This Week at Our House # 39

1. John and I went to the Temple this week. It is harder to get to the Temple here than it was in Utah. We have gone from a 10 to 15 minute drive to an hour and a half drive. But there is a bonus to it. The drive gives us a time to talk to each other alone. As parents of 10 kids living in a small house, we have very little privacy and almost no time to talk. The drive to the Temple is often refreshing. John is still trying to get in serious exercise everyday. It's hard to tell if he has lost much weight or not and that is discouraging to him. But he is much more active and doesn't need to sleep as much, so we are seeing benefits even if it is not the desired weight loss.
2. I am getting to the point where the pregnancy is all consuming and dictates every part of my life. I waddle more than walk now. Having a bathroom nearby is important and sometimes, I am just too tired to do anymore. But in some ways this pregnancy has been easier than the last two or three. The kids do a lot more around the house and they are a lot more understanding. Home schooling makes it a lot easier for me to rest. I take Kate and Johnny to seminary at 6:15, then we come home and go back to bed for an hour and a half or more. After that we do a fairly intense version of school with no breaks for a good 3 hours. Then we take an hour off for lunch finishing off the day about an hour after that. Not having to pick kids up or drop them off or get them dressed and fed in the same intense way and that lack of homework has made life a lot easier. The first time I tried homeschooling, I was so self conscience about the decision and tried so hard to get the kids involved in social events that it was much harder and busier than regular school. Now it is pretty relaxing on the whole.
3. Ruth seems to be doing well. She is not getting anymore sleep than she did in our busy household and I think it is because she stays up late with her roommates every night. Ruth has been blessed with 5 great roommates. She is becoming good friends with them all. They hang out together and get along and have the gospel standards in common. I think Heavenly Father is really blessing Ruth right now. During the General Womens Session of conference last night, I enjoyed texting, Ruth. I love that there are so many more ways to communicate now days than there were when I went to college. When I was off to college, I talked to my parents once a week or less. I communicate with Ruth most days through texting, email, or phone calls. Since we no longer pay per minute, that is just not a big deal and I continue to enjoy the relationship that I have always had with Ruth.
4. Kate talks and texts Ruth more than I do. We are starting to get her transcripts and stuff ready to apply to college. She will be starting her applications for BYU and BYUI in another week. I think she is a little nervous about this. Since she will have homeschooled the last year and a half of high school, things will not be as straight forward as they were for Ruth. 
5. Johnny had his 15th birthday! he played soccer and several games with Kate, John, Adam, and Rachel as part of his birthday. I think he had a really good day.
6. I have been making Adam run a lot more. He does not like it, but it helps him to be calmer and more patient with his siblings and himself. He tends to see it as a punishment and in a way. I hand it out as a punishment. I did tell him that this was not just to punish him but to help him calm down and help him to be more competitive athletically with the other boys. That seemed to pacify him more on the matter and he was more willing to push himself harder. Since the the trampoline broke, Adam lost his main way of exercising and he needs that physical time. 
7. We went to the local dairy farm that sells ice cream. Rachel ordered a giant waffle cone and ate the whole thing.
8. Anya somehow made it through the first eight years of her life in our home without learning anything about the gospel. John has been having her read one page a day in the Book of Mormon and then she has to report what she read and what it means before she is allowed to build legos. That seems to be doing the trick. She can now read a verse in the scriptures and say something other than I don't know about it and she is a finally paying enough attention to know things like Jesus was resurrected and baptized. 
9. I have Joseph running along side Adam, and even more. As a result, he is sitting better for his school work and going to bed much better.
10. Joshua handed me his dirty clothes and I noticed that he had a giant gaping hole in his underwear. I exclaimed that the hole was huge. Josh said, "I know. what should we do about it?" I said that we would have to buy him new underwear. Josh shuddered (he has always hated getting new clothes). Josh said that he thought tape might work or maybe staples. It was a pretty funny conversation.
11. For the most part my kids have changed a lot from the age of 3 to the age of 4 and that is definitely the case for  Arwen. She is growing up, doing more, and trying out new things. She has been saying some rude things almost by way of experiment. She is learning more during Josh's kindergarten lessons. I don't push it on Arwen at all, but she pays attention and is picking up her letters and sounds, and counting and adding more. Arwen likes to remind everyone that she is a big girl. 
12. Suzy has been getting in to everything and playing in the toilets once again. There were a few weeks when we did not need to keep all of the bathroom doors closed, but then she became interested in the toilets again. She is really good at climbing things without getting hurt and will get into whatever she wants no matter how high it is. This is frustrating to the older kids who have to diligently keep their things put away and out of reach of the younger kids.
13. We now have a boy name and a girl name that we both agree on for this new little baby. I am 33 weeks pregnant, so in just another 2 months we will be living in newborn heaven and new born haze. I think we are all looking forward to meeting this little one which we expect is the caboose.

