Today we found ourselves at the Holladay library again.  Since our Whitmore library has been being renovated--we've become regulars there.

We'd been there about 5 minutes and an older couple was walking by Clara and I and she stopped and said "Oh, she's darling." and her husband, who could barely walk or talk, looked at me, smiled, patted her head and then reached over and squeezed my arm and then just kept walking.  Such a boost!  It was a "I've have lived what you are doing now, it is wonderful, keep at it, we are all grateful for kids and their goodness". AS a mother, I LOVE when people say or do things like that.  It's comforting and it makes me feel like we are not such a circus.

Fast forward 20 minutes and we've been to the holds area to get books we put on hold for school, and we've checked out, and we've gone to the bathroom, and we've handed in our reading program cards to get a free book and hockey tickets, and I was talking to the librarian about getting a interlibrary loan for a book we needed.  A woman walks over really close to me and says, "will you and your baby leave the library (and I said, "yes, I'm working on that"--meaning can't you see I'm trying to help all my kids do what they need to do and get their books checked out and then, yes we will leave), she continues--"she has been being so loud and running around everywhere" (which is true)  "in fact, why don't you just leave her out in the car next time you come...and roll up the windows".

I just stood there staring at her.

I wanted to say a lot of different things and decided to just shut my mouth.  Hallie and Aubrie were standing with me and  Hallie especially really couldn't stop asking about it after--I think it rattled her that the woman had said to leave Clara out in a hot car with the windows rolled up.

I thought about it while I was putting Clara down for a nap later and I just really can't believe that there are people that truly feel that way about kids.  That is really the bottom line.  Children make life hard of course, but they make it so wonderful and full.  It's one thing to get mad at me and ask me to help her be quiet, but the way she made Clara sound like a disease and something to just keep away from her made me want to cry that people honestly feel like that--and especially about sweet Clara that I love so fiercly.

The pre-24th of July parade float viewing with Catons and Tripps

A bike ride to Wheeler Farm one afternoon

Our favorite Cara goes to the Provo MTC

Which we followed up with some BYU creamery and duck ponds

Blake and Robbie spend 1/2  their days out here doing baseball

Ryan's fathers day gift was to clear off our cement pad and buy and put up a hoop.  Then we added some swings last week.  They are getting a lot of use. :)

In a nutshell

Just had a mom moment this afternoon where I thought to take a picture of each of them today August 12, 2015 and post a picture and 5 things about each of these special people.

(plus that will keep me from going and looking at the tornado that hit downstairs in the living room)

Aubrie (11..in a few days)-

i. Loves to read and write and just finished her 2nd novel of her most recent series called Prisoners of War (and I could pretty much move on to Robbie now, that is what she spends most of her time doing)

ii. Had her first babysitting for other families the last 2 weeks (and did great! minus locking herself out of the house once--luckily we are just down the street)

iii. Starting the 6th grade

iv. Has an incredible imagination

v. Learned to make eggs, french toast and buttermilk syrup

Robbie (9 in a few days)-

i. Starting 4th grade

ii. Learned how to land his scooter up the high ramp at the skate park 

iii. Loves to play baseball 2K11 on the Xbox

iv. I have to strongly encourage him to sit down for 30 minutes to read every day (we don't know where his love of reading went)

v. Made $60 doing two different lemonade stands with Hallie and Blake. (What?!?)

Hallie (7)-

i. Is the best roller-blader in our family

ii. Is quickly becoming our resident artist.  She has so much stamina and creativity to do it.

iii. Starting the 2nd grade

iv. Went on the "pink" drop off slides at Seven Peaks this summer (definitely our most cautious child)

v. Cleans the living room and vacuums it for her job this year

Blake (4)-

i. Has THEEE cutest smile in the whole world

ii. Has stopped taking naps for good this summer

iii. Starting UPSTART preschool online to get ready for kindergarten

iv. Learned to ride a two wheeler but doesn't ride very often--he prefers his balance bike

v. Plays with our neighbor in front, Alivia (and her sister Elise) almost every day

Clara (17 mths)-

i. Is running around now

ii. Says new words: hi (to everyone--with the cutest little stiff wave), baby, dada, Aubee, Hayi (Hallie), hat (bike helmet), boo (peek a boo), da (dog), te du (thank you), yessss, hug

iii. If you lean your head forward and say bonk, she comes and bonks your forehead with hers

iv. Loves her doll this week and carries her around

v. Loves to swing on our swings we just put up in our front yard

vi. Since I stopped nursing her and we started reading every night, she now LOVES books.  We always put some books with her in her crib with her to fall asleep.

