a little bit of me

Life these days.

Sophie is down for her nap, Abby is crafting and Dawson is reading a book.  All is quiet for awhile and I thought I'd take a break to catch up my blog.  Life has been busy and we're still adjusting to our new schedules.  Everything is good, it's just different.  Baseball season has pretty much taken over our life for the time being but I really love it!  Dawson had three games this week and did so great!  Our first two games this week, the temperatures were in the 80's and last night's was freezing.  Crazy spring sports!  The girls and I got a great parking spot and watched from the car.  It was funny because the girls kept asking me who I was yelling at whenever I cheered.  Dawson was 3 for 4 last night with an RBI so it was a fun one to watch!

We also had the Awana grand prix this week.  Dana spent some late nights with Joe painting cars and getting the kids' cars ready.  I'll add pictures soon but they turned out pretty cute.  Dawson's was a Mountain Dew car and Abby's was Supergirl.  There was a three way tie for the last spot for the championship race and both Dawson and Abby were in it.  I couldn't believe it!  They took it pretty well and I think it worked out when they both lost.  Dawson ended up getting a 3rd place trophy for design so he was super happy about that. 

Another change around here is that Dana has agreed to stay on at our church as the part time youth pastor until they hire someone.  They want to take things slow and not rush into it.  We were actually very surprised when they offered it to Dana and also very grateful that the Lord answered our prayers that the youth group would be taken care of.  Surprisingly it wasn't a hard decision to make, it just felt right.  And since then, there have been some really positive things happening that confirmed that the Lord wanted Dana to stay for now.  It will definitely make things a little busier around here but we know it's what God wants so we're going to make it work!  Ok, I'm off to take advantage of the quiet around here...hope to be back soon with pictures!

Easter Celebrations.

We started our Easter celebrations on Saturday this year.  First, Dawson had his last soccer game of the season.  They won big time and finished out their season undefeated!  Dawson has improved so much and it's been so fun to watch him play.  It's hard to believe that other than a couple of tournaments, there won't be anymore soccer until the fall.  He's been playing since September non-stop and I've gotten pretty used to it!!  The only downfall of the day was that my camera wouldn't work.  I planned on taking lots of pictures since it was nice out and I was so bummed.

After the game, we went to hang out at Dana's parents since Ketra & Kevin and the kids were in town.  We had an Easter egg hunt, they got baskets from Grandma and Grandpa and then had a great Easter dinner.  It was very laid back and relaxing.  The kids played and has a blast and we finished the day by painting all the girls fingernails and toenails.  It was a lot of fun!

We woke up Easter morning and the kids went through their baskets.  The only candy type thing they got was a wind up chicken that laid "eggs" which was actually bubble gum.  They each got a new book, a toy of some kind and some little stuff.  They loved their baskets!  We then got ready for church, which is no small task, and headed out.  Dana and I had children's church which was a lot of fun with all the kids.  After church, we went to Sara and Dusty's house and had another delicious Easter meal.  The guys hid the eggs and the kids had another Easter egg hunt.  The younger and older kids hunted separately so the dads made the older ones really hunt for their eggs...especially the money eggs!  Just imagine how many hiding spots there are in an orchard!! 

We hung out most of the day while the kids played and rode the motorcycles.  It was a lovely Easter Sunday.  The only sad part was that my camera still wasn't working so other than any shots my sisters may have gotten, I don't have any Easter pictures.  It's times like those I really wish I had a small point and shoot camera as a back up.  Oh well!  I was telling my family on Sunday that each time we I get through another holiday, I appreciate my mom even more.  Growing up, I had no idea how much time and effort goes into each holiday (grocery shopping, making the food, outfits, presents, and so on!).  So, thanks mom for the many, many, special holiday's you made for us kids.  Now I can see how much work it really was!!  :)

Abby.

