Pinewood Derby

{All on his own}
Jarom totally rocked the pinewood derby contest this year. He got 1st place twice, 2nd place twice, 3rd place once, and 4th place once. When it was all said and done Jarom ended up getting 6th overall!! WOO-HOO! However, that's not the best part. The best part was that he did his car pretty much all on his own. AWESOME!!!


The only help he got was when I took him to Hobby Town and helped him pick out paint, stickers, and a few accessories. Oh and we also got a wedge shaped block of wood since I had ZERO idea on how to cut that square block of wood into any type of shape without cutting off my finger or something like that.

{Best Hot Rod}
He also got the 'Best Hot Rod' award and it was awesome. His leaders really went all out on the awards and the refreshments.

{Edible Pinewood Derby Cars}
I think the kid's favorite part were the super clever refreshments (Twinkies with Oreos for wheels) that looked just like a pinewood derby car. He has the best leaders!!!

{Love You}
I am so proud of you Jarom, and the determination and confidence you had to just do it!! You are so awesome son. I am so grateful for you...you make being a mom easy. THANK YOU!!


{Crash and Burn}
You might say we had so much fun at the pinewood derby we crashed and burned. At least that was the case with Brea. She had so such a good time that she ended up falling asleep before it was all over. What a fun day for the whole family!!

Music, the Microscope, and a Black Eye

{Music}
Okay I admit it I slept in today. I woke up at 6:30 (I guess I am going to have to wake up at 5:00am to beat the kids) and heard my two oldest once again down on the piano figuring out to play their Let's Play Music songs on the piano. I can't say enough amazing things about this awesome music program!!!! It is so inspiring and teaches the kids all about music in a fun, entertaining, and interactive way! The kids can't get enough of it, and are learning more than they even realize.


So back to my morning. I hadn't even been awake 2o seconds before my sweet Hyrum came over to the bed as I was rolling out of it and told me he was stinky, had a sore bum, and needed a diaper change. Oh and he was also hungry. Well, I got him taken care of and told the other two to help themselves to a bowl of cereal and rushed upstairs to take a quick shower (oh boy did my hair need a good washing it was looking BAD). I was thrilled that I was able to get in and out without anyone needing anything and before the two baby girls woke up. WOO-HOO! All was looking a little better.


I was getting dressed and still listening to Jarom and Megan playing away when I remembered about Jarom's piano books I had purchased for him a year ago. Yes it was almost exactly a year ago when I had decided (without talking to Jarom) that it was time for him to start taking lessons...needless to say he wasn't ready or interested much in taking piano lessons. However, now he was showing interest and I thought to myself I wonder what would happen if I quietly laid his piano books on the bench next to them.

I decided I wouldn't say anything to them at all just set them on the bench and see what would happen. Well all I can say is SUCCESS!!!!!!!! (TJed principle do WORK!!) Within 20 seconds Jarom spotted his old piano book, busted out the books, and started playing. In fact he was playing so much that Meg and Jarom were actually fighting over who's turn it was to play the piano. I don't really go for the kids fighting, but if you they are going to fight I can't think of many things I'd rather have them fighting about. :) Before long Jarom started taking turns and was actually teaching Megan what he knew...giving her a lesson of sorts. I tried to stay out of the room so they didn't feel any pressure from me. I wanted it to be something they were playing out without my interference. After reading How Children Learn I was even more aware that children often learn through play. Right now playing the piano was just that play, but boy were they learning a lot while they were playing. And best of all they were doing it because they had been exposed to music and had decided 100% on their own to pursue it more on their own.

{Structure Time NOT Content}
I was tempted when it was 9:30 (yes almost 3 hours of piano playing with a short breakfast break) to interrupt them because we were suppose to have devotional at 9. However, I tried to be patient and let them continue what they were doing. I knew eventually they'd need a break and would stop playing. Its hard to break from the conveyor belt mentality that we do math from this time to this time and reading from this time to this time and instead structure time NOT content. What I mean by that is that I structure 'study' time during certain blocks of time during the day. But I don't structure exactly what has to be done in that time. Sure I usually have a plan, but if the kids take it a different direction we just go with it.

