on Sunday instead.

Saturday is a special day...

Saturday is the work day around here.  We have been trying to make it a little more fun lately, by getting our work done early and then having something to do in the afternoon.  We did just that today. the kids quickly got their chores done and then we went swimming.  I think it was probably the nicest day of the year (winter) so far, so it really was hard for Chas and I to want to take the kids swimming, but we did cause we said we would!  That darn keeping your word thing is a hard lesson to learn when you are a parent. I find myself constantly thinking, "Dang it, why did I say that?"  Lessons learned over and over and over. But we had a great time, yes I even got in the water and even went down the slide with the kids.  They all had a blast! It was a successful family event, cause not all of them are! What a great day!

Friday 13th

Today I went to Brooklyn's awards assembly 4.0 again!! She is awesome.  She has had a 4.0, every semester but one in middle school.  And that was our fault cause we went on vacation and took her out of school for a week.  We are proud of her!!

She didn't want her picture taken, so these are the best I got!

Monday

Today I decided I would wash everyone's sheets, along with all of the other laundry that needs to be done on Mondays, I questioned my judgement.  But I got them done. Chas went to Hermiston tonight for a city counsel meeting, so bedtime was my job tonight.  After finally getting everyone tucked in I came into my room and noticed that someone had made my bed, yep sheets and all and there was my little Brady hiding behind the door.  What a sweet act of kindness this was for me.  Brady sure has a way of seeing things that he can do to help others.  What a sweet boy! Love him!

Sunday

Well today everyone was a little tired after a long Saturday of basketball.  So we were a little slow starting, but we still made it on time.  I love that Brady will go out (mostly without a fight) on Sundays and do chores, even if it is the girls week to do them.  I try and relieve him and do it about 1-2 times a month as well, to get the girls outside and ready for church by 9 is a stretch, so I am glad that he does it for us.  Church was great.  Sister Jensen talked about faith, hope and charity.  She always gives such great insights.  Bro. Hutchison talked about "taking care of our wounded."  His career was in the army as a chaplin, so he travelled around with the medics.  He has some amazing stories.  He talked about helping the wounded and said that often times we destroy our wounded rather than taking care of them, sometimes by gossip, being unfriendly, not reaching out etc.  Made me think of how I could apply that to my family life.  Sometimes I get on a kick about my kids behaving, by not giving them choices and making strict punishments, which in some cases is a must, but for the most part I can be better by recognizing their strengths and pointing them out.  Building them up and helping them realize how special and important they are.
We had the Rogers out that evening and enjoyed a visit with them.  Jean and I are getting together tomorrow to make a lap quilt.  She is going to show me some new techniques with quilting and I am so excited to expand my limited knowledge base.

Basketball

This weekend was the Pepsi shootout tournie here in La Grande.  Brooklyn was asked to play on the 8th grade team, since she decided not to play 7th grade AAU this year.  Their team is well... terrible, but it actually has been a great experience thus far for Brooke.  So between her and Brady we watched 6 games on Saturday.  It was a blast!! I could watch my kids play ball everyday.
Brady has improved so much! He has a great coach who works them so hard.  Brady just really loves to play.  Any spare time he has he is out shooting on our soon to be court.  He averages 6-8 points a game and just really hustles all the time.  He is lots of fun to watch.
Brooklyn came into her own this weekend.  Wow! We have never seen her play with such intensity, it was awesome! We are hoping she has turned a corner and will continue to play as hard.
The little kids did awesome, we promised we would go to Denny's for dinner if they were well behaved and they did awesome!  Carson was a little touch and go near the end, but we made it and it was a great day!

Dinner Time

The other night while we were around the table eating dinner,
Emree said, " It seems like the best time we have is when we are eating dinner together."
I told her that is why we make it a priority to have dinner together every night, sometimes it doesn't happen, but most of the time it does.  And I agree, it is a special time of day

"Our family time around the dinner table has provided healing balm for many such trying days. With the busy lives each of us leads, we’ve found that mealtime together has taken on added importance. President Spencer W. Kimball said: “It is important for us also to cultivate in our own family a sense that we belong together eternally, that whatever changes outside our home, there are fundamental aspects of our relationship which will never change” (“Ocean Currents and Family Influences,” Ensign, Nov. 1974, 112–13). Despite differing circumstances, every family can make eating at least one meal together every day a family priority. Following are some ideas that have helped our family make the most of mealtime." Ensign 1998

