Some Catching Up and Birthdays

I feel like I'm perpetually running a month behind! So for the sake of my sanity, I'm going to start doing some catch-up posts covering several events, or I might never get this blog current.

I've actually thought lately of discontinuing my blog because it's just another thing that I can't get done.  But last month I finished publishing my 2009 blog posts into books (yes, that is plural.  I blogged so much that year, I had to divide the year into 2 books--thank goodness I'll never have that problem again) and my kids LOVE them!  They look at them all the time.  And I love them too.  There's a lot of stuff in there that I'd already forgotten about until I was editing my book.  So the blog will continue.  Although I may just have to come to terms with it always being a bit behind.

These pictures cover the end of August and beginning of September:

Just a random Family Home Evening.  

We were singing "Do as I'm Doing" and Bennett was the leader. 

 An Isotopes game

We got a sitter for the two littlest, and Dallin got to invite a couple of friends.

Daphne's Birthday

Daphne turned 10.  Not her year for a party, but she usually convinces me to invite a friend or two or a family to celebrate with her.  So this year she invited the Shepherds.

Daphne wanted an ipod more than anything in the world.  This is her face when she opened her present and saw that it was . . .  an ipod!!  (blurry, but still awesome.)

Her friends Lucy and Sophie got her these super blinged-out headphones to use with her ipod.  She loves them!

Since we celebrated Sean's birthday (a party year for him) the next day, I just bought Daphne's birthday cake.  Just thinking about those, "Nothin' Bundt Cakes" makes me salivate!

Our Daphne is such a good older sister and is especially kind and helpful with Sydney and Bennett who both adore her.  Daph and Syd share a room, and it's funny but, neither likes to go to bed without the other.  Daphne is a nurturer.  She looks out for Hayden who is in Kindergarten this year, and makes sure he isn't getting "bullied."   She loves listening to music, and singing, dancing and playing with friends.  Daphne is very creative--loves to make crafts and draw dress designs and other pictures.  She still wishes with all her heart for a pet.  (Apparently a frog doesn't count, because we do have one of those currently.  Can't believe he's still alive, actually.)  She brings home books from the library about how to care for kittens/cats at least once a month, and if it's not a book about cats, then it's a book of inspirational stories about dogs who've been adopted from shelters, or a "How to Draw Cats" book.   Maybe someday, when all the kids are potty-trained we could consider getting a pet with fur. 

Sean's Birthday

Sean turned 8 so it was a party year for him.  He wanted a Minion Party.

Here all the boys wearing their "Minion" goggles

Sean specifically requested a "fluffy unicorn" pinata.  

Sydney fell in love with it.  

I thought this Twinkie Minion idea was pretty genius. 

(found it on pinterest of course.)

Poor Bennett--the kids kept putting these minion goggles on him, which he did not appreciate.

Sydney was the youngest, so she was first to hit the pinata.  She did fine on her turn, but became really concerned when the boys started wacking it. She burst into tears when the head got knocked off.  Poor thing!  She was so distraught she didn't even respond to my showing her all the candy to be collected.

I just have to say, that I do not enjoy throwing birthday parties.  I am not good at it, and they totally stress me out.  Hence the rule where we only have birthday parties on certain years.  Well, after all of the friends left, and we were cleaning up from the chaos, Dallin said to me, "When I'm an adult, I don't think I'm gonna throw parties for my kids."  Made me laugh.

Since Sean turned 8, he got his own set of scriptures with his name on it.

Sean is such a great kid.  He gets along with everybody, and is very gentle and attentive of his baby brother.  Sean reminds me a little bit of Mark Twain, (or was it Huckleberry Finn?) in the way he tries to do as little work as possible.  If we're all cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, he makes his way to the bathroom for awhile.  Or if there's an easier way to do schoolwork, than the way he was taught to do it, he will find that way.  He is resourceful, perpetually hungry, and a problem solver.  I can motivate him to do almost anything by offering screen time as a reward.  Occasionally, he likes to just go lie on the trampoline and look up at the sky.  But only if screen time has been banned and there isn't anything else to do.  ;)  We love our Sean.

Cub Scouts

And because Sean is 8, he got to start Cub Scouts, which he loves!!

August/September Quotes

Better late than never, right?

Sean:  I did my homework while I was going to the bathroom because that's the only place to get any peace and quiet.

(a sad truth at our house, but at least he figured it out young.)