I think I am finally starting to get that concept. I mean what good would it have done me to stop them from doing something so amazing as self directed piano practicing just so devotional (which is also important) wasn't late. It just doesn't make sense now that I am starting to see the bigger picture. Eventually we will get to devotional and all the other things we need to study, but if my kids are really into one thing for an entire day then there is nothing wrong letting them dive 100% into that topic. We can study what I wanted to expose them to today tomorrow. No worries!! I love the freedom and flexibility this gives me. It also help the kids get more out of each day. If they are interested in what they are doing they will totally retain and learn more about that subject than if I forced them to study it at a certain time just because the schedule dictates that.

{Devotional}
So back to my day...finally around 10 they did stopped playing the piano and we had our devotional. Which is starting to really get amazing. A few weeks ago I introduced scripture mastery into our devotionals. This year we are studding the New Testament and so we are going to memorize all the seminary scripture mastery verses too! I am so impressed with the kids. Four days ago I introduced this idea and presented Mathew 5:14-16 as the first scripture to memorize. Tonight Scott, me, Jarom, and Megan all had it memorized. We worked on it this morning and then tonight after dinner all recited it by memory to dad. What an accomplishment. I've also (starting today) introduced journaling during devotional. Its the last thing we do before we close devotional and the kids were so excited about it. In fact Megan continued writing in it throughout the day as she would remember something else she wanted to include in her entry. Devotional is the most important hour of our family's day by far.

After devotional the kids started making paper airplanes again. I was feeding Becca now and with them at the kitchen table making airplanes I sat on the nearby couch and started reading our morning book A Wrinkle in Time. We are four chapters into it now and the kids are staring to really get into the story. We read for probably 30 minutes before the kids needed a break and started having flying contests off the loft down to the first floor, and I was busy changing diapers and getting ready to put both baby girls down for naps.

Once I got them both down for naps the kids were wrapping up their contests and looking for something to do. It was lunch time so we did a quick pick up of the house and ate a little lunch. I've started setting a timer once everyone has pretty much finished eating their meal/snack giving them 10 more minutes to grab any other food they may need to sustain them until the next snack or mealtime. Once the timer goes off the kitchen is CLOSED! I finally resorted to this after many many days of feeling like my kitchen was always open and kids were constantly snacking because they didn't eat enough at meal time.

{History}
After lunch the kids helped pick up and them they were kind of looking a bit board so I whipped out our history book and officially started our history lessons. I purchased a couple of books called History of the World which are in narrative form and tell the history of the world. The best part is they are entertaining and easy enough to follow along that I just read out of the book and we were all completely memorized by the story of King Charles V who was alive in the 1500's and became king of most of Europe. This happened because his father was king of the Netherlands, one grandfather was king of Germany, and his other grandfather was king of oh shoot I forgot but another big European country. When they all died he became king of all of them! To bad his desire to become the ultimate leader drove him to his death bed basically and he ended up giving up his thrown to his son and uncle. We are studying modern history which I planned on starting around the 1700's but the book I purchased started a little earlier and it was such an interesting story that we are starting in the 1500's. Jarom was so cute while I was reading this and was cuddled up next to me the entire time I was reading.


{the Microscope}
After about 30 minutes we were done with that and the kids were restless so I pulled out a book about cells and basic life cycles. Then I showed them our brand new microscope and for the next hour or two we read about cells and played with the microscope. Cooper and Hyrum even got in on the microscope action. SO FUN!! I love hanging out with the kids.


{Playtime is learning time}
The kids continued to play, do some arts and crafts (Megan did a couple projects on her own), and hung out for the next hour or so. I figured out what I was going to cook for dinner and started making it with my assistant chef Megan at my side. She is such a great helper. I am actually starting to enjoy cooking again and am finding peace in the process instead of frustration in the huge mess cooking makes. Okay I am still working on finding peace, but I am getting better.

