School performance and more!

Thursday Amber had her school sing along for the parents. It was quite cute. She is always so excited to perform, especially when she knows I am in the audience. I think she worries at times that I won't be there. But the little waves, silly faces, smiles, and all around cuteness of my daughter are so worth every hassle of getting there and the hassle of fighting with the younger children while I am there. Some kids are so embarrassed to be up there, or too shy to look up. Not Amber. As soon as she walks in she is perusing the audience, trying to find me. Then it is a smile and a little wave. Then it is more smiles and waves as the rest of the children file in! I'm such a proud mom. I love when my children perform.
Amber had two parts in the program. She sang in the after school choir and then sang with the 1st grade. I'm glad she likes to sing right now because earlier in the year she had an experience which turned her away from singing. So when she said she wanted to do after school choir, I was shocked, but encouraged it! She loves it.

Because she performed on Thursday, she thought they didn't have the after school program after school on Thursday. So nobody was there to pick her up from school. She went to the office in a panic. The secretary tried to call me, but I didn't hear the phone, and when I saw the number, I thought it was for John (he's a substitute teacher and the school system calls him all the time!). It wasn't until I really looked at the number that I realized it was Amber's school. So I thought, oh no, there is no after school program and Amber needs to be picked up. Luckily I had John call before he left to get her. It turns out because they couldn't get a hold of me, they called the next person on the list, my dad! John told the secretary that she was supposed to be in the after school program and then he called my dad who was already on his way to get her. Ummmm . . . dad, you don't need to pick Amber up. She's supposed to still be there. She was just confused! I feel bad, but at the same time, I have to laugh.

Yesterday afternoon Amber went to the after school program rewards party. They got to see the Princess and the Frog. She was so excited to see a movie at the theater. That hasn't happened for quite some time. So she talked John's ear off the whole way home. John says that after hearing Amber talk about the movie, he feels as if he's already seen it himself! :)

Nap time adventures

We have been struggling with nap time at our house lately. Timothy still gets so tired and has a total meltdown if he doesn't get a nap. But we've had so many things going on lately that he doesn't want to stop and rest. Kind-of like me, well, except I would love to stop and rest, but don't have much time for that! So yesterday Timothy screamed and screamed when I put him down. I think he maybe slept about 10 minutes for a nap yesterday. Then he was up late last night, just wanted to be with mommy I suppose. Yikes, he is too much of a momma's boy, I think.
So today he kept telling me he was poopy and kept trying to take his pants off. Ummm . . . yeah, checked his diaper and nothing. So I ignored him. Pretty soon all was quiet. I looked at him and his head was on the seat of the chair, feet on the floor. he wasn't moving so I checked. Lo and behold, he was asleep. I picked him up, put him in bed, and 30 seconds later-- fast asleep! Does this work all the time? No. But it is sure nice when it does. I get time to finish things I need to do, and sometimes I even get time to slow down!

It's a Boy!

It's a Boy! Woo hoo! Now, the task of finding names. You see, we have a tradition to hold up here. All of our kids have initials that spell something. We have an ARM, and ELM, and a TIM. But I am having a difficult time with names right now. Most of the ones my husband has come up with are awful. I can't stand the names he likes. Ugh. By April I have hope that this will be narrowed down and that we can finally agree on something to name our child!

Recharged

Every mom magazine/book I have ever read tells a mom to take time for herself. Okay, so I get five minutes here and five minutes there. Maybe once in a while I get ten minutes where I don't have kids demanding attention, the dishes needing to be done, or the laundry calling my name! And I admit, I get frustrated easily when I am tired, worn out, and just plain down in the dumps. This is what led up to the day I told Aunt Deb I was giving up because it was just too plain hard! And I was also feeling extremely guilty that I couldn't keep up with it all. After all, other women seem to have it all together, clean houses, well dressed children, well behaved children, etc. And the list never ends. I try not to compare myself, but I find the times I compare are the lowest!
I didn't intend to tell Aunt Deb how much I was struggling. After all, she had her own worries and did not need to worry about me too! I couldn't add to her burden. But somehow, she has this sixth sense. She always knows when I need help and she jumps in.
So, here comes Aunt Deb to the rescue! We planned a mom's night out, not just a couple of hours, but the entire night and most of the next day! She made reservations at a hotel for just me and her. We sent the kids, my husband, and her husband to her house about an hour away from Salt Lake! We went our own way and stopped for the night at the hotel! Aunt Deb treated me to dinner, a mani/pedi, and just some plain old adult conversation that was not interrupted by kids! What a treat for the soul. I needed that break to get recharged. I feel so much better. Nothing has changed except how I feel. I am so grateful for an Aunt who takes care of me when I need it most!
I would post pictures of our night out, but well, we didn't take time to take pictures. We were so busy having fun that pictures were the last thought on our minds! We got back to her house Saturday evening about dinner time. Then we enjoyed being back with the family, bunked down for the night, and I brought my family home Sunday morning in time to get ready for church.
So, I am recharged and ready to roll with the punches! I'm really back now!

I'm back, but still wacked!

So seriously, my hormones are so wacked right now. Earlier today I got mad at the neighbor kid because he told me I had the wrong garbage can from the middle of the circle! Are you kidding me? It was just a garbage can! And then I went inside and just wanted to cry. But my kids were all watching me. Oh my goodness, what an example I'm showing to them! Getting mad over a garbage can? The garbage can was the last straw in a series of events that led me over the edge. Not that I want to hash that out, but I seem to be trying to find some justification for losing it over a garbage can. Ugh.
On a brighter note, we had our family pictures taken almost two months ago. My sister in law took the pictures and she did an amazing job. But I also have the cutest and best looking family in the whole world! So enjoy the pictures.



We had a lot of fun having pictures taken. And I absolutely love the fall colors. The one time I felt that everything turned out the way we wanted it to! Did I mention that I think I have the most amazing family in the world? Somebody will likely need to remind me at a later date, possibly even tomorrow morning, that I just said that! :)