An Update on the “Kids Need Bank”

In November our children began collecting money for children in need. They came up with the idea on their own and we really encouraged them. They contributed a lot of their own money and asked for donations as well. All the money went into a baby bottle, which the kids called the “Kids Need Bank.”

The kids did lots of extra jobs to earn money for the Kids Need Bank. They searched couches for lost coins. They added part of their allowance. They were constantly dropping bills and coins into the bank. My parents sent money in the mail- $15 to be added to the Kids Need Bank. Eventually the cash in the Kids Need Bank grew so large that we had to upgrade from a 4-ounce baby bottle to a large Mason canning jar instead. And still the pile continued to grow.

We talked a lot about what to do with the money. We discussed ideas like donating to a crisis center for women and children, or taking it to the Children’s Hospital. But the kids still weren’t sure what they wanted to do with all the money they were working so hard to collect.

There was an “Angel Tree” at church. It was filled with paper ornaments, and on each one was written the anonymous needs of various people and families in the ward. The kids decided that they’d like to use the Kids Need Bank to buy items for the angel tree.

They thoughtfully and carefully selected two ornaments. Joshua picked one for a 7-year-old boy and together the girls selected one for a 4-month-old baby. They were so excited and could hardly wait to go shopping!

The 7 year old’s ornament had asked simply for pants, socks, and underwear, all in size 8. Joshua was so sad for this little boy when he read that. He realized that this boy wasn’t asking for lego’s or toys for Christmas, but just for basic necessities that our kids don’t give a second thought to. After reading that, Joshua (who’d already contributed a lot of money anyway) dumped the entire contents of his wallet into the Kids Need Bank. Josh is a saver. He values money a great deal. He’d worked so hard for that money and had saved it for so long, but he was so willing to give it all so that another little boy could have a little bit nicer Christmas.

On Monday we got the Kids Need Bank down from the kitchen counter and counted the money. The kids had earned and saved $39.62 and were so excited to see such a large total! Rick and I had promised that we would match anything they’d earned so the kids ended up with $80 total and they were delighted! Rick and I both knew, however, that we’d spend more than that in order to really fill the needs on the angel tree ornaments.

We shopped for the 7-year-old first. Joshua carefully inspected the toys. He chose several nice toys that he himself would enjoy and was pretty sure that a little boy close to his age would enjoy them as well. We picked out several pairs of pants and some socks and underwear also, as the ornament had specified.

The girls were excited to shop for the baby. They picked out several cute outfits and some warm pajamas and a few little baby toys. We added a gift card for diapers, formula, or whatever else was needed. Of course, we included gift receipts for everything we bought for both children, just in case something was the wrong size or wasn’t needed.

The kids proudly paid for the items with the money from the Kids Need Bank and Rick and I paid for the rest. On the way out to the van, the kids were talking excitedly about the Kids Need Bank. They were already thinking of ways to earn money for it next Christmas.

Before we’d even reached the van, however, they decided that the Kids Need Bank was so, so important that we should fill it all year long. So that’s what the kids are planning to do. The Kids Need Bank is already being filled again and money will be added all year long in preparation for next Christmas. The kids are brainstorming ways to fill it even faster. Brenna wants to clean houses and sell lemonade. Joshua would like to mow lawns and have a yard sale. Maddie is still hoping to find money lost in the couch. And all of it will be contributed to the Kids Need Bank.

I am so proud of my children and so thankful that they are learning to give so young in life. They are such sweet children. I am thankful for each of them. I am looking forward to a year of filling the Kids Need Bank together.

Our Funday

We had an enjoyable Monday Funday yesterday. We left the house early and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at IHOP. We never go out to breakfast so this was very exciting and a real treat for everyone. After breakfast we finished some Christmas shopping. We only needed to buy a few things and none of them were for our older kids so we shopped with everyone. Braden didn’t see the items we slipped into the cart for him and the older kids worked to help keep him in the dark. We grabbed some gifts for the families in our Christmas exchange. We also bought stuff for the Kids Need Bank. Once all our shopping was finished, we dropped Brenna’s choir robe off with her director and then went and made Christmas treats with our cousins. We spent the day baking and cooking and talking, we ended up with tons of Christmas treats, and it was such an enjoyable afternoon and evening. The kids missed gymnastics and wrestling (their choice) and it was worth it! It was a fun, festive day!

