Spoiled

After Mayci's incident with the front teeth...I spoiled her.  This was one of those occasions where she asked, I obliged.  Instead of painting the finger nail, she painted the finger tip.
Aunt Karalee stopped by and saw the masterpiece.
She was a little concerned about how far I would go in spoiling her.
She gave me permission to have boundaries ; )

My goofy toothless wonder.

All I want for Christmas...

One day, my sweet Mayci, when you have a child that knocks her teeth out and has to wait only 4 years to get them back, you will see you are not only a witness to the cruelty...
YOU WERE THAT CHILD TOO!

The pictures really speak for themselves.
Painful.
Heart wrenching.
Gruesome.

And bless her in the bottom right picture.  This was how she would smile.
With her eyes only cause...well...
cause she didn't want to move her mouth!

Once our family and friends heard what happened to this precious angel...
we were swarmed with visitors and gifts.
It makes my eyes sting now.
Its times like these when you look to the Heavens in gratitude for family and close friends.
First my sweet brother came over with an oreo shake.  I had to take a picture of the two.  It was so sweet.
Karalee stopped by with an ice cream cone and concern for my whereabouts : )  Swept up a big mess I hadn't gotten to.  And continued to offer her help throughout the day!!
Laci came over with a toy for JoJo and a shirt for Mayci AND Wesly...along with some comforting words with all too familiar stories!
Grandma came with barbie and halloween toys.
A friend took Wesly and wouldn't let me say otherwise.  She was just stopping in to say hi, but could clearly see the anxiety I was experiencing as I was prepping for the dentist appointment.
Rachel called her mother-in-law who happens to be the secretary of our dentist with questions and answers.
And I got many phone calls and messages too.
Im sure Im forgetting a kind gesture,
but bottom line,
we are blessed.
Its in the day to day hustle and bustle that Im sure everyone every now and then gets a little lonely.
Especially as a mother.  During the 'season'.
But...
I am never alone:)
And neither are my kids.
And Im so grateful for that.

*the left picture is the morning after her teeth were pulled.  Raegan helped her read her note from her tooth fairy.  Mayci was thrilled that her tooth fairy named twinkle left her teeth for her to show all her friends.  Raegan has never been so sweet as she has been these past few days with her little sister.  It warms my heart*
 

Just some more pictures of my precious.  She actually posed like that in the upper left.  It was awesome.  Upper right is how she runs at people that enter our home now.  Bottom left is gross.  And bottom right pretty much makes my heart bleed.  It is right when the dentist finished.  She is resting on my chest trying to make everyone happy in fulfilling their dumb requests to smile.  Its like when the dentist asks you a question when he has both of his fists and numerous tools jammed in your mouth.
She tried.
As I held her tight.
I was a pretty tough cookie and held it together pretty well for the sake of not scaring the crap outta her,
but that night,
when she was sound asleep after ASKING to go to bed,
I propped her up on my lap in her bed,
slowly and gently inserted a syringe of tylenol in her mouth,
then layed with her in my arms and sobbed.

I love my kids.
So so so so so so so much.

Im so glad this wasn't worse than what it was.
I hate longboards.

________________________________________

How this happened in a nutshell:
Mayci was sitting in front of Raegan on the longboard.  As Raegan was slowing she grabbed Mayci on the shoulders.  Anybody that knows Mayci knows...she loses all sense of anything when being tickled.  It tickled her when Rae grabbed her shoulders, and in an effort to abort Raegans tickling clutch, Mayci lunged forward.  Face first in the road.   #1 parent of the year.
Thank you.
And goodbye.

Bless me.

What do you do when your 3 year old says:
"Mom...look...take a picture!"
WELL
Of course you take the picture.
So glad I did...cause its pretty precious.

When Mayci can convince Evan to play with her when none of his friends are available :/
It is the darndest scene to behold.
These two have the best imaginations.
I love that Evan refused the barbie,
and used the halloween skeleton.

