Duct Tape Experiment

A while back, Aleana was assigned a school project called a "Hunk-of-Junk".  She was to collect junk (recycle so to speak) and make something out of it.  She decided to make a robot that could "give out" candy.  She set about collecting her things, and we quickly realized that we needed duct tape...a whole lot of duct tape.  

As Tracy was helping her tape everything together, we started discussing how useful duct tape can be.  It can temporarily stop leaks.  It can kill warts.  Heck, I had a friend in high school that made duct tape pants.  It's an all-purpose item.  Then Tracy told me that it was even strong enough to tape someone up on the wall.  I disagreed.  Who would tape someone up to the wall?  Tracy looked at Aleana and Aleana looked at him.  I could see the wheels-a-turnin' and a decision was made to prove me wrong.  They decided to conduct their own little experiment, with Aleana almost too happily volunteering to be the guinea pig (Trent was with me, he thought they were a little nuts). 

The Duct Tape Experiment:

Hypothesis:  Duct Tape is strong enough to hold a person up, when they are taped to wall.

Items needed: A large roll of duct tape and a sucker willing to be taped to a wall before they fall flat on their face.

Procedure:  

1. Have crazy person, er I mean test subject stand on a chair.

2. Using the "tape anywhere" method, apply tape - being sure that the hair does not get caught.

3. After careful tape placement, with reinforcement everywhere, slowly remove chair.  Be ready to catch the test subject.

4. Strike a pose :)

5. Gloat and tell the skeptic how wrong she was...

And wrong I was!  I must say though, I have never laughed so hard in my life.  I couldn't believe that a.) I am allowing my daughter to be taped to the wall.  What kind of mother does that?...b.) won't this do something to the finish on the wall, we are renting and I would really like to get our deposit back...and c.) our poor, poor neighbors, who share a wall with us...I am so irresponsible!

So once one is hanging around on a wall, what does one do?

Strike more poses, to make mom laugh so hard she cries...

Be like the wall, think like a wall thinks...

Read a book...

By this time, Trent was ready to try it, however we kind of used the whole roll of tape on Aleana, so he had to settle for this...

If you look closely in the above pic, on the right side, Trent got brave and taped his transformer to the wall...Man, that really is some strong tape! :)

Aleana finally got tired of hanging around, so we just peeled her right off.

(front view)

(back view - kind of looks like a spider web)

Outcome:  A roll of duct tape $7.00 + a crazy girl w/ mom's laughter = priceless!

ps- No walls were injured in the process of this experiment...

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And since I haven't posted in such a long time, here are some bonus pics:

My Hannah-bear aka "Bearded Lady" via Oreo cookies :)

Aleana and Trent at the Monster Jam, you think Trent had a good time?

Sasha...the world's greatest. dog. ever.

Happy Valentine's Day

At activity day this past Wednesday, Aleana decorated sugar cookies and made a card for us.  The cookies were decorated beautifully and even topped off with conversation hearts.  The red and white card read:

"Dear Mom and Dad

I really appreciate your hard work like paying the taxes, bills and other stuff.  You also work hard on cleaning the house, scowering the bathrooms, and feeding us.  I want to tell you just how much I love you.  I love you more than an elephant loves its tail, more than a worm loves its body.  I love you.

Love, 

Aleana"

There you have it.  We are loved.  An elephant's tail has nothin' on us.  And we love you Miss Aleana!  

This Week in the Funnies... vol. 1.1

We were all gathered together in the living room playing games.  The kids voted and wanted to play Uno.  It's a perfect game for the family, as Aleana and Trent are at an age where they actually understand the rules and move quickly as they get closer to their quest of winning.  Everyone was down to their last few cards, when it was Trent's turn to play.  The card on top of the pile was a green #3.  Trent, having a puzzled look on his face, seemed like he was having a hard time. To keep the game moving along, I asked Trent if he had a green card or a #3.  He paused, and said: "No, I don't have a #3...BUT (with bright eyes) I have a yellow card, and a blue card...can I play those, because that makes green?!"

Ya, nice try bud...although I have to admit that was some great "thinking outside of the box" for a 5 years old.

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Ever since watching Indiana Jones and Goonies, we have been working with Trent on what words are appropriate  and what words are curse words and should not be said...

We were at church, the meetings had ended, and it was time to go home.  We usually all meet up in the Relief Society room, because it is next to the door where we park.  Aleana and Trent had made their way and we were waiting for Tracy.  While we were waiting, I was visiting with some friends, and Aleana and Trent were writing on the dry-erase board with some other kids.  Then, out of no where , with cutting force, the words shouted out by some crazy little kid: "Don't say Shit!  Shit is a bad word!" rang through the rafters of the now what-seemed-to-be small room.

