What a week. It is always hard to get into a routine after the holidays. After weeks and weeks of craziness with recitals, parties, concerts and gatherings, you would think January would be a welcomed month--yet it has always been the hardest for me. I feel a bit lost which seems strange.
This week was the last week of the semester for Jr. High and High School. So it was full of last minute projects, term finals, papers and so on. Josh has been sick most of the week with a high fever, sore throat and cold symptoms. He was a trooper and went to classes that he had tests and projects in and finished everything. I was very proud of him. Gone are the days, when you are sick, you can truly just stay at home in bed. It's amazing how quickly responsibilities pile on these teenagers, but yet they rise up to the task.
Ryan has been enjoying driving and having the truck fixed and registered. I must admit, I have enjoyed him having his license (did I just say that?) he has taken over many small errands, and has run Cassie and Josh to various things for me. I still give him the same run down of rules, "drive safe, be careful on the icy roads, text me when you get there safely..." he rolls his eyes, but humors me. I still say a prayer every time he walks out the door with car keys in his hand and another when he walks through it again safely. He takes good care of the truck. It is cleaner than his room, he washes it more than he does his clothes. I am amazed. He had to run an errand and had to step in some mud to unload some things out of the back. When he came home he ran in to grab an old towel because he said the gas and brake pedals in the truck were dirty. Of course the same shoes that got the truck dirty he wore walking through the house, but that didn't seem to concern him. Maybe if he had a key to the house he'd think about it differently? :) Today he is with the local Ham Radio Explorer post, they are down in Ephraim helping with a biathlon. He has been a licensed Ham radio operator since he was 12, and has had opportunities to use this skill in church emergency drills and just got involved with this other local group.
Teenagers spend more time away from home than at home. It is a new stage to get used to. I am learning to make the most of their time home and talk to them, the best time for this seems to be late at night. It's a good thing I am a night person. Gone are the days when kids are in bed early and Kelly and I can actually carry on a conversation before midnight. I also appreciate the texting phone feature. I really thought I'd never say that. It's great that Ry and Josh each have a phone and I can contact them when I need them. I appreciate occasional texts during their lunch hour, when they say they got a good grade on a test or just to say hi. I have been preaching cell phone etiquette to them whenever I get the chance, I think they are learning when mom has her lecture face on and have perfected the I'm listening look when really their minds are other places.
Cassidy has started up ballroom dance and her tumbling classes again. Her first ballroom competition is on Jan 24, so that will be fun. I signed up to be the Head mom of her team so I can be behind the scenes, since she is nervous. Lately my biggest frustration with her is finding snow boots. You wouldn't think finding snow boots in January in Utah would be a difficult thing. It's not as if I'm looking for them in July in California for goodness sake! I have been all over Utah county and South Salt lake with no luck. She has a tough size, the largest in the kids section, but not quite to the women's yet. At first I was trying to find something cute, pink and fun. Now I'm looking at every ugly rubber thing on the shelf, trying to decide if she wore ten pairs of socks could she keep this large size on. She outgrew her old ones, and apparently you can only buy new boots in October. Someone just needs to tell feet to only grow in the fall. But hey, the swimsuits just came in, maybe I should buy her a new one now, because by July, they will be out of stock!
Mark can always be found all dressed up in his snow gear doing something outside. He loves to shovel the snow and when it's clean off the driveways and sidewalks, he is shoveling the grass. It's cute. He always comes in with rosy cheeks and a big smile ready for a mug of hot chocolate. He and his friends make snow forts and have snowball fights and anything else they can figure out to do in the snow.
That is an update on our family. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures. I am realizing since I've started this blog, that I don't take enough pictures. I get the big things, but forget the everyday happenings. Memories are made with both and I need to have photographic evidence of both.
This week was the last week of the semester for Jr. High and High School. So it was full of last minute projects, term finals, papers and so on. Josh has been sick most of the week with a high fever, sore throat and cold symptoms. He was a trooper and went to classes that he had tests and projects in and finished everything. I was very proud of him. Gone are the days, when you are sick, you can truly just stay at home in bed. It's amazing how quickly responsibilities pile on these teenagers, but yet they rise up to the task.