Another Gold

Joshua had another wrestling tournament today. As usual, I spent yesterday preparing (which, combined with Brenna’s Christmas choir concert, made the evening busy) and got up at 5am this morning so that we could leave on time. The tournament was very large- at the last minute their numbers swelled to nearly 500 kids from around the state. They divided the kids up into smaller groups though so that was nice. It was run pretty well too so we were done by 12:30, which is pretty early as far as wrestling tournaments go!

Joshua pinned his way through the tournament and took home the GOLD MEDAL. He pinned every kid quickly and efficiently and easily, no match was even close. Josh got many compliments from coaches and dads about his wrestling performance. The team coach said he “did everything perfectly” and the assistant coach said his last match was “spectacular.” We are so proud of our studly little wrestler!

The kids and I enjoyed ourselves in the bleachers as well. Maddie had a great time cheering for Josh and making up her own darling little cheers. She was so completely cute! She wants to be a cheerleader and I think she’ll be a great one. She has a bouncy, fun personality, lots of enthusiasm, and she’s gorgeous with those big brown eyes!

Brenna made several new friends and reconnected with a few old friends as well, just as she does at every tournament. Braden spent the entire tournament being a puppy. He was panting and barking and he kept licking my jeans. Asher was exhausted after a very late night last night and a very early morning this morning. He nodded off in his stroller and slept for most of the tournament, with his soft blanket tucked around him and cookie crumbs still on his face. Little Jake was as easy as he always is. He slept, nursed, and gazed around at the busy gym. It’s a good thing Jacob is so easy going and “portable” because he’s been attending sporting events since his earliest days… and I am sure he’ll continue to attend until he’s involved in these events himself.

We had a great day. I’m glad Joshua loves wrestling so much. I’m glad that the rest of the family has fun attending his wrestling tournaments. Wrestling truly is a major family effort and so far we are all enjoying it.

  

Ramblings

We went to the mall yesterday evening. Rick and I wanted to find cell phone covers and car chargers. It was a nice family outing.

Braden was really tired that night. He’s three so he usually walks while we’re out and about, but he was so tired that I pulled out the umbrella stroller for him to ride in. So we had our giant double stroller and the umbrella stroller. I’ve often wondered when we’d need more stroller space than the double stroller could provide. This was the first time that I’ve used three stroller seats all at once, and it was the first time I had two older kids who could easily and reliably push the umbrella stroller for me. Even though we didn’t absolutely need the umbrella stroller too, it was still kind of fun because it’s a scenario I’ve imagined in the past.

While Rick shopped for cell phone gear, the kids and I browsed Gymboree just for fun. The girls, of course, were quite into it. They each found a winter hat that they loved and I was so tempted to buy them… not because we needed them, but because Maddie’s hat had brown trim that totally made her brown eyes pop and Brenna’s had blue trim that was exactly the color of her blue eyes. I didn’t buy them, but I still want to.

We bought the kids their matching Christmas pajamas next. We selected fuzzy fleece jammies with polar bears on them. I also found Jacob a size newborn fleece hat (that is still way, way too big on his itty bitty head) and we bought the older kids new slippers because theirs have gotten too small.

We snacked on cinnamon almonds and enjoyed our evening out. And we got all the cell phone stuff that we needed, which was the reason we went in the first place.

The mall closed at 9pm so we went across the street to Target. We’d promised our eager children that they could do a little Christmas shopping for each other there. The kids were so excited. We split up with them, helping them to each pick out a present for the sibling they were buying for. Brenna got Joshua a Star Wars toy, Josh got Brenna a Fur Real Friend, Maddie found Braden an orange magnadoodle, and Braden picked out a fancy tea set for Madalyn. Amazingly, all four presents were kept secret from the child they were purchased for. Our two youngest boys did not pick out gifts, but I will probably have the older four kids work together to pick out presents for Asher and Jacob soon.

