This week

The kids favorite chore is raking... this was actually a little bit ago, but I was getting pictures off my phone and thought I'd include these.

Family lunch day at the kids school

Breakfast...

Sunday, we were all sick, but we tried to have a little together time anyways.

The youngest ones "helping" me teach reading at the kids school.

My girls pretending to be trees when we went to get a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving.  We decided that we'd get them.  We went to Baum's with Grandma and Grandpa Robertson.  It was fun to go together.  We usually don't do that.  It was COLD! 

Grandma seeing if there was anything to shake out of Sam.

Saturday, my parents and siblings took our kids and Jer and I took GGpa to the Sing in Messiah with the Utah Symphony.  It was very fun.  I had a harder time keeping up with some of the pieces this year.  GGpa was funny.  He said, "I'm singing tenor, this guy next to me is too I think but he's not doing a very good job."  I couldn't hear any other altos close to me, I felt like I was a little island in the sea.  Kind of crazy.

Ada had her last horseback riding lesson.  She's loved it and will miss it, but she's taking it well.  Sam is now saying that he wants horseback lessons too.

Monday was no school... so we geared up and jumped on the tramp in the snow.  Fun stuff. Baby lasted for about 5 minutes and then wanted to stop.  The other kids played forever.

Robertson Thanksgiving

Robertson Thanksgiving usually involves a few families.  This year is was just us, Grandma and Grandpa, and GGma and GGpa.  We tried to help with the food, but most of it was made by the time we were able to get there.  Jer made the pies and rolls.  I helped with the potatoes. GGpa said, "You don't have to make me anything special.  I'll eat the turkey." and GGma kept worrying that she couldn't see a turkey on the table because it was being kept warm with a cover on it.  Grandpa put on The Rithmatist for us to listen to while we worked.  I like books on tape.

GGpa left and came back dressed up in his suit and bowtie.  He said that he wanted to dress up for Thanksgiving.

Buddies

Sam took this picture... but I love it.  It shows these two amazing and hardworking people.

The kids were happy to have goblets to use.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Ellis Thanksgiving dinner

For Thanksgiving, my side of the family met at my Aunt and Uncle (Mark and Carol)'s house. We got to visit with several of my cousins and my family.  Then the Primary kids sang us some of the songs from the lastest Primary programs.  It was fun.

Nella bought this book that my Grandma Ellis used to have when we were little.  "Fourteen Bears of Summer and Winter".  She used to have all the bears labeled as her grandchildren.  My kids have been loving looking at it while we tell them who we were. 

Pictures from my phone

Love these!

Cuckoo

I had the weirdest dream last night, accompanied by the feeling that I missed a whole semesters worth of classes and was supposed to take a test when I woke up. Then I forgot the eggs I was boiling for breakfast and they exploded all over the kitchen (there were 6 of them so it was quite a mess) and set off the smoke detector...  Which woke up Evelyn.  Finally stepping into the shower now and I only have 3/4 of the egg cleaned up, need to do the dishes, clean the berry juice that leaked down three shelves in the fridge from the two gallon bags of berries I thawed to make jam for Thanksgiving, and shampoo the stairs...  And the kids have half day school today. How much will I actually get done? Wait and see, wait and see.

back ups

So, over the years, Jer and I have come to know the importance of making backups of photos.  We currently have two places I back up pictures... my blog and Jer has a monthly backup that runs of our entire hard drive.  Well, apparently our server has crashed and Jer is trying really hard to get all our files off of it, but it's giving him a lot of grief.  Our last back up was about a month ago... which means that if he can't get it off then we'll have lost Ada's baptism, Ada's birthday, Halloween, our exchange student, and our last set of family pictures.  I have some that I've posted on my blog about the baptism, birthday, Halloween and our student... but I haven't posted any about the family pictures yet because I was going to adjust the lighting in photoshop before I posted them.  That back fired on me.  (Maybe we can have another hang out day Julie?) Well, here's to hoping that Jer can get them off the server.  And I hope that he can get Ada's baptism ones too.  We do have a couple, but I feel a little sad about that because we lost all the pictures of her from when she was a newborn til she was one... it would be sad to lose her baptism too.  It's not life or death, but darn.  Good luck Jer and if it doesn't happen, at least we have a few saved this time!

