Friday Letters

Dear Children, you have settled into your school routine pretty well, you even get up and ready on your own. So far. Homework has been manageable, so far. As you grow older life just gets busier and busier and still I wish I could provide more for you. And I have been taking naps, it's my new thing. Dear Painting, there is no way I could ever add up the hours of my life that my sisters and I have spent painting. And not on the canvas kind. Painting houses ect ect ect. After soooo many moves I became extremely burnt out with the whole thing. My kids miss our chalk board door though. Finally after a year and a half I am going to paint the door. Yep. We will see how it goes. Dear Not Me, "Not Me" spilled a whole thing of baby powder in the bathroom sink, clogging the drain. And then all the other "not me's" have spread it all over the counter. I imagine it fell out of the mirror cabinet thingy into the sink. Why do we even have baby powder? Oh. Maybe it's cause all the "not me" kids are acting like toddlers when it comes to cleaning up ANYTHING in this house. Dear Awesome, sitting next to an older lady that I had never met at church and he asking me if I am visiting from the college ward, cause I'm just so young. Her eyesight must be failing her, but it may have been the highlight of my week. Dear Mosquito, you have returned. I believe the entire purpose of your lifespan is to see how much of my blood you can steal. My face and my neck though? Not Cool. Dear Will, thank you for the time you spent with the kids this week. Helping Kade fix his bike, pushing Hazel on the swing, watching Avary's gymnastics, and listening to Hailey go on and on and on. Dear Self, I have too many serious things going on in my head and in my life. Some days are so dang hard when I feel the gravity of it all. It doesn't help that I struggle with the fuzzy lines of false hope/positive outlook. There are times when reality smacks you hard and it hurts. You know what I'm grateful for? Prayer. Scripture. And I would like a vacation all by myself without having to worry about anything else. Do those exist? I'll take a maid and cook with that also.

Friday Letters

There is no shortage of love for this guy around here.

Dear Children, this week has been full and it makes the time fly by. I am glad you are all enjoying school. I cannot understand why when I have such a bad headache you have to be so. dang. loud. though. Dear Avary, you missed two days of school this week because you were sick. Poor girl. Dear Rain, sometimes I really enjoy the gloomy days of dark clouds and the sound of rain. I do not however enjoy the bugs. Or irrigation for that matter. Dear Awkward, walking right into an open cupboard feels exactly how it sounds. Dear Headaches, really it's an awful curse to have. Dear Flat Tires, on bikes that is. I really hate flat tires. They happen so often and I have no desire to fix them. I don't like it when Will's back is out. Dear Awesome, I got milk for $1.88. That is pretty fantastic around here. Dear Will, I hope you had a good Birthday. You are kind of hard to buy gifts for. And you're spraying wax all over the cheesecake while blowing out your candles was pretty impressive. I love you lots. Dear Self, I am really thankful for the scriptures and how they somehow manage to fill the need for comfort and guidance and many other things. Sometimes it is amazing as you are reading through, what you read at that time applies and is exactly what you needed. It's pretty cool.

Friday Letters

1st Day of School 2014/15

8th-5th-3rd-1st

Dear Children, school began this week. It's been a busy one. Dear 1st Day, of school that is. I was so relieved that each child came home happy and excited and wanting to go back! That me me a happy Mamma. Even better that a friend dropped off cookies, perfect after school snack that I didn't make. Dear Friends, thank you for calling, messaging, dropping by, it was an answer to prayer. And none of you even know it. Dear B, thank you for listening to me and being my friend. And for staying up late playing silly games with us. Dear Awful, the week leading up to school starting I suffered, from many things, but waking up and going to bed with headaches was really not cool. Dear Ward Party, I wasn't planning on going, but the kids were all crazy and I wasn't into feeding them. Free dinner, swimming, it all worked out good enough. Wear them out, that was the goal. Dear Will, you're turning 39. Your back is out and you aren't feeling well. You got old really fast. We made it through some pretty crappy weeks, but I love you more than ever. You are my best friend and I feel lucky to know you are mine. Dear Self, I hate it when I have so many really hard days in a row. The world can just feel so heavy. Once again I am reminded of my Heavenly Father's love for me and my family. And how quickly, almost instantly, the fog clears and I know exactly what He wants me to do and I am given the strength to do it. And the reminder that I am never really alone because I am a daughter of God. YOU are never alone.

