Kid Updates

Miles

*You used some of your hard earned money to buy an old Super Nintendo and the Super Mario Game. You want to, understandably, play it all the time and don't like the screen limits Dad and I have set. So when you sneak it, you end up feeling super guilty. I'm not sure how to get around this. I can't let you play screens all day, so Dad and I are generous (at least we think so) in our screen time allowance, but its never enough for you. I get it. I try and remind you that wanting to play video games all day is pretty normal and you don't need to feel bad about it.
*You've been my trooper when it comes to work projects. Even when it comes to nasty ones. And for the most part, you do it with a happy attitude. Super grateful for that maturity coming through. I also think it's not just maturity, but your personality in general. You're not happy about shoveling old goat manure out of a shed, but you put a smile on your face because you want to be helpful to me. 

*Dad and I think you may be starting to show some tendencies toward depression. (Have been for a couple of years, but it's happening more and more frequently these days.) It runs in my family, so it shouldn't be super shocking I supposed, but it's been so hard to watch you grapple with some truly hard feelings. We haven't felt the need yet to see a counselor or take medication, but it's something that's on our radar these days, since your spirals seem to be happening more frequently. 

*Dad and I offered to pay you $1 per wheelbarrow load of manure hauled to our soon to be garden space. You latched on to that pretty quickly. You wanted to haul enough loads to earn an old game boy, and a new Nintendo game. Last week, you woke up at 6 every morning and hauled loads till breakfast and then hauled loads during quiet time. By now, you have 14 loads left. We are proud of your for working so hard to develop grit!

*You are refusing to cut your hair, but you also refuse to style it.  It's getting so long, I'm wondering how long I can hold out before I just hold you to the ground and just buzz it. Trying to be cool about it...

Gwen

*I think moving here has been the hardest on you, so far, which I was surprised by. It doesn't help that the first few weeks being here, we were quarantined and couldn't meet anybody. So to fill our time, we did a lot of work projects. You struggled the most with being positive during those.
*You heard dad talking to Miles about working on Uncle Shannon's property and getting paid. You wanted in on that action. Dad reminded you that you've had a hard time whining when it comes to doing work around our place and that if you wanted to work on Shannon's you'd have to do projects around here without whining. You mostly snapped out of it after that, and became acutely aware of your attitude. You drew up a plan to become a better person, though of affirmations to say, things to do when you got frustrated etc. I was very impressed. One of the things you do when you get upset is to wander over by the ditch, throw some dirt or sand into it, pretend it's your worries and frustrations, and watch them float away.

*You continually blow my mind with all the little facts you know. We will find a praying mantis, and you'll rattle off some obscure facts about them and I'll say, "How did you know that?" and you'll tell me it was from a book you read, or a show you watched etc. It happens constantly! 

*We are trying to find a good fit for you in regards to dance. The first class we tried, the girls were too little. The next 2 classes we tried the girls were too old (way too mature already for my 9 year old!). The day you tried the 2 older ones were tough on you. You just had to jump right in, out of your comfort level, knowing nobody. After I picked you up, I could tell it had been hard on you. So, I think we'll try a gymnastic class they offer there. Feels weird to deviate from dance after 4 or so years, and I think I'm more sad than you about it (oddly). We'll see what happens. In the end, we just want you to grow and learn. 
*You are such a big helper with the smaller kids during school. You can tell when I'm getting stressed and will take over entertaining the littles. You also initiate and seem to love doing preschool things with Benson. Helping him with worksheets, writing letters etc. It's fun to watch you work. 

