Hairspray Girl

So Jenna gets out of the tub last night and as I was combing her hair, she straightened her hair flat to the side of her head and said, "can we do my hair like this, not curly?" I told her we could try but I didn't know if it would work since she has pretty curly hair, especially in the back. So we got the blow dryer out and began. She was pretty patient and by the end, she was kind of giggling. Her hair wouldn't straighten the whole way out, there was a cute little flip at the ends. So the conversation was like this.
Jenna: My hair looks different!
Mom: ya, it does, do you like it?
Jenna: Ya! Hey! I look like Hairspray!
Mom: Hair spray?
Jenna: Ya! you know, the hairspray girl!
Mom: Oh ya! Tracy?
Jenna: Yah! Can I have my hair like this tomorrow? Mrs T won't know who I am!
Silly girl! So needless to say, she wore it that way today. I'll post a picture later. She looks so grown up that way. Even Michelle couldn't believe how different she looked when she walked into the bathroom.

New Dating Deal

So, I made a deal with Brad that if he had a date set up on Friday nights then he wouldn't have to take his turn babysitting for me. It has to be with a different girl and not just a "hang out" date. Well, he is up to the challenge. He is finally past the "girlfriend" thing THANK GOODNESS! NOT a good thing for a young man who is preparing to serve a mission. It is so interesting that they can't see how wrong it is for them to steady date until they are out of the situation. He made a covenant (is that sacrilegious?) with me that he would not have a serious relationship with a girl till after his mission. He won't kiss, hold hands nor date the same girl more than a few times but always someone else in between. He and Mike are planning a pizza game night this friday. woo hoo!

Jenna's Veterans Day

Since Jenna doesn't really fit into the "teenage" mold, she had her own idea of what a fun day off would be. She begged to go to the park. So we asked her best friend Abby to come with us. We were at the park for about 10 or so minutes when whey came running over asking to go to a

different park because they were bored! Sheeze! I told them we could always go home and do some work! They didn't like that idea so ran off to play only to come back about 10 minutes later asking if we could go to the choo choo train park. Long story short, they finally just played and we stopped on the way home and got an ice cream cone from McDonald's. Then they sat at the counter watching the Spencer's "tiny" black and white TV eating their ice cream. Abby asked, "can't it change into color?"

They made lipstick with their ice cream and wanted a picture. Abby was very good at this, she must have lots of big sisters to watch and practice with! Jenna would rather be outside riding her bike or something!!

Silly girls! So glad that all my kids have great friends!

Our Veterans Day

Started about 8:00 a.m. with a bunch of teenagers making breakfast. I was surprised they started so early being "teenagers" but anyway, they made a HUGE breakfast of hash browns, eggs with sausage, waffles, crepes, juice, fruit with dip and french toast. They made the fire alarm go off and also flipped the power breaker twice. They did have a yummy breakfast with only a few waffles left over. They used about 2 1/2 dozen eggs and 2 loaves of bread! But the best part of all cleaned up after they were done. Then they all hung around till about noon playing games. Ahhh the life!

Family Home Evening Treat

So every now and then I get the idea that I will make something more exciting for our FHE treat besides the typically easy brownies or ice cream, so this week I attempted cream puffs. They are a bit of work but they turned out pretty good. Everyone liked them except Jenna. (she really wouldn't give them a try) she always just goes for the plain vanilla ice cream. I'm not sure I did them exactly right because the recipe said after they are baked slice them open and remove any small amounts of dough that may be left but there was a lot of dough left in mine. I filled them with chocolate pudding mixed with whipped cream. I guess I'll have to try it again and see if I can do better.

Brad got asked to the dance!

Last Friday morning we were reading scriptures at 6:15 a.m. (blink, blink!) and the doorbell rang.

This is what we found on our porch........ Brad's said, "Alyssa who! I know 3 Alyssas!"

Shannon said, "My bet is on Alyssa Miller!" Brad kind of asked around and did find out it was her. The girls were sooo excited. They kept asking him, "how are you going to say yes?! Can we help you do it?!" So being the great sisters they are, they cut out the shapes and flowers while Brad was helping Spencer put a new fuel pump in his car (which had been sitting waiting to be fixed for about 2 weeks, but that's another story). Then he took the three older girls with him after it was dark and stuck them all over in her lawn. So now we wait for the dance. Poor guy, having 4 sisters he doesn't have a chance! What a great husband he will make someday!