Silence followed, as all the old ladies had quit speaking and turned their attention toward the front of the room...where the dry-erase board was.  At that dreaded moment, I realized that the "crazy little kid" was no other than my Trent.  With all eyes on me, I made the walk of shame to the front of the room.  I pulled Trent aside, and as sternly and quietly as I could, explained to him that we don't use that kind of language.  Trent had a weird look on his face, as if he couldn't understand what I was trying to say.  He then said, in his raised, whiney voice, "But Moommm, I didn't say Shit, He did (pointing to another little boy), and I was trying to tell him that Shit is a bad word."

Well, apparently Trent has learned what curse words are, and how they shouldn't be used.  But somehow we, as parents, failed to teach him that when someone else says it, you don't have to correct them in that way.  Sigh...Well if people didn't know who the Giles were in church, I am sure they do now. :) 

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Aleana had a little choir performance at a grocery store's re-grand-opening.  The store was a zoo, and the parking lot was even worse.  After her performance, we decided that instead fighting the crowd, we would walk just across the parking lot and eat at Mc Donalds.  This is a big deal.  Eating INSIDE Mc Donalds...the kids were so excited.  They got to play on the in-door playground.  We ordered while they played and called them over when the food was ready.  As we were eating this conversation occurred:

Aleana:  Mom, where did you grow up?

Mom: Winslow, AZ

Aleana: Dad, where did you grow up?

Dad: Las Cruces, NM

Aleana:  If you grew up in Winslow, and you grew up in Las Cruces, then how did you guys meet?

We then told her how we both went to college in the same area, and how we met playing basketball, and how we fell in love.  We then told her about our first date, and how we knew it was something special, how we felt so comfortable talking to each other and how there was a connection.  We told her the story of my bluntness when talking to Tracy and Tracy's relief when he knew that I liked him.

Then with big eyes, Aleana blurted out: "And ttthhheeeennn, you got pregnant so you and dad had to hurry up and get married!!!!"

What?!?!?!  My child left me speechless.  I looked at Tracy, my eyes screaming "Help me out here!" and he had the same speechless look as me.  Did we miss a step in teaching her about the birds and bees?  I know we have told her our story of dating and getting married and having her a YEAR later...but how could she think... what?...confusion.  As calmly as I could, I re-explained things to her and she seemed to be okay with it...for now.

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We were in the car, on the way to church...

Aleana: Mom, did you know that Humans are animals too?

Mom: Yes

Trent: What?!?  Humans aren't animals, they're HUMANS!

Aleana (in her know-it-all tone): No, Humans are part of the animal kingdom.  We are considered animals.

Trent: NOOOOOO!  MOM!  Aleana's saying we are animals, but we're not!

Mom: She's right.  We are animals.

Trent: No, animals are dogs and cats...

Mom: Yes, they are animals too.

Trent: But, why did Heavenly Father make us animals too?

Mom: Heavenly Father put us on the Earth to live and grow.  He put other animals on the Earth to help us. (When I said this, I was thinking about the whole beef, pork, chicken meat thing.  Hoping that I was one step ahead in answering his next question of why we had to eat the animals...Nope.)

Trent: (Pause...you could almost hear his wheels turning).  Ya!  Like pigeons!

Mom: Pigeons?

Trent: Ya, because they deliver messages!

Trent.  Trent.  Never a dull moment with you, bud.

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I was in the kitchen getting dinner ready, and Sasha, our dog was laying on the floor right next to me...

Trent (in the living room): EEEWWWW, what's that STINK?

Mom: What stink, I don't smell anything.

Trent:  Well I farted, but...

Mom: Well, son, that's probably why...

Trent: No, that's not it.  My farts don't smell that bad.  It must be Sasha (Sasha has been known to cut some pretty bad ones...)

Mom: But Trent, she's in here with me, and has been for the last 10 minutes.

Trent: Well, it's not me, my farts don't stink like that.

Well, I think you surprised yourself on that one, Trenters.  Poor Sasha, she gets blamed for everything.

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And that sums up the past few weeks, okay maybe months, in the Giles house.

