Excitement

Well, technically the excitement hasn't happened yet...but it's getting closer!

As of this next Monday (the 1st)....4 days from now....Maija's adoption can be finalized!!!! We are so excited. Because we don't have to go back to court (Wyoming is wierd, we had to appear before the judge with Maija a while ago but we don't to finalize..strange), our lawyer will take the finalization papers to the judge on Monday and provided the judge isn't out of town next week her adoption will be finalized!!!! We can't wait! The beautiful baby we brought home 6 months ago this coming Monday (which is why we had to wait until the 1st of June to have her adoption final...she had to live "in our home" for 6 months) will finally have our names on her birth certificate.

And, provided her adoption is final we are planning on blessing her on Sunday June 7th. My mother-in-law is making a BEAUTIFUL dress for her blessing, and we're excited!

Last night she discovered she could sit up in her swing, which she thought was just great. And everyone else thought was great too (she's a little spoiled!). We are also excited because school gets out next Friday. Well, everyone but Samuel is excited...he doesn't like change. On the 8th KatieJo is headed to my parent's house for 2 weeks and swim lessons, Maija and I are headed to Laurel, MD to see baby Carson; Samuel is set for a week of soccer camp and Stuart and Phillip will get some bonding time while Samuel is at soccer.

After that we get to head to WA to visit friends and then back to ID for a Staples (Stuart's side) family reunion. Then we're home for a few days and we're off to NE for a Yount family reunion (that's on Chaney's side) and then to WI for baby William's blessing (Hannah's baby). Then we'll stay in IA to visit some friends on our way home. WHEW I'm already tired from just listing our travels for the summer. But, we're excited and ready to go!

Bring on the FUN!

Wordful Wednesday

The first day of my freshman year in highschool was intimidating enough, then I walked into Mr. Borinski's Biology class. The class was meant for sophomores, however freshmen could opt out of the life science class and skip to Biology. Which is exactly what I did.

As I sat in the back row of the room waiting for the bell to ring to start class I remember thinking that maybe I had taken the wrong class. Would I really be able to handle the stress of a class I wasn't meant to take? The bell rang and Mr. Borinski walked to the front of the room. He wasn't necessarily a scary man, however he was a tad bit intimidating. He proceeded to tell us how hard the year was going to be and how the freshmen in the class should think really hard about whether or not we wanted to cotinue in the class.

He succeeded with a lot of the freshemen, he almost succeeded with me. Until I realized what he was trying to do. He wanted the students who really had no desire to be there out of his class. I don't blame him, and it gave me the resolve to take the class and do my very best.

I LOVED biology and went on to take his AP Biology class and the genetics class he taught as well. I'm not altogether sure why it is that I think he is such a great teacher, but I do know that I had fun in his classes. Something about him made me sit at the edge of my chair and soak up the information he was teaching us.

Right before our AP exam he took our AP Biology class on a retreat to Breckenridge, CO for a 4 day study session. Who knew studying with 13 other kids for 4 straight days would be so much fun?!?

If I was to be a highschool teacher (which will never happen because highschoolers are WAY to mouthy), I would want to be like Mr. Borinski.

I'm really glad that I stuck it out and stayed in the class. If I hadn't I may not have had the opportunity to have Mr. Borinski as a teacher as there were 2 other teachers who taught Biology.

It's funny to look back and evaluate the different teachers I had through school. Maybe I just really liked science because the other teacher who stands out was also a science teacher. I can see his face, but his name is eluding me. I know there were a lot of great teachers in my career in school, but Mr. Borinski tops them all.

Memorial Day weekend

We went to Idaho Falls for Memorial Day weekend and for our niece Caroline's blessing. I of course managed only to take pictures yesterday while we were having a picnic at a park in Rexburg. And, I don't have any of KatieJo as she was off watching the Uncles play hockey on rollerblades.

Samuel and the diggy thing...I don't know what you call those things.Phillip in this picture is on the diggy thing as well, but this was a better picture than the other one I got. He LOVES his new hat! Stuart thinks the color is great. Phillip had an awesome time at the park because it was right next to the Rexburg airport and so he got to watch planes come and go. He LOVES planes, trains and automobiles and so his day was MADE when we went to this park. He wouldn't even eat lunch because of the planes...now that's saying something!
Maija has never really been laid on grass, so this is a first for her. Granted she wasn't on the grass instead was on a blanket, but she thought it was great! Did I mention she's now 6 months old and FINALLY weighs 15 pounds 10 ounces? She's finally outgrowing her 0-3 month clothes!

To make things even better, ALL of the kids slept for more than half of the way home (I did too!). Stuart got to listen to what he wanted and for the rest of us the trip went REALLY quick!

We hope you all had a great weekend!

A day in the life....

It's Wednesday. Usually Wednesdays brings nothing terribly fun or exciting. The kids get out of school at 1 for their early release day. But today, today was different.

