2023 :: week 17

April 23

On Sunday evening the Colledges invited our family and the Wilsons over to make s'mores. They live close to our bishop so we were easily able to drop the older kids off at their BYD and then hang out for a bit. The kids had a great time playing and there was easy conversation for the adults. The Colledges are very warm and easy to talk to and the Wilsons are always a good time. Will ended up losing a tooth when he took a bite of his s'more! As soon as he loses a few more teeth he can get braces. 

April 24

Elliott played in his first baseball game of the season Monday night. His team switched from 3&2 to the J, and being that the J is a more recreational league his team is playing "up" this year, which means playing against 2nd graders. Elliott has such an enthusiasm for baseball, no matter where you put him he is ready to go. He made some good plays and after striking out in the first inning got two great hits. Will is keeping track of his stats so he is the source for an in-depth analysis of Elliott's game. Elliott is a great hype man. Any time something good happens, he is cheering/celebrating. I think he wins the "most likely to get called for excessive celebration award."

April 25

Miles quizzed Memaw about mascots for a bit Tuesday afternoon. We stopped by to say hello and refill her pill organizers. Miles was aghast when he learned that Memaw once had a San Diego Chicken t-shirt that she gave away! 

April 26

Will participated in the South Area band concert Wednesday night. Tony took Will and I stayed home to shuttle Lauren to and from soccer practice and put the little guys to bed. After the concert they stopped by my parents house and he gave Memaw and Pepaw a personal performance. My mom has been feeling extra sad lately at how much more difficult it is for her to do things now, and how easily she gets exhausted. Attending a crowded concert at the high school would have been very challenging for her. Will busted out his euphonium and played sections of the Superhero medley the band performed, with samples from the Superman, Batman, James Bond and Austin Powers theme songs.

April 27

Jill invited me and the Rowe sisters over for lunch Thursday. We have been talking about getting the fur of us together ever since Jill moved to KS in 2020, but have yet to make it happen. Covid and babies and ailing parents have been easy excuses, but regular life is busy as well. Jill, Carrie and Katie are all in the same ward, so the three of them see each other all the time. 

April 28

Friday night was spent at the OPC carnival. It was our first carnival since 2019! It was cancelled in 2020 and 2021, and last year we were in Washington DC on carnival night. Will only came for a bit--he had his sights set on winning a bottle of Dr. Pepper in the bottle toss--then he ran home and was picked up by the Bensons to go to Sherk Jr. at Westridge. Because she is on student council, Lauren ran the fishing game for 20 minutes. All the student council kids were asked to help run games and for their efforts they received several Chick-fil-A coupons. When she wasn't helping she walked around with her friends. Tony took Elliott and Miles around. They each ended up with a 2 Liter of soda and baked goods, along with various candy and prizes. I spent most of night running the "Flap Attack!" In this photo Elliott and his classmate Olivia are competing against each other.  

April 29

All four John men got hair cuts Saturday. I cut Anthony, Elliott and Miles' hair, while Will opted to go to Great Clips.

2023 :: week 16

April 16

Lauren and Will participated in the Federation Festival Sunday afternoon. They have been working on their pieces for the past few months and received superiors for both their pieces and theory exams. Will played "Nocturne" by Ted Cooper and "Sonata in A Minor" by Georg Anton Benda. Lauren played "Softly Whisper" and "Power Drive."

April 17

This was a busy week with kid activities. On Monday night Lauren performed with her Junior Raiders choir at the South Choral Festival. They sang three numbers themselves as well as participated with the entire ensemble to sing "Bonse Aba" (a traditional Zambian song). Lauren has had a great experience singing in the honor choir this year and is planning to participate again next year. 

April 18

Tuesday evening the entire family went to Will's first baseball game of the season. Will's team played well, but came up short. They lost 4-5. Will was disappointed he didn't get to pitch this game but he will ready to go at the next game. Funny story--I forgot to pick up Will's new white pants and didn't think it would be that big of a deal. I figured he could squeeze into his old pants one last time. They were tighter than I realized, but he didn't have any other choice. Lauren's team ordered their uniforms together and the order was delayed, so she also wore the pants to her first game Wednesday night. The pants fit Elliott well enough that he will wear them to his games which start next week. The siblinghood of the traveling baseball pants!

April 19

Lauren had her first softball game of the season Wednesday night. The official team uniforms were not quite ready, so Gennie's mom put her Cricket machine to good use and made backup uniforms for the girls. At one point during the game there was a subtle whisper through the crowd that Andy Reid was watching a game at the field next to ours. The rumor turned out to be true, he was watching his grandson. Coach Reid was extremely gracious and both kids were able to get a picture with him. 

