Blessings

While the blessings I see daily in my life are too numerous to count, I thought I would point out a few biggies that have happened in the last few days:

1. we found a renter for our house. This is a big deal for us. Last time it took us 6 weeks (and numerous showings) to find a renter. This time it took 3 days, one showing, and not too much stress. I hope he is everything the old renter isn't (quiet, and on time with the rent). Most importantly, we won't have to dig into our savings to pay even one mortgage payment. He moves in right after the old renter moves out.

2. I was really sad to find out that our piano teacher had decided to quit teaching. Then I started looking for a new teacher...I found that others in the are charge ALOT more for lessons. I was beginning to wonder what I was going to have to cut from the budget in order to pay for lessons for 3 kids. And then I found someone in our ward who was willing to teach for exactly the same amount as I have been paying. It will put a lot less stress on our finances and the girls will really enjoy learning from her.

3. We finally got all of the rent money from our renter. Now we can afford to clean the carpets and repaint all the room where her kids wrote on the walls (no, I'm not kidding about that.) I truely never knew that renting a home could be so stressful. I hope the new guy doesn't trash the place. At least he doesn't have any kids who will write on the walls with sharpie markers and nail polish (no, I'm not kidding.)

Things that are bugging me right now

Loren is out of town so I have nothing to distract me from the things that are bugging me and yet are out of my control to change... Here is a little list so you can see the things in my life that are annoying me right now.

#1 Our renter is now 10 days late paying the rent. This is causing stress in my life and in my bank account. You can imagine, right?

#2 The renter has informed us that she will be leaving at the end of the month (she better pay us for this month before she leaves!), so now I get the chore of posting the house on craig's list several times a day in hopes that we can get a new renter that can move in on the first of October...please let us find somone who will pay the rent ON TIME!

#3 The kids are bored, the kids are bored, THE KIDS ARE BORED!

#4 When they're bored, they want to eat. How much can they eat in one day?

#5 Can't keep the house picked up no matter how hard I try...of course, I'm not the one making the mess-it's them. So why should I have to pick it up? Why can't I get this principle though their heads?

Thank goodness Loren comes home tomorrow! I'm tired of being a single mom! I'm way to out numbered.

We'll call it a success

Melia did leave the orthodontist's office with braces on her top teeth today.

So we'll call today successful
and
We'll ignore the following facts:
*The office opened 30 minutes late
*Melia freaked out so it took forever to get the bands on her molars
*those two things combined caused me to be late dropping Devin off at preschool
*All of these facts caused me to be stressed out!

On the positive side:
*Melia did go to school without too much fuss(that alone is reason to call this a successful day.) We even got her there early enough that she was only marked tardy instead of absent for half the day
*the orthodontist gave us a $25 gift card since we had to wait so long. That almost made the wait worth it...almost.

If Melia will allow me to take a picture of her with her new colorful braces I will post it here:

If she won't let me take one, then I will tell you this...she picked bright green and purple rubberbands. And I think she looks cute with braces on her teeth.

Thursday thoughts

* Thank goodness August is over. It know it is still ridiculously hot, but at least we are a little closer to cooler weather. September just sounds better that August...I'll try to block out the fact that it is over 110 degrees today.

* Speaking of the heat...the AC in my car has been having troubles since APRIL. Last week we took it in AGAIN, and they supposedly fixed it. We dropped some major cash this time and guess what...it STILL isn't working. I'm sure glad I paid them all that money to have it still blow hot air on me everytime I drive it. It is going back on Saturday and if they don't fix it this time I just might kill them. And might I add...we have been having record breaking heat for the past 2 weeks!!! What a time to have AC troubles.

*My hot car is actually saving me some money. I have no desire to drive it anywhere, so I haven't been spending much money at the store. That's me trying to find something positive about this miserable situation.

* The girls are all doing well in school so far. We got progress reports at the end of last week, and I was happy with what I saw.

* Devin is loving having the house to himself while his sisters are away at school. He gets to play with what ever her wants with out his bossy sister's butting in.

*Melia is getting braces next week. I can honestly say that her mouth is a complete disaster and I was't a bit surprised when they told us she might have them on for 2 1/2 years. She is not happy. So far she is the only one in her group of friends to get braces and I think she is a bit self conscious about that. Also she thinks her mouth is gonna hurt like crazy and she should therefore be allowed to stay home from school. I told her that she likely won't be missing school due to braces.

*Taylor also had a consult with the orthodontist and we learned that she will be getting 3 more teeth pulled at some point in the future. Braces will be used to close the gaps. Luckily they said at least a year before we are ready for that. Thank goodness...how will I pay for 2 kids in braces at once?

*Piano lessons for the girls today. They are really looking forward to it since there has been a gap between lessons due to sickness. They seem to really enjoy playing so far and all of them have worked ahead in their books.

