So...it's almost Thanksgiving...

Wow, I haven't blogged since Easter. I can't even begin to say what's new with us. Well, nothing really. Olivia is 11 and in 6th grade, Ben is 5 and started transitional kindergarten and Rachel is 3 and in the first year of preschool. I'm still working about 40 hours per week. Adam is taking an EMT and Fire 1 course with the hopes of getting into a local fire academy. He's lost over 65 pounds since last fall and I've lost 10. The secret: we don't eat grains anymore-for the most part and got rid of the simple carb snacks for the kids cause we were eating them too.. I ran a few fun races this year, including a 120 mile 8 person relay, a half marathon in Lake Tahoe and a 68 mile 3 person relay. Adam still is the venture scout leader and I am the RS pianist. We now have 10 chickens that lay three different color eggs. Our grass is totally dead from the CA drought. We went to UT in June to see my folks while they were in Provo from FL. My mom is going to Nurse Anesthesia school in Naples. Then we went to the beach in July with Adam's mom. Then we took short trips up to Tahoe multiple times. Olivia is struggling in school and we are considering home school to help her catch up and look forward to helping her gain a little academic self esteem. She's otherwise social but middle school standards have really accented her weakness. She did do cross country this year and swam on the city swim team. She loves activity days and has a few friends and if I let her she'd spend days playing Minecraft, but I"m a mean mom so she doesn't. Ben is loving school and is very social. He is spelling and writing everything he can. We let him play the Wii once or twice a week. Wow, the obsession, but at least he stands and jumps around when he plays. I have a love/hate relationship with electronics. Rachel loves school but is NOT potty trained and shows no interest. I'm getting tired of changing her crappy diapers. She's quite a little drama queen and I've had to fight with her about brushing teeth, brushing hair and getting dressed. Good thing she's cute! We have officially shut down the baby making factory and look forward to the kids being a little more independent is some things. Of course I'll miss the snuggles and the openness little ones have with you but I am loving more full nights of sleep. I keep busy with work and kids and garden and chickens. Adam still plays softballs and has class all day Thursdays, plus scouts Wednesday night. We haven't encouraged a lot of activities(soccer really) this school year and not needing to be somewhere three days a week is nice. I will try to be a better blogger, although I still need to fix my old computer to get older pictures and figure out how to use the new computer (Mac). I'll attach a few pictures, although they are not in particular order.

Alone...on a Plane

Sounds mysterious, but actually very boring, the plane I mean. I went to visit my sister sans kids in February and that was really fun for me. Juliana just had #5 a few months ago and is very busy with kiddos and house and music lessons and soccer practice and church and preschool and etc. Her husband Ammon had to go out of town for a week and so I took the opportunity to visit/help out. Her kids are adorable and well mannered and pretty self sufficient and talented and helped me realize my kids are totally normal-all kids throw fits and fight, even when they are intellectually superior to my own. Hehehe! Actually they were very good.  It's a lot easier to get out of the house during the day when two can tag team. We went to the zoo-free and amazing, a children's discovery museum, soccer game and a small local airport, where my brother Jake flew in on his plane (Air Force) from Oklahoma and then had lunch with us. Turns out my brother does actually fly planes, I saw him land it and get out with my own eyes. I haven't seen him for a couple of years and had no proof before. It was cool. I had a lot of fun with Julie, watching movies or talking after the kids were in bed. Julie introduced me to sweet potato burritos-my new favorite-and I cooked a few meals to freeze before I left. For me it was a great week, especially playing with the little ones-her two youngest are 17 months and 3 months. It was so fun to snuggle and cuddle that baby. I hope there are babies in heaven because nothing is much sweeter then that.

Father Daughter Dance 2015

Olivia's school does a F/D dance every winter, this years theme "Under the Sea".  It's the only other time of the year, besides piano recitals, that she will let me primp.  She looked cute of course with her handsome date. Adam enjoyed it and was a little sad when he realized it would be the last time Olivia will probably dance with him until her wedding.  Middle school is coming and it just won't be cool. 

Warmest Winter Ever!

So California is screwed. No rain, no snow. We gonna be thirsty this summer.  We are letting our lawn die in the back yard and are replacing the front with rock and bark and a few drought tolerant plants.  I'll be saving pasta water and cold shower water for my garden, which by the way has had a banner winter on account of all the sunshine. Cabbage, kale, carrots galore, and I ate the most fabulous golden beets and parsnips fresh from the garden tonight.  Hope it doesn't shrivel up and die when I plant for the summer. I'm thinking...instead of an oil pipeline we need a water pipeline to transfer all that east coast snow they don't know what to do with out west. 

