Breaktime

I am SO taking a break.  I have been doing math for the last 3 hours or more.  I stopped counting.  I am getting into the story problems and YEAH it is a problem...a big one for me.  So my question is WHY?  Why don't they just write it out in algebraic form?  I could solve it if they did.  But they have to get all sneaky and put words in the problem.  GEEZ.  Them math people. If only I had my dad here to help.  He was such a smart man and always helped me with my math.  We laid on the floor, side by side, working the problems together.  He was so easy to understand.  We did the math step by step.  He never let me skip steps.  That way if I got it wrong I could always go back and see where the mistake was.  OH how I miss you dad.

You know how the days just zoom by?  I can't even believe how fast time goes.  Is it going faster?  It feels like it.  I wanted to blog about each of my kids and the people they are becoming...... both good things and bad.

Caleb.  He is 14.  He LOVES to do anything with his hands.  He loves to create.  He has made quite a few projects.  He fixed my sewing machine for me. He made a homemade ski bike and made homemade apple cider.  He also sewed his brother and sister a bean bag.
He is SO TALL now.  I took him to the dr a couple of weeks ago for a check up and he measured over 6ft 1in. But he did have his shoes on.  So not a totally accurate measurement.  But still tall.  He is also very thin....yet loves everything bad for you.  I can't get the kid to eat veggies or even meat for that matter.  He loves chocolate.  The kid could live on it. 
Caleb has a very tender heart and loves animals.  He has a great memory and a sharp mind.  If I could just get him to do his homework he could probably pull off more A's.  It is SO HARD to get him to talk.  He has always been so quiet and when I ask him questions it actually irritates him.  So I am very careful with what I ask.  Because I think he has a limit.  If I ask two or more he is done. TOO FUNNY.  He is a good kid that has to deal with ADHD.  We love him and are grateful for him in our family.  He does a great job at keeping the commandments.

Zach is 12.  This kid is tall too.  He isn't too far behind Caleb and I think he might pass him up eventually.  Zach is outgoing and likes to be the center of attention.  He is funny.  He LOVES kids and tries to hold the babies that come over.  He is smart and gets good grades in school but his spelling is atrocious.   I rarely have to fight him to do his homework.  He comes home from school and gets it done and I don't have to bother him about it.  That is soooo nice.  Zachary likes to tease.  He teases his siblings and doesn't stop.  This causes a lot of extra stress around the house.  I think he likes to get a reaction out of them. 
He likes a girl in our ward and she likes him.  HMMM he is 12.  But he is so open about it and lets me read their texts.  I love to talk to him.  He actually talks.  But sometimes won't stop.  He loves to hunt and target shoot.  He is more of an outdoor boy.  He wishes we had a four wheeler or dirt bike. It would be fun if we did but who can afford that?  He is a good kid too and we are grateful for him.

Rachel is almost 10.  She is a great student and gets good grades.  She got great reviews from her teacher at her last conference.  Rachel's teacher said she is what every teacher wants in a student.  OH YEAH.  She is a great daughter too.  She can also have get an attitude though.  She is getting in to the preteen years.  UGH..  I've never done preteen girls.  It will be an experience.  Rachel is very kind and has a soft heart.  There have been a couple of times that we have been watching church movies....the animated ones.  And she turned to me and said, "does this ever make you want to cry"?  I told her that it does sometimes make me cry.  It is so awesome that she has a tender spirit.  I tell her that it is the spirit that makes her feel that way.  Rachel does nice things for others.  At school she helps the other kids.  Today a girl needed help spelling a word and she volunteered to help her.  She also helped another girl that got hurt on the playground.  She walked her to the office.  I am thankful for such a sweet and caring daughter.  She is such a great example and we are so blessed to have her in our life.  The teacher that works in the computer lab and also helps out in the nurses office told me that Rachel is definitely one of her fav's and she said her day doesn't go nearly as well unless she gets a hug from Rachel.

Ethan is 8.  He is one active little boy.  And he gives the best hugs and kisses.  He is quick and always wants to play some sort of sport with big kids.  Too bad his older brothers don't really like sports too much.  Ethan is also really smart and does well in school.  He is a great reader and enjoys math and is quite good at it.  He is a pretty good speller too.  Ethan struggles a big with his temper and attitude. He also has to deal with ADHD.  It is something we kind of figured but were hesitant about.  Maybe we were trying to ignore it thinking maybe it wasn't true. But it is true and it is a struggle but we are treating it and it has made a HUGE HUGE difference for him at school and home as well.  Ethan is a great kid and loves to be 'doing' something at all times.  He is a blessing to us and we enjoy him in our family.

Mayah...oh Mayah.  She is a great last child.  She keeps us young.  She makes us laugh.  She is absolutely HILARIOUS.  She is 6 going on 13.  Mayah is smart.  She is at the top of her class in every way.  She is the top reader and she just informed me today that she is getting an award tomorrow for having the most points in her ticket to read program at school amongst all the students in the school.  Not every kid participates so I am not sure how many students are involved.  I have really enjoyed going to her classroom every week to help out.  It is fun to see how she behaves in school.  She really is a great student.  Her hand writing is AMAZING.  I can't believe how much different it is from the other students.  I was so sad when her teacher had a brain aneurism a few months ago.  But she was really lucky and survived and only about 1% of the people that have this type of aneurism have as much progress as she has had.  She has come into the classroom a couple of times to help out but the noise seems to bother her and her short term memory isn't the greatest.  We are not sure she will be able to return to teaching.  They have a permanent sub for now.  But her original teacher was really good. I am  not sure about the sub. It is her first time teaching since getting out of school but things seem to be going quite well. Mayah says the funniest things.  She is a wonderful daughter that is fun to be around. Mayah has been struggling a bit with crying. I am not too sure why.  I am trying to figure things out and having a hard time coming up with a why.  Almost every morning ends up in a crying battle.  Her pants are to itchy or she doesn't want her hair fixed a certain way.  When I ask her how she wants it she just cries.  When we try to figure out what to wear it is always such a battle to decide.  Everything seems to go wrong. I think she is getting enough sleep but it makes me sad....and well kind of frustrated too. I can't seem to make her happy.  We are going to try a few new things so we can figure out what the problem is.  I am so thankful for Mayah.  She is awesome.  She has a great memory and is adorable.  I love her to death.....just like all my kids.

I am so grateful to be a mom. I am so grateful for what they teach me.  I am not a quick learner...especially in the patience category but I think I am doing better.  I pray I can help my kids succeed and become what they want and need to become.  I always worry that the things I do...or don't do...will have a negative impact on them.  I fear I won't do or be good enough of a mom to keep them strong in the gospel and grounded in their faith.  That is my main concern.  If anything else....I hope they stay close to the truth.  I hope they gain a testimony of their own and have happy and fulfilling lives.  I really do love them.