Pendant Light

With the kids gone (well, almost.  Caden still hasn't had his first day, yet!) I wanted to do projects around the house that take time.  I always feel guilty when I do them when the kids are home because it takes away from time with them, so it is the perfect time to do them now.  I saw a tutorial on making a can light into a pendant light, watched many video tutorials, and felt that this could be something that I could do on my own, something to prove to Randy that I am serious about doing some DIY projects.  It looked easy enough from my arm chair.

 Converter Kit (Approximately $16.00)

 Pendant light (Approximately $16.00)

Glass bell (Approximately $6.00) 

There were few choices, but I like the bubbles in this glass.  I also want to keep things bright (since we have very little natural light downstairs) so the glass was my obvious choice.  I also go a new LED light that they made to look like an original light bulb made by Thomas Edison.  It was too long for the glass bell, so I just used a regular LED one.

I grabbed all of the tools I thought I would need and got to work.  And then I grabbed more tools.  And more tools.  After an hour of serious man-handling of the converter kit, I decided that maybe it wasn't a good choice to start so late (it was 9:00PM) and that I would get back at it after getting the kids off to school.  In my defense, all of the tutorials said it could take as little as 15 minutes.  I gave myself double that time, thinking I would be done by 10:00PM.  By 10:00PM, I got here...

The next day, I got the kids off to school with mother-made home lunch, got into my fancy clothes grubbies (who wants to work in their bathrobe, I ask you?!) and got to work.  It soon became glaringly apparent that maybe electrical work is not my calling in life.  I struggled and huffed for another hour and got ZERO steps further.  Count them: 2 hours for one can light to look like this.

  As I was stepping down onto the step ladder, it wavered just enough for me to freak out, over-correct, pushing the ladder over further, coming down directly onto my rib on the back of the ladder, and falling on my left hip.  That was it!  I had dropped numerous screws, broken a drill bit, and now fallen off of the counter- all to get stuck at instruction 17.  This was not a 15-minute job for me.  I completely Q.U.I.T!

I brought in the big guns.  Randy had both lights done in less than 30 minutes.  He didn't break any drill bits.  He didn't drop any screws.  And he didn't fall off of the ladder and cry himself into a stupor on the kitchen floor, curled up in the fetal position nursing an almost broken rib.  He is my Superman.

He's pretty much the best I know.

I promised him (through hiccup, snot-nosed crying) that I wouldn't start a DIY project without his knowledge and expressed approval.  I can't take that kind of stress.  My ribs can't take that kind of abuse.  And my ego is a bit deflated.

BUT...

I LOVE HOW THEY TURNED OUT!!!!!!! 

Just for fun, let's see a super, mega Before...

And After...

 Swoon!!!

Board of Review

Caden had his Eagle Board of Review last night.

 We met a woman from the Scout office, Joanne Barker, and three people from our ward, Andrew and Rebecca Bagley and Brad Haggard at the church at 7:00PM

 I was left to sit on the comfy couch while they took Caden into a room.  But before he was allowed into the meeting, they left him out on a chair, just outside the room, to review his paperwork together.  I got a text from my son, "They kicked me out."  It was quite a fun surprise to get a text from him when he was just down the hall.  It was fun to look down and see him looking at me for my reaction to his surprise.

 A door opened and he was let in.  My heart started to pound.  Not because I didn't think he would do well, but because I knew what was going on in that room.  The biggest accomplishment of his Scouting career was under scrutiny, and he was accountable to four adults for his work.

 They asked him to leave the room after about 30 minutes, at which point he sent me another text of a bunch of party hats.  When I looked down the hallway again, he was giving me two-thumbs up with a HUGE grin.  I asked him if he felt he did well, to which he wrote back, "I did awesome!"  Emotions strangled my throat.

 They had him go back in just one more time.  This time, I was gathering all of my things to leave.  As he walked out, shaking each of their hands, I felt more and more like crying.  He was beaming.

 It felt like forever until he was in my arms.  I noticed that he fits so nicely in my arms, head coming to the perfect place for my cheek to rest.  The woman from the Scout office looked me straight in the eye, telling me what an incredible young man I was raising, and what an exceptional job he had done.  And then she told me she had given him a hug, too.  This boy brings sharp emotions to many.

 Each of the adults said he'd done an amazing job.  Pride was thick in my heart.  My son has earned his Eagle Scout Award.  He chose a project near and dear to his heart, he accomplished it while battling cancer a second time, even.  This boy has lived an accomplished 14 years.

I tried my hardest not to cry.  Really, I did.  However, I burst into tears when he thanked me for all of my help.  He truly is a remarkable young man.  And, I just call him mine.

We're really hoping to have his Court of Honor on October 11.  I haven't been able to schedule his next scan, but they usually fall around the 17th of the third month.  I sure hope we can make this work.

Now if only the strike in Pasco would end, so that he could begin his first day of High School!!!

Twins

While driving home from gymnastics today, Tyson was telling me all about his best friend, Ryder.

"Mom, Ryder is my best friend.  He has a brother that looks just like him.  His name is Racer.  Mom, they are twins!  They have the same face, they have the same hair, they have the same shoes and they wear the same shirt.  Mom, I can't tell which one is my best friend when they are together!"

Tyson has always called people that are his same age his twin.  I think that this is the first time he actually knows what that means, truly understands what it is.

Ryder isn't my favorite name.  I don't love it, I don't hate it.  What I do hate is that his twin is Racer.  Rider and Racer.  Really.

Labor Day

It has been a grand day. We got to have breakfast with Ashlee and Russ before they headed for home. 

We got to have lunch with Jamie and Cameron. 

And then we got to have dinner with Kimberly and Danen!!! Danen has an interview in Lewiston tomorrow, so they made an extra five hour round-trip detour (after a four hour drive already) to come up and spend time with us. 