We left Target just as it was closing. We went home, put the kids to bed, and Rick and I enjoyed watching a movie together (but then we both fell asleep during it).

Today was  fun, busy day. I actually got to SLEEP last night! Asher slept all night long and didn’t get up until 8am! And Jacob went longer than usual between nursing sessions. It was nice!

We finished our morning chores quickly and got started right in on school work. Rick is still working night shift so he was supposed to sleep all day. But he woke up before too long. He’d slept a lot the night before. And he wanted to exchange some of the things we’d bought for our cell phones the night before.

I love spending time with my husband every chance I get so I decided to go with him. The kids were busy with school so we brought their work along- the stuff they hadn’t finished already that morning. Thankfully, the older kids don’t seem to suffer from motion sickness! They worked on their assignments while we drove. There were some things that couldn’t be done in the car; those things we’d either finished already that morning anyway or just decided to save for later.

On the way to the mall, we stopped at Target again. Rick and the kids waited in the van while I dashed in and secretly bought a few Christmas presents. We’d seen a few toys at Target the night before- ones the kids really wanted that we knew would get harder to find over the coming weeks- so we decided to buy them while we had the chance. The kids knew I was buying presents, but didn’t know who they were for or what they were.

At the mall, Rick exchanged phone stuff and we went shopping for shoes for Joshua. At one point, we split up. Maddie wanted to go with Rick and then Brenna decided that she did too. I felt such a surge of joy as I watched the man I love so much holding hands and walking with our two beautiful daughters. I’ll never forget how cute the girls looked and how it warmed my heart to see them each holding onto one of their Daddy’s hands. Then I glanced down at the four sweet sons that were still with me and felt even more joyful as I looked at the four of them. How blessed Rick and I are to have each other as husband and wife and to also have two daughters and four sons together!

Our mall trip was brief. We headed home so that Rick could nap before work and Brenna could attend her 3pm gymnastics practice. Brenna went to gymnastics while the kids and I waited for her. I enjoy watching her practice; she is such a beautiful, talented little gymnast. Gymnastics ended at 5:10 and Joshua’s wresting practice started at 5:30. The kids and I waited again, for Joshua this time. They all had fun playing with their friends while we waited, and it was fun to watch Joshy wrestle and practice.

We got home about 7pm. As fast as I could, I put everyone into warm pajamas and fed everyone dinner. We left the house at 7:30 for Asher’s flu shot booster. He handled it really well and the other kids were so polite and well-behaved that the nurse gave them all suckers.

After we got home again, the kids helped me tidy up, we had family prayer, and then everyone went to bed (without too much talking).

It’s 10:15. The house is quiet, and it’s time for me to go to bed myself. I feel so thankful and so happy tonight. I am truly blessed. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t thank Heavenly Father for all I’ve been given! I have an amazing husband who is my very best friend and truly my soul mate. We are sealed together for all of eternity. Together we have six incredible, beautiful, sweet little children, with the promise of more to come. We have the gospel in our lives. We are busy and active and healthy. We have a suitable home and enough money for the things we need. I find complete fulfillment in my role as a mother. I trust my Heavenly Father completely and I feel so peaceful- both with where I am and where I am going. I’ve never been happier than I am now!

Note to Self

If you are planning on resting while the smallest kids nap and the bigger kids watch a movie, be sure to select a movie that the kids don’t find absolutely hilarious.

I learned this today. I put Asher and Jacob down for naps. I brought all the other kids into my room to watch Ice Age 3 while I dozed in bed. I really thought that I could snooze a little. But the kids find Ice Age 3 so completely and delightfully humorous that I didn’t get to rest much. Every other minute someone was shouting into my ear, “Mom! Mom! Watch this part! It’s so funny, Mom! Keep watching!” Even after the funny part was over, several children would squeal, “Keep watching! There’s more! There’s more!” And every few seconds the kids would all erupt in raucous giggles, and start bouncing on my bed in delight.

