Busy, but good.....

That's about all I can say to describe the goings on of this past week. Jarett's been in finals, so I'm doing the single mom thing. He's around just long enough to add more work load, but not enough to help out. Sigh. Anyway, we've been keeping busy. Some highlights......

Jaymeson has started to comfort himself by sucking his thumb. This is good and bad. Good because he can soothe himself (which he hasn't taken advantage of too much yet) and bad because it's addictive and its hard to wean him from.....and it ruins his mouth yadda yadda yadda..... but he looks SO cute.




We made Easter eggs. I actually did them on the Tuesday after Easter, but we got there. The kids did 2 each.
Saryn did 2 eggs that got super cracked, but I got to draw with the "magic crayon" and it made her happy.



Kienna wrote her name on one and Mom on the other. She's SO sweet.










Kaia is getting SO creative. She did the half and half dipped eggs with her own colouring on each.










To prove I was there, I took a picture which turned out SO wonderfully. I'm trying to get in on this Project 52, but so far my luck has been limited. Anyway, here's my meager attempt.








BIG NEWS: We have a winner!!
Kaia finally won her Ariel lego set (see previous post) and she is the first one to finish the goals set for her. Awesome, isn't it? It only took a little over 4 weeks to get there.....but she did it!! And I'm SO PROUD OF HER!!!

Now, a very favorite activity in this house is colouring/drawing/crafting.....whatever you want to call it. I finally decided to take the opportunity to take some pictures. These are just some precious memories that I will never/could never forget. Thought I'd share some.

Kaia has been working on a play recently. It is titled "Ariel" and here she is creating a Welcome poster for the audience. She has now written the story line and is working on the script. She is WAY ahead of her time.

Kienna it writing everything backwards. You can see the

"ymmoM oT"

across the bottom of the page. She's SO excited to be able to write though, so she's been doing it whenever she can.

My little Saryn coloring. This is SO her. She is so funny.

I was able to go out with a few friends last night. It was awesome. There's nothing like a girls night out!! We went to Tony Roma's and had some great ribs, salads, bruscetta etc.


Today was a wonderfully warm day. I took the opportunity to clean out our backyard and have the kids play for a while. It was Jaymeson's first day out in the sun. The girls loved pulling eachother in a wagon and playing with some balls in the field behind the house. It was great. Half way through the raking, the missionaries popped by. Of course, they decided to help by finishing it up. What wonderful people!! Anyway, some fun snapshots of the kids!!




Oh, and their glasses remind me that earlier this week we also braved the West Edmonton Mall. It was horrid. I would advise anyone conisdering taking 4 kids to the mall by themselves against it. Although, I did find some great deals....thus the cute glasses. Anyway, that should catch you up on my week. This is what consists of "normal" around our house. Just thought I'd put it out there!

Bedtime Stories

Last night as I was putting the kids to bed, they each said something that cracked me up....

Kaia: "Mom, today at school Noah and Thomas almost KILLED Anthea". What?!? "Yeah, there was some chocolate on the ground and they almost made her touch it." What?!? "Yeah, she's allergic to milk, Mom.....and chocolate has milk in it." OH!!!!


Kienna: "Mom, I love you more than life itself." She says this to me nightly and we get into a competition on who loves who more. This has been a nightly discussion and yesterday Kaia told me that she also loves yogurt more than life itself. Somehow, it's losing its meaning.


Saryn: "Mom, I'm sorry." This is always a scary sentence. "Sorry for what?" "For being naughty today". This was the most needed sorry for a long time. She had a horrible day getting into EVERYTHING. She was snitching like crazy and colouring on couches - you name it. "That's okay honey, tomorrow you'll be better, right?" "Yeah, I'm going to go to a doctor."

So We Can Be Ready For Sundae....

