This Week at Our House # 37

1. On Friday I asked for help with job contacts from my Facebook friends and I received a lot of replies and a lot of personal messages. Several people have taken John's resume and are seeing what they can do to help us. 
2. I decided that September would be a no dessert month for me. Mostly it has been pretty easy. I have been eating apples when I would rather have cookies and that is the habit I need to form. But some nights after the kids have been noisy and messy and fighting a lot, I really, really, really want a lot of chocolate.
3. Ruth had 3 big tests and 3 quizzes, a youth temple trip, and a late Wednesday night activity. She spent a whole lot of time on school, homework, and church activities and what sleep she could squeeze in between. Oh the life of a teenager.
4. I could say ditto Ruth for Kate's week. She had a total of 7 tests or quizzes. She even had a whole bunch of homework over the weekend. I know Kate was hoping for an easy year, but she took some pretty hard classes. However, Legacy Prep gets another thumbs up because the 2 10th graders taking AP Cal are both from Legacy and both ahead of all the 11th and 12th graders who took pre-cal at Bountiful High.
5. Johnny and Adam wrestle all the time. They are always just bashing on each other. Johnny's grades are looking pretty good so far and he has not had the loads of homework like Ruth and Kate which gives him more time to wrestle Adam-- boys!
6. Adam's back in soccer for the fall. I paid for two seasons before John lost his job, so I am glad that he has this. John said he played his best game yet on Tuesday. Adam has one game on Tuesday and one more on Saturday and then he is done for the season. His school musical practices start Thursday after school. Adam is a busy man this year.
7. Rachel goes on short runs with John and she is pretty good at it. She is doing well in school. She likes Legacy Prep better than her old school, and she seems to be making friends. There is a lot less bullying at Legacy Prep and while the classes have like 30 kids, there are two teachers in every classroom. Rachel really likes that.
8. Anya is my awesome little reader. She reads well on her own. She picks up all sorts of books and just reads. I love watching my kids find different things that they just love to do.
9. On Thursday, I told Joseph that we would be pulling out the couches, cleaning out from under them, and then sweeping and washing the floors. Joseph then started to sing "Everything is awe... not awesome." He then turned to me and very seriously said, "Mom, did you know that everything is not awesome or cool?"
10. Josh is driving me crazy. I am not a good mom with toddlers. I love, love, love the babies, I have fun with the younger kids and middle kids. I adore my teens, but I could do without the toddler years. At least if my teens argue with me it makes sense. Josh spent 3 hours on Friday screaming at the top of his lungs because he wanted the blue sippy cup (which happened to be in the dish washer). So instead of giving in, I told him he is not allowed to have a sippy cup until he turns 25. So far, I have stuck to that promise. 
11. Arwen was much less of a hassle this week. She stilled colored on the walls, dumped out cereal, and stuck a bowl of brownie batter on her head, but at least those things don't have the potential to kill her.
12. Susan is growing, happy, and smiling. She smiles and coos at us all of the time. She is also looking more and more like Kate did. It's funny, Arwen reminds John and I a lot of what Ruth was like as a baby and Susan reminds us a lot of Kate. It's like having Ruth and Kate as babies all over again.

This Week's Pictures

I took a bunch of group pictures of the kidson Temple Square, but they weren't very cooperative.

This Week at Our House # 36

1. Again the job front is not looking that great. I've heard that there are so many jobs out there, but we are not even getting interviews and the few that we've had were very competitive. My friends husband just got a job after being unemployed for a year, but he is making less than half of what he did before. I also have another friend whose husband lost his job this week and they will be moving to UT to live with family as a result. I wish I had better news. John and I have been attending the temple together again and that has brought back the peace I had been lacking over the last couple of months.
2. It was a bit of a rough week with my little toddlers and their antics. Just when I think I am learning patience, I am afforded another opportunity to increase it. Otherwise, things went pretty well this week. I got 4 hours of volunteer service in at the school, and I actually have my visiting teaching appointments made earlier in the month. Susan is sleeping well, so I am not needing as many naps and exercising is getting easier, though not funner.
3. Junior year is in full swing for Ruth. She has two big tests in her two hardest classes to look forward to this week. She was going to skip a hike with the young women in order to study, but went when she heard there was a non-member girl attending that wanted to meet some girls her age. 
4. Kate has at least two big tests too. She is surviving having to wake up early and is once again swamped with homework. Since Ruth and Kate have the same math class, they can help each other with the homework which is great. 
5. Johnny has been pretty quiet lately. I think he is tired from going to bed early and waking up late. He is keeping up with his school work, which is a nice improvement from last year. He has also been getting himself out of bed and right into the shower every morning.
6. Adam tried out for the school musical and made it in. He will have 2 solo parts. He did a great job during his audition, and even though he has really never sung in front of people before he worked hard on his audition piece and sang well, Adam also had scouts and two soccer games so he was pretty busy.
7. Rachel auditioned for the school musical too. The teacher told her that she had an awesome audition and sings very well. Rachel will have one solo part. She is a little disappointed that she did not get a speaking role, but honestly she was lucky to even make it in. More than 100 kids auditioned and there was only room for about 50. I am proud of my little song bird.
8. Anya seems to be liking first grade and is reading very, very well. I love Legacy Prep.
9. Joseph completed his second week of kindergarten. He may be giving his teacher a bit of a run for her money because he has come home twice with unfinished school work that he is required to do at home. But he is progressing well and learning his sounds and words without too much struggle. I worry a bit about him being so young in kindergarten. He also dunked our camera under water "to clean it". Fortunately, the camera survived.
10. Josh has been a little stinker breaking pens and spreading ink. I am still having him walk with me to pick the kids up from school. I think it has been a good time with mom and good lessons in obedience.
11. Arwen has turned into toddler mayhem. This week she 1) put all of the dirty laundry (full hamper) into her full bath tub when I stepped out for a minute (That was nasty) 2)  went into the kitchen, climbed up into the highest cupboard, got a bottle of allergy medicine and starting eating it. The crazy thing is there were 4 older kids in there with her and they didn't even notice. 3) got into the fridge and dumped out a bunch of the groceries I just bought onto the dirty floor 4)  undressed, undiapered, climbed into our deep bathtub, plugged it in and turned it on 5) took off her own poopy diaper and we still have not found it 6) bit Adam's bum through his clothing and almost drew blood 7) snuck into Kate's room and ate all of her chocolate 8) with Josh, threw crayons across the floor 9) dumped my journal in the bath tub 10) drew on the wall in several places, and 11) plugged the downstairs bathroom sink with pencils.
12. Susan is doing well. I adore the age she is at with all of her cooing and smiles. I love that she likes to cuddle me. Little babies are just so sweet.

