Still Here

We're still here. Just haven't had much going on lately. School, work, etc. We had a good Thanksgiving with Jeff's family and we're finally getting the Christmas decorations up. I meant to do it last week when the kids were home from school, but something always seemed to get in the way. So we've been trying to get it done this weekend. Its been hard because I also started getting really sick this weekend. So I'll sleep for awhile, then get up and do one or two things, then sleep some more. Jeff has been great, taking care of me and the kids.

We had another little flood in the basement on Thanksgiving. One of the hot water pipes was spraying water while we were gone. Right on all of our storage boxes. Luckily, nothing was ruined and we caught it before it got too bad. Jeff's dad came up that night and helped him fix it so that we had water. I'm extrememly thankful for a husband and father-in-law who are handy and able to fix things. We really couldn't afford a plumber right now.

Spelling Tests and school progress

It seems like time is just going by faster and faster. The kids have started weekly spelling tests in school. I hope this isn't embarrassing for my kids down the road, but I want to have a record of their progress and this is the easiest way right now for me to do that. Last week was their first test, and here were their words:

an
at
can
cat
had
man

And two "Challenge Words":

catch
add

Peanut got 100%! And Bubba only missed one. He forgot the "a" in "had". I worked with them all last week and he knew that, so I think he must just have been hurrying and forgotten it. Still, they both did very well.

Their first term of the school year is now over and they are both doing very well. The grading is now a number system instead of letters, so it won't make sense to anyone unless you're familiar with it. But, to sum it up, they are both exactly where they are supposed to be in everything. They are making significant improvements in reading and writing. And they are working on simple addition. Both doing very well.

Bubba has the best handwriting in the class. Seriously, if you saw it, it looks like at least a 6th or 7th grader's handwriting. I will have to scan something in and post it so you can see it. He also excels in coloring, and the teacher often uses his coloring as an example to the other kids of the right way to color. He writes and illustrates little comic books at home all the time and he was really excited to show them to his teacher. She liked them very much and put them on the classroom bookshelf so that his friends could read them. When I was there on Monday, I noticed that several of the other kids had made some as well since they saw Bubba's. He was tickled that they liked them so much that they wanted to make them too. The teacher told us that they will be starting writing workshops in January, and he is really looking forward to that. We may have a little author on our hands.

Peanut is really excelling in her reading. They have different levels of books that they can choose from to bring a book home every day for their reading homework. Peanut is in the most advanced level of books, even getting into easy chapter books. She is very good at sounding things out and loves reading. Makes my heart happy!! I love reading too, and I thoroughly enjoy watching her loving it. The teacher told us that they will start testing for the Advanced Reading program in January, so we'll see how that goes. I think she'll be one of the first ones in the program. She also is making great improvements with her handwriting. She has not been so neat in the past, but she is working really hard on taking her time and doing her best work.

They are both in the top 5 in their class in reading. Woohoo!! Way to go Hinds' kids! The class is broken up into groups for their group activities that they do everyday. And the teacher told us that she groups them according to their skill level. They are in the group with the best readers.

She also said that they are both very good friends to their classmates. They speak nicely to the other kids and are both very popular. Bubba especially is a great helper to his friends and to the teacher and she made sure to point that out to us. All in all, they are doing really well and we're just so proud of them. Sorry for the long post, just wanted to get it all down before I forget.

Busy Week...long post :)

We've been busy with school this week. This week was Red Ribbon Week. They talk about not using drugs and making the choice now that they will never do drugs. Each day, there is something different that the kids get to do to celebrate Red Ribbon Week. Monday was weird sock day, Tuesday was wear red to school day, and Wednesday was crazy hair day! I did try to do Bub's hair crazy, but ever since he was born his hair has just laid perfectly down and it absolutely will not let me do anything else with it. I put tons of gel in it, and it lasted about 21 minutes. Weird. Anyway, Peanut's hair was easier to do and it did stay all day. So, here are some pictures of her bun-hawk.

I volunteer in the kids' class every Monday and do a lot with the PTA. I really enjoy being involved in the school and I think its an essential way that I can contribute to their education and stay involved with them as they get older. So, Wednesday I had a meeting for something that I volunteered for awhile ago. I had actually forgotten about it until the person in charge of it called to tell me about it. Oops! But, I'm really excited about doing it and I think it is a great program. I'm going to be what they are calling an "Art Docent" for a couple of first grade classes. Once a month, I will prepare a 45 minute to 1 hour lesson about art to teach in first grade. Not art technique, they are already learning that in their art class, but more like art history. So, I'll get a print or several prints from an artist and learn about that artist's biography and then teach them about the artist and their style of art, etc. Then prepare an art project for them to do that represents that style of art. I think it will be really fun and I'm excited to learn about art history myself. We'll see how it goes and I'll post more when I get going.

