I Love Lists

Everything around us seems to be breaking down, tearing apart, quitting  wearing out.  Is it because we are hitting the 15 year mark of marriage (I remember at the 10 year thinking that it was high time I replaced dish towels)?  Or because we have 5 busy crazy kids?  Or because we live on a rough dirt road (there aren't enough rocks on it to call it gravel)?  Or it it just because I started making a list finally and realized how behind I was.  Now if I could just find the time and money to fix everything (maybe I should get off the computer and get some super glue and a sewing machine and get to work).

The Broken List

Ice Maker (kids don't know how to live without out)
Printer (the new one is sitting here in the box after a year of messed up printing)
Outside air thing extra loud (you know, the big ugly thing sitting smack dab in front of our house)
Downstairs toilet (we think it was just the weeks of sub zero temps)
Laundry Drawers
Squeeky garage door
Van radio (um, the mechanic said "It's toast!" and I can't live w/o that clock--my life runs by it, and a new one costs $300 but he found a used one for $90.  Wahoo!)
Allie's coat
Sarah's dance bag
Kit's bag  (Google has all answers!)
Kit's backpack
Olive slicker
Piano screen (I pulled the piano apart, found the piece that I'm sure is causing the problem, but can't find the right piece online.  They seem to think you need an "expert" so I guess I'm going to have to make a phone call.  Allie thought it meant she got out of practicing, but alas, the piano keys still make sound w/o a screen.)
Silver watch
Crockpot
Phones
Cell phone (Score!  Thought we got to finally get a new one, but luckily we figured out the battery was just getting too cold since I always leave it in the van, so the girls get to continue to be embarrassed by our old fashioned cell phone.  But I tell them it's either an old fashioned cell phone and van or gym and dance and we all know which they will pick!)
Carpet Shampooer (It is broken, right mom?  And that's why it's been sitting in my garage for 3 years not being used).)
Allie's ice packs 
Main Bathroom Drain  (Packed with hair!  But with the help of a plastic glove and some tweezers, it now works!)


(I just have to explain everything, don't I?  No short posts or lists for me!)

Now back to crossing more things off the list before I have to add anything else!

And for your viewing enjoyment . . . we just love this girl!  She's funny and growing up so fast!

Uh, Charity is yelling Mollie's going poop in the tub!  Did I mention she's . . . fun?!!!  =)

**Honestly?!!!!  9:06 at night and trying to get Sarah's solo costume ready for in the morning (she has to leave at 5:30 for a temple trip and then rush to a dance performance) and I hit over the iron and it crashed and IT'S BROKEN!!!  Seriously?  Good grief!

Dishes

Anyone who knows me well knows I am horrible about doing my dishes.  I really don't mind it once I get going, but there's lots of things I'd rather be doing than hanging out in my kitchen.  It's much better now that we have a dishwasher and it's one of my favorite things about this house, but there's still lots of things that either don't work in the dishwasher or don't fit if you don't load/unload the dishwasher often enough.

But today I figured out why the whole kitchen thing is out of control and dirty.  It's not just me!  While washing five million water bottles (we go thru a huge variety every day) and a few pans from dinners from the week, I also discovered:

Sarah-pan from pizza (she made it for her "other" dinner after Sunday dinner), hash brown pan, large blue popcorn bowl

Allie-no bake cookie pans

Charity-muffin pans, bowls, muffin liners

Kit-nacho cheese bowl

Mollie-she helped Charity with the muffins

And the mess on the counter included leftover craft supplies from Allie's school project, play dishes and a sword and CD player from Charity and Mollie, prescription bottle that Kit just finished up and wanted to save, and a few hair things.

I think we need to all learn how to clean up after ourselves and finish up a project!  Silly family!  But I'm also glad they are all capable of making their own food and unloading the dishwasher consistently and occasionally helping with the other dishes.

And the dishes are completely finished . . . for a few hours!  And I think Sarah wins the prize because I don't think I found a single thing of hers on the counter!  (And she'll win a bigger prize if she makes dinner tonight before I get home from gym!)

Saturday is a Special Day . . .

It's the day we run around like crazy . . . at least during competition season which just got much longer with the addition of gymnastics.

10:00 am Snowy drive to Burley (but much better than we thought it would be).
10:30 am Fix printer at View Church
10:45 am  Get gas since we had been running on empty since Oakley
11:30 am  Lunch at Upper Crust  (our favorite)  *Check out Ben's tweet for a picture
12:20 pm  Clean Elevate (with two vacuums, two brooms, and 6 cleaners we got thru pretty fast)
1:00 pm  Drop Sarah off at Julie's Dance studio for a 4 hour long dance practice
1:10 pm  Drive to Twin Falls
2:00 pm  Stop at Sears to find boots.  We struck out again (we're not meant to get cute boots this year!)
2:45 pm  Magic Valley gymnastics for Allie's first meet as a Level 6 gymnast (she didn't do as well as she would have liked, but for going up one level in less than one month, it was awesome!)

7:15 pm  Rush home and grab some hot dogs and nachos for dinner
8:15 pm  Go to boy's basketball game to watch Sarah and Allie dance (Allie rocks as a hip hop dancer and Sarah's legs are gorgeous this year!!)
9:30 pm  Everyone was home and tired and ready to crash, but crash didn't mean sleep.

How does the McClure family relax and unwind?  Let us look at our house at 10:39 pm on Saturday night.

 Kit in her bedroom watching a movie on the laptop

 Charity on the family room couch watching a movie on the TV 

 Sarah and Allie in the office watching the BYU gymnastic meet on the computer

This is where you usually find our baby:
 Mollie in the library watching Primary songs on the ipad

Ben in the library watching You Tube videos on his iPod

(Mollie finally did what everyone should have been doing!)

