2021 :: week 52

December 19

Sunday morning shenanigans. Things get extra wild on the weeks that I teach Sunday school, because usually I am doing some last minute tweaking to my lesson and Anthony is unavailable because he is in pre-church meetings. Pokemon has make a resurgence in our lives, thanks to a live-action game that Elliott and his friend Nicholas have been playing at the park after school.  

December 20

Miles and I have been trying to soak up the last few minutes of quiet time before the kids are off school for the next two weeks. Also, we recently got a new rug for the TV room. 

December 21

The kids got out of school at 12:30pm on Tuesday. Will's friend Porter is moving to Louisburg, so his mom arranged for an "unofficial" skate party at Skate City. Lauren and Elliott decorated sugar cookies with the Ules. Tony took his car in to the shop to get the heater fixed. His car has not been producing hot air since then end of last winter, and it hasn't been a problem until it started to get cold again this year. 

December 22

We had planned on going to see the trains and the lights, but bad behavior determined we were overtired and needed to reschedule. We stayed home and had a quiet game night instead. Clue Jr. is one of my favorite kids games. Elliott played on his own for the first time and did really will--with a lot of coaching/reminding from me to check things off. :)
 

December 23

It was a good choice to wait a day to go to Union Station. Everyone was well rested and had a great attitude. We walked through the photo-op exhibits, let Elliott and Miles ride the train, looked at the train exhibit and took a picture by the huge Christmas tree. There was a cool Lego display that had several scenes from famous Christmas movies, i.e. The Grinch, Home Alone, Elf, Christmas Vacation, Miracles on 34th Street, etc. After walking through Union Station we hopped on the street car and road to the City Market for a delicious meal at Pigwich. We then road back to Union Station and walked to Crown Center via the Skybridge. Miles loves the Skybridge AND the climb-on toys next to the Mayor's Christmas Tree. It was a really fun, Christmay-s outing. We went home and watched Home Alone 2 and I gave Anthony, Elliott and Miles haircuts. 

December 24

We spent the morning and early afternoon at the zoo. Last year Nana and Papa gave the kids a zoo membership for Christmas and it expires at the end of the month. We wanted to get one last visit in while we can. The weather was beautiful and we had fun interactions with the penguins, tigers and hippos. We road the train, sky safari, tram and carousel. That evening we went to Memaw and Pepaw's house for soup and a reading of Luke 2. This year we had a Mary, two donkeys and a sheep. 

December 25

We had a fabulous Christmas. The kids were quiet and didn't make up mom, dad and Miles before 7am as we requested. The kids were generous givers and gracious receivers. Our kids are at a great age for a magical Christmas!

2021 :: week 51

December 12

The little guys took baths before church, then Elliott read to Miles from one of our Christmas books. Miles likes the page talking about the angel Gabriel because one of his best buddies is named Gabriel. As I helped Miles get dressed I told him he looked handsome like dad and he said, "handsome like Elliott." It's no secret around here who Miles' favorite person is.

 

December 13

Monday was a productive day. After school I took the kids to get their second Covid shot. After dinner we headed to Crown Center to use the Giving Machines. Our church sponsors the Giving Machines and they place them in various metropolitan areas each year at Christmastime. This year they are in Kansas City and we wanted to take advantage. We bought several chickens, a space heater, healthy groceries and bus rides. 

December 14

We have had amazing weather recently, which means extra time at the park after school. Lauren and her friends did a "braid chain" that provided a perfect photo op for the moms who were busy chatting about upcoming holiday plans. 

December 15

The warm weather came to an abrupt end Wednesday afternoon. The day started off warm, humid and windy. In the afternoon it reached the mid-70s, but after school the clouds started to roll in and the wind was blowing really hard. We turned on the local news to watch the weather updates when Anthony got home from work. The rain started to pour and the wind kept blowing. Fences fell down, trampolines blew over and tree branches broke off. Thankfully we had our tree trimmed a few weeks ago, so only a few small branches broke off our tree. 

December 16

Henry has a birthday the day before Will, so we gathered at the Allred's house to celebrate the two boys. We had pizza, fruit, cake and ice cream. Beforehand, Memaw picked Will up after school and took him on his birthday shopping trip. Will got a few books, a water bottle and a headset to use when he's playing videogames. 

