Wednesday August 31

Today was Elsie's first day of school.

She was a very excited girl....and she had so much fun.

There is a bunch of kids from her class last year, so it was fun for her to see them all again.

I forgot my camera when I took the girls to school.

So I took some with my phone....but I can't fond the sd card that fits the mini sd card.....

So I will get them on here later.

She is pretty cute!

There was a split second that I wasn't sure if she would go, but she got over it really quick.

She is excited to go back tomorrow.

*****

So my life has become very scheduled.

When to leave with the big girls so I can get Elsie to school on time.

When to fit my workout in and when to leave to pick up Elsie.

When Port needs to sleep and when he needs to be woken up....so I can leave on time to get the girlies.

It will only be this hectic until we can move into the new house.....but i still think it will stay pretty scheduled.

Which is fine.

I feel kind of productive with it being so scheduled, if that makes sense.

Tuesday August 30

It was the first day of school today!

Not only the first day of school....but first day of a NEW school!

They were both so excited, and a bit nervous.

Good thing they both got a Father blessing from Daddy last night.

It helped calm some major nerves they were having last night!

*****

But things went very smoothly this morning.

The girls were excited to get started.

I think they both looked cute in their first day of school outfits that they picked out.

The whole family drove the girls to school.

It was much less hectic than what we have been used to at Paramount.

But it was still first day of school craziness!

We took Cassi to her class and met her teacher...who seems to be a very nice and sweet lady.

And she chose her desk, then we headed to Madi's class.

Madi found her seat, then her teacher introduced her to a couple other girls in the class and then they were off.

Just like that.

No nerves, no worries....

They were all good.

*****

We made a stop by the new house after we dropped off the girls.

We want to get closed on the house so we can get started on doing some stuff!

There is a bathroom that needs total gutting.

And we just figured that there is a window in the bathroom that has been walled over!

Crazy!

So it will be nice to open that up.

I am excited....I am thinking claw foot tub!

What I have always wanted.

*****

Elsie had her open house for Preschool today.

So we went and did all that stuff and she gets to start tomorrow.

She is very excited to get back with her friends and her wonderful teachers.

*****

When I picked up the girls, they were both very excited about the day they had and the friends they made.

I hope everyday is as great.

I am glad they were happy.

But I forgot about what I dread about school.....

The 4:00 hour.

Man they fight like crazy!

The little ones are tired and hungry, the big ones are tired and hungry.....I am tired and hungry :)

I need to figure out how to make that hour a better one.

I will work on it.

Birthday Bell

Happy Birthday Madi Bell!!!!

Madi is such a wonderful kid and we are so Thankful to have her in our family.

She is beautiful inside and out.

I plan to post yearly pictures....and I will...

But I want to go to sleep right now....

But this picture is my absolute favorite.

I wish I could find the negative somewhere!!!!!

Anyway....this girl has been a fighter from the beginning.

She is strong and kind and honest.

And beautiful.

I am Thankful to have her as our first born.

I do feel like I don't know what I am doing with her sometimes....but I think that is cayuse she is the first.

I deal with her in each stage for the first time ever.

Clueless.

I am glad that she is understanding with me most of the time, and we can work out issues together.

We love you Madi Bell.

So much!

Monday August 29

Pictures to come.

Cassi and Madi's friends decided they wanted to throw Madi a surprise birthday party for her today.

She was surprised for sure!

Dad took her this morning to the bookstore to spend the money she got from Grandmas and Aunts.

They had a lot of fun and she got some pretty fun books.

Then we took some birthday pictures....

And then we had to be out of the house this afternoon for it to get an inspection done....

So we went to the $ movie.

We went and saw Kung Fu Panda 2.

It was a really cute show.

Then we did a little shopping before we ended up at Red Robin for her Birthday dinner.

It was a packed day!

That is why I am gonna wait and post pictures later....I want to get some sleep tonight.

Sunday August 28

I just wrote a pretty great post....and then it got deleted.

Gosh dang it!

So I will give it a try again.

*****

Today we had just Sacrament meeting again.

No classes.

I am wondering how Elsie will do during class if Sister Roll isn't there.

Guess we will have to wait til next week to see.

*****

It was a great Sacrament meeting again....

Another focus on Family.

I guess we can't get enough about that lately.

