Alissa Met the Shaytards - October 24, 2014

Alissa got to meet the Shaytards today.  She loves to watch the Shaytards on youtube.  They are related to a family that owns a corn maze in Garland (which is right next to and merges with Tremonton).  Alissa has already been to the corn maze 2 times this week, but she felt like she had to go tonight because she desperately wanted to meet the Shaytards.  Also, she thought that the maze would be haunted and she has been dying to go through the corn maze when it's haunted.

Alissa went to the corn maze on Tuesday with the young Women's, then she went again on Wednesday with her friend Erin and their Young women group.  That's when she learned that the Shaytards would be there.  She came home desperate to arrange a way to get there.  she didn't even have any money, so she had to figure that out also.  She had friends who also wanted to go.  She found a friend who would pay for her, but they couldn't find a ride.  Then Sydney's mom, MaryAnn called and said she wanted to surprise Sydney and take her to the corn maze.  She asked if Alissa wanted to come and she offered to pay for her.  Alissa's friend, Malaiyha really wanted to go also.  she had money, but no ride.  So, MaryAnn said she would come and pick them up and take them all there.  She came to get Alissa right around 5:00pm.  Alissa had just found out that it wouldn't be haunted until 7:00pm.  She got really sad and frustrated and emotional.  She ended up crying when Sydney and her mom were here waiting for her and Malaiyha to get ready.  I was frustrated that she was being a little bit of a stinker and crying over it.  MaryAnn was super understanding.  She said that she was super emotional and crazy like that when she was a teenager.  She was very patient and calm with Alissa.  Alissa and Malaiyha hurried and got ready and they all left.  Roger had some cash, so he was able to send Alissa with some money.  MaryAnn felt bad that they wouldn't get to go through it haunted, so after they went through and met the Shaytards (because the Shaytars were in the maze, so you couldn't meet them without paying to go through), she paid for them to go through again when it was haunted.  She was so ridiculously nice to do that and to cater to the kids so much tonight.  Alissa loved it.  She came home feeling super happy and excited.  She had a really fun night.  She felt really bad about the crying she did before they left.  She said that she just couldn't stop the tears from coming.  She was embarrassed.  Here are the pictures that MaryAnn took of their fun.

Yesterday, I was still feeling really angry and hurt.  Roger took the kids aside and tried to explain to them how I was feeling and why I hadn't been myself lately.  They all felt really bad for not paying any attention to me.  They all cried a little because they hadn't realized how bad and hurt I was feeling.  The kids all worked together to clean the house.  They all apologized and told me how sorry they felt, then they gave me lots of love and attention.  I'm feeling much better and happier today.  I'm over it and ready to move on from my crappy birthday.  I'm ready to be happy and nice and take good care of my family again.  Their heartfelt apologies really helped me to feel better and realize that none of them were trying to hurt me, they are all just really clueless when it comes to birthdays.

Activity Days and an Angry Mom - October 22, 2014

I'm still really hurt and feeling kind of angry.  The kids don't even seem to realize that anything is wrong or out of the ordinary.  I woke up feeling hurt and angry over my crappy birthday, so today I refused to do anything.  I didn't make any food for anybody.  I didn't clean and I didn't help anybody with anything.  I just am having a really hard time not feeling upset and unappreciated.  I've been really fussy with everybody.  It was not a good day today.  I did help Brinley get her costume on, but I made Alissa come and help also, so it would go faster.

Brinley had activity Days.  They told the girls to come in costume and they would make a Halloween craft.

Roger realized how hurt and upset I was feeling before he left to work.  We talked for a little bit.  He gave me a much better apology and helped me to feel a little better about things, but I'm still struggling to feel happy.  I feel like the kids don't care at all.  It feels like they don't appreciate anything I do.  I'm just having a really hard time getting over my hurt feelings from my birthday.  It just keeps coming to my mind, that the message they gave me for my birthday was that they don't love me.  That is a devastating message to receive on your birthday.  Sorry to keep dwelling on it.