Recipe for our Ice Cream Sundaes

Ingredients:

5 Bowls of Ice Cream

Chocolate Syrup
Ketchup
Bacon Bits
Butterscotch
Gummy Bears
Hershey Kisses
Tomato Soup and
Reese Peanut Butter Bites

Instructions:

Gather together for Family Home Evening. Sing a song and say a prayer. Quote Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Discuss toppings of Sundaes. Chocolate, Butterscotch and various other things (you could do the whipped cream etc., we just used our Easter Candy to hurry it along). Bring other ones out. What about ketchup? Bacon bits? Tomato Soup? The kids answer "NO!!" "But you like those?" "Yeah, but not on a Sundae".
Once you go through all the toppings and the kids are excited about their Sundaes, talk about the Sabbath and how there are some good things to do during the week (e.g., Shopping, Swimming...) but they just aren't good to do on a Sunday!

Serve, Eat and Enjoy!!

Thank you Alanna for this wonderful idea. The kids really enjoyed this!

Easter Dresses and Celebrations

We are so fortunate to have a Temple adjacent to our Church. We decided that sitting on the step of the temple truly is the best place to display our pretty new Easter Dresses. Thank you to Gran (my mom) who gave these to the girls. They sure felt like princesses.


Kaia wants me to write this under the picture where she's so beautiful:
"On Easter we took pictures underneath the temple. There's other pictures of my sisters too!"





It would have been nice to have a full family picture, but there wasn't time or really a way to set up the camera to do a timer. Sigh. Perhaps some other time.

Anyway, after church we came home and had "rests". Our kids have never been so anxious for a nap, but that's when the Easter Bunny comes, so they RAN upstairs after their lunch and all fell asleep in the same bed (I missed this photo opportunity and I'm still kicking myself). We got the actual Easter egg hunt on video, but these are some after pictures to enjoy!!

Kaia and Saryn's Easter Baskets. Kienna's broke this year, so we're going to have to find a replacement basket. Yay for after Easter sales!!

This is a Mullen family tradition... After we find all the Easter Eggs, we pour it all into a big bowl and divide them up into types of candy etc. That way it is fair and we get to spend more time gathering together. Here is our final results (we haven't quite got to the point where we divide the colours up too.....but when they're older, I'm sure it'll get there....).



Now, just so you don't think we had an only commercialized Easter, we had a wonderful sacrament meeting and an absolutely inspiring fireside dedicated to the Easter Holiday. Jarett sang a Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief with a verse of I Know that My Redeemer Lives to the same tune. I also accompanied some Activity Day girls who were singing "He Sent His Son". I also had the opportunity to sing (this is rare) with some other ladies. It was a hymn that was in the Ensign this month that I had never heard before. It was simply beautiful. I also got to sing tenor which was fun. I don't get to do that often. Anyway, it was a WONDERFUL Easter! Hope you had a Happy Easter too!

It Made My Day.....

We've been having a nice, slow day around here. Jarett took Kaia to school and we all just relaxed this morning. We walked to pick Kaia and Mary Grace up from school and then we played on the playground. A quick lunch and then Kaia asked if we could watch the Sound of Music. I can't resist that movie. So we're now watching it. I popped some popcorn and we've been having fun together. But the best of all was Saryn coming up to me, giving me a big hug and saying,

"Mom, I love you all the time!"

How can you top that?

Confessions of a Stay-at-home Mom

I was a little surprised by a comment left on my last blog. I feel as though I am a mom that tries her best - but that definitely isn't perfect. This has motivated me to make this post. I also have been reading other blogs that are revealing what they are really like. They are showing their imperfections and I love it!! It really isn't too hard for me to find some flaws of mine, but I'm going to get this off my chest. Hope it either makes you feel better about yourself or gives you some insight as to the goings on in my home. I am slightly worried that my mom and mother-in-law might be appalled with me, but I'm sure they felt this way from time to time too.... Anyway, here goes.

