This Week at Our House # 19

1. John had 2 job interviews this week and 2 additional contacts. They may not end in a job, but they are certainly steps to one. John made Mother's Day really nice for me by making a very nice dinner and letting me rest a lot. I love my wonderful husband.
2. I felt big, tired, and pregnant most of the week. This pregnancy has been very rough. I am very grateful that my husband and children have been willing to pick up the slack where I am lacking and the house is as clean as it always is.
3. Ruth's friend drama is getting to her. She cannot wait for school to end. Just a little more than 2 weeks and it is over. 
4. Kate feels the same way. She gets a lot of slack from her friends about being honest and moral and trying to keep her media clean. She likes her friends, but she is looking forward to summer vacation. The end is so hard. We are so close, but not there yet.
5. Johnny is doing great. He's very kind, helpful, and respectful. He has an orchestra concert this week and will be playing a special violin number with 2 other people. He's been practicing pretty hard. He did not even know anything about the violin a year ago. He was nervous to take it, but has found that he loves it.
6. Adam is still loving soccer and getting better and better at it.
7. Rachel was off track and we have enjoyed having her home and hanging around. She made me breakfast in bed and had lots of Mother's Day gifts for me. She asked, and I let her make cookies by herself without help for the first time. They tasted good. I'll let her experiment more on her own in the kitchen now.
8. Anya helped Rachel get me breakfast in bed. She was so cute about it. Last night, she kept telling me to stay in bed and sleep late. 
9. Joseph really likes the cats and kittens and is pretty good and nice to them. He's such  a rough and tumble boy, it is sweet to see him being affectionate with the animals.
10. Josh seems to basically be potty trained, though he still needs reminders. He has been the toughest kid to potty train. Josh has been screaming about every little thing. It's a toddler thing that I have had to train all of my kids out of. Now it is Josh's turn. I miss all of his baby cuteness, but this just seems to be a normal step in growing up.
11. Arwen has been loving books and loving being read to. Whenever I sit down on the couch, she will bring me a big pile of books. If I am busy, she will sit and look at books. 
12. I am 34 weeks along! Only 6 more to go. I am at the point know where I feel stuffed and feel like breathing is a bit of chore. Though I am grateful to be getting little Susan here. Every child is so precious.

This Week's Pictures

Happy Mother's Day from Ruth and Kate

For Mother's Day Ruth and Kate wrote a parody to "Let it Go" for the Zombie Apocalypse I love it!!! I have some pretty cool kids.

Undead Know

wind blows loud through the empty streets

not a human to be seen

the city of the undead

Where the zombies run free

the wind is howling like my dead heart inside

couldn’t keep its beat though I breathed and tried

lock, load, and run away

don’t let them get to you today

conceal, don’t scream, don’t even breathe

and then I screamed

undead know, oh no!

not human any more

undead know, oh no!

run away and lock the door

I don’t care

what they’re going to say

let the war rage on

I’m already dead anyway

funny how one bite

makes my life seem gone

and the thirst for blood controls me

although I know it’s wrong

It’s time to see what I can do

to attack and then eat you

no breathe, no blood, no life in me

Zombie!

undead know, oh no!

I’m dead yet still alive

undead know, oh no!

and now you’re going to die

the dead stand

yet dead they stay

let the war rage on

our power grows as we come from the ground

I am rising like the walking dead all around

and though the guns shoot super fast

no longer human

that hit was not my last 

undead know, oh no!

I’ll rise, though my life wasn’t long

undead know, oh no!

that human girl is gone

here I stand

eating a man

let the war rage on

I’m already dead any way

And just to keep track of how clever this is, here are the original lyrics.

Let it Go

The snow glows white on the mountain tonight

Not a footprint to be seen

A kingdom of isolation,

And it looks like I’m the queen.