Friday Letters

Dear Children, it's our last week of summer. We have spent the whole week at Grammy and Papa's house running errands and going to appointments. Half of you came down with a cold and I was wishing I had Kade's inhaler in the middle of the night a couple of times. Dear Busy, it has been buussy. But we all have clean happy teeth. 3 out of 4 had no cavities and I had two fillings replaced. It always feels good to be caught up and cavity free. Dear Hazel, your wriggly front tooth happened at just the right time. When auntie Ranell is around we make her pull all of the loose teeth. She paid you a quarter after 2 broken blue strings. It took a thicker pink string and that did the job. You are so stinking cute with both front teeth missing:) Dear Kade, we discovered that you have like 5 loose teeth ready to come out. One of which already has the new molar pretty much in all the way. That thing is coming out today. Dear Avary, you have big plans on having Ranell adopt you so you can have all the animals you want, a ranch full of horses and lots of money. If we had lots of money I would let you have lots of animals cause I could afford to have someone else take care of them. Dear Hailey, we picked up your new glasses. They are pretty cute. They seem to be a little more breakable than the last pair so take care. You are soaking up all the love your auntie showers you with. I like that. We have gotten to spend a little more time alone together also running to and from appointments, it's been nice. Dear Awesome, playing games with fun people and laughing til you cry. I love my people. Dear Family, I swear I haven't moved back in, you just live near all of the good Doc's and conveniences. I have enjoyed getting to sneak out for a bite to eat or staying up late laughing. Good for the soul, you know. Dear Will, I'm afraid that you have gotten used to being a bachelor again and will be shocked if we come home. Should I stay until my family kicks me out? Dear Self, once in a blue moon it feels.nice to be back in my old room with my old bathroom (i say "old" but it's actually much newer than my house, which is probably why I like it)and be able to take a nice bubble bath, have people to talk to and laugh with and cousins for the kids to play with and just take a break from the reality of life. It will be a big smack in the face in a few days when school starts along with the many activities, responsibilities and a very tight budget. No more visiting family or hanging out at the pool. Oh well. We will adjust if I am forced to. Maybe, just maybe, the house will be cleaner and I will exercise more?

Friday Letters

 i love it when they match

Dear Children, I am so amazed at how forgiving you are. And how willing you are to love so much. I am proud of you. Dear School, I am not ready for you to start. Not. Yet. School supplies are killing me! I have only bought for 3 of them, but still, there is more to be done. 2- 8th graders, 6th, 5th, 2- 3rd, and a 1st grader. It will be a busy year. Dear Hailey, you have had to deal with so many grown up things. You do your best. And I am so proud of you. Dear Stuff, there is just too much stuff to do. I make a list and still somehow to forget to make that phone call or schedule that appointment. Or forget about an appointment all together. Oh, my aging memory. Dear Crazy, oh there is some craziness going on over here! I decide to go in my room for some "quiet" and somehow everyone ends up in my room on our bed being crazy. Rubber band guns, pillows, squealing, screaming, spanish, cameras, laughing, laughing until your eyes leak water, ect. Oh, you know just the normal stuff that happens when you have 7 kids. It's all silliness I tell you! Dear Ma, Happy Birthday! Tomorrow, that is. I hope you have the best day. We must celebrate in a few days when I get there. I Love You. Dear Will, I don't like being apart for so long. Lets not do that again, well, after this next time I have to leave again. Maybe you will miss me as much as I miss you if I keep leaving town? So, I guess we could say we visited the jail and stood before a judge in the basement of the court house this week haha sounds so suspicious. I love you Will. I'm pretty sure you know that:) Dear Self, I don't like to see my kids sad and hurt. It hurts me. There's no way to save them from the trials of life, but I can't even describe the gratitude I have for the blessings the Lord gives us. We are never alone, especially in our heartaches. My family is absolutely everything to me. We cry and we laugh together and everything in between. Our house is full of love. I couldn't ask for anything better.