Happy 6th Birthday Sydney!

Sydney turned 6 on Friday!! She woke up that morning and told me that she didn't feel six. I asked her what we could do that would make her feel six and she said, "i don't know, get the measuring stick in the garage or something." I love how kids think that they magically grow the night before their birthday. It was Sydney's turn to have a family party this year (yay!!) so we had my family over and then celebrated with Sheldon's family on Saturday.

Sydney got a monkey mask similar to the one that Taylor bought herself back in July and has been walking around the house with it on because she knows they creep me out. My grandma bought her a gumball machine (gotta love grandma) so my kids have never ending blue tongues and HUGE wads of gum in their mouths at all times. She also got a toy computer from Sheldon's mom with all sorts of games on it and she yells, "BOO YAH!" every time she wins.

I think it's safe to say Sydney really enjoyed her birthday this year. Happy Birthday, Syd!!

Oh, now I see why Vegas schools had a snow day...

My niece who lives on the other side of town near Seven Hills sent me these pics from yesterday. We were all scratching our heads and laughing when the schools were closed today due to snow. We didn't get enough out here to warrant schools closing, but it looks like other parts of town did. I guess when there aren't any snow plows to be found in town, it can cause some havoc. Last post about the snow...I promise. Well, maybe.

Second chance!

Mother nature has been kind to me and brought more snow so that I can take pics of my own kids and not have to borrow some from the internet. :)

The Perfect "Snowstorm"

Yesterday my kids squealed with delight as Sheldon announced that it was snowing outside. I have lived in Vegas for over 20 years and I can only count on one hand the amount of times I have seen it snow here. My kids have seen snow, played in snow, but I didn't realize until yesterday that they had never seem snow fall from the sky. The fact that they could catch snowflakes in their hands was so magical to them. Yes, they were catching them in their hands because their gloves have been buried in storage due to the 70 degree weather we had up until week or so ago.

Having grown up in Idaho where the snow came up to your eyeballs and the school bus driver would often have to come rescue me because my moon boots were stuck in a snow bank, snow is not so magical to me. However, this "snowstorm" was beautiful because we all knew that it was just going to stay long enough for a couple of snowmen, some good pictures, some giggles, and then it would melt away before anyone could complain. That to me is the perfect snowstorm.

I AM SO BUMMED THAT MY CAMERA WAS NOT CHARGED!! TYPICAL JEN. I borrowed pics from the Internet.

You did WHAT this weekend?

Many of you already know that Sheldon and I were invited to attend the firearms training institute, Front Sight, this past weekend by our good friends, Megan and Dennis Rhodes. The looks I received from people when I told them where we were going have been entertaining. Some just looked at me strangely and I could see the words, "backwoods rednecks" going through their minds. Others who know my coordination skills looked really worried for me and for anyone going to be near me with a gun in my hands.

Sheldon and I along with about 30 other of the Rhodes' family and friends enrolled in a 4 day defensive handgun course at Front Sight just outside of Pahrump, Nevada. Those who know me, know that I have been terrified of guns my whole life and have never touched a real gun. The idea of attending this class was quite intimidating for me. Without making this blog entry several pages long, I will just sum it up by saying that it was an AMAZING experience for me. Sheldon has handled guns most of his life and was blown away by the things that they taught in this class. The range masters were beyond patient with me which was a huge relief because I had originally pictured myself being yelled at by some arrogant,crazed militant range master or being forced to do some absurd amount of push ups for all of my screw ups. :) The range masters were just the opposite and I gained a level of confidence with guns that I never thought I could have EVER in my life.

During one drill, the range mater yelled to you and asked you for a name of a loved one that you would like to protect. Sheldon yelled, "Jen" in his native Idahoan tongue and the range master wrote "J-I-M" on the hostage target. Everyone laughed because Sheldon said that he was going to have a lot of explaining to do with his wife when I saw that he was saving his beloved Jim. The good news is that Sheldon rescued Jim (a.k.a. Jen) without any problem. I has never been out shooting with Sheldon and I was so impressed to see him accurately hit his targets in each drill. It's good to know my man can protect his family and Jim. ;)




Don't worry, I won't be "packing heat" just yet, but I do have a lot more confidence in loading and firing a handgun in order to protect my family, if ever needed.

Thanks, Dennis and Megan, for a life changing experience this weekend. I want to get back out there again soon. Watch out! ;)

Cocomotion

I just made some hot cocoa for my kids in my new Mr. Coffee Cocomotion given to my kids by their Aunt Susie. I love it so much that I thought I would recommend it to my friends reading this blog. It is a pitcher that you just add milk or water and hot chocolate powder into and then plug it in. It has a magnetic spinner inside that spins the hot chocolate mixing it together and heats it to the perfect temperature. Once the hot chocolate completely mixes and heats up, the cocomotion automatically shuts itself off. I am in love with it! It only takes a few minutes, it's fun for the kids to watch, and the hot chocolate is frothy and not too hot. Get yours today!! :) Thanks, Aunt Susie!

