2020 :: week 51

 

December 13

Uncle Matt surprised us and had four packages of double stuffed E.L. Fudge cookies delivered to our doorstep Sunday afternoon. Back when he was 18 and visited us at Christmastime he requested I buy him a pack when I went to the grocery store, and it has become an inside joke between us. The kids were very excited to join in on this joke. 

December 14

Monday evening we met up with the local Cranes and walked around the pond and enjoyed the lights at Sar Ko Par Park. It was a very cold night so we walked pretty quickly. I would like to go back again when it is a bit warmer so we can savor the experience a bit more. Miles was captivated by the lights, and loved having the freedom to walk. When we drive around and look at lights he doesn't get to see them as well as the rest of us, so it was nice for him to get a better view.

December 15

On Tuesday I succumbed to the deadly mix of a bad night's sleep, hormones and a drop in the barometric pressure. For me that means a massive headache for the next day or two. I spent several hours on the couch Tuesday with Miles watching Daniel Tiger while I tried to get some rest. I have found that wearing the Bruder mask helps a bit with the pain in my eyes, but it does allow the boys to get up to mischief. Miles kept climbing on my and pulling it off. 

December 16

We finally finished decorating our Christmas tree on Wednesday. The lights had been up for weeks, but we did not trust Miles to leave the ornaments alone. Will wanted it decorated for his birthday, so on the eve of his birthday we did it. I love decorating the tree. Anthony usually turns on the James Taylor Christmas Album, and I love listening to the songs and watching the kids pull out the ornaments. The ornaments remind me of previous Christmases, family trips we've taken or younger versions of the kids. My favorite ornaments are the ones the kids make.

December 17

When Will was a baby he cried for hours every night. As a new mom I was totally unaware that this was even a possibility, and wondered what demonic presence was causing my sweet baby to cry until he passed out night after night. I felt so unprepared and inadequate to be a mom. We learned how to cope with the situation and by the time he was six months old the nightly crying spells were a thing of the past. Even though it has been years I feel a certain amount of stress looking at old pictures from that time period. Fast forward to today and now Will has tricked me into thinking I’m a parent that has it all figured out because he is such a genuinely easy kid (some of his siblings constantly remind me I don’t, but this post is not that about that). Yesterday Will turned 1️⃣1️⃣ and I can hardly wrap my mind around the fact that he’s closer to being an adult than he is to that crying baby. Will is smart, hard-working, thoughtful, adventurous, gracious and clever. I’m grateful for the opportunity I have been given to be his mom. We celebrated by eating smash burgers for dinner, per his request, with Joe's KC Fries and then donuts for dessert. 

December 18

Friday was Elliott's last day of school before Winter Break. Traditionally his school puts on a Christmas Program and invites families to attend. This year instead of inviting families to attend they recorded the program to watch at our convenience. Elliott has been practicing "Feliz Navidad," "Light a Candle," and "Hooray, It's Christmas Day." 

December 19

Just Miles pushing the envelope on places to climb. This was the first time I caught him climbing on the piano, and I think he was motivated by the previous years Christmas photos I placed up there. Miles loves looking at photos of our family more than any of my other children. 

2020 :: week 50

 

December 6

The big kids put together this Hershey Kiss Tree using the supplies that Nana sent in the Christmas box. As I understand it, Anthony's Grammie would make a bunch of these trees each December and give them to her neighbors and friends for Christmas. It was their first time making a tree like this, and after the learning curve of figuring out where to place the pin in the Hershey's kiss to get it to stick, it went pretty fast. 

December 7

We continued our tradition of doing something festive for FHE. This week we went to what is affectionately nicknamed Paulie's Penguin Playground in Olathe. We met the Allreds, Wilsons and my parents and wandered through the never-ending inflatables. All the kids had fun, but Miles was especially fascinated. 

December 8

Our mornings ebb and flow. Currently we are in a good place with our morning routine. Miles loves getting to see the kids for a bit before they go. We found out today that several of Lauren's friends' families have COVID. I spent the afternoon making chicken and rice soup and then Lauren and I delivered it after school. The community spread is pretty high in our area right now, which I suppose is expected ~2 weeks after Thanksgiving. One family thinks they got it from a home health professional that helps bathe their grandma. The other family does not know where they got it.

December 9

Lauren and Will joined Anthony and the youth for their ice skating activity at Crown Center. They had both been begging to go, and when the activity came up it seemed like the perfect way to kill two birds with one stone. Will went ice skating with a friend towards then end of season last year and has been asking to go again ever since. He had a great time. It was Lauren's first time ice skating, so it was a bit harder for her. Anthony is a good sport to go because he does not enjoy it. I love ice skating, but alas, I do not have a calling with the youth.

