Happy Freaking Birthday!!

Emily turns seven years old today.  She started off the day at 6am with a fever and throwing up. She threw up again at 8am but has managed to keep some food down the rest of the day.  I guess we'll go ahead and have cake and ice cream tonight.  

She's sitting next to me right now completely bored out of her mind!!  We've looked at everyone's blogs that we know of.  What I am going to do with her next?  I think I'll take a nap.  I know she really missed going to school today and I will have to remind her of this day the next time she tells me she doesn't want to go to school.  

Nurture vs. Nature

Emily played soccer for the first time 18 months ago and I swore I wouldn't put her in it again because it was just so mind-numbingly boring watching a pack of kids run around the soccer field in a big clump trying to kick the ball.  Well, I gave in and put her in it this fall because her best friend was playing and Emily wanted to try again.  Mark is their coach and the first couple of games were just hilarious...kids standing around looking at the sky while the ball goes right through their legs, doing cartwheels, jumping on each other's backs, kicking each other shins to test out their shin guards...I think most of you know what I'm talking about.  Well, after a couple of these kinds of games and getting killed by the other teams I decided to urge Emily to try a little harder, pay more attention and actually follow the ball after she kicks it.  

A few games into the season, things were looking up.  The team was improving a little, the kids were having fun, parents were commenting on how much better they were all doing, however, the team was still getting killed and the other teams scored more goals for us than we scored for ourselves.  Mark was doing a fine job coaching but last week he was in Provo and didn't make it back in time so I reluctantly stepped in.  The second I stepped onto the field my competitive side fired up and the game was on!!!  I quickly figured out how to get the kids to run a "fast break" and Emily scored for the first time in her life!!!  It was so exciting!!!  So we did it over and over again and ended up winning the game!  Everyone was so happy and it felt good.  I think everyone had fun...because winning is fun.  Right?

Mark was out of town again tonight and I was happy to sub.  We were playing the best team in the league and their coach is a jerk.  I have to admit, I spent a little bit of time today scheming about how to beat this team or at least score on them.  To make a long story short, we scored a couple of times, all the kids got to kick and throw the ball in, they were completely exhausted by the end of the game, one of my parents took their kid out of the game and left, I got on the ref and the other coach for standing in the goalie box while my team was trying to score, and I nearly lost my voice.  I am not meant to coach 5 and 6 year olds.  So I'm super competitive...is there something wrong with that?  If so, I blame my parents. 

Catching up...

 


Emily and Lindsey on their first days of school.  Josie hanging out at home, posing for the camera.  Her name has evolved from Josie to Posie to Pose Pie to Podey and Poders which Lindsey made up.  She's so cute.  Who does she look like more...Emily or Lindsey.  I think she looks so much like Lindsey, in fact, I should post some side-by-side pictures of both of them at this age.  

Kids Say The Darndest Things

When I took Em to school today I stopped in and said Hi to her kindergarten teacher from last year.  She reminded me of some funny things Em had said in class:

Emily would sometimes get her b's and d's mixed up.  One day they filled out a worksheet and the last statement said, "When I grow up I want to ....", Emily filled it in with "go to Harverb". I'm going to send that in with her Harvard application.

One time they were learning political correctness and that you should call Indians Native Americans.  Later on that week they were learning about oceans and the teacher pointed to and named the Indian Ocean.  Emily raised her hand and said, "Don't you mean the Native American Ocean?"

Another time, they were playing with some huge, soft die and the kids started bending it.  Emily showed Miss Tawna and said, "Look!  A bendy die!"  Miss Tawna thought she was talking about Abinidi from the Book of Mormon and it took her a good couple of minutes to figure it out.  She thought that was soooo funny!

A couple of weeks ago Emily went to basketball camp.  She came home one day and told me, "I learned how to trespass and bounce pass!!!"  I thought that was so funny we have now renamed the chest pass a trespass.

