2019 :: week 26

June 23

Despite getting to Melanie's very late, we were up early to make it on time to church at 9am. All three of our older kids got up with no problem, it was Anthony and me who struggled. The kids were very excited to explore the Starita's home and check out their toys. Church went well and apparently Elliott said some funny stuff that made his primary teacher laugh. He got to go to Sunbeams with Leah. After church we packed up our stuff and headed to the Solterra Resort in Davenport, FL. We got there just as everyone was finishing up lunch and the kids were able to participate in the Come Follow Me primary lesson Nana and Papa prepared for the cousins.

June 24

The first order of business Monday morning was getting some updated family pictures. Since our reunion in 2017 three babies joined the family--Felicity in October 2018, Lucas in January 2019 and Miles in March 2019. It was a lot of work getting everyone up and photo ready, but the results are worth it. We took the pictures at a park in Celebration, Florida, which is a "town of the future," a planned community developed by the Walt Disney Company. It was very picturesque and we got some good pictures. It was very hot and humid, so we stopped at 7-11 and got slurpees on the way back to our rental house. Then many of us suited up and went for a swim. The resort pool was a bit of a letdown being that the water slide was out of commission and the water was so warm. I guess it is so hot in Florida even the pool water gets hot, making it less refreshing than the ice water I'm used to at Bluejacket Pool.

June 25

Tuesday morning we got up bright and early and headed to Disney World! Nana and Papa treated us to a day at the park and we had such a great time. Nana did an amazing job of planning the day, getting us fast passes for the most desired rides. We had a loose schedule that maximized our fun and had various groups of parents and kids heading off to different rides throughout the day. I spent most of the day with Miles and Elliott in the "younger kids group," but we met up with Anthony and our older kids to go on a few rides together. Elliott was a rockstar. He had a great attitude even though he spent a lot of time waiting in line, waiting for older kids to finish their rides and waiting while I nursed Miles. I will always remember his sequel of delight while we rode the Barnstormer. Will and Lauren fell in love with roller coasters on this visit. Will told Anthony he loved roller coasters after they rode the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and his mind was blown after riding Space Mountain. Will, Lauren, Sadie and Elise rode Space Mountain three times! We were told that it rains for a few minutes every day, and we thought we were in the clear when it still hadn't rained at 4pm, only to get absolutely drenched by a downpour that left standing water several inches deep. We waded through the water in our soaking wet shoes to board the monorail back to our car. All in all a truly wonderful, albeit exhausting day.

June 26

The next day we took things very slow. We didn't have anything on the agenda besides resting and having fun. Elise, Weston and Lauren (the 2011 babies) spent the entire day in the pool, stopping only for meals. I think Nolan was out there most of the day too. In the afternoon I made a double batch of cookies which were quickly devoured.

June 27

This was the first reunion where cousins shared room. Will and Lauren shared a bunk room with Sadie, Elise and Weston. Derek and Nolan shared a room, Camille and Adelaide shared a room and Elliott shared a room with Brigham. Felicity got her own room and all other kids--Lola Rose, Lucas and Miles shared with parents. I was a little apprehensive about this because while our kids are good sleepers, they aren't great at falling asleep. There were a few issues, but overall it went really well. Elliott and Brigham had great fun together and became little buddies. They didn't swim quite as much as some of the older kids, but they spent lots of time jumping on the couches and sectionals. We had a pretty quiet day on Thursday. We debated whether it was worth it to drive an hour each way to the beach, but ultimately decided it was going to be a lot of work and the kids would probably have just as much fun at the pool. In the afternoon most of the kids and adults went to see the movie Toy Story 4.

June 28

Friday was our last day. Will and Sadie were pretty inseparable this reunion. It was fun seeing them have so much fun together. They spent lots of time on Will's kindle, shooting hoops in the garage, playing in the arcade room and drawing. Everyone spent a lot of time playing games on this trip. On a few of the evenings the adults played Jackbox games. It eventually devolved into a bunch of inside jokes and hysterical retellings of John family memories. We left just after dinner and drove a few hours to Lake City, Florida.

