Busy!!!!

Wow where has the time gone?
I have been super busy as I'm sure so many of us are at this time of year. My mom and I decided to sell some bags we've been making at some craft fairs. We braved our fist and second craft fairs all with in a few weeks of each other. I can't say we made that much...in fact I think all together we made $5 each. After covering our costs, ect. I laugh about it cause it's funny and it was our first try at selling our product. I have to say at both fairs I was extremely disappointed in the number of people that showed up to buy stuff, which played at huge part in not selling. Oh well, it was a good experience and we made some good contacts. I think we're figuring that we'll sell our bags on Etsy or something more simple on our part.

Oh yeah and Brody has his 4th birthday and we went and did gymnastics. He had so much fun. And his cake was a cake pop rocket ship cake, with sparklers, which scared the kids. He he.



I have been extra busy with my ward Christmas Activity, I was in charge of it! Decorating and getting a turkey dinner on for 300 people is just like doing a wedding I decided. It was exhausting, but so worth it. I loved doing the decorations and I'm thankful for all the help I had. Too bad I forgot to take pictures cause it was so beautiful!

Now it's time to finish up doing presents for Christmas. I'm glad that I've decided to do a bunch of handmade stuff, cause it really means a lot to me and to the person I'm giving to. But it also means a lot of work too. Oh well, I really do enjoy doing that kind of stuff.

I am so looking forward to Christmas holidays. One week at Olsen's and one week at Harker's.

That means two weeks for me to relax and do puzzles. I only do puzzles once a year at Christmas time. I think we all know why that is the case....it's called 4 little kids.

As I've been getting ready for Christmas this year, I have really been able to focus on Christ and it has been nice. As I have prepared things for friends and family it has given me time to think why I'm doing what I'm doing and how blessed I am for the best friends and family I could ask for.
Thanks to all and hopefully I don't write back till the New Year, cause that will mean I'm having a great Christmas holiday. I wish the same for all of you!

One day Brody was saying the prayer on the food and he didn't come up from closing his eyes and bowing his head and folding his arms. He changed positions while sleeping quite a few times. It was really funny. I think he fell asleep partially because he was tired and partially because he didn't want to eat his supper.




I'm learning that Owen is quite a character. Well I already knew that, but he is surprising me more and more everyday. He loves to dress up and especially wear Jenna's princess slippers. I love this funny little guy.



An update on Jay's school. He likes it alot, however it is super busy and he is right into his first practicum already. The day he started school was so busy for me and the next picture is a reflection of that. Jay had Brody take a picture of him on his first day of school because I was busy feeding Cole. Poor Jay!


The saga of Jenna and Brody at swimming lessons continues. So to recap, they are extremely afraid of getting their faces wet. So I talked to their instructor because I had them signed up already for the the next level up when they were done this class. She suggested that I keep them in the same level one more time because they still couldn't bob their heads in the water. So I cancelled their other class last week and then this week Brody and Jenna decide they can bob their heads in the water. Of course! So now they can't go into the next level up because the class is full after I pulled them out of it. Oh well. I'm really happy they are getting better, so I'll just have to take them swimming more often until they can get into lessons again.

What can I learn from this?

Oh boy, today was a test of my patience and I think I failed. Some people have said to me before "how do you 'do it' with 4 kids?" Well sometimes I don't 'do it' with 4 kids. For example: today I dropped Jenna off at school and took the boys to do some grocery shopping. Things were pretty good as we started out, but progressively got worse. An hour later standing at the checkout I was fried. I was trying to get the groceries on the conveyer belt and Owen (1 1/2 years old) kept on trying to get out of the cart. This is not allowed or he'll be off in 2 seconds and I would have to run after him. I finally got all my groceries out and then the wait began. The people infront of us had a million groceries and they needed 3 price checks and in the middle of scanning their stuff some manager came to the cashier and needed to switch a bunch of money and she started showing her how to lay her bills in the till. Well that just tipped me over the edge, by now all the kids (Brody 3 1/2, Owen 1 1/2 and Cole 6 months)were screaming, not just crying or sobbing, but screaming. I told the cashier that I was just going to leave and wasn't taking any of my stuff. I bolted out of there and put all of them in the van. They still kept crying and I ended up taking them to my mom's house so they could play outside and I could get a break.
Okay what can I learn from this?
1. I needed to bring a bottle for my 6 month old
2. I needed to bring snacks for the other two
3. I needed to eat before I went (I was super grumpy)
4. Maybe I shouldn't take my kids grocery shopping
5. I could have asked the 20 people that were standing around and just watching for about 20 minutes to help........I'm not sure they would have, cause they didn't.
6. I have never just walked away before, but it's okay to walk away.
7. Kids are unpredictable so bring food ALWAYS!

