1/13/17

The New Year is upon us and I feel my babies growing up so fast in front of my eyes! I have been awful at journaling their progress this past year.
So I just have to start with where we are at and try to catch up.

Rowdy 9, Joined battle of the books competition and his team won the chance today to go to represent their school. He plowed through all 10 books, as soon as the list came out and still has an uncanny memory of all the stuff that happened in them. They even beat the teacher team...or it was close! Proud of his hard work. He also wakes up early and gets all his chores, scripture and laundry done so he can go to an early morning running club and later enjoy his screen time. What a competitive hard working boy. at the end of last year his running club coach offered to buy the whole running club slushes if any one of them could beat her. Rowdy ran his little heart out for the 5k (no really later he admitted to almost barfing at the end) he beat her and ran it in about 24 minutes. I started behind him thinking he'd tucker out, but with his coach on his heels, he never let up! Its been cool to watch him play soccer as well with his newly earned stamina. He is a goal scoring beast. He brings his soccer ball to school every day so they can play. Also in choir, and an all star big brother most of the time ;) He definitely has times he doesn't listen, and feels like he always has to be the winner or best or most talked about.
Rowdy is a huge help to Cody and I, and so fun to watch grow. So proud of the guy he is becoming

Ezra 7, started this year off with a polar plunge! Last Sunday his dad offered 10 dollars to jump in Nan's pool covered in ice, and he and Miles took the plunge. He confessed to me he'd do it again for free. It was very entertaining.... and cold!! He has been doing awesome at controlling his temper. and he is Ollie's hero. Ollie talks about him all day when he is gone. He has been so smiley lately and always with a joke or funny quote from a movie. and always making a new friend at the park...young or old. He still loves to build legos but has taken a liking to a ninjago game, for which he got in a little trouble for sneaking the I pad into the bathroom and locking the door, 3 nights in a row. (took me a minute to figure out what was going on) but after we had a good talk and as usual after we had a good talk I could tell he really felt bad and we had a sweet repenting experience. Love that boy's heart. I can tell sneaky satan is trying to get him off course before he gets baptized later this year.
Ezra is also doing piano, and has a crazy good music memory. He surprised us by busting out a song at Danny Ehlers mission farewell open house in front of everyone without his music. He also is so good at riding Dad's little dirt bike. We trust him too because (as with most things) he takes his time. he is loving soccer more after this last season, and is taking a loss at soccer and basketball less personal, although he still needs to work at it with board games and other random competitions  ;) He is still our snuggler, but I definitely have to do a little more begging. He is also our super polite kid, always remembering to say thank you. He loves to read and draw as well. We love having Ezra in our home.

Elliot, super star kindergartener, Is thriving this year. She started Kindergarten and said "oh, it's time to read" and started reading. She loves to read and write notes and draw pictures. Lots of times after school she is making a craft or present with her paper tools. She is so generous to share things, just don't ever let her see you selling things on craigslist or bringing them to the thrift store. She recently tried to hide a cushion to a chair we were trying to sell and threw a big fit when the lady was there about us selling the chair. It was sad funny. but she is a gem to have around. She loves adventuring with Cody and I. Usually its a toss up if the boys want to go run an errand with Cody or I but Elliot is always excited to go... usually because she has discovered money and likes the vending machines, but  she doesn't let that stop her from being great company. She is super sweet to Ollie and will often take time to play just with him when the boys are at Malakai's house. or Heidi comes over after school. She is such a love, and super smart...sometimes too smart, knowing when she can get away with not doing chores or eating her dinner, or getting brothers in trouble, and she has a crazy good memory when people have offended her :) She is such a fun girl. she has her own fun style, and is very athletic. She did awesome in soccer last season and wanted to try basketball this year. we found a few leauges where the kids can all play on the same fields or practice the same night which is awesome! Elliot also likes to cook, loves animals and stuffed animals, and got to be saints helper this year passing out candy canes and going to build a bear to make her own toys!

Ollie is 2 and so much fun. He talks and talks and talks. he is super smart and his feet are almost as big as Elliot's! yesterday at Chloe & Zoe's soccer game we saw a hawk, and he has been liking a cartoon where the guy turn into a bird (Moana) and I said "look Ollie! its Maui!" he said "no Mom! Maui is eagle" . he also told me to sit on his lap and then laughed and said "Big Bootie!" He is a super ham. He loves to make people laugh. (he really is Ezra's twin!He loves dinosaurs

5/2/2016

Elliot making cards for people

Ollie feeding his baby Dino a fake bottle, which after its done later roars with delight

Ollie loves to spray kids w the hose, well anything with the hose but especially kids

Ezra finally caught the frog in our backyard. He's fat because he eats all the Junebugs

Ollie chipped 3 teeth a few days ago thank goodness they aren't gray

Elliot loves to cook scrambled eggs after she collects them from the chickens

Ollie loves trains so we went on a mini train the other day, when the boys were off of school

I don't have many pics of Rowdy he loves playing w his friends after school. They are usually here at our house but I don't want to interrupt for a picture ;) he loves Pokemon trading cards and it's fun to see the kids trading them and making deals for the little characters. He also just finished a big donut fundraiser for his scout camp stuff

 Rowdy's Sunday School teacher, Sister Flannigan gave him a special key because he sacrificed a treat one day, and he wore it to bed and all the next day at school. They sure love each other. 

