My smart kids

When school started, we asked the kids what kind of things they were worried about. Morgan really didn't know what to expect so she really didn't have anything but McKenzie was on this math kick. She was really worried about harder math and not understanding it and doing really horribly. I just kept having to reassure her that there was nothing to worry about and that she was already really good at math. (in my biased opinion I think she has a good grasp of the concepts and does really well). Anyway, so on with my story. She came to me the other evening and brought up again math and being worried about it. I asked her why and she said because they are going to start learning multiplication and she didn't think she could do it. Now I am not a good teacher, I probably will not teach my kids to drive, I will force them to learn the piano (like my mother did to me, and am grateful for it), but I never felt like I would be able to teach my kids important concepts, I just get to flustered that they aren't understanding me and it doesn't do either of us any good then cuz we both get frustrated. Anyway, so I told her that multiplication is really easy and nice to know and I use it every day. Like for instance when we play Ticket to Ride I can use my times tables and figure out what my score is, instead of adding up each and every train piece. Than I started making kinda these graph looking things and showed her what I meant. And oh my goodness she got it. I couldn't believe it, me the impatient mother that I am connected with my daughter enough to teach her multiplication. Not saying she can multiply 43x13 but I think she understands or is at least starting to understand the basis of it. I am soo proud of her for wanting to learn it. I am even prouder of me for figuring out how to explain it for her to grasp it and not giving up. I think I can handle this parent thing maybe.

(I know I've used this pic before but it's so cute of the two)

Morgan also amazed us recently. Her teacher started sending home the little beginning reading books that she has. They are seriously like 10 pages long and are very repetitious with sounds, I love them. Anyway, Morgan being as young as she is, I was a little worried about her grasping new concepts quickly, but she never ceases to amaze us. She has brought home a new book every day (except the day they had a sub) and she is just devouring these books. Because of UEA she was able to bring 2 home and finished them both in one day. When she gets home she wants to read them right away and is excited to try a new one. She gets frustrated every once in a while and granted she needs help, but for the most part is doing it by herself. She is doing so good in Kindergarten. At her parent teacher conference we just had we asked if we should be worried and the teacher said, "you know I usually can pick out the youngest in the class (sometime just by sheer size) but Morgan is not the smallest and she's right up there with the other kids in her attentions span and following directions. I wouldn't have known if I didn't know her birhtday." She is doing awesome, good job Morgie

We made it!

(Humor me and sing the summertime primary song with me)
Oh, what do you do when school's out and the kids are driving you crazy?
All they want is TV
And you want to sleep
I know that's what you do, don't lie (really high note)
Is that what you do . . . so do I.


Thanx for singing with me now let me explain. For those of you Utahans (or former) will know what UEA is. For those of you who don't, it's other name is fall break. The kids get 2 days off in the middle of October and then our school tacks on another day for a teachers work day the following Monday which gives the kids 5 days off from school. Oh the kids are in heaven and wish that it would never end. Mother's, on the other hand, go a little crazy. We just got through summer and gotten use to the weekends off things and now they throw this in there, AHHHHHHH. (btw I'm totally kidding . . . kinda). I think it's great, it gives the kids a break and any state school also gets to take advantage of it too, (like colleges, sorry BYU, you don't count cuz your private), which means Randy has these next two days off too. But if Randy was not able to take advantage of this wonderful break with us, I would absolutely be going nuts right now, and it's only the 1st day. We made plans and hoped that the weather would cooperate for us. Yesterday we took Kenz out of school early cuz we had an appt to get our pictures taken as a family outdoors up Provo canyon. It was beautiful and I think we will have at least 2 pictures turn out, which is all I need. Malia wasn't really into the whole smiling thing so I just wanted any that will show her not crying. I have an appt tomorrow to see the finished product. I'll let ya know for sure.


So today we decided that since it wasn't hot anymore and it was a beautiful 60 something degrees outside that we would attempt for the 1st time to hike the "Y." Friends of ours took their young family (the youngest being 3) up the trail and said they made it, and we wanted to take on the challenge as well. So we got up this morning, got things together and left, taking aunt Kristi along with us.


Here are the girls before the big climb.
And Malia sporting her hiking gear. It was a long treacherous hike for her.
And the final before picture at the trailhead, before all the whining began. We didn't know how steep the actual hike was going to be. So there was a lot of "are we there yet" and "how much longer" which came my response of "10 more minutes," (which I learned from my best friend's father back in Prineville, when I was a kid. Whenever we would ask him how much longer till we got wherever it was that we were going, no matter how long it really was, that was his response). But we finally made it an hour later, lots of water breaks and only a couple of freakout sessions.
We hung out for about 1/2 hour to eat lunch and take pictures.
Micah is playing "Kilroy was here" between us. What a cutie.



Apparently all that hiking took a lot out of our little bambino who passed out on the way back down.


Morgan being Morgie.

The warriors coming home from battle. McKenzie and Kristi are making spiderman hands in hopes to encourage Micah to join the photo op. (it didn't work). Morgie and Randy are showing those muscles they just ripped hiking the snot out of that trail. (or something like that)
And then there is Micah, doing what he does best, pouting at us for making him go all the way up and down the stinkin hill. Not easy for a 3 year old but he did it, and we are soo proud of him, actually all of us. It was a lot of fun, a lot of work, but well worth it.