December 17

Will is 12! To celebrate Anthony took Will and a few of his friends to Main Event after school on Friday. They had fun on the ropes course and playing laser tag, but spent most of their time at the arcade. With Will's birthday so close to Christmas we typically just celebrate with family, so it was a fun treat for Will to spend his birthday with a few of his good buddies. These boys are all in the same class this year and enjoy sports and video games. After Main Event they came back to our house for pizza, soda, video games and air hockey.

December 18

The kid's had their holiday Christmas Concert Saturday afternoon. Will and Lauren preformed their first duet, Joy to the World perfectly. There were bumps along the way, as they first learned their individual parts, and then started playing together. The duet forced them to be patient with each other, and I think they both learned a lot. I love listening to the beautiful music they make. 

2021 :: week 50

 

December 5

Lauren and I stayed home from church because we were both pretty tired from getting sick Friday night/Saturday. Miles stayed home too because why mess with his nap if we don't have to. My dad came by and watched the kids for me so I could go to church and teach my Sunday School lesson. It went alright. I feel like I spend a lot of time thinking about the lesson on the weeks I teach, but usually how well the lesson goes depends on the people in the room and the comments they make. I didn't take a single picture, but I did screenshot a scripture and circled the action words that are important for us to be receptive to receiving revelation and insight. 

December 6

Hyvää itsenäisyyspäivää!! Anthony celebrated the Finnish Independence Day with a trip to the sauna. Will threw up in the night and stayed home from school Monday. In the past we have had friends or family over for a dinner of salmon soup, but decided to wait a day until everyone was feeling better. Everyone in the family besides Tony and Miles have thrown up in the past week, so TJ is feeling a paranoid.

December 7

Will was back to school on Tuesday, so Miles and I were able to get out and run a few errands. Miles looks so much like Will did when he was a toddler. Miles desperately wants to be like his big brothers and chose to throw on a baseball hat when we walked to the park.

December 8

I picked up Lauren at the park after math club and then drove her directly to piano. Lauren is a participator and likes to keep busy. Earlier in the week she had girl scouts where she made Holiday cards for seniors and pupcicles for the animal shelter. 

December 9

A nice thing about having older kids, is that you can outsource some of the bedtime story readings. Will read to Elliott and Miles from the beloved Star Wars book before bed. Elliott picked out Who's Who in the Star War's Galaxy on his birthday shopping trip with Memaw last year and it has been looked at almost every day since.

December 10

It was a weekend of holiday parties. On Thursday evening I went to trivia night at Grinders to celebrate two friend's birthdays. On Friday Anthony and I went to the socially distanced Stake Council Christmas dinner. Saturday we went to the NCCT Christmas Dinner at Fiorellas. Will and Lauren babysat for us and successfully put Miles to bed both Friday and Saturday night. 

December 11

Saturday afternoon Anthony and Will met up with the youth and went to Crown Center. They went ice skating at the Ice Terrace and then used some money they earned doing service projects for ward members at the giving machines. They bought a goat, pig, beehive and space heater. 

2021 :: verse 49

 

November 28

The "crazy lights" are back! The kids love watching this light show located around the corner from my parent's house. We try to stop for a song or two each time we visit my parents. A few years ago we started calling this the "crazy lights house," and unfortunately Miles now calls all Christmas lights "crazy lights."

November 29

We scheduled a visit with Santa at Bass Pro for Monday evening. You can't really see it in this photo, but there is a plastic partition between Santa and the public. Good thing too, because Elliott threw up twice between when this picture was taken and when we arrived at home. I wish I could say this was the first time we've had a child get sick at Bass Pro, but it isn't. Will threw up at Bass Pro back in 2013, though then it was much more crowded and people weren't wearing masks. This year our kids "asked" Santa for video games, Lego sets, baseball cards and books for Christmas.

November 30

Elliott stayed home from school Tuesday. He threw up a few times Monday evening, but slept through the night just fine. We had him sleep on an extra crib mattress in our room just in case, and he was up at his usual 6am. Miles loved having his best buddy home. I tried to make him rest, but he wasn't interested in that. While Miles napped we mapped out the different worlds in our Disney Eye Spy game. Elliott is an active kid, and after school he likes to play at the park with friends or outside in our yard as much as possible. It was fun getting some quiet one-on-one time with him, though we were both ready for him to head back to school the next day.  