Then today was the class Halloween party which I got to organize. I'm the designated "Room Mother" that is in charge of organizing all the parties. There are usually about 4 or 5 during the school year. That doesn't mean I plan the party, I actually just organize the parent volunteers. The kids got to change into their costumes and have a little parade. Then we broke them up into four groups and we had four "centers" where they got to play a game, do a craft, or make a treat to eat. It turned out great and I think the kids had a lot of fun. Here is a picture of Bubba sitting at his desk in his costume. Just a note: this isn't his real Halloween costume, but the costume for Halloween has a mask and they can't wear masks at school. So he was a "Skele-pirate". Again.

Short little something

This post is more for my memory than anything else, but as always, I don't mind sharing. The kids' rooms have been extremely messy for quite some time now. I just haven't had the time or energy to go in and help them get them cleaned up, and they're not quite old enough to be able to go in and do it all themselves. They get a little overwhelmed and just give up. So, this past weekend I decided it was time to get the rooms cleaned and organized. We started with Bubba's room on Saturday afternoon. I wish I had before and after pictures, but I would probably be too embarassed to post them anyway! It was so messy that there was a path from the door to the bed and the rest of the floor was covered with toys, clothes, etc. I know. Gross! It took us about three hours to completely clean, dust, vacuum, wash windows, etc. It was exhausting, but boy it looks nice now. Such a relief to have it cleaned up. Then on Sunday after church, we worked on Peanut's room, which was not nearly as bad, but still pretty darn messy. It only took us about an hour and a half and it looks so much better now.

As I was getting the kids to bed on Sunday night, I said "See, isn't it nice to sleep in a clean room? I bet you'll sleep better now." And then we had a moment that makes being a parent so awesome and makes you forget all about the difficult times. Peanut looked at me and, so sincerely, said "Yeah mom, its so nice. It makes me feel like the Holy Ghost is sitting right here next to me." Wow.

School Days

I've been meaning to post about school since it started, but I've been really busy. I'll have to post some pictures soon. I was really dreading first grade and the kids being gone all the time. Now that its been about a month I can say that it is not as hard as I thought it would be, but I don't think I'll ever get used to them being gone so long. As rowdy and difficult as they can be sometimes, I love hanging out with them and I really do miss them :(

So there are a couple of stories from school so far. There has been quite a bit of bullying in first grade. What's that all about? The kids saw one of their friends from Kindergarten being "beat up" by two kids in his class on the playground. He wasn't hurt really badly, he only got a cut on one finger, but apparently he was on the ground and the other two were kicking him. I couldn't believe it!! Another mom that was volunteering saw it going on, stopped it, and let his mom know. But it scares me. So we have had some good conversations about how to handle it when you see someone being bulled or when someone is bullying you. And about not being a bully. Then last week, Bubba said that some boys (one of whom is in our ward) said some rude things to him and basically kicked him off the slide on the playground. So...we talked about it and he's okay. I guess Peanut went straight to the principal's office to tell him about it. Good for her watching out for her bub! I just really tried to reinforce to my kids how proud I am of them for not being bullies and for being good kids. I'm sure this isn't the end of this kind of stuff, it happens throughout life. Its a not so fun part of growing up.

There have been funny stories, too. Peanut came home the other day with a boys phone number written on a piece of paper. I asked her if she asked for it or if he just gave it to her and she said he just gave it to her. Why? Because he wants her to call him, of course. Duh, mom! So then I asked her if she wants to call him and she said she did. Why? "Because, he's the coolest kid in class." Makes sense.

The area around the school and playground is mostly undeveloped, so there are a lot of weeds, thistle, and brown-eyed susans. And, more importantly...grasshoppers. A couple of weeks ago Bubba started catching them at recess. He has brought several home and we've managed to keep them alive for a few days. Yesterday, his teacher told me that he is now famous at the school for being the kid that catches grasshoppers. I like to call him "the grasshopper whisperer". I guess all the kids ask him to either help them or catch grasshoppers for them. I even heard an older kid, probably third or fourth grade say "Hey, that's the kid that always catches grasshoppers." Soon, we'll have paparazzi following us home. Haha!

Summer Fun

The week before school started, we went with Jeff's family to Flaming Gorge. It was such a fun time!! Jeff's uncle and great-aunt own some mobile homes up there and very graciously allowed us all to stay in them. Although I love camping and wouldn't have minded staying in tents, I have to say, it was nice to have a bed, potty, shower, and kitchen.

