2014 week 12

Christian on his last day off track.  He has been watching The Clone Wars on Netflix. Klepto doesn't care if Christian can see the screen.

Spring sports are in full swing and I am always sad when Mike and I have to tag-team and I miss a water polo match.  I am still amazed that the kids can stay above water as much as they do--there is so much grabbing and pulling.

The last day being "twins." (At least until next year.)  Tomorrow Christian turns 10. Sniff, sniff. These kids are growing up so fast.

Christian has been counting down his birthday for three weeks. Every night it has been, "Only 10 more days till the big day…only nine more days."  He made sure to drop some hints about his birthday breakfast in bed.

Mr. Kitty now likes to climb the coat tree.

For Christian's party, he wanted to go paint balling.

Bev played with them, and they had a blast.

He is enjoying his long hair, but it sure causes some serious bed head.

After school at Jessi's parent teacher conference. I can usually tell how much tumbling she did at recess by the amount of dead grass in her hair.

Christian being the carnivore that he is chose Dickey's for his birthday dinner.  (Curse them for the free ice cream cones--such an ingenious marketing trick.)

Bev was babysitting, so we took dinner home for her.  I am not eating meat these days, so I ordered probably the lamest salad I have ever had.  I now know to not order salad from a BBQ place.

I volunteer in Jessi's classroom every Friday, and her teacher has me grade their math tests.  Let's just say that it sometimes challenges my abilities--some kids are doing their 12s.  It is really good for my brain.

Bev is reading the Divergent series, so we took her, with Sean and Julie, to see the movie.  I thought it was a great movie.

Grandpa Huff's friend has a pig farm.  Grandpa buys a pig from him often and shares with us all.  He invited the kids to see the baby piglets before they grow up to be our meat.  I warned my dad that I would want to rescue them all.

I have major problems with factory farming and inhumane farming practices.  Pigs are very intelligent and sensitive.  (And every time I say that Mike or the kids add that they are also delicious.  They don't necessarily share my concerns.)  Most pigs raised for meat are not treated well, and I think we should demand better.

They are the cutest little things.

All the kids enjoyed cuddling them.

This little guy was nervous, so I snuggled him.  Seriously, they are adorable.

He told me that he will always want orange jello cake for his birthday cake.  I made it and then he threw out another hint. "Remember that time you put oranges on it?  I really liked that."

Cousins (and Mike getting ice cream ready.)

2014 week 11

Mike apparently thinks Tiger has a weight problem, so he got a new kind of food for her.  The cat on the bag looks just like her.  Tiger does not like the food.

Jessi wanted to make popcorn for class store.

Bev started playing with a new comp soccer team.  They are playing indoor for the next few weeks.

I was in the craft room and Mike was on the couch as Drew was watching Blue Collar Comedy.  He has such a contagious laugh, I didn't even need to hear the comedy, I was giggling at his laugh.

I had a bunch of oats that were about to expire, so I made a big batch of granola, a double batch of no bake cookies and a double batch of energy balls.  This family will be regular.

Between games on Saturday, the kids had a delicious, unhealthy snack.

I decided to be fun mom and let Jessi ride down our street with her head out the sunroof.

2014 week 10

I spent Dr. Seuss Day with our PTA president, who dressed up as the Cat in the Hat, and visited all of the classrooms.  I played the role of the bouncer.  We quickly learned why all of the characters at Disneyland have a bodyguard--kids get crazy with poking and pulling tails and wanting really big hugs.  She is a great sport.  Next year when I am the president, I will not be such a good sport.

Dinner out and we were supposed to go to Rio.  The line was long and no one else wanted to stay.  I stayed in line for my tostada and Mike took the boys for subs and the girls for Panda.  We all met up at Panda to eat from our various restaurants.

The boys played street hockey for the first time this season.  I walked out to get a picture just in time to see Christian biff it.  He will be getting some knee and elbow pads for his birthday.

The nightly math homework pow wow.

Klepto strikes again.