Sorry no pictures, just a mom who needed to vent a little.

End of Summer and Start of School

Okay it's been a busy time for us. The end of August was filled with family and fun and then we've had two people in our house start school. Needless to say we've been running around with our heads cut off.

The end of August we went to a family reunion and had such a wonderful time. We reunited with family and also met some family for the first time since they live so far away. The kids had a blast, it was a lot of work for Jay and I. We all slept in the same room ........... just in case you can't picture that, we had Owen in a playpen, Jay slept with Brody and I slept with Jenna (mostly because there was no way that Jenna and Brody could sleep in the same bed and get any sleep)and Cole slept on the floor beside my bed. Yes it was quite an adventure. Here are some pictures of the fun times we had.













Ashton and I made this cake for our Grandparents 60th wedding anniversary.


Now to the first day of school for Jenna. It was so sad and so exciting at the same time. Jenna did so good, she didn't even really care when we left. I was crying as we left the school, I guess because I realized that our school days for our children are just beginning and Jenna is my only girl and she was so brave. It is a new phase of our lives that we are starting, it's kind of a big deal. So Jenna loves everything about school and she has adjusted so well, she even has some friends that she plays with at recess, which is a comfort to a mom who worries. She was telling me that her and her friend share their snacks at recess.....so cute. Jay also started back to school. He has his BComm degree, but is now doing his after degree in Education (only a 2 year program). He wants to teach High School and is majoring in Business Teachnology and minoring in Japanese. He is so excited, and I'm excited for him.
This year Jenna is doing Dance again, she decided to do a Tapp and Jazz class. Her first class is today. Brody needed an outlet for all his energy so he is going to start gymnastics in Oct. he is so excited and there will be 3 other of his friends in the class too. Also I thought that I needed to get serious about my kids learning how to swim and more importantly being comfortable in the water. If any of you know Jenna and Brody you know they are pretty scared of water, so I'm forcing them to take swimming lessons. They are in the same class and just started last week, oh what a disaster. Brody was crying, Jenna was crying and there was some screaming too. Oh well, they need to learn so it will be a long few months until hopefully they get used to the water.
Here are some pics of Jenna on her first day.

Zoo time

It's 5:30am and I can't sleep. Too many things running through my mind and I have to get them down on paper and on a list of "Things To Do". I've done that and so I figured this is a great time to post something while everyone is in bed sleeping.

One day last week it was a little cooler outside, but still warm out. I was inside my house and realized that I was sweating while I was just sitting doing nothing. I wanted to do something with the kids outside to keep cool that didn't take too much planning so I decided to take them to the zoo.

We had such a good time, I brought snacks for Owen and he was content to sit in the stroller the whole time and eat. Cole slept for half of it and Jenna and Brody were pumped to see anything and everything.
I'm glad that going to the zoo was such a novelty because everyone was so good and I didn't feel stressed even having all the kids by myself.
I asked the kids at the end what their favorite part was and Jenna said the snake. Hilarious because we saw this snake just as we were leaving and one of the workers was holding it and let the kids touch it. They were scared and I don't even think Brody touched it at all, but I guess Jenna secretly likes gross, slimy things.
Brody said he liked the tiger. Yes the tiger was cool, it was huge and the kids got to see it pretty close up.
I'm pretty sure Owen would say his favorite part was the one time he got out of the stroller when we went on the little train ride and he kept saying "ooohhh, ahhhhh, wow".
Overall an impromtu trip to the zoo was a success. I've learned that if you deprive your children long enough a simple trip to the zoo can be a wonderfully rewarding experience for all, even me!
Jenna says to me "mom, that must be a girl Humpty Dumpty because it has on lipstick and nail polish," I couldn't argue with her.

