What I do for the kids during General Confrence

General Confrence is coming up in 1 week and I love having fun activities for the kids to play with while we watch. I know the hours wear on the kids after 2 days, but it's important to me that we are all together listening to church leaders and their amazing stories and lessons for us. We play a game every session involving candy, of course! The kids each pick 1 word and write it down. Whenever they hear their word, they get to pick a treat from the bowl and eat it. I usually use fruit snacks, jelly beans, marshmallows or chocolate chips so they are not OD-ing on candy all morning- and they love it! They are actually listening to the talks and getting a little treat every once inawhile too. I love the site somewhatsimple.com and on there she has General Conference packets you can print for your kids (for free)! They are geared for ages 10 and under (my guess) and are super cute. I printed out 3 on white cardstock for the bigger kids, I think they will have fun. After Conference is over and if they are filled in, they can pick a prize from the surprise box! I've also had them write word lists where they have to write down 10- 20 words they heard during conference. Candy is always an incentive in our house! I also let them make confrence books. I get out construction paper, staplers, crayons, glue and old Friend magazines. They cut pictures from the magazines and glue them into their books. It keeps the girls busy for awhile. I also get out coloring books and quiet toys for Willow.

Happiness...

Although Michael is gone, my heart is still happy. Thank you Season 8 for arriving on my doorstep a few days ago!

The van is mine again!

With the bug being a little scary to drive lately, I was letting Trav take it into work everyday (except Friday's, of course for yard sale day!) I was just driving it around town to run errands but let me tell you, it was becoming a pain to get kids & the baby car seat in and out of. We made it work, but I am thankful to have the van back! I vacuumed it, shampooed the seats and floor, washed everything down and organized it a little bit. I've always had our 6 backpacks under the seats with our 72 hour kits, but I loved this when I saw it on Pinterest. I knew I had to do it (Plus my diaper bag might weigh a pound less, imagine that!) I wasn't able to find the shoe organizers at the Dollar store so I had to bite the bullet and spend $ 5.96 at Wal Mart for this one that I cut in 4th's. I sewed a new top on one of them, added some rivet things, made some cute labels and filled it with things we use/need/ hope to have everyday. I added: diapers, wipes, nursing pads, baby food, back up formula & bottle (even though I nurse), baby food, extra clothes, binkies, baby lotion, plastic bags, sewing kit, waters, Capri suns, crackers, fruit snacks, granola bars, treats, suckers, thank you notes, scissors, crayons, tape,stickers, pens, post it notes, klennex, tweezers, nail clippers, deodorant, perfume, toilet paper, kids Advil, Mama's Advil, chapstick, water bottle, hair clips, rubberbands & comb. In the box next to it, I have: jumper cables, a blanket, Clorox wipes, paper towels, a first aid kit and a gallon of water. I still have more to add like: garbage sacks for the back of the van and the kids own little section with books and coloring stuff, but I'm getting there! I never thought I'd be so happy to have the van be mine again! (click on the pictures if you want to see an upclose shot of what I put in them.)***I just made matching garbage bags for the back too, now maybe the van will look somewhat clean instead of the junk yard it's looked like lately!

Mr. Man...

I have about a 100 nickname's for my kids. I call this one: Mr.Man, Honey Bear, Tank, Babers, Turkey, Happy and Big Red. Here's a few pictures from yesterday. He's growing like crazy and super cute these days! Just look at those dimples!

Trav's new car...

After looking at every car dealership on the planet it feels like, we found one that fit our little budget and one Trav is delighted about! Seriously, the process was not fun. Taking out a loan we couldn't afford, waiting for loan money so people would take us seriously when we pulled up in our mini van with 5 kids, looking, finding 1 that fit the budget, test driving it,taking it to a mechanic, having it fail, looking some more, finding another one, going to pick it up, having it sell before we could get there, looking more, finding another one, having it almost go to auction, taking time off work, taking it to the mechanic, having it check out, dealing with people you know are trying to rip you off, buying it/signing papers, going to the DMV, going to the insurance office and all the while trying to stay madly in love with each other! Why is buying a house, remoldeling a home, buying a car and surviving a pregnancy so hard on a marriage??? This is a super horrible picture I took last night just so my Mama could see the new car. I'll post more today when Trav gets home, he looks pretty handsome driving it. The car is really nice and it fit most of our needs. It's a 1994 Trans Am. It has 89,000 miles on it, the mechanic said it looked great with a few minor things like window switches, heat only blowing warm air instead of hot. The tires are great, the leather seats are in perfect condition, the body has almost zero dings in it, the engine looks super, it hasn't been in any accidents etc... so it's our's! It seats 4 and Trav took the kids for a drive yesterday. I haven't driven it yet but I will. It's a 6 speed so I'll just have to get used to the feel of another stick. Luckily the bug was a stick, but every car has a different feel, so I imagine it will take me a few drives until I feel comfortable. The bug is happily resting right now and later when we can afford another $ 450.00, I'll have her fixed and get new plates with insurance again. I am learning there is a season for everything, but darn, that's a hard one to come to terms with! I have a happy husband and I can rest now knowing we will get to & from our destanations!

