Fo Sho

I loved these pics.  They make me laugh so much. 

Alexa

Disney and a Cruise for Christmas

Last Year, Grandpa and Grandma Hope took us all to Disney Land and a cruise to Mexico.  It was an amazing trip and we had a ton of fun.  Grandpa Clark came too!

That is me in the green shirt. Skyler looks like he is trying to take off his seat belt.

There are a few heads hiding in there!

on the cruise ship!

Arches

Shay and Skyler had to work and the kids wanted to go camping.  So we loaded up and took off to Arches.  It was absolutely amazing, hot, but amazing.  

Lagoon

When we moved to Utah, we moved across the street from Lagoon.  It is an amusement park. When we sold our house, we bought season passes.  It was so much fun.  Looking back over the past two years, we have been so blessed.  

Attempting Dreams #2

So, you know Kaely's dream of going to Italy? About the same time, Skyler said he wanted to go to Spain.  On a whim, I added a plane ticket for Skyler to go to Italy with us.  Then Shay started talking about going to Spain.  It is pretty cheap to fly within Europe.  I bought tickets for about $67 roundtrip to Barcelona for 5 days.  Now we spend 5 days in Italy and 5 days in Spain.  Kaely and Skyler get to mark off huge goals on their goal boards.  It is pretty insane.  I feel extremely blessed to be doing this.  I have been saving everything I have made from babysitting to cover the plane cost.  I will save from now until then to cover food cost and Shay is covering the lodging.  It is gonna be ridiculous!

Attempting To Make Dreams Come True

At our house we make goals.  Each person has a list of goals written on a canvas and hung on the living room wall. I encouraged our kids to not just make little goals but big ones too.  I believe big goals push us to better ourselves.  Kaely wrote in 2010 that she wanted to go to Italy.  She was 8 and loved Italian food.  She said she wanted to go to Italy and eat real Italian food.  I told her if she could save for the plane ticket, I could do the rest.  I told her to plan on around a thousand dollars.
Since leaving Georgia all Kaely has wanted was to go back. She started saving for a plane ticket.  I talked to her about how you can never really go back.  People and places change and you change, when you go back it isn't the same.  She has had a few experiences that have helped her to see that is true.  I talked her into changing her Georgia plane ticket fund into an Italy plane ticket fund.  I also started saving.
The week of Thanksgiving a friend texted me, she knew we were saving for Italy and said Delta was having a sale.  I spent 5 hours figuring out details and booked us tickets to Italy for $422 roundtrip.  Kaely had $488 saved.
I know that when we set goals and work hard, things fall into place.  I am so excited to help Kaely accomplish her goals. It is going to be a real adventure!

Kaely

Kaely is super smart and funny.  She loves llamas and I am afraid they will be her downfall. 

She made this dress! She loves Jane Austen and is a bit of a romantic. 

She is super goofy and reminds me of myself.  I am so glad she is my girl.

Fireworks and Exhaustion

Shay and I have been trying to get out of the evil control of credit card debt, when our air conditioner went out on the hottest week of the year. We had highs of 105, at least that is what my car said. Shay really wanted to just put it on the card, 4K. No stinkin' way. I knew if we did it would take a long time to be motivated to put all we had towards them again. So I turned on the music and deamed our house Sweatin' to the Oldies.

In the meantime we had decided to try selling fireworks to speed our process up. We had been told it was hard, but I had no idea. I worked hard growing up and I have five kids and that keeps me busy, but this whole ordeal was Tough! I got tired of people more than anything asking me what the difference was between the five dollar fountain and the twelve dollar fountain. I understand why people in retail are so cranky.

Update: Since I started this post, forever ago, so much has happened.  We have sold fireworks 5 times.  The money we have made from it has paid off debt, paid for a trip to Costa Rica, and put money in mission funds.
I don't hate it as much as I used to.  I actually get a little excited because I love to work hard.

We have also paid off all our debt.  Not just credit cards but cars, and student loans.  It has forced us to rent and save up a down payment for a home, which I was upset about but have seen the blessings that have come and I am ok with now.

