Believe it or not

I am reminded this week, as I put my family back on 'a schedule', why I adore schedules, routines, jobs, rules and expectations.

I have let the kids weekly jobs completely go this summer. Heck, I let my own go. Completely.

In anticipation of School and Football (read completely overwhelming until October) I sat down and forced myself to get back into routine.  I may have mentioned a time or two or six how naughty my kids are lately and how I'm so ready to send them off to school for someone else to deal with.  So I went all Super Nanny on their butts and made up an excel spreadsheet of what was to be done when and where.

They are back to bedtimes and wake up times and morning rituals and chore charts and dinner jobs and well, discipline in general.  You know what has happened? Well first they threw Guiness World Record fits with weeping and wailing and nashing of teeth and then-then-THEN they feel right into it like it was meant to be. And their wailing has been brought down to maybe 1/3 the original. Because who am I kidding, I still complain about doing the dishes so I can't expect them to totally quit.

And as I was on the other side of the room with Ryan and Jena washing the walls and railings they had a little talk that I'm sure they thought I couldn't hear.

Ryan-I like this zone cleaning thing.
Jena- What's zone cleaning?
Ryan- You know, this new thing mom's doing where we clean upstairs on Monday and the kitchen on Tuesday and downstairs on Wednesday.
Jena-Oh, yeah, me too. Then were not like, cleaning ALL day. {insert major Jena dramatics here}
Ryan-Yeah, believe it or not, Moms pretty smart like that.

He'll never admit to saying it, of that I'm sure, but it sure has shown in the attitude change around here. Both theirs and mine.

Mom 1 point and I'm pretty sure the Kids get 1 too!

From a lucky girl

Preschooler in the house!

Sara started preschool and she LOVES it!  And just like I suspected, it's not enough for her!

She is SO board! So we are currently looking into preschools that are 3-4 days a week.

If you put anything in that backpack she will tip over!

And of course we had to have an impromptu posing session...

Whoopsy!

 

It's all good!

And there she is!

Busy, Busy month of May

Jena is participating in the Little Miss Cherry Days Pageant.  They call it a self esteem pageant and I guess every girl gets a title.  We aren't really into pageants but my friend's little girl was doing it and talked us into it. Jena is having fun so that's all that matter's I suppose.

This is Miss North Ogden teaching the girls how to walk and answer questions.

The pageant is in 2 weeks so we'll have some more pictures of that.

This little man got his first haircut with Daddy.  We did the same thing with Ry at 3 months and it all came in blond.   Jake's seems to be doing the same thing.

Barry loves having his picture taken as much as me, can you tell? ;)

He is getting really fun, talking and giggling, sucking his thumb and he loves to eat his bibs.  I can't wait till he stops spitting up so much so I can stop putting those stupid bibs on him!

He also loves to hang out in this jumper.

Hmmm, how am I gonna get that back?

And the other 3 can not resist him when he's in it.

He gets swinging and flying lessons pretty often.

Jena also had her 1st grade program in which she was a lady bug and sang a solo part.

Ziah, Kelbee and Jena

I'm told by Ryan that she got the giggles when they performed for the school but for the parents she did great!  She totally takes after me however and gets terrible stage fright.  We will be starting dance in the fall again so hopefully she can learn to get through that.

This is one of her best friends Emily.

Such cute girls.

Sara was so proud of Jena and was dieing to be up there with her.

Only 5 more days of school! Woo Hoo!

1st Day of School

This kid was awake, dressed and making his bed at 6:45 am!
Yes, I said making his bed!

He was less than thrilled about the 'dorky' hat his teacher made him wear.
He is more than ecstatic about eating lunch at school and 3 recesses!

Jena was totally 'cool' about the first day of 'real school'.

She could not stop spinning in this skirt, nor could she pass up the chance to 'pose' in front of her school.

I Feel So Loved!

*Warning* This is super long!

So I've been slackin' on the ole' blog and I have received several emails, comments and texts from you all about why and what am I doing. So I'm feeling so loved. Glad to know somebody misses me!

But here's the thing, I haven't really been doing anything all that interesting!

My friend Melanie asked me what's up with Barry's job and are we moving and have I had another fake heart attack. So here is a little update to the status of our lives.

Barry has decided to stay at the Davis County Jail for now. Weber County seems to be on a hiring freeze due to budgets and we are just so tired of waiting and being in limbo. Plus after this long, I figure the Man Upstairs might be trying to tell us something. Just a hunch.

