Capturing The Memories

Over the last few months I have been turning our blog into our family books!  I have them done all the way back to 2008.  It feels so great to be able to sit down and look through all of the wonderful memories that we have been recording!  Not only do Jeff and I love the books, the kids love them too!  I think Talmage mentioned that we could use them as a text book for a history class for school... you know, when we study our family history :).  Sandra was the first kid to really get into reading them.  She was so cute telling the kids about the stuff she had read that they had done.  I think after that the boys were each going through them as their new reading material!  

Here are the boys enjoying the books!  

Grant

Talmage

Here are just what some of the other kids were doing that same day...  Mhari doing her kitchen job.

Clark helping put laundry away.

One day in early February I had some appointments to go out and visit teach.  When I do that I often leave Talmage in charge (even if Jeff is working from home) and the kids tend to watch Netflix the whole time.  Well, I guess that can't last forever.  This time when I left they each had jobs to do... kitchen chores, read books, and Grant had to finish his math.  This is what I found when I got home...

Clean kitchen!

Talmage reading to Clark!

Girls reading!

 Grant finishing up his math!

It was one of those little miracles ... they actually listened to me!  I was so grateful!  We are moving into a new age of older kids and working on being more responsible!  I love this stage so far :).

Oh, and one Sunday after church Lorna had fallen asleep in the car.  She's just too cute not to share a photo of!  

The kids keep growing up, but I love being able to capture the memories!  It will help me remember them when they aren't so little anymore!

Reading Time!

Talmage has been working on his merit badges for Boy Scouts.  He chose to read to kids to help pass off his Reading Merit Badge.  We set it up with the local library for him to come in on Jan 14th, during story time and help read.  He got to read "The Mixed-Up Chameleon" by Eric Carle.  Several moms commented to me about what a good job he did :).  He really has a natural talent for speaking in front of people, plus he loves to read.  It was great to watch him and yes, he really did do great!  The funny part of this story is that Talmage has since set up story time in our own library at home.  He even let Sandra read a book to the kids.  He is a great son and it is great to see him doing such fun things for others and for our family!

A not so happy New Year

This year started off a little shaky.  We had planned a fun get together with the cousins for a New Year's Eve party, but that got delayed due to a risk of lice exposure :(.  The kids were sad, but we had fun together celebrating the new year at home.  We were able to do a fun Saturday together and the kids played and played together... hopefully they forgot about missing out on the late night party :).

A week or so into 2015 Lorna wasn't feeling so great.  She was have trouble breathing, she started a fever, she couldn't sleep.  None of my usual remedies were working.  She was just miserable.  After a couple of sleepless nights I got her into the doctor to find out that she had the flu :(.  Poor girl!  I was grateful to finally know what was wrong and have medication to help her on her road to recovery!  I don't like it when the kids are so sick they can't even sleep.  

Here she is doing a breathing treatment, before we knew the flu diagnosis.  

So cute and yet so sad :(

I am so grateful that our kids are generally really healthy because it is no fun to have little sickies!  Here's to a great 2015 ... may it just get better and better!