The Family : A Proclamation to the World was read today.

I need to read that more often.

It has a lot of great stuff in there.

*****

There was also something said that really stuck with me.

The speaker said something about one of her kids being very stubborn and hard as a young kid....but as he has gotten older, she can see how those things have helped push him to work hard in life and get what he wants.

I realize that some of the things that drives me nuts about my kids, are also the things that I find endearing.

And with a little guidance and positivity.....we can help guide them to be the best people that they can be.

Instead of trying to change them.

Because I think they are pretty great kiddos.

*****

We had dinner with the Terry's tonight.

Jenni made some yummy pizza.

It was a fun night to hang out.

I am gonna miss hanging out with Jenni every day when we move....

But we will still see eachother all the time.

I am not worried about that :)

*****

Today was Dussy Boys birthday.

The kiddos wanted to tell him in a special way.

So Happy Birthday Dude!!!

Hope you had a great one!

Saturday August 27

The big girls got their school shoes today.

Somehow we always end up getting one stars.

I think they are cute and they have enough of a variety that the kids can pick a pair that really matches their personalities.

*****

I actually ran into the person who is buying our house.

I walked out the door to run to Jenni's so we could to Asylum together.....and a lady was riding by on her bike.

She asked me if this was my home and that she was the one buying it.

She was so excited about the house and this area.

She said that every once in a while she likes to drive or ride by to check it out.

Kind of like what we like to do to our future place :)

I am glad she is so excited.....and it makes me very happy that someone is moving in that will really love this house.

Friday August 26

The last few weeks are taking a toll on little bugs body.

First of all, she hasn't had speech or PT for several weeks.

Schedule's not working for one reason or another.

She also has some pretty scraped up knees from the pool yesterday....

Anyway....today was a pretty rough day for her.

When she is tired and tight...she walks with her knees bent, cause she can't straighten them very easily.

I had the girls try to walk like that, and man, it is hard.

And to think about walking like that all day long.....

Poor girl.

After her bath tonight I gave her feet and calves a good massage.

Her calves, mainly the left one, was hard as a rock.

She needs some good sleep now.

You should try it.....walk around with your knees bent for a little while....it's hard!

You can see how your calf would ball up in a knot.

But at least she still has that beautiful smile on her face!!!!

She's our little angel for sure :)

Thursday August 25

I don't know if we will ever make up on lost sleep and working non stop.

But it does feel good to get accomplished all we did.

The kids and I got to have a pretty laid back day today.

We made a trip to see dad at the station, cause he forgot his bedding...so we got to see him real quick.

He was in the middle of class, so we couldn't stay for long.

But it is always nice to see him, and exciting for the kids to see him, no matter how long it is.

*****

I have been day dreaming all day today, well, pretty much every day, about our life out there...

Lots of work to do, and it will take a long time to become our dream place.....but I think that is why I am so excited.

We aren't just buying our dream place...we are making it with our own hands.

And doing it together.

I know....sounding cheesy.

But I don't care.

I am excited to document it all too.

*****

We went swimming tonight with the Terry girls.

Afterwards I made some dinner for the kiddos while they played outside.

We packed pretty much all their toys.

Port still has a few trucks and Elsie has a few things.....

I almost packed up the benderoos.

Glad I didn't....it kept them happy, and not fighting, for quite a while!

When I put Porter down for his nap, I told him that when he wakes up, we would go visit Dad, cause he forgot his blankets.

Port woke up and he had picked out two of his own blankets that we was planning to take to dad.

He said "Daddy need dis"

"But he ill ive it back"

How dang cute is my boy.

And he didn't just choose any old blanket....one of the blankets were Port very fav that he drags around everywhere.

He must really love his daddy.



Wednesday August 24

The big girls and I got to go school clothes shopping today.

I think it was just what these girls needed.

We had a lot of fun and found some really cute stuff that totally reflect their personalities!

We still need to get some shoes, but besides that, I think they are all set!

They really are so excited for school to start!

And I am happy that they are so excited.

Tuesday August 23

What an exciting day!!!

It has been a full one, that is for sure!!!

Let me start with the most exciting..................

We got a call this morning saying we had an offer on our house.

The first people to come and see it....and they loved it!

We are so excited!

