This past week was fall break for the kids. We decided we really needed to get out of town, and since the cabin wasn't available, we went to Tombstone. Russell has been asking me if we could go to Tombstone since this past summer and I kept telling him it is too hot, lets wait until fall break! Nobody was very excited about going (including myself) but since I had promised him fall break, I decided we better go. We did some research before so that we could know a little bit about Tombstone, and by the time we got there, we knew the whole story of Wyatt Earp and the gun fight at the OK Corral. David had to work so it was just the kids and I, but we survived.
We left Thursday morning. When we got there it was too early to check into our hotel, so we went and toured the Bird Cage Theater, the only building still in its very original form. Even though it was a bar and theater where a lot of drinking, gambling, prostitution, and fighting took place, it was really neat to see everything. Lots of original wall paper, curtains, gambling tables, furniture, etc. And of course all the bullet holes in the walls. It was a little risque inside with some inappropriate pictures of ladies here and there (and I felt a little bad for exposing the kids to that), but it was very interesting too.
We then decided to go to our hotel. We stayed at the Tombstone Grand Hotel. We were pretty disappointed in the green and cloudy swimming pool, but it was nice otherwise. We watched cartoons, ate a dinner we brought from home, and then went out and got ice cream. We thought we'd be creative and bought a tub of ice cream, some cones, and a scoop. Then we went back to the hotel and sat outside scooping and eating ice cream. It was fun (and cheaper then buying cones in town).
Everyone slept well that night, some in beds and some on the floor, and Hyrum in the portable crib. We enjoyed the continental breakfast the next morning, watched a few more cartoons, and then packed up and checked out. We then headed back to town. First we toured the old courthouse. We read a lot of history and saw a lot of old things. Then we went to the gun fight reenactment at the OK Corral. It was a lot of money for the quick reenactment, but we enjoyed it. I'm glad we did our research before we left home because it made it a lot more interesting for the kids. There were signs up and down the road through the cowboy town (as we called it) that said who was shot where and what happened here, and most of the happenings were things that we had learned about. It made it a lot more fun for us than if we hadn't known anything.
On our way out of Tombstone we decided to make one last stop at Boothill Cemetery. The boys really enjoyed that! We saw where the Clanton's and McLaury's from the gunfight were buried, but we also had a little brochure that told who most of the other people were and how they died. The boys thought that was pretty cool. Lots of murder, sickness, and mining accidents.
So, all in all, we had a good time. Nothing fancy or super exciting, but it was nice to get away and we learned a lot of interesting things about Tombstone in the 1880's. I'm glad we decided to go, and the kids who weren't so excited in the first place, ended up having a good time too.
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Sunday, September 3, 2017
David - Is really into shooting competitions lately. He goes shooting several Tuesdays and Saturdays a month with his brother or a friend from church.
Natalie - I haven't been up to much lately. I did get released from my calling as the second counselor in the relief society presidency. We had been in the calling for a little over 3 years, but I have been planning relief society activities for over 4 years! It will feel really nice to go to the next activity without having to do any of the planning! I haven't been given a new calling yet. Today I substituted for Claira's primary class, the 5-6 year-olds. It was a good group of kids and I had a fun time. It's been a long time since I've had a calling in primary. We'll see where I end up!
Alena - Alena just got a calling in her Beehive class. She was called as the first counselor in the Beehive class presidency. She was just called and hasn't had a meeting yet, but she is excited to get started. She struggled with school the first couple weeks. It was frustrating for her getting used to teachers who weren't so kind, and also it was hard going to school without her old friends. It has been getting better now and she seems to be getting the hang of things at her new school. She gets home while I am picking up the other kids from school. I think she enjoys those few minutes of a quiet house.
Cy - So far, Cy likes school and he likes his teacher. This is the first time since 1st grade that he has actually liked his teacher!! It's amazing! His teacher has studied and really focused on "gifted" students. She understands how they function and their little quirks and things. He seems to really like her. He is still going to karate twice a week and is doing well. Cy gave a talk in Primary today.
Russell - Russell also gave a talk in Primary today. I was able to listen to his since I was helping with Claira's class. Unfortunately, he isn't enjoying school. His teacher is a little more strict than in the past and I think it bothers him. Plus, the school work just isn't as fun or easy as it used to be. He is going to start piano lessons with Grandma Krueger this next week.
Claira - is my other one who loves school this year. She's doing well and likes to tell me about the fun things she does with her friends at school. She has been making rubber band rainbow loom bracelets and charms. She watches youtube videos and has made some really cute things. Right now she is making pencil toppers and all the kids at school have requested that she make one for them too!
Myra - keeps me company during the day. She wishes we could just play Barbies all the time, but that gets hard for me after 10 minutes or so! We do a lot of grocery shopping of course. It's still too hot to go to parks or anything.
