Kindergarten is over...

Yesterday was Spencer's Kindergarten program. The kids sang songs and recited poems they'd learned through the year...Kind of a "year in review" program. Just sweet! There is my little baby, 6 on the way to 7, looking so grown up and singing about how "now it's time to go to first grade!". Whew. After the songs, we were excused to his classroom where his teacher, Mrs. Black, showed us a slide show with pictures of the kids...at Halloween, giving their animal report, with me for "Mom's and Muffins", with Papa for "Dad's and Doughnuts", reciting their nursery rhymes. Then, at then end of the slide show, she gave each student their own copy along with their little "diploma". It was so CUTE...and mom got a little weepy, cause he's getting so big!

And maybe I'd post a picture, but in classic "me" form, I forgot the camera. Grrr.

How about 4...

I don't really have anything to say. I just figured why stop with THREE blog posts in one day when I could make it FOUR!

Sorry. I'll try harder to pace myself. Now I'll probably go a week without anything to say.

And by the way...

You take the trailer camping, and you fill the holding tank because you are camping without hookups, and you tell all your kids:

"The water from the faucets is NOT for drinking...Don't drink from the faucet! If you want drinks, get bottles of water from the fridge...DO NOT drink from the faucet!"

You do this because in the 7 or so years that my in-laws have had the trailer I think they may have used that holding tank once, it was my assumption that nothing good can be down in that tank. Ew. Good thing I can't see in there.

So of course all your children obey, 'cause that's how kids are, right? Um...No.

Who can guess which of my kids "didn't hear you say that!"...

Here's a hint:

Megan stayed home from school today...throwing up who know what nasty bacteria. Ew. She's better now, though. Just had to get it out of her system.

You're surprised, aren't you! (You thought surely it would be Spencer or Michael... ordinarily you'd be right...but they were nabbing Capri Sun's from Debbie and Ree's trailer, and weren't thirsty for water.)

sigh.

I know...

I really should be doing wash, but I can't open the door to my laundry room. It's full.

Off-Roading...

I forgot to mention this in the post about camping! I took all the kids for a bike ride along the paved trail off the the side of the campground. We rode to the end of the trail, then looped around and headed back. I'm walking, Liam is on his trike, and all my kids are on 2-wheelers a ways ahead of me. As I'm catching up around a corner, Sydney screams, "SPENCER!!". I run to where she is standing in time to see him laying among the rocks and leaves several feet from the main trail, crying but not hurt. Apparently, he ran over a stick that "made his bike go all crazy" and he rode his bike off the road...right toward the little stream. If he had gone about 2 more feet, he'd have been downstream! Lucky for us, his survivor instinct kicked in, and he braked and laid his bike down. Scared him, but he wasn't hurt. Not even a skinned knee or elbow!

Whew! Mom would totally have jumped in the stream after him...and we'd have both been gone, since I can't swim either! :D

I guess we were both lucky today!

First Camping trip of the Summer!

We just got back from out first camping trip of the season...hopefully with many more to come! It was fun! We went camping with Debbie, Ree, and Liam. They brought their tent trailer and we took mom and dad's trailer. We were at Little Mill, which is just past Timpanogas. There is a river that runs right through the campground, right behind our sites. It was fun to watch the kids throw rock into the river.

Debbie had bought little tub toys, carefully and I'm sure painstakingly tied/glued strings to them, then attached them to thick dowels so the kids could "fish" by throwing the toy down the river and then reeling it back in. She made 7 toys...one for each, plus an extra. By the end of the trip, I think she had one toy left. (But the people down stream from us had 6...and a flip flop...and lots of sticks...and I think I saw a paper plate go down there, too...sigh.)

They also brought along an inflatable boat, big enough for 6 or so people. Debbie hopped in and took Liam, Michael, and Spencer out for a ride. They were out on the water for a while then came back. Then out hopped Spencer and Michael, and in went Sydney, Tory, and Megan. Away she rowed. We watched as she drifted farther...and farther...It seemed Debbie would start to make some headway back toward us; but then, nope. FINALLY...she made her way back to where we played in the water. Her explanation? They all needed to try rowing! So great that she was patient enough to let my children each try to row!

After that, Lee hopped in the boat. In hopped all 5 of the McAlister children. But the boat didn't go anywhere. We gave it a push...it still didn't go anywhere. Then Sydney, Tory, and Megan all hopped out and pushed it farther...and Lee rowed...but not very far. He was out in the lake for about 5 minutes then came back and said, "Rowing is hard!" Really? :D He's so cute!

Very good time...Thanks Debbie and Ree for the invite! We enjoyed the weekend! :D

Oh...and one other note! As we pulled into the campground and went to pull into site #2 where we were staying, we noticed that there in site #1 there were familiar faces! It turns out our old ward was holding their Youth Conference there. We saw many old friends...It was so weird...And cool to say hi again!