We had a couple showing for the house set for today....and we hadn't made a counter offer at that point, so we pretty much left the house for the rest of the day so the people could come and go.

That leads to the second exciting thing today.

Brent has an awesome generator that he has been trying to sell for a long time.

But could ever sell it.

Well, he found a guy selling a 4 wheeler who was willing to trade it for his generator.

So exciting!!!!

I have two VERY happy boys :)

It will be perfect to have out at the new place....there is a lot of ground that needs to be covered for working :)

*****

Next exciting thing....we headed out to the house and checked things out more.

Again, it is so beautiful out there.

I can't wait to get out there and get started on making it our own!!!

Then we dropped some papers off at the new school so we could get the girls transferred.

That was great.

It seems like a great school with a very family friendly, small town, country kind of feel.

I love it.

The kids got assigned to teachers, and Madi's was there getting her class ready so we got to meet her.

Madi was beaming ear to ear.

She is so excited!

Cassi is excited to....we got to check out her classroom.

I think this transition will be pretty smooth for them.

We went and checked out the playground.....it is in such a beautiful spot....it looks over the valley and it is just so pretty.

The girls will love it there.

It is a pretty small school too....especially compared to Paramount!

We are excited about it all!

*****

Then we went and did some grocery shopping....

And met back home so we could go swimming with the Young's.

We are excited to get back to more of that....for a little while anyway, until the pool closes!

But mostly I mean, more down time.

We have been so GO GO GO....that we are pretty exhausted now!

*****

We put in a counter offer...and the people accepted....and so we are moving forward!

We are just hoping and praying that everything goes smoothly, and that we can get the ball rolling faster on the other place!

*****

And just for fun...this boy cracks me up ALL THE TIME!

I think he makes the best faces, and is developing quite the funny little personality.

 I love it.



He enjoyed himself some watermelon....lots of watermelon this evening...

And when he was done...he said

"I all done."

And propped his feet up on the table.

Love him.

Monday August 22

Well, the house is on the market.

I am really hoping that some great family finds it and falls in love with it!

We will see.

Brent got a few hours of vacation off for today so we could finish up some of the projects around here.

It was nice to have him home to get so much done......but I feel bad that he works so hard all day long just to go back to work !

*****

We got a call for someone to come look at the house and so we had to head out.

We did last minute cleaning and then I took the kids to McDonald's for dinner.

Then we stopped by the pool to play.

Alex and Ayden were there, getting ready to head home.....but they begged their Grandma and Grandpa to let them stay and they were so sweet to let them.

Sister Roll was there too.

The kids always have so much fun with her.

Alex and Elsie followed her around the pool....having lots of fun.

When we left the pool, I took the kids to Walgreens and bought some ice cream cones for them....

They have been helping so much and being really good.

My house is spick and span right now!

It would be so great to keep it that way!!!

Sunday August 21

Today we only had sacrament meeting again while they get all the calling filled with the newly split ward.

While I was up getting ready for church, somehow Port fell or got hurt and must have hit his elbow.

His nursemaids elbow.

Poor kid was in pain.

He didn't budge off my lap during the whole sacrament meeting.

He even held still long enough for him to fall asleep on me.

That is CRAZY!

So I know it hurt him for sure.

But it wasn't as bad as it was last time cause sometime during this evening, it must have popped back in place and he was fine.

*****

Jenni and Brad have been out of town and the kids have been gone until yesterday when Jenni's parents picked them up.

We missed seeing these girls every day and they invited us over for dinner and ice cream and giant bubbles!

The kids had a lot of fun.

In fact, the big ones are still there right now, so I better go grab them.



Saturday August 20

Lots more hard work this morning.

We took another load to the storage unit.

I think there will be one more load and then we can wait until we close on the other place to move all the big furniture right to the house.

*****

We decided we needed a break.

We needed a break big time.

The Young family and our family headed to Boise river.

It was a beautiful day and we all had so much fun.

It was nice a relaxing....most of the time.

There were a few parts that we pretty rough.

But we all got out safe and sound.

The kids all had a lot of fun.

As soon as we got in Elsie said "This is FUN!"

But the first time we came to a little bumpy part....she was done.

Not crying....she just stayed cuddled up to me or Dad most of the time.

I kept thinking she would go to sleep.

But if you ask her now, she will tell you it was a lot of fun!

