Another face plant!

The other day, Maddi came home from school with a big scratch across her face. I asked her what happend and she said that morning when she was riding her bike to the end of the driveway to get the bus, she didn't stop her bike in time and she ran into Makenna's handle bars with her cheek. I asked her if it hurt and she said it did. I asked her if she cried and she said she did. It's better now, but with her it seems to be just a matter of time! I always thought it would be Makenna with all the bumps and bruises. Nowthe two of them are having arace to see who can get their front tooth out first. Makenna's is looser but she is more afraid to to pull. She's never pulled a tooth before, she just had Zeke kick them out. Maddi's not as afraid so she might be the winner. This will be the third tooth for both of them so losing teeth is still a big deal around here.

Appple picking

Monday night for Family Home Evening we picked apples. The kids love doing that. Ben even came and joined us for awhile which made it even more fun for the kids. He's pretty tall and he would lift the kids up on his shoulders so they could get the ones up high or he would throw them in the air and tell them to grab one while they were in the air. Michael had the ladder in the back of the pick up and the kids liked helping him in there too. Now I have 6 big buckets of apples to peel and as you can see I am avoiding it and blogging instead!

Pictures

Here are some pictures from our trip. We met the Searles at a park in Pocatello and the kids had fun playing together (except for the annoying dog that half the kids were afraid of and wouldn't go away until some one called the animal shelter). Theother is of the kids with Grandma Chris. We had a fun visit with her and she was already for us with treats for everyone!

These are some pictures from homecoming week. Friday was spirit day so the kids got to wear their Rebel shirts. The other is of Princess Lala. This is exactly what I used to look like except I had red hair.

I'm Back!!

It's been a long time since I have posted anything. Things just got crazy and I haven't been able to find time it seems. We went to Idaho and Wyoming to visit family and friends. That was great. We enjoyed seeing everyone and hopefully next time we can see a few that we missed. The kids are enjoying school - even Zane. This week is homecoming so they have been having fun with all the different dress up days. Tomorrow they get to be in the parade with me. Michael is coming back today from another Kentucky trip. Hopefully his last one of the year. I am getting ready for the half marathon fundraiser I have been organizing. It is coming up in just over three weeks. So far we have earned over $1300 in donations to help sponsor it. People seem to be very excited about it so I hope it is a success. I have put a lot of time and effort in to it and it has potential to really help out our school. It has been a lot of fun to do it, partly because I have gotten to spend a lot of time with Pam and partly for the challenge. I am also entering a poem writing contest in one of Michael's western magazines. The winner gets to be published. That would be fun to be a "published" author! I'm sure there will be tons of entries and I probably won't stand a chance, but it is still fun. Everyone is doing great and I will post pictures in the next day or so. We love you all!

Party Number One

Yesterday, Dillon had his first birthday party. He invited over the Johnsons and the Olsens and we had pizza, grapes, watermelon, cupcakes and ice cream, He loved it, especially the opening of the presents. Now he can't wait to get to Idaho and Wyoming for party numder 2 and 3!

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school. The kdis were so excited. They went to the open house last night and got to see their rooms and some of their friends. I felt some excitement too because I would once again have a schedule and only three children to haul around the countryside. When the alarm went off this morning some of my excitement left me. As I watched them go to the bus stop, I felt a little sadness. Each year means different experiences and each year means that they are growing up. My little cowboy is in kindergarten. That's not supposed to happen yet. I did enjoy the day though. I traded my 2 seater stroller for Pam's 3 seater stroller and the 3 little kids and I went on a 4 mile walk/run. It was quite windy and that stroller with Dillon in it is much heavier than the other one so we only ran down hill with the wind. We stopped at Lorie's and they ate a green apple and then we went home. Later in the morning we headed to Walmart and Runnings. It was nice to have a smaller crew with me. We got home in time to set things up for the Backpakc Fairy to come and then the kids came home from school. They all came home happy and had loved the day. I was actually more excited to see them than I had expected to be. Overall it was a good day. I guess ready or not, the kids are growing up and I will have to grow up with them!

Garden Harvest

Saturday we went through our garden and got out everything that was ready. We had green beans, corn, and potatoes. Zane even found one carrot. We still have some corn growing, squash, pumpkins and watermelon. Then there is the never ending tomatoes that seem to ripen overnight. Luckily I found out you can freeze them raw and whole. Then you can take them as you need them. That certainly simplified my life. The zucchini is also coming. I made 6 batches of zucchini bread over the weekend. The kids love the chocolate zucchini bread. I do too of course. Along with freezing tomatoes, I froze green beans and corn on the cob. There wasn't much of it but we will get a few meals out of each. Our stake president told us to grow a garden and if we did we would have food when we needed it. I hope that is true. We didn't grow as much as we wanted to but we did what we could so hopefully we will be blessed for that.

School starts Wednesday. This is our last summer night. After this we will be having to tell the kids they have to go to bed because there's school in the morning. We have been practicing. The kids have to pick out their clothes the night before and I have drawers downstairs that they put their clothes in. Last night they had to go to bed around 8:00. Tonight will be the same. Tomorrow they get to meet their teachers. Zane is especially excited. Hopefully he'll stay that way. I have my concerns about his teacher. Oh well, we all survived teachers we didn't like.

Getting ready for school

I spent the morning today going through kids clothes and trying to figure out what fits and what doesn't. We are lucky to have a stock pile of clothes down in the basement that people have given us. I brought up one of the girls' buckets and Zane's bucket to see what we had. Zane was excited for a few minutes and even gave Dillon a couple of shirts and then they were off to play. I caught the girls before they could run away. We went through the bucket and kept out what fit and then they had to bring their clothes down one drawer at a time. We made a keep pile, an Olivia pile and a thrift store pile. It is insane the amount of clothes that were in the living room floor. Of course the girls wear the same size so we need double the amount for them. I think we got through most all of their things. The floor is still a mess but Olivia needed a nap so we had to stop for the time being. Next we'll work on the boys. That may wait for another day because I get to go on a date tonight! I haven't been on a real date in 16 months. That's a long time. Michael has travelled a lot this summer and I am feeling like we need to spend some grown up time together. I think he feels the same (although probably not with the desperation that I feel it). Anyways, school starts in 5 days and we leave for Idaho in 11 days, both are a cause of great excitement in the Christiansen home.

Crazy Hair!

When Olivia's hair gets fluffy it gets really crazy looking. Here is a picture of her after a long day of playing.

Back to School party

Yesterday was our back to` school party. The kids had a lot of fun. We had 16 kids all together. We had some relay races, played in the water, and had snacks. Then the kids got to go home with a lunch sack full of school supplies. It lasted about 4 hours. Next week school starts. All the kids are excited. I must say that I am too. I am looking forward to a routine again and to walmart with only 3 kids!