Playdate

This is Ruthie's and her buddy. Every Tuesday and every Thursday they have a date. It is one of Ruthie's highlights!

Spelling Bee

On Friday, Amy participated in the school spelling bee. She studied until I thought my brain would explode. She studied in the morning before school. She studied in the afternoon after school. And she studied in the evening until it was time for bed. Amy placed in the top 10 of the school. Her missed word was ninja. She actually spelled the word correctly, but before she began to spell she said the letter "i". Once you say a letter you can't "take it back". There was some controversy concerning her incorrect spelling. Previosly, another speller made the same mistake of saying a letter that did not belong, but his was in the middle of the word. However, he challenged the judges and so did his mom. The archiac tape recorder used to tape the spellers for such challenges did not provide a clear answer, so the speller returned to the competition and ultimately took second place. Apparently, there were some teachers who felt Amy's dismissal was unfair. Yet, Amy did a fabulous job and handled her defeat gracefully. Her parents were very P-R-O-U-D. (I would have posted a video, but blogger doesn't seem to like mine)

For the Love of Chocolate

We made chocolate cupcakes on Sunday for dessert. After mixing, I gave Ruthie a choclate covered beater to lick. Some chocolate dripped on her foot and this is what I found her doing. . .

All for the love of chocolate!

One Request

Eliza got her cast off on Monday. After we left the doctor's office she had one request: A shower. A long, hot, steamy shower.

The Snowy Day

Yesterday, It snowed, and snowed, and snowed. We shoveled and we played.

Then we ate Snow Ice Cream.

All I Want for Christmas . . .

Is a broken arm? That's what Eliza got. Today we spent the morning at the doctor's office, who confirmed that Eliza's arm is indeed broken - both bones as a matter of fact. Fortunately, they were both a "greenstick" break. In other words, not bad and the doctor was able to cast her arm in the doctor's office. It all started this morning. I had a 9:00am Camp meeting at my house. Steve had not left for work yet, and Amy had a great idea. Amy gets lots of great ideas that she likes to try out on her sisters, mainly Eliza. Today it was doing "airplane". Eliza would lay on Amy's feet, who would launch her off and onto the floor. Unfortunately, the last landing was a crash one. I of course was oblivious to what was going on. Apparently, Ruthie tried to tell me that Zsha, Zsha (Eliza) was sad and Amy was sad. But, I was in a meeting and paid no attention. So after Eliza countinued to cry for over a half hour, Steve decided she was really hurt. When I finally realized what was going on, my meeting ended abruptly. Steve and I loaded a sobbing Eliza into the car and left a sobbing Amy at home, and drove off into the very, very, very snowy morning. (So glad Steve was home to drive). So you see, its nothing that a Jamba Juice and a trip to Blockbuster can't make a little better.

Merry Christmas

Today I learned that our Christmas cards will be arriving from shutterfly on December 22nd. This means that if I send out Christmas cards, you would receive them after Christmas. Kinda defeats the purpose of a Christmas card, doesn't it? Oh well. So, I decided to post our Christmas picture on my blog and wish you all a Merry Christmas. (Just pretend you received this in the mail.) Thanks - I feel better now.

The Flu and a Really Lame Toothfairy

We have the flu going around at our house. It started with Lydia and now Ruthie has it. I started feeling achy Sunday night and have been fighting aches and coughing for a couple of days now. Fortunately, I don't have it as bad as Lydia or Ruthie. Now Steve is starting to cough too. Poor little Ruthie is kinda miserable, I don't get much done, but I get a lot of cuddling time with her since she just wants to be held. And Thursday night Eliza lost her front tooth. She was very excited and left her tooth under her pillow for the tooth fairy. Unfortunately, the tooth fairy was really tired that night, forgot about the tooth and fell asleep. So, the next morning I explained to Eliza that sometimes the tooth fairy gets pretty busy and needs an extra night. By that time the tooth was lost, but I reassurred Eliza that she could leave a note and the tooth fairy could find the tooth. So, she left a note Friday night, and the tooth fairy didn't come again! Well while we were at a 6:00am tithing settlement (no, that is not a typo - it was 6:00AM on a Saturday) The tooth fairy realized she had neglected to pick up Eliza's tooth again! So, the tooth fairy quickly went to her bank (aka Steve) got some cash and then enlisted the help of other fairies (aka Abigail). So, upon arrival home Abigail quickly darted out of the car and up to Eliza's room. When we got home I asked Eliza if the tooth fairy had come yet, to which she replied "No." (I was really hoping she hadn't checked yet.) So, I told her I thought she should check again, because sometimes things get lost in your covers. She did and the tooth fairy had finally come! We have a really lame tooth fairy. PS The Beehive Bazaar went great! And the girls are assurred a lot of spending money.

