Our newest "pet"

So we've gone crazy with the bug collection thing. We don't go anywhere without a net and have been known to go to certain places in search of a new bug. Several entomology friends from the ward are probably tired of us pestering them with questions and at least two other girls have started bug collections because of us. Since E decided she now wants a collection we have been on a quest to get hers looking nice before winter sets in and a lot of bugs go away until spring. Which brings us to our new pet...a horned tomato worm.



Yes, the thing is huge. That's on M's really long fingers and notice he is wider than her fingers!! We went swimming at my piano student's house and while looking for a tomato for dinner we found one, and then there were three...one for each girl. Perfect (that was said sarcastically!)



So we got home and I researched what this thing was - and learned that it will pupate into a very cool and large moth! Well, since we have a bug collection a really large moth would be great! So yesterday we got out some old buckets and found some dirt to make a home for these new, temporary pets. A was quite helpful!

Isn't she cute!!

So each girl made a home for her worm with plenty of dirt for it to crawl into (they go under the dirt about 3 inches for 3-4 weeks to change into the moth) and put plenty of tomato leaves for it to eat. (yes, that long line in the middle is the worm!)

We brought them inside to enjoy them, however within a few minutes one of them went into the dirt!!! Then last night the other one did too so now the waiting game begins! What a house we have!!!

My monkeys

E was home sick again today. She and Mg were playing the computer together and they decided to play Elmo. E said "Mommy sometimes calls me "Emmo" and Mg laughed and agreed and then she said "Mommy calls me Mg and sometimes she calls me "monkey!" It's true - I quite often call all of them monkeys. This is why...

Her latest trick is to climb up this step stool - this is the second step up and she discovered that when it is near the pantry she has access to food! I'm not looking forward to the day when she learns to MOVE the stool to where she wants it! All my girls have loved to climb - some were better than others, but they are all definately MONKEYS!!! (and they would be happy to demonstrate how monkeys talk if you ever ask them!!)

Gold Rush Days

Over Labor Day weekend we made a last minute decision and decided to go to the Sacramento Gold Rush Days. We had a great time! They take the streets in the old sac area and cover them with dirt and you see all sorts of horses and carriages and wagons and people dressed in period costumes everyone - the girls loved it! We've been talking about pioneers and the big girls love the "Little House on the Prairie" books so it was fun. It wasn't supposed to open until 11am but we got there early to go bug hunting along the river :) It worked out well...we were there by 10:30 and most of the booths were already open so we got to check things out without the crowd or the heat!

Our first visit was to the Mormon Battalion area. M got to make her own rope and Daddy had a GREAT time - once they found out he had ancestors who were in the Battallion he got into all sorts of conversations and enjoyed seeing the uniforms they wore and such. We actually ditched him for a little while so he could continue talking :)

While Daddy talked the girls and I went to pan gold. I was surprised at HOW much fun they had doing that! We stayed for quite awhile (since it wasn't crowded and Daddy was talking!). Afterwards they took their gold to the bank and were given a gold nugget (aka a rock spray painted godl!) and a certificate that they could use to go bowling, get a free drink and such. So we wandered around trying the free activities and had a great time. We actually went back to pan for gold again because they liked it so much!
Not the best picture but Mg sure enjoyed her gold!A of course enjoyed the ride and her thumb :) She was pretty good considering she didn't get a lot of walking time!
We brought a picnic and enjoyed the cannon getting fired off (well, at least Daddy did!) and went to check out the river and the steam train and the boats and then went home for a nice nap (and Daddy went to work)! Hooray for holidays!

Adjustments

This has been an interesting week with the kids back in school. I miss the big kids. I'm grateful to be able to give more individual time to the little ones, but it's hard to get used to! I've had to sit down and think "what did I do with M and E when they were this age?" So I feel like I've gone back in time and am reliving the last few years again. I signed Mg up for a gymnastics class with her friend, we had a meeting this morning to plan preschool and we're hoping to try Music Makers again (she already says she doesn't want to go! Grr). I'm looking forward to the fun things to do together and I'm really glad Mg will be getting all the age appropriate activities she needs - it seems like she is always coming along on big girl activities and therefore she's not great at her basics like colors and letters since we never stopped to go back and teach it to her. So this is good, just wierd to get used to! We're still working on a good nap schedule for A as well so there are all sorts of adjustments to make and I'm looking forward to a regular routine. The big girls are loving school. I had back to school night for both of them last night and I'm happy with their classes so it should be a good year. Hooray for Davis! There are so many good things about this place and good friends - I'm grateful to be someplace I am so happy!

yes, it's mud (see the comments)

Why I Had a Bad Week

Isn't she adorable!! High maintenance, but adorable! Don't turn your back...or this might happen!! :)
Anyone need to hire a cute dishwasher??!!! Never a dull moment over here! :)

Styling for school

I especially like their poses :) They've had a lot of fun this week getting their hair done and picking out clothes for school. Thanks grandma's!!

Saturday

Do you ever have a day where you just don't feel like being a mom? Today is one of those days. There really isn't any major reasons, I just don't feel like making lunch, listening to whining, reminding people to sit right at the table, eat at the table, stop being so loud, asking them to clean up, listening to at least one person not like the food served, etc. It does seem like every time A hits a new milestone I get worn out (guess who's walking! and who learned to climb up the big step stool in the kitchen or who discovered how much fun mud is when my back is turned!). And of course school started so there are new schedules, new worries, adjustments to be made (for me, too!) and details to get worked out (like how and when is A going to nap). See - nothing major but all of it added up and I just don't feel like doing it!

Thankfully I have an amazing husband. Of course without this there is no way I would have so many kids. He is wonderful. He dealt with lunch while I read email, played Lego Star Wars with the girls while I took a short nap (A decided 2:30AM was a nice time to wake up), then he and M cleaned most of the house while they listened to the BYU football game this afternoon (M has been counting down the days til BYU football!) while I took E and Mg on a butterfly hunt and got out of the house (they don't care about football and I was tired of cleaning all week and never having it look clean!!!). Now he's finishing putting them to bed while I "express my emotions" on a blog. I'm not sure why I felt like doing that, but I am.

All is not lost - I have a craft project waiting for me, a girlie movie to watch (I haven't done that in a REALLY long time) and a Costco bag of chocolate chips in the fridge. And tomorrow will be a better day :)

Back to School!

Today was the big day! They have been so excited the last several days (especially as they thought about their new clothes!). M knew what to expect although she really wanted to know which friends were in her class. E was so excited for all the new things that first grade brings - her own desk, recess on the big playground, lunch at school, computer lab, etc. We had to explain that she wouldn't do high school buddies, computer lab and other such things all on the first day but that it would come! She actually has the same teacher M did last year and I think she was happy with that since she was familiar with it. E has been SO excited and did great today! She was most excited about her desk and having the chance to hold their classroom pet, Azul, the leopard gecko. M was happy to see her teacher was really nice (apparently she met her once last year when the teacher was grumpy) and she had a few good friends in the class (and several she did NOT like were not in the class this year!) and there were lots of great stuff in her room. Should be a great year for both :)

Apparently we went for style not pretty this year :) You can't tell but her entire shirt is covered in sequins!!!
Isn't she adorable! I can't believe she's a first grader already!
I love this kid - always wants to be like her big sisters :) Isn't her smile adorable! She's been REALLY apprehensive about the school year coming (she's been really clingy and needing extra attention) but I think she'll be happy having mommy to herself again, especially when A is down for a nap! She doesn't seem to like change and she's known something was coming but she did well today.
Her own desk!
Already hard at work!!!

I'm sad - the summer seemed to go by so fast and I miss having all my girls around me but I know it will be good for A and Mg to get a little more attention and I have this wild idea that since I'm not picking up a kindergartener I might be able to work on some long put off projects after lunch while Mg has a quiet time (video) and A sleeps. We'll see - I'm not getting my hopes up!!! The girls all seem happy and I'm so grateful to live in a great place with great schools and wonderful friends - hooray for life!!

New pets

We've had a few new pets join our family lately. The girls have been enjoying their bug catching. E has gotten into and decided she would like to have her own collection, too.
However one of the girls found a preying mantis near our house and it was instantly adopted by E who named it "Beauty" and has been very diligent about catching flies to feed it. She is looking forward to it growing so she can add it to her bug collection.

Obviously Mg has no fears! The praying mantis climbed all over the gigling girls!
And E had to take her new pet on a ride (it's in a box with a white lid on the back of our neighbors tricycle!)
Later we found a second, much larger praying mantis which E is also feeding that will go into M's bug collection (who would have thought that with me having 4 girls I would be doing all of this!!!). Oh well, it's fun and we've enjoyed the summer project! Little A is growing up so fast! She loves to walk behind this little car but she really loves to get a ride on it from her big sister (who is such a fantastic big sister!!!)

A few days ago some friends came over for dinner - they are both excited and knowledgable about the entomology world so they brought her collection over and enjoyed our girls collection and we had a fun nature hike together, where we got our 3rd newest pet - a nice black beetle. I'm assured he won't bite, stink or anything else so M is taking great care of "Crawly" as he was named and is later excited to add it to her collection. Mg walks everywhere outside with it and gives it rides on her scooter and such. What a life!