Patience my dear padawan. In time all makes sense.

Things I Am Loving

I recently posted some old drafts and one of them was titled "Things I Am Loving."  Reading it took me back to when I thought of stuff like that.  I have been so caught up in...I have no idea what and I have forgotten what I love about life everyday.  I decided to try this again and see if it would help me to start looking for things I love.

I am loving getting my camera out again.  It makes me feel creative. I love being creative.

I am loving Kaely.  She is so fun and happy.  She talks to me about life and that makes me feel good.

I am loving Christmas!  I love my Savior and the feelings that come when we think about and serve others.

Old Drafts Posted

I found some old drafts of posts that I had never posted.  I decided to post them.  They were pretty entertaining. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas and Skyler gets stuck!

Merry Christmas! We had a wonderful day starting out at 1:15 am. It was great to make all the excited kids go back to bed until a decent hour. Skyler had woken up and got all the girls up. He said he didn't know it was the middle of the night, because he saw light outside, which he later figured was a streetlight! I guess Shay woke up at 5:30 and Skyler and Jane were sitting in front of our big clock in the Kitchen, waiting for a decent hour, whatever that means. And nothing makes time go slower than watching the clock. Shay said he couldn't go back to sleep so he joined them and they all came and got me and the other girls up a little after 6. I am suprised they made it so long. We lined them all up as little ducks, you can see below and they came into the magical living room with candy sprinkled on the floor and presents everywhere. It was great and everyone enjoyed watching the others open presents as much as getting their own. We feel so blessed this Christmas, to celebrate the birth of our Savior. May we live to be worthy of his love. THE HOPES

Kaelys puppet theatre I made her. I think it is super cool!

The twins REALLY wanted bikes from santa. They love them, even though they look a little sad. I don't know what that is all about.

Skyler got a dirtbike. This thing is super cool.. It took Shay all day to figure out that he didn't know how to work the darn thing and needed help. Thanks to our neighbor I finally got him to take it to the guy we bought it from and let him show him how to work it. Come to find out it had a faulty carburator and there was no way Shay could get it running and that was not for lack of trying. The guy had to replace the carburator and now it works like a charm. They came back at 4:30 and we finally got to try it out. Skyler is a natural, but I wish I would have got the biffs on film!

And lastly Skyler gets stuck in the girls playhouse. All the girls can fit through the front door no problem, but Skyler is a little too big. I find it comical, haven't we all got stuck somewhere we shouldn't have attempted in the first place?

Baby yoga

Meet our Baby Yoga instructor- Adam. He specializes in relaxation and new maneuvers. His strengths are his chanting and flying toes(his favorite position). He accepts payment in the form of kisses, tickles and milk. He accepts large groups and enjoys doing FHEs because their is a treat involved. If you are interested shoot him a line at yogaisforbabiestoo.org. (not a real URL)

Things I'm Lovin'

Adams silly dance and laugh. He likes to shake his head and shimmy his shoulders and laugh all at the same time and I can't help but pick him up and kiss him.

My new laptop that I saved for. It is really fun. My first laptop. I feel spoiled and a little guilty. But it is so fun. Got it on sale for $298 at Wal-Mart.

Hugs and kisses from Shay when he gets home from a long days work and I am exhausted as well. I feel our energy come together and somehow I can finish the day. I really miss this when he is out of town.

The girls Christmas present. I got all us girls tickets to the Nutcracker. I cannot wait. It is going to be magical. It is at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. I know Heavenly Father blessed me with girls so I could do all the girly things I missed out on as a child.

Skyler is at such a good stage, I am really enjoying his company.

Rainy days where I don't feel guilty playing on my new laptop.

Boogie Baby

My Sweet Adam loves to dance. He dances with music, he dances without music, he dances when he eats, and when he plays, pretty much he dances most all the time. We went to Kaely's voice recital and got some video of Adam dancing. Skyler and I were cracking up.