*I feed my kids cereal almost every morning (it isn't sugary junky cereal, it's the whole grain stuff but it's cereal none the less).
*I ensure that my kids have all their servings of fruits and vegetables etc, but I am a total hypocrite. I hardly ever eat fish and I frequently grab little candies etc. through the day (I would never let them do this).
*I do not enjoy nursing my babies. I do it strictly because I know it's the best thing for my kids.
*I might gripe a fair bit about how hard it is to stay home, but I actually am really glad that I don't have to work. I feel sorry for the men in our lives who are out there working like crazy.
*There are some days, however, that I think working out in the field would be really nice.
*There are days that I'm sure that Jarett has done more than I have (just at home, nevermind his work load). It seems as though most days he'll be the one who makes dinner and does dishes too. I really don't know if I could function without him.
*I have a goal to do laundry every day. It just doesn't get overwhelming that way and it's a small job done frequently. This very very rarely pans out. Sometimes I'll get the laundry basket down the first flight of stairs one day, the second flight the second day and then it'll sit in the basement for another day before I actually get it IN the machine. Once I rotate it through, I leave it in the dryer for another day and then fold it and then the next day I carry it upstairs. Once it sits there for a day or two, I'll put it away.....but by then I'm carrying the next load down the first flight of stairs.
*My mom took my kids from Tues - Fri last week so I could have a break and it might have been one of the best weeks of my life. I felt so free. I seriously can't thank her enough.
*I have never made homemade bread - ever. Unless banana bread counts. I have made buns - but not in the last 3 years. This might change though. I just got a really good bread recipe from my Mother-in-law that I'm going to try. If you want it, I have it posted on my family's recipe blog.
*I don't let my kids paint
*I don't let my kids play with play-dough
*I groan at the very word of "craft" because I know that it is synonymous with "MESS".
*My kids watch at least 1 movie a day. Some are only 20 minutes and some are 2 hours, but they watch at least one. Hey, at least it's not TV where I don't know what they're watching.
*When I send my children downstairs to clean the basement, I am expecting them to NOT do it fast. I am expecting them to cry and complain and get distracted and play with the toys. This makes it a 1-2 hour job instead of the 5 minute job it would be. (The reason this is a bad thing is because I enjoy the 1-2 hour time slot this allows me to clean up the other two floors, type up a blog and maybe even prepare dinner).
*I might be a computer addict - my mom called me on that a while ago, but I am cutting back!
*We don't have TV - not because I have noble goals, but because it costs money and I know that I would completely lose track of time and get even less done should I have it.
*I have gone more then 3 days without showering. More commonly I make it to the 3 day mark. It's not something I'm proud of, it just happens.
*My kids are usually only bathed once a week. In fact, Kienna thinks that if I give her a bath it means that tomorrow is Sunday. This is mostly because Kaia and Saryn have bad eczema and my doctor told me to only bathe when necessary as it aggravates the skin.
*I take showers that are probably double the length of the ones I used to take. I might be a little bit more dirty, but it's mostly just standing in the shower enjoying the water and not being able to hear anything else..... no whining, no crying and no demands. Does this work? Sometimes. This is also one of the reasons my kids watch movies. I get a chance to shower - YAY!
*I LOVE Disney movies. I frequently have them on for me more than the kids. Sometimes I fight over which movie to watch just as much as they do because I want to see my favorite one.
*I frequently have my 4 and 6 year old do errands for me. If I need a diaper, a can of corn or something thrown in the garbage, Kienna and Kaia are my little helpers. This is especially true if I need something put in or taken out of the basement. I am actually scared of the basement (which I have just discovered I inherited from my mom).
*I secretly hope bad things happen to perfect people.
*I didn't take my kids tobogganing even once this whole winter. I hate the cold THAT much. It wasn't worth bundling my kids up to go stand out in the cold for that long.....especially with a newborn.
*I sometimes blame my kids for things that happen that were really out of their control. For example, Saryn colours on the floor. This is Kaia's fault because she should have noticed it. Hmmm, maybe I should have noticed too??
*I have punished Saryn by showering her. Not with hot or cold water, just a nice shower. She just really doesn't like the shower head. Even the suggestion of a shower gets her to be good immediately. Hey, it works! She wouldn't EVER stay in bed. I had tried everything. Being nice, being mean, not paying any attention, just putting her back into bed....you name it. I said, "Saryn, if you get out of bed again, you're going to have a shower" and we haven't really had a problem since. She might have some hygiene problems later in life, but for now....it works like a charm.
*It can take me up to 6 months to finally tackle a stain on my couch, walls or floors that has been bugging me.
*I have OCD tendencies in organization, but not in regimines. I only work well on a schedule, but I don't have the discipline to follow them....therefore, I don't always work well.
*I truly believe that I have the most beautiful children in the world. My friends are at a close second and those I don't know.....well, some of their kids are funny looking (some are really beautiful too). I'm not biased, I just know the best looking people.
*I frequently don't know what is wrong with my kids when they are sick. After four kids, people seem to think you know everything, but I REALLY REALLY don't. I am flattered by the questions, but I usually give some off the cuff advise and then say, "Oh, I don't know" afterwards. That way I look like I've learned something in my 6 years of being a mom.

