Oh....Avery

So, Avery is still not loving school. We have to count down the days of the school week for her so she can bare to go another day! This morning I was talking to her in the bathroom and I mentioned it was the last day of school this week, time for a break. She asked how many days break, to which I replied that there were two days off, Saturday and Sunday. She very cooley added, "Nope, there's gonna be an extra day, between Saturday and Sunday, this time!" I love her. She cracks me up. Only in her world can you think that by just saying something its possible!
Mom asked her tonight what her favorite part of school was. She said lunch, recess, and gym.

Seriously good effort~

After saying prayers tonight we were marching the kids down the hall to start their bed routines and personal prayers when I looked over my shoulder at Nate and said, "I think daddy should go get me a diet coke, then lay on the bed watching tv and rub my booda!" Totally kidding about everything except the diet coke part...I almost died laughing when Eli yelled out desperately trying to avoid his own bed time, "I want to rub your booda mom! Please!" Now I've heard it all...

New pictures of kids

Ah- hah!

It occurred to me yesterday sitting in Sacrament meeting, while everyone was bearing their testimonies, that I badly NEEDED to get up. But I couldn't. Nate worked a 12+ hour day yesterday for his semi-annual inventory so I was totally on my own with the kids. It required my full attention and arm span to contain Eli...so I sat there completely overwhelmed by the things I know to be true. While I've ranted a LOT on here these last few months about struggles...I really am NOT entirely pathetic. My emotions are way too close to the surface, and I'm a crybaby anyways...so I LOOK worse than I am, and I'm not entirely pathetic. I promise. Alot of my realizations have every bit as much to do with grattitude as they do with struggles. The closing song was 'Where can I turn for peace?' and I was overwhelmed with grattitude that I know that answer. The thought occured to me so many times during that hour that I was grateful for the certain things. This past year I have learned that even things we think are fairly constant, certain aspects of our life can crumble. I am not a hugely intelligent, spiritual person. But I know that there is so much strength and comfort in the one real, constant of my life. The one absolute truth. I left sacrament meeting with red, blotchy eyes again! But not becuase I was feeling pitty or sadness per say. But for knowing that all things will come full circle, and that clinging to what remains my constant source of happiness will bring me peace today, and tomorrow, and the day after that, no matter what crumbles and fails around me. I am also thankful for my husband. He is my perfect fit. And he laughs with me every night. I am so thankful for him. And in my realization of blessings yesterday it demands attention that my children are the best! I was pretty emotional for a bit yesterday and of course they thought they'd been naughty and upset me...so they wrote me cards. I laughed so hard over them. Kenna's said 'sorry for my aditude and sass. i'll be better'. Kolbe's said, 'if I've been a turd or annoying please just punish me over and over and over again until I stop!' Seriously, they are so over-dramatic! But, it worked, cause I was laughing hysterically. I love my family...and this post would be incomplete without mentioning the best friends ever! What tender mercies!

My favorite Sunday of the year

is definitely without question Primary Program Sunday! Why? Well, the answer is simple. I have worked in primary forever and usually always end up up on stage, away from little wild children of my own...allowed to enjoy the HUGE spirit of the little kids in Primary! Avery was determined to do her own part...with NO help! It made me nervous as to what we'd get...and it was noticable to people watching that she was determined to spit it all out before Kolbe could prompt her. She is so independent...and her squeaky voice is hilarious! They all did well on their parts. But my favorite part by far was the singing. Today Kenna and Kolbe had little feature songs. Kenna sang with the girls in her class, and Kolbe sang a solo, which he did so awesome on! So proud of him and Ken both...but Kolbe completely surprised me! He wasn't even nervous.
I love this program so much because you feel the Spirit so strongly and you get little glimpse of eternity!

And the answer is? BRAIDS

Our good friend joked last week that she couldn't wait to hear if I'd have more hair to cut or braid...and, after the ultrasound today, the answer is....BRAIDS! Much to no one's surprise, we found out fairly definitely that baby Pitcher arriving in March(hoping end of Feb) will be a girl! He said at first that he 'thought' it was a girl, but couldn't guarantee it, but a few seconds later started laughing and said, 'well if its a boy, its going to be VERY embarrassed!" He printed a pic of the arial view and even someone not so trained(like myself) is 100% sure that its definitely a girl. Nate said from day one, and I also suspected early on that this baby was a girl. We did a poll the other night for family home evening and Eli was the lone voter for a boy! So, basically, 'she' is wanted by all! We're really excited....Kolbe loved the ultrasound. Loved looking right over the guy's shoulder and looking for the spinal cord and heart and ribs...anything he could recognize on his own! It was fun. The kids are a little older this time so its fun to see them make sense of things. Baby got tired of the tech and by the end he showed us her little hands pushing against the ultrasound wand...great...another spirited child! Its not like we'd have been disappointed either way, but now that I KNOW what I knew already...its so so so exciting!

Pumpkins

This is definitely my least favorite part of Halloween...I have serious issues touching the goo inside a pumpkin. Thank heavens for a 'brave' husband! Yuck! Unfortunately my kids have inherited my inability to touch it...so Nate is forced to clean all the pumpkins so we can carve. I hate the mess, but the kids sure do love the end result! And THAT makes me happy!