Abby, with an Attitude

Oh, the life of a teenager.  SOOOO HARD, don't you think??  Living at home - free rent, food, clothes, phone.  Just wake up, go to school, worry about what boy likes which girl, plan social outings, and on occasion clean your room (but only after being threatened a thousand times...)

#10:  Abby turned 14 in late June.  She had a "surprise" birthday breakfast with a few friends and then I promptly dumped them off at the waterpark for the day.  Best party ever!!  I know I took photos of the breakfast party, but due to my lack of organization of computer photo files, I have no idea where they are.

#9:  She ventured out with the other kids in our ward on TREK.  She and I seriously battled it out for weeks because she wanted to wear these stupid canvas shoes to walk miles and miles in.  It was all I could do to get the girl into a pair of tennis shoes.  She did not believe me that we would thank me later for saving her feet (she did, by the way!).  She had a great time, aside from a really annoying kid (not her brother!) that was in her group.  I can't say that she would do it again, but I hope it was an expirience that she will always remember.

The writing I scribbled on the picture says it all...tee hee!!

#8:  She started the 9th grade - her last year at the Junior High.  She started seminary also and loved her teacher.  She managed to have less "girl drama" than the previous year and settled into her classes quite nicely.  She managed to get through her math class with much more ease than the year before and therefore managed to keep her phone in her possession!

First Day of School - 9th Grade

 #7:  She was elected Orchestra President!  She was put in charge of all the orchestra concerts for the year and became her teacher's "slave" - as she put it.  She loved orchestra this year - they had lots of concerts and got to go to a few fun festivals.  And, best of all, those festivals got them out of school for hours on end!

Welcoming parents and introducing the songs at the fall concert.

 

#6:  She made it through her last year of Junior High!!  She is officially declared a SOPHMORE!  Ugh!  That means that I am OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE A SOPHMORE IN HIGH SCHOOL!  

#5:  She went off to Girls Camp with the YW in our ward.  I obviously was not there to document the hardship that came with having to go on the 4th year hike, therefore, we have no pictures.  But, again, we had to FORCE the girl to wear tennis shoes to hike in (where in the world did we get such a princess??) and she had to carry all her own equipment in a pack and hike to their destination for an overnighter.  She did live.  We know this because we heard all the complaining for the next few weeks....

#4:  Abby accompanied us to "White Hair" Grandma Lueck's birthday in North Dakota.  She  has a good time with her aunts and grandma who continually spoil her and LET HER DRIVE (even though she has NO license!!).    She spent her 15th birthday in Fargo shopping and going out to dinner.  She was photographed on a fake horse at Texas Roadhouse, but somehow, I didn't get one on my camera!

Abby with her Auntie Alyce at Gma's party.

This is how you know all the Lueck kids are home for a visit!! Can you tell Grandma has a "no shoes" rule??

 #3:  She started HIGH SCHOOL.  The real deal.  She somehow got us to agree to let her go to a school that is not in our boundaries in order to be in the presence of many of her friends.  She is going to Orem High School and has to ride the bus....gasp!  She loves it - everything about it.  She and her friends spent many a Friday night going to the football games and pretending to be cheerleaders.  She also got asked to the Homecoming Dance by a friend of hers.  She was a little (a lot) disappointed when she had to decline because of the "no dating till you're 16" rule.  I had to re-live my own tragic past of trying to date before I was 16 by telling her that there was no way that I was the meanest mother around.  MY MOM (HER GRANDMA) WAS!  I lived through the tragedy and I assured her that she would too.

Abby and her BFF (when they're not fighting...)

 #2:  She takes her permit test.  Twice.  And, she fails it.  Twice.  But, somehow, still convinces her dad to take her out practicing for the drivers license that she may never have....

Posing with her dream car, with her dream drivers license.

#1:  Abby spends every waking moment (that is not taken over by her mother) talking to, texting, or hanging out with her 2 friends Hayley and Melanie.  It usually involves the analyzing of boys, music, and all things high school. 

It is completely scary for me to think that in a matter of a few years this girl will be in college, out on her own, and living a life where I can't make her choices for her.  Hopefully, she'll always remember the good things we're trying to teach her and make good choices for herself.  Someday, when she's raising a daughter of her own, she just may thank me for all those hard lessons that have to come her way these days!!  Love you, Abigail Kate!!

Give Me a "J"...