We went to Abby's school conference yesterday and it went really great.  Her teacher said she is doing really well and above where she needs to be for first grade.  Her report card was all "O's" (which means outstanding) except for Math and she had an S+.  She said she knows all the concepts of Math and can do the work but just needs to work on her speed a little bit.  Abby has told me she doesn't like the speed drills because she gets nervous.  She also said that Abby has totally come out of her shell since the beginning of the year.  She will volunteer to read and also shares prayer requests and will pray for the class.  She has lots of friends and her teacher said she really enjoys having her in class.  It was such a great conference and we were super happy with the report!  I can't believe what a difference a year can make.

Abby also just started taking piano lessons this week.  She was so excited and loved her teacher, LaSarah.  While at the conference, her teacher said that when Abby finishes her work, she's been working on writing notes to her piano teacher.  I was cleaning out her backpack this morning before school and found this:

 

I love all the curly letters!  I have never seen her do that before.  I just thought her note was so sweet and cute!  We will hopefully have the piano delivered today or tomorrow because she can't wait to practice.  I hope that lasts!  :)

Family time.

It's been a lovely Saturday.  We started out the day at the soccer field by 8 a.m. this morning...it was cold!  But, the sun came out and it warmed up in time for the second make up game Dawson had.  They played two games and did awesome.  Dawson's team killed the the teams we played.  Like 20 something to 0 on one of the games.  It was crazy!  We just have one more game left and soccer will be done until the fall.  We might play in a couple of tournaments but that would be it.  I think it's about time since we've been playing soccer since the beginning of September!  Plus, we're in baseball season already so it makes it a little crazy with two sports at once. 

After soccer, we came home and had lunch. Then Sophie napped and Abby and I got to hang out together.  We went to a couple of scrapbook stores, shared a strawberries and cream frappucino and got her glasses adjusted.  She was being so good and we had a great time together!  We came home and got a little work done and then had a delicious dinner made by my hubby.  Salmon is his specialty and it's one meal that everyone loves.  It was delicious and also nice to not have to cook!

Now the kids are winding down and watching a little tv before bed.  I love days where we just spend the day together as a family doing everyday kind of stuff.   I love them all so much!! 

Fridays.

I heart fridays.  Up until today, they were my hubby's day off.  I miss him.  I am grateful for his new job and even excited about it but our schedule and routine have changed.  I am not big on change.  But, I am learning to embrace it.  :)  That's what I keep telling myself.  Dana is liking his new job so far.  It's a little slow getting up and running but I know he's going to like it. 

We've been having a great spring break.  We spent the first part of it in Boise and we all had a blast!  The kids had so much fun playing with their cousins.  We played, shopped, watched movies at night, went to church, had a date night, went out to eat, did build a bear with the kids and before we knew it, it was time to go home.  It was a great trip....very relaxing!  We've been mostly just chilling since we came home.  Dawson had a friend spend the night last night, Sophie had Audrey spend the night and Abby went to spend the night with Gracie.  It's nice to take a break from the routine and not have the morning rush we have around here.  I just can't believe how fast a week goes!

I am also longing for warm days.  I am so happy to see the sun and can't wait for flip flops and capri pants weather!  I want to work in my yard but it's still a little too cold for me.  I have so many project ideas in my head right now.  I am also wanting to have a big ole yard sale and sell all this junk around here!!  Can you tell I have the spring cleaning bug?  Ok, off to get some work done!

Interview with my kids.

I finally got around to interviewing my kids and wanted to document it on my blog.  "D' is for Dawson's answers, "A" for Abby's and "S" for Sophie's.

What is something I always say to you?

D – Go clean your room.

A – That my pictures are good.

S – Don’t fight.

 

What makes me happy?

D – Dad.

A – When I listen to you.

S – Not giving me spankings.

 

What makes me sad?

D – When Dad doesn’t listen to you.

A – When you have to give Sophie a spanking.

S – Giving spankings.

 

How do I make you laugh?