In the car on the way to FG. Look at that sunset!

While we were there we went fishing, of course. It wouldn't be a Hinds Family vacation without fishing. The fishing was great and I think almost everyone caught one. Bubba and Peanut not only caught their first fish while we were there, but they actually caught several each. It was great! We were bank fishing, so I think it got a little boring for them to cast out and then wait, but boy did they get excited when they got to reel them in.

These were the best catches for the two little anglers!

The first day we were there and went fishing, it got so stormy. After we had been fishing for awhile, the wind started blowing and it started raining. And it was cold!! But, the die-hards wanted to keep fishing, and actually ended up catching more fish in the monsoon. Jeff and the kids and I (and cousin Jack) ended up in the truck waiting it out. But the others found some wood and got a fire going to brave it out. I'm not sure what they were doing in this picture, some sort of incantation? I don't know, but we were warm and dry and eating Twizzlers in the truck and I thought this looked funny. Ha ha!

The second day we got to go rafting/kayaking down the Green River, thanks to Uncle B and Aunt KK. I was really paranoid about it, but really had no reason to be. The river right there is so calm and we were in "Captain Uncle Brandon's" capable hands. He brought a big river raft and three kayaks for us to enjoy. It was a blast! And of course, everyone was wearing life jackets (no worries, Grammy!) I don't have any pictures because I didn't have a waterproof camera. Maybe next time. This was my favorite part of the trip. I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did, but I loved it.

The rest of the trip was more fishing, hanging out together, and enjoying beautiful Utah. We came home worn out and sunburned, but it was a great vacation! I feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful place and that we have an awesome family to spend time with.

My handsome hubby in his favorite environment, doing his favorite thing.

Updates, freakouts, and random thoughts...

I haven't blogged for awhile, so this may be a long post. Its something I want to do more often, but just like everything else, I feel like I don't have enough time to do it all. And, quite frankly, blogging is low on the priority list. We haven't been overly busy this summer, but its been interesting trying to juggle working full-time (at home), keeping the kids from summer boredom, and everything else. The weather has been so beautiful that we've been able to spend a lot of time outside, which is always nice.

I guess our biggest news so far is that the kids finally got up the courage to try learning to ride their bikes without training wheels. We were at Grandma and Grandpa Hinds house on a Sunday and Grandpa was telling the kids that he would help them learn how to ride. They responded adamantly that they were not ready. But it must have gotten Peanut thinking about it because the next afternoon, she told us she was ready to try. She was very timid, and it took a couple of hours until we could let go, but she finally got it that evening. Very wobbly! But she got it! And the next morning, the first thing she wanted to do was go right outside and start riding. So cute!! I love that she loves it.

Well, if you know Bubba at all, you'll know that he is not to be outdone by his sis. When she got out the next morning riding, he was ready to start too. It really only took me about 10 minutes of running behind him, and he got it. And he hasn't slowed down since. He loves to make brake marks on the sidewalk and now he's gotten so good that he likes to show off by standing up on the pedals and taking one hand off the handlebars. Pretty cool, huh? :) We kept telling both of them that they would be great if they would just try it, and we were right. It was all about having the confidence.

We've also gone to the library a few times and the kids are coming along great with their reading. Peanut is doing especially well because she loves to try to read anything and everything. Bubba CAN read well, he just doesn't like to try. I guess he's a little lazy about it. I'm working with them both everyday. Right now I'm reading "The mouse and the motorcycle"by Beverly Cleary to the kids. They absolutely love it so far and constantly bug me to read another chapter. I loved being read to when I was growing up, so I'm glad I can pass that tradition on to them.
We recently had a water fight in Grandma and Grandpa Hinds' backyard with almost everyone on that side of the family. It was so much fun!! The kids had a blast and I thought it was especially fun to see Uncle Brandon acting like the kid he is. He and Aunt Katie brought all the waterguns to use and set it all up. I'm so glad they did! I wasn't going to participate, but someone (ahem, Bill) snuck up behind me while I was filling Bubba's shooter for him. It was all over after that!! I think I had almost as much fun as the kids though, so I'm glad he got me.


