Halloween

Because of my boys' love for dinosaurs, we decided that they would dress up as dinosaurs for Halloween. Mikey and Roger both wanted to be a T-Rex, William wanted to be a Triceratops, and I decided that Grant would be Stegosaurus.
I ordered them white sweats and hoodies because 1-it was difficult to find colored hoodies and sweats that matched, and 2- I thought it would be a good activity to dye the costumes for the kids to see. The boys did love watching their costumes being dyed, but as I was dyeing the last costume the day before it needed to be worn, I had second thoughts.
I ordered two extra pairs of sweats, cut them in half, and used them as tails. For Grant's costume, I cut some felt into triangles and sewed them down the center of his costume.
For William's costume I purchased a visor, made some little cones out of paper, and glued two onto the visor and one onto the top of the hoodie.
For Mikey's and Roger's I used spray paint to make the backs of the costumes look similar to their toys. Besides that and their tails, I could not think of how to make heir costumes look more like T-Rexes. I asked friends, no one could come up with something. Then the first evening they were going to wear them, I had the boys try on their costumes. Mikey put his on, then said, "I want teeth all around here" as his finger circled the face opening, "and eyes on the top". So, with Mikey's inspiration, here are their costumes:
The first event that they wore their costumes was at the Early Childhood PTA Halloween Party. Don't worry, I was in charge of this entire event. Last year I was on the field trips committee, and after feeling a little frustrated with all the work I had to do, I told Todd that this year I would only be a member of the PTA and not sign up to be on any committee. That evening I went to the PTA meeting and the vice-president came up to me and asked me to be in charge of the Children's Parties... I wish I could say no. The party actually wasn't that difficult. I had some great people on my committee, but I do have to admit that the pressure that it was all on me was a little overwhelming.
The party was a success, and the boys had a lot of fun.Afterwards we had to stay and clean up, the boys did really well. But we did catch William when he had made off with all the candy.
The next event that the boys wore their costumes to was our church's trunk-or-treat. Todd had to work, but thankfully I had a good friend that really helped me with my boys.This is the saddest face I have ever seen on Roger with Anna around
Then of course, the boys went Trick-or-Treating in our neighborhood.After getting back, the boys sat up at the counter and ate some candy while we talked about the Christian view of the purpose of Halloween....Resurrection of the dead.Then we finished off the night by watching Charlie Brown and the The Great Pumpkin

I am Batman

A couple of days ago Roger asked me what I was going to be for Halloween. "A Mom" I told him. He kept pestering me, so I told him I would wear my bat shirt.

He asked Todd what he was going to be for Halloween. Todd didn't answer, so Roger said, "Are you going to be Batman?"

A few years ago we had a batman theme for Halloween. Todd and Mikey were Batman, I was Batwoman, and Roger was Robin. Roger must have been thinking of the picture he had seen of this. Todd told him that he would be Batman.

As we were getting the kids dressed and ready for Trick-or-Treating tonight Roger turned to Todd and said, "Dad! Where's your Batman costume?"
Todd looked over at me and I told him that I would go see if I could find it. Amazingly enough I found it in record time.

Todd was such a good sport. The jumpsuit was a little snug, especially since Todd kept all his clothes on underneath. Also Todd had to go around our neighborhood dressed like Batman while escorting 4 little dinosaurs!I love that man!

Soccer

That time of year again
Again we signed Mikey up for soccer...which is actually suprising considering how he reacted to it last year. But this year was going to be different because Roger was finally old enough to be in the leauge. We knew it would be different because Roger was so excited to play....well, it was different...with Mikey.
Mikey totally blossomed. He loved playing, there was no fighting him, persuading him with the treats that would come afterwards... he loved playing and was excited to get out there. He was aggressive (sometimes too aggressive, but hey, it's soccer). He would score several goals a game (a few times he scored for the other team... but it's still a goal right?)
Roger, on the otherhand, did not enjoy soccer. The first time he went out on the field, he was really excited, but I soon learned that what I have been teaching in the home is totally against what is taught on the field.We kept yelling to Roger to get the ball. He would stand around crying. After going to him I asked him what was wrong, "Mom....they're not sharing the ball!!! They're not letting me have a turn!!"....maybe having my kids play sports is a bad thing.
After the first couple of games, Roger refused to go out and play, instead he would sit on the sidelines with us. Whenever I would tell him to go back out he would complain that it was too cold - not that I can say that I disagreed with that... there were some cold games.