Jess is quickly passing off her times tables.  We love the Math Rap apps for multiplication.

The kids love helping in the kitchen, and I have decided that I will teach them how to make something new each week.  This week was the omelet.  The three oldest all know how to make one now, and have done it a few times.

Drew's first water polo tournament of the season.  It was in Springville and Grandpa Huff came to keep Mike company and watch Drew.

We visited Grandma and Grandpa Peel and Christian did his birthday penny dip.

The kids each performed a piano piece and Bev played the violin.

Grandma's piano has such a pretty tone. I love hearing the kids play it.

2014 week 9

I have had a bad cold for a few weeks.  I have cough drops everywhere and the only thing that feels good on my throat is my precious Diet Pepsi.

This is what I am using as a bookmark. It is a love note from Jess.  In it she offers free musosh and snugls (massage and snuggles.)  I had commented on Mike's nice, soft body pillow--the man likes his bedtime comforts.  He brought me home one of my own and I am loving it.

This is what our bed looked like Sunday morning--Mike with his small sliver of bed, Christian snuggled right up against him and Blackie resting on top of Christian.  I have always subscribed to the "family bed" theory.  Mike tolerates the theory.

Drew performed with the District Honors Choir.  

The kids were loading up for school when Tiger first sat on top of Bev's backpack.  Bev moved her off to leave for school and Tiger then moved to Christian's backpack.

Blackie/Charlie/Klepto has made "friends" with a neighborhood girl cat.  We are now trying to keep him on restriction, although he does still go outside.  This is him longingly looking outside for any sign of her.  (At least that is what I think he is looking for.)

Poor Jessi.  Kid's Marketplace is a time when third-graders all get assigned a job, with an income and the opportunity to learn about real life by purchasing pretend necessities.  I guess her teacher randomly assigned the kids their professions.  I had volunteered to help with it, and she had said nothing about her job.  So, the day before I asked her about it.  She covered her face with her hands and half laughing, half sad, said that she had been assigned to be a plumber.  She was trying to have a good attitude about it, but she was not excited.

The kids are told that they can dress up for their profession.  I asked her if she wanted to and she, very adamantly said, "no."  Mike even offered to bedazzle a plunger for her.  She just wanted to be "Normal Jessica" that day, and wanted to "try to forget about being a plumber."  Mike tried cheering her up by telling her how important plumbers are.  She then said that she knew they cleaned out clogged poop.  We told her all of the other things plumbers do.  She had fun, and did a good job at budgeting.  (Unlike Christian who last year at his Kid's Marketplace decided to share an apartment with two friends, buy a motorcycle for transportation, and own 20 dogs and a few horses.)

A few days later, I found that she had made a change to her form.

With some of the beautiful weather we have had, the kids are gravitating outside.  These two do math together almost every night.

Not sure why, but Bev's Honors English class has read some pretty sad books.  She tells me about them, and sometimes I listen to her read.  She has asked lots of questions about child abuse.  She wrote a paper about two of them.  

Christian's shoes were getting small and falling apart, so we went shopping.  I lost.

For Christmas, my mom, Camille, Erika and I gave our husbands tickets to Brian Regan.  We went to dinner at Red Rock and then went to the show.  The show was great.  Then, that night, Mike ended up with food poisoning.  Merry Christmas!

Jess was on tv for a story about a girl who was given the Heimlich by a lunch worker at our school.

I love her spelling.  "Be prowactiv. Do not be lazy. Do sumthing go on a jog or play ball or do socer or junasticks (gymnastics.) the End.

More of Jessi's artwork.  Some of her art is taking on a theme of big-busted women.

 Often, when I am on the phone, Bev and Jess politely write a note asking for things.

Charlie strikes again.

I have one of these babies for breakfast every morning.  I am trying to get the rest of the family converted, but they persist in unbelief.

Christian's first day off track and this is what I came downstairs to find.  Apparently, the room was too bright and he wanted a "movie theater" experience while watching his Kindle.  Blackie loves this blanket and loves sitting on top of us, so it all worked out for him.