School supply shopping with a twist

Luckily we already had the table and cabinet for crafts. But we had to buy a lot of new notebooks and paper and pens and markers and scissors to get ready for our year. We had so much fun at the store buying it all and the kids had fun helping me set it all up. They probably won't be excited about homeschooling three weeks into it but for now they are ecstatic! Robbie even drilled our whiteboard into the wall up all by himself and set it up. 

Summer 2015

What is happening?  I don't remember being this bad at posting in a long time.  I think so much happens in the summer that I get overwhelmed with keeping track.   I love capturing daily life and the things the kids say more than overview of our comings and goings, but I still want to capture it.  So, here is our summer in review.

School got out the second week of June and I went to girls camp for part of the next week as the assistant.  Liz helped with watching the kids.  I didn't really know the YW before going very well.  It was so fun to be up there, getting to do all the activities with them and being with the leaders.

Then we did ALOT of Seven Peaks (like 3-4 times a week for a few weeks) and the kids end of the school year dates with dad (our 3rd annual) and it is so fun for Ryan to plan them all out and the kids love it too.  Aubrie--biked to a pizza place, brought home icecream for shakes and watched Harry Potter 5.  Robbie-(ended up combining with Spencer, Davis and Bode too), went to a park and played baseball for a few hours, brought home icecream and had shakes and watched the first Star Wars movie (Robbie had been waiting for so long to be old enough).  Hallie-making a fun craft together with paint and popsicle sticks and a treat.  Blake-ride bikes to the park together, play there, go to the Ski shop and watch the GoPro video, stop by 7-11 on the way home for a treat.

A few more baseball games for Robbie (my favorites were his last 2 of the season.  What a great season.  He is a MUCH better ballplayer now.

Sullivans stayed with us for a few nights before the Jensen reunion which is always so much fun!

Our Jensen reunion was up at the SnoPine lodge at the base of Alta. the last week of June.  Hatches were in charge and it deserves a whole post on its own.  So I'll just do that.

For the fourth of July we hadn't made any plans ahead of time so we headed over to the West Jordan Stampede.  We all really enjoy the rodeo and it was such a fun night.  It was one of those "favorite" nights as a family that happen every once in awhile were everyone is getting along and happy and it's just so good to be together and enjoy it.  The rodeo announcer was awesome, the bull riding was excellent, the motocross halftime was impressive and then at the very end we ran over to the park next to the rodeo grounds and got great seats laying on the ground right in front of where they set off the fireworks.  Walking back to the car the kids saw the huge blow up screen playing Despicable Me 2 and got sucked in.  It was a full late night and we payed for it the next day but so worth it.

All of us girls got haircuts (Clara's first little A-line bob) and its always such a circus.

All the Haynies (immediate) headed to Albuquerque, NM  to meet at the temple there for Cara to take out her endowments in preparation to leave for her mission to Belo Horizante, Brazil. Some really nice extended family members watched all 22 kids at the park next to the temple and it was so special to be there all together.  We headed out to Sanford, CO and were there for the Haynie reunion up in Conejos Canyon at Canty's cabin for a few days and then we had an extended Mortensen reunion down in Sanford.  Again, needs a post all of its own.  It was jam-packed and SOOOO fun!

Aubrie went home with Syd and kids back to Houston and ended up staying with them for almost a week (with a few days up in Dallas at mom and dad's for Cara's farewell).  Then Grandma and grandpa Jensen picked her up and took her to their house for another week and a half.  So she was gone from our house for almost a month total.  It was a lot of fun and helped her appreciate home and family and get to know Calls and G&G better and those are all good things.  We are so glad to have her home now.

Over July 24th weekend, Liz and Jimmy (saints the both of them), watched all 5 kids and Ryan and I took our first every trip without kids since our homeymoon.  We wanted to make it cost effective and so we stayed within driving distance and went and stayed in Driggs, Idaho and spent a few days exploring in Jackson Hole and Yellowstone.  We packed alot into 4 days.  Another post on all that.

Cara hadn't gotten her visa by the time she needed to report for her mission so she flew to SLC instead of Brazil on Tuesday, we had a little errand party together and that night lots of family came over to say goodbye.  We dropped her off in PRovo at the MTC and said our quick goodbyes before she was whisked away.  She is going to kill it as a missionary!

And now, here we are, beginning of August already and having long, lazier days here at home.  I haven't wanted to go anywhere very much.  It's been nice to just play, work and read here.

And I have been scrambling to research, talk to people and read all I can about homeschooling because we have decided to start this year.  Which seems crazy.  I probably am crazy.  But I feel SO certain that we are supposed to.  I received such a clear answer.  And I am getting more and more excited the further into we get.  We will be following "The WEll Trained Mind: Classical Education" more or less at least for this year.  I am loving reading all about it and figuring out our curriculum.