Stage Fright...?

Not in this family! Yesterday Sydney had to get up and give her oral presentation of her Pearl Harbor history fair display. (Which, by the way, I was told I wasn't allowed to attend. I asked Syd to find out what time she'd be presenting so I could come watch, and her teacher told her parents weren't invited. Rude.) Anyway, she headed off to school with her display board, a quiz she made for the class to make sure they were paying attention, and her notes. As for props, she also had a flag that had been flown over the Pearl Harbor monument (you can buy them at the gift shop...that's where we bought it about 13 years ago!) along with the documentation to authenticate it and a photo album that Aunt Kendra passed along with pictures of Sydney's A-papa McAlister (that's what she used to call her great grandpa!) from when he fought in WWII. She said it was a hit! She graded the papers last night and took candy today to the people who did well.

I asked her if her teacher said anything...

"Yeah...She said it was the longest one so far!"

Surprised? Not me...

Hmmm...

I feel like I have been frantically going for a week and a half. (No, seriously! I haven't even finished the book I've been reading for all that time!) And yet, nothing seems to be getting accomplished.

Has anyone seen the black hole into which my "done" list has been sucked?!

Anyone?

Crap.

Awww...

So about 20 minutes ago the Animal Control people came and picked up Junior. I closed the door behind the officer, and turned to tell Michael to tell Junior goodbye. He looked up at me with big old tears in his eyes, and just walked up to me and hugged my legs.

Apparantly, the dog we had but didn't play with that much made quite an impression.

See? Moments of sweetness!

Oh...My...Gosh...

I totally forgot to mention that we got another dog on Saturday.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking...Aren't the three we already have enough?! (And the answer would be a resounding "YES!") So that was kind of a trick...We did find a dog in our yard on Saturday, with a tag and everything. We brought him in and called the number on "Junior's" tag. Then we waited. And waited. Nobody called back. Maybe the don't want Junior? Maybe they were out of town? We looked up the address and it is listed as a Draper address. Who knows. But we've given it a couple of days...Today, Junior might have to go to the pound.

But lest ye think we are content with our plethora of canines...

Meesha, our female Yorkie, is probably pregnant. I'm not positive yet...they don't make a "pee stick" for puppies (although it would be interesting to try one and just see...), but Spencer was noticing the puppies "playing piggyback" for the last few days...

Happy Father's Day...!

Happy Father's Day to all the dads! I love my husband so much! He's a super father. He loves to cook and try new things, and he's always playing with the kids...Usually those games end in tears; but hey...toughen up, kids. :D He provides for our family so well, and takes great care of all of us! Thanks, sweetie! Then to my own dads...One who's been gone for 19 years now!...I love and miss you...You'd have been a fun grandpa! Can't wait to get together later! And Lee's dad...who is almost as bratty as I am...what a great family patriarch. Always supporting what everyone is doing (even plays, and choir-type stuff...ugh!), asking if everyone is okay, and keeping tabs on us all. Love you...I'm proud to call you dad!

Also, taught in church today...Whew! :D Glad that's over for another month!

Beginning to look a lot like Christmas?!

No, no...it only LOOKED like it had been snowing in the living room! Luke, our 4-month-old GIANT dog, was in his crate while I went to the school for Sydney's history fair today. (Which, by the way, was fantastic!) Anyway, while I was gone, Luke decided to chew through the zipper of his cushion cover...and then shred the foam pad just a little.

And have you ever tried to sweep up shredded foam pieces? (Sweep...float...sweep...float...) Pretty much impossible.

Awesome.

And hey, at least it wasn't poop...or even pee. That would have been worse. :D

Cursed Teeth

Just got back from the dentist. Don't you hate when you have a crown right on your front tooth from a freak log-swing accident at girl's camp many years ago, and your acid spit erodes the glue holding that crown on until it just falls out?

I do. Good thing my mom-in-law works at the dentist and can squeeze me in (thankyouthankyouthankyou!). I teach Relief Society on Sunday, and I needed that crown to be in place.

Without it, in Spencer's words, I "look like a mean witch."

Thursday...

So tomorrow is a pretty big day for Megan and Tory. The 3rd graders are putting together a mini society for school this week. They voted on what to call their money, and they are each supposed to come up with something they can sell for tomorrow's day of business.

Mom and Dad can't spend more than $1 per week but don't have to spend anything.

Megan brings me her "import" form for school (parents have to approve whatever the kids bring...probably so you can't take your dad's wedding ring to school and sell it for fake money...but I digress...) and she has "Nail Polish" written on her form. She's apparently going to run a nail salon. (Luckily, for her birthday, Papa and Mama gave her a whole basket full of spa day kind of stuff, including many fabulous shades of nail polish!) Boy, is that teacher going to love me!

