Kinder and Mom School

                       
Scarlett just finished her 100th day of kindergarten and she loves school, especially all her new friends. She plays with a little boy named Caden and a girl named Cashlyn every day. We hear stories of their recess adventures after school while eating lunch. It took Scarlett and I some time to adjust to the new kinder schedule. Her school starts early and it was a big adjustment for our family to start going to bed earlier and waking up earlier. But come November we got the hang of it all and have loved it every since. I love that she comes home early in the afternoon and has time to play/eat/run around before Alice takes a nap. While the babies take naps Scarlett and I read, do homework, practice sight words, and do her computer games for school. I love our quiet afternoons together! My favorite part of kindergarten is dropping her off in the morning and picking her up in the afternoon. She always gives me a kiss and leaves with the biggest smile and then does the same when I pick her up. She hops/skips to our car and jumps in just bursting to tell me all the fun stuff she did that day. Its usually followed with "so are we going to grandmas to play?'. Scarlett is a joy to raise and I am so thankful she is part of our family!

Alice and I do "mom school" every Monday and Wednesday morning while Jack naps. It is our special time to be together and we both look forward to it. We don't ever have a set planned lesson but we do make sure that 9-11 is our time together. We play games, read books, do work pages, color, and art projects. But the thing we do the most is cook! We love to make muffins together and Alice is getting to the point where she can almost make them by herself. She loves putting on her apron (that matches mine) and sitting up on the counter. While we cook she tells me funny stories or asks me a million questions. Making muffins with Alice has become the joy of my week!! On Wednesdays we go to the library for story time and to play games on the computer and do puzzles.  Alice can't write her name or count to 100 but she is very confident and social. I know all the official learning will fall into place just perfectly for her! I am so, so glad I listened to that voice in my heart and kept her home with me!

Thoughts on January

"The days are long but the years are short" seems to perfectly fit this past month. Oh man it went by fast but somehow every day seemed to drag on and on! Nick has been very, very busy with work and most nights does not get home till after bedtime. He was in Atlanta for almost a week and has been staying in St. George on Monday and Tuesday. So ya, I have been doing this month mostly by myself. Luckily, the kids are beyond good and Scarlett is my constant helper. Our days and weeks began to have a nice flow to them and somehow the month just whizzed by. I really do LOVE January, despite a super busy husband. The girls have been playing nonstop with all their christmas presents and it keeps them constantly entertained. Its dolls, ponies, doll house, art, beanie boos, dress up, and legos on constant repeat. I am forever glad my kiddos have each other!

Our week looks something like this:
Monday- work out class( if nick is home), drop Scarlett off at school, clean, put jack down for morning nap, "mom school" with Alice, pick Scarlett up from school, quick grocery shop, lunch, maybe visit grandma is Scarlett really begs, naps, relax, dinner, FHE, bed time, fold clothes, crash!

Tuesday- Drop Scarlett of at school, gym, errands, pick Scarlett up, Lunch, naps, play, relax, dinner, bedtime, RELAX for me

Wednesday- Drop Scarlett off at school, library for "mom school", errands (but usually just stay and play at library), pick Scarlett up, lunch, naps (has to be early because...), dance at 3:30, franticly make dinner, baths, bedtime, crash

Thursday- Drop Scarlett off at school, gym, Jack quick morning nap, pick Scarlett up from school, visit grandma or park with friends, late nap for Jack, dinner, relax

Friday- I say its my do whatever we want day. We swim at the gym, visit grandma, play at the park, play at home, or a combination of these. Nick is usually home this night and we go on a date. And then the rest of the weekend we just hang out as a family. I love the way our days flow. We have busy mornings and quiet afternoons, just the way I have always liked it. The girls play well while Jack naps (sometimes Alice will lay down as well). I can usually have 30 minutes to sit and relax during nap time and that gives me energy for the rest of the evening. So on to February...

