Moving On Up

 Did I mention Abbie's starting MIDDLE SCHOOL in a couple of weeks?

We're over here taking deep cleansing breaths. And buying bras. And deoderant. And scraping pennies together for braces, and reminding her to wear her glasses. Sheesh. I keep hoping she'll get more unfortunate looking so the boys won't pay her any attention until she's 23. No luck yet. She'll be starting band soon, so at least there's that.

Amazing

We aren't big fans of kids getting a lot of screen time. I feel like my children would prefer to move from the TV to the computer to my Kindle (playing games) and back to the TV without ever actually moving. So, I spend a lot of my energy encouraging the kids to entertain themselves.

And success! For the record, I've never successfully managed to stack cards like this. I am fairly certain it has to do with my extreme lack of patience.

A Sporting Chance

The older girls have recently decided to try out some new sports. We encourage this because I only ever did gymnastics and my husband only ran track. We know very little about anything else.

Abbie played a season of YMCA Youth Volleyball. Come to find out, she's quite good! At the end of the season, her coach named her the MVP of the team. So proud. However, this season was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to endure watching.

Her team was 0-8. That's not a typo. They didn't win a single game. So absolutely heartbreaking. And yes, some of the girls on the team cried. But not Abbie. Not ever. Not once. I did though. So hard.

She was just so happy to be out there playing! I can't wait for next season. Maybe they'll actually win a game?

Evertaster!

Recently, my husband discovered that one of his college classmates was just about finished with his first published novel. It's about food, which my husband loves. It's a captivating work of young adult fiction titled Evertaster by Adam Glendon Sidwell. I think it is probably 4th-8th grade level.  I will be honest: I haven't read it. But guess who did?

Read it in one day. Couldn't pry it from her hands. 

When I asked her if it was as good as Harry Potter she replied, "better, more adventurous."
That's quite the review, eh? I am encouraging you to run on over to Amazon and pick up this novel for your kids. Or heck, for you!

Not included? The picture of Abbie reading this book upside-down. Kids are so weird.

Have I mentioned that my husband did the Title Design for the cover? (His name appears in the book... twice!) How awesome is that? (I receive nothing for posting this. In case that was unclear.)

Finally

Abbie loves to read. Loves it. However, she has this tendency to balk when I encourage her to read a specific book, as if my recommendation seals its fate as a terrible book. And by balk, I mean, throw an insane hissy fit. So, for years (literally at least two years) I've been trying to get her to read Harry Potter. She even read about 1/2 of the first book last year. But, for whatever reason, she put it down and claimed it was boring.

So, because I don't want to seem a pushy mom (I totally am), I laid off. A couple of weeks ago, both Anna and Miles started showing interest in reading the books. I suggested we read them together, as a family.

I think I got about four chapters into the first book before Abbie commandeered it, finishing it in under a day. She is now about to start the seventh book. On Saturday, we attended Universal Studios (with free tickets from the husband's employer) and purchased for her, her very own wand. These are not toys. They are uh... expensive($35). And they break easily (or so we are told.) Abbie picked out the Luna Lovegood wand.

The promise is that when she finishes the books, the wand is hers. I don't think we needed to incentivize her, but it doesn't hurt. In the meantime, she can't get her nose out of the books for anything. Things could be worse.

Playin' Hookey

When I was growing up my mother would typically allow us one Free Day per school year. Yes, that's right. we were allowed to skip school. I will add that it wasn't allowed to be on a day when we had an important test or anything (responsible parenting still intact).

These were the best days. I remember going shopping. I remember my senior year of high school, my mom and I went strawberry picking. That was the best. I think once my kids get into high school, I will enact this tradition. It will be my one redeeming grace; I'll be the cool Mom for one whole day. Maybe.

This morning Abbie woke up feeling awful. She was running a low grade temperature so I told her to just go back to bed. She agreed and basically slept all morning. Around 1pm she woke up feeling infinitely better.

So I let her braid my hair into what seemed like a million braids. I pretend like this was something she suggested, but in actuality it was my idea. I really enjoy having my hair played with and she was super excited to do it. And I looked awesome, as you can plainly see.

After that, I decided to re-teach her how to knit. The last time I taught her (about two years ago) there was a lot of frustration on both of our parts and not much success. 

Not this time! She spent most of the rest of the day holed up on the couch with her knitting. I really hope it's caught on.  However, I'm not sure I thought this through completely as now I'm going to have to share my yarn stash. Uh. Not cool. 

(My husband would like me to state that for the record, we do not allow our daughters to wear tank tops as clothing. It is acceptable as an undershirt or possibly as pajamas.  Since she is still wearing her pajamas, that happens to be what she had on.)

10 Years.

 Recently, my oldest daughter, Abbie, celebrated her tenth birthday. This baffles me. She isn't supposed to be ten. I'm not sure what she is SUPPOSED to be, but it isn't ten and it isn't a fourth grader.