Dang!!  I'm on a roll here with new posts!!  Here's what been happening with our Jakey-poo:

#10:  Jake entered his last year of pre-teen-dom.  He turned 12 at the beginning of June it was officially dubbed "the worst birthday ever".  He had received his gifts prior to his big day - a new baseball glove, as his old one had worn a HOLE in it, and a new suit for church.  He wasn't entirely thrilled about the suit, but he looked awfully handsome.  On his actual birthday, he had no presents to open and all his friends flaked out on him and he had to go to the waterpark with his SISTER!!  Oh, the dread....

Handsome, huh??

 #9:  Jake's baseball career was in full swing through most of the summer.  He played with the newly formed Timpanogos Timberwolves and also on two other teams throughout the season.  As a part of his city league season, he was selected to play on an All-Star team.  The team ended up winning the entire state championship and advanced to play in California in July.  Jake, Kim and I traveled with the team and had an excellent time.  The boys learned what it was like to play against other teams that lived, ate, and breathed baseball.  He had a great season!

Orem All-Stars

Timpanogos Timberwolves

 #8:  Football came once baseball ended.  Once again, he was playing for the Timpanogos Timberwolves.  His football playing days came to a screeching halt in late October when he broke his wrist....just 2 weeks prior to us having better health insurance!!  Ugh.  At any rate, he didn't want to stop playing, so he mostly sat on the sidelines and waited to be called out to kick the ball.  Those became his only shining moments for the rest of the season.  His team took 2nd place in a Regional Tournament.

Jake's the one with the giant cast/covering on his arm!!

 #7:  He joined the YM/YW in our ward and went on TREK.  They spent the better part of a week walking with a handcart just as our pioneer ancestors did.  I can't say he had a good time - in fact, I think it was one of the hardest things he's ever done.  But, I was so happy to hear that MY kids weren't the whiners and that they actually had gotten along really well.  They helped each other out everyday and had many spiritual moments.  It made me so proud to hear from other adults that they were some of the easiest kids on the trip.

One of my favorite Pioneer Cowboys...

#6:  He became an "official" Jr. High student.  He was nervous about 7th grade - even though Abby was in the same school.  But, after a few weeks learning the ropes of lockers and teachers and finding his way to the classrooms, he started to love it.  A few of the kids from baseball were in his classes, so that made things alot easier.

7th grade, here he comes!!

 #5:  Jake, against his will, joined the band.  He played percussion, which became difficult when he broke his wrist.  He got stuck playing the maracas, bells, and hardly ever got to play anything related to a drum.  He didn't love it, but stuck it out through the school year.

Drumming (or spacing off??) at his spring concert.

 #4:  This boy has always been a cowboy at heart.  It stems all the way back to when he wouldn't wear any shoes, other than cowboy boots.  He's had a few years off, but this last summer he tried that hat on a few times again.  First at TREK and then at the Rockin' R Ranch.  He rode horse almost everyday and is still one of my favorite cowboys.

Ride 'em, Cowboy!!

 #3:  He finished the 7th grade!  Unscathed!  He got excellent grades all year long and decided that girls weren't so bad afterall....

#2:  He turned 13...an official teenager.  And, he's sportin' the attitude to go with it.  May we all live through it....

Birthdays and chocolate cake go hand in hand around here!!

 #1:  First Shave.  Ever.  I made him do it - I couldn't take another day looking at that little "mexi-stache" he had goin' on.  Yuck.  I had to wrestle the camera away from him and tackle him to the floor in order to get a photo.  Apparently, he did not want his first shave to be documented.  Too bad, son.  Too bad.

 Jake is well known around here as "the tormentor".  He incessently teases his sisters, to the point of tears.  He can be helpful, when he wants to, but most importantly keeps us entertained through funny comments, smart remarks, and on occasion, dancing.  We love you, Jakey-poo!

A Year in the Life of Emily Esther...

Here is what's been happening with Emily:

#10:  She turned 9!  We started the day off right with a trip to Krispy Kreme for doughnuts and chocolate milk.  If my memory serves me right, she did have some friends over for some kind of party....but, for the life of me I can't recall what we did.  Shame on me for not documenting it all.  She got a new electric scooter for her big day and has spent many, many hours coasting up and down the neighborhood on it.

Posing with their Krispy Kreme attire...

Applauding our 'Happy Birthday' rendition.

#9:  She started the 4th Grade!  She had Mrs. Philips and loved her.  She has always been an excellent student and her teachers are always raving about how well she does in class.  Love that about her.

Ms. Sassy Pants, herself!

