One more week

Only one more week of homework and classes plus going to the elementary school!  My biggest problem is that I have a ton due tomorrow, including five lesson plans.  Ugh!  I enjoyed time with my kids, which is great, but my time management skills stink!  We cleaned and did Trunk or Treat and spent time with my family.  My dad is so super awesome!  He knew my camera lens was broke and tried to fix it last week and couldn't.  Then while he was working down in Mexico, he researched and figured out how to fix it, and he did!  In his precious little time he had home, he spent it fixing my lens, because he knows how much it means to me!  What a great dad!  My mom is pretty awesome too for letting him, and for helping me out so much!  She watched Josh during the Church Trunk or Treat last night, so I didn't have to drive with Kira in the front seat!  Phew!  I think my family is terrific, and I'm really glad that we chose each other in heaven!  As soon as my mom downloads the pictures onto the website, I'll post them!  I took some pretty awesome pictures of my kids in their costumes using her camera!  Good times!

I still love my kids

It's a good thing my love is unconditional, because oh the conditions yesterday!  Kira broke three glass bowls, so now we have maybe 2.  And they shattered all over the kitchen floor.  I kept the kids out while Scott cleaned it up (he's such a sweetheart).  Poor Kira felt bad!  People are way more important than bowls!  We still have five plastic bowls, so we're okay.  Then I had taken out my camera to take pictures of something I was reviewing. I had to throw something away, so I put my camera down on the table.  The next thing I know-Kira is telling me that Cecilia was messing with my camera.  Ack!  She broke the lens.  Now it doesn't focus.  Gggrrrr....  She's so cute though!  With her oily looking hair (she put rosebud salve in, plus hand soap) in a ponytail, she's pretty cute!  She says: "Mommy, mommy, mommy" oh-so-sweetly (and constantly).  When I can afford to replace the lens, I won't ever set it down.  Obviously.  But, no matter what, we're a family forever, which is way more important than any thing!

 The lil' witch hat bows I made on Friday night as Scott and I watched Avengers.

 Leah

 Emma

 Kira

 Cecilia (with her nasty looking hair-this was after her bath too)

My sweet lil' man.  The last focused picture for awhile.

Josh is now sleeping through the night in his crib.  Aahhhh!!!!  What a sweet baby!  Cecilia is doing fairly well with potty training.  She still has accidents, but she's not even two yet!  I'm pretty excited that she's doing as well as she is!  She's started saying "Josh," which to me says that she can say more words, but hasn't figured out how to yet.  She walks around half-naked, so I'm glad that the heater here works!

My Top Ten Reasons I Love being a Mom

I have the day "off" and have been able to spend a lot more quality time with my kids!  I started thinking of all the reasons why I love being a mom.

1.  Having kids is a fantastic way to get rid of selfish tendencies.  It's hard to eat the last fruit snack when your toddler is watching you, even if they have already had their own pack, or two.

2.  Sweet little kisses to say thanks from an adorable toddler.

3.  Willing helpers who are just dying to help you with something (that aren't chores, but do include food).

4.  My baby looking right at me, and opening his mouth like he desperately wants to tell me something.  Then the big toothless grin, I LOVE it!

5.  The way they all run to me when I come to the door with excited shouting, "Mommy's home!"  The great big hugs and Cecilia's repeated, "Mommy, mommy, mommy!"

6.  Hearing all of the awesome things my kids do when I'm not around.  Obviously they pay attention to what I try to teach them!

7.  Getting hand-drawn pictures to "Momey."  Especially the fun ones where I'm a beautiful flower!

8.  Holding a sleeping kiddo, who just wants that extra comfort to sleep.

9.  Seeing sneaky kiddos who fell asleep at the bottom of the stairs as they watched all of the DIY shows I watch at night.  My son even told me that the house shows help him fall asleep!

10.  All of the fun things I learn, like how two animals together make super cool animals.

11.  Hearing the laughter of all of my kids, individually or collectively!  It just makes my heart light!

12.  Seeing my kiddos dance to whatever music is playing!

13.  Watching their eyes light up when they learn something or do something the first time.

14.  Hearing my kiddos get excited about new-to-them clothes!

15.  Having lots of reasons to make better decisions for me and my family.

16.  Having someone to exercise with (no matter what I do)!

17.  Having willing recipients for my lesson plans, art projects, and assessments.

18.  Having great reasons to watch a kiddo movie.  With popcorn.

19.  Having sweethearts that think I'm beautiful, and super smart.

20.  There's always something going on!  No boredom here ever!

This was a top ten list, but it expanded.  I love being a mom!  Although I will have to work to support them, I know that we'll do just fine!