December 1

Jill and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and headed to the zoo again Wednesday. Since we spent out last visit in "Africa" we explored "Australia" and the Kid Zone. We road the train and carousel too, of course, as well as played at the playground. It was a busy day, that afternoon the kids had piano and then activity days and mutual. The girls assembled blessings bags and the youth bought and wrapped Christmas presents for one of the girls our ward "adopted."

December 2

Jolie and I took the little guys to the park Thursday morning, and the 4th graders happened to be at recess while we were there. Miles and Gabriel were excited to see their big sisters. Lauren was in the middle of a four-square game, but made a quick stop at the fence when there was a lull in the action. Kick ball is a big deal in the 4th grade and the source of many happies and sads at the end of the day.

December 3

As soon as we found out BYU was going to be playing Missouri State in basketball this year we decided we had to plan a road trip to Springfield and go to the game. Anthony reached out on Facebook about things to do with kids and our friend Sara offered us free tickets to Silver Dollar City. On paper we planned an amazing weekend. Unfortunately, life doesn't always turn out according to plan. It was an unseasonably hot day and the park was very crowded. We spent several hours at the park, and while we had moments of fun, we were all exhausted by the time we left. We hope to plan a do-over sometime next year. We didn't know it at the time, but Lauren and I were both coming down with whatever Elliott had had earlier in the week. When no one showed any signs of being sick four days after he got sick we figured we were in the clear to go on our trip. In the middle of the night Friday I threw up, and the next morning Lauren woke up feeling terrible. 

December 4

Instead of a fun, family day in Springfield we had to divide and conquer. Tony took the kids to the park while Lauren and I rested and watched Christmas movies on TV. Tony dropped Miles off at the hotel to nap, and the boys went to a pizza and root beer tailgate party at the institute building and then on to the game. BYU beat Missouri State and both Will and Elliott had a great time. Tony even went and took a picture next to the bear statue with the boys without me even asking. Lauren and I felt good enough to drive home, so we drove home that evening so we could sleep in our own beds. The trip turned out to be a bit of a disappointment, but that's life. Tony and the boys got to see BYU play and we got a taste of how fun Silver Dollar City can be. Memories were definitely made! 

2021 :: week 48

 

November 21

We recently got Lauren an alarm clock and it has done wonders for our relationship in the morning. She has been getting up in the morning by herself without any reminding from me and we are both loving this change.

November 22

John Family Staycation 2021 officially began Monday. The Marriott Downtown is one of Elliott's favorite Kansas City landmarks, and he gets especially excited to stay here. When Tony got off work we checked into the hotel. On our way down we briefly shared an elevator with Ronnie Brewer (former Utah Jazz player and current recruiting coordinator for the Arkansas Razorbacks) who was in town for the CBE tournament. We walked to Main Street and caught the streetcar to the City Market and got a delicious dinner at Pigwich (one of our favorite places to eat as a family in KC). We rode the streetcar back and then swam in the pool. After we tired ourselves out swimming we returned to our room and watched Monday Night Football while preparing for the next day.

November 23

We planned a "Kansas City from the rooftop/scenic viewpoints" tour, but it was not as easy to execute as we had hoped. The observation deck at City Hall was closed, but we were able to go to the roof of the Downtown Branch of the KC Public Library. We spent some time there, visiting the vault, perusing the shelves and playing with their Magnatiles. We visited Green Roof Park, adjacent to the Power and Light District. The park wasn't quite as pretty as it was when we last visited in the summer, but it had a cool view. At this point we got hungry and headed to Arthur Bryant's for some historic KC BBQ. Unfortunately we got there right with the lunch rush and had to wait for quite awhile. The ribs and burnt end sandwich were delicious and helped us get over our hanger. At this point we decided to divide and conquer. Anthony dropped me and the three younger kids off at home so we could rest and he took Will back into the city. They went up the tower at the Liberty Memorial, visited The Scout statue at the nearby Penn Valley Park and the Lewis & Clark Statue at West Terrace Park on Quality Hill. Will asked Tony if he could see where the Kansas City-Omaha Kings played, so they visited the Hy-Vee, formerly Kemper Arena and the Municipal Auditorium. They had an adventure checking out those two buildings and it has ignited Will's interest in history. He has mentioned to both Tony and I a few times that he "really likes history." We had a fun day and look forward to doing more staycations in the future. 

