more changes.

Fall has finally come to Texas. The days of triple digit heat has finally subsided. Thank the Lord! I wasn't sure if I was going to make it. We finally got some much needed rain. I love rain. I love thunderstorms and overcast skies. Sometimes I think we belong in the Pacific NW but the rest of my clan does not agree. Go figure. So in Texas I remain. Hot and sticky.

Life has thrown me for yet another loop...so many changes...My parents are threatening to move to Seymour this winter. I welcome the threat but it keeps getting pushed back. First it was December and now March. So who knows. But regardless, they want to buy our house. SOOO again I am moving. Back to The Hill we will go. Devin has helped us with the demolition of the building. I WISH I had before and after pics. It is amazing what he has done. Everything was basically gutted. Nothing remains but the apartment and a wall for our bedroom. Its just one large and spacious building. Pun intended but seriously...it's just a massive space of emptiness. And we like it that way. There will be no walls but for the rooms and bathrooms, obviously. The kitchen takes up 1/4 of the space. It will be massive. Or at least it looks like it on paper. We are supposed to move in December. I wonder if it will be ready by then??

So I am also pregnant. Yeah, you read that right. #6 is on its way, due May 1st. I uhm, don't know how I feel. Other than sick all the time. It's a bit surreal. I thought I was done (as I did with every child previously). Apparently not.

Another change came when Jake got called to be our Branch President. He promptly released me as Primary President. This is very difficult for me. I have served in primary for almost 9 years. I have watched these kids grow up. I have laughed with them and cried over them, and had to repent for my thoughts about them. And now its over. Just when I think I am emotionally sound, they ask the new primary presidency to speak in sacrament meeting and I bawl through the whole thing... because I am out. And next years theme is INCREDIBLE. I love it and really wanted to be apart of it. But I am not and I have to deal with that. I wonder how long it will take?

I guess that is the end of my rant today. The end of my list of life changes. Aaron is desperate for something, attention or food. Who knows. Guess I need to find out being his mother and all.  

our girlie.

As I was rereading what I posted just moments ago I was taken aback by a photo of Evann. It wasn't a significant photo, it didn't even show her face. But I don't need to see her face to get choked up about her. I saw my girl. My girlie. My, wanna get dirty, girlie. The girl that is quite possibly more independent and stubborn than I. The girl that won't take no for an answer. 

She is amazingly loving. She is the best sister these boys of mine will ever know. She is Aaron's second mom. He loves her and she loves him. She is lonely. She would love to have a little sister to take care of. But alas, she has brothers, 4 of them. Sheesh! They all play well together but she just doesn't get enough of that girlie girl time. She latches on so quickly to younger girls we know. Simply wanting to dress them, do their hair, their nails and lets not forget makeup! She can work wonders with her hot pink eye shadow. Good Lawd! Look out! 

She is tired of sharing. She constantly asks, "Can this be mine?" "Can I have the whole cheese pizza to myself?" Seriously Evann, you can barely eat 2 whole slices. "But I want it to be mine." Oh Evann, get through the 2 slices and we'll talk.

Jake bought me some beautiful pearl earrings and necklace for Valentine's Day. Evann was so excited for me she asked her dad if she could just sleep with them until Mom got home. He said when she saw them it almost made her cry because she thought they were so beautiful. She didn't ask if they could be hers though which was interesting in itself. Regardless, we decided that Daddy could buy her some jewelry for Valentine's Day too. She is showing off her loot. Quite proud I might add. A pair of earrings and a necklace.

For some time she has wanted to cut her hair. She wanted it short like the other kids at school. We both were pretty firm on no but one day she got me on a soft day and I helped her talk Dad into cutting her hair. He did not like the idea but agreed. She again, was so proud of her new hairdo. Look at her eyes sparkle! Who is that girl?

This is Evann. My true girlie. This is what she looks like most days. Not because I don't care to brush and style her hair but because this is just how it ends up by the end of the day. She plays hard. She will decide what happens with her hair. For instance, if you put her hair up and she doesn't want it up it will be down once she leaves my presence and enters the school hallway. She is defiant that way. When questioned she will just smirk and shrug her shoulders. Or really she will blame it on Kenadi. "Kenadi wanted to put my hair in a different pony tail..." Riiigghhht.

This is her "posing for Daddy" face. She is daddy's little girlie. When questioned by Jacob because she got something and he didn't she piped up: "Cuz I'm Daddy's girlie that's why!"(He did get something but he got his at a different time of day and well, kids don't remember those things.)

She is our girlie. Our sweet, loving, sneaky, independent, defiant girl. And I wouldn't have her any other way. 

earth boxes.

I dream of having a green thumb like my parents. The reality is that my thumb is pathetic. It tries, almost every growing season it tries but defeat takes over about mid-season. I once planted 2 square foot gardens and had 2 tomato plants flourish. Nothing else. Mostly because I didn't know what I was doing and two I didn't care enough. Well, really, I got scared. Lysle told me one afternoon to be very careful when moving tomato limbs because tarantulas like to hide out in them. "Wait ... WHAT?" I never touched the plants again. That's not true, if I could see a big red ball on the outside of the plant I would pick it but left many on the inside. There will be no tarantula touching for this gal.

I have supportive parents. They see my green thumb dreams and try to help me fulfill them. For instance, they bought me 2 Earth Boxes for my birthday this last year. It was my first time using one. I certainly liked the concept. A water reservoir that gets filled every few days. NICE! Sign me up for that!

To set it up we had to first: get several cups of their potting mix wet. Evann was the mixer. She had no problem getting involved in the dirt preparations!

We took the moistened mix and packed it as best we could into the sectioned referred to as the wick (perhaps I refer to it as that, I dunno). Apparently this moist soil will act as a wick to the rest of the soil above the grate. Below the grate is the water reservoir. You then add the fill tube and the rest of the soil.

Even the little man got into the groove.

All the kids were engaged by the end of the project. Here they are covering up the fertilizer filled tights that lay just below the potting mix. I have planted 2 tomato plants in this container. Hopefully there will be no chance of tarantulas ... I hope. The only downfall is that there is no place to put a cage up so I have to find another solution to support these babies.

I am excited to see these boxes in action. I hope I am successful and have something to show. The kids love to see the baby tomatoes growing. But like most babies, my kids want to manhandle them which usually leads to the baby's demise in some fashion. They are hard on things. I wonder if my little tomato babies will survive. Three of my gorgeous Stargazer Lily's died as a direct result of a child's prodding. I was pretty upset about that but after all they are just flowers AND they will grow back again next year. Eh! I say. I will keep you updated ... as if you are waiting with bated breath for my update! Ha. Be good. Grow something.