Week #36:Ms. Amy's finally ready for Lainey!

This week...

...we walked Lainey to her first day of preschool. She has been so excited all summer knowing that she gets to go to preschool, and with one of her favorite people as her teacher, Amy Buchanan. We've constantly put her off by saying that Ms. Amy is not ready for her yet. When I told her that she had to get ready for preschool Tuesday morning she exclaimed, "She's ready for me?!" Yes, Lainey, she is.

 

We walked with our friends, Daniel and Miles King. Daniel is in Lainey's class. Look at Lainey's face - Cloud 9, you can totally see it.

On Thursdays, our friend Paxton spends the day with us since his mom is at work. They are in the same preschool class.

Here's Ms. Amy helping Lainey write her name. Something she has not as yet attempted.

Ms. Amy was telling me about Lainey's Mother Hen nature on the first day of class. Lainey kept asking if it was her turn to read a story to the kids. Then she sat waiting with the jar of chalk in her lap. Ms. Amy informed her that she could use it on the chalkboard and Lainey replied, "I'm waiting to give it to the kids." I'm not surprised really about her mother hen-ness. That's how I was and still am.

 

See - waiting with the chalk.

It wouldn't be school without a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom art project.

She's so intent on her project. I'm sure she's glad that she finally gets to do them because we always tell her she's too little when we do them at home.

Working on tracing an S. This is her first real introduction to letters. I heard her singing that S says "aaaaa" the other day. Sarcasm intended, I think it's going really well.

...Lainey's been playing in the movie cupboard. She started out looking for a certain movie by pulling them all out. Then we noticed she disappeared inside as she stacked them all back in. And she was singing her own song the whole time.

 

...Lainey pointed to the nectarines in our Fresh Picks box and said, "This one has a bum."

...we had a severe storm and tornado watch that completely freaked my kids out. We loved watching the clouds roll across the sky before it began.

Me? I wasn't scared. I was just shaking in my boots, gathering flashlights and candles, and pulling down our 72 hour backpacks. Nope, not scared. Then it only lasted for about 27 minutes and I think everyone was bummed that we didn't have to get down in the crawl space to save our lives. 

Benjamin before the storm actually hit and we retreated inside. Paul's acting silly in the background. Once inside, we had the blinds closed so Claire couldn't see the lightning and the TV on so we could get weather updates. Claire also had on Jason's ear muffs from the shop so she wouldn't hear the thunder and rain.

Good thing I've been working on stocking our back packs up again so that we are prepared whenever the need may come. I got these backpacks in  our last ward as pottery barn knock offs. They've had random, long, embroidered names on them that I haven't ever bothered to cover, and we've used them! It's atrocious, I know. Emma and Claire were Alexandra and Adrianna respectively. I knew it was time to spruce them up, see the picture. They are stocked with one set of extra clothes, water bottles, crayons and a notebook, prepackaged toothbrush and paste, card games - Uno and Phase Ten, and individualized stay busy activities for each child. I will also include some type of snack that we'll trade out each time at General Conference, along with the clothes to keep them current. Jason and I will have a bag with first aid and preparedness items for the whole family.

...I went to an amazing event put on by a program called Inspire My Life. They came to the Tri-Cities and brought Jessie Funk (singer, performer, speaker), Katherine Nelson (singer, actress), Hank Smith (speaker), and William Joseph (concert pianist). It was so cool! I went with my sisters and Emma. Jason graciously stayed home and watched the kids. We met up with Jason's sister Lara and his mom at the event.

William Joseph by the event screen sharing funny, embarrassing moments from his life. He says to look for the humor in every day.

Me, Emma, and Lara with Jessie Funk. She said to show up for our life; live so that you have no regrets when you get older.

I first heard Jessie Funk's music when I was on my mission as I shopped at the local LDS bookstore. I bought the cassette and tucked it away for when I got home. I did use a couple songs in district meetings and visitor center training meetings to help me teach. (Our mission mom was really into using music at Zone Conferences and I think that's the only way I got away with it.) Since then I've carried her music with me in the car where I sing my heart out to a car full of sleeping babes when I drive home from seeing family in Mattawa.