Thank you Pinterest...

So, I've been spending a lot of time on Pinterest lately, but it's a good thing, because it has encouraged me to actually cook and bake!!! I know, I can't believe it either! And apparently I might be pregnant again because every reciepe I drool over has cream cheese in it! (And no, I am not pregnant!) I tried 3 new dinners last week and 2 baking/treats. They were all pretty yummy! Way to go me!

The tether ball

On Friday I became the coolest Mom in the world for about 5 minutes. We found a tether ball at a yard sale for $ 5.00! It weighed a million pounds, but we got it home and the kids are seriously LOVING it!

Willow's lip...

Just a report on Miss Willow. Her lip is doing great and healing well. We rub scar lotion on it eveyday and I think she will be fine! She is such a little trooper and getting ready for her 3rd birthday on Monday! Horray for a Dora party!

My sweet husband...

I have the most amazing husband in the world. I just love him. Anyone who cans, knows the kitchen floor gets a little crazy. No matter what you do to prevent messes- it is just crazy messy. When I was canning every day, I just let the floor go (I know, insert gasp here!) but I was honestly so tired and I knew the dried fruit would get scrapped off eventually. Well, Trav has washed the floor for me I think 3 times so far! How sweet is that?

My Mama is coming soon!

I am SOOOO excited that my Mom & Brent are flying out in November! I didn't think she would be able to make it with their big move recently, which was part of the reason we drove down when Roman was 6 days old- but they are! I am so happy. Love you Mom! Thank you!Thank you! Thank you!(Now I've got to get busy on my Christmas presents so she can take them back with her!)

Roman & Willow...

I love these little guys!

Flys!!

THEY ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY! Is anyone else losing their minds lately? They are SO nasty! And EVERYWHERE!

Canning Stats...

I think I'm done canning for the year. Sorry to bore anyone with number's- but this is my journal, and as you know, I pretty much post anything here I hope to remember. Peaches- 40 quarts. Applesauce= 108 pints. Jam= 55 jars. Salsa= 5 pints. Freezer corn= 75 bags. I still have a bunch of apples so who knows if I'm really done, we'll see!

The bug...

We had to take the bug into the shop last week after I got stranded at the school, again. When it happened I was almost in tears as my friend Kristen drove us home from a PTA thing.I had been having a strong feeling for awhile that it was time to let the bug rest and find something else more suitable for the family. I also knew we couldn't afford the price tag of fixing it, yet again. It was becoming silly for Trav to drive the van into work everyday leaving me home with the bug and often all or most of the kids. I was afraid to let him drive it into work too often because of it not running so great lately. (He was so sweet and left it for me on Friday's which happen to be yard sale days. What a sweety!) I love the bug with all my heart. She was a dream when I was really little and a gift from my Dad and G-pa Iverson (who has passed) when we got married. She has just been a problem car over the past 12 years and we have forked out thousands of dollars we never had to keep her running. She's still running, just not very well. Apparently, she's having carborator problems and will be another $ 450.00 to fix. I have come to terms with the truth so we are in the process of finding another car at the moment. I'm still holding onto her because she's my baby and because she isn't worth a dime- so wish us luck at finding a new car for my husband. He's delighted out of his mind but the car he wanted didn't check out at the mechanic yesterday- so we are hoping his # 2 choice will be a winner today.

Parent/Teacher Confrences...

Last week was parent/teacher confrences and I'm so proud of my little monkeys for working so hard in school. They all had super awesome reports and they are all on track or way ahead of where they needed to be! Miss Daisy is doing great all around. Her teacher loves her, she is such a great helper, she listens,stays on task and won the Gator award last week as well. Her handwring is very pretty and she likes to add flowers next to her name. Her art projects are beautiful and bright and her reading scores are super! At the beginning of the year she scored 119 words per minutes and needed to have 54 or above, so her teacher informed me because she's ahead of where she needs to be even for the end of the year, she won't be testing her as much. She said she could be doing 4th grade work. Way to go Daisy! Miss Grace is doing amazing. She's been reading for a year now and is crazy to watch. She was just reading a chapter book last night which was one of Daisy's. She scored 44 words per minute and only needed 11. Her teacher said she was quiet in class and would actually like to hear MORE from her. Daisy and I were both shocked when we heard that! She is making friends, boys are chasing her and calling her cute, she is helping the other kids read and write their names and is quite the little teache's helper. She loves recess and comes home singing new songs all the time. Her teacher told me she would be giving her more challenging work so she wouldn't become bored. Way to go Grace! She is doing fantastic! Mr. Tristin is also doing great. He's finishing home work, reading his 20 minutes a day, doing really well in Math, loves Science, has good friends, has really great handwriting, loves to doodle pictures and the only complaint from his teacher is that he's reading too much during class! She has to remind him to have eys on her while she's teaching because he's lost somewhere in a book! I love it. And so does his teacher, except we talked about how he needs to focus on the lesson and only read during "reading" time. Tristin you are doing awesome! I love my kids and am so proud of them.

I'm tired...