With the birthday money she got from her grandparents and great-grandparents, Daphne bought a horse for her generation doll.  When Sydney saw the horse she said, "Oh!  That horse looks like it's MY horse!"

Daphne's horse

Sydney:  Mom, you have pretty eyes.

Me:  Thanks!  I think your eyes are very pretty too!

Sydney: No, my eyes are beautiful.  Your eyes are pretty and my eyes are beautiful

Hayden:  I have crusheth on two girlth.  One of them ith too old for me and the other one doethn't want to marry me!

Daphne:  How do we get invited to sing in church?

(I told our ward music chairman that my Dallin & Daphne would love to sing a song in church.  So they were invited to sing and did a beautiful job.  Lots of people told me that they loved their song, but apparently they didn't tell Dallin because here's what he said after church that day:)

Dallin:  I was kind of shocked that no one in primary told us that we did a good job.

Daphne:  I need a tums because I'm having a heartburn

Dallin:  Who invented homework?

Arthur:  I don't know but when we get to heaven, I'm gonna beat him up.

Dallin:  Are you sure he'll be in heaven?

Sydney: (singing after preschool) The diapers on the bus go squish, squish, squish.  

(I think she meant wipers that go swish swish swish.)

Arthur has been winning the gray hair competition handily for awhile.  But recently, my gray hair is sprouting out faster than I can pluck them out.  I was lamenting about this and said, 

"It doesn't matter how much gray hair you have.  When guys have gray hair, they look distinguished.  

But when girls have gray hair--"

Daphne:  "They just look OLD!" 

Sydney:  He's MY brother baby.

Dallin: (After Sean's bday party with a bunch of crazy little boys over here.) When I'm an adult, I don't think I'll do birthday parties for my kids.

Hayden: Mom!  It turnth out that I love to read!  The only problem ith I don't actually know HOW to read yet.

Sydney: (to her Barbie)  Ugh.  You're maked?  (naked)  Why are you maked?!?

Sydney: (crying) Mom, I don't have no binky to sleep with.  

Me:  How to do you feel about that?

Sydney:  It's harder.

Me:  I know sweetie, but I you are a big girl, and I know you can do it.

Sydney:  okay.

Hayden:  There'th a big thpider upthtairth!

Sydney:  (face lights up with a brilliant plan) I know!  I can smash it with my glass slipper!

Sydney's glass slippers

At choir practice, one of the young women was holding Bennett.  Sydney approached her and said, "Brook-a-lyn (she breaks Brooklyn's name into three syllables)  Can I have that baby?"

Hayden to Sydney:  Thydney! You are NOT the queen of the world!

Sydney:  Our house is good.  We have a table, and we have Lincoln Logs . . .

Hayden:  I'm worried about thomething.

Me:  What are you worried about.

Hayden:  I'm worried that when I'm an adult, I won't know what to do with my children.

Family Home Evening discussion on the Holy Ghost.  

Me:  You can pray and ask Heavenly Father if He's real, and the Holy Ghost will help you know that He is real.

Sean:  Why would I ask that question?  I already know that He's real.

Me: Sydney!  Why did you do that?

Sydney:  I go sit on the dryer.

Sydney:  Bennett garfed on me!  

Daphne:  Hayden, why did you throw that away?  Dig it out!

Hayden: I'm not gonna dig it out of the garbage.

Daphne:  Why not?  I do it all the time.

Hayden:  Everyone ith different.

Back to School

This came way too fast this year.  And it was an especially big let down because the kids started school just a few days after we got back from Hawaii.  What a drag.  We flew all night, and got home around 10 a.m. on a Thursday morning, and that afternoon we had meet the teacher.

Meet the teacher is also when you bring in all the school supplies for each child.  I don't know what other schools are like, but our school requires a lot of supplies.  My kids each go in with two of the cloth grocery sacks FULL of supplies, and some of them are heavy--like reams of paper heavy.  So how do you go to school with 6 kids, and 6 bags of supplies and try to meet three teachers in 1 hour?

It's all about the red wagon.  I load it up with the bags of supplies and biggest child either pulls the wagon or pushes the baby's stroller while I do the other.  Then we leave the wagon and the stroller in the hall at each classroom while the child meeting their teacher goes in with me and distributes their supplies and meets their teacher.  If it's not too crowded the stroller and other kids come in too, but most of the time, its just too crowded.  Anyway, that's how we do it.  And afterwards we go to Pop-Pop's to reward ourselves for getting it done, and mourn the passing of another summer.

