Tuesday, March 28, 2017

2017 :: week 12



March 19
Sunday evening I finished reading a book while Anthony drafted a fantasy baseball team. I feel like Anthony and I have spent several evenings like this over the course of our relationship. It's nice to know that even though our lives and responsibilities have evolved over the years, we are still the same people we were when we started dating almost 12 years ago.

March 20
Sometimes life hits you with a perfect storm. Monday was hot (80+ degrees!) and also free cone day at Dairy Queen. Tabitha and I decided to take our kids for an after school snack. While we were driving there we saw a large cloud of smoke that didn't look to be very far away. It turns out there was a huge fire at an apartment complex that was under construction a few miles away. We later learned that the fire was accidental and it was caused by from combustion from the welding. In the meantime, every adult at DQ had their phone out trying to figure out what was going on. In the thirty minutes we were there we saw and heard Fire Engines from Lenexa and Olathe drive by. The kids had A LOT of questions about fire and had a very hard time sleeping that night.

March 21
Elliott loves to ride in his little push-car to meet Will as he walks home from school. Lauren is so great about helping, she really looks out for her little bro.

March 22
One time when I was taking the trash out Elliott was upset and I lifted him on top and gave him a ride to distract him from whatever was bothering him. Since then, without fail, every time he sees me touching one of our trash receptacles he insists on getting a ride.

March 23
Thursday evening was our Relief Society celebrated the 175th anniversary of the Relief Society. As the counselor over activities, I was heavily involved in the prep work and execution of this event. We held a service exchange that most everyone enjoyed. Tay is going to make us an enchilada dinner and I am going to do 2 hours of yard work for my mom. Yes, my own mother ended up with my offering. ;)

March 24
Emilee sent me this picture she took of Elliott and Berkley while she watched our kids Friday evening. Elliott and Berk have gotten to be pretty good little friends and seem to genuinely enjoy each other's company. Anthony and I ate dinner and ran some errands. We had a busy Saturday ahead of us so even though it wasn't the most "exciting" date night, it was nice to get the weekend off to a productive start.

March 25
Saturday morning I helped a friend throw a baby shower for a girl from church who ended up having her baby that very morning! We went ahead and had the shower as all the food, etc. was ready to go, but will have a luncheon with her at some point in the next few weeks. Anthony and I took the kids to a Lumiere Lego Build at Toys R Us, then visited the pet store located next door. Elliott loves the pet store! I ran some more errands and then went to the General Women's Meeting for church that night. I felt very uplifted, and had some thoughts that I hope will guide me as I try to live a balanced and purposeful life.

2017 :: week 11

March 12
Several weeks ago the kids started asking where we going for Spring Break. Last year we went to Utah and had a great time, but we've been to Utah twice since then. We have a few trips planned with family in the coming months so we decided it would be best to do something small. We've also talked about going to the Omaha Zoo for months. It seemed like the perfect time to do so. After church (ward conference where Anthony gave a great talk on charity) we drove the three hours to Omaha. Our first stop was the Mormon Trails Visitor Center at Historic Winter Quarters. It was actually our second stop because I accidentally put the address to the Kanesville Tabernacle in Council Bluffs. I didn't even know that existed! It closed right before we got there or we would have stopped. The kids weren't pleased with my little detour. Our visit to the visitor's center was really fun. It was good for Anthony and me to brush up on our church and family history.

March 13
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo was the centerpiece of Spring Break plans. You always hope for the best when you make plans in advance, but as I checked the weather as our trip got closer I started to get concerned. Lots of people told us not to worry, that much of the zoo is indoors. Freezing temperatures and snow were not my idea of fun. It was 22 degrees, windy and snowy as we walked in to the zoo. Luckily that was the low point of the outing. The zoo is impressive! We were there for about six hours. Our favorite parts were the aquarium, jaguar, white tiger, and jungle. I think. There was so much it is hard to remember.

March 14
Last summer I bought a membership to a science museum that is part of the ASTC Passport Program. We were able to get into the Omaha Children's Museum for free! It's a pretty good museum! Other than losing Lauren for about two minutes right after we arrived (it was spring break in Omaha too and with the bad weather it was crowded!) we had a really good time. And incredibly enough, we ran into two people we know from KC. After lunch we headed home. It was a quick trip, but we were able to fit in a lot of stuff and make some fun family memories.

March 15
We were all pretty tired after we returned home from Omaha. We were off to a slow start Wednesday morning until I saw a post on facebook that some friends were going to be at the Lenexa Open Gym. The kids were excited about the prospect of going, so we all hurried to get out the door. Elliott was left alone in the kitchen with a cereal box that hadn't been put away. He was incredibly pleased to show off his handiwork as I walked into the TV room.

March 16
The forecast promised sunshine and (relatively) warmer temperatures for the latter half of the week. Our ward has recently started weekly meet-ups, and the kids were excited to participate, but when we arrived it was windy and I was not sure if we'd stay long. I hate wind. We ended up having a really good time. Several friends came and the wind died down. Elliott is getting to the age where he wants to participate in everything the big kids are doing. He can't quite keep up and often gets in the way of what they are trying to do. He also ate some dirt, which Lauren found pretty unimpressive.

March 17
Friday night we went on an adventure. We drove to Anthony's work and parked our van, walked to a streetcar stop, rode to the City Market, picked up some beingets at the City Market then walked along on the riverfront. The Missouri River looked gorgeous as the sun set. We had such a fun time together, the kids really like navigating their way through town.

March 18
I gave all three John men haircuts Saturday afternoon. Our friend Tay got baptized that evening, so after Anthony and Will helped at two different moves we squeezed in the haircuts.