I love canning. I really do. It's fun, exciting, exhausting, messy and wonderful all at the same time.To me, it's totally worth it- the tired feet, the aching back, the messy house, the orphan looking kids, the dried food stuck everywhere- I love it! It's so rewarding too, at the end of the day you have something to show for all your hard work. The past few days I've made 108 pints of flavored applesauce. I got a little creative towards the end. So far I've made: pear, strawberry, plum, peach, raspberry/strawberry, peach/plum, strawberry/raspberry/peach, strawberry/peach, caramel, peach/mango & cinnamon/brown sugar. I'm done for the weekend. I'm offically tired and going to bed soon.

2 Months Old!

I can't believe this little man turned 2 months old a few days ago! Seriously, where did it go? He is pretty fun these days because he's so much more alert and smiling. He loves his animals above his swing, that's what he was smiling at in these pictures. He is getting huge too! He had his 2 month check up/shots yesterday and he's already 13 lbs 4 oz! Way to go Mommy milk! I love you little man!

Applesauce!

I truely believe that the Lord blesses us when we do our best to serve and help those around us. I try really really hard to help those around me and I know because I do, I am rewarded with fruit to can! It sounds silly, but it's true> During canning season, it seems like Angie & I are out in the orchard picking fruit for everyone we know, and it's ok, because when we hold those giant peaches in our hands or climb to the tallest limb to grab the perfect apple- it's all worth it. Wed night we went out as a family to help with the Johnathan apples and we were given permission to gleen from the ground. We helped pick for the church for a few hours and then the blessings came, beautiful, glorious apples off the ground to bring home! Angie, her friend Jill and I went out yesterday to get a few more (also given permission to do). We picked up a few galas, a few more peaches and then went across the street and bought some pears and plums. What a great day! God is so good! Like I said before, being out there is a magical place for me. Honestly, my testimony is strengthened every time I am there. To stand and look at all the trees with fruit hanging from them is proof to me that God lives. How else can something so perfect grow and then taste like Heaven? I told Angie yesterday when we were picking beautiful apples- "No wonder Eve ate that apple! Look at how beautiful these are!" Maybe I'm just a big weirdo, but fruit sings to my soul. Canning is such a gift in our home and I'm so thankful for the fruit every year that helps my family. I love canning with my girls too. Hopefully they will remember our crazy days out in the orchard getting dirty and weeks of canning at home. Last night I made 4 batches of fruit blended applesauce. I made Plum applesauce, peach, strawberry and pear. I think I'll try raspberry too. Blueberrys were a little expensive, so we'll see if I change my mind and spend $ 6.00 for them!

A project...

A couple years ago we had a yard sale at Rosie's house and Annikan was selling these cute wood file holders. I bought them for .25 and knew one day I would do something cute with them. Finally this past week, I pulled them out of storage, painted them cute colors (with the kids help), mod podged the front, cut out card stock letters, glued on some rhinestones and nailed them inside our coat closet! I thought they turned out cute for the kids school stuff! (Willow isn't in school, but I can put her art projects in there at least!)

Lazy Day...

I love days like today were we don't have to be any where, the errands are done, laundry is almost all folded, and projects are getting completed! The kids looked pretty cute awhile ago watching cartoons.

I love this little guy...

Roman is full of smiles these days- finally! He was smiling at Trav for the longest time and I would always get so jealous. Now I can happily say he loves me too!

It was bound to happen...

Yesterday was a sad day for Miss Willow. After happily playing with Grace and their giant beach balls on the trampoline, there was an accident. Willow fell off and hit her mouth causing her lip to split open. I heard the crys and saw Tristin carrying her in from the back yard. As soon as I saw blood and an open wound I got faint and told Trav he had to look at it. I stood in the hallway trying to keep it together and kept asking if she needed stitches. After a minute he said, "I think so." I called the Dr. at 4:59 PM right as they were closing and they said to bring her into Quick Care. We loaded up and off we went. She was such a trooper and did extremely well. Even the nurse said she wanted to take her home with her. They tried to give her 2 stitches but one wasn't holding, so after talking about it, the Dr. and nurse both agreeded she would probably be ok with just the 1. (something about something being too thin- I was trying not to pass out) I sat next to her sideways not looking and holding her hands down. She was just perfect. The Dr made me look afterwards to see if it looked ok, like my opinion was going to matter, but after a few seconds, I hesitantly turned to view the nastyness. I took a deep breath as my stomach turned at the first sight, but after a little bit I settled down and realized it wasn't as horrible as it looked earlier. It would be ok. She would be ok. I would be ok. The sweet nurse covered it so I wouldn't get light headed (seriously, I DO NOT DO WELL with blood or open wounds!)We return in 6 days and I'm SOOOO thankful it was minor. I also pray that it won't cause any permant scars to her lip line (vain I know, but hey, we're girls! We want easy lipstick application!) She is doing super, just swollen with a fat lip. I just wanted to scoop her up and hold her forever. It broke my heart watching her try to drink last night before bed though. She's such a sweet girl, and again, so glad it wasn't a serious accident.

Willow has a friend over...

Yesterday I watched my friends little guy for a whopping 30 minutes while she went to help at the school. Willow had so much fun playing and it was cute to watch her interacting with someone other than family.