Our chickens are laying about two dozen eggs per week now that there is more sun during the day. The yolks are so dark yellow from all the garden scraps we feed them they scramble almost orange. We got four new chicks to add to the brood.  The yellow chicks will lay white eggs and the brown chicks will lay blue or green eggs. Our others lay various shades of brown, sometimes pink and occasionally spotted. Spring is my season, I love new life and new plants. The blueberries are already developing, as are the apricots and plums, but only one cherry tree has blossomed. It still may be a couple of years before we get any of those.  The raspberries are coming back. There will be potatoes and more carrots soon, plus a new plantings of lettuces, chard and spinach. I hope my dreams of a flourishing garden won't be burned up in the summer heat.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years...

Thanksgiving was quite the event at our house. My dad came into town the morning of and my cousin Ericka was getting married in the area on Saturday so my Auntie Em, Uncle Bob and Aunt Christine, plus my cousins Ericka, Greta, Vanessa (plus husband and her three kids), Lydia, and Oliver, plus my brother Jared came to our house for Thanksgiving day.  Normally we have it with Adam's family, so this was my first attempt at hosting.  The day was easy and relaxed, but the hour before serving was such a whirlwind, trying to get everything on the table at the same time.  It was easy until it wasn't and my aunties swooped into help.  Of course since I was busy I took no pictures. The weather was nice enough for outside and I made three pies: sweet potato with a marshmallow meringue topping, coconut cream, and pecan. Turns out there was a GI bug running through my visitors but fortunately we escaped without getting it.  The wedding was super pretty and it was fun to see everyone!  My Auntie Em is moving to Utah and I'm a little sad to see them go. We usually make it up at least once a year for visit.
Update: Pics from my Aunt Christine just added

 

My dad stayed for a little visit. He had been in Utah the week before helping take care of my grandparents, who are ailing a bit.  He was glad to have been able to spend that one on one time with them.  The kids adore my dad. He is super fun to play with and climb on and jump with and have tickle fights with.  We went to the railroad museum and played at the park and even played some tennis. It was too short and can't wait to see him again soon, hopefully with Grandma too, who had to work Thanksgiving, so she could try to be off for my sisters delivery of #5. Of course, my mother is going back to school, again, and they are moving to Florida so she can begin anesthesia school.

Olivia had her Christmas recital and did well. If I can get the video to upload later I will. Before she sat down after she was done she stuck her tongue out at me. She needs to see that when she's older so she can see what a punk she can be.

 Her best friend Alara came to the recital.

We took the weekend before Christmas to spend with our friends and their kids at their house in north Lake Tahoe.  There was some good snow over the pass and little less at lake level, but definitely enough for the kids to play in. It was Rachel's first time in the snow. She and Ben had a great time, Olivia too, with her friends. I enjoyed watching the kids and playing with them, but for the most part the adults just sat around and ate, played card games, ate, watched movies, ate and read and I got no real sleep.  I left feeling extremely bloated and in need of exercise and media deprivation, but I got cute pictures.

 

I'm one of those downer people at Christmastime and since I had to work through the holidays it was hard for me to get into the spirit. Not that I don't love Christmas but I have to try really hard to be happy. I don't know why. I could care less about presents and eating goodies. I wish I could just enjoy the true meaning of the season without being affected by the commercialism.  If I had to do over again there would be no Santa at our house, only Jesus. Maybe one day I'll get it right.  Anyway, I know the kids had fun and I did purchase a new camera finally so my pictures won't suck so bad from my iPhone anymore.

New years...What can I say, the only reason I was up at midnight is because the little kids woke up. Another holiday I can do without...Well the truth is I hate making a New Year's resolution. I suck at them. But, I'm always in need of improvement, so I made a January resolution, which I have kept so far.  Then I will reevaluate and pick something new in February.  We'll see how it sticks. Mostly my ideas are to develop new habits that can benefit me spiritually or physically or relationshiply (not a real word, but you know). Also, get rid of bad habits that benefit me none whatsoever. So good luck to me and all of you who have resolutions. Hope your holidays were a blast and uplifting!

Wow, I just reread my post. I think I need an attitude adjustment!