Today was the Mountain View School Wide Spelling Bee. And KatieJo was one of two representatives from her class. There were 6 students from each grade and she was THRILLED to be one of them. Her good friend Isaac was one from his class as well. It was kind of exciting to see her up there, although I think she may have gotten a little nervous because she lost out on "again". She did however make it to the last 3 from First Grade. Not too bad if you ask us. She was sad because she wanted the trophy....there's always next year! We're VERY proud of our little speller, and really quite grateful she can spell (since my mom and quite a few Mobley's can't). GO KATIEJO!!!
I've recently started going to the Chiropractor (recent as in yesterday) for my wrist. I've had pain in my right wrist on and off since before Phillip was born. WOW is all I have to say. The regular doctors don't know what's wrong and a guy in our Ward is a Chiropractor so I figured I'd give it a shot. I went yesterday and today and I'm impressed! I haven't had my brace on my wrist since yesterday afternoon. YIPEE!

Samuel went with me to the Chiropractor, and when we got home I decided I was going to water the lawn. Instead Samuel decided to do it and Phillip got to the spicket before I did and turned the water on. Samuel of course was soaked and Phillip thought it looked like fun. It's not quite warm enough this afternoon to run in the sprinklers, but they sure did have fun!

Music night

Tonight the kids had a Music fun night tonight, and so they got all decked out and away we went. It didn't last very long, but I think they had fun and then they got to build their own trail mix as we were leaving.

Last night I went in to check on the boys before I went to bed, and this is how I found Samuel. He pulled the ladder on top of himself...crazy kid!

And this picture, well...I never post pictures of myself or at least pictures I'm in. So, Stuart took it tonight at the music program. I got my hair cut last week and highlighted last night. You can't really tell in this picture, but it really is lighter. Aren't my baby's getting bigger?!?!?!?

Wordful Wednesday

When I was growing up my mother was EVERYTHING. She did everything, she's just an amazing woman. And even though my mom has always been there for me (I wrote about her as my hero a while ago for Wordful Wednesday), I thought I'd pick someone else in my life who has technically never been a mother and yet has mothered so very many.

This wonderful woman is my Great Aunt Ila. Aunt Ila was born in 1911 and grew up on a farm in Nebraska. She (if I remember correctly) has several degrees, worked as a business woman and also married a man I have never personally me. She lived through the Great Depression, not being able to have children and the death of her husband, parents and all of her siblings. She is a STRONG woman who rarely lets something stand in her way. She is the epitome of what a lady should be. She is dignified and well poised. She ALWAYS matches and usually wears a hat, even to church when most people today don't think hats are appropriate indoors.

this is Aunt Ila with my youngest daughter- Christmas 2008

Aunt Ila finally submitted a few years ago to live in an Retirement home and has recently moved to the Assisted Living section much to her dismay.

There was a time in my life where I found her old fashioned ways annoying and didn't want to visit her and her opinions since she says whatever is on her mind. However, now I would give almost anything to be able to share my time with her and to learn of her. She has so much knowledge and wisdom. She may say I need to loose a few pounds or that my hair looks obnoxious (like she did when krimpers were the style). But, she also tells me the truth and she adores my children-some of whom are adopted which makes a difference to some people but not to her.

I'm very GRATEFUL to be able to claim her as my Aunt, and I am happy to say that even my children love Aunt Ila. My oldest daughter had an Easter hat on the other day and told me that the next time she goes to see Aunt Ila she's going to wear the hat because Aunt Ila would like to see it. And, KatieJo also likes to "match like Aunt Ila" and would never dream of going to see Aunt Ila unless she is wearing her Sunday best. It's possible that I have influenced my children to behave this way for my Aunt, and it's possible that my mother influenced us to do the same. But Aunt Ila is a lady and deserves our very best.

Happy Mothers Day Aunt Ila, I love you!

Monday Effort, yes it's Tuesday

My Monday effort got shoved off to Tuesday this week. Really Tuesdays aren't that much better than Mondays except that they are a day closer to Fridays.

However, Monday started off the week in grand fashion. I say grand fashion because of several reasons. The first being that Stuart is done with swimming for this school year! YIPEE! The next reason is that I got a Bosch Universal Mixer for Mothers Day and I made bread. It's always nice when Stuart & the kids walk in and tell me the house smells WONDERFUL! And the kids really like homemade bread sandwiches.I have been wanting one of these for a very long time. I used to want a Red KitchenAid Mixer. And not that they aren't great, because they are. However the Bosch fits my lifestyle so much better. I love the fact that the motor is on the bottom and I can pour flour or whatever I need to in the top and not make a huge mess. Also, it replaces my bread maker (which since moving to WY I haven't had a whole lot of luck with), blender (since my bosch came with one) and my current stand mixer. Did I mention I also love the fact that my children can drop this bowl and it won't break like my current mixer...GASP what a concept! I've gone through more bowls for my other mixer!
Monday also brought something new. I am watching a friends little boy until school gets out. Her daycare fell through last week and so I took over. Alvin (who is 17 months) and Phillip play GREAT together...they are both quite ornery though and I have started blocking off the kitchen so that they can't wreak havoc in there. The day seems to go so much faster with 3 kids at home.

This week promises to be a lot calmer than last week and I'm hoping to get a few things marked off my "to do" list such as going through the kids toys in the toy room and disposing or donating toys they no longer need or use. I'm also trying to go through the kids clothes to decide what they need to get this summer at garage sales. AND, I am finally decluttering my bedroom closets. Stuart and I have 2 closets in our room which has led to a little bit of chaos which I hate. I think I may turn one of the closets into a sewing nook. I got a beautiful sewing cabinet for Christmas that I haven't used because it's downstairs. It's time to break that sucker out and enjoy it!

Here's to a Great week!

Whew...what a week!

We've had a GREAT week here at the mobsquad!
It all started on Tuesday with Samuel's first soccer game. Stuart is coaching his team (they are the "Fire" by the way). At this age they don't keep score....officially anyway. Stuart on the other hand kept an "unofficial" score and if a score had been kept we would have won both games....GO TEAM! The short one with red shorts and red shirt under his jersey is Samuel. The coach with the red on (hence "fire") is Stuart if you didn't know that already.Wednesday brought on making rolls for the teacher appreciation lunch that the PTO put on for the teachers. I was in charge of making sure there were salads and desserts for them and as it turns out the kids and I were the only ones who showed up to set up/clean up for it as well. We had started cleaning up and the teachers couldn't figure out how I was planning on cleaning up with "3 1/2 kids in tow". So they shooed me out the door. I wasn't terribly upset about not having to clean up! Although, KatieJo and Samuel were being HUGE helpers and were already cleaning up when we were told to go home, and Phillip and Maija were hanging out in the double stroller. The picture below is of Phillip "making" rolls. He had p.j.'s on prior to this picture. However, I thought he was done and so de-robed him to put him in the bath. Then he decided to continue on playing in the flour, eat the flour and just plain pretend he was making rolls for me. He was COVERED in it! But hey, that's the fun of being a kid...right?
Wednesday also brought the arrival of Stuart's mom Kathy and our nephew Joshua (who is Stuart's oldest sister's son). We were all VERY excited for her visit, and Joshua was a fun bonus!

I must be a glutton for punishment as I also volunteered to make 2 cakes for the teachers on Thursday. These two cakes are the final product. I decided not to make any more frosting so the top cake has raspberry filling on the top to save me frosting. I think they turned out great.
On Thursday afternoon the girls and I headed to the Church to finish up helping my friends Cindy and Cassa prepare dinner for the Logan Institute Choir. They came to perform for us and so we (and several other people) made them Hawaiian haystacks for dinner. As we did that, Stuart, Samuel, Stu's mom, Joshua and Phillip headed to the soccer fields for a game. I didn't send KatieJo with them because I was afraid of what she would look like when she got to the church as she had the opportunity to sing a song with a girl from the choir (see pictures below). I WISH I had a video camera as she did a beautiful job! She sang the chorus to "The Family is of God" from the 2009 Primary Program. We had no idea what the choir's outfits would look like, but KatieJo really wanted to wear this dress (probably because it sparkles). As it turns out, she matched almost perfectly!

Friday was Samuel's Grandparent's tea party where they sang songs for us and got to read to us. This was the reason Grandma Mobley came to visit and Samuel was THRILLED that she was here! He is an awesome reader and loves to show that off to people. It doesn't help that he loves Grandma as well!
And, because Grandma Mobley came all the way from Idaho and traveled further than any other grandparent, she won the top of the cake below. It's made of fondant and cake and was adorable!
That pretty much sums up our week (besides a lost tooth which means KatieJo now doesn't have her 2 front teeth!). We had a GREAT week, and hope you did too!!

Monday

It's Monday...again. However, we have only 4 Mondays left until school gets out and Maija and I fly to my sister's to see her and her new baby Carson Bennett! I can't wait!!
We only have 3 more Monday's until Maija's adoption can be final (it can be finalized as of June 1st).
And 5 more Mondays until Stuart is done with school for the summer. Did I say I was excited?

And to top it all off KatieJo, Maija, Phillip and I had a great weekend in Idaho Falls visiting the Mobley family. We went so we could go to my sister-in-law's baby shower. (baby Emmalee is due on June 8th...which is only 5 Mondays from now.) Samuel needed some dad time and so he stayed home with Stuart.

A plus for this week is that my mother-in-law is coming to visit so she can attend Samuel's Grandparents tea party on Friday. She also gets to be here to listen to KatieJo sing with the Logan Institute Choir, and one of Samuel's soccer games. What a week!

On a side note because I think it's funny....Maija just woke up a little disgruntled and before I could get to her Phillip stopped playing, walked over to her and put her pacifier in her mouth, turned on the swing and also turned on the music on the swing. He can be a good brother...sometimes LOL.

I hope you have a happy Monday!