Fall

No, pictures yet...don't ask!

So onto the post. If you really give a hoot about what I've been up to lately, then obviously you will read on....but I warn you....It might get slightly boring, and dare I say, serious! Okay, not serious, because its Anna, and the day I write a completely serious blog is the day that rats fly.

Okay, I really think I've lost something of great importance to me...I have completely lost my mind! not that I really have ever used it to it's full potential in the past...but I'd still like it back regardless. So here's my life:

Monday....wake up at 6:30 (try to get somewhat ready and awake in 10 minutes so I can arise the rest of the household, make lunch and find socks for Thomas and Sam) 6:40...2 older kids up and ready in 30 minutes (so they can practice violin and cello before school. 7:00 the 2 little girls I am watching arrive and join us in the festivities of the morning. 7:00 again....I wake up Thomas while James waits about 10 minutes to wake up...he usually is disturbed by all of the string instruments in the house. 7:55...by this time I have fed all children...dressed all children...have all children in mini van....pick up neighbor boy....and off to school....we race the bus because if we get stuck behind it, we are LATE for school. 8:15....school starts for my three oldest kids. 8:20 to 11:30....entertain 3 small children while doing various household chores. 11:00 early lunch for my babysitting girls. 11:30 pick up Thomas 12:00 drop off Miriam at Kindergarten 12:10....eat lunch AGAIN and 1:00... practice violin with Thomas (James takes a nap somewhere in here) 1:30 Lilly naps 1:30 to 3:00....I play a never ending round of chess with Thomas(he is 4 years old) 3:10 All kids are home...Some will go to music or dance lessons after this 3:45 Lilly goes home 4:00 I make a dinner of meats or pasta or cereal (only if I haven't taken the aforementioned children to their various lessons.) 4:30...Rick is home, and we eat! 7:00 scriptures and bedtime 7:30....kids are NEVER asleep by this time, but I wish they were 8:00....Some of the kids might be asleep. 9:00 All kids are asleep and I have CRASHED!

Tuesday.....repeat Mondays routine, but add in an early morning Cello lesson and teaching dance in the afternoon! Oh Geesh

Wednesday....repeat Monday....Clarissa has dance this day

Thursday....repeat Monday.....I get to attend my Principals of Freedom class this night! It's my favorite night!

Friday....repeat Monday, but no school for my kiddos! Friday is a good day! Thomas and Clarissa have violin in the afternoon!

As you can plainly see.....I have lost my mind, if you find it, please let me know!

Still no pictures...

So, I still have no pictures to share. You would think that I would just take the initiative and get them on the computer, but for some odd reason I can't bring myself to do it. Rick is the official "down loader of the pictures guy" at our house and I'm just on willing to take on one more task here at the Palfreyman homestead. While Rick was away this past year (traveling the world) I did my fair share of duties....Mom duties (ya know, basic mom stuff), Dad duties (ya know, like getting the tires rotated, cleaning out the mouse trap...like 20 times, killing INSANELY huge spiders, shoveling the 1/4 mile driveway when it snowed so hard that even the jeep couldn't get down the hill...not up...but DOWN, took care of the 2 horse-dogs in the backyard, sold 4 puppies.....there are so, so, so many other things, I can't take it all in right now), Girl Camp duties (that was just FUN, so maybe I can't count that duty), Sisterly duties (this consists of making fun of lame movies a.k.a. anything Twilight), Churchly duties (...4 kids...sacrament meeting...me alone....enough said..) Daughterly duties (I just love my mom so much, and I think daughterly is a funny word....so it is included).

So, as you can see, the pictures will have to wait.

Music is my LIFE!!

It's been a while....

Whenever I take a month or two off my blog, you can most defiantly rest assured that life is SO CRAZY! I want to post pics from all of the summer fun we have been having (D.C. trip, bear lake, family reunions...) but since I got a new camera back in June, I haven't spent the 10 minutes it might take me to figure out how to download them onto the computer....lazy you might say, well, maybe!

So back to music....my life is completely taken over by string instruments....I often sit back and wonder how this all happened....ya know, my quest on becoming a Suzuki mom! It's not a title to be taken lightly. As a Suzuki mom you are required to take lessons yourself, sit in at every lesson your child has (and take detailed notes)...while your other children are reeking havoc in the music teachers house. In addition to weekly lessons, you are required to practice with your children AT LEAST 5 days a week, and they have a group lesson once a month on top of it all (note taking require here also). I have done this quite valiantly for Clarissa (for 3 1/2 years), and Sam (for almost 2 years), and now Thomas is to join the ranks....officially...as a Suzuki violin student in the studio of Diane Austin! (we were on a 2 year waiting list! YIKES!) So, I am making it official, I have left the ranks of a somewhat normal person and have become a COMPLETE CRAZY MOTHER!!! If you want to see my children play there beloved instruments, they will participating in a celebration concert at the Conference Center on October 17th and 7:00 p.m....tickets are $8.00. I expect all grandparents to attend....Aunts, Uncles, and cousins are optional.