December 10

Miles fell while I was cooking dinner and cut the corner of his eye. I think he hit it on the brick fireplace, but am not certain. I could hear him playing and was looking over at him every minute or so. He came walking over to me while I was buttering bread and when I looked up I did a double take! I took him to my neighbor who is a nurse and we decided he didn't need to get stitches. The area was puffy but the cut was not deep. We cleaned the wound, pout Neosporin on it, and covered it with a band aid. Within 24 hours it was already looking a lot better, though I think he will always have a slight scar there.

December 11

We spent a few hours Friday afternoon doing one *hopefully* final push of getting the leaves cleaned up. We wanted to get up as much as we could before the rain and ice hit next week. I got things started, and then Anthony finished things up when he got home. Miles enjoyed playing in the kiddie car while I raked. He has yet to figure out that he needs to pull his feet up when he is on the inside, so it worked out better for him to push the empty car around. 

December 12

I snapped this picture of Elliott as I was helping him get ready for bed Saturday night. It just screams, "Elliott!" to me. He has sports paraphernalia hanging up on his side of the room just like Will. He hung up a mini wreath because to decorate just like his older siblings. He likes to wear the Elf pajamas even though they are a little small because he loves the movie Elf, but he doesn't wear the pants because he gets too hot. I forget how puffy his hair is until it's wet and weighed down. Elliott is delightful and I think I will look back on 5 year old Elliott and miss him for the rest of my life. 

2020 :: week 49

 

November 29

Sunday afternoon we were able to gather virtually with members of the extended Crane family and tour the Smith Family home and Sacred Grove. My dad's brother and his wife, my Uncle McKay and Aunt Susie, are currently serving as missionaries at the church historical sites in Palmyra, NY. My cousin Elena arranged a time for our family to join a zoom call and the missionaries gave us a tour as they walked through the home and the grove as if we were with them in person. It was very cool to be able to see the sacred sites as well as the names and faces of family members that I love. I'm looking forward to studying church history next year.

November 30

On Monday we received an exciting Christmas package in the mail from Nana and Papa! It was full of Christmas goodies--crafts, treats, activities, décor, pajama pants for mom and dad, etc. After dinner we loaded up and went to a Christmas light show. We parked and let Miles and Elliott get out of their carseats, which they both were very pleased about. We shared the peppermint chocolate pretzels from Nana and Papa and enjoyed the music and lights. It is really starting to feel like Christmas!

December 1

It is amazing to me how many kids like trading Pokemon cards. It started with just a few of the kids bringing their cards, but it has really grown. I was shocked at how many kids brought their binders and cards to swap at the park after school on Tuesday. I am not exaggerating when I say that this is the highlight of  Elliott's day. He loves it and I am both baffled and amused when I see him making trades with kids that are three, four and sometimes even five years older than him. Anthony calls him the "Wolf of Bond Street," because he often brags about the sweet trades he makes. Lauren and Will participate as well, but not as often.

December 2

Elliott and I have been playing a round or two of Sleeping Queens each day during Miles' nap. Elliott talks a lot of smack, but it is fun to see how good his addition has gotten. I took this picture of him doing some "mega math," 3 + 3 + 3 = 9. 

December 3

I bought Miles a booster seat to sit at the table. He has been very difficult at dinner lately and we are hoping this will help. In his dream world he would sit on the bench with Lauren and Elliott. However, whenever he climbs up there he often forgets that he can't lean back and falls off. His behavior has improved since we modified the seating arrangements. Unfortunately, Anthony and I don't like the booster I purchased because it is difficult to snap the the tray on and off.

December 4

On Friday evening Emily, Jill, my mom and I gathered to celebrate Jill's forthcoming baby boy. We ordered Costa Vida, ate gourmet cupcakes and watched a Lifetime Christmas movie where Marie Osmond was the villain. What more could an expectant mom want? Probably to give birth without worrying about a global pandemic.

December 5

Lauren and I painted her nails in Christmas colors Saturday. I only have enough pampering mojo for one child and none of the boys are interested in me even combing their hair, so when Lauren wants me to help her with her nails I am excited to do it. She is also wearing the headband that came in Papa and Nana's Christmas box. Lauren is nothing if not festive.