Springs Preserve

Last week, the girls and I went to the Springs Preserve in Vegas with my sister, Susie, and her husband, Niels. We had a great time riding the little train and checking out all of the lights. It was no Temple Square, but it was really cool to see their saguaro cactuses (cacti...whatever) completely covered in lights. They had Rudolph and Frosty the snowman walking around and of course, Santa Claus. I tried to tell Taylor that the real Santa was there, but we all know the real Santa is "only at the Meadow Mall" according to her. They wouldn't go sit on his lap because they had already seen the "fake Santa" at the Galleria Mall. Taylor told me that she knows all of the Santa Clauses are not real because he has to have helpers, but the Meadows Mall only has the real Santa. My mom was working there that night so we were able to perfectly end the night with a visit to her booth for some hot chocolate. Sydney let me know that she didn't want any unless they had "warm chocolate", she doesn't like "hot" chocolate.

Avery's New Toy

Avery is quite fond of her new toy. Good Times!

The long awaited trophy

Sydney had her last soccer game on Saturday along with a party where they received trophies. Sydney had been anxiously awaiting this trophy for weeks. After the party, Sheldon was driving Sydney and her trophy to the last game and from the back seat he hears her say ....."Hey! This trophy has boobs!!" Poor Sheldon, he is so outnumbered by his girls.

Cleaning 101

My girls are always asking if they can help me clean and usually I give them the simple and quick chores like picking up shoes, Avery's toys, etc. I recently had a friend clue me in that my kids were capable of much more and that I should enlist their help while they were still eager to do it.

So today my girls learned the art of cleaning toilets, mopping floors, folding laundry, etc. To my surprise, they loved it! Yes, Taylor was angry when we walked on her freshly vacuumed carpet lines (she takes after her mother on that one) and yes, Sydney lost focus about every 5 minutes, but we actually had a lot of fun. Next, I sang out my bedroom window and all of the nearby wildlife came and finished the housework. :) Whatever, I wish. My girls were definitely capable of more than I have been giving them to do and I wish that I could bottle their desire to clean and spray it on them in their teenage years.

It took longer to get the rubber gloves on Sydney than it did for her to clean the bathroom.

Thief for Hire

I keep reading about my friends having to hide the candy bags from their kids, but can I hire someone to come and hide the candy from me? I think I have eaten more Milky Ways and Whoppers in the last 2 days than I have all year long. Please help!!

Halloween Happenings

Every year Halloween sneaks up on me and I never do the things that I want to do with my kids. I always vow that the following year I will make their costumes, make Gingerbread Haunted Houses, pick our pumpkins at the orchard and not at the grocery store, etc. None of that happened this year, but there is always next year!

This year Sydney wanted to be Captain Hook to my chagrin, but she changed her mind after a boy in her class decided that is what he wanted to be too. She quickly changed her mind and said that she didn't want it to look like they "were married." She finally decided to be a leopard somewhere out of the blue. Taylor has wanted to be an Indian princess since she saw an $80 costume in a magazine. Avery had no choice in the matter, but it was very obvious what her costume should be.

I am too cheap to spend $30-$40 for each kid's costume at the stores and so we ventured to the Deseret Industries this year. Some may say "gross", but there is something totally exciting about only spending $7 total for my kids costumes!! They were nothing great, but my kids loved them. Here are some pics from school parties and Halloween night.



She Devil Avery


Avery tried to make an escape every time the doorbell rang with Trick or Treaters.


Sydney really thought she was a jungle cat.

>

Taylor and her friend Zoe


Not an $80 costume, but an Indian none the less. I am still trying to convince her to wear her costume and serve our Thanksgiving dinner. ;)


Great Grandma and her girls

My absolute favorite costume in Syd's class. She kept posing for me!!

Temporarily out of order

I have been getting some comments from friendsabout my blog being completely outdated. I am posting a temporary sign to say my blog is temporarily out of order. Its operator currently has laundry issues, a one year old who is rocking her world, and a horribly neglected house. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and the Orme blog will be back in operating order in a couple of days. :)

My Little Honeybee

I finally gave in this fall and signed Sydney up for soccer. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of the sport, but just not in Vegas. I have always pitied the poor soccer moms sitting out in the 100 degree weather watching their red faced children huff and puff back and forth on the fields and now I am one of them. Fortunately, the season goes until November and we will get some better weather soon.

However, RED FACED and all, Sydney is LOVING soccer and is so determined to get better each week! She keeps asking Sheldon to take her out and practice. Here are some pics from today's game.

Syd loves playing goalie. I'll have to pad her with Charmin.



Here's Sydney staring down the other team. :)



Here is Sydney's display of good sportsmanship when the other team scores.

Bucket O' Drink

This past Saturday was a little busier for us than usual with Syd's soccer, church callings, baptisms and birthay parties. By noon, I was needing a soda to give me a little pick me up. Sheldon was out running some errands so I asked him to bring me home a drink. I was on the phone with my sister when Sheldon casually came up the stairs and handed me my "bucket o' drink" complete with a handle. He handed it to me and walked off like it was normal for someone to drink soda out of a half gallon bucket! When I laughed and asked him why the bucket, he warned me to never tell a drive thru at KFC that you want the largest drink they have. I wonder if they use these same buckets for their family meals. Even though I am a confesssed sodaholic, I didn't put a dent in this thing.

