Sami's big week

A few weeks ago Sami was one busy little girl!
Sami loves cheerleading, dancing, and all that fun stuff, so when we got a flyer offering the chance for elementary school girls to participate in a half time cheerleading performance for the Legend High School Basketball game, I knew this was right up her alley! So, we signed Sami up and for 2 days she went to a mini pom and cheer clinic and learned a few cheers and a dance routine. She was so excited and for about a week it was everything cheer around our house. That Friday, she had her performance. It was so cute! All the girls got a little t-shirt and I made her a hair bow to match the "Titan" colors. She was so darling and did such a great job.
Here is a little peek at their performance:

That same week, Sami had a choir concert for her school on "Goin' Green". For weeks she had been giving us lectures at home about recycling and taking care of the Earth. After her show, I figured out where it all came from. It was a super cute show, and being the little performer she is, she loved it and did a great job. I think my favorite part was watching her buzzing from friend to friend before the concert started, saying hello and giving hugs to everyone, and of course catching up on all the latest news and making plans for the weekend. (I didn't realize being a teenager really started when you were 7!)
That Friday was also crazy hair day. Which, of course, Sam had to go all out for.

Presenting Sami Lou Who!

It was so fun to see Sam involved in so many things, and to see how much she enjoyed it all. I love how this little girl embraces life and enjoys herself. She is such a creative little social butterfly, and I can't wait to see what activities she will eventually choose and excel at. It was a definite sneak peek into the near future, and my life as a taxi driver!

We train them young

Carter and Taylor are already following in their big brothers' footsteps...

Reality Vs.

Don't we all have visions of grandeur when it comes to life and just what we can accomplish each day? Then reality sets in, and we realize just how grand those visions really are. That seems to be pretty much me in a nutshell the past few weeks.
I've had so many "to do's" on my list, (yes updating my blog was one of them) which I was ready to tackle and finally finish, then reality set in and all 5 kids got sick, along with Mike.
Vision: This should only take a few days, and just a few of them should really be affected

Reality: All 5 had ear infections, 2 had croup, 1 had eye conjunctivitis which then spread to 2 others, all 5 had colds, 4 had pretty good coughs, 1 baby had diarreah, and 1 baby ended up with the stomach flu. All in all we had 2 fun weeks of a germ infested home, in which Mike was sick for a few days at the beginning, and now again at the tail end. Mom was the only one with a working immune system, and as a reward had to teach Mike's Gospel Doctrine class this past Sunday. Ok, sometimes being healthy is really overrated, and just gets you into trouble!

My sweet Carts when he just wasn't feeling well!

Vision: While the babies are taking a nap and the boys are in school, I will clean up the dishes, straighten up the house, and finish up the laundry.
Reality: The sink is still piled with dishes, there seems to have been a toy explosion in the house, and in between piles of folded clothes on my bedroom floor, there are still piles yet to be folded, but at least there are paths so you can get in and out of the room.
Vision: All of my unfinished projects will finally get done; the swag I'm attempting to make for the family room, the flower arrangement for my bathroom, the doll blanket for Sam, and the baby gifts that are very over due!
Reality: What's one more day?
Well, as you can see, reality is definitely ruling the roost over here! Of course I will hang on to my "visions of grandeur" and just keep hoping that one day they won't just be visions. But, just to keep it real, we all know there is always too much to do, there is never enough time, and there will always be dishes in the sink and laundry to fold. Reality wins every time!

May the Force be with you!

The boys preschool teacher told me about this commercial this morning when I dropped them off at school, so I had to check it out. It is hilarious! If you are wondering what Gavin and Kaden are up to these days, well this is them to a T!
Enjoy!
(Pause my music so you can hear the video)

At the Hop

On Friday Sami was able to go to her very first Sock Hop! Her elementary school put on a Sock Hop as a fundraiser and for days Sam couldn't talk about anything else. If you know Sam, she had to be there, and she had to be all decked out. So, what could I do? I had to make her a poodle skirt. Yes, you can stop laughing now, it is true. It even turned out pretty good. The best part was that Sam loved it! She looked so cute and had such a good time. Right when she saw her friends they all started screaming and jumping up and down. They were all so cute in their outfits, rockin out to 50's music! Sam was a little disappointed she didn't win the hula-hoop contest, or the cake walk, but the malt I got her afterward made up for it I think.
And in case you were wondering, where was I during all the fun girly screaming, dancing, and chattering - on the sidelines watching, having a flash-forward to the future!