 But I suppose if you're going to be ten, you couldn't be a better ten. She's the kid who is liked by everyone. She's the kid who other parents say things like "Abbie is welcome in my home ANYTIME" about. She's the kid who doesn't give me a moment's worry about her grades. She's the witty, hilarious kid that everyone wants to be friends with, including me. She's the helpful, empathetic older sister, the tremendous girl who thinks of others before herself and puts her trust in the Lord. She is a reminder to me of why we were sent here to this Earth...so that we could know of the Godlike power of creation and the ability to love someone so unconditionally. And yes, in the ten years I've known her, I've learned that. 

Happy Birthday to my dear daughter, who made me a Mother.

Perpetual Valentine

Once upon a time, I received an amazing Valentine gift.

Today, she looks like this:

 Is it bad if I keep hoping she'll start to get "unfortunate" looking soon?  Everyone needs those years of awkward smiles and weird skin to humble them.

 I've got my fingers crossed, but so far... no luck.

Happy 9th Birthday, Abbie!

Costume #3 - Halloween Fairy??

In my efforts to encourage Abbie to read books on her actual reading level (more like 5th grade), I told her that her Halloween Costume needed to be from a character a book. I suggested lots of awesome ideas like Laura Ingalls, Ramona Quimby, etc... She would have none of my suggestions.

She brought me this book (which, to be fair, she did actually read.) Ugh! Fine. Whatever. I didn't have the energy to fight anymore.

 Close enough, right? Just say yes. 

 I took a size medium adult woman's shirt, cut a hole in the neckband casing and slipped some elastic in to cinch up the neckline and I cut the sleeves off diagonally. We reused a sash from our ninja costumes from last year. The tights were a blessed find from JoAnns and honestly, I would have paid whatever they were asking because I was seriously stumped as to a homemade solution. The wings were also worth every penny I paid WalMart for them, because while I know you CAN make your own, I just wasn't about to.

I made the wand using tried and true methods of paper, cardboard, hot glue and duct tape.

Ahem... Where were we?

Oh yes. Blogging.

So, school started awhile ago for us. We've entered our third week and as a bonus, this year Miles is attending a five day a week half day preschool. So, between the hours of 12p and 3p (read: naptime for Lucas AND Libby), my house is silent.  Well, except for the sweet clicking of my knitting needles. Yes. I am liking this.

My husband is kind enough to do the early morning walk to the bus stop. I couldn't love him more for it. I am not to be seen in public before 9am. Trust me.

So, here they go. Off to First and Third Grade. 

They really love riding the bus. I love that they ride the bus. It's a win-win.

 And for the record, I already hate third grade. But I promise that you don't want to get me started. I could really complain all day long. It is making me take a long, hard look at my reasons for not homeschooling... we shall see.

 My girls each picked out skinny jeans to wear to school that first day. I've had to enforce the "please put your dirty clothes in the laundry hamper and not back in your drawer to be worn for 5 days in a row" rule.

 Heh. Skinny Jeans that sag on my children's tiny heinies. Bwahahaha.

 

Ah yes. Welcome back to freedom school.
And this is the part where I confess that Miles's first day picture got taken with my camera phone... stay tuned. 

Tea Leaves

Not the leaves, the Sweater.

Abbie had previously been complaining that I never knit anything for her.
Fine!

 A short sleeved cardi it is! I'm sure it would look tons cuter if she wasn't wearing horribly awful clashing colors with it, but whatever.  I finished this right before our trip, so it's been waiting to be blogged about for quite some time!

 I adore the ruching!

One of these days, I'll work up the guts to knit myself a sweater. Maybe.

Speaking Of...

Quite a few of you noticed in my last post the hilarious thing I failed to point out.

Libby... firmly latched onto Abbie's shoulder. Abbie just kept giggling.

Well, sure. It's funny.

That is, until you realize that your eldest daughter just received her first hickey. Nice.

Busiest Weekend Ever.

And it's over. Thank you.

Woke Friday at 7am. Dressed, fed, and shipped the girls off to school. Went back into the school to volunteer in Abbie's class. Came back and planned a huge grocery shopping trip. Went to the store. Got home from the store just in time to greet my parents and brother at my front door as they drove from Pennsylvania to Florida just to escape the 4 feet of snow. No, not really, though that's as good a reason as any, right?

Got my parents settled in and we ate dinner. Made a trip to JoAnns with my mom (nothing finer in the world than a trip to JoAnns with your mom. Really). Came home and stayed up too late making a birthday cake.

Woke up at 5:45am on Saturday morning. Cleaned my house and frosted the cake. Invited 8 children ages 6-9 into my home to trash the place. Didn't even clean up after they left. Took a brief nap. Ran some errands while my husband and brother took the older three kids ice skating. Met my husband at his work so we could leave the kids with the babysitting company his work hires on occasion as a perk for the employees. Took my parents out to dinner. Fielded a phone call from Abbie regarding a hysterical Lucas. Ignored his panicked screeching in the background. (He was fine.) Picked the kids up. Made a slideshow. Make a headband. Made a church program. Crashed into bed close to 2am.