 #8:  Emily officially started her lawnmowing career.  We'd had enough whining from the 12 year old son about how he was so overworked and picked on because we asked him to mow the lawn.  So, Em jumped in and volunteered!  After a few tips from dad, she was off.  I'm not sure how many times she actually mowed after this one, but we were glad to have the help that day.  Emily has always been good about helping and knows that once the work is done, she can do other fun things...

#7:   She climbed the "Big Rock Candy Mountain"!!  I couldn't tell you where this place was (somewhere in mid-Utah), but we stopped there one afternoon.  Kim had been there a few times as a kid and it is literally a mountain in the middle of nowhere that looks like flowing caramel!  It was a steep slope and really slick (especially because the girls were wearing sandals), but they climbed it!  And, when we were through, we stopped at the Big Rock Candy Mountain gift shop for a treat!

#6:  Emily spent every Saturday this last winter playing basketball!  She and her friend Taigely were on the same team and they learned so much.  I was so impressed with Em this year - she was no longer timid with the ball.  She would play defense and shot the ball as often as she had an open shot.  She scored amost every game!

If I remember my basketball skills right, that there just may be considered a FOUL!!

Em and Taige, all worn out!

#5:  She finished the 4th Grade!!  She had a great year and was sad to leave her teacher.  Here she is on the last day of school.

#4:  She tested her horse skills at our family reunion.  She rode horse, swam in the pond, shot a bow and arrow, played ping pong and spent lots and lots of time with cousins.  She had a great time.

Em and Miss Piggy

 #3:  In the spring, she signed up for softball.  Somehow, Kim and I (well, really just Kim...) got coaxed into coaching her team.  She had two girls from our neighborhood on the same team and she had a blast!  Our team had very few players that had ever even CAUGHT a ball, let alone HIT one!  Kim had his work cut out for him and through the season taught the girls all they needed to know.  They ended up with a 2nd place trophy in the end of the season tournament!  They improved so much and Em had fun having her dad as the coach.

Doesn't she look ready to catch a fly ball??

Running hard after a big hit!

 #2:  Our family took a week long trip to North Dakota in June.  Emily decided she was brave enough to spend SIX weeks living with Grandma and Grandpa in Enderlin.  She called a few times the first week, and then we hardly heard from her!  She had a blast - swimming, tending her cousins, making new friends, playing more softball, and mostly being SPOILED by her grandma!  She came home in early August and we had a little party with all her neighborhood friends that had missed her all summer...

All Em's friends and her brother looking THRILLED that his sister is home!!

#1:  Emily finally hit double digits with her 10th birthday, which also happened to be the first day of school!!  She started the 5th grade and has Mrs. Taylor for her teacher.  She had a great birthday and got a fancy new beach cruiser bike (which I didn't get a picture of- ugh).  

Happy 10th Birthday, Emily Esther!!

Ms. Sassy Pants, once again, looking as fashionable as ever.

And, because I'm the mom, I couldn't let this post end without a cute picture of Em in her Halloween costume...it was made by her Aunt April for an entirely different reason (more on this in the post about ME), but we confiscated it and she looked adorable for her Halloween festivities.  

Love you lots, Em!!
 

 

Top Ten's For Natalie

Here are the top ten things that have happened to Natalie since August 10, 2011 - the date of my last post.  Ugh!

Natalie Michelle - First Day of First Grade!

10.  She went to, thrived in, and LOVED the first grade!  It was a little bitter sweet for me....  On one hand, I had an ENTIRE 6 hours of a quiet house on most days of the week.  On the other hand, I sent my baby off to school for an ENTIRE 6 hours, 5 days a week!  Don't worry, I adjusted well on day 2.

9.  She lost a bunch of teeth.  She has the best tooth puller in America living right in her house - ME!  All the kids come to me for their tooth-pulling needs.  Even the neighbors on occasion!  I should be charging for this side business I've got going on...  On a sadder note, Natalie does have the flakiest Tooth Fairy in all of America.  She is constantly forgetting to stop by our house!  

8.  She played REAL baseball!  It made my heart sing to see her all decked out in her baseball wear.  She played on the Cubs and she was the only girl on her team.  She had a hard time at first because none of the boys would play catch with her, but by the end of the season, they were all good friends.  Here are a couple photos of her with her pink glove, pink bat and adorable pony tails sticking out of her baseball cap....

Down and Ready!!

Not entirely sure how she plans to hit the ball with her eyes shut!

 7.  She graduated from the First Grade!!  She loved her teacher, Ms. Petty and she was sad to leave her class.  She learned alot and became an excellent reader.  Her teacher always had great things to say about her and mentioned frequently how she was happy to have Nat in her class.