He is also still in school and plans to apply to the nursing program this fall and hopefully get into the program Fall '09. The fact that he's a guy seems to be largely in his favor for getting in on the first try and my sister did it on first try so we are hopeful and prayerful!

Barry and I both are currently taking a CNA class together. Barry because it's a pre-req to nursing and me because I hope to get a job at Primary Children's Medical Center. When I was 18 I went to SLCC and finished almost all my pre-req's for the Surgical Tech program and I'm thinking I may want to finish that up. I really love being in surgery. And now days the nurse is just in the background during surgery whereas the Surg Tech is hands on with the Doc, and that is what I want to do.

In the mean time I need to work a few days a week so we can move out of the parents house! My sister works as a CNA, or Tech they call them, at Primary Children's on the Surgical Floor and loves it. According to her boss he will be hiring in July when I'm done with the class and I'm crossing my fingers to get that job. One I want to work with kids and two they pay CNA's way better than anywhere else I've found.

As far as the moving thing, does Hmmmm or Ummmm...explain it well enough for you? Didn't thinks so. It doesn't for us either but that's where we're at...still. We had completely expected to being moving to the North Ogden area but it seems that's not where we are suppose to be. So we started looking around here for a rental house and that is just not feeling right either! We can't afford to buy down here right now unless it's a small townhome and we don't want to do that either.

Then my sister says to me a few weeks ago, Kel why are you moving anyway? And I'm confused now, I say because we have been at Mom and Dads for 15 months and we told them we'd only be here for 1 year. She then says, well if I were you guys I'd just stay here till Barry is done with school.

???WHAT???

And she was serious too! I don't think my parents will like us very much if we stay much longer, we kind of run the house. Well at least the kids do. But hey, I cleaned her carpets today so that counts for something, right?

So here we sit. Me, I'm feeling a bit lost frankly. I feel like I spend more time on my knees pleading with the Lord to point us in the right direction and I'm sure he's attempting to tell me, but I'm apparently just not getting it! I keep thinking that perhaps when I'm done with my CNA class and have a job something will change and we will feel good about it.

Then there is my little heart attack episode. (insert long pause and big sigh here) All test are normal, it hasn't happened since. I do have really low blood pressure which makes me feel like I'm going to pass out all the time but that's not unusual for me. So looking back I've decided it must have been a panick attack. Weird that it was in my sleep and I've never really done that before but looking at all the big decisions we are struggling with lately I suppose it may make sense.

For treatment I have put myself on manditory do nothing therapy. No dance class, no soccer, no t-ball, no swim lessons, nothing. In fact I generally fill up the van with gas every 10 days or so and I have not filled it since school was out 3 1/2 weeks ago. That tells you how much we even leave the house! We have friends over and slip and slide and go to the park and eat home lunches and stay in our PJ's and wash the cars and it is so nice. We are usually the get in the car and go somewhere everyday kind of family. Whether it's just to Target to wander and buy things we don't really need or out to lunch we are always on the go. So now, we go no more.

Jena is such a little stinker right now. Ryan acted the same way right before he started Kindergarten so I'm not surprised but she is sure not my favorite child right now. She challenges everything, disobey's everything, talks back, hit's her brother and sister all while yelling the most mean things she can think of, screams no at me, throws herself on her bed and cries for literally hours and then gets up and starts it all over again. I can't wait to hand her over to the kindergarten teacher to whip her into shape! :)

Actually I'm starting a Good Deeds/Kindness Jar for her. If she does what she is asked or is nice to someone, she gets a bead to put in. If she does her usual she has to take a bead out. When it gets to a certain fill level she will get a reward of some kind. We'll see if it works. I'm sort of skeptical.

Ryan is a house rat! I can not get him to go do anything! He won't call friends or go outside and it's driving me nuts. I'm about to punish him by sending him to a friends house! We have also started using one of those Bed Wetting Alarm Systems with him. It's only been 2 nights, 2 very long nights, and they say it takes about 12 weeks to seek success. So our summer nights will be long and slow but hopefully by 1st grade he will be through with the bed wetting. I had the same problem as a kid so I know what it's like. Only I was dry until Kindergarten and then wet the bed till I was 9, but it was the Alarm that worked for me. My mother is convinced something horribly traumatic happened to me in Kindergarten to cause it, but I don't remember a thing. Ry has never been dry at night but it doesn't make much of a difference in treating the problem. He would also die if he knew I told you all about the alarm so if you see him don't mention it unless he does.