Tender Mercies

1. John's meeting with his boss went very well and he has new projects.
2. I am really enjoying teaching my kids and home school has been good for all.

This Week's Pictures

Happy Birthday, Johnny!

It's one of those unbelievable things-- my oldest son is 15! Johnny is a good boy. He has always been a good boy. He has always been very obedient and he has always been interested in learning about gospel doctrine and how he can receive salvation. He is always kind to his siblings. He is always thinking about the needs of other people and serving them. He is careful to read scriptures nearly everyday to Joshua. He wants his younger siblings to succeed and gain testimonies of the gospel. Johnny is really good with his academic studies. He especially likes math and science, but he is a grammar genius as well. Johnny loves to play games and build legos. He is a pretty good runner when he pushes himself. He could care less about most sports and clothes and looks, yet he is somewhat particular about how he dresses. Johnny is just so good. Our whole family is blessed because of his goodness, kindness, and righteousness.

Susan Gets Hurt

Susan climbed up onto the very top shelf in Anya and Rachel's closet. She got down Rachels' markers, drew on her arm, and then came down to me all upset showing me the spots on her arms and telling me she was hurt.

We all said, "Oh no, Susan! You are turning green," except for Rachel who ran upstairs to rescue her markers.

Josh to Ruth

To Ruth on the phone, Josh said, "I think you should come home now, because I'm thinking you are dead."

Last Beach Trip Before Ruth Left

We went to the beach the Monday before Ruth and I flew out, and got some nice photos.

