Week Synopsis 8/25-9/1

Monday August 25th- I have been concerned lately with the lack of thought put into our children's prayers-you know the repetition prayers, "help me to have fun". I decided to have a family home evening lesson on prayer. We talked about why it is important to pray and then how. We had them teach us how to begin, end and what we do to show respect with our bodies during prayer. Then we talked about things that money CANNOT buy that we are thankful for-trees, flowers, animals, daddy alive (Ryland said that one). Then we talked about what kinds of things we could pray for help with. Afterwards I found a little prayer handout where the kids were able to go through old friends, and Ensign magazines and cut out pictures of things they could thank Heavenly Father for in their prayers-- and glue them to their paper. I was hoping this would help with their repetition, and help them to think of the MANY things they could be thankful for rather then trying to end the prayer really fast. Ryland cut out 3 pictures of kids-and we labeled them as friends, sister, and mom ( I just think he liked the pictures of the kids). Colton put a fish, water and bread. At first he was cutting out a whole bunch of different species of fish (I encouraged him to expand that horizon). And last but not least, Sterling did baptism, the prophet, and priesthood blessings~ the quickest and surest of the lot. We have heard a little difference~ but I should be taking to my own advice!

Tuesday August 26th-It was Enrichment night. We had a salad exchange (which was super yummy! and right up my trying to do weight watchers again alley) and a skit and talk on gossip. I had a part in the play because they think I have the most problems in this area( ha ha~just kidding...speaking of gossip) really though, after hearing everything that evening--it really makes you think before you speak! I really don;t believe too many older mature people gossip intentionally or with harm in mind--but it really happens and I came away wanting to do better!

Thursday August 28- I was all ready to go play in my first game with my new co-ed softball team. I a m a bit nervous since I do not know anyone on the team besides our ol' ump buddy "Crash". After calling to confirm things I found out that they were not holding games on Thursday because it is a holiday weekend. I had a free night home, and I started to make dinner. We needed tomatoes...so when Dan got home I sent him out in the garden to get some. After awhile I realized that the house was quiet. ALL the kids had followed Dan out into the garden and were in the garden helping him pick tomatoes or looking for squash, while checking the progress of our Halloween pumpkins. I was just so happy to know that. I went out to peek at them and the breeze was blowing. I saw all my kids out in the garden and this is how I always envisioned my future life would be-it was a reality. It was my heart~ outdoors with a garden full of children. I was content and at peace with where my life was at

(while I cleaned Dacie unfolded, the folded laundry and found more creative uses for the items of clothing)

Friday August 29-HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE CLINT-he is a private person...so I don't think a post would be considered a "gift" to him! Was a SERIOUS house cleaning day. I knew we were heading to Phoenix for the weekend AND I wanted all in order. My friend is holding a rummage sale to earn money for the local special Olympics team--I decided it was time to get rid of the things I was holding in our garage for a future garage sale and donate them to a better cause. We now have our garage back! After organizing and cleaning allot of that--of course I had to go through some old tupperwares. I also cleaned out the old book repair tub by those tupperwares and threw most of it away. Then I took some tupperwares out back for the kids to play in their sand stuff,and went through all of the kids outside toys-more throwing things away. Don;t stop me now! I moved into our bedroom and cleaned off the pile on our desk, moved to the box next to the desk-filing and throwing away as I went! I also got my new calling stuff organized and music time stuff organized into one box (as I found that I was getting released this Sunday). I now had a much more organized room.

I washed 3 batches of clothes and folded them getting ready to pack. Then we mopped floors and cleaned bathrooms as our Friday chores before FUN time. Packed all four kids suitcases for three days and myself, loaded the car...AND I was tired before we even left. BUT if felt good to come home to all this work done! (I did not even touch the the last twilight series book I had sitting right next to my bed!)We made it down to Phoenix! Saturday August 30- Happy 10 year reunion!!!(Nope not my highschool reunion)-- 10 years ago today one of the people I had the privilege of meeting and teaching while serving my mission was baptized--Mark Mackay. He is one of my favorite people in the whole world! (oh don't worry THE POST is coming) I celebrated appropriately by going to the temple with Dan (for our stake temple day as well). I always LOVE going to the temple and am always IN LOVE with Dan when we go. It was fun seeing people we knew there, and doing names for Sister Olsen in our ward.Even though we are already in the valley it always takes us forever to get out of the house and get to the temple (it probably did not help that I stayed up SUPER late the night before to read the twilight book). So by the time we were finished we had to rush home and wake up the boys (Colton and Sterling) from naps to take them to a Diamond Backs baseball game!
Colton has been begging us for quite sometime to go to a game. This weekend was a perfect time to go!! We saw the Diamondbacks play the Dodgers. It was heritage night and it was quite the Fiesta!!! We (the Diamondbacks) lost, but we were not disappointed as a girl ran onto the field and got tackled. Quite the entertainment!

