10.11.12

Once again, we've been busy around here, only this time I don't have any pictures to prove it. Today I took the kids to Thanksgiving Point. We went with Julie, Heber, Houston, Harper, Carter, Jaymie, Jaxon, and Camren. I think we would have looked crazy if there wasn't a million other kids there. It was crazy! They had a witch doing story time, there was a fun obstacle course, a ring toss, croquet, plus the pony and wagon rides. The kids had fun. Even Heber rode a pony all by himself. I was so proud of him.

When we got home Jordyn had to hurry and change so she could go to Broadway Bound. Then tonight Jordyn and Tessa got to have a "Late Over" with their friend Sophia, who lives across the street. I could hear them crying as they walked home. They were so sad that they had to come home, but so tired. I think there were asleep in three minutes.

Last weekend Jordyn and I went on a special trip with Norah and Nonie. We left Friday and drove to Las Vegas. We stayed with Norah's brother, Tom, and his family. On Saturday we got to go to Wicked! I loved it, and so did Jordyn. It was so fun to get away for a couple of days. Jason planned it all for me, which was a super surprise. I guess I can't complain again about hunting...this year.

Yesterday, in the car, we were listening to talk radio. People were calling in to share their thoughts about President Obama and Mitt Romney. Someone called in and said that Obama is like the clown at all of your kids' parties. I didn't realize that Jordyn was listening until she said, "Mom, is this real life?" Yes I said....in a what is she talking about sort of way. "No it's not, because he never came to any of my birthdays!" She was talking about Obama. HA! So I asked her if she knew who Obama was and she shrugged her shoulders and said, "A clown."

Later that day she asked if Santa was coming to our house for Christmas. I told her yes, but asked if we could get passed Halloween before we started planning Christmas. "But Mom, I really want him to bring me a scooter and I was just wondering if it was too soon to start writing him." She is just like me....always planning.

I loved Conference last weekend. I was especially excited to hear President Monson's announcement changing the missionary age to 18 for young men and 19 for young women. I watch my children grow and I just can't help but feel a great responsibility to prepare them, to teach them. I know how important the Gospel is and I know that there are so many people waiting to be taught. What an amazing time we live in!

Busy. Busy. Busy.

Busy. Really. I feel like all I do is drive from one place to the next. But I love it. I love being busy and I love having busy kids. I'll admit that sometimes I get a little stressed out and crazy. Sometimes I see they way I act reflected in the way the girls act. Jordyn is just like me, they way she snaps at Tessa. I need to do better.

 

In all our business we've been having lots of fun. Tuesday we went to Papa T's school for a fun dinner. They had pony rides and face painting and snow cones. The girls loved it! So did I...it meant I didn't have to cook dinner.

 

 

 

Um hello!

He is just adorable.

 

Friday we welcomed baby #9 into our family, well the Halladay family that is. My sister, Jaymie, had her baby and his is so stinking dang cute! His name is Camren James. I think he looks like his big brother Jaxon. I love his cute hair and chubby cheeks.

 

 

Remember how I started tending Carter? Well, Jordyn has been the best little helper. Today I showed her how to feed him so I could finish some other things. She did great!

 

So, onto the next busy week. We have football games and bunco. Gymnastics and Broadway Bound. Parent Teacher Conferences and the school book fair. Should be fun and exciting! Plus, tonight for family home evening we went to see Brave. I thought it was cute, Jordyn liked it once it was over and Tessa just kept asking to go home.

Kids All Around

It seems like there are kids everywhere around here. The best part is, I love it. I've been trying really hard lately to have a better attitude about motherhood. I hate to say that I haven't always been happy about staying home all day. I get frustrated easily. I sometimes yell way too much. But these last few weeks I've been thinking more about how time passes way too fast. I want to enjoy these days with my kids. I want to remember the cute things they say. The funny outfits they choose. The things they love, and hate. My attitude makes such a huge difference. And I know that seems like such a simple thing, and much easier said than done. Jordyn cries all the time lately. Tessa doesn't listen. And Asher has started to cry when I walk out of the room. But I love them!

