Behind.

I miss my days of knowing exactly what I did and when because I blogged about it.  I just miss it and I don't know if it's possible to get back there.  I feel like I could but it just takes consistency which I'm not being good at right now.  But I have my ten minutes right now so let's hit it.  Totally random assortment of pics that I just grabbed quick.  

A few weeks ago I bought more garage shelves to better organize that space.  It's one of those, why didn't I just do this a year ago projects?!!?  Maren helped.  

It still looks like a hot mess but you have to realize that this is ALL OF OUR STORAGE!  All of it.  No fun Utah food storage room or a craft room or a holiday storage area.  This is it.  But, it's better than it was.  I need to do another big clean out and haul out and then I'll feel even better. 

 I'm loving all my time with these two stinkers.  They love each other and we just have fun.  

 Pacen had to do his first book report a few weeks ago.  He was not happy about it but you know what...He did great!  And then he had to do an oral book report and that started out rocky...ie not telling me about it until 48 hours before he had to do it, needed a costume, flashcards, etc.  It was one of those times that I wanted to throw in the towel on parenting but Than talked me off the ledge. :)  I wanted to let him fail but Than had a different opinion.  It all worked out and Pacen's teacher even said how amazing Pacen did and how his costume was awesome (Thank you, Peggy!) and how he didn't even need to use his notecards.  I'm happy that it ended well but hopefully we can figure out a way for it to begin well.  

 Claira is a reading fool lately.  She LOVES to read and is getting better and better at it everyday.  She is such a good student and sadly, that surprises me.  I totally thought she'd be more of a class clown since she's so funny but she is so dedicated to school and wants to succeed and I love it.  She is my fasted kid to get ready in the morning and is very independent.  And all of her reading has made Gentry get a little reading bug too!  Gentry hasn't had the patience to sit through stories but recently, she has asked me to read to her a ton!  And I love it!  It's such a nice change for her. 

 Maren is Frozen obsessed and is singing the songs all day, every day.  Here she is stuck in her frozen dress that matches with Gentry.  

 But she is just so funny.  And so loving.  She still gives everyone kisses all the time.  She'll just come up and give Gentry the biggest hugs.  I love it.  Here she is attacking Camry.  

 Gotta love that morning monster hair! 

Saturday Morning Conference Selfie!  I was happy that I have technology so that I could listen to conference even while I was at Claira's soccer game.  Woohoo! 

 More soccer watching shenanigans. 

 Claira doesn't love soccer this year since she isn't playing with her friends, but she is scoring like crazy!  She scores like 8 goals in each of her games.  It's pretty impressive.  

While I was listening to conference, Pacen was actually there!  Than took a bunch of boys from our ward in the motorhome to Utah to see the BYU game (the really sad one where Taysom broke his leg!) and General Conference.  It was an amazing trip and Than is amazing for taking all those boys. 

 General Conference fun!  This was Claira's drawing of this guy. (I can't remember his name!)  I thought it was pretty accurate! 

And I made this game up to keep us entertained.  We counted how many times each word was said and then did that many exercises that were attached to that word!  The kids loved it!

Everyone listening!  The kids were so into this game that Camry was shushing the little girls so she could listen better.  I loved it! 

 Yes, Camry is too old to be in the picture but it's not everyday you have four daughters in a tub together. :)

 Another day, another Anna dress.  

 This is what after school looks like in our house.  I'm telling you, Claira is a crazy reader!

Anna...I mean Maren, at gymnastics.  I tried to have her do the class too but she's just too young.  So instead, I just follow her around and try to keep her from distracting everyone else!

 Four girls.  Claira is totally buckled. 

 Ohhh....this was the night of the dreaded oral book report.  He fell asleep writing out those stinking notecards and after Than giving him a stern talking to over the phone since he was out of town. 

 Before school selfie?!?! 

 Cleaning up after dinner.  Yeah, Maren just walks on the table all the time.  That's how she rolls. 