Better Late Than Never part 2

This year I decided that I would make pajamas for the kids.  Joann's was having a great sale on flannel.  Ahhh, nice warm cozy flannel.  I planned plenty of time.  I started in October, so I wouldn't be having to stay up late and stressing on Christmas eve.  Cut the patterns - check. Washed and ironed the material - check.  Accurately cut and marked the material - check.  I was ready to go.  However, like I am with any other project, I procrastinated.  Heck, I had plenty of time.  In my plan of procrastination, I failed to calculate all the time was would be needed with other holiday stuff, say - oh, I don't know... stuff like Christmas parties and shopping, working, cooking...  Yep, before I realized it, the week before Christmas was upon me, and I had a mountain of sewing staring me in the face.  And even though I had to sew on Christmas eve, it wasn't all night.  I finished before dinner.  It was a little crazy, but I must say, I think I did a pretty darn good job.  The kids sure seemed to like them.

Finished products:

Hannah's Baby Kimono

Trent's PJ's

Aleana's night gown

Featuring the Giles Styles models:

Two Step Hannah

Trippin' Trent

Awesome Aleana

Bonus Pictures:

I love this picture.  The way Hannah is looking at Aleana...all cute in their matching jammies.  Tracy says it's the same look that Papa/Sadler family has.  And how about Aleana - there are times when she looks a lot like her Aunt Tessa!

Remember those commercials with the "bitter-beer-face"?  

My attempt to get a good pic of the kids in their new church clothes.  No such luck, this is the best that they would give me.

And last but not least another funny face from Hannah-bear.  Tracy used the flash and I think it was a little too much for her eyes.  Hopefully no permanent damage was done. :)

Better Late Than Never

Christmas in our neck of the woods was wonderful, although I wasn't sure if we would ever make it to December 25th.  With all the hustle and bustle of parties and gift exchanges, Christmas goodies and choir concerts,  not to mention kindergarten productions.  Yep, there's nothing quite like going to Trent's little kindie concert to hear them "sing" about Santa's puppy... Santa's reindeer... Kawanza...snowflakes...jingle bells...and Hanukkah - nothing about actual Christmas I might add, and this is after having to drag the whole family - hungry and tired baby included, to sit on bleachers in a packed gym only to discover Trent bugging the kid in front of him because he's just not that in to singing (well except for Santa'a puppy, because he didn't have to sing - he got to bark instead...) Sigh.  'Tis the holiday season :)

Aleana had two different choir concerts, as well as a "Winter" party (Christmas now being taboo to say in the public school systems...argh!)  She also finished up her basketball season and has been reading like a mad woman to get through her Warrior series.  Watching her read hour after hour amazes me.  I never did that.  In fact, I made it through all of my English classes, High School and College without having to read an entire book.  My thought at the time was "that's what cliff's notes are for".  It's not something I am proud of, but that just goes to show how painful I thought having to read the "classics" were.  Now I absolutely love to read.  It's my escape...my break from reality.  I wish I had the desire to read as a kid.  Aleana seems to have that part figured out.

Hannah just keeps growing.  She's our little dancin' diva.  She LOVES to dance.  She'll smile and show her fangs any chance she gets.  Yes, her top front middle teeth still haven't come in yet, although she's working on it.  Her fang teeth are in already, so she makes quite a cute little vampire.  She's not walking yet, but by the way she stands by herself, it won't be long now.

Christmas day was nice and quiet and perfect.  It was a blast watching the kiddos open presents and seeing their faces light up.  Santa did a great job this year.  

Aleana - look of surprise...

Trent - "But you said no more video games..."  Ya, we lied. :)

A new book by the same author of "Warriors" - Thanks Grandma Buggy and Papa!

The coolest animal book ever!  Has diagrams of the animals insides and everything! Thanks Grandma Buggy and Papa!

Laser Tag!  Picture says 1000 words.  Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Giles!

eyeballs

One of my favorite candies of all-time-Christmas-goody-plates are Buckeyes.  Mmmmm.  Classic combination of creamy peanut butter and chocolate.  Home made taste, and bite size goodness that one cannot pass up.  Even my Trenters loves 'em, and he doesn't even care for peanut butter.  No...I can't get him to eat a reese's peanut butter cup, but I can't stop him from eating these morsels of yumminess! :)   

Rewind...I still remember standing on a chair next to the stove (in the little kitchen, before we remodeled everything) while my mom was melting the chocolate.  With toothpick in hand, she started dipping them.  I tried once, but I accidentally dropped the buckeye all the way in, so I got banned from dipping.  I still managed to sneak a few of the finished product while she was busy trying not to drop them all the way in herself.  Ahhh, good memories...Moving forward again...