The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside

Couldn’t keep it in, heaven knows I tried

Don’t let them in, don’t let them see

Be the good girl you always have to be

Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know

Well, now they know

Let it go, let it go

Can’t hold it back anymore

Let it go, let it go

Turn away and slam the door

I don’t care

What they’re going to say

Let the storm rage on,

The cold never bothered me anyway

It’s funny how some distance

Makes everything seem small

And the fears that once controlled me

Can’t get to me at all

It’s time to see what I can do

To test the limits and break through

No right, no wrong, no rules for me

I’m free

Let it go, let it go

I am one with the wind and sky

Let it go, let it go

You’ll never see me cry

Here I stand

And here I'll stay

Let the storm rage on

My power flurries through the air into the ground

My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around

And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast

I’m never going back,

The past is in the past

Let it go, let it go

And I'll rise like the break of dawn

Let it go, let it go

That perfect girl is gone

Here I stand

In the light of day

Let the storm rage on,

The cold never bothered me anyway

This Week at Our House # 18

1. We've heard nothing from jobs, even though we are sending out applications. We did hear that in the last quarter the U.S. economy only grew .01% and is looking like we are heading into another recession (blah). We have officially decided that a move for a job will be a possibility. However, we will not just apply and move anywhere. With 10 children, we absolutely need to make sure we move to a place where we can afford a large house, the taxes, enough food and clothes for our family etc., and that is not every state in the U.S. On a happier note, John's brother Jeremy took John and most of our children to a lego exposition in Sandy. They all loved it a ton!
2. I had a busy week. My kids sure keep me going and going. Adam has soccer now which takes up 2 week nights. (One for a game and one for practice.) He loves it though, and I am so happy he is able to play this spring. I had a fun time Friday night meeting up with my mothers of many friends. There were 9 of us who got together and among us we had 80 children. It's so nice to have a group of friends that understand big family logistics. I haven't had a girls night for more than 6 months. It was a great escape.
3. Ruth is tiring out as the school year comes to a close. She is still making up some work from the week she missed due to a kidney infection. It's hard to make up a week's worth of school once you get to the middle school years. Ruth will be applying for jobs and hopefully she will find summer employment. I can't believe it is only 2 years until she graduates high school. Life moves so fast.
4. Because of Sage/common core testing Johnny and Kate's teachers are not allowed to give them much homework for another 2 weeks. Kate is very happy about this, but I feel like testing is a huge waste of school time. They spend so much time measuring students against other schools/nations it really takes a lot of time away from regular learning.
5. Johnny completed his history project without being nagged or reminded. That was a wonderful first. Johnny has been very sweet and helpful. He just comes up and gives me hugs and tells me he loves me everyday after school. I understand this is pretty normal for 12 year  old boys. I am loving this stage.
6. Adam is LOVING soccer. All day Monday he reminded us that on Tuesday, he had a soccer game. The first thing Adam did Tuesday after school was to put on his soccer uniform. He did real well this week and went after the ball and defended his goal. 
7. Rachel got baptized on Saturday. She looked beautiful in her all white as she entered the waters of baptism. Rachel had a couple of parties at school this week and is now off track. She has the next 3 weeks off from school. She goes back 3 days before everyone else gets out of school for the year. Then Rachel will have school until July 3rd. I hate year round school. I am glad we will not have to deal with this next school year.
8. Anya enjoyed the nice weather and playing outside all weekend. It started out cold in the beginning of the week and ended up nice by the end. The little kids just do so much better when they can get outside and play everyday.
9. Joseph had a pretty good week. He is always happier if gets outside and plays a lot. If we have to move, I think I will be willing to buy an older house with a bigger yard to give Joseph the outdoor exploration space that he really needs.
10. Joshua pooped his pants one day and peed his pants 2 days and the rest he made it. He has been my hardest kid to potty train. I am just relieved that he is finally willing to do it.
11. Arwen spent the week being cute. She loves her pretty spring clothes and gets excited to get dressed. She has been dancing a lot when ever she hears music she likes. She is just so cute and knows it.
12. I had my midwife appointment on Monday. The next one is just 2 weeks from that day. Time is sure flying. it feels odd to be at the point of 2 week appointments. After that the midwife will visit me at our house. Susan is moving around normally, her heartbeat is normal, and everything seems fine. I am 33 weeks today, which means that Susan is due on a Sunday.

This Week's Pictures

Rachel's Baptism

Dear little Rachel got baptized yesterday afternoon. The morning was a bit eventful. Rachel woke me up and I noticed she had bangs. I asked her if she cut her hair and she immediately said, "no!" Bomb!!! Not the best way to start your baptismal day. In the end, of course, everything went well.

Rachel is a very sweet and Christ-like little girl. She is one of our most creative children. She loves to craft and make things. She loves to sing and dance and make up songs. Rachel has the best voice of all the members of our family. Unlike her mother and father, Rachel always befriends the friendless and helps those with disabilities.

At school Rachel is friends with all of the kids who do not have friends. She makes a point to be with those kids, play with those kids, and help those kids feel wanted. Rachel has had her other classmates tell her not to play with those children for various reasons. But Rachel always tells the other kids the reasons why the friendless children are good and worthwhile kids. Our whole family can learn from Rachel's Christ-like acceptance of other people.

Rachel spent the week preparing for her baptism by studying covenants, ordinances, Joseph Smith history, the 4th article of Faith. When we asked Rachel if she had a testimony, she whole heartedly said that she knew the church was true and seemed annoyed that we would question her on that. I think Rachel was ready to be baptized.

