Summer Fun

I realize that snow suits are on the store shelves and Christmas trees are at the local Hobby Lobby but around here it's still summer.  As in it's hot, the kids sleep in (sort of) and I don't have much gumption to tackle any major projects.

But just to prove to posterity (and my mom) that we're not completely lazy here ya go, part one of our summer in 7 pictures.

Yogurt really is just as messy as you'd think.

Imagine the dental floss.

Happy birthday to the baby!  Picture of her cake but not of her, what's wrong with that picture??

Houses that we can't afford (thank you student loans) but they're nice to look at!

Swimming with 5 kids is no joke.  It's an achievement man.

I've always wanted to play in a fountain but because I'm a grownup I'm the one telling the kids no while secretly thinking that fountain swimming would be super fun.

Proof that kids really are able to sleep anywhere.  It makes my neck hurt just looking at this picture.

Happy summer!

Time Flies

Somehow I had two babies at the same time (oh my word!) and I managed to feed and change them and generally survive the chaos.   I think I was younger back then.

circa 2006

They grew up and now they feed and dress themselves and definitely create large doses of chaos.  They still make me tired.

just last week

Obviously our family is just not capable of taking family pictures where everyone is A: smiling, B: looking at the camera or C: sitting up straight.  I think that needs to be our next family project...

2011...  I think

This picture makes me happy.  I love my kids, LOVE THEM!

july 2013

Happy Tuesday!

Love, Kristen

Back To School

The older kids are all in school now.  I cried.  Because that's what I do.  I just wear sunglasses and try not to talk to anyone.

Anna's in fourth grade this year.  That means she'll be leaving for law school (the girl knows how to argue) in just a couple of minutes.  I think I'm going to throw up.

Grant is in first.  He's going to be starting medical school the day after tomorrow (he's very curious about how things work).  I'm just going to assume the fetal position now.

Jennie slid into first.  She's going to dominate the ballet stage any second now (she really can dance).  My heart just stopped.

Nathan is in preschool.  That means he'll be on his way to college after lunch (future still undetermined).  I need suggestions on how exactly you stop your kids from growing...

Yeah, yeah I know your children are supposed to grow up and take over the world but does that mean that they really have to leave the nest?  I mean, that's hard for this momma to deal with.  I don't think I'm cut out for the goodbye part of parenting.  It's rough.

Oh and if none of my children actually become what I've decided they should be I'll get over it, probably.  After all what child really does what their parent tells them...

Introducing...

She came early.  But this post is late.  Only not really because technically she wasn't due until tomorrow.  So let's call it a wash.

I'll let her take it from here.

Hi guys.  I'm really pretty aren't I?  I know, I know looks aren't everything but they don't hurt.  But let's cover the important stuff.  My name is Marjorie Grace but I answer to Maggie, Mags, Magzie, Magzilla and Maggie Mae. Give my siblings some time and I'm sure they'll come up with a few more names.

I was born on July 23.  I weighed 6 lbs 5 oz and I was 19 inches long.  I wasn't supposed to come until tomorrow (August 8) but my mom started having this thing with her kidneys and the doctors said it was my fault.  So they pulled me out of my nice warm home, her kidneys recovered and I was healthy so I guess it worked out okay.  Don't worry, I've since apologized to Momma and she's forgiven me so we're good.

My siblings love me.

So there you go.  I'm healthy.  My mom is healthy.  My family loves me.  I'm also hungry so I'll stop dictating this to my secretary so that she can feed me.

Love you guys!

5% Rice

You guys all know about the rice trick, right?  The one where if you drop your phone in a crock pot full of water (because it was "soaking", not because you were too tired to wash it the night before) you put said phone in a bag of rice and it sucks all the moisture out thereby rescuing you from a ruined phone? That's the rice trick I'm talking about.

The rice works but I would also recommend a high percentage of Divine intervention.  See when the above mentioned tragedy occurs it helps if you were grabbing the precious phone to call your better half so that you could read scriptures as a family.  You're blessed for attempting to do good things.  At least that's the creed I live by.

After this tragic accident Anna so lovingly reminded me "pioneers didn't have phones..."

Not a recent pic but oddly appropriate, pioneers and all.

Thank you child of mine.  Pioneers also didn't have surgeries to schedule, people to call and friends to annoy with whiny texts. Geez.

Let's summarize:

• don't leave water in your sink
• don't put your phone on the ledge above the dangerous sink
• do good things with your phone
• have rice on hand

Unknown Territory

I started sewing when I was five.  

True story.  I made a skirt, umm without a pattern.  In fact with just scraps from Mom's stash.  I used the sewing machine and everything.  

No.  It did NOT look good.  It was obviously homemade by a five year old without a pattern and probably without parental involvement (my mom was super good at the whole independence thing).    Something else you should know that will give you a glimpse into the amazing character of my mom, she let me wear my creation out of the house.  In public.  She's awesome.

