Too much help?

How do you know when you are helping TOO much?

Last week, Averee had a big assignment due & I had major guilt about helping her TOO much. The project was to pick a MagicTree House book, read it a few times, research the subject matter & create a tri-fold display board to showcase the book & what you learned about the subject matter. She is in 1st grade! I loved the idea of the assignment-but realistically how much of this can a 1st grader do on their own. I know her teacher expected some parent help-but how much help is TOO much help? So, of course I let Averee pick whichever book she wanted-she picked 'Monday with a Mad Genius' which is about Leonardo di Vinci. Awesome-he is fasciniating! We read the book together a few times. Then I let her pick which pictures she wanted on her board & she cut them out. She picked 'Mona Lisa' since that was in the book & she had learned about it & painted her own in her Art class. Then she also picked 'The Last Supper' because she thought it was a neat painting of Jesus. Then we searched through pictures of all his drawings & inventions & picked the best ones we could find. Since she loves to draw just like Leonardo-she drew a picture of a scene from the book-so cute! Then I gathered the basic facts about him & his life to put on the board also. I let her pick what scrapbook paper & stickers she wanted & then we went to work. I did most of the cutting-more for safety reason than anything else, but she did all the gluing & decided where everything should go. Then expertly embellished the whole thing with stickers. All our scrapbook time was paying off-I was so proud! :0) I typed up (word for word) her review of the book & we put that on the board too. Anyway, it turned out great-she was really excited about it:

But then I started to get really nervous-did all the parents help as much as I did? Well, the assignment due date came & Averee was stoked to show her teacher her project. That afternoon they had a project fair & all the projects were on display in the gym. Averee really wanted to go & see all the other 1st graders projects-I was curious to see how ours compared to the rest. Well, I was happy to see that we were about the middle of the road when it came to parents involvment. Some projects were so cute & obviously done with VERY little parent help-good for them! But other projects should have just had the parents name on them-it was a little ridiculous! I am glad I didn't go that far! But it was funny cuz one project even said "by Anne Tanner and her mother", which I thought was cute. It was kinda cool cuz Averee was the only child to pick that book so there weren't 10 projects just like hers. She is one of kind! ;0)
Anyway- it was a good learning experience for us both. I think next time I will try to help her even less, but encourage her to think out side the box & be even more creative. You get an A+ from me Ave! Love ya~
P.S. it was funny cuz all us moms kept teasing each other & asking if we got OUR book report done yet...we felt like we were back in school ourselves!

One more project off the to-do list!

We have been in this house for 3 years now & it has taken me that long to decide what color to paint the girls room-Ridiculous! Anyway-I finally settled on pink for all the walls & a darker pink stripe on the accent wall. It turned out pretty darn good if I do say so myself!
BEFORE:

AFTER:

It took me 5 days & by the end my arm was killing me! But it was worth it-the girls LOVE it! I love that it is finished & the room finally feels done :0)

P.S. the funny thing is that I used to HATE pink...I mean seriously loathe the color! Don't believe me? Ask my mom! But I guess after 3 girls you kinda have to succomb to the glorious hue right?

Gymnastic Prowess

Sorry about my last post...pretty somber. But I promise to lighten things up today. In that last post I mentioned 'showing kids how to do a cartwheel'-well, here is the story that goes along with that:

One day last week, the kiddos and I were in the kitchen making granola bars (a family fav). Averee starts talking about how Alana-a girl at school-is really good at cartwheels. She says that she isn't very good at them though, so she is going to have Daddy show her how to do one when he gets home...EXCUSE ME?! I try to hide my amusement at the thought of Danny doing a cartwheel and I say 'Well, I can do a cartwheel, I will show you.' Averee looks at me like I am made of cheese & Adee says 'Huh? YOU can do a cartwheel?' At this point I am a little put out that they think so little of my athletic abilities. 'That's it! Everyone outside-I will show you a cartwheel & a dang good round-off too!'

We head outside, the kids seem pretty excited. My pride is on the line & as I stand on the thresh hold of dazzling my children with my gymnastic prowess....I start to doubt-get nervous. What if I can't do a cartwheel anymore? It has been YEARS & 4 kids since I have done one. What if I hurt myself? I glance at the kids-all lined up on the edge of the porch, ready to witness a miracle. No backing down now so I go for it...SUCCESS! The kids are shocked & excited. I do a couple more just to show off, then I pull out the big guns & do a round off. Averee was especially impressed with that one. :0) I spend the next half hour trying to help the kids do a cartwheel, then Danny gets home. The kids animatedly tell of our adventurous afternoon then Danny looks at me in disbelief and says 'YOU did a cartwheel?' Alright-it's go time! Seriously?! Does no one remember that I was a fairly decent athlete in high school? Anyway-I proceed to show off my gymnastic skills & Danny is more than impressed. Now the best part-Danny did a couple cartwheels too! Not too shabby for a couple of old married farts!

