stuff

You would think I could've come up with a better title for this post than "stuff" but, I couldn't, so there you have it. Life is just busy with stuff, good stuff, crazy stuff, some not so good stuff, and lots of awesome stuff.  And, because we're always busy doing all this stuff, I never have time to record about all the stuff.  Okay, enough with the stuff.  Here are the highlights of the past couple of weeks:

*  Okay, this isn't a highlight but it does stick out in my mind.  I took Regan and her friend, Lindee for an hour getaway at the mall during school.  No, I haven't lost my mind.  They were just 2 out of 6 or so kids that weren't allowed to go see the movie, Hunger Games, for their Honor's English class.  I still can't believe the school would have this as a reward for completing their big "Hunger Games" project....I read the books and I might add that I loved them, and Regan read the books, but seeing the movie and reading the books are two different things, and they are 13 years old, so anyway, that''s enough of that.  I told the girls that I would take them to hang out at the mall for a couple of hours while their class went to the movies.  They were so excited even though it meant me taking the rest of the  kids along and hanging out with the "not so fashionable" mama.  Thank goodness Regan is so kind.  So, all went well, the girls went off on their own for a while and I did some swim suit shopping at Old Navy.  I had to laugh when we met back up after they'd been shopping on their own,  they excitedly pulled out their purchases which were matching orangish/pinkish neon netted tank tops which I thought must be swim suit cover ups.  I think they saw the bewildered expression on my face before I could change it to the "oh, that is so cute" look, they said, "we're planning to wear black t-shirts under these and they will be SOOOOO adorable.  They are two very modest girls so I wasn't concerned about that, but they honestly look like something from the 80's!   Surprisingly, they can pull it off!  Regan made me laugh so hard when we got home because she looks at me and says, "mom, I don't think I was in my right mind when I bought this shirt."  She's such a funny girl and for the record, the shirts are adorable and worn often.  Now to the not so funny part, as we were loading everyone in the van, Kami was standing at the back of the van with me while I loaded the stroller, and Kaleb swung the van door back really hard, not knowing Kami was in the way and it hit her really hard on the forehead.  When I first looked at it, it didn't look  like the skin had broken it but seconds later it started to swell and I started to see what I thought was tissue. Yuck!  So, instead of heading for a quick ice cream cone, while the kids said a prayer, I ran in to Pretzel maker and grabbed a bag of ice, quickly came back out and dropped the girls back off at the Middle School and headed for the Community Care.  They determined that 3 stitches ought to do it and after an hour in the office we were headed on our way to start our very busy afternoon of running kids around.  Kami took it all in stride and hardly cried a bit at the doctor.  She's a pretty tough little cookie!  What a day!

*  Morgan started outdoor soccer, we couldn't make it to her first game because we had tons of other "stuff" going on but she reported that her team and that it was a pretty good game.  These girls have played together now for several years and they dominate the field most of the time.  It's a ton of fun to watch them play and improve each year.  Morgan gets to participate in her first soccer skills camp this summer in Rigby which she's looking very forward to.  Speaking of Morgan, she turns "10" in 2 days.  Yikes, where is the time going.  Just the other day she asked me what time of the day she was born and my mind went zipping back through the years like my brain was on rewind.  It was wacky, I could actually recall things from each stage in her life and could remember the day she was born like it was yesterday.  It was a welcome relief because I really sometimes wonder if I have the early onset of Alzheimer's.  Serious..I can't remember anything...it's crazy, weird, scary, and frustrating. Does anyone else have this problem or is it my frazzled brain from trying to keep up with 6 very active spirits!

*  Regan started track a few weeks ago and actually, I think she only has 3 meets left.  She's running the 800 meter, 1 mile, and she tried the 400 meter last night but decided that was for the birds.  She's a great little runner and has had a great season so far.  Last night she took first in the 800 and 4th in the 400 and the track meet was cancelled before she got to run her mile race due to a crazy storm that blew in.  Anyway, I'm excited to watch her in her next few meets and then we'll go right in to Gem State Track which will involve all of the kids!

