Wednesday November 14

Well, we had a nice evening at our Young Women in Excellence night.

I went and helped set everything up just after noon today.

It all turned out so cute!!!

Madi was asked to talk about earning her YW award, and what it means to her.

She did a fantastic job.

Cassi also shared a song she has been working on.

She also did a great job.

Elsie made a little poster that included pictures of her playing the piano, because that is what she is working on.

We really enjoyed the night and I left being so proud on the girls we are raising.

Not proud as in bad prideful.....but just proud as in thankful.

They really are pretty great girls.
I feel like we have made many mistakes with them.....but we seem to be doing something kind of good :)

They are pretty amazing!

 This is the table that the girls put their projects on.

Tuesday November 13

Dad added a couple more can lights downstairs.

It is pretty awesome!

I am excited for what is gonna happen down there!!!!!!

I finished up painting the signs for YW in excellence tomorrow.

I will take pictures and share them tomorrow.

They turned out pretty cute.

I had to leave at 2 to go to a YW meeting.

Dad spent a few hours raking leaves.

We have an insane amount of leaves!!!!

With still LOTS more to drop!

The kids had piano this evening, Porter had basketball.

Dad went in to work a few hours to cover a guy that left.

He will be home sometime tonight.

Port and I went to his pack meeting tonight as well.

He got to pin his bear pin on me since his birthday in next week, and he is moving up :)

Monday November 12

I finally feel pretty good so I went for a run, on the treadmill :)

It is getting colder outside, and I don't like cold!!!!
Today Dad put new can lights in the basement!

So very exciting!!!!!

While he did that, I am working on some extra large signs for our Young Women in Excellence this Wednesday.

Then I picked up Elsie for speech and PT.

We have been trying to find a day to get everyone together to go out for dinner for Cassi's birthday.

Well, tonight was the only night in a long time!

So Port had to miss basketball practice for it, but that's okay.

It was fun to get out.

We had a really good time.

Lots of  laughing and talking about memories together.

I think the waitress had fun watching us :)

And it was good for my mama heart.

But don't worry, once we got home they were all back to fighting :)

Sunday November 11

Well, there was a lot of fighting going on today :(

But I think we might all be a little over-tired!!!!!

We survived the day anyway.

Cassi and the little ones went to choir.

I worked more on my lesson.

I had fun with my lesson this week.

It was 'Why is WORK a gospel principle?'

Work has played a big part in my little family's life and that is exactly what we wanted!

I know that you can create good chances for kids to work even when you don't live on land.

But man, I have seen our kids blossom and grow in their hard work and service.

But I had fun talking with the beehives about how you never know what blessings your hard work may bring.

We talked about how Uchtdorf, when he was a small boy, would help his mom with her laundry service.

He would ride his bike to go pick up laundry, then he would do the same to deliver it.

He didn't love doing this job, but he knew it was part of helping his family out.

Years later, as he was volunteering to become an Air Force pilot, he found out that he had scars on his lungs from a childhood illness.

He said he didn't know of any illness, but immediately thought of the hard work he did as a child and realized that the good exercise and the hot moist air from the laundry had helped keep him from getting very ill.

You can see how, many years later, he was blessed for putting in that hard work and effort helping his mom.

I just love that story.

Anyway, after church I had a meeting with my Beehive presidency.

Back at home (more fighting) and we had dinner....leftover chicken noodle soup.

Afterwards, we played a round of clue and a couple rounds of Uno.

Then got the little ones to bed at a good time.

I even think the big ones are sleeping now!

Yay!!!!

Saturday November 10

Today has been quite a busy day.

The morning started with Porter and I picking up the food donations for the scouting for food drive.

Got home and worked on laundry and housework.

And just like every Saturday......Elsie had a meltdown about putting her laundry away and cleaning her room!

She does not like being told what to do, but she did end up getting it all put away and cleaned up.

I went to Costco to get a cake for Cassi's birthday party tonight, and man oh man....I don't go to Costco much, but Saturday isn't the day to go!!!!!

Port had another basketball game today.

They did very well again.

The final score was 40-15.

We went to Walmart after that and got drinks and stuff for the party.

Then picked up Cassi from her Rugby Wahooz party.

Got back home and Madi was back home from work by then.

Did some more cleaning up.

Port and I ran and picked up the pizzas we ordered for the party....

By the time we got home, the party started.

And it is still going...…

Elsie, Porter, Madi and I are all in mom's and Dad's room watching a movie because it is too loud to put the kids to bed upstairs :)

So we will have a sleepover in my room since Dad is at work.

Madi was gonna go with friends tonight.....but she is so tired from getting home at 3 a.m last night....she opted to hang with us :)

Hopefully we all get some sleep once this party is over!

Friday November 9

Dad and I donated some stuff today so we can start getting to work on the basement.

