{Conference weekend Prt.1}

 This past weekend we kept the children home from school on Friday so that we could meet up with friends at a cabin in Flagstaff Arizona. These friends are our oldest friends. They type of friends you can go forever not talking to, but pick up right where you left off. Now that the Keys only live 35 minutes down the road & the Crosbys only 4 hours we have been seeing a lot more of each other. The children play & have made quick friends of each other. The first day their we really just played & went for a short walk to the lake. The kids skipped stones & pretended to fish. The air smelled on pine & the temperature was 75 degrees. It was just right for us dessert dwellers. In total we had 12 kids (& a baby bump) & 6 adults. It was wild & crazy but so fun to see the kids exploring outside like I did growing up in New Hampshire by pine trees. I loved hearing them scare themselves pretending to hear a bear at sunset. They would scream & all run inside just to go right back out to spook themselves again. This is the type of moments I want our babies to have in their childhood. These are the type of people I want my children to have in their lives. The children took one big bath in the hot tub while sweet sweet Kim read spooky (age appropriate) stories. When everyone was toasty in pajamas Kim pulled out a super fun craft for the children to make. They were little Halloween lanterns out of cups. It was a hit. They played games & stayed up past bedtime. No one slept particularly well that first night because the littlest ones, Sophia, CJ & Cooper were not sure about sleeping in a new place. But we made it through & had a good time despite it.

{together}

Monday morning we ate breakfast, read a story from the friend, said morning prayer, got dressed & did the usual fight over seats in the van. By the time we got to school everyone was sour. Britt & Madds both refused to kiss me goodbye. For Madds this is not a big deal, but Britt is my sweetheart & he never gets upset with me. It ate at me all day. I thought long & hard about what we needed as a family. We needed to be away from distractions & just be together.  & so For Family Home Evening I took the kids for a picnic up the mountain with McDonald's, a baby doll (Daisy. the 15 dollar doll from CVS she really really needed.) & 1 billion matchbox cars in tow. The weather is a good 15 degrees cooler up there & I needed a break from the heat & the kids needed something to shake things up a bit. Each one seems to be going through something right now, Little struggles that have surfaced. Its hard to watch them learn & grow sometimes. I am told that I am a mean mom sometimes, but I wish they could see where the "no"s & the timeouts come from. They come from my desperate desire to raise them to be good people. After school today I sat them all down for a family meeting. We haven't had one in a while with Rod being away. We needed one. To make it we need to all be on the same team. Sometimes it feels more like they are opponents. I love each of the children. I want them to love each other. I pray for it every morning as they head off to school. Being outside away from the normal was just what they needed. They explored together & laughed together.  The boys & I got a kick out of the way Presley would make commentary about each person that walked by us on the trail. For example "Ohhh. You are so fancy!" (to the couple with no shoes, face paint & his & her belly rings)  "Oh you look like you are so nice!" (To the couple she started to follow & cried to go with for 10 mins) "Oh your so good at walking your puppy!" (to the woman walking a ferret.) Im still laughing. She really knows how to make people feel good! It was like she was looking at stars as they walked down the red carpet. 

{Sunday}

We are really settling in. We have a schedule that works great. The boys are starting their sports activities. We still haven't added in piano to the mix, but I catch the children practicing all the time. The 3 biggest boys were placed into accelerated classes & placed for the gifted & talented program. I am very proud of them! Presley is making friends, but still daily asks to go back to Texas to see Bela, Jordan, Carson, Chloe, Fiona...  She has had the hardest time with all the changes. She even wants her old toddler bed back instead of her queen bed. Poor darling. The children have been taking care of each other, especially Madds & Britt with Presley. I am so glad they have each other.  Church has proved to be a constant that comforts all of us. This ward has been so welcoming! Here they are in their Sunday dress.