Hyrum - started nursery 3 weeks ago and so far it isn't going too well. He cries and cries, and he doesn't want the leaders to hold him so he just lies on the floor. The nursery leaders told me today that he was crying when one of their husbands walked in for a minute. Hyrum saw him and crawled over to him. When the man picked him up he stopped crying. He started crying again when this man had to leave for his class, until another man walked in. Again, he quit crying when this man picked him up. Maybe they need to call a man into the nursery! Hyrum is walking now...he only waited until he was 18 months old! He loves trains, firetrucks, and watching vidoes of David shooting. He also likes to imitate his siblings.
Natalie - I haven't been up to much lately. I did get released from my calling as the second counselor in the relief society presidency. We had been in the calling for a little over 3 years, but I have been planning relief society activities for over 4 years! It will feel really nice to go to the next activity without having to do any of the planning! I haven't been given a new calling yet. Today I substituted for Claira's primary class, the 5-6 year-olds. It was a good group of kids and I had a fun time. It's been a long time since I've had a calling in primary. We'll see where I end up!
Alena - Alena just got a calling in her Beehive class. She was called as the first counselor in the Beehive class presidency. She was just called and hasn't had a meeting yet, but she is excited to get started. She struggled with school the first couple weeks. It was frustrating for her getting used to teachers who weren't so kind, and also it was hard going to school without her old friends. It has been getting better now and she seems to be getting the hang of things at her new school. She gets home while I am picking up the other kids from school. I think she enjoys those few minutes of a quiet house.
Cy - So far, Cy likes school and he likes his teacher. This is the first time since 1st grade that he has actually liked his teacher!! It's amazing! His teacher has studied and really focused on "gifted" students. She understands how they function and their little quirks and things. He seems to really like her. He is still going to karate twice a week and is doing well. Cy gave a talk in Primary today.
Russell - Russell also gave a talk in Primary today. I was able to listen to his since I was helping with Claira's class. Unfortunately, he isn't enjoying school. His teacher is a little more strict than in the past and I think it bothers him. Plus, the school work just isn't as fun or easy as it used to be. He is going to start piano lessons with Grandma Krueger this next week.
Claira - is my other one who loves school this year. She's doing well and likes to tell me about the fun things she does with her friends at school. She has been making rubber band rainbow loom bracelets and charms. She watches youtube videos and has made some really cute things. Right now she is making pencil toppers and all the kids at school have requested that she make one for them too!
Myra - keeps me company during the day. She wishes we could just play Barbies all the time, but that gets hard for me after 10 minutes or so! We do a lot of grocery shopping of course. It's still too hot to go to parks or anything.
Hyrum - started nursery 3 weeks ago and so far it isn't going too well. He cries and cries, and he doesn't want the leaders to hold him so he just lies on the floor. The nursery leaders told me today that he was crying when one of their husbands walked in for a minute. Hyrum saw him and crawled over to him. When the man picked him up he stopped crying. He started crying again when this man had to leave for his class, until another man walked in. Again, he quit crying when this man picked him up. Maybe they need to call a man into the nursery! Hyrum is walking now...he only waited until he was 18 months old! He loves trains, firetrucks, and watching vidoes of David shooting. He also likes to imitate his siblings.
Sunday, August 6, 2017
Summer 2017
Well, summer break has come and gone once again. School started this past week. They only give us two months for summer break now days, but we tried to squeeze in enough fun in those two months. Here are some of the things we did this summer.
Alena went to girls camp at the beginning of June. It was her first year and they were gone for a whole week! It was hard not being able to communicate with her in any way for that long! But she had an awesome time, of course. She had all good things to say. She especially enjoyed___
The next week, we went up to the cabin for the whole week. It was still pretty dusty and dry up there because the monsoons hadn't hit yet, but we still had a good time. The Parnell's were up there part of the time, along with Melissa, Grandma and Grandpa Krueger, and Aunt Joan. David was able to come up on the weekend also. We went to the lake and it was over flowing full! They had gotten a lot of good snow this winter. We hadn't seen it so full in a long time. The kids had fun playing with their cousins.
The girls had swimming lessons the next two weeks. Claira is a great swimmer and diver. She mostly worked on learning her strokes better. This was Myra's first time to take lessons. She didn't love it, but she did well.
Cy started karate at the beginning of the summer. He has really enjoyed it so far and is doing really well. He even advanced from the white belt to the gold belt. It has been nice to see him be successful at something and feel good about himself. We are proud of him.
Russell got to have his 8 year old week with Grandma Krueger. He went to the aquarium, Golfland, to the movies, and to the cabin for a few days. Probably lots of other fun things that I can't remember! He had a great time!
Oh! Myra had a birthday! She turned 4 years old on July 10th. She ended up getting the croup on the last day of our California trip and was a little under the weather for her birthday so we just celebrated a little at home. She is a spunky little thing with quite the personality. I love her brown hair and brown eyes! She's great at playing on her own and usually finds something to pretend no matter where she is. It doesn't take her long to come up with some little pretend scenario! I love that about here!
