A Fan of Jane

Yesterday I wanted to watch Jane Eyre. I've never read the book but now I totally want to! I started it right when we got home from school. I told the little ones they would have to suffer through it. Hannah pranced around playing and singing and didn't mind it being on but didn't watch it either...but Joe was so into it!! My favorite was when he was telling Matthew about the end...(if you don't know the end then don't read the rest of this). He said something like this "Matthew guess what??!! The guy had a big secret!!??? He had a wife in the attic and she was crazy and she burned down part of the castle and the man got blinded and got a huge long beard but Jane still loved him." And now my son has become a fan of a classic!!

Every Girl's a.....

I'm just sayin'.....

The Wheels on the Bus

For school Hannah had a family project. We all worked on this together with Hannah being the creative designer. She chose all the beads and the colors. Josh did Zack's face and Hannah did our dogs faces. The rest of us did our own face. Hannah had a great time working with our family to finish her project and tomorrow she will turn it in.

Hard

Joe can be hard. He has always been so full of energy. Sometimes I just like to remember when he was easier. He really struggles in school and at home. He gets so angry and very often there is little or no warning to when this anger will present itself. I know he feels bad about it afterwards. Today I was reading a note sent home about how his class gets to have show and tell on Friday and I said something like "oh, how cool! You get to have show and tell on Friday" and he just blew up and was yelling at me to stop talking about it. I was baffled, as I am quite often when he gets so upset. After a while he told me he was sorry. I'm still not quite sure why he was so mad and I don't think he knows either. These situations occur everyday all day long. He is working with counselors at school and we are working with him at home. I started volunteering in his classroom and it's interesting to see him there. He doesn't participate with big group activities....he knows it will set him off so he chooses to keep a distance. He still listens and follows along but he chooses to stay in his seat instead of sitting on the carpet with all the other kids...his teacher is okay with this and I'm glad but it also makes me feel so sad. I think every mother wants their child to fit in and I know he's "different". I worry for him and his future. Will he learn to control himself, will he be able to fit in when needed.....will he learn to see the bright side? I just love him so much. I want him to be successful in whatever he wants to do or be. I want him to be happy.

Last Sentence

I found this author I really love. When I read her books I think to myself...now this is a woman I could be friends with. I truly enjoy her. I just read a book of short stories by her and the last story was especially nice. There is a time in it where the characters are discussing what they would say to their children if they could only use one sentence.....their last sentence....and I started to think, what would I say? I thought of all the moments with my kids...all the excitement, struggle, fun times, bad times, laughter, tears, sorrows, triumphs, hysteria, guilt, pride, disappointment, love, longing, playfulness, humor, stubbornness and utter sweetness......and just when I thought I could never come up with just one sentence, one came right to me.....

It's been worth every single minute!

*ps....Happy Birthday to my sweet little Grandma.....I miss you every day!

Conversations....on the way home from school.

Joe: I brought a graham cracker to school today to eat with my lunch.

Me: Oh really? Didn't it get broken in your backpack? ( I imagined this lone graham cracker floating around in a baggie in his backpack, my kids eat school lunch, so they don't have lunch containers)

Joe: I put it in my pocket (no baggie). It was just crumbs but I ate it anyway!

Me: Yum...(lint and all)

North Star High School Presents.....

There is much excitement at our house..... Megan and Josh were both cast in the next school play. I personally have never seen The Crucible but am looking forward to watching my kids and my friends kids perform it. It plays October 6-8 and I hope all those in Lincoln will come and support our school. It's a very inexpensive way to enjoy theatre.

Megan is playing a woman in jail named Martha Corey and Josh will be John Proctor, one of the leads! I'm so happy for both of them and the rest of the cast.

Do You Ever Wonder....

What it would be like to have lived a different life? I mean, like in a completely different time. I remember watching Little House on the Prairie when I was young and thinking that would of been the perfect time to be alive. I should of been born in those days where things were more simple....no tv, no computers, hard work, homemade everything, families being together. I know it would of been hard...but imagine the feeling of accomplishment. I think of the pioneers and how hard they worked to make their journey. I can't imagine the heartache they went through losing so many loved ones.....would it of been better to live through that than the stresses of today? Sometimes I think of these things....what do you think? Do you have a favorite time period in history that you would like to have experienced?

Some Random Stuff (in no particular order)

Matthew is 13! Officially a teenager....now we have four! Matthew really helped me out so much this summer. He watched the smaller kids many times and with little complaining. Here's what I've noticed though.....with teenager years comes a lot more mouthing off. The other day Matthew found out what happens when you mouth off right to your mom's face......he was taken down to China Town! Yes, I can still take him down, I'm still stronger.....but only by a little.

He is enjoying going to our church youth group and he's becoming a very wonderful young man...even if he is a little too mouthy.

Matthew or Chewy as we still sometimes call him.

I love to catch my kids being sweet.