My Birthday - October 21, 2014

Well..... I'm sad to say it, but this was absolutely the worst birthday I've ever had.  The crazy thing is, is that I had very low expectations for this birthday.  I knew that we didn't have money to buy me any gifts and I knew that everybody was going to be a little bust today.  All I asked for my birthday was for loves.  I told the kids and Roger that I would love it if they helped out and did any chores around the house with out being asked or if they didn't want to do any chores, just give me love and attention.... maybe play with my hair, give me a back rub, any kind of pampering they could think of.  I wanted to make sure that I wouldn't have a completely miserable birthday and I know that roger is forgetful and the kids aren't usually thinking about this kind of stuff, so I made sure to remind the kids and Roger all week.  Even before I went to bed last night, I reminded them.

In the morning, when I woke everybody up, they all told me happy birthday and gave me hugs.  That was pretty much all I got for my birthday.  We went downstairs, where I made breakfast for everybody and helped the kids get ready for school.  The girls left for school, Roger went up to bed, and Parker laid down to take a nap.  So, I enjoyed a little alone time and started scrapbooking.  I did that for a little while, then I cleaned the house and got dinner ready.  Roger eats dinner early because of his crazy work schedule.  Parker was really tired today, so he slept a lot.  When the girls got home from school, the came inside to put their stuff away, then they raced back out the door to play with their friends.  Parker went out to play also.  When Roger woke up, he left to go run some errands in Logan.  Before he left, he asked me to come with him to run his errands.  That didn't sound very fun, so I told him no.  Then he tried to guilt me into it by telling me that he just wanted to spend some time with me.  I told him that he could spend some time with me at home, relaxing.  He had been gone all weekend, so he really could have used some relax time. 

Roger got back from his errands and fell asleep watching tv in the living room.  Everybody was gone or sleeping.....still....all day, this was the case.  So, I spent more time scrapbooking at the computer.  At 5:00 pm, Alissa and her friend, Jamie came in.  They had promised to make me brownies for my birthday.  So, they started making the brownies.  They added all the ingredients and mixed it in the mixer.  Then they grabbed bowls and dished up batter for themselves.  All the kids sat around the table enjoying cake batter.  Nobody remembered to bake any brownies.  When I realized that they weren't going to bake them, I got up and, turned on the oven, poured the remaining batter in a dish, and put it in the oven.

The kids finished their brownie batter then ran outside to play again.  Roger was still asleep, so I was, again, left alone.  Then it was time for Alissa and Jamie to go to Young Women's and Parker and Roger to go to Cub Scouts.  Brinley decided to go with, so she could play on the playground by the church for a little while.  So, again, I was left all alone.  I wanted to eat the brownies while they were still warm, so I dished me up some brownies and a little ice cream.  I sat at the computer watching a show and eating my treat alone.  By this point I was starting to feel kind of mad, that nobody had done anything for me all day and they had hardly even acknowledged me.  They pay more attention to me on regular days than they did today.

Finally, everybody came home from their activities.  They all came in and went about doing their own things.  Parker and Brinley were playing and Roger was sitting in the living room watching hockey.  Now I was starting to feel really hurt and angry.  I decided that I was just going to go to bed.  I needed to finish the scrapbooking page I had been working on.  Roger had called me to come in the living room.  I went in to see what he wanted.  He said he wanted me to watch hockey with him.  I told him I was tired and just going to go to bed.  He realized that I was upset.  so, he asked what's wrong.  I told him how I felt about being completely ignored on my birthday.  He felt bad and apologized a lot.  I went back to the computer to finish the page so I could go to bed.  While I worked on the page, roger came in the kitchen and put candles in the brownies that I had made and already ate a little of.  He told the kids to gather around (Brinley was already asleep by this point, so she wasn't there) and they got my attention.  When I turned around they said, "Happy Birthday".  Then they lit the candles and sang happy birthday to me.  I was pretty upset by this point and the fact that they were trying to do a quick lets make it better activity really didn't feel special.  By this point I was feeling extremely unloved.  I don't know if there was anything that they could have done to make it better.  As they were singing, I was fighting back tears.  Not because I was happy and thought this was wonderful, but because I was really hurt.  Parker thought it was because I was so happy, so he gave me a hug and was like, "Awww......I love you mom."  After I blew out the candles, I told them all I was going to bed.