*Three day weekend coming up! Everyone has Monday off. I only enjoy three day weekends when Loren gets to help me entertain the kids. I hope we actually get to spend some time relaxing. The pool has been calling out to all of us, but with homework and other activites, we don't have as much time to be out in it as we used to. Plus the water is like 90 degrees...a little to warm to be enjoyable.

TWELVE

I've been thinking about this post for a while...
a little over a week to be exact.
On August 24, Melia turned 12.
I know that to most, 12 isn't a big deal...
it's thirteen-the year they become a teenager-
that's a big deal.
But in our world- 12 is a big deal.
It’s the year that they get to leave primary
And go to Young Women’s.
It’s the year they are considered
Old enough to babysit
(although Melia has already had a little practice at that!)
In a way…it seems to be the year that they grow up.

So we allowed Melia the chance to do something
really special for her birthday.
Usually birthday's are celebrated at our house,
with a few friends.
Cake, ice cream, swimming for those who have
summer birthdays.
This year we let Melia invite her friends to
a movie (the Smurfs) and lunch (at native New Yorker).

No little siblings were there.
I think she had fun.
And I hope she appreciated the chance to feel
just a little bit grown up.
She even managed to negotiate swimming time
after the movie and lunch.
She very effectively stretched the length of her
party to 7 hours, not bad for a 12 year old.

Over the years, we have spoiled our children
on their birthdays.
They get a party with their friends,
and on their actual birthday,
we take them out to dinner.
I also make them whatever they request
for breakfast- Melia chose biscuits and gravy.
That evening we went to Olive Garden for dinner
And then came home to a special Treat from
Melia’s primary teacher:
Ice cream cupcakes (delicious!)

Her final surprise for the day
was given by the Young Women in our ward.
Melia's birthday happened to fall on the
day of their weekly activity.
They contacted me a few weeks in advance
and asked if we would mind if they
"Kidnapped" Melia that night
and give her a little surprise party.
They showed up here at a little after 7
and dragged her off for treats and games
at one of the home of one of the leaders.
I think she loved it!

I can't believe she is 12...
she is getting so grown up.
It's a little scary to think of
some of the things that she'll be
facing in the next few years of her
life.
Growing up is hard.
The challenges she will face
will be difficult.
And for Loren and I
letting go, and letting her walk
towards those challenges
is the hardest thing to do.
We want to keep her safe.
We want to protect her from everything
"out there".
I want to rewind back to when she was
small
and just push the pause button.
I see her growing into an
amazing Young Woman.
I hope she can hold on to all
that we have taught her,
and remember who she is.

First Day of School!!!!!!!!

My girls started school today!

All I can say is that thankfully
I survived summer....somehow.
There were days when I thought
I would lose my sanity.
There were great days too of course.
We spent many days this summer
swimming and going to fun movies
and just relaxing.


That said;
the first day of school is one of my
favorite days ALL YEAR!
After nearly 3 months of summer
they are bored, and I am tired
of entertaining them and
breaking up their numerous arguments :)
So off to school you go dear children!
Go fill your heads with useful stuff
and play with friends at recess!

Here are the traditional
First Day of School pics:

Melia; 7th Grade:

Taylor; 4th Grade: Jenna; 2nd Grade: All of them together (Devin needed to be included):


We had the easiest drop off in history
Let's hope that is a sign for how things
will continue though the rest of the year!

The week we were supposed to go camping...

So last week was the week we were supposed to go camping.
Instead of going up to the wonderfully cool mountains,
we instead got to spend 3 days here in the brutally hot desert
and 3 days with Loren's family is Thatcher and Duncan
(Where it is still hot, but not as brutally hot as here).

Loren considered just going to work for the days that were spent here
but I said "NO WAY!"
I live for those vacation days and if we weren't going to be
in the lovely mountains, we were at least going to be
together.

P.S. If you notice the lack of pictures of certain children…
It is due to the fact that they no longer cooperate with
Picture taking.

Day 1 was the 4th of July--
So we had some friends over to swim and eat:









we purchased a piano from Craigslist:

Which we will use to torture our children for years to come :)

And we braved the heat to watch fireworks:







I love this picture. Devin was SO excited to see fireworks!



Day 2--
We took the kids swimming at super fun pool in Chandler:
They had so much fun!
Then we had lunch at Panda Express.




Devin loved this play ground that was in the pool!


Jenna LIVED on these slides while we were there.



Day 3--
We treated the kids to lunch (again...we ate out alot during this week)
this time at Olive Garden...a rare treat for them
and then went to see Cars 2.
Cute movie.

Day 4--
We headed to Thatcher in the morning
arriving at Loren's sister's house at around 2.
We relaxed for a while and then
after grabbing Subway for dinner
we headed to the pool they had rented for a couple hours of swimming.

Day 5--
Started early with a temple session for the adults
After wards we gathered up the kids at had lunch together
at a local pizza place that happens to have an amazing lunch buffet.
Then some of us headed off to the movies.
We got to watch Tangled for free.
After which we all went bowling, followed by a BBQ.