Her Dad Would be Proud

Abigail came home from school today and said, "Mom, guess what happened on the bus today." Her eyes started to light up, so I knew it was something she was excited about. Apparently, on the way home from school today some kids began talking about poliitics. Now, Abigail's dad talks a great deal about politics to the girls. He feels like it is important for them to understand the different party platforms, as well as explain our personal political beliefs. Yesterday as the girls were helping me, politics came up again. Steve wasn't around, so I took the time to talk to the girls about our political beliefs and specifically about being courageous and standing up for one's beliefs - something that has been on my mind lately. I talked to the girls about the recent articles in the Ensign regarding abortion and gender. I thought it was a good discussion. Surprisingly, the girls listened rather intently and asked a lot of good questions.

The political views discussed on the bus were different political views than ours. Abigail bravely began talking to them about how she believed differntly and explaining to them why. She told me, "Mom! They didn't know what to say!" It turns out Abigail stumped them. Eventually, someone did pipe up and said, "But shouldn't homosexuals have rights too?" Again, Abigail explained to them that yes they should, but also explained how the prophet has counseled us to defend a traditional family and why it is so important. She also explained that we should support a candidate that shares our same moral values. I think it was a brave thing for Abigail to do today. Some of those who were in opposition to her were her very good friends. It wasn't just her political beliefs she expressed, but more importantly it was that she stood up for her moral beliefs. Her dad would have been proud, just like her mom.

What We've Been Up To

So Fall Break officially started Wednesday night. I had promised Amy she could have a "late nighter" with her friends for a loooong time. And Wednesday night she finally did. They decorated sugar cookies, laughed, watched a movie, and laughed some more. . . .

It wasn't long before Abigail and some of her friends joined in the cookie decorating and then Lydia. Abbey and her friends decided to "door bell ditch" some boys in the neighborhood. Shh....don't tell!

Then Friday late morning, Steve called from work and said, "how about we go up to Park City for the night!" I was game. So, I booked a condo, told the kids to pack, and in a couple of hours we were on our way. We went shopping, we ate dinner, spent some time in the jacuzzi, had ice cream and cookies, and watched a movie. The next day we shopped and ate again. Steve said he didn't know our get-a-way was going to turn into a shopping trip. Poor Steve, it is really becoming more and more apparent how out numbered he really is. He was a very good sport!

And then on the way home we stopped in Heber at Granny's for a famous Granny's shake.

Okay, I am a little embarrassed . . . It looks like all did was eat!

PS Sorry for the pictures, I don't know how to work my camera. The color is messed up.

More of My Girls

A Note

Last night I went to bed feeling discouraged. I suppose I was feeling sorry for myself because I was exhausted from lack of sleep. I had a mountainload of laundry waiting to be folded, my husband had been working late all week, and my teenage daughters were acting like teenagers. I went to bed wishing I could just "get a break". Yet, I realized that even if I had a break, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. In other words, I was having my very own pity party. Then today, Amy came home from school and handed me a folded up piece of paper. I teased her and said, "Oh, is this a love note?!" Fully expecting it to be something from her teacher. It turns out it was a love note - from her. This is what she wrote:

Dear Mom,

you are a great mom. I know you try really hard every day. You are a great example. I hope you know how much I apreciate you and your hard work. Thank you so much for showing me your love to me. thank you for helping me with my homework.

(heart)

Amy

It made me wonder, why did I have a pity party in the first place?

Good Advice

Today was 5th grade Maturation. After "the speech" and cookies, each girl was given a "goodie bag" filled with essential items. Later that day Amy, Abigail, and myself were returning home from having our haircut when Amy began to examine the contents of her "goodie bag". She pulled out the "Kuku Coco Butter"deodorant smelled it, examined it, and commented on its fragrance. It was then that Abbey offered this advice: "Amy," she said. "Only use deodorant under your arms." to which Amy replied, "Why?" With that, Abigail proceeded to tell Amy that when she was in 5th grade she realized that sometimes she was sweaty behind her knees. And sometimes during PE she was sweaty on her back . And sometimes during recess her arms were sweaty . So because deodorant "helps you stop sweating", Abigail came to this conclusion: she would put deodorant all over her body. The result: an itchy rash and an important lesson learned: "only use deodorant under your arms!"

6:30am

A glimpse of the Estes' family this morning . . . I am sure Ruthie is getting a lot out of scripture study.

It's Going to be a Great Weekend

I am really looking forward to this weekend for many reasons. It means my husband will finally be home from his business trip (he had to delay his return an extra day). It also means that I will get a break from teaching eleven 10 year olds ( half of which are very rumbuctious boys, who I think are funny, but make me tired) in primary. And it is Conference weekend!

Unfortunately, Steve's aunt passed away Thursday and his parents will be traveling to Northern California to attend the funeral. This means that we will not be able to get together as a family and Grandma (Mom Estes) will not be making her decadent cinnamon rolls. (an Estes family tradition on Conference weekend). I know the college grand kids are very disappointed. So, I did invite them to our house and told them I will bake cinnamon rolls, and try my best to make them as good as Grandma's, but there are no guarantees. I figure if I have a lot of icing anything will taste good.