After we got back from California, the sickness really hit us. Well, it actually just hit Myra and Hyrum. Myra started with the croup and a fever. Hyrum then caught the croup and a nasty stomach bug at the same time! He actually projectile vomited at my parents house while we were over to wish my mom a happy birthday! Happy birthday Mom! Thank goodness I was holding him in the kitchen at the time and it didn't get on the couch, carpet, or anyone else! But it was quite the explosion! It took him a whole week to stop throwing up and get better. I finally took him to the doctor because he couldn't even keep water down and just laid on my lap sleeping. She prescribed an anti nausea medication and made me give it to him right there in the office. He kept it down and a little pedialite. She sent us home but said if he threw up any more, to go to the E.R. Thank goodness, the medicine worked and he was able to slowly rehydrate. He did throw up a few more times but not until the next day and I felt he was getting better. It was a long miserable week, and it was hard on the other kids as we had to spend so much time at home.
Unfortunately, the bug hit Myra the next week, and took her out for a full week too! It was rough! She slept for 2 days straight and took a whole week to recover too. Again, it was miserable for the other kids, but we survived. There was one day that I just felt desperate for help with the healthy kids. They needed to get out after two weeks! Everyone I called couldn't help me though for one reason or another. I just cried. But, we hung in there.
The next day was Saturday and David took the older kids to a Diamonbacks game. I stayed home with the younger 3 and by then Myra was starting to feel better. We rested and relaxed. I prayed that everyone else might be able to avoid this mean bug!
The last week of summer was spent shopping for school supplies and stuff. We went swimming at Aunt Jennifer's one morning and got free donuts afterward.
The kids started school this past Wednesday. Alena is in 7th grade this year and decided it was time to come back to the public junior high. It was a hard choice because we love our charter school, but we felt now would be an easier time to adjust rather than waiting until high school. She really misses her good friends though. And the kind, happy, family atmosphere at the charter school. Her first 3 days were ok, but she doesn't love it. We keep telling her to hang in there and she will start to feel comfortable and make new friends.
Cy is in 5th grade this year, his last year or elementary school. He has enjoyed the first 3 days and likes his teachers. Russell is in 3rd grade and has also enjoyed his teacher. He wasn't excited to start back up but once he got back, he's doing ok and seems to be enjoying seeing his friends again. And Claira is loving 1st grade, of course! She is so cute and happy!
Its just Myra and Hyrum at home with me now. It is a lot quieter and there is a lot less fighting! But I miss my kids.
Alena went to girls camp at the beginning of June. It was her first year and they were gone for a whole week! It was hard not being able to communicate with her in any way for that long! But she had an awesome time, of course. She had all good things to say. She especially enjoyed___
The next week, we went up to the cabin for the whole week. It was still pretty dusty and dry up there because the monsoons hadn't hit yet, but we still had a good time. The Parnell's were up there part of the time, along with Melissa, Grandma and Grandpa Krueger, and Aunt Joan. David was able to come up on the weekend also. We went to the lake and it was over flowing full! They had gotten a lot of good snow this winter. We hadn't seen it so full in a long time. The kids had fun playing with their cousins.
The girls had swimming lessons the next two weeks. Claira is a great swimmer and diver. She mostly worked on learning her strokes better. This was Myra's first time to take lessons. She didn't love it, but she did well.
Cy started karate at the beginning of the summer. He has really enjoyed it so far and is doing really well. He even advanced from the white belt to the gold belt. It has been nice to see him be successful at something and feel good about himself. We are proud of him.
Russell got to have his 8 year old week with Grandma Krueger. He went to the aquarium, Golfland, to the movies, and to the cabin for a few days. Probably lots of other fun things that I can't remember! He had a great time!
Oh! Myra had a birthday! She turned 4 years old on July 10th. She ended up getting the croup on the last day of our California trip and was a little under the weather for her birthday so we just celebrated a little at home. She is a spunky little thing with quite the personality. I love her brown hair and brown eyes! She's great at playing on her own and usually finds something to pretend no matter where she is. It doesn't take her long to come up with some little pretend scenario! I love that about here!
After we got back from California, the sickness really hit us. Well, it actually just hit Myra and Hyrum. Myra started with the croup and a fever. Hyrum then caught the croup and a nasty stomach bug at the same time! He actually projectile vomited at my parents house while we were over to wish my mom a happy birthday! Happy birthday Mom! Thank goodness I was holding him in the kitchen at the time and it didn't get on the couch, carpet, or anyone else! But it was quite the explosion! It took him a whole week to stop throwing up and get better. I finally took him to the doctor because he couldn't even keep water down and just laid on my lap sleeping. She prescribed an anti nausea medication and made me give it to him right there in the office. He kept it down and a little pedialite. She sent us home but said if he threw up any more, to go to the E.R. Thank goodness, the medicine worked and he was able to slowly rehydrate. He did throw up a few more times but not until the next day and I felt he was getting better. It was a long miserable week, and it was hard on the other kids as we had to spend so much time at home.
Unfortunately, the bug hit Myra the next week, and took her out for a full week too! It was rough! She slept for 2 days straight and took a whole week to recover too. Again, it was miserable for the other kids, but we survived. There was one day that I just felt desperate for help with the healthy kids. They needed to get out after two weeks! Everyone I called couldn't help me though for one reason or another. I just cried. But, we hung in there.