Well, I think I have neglected my children again long enough.....I better get to it. So, anywhere there's some dirty laundry for you to look at. Ironic that as I typed this, I had my kitchen floors coloured on by Saryn.....truly, I realize I'm not perfect.....but I AM trying to get better every day. It just seems to be a really really SLOW and steady process.

The One that Got Away...

While dealing with my typical Saturdays, I was cleaning and running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Kaia, Kienna and Saryn had completed their chores (stripping their beds and dusting) and had asked if they could play outside.

"No!"

"Why?"

"Because you're still in your pajamas"

"Okay, well, what if we get dressed?"

"Great idea....just please don't wake Jaymeson up while your changing."

Moments later, guess what I heard? That's right. Jaymeson crying. He somehow woke up at exactly the same time the girls were changing - total coincidence. So, as I'm dealing with Jaymeson, the girls all go outside and start playing in the backyard.

As Jaymeson is settling down, I heard SCREAMING. I know my girls screams pretty well by now. This was a blood curdling terrorized scream - but it was Kaia. I didn't fully panic. Jaymeson was almost asleep and if there was something REALLY wrong, Kienna would scream too.

As that thought crossed my mind, Kienna joined in and they were both screaming 'Mom' at the top of their lungs. I KNEW something was wrong. I was absolutely terrified as I threw Jaymeson down in the crib and RAN downstairs to make sure that I still had 3 living girls. Something was wrong....

Yep, apparently Saryn had only heard the "Because you're still in your Pajamas" part and assumed if she took them off that was all that was necessary. I just about had a fit - but of course, I had to take a few pictures first. My little 2-year-old (luckily it was only about 0 degrees this day), with nothing on but her diaper, managed to get her winter coat on (unzipped of course) and somehow find Kaia's sandals (because you can't wear normal shoes or boots without socks) and go outside thinking she had done exactly as Mommy had said.

Why Kaia and Kienna didn't think to walk inside and tell me that their sister wasn't quite dressed for the weather, I don't know. But I believe that they NOW know what the proper procedure might have been. They were just casually sliding down the slide when I came outside while screaming their heads off. I'm surprised that social services didn't come to follow up on that one.

Oh, and some quick Jaymeson pics.....

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

A Classic, is it not? One song is becoming particularily meaningful to me. It's the one all the Brides are singing through the winter.

"In November the snow starts to fly, piling up, ankle high.
In December it's up to your knees, still a Brides' a Bride to be (I even have my anniversary in Dec....how cool is that?)
January higher still, to the parlor windowsill.
February finds a drift, and a storm that seems never to lift.
March comes in like a Lion, what else? Still the snow never melts.
April Showers will come, so they say, but they don't and it's May....
You're about to forget the whole thing......
All at once, one day, it's spring....."

Well, up here in the great north, we're still waiting for that day. It is encouraging to me that we're in the last line of that song though. Yep. Last Friday (March 27th), my little family went outside on one of the warmest days we've had all year (around 3 degrees) to build a snowman. Jarett came home a little bit earlier than normal to spend some time with the family and fun was had by all!! You can see that we're not to the point of snow melting quite yet....Check us out!!

Saryn carried large amounts of snow on a spoon to help out!!

Kienna carried around this carrot for SO long until she finally got to put it in...

What a great Daddy!! We sure had a fun day!!

