Last Sunday all the family headed over to Justyn and Rachel's place to watch football. We only have a few games left in the season. But the kids enjoyed each other's company and played together well. It has been fun to have family get togethers. We miss Hollee and Jonah. They are coming down next month so they will be able to participate :)
Monday was a school holiday. And so I took the kids to the dentist since they were a month late on their cleaning. Colt did really good and just sat still while he watched Cars. Aspen did good as well but she had another cavity on a tooth that she already had a filling. So the dentist recommended putting a crown on it. So Aspen now has a silver tooth. She is quite proud of it too. It will fall out eventually. We just have to remember to floss.
After dentist appointments, the kids and I went to Del Taco for lunch. They have so much fun playing and I can just sit back and watch or read. We did some shopping as well. I got a few things and I let the kids pick out a toy for doing so well at the dentist.
After shopping came bowling. Aspen had een asking for a week to go bowling and we finally made it. We had to wait about 30 minutes for a lane to open but luckily there was an arcade there to keep the kids occupied. I helped Colt bowl and he got an 82. I helped Aspen the first couple of times but then she wanted to do it herself. She got a 62. That is pretty impressive since I remember getting scores in the 40's.
That night we went to McDonald's to meet up with Grandma and Grandpa Chris and Justyn, Rachel and Issy. I can't express how thankful I am to be able to see most of my family on a regular basis, something I haven't been able to do for 7 years.
The rest of the week was pretty normal. Colt went into his karate both days and for the most part did what his teacher asked. It is fun to watch him learn how to do it. Aspen has her gymnastics and I am looking into a dance group. She loves doing gymnastics and it is fun to see the things she does.
I am hanging in there. The commute to Cedar every day isn't fun but it does give me time to think and reflect. I also listen to some talks and the scriptures. It is a great way to start out the day. I am loving having a student teacher. This next week she takes over teaching all of my classes. I will still help her grade and write some material. That part of the job needs two people because it is so hard to do on your own. I will have her until the beginning of April so I will only have to teach the last 2 months :)
This past year has been a hard one but I have had so much support from family, friends and members of the ward. They have helped with the kids when I needed it. Being a single mom is definitely not easy. But with the help of friends and family, it is doable. I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father who has blessed me and my kids so much this past year. I don't know how I would survive without them. I love all of them and my kids.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Saturday, January 19, 2013
A weekend with the kids
I don't know why I think that the weekdays shouldn't be busy. Last Sunday when I picked up the kids Aspen said "Mom, I want to go to the gym, when are we going to go?" My thought exactly. I told her "Probably Friday because Monday we have FHE with great grandma and grandpa at McDonald's, Tuesday you have gymnastics and Colt has karate, Wednesday we have Alijah's birthday party and Thursday Colt has karate". But I would not change it to where we just sit at home and watch TV/movies all day long. So we did all of that this week. And I was lucky enough to be able to keep the kids this weekend due to Doug's schedule. So far, we have had fun.
Friday night, we tried to go bowling. I forgot how busy St. George is. The wait was an hour so we left. We came home and played some games on the Wii and the Disney Scene It game. Colt was loving the boxing game on the Wii and then Aspen and I did some dancing. And Aspen kicked trash on the Disney game. I think she has a photographic memory sometimes.
Saturday, Colt (with help from Grandma) made the girls pancakes. They were delicious. Then we headed over to the gym, finally. We went to Del Taco for lunch and then headed over to Jumpin' Jacks. The kids played there for 2 hours. They probably would have stayed longer but I was bored and tired. We went over to Darcee's to play with the kids. Then Darcee's family ended up coming over to Grandma's house for the evening. Overall it was a great day.
There are still two more days of the weekend and I am sure we will pack all we can into it, including bowling.
UPDATE: The kids had their dentist appointments on Monday. Colt's teeth looked great, he had one teeny tiny cavity that we are just going to watch. Aspen, on the other hand, got another one on a tooth that already had a filling so she got a silver crown. She was a trooper and is actually proud of her silver tooth. After the dentist we did a little shopping and then went bowling. The weekend was great and I think the kids had a lot of fun.
These pictures are from my ipod so not the highest quality.
Friday night, we tried to go bowling. I forgot how busy St. George is. The wait was an hour so we left. We came home and played some games on the Wii and the Disney Scene It game. Colt was loving the boxing game on the Wii and then Aspen and I did some dancing. And Aspen kicked trash on the Disney game. I think she has a photographic memory sometimes.
Saturday, Colt (with help from Grandma) made the girls pancakes. They were delicious. Then we headed over to the gym, finally. We went to Del Taco for lunch and then headed over to Jumpin' Jacks. The kids played there for 2 hours. They probably would have stayed longer but I was bored and tired. We went over to Darcee's to play with the kids. Then Darcee's family ended up coming over to Grandma's house for the evening. Overall it was a great day.
There are still two more days of the weekend and I am sure we will pack all we can into it, including bowling.
