Dance Performance

Princess Izzybee had her dance performance last night. Grandpa and Aunt Tiff's family came to see her perform. Her dance was second in the performance and we stayed for the entire recital because she had a bow at the end. It was a little long for the kids (including me) but I did enjoy most of the numbers and I liked the narrator and story that was told.

Yay it's Friday!

Yay, it's Friday and I made it through our busy week. Today is slow compared to the other days of the week although I've still been running and running. We only had tumbling this afternoon instead of multiple activities through the afternoon/evening.

Tomorrow Princess Izzybee has her dance performance. She is so excited and last night I watched her perform in her dress rehearsal. It was a cute dance. She didn't like me putting a bun in her short hair since it required little ponies underneath, going up which hurt so there were lots of tears and putting mascara on was quite the dramatic scene as well. After tomorrow night I told her she wouldn't have to do either for a long time

Tomorrow is crazy with baseball practice, a primary activity, my niece has a basketball game we are trying to make it to in Sandy, a birthday party and then the dance performance.

My allergies have been really bad for the last two days so I was looking forward to the rain, hoping it would help. I'm glad allergy season is only a few weeks for me.

It's time to sign up for the kid's fall activities and I'm struggling with what I should sign them up for. Z Man is still wanting to play soccer and baseball which isn't a problem in the Fall but come Spring it's a scheduling nightmare with us running all over. We also have him on a waiting list for piano lessons which hopefully will start in the fall. Princess Izzybee talks about soccer and baseball but I'm still not sure since it changes daily. She also loves tumbling and dance so I'm not sure which to have her do. This year she took creative dance and tumbling but I want her to do ballet (for basics) and she wants hip hop plus tumbling. We discovered she is to young for piano which she wants to do but I can sign her up for Kindermusik but it seems like so much stuff to do when you are 6/7. I also was thinking of putting the Doodle in Kindermusik but I'm just not sure. What to do, what to do.... I wish I could look forward and know for sure what was best for each child.

Hamblin Farm

Monday Randy stayed home with the Doodle so I could go with Princess Izzybee on her field trip. We went to Hamblin Farm in Layton (the last working dairy farm in Davis County). It was fun. We learned about dairy products and how some of them are made. We toured the milking barn, ate some cheese, visited a petting zoo, watched a sheep get sheared and drank some rootbeer milk (belch). After the farm we went the park for lunch and playing.

Sunday Stuff

I wish we still had another weekend day, although the kids are fighting so I should be happy they go back to school tomorrow.

We had a fun weekend, yesterday after baseball practice we drove up to Logan. Sam and Danni had a dance competition that we watched and they were so cute and did an excellent job. After the dance we hung out at their house and Tiff made us dinner and we visited which was so nice (I wish they lived a little closer). The girls came home with us and spent the night and believe it or not we made it on time to our 9:00am church.

This week is a busy week with Pack Meeting, soccer game and practice, baseball game and practice (although I still don't have the schedule), dance recital dress rehearsal and then the dance recital. Everyday except Monday we have something so it's going to be crazy and I'm sure I will be somewhat frazzled by the end of the week. The kids are hoping we will get the pool opened soon and I think the weather this week is supposed to be really warm.

Princess Izzybee has a field trip tomorrow and she has asked me to come along. I'm not sure if I can it depends if I can find someone to tend the Doodle. I wish I could take her along, it would just be easier. It's fun to be so busy with the kids but I'm already looking forward to relaxing after church next Sunday.

A Princess Izzybee Funny

On Wednesday Patty called to see if she could stop by for a visit after dropping her dad off at the airport. She needed a place to nurse Oliver and if I was home we could visit for an hour. I was telling the hubby about Patty stopping by to nurse Oliver when Princess Izzybee said, "Tiffi or Staci could nurse Oliver also." So cute...Tiffi and Staci are both nurses but they would not be able to nurse Oliver so I explained nursing to Princess Izzybee. She thought it was pretty funny although I think she only thought it was funny after I said that Oliver needs boobies and only his mommy's boobies.