Skyler's 12 trip

Skyler really wanted to go to another country for his 12th birthday trip. We finally decided to try a cruise after pricing out other options and decided on the Bahamas. We drove to Orlando. Went to Harry Potter World, which I absolutely loved. Walked on every ride without waiting and drank frozen butter beer and ate huge smoked turkey legs. After riding the Harry Potter ride twice in a row, Shay was super motion sick and wouldn't ride any roller coasters with me. Kaely was a quarter of an inch too short and Skyler chickened out, so I rode most of them by myself.

Then we boarded the cruise ship. Kaely probably had the most fun. She loved camp. Skyler loved having freedom to go as he pleased, but more than that he just wanted to hang out with Shay and I.

I felt like all we did was sleep and eat. The dramamine made Shay and I so tired that we went to bed early every night.

We had lots of fun on the island and went snorkeling and had an adventure riding the bus to and from our destination. We decided that we enjoy that more than being on the ship, so next time we will fly and stay rather than cruise.

Overall it was fun to just be with the big kids, but I really missed the little ones too.

Twins 12 Trip

Jane and Elly turned twelve.  Something I never dreamed of when they were three and potty training.  They are actually fun to be around and don't bite each other anymore! Although I am pretty sure it is still tempting to Elly. We took them to Orlando for their 12 trip.

 We went to Sea World. We rode roller coasters, good and bad ones. Watched a dolphin show, a killer whale show and walked out on the weasel/sea lion show.  We went to Discovery Cove.  Snorkeled and held birds on our hands and Jane had one on her head.

 We went to the movies and dinner.  Went to a science museum, which was way crowded with school kids.  Swam and went down freezing water slides.

 Went shopping at thrift shops for halloween costumes.  Entered a costume contest and Jane won. Flew on a plane and watched movies.  We really had an amazing trip.  These two are gonna take the world by storm.  I am so blessed to have been the one to bring them to this world and watch them grow.  I love you Janers and Elser!

Skyler

Honestly this kid has had me on a roller coaster lately.  I love him and his spunk but that spunk has been driving me crazy.  He started BYU.  Got an 80 on his first exam. He has been working, saving for his mission, driving Kaely to school and Shay to the train every morning. Then I found out he has a girlfriend. We (him included) had agreed no girlfriends before the mission.  So he has pretty much had a girlfriend for two months and not told us about her.  We had to get a little crazy.  Not so much because of the girl, but because of the sneaking. That will make me crazy.  I do not like lying.  He also got a 75 on his next exam.  He has so much potential.  Such an amazing kid with every opportunity you could ask for.  Lets see what he decides to do with it!

Adam

 This kid is so dang cute.  He loves to draw and Pokemon cards.  He lost 3 of his front teeth at once. He has been a little feisty lately and gets mad when you tell him no. He folds his arms and pouts his face.  He wanted to bic his head like Skyler, but I told him no.  He cried half the day.  He is pretty outgoing and loves to be with friends.  He prefers sleeping on the floor and loves covering his bed in stuffed animals, pillows and blankets. He is usually happy and helpful.  He really wants to bear his testimony in church.

LSAT

I have worked for 8 months on perfecting my skills for the LSAT.  Saturday was test day and it feels crazy.  All the sudden I go from something that has ruled my life for 8 months to freedom until my score comes back. 21 amazing days, I get to decide what to do.  Yesterday was my first and I cleaned the entire house except the kids rooms.  It felt amazing.  Today I am babysitting 8 kids from 3 families.  I love helping people and that has been something that I have been missing.

Limbo

Limbo is a hard place for me.  I guess it is so for most.  I took the LSAT again two weeks ago.  It takes 3 weeks to get your score back.  In the mean time, we wait.  Everything we plan hinges on my score.  Whether I apply to law school or just get a job.  I don't think I can sit around here week after week. I have not had more than a few days to do what I want/need to get done in a really long time.  I figured it has been about 12 years.  That is when I had the twins.  I had a list of things I had hoped to do for the past however many years.  They are done.  I really need a new list.  I can only clean the same room so many times.  One more week is not very long to be in limbo.  But then I will be waiting to see if I got accepted or not.  That limbo will be much longer.