Holy moly pa joly kid.
Look at that face!  She went from excited...to..."I CANT CONTOL MYSELF EXCITED!"
She is amazing.
An amazingly large HAND FUL too!!!
I sure hope when her mouth is full of her pearly whites
(because thats always what I chalk it up to be - teething :)
she is a bit more content.
Although I can already predict...
she will be a busy one!
Does she EVER sit in my arms?!
Or in a stoller?!
Or in her carseat?!
Yes.
She does.
But she is not very pleased about it (to put it politely).
In fact...this here may put it into perspective:

Once upon a time my visiting teacher called and asked if we wanted to join her for ice cream.
I agreed to.  And made the mistake of offering her a ride rather than meeting her there.
She jumped in my car as joyful as can be.
And the life of Farrah and kids in the car began.
With Wesly.
The most wretched scream you could imagine.
The whole way there.
She looked at me so many times shaking her head with laughter in utter shock that a child could truly make your eardrums vibrate and said through her horrified humor:
"Oh bless you Farrah.  Oh bless you.   Oh my, bless you."
We laughed as she screamed.

The next day she was at my doorstep with a sweet little gift.
She commanded I open.
Opened I did.
And there in my hands lie a pair of ear plugs.
I laughed.
She was serious as a heart attack and said:
"You need these."
They are in my car.
I use them.
Raegan will be getting some too.
Only because she has asked me 400 times to use mine ; )
Bless me.

Raegan

Homework is a DOOSY with this one.
I had to march her desk up the stairs, into my office, and close the doors to get her to sit.
And focus.
My neighbor was brilliant and told me she hired a neighborhood helper to sit with her homework hater.
Might be in my future.
Too much friction for me.
Any takers?

We have inherited 2 hamsters.
Easy to take care of.
But they die.
And then my heart aches.
For my Rae.
Truly, she was devastated.
And I cried with her.
Once again, as my science project, I have witnessed Raegan on several occasions ball up her emotions when there is something sad to cry about.
But when she is mad, she will give me the ugly cry, with spit, fire, smoke, and screamin.
So normally Im telling her to stop.
Gain control.
And use her words.
This day... I told her to cry.
And she broke.
Sobbed a painful hurt cry.
So...I checked her out of school and got her some shoes the color of the bright yellow sun.
And she smiled : )

Raegan loves her volleyball.
Still haven't figured out if she loves the game,
or the social gathering of all her friends in one place.
Time will tell : )

Evan

I tried to get a normal picture of him smiling with his snuggle tooth gone!
This is what I got.
The prop of the pencil aint that bad.
Just confirms...he is a nerd.
The most handsome nerd of all.

Uncle Scott so generously invited Evan backpacking/camping one weekend.
He came home from school with this.
Pretty sure it was the best night of his life.
Thank you Uncle Scott.
It takes a special consideration to invite him overnight to anything considering he is a walking talking alarm clock for the sunrise.
It meant a lot.
A LOT.

Here is another treasure from school.
A list of 'after school priorities'.
So glad 'frinds' came before the tv and iPad.
I would feel like a COMPLETE failure if it didn't.

The rest reads:
dinner
7:00 D (?)
Bed
Breakfast
Chores
School
Name: Evan!

Mayci Jo Jo

She is a big helper in the morning...sometimes : /
But alas I have found the chore for her.
She sat at the silverware for about 30 minutes.
Meticulously placing the right size fork and spoon in its designated spot.
Maybe I have an organizational freak like myself on my hands!
(although my house doesn't prove me to be so)

The small dot of pink in this picture is my little JoJo.
I saw dad wave her over . . .
I tensed up with fear that she would make a straight shot across the court to him . . .
and that she did.
Not my fault this time.

First day of preschool doesn't look too bad on this gal.
Maybe she will learn how to put her shoes on straight:)
I love her.

