This Week at Our House #3

1. John worked and exercised and played games with Johnny and did just what he does every week.
2. Well, I found out that we have to wait and do our 2016 taxes before we can get a loan for a house. So now we are back to wondering if we should rent or buy. We suspect we should buy because it will be significantly cheaper. In the meantime, our landlords are very kindly letting us stay for as long as we need to.
3. Ruth went to Utah to visit her grandparents for the weekend. She's finding that her second semester classes are much easier. She has a lot less homework. She has more time and that is good as she continues to prepare for a mission.
4. Kate and Johnny had friends over Saturday. Kate has become a big reader/ She reads for home school and she reads for almost all of her free time. Her other favorite past time would be talking to Ruth on the phone.
5. Johnny enjoyed having some friends over. He went out Sunday to a stake youth fireside and did not enjoy that. He should have stayed home. Johnny has a very good understanding of the scriptures and his time spent with his Dad is usually more worthwhile for him.
6. Adam started a home school group where he will go one day a week and have gym, writing, sign language, and science. He loved it, especially gym. He also loved the stake fireside. Adam loves home school, but he misses associating with kids his own age. Recently, we have noticed that girls like Adam. As we were leaving the home school group one girl came up to him and told him that she hoped to see him next week.Two girls at church said that they have a crush on him. Adam likes this attention.
7. Rachel began the home school group too. She really enjoyed it and looks forward to it every Wednesday for the rest of the school year. 
8. Anya would like to join the home school group. I will have to see if we have enough money for her to join too. But she is very happy at home. It is rare that she even wants to go out to the store.
9. Joseph also said he would like to join the home school group. Again, money is the issue. Maybe we can swing it for him too. He is so energetic, I think the gym class would be nice for him. 
10. Josh had his birthday. He got two bionicles and a lego set. Several of his siblings pitched in their Christmas money for the bionicles. My kids are all very generous with each other. Now that Josh is 6, I really need to work on getting him to do chores and help around the house more. He has always been very babyish and needy, and I think it is time for him to learn some independence and learn to help.
11. I think Arwen is doing much better. She is learning to obey. For pretty much her whole life, she has quietly done whatever she wanted. Since she was always so quiet and sweet, it didn't really matter. But when she turned four, she got a bit of nasty streak and that woke us up to the need to teach her to obey and choose the right.
12. Suzy loves nursery now. She brightens up Sunday morning when I say she can go to nursery. She goes right in all by herself now. It's cute how she has grown.
13. Sam is growing by leaps and bounds. He has pretty much grown out of all of his three month clothes. He rolls from his stomach to his back and has for the last three weeks, but now he will pretty much flip over soon after he is placed on his stomach. When he does lie on his stomach, he holds his head and chest up high and looks around. A few times he has even pushed his stomach off the floor. He may be our strongest two month old ever. 

Tender Mercies

1. Our kids were playing out in the yard about 2pm on Monday and it was about 55 degrees outside. They did not have coats or shoes on, as they didn't feel cold. Apparently, a neighbor didn't like what she/he saw, called the police and told them that there were kids under dressed playing outside. When the police officer showed up, John was sitting on the couch working, I was sitting on the floor playing skipbo with Kate and Rachel, Susan and Arwen and Anya were at the table having a tea party and the rest of the kids were playing in the yard. The tender mercy in all of this is that the police man saw nothing wrong. He grew up in Vermont and did not think the weather was cold either. He was very kind and said that he would not submit a report to cps. I hope that we will be able to move to a house out in the country where they can play outside without neighbors seeing them. I want my children to be able to play outside to use their imaginations, enjoy nature and get exercise. I am very aware that kids playing outside these days bothers the neighbors and cps can be a real threat. I am thankful we had an understanding police officer. Since then, we have made the kids wear shoes outside. They understand the issues well. I need them to know that if a neighbor does not agree with them being outside, it could be a huge problem.
2. Ruth made it to and from Rexburg to visit her grandparents in safety even though she had to travel in two storms.

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