 

Tessa loves Asher. She is so good to play with him.

 

Jason made quiche.

 

Jordyn is the big laundry helper around here. These clothes are wet. She just wanted to see how much she could hold at one time.

 

Heber and Houston came to dinner on Sunday. Julie and Jesse celebrated their 7 year anniversary! It was so fun to have them here. Houston was my little buddy the entire time and Heber was running around like such a little man.

 

Asher *almost* fell off the couch.

 

I started babysitting my nephew, Carter. He is six days older than Asher so It was pretty much like having twins around here. Getting Jordyn to school was a challenge...she ended up being 5 minutes late. ((Thank goodness Miss Hunter is a family friend.)) I better step up my game a little.

Speaking of kindergarten...Jordyn loves it. She is so dang smart. I love working on reading with her, and seeing her little brain try to figure out what she is looking at. Today we were reading and she would point to the words as we read and say all the ones that she knew. (and, to, he, a, I, Jack, you, the) I loved books when I was younger, I still do, and I love watching her really get into stories page after page.

Tessa, on the other hand, is our number girl. When we work on letters with her she seems distracted. She makes up sounds even though she knows the answers. Yesterday Jason tried for 30 minutes to play an ABC game with her. After that I gave her a numbers game to try. You match a picture of a watermelon with a number on it to the watermelon with that number of seeds. She was so fast! She would just look at them and match them up. I could hardly believe it!

 

So here's to another week of life around here!

Come what may....and love it.

{thirty}

I love birthday kisses.

 

Especially from chocolate faced kids!!

I'm excited to say that I had a really awesome birthday. It was relaxing and fun. On Friday night Jason and I went to cheer on The Mighty Vikings at Brighton High School. We picked up Chick-fil-a on our way up too, which is one of my favorite places to eat. The kids slept at Gammie Norah's house so when we got home Jason let me pick a movie and made me a homemade milkshake.

Saturday morning I slept until 9:30. It was amazing! When I got up I cleaned my house and weeded the front yard. Jason had to go to work for awhile so I had the morning all to myself. When he got home we went to Home Depot and bought a screen door for my back door. I LOVE IT! Our kitchen doesn't have a window and the door really helps brighten things up.

Saturday afternoon I reffed a young women volley ball game. I need the twins to teach me all of the rules...but I think it's lots of fun and the YW are low key and fun to watch. After that we took the girls to Trafalga in Lehi to ride some rides, picked up cheesecake from Costco, and then went to Chubby's for dinner. Saturday night we cheered on our Utah Utes while they played BYU. It was fun, a great game, a super awesome ending...and of course, our team won!

Besides the screen door, Jason gave me an Amazon gift card and a gift certificate to get a massage. I can't wait for that! Then today, Sunday, we had cake and ice cream with my family. I feel so blessed and I am so grateful for all the kind words and gifts from family and friends. I can't help but wonder what I would do if my life were any different. I know I would be a very sad person. My kids make my laugh, Jason keeps me sane...I know he loves me, my family supports me in so many ways. I have the Gospel and so many amazing blessings.

Blessed. Loved. Happy.

I couldn't ask for me.

Things That Happen

Life is crazy around here. We're busy, which I love! The girls have been loving school and gymnastics and Broadway Bound. I have loved the little bit of free time I've had, and the extra time with Asher. It seems that the girls, especially Jordyn, have really been cracking us up lately. I can't help but share a few things.

Tessa had to share a talent at preschool. We practiced a "Hey Diddle Diddle" a bunch of times and she did great. When Jason got home from work I asked her to show him. She said, "Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle...Miss Heidi has a microphone."

I was watching TV with Jordyn. She likes watching HGTV with me and there was a commercial about a contest. "Wow Mom, we could use 50,000 dollars. I would be happy with half that much."

