February Catchup 2/10

February is always SO busy. I'm not sure why, more than likely it is just because that is when I get busy with taxes. This year I did something different though. I finally decided not to go to St. Johns to work in Mom's office. It was a big decision (I have gone for 15 years)! I also have around 50 clients down there that I had to figure out what to do with. Some of them are going to mail me their stuff like the majority of my clients up here already do. The others will go to Rashelle, Tracy or Shurell. It was really really hard to do but it has made our family life a lot better so it was worth it. I also decided to try to only work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, leaving the rest of the week open to do all the other stuff I do. Luke also goes to one of my daycare clients so that I can use that time very effectively.

Some things that happened in February: Jake got braces! He will only have to have them for about a year though. It was so crazy, he had perfect teeth at 12 but not so much anymore! He also had Academic Team competitions every Monday of the month as well as another Merit Badge fair (that he choose not to go to and now STILL needs those same three badges he has needed for a year!). Our Relief Society activity for the month was a Night of FONDUE as well as had a great class about organizing paper work and preparing for tax time taught by Jackie Hart. It was oh so yummy, this year we fried seasoned meat as well as having cheese and chocolate. A complete meal! I went to a baby shower (Chelsea Miller) and to the Temple twice, once with Roger and once when Shauna Ray-Ruff who went back to the Temple after at least 10 years away. A very great day! Roger and I had to do a Well Checkup with the doctors for our insurance. I'm great, just need to loose a few lbs. Roger needs to loose a few lbs and work on his cholesterol levels. They are not terrible just higher than they should be. Sam and I went to the Blue and Gold Cub Scout Banquet, inviting him into the program this year. We had Stake Conference. It snowed that morning and the Silver Springs/Yerrington combined choir was not able to have most of their people there (they received over a foot of snow that morning) so the Stake President asked people from the audience to come up, Jake and I did. It was nice since we have been going to choir every week for this Easter program coming up. Lastly,Jake decided he wanted to start going to the Stake Dances in Fallon again. He will be dating in 3 months and I think he wants to start scoping out the girls. LOL

I don't have many picture of February at all. About the only ones I took were of my scrap-book pages so that I could list them on my Etsy shop. All of the others were silly pictures the kids had taken. This one is of Luke on the computer. One of his favorite things to do!

Sam and his beloved DS that he received for Christmas.

Madiysn took well over 100 pictures of herself in the mirror! Silly girl.

This is what I looked like when I saw the next picture of her ROOM!! Ha ha ha..

TEENAGERS!!! I tell ya, you never know what is next. She says that she likes her room to look like this! Funny thing is, once she took this picture the room has been kept virtually spotless. Nothing like a picture to show you how it REALLY is!

January catchup 1/10.

Where has time gone. It always sounds SO cliche but TIME just seems to go by faster and faster.

Some things we did this month: Sam started a basketball camp. He really enjoys it and we are excited for him to learn to play. Luke and I started going to Story Time at the library. Jake had a cold weather camp out. Burr... We had a Relief Society activity that was cancelled due to a heavy snowfall that night. I am still the second counselor in the Relief Society Presidency,so I get plenty to do once a month. (ha ha!I wish I was only busy once a month) Jake had Merit Badge fair. He just needs 3 more to finish and then do his Eagle Project! Sam had a Great to be 8 Primary meeting. How can he be turning 8 this year!!!! Madisyn had her New Beginnings program for Young Women's and she and Jake had a Temple baptism trip. Roger had to finalized the ward finances for the year and do the audit that goes with it. And Finally, Roger Jake and I joined a choir to put on an Easter Program in April. Oh ya, Roger and I started back on the South Beach Diet. We did really well the first two weeks. Roger lost about 13 lbs and I lost 10. Then life got crazy and our resolve faded. We still are doing OK but certainly not loosing anymore. Maybe after tax season when the weather warms up and we are outside more. Just for histories sake, this has been an extraordinarily cold and wet winter for us here in Northern Nevada. We are TIRED of it!!!
I just had to take a picture of my weekly laundry day. This is the 3 older children's piles with Luke's being on the back of the dryer. The deal is in our house, Mom will do your laundry if it is sorted in the hamper in the laundry room by Tuesday (my laundry day) otherwise they have to wash it themselves. Some weeks there is a lot and some weeks not so much. This particular week I think the two older ones had not put all of their laundry in the week before, there seemed to be a LOT more than usual. By the way I only wash and fold. They have to put it away. (on hangers, we don't do dressers)

Madisyn having fun with wigs. We received a new small camera for Christmas and the kids sure have fun with it. I have found all kinds of interesting photos they have taken. LOL

I have opened an Etsy shop with my scrap-booking pages. It is kind of fun in that I am doing a lot more scrap-booking, on the flip side I spend a lot of time at my craft table. Someone was taking pictures when Luke came in crying and looking for mommy time. It is kind of fun to have these very candid photos.

He won't be doing this much longer. I'm glad to see that I was being a good mommy and giving him the love he needed instead of shooing him away or being angry with him for interrupting me. (you know, since I didn't know I was being photographed!)

Funny to see myself holding him and still going on with what I was doing. Mommy's are so good at multi tasking. LOL

When I was looking for January photos I found this one that Jake must have taken of himself. He is SO proud of those muscles he has been earning in his weights class. TEENAGERS!

Some fun photos of Sam working on his Basketball skills.

These were taken in the first few weeks and he had really progressed at he end of the two months. Good job Sam.

And that's a wrap for January!