Gratitude Rundown

Welp, it's that time of year again when we put up our Thanksgiving or "Gratitude Tree". I put it up the Monday after Halloween and that night for Family Home Evening the message was the story of the 10 Lepers (and always is for the Gratitude Tree activity). 

Then after the kids each got 8 leaves to write things they are especially thankful for this year.

We made a new rule this year though that you can't write down something that someone has already written down. To make it easier on the younger kids I let them go first.

I took a picture of 1-2 things that each child had written down of the 8 they were given because I like to remember ...well, and it's awfully entertaining.

KELLYN

I'm glad she went first because I was worried someone was going to take her's.....

whatever she wrote.

ROYCE

Royce didn't understand "What are you grateful for?" So I asked him the question, "What are you favorite things?" and he told me things like his blankey, the corner on his blankey, pizza, baseball, ice-cream, McDonald's......you know, the essentials. But my FAVORITE he told me to write down was this:

"What is QT?" you ask? Only the thing he thanks Heavenly Father for in EVERY one of his prayers! (without FAIL!!)  Only the place he begs to go everyday! Only the coolest ...

GAS STATION IN TOWN!!!!

We didn't know such a classy and AWESOME gas station existed until we moved here. (Did I just say "classy" and "awesome" and "gas station" in the same sentence?!?!? Oh yea, I did.)

Let's just say if you have NEVER been in one, you are missing out on the cheapest, most variety and better-then-slurpees slushies around.

IRIS

She continued on with some of the essentials like "tag", chips, chocolate milk with the surprising addition of "school" since it's hard enough to peel her off the sheets in the morning. 

Oh, and this:

"Cake". Duh. How could she have forgotten that?!?!?

With most of the "good" ones taken it's going to be harder and harder for the older ones to think of the "un-takens" for SURE!!!

Aleeya

She came through for me in writing down Church though

I decided NOT to bring up that the VERY day before she was bawling because she didn't want to go to church that Sunday. Benefits of short-term memory I guess.

Aleeya DID stick to the crucial things though: Thanksgiving, food, water, earth, mangoes, kiwis.

Her last one was my favorite though.....it just describes Aleeya in ways I just can't.

She wrote down...

That girl's confidence never lacks.

Emerson

Since our high-class-ness has already been shown in the gas station-fettish and McDonalds being listed, I will NOT be embarrassed that Emerson put this on the tree.

Because it's true. I too am SUPER grateful for Kmart.

Camden

My favorite of Camden's is pretty typical of him and the first one he quickly wrote down:

Climbing Trees.

Bronson

The one that warmed my heart from his leaves was this one:

His siblings. How nice to know he isn't tired of them because I rely on him a ton. They all look up to him and Kellyn prefers him (or Camden) to put her to bed at night. She will jump out of my arms to have her older brothers put her to bed instead. Bronson is so good at watching them and can calm the crying Everly down easy when he takes her out at church.

And because Brooks and I are such saps I put our two side-by-side:

So sweet huh. Or is it? The fact that 7 of my children filled out their leaves before and no one wrote down our names?....hmmmm.....if I'm going to be after something I'm okay with it being after QT.

Brooks and I both wrote down things like washer and dryer, dishwasher, car and things that just make our lives so convienent nowadays. We are so spoiled living at this time...and it's NOT just because I'm reading books based in the 1800s and what they had to do daily....okay, okay, it kinda is. But I'm STILL so thankful to be living now.

On top of those conveniences it was a no-brainer for me to put down books and....

for obvious reasons!

Oh yea, I also wrote down something I'm BEYOND thankful for and truly am grateful for MULTIPLE times during the day. Because without this, I would have to confront the 2 (or 3!!!) of my least favorite things of my kids' many many times.

You have no idea how grateful I am for those.

Why not....

Brooks had to do some work at Myrtle Beach and in Sumter, SC and since it coincided with the kids' Fall Break last month we decided to tag along.....why not, right?

Because what could be more relaxing then taking 8 kids to hotels by yourself while your husband works.......Ahhhhhh, this is the life.

