2016 :: week 38

September 18

Will threw up twice between 7 and 10 am Sunday morning. Will, Elliott and I stayed home and Lauren went to church with Memaw, Pepaw, Melanie and Leah. No matter how much planning and pre-Sunday morning prep I do I always feel a bit of stress trying to get out the door for church on Sunday and occasionally worry if it is worth all the work to go. But when forces outside my control prevent me from going, I am reminded how much I like going to church. Will slept almost the entire 3 hours of church and I watched Once I was a Beehive and emailed my sisters old family photos. When Will woke up from his nap he was totally back to normal--requesting food every five minutes and wanting to play games. I was pretty stir-crazy by the end of the day and Melanie and I went for a walk with Elliott, Leah and Lauren after Tony was available to keep an eye on Will.

September 19

Monday started off rough, but ended up being a day of freebies. Will had to stay home from school because he had thrown up less than 24 hours before. I couldn't go to the gym in the morning (as has become my morning routine since school started) because I couldn't take Will to the child watch for the same reasons I couldn't take him to school. We went to bed too late the night before and everyone was a little grumpy. While I was preparing the kids' lunch I knocked a knife of the table and it landed point-down on my foot! I was grumpy, but then day started to turn around. When I took Will's glasses in to get fixed they were still under warranty and there was no charge to replace them. It was "dress like a pirate day and get free donuts at Krispy Kreme day," which the big kids did received a dozen free donuts each. Because Will was out of school anyway and totally healthy by lunchtime Anthony used free ticket vouchers to take him to the Royals' afternoon make-up game. He didn't even have to pay for parking because he forgot to bring cash. They wouldn't let him in the parking lot, but told him he could park in the grass outside for free. It was a long walk, but they saved $12. That night we planned on using a gift card to pay for Domino's pizza, but then when Anthony went to pick it up it took an extra 20 minutes, so they gave it to him for free. The kids really wanted to eat outside, which we did, even though it was hot and we all ended up with bug bites.

September 20

I took this picture in the morning while Lauren and I watched part of Snow White together during Elliott's nap. I love snuggling with her and enjoy our limited one-on-one time. Lauren is vivacious and fun. She loves Snow White, but gets scared when the Old Hag visits her at the dwarf's cottage. Living with Lauren is a lesson in contradictions. It is either the best of times or the worst of times, very little in-between. Most of the time she is my best friend, concientious helper and animated story-teller. Tuesday was close to being our best day ever, if only she hadn't spilled nail polish on the carpet. Life! ;)

September 21

Leah and Melanie went to the gym with us Wednesday morning. Melanie and I went to water aerobics and Leah joined Lauren and Elliott in the child watch. After our workouts the Starita ladies came over and we tried on dresses for the upcoming weddings. That evening we drove them and my mom to the airport so they could be in Utah to help Emily with the birth of baby Mikey.

September 22

Will checked out some Elephant and Piggie books at the library and read one to Lauren and I at bedtime. I feel like I am constantly tweeking our bedtime routine. Currently I am letting the kids each pick a book for either me to read to them, or for them to read to me as we settle down for bed. I am amazed at how well Will can read now.

September 23

I had to be selective about which "Elliot getting into things" picture I posted this week, because I could have posted on almost every day. Anthony spent the latter half of the week in Norfolk, VA, and I sent him daily updates of Elliott's misadventures. Elliott likes exploring and is constanlty on the move. Constantly! He is little routines he does. In our kitchen he checks to see if the pantry is open. If it is closed he moves over to the fridge and pulls any magent he can reach off. Moves over to the stove and pulls the towels to the ground. Goes over the the drawers and pulls out a few dish clothes, paper products, etc. After that he visits our trash can and recycle and has an uncanny knack for pulling out coloring pages or school papers I deemed not worthy of keeping that upsets Lauren when she finds them. The honorable mention Elliott picture was when he got in the pantry (I accidentally left it open), pulled out the syrup, spilled some in his lap and then crawled through it about 5 minutes before we were supposed to leave to take Lauren to school.