The next day was Saturday and David took the older kids to a Diamonbacks game. I stayed home with the younger 3 and by then Myra was starting to feel better. We rested and relaxed. I prayed that everyone else might be able to avoid this mean bug!
The last week of summer was spent shopping for school supplies and stuff. We went swimming at Aunt Jennifer's one morning and got free donuts afterward.
The kids started school this past Wednesday. Alena is in 7th grade this year and decided it was time to come back to the public junior high. It was a hard choice because we love our charter school, but we felt now would be an easier time to adjust rather than waiting until high school. She really misses her good friends though. And the kind, happy, family atmosphere at the charter school. Her first 3 days were ok, but she doesn't love it. We keep telling her to hang in there and she will start to feel comfortable and make new friends.
Cy is in 5th grade this year, his last year or elementary school. He has enjoyed the first 3 days and likes his teachers. Russell is in 3rd grade and has also enjoyed his teacher. He wasn't excited to start back up but once he got back, he's doing ok and seems to be enjoying seeing his friends again. And Claira is loving 1st grade, of course! She is so cute and happy!
Its just Myra and Hyrum at home with me now. It is a lot quieter and there is a lot less fighting! But I miss my kids.
Monday, July 17, 2017
Ocean Side, California
This summer my mom rented two beach houses in Ocean Side, California again. Everyone in the Krueger family was able to go and spend a week together (except for Michael who had just gotten a new job and couldn't take time off). They were the same beach houses that she rented 3 years ago, and our family stayed in the same house, same room.
We got up early Friday, June 30th, And drove the 7 hours to Ocean Side. We stopped once for lunch at Fry's in Yuma. There was construction on the way up one of the mountains and the traffic was moving so slow, our engine started to heat up. We had to turn the A/C off and roll down the windows. It was HOT!
Some of the fun things we did while we were in California: We played at the beach almost everyday, of course. The kids loved swimming and boogie boarding with their cousins. All the cousins got a long so well the whole time we were there. The younger kids played in the sand, digging and building castles. I brought a small blow-up pool for Hyrum and when he got tired of the sand, we'd just put him in the pool with snacks and he was happy! We took a canopy down to the beach each morning and left it there all day.
We went to the San Diego temple on Sunday. It was beautiful!
We toured the USS Midway one of the days. We spent probably 5 hours, and could have spent more if we hadn't been worn out! After the Midway, we went to Seaport Village and had dinner, hamburgers and french fries. We did a little shopping while we were there too.
We were in California over the 4th of July. There were a lot of people every where, and we didn't drive anywhere that day because of the traffic, but we enjoyed playing at the beach and walking around. Everyone was decked out in their 4th of July clothes. The older kids went down to the beach at night to watch the fireworks and David and I watched them from the roof balcony at the beach house, with Claira and Myra.
Cy and Russell brought their fishing poles with us. Cy wanted to go fishing at the pier every day! Sometimes David would go with him, and sometimes he would get Russell, Dallin or Curtis to go with him. He and Curtis got up early a couple times and went down to the pier to fish. Cy said all the people fishing were very friendly and generous. They would share their bate and give them tips. The very last morning, Cy and Curtis woke up early to fish. They ended up catching 4 or 5 that morning!
The farmers market was fun on Thursday. Of course their were tons of people but we bought some souvenirs and treats too. The last evening of the trip. we walked down to the pier and bought ice cream cones for everyone. We enjoyed a long walk after that too.
The whole trip was just fun! The weather was perfect, the beach house was close enough to the beach that the kids could walk up and down any time they wanted, everyone got a long well, it was just relaxing and fun. We did not want to come home at the end of the week! Thank you Thank you, mom for a wonderful trip full of relaxation and fun memories!
We got up early Friday, June 30th, And drove the 7 hours to Ocean Side. We stopped once for lunch at Fry's in Yuma. There was construction on the way up one of the mountains and the traffic was moving so slow, our engine started to heat up. We had to turn the A/C off and roll down the windows. It was HOT!
Some of the fun things we did while we were in California: We played at the beach almost everyday, of course. The kids loved swimming and boogie boarding with their cousins. All the cousins got a long so well the whole time we were there. The younger kids played in the sand, digging and building castles. I brought a small blow-up pool for Hyrum and when he got tired of the sand, we'd just put him in the pool with snacks and he was happy! We took a canopy down to the beach each morning and left it there all day.
We went to the San Diego temple on Sunday. It was beautiful!
We toured the USS Midway one of the days. We spent probably 5 hours, and could have spent more if we hadn't been worn out! After the Midway, we went to Seaport Village and had dinner, hamburgers and french fries. We did a little shopping while we were there too.
Cy and Russell brought their fishing poles with us. Cy wanted to go fishing at the pier every day! Sometimes David would go with him, and sometimes he would get Russell, Dallin or Curtis to go with him. He and Curtis got up early a couple times and went down to the pier to fish. Cy said all the people fishing were very friendly and generous. They would share their bate and give them tips. The very last morning, Cy and Curtis woke up early to fish. They ended up catching 4 or 5 that morning!
