And Away They Go

Once again, it is that time of year when we load up on school supplies and the kids are off to school. The days are much quieter. Luke and Ben are no match for their older siblings when it comes to noise level and mess-making. They're good, but they're not that good!

The house stays cleaner, we are all more organized, meals become more of a regular occurrence....

BUT....

gone are the lazy mornings of sleeping in and getting a late start on things. Mornings come early around here now! The kids got their first taste of "the routine" this past week, waking at 5:50 and beginning practice at 6:00 am.

Let me just say that mornings are CRAZY! Out of necessity, my kids are quite independent, and even Maddy gets up and makes her own lunch. (Sometimes the older boys help.) Scott and Josh help get breakfast for everyone. With all the practicing, hair-doing, traffic-directing craziness, I feel like I might possibly rival Brek, the ultimate multi-tasker, during those early morning hours!

Once school lets out, the craziness resumes. Between football, dance, gymnastics, piano, violin, and soccer, we do a lot of running! And then there are the usuals....dinner, homework, scripture study, etc.

As crazy as life gets, we are all ready for the change. I am definitely ready for a little more structure, and the kids were excited to see all their friends again. It is so great when the kids get out of school, but, I must admit, it is also great when they go back!

Here are a few pictures of the kids on the first day of school. Not the best turn-out, but with four nervous kids, it was the best I could do. They were SO worried about being late on their first day. Especially Scott! We would have had plenty of time for pictures were it not for the bottle of fingernail polish that crashed on the tile floor and shattered! Yep....pink fingernail polish and tiny pieces of glass everywhere! I have to admit, I was less than thrilled. But the mess was cleaned up, the pictures were taken, and the kids were all delivered....on time I might add!


Scott was complete ready by about 7:30 and spent the next half hour harassing everybody else about hurrying!

If you're wondering what's going on with Josh's hair, well....let me just say, Josh has his own sense of style! He wanted to do something "different" on the first day of school. What a kid!


The boys
and the girls
I love these kiddos!

So Sleepy

When things get quiet in my house, that usually means trouble.

So, upon noticing the sudden absence of any "Ben noises", we went searching to see what mischief he was into. We found this cute little bundle at the top of the stairs.

Summer is exhausting! Play, play, play, and then collapse from sheer exhaustion!

I must admit, this is what I feel like doing most of the time. I feel like I could lay down wherever I am, at any given time, and go right to sleep. Sheesh. Making babies is tiring stuff, I tell you!

The Cat is Out of the Bag

It's been a while.

But I have a good excuse. It has something to do with feeling nauseous and exhausted. I feel like it takes all I can do just to accomplish the day to day demands of my home and family. And let's face it, I don't even manage to do that as well as I should. The laundry is piling up, I can't remember the last time I actually fixed a real meal (does cold cereal count?), the yard....well, let's just say it has been a bit neglected.

But, on the bright side of things, come next March we will have a new little Pilling! That's right....baby #7 is on the way. The word is out, sooner than we had intended. When the kids kept asking, "Are you sick again, mom?" we figured it was probably time to enlighten them. And once the kids know, there is no stopping the good news from spreading.

And yes, we do think it is good news! We are very excited!

AND, in answer to a question that may have crossed your mind....

"Yes, this baby was planned."

You may think we are crazy, and the answer to that question is "Probably so!" But, as I thought and thought about what to do, I felt so strongly the truth that there will be "joy and rejoicing in your posterity". As I watched my children, their little day to day interactions, I was constantly reminded that family is where it's at! For example, when Scott would put Ben on his shoulders and carry him around; when the kids would sit around the kitchen table, giggling at Luke; when Syd would go into Ben's room and "help" him go to sleep by entertaining him....not wanting to hear him cry; when Josh would say, "Come here little buddy!" and help Luke get his shoes on; when Maddy would put her arm around Luke and help him go buy a snow cone at the baseball field....etc., etc., etc.

The moments are endless. They are quick, fleeting moments, but they are there none-the-less. We are a family. We love each other and we help each other. And I have a feeling it will just get better and better!

I know things will be crazy, and I know it will be hard. But I also know that there is nothing greater I could be doing right now.

Was I scared? Yes. I was worried that perhaps I couldn't handle the challenge. I was worried that my family might suffer, knowing that pregnancy and newborns aren't exactly easy. But then I felt an overwhelming conviction that the Lord would help me.

So, here we go again.

We can't wait! (I especially can't wait to get past this stinkin' first trimester!) But, one thing I know for sure....

In the wise words of my father, "This too shall pass."

And then we will have another beautiful little baby! Which brings one word to my mind.


JOY!

The Fun Never Ends!

When summer began this year, I thought to myself, "This is going to be such a relaxing summer. We really don't have much planned. I hope we don't get bored!"

HA!

What was I thinking????

Apparently I wasn't thinking! I forgot that baseball is all consuming for a month or so. I forgot that I have two kids with birthdays in June, and a niece and nephew both getting baptized in July. I forgot that I had girls camp....oh, and I must have forgotten that they put me in charge of the food! I must have forgotten that I had a family reunion. And I must have forgotten that you actually have to train a little bit if you plan on doing a triathlon. (What's that all about?!) Oh, and of course I forgot about swimming lessons....and gymnastics camp....and weeds that never quit growing....and kids that NEVER quit making messes....and....and....and....

You get the picture.

But I'll tell you what I didn't forget. My brother is coming home from his mission on July 22nd!! Yeah! We are so excited! Being the baby brother in a home full of girls, he is the first to serve a mission. We are SO proud of him!

I have taken a million pictures this summer which I would love to post, but where's the time?! (Did I mention Brek gave me a new camera for my birthday?! And did I further mention that I L-O-V-E it!)

Anywho, the pictures will continue to sit on my laptop, flashing across the screen every now and then....that is when we leave my laptop open. You see, we try to avoid that ever since Ben destroyed my keyboard by popping all the keys off! (Did I mention Ben is a monster? A very cute monster mind you, but a monster, nonetheless. He is one strong-willed, fiesty, little dude!)

And his brothers are teaching him all sorts of tricks. Yikes!

And So It Ends

On Friday night, we made our last trek to the baseball field for the year 2009. Goodbye Fun Dips....Luke will miss you. Goodbye popcorn....Ben will miss you. Goodbye snow cones....you will be missed by all.

No more kids begging me for money. No more wind storms blowing dust in our face.

But, on the other hand, no more excitement as the kids run across home plate. No more cheering when Maddy hits the ball! No more cheering when Syd gets a double play. No more cheering when Josh pitches three strike-outs.

Goodbye baseball. We will miss you...the good, the bad, and the ugly.


(Oh, and just for the record, Maddy turned into quite the little ball player. Who would have thought?!)




One thing I love about Maddy....she always has a smile on her face!






Josh goes for the steal....sliding into home....

and he's OUT! (By the way, when Josh looked at all the pictures I took, this was his favorite one, even though you can't tell he's in it!)

Par-tay....ward style!

We have the greatest ward party every summer! We go to this great spot where they have a huge waterslide, complete with tubes of all shapes and sizes. The kids LOVE it! (Well, everyone except for Luke that is.) The kids went down the slide, then ran back up the hill about a million times. We arrived at 3:30 and they didn't quit until it was almost dark. They maybe stopped for about 15 minutes to grab some dinner, but I can't be sure.

Oh yeah, they also had to take a break for the shooting of the candy cannon. Talk about kid heaven!

There is a zip line, swings and a trampoline, volleyball, a fire pit....you name it.

I made Luke go on the water slide with me a few times, thinking he would decide it really was fun after all. After the first ride down, he looked at me and said, "Mom! That was totally scary!"
Ben, however, went down the slide as many times as he could, and loved it!

Although Luke wasn't too hot on the slide, he had plenty 'o fun playing on the trampoline, making friends with all the "spectators", and chasing the girls to throw water on them!

Good times, I tell you.

Any Good Book Ideas?

Ever since I began motherhood, I have envisioned myself sharing a love of reading and good literature with my children. Unfortunately, life doesn't always go as you plan. For example, I didn't realize at the time how tired I would be when bedtime came around!

I hear people talking about reading with their kids, and always think to myself, "What a great idea! I should do that." But then life gets in the way. It's impossible to fit in all that we want to do, isn't it?! (Don't get me wrong. I read a ton with my little kids, but I was looking forward to enjoying good books with my kids as they got older, as well.)

Despite my many attempts to read books to the kids (not counting those millions of books I read/listen to with my kids after school for their assigned 20 min. reading), I have yet to get through an entire book....until now. It only took me, oh say, 7 or 8 years to accomplish what I intended to do! I guess I could give myself a pat on the back for not quitting, right?