William loved going to the games. The games that Todd made it to, William would go practice with Todd before and after the games. He LOVED this time. Then during the game he would sit in his little baseball chair, holding Mikey's soccer ball, and cheer for Mikey.
Grant had a love/hate relationship with going to the soccer games. Grant LOVES balls of anykind. He loved watching the game, but he would also want to play the game. We would let him play with one of our soccer balls and he would have a great time with it until we told him he couldn't take it onto the field.

I Need to Move

I have decided that my house is WAY TOO BIG.

I need a house with 4 rooms. Not 4 bedrooms, 4 rooms.

1- Kitchen
2- Bathroom
3- Bedroom
4-Laundry/storage room

Kitchen

The other day I had a group of friends over for a playgroup. Half-way through I wondered why we were congregated in the kitchen - it wasn't mealtime - yet we were all there even though my living room, with the comfortable couches, was just 10 feet away.

I spend probably 90 percent of my waking hours in the kitchen. I am either cooking, cleaning, doing something with the boys, or just hanging out. Todd gets frustrated with the amount of toys that are found in the kitchen, but I've tried telling him that kids love being near their mom, so they will bring their toys and play at my feet.

The kitchen really is the heart of our home, so therefore, we do not need a living room or any other room of gathering. The kitchen does the job.

Bathroom

We obviously need a bathroom, but we don't need more than one. My boys use the Master bath all the time, and whenever I am on the toilet, they feel no need to knock. Whenever there is more than one boy that needs to use the bathroom, they can both go at the same time and have a "sword fight" while they're at it. "Sword fighting" is when they try to have their urine streams cross - gross I know, I didn't teach them it.

Bedroom

My kids never would sleep with Todd and I - not that I was totally against it, it just never was an option. Then last year while Todd had a month long rotation in Columbus, I had the kids take turns with sleeping with me. This wasn't successful. I brought Mikey in first, and after snuggling with me for a bit, he asked if he could go back to his bed to fall asleep. But a week or two later he got sick, then he wanted the comfort of Mom's bed. The boys all took a turn getting sick, and since then they find a lot of comfort in my bed.

Even though everyone goes to bed in their own bed, every morning I will wake up with 1-3 boys in bed with me. At first it would wake me up every time a child would come into bed with me (that could've been from the intense running footsteps in the hall, or the fierce slam of the door when they were in my room), but now I don't even notice it and will wake up to find a child in my arms, loving to be snuggled.

Laundry/Storage Room

For obvious reasons I need a place to do laundry, I usually wash at least 2 loads a day. I would also have the laundry room be where we stored everything else, including the clothes dressers.

I think my new house plan is a brilliant idea. Cleaning would be easier - I think. The only problem would be overnight company - would they want to sleep with us, or on the kitchen floor?

Didn't notice

Todd is a wonderful husband and I am so fortunate to be married to him. We have a wonderful marriage, but no where near perfect, which is why I have this story to tell.

Todd and I had an argument before he left to work. It was stupid, it was petty, and totally ridiculous. He had to go to work, so it was left unresolved.

I have always wanted to read the Harry Potter series, but being short on time I never have gotten around to it. My friend recommended getting the audio books and listening to them on my ipod. I have been doing this and will listen to them whenever I can without totally ignoring my children.

When Todd returned home I was cleaning up dinner while listening to Harry Potter. I had forgotten about our argument, so I gave him a smile, paused my ipod and said "Welcome home, Dear". He had a look like he was busy, so assuming that he had a lot of studying to do and no time for talking, I turned my ipod back on and continued listening to my book.

I continued listening all while I cleaned the rest of the night. While I was putting back some furniture that had been put to the side for our carpets' cleaning Todd had slipped off to bed. When I came to our room I noticed he was asleep and I too got ready and went to bed.

The next morning Todd said something like, "You haven't apologized to me yet". Oh, oh ya. I forgot about our argument, so I apologized. Then I asked him if he was still upset about our argument.
He said, "Ya, that's why I gave you the silent treatment last night!"

Whoops, sorry Honey, I didn't notice....maybe you should have told me that you were giving me the silent treatment.

Sometimes

I feel like I can't keep up with everything

Wheat Bread Recipe

Just for you Yvonne!

This bread is wonderful, and quite light, especially for using whole wheat flour. Because we go through so much bread, and I really don't like going to the store very often, I make this every couple of days and we use it for all of our bread "kneeds" (haha, I'm so punny)


Ingredients:
4 Cups water
2 Tablespoons Yeast
1 Tablespoon Salt
1/3 cup of sugar (or honey)
1/3 cup of oil
7-9 cups of wheat flour

Makes 2 loaves

Directions:

Get the water luke warm, about the temperature you would use for a baby's bath.

