Twelve Years Old!

I can't believe Jacob is already 12!  It's gone by so quickly.  Once they hit school, time speeds up.  Now he's a deacon and passing the sacrament.  I couldn't look at him the first time because it was making me cry to see him up there.  (Sappy Mom).

We had some cousins, grandma and grandpa Hull and a neighbor friend come over for a little party.  They played outside with water balloons, slip and slide, and a sprinkler under the trampoline to stay cool.  Then we had a BBQ and cake.

Jacob opening cards and presents.

Miracles

This month in primary we have been talking about miracles.  You are now witnessing a miracle because I am updating my blog.  :)  There is a lot to catch up on so I'm try to make it brief.

I'll start with Paige's 9th birthday way back in March.  She chose a cowgirl birthday this year.  Her friends came dressed up in cowgirl attire.  We played the traditional pin the tail on the donkey and had a horse pinata.  We decorated bandanas with iron ons.  Then I took pictures of each of her friends at the party posing with Paige on her (Fur-real) pony.  We decorated fun foam picture frames with cowgirl related shapes.  I printed out the pictures to put in the frames to take home.  Her cake was a Wanted Poster with her picture.

We also had a lot of family in town close to her birthday so we had a surprise birthday party for Paige with them too.  Oh, and Joe too, of course.  This was my quick attempt at a Mickey and Minnie Mouse theme.  She was very spoiled this year with two parties and way too many presents!


Oh, and while some of my family was in town we did what a family of 5 girls did a lot while growing up.  We had a tea party!  Sorry some of my pictures are so blurry.  Jacob agreed to come as the photographer for the event.  Romney came as a cowboy and his cousin Tommy came as a pirate.

The girls all dressed up!

Lady in Red (aka Nancy)

Karyn made these lovely petit fours.

The food was delicious.  There was quite the variety of little sandwiches and other yummy things to eat.  

We ate on my mom's china dishes.  Paige and I made the little centerpieces.

Let's see....Easter came next.  Here are some of the eggs I decorated.  Aren't they cool!  I used my Silhouette cutting machine to cut these shapes out of contact paper.  I stuck it on and then colored the eggs.  It was so easy and I love the results.

Well that's enough for today.  I'll have to write about the summer this week while Jacob and Paige are at school!

News Flash: Child listens to Mother

Honestly Jacob is a great kid.  But lately he has started acting like a teenager.  He's only 11 1/2.  Today he made me very happy.

This morning he came in my room to look (through the giant pile of clean laundry) for his pajama pants.  I was a little confused but he told me it was pajama day for the 5th graders and he had promised somebody that he would wear his pajamas.  He didn't find them in the clean laundry so I told him they were probably in the (giant pile of) dirty laundry.  He said that was okay because they probably weren't actually dirty.  Of course I wasn't surprise but asked if he meant that he puts clean clothes in the dirty laundry.  He giggled...

When he came down for breakfast he wasn't wearing his pajamas and I asked why not.  He had decided it would be too embarrassing.  So, I talked to him about being trustworthy and keeping his promise.  I told he could even just bring them to school in his bag and if the other kid remembered to where his he could go put his on.  He stopped me there and told me it was a girl, actually three girls.  I giggled.  A little while later he came back in wearing his pajamas.  I was so happy.  He actually listened to me!  It didn't just go in one ear and out the other.  Maybe he thinks I actually know what I am talking about.  Now those girls better come in their pajamas, too.

Independence

I love it when my children start developing some independence and can solve their own problems.  The weather has been so nice and sunny lately that we've actually been getting out of the house.  Romney loves to ride his bike while I'll push Rebekah in the stroller.  Whenever he has an incline that is difficult to get up or some other obstacle to get over he just hops off his bike and pushes it up or over.  I've been to surprised by this.  In the past he has started throwing a fit or jumps off and throws his bike.  :)

Rebekah refuses to sit in her high chair anymore.  She insists on sitting at the table with the rest of us.  So, this morning I put her breakfast at the table.  She came over and tried to climb into the chair but couldn't quite get up.  Then she went running off.  I thought she was upset.  But, no.  She just ran into another room and came back with a stool.  She set it by her chair and climbed right on up.

It has been so nice having fewer fits and freaking out in our home.

Primary

I taught sharing time this last Sunday.  The theme for the week was "Through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved."  We started by memorizing the third article of faith.  We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.  We talked about what some of the bigger words meant.  I wish I could remember more of their answers.  Some of their answers were cute and I thought I would share.  Mankind:  one person.  Obedience:  something you're supposed to do.  Ordinances:  those parties at church, like the trunk-or-treat.    Don't worry I redirected them.  :)  It's nice to feel like you are actually teaching something new or helping them better understand a concept.  Primary is a lot a fun.  Although most of the time I feel like I am running around like a crazy lady!  It makes life very busy and leaves no time for boredom.  If it weren't for this calling I would probably be doing my usual anti-social thing of sitting in the back row, trying to be invisible.  Now I just need to memorize 145 children's names.

Nothing New

Okay so I haven't added any new post for a very long time.  I know.  But I did change my background and blinkie!  Happy Valentine's Day!

Stressed?

I found this picture on the web months ago and felt like sharing it today.  :)  My sister has a magnet similar to this with the "perfect" retro homemaker and says "Medicated and Motivated".  It always makes me laugh.