It is a shame that taking pictures or video is frowned upon in the chapel.  Our children make me SO happy!  I enjoyed watching them sing and say their parts for the primary program  Every year our primary (ages 3-11) takes an entire Sacrament meeting to do a cute little program.  Generally this is a mixture of singing and having each child say a little part.  Adalie, Jack, and Evelyn memorized their parts and have been repeating them almost daily.  When the time came, however, it was a different story.  Adalie let her teacher whisper the words for her to repeat, Jack had to be carried up to the stage and the teacher ended up saying his part, and Evelyn interrupted the teacher (who tried to whisper it in her ear) to recite the part perfectly.  The kids make up his/her own part, and Jack's part was met with laughter and commentary from around us.  It was- "My favorite creations are rocks because I like to climb them!" I quite enjoyed sitting with Maren and Logan and being an attentive audience member for my sweet kids.

Logan was partially responsible for organizing our church Halloween party.  We had a great turnout!  Our activities included a pumpkin carving contest, potluck, mingling, and lots of dancing.  Unfortunately, Logan's phone battery was dead (our camera) and we did not get any pictures!  We will make sure to get a lot on Halloween night.

Whenever there is sunshine we try to get outside to go exploring or go to the park.  Here are some pictures of our exploring adventures and other pictures from the week.

Evelyn decided she wanted to try a cooking "experient." I collected her supplies as she requested them, and she figured out how much of each ingredient to add.  Her result?  A really good tasting sweet concoction.  I think it tasted like sweet lemon bread.  Nice work!  She used every ingredient I would use in something like this.  I also noticed that she added what seemed like reasonable amounts for each ingredient.  I was impressed.

Fairy house in the park

The next few pictures are from our explorations of Corbin Park

Rachel's Week

This week was all about me. That does not happen very often, and I fully enjoyed it.

Before I get to my week I have a confession to make...

I. Like. Shopping.

I have never really liked shopping. It was a chore to be done and, due to my tendency to be picky, can last a LONG time. Recently I have discovered the art of accessorizing.  I enjoy scarfs, cute layers, and even a necklace here and there. Luckily (I think) I am still really selective in what I will buy. 

'My' first night was on Wednesday.  I had an itch to get out of the house and have some 'me' time.  I have been looking for a new skirt or dress and I wanted to go shopping. By myself. Alone. Without children. Logan easily agreed. During dinner he announced that him and the kids were going to have a 'Papa Night!' Evelyn immediately asked me to leave and inquired if they could have a fish Papa night.  Did I mention that I have a wonderful husband? 

Anyway. I was able to go on a quiet drive into Coeur d'Alene and browse through some of my favorite stores.  I didn't buy anything, but that is typical. At the end of the night I felt completely better.  

Another 'me' night was actually a Ladies Night Out!  I have a few friends out here, but I have been struggling to meet new people and actually have time to get to know them.  Six of us went to a local Mexican restaurant and chatted for almost three hours.  Again, Logan was home having an excellent 'Papa Night' with the kids.  His night involved playing hide and seek in the dark, making treats, and having a papa movie night.  Did I mention that I have a wonderful husband???

Every Friday morning is Papa library morning. Did I mention that I have a wonderful husband?  He takes all four kids to the hour long library story/craft/snack time while I have some time to devote to keeping up my interpreting skills (or whatever else I feel like doing).  

Logan and I had a date that began on Friday afternoon at 2 and ended at 9 that night.  We planned on going rock climbing in the afternoon, but after searching we couldn't find our climbing gear.  We decided to go biking on a trail we found in Liberty Lake instead of climbing.  As we were loading the bikes we remembered that the climbing stuff was all in the shop because Logan had been out with the kids on our climbing wall. We decided to continue with our plan to go bike riding.

I have always wondered what enjoyment people could find with mountain biking uphill. Little did I know that I was about to find out...

We took the bikes out and began our 3.5 mile ride to the waterfall.  We have done the very beginning of this hike with our kids and the trail was really mellow.  I did not realize that it quickly became an uphill climb for the duration of the hike.  

After some deep breathing, shaky legs, and sheer determination I made it to the top!  I was pretty proud of myself.  Also, I must mention that the ride back down was absolutely exhillarating.  There was no one on the trail and we could go as fast as we wanted.  I will admit that Logan went faster than me, but I impressed myself with my speed.

We arrived home around 5 and each of us showered.  At six our babysitter Anna showed up.  Logan and I went to Outback Steakhouse for our monthly Heartwood meeting.  I enjoy these meetings and this one was unique because it was our first 'yearly' meeting.  We have officially been open for a year!

