Alex is Baptised!

Alex was very happy & excited....

Dressed in white:

With Elder Hurley, Elder Hipwell & Connor Malmberg (his translator and recently returned missionary from Ukraine)

In front of the font with Dad

Alex & Mom

With his siblings:

Our whole family

Alex getting last minute instructions from Dad:

Rylee, Devree & Kambree sang the musical number...

...and James played the guitar.

Grandma & Dev at banana split celebration:

Some of our guests:

Alex took this one of his missionary's:

Congrats Alex!!

Junior High Spirit Week

This past week was spirit week at Dev's school.

Monday was Super hero day and unfortunately I didn't get a picture of Devree but she was dressed with a red cape, striped socks and a Napoleon Dynamite on her shirt.
Tuesday was sports day and she went with football dark marks, gym shorts, socks in purple & orange.
Wednesday was formal day and Kambree let Dev borrow this dress:

Thursday was wacky hair day:

And today was mismatch/backwards day. Devree is a senator so she wore her shirt backwards and mismatched socks but then she and Jasmine came home and created this crazy hair style.




She only wore it for about 10 minutes as it really hurt her head!
Ahhh.....we just love Junior High!

Pack Meeting!

Alex has been going to Cub Scouts with Brach each week.
Once a month they have pack meeting which between Kammy and I we get both boys to but this is the first meeting I've actually attended. (Luckily for me my neighbor Tracy picks him up each week-I cant' tell you how many weeks we totally forget about it and I'm yelling "Alex, grab your scout shirt!" and rushing him out the door! Thank goodness for Tracy!)
Alex was asked to say the opening prayer for his Webelo's den and he did a great job. I don't know what he said as he spoke so quietly but it was at least a few sentences long.

Then there was a presentation about our country's flag and each boy participated.
Here is Alex reading about New York, one of the original states the stripes represent.
Again, I couldn't really hear him but he happily read whatever it was.

Then they were called up to share what they had done this past month.

And this is Alex giving me a big smile even though I'm the only Mom snapping pictures!
(But hey! We only have so many pack meetings left before he turns 12 and goes to Boy Scouts!)

Me No American Nose & Last Discussion

Yesterday I let Alex and Rylee decorate the house for Halloween and harvest all our pumpkins. (Alex gave me a yahoo mommy cheer for letting them do the decorating!) I have the cutest pictures but alas, my computer is still in the shop and will have to post pics later.

I have a gigantic pumpkin candle that I store with our decorations and I lit it while they were out washing pumpkins and setting them on the front porch. I love how it smells. Alex came in sniffing with disdain.

Alex: What is bad smell?

Me: It's the pumpkin candle. Doesn't it smell good?

Alex: No. Hurts mine nose. Me no American nose, me Ukraine nose.

How funny. Hates the pumpkin candle, yet loves the smell of onions? Go figure.

Then he went into some pantomime about removing his Ukraine nose and getting an American nose. Rylee asked him if that would be a nose job?

He really must hate all my smell good things. I bought some fall plug in scent things and he complains about them too. I also bought him an air freshener for his room shaped like a soccer ball and he hated that. How funny.

I wonder if he'll ever come to have an 'American nose'? He use to hate cold drinks but now he won't drink a drink without ice and he's come to eat just about everything-except peanut butter. So his taste are becoming very Americanized. He proudly proclaims at least once a week. "Me American boy!"

We had our last discussion with the missionary's last night. It went well. He gets so talkative and silly and between him and Rylee I had to get us back on track about ten times.

We were discussing the 10 commandments and he went into detail (clarifying that this is just for pretend) that he stole from my purse and I would come in and asked who stole my money? I would ask everyone and when I got to him he would say he did and say"Here is money Mom. Don't take video games and kick me." Kick me? Like I've ever kicked him?? Good grief!
We talked a little further about trust and how bad I would feel if he stole from me and that we don't do this in our family, we trust each other. Why do we trust each other? His reply, because we family.

His concept of obedience at this point is to avoid punishment not to obey because it's the right thing to do. I have to remember that his moral compass is probably about a three to five year old so at this point the reason to obey and keep the commandments has everything to do with the consequences, not the blessings.

He was the same with honor thy mother and father. He thinks he should obey so he doesn't get his video privileges taken away.

We talked about the law of chastity briefly. About not letting anyone touch you where your swimsuit covers or touching anyone else where their swim suit covers. He explained that if anyone tired to touch him he'd just "swim away." Yes, he's very literal. I told him he'd need to tell me too and then he told the missionary's that I would take away the bad guys video games too! (Yes, I am the video game Nazi apparently!)

Kambree was at work, Austin at a basketball clinic and Devree in the other room doing homework. I've really enjoyed having the missionary's come each Monday. Its a great excuse to make a treat. I made cookies that according to Alex tasted good but looked so-so. And that was true. I had this brilliant idea to make oatmeal raisin cookies with left over chocolate dipped raisins from our trip. The didn't look very appealing but tasted fine. I decided to throw in a peach cobbler at the last minute and save my ugly cookies for the kids.

