2019 :: week 17

April 21

Easter Sunday! Our Sacrament meeting was packed and we were barely able to get a pew despite leaving for church ten minutes earlier than usual. It was a good meeting and Anthony spoke at end about the Savior making up the difference in our lives. Because Anthony was out of town last week and the week before that was General Conference, he decided not to cancel his before and after church meetings. The kids were anxiously awaiting his return home more than usual because we ask the Easter Bunny to leave us eggs for Dad to hide after church. It was fun to see the kids run around the yard looking for eggs and as I watched them "hunt" I wondered how much longer the older two will be will care much about the bunny. I don't really care if they believe or not, because the Atonement and resurrection are what Easter is really about, but it makes my heart happy when they are excited about participating in rites of childhood. They are growing up so fast and seeing how little Miles is compared to Will  reminds me of how time really does fly by no matter how you are using it.

April 22

Monday morning Emily called and invited us to meet her and her boys at a library storytime. I quickly fed Miles and we headed over. It was the first storytime we've been to since Miles was born and I was reminded why I stopped going. Elliott gets in a weird mood where he doesn't want to participate, but gets offended if the librarian doesn't pay attention to him. I find it very annoying and it drains my energy. That being said, at the end of the session each family got to hold some baby chicks. Elliott really liked that and it was worth the hassle.

April 23

Seven weeks of Miles! Last week he was very grumpy, but this week he turned on his John charm and started smiling at us pretty regularly. He is starting to go a little longer between feedings and went six hours one night this week. He likes to be held upright and facing out, I assume so he can see what is going on around him. And there is almost always something going on around him. He likes to go outside as long as it isn't too windy and he likes going for walks.

April 24

Elliott refuses to nap, but is waking up earlier everyday. He is now awake by 6:30am every morning. Twice this week while driving around he has fallen asleep. I sat in the Aldi parking lot with him and Miles for about 45 minutes on Tuesday. Wednesday afternoon he fell asleep on the way to Lauren's soccer practice for a good 30 minutes.

April 25

Thursday evening we went to the third grade concert to watch Will sing and play the ukulele. The kids did a great job singing. The John family's consensus favorite song was "Colors of the Wind." Will was one of eight kids in his class selected to play the ukulele. I recorded him playing, but did not take a picture. Third grade is the last all-grade performance. Next year he can choose to take choir, which I am hoping he will. He's "not sure."

April 26

The end of the school year gets very busy very fast. Friday night was the annual OPC Carnival. Each of the older kids found friends to go off with and we followed Elliott around. It was another gorgeous night, allowing the inflatables to be at the back of the school. With the inflatables outside the school was so much less congested and humid. It was a great night--as relaxing as a school carnival can be. I love our neighborhood and school community.

April 27

Both Will's baseball team and Lauren's soccer team had games scheduled for Sunday this weekend. Of course that is a bummer, but it was nice on Saturday because we had NO PLANS! It was the first time in a long time where we the weather was nice and no one had any commitments. We headed down to the City Market to peruse the Farmer's Market and walk along the river trail. We have had a string of gorgeous weather and Saturday morning was no exception.

2019 :: week 16

April 14

Sunday morning we got up and made it to church a few minutes early. We even had enough time to take a picture before we left! After Sacrament meeting things started to go downhill. Miles, who had been fairly grumpy all weekend continued to be grumpy and then Elliott refused to go to his Sunbeam class. The three of us spent the last 45 minutes of church in the foyer. In the afternoon Anthony let me know that his flight had been delayed, which was a bummer but not the end of the world. That evening the Wilsons came over for dinner. It was great having a few adults around and the kids all played together really well. While they were over Anthony called to tell me that his flight home had been cancelled and that there weren't any available flights on Southwest until Tuesday or Wednesday! Apparently there was bad weather in the southeastern United States, but we never got a clear explanation as to why it was cancelled. I assume that the Boston Marathon Monday morning was why there were no seats available. I really thought I might cry when I heard the news. Anthony's parents helped him get a flight on a different airline for Monday night--thank you! Emily watched the kids for me so I could go for a walk and clear my head.