Yes...the Lunt family knows how to plan a jam packed day!

Day 6--
Started off early again with family pictures.
Haven’t seen them yet, but hope they turn out good.
Then we headed off for a picnic at a nearby creek
which included a swimming hole so deep that the dads
and some of the kids were able to jump off these very tall rocks:



Taylor was super brave and was the first of the kids
To jump:



Followed by Jenna and Melia:





Devin, of course wanted nothing to do with it!



Day 7--
church in the morning and traveling home in the afternoon.
We got home Sunday evening extremely exhausted
but we enjoyed our time together!

Now it’s back to work.

Yeah...its been fixed... for a while

My computer's been fixed for months,
so I have no excuse for the months of silence
other than the fact that it is an overwhelming task
to think about catching up...

I may eventually.

For now, a little of what is going on here.

*Summer is here and my kids are bored.

*We have started swim lessons.
Melia and Taylor are doing swim team for the first time...
Melia says it is too much swimming. Taylor loves it.
Jenna is doing level 3 although she could've done something
more advanced, and Devin is doing level one. We consider it
a success that he will stay with his teacher.

*summer is making Devin super tired! He wakes up too early and
swimming is tiring him out! He falls asleep at the drop of a hat.

*Last week Jenna had her 7th birthday party. Pictures coming soon.

*the other day in the car Devin told me that he wished his hair was
blue...he seemed genuinely upset with his current color.

*We got a new pet a few weeks ago...a bunny who has no name still
although Devin wants to name it Santa. The bunny is black and
yesterday it managed to escape from its cage. Certain children
were in tears, luckily we found him behind a bush and the kids got
a lecture on making sure the top of the cage was closed. Of course,
no one admits to leaving it open.

*We have been to the Dentist more in the past 2 weeks than ever I
ever thougth possible. I had just made appointments for cleanings
with a new dentist whenTaylor started to complain about a
toothache. I got to take her to the old dentist for an emergency
exam. They found an absess on one of her baby teeth and I
learned that she has no permanent tooth under it. The roots were
dissolving and they recommended extracting the tooth. It got
pulled yesterday and now we are looking at braces to close the
gap, or putting in an implant. Either way, lots of $$$. Add to
that the fact that she is missing 3 other permanent teeth (4 total)
and we are looking at a possible fortune is Dental/orthodontic
bills. Melia and Jenna also got their teeth cleaned at the new
dentist (we liked them) and there were no serious dental
problems (No new cavities!) just a cracked filling to replace
(of course, that costs the same as getting a new one). Devin and
Taylor will go for cleanings next week. I'm anticipating that to
be a stressful visit. Devin doesn't like doctors of any type, but he
is excited to get a prize.

* Our summer vacation spot has been burned by the Wallow Fire.
We are so sad. It was the best place to camp if you must camp
because it was a private camp ground complete with bathrooms
and showers ( thoses are necessities for me). We loved it because
you never had to worry about weirdos around your kids and you
could get nice and clean. So many good memories there. We can
only hope that it wasn't completely destroyed and maybe we can
go back eventually. Loren and his family have camped there since
he was a kid. Now we are left with out a summer vacation...

I don't want to end this post on a sad note, so I'll add another cute
Devin story. The other night I was putting him to bed and I asked
him if he was going to stay a nice, sweet boy. He said yes. Good I
said because I don't like rotten kids. Devin said "Silly mom, kids
don't get rotten. Only bananas do." I guess he is right about that :)

So...my computer is broken

I currently have about 6 posts
sitting there waiting for pictures to be added.
Unfortunatly my computer broke
and it took my pictures with it.
Most of them had been backed up
(Thank you Loren for the external hard drive you got me for Christmas last year!)
sadly, I had just downloaded this year's Christmas pictures
and had not yet backed them up when it decided it was done.
Hopefully my computer genius brother in law
will be able to recover them for me :).

In the mean time, I am makeing due with Loren's
work computer which I cannot put pictures on :(

So, as usual we are busy with many things:
Taylor and Jenna are playing soccer...
between the two of them they have practice 3 day a week.
(Jenna twice a week for an hour and Taylor once a week for 2 hours)
There goes Monday, Wednesday and Thurday after noons.
I'm tired of it all ready.

Add in Activity days every other Tuesday
and babysitting group on Frideay
and soccer games on saturday morning.
We are booked solid!

In other random news,
I got all my paperwork and application info in
and now am officially on the waiting list for hygeine school.
They estimate that I will likely start in about a year.

Finally, it is my opinion that potty training
is not a fun thing.
and it is very possible that Devin will not be potty trained
at any time in the near future.
He has no interest in it at all whatsoever.
We try every so often to see if he is ready...
the latest attempt included him sitting on the toilet for 45 minutes
while crying and unrolling the toilet paper.
Fun times!