That weekend we had 6 kids

I have not kept up with my blogging this month.  Not because I don't have anything to write - on the contrary, I'm overwhelmed with posts in draft mode - but rather because September's been a whirlwind of commitments, activities, and company.  So, this is me resolving to clear out the draft pile.  

****************

In August I had an opportunity to watch my friend's two young kids for a few days.  H and B are the same ages as Thane and Graham (don't let their super height fool you).  My kids couldn't wait for them to come and stay.  Extra playmates?  What could be better?

We spent our first morning together playing at a river we'd recently discovered (more on that fabulous find in another post).  Unfortunately, the weather that morning remained chilly.  H and B were undaunted; despite the shockingly cold water, little B especially found great pleasure in dunking his head repeatedly and then refusing to be wrapped in a warm towel.

All went amazingly smoothly the first day.  Even bedtime was a breeze because H and B were so excited to be sleeping in a new place (and it helped that they'd exhausted themselves with playing all day). 

The next day dawned bright and sunny.  Soon all the kids migrated to the back yard to burn off some energy playing in the sprinklers.  

When the bigger kids tired of the sprinklers, they devised a new method of entertainment - seeing how long they could hold their breath under water.  This kept them occupied for a surprisingly long period of time!

It's been long enough since H and B stayed with us, that most of the details are fuzzy, but apparently we made it through day two happily enough.

Until bedtime.  

While on the first night both H and B fell asleep happily and quickly, on night two, little B would not stay in the toddler bed (he sleeps in a crib at home), and H was still completely keyed up and couldn't lie still in her own bed.  Since they were sharing a bedroom, this combination did not bode well for any hope of slumber.  

I sat outside their room for a while whispering reminders and putting B back to bed.  After an hour, I explained to precocious B that if he got out of the bed again, I'd have to take him to another room to sleep so his sister could rest.  Five seconds later, he hopped out of bed, and I scooped him up to fulfill my threat promise.  

Up to that point, B had been nothing but happy and calm.  So, you might imagine my surprise when he opened his mouth and let out a scream that could rival any siren.  On and on went his scream at full blast.  "B!" I insisted, "you can't scream like that..."  

I'd intended to complete my sentence by saying, "the other kids are trying to sleep and you're going to wake them up!" but before I could get that far, the wailing suddenly ceased and little B, in a calm but serious voice retorted, "Yes, I CAN scream.  I can scream just like this!"  And he opened his mouth back up and proceeded to clearly prove his point.  

Honestly, it was so hilarious to hear a barely two-year old respond that way, that I had to laugh.  The laugh eased the tension of the moment, and though it took another five or ten minutes, we were eventually able to get B semi calmed down and ready to try his bed again.  

However, when we walked back into the bedroom, we found sweet H hugging her knees, and sobbing.  With all the tender feelings of a four-year-old whose parents have been gone for 3 days, she cried, "I just want my mommmmmmmy!"

Seeing his sister upset sent B back to tears as well.  Both kids were beyond consolation, and I knew there was nothing I could do to make it better.  In that moment, the thought came to my mind, "say a prayer."

I quickly tucked H and B into their beds, and knelt down beside them.  As soon as I began to pray, the sweetest, calmest feeling of peace entered the entire room.  Not only did it wash over me, but I could feel the tension melt out of H's body, and hear B's breathing relax.  As the tears streamed down my face, I offered my sincere prayer and felt an overwhelming sense of love and gratitude for the gift of the Holy Ghost and the love of our Heavenly Father.  I knew that He loved H and B, and that He knew how much they missed their parents in that moment.  It was just a tiny glimpse of how He feels about each of us.  

By the time the prayer ended, both H and B were completely relaxed.  H told me, "I feel really warm inside right now."  

"That's the Holy Ghost comforting you," I explained, "I feel exactly the same way."  I love the simple testimony of a child.  

This was such a special moment for me, that I've felt compelled to record it so I don't forget.  I think I'll always have an extra special place in my heart for these two adorable rascals.  

