Sweet Prayers

Tonight while kneeling at Caden's bed listening to him saying his personal prayers, he said the cutest thing! He said, "Thank you for the money that my dad makes so that he can take my mom out, and give her money to buy us food, and money to put gas in her car." Isn't that so sweet. I LOVE that they see how much I love date night, and that they aren't bugged by it. I try REALLY hard to make sure that date night is fun for them too. I only get sitters (we just use one but they all LOVE her!) that they like, I let them eat anything they want (although they haven't figured that out yet, they think it's Makenna being nice!) and we let them eat any leftovers from dinner that we bring home. I keep thinking at some point that they are going to be "over" date night and put up a fight, but instead they are thanking Heavenly Father for enough money that their dad can take me out! I love it!!!

Also, while helping Colby say his prayers, he said his first solo prayer. I always tell him to say as much as he can, and then I will help. So it went something like this, "Dear Henly Fadder, tanks for Elsie (the neighbor girl Kelsey), tanks for Hannah (neighbor girl) tanks for Tassie (Hannah's mom Cassie), tanks for my brudders, tanks for the park, tanks for Michael (Chet's friend that he was helping today and we hung out with most of the day) and his house, tanks for the park, tanks for my family and the park. Amen. Oh wait, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!" It was priceless. Then he looked at me and said, "I am so proud of you!" and gave me a big hug. He was so proud of himself and knew I would be too, haha! I love my little sweethearts!

Mom, Mom, Mom!!!

We are trying to sell our house. I was really worried, and it might get worse, but it has been fabulous so far. Everyone keeps saying that they don't know how I am doing it. This is how: Everyone helps! Such a great concept! After dinner, everyone helps until it's all clean. In the morning, everyone cleans and works together until it's done. By 9:00 am every morning, my house is spotless. I barely know what to do with the day. All day every day I am cleaning and keeping my head above water. Today after newspapers, Cars took the laundry from the dryer and took it to his bed and folded it and put it all away for me, on his own. I didn't even ask. Some things have had to change. I no longer allow neighbors in the house. Huge difference. The neighbor girls told me today that the gate was closed so they couldn't get into the back yard and wanted to know if they were really fast and quiet if they could sneek through my house. I felt bad, but it's a must (I did allow them to scurry to the backyard through the house, I'm not THAT mean!). I am not baking as much. That's sad to me and the kids, but we make it by. DQ is just down the street! As a really nice side effect, I am much nicer, more patient mom. I have time to really be with the kids, without stress and worry of the house. It's been great. Tonight we delivered papers, cleaned out the Yukon...spotless, played in the neighborhood, went to the library (without dad, I am moving up. I used to not do much with just me and all 5 boys), went to the dollar store for poster board so we can make a summer plan, had a lesson on business with money, and made homemade healthy pizza and cut watermelon together (all without Chet I must add). It's been fabulous! That's how every night seems to be going. The kids are going to bed closer to 9 than 8, because I have so much every night that I am still wanting to do with them. So tonight, it seemed to be dragging on and on after I told them it was bedtime. I snapped at them and told them they were going to start paying me money if they didn't get to bed. Carter comes to my bedroom door and we have this conversation: MOM! No Carter, go to bed. But mom! No Carter, go to bed. But mom, I.. NO CARTER! I am not mom anymore. GO TO BED. Ok, Kimber, can I... and that's when I lost it. He was gone in a flash. Little turd. I tell him I'm not mom anymore after 9, I need to be Kimber sometimes, so he calls me Kimber. What a punk!

I Love You More

I am getting braver! Chet had work tonight (which NEVER happens, he is home every night with us!) and I decided for FHE I would have a lesson about admitting when you are wrong. It was a good lesson stressing that we all make mistakes, and sometimes jump to conclusions, but we can admit that we were wrong and move on. The boys received it really well and it seemed to unite us as a family even more. Then I told the boys that we were going out to dinner. Where ever they wanted to. I was stressing chips and salsa, or Applebees. They wanted to go to Taco Johns and go inside. A little weird, but ok. Then we went to DQ for dessert. Having all these boys, they want to go to DQ every night! We do indulge about once a week unfortunately! It is Caden's ultimate favorite thing to do. As we are pulling out of the parking lot, Caden says to me, "Mom, I love you. There is no way that you could love me more than I love you!" Oh.my.goodness. Talk about melt a mamma's heart. He was so serious! I love him to pieces!!! I told him that we were really lucky that Heavenly Father allows us to love that much, huh? I feel pretty dang blessed. The ice cream made him happy, but I know deep down inside, he does love me with all his heart! And I know I couldn't love him anymore than I do now. All 6 of my favorite boys!!!

Amazing!

My boys are always telling Caden that he is not very smart. Because he cannot do all the problems that they can, they think he is not smart. I always tell them that he is 2 grades lower than them, and that if he could do what they are doing, they would not be very smart. Well, they got their scores today from end of the year testing. Caden's teacher and I have not had the best relationship. We get along fine, and we are in CONSTANT contact, but I think she is WAY too hard on Caden. I don't say anything to him, and I support her, but it is obvious to Chet and I that she does not care much for Caden. He says ok things about her, never mean or hateful, but she isn't his favorite person either. And I'm ok with that. Every teacher will not like every kid, just like in real life. Every boss will not like you. You learn to deal. Well she is always on my case about EVERYTHING! I need to do math flashcards with Caden, I need to do his homework with him, I need to help him on his spelling, I need to read more, I need to fix his attitude... and on... and on.... and on! It's been difficult, and I've tried to not get defensive, I just vent to Chet with every new note that comes home about why I need to work with him more. He is VERY WELL liked by his classmates, he is smart, and according to the public library he is reading WAY above his level. According to her, he needs more work in every area, so much so, that he is taking extra reading classes before school. He got in the car Friday and announced his math score. The boys were instantly calling him a liar and saying that's not possible in the 1st grade. I was even a little skeptical. I told him to have his teacher write it down for me and send it home. He just brought it to me today. He scored higher than Cars. Carter and Carson were FREAKING out at his score. They were laughing and in complete amazement. Caden said the smartest girl in the class was 18 points behind him (His reading came in high, but not off the charts high). He is bored. He hates the books they read in class. He is way above average in everything tested. The morning reading class allowed them to play on IPADs as soon as they were done with their work. He was motivated. He finished in a breeze and onto the IPAD. I tell him that if he gets a 100% on spelling, he can go to DQ. He goes from 50% to 100% in one week. We have NEVER done flashcards. But he can do multiplication already because he listens to his brothers practice together. He is probably my smartest boy. He is so... free. Artist at heart, and bored to tears with school. What to do... what to do. I must keep him motivated, because he will move mountains if I do.

Double

We have a rule at our house that if you steal something, you have to give back double. So when Carter "found" Cars's $20 bill on the ground and put it in his wallet, he owed him back $40. So today at lunch, Caden got up from his plate and went to get a drink. When he got back, Chet had eaten most of his Cheetos. Caden says in his Joe Cool way, "Dad, pour 'em on my plate. Double what I had. Keep 'em comin', keep 'em comin'." I love when our own rules come back to bite us in the butt!!!! He is just too dang cute for words. Him and those big blue eyes!!! Gotta love Cade-A-Babe!!!

Faces

I was chewing Cael out for something. I was mad at him, and I was letting him have it! He was about 10 ft from me, and I was really ripping into him, finger wagging and all. I look at Colby standing right next to me watching me and then Cael and then me and then Cael. His face was hillarious. He was not trying to, but he was making the same face that I think I had. He was just subconsiously doing what I was. Oh how we must look to our kids when we lose it. I remember making fun of my mom and not even listening to what she was saying, just trying with everything I had not to laugh at how crazy she looked. I just got the first glimpse through Colbys little cute face at how crazy I myself look when I am losing it at them. Light bulb moment! That's why they hear nothing. They are just trying not to laugh at how crazy I am! Whoa. Breakthrough, haha!!!

It's Starting

I remember watching my little brother "go through the change", and it was funny! He was so rediculous, and emotional, that I just laughed at him. I would think to myself, he cannot be serious with his demands and anger. And emotions! Well, I also had no idea it would start this young! We are just approaching the issues, we are not in them yet, and I am already scared! Cars has started this new crying thing. Heavenly Father knew what he was doing giving me all boys for sure; dealing with senseless crying is not my strength! Cars will ask if I will make him a lunch. No. He cries. Can you help get me a cup (while I'm changing a poopy diaper!)? No. He cries. Can I skip my chores today? No. He cries. Can I go to Cade's house? No. He cries. Then he proceeds to tell me how aweful I am for not caring about him. Two minutes earlier and later he is hugging me telling me that I am the best mom ever and that he loves me so much and is so glad I'm his mom. It's crazy. One extreme to the other. Mood swings like you would not believe (well if you're a mom of girls or age 9+ boys I guess you probably do!) As of now it's still just funny. I remember watching my mom lose it at Morgan and think, he is so out of his mind crazy, how can you get mad at him? I keep reminding myself of that, and it's helped so far. I find myself reacting to Cars's crazy, and I just relax and try to love him through it. Two minutes later he'll think I'm great! But he's NINE! Barely. Whoa. And the new smells coming from them. Boys need to shower and groom daily, without a doubt. He is wearing deo full time now.  When did my boys get this old. It's kinda a surreal feeling right now. Hopefully we all just come out of the other side better for it!!! (I have 5 boys of this one.right.after.another. I better learn to love it! It'll be my life for about 10 straight years!)

Trees

Since spring has finally come, my boys are like birds let out of a cage. They want to be outside constantly, which I love. They are free little spirits. A new great thing has happened. The two five year old girls (that aren't in school yet) in the cul-de-sac come and get Cael every day to play. They will play for hours a day. They get along so well. Today I couldn't find him, so I go to the neighbors and he was inside, a big no-no. I told him he was done playing for the morning, and he could play again this afternoon. A little later I hear the front door open so I go running to remind him he cannot play outside. And to my surprise, what do I see??? I see a bare butt and an archway of pee!!! He had went outside, in his socks, to pee on the tree in our yard! WHAT.THE.HECK!!! Are you kidding me! I run down to him, and of course this was the longest pee known to mankind. What could I do. I sat there and waited for him to finish peeing (seriously like 20 seconds after I got to him!) On the way inside, he could tell I was mad, and he says, "I couldn't make it to the bathroom. I was going to pee my pants!" Liar!!! It was more work to go outside than to the bathroom! Kids and their lies! Argggg, so mad at him! He will be hanging out on his bed, right next to the bathroom, to make sure that he can make it in time, for the rest of the day!!! Boys!

Great for Business

The neighbor just came to ask us if the boys would dog sit for them again. He told us that Cars stopped by on the way home from school the other day to see the dogs. Roxy told Cars that they were going to be leaving town again and would be calling to see if they would want to dog sit again. Cars said to her, "You guys go out of town a lot! But hey, it's good for business!" Oh the things that your kids say. Gotta love my motivated entreprenuers! I am glad that they are so driven that way.

Summer

Today as I got off the phone with a friend, Cael wanted to know who I was talking to. I told him Summer. He said with a really confused look on his face, "Mom. Summer is not a person. It's a day." and then looked at me, like duh! He is so dang cute!