Where did the time go?

It has been far toooo long since I blogged. But I have been soooo busy with my crazy life that having 5 seconds to sit down these days is a treat, I have just enough time to sit and check my e-mails and read all the blogs before I have to get up and start my day. I watch 3, 1 year old's and a 2 year old...and then I go to work in the evenings..which is getting better, I am enjoying the getting out of the house part and I have met some great people and one girl who has become a great friend... But that is going to be a post for another time.... And between the kids sports and church activities my life never stops.. I remember thinking how nice it will be when the kids get older and I won't be so busy anymore...well that went out the window, we are way more busy in a different way, but it's a good busy. Anyway on to the topic at hand here.

Summer holidays...do I love them. I always get excited for school to finish, this means no more getting up in the morning, no more making lunches, no more routine that has to be followed....Now you would think that after a few years of this I would have learned by now that with the bliss comes a trade off.....Ya no more making lunches but that also means 5 kids home...all day.....everyday....with nothing to do but stinky old chores...It is soooooooo boring at our house you know, my kids let me know every day. I guess the trampoline and their bikes, and the park down the street or the pool a few blocks away is just not good enough.

I think though that what drives me the most crazy would be the fighting...with boredom and 5 kids comes fighting. What happened to the simple days when they were young and loved each other and played together all the time because they were best friends?? I liked those days.

So I decided after 3 days of them being home and me standing in my kitchen and hearing them fighting and yelling at each other up and down the street, I called them inside and told them all to go sit on the couch and not make one sound...They had to sit till I decided my blood had stopped boiling enough to go talk to them with a level voice. I came up with a new plan, I said "look, I am not spending my summer listening to fighting, you guys are going to find a way to get along and be friends, you have 8 weeks of heavenly bliss together so figure it out or this is going to be what happens every time I hear any form of unpleasantness" ESPECIALLY outside for the whole neighbourhood to hear!! Which I am sure they all have decided how lucky they were the Ball family moved in...geesh. :s

I then told them to pull out the scriptures and they each get to read 5 verses...if they continue to banter during this reading session each one gets another 2 verses....I figured that if anything, maybe reading the book of mormon or the bible will bring better feelings and who can fight after reading about all those wonderful things?? You can tell how excited they are.....just take a look.

Halle was all for it, she kept saying "come on guys are we are going to have to read forever" She is a smart cookie..because she knows that mom will make them sit there till they are done and I am satisfied with there attitudes.

The system has been working, its amazing what a little scriptures will do for the sweet spirits that reside in my children somewhere in there. The fighting stops for the rest of the day. It brings me great joy when I get to be the lamest mom ever...
I also need to talk about Macey for a moment, as I was looking for the pictures above I came across these pictures I had taken for another blog. I will tell you a little story. When Bailey was born, my first daughter she had TONS of black hair, so naturally I had bows and springs and clips in her hair from day one. As she grew I still always did her hair and she was always dressed nice and cute..it was a must! When I had Halle she was born with TONS of black hair too...so again the clips came out, as she grew her hair was done MOST the time, and her clothes were clean and cute MOST the time...it seemed that I slacked a little with girl number 2, but I was always anal about how they looked, and when you see pictures of them when they were little Bileys hair is ALWAYS done and Halle's is done MOST the time....I was going to scan some pictures but the scanner in not plugged in so you are out of luck man.

Now I look at Macey..who is child number 5 and daughter number 3 and was born with peach fuzz, I feel like I have failed her..Now I do do her hair and make sure she is dress decent enough to go in public or church or school...but when we are at home dhe dresses herself and I forget to brush her hair...or maybe I just don't bother anymore, not worth the fight when we are not going anywhere.
Macey as well is a little bit more strong minded and stubborn then the rest of my kids, she has a sassy side that seemed to have skipped over my other children....Maybe, just maybe she is a tad bit like her mother?? pretty sure my parents when I see them smile at Maceys determination to do it the way she wants it done..their smile is secretly saying..."yes Jana, it's pay back time"

She also when she gets dressed, pulls out every single article of clothing and throws it all on the floor till she finds what she wants to wear, I was going to take a picture of the mess in front of her dresser but I could not find the camera and we have since cleaned it up...its our morning ritual which she hates but seriously STOP DOING IT!!!

Anyway, I have just started to let Macey dress herself for the most part, which is funny since Halle still let's me dress her since she does not care what she wears..But Macey knows what Macey wants and she will fight tooth and nail to NOT put on something she does NOT want to wear...I have surrendered...or maybe it's just laziness due to her being the 5th and she is the poor "somethings just aren't that important" last child scenario..So here are a few pictures of her ensembles she puts together...and her un brushed hair.

This is stinky Macey, she did not want her picture taken, she was mad I was laughing...P.s..ignore the mess in the background, I had just got home from working a 8 hour shift on a Saturday...house is always in good shape when that happens.

So there you have it...these are the moments that I love to look back on when they are all grown up and don't do cute things like this anymore. My life is quickly turning in to that, my kids are growing and turning into little teenagers. Colton is 13 in 3 weeks and Bailey is 11 in 4 months. Macey starts kindergarten in the fall all my kids will be in school, it's hard to let go of those years but this stage is much easier and so fun in a different way.

I have more blogs on the way, hopefully it's not 2 more months before I get around to posting them...And maybe I will get a new camera by then, I dropped ours and now it takes crappy pictures, the come out darkish and blah as you can see.....Anyway, I am out.....