Wesly Baby

I THINK she looks like me.  Like Evan.  Like my dad.
I Dunno.
Have a hard time when it comes to my own kids but can always see it in others.
Regardless...
She is pretty cute.
So is my dad : )

Just Wesly, Maya, Mom and Dad...
in the wee hours of the night.

Im going to HUGELY miss this when its over.
For every nap and nighty she snuggles in my arms and falls to sleep.
As I move her into her bed I lay her up on my chest and squeeze her.
Kiss her head over and over and over.
Then lay her down.
Treasuring it.

From crawling to standing.
Oh how quickly it goes.
Into EVERYTHING.
And often times I get sucked into watching with awe at how fascinating a bag of chips are to her.
Wish I still thought so.

This little yogurt bite was glued to her face for quite some time.
We all got a good laugh out of it.

Labor Day Madness

This is little ol' me.  Thinkin' Im pretty cool catching some air!
We cruised up to Park City Monday.
It was MADNESS and utter CHAOS to get there, but once we were there, I did not regret it one bit.
I did not have the company of my husband
BUT
I am incredibly blessed to have met up with the nicest most mellow yellow people on Earth.
Right when I arrived, swarms of arms came running at me, grabbed the baby and my 3 other kids,
and sent me on my way with a bike (operation farrah)!
FOR REAL?!
We rode 'Trailside'.  A small hike with a bike to the top and complete exhilaration down.
I felt on top of the world.
Literally.
Park City is so beautiful right now.
Leaves changing.
Cloud coverage here and there.
With a slight breeze.
It was magical.
Plus...the bonus side to all this...
While I rode, the kids strapped on their helmets, grabbed a bike, scooter, or long board (I said it was madness prep for the journey) and rode on a really nice skate park just below the trail.  They could see me the whole time and I could see AND hear them the whole time.  Not one complaint from them.  Nor me.
 

My sweet pics were taken on our second destination.  Once we finished at trailside and the skate park, we headed to 'the jumps'.  After unloading at trailside and then loading back up to head to 'the jumps' I was debating with myself whether to call it a success and head home...or give 'the jumps' a whirl.
Give it a whirl I did.
As we were driving there the kids were BEGGING me to do the Alpine Slide.
That was another consideration but actually don't think it was even doable without another adult:)
So, onto the bike jumps we went.
And onto the bikes the kids went.
And there they found all the joy their little hearts could handle.
Serious.
Hours.
They rode.
Asking when we were going to return.

After the kids rode for a bit Raegan asked, as we made our way to the bathrooms, if we could put a house right there - pointing to the center of the parking lot.
Its been quite the process trying to figure out what makes this child sing a happy tune.
(She is too complex for my little brain)
Its definitely not center stage.
Its whatever she can do...on her own.  At her own pace.  With her own agenda.  Nobody breathing down her neck or heckling her from the sidelines.
Its this.
The challenge...by her big girl self.
And the victory...all on her own.
With the praise of her parents... hearing how fun it is to watch her...without saying a peep while in she is in her zone.
I absolutely love it.
Its freedom!
(I may be investing soon in a bike that doesn't sound like its gonna loose its nuts and bolts at any second!  She was serious as a heart attack and was taking the course to town.  Im sure her wrists and BE-hind are sore!)