UPDATE: The kids had their dentist appointments on Monday. Colt's teeth looked great, he had one teeny tiny cavity that we are just going to watch. Aspen, on the other hand, got another one on a tooth that already had a filling so she got a silver crown. She was a trooper and is actually proud of her silver tooth. After the dentist we did a little shopping and then went bowling. The weekend was great and I think the kids had a lot of fun.
These pictures are from my ipod so not the highest quality.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
New Year = New Blog = New Adventures
So I was having problems with my other blog involving pictures. Apparently I had used all the space allowed and would have to start deleting pictures or pay money for more space. So I chose to start a whole new blog. But I have some catching up to do :(
I was lucky and had the kids this year on New Year's Eve. Grandma had a party with everyone that night. Both Justyn and Darcee's family came and we had a great party. All of the kids made it until midnight and then went outside to bang pots and pans and scream "Happy New Year". We didn't stay outside for very long because it was cold.
The whole family spent a couple of days that week helping Justyn and Rachel unpack all of their stuff. Darcee, Rachel and I took about 3 hours to put together a dresser that would have taken one guy 10 minutes. But we are girls and we like to talk. It was nice to help them get their house somewhat organized. Then Rachel's mom came down for a week to help her get everything else organized.
Last Friday we had a cousin's sleep over. We had ALL of the grandkids there. I don't know that that has happened before. But we had help. Darlene spent the night to help with the kids. And Darcee and Jay were there until about 10. I told my mom that I was going to go over to their house for the adult sleep over but she wouldn't let me :( The kids had fun. We started by going to Del Taco and letting them play. Then we got "The Lorax" from the redbox and had a pajama party. For about the first half of the movie, all the kids were watching it. Then Darcee's kids showed up and Aspen was the only one watching it. But we, me, were able to get the kids down for bed at 10. The girls slept in the front room and the boys slept in the family room. We thought all was good. Then I got woken up around 2 by my mom needing some medicine for Trent. He apparently started to cough right before bed and had woken up Ashlyn in the middle of the night. So I was up for about 30 minutes trying to help out, getting medicine and oils for Trent. I think that all of the kids were awake except for my two and Issy, who was sleeping in a room with Grandma Darlene. I told my mom I should have gone to the adult sleepover.
Saturday the kids and I headed up to Cedar City. We went and visited with our former neighbors, Mark and Kelly. They had a baby back in November and we hadn't seen him. The kids love playing with Nash and Bridgette. They all got along great. When we were done there, we headed over to Ms. Amber's house for a few minutes. The kids were so excited to see her and play with her kids. We didn't stay long because she had other company. Then we went to the ambulance building for a few minutes so the kids could say hi to their dad. Then we went to Cassidy's (Joy's daughter) wedding reception which was the whole reason for us to come up. I am glad we got there right at the beginning. We were able to visit a little and Aspen got to see her good friend Kai. Cassidy and Mitch looked radiant and so happy.
I had to go back to work on Monday :( So hard after 2 weeks off, and I was jipped one week because I was sick. The kids didn't want me to go back either. They had had fun having their mom with them. I was also able to take Aspen to school twice the week before and I think she enjoyed that. But back to work I went. I was going back to the end of the 2nd quarter but was also given a student teacher this semester. She is a very sweet girl and will help me get through this year.
Since we have moved down to St. George, I had been looking for activities to get my kids involved in. I asked Aspen whether she wanted to do dance or gymnastics for now, she said gymnastics. It is more expensive down here so I got her in gymnastics once a week. Colten I got in Karate. He goes twice a week. He went in and had fun on Tuesday but refused to go in on Thursday. We will keep working on it.
The kids spent this last weekend with their dad. I miss them when they are not here but it sounds like they have a fun time.
Aspen is blooming to be such a precious gem. She absolutely loves being at Grandma's house. She loves school. This past week she was the VIP in Mrs. Heger's class. She took a few things that were important to her to share with the class. She took her Broncos jersey, her dinosaur that Grandpa Higgins gave her and the picture of me with her when she was born. She also was interviewed to help the class learn more about her. One of the questions was "Where is your favorite place to visit?" Her reply was McDonald's. How cute is that? Since we have come down we have joined back in with the tradition of going to McDonald's on Monday nights for family home evening. Great Grandma and Grandpa are there as well and Aspen loves seeing them. Aspen, I love you and the joy you bring to my life.
Colten is a little firecracker. Some days he is really cute and listens very well and others he goes off like a fire work. He is learning at a young age what it means to be grounded. He loves his electronics, ipods, kindles and wii. So that is his punishment when he chooses to not listen and obey. I have a hard time enforcing it but I hope that he will learn the importance of obeying while the situation is present not 5 hours later when he wants to play his ipod. I would say that he is somewhat catching on and it is a work in progress. When he is cute, boy is he cute. Those moments melt my heart. Colt, I love you and know that you were sent to me on purpose and to teach me what it means to be patient. I am not always patient but, just like you, it is a work in progress.