I first heard William Joseph's piano music about seven or eight years ago when we lived in Ellensburg going to school. I love piano music. It's very stirring and therapeutic for my heart. His music was 10 times your ordinary piano music for me, and still is. Love, love, love it! When I told him that Emma is taking piano lessons, he told her to practice five times a week and be diligent.

Emma and I with Katherine Nelson. This is the best we could do, my camera was at home with my phone. I simply forgot the camera and my phone battery died, like real dead.

We first saw Katherine Nelson in the Liken video, Ammon and the King. She plays the part of Abish, a woman who lives among a wicked people but has been converted to Jesus Christ. If you have never seen Liken videos before, you need to check them out. They are fun, theatrical renditions of Bible and Book of Mormon stories alike with beautiful, heart stirring music. You're laughing one minute and feeling the spirit of the message the next. Katherine has since played the role of Emma Smith in the Legacy film about her life and released an album as an up and coming new country artist. 

Hank Smith was hilarious. Alas, I did not get a photo with him. Although, I did do some recruiting for Time Out For Women in Spokane. Haha! He said it was a tough bill performing with the three others with him because all he does is...talk. We were not disappointed though. He had just the right mix of laughing, teaching, motivation, and conviction. It was so great!

Week #35: The Best Year Yet!

This week...

...four of my five children went off to school. Benjamin and Claire started Kindergarten! They love it! They weren't nervous about leaving me at all. They get up so early and ready so fast that they are impatient and badgering me to get them out to the bus stop. I have to convince them that arriving an hour early to the bus stop won't be any fun.

Lainey is going to preschool, and we couldn't leave her out.

My cuties waiting to cross the street to their school.

I promised Ben that the picture at the house would be the only one. You can see how he liked me asking for just one more. We have Mrs. Collins and student teacher Miss Benesuti.

Paul has Mrs. Cruzen for his second grade teacher. Emma had her as well. He was not worried at all with the start of school.

Emma has Mrs. Vandervert for her fourth grade Spectrum teacher. She was nervous the first day, but there are already so many fun things that she's looking forward to.

Coming home from the bus stop on the first day.

Me and my Emma girl. (I had to lighten it up so you could see our faces better.)

*Upon their return, I heard good reports about school. Their first days went very well. And for Emma, my nervous one, it turned out better than expected. Almost as an afterthought, I learned that Benjamin got lost on his first day. Poor little guy! They went on a tour of the gym, music room, and art room. After the music room, Ben lined up with the wrong class and started to cry when he realized that he wasn't where he was supposed to be. Eventually, someone helped him figure it out. But I think that put a damper on things for a while. Oh, man!

...we had a cool back to school night for mutual. It was a pep rally theme. Go Pasco 2nd ward and 5th branch!

Back: Boryeon (foreign exchange student from Korea), Jaki Quintero (soon to be baptized), Savannah Florez, Emily Christensen, Emily Hale, Noreen Hale, Emma Nieforth, Isabel (forein exchange student from Germany), Brendy Smajlovic, Livi Palomino Middle: Lisa Jimenez, Mckensey Slaugh, Alma Rueles, Perla Valdovinos, Egla Gonzalez, Sister King, Jalisa (Brendy's friend), Sister Norman, Sister Votaw, Sister Nieforth Front: me, Isabelle Soriano, Michelle Dawson, Mya Martinez, Natalie Marley, Miriam Martinez

...I created mustache/top hat monsters. I printed some templates for photo props and the kids had so much fun making their own. I have more fun seeing the props under noses and on top of heads. My little sillies.

 

 

Can't you see/hear him saying, "I say ol' chap." 

...Jason and I celebrated 11 years of marriage. We are not newly marrieds any more. We have arrived. Haha! Jason's parents watched the kids Saturday afternoon until Sunday morning. We have 12:20 church and so we had plenty of time to pick them up and get them ready. We had a lot of fun going out together. We met up with my sisters for dinner at Bob's burgers. We went to Costco, Hobby Lobby, and Michaels. For dessert we stopped in at My Fro Yo (I had the salted caramel popcorn flavor-Yum!) in the mall before we went to see Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. Then a quick trip to Walmart, back to our house, and we were done. 