September 24

We went to the parade at the Overland Park Fall Festival Saturday morning. It was a hot, fall morning. The kids collected quite a haul of candy. Will and Lauren each got a kazoo from a political candidate that they have enjoyed using. We had to leave the parade early to get to the first of two baptisms in our ward that day. That night I went to the women's broadcast at the Stake Center. I felt very uplifted. I really liked Sister Bingham's talk about charity. I have been thinking a lot about how she said that being generous in our thoughts and words can help us keep the commandment to love our neighbors, and to use words that build confidence and faith in others. President Uchtorf's talk about the empowerment of faith was also fantastic.

2016 :: week

September 18

Will threw up twice between 7 and 10 am Sunday morning. Will, Elliott and I stayed home and Lauren went to church with Memaw, Pepaw, Melanie and Leah. No matter how much planning and pre-Sunday morning prep I do I always feel a bit of stress trying to get out the door for church on Sunday and occasionally worry if it is worth all the work to go. But when forces outside my control prevent me from going, I am reminded how much I like going to church. Will slept almost the entire 3 hours of church and I watched Once I was a Beehive and emailed my sisters old family photos. When Will woke up from his nap he was totally back to normal--requesting food every five minutes and wanting to play games. I was pretty stir-crazy by the end of the day and Melanie and I went for a walk with Elliott, Leah and Lauren after Tony was available to keep an eye on Will.

September 19

Monday started off rough, but ended up being a day of freebies. Will had to stay home from school because he had thrown up less than 24 hours before. I couldn't go to the gym in the morning (as has become my morning routine since school started) because I couldn't take Will to the child watch for the same reasons I couldn't take him to school. We went to bed too late the night before and everyone was a little grumpy. While I was preparing the kids' lunch I knocked a knife of the table and it landed point-down on my foot! I was grumpy, but then day started to turn around. When I took Will's glasses in to get fixed they were still under warranty and there was no charge to replace them. It was "dress like a pirate day and get free donuts at Krispy Kreme day," which the big kids did received a dozen free donuts each. Because Will was out of school anyway and totally healthy by lunchtime Anthony used free ticket vouchers to take him to the Royals' afternoon make-up game. He didn't even have to pay for parking because he forgot to bring cash. They wouldn't let him in the parking lot, but told him he could park in the grass outside for free. It was a long walk, but they saved $12. That night we planned on using a gift card to pay for Domino's pizza, but then when Anthony went to pick it up it took an extra 20 minutes, so they gave it to him for free. The kids really wanted to eat outside, which we did, even though it was hot and we all ended up with bug bites.

September 20

I took this picture in the morning while Lauren and I watched part of Snow White together during Elliott's nap. I love snuggling with her and enjoy our limited one-on-one time. Lauren is vivacious and fun. She loves Snow White, but gets scared when the Old Hag visits her at the dwarf's cottage. Living with Lauren is a lesson in contradictions. It is either the best of times or the worst of times, very little in-between. Most of the time she is my best friend, concientious helper and animated story-teller. Tuesday was close to being our best day ever, if only she hadn't spilled nail polish on the carpet. Life! ;)

September 21

Leah and Melanie went to the gym with us Wednesday morning. Melanie and I went to water aerobics and Leah joined Lauren and Elliott in the child watch. After our workouts the Starita ladies came over and we tried on dresses for the upcoming weddings. That evening we drove them and my mom to the airport so they could be in Utah to help Emily with the birth of baby Mikey.

September 22

Will checked out some Elephant and Piggie books at the library and read one to Lauren and I at bedtime. I feel like I am constantly tweeking our bedtime routine. Currently I am letting the kids each pick a book for either me to read to them, or for them to read to me as we settle down for bed. I am amazed at how well Will can read now.

September 23

I had to be selective about which "Elliot getting into things" picture I posted this week, because I could have posted on almost every day. Anthony spent the latter half of the week in Norfolk, VA, and I sent him daily updates of Elliott's misadventures. Elliott likes exploring and is constanlty on the move. Constantly! He is little routines he does. In our kitchen he checks to see if the pantry is open. If it is closed he moves over to the fridge and pulls any magent he can reach off. Moves over to the stove and pulls the towels to the ground. Goes over the the drawers and pulls out a few dish clothes, paper products, etc. After that he visits our trash can and recycle and has an uncanny knack for pulling out coloring pages or school papers I deemed not worthy of keeping that upsets Lauren when she finds them. The honorable mention Elliott picture was when he got in the pantry (I accidentally left it open), pulled out the syrup, spilled some in his lap and then crawled through it about 5 minutes before we were supposed to leave to take Lauren to school.