April 15

Anthony and his parents and siblings had a great time together this weekend. They stayed up late talking about a variety of topics, walked around their neighborhood, toured their elementary school, watched some Red Sox and Celtics games, ate at nostalgic restaurants and sang a musical number together in church. Even though it was harder watching four kids by myself than I thought, I'm glad he was able to go and spend time with his family. Monday afternoon they walked around downtown Boston for a bit and got lunch at Quincy Market. Anthony's flight ended up getting delayed again, but he still made it home at about 1am Tuesday morning.

April 16

Emily watched Elliott for me while I went to a doctor's appointment. Elliott and Tyler made treasure maps and hunted around the yard for "buried treasure." These two boys have become such good friends this year.

April 17

Our scripture study had been focused on Easter this week. Lauren has recently started requesting double french braids in her hair. Try as I might I really struggle to get them even.

April 18

Thursday night I went for a walk as soon as we finished with dinner. Even though Anthony was back in town I was still recovering from the weekend and craving a little alone time. It made me smile to see Lauren and Dad practicing kicks in the driveway. Life is better when we are all home. Later that night I went to book club where we discussed Educated.

April 19

Miracle of miracles--Anthony didn't have to go to work on Good Friday! I went to water aerobics for the first time since having Miles and it felt good to be back. The kids had the day off school, so we planned on going to the zoo, but when we got there it was packed and decided to go to Valley Park instead. The kids spent an hour climbing, exploring and running around. It was so nice to have a quiet relaxing day.

April 20

As we were getting ready to leave the house Friday the wire on our garage door snapped and the pulley fell off the tracks. Someone from Overhead Door came and fixed it up. While we were waiting for him to arrive Anthony and the kids gathered some sticks in our yard and then burned them in our fire pit. The kids roasted mini-marshmallows over the fire and had a great time. Saturday evening we went to the Plaza with the Ules. We ate dinner at the Shake Shack and then walked over to Mill Creek park, stopping to see the fiberglass Easter Bunnies along the way. It was a perfect night. We ate dinner on the patio and visited until Miles needed to be fed.

2019 :: week 15

April 7

Sunday evening Will and I went for a walk after the other kids went to bed. His bedtime is an hour after Lauren and Elliott's. That extra hour is the best time to talk to Will and find out what is going on in his life. Will is such a accomodating kid that it is easy for me to go all day without really having a meaningful interaction with him. For me, juggling four kids has come with a bit of a learning curve. Some of my kids demand my attention in ways I can't ignore, so it was nice to have a few quiet minutes with just Will. I really like him and the thoughtful, kind person he is growing up to be.

April 8

Miles has seborrheic dermatitis, which I think is basically cradle cap but all over his face. All of my kids have had legitimate cases of cradle cap, but Lauren and Miles have gotten in on their forehead and eyebrows too. At his one month appointment Monday morning the doctor advised me to put a small amount of lotrimin on it each day. I took this picture in the afternoon after the first application. At his appointment we found out that he weighs 11 lbs. 4 oz. and is 23.25" long. Miles has been a more demanding baby this week, wanting to be held most of his waking hours. I spent quite awhile that afternoon just holding and rocking him on the rocking chair. I can't spend that  much time doing that everyday, but it was nice to snuggle with him and put off non-pressing chores for a bit.

April 9

Lauren was named "Artist of the Week" by her art teacher, Mrs. Phillips. Lauren loves art and takes her work seriously and was so pleased to be recognized.

April 10

The daffodils are finally in bloom! I look forward to them every year and they took a little longer to pop up this year. Between pregnancy and a long, cold winter spring I am savoring spring a little extra this year.

April 11

Thursday night we went to the Oak Park Carpenter Open House. Will and Lauren have been hard at work and had a lot of neat stuff to show off in their classrooms. Lauren did a report on Africa and made a cool display about things she learned. She showed us her daily journal and I was impressed with her creativity. They have a prompt each day and can also draw a picture and her pictures were quite detailed. Will did his endangered species report on sea turtles. He also wrote a clever poem about his blue crayon based off the book The Day the Crayons Quit. His teacher remarked that he makes great use of adjectives and I totally agree. The spring book fair was also happening that night in the library and each of the kids found a few overpriced books to take home. I have to remind myself that the book fair is a fundraiser everytime I hear how much the books are going to cost.