Tory's import form says "Rock Animals". He is going to make pet rocks! Hilarious! Too bad I don't have one of those cardboard dressers in my bedroom closet stuffed full of yarn, felt, feathers, pom-poms, sparkles, and pipe cleaners (just like MY mom did!).

We just have paint and eyes. Sorry, kiddo. Should have called Grandma Crabb.

Animal Report!

Spencer had to do a kindergarten research paper on an animal of their choosing. (I'm using the term "research" pretty loosely...there were like 5 questions he had to answer.) Today was the day to get up and give the oral presentation. He was fantastic. "The animal I choosed is a fish. They live in the ocean or in fish tanks at your house. They eat fish food, other fish, and plants. Something interesting about my animal is that they use their tail to help them swim." We made a fish mobile and took baggies full of sweedish fish to share with the class.

Sydney, in 5th grade, has to do an ACTUAL research paper for the history fair later this week. Her topic is Pearl Harbor. I'm excited...she's done some really great work on it!

Back to the Future...

Just wanted to post that I noticed all three of the "Back to the Future" movies were on TV this weekend. I DVR'd all 3, and am looking forward to watching them again...It's been probably a decade since I saw any of them last! I think I'm going to watch them myself before sharing with my kids...I can't think of anything TOO objectionable, but I never can until *BAM!*, there it is. :D Gotta love those movies from childhood!

Gotta go...Heather is coming to let me play beauty parlor with her hair...! Good times...

Babysitting...

So maybe you decide to go on a date with your hubby on a Saturday night. You pick up a couple of pizzas, leave your responsible 11-year-old in charge, (with a pretty long list of emergency numbers, just in case!) and you head out.

(BTW, we saw the movie "Killers" and it was great! Funny to me AND Lee...! Then we went to Olive Garden...Yum!)

So after this fun, relaxing date, you walk into the house and find:

1. Some of your kids tried to mop...or flood the kitchen, I'm not super sure which one was the goal!
2. There was only ONE sled in the house at the bottom of the stairs. (I blame this on Lee and Anna...Genetics...the only difference was that Anna and Lee used a laundry basket instead of a sled!)
3. The kids used the copier/printer to try to make copies of some photographs
4. And spent who knows how long in here trying to "crack" mom and dad's user password so they could play on the computer while we were gone.

Good times! sigh. I guess next time we have to get a REAL sitter.

Weddings...

Had a great time hanging with the wedding party yesterday. My cousin Kelly got married yesterday, to Nick; who I think is a great guy! We are a HUGE family, once you get down to cousins, so of course we don't all fit in a temple sealing room anymore! :D Anywho, Kelly's sister Steph has 7-month-old twin girls, and I volunteered to hang out at the temple and keep an eye on the cute babies during the wedding. (My 11-year-old thinks Kelly is "da bomb", so we'd have been there anyway...Kelly emails Sydney, pretty regularly, and Syd just thinks it's so cool to have someone to "talk like a grown-up" to. Adorable!)

Kelly looked fabulous...Nick looked quite dapper in his tux...and won major points in the "cool" department for wearing green and white striped leprechaun socks with his tux! (Right...'cause I'M the judge of cool?!) So proud of them for choosing the temple, and it was great to see them take that first of many big steps together!

Ah...Family. Isn't it great?

Well. Mine is.

Sleepover fun!

Tory insisted that while he was off track he needed to have his cousin Josh sleep over. Well, we did one better than that! We invited Josh, Mily, and Wesley over to spend the night. After running around outside until (almost!) dark, they all came in. Josh and Tory built a tent...but I'm not sure if they actually ended up sleeping in it or not. Mily slept with Meg in a tent she built earlier yesterday. The three little boys (Spencer, Wesley, and Michael) sort of traveled a bit from room to room to find the best sleeping arrangement.

Sydney didn't make it home last night. Her friend Breanna, her BFFL (stands for "best friend for life" for most people, but I made them laugh one day when I said, "What? She's your best friend for licorice? Or maybe for lasagna?" And it stuck. That's what BFFL stands for now...one is licorice, and one is lasagna.) invited her to hang out yesterday. They went to Hollywood Connection, and then she went to watch Breanna play her game...soccer, or maybe flag football?...and then afterward they called me begging to let her sleep over. Now if you know me, you know I'm not fond of the "away" sleepover. In fact, we tried to have her come over here for a sleepover. But this particular friend lost her dad a few months back, and she just feels better at home with her family than she does when she's away. So I relented.

And I'm lame...I didn't even make pancakes with initials on them...We just had boring breakfast cereal...Bummer.

How come...?

Why is it that when I'm working, the only time we run out of carts in the store is when it rains? I went out to gather up carts twice last night at work, and it was all clear both times...Until I stepped out the door.

Yeah...My hair was so fancy! :D

Smiled for Miles!

