Just Another Day, Just Another Week

Well, the excitement of Aubrey's broken arm was starting to wear off, however, we noticed when we would change the wrapping (which we were supposed to do daily) that her arm looked bent. So, today we took her in to our fabulous pediatrician (we had taken her to the instacare when she originally broke it). He looked at the x-rays and could not understand why they didn't put a cast on it in the first place. He said it was a more significant break than the instacare doctor said (maybe that guy sees really nasty stuff so this seemed like no big deal). So, now Aubrey is sporting a hot pink cast and she could not be more thrilled. Now her friends can sign it and she can't wait to show it off at school tomorrow. I love it too because Aubrey tends to get a little wild sometimes and now I don't have to stress as much when she is wrestling or running or whatever (because she was only in a brace...which her brothers quickly discovered they could bump when they were mad at her and it would hurt). Now I'm not worried that she will break her arm or make it worse.This weeks agenda includes: a bonus trip to the doctor, shoe shopping for cleats (Bryce)and gym shoes (Aubrey), helping Josh finish his school presentation, pre-school, attending school field trip to the zoo, Aubrey's community ed drama class play, beehive class presidency meeting, mutual, cub scouts, Bryce's soccer practice, ward temple group, Bryce's soccer game, young women presidency meeting, and girls camp kick off meeting. Just another typical week around here. I am sure there are plenty of you out there with older kids just laughing and thinking, "Just you wait, it will only get worse!" It's a good thing you get to grow into life a little at a time.
Speaking of growing, me and baby Jane Doe are definitely doing a lot of that. I don't love ballooning by the minute but I am grateful to still have enough energy to keep up with my five little monsters and still mow the lawn and do laundry etc etc. The house doesn't suddenly take care of itself just because I am walking for two. Oh the fun of motherhood!!

One Big Week

This week, Aubrey broke her arm. I got a call from the school on Tuesday just after I had put the boys down for naps. They said Aubrey had fallen while racing with some other kids and I needed to come check it out. The big lump on her forearm where it didn't belong told me there was something wrong. Sure enough, her arm was broken. She was really brave, her arm is wrapped in a splint and she has this sling to help her out. It wasn't bad enough to need a cast (who knew...I thought all breaks needed a cast). While getting dressed and practicing the piano are difficult for her now, she hasn't let a mere hairline fracture slow her down...of course, now I am paranoid about her excessive energy. For the first break of my career as a mother, this really hasn't been too bad.



Secondly, we were able to go in for an ultrasound this weekend to learn more about our coming sprite. We thought it would be fun to video the kids when they got to see the ultrasound pictures. Some are happy, some are not. I guess you just can't please everyone. P.S. Josh is giddy, he could not be a more proud papa.

Our "Eight is Enough" Ride

This week, thrill of all thrills, we became the proud owners of a used Suburban. We are excited because we now have enough seats that when our baby is born we will be able to fit everyone in one car. I actually really like it and am loving the way it drives (it is nothing fancy, but right for us). I never thought of myself as the kind of person that would have a Suburban. In fact, as we were looking for cars that would fit eight people I tried every possible mode of transportation that wasn't a Suburban first (once you get past the 15 passenger vans and the little SUV's with no storage space--which is required if we ever want to actually go anywhere--there really aren't a lot of other options). Somehow, Suburban says, to me, gigantic family that shops exclusively at bulk warehouse stores (not that there is anything wrong with that, it is just not how I envisioned my life). I guess I also never really thought of myself as the someone who would have six children, but here I am...and I wouldn't change it. Life definitely throws you curves every now and then (and ginormasized cars) but it is never dull, and keeps me on my toes (as well as slinking to bed early and exhausted every night...is there life after 9:30 pm??). I am really grateful to have a vehicle that will work for our family. I am grateful for my big family, full of small people. They mean the world to me...and I wouldn't give them up, even for a five passenger luxury car.