Silly girl!

Elsie had fun helping Dad paddle.

Port was a great paddler too!

Love this boy!

It was a perfect day!

Cassi kept begging to get out and swim.

Finally we got to a safe enough place and she asked and Dad said okay and pushed her in.

Just playin, but it took Cassi off guard.

She was worried at first, but got right up and was over it quick.

It was a lot of fun....and we needed it!

The kids needed fun.

I think it did the trick.

*****

When we got home we ate some dinner...

And got back to work.

Tomorrow we will take it easy too.

Then I think we are ready!

Friday August 19

These days are all running together for me.

Every day seems SO LONG....but it also seems to go by so fast with not enough time to get done what I want to!

There is one thing I know for sure....

 I NEVER want to EVER move again!!!

*****

It was another productive day....got a lot done.

I think by tomorrow we can say we are all done!

Except for the up keep....but that should be easy, cause we have absolutely nothing here except for clothes and food.

Just the necessities.

I hope we can take a break and do something fun tomorrow.

The kids are ready for it.

Brent is ready for it.

I am READY for it!

*****

The girls have been pretty great.

Still some attitude here and there, but for everything we are asking them to do, they are doing really good.

Cassi took the little ones for a walk on our street or a very long time this morning while Madi helped us pack up and clean.

They are good girls.

Tonight at bedtime they both tucked Elsie in and hung out with her while Madi told her a story.

Elsie was loving it.

Also...Porter was so cute tonight.

He had a rough night last night.

When Brent and I put Port down for bed tonight, we told him to sleep good and stay in bed.

He said "Wat if I ave bad deams?"

(You will have to imagine his cute little voice and his awesomely hilarious expressions, cause it is way better that way....)

Dad started to say "Just dream about the new house and all the fun stuff..............."

Port put his hand up in his face to get him to stop and with a big smile he said "Emmy. I ill deam about EMMY!"

Then he went on to say "Emmy oves me!" "I go to Emmy's ouse! and Emmy come to my ouse!"

He sure loves you Emmy!

Thursday August 18

Well, we didn't make our deadline of listing the house today.

But last night we decided that all the stress we were causing ourselves was not worth it!!!!

So we still got a lot done today, just didn't stress.

I like that better.

*****

Yesterday Brent met with the guy to do the inspection on the septic tank out at the house.

There was a root blocking a part of the pipe, and the guy wanted $770 to dig it up.

Brent told him he would do the digging himself and the guy could come back and do the inspection.

So he left this morning to dig it up.....and as he was clearing the trail to dig up, the fire pit was in the path.

So we went and moved all the rocks and moved all the stuff around it and found a false floor under it all.

And guess what he found under that false floor????

It was a vault holding the septic tank.

How cool it that?

So he didn't have to do any digging and we will only have to pay about $60 to replace the part of pipe that is blocked by a root.

Pretty great!

Brent was also out there yesterday for the house inspection.

The guy says the house is a great solid house with no issues.

So that is pretty great too!!!

Those old houses are built way better than these cookie cutter houses they put up now a days!

So things are moving along over at the new place....just wish we could get out there sooner!

Brent texted me as soon as he got to the house this morning and he told me how beautiful it is out there in the morning....birds everywhere, quail running along the fields.

I can't wait.

*****

The boys did some cleaning up and watering this evening.

I love to see my boys working together.

Port is gonna grow up to be a great man cause of his Daddy.

Brent gave him the hose to water the grass under the swing set, and we took the garbage cans out.

When we came back he was soaking wet.

So we played around with him for a little while

This kid constantly cracks me up!

I just love him!!!

And of course you gotta tease the boy.

Brent would kink the hose and tell Port it was broken, and Port would check it out by sticking it in his face and Brent would let go.

Porter thought that was so funny.

Then he started to drink and Dad turned it up full blast.

So funny!

No wonder the little boy is such a tease....the big boy is teaching him how to do it!!!!!

*****

I painted the laundry room tonight.

I couldn't find the paint the touch up the wall.....so I had to repaint the whole thing cause it was pretty bad.

One of the walls in there includes this......

Our height markings.

I transferred all the markings onto a piece of wood and painted over it all.

Kinda sad to cover up that piece of our lives....but it will be fun to find a place in the new house to put them....and never have to paint over it again!