The farmers market was fun on Thursday. Of course their were tons of people but we bought some souvenirs and treats too. The last evening of the trip. we walked down to the pier and bought ice cream cones for everyone. We enjoyed a long walk after that too.
 |
| One last stop at the pier before we head home. It was foggy. |
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Alena - had a birthday! 12 YEARS OLD! Of course she was so excited! So excited to be done with primary and ready for young women's, so excited to start going to mutual, so excited to be old enough for girls camp this year! Her birthday was on a Wednesday this year, which happens to be our busy day of the week with scouts for the boys, scouts for David, and now mutual for Alena. We had a fun mini family party right after school with fruits and veges, chips and dips, cake and ice cream, and presents. The Krueger grandparents and the Durfee grandparents and aunt Melissa were all able to stop by. It was a lot of fun, then alena was able to go to mutual for her first time on her birthday. They were even having a swimming party for mutual.
We sure love Alena. At home she loves reading and baking goodies. She likes to try to make her mom laugh, and I often have to remember that I'm the adult and not just one of the kids with her! Away from home, she is respectful, mature, and always kind and thoughtful. I'm excited to see what life has in store for her.
She has also finished up school and will be moving on to junior high next year. After thought and prayer, she has decided it is time to move back to our local junior high, to be closer to the school and friends, and also for better programs. She has enjoyed her time at San Tan Charter but was ready to move on.
Cy - also has a birthday! Cy turned 10! I took him out to lunch and this year he requested Panda Express. He got a big ol plate of Chinese food all to himself! Then we topped it off with a milkshake from Joes Farmgrill. He requested steak and potatoes for dinner, but he requested this last year too and was so full from his birthday lunch that he didn't eat it. He really really wanted steak again this year but I told him to think of something else a little lighter since he would probably be full again from his birthday lunch. But, he insisted so I gave in and made him steak and potatoes. Well guess what...he was too full and didn't eat his steak AGAIN! Next year, no steak!!
He had a fun birthday. Cy takes good care of his baby brother Hyrum. And I feel like I can really trust him with him. He and Russell have a good time together most of the time too. Cy also likes to make his mom laugh, and once again, I often have to remember that I'm the grownup. He struggles sometimes being respectful and patient at home with his family, but when he is at school, he is kind, patient, and helpful. I'm thankful for that. He loves being outdoors, shooting guns with his dad, and spending his money on treats and drinks.
Cy finished 4th grade and will be moving on to 5th at San Tan. We're thinking about signing him up for a baseball camp at the school and a karate class this summer.
Russell - finished up 2nd grade. Towards the 2nd half of the year, he wasn't lovingly school anymore. Probably because his teacher was making work and think a little harder than he's ever had to in his other classes. But, he had a really awesome teach this year! He's really been enjoying scouts on Wednesdays NOw that he's 8 years old.
He lost a tooth yesterday. We were in someone's else's home when he held out his tooth and said with a bloody mouth, "I lost a tooth!" He was using his teeth to tighten a parachord bracelet and it slipped and yanked his tooth right out! He was pretty excited. Unfortunately, the tooth fairy was too busy to make it last night, but I'm sure she'll make it tonight...
Claira- finished up kindergarten and loved every minute of it!! She had a cute little kindergarten graduation and afterward her teacher had a little breakfast in the class room. While is was in the classroom, a women came up to me and said, "Are you Claira's mom? I'm Max's mom and claira wrote the sweetest little not to Max!" She went on to tell me about the note and what it said. Then she got my phone number so that Max could invite claira to his birthday party this summer. Later as we were leaving, another lady stopped me and asked, "Are you Claira's mom? Claira wrote the sweetest note to my daughter Shannon!" She went on to tell me all about the sweet little note and the. She also got my phone number so she could invite claira over to play this summer! Oh my sweet claira, writing notes to all her friends, teachers, and family! She's always wiring little notes and card for her school friends and teachers, Andy her church friends and teachers. She loves it, and I guessed her friends are enjoying it too. Claira I see always so bright and bubbly!
I have really enjoyed having her home for lunch every day after half day kindergarten. It had been so fun to visit and laugh with her and Myra everyday after school. I will defnielty miss her
next year. I just don't understand how moms can send their little 5 year olds to school all day. They are still so young and I just miss mine so much!
Myra - we have gone over to my parents house allot in the mornings the last couple of months. My mom had another round of back surgery and we've gone over to help out, and also to take my mom for walks. Walking is supposed to help her back heal better and my dad wasn't able to walk with her much because of a foot infection. I don't think Myra loved it, but I really enjoyed those walks with my mom!
Hyrum - is 16 months old now and still not walking or talking much. I try not to worry about it too much. He is standing up and we're all just waiting for him to take those first steps! The last few days I've noticed him mimicking words and noises a lot more. Maybe he'll start picking up a few more words here and there. Right now he says cracker, dada, Delta, night night, and nana (for banana). A few months ago he started cutting 4 big molars. He got super fussy, grumpy, and clingy. It was a really hard couple of months while those molars broke through. He's a little happier now, but he is still super clingy to me and has pretty severe separation anxiety. It's been really hard lately to get much done while he's awake because I'm almost always holding him. I love that He loves his momma so much and that I make him feel safe, but it has also been difficult to do everything one handed!