The ceremony was sweet and beautiful. Rachel will always remember this sunny May 3, 2014 when she made a covenant with our Savior and became an official member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

This Week at Our House # 17

1. We have heard nothing, nothing, nothing about jobs, yet John and I have both seen the tender mercies of the Lord play out everyday since he lost his job.
2. 2 more (of our 3) cats have had kittens. The second cat abandoned her kittens and ran away from home. She had 7, 3 died, 4, I have been able to save and the first mom cat has adopted them and they are doing well now. The third cat had 7 kittens and they seemed fine, but when we checked on her later this afternoon, one kitten had died and 3 were close to death. Using a heating pad and kitten formula, we were able to save the 3 dying kittens for now. They all seem normal, so we are hoping that with some human intervention, they will all live. This has been exhausting both emotionally and physically. I have been making sure our mom cats have been getting plenty of healthy food and water so they would have healthy kittens. 
3. Ruth is finally all better and back to her life. She is still getting her make-up work done. She went to a school dance on Friday and danced with 4 guys. She asked 2 and 2 asked her. Tomorrow Ruth has tryouts for musical theater. She has been singing a bunch and memorizing some Shakespeare for an acting piece. Wish her luck.
4. Kate is looking forward to the end of the school year. She has a long list of books she plans to read this summer. 
5. Johnny is finally feeling better. He almost didn't do his make-up work because he was expecting his teachers to tell him what he missed instead of asking his teachers what he needed to do. Thank goodness for mother intervention.
6. Adam had his first soccer game in the rain. I paid for spring and fall soccer for Adam before I knew John was going to lose his job. I am glad it happened that way. Adam loves soccer!
7. Rachel's baptism is this Friday. We have realized that all of the years of Rachel ignoring family scripture study has made it so she has no clue about baptism and we are now talking to her and quizzing her on a regular basis. Rachel has always been the hardest of our kids to teach because she just doesn't pay attention. We have officially decided that if Rachel doesn't get into Legacy Prep for next year, I am going to home school her and make sure she is learning what she needs to both for school and church.
8. Anya is just plain old tired of school. She has been complaining of a stomach ache everyday before school, though she is fine and enjoys school once she is there.
9.  Joseph had a better week. He played outside and with his toys instead of getting into everything. He and I always get along better, when he isn't pulling everything out. Joseph knows he has to get shots for kindergarten and is terrified. His appointment is June 2nd.
10. Joshua pooped in the toilet everyday this week. He has even taken himself every time since Wednesday. I hesitate to say, we have made it. We'll just see what another week brings on the potty training front. 
11. Arwen is so, so cute. She cuddles me every day. I love watching her play and set up her toys. I love when she says, "No, Don't." She is just adorable. I worry how she will react to the new baby.
12. Susan is now 32 weeks along. I am 7 months pregnant and feeling big and uncomfortable. 