Well, hopefully the kiddos will have a little more faith in their soft, squishy mommy next time!

P.S. don't tell anyone but I did kinda hurt myself...that first cartwheel pulled something in my side. Nothing serious-it was gone by bedtime :0)

Mess after mess after mess after mess...

yup, it was one of THOSE days...you know the kind: you feel like all you do is clean up mess after mess after mess! UGH!
Owen has RE-discovered his love of water; playing in it, spilling & splashing it, experimenting with it. He has also started leaving little bowls of water all over the house for his kitty, doggie, or whatever the imaginary pet-of-the-day might be. Of course these little bowls spill, get kicked, etc. But it is just water right? To add to the excitement of the day he decided it was cool to watch the glass bowl full of mac-n-cheese spin around on the counter. Fascinating! But of course all good things must come to an end & it ended up spinning right off onto the floor & shattering EVERYWHERE! There was glass & noodles from one end of the kitchen to the other! And it was my favorite glass Pampered Chef batter bowl-the one with the handle. Used it all the time. Bummer! I surprised myself & just calmly put him in his room till I had the mess all cleaned up. Never mind that Adee was supposed to be at preschool 2 minutes ago & Reese is screaming for me to come get her out of bed. Oh the joys of motherhood, right? When I got all the glass cleaned up & it was safe for Owen to come out we had a good talk about not touching things on the counter. I was pretty calm & collected (sadly-not always the norm) I kept in mind what my BF Rachel once said "What is more important-the bowl or the child?" I love you Rachel & your constant example...
Well, the messes continued. There are always the messes to clean up after each meal and such. But the girls have really been into painting lately-which is great. I am all for letting their creativity flourish. However, paint comes with it's share of messes as well. Speaking of paint-I have been trying to get the girls room painted since Friday! What a mess! (Pictures of that project coming soon) So, to top it off-I am walking out of the girls room after applying the last (I hope) coat of paint when I notice the door to the garage is open. I investigate & what do my wondering eyes behold? A 3 year old boy showering the garage floor with his arching stream of pee! SERIOUSLY!? I yell "What are you DOING?"...he turns in surprise. Of course he can't stop mid-stream (what is that all about anyway?). I yell again "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOP!" He still seems surprised & bewildered. I start to realize that this was a case of mistaken room identity, & to his defense the bathroom & the door to the garage are close together & he didn't turn on the light. Danny thinks it is hilarious-but then again HE is the one who showed Owen how COOL it is to pee outside. UGH. Anyway-I get that mess cleaned up & we move on to the rest of our night without anymore major catastrophes. Dinner, showers, homework, piano, FHE, & Good Night-Thank goodness!
Despite the messes of the day, recent events have caused me to look at my day & life a little differently. I am actually struck by a sense of gratitude. I am thankful that I even have the blessing of children to clean up after. I get to be their mom & they have & will continue to teach me so much (especially patience). I am thankful that I am still here on this earth to be their mother. To not only clean up after them but to teach them, discover the world with them, nourish & nurture them, hold & love them, read to them, play with them, sing to them, tuck them in at night, comfort their fears, & show them how to do a cartwheel (that is a whole other story). I am also SO thankful Danny is still here on this earth to do it all with me. To help me be better & want to do better. To laugh with me & cry with me. To be my everything...what would we do without our families?
Recent event have also caused me to ponder my life & ask myself some questions. Do you ever feel so blessed & so lucky that it makes you feel a little guilty? I mean seriously...my life is so blessed & easy it is a little ridiculous sometimes. It may sound cliche but I truly mean it. Why do I have it so good while so many others are struggling so badly? Is it because I am weak & the Lord knows I can't handle much else? Are my trials coming later? Will I be able to handle them or will they be so hard that they break me? Will I handle them as well as the people suffering around me have? Am I doing everything that the Lord would have me do? What can I do better? How can I be better? Who can I help and serve? Am I sufficiently preparing myself & my family for what lies ahead? What does the future hold for me, my friends, my family?
It is interesting to me how the death of someone else (even someone we don't know that well) can make us take stock of our lives. To see things with more of an eternal perspective. The recent deaths around me have made me a better person & made me want to be a better person, mother, friend, sister, daughter, a better child of our Heavenly Father. So, to Ryan MacPherson, Sara Baker, & Kathy Graf-thank you for your examples & the opportunity to remember what matters most & to never take it for granted. You will be missed...

Tubby Time

Reesie Roo loves the tub! Usually we just put all the kids in our shower together-it is so much faster & easier! But sometimes we make time for Reese to get a bath all by herself. She loves to play with the tub toys & of course make a huge mess splashing!

Look who's 5!

Can't believe this cute little fart is 5! Adelyn is such a fun & sassy girl. She always makes us laugh & keeps up thoroughly entertained :0) Make a Wish!

