Alison Turned 11

Somehow, I still see Alison as a little girl!

Man!  She was the cutest little girl on the planet!

Now that cute little girl is a young woman.  She turned 11 years old on September 24th.  In true Alison form, she had pre-planned every detail (in her home-made birthday planner) from when to open presents to what to eat at every meal.  She even made thank you cards in advance.  Love her!

My parents came over the day before her birthday to give her a present because my mom works in the temple every Wednesday, so they couldn't join us on her actual birthday.   That worked out GREAT because they gave her a cat shirt and some cat socks - she was able to wear them to school on her birthday!  She was thrilled.  And, of course, she handed them a pre-made thank you card immediately.

On her actual birthday, we opened presents in the morning, after scripture study.  Then, we had egg-ham-and-cheese breakfast sandwiches.  Yummy!  School was just a regular old day for her.  Except she was wearing new clothes and she had a "Lunchable" and chocolate pudding in her lunch box instead of a boring lunch.  In sixth grade, no one really does the "class treats" thing anymore.  She was pretty upset that she had to do homework - even on her birthday, but such is the life of a sixth grader.  She got even MORE upset when she stepped in doggie doo-doo after school.  I volunteered to clean her shoes for her.  Happy Birthday, Ali.

Alison got four or five books, among other things.  She loves to read!

Quinton supervised.

For dinner, she REALLY wanted to go to Pizza Pie Cafe.  We don't want to start the tradition of taking the whole family out to eat for every birthday, but it was important enough to Al that we did it this time.  Pizza Pie Cafe originated in Rexburg.  We've been eating there since it was called Craigo's and was located in a little building right next to campus.  It's a huge part of Alison's memories from her happy childhood.   She loves that place!  Never mind the fact that you want to DIE for a week after eating there!  We ate until we were all sufficiently stuffed, then went home for birthday cake.  None of us were hungry AT ALL, but you have to at least blow out the candles, right?  So we had a little cake lighting ceremony, and sang to the birthday girl.  Then we nibbled on a little cake before rolling off to bed.

Blurry cell phone picture, but it captures a great moment.  Alison is lying down on the bench, trying to digest, Josh is still stuffing the food in - he eats more than any of the rest of us!  Bronson is looking over the booth at the table next to us, and I am trying to keep Quinton from screaming his head off.  Nicki isn't pictured because she's getting her third slice of dessert pizza.

We sure do love Alison around here!  As much as I miss my little baby, I've had a wonderful time becoming friends with the young woman in our house.  She's a very happy, content, thoughtful, energetic, quirky little lady and we're glad she's part of our family!

Arrgh! Give Me All Yer Donuts!

I discovered late last Friday morning that it was national "talk like a pirate day."  On this day, Krispie Kreme offers a free donut to anyone who talks like a pirate and a free DOZEN to anyone who dresses like a pirate.  If you recall, we went after school last year and waited in line for over three hours.  It was a nightmare, to put it mildly.

Clearly, there is something missing in my brain that says, "Don't do this - it's not fun."  Or else there's something else in my brain that shouts louder than reason, "FREE DONUTS!!!!  GO!  GO!! GO!!!"  Either way, I rustled up some pirate gear, picked up Josh from kindergarten, and drove straight to Krispie Kreme.  Unlike last year, there was no line wrapping around the building. Good sign!  We dressed the boys in the parking lot, then headed inside.

There were a lot of people in pirate gear all over the place, but they all had their donuts already.  We walked right up to the counter, the woman at the register said, "Three?"  She handed us three dozen donuts from a rack of pre-boxed, still warm ones, and we left - stopping to ask someone to take our picture on the way out.  That was it!!!

I purposefully dressed the baby in the brightest clothes I could find.  He was the parrot on my shoulder.

The moral of this story is: Sometimes that crazy voice inside your head is right.  You should listen to it!

