Proud Parents

As usual, we are very busy when school starts.  It's fun, but hectic. 

Tyler is playing football this year.  We feel like in all the years he's played, this is the year when his knowledge and talent are coming together.  It's fun to watch.  His long legs get him up and down the field so fast! (He is nearly 6'1 now, CRAZY!)   That's a big improvement from his meandering and smelling the roses on the field days of the past.  He is also teaching himself to play the guitar and piano in his spare time.  He's doing pretty well.  Sometimes I call him Troy Bolton but he threatens me when I do...  :)

My Michael was just elected "Student Body President." We've been calling him Mr. President here at home.  We are so proud of him!!  He's still writing his book.  Now he has a teacher helping him so hopefully by the end of the year he'll have a "finished manuscript."  He is taking piano lessons but he's been teaching himself also so he is already way past beginner stage. 

Jules has discovered that she really enjoys hip hop dancing.  Uncle Quinn also spent hours teaching her to play a few songs on the guitar for the Primary Talent Show.  She did so well!  I need to record her playing.  Like her brothers, she has natural musical talent.

Joshua is playing football for the first time.  Oh yeah, he is a baller... He LOVES being a Coolidge Bear.  He takes the game very seriously.  It is just so fun to watch him.  He says over and over that he's been waiting to be a Coolidge Bear since he was three.  We worry about little Josh out there but his love of playing makes it worth it.  He is still creative as ever with his legos.  He builds complex bases and spaceships in his spare time.

Matthew is along for the ride right now.  I just love his laid back personality.  He is catching onto reading quickly and has lots of good friends.  He loves tagging along to all of Tyler's football games.  Tyler calls him his "good luck charm" and insists that he is at all his games no matter how late they start.   (It is so cute.)

And Bella, oh my Bella.  I love her.  She is so cheerful and loving.  She is also a "hot mess."  She spends most of her life covered in markers, water, makeup, bruises and sweat.  She just doesn't stop.  She wears me out but every day I am so glad that I have her.

I just wanted to update all of you on the kids so far this year.  I really need to add pictures!  It's almost time to print the blog into a book.

I love you all family!

Guardian Angels

I am so thankful for guardian angels.

To anyone that I know and love.  We don't raise these babies on our own.  We always have help.  You absolutely cannot control every situation and you can't be everywhere all the time.  If Heavenly Father wants to intevene and keep your child safe, He will.  If He wants them back, he'll take them.

Bella was having "a night", like she sometimes does and was covered literally head to toe in marker.  I went upstairs to get the bath started and she comes in whimpering.  I notice a small cut on her leg and think that it looks a little weird, like a slice.  I am holding her and trying to comfort her and she is gagging.  I swept her mouth a few times and nothing.  Finally, she throws up a little and there is a piece of glass in it about the size of a dime.

To say I was a mess is an understatement.

In the five (or less) short minutes I'd been upstairs she broke a canning jar of salsa and put the only loose piece of glass in her mouth.  Literally, the rest of the glass was up inside the other half of the jar.  There was no glass mess.

I am just so thankful that we are not alone in raising our children.  I've had a child jump off the second story stairs, get outside and wander the neighborhood, fall out of a window (luckily onto our patio roof), and I still have six children.  This was another one of my miracles.

Thank you angels!

PS.  I've been working on an Activity Days activity and looking through some art.  This picture moved me and made me think of this incident.  I have a thankful heart.  The picture is called "Heavenly Hands".

"A Shout Out"

I love you honey!  You are awesome.  You complete me.  You get the idea...  :)
(Really, seriously, I mean every word.) 

You do the dishes for me every day.  You rescue me from the kids when I think I can't parent them one more second.  You let me "clock out" every night around eight. You've worked it so I don't have to get up for early morning seminary.  You go to the grocery store for me on your way home even though you already have to drive an hour. You bring me breakfast and dinner in bed randomly.  You tell me I'm beautiful even though I'm old and tired. You forgive me when I'm a bratty and you still make me feel like a "twelve cow woman."  You are my "sugar pusher". You are superman.  (You are really superman, you save people every day.)  I am so proud of you!

