Catching up on lost time...

Starting to wonder if I fell off the side of the earth? well...Buckle up! You're about to go through 6 months in one post. 

.................Ok, maybe I'll split it up a little for you. Call this - Our crazy year, part 1.

The school year began and I had high hopes of keeping our house (which was on the market) perfectly clean (because all the kids were in school) and to have lots of time to enjoy my last year doing fun and enriching activities with Alee (because I dropped all other group activities from her schedule that seemed to overwhelm her last year)....

And while we did have library day (no storytime, just book time and maybe time on their computers)

And time for random fun (like painting nails to match her outfit)

And park days (so I could run and she could have some socialization)

And an art/learning project here and there

Mostly it was chaotic (planned but not consistent) scheduling with a lot more cleaning and unexpected conflicts for several months. 

Selling a house with 4 kids under 7 was easier than with 5 kids under 12.

I let them choose their 1 extracurricular that requires $$ and evening time commitments, and they are all over the place, but mostly confined to Thursdays.

Natalie is the only one I've taken a picture of...hmm...I'll have to remedy that! She chose soccer and will start spring soccer next month.

Seth will "join her" (play spring soccer also, but in 12-14 age group).

Carolyn - tennis (Seth joined in the fall)

Kaitlyn - gymnastics

Alee tried 1 session of gymnastics, but despite the fun she had and how fast she learned, you know how she doesn't like instruction and being told what to do. (I might have made her but it wasn't required and it cost money, so when the 8 week session ended, she quit.)

I asked her this month what she wanted me to sign her up for (she had asked for soccer after the season started last fall) - she said, "I want you to sign me up for...hmm...sign me up for nothing!"

Alee is learning to read, but she requires so many more incentives than the other children did - and it takes her 4 times as long to get though the same material (b/c she has NO focus). Kindergarten is going to be interesting...

Anyways - moving on!

September events:

We visited Jacob's family for a baby blessing and we went to a children's museum near her house for my MIL's birthday.

We also talked like a pirate for some free donuts - and then bought some fancy ones because a dozen just isn't enough for us! :)

October Events:
October 2014 was pretty eventful - the house got a little more action (we dropped the price of the house, but then we still only got uninterested feedback) - so my cleaning continued at full speed with reorganizing in hopes to make the overcrowded house look bigger.

We had visits from grandparents and cousins and celebrated fall/pumpkins, birthdays, Halloween, and sometimes nothing at all.

And amidst all of this - our dryer broke. It was not an electrical thing, but something mechanical, so between youtube and other diy sites, we took care of it ourselves, but it made for an interesting week (in which I was VERY grateful no one called to see the house!)

(whoever has heard of a place dedicated to smoothies - YES to this dessert anytime!)

(above) Carolyn reading at recess (picture courtesy of her teacher) and 

(below) the twins had a surprise guest invited by their teacher for the mystery reader that week!

And this is where it got really exciting!

(No, not the dangerous looking multi-tool he's smiling over - about 15 minutes after that...)

We got an offer on the house! Our buyers were so cooperative and everything went so smoothly, but it was so chaotic at that time - the offer was made on Seth's birthday, we accepted the next day - and we closed in December - filling up November with packing and cleaning and purging - in addition to the 2 birthdays (one having been promised her first friend party) and Thanksgiving!

It was going to be ok - we would enjoy the weekend with family that had come to visit and see Seth receive the Priesthood and be ordained to the office of a Deacon and then we'd go crazy next week.

So, on to Halloween - (thankfully costumes were made before the house offer happened)

Fun to figure out how to make her perfectly straight silky hair frizzy for her costume!

 

 And so begins November....

It was so nice to be able to be there (with Rob and other extended family) for Seth's first trip to the temple. I felt so peaceful...which was good because the rest of the month had little peace and a lot of crazy going on :) ....

It's getting a little crazy around here....

My friend made this totally awesome cake! (Alee's first friend party was an ART party with crafts and mess - just right for her personality. And somehow amid the chaos, I made little aprons for her friends. Am I crazy or what?)

(She was insistent we keep our zoo date regardless of the terrible weather that day. It was her birthday. I had to keep my promise.)

Carolyn opted for  a yogurt pie for her birthday. Easy and simple and no fuss for her.

Natalie was so proud that her artwork was chosen for the district's office! 

I love how the kids' teachers this year just let Alee join in on whatever they are doing when we visit for special events! 

Thanksgiving - away from the crazy house...

Always excited about his turkey leg...my little carnivore.

We packed up things too aggravating to move in the moving truck to a storage unit for 1 month while we moved...the date was coming soon!

And we said goodbye to our old house - the only house Alee has ever known.

And what about December? January? The new house? Christmas? How is the unpacking and organizing?  So many questions!  You'll have to find out next time I post! Pizza dough and a little 8 year old with a pack of cards have called me down from my cave. :)