Poems

It's weird how when you have three thousand four hundred and fifty nine kids, like we do...or at least that's how many it feels like, sometimes you forget things that make you, you. I'm not going to lie, the last year or so, I've had my hands so full of crazy kids, that sometimes I've forgotten about me.

It's not that I didn't want to do things for me, it's just that during the day I answers ten trillion questions, clean up the same mess sixty thousand times, all while kissing boo-boos, rocking a screaming child (he's pleasant), and making food. I'm just that awesome.

And sometimes at the end of the day, when I finally have time to myself, all I want to do (can do) is veg and read a book or watch a movie. And that's cool.

But sometimes I wonder, 'What did I use to do? What made me happy?'

And I have lots of things, but one of the thing is writing poems.

I use to write them all the time in high school and junior high. And they make me happy. So I apologize to those who hate to read poems, that occasionally I have a very random poem posted. But it makes me happy. :)

I had some one ask me one time if I wrote one of my posted poems. Yes. All the poems on this blog, unless sited otherwise, and mine. Here's two more, random, and short, make-me-happy poems. And they have no titles. Because that's what all the cool kids are doing these days.

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How wrong have I had this life;
When I thought it was to make jealous or impress
In truth it was only to do my best.
How foolish was I to think that God shared
The feelings of what others thought and cared.

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In the lines,
Between and betwixt,
Is the heart of the author mixed.
If you look so carefully there
You'll find she bore her whole soul to share.

New Year 2015

I haven't been very good at keeping up with my blog the last six, or so, months. I got behind. And now I'm caught up to all of the pictures that I have on my computer, but I have 20 bizzillion on my phone, but the computers starting to have problems, so I don't dare to put them on the computer and take up more space. And worst of all it's made me wait on my blogging. Even though I have a few ideas to blog every week.

 So I figure I can either sit and wait for my computer to magically heal itself so I can catch up (but that's not going to happen, so basically I'd just ignore my blog until I forgot about it), or I can write what I think of, when I think of it, and worry about pictures later.

I've decided on the latter.

I'm a goal setter. I enjoy setting goals, and I really like when I accomplish goals. I'm pretty good at doing short term goals, not so good and doing long term goals. So this year for my New Years resolution, I've decided to do an array of short term goals.

So that I will accomplish them.

And not feel like a failure.

Maybe one day I'll be able to do long term goals.

I have 4 or 5 different goals that always come up when I think of goals, but they are long term goals, in fact, a lot of them are lifetime goals.

Things of who I want to become.

To say my goal for 2015 is "exercise 3 times a week" doesn't work for me. Because that's a goal that isn't just a 2015 goal. It doesn't have an end date. I want to be fit and exercise, well, forever.

My main life goals all fall under these categories
-Exercise/Health
-Relationships-Being a better mother, friend, and spouse
-Spirituality-Reading scriptures, praying, building a stronger testimony
-Personal things I want to do. Mostly creative things, like writing, crafting.

Every time I think about goals I always come back to these, and I probably always will. But I feel like I need to fix and accomplish each area in my life completely, all at the same time. And then I get frazzled and don't complete any of them. So I'm taking it one thing, one month at a time. And January's goal will help with, well all of it.

But don't worry. It's a simple goal.

Well, sort of .

January's goal is- being on the phone less.

More specifically less social media. It's extremely easy for me right now to be on my phone...a lot. It's always with me, and if there is any time that I get bored there's magical places called Facebook and Instagram where I can suddenly live someone else's life...or something. I'm not sure exactly what the draw is, 20 times a day, for me, but I know that I keep looking for satisfaction in my phone, and I keep coming up empty.

I don't want to get out completely. I've lived in 2 different states and 4 different towns in the time that I've had Facebook, and it's one of the ways I have contact with friends from these areas, including my family. So I'm limiting my time (and this sounds ridiculously sad, and mostly it's embarrassing, but it'll help me) to 3 times a day.