Aleana helped me roll it into balls, and she and Trent helped me dip them.  Trent lost interest rather quickly, but that was only after he realized that "eyeballs" as he kept calling them, do not require sprinkles.  So I put him to work dipping and sprinkling pretzels instead.

(in every picture that was taken, Trent has his finger in his mouth.  He only thought he was sneaking some chocolate-ty goodness when we weren't looking.  Also pay close attention to the corner of Aleana's mouth.  Don't let that smile fool you.  She's just as guilty!  Snitchers!)

And that's one thing off the "to-do-list".  Now on to sewing...

Until then...here's a pic of Aleana.  We are so proud of her.  She is a good little athlete.  Her basketball season ended yesterday.  

  

(When I get time, I will come back and rotate this pic)

November?

It appears that I haven't posted anything for awhile.  Not that I haven't thought about it, but there just doesn't seem like there is enough time in a day to get everything done on that list that seems to go on and on in my head.

First things first.  I am working for a Pharmacy, and I really enjoy it.  I am learning lots of new things and the people I work with are great.  I honestly have no complaints about my job.  The only complaint that I have is not getting to spend enough time with the kids.  I miss them like crazy, but I have certainly grown an appreciation for being able to stay home with them as long as I have.  

Tracy has been substitute teaching, and studying.  He takes his first of two 4-hour tests this month.  Even after being a sub, he still wants to teach.  We all remember how we acted when there was a sub in class :)  He's just good with kids.

Aleana is doing good at school.  She's been reading diligently and is on her third of a four book series called Warriors (a pretend world of...wait for it...CATS.  Yes - cats.  Cats that are having an epic battle between good and evil, and belong to certain tribes.  Sigh.  Only my Aleana :)  and her imagination.)  She also just started basketball practice and likes it.  She's a little behind the other kids, but is willing to practice with us, so that's a good sign.  She had to go to the Dr twice in one week.  She keeps getting bladder infections.  She drinks enough water and does everything else she needs to do, but still gets them.  So now the Dr wants to do some further testing that involves a catheter, and dye as well as an ultrasound, which is rather traumatic for an 8 year old.  Hopefully everything is okay.  Other than that, she is healthy and measures in the 50% for her height and weight.  (Although she sometimes wishes she was a little taller - especially when little bro is catching up).

Trent, is well...Trent.  He continues to keep us on our toes.  We did the Harvest Family Fun Run, (Well Aleana and Tracy ran.  Trent ran for a little bit, but fell back and walked with me and Hannah).  It was a great opportunity for me to spend some quality time with him.  He asked lots of questions like "Why do people litter this beautiful earth?" and "How do crayons get all their colors?", but it was this  question that got me: "Why do old people have strollers, but no babies?"  I explained to him, that they are called 'walkers' and that they help old people to walk.  I must admit though, to a five year old 'strollers' make sense.  He is also excelling in school.  He knows all his sounds and can "spell".  Even though he can read small words, he argues with me.  He says he knows how to spell, but not how to read.  Well, whatever works, right?

Hannah keeps growing.  She started crawling and pulling herself up on things on the same day.  She now has 4 teeth.  She is such a sweet girl, and for the most part she just chills.  She does have a temper every now and then, but usually it is with good reason...like accidentally whacking herself in the face with a toy.  Let me tell ya, she lets the toy know all about it.  If I knew how to speak baby jibberish - I bet that would translate into a good tongue lashing.  And when she does it, her whole body shakes kind of like baby Jack-Jack on the Incredibles.  And even though I know it has to hurt, I can't help but laugh, then she turns on me with her baby jibberish.  After about 30 seconds, she's okay and just as sweet as she can be.  It's amazing how these babies come out with their own personalities.  She also went to the Dr for a well child check-up and shots (when the nurse gave her the shots, she actually growled at her.  I would probably do the same thing.)  She is growing healthy and strong.  She's in the 90% for height, 85% for head and 40% for weight.  

And now onto pictures.  

Introducing... Spiderman 2 (repeat of last year.  Originally he wanted to be Indiana Jones, but when we broke out the Halloween bin, he caved), Vampire (teeth and all), and lil'miss Ladybug.

This pic (below) is of Tracy and Hannah.  Besides being a super cute pic, it also shows off the costume I made for Hannah.  I didn't have a pattern or anything, and I thought it turned out really good.  She's also wearing antennas, but you can't see them very good here.  All in all, I spent $6 on halloween costumes this year.  $4 for Hannah's fabric and thread, and $2 for make-up and teeth for Aleana.  Pretty sweet.

