PERFECT!

Here is Peter at his baptism.  What a great person.  He was excited and happy to finally be able to be baptized. He adds a lot of energy and enthusiam to anything that we do.  He is very good at keeping his things organized and is a whiz at school.  It is also really fun to watch him make touchdowns and grab flags at his flag football games.  We are happy and blessed to have him in our family.

Bed Rest

I have put myself on bed rest!  These last few weeks have been so exhausting and painful.  I just lay around all day and watch movies, or sit at the computer--basically, William, Clark, and I have become major COUCH POTATOES.

We've certainly racked up the Netflix hours.  Here are some of my opinions on different shows.

Veggie Tales--really enjoy the witty plots and clever, fun songs.  FIVE stars!

Calliou--HALF a STAR.  I can hardly stand to watch this one.  The sappy voices and story lines are just too much for me.  AND the music is annoying.

Authur--I've always liked Arthur--the books, artwork, and videos are great.  FOUR stars!

Little Bear--this is OK.  Cute animals.  THREE  stars.

My Little Pony--for some reason William really likes these.  Kind of annoying, but OK since they keep him quiet while I blog!  THREE stars.

Monk--this is a great TV series about an OCD detective that works for the police department in San Fran.  Some great characters.  Unfortunately, we can't seem to find this anymore.  It just seemed is disappear from Netflix--does anyone know why?  This is also the series where William has picked up swearing--so maybe that's why it has mysteriously vanished. I think we need to invest in something that blocks language!  FOUR STARS.

America--The Story of Us--this is on the History Channel and has been incredible.  It starts with the the early settlers of Jamestown and the Pilgrims and moves through the Revolutionary, Civil and World Wars.  It is amazing to see how transportation has really changed our lives.  I have really enjoyed watching these.  FIVE STARS--I am almost through with this series and wish that there were more!

Call the Midwife--nurses in England in the 40's?? that deliver babies--mostly in sad conditions.  This was TOO much for me in my current state.  I could only watch one of these and that was enough.

What are some of your recommendations for movies, TV shows, and also books.  I want to get several books down-loaded on David's kindle to take to the hospital--What are some of your suggestions?

I take this couch potato stuff seriously and would LOVE recommendations.  We also have BYUtv--have you watched any good forums or devotionals?  I mean they are all "good" but any that really stand out?
Thanks for helping me out!

Run Like the Wind

Eastman Road Race - 3K

 Michael, Eliza, Parker, David, and Grace (not pictured) ready to run the Eastman Road Race

Eliza in the blue shirt...she beat all of us

 

Almost there! David cheers Michael on.
 

Peter ready to race.
 

William hitting the "runner's wall"!

Northeast State Honors 5K Glow (night) Run

 

Eliza painting Parker with glow paint

 

 Just back from the night-time "glow run"!

Mud, Sweat, & Cheers 5K Obstacle course
http://www.kingsportphotos.com/Sports/Running/2013-Mud-Sweat-Cheers-Adults
This 5K consisted of running through tires, jumping over barriers, climbing over a rope bridge, jumping over large, round hay bales, climbing a huge hill, and climbing through the mud pit. It was a blast!

David going through the mud at the end - he dove into the mud pit.

 

Right after the 5K - before we cleaned off

With friends from work. David's shirt was white.

 

Cleaning up under the fire hose

 

After cleaning up
 

 Mud, Sweat, and Cheers Run--David, Parker, Michael
Michael got 1st place (out of 1) in his age group in the 1 mile run.
They LOVED this one.

 

 

We've had some fun this fall running around.  Notice that I am absent from all photos.  I did go to the Eastman Run--because they were serving a pre-race pasta dinner!!  David has really gotten the older kids into running with him.  They have had lots of great times and a few sore muscles. 



Eastern Idaho State Fair

There is nothing quite like a day at the fair.  I grew up doing 4-H with our horses and also entered a few cooking and sewing projects.  I loved working at the Prime Steer--our ward booth that sold great burgers and pies.  The highlight had to have been walking around with my siblings and saving our money for the coveted "Grab Bags".  They were $1 and mostly just junk--but it was cool junk and we opened each bag with great anticipation. We would also wander through the buildings and get all of the FREE stuff.  I have wonderful memories of going to the fair.  This year my Dad has a few old tractors that he has had restored that were on display, so we had to go and check them out!  The fair wasn't "officially" open--we were a day early.  It was fun to see a few animals, wander around, and Debbie (my sister) treated us to some nice cold water to combat the heat of the day.  We also stopped at Artic Circle on the way home and checked out some property.  It was fun to spend the day with Debbie, Pieper, Naomi and Dad.

