Halloween

I Love Halloween!  Being a preschool teacher I know how much little children love to dress-up and use their imaginations in make believe worlds. My kids are no exception, Bella was a gypsy ( a popular choice for a middle-school-er) For the last couple of years Olivia has had a costume revolving around a card board box. She has been a dice, a rubix cube and a red box machine. Benjamin has been the maker of these costumes and plead with living to choose another route, I think he was done with spray painting. So together they came up with her costume which consisted of her with a normal card board box around her and a thought bubble attached to a head band, what was she?.... "Thinking outside the box". Super cute an no spay paint! Holman who became addicted to the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice ( thanks to a long stay at Nana's and Papas house) dressed up as Mr. Darcy, you know what every 8 year old wants to be.  Parkin was going to be a Missionary Vampire  but decided last minute to be a power ranger. Interestingly enough only Bella wore her costume to school. Adrianna dressed up as a butterfly princess.

At preschool we had three Halloween performances one for each class, I love the Halloween performances, we have a costume parade and performance all wearing costumes. This year I dressed as Merida from Brave the kids loved it, (Benjamin was my Scottish warrior wearing our families Wallace tartan and a fake muscle shirt, he was HOT)! Sadly he was gone on his annual Mens trip, the Cats were playing in California  that weekend and so he was on the road for Halloween night, we did get to use our costumes at two friends Halloweens parties though.

Bella staged a rebellion at school a couple of days before Halloween. A couple of classes talked of test and homework the day after Halloween and Bella wanted none of that. She made posters that stated "Give Halloween back to the kids no homework and tests the day after Halloween." She posted these posters up in the cafeteria and had kids sign their costume names she got over 200 signatures, luckily we were not called to the principals office! The day after Halloween there ended up being no homework or tests, coincidence....

School Change

We love summer and we also love the start of school. It always seems that the last couple of weeks of summer the kids are bored and I am ready to not be the full entertainment committee. This year all of my kids started a new school. My oldest went from one campus to another within the small district. The school that she had been going to was a middle school but they expanded it over the summer to make it a primary school, K-6th so she had to go to another campus that offers 5-12. Since they now offer elementary within the school district we gladly signed the younger kids up. The downside is that it is a new school so there are kinks to work out and the school is a drive. Its an open enrollment charter school called Basis.

Parkin and Holman study Mandarin Chinese, Olivia studies Latin and Bella is learning Spanish. I think there has been such a rise in the USA to learn Mandarin and I think one of these reasons is for the gospel to be preached to everyone in the world. Both my sons love this language and are doing so well. Parkin will write me little notes in Mandarin and then write the translation on the note, super cute.

Bella is in 7th grade she is taking Algebra II, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Logic's, English, Spanish  and PE (finally a class that I can relate to). Olivia is in 5th grade she is taking Pre-Algebra, Latin, Classics, English, Science, Geography, Art, Music and PE. Holman (3rd grade) and Parkin (1st grade) both take TLC, Humanities, Mandarin, Kempo, PE, Fine Arts, Math ,Science and All Connections I love this school because their belief is that the average child who is exposed to knowledge with academic support can excel beyond their expectations. I totally agree!

The only kid that did not have to change schools this year was Adrianna. This year I have three preschool classes with a total of 38 students! The best thing about my preschool continues to be the families that come here! Adrianna is a sport she loves all the kids and has an insane memory of the different classes. My schools motto is;  "You are smart, you can learn and you can do it!" the kids here me chant this all the time :)

Walk of Champions

*I have held onto this post trying to find swim photos, since it is November I think I will post now so I can cover a little bit of our Tucson "fall"

Summer in our family isn't just a break from school its swim team season. This year we had to switch leagues because practice time didn't work with our school times. It ended working out great, the team met later in the day was closer to the house and cheaper! We joined the Y's year round team. The kids continue to excel at the butterfly and avoid breast stroke. They did several invitationals and all received medals.  I deserve a medal for sitting out in the heat, swim invitationals are crazy long. But truth is I love watching them race and to try to beat their times.

The best thing about this league is before each championship race they introduce the swimmers, announce their name, who they swim for and what there times are. Then they play rock music as they do the "walk of champions"to the starting block. Its great for the swimmers because it gets them all pumped up and its fun for the spectators because its a rock concert and swim meet in one.

Bella's two relays got first place. She swam butterfly in the medley relay, she got 2nd in backstroke and 3rd in butterfly and freestyle was a crazy close with a 4th place finish. Olivia's two relays got first. She swam freestyle in the medley relay, she got 4th place in backstroke, 3rd place in butterfly and 6th place in freestyle. Holman's two relays got first. Points for a winning relay are huge for a team total points. He swam butterfly in the medley. He got 2nd place in backstroke, 1st place in butterfly (Holman never lost a butterfly race), and 2nd place in freestyle. Holman was the 2nd highest scorer in his age group at championships, he got a special medal for it. The two races he got 2nd place were to his team mate, their particular relays literally lap the other teams.