Happy Birthday Graham

Graham turned two a couple weeks ago.  I'm in denial.  

I still like to refer to him as my "baby," but a few months ago, after one such reference, Thane turned to me and countered seriously, "You know, Mom, Graham's almost two, which means he's not a baby anymore, so you shouldn't call him that!"

Graham doesn't seem to mind.  In fact, when he sees a picture of himself or his reflection in the mirror, he joyfully yells, "Baby!"  Around here we're pretty convinced he's just about the cutest (not) baby around.  

As the baby of the family, he's often at the mercy of the myriad schedules of his siblings and parents.  When his birthday fell on a Thursday this year (our busiest day of the week), we decided it's more important to celebrate the occasion than the actual day.

This particular Thursday also happened to be the first day of preschool for Thane, and we all know there's only one good way to start preschool... with a party!  

One of Thane's preschool friends was also having a birthday that week, and his mom brought cupcakes.  Check it out... a party and cupcakes, all on Graham's birthday (good thing he's too little to know or care they weren't designed specifically for him)!

Graham did get to open presents on the evening of his birthday, even if his older siblings were a bit over eager to help.  

His favorite gift is a photo book all about him.  

The next night we invited over Graham's buddy, Henry, had cake and ice-cream, and really got down to the business of celebrating.  Aubree and Bryce insisted that I make a cake for Graham.  They even brainstormed and came up with a theme (Elmo, because Graham loves the Sesame Street alphabet books we have).  Note to self - 2 year olds do NOT need or care about a decorated cake.  Sprinkles would've worked just as well and I would've saved myself a major headache.

Graham seemed to enjoy the attention and, impressively, did a great job trying to blow out the candles.  

He did an even better job polishing off two servings of cake and ice-cream.  

Happy Birthday Baby Big Boy!

Summer Chore Challenge - Mission Accomplished

Summer is over, and so is our Chore Challenge.  I'm beyond pleased to report that it was a smashing success!  

I had an inkling things were going well when, a month into the challenge, Aubree paused while sweeping the kitchen and asked, "Can we do summer chore challenge next year too?"

I admit that a big part of the reason I implemented this program was to force myself to focus on training. I know it's important to teach the kids how to work, but in the moment it almost always seems inconvenient, and it's too easy to rationalize that, "I'll teach them next time."  This system made "next time" become "this time" and the kids were begging for it!
Since most of the Chore Challenge tasks initially involved the kids watching me do a chore while I explained step-by-step what needed to be done, the first few weeks required a lot of my time and attention.  Just when it started to get overwhelming, however, they transitioned to the more independent steps, and suddenly my burden became much lighter!

Thane with his little Lego step 6 prize

The kids doing so many extra chores was surprisingly challenging for Mark.  "Am I allowed to load the dishwasher?" he'd ask, then jokingly fret, "what can I do around here these days?"

It was also interesting to watch how the different kids reacted to the long-term nature of the challenge.  I liked that the kids had to do a lot of work before seeing progress on the actual challenge chart or earning any rewards.  All of them started out strong, but Aubree was noticeably motivated.  Halfway through, however, Aubree's enthusiasm waned and she made very little progress towards her goals.  

Right when Aubree began to taper, Bryce and Thane started noticing how close they were to completing many of their goals and they ramped up their efforts.  Thane never turned down an opportunity to do a Chore Challenge task and was thrilled to be the first one to earn his grand prize.  He chose a Superman "Rainbrella."

I should note that one of his challenges was to learn to ride a bicycle and he did it!  Starting and stopping were the only tricky points.  Comically, he seemed magnetically drawn to every single "No Parking" pole down our street.  I'm pretty sure he crashed into all of them at some point or another.  

Bryce earned his grand prize not long after Thane.  He chose a Lego mobile police kit as his grand prize and then spent hours happily putting it together.  

