My Kindergartner

Tyson had his official first day of kindergarten last Friday where he went his normal time with me there. It's odd for me to be hurrying to get the kids up and moving by 9, which I know isn't that early, but to get them all fed and dressed to take Ty to school is a new thing for me. My niece asked Ty if there were any cute girls in his class and he said "there are two." Oh laws if that is already started heaven help me. His teachers name is Mrs. Searle and she seems pretty nice. All Ty really cares about is playing at recess and play time in class.

We live close enough to the school that he can't ride the bus so I walk to pick him up. I like doing that so far but I'm sure one day I'll have to drive because I didn't plan far enough ahead.

Isn't he handsome? Tomorrow I send Blake to preschool and Bryan started his 6th year of Utah State today. (no he isn't a "super senior" he has just been plugging away at it for a long time!) I'm so proud of Bryan for how well he has done in school. If you knew him in high school you would know he was a huge goof off. He was never dumb just lazy back then so he pretty much had to start college from scratch. He has only had to retake one class so far (and the teacher was a jerk, over 50% of the class had to retake it) and has a 3.1 GPA. To go to school and support a family at the same time is incredible. I'm so proud of him and THANKFUL he is doing to be done by next summer!

First day of school!

My little Tyson started Kindergarten today! They actually had a parent come with them today and go over some things for only a hour so tomorrow will really be his offical first day of school where I drop him off. I thought this all would be harder then it is but I'm ready for him to have school to help him read and all of that. I miss teaching school so it's fun for me to be at the school and see all that's going on. I will admit that I'm nervous about him making friends and having the kids be nice to him. I hope he listens to his teachers and does what he's asked and all of that. It's just weird that I'm not there to help him.

I'm proud of you Ty! I know you will do great in school!

Housework

This is my new vacuum cleaner- He is very efficient. Doesn't leave one thing left on the ground that can fit into his mouth. The only thing you have to watch for is him finding things that are too large for his little mouth. What a little stinker.

As hard as I try it's borders on the line of impossible for me to keep my house extreamly clean for this little guy. I have been trying to have my boys do some chores to help me out but it takes 10 times as long to help them then to do it myself. I wish I was a neat freak I really, really do. It's just not in my to constantly clean my dang house! My goal is to keep the floor under the toys clean. I feel bad because Bryan's mom is a OCD type of cleaner so he is used to everything being so clean you can eat off of it. I honestly don't know how people do it. I have a hard time focusing on one thing at a time so I end up cleaning like 5 things at once and it takes a long time. Someday when my kids are older I know it will be easier but for today I'll just be frustrated. Don't get me wrong- my house isn't gross or anything. I just have can't keep the house spotless. We had a friend stop by yesterday and wanted to see the house. I had it pretty clean- all I really needed was like 5 minutes to pick up a few toys and clean off the counter but I was really embarrassed it wasn't really clean. If I had known he was coming I would have spent all day deep cleaning the house. It is what it is! Take me or leave me, I'm only human.

Housework never killed anyone- but why risk it!

"Mom quit taking pictures of me"

I got a Nikon d3100 last Tuesday for my birthday (which isn't for another two weeks but there was no way I was waiting to use it!). I used to have a sweet film camera back in the day but who uses film anymore? I had some decent point and shoot cameras but I've been dreaming of a nice camera for years. With the help of teaching violin lessons and my parents I had enough money to get my camera! My poor kids are sick of getting their picture taken already. It takes pictures so fast and they look so good. I'm have a lot to learn with it but so far I'm in love.

We decided to take the boys up to Tony Grove and hike around last week so we got so dinner and headed up there. If you live in Cache Valley YOU HAVE TO GO! The flowers were so beautiful even if you just stayed around the parking lot. I love living so close to someplace so beautiful. Bryan loaded Stockton in our kids backpack and off we went. My boys all loved it. I was stopping to take too many picture though and Blake turned to me and said "mom quit taking pictures of me." I just couldn't help but laugh. Bryan isn't into pictures as much as I am and it sounded like something he would say. I just need to figure out my photoshop and I'll be set! And oh yeah, have time to use it.