June 29

Saturday was a long day of driving. Anthony and I listened to the book Evicted by Matthew Desmond. The kids watched dvds and played games on their kindles. Miles cried a lot. I'm glad we've had a lot of positive experiences on road trips, because this day really felt like a grind. We eventually made it to Paducah, Kentucky, and crashed into bed.

2019 :: week 25

June 16

Happy Father's Day to Anthony! It was an unconventional Father's Day in the sense that Anthony actually had to work that day. He did not have his traditional pre-church meetings, but he did have to leave right after sacrament meeting to meet with the SMEs (subject matter experts)in town for the weekend. Part of his job involves creating tests and the SMEs write the bank of questions that will be used on the new test. Because all of them have jobs, weekends are the best time for them to assemble.

June 17

Lauren and Henleigh put on a show for the boys this morning. I typically don't let the kids play in the house too often (I'd prefer them to play outside as much as possible), but it was hot and the kids were very good.

June 18

Will played in his last baseball game Tuesday night. It was a cooler evening and the rain held off just long enough for his team to complete their game. Will has continued to be a great defender this year, making some of his teams best catches and put-outs. What has been extra fun is that he is hitting better than ever before!

June 19

We have had a dumpster this week to get our junk out of the basement. It is amazing how much stuff you can accumulate over nearly eight years when you have a hard time throwing things away. I have fallen in love with this thing. The basement is cleaner than it has ever been.

June 20

Elliott drew these people on our driveway. He is becoming quite the sidewalk artist. In the past few months he has gotten quite proficient at drawing people, people in cars and writing letters. So far he can spell his name, mom, dad and Will. Thursday was a busy day. It was the 18th day in a row that Anthony worked this month and we were busy with last minute prep for our road trip to Florida.

June 21

Friday did not go quite like I had planned. We are driving to the Orlando area in Florida for a family reunion with the extended John family. Google maps said it would be about twenty hours of driving time. We decided to split it into two days of driving, putting the longer day first. Anthony reserved a hotel room for us in Marietta, GA, which is twelve hours away from Overland Park. Unfortunately we hit several snags along the way and had to stop early. We got a slightly later start than we hoped because we were up later than we planned. Then it started rain around the time we hit downtown Kansas City and it didn't stop raining for much of the day. At times it was hard to see and we had to slow way down or pull over. In St. Louis our tire popped! Miraculously we were able to put on a spare and buy a replacement in about 90 minutes. We were low on gas and pulled off the highway in Metropolis, IL, because we could see the highway starting to back up. As we drove into town we found out the power was out and we couldn't buy gas or food. Also, the source of the backed up traffic was a downed semi-truck on the bridge over the Ohio River. It would be at least two hours before the debris was cleaned up. The closest alternative bridges were closed due to construction and high waters. At this point our car indicated we could travel approximately 66 miles on the gas left in our tank. Because it was getting into the evening we decided to cut our losses and spend the night at a Motel 6. We were lucky to get that because their power was out, but the clerk was willing to hold on to our credit card number and charge us when it went back on. The first few hours were rough because it was very humid and we had to sleep three to a bed (the floors were tile). In addition to no AC, the water was also connected to the power and we were unable to get fresh water, sharing the small amounts that remained in the water bottles I packed in our van. We survived, but it was a long day where everything seemed to break not in our favor. In spite of the setbacks we still felt very blessed. Our tire popped in a big city, despite the fact that we spent most of the day driving in rural areas. When it happened we were less than four miles from a tire outlet that was able to replace our tire very quickly. We got off the road, discovered the root of the traffic jam and were able to find a place to spend the night instead of getting stuck in the mass of cars and running out of gas. We were able to find a place that would let us stay for the night on an IOU in a small town with limited options for lodging. The town we were stuck in was called Metropolis, and there were allusions to Superman all over town.

June 22

Saturday was a long day of driving. We had to make up for lost time, despite a long day on the road Friday. I had hoped to get to my sister Melanie's home by 3pm, but we didn't arrive until about 11pm. It has been awhile since we did a road trip with a nursing baby and between that and the weather we just didn't make great time.

