Happy Holiday - for Me!

Back to school is now herald as a new holiday of boundless joys for me! This last summer was insanity at times but we all survived and are all eager to get back to school.

Meet the teacher night: Keila now has Isaac's first grade teacher, Mrs. Kloft who handles the kids well and has a great relaxed personality. Isaac has already elaborated all her virtues for Bug so she is excited to some degree. I'm sure as things fall into a routine she will grow to love it.

Bud has Mrs. Patti for his teacher. While it was an extremely busy evening for her, she took the time to answer all of Isaac's questions. She's wonderfully organized and I hope this year between the two of us we can get Isaac some of those much needed skills.

First day shots are a must and even include Eli this year!

While dropping Keila off to class, I managed a few shots of Isaac going into his.

Pumpkin and I will relish the uninterrupted playtime and I will begin the task of slowly reclaiming the house! Happy back to school day!

Being Brave

Keila has had a rough go of things the last year or two. We recently took some assessments and found out she has been having anxiety attacks often. She hating leaving home or not having one of us there with her and it was affecting her socially and academically at preschool.

It's hard to explain to people who don't deal with anxiety. All fear, logical or illogical have a life of their own and can be amplified until they seem too vast to control. All we can do is retreat and cope which is only a shell of who we really are.

We've worked hard with a counselor to help her understand how her thoughts and actions can make these fears grow. Her teachers have learned to know when she's withdrawing and helped make small daily goals to move out of her comfort zone. It's made a difference, the child that once hid in the corner with books and never smiled or looked people in the eye has opened up. Peers and other parents have noticed too and the following pictures from the end of school year really show it.

Our egg drop experiment.

For the summer we are working on her fears of swimming the full 25 m and performing in front of others. Hopefully this will help bridge next year where it will be a new school, new faces and teachers. It's a big change for a little one and off and on I hear her say to herself, "I can do it, I can be brave!" Right now it's just a mantra, but one day she'll know it to be true. I love this little girl with all my heart!

Keila and Mrs. Crabb

December in a Flash

Random happenings for December.

One of our traditions is a gingerbread house. For this year we did gingerbread men. While the older two enjoyed the activity, Eli and I did therapies, otherwise known as playtime.

Keila's First Day of Preschool

Children from the same family are each so different from each other. It is really obvious between Keila and Isaac. One is an extrovert and everyone is a friend even though he could never tell you the name of that child 10 mins later. The other is an introvert, choosing just one or two special friends who she knows inside and out and who's friendship she jealously guards as her own. For that reason school is ever so much more intimidating for Keila. A new environment, new teacher, new people to make relationships with .... She is so filled with anxiety about it that it has me anxious for her too.

The annual fathers blessing before school start was particularly important to her. I think she felt the peace of the blessing that assured her she would learn to love school and make new friends because this was her on the first of preschool:

We've had brief tears almost every morning while getting ready since, but she's come to accept that this will be a part of her life for a long time and so she squares her little shoulders and gets too it. At the end of her halftime day, she always relates something positive about her time there. She's realizes there are things she can't experience here at home and I can see her confidence growing. I'm so proud of her and so glad she is my little bug love. Here she's giving Eli some parting love....can't quite tell if eli is glad for the space from her ofttimes smother affection or if he's feeling a little blue at our very quiet mornings together!

May happenings

Too much happening and I have to wonder how we'll survive once baby girl is here! Our favorite Grandma asked for a ride to Bellair ward picnic and since we always like to visit with old friends, we couldn't resist!

The kids have spent time alone with her often. Isaac has a birdhouse he's painting with her and Keilas's done a few crafts too. Sometimes I bring over a lunch and we picnic with Helen and her dog Buster. She's such a blessing to me, just one less kiddo on and off does wonders for my sanity!

Mother's Day was spent being spoiled by everyone. Kent prepped dinner and I was given many gifts by my cutie pies. This picture is just a few.

Later that evening we all tested out our newly renovated bathroom and new jet tub. Keila says it's like having a nice warm, bubbly blanket that turns you into jello! It was a lot of stimulus for Eli but he definitely was just a lump after it! Afterwards older two built a fort styled spa wherein I laid on pillows to receive a rather unique massage. I had to smile at the gesture, it was very thorough and meant to relax me but I think I ended up with more tickes and giggles than anything else.


Keila had her last school day with her friends and we enjoyed a swim party with her classmates. She was a little fishy calmly swimming from one point to another while classmates would scream jumping in or flounder floating by clinging to a noodle. Eli enjoyed the pizza there and flirted with everyone in sight.



Isaac also had his kindergarten celebration. Unfortunately keila came down with a fever and Eli had just gotten over his so ken opted to stay home so Isaac and I could have a night out. We hit Rita's where he was stuffed to the brim with custard and Italian ice and then he had a blast chatting and hugging friends in his rather exuberant manner. I was funny to me how he'd pick them up/hug from behind and the kid would automatically yell, "Isaac!" And then giggle. Obviously this occurs rather frequently and there was no way to contain his energy. I couldn't get him to stop long enough for pictures! I'm glad though that he is so winsome and enjoys so many friends. This was the oly shot we could get that our friends got of us. Isaac wasn't too happy to hold still and miss friends passing by!


Eli and I managed to meet up with a few friends from Sharing DS of AZ at Oasis gym for powerhour. It's like having an hour of PT for our kids for only $5. Instead of working so hard to motivate them to work certain muscles, we expend our energy keeping them contained! Once we meet up with Emily and his little man, and another time it was with Kelli and her son. Out kids were so tuckered out afterwards and I'm sure they napped well.


Isaac's soccer season ended and unfortunately he was to sick to attend the swim party with his friends. We were glad to get some pictures the week before of the whole team and I had his friends sign his jersey as a parting gift.


It's a good end to a school year and we look forward to the summer of fun!