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noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:00:00 +0000

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Holidays and New Years

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:08:00 +0000

It was really a nice and relaxing Christmas. No crazy gifts (Ok, well...we did get the kids an air hockey table. We didn't really have a place for it, so it's taken over our schoolroom/library. Don't worry, there are still books and the computer--for now. The computer might be relocated as I'm kind of worried about a puck being hurled across the room and hitting the screen!), no crazy schedules, no crazy food (just our traditional Swiss Rochlette), no crazy people (OH, wait! I'm talking about us! I'll take that last phase back!).

We are slowly getting back into the swing of things with school and CHORES. It seems that when we have a break, the chores seems to go out the window. Everyone gets a break (except me, but I'm mom, so that's OK--I'll get mine when they are all out of the house and then I won't know what to do with myself). I introduced a new chore system yesterday (It seems like I always have a new system--but my theory is if it works for a week, it's been a success!). It was a success, if the only determinates are if the chores were done. Everyone did theirs, there was just a bit to grumbling and crying and whining and well... you get the picture. Hopefully that part of it will diminish once the newness has worn off. My goal is to outlast my kids in this one. We'll see how it goes.

It was great to see family and spend time with them. I'm so grateful my kids have cousins that they know and I get to spend time with my brothers and sisters. We have an awesome family. I can't wait to spend more time with them and with those who we didn't get to see.

I am trying to read more and exercise more and eat better and be a better mom and serve more and be a better teacher and (do you think that's enough resolutions?). I just want to be a better person all around and am trying to make a little progress each day. So when you check my blog and there is nothing there for months at a time, just remember that I am busy with my little clan and sharing what is going on in our lives just didn't make it high enough on the TO DO list that day.

He really does exist!

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 01:08:00 +0000

So...here he is! Looks just like the rest of them:) I still think he's really cute!Here's an almost smile...But for the first month, this was what we saw...

He's getting so big so fast!
Todd and Kent hanging at the Fourth of July Parade...

Like Mother, Like Daugher

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:36:00 +0000

I was just going through some pictures and ran across this one. I sure love my little girl!

Bizarre!!

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:42:00 +0000

I'm use to not being able to find things at my house. The screwdriver, the duct tape, any bowl I might need to make dinner, etc. Just normal things with a houseful of activity. But....today, I'm putting the washed laundry into the dryer and was about to put a dryer sheet in when...THE DRYER SHEETS ARE GONE!!! Dryer sheets? Who would take a WHOLE box of them? I understand maybe one or two, but the whole box?! Of course, no one knows anything about it, so I guess we'll just have static clothes until they are found.

When it rains, it pours!

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:36:00 +0000

Our house is OLD! And so, we never know quite what to expect. I thought I'd share what we've experienced in the last month. The Monday before Christmas, I was washing dishes and heard a strange "whoosh," As I looked up, a waterfall was flowing down the wall behind the refrigerator!! Todd rushed down to the basement to turn the main water valve off so we could find out what was going on. We discovered that the pipes upstairs had burst due to the cold. Fortunately, we have a friend who's dad is a plumber. He hadn't left for Christmas break yet, so he came over and replaced it for us. Meanwhile, the kids were trying to mop up about an inch of water on the kitchen floor! I wish I had had a video camera going, because it was really quite funny!!!

A couple weeks later, Todd got up to go to work and none of the water in the house was working. We discovered that the main water line had frozen. A couple days later and a brillant husband, and we had water again with no broken pipes, thank goodness!

During all this, the bathroom sink decided to call it quits for awhile. We could not use the hot water or the drain, so we brushed teeth and hands in the bathtub.

Then, the toilet handle decided to break. For a couple of weeks, we were flushing the toilet by pulling a string Dexter had tied to the chain. I don't think this one affected the kids too much as it seems as though I am the only one who flushes the toilet anyway!!

Talk about your memories! I'm sure someday we'll look back and just laugh and laugh (at least I hope so!!)

