Steve's Graduation from Georgia Southern University

 Steve started school at GSU about two and a half years ago. It has been a crazy couple of years. We have added another son to our family, I was called as Young Womens president for our ward about a year and a half ago. We have had many baseball practices/games for the boys in two or three different fields all at the same time that I alone was responsible for getting them to, we have paid babysitters many dollars so I could be where I needed to be when Steve couldn't be home, we have eaten dinner without Dad at home most nights, and we have had numerous nights when Steve fell in to bed at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning. But....I am happy to say he has finished his Bachelors degree!! Hallelujah. What a relief, but I am so very happy that he did it. And what a great job he did too! His GPA at Georgia Southern was a 3.9. He was bringing home A after A after A. I am so proud of the work he did. Unfortunately because he had to claim all the other schools he had been to, he had to transfer his Rick's grades over from when he went there right after high school. None of the credits transferred to help towards his requirements, but the 2.0 GPA did and brought his overall GPA down to a 3.4. Just low enough to not graduate with honors. That was very upsetting to me and to Steve, but we know what an Awesome job he did. And they did do a ceremony for students with outstanding GPA's about 2 weeks before the real graduation. It was a small ceremony inside the theater at GSU, but I was so happy that Steve got the recognition he deserved.

On May 12, 2012 was his final graduation. His parents came for the weekend to celebrate with us, and I am so happy that they did. It meant a lot to Steve and it was wonderful to enjoy them for the weekend. Steve and me, and his parents left Saturday morning, and left the boys with a babysitter. We enjoyed the graduation ceremony and then went to lunch before we headed home to relieve Valerie. Then we had some graduation cake with the boys. So much fun.

 

 

    

   

 

Nathan's birthday weekend

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned to Steve that Nathan's 9th birthday was going to be on a Saturday this year. We haven't gone on many family outings lately, so Steve and I put our heads together to figure out what we could do. It was supposed to rain most of the day, so our choices were limited. We finally decided to head to the Army Resort in August, GA that is on Strom Thurmond Lake. It is actually the exact same place we went camping in October. But this time we decided to rent a two story cottage for two nights. I remember when I was growing up, our family would go to Mammoth, CA for vacation and stay in a time share I think. That was so exciting to me to go there, and spend the week in that little town. I was hoping for the same excitement for the boys when we got to this cottage. And they did not disappoint. They were so excited and thought it was the most wonderful place.

I had mentioned to Steve that since we wouldn't have internet and we would be inside a lot why don't we have kind of a 70's vacation. Back before all the games on the computer and handheld electronics and stuff that make people all be in the same room, but not pay any attention to each other. So, we brought along a lot of games and hoped for the best.

(On our way)

We got there Friday night about 8pm and quickly got Alexander settled. The boys watched Puss and Boots, while Steve and I read books.

The next morning, was Nathan's birthday! We had eggs in a frame for breakfast,

and then headed to the playground to play. It had rained all night, but there was a break in the clouds, and the boys didn't seem to mind that the toys were wet.

Later we came home to put Alex down for a nap and we broke out the UNO cards. I played a couple of hands with the boys while Steve laid down with Alex, and then we switched. Steve had also borrowed an Xbox360 from a friend for the boys for the weekend (I know, those weren't around in the 70's) so, Steve and the boys played some games on that for a while.

After the baby's nap there was another break in the clouds, so we headed out on a hike. It was a typical hike in the GA woods, but the trail hadn't been cleaned of fallen trees and stuff probably since the fall. In GA there is stuff falling on the trail constantly. Steve and I didn't want to carry Alex, so we brought the stroller along on this trail, and then the boys got to be manly men while they cleared a path for the stroller, or had to help pick it up when we came to a fallen tree on the trail. Whenever I needed help, I just said, "I need help from my men" and they all wanted to come and help. It was great. We had a wonderful time, and didn't even get caught in the rain!

(This video shows basically what we were hiking in. The boys were enjoying knocking the dead trees over. It made them feel so strong. :-)

For dinner we made, steak, mashed potatoes, asparagus, strawberries, and cream soda. And then we had cake and opened presents.

 

After Alex was in bed for the night we got out the monopoly game and played a super fun game of monopoly where Jacob smoked us all! He put hotels on everything just as soon as he could and knocked us out of the game one after the other. I was very impressed with his game playing skills.

The next morning we had an easy clean up and headed back home. We made it back in time to drop me off at the church for a YW lesson I wanted to go to while Steve and the boys went home and cleaned out the car. It was perfect. I think Nathan will remember this birthday celebration!