September 24

We went to the parade at the Overland Park Fall Festival Saturday morning. It was a hot, fall morning. The kids collected quite a haul of candy. Will and Lauren each got a kazoo from a political candidate that they have enjoyed using. We had to leave the parade early to get to the first of two baptisms in our ward that day. That night I went to the women's broadcast at the Stake Center. I felt very uplifted. I really liked Sister Bingham's talk about charity. I have been thinking a lot about how she said that being generous in our thoughts and words can help us keep the commandment to love our neighbors, and to use words that build confidence and faith in others. President Uchtorf's talk about the empowerment of faith was also fantastic.

2016 :: week 37

September 11

Accessory swap! These two look even more alike when they are wearing the other's signature accessory. Lauren and I found some headbands on the clearance rack at Target and she has been wearing them non-stop ever since.

September 12

Several parents park and wait at the pool parking lot behind the school to avoid the pickup lines. Kids congregate there and play for a good thirty minutes after school gets out. Will LOVES playing with other kids and is making new friends in other grades.

September 13

Anthony spent the week in Newport, Rhode Island. Tuesday night he met his parents for dinner in Providence. He has been traveling a lot lately and it is starting to wear on him. He told me he had a great time visiting with them and only took this picture because I asked him to. He entitled it, "Three Toms and a Tina."

September 14

Leah and Melanie are visiting for the week! They arrived Tuesday night and when we stopped by to welcome them to KC Leah put on Lauren's shoes. Lauren had worn her Cinderella shoes, of which she has two pairs in differing sizes. I mentioned to Melanie that I would try to find the smaller pair and then forgot about it. Wednesday morning Lauren found the smaller shoes, as well as several others items she thought Leah would like and begged me to take her to visit Leah. She was so excited to share things with her cousin that she thought would make her happy. I was so impressed with her generous heart. Also, Lauren picked out this outfit because she wanted "to look like a zebra."

September 15

Leah is Elliott's only cousin that was also born in 2015. They are six months apart and though their abilities differ a fair amount right now, I am excited to see them become friends as the playing field levels. Elliott's cousin Brigham (Alicia & Bryce's baby) is just over six months younger. He's our only kid to have similar age cousins on both sides. Elliott likes to climb up the slide, but has started extending his feet, causing extra friction which sometimes makes him fall off the side of the slide so I have to watch him very closely when he's near a slide.

September 16

Anthony and I went of a date Friday night. We ate dinner at Tortilla Ranch (it felt like a mix of Chipotle and Cafe Rio), then walked along the KC River Trail. It rained most of the day, but stopped about an hour before we went out. The humidity was gone and it was nice and cool. The (paved) trail was lined with lush greenery and historical markers. We had a fun time catching up and discussing the history of Kansas City.

September 17

On Saturday we had to pay the piper. Our friends Dan and Emilee watched our kids while we went out Friday night. It was our turn to watch their three kids Saturday. I am glad she asked us if we wanted to do an exchange, because it is a great idea; we save money, it forces us to follow through with planning a date and our kids have fun. We grilled some burgers then played out front most of the time they were here. Our kids ages (and genders for the older two) match up really well. Our neighbor Ben and his three younger kids came over and joined us for a bit too. It was a surprisingly relaxing, emjoyable evening.

2016 :: week 36

September 4

The first Sunday of each month a bishopric member goes to primary to introduce the theme. It was Anthony's turn this month. The elders joined him because the September theme is "the gospel will be preached in all the world." We've had sister missionaries in our ward for about a year, but this last week they were transferred out and Elder Childress and Elder Curtis were transferred in.

September 5

We met up with the Throssells for what is becoming a traditional "last pool trip of the summer," on Labor Day afternoon. Even though it was pretty hot the water was a bit chilly so the kids spent as much time out of the water as in. It didn't help that the concession stand was selling all remaining items at half price.

September 6

Lauren's current medium of choice is sidewalk chalk. She worked with Will to draw the fish in the big, blue ocean. Then she worked for quite awhile drawing herself and several of her preschool classmates on the beach.

September 7

Uh-oh. Elliott figured out how to climb on the hearth. If only he was as good at climbing down as he is at getting up. Elliott also cut two new teeth this week (top right side, bottom left side) bringing his tooth count to 6. Babies change so much so fast.