I'm having a rough time thinking of the kids going off to 1st grade this year. I'm SO not looking forward to it and I'm actually really freaked out about it. Its really rough being a mom!! So I'm trying to make the best of the time we have left this summer. They are growing up so fast. It really is a blink of an eye. If anyone knows a way to slow down time, please let me know! We were seriously considering homeschooling (for many reasons, not just because I'll miss them), but with my work schedule, it is just not going to work for us. I have integrated a few things from the homeschooling program that I was looking into though, which I think we'll keep. We try to start each day with a prayer and scripture reading and then we create an agenda for the day. Bubba especially behaves so much better when there is more of a schedule. It has made a tremendous difference on the days that we have followed through with it. Its not a crazy rigid schedule, just more like a list of things we want to accomplish throughout the day and we check them off as we complete them. Its been good for me too, to be more organized.

Hail the conquering graduates!

Hip Hip! Hooray!!
Hip Hip! Hooray!!
Hip Hip! HOORAY!!

The twinks graduated from Kindergarten today. I can't believe how fast time has flown by. I love these kids so much that it hurts sometimes. I just wish they'd stop growing up so fast! We're so proud of these two and we love seeing them learn and progress. First grade, here we come!

The class performed several songs along with some speaking parts about what they've learned this year. The twinks chose the following song to put on the blog, I think they liked the Kazoos! Bubba is on the front row far left side in the yellow shirt. Peanut is also on the front row in the green dress in the middle.

FINALLY!!

Just after Christmas, Mallorie showed us that she had a permanent tooth growing in behind her front bottom tooth. Oy! Well, the baby tooth in front of it has been loose and she's been wiggling it ever since. The last week or two, it has been SO ready to come out, but she has absolutely refused to let me pull it. Today, I was on the phone with my mom when she started crying and saying, "I swallowed my tooth! I swallowed my tooth!" So I looked, and sure enough, the tooth is gone. She thinks that it came out while she was eating lunch about an hour before that. FINALLY! Well, she was so upset and crying about it. I told her that the tooth fairy would still bring her something for the tooth, but she wouldn't calm down. So then I told her that it would come out when she went poop. Jokingly, I asked her if she wanted to dig it out of her poo, and she said yes! I repeated the question and she said "No, you do it." Um, I don't think so. So, we're going to write a note to the tooth fairy and draw a picture of the tooth on it so that she can see what the tooth would have looked like and leave a little sumpin' sumpin' for sweet Mallorie. What a funny girl! Number two should be coming out soon as there is another permanent tooth coming in.

Wiggle it...just a little bit.

So, I'm not sure what happened with the sound on this. I'm actually laughing in the background, but it sounds like there are chipmunks. Anyway, this kid makes me laugh so hard!

Its about time...literally

And not having any. The past couple of months have gone by SO fast! Like everyone else, we were busy with the holidays. I hope everyone had wonderful times with friends and family during the holiday season.

For Christmas, we had a great surprise. My mom and dad were here! Yay!! They actually came to be with my Grandma who is recuperating from surgery on a broken ankle (long story). But we did get to see them quite a bit. It was such a great pick-me-up to have them here, even just for a short while. I know I don't always act like it, but I miss my family so much sometimes that I want to pick up and drive to Denver just to say hi or have Sunday dinner together. I love you all and I'm so lucky to have you in my life. Move your arses back to Utah! That's all I'll say on that :)

We tried to use the "I'm calling Santa!" trick this year to keep the kids in line, but it just doesn't seem to be working as well. I think they're also catching on that something is amiss with the whole Santa story. Not sure how many more years we'll be able to keep up the facade. Or if I even want to. Now, more than ever, I am enjoying celebrating Christ's birth more than I am all the other stuff. Of course, I still love watching people open presents. It is so fun! The kids were spoiled as usual. We only got a few things for them, but they were kind of expensive. And guess what? The kids loved it all just the same! Man, no more worrying about how many presents there are. The grandparents always end up spoiling even more (wink, wink), so they get a ton anyway.

All is well in our household right now. Crazy busy as usual. Jeff is working, it seems like, all the time. Which is good, but hard for us. I am also working full-time, amidst taking care of the kids and the house and the pup. The kids are loving school still. I think they love the friends most of all, but I have definitely seen progression in their education. They are getting better with reading, although I am going to start really working with them on it more at home. Its so exciting to sit down and actually have them read their little readers to me. Whereas, at the beginning of the school year, I would read it to them and they would memorize it and read it back to me. So cool! Mallorie recently discovered a new tooth growing in behind her baby teeth. Uh oh!! So, we will be making a trip to the dentist soon. SOOOOO not excited for that. If you don't already know, she is NOT good with anything even closely related to pain or blood. Should be interesting! They may have to strap her down just to have the dentist look in her mouth. I'll be sure to take pictures.

No new news right now, just wanted to update on what's been going on. Till next time...