{Scouts}
Jarom had scouts tonight so we spent about 30 minutes looking through his scout book to see what requirements we still needed to work on and signing off requirements he'd already completed. Jarom will turn 9 next month and move up so we are trying to make sure he is ready to advance. He is my first scout and I am trying to figure out what it takes to be a good scout mom. Hopefully I be a quick study and be up to speed before to long.

{making time for Dinner}
For dinner tonight I decided to actually set the table and not cheat and do it buffet style like I usually do. I brought out the glass dishes and everything. It was so nice to not be up and down all through dinner. Everything we needed was at the table...my little family isn't so little anymore and I am starting to feel like I need to set some family traditions like a quality dinner time together talking about our day and eating good food. Tonight for dinner it definitely met my expectations and we all sat around the table relaxed, enjoying our time together, and talking about our day. It was beautiful.

{Bedtime}
Bedtime was great tonight. I bathed the kids, and then took plenty of time (I didn't rush it at all) and read the little boys 7 or 8 short books and sang them songs then moved on to my two big kids and read them an entire chapter out of our night book Tom's Midnight Garden. Scott finished the older kids up with songs. Anyway it was just a very pleasant day and evening. I have TONS to do still so I'd better wrap this up and get going. Its already 9:30....ahhh.

{the Black Eye}
Oh one more thing. I just have to write this down and document it with pictures before I forget. Last week Hyrum had an unfortunate encounter with a wall.


Basically he was running so fast that he miscalculated and ran into the wall instead of through the door.

This week Hyrum has two black eyes as a result. Whenever I say something about his eyes he points to his forehead (that is where he actually hit the wall) and tells me all about running into the wall and how bad it hurt.
I don't know if her realizes that his forehead looks fine its his eyes that look beat up now. What a tough little guy.

Airplanes and things that fly...catching a SPARK!

So yesterday night Scott, Megan, Jarom and I returned from the ultimate homeschooling field trip to Washington DC! It was awesome, and now I have a big job in front of me to go through the pictures and journal about our amazing experiences we had with the two older kids. Maybe tonight I'll have the energy to do that.

The reason I start with that was that I totally assumed that today would be a 'homeschool day off.' I have loads of laundry to do, a house to make heads or tails of, and kids (oh and me too) that have been out of the habit of our daily routine for a week. I just figured I wouldn't stress about inspiring today and just worry about working through the mess of coming back from a trip. However, to my delight and surprise today ended up being a fairly good homeschooling day. The only reason it isn't amazing is because I still have yet to do devotional with them, but we'll do that tonight at FHE so I guess that will count.

Today started out slow and late. I was exhausted from all the traveling and crazy time changes. I woke up about 7:40 and remembered that Jarom and Megan had riding lessons at 8:30...not much time to get everyone dressed, fed, and loaded in the car. We made it only a few minutes late (which was miraculous) and the kids had a blast! They love their lessons.

I dropped them off and rushed home to tend to the other kids and try to get a start on putting my house back together. I was able to unpack all the bags, start the first few loads of laundry, and pick up breakfast before it was time to pick them up. That was HUGE!

The boys getting ready to launch their paper helicopters. They totally worked and were so fun to watch spin down, down, down!

Once we got back home I fed Becca again and pulled out some of the souvenirs we picked up in DC. I put a paper airplane making book we picked up at the Air and Space Museum and then made Becca a bottle and started feeding her on the couch. Within minutes the kids spotted the airplane book much to my surprise and started making airplanes for the next 2 hours. They made all sorts of styles and had all kinds of contests with them. I was happy that they were busy playing and finished some of the household chores that had to be done. Once I was done and again sitting on the couch feeding Bec I started to read to them A Wrinkle in Time. That lasted for about 40 minutes before I felt like no one was listening anymore due to their complete excitement with the new airplane contest they had invented.

Then I remembered the How Airplanes and Flying Things Work book that I had purchased as well. I had planned to try and do some other things during 'school' time with the kids today, but realized that the kids had a SPARK and I had an Opportunity to capture that SPARK if I acted on it. So I did, and it WORKED!!!!

