Pageant Momma

Saturday night was our church congregation's talent show.  Since the theme of the night had initially been an international potluck as well, Stephen thought it would be fun to have a chorus of guys singing the same song in different languages- mostly due to serving church missions in these countries.  They called it the Babel Quintet and they all started singing "Are You Sleeping Brother John" together in English and then branched out in rounds.

From left to right, the languages were:  Russian, Italian, German, Finnish and Thai

Despite not practicing, it sounded really cool!!

Odessa and Ada each wanted to do something for the talent show.  They both got to tell a joke with the other Primary kids and Ada displayed some of her best artwork in some frames.  A professional artist who brought his paintings made sure to talk to her about her art work.

Odessa has been working on her hula skills ever since we visited our cousins in Ft Collins and then this summer at the Hunt reunion when she got to take a hula hoop home.  So I went to the $1 store on the day of the talent show to find her a Hawaiian lei to wear.  Nothing of that sort in stock this time of year.  But I did see the section of glow-stick items and an idea began to formulate.  It culminated in me spending time that day trying to track down glow in the dark paint or tape for the hula hoop (nope) and having a friend download the song by Katy Perry "Firework" to play while Odessa hula hooped (if you want to and you have your parents permission (ahem!) you can watch the music video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJuMBdaqIw.  As the song builds up to the chorus "baby you're a firework", I turned off the lights and Odessa raised her glowing torches.  It was A RIOT.

At home she practiced moving around as she hula-hooped and waving the torches, but for a few minutes on stage she was frozen in place- face totally focused.  She WAS NOT going to let that hula hoop fall.  

And then she did bust out a few moves around the stage and we hit the lights at the chorus.  It was a huge hit.  A star was born and I see our future paved on Toddlers and Tiaras.

Time and $ Management

I have been able to catch up on a couple of things lately, so it's fun to post to this blog.  I don't have any new pics though, sorry.

Franklin's new favorite sayings are:  "Oh MAAAAAAAN!" when he drops something or things don't go according to his plans.  Imagine him in the back of the Relief Society room playing with trucks saying "oh maaaan!" over and over.
"I got chu!" (you)  Running up to grab you

This summer our lives were pretty easy.  The only schedule we were beholden to was some weeks of swim lessons.  Yawn.  Nice and relaxed.  Franklin took 2 naps a day, the girls did some workbook pages each day.  Yawn.
So I signed up to volunteer at the temple one Saturday a month.  Then they talked me into sometimes doing 2 Saturdays.  Because of cleaning schedules, I wasn't able to start until September.  Then I decided to apply for an on-call catering job as a server.  It's a perfect schedule for a stay at home mom (nights and weekends mostly) and I have worked with food service my whole life and it's related to my career as a Dietitian.  Stephen moved to a 9/80 schedule specifically so one of us could get more work, so I try and work on those Fridays he has off.  If I work Saturday, we do the Saturday stuff on Friday instead.  The rise in cost of living was putting us in a tight spot.  So I started that job in September as well.  And school started in September.  Because Ada is half day, I have a different drop off and pick up time for her than the rest of school (i.e. Odessa).  So I was having to be at the school 4 times a day. . . . Franklin's naps got squeezed in between and he started waking up at night again.  And then I got called at Relief Society president- also in September.  Ha ha!!  Yawn, yawn turned into AHHHH, AHHHHH! in short order.  We seriously got dumped on our head here.  Relief Society is all about 50 emails and phone calls a day.  Sometimes you put out fires and sometimes you cry with people and sometimes you make schedules and ask 10 people to do what you cannot do for other women in the society.  Stephen is still in the Bishopbric and we somehow manage to trade off care of the kids and attendance of meetings.  Sometimes they hang out in the nursery together or sometimes a good friend in the ward hosts them at her home so we can attend the same meetings.  It's taught us a lot in a short time.  I've learned that I have to just ask others, there are many willing to help.  Because I have 3 children around me who all need a great deal of attention, I just can't go and do like I would like to, so I have to ask others to step in for me.