Oh Evan. Oh Evan.
How much do I love you.
My heart races as I look at this.
You are always trying your hardest to keep up.  And most the time you succeed.
This day...you eventually did ; )
You took on the big hill after practicing for a bit on the mini course.
Turfed it.
Hard.
And you were so so frustrated.
Yelling. Crying. And beat up.
(he ate it so hard at the skate park too. hard. head bounced off the concrete...thank you helmet! landed in a puddle. soaking wet shirt. and pants - poor guy! - just whipped off his shirt and off he went - after a few scrapes and tears)
"Everyone can do it mom!  Raegans never been here either and she can do it!"
And so it has begun...siblings keeping up with siblings!
I challenged him to ride the mini course 15 times without falling and he can try the big one again, all while trying to explain to him that Raegan is older and thats why she can do it without practicing as much...all the other kids practiced just like YOU on the mini course.  For 2 years!
Lie : )
But around he went.  And I could hear him counting under his breath.
I would yell out occasionally asking how many times, and he would yell back..."8 mom! 8!"
He was in full concentration too. D.E.T.E.R.M.I.N.E.D! (i loved every minute of it)
Lets just say it was NOT easy for him.
But around 15 times he went.
And he was READY!
So up the hill we go, after strapping on Lennon's elbow/knee pads.  Adjusted the helmet a little tighter.  And there we stood.  Atop the mountain of doom!  He was shaking.  My heart was pattering.
But I encouraged.  YOU CAN DO IT!
He did.
He pushed off.  Legs shot straight out like sticks (don't mind the pedals) and as wobb-i-ly as he was...
HE MADE IT!
Why?
Why is that such a proud moment for me, so much so that I may have gulped down a few tears?
Maybe because he was SO Courageous.  Determined. Tough. And would not take NO for an answer.
  So no matter what he tries, he can be good ; )
He may have to practice just a little harder than everyone else...which isn't such a bad thing!

And this is what Mayci did.
Neglectful you say?!
Well, if letting a kid play in dirt all day is neglectful...then you were never a kid!
Between this dirt hill and a lovely park 10 paces away,
she was perfectly content.

Labor day.
A success.

Kade and Mayci

Kade.
Rockin' his shorts.
Backwards.
Unzipped.
Unbuttoned.
And pockets hangin' out.
Love him.

Bless her.
Falls asleep anywhere.

See.
Its rough bein 3!

Closing days of Summer

Ya, Ya, Ya...I'm sure you have all heard enough about this lake and our awesome neighbors but it feels like it may soon be over so we had to take every chance we get to head out there.  These pics were too cool to NOT post.  Shawn doing some work on perfect glass.  Your ski makes a hissing noise that only glass on the lake can create.  Music to a skiers ears.

The Hansens are probably the greatest neighbors and even better friends.  They are unbelievably giving and gracious.  It just happened that Scott and Karalee came by our house while they were there and the rest is history.  Let me tell you how it went.  Shawn introduced Scott to Trever with something along the lines of, "This is Trever, he's our neighbor that takes us to his lake." and that was all Scott needed.  He was on that faster than I could finish the introduction.  The Hansens made mention of going that week and sure enough, we got a text on the mentioned day from KJ wondering if it was still on. Yes it was!!!!  Scott enjoying the view.  Stoke level...as high as the scale can reach.

 Evan doing his thing.  No big deal.

 Lights got installed since we were last there....skiing all night if you are up for it...and we were.

 Karalee getting busy under the lights.  She was screaming out loud she was so excited.  Oh yeah, we were the only ones up there that day.

 And here is Shawn putting a stamp on the end of summer under the lights.  We may get away one night now that there are lights, the Hansens are awesome and even mentioned it tonight, but if we can't we will always have these killer pictures too look back on.  A nice carve for an even better summer full of water and good peeps.

Randoms

We attempted the Alpine Slide, but as soon as I put my car in park,
Rae was sick.
Pale.
Gonna throw up.
For sure.
She made me sit in the back of the car with her for almost an hour because she was sure she needed me to help her make it in the bucket.  I was coaching her the best I could, but I have never seen a child so incredibly terrified of barfing as my little Rae.  She was shaking. Begging me to be the one to be sick...not her. Asking over and over when it was gonna happen.  How much is it going to be? Why her? Why can't dad be sick? Or Evan? Seriously, she was so terrified I felt horrible.  She went into the typical cramp up, feel ok, cramp up again, feel ok, wave.  She asked that we say a prayer.  That we did.
She begged that Heavenly Father would answer her prayer.  Help her.
I told her (because I was sure she was going to at any second barf *ye of little faith*) that sometimes our prayers are not answered the way we want them to be answered.  Maybe Heavenly Father helped us get to Park City before she got sick so that I could be with her.  Help her.
She didn't like that.
I sat with her.
Rubbing her back.
Tying her hair up.
Gearing her with a couple bags.
And we waited . . .
and waited . . .
and waited . . .
Finally I said we are going home.
I lined the carpet in front of her with a new blow-up raft...just in case...and off we went.
She was quiet.
The whole way home.
SHE NEVER THREW UP.
I am thoroughly convinced Heavenly Father intended for this to be an experience this freshly baptized 8 year old will never ever forget.
I told her she had way more faith then me and that she must be a very special girl to our Heavenly Father.
She was so unbelievably thrilled...she will never forget that day!

