We are in the midst of sports craziness right now.
Baylee started playing volleyball. She is apprehensive about it. It's new for her and she wants to be good. She is trying really hard though and working out at practices has been great for her.
Tori is cheering at basketball games usually twice a week. She loves it. She doesn't love how hot it is in the gyms though. But she loves practicing stunts, she's a flyer. She loves tumbling, she is one of only two girls that tumble on her team. She has also been doing a private tumbling lesson here and there with her old gym coach to try and learn back tucks. She has really weak wrists so back handsprings on the basketball court hurt her a lot.
Kade is playing club baseball. Lots of stress involved! He is struggling with being committed to a team and practices 4 days a week and just wanting to go play. He loves baseball, but also loves riding his scooter and playing with his friends. He started off the season catching, but is fighting to keep that position right now because there are a couple other kids on the team that are pretty good catchers.
Cole is wrestling. Can I just say, this has been the most trying thing we have ever tried to get our kids through! Even beginning violin, and that was pretty much hell! (sorry, but no other explanation for it) Meets are every weekend and take all day on Saturday. Which is really frustrating when we wait and wait for his match and then he goes out on the mat and gets pinned in 13 seconds. Travis keeps telling him to do all the stuff he isn't allowed to do when he's wrestling with his friends at home. But he just can't seem to figure it out. Thank goodness the season is over the end of February! Travis wants him to continue wrestling, he thinks he has potential since, genetically he should be good at it. We will see what happens next fall when it's time to sign up again...
Bay is preparing for Junior Festival right now. But besides that, no major stress with violin. It's nice to just listen to her practice without stressing about the performing. Her school orchestra is preparing to go to Washington DC in April. They are playing during the 100th anniversary of the Cherry Blossom Festival. (I think that's what it's called) We are both way excited to see the cherry blossoms. One thing we can mark off our bucket list!
Tori is playing piano and preparing for Junior Festival as well. She loves playing and has an amazing teacher that she thinks is the coolest guy around.
School is good for all the kids right now. It's the start of a new semester and Baylee loves the "new start" feel. Tori is still trying to figure out middle school. She struggled the first half of the year a little and her grades reflected that. She hopefully is getting it now though! Cole is finally reading (somewhat). His writing is atrocious still but we are working on it. Kade is doing really well in school. His reading has finally improved, and he is even reading above grade level.
I have figured out that texting was invented for me. I remember even as a teenager I hated talking on the phone, and I still pretty much do. It is just awkward for me. But I do love texting. I love I can communicate with people when I think of something I need to tell them, and they can get back to me whenever they can. I love I can send messages to my kids. Stuff they need to do or remember, or just a reminder that I love them. And I love I have things in writing so when I forget I can go back and read it. And I also love I get an "I love you" randomly on my phone from Travis. It absolutely makes my day to see that simple little phrase from that man.
The kids all pretty much adore Travis. Kade idolizes his dad and loves baseball even more because it's what they do together. Baylee can't wait for him to be her seminary teacher. He has taught for 4 years and is feeling it. But I'm pretty sure if he has the choice he will stick around for one more year just for her. Tori thinks they are BFF's and knows how to work that man better than anyone I've ever seen. He doesn't mind much though :) And Cole pretty much thinks he is a super hero. Although, I am still his favorite lol.
I was worried that once the kids were all in school all day every day I would be bored. Well, I'm still waiting for that to happen! It seems I have less time now than when I still had kids home with me during the day. I help at the elementary two days a week and I love it. I love knowing the kids in the boys classes. And I love seeing them interact with each other.
I started making our own bread. It seems to be the only way to get the kids to eat wheat bread. And besides that it makes our house smell so yummy.
Our house is always a disaster lately. It seems we have no structure around here because we are so busy I guess. It's definitely time to revisit "zones".
Baylee has finished Personal Progress. We had talked about it when she turned 12, and she decided she wanted to finish before she was done with Beehives. Now our new goal is for her to earn it again as a Mia Maid, Tori to earn it before she is done with Beehives and for me to earn mine for the first time. So we can all get it together. Hope we can do it!
Because Tori has an "in" with the Beehive leader. She got her Personal Progress book a little early and has already started picking out experiences to work on. I hope I'm not the one that doesn't finish in the next 2 years!
Dinner is still a struggle every night. I really do love to cook. But trying to come up with something that is healthy and that everyone can eat whenever they get home is ridiculous. I have been really trying to use the crock pot lately, but half the time thats a fail. Either it's nasty or really bad for us. I'm still trying to conquer that beast.
Out of all our kids, Baylee is the only one that keeps her room clean now a days. Which shocks me every time I go in there for some reason. I think it's just because it's so dang cute and she loves it.
The boys room on the other hand is a constant disaster. Even if I give in and clean it for them, by the time they go to bed it a disaster again. And Tori is such a pack rat. She has "stuff" everywhere and hates to hang up her laundry. The bedrooms are one battle I hope to overcome this year.
We try to read family scriptures every morning before school. It's not going very well. We are giving about one more week, then we are going to have to go back to evenings. Although we all get home at such random times, I'm not sure how we will make that work either. Maybe I'm just going to have to start getting up earlier :( Although I have no intention of getting everyone up next year before seminary, so maybe we should just make the switch to evenings now... Well, that is the debate going on in my head every time I think about it.
Travis has started doing the dishes every morning before he goes to work. It is fabulous.
He takes the boys to school every morning. And the girls on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. That is fabulous as well.