2020 :: week 48

 

November 22

Will gave his first talk in Sacrament meeting on Sunday. Perk or disadvantage of being the bishop's kid? Either way, he did a great job talking about gratitude. It lined up nicely because we learned about gratitude in Come Follow Me. Will used the story of the Jaredites wept they were so grateful to arrive safely in the promised land. He also talked about President Nelson's challenge to express gratitude even when times are hard. Will told a story about feeling jealous when his friend got new Pokemon cards, but then he realized that being jealous of what other people have prevents him from being grateful for and enjoying what he has. I thought he did a great job and that he shared good thoughts going into the week of Thanksgiving. One thing that made his talk extra fun was that because we have a zoom link for Sacrament meeting he had family members in Oregon, Florida and Utah watch.

November 23

COVID-19 has taken many things from us, but thankfully not our Santa picture! To be honest, I had forgotten all about a Santa picture, but I saw an ad for the Santa's Wonderland at Bass Pro and how they were taking steps to minimize risk, so I signed up for a slot and we were in and out in about 10 minutes. We could have been out faster if the Miles hadn't been so fascinated with the giant aquarium full of fish. There was a plexiglass wall between Santa and the kids, and Santa was also wearing a face shield. The kids were wearing masks as well, which you can see around their necks. I had them briefly pull them down for the picture. 

November 24

Tuesday evening we ran a few errands and picked up a Chick-fil-A peppermint milk shake. I love these things! It had been cold, wet and gray all day. My head hurt and my mouth was a little sore from getting a cavity filled the day before. The shake was just the pick-me-up I needed.

November 25

A little over a month ago Anthony and I started taking walks after dinner. Originally our goal was to get a little exercise in the evening to help me sleep better because I was having a bout of insomnia. Because it is has gotten so dark after dinner I made Anthony come with me because I didn't want to be alone. We both have enjoyed our walks so much we have continued them even though my insomnia is doing better. I look forward to this one on one time with Anthony without any other distractions. It is great having kids old enough to be left alone for a short amounts of time. These evening walks are also a tender mercy of COVID because in the past we have been too busy with various meetings, practices and games to have time for an evening walk together.

 

November 26 

Our Thanksgiving didn't look too different than it has in previous years, which is more indicative that we don't do anything terribly fancy than anything else. We watched the Thanksgiving Day parade and Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special, cooked, went for a walk and chatted with extended family on zoom. We have so much to be grateful for this year--a good job for Anthony, good health for all of us and our loved ones, a safe and comfortable home, good neighbors who buoy up our spirits, etc., etc.

November 27

I spent several hours painting our new doors on Friday. Stevie brought them by a few weeks ago and I hadn't been able to carve out the time or space to paint them. I enjoy small scale projects like this that take a minimal amount of work but look so much nicer when done. We replaced three of the doors on our first floor--coat closet, half bath and master bedroom. We were planning on replacing the laundry room door as well, but we either measured it incorrectly or the company sent the wrong size because it didn't fit when we tried to hang it. Luckily it was the correct size for an upstairs bedroom, so we replaced the door to Miles' room instead. 

November 28

Saturday was game day. When I was organizing in the storage room I came across several games we hadn't played in months, including previous favorites Dominion, Clue Jr., and Ticket to Ride Jr. We took turns choosing games. We also played some UNO and Sleeping Queens.

2020 :: week 47

November 15

When I was going through my camera roll I found this selfie that the boys took after church Sunday. I can't get over how old and like "one of the guys" Miles looks. We joke all the time that Miles identifies as a 12-year-old, because he does. He 100% thinks he is just as big as everyone else and can do exactly what they can do. He gets extremely offended when we dare to treat him differently than the big kids. Unfortunately, he is too small to ride in a forward facing booster seat, doesn't understand the danger of walking into the road and doesn't have the skill to drink his milk in anything more advanced other than a sippy cup. Someday...

November 16

The kids have been wanting to trade Pokemon cards with their friends after school for awhile, so I talked with the other parents and we decided if they all wore masks they could have a trading session after school on Monday. It was the highlight of Elliott's week. He kept asking if they could trade again. I don't understand the Pokemon craze, but I like that the kids are learning to take turns, prioritize, negotiate and be patient during these trading sessions.

November 17

We got a twin sized bed for Elliott to sleep in on Monday and he slept much better than he had in weeks. He has not been sleeping well over the past few months. Several times I have woken up in the night and found Elliott asleep in various locations throughout the house. I have found him on the stairs, at the foot of Will's bed, on the couch and half way under our bed. It is hard to know for certain why he is waking up and moving to new places around the house. I have been worried that it is because he is still sleeping on a toddler bad. I remember Lauren complaining a lot before we moved her out of the toddler bed and she was a year younger than Elliott is now when we got the bunk beds. Miles loves the new bed and that there is more room for him to join in on bedtime stories. Star Wars books are current favorites of both boys.