I told Roger not to take any pictures of me, because I don't want to remember this day.  I debated about even posting anything about my birthday, but decided that it is a part of my life and my history, so I will share it.

I went up to bed.  Roger sent Parker and Alissa to bed, then came in and continued to try and make it better by tickling my back.  But, like I said, it was too late.  I'm extremely hurt.  I just feel like my little family got together to send me the message that they don't really love me or care about me at all.  So, there you have it.  today was not my happy birthday, it was my Crappy Birthday!

Roller Skating and Sitting Around the Fire - October 18, 2014

Saturday - October 18, 2014

Brinley was determined that she was going to learn how to roller skate on her own.  We were outside for too long while she tried to get the hang of it.  She is scared to fall and she hasn't figure out how to balance on her roller skates yet.  She is getting better though.

 Parker came out in his roller blades to help show her how to move.

Brinley is loving her face paint that she got for her birthday.  Here is her face paint artwork that she did today.  She had me help her draw it on and she colored it in how she wanted it.

The kids spent most of the day playing outside with friends.  In the evening, around 6:00, we headed over to the Butler's house for dinner over a fire in their backyard.  They have a nice fire pit.  We had hotdogs, a pasta salad, and some chips.  After dinner and after the kids ran around for a while, we had s'mores.  It was a fun evening.  I got to snuggle a cute little baby (I think she is 2 months old), the kids got to run around and play with new friends, and we had fun sitting around the fire and visiting.

Face Paint and Hair Color Spray - October 17, 2014

Friday - October 17, 2014

Alissa, Erin, and Brinley all decorated their faces and Brinley's hands so pretty.  I think Alissa is super goofy for covering her whole face with the face paint.  And Brinley's hands say "Hi" on one and "Bye" on the other.

 When Parker's friends came over, Porter had his hair all colored yellow.  they had more spray, so they asked if Parker wanted to try some.  Of course, Parker said yes.  So they ran out to color his hair.

 Tayson didn't think the yellow would really show up in his hair, so he didn't want to try.  I have a bunch of white hair color spray from a few years ago when it was on sale for .10 each.  When I mentioned that I had white, he wanted to try that.  so, the kids ran upstairs and found the white spray.  They also found some sparkle spray.  Brinley wanted sparkles in her hair, so I sprayed her hair with sparkles while Porter and Parker Sprayed Tayson's hair with white.  They got a little carried away.  It's all over his forehead.  You can't really see all of the sparkles in Brinley's hair.  I could see them shining in the sunlight, but I didn't think the camera would really be able to show that and I was right.

 After I pulled out the white, they ghad the brilliant idea to make a white stripe on Parker's head.

 Here they are playing Minecraft.

Bubble gum Face - October 16, 2014

Thursday - October 16, 2014

Parker blew a really big bubble then it popped all over his face.  Yuck!  He thinks it's funny though.

 Brinley got face paint for her birthday, so she has been making pretty art on her face all day.

 Sydney came over to play tonight.  Brinley and her practiced doing each other's hair.  Sydney was very proud of the bun that she did in Brinley's hair.  she said she had never been able to do that before.  After she figured it out, she ran into the bathroom to look in the mirror as she did it to her own hair.  It looks good.  She did a good job.

 Brinley made her take the bun out, so Brinley could take her turn as the hair stylist.  Brinley made Sydney's hair cute, but she thought it was funny.  So, she was laughing at what she had done.  Sydney was all freaked out that Brinley had made her hair look all funny and horrible because of how hard Brinley was laughing.  It was funny.

Brinley's Birthday! - October 15, 2014

Wednesday - October 15, 2014

Today is Brinley's 9th birthday!  I am feeling super duper sick.  It is no fun at all.  I was really hoping that I would be feeling better by now, but it didn't happen that way.  Even though I am sick, I had to fight through the yuckiness and get Brinley's Birthday done right, so she can have happy memories.  So, I stayed up until 1:00 am cleaning and decorating the house for Brinley's birthday.

When the kids woke up, they were happy to see all the decorations, but they were really tired.  Usually they wake up and are so excited as they run around and look at all the decorations and gifts.  I'm not used to birthday mornings being so calm and relaxed.