D- Practical jokes.

A – Tickling me.

S – Screaming and tickling me.

 

What do you think I was like as a child?

D- Bossy. 

A – You loved scrapbooking.

S – You turned into Sophie.

 

How old am I? ( I am 33)

D- 32

A – 32

S - 3

 

How tall am I?

D- 5000 feet

A – 5 inches.

S – Big.

 

What is my favorite thing to do?

D- Scrapbook

A – Scrapbook

S – Wash the dishes.

 

What do I do when you’re not around?

D – play on your iphone.

A- Do work.

S – Work at your desk.

 

If I become famous, what will it be for?

D – for having really weird children

A – because you poop in the toilet

S – I don’t know.

 

What am I really good at?

D – Taking care of kids.

A – Work, scrapbooking, taking care of kids.

S – Going to Costco and getting me a churro.

 

What am I not really good at?

D – Playing football.

A – I don’t know…you’re good at everything.

S – I don’t know.

 

What is my job?

D – Being a mommy.

A – Taking care of us.

S - Working on your puter. (computer)

 

What is my favorite food?

D – pasta

A – spaghetti

S – pie

 

What makes you proud of me?

D – Because you do good stuff.

A – When you listen to me.

S - ??

 

If I were a cartoon character, who would I be?

D – Spongebob

A – Hannah Montana

S – Princess

 

What do you and I do together?

D – Talk.

A – scrapbook.

S – go to Costco.

 

How are we the same?

D – We’re both Kallevig’s

A- we like to scrapbook

S – our hair.

 

How are we different?

D – I’m weirder than you are.

A – You’re a mom and I’m a kid and our hair.

S – You have green eyes and I have blue eyes.

 

How do you know I love you?

D – Because you take care of me & you tell me.

A – You show me love all the time.

S – Cuz you tell me.

 

Where is my favorite place to go?

D – Scrapbook store, home.

A – Red Robin

S – coffee place.

 

It cracked me up on how right they were on some questions.  They also got a little silly.  I loved that "scrapbooking" was several of Abby's answers and that Sophie's carried the "spanking theme".  I really don't spank her often but she is in a very naughty stage right now!  Oh, how I love these children.  They are so precious to me!

New Beginnings.

Wow, I can't believe I went over a whole month without blogging.  I try not to stress about it but it's frustrating to me because blogging is actually something that is important to me.  Things have been very crazy around here.  As most of you already know, there are big changes happening at our house.  Dana has resigned his position as youth pastor at our church and accepted a job working for the city as a Development Engineer.  His first day is actually today!  He was excited as he was leaving and I can't wait to hear all about it. 

As you can imagine, the past few months have been difficult as we prayed and waited for an answer from the Lord.  Leaving Wiley was never in my plan but it definitely was in God's plan.  I don't want to go into any details on the blog (but feel free to email me if you have any questions) but I will say that I disappointed in the way things turned out.  Most of you already know some of the reasons but I will say that it's nothing like Dana doing anything wrong or getting fired or anything like that.  I hate to be vague but it's just not something I feel comfortable writing about on the internet.  Bottom line, we're at total peace about our decisions.  Even though it's been a hard and painful decision, we have complete faith that this is what God wants for our family and we don't have any bitter or angry feelings at all.  We're excited about this new journey in our lives.  God's plan is always the perfect plan for us and we're trusting in Him.  We are also so thankful that He provided a good job for Dana in this economy.  Dana is going to continue to run the youth ministry for awhile.  We're not sure how long but know that this is the right thing to do. 

It's funny how new beginnings can make you want to change everything in your life.  I want to do a complete overhaul to this house (inside and out), get settled with a new routine since Dana has new work hours and have even been thinking about cutting my hair off!  I also plan to get back into the blogging routine.  I love blogging and have missed it.  I'll have to write more later since we're on spring break and the kids are requiring some attention.....they can't be bored already, can they?  :)