April 20

I love watching Miles and Elliott swing together in the backyard. Often they sing and swing. They love it when Anthony comes out and pushes them super high. I have been thinking a lot lately about how much I enjoy my family at this stage. Our younger kids are old enough to sleep through the night. Our oldest kids still enjoy participating in family activities. Now that Miles goes to preschool I get a few hours to myself four days a week, where I am able to get a bit of a "break." Life isn't perfect, but we have moved past many of the struggles associated with babies and haven't hit too many teenager struggles yet.

April 21

Lauren and her crew spend a lot of time on top of the monkey bars after school. For a few months Lauren and her friends would hang out under the trees on the far side of the pool, even though they weren't doing anything wrong, I prefer it when they hang out closer. You'll notice a few younger kids in this picture. They are kindergarteners (Ruth and Ben) in Mrs. Phipps class and Lauren and Cat spend the last 15 minutes of the school day helping in their classroom. Sometimes they sort papers, sometimes they read to the kids, they do whatever Mrs. Phipps needs them to do.

April 22

Our neighbor hired Will to mow their law and he was happy to oblige. It is so nice having a child strong enough to push a mower. After a week of idyllic temperatures it ended up being really cold Saturday. Lauren had her second softball game in the morning and when the wind blew it was freezing!

2023 :: week 15

April 9

For the first time in years we were blessed with a beautiful spring Easter. We had a musical program for Sacrament Meeting, and my favorite numbers were the primary children singing, "Gethsemane," and a small group of YW (including Lauren) singing, "Beautiful Savior." We stopped at Shawnee Mission Park on the way home from church. The lighting was not good, and a few people had staked out the best spots for full-on photo shoots, so we snapped a few quick pictures and headed on our way. In the afternoon we did Easter baskets and had our family egg hunt and I made rolls to take to our family Easter dinner at my parents. 

April 10

Elliott threw up Sunday afternoon, and we thought it was possibly due to lots of junk food and staying up really late Saturday when Mark & Meredith were visiting. He stayed home with Tony while the rest of us went to my parents house for Easter dinner. When he threw up again about an hour after bedtime we thought he might be sick for real. Thankfully, that was the end of the vomit. Monday was a day off school, which was nice because Elliott could recover. He made a comfy reading nook in our front room and read the entire Who Was Jackie Robinson? book Miles got in his Easter Basket. The other kids were a little bummed they couldn't have any friends over. All week I kept waiting for someone else to get sick, but no one ever did, phew!
 

April 11

Tuesday was new piano day! We had 1-800-Got-Junk people out in the morning to cart away our old piano (and freezer). I was pleased that besides a bit of dust and a few random Lego pieces it was pretty clean back there. In the afternoon the piano movers delivered our new piano and Juha came over in the evening to set up the piano humidifier. 

April 12

I went for a few walks on Wednesday--one in the morning after walking with Lauren and Elliott to school, and again in the evening. I love our neighborhood in the spring. The pops of bright colors and beautiful spring weather makes me feel so optimistic. 

April 13

We are all loving the new piano! It is amazing how much better everything sounds when played on it. The kids have been practicing a lot this week to prepare for the Federation Festival this weekend. 

April 14

We had week of beautiful spring weather, but Friday was the prettiest. After school on Friday Lauren went hiking with her girl scout troop at Shawnee Mission Park. Will, Tony and I worked in the yard cleaning out the beds, preparing the garden boxes, and mowing. Will mowed most of the yard by himself! We finished just in time for a storm to blow in overnight and again Saturday afternoon.

April 15

Saturday evening Tony and I met up with our second ward dinner group gathering, this Time at Red Door Grill in Lenexa. We enjoyed getting to know Eric and Kammi B, Terry H, and Amy and Travis C better.

2023 :: week 14

April 2

Sunday morning I wanted to get out of the house before General Conference. Especially with Tony out of town I needed the kids to burn some energy. We decided to do some urban hiking and after breakfast we drove down to the Plaza and walked around Mill Creek Park. The weather was beautiful and the park wasn't very crowded, a perfect combination for our group. Miles was excited when he saw the "blue Abraham Lincoln" on the wall. He became a big fan of Abraham Lincoln after our trip to DC last year. We arrived home with just enough time for me to take a quick shower before Conference began. 