 I kind of hate it when the kids go back to school.  I hate cracking the whip all the time about homework and the whole school morning routine--rushing around to get everything done in time to catch the bus, just gets old fast!  That said, the kids all have wonderful teachers this year, so I'm really happy about that.  In fact, each of these teachers has had at least one other Gariety in their class, so that's kind of fun.  Although, that means they all have received at least one Book of Mormon from us, so I'll have to figure out a different end-of-the-year gift this time.  :)

Daphne with Mrs. Fortescue, 4th grade

Sean with Ms. Fromme, 3rd grade

Hayden with Mrs. Hamlet and Miss Phillips

(Hayden informed me that he would not be attending Kindergarten this year unless he got Miss Phillips for his teacher.  I was beyond relieved when he actually did get her!  She's the beautiful blonde--I think we all know why Hayden wanted her for his teacher.  He gets to look at her all day!  Plus she's just got a magnetic personality--super fun and energetic.  I don't think I've ever seen her without a smile on her face.  Seriously.  My cheeks would be sore if I smiled as much as Miss Phillips.)

First Days of school:

Dallin 6th grade--He's a middle schooler this year!

Daphne 4th, and Sean 2nd

Hayden's first day of school!  He didn't know how to make a "K" for Kindergarten, so he flashed me a little vulcan instead.  Live long and proser, buddy.  Live long and prosper.

Daphne, Sean and Hayden on Hayden's first day

Super excited to ride the bus!

Off he goes. . .

Lined up with his teacher and heading to class

Good-bye, darling Hayden.  

I sure miss having him around all the time.

Sending the kids to school is hard for me.

random moments of our summer

Well, that summer went way to fast.  Can't believe we're already several weeks into school now.  Here are a few random moments of our summer . . .

A Concert at the library by my friend, Susie Tallman.  Hayden jumped up and raised his hand every single time they asked for volunteers.

Bennett hanging out at Nona's house.

Playing with our friends the Breinholts in their new pool!  

Ultimate Chicken Fighting

Swim Team was a big part of our summer:

A few of the LDS families on the Eisenhower Swim Team 2013.  

We went out for donuts after the first practice of the season.

Sydney at one of the swim meets

Hayden lined up for his very first race.

 I didn't expect Hayden to race at all this season because it was such a hard thing to get him to even get in the water for practice for the first two weeks.  But one Saturday morning when the other kids were getting ready for their meet, he showed up to breakfast in his swim suit.  I said, "Today is a racing day, Hayden, so you don't have to swim today."  He said, "Yeah, I know.  I'm gonna race."  I said, "Okay.  That will be awesome."  And he did race.  He stopped and hung on the wall every couple of strokes, but he finished and it was completely endearing!  I was so proud of him!

Swimmers take your mark . . .

He LOVED it!

He also swam in a relay that day.  At first he didn't understand that he would be swimming with these other boys as a team.  He thought they would be racing against him and he didn't want to swim with Sean, because "Sean will WIN!"  When I finally got him to understand, he thought it was a good idea, after all, and loved it.

Last day of Swim Team for my crew

Ice Cream

We used up some Baskin Robbins gift certificates that we've had laying around forever.  And I realized why I never go there.  It's SUPER expensive!  Why spend $5 a cup when my kids are happy with a 50 cent cone at Burger King?  Oh well.  It was delicious, and we took pictures, which we don't do at Burger King.  ;)

After I had Bennett, my friend Tamera offered to help me spruce up my boys' rooms.  We sadly, gave up the playroom and put Dallin and Sean in there, so Hayden and Bennett could share the other room.  I never thought I'd say this, but it's actually been nice not to have that playroom.  It was always such a disaster.

So once we put two twin beds in the playroom, Tamera helped me with design ideas, and colors and went shopping for me, and EVEN (and this was a true test of friendship) came over and helped me hang this bead board wallpaper.  I found this stuff because I was looking for cheaper/easier alternatives for a bead board look, and it ended up being pretty awesome!  That was the first step--I still have painting, and curtains and wall art to do, but I'm getting there slowly.  Very, very, slowly.

I have a beautiful light grey color to go on top, and I can't wait to get that done!

Just some popcorn and silly kids on a summer afternoon.

Bennett met a prospective dating option at a Bridal Shower I went to. 

She wasn't very excited to meet him, and Bennett can't figure out why in the world not.

And, Bennett figured out how to sit up on his own.

He also learned to crawl.