Lindy

*You're getting better at doing my hair. You are more gentle these days and have finally mastered how to make a pony tail. :)
*The other night after scriptures etc, I was giving you an update on Grandma Crosby's cancer situation. You became very visibly upset. I asked the other kids to leave so you and I could talk. I asked you what was bothering you and you said, "2 things: 1- Grandma Crosby. 2. Shots, zits, cavities, and having babies." (The last time you had to get a shot at the doctors was super, unexpectedly, traumatic for you.) The emotion you felt bubbling up while we talked about Grandma seemed to bring up a lot of other anxieties. We talked through them all, and you calmed down after a while. I wasn't allowed to chuckle then at the things you were worried about, because it was very real and terrifying to you, but now as I write this list, it makes me smile.:) 

*You are pretty obsessed with "Oooh-la-la beauty spas". (The name must be said in it's entirety.) This is not completely new, but I feel like it's ramped up lately. You want to serve people around you, and the thing you know how to do well is pamper them. You'll fill up a bowl of water to soak their feet in, put make up on them, paint their nails, have them lay down with a cozy blanket, and give them a new hairstyle. 

*All of the kids have gotten really into "Avatar" lately, but I think you're the one that likes it the most. When there is a romantic scene, and I'm sitting with you, you pretend to be grossed out, but I think you really like it. :) 

Benson

*In case it hasn't been documented here, you are still my little Curious George, getting into trouble with the most innocent intentions. Within an hour of moving in, you found some thick axle grease in a shed and covered yourself in it, found a tiny shovel and dug holes in the mud (and got it all over yourself), and shocked yourself on the electric fence. Part of the drive for moving here was so that our kids could have wide open spaces and get into a little minor league trouble. So I guess all is going according to plan. :) Sometimes I'm not able to keep as close of tabs on you as I need to, and you end up finding pruning shears and snipping the neighbors electric fence around their garden when they were showing us around their property. 

*Today I found that you had dumped out 4 bottles of kid's soap/shampoo, got marker on the hall carpet, went through 2 outfits (the norm), snuck computer time (scary that you know how to navigate the computer so well already), and got into the huge flour bin in the garage. This is typical. Then you'll wrap your arms around me so tightly and cover me in kisses and tell me you love me and that I'm the best. You'll share a toy with Davy without me asking. I'll find you quietly reading books on the floor somewhere. You'll make a silly joke and celebrate small victories and sing the ABC's while you wash your hands. This is all typical too. You are just the perfect juxtaposition of mischief and sugar. 


Davy

*You have mastered the art of the high pitched shriek. My goodness, I swear it's going to shatter our glasses. And since you still don't have many words, it's your only way of communicating that you don't like something and you'd like it to change. By the end of the day, it's hard not to lose my temper with you, even though you're still so little.
*You are just getting through a 2 week phase of utterly awful sleep. Naps and Bedtime were torture. We thought it was teething (you have 4 about ready to break through), but looking back, it was probably a sickness. Fever, irritable (see how we thought it was teething?) but then as you started to behave better, you broke out in a harmless rash. Makes me feel bad we didn't do more besides some Tylenol!
*You are starting to say actual words. We are the only ones who can understand your language, but you can say (not sign) shoes, outside, all done, Mom, Dad, food, Hot, again, button, Up, and Down. :)
*You love and hate Benson. You two already push each other's buttons, but you both love each other so much. It's not uncommon for you to tackle him in a hug, and then Benson will hug you back and tell you he loves you. You don't do this with any other sibling at this point. You can now "say" Benson's name. It's adorable, and the only name, besides Mom and Dad, that you can say so far. All the other kids are a little jealous. 
*You give Dad and I the best hugs! You really lean into them and try to wrap your arms around us and squeeze. It's the best thing ever.

*You want to be outside all the time. You're constantly going to the door saying, "Outside?" and then if we say no, you'll cry and whine, and then ask me to get your shoes in hopes that will persuade me to take you outside. And I can't just send you outside with a sibling. You want me right next to you. 

*I've trained you on taking deep breaths. It's fun to watch you catch on. When you have a screaming fit or are loudly and repeatedly expressing a desire (UP! UP! UP!, or HOT! HOT! HOT!, or MAMA! MAMA! MAMA!), I can just hold your face, and have you watch me take a deep breath. You do it with me, and it usually buys me a few minutes of quiet. 