Ryan has been enjoying driving and having the truck fixed and registered. I must admit, I have enjoyed him having his license (did I just say that?) he has taken over many small errands, and has run Cassie and Josh to various things for me. I still give him the same run down of rules, "drive safe, be careful on the icy roads, text me when you get there safely..." he rolls his eyes, but humors me. I still say a prayer every time he walks out the door with car keys in his hand and another when he walks through it again safely. He takes good care of the truck. It is cleaner than his room, he washes it more than he does his clothes. I am amazed. He had to run an errand and had to step in some mud to unload some things out of the back. When he came home he ran in to grab an old towel because he said the gas and brake pedals in the truck were dirty. Of course the same shoes that got the truck dirty he wore walking through the house, but that didn't seem to concern him. Maybe if he had a key to the house he'd think about it differently? :) Today he is with the local Ham Radio Explorer post, they are down in Ephraim helping with a biathlon. He has been a licensed Ham radio operator since he was 12, and has had opportunities to use this skill in church emergency drills and just got involved with this other local group.
Teenagers spend more time away from home than at home. It is a new stage to get used to. I am learning to make the most of their time home and talk to them, the best time for this seems to be late at night. It's a good thing I am a night person. Gone are the days when kids are in bed early and Kelly and I can actually carry on a conversation before midnight. I also appreciate the texting phone feature. I really thought I'd never say that. It's great that Ry and Josh each have a phone and I can contact them when I need them. I appreciate occasional texts during their lunch hour, when they say they got a good grade on a test or just to say hi. I have been preaching cell phone etiquette to them whenever I get the chance, I think they are learning when mom has her lecture face on and have perfected the I'm listening look when really their minds are other places.
Cassidy has started up ballroom dance and her tumbling classes again. Her first ballroom competition is on Jan 24, so that will be fun. I signed up to be the Head mom of her team so I can be behind the scenes, since she is nervous. Lately my biggest frustration with her is finding snow boots. You wouldn't think finding snow boots in January in Utah would be a difficult thing. It's not as if I'm looking for them in July in California for goodness sake! I have been all over Utah county and South Salt lake with no luck. She has a tough size, the largest in the kids section, but not quite to the women's yet. At first I was trying to find something cute, pink and fun. Now I'm looking at every ugly rubber thing on the shelf, trying to decide if she wore ten pairs of socks could she keep this large size on. She outgrew her old ones, and apparently you can only buy new boots in October. Someone just needs to tell feet to only grow in the fall. But hey, the swimsuits just came in, maybe I should buy her a new one now, because by July, they will be out of stock!
Mark can always be found all dressed up in his snow gear doing something outside. He loves to shovel the snow and when it's clean off the driveways and sidewalks, he is shoveling the grass. It's cute. He always comes in with rosy cheeks and a big smile ready for a mug of hot chocolate. He and his friends make snow forts and have snowball fights and anything else they can figure out to do in the snow.
That is an update on our family. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures. I am realizing since I've started this blog, that I don't take enough pictures. I get the big things, but forget the everyday happenings. Memories are made with both and I need to have photographic evidence of both.
6 comments:
I think I will just keep my kids small. It seems so much easier than the teenager thing. Even though we can't make it through church I guess I should just enjoy it.
You have really raised great and polite teenagers. Josh stayed and helped me set-up chairs last Sunday for baptism preview. He was my organizer and counted each room to make sure I had enough. I am sure he was starving but he was so much help. If I can do half as well as you have with your kids, I will have success!
Love ya!
PS--Catherine has that book.
The girls and I got cell phones for Christmas. I have not wanted them AT ALL because my alone (ha ha- I mean alone in my head- there are kids all over the car)time driving is something that I wanted to keep sacred.
But I must say that my girls are texting fiends and I am learning so much about their daily lives and just little things that I may not have heard about with the chaos and bustle that is our home.
So I have changed my mind about the cell phone thing now that we have joined the 21st century :)
Kim
I have 3 pairs of girls boots that are probably size 5? Anyway, would you like a pair? I only have one daughter that is left to grow into them and she doesn't need all three. At the rate that this snow is "melting" Cassidy should really have a pair this winter. Call me: 280-0800
I'm so glad Ryan is having such a good time with his truck and driving around running some errands. I hope that doesn't wear off!!
Isn't it amazing how busy life gets? I was tired just thinking about YOU doing all that stuff.
Journaling is a treasure!
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