I. Love. You.

FABULOUS

So I quickly have to tell you the story of fixing my blog tonight.  (While my children are all clamoring over me asking for help on their homework.)

I got the giant shot in my knee that is supposed to "really, really" help, however, for the best results I have to sit here and let the medicine work through my knee.

Perfect time to update my blog, right?  Well, I started off finding the best background from "Cutest Blog On The Block"  (to my sisters starting blogs, this is a great site).  I found a cute, maybe a little over the top blog background called "Fabulocity".  Had to have it, it's all in the name...

About three hours of frustrations later, I finally have my fabulous website.

 It's a little harder to read than I intended because I thought I'd use the new "Blogger" templates to get the job done and it kept undoing all the color and cuteness of my new background.  After an hour and a half of wrangling with this thing, I returned to the "Cutest Blog" website to try to fix what I'd done.  I picked a different background called "Sassy" because by this time, that's exactly how I was feeling.

I tried to make "Sassy" work for me, but no luck.  Instead of "Sassy" being black (like I was feeling), "Sassy" was turning out to be blue.  (I was a little blue, but black was more "appropo"....). 

Back to the "Cutest Blog" website, where lo and behold, at the top of the background page it gave me the exact directions to making their backgrounds work on a "Blogger" template. 

Ahhhhhh....  if I would only would stop to read instructions....

So here is the updated blog.  It is FABULOUS is it not?  Even if you don't think so, please please tell me it is! 

Love you all!!!

Yummy Veggie Sandwiches

I was in charge of Book Club today, which is turning out to be a little less about reading and a little more about socializing.  It is pretty fun.  We tried to do a serious book this month and we enjoyed reading, but no one actually finished the book...  We will try next month.  (We picked a much easier read for September, awesome  :)  )

Anyhow, since our Book Club is more about gathering and eating as opposed to reading, I (OK, really Derek made them but I told him what to do...)  made some delicious sandwiches that I wanted to share with you all.  Just in case you're in charge of some "ladies lunch" soon...

Cucumber and Veggie Cream Cheese Sandwiches:

Peel and cut a cucumber in half lengthwise.  Remove the seeds with a spoon.  Thinly slice and lay on a plate covered with paper towel.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and let them sit for about an hour.

Meanwhile, combine in the food processor:

One brick of softened cream cheese  (you know the best kind)
One stalk celery  (trimmed on both ends)
About one third yellow onion
About one third green pepper
One good size clove of garlic
Season with Jane's Crazy Salt to taste

Spread two slices of bread VERY LIGHTLY with mayonaise.  Then add the cream cheese spread and cucumbers.  If you want to be fancy, remove the crust and cut into triangles.  If it's for you, skip the mayo and eat up!  (The mayo is important to use as glue if you are bringing these on a tray...)

Tomato Avacado Delicious Sandwiches...

Slice tomato and place on a plate lined with paper towel.  Lightly salt and let drain for about an hour.

Spread the outside of your bread with pesto.  (I keep a jar of prepared basil pesto in my fridge.  It's really good when you add a spoonful to pasta salad.)
Place the bread, pesto side down in a skillet, toast.
Add drained tomato and sliced avacado to the sandwich.  Season with salt and pepper.
If you are taking these to a party, lightly spread either mayo or butter on the inside of the bread before adding tomato and avacado.

Derek made mom one of the tomato avacado sandwiches for lunch today.  Mom added some of the veggie cream cheese to her sandwich and LOVED it! 

My kids ate the rest of the sandwiches when they got home from school.  These were SO YUMMY and a good way to eat your veggies. 

Love you all!

Every

In case you are wondering, I totally sit around and eat Bon Bons all day with my feet up....  Don't all of you?

Single

-- Sent from my Palm Pre