Second Half of August

 First Day of School!

I have never felt less prepared for a school year, but it came anyway. And we are plugging along just fine. It always feels good to get back into a rhythm. I always try to make breakfast special our first day. They had new notebooks, treats, and their special cereals that they picked. Miles is in 6th grade this year, Gwen is in 4th, Lindy is in 1st, Benson is in Pre-K, and Davy's just happy to be here.  I know I'm biased, but I have some pretty good looking' kids!

First scenes from homeschool! Back into Poetry Tea Time, Co-Ops, and schedules. I've been so impressed with Miles and Gwen jumping back into things, waking up early to get school done. It's hard, but I'm a pretty lucky homeschool mama and I'm so grateful for the freedom to do this. 

Found a cool mural "downtown" and I pulled the car over to take a picture (because I knew I would never purposely find it again-dang you lack of sense of direction) and made the kids get out and take the quickest picture known to man because Miles didn't have shoes and the ground was super hot. He literally stood in the gutter water, ran in for the picture, and ran back to the gutter water. :)

We decided we needed a few more chickens, so we ordered about 100 more. We wanted more egg layers (In hopes of selling some in the Spring), and we wanted to try our hand at producing all of our own chicken for the upcoming year. So far so good! The kids are loving it. And I still want to giggle and scratch my head at the fact that they send baby chicks through the US postal service. 

Using what we have around the land to make our own egg layer box. Brand new, metal, roll away nesting boxes like this can cost $1,000. We are building ours for free. 

Richie is the best. He comes up with the most random and fun things I'd never do with the kids. Today it was picking all of the unwanted nectarines off the tree and engaging the kids in a fruit war. Dad vs. kids with the tramp fort for cover. :)

Another attempt at church at home. Started out well enough, ended in tears. Sounds about right. 

We tend to shy away from busy parks in the summer, but once public schools are back in session, we take advantage of less busy places! Woop Woop! This is the coolest park we've found so far. We haven't looked too hard yet, but I can tell, this one will be hard to beat. 

We've also taken a liking to grabbing a couple Little Ceasar's pizzas one day of the week, heading to the library and picking up some books while eating our pizza next to the fountain. The library still isn't fully open, but you can pick up books you've had on hold and check out grab bags they've put together of different themes. We'll take what we can get, right?

We finished reading "Little Britches- Father and I were Rachers" with the kids. Richie grew up reading it, I've read it before, but it didn't stop us from crying just about every chapter. It's so tender, and Ralph's Dad is just the best. I love sharing good books with my kids, it's even better when it's the whole family. Our celebration was pretty simple. We tried to eat foods they would've eaten in the book. Including meat and potatoes, celery, and a custard pie. We watched some horse trick riding videos YouTube, then we went to our neighbor's house (Jeff and Slyvia). They let us milk their goats and brush down their horses. It was a new experience for us all! 

Other random pictures. 1.Miles and Gwen have been learning about Family Search. It makes me happy to see them figure that out. This day they were taking a "how well do you know your ancestors" game and seeing who could get the highest score. 2. Beautiful foggy morning (Although now we are having these kind of skies regularly from wildfire smoke. 3. So.Much.Canning.  4. Another cool mural! Love these!

First Half of August

 I'm not exactly sure how they've settled on this tradition, but I sure don't mind it. In fact, I think it's pretty adorable. Even though it will make Christmas Eve less special (typically the only night they all sleep in the same room together). The set up has changed here and there, but it's been pretty solidly all 4 kids in Miles's room for about a month now. I don't think Benson has slept in his real bed more than once since we've moved here. 

Play dates with Fogle's. So thankful to have built in friends here! Especially ones that "get us" so well and have plenty of playmates for us! We had a fun morning playing at our house. The kids are always on this property with the pasture and the barn etc, but it never really gets explored fully unless there are other kids to join in too. 