Seeing her brothers earn their prizes, and realizing that school started in less than a week, lit a necessary fire under Aubree.  She sat down and figured out exactly what she needed to do to finish in time.  The last week of summer was a whirlwind of work, but she managed to finish just in the nick of time and earn her chosen grand prize - a American Girl flute for Kit.

Since all three kids finished, that also meant that they earned a family party.  Hurray!  The program worked so well, I've already started thinking of things to add to their lists for next year...

City School 2014

As a result of tricky pick-up and drop-off schedules, Aubree had an extra long time at Farm School this year (5 days!), and we only got to have Jaylen for 2 1/2 days.  So we packed as much as we could in that short time!  

Immediately after picking Jaylen up, we drove to the American Girl store.  With such limited time for City School, I'd tried to talk Aubree into doing something different this year.  She could not be swayed. "Mom," she countered, "it's a tradition and we look forward to it all year long!"  Jaylen echoed her sentiments, so away we went.  

I also happened to be watching our 10 year old neighbor girl that day.  While Aubree and Jaylen wandered the store with big, eager eyes, our neighbor commented, "these dolls creep me out!  I feel like they're watching me!"  Haha!  

Both girls brought their own money to spend.  Jaylen somehow managed to find a deal (I wasn't sure those existed at the AG store) and got a $48 cello for $18.  Aubree bought Kit a pair of blue glasses and frequently comments about how great Kit looks when wearing them.  

Sticking with the tradition theme, we next stopped by the Lego store, where Bryce parted with some of his long-stored allowance.  The girls were sad to discover that the kid play area at the mall had been converted to a toddler play area, so they couldn't take their yearly seagull photo.

The next morning the girls were up surprisingly early considering how little sleep they get when they're together.  They fired up their imaginations and insisted I take a picture of them posing with their "royal tapestry."

Soon we were heading out for the day's adventure at the Children's Museum.  This children's museum had a very simple, natural focus.  As an adult looking around, I initially wondered if the kids would find enough to keep them occupied for long.  I should have known better (especially since I was in the middle of reading a book stemming from the Waldorf philosophy)!

We all started off in the water area, which in retrospect wasn't the brightest choice because Graham was soaked by the time we were done.  We had no time constraints, so I sat back and watched as the boys spent a solid 30 minutes experimenting with the water works.  It was fascinating to watch them, especially since Bryce and Thane stayed together and worked cooperatively the entire time.  

I stuck with the boys, while Aubree and Jaylen flitted about the not-too-big museum, exploring the different exhibits before ultimately creating an elaborate make-believe game that incorporated all the different areas.  I don't know all the details of their drama, but I know it involved capes...

and maps...

and secret hide-outs...

and even more mysterious capes.  

Meanwhile, the boys also had great adventures.  Graham found an uneven, sloped path that was his favorite part of the museum.  Around and around, he'd make his circuit, laughing every time he got to run down the slope.  While Graham completed his laps, Bryce and Thane burrowed into the cave built underneath.  They pulled in every pillow rock they could find and happily pretended to be small forest creatures.  

They also all enjoyed playing in the sandbox (did I already mention that playing in the water first wasn't the best choice?).

One small, netted area was full of fall-colored fabric leaves.  Surprisingly, the boys loved this spot.  They'd grab a pile of leaves and throw it at me.  I was sitting on the other side of the netting, and would then immediately push back against the net so the leaves flew back towards them.  Cue hysterical laughter.     

Over and over and over again.

The last area the boys visited was genius.  It was just a huge stack of cardboard boxes of all shapes and sizes.  Bryce and Thane got busy building a big house with doors, windows, telescopes, and (later on) even a roof.  So much fun!

Saturday morning we loaded up and drove to Ensign Ranch for a day of slip and sliding.  Jaylen's family came to pick her up not long after we arrived, so she only had a short time to slide, but our little family met up with a bunch of friends and stayed all afternoon.  

 

We all loved going down the hill on the tubes, though Bryce got hurt a couple times and decided he only wanted to go down with Daddy.  Graham especially loved going down and never wanted to stop.  