Not quite ready for winter

No, this pic is not of anything around here, I just added it for the effect. The forecast this week kept saying that this weekend was going to be in the 40's, rain, and a chance for snow. I just laughed and kept saying to myself, "ya right." Until I woke up this morning and saw the dreaded white stuff coming down as I was getting breakfast for my kids. Mind you it wasn't coming down hard or a ton, just a fluff that lasted about 20 minutes, not even enough to leave any kind trace that it had even happened, but it's the beginning of October and I'm not ready. I like fall with the colors and the milder temperatures, I've been looking forward to it since July, but it has been unseasonably warm here, and we were just starting to get comfortable enough to keep the AC off. My kids have still been wearing shorts and capri's to school (up until yesterday when it was seriously cold). Is anyone else out there a little mift, or am I just on my own little planet? We still want to hike the "Y," and go up the canyon and ride the ski lift to hike around. Hopefully this fluff hasn't ruined our chances of seeing pretty colors up there. Next week is suppose to get back in the 70's (we'll see). I'm crossing my fingers.

Our baby is 8!

Sorry again for the lack of posts, we have been busy and knew that I would have a lot of things to blog about so I figured I would just wait. Randy's parents have been around (in and out of Utah is more like it) and so we have been able to hang out with them a bit. Since it was Conference this weekend and we had been talking about taking McKenzie to it since we are moving and she turned 8 the day after, we asked our bishopric if we could get a few tickets. We were able to enough for Randy and McKenzie and then his parents and his sister to go see the Sunday afternoon session (cuz apparently no one else in our ward wanted tickets hee hee). Anways, Mac had fun and felt very grown up.When they got back, Randy's other sister Julie came to our home with her 3 kids and we had a little family birthday party. Mac loves cheesecake and so we got her one (I got a chocolate pie of course) and let her open her presents from her family. This is her giving her cousin, Sydney, a big hug for a present she gave her. These two girls love each other, can ya tell?Meet the newest member of our family little T. He's a leopard gecko from her uncle Ryan's collection of reptiles in his basement. He breeds snakes mostly. Mac has been wanting a pet that she can actually hold and we have found that holding a beta fish is not the healthiest thing to do that we decided to let her get this. His name comes from the white "T" that goes from between his eyes to the back of his head. Isn't it cute? We still aren't sure if it's a boy or a girl though, it will take some more time to figure that part out. Monday was her official birthday and I let the kids have a party on their even birthday's. She decided that she wanted to get manicures and pedicures, (she's apparently already a teenager). We found a hair academy near us that will do "up-dos" and nails for a very reasonable price. So we went right after school and took 4 of her friends to Bon Losee and got pampered. Here's Mac getting her nails done.

Here's the aftermath with their pretty nails, and curly hair and tiara's. Aren't they cute?
Here's their backsides, they had a lot of fun.

I got lazy this year and just ordered cupcakes. How cute is this, with the jewelry. Then after the party we left for Chuck E Cheese. McKenzie is the only one we haven't taken on their birthday to this horrid place. We did however go on a Monday @5 (before the FHE crowds) and so we didn't have to wait for games or rides or prizes. We had over 900 tickets in the end and Micah picked a little light saber that lights up, Morgan got a lunchbox with Chuck E. on it and McKenzie (being the girl that she is) picked a bunch of small little girlie things like lip gloss and a dolphin etc. I love this little girl. She has been such a great helper to me with the kids and around the house. She really is growing up fast. She is getting baptized on November 1 at 9 am and any of you that are around and would like to are invited to come.

Confessions

So ,ya I know, I am lame and can't justify not posting anything for a month but I am going to try and get back on track. Some of you may know why I haven't been posting and the rest will figure it out with the images I've uploaded. It started 2 1/2 weeks ago when we went to my SIL Julies for our nephew', Tyler's, Deacon ordination and a joint September birthday party (we have a lot of Sept bday's on Randy's side). Well Julie gave me Twilight for my bday and I just kind of laughed to myself because I've had soo many people tell me that I needed to read it and that I would love it and all of that, but I was not going to give into peer pressure, lol. So I never went out to find the books or asked anyone to borrow their books and just left it alone. That was until I got a copy from my wonderful SIL. So that next day after I got the kids to bed, I flicked the TV on and to my dismay there was absolutely nothing on, so I gave into the urge to start the book. As soon as I started I had hard time putting it down. Stephanie Meyer has a way with ending her chapters that makes you want to keep going and I hate stopping in the middle of a chapter (not that I don't do it, I just don't like it). My other SIL Kristi had started the series also and I was able to borrow New Moon for her and figured that when she was done I would get it from her and continue reading. Well in 5 five days I was done with the first and wanted more and was desperate to find someone else to let me borrow their copy. I mentioned something on my Facebook status about being done and waiting for the next one and another counselor in the RS with me commented back and said she had all of them and I could borrow her set. So the next morning I contacted her, borrowed the rest of the series and almost immediately started reading. Now keep in mind I hate reading, ask Randy, or my sister, even though I was in AP English and had really hard homework throughout High School I hated to read what was assigned. I was better at writing the stupid research papers and essays instead so that's how I got through. So I haven't read a book out of pleasure since, uhhhh ever. But when I started these books I was sucked right into them and they kept me wanting more. I was reading these books in like 3-4 days and I officially finished the last book last night. I liked the ending it was happy and (I'm not much into morbid endings even though I was reading a book about vampires, kinda oxy-moronish I know). Now I am really sad that my nights may have to be filled with dumb TV shows (except Office, Lost and ER), so if any of you have good recommendations of books that I may like, let me know. Keep in mind I swear I have ADD when it comes to reading, my mind wanders and I quickly forget what I am reading, so it has to be something that I can follow easily. I'm half tempted to read The Host but am still debating. -K- enough of my rambling, I promise to be better, maybe