2020 :: week 9

February 23

Lauren and her Activity Days group "Heart Attacked" the bishop's office Thursday night. I made her take a photo next to one of the hearts she made. I am currently serving in the nursery and am going to have to talk to some of the families about picking up their children on time. There is one family that routinely takes 10-15 minutes to come pick up their kids. I have four kids I have to wrangle after church by myself and hanging out in the nursery while I wait for them to pick up their daughter drives me nuts.

February 24

Miles has been such a delight lately. He is sleeping well, eating well and communicating more effectively every day. Naps continue to be a problem, as Elliott's school schedule makes it hard for him to take a nap for more than 90 minutes in the afternoon. I am trying to troubleshoot the problem, but the timing of Elliott's school is hard to get around. Maybe we can get in a better groove this summer?

February 25

Every year I compile my blog posts and make them into a book I call "The John Journal." I have been lackadaisically working on it for the past few months, but when I got a coupon code for 40% off that expired Tuesday I kicked it into high gear. Previously I have cut it really close, staying up until midnight and barely making the cut, but I was pleased that this time I was all done by 10pm.

February 26

It was my turn to host "preschool book club" Wednesday morning and it went fairly well. The theme was "Around the World" and the kids had fun playing games from Mexico and Brazil. Elliott has really come to enjoy these get-togethers. He clearly had some sort of social anxiety at the start of the school year, and though he still exhibits a few strange behaviors in group settings, he seems to be thriving.

February 27

STEM Night is one of the most anticipated PTA events of the year by parents and students alike. Though I am in my fifth year as an OPC parent this was my first time attending the STEM Night. The PTA committee does a great job of getting various representatives from a variety of community groups to come to the school and show them how STEM is used in the "real world." The first two years it felt like too much to take three kids by myself because Anthony was either out of town or had a meeting. The next two years Anthony took the kids. This year the stars finally aligned and I took all four kids by myself.

February 28

Two months after Will's birthday we finally got around to having a few of his friends over to celebrate. With his birthday so close to Christmas I told him we'd host a birthday party for him in the New Year. Will invited three of his closest friends and Anthony took the boys to Main Event for some fun right after school got out Friday afternoon. They did the ropes course a few times and then fit in as many arcade games and rounds of lasertag  they could in about three hours before heading to our house for pizza and donuts. After they ate they headed to our basement to play games on the switch until their parents came to pick them up. It was the perfect party for Will--lots of fun and junk food with his best friends. He had a great time!

February 29

We lucked out with a really gorgeous day Saturday. Anthony and Will wanted to host and "end of the season" party for their basketball team and Will really wanted to be able to play knockout with his friends. They played several rounds of knockout and then came in to eat some pizza. Some of the boys went back out to shoot hoops or jump on our trampoline, while a few went to the basement to play the Switch. Our house was full of energy with all these boys and Will, Lauren and Elliott loved every second of it. My family loves hosting events, it is usually me holding us back. I feel like I am finally out of the newborn haze (it's only taken a year!) and up to hosting gatherings at our house more frequently. This month alone we had a group of people over for the Super Bowl, two families over for dinner, one family over for a sauna night and two groups of boys over to celebrate with Will. We are also having friends over for dinner tomorrow.

2020 :: week 8

February 16

Sunday treated us to some gorgeous weather. After church I took the little boys on a walk around the block after taking a long walk myself. Spring is just around the corner and we are ready for it!

February 17

I like to fancy myself as a mom who plans fun things for her kids, but my kids sometimes feel differently. The kids had a four day weekend with President's Day Monday and a teacher work day Tuesday so felt the need to come up with something out of the ordinary to keep them entertained. I texted my friend Carrie and invited her and her kids over Monday and to my delight they were free! Will and Josh played an epic game of basketball while Lauren and Gwen orchestrated and put on a show utilizing our dress up clothes and their younger siblings (Elliott and Ava). Carrie and I talked the entire time about a variety of topics and barely scratched the surface, as usual. It was a fun day and I felt like I scored a major mom-win.

 

February 18

Tuesday we went up to NCCT to have lunch with Anthony. It has been almost a year since we have met Anthony for lunch at his work. The kids enjoyed visiting his new office and saying hello to his co-workers.