Instead of buying dessert at the restaurant we went shopping for ice cream and brownies.  We continued our date at home with brownie sundaes and Star Wars Episode II (We are in the middle of watching the series).

What an amazing day!  But my 'me' week did not end there.

On Saturday morning I woke up and got ready to leave from 9-2.  It was Super Saturday for our ward. This is when mass amounts of women get together and do crafts that they had signed up for ahead of time.  Each craft has someone in charge to teach people how to make it. We talk. We eat lunch. We craft. This is my kind of event.

Today we went to church and the speakers did not show up.  Logan sent Evelyn on a secret mission to give a note to the bishop. Logan was the impromptu speaker and he did a fabulous job. Did I mention that I have a wonderful husband?

The cherry on top for this week was the fact that all four kids were perfectly well behaved through ALL of Sacrament Meeting.  What a fabulous way to end the week. 

Here are some pictures of this week and last week.

I love family night!  This is our idea of family night treats (donut holes on a string). It is also another way for us to create humor in our lives. 

I think it is time to invest in a second bike trailer.  Adalie is sittin' pretty in a bike seat on the other bike. 

Eskimo Adalie

Exploring buddies

Proof that I can, in fact, ride a bike. Unfortunately we could not get the camera to work in order to show proof of the fact that my wonderful husband was there as well.

Today you have the unique opportunity to look into the lives of the four Hazard kids.  Here are some of the things that are happening with our littles.

Evelyn
Evelyn is in her second month of kindergarten and she is loving it!  It sounds like she is having a great time with all of her new friends.  A few days ago she came home and announced that she had formed a recess club with a big group of friends.  "The explorer club" meets everyday at recess to explore and find new things. Yesterday's find was a big log that was too big to carry. Evelyn has many friends, but her best friend is Teagan.  They met during orientation and they "have the exact same color hair and many other things that are the same!"

Evelyn waltzed into the room the other day wearing her rapunzel dress (the bottom had ripped and she had it slung over her shoulder), a dress up bowler hat, and my heels.  She sashayed around the room and I made the comment, "Wow, it looks like you are showing a little leg there."  She wrinkled up her forehead and in a confused voice said, "Mom, I'm only showing two."

Our sweet girl is reading and writing like a pro!  She writes long letters and many party invitations (her new thing) daily.  She is doing an excellent job sounding out her words and writing them.  She is getting very good at reading big words on her own as well.  At her Kindergarten open house her teacher told us, "You have one very smart little girl."  We sure love her!

During the closing prayer at family night this week Evelyn was freaking out.  She didn't want anyone near her.  Jackson gets a kick out of these moods and instantly glues himself to her side.  It is pretty hilarious to watch because he has a cute little smile and she is absolutely mortified!  The whole time he keeps exclaiming, "Evelyn, I just want to BE with you!" Anyway, we finally moved him and Logan went to sit with her. She freaked out because he was too close.  Logan slowly inched away until she said he was a comfortable distance.  Just to taunt her he scooted forward a tiny bit. She freaked out. He kept testing her limits and we found out that she has an imaginary line an estimated three feet and four inches from her body.  Do not cross it even by leaning forward.  She is serious.

Jackson
Jackson has a confidence that is unmatched by any kids I have seen at his age.  I remember one of his nursery leaders approaching me and saying, "When Jack walks in the room he is automatically in control.  He owns this room."  That was when he was 18 months old.  There is no denying that he was born with this trait.

I went on a lunch date with Jackson to McDonalds last week.  We ate lunch and chatted for a while before he played on the toys.  I decided to sit back and watch what happened when he didn't have siblings around to play with. He walked up to a boy that was about a head taller than him and said in a cheery voice, "Lets play!" The little boy grinned and they ran off.  A few minutes later he showed up and announced, "We are playing bears." After the pronouncement both of them growled menacingly to prove their point.

A few minutes later the little boy had to leave.  Without missing a beat Jackson approached another little boy (much bigger than Jack) and asked if he wanted to play.  About five minutes later Jack had four boys following him around and playing airplanes with him. He was calm, cool, and collected as a natural leader. Both of the games were his idea, and all of the other boys naturally gravitated to him as their leader.  He may have been the youngest... He certainly was the smallest.

Jack has speech twice a week.  This  year he seems so much more mature than he did last year.  He loves going (big change!), and he listens and follows along perfectly. Last week Logan took Jack to class.  He told me about what had happened after class.  The teacher brought all of the kids back and Jack exuberantly told them all 'Good Job!' with a high five.  Then, he walked up to one of the moms and told her 'Good Job' and gave her a high five as well. After he was finished he turned around and strutted out the door.  For those of you who know Jack you know that he definitely has a strut.  Even his walk exudes confidence.

I am such a proud mama!  I love that little man.

Adalie
I would like to explain our happy little Adalie with a phrase that may some day be her bumper sticker.  It would simply say, 'I would rather be at home.'  Adalie LOVES being at home, and whenever she hits her 'out of the house limit' she will kindly let us know that she would like to go home.  Unfortunately, this happens whenever we try to do something fun outside.  On Friday we went on a family bike ride on the Centennial. We stopped for a a break at a little exploring place by the river.  It took about three minutes for our sweet Adalie to say her line.  She decided to sit out most of the exploration and instead settled on some magic rocks that she found.  A few blogs back I told the story of Adalie walking in our house after a long vacation and exclaiming, "I love this house!" She definitely does.

Adalie would also have a wooden sign in her house that read, "I would rather be cuddling." I sure love to cuddle her!  She is up for a cuddle any time of day. Her hugs are awesome and would last for an hour if you let them.

After church today Logan was showing the kids the thumb trick (it looks like he is taking off his thumb).  Jackson was intrigued, Evelyn was trying to figure out how it was done, and Adalie was in the fetal position screaming and crying.  I think it was the pretend sound of pain that Logan made when he did it that tipped her over the edge.  Logan quickly picked her up and cuddled her while offering to show her the trick.  She saw how it worked and was still freaked out.  She refused to even look at his hands even though she knew it was not real.

Maren
Little Miss Maren is a delight!  She is happy, content, and sweet!  For those of you who know her, you know that she is also very independent and refuses to be told what to do!  She is definitely improving in this area lately.  As of a few weeks ago it would have been torture for her to allow you to hold her hand.  She does NOT want to feel restricted in any way...  A few weeks ago she reached up once and held my hand.  I said something like 'I love holding your hand.' She immediately yanked her hand away and yelled 'NO!' So much for that little victory.  The last few days, however, she has reached up to hold my hand a few times.  These moments do not last long, but I treasure them.

Maren is 20 months old and starting to find her voice in everyday communication.  Her favorite two words are 'hi' and 'bye.' She feels the need to say hello to everyone and everything throughout the day.  Whenever I get her out of bed she must say goodbye to her room before we leave, when we leave the car her car seat gets a fond farewell.  Whenever I pick her up in the living room she will immediately grin and start saying goodbye to everyone.  I think she takes it as her cue for nap time.

Yesterday we were getting ready to go to the library.  Jack was in the bathroom and Maren came in.  Jack immediately said 'Go out.' Maren looked him in the eye and firmly said, 'No.' A crazy yes/no battle soon ensued.  This happened three more times before we left.  Jackson asked me why Maren kept saying no.  I responded that it was because he kept saying yes.

I have observed lately that Maren is very content being alone and doing her own thing.  She likes to explore and wander around.  She is good at finding things that entertain her.

Also, recently she has begun to enjoy reading books with me.  She will bring books over and plop herself down on my lap.  Her attention span has gone from a three page book to an eight page book.  Not very long, but definitely improving!

I love watching all of the kids learn, grow, and develop into sweet little people.  It is amazing the individuality that each child comes with. I know this sounds cliche, but it is true that each of them are so very unique.  I love it!

Evelyn's blog post

(Dictated by Evelyn)

I was holding a match book and I was bringing it to mom.  When I was walking I accidentally opened it up.  I was pulling and I accidentally got a match out. I tried to put it back in but I held it under and pulled it out. It accidentally caught fire. I threw it in the grass and was scared, but it didn't cause a fire. After that I went and gave the matches to mom and said I was sorry. I won't do that again.

My teacher's name is Mrs. Juliano and she is a good teacher.  If we always are good she lets us play with her play doh toys, and she is a very very nice teacher.  I like her.  I like the bus. My bus driver said I am a delight to be on the bus. Teagan is my best friend and also Micah. I have a Micah in my class just like my neighbor (he also loves Kaitlin).

(At this point she broke into song)
Kaitlin and Micah have the longest name, yes they do hoo hoo!
Kaitlin and Micah have the longest name, yes they do hoo hoo!

Computers is very fun. I like my computer teacher. computers are the best thing and I love it!

I love my brother and sisters and my mama and papa are my best mom and dad ever!  I also know how to spell mom and dad.

(Another song)
It's m-o-m space a-n-d space d-a-d ! Yeah!

Conference is the best thing ever.  I loved it and it was good.  I wanted to watch every one.  For conference bingo you put the candy on if you hear the word, and if you get five in a row you win and get to eat all of the candy off! We played it for Sunday morning.

My mom was sick today.

I am a good little girl.

Once upon a time I got stung by a bee and it hurted really bad.  Papa put toothpaste on it and it felt better really quick. Then it felt all better. I love my Papa!