November 18

Elliott loves getting the mail. We have a great mail carrier who is very patient with Elliott as he runs out to grab our mail. 

November 19

I recently read the books the Minimalist Home and More than Enough, which are about practical ways to be a minimalist. I found both to be very thought provoking. My biggest takeaway from these books is that the fastest way to improve how you feel about your home is to know what is in it. This makes perfect sense. One of my greatest desires in life is to be organized. If I was to grade my organization I would give it a solid B. Pretty good most of the time, but there are definitely times when I can't quite remember where something is or I forget about something because it is buried under something else. The easiest way to tackle this problem is to limit the amount of clutter and extra things in our house. With six people living in our house it is easy to accumulate things. I spent a lot of time Wednesday and Thursday organizing our storage room. 

November 20

On Friday Presidet Nelson shared a "Message of Hope" and encouraged people to share things they were grateful for on social media. This is not normally the type of think I like to participate in, but I had just taken this picture of Elliott and was feeling so grateful for how much he has matured over the past few months and felt moved to share. This is what I posted on my social media: Elliott has matured so much this year. This is his second year of attending preschool. Last year he had some anxieties that he has almost completely outgrown. He now attends preschool with our neighbor (Blaise) a few days a week and we carpool, which saves me so much driving time and preserves Miles’ nap. I’m grateful that given time we can all work to overcome our challenges, and for neighbors that share the load of parenting.

November 21

We spent a lot of time Saturday morning cleaning up the leaves in our yard while the kids took turns helping and playing. It was sunny, cold and windy and I thought the outfit Lauren picked out reflected that well. Ear muffs for wind, shorts because in the sun when the wind wasn't blowing it felt pretty nice, and the fleece jacket because it was quite cold when the wind was blowing. Fall weather is a real treat! We spent the afternoon watching BYU football and playing games.

2020 :: week 46

 

November 8

Elliott is one of a kind. Somehow he managed to fall while playing tag and land head first on top of a pumpkin stem?!? He cut his forehead and it has since turned into a nice scar. Anthony has been calling him "the boy who lived" because when he first got hurt he didn't even cry until I asked him why he was bleeding. As soon as he realized their was blood on his face he started to scream bloody murder. Anthony and "the boy who lived" played a few rounds of Book of Mormon memory Sunday afternoon.

November 9

I see this face many times a day. It is Elliott asking me if he can have "just one--one!--tiny piece of candy." Usually I tell him no and then he launched into a diatribe about how I hate candy or that I think one piece is a ton or that I think you will get cavities from just one little piece. Later in the week I stopped getting asked this question because he lost all candy privileges. For two days in a row after I let him pick a piece at snack time he refused to eat dinner. 

November 10

I often say that Miles thinks he is 10 years old. The latest reason I say that is because he is trying to walk down the stairs. It is very difficult for him and takes him a long time because his legs are literally not long enough to walk down the stairs in this fashion. He has to get his foot to the the very edge of the step, carefully put his foot down, then scoot on his bum and very carefully lower the second foot on the the step. It takes a long time, is very dangerous and stresses me out. But he is so proud of himself it is hard to get too mad. 

November 11

I had a really bad headache throughout the week, but after a long day of feeling lousy I felt mostly better Wednesday evening and read Ramona to Lauren and Will before bed. Lauren was busy making bracelets and Will built with Legos while I read. I really enjoy reading with my kids but with how busy life has been it is hard to fit in as much as I would have liked. Especially during the years when Anthony was often traveling or away at meetings it was hard to get all four kids ready for bed and to give them the attention they needed AND have enough energy to read chapter books with them. This week we finished Ramona Quimby Age 8 and started Ramona and Beezus. (Lauren received a boxed set of Ramona books for her birthday).

November 12

I know I have been talking a lot about Lauren's love of reading lately, but it is a major part of our lives right now. I snapped this picture of her reading as she walked down the hill after school. I had called out her name a few times and she was so distracted by her book she didn't hear me. I had parent teacher conferences with both Will and Lauren's teachers this week and they both spoke so highly of them, it made me feel so proud. Lauren's teacher had her fill out a self evaluation and in response to the question "What is difficult for you in school?" Lauren wrote, "Not always, but sometimes when I'm reading a really good book that's all I can think about."

November 13

We decided to kick off the Christmas season a little early this year and watched Home Alone 2 Friday night. As our family has gotten older we have a longer list of movies we want to watch and it is too much if we try to squeeze them all in after Thanksgiving. It was such a fun, cozy evening! 

November 14

The theme of the day was leaves. We raked, mulched and cleaned out the gutters...and 24 hours later you can hardly tell we did anything. Such is life in Oak Park Homes from October through March.

2020 :: week 45

November 1

The leaves in our neighborhood have been so pretty this past week. It's been pretty warm this fall and this week we were treated to more unseasonably warm weather. I have tricked myself into thinking that this is what the upcoming winter months are going to be like. 

November 2

Lauren has turned into a full-blown book worm. At pick-up after school she came down the hill reading and only stopped reading when I stopped her to ask her about her day. She is reading about a book a day right now.

November 3

Elliott and I relaxed on the couch for awhile Tuesday afternoon. I try to get a lot of work done around the house on Monday so I can relax more on Tuesday when Elliott is home from school. I picked up some books from the library, including a book A Pretty Deceit that recently came out. 

November 4

Our family has adjusted pretty well to the time change associated with Daylight Savings this week. The hardest part has been how dark it gets after dinner! We had to turn on the floodlights so the kids could play soccer in the backyard. 

November 5

Dana stopped by to have me teach her how to send pictures from her phone because as she put it "I am highly capable of using this skill." I felt happy helping her and it made me appreciate more the things I have learned from her. I bought a spade this week so I could bury my compost. While Dana lived with us she buried it and since she moved out I have been using our hoe, but it takes so much more work. While I buried the food scraps it made me feel connected to the earth and Dana and made me reflect on how we are all connected and need to take care of each other.

November 6

I texted this picture to Tony and told him that this picture symbolized the type of day Miles and I were having. Teething and independent, opinionated toddlers are an unpleasant combination. 

November 7

Earlier in the week I bought a new shelf for Lauren's closet at IKEA and on Saturday Anthony put it together. We cleaned out her closet--it was full of odds and ends, most of which she had outgrown--and moved most of her doll things and few books in. Lauren is very intentional about her space and loves that her dolls have their "own room" now. She sits in their and reads to the dolls in the evening.

2020 :: week 44

 

October 25

We got together for dinner at my parents house Sunday evening. Memaw has been home for the hospital since Thursday and looking SO MUCH better than she was last week when she went in. It was the first time the kids had really seen in her in about a month. She was diagnosed with peritonitis (inflammation of the membrane that lines the inner abdominal wall and covers the organs within the abdomen) that was the result of the pancreatitis she had in July. Among other problems it caused her to become severely anemic (hemoglobin level of 4 when she entered the hospital) to the point where she couldn't walk across the room without stopping to rest. It's amazing what a few days in the hospital, blood transfusion and antibiotics can do!

October 26

We received our first snowfall of the season Monday. I had Elliott wear his boots to school, even though most of the snow did not stick--it was still cold! Miles mixed prints when we walked to the park for pickup. He was so intrigued by the falling snow. It is always good to stop and look at things through a child's eyes. While I was thinking was a nuisance the snow was, Miles was in awe of the pretty white flecks falling gently from the sky.

October 27

Elliott has been such a great helper. After he turned five we added a few new responsibilities to his chore list, including vacuuming the lint and crumbs that accumulate in our new couch. He has really taken to these new jobs and does them with minimal pushback.

October 28

The highlight of my week was Wednesday evening when Will and I finished reading the Book of Mormon together. We started reading together at the end of January after Will's primary teachers challenged the class to read the entire book this year and highlight every time we read the name of Christ. We read most evening for 10-15 minutes before he went to bed. We enjoyed the time we spent together reading scripture so much we started reading the New Testament together the next day. Will is such a great kid, Anthony and I often talk about how grateful we are to have him as our oldest child.

October 29

I couldn't find the big kids after I put Miles to bed Thursday night, and was pleasantly surprised to find all three of them together on Will's bed. Though we've all needed a break from each other a time or two, the kids are better friends than they were before the COVID-19 shut-downs and I am very grateful for that.

October 30

The Allred's hosted a family Halloween party Friday night at it was great fun. We were encouraged to come in costume and this year our costumes are as follows: Anthony and Carrie--skeletons, Will--Jayson Tatum, Lauren--Hermionie Granger, Elliott--Pikachu, and Miles--frog. The Allreds made a three course spooky dinner menu and then we played games and decorated cookies. It was a fun night!

October 31

Lauren had her final soccer game of the year Saturday morning. Her team lost, but they grew so much this season! Especially after missing their spring season and making adaptations to COVID-19. Lauren worked hard and was a lot more assertive this season. Go Pink Thunder!