Thank Hugh!

We have the BEST bus driver.  His name is Hugh and he has saved the day more than once.  He often waits for me when I carry a tired, crying child to the bus.  He will even "wait at the corner" if we have missed the bus the first time. Katherine has REALLY struggled with getting up and going to school.  She is doing better now, but barely made it through Kindergarten. Hugh even gives us tickets to the circus!

I will always remember the day last spring when Hugh made my day.  I was not feeling well, being pregnant and had just barely been able to get out of bed and get the kids off to school.  One morning, I managed to get them out the door before the bus was waiting and honking.  Just as I was sitting down, I heard to bus pull up and then someone was back.  I figured that someone forgot their lunch, homework, or maybe KK had lost it.  I did not know if I would be able to handle whatever "crisis" it happened to be. Anyway, to my surprise and delight--it was Grace at the door with a box of Krispy Kream donuts.  Hugh had sent them in.  I gave Grace and hug and told her to thank Hugh.  Then I started bawling and ate three donuts.  It was a great morning.  It feels so good to have such kind people in our life anthat take care of my children and ME, too!

The kids have been back to school for a MONTH now--they started on August 5th.  It is crazy how fast the time has gone.  Here are a few back-to-school pics.  They are all settled in and doing well.

 Peter (3rd grade) and Katherine (1st grade) getting on Hugh's bus.  Headed to Miller Perry.

 Grace (6th grade) and Michael (8th grade) go the Colonial Heights Middle School.  It is close to our house.  David drops them off in the morning and they walk home.  Parker is at Sullivan South High School as a sophmore.  Eliza is a senior.  She missed the first two days of school, because she was at SVU for Zion's Camp--she loved it!

Peter and Katherine ALL smiles--at least for the first day!!

New Cousins

What a great weekend of fun.  I flew home for Blaine and Audrey's wedding.  They are a beautiful couple and so happy together.  I am delighted for both of them.  When I was telling the kids that I would be gone for a while, Peter was excited to learn that Blaine was marrying "that lady" and even more excited that he would get some "new cousins"! 

Heavy, Heavy Hangover

OK, the kids have started their second week of school and I finally feel like things are settling down somewhat.  I am pretty tired, but figured I could handle sitting at the computer and typing a bit of what we have been up to.

I wanted to start with the birthdays from 2013!

 I got spoiled big time--with love, attention, and lots of great presents--I love having birthdays--turning 42 isn't so bad when I get $42!!  We did our traditional heavy, heavy hangover with gifts wrapped in Wal-Mart bags.

 Michael with his donuts--I'm sure he got some fun presents, but all I got was photos of the treats!  He is such a kind, gentle person.  He is so good playing with the little kids.  He's a wonderful teenager--most of the time!  He is now 13.

 Eliza turned 17 and scored some great gifts from family near and far.  She's fun to buy for and is pretty easy to please.  She loves her pink pocket knife and uses it regularly.  She is very capable and fun to be with.

 William turned 4--he had a fun day with his friend Tyler and then a good party with his family.  He is a entertaining little guy. 

 David met me and the little boys to celebrate Clark's 2nd birthday at O'Charleys.  It was a fun lunch.  Clark is a talker and has quite the vocabulary--even some bad words!  He loves to stay up late, but still takes good naps.  He is so precious.  We sure love him.

 We celebrated David's birthday while we were at Myrtle Beach over Memorial Day weekend.   Here are Eliza and David taking off on the para-sail.  They said it was a blast.  David takes such great care of all of us.  The kids are all in bed and he just ran to the grocery store for me.  Thanks!!

 Peter celebrated turning 8 on June 13th.  The photos we got we all interesting, so enjoy a good laugh.  Peter loves the baseball equipment that he got and plays a few times a week with Grace, Parker or Michael.  He has a lot of natural ability and TONS of energy. 

Grace had her 11th birthday on June 24th and celebrated in Kingsport with a big party with her friends.  For some reason, I have NO photos of the only "real" party we had where invitations were sent and activities were planned and carried out.  They swam in the pool, played games, water balloons, and also made chapstick from beeswax, oils, and scents.  They all had a blast.  She is a REAL sweetheart.  She did get to celebrate her birthday in Goblin Valley with her cousin Stephanie, so at least we have that picture!

 

 

 

More still to come.

Katherine in September.

New Baby in October.

Parker in November.

 

Lang Zal Ze Leven!