November 24

Papa and Nana sent a Christmas box and it arrived on Wednesday. One of the things they sent us was a bag of "snowballs" so we could have an indoor snowball fight. The kids got really into it and all of us were rolling around on the floor laughing at one point.

November 25

We had a great Thanksgiving Day, but I didn't take many pictures. It was one of our busier Thanksgivings. In the morning Will and Anthony went to SMS to play Turkey Bowl football with a group Uncle Matt assembled. Lauren and I went to a church in North Kansas City to assemble "blessings bags" with Memaw and a few friends from church. That evening we gathered at my parents house to have dinner with the local family, Dana and Laura (Jill's roommate from BYU). 

November 26

Our neighbors hosted a Friendsgiving on Friday. It was fun to gather together, eat even more good food and spend time with friends. 

November 27

After spending the day attending to miscellaneous chores to prepare for the week ahead, we went to Elf at the IMAX. Seeing a "holiday classic" at Union Station has become a staple on our "Christmas Season Bucket List" over the years. I was a little worried at how Miles would do, but he did fine. I had to hold him and distract him with candy, but the crowd was mostly families and he wasn't even close to the loudest kid there. I love hearing my kids laugh, and there was lots of laughter from the big three. Miles got excited whenever they talked about Miles Finch.

2021 :: week 47

November 14

Last year we didn't get to have a Primary Program, and I was really bummed Will missed out on his "last program." This year or ward did a slightly shortened program. The kids did a really good job with their parts. Thanks to the wonders of technology and church zoom, grandparents and family members near and far could hear the kids say their parts. Earlier that day we got to watch our Starita cousins in their primary program in Boston. 

November 15

We met the Allreds at the zoo Monday morning. As long as we keep getting great weather we are going to keep going to the zoo as often as possible. This time we "went to Africa." We still rode the train and saw the penguins, but we also rode the tram and walked the Africa loop. I was disappointed there was only one gorilla out, and that it was wasn't easy to see. The gorillas are usually a highlight for me. The hippos were very active, swimming around their little pond, and we saw several elephants as we walked along the path. While we were walking over the bridge a train passed under us. The boys were excited by the loud train whistle and how fast the train was moving.  

November 16

Tuesday evening the kids got their first Covid shot. I promised the kids peppermint milk shakes from Chick-fil-A to keep them from getting nervous, but no one was that nervous and they all said they "didn't really hurt." They didn't appear to have any side effects from the first dose besides sore arms.

November 17

We reached a new family milestone on Wednesday--first school band concert. It was a combined band/orchestra concert, with each group performing five songs. Will did awesome, he even had a short "solo" in "We Will Rock You." Traditionally, band starts in 5th grade in our school district, but due to Covid they weren't able to offer band and orchestra to 5th graders. A few of the kids had taken private lessons, but most of the kids were brand new to their band instruments. Will plays the trumpet, like his father and paternal grandfather before him.

November 18

Daphne's mom took the girls out for hot chocolates and pastries after school on Thursday. The girls are really so very delightful. 

November 19

I really wanted to see the Beaver Moon and lunar eclipse Thursday night. Unfortunately, I struggle with insomnia and occasionally struggle to sleep. This week I haven't slept well so I decided it wasn't worth it to set a middle-of-the-night to get up and see the moon. As luck would have it Miles woke up crying at 3:30am. I was able to quickly help him get settled and then went outside to see the moon. It looked so cool! I was even able to fall back asleep pretty quickly after my nocturnal adventures. The days are getting very short now, it's already dark when I go for a walk after Tony gets home from work. 

November 20

Saturday was a busy day, starting early with a 8am indoor soccer game for Lauren. She played pretty well, but much prefers outdoor soccer. She does not like the physicality, especially at the wall. 

2021 :: week 46

 

November 7

I'm not exactly sure what is going on here, some sort of monkey in the middle game the kids were playing in the cultural hall after church. Because the kids used the chapel to practice for the program, Sunday School was taught in the Relief Society room. I was nervous to teach in such a comparatively intimate setting, but it actually went really well. 

November 8

Another Monday, another day at the zoo with the Allreds. Miles and Arthur have started to memorize the lay of the land and can even lead us to some places. We checked out the Tropics for the first time with Arthur and both boys were fascinated with the porcupines. 