April 3

I got an email from the school Monday informing me that the power was out at Indian Woods, but they were working on it. A few hours later Will's friend contacted me and said that kids could go home if they'd like to and that Will would like me to pick him up. Miles and I picked him up after Miles got out of school. There were several parents in line waiting to pick up our kids when I got there, and the line doubled by the time Will came out. The school was using walkie talkies to communicate because the power was totally out and the intercom system wasn't working. In the evening I got an email that said the power was up and running and that school would be back to normal the next day.

April 4

My parents invited us over for dinner on Tuesday to help out while TJ was in San Antonio. At first I didn't think I would need the help, but by midday Tuesday I was very grateful for their offer. Dinner was simple--Costco pizza and orange slices--but what was really nice was how "normal" it all felt. My mom is feeling strong enough to walk to the door and wave goodbye like she always would before she had her stroke. I didn't realize how much I missed seeing her wave goodbye.

April 5

Soccer practice at six makes dinner time a little tricky. It is hard to eat a filling meal before you run around for 90 minutes, but then afterwards when Lauren is ravenously hungry it is a little late to eat a big meal. Breakfast for dinner feels like a good compromise.

April 6

It is hard to know what Miles hates the most--sleeping, going to bed, or staying in his room. Anthony or I regularly have to sit in the hallway to make sure he stays in his room and that he doesn't get out of bed and start playing with books or stuffed animals. It is a nightly battle. :( 

April 7

Friday evening Lauren played a great game of soccer. She scored early on and played great! Lauren usually tries to diminish how well she plays and make excuses for how she scored ("the goalie wasn't paying attention"), but even she knew she played well. Lauren has turned into a pretty good soccer player, and her games are increasingly intense to watch.

April 8

We spent most of the day Saturday with Anthony's cousin Mark and his girlfriend Meredith. They live in California but are in the Midwest to spend time with Meredith's family in Iowa. Anthony and the boys went with the visitors to The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, then we all met up at Joe's KC for some BBQ. In the afternoon we parted ways for some resting and chores, then got together again for dinner at our place. Back in 2009 Mark shot a "pitch" for a potential tv show starting Anthony and Mark's dad, Bob. We he didn't have the financing to take it very far, and so we never got to see the finished product. Mark found what he had put together and we got to watch it for the first time. Anthony and I have aged a lot in the last 14 years. Yikes! In the evening Mark and Anthony used the sauna with a few of the kids while I visited with Meredith and got to know her. It was a fun and exhausting day for all of us.

2023 :: week 13

March 26

The young men in our ward embarked on a field trip during the second hour on Sunday. A ward member that lives a few blocks from our church building has not been able to attend church and the YM walked to their home and administered the Sacrament.

March 27

I dropped Lauren and Ashton off for honor choir Monday afternoon. I have enjoyed getting to know him better this school year and I appreciate that Lauren's circle of friends is expanding as she participates in this choir.

March 28

My friend Alayna invited me to a "Favorite Things Party" Tuesday night. This favorite things party was focused around books and each brought two copies of a book we enjoyed and we each got to go home with two new-to-us books. We also played a few book related games and ate delicious treats. Alayna is a wonderful hostess. I brought The Psychology of Money and came home with The Bookwoman's Daughter and Edenbrooke.

March 29

Finally our daffodils are beginning to bloom! The down side is that my allergies have been out of control! Poor Elliott, Miles and Will are suffering too. Wednesday evening Lauren I and went to the "Back to Camp" meeting for the girls their parents. Lauren is excited to go to Girl's Camp this year and we are excited for her! I have mostly really great memories of Girl's Camp.

March 30

Elliott had his first baseball practice of the season Thursday night. While Elliott practices with his team Anthony runs a mini practice for Miles and a few other younger siblings in the grass. Several of Elliott's friends have younger siblings Miles' age--at least three of his teammates have younger siblings that will start kindergarten Fall 2024. 

March 31

The weather Friday was all over the place, but the one consistent was wind. In the afternoon I worked to throw away a bunch of garbage from our garage and also took pictures of a few items to post on the "Buy Nothing" facebook page. We are exiting the stroller era of parenthood. At our peak we had four strollers, and now are down to one. 

April 1

Saturday afternoon I had another load of things to take to Savers. Lauren wanted to browse for a bit and we ended up making some really great finds! Several Who Was? books in great condition, a Minions memory game and some cute clothes for Lauren (including this outfit). It makes me smile seeing the 90s styles of my childhood make a comeback. Anthony flew to San Antonio for a work conference in the morning so it was just me and the kids for the next four days.