Woke up Sunday at 6:45am. Cleaned up from the birthday party. Got 4 children ready for church (with the help of my parents and husband.) Looked hot at church! Well, as much as a 38 weeks pregnant woman, can... which is to say, comical. Ran errands around church all through Sunday School. Actually sat and listened to the lesson in Relief Society. Fabulous. Ran home. Fed family leftover pizza for lunch. Tended to an oozing infected wound on one of my children. Pretended like I was going to make cupcakes. Delegated. Hustled everyone back to the church. Fielded 3 screaming fits from 3 different children who did NOT get enough of a nap. Didn't forget anything.

Witnessed the baptism of my oldest daughter. Cried. Loved my husband so much it hurts. Felt truly blessed because of all of the awesome friends and family who came out to the baptism. The room was bursting with so much love for our family that it brought me to tears a couple of times. Dressed her in the gorgeous dress my mother made. Felt my heart skip a beat. Underestimated the pain of watching your child grow up before your very eyes.

Hustled everyone home. Made (with many helping hands) breakfast for dinner at Abbie's request. Sang birthday wishes, ate birthday cupcakes and celebrated Chinese New Year with Boba, pineapple cakes and some "lucky money."

Hoped my friends know that I feel of their love and support. Hoped my family knows how extremely grateful we are that they made the trip (both the drive and the flight) to be with us this weekend.

Hoped my daughter knew how much she's loved and how proud of her I am.

A Pleasant Surprise

If you're a mom, you know that when the kids get too quiet it can mean only one thing: TROUBLE. This is when you usually find that your children have escaped from the backyard carrying all the grapefruit from our tree that they can manage and are selling it door to door. TRUE STORY.

However, on this particular day I was met with a very pleasant surprise.

Phew!

Sobbing

Abbie's been having a tearful month or so. Not sure what's going on with her. She seems to be even more prone to crying jags when Matt's around (and I'm even more prone to them when he's not.) But we're working on getting it under control.

I wish I could remember how the conversation came up, but we started talking about college and all the cool stuff you do at college. No, not partying... the cool stuff like living with your friends and making your own food.

Abbie was really not fond of that idea. She never wants to leave my side. And so the crying began.



1. This must be documented. Because in 11 years when she's DYING to get out from under my tyrannical thumb, I will show her this picture and tell this story.
2. I'm evil.

Headfirst into 7

Dear Seven,
I have to admit, I'm a bit scared by you. But I'm more scared for you. You're wise beyond your 2555 days.

Yet you're still my baby, as evidenced by the fact that you let me cradle you in my arms and snuggle into your neck.

You're fiercely independent in one moment and desperately needing mom the next.

You're a very intelligent girl, Seven. I want you to keep learning and growing. Gain as much knowledge as you possibly can. But never forget to rely on the arm of the Lord. Do not discount faith. It's importance and prevalence in your life is where your happiness will truly come from.

Seven, I need you to listen...

This world is only gonna get harder, and scarier, and meaner. Always, always remember that I love you. Never forget the things that your Father and I are trying to teach you: compassion, sincerity, patience, & a willingness to clean up after your own darn self.

But please, don't be afraid to be a kid. Don't be afraid to show your goofy side.

Seven, you seem so much older than I would have thought possible. We have the ability to trust you to make good decisions (most of the time).

Keep doing that. We like that. Don't get sidetracked by all the meaningless fluff this world has to offer, Seven. Keep smiling. Keep hugging. Keep us close.


Love,
Your mom.

Dress? What dress?

Oh. That's right!

This dress:


Oh, and I made the bow.



Oh. And I made the girl. But I did that awhile ago.

Head to Head.

Sometimes, it's a good thing.

Dorking around.

There's a new look on my photography site. Definitely go check it out. Mostly just color schemes and whatnot. But a new logo. One I'm really happy about... and definitely sticking with. I tried in vain to change around the template on this blog, but alas, I'm not really template savvy. I did change the header picture up there! Go me!

There are some exciting things happening with AE Photography. To let those of you who are interested in booking a shoot with me know, I'm booking about 4 to 6 weeks out and I'll be out of town doing shoots in Utah April 10-17th. I'm booking April and May sessions now. If you want (and everyone does) pictures for Father's Day (June's not that far off!), please contact me sooner, rather than later.

I still have a couple spots available for Utah sessions. If you're interested, please email me!

Enough business... more pictures.

This past weekend my husband's company had a Company Picnic. It was fun, but... it was just so darn cold!!! Yes, I'm whining about our 60 degree weather. There was corn on the cob, cotton candy, sno cones, several bounce houses, a dunk tank, a climbing wall, and face painting. And yes, we let her. It was her first time. She picked out the design and everything. Was quite adamant about which one she wanted, despite my pleas that she get painted up as Jekyll and Hyde. Snow Queen it was.

Well, we'll see how this weekend goes. Anna just woke up puking on everything. I'm sure I'll be knee deep in vomit before tomorrow is over.

Last from this series.

Finally figured out my camera/histogram issues. And I can now post the rest of these.
Ok, just one more.

I'm going to make every effort to pick up my camera tomorrow, but if not, there should definitely be new pictures some time this weekend. I have a slew of client shoots coming up...

If you're a client, keep your eyes peeled here (after your session, of course) for a sneak peek.