New I-phone pictures

My i-Phone camera has taken the place of my normal, point and shoot camera. It's not as good, but it sure is convenient since I usually always have it with me. Here's some of the few since Christmas. Complete randomness.

 Hours of fun chasing and playing with the chickens.

 Nate's jeep - endless fun

 Me

 Pooped out

 Hannah's plethora of barbies

 Sweet sisters

 My disgusting windows - horrible wind storm made all my windows like this and I'm too big a wimp to go battle the cold to clean them. Disgusting huh?

 Toasting dad on his 73rd birthday!

 For the love of books

 Divine key lime pie for Family Home Evening

 Bath/Play time

Today

I had two unexpected visitors this morning. It's always nice to have a surprise visit. One was from my mom and the other from Suzanna. You'd think with my mom living a mile away we'd see each other all the time. Really, maybe once a week, but more often it's like every other week or sometimes longer. Suzanna was a true surprise, but one I always enjoy as well. However, I was still in my pajamas, just wrapping up our morning devotional with the kids and now it's almost 12:30 and I'm still in my pajamas. At this point, should I just stay in them the rest of the day? Just kidding, I will shower here soon. I'm so grateful that I'm comfortable in my pj's in front of them. I'm such a routine type person and my schedule was thrown off this morning. I didn't mind so much though. There conversations were stimulating and it's nice to know there are people out there who love me and are thinking of me. I need that embrace sometimes. Don't we all? It made me think of how very little I do that for others. I know certain friends/family who are struggling and yet I do very little to reach out, and for that I am a little sad this morning. I get so comfortable with how I run things in our home, and I don't typically like that comfort to be interrupted, but then I think of how happy it made me feel to have them stop in to see me. Such a small act of service that really perked me up! So, I'm going to start fresh and look for ways to be thinking of others. Ways I can lift them.

Oh Heavens!

Abigail is my most mishievious child by far! If there's trouble, she's in it for sure. I have no doubt that this was her plan all along and that sweet Ellie was totally innocent. Impossible to stay mad at, unbelievably hard to not laugh at, and the reason we don't own anything that isn't washable.

(thanks Suzanna for letting me steal these off your blog)

New Year - Goals

(I have to laugh that I wrote about simplicity and home school in the same post.) - written much later in the afternoon.

No, I'm not going to divulge my new years goals, but I have them rest assured. I kept things simple this year. Simplicity is my word for the year. With a little one joining our family in June (the gender will be revealed in two weeks. I'm a little excited!) I just want home life to remain structural, so therefore simple is necessary for this mama. Anyway, I digress, my secret wish and I dare say, goal is.....drum roll please.....to Homeschool my kids. There I said it. I've been stewing over the idea for nearly a year now. I've not overcome some of my insecurities about it, but I so badly want to. I read all I can regarding it, I've joined a homeshooling network, I pour hours into blogs of homeschooling and read in awe at how they do it. Their kids are bright, capable, social, musical, polite, respectful,  faithful children. I've spent time on video chat with moms I know who home school and asked them how I do this? Can I do it? Will it bless my children's lives? Will it ruin their lives? Will it ruin mine? This is serious stuff people and I must know! Without fail, their responses have been the same. Just take the leap. Ba! it scares me though, but maybe this is the year I'll overcome my fear and take the leap I need to. Aaron and I have already decided to hold Nathan back, not because he isn't doing well in preschool because he is. I can't believe how well in all honesty. But he's little, he's the youngest, and this little boy needs his mama just a little bit longer.

Now, what do I do about Hannah. This girl LOVES going to school everyday. She is a social bug if there ever was one. She thrives off the challenges she's given in school. She has a crush on every boy in her class. She excelles at her school work and she loves to do it. I want to keep her home, but I'm not sure it's the best thing for her. I've been looking into other schools for her. There's a Chinese immersion school where she would study in English part of the day and Chinese the second half. It interests me, but I don't know enough about it to make a conclusive decision. I want to visit the school and see what it's like before we decide. My greatest hope is that she sees what we are doing here at home and she wants to be with us more.

So there you have it. I feel like I've come out of the closet now that I've finally put this out for all to read. I know the opinions of some regarding home school and boy have they been quick to share it with me....it's not usually in favor of it either. I also know what gnaws at my heart, and this is it. So, can I really do it? Can I provide a better education than I believe the public school system can? Do I have the patience for this? Am I willing to sacrifice so much of my time for these, my offspring? Absolutely! That's the one thing I'm most sure of. Will I be able to balance public school for Hannah and home school my others, while still volunteering over there? Because if she stays, the only way I can feel really good about it is if I'm in that school with her. Is this all too overbearing? Probably. I'm grateful I don't have to decide all of this today. We have six more months until school is out, so we plunge forward. Take one day at a time. I'll continue to stew over this in the meantime. I'll continue to read like a mad woman and talk with as many as I can about the home school experience. I'm sure I'll feel no different than I do right now. But we'll see. In the meantime, look at these two brunette beauties!

(Hannah and Addison Troxel - Age 6. A budding new friendship)

Did We Have Fun?

On our way to my parents last night to celebrate my pops 73rd birthday, Hannah asked if we had any fun last year? Hmm little missy, lets just see if we had any fun last year.

January: Potty training Nathan and Abigail. Did I just include this in our fun? Well, it was fun for those 3 days and the little party we threw for them was pretty fun too.

And a really fun day in the snow with dad.

February: My best birthday ever was last year. We spent a few days up in Park City snowed inn. Funnest time ever!

March: Island Park, ID 'nuff said.

April: Easter is always fun around here. And last year we got real life chicks for Easter. What could be more fun than that?

May: You kiddos went fishing for the first time and all caught a fish.

June: Nathan had his first friend birthday party and we had a blast!

July: Was full of nothing but fun. Parades, parties, fireworks. Fun!

August: Was the Eyre Family Reunion in glorious Wallsburg, UT. Hannah also learned to ride a bike.

September: Camping and School Starts

October: Halloween Parties and Cornbelly's

November: Hannah turns 6

December: Christmas, Temple Square, Reindeer, Abby's birthday,  School Parties, Piano Recital, Dance Recital, the Nutcracker, and New Year's Eve Fun with the Nielson's.



Yes, I think we had lots of fun in 2011. Now, I wonder if we could possibly have any more fun in 2012.