Pass the Pigs

Clue

Kennedy and Shelby are 21 days apart, with Shelby being the older of the two. It is fun to see the height difference widen each time they get together. Just like Kimberly and I, they pick up right where they left off. 

There is only a few hours difference between Tyson and Jonathan, again with my child being older. The height difference isn't as defind here. 

Even being so young, and with as much time has passed since being together, these two still have such a connection. They play together as though not one day has gone by with them being apart. 

The same can be said for us. I (kind of) wish I could be pregnant with her again. A fifth close relationship with this family would be so much fun. 

Keilie and Hailey have not always been as close as the other three besties, but they grow closer each time we get together. And just like all others, Hailey is tall for being two years younger than Keilie. 

Man, what a great day!!

And even though I didn't get to spend the day with Danielle, I got this

Little gem. My world is full of fun!!!

Golden

Tyson was sitting so reverent before Sacrament meeting. It may be because he got a new bow tie this week. I wish I would have taken a picture of him sitting so cute. Randy leaned over and said he loved his reverent boy. 

Tyson: "You mean your Golden Child?"

So humble. 

Not so quiet

After my last post, Ashlee and Russ helped reconcile the silence in my house. 

Tyson: "Heavenly Father, Thank You that Aria is so cute!"

All of Ashlee's girls are incredibly adorable, but when this girl comes to you looking like this...

You can see why he prays thanks for her cuteness. 

The house is a splatter of toys, a cacophony of noise, and I couldn't be happier. I like this 3-day holiday weekend with family, thing. 

Noise

I have been asked by many people if I am loving a quieter house, now that all of my kids are back in school.  Well, almost all of them.  Pasco School District is still on Strike.  Caden doesn't make much noise, though.  So, he doesn't count.

After watching these little clips, I think you can imagine that I don't enjoy a quiet house as much as some would think.

I remember a time when I would have loved what I have now.  A time where I had five kids under the age of 8, or the time where I was homeschool Keilie with Shelby being 3, Brennon being 2, and Tyson being a toddler.  Those times, when the house was at it loudest/craziest/dirtiest/hardest, it would have been nice to have even 30-minutes of quiet to get my thoughts in order, let alone my home.

But, for the past few years as the kids have grown and matured, I have been getting that wish.  My home has become just a bit quieter, it has become just a bit cleaner, and my home has become less chaotic/exhausting with infants.  It's not to say that we don't have a messy house, cause, come on, there are 7 of us, after all!  However, I am reminded of a man that asked if my house was always clean because I have five kids to help me clean it.  At the time, I wanted to laugh in his face, spitting out my drink in exasperation at his ridiculousness.  I actually thought he was mental.  And then I realized, I was the mental one living off of too little sleep, too much stimulation.

"Sir, I have three babies under three.  What do you think my house looks like?"

But now, I get it.  My slaves do help me keep a much cleaner home.  Not as spotless as my OCD demands, but pretty darn good.  Now, since I am the only one that is cleaning (truly cleaning) around here, my home will become a place of absolute order.

But I can't help but miss the noise.

So, in answer to the big question:  Yes, I am happy to finally have my house the way I have always dreamed.  However, I realize now that my house has always been what I dreamed.  It is a tiny house that hold big love.  A noisy house that holds big laughs.  A house that stays cleaner, but enjoys the chaos of kids.  I miss them terribly when they leave.  And enjoy the mess they make while they are in my home.  I'm keeping their hand prints on the glass storm door for a little while.  To remind me what I have coming home to my arms.

Baby Bye-Bye-Bye

What was supposed to be Caden's first day of High School was spent doing this

The Kindergartener and the High Schooler. 

I was so happy to have my oldest and youngest home with me as a soft transition into Stay At Home Mom Without Kids At Home days. 

In a strange turn of events where Caden should have started before Tyson, now Tyson is starting before Caden. Yeah, this is happening today. 

Wow!! I'm just a bit emotional seeing these pictures. 

We thought we were SO funny taking the picture of Caden's first day with his swim gear and upside down sign. We'll see when we get our real First Day of 9th Grade picture. 

Oh, and as we were leaving the pool on Tuesday, Tyson said, "Caden, I liked being the life guards today, didn't you? I liked being like, 'Hey, no drowning here!' Did you?" They were excellent life guards. No one drowned. 

First Days?!?!

We got news last night that due to the teachers' strike in the Pasco School District, Delta High will not be starting today (since it encompasses all three school districts). So Caden's "first day of school" looks something like this...

Swimming. And finishing up the paperwork for his Eagle Project. 

Yay!!

Keilie needs to be at the bus stop by 7:00. She said she was going to set her alarm for 6:50. That she was going to "make her lunch the night before, wear all of her clothes and make-up to bed, and just wake up and go- she was SO excited." 7th grade is gaining a cutie!

Even at 6:45, with sleepy eyes, she is still so cute! I forbade her from ever giving herself only 10 minutes to get ready, just in case you were wondering. 

And because they were up and ready, both needing to leave at 8:00 for their bus, we got their pictures early, too. 

The girls that loves the color...

Turquoise!! It is her favorite color and she is wearing it proudly! Man, I love this girl!

And last, but not least, to begin their school year today

Brennon!! Um.... First order of business: getting him new shoes. Whoops!! I didn't know they looked like this! Who could notice his shoes (but me, apparently) when you have this face

To look at?!?!

Tyson meets with his teacher today to be evaluated and tested. He is SUPER excited!! School will begin for all Richland  Kindergarten on Thursday. 

Hopefully Caden will be able to start, too. 

For now, I guess I get to be eased into this school year by keeping my oldest and youngest with me today. And, to tell you the truth, I am thrilled!!