Stockton likes being in the pack- I thought his little eyes peering over the edge was priceless.

He is dancing

We had to give Stockton a sucker on the way home because he was mad and I thought it was funny that it turned his tongue blue.

Why I am a Stay at Home Mom

For some reason lately I've been hearing more and more negative things about stay at home mom's. Mostly that we are lazy. I honestly don't have anything against someone who works over staying at home so it makes me feel bad to hear what I choose to do put down. There are all sorts of reasons mom's have to work or even choose to work and this has nothing to do with them. I've just been thinking about what my real reasons for staying home are. I had a great job when Ty was born. I was working part time teaching 4th grade and I loved it! I loved the kids and I loved only working in the morning and having some extra income. But I really hated dropping off my sweet new baby everyday. I felt like I was pulled between work and home so much that I couldn't do 100% at either. I really gained a appreciation for women who have to work and do it all. Bryan and I were by no means rich when I quit but we knew we could make it. We have gone without fancy cars and fancy dinners and trips and all of that but it has really been worth it. The reason I decided to be a stay at home mom is this:

And this:
And don't forget this face;

My kids are only little for such a SHORT amount of time. I'm sending my oldest off to Kindergarten next week for crying out loud! It happens so fast and I didn't want to miss it. I also didn't want someone else taking care of my baby all day. I knew that no one would love him like I would. I even had my cousins and Grandma take care of Ty while I worked. I had a friend in college who worked at a day care and some of those kids only say their parents a few hours before they went to bed. They called my friend mom and they potty trained and did all of that at day care. I'm sure those are extreme cases but I wanted to be there when my kid fell and scrapped their knee or started crawling and walking. I wanted to make sure I was there to see it.

Am I a perfect mom? Heck no! Am I lazy? Are you kidding me? I'm typing this while the baby is taking a nap and a load of laundry is going. I have very little "me" time to even think all day. That is something I do miss about working. Even teaching school I at least got to really only worry about me for some of the time during the day. I go all day from when the kids get up until they have been out of bed for the 4 time that night. Are there some mom's that are lazy? Of course but to generalize that most are lazy is like saying all mothers at work don't care enough about their kids. Both are very untrue.

I hear on TV all the time about women "having it all" by having kids and a career and everything else. Even though what I do is honestly the hardest thing I've ever done (not physically but mentally for sure!) I feel so blessed to be able to be the one that is with my kids all day and I wouldn't give that up for anything.

It's way better then a farm... it's the Gibson's!

So we have this sweet couple in my ward that we are starting to be pretty good friends with. Bryan knows Jeff from being in young mens and they invited us over to dinner a few weeks ago. After I saw their amount of animals I knew my boys needed to see it. So the Gibson's were nice enough to let us come invade their home last Sunday with my boys to see their anmials. Sue takes some of them to do a animal therapy sort of thing up at the hospital and other places. She has bunnys, birds, lots of chickens and horses. The chickens are so tame and the little horse stormy (a horse) is tame enough to get on the elevator at the hospital and ride up to see patients there. So we had a great time.

Blake on Stormy. It's such a cute little horse! And Blake wasn't even scared of it which surprised me.

Sue has to clean her chickens to take them places (who would want to hold a chicken covered in poop?) so they are cleaned and blowed dried. She says the LOVE the blow dryer. We didn't do that, but the boys did get to help get some eggs.
This one is my favorite chicken and it's name is zizzy. You might need to click on the picture to get it better to really see it well but the head of this chicken is so funny. It looks like it has a afro.

I didn't get very many good photos of all the different kinds of chickens she has. The boys got to feed them cheese (they love cheese) and Blake even let them eat it out of his hand. Ty had no problem being with all of the animals. He is already asking when we can go back.