15 minutes in the morning
30 minutes at nap time
and 30 minutes after the kids go to bed

That way when that time is up, I'm done. And I'm not picking my phone up every 10 minutes hopelessly waiting for someone or something to entertain me. I'll have to find something else to do, like read the scriptures, pay attention to my kids, get up and move or craft.

 Wow, seriously, this post turned into more of an embarrassing confessional than I meant it to.

And maybe after a month of this limited time I'll get out of the habit and be able to keep the same schedule for the next month. But for right now I'm just taking it one month at a time.

Alrighty January 2015, lets see if I can keep my goal. Wish me luck.

Catch up -- August

So I'm behind in blogging. Like waaaay behind. It's mid November, but I'm going all the way back to August. That's cool, right?

In August we spent one last fun summer day playing in the river and taking a family selfie before...

It was the first day of school! 

Liam and Emma ride the bus this year. They love it! I'm still not sure what I think of it. They leave earlier and get home later, but I don't have to drive anywhere to get them. It's a love/hate relationship. They ride with their friends Daisy and Lily (pictured).

We went to the Des Moines Botanical Garden. It was pretty sweet. 

Bridge in Des Moines

Liam's teacher is in charge of the school garden, so we got free fresh veggies for a month or two. 

Emma lost her first tooth! And then like 6 more in the month after that. She still has a hole where she's waiting for them to come back in.

And here's Ander at the park. Just because he's cute. 

Christmas lists 2014

So, I should scan in the kids' Christmas lists but my computer is acting kinda funky. And besides, Emma's list is 3 pages long... I do tell them that they can put on anything they want, but I think they went a little over board this year ;) They each designed their own and on Liam and Emma's they have check mark boxes with good, bad, and I really tried to. They both marked I really tried to. The crazies.

Liam--
1. D.S.
2. Legos
3. Lego people
4. I pad
5. Candy cane
6. Nerf gun
7. nerf sword
8. nerf bullets
9. new video game (PS3)
10. New movie
11. New markers
12. more legos
13. board game
14 origami paper
15. minecraft books
16. GI joes/ vehicles
17. crafting materials
18. 20 dollars
19. BB gun
20. Santa hat
21. White board
22. lego city set
23. violin
24. remote control helicopter
25. or car or boat
26. 7-up
27. minecraft PE update
28. laser pointer

Liam also has lately asked for a microscope.
Shirt/pant size-10ish

Emma-
1. Pajamas
2. I pad
3. DS
4. Lego people
5. Santa hat
6. paper
7. giant candy cane
8. Prank book
9.clothes
10. Roller skates (she already has some. What a weirdo)
11. real gun (that's great.)
12. Monster high
(around here she loses track of numbers)
White board and markers
canvas
sea green paint
new swimming suit
orange
CANDY
printer ink (X-ed out)
Homework (X-ed out)
Wonder woman costume
Clay
markers
drawing stuff
puppy (don't you dare)
lego city
lego set
(oh, numbers again)
33. Blanket
34. Bag
Extra. Fake glasses
35. picture
36. Book (X-ed out)
37. Not book (seriously, she's crazy.)
38. Game
39. Fake santa
40. piggy bank
41. pillow
42. paint
35 (again). Chapter book
35 (and again). Stuffed animal
37. shirt
38. movies
39. barbie house
40. Hammer
41. 10 stuffed animals
42. chair
43. purse
44. shoes
(numbers disappear again)
origami paper
small tv
sewing machine
string
basket
icecream
53 (and they're back!). bow and arrows
59. hair things
60. Light up pillow pet
61. 10 head bands
62. lamp

Emma is crazy ;), but she would love anything girly, crafty, artsy....basically she would love anything.
shirt pant size-7/8

Fox-
toy dinosaur (I didn't even tell him to say that, Tom. It's all on his own)
real Thor phone
lego set
"rest of my batman suit" (evidently the mask and cape weren't enough)
soft blanket with Thor on it
cool picture
really good hero suit
Any super hero weapons
nerf gun
own box of markers with cool colors
super hero lego
hands and feet of hulk suit
nerf gun
golden and green ninjago
nerf gun bullets
Lego hulk
super hero game
chocolate bat

notes of Fox- He loves  anything super hero, dressing up, building things and anything manly and tough. ;)
Shirt/pant- 5/6