Natalie - I have an itch again lately to move. to tell you the truth , I just want to pack it all up and move to the other end side of the country! I think it's the heat that makes me feel this way. I'm tired of dealing with the months and months of heat!
We sure love Alena. At home she loves reading and baking goodies. She likes to try to make her mom laugh, and I often have to remember that I'm the adult and not just one of the kids with her! Away from home, she is respectful, mature, and always kind and thoughtful. I'm excited to see what life has in store for her.
She has also finished up school and will be moving on to junior high next year. After thought and prayer, she has decided it is time to move back to our local junior high, to be closer to the school and friends, and also for better programs. She has enjoyed her time at San Tan Charter but was ready to move on.
Cy - also has a birthday! Cy turned 10! I took him out to lunch and this year he requested Panda Express. He got a big ol plate of Chinese food all to himself! Then we topped it off with a milkshake from Joes Farmgrill. He requested steak and potatoes for dinner, but he requested this last year too and was so full from his birthday lunch that he didn't eat it. He really really wanted steak again this year but I told him to think of something else a little lighter since he would probably be full again from his birthday lunch. But, he insisted so I gave in and made him steak and potatoes. Well guess what...he was too full and didn't eat his steak AGAIN! Next year, no steak!!
He had a fun birthday. Cy takes good care of his baby brother Hyrum. And I feel like I can really trust him with him. He and Russell have a good time together most of the time too. Cy also likes to make his mom laugh, and once again, I often have to remember that I'm the grownup. He struggles sometimes being respectful and patient at home with his family, but when he is at school, he is kind, patient, and helpful. I'm thankful for that. He loves being outdoors, shooting guns with his dad, and spending his money on treats and drinks.
Cy finished 4th grade and will be moving on to 5th at San Tan. We're thinking about signing him up for a baseball camp at the school and a karate class this summer.
Russell - finished up 2nd grade. Towards the 2nd half of the year, he wasn't lovingly school anymore. Probably because his teacher was making work and think a little harder than he's ever had to in his other classes. But, he had a really awesome teach this year! He's really been enjoying scouts on Wednesdays NOw that he's 8 years old.
He lost a tooth yesterday. We were in someone's else's home when he held out his tooth and said with a bloody mouth, "I lost a tooth!" He was using his teeth to tighten a parachord bracelet and it slipped and yanked his tooth right out! He was pretty excited. Unfortunately, the tooth fairy was too busy to make it last night, but I'm sure she'll make it tonight...
Claira- finished up kindergarten and loved every minute of it!! She had a cute little kindergarten graduation and afterward her teacher had a little breakfast in the class room. While is was in the classroom, a women came up to me and said, "Are you Claira's mom? I'm Max's mom and claira wrote the sweetest little not to Max!" She went on to tell me about the note and what it said. Then she got my phone number so that Max could invite claira to his birthday party this summer. Later as we were leaving, another lady stopped me and asked, "Are you Claira's mom? Claira wrote the sweetest note to my daughter Shannon!" She went on to tell me all about the sweet little note and the. She also got my phone number so she could invite claira over to play this summer! Oh my sweet claira, writing notes to all her friends, teachers, and family! She's always wiring little notes and card for her school friends and teachers, Andy her church friends and teachers. She loves it, and I guessed her friends are enjoying it too. Claira I see always so bright and bubbly!
I have really enjoyed having her home for lunch every day after half day kindergarten. It had been so fun to visit and laugh with her and Myra everyday after school. I will defnielty miss her
next year. I just don't understand how moms can send their little 5 year olds to school all day. They are still so young and I just miss mine so much!
Myra - we have gone over to my parents house allot in the mornings the last couple of months. My mom had another round of back surgery and we've gone over to help out, and also to take my mom for walks. Walking is supposed to help her back heal better and my dad wasn't able to walk with her much because of a foot infection. I don't think Myra loved it, but I really enjoyed those walks with my mom!
Hyrum - is 16 months old now and still not walking or talking much. I try not to worry about it too much. He is standing up and we're all just waiting for him to take those first steps! The last few days I've noticed him mimicking words and noises a lot more. Maybe he'll start picking up a few more words here and there. Right now he says cracker, dada, Delta, night night, and nana (for banana). A few months ago he started cutting 4 big molars. He got super fussy, grumpy, and clingy. It was a really hard couple of months while those molars broke through. He's a little happier now, but he is still super clingy to me and has pretty severe separation anxiety. It's been really hard lately to get much done while he's awake because I'm almost always holding him. I love that He loves his momma so much and that I make him feel safe, but it has also been difficult to do everything one handed!
Natalie - I have an itch again lately to move. to tell you the truth , I just want to pack it all up and move to the other end side of the country! I think it's the heat that makes me feel this way. I'm tired of dealing with the months and months of heat!