Thankfully my skills have improved since then and when I wear things that I've made people don't snicker as I walk away... I think.

I ventured into the land of quilts recently.  It seems like it would be an innocent hobby right?  Wrong.  It can get spendy and time consuming and you sorta want to scream and ask yourself WHY?!?!

But lucky for these two girls, I persevered.

 

Here's Anna's.  She's a huge fan of owls so naturally...

Grandma (also known as Mom) found a fairy fabric a few years ago that reminded her of my girl.  It became the star of Jen's quilt.

If you know Jennie you can see the resemblance.

The completed quilt tops are on their way to Grandma's where she's going to use her fancy quilting machine to finish them off (thanks again Mom).  I promised the boys that they would each get a quilt of their own but after that I think I'm done.  Quilting is a bit tedious for me, all that precision and exactness makes my head hurt.  

I'd rather sew without a pattern.

Recently (or a classy photo dump)

What's wrong with this picture?

Let me set the stage.  It was just after 5 in the morning.  I didn't sleep great last night, who does at this stage of pregnancy?  Finally, I have several pairs of running shoes, maybe it's time to go through them and consolidate a bit...

Nope, I didn't change them.  I did my workout and just snickered at myself whenever I thought about my shoes.  For the record, let's define "workout": it was a mile and a half in 30 minutes.  My former marathon self is shaking her head in disgust but she'll pull through, she's been here before.

Step one of the classic barn fowl game.

Step 2, let the fun begin.

The first annual backyard camp out was born last week.  You'll notice there's not a place for me.  That's because my pioneer ancestors would be ashamed of me for sleeping on the ground (while expecting a child) when I have a perfectly good bed inside.

The fun lasted until about one in the morning when the thunder and lightning started.  The campers relocated to the family room floor.  I stayed in my soft bed.  It was lovely.

The rain kept coming which led to the following.

Miraculously no one fell and no blood or tears were shed.  Like I said, a miracle.

Nathan is convinced that he fits.  It could work right???

Are you still with me?  Good because here's what we do everyday.  EVERYDAY.  Because it's hot and the alternative is My Little Pony.  

I prefer skinny kids in swimsuits.

Happy Monday!

Kristen

PS- future generations should know that Grant isn't a fan of the pony show, that would be his sisters and his easily influenced brother.

Field Trips: splash pad

Field trips.  They're not just for elementary kids on stinky buses with sticky brown seats.

They're also for the Miles' fam.

To kick off the 2013 summer we went big.  Really big.

Or maybe not.  But if you're one of my kids then two hours at the splash pad are kind of a big deal.  Especially if any of you remember how much I hate parks.

This quality photography is brought to you courtesy of my chair.

Those fuzzy blobs are my Nathan and Grant.  Playing on the playground in just swimsuits was the highlight of their day.

You really can't tell from the picture but the wind.  Oh. My. Word.  The wind.  The water was blowing horizontal.  Trees were losing ground.  Eating lunch was an exercise in hilarity.  Watching your youngest chase after his chips is a good way to lighten up.

So that was the first field trip of the year.  Pretty low key but that's how we like things.  In the past we've visited the Air Force Museum, the town of Vernal, every park in driving distance and most of the museums in the Salt Lake valley.

Have fun this summer!

PS- it's Nathan's birthday this Sunday.  Four years.  I'm not sure how this happened.

These days

Match the bullet point to the picture.

• The gorgeous queen's crown.  Being the costume director for a ballet (especially if you've never actually seen said ballet) is an adventure in creativity.
• Seriously the best salad I've had in recent memory.  There were grapes, oranges, and strawberries along with feta cheese and some incredible glazed pecans.  It was dressed with an incredible raspberry vinaigrette with a bit of a kick to it.  I still think about how good that salad was.
• The three older kids taught themselves how to ride a bike.  With no parental involvement.  That means the husband and I scored big time.  No hunching over running after the bike... we are blessed.  Part two, notice Grant's bike.  I found it a consignment store.  For $25.  Quite possibly the greatest score ever.
• The dollar aisle at Hobby Lobby contains treasures.  Especially useful for rainy days.
• Our floor project has continued to morph.  We, meaning I, figured that while the family room couches were out in the garage that we, meaning I would take advantage of the chaos and paint the family room.  I'm tired of the brown/ tan/ beige/ boring walls.  So we're upgrading to a gorgeous yellow.  I had to re texture the ceiling (thank you builders).  Friday night I painted the freshly textured ceiling.  Saturday morning I thought about crying because my arms hurt.  I'm planning to paint the walls tonight and the trim sometime later this week.  That means that if we're lucky and I remain motivated, the kids might be able to sit on couches instead of camp chairs to watch PBS kids.  Maybe.
• This is Rothbart's hood.  He's the bad guy in Swan Lake (but I've never seen it so I couldn't tell you exactly how bad) and his costume is incredible.  I say that with a certain amount of pride because somehow I, along with divine help from above created something pretty amazing.
• My oldest girl, Anna is incredible.  Someday I'll write a mushy post about how much I love her and how wise beyond her years she is but for now just know that she's amazing.  She's the kind of person that just makes me want to be better.  She's a blessing.
• Nathan hasn't mastered the two wheel bike skill yet so he's banished to a bike trailer that is technically too small.  We need to upgrade to a bike seat but I'm having a hard time finding one in my price range, $0 to $30.  There doesn't seem to be much in the lower end of that range...  Jennie however has completely mastered the dual arts of bike riding and matching her shoes to her shirt.  She's got skills.