Classic Saryn

This little girl is SUCH a princess.
I couldn't help but take some pictures when she came upstairs saying, "I so beautiful mommy".

(note her polka dot purse she was carrying too)

and of course, every princess has her "Glass Slippers"

on the wrong feet.....

She Did It!!

Kaia went to the dentist last week and she had a great check-up....the only problem was that she had 2 cavities. So we got to go back on Wednesday and have the cavities filled. One on each side of the mouth, so she had to get frozen on both sides. Two Needles!! She doesn't do well with pain, so I was SO nervous. Our dentist was SO good and he distracted her enough to get the first needle in. Once she decided that she didn't like that, she refused to let them do the second needle. Once promised that she could have a prize after the second needle AND after the fillings, she consented to let them do it. I was so proud. She did a wonderful job and there have been no complications. She made such a wonderful little chipmunk. Aren't you just so proud of her??

New Hair and Little Porker

Just a few quick pictures. I got my hair cut last Tuesday and thought I'd post a picture. Also, Jaymeson is just getting so big, I thought I'd show him off too!! Enjoy!




Saryn obviously was able to pamper him a little bit by donating her "Bankey Wowers" and her Winnie the Pooh stuffy to his swing. It's amazing how fast that little girl can be. Oh, and she has become enthralled with a Easter decoration. Here she is rubbing noses with it....

Jordana Fitzner - come on down.....

This is the name of Kienna's primary teacher.....and a reader of my blog, so HELLO JORDANA!! I just thought I'd write a little blog for you. Kienna LOVES Sister Fitzner (as read in her journal entry). She talks about her all the time. Sister Fitzner said this, or Sister Fitzner did that. She EVEN knows King Benjamin because she brought him to class!! (I'm pretty sure this was her husband or father-in-law dressed up as King Benjamin, but Kienna is SURE that he was the real deal. Kienna says in her prayers how thankful she is for Sister Fitzner and always LOVES going to Primary. In fact, Sister Fitzner gave her a Christmas Present last year and it had a sweet little note in amoung some other fun things in a can (that is used as a treasure chest). This note is Kienna's favorite night time "story". It simply says,

Dear Kienna,
I love having you in our Primary class. You have such a sweet smile and love to answer questions. Thanks for giving me big hugs! Merry Christmas!
Love,
Sister Fitzner

Last week (remember that this is the day after we got the "motivation items") Kienna said the prayer in primary. Jordana told me that she said in her Primary class' prayer, "Please help me to not wet the bed so that I can get my Cinderella". So funny.

Yesterday, Kaia pulled out an Activities book. It had an idea to make a Christmas Cracker...you know, the kind that you pull on both ends and it pops open. Kienna just HAD to make one for Sister Fitzner. She worked on it SO hard and was just about to tie up the second end when she realized she had to put something IN it. She had realized that one of her paint pens had dried up and she was SURE that Sister Fitzner would want that - so in it went. Somehow that just wasn't enough, so Kienna inserted a magnet she had received from this weeks visit to the dentist (more to come on that later). Isn't that sweet?? Now, it might sound very sweet, but there is a slight awkward part. Jordana's husband is also a dentist. They moved into the ward after we already had THIS dentist, so we have never gone to him. I suppose that every dentist still needs another dentist though, right? Now they have the phone number for another dentist in the ward. I probably would have tried to sneak the magnet out, but Kienna was SO excited about giving it to her and just couldn't be talked out of it. Luckily Jordana has a great sense of humour and I'm sure is laughing right now about the irony of the whole situation.

Thank you Jordana for all that you do. It sure makes all the difference in the world to have a GREAT Primary Teacher. We sure love you.

Serves Me Right....

What do Lotion, Shampoo, Conditioner, Vicks Vapo-Rub, soap and exfoliant all have in common??

No, this isn't the beginning of a very bad joke. It, infact, isn't a joke at all. The answer is simply: These are all things that Saryn was able to get into and smear all over her hands and then follow by placing her hands in her mouth while her mom was typing up the previous blogs.