A little timid to go close to the goat.

Another kid pets it so they get more comfortable with the idea.

Now Jenna knows it won't hurt her and she's happy to pet it.

We saw some flowers and thought....Photo Shoot. Jenna has a great smile.

Brody loves to smile for the camera too.

Trying to get a shot of Cole, this one is funny because it makes him look chubby, but he isn't at all.

This is better, but I would have preferred a smile.

Owen would not sit still at all, I'm surprised I got this one.

Then Jenna took the camera, I thought I should get one of me to verify I was there too.

These next two pictures are not of the same day, but this is what happens after a long outing usually. When Jay came home from work one day he found us like this. Owen was up in his room sleeping, Brody passed out on the couch, Cole got fed and he passed out, and then I guess I dozed off too. Jenna was awake the whole time and was probably content to be able to play by herself or color in peace without brothers bothering her.

It doesn't matter what it looks like

Okay so I've probably already known this, but it was just reconfirmed that it is probably going to be impossible to get a good family picture with the kids at their ages right now.
We didn't really plan this family picture out, it just kind of happened when we were at a wedding reception last weekend. I did know we would all be dressed up so I planned it that we were all wearing white.
I should have organized us better, but this is our family right now.
I've learned that it doesn't matter what the picture looks like, it's just important we're all there. Actually it's probably better if something is funny or awkward in the picture because you'll remember it more. So try to get all the family together no matter what it looks like.

I think Jay was a little embarrassed I was trying to kiss him in this one.

I did it

Well finally after many, many, many years I sewed a dress without the help of my mom.
I remember when I was in junior high and my mom helped me make my very own outfit, it was a sweater and a skirt. I'm sure she actually did most of it, but I have a picture of me in it and I'm pretty sure I thought back then I did it all.
Well I went shopping in my mom's room full of material and patterns and I found a pattern for a little girls dress and some material that looked cute.
I started cutting out the pattern and was thinking to myself "I'm happy the pattern says that it is a 'Easy to Use' pattern". I was excited because I had cut things out and was ready to read each instruction and easily sew it together.
Okay so what I have learned is that when a pattern says "Easy", it means easy for a person who can already sew things and who knows sewing terminoligy. Woops. Oh well I thought that if I didn't know what a word meant I would just look it up on google. That seemed to help me out quite a bit.
I still had to read over each line about 5 times before I completely understood what to do, but I slowly and surely finished a cute little dress for Jenna. She loves it. She was happy she could twirl in it. I see all the imperfections, but I'm trying not to dwell on those because I did it all by myself. I'm quite proud of myself. I even put in a zipper. I think I might venture into making more of Jenna's clothes, after all she is my only girl and it's way more fun to make girly things.
Thanks to my kids for having naps so I could finish the dress so fast.

Family is Special

I have such a wonderful family and extended family.
Recently we were able to spend a few hours with my Grandparents. My kids call them Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Lowell, they are truly "Great"-Grandparents. It was fun for my kids to enjoy their company.
Normally when I say that we are going to visit Grandma Joyce & Grandpa Lowell's house, the kids know they are going to get cookies and juice boxes....well they didn't disappoint this time either. We actually met them at Hawrelak Park and went by the lake to feed the ducks that live there.
Grandma brought plenty of bread so the kids could get the ducks to come up on the grass and eat it. Brody loved throwing the bread in the water though, which was fine too. Jenna got the ducks to come on the grass as she left a little trail from the water to where they were standing.
Owen just thought the water was a puddle he was supposed to play in, so I had to watch him closely.
I have learned to take the opportunities that come to spend time with family, because it doesn't last forever especially with my grandparents who haven't had the best health lately. It was hard on both of them to come out even for a short period of time, but we greatly appreciate their efforts.
These pictures will be very special to my children in the future as they remember the good times they had with their great-grandparents.