Book Review: The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini

371 pages

Summary:

In his debut novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini accomplishes what very few contemporary novelists are able to do. He manages to provide an educational and eye-opening account of a country's political turmoil--in this case, Afghanistan--while also developing characters whose heartbreaking struggles and emotional triumphs resonate with readers long after the last page has been turned over. And he does this on his first try.
The Kite Runner follows the story of Amir, the privileged son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul, and Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant. As children in the relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s, the boys are inseparable. They spend idyllic days running kites and telling stories of mystical places and powerful warriors until an unspeakable event changes the nature of their relationship forever, and eventually cements their bond in ways neither boy could have ever predicted. Even after Amir and his father flee to America, Amir remains haunted by his cowardly actions and disloyalty. In part, it is these demons and the sometimes impossible quest for forgiveness that bring him back to his war-torn native land after it comes under Taliban rule. ("...I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.")
Some of the plot's turns and twists may be somewhat implausible, but Hosseini has created characters that seem so real that one almost forgets that The Kite Runner is a novel and not a memoir. At a time when Afghanistan has been thrust into the forefront of America's collective consciousness ("people sipping lattes at Starbucks were talking about the battle for Kunduz"), Hosseini offers an honest, sometimes tragic, sometimes funny, but always heartfelt view of a fascinating land. Perhaps the only true flaw in this extraordinary novel is that it ends all too soon. --Gisele Toueg

So many people have liked book but I really struggled with it. I really enjoyed reading about the Afghanistan culture and so I did get drawn into the story and the book but I found it very depressing and sad. Even in the end when Amir redeems himself, I didn't feel any better, it was just to much of a downer for me. I will still read A Thousand Splendid Suns in the near future.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone! The kids are happy with their new Wii games and the Doodle got a Dora blanket that she has been carrying around. The girls dresses are so cute on them and of course Z Man looks so handsome and grown up in his suit. I have the cutest kids ever, especially when they are sleeping.

Spring Break Week

The kids decorating an Easter House.


Z Man decorating Easter eggs.


The Doodle decorating Easter eggs.


Princess Izzybee while decorating her eggs.

The kids had Spring Break this past week. We talked about doing something fun but due to a few obligations we couldn't go the entire week. We were invited to the Sand Dunes Thursday through Sunday but it was cancelled due to the rainy weather. Even though we've stayed close to home it's been a nice Spring Break. The kids played lots with friends and when the weather was nicer we hit the park. We also went to the bubble for swimming one afternoon.

Wednesday night Randy and I went to see Wicked for the second time. We first saw it in L.A. a year and half ago and loved it so much that we wanted to see it when it came to Salt Lake City. Trent and Laura joined us and we went to Flemmings for yummy (and expensive) dinner before the play. Wicked was as fabulous as I remembered and I loved it the second time around. I love the soundtrack and have been singing it for weeks now. I hope you're happy?

Randy took the kids skiing yesterday. Trent and Laura took their kids so we invited ours along knowing they would have fun skiing with other kids their age. The weather was good for them, maybe even warmer than we thought it would be. The three of them came home exhausted from a long day on the slopes.

Tonight the kids decorated an Easter Bunny House and ate more candy then they put on the house. Of course we had a big mess and there was frosting everywhere but they enjoyed it. We cleaned up and decorated Easter eggs. I'm always amazed how much my kids enjoy coloring eggs, they never eat them but they love to decorate them. They are excited for the Easter Bunny to visit tonight.

Yard Work

Randy finished the wall between our yard and the neighbors yard. When there is sun out he has been spreading good top soil down. I came home from work today and he was riding the 4-wheeler up and down the hill in our yard to flatten it out. Of course the Doodle saw this and had to join in on the fun. The next step is sprinklers and then grass. I can't wait until it's finished.

Book Review: Magyk (Septimus Heap, Book 1)

Magyk (Septimus Heap, Book 1)
by Angie Sage
564 pages

Summary:

The seventh son of the seventh son, aptly named
Septimus Heap, is stolen the night he is born by a midwife who pronounces him
dead. That same night, the baby's father, Silas Heap, comes across a bundle in
the snow containing a new born girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take this
helpless newborn into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own.
But who is this myster ious baby girl, and what really happened to their beloved
son Septimus?
The first book in this enthralling new series by Angie Sage
leads readers on a fantastic journey filled with quirky characters and magykal
charms, potions, and spells. Magyk is an original story of lost and rediscovered
identities, rich with humor and heart.

I finished Magyk (Septimus Heap, Book 1) today and I found it entertaining. It's the first book in a series of 5 and I plan on continuing with the series. There were many similaritites to Harrry Potter but that's okay. I found it a quick and fun read.

Yay it's Saturday!

It was nice to not have to get up super early this morning and with the snow/rain drizzle I just want to stay in my jammies all day and read a good book in front of the fire place.

Patty and kids came over last night and it was good to visit with her. Oliver is getting so big and he's so cute, the Doodle had fun looking at the baby and telling me to "shhhhh, baby sleep". I wish the weather had been nicer so the kids could have released energy while playing outside.