Becca fell asleep and so I put her in the swing and walked over to the table and sat next to Jarom. I started reading to him all about airplanes and how the invention of the airplane timeline. People are always saying and I totally believe it that all the subjects (ie math, science, history, English, etc...) are actually one HUGE interconnected subject. Today I had a real experience with that when Jarom and I were discussing the history of the airplane.

His first question was, "So mom if Nana is 53 today what did the airplane look like when she was born?" What an awesome question. So I asked him how he thought we could figure it out. We talked about it and did the math problem 2008 - 53 = 1955 we then looked at the timeline and talked about what airplanes were looking like back then. Then he asked, "So mom what did airplanes look like when Nana's mom was born?" Good question and so we made some deductive reasoning and again created another math problem to figure out about when Grandma Aleen was born. It was awesome!!!

Then we began reading about the Hot Air Balloon. He was so interested and even though he was still making paper airplanes would often stop and follow along as I read. We learned all about our air and what it was made of, the differences between hot air versus cold air, how hot air balloons work, where we get helium from (not the air), and at the end of the chapter it showed us a little experiment we could do.

I was so glad we had all the needed items for the experiment because Jarom was anxious to do it, and I wanted to capture his curiosity before it moved on to another subject. We did a little experiment showing how hot air expands becoming less dense and cool air condenses becoming more dense. The kids had a ball and after we were done with the experiment Jarom said it was the best homeschooling day ever! What a reward hearing that was!

So today in our homeschool we covered science, reading, spelling, history, math, arts & crafts, and writing. Sounds like a success! I just love homeschooling!!!

Here Jarom with the balloon as the air is starting to get heated from the steam in the boiling water below. It was starting to really expand and we were excited.

Jarom kept a little log of how many inches the balloon expanded while heating up. Here he is measuring the balloon.

Once Jarom was done heating it up he cooled down the air by putting the water bottle in ice water. Boy oh boy did the air cool down and pretty soon the balloon was limp and deflated.

Here Cooper is with the totally deflated balloon. Wow what a great experiment!

Randomness...

{Fun with Aunt Darby}
A few weeks ago I went out of town and my awesome sister Darby watched 5 of my kids while Scott and I got away for our 11th wedding anniversary. Every day she would text me multiple times a day letting me know what they were up to and occasionally sending me pictures too. It was so wonderful and helped me relax and just enjoy the vacation rather than worrying about them the whole time.

In fact when we got home I asked them if they missed us, and they said they loved me but didn't really miss us because they were to busy having lots of fun with Darby and Jon. She had planned activities for them to do out of the Family Fun Magazines, scheduled time for my sister and sister in law to come visit, took them to the mall's splash pad, and the list goes on and on. I am so thankful to have such an amazing sister who was willing to create such a fun experience for my kids while I was out of town. Thanks Darby!

Oh and the best part like I said was that she took pictures for me of some of the things they did. Here are a few of them dipping apples in chocolate (or caramel) and sprinkles. YUM!


{Brea eating}
Even though Brea has 11 teeth she's had texture issues since she was a baby and has had a hard time getting use to eating solids. When we were gone to NY Darby helped her get over some of those issues...thanks goodness!!! She started loving eating, and one day Darby said she sat in her booster seat for an hour happily eating. Of course she refused to have any help, which cracked Darby up. I am so glad she snapped this picture of what Brea looked like after and hour of feeding herself. What a hoot!!


{Jarom's sickness}
The day we were returning from our trip to NY City Darby called to let us know that Jarom had come down with a stomach illness of some sort. He had thrown up 6 times in the last 12 hours, and was having trouble holding even water down. Of course I got worried and was grateful when we were able to get an earlier flight home to be with the kids sooner. It took him 3 days before he was able to start eating again, and when he finally requested eggs and jello as his first meal we all celebrated! I was so grateful that he was getting stronger and making a turn for the better! The first thing Jarom asked once he was filling better was when he was going to get his $6. Scott has a deal with the kids that if they are sick and throw up in a bowl, toilet, sink, etc... they get a dollar a throw up. I was totally cracking up the first time he presented the plan to the kids, but it totally works. I am just waiting for one of them to make themselves throw up because they need a little extra cash. :)


{Pokemon Mania Continues}
Yes this is totally random and doesn't quite fit with the rest of this entry, but I wanted to document that all my kids are still obsessed with Pokemon. Here Megan and Jarom are playing the Pokemon Battle game. I have to admit it's a little tricky to play and requires a lot of positive interaction between the two of them. So here's to Pokemon!