Love These Two

Alison and Quinton have a special bond.  He loves her ALMOST as much as he loves me!  Ali is one of only a few people in this world whom Quin will go to.  She takes him to her room and watches him every time the missionaries come over to teach Jordyn.  She holds him while I cook dinner or do other chores, etc.  She is the ONLY reason I was able to attend the temple last week (for the first time since before he was born).  Quinton screams every time I leave him with David, so he's no help.  David has tried to explain to the baby that he wouldn't even BE here if Dave hadn't lobbied for him, but it does no good.

Alison loves Quinton as much as he loves her.  She is usually VERY willing to take him from me when I need help.  She laughs at his cuteness and cheers on his developmental progress right along side me.  She steals kisses and cuddles all the time.  I see total love in her eyes as she watches him.  It's her first experience with mother-like love.  I remember my niece, Ashley being that baby for me.  She was my first glimpse at how powerfully, completely, overwhelmingly you can love a little person.  It's fun to watch Alison have this bond with Quin.   Alison is going to be a great, patient, loving mother someday.

Power Bowl!!!

Historically speaking, I'm not the best breakfast mother on the planet.  I have enough on my plate in the mornings without adding egg scrambling (and the related extra dishes) to my list.  There have been times when I made David and myself a nice, healthy breakfast, and an egg or two for the boys (who both LOVE eggs - which reminds me of something totally gross...they call the soft, runny yolk that they literally lick off the plate "egg juice."  Ewwww!!!!), but those days ended when Quinton was born.  Something had to give, and hot breakfast was the first thing on the chopping block.

In the early morning hours, I'm not awake and alert enough to battle with my girls over oatmeal or eggs.  So, basically, my kids eat cold cereal for breakfast.  I make them choose at least semi-healthy cereals (Cheerios, Frosted Mini-Wheats, Special K, etc.), reserving sweet cereals for weekends.  Occasionally, they eat "oatmeal" packets.  I know, I know - there's more sugar in those things than oats, but it's better than nothing, I figure.

However, things are changing around here.  Not all at once, but little by little.  For one day per week, I make POWER BOWLS!!!! for breakfast.  Every one in the family (with the exception of Nicki) LOVES POWER BOWLS!!!!

Power Bowls consist of all the healthy stuff you can cram into one meal.  They're so healthy, you can feel yourself getting stronger, healthier, and smarter with every bite!  We start with steel cut oats - natures scrub brushes for veins!  Cholesterol doesn't stand a chance with all that fiber!  Fiber also keeps kids full longer so that they can concentrate on their studies.  We add freshly ground flax seeds and a couple of tablespoons of Chia seeds - both of which are a mega-source of fiber, Omega-3's, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and lots of other "iums."  They're like eating a whole day's worth of healthy food in one little spoonful!  Then, I add cinnamon, which we all know has anti-inflammatory, anti-aging properties.  We top the oats with berries (sometimes pomegranate seeds, too) for an extra kick of antioxidants and vitamins.  Add a little skim or almond milk and you're all set!  Ain't no mountain high enough and ain't no valley low enough to keep you from taking on your day!

Seriously, I gave my kids this speech one morning and made them all eat a bowl.  They went for it!  Most of them ASK for it every few days.  I think the boys just want to be super heroes, but they also feel the difference.

On another day each week, I feed them all eggs (usually hard boiled, but I'm thinking about scrambling them this week) and toast.  So, for two days per week, I am trying to feed my kids a healthy, homemade breakfast.  The other three days are still cold cereal, though.  Baby steps, right?  I mean, really!  I'm just trying to survive here!

I Love To See The Temple!

I think we were possibly the last people on the planet to go because we forgot to get tickets until they were almost gone, but on September 4th, we took our family to the Ogden Temple open house.  A few years ago, the church announced that the Ogden temple was going to be remodeled.  By "remodeled" they meant "completely torn down and rebuilt."

David and I were married in the Ogden Temple two remodels ago.  It's "Our Temple."  Many people around here get married in the Salt Lake Temple because of its history or the Bountiful Temple because of its beauty.  I'm glad we chose to get married in Ogden.  It was a very special, personal, beautiful day.  A close family friend sealed us (and each of my siblings as well.  Except Scott because President Baird had passed away by then, but his wife still came to Scott's ceremony).  Plus, the Ogden temple is the temple I grew up next to.  As a kid, I looked to it as the place I'd get married in someday.