 After Roger got home, Brinley got a little more awake and excited.  She asked if she could open one of her gifts before she went to school.  We let her open one.  She got a slinky.  She's been asking for one, so she was really happy about it.  When she saw what it was, she said, "I knew it!  I guessed it right."

 Brinley wanted to eat German Pancakes for her Birthday breakfast.  After Breakfast, the girls hurried and got ready for school.  When their friends came to pick them up, they got excited as their friends came in and they showed off the decorations and everything.  Brinley was really excited and giddy as she left the house to go to school.  She couldn't wait for her birthday party tonight.

 After school, Brinley and her friend Teirnynn came in and read through all of the birthday cards that Brinley got from her class mates in school today.  Brinley loved it!  It was fun hearing her read the cute messages they had written for her.  I thought the funniest reaction was to a picture that a boy in her class had drawn of her.  She thought it didn't look like her at all.  I just thought it was cute and funny that he drew a picture of her.

 Brinley wanted to decorate her own Birthday cake.  I made cupcakes also, so we could have some cake to eat for our small family party with Roger before he had to go to work for the night.

 When Alissa got home from school, her friend Jamie came with her.  Brinley was nice and let them help her with her birthday cake.  They all had a lot of fun decorating the cake.  Brinley started to get a little bored with it, so she took a break.  she decorated her hand with icing, then went in the living room to relax for a smidgen.

 While Brinley relaxed, Jamie put the finishing touches on the cake.

 Before Roger had to go to work, we sent all the friends home so we could enjoy a little family time and celebrate Brinley's birthday with just us.  She opened the gifts we got her.  She loved all of them.

 The funnest gift she got was a small little Figit Friend pet that would interact with Alissa's Figit Friend.  It is fun to see them interact with each other.  After figuring out how to get them to interact, we took them in the kitchen, so they had more room to dance around.

 We ended up not having enough time to sing and have cake and ice cream with Roger before he left, so we still have a lot of cupcakes.  That turned out to be a good thing because a lot more people than I had planned on ended u[ coming to Brinley's birthday party.  There were 16 kids here for Brinley's party.  It was crazy!

 We had a glow in the dark party.  For the first half of the party, we turned out the lights and I had some music playing.  The kids all had glow sticks and they all just danced around and went wild.  When things started getting too wild, I turned the music down, turned on the lights, so we could have cake and ice cream and give her her birthday gifts.

 Parker insisted on lighting the candles for Brinley.  He ended up burning himself a little.  It scared him, but he is fine.

 There were just too many kids and the house is so small, the thought of trying to carry the cake through all of the kids and over to the kitchen table, just seemed like too much, so we left the cake on the stove for her to blow out the candles.  So, we all sang Happy Birthday, then Brinley blew out the candles.  I didn't get a good picture of her blowing them out, but I did get a before and after.  Brinley insisted on making goofy faces every time I told her to let me take her picture.  She's funny.

 After we all ate cake and ice cream, Brinley opened her gifts.  The parents started coming for their kids as Brinley was finishing opening her gifts.  It all worked out really well.

It was a big relief when all the friends had gone home and the party was over.  This party was a lot of fun, but it was exhausting.  An hour before the party started I had been upstairs laying in bed with the fever chills.  Luckily my medicine kicked in just in time for the party to start.  It is miserable being sick.  I just couldn't imagine Brinley not getting to have a fun day today, so I had to tough it out.  My Birthday will the complete opposite of Brinley's Birthday.  I plan to sit and do nothing all day on my Birthday.  Wish me luck with that.

Brinley's Make Up - October 12, 2014

Sunday - October 12, 2014

Today wasn't a very eventful day.  It was a very nice and relaxing day.  We woke up, went to church, came home, and relaxed.  Brinley was a little bored, so she decided to go upstairs and organize the drawers in the bathroom.  While she was organizing, she found a lot of make up.  some was hers and others belonged to Alissa.  Yesterday, Alissa gave some of her make up to Brinley.  Since Brinley organized the drawers and Alissa gave her some makeup, Brinley had a lot of makeup to try out.  After she organized the drawers, she decided to "perty" herself up with some make up.  Here are the results.  She's getting a lot better at it than she used to be.