My weekly update

It seems like my weeks just fly by, wait, they do!  My baby boy is already 3 months old!  He tries to do situps in his bouncer seat, loves trying to jump in the jumperoo, smiles so sweetly at me, tries to talk to us, and has started laughing a little when tickled!  I love that baby boy!  There's something about babies that is just calming and sweet.  Oh-so-sweet!

Cecilia is already trying to potty train.  She loves to wear panties!  She has her good and bad days though.  Today, not a good day.  I had the opportunity to find and clean four different spots where she pooped.  One was in my shoe, in the shoe box.  I'm still not sure how she managed that!  She's absolutely adorable though!  I crack up everytime I see that little girl wearing her big panties (she keeps putting on Leah's and they are big on her)!  Leah tries to pull stuff over on me all of the time and has started using pretty big words.  She has a very bad habit of trying to get others into trouble, so she can stay awake longer.  Emma is into everything and tries super hard to be a great helper.  Sometimes it works really well!  Most of the time it doesn't.  She's only five though, so I expect it!  Kira keeps forgetting that she's lactose intolerant, so eating a big ice cream cone isn't a very good idea for her.  She will gladly clean like crazy in order to be able to watch tv, and nothing is "fair."  Ben reads like crazy and actually picked up one of my books:  Lipstick Wars, to read.  Interesting.  He was telling me about a little girl that he wants to get to know more, because he thinks she could be a good friend, but still loves Aurora!  I love that boy!

This week was super busy with it being a whole week in the school!  I LOVED it!  I just had a hard time remembering where I needed to be, because I'm so used to leaving at a certain time!  I had to seriously concentrate to stay!  I got to teach my own Smart Start Group of five students and it went pretty well!  I also got to teach my Math lesson which also went awesome, especially considering I had no idea how to teach it, because I am always teaching Guiding Reading then!  I also got to put up my first bulletin board!  When I finally download my phone pictures, I'll post it!  It was quite the effort, because I wanted to stay with the school's sport theme!  Phew!  I also got to go on a field trip, which was tons of fun!  Exhausting, but tons of fun!  I'm excited to make a little photo album of sorts, so the parents can take the pictures home at Parent-Teacher Conferences!  I already made an album with the Shape Poetry they did and with their pictures!  I love it!

Apple Orchard

Hurray!  We made it to the weekend (we had just a little sickness and everyone recovered quickly)!  I had to take Kira in for a crazy rash, and it turns out it was just really chapped!  Poor kiddo!  I had tried lotion and it burned, so I was concerned.  The hydrocortisone lotion burns too, but she's already healing pretty well!  Phew!
Yesterday we watched the first session of Conference.  How exciting is it that men and women can go on their missions that much earlier!?!  Awesome!  I have one less year to help Ben save up, but that's fine by me!  And Kira might go out in the middle of Ben's mission.  Craziness, right?  Josh stayed home with Scott and the rest of us headed to Pome on the Range to pick some apples!  They aren't awesome apples (most are tiny and gritty), but the kids had a blast picking them!  I loved it when Cecilia would pick an apple and then laugh her silly laugh (it sounds like an evil laugh)!  I got some fantastic pictures, because it was so cloudy!  Check them out!

 The kids before we started picking apples

 Ben and his first apple this year

 Emma was thrilled to get these cute little ones!

 After she got her apple!  Cute laugh!

 Lexi was excited!

 Kira was all about using the scoop

 I wanted proof that I was there!

 Happily running and then poof!  Fell on her face.  Poor kiddo!

 Cecilia was trying hard to figure out how to get up there!

 Emma helped Leah get the apple!

 My nephew

 Fun kids

 My kiddos!  

The kid family tree

We made it back in time for the last talk of the next session, but I'll be watching what I missed a little later.  Great advice in Conference!  I'm a Mormon!  I Know It!  I Live It!  I Love It!  I have a lot to do to be a better mom, but I'm well on my way!