Milestones

Here are some pics of recent Milestones!!


Justice earned his green belt!! Now he is on Level 8

Here he is with all his missing teeth!

Tana with her half cast. Just had the big barbie arm cast removed.

Tana has been trying forever to learn how to blow bubbles. Today she finally did it!

Blackberry Bet

Well, I won the bet (see previous post) before it even started. He said he was expecting some important business calls today and couldn't be with out it. I recommended a nearby B.A.A. program "Blackberry Addicts Annonymous". He agreed his addiction is more serious than both of us thought. If only there really were such a program :-)

Halloween's a comin!

It's only been a couple of days since my last post but a lot is going on. My camera is on the fritz!! Ugh- always when you need it the most. Will post pics ASAP. Everyone is going their own direction. We are gearing up for Halloween- one of our favorite holidays! We are adjusting to fall- although we love the cooler weather- getting dark earlier sucks!! I need sunshine, and lots of it. Pretty soon it will be dark at 5:00pm and dark when you wake up. I am getting depressed just thinking about it. Anyhoo- here is the update on everyone.

Montana: She had her big barbie arm cast removed, and they put on a shorter cast (just below the elbow). It is healing nicely- just needs more time. She is always a character- the nurses got a kick out of her jumpiness with the "saw".

Justice: Lost one of his front teeth. The other one is loose also. He looks so cute! He is off for another camping trip with his friend Jordan this weekend. They are always off on adventures. He also is doing great on his bike- can't get him off of it!

Sierra: She is off to Disneyworld and then a cruise with the Jepsons. They too are always off on adventures. I guess the ENTIRE family is going. That will be fun for them- especially the cousins. She is doing really well in school so far, and is still "going out" with H.F. He is a good kid. I hope.

Eric: He has been so busy with work. I've decided he is addicted to his "Blackberry". They are never apart and it seems that he gives it more attention than anything else. He thinks I am over-reacting of course. So we made a bet that he can't go 24 hours without it. Saturday (tomorrow) is the day- it will be fun to watch him squirm when it rings and dings. He is traveling to Japan, Germany, and Hawaii in October. He will be gone most of the month. :-( Hopefully his schedule will slow down a bit- but we are so thankful for his job. I really shouldn't complain- we are so blessed.

Me: School, Work, Kids, Sleep when I can. Life is kind of the same everyday- like the Groundhog Day movie with Bill Murray. But it couldn't be any better. I guess I could win the lottery or something. Eric is taking me on a date tonight, Sushi/Movie- kids are away. I am excited. It's always nice to reconnect. He loves to spoil me. What a guy!

I will post pics soon. Perhaps a new camera is in my future???

I've Become a Drill Sargeant

We started a chore chart last year. It's kind of a set rotation for who does what chores when. This has helped so much with keeping the house up (at least liveable). The only problem with it, is actually gettting the kids to ENJOY helping. I am always the one cracking the whip, hollering and threatening, well, I had enough. I found this website and it helps with making chore/to do charts, keeping track of points, helping the kids/parents set goals, and the kids LOVE it. All I have to say now is: "Let's work on your chart"...and they get excited. If they don't, they lose points for the day, and it takes longer to get to their savings goals. We will see if this will last long term. Of course it's geared more for the little ones, but Sierra has lots of savings goals as well (ie. friend time, computer time, new cell phone, movies, etc.) It is really cute. The kids can't wait to log on and record their points (we only log in once a week, and keep a paper print out on the fridge). Check it out. Maybe it will help your family too!

www.handipoints.com

Critter Crawl

Ewwww! Justice is having a Critter Crawl at school today. It is basically a bug race. So we went hunting for bugs in our backyard - we turned over rocks and dug in the dirt. It was pretty funny because he didn't want to be anywhere near them and neither did I. We were both squealing trying to get the bugs into the container. We found an ant, potato bug, earwig, worm, and snail. Hopefully one of them will put their running shoes on for him. I will be surprised if he actually takes the lid off the bug container at school. Hope he grows out of this phase, so he can kill the spiders for me one day!! And I especially hope he doesn't come home with extra bugs in his backpack!

She Carries the Burden

I try to provide my children with the things they need; food, clothing, shelter, education, fun, love, and stability. But with my oldest, Sierra, I fear I have given her something detrimental,divorced parents.