A really fun thing we did this year was we went to the Linden farms.  There was a hayride and pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and just all kinds of fun festive things to do.  Aleana and Trent found some old corn stalks and decided it was better to sword fight then to use them as walking sticks.

This is Hannah Bear all cuddled up and warm.  She had a blast.  Mostly reaching out trying to grab at the corn as we went through the maze.  She discovered that corn husks just aren't that tasty.

Family pic at the start of the maze or maize.  :)

This last one is just a cute pic of Hannah with Tracy's hat.  

And that brings us up to November.  How can it be November already?  Anybody?...Anybody?

This Week in the Funnies...vol 1

My friend Julie does this really neat thing.  She keeps a box of 3x5 cards in her kitchen.  For recipes you may ask?  Nope.  she uses them to write down all of the silly stuff that her kids say.  As they have gotten older they go through the box and laugh about it.  An easy, quick way to record life's funny stuff.  Then I have another friend, Andrea, who has a monthly blog called "OOTMB" (out of the mouth of babes) and I really enjoy reading about what her kids are up too. 

Soooo...I am using both ideas to add a weekly (weekly? rather ambitious I know...it maybe bi-weekly depending on the "material") segment.  Here it goes.

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This Week in the Funnies...vol 1

Aleana and Trent were playing as I was busy with job search stuff (FYI - I did take the job at the independent pharmacy and will start in a couple days...wish me luck).   This is what I over-heard...

A: Trent, you look like a Porca.

T:  What's a Porca?

A:  It's half porcupine, and half really weird.  I mean really, really, really weird.

Guess she wanted Trent to know he's weird.  So which is worse, being the one compared to a "Porca" or the one who came up with the word in the first place?

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Trent has been behaving himself at school.  He's also really good at telling what he has learned each day.  He got off the bus and told me how he learned about patterns and how words can rhyme.  I thought nothing of it, until we had this conversation at bedtime that evening:

T: Mom, did you know that 'spit' rhymes with the word 'sh*t'?

Brakes squealing...Say What?!?  Glad he didn't make that connection at school.  Guess he watched 'Goonies' one too many times :)

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We were having FHE and trying to teach the kids about Jesus and obedience.  And then out of nowhere Trent asked me this question:

Trent:  Mom, did you know that JESUS is even MORE powerful than S-U-P-E-R-M-A-N?

Oh, my son.  Where do I even begin....

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Tracy has this tradition with the kids that he has been doing since Aleana was 2: Daddy/daughter dates, (or Father/son adventures with Trent).  Last Tuesday, it was Aleana's turn.  They decided to ride bikes on the trail and eat dinner at Sonic.  When they were eating, Aleana wanted to know how Daddy met Mommy.  So Tracy told the story about us meeting each other playing basketball, and how our first date was going to the Coyotes/Kings game.  He then proceeded to tell her how he was scared that Mommy wouldn't go on another date with him...

A:  But, Dad, why wouldn't Mom want to date you?

Dad: Because I liked her so much, that I kissed her on our first date.  It kind of surprised her, and I was worried that she would think that I was moving too fast.  So I left her a message the next day telling her that I was sorry.

A:  Oh.  Daddy, if you talk to Mama about it, I am sure she'll forgive you now.

Ahhh, the innocence of a child.  And yes, babe, I do forgive you :)

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So with our last name being Giles, we often get it mispronounced.  Instead of 'Giles" with a 'G' as in 'George' sound, it is often pronounced with a 'G' as in 'Garage' sound.  It doesn't bother me much, but evidently it isn't the same case with Trent.

At church, Trent was asked to give the prayer in primary.  The primary leader who was conducting said, "And Trent Giles (with a hard G sound) will be giving the closing prayer".  Trent, with the 'you-know-where-to-go' look, and a stern voice, loudly spoke so that everyone could hear, "It's Trent G-I-L-E-S!  And if you can't say it right, then I'm not sayin' the prayer!"

Bet that lady won't make that mistake again. :)  He maybe be spittin' image of his daddy, but there's some of me in there...

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The other day I was making PB&J, a staple at our house.  The kids don't really care for PB unless it is with chocolate, so I was getting grief from Trent.  He only wanted a 'jelly' sandwich, no PB.  I told him he didn't get a choice in the matter, and that seemed to stop his whining.  He then asked:

Trent:  Mom, is jelly made out of jellyfish?

Could you imagine what kind of jelly sandwich that would make?!?