Beckett

Today will be my Beckett spotlight day.  This little boy has his engineer fathers brain.  He loves to build things with his Knex and can build anything by following the "map" that they include with the legos.  He also comes up with his own "creations," which are pretty cool.  He just can't understand why I can't make creations, but my brain doesn't work that way.  'Create' is not so much a part of my make up.  He is getting to be a good little reader.  He is also learning a lot about tolerance and good and bad behavior at school.  He has a very challenging class which has helped him recognize that being good is always better.  After talking about a friend of ours who is making bad choices he asked,
 Mom why doesn't he live at home with his family?"
Me: "Because he is making bad choices so he doesn't get to live there if he doesn't follow the rules."
B: Why would he not follow the rules?  I will follow the rules so I can live with my family.
I love the innocence of children and wish they would stay that way forever.
He says the funniest things:
B: Mom, do you know what the inside of your brain looks like?
Me: Trying to describe it, then I asked Why?
B: Because I think I just pulled some of mine out.
Me: What the?  I go check and he had picked a scab. Hilarious!

B: You know when you have to go pee so bad and you actually make it to the bathroom on time?
Me: Yes
B: It's awesome.
Me: Laughing
B: It feels good!

He loves to play the computer and it is everything I can do to not let him play all day long.  He has a great imagination and will sit for hours building and building and playing and building some more.
He has become a little worrier and it is killing me.  He has to know exactly what is going on after school, if he is riding the bus, or if I am picking him up, what time will I be at the school, will I wait right in front of the bus door, what if I am late, what if the driver won't let me off?  Holy Cow!!  So we are spending much more time discussing the schedule for the day and going through every detail.  He even has gone so far to say he doesn't want to play any sports because the won't know the kids.  Crazy! I am hoping it is a phase which will shortly pass.
I was reading Lindsey's blog the other day about how Brock's personality is a yellow.  Totally Beckett as well, no wonder they get along so well.  It is torture trying to get him to focus on a task, it is nearly impossible for him to go upstairs and brush his teeth without stopping 10 times on the way, playing with something, looking around aimlessly trying to remember what he is supposed to be doing.  Sometimes it is hilarious just watching him try to remember why he even went upstairs to start with.  It is definitely helping my patience, trying to get him to focus.  He is so much fun and makes everyone laugh.
He looks exactly like Chas when he was a little boy, blonde hair, blue eyes, tall and skinny.  He feels a little left out with his blonde hair, unless we are with Hutchins' cousins!
He loves to do somersaults, headstands, definitely the most gymnast out of all of us!
We love our Beckett!

Out for a run!

Ok so today I went out for a run.  This month I have exercised 5 days out of every week, for the whole month.  I was tired of working out inside and it was fairly warm outside, with just a little drizzle.  Brooklyn was home from school sick, so I put Carson to sleep and told her I was going for a run.  She thought I was crazy to go out in the rain, but I did.  And it was wonderful! I am not a runner, not a fast runner, or a good runner, or any kind of a runner, but I did it and if felt wonderful.  The sun even peeked out of the clouds for a few seconds here and there.  It was exhilirating! I can't
wait to do it again!

Sick Season & Garbage Cans

Well we are in the thick of sick season around here.  Brooklyn has missed 4 days of school and I took Carson in to the Doctor today. Ear infection, I am telling ya this kid catching every. single. bug. ever. Bad things about older kids being in school.  Like every month I take him in.  I think the RSV he got when he was 6 months old really messed with his system.  I guess by the time he is 12 he should have immunity to everything.  We can hope right.  Chas left today to go to Skamania, WA for work.  He will be gone until Thursday. So for FHE we decided to go shoe shopping.  I know spiritual right? But Brady couldn't go another day without some shoes so we went. At 6 at night. And it actually was kind of fun.  Something totally out of the ordinary for us to do.  As soon as Brady tried on some new shoes, he let out a big sigh and said, oh these are so comfortable, so I knew he hadn't been joking when he said his old ones hurt his feet.  Emree ended up with some cute black boots as well, BOGO!  Then we headed to Walmart.  We got a bin for all of the boys' Knex legos and then they were all on a kick about getting a garbage can for each of their rooms.  They were all so excited, it was hilarious!  So now they each have a $3 garbage can for their room and the are ecstatic, love it when little things make them happy!  Plus now maybe they will put the trash in the garbage, doubt it, but hopeful!

Sundays

I love sunday's! Especially now that we have 9 am church.  The days go by so much better.  Our favorite activity for sunday nights are playing games, lately we play ticket to ride. So fun!
Except for Carson doesn't like it so much, as he is the only one left out.  So this Sunday Chas and Beckett decided to play Zingo with him while the rest of us played ticket to ride.  It worked out really well.
Testimony meeting was awesome today.  The spirit was so strong.  It is so comforting when the Holy Ghost testifies again and again the truthfulness of the gospel.