Teenagers

There are so many great things about teenagers.  But trying to apply for scholarships with a teenager is like pulling your nail to the quick.  It hurts.  Mine is super prideful and feels like he is an amazing author that needs no revisions.

Hello dude.  The great authors know they need revisions.

Tough.

Sunshine

Feeling the sun come out after weeks of smog and snow was amazing.  I stand at the back glass door every day and soak in the sun.  It gives me hope and happiness.  I wonder how something can give that much goodness.  It makes me think of my Savior.  He is The Son.  Like the sun, he gives hope and happiness.  Despite all life's little messes, daily intake of the hope our Savior gives can keep us moving forward.  I have to go to the back door to soak in that sunshine.  I also must go to my knees, my scriptures or a quiet moment to feel the hope and love my Savior offers.  Seek him and you will find him.

BYU

Three years ago I graduated.  That is when it all started.  The kids wanted me to homeschool them. They were begging.  At first I said "no stinking way."  Throughout the summer, I started thinking about it more. I had a good friend mentor me and help me to understand curriculum. Finally the day before school was to start I pulled the kids out of public school.

I was super nervous especially because Skyler was a high schooler.  I would be teaching him and his classes would not be accredited. He wanted to go to BYU.  I researched hours and started a plan to create the perfect BYU applicant.  I knew he needed service, leadership and a great ACT score.

Here we are three years later.  Skyler was just accepted into BYU for fall.  He will skip his senior year of high school and will start college.  We are excited and in shocked.  We knew he had it in him but didn't want to get too excited...just in case.  I know this wasn't all just me.  I have been blessed to know what, how, when and where.  I have been blessed with the right people and the right timing. We moved to Utah for a job and now Skyler can go to BYU his senior year and still live at home.

It worked!

Law School

I have a for real fear of failure.  I don't want anyone to know that I hope to do something, just in case I can't make it happen.

I am hoping that putting this out there pushes me to work harder and make it happen.

I am planning on applying to law school for fall 2017.  It is something that I have wanted to do but always felt like I couldn't make happen.  I am nervous about whether I am capable of getting the score I need on the LSAT.  I think with a year of prep I can bring my score up the 10-12 points I need.

I studied for 3 weeks and took it last Sept and got the same score as my no study practice score.  I was not too happy about that.

 Here goes nothing.

The Running Dream

Book club in our new neighborhood is tonight.  The book is "The Running Dream."  It is a YA book and I almost always struggle with those.  The immature voice drives me nuts.  Maybe it is because I have two teenagers, maybe it is because I loathe whining.  Whatever it is, I have a hard time enjoying most modern YA books.

I got the book on Sunday from a neighbor and have read the first 1/4 of it.  It is about a girl who loves to run, she is better than she has ever been, then she is in an accident and loses her leg.  She is frustrated at the world and bitter. She is definitely whining about it.  So I think to myself, "Come on, this is not the end of the world.  Stop feeling sorry for yourself.  There are lots of amputee runners. You will run again." That is when I realized that I should be saying that to myself.  "Come on, what you are going through is not the end of the world.  Stop feeling sorry for yourself.  You will run again."

I am not an amputee. But I have my share of struggles.  While in them lately I have been complaining and getting frustrated and grumpy.  "Why are things not the way I want them now?"  or "I don't see how they will ever be the way I want them."

For the girl in the book who lost her leg, I can see the whole picture, but she can't.  She is short sided. For me, I can't see the whole picture, but my Heavenly Father can.  He has a plan for me.  I know he is trying to show me the plan and tell me, "You will run again."  And I sit here and whine because I can't run right this moment!

I am trying to see the plan.   I am trying to understand the planning that takes place so that not only I can run but so that I can help my kids run.  I am trying to listen and be grateful for his path for my family.