And Steph .  . . Um, who needs to plug in when you have a book?

Steph in her bed reading a book.

Maybe we'd had enough of each other earlier and it was time for some space!  =)

It's the end of October!

• Sunny sky all day
• Short sleeved shirts outside all afternoon
• Productive project day
• Smell of freshly cut hay outside tonight
• Doughnuts for FHE treat

 Does it get any better than that? And it's October 29th for crying out loud!  Love, love, love it!

Did I mention it's the end of October and I was wearing a short sleeve shirt and I can smell hay?!!!

Multi-Tasking

Multi-Tasking Trips to Oakley

12:30 Trip

• Drop off Charity at Kindergarten
• Drop Preschool CDs off at Seminary for Ben to spray (have a good visit with his secretary)
• Try to drop off birthday present
• Make Case Lot order at Clark's
• Pick up some Oakley Stone to finish up garden path

3:00 Trip

• Drop off birthday present from Primary
• Get Allie ice packs for her knees before she catches her ride to Burley gym
• Take picture of headstone at cemetery
• Drop off extra stone that wasn't needed
• Pick up girls from school
• Clean seminary

We worry sometimes about my multiple trips to Oakley every day (gas money, miles, and of course, wear and tear on the van), but I think I did good today.

August

The end of summer!  Jammed packed like the rest of the summer!

Week 1

• Fire:  A lightening strike on the mountains near our house turned into a HUGE fire.  We ended up with lots of smoke, amazing night views of flames, fabulous sunsets when the smoke wasn't too thick, a town packed with firefighters and their paraphernalia at the schools, and an adventure with school registration weaving our way through the firefighters from all over the country.  It was exciting, but we're glad our friends homes are safe and we're anxious for all the smoke to finally be completely gone.
• The Olympics.  With swimming, running, and oh ya, gymnastics, there's not much that could excite this McClure family more.  And we have to do not just watch of course--splits and stretching while watching, swimming relay races at the pool, and dreams of one day being a hurdler champion.  Too bad this mom likes watching more than doing like her kids!
• Another gym camp.
• Mom & Dad to Twin for some awesome meetings and then an unhappy ride back for Mollie who was squished in with a new tree.
• School supplies.  So much fun!  
• A growing baby--walking, yelling, pulling things out from everywhere.  (I thought Charity and Mollie were just bonding--no, Charity is holding her down so she won't pull out all the videos.)

Week 2

• Allie in the Burley Parade - So hot, but we survived our first ever Burley Parade (Sadly, I'm sure it won't be the last.  Parades just aren't our thing.)
• Camping - Trying to fit 7 growing people in a 5 man tent, lots of camping chairs, a really dirty baby and some really strange older girls, a long hike while Mom and Mollie slept, 2 fish caught, an extremely windy night with 5 of us ending up sleeping in the van, on top of the mountain being blown away
• Cassia County Fair - Cotton candy and a bounce house, Sarah and Dad working at the fair booth

Week 3

• Lots more weeding & picking strawberries for the girls summer job 
• Dance choreography (so excited to start back up again)
• Brigham City Temple Open House
• Decorating the Seminary
• Summer's over!

Before & After

Time for school, dance, gym, dance, gym, homework, dance, gym, homework, and FOOTBALL!!!

It's Fall!!  Bring it on!

July

I finally had a long enough span to load photos and review . . . and August is almost over.

July was as full as June.  383 pictures in my folder with many more from Allie and Sarah's iPods and Kit's camera and the iPad.  We love pictures!  And it's been fun to see the memories we've captured.

Week 1

• Talent Show -- Not your normal every day dancing and singing -- Included spinning a ball on finger and pencil, folding laundry, foot exercises, poem reading, magic tricks, arm tooting, bar hanging  
• 4th of July bike ride and climbing of the gravel hill "mountains" with yummy white raspberry filled doughnuts
• The last week of swimming lessons -- including a last memorable fun day in the cold and rain (it's Idaho after all) -- all three passed their levels and Allie is finished!  Wahoo!
• Lemonade Stand by Allie, Kit, and friend Camry -- extremely successful thanks to awesome Oakley people Now they think all lemonade/cookie sales should gross $70!

Week 2

• Main Motion Dance Camp -- some happy dancers
• Our annual Root Beer "Tea Party" at Grandma Karen's
• Babysitting, bean hoeing, temple trip
• Mollie's growing up and standing up everywhere (and the flowers are still alive before the heat waves)
• Dad's birthday and homemade ice cream
• Mom's birthday and Upper Crust

Week 3

• Sarah to CSI dance camp, Allie to regular gymnastic team practice, Kit and Charity to gym camp
• Last story hour of the year!   (can't find the pictures, uh oh!)
• Lyman Reunion in Blackfoot (love, love, love my cousins!  And LOVE that Jana surprised us!)
• 24th Celebration in Oakley (Marci's family joined us for an abbreviated celebration)

Week 4

• Ben got released from the bishopric after almost 6 years.  What will we do with him home with us on Sundays?
• Dentist appointments, piano lessons, gymnastic practice, Activity Days, play, Inservice
• Charity's ER visit -- she slipped on the slide at the park while playing with Dad and got to have the first stitches of the McClure girls.  Dad spent from 8:50 until 12:20 in Burley in the ER with Charity and Mollie while the rest of us were at a play and then home worried, but both girls did awesome.
• McClure Reunion in Bear Lake

Week 5

• A long ride home with a stop at a hill with stairs that has memories for Steph from growing up
• An Olympic Party at Elevate to watch the USA girls gymnastics win gold!  We love the Olympics!