Getting ready for the first day of school. I took the kids to buy their 1 (maybe 2) brand new outfits for school. This is kind of a big deal for us since we've typically lucked out with hand-me-downs or hit the thrift stores. But when the first say of school rolls around, I take them somewhere fancy, like Target :), to buy a brand new outfit that they get to pick out completely. I really have to bite my tongue.  Each kid also got to snag a box of whatever cereal they wanted. Also fun because I don't ever buy the really sugary ones. Also, wearing masks is dumb and I'm over it. Call me a boat rocker. But I pretty much don't insist on my kids wearing them in stores anymore. If someone who worked there came up to me and specifically asked us to put them on, I'd probably consent. Other than that, I'm over it. 

Harvest Season is here! Even thought we didn't plant a garden this year, we've been utilizing the fruit already growing on the property (blackberry pie, blackberry ice cream, nectarine crisp, nectarine jam etc), buying produce from local farms (corn, green beans) and have had a few neighbors offer their excess to us (apricot jam, currant jelly). Plus, lots of frozen fruit for smoothies etc.  I've also been trying to get better at making sourdough bread. I've got a lot to learn.  I always feel very noticed by Heavenly Father when he puts someone in my path who has extra produce to offer. He knows that's important to me, and He helps make it happen every year. 

We got chicks! We decided to not wait until we were 100% ready to buy chicks and just go for it. The coop here on the property is in good enough shape (though not great shape and not cute, like I want it. :)) so we just went for it and bought 25. 3 died, which is kind of expected. We're really looking forward to fresh eggs towards the beginning of December. 

In other news, Benson found Dad's beard trimmer while he was using the potty the other day and decided to try it out. He buzzed one long strip down the middle before I found him. It's never a good sign when he's quiet for too long. :) The worst part was that I couldn't find my clippers (dang moving), so I had to pay someone to buzz the rest of his hair off. He looks handsome no matter what though. 

Splash pad/Park day with Fogle's. Something I'm learning about this area that differs from Riverton is that it takes about 25 minutes to get anywhere you want to go. Especially if it's a fun place for kids. Splash pads and cool parks are few and far between. Lauren knew this one in Middleton? Meridian? Can't remember. But it was a really fun way to spend a morning. 

Richie has been working on a temporary basis back at American Construction Supply for about a month now. This was his job for 6 years back in Rexburg before he was hired with the Church. There's a lot of backstory involved, that doesn't necessarily need to be recorded here.  Long story short: We never planned on working for his Uncle's company again. However, after 3 months of putting out resumes and at least 1 intense full-time job hunting month, with nothing turning up, the anxiety was real. His cousins (who run the company now) offered him whatever work he wanted. Temporary, long term, either way. He took the temporary full time employment, grateful to have a little money coming in and to be tired enough at the end of the day to fall asleep. We aren't sure how long we will be at this company, but we are grateful for the option. Pictured here is Demo Day. The company brings in all sorts of construction companies to showcase their cool tools and techniques. It's a pretty big deal. The kids loved watching the concrete be poured, getting free SWAG, and free lunch.

I'm not a morning person. Everybody knows this, right? I've been through bouts of trying to change my ways multiple times, and it never sticks. I really, truly think I'm just hard-wired to be a night owl. But I've been desperate for more time to myself. Amazingly, I've gotten even less time to myself since moving here. I didn't think it was possible, but I'm with my kids more than I ever have been. Which is great...until it's not. Does that show you how desperate I was to wake up early to go on walks? :) The only gym is also in town, which is about a 15 minute drive. Maybe I'll join one day, but I've started putting back on weight that I worked so.dang.hard to loose. I blame stress eating. Anyway, I've been consistently going on walks in the morning before, or as the kids are waking up. The older two are capable of helping with Davy until I get back if he wakes up. I listen to my scriptures, I listen to my audio books, and watch the sunrise. Not too shabby eh? I walk up and down our street, which doesn't sound like much, but it's about 2 miles long, so at least it's something!