Today Jordyn got busted and sent to her room from telling Jason "no" when he asked her to do something. As she stormed off she yelled, "I'm going to go do something inappropriate!"

In the car the other day Jordyn asked me if Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift are real. I told her yes, and was seriously wondering why she would ask such a crazy question. "Oh good. That means they followed Heavenly Father's plan in the war of heaven."

One day after Jordyn was telling me about her day as school she said, "I love the Pledge of Allegiance. It makes my heart tingle."

What silly girls. I'm sure Tessa has said some other things, but I can't think of them now. I can say that she never wants to be home. She starts asking after breakfast where we are going. She wants to know if it's a preschool day. If not she'll start asking to go to Gammie's, or Sue Sue's, or Heber's, or the park...or anywhere. She loves barbies. She loves yogurt, and fruit, and treats, and milk, and books.

Asher is the cutest baby ever. He is a pro at sitting up now. He loves to be held and reaches for people. He loves toys and plays really well until I walk into the room. Then he remembers that he's on the floor by himself. Just recently he's started reaching for things and trying to get up on his knees. My favorite time with Asher is in the mornings when he will cuddle up with me in bed for his first bottle of the day.

Seriously fun kids!

How...

How...we make salsa, how my kids entertain themselves...and lots of other things I'm sure you're dying to know. However, maybe I should call this post "How my kids drive me crazy" because today has been one of those days. Tessa pooped her pants. Jordyn keeps talking in a baby voice. Asher is fussy from his teeth. Jason is working late tonight. Plus, my dinner that I was hoping would be awesome, didn't turn out.

 

Last Monday we made our first batch of salsa. This salsa is from a recipe that my Dad has used forever and we love it. We decided to see if we could make it on our own. It takes about five house from start to finish. Jason did all of the tomatoes while I chopped onions, peppers, and garlic.

 

 

After everything gets put together you have to cook it down for about two hours. It's hot and you have to stir almost constantly.

 

The kids did pretty good keeping themselves entertained. Jordyn is always fine if she can play on one of the Kindles.

 Tessa is content making HUGE art messes.

 

And Asher loves his swing. Well, he loved it. Now when I try to put him in it he gets a little mad. I guess two hours swinging was enough for him.

Our first batch was a good learning experience and it went well enough that we made another batch on Saturday. It went much faster, and even though we didn't start until 9:30pm it was better to have the kids in bed.

 

This is how we take baths. Asher loves the tub. He could stay in all day.

He loves the tub, but he doesn't love getting new teeth. Poor kid.

 

How do we get to preschool and kindergarten? In the van! This was Tessa and Heber's first day of school. They were both super excited.

Tessa LOVED it! I can't believe how big she is.

 

On Wednesday Tessa learned how to do stretches at Gymnastics. She hasn't stopped talking about it, and asking when her next class is.

This is how Asher sleeps. I take the blanket off of his face and he puts it back on. It's a fun game.

 

When Jordyn is at school Tessa gets the house to herself. Or, I guess the TV to herself. She usually chooses Dora.

And look at my big boy. This is how he holds his bottle. Oh I love him!

Really I love them all. I love the funny things they say. I love hearing about their days and seeing them play together. Some days are hard, but worth it!

 

And last of all....this is HOW Jordyn dances. Enjoy!

 

 



The Weekend

The first week of school has come and gone. Jordyn is doing really great at calling Miss Hunter "Miss Hunter" instead of Nonie. Tessa is getting really excited to start preschool on Tuesday. We went to Miss Heidi's open house on Thursday night and she loved seeing her hook for her backpack, and the bathroom. ((Let's all just hope she doesn't have any accidents at school!))

Asher started sitting up. He loves to play with toys on the floor. I can hardly believe how big he is getting. Both of his bottom teeth have cut through and he is getting his top teeth now. He gets a little fussy sometimes, but he loves to be cuddled and held so he calms down pretty quick with a little bit of attention.

Jordyn is constantly asking me to take her picture. Usually she strikes a pose.