 Maren "helping" me sweep.  

 Meet the Mormons Date night!  I have to say that I loved the movie and hope that someone besides a bunch of mormons watched it. :) 

 Sister love. 

 School pictures that I never buy.  Am I a grinch?  No...well, maybe. 

 More gymnastics.  

Well there's a snippet of life lately.  Consistency is key.  Consistency is key.  If I type that enough, maybe it'll sink in. 

People have to deal with a lot of stuff.

I feel bad for people right now.  There are just a lot of people in the world that have so many problems and it's just life.  That's just what happens because we are human beings.  A guy in my ward had a huge bike wreck and shattered his elbow and pelvis.  He's a musician so that sucks for his job.  He plays in the symphony in the city.  What a trial!  A friend in my ward just miscarried at 18 weeks. 18 weeks!  Another mom at the school I just found out had a daughter die of cancer a few months ago.  We took them a meal when she was going through treatment and I had no idea that she had died and I feel awful about that.  It's not like me and this mom are really good friends but I feel bad not knowing something as important as this.  I don't have any real words of wisdom for these people or a way to help them, really, besides bringing them a meal or something.  But my heart just goes out to them going through these big trials.  And they aren't the only ones!  Everyone has crap to deal with all the time.  But there is a way to get through all of it.  The only way to find peace is through Jesus Christ.  I've been listening to a Mercy River album since I went to Time Out for Women and these are the lyrics to the chorus.

Maybe the reason for the pain
Is so we would pray for strength
And maybe the reason for the strength
Is so that we would not lose hope
And maybe the reason for all hope
Is so that we could face the world
And the reason for the world
Is to make us long for home

I love this song!  I love this thought.  We grow closer to God when we are stretched out of our comfort zone. This other article that I read about a local Walnut Creek man spoke about him losing his wife to ovarian cancer after they adopted 4our children from Africa.  CRAZY story.  But he quoted C.S. Lewis and I've been thinking about this quote quite a bit too and they are related:  

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world”

Anyway...these things have just been on my mind.

Parenting is hard.

We had a super amazing weekend.  It started with attending the General Women's broadcast with Camry.  This is the first time that we've been able to go together to this meeting and I LOVE that the church was inspired to change the way that they do the women's meetings.  The messages were amazing.  It was so cool for Camry and I to watch together, and have her really pay attention was pretty amazing.  I loved when Pres. Uchtdorf spoke about each of us being a light and sharing our light with others.  And the part when he suggested that we close the umbrellas of doubt and fear and let the blessings that Heavenly Father is already giving us rain down on us.  It was really cool when we were driving home and Camry asked, "Was that story about that woman true?"  It was a story about a woman in Haiti that lost all six of her children in the earthquake.  It's great that she's listening and taking the messages to heart.  I just felt all this love for her and all my kids and a greater desire to help them and to be a great mom for them.  It was a great evening.

How can you not love this face?!?!?

Meg & Cam. 

And then on Sunday something miraculous happened.  PACEN BORE HIS TESTIMONY IN CHURCH!  Like on his own without any asking.  Not that we haven't challenged him to do it before, but not this time.  It was really one of the sweetest moments of my life.  It's such a big deal for him even to speak in front of anyone.  The guy won't even order his own food at a restaurant!  But he really did it and I felt that little slice of heaven.  He was sitting next to me in the middle of the row and Than was up bearing his testimony.  He leans over and says, "Mom, I really want to go."  I was surprised and said that I would go up with him but a few seconds later he was inching his way to the edge of the pew.  And I about lost it right then and there and then Than ends and Pacen walks up.  The dude actually walks right up there and says about three of the sweetest lines ever said and comes back down to sit with us.  I mean seriously!  It was so great. He was proud of himself and should have been.  That was a huge deal.  He thought it was funny that so many people told him how proud of him they were and he was all surprised that he got teary eyed.  Seriously a cool parenting moment where you feel like, you know what...these kids are going to be alright.  