Last year the Y got 5th place at championships, this year our team won the title with  200 points over the 2nd place team. Coincidence that we joined the team and now they are number one...I think not :)

Lemonade Stand

At the beginning of the summer we made a list of all the things we wanted to do as a family. One was make a lemonade stand. The kids have wanted to do this for a while, I figure if we officially put it on the list we might actually get it done. The kids were so excited we went to the store priced everything out, they figured out what would give them the biggest bang for their buck. We fronted them $20 fully expecting not to get any of it back. They sold lemonade, pink lemonade and popcorn. Between the lemonade, cups, straws, fresh lemons for garnish, each cup took .13cents to make. They sold it for .50 cents a cup. Good thing because they painted the sign weeks ago and had already determined the price. The popcorn took .12 cents to make and they sold it for .50 cents.

The kids set up a pop up tent behind Palo Verde high school, the street gets a lot of residential traffic. Both Benjamin and I were out there while they were selling their wares. They had a sign and a giant lemon that Parkin wore as he danced the customers to the tent. Bella, Olivia and Holman would race out to the cars with large smiles and greet their customers like a good QT employee, those people are friendly!

Two things I learned. 1) People are generous. We had some people drive by and just give us the change that they had in their car. People gave large tips. 2) Can't judge a book by its cover. The most unexpected people would stop and buy the lemonade. We had one monster truck full of large bearded men stop and buy cups of lemonade. A teenage boy in a sports car all alone stopped by to buy a glass. Everybody was so kind.

When asked what we were raising the money for we would explain it was a family economics lesson. We were trying to teach our children the cost of materials, the work required to make money, the attitude it takes to sell a product and the fortitude to be there till its done. I was so impressed by how they all worked so hard, they greeted each customer with a smile and tons of thank you's, their face were red from standing out in 110 Tucson heat but the take away was well worth it.

We actually didn't expect to get the $20 back, but in the end they made $58! Not bad for an hour and half worth of work. The kids decided to buy pizza for lunch thanks to the $5 pizzas at Little Ceasers. The kids voted and they thought half off shakes at Sonic would be a good deal. Not to eat all our profits they wanted a fun family activity and bowling was on the summer bucket list so we signed up for kids bowl free and all they had to pay for was the shoes. They made their money stretch! They were a little short for all five of them so Bella like the awesome big sister and tender-hearted girl that she is, chipped in to help pay for Anna

I am not sure if it is a good thing or not, but our kids know our family finances really well. They have been aware of the financial pit falls we have experienced due to our failed home building project. They know our goal is to pay it off as soon as possible. We have been paying for everything beyond bills with cash. I lay out in bills what we have extra and we start to divide what we know is coming up. They can see clearly what we have left after obligations. Maybe it is too much for the kids to worry about, but groceries are always bought, the house and utilities are payed for it is the extras of "mom can we buy new shoes, go to the movies, go to DQ?" They see what is available and what is possible. They know piano, guitar and swim team  do not come free and in fact it is a sacrifice to make those things happen.

Now they are trying to think of another money making possibility......

Parkin turns 6! And Mothers day epiphany.

Parkin tuned 6! He is such a LOVE. That is the word we use to describe this boy who is so easy going and easy to love. He hugs and kisses freely and forgives freely. He laughs often and gives full belly laughs. He always comes to the defense of who ever is down or feels picked on, he jumps right in and demands that we treat that family member better. It is in his nature to love and protect.

For his birthday we took him and his 3 cousins (Daniel, Collin and Desmond ) with us to the Wheeler Carnival. Everybody got a couple of tickets and we played games and had snow cones and cotton candy. Then we came back to the house and had a pizza and sleepover party. Parkin loved it! He was with his best friends and they all got various prizes. It was the easiest birthday party ever! He opened presents on the front lawn and we played outside till it got dark. Parkin was born on the national day of prayer and I have been praying a prayer of thanks to my Heavenly Father everyday since that I get to be his Mom, I love you son!

I had a mothers day epiphany. I was asked to be a speaker in our sacrament meeting at church. I was quite nervous, my topic was "what it means to be a mother this day and age." All week I had thought about it, but I was never really able to formally map out what I wanted to talk about.

Sometime during the weekend my stomach started to go south, I new my digestive track was having a problem and sure enough Sunday morning came and I was doubled over in pain. No mothers day breakfast for me. I was already telling my husband that he might want to start thinking about who could replace me as a last minute speaker. Finally the pain grew and I knew it either had to stop or I needed to find a replacement. I prayed on my knees telling Heavenly Father I was ok with the pain but if he wanted me to speak he needed to take the pain from me so I could focus on the talk and deliver the speech. Immediately after my prayer I felt better. I got dressed and I finally knew what I was going to talk about.