As good as the divorce was for Chris & I- all the co-parenting in the world does not give her the balance that she needs. For years she has been shuttled back and forth between her mother and fathers home- often at the last minute. This situation has worked "well" for the last 10 years. I fear it is taking it's toll on her. She basically has to move out every couple of weeks. She has had several occasions lately where she has left important items behind (homework, uniforms, clothing, etc). This puts everyone in a scramble to get her what she needs. With her dad's home still under construction, he is living with his parents out in Saratoga Springs a 30 minute drive from our home. It will be easier when his nearby home is completed, but it won't solve the situation.

Today she is performing at the game with her school's dance company. She could not find one of the items she needed for the performance. She knew without it, she could not perform, and would be marked down for the class. We tore the house apart looking for it, we also called the Grama's to make sure it wasn't at their homes. But we could not locate it. She cried and cried. "I am never organized, I never have what I need for where I am!!" This broke my heart. How can we expect her to keep every conceivable item in her bags.

I am always trying to come up with ways to make this situation easier for her. But there seems to be no easy way. We were able to borrow what she needed from the teacher, but her teacher was not happy about it. The item still needs to be located, and hopefully it will turn up before she needs it again. With puffy eyes, swollen from hours of crying, I sent Sierra off to school this morning. She is relieved that things worked out and that she will be able to perform. But I am feeling a rock of guilt in my stomach. Although Chris and I have moved on and seem to be better for the divorce, Sierra continues to carry the burden of parents who could not make it work.

Justice is Riding w/o Training Wheels!!!

My baby finally got over his fear and rode that bike!! He was so proud of himself he rode for almost an hour last night. Here he is riding it to school. He had a little more trouble this morning with traffic and other kids, but he did it. I was trailing close behind just in case. I almost shed a tear thinking that this is the last of my kids to pass this milestone. But then my mom quickly reminded me that my grandkids will have this rite of passage also. Umm- that's a nice thought, but hopefully that is a long, long, long, way off.

Good People

With Eric in Hawaii this week for work (I know, tough gig!), I have had the kids spend the night at Grama Laura and Grampa Daves for the past few nights while I go to work. So this morning mom was helping me shuttle kids back and forth to school. Sierra had forgotten something she needed for their assembly this morning and so mom ran it over to her. She got a flat tire and asked me to come rescue her. I felt so bad because my mom is always doing good things for other people (usually me), and she always seems to get the butt end of the deal. She always says "No good deed goes unpunished!" I have tried to convince her that by saying that- she is attracting that in her life. So she has been good about not saying that when things go wrong lately. I was waiting for her to say that this morning- but it never came. I brought my inflation machine to blow up the tire and get us to the tire store- but it was not working. One of the cheer girls parents came and tried to help us change the flat tire- but we couldn't figure out where the jack was. Then we ran into Fred and Judy (my ex in laws- Sierra's grandparents). They were there to watch Sierra and happened to have a can of fix-a-flat. So we blew up the tire and ran the car over to Les Shwab to have them fix the tire while we were at the assembly.

This whole situation made me think back over the last few times we have had a flat tire or car trouble, or weird situations like that. There is always someone there to help me/us- even when we don't ask for help. I am grateful for my angels. Good people are always around when you need them.

My Dad, The Photographer

Sierra asked Grampa Dave (my dad) to use his fancy camera to take some pics of her cheer squad. They turned out so nice. He really did a great job. Thanks Dad! It was totally last minute so we are happy they turned out!! What beautiful girls! I definately think Sierra's the cutest! Of course I'm biased- but hey, a mother's entitled.

Sunrise, Sunset

Sierra has been "going out" with H.F. for quite a few months now. Well they finally had their first kiss yesterday. She is totally twitter-patted with this boy and from what we have heard, he is a great kid. We like him anyway. We also received a letter from the Utah Driver Licence Division for Sierra stating that she can apply for her learners permit in June. That's only 9 months away. My girl is growing up before my eyes. While it is fun and we are enjoying her so much, I am sad to think of how little time we have left with her as a child. Last night at work, out of the blue I started humming "Sunrise, Sunset" from Fiddler on the Roof. The tears were welling up. Raising kids is a tough business, I'm sure letting her go will be even harder. I love you sis!


"Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?
I don't remember growing older
When did they?
When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he get to be so tall?
Wasn't it yesterday
When they were small?
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears
What words of wisdom can I give them?
How can I help to ease their way?
Now they must learn from one another
Day by day
They look so natural together
Just like two newlyweds should be
Is there a canopy in store for me?
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears"