She's how old?

Today is KatieJo's 9th Birthday.  

Seriously?  I think I say it every year....but when did she get that old?

She is growing into such a beautiful young lady and I am surprised every day by how grown up she really is.

This year last year has been one of many changes for my girl.  She wasn't very happy leaving Rawlins and made it very clear to us.  However she's made so many good friends here in Richland and really loves living here.

She loves activity days and is learning to play the violin.  She loves playing it and is really quite good at it (had to get my bragging in there...LOL!)  She also LOVES...loves....LOVES her tap dancing class.  She tap dances anywhere and everywhere!

 These flowers and balloons are her birthday present from Auntie Cori and Carson.  It's tradition for her to get them, and yet she's always surprised.  LOVE that about her!

 We were in Idaho Falls over this last weekend and so she got a mini cousin party after Conference.  This is the cake she asked for....marble fudge cake on the bottom layer, vanilla ice cream, crushed up oreos and then mint cookie ice cream from Reeds Dairy, stabilized whip cream for the frosting and then of course more crushed oreos.  We made it on a cookie sheet so it would feed everybody (I think there were 31 of us...not quite sure though).  Grandma Mobley even had black and white candles to match the cake...YAY Grandma!

Things we love about our KatieJo....

She LOVES to read!

 She is such a happy girl

 She loves being a big sister

 She is a very meticulous person.  She is always very careful about everything she does

KatieJo is one of the kindest girls I know

She just loves life

 She always strives to do what's right

Happy Birthday KathleenJo!

First Day of School

The first day of school for KatieJo and Edward (a.k.a. Samuel who has chosen to go by one of his middle names) was Tuesday the 31st.  I have pictures, honest I do.  However, I can't for the life of me find the cord that attaches to my camera so I can put them on the computer.  So, you'll just have to trust that I have awesome pictures of all of the kids on the first day.

On Thursday August 26th both KatieJo and Edward (still a little weird to be typing that but I'm trying!) had to go in to do some placement testing.  It's standard procedure to see where kids are when they come in from new schools.  However, Edward...because of his age and the fact that he skipped 1st grade last year had to take an extra test to make sure that 3rd grade was an appropriate placement for him.  He placed appropriately for 3rd grade and so I have two 3rd graders.  It's a little bittersweet after the fight we've been through to watch him walk to his 3rd grade classroom with kids who are taller than him.  After talking to his teacher she says he's doing great, which is WONDERFUL to hear!

I find it a little funny that both KatieJo and Edward have been playing together at recess.  At Church they ignore each other during Primary, however at school they're stuck to each other like glue!  It's nice to know that they are there for each other, and that deep down they really do like one another. And if you are wondering they are in different classes at school.

Phillip misses both of them, and the first 2 days I couldn't get him to do anything because all he wanted to do was go pick them up at school.  Maija on the other hand is really good at telling them "BYE!!!!" at the top of her lungs.  She also says "SEE!"  which means see ya! to them as they head out of the van.

I did get Phillip to do some table time this morning after I let him play at the park for 1 1/2 hours.  He can now proudly tell you that A says a, ah & aw.  I really need to get the book out of storage to teach him to read.  He's excited to read and I'm hoping if he has something to do he'll calm down a little.

KatieJo started tap dance class this week.  We're thrilled because the dance studio we chose has sent students off to Juliard and some famous ballet companies.  Not that I expect that of KatieJo, but we are excited that she'll get actual dance instruction rather than what she was getting.

Both KatieJo and Edward are going to be starting the violin or viola this year.  The first 3rd grade orchestra rehearsal is on September 13th.  They are SO EXCITED!!!!  KatieJo wants to play the violin and Edward wants to play the viola. 

Besides that things are pretty normal around here.  Stuart is helping with football in the hopes that he'll get hired on as a coach...which looks like will probably happen.  He hasn't been getting home until almost 7 every night. 

Idaho

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Idaho Falls visiting Stuart's parents and siblings. We had a WONDERFUL time! I of course forgot that I brought my camera until about an hour or so before we left...go figure.
It may look like Maija has fallen here, but Samuel was under the trampoline and Maija thought it was terribly funny that she could see him through the tramp.

My sweet baby...looking well sweet!
Trying to jump.
Such a sweet boy...this one.
Singing...."Mama had a baby and it's head popped off" and then popping the heads off of the dandelions.

These four...are MINE! And I'm so glad!!
Notice Phillip's nose here (it looks MUCH worse now.) He had a mishap on Sunday that involved the outside of the trampoline. The doctor told us that they can't do anything until the swelling goes down and at that point we should be able to tell if it's broken. GO PHILLIP!
This is what she looked like when we left. She is staying up in Idaho and gets to go to her cousin Annie's baptism...she is SO excited. Well she was excited until she started running a fever today and now just wants mom or dad.
And this is what our Van looked like about 3 minutes after we left.....such sweet sleeping babies!

This is the first time since I got my video camera that I've uploaded videos. I've had it for a year, so it's about time!
KatieJo and Phillip's recital was last night. Oh my was it L.O.N.G!
I made Phillip pose for these pictures....he wasn't happy. He was hungry (we ate dinner at 4 and this picture was taken at 8:30), he was tired, and he had wanted to be home for a couple hours.
KatieJo is VERY proud of her outfit, which isn't terribly surprising because it has pink in it. She had a great time in dance class, and we enjoyed watching her. She also has pants that go under her leotard for her tap number.

We were lucky to get Phillip to go on stage. It wasn't until right before they opened the curtains that he decided he was going to do it. I was fighting with him to even go back stage up until that point. He just wanted to go see Grandma (in the audience), and go home.

KatieJo's Baptism

KatieJo was baptized last weekend. I didn't manage to take a whole lot of pictures...I should have because we had a lot of family in town. Stuart's parents were here, his brother Mark and family and his brother William and family. My friend Melanie and Brandon Cleverley and their family came as well. No, she wasn't baptized in her dress, she did put a jumpsuit on I just didn't post a picture of that.It was a fantastic day and KatieJo is so proud to be baptized (she even told the nurse at Shriners this last week about her baptism AND her dress that Grandma Mobley so kindly made for her).

KatieJo chose her dad to baptize her and her Grandpa Mobley to confirm her.

Here she is newly baptized.

After her baptism we had a luncheon at the Church and then we all went swimming. It was a wonderful day!

It's Great to be 8!

I finally have the right computer to do this...the one with the pictures on it!

KatieJo turned 8 on Wednesday. Oh was she excited!! I woke her up at midnight and asked if she wanted to do a "birthday dance". She smiled at me and told me no.

Her birthday present from Auntie Cori was flowers being delivered to school. She thought that was just awesome, and felt very special! She also got a sewing machine for her birthday which she's been wanting for a while...bring on the sewing lessons!Phillip kept wanting to eat her flowers. He was pretty convinced that it was ice cream. At one point KatieJo was concerned he was actually going to eat her flowers. She also took chocolate chip cookies to school instead of cupcakes. I've packed up all of my cake decorating supplies so she also got the rest of the cookies for her birthday desert.
Because she turned 8 this year and will be baptized on the 17th she got her very own scriptures. She's excited because they have her name engraved on them. I asked her a while back if she wanted KatieJo or KathleenJo on them. She decided on KathleenJo and thinks it's just fantastic that they are her's!
I'm having a hard time realizing she's 8! It feels like just yesterday that she walked into our lives! I'm so glad to be able to call her my daughter! What a wonderful girl she is!

Here our our 8 most favorite things about KatieJo:

1. She is a very happy girl.

2. She is such a big helper!

3. She has the best "real" laugh. (I say real because you can tell when she REALLY finds something funny)

4. She is a caring person, and is always concerned about other people.

5. She strives to do what is right

6. KatieJo is very smart and loves to read...Oh and she's an AWESOME speller!

7. She is a great listener

8. She is a hard worker and most of the time really enjoys doing whatever her chore is.

Easter

Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny went easy on "baskets" this year. He left each of the kids a present at their spot at the dinner table, and a bag of jelly beans. We had warned them that we had talked to the Easter Bunny and that they weren't going to get a whole lot...especially candy!

It was Conference this weekend, and although we didn't have them dress up yesterday we did today. The girls wore their Easter dresses with the flower hair bows I made this weekend, and the boys just put their normal Church clothes on.

Typically I make Easter dresses for the girls and bow ties for the boys. However, since we were in the process of getting our house ready to sell and looking for a new job we nixed the sewing. I was sad about it, but somethings just had to give.

Both Phillip and Samuel got Doodle Pro's (Samuel's is a Superman design....the "S" stands for Samuel according to him just so you know :0) and Phillip's is Buzz Lightyear). KatieJo got the Princess and the Frog and Maija got the Veggie Tales Jonah movie. They were THRILLED! We have other Doodle Pro's, but both Samuel and Phillip used theirs all day. In fact Samuel was writing out what he wanted to say instead of talking.

Well, here are the pictures from today....
This isn't the best picture, but cute nonetheless.
Phillip studying one of the new movies, and eating Bear Claws Stuart made this morning.
Maija struggling to make it through the first session.
KatieJo & Samuel "watching" conference. If you are wondering about Samuel's nose...he had a fight one night last week with the railings on his bunk bed. He lost that fight! He went to bed with nothing on his nose...and woke up with what looks like road rash all the way up his nose and forehead.
Maija SERIOUSLY enjoyed the jello salad at dinner! We couldn't get her to eat anything else. And when we pulled her out there was jello running down the high chair...WHAT A MESS!
Watching the Princess and the Frog. If you can't tell Maija likes to sit "with" people!

Hope you had a Fabulous Easter!

THE weekend

This is Phillip with his "stash" on his birthday. He thought Buzz was the greatest thing ever!What a weekend the kids and I had! We were supposed to leave after school on Friday, however it was snowing and so after looking at the road conditions (there was black ice in some spots) and talking to Stuart I decided to leave by 10-10:30. And, I somehow managed it. Friday evening we just hung out at Grandma and Grandpa's. Grandma went to visit Aunt Ila and KatieJo went along for the ride. While they were gone Phillip and Maija got a bath (we had spaghetti for dinner) and Samuel played chess with Grandpa. He got a chess book for Christmas and so LOVES practicing!
Phillip was convinced that only Grandma Baxley could make his birthday cake, and he wanted a chocolate cake...and so she did. He was THRILLED!!!Saturday morning Grandma, the kids and I headed to the Little Monkey Bizness at the Orchards Town Center in Westminster. It was FABULOUS! They played for about 2 1/2 hours before we had to leave to get Phillips pictures taken. The place was awesome, a little bit pricey but worth it! Somehow I didn't get very many pictures here, but they had a great time.
After pictures at JC Penny's we headed to the Orchard's Train Phillip was ECSTATIC! Mom and I rode free with the kids and they all wanted to ride again. We probably would have let them but it was nearly 1 and very much lunch time.So, we went to 3 Margaritas for lunch. It happened to be right by the train, and smelled yummy. Samuel wasn't too sure about it until he got his nachos and said "this place isn't bad!" Guess Rawlins food choices are ruining him to decent restaurants.Sunday morning the kids and I stayed home because Phillip had something funky going on with his eyes. (After his doctor's appointment on Monday we found out that it's most likely Adenovirus.) So after Grandma and Grandpa got home from Church we had a big breakfast and then put our pj's on over our clothes so we could stay warm and went out to "shovel". Phillip was mainly interested in riding on Grandpa's tractor. He wanted to ride on it the night before but there was no reason to pull it out.They had a great time "shoveling" and wiping the snow off of Grandpa's car!
Poor Maija wanted out SO bad...but we didn't have any boots. Eventually Grandma put her coat on her and took her out to help clear the snow off the car...but she really didn't want much to do with it.
Monday morning got us up early so we could be in Laramie by 9:30 for Phillip's 3 year well-child check up and Maija's 15 month check-up. We are HAPPY to say that Maija FINALLY weighs over 20 pounds. She is exactly 20 lbs 6 oz...however I'm convinced the only reason she weighs that is because she ate right before we got there. Stuart turned her car seat around before we even left the doctor's office parking lot...we were a little bit excited! Maija is thrilled too, she absolutely loves being able to see new things! She is 30 3/4 inches tall which puts her in the 60%, and her weight puts her in the 15%...at least she's on the charts!!

Phillip is 38 1/4 inches tall which puts him in the 75% and weighs 38 1/2 lbs which puts him at the 95%. We're pretty sure he's getting ready to sprout up because he's "chunked up"

The winds of change

I love change...don't you love change? Okay, I jest. I don't particularly care for change, but once again my life has been thrown for a loop. Not only have we been fighting illness since before school started, I am now Home Schooling Samuel. Well technically we are using the K12 Wyoming Virtual Academy, but I am his "learning coach" aka teacher... although, he does have a licensed teacher who oversees everything but I do the teaching.