Or not.

Wait...I'm having a flashback. I'm pretty sure I did get through an entire book with Scott and Josh when they were younger. I read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe to them. OK, definitely a classic, but they were like 6 and 4 years old. Are you kidding me?! Not the best book choice on my part. I'm pretty sure the whole thing went right over their heads!

In the past few months I have started reading with the girls. We first read a Little House on the Prairie book, which they loved. Then we started on Anne of Green Gables. When we first started, I was afraid I was being overly ambitious (again). Perhaps the book was a bit much for them.

But we are almost finished, and have enjoyed the book very much. Even more so, we have enjoyed the time we get to spend together, just us girls. Every now and then, when the boys are engrossed in NBA something or other on TV, the girls will come snuggle up in my bed with me and we will read. With the end of school craziness and summer fun, our reading has been sporadic at best. But we only have a few chapters left! And we are very excited, because when we finish we are going to have a fun movie night....just us girls. There will be popcorn, treats, snuggling, and Anne of Green Gables, of course. Good times!

Soooo, the question is, what shall we read next? Any good ideas? What are some of your favorites?

Do tell!

For Moi?

Happy Birthday to Me!



What can I say? I rock!

Seriously.

Why else would they put a flag in my front yard on none other than my special day?




What? What's that you say? It's Flag Day today?!

Hmmmm....

(I guess we'll just pretend!)

Lukey Skywalker Pilling

Happy Birthday my little Lukey!

4 years old?! How can that be? It seems just yesterday I was holding you in my arms for the first time. You have been a joy and delight in our home from the moment you entered it. I think it would be safe to say that we all ADORE you!

Here are 4 (OK, maybe 5) of the things I love about you.

1. I love, love, love your smile! And I especially love the way you scrunch up your nose when you laugh. It is too cute!

2. I love the way you go around the house calling everybody a platypus. Do you even know what a platypus is? I'm thinking no.

3. I love the way you barter with me.
Me (at bedtime): Do you want me to sing you a song Luke?
Luke: Ummm, how about 5 songs.
Me: Ummm, how about two songs.
Luke: OK, how about two songs.....wait....how about you sing I Hope They Call Me On a Mission 4 times, and then sing one more song.
(You usually win and we sing your favorites--I hope they call me on a mission and Nephi's Courage--over and over. And Ben dances and squeals while I sing, and we laugh.)

4. I love the way you came into my room this morning to see me. I wasn't quite awake, so you climbed up on my bed and kissed me on the forehead. I love the way you climb into bed with me in the morning and snuggle with me (a summertime luxury).

5. I love the way you call yourself Lukey Skywalker. When I correct you and tell you your name is Luke Ammon, you strongly disagree. So, Lukey Skywalker it is!

I asked you today if you would please stop growing, but you told me no.

Darn.

I was hoping you would stay little forever!

I love you my little friend!!

Summer Begins

Summer has begun. The yard work is endless, and there is baseball a-plenty! But, our yard is finally looking beautiful once again (in my ever so humble opinion), and so far we have not had any freezing cold baseball games (big improvement from last year.)

A few baseball highlights of the week:

Syd made a double play tonight, catching a pop fly then tagging a runner out. Boy was she the hero of the game!!

Madelyn hit the ball! On purpose! She was so excited, and is getting better and better every game. She is starting to swing more normal and less like a girl (phewsh), and even chases after balls every now and then!

Josh pitched and did a great job! No runs were scored, and he had several strikeouts.

Even Scott who opted not to play this year, gets in on the action with church softball. Good times, I tell you.

Ben spends his time raiding people's dugouts. He commandeers a helmet, bat, and ball. He then hands me the ball and grunts. (In Ben language that means, "Throw me the ball mom so I can hit it." I am an amazing translator you know.) Ben's "hitting" consists of him holding the bat up, while I throw the ball at his bat and "hit" it. Sometimes Luke tries to get in on the action, but he is a bit more deadly with a baseball bat than Ben, who can barely raise the bat off the ground. Thus Luke has to be content to just run around.

Speaking of Luke, did I ever mention that he is hilarious? Yesterday morning he came into my room and said, "Mom, will you snuggle me? I'm so cold!" I, of course, could not resist such a request, and up he came. He snuggled right up next to me, then turned to me and said, "You're a platypus."

What a guy!