Yeah Me!!!

I know it is not polite to brag, and most people probably don't brag about a B, but I am going to!!! I GOT A "B" ON MY ADVANCED CALCULUS TEST!!!!!!! For the first time in the six weeks since the class started - I have began to think that I could maybe pass this class. I was crazy to even take this class right now, but SUU only offers certain classes during certain semesters, so if I didn't take it now it would postpone me finishing school one whole year. However, as soon as the class started, I began preparing myself for the possibility that I wouldn't be able to get a C (needed for the class to count) and would have to take the class over. Not only is the class hard to begin with, but the last calculus class I had was 12 years ago. I know Heavenly Father is helping me "remember" (I am not so sure that I even knew some of the stuff I have "remembered" to begin with:)) what I learned so long ago. So anyway - I am on cloud 9 right now - yeah me, I got a B!!!!

Fall???

It sure didn't feel like fall today - it was 80 degrees at least, but the calendar says it is fall, so we drove up Cedar Mountain this evening for FHE. The kids loved it - Abby would shout out everytime we saw a tree with red leaves (which was pretty much constantly). I tried to get the boys to admit how beautiful it was - they wouldn't use the word beautiful, but they had fun playing in the leaves and climbing the mountain. I have been pretty uptight with the kids this last weekend, thanks to a big test I had this morning, so it was really nice to be able to relax and have fun as a family. Here are (quite) a few pictures of our trip.

"Mommy Clayton Gilmore"

I got the middle name today - by my 2 year old. She wanted candy for desert - after breakfast - and she wouldn't listen to my explanation that we have desert after dinner, not breakfast. It wasn't the right middle name though, so instead of taking her serious, I burst into laughter - which in turn, made her even more angry with me. Miles's middle name is Clayton, and yes - he is my child that gets called by his full name the most (sometimes it seems that my children don't even listen until they hear their middle name), so when Abby was upset with me - she did what she has heard me do when I am upset with the boys - she used a middle name. I wish I could put into words her expression and tone when she used "my" middle name - I guess you will have to use your imagination. She was an early talker and has quite a vocabulary - so I sometimes forget that she is only 2 years old - but then she will come up with something as cute as this and realize how lucky I am to be her mom!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Look what my sweet sister-in-law helped the kids do. She watches the kids while I have class every Tuesday afternoon, and I came home to a surprise party!!! Not only had she helped the kids write me cute notes, but she had also made me a cake - carrot cake (which next to Red Food Cake that I can't eat right now (Piper asked me not to eat chocolate while I am nursing her) is my very favorite). Is that even legal to put parenthesis inside parenthesis? Anyway, the dishes that I have been trying not to wash were also washed and put away - she is an angel!

Soccer Time

The boys both enjoyed AYSO soccer this fall - Miles was lucky enough to have Grandpa and Courtnie as his coaches. My arms were full with babies this year - so instead of action shots I just posted the professional pictures. Maybe next year . . . .

Duet Recital

Miles and Ethan are playing a duet in a piano festival this weekend. My mom had a recital that we used for dress rehearsal. The boys have had a very hard time sitting on the same bench - I don't know that we will do duets again, so I had to post this in case it is a first and last. They played two songs, but I only got the last one. Here is my attempt at a video - sorry about the motion, I had a baby in my arm and didn't realize I was rocking back and forth.

Babies Blessings

I really want to be better at this blogging thing, but it seems like days just get away from me. I am trying to use this as my journal, since I have been hit and miss with that as well, so I am going to play catch up and show you what we have been up to the last couple of weeks. Paige and Piper were blessed in church on Labor Day Sunday. They were perfect angels during the meeting, but as you can see from the pictures, there were a few meltdowns before church (in this picture Paige, later on Abby).
The pictures never seem to turn out the way I have them in my head - but I guess when you have 5 kids in a picture, chances are that they are not all going to be looking (or happy for that matter).

Piper is on the left, Paige is on the right. My mom made both the dresses that the girls were wearing. Piper is wearing the dress that I wore when I was blessed, Abby also wore that dress. My mom made the other dress for my sister's girls to wear, so Paige is wearing the same dress that Lainey, Katie and Shawni wore.

I wasn't planning on making a big deal about the blessings, but we had family come from all over the state. It meant a lot to me that family came to support us for this day. Here is Grandma Gilmore with all 10 of her grandchildren (yep, count them - there really are 10). She and Heather (Frank's sister) drove down with the 5 cousins from Salt Lake early that morning and went back after dinner that night. They deserve a medal for that trip!

My Grandma also drove over that morning with my aunt and uncle from Escalante. Here is a four generation photo - by the way, my Grandma is a twin herself, so these great-grandbabies are pretty special to her.