Cinderella, Cinderella, Cinderella!

The plan was to take Rachel and Jenna to the play at Hale Theater on Saturday to see Cinderella. But the day didn't start off too good. We had alot of "attitude" going on and alot of disobedience. I called Kristi Bradshaw and told her to see if she could find someone else to use our tickets. There was alot of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth along with screaming and such. I was feeling pretty mad inside because I wanted to see the play. Then about an hour later thought, "wait, why am I punishing myself?" It all worked out because Kristi found someone for 2 of the tickets so mine was still available. It was such a cute production. I was sad that my girls didn't get to go and experience it too. They would have loved it. It must be hard for Heavenly Father to have to withhold blessings from us when we don't do what we should. Gosh being a parent is hard sometimes.

Life is never smooth

With these 5 amazing kids I have, one of them will be going thru something hard and that is the main source of my concern and then when that trial gets ironed out and thing are well with them again, someone else comes up with a wrinkle that needs attention. I guess we wouldn't grow if it wasn't that way.
I am so amazed at how strong my kids are as I see that things they have to be around every day when they are away from home. I'm not sure I would be as strong and resilient as they are. They have strong testimonies of who they are and what is right. I am so grateful for good leaders and scriptures and prayer to help us. Raising kids is so hard but I feel so blessed that I was chosen to have these 5 beautiful children to help guide. At times it can be so overwhelming but other times it's just TOO MUCH FUN!

For the Temple is a holy place....

Yesterday was our stake temple day and I was able to go and do 3 sessions. That is the first time I have ever done that. I was quite surprised that it didn't seem like that long. I left about the time the kids do and made the 8:30 session. I met Spencer there, he had gone earlier and done sealings. He left and I stayed and went to the 10:30 and then the 12:30. I got home just as my highschoolers were geting home. It was a good day!

Haaaaallll-llloooo-weeeeen!!

This is not one of my favorite holidays, in fact, it is my LEAST favorite. I will be glad when everyone is big enough that we don't have to bother with it anymore. .... let's see, hmmm I guess I have a few more years. It was a CRAZY day! Our ward youth did baptisms for the dead (Stacy said "what an appropriate thing to do on a day like this! ha, ha, so funny!) so the girls left about 4:00 with Spencer as one of the drivers and workers at the temple and Brad left at 5:00. Rachel went to a friend's neighborhood to a block party and then to trick or treat so that just left Jenna and me! We sat down to watch a movie to kill time before candy time.

Jenna was a cute priate and her friend Morgan was a pumpkin fairy thing.

Just as it was starting to get dark, we set out the pumpkins and lit them all and then off she went with the neighbors while I stayed to pass out candy. Shannon got home around 7:o0 or so. Michelle got home with Spencer around 7:30 and Brad returned around 8:00 or something like that. Shannon went off to be with her friends, as did Michelle and Brad too. Hmmm, do I feel unpopular? Naaaaa!! Rachel came back around 8:30 and she and Jenna continued to play with the neighbor kids till around 9:00. Shannon came home with some of her friends around 10:00 and they started a movie. Brad showed up with a couple of his buddies about 10:30

they grabbed some costumes and left again.

Shannon's friends left about 11:00 just as Michelle was coming home. Brad returned at midnight! Holy Cow! Teenagers!!!!! They don't need any sleep! I usually take the late shift (waiting for the kids to come home) and Spencer takes the early shift (getting up with the early bird little girls). Sooooo Silly

The candy haul!!

Rachel had already taken her costume off. See her costume below in previous post.

Carving the pumpkins!!

We don't carve our pumpkins till just a day or two before halloween because it is hot here and they deteriorate very quickly. We have discovered the carving kits that make it look like you are a pro. Everyone enjoys doing them and they are relativly easy.

Shannon doesn't really get into doing it so this year she played the piano while I carved her pumpkin.

Jenna did her's mostly by herself too. so here they are for your awe and amazement!

Brad's Creation Jenna's zombie I picked the easiest thing, Rachel's window. (spencer had to help just a little with the spider) and michelle's half done Merlin (she ran out of time because she was getting some homework done)