Happy 1st Birthday Avery!

Avery is one year old today!! I have no idea where the year went! I am a little sad about how fast she is growing up since she is my finale. Avery's not walking yet, but I know it will be in the next month or so. I am not looking forward to that stage since I have stairs all over my house. She is my first baby who likes to terrorize our dog, empty all of my cupboards, point her finger at me when I tell her no and then go back to what she was doing.....Wait, I'm sure my older girls did these things. See what a 5 year gap between kids can make you forget! Avery is definitely a handful, but we can't get enough of her. Happy 1st Birthday, Avery! We love you!

Little House on the Prairie

Sheldon and the girls have finally found a show that they all love to watch.....Little House on the Prairie! Sheldon says the show makes him reminiscent of how women used to be. :) I told him when he starts acting like Charles Ingalls, I'll start acting like Carolyn and bake him a pie.

My girls hurry and do their homework and watch the clock for Sheldon to get home so they can pop some popcorn and watch one of the 120 episodes we have recorded of Little House on the Prairie (we set our DVR to record one automatically every time it's on). Don't get me wrong, my girls love Hannah Montana and Camp Rock, but Little House has become one of their favorites. Sheldon makes the girls tell him what lesson was taught each episode and I have actually used some of the episodes to teach Taylor how to get along with a boy in her class. (Taylor has a boy equivalent to Nellie Olsen in her class)

Anyway, I am so glad that my kids have abandoned Spongebob and embraced Laura Ingalls that I thought I would blog about it. Cable does have some perks, I guess.

Back to School

Here are some of the pics I quickly snapped this morning as we frantically jumped in my car to beat the school bell. Taylor started 3rd grade and Sydney started her first day of Kindergarten.

What next?

I figure I brought this upon myself by trying to ban the color pink from her baby shower. Taylor thinks a little bit of pink makes everyone look better (even Sheldon in his pink tie). I've put up with the competitive fashion shows/contests that she and her friends put on with all of the clothes from her closet and the fact that every outfit she picks out is completely pink with a lot of bling on it. However, I 'm left wondering what's next when I find my daughter sleeping on the couch wearing a sleeping mask that SHE saved her money to buy. What next? Facial masks and lavender spray misted upon her pillow? The sleeping mask has freaked me out a couple of times when I walk into her room at night.

All Dressed In White

Taylor is getting baptized this Saturday!! I took a quick picture of her in her dress today in the park. We had to keep scattering the ducks away from us. I was a nervous wreck trying to keep Taylor clean so I wouldn't have to make a mad dash for the dry cleaners. The Ice Cream man happened to stop right by us while taking the pictures (imagine that!) and Taylor asked me for a snow cone. YEAH RIGHT!! A snow cone in her white dress! Didn't happen. We hope to see you on Saturday!

Ewww!

Today I took Sydney and Avery to our ward playgroup which was a guided tour of the animals (mostly reptiles) at Petco. I have really tried to be good and not pass down my opinions or fears to my kids so that they can form their own, but when they started pulling out the tarantulas and snakes, I was done. In fact, I couldn't even take a picture of the nasty tarantula climbing on the lady because I was too scared to get that close, honestly. It's probably a good thing I only have girls as I could never do the pet frogs and snakes. I wouldn't be able to sleep!

However, Sydney had a great time and was proud of herself for touching the lizard and frogs. She really liked the ferrets. I kept Avery in her stroller because she would either smack or try to eat the animals. Her two favorite past times.

Even though I was not about to touch anything, I do have to say that we have an awesome playgroup coordinator. This summer has been packed with fun activities for my kids.

Gone Fishing

Taylor asked Sheldon to chaperone her last field trip for the school year today. I was a little shocked when Sheldon took the day off and said that it sounded fun. (I didn't clue him in that chaperoning field trips is far from "fun") Taylor's class along with 3 other second grade classes went to Floyd Lamb State Park and were taught how to fish by the park rangers. I think Taylor was more excited about Sheldon riding the bus with her than any other part of the field trip.

Before they left, I reminded Sheldon to behave himself and not hurt any of the boys who have been teasing Taylor throughout the year. I had this strange vision of Sheldon casually squeezing the back of their necks while walking beside them. I also asked him to take some pics for me. He wasn't to keen on the idea of having to carry around a camera, but he humored me. I was so excited to get some pics of he and Taylor fishing or eating the sack lunches that I packed for them. Here are the pics that Sheldon brought home for me. He won.....I won't ask him to take pics again.



No idea who this boy is.......



I'm sure this kid's parents would be proud, but I have no idea who he is or who they are.......



Nope, no clue who this is......


I think Taylor is the least visible in this picture....


AHA!! One picture of Taylor!