That Was Totally **WICKED**

Last night, Josh and Aubrey and I went to the Capitol Theatre and saw Wicked, the musical. IT WAS INCREDIBLE!!!! Josh and I have always been musical lovers (bring on show tune Saturday night) and Aubrey has loved Wicked since we got the cd last Christmas. Aubrey sings all the songs and knows the story and everything . She is obsessed.

I cannot say enough good about the show. We love the story, there were a couple of surprises that we didn't pick up on by listening to the cd. We have always loved the music, it is beautiful and fun and entertaining all on it's own. The actors were amazing, the sets were overwhelming, the flying monkeys were absolutely fabulous...I just loved every bit of it.

My sweet parents bought us the tickets for our birthdays/mother's day/Easter/everything else for the year... what a great gift. We got to the theater to find that our seats were on the very back row. There was no more nosebleed than we were, but for us it was perfect because Aubrey could sit up on her chair or stand or sit on her dad's lap and we didn't have to worry about the people behind us still being able to see. Also, we had a lot of space right next to our chairs where we could pile our coats and things and Aubrey was even able to lay down during intermission (or half time, as we call it).

Anyway, the night was perfect. I cannot recommend the show highly enough, Aubrey loved it and was on the edge of her seat almost the whole time...what am I saying, Josh and I were on the edge of our seats the whole time too. Thanks Mom and Dad for an unforgettable evening. It was a very memorable night.

On a much cuter note, My brother and sister-in-law had their baby girl yesterday and we are really looking forward to meeting her in person very soon. Congratulations you two. We love you.

All that Glitters Isn't Gold

Today we decorated Easter eggs for the coming holiday...lots of fun. This year we tried eggs that have this cool glitter paper to go with them, it was fabulous. Our fingers ended up as shiny as our eggs, but we had a blast. Hooray for holidays.

This weekend was general conference which is always exciting. I love listening to prophet's counsel and trying to learn to become a better person. However, it is not so easy for our kids to be quiet for that long. We don't expect them to sit and listen the whole time (the rule at our house is that they have to come and listen when the prophet speaks until they are 8 at which point they have to listen to a whole session). We just ask them to stay upstairs and outside so that we can try to listen. This works for short periods of time, but there is always some tragedy or dilemma that requires Mom or Dad's attention before too long. Oh well, we adore them.

Still, there was one talk that really stuck out to all of our kids. It was the final talk of the Sunday morning session and it was given by President Monson. He told three stories, but one was about a mother who needed to travel to West Germany from Prussia (I think) with her four children after her husband had died. It was a tragic tale of determination and faith, but our children were enthralled because the children in the story matched their ages exactly. As the prophet reported the death of each child, our kids would gasp and say "Oh, no," particularly the child who was actually that age (Gavin was very upset when the other kids told him his counterpart had passed away first). It really stuck with them and they remembered that the mother did not give up, and stayed faithful so that she could be with her children again after this life.

I feel very blessed that we have a living prophet, I need to heed his counsel better than I do, and I want to be better. I am grateful for the gospel in my life, and especially grateful for a kind and loving Savior and Heavenly Father.

School Days

(Our kids don't ride the bus, but you get the idea...besides, how safe can it be, none of those children seem to be sitting down!!!)
During the past week both Josh and I have had the chance to go spend some time in our children's classrooms. I am a little bit embarrassed to say this is the first time this school year I have been in to school. I can give a million fabulous excuses, but that's all they really turn out to be...excuses.

Still, I am always grateful when we are able to go to school because it is so good for us and our kids. I love that our kids get to see that we think school is important enough that we take the time to come in to their classes. I love that we get to have a better feel for what the teachers are really like and how their class really functions. I love that we get to chat with other parents and hear what they think of teachers, programs, and the school in general. And on top of that, we get to help the teachers get needed errands done or copies made or whatever it is they need in their classroom.

It is through volunteering that we have a better feel for what our kids are doing at school and a couple of times it has helped us address problems that we see with teachers. I am really grateful for kind and caring teachers that do their best to help our kids learn and grow in more ways than just the three r's.