Makes me excited :)

Dad got lots of leaves picked up.

We got ready and headed to the school to see Porter get a Wildcat Way award.

He's such a sweet boy.

Gosh dang, I love him :)

His teacher said such nice things about him.

He kind of melts my heart.....

Anyway, we brought him home after the assembly (5 minutes before school got out).

He came home and helped dad with more leaves......and there is still LOTS more to go :)

This evening Port went to the school movie night with the Edwards boys.

Madi took a bus with the school to Pocatello for the state football game.

She should get home at about 3 a.m.

She sure is playing up this Senior year :)

Cassi and Elsie hung out while Dad and I went on a date.

It has been a long time since we went to The RAM, so that's where we went.

Thursday November 8

I helped in the office today.

Kind of a slow morning once I got home.

Dad went to the gym and then worked on winterizing the trailer and other outdoor stuff.

I did get some planning done on some stuff I am in charge of for YW in Excellence next week.

And also finished up some editing.

Dad took Cassi to PT after school.

Madi did a big grownup thing and took herself to her dr appointment.

Her jaw has been hurting her and now her ear is hurting, so we wanted to get it checked out.

Also she needed to get a flu shot.

Dr said her jaw doesn't have any clicking and she cant see anything and also the ear looked good.....so they want to get an x-ray to make sure they aren't missing something.

So hopefully we can get that done soon.

I had a dr appointment as well, and it looks like I am fighting a small kidney infection.

So we are all falling apart over here :)

Wednesday November 7

Happy birthday Cass!!!!!

This one here, she's a fun one.

She's a spit-fire and has been from day one!

She's always had big personality, amazing talent....and has been a great friend to others.

Cassi is an advocate for those around her and has more friends than she can count.

She's the kind of girl you want on your team.

I am loving watching who she is becoming.

I spent the morning playing with my friends little kids while she took her newborn to the dr.

Dad did some work outside.

When I got home, we worked in the basement, getting glue up off the floor and the brick hearth taken off.

I am excited to see it some together down there!

When the kids got home from school, Dad took Cassi to Dutch Bros and Walmart so we could get her out of the house.

She had a few friends who wanted to come and decorate her room for her birthday :)

So that was fun.

Tonight we had YW combined with YM and we had a stake activity.

We did a church building tour.

Each ward was in charge of one part of the church.....our ward was in charge of the YW program.

And then the idea was to have people not of our faith rotate through the stations to learn more about the church.

We also put our kids through so they could all see it as well.

I think it was a good night.

Tuesday November 6

Dad had another full day of helicopter training.

He has had a lot of fun with it, he loves this kind of stuff.

BUT, I sure am excited to have him home tomorrow!!!

I did some more good cleaning around the house.

Seems like stuff should stay clean...why isn't it just staying clean???

I got a good run too.

Today was piano, so I took the kiddos.

Picked Porter up halfway, after his lesson, to go to basketball.

I stayed at the school so I could vote.

The line was pretty long, so I was a few minutes late picking up Elsie, but no big deal.

Elsie's toe is still hurting her a lot.

She thinks the boot was helpful at school, I still think her Keen shoe would give more protection....but she's the boss :)

Tomorrow is Cassi's birthday.

Kind of a lousy day to have a birthday!

Wednesday's are busy days!!!!!

But I think we will still have fun celebrating her.

Monday November 5

This morning we had our cow, Dinner, butchered.

Brent is working, so Justin came to handle it all while I got Elsie off to school.

He brought his boys and they had quite a story to tell the other kids in class, ha ha ha!

Then everyone was off to school.

I didn't feel very accomplished today, but I stayed busy.

I mostly worked on editing and laundry.

So not the FUN stuff I would have liked to do......but still needed to be done.

I picked Elsie up early from school, a little earlier than I usually do on Mondays, so we could go and pick up her new glasses :)

They are so cute!

They seem pretty monstrous compared to her other glasses (which were getting way too small for her face!)

She loves them and cannot wait to show everyone at school.

Then I took her to speech and she worked really hard.

She is making some really great progress with swallowing and also making her top lip a little less tight :)

Back at home Madi worked and Cassi hung out and watched Porter while we were gone to speech.

He and the boys are building stuff outside.

Those boys are just the greatest.....I am equally excited and terrified for when they are all teenagers!

When I got home, Porter had basketball practice.

I dropped him off, then went grocery shopping, then picked him up.

Poor Elsie seems to have hurt her pinky toe.

She fell on it a couple days ago and it is starting to looked more and more bruised and swollen :(

I am hoping it isn't broken.

She is gonna wear her boot tomorrow to see how it feels.

Poor girl.

It is her automatic reflex to cushion her fall with her foot underneath her.

I don't know how to protect it unless I MAKE her wear shoes at all times!

I just feel so bad that I can't fix it.

*meat hanging pictures included*