3rd grade Living museum Crazy horse

Nan & Pops were getting a sceptic tank installed the only thing better than land is land with rocks on it! We love going to hike around their land & camped there too & watched cows. They live 40 minutes away.

 

Spring Break Idaho Trip 2016 but mostly kid stuff

My kids are blowing me away at he little sweet people they are becoming. I was so proud of Rowdy at Grandma & Grandpa's 60th wedding anniversary week, we helped clean up their property and he stayed with it most of the day hauling branches. he loved getting to know the cousins, scratching grandpa's back then collecting candy. Which he gave to Uncle Victor before we left because he was going to miss him so much. IT was a wonderful trip. Ezra was sweet too. He loved playing with Rocco, & Jenna & Elliot. He continued to make everyone laugh. He was asked to hold a picture for their anniversary program. All the girls were holding them upright and he was bored and laid down on the stage. It was funny awesome. Elliot had fun with cousins too and of course scratching grandpas back for the gumballs. all the kids were running around with wads of gum in their mouths. Elliot, Jenna and Elliot would make little forts all over the property or dog sit, Uncle Shane's dogs

airplane ride!!

Rowdy being all independent on the plane

It snowed in Salt Lake!! a lot! but we got to spend an extra day with Missy and Aunt Selena and Yaya picked us up on her way up to Idaho Falls! IT was so fun seeing everyone!! oh yeah we TOTALLY forgot our luggage!! So it also gave us an extra day to run to the DI!!!!!

 

Chase was right down the street on his mission and we totally missed him! HE was on splits or sumthin wierd. but here is his companion

We got to meet up wiht Locke & Katie and Grandma & grandpa's and  ARmanie Rocco and Paravel. The cousins were all in heaven!! IT was such a fun little reunion. Just missing Papa & Cody

Grandma and her barn tour

 

Conference Weekend + Camp

This weekend was amazing! We just finished watching conference, at Nan's house with cousins. The am was at home with a conference packet & an after conference store to purchase prizes with their being good tokens. I am so excited to "Ponderize" a scripture...80% ponder 20% memorize. Well, actually the kids and I started tonight Helaman 5:12. Conference is always so inspiring and exciting, but this one was a little sad too, since Packer, Perry and Scott had passed away. Anyway the plan always just seems so real and easy in conference. We got to sustain Elder Rasbland, Steveson, and Renlund. I am excited to be better and dig in deeper. I am so grateful for the changes I've seen and felt in myself this past year. Especially as a mom. I am so so so grateful for the Atonement.

Here is Ollie, helping as usual. Here with strawberry syrup

 

 Saturday Cody's friend hooked us up with Angel's tickets. Which was cool because I had been wanting to take the kids, but then super cool because we had a rough end of the week with Rowdy and Elliot super sick. It was so sad to see them uncomfortable, and then Ezra had been feeling sad about feeling lonely at school, and Ollie was teething. He had three teeth coming in this week. My heart was hurting. Anyway it was so nice to have a fun family outing. Plus the game was really exciting too! yay! double yaay!

 Last weekend Elliot didn't have a game and the weather is finally getting nice, so I took the kids camping. Cody ended up having to work so it took a little bit of faith, but I am so glad we did. It was so nice to have the kids outside! Summers can be a little brutal hot especially at the end. They tromped around found tons of spiders. IT was just one night which usually is a bummer to pack and unpack for but I din't even mind. IT was liek we were supossed to be there and make some memories.

 Rowdy was a huge help! He was our activities director, wihtout me even asking him to be. He got the kids exploring and helping. I could not have done it without him. He is growing up so fast :(

What a stud though

 We love sand! This is camping at Lake Ray Roberts

 In the morning we explored some trails. the kids on their scooters and Ollie on my bike. He looooves his bike rides. he pats me on the back sometimes, and other times pulls my shirt out, but most of the time just checkin stuff out. so the only bummer about camping, besides Cody not beig there, was there was a burn ban. So that was lame becuase I only raw hotdogs, so we had to go out. but we ended up reading stories in the tent and that was prety fun too. and Ollie just kept walking around body slamming peole trying to rest. It was pretty fun

 

I did a little sewing this week, while trying to get Rowdy's badges on his cub scout uniform, I re purposed my old skirt for an Elliot dress. I love this picture of her. She is the cutest little tomboy.

I keep feeling that these times are fragile and precious.