Top Ten

I've never been so busy, but so blessed and content. Here's some recent highlights:

1. I have loved having all the kids at home. A lot of the kids around here go to summer school, but I feel like kids need a break from school in the summer. Lately I've been so aware of my blessed life and so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a stay-at-home mom. It makes me sad that so many women don't feel fulfilled being full-time moms, because there's nothing that brings me more joy than being the one to teach and play with my kids each day. These moments we have to bond are priceless.

2. Swim team at Liberty Hills Country Club. Brevan, Brynlie and Lindsey have swim practice 5 mornings a week from 9:00 to 10:00. It's been a good experience, and definitely good exercise for them. I'm still torn on whether I'll sign them up again next year though. We don't get to have any of those lazy summer days, where you wake up when you feel like it and spend the morning playing board games in your jammies. Anyway, the kids have improved so much, and we are so proud of each of them! At the first swim meet (pictured below), the two oldest kids both got many ribbons, including a few 1st place ribbons.

Brevan

Brynlie

And our Lindsey. Doesn't this picture just break your heart? She was in the first heat of the swim meet, and was both nervous and cold. It was overcast and RAINING, but they didn't cancel the meet because there was no lightning. Lindsey was not exactly thrilled about getting in the water to compete, but we gently prodded her, and she was so proud of herself when she finished.

After she heard THE WHOLE CROWD cheering her on, she became determined and finished the lap. She swims for a few seconds and then takes a breath while she holds onto the side. Let's just say she didn't exactly win first place in her heat, but I don't think I've ever felt more proud of my little Chalula Bell!

Daddy wrapped her up nice and tight after she finished the lap, and paraded her around the crowd while she got high-fives from everyone! She was the youngest swimmer in the meet.
3. Primary, but specifically Cub Scout Day Camp. Without getting into the details, there was quite a bit of drama this week among the parents of the boys, and I ended up going to camp 3 different days. I love to be there with the boys, but it was stressful to quickly rearrange our schedules and find babysitters to watch the other kids. One of the most fun things we did while at camp was the day firetrucks came and sprayed the boys with the powerful hoses. The boys got drenched and then created some mud pits to dive in.

4. I like to take the kids on individual dates in the summertime, since I can hire teenagers during the day to stay with the other kids. I took Brynlie to lunch and the "High School Musical" play in Kansas City for our time together. She spent the entire day deciding what we would wear. She picked out my whole outfit, from the boots to the earrings. She also had me curl her hair and put it in an "up-do" so she would look extra fancy! I love to spend time with Brynlie, because we are so similar in personality that we can laugh and talk for hours.


Brynlie and I were walking around during intermission and noticed a couple seats unoccupied on the front row. Brynlie loved watching the show from the front, and had a great surprise when "Sharpay" took Brynlie up on stage and had her dance for the crowd during the final song! I quickly grabbed my camera, but this was the only shot that turned out! Brynlie hasn't stopped talking it ever since then!

For the date with Brevan (who insists that I call it a "mother bonding time" instead of a date, which "is just gross to do with your mom") we went to lunch and "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" play. Brevan claims he loved the play, but he mostly spent the hour-and-a-half studying the program. That's my typical Brevan. When we go to an amusement park, he spends most of the day planning our route with the park map. If there are words nearby, Brevan is reading them!

5. At the end of May, I got that dreaded phone call from the Bishop, asking me to speak in church on Sunday. My topic was how temples and families go together. I am TERRIFIED of public speaking. I spend hours and hours planning 10-minute talk, and can't sleep for many nights before the day. But then I always do fine once I'm standing up in front of everyone. I guess I'm just scared of being unprepared? I don't know. Anyway, Ryan had the suggestion that he and I attend the Winter Quarters temple that week, in preparation for my talk. It was an amazing day . . .7 hours of driving in the car without kids so we could actually communicate, and a day in the House of the Lord, feeling the peace and comfort the Spirit brings. It was a wonderful, perfect day, and I'm so grateful for Brenda, who watched our kids.

6. Ryan took Brevan to a professional soccer game to watch the Kansas City Wizards. We love living near a large city that has such fun events to attend.

7. Brevan started golf lessons and seems to be enjoying it so far. When I asked him how it went after his first lesson, he replied, "Fine. But I got angry and threw my clubs 10 feet away while screaming." Uh oh. Apparently he had gotten a sliver. {sigh} After a good talk (or better put, a lecture) he has improved his attitude, which has helped him improve his golf skills.

8. I had this great idea to wait until summer for all the kid's doctor/dentist appointments. That won't be happening again, because it has been insane running from appointment to appointment! Here's the rundown on all the appointments I've taken children to in the past month: 3 optometrist appointments for Brevan (first for an eye exam, then to pick up the new glasses which he almost immediately broke so we had to go back and order a new pair), 1 psychiatrist appointment to check up on Brevan's medications, 6 dentist appointments (check-ups for Lindsey, Brynlie and Brevan, all of which had a cavity so I had to take them back to get the cavities filled), 2 orthodontist appointments (the first one was with an old guy who told me that he hadn't changed his approach since 1973 because all the "new" technology wouldn't do any good. He wanted to put Brevan in headgear right away. Um, no. So we went to a different orthodontist that I loved. I told the new orthodontist that he would be making A LOT of money off our family in the next many years! 4 kids + 2-3 years of treatment for each. Ugh. It makes me sick to even think about it. Brevan goes back in for x-rays next week, then gets his braces on the first week of July), 2 doctor appointments for Brevan to get warts frozen off, and of course my weekly visits to the allergy doctor for my 2 allergy shots.

9. Brevan and Brynlie have been attending play practice every night from 7:00 to 9:00. They are in the community production of "High School Musical" and perform it this Friday and Saturday night. They sure wish they had grandparents close at times like this, to come watch them perform!

10. Finding time to spend with Ryan. He has been incredibly stressed out at work lately, so I've made sure to include some "down time" in our schedule where we can just sit around and veg. Last night we invited 3 couples over to have dessert and play games. We played "The Not So Newlywed Game" and had a lot of fun getting to know each other better! It was wonderful to be able to take them to the basement and have a babysitter take care of the kids upstairs.

Busy, busy, busy, but loving life!