Pony Place and January Ensign

These three girls pulled me out of bed to take a picture of their pony creation. Now all five kids are making a club. We watched this video on how to make hats for their club.

And just like that, the month is over. 

My favorite thing from the 2016 January Ensign magazine was the inside cover painting. After I noticed it and read the scripture, it came to mind again a few days later after I had seen a miracle from a service I gave. (It was cool. Reminded me of our Sunday lesson about how the Holy Ghost will bring things to your remembrance.) I knew it was by the Lord I was led. I think 1 Nephi 17:13 will be my favorite scripture this year.

I also liked reading the article about President Howard W. Hunter written by his son. It had some cool stories about his life, like how he gave us playing in a band after he started a family, and how maintained a vigorous work schedule for five years as a father and attorney--I can easily relate to that. Three more weeks of Bar Study!

Blank Calendar Day

For having zero written on the calendar today, this is what happened today:

Ross studied at the office. He came home for lunch and dinner and is still studying now. He took a practice test yesterday from 9-4. Andrea mopped the kitchen, did lots of cooking (made rice dish, butter dips, a cabbage chicken nut salad, apple crisp and prepped pork chop dish for tomorrow), helped kids clean rooms and walls. Allen was assisted in cleaning out his closet (goodbye to Jill's old bed in there) and dresser. He wanted to create a golf course outside and kept asking for a golf club to go with his ball. Abby was assisted in cleaning out her closet and her dresser. There were 6 boxes of items and we got it down to 3. She came up with ideas to make holes for their outdoor golf course. Jane and Emma and Jill played a lot in the toy room. while we cleaned rooms They opened up tubs looking for capes. They played with the orange car tracks, did drawing and started a clubhouse in Abby's newly cleaned closet. After dinner and dessert Ross went back to studying and kids took baths/showers to get ready to see The Black Cauldron.

The Week of Oo

The letter O had been the talk in TK this week. Girls brought home these letter projects today. Emma wanted to continue and requested more cereal in her cup. Then she made a person out of O's.

Allen Earned His Arrow

Yay for Allen! This boy earned his Arrow of Light!!

Cute Jane

I just love this girl on a bun and cowboy boots. And while I'm loving her, she's loving her toy mouse pet.

Five Spotlights

Just got spotlights from primary to fill out for each kid. (I didn't have to do one for Jill, but, of course, she has to be like everyone else.) After interviewing them I decided to record it here too:

JILL
My pet: "doggie"
Favorite Food: apples
Favorite candy: lollipops
Favorite color: purple
Scripture Hero: "I love Jesus"
Grow Up: Dog helper
Favorite thing about nursery: toys
Favorite Primary Song: "Jesus", "Sunbeam"
I Can Follow the Savior By: "I love"

EMMA
My pet: none
Favorite Food: ice cream pie
Favorite candy: big Tootsie Rolls
Favorite color: "I like all of them", "rainbow"
Scripture Hero: Samuel the Lamanite
Grow Up: fire fighter
Favorite thing about primary: games
Favorite Primary Song: Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam
I Can Follow the Savior By: "praying"

JANE
Pet: none, but I would like to get a doggie
Favorite Food: raman noodles and cake
Favorite candy: bubble gum
Favorite color: pink and purple and red
Scripture Hero: Captain Moroni
Grow Up: a nurse
Favorite thing about primary: treats
Favorite Primary Song: Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam and Christmas Bells are Ringing
I Can Follow the Savior By: "doing the right things"

ABBY
Pet: a stuffed pig named Coco
Favorite Food: popcorn
Favorite candy: Hershey bar
Favorite color: neon pink
Scripture Hero: Nephi and Sam
Grow Up: Artist or an author
Favorite thing about primary: Sister Bezinque's fun games
Favorite Primary Song: Jesus Said Love Everyone
I Can Follow the Savior By: "following His example"

ALLEN
Pet: none
Favorite Food: fettuccine alfredo
Favorite candy: Swedish Fish
Favorite color: red, green and gold
Scripture Hero: Helaman and the Stripling Warriors
Grow Up: "somebody cool", video game designer
Favorite thing about primary: when Sis Bezinque does cool music games, like when she did baking soda and vinegar
Favorite Primary Song: I Am a Child of God
I Can Follow the Savior By: "being good"

Super Hero Story Time and Abby's Four Bunnies

Ross came home early to eat lunch with Jill and I. Then I packed the twins a lunch and picked them up from school and we went directly to Super Hero Story time with Miss Lisa. Emma brought along some writing and showed it to me. Following stories there were environment-friendly activities. In the evening Abby and I had youth night. The beehives had a modesty lesson and activity. Abby did nutrition (made a cool book for future recipes) and brought along her four bunnies. She stacked them up and took a picture of them with my phone while she was waiting for me to finish up with the beehives.

Cool Stuff Out the Door

Ross took this heavy glass gavel to his study-office this morning (it was his goodbye gift from Judge Callahan for working for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals) and Allen took his 3D plant cell project to school. (I just found out it was due this week and haven't heard of it yet. I told Allen I should call my mom and apologize for when I needed a 4th grade county report and presentation the night before it was due.  So I did. And instead of stretching this project out in a few days we cranked it out in a day.)

Dinner in a Bag

The missionaries were supposed to come to dinner last night, but one got sick with migraine last minute. We ate dinner and bagged up everything and dropped dinner to their door. I wrote what to do with all the different bags so they would know how to dish their plates. Ross thought I was funny.