Oh wait, the reading-by-the-beach thing only lasted for a 1/2 a hour, but it was nice. The hotel had two pools and a huge hot tub. And surprisingly, KELLYN was in the water most of the time!!! She's become quite the fish lately and was SO happy there.

I tended to stay reeeeeeally close to the huge hot tub because hot tubs are what make up my dreams at night....in a craving and addiction type of way. Isn't the hot tug big?

We really had fun the first day until we had to be out of our room by 11.....and we couldn't go get Brooks until 4. 

I asked the front desk when we cleared out of our suite if we can still play in the pool and they said yes. 

Commence operation entertain-the-kids-for-5-hours-without-a-"home base".

We grabbed some big time McDonalds and I found an open field in the middle of town for us to eat in (it looked like softer grass from the road....apparently, it was infested with little thorns but hey, it was still fun). The plus side is, with thorns, no one else was THERE, so I could feed the baby and change diapers without anyone around.

We went back to the hotel and swam and played on the beach.....but to be honest, October/windy/beachwater is kinda cold, so the beach part didn't last too long.

We went to go pick up Brooks at 4 and it turns out he wasn't done until FIVE. Okaaaaaayyyyyy. 

The trick was that Bronson did NOT bring shoes (he was CONVINCED he threw them in the Yeti) and Iris lost hers at the beach or someplace, so it's not like we could go IN anywhere......which isn't my style with 8 kids anyway. 

Thank GOODNESS for Cookout.

If you have NOT eaten at "Cookout" before, I feel really sorry for you. Their milkshakes rock (and I don't even like milkshakes!)

They had tables outside to eat tucked way back by some trees.

Okay okay, so besides the whole SHOE thing, I realize I couldn't have taken them inside anywhere ANYWAY dressed like the above. But heck, we're on vacation.....no rules.

Meaning.....it's ALSO okay to sword fight on tables.

After all, we had a hour to kill......

We picked up Brooks and then went BACK to the swimming pools and beach with him to give one more farewell to Myrtle Beach. When it got dark we headed for Sumter, SC....2 hours away.

I was in luck because I have a friend who's HUSBAND is from there and so I called and asked what is fun to do in Sumter with the kids while Brooks works the next day.

*silence*

The silence was actually kinda awkward.

It wasn't until I arrived in Sumter that I realized WHY the silence........because it's not really......how should I say this?.......a "destination" kind of place.........bless it's heart.

But hey, Grandma will be proud to know we stayed at a Springhill Suites (her favorite) while we were there, and the hotel was nice. So that's something, right?

After taking Brooks to work there in Sumter the next morning we were planning on swimming at the hotel. Aaaaaaaaaaand, the pool was out of order. 

WHAAAAAAAAT?!?!?! 

NOW WHAT?!?!?!

I asked the front desk if it would be fixed soon and they said it wouldn't but we could go to one of their other properties in town and use their pool. (after we checked out of that hotel and packed the Yeti again) The pool wasn't as nice, but clearly I'm not one for classy.

We were the ONLY ones there, which worked out perfectly because apparently the pool maximum is "10"......and with me and the kids that means only one other person could've come in.

We needed to go eat lunch and the kids suggested McDonald's (again!) because after all, they reeeeeally thought they had a chance at collecting Monopoly pieces for a million bucks.

The McDonald's had a play land and the kids BEGGED to go in. The problem was..... two of my children didn't have shoes to even WALK into McDonald's. I told them it was a no-go. Then Camden came up with what he said was a "genius idea".....I would call it closer to "sneaky" but regardless, it was an idea.

The Idea: Bronson and Iris could stay in the car. Everyone else would walk in, order and go to the play land to play/eat. Then I would bring out Camden and Aleeya's shoes so Bronson and Iris could put them on and walk in with shoes to the play land.

I have to say.....he totally gets an "A" for problem-solving and I didn't want to burst his bubble so we followed his plan. I had to keep a REALLY close eye on Emerson though because I kept seeing him trying to ask people for their monopoly stickers on their food and even reach down into the trash to look for more playing pieces. If he didn't LOOK like all my other kids I could've claimed I didn't know the trash-scavengering child!!!! Like I said, I had my hawk eyes on him....and once my eyes got tired of playing hawk I told the kids we would go to Swan Lake.