All in all it was a very sweet night and I'm sad to see our discussions end. I look at those cute missionary's-Elder Hepworth and Elder Hurley-and think that could be Austin in less than four years. I can't help but think how disappointed these missionary's must have been to get a call to Utah. I'm just so glad they are here and for Connor our cute translator. He's really added such a sweet spirit and great insight on the Ukraine culture and people.

I took pictures of Alex with all three last night and will post that later too. Ahhh...I just hope I get my computer soon!!

Alex with the missionaries!

Elder Hurley, Elder Hipwell & Connor Malberg

Putting out the pumpkins!

Grocery List and Monopoly

I keep a magnetized pad of paper on the side of my fridge where-in a perfect world-when someone uses the last of something they are to write down what it is they used the last of OR if they notice we're in need of something. Again, in my perfect world I will have said list with me at the grocery store and replace these missing items. Thus avoiding being in the middle of a certain recipe requiring certain ingredients and finding them lacking and or out of toilet paper, shampoo, and/or any other life altering basic necessity.
But in the real world, I am the only person that writes on the list and I rarely find myself in the store with said list in hand and rely on my not so great memory and or call a child to have them read to me the list.
Now keep in mind that sometimes Austin will write on the list, not items that we are out of but items he dreams I would buy. (Like lobster, T-bone steaks and sugary sweet cereal.)
Rylee will write on the list when I'm working away in the kitchen and ask her to add something to the list. She makes me laugh as she not only writes the phonetically spelled name but draws a little picture just to make sure I know what it is. On my current list I have band aids with a little picture and paper towels with a little picture. That's my cute Ry.
Speaking of cute I played Monopoly during our cabin retreat with Alex, Rylee and my friends children Jared and Ashtyn until one in the morning. (Yawn.) Alex was a riot. He was talking with a funny deep voice and saying "Yeah baby!" the whole time. (He really LOVES to play Monopoly!) But his generous nature may not be conducive to being a good Monopoly player. Towards the end of the game I was running out of money so Alex kept sliding me more money. (Mom, I give you money.) When I went to jail, he graciously insisted on paying for me to get out (I pay you out jail.) and then he told me "Mom, you land my hotels? You stay free!" Finally Jared told him no more helping me or the game will never end. (Thank goodness!) Alex and Jared ended up joining forces and the rest of us all became bankrupt. So yes, he became a ruthless business man but with a kind heart....at least towards his mother!

Help...I'm missing my right arm!!

So, knowing myself and my children would be out of town over UEA I took my computer in to be serviced late Wednesday night. I needed to update my virus protection and I kept getting a low memory alert and having to run the clean up manager about five times a day. I asked them how long they would need to keep my right arm. (I really did say that!) Oh, just a COUPLE of days. Great! I'll be here first thing on Monday morning to pick it up. Over the 4 day weekend, I didn't get any calls-they were suppose to call me with what they recommended as far a additional memory-which was my first clue that my awesome plan of getting my computer back as promised was not going to happen. I left a message at 6:30 this morning and then showed up at ten. True to my premonition-it wasn't ready but was on "the bench". It should be done by 2pm today. It is now 2:30 and still no calls to discuss the memory issue.

How am I writing this you may ask? Well, Kambree had a paper due today so she borrowed my mom's laptop-not realizing that we wouldn't have any service at the cabin so last night she frantically kicked it out. Laptop is still here so I can check email but I can't do a whole lot else like balance my check book, downloading and blogging about our fabulous weekend, print up fact sheets, (notice how work fell below blogging?) and all the other things I do throughout the day all day on my computer!!

AHHH my best laid plans!

UEA Weekend!

Here is a synopsis of our weekend at Amy's parents cabin-which is more like a resort as the place is bigger, nicer and newer than my house!

We played LOT's of board games

Had many opportunities to practice our parenting skills.
(Amy is a pro-look, at the sympathy she has for Sara or not!)

Alex soon found a new friend-Jared and Jared found a shadow all weekend.
This is Alex after Jared's influence with his hair.

Kambree heading on a morning hike:

Amy is a FABULOUS pianist and filled the cabin with beautiful music.
Jared looks like he's up to something doesn't he?

There was ping pong playing

Wii playing

Hiking

Visiting the River

Sitting on rocks

Throwing Rocks

Holding Milly

Posing on a BIG rock

Amy and her children

Sara and her children

Me with my four (Austin stayed home with his friend, Jordan for the weekend!)

We gave lot's of piggy back rides during our walk:

The whole gang on a walk:

More piggy back rides:

Sister's posing:

And still more piggy back rides:

Swinging on the tire swing:

Dancing to Solider Boy

Playing MORE Wii

Playing MORE board games:

Make Overs:

And of course....eating!

Monopoly Winners.... (the cell phone documents the time we finished 12:44 am!)

We even got the girls to do the dishes one night!

Woman's walk/run

Square Ice Cream in "town".

And just a few shots of the beautiful scenery around Snake River.

It was so much fun. We talked and laughed, read and took naps, listened to Saturday conference, cooked, cleaned up and cooked again, had a talent show, took a scenic drive, and just got away from it all. Thanks Amy for the invite!!