Riding Lessons

In October of 2007 Megan got her first taste of riding on the back of a horse. We were at a school camping trip and you could pay to go for a ride on a horse. Megan was ecstatic and even though it started pouring rain right in the middle of her horse ride she refused to dismount but continued the ride even though she was sopping wet (which is huge for Meg because she doesn't like getting her clothes wet).

Since then Meg has been asking non stop about horses. Her obsession never let up, and last spring after a trip to the library she brought home at least 20 books on horses. I figured the undying obsession would ware off, but it hasn't. During the Olympics we watched the horse jumping competition, and that finally convinced me she was serious enough to take it to the next level and actually sign her up for lessons.


I found an awesome instructor not far from our house and we've been taking lessons for a month now. Jarom is also taking lessons and seems to be enjoying it a lot too...but he needs to thank Megan for his good fortune. If it wasn't for her undying love for horses Jarom probably wouldn't be so lucky and wouldn't be talking horseback riding lessons.


On Labor Day Scott was able to take them to lessons and snapped a few photos. This was the first lesson that they were totally riding on their own without the lead rope hooked on the horse. They are learning how to steer the horse, proper riding techniques, and also how to care for the horse. They have to brush the horse, get the mud out of its horseshoes, put the bridle and saddle on, spray the horse down at the end, and everything else that has to happen to prepare and care for the horse. I love it, and think its great to learn about the work and effort that goes into caring for such an impressive animal.



The name of the horse that Megan and Jarom ride is 'Chewy.' Its so cute because Megan just loves talking about 'Chewy' and how much she loves her and loves riding her. I am so thankful that they can be taking riding lessons right now and get exposed to horses. I wish I had time to take riding lessons myself...maybe I will in a year or two. :)

Pokemon Mania...

So my kids are totally into Pokemon. I am not exactly sure how it all began. Over the past few months I've reluctantly learned that I also need to learn to love Pokemon, and help my kids get inspired to do things with Pokemon that will expand and enrich their educational experience. I know you may think this sounds crazy, but its actually working.

A few months ago we researched all about the creator of Pokemon. Where he lived, how he came up with the Pokemon concept, etc... Then for the last month or so the kids have drawn, traced, and created lots of Pokemon art projects which has been fun. Pokemon has also spured many many hours of creative imaginative play. (Which is great since we don't watch much TV or play many electronic games.)

Last week we slowly started back into school, but our life was kind of crazy because we were in the middle of changing our 'office' into a school 'project room.' So I didn't have the ability to focus 100% on the kids. So I decided to get creative and brainstorm with Jarom and Megan regarding what they wanted to study that week. When the idea of creating an original Pokemon matching game came up they were all for it, and I was anxious to see what would happen.
The results were GREAT!!! They spent the whole drawing the playing cards out and creating the directions for the game. I was so proud of their creativity and determination. The best part was they figured out how to do it on their own and stuck with it for the whole week. Way to go kids!!


At first I tried to encourage Jarom to write by hand the instructions for the game, but after thinking about it again I realized it would be good practice for him to type the instructions up instead. He was so happy to be able to use the iMac for a school project.

I loved how careful he was when typing up the directions for the game.

Summer storms and tadpoles...

So yesterday night we had a HUGE monsoon storm hit the valley. I was actually driving home with my six little kiddos from a week in at the homestead (which was glorious), and could see the entire sky lighting up after I got out of the Salt River Canyon. It was amazing to see the sky light up like fireworks were going off and watch the huge fingers of lighting reach across the horizon. Sometimes it was so bright it was a bit distracting and I had to remind myself to stay focused on driving safely.

When I finally pulled into the driveway around 11pm I noticed the strangest sound. After a little investigation we realized it was the frogs. I haven't ever heard anything like it...and it was kind of neat to listen to the chorus of frogs in our subdivision.