I suppose it serves me right for blogging. I kept an eye on her for all but 5 minutes. I guess 5 minutes is all it takes. Sigh. The punishment?? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The look on her face when she put her hand, full of Vicks' Vapo-Rub, in her mouth showed that she did not need a punishment.... she will NEVER do that again.

Motivation, anyone??

So, it all started last Saturday. We were in the new super Wal-mart that just came near us - YAY!! Then we saw them....the princess Mega Blocks. Now, we already have a ginormous set of Mega Blocks with Ariel, Cinderella and Belle. These are wonderful. These sets were little individual ones with just a few blocks and some figurines. There was one set with Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother and the Mice and another set with Ariel, Sebastian and Flounder. We couldn't believe tat they were only $6 each. Perfect incentive toys.

All 3 of the girls have been working on something. This would be the perfect reward when they finished the appointed tasks. Each girl picked which one they wanted and we talked to them explaining that they could only have these IF:

Kaia - you have to be happy for a week. It's okay to feel sad, or even cry a little. BUT there will be no tantrums or claiming that we never get our way or that today is the stupidest day ever.

Kienna - you will have to go a whole week without wetting your bed. That's it.

Saryn - you just have to go potty on the toilet.

So it's a week later. How did we do??
They are still on the top shelf in their cases.....so, you do the math. Sigh.

Kaia has had an ENORMOUS improvement. With just slight coaching, she was flawless for about 3 days. Then a total breakdown. She has only had 2 all week, which is HUGE. She is now on day 2 again.....so there really is some hope.

Kienna went for 5 days straight. We couldn't believe it. Then Friday morning she came downstairs and I asked her if she had wet her bed. She hesitated and then said no. I asked to see her Pull-ups and she said, "Okay, They're just under my pillow". She went and got them....and they were dry.... but - well, you know what was in them. I was SO surprised. She hasn't done that for at least a year or two....but then I remembered that they were UNDER HER PILLOW!!! Gross!! So that was fun. She had a great start to the week though, so she'll get it down very soon, I'm sure!!

Saryn has not yet gone on the potty. I put her on and she'll sit for all of 5 seconds and then says she's done. The second her diaper is back on, she'll fill it. She is scared to go on the potty. I think the void freaks her out. She needs to know where everything is going. We'll get there though. Sigh. She did have 2 times that she wet in the potty a few weeks ago, but has fought it ever since. Thus needing to get the toy for incentive.

We'll get there....don't you worry. THIS WILL WORK - THIS WILL WORK......

Decision Magic

So, "Barring Unforeseen Circumstances" we will NOT be going to Colorado. We both listened to MANY people whom we respect.....and we have decided that it is time to finish up school and get on with life. We have also decided the best place to do this is near family - which is almost all in Calgary. So, we figured that getting the JD just wouldn't help us out in the Canadian market and we will be staying here....unless we see some reason that changes it, but that is VERY unlikely. YAY!!!

On Wednesday, Kaia pulled out a pot and a spoon and said that she wanted to do a magic show. She was going to make Candy. She had done this 2 Christmas' ago when we were at the Law School Christmas Party. They had a magician come in and she was the assistant. She helped him make candy and was amazed that she actually made Smarties appear.
So, she was going to do this again (she might be a little bit sick of the health kick that Jarett and I are one). She took out the pot and the spoon. She had everyone put in a magic ingredient. She said the Magic Words (which we all yelled "Happy St. Patrick's Day" for - the magicians words were 'Merry Christmas', so, as it was the day after St Patrick's Day, she did her own take on that), took off the lid and was SO disappointed. She was SURE there was going to be candy. I explained to her that it simply just wasn't a magic pot. She seemed to be okay with that response. Sigh....my little magician in the making.

