January -- The Highlight Reel

Wow.  January has flown by!  And even though I've only been able to blog 4 other times this month, you can rest assured that PLENTY has been happening.  Hahaha.  Here -- in a madcap effort to record something substantial for January 2016 -- is the highlight reel of the month...

Ethan

The highlights of Ethan's month include filming a music video and finding plans online to build a cubby/locker storage unit for our kitchen. And then actually going to Home Depot to buy all the wood we'll need to get started on this project.  It was like Christmas morning he was so excited.  Hahaha.

Of course, he picked the most bitterly cold day of the whole year to get it done, but when that kid sets his mind on something, there is NO stopping him.  And when we had said that maybe Martin Luther King day would be a good day to get it done, he was going to hold us to it come heck or high water.  Even if we DID wake up to negative degree wind chill factor.

Thankfully, once the wood was purchased, he became rational enough to realize that there was no way we were going to start WORKING on the project out in the garage while it was still this cold.  So, he switched his focus instead to practicing pocket holes with the drill.  And by practicing, I do mean practicing, but I mainly mean drilling and drilling and drilling and drilling just for the fun of it all.  Unfortunately, he came to the realization that pocket holes were going to be WAY too difficult to free hand, so he THEN switched his focus to searching Amazon for a Kreg jig to get the job done.  It was at this point that we intervened and suggested borrowing from someone who has one, before spending a bunch of money on a tool (or tools) that we would never use again.

He listened, and then moved on to other things, and we now have a bunch of wood taking up space in the garage, and a coat and backpack graveyard still in need of a locker. Hahahahaha.

But, never fear -- we WILL get that project done.  :)

Grace

And then there's Grace.  Other than Alex and Jane, Grace swipes my phone more than any other kid to take selfies just for fun.  Hahaha.  This lovely little lady continues to be a marvelous work and a wonder.  She is equal parts exasperatingly relentless and delightfully delightful.

Case in point:  Like Ethan -- but in her own way -- when she sets her mind on something, she won't stop until she gets it.  Her methods are FAR smoother than his, and if Ethan were to pay attention, he could learn a thing or two.  Hahaha.  In this one example pictured below, Grace somehow managed to convince me that I should make a deal with her so that she could go to Orange Leaf.  She is the queen of "deals."  And by deals, I mean she somehow gets me to go along with treating her for things that she's already supposed to do.  Like chores.  Or showering.  Or wearing deodorant.  Or...well, you get the picture.  Hahahaha.  For this Orange Leaf deal, she promised to do her chores and let me take her shopping for some new shampoo and face wash if I'd just take them out for some FroYo.  And THEN -- because she's the Tom Sawyer of the family, she actually got SOPHIE to do her chores with her {and for her in the case of loading the dishwasher}. Hahahaha.  What she didn't know, is that I was happy for an excuse to go to Orange Leaf myself.  ;)  Hahaha.

That's my girl!

In an exciting turn of events, Grace has recently decided that she'd like to start wearing real clothes, as opposed to gym wear 24/7.  This necessitated a shopping trip -- seeing as to how she doesn't OWN any normal clothes -- and we had ourselves a grand, old time this weekend finding some jeans and tops that fit with Grace's blooming personal aesthetic.  I couldn't have been happier.  :)

New Shoes -- we thought she could use a pair of non-running/non-church shoes

Sophie

Our former middle child is a week out from turning 9!!!  So hard to believe, but true.  I issued her a challenge at the beginning of the month to see if she could finish reading The Book of Mormon by her birthday (she was already in 3 Nephi), but I had a feeling it was probably still too much for her to do.  She made a valiant effort, though, and it was so cute to see her come down one Saturday and just plop down on the couch and start reading while everyone else was playing or watching TV.  Her more realistic goal, now, is to finish by the end of the school year.  Which should be totally doable.  :)

Last week, things got interesting on the health front, as I got a call from the school nurse (a.k.a. our BFF) saying Sophie's throat was hurting and her temperature was up a little bit.  It wasn't officially a fever, so the nurse said I didn't HAVE to check her out, so I told her to have Sophie tough it out unless it got any worse.  Fast forward a few hours, and I guess it got a little worse, because the nurse called again saying Sophie's teacher thought she still seemed dragging.  When I picked her up, I was immediately concerned when I saw how red and splotchy her face was.  Knowing she had had a sore throat and real fever the week before, and knowing that strep throat can cause Scarlet Fever, I was slightly worried that we were back in the Victorian Era or something.  Hahahaha.  So, I called the doctor and ended up bringing her in that afternoon to see if it was strep or not.  The test came back negative (whew!) and she didn't even have a fever, so the doctor said to check for signs of the rash spreading, but otherwise she was perfectly good to go.

At the beginning of the next day, the rash was looking even worse.  I snapped this picture to send to Scott.