This is our first summer in our new home in Queen Creek and Jarom (our oldest) has been hearing stories from the other neighborhood kids about the frogs that seem to appear after monsoons in the greenbelts. So this morning my boys got their Dad to go search for frogs. They didn't find any frogs, but they found TONS and TONS (I'm trying to smile about it as I see jars of them on my kitchen table) tadpoles. Jarom, Cooper, and Hyrum were so excited to show me and can't wait until they start turning into frogs. This afternoon Megan even jumped in on the fun and found some tadpoles of her own.

Here are some more pictures Scott took this morning of the tadpole expedition!

Jarom and Cooper checking out their little creatures.

Hyrum getting in on the fun!Yes they caught them all by hand, and most of them were in the rain gutter on the side of the road.

Cooper finding a little tadpole for mom.Ultimate boy bonding...finding tadpoles after a summer storm.

Family Photos at Last!!

So its REALLY HOT in Arizona right now (I think it was 104 the day we took these photos...of course it cools off in the evening to 99 or so), but I decided it was time to do a family photo with kiddo number 6 anyway!!! Scott was a great sport, and went along with it even though he pretty much hates having his picture taken and REALLY hates being out in the heat. He is such a great husband.

My sister Darby who owns her own photography company, and is totally awesome at taking photos took them for us. I am so lucky to have such a talented sister.

The kids did really really great. And to my surprise all of there were happy and cooperative throughout the entire photo shoot.

{Megan}
I LOVE this one of Megan. She looks so cute...I love the dramatic effect of black and white.
This one really shows off her contagious grin. Megan just sparkles when she smiles. She has such a fun personality and is always willing to help me with anything I need around the house.

{Cooper}
This picture of Cooper is one of my favorites. He was asking a classic Cooper question while Darby was taking this picture, and I LOVE how she was able to capture his adorable curious inquisitive look. Everyone loves Cooper's curious personality...its charming!
I love has candid this picture is and how REAL Cooper's expression is...just checking things out.

{Hyrum}
Hyrum's little smile always brightens my day. I love his cute little eyes, and how they almost disappear when he smiles.
This is such a 'classic' Hyrum face. I am SO glad Darby got this one on film so I can have it forever.
Hyrum's serious side. I love his cute little expression. So typical of Hyrum.

{Brea}
Brea was so busy moving all around that we finally got lucky and found this little wall and hedge. She was stuck and Darby was finally able to get her to hold still and get some awesome photos.

Here Brea is on the move with a mission!
I just LOVE her cute little smile!!! What a sweet little or should I say big sister.

{Jarom}
I really really like this one of Jarom. It captures his serious happy side. Jarom has always been such a deep thinker for his age, and I think this picture was able to get that side of him.
Jarom is always full of it (in a good way). He knows so much info about lots of topics he is always teaching me something. Here he is in a teaching moment. Gotta love it!

{Rebecca}


This little gal has been such a surprise and HUGE blessing to our family. She is two months old now and the cutest little thing you ever saw. I love the sweet innocence captured in these photos. I was worried that it would be hard to get a good photo of Becca, but Darby really came through!! YEA!!!!

{the Family}
Okay its not perfect. Megan was hot, sweating, and VERY itching while we were taking this photo. So she doesn't look that happy. In another photo Megan looks a little happier and I think we are going to take her smile and eyes from that photo and put them on this photo. That will make this about the best photo you can expect with 6 kids in the middle of a HOT August evening. I am just so excited to get a photo with our ENTIRE family of EIGHT! WOW!!!

{the happy Parents}
At the very end of the photo shoot we were running out of light, but we were able to get a few of Scott and I. Aren't we cute? I think we look pretty darn good for having 6 kids 8 and under!!

{the Celebration}

Finally at the end of the photoshoot the kids got to play in this awesome fountain by where we were taking photos. They were excited (and so was I) that we were done taking photos! I am just so happy to have some updated photos to hang on my wall!!!!!!! WOO-HOO! All I have to do now is decide on which ones I want and what size I want them so I can get them printed up for my very bare walls!!! Thanks again Darby!!