Pour the water in the mixing bowl and add the yeast. Let this sit for a few minutes as the yeast foams. (Also a good time to finish grinding the wheat)

Add in the salt, sugar, and oil. You can use honey instead of sugar and I find it works just as well but since honey is more expensive than sugar, sugar wins. If you do use honey, use your 1/3 cup measuring cup for the oil first, then for the honey. This helps grease up the cup so the honey just slides right out.

Add in a couple of cups of flour and turn your mixer on low.

Start adding the flour a cup at a time, waiting for the last cup to be mixed in. Now, the amount of flour is not exact for me. Last time I counted that I put in just under 9 cups of flour. Towards the end of adding in the flour, add it in slowly and just 1/3 cup at a time.
You will know that you have enough flour when the sides of the bowl start getting scraped clean and the dough will have the firmness of a baby's bum. A common mistake most people (including me) make when first making bread is adding too much flour. It's okay, you'll learn. It just makes it a little dry.

After I have enough flour, I let the machine continue mixing it together for 5-10 minutes, this helps get the yeast started, which means less kneeding for you.

When finished, get a large bowl and spray with Pam. Spray your hands with Pam, and grab the dough. Massage the dough together and make it into a dome-like shape. Fold the ends under and place the dome/ball in the bowl.Notice Roger's little ball in with mine. I give the kids a little piece and they LOVE playing with it

Place a dish towel that is dampened with warm water over the bowl and put it in a warm place to rise - in the sun preferable. If you live in Ohio and experience no sun you can use your oven like I do. I turn the broil on for a few minutes, then turn it off and put the bowl inside the oven.

Let the dough rise until it doubles in size - About an hour and half. Bring the bowl out and spray your hands (outside of your dominate hand also) with Pam. After removing the towel, punch the middle of the dome down one time. Then punch and kneed the rest of the dough.

Separate the dough into two equal-sized pieces. Pinch apart, don't pull apart.

Roll the dough into a square-like shape. Don't roll it too thin, but I do make one end a little thinner.
Starting from the thicker end of the dough, roll the dough into a log shape. When I get to the thin end, I massage the end to blend with the dough around it. Fold the ends under, trying to not have any fold lines on the top,Place it in a greased loaf plan. Repeat for other loaf.

Let it rise for 40-60 minutes until it is at a good height. Pop it in the oven at 350 degrees and cook for 25-30 minutes.

Remove from oven allowing the bread to sit in the bread pans for 5 minutes, then dump them out onto a wire rack.

Enjoy

If you want an extra special treat, have it with my homemade Honeybutter:
2 cubes of butter
1/2 cup of honey
Tub of Marshmallow Cream

All whipped together - so sweet

Homeschool vrs Public School

First Round:

Today I took the Mikey to his basketball class offered through the community rec center. Now Mikey isn't the most naturally talented basketball player, but the class is only for kids in Kindergarten this year and I wanted Mikey to get to know some other kids his age.

After the class I got the boys' jackets on and started heading out. When we were passing through the hallway there were two little boys from Mikey's class in the hallway. The blond haired boy turned to Mikey and very menacingly called out, "Hi.....girl!" Mikey really didn't give him any attention so the boy turned to the other boy hoping for a groupie, "I just called him girl".

I stopped, there was no need for this. I turned and with a very stern face walked toward the little boy. He immediately ran into the locker room where I'm guessing his mother was. Had I not had all 4 boys with me, I would have gone and informed her of her sons teasing, but I just left. Had I talked to the mother I am sure she would have been very embarrassed, apologized, and wondered where her kid had learned such behavior.

Now I'm not saying that homeschooled kids never act this way, but because in school children are constantly subjected to this behavior they pick it up more readily. Because kids can be extremely harsh and mean, it is so nice to know that (especially at such a young age) my children won't spend a majority of their day self-conscious, being ridiculed and teased but instead they will be within the comfort of their home where love is abundantly expressed.

My child may not be the best at dribbling the ball or knowing proper line and group etiquette, but he knows how to share with his brothers, how to sacrifice for a younger child, that he should listen to the prophet, and he doesn't know how to ridicule. The thing he is learning is character.

Homeschool: 1 Public School: 0

Second Round:

Here's a text I received from my dad:

So I drop Lana off the other day at the Middle School. There was a horde of teens coming off buses and entering the school. I have to admit they were a scary looking group! Lana looked at the group and then turned to me and with all soberness said: " Dad, I can't believe you could let me go to school here! ". I looked at her and looked again at the students entering the school and had to laugh! She had a point. I did tell her I would get her a panic button device that she could push in case she was going to get mugged or beat up in the Halls. She said she would appreciate it!