Sunday, March 26, 2017
We jus finished up our 2 week spring break tonight. That means back to school tomorrow. A quieter, calmer house will be kinda nice, but I will miss having all the kids home. The first week the kids and I went up to the cabin for 6 days. Amy and her kids were there for the first day, and the kids all had a great time playing together, but the rest of the time it was just us. Everything is so peaceful and slow up there. We can play all day, eat whenever we want, no structure, no routines. We went on a couple of hikes, first to find Indian petroglyphs, and the next day to find some grave stones of three cowboys who were killed in the 1880's. We played the the playground, went for walks, watched movies, played in the wash, and I even took all 6 kids out to eat at Casa Ramos. We really enjoyed the cool weather and the time away. This is the 3rd of 4th year we've gone up for spring break. Maybe we will make it a tradition. We do miss David while we are there though.
The second week wasn't quite as fun. I had presidency meeting, visiting teachers, Hyrum had a fever for a couple days. We mostly just stayed home. Oh, we did go to the train park on Thursday with Melissa. The kids love the merry go round And the train. We also played on the toys and had a picnic. The weather was cold and windy, but we all tried to enjoy it because it is going to get hot here real soon!
The general relief society broadcast was last night. Alena and I went with my mom. She is going to have major back surgery again this coming Thursday. It was nice to spend the evening with her and go out to eat afterwards, one last time before she is out for a little while. She has been in so much pain for such a long time, we are all hoping and praying that surgery goes better this time. She deserves it. The talks were wonderful and I think we all felt the spirit.
We also just found out that David's dad, Milo, discovered some soars in his mouth under his tongue. He had the dentist test them and it came back "atypical cells". Tomorrow he will have a full biopsy done to see if it is cancer. If it is, he will have the surgery the next day. We are all praying for him.
On a lighter note, the pinewood derby was also this past Wednesday night. David helped the boys work on their cars and they decided to go with "ketchup" and "mustard" as their theme. They both had awesome winning cars, but when they took them to be weighed, they were both over just a tiny bit. Cy was able to drill little bit of wood out of the bottom of his car, but Russell decided just to take the front wheel (which actually isn't used) off. Unfortunately, that actually ended up throwing his car off balance and he didn't do to well at the race. Cy came in first place by a long shot (yay!) but Russell wasn't 2nd to last. Funny thing is, after the race was over, the boys were alowed to play around and race their cars a few more times. Russell out his on backwards just to see what would happen, and he smoked everyone! When cy raced his car again Russell's backwards, he only won by a few inches. I think we would have taken first and second place if Russell would have left that wheel on. But, he had such a fun time anyway. And all the boys got candy and that was good enough for Russell!
In other news, claira lost her first tooth today! It had been hanging on by a thread (not quite as dramatic as Russell's) for a week now. She bumped it on something today and it started bleeding. Alena was helping her clean the blood and just reached in there and popped it out for her! I guess that's what big sisters are for!
And other exciting news, Hyrum turned 1 year old! Ok, so it was actually almost 2 months ago, but we're still excited for him! He gets so much attention in this family and we all just love him so much. He's generally a happy guy, but the past 2 or 3 weeks he's been pretty fussy and clingy. He almost nevertheless lets me put him down and he has been waking up in the night. Sometimes it just get so frustrating to have to be holding him all the time. But tonight as I was getting his jammies on, I noticed big molars coming in, one on top has already broken through, and it looks like some on the bottom are working their way through too. I felt so bad for. I didn't even know he had those big teeth coming in. No wonder he has been so fussy. I will be more patient with him.
The second week wasn't quite as fun. I had presidency meeting, visiting teachers, Hyrum had a fever for a couple days. We mostly just stayed home. Oh, we did go to the train park on Thursday with Melissa. The kids love the merry go round And the train. We also played on the toys and had a picnic. The weather was cold and windy, but we all tried to enjoy it because it is going to get hot here real soon!
The general relief society broadcast was last night. Alena and I went with my mom. She is going to have major back surgery again this coming Thursday. It was nice to spend the evening with her and go out to eat afterwards, one last time before she is out for a little while. She has been in so much pain for such a long time, we are all hoping and praying that surgery goes better this time. She deserves it. The talks were wonderful and I think we all felt the spirit.
We also just found out that David's dad, Milo, discovered some soars in his mouth under his tongue. He had the dentist test them and it came back "atypical cells". Tomorrow he will have a full biopsy done to see if it is cancer. If it is, he will have the surgery the next day. We are all praying for him.
On a lighter note, the pinewood derby was also this past Wednesday night. David helped the boys work on their cars and they decided to go with "ketchup" and "mustard" as their theme. They both had awesome winning cars, but when they took them to be weighed, they were both over just a tiny bit. Cy was able to drill little bit of wood out of the bottom of his car, but Russell decided just to take the front wheel (which actually isn't used) off. Unfortunately, that actually ended up throwing his car off balance and he didn't do to well at the race. Cy came in first place by a long shot (yay!) but Russell wasn't 2nd to last. Funny thing is, after the race was over, the boys were alowed to play around and race their cars a few more times. Russell out his on backwards just to see what would happen, and he smoked everyone! When cy raced his car again Russell's backwards, he only won by a few inches. I think we would have taken first and second place if Russell would have left that wheel on. But, he had such a fun time anyway. And all the boys got candy and that was good enough for Russell!