September 8

We've been having a lot of short bursts of rain, often while it is fairly sunny. Thursday morning I went to the garage and checked to see if it was raining before the kids and I started walking to school. It was not. It was a little overcast, but didn't look like it would rain anytime soon. I was wrong. By the time we got to the corner we felt a few scattered sprinkles. By the time we got to the pool it was full on raining. Luckily the kids had fun with it and didn't freak out about getting wet. What was crazy was by the time we got to the playground the rain had stopped! All of this happened in less than a quarter mile. Lauren selected her outfit that morning. I try to give the kids a lot of leeway with their wardrobes and not interfere with their clothing choices too much. This '50 shades of pink' outfit made me smile because it is just so her.

September 9

Girls in my ward have started to plan park meet ups during the week. There was no school Friday and several of us met up at Black Hoof Park for a few hours. I was sure it would be crowded but there were few people there other than us. Will worked with some friends to build a beaver dam in the water feature. We had a great time.

The Throssells invited us to go to Red Robin with them Saturday afternoon. The weather was gorgeous and we dined al fresco. After dinner we watched the BYU/Utah football game.

2016 :: week 35

August 28

Will and I went for a walk while Anthony hosted a BYD at our home (postponed from last week). I sat and watched Will work on his monkey bars and a family play Pokemon Go. One of the kids playing Pokemon starts yelling "Look up! Look up!" I assumed it was some Poke-thing, but then Will told me to look too and when I did I was rewarded with a beautiful rainbow.

August 29

For FHE I took the kids to Pump-It-Up! for one last time before our Groupon expired. The kids, especially Lauren have gotten so much more adventurous this summer. The last time we went (earlier this month) Lauren wouldn't even attempt these jumps, and Monday night she conquered the whole thing!

August 30

Lauren's preschool had an Open House Tuesday evening. She enjoyed showing off her classroom, Elliott enjoyed dumping out as many buckets of toys he could get his hands on, and Will peppered everyone with lots of questions. Lauren's teacher this year is Miss Diana. We really like her. Each week they have a theme and do some amazing enrichment activities and learn fun new songs. I was really missing TJ (he was in DC) this night. I do a lot of things with the kids by myself, but this night I was tired and was missing my backup.

August 31

I am still figuring out how to manage our time in the afternoon. We arrive home from picking up Will between 3:15pm and 3:30pm, and I aim to have dinner on the table between 5:30pm and 6pm, which leaves me with approximately 2 hours to manage. This "witching hour" has long been my second most frustrating time period in mothering (bedtime/nighttime is hands down the hardest). The kids need attention, are hungry, fatigued and often bored. They also really want to play out front with the neighbors, but I am uncomfortable having them play out front without adult supervision. It is a lot of work watching Elliott out front because he wants to put everything into his mouth, and it has been really hot, so I hadn't let the kids play out front for several days. Wednesday afternoon Elliott kept me company as I sat in my camp chair and tried to read the book club book (Pivot Point by Kasie West) while the kids played soccer with our neighbors.

September 1

During the three week period after most of the outdoor pools close and the Tomahawk limits their hours the our pool passes are valid at the indoor pool inside Matt Ross. We fit in a few visits this year, with the lazy river being our favorite spot. Anthony was finally able to utilize the new sauna's that were installed earlier this year and gave them a thumbs up.

September 2

Friday after dinner we trekked over to Grinter Farm in Lawrence, KS. The sunflower field just before sunset was gorgeous. It was quite crowded, but we were still able to have fun. Elliott has grown up so much since our visit here last year.

September 3

Saturday was a low-key day. We did work around the house and I prepared for the RS lesson I was giving Sunday. I convinced everyone we should go to the outdoor pool (as opposed to the indoor) and we had fun, though the water was very chilly. That night Anthony went over to my parents house to watch the first BYU game of the season.

2016 :: week 34

August 21

Sunday we had Stake Conference. It was nice to have Anthony around to help with Elliott. He is so squirmy! Once again Will really sang out during the intermediate hymn. Anthony had planned on having a BYD at our house that evening, but cancelled it after he was drank a weeks worth of miralax as soon as we got home. The miralax/gatorade concoction was part of his colonoscopy prep.