Not many people get the chance to take their kids through the temple they were married in until they get their own recommends.  Thanks to the remodel and re-dedication, our kids could go see the sealing room where our little family began twelve years ago.

When we were married, the Ogden temple looked like this.  This is the temple I grew up looking at.  I love it!  But even I can admit that it's a little dated.  It's "pretty on the inside..."

A few weeks after we were married, they closed the temple for a while and changed the steeple.  It went from gold to white and got an angel Moroni statue.

After the second remodel, it looks like this.  Whoa, right?  Not even the same building!

Anyway, we let our children stay home from the first hour or so of school so that we could take them to the first tour of the morning.  I have to say that getting all seven of us temple-ready by 7:30 am sure made 9:00 church seem like a breeze the following Sunday!  Yikes!!!   But it was a beautiful, sunny morning and we were so happy to be there.

We started in the tabernacle (also completely re-done!) where we watched a short video about temples.  Then, we walked through the temple.  It's a silent, self-guided tour (pause for laughter if you know my kids AT ALL).  Actually, they did very very well.  I mean, they're kids - they get excited and want to show us stuff, but they didn't run away or scream or anything!  I felt kind of bad that we went through so quickly and silently.  I really wanted to stop and explain some things to my kids, but it would have been inappropriate to do so, so we just walked through.

After the tour, we walked out by the fountains and tried to take a family photo.  The problem was the bright sun coming up over the mountains.  We were all blinded!  So the photos weren't the best, but that's okay.

This one's pretty good.

Gotta love this one.

As if my day wasn't already perfect, while we were there I ran into one of my best friends from high school, Tanna Fraga, and her family.  Oh!  What fun!!!  I love Tanna!  Her son, Skyler (who doesn't even remember me, which makes me sad) is all grown up - as in graduated from high school already!!!   We had a great time catching up for a few minutes before we both had to go.  It seriously made my day even better!

They were taking a family photo when I barged in to say "Hello!" L to R: Tanna, Skyler, Jessie, Me, Quinton.

A Special Day

Saturday, August 30th was a special day.  It was the day that Nicole's friend, Jordyn got baptized.

I'm sure I've written about Jordyn before.  She's the girl that we drive home from school every day.  She's been coming to church and activity days with us for about a year now. She's such a sweet, shy, cute girl.  We love having her with us.  In fact, for a while I think Bronson thought she was part of our family.  He'd always ask where she was if we went somewhere without her.

Sister Fleugel, Nicole, Jordyn, and Sister Blankenship

A couple of months ago, Dave approached Jordyn's mom, Alyssa, and asked if she'd ever considered letting Jordyn take the missionary discussions and get baptized.  Alyssa said that it was actually something she and Jordyn's dad had been thinking about quite a bit lately.  She just didn't know how to get the ball rolling.

So Jordyn and her mom have been coming to our home two or three times per week to meet with the sister missionaries and take the discussions.  Sometimes her little brother, Cayden comes along.  He and the boys play downstairs together.  Alison watches Quinton and the rest of us meet with the missionaries.  We've loved our time together.  Alyssa and I have become good friends and we've all come to love the sisters.  We've made some great memories together.

Jordyn was so excited to get baptized.  She talked about it while I drove her home for several days in advance.  It was cute.  She looked so pretty on her baptism day!  She had a lot of family come support her - like 50 people or more.  I was able to give a talk about baptism and Jordyn's great grandma gave a talk on the Holy Ghost.  Her great grandfather baptized her.  It was so wonderful!  After the baptism, we all went to a park and had an amazing picnic and visited.  The next day, Jordyn was confirmed a member of the church during sacrament meeting by her great grandpa.  David got to be in the circle.  What a special day!

Jordyn's family: Alyssa, Levi, Jordyn, and Cayden.

A four generation picture: Jordyn, her great grandma, grandma, and mom.

On Labor Day, Alyssa took Jordyn to Temple Square for the first time.  They stayed for more than five hours.  I was so happy to hear that!  They are still coming to our house about once per week for the new member discussions, so we get to bask in the glow for a little while longer.  I'm already sad when I think about not seeing them as much any more, so I'm planning on inviting them over once in a while for FHE or a cookout, etc.