For her birthday this year Adee wanted to take her 2 BF's (Ali & Ellie) with us to Jumpin' Jacks. They all had a great time-running, jumping, sliding, diving, & bouncing. After that we headed home for cupcakes & ice cream. The kids wanted to put their own sprinkles on & I think most of them ate more sprinkles than cupcake! But whatever makes 'em smile right? We are so blessed to have this sweet little girl in our family. She is such a joy & brings so much laughter & fun to our family. She loves to dance & shake her booty, she can't wait for Kindergarten, & she loves to play with Averee & Owen. She is a great sister & loves to take care of Reese. :0) We love you tons Adee Patty!

Latest crafty crafts...

Here are a few of the more recent crafts I have finished...

These chore boards turned out so cute & functional! The kids are actually excited to finish a chore so they can mark it with a magnet. Love it!

This is the magnet board in Owen's room...of course he has already broken the C off the word CREATE. Boys will be boys! UGH!

Here is the magnet board that is hanging in Averee & Adelyn's room. I love the colors on this one. Their room is modern, funky & whimsical-so fun!

This is the magnet board in Reese's room. Her room has more of a vintage feel-with some fun antiques. Gorgeous!

This is the HUGE magnet board in my laundry room. I LOVE how this turned out-the colors & papers are perfect for my red walls. This is a great way to keep our family organized, and you know I love that!

Thanks for looking! Hopefully this inspires you to get some projects of your own done :0)

HoPpY eAsTeR!

We had a great Easter weekend. The Easter Bunny brings baskets to our house on Saturday morning, that way we can concentrate on the Savior (& the true meaning of Easter) on Sunday. The kids were excited to get games, swimming goggles, squirting sticks, & of course-CANDY! Then they headed outside to find their eggs that the Easter Bunny had hidden. I am just glad a certain dog named Katch didn't eat them all before the kids found them!

That afternoon we went to a park with my parents & sister Alesha for a picnic & to roll eggs. This is a tradition from my childhood, we would always take our colored eggs & roll them down a hill. We made little tracks for them to race in & it was so fun! Well, my kids love it just as much as I did-especially Owen. :0) Happy Easter!

Easter Eggs to DYE for

Ryan & Shannon invited us over to color Easter eggs. She is so brave! The kids had a great time dyeing eggs with their cousins. Easter is almost here!

Owen coloring eggsAdelyn was getting very creative trying to do multi-colored eggs

Megan, Shannon, Brecken, Ryan, Stockton & Adee

Owen & Camden...best buds!

Say Cheese!

Averee had to write with a white crayon on all her eggs before she dyed them

Going on an EGG hunt

Our neighborhood always does a fun Easter Egg Hunt the weekend before Easter. Everyone brings a breakfast treat to share, the kids find eggs & get too much candy, while the adults get to relax & chat. The weather was awesome & the food was great-but the company was even better!

Owen with his Easter lootAveree & Adee with their eggs

It is always a mad dash for the eggs!

Reese wasn't quite sure about all this...but Happy Easter anyway!

Locks of Love

So, Averee's hair was getting too dang long to manage, and with summer coming she needed a shorter 'do. I figured I would mention donating her hair to Locks of Love to see if she was interested-and she was! But when I asked Adelyn, she said that she 'was growing her hair out like a princess'. :0) However, when I am about to cut off Averee's 10 inch ponytail, Adee decides that she now wants to 'give her hair to girls with no hair'-how cute! But when I measure her hair we realize it isn't long enough. She was heart broken! She cried for 5 minutes straight, just bawling! So I try again & if I put the ponytail high enough then we can get the required 10 inches. Needless to say, her hair is pretty dang short in the back! But it is worth right? What a great cause & I am so proud of my girls for being so selfless.

Here are the before pictures...

Here are the after pictures...

We immediately headed to a nearby salon to 'fix' their crazy hair. The girl behind the counter gave me some strange looks-can't blame her though, the girls hair looked whacked! I am sure they all thought I had tried to cut their hair myself, so I loudly said 'Yeah, their hair looks a little silly cuz we just did Locks of Love' and the receptionist goes 'Oh good, that explains alot!'. :0) I love how their hair turned out-it will be so nice for summer. And even though Adee's is a little short it totally fits her spunky personality!

p.s. Adee is hilarious- she keeps telling everyone that she gave her hair 'Lots of Love'-so cute

White Sands Hike

Some great friends of ours-the Page's-took us on a cool hike called the White Sands Trail. It was a great little hike, long enough that the kids feel like they accomplished something but not so long that we had to carry them. They had so much fun playing in the sand & rolling down the hill. We just ADORE the Page's. Our kids are the same ages & they are so fun to hang out with. Love you guys! Reese was a little stinker & kept trying to body slam their baby Sara. So Danny finally figured out how to keep her out of trouble...