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And that sums up a week in this Giles house.

 

Joy Moment - 3rd Day of School

Life has been a little hectic around here. We are all doing great. I have had two job interviews this past week. One with the In-Patient Pharmacy at St. Lukes Hospital and one at an independent pharmacy. I think they went well, but the competition is kind of stiff. Hopefully one of them will like me enough to hire me. Tracy has started his teaching program and is making progress with that. Aleana and Trent started school a few weeks ago, and Hannah just keeps smiling.


So awhile back, I blogged about having "joy moments" and how I would write about one each month. I am such a slacker! Well, not really a slacker, I have thought about a million different things to write about. It's just the actual sitting down and clunking it out thing that I struggle with. Anyway here's a moment. En-JOY.
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Joy Moment

The 3rd Day of School

Two of my babies are in school. Deep breath. I have spent the last eight years of my life being a mom. Sniff Sniff. One who has tried to instill values of love and kindness (not too sure how successful it has been, some days I wonder...), to help them build character, to make good choices, to be respectful. My whole heart's purpose is and has always been to love them, teach them and keep them safe. Then all of the sudden, out of no where, with a loud roar, this big yellow school bus comes and takes them away from me. Away from my safe haven, away from the all-healing mama bear hug, away from me. That darn yellow bus!

I must admit, in the back of my mind, in those deep corners, you know, the places where we all have thoughts of "one day...when the kids are in school...maybe, just maybe I can get to that..." All the projects I started, back in the day when I thought I was a superstar and could manage kids and hobbies. The projects like scrapbooking, sewing, and reading. Ahhh yes, reading a good book. Not the Twilight series sissy stuff, but the good thought provoking books where you need peace and quiet, and a good corner of the couch that sits in the warmth of sunlight to read. Well, I am here to say, to announce, that those mom-guilty thoughts are no longer in the mom-closet. They are out and chomping at the bit, ready for me to enjoy. With Aleana and Trent in school, and Hannah still taking 2-3 naps a day, I have a few hours of...could it really be? Yes. Freedom. And it's all to myself. So much to do...where to start...

The first day of school, things went on without a single glitch. Aleana and Trent were so excited! My big third grader and he-just-thinks-he's-big-little kindergartner were up at what seemed to be first light. They were ready in five minutes, although mom had to do some touch-ups in the hair department. (Note to self: On the first day of school - there is no need to wake up the kids any earlier than normal. In fact, let 'em sleep in just a tad bit longer. The excitement kicks in upon waking, and after you blink your eyes twice, they will be dressed with backpacks on, ready to go. Lesson learned: Let the kids sleep in and mom can sleep in too.) :) The big yellow bus came and took Aleana away, for she's a pro and knows all the ropes. Mom and Dad are no longer needed. When the time came,we took Trent and walked him to his classroom. He wasn't the least bit nervous. He sat down and waited for us to leave. I walked out of the door feeling a little anxious for Trent, worried, and hoping I wouldn't get a call from his teacher on the first day of school. No tears from him, no tears from me.

The second day of school, went just as expected: slow and painful. They were dragging their feet. There was no more excitement left in their little bones...just "5 more minutes" and "but moooooommmm" whines remained. In fact, when I went to wake up Trent, and told him it was time to get ready to go to school, he just pulled the covers back over his head, and asked, "But mooooom, why do I have to go to school evvveeerydaaaay?" I then tried to explain that since he was a big boy in kindergarten that he had to go to school Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, just like the song. When Saturday and Sunday comes around then "you can stay home and sleep." Then there was a pause. A little head popped out of the blanket-cocoon and asked, "Is today Saturday? Ohhhh, when will it be Saturday? That'll take forever!" After being threatened with the squirt bottle full of cold water, Trent was convinced that he should get moving (yes, I am such a mean mother). Once again the bus came and went, and we walked Trent to class. No tears and this time, just a little worry.


The third day of school went a little better. Yes, there is hope! There was still whining, but not as long or annoying (or maybe I just had enough sleep and wasn't bothered as much). Aleana's my morning bird, so she was up and ready and...what did I see? Yep, I saw it with my own two eyes. She was smiling, actually s-m-i-l-i-n-g! I have to admire her. I usually can't crack one those on my face until at least 9am. Trent on the other hand, still needed some squirt-bottle convincing, and a reminder that he just had one more day of school, that Saturday was the very next day. He got dressed and they were both out the door.