Things that made me giggle today:

1. Realizing my 18-year-old brother can't light a fire!
2. Noticing that my cute hubby, who ran out to mow the lawn today before the Crabb's came over to "hang", totally misses a spot...okay, not really a spot, but the whole lower half of my back yard!!
3. Listening to my nephew Rusty retell his version of the scary Dora episode with the mean witch...and knowing exactly which episode he meant!
4. Roasting marshmallows with small children who don't really want to eat them, but really just want to stick something into the fire without getting in trouble.
5. Heather, walking down my driveway at the end of the night, and falling. Which wasn't the funny part...My mom's reaction was to help her up, and drag her up the driveway to look at her injury in the light. (She scraped her elbow...not even enough blood to drag a band-aid out of me for my kids!)
6. Eating cupcakes with frosting and candy "hair" to celebrate Cody's graduation earlier in the week...none of the kids were invited to the actual ceremony. One of them looked just like Lee!!

Grocery Shopping

Howdy! So today I decided to take the kids and do the grocery shopping without Lee while he was at work so we wouldn't have to do it tomorrow! Whew! That is a chore! (Put that down, don't touch that, stay with mom, no we're not going to buy that, get off of there...Just put it all on a replay loop!)

Before we could go shopping, I had to call the kids home from across the street. They were "helping" the neighbor clean out an RV trailer that they are getting ready to sell. I wasn't there, so I'm not sure how helpful they really were. Then we get home from grocery shopping, and they run across the street to help some more.

No, that's okay. I'll get the groceries...It's all good...

Kids. Funny!

Then my older kids had a water fight. I'm pretty sure when they have a water fight it's not fair, because we have the hoses, and whoever wields the hose is kinda the winner. Luckily, there are two of them...but 3 older kids. I guess that explains the tears about the water shot to the eyes...

Graduation...

I got to go to Cody's graduation last night. It was really neat...and very strange to think of my mom without any kids in school!

I was sitting there, thinking back to my own graduation 17 (What?! How did I get so OLD?!) years ago. I remember that it seemed to go FOREVER. I remember the choir sang (but I don't remember what!). I remember standing next to my first best friend singing, and she kept reaching over to hold my hand. I kept slapping it away, and she kept reaching over during the song. By the end of the song we were just giggling! But that's kind of it. I remember being wistful, feeling like I was going to miss it so much! And sometimes, I do. But I came across this song, and I really liked how it expressed the way things change. He wants to write a letter to his 17-year-old self to give advice. The end of his "letter" says:

"You got so much up ahead
You'll make new friends
You should see your kids and wife
And I'll end by saying have no fear,
these are no where near
The best years of your life."

Yep. As much as I loved high school, the phase of life I'm in now is so much better than that! I love my husband, my children, relating to my siblings as adults;

I think THESE are the best years of my life!

Watch out, world!

The world will soon have 3 more guitar players! (Okay, maybe not SOON...) Today we went and signed Tory, Megan, and Sydney up for guitar lessons. They get a lesson a week, free guitar rental, and after 4 months of lessons they get to keep the guitar. Seemed too good to pass up...so we'll see what happens. First lesson is June 9th...Then the practicing begins! :D

On an unrelated note...does anyone know where I can get a great pair of ear plugs? Just kidding! I'm really excited to see how it goes!

Pondering a Birthday...

I spent a lot of yesterday in quiet reflection. Yesterday was my dad's birthday. I miss my dad, but not in a sad, depressed way. I miss him because I think of how much he would have LOVED the phases of life we are all in! The joy in watching Cody grow up, excitement at his graduation this week. How proud he'd have been of Shawn for serving a mission. Delight in watching Jennie and Heather excel at jobs they love, and his pride at watching them take the stage for performances. Shawn and I getting married...How much he'd love his son and daughter in law! Welcoming grandchildren...He'd have been a fun, silly grandpa! (I can picture him trying to teach my kids to do handstands, or how to juggle...Or maybe the Neutron Dance?...)

Then I started to smile...I was remembering some of the little "smile thoughts" from my own past with him:

-Scratchy fingers on church socks
-That black fuzzy coat...with the Velcro rubber chicken in it!...from "Carnival"
-Dad calling us home from across the whole neighborhood with his loud whistle
-The Magic Show
-My parents talking baby talk to each other
-Singing too loud and not watching the signs
-Him getting home from work early and sitting down with us to play Nintendo...Until he saw it was almost time for mom to come home!...then he'd turn it off and we'd all scramble to clean up and start dinner for mom.
-Thinking "Dusty" was a better nickname for him than "Rusty" because he'd come home from work with so much dust in his hair and on his clothes.
-How proud he was of his perfectly even shed floor
-His crooked finished room in the basement of the old house

Anyway, I regret that my kids and husband can't know this GREAT man while we are on this earth, but I am grateful for a plan that lets us all play together forever after!

Love you, Dad...happy belated birthday! :D
.