Rodeo and Fair

We love to go to the fair every year especially to see the animals and go to the rodeo. The rodeo holds a special place in my heart because that is where Bryan and I went on our second date and we started dating a lot after that. I don't get to just sit and enjoy it like I did back then though now we have three crazy boys to watch. Stock did pretty good though considering how late it was and everything. Of course we have to see all the tractors too while we are there. Ty still loves his tractors.

My grandma camer over with my parents the other day. I thought we needed a 4 generation photo. She is going on 92 this year!

I got my new camera this week! It's a Nikon d3100 and I LOVE it! I've been deleting a lot of photos off my computer (don't feel too bad I have like 5500 photos on here) so I have a little more space for all the new ones I'm going to have. I really need to add memory to my computer...

Stockton

I really love Stockton's age. When I go to get him up in the morning he is usually kicked and smiling. We have had a hard time with sleep lately though... last night I got up almost every hour with him. Until he is off his medicine for his ear infection I don't want to make him cry it out because I know the medicine bugs his belly. Here are some funny pictures of my baby.

24 of July Fireworks

So this one isn't of Stockton... but I loved this of the cousins at Grandma's

Eating a cracker

First time in the bath tub with his brothers- it was crazy!

Every Day Palmer Life

We have been up to a lot lately...

Hanging out at my mom's house in the hot tub. Stockton especially LOVED the hot tub! He went totally nutty.

While in Idaho last week someone threw what we are pretty sure was a glass bottle while we were driving at us and it left this huge break in the windshield. I screamed when I saw it coming at me and ducked down thinking the windshield was going to shatter all over me. What idiot throws stuff like that at a moving car??? I was really mad.

I think it's funny Stockton smiles when a camera is pointed at him. I took three pictures likes this and he is smiling in all of them.

Blakes Crazy face

Stockton loves his walker and so do I. He is so much happier getting around and he is off the floor.
Ty got a mosquito bite right next to his eye and it swelled up huge! He eye was almost shut in the morning.

Stockton is VERY good at crawling and is all over the place. For some reason he especially likes the heater vent. I feel bad when I pick him up and he is cold from the AC coming out of them.

Reunion

We made the drive up to the Idaho Falls area for Bryan's Mom's family reunion. She has a sister that lives up there and her brother and his 6 kids came up (they are younger kids). Poor Stockton came down with a ear infection the day before we were supposed to leave so we waited a extra day to help him feel better but it didn't help much. The amoxicillin he was on made him puke and he was still fevering when we went up. I didn't know he was be as bad as he was. I'm sure a lot of the family was ticked off at us for bringing him. But ear infections are not contagious so we brought him. Oh well. Thursday was really bad but he did better after that. My older boy had the time of their lives though. Bryan's aunt Rhea's house is a little boys paradise! There is a pond with fish, frogs, sand boxes, tractors and cows. They loved it. We went to a cool splash park, the sand dunes, and Mesa falls. Then they rented a bounce house for the little kids and the older ones floated the cannel. It ended with some fireworks. My brother and sister in law housed all of the Palmers too- 28 including them- in the house. Thank goodness they house was big enough for us! We had a great time though- so grateful for family to be around.

The grandkids minus a couple of kids that wouldn't get in the picture

Blakes first fish he caught

I need to get me one of these bubble machines- the kids loved it.

Mesa falls- Bryan helped Sanette down the stairs with Stockton on his back.

Stockton liked riding around in the backpack

Our little family next to Mesa falls.

Rhea's pond- Blake and Ty both went around in the raft. I'm so glad I brought their lifejackets so they could do that.

The bounce house- this is my nephew James , Blake, Ty and Uncle Ivan's boy Ben.

Sick Stockton with Grandpa

Merry go round

Blake (on left) at the splash park. I was so amazed he went down that slide! He is usually so afraid of stuff like that!!