Thane proved he's becoming quite the big kid by consistently and enthusiastically going up and down by himself!  When the kids weren't going down the slip and slide, they were out canoeing with Mark.  Such a fun place to spend the day!  I think it will have to be a new summer tradition. 

Finishing School

When Aubree gets together with her friends, they're just as likely to be sewing as to be playing.  We parents jokingly refer to them as the "old ladies."  When the school year was ending, and summer beckoned near and free, we decided it would be fun to organize a few sewing and cooking classes for them.  We tossed around a few name ideas ("Old Lady School" received a big fat "NO!," and  though "Princess Academy" was quite popular, it was vetoed because we wanted boys to participate in a certain way) before finally deciding on "Finishing School."

Aubree had three sewing classes taught by her friend's mom (who did a pretty spectacular job).  The first week the girl's made reversible headbands, the second week they made skirts, and the final week they made purse-bags.  Aubree loved every single second of those classes.  Not only did she get to spend long periods of time with her best buddy and use a real sewing machine, she came home with impressive final products.  

She's especially fond of the skirt and wears it at all possible opportunities (don't be surprised to see it again on First Day of School photos).  

While the girls did sewing (and the "babies" napped), I took the other siblings and had crafts and activities special for them.  

While they were excited to try new things, they were equally happy to have long stretches of play time.  

When the sewing classes finished, I took a turn teaching the big girls (cooking this time), and the other mom took the younger siblings.  The girls were so enthusiastic about making their own pancakes and quesadillas and brownies...

but I think they liked making cinnamon rolls best of all.

Ever since the cooking classes, Aubree has been over-eager to help in the kitchen.  "What are you making for dinner?" she asks, "Can I make something?"  I call that a win-win.

Summer o' Camps

Last summer, Aubree attended Violin Camp, but other than that, my kids had never participated in summer camps.  That changed in dramatic fashion this year!  I already mentioned the two soccer camps I helped organize, and here's a quick run-down on the others...

First, I signed Aubree and Bryce up for a Sport's Camp run by our neighbor's church.  I had a few reservations, the main one being that it went from 7-9 PM!  If you know me, you're aware that I'm kind of a bedtime nazi, so it was a big deal to push back bedtime for a whole week.  

A and B had a great time!  Both were in groups with good friends, so that helped a lot.  

Each night they got to play two or three different sports and spent lots of time running, playing, and being loud.  They came home equal parts wild and exhausted.  

The final night of the sport's camp the church hosted a family BBQ and carnival.  Thane was excited to get to go and participate after watching his older siblings leave every evening of the week.  There were games, crafts, and face painting, but my kids liked the treats the best.

Next on the docket was Aubree's violin camp.  She had such a great time last year that she could not wait for this year's camp to begin.  She was a bit disappointed that some of the friends she made last year didn't return this time around, but she still insisted that she "loved it!"  The dress-up days were particularly fun for her.

Wacky Wednesday

Friday night she was excited to perform in the finale concert.  This year the beginner kids (those with 2 years or less playing experience) got to perform their own songs.  Aubree really loves the performance aspect of playing the violin (even if the practicing part isn't joyous), and she did a great job!

Her brothers in the audience, however, did not do a great job.  Just like last year, I got to take them to the foyer halfway through the evening.  

Last but not least, Aubree went with our neighbors to a 4-day choir camp.  She loves to sing and was thrilled to discover that this camp had dress-up days as well.

Pajama Day

Crazy Hair Day

All went calmly till Thursday morning, when I got a call saying Aubree had thrown up.  Say what?  By the time I arrived to pick her up, she was still pale-faced, but starting to feel better.  By the time we got halfway home, she was chipper and chatty and asking for lunch.  My best guess is she got dehydrated, because the rest of the day she was perfectly healthy.  

Since she was looking completely recovered, we took her to that night's concert, where she and her buddies gave a wonderful performance.  

Phew! Altogether we had 5 weeks of camp this summer.  I'm not sure that's a good thing, but the kids enjoyed them immensely.