FOOD

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:25:00 +0000

I know we have a large family, but it has always kind of confused me when people ask me about the amount of food I cook. "You must cook for an army," kind of comments. I really haven't felt as though I've had to cook a TON of food to feed everyone...that is until now. Maybe it's that Dexter and Preston are older, or maybe Emiline really does feel like she needs to store extra food in her thighs, but lately, the normal amount is not enough. It almost works, but if Todd wants anything to take to work the next day, I'm going to have to up the ante. Doubling I'm good with, but 2 1/2ing, I'm going to have to work on. Maybe I'll get all my little math quizzes to help me:).

I really love my family!!!!!

Squirrels

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:49:00 +0000

Squirrels. We all know them. They are cute, furry, and they live in our attic. So far, they haven't bothered us, so we've left them alone, at least until we replace the roof. Last week, we updated our 72-hour kits and decided to keep them in our attic instead of under our bed. This morning, Dexter decided to switch backpacks and discovered that a squirrel had eaten through a backpack and gotten into some of the food (ie oatmeal, fruit and hot cocoa mix--at least they had a balanced breakfast!!). Needless to say, we've brought our kits down. They topic of conversation today is how do we catch the squirrels? We'll just have to wait and see what the kids come up with. Any ideas?

A discussion arose between some of the kids about the similarities between humans and squirrels. Some felt that they were the same.

"Why?" I asked.

"Squirrlels eat just like humans." said Lacy.

"That's not true," Madison retorted, "They have terrible table manners."

I just love how kids think!!!!

Video by Dexter

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 23:11:00 +0000

The Family

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:55:00 +0000

We just took our attempt of a home family picture. Thought I'd post it for everyone to enjoy. It definately shows some of the personalities of my children!!

Dexter's First Talk

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:13:00 +0000

Dexter gave his first talk in Sacrament meeting today. He did such a good job. It was about the temple, and since he just went on a youth temple trip this past week, he has some really recent experience with this topic. He worked on it all week using the scriptures, the New Era, the Ensign, and the church's website. It was really neat to see him get so into it. He practiced and tweeked every day. He did such an awesome job! (Did I already say that?) The spirit was there and he even got some laughs at a few comments he made. I am so proud to be his mom and am grateful for the example he is setting for his younger siblings.

Ode of the Lousy Blogger

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 19:04:00 +0000

Why, Oh Why, don't I update my blog, like everyone else I see?
And show that we do really exist, my family and me?

Each night I lay there pondering what things I have to share,
The list is long, the events are fun, enough to make you stare.

I think of what my kids have learned durning their days at home,
Things that I would love to write about now before they roam.

Every night before I sleep I tell myself again,
I'll take a the time to jot it down to share with you, my friend.

And then each morning when I wake to face what lies in store,
The blog creeps down and down the list, alas, it's there no more.

Until that night when I lie awake because I can not sleep,
I remember this, my blog once more, the one I do not keep.

I tell myself once again, But I have so much to tell!
Why do I not just take a minute and type or write or yell?

So readers, when I let you down because there's nothing new,
Just remember that in my head is more than just a few

Thoughts and memories that for now that's where they're going to stay,
Until I figure out the key of fitting blogging into my day!

Take 10

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 02:01:00 +0000

We need a video camera

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:21:00 +0000

OK, so we definately need a 24 hour video camera in our kitchen--just to record all the craziness that happens there. In the last two days, the following has happened:

1. Two children with plates piled with a flour tortilla and shredded cheese collide while heading for the microwave. The unmelted cheese flies through the air and the affected child has a meltdown.
2. One 2 year old decides that she should feed her younger sister applesauce. Most of what is offered ends up in the little's mouth, some all down her front, and the rest...in the mouth of the feeder.
3. The baby has ravioli for the first time. (Just think red sauce and pasta). It was even stuck in her eyebrows and ears.
4. Cookies are being made. I unwisely left the kitchen and allowed the accused to roll out and use cookie cutters. When I came back, there was cookie dough (chocolate) covering 3 children, blobs all over the floor, brown smears all over the table, dots on the walls, and I think if we didn't have 9 foot ceilings, there would have been some there as well.

I guess I should clean up before Todd gets home and get ready for another eventful day tomorrow!