Valentines Day ♥♥♥

Valentines Day was another holiday that had to be postponed this year. It is a good thing that we are a flexible family. On the actual Valentines Day the boys were out of school for the week, but Steve still had class and was gone until midnight. During the day we went to playgroup where the kids exchanged valentines and we had cookies, and made crafts. That was fun. Then we came home and the boys got to open a package from Grandma and Grandpa Allred. The boys LOVE the packages that G & G send. They know that Grandma always likes to celebrate holidays with them through packages.

 

A couple of days after Vday, it was time to celebrate with Steve. I cleaned up our room (which is rare) and brought a picnic table into our room. I made a yummy chicken dinner with salad and bread and juice. Then when Steve got home, I turned a movie on for the boys and escorted him into our room for dinner. Steven volunteered to be our waiter and did a marvelous job. It was so nice to just send him into the kitchen for drink refills, salt, or whatever else we needed. We had a very nice dinner and talked about our summer vacation plans. The only down side was that Alex was not feeling very well (also very rare at our house). He wanted to be held and even needed a diaper change during dinner. Vday is definitely different with five kids, but still wonderful to have such a love for each other.
(Here is the link to the pin I found for this idea http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/?p=24 . I used the recipes that she suggested.)

(You can see the heart attack that the boys did for Steve on the real Valentines day. Steve loved to come home at midnight and see all that love. )

 I had to take a picture of myself in the middle of dinner sitting there by myself while Steve was changing a diaper. :-)

I bought the boys their Vday candy after Vday as well which saved me 50%. Yahoo!
And the boys Valentines for their classes this year were so stinkin cute! I didn't get any pictures of the finished product because Steven had my camera on a field trip, but I will put the original pictures up anyway. I poked a hole on either side of the boys fists and inserted a sucker stick. Yes, the exact same thing Laura did! Great pinterest minds think alike. :-) I wish you could see the finished product, but I do what I can.

 Didn't want a post without adorable Alex. He usually does not have the binky in his mouth, but this was right after church and he was very ready for a nap.

The new Dog!

Most of you know that I am a little crazy, or at least we can reason that I like to complicate my life. So, with that being said, let me introduce you to our new dog, Sparky.
 

We were just hanging out in our yard a couple of weeks ago and this miniature doberman pinscher comes over and starts running around with the boys. He is not the first dog that was attracted to our house because of the great fun the boys can provide, so we didn't think anything of it. But, the next morning when we went outside to go to church he came running up to the boys so excited to see them. And when we came home from church, there he was sitting on the front porch. He eventually started coming in the house, and was always on the front porch in the morning. After a couple of days the boys didn't want him to have to sleep outside anymore, so he curled up with them in bed for the night. I checked the paper to see if anyone had listed a lost dog, and I called the animal shelter and reported him, but no one seems to be missing him. I kept saying I was going to make a flyer, but for some reason I was having a hard time getting that done. I think it is because I wanted to put a picture on it and that would require taking a picture, downloading it, printing it and hanging it up. I know, it isn't that big of a deal but it just never got put to the top of my list and it never got done, so now he definitely thinks he is our dog and he adores  the boys. I am really actually OK with him being our dog. He doesn't stink like 90% of dogs do, he does have a smell but you can only smell it if he is right on your lap. He is short haired. And I actually like that he is small and hyper. I hate when a dog decides to lay somewhere right in your way and when you try to get him to move he takes his sweet time. Sparky will jump up and get out of the way in a split second. We assume he was trained by someone because he is very friendly and gentle to people, he doesn't get on the table, he listens when we tell him no, he goes to the bathroom outside most of the time (that one still needs a little work), he doesn't chew on things, and he gets outside when we tell him to get out. I guess if we are going to have a dog, this is the one to have.

The littlest turns ONE

Our littlest one turned ONE last week. I honestly cannot believe it! Has it really been a year? I am a true believer now that the older I get the faster time seems to go.

Anyway, Alexander's birthday brought me a bit of guilt. :-( On his actual birthday Jan. 25th, we were doing a big dinner with the Young Women and many of the Relief Society sisters at church. So, I told the family we were going to ignore Alex's birthday that day and just pretend it was the next day. So...the next morning Alex woke up to streamers on his door which he felt was his responsibility to clean up.

He had a normal day and we looked forward to cake and presents that night. The problem came when we ran out of time. Steve was not able to get home for an early dinner like we had planned. Nathan had a basketball game at 6pm and Alex is completely ready for bed by 6:30 every night. So, when I left to take Nathan we hadn't eaten yet, and Alex was already wanting to go to bed. Steve said he would try to keep him happy, but when I got home at 7pm it was a sad situation. We forced the baby to stay awake so we could sing to him and give him some cake. He lasted for maybe 10 minutes and then was beyond ready, so off to bed he went.