Sara is either tons of fun or a flat out stinker! She is such a typical 15 month old but with a Hansen temper thrown in just for kicks. I have this video of her throwing this big fit because she didn't want me to take a picture of her. I guessing she's been watching big sister a little to close lately. She is finally easier to feed since she has decided to eat. She is quite picky and if it's not grapes she doesn't want it. I think her favorite time of day is eating breakfast with grandpa. If he has left for work by the time we get out there she whines for 'Bompa' all morning and wants to go look for him in his room. It's pretty cute.

Here's Sara right before her fit.
Sorry you get a picture of me and my hormonal face.
My skin is freaking out again.
I think I might have cancer on my nose because I've never had acne like this before.
And let me tell you how much that adds to the happiness in my life!

Here is the video, it's sort of long but you get the idea in the first 15 seconds.
I'm too lazy to make it shorter.

We also went to Lagoon last week. Aunt Michelle took the kids for the day and they had a great time on all the rides. Barry and I went after work and that was plenty of time for me. I always love to go on rides but I get so irratated in crowds of people like that. We had never been on the new ride Wicked and we waiting line for over an hour but I have to say that it was worth it even if it was only 30 seconds long. Overall good time but Disneyland it is not.

Left to Right-Sydney, Jenaka, Ryan, Chris and Michelle.

Barry and I when we first got there.
He always runs into former 'inmates' everywhere we go and
it is so bizzare how they come talk to him and act like they are old buddies.

Just about the only picture anyone was able to get of Ry.
He was finally tall enough to go on the Old White Roller Coaster and he loved it.
Unlike Chris who cried through the whole thing! Poor kid!
Jena and Sydney wanted nothing to do with the 'Big' rides.
They were perfectly happy in Kiddy Land all day.
They also LOVED the performances with the singing and dancing and high school kids.
They could have sat and watched that all day long.
Everywhere they go people always think they are sisters.

I got the CLEP

***Disclaimer***

I am about to discuss English.
As in proper use of nouns, pronouns, verbs, sentence boundaries, active/passive voice, diction and idiom and Syntax. Few of which I actually know the definition of or better yet the proper use since most of those words I just copied out of a book.
So if you feel the need to judge my English, please understand a few things.
A. I was raised in Utah. (I could end right there.)
B. I was raised by my father, who misuses words on purpose.
C. I rarely attended High School, though I did graduate.
(which I'm not sure I should have. graduated that is, not attended.)
D. Refer here and here and here for more information.

OK, OK, Enough about the title of this post!
Move on already!
Sheesh!

I'm sitting here trying to de-code 2 College CLEP Exam books.

You know the ones that help you study and hopefully give you all the answers.

Not sure why I'm reading them, being that they are for the hubby.

Who, by the way, is in bed, not the slightest bit worried about these books or the tests.

There is something wrong with this picture.

See he has decided, obviously, to CLEP out of a few general credits. As many as possible actually. And there has been a hint of stress around here about a certain English class that has now been taken twice. Not for lack of brain or skill. Something worse really. He just hates English, really, really hates it. Math? He will do that all day, in his sleep in fact. Not English. That's like asking him to read a book for pleasure. People do that? Really? Why?

In his defense I have recently realized I should probably take a little bit of responsibility in this. See the 1st time, I had a baby and well, I'm sort of needy, I admit it and he got pretty behind. Then the week of finals we took a trip to Disneyland. So much funner right? (I just used the word funner. I know it should be 'more fun'. But I use it anyway. Thanks Dad!) So he ended up taking an Incomplete. Not so horrible except that you have to pay for it, again. The 2nd time he misread the final project deadline. Um, what else is there to say? Oops. So what was an A became a C-. Big Oops.

Did you know you can't take the next class unless you have a C?

That's just really great isn't it!

Freaking Fabulous!

Want to know what we were talking about until midnight the night I had my little trip to the ER? Uh Huh, you guessed it, English x3. See if he shows up to class he pretty much gets straight A's, in everything.

So starting next week it's all about Ingles el tres.

See we don't do Spanish well either.

That's all I'm gonna say about that.

You believe me, right?

Well, I'm might have to get with Melissa and hash it out just one more time.

But then I'm done.

I swear!

Wii Love Summer

So it's the first official day of summer vacation for us and it has been great so far.