Pictures from the cousin sleep over.
Aspen and Issy sharing the couch watching the movie.
Paige ready to watch the movie but missing a tooth she pulled out.
Trent and Jeramiah playing on the ds
Ashlyn.
Colten and Trent sharing the recliner.
Aspen turned at the right second, Alijah and Colten
Grandma and Issy making old fashioned popcorn.
Kayleeya and Paige
I was lucky and had the kids this year on New Year's Eve. Grandma had a party with everyone that night. Both Justyn and Darcee's family came and we had a great party. All of the kids made it until midnight and then went outside to bang pots and pans and scream "Happy New Year". We didn't stay outside for very long because it was cold.
The whole family spent a couple of days that week helping Justyn and Rachel unpack all of their stuff. Darcee, Rachel and I took about 3 hours to put together a dresser that would have taken one guy 10 minutes. But we are girls and we like to talk. It was nice to help them get their house somewhat organized. Then Rachel's mom came down for a week to help her get everything else organized.
Last Friday we had a cousin's sleep over. We had ALL of the grandkids there. I don't know that that has happened before. But we had help. Darlene spent the night to help with the kids. And Darcee and Jay were there until about 10. I told my mom that I was going to go over to their house for the adult sleep over but she wouldn't let me :( The kids had fun. We started by going to Del Taco and letting them play. Then we got "The Lorax" from the redbox and had a pajama party. For about the first half of the movie, all the kids were watching it. Then Darcee's kids showed up and Aspen was the only one watching it. But we, me, were able to get the kids down for bed at 10. The girls slept in the front room and the boys slept in the family room. We thought all was good. Then I got woken up around 2 by my mom needing some medicine for Trent. He apparently started to cough right before bed and had woken up Ashlyn in the middle of the night. So I was up for about 30 minutes trying to help out, getting medicine and oils for Trent. I think that all of the kids were awake except for my two and Issy, who was sleeping in a room with Grandma Darlene. I told my mom I should have gone to the adult sleepover.
Saturday the kids and I headed up to Cedar City. We went and visited with our former neighbors, Mark and Kelly. They had a baby back in November and we hadn't seen him. The kids love playing with Nash and Bridgette. They all got along great. When we were done there, we headed over to Ms. Amber's house for a few minutes. The kids were so excited to see her and play with her kids. We didn't stay long because she had other company. Then we went to the ambulance building for a few minutes so the kids could say hi to their dad. Then we went to Cassidy's (Joy's daughter) wedding reception which was the whole reason for us to come up. I am glad we got there right at the beginning. We were able to visit a little and Aspen got to see her good friend Kai. Cassidy and Mitch looked radiant and so happy.
I had to go back to work on Monday :( So hard after 2 weeks off, and I was jipped one week because I was sick. The kids didn't want me to go back either. They had had fun having their mom with them. I was also able to take Aspen to school twice the week before and I think she enjoyed that. But back to work I went. I was going back to the end of the 2nd quarter but was also given a student teacher this semester. She is a very sweet girl and will help me get through this year.
Since we have moved down to St. George, I had been looking for activities to get my kids involved in. I asked Aspen whether she wanted to do dance or gymnastics for now, she said gymnastics. It is more expensive down here so I got her in gymnastics once a week. Colten I got in Karate. He goes twice a week. He went in and had fun on Tuesday but refused to go in on Thursday. We will keep working on it.
The kids spent this last weekend with their dad. I miss them when they are not here but it sounds like they have a fun time.
Aspen is blooming to be such a precious gem. She absolutely loves being at Grandma's house. She loves school. This past week she was the VIP in Mrs. Heger's class. She took a few things that were important to her to share with the class. She took her Broncos jersey, her dinosaur that Grandpa Higgins gave her and the picture of me with her when she was born. She also was interviewed to help the class learn more about her. One of the questions was "Where is your favorite place to visit?" Her reply was McDonald's. How cute is that? Since we have come down we have joined back in with the tradition of going to McDonald's on Monday nights for family home evening. Great Grandma and Grandpa are there as well and Aspen loves seeing them. Aspen, I love you and the joy you bring to my life.
Colten is a little firecracker. Some days he is really cute and listens very well and others he goes off like a fire work. He is learning at a young age what it means to be grounded. He loves his electronics, ipods, kindles and wii. So that is his punishment when he chooses to not listen and obey. I have a hard time enforcing it but I hope that he will learn the importance of obeying while the situation is present not 5 hours later when he wants to play his ipod. I would say that he is somewhat catching on and it is a work in progress. When he is cute, boy is he cute. Those moments melt my heart. Colt, I love you and know that you were sent to me on purpose and to teach me what it means to be patient. I am not always patient but, just like you, it is a work in progress.
Pictures from the cousin sleep over.
Paige ready to watch the movie but missing a tooth she pulled out.
Colten and Trent sharing the recliner.
Kayleeya and Paige
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