As far as money goes, we have been blessed.  We used to be convinced that using credit cards was the way to pay for everything so we could amass points and get a return for our spending.  But we always had enough flex in the budget that if I overspent on groceries or other things one month, we could absorb it and always pay the balance.  No so anymore and it's much better for me to have cash in hand to pay for the things I need.  Then when the cash runs out, I make due until the end of the week!  I love having cash too, when I need to pitch in for parking or Stephen needs $ for something at work.  It's so much easier in so many ways.  We still pay bills online since those don't change, but all variable spending we use cash for.  It's been awesome, I highly recommend it.

So things have changed a lot for us, but we are learning how to prioritize and growing in so many ways.

Two parents in the game

Stephen has switched to a 9/80 work schedule which means in 9 days of work, he puts in 80 hours and he gets that 10th day off.  He was the last hold out in his department.  Anyway, this is a huge help and can be lots of fun too.  As we sat down to dinner at 6:30 tonight, all put together and organized he commented "we can actually do this when there are 2 of us, huh?".  Today we both exercised (and showered), canned 12 quarts of applesauce, got the blueberries made in to a berme, got Franklin down for 2 naps (a feat that's impossible when you are alone because you have to wake him sometime to get siblings from school), posted a blog post (now 2!) and made a balanced dinner by 6pm so I could take a plate to someone who needed it.  Amazing.  The kids will actually make it to bed by 8pm, the dishes will get done by 9 and we might watch a movie.  Or play a game.  Amazing.  I want a second wife.

Playing catch-up . . . again

Anecdote of the month:  At school, every Monday, each class announces a new "Star Citizen" for the week.   Odessa was selected as the first Star Citizen last year and this year and she has gotten to feeling like she is a bit of a Star Citizen expert.  Ada has the same teacher that Odessa had last year.  Last Monday on the way home from school:

Odessa:  Ada!  I was very upset to hear you were NOT Star Citizen AGAIN this week!  What is going ON??

Ada:  I don't know!

Odessa:  Are you doing your work?  Are you handing in your homework on time?  Are you talking too much?  Do you get put into time out?

Ada:  Yes, yes, no and no!

And the whole way home Odessa grilled her and gave her tips on how to improve her star citizen chances.  It was quite the riot.

Franklin spends much of his time pushing his trucks around the house.  Any trucks, tractors or cars- he absolutely is bananas for.  His current cuteness is saying an emphatic "YESSSSTTTTHHHH" to most things you ask him.  But you can ask him about some things "do you want some peas?" and get a "NOPE" or very vigorous shake of the head.  He's thrown a few word sentences out too "all gone, bread" and when asked for something, he can go in to another room and find it.

He loves playing pretty much any game with "sissies" which is what he calls Ada and Odessa

When I turned conference on, he ran to the TV, clapped is hands and sat down to watch- I was so surprised!  No idea why he was so excited.

Sitting on Sissy is one of the fun games

Our neighbor was so delighted that we cut down our holly tree, she volunteered her father's help.  He's a retired logger from Lewiston.  The berries and pointy leaves make an awful mess in both our yards.

The kids didn't love the chain saw

Timber!!

Sitting on another Sissy

Everyone but me got the flu.  It was the pits, but Franklin was quite the snuggle bug.  He's more snuggly than the girls were.  He also learned "hug" and will have times when he will run into a room and yell "hug!" and run and grab our legs until we pick him up.  Then he runs out, turns around and runs right back in "hug!" over and over.  I don't get much dinner made, but who cares?

I love our Fall colors

Franklin in his "baseball outfit" that was all hand me downs from different people.  He was so delighted to throw balls and run after them.  

The girls picked out the designs . . . and Mom and Dad did the rest.  Really, carving isn't for kids, is it?

Franklin LOVES "cay-cay" and he's had more than his fair share since he's the baby and so darn cute.  He can throw a mean tantrum too, I have to put a stop to the "cay-cay".

Last year they were fairies and they froze.  They decided on Halloween night last year that they were going to be the warmest costumes they could find, and they were.  We got these throughout the year at consignment store sales.  I think every kid has been the dalmation now.

Our house- last stop!