Making a Record

That was the topic of our most recent FHE. We read about how Nephi kept a record on the plates and how we have been told to keep our own record in our day. We call these records "Journals". Kaia responded right away...."but Mom, I don't have a Journal". Typical Kaia. She had to have a way of being obedient. You just can't break rules. You can only imagine their excitement when I pulled out from behind me the journals that I had been keeping (VERY spuradically) since they were born. I showed them a few things that Jarett and I have written in there and they were super excited. We decided to ask them a few questions and write down their responses. Jarett took Kaia and I took Kienna and we had some "Journal time". Saryn went back and forth between the journals and the piano and Jaymeson had no idea what was going on. We have to get them Journals soon (this might show just how spuradically we write).

Anyway, these were their responses.

This is Kaia's journal. She enjoyed this so much that she has written more just by herself. This is what Jarett asked and then her responses:

Favorite Part of Church?
Ummm, learning in Primary and singing songs.
Why?
Because Princesses love to sing.

Favourite Part of School?
Going on Field Trips and when Mommy comes.
Why?
It makes me happy because it is fun.

Me and you went camping (talking about Jarett and her)
Why did you like it?
Cuz' then I got to have time with just me and one other person.

Favourite songs?
Alien french song, Whenever I hear, I am a Child of God, I Wonder When He Comes Again, Mother Kneeling.

Oh, I love doing my heart thing (this is a latch-hooking kit).

Favorite Food?
Apples and Oranges, Ham, Candy.

Favorite Movie?
Disney - Tinkerbell
About Heavenly Father - The one about the Pioneers (Legacy?)

Favorite thing about Violin Lessons?
Doing scales

My favourite things about Kienna are:
I like Playing Barbies
I like Playing dress-ups
I like doing crafts with Kienna
That's all about Kienna

Something that I like is I like going swimming. I like doing crafts.

KAIA CAHOON

Then added a couple days later:

Favourite Part of Winter:
Playing in the snow, building a snowman, making crystals, drawing in the snow and making snow angels.
And now I want to write my favourite candy:
chocolates, lollipops, cookies, popcorn, cheese and crackers.
My favourite part of Jesus:
He created us, He created the World, He can do miracles.
My favorite part of summer:
(she wrote this part)
Peking flowrs playing outside going out for a wack.

Kaia


Kienna's journal was done a little bit differently. I just asked her what she would like to say and then wrote her responses. Here are her words:

We are having Family Home Evening. I love my family but mostly Jaymeson because he's a baby.

My favorite game is checkers because I want to learn how to play. (I have never played it).

My favorite part of church is learning songs in primary. My favorite song goes like this "I love Mommy, she loves me, We love Daddy, yes-siree. He loves us and so you see, we are a happy family." I also love I love to See the Temple because it's about the temple and I've never been there before. I want to go someday.

I love holding Jaymeson. And I love kissing him and hugging him.

I love dancing with Saryn and when she plays the piano (you remember she was playing the piano at the time). I play Barbie's with Saryn while Kaia is at school. I love when Saryn gives me hugs.

I love playing house with Kaia. (Mother/Daughter). Kaia is usually the Mom and I'm the daughter.

I love to eat apples with cheese, oranges, peppers (bell peppers), and sometimes even snow - is that silly?. I also love Juice and Milk.

I love dancing with my Dad like he's the prince and I'm the princess.

I love snuggling with people and eating candy. My favorite colour is purple and my favorite movie is the Little Mermaid.

I love to colour pictures and hang them up on the wall in my room.

My teacher is Sis. Fitzner. She gives me candy snacks. She has taught me about princesses. Last year I was a Sunbeam and now I'm a CTR 5.

My favourite colour for curtains is white and curly.

Jaymeson always punches me and it makes him laugh.....but it hurts me......it really does!

Kienna

Where Should I Live??

Well, I took the test. Apparently I should live in:

Italy

You belong in Italy. You love sunny destinations, but a nice beach isn't the only thing you need. In Italy you can find culture everywhere and the food is delicious. You have the big vibrant cities, but also lovely little towns where the people are warm and hospitable. This country has everything you need, great weather, passionate people, beautiful surroundings and big vibrant cities filled with culture.

What do I say?? DONE!! I'd go there in a heartbeat. The reasons I don't??
Family, Friends and Money. Kinda the things that run my life. I just might have to go visit Italy one day though. It sure does sound like my kind of place!