February 19

We try to have a few minutes of one-on-one time with each of our kids at bedtime each night. We talk about their "happies" or "sads," and if they don't have one of those they can share a "silly" or a "frustrating." Elliott at age 4.5 is such a delight and makes me laugh all the time. He is my little buddy and I was thinking the other day that at this point I have spent more hours one-on-one with Elliott than any of my kids. He is 3 years 10 months younger than Lauren and 3 years 7 months older than Miles which has worked out to a lot of time alone with mom while Anthony is at work or church things, Will and Lauren are at school and Miles is sleeping.

February 20

A "fun" game that Elliott likes to play is ask my what time I think it is, followed quickly by "but don't look at the clock!" He loves to correct me and let me know that I am wrong. If it is 3:32 and I guess 3:30 he gleefully tells me the exact time. Some days I have more patience for this game than others.

February 21

My mom gave Will this box of contraptions for Christmas a year or two ago. Will got them out a few weeks ago and they have been on heavy rotation. Elliott builds with them daily and Miles often tries to get in on the fun too. Elliott likes to build houses, churches, temples and schools with the planks. Miles likes to knock over, chew and crawl away with the planks. Their style of play isn't always compatible.

February 22

It appears I mostly took pictures of Elliott this week. We try to start our Saturday morning with an hour or so of chores before we do the fun stuff. I do most of the deeper cleaning throughout the week, so it shouldn't take that long. One of Elliott's jobs is the vacuum the stairs. He does a pretty good job and is so proud of himself when he is done. That afternoon Will played in his last basketball game. His team did their best, but they were outmatched.

2020 :: week 7

February 9

Sunday evening Anthony hosted a BYD at our house. I didn't take any pictures while the youth were over, so I snapped this picture of Anthony sweeping up the brownie crumbs after they left. Because Valentine's Day was coming up he gave his "yearly pitch" to the youth for why they should keep the law of chastity.

February 10

Tyler turned six on Monday and we went to his house for dinner and cookie cake. We got him a Pokemon gift set, as he is big in to Pokemon and beyblades these days. It is fun having cousins in town. I grew up over a thousand miles away from all of my cousins, so it is nice being able to participate more fully in the lives of a few of my nephews.

February 11

Sometimes getting through our Come Follow Me discussion and the kids into bed feels like an insurmountable task. Especially when Anthony is not home. As you can see from this picture the boys were being very silly and Lauren was not having any of it.

February 12

Elliott and his buddy Simon walked into school together and tried to catch snowflakes on their tongues. Simon likes to walk in with Elliott and waits for us until we get there. It snowed throughout the day on Wednesday. It didn't accumulate much, and was mostly slushy and wet. Unfortunately the snow was followed by a cold front and everything turned to ice overnight. School was cancelled Thursday because of the icy roads. I wish the schools would institute a late start, because the roads were fine by 10 am.

February 13

Thursday evening I went to book club and we discussed Children of Blood and Bone by Toni Adeyemi. I really enjoyed it, even though it isn't a genre (YA Fantasy) I read very often. If you do read it I recommend the audio version. Because our gathering fell on "Galentine's Day" we all brought a book to exchange. We wrapped the books and wrote descriptions on the outside, so it was a bit of a surprise. I gave the book The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah and got the book City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. It was fun and I'm looking forward to trying another genre I don't read much (YA paranormal fantasy).

February 14

As room parent I was in charge of games for Lauren's class' Valentine's Day party. One of the games I brought was Boom Boom Balloon. In the evening the kids and I played it again.

February 15

Will's team had two great games this weekend. They easily won their game Saturday and lost by one in double overtime on Sunday. Will did not play in the Sunday game, but played great on Saturday. Next week they start their "post season" play, which will probably be tough. I'm glad they had such a great weekend of games because next week is going to be tough.

2020 :: week 6

February 2

Sunday was an exciting day. We had several friends over to watch the Super Bowl with us and it was a full house. Kansas City has been all in on the Chiefs this year and the past week has been especially exciting. Everywhere you go people are talking about how excited there were for the big game. Sunday night things got real and we were all feeling a lot of emotions throughout the game. Luckily the Chiefs pulled off the win and we could all go to bed happy.

February 3

Lauren and Elliott have been putting on performances for Miles and I after school and in the evening They sing a Newsies medley they learned from Vocal Point and incorporate dance moves from the movie and gymnastics moves Lauren is learning in her classes. It can be entertaining, though getting coerced into watching their show can get a little old. Elliott is quite the animated performer and Lauren has good rhythm and flair.