I am trying and I am beginning to see.

Goals

Moving has placed me "in the depths of despair," as Anne of Green Gables would have put it.  But I have had a few eye opening experiences today that have allowed me to see that I only had a little mud on my shoes and everything will be ok.

I have decided to write down my goals and start focusing and seeing my future.  Building it.  I know sometimes things don't work out the way we want, but on the other hand if we don't have a vision for what we would like, then it really can't turn out the way we want either.

I want to travel.  I want faithful, successful, kind and service oriented children. I want a strong marriage.  I want a paid off house.  I want to serve missions with my husband.  I never wanted to live in Southern California, but with this cold in Utah, I am thinking that I do.

Homeschooling

I wrote this post just after I started homeschooling almost 3 years ago.  I never published it.  Reading it now,  I feel that raw emotion that I felt when I wrote it.  We have grown a lot in 3 years. I am not so afraid anymore.


I actually haven't been very forthcoming about the fact that we are homeschooling this year.  I have felt weak and didn't want any criticism.  I always said I could never/would never homeschool my kids.  Just out of selfishness for my time, let alone a thousand other reasons...my kids make me crazy fighting, screaming and messing up the house all the time.  (I know this sounds awful and I am not saying this is how other moms are, but this is how I was.) I only say that because everyone that finds out we are homeschooling for some reason thinks that I want them to do the same.  That is not true, although if you want to try it, you should.
There are so many wonderful things about homeschooling like sleeping in, reading books snuggled in the bean bag, keeping those terrible middle school experiences at bay, or doing what you feel your Heavenly Father has asked you to do.
There are also not so fun things like finding out that your 3rd grader has been lying about doing her math assignments all week, or having a meltdown in your closet because you do not feel compitent enough to teach everything the world has to offer to your five children in one year, or your 5 year old telling you he can't wait for kindergarten because he does not want to be homeschooled.
To be honest it is super brutal.  But when I ask my girls if they are ready to go back to public school, they say "no way". They even tell the five year old "Don't do it! People are so mean."  It would be easy to send them back and I am not sure that I never will but for now I am learning at least as much as they are.  I am sure that no situation is 100% ideal, but I hope I can do my best for them.  I am going to try.

Sometimes it is harder than it looks

I know it is easy to smile and pretend it is all ok. But sometimes it is harder than it looks.  To see someone and assume that the smile means it is all ok would pretty much always be wrong.  Pretty much always.  Dealing with other humans or not having other humans to have to deal with can both be hard.  Life is hard.  I am feeling it.  Tomorrow I am sure I will feel different.

Another Year, Another Move

Here it is, the second year in a row starting off with a move.  Moving is a bit of a nightmare.  You put all your stuff in boxes and can't find what you need for weeks before the move and weeks after the move.  Then you wish you hadn't kept even part of what you did, because moving a bunch of junk feels horrible.  The kids are all sad, overwhelmed, lonely, and grumpy.  That is except the 7 year old who has tons of energy and wants everyone to play with him.  While everyone else has no energy and no patience.  This ends up being not a very nice mix.

At the moment all have been ordered to sleep.  Which is made difficult by the screaming coming from the 7 year old, who feels betrayed by everyone because no one has the energy or patience to deal with him.

I do like some things about moving.  This list is an attempt to remind myself that there are positives.

New places
New friends
Getting rid of some but not enough junk.

We moved here for a few reasons. Maybe writing them down will help me remember and focus on them.

Skyler going to college.  BYU or UVU
Kaely going to a performing arts school. UVU or Pioneer High School
Misty possibly going to law school or business school.
Saving enough money for a down payment on a home.


I am tempted to get a job to speed up the process of getting a home. But one of my reason for waiting is that I really do not want to send the twins to public school in Jr High.  I also feel like the big kids will need a lot of support in college their first year.

I know we are supposed to go through new scenarios and experience new things so that we know how to succor others and so that we can grow and be better.  I have been struggling with feeling willing.  I will try harder to do better and be more positive.  I will.