Ry is off to a movie with Uncle Matt

Sara is asleep

Jena is content to play make-believe all by herself

I am doing nothing

And it is So nice.

I was going to sign the kids up for all sorts of summer activities but I've decided to go Old School and let them play outside.

Sometimes I think there is so much for them to do that I feel guilty if they aren't signed up for something.

No more feeling guilty for me.

They will swing, they will swim, they will run outside, they will ride there bike, they will play with friends, they will lay in the grass, get a tan, watch the clouds and they will be perfectly fine!

I did and I don't feel like I missed out on one little thing.

As for Barry...he bought himself a Wii.

Don't let him fool you, it's not for the kids, it is for him.

He just happened upon it in Target.

There it was, all alone, waiting for someone to take it home and give it lots of love.

He couldn't resist it's powers.

It's gotten plenty of love.

Non-stop since Friday.

Rationing will have to start soon.

I'm getting really good at Mario Galaxy.

Too bad Barry has to study Psychology all week so he can CLEP out of that class.

Don't worry honey, we will keep the Wii company while you save us $800 for 3 credit hours.

Is It Over?

This must have been the longest week I have endured in years.

I'm So Happy It's Over!

Preschool Done
Soccer Done
Field Trips Done
Dance Done
Kindergarten Done
Trips to the Doctor Done - Wait not done.

I had my Allergy testing done on Wednesday and was suprised to find out I am actually allergic to a lot more than I thought. So what now? Not sure.
I think Allergy Shots every week for the rest of my life or somewhere close to that.

The Big Man officially graduated from Kindergarten on Thursday.
I hate to be a party pooper but is Kindergarten Graduation really neccessary? A Kindergarten program would be enough. I mean they just started Elementary so why the graduation? Oh-well, it's done and Ry picked his nose through the whole thing, literally.
If nothing else that was embarrassing, I mean Entertaining!
This little diva is so excited for Kindergarten she can hardly contain herself.

Jena is just so cute at all her T-ball games.
I always hear someone commenting on the cute little girl with all the pink accessories.
Little Sister loves to come to the games.
She pawns treats off anyone close and loves to yell at 'Ena' and 'Rara' while they play.

Little Sister is starting to do pretty much anything she darn well pleases.She says
'Ena' for Jena
'RaRa' for Ryan or RyRy
Thank You
BomPa for Grandpa
Matt
Ball
Up
All Done
Bye
Hi
woof woof

She will also take her own dirty diaper to the garbage, wash walls (with anything in her hand at the moment), put her dish in the dishwasher, wash her hair, attempt to buckle her seat belt, give you her binky when asked and scream for ice cream.

Miss America

Jena is officially a preschool graduate!
Her class had a patriotic program and then graduation.
She remembered all of her parts and best of all...check out the dress.

We went looking for a red t-shirt (my choice)
we came home with this dress (her choice)
I have to say, I would never haved picked it
but it is so Jena and pretty darn cute.

Check out the little girl on the right end. The poor thing cried through the whole thing!

S is for Salt Lake City
This look cracks me up. I was videoing the program and every time I would move the camera off of her she would give me this look and point at herself.
Can we say narcissism.

Here are her teachers. They are so great, Mother and Daughter and they've been teaching for 30 years. They are SO old school! Check out the hair and her retro puma's. We love them though, they have taught her respect, disapline and manners like no other school even tries anymore.

Of course she got flowers! Ry was so excited to give them to her.

Workbooks

A few people have been asking me to give them the files for my kids workbooks and job charts. So here they are. I made the job charts generic pdf's but the workbooks have Jena and Ryan's names on them. If you have Adobe InDesign I can email you the native files and you can change them yourself or email me what you want changed and I'll personalize them for you. The workbooks I actually stole from Nat so I can't take full credit for those. :)
Click on the Picture to download the file.

Our little Actress

Jena had her Preschool program last Thursday. She was so proud that she memorized all of her parts! It was darling, I love that this preschool presents a program about the nativity along with a few fun songs. I was so disappointed last year when Ryan and Jena's school did a program all about Santa. They seem to really learn and understand the story of Jesus Birth when they get to be apart of it.

So here is Jena in her acting debut!



Thanks Natasha for the expert videography! :)

Best Friends!
Lucy, Amelia and Jena
We are so glad Amelia and Jena are able to go to the same preschool this year. They are so cute together.