This Week at Our House # 38

1. I cannot believe how quickly this year is waning. It is getting dark earlier. The temperatures have dropped about 10 degrees, and you can just tell that fall is around the corner. I was glad to be home with John and the kids the week. The first project that John finished for his job is already incorporated as part of their sales package. That is all good.
2. I got my laptop back on Thursday. That was a surprise because I had not heard if it had been shipped or not. School will be easier this week now that we have a computer again. I use Starfall for the little kids and Khan academy grammar for the middle kids and the older kids use it for writing and research. I use it for writing a research. So the whole family is glad to have it back. I had my first week in 18.5 years without Ruth. I kept thinking I would like to watch a movie or do something with Ruth and Kate and then realizing that there is only Kate left.
3. Ruth had her first week at college. Her first few days were really stressful. Her schedule was not exactly what she needed, so she had to drop a couple of classes and wait list a few. While she was on the wait list, she lost half her funding because she didn't have enough credits. Eventually, through the help of Kate's old math teacher from Legacy Prep, and an academic counselor and a lot of work on her part, Ruth was able to get into all of the classes she needed. She got her funding back and spent most of the weekend on homework. She is loving all of her roommates. They are all good girls and they are all getting along well. She even went on a sort of a date. Ruth has dated so little that we are all pretty excited for her. 
4. Kate spent the week focused on school and texting Ruth. I am so glad that I still have Kate for one more year, but I think that Kate would have been happier to leave with Ruth rather than being left behind, especially since she is so alone here.
5. Johnny will be turning 15 this coming week. I look at him astonished. I cannot believe that 15 years have passed by already. He is such a good, stalwart young man! On a side note, I am teaching him grammar, but he should be teaching me. He knows every little bit about it. He knows the names for every kind of phrase and how they should be strung together and all. 
6. Adam had a normal week. I was pretty strict about getting school in, and Adam did a good job. He is starting to learn the notes on the piano a little better and playing a little more. Johnny has been helping him. Adam let Suzy play with his glasses while I was gone and of course she broke them. I had already made him an eye doctor appointment. He needs to see a specialist for his eye problems, so it takes a while to get an appointment. He will go on the 26th and I think it will be a week past that before he gets his new glasses. In the meantime he is wearing broken glasses.
7. Rachel was telling me how she gave genders to all of the numbers and all of the letters of the alphabet. I might have thought that was weird expect that Spanish and French have given genders to every thing, so in a way I guess it is natural. Apparently 7 is a boy.
8. Anya was probably the best about getting her school work done all week long. She is still working on writing her story. Writing seems to be the one part of academics that Anya really loves. She also seems to quite like learning about grammar. Math will be her rough spot, though she preforms on level and even a little higher.
9. Joseph as usual was jumping around everything and on everyone and I had to nag him to get his work done. But he is smart and can do things quickly and remembers them well. He is also a pretty fast reader and reading well ahead of grade level. He's a tough to keep busy enough.
10. Joshua in some ways is just like Joseph and other ways the complete opposite. Josh like things in order. He is always sorting the legos in to types and colors and I never have to tell him to do his work. I just give it to him and he sits and does it without trouble. His difficulties come in leaving one activity for another. But he will jump around and wrestle just as much as Joseph.
11. Arwen is doing well. She is learning her alphabet and starting to be able to do chores around the house. She can do things that most of my other kids her age could not like buckle her car seat and make sandwiches. 
12. I am so glad to be back around my little kids again. I really love Suzy's constant companionship and hugs and little I wuv yous.

TenderMercies

1. Everything working out so well financially for Ruth. Apparently, she has also been awarded a scholarship, which is also a nice boost for her self esteem.
2. John's job going so well.
3. Josh and Arwen played around after being sent to bed, broke a snow globe and Josh got a huge gash on his finger. It is healing nicely and probably better than it should have.
4. I had my second midwife appointment and all is well with the baby. The heart rate is perfect and I am measuring right on at 32 weeks and the baby is in pretty constant motion.The only down side is that my blood pressure is low which can make me faint and dizzy.

This Week at Our House # 37

On Wednesday Ruth and I flew out to Utah. We spent Wednesday night and all of Thursday visiting with our friends and family. We got a lot of people in for just a couple of days, and we both loved it! I was especially glad to see my dear friend Natalie who had just lost a baby. Ruth was especially glad to spend several hours with her friend, Dezi. We were both very happy to visit John's brother's family. My sister in law, Rosanne is one of my favorite people. We had a couple of late nights talking.

On Friday, my mother in law and I took Ruth up to Rexburg, ID to get her moved in to her apartment and ready for college. I loved that I could see Ruth's roommates and apartment, help her unpack, and help her get her student id. The school had the freshmen very busy, so we stayed just a short a time.

Friday night, I visited more friends who were bringing their kids to college. The conversation was funny because it was all about dealing with the emotions of having children grow up and leave home. My mother in law and I spent the night with my friend MaryBeth and as Ruth had so much to do, we left at 10am on Saturday. I teared up only a little bit.

On Sunday, I got to visit my husband's 96 year old grandma and my sister who just moved out. I was relieved to fly home later on Sunday and now I am in heaven seeing all of my wonderful children. It's a beautiful thing coming home to a house full of noise and love.

I haven't  heard from Ruth since Saturday afternoon when she needed a little assistance getting her books, so I think Ruth must be doing well. Her roommates seem nice and good.I will call her tonight to see how her first day of her new ward went and how her first day of classes went.

Kate took care of things at home for 5 full days. I came home to a clean house and home cooked food. She did a beautiful job and needs a vacation. Right now I am in heaven cuddling all of our my little ones and I think that will be the only thing on the agenda for the day. Tomorrow we will start up school again and get on to the really busy time that awaits us.