((Look Twins! We rearranged the furniture.))

Another Pose. This time at the University Mall near the tree house. We went to play Friday night with Megan and Hallie while the Daddies went hunting.

Asher took his first swing in Papa T's swing. He LOVED it. He even fell asleep for a while. Until Tessa screamed. She's loud.

The girls always have a great time playing on the trampoline. What would we do with out it?

((When we were trying to get the girls to hold still to take this picture I told them it was for MeMe and LaLa and Hallie started saying LaLa over and over again. It was super cute!))

And the best surprise of all???

Tonight when Jason went to check for eggs he found TWO! We're so excited. Our chickens took a little break from laying eggs this past week because we stressed them out by removing the roosters. At least that's what the Internet said happened. We were worried they would never lay again, but our worries are over.

Life is pretty crazy and busy around here, and yet sometimes I still feel bored. What's wrong with me? I should learn to enjoy the quiet moments. Not only to we have Kindergarten and Preschool this next week, but Tessa starts gymnastics on Wednesday and Jordyn starts Broadway Bound on Thursday. I am so excited for both of them. I know they are going to love it!

First Day of Kindergarten

Jordyn was so excited from the time she got up in the morning on Tuesday. She was worried that we were going to be late. She picked out what she was going to wear. Then she told me that she knew she was really five now, because, "this is how five year olds dress."

Here is her class room. She says that room #101 is lucky.

And I guess it is lucky. Or she is. Her kindergarten teacher is Miss Hunter. We also like to call her Aunt Nonie. Jordyn waited and waited all summer to find out if Nonie was going to be her teacher and she couldn't be happy.

Our Last Days of Summer

This was our last week of summer. The girls are both excited for school to start. Jordyn starts on Tuesday. She is THRILLED that her teacher is going to be Miss Hunter. Tessa starts next Tuesday, but we're going Thursday this week to an open house.

Jason enjoyed some fun days hunting. He left early Saturday morning last week and came home Wednesday. One of the nights while he was gone the girls and I picked up some Purple Turtle and a DVD from the Redbox. When I was little my mom would always buy dinner when my dad was gone and we would have a "picnic dinner." That meant we got to eat dinner on a blanket in front of the TV. Mostly I remember Mary Poppins or The Sound of Music. This time, with my girls, we watched The Muppet's. Jordyn especially liked it. Tess just liked eating on the floor.

Thursday night I had to traffic school. Jason was later getting home than we had hoped so I had to take the kids with me for a little while. During the class Jordyn leaned over and asked me if I was over 21...they were talking about the point system..."Oh Yeah!" she yelled, clapping her hands. "You get 200 points!" It was really funny, and made all of the people around me laugh.

Jason picked the kids up and took them to watched Jake play football in Provo. They had a great time and when they got home we went on a walk. Here's Asher enjoying the stroller.

We let the girls ride their bikes. Tessa loved it and was really zooming around, but Jordyn just kept saying that she was too nervous.

Friday night we went to the football game at the high school. I love going. The cheering crowd, the night air, and the whining kids. So fun!

Saturday morning we got up early and headed to South Jordan. We found a place to take all of our Roosters. We said goodbye to Midnight, Kramer, and Dora. We also them gave Charlie the Chicken. She isn't growing very fast and she can fly pretty well. We just don't like her as much as our other birds. Is that mean? Are we chicken haters?

And finally, Asher is getting teeth. He has not been a very happy baby. The bottom two have cut through and we're just waiting on the top two. Today was his grumpiest day so far. We put him in the swing and one of the girls gave him Gammie Norah's back massage thing. He LOVED it. He just held it to his chest and let it buzz. It was pretty cute.

Tomorrow we're going to Seven Peaks. Then Tuesday is Jordyn's first day of school. It's so crazy how fast they grow. Then next week Tessa starts Preschool and Gymnastics and Jordyn is staring Broadway Bound. They are going to be two busy little girls!