Swan Lake is the ONE destination place my friend finally came up with, and golly, I wish we would've spent all day there!!!! We could've easily done so.

Royce took off his shirt.....no one has shoes......whatever.

In fact the statue THERE was supportive of my parenting skills with the little boy running on TOP of the wall with his shoes off!  If only the statue was shirt-less as well.....

So "Swan Lake" is a cared-for (by rangers) location for swans, ducks, geese, turtles, etc. There are trails everywhere. The loop around the main lake for us took about a hour and a half so it was perfect. The swans are used to people so they could come really close!

And the kids even got to pet them.

I was SO fascinated by these little nubby trees that were everywhere poking out of the ground! (Excuse the child w/o a smile in the picture....in his defense though I could NEVER have done those two days without him and Camden. Talk about SOOO helpful)

The lake itself was so pretty!!!! I loved the trees IN it with their triangular-root-base sticking out of the water (that's where the turtles would "lay out" in the sun)

Lucky for us we DID end up catching one turtle. They could've caught more but the rangers driving around in their jeep-thingies kept coming RIGHT as the kid were about to pounce, so they couldn't. This one catch happened between ranger-passings. :)

It really was the neatest place and the kids were having the best time......oh wait, let me re-phrase that......everyone but KELLYN was having a great time. That poor child didn't get EITHER of her naps that day (she still takes two) and so we all paid for it. Thankfully we were in nature and outside and away from people that she could just complain and cry to her heart's content. There was nothing I could do though since we didn't have a hotel or anything to go to, plus we're all pretty good at tuning her out.

When we drove in Camden spotted a Magnolia Tree (he calls them "Mongolia Trees") and said it looked like the best climbing tree ever. So we hunted it down and he was right. Probably THE best climbing tree I have ever seen.....FOR ALL AGES.

The six older kids just climbed and climbed on it....

while I nursed Everly and delighted in the company of the screaming two year old.

Brooks' work was a block away from Swan Lake and on our drive (ONE BLOCK!) to pick him up Kellyn had already fallen asleep. She was pooped with all the swimming, late nights and no naps......UNDERSTATEMENT!

I kept my cool with the kids the whole time and made sure they were having fun but while driving home I whispered to Brooks in the front seat that my ears were about to pop from all the noise!!! Not to mention pure exhaustion from the corralling, carrying, feeding and smiling from the two days to make sure they were enjoying themselves too.

Just then Camden piped up from the back seat, "Hey Mom, I think this was one of my favorite vacations ever!!!!"

hahaha. So funny. The things we parents do...... Makes me wonder how many vacations mom could've done without but that I loved as a kid.
Honestly though, I would do it again in a heart beat. 

We got home late Saturday night and the rule always is that whoever has left the most stuff in the Yeti gets to clean it out. Turns out Iris and Camden tied so I divided the van in two for them to clean. Camden used my phone for the flashlight to see everything. When I got my phone back there was this video of he and Iris cleaning it......our floor was SO nasty from basically living in the Yeti for those two days with treats, food, sand and boiled peanuts!

 I'm thankful we got home Saturday night... just in time for the throw-up bug to hit a few of us all night. (At least we weren't sick on the trip!)

The the "Worst-Aiming" award goes to.........

IRIS!!!!

Rin Rin

Considering who my children's FATHER is I was actually SHOCKED when Bronson called from school asking if he could stay after for a play practice. Of course I said yes, since that's more my thing (the "play" stuff.....not the "saying yes" stuff).

Bronson's Spanish class (he no longer has Spanish immersion in school in 6th grade just two periods in school of Spanish) prepared a play to perform at the elementary school where they do Spanish immersion. It's a fable titled "Rin Rin".

Basically it's about a frog, Rin Rin who went against his mom's instructions to stay home and went out to explore the world, partied with mice and ends up getting eaten by a duck in the end. The beauty of fables is they teach a lesson and this lesson just so haaaaaaaappens to be 

"IT's BETTER TO OBEY YOUR PARENTS!!!!"