Pictures

I did not realize my camera had been flipped to manual focus, so none of these came out well. The girl on the end shares a room with Ruth. These roommates are Britany, Brynley, and Gracie. 

These are all 6 girls. They are all freshmen. Ruth, Brynley, Leah, Britany, Jaime, and Gracie

Jer and Rosanne family

Great Grandma Robertson. She is 96 and the first thing she said to me was she did not think she looked old.

This Week at Our House # 36

1. John spent the week in Utah for his Grandfather's funeral. His grandfather died at 96. He has 40 grandchildren, and 101 great grandchildren, so the funeral was more of a big family reunion in celebration of a patriarch of a great family. John had a nice time with his family and cousins. We were happy to get him late Saturday night. Somehow, John managed to get his full week of work in. He flew in and out of Washington DC. He took a bus there to leave and the kids and I just took a day to see DC to pick John up.
2. I got my laptop mailed back to Dell for repairs. I am using Ruth's laptop for the next few days, but then she will keep it at college. So I will be computerless probably until October and as a result this blog may be neglected. I got our car registered in North Carolina. Car registration is my least favorite part of being an adult. 
3. Ruth spent the week chatting with a future roommate through texting, spending time with the family, and eating her favorite meals. She and I fly out to Ut to take her to BYUI on Wednesday. 
4. Kate really enjoyed the American History Museum in Washington DC on Saturday. She loves early American history and we got to see some wonderful things like George Washington's sword and Ben Franklin's walking stick.
5. Johnny is such a sweet kid. We did a lot of walking through DC and without a thought, Johnny took the stroller from me and pushed his baby sister two miles through DC, so I would not have to do it 6.5 months pregnant. I am not sure there are many teenage boys that would do that for their mom.
6. Adam loves museums, which surprises me. He has so much energy, but he really likes to just walk through and look at the artifacts and read about them.
7. Rachel brought stuffed toys out of the car and into DC. We could not put them back in the car because we had valet parking, so there is no going to and from your car. I was pretty annoyed and told her we would throw them away if she shoved them on Susan in the stroller or tried to make other people carry them. She managed to keep them with her or with Arwen enough that I did not toss them. Rachel had a doctor's appointment. We are looking into her weight and small size again. 
8. I came up with this homeschool project idea that I would have hated if it came from a school teacher. I have been having the kids all read Fantasy books, then make up magical creatures for their own magical world, write a field guide, write a story that takes place in their world, and then draw a poster size picture of their world with all of the creatures in it. All of the kids are absolutely loving this assignment. Anya has been most interested in writing the story. She has several pages and chapters written for her fantasy story already. She works on it all day long. 
9. Joseph wanted to run in DC, but it was very crowded. My voice started to go horse calling him back to us so constantly. At times I made him hold my hand or an older kid's hand. He did not like that and dug his nails into Adam's hand. In the end, he got in trouble too much and had to have a sandwich in the car for dinner rather than restaurant food like everyone else. It was a hard punishment to carry out, but I threatened it, so I stuck to it. Hopefully, the next time we go to a crowded city, he will do a better job at obeying and staying with us.
10. There were lots of old cars and trains in the American History museum. Josh loved seeing those. He was better behaved than Joseph, but not by much. Kate had him a lot and Josh kept trying to drag her quickly through things, which annoyed Kate because she wanted to read about everything.
11. Arwen didn't like having to hold hands and stay with the family either. But there were so many people there, I was certain that if a little kid wandered off even for a moment, they would have a hard time finding us and we would have a hard time finding them. I held Arwen's hand a lot. She did not like it and she wanted to bite my hand to let me know. But she knew she would be in serious trouble if she did, so she kept licking my hand and only bit it once. Although, Joseph, Josh, and Arwen were a handful, we actually had a really good trip to DC.
12. Susan is just good and so cute. Tonight she was doing "this little piggy goes to market" to her own toes. It was just adorable.

I will get pictures up when I have time to borrow John's laptop or when my laptop returns. But we do have DC photos that will go here.