Barefootin' Boys!

My Men Walk on Water! It's been forever since I have blogged so here's a quick peak into our summer 2015 happenings. When Jake and I get off work we sometimes have a few hours of daylight to head to the ski lake and ski with his dad. When I was a kid we skied on water ski's. Jake and our boys have taken on the extreme sport of going naked footed aka Barefoot. Here is Grandpa teaching technique:

Josh practicing technique:

This is Joshua learning how to connect all the movements so he can get to his feet. It is such hard work and he stays with it even when he could get discouraged. I love watching him learn!

Reading a Good Book is Like Taking A Journey

So.  Sweet Dreams Jabren.
This my boy.  Asleep.  With a book.  Oh, how many pictures I have of him.  Just like this.

"Build a Rocket ship and Leave the Earth"

It's in our blood! Blasting rockets is a favorite weekend activity, that we find ways to squeeze it in. So here are a few photo's from our fun rocket launching days.

What? You've Never Heard of Kings Island?

Thats just wrong!  On so many levels.  Just wrong!

Somehow we happened to live in Cincinnati, Ohio for 2 years.  And somehow we lived within 6 minutes of Kings Island, a Roller Coaster Park.  We practically lived there when we weren't working.

Someday I'll write an ode to Summer of 2013.  The year of our roller coaster days.

So, here are a few pictures at Kings Island.  Seriously, some of the best roller coasters you'll ever ride are in Ohio.  Who knew?

A YEAR AGO....

A year ago our family lived in Avon, Ohio. A year ago Jake worked for URS in Cleveland. A year ago Josh and Jamesen started kindergarten. A year ago I was in the thick of Relief Society work at church. A year ago we had no idea where our lives were going. A year ago we knew URS wanted to move us to Chicago. A year ago we were praying hard for answers and direction. We were fasting, praying and acting in faith that we would receive answers. We had been looking for these answers for years. Answers for our future. We were done with URS. We were done with the constant moving and unknown with little financial compensation. So. It was time. Time for a fork in the road. Prayers were answered. Loooooong awaited prayers, answered. By October, Jake gave his notice, turned down a long term opportunity in Chicago and accepted the opportunity to go to graduate school at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Due south 4 hours from Cleveland. Once the decision to go back to school was made, it was like opening the flood gates. The plan was in motion and fell into place so rapidly, we found ourselves living in Maineville, Ohio without so much as a blink of an eye. It went so fast. Jake's enrolled in the Masters of Education, Athletic (Sports) Administration degree. His hopes are to work in a major university athletic department and eventually run a department as an Athletic Director (AD). Right now: Jake's working on an internship through the University of Cincinnati's Athletic Department. He takes classes at night. He loves what he's learning and the world he's in. He's happy... He's happy, people. Oh, what I would do for him to be happy. To make all this happen, we switched roles in our home. I had worked for a dentist in our ward in Avon, enough to build my confidence to go back full time into the work force. Once we arrived in Maineville, I went to work looking for a job and within 6 weeks I had a job with an endodontist (root canal specialist) doing dental assisting. (Thats a miracle story just in and of itself.) Jake has studied hard and has perfect grades and has been amazing at being Mr. Mom. I always knew he'd be great at it. He's modest, but he's a shining star in his program getting great grades and reviews from his professors on his presentations and projects. I love my job! Hours are perfect. I enjoy the ladies I work with a lot. My boss is great! So many miracles, its as if God signed His name to them personally. We're happy here. This reads so simply, and yet if you look between the lines we were at the end of our rope without answers. We were on the verge of great despair feeling like we would wander aimlessly for the rest of our lives. We felt like we couldn't make ANY decisions for our future. They were made for us. We had felt so discouraged for more than a few years. These decisions involved HUGE LEAPS OF FAITH! We didn't know how or if or when they'd work out and even if they will still work out. We were leaving a paying job in a poor economy to go to school. Neither of us had income when we arrived in Cinci. However. Through the years one thing I have learned; TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL THINE HEART and lean not unto thine own Understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path. So thats where we are in our lives...In case you didn't know.