This summer was a busy traveling one for us. I went to Utah twice in 6 weeks. The first time was to go to parent/student orientation with Zack. We drove down (it's a very LONG 12-14 hour drive, depending on how many times you stop). The first time it was me, Zack, his boyfriend Greg, Matthew, Joe and Hannah. We stayed in Utah for about a week. When we came back it was me, Zack, Greg, Matthew, Hannah and Zane. We left Joe with my sister and my Aunt and we took Zane, my nephew, with us. It was really so nice having Zane with us and it was so quiet having Joe in Utah. Oh, I missed him but I also enjoyed it without him...is that bad? He's such an intense little person and it's a lot of work being his mom. Six weeks was a long time though and he and I were both very ready to be reunited. When we went back to Utah it was me, Zack, Zane, Josh and Megan. We arrived in Utah very early in the morning and I went right in to my sleeping prince and hugged and kissed him! He was so happy to see me and he spent the entire day glued to my side. The next day brought some of those awful tantrums he'd been saving up for me.....back to work. I'm still glad he's home though! Utah brought many reunions with old friends. A good ole GNO thanks to my friend Lia! I had such a lovely night reminiscing and laughing! I've missed all that so much! It was just so awesome! I wish, as usual, there will come a day we can move back to our beloved Utah......

Megan, Josh and Joe at RUMBI ISLAND GRILL....man, we've missed that place!

Matthew, Zane and Hannah at South Towne Mall

Megan on the car ride home.

She got her braces off this summer!

Her teeth are so beautiful to match her beautiful face.

Speaking of my daughter.....I took her to TJ Maxx yesterday to get a lunch bag. She is trying to eat more healthy and wants to take her lunch to school. They had many super cute bags. But being true to her nature, she wanted a plain one. (Just so you know, I want one of the super cute ones.....I'm taking my lunch to work because I'm trying to eat healthy too.) Anyway, I told her to pick out a shirt too. So, she did. If you know Megan you know she is not an affectionate person....she really does not like hugs AT ALL!! If you know me you know I am a very affectionate person and I LOVE hugs A LOT!! So imagine my moment of joyous wonder when my daughter who has not given me a hug of her own accord in several years....gave me a hug with both arms!!!.....when we were walking out to the van.....so we were in public! Miracles really do happen!

Megan's new shirt and her plain lunch bag.

and her super cute purse that Aunt Jenny sent for her birthday.

Even Josh was heard to say "hey that purse is so cool".

School started this week. Hannah is now a kindergartner! It's a very exciting thing! Joe is in 2nd grade and has a fabulous teacher, who is totally willing to work with all his little idiosyncrasies. Matthew is in his last year of middle school, 8th grade. Megan is a Sophomore this year. She's really looking forward to all the after school activities...Drama and Speech. Josh is a SENIOR! He's looking forward to finishing this year and starting college and going on a Mission.

Joe and Hannah...first day of school.

Oh I almost forgot to tell the cute story about Hannah....a few days before school started she and Joe were cleaning her room and she found Joe's old Spiderman backpack, she said she liked Spiderman and was going to use it for school (see, her mom forgot about getting her a backpack...oops). So, she was so excited when the night before school I brought her home a princess backpack. She wore it the whole evening around the house. So, even though she LIKES Spiderman, I think she LOVES princesses!

Josh had a birthday too. He's 17. He had a wonderful present from Grandad and Carolyn. A trip to California and he got to bring his girlfriend, Tori, with him. They had a marvelous time and got to do so many cool things, the beach, a play in Hollywood and a trip to Knotts Berry Farm among the many. He had a blast and it's something he will always get to keep in his memories.

Josh (and Tori) with his new batman underpants!

When we went to Utah the 2nd time we brought a present for Grandma and Grandpa. A little kitten named Buttons. Now all their animals are from us...don't know if that's such a good thing...we are feeding their habit. So, little kitten came to us from Tori. She really wanted to find a good home for her. I know the home Josh found for her is a good one....she will be quite spoiled there, I'm sure. It was nice to visit with the grandparents we got to go to church with them and out to lunch. We were sad that the Murray Schafers were on vacation for most of our trip but very happy we got to see them, if only for a little while, on our last day there. I should of taken picures! My favorite was when we were talking about what to do for my in laws 50th wedding anniversary coming up this November and my niece Elizabeth thought it would be a very good idea to have a party for them and maybe play some "old people dodge ball"! LOVE IT!!

Buttons....she loves being in small places. She did surprising well on the LONG trip to Utah.

Josh, Megan, Zack, Joe with Grandpa and Grandma at SWEET TOMATOES (I have missed that place so much!). Grandpa would not look at the camera....he was trying to get Joe to pose like a normal little boy....but, you see, Joe is a super hero...not a normal little boy.

When we left Utah...we left Zack there. He's going to the University of Utah going for his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre. Saying good bye to my son was so much harder than I thought it was going to be. I bawled and bawled and he laughed and laughed. You see, he doesn't know what it's like to say good bye to your child. I was his world when he was a baby and he slowly grew up and became a man and now the world is out there and he is going for it, following his dreams. I still get tears when I think of him sometimes and sometimes those tears run down my cheeks. Last night Megan said "Zack starts school on Monday...oh and did you hear he got that job at Jamba Juice?" Then I started thinking about him....thinking about him starting a new life, thinking about how much people will love him...he's so fun and makes people laugh. And the tears came and spilled down my cheeks and Megan was laughing. You see, she doesn't know what it's like....saying good bye to your child.

The last picture taken of Zack before we left for Utah.

Lost In Fun

This year on my birthday Aaron had to work and the three older kids went to the Temple in Omaha. So, Hannah, Joe and I went to Lost in Fun. I very fun indoor playground.