Obviously, I REALLY like that fable.

Anyway, he has had play practice after school three days a week for a month and a half. When he came home and told me he got the part of Rin Rin, I will be honest that among my FIRST thoughts were "oh wow, PLEASE don't tell me he will mumble through his lines like he does in church talks" or "he just might look like he's going through torture up on stage like he did through the Primary program". Obviously a little surprise and I'm-so-excited-but-can't-embarrass-him-by-showing-just-HOW-much was mixed in with those doubts.

I went to the play (the 4th graders got to come watch so Camden got to see him perform) and was SOOOOOO pleasantly surprised. Is he not the cutest frog there is?

Here is a quick clip ( link) of him speaking and the play. To say I was SHOCKED that I could hear him all the way in the back is an understatement. My favorite line was "Si! Esso creo!" haha. And just like his parents, he looooooves to make people laugh.

Sure, I gave my permission for him to be in the play but I did NOT give permission to be embarrassed by him dance moves during the animal dance party. hahaha. This really cracked me up because he and his buddy actually choreographed this when they were supposed to just be dancing to the song. (  link )

Sra. Santiago and her amazing class.......especially Rin Rin.

Flashback

As I was searching for old bee/beekeeper pictures I ran across of a few of my favorite Halloween costumes of our family's over the years...... so here I am....."flashing" back.

Of course one of my favorites HAD to be when Aleeya and Iris were Mike Wizowski and "Boo" from Monster's Inc. It's amazing what cut up felt can make.

2010

THE BEST and MOST USEFUL costumes (since they were made out of sweatsuits)........

"Goldilocks and the Three Bears"

While the boys are modeling sweatsuits, Aleeya is donning an old dress of mine from when I was her age...and since my kids don't have hair forever I would like to thank the world of curly ribbon.

2008

So in my mind this was hilarious.

I mean, when an idea like, "I could be a pregnancy stick for Halloween to announce my pregnancy!!!" pops into your mind, you really think it's a stroke of genius. 

Turns out many people just thought I was a sick nurse instead of a stick with urine painted on her face. If you're wondering Brooks is dressed up as "shocked" for Halloween. 

2008

Although Aleeya's Tinkerbell IS cute in this picture but it's Emerson's costume I want to remember forever. It's Russell from "Up". 

Emerson was OBSESSED with that movie but he's kinda of.....um..... white, caucasian and......skinny ......so maybe that's why it made me laugh when he wanted to be Russell.

2009

This is from 2005 when I just had the two boys. If there was ONE movie Bronson was into (as in EVERY DAY) it was "Jungle Book". So it was obvious to me (and my medical school budget) when someone gave me this black cat/panther costume for Camden to be Bagherra.....

That Bronson would be Mowgli for Halloween!!!!!

Considering my boys just wore undies and no shirts or shoes most days this was just a no-brainer.

Bronson felt riiiiiiiight at home in his costume of orange fabric wrapped around his undies. ;)

Hard to believe my handsome 11 year old was ever that little.

Okay, enough of my flashing back. But that was fun for me.

Halloween

I'm all for creativity and I'm all for the kids picking what they want to be. Thankfully this year they coincided.....especially with my girls' costumes because I'm pretty sure they are the ONLY sisters in all of America that decided to be Elsa and Anna from Frozen.

But IF by some odd reason there might be others dressing up like them, they would be hard pressed to feel as proud of themselves in their costumes as my girls did. ;)

It worked out for me since I wanted to get them these dress-ups anyway. Unfortunately Elsa's dress was only in size 4-6 which is the WRONG size for Aleeya. However she felt sooooo beautiful wearing my slip under her dress. And Iris loved it how I braided a dollar-store mermaid extensions in her hair. Pretty sure we couldn't pull Iris from the mirror for 20 minutes after I did it even if I offered her 100 bucks!

My boys had their minds made up months ago what they were going to be.......

The Three Stooges.