What a Day

We made a trip to SLC this weekend to attend Grandma J's funeral.  The trip started out pretty rough as I forgot to bring the Jello blocks I was supposed to bring for the luncheon (actually I didn't even remember to make them), a slip for Emily's see-through dress (she wore shorts underneath instead), dress shoes for both girls (they wore their dirty, ragged flip-flops) and a swimsuit for myself (I baked in the sun instead of swam).  However, we didn't forget to bring any of the kids...that's always a good thing.  

The funeral was a very nice celebration of Lily's life and we enjoyed the rest of the weekend with friends and family who had come from all over the country to be there.  After getting past all the things we forgot, it turned out to be a nice trip.  

For anyone who may have been offended by Josie's rejections, please understand that that is the stage she's in right now and she will be over it in about 5 years.  I think she was also feeling out of her element because she seems to be so happy to be home and able to crawl all over the house getting her toys.  

More pictures

More pictures of Lake Powell.

Emily knee boarding and cliff diving.

Lindsey doing a twist cliff jump.

Josie having fun (pre-crawling stage).

End of Summer

Well, summer is winding down. Emily starts 1st grade on the 18th, full day and full week, which is something that is unheard of in the Carbon School District. We survived Mark being gone last week and we're so glad he's home. We all missed him but Lindsey especially was longing for her daddy by Wed. and insisted on calling him several times a day. He's leaving us again next week to do his dream hike with the scouts in our ward into the Uintah's and to King's Peak. They are taking horses this time and will be able to pack in all kinds of good food which will be a new experience for Mark. He usually has to eat the packaged dehydrated food for every meal because it weighs nothing. He is so excited he started packing before he went to Las Vegas.

I think I have mentioned before how super-coordinated and strong Lindsey is. Well, last week at International Days she climbed to the top of the rock wall which is about 30 feet high. She may be the only 4 year old to have done that. I haven't seen any kids younger than her climb to the top and ring the bell. Emily and Addy did it when they were 5. She's so awesome. And it wasn't a fluke because she did it again the next day. I really didn't think she could do it but she never ceases to amaze me with the things she can just do all of sudden. You go girl!!!

We just got word that Mark's grandma Jespersen may be about to pass away. She's been in an assisted living center for 6 years and has really been out of it for the last 4. She didn't wake up yesterday and hasn't eaten anything in two days.

Las Vegas

Well, I'm all alone this week as everyone (Mark, mom, dad, Craig and Eve) all went to Las Vegas for furniture market. I thought about taking the girls and going down there too but since Vegas' motto has been "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" over the last few years, it's become less and less family friendly. Plus it's just way too hot right now and packing three kids around in 115 degree heat all day is not at all appealing to me. So, we are hanging back in Price this week. Darren and his family left to go home on Tues. We had a crazy dinner at Grogg's on Monday night with everyone who was in town. The place was packed-I guess dinner at Grogg's is a pretty popular Family Home Evening activity-and there was one waitress. It took over an hour to get our food and the kids, all of them, were going absolutely nutso.

Emily is in basketball camp this week and next and is really enjoying it. She has such a hard time taking instruction from Mark and I that we have to have other people teach her things that we could very well teach her for free! We went swimming at the Helper pool yesterday and everyone had a blast. Even Josie loves to be in the water. Lindsey is just an amazing little swimmer. She has no fear and will go off the diving board often showing up many kids twice her age. I think she actually thinks she's a dolphin sometimes.

Lake Powell - July

With my brother & his families annual migration back to Utah, we had to go to Lake Powell to celebrate.  We enjoyed some great weather (except Saturday nights wind storm), good water and typical Lake Powell fun.  

We camped at Stanton Creek, went on boat rides upriver, explored canyon fingers, went on a hike to the sand hill, swam, swam and swam.  Emily entered a new stage - knee boarding and cliff jumping.  She did awesome!  Lindsey caught a catfish at camp and Josie floated in her tube.  Can anyone ask for more?

Hospital Visit

I just got back from the hospital visiting with mother. They moved her out of ICU to the regular ward so the girls were able to go with me. Mother seemed to love having them there even though they were bouncing off the walls. She looks good, has color in her cheeks, etc., but when she talks it's like she's aged 15 years. I'm hoping it's just because she's groggy from the pain meds and the tube they had down her throat a few days ago.