August 22

Anthony has a family history of colon cancer on both his mother's and father's sides. When talking with his doctor they decided he ought to have a colonoscopy this year, even though he is much younger than the standard recommended age. The rumors are true, the prep is quite unpleasant. After a very long wait Monday morning he received the procedure. I had my doubts about how necessary it was for him to get a colonoscopy, but it turns out he did have two polyps.

August 23

This little guy keeps me on my toes, he is such an explorer now and enjoying getting into everything. Every. Thing. I can't leave him unattended for long before he starts making messes. He really likes getting into our pantry and emptying out as many paper products and can as he can get his little hands on. The pantry is one of his favorite places to explore, which really complicates things when I'm cooking.

August 24

We call this Elliott's yoga pose. He puts himself in this position all the time. He clearly enjoys it because he always smiles if you catch his eye. Will and Lauren are in the background playing in the sand. In previous years we still made it to the pool pretty regularly after school started and the hours changed. This year it was a lot harder, and we didn't get there quite as often, but we had fun when we did.

August 25

Will had been dreading his yearly eye appointment for months. I was dreading it too. But it was awesome! Will has really matured a lot recently. In the days leading up to the appointment he was anxious about the drops, but when the time came he handled them like a champ. The nurse, resident and doctor were all complimentary of him and how diligent he is about wearing his glasses.

August 26

Friday was our tenth anniversary! Ten years seems both long and short. Will gathered some pretty flowers from our yard as a gift to us. We grilled some chicken for dinner and planned to go out on a date Saturday to commemorate the occasion. Anthony spent a few hours helping a family in our ward move in the early evening and I stopped by a GNO my friend Bethany planned. We ended the day eating ice cream together and watching a portion of the ESPN documentary OJ: Made in America while it poured rain outside.

August 27

Saturday was a busy day. Anthony went and helped with another move that ended up taking the entire morning. My parents watched our kids and we went to Houlihan's for an early dinner. It was our first there and our food was great. We enjoyed visiting with each other, something we don't get to do in person as often as I would like. I jokingly asked Anthony if he ever imagined we'd be going on out to celebrate our 10th anniversary in a mini-van and he just smiled and said there is nothing he would rather drive. I'm grateful to be married to a man that isn't concerned about status or toys and is willing to spend his limited free time helping others. We've come a long way this past ten years, and I can't wait to see what we accomplish in the next ten!

2016 :: week 33

August 14

It was a long Sunday. I had my RS committee meeting before church so we had to be there an hour early. Anthony left for the airport after Sacrament meeting, heading to DC (the first of 3 cities he would be visiting that week, also Philidelphia and Norfolk, VA). I planned on making stroganoff for dinner, but the "use by" date on meat I planned on using was a few days older than I thought. I had some reservations, but went ahead and cooked it because all my other meat was frozen. I was pretty sure it was bad once I started the brown it. When I took a bite I knew. We ended up eating cereal for dinner then went for a walk while eating ice cream sandwiches.

August 15

One of the cute things Elliott does right now is "Where's Elliott?" You ask him and he instantly covers his face. I love watching his little fingers spread out to cover his big blue eyes.

August 16

Lauren started her second year of preschool Tuesday afternoon. The hardest part about afternoon preschool (for her) is waiting all morning. The hardest part for me is picking her up (at 3pm) and getting back to pick Will up ten minutes later. Luckily her preschool is close and Will prefers to wait on the playground.

August 17

My kids know that we only buy Happy Meals on Wednesday because they are $2.29. I had to do a double take when I saw a boy that looked just like Will. He's almost the exact same size, has the same thick blonde hair, glasses and was even wearing a shirt that Will has too!

August 18

Lauren spends a lot of time building Hogwarts with her duplos. As Elliott's mobility increases he makes it much more difficult for Hogwarts to last so I told her she could move them up to the dining room table.

August 19

Ever since Will watched one of Katie Ledeky's gold medal races he has started swimming laps when we go to the pool. He's getting to be a pretty good swimmer.

August 20

We had to document that we saw Anthony! The kids hadn't spent any time with him since the previous Saturday. It was still a pretty busy church Saturday. A temple sealing for a family in our ward in the morning, then the stake meetings held in conjunction with Stake Conference in the afternoon and evening left very little family time.