I'm very proud of Nicole for being such a great missionary.  She is the one who got Jordyn to start coming to church with us.  Nicki has such a fun, powerful, magnetic personality.  I've been telling her for years now that she has a special gift.  She can use that gift for good or evil (and she does both regularly).  :)   I'm proud of her for being brave and sharing the gospel with her friend.  She told me just the other day about another friend she was talking to who is interested in going to church. Maybe we can take her with us too.

First Day Of School!

School started on Monday, August 25th this year.

Alison is in 6th grade - the top of the totem pole at Creekside Elementary.  She's going to have a great year!  Her teacher, Mr. Hardy is new to this school, but not to teaching.  He seems like a really fun, laid back man.  Alison likes him already.  In 6th grade, you rotate to different teachers for different subjects.  Ali will get to work with all of the teachers.  Her science teacher has one of 19 classrooms in the whole country that is a NASA partner classroom.  It looks pretty cool!

I already miss Alison around here.  She's a huge help with the baby and a fun friend to have around.

Nicole is in 4th grade.  Don't you love her bangs?  Her teacher is also brand new to the school, but not to teaching.  She's been teaching for decades!  Nicki's classroom is in a portable.  I'm not too excited about it (temperature wise, and also security wise) but Nicki thinks it's neat.  One of her neighborhood friends is in her class, so that will be fun.  In 4th grade, they split up the kids for math and rotate them to different teachers based on skill level. Nicole is in the highest level group.  Hooray for girls that are smart at math!!!

The young neighborhood kids (and their moms too, I'm sure) miss Nicki! They knock on our door almost every day and ask if Nicki can play.

Joshua started kindergarten!  What a big boy!!!  Literally.  He's huge!  He's already tall for his age, plus he's one of the oldest kids in his class, so he's roughly twice the size of all of his classmates!

Our neighbor, Kaja, is in Josh's class.  So weird!  Josh plays with her older brother at home!

Josh goes to the morning session of kindergarten.  On the first day, the parents went with them.  It was fun to see all our neighbors.  Four or five kids from our ward are all in the same class - of course, they're a year younger than Josh in primary.  Anyway, the kids went to the library to watch a movie while the parents had an orientation meeting.  I let Bron go with the big kids.  He had a blast!  He wants to go to kindergarten too!

Meanwhile, in my meeting I discovered that I'd dropped the ball on Josh's immunizations.  He would "not be let back in the school" until they were caught up - mmm hmm,  So that afternoon, we made an impromptu visit to the doctor's office for a check up.  We discovered several things:
1 - Josh has EXCELLENT vision.  What a relief!  Here's hoping all my kids inherit my eyesight, not David's!
2 - He's so far off the growth curve that it's freaky.  He's the size of an average nine year old.
3 - Shots don't hurt too bad.  Finger sticks to draw blood do.

Bronson sure misses his big brother!  I try to do something "preschool-y" with him while Josh is gone.

We are looking forward to a great school year!  It is the last year that all my kids will be in the same school.  I'd better enjoy it while I can.  Oh, and on a side note, August 25th was not only the first day of school, it was also National Banana Split Day.  Just in case you needed a reason to party!

Six Months Old!

Happy Half Birthday Quinton!

This has been the longest AND the shortest six months of my life.  I can't remember life before our little chubby cheeked baby, and I can't imagine life without him anymore either!

We celebrated with a half of a cake.  We just happened to have a friend taking the missionary discussions at our house at the time, so Jordyn, her mom, the sister missionaries, and our ward mission leader and his wife all joined us.  Quin had quite a crowd!

It's The Little Things That Count

Maybe this isn't funny to anyone else, but David and I sure got a laugh out of it.  The other day, when I was walking through the garage, I noticed that Alison had gone above and beyond the call of duty when she changed the kitty litter earlier.

Doesn't that look like a warm, inviting, homey place to use the potty?  I hope Cookie appreciated her decorated litter box.