Boys (said with love or exasperation depending on the time of day)

Boys, they just don't suck.

And what more can you say than that?

I love my guys.  Even when they insist on tomato squirting contests .. the loser has to tell Momma about the mess.

Happy Thursday!  Now go to Cari's and join the fun.

Top 8: What I Love

These gorgeous planks of imitation wood.  I love the look of dark wood, it just looks incredible but...  Last year I stained our deck stairs a dark brown, almost black aaaannnnddd they've looked bad ever since.  Four kids, a dog, a busy housekeeper, it just wasn't a good idea.  So we went light and I LOVE them.  LOVE!

Baby checkup yesterday.  She's healthy and growing.  Along with my arse... but you know, what do you do?  Oh quit eating Peanut M&Ms... right.

The man I married, he's a winner.  Yesterday I had a serious freak out   Like ugly demons took over.  He just rolled with it and when I finally got over myself he didn't even play the injured party card (even though he totally deserved some serious payback).  He's a keeper.

Somehow I hit the offspring jackpot.  My kids are funny (ish), reasonably well behaved and usually thoughtful and kind.  I kinda think they're the greatest people ever to grace this planet.

I read this (scroll down to number 5, I'll wait) on Cari's blog.  I've been laughing ever since.

I really do try to take care of this miraculous baby machine of mine so most mornings I hang out with my friend Sadie Lincoln over at Barre 3.  It's a good time, try it.

I'm a Mormon, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints if you're being particular and today I'm a stickler because my love for the Savior, well it makes everything that I do not only possible but also meaningful.  I'm blessed to belong to a church that teaches that this life isn't the end of everything, my family that I love so much is mine forever!  That's a pretty great thing to help you make it through the day.

Last of all this boy kills me.  He's still trying to overcome his disappointment that Baby Girl isn't Baby Boy.  I was toweling him off after a shower and this is the conversation we had.

Him:  Why can't our baby be a boy?

Me:  Because Heavenly Father decided we needed a girl.

Him:  (thinking) Well He should have sent a boy too.

Me:  You mean twins?

Him:  Yes, a girl AND a boy.

Me:  Well... He didn't because He loves your momma.

Him:  Oh.  Maybe next time.

The End.

Kristen

If you're strong enough, there are no precedents.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

No relation, just interesting (ish)

1.  Kindergartners make me mushy inside.  Especially these two.

Mine are the two looking at the camera...

I'm sorta in love with my six year olds.

2.  The best time to tackle a home improvement project is when you are 19 weeks pregnant and you and your husband are both in school and you have too few hours in the day.  FYI.

After complaining about the genius who put carpet in the dining area for a while (approximately 8 years now) we're finally ready to take the plunge.

We bought the laminate on Saturday with a strict, written in blood agreement that we would wait to install them after the semester was over.  Meaning May.

This was our main level last night right after we put the kids to bed.

Then this happened.

Look closely at the pile o' crap on the floor.  That was under our carpet.  We'd been living with that.  I also claim to be a pretty good maid...

I'd also like you to notice that pile of dust where our heat register is supposed to be.  The husband was digging around in there and found not one but two of my missing exercise DVDs.

I blame these two.

Before we called it a night the carpet was gone as well as those dangerous tack strips.  I had the extremely not difficult job of vacuuming up the years of dirt as well as any random staples, band aids and missing Barbie shoes while the handyman I married took care of the rest.  It was a pretty even trade... for me.

3.  We've finally figured out a way to read our scriptures regularly (more than once every six months), we read during breakfast.  Each of the kids reads, or repeats a verse and the husband and I read a few more.  We're kinda on a roll, it's been months since we started and we're still going strong.  It may take us approximately 27 years to make it through the scriptures but I'm just shooting for effort points not completion.

Oh and yes, my daughter is wearing a coat at the breakfast table.  My heater doesn't go any higher than 68 no matter how much snow is on the ground, it's very strange.