Just Weighing In....

Just did Jaymeson's Immunizations on Wednesday morning. I thought I'd weigh and measure all the family while I was at it. So, here's our weighing in.....

Jaymeson is at a whopping 16 lbs 14 oz and 26" long at 4 months. He has jumped from the 50th percentile to the 75th.

Saryn is 36 lbs (she has actually lost weight) and 37" tall at 2 1/2 years - still off the charts.

Kienna is my tiny little thing (still around the 90th percentile) at 41 lbs and 45" in height at 4 1/2 years.

Kaia is at 52.5 lbs and 48" in height. She's always been tall and is still a good head above most of the girls in her class.

Jarett and I are both trekking along with the weight loss. Jarett is about 40 lbs down from last year and I'm about 30 lbs down from the day before I had Jaymeson. It's kinda cheating including all the weight of pregnancy, but it makes me feel better about myself!! Anyway, just wanted to record all that. So.....here's weighing in!

Uneventful Events

I apologize for the lack of blogging recently. I've been a little distracted and haven't been on the computer hardly at all. I had the opportunity to go to Calgary last weekend for Teacher's Convention and spend a lot of time with my Grandparents. I really want my kids to know what wonderful people they are, so I want to spend as much time with them as possible.

Kaia playing the violin for Grampa Jubber
He also plays the violin, so this was a special moment for her.

I also took this opportunity to ask them questions about their personal histories. I found out a lot of neat things. My Grandparents are from South Africa and as I was asking my Grandpa about all the places he's lived and all the significant events in his life, I learned that he was baptized at 8, but he wasn't allowed to receive the priesthood because he was South African. I didn't know that. Apparently, you had to trace your lineage out of South Africa before they would ordain you to the Priesthood. This was a rule that was not known to the leaders of the church, the local leaders were somehow lead to believe that this was necessary. So when David O. McKay came to South Africa, shortly after he was made President of the church, he changed the rule. That is when my Grandpa was finally able to be ordained to the Priesthood. I found that fascinating. I suppose it is reasons like this that the church has been globalized so much more.

On another note, Saryn has started doing two really cute things at bedtime. When I sing her a lullabye, she asks, "Will Jesus wake me up?". I'm not sure how to answer this.....or what she means, but it's sweet, so I'll take it.

I think what she is saying in prayers has finally hit her. When we pray and say, "I'm thankful for my family", she stops, opens her eyes, puts her hand in the air and says, "I have a family!!" Then we'll say, "We're thankful for this food" and she'll say, "I have food!!". I think she's finally figuring out that we're thanking Heavenly Father for blessings that we HAVE. It was a fun breakthrough. Or, it will be when she stops interrupting every prayer between every sentence.

Saryn doing a puppet show for me this morning (while in the puppet bin)

Oh, today I played with the girls for a while and then went on to cleaning. It was coming up on lunchtime and I hear Kaia run up and down the stairs. I went to go see what was going on and she had left me a note:

Mom i am hangry can we hav sam food ples
Kienna and Kaia

She totally sounded it out all by herself, I was SO proud. Not bad for a little girl in Kindergarten, eh?

Anyway, I said I have been a little distracted. We have been having a long week with making a big decision. Jarett has had the honour of being accepted to the University of Colorado Law School to get his JD. This would mean leaving in the fall and doing 2 years in Colorado. After this, he would have his MBA/LLB/JD (the LLB is a Canadian Law Degree and the JD is the US Law Degree). This would mean accruing more debt (approx. $80,000 USD) and putting off working for a year, along with relocating the family two more times. We are in the process of deciding if this degree would be worth the investment. I think it is mostly coming down to the decision between living in Canada and the States. If we don't get the JD, we will for sure be in Canada for the remainder of our lives. If we DO get the JD, we have the flexibility to go between the two countries all we want. This would also give us the opportunity to receive all of our US Citizenships in addition to our Canadian citizenships. It's hard to know what the Lord has in store for us, so this really has been a difficult decision. Anyway, we are still trying to figure out the outcome, but I will keep you all posted when that happens.