You know you have a good guy when he will go to Hobby Lobby with you and he gets you flowers on your anniversary. Haha! We didn't actually buy this flower, but we needed an anniversary picture. We just snapped it with our phone. It makes me laugh just looking at it again. Jason is so good at being spontaneous and making me laugh. Although, I am pretty funny early, early in the morning. We're just not usually awake for it. :)

Week #34: An Old, New Dresser and Desk

This week...

...Jason sprayed a dresser and desk for Emma's room. These were part of my mom's bedroom set when she was growing up. With the renovations at my mom's, they didn't need these pieces anymore. They graciously let us take them for Emma. And Jason graciously gave them a happy, white face lift. 

Before...

The dresser drawers were lined with this nasty green contact paper. We ripped it out and put in plain, beautiful white.

After...

Here's the after shot of both pieces in Emma's room. The knobs are yellow with polka dots. I got them in Arizona last October hoping to use them in my candy shop kitchen on the cupboard doors. Only thousands of miles and four states later, I find out that Jason didn't really want me to use them at all. Now he tells me. So they've sat in the garage wishing for a purpose. We finally found the perfect use. They're so cute! We also hung her mirror and her coat rack that Uncle Wade made for us. Her room is all put together now.

...we stayed home and had a we-couldn't-go-to-Silverwood-so-we-had-a-blast-at-home-instead day. My back went out again and carried over into the start of this week. (I'm getting some physical therapy help this time around.) 

This is me propped on the couch trying to find the most comfortable spot to get ahead of the back pain.

So we weren't able to make it to Silverwood as we had thought and planned. We had our cousin Grace with us so we turned the day into another mini staycation. We went to Vierra's. When in doubt, go to Vierra's. We went to Walmart and let the kids pick out one toy each, which we NEVER let them do. We went to the movie Planes. No, we didn't get popcorn, but this is a record two movies in one summer. We're pushing the fun barrier here. We then went swimming at Grandma Zae's pool, which I thought would help my back but didn't. We topped the night off with a trip back to Grandma and Grandpa Erickson's for dinner and pie to celebrate Uncle Bill's birthday. I would say that's a pretty packed day.

...we found out what Emma does when she is bored. She was hoola-hooping while reading a book to help liven things up. Here she's reading Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick. I read it and passed it on to her because I liked it so much. Definite hit.

...Emma and Claire got haircuts to spruce up before the start of school. We go to our friend Angie Sandoval who has a salon in her garage. It's close and affordable, and she does a great job. This was Claire's first real hair cut. She did very well. I took Lainey along to watch and she's the one who had trouble sitting still.

Emma was helping me keep Lainey under control.

Week #33:Lainey's got her own set of wheels!

This week...

...we celebrated Grandma Erickson's birthday. They came over for dinner and Aunt Shawnee's cupcakes. Claire got some chocolate frosting on her nose and then the rest of them thought it would be silly to do it on purpose. Then it just got out of hand.

...Lainey came home with her very own bike. She has been waiting all summer to have her own set of wheels. And she hasn't even bugged us about it like our kids do sometimes - when? when? when? She would just say matter of factly, "We need to buy me a bike" or "I'm going to get a bike." Well, we finally got her one. Only she walks it up and down the sidewalk because she goes too fast down the driveway dips and doesn't like it. Benjamin was Lainey's self proclaimed protector, riding alongside her in case she needed help. Very cute!

Jason and the masses putting the bike together.

Can you see this girl's excitement? She will never be the same.

...Claire tried to pass herself off as an alien. We played with chalk at the park. I guess it's "when it gets boring to color on the ground, color on your hands" mentality.

...we went back for more swimming at Grandma Zae's. This time we called one of Emma's friends to come and swim with us.

...Paul was super excited for his gigantic pancake. Paul and his bush had a great breakfast. :) (And you get to witness his bushy hair. Him and Ben both held me off as long as they could this summer. They don't like hair cuts that much.)

...I enjoyed some fresh basil. I cut some and put it in a pint jar on my counter. I loved seeing it and smelling it...and eating it on tomato, ham, cucumber sandwiches. Sigh!