 

 

 On Friday (1/27/12) he got to go to the Dr. for shots and stats. 

Weight: 21lbs.13oz, Height: 30 inches,

He also got to sit in a big boy car seat for the first time! But, he was in a grumpy mood and it didn't hold the excitement that I always expect from this big step in life.  :-)

So, on Saturday I was feeling bad and felt like his birthday had not been given the attention it needed. So, I made some lemon cupcakes, and we ate those and opened presents, and then shuffled him off to bed.

The upside is, I was taught growing up that if  you get a cake and a present in the month of your birthday than you can consider it a Happy Birthday. Thanks Mom. :-)

Alexander is such a treasure in our lives. The boys have been given a great opportunity to help with a baby which is great for them. Jacob is definitely my biggest helper with Alex. He is so willing to come entertain him whenever I need help. Alex has decided at a young age he is determined not to get left behind. He likes to be were the boys are, and now he can even run around with them. When they are on the trampoline he always heads outside and stands next to the trampoline just to be close to them. We love our baby boy and are so happy he is in our family.

What the boys are up to

We have had a great week. The weather in Brooklet just doesn't seem to want to get cold, so we are still in the 70's this week. Pretty crazy for the middle of January. But, people around here say it is payoff for dealing with the miserable weather in the summer. And I will take it.

That being said, we did have a day or two that the high was around 50 and the low was below freezing. Well, on that particular weekend, we had two males in our home who decided they wanted to do something different with their hair. Steve was just tired of his hair and couldn't seem to find the time to go and get it cut. So he headed in the bathroom and shaved it off. Then Brandon thought that was such a cool haircut, he begged for the same. So, as I was shaving Steve's neck and Brandon was asking please, please, please, for the hundredth time to get his hair shaved, I reached over and shaved a nice big spot off of his head, and then Steve did some art work with it before he cut it all off.

Steven is at an interesting stage in life. He really wants to find a hobby that he loves and he is having a hard time. He does love baseball when it is the season, but for the rest of the year, he has no interest in sports whatsoever. For a while he was determined to be an actor. He asked me constantly how he can become an actor and be on a show on Nickelodeon. I of course was not interested in this crazy dream and I told him  that he needs to think of something else to be. I mean the boy is very uncomfortable being silly or doing anything in front of anybody except his own family. He finally stopped talking about that dream and has now decided that he wants to be an artist. This is a hobby I can support. I think it would be great for him to learn how to draw and be creative. This is his art studio he has made on his desk. Steve bought the drawing you see on the easel from Steven for $3, so he even has a little cash flow from his hobby already. Now to look into some art classes for him.

 Speaking of Steven and his talents, he participated in a Technology Fair that our school district had this weekend. He used a program called google sketch up and he created this castle with it. He didn't take a  place in the competition, but I am happy he did participate. He learned a lot about the program over the past month while he created and then deleted his pictures as he tried to decide what he wanted to have as his final project. He also got excited to create something even better for next year, as he saw all the projects that were in the competition.

 

One other cool thing to report this week...Steve has been hard at work in the garage on another wood project. Nathan got a bunny for Christmas from Santa Claus, but the cage he came in was just too small for him. So Steve headed to Lowes and got what he needed to make a castle for the little bunny. Steve got a table saw for his birthday last year and he has really enjoyed it. Here is the bunny cage that will now decorate our back porch. Steve did a great job. He is such a good wood worker.

All about Alex.

Our baby boy Alexander is turning one this month!  Can you believe it? I swear I was in the hospital having him last month. It has gone by super fast. I am sure it is because I have been so busy, but we are so thrilled he is a part of our family.

He started standing on his own earlier than all of the boys. At 10 months he would let go of the couch and just stand there. Then at 10.5 months he courageously took a step or two. Now at 11 months he is taking five or six steps. So, he is walking.....kind of. When the other boys started taking steps, they were committed, but I think since he started so young he is slower in his progress.

The first video was taken last Monday, but then I couldn't figure out how to get it on my blog so that is why you are just getting it now.





 This video was taken after church yesterday.




A couple of weeks ago, I was in the kitchen and heard Alex whimpering. When I went to find him, this is where he had put himself. It is Brandon's clothes drawers and he crawled in the bottom one and got stuck. He is stinkin' adorable isn't he?

Sittin' in the stroller