The picture above.
Although we weren't able to experience the Alpine Slide
we were blessed with a beautiful drive...
and a beautiful teaching moment.

**Sorry for the novel, but then again who am I sorry to.  Pretty sure nobody visits my blog...totally fine with me (I understand with FaceBook and Intsagram...the blog world is ancient social media: ). Its purely for my journal purposes only.   Truly.  And Im actually so glad I have it...for myself and my kids!**


 

Yes.
We are doing Karate.
With sparring gear and all.

"C'mon stupid knees. . ."           "Almost there!"                     "Got it!"            

The squat.
Who knew it could be so difficult.
Evan has knocked-knees.
He may look special here...bless him ; )
He was working so hard on that squat.
The more he worked the more knocked his knees went.
Like I always say...glad he is smart!
It was one of the funniest things I have ever witnessed!
These are the moments I Really Really Really appreciate being a MOM!
And feel so so so bad dad has to miss out.

This was the most glorious Sunday nap ever.
Mayci truly fell asleep like that.
Best spoon.

As I predicted.
This girl is mobile.
And this girl is SO much happier.
Thanks to the crawl.

Whenever we can have her we will take her.
My kids worship auntie buggy.
Wonder why?  Nobody worships bug.
Maybe its because she lets them drive the go-cart through 100's of people . . .
at age 8!!

Evan.
On his first day of the big bad first grade.
He booked it out of the car before I even put it in park.
Ran around the school looking for his door.
Without looking back.
I pretty much had to tackle him down to get a hug and a kiss from him.
He couldn't be more ready.
I missed him a lot.  But it helps the emotions when they are so dang excited to take on the world.
I love him.
So much.

Evan.
The button up got the better of him.
He was so close.
Ha!

This poor girl had to miss the first day of school.  That stomach bug sure was a bugger.  Knocked her flat for 5 straight days.  No throw-up, just very weak.  Tired.  And sick to her stomach.  I felt really bad she had to miss out on day 1.  But she survived and was more than excited to gear up and head out on day 2.
Im so happy my kids LOVE school.
The night before the first day, Shawn gave them amazing blessings.
When he was through I wanted to bless them too with my own thoughts.
And that I did.
Be a good friend.
Be a helper for your teacher.
ALWAYS include the outcasts : )
And always help those that are being picked on.
Thats all.
Then they asked if I cared that they do their homework?
I said...sure :)

*PS . . . Its not okay that Mayci is tightening a bungee around her neck*

UPGRADE!!

Say it aint so!
I UPGRADED.
Out with the slider and in with the Samsung GFX 2000!!
(have no idea what it really is called : )

I feel like I need a class on how to use it.

BUT

I know how to use SnapChat.
And I love it.

Do I ever make a normal face while taking a "selfie" (just learned that term and how to use it : )

Nope.

Just haven't found my good side yet.
Pretty sure I just don't have one,
so when all else fails...
make a face!

Glad to be a member of the upgrade.
Its kinda fun.

Getting ready!

Doesn't happen that often around here that the kids get new clothes.
Walked in to this.
Raegan.
Laying out her outfits for day 1 and day 2 of school.

Evans clothes . . .

 still in the bag.

HA!