Homeschool: 2 Public School: 0

Third Round:

Todd came home from working the ER. There were at least 6 cases of suspected swine flu during an 8 hour shift. Nice to not have my kids getting all the germs that go around in schools.

Homeschool: 3 Public School: 0

And Homeschool wins (at least for our family) and not that that would really change my mind one way or another.

Just Like Dad

All I can say is that he better always be aware of his influence

Lizards

After visiting the zoo, Mikey asked me if we could get a gecko. If 4 kids, 2 turtles, 2 fish, 1 dog, and 3 houseplants isn't enough for me to keep alive, let's add on one more thing. I just calmly told him what I've heard many parents say, but never have said it myself, "Maybe for Christmas".

While in Utah we were watching General Conference at my mom's house when someone noticed a lizard climbing near the ceiling. My studly brother Reagan stepped up to the task and got some salad tongs to catch the lizard with, then placed (dropped) the lizard into a bucket.

The boys were all very excited, especially Mikey and his cousin Colton. They played with the lizard for a long time. When they were done, they let the lizard return to his family.I'm hoping that he won't remember about the gecko come Christmas.

Honestly, isn't this a little ridiculous (even though we no longer have the butterflies)

St. George Marathon

When I found out that I was going to be going to Southern Utah during the weekend of the St. George Marathon, I called up my mom. My mom has been helping out with the marathon so she was able to get me in and registered!! Yay!!

My mom was a little hesitant that I could run the race (thanks for the faith in me Mom), but so was I. After running the Half-Marathon in Akron, I felt great, and felt as though I could have kept running. I felt confident...until a few days later my foot started hurting. After inspecting my foot, Todd suggested that the soreness was from running the half. Great! I was soft on my foot (as much as you can be with 4 little boys) hoping it would feel better.

I got into Utah on Friday evening. After stopping at the expo to pick up my bib, we stopped by my mom's house. My mom had recently put up her Halloween decorations and to say my boys were excited would be an understatement. They kept running around, crying at the top of their lungs that it was a Halloween Party House. Mikey was talking a mile a minute in his high excited voice. It was getting late - not to mention that they should have been use to Ohio time that is two hours later and I had no idea of how to calm them down.

My sister's were kind enough to agree to sleep down at my dad's house with my boys so that they could help my dad in the morning while I slept at my mom's house so I could get uninterrupted sleep. Unfortunately I needed to make the 15 minute drive down to my dad's house to help get my kids to bed.

After getting the kids to bed, driving to my mom's, getting my clothes and shoes laid out, talking to my mom for a bit, and calling Todd, I finally went to bed around 10:30 ... 12:30 Ohio time. But don't worry, I was up at 4:00 AM getting ready for the race. If you've ever run a race, you know of the butterflies in the stomach feeling that accompanies you as you get ready, hoping you don't forget anything.

I was a little nervous. My foot was still sore, but didn't ache terribly - but still I wondered if it was a message that my body was sending to me to NOT run the marathon. I was also nervous that I didn't get enough rest since I got to bed so late. The good news is that the most important night for rest is 2 nights before the race ... oh wait, I stayed up past midnight chatting with my dad. Then not to mention that I flew all during the previous day. I could feel the train wreck occurring. I threw back another IB profen and went on my way.

Of course we got to the start line at what I would deem too early, but the time quickly went and I still felt short on time to stretch. The race started, and feeling like a huge herd of cattle, we blindly followed those in front of us. The first couple of miles were obnoxious in the fact that everyone was still very condensed together in a small area. I felt as though I may kick the person behind me while fearing that the feet in front of me were going to kick me.

My mom (this was her 9th marathon) and I ran side by side. We talked and talked. I soon became amazed as the miles seemed to be just slipping on by. Before we knew it we were at mile 6, then mile 8, then the half-way point, 13.1 miles!! It really didn't seem to be too laborious. Yes, there were some uphills, that would slow us down, but there were also some downhills that helped push us on.

My IT band injury on my right leg was bothering me a bit, and to my relief at the water stations they had several people armed with icee-hot stuff to rub on the runners. I stopped every time to have some random stranger rub the lotion onto my leg. I couldn't believe the difference and relief it provided.