Weeding is the worst!

Since yesterdays post was quite short and sweet, I thought that maybe today I would enlighten the world on why weeding is the worst. I actually don't mind weeding. It's the spiders and other such creatures that get to me. Latley, I have been feeling much better (Thanks to Dr. Young!) and so I've been doing A LOT of weeding this past week. Yesterday was no exception. I got my gear on (gloves, hat, sunglasses) and set out to weed by my humongus driveway. But it wasn't until about 2 hours later that I realized why this is a bad pasttime...TICKS! Yes, you heard me right....TICKS! I can hardly spell the word without chills running down my spine!!!! I got in the shower last night and BAM....found a tick on the back of my shoulder...EW EW EW EW EW EW EW....luckily Dr. Rick was home (that's my hubs, he's not really a dr. but he might as well be) so he could pry the blood sucker off my flesh. Of all the years living in Utah and comming across these beastly insects, I have NEVER actually had one in my skin! EW EW EW EW EW! I am still totally grossed out by the idea. I may never weed again. There are also snakes and black widow spiders at my house.......I need to move!

June....it's practically over

Ricker's World comes to and end!

So, many of you may, or may not be aware that my husband...Rick....has been traveling the world these past 9 months for his job. You may or may not also be aware that Rick lives in an alternate universe that we affectionately call "Ricker's World". It's a magical place where everything seems bend in accordance to Rick's will. I'm not even kidding. Where else could one take a trip every month away from the crazy wife and kids. And on each and every one of these get-a-ways, you are able to do so many things that you love. Like...shoot guns of various shapes and sizes, ride in tanks, eat a lot of great food at someone else's expenses...the list goes on and on. I will not include a full diary of this travels, it will only make you jealous. So here are a few pictures from his last, but certainly not least, trip....BELGIUM AND GERMANY! A Castle

Shooting guns

happy to be shooting guns

having a date with Zev.....he is my replacement date because I had to stay home with the kiddos, but I heard it was very romantic!

Rick.... doing what a Ricker does best

In a tank, shooting guns

Serious Rick

You lucky man you!

This part was not so lucky. He had to get stitches in the middle of the night in Kuwait. Smacked his head on a locker....OUCH!

So there is the short version of the last 9 months. All I can say is, I made it!!!! But with only much help from THE BEST mother-in-law a girl could as for! Thanks Neta for treating me like your own daughter! I am truly blessed to be a part of your family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cool Cat, Terrific Trains, Merry Mother's Day, and Awesome Opera!

I love our cat. Our cat is one cool cat. So cool it doesn't even have a name. We got her fixed, so I suppose we will keep her. One fine Saturday in April, we found our aforementioned cat sleeping in the ice cream bucket we use for her water. And here she is....Cat (our 4th since we moved here 5 1/2 years ago. We go through cats like ice cream.)


Spring break...Ricker is traveling the world....what's a mom to do with 4 board-to-death kids. Train Museum! I was skeptical at first...I thought it was going to be lame, but lame or not, we were going. But it turned out to be a fantastic day!

Thomas on the train.
Clarissa and Sam enjoying their time on the caboose.

James is not feeling well....or someone spiked his bottle?

Trains are cool too, maybe as cool as our cat!

I LOVE THESE KIDS!!!

Below are some Mother's Day extravaganza pics. Notice that James in quite unimpressed over his plate from Kuwait....I'm glad that was his mothers day present and not mine!!

I got some pretty sweet gifts...marble chess set, chacos, a letter of love from my lover dover (aka Rick), kids hand prints in clay, more lovely letters, marble goblets from Kuwait (very cool!)

It's Opera time for Rissa in Tre-mon-ton! Clarissa was cast as knight in her school Opera. At first she was a little put out that she was not a princess, but when she discovered that the reason for her knighthood was due to the fact that they needed her loud and always in-tune singing voice to carry those knights through the finale....she accepted with a smile...as shown below.

Clarissa is second from the left.

Clarissa in the middle!

We have a good life...