(Much to Sterling and Colton's delight--It wouldn;t have been a ball game without the smuggled in M&M's, water and some field bought Nachos!!!)

After the game we had parked quite a ways away and had a good little walk. With all the serious monsoons and micro bursts that have been happening it was super humid (like Houston humid) and trees were ripped out and stakes broken, parking lots flooded, bushes flattened. It was quite a different scene to walk in for our typical desert scenario.

(Like father like son~ Colton and Dan (above)/ Like Mother like son~ Sterling and ME (below))

BEAT THESE FACES JENTRY!

(we are having an ugly face contest)

(The whole crew at the game-BEAT L.A./Alicia, Sterling, Dan, & Colton)

(Dacie is such the flirt! Flirting with Grandpa on Sunday trying to avoid naps!)

Sunday August 31- Dan's parents have been "empty-nested" for quite sometime now (much deserved after 6 kids). But, due to recent events that nest has become quite full (much to Dawnsters(Dan's mom's) jubilee). Some of Uncle Clint's homes main pipes burst and flooded his house while he was traveling for business. His home is being dried out and repaired. He is living with his parents until the damage is fixed. Aunt Kerri has moved home after leaving her job in Texas and recently securing one in Tempe as an athletic trainer. Uncle Scott is home for 6 week break at BYU-I with a roommate named Tommy. Add us to the mix this weekend and that house was FULL!

Our family stayed down in the basement, but there is ONLY ONE CLOCK down there that reads an hour earlier. We were wondering why our kids were waking up an hour earlier than they do at home, and then we were really wondering why we entirely missed sacrament meeting when we had been EARLY for church. Dan said this is the only time he has not felt guilty about being late to church. ha ha ha Not gonna lie...it was nice sending the kids straight to class and having combined meetings the rest of the day. Dan and I were on at date at church! We could not catch another sacrament in another ward...as the next ward does not appear until an hour after the ward we attended was done. We were apostates!!

That evening we had a little birthday celebration for Uncle Clint. I was glad we got to be there. It is rare we get to celebrate our siblings birthdays, and we very rarely get to let people know how much they really mean to us in person anymore!

(Riding BUCKY (Uncle Scotts nick name) Style! Going Buck on Buck the horse! ha ha)

Monday September 1- HAPPY LABOR DAY!!!! We started out the day by going swimming at Dan's cousins home (right behind Dan's family's). The boys swam for 4 hours straight and Dacie/Dan lasted for 3. I got some good Twilight reading in there as well!

We came home to Uncle Scott falling down the window well and going through the basement window. Glass everywhere!!! (without a scratch on his leg). He is painting the exterior of Dan's parents house while he is home, and ...oops-he fell. Dan's mom sent me out shopping with Dan so I could find some nice Sunday clothes to wear, since I wear them allot more frequently with my new calling, meetings, and other ward visits. We headed to the mall KID-LESS. I could not secure the plain skirts that I am looking for...but I have not given up hope! Dan and I have decided that the mall is worldly and materialistic--but it is fun to go people watch!~

While we were gone Dawn stuffed some of the HUGE zucchinis we brought down from our garden with us and we ended our great extended weekend on a high note eating stuffed zucchinis.

Too bad the trip home was anything but a high note-and the night that proceeded as well! We bathed the kids and had them in pj's hoping they would sleep on the way home. Instead they whined because they were so tired and did not have complete beds to sprawl out in! After we got home we proceeded to take the kids in as quickly as possible to lay them down. As I unlatched Dacie and went to pull her out of her car seat she let out a blood curdling scream. I did not know it at the time BUT I had pulled her wrist 'out' (we know it was not her shoulder or elbow, thanks to Dan's education and her reluctance to let us get close to her wrist). She was in soooooo much pain! We thought she was overtired and tried to just lay her down...but it ended up with me sleeping in bed with her-- and in the rocking chair for the rest of the night, waking up (no lie) every 15 minutes when she would twitch or move -- only to have her wake up screaming. I felt awful-with four kids- I have never done that once!!! At 2:30am I was ready to take her to the ER just for some morphine for the pain (since IBproferen was not touching it). BUT $800 plus dollars was too much for a night cap! Her and I just rode it out together. I was crying the whole time! The next morning just as I was calling the doctor to get her in. Ryland jumped on her while she was laying on the couch (the first time I had set her down in 12 hours) and I heard another blood curdling scream, only to find her wrist was absolutely back to normal. Don't ask me how, but we have not had a problem since. Ryland got her to snap her wrist back into place.I think this is the first time Ryland did not get into serious trouble for hurting his sister!!!

(Don't mess with the sista! ~Bed head and all~ This face was all too familiar that entire evening!)

That was our SUPER week, how was yours?