2016 Resolutions

Last year I decided to just have one simple resolution "to stop, sit and play". I loved having something simple to focus on all year. I actually felt that being able to constantly say it in my mind helped me accomplish this goal. This year I feel a deep desire to understand and obtain more faith. I feel so much worry about the world we live in and raising good, resilient kids. I need to know that my Heavenly Father loves me and that if I follow his teachings that all will be okay, not perfect or easy, but okay. I decided on a quote and a scripture that I can easily memorize and internalize.

" Worry end when Faith begins"

Moroni 7:44 " behold I say unto you that ye cannot have faith and hope, save ye shall be meek, and lowly of heart"

Suzanne is in town for a couple weeks from China and I had a wonderful discussion with her about faith. It has been something she has been studying very diligently and shared her insight. She said that when you are in need of a miracle or have a fear you can pray and ask Heavenly Father specifically for that miracle. If it his will then he will give you an "assurance" (personal revelation) that it will come to pass. Faith is knowing that God will provide that miracle, no matter how long you wait or how unrealistic is seems. You must have faith that the assurance God gave you will come to pass. I just love that. We can ask for miracles and God can grant them to us. But we must first exercise our faith in him. I hope by the end of the year I can have a better understanding of the power of faith and how to rely on the Lord.

2015 in Review

2015 was a huge yearof growth and adventures for our little family. We learned to work together and became a much stronger family team. Here is a list of our big adventures

1. Scarlett starting kindergarten

2. Jack learning to crawl, walk, and then run

3. Alice taking swim lessons and becoming more independent (she has the best little imagination)

4. Nates wedding in May

5. Camp family trip to Lake Powell

6. Family trip to Utah to see Payson temple and the zoo

7. Jill turning 30 and Jack turning 1

8. Sisters and Camp parents trip to Hawaii

9. Strobelt family trip to Disneyland

10. Spending Thanksgiving in Dallas with Brady

11. Couple trip to New York!

But the big events were mixed in with a million small wonderful moments that made this year unforgettable. I love simple days at home with the kids playing and enjoying them. My overall goal in 2015 was "stop, sit and play".  My mind and body are always on the go and often times I put household tasks ahead of just enjoying my kids. This year I made a conscious effort to have quality time with my kids everyday. I didn't put Alice in preschool so that I could be with her and be a witness to her learning. I spend nap time doing homework and reading with Scarlett. I have loved these precious moments with my girls. They are brilliant, funny, tender, and spontaneous little girls that bring joy to my life. And Jack...I have rocked him to nap and bed everyday day for a year! Not to mention all the middle of the night feedings. I can honestly say that I am a better, more patient mom than I was a year ago. Here are some quotes that I read and reread over this year.

"Being a mother isn't a job. Its who someone is. I'm a mother forever. A mother is never off the clock;mothers are never on vacation. Being a mother redefines us, reinvents us, destroys us and rebuilds us" 

" You are the trip I did not take;

You are the pearls I could not buy;

You are my blue Italian lake;

You are my piece of foreign sky. 

You are my Honolulu moon;

You are the book I did not write; 

You are my heart's unuttered tune; 

You are a candle in my night.

You are the flower beneath the snow. 

In my dark sky a bit of blue, 

Answering disappointment's blow 

with "I am happy! I have you!"

And then there was this one... written just for me. I literally started rocking Jack to bed because of this poem and I am soon glad I did.

Celebrating New Years

As per tradition we celebrated New Years at the cabin. We got up to the cabin (after 3 hours of driving with 2 little girls who were so excited they sang "we are going to cabin" the whole time!) just in time to see the torch parade down the mountain and the fireworks. We rang in the New Year by all falling asleep while watching Star Wars. We are an exciting bunch. 

Friday everyone went skiing. Nick took the little girls and I joined them later in the afternoon. I was so impressed by how well Alice and Scarlett did on the skis. They were both fearless and it got me so excited to go skiing as a family soon. 

Saturday morning I took the girls sledding behind the cabin with all the Flake boys. It ended with everyone jumping off cliffs into the snow and wiping out on the sleds. We left early in the afternoon and had a relaxing drive home. I am always so glad we have the cabin to use a getaway from it all! I love leaving the world behind and thinking of nothing else by my sweet family.