But I think that it will be a great weekend even if the cinnamon rolls are a flop, just because we get to listen to the prophet and apostles. I look forward to hearing their counsel and attempting to better myself and strengthen my own testimony. I look forward to being reminded that we have a divine purpose and there is an eternal plan. I look forward to hearing testimonies that we have a Savior who atoned for our sins and a Heavenly Father who loves us. It will be a great weekend!

Is it Possible?

Today Eliza got a letter in the mail. It was in a long blue envelope, with a return address I didn't recognize. I thought, " Who could be sending her a letter and why?" Then we opened it up. Eliza was being invited to a Stake Bapism Fireside for all children turning eight years old by December 2009. For a split second I thought that they had made a mistake. Eliza is not turning eight years old! Then my stomach dropped and my heart ached a bit. Yes, she is turning eight, on July 10th!I felt my throat tighten up. Eliza is growing up. Eliza who was my "baby" for almost five years. My sweet, chubby, lovable baby, who would snuggle on command. My baby who didn't fight me when it was time to sleep, but instead would lay her head on my shoulder. I loved every second of it! I had always longed for a really snuggly baby and I got one with Eliza. I am not one to get emotional when my kids go to preschool or kindergarten. They are always so excited to go, so how can I not be excited for them? But thinking of Eliza turning 8 tugged at my heartstrings today. It won't be long before she doesn't need me to hold her. It won't be long before she realizes her mom doesn't know everything. And it won't be long before she's gone. Everyone use to tell me to, "enjoy it while it lasts". I think I get it now.

My Girls

I recently had the girls pictures taken. Here are a couple of the pictures. You can see a few more here. I hope to get the rest soon! I will post more then.

Pancakes & Plumbing

Steve left on a business trip yesterday. He will be gone until Thursday night. It's always a bummer when he is gone. Other than the fact that it is lonely being a single parent, it also means that I stay up too late (who likes sleeping alone?), something breaks, or I get sick. (Because that only happens when your husband is gone, right?) Since I drove Steve to the airport yesterday, that meant we couldn't have Steve's parents and the college kids over for dinner. My girls are always disappointed when no one comes over for Sunday dinner. They claim they are better fed when company is here. Its probably true. Case in point, I fixed Whole Wheat Pancakes for dinner yesterday. However, they were delicious. We ate them with fresh peaches our neighbor sent over, and whipped cream. I know most people probably have a recipe for Whole Wheat Pancakes, but I will post the one I got from Taylor Cropper (a former member of the Oak Hills 2nd Ward, who now lives in Oregon and is a great cook) on his blog Feed Your Family. Here it is: Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes Put in the Blender: 1 Cup of wheat berries 1/4 cups of water 1/4 cup dried milk Blend for three minutes 1 egg 1 tbsp. honey/sugar 1 tbsp. oil 1/4 tsp salt Blend to combine everything,then add: 1 tbsp. Baking Powder Pulse it a few times. As I mentioned, things seem to only break when Steve is gone. Last night as I was brushing my teeth and washing my face, I noticed the sink wasn't draining. So, I tested the other sink - it wasn't draining either. So like any good wife, I called my husband, who then told me I needed to snake the drain. Ugh! Steve then proceeded to coach me on the phone, while I snaked the drain. (I have seen him do this plenty of times - we do live in an old house - but of course I don't usually pay attention). I snaked it, thought I fixed it. It didn't work. Started to snake again, but this time the pipe that connects to the wall came off! I explained to Steve what just happened. He tells me I have two options: 1) Call a plumber or 2) Wait till I get home. Then he says, "Just wait until I get home." (Steve is a very handy guy, which is something I love about him - he can fix things!) So, for the next four days I will be brushing my teeth in the kitchen sink. And so I won't forget to NOT turn the water on in the sinks, I taped them off. (I tend to forget important things, like - there are no pipes connected to your sink - unless I have a visual reminder.) Plumbing problems always make you appreciate the little things, like running water. Thankfully I can still take a shower! Let's hope I don't get sick!

It's a Party

Tonight we are having a party. Brittany (Steve's niece) is turning 22 today! Happy Birthday Brittany! Brittany is inviting friends to our house to eat mud pie and watch the season premier of The Office. How can it not be fun when you have ice cream and a lot of laughs.

Success & Supermodels

And the winner is . . . . ABIGAIL! Yea! We are very excited and very happy to have it all done with! She will be a great VP

And just for fun is a picture of Lydia. This week is Spirit Week at school and each day is a theme day. Today was "Supermodel Day". Everyone was suppose to dress up as a supermodel, including the boys. (Where do they come up with these ideas?) Here is Lydia's interpretation of a supermodel.