I have a dear friend, Alexandra that without fail always sends me a Mothers day card. Every year for 12 years. We have been friends since 2nd grade, 28 years of friendship. Sunday morning I was struck by how truly thoughtful that is. She is not a mother, I am certain that when she becomes a mother she will be fantastic. She truly honors motherhood and the mothers in her life. And then it hit me. Mothers day is NOT about me. It is about honoring the mothers in my life.

There is a quote from a short video about mothers and it says " Life doesn't come with a manual, it comes with a mother." I was struck by all the "manuals" in my life. My own mother/ manual is fun and supportive and faithful. My friend Alex has been a manual of friendship, loyalty and  thoughtfulness. Mothers day is about honoring these women who have played a part in helping me on my journey. It isn't about whether I woke up to a clean house or breakfast in bed, it is about how my actions can help honor the manuals in my life. All the good holidays are about love, not yourself. The best Christmas's are the ones where I focus on the Savior and helping others, not when I worry about me. If mothers day was just about the individual and their own mothering then it could be very sad, sad for the mother who morns the loss of a wayward child, or the loss of a child, or your own inadequacies as a mother.  When the meaning of mothers day is bout others it makes the day more joyful.

Every year our congregation passes out a gift to the women in the congregation as a mothers day gift. I remember that being awkward when I didn't have children, thinking I am not a mom I shouldn't take one. But there are two reasons that women should take them regardless if they have birthed a child. 1) your own mother would love for you to have one 2) You are a manual for others!

My mothers day was complete when I got to honor 5 woman and their kiddos, as well as my own mother and father, for a mothers day dinner largely made by my awesome husband. Their husbands are fighting in the war and I truly felt privileged to have them over for such a meaningful day. The night was made better when my husband handed the ladies letters that their husbands had wrote to them.

President Hinckley a prophet who lived in our day said,  “Only after the earth had been formed, after the day had been separated from the night, after the waters had been divided from the land, after vegetation and animal life had been created, and after man had been placed on the earth, was woman created; and only then was the work pronounced complete and good."


Eve was not a mother yet! She was a woman and by her very nature she was honored as being "good." So to all my friends and fellow manuals, I want to tell you, thank you! You inspire and uplift me and you are more than good enough. You are better than you think.

http://www.lds.org/pages/mormon-messages?cid=%20HP000061&lang=eng#to-every-mother

Why? And the answer came

After years of wondering why? My wonderful twin provided clarity in poetry. Truly an angel here on earth she provided an answer I can live with.

Livin On The Land

By Lindsey Joy Smith

Livin on the land, sure was grand

Cactus and wide open skies

Our dusty dirt road led to hopes of our home,

Easily pictured in our minds eyes

Makin peace with the critters and playing with cousins

Meal time was never a bore

But with no runnin water, the days felt much hotter

Till water was lugged from the store

Outside in the dessert it grew easy to see

How a want compared to a need

Our previous t.v filled, microwave lives

Looked luxurious, with a tad bit of greed

The Path to Enlightenment brought time for reflection

The Trail of Tears gave time to pray

When plannin our future and life on the land

“Forever” -  How long we would stay

But Bank desperados, masked bandits with pistols

Shot holes through our hopes and our dream

Returning to stop lights, cable and comfort

We pulled into town out of steam.

What of tortoise and sage brush and prickly pear cacti?

What of ward and new friends made as well?

What of acres of plans and acres of land

And dreams quietly shot straight to h***?

If life on the land taught us nothin at all,

Then surely it was all for naught.

But this lesson now learned, our heads won’t turn

For out on the land we were taught:

A want and a need aint always the same,

Of this we now know for sure

The time that was spent in good ole Mescal

Was no end stop, just a detour

Though our hearts might still want the wide open air

and the dessert smell after a rain

They really belong to the Cowboy Above

Who needs us at Bellatrix Lane

Bella turns 12!

My little girl turned 12, and is now in the young woman program at church (for young women ages 12-18). Where did the time go?! She has been a joy to raise, with a strong head on her shoulders. Recently she was at her friends birthday party when they put on a PG-13 movie, she called me so I could come get her, she didn't want to watch it. Later my husband and I saw the trailer for the movie and I was shocked that the mother thought this was appropriate for young pre-teens. Glad she is confident enough to get out of the situation and not suffer through it. She has been a great example to her brothers and sisters and also to me. She is funny, laughs freely and doesn't take herself too seriously.  She looks out for people who are getting made fun of and will put her neck on the line to stop it. She is courageous. She is well liked because she likes  everyone. She is genuine.
For her birthday party she chose to have a temple trip with her cousin Lilly and both sets of grandparents.  We were able to go on her actual birthday. It was special that her Dad, serving as our Bishop for church, got to interview her. Afterward we all went out for cheeseburgers, Bella's favorite meal. She has never met a cheeseburger she didn't like :)
She has turned into a beautiful young woman and I count myself blessed to have such a terrific daughter. I love you Isabella Jules. I know the teenage years are going to be great with you, seriously lots of fun!