Moe- Bronson

Larry- Emerson

Curly- Camden

nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah

I just found it suuuuuper ironic that 3 days before this picture was taken I was TELLING them that they would have to wear their suit coats for their Primary singing Program at church and they weren't too thrilled. So when they came upstairs CHOOSING to wear their suits (since "that's what the Stooges wear") I tried to pick up my jaw off the floor quick enough before they changed their minds.

A sweet friend of our's here found a butterfly costume at a yard sale last month and brought it over for Kellyn to wear. She turned out so sweet in it.

(I guess I won't make her, Everly and me and Brooks finish up the Frozen cast after all)

I have never BOUGHT a costume for a baby, I've just been given random things or put them together.....but when I saw this Batman dress, I could NOT resist. I HAD to buy it..... my agency was temporarily taken from me.

The BEST part is the attachable cape. OH MY CUTENESS!!!!

I had soooooo many ideas for Brooks and I to dress up as. And let me just say, they were cute and funny, but being married to a I-don't-dress-up kind of husband (love him anyway) it was kind of tricky. 

EVERYTHING I suggested he said no (I mean WHO wouldn't think it was cool to go to a church party dressed up like a doctor with your wife being an ameba?!?! or twinner gum ball machines?!?! or nerds?!?!) he told me he really would only dress up like a beekeeper..... since he's obsessed with being a beekeeper and misses it terribly.

Here's the thing ........ we've lived in THREE places since he's been a beekeeper and done that beekeeper/bee thing in BOTH of the other two places!!! He said, "But we haven't done it here...."

Here we are in 2011:

and in 2007 (Aleeya was the bee since she was a week old and I was the flower)

So Pa-LEASE excuse me feeling tired of my uni-costumed husband's idea!!!! 

But when it came down to it, I wanted him to participate this year in dressing up so I told him I would be a bee, but I've gotta do SOMETHING different and by golly, I would have a stinger.......because after all, you can't go from whoopee cushion one year for Halloween to a lame bee, right?

Brooks went early to go help set up the American Ninja Warrior course he had to run there so I drove the other kids.  I used a stick and TONS of tape for my stinger so the kids at church wouldn't pull it off or move it for that matter. Then I used my hair and tons of wire for the the antennas. Once again making them immovable. These were all good ideas at first until you have to DRIVE (!!!!) and your head is too tall to sit up straight....not even to MENTION the fact that I couldn't SIT with my stinger!!!!! I looked ridiculous sitting sideways and slouching in my seat driving to the church.

But the drive was worth it to see my cute beekeeper waiting for me........albeit an un-original beekeeper.

(Best comment of the night to Brooks: "You know how important the queen bee is to the hive don't you? She's spoiled rotten so I hope you do that too. But you DO know what happens to the queen when she stops producing don't you? ......Yep, that's right, they get rid of her."  hahaha!)

It was hard to catch Spiderman on camera because he always went missing. 

I also didn't see Everly all night either since she just hung out with Sister Looper (the same woman that gets her to sleep every Sunday at church for me).

Royce actually won in the cake walk! He had no idea what was going on except that someone handed him a cupcake so he didn't protest.

The actual day of Halloween Bronson went over to a friend's house (they trick-or-treated while riding in a golf cart. I know, rough) while Brooks took Camden, Emerson and Aleeya (the "faster" kids) over to our old neighborhood that had more children there. 

I took the "slower-paced" children around the block here by our house since they have ZERO expectations and wouldn't last long anyway. They decided to go as a witch, Cinderella and lightning McQueen (because I hid his Spiderman costume in a "safe" place and couldn't remember where I put it. He just wouldn't take it off for sleep and every waking hour and I didn't want it ruined since we borrowed it from a friend. I felt I needed to intervene......now I have no clue where it is. But I DO know it's "safe")

Her cute little crown

Come to find out we moved into the WORST Halloween neighborhood ever!!! Our neighbors directly across the street and on both sides had candy. After that, there were three homes out of 20 homes that answered the door to trick-or-treaters!!!!!  Oh well, they were pleased and thought they hit the jackpot with their 5 pieces of candy. :)

(Since they scavenger their older siblings' candy while they're at school anyway I didn't feel sorry for them)