And then I'm brought down to the depths of parenting humility at workout Monday morning.  There was a big old piece of gossip floating around that our sweet Claira started.  We didn't know for sure, but when she finally got home after me worrying about it all day, she did really say it.  She had had her feelings hurt by one friend and so she said something mean to another friend and said that that other girl had said it.  Got that?!?  Anyway....after many tears, and lots of time on her bed, we took her stuffed animals away for a week and she had to write each of the friends a letter of apology.  A great lesson learned about the awful ways of gossiping. 

But you know what...I still love that Claira Belle.  I'm not looking forward to the gossipy teenage years with all these girls but with all that divine help I can have, I'm going to be okay.  

The past 48 hours.

I've taken a lot of iPhone pics the past two days.  It's so nice to be home with just Maren and Gentry.  It is really so relaxing to not have to go anywhere and I'm loving it.  

I busted out the easel yesterday.  That hasn't been out in over a year and I forgot how much I liked it.  I was trying to keep Maren away and I left for seriously 30 seconds while I went to find another color of paint and she started painting her head!  She's crazy! 

 Seriously one stroke on the paper!  Maren!  

 I was so happy that I hadn't gotten her bathed for the day!

 Maren/Mommy selfie!

 Gentry had a really yucky thing happen to her while we were in Oroville.  Pacen and Scotty thought it would be a good idea to put a wind up truck on Gentry's head and have the wheels spin around and rip a chunk of hair straight off her scalp! It was awful.  It looks awful.  I feel awful about it.  Call me vain.  Call me ridiculous but I really feel bad that this happened to her.  And it must have hurt but she seemed okay.  It just sucks that you can see it and it's going to take FOREVER for it to grow in.  I pretty much lost control and screamed and Pacen and Scotty bad for it.  And I totally get that it was a big accident and that they wouldn't have planned but I was still mad about it and wanted them to know what a poor decision it was.  

 I mean seriously!  Look at that scalp! My poor baby. 

 I'm trying to get some "school" in for Gentry.  And she loves it!  She'd do it all day if I had it in me. 

 I got a lovely surprise yesterday from Than.  This week has just been busy and he has been gone for a lot of it.  But I know he's always thinking about me and always is supporting me whenever he's gone.  I was feeling super loved.  

 Yesterday I got another little treat by having Gentry fall asleep on my while I was reading to her.  I was stroking her hair and when I would stop she would move my hand back so that I would keep going and I knew I had her hooked.  

 Claira and Gentry got paint your own tea sets from papa's workshop and they've been OBSESSED!  These pictures were taken at 7:00 in the morning before school.  Obsessed!

 Look at that attention to detail!

 Stroller and Baby time!

 "Mom, take our picture!"  

 I love seeing my initials on license plates! 

 We had time to go the park on Wednesday.  She's a total fashionista with her glasses on!

 That girl will climb on any table she can find!

 Sticker head!

 Shopping at costco is so exhausting!

 Just watching a little girl play while I was reading with Claira. Always multitasking. 

She really wants to be able to read a chapter book.  She's almost there but it so passionate about it.  She'll be there soon. 

 Claira was loving my flowers today.  

 And then I moved them because she was ripping them apart and she wasn't happy about that.  

 And this could be the best moment of my parenting life.  Gentry wasn't a fan of the dirty handprint on the wall and so she got a wet rag and washed it!  Oh my gosh Gentry is the best kid ever! 

 Tonight was back to school night and I just keep getting sad that I already have three kids in school.  Time keeps marching on and I miss the days of just all these babies.  I think that's probably why I'm enjoying all this extra time with Maren and Gentry.  But the good news is that all the teachers are great and I think this year will be fantastic.  Pacen is very cognizant of the fact that he will have more responsibilities as a fifth grader and has really been stepping up to the plate this week.  I hope it stays.