This Week's Pictures

This Week at Our House #16

1. One neat thing about this weekly blog is I know exactly how many weeks we are into the year. John is still unemployed, but his company paid us for the second half of March this week. That has been a huge blessing, and will help get us through the rest of April.
2. I am sure thankful for spring, the warmer weather, the pretty flowers growing and all. I've spent much of this week pondering Easter and the last week of Christ's life. It has been helping me to "live in gratitude" a little better as President Uchdorf counseled in conference two weeks ago. Easter was nice today. The kids are sick, but Grandma funded plenty of candy for an Easter Egg hunt and that made a huge difference for the children. We have also experienced a few other tender mercies. We were able to get the medicine Ruth needed for $50 instead of $90 and Target's candy was on a good sale and we ended up saving $18.
3. Ruth spent the first half of the week quite ill. I took her to the doctor's on Tuesday. Nothing was determined then, but the doctor was really quite worried. On Wednesday, some lab results came in and we found out that Ruth had a kidney infection. She is doing much, much better. She will have a lot of make-up work. It's hard to miss school when you are in high school.
4. Kate was sick with a very bad cold and missed school on and off. She is finally feeling better, but will still have some make-up work to do. Kate helped a lot with preparing and setting up the Easter egg hunt for the little kids. She is also my right hand man when it comes to keeping Easter centered on Christ. I really appreciate her good example.
5. Johnny was a little sick with a cold until Thursday night when he came down with a fever and a bad cough. He is still pretty miserable, though his fever seems to be gone. I do not think he enjoyed Easter much at all. He just wasn't feeling well enough.
6. Adam got sick and stayed home from school on Thursday and Friday. Though his version of this illness seems to be more stomach based than cold symptoms. He LOVED the Easter Egg hunt and knew all about the Easter Lessons we had and seemed to quite enjoy his Easter holiday.
7. Rachel has been the kid with the least amount of illness. She stayed home from school with a headache on Monday, but otherwise has been fine. Next to Adam, Rachel was the egg hunter champion this year. Rachel's baptism is coming up on May 3rd. She has been reading her scriptures everyday and is finally seeming to take at least half of our scriptural lessons a little more seriously. 
8. Anya was well until today on Easter, poor kid. She enjoyed the egg hunt and the Easter lesson and videos, but by the end of the day was feeling pretty crappy. However, she is looking forward to a day off from school even if it is a sick day.
9. Joseph had a very bad cough most of the week and a fever many of the days. I wanted Joseph to stay down because of his cough, so I did not give him any medicine for his fever. When his fever left (it's been on and off) he spent the week getting into everything or playing outside. I wonder if he is ever going to get out of the "get into everything" stage. It drives me nuts. He plays in the kitchen cupboards, he sneaks into the older kids rooms, he plays in the garage, he gets into the tools, he climbs up into every space, he plays in my closet and the storage closet. You would think by now he would have realized we are not hiding a treasure any where in the house.
10. Joshua had the fever and cough, but it did not keep him down much. He kept going and playing, and doing just like he always has. Josh didn't do too much egg hunting, but he did enjoy sitting and eating his candy.
11. Arwen was sick earlier in the week. She still has an awful runny nose, but seems to be doing much better. Arwen was really cute about the Easter egg hunt. She did not bother to try and find any eggs, but she sure loved getting an Easter basket with some candy just for her.
12. Baby Susan is now 31 weeks along. We are getting closer to the end with just over 2 months to go. Right now I am just looking forward to the end of the school year, then I will start cleaning things out and preparing to meet my new little daughter.

This Week's Pictures

Evidence of Kids

one of the harder Easter eggs to find

Resting on the floor because they had to get up early for the Easter egg hunt

This Week at Our House # 15

1. John had one job interview. I think we are going to open up the job search to include a move. Neither of us want to move, but John needs a stable job.
2. I had a lot of UFI and political stuff this past week. We had a media training seminar given by Alliance Defending Freedom on Friday. It was very interesting. I think I have been given an opportunity to put some new great skills to use as well as deciding that I would be happy never to be interviewed by the media.
3. Ruth had a fun week until Friday. She got out of school early to come to the media training with me and part way through developed a fever and has been feeling pretty sick since then. I hope it is nothing too bad. I worry more about the older ones with a fever than I do with the younger ones.
4. Kate came with me to the media training, but has been down with a bad cold since then. Ruth and Kate do not seem to have the same thing, but it could be.
5. Johnny was a big help around the house all week long. He has even kept up with his homework and had his research paper ready to turn in on time. Johnny helped his Uncle Jeremy a couple of days this week with roofing. I think that was a pretty awesome opportunity to serve.
6. Adam had a fun scouts activity on Thursday-- the highlight of his week. He is so sweet and hugs me and sits by me all the time. Adam is really good about getting his homework done too, unless it is a big project. But it is nice to have one kid that I do not have to nag on a regular basis about homework.
7. Rachel has to be nagged to do her homework. She loves school, but hates homework. Rachel did not get in on the lottery for Legacy Prep so she is once again on the siblings waiting list. I am expecting she is pretty high, so we are praying that she gets in and on the same school schedule as the other elementary school kids.
8. Anya's reading has improved substantially. She is reading faster and better and could even follow along with the hymns at church today. I think this makes her one of our earliest readers.
9. Joseph did get into Legacy Prep on the lottery. I have to get him registered early this week. He will be a young kindergartener, but I feel pretty good about sending him and letting him join the ranks of the school kids at the end of August.
10. Joshua's interests have expanded from cars, trucks, and trains to the Avengers. He says he is Captain America!
11. Arwen is getting into everything. She pushes chairs around and climbs into high places to get to things. Fortunately she seems to have great balance and coordination, though pulling everything out all the time isn't my favorite toddler activity.
12. I have made it to that 3rd trimester slump. I am feeling tired like I did in the first trimester and it is getting harder to move around or roll over in bed. I had my midwife's appointment on Monday. I am doing a homebirth and it is all paid for. I am very grateful for that decision. I have never had a homebirth, but we knew that John's job was not stable and we could be left with no health insurance at a moment's notice. Since that has happened, it is nice to know that all of the baby care, labor and delivery and continued OB appointments are taken care of and paid in full.

This Weeks Picture