*  Jordyn had the opportunity last Saturday to perform with her clogging team (In-Step Clogging) at the Eastern Idaho Children Fair.  Um, if I'm being really honest, I loathe the whole fair scene and couldn't wait to get out of the stinky, stuffy, germy, tattoo infested place..I know, that's harsh, but it's the truth.  Regan couldn't wait to get out of there so she could, "Breath her own air" Funny girl!!  But, watching Jordyn clog was great and worth the couple of hours we spent there.  Funny though, she was as ready to go as the rest of us by the time it was all over!  She's a cute little clogger and is starting to get her confidence up on stage.  It's weird to me that she is such a confident, non shy, outgoing, little person, in general, but when she gets on stage, the tables turn.  But, she actually smiled most of the time and looked like she was having a fun time. This was good preparation for her Spring performance at Rigby High School this weekend! 

* Speaking of Jordyn, she decided she wanted to do a little cleaning business over the next few months.   She made up her own little brochures which read:
"Jordyn's Jolly Cleaning Company"  Can help your house shine.  Call 552-0926 if you need help making your house shine.  Remember, it's fun, easy,  and free.  She and Morgan went and delivered her brochures and she got her first client last week (our sweet Relief Society president)  She had her come over and help her dust all of her fake plants in her house.  You would've thought Jordyn had been invited to DisneyLand, she was that excited.  Later, Sister Kite called me to tell me some of the cute things Jordyn said while she was there, the cutest one was when Sister Kite told her, "I wish I could pay you for your work," Jordyn said, "nope, but you can pay me by having me back to do some more work."  So, if you are in the market for some FREE work, just call Jordyn's Jolly Cleaning Company! :):):) 

*  Two Saturdays ago, the girls got bored and decided to put on a fashion show.  Regan was the MC, Morgan was the wardrobe helper/changer girl, and Kamryn and Jordyn were the models (surprise, surprise).  It was seriously cute and they went to a lot of trouble to make it as "real" as possible complete with the red carpet (red towel), outfits all layed out and labeled for each person, a program all written up, music that fit the mood of the outfit, curtains, etc.  I thought it was pretty in genius and the girls had lots of fun together which is always a plus (and doesn't always happen, I might add)  I videotaped the whole thing but took no pictures. Now I'm wishing I would have.  Anyway, it's fun when kids use their imaginations and don't have to be entertained every second!

*  The kids have totally loved the nice weather days we've had here and there and have taken full advantage of the sunshine.  Porter's made himself a nice little sand/dirt box in the back of my front flower bed which he's content to play in for hours.  Yesterday he came in for a snack and hopped up on the cupboard and a huge cloud of dirt came puffing out around him.  He's all boy and just loves to be a mess so how can I complain about that??   I've been enjoying the weather myself just trying to use every spare second I have to work in the yard and prep it for summer.  DJ told me he'd work all day Saturday for me and that I should make him a list of things I want done. (Can't complain about that)  My list is growing but of course, the weather is looking questionable!!!  AAAHHHH!!  Maybe I'll put him to work inside.:):)   He's a good man and I'm constantly in aw at the things he accomplishes in a day.  He's wearing himself out so I feel a little guilty about asking him for his help but there are just a few things I can't do on my own (or don't want to)  Thanks honey!