6.  She spent 3 days on a horse ranch in the middle of nowhere!  Kim's family reunion was at the Rockin' R Ranch in Antimony, Utah.  It is a working horse ranch and is truly a fabulous place for a reunion.  The kids, and especially our horse lover Nat, had a blast.  She got to ride horses everyday and loved every minute of it.  She mentioned that she wants to live there when she gets bigger.

Nat and the newborn colt, Popcorn.

Riding!  She is a natural!

5.  She had her Golden Birthday, turning 7 on the 7th of June.  She had just come home from our reunion and was still in 'horse mode'....she wanted a horse cake so badly.  Sadly, I am a rotten cake decorator.  I proposed a plan:  I would make the cake and she could decorate it with whatever she wanted.  So, as you can see in the picture, her entire collection of horses and all farm related equipment made it onto the cake!  Love it!

4.  She spent a week at her grandpa and grandma's house in North Dakota.  She always has so much fun there with her cousins Katie, Elle, and Scout.  We went to celebrate "White-Hair" Grandma Lueck's 90th birthday.  There was lots of fun, staying up late, smores by the fire, and cousin time.

3.  She spent hours and hours in the swimming pool!  She was so excited to see that she had FINALLY grown tall enough to be able to go down the water slides all alone....she forgot all about the swimming part of the pool and she became a water-sliding fool!  She also mastered the diving board and best of all, she was FINALLY old enough that mom could sit on the edge of the pool with a book instead of having to squish herself into a swim suit.  Love it!

2.  At the end of a LONG summer, she was sent off to the 2nd grade.  Her teacher this year is Miss Crowder.  She is young and enthusiastic and loves her students.  Natalie loves her and loves being at school.

1.  Just last week, Natalie made her debut as the cutest witch I've ever seen!  She was the only one that would let me take her trick-or-treating and I was so happy that she did.  

This brings us to the end of our year long re-cap of Natalie's doings.  She still may be our baby, but she still keeps us on our toes and can always bring a smile to our faces!  Love you, Nat!!

It's Alive, It's Alive!!

I've been asked multiple times over the last few months if my blog had died.  Or, if we had left the country.  No, I assure you.  We are still here.  Here are my best excuses for not blogging in over a year:  I'm tired.  I'm working part time and I'm tired.  I feel like I post about all the same things we did the year before.  I am addicted to Facebook and who needs to blog when you can post funny things about your kids there? I am also addicted to Pinterest and all that pinning makes me tired.  And, best of all and it does happen to be the most true out of all my excuses...  My computer hard drive was overloaded with pictures and I couldn't save anything more and who wants to read/write a blog without pictures??  

I am happy to announce that my issues and excuses have been resolved and our blog is back!!  And, to celebrate my return to the blogging world, Blogger has decided to change the format of doing a post and I find that it is easier than when I left.  I feel encouraged and hope that this will make it easier to play catch up.  So, bear with me as I regain momentum and go back to posting all things about my family and my job as mother and CEO of Brooksby Enterprises. 

I've decided that rather than try and backtrack and post a ba-zillion things about what we've been doing this last year, I will just post a tid bit on each kid and just a few pics to sum up our year long break from blogging...

And, because I'm the mom and author of this blog, I reserve the right to post ANY pictures I want of my kids.  And, trust me, I've got a few doozies of Abby!!  Can't wait!

Birthday Girl

Yep, She's Finally 6!!

Birthday mornings at our house start nice and early...I think this was taken before 7 am. Ugh. We usually have the gifts wrapped on the counter and it's the first thing we do to start the day. None of the kids like to wait until dad gets home from work, so we usually open before he leaves for the day. Nat is waiting in anticipation for dad to give her the go-ahead...

We didn't have big plans for the day, but we didn't want to let it go by without doing something fun, so the girls and I went to a local ceramics shop and painted ceramics. Let's just say that art is NOT our strong suit. Never-the-less, the girls had a fun time and we came home with some LOVELY artwork that was promptly hidden in the cupboards! Nat is displaying her ceramic dog -she was very proud of his multi-colored skin and the red ball she painted in his mouth!

Here's Emily and her multi-colored dog dish. I'm sure that Buddy was very grateful.

Abby with her painted monkey coin bank that she made for her cousin, Halle.

We ended the day with Rainbow Cupcakes that I swear I will never make again. They were very cute, but a PAIN IN THE BUTT to assemble. If you want to see the original recipe, click HERE. It's a good thing that birthdays come only once a year!!

Happy Birthday, Nat! We LOVE you!!