Just got word last night that Wally was accepted into Brigham Young University-Provo!! I am so excited for him, but at the same time...WE CAN'T BE THAT OLD!!!

Seems like yesterday Wally was just a little boy:

"I'm going at the store!" - as he rides his little tricycle around.

"This is what you call butterfinger!" - as he sticks his fingers in the butter.

"Fridg-a-frater" - his name for the refrigerator

"Did you know God has a T-shirt?" he asks Grandpa.

"No, what does it say?" Grandpa replies.

"Nobody knows..." said very mysteriously.

WE LOVE YOU AND ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!!

I guess running a household of 7 keeps me busier than I ever thought! I can't believe I haven't posted anything since October! I wonder why...(Farmville)...whatever could keep me from posting about my amazing family...(Farmville)...I really need to get rid of those activities keeping me from sharing our wonderful lives....(Farmville).

Guess I'll do a brief update of all our happenings!

Let's start with Wally! Who is that? We hardly ever see Wally anymore. If he isn't at school, he's rehearsing for some kind of play or musical! Currently, he is a senior in high school planning to go BYU-Provo, Utah. He is eagerly waiting to hear whether he was accepted or not. BYU-Idaho already accepted him, but he really wants to go to Provo. While he's waiting, he is performing as Benny in 'Guys and Dolls' at a community theatre sort of nearby! Before that, he played Bob Cratchit in 'A Christmas Carol' at his high school. Busy, busy, Wally!!!

Pokemon King has been working hard in homeschool. We are trying to improve his writing skills and he is doing a great job! Like Wally, he volunteers at COSI, a local science museum. It's a great experience for him! He's also looking forward to playing soccer in the spring.

Dinodude is as active as ever! He played football in the fall and still plays his own football games in the bonus room! We love to watch him! He, too is going to play soccer in the spring, but I'm sure it will be back to football in the fall.

Rocket has amazed us with his musical talent. I started him on piano lessons this school year and he is flying by! He moves forward in the book on his own before he has even passed off the songs and does quite well on them!

Babymoon loves to do his school, too. And the boy loves to dance!! We put the movie 'Cars' on for him and we are constantly backing it up so he can dance to the opening song! He does that with other shows, too.

Same old, same old with Bond and me! Working, working, working!

We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and I'm looking forward to posting more from our family!

Happy October

Yes...It's Halloween time! I love Halloween!!! It's time to get out the decorations. It's time to watch the boys get out all the costumes and try them on. I love watching them play in their costumes! I'm tempted to take the day off to decorate the house and watch some fun Halloween movies! In reality, I'll probably do the decorating, but the day off and movie watching will have to come later! We already took off last Thursday to go to COSI. Pokemon King had an interview for their volunteer program. Friday we went to the Dayton Air Force Museum with my parents, my sister and her kids. I'll try to post pics sometime this week! So, today is back to school. But, we like Mondays for MOVIE MONDAY! It's time for another fun filled episode of Mythbusters!

School is In

School is in session. Sadly, I think I'm already burned out! The boys like the new way of schooling. I, however, worry because they are getting done quickly! Pokemon King and Dinodude are more responsible for their work these days. I'm trying to get them to assert their independence and learn for themselves. I think they will remember things better if they figure it out on their own, instead of me just telling them.

I don't like to compare my children to each other, but I've been thinking back at how Wally was at this time where Pokemon King is now. His work seemed a lot more advanced than Pokemon King's, so of course I am officially worried. I can totally see how reading while young is very important. Wally was writing 2 page papers on History and Science and I'm lucky to get a paragraph out of Pokemon King. The difference between the two of them? Wally has always been a reader. Pokemon King has not. I am positive that has made a tremendous impact.

My goal this year is to get Pokemon King writing and reading. He is doing a lot more with reading, which is good. We are going to be working on writing more as the days progress. So, hopefully by year's end, he will be writing a lot better.

We've also decided to start the week off by having a 'Movie Monday.' Not a regular movie, but something educational or close to it. Although today's Tuesday, we decided to go ahead and watch something. We watched an episode of Mythbusters. If you haven't seen it, check it out. It's very interesting! On the episode we watched, they were recreating the motorcycle stunt from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. They wanted to see if throwing a stick in the wheel of a motorcycle would cause it to flip. Another stunt they decided to do was to find out if tying bedsheets together would allow a person to escape from prison. Along with the bedsheets, one of them tried tying hair together and the other tried toilet paper. I won't tell you the outcome. You need to see for yourself, but the boys and I really enjoyed it! So, come Monday, we will be watching another episode.

Look What I Made!

I attempted to make a new scripture bag. The scriptures I have are an older version of scriptures. The ones they make now are made with a thinner paper, so they are skinnier. My case is made for the newer ones, so I got tired of trying to stuff them in. I decided to use some fabric I have leftover. I originally was making a quit, but realized it was smaller than what I had envisioned! So, I decided to turn it into my very first scripture bag. I am definitely no 'Martha Stewart' when it comes to sewing, so it's not perfect, but I have to toot my own horn and say I'm pretty proud of how it turned out. I got the handles at JoAnn Fabrics for only $1!

Lazy Summer

The summer has whizzed by and we haven't done very much. Chalk it up to my laziness. Wally is heading to the fair to sing with the choir for a while. Pokemon King will be leaving for scout camp soon. We are planning a vacation. We're thinking Universal Studios. But, we want to wait until September or even November to go. Florida in the summer is crazy! Not to mention hot! When we went to Disneyworld a few years ago, it was November. The weather was perfect and it wasn't very crowded.

Next year I've decided we are getting pool passes. It's been pretty hot here and I know the boys would like to swim. My goal until then is to get them some swimming lessons. Plus, by then Babymoon will be almost 3, so I think it will be a lot easier on all of us!

In the meantime, I've been getting school ready for the new year. We've changed some things for the new school year. Surprised? LOL! I know, I'm always changing things. I've been reading up on Sue Patrick's Workbox System found here. Now, I kind of cheated, because I didn't buy the book. I skimmed through tons of blogs and made up my own similar system.

The boys each have a bin with mailing envelopes in them.

They range from 6-12 depending on the child. In each folder is an assignment written on a card and a card for the different type of narration required.

Also included are any books or papers that are needed. They must complete each folder before moving on to the next one. Pokemon King and Dinodude each have 12. So, once they have completed their 12 folders, they are done with school for the day. I've also included at least one fun item, like computer time, wii fit, ride your bike, have a snack, etc. So, in reality they are only completed 11 items. I'm also working more towards the two of them working independently. Obviously if they need help, I'll help, but I want them reading the assignments and trying to do them on their own first. I really think they learn better when they try for themselves. Rocket and Babymoon also have the envelopes too, but not as many. I'm really looking forward to using this system and hope it really works. Wish us luck!

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

I've seen this on blogs and facebook and love it! So, I thought I'd share it with you. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.