So yeah. Next time I want to rest while the kids watch a movie, I’ll pick something boring.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Rick has to work Thanksgiving again this year (the engineering plant that he works at never closes) so we chose to celebrate Thanksgiving today instead.

Rick loves to cook and he’s very good at it so he took over a lot in the kitchen. The kids and I helped quite a bit, but it really was Rick’s show today. He cooked the turkey and even made a gluten-free pumpkin cheese cake! I could tell that he took great pride and satisfaction in preparing such a delicious meal for our family.

Even better than Rick’s help in the kitchen was the fact that he put me down for a nap this afternoon! Between Asher and Jacob, I’ve only been getting a few hours of interrupted sleep each night for the past month. Then, of course, I am extremely busy all day with six kids, homeschool, cleaning, the many activities that the kids are involved in, and so on and I really don’t get to rest or relax at all during the daytime. Even though I don’t begrudge my sleepless nights or my busy days, the lack of sleep is really starting to catch up with me. I fell asleep while nursing early this afternoon and when Rick found me, he insisted that I sleep. I was so grateful!! It was a glorious nap!!

When I woke up a few hours later, dinner was ready. The kids set the table and we all sat down together to eat. It was a delicious meal and we had such a nice time talking and eating. I held Jacob in my arms while I ate. I felt so thankful to have a precious tiny newborn son for Thanksgiving.

We didn’t have our “mini Thanksgiving” yet, but we are planning to have that sometime this week. It’s a fun tradition for us. We serve a mini Thanksgiving to the kids favorite stuffed animals and dolls. We cook a cornish game hen, fill play dishes with potatoes and stuffing and so on, bake tiny rolls and pies in mini pie tins, and we always serve itty bitty “corn on the cob.” The kids invite their favorite dolls and animals and help them eat their special Thanksgiving dinner. They love it!

Brenna went to choir practice after dinner. She has a solo in the choir’s upcoming Christmas concert so we wanted her to attend practice. However, we did keep Joshua home from wrestling practice.

It’s after 8pm now, dinner is all cleaned up and everyone is dressed in warm pajamas. We’re going to sit down together and watch A Christmas Story to kick off the next phase of the holiday season.

It’s been such a nice evening and a very happy Thanksgiving.

Monday Funday

Our life is getting busier and busier. Between Rick’s work schedule, homeschool, household duties, and the many time-consuming activities that our kids are involved in, we are constantly doing something. We work hard to create family time in the midst of our jam-packed schedule. On Monday (Rick’s day off), we used to visit the library, go grocery shopping, and run errands, but lately we’ve been focusing on planning a fun family activity for Monday morning and afternoon instead. Shopping and errands and even the library can wait. We wanted our kids to be able to count on a fun family activity every Monday.

Today for Monday Funday (as the kids have begun calling it) we saw the movie UP. It was playing in the dollar theater.  (We never see a theater movie unless it’s in the dollar theater.) We had a great time together and the movie was very cute.

Jacob slept through the entire movie and the four older kids watched from start to finish. Asher was the only difficult one. He sat quietly in the beginning, but then he started to fuss. He got more and more upset and before long even the candy and popcorn we had wasn’t enough to console him. Rick took him out for a while, then I took him.

As I walked the halls Asher got more and more upset. He was crying so hard that I started to worry about him. Concerned that he was hurting somewhere, I took him to the bathroom and checked him for an injury or something that might have been poking or hurting. Then I had the thought, “Take off his shoes. His feet might be hot.” I slipped his shoes off and he was asleep in my arms within five minutes. Go figure. We stopped for lunch after the movie.

With our Monday Funday activity finished, we went to gymnastics. Brenna went to practice, Rick and Josh worked out together in the same rec center, and I took everyone else grocery shopping. We met back up for dinner and wrestling practice.

It was a wonderful, fun, memorable Monday.

Tournament #2

Joshua had another wrestling tournament yesterday. It was over an hour away and began at 9am so we had a very early start to our day! But more on that in a minute.