She's still experiencing pain and there's still bile drainage which means the bile duct hasn't closed up yet. I had to tell the nurse to speak up when she talks to her because of her hearing. Even though mother nods as if she understands the directions she was just given, she actually didn't hear anything the nurse said.

In other news, Emily has been going to a summer camp at her school with her best friends and is having a blast. They have a theme every week and this weeks is Fairytales and Imagination. Yesterday, they made sock and sack puppets and today each group put on a puppet show.

Lindsey went to a summer camp at her preschool and had a great time too. She has this week off and asks everyday when she's going back to school. She loves it. We've been doing a preschool workbook at home and she cruised through it. She's so ready for preschool.

Josie is almost 7 months old now and is getting to be so cute and fun. She's proving to have just as much energy as her sisters. The girl won't hold still! She's got the biggest smile and she's not afraid to use it!

Father's Day

We had a really nice Father's Day at my house on Sunday with Craig, Eve and girls, Davey and kids, and daddy. Mother was at home recovering from her gall bladder surgery and septic shock that started to show itself a couple of days after the surgery. Eve and I joined forces to make a really good dinner, although Eve's cooking force is much stronger than mine, and we all had to be rolled out the door at the end of the evening. I think all the father's liked the gifts they got, especially daddy who loved the flower pot we gave him with all the grandkids handprints.

The day ended kind of badly when daddy had to take mother back to the hospital because of the extreme pain she was experiencing. The ER was packed so they sent her home and she ended up going back at 4am. They admitted her to the ICU so they can keep a really close eye on the pain and she is still there today.

She did have a really good night and morning because she didn't need any pain medication but this afternoon was feeling quite uncomfortable so they gave her more Demorral (sp). I really hope this passes soon. It is just heartbreaking to see her in so much pain especially after a surgery that is so routine most doctors do it with their eyes closed. Maybe that's the problem. She did have a bath today and the nurse changed her bed sheets. She felt so good, like a new person. And then the pain hit right after she had a popsicle for lunch. She is so frustrated. I'm gong back this evening and I hope she is feeling better.

Do you know this man?

Who knew that Marion cleaned up so nicely?


Or that he had such a pretty granddaughter?

Sisters, sisters...

For the last few months, everyone has been asking for updated pics of the girls. Here are some of my favorites. For Mother's Day, Mark and the girls gave me a hammock stand so I can use the hammock we have been storing for the last 5 years. Unfortunately, everytime I touch it, the girls hop on with me.


Here is Lindsey on her 4th birthday with Hannah next to her. Yes, I made that beautiful, lopsided cake! Lindsey loved it. She had her first friend party with 7 girls from her dance class, church and Hannah and Jaxton. Jaxy stayed outside most of the time. Too many girl cooties floating around.

This is Emily on the last day of school with her awesome teacher, Miss Tawna. She's really going to miss her. Emily had a great year in kindergarten...she is doing upper 1st grade math and reading at a 3rd or 4th grade level. Pretty good for a girl who could only read 3 words going into Kindergarten. Kids are required to pass off 100 sight words (most commonly used words) before going to 1st grade and Emily passed off 1000! She was competing with a boy from her class and one from the class next door. Everytime they passed off another set, Emily would jump up and tell her teacher that she wanted to pass off some more even though she hadn't practiced them and most of the time she did it! I wonder where she got her competitiveness? Grandma and Grandpa?

We are so proud of her and Lindsey might turn out to be just as smart. Emily is teaching her things she learned in Kindergarten so she'll probably start Preschool out way ahead of kids who have been in it for an extra year. We'll see.

Rookie

Okay, so the blog is up and running and I'm feeling quite inadequate. So, this is like a journal but online so everyone can see? Who's brilliant idea was that? I don't keep a journal for just such a reason...I don't want anyone to read it! I'm putting myself out there with this so please bear with me. This is mostly to keep my long lost friends and family updated on my family.

We're online...

I've finally got around to setting up the blog.  Now I need to spend some time uploading photos and other interesting stuff...stay tuned.