2019 :: week 24

June 9

The sky looked so pretty Sunday afternoon. I listened to some Christmas songs while I walked and it made me feel good. I ran into my friend Tabitha and we caught up on the various things that are going on in our respective lives. We used to walk back home after walking our kids up to school in the morning, but she started a job and I had Miles and I haven't seen her nearly as much since he was born.

June 10

Monday was just one of those days. Elliott purchased a season of Paw Patrol on our kindle, somehow figuring out how to get past the parental controls. We did laundry, grocery shopping and a trip to the pool. Emily graciously had the big kids over for a few hours so I could go shopping with only Miles in tow.

June 11

I got very spoiled with childcare this week. My mom watched the kids for me for a few hours and I was able get some work done in peace and quiet. I quickly stopped at Costco--much easier to do quickly without all four kids. The only picture I took all day is of these shorts at Costco. It is hard finding nice shorts for kids that they will actually wear. My kids have high standards for comfort. That afternoon I took Miles to his first physical therapy appointment. Poor boy has a flat spot on his head and doesn't like to bear weight on his right side. The official diagnosis is "torticollis and plagiocephaly." It went well and I am sure we will be seeing a lot more of Ms. Jessica in the coming months.

June 12

Lauren had a fun day Wednesday. She got to go to a swimming party put on by the Activity Days leaders in our ward in the morning, and then she got to go swim at Bluejacket with the family in the afternoon. Miles is always interested in a good snuggle. That evening the missionaries came over for dinner and then I went to a baby shower for my friend Heather.

June 13

Elliott and Nicholas are such fun little buddies. Their love for Paw Patrol, scavenging snacks and being silly is still going strong. Thursday night I hosted book club. We read The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. I really enjoyed this one. I've been finding a bit more time to read lately, which I am enjoying.

June 14

Friday was a busy day. Anthony was conducting a workshop at a hotel down by the airport so we didn't see much of him until late. Will spent the day with his friend Ben, so it was a bit quieter than usual at home. I worked upstairs cleaning out the kids room with Lauren and Elliott and we rewarded ourselves with some free smoothies from Tropical Smoothie Cafe. TSC gives away free smoothies one day a year and I try to never miss it.

June 15

Tony had to spend the better part of the day at his workshop, but he got home in time to go see Annie  at Theater in the Park with the rest of us. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and there was a lot of lightening during the first Act. Just before intermission they cancelled the performance and we all had to head home. I was skeptical, but it was pouring rain by the time we got on the highway. We will be able to use our tickets to see another play of our choice this season. Unfortunately, tomorrow is the final performance of Annie. We are thinking we will try to see Matilda in July.

2019 :: week 23

June 2

Sunday evening I went for a walk. I haven't gone on as many walks as I would like to this summer, for a variety of reasons. As a mother of four I feel completely worn out most days. It is harder for me to get stuff done and I am learning to be okay with being less "productive." The pretty sky combined with the uplifting music I listened to while walking made me feel so much better about life. One of the best parts about getting older is really understanding that there are seasons to life, but it is so easy for me to forget and beat myself up for all I am not doing.

June 3

As I have mentioned before, Monday is our chore day. After Will's 9am piano lesson we headed to the car wash and got to work cleaning out the van. We hadn't vacuumed it since Miles was born and quite a bit of dust and dirt had accumulated. I spend a lot of time driving the van around and I enjoy it so much more when it isn't dirty.

June 4

Miles is 13 weeks old! He is staying awake and alert for longer periods. He smiles occasionally. He finds his siblings much more interesting than mom and dad, though he seems to feel safer when with a parent. Now that I am starting to get longer stretches of sleep at night--six and occasionally seven hours--I am feeling like a new woman! Miles does not enjoy tummy time, but he stops crying the moment you walk outside. I like to take him out back when nothing else will get him to stop crying. He seems to like the noise the leaves make when the wind blows.

June 5

We went to Sapling Grove Park with the Mansinghs Wednesday morning. Word must be getting out about the park (it was rebuilt and reopened last spring) because it was more crowded than I have ever seen it. The kids still had fun and I enjoyed visiting with Renee. After we played at the park we went to the neighboring elementary school and got the free lunch of the day, cheeseburgers.