At this point (since Sophie wasn't seeming sick AT ALL), I was starting to wonder if her face issues had more to do with the face wash she had used the night before, than any kind of mystery "illness."  Between her sensitive skin and eczema, I decided it was highly likely that all she needed was some cortizone cream, some aquafor, and some time for it to go away.  And that's all it took.  By the end of the next day (I did keep her home from school), her face was back to normal.  So, whew!  All's well that ends well, and thankfully we were spared any kind of real sickness.  :)

Jane

Jane, Jane, Jane.  Oh how she has struggled at bedtime this month.  Getting the 3 youngest to bed is turning out to be a mighty struggle in this household.  Mostly because they're all going to bed at basically the same time!  Nevertheless, we are persevering through it, and every now and then we're thrown a bone.  Such as Thursday night, when we were able to bribe her into cooperative behavior with the promise of McCocoa Night the next evening at the school.  She wanted to go SOOOOOO badly, that she went right to sleep.  And as an added bonus, was EXTRA cooperative the next morning while getting ready for school.  Scott rewarded her efforts with a little night out on Friday, where Jane had cookies and cocoa and story time to her little heart's content.  :)

Alex

This kid.  I don't even know what to do with him!  Hahahaha.  He's kind of hilarious and continues to be our resident Grumpy Old Man most of the time.  His newest obsession is Mario Kart and he begs to play it ALL day long.  As a side note, trying to wean him from electronics this month has been...a bust.  Hahahaha.  But I'm still trying! 

His other current obsession, is swiping my phone and taking selfies with his tongue sticking out, and I kid you not, I just deleted 258 photos like the ones up above.  Hahahahaha.  In other news, it was parent teacher conference time at the preschool this month!  I literally laughed out loud when I read the note on his report card that they sent home.  Something about the line, "Alex is a fine boy," really tickled my fancy.  But at least he's made progress on the social front, and that's what I was most concerned about anyway.  :)

To paint a picture of what our Grumpy Old Man is like in a church setting, here are some amusing anecdotes from his primary teacher --

(from last Sunday)
[OTHER KID]: Alex isn't choosing the right
ALEX: THAT'S BECAUSE I'M NOT WEARING MY STUPID RING

And,

(from a few months ago)
ALEX: I guess I have to throw this away because I hate it [crumples and throws coloring sheet in the trash]

And, finally, the piece de resistance --

Last Sunday, on the drive home, he took blasphemy to a new level, with his laughing exclamation that he was going to fart on a certain Deity.  That kid.  It certainly doesn't help that the big kids all laugh and think it's hilarious.  It most definitely eggs him on.  And I'm sure you can imagine that he doesn't need much egging in the first place.

But, hey -- at least he's a fine boy, right?  Hahahahaha.


Isaac

Meanwhile, this precious little lump of sugar is most assuredly a fine baby boy.  :)  Isaac's most recent accomplishments include making spit bubbles, giggling when tickled under his chin, and occasionally singing along with me when I rock him at bedtime.  :)

He was starting to do a little better with sleep at the beginning of the month, but then got another stuffy nose/cold and took a few steps backwards.  He's on the mend, now, and to reward me for my tender, loving care, he slept for a 5 hour chunk last night!  Hahaha.  That cute little Squeaker is a keeper.

Every now and then, he tries to get me to make eye contact with him while I'm trying to rock him to sleep.  It's my favorite thing ever.  He'll stare and stare until I finally give in and look at him, and then he breaks into a happy little smile and coos.  It certainly disrupts the getting-him-to-sleep process, but I'd say it's worth it. :)

Scott

Our favorite breadwinner has been hard at work this month, winning that bread and toasting it, too.  Hahahaha.  And yes, I realize that doesn't make any sense.  Because he works so hard, the kids and I like to make sure he plays really hard, too, and this month Scott has been playing some church basketball and letting the girls style his hair with some product.  Although not at the same time.  And really, the mohawk was a one time concession to make them all happy.  :)

Me

And then there's me.  I've mostly been up to the uzh.  You know -- gym, tan, laundry.  Hahahahaha.  J/K on all of that actually.  I've tried my hardest this month to function and survive on less-than-optimal sleep, while keeping the house going and the kids alive.  And I'd have to say that I succeeded!  :)

 Family Home Evening activity -- after reading about the mothers of the stripling warriors in The Book of Mormon, I had the kids list reasons why they love me and think I'm so great.  Because I like to have my bow tied every now and then.  ;)

"Mom, I love you because: You make interesting comments about things. #TURTLES.  I love you because you make wonderful babies and do everything a mom is supposed to.  You are my best friend.  You make funny jokes.  You call Ethan muchacho."

We had one snow day from school, and I convinced the girls to join me for a little HIIT workout before lunch.   Don't let the picture fool you.  They didn't last.  Hahaha.

The biggest excitement of my month my have happened this weekend after finishing up the following book:

It was indeed magical.  I've never been more excited to clean and organize and set my house in order than I am after reading this book.  And that's not sarcasm!!  I started on clothes this weekend, and after purging everything from my wardrobe that didn't spark joy -- and then rolling with the momentum and forcing everyone else to do the same, we donated 19 garbage bags full of clothing to our local Goodwill.  {Insert shocked/embarrassed face emoji right here}.  It was liberating.

It wouldn't all fit in the trunk.  

And there you have it.  I will have a house of order by the end of this year!  And now, to end this epic update, I'll post a Sunday selfie featuring some of the clothes I have left which do indeed spark joy.  Hahahahaha.  :)

Happy Sabbath!