Since we've had kids throwing up all week long and our carpet cleaner is broken, Jer ran down to get his parents' carpet cleaner while the kids and I picked up and moved as much off the floor as we could.  Then I vacuumed and Jer is now shampooing carpets upstairs.  I have to say, it was needed.  After our very spitty baby and the flu this week.... yes, it was needed.  I don't like cleaning carpets in the winter though because it's too cold to leave windows open and takes forever to dry, but the kids love having a sleepover in the basement.  They think that's pretty awesome.

Update on me.  My APRN has been trying to help me with my hormone imbalances.  She did a gazillion blood tests and put me on three medicines before taking more blood tests.  This last set of tests that she did, she took me off one of the medicines and said that it wasn't a thyroid thing... it looked more like an allergy or adrenal thing.  Here's to figuring things out.  My mom was worried that it was my mold allergy.  She came and cleared out a lot of my basement.  (I've been working my way through scanning my Grandparents genealogical stuff, which is mostly very moldy, with my brother Seth.  It's a little stressful to feel like I'm not in charge of the project I want to do, but a little less on my plate and less stressing out my immune system.)

Happy Sunday

Evelyn quote of the day

We hosted a game night with Seth and some friends.  There were enough of us that we split into two groups.  Evelyn was sitting next to me while playing Curses.  She heard someone saying, "Fabulous!" and she sat there copying her in that little voice of hers.  "Fabulous! Fabulous!"  After I giggled about it a little bit she told me, "Only I can say cute and adorable things."  I beg to differ, but I won't deny that she's cute and adorable.

Sick kiddos

Yesterday Evelyn gave a talk in Primary.  Seth woke up with throw up all over his bed and him, so Jer stayed home from sacrament meeting with him.  I helped Evelyn give her cute talk on how we serve God by obeying mom and drinking cocoa with our brothers and sisters.  Before her talk she kept saying, "Mom, my tummy hurts."  So she gave her talk and I took her home so that we could be with baby while Jer came to Young Mens.  She had a rough day. 

Today, Seth woke up in throw up again and then in poop after his nap.  At least I know he's been bathed today... all three of the older kids said their tummies hurt so they all stayed home from school.  Ada and Evelyn slept a lot.  Sam followed me around the house asking when I could play games with him.  (I was trying to do all the extra laundry and dishes that sickies have made).  I finally played Pay Day with him and he was happy from then on.  Evelyn surprised me.  The kids wanted me to read them Harry Potter (2), so we cuddled up on the couch and read.  Afterwards, the kids grabbed their own books and started reading.  Evelyn grabbed one of the beginning reader books, sat up on my lap and started reading it to me.  I thought she'd take forever to teach to read because of the way she potty trained, and the way she refuses to let me teach her letters and sounds.  Apparently she's good at seeing a word that has been read to her and knows what it is.  We're still going to have to teach her how to sound out letters and words, but she gave me a shock.  It was really cute.  The kids were bummed that it snowed and I made them stay inside though.

We finally have our new fence up.  I'm so glad to be done with that.  Jer's not quite done, but soon.  His next step is to repair the sprinkler lines that were broken when they were digging.  He can't really do that until Spring anyways so he'll get a reprieve. I've started helping at the school 2 times a week in both of the kids classes.  I was helping readers in Sam's class and noticed that one of the boys was falling behind (I met his parents.  They only speak Spanish at home, nothing wrong with that but it's probably why he's struggling with reading in English.) and another girl that I think is dyslexic.  She reads the middle or last syllable first unless she looks at the word then covers her eyes to say it then moves on to the next word the same way.  I offered to come in and work extra time with these two.  Ada's teacher heard that I was helping readers in the other class and asked if I could help with a couple in hers... so off I go.  Evelyn helps keep baby busy by throwing a ball up and down the hallway.  It's cute to hear them giggle and run back and forth after it.

Sam's salad

 

With Ggma Robertson encouraging him from the side.... :)

Isabelle's baptism

Baby kept trying to steal Ggma's cheetos.