Friday was busy. We homeschooled as usual and I completely scoured the house. In the afternoon, Brenna had gymnastics practice, we went grocery shopping, and then took Joshua for “weigh ins” before the tournament. We were home by 7:30. I fed everyone a late dinner, put Josh in the bath, dressed everyone in pajamas, and put them all to bed.

Brenna stayed up to help me get ready for the tournament. Together we packed snacks, water bottles, coats, diapers and wipes, extra clothes for the little guys, wrestling gear, a bag filled with toys and games and coloring books… We need so much stuff to attend an all-day wrestling event! We laid out clothes for the next day, tidied the house, and then snuggled in my bed and drank hot apple cider together. I was so grateful for Brenna’s help and it was fun to spend time together at the end of the day!

I didn’t get much sleep that night, between Jacob needing to nurse several times and Asher getting up around 1am. Jake got up at 4am to nurse again and I just stayed up after that. It was a very early start to my day, but mommies adapt! Rick got off work early, and helped me dress the kids and load the van. We were out the door by 6am and drove just over an hour north- through a windy mountain pass in a snow storm, but we made it safely and on time (early actually).

The tournament went great. We grabbed a section of bleachers and set up camp just like always. We ate breakfast and Rick and Josh warmed up together and worked some drills. Even though I have dreaded wrestling season just a bit because it is such a huge time commitment (4 practices a week and tournaments every Saturday, from now through July) it actually felt good to be at a tournament again. It was fun to sit together as a family and talk and play and snack. It was fun to watch our 6 year old light up like we’d given him the world just because he was at a wrestling tournament. There’s just a certain energy that comes with a wrestling tournament and it’s fun to share that together as we cheer Josh on.

Joshua’s first two matches were easy, as most of his matches are. He “teched” the first kid (technical fall, Joshua scored 15 points and the other kid scored 0) and he pinned the second kid.

On his third match, Joshua ran into his old “rival” from last year. This boy is ranked #2 in the state (Josh is ranked #3) and they went back and forth all year last year. Their matches are always really competitive and always intense, and you never know who will come out on top. Josh lost by just one point and he had the kid so close to pinned for the last 15 seconds of the match. Josh was broken-hearted when it was over, not because he lost but because he knew he could have pinned him and was upset that he hadn’t. We had a good talk though and Joshua ended up happy.

Joshua actually says that this boy is his very favorite to kid wrestle. When I asked him why, Josh said that when he wrestles a harder kid he gets more time to wrestle cause the matches aren’t over as fast. That made me smile. Then he added that he has more fun and learns more too. Joshua also told me that this boy is “sort of my buddy now too.”

Joshua ended up taking second place in the tournament and going home with a nice silver medal. He was glad and is looking forward to a great wrestling season! I am sure that it will be LONG (longer even than last year because we started late last year). But we’ll also have a great time as a family and Joshua will have a blast! That boy just loves to wrestle. I couldn’t put so much effort into a sport that requires so much time and money if Joshua didn’t love it as much as he does. And I couldn’t put so much effort into it if Rick wasn’t just as excited about it as Joshua is.

There’s another tournament next weekend, beginning at 8am on Saturday. Brenna has her state gymnastics meet that day as well. I am crossing my fingers that Joshua has a small bracket and that the tournament is efficiently run and that Brenna’s meet is in the afternoon. Worst case scenario, Rick and I will split up to get the kids where they need to be or Josh will just miss this tournament. But if the stars align (small bracket, well-run tournament, and the meet in the afternoon), then we should be able to attend both events as a family. That’s what I am hoping for.

A Little Party

Tonight I found myself missing my kids. I’d been with them all day and knew I’d be with them tomorrow. They hadn’t even been in bed for that long. But I missed them anyway. I also had a major craving for chocolate. So what’s a mama to do when it’s 8:45pm and she misses her children and she’s craving chocolate? Luckily, I found the perfect solution.