April 12

Thursday morning Anthony flew to Boston to spend a weekend with his siblings and parents in his childhood home one last time. Anthony's parents are leaving Boston after living there over thirty years and moving in with Tina's 97-year-old father. Bobpa is doing remarkably well, but isn't as agile as he used to be and needs some light but constant assistance. The six John siblings decided to gather together for a weekend of reminiscing about all things Belmont/Boston and a Red Sox game was on the agenda for Friday night. Hillary's baby Lucas was the only grandchild in attendance.

April 13

We had a lot of stuff going on Saturday morning, which I had the most anxiety about before Anthony left. It ended up being a breeze and what I should have been concerned about was Miles crying for hours on end. Saturday morning Will had his first piano competition at Mid American Nazarene University. He did a fabulous job and earned a superior rating, which is the highest score he could receive. At the same time Lauren had a soccer game with team pictures being taken half an hour before the start time. I worked out a car pool for Lauren to get her to her game and my sister Emily watched Elliott for me so I didn't have to haul him back and forth. Will's competition was running ahead of schedule, so we were able to make it back in time for the second half of Lauren's game. That afternoon we picked up a few groceries and ate dinner at McDonalds.

2019 :: week 14

March 31

Sunday afternoon Will was living the dream. The Royals game was on TV and his baby brother was in his lap. I've been pleasantly surprised how sweet all of my older kids have been with Miles. Will is especially helpful because Miles likes to be held. A lot. And often at times that are tough for me to hold him, like when I am making dinner or when I am trying to help Elliott get ready for bed. We will build a nest of pillows to support his arms and then Will can sit and hold him for me while I get the stuff done I need to.

April 1

My mom got this t-shirt for Elliott because he proudly proclaims he is a big brother now whenever the topic comes up (and occasionally when it hasn't). I took this picture on the way home from walking Lauren up to her monthly Girl Scouts meeting. Along the way Elliott told about three different people that he was a big brother now.

April 2

Elliott and I squeezed in a quick walk after dinner before Anthony and the big kids headed to the church for mutual, Cub Scouts and Activity Days. I just can't get enough of his crooked smile these days. Elliott was quite a handful around the new year, but a few weeks before Miles was born he was back to his usual sweet self. He's still mischievous, but he's toned it down and I only wonder what I'm going to do with him about once a day instead of half a dozen times.

April 3

Going into this week Anthony and I were concerned with how Lauren was going to be able to survive all her activities. Lauren does best when she gets a solid amount of sleep and over the course of the school year her bedtime has moved from 8:30pm to 7:30pm to make sure she gets adequate sleep. This week her activities were back to back to back on three consecutive nights, making it impossible to get in bed at her usual bedtime--Girl Scouts Monday evening, Activity Days Tuesday evening, and soccer practice Wednesday evening. She handled everything so well this week, I was very proud of her! She loved going to activity days and getting a journal and has been writing in it all week.

April 4

The weather this week has been absolutely gorgeous. Spring has finally arrived! Between the days getting longer and Miles turning a month old this week I feel like a new woman. I've been trying to get out and go for walks in the evening and caught this pretty sky as I was finishing up my walk. I love going for walks when your cheeks get a little chilled from the cold, but it is warm enough you can wear a sweatshirt or light jacket and be fine.

April 5

Friday evening Anthony took Lauren to the annual Girl Scout Daddy Daughter Dance. This year the theme was 50's Sock Hop and I ordered Lauren this poodle skirt from amazon. I thought I was so original, but Anthony told me about half the girls were wearing this skirt in various colors. Oh well. Lauren loved matching all her friends and had a great time. Anthony had a good time too, but reported that the girls mainly dance with each other and then go to their dads to have them hold stuff for them or get them food.

April 6

With Anthony planning to go out of town the following weekend, I wanted to get as much yard work done as possible Saturday morning before General Conference. While Anthony and I weeded, put out mulch and cleaned out the garage our neighbors started washing their cars. Elliott is attracted to water like a moth to a flame so he went over to "help." Mark and Renee were very nice to let all the neighborhood kids under 7 come over and spray their hose and help wash their cars.