New Bed for Jill

Yesterday after my beehive meeting, which kids did great for, I stopped Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and we all went back to bedrooms for more de-clutter cleaning. We all helped on the same room (it was too hard to try to go back and forth and keep kids on organizing tasks) and after we finished we went to Dollar Tree for everyone to pick out two prizes (to go along with their cooperation and also in lieu of recent allowance money--and while we were there, of course, I looked at colored paper products for YW New Beginnings meeting in a few weeks).

As we entered the store Jill and Emma went right over to Mylar balloons--Jill got heart Valentine one (specially blown up for her--the worker loved that Jill was wearing a neon green dress-up fairy dress over her clothes) and Emma got a star "Congrats!" one. Jill also picked out a baton like Jane and Emma picked out a wrestling guy to go with another one she got for Christmas. Jane picked out a stuffed bunny and Abby bought three (she brought her own money) to finish off her bunny collection and already named them all--Sky, Spring, Misty and ... can't think of the pink's name. Allen picked out two sound buttons--laugh and scream.

When Ross got home from studying, on a whim, we moved furniture and moved Allen's top bunk into girls room. Now Jill is finally in a big bed. Abby really wanted her back in her room, but their bedtimes are so different it would be weird every night. Jill goes to bed about when the twins go to bed.

We had chili for dinner and toast and salad ( I've been eating lots of salad lately. Trying to add more and more produce to the diet). and the kids could pick between two fruits (with both cut-up): carrots or celery and pears and kiwi. It's fun when they take one of each.

Ross thanked me for making the house look so nice and clean.

Here is Abby, big sister, giving Jill a pep talk about the fun of being in a new bed and what to do if she gets scared. It was precious!

And here is the new room set-up--dresser at center now instead of corner and Jill's bed across from twins' white bunk bed.

And here is Jane and Emma and their toy army set-up from a few days ago. They came to get me to take a picture of them.

4 P's

Last after a Smashburger dinner upstairs (Ross brought home food. We have a private dinner. I fed kids 45 minutes before and they were watching Odd Squad together), we had a  combo date/family movie party to see a movie we got at Christmas but had not opened yet. It was the Minions. We got on pajamas, enjoyed soda pop, ate popcorn and enjoyed the motion picture together.

Today I'm making waffles for breakfast, we'll do our Saturday morning chores, I'm having a beehive meeting here in the afternoon all about New Beginnings (and Allen and Abby will babysit--Ross is studying at the office all day, except he'll be home for lunch and dinner) and I'll take beehives home, and then we'll get ready for tomorrow. I'm singing in a choir number and we'll be feeding two gluten-free missionaries.

Fridays with Miss Karen

Fun with songs, stories, scarves and stamps. We love Miss Karen!

Waiting in the crowd

Waiting for Mother Goose on the Loose with Miss Lisa.

Five Times To School

1. We loaded at 8:35am after teeth were brushed, jackets were on, lunches and backpacks were in hands. I dropped the kids at school. Jill and I went inside to make copies for Allen's teacher. She only wanted the state sheets copied (66 of each for her class and one other 5th grade class, and hers needed to be trimmed while the other class's copies didn't --- got that? Yep, that's a weekly task so I'm used to remembering it.) Then Jill and I went to Walmart where I played the Jenga game of seeing how much I could fit in the big kid cart using top and bottom. I bought over a week's worth of groceries and some YW items for New Beginnings. It was funny to see two workers try to figure out how I fit it all in there and how to stack it well again.

2. I picked up Jane and Emma after noon when their TK class ended. Ross came home and had lunch with us.

3. We got in the van to pick up Allen from school. (It was only Allen because Abby had Lion King musical practice for another hour).  Before he climbed in, I handed him a grocery bag full of books to leave in Mrs. P's room. We got home, had a cheese/crackers snack and Allen started on his homework.

4. After about 15 minutes Allen realized he left something important at school that he needed in order to finish his writing assignment. Back into the van we went.

5. We were home again for about 45 minutes. Then it was time to load up again to pick up Abby from practice. She finished her math page in a jif. We listened to the Face 2 Face Broadcast at lds.org and made tacos for dinner. Kitchen was cleaned up. Ross went back to studying, baths were done, hair was combed and dried, teeth were brushed and kids were tucked in.

Okay, time to get ready for bed so I can sleep and wake up and do it all over again. I will make the drive to school again in roughly 11 hours.

Glow Stick Leading

I wrote this in an email to Catherine S. yesterday afternoon (she found my parenting honesty amusing) and thought I'd share it here too: Hope you are having a nice day. We went to museum earlier. Now Ross is studying and I'm trying to coax kids out of the house to ride bikes to the park while the rain has stopped. Secretly we would all be happy to just stay inside and stare at the tv or read books all day, but I'm trying to be a good parent and get them outside a little... hahaha. 

The little bike break did us good. Allen brought the wagon and the kids were taking turns riding down the big hill--slightly reminded me of sledding as there were no breaks or no way to really steer (until the lightbulb went on and Allen created new ways to steer from inside the wagon. It was funny!) I even rode my bike to the park and got some exercise. It's much easier keeping track of people and rounding them up when I can jump on my wheels and ride around the park lickety-split!

It's going to rain most of the day. I foresee lots of reading and a movie in our future after chores are done. No plans to go anywhere except YW/scouts tonight. For our activity, after we  practice our musical number in the chapel, we are doing a Glow-in-the-Dark Chorister Class to pass off Personal Progress. I'll be at the piano playing different hymns in different time signatures, allowing for lots of leading practice while the girls hold glow sticks and someone holds a flashlight for me at the piano!

California Automobile Museum

Nice museum. We picked up lunch after and stopped at school grounds to enjoy our pizza. We used two Groupons today.