In a spur of the moment move, I got out of bed and tiptoed into the girls’ room. Brenna was tucked into bed. Maddie was playing quietly on the floor and leapt headlong into her bed when I entered the room.

“Come on, girls,” I whispered and motioned for them to join me in the hallway. They seemed perplexed, but followed obediently.

I poked my head into the boys’ room. Braden and Asher were sleeping, but Joshua was still awake. I whispered for him to follow us.

The kids were obviously confused as they followed me down the dark stairway. I actually found great enjoyment in their confusion because I knew how excited they’d be when I told them what we were doing. I even let the suspense drag on a little; I just couldn’t help myself.

We made brownies together. The kids were delighted. 9pm to a 6-year-old is like 2am to a teenager. They were all excited to be up at such a late hour and even more excited to be making brownies. They cracked eggs (and did great too- no shells in the batter), took turns using the mixer, and licked the beaters when we were finished.

While the brownies baked (for a whopping 52 minutes!) the kids and I played one of our favorite card games, In a Pickle. It’s great for grown-ups and kids alike and we all love it. I highly recommend it. We all giggled and talked and enjoyed each other’s company while we played. It was fun for all of us.

We played for about 30 minutes and then, as the kids began to feel tired from being up so late, we decided to watch NickJr. I love that their kid shows stay on all night long. It is really helpful to have Little Bear or Dora or Backyardigans available when a child is sick in the middle of the night or when a little one is wide awake at 5:30am. And it’s nice to have appropriate kids shows during an impromptu middle-of-the-night brownie baking party as well. We snuggled up and enjoyed the show.

By the time the episode was finished, our brownies were cooked and partially cooled (I pulled them out during the show). We gathered around the table and enjoyed our tasty, warm brownies with nice, cold milk. We were all in good spirits and there was lots of giggling as we ate our yummy treats.

When our brownies were gone, we all hugged and kissed and the kids thanked me again and again for our fun party. I thanked them right back because it meant just as much to me as it did to them. I tucked my three big kids into bed for the second time and turned on a tape of “Nana’s stories” for them to listen to as they fell asleep. (These are the stories that my grandmother recorded for me, the same ones that I listened to while falling asleep as a child.)

After some brief chit chatting and a reminder that it was late and they needed to sleep, all the kids got quiet and fell asleep easily.

It was such a nice, enjoyable night and such a great memory for all of us. It was the perfect cure for both my loneliness and my chocolate craving. I love being with my kids and I was so glad to spend several hours just having fun with them tonight.

A Week

I’m always amazed at how swiftly one week can pass. A week slips quickly by even under normal circumstances, but the first week of newborn life goes even faster than usual.

I cannot believe that Jacob is one week old today. It hardly seems possible. I keep checking the calender and counting out seven days, and everytime I do I shake my head in disbelief. It really has been a week.

Once week ago exactly, I was still in labor. I was worried about the possibility of a repeat c-section, especially as labor dragged on and we approached the 24-hour mark. I was so thirsty and so hungry, but I wasn’t allowed to eat or drink (even water) because I was attempting a VBAC. I was exhausted and discouraged. The only thing that kept me focused was the sound of my beautiful son’s strong heartbeat on the monitor. I rubbed my round belly and talked to my unborn son and felt peaceful as I quietly prayed.

And now Jacob is here, gorgeous and healthy and oh-so-sweet. He’s an entire week old. It’s funny how this week has passed so quickly, and yet it also feels as if our sweet Jacob has always been with us. It’s hard to remember a time when he wasn’t here. He has slipped into our home like the missing piece of our family puzzle. He has filled up parts of me that I didn’t even know were empty before he arrived. Jacob’s arrival has strengthened my faith, deepened my love, and increased my gratitude. I am so thankful for the gift of this sweet, sweet little boy!

Everything is going so well. I love having six children. I feel great, the kids are doing wonderfully, Jacob is perfect, the house is clean, and the sun is shining. I feel so content and so good and so blissfully happy. I have been blessed beyond measure, and I still cannot believe it myself. I am forever grateful for all that I’ve been given.