In other news, claira lost her first tooth today! It had been hanging on by a thread (not quite as dramatic as Russell's) for a week now. She bumped it on something today and it started bleeding. Alena was helping her clean the blood and just reached in there and popped it out for her! I guess that's what big sisters are for!
And other exciting news, Hyrum turned 1 year old! Ok, so it was actually almost 2 months ago, but we're still excited for him! He gets so much attention in this family and we all just love him so much. He's generally a happy guy, but the past 2 or 3 weeks he's been pretty fussy and clingy. He almost nevertheless lets me put him down and he has been waking up in the night. Sometimes it just get so frustrating to have to be holding him all the time. But tonight as I was getting his jammies on, I noticed big molars coming in, one on top has already broken through, and it looks like some on the bottom are working their way through too. I felt so bad for. I didn't even know he had those big teeth coming in. No wonder he has been so fussy. I will be more patient with him.
Russell - Russell had his birthday on January 23rd. He turned 8 years old!! He requested Pops cereal for his birthday breakfast (easy enough!). For lunch, I picked him up from school and took him out for his free birthday lunch at Joes Farmgrill. We had grandma and grandpa Krueger over from cake and presents. Russell likes ice cream better then he likes cake so he requested and ice cream sandwich cake!
On January 28th, the Saturday after his birthday, Russell was baptized. David was able to baptize him and then grandpa Durfee confirmed the gift on the Holy Ghost. Grandma Krueger gave a talk on the Holy Ghost, and grandpa Durfee gave a talk on baptism. I played the piano, and the kids sang the Baptism song as a special musical number. They did a wonderful job until they got to the second verse and then they forgot the words and basically just stopped singing! We love our Russell and are thankful that he chose to be baptized.
After the baptism, we had a luncheon at our house with subsandshiches, chips, verges and fruit. For dessert we had Texas sheet cake. It was fun having everyone over to help celebrate Russell's special day. And to top things off, after lunch Russell was able to go to his first scout activity. Saturday was the Cub Scout day camp and David was able to take Cy and Russell. The boys were excited to go, but Russell was especially excited because it was his first scout activity! They had a great time!
Russell's top permanent teeth started growing in before his baby teeth fell out. They grew in behind the baby teeth so for while Russell had double teeth up top. He finally was able to loosen one up enough to launch it out with a rocket at Christmas time, but the other one held out a lot longer. It was hanging by a thread for a week or two and Russell really enjoy wiggling it with his tongue and sticking it out of his lips. It was kind of icky. David and I both finally told him that he had to get it out before his baptism! He was afraid it was going to hurt so he wouldn't pull it out. David tied a string around it but he wouldn't let anyone pull it. Cy walked into the room and not knowing what the string was that Russell was holding, he did a karate chop on the string. Russell's tooth popped right out! Russell almost started to cry but the next he realized that it didn't hurt and decided to laugh instead. It had been dangling by a thread for so long, it didn't bleed or anything. I was definitely glad that dangling tooth was finally out of there!
On January 28th, the Saturday after his birthday, Russell was baptized. David was able to baptize him and then grandpa Durfee confirmed the gift on the Holy Ghost. Grandma Krueger gave a talk on the Holy Ghost, and grandpa Durfee gave a talk on baptism. I played the piano, and the kids sang the Baptism song as a special musical number. They did a wonderful job until they got to the second verse and then they forgot the words and basically just stopped singing! We love our Russell and are thankful that he chose to be baptized.
After the baptism, we had a luncheon at our house with subsandshiches, chips, verges and fruit. For dessert we had Texas sheet cake. It was fun having everyone over to help celebrate Russell's special day. And to top things off, after lunch Russell was able to go to his first scout activity. Saturday was the Cub Scout day camp and David was able to take Cy and Russell. The boys were excited to go, but Russell was especially excited because it was his first scout activity! They had a great time!
Russell's top permanent teeth started growing in before his baby teeth fell out. They grew in behind the baby teeth so for while Russell had double teeth up top. He finally was able to loosen one up enough to launch it out with a rocket at Christmas time, but the other one held out a lot longer. It was hanging by a thread for a week or two and Russell really enjoy wiggling it with his tongue and sticking it out of his lips. It was kind of icky. David and I both finally told him that he had to get it out before his baptism! He was afraid it was going to hurt so he wouldn't pull it out. David tied a string around it but he wouldn't let anyone pull it. Cy walked into the room and not knowing what the string was that Russell was holding, he did a karate chop on the string. Russell's tooth popped right out! Russell almost started to cry but the next he realized that it didn't hurt and decided to laugh instead. It had been dangling by a thread for so long, it didn't bleed or anything. I was definitely glad that dangling tooth was finally out of there!
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