Yesterday the Z Man's 3rd grade class had a Book-N-Bag. I went to his class for lunch and we ate together and read together. It was fun, he actually showed me alot of his in class writing. He has a book full of stories and poems he has written and he loves to share them. After lunch the parents were invited to stay for oral book reports that the kids were giving. Z Man wasn't even nervous about getting up in front of his class. His report was on Martin Luther King Jr., he wore a suit to give the report since that is what Martin Luther King was seen wearing in many pictures. Part of the report included him bringing a paper bag with a scene from the person's life and at least 4 objects that represented his person. Z Man choose the Bible since Dr. King was a minister, a flag and microphone to represent the speeches Dr. King gave, he drew a heart to represent that Dr. King taught we should fight with love and note hate and lastly he drew a gun to represent the gun the killed Dr. King. Z Man's report was good, he got a little nervous for a minute but otherwise he did really good. I was impressed with his first oral report.



We've been soaking the Doodles's foot and I've been giving her the antibiotic. It still looks yucky and seems more swollen. I'm not sure it's getting better. We think it might actually be some sort of bug bite instead of a blister. We'll just keep soaking it and trying to keep her from playing with it.

Thursday Stuff

I really need to be in bed because I am so tired. I'm up later than I should be because I have a bunch of work stuff to do and I thought I would take a quick break. The last two weeks I have been getting up extra early to exercise and by 9:00pm I am just worn out and so tired. Either I'm getting old or I just need more sleep than I'm getting.

Today was so busy, I felt like I was running all day and I didn't get much of a break. The kids we all in bed by 8:30pm and if it wasn't for the school play it would have been earlier. Tonight their school had a musical and the kids were in the chorus. It was really cute and a short program (which was a huge plus for me). They've been learning the songs throughout the year and my kids have been singing them around the house so it was nice to hear them tonight in their proper context. I was tempted to not go (I know, bad mom), but the kids really wanted to participate and I'm glad we went.

We've had some school stress with Princess Izzybee the last few weeks. I'm to tired to get into it all right now but we just don't really know what to do to help the situation. I really wish sometimes that we had a manual for each child. I honestly don't know what to do to help he stay on task and complete her school work in school. I don't think what we are doing is really working but I'm going to continue giving it a try.

This morning when I was putting the Doodle's shoes on I notice her sore on her big toe and it looked awful. It's all red and swollen and I realized that it is infected. She's had this sore for a little while now and it's been read but I just thought it was a blister and she's actually been wearing shoes lately (she puts them on so most of the time they are on the wrong feet) so I thought that wearing shoes was making her sore red. It's more than red and kind of scabbed over so I didn't think Neosporin would really help. I made her a doctor's appointment hoping I wasn't looking like a silly mom or a neglectful mom. We were given an antibiotic prescription and told her soak her toe in water twice a day. If the toe wasn't looking better by Monday we should take her back but the doctor thought it should improved by then. I noticed that her poor little toe has been hurting her throughout the day, poor thing.

Randy was very sweet and ordered me a movie that I love. We actually saw it together with another friend before we were even dating. The movie is Mother and I thought it was soooo funny and loved, loved it. It stars Debbie Reynolds and Albert Brooks who are great together as mother and son. Randy didn't think it was very funny so that's makes it even sweeter that he bought me the movie because we had been talking about it the other day. I couldn't watch it tonight but I am looking foward to enjoying it tomorrow. Thanks dear.

The kids have spring break next week so we are all excited for a break from school. We have stuff going on early in the week and are thinking of going camping towards the end of the week. We're still unsure about what we're doing but we'll get in figured out at least the day before we do it.

Read Together -- 2009

Jennifer at Snapshot is sponsoring the Read Together 2009 challenge to encourage us to connect and spend time with our children through reading. I think this is a great challenge and I'm excited to set goals for each of the kids.

Z Man (9 yrs old, 3rd grade)

We used to read together everyday but lately I have let him read on his own. He still needs my help and reading isn't his favorite thing because he struggles with it, but he has been enjoying the Diary of a Wimpy Kid. We started reading Dragon Rider together but I think the size of the book discourages him. Our goal is to continue with Dragon Rider and also continue the Third Grade Detectives series that we started. He really like the detective series, he enjoyed the secret codes and the fact that we could finish it in a short period of time.

Princess Izzybee (6 yrs old, 1st grade)

We read together everyday although it is the daily school books she brings home and the AR books that she takes tests on. I just checked out a cute series at the library titled Katie Lynn Cookie Company; The Secret Ingredient. We are going to start it this week and read the other cute books in this series along with her other AR reading.

Doodle (2 yrs old)

I have really slacked in my reading with the Doodle. She has become more and more interested in looking at books and pretending that she is reading. My goal is spend at least 15 minutes reading with her everyday.