February 4

On Tuesday I got to go with Will's 4th grade class on their field trip to the JCCC. They explored the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art and then watched a play called "Walk On: The Story of Rosa Parks." I had a great time with Will and his classmates and was so impressed by how well behaved they were and their positive attitudes. Part of the tour involved looking at sculptures and various art installations that are outdoors and it was very cold (20 degrees and windy cold!) and the kids handled it like champs! Will has a great group of friends and it was fun to get to know them a little better.

February 5

Wednesday we went to the Chiefs Victory Parade downtown. We tried to make it a fun event--we used hotel points to stay at the Marriott downtown so we would have a safe place to park and could make a hasty exit if we need to. I packed everyone's snow clothes and boots and brought plenty of snacks so no one would complain about getting hungry. Unfortunately it was just plain cold. We deiced that we would send Anthony back to the hotel with Lauren and Elliott to get additional socks and hot chocolate, but when they tried to cross the street we realized that the designated cross-walks had been closed and we wouldn't be able to get back across until after the parade. A few tears were shed, but what's a family memory without a child crying and the parents counting down the seconds until it is over. Actually, once the waiting was over it was really fun and we were all glad to be there. I have heard all three of my children that can talk brag about going to parade so I am going to call it a win.

February 6

Lately Elliott is wanting to help with me when I am working in the kitchen. On Thursday night he helped me cook some BBQ chicken pasta He is getting really good at stirring and seems to genuinely enjoy helping. That evening I went to a conference with his teacher, Ms. Amanda, and she had nothing but wonderful things to say about him.

February 7

On Friday morning I woke up with the worst headache I have had in months. Luckily I  didn't have much planned for the day and we took it easy. I spent most of the morning sitting on the couch, playing with Miles and then watching Halloween Boo-Fest with Elliott. In the afternoon after the big kids came home they were very helpful playing with Miles so I could rest. Anthony took over when he got off work and I went to bed at about 7pm. I feel so grateful for audiobooks and podcasts when I get these awful headaches. I want to be in a dark room, but get bored just lying there for hours. Listening helps me pass the time and not go crazy.

February 8

I wasn't at 100%, but I did feel good enough to watch Will's basketball game Saturday afternoon. Will played pretty well. His team is working to break the press and they fared much better than last week. I have noticed Will working on his cross-over on our driveway this week and saw him use his moves a few times in the game. I was most proud of his hustle and that he fought for a few loose balls.

2020 :: week 5

January 26

Elliott suggested we make another batch of cookies Sunday afternoon. It didn't take much to persuade me. I am really loving our long afternoons now that we have morning church. Anthony and I have been taking afternoon walks together while Miles takes a nap and the other kids are doing their quiet times.

January 27

Miles had a physical therapy appointment Monday morning. One of our goals was to have Miles crawling by 10 months, and he did it! None of our kids have been early crawlers, so I was a little worried. Jessica (his physical therapist) wants us to create "obstacle courses" around the house. Miles does not like to bear weight on his arms and going up and over pillows and soft toys will force him to use his arms. Lauren got really excited about making Miles an obstacle course and I was skeptical about using the basketball hoop but he actually did make it up and over.

January 28

Lauren is loving her gymnastics class. Her friend Daphne is in the class too and we have been carpooling. This week I dropped Elliott off at Daphne's house to play with her brother Nicholas and then took the girls to the gym. Next week Nicholas will come to our house to play while Jolie takes the girls to gymnastics. Elliott looks forward to Tuesdays as much as Lauren does.

January 29

Wednesday evening we braved the crowds and got a picture with the "Chiefs" sign at Union Station. It was so fun seeing downtown lit up in red. We waited in line for about an hour(!). The kids were really good and it was fun talking to the people in line around us.

January 30

Thursday evening was Lauren's second grade music program. It was fun to see her and her classmates perform the songs they have been learning throughout the year. Lauren is quite a performer. She loves to sing and was very animated during the show. My favorite songs they sang were "You've Got a Friend in Me," and "She'll be Comin' Around the Mountain." After the show while we talked to friends Elliott went on stage and sang some Newsies songs. Newsies is his current musical obsession.

January 31

I call this photo: tempation! Because it has been so cold and the park is so wet we haven't been staying at the park to talk and play with our friends. It was still cold and wet on Friday, but I made sure to bundle the boys up and made Elliott wear rain boots.

February 1

He doesn't look it, but Miles was running a fever of 103 this evening. Poor guy has been grumpy all day. I left early from Will's basketball game because Miles was so grumpy and was inconsolable. As soon as we got home and I read him a few books and put him in his crib for a nap. He ended up sleeping for almost four hours! When he woke up he felt hot so I took his temperature and was surprised that it was so high.