Waving bye to Aleana, seated on that ugly bus, I grabbed Trent's hand to take him to class. He clutched my hand, looked up at me and asked, "Mom, what does 'miss me' mean?" Hmmm, what an odd question. I replied, "I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to ask." He said, "When I get off the bus, you tell me you miss me. What does 'miss me' mean?" I explained to him the best way I could, that when he goes to school, the house is quiet, almost too quiet, and that I am used to having my little buddy around to hang out with. A few seconds went by, and then Trent, in a very serious and somewhat sad tone, said, "Ohhh. Mom. I wish I didn't have to go to school, so I could spend more time with you." I dropped him off at class, and this time there was no worry. As I walked out the door, my flood gates opened. My dear sweet little boy.

So it was the third day of school when I realized why I pushed all those thoughts to back of my mind. I realized how precious these years have been. I wouldn't have traded the endless piles of unfinished projects or the numerous books on the shelf that quietly call my name through the piles of dust. I wouldn't have traded these precious moments for a lonely freedom. And while I still resent the big yellow bus, I am deeply thankful for time. Time with my children, and time as a mother, now, yesterday, and forever.

Twin Falls Temple

After we had some time to settle down in ID, we decided to go the the Twin Falls temple open house. It was beautiful and a great opportunity for the kids. They were able to see inside the temple and ask questions, and maybe get a little better understanding. The great thing about the open house is that it is open to everyone, no matter the age or religion.

Twin Fall, ID is a gorgeous town. There are the Shoshone Falls (which we didn't get a chance to see, but we plan on coming back next summer for a camping trip), as well as a gorge that will take you breathe away. As you drive into town, there's this bridge you drive over, and the view of the gorge is just amazing. There is a pedestrian path to walk on the bridge, which against my better judgement we went on. It scared me to death. Even Aleana and Trent were frightened. But Tracy had to get some pictures. They turned out good, but in my opinion, that's what they make postcards for. This is the same bridge that crazy people parachute off of.

Above: View of the Gorge (Snake River) from the bridge - if you look close enough on the right side of the pic, there's a golf course. Pretty cool. Below: View of the stinkin' bridge that we walked on. That was nuts. What was I thinking? The last pic is another of the Gorge, from under the bridge.

Moab, UT

Following Park City, we headed down to Moab, UT. It was a short trip, but it was really nice to visit and see everyone. We would have loved to stay longer, we had to get back, because the movers were coming in the morning.

The first is one of Aleana, in the morning...didn't get much sleep. The next one is Hannah and her Great Grandpa Scharf, followed by Hannah and her Great-Great Aunt Gayle. Last, there's one of Hannah, Grandma Eva Lou and her dog Molly.

Which way to go? Idaho.

Well, this past month has been full of changes for us. We've been to reunions, 4 different states, packing, and most importantly, we have moved to Idaho. Why Idaho, you may ask? It is where we felt the Lord wanted us to be. No, we didn't take a dart and fling it at a map, or spin around three times and point to "home" (although that would have made life a little exciting - as if I need anymore of that...), we just feel like this is what we are supposed to do. I am not going to lie. It has been scary and exhausting and frustrating. But even with all the craziness, I feel at peace and as complicated as everything is, life just seems to be more simple now. It is what we have needed to do, we just didn't know it. Everything happened to so fast, which I am grateful.

With that being said, Tracy doesn't have a job just yet, but we are in serious job hunting mode. He has already registered for the ABCTE program, to get his teacher certification. He has been to Boise State to get started on the GI Bill process and as well as getting grad school going. As soon as he gets certified (about 4 months) we'll hunt for teaching jobs.

As for me and the kids, we are unpacked and have pictures hung and everything. O' happy day! School start this week. Aleana will be in third grade, and Trent starts AM Kindergarten. I can't believe that my babies are that big. Hannah is growing and it has been so much fun to what her discover things. But my favorite is still her smile. She melts my heart. I just weaned her to a bottle this past week (boy that was an experience). Although I am really sad to have that separation, I must admit, it's really nice have my body back to myself.

Besides moving, we have been able squeeze some fun in there. In July, we went to Tracy's family reunion in Park City, UT. I was pretty much busy with the baby, but Tracy and the kids were able to get some hiking in. We also went to the Alpine Slides, played softball at the park, and just hung out. It was really nice to see everyone. The kids especially enjoyed seeing all of their cousins.