November 9

The kindergartener's at OPC make a "Thankful Plateful" in the weeks before Thanksgiving. Elliott is thankful for (among many things) his family, home, friends, sports, Twix, books (Pug the Pig is a favorite), Miss Phipps and Jesus. 

November 10

I signed up to feed the missionaries on Wednesday, and decided to splurge and buy fresh fruit. Miles couldn't help himself and spilled $7 of raspberries all of the parking lot of Sam's. I was pretty miffed! 

November 11

Zupa Toscana, our first soup of the season. My favorite part of the fall and winter is all the yummy soups. 

November 12

The finishing touches to the kitchen are starting to come together. The molding on the walls is up, the ceilings are painted, the walls are sanded and prepped to paint and the grout is in the backsplash. Friday night we watched Yesterday and every time I looked back at the kitchen I got excited to see how far things have come. 

November 13

Tony and I visited the new KC History Museum Saturday afternoon. It is housed in the old R.A. Long house, Corinthian Hall, and across the street from Kessler Park. We actually parked across the street from it the week before when we went on the Cliff Drive. The first floor of the museum was dedicated to the Long family. Robert Long was a lumber magnate and developer who arrived in Kansas in the 1870s. He was a driving force behind the Liberty Memorial and hosted dignitaries from the Allied Powers in the home during the dedication. The Longs had two daughters, one of whom was an accomplished equestrian. Their farm, Longview Farm, near Lee's Summit, was where they housed their many animals. Longview Lake, a popular area for summer recreation was part of the farm. The upper floors talked about the history of Kansas City, starting with the native peoples and then the Lewis and Clark Expedition, down to current day. It was not the most thorough of museums, but I enjoyed our time there. 

2021 :: week 45

 

October 31

Miles and I watched Halloween Boo-fest while we handed out candy on Halloween. I tried to take him to a few houses, but he just wanted to eat the mini bag of m&ms he got at the first house. He clearly doesn't understand the long game of trick-or-treating. Knox joined Will, Elliott and Tony and Lauren met up with her gaggle of girl friends to go out together. I had a fun night in our cozy house and enjoyed seeing all the kids and some parents that stopped by our place. 

November 1

Lauren had fun sorting and counting her candy while I read to her from The Wishing Spell, book one from the new series we started reading The Land of Stories. 

November 2

Miles and I voted Tuesday morning after water aerobics. He really wanted to push the buttons on the screen when I was trying to vote, but thankfully didn't mess up any of my selections. He only has to wait 16 years before he gets a turn.

November 3

Wednesday night was mutual and activity days. The activity days girls made bird feeders and the youth made s'mores. While the kids and Anthony were at the activity I went to Floor and Decor to pick up the backsplash for our kitchen. I have struggled to commit, but am excited about the choice we made. 

November 4

The trees in our yard are due for a trim. We attempted to schedule the trimming back in July, but the arborists we use are so good they were booked until this fall. I was so grateful they came because our neighbor was getting very impatient with us. She hasn't liked our tree for years, and she really didn't like it when the branches were hanging heavy over her driveway. It looks so much better now, freshly trimmed. 

November 5

The backsplash is in and it looks awesome! It has to cure over the weekend and then they will grout it. It is fun to see the kitchen fully come together. 

November 6

For the first time in weeks we didn't have any obligations Saturday. I made the executive decision that we were going to go on an adventure. We drove to Kessler Park in KC, MO, and walked along the Cliff Drive. The Cliff Drive has been around since early 1900s (in fact it was first built to accommodate horse drawn carriages) but has had periods where it was unusable. It was designed by landscape architect George Kessler to wind through the wooded hills and limestone bluffs and overlooks the east bottoms. It eventually was paved to accommodate automobiles, and then feel into disrepair. It is now totally closed to vehicles, but it open to pedestrians and bicyclists. We started at Scaritt Point and walked to the Kessler Waterfall where we enjoyed a picnic lunch. Miles was not interested in walking fast so we didn't go as far as we would have liked, but it was still fun. It was a gorgeous fall morning, and we saw some of the largest leaves I have ever seen. After our walk we loaded up the van and headed to the Liberty Jail. We recently studied the revelations Joseph Smith received while in the Liberty Jail and I really wanted to take our kids there. It had been years since they had been, I don't think Miles had ever been there before. We had a nice visit and then headed home.