* Other than all this craziness, we had a darn fun Spring Break with the kids. Yes, I know that was weeks ago but I'm back tracking.   DJ had to work so it was just me and the kids. I found some fun experiments/art projects on the web and we tried them out and had some successes and failures but had a great time.  We also made a visit to our Art Museum which you'd think might be boring but we we really enjoyed ourselves.  They have  a really cute room set up with all kinds of activities for kid (and adults who are kids at heart) ME!  We stayed for over an hour and then headed over to feed the ducks at the greenbelt and then came home for a fun evening.  We also got to visit DJ's parents in Cokeville for a few days which is always a great time.  It is such a blessing to have such wonderful in-laws that make me feel right at home when I go and visit.  DJ's brother Mike was visiting from Nevada for a couple of days so we got to spend some time with he and my nephew, Jed.  My kids LOVE their Uncle Mike because he's just a big teaser and loves to get down and play at their level.  They were sad when Uncle Mike took off for home but we sure enjoyed our visit with Grandpa and Grandma Teichert (the far away grandma and Grandpa) as Kamryn and Porter call them! 

*  Oh ya, before I forget, we had a wonderful Easter.  We got to spend Saturday down at G&G Rose's in Blackfoot with my siblings, minus Matt and Sara who live in China.  We missed them but sure had a great time hanging out laughing and talking and watching the kids have a ball together.  It's amazing how so many little kids can get along so well.  Mom had the house so cute and decorated, we ordered pizza for lunch, spent a while filling tons of eggs and hiding them outside (thank goodness for beautiful weather.  The kids made a haul, I mean, a huge haul, we're talking enormous Ziploc bags full of goodies and snack.  My mom always has some fun healthy snacks for the kids as well as all the sugary stuff.  The kids gorged themselves and had it gone in well, approximately 5 days.  Sickening, I know, but that's the way I prefer it, just get it gone and out of my sight.  Anyway, I love my family and love every opportunity I get to spend with them.  It will even be better when Matt and Sara and their cute family get to move back!

Here's a few pictures of our happenings. 

Kam's stitches

Regan pooped from all of her activities

Jed, Kami, & Porter at Grandma Teichert's

Regan and Janae hanging out in Cokeville.

Regan pulling out a win in the 800 meter

Sleeping Beauty

Jordy with her In-Step Clogging Team

My daddy with his girls!

The gang!  Man, that's a lot of kids and cute ones at that!

Kaleb, Cannon, Brigham, Lily, and Porter at Grandma Rose's

Why it's great to be a twin!

Need I say more?

Conference Highlights

If you weren't able to watch Conference or don't know what it is, please head right over to this site and take a few minutes to listen.  I promise you won't be disappointed. The words spoken by our Prophet and his Apostles were beautiful and apply to everyone, even if you aren't of our faith.   http://www.lds.org/  I'm looking forward to receiving the Ensign magazine in the mail where I'll be able to go over the talks individually and carefully and hopefully by doing this I'll be able to make some much needed changes in my life.  Anyway, these were some of my favorites: 
 Parent with righteousness and tenderness, not anger and fear.


 We know we are teaching our children when without rewards or threats they do what is right.

 Be an example – “What we are speaks so loudly that our children may not hear what we say.”

 Help our children establish their own connection to heaven. They need to depend on the Lord, not us.

 Teach with love and patience

 “What a sacred responsibility Heavenly Father places upon us as parents to partner with Him and helping His choice spirits become what He knows they can become. This divine privilege of raising our children is a much greater responsibility than we can do alone without the Lord’s help. He knows exactly what our children need to know, what they need to do and what they need to be to come back into His presence. He gives mothers and fathers specific instruction and guidance through the scriptures, His prophets and the Holy Ghost.”

 Be an example – “What we are speaks so loudly that our children may not hear what we say.”

 “Wise parents prepare their children to get along without them.”

 Some of the most important sacrifices we make are in our family.

 We shouldn’t be “downing a quart of pickle juice every time someone around [us] has a happy moment.”

 “So be kind. And be grateful God is kind. It is a happy way to live.”

 We aren’t in a race against each other, but against sin.

Words of wisdom

A few weeks ago, we had the opportuntiy to watch General Conference together as a family.  It seems like every year I get more and more excited to hear what the leaders of our church have to share with us, I'm not sure if it has something to do with age or maturity, or just that my as my children get older and face so many challenges, that I just realize more and more the importance of following the Prophet because I know if I do, It was wonderful and as always, I came away with a long list of things I want to do better with. 