YMCA KIDS TRIATHALON

We've spent the summer at the YMCA swimming and working out. Jake and the boys mostly. After two rounds of swimming lessons the boys begged us to enter them in the triathalon sponsored by the YMCA in Lebanon, Ohio. (We've heard it said its the largest in the USA...I don't doubt it either.) Here's the boys before the start. Joshua and Jamesen were in earlier heats and Jabrens was among the last. So we ran back and forth to watch as much as we could.

Cookie Maker Inductee

Grandma and Grandpa Youngberg Visit!

My parents came to visit us in Cincinnati, Ohio! These are just random pictures from our time together! Quick haircut for Dad...never done that before.

Grandma and Grandpa and us in front of Saint Xavier....

Jake and the Boys on Xavier University Campus.

One more of me, Jake and my mom and dad.

And favorite of mine...looking over downtown Cincinnati.

My Daily Life...for now.

Just so I remember...this is what my day consists of or just my routine at least. 6:25 am Wake up and help Jabren find clothes to put on. (He gets in the shower before I'm up. I'm a lucky mom. I don't even wake him up for school.
6:30 Josh and Jamesen wake up. They always seem to need my immediate attention or help.
6:35 Serve breakfast. Seems like Josh and Jamesen need me OR they fight at this time.
Start putting together a breakfast and lunch for Jake to take to work. I have friends who tell me they never do this for their husband. I can't imagine a time I haven't been doing this. How are they so lucky!
6:45 Go outside to wait with Jabren.
6:48 Come in and finish Jakes lunch...all while settling Josh and Jamesen (I think they're waking up to early to function like normal.
6:50 Help Jake locate anything he needs and can't find.
6:55 He's out the door. Whew. Somehow it seems way too intense of a way to start my day.
7-10 am. I start dishes, laundry, answer emails (or at least just read them)
Also, I make me a well balanced breakfast and then go enter it into Sparkpeople.com to track my food while I try to loose weight.
8:30 - 10 am MWF Go to the gym.
10 am. Help Josh and Jamesen finish any homework or practice. Then I run errands with them.
11:30 Make them a balanced lunch, hoping they function well at school. Clean up lunch.
12:30 Check that backpacks have what they need, shoes and socks are located and on feet.
12:40 We wait outside for the bus, and say goodbye with lots of hugs and kisses to go around. They're always quite fervent hugs.
12:45 p.m. I shower or head to the gym if I haven't. Or I clean if I haven't finished. Yesterday I paid bills and got lots of my paperwork organized. Did more or it this morning.
1 p.m. Make me a healthy, well balanced lunch. Enter it into Sparkpeople.com to be sure I am on track for the calories of the day.
1:45 pm Make church related phone calls if needed. Sometimes I even get to sit and read...I call it lunch hour.
2:30 Jabren returns home and we get a snack and hopefully start on homework. But sometimes I'm into some cleaning project and just let him watch t.v.
3:50 Josh and Jamesen arrive home. Yay! They're stinking cute kindergarteners.
4 p.m. Make dinner and I have no idea what else. Oh, maybe grocery shopping, or clean up whats left to do.
Somewhere in here I talk to my mom or any one of my 3 sisters.
6 p.m. We're eating dinner by now hopefully, cause I like to get the kids in pjs by 6:30-7 pm. unless we have scouts here. Bedtime routines kick in. Teeth get brushed, snuggles are snuggled, books are read, backs are scratched, legs are scratched. Melatonin is given.
8 p.m Almost everyone is in bed almost asleep. Then I try to think about cleaning up dishes but lots of times I don't want to. And so I head to the gym and work out. Or enter my dinner on sparkpeople.com (I've lost 7 lbs since August 1st. Yay!)
Thursdays are our craziest day. I need to have the house really clean, dinner made and eaten by 6 p.m. so that we have time to clean up before scouts come to our house so that when they leave I can hurry kids into pj's and kiss them and leave them with Jake so I can run out for presidency meetings.
None of my kids are in sports yet. Probably this makes me not a very good mom. They love sports. I just don't like being ultra crazy with our heads cut off at night and so I resist it.
It will be in my life soon enough. Once it starts it won't end. So for now, this is my daily routine. I finally have time for me in my day. Happy about that and the projects I'm getting done and feeling like I have time and energy for a little quality time with each of my sons. Its been a long time waiting.