Ander-
Anders a baby. Whatever you get him he will play with the packaging more than the gift ;)
As far as clothing goes he's currently size 18 month :)


Tony and Kira-
Coming soon....
:)
(I'll update it after Tony gets home and I can talk to him...some of the things I have on my list are serger sewing machine, kitchen aid, crockpot,  good water bottle, unpicker, photoshop, long cute necklaces. Haha! I'm not pricey at all, am I :) )

Diary Logs of the Little No-Sleeper

Below are the diary logs of the Little No-Sleeper, an adorable munchkin known to scoot around the floor and gobble up anything and everything he finds on the floor. Lately it has been discovered that the little No-Sleeper has developed the habit of no sleeping in his mom and dad's bed; a habit which, because of some type of sleep-deprived, delirium, has been allowed by the mother and father, but will no longer be allowed.

Oct 23nd

2:34 am--the call of the No-Sleeper rings out across the land. The mother answers.

3:06 am--after a feeding, the mother has decided that the No-Sleeper is way past full (and way chunky enough, for that matter) and refuses to feed any more.

3:07 am--No-Sleeper is angry. His war cry can be heard for miles.

3:16 am--Mother's standing and rocking has no affect on angry No-Sleeper.

3:22 am-- No-Sleeper as finally settled down and is doing that sad, sharp breath in-take thing.

3:28 am--Mother tried to sit and rock No-Sleeper. No-Sleeper's anger returns.

3:45 am--After many attempts No-Sleeper finally will allow mother to sit and rock without fits of protest.

3:57 am-- No-Sleeper is asleep. Operation "Put In Bed" is underway.

3:58 am-- No-Sleeper is an excellent faker. Rocking ensues.

4:08 am-- Operation "Put In Bed" take 2.

4:09 am-- After further investigation it is discovered the No-Sleeper may have developed some sort of sixth sense to know when he is near his bed.  Operation "Put in bed whether No-Sleeper is asleep or not" is underway.

4:30 am-- Mother checks for wet diaper, No-Sleeper is dry. No-Sleepers angry cries ring out across the land again.

4:45 am--No-Sleeper finally is asleep...sort of...propped up, kneeling against crib side.

5:06 am--Mother kisses No-Sleeper and lays him down. A few pitiful whines escape No-Sleepers mouth before he drifts off to sleep.

6:45 am--No-Sleeper is awake, because clearly an hour and a half of sleep is enough.


10:15 am--No-Sleeper sleeps for 6 minutes in the car and then is awake again.

12:04 pm--Operation "Nap Time" is under way.

12:25 pm--No-Sleeper is well fed and drowsy.

12:25 1/2 pm--No-Sleepers six sense seems to still function.

12:26 pm--No-Sleeper's screams grate against mothers brain.

12:31 pm-- No-Sleeper says, "Mama,"  for the first time. All is forgiven.

12:37 pm-- Mother and No-Sleeper eat cheese crackers and watch tv.

12:52 pm-- No-Sleeper flips out when cheese crackers are gone. Operation "Nap Time" take 2 is under way.

Last Leg Home

The rest of our road trip home, we stopped whenever we saw something "interesting." Like the worlds biggest corn palace and a Native American archeological dig site. The corn palace had pictures on the sides all made of thousands of ears of corn. The inside was a gym. Not quite as cool as the outside. 

The dig site was pretty interesting although it helped me to realize how much I don't want to be an archeologist. That stuff would be soooo boring. :) After seeing the dig site they had a sandbox the kids could dig through to find an plastic arrowhead that they could trade in for a real arrowhead. it was pretty cool.  

This is Liam and Fox trying to look like a fat guy like in the drawing. 

Storybook Island

Another place we stopped at on the way home was Storybook Island in South Dakota. This was another place I remembered fondly from my childhood family vacation and it didn't disappoint. There were so many fun characters to see, and things to play on and in. They even had a magic show that Fox got to participate in! Such a fun time.