This Week's Pictures

apparently these these ugly, freaky, lobster-like crawfish were introduced into our neighborhood and are flourishing

This Week at Our House # 35

1. John was contacted to set up a phone interview for a company in Maryland for this week. I hope it goes further than that. That would be a very big move to a pretty intimidating place, but it would put us close to DC, Philadelphia, NYC, and my parents in NC. I think I could like it there.
2. What a busy week! Ruth, Kate, and Joseph started school and everyone had full days. Kate turned 15 on Monday, her first day of school, which was pretty busy, but she had a nice birthday all considering. I walked the elementary school  kids home 4 of the 5 days. They liked it the first three. Then I drove one day and they complained about walking the last. I am still planning on walking everyday. I need the little bit of exercise and so do they. John and I made it to the temple together this week and that brought me a lot of peace that I have not felt in a while. 
3. Ruth started the 11th grade. I only have two more years with my first little baby at home. Ruth is like me, when she graduates, she will happily move on to the next part of her life.  Ruth enjoyed her first week of school. She has a history teacher that has already called a student an "A-hole" (exactly that. Not the actual swear.) But that is a bad omen. I may go in and see if there is another section of the same class the same period she can transfer into. Ruth comes home from school each day and gives me details of what happened in every class, at lunch and before and after school. She is such a fun teen.
4. Kate is 15! She is such a fun kid. She has a great sense of humor and just knows and loves each of her family members. She is the tie that holds her other siblings together. Everyone loves Kate and Kate makes a conscious effort to pay attention to each of her siblings even down to little baby Susan. I think Kate had a disappointing first week of school. She had high hopes for starting at Bountiful High and has discovered that it is just school with all of the same difficulties. 
5. Johnny hasn't said too much about school yet. He has had a paper in English, so he complained about that. He talked about a get to know you activity in seminary where he learned he is the youngest and has the biggest family-- big surprise. 
6. Adam wants to try out for the 3rd and 4th grade school musical. I said that he never sings and I did not think he would like it. Adam told me that he is a good singer and that it is a talent he has that he just never uses. So I said ok. He auditions on Thursday. 
7. Rachel is trying out for the school musical too. She has been practicing and practicing. She has such a strong voice. It really sets her apart from the rest of our family. She has a much smaller chance of making it, though, because there are lots and lots of girls trying out and only a couple of boys.
8. Anya had her first week of full days of school. She seems to be doing well. Her reading is amazing, which is a nice relief to have a child who I do not have to spend a lot of time teaching reading to.
9. Joseph liked school quite well. I will have to ask his teacher if he is behaving and sitting down. He comes home happy and always tells me about recess. I will probably have to work with him steadily for reading because while he memorizes well, he is only just figuring out how to sound out words. I like Legacy Prep a lot, though. On Monday he could not put two sounds together and by Thursday he was sounding out 3 letter words.
10. Josh is the big kid home in the afternoons and he has been my walking buddy to pick up the four elementary school kids. He is so sweet and I have really enjoyed the time walking with him to the school. But on the way home with all of the kids, he gets fussy and attempts to run off.
11. Arwen has been putting herself down for naps in the afternoon. It's really rather cute. She will disappear and I will find her asleep in her crib.
12. Susan found her voice this week. She looks you straight in the eyes and starts to coo and smile. I love how she catches your eyes and then tells you something in her little baby coos. I love babies, and she is just so intense and so sweet. 

This Weeks Pictures

Ruth and Kate's first day of school

Joseph's First Day of School ever in his life :)

My 3 non-school kids

Kate opening presents

Smiles

She's finally starting to grow some hair

my 4 oldest