June 6

Anthony left in the late afternoon to attend testimony meeting at Girl's Camp. That evening I took the kids to the pool and we had a wonderful time. There are many wonderful things about living so close to a pool, but walking over at night after dinner is up there.

June 7

Tuesday through Friday of this week Will attended a basketball camp at the high school. I signed him up Monday morning, so it was a pleasant surprise to find out that two of his buddies from school were at the camp too. Will had a fun time and especially enjoyed all the skills challenges. He was frustrated he never won the shoot outs--he came in second a few times.

June 8

Saturday we paid our first visit to the farmstead. My parents' realtor sponsors a customer appreciation event and is nice enough to include us as well. Lauren rode a horse, Will went fishing and Elliott fed a lot of goats. It was so hot and Anthony had to work, so we didn't stay as long as we would have liked to. That afternoon Will had a baseball game. That evening we had our friends the Staggs over for dinner. Their son Eli is leaving next week to go on a mission to Finland. As the only Finnish returned missionary in our stake Anthony took his responsibility of sharing his love of Finnish culture with Eli very seriously. We made salmon soup and ate it with rye bread, then topped it off with crepes and ice cream for dessert.

2019 :: week 22

May 26

The flowers in our backyard have been so beautiful lately. Even this horribly overgrown mock orange bush's blooms have been in full force. We are making plans to chop down this bush and several others that have gotten out of hand in the past few years. The previous owners of our home had the yard professionally landscaped AND professionally tended. In the almost eight years we've owned our home we have not once had the landscaping tended by professionals. Unfortunately, it is starting to show.

May 27

Monday was my birthday and we went swimming as a family at my request. It has been a cool spring, and the heater at the pool was broken, so it was much cooler than I expected. We still had fun. Several of our friends were there and we had a good time visiting with them. The great part about having the pool in our neighborhood is that we get to run into so many friends and neighbors when we go. It was a relaxing way to spend my 36th birthday.

May 28

Will started off summer vacation with four days of Cub Scout Camp. This year the troop went to camp in Lawrence (as opposed to Gardner where they went last year). Our ward combines with the Olathe 3rd Ward and Will really likes several of the boys in that ward. It also means there are more potential parents to go, so I didn't have to this year. I enjoyed going last year, but having Miles makes the logistics of going more complicated. Will enjoyed many of the activities they did at camp--Gaga Ball, archery and soap carving to name a few.

May 29

Lauren's girl scout troop chose to use the money they earned from selling cookies to spend a day at SkyZone. We dropped her off at 9am, picked her up and 5pm, and she spent the day jumping, crafting and watching a movie. She had such a great time, but was so exhausted when I picked her up and complained of an ear ache. I wanted her to come home and rest, but of course we had more plans that evening and I couldn't convince her to stay home with me. The Lenz's invited us over for a BBQ and pool party with friends in honor of the Hildreth's visiting town for a few days. Will and Lauren especially had a great time playing with their friends. In addition to these plans Will had Cub Scout camp and then baseball practice and Anthony met with a few people at the church that night. It was a very busy day for our family.

May 30

While Will was enjoying another fun day of camp I took the other three kids strawberry picking with the Mansinghs. Elliott and Blaise have become such good little buddies. Blaise sometimes struggles to behave around Lauren--he often does things that bother her to get her attention--but they got along fine. The berries were delicious and it was not crowded. We tried out a new patch and I really liked it. Several of the berry patches around here are adding attractions to their farms, making the outing to pick berries into an "experience." In some ways it is really fun--doughnuts and slides and tractor rides, etc.--but it also makes things cost more and I feel like it makes the experience less about picking berries and more about entertainment. I don't think it is bad that the farms are adding these things, there is clearly a market for it, I'm just not sure that I like it for me.

May 31

Lauren helped her friend Hailey do a lemonade stand during the neighborhood garage sale on Friday. They ended up making $10 each in just over two hours. Pretty impressive considering there were about thirty lemonade stands happening in the neighborhood that day!

June 1

Melanie came to town for about 48 hours to go through the temple with her friend Elizabeth when she received her endowment Saturday. That evening she had dinner with us and each of the three older kids had fun showing off their rooms. We've done a lot of work getting the kids rooms cleared out of junk and organizing things this week, but they are still a work in progress.