House Hunting

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:55:00 +0000

As you know, we sold our house in Woodstock the end of February and have been crashing at mom's and looking for another one since. We have spent hours on the internet, dragged our realtor all over and even made a couple of offers, but nothing was happening. Last week, we saw a house we are totally excited about, made an offer, and finally yesterday we settled on a price and our now in contract! We are super excited! We should close the end of April. Here's what it looks like:

It is currently a duplex (one up and one down), so we plan to live in the bottom and keep the top rented for about a year to help getting the roof done, etc. After that, we will take over the whole house. When we do convert the house into a single family home, we should be able to have 6 bedrooms and 2 baths upstairs as well as 1 bedroom down. We feel so blessed and just hope and pray things go fairly smoothly. Thanks so much for all your prayers! We'll keep you posted.

A Birthday and Stitches

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:59:00 +0000

Carter had his 5th birthday on Thursday. We had a great day. He decorated his own cake with frosting and gummy worms--It looked great! After the festivities, we got the kids in PJs and in bed. About 9pm, Dexter carries Kennedy up the stairs and says she is bleeding. Sure enough, she had a big cut right in the middle of her forehead! She was playing and fell off her bed and hit a toy. Off to the ER we went. It must have been a slow night, because we were in and out of there in 30 min! They strapped her in a papoose so that she would stay still. That made her MAD!!! She screemed and gave the doctor and nurses dirty looks the whole time. She left with 3 stitches and a bandaid. She seems no worse for the wear, though, and is back to her old tricks again. Never a dull day!!!

Warm fuzzies

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:32:00 +0000

I've been thinking about things I can do to help the atmosphere in our home (or grandma's home!!). The feelings of cooperativeness and love need to increase and the feelings of anger need to decrease. Since I know that everything starts with me, I need to make some changes in myself in order for those changes to occur in my family. I had a thought this morning of looking for "warm fuzzies" that my children give me each day. Look for them and let them cause my love for that child to grow. I'm know that I will need to do more than this, but it is a start.

Warm fuzzy for the day (on of them): I walk in the bathroom and see a pile of band-aids on the floor. Kennedy has been practicing putting on her own, again. I just thought of how she wants to be independent and be grown up. It just made me smile:)

A Budding Artist

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:53:00 +0000

Last night Kennedy would not go to sleep, so we finally gave in and brought her in the office with us. While Todd and I were looking for houses, she was busy with a paper and crayon. When we saw what she had drawn, we were pretty impressed. Notice that almost all of the faces have eyes, at least one has a nose, and one even has sunglasses!! I love kids' artwork!

She sits..but doesn't roll

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:28:00 +0000

Emiline has yet to roll over. She is now about 41/2 months. At first I thought it was because she never spent time on the floor. She is either being held (yeah, she's spoiled!) or in her swing or carseat for safety reasons (lots of action in our house). So the last month, I've given her a lot more floor time. She still doesn't roll. She'll lean over on her side, but then look at you and fall back on her back or tummy. Funny girl. I'm not worried at all about her developmentally, because she is starting to sit up (Madison counted up to 26 the other day). She's just going to be stubborn. At least she'll be able to hold her own in this crazy family of ours!!

Sisters

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:14:00 +0000

I was driving along and saw this billboard. It really sums up what my sisters mean to me. Thanks for being there for me!

I thought coats were for people!

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:12:00 +0000

I guess I was wrong!!

The Snow-woman

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:06:00 +0000

We had to build a snowman, so the kids have been working on this one for the last few days. Lacy informed me today that it is a snow-woman, not a snowman.

We start them young

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:04:00 +0000

The Big Snow!

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:57:00 +0000

So last weekend, we had tons of snow!!! The new said that 20" hit Columbus! Todd and I went for a walk on Saturday as it was still coming down and took a few pictures.

Look at that snow drift the plow made!

Every car that hadn't been consistently dug out was looking like this one! I think we shoveled about 4-5 times during the 2 days it was snowing. You'd shovel the walk and an hour later there would be another inch. I LOVE SNOW!!!

Grass Heads: Before and After

noreply@blogger.com (Bente) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:51:00 +0000

A couple of months ago, grandma came over and helped the kids make grass heads. Here are the before and after pictures:

BEFORE:

AFTER: