Preparing for a talk

Last Sunday, a counselor in the Branch Presidency asked me if I wanted to give a talk in Sacrament Meeting in August. My answer was no, I didn't want to give a talk and that he needed to rephrase the question. Then he asked the right question, which was would I give a talk. Then my answer was yes. Today, he gave me my topic and I have until August 21st to prepare. I have mixed feelings about that. I will have plenty of time to pray about my topic and to prepare, which will be nice, but it's too long to have it in the back of my mind.

My topic is found in the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 2:23-25. Speaking of Adam & Eve...
"And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."

Feel free to give me input on these verses. :-)

I was in charge of the Nursery class today (ages 18 months - 3 years). Matt helped me out during the 2nd hour and then my Mom helped me out during the 3rd hour. The 2nd hour dragged on a bit, but the 3rd hour flew by. The kids got along great today and things went smoothly, so that was nice. Bo sat close to Noah during snack time, which I thought was so cute.



Zach's Primary class joined with Eleanor's Primary class today. Martha told me something sweet that Zach did during class. As part of the lesson, the kids took turns saying something nice about the child next to them. It was Zach's turn and he was to saying something nice about Eleanor. Martha was touched that Zach really thought about what he was going to say and then he said, "Eleanor always raises her hand during class and she is reverent during class." Martha said that what Zach said brought tears to her eyes because it was so sweet. It also brought tears to Brooklyn's eyes (Martha's daughter who was helping Martha out). It was nice to hear about this sweet act of Zach's and to also hear that Eleanor is good in class. :-)

Bucksport Bay Festival

Zoe, Emily, Eleanor, & I were in the parade this morning. We were part of the youth soccer league. The kids had fun kicking soccer balls around as we walked. Matt took a few pictures of us as we walked by.




Matt, Zoe, & Emily had a very productive afternoon working on the house. They spent a little bit of time working in a downpour, but then the sun came out.




We went downtown this evening to listen to a steel drum band. It was pure torture for the kids, but I enjoyed it. I think Zoe, Emily, Eleanor, & Zach would have been less anxious to leave if they weren't going over to my parents' house after to spend the night and to go back downtown for the fireworks.

Another Early Start

We had more lumber delivered today. I didn't have to worry about wasting my day away waiting for the lumber since it arrived at 6:22am! I was already awake, it just surprised me. When I heard a beeping sound, I thought one of the kids had set the alarm on their Nintendo, but then I realized it was the delivery truck.


Here is a daytime picture of the house progress.


My Mom treated the kids & I to lunch at Governor's. The kids were super well behaved. :-)

We stopped at the Children's Museum before coming home. Zach was hoping to get to do a project and he wasn't disappointed. The kids made sand print fossils...that smell like coffee.

During the explanation of what a fossil is, Noah was picked to demonstrate a dead dinosaur.

Here he is being covered up by layers and layers of dirt and other stuff.
Then millions of years later, he is found...a fossil. :-)
Kate, Noah, & Zach spent quite a bit of time in the dino dig.
The older girls were reconstructing faces.
Before...
After...(A creation by Zoe & Emily)
Eleanor's creation




The kids had a package waiting for them when we got home. They each have a new Summer T-shirt from Aunt Kerri, Uncle Jon, & Family! The shirts were a big hit!

Matt is camping out this evening. So far he has met his goal and he has camped out every month this year.

The kids are watching "Cats and Dogs" and eating popcorn. I am a new fan of the Orville Redenbacher Pop Up Bowl popcorn. The box I bought has 6 packages, perfect for 6 kids. I love how easy it is to tear the cover off the paper bowl when the popcorn is done, hand the bowl to a child, and then throw the paper bowl away when it is empty.

The kids are sleeping in the living room tonight. That seems to be the norm when Matt is not here and it's not a school night.

More House Progress

The school-aged kids were happy to see a box arrive from LLBean today. Emily ordered a backpack and a lunchbox and the other kids each got a lunchbox. Eleanor & Zach were going to order backpacks from LLBean, but when we went to Walmart a few weeks ago, they decided to get backpacks there.

The kids & I spent a few hours at the pool today.

Matt, Shawn Olsen(a guy in our branch), & Emily worked on the house this evening. They were very productive! The pictures are darker than I thought they were, so I'll take more pictures tomorrow.

Early Start to the Day

The younger kids have the week off from swimming lessons, but Zoe & Emily had their water safety class this morning. It's a bit brutal to get the kids out the door at 7:45am on Wednesday mornings, but at least only Zoe & Emily have to be ready. The other kids pile in the car in their pj's.

Zoe had Young Women's this evening and Emily & Eleanor had Activity Days. I took all of the kids to Ellsworth, so Matt could work outside this evening in peace. I treated the kids to Friendly's before the activities. During the activities, I took Zach, Kate, & Noah to the playground, but it started to rain, so we headed back to the church. I stopped at Goodwill to drop off some clothes and odds and ends that I had put into a bag before we left. I was in a decluttering mood today. When we got back to the church, the kids had fun playing in the gym until it was time to go.

More Family Time

The kids & I went over to my parents' house this morning for a yummy breakfast that Donna made. Then Donna, Phil, Aly, Noah, & I headed out to Walmart to have pictures taken.

Phil & Noah had fun together while waiting for Aly. Noah loves Phil. I love to hear Noah say "PhilllllllUP". It is so cute.

Zoe wore her hair down for most of the day, which is unusual for her. Beautiful!

We played another long game of Phase 10 today, ate more yummy food that Donna made, and then had to say goodbye to Donna, Phil, & Aly. :-(



We have posts and girders going up. Exciting! I hope Matt knows how much I appreciate the time and energy that he is spending on building our new home.

Celebrating Pioneer Day the Maine Way

With lobster!

Notice the lobster behind Kate & Noah.

Kate & Noah didn't want to get too close to the lobster at first, but Zoe & Aly were not afraid of them. Zach was hesitant until he was shown the rubber bands around the claws which prevent the lobsters from pinching.

The kids had fun playing with their food. The first picture in this post captures the lobsters racing, could you tell? Some of the kids tried to convince us to save the lobsters as pets, but it didn't work. All of the lobsters had an owner and a name before they went into the pot.

My sister, Donna arrived today, yay! She will be leaving tomorrow night with Aly & Phil.


My Mom, Donna, Phil, Aly, Zoe, and I played a very long game of Phase 10 today. We started in the afternoon and we finished this evening around 9pm. We took a break in the middle of the game, so the kids & I could come home for FHE. Then Zoe & I went back to my parents' house to finish the game.

Happy Pioneer Day

It cracked me up Friday night when Matt said "Happy Pioneer Day" to a guy he knows who knows nothing about Pioneer Day.

I just read this on Wikipedia..."The holiday (Pioneer Day) generates a great deal of road traffic; Utah Department of Public Safety statistics demonstrate that Pioneer Day has the second highest holiday traffic fatality rate in Utah, with the earlier July 4 Independence Day having the highest rate." So, be safe tomorrow Utah family & friends!

Matt was released from his Branch Mission Leader calling today. He is still a counselor in the Elders Quorum, so he is not callingless.

I love the fact that Zoe is mature, responsible, and old enough to babysit. Matt & I went to visit Rachel for a Home/Visiting Teaching visit this evening and we left Zoe in charge. When we got home, the house was clean, the kids were ready for bed, and the kids were all together watching a church video on the computer. Everything was in order, which wasn't the case when we left.

We found out today during Family Council that our school-age children will be starting the "Prison Schedule" when school starts. Monday-Friday will be school. Saturday will be a work day. Sunday will be a church day. There will be absolutely no.fun.at.all. Just like we didn't have any fun yesterday, eh?

A Work AND Play Day

Matt, Zoe, Emily, Eleanor, & I had a productive morning. Matt & the girls worked outside on the house and I stayed inside to vacuum. Zach, Kate, & Noah played really well together, so I was able to work without too many interruptions.

When I was moving our photo albums into a drawer that wasn't being used in our room, Zach noticed the drawer and he was quite impressed with my work. "Wow Mom! That looks really organized! You are doing a lot of hard work!" A child who appreciates my organization, gotta love it!

Zoe's new school backpack arrived today in the mail.

Last year, Zoe wanted this backpack, but we didn't have the money to buy it for her. She looked for it on the LL Bean website a few weeks ago, but she couldn't find it, so I looked on ebay. We won the brand new backpack with the tags still on it and Zoe is very happy about that. :-)

We all went to the pool this afternoon. It was just too hot to work outside all day in the sun, so Matt & the girls worked this morning and then went back out after dinner. My Mom, Aly, & Phil came swimming, too. Since there were multiple adults there, Zach & Kate were able to spend time in the deep end jumping into the pool. They were very happy about that!

We ate fresh lettuce from our garden this evening. We haven't had much luck in the past growing lettuce, but we have a lot of good lettuce this year. We have lettuce thanks to Matt because I wasn't going to plant it this year. He bought the seeds and made sure it got planted, and I'm glad he did.

Emily has been debating what instrument she wants to learn how to play this year in school. She has been mentioning the clarinet, but was also considering the saxophone. Today she declared that she has made up her mind and she wants to play the saxophone. If she sticks with this decision, we'll need to have my saxophone looked at and probably worked on, so Emily can start using it. :-)

I insisted that the kids watch "Punky Brewster" this evening instead of their usual shows. I had a feeling that Eleanor would like it the most, and I was right. It was fun to hear her laugh, she has a great laugh.

The Best Day of the Week

Eleanor, Zach, & Kate had their last swim class today for this session. They will all stay in the same classes next session, but they may have different instructors and go on different days and at different times. I promised Kate that she could have Carrie as an instructor if she finished her class with Brandon, so hopefully Carrie is teaching a Beginner 1 class. Since Noah is now 3, he can take swim lessons, too. He is very excited about that! Sign ups for the next session are on Monday.

We were going to go to our local pool this afternoon, but when we got there, it was closed. What??? Today was the hottest day of the Summer so far, so we were determined to go swimming. We went to the Brewer pool, instead. It cost $8.00, but we had a fun time. It made us appreciate more our free, local pool. The older girls said that our pool is more fun because you can dive at our pool. I enjoyed watching Noah blow bubbles under water and swim under water. My youngest children continue to amaze me with their swimming abilities!

Zoe & Emily went to Great Skates this evening with my Dad, Phil, & Aly. They had a great time! Zoe said the ending was the best because by then she really had the hang of skating and was having lots of fun.

My Mom came over to watch the younger 4 kids this evening, while Matt & I went to eat at Bugaboo Creek. The kids watched "Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore". They haven't seen the 1st movie, but they still wanted to watch the sequel. They all liked it, including my Mom.

Thankful for our air conditioner

It was 80 degrees when the kids had their swim lessons this morning. Last week, it was in the mid 60's for their lessons. The kids (including Kate) who didn't want to get in the water last week were very cooperative today.

The kids and I went over to my parents' house this afternoon. The older girls watched "Cheaper By the Dozen" with Aly while the younger kids played on the computer. I read. :-)

Matt worked on cutting posts this evening with Emily and Eleanor. I worked on my Sharing Time lesson. Zoe, Zach, and Kate played on the wii after they cleaned up the house and got ready for bed.

Lumber/Swimming/Croquet

We have some lumber. :-)


This is the progress as of this afternoon. Matt put in more time this evening, so all of the holes are ready for posts.


The kids and I went swimming at the pool this afternoon with Aly & Phil.

Zoe had Young Women's this evening. I brought Kate & Noah with me, so Emily would only have Eleanor & Zach to watch while Matt worked outside. Zoe, Kayla, Ella, and Patti played croquet.

Kate & Noah played a game with Patti before we left.




Where did the ball go?






We stopped at McDonald's to eat and then came home.

Motherhood can be hard

Today is a day where I wonder where I have gone wrong as a Mom. So much bickering and fighting going on! As I prayed this evening, I questioned how we can feel and share more love and feel the influence of the Spirit more. The thought came to me that we need to surrounded ourselves with more uplifting entertainment. What we watch and listen to really does impact our choices of behavior. It shouldn't surprise me that the one day of the week that our kids go to church and do not watch any tv (besides church videos) and have very little influence from the world, they play together more and get along better. It is possible to make every day like that, to limit our worldly influence and immerse ourselves in activities that will invite the Spirit into our homes and into our lives. It is not easy, but it is possible.

So, besides bickering and fighting, let's take a look at what else went on today. The younger 4 kids and I went to Walmart and the Brewer Library while Zoe and Emily stayed home to clean the bathroom and clean up the house. We all went over to my parents' house later in the afternoon. My Dad, Phil, Aly, Zoe, and I played a game of Phase 10. I won! :-)

A few things happened while at my parents'. The first thing is quite disgusting, but could have been worse. After Kate finished eating cereal from a bowl with a built in straw, I rinsed out her bowl and out came an earwig from the straw. EWWWW! I am so glad she didn't drink from the straw!

The second thing was a bit scary, but could have been worse. Noah hadn't been seen for awhile, so we went searching for him. I went outside and heard him crying. He was in the car. Fortunately, the window was down. He had left his shoes in the car, so he got in the car to put them on and then he couldn't get back out. Even with the window down, he was hot and sweaty. I am so thankful that he is okay!

Sand, sand, and more sand

The kids (including Aly) and I went to Sand Beach today. It was my first time ever going to Sand Beach "alone" and entering the local way (meaning the free entrance instead of paying an arm and a leg to go to the beach). It took me awhile to find the local way, but after calling another friend for directions, we made it! The local way requires a short, doable hike, which I was a bit nervous about because we were wearing flip flops and carrying beach gear, but the hike is just a walk along a path.

So, Emily got her wish and bigger waves were enjoyed today. At the end of the day, Emily decided these waves were too big, so we will search for something smaller than this and bigger than Lamoine. Emily & Eleanor did get thrashed around quite a bit and several waves flipped them over. They did not like that at all! I wouldn't like it either.
Zach didn't go out as far as the girls, but he had the most fun in the waves out of the younger kids.
Noah & Kate were quite content to sit in their chairs, eat, and observe. The cup holders on their chairs are great food holders. :-)
Zach decided to eat and observe for awhile as well.
Of course, they played in the sand, too!
Kate and her volcano.
We had a fun day! I enjoyed some reading time while the kids played. Reading and eating in the sun...a little bit of heaven. :-)

The only bummer was when Aly lost her glasses in the ocean. Not good.