I knew that Todd had the morning off so I wanted to call him sometime during the run. Throughout the run I kept trying to call him, but my phone didn't have any service (yes, I ran with my phone and headphones in my pocket). Around mile 19 I finally got service and was able to contact Todd. It was great to talk to him. He was so excited for me and kept on giving me compliments and encouragements. He also let me and my mom know that her friend, Carol, had already finished the race in like 3:20 - but she works harder than I do.

I soon left my mom as I continued conversing with Todd. He kept telling me how amazed he was that I didn't even sound out of breath. He asked me if the sun was burning me up (it's quite overcast where we live, so we don't get to see the sun much). Then I realized just how bright the sun was, it was blinding, but not too hot.

As I arrived out of the canyon and into the streets of St. George I saw some familiar faces. Even though when I had run before, the biggest boost of energy came from seeing Todd and my boys, I did have the next best thing, my honey cheering me on in my ears.

I kept running and running, almost not believing that I was doing it so effortless, it seemed too easy....maybe I took one too many IB profins. THEN I got to mile 25.

That last mile was the toughest. It seemed to go on foReVEr!!! I ran down one street thinking it was at the end, just to have to turn down another, and then another!!! When I finally saw the finish line I pushed it up to a sprint (I don't know why I bottle some energy for a sprint at the end, seems that it would be better to just run a little bit faster during the entire run). I crossed the finish line and just like every other Highly-trained athlete I threw my arms up into the air. (Another thing I have no clue as to why I do it... I think it's the fact that I finished when I wasn't sure I would....?)
I ran the marathon in 4:41!!!! I was just thrilled that I had finished, but I must say I was very pleased with my time. The funny thing is that I finished the marathon just one minute less than double the time I finished the half-marathon.

After the marathon my sisters and brother ditched me to go shopping, which left my dad to take me and my boys to his house. My dad was really helpful, but I still ended up having to chase and conquer 4 boys for the rest of the day...I even took them swimming.

Sad thing is I didn't have a camera and therefore have NO pictures of the marathon!!!

Going To Utah

Almost two weeks ago my dad called me up. My little sister has a starring role in the high school play, and he wanted to know if I would come out for it, his treat. Of course I wanted to go support my sister, so I agreed to pack my bags and bring my four children to Utah.
When I asked Todd about me going, he was very supportive of me going, but did ask, "How are you going to do this by yourself?" I did think about this, but refused to think about it too much. I knew it would be difficult, but I was desperate to visit family, besides I go places with them all the time by myself, I could handle the airport and airplane....right?
The next day my dad called me. He said that after talking to my mom, he decided that he would come out and help me fly to Utah, and that my mom would fly with me back to Ohio!!! Awesome.
Thursday night my dad got into Ohio really late. We stayed up talking for awhile, I was just so excited to see him. The next morning we had just enough time to have breakfast, finish packing, and head off to the airport. Ticketing and security were quite painless. When we got to the terminal, William looked around at all the people and said, "All these people not going to Utah". I told him that there were probably some that were to which he responded with, "All these people not going to grandma's Utah".
The stewardess informed me that there was only one empty seat left on the plane, and recommended that I take it for Grant, seeing that no one would prefer to sit by me anyways, so I did. I sat on a row with Mikey and Grant, and my dad sat on the next row with Roger and William.
The flight went over very well. I actually thought that my dad may be regretting making the trip out to help for the kids and everything seemed to be so easy. I later found out that my dad told my mom that it was a good thing that he went out for he couldn't see me doing that all alone...it was just too hard and overwhelming. Ironic.After getting off the plane, retrieving our bags, and walking towards the parking garage, we patiently waited for my sister, Lyndee. As we were waiting, Mikey saw a woman smoking. He turned to me and said, "I'm not going to marry that girl, she smokes". I thought it was hilarious. Then he asked my "Why" (he wasn't going to marry a girl that smokes). I then explained to him that even though the girl smokes, she is not a bad person. But, when it came time to marry someone, he wanted the best he could get. I told him that he was going to marry a "good, good girl". He asked "Why?" this and I briefly told him that when he marries someone, he will marry them forever, to be with them even after this life He got a really excited look on his face and gave out a joyous squeal. The rest of the time he kept talking about how he was going to marry a nice nice girl.
Lyndee finally found us. The boys were excited to see her and about knocked her down by hugging her. We gathered our stuff and followed her to her car. She walked holding Roger's hand. Lyndee was telling him of how she missed him and loved him, he responded with, "Ya, but I'm not going to marry you."
"Why not?"
"Because you're my aunt.....but I still love you."
My boys need to quit talking about marriage at such a young age.