A visit to the Mall and stitches!

Regan and her best buddy, Lindee, didn't get to go see the movie, Hunger Games, with their Honor's English class last week so they approached me with the idea of taking them to the mall to hang out for a while during the time their class would be gone.  Holly and I decided that was a pretty good

Hives

I never knew that a single piece of mail could cause hives.....but it did.....here's how.  The piece of mail came from Bonneville High School.  Now, I've been receiving a few pieces of mail from the High School lately because, well, I'm old enough to have a freshmen next year.  That should be enough to cause me hives but the thing that really did me in was the letter in the little white envelope titled, Class of 2016.  Um....that's Regan's graduating class.  Somehow I've been fine with the fact that Regan would graduate in a few years, but seeing the numbers 2016 just did me in.  I'm kind of dying, I kind of feel like I'm suffocating, and I have a bad case of hives!  We're attending a meeting at the high school this week where we'll line out her classes and such for the next year so she'll be on schedule to graduate.  I have a lump in my throat...I guess it's hives.  Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow.

Idaho History Program

Morgan's 4th grade Idaho History program was nearly a month ago and it's just plain sad that I'm just now posting about it.  She got the part she was hoping for as one of the 7 Indians.  She was the prettiest one up there (I can say that cause I'm the mom) but really, it's true!  She doesn't like her picture taken (so she says) so everytime she'd catch a glimpse of me with the camera, she'd sneak a dirty look at me.  If truth be told, I think she likes her picture taken but she's just embarrassed. Anyway, the kids did a really great job with the program and the teachers deserve gold stars for all the time and effort that goes in to a program like this.  The kids knew the songs just perfect and they all knew one another's parts as well because they didn't actually find out what their parts were until a couple of weeks before the performance which I think is a dandy way of doing it. I was relieved that Morgan got the part she hoped for because she kind of had her heart set on performing "Go My Son" with the sign language and she does it beautifully.  The kids and I attended both the day and the night programs and unfortunately DJ wasn't able to make either because of his schooling so we took a video and he watched it later on that night.  Thank goodness for cameras, video camera's, ipads, phones, etc....they are a blessing and a curse. :):) 

Aaaaahhh..she will love this one someday :):)

Mrs. Jenkins/Mrs. Cambell's 4th Grade classes! 

 

Ms. Cooperative....not! 

I got her by herself for a second which helped my picture taking cause.  She's looking so grown up these days, not sure if its the fact that she's wearing her hair straight or if it's the fact that she's grown a couple of inches and she's turning "10" in a few weeks.  I love Morgan for lots of reasons, she's smart, she's beautiful, she's genuine, she's honest, she's spirited, she's dedicated) she can be a handful at times but I love her just the same!! 

Cousins & dolls

We attended my Niece, Chloe Allen's, Baptism last month and enjoyed a perfect day with the cousins!  Chloe looked beautiful and she was genuinely excited about the important step she was taking in her life.  It was a wonderful day spent with family and so much fun to watch the cousins play together!  Oh, and what made it even better was that Grandma and Grandpa Rose (my grandparents) were able to be there which is nothing short of a miracle.  Several months ago, we didn't even know if Grandma would be with us for much longer but she's made a complete turn around and is doing remarkably well.  I've said it before but I'm just so grateful that my children get to know their Great Grandparents.  I feel blessed that Grandma Johnson lives just 10 minutes away from me in Idaho Falls and that my children get to visit her often.  Grandparents are such a blessing in children's lives and I just feel fortunate.  Anyway, Chloe, Lily, and Jordyn, all got these cute Journey Girl dolls for Christmas so Jordyn was just excited to finally get together to show them off and take some pictures of the triplets :):) 

Aren't all "6" of them adorable!! 

Jordyn insisted on this picture for a scrapbook!

Here's Miss Chloe in her pretty white Baptism dress!