Above: Trent in his natural habitat :)

Below: Trent, Grandpa Giles, and Kelsey

We also took family pictures while we were there and managed to snap a few of our own. The first is our Drama Queen throwin' some attitude. The second, I just really liked and the third is of Trent and Troy. Troy is only a few weeks older that Trent. They had a lot of destructive fun together :)

Murphy's Law

"This summer is the summer", I kept telling myself. We have been at this house for 3 1/2 years and have yet to do anything to our backyard. Sure the previous owners had it "landscaped" if that is what you would call it. But some grass here and there and a whole lot of rocks just isn't my thing. I hate pulling weeds in the rocks (yes there was the tarp thing under the rocks...but after a few years it's not so great at keeping the weeds from growing from the rocks down into the top of the tarp...)

Yep, I couldn't take another year of weeds, weeds and more weeds. I couldn't take another year of having this great-sized backyard, and the kids coming in complaining that they're bored, and then having to yell at Trent to quit throwing rocks for the umpteenth time. So I put my foot down, then begged and pleaded and got what I wanted. I got Tracy to agree that we needed a fort/swing set. Not just some cheapie metal one, but a wood one that would last forever. So we did our research and found this kit at Home Depot that had what we wanted at the right price.

But before we could put up the swing set, we had to do some "landscaping" of our own to level the land. There's lots of clay, so we rented a bobcat. And boy it was worth every penny!

(Aleana and Tracy above, and Trent and Tracy below)

Then we got to looking at where we would move the rocks to and what we would put under the swing set., and decided that since we would have the bobcat, that it was the best time to move in some good soil to plant some trees. 15 tons to be exact.

(Trent's dream come true. Dirt, dirt and more dirt.)
(Site for future swingset, from the deck)

So after multiple trips to Home Depot, with some friends help, some help from the family and alot of sweat, we finally got the dang thing up. And the kids wasted no time playing on it, neither did their friends, or their friends' friends. And while we were at it, we decided to put up a tube slide from the deck. (Our friends were moving, so we bought it from them, and installed it.) And all of the sudden the neighborhood kids wanted to play at our house. Hmmmm...wonder why.

Ahhh. Hear that? Silence. The kids are playing outside. No fighting, no crying no whining of boredom. Yep, I could get used to this. This is what summer is all about.

2 days later...

Tracy comes home, and informs me that he has just been "let go". "Due to the current economy, they could no longer support his salary". Yep, 2 days. 2 stinkin' days of peace that I could actually enjoy. We had some major decisions to make, and let me tell ya, they were made fast. Within a few hours we knew what we were going to do, and within a few days we knew where we were going to go. Yes, we decided to move (to Idaho - and I will fill you in on that "adventure" in my next post). Decided to put the house for sale once again, and decided that it was going to be somebody else who would get to enjoy the lovely fort/swing set. Gotta love Murphy.

vacation

We'll be on vacation for the next two weeks...will have lots to post about by then. :)

Happy Father's Day

Trace-babe

The Top 10 things I Love About You

10. You are never afraid to just be you. You have integrity. You are honest with yourself and others and you are never too good or too cool to be a goofball :)

9. You are always up for a challenge. Whether it is at work or with the family - when you see something that needs to be done you tackle it head on. When someone is hurt you don't hesitate to give a hug, wipe away tears, or break out the first aid kit, even if it is just a scratch.

8. Since the day I met you...you have been my optimistic soul. You have this way of seeing people. Fully knowing their faults, you choose to see the good. If a situation seems hopeless and bleak and gray, you seem to always find the silver lining. I have to admit, at first, I found this trait to be a little annoying. But as time has gone by, I have learned to lean on that optimism, because goodness knows, I have a hard time finding it on my own.

7. You work hard and play hard. Just as with everything in your life, you always give 110%. Playing is no different :)

6. You have a beautiful heart. You are kind and loving, and your eyes sparkle. You mean the world to me.

5. You listen to me tell the same stories over and over again. I love to talk to you, even if the conversations sometimes seem to repeat themselves. You never get sick of listening to me (or at least you're smart enough not to say so out loud) :)

4. You like to laugh. I love to laugh with you.

3. You love playing with the kids...so much so, sometimes I think you are one of them. You have an endless supply energy - enough for the both of us!

2. You are an amazing husband. I know that I don't tell you enough (usually because I am busy nagging about something and yes, I do promise to work on that...). I am so glad we found each other. You are my best friend. I love you!

1. You are the coolest dad ever! I love watching you. From holding each of our children for the first time to making them "fly like superman", I am in awe. There is something so simple and sweet, yet so powerful. The love you have for our beautiful Aleana, Trent and Hannah is endless. How blessed I am to be part of this fun adventure you call life :)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!