After a year long fight and IQ and other assessments that said Samuel should be in 2nd grade (although quite a few of his results placed above the 2nd grade level) the school district decided not to do what Samuel needed. Samuel got to the point where we were fighting to get him to go to school and was VERY depressed. I didn't know a 6 year-old could get like that! So, we pulled him out. It's been almost 2 weeks and he is doing FANTASTIC! He is learning so much more than the schools here in Rawlins offer. He gets to take Art, History and Science. They do a little bit of History and Science here in the schools. But absolutely no Art. He has already learned a little bit about Van Gogh, Da Vinci, Nomads, Mummies, The Fertile Crescent, The Nile River Valley, Amun Ra, Osiris, Isis etc. He thinks the Nomads and Mummies (because their insides are taken out before they are made into Mummies...quite a good reason to like them. Don't you think?) are the coolest ever.

It's been a pretty big change for me as I'm not used to spending a big chunk of my day working on school work with him and planning for what we need for the next day. However, I think it's been positive for Samuel & Phillip. Phillip is learning quite a bit along with Samuel and was "measuring" things during Science the other day with Samuel, and at the very least it has helped Phillip sit at the table and do some "school work".

Having Samuel home means we don't get to run out and do whatever we want, but with a little planning we can still do quite a bit. It's been so great to have our son back again! It's a little scarry to have your son so depressed. And I'm grateful for options that allow us to get him what he needs.

A lot of people have asked how KatieJo feels about all of this. Well, we offered her the option of staying home to do school as well. But, she was very adamant about wanting to stay at Mountain View. She is a social butterfly by nature and needs the social interactions. Samuel on the other hand enjoys being at home. It perplexes me about how different my children are! However, I am SO very glad they are who they are!!!

It happened

It's official. The illness I dread the most throughout the whole year has hit our home.
KatieJo, Phillip, Maija and I went down to my parents house on Friday night in order to be at Broomfield Days (Broomfield is the town I grew up in and Broomfield Days is their annual festival) on Saturday. Stuart and Samuel stayed in Rawlins on Friday so that they could go to Rock Springs on Saturday for Stuart's football game and then they came down to Broomfield afterwards so we could celebrate Stuart's 30th birthday.

The three kids and I had a wonderful time at Broomfield Days with my friend Melanie and her 3 kids and her family. We got to watch the parade and then the kids got to use the money they "earned" by doing their chores to play on some of the rides. KatieJo chose to do "Mount Rushmore" which is where she had to climb to the top of this huge jumpy thing and then slide down the big slide that went almost straight down. Phillip chose the jumping castle, which was good because the guy kept letting him run on and do it again for free.

Saturday evening when Stuart and Samuel got into town we had ice cream cake from DQ (Stuart has been wanting one for a LOOONNNNGGG time!). And then my mom watched the kids so that we could go out to dinner. We went to Heaven Dragon which is our favorite Chinese restaurant.

Then Sunday rolled around and my mom and I went down to Denver to get my Great-Aunt Ila's clothes as she had 2 strokes a couple weeks ago and has been moved to a nursing home. When we got back to my parent's house I found KatieJo not acting quite right. They had all been down in the park behind my parents house watching the dog diving competition (which was COOL!). As it turns out she had a low grade fever. I'm not sure what prompted me to bring the thermometer on this quick trip, but I did. So, we kept her home from school today and her nose started running like a faucet (literally. I've never seen a nose run like that!) and she's been coughing etc. What prompted us to take her to the urgent care was that her fever went from low grade to 101-102 in a couple hours. Of course she has the flu. It couldn't be strep throat or an ear infection (like Phillip had last week), NOPE. Had. to. be. the. FLU!
We won't know for another week as to whether or not it's the Swine variety, but we got her into the doctors in time for the Tamiflu to work. You have to start it within the first 48 hours of symptoms. Yay me for being paranoid! (I think.)

So, KatieJo can't go back to school until at least Monday and I've e-mailed her teacher and the Principal. Funny enough earlier today the Principal told me if she were her daughter she'd take her in. (Why I was on the phone with her is for another post).

Well, here's to hoping all will be well in the Mobley household soon!

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!