a very snowy day

Due to the fact that we've had so little snow this year, it is relatively easy to remember the times we did have snow. Last Monday was one of them. It started snowing Sunday night and when we woke up Monday a couple inches of snow blanketed the ground.

Anthony had the day off work (President's Day) so we all bundled up and got to work shoveling the driveway.

Lauren was way more interested in playing than shoveling which was fine. Too bad she doesn't have enough snow experience to make a snow angel in un-shoveled snow.

 Second times the charm.

Later we ventured over to the park and went sledding. I don't know if I've ever seen Will smile so wide.

Pure joy.

Lauren went down the hill too. After one ride down the hill with dad she was ready to go on her own.

She was pretty pleased with herself until she wiped out and her face was white washed. Then she was cold and grumpy. The beginning of the end of our outing.

Will went down as much as we would let him, and then went back with TJ after dinner. Lauren was still feeling a bit frosty towards the snow so the two of stayed behind and watched Cinderella.

A fun way to spend a cold, quiet day.

Oh, and proof that I went sledding too:

Apparently Will and I have the same size heads because I couldn't find my hat when we were getting ready and one of his hats fit me quite comfortably.

2015 :: week 8

February 15

I'm not really sure why I took this picture of Will's row in primary on Sunday, but it's the only picture I did take so here it is. Will's class is the biggest class in our primary with nine kids. We have a really small primary in our ward, which means one of our kids gets to do something at least once a month. Will gave the scripture this week and Lauren got to help with a singing time activity.

February 16

It snowed overnight and after shoveling our driveway we headed to the library for storytime. Our attendance has been spotty lately because Will claims storytimes are "for babies." In his defense, as one of the oldest kids not in school this year there often are children much younger than him at the storytimes. When we were visiting the library last week the librarian told us the upcoming storytime had a dinosaur theme and that was all it took to reel Will back.

February 17

Lauren with a stool is a dangerous thing. It almost always means she's up to something that she doesn't want to ask an adult for help with.

February 18

We went back to the Lenexa Gym for Me again Wednesday morning. As we walked in I felt colder than I had in a long time. I checked the temperature on my phone and it said it was 18 degrees and felt like -2 with the wind chill. Brrr! At the gym Lauren quickly made friends with a group of girls and rode around with them in a wagon their grandma was pulling.

February 19

It's always a gamble driving anywhere with Lauren in the late afternoon. She's at that stage where she never naps but could still use an hour or two most days. The downside is that she usually wakes up crying and it takes a good 10-15 minutes (or a tv show) to snap her out of her post-nap funk.

February 20

Will and his "monster plate" of stroganoff. Our kids are going through a rather picky phase when it comes to food, but one food that Will eats without a fight every single time we make it is stroganoff. It is always a bonus when there are leftovers because then he can have a great lunch the next day too.

February 21

We tried out Pie Five for dinner Saturday night. I've been wanting to check it out for a long time and we finally got around it. The fact that I spent most of the day nursing a headache and reading may have contributed to our decision to go out. It was nice that we could get a pizzas made exactly the way each of us wanted it. Compromise is great, but sometime you just want what you want. Will and Lauren got cheese to split, so maybe that's why I've grown wary of pizza compromise--nothing but cheese for these two.

2015 :: week 7

February 8

Anthony left right after church (we had Stake Conference, so we got out at noon instead of 4pm) to head for Atlanta for a work conference. This is the laundry he folded the night before he left to lighten my load for the week. I had a very frustrating day with Will on Saturday and it was nice to start the week off with baskets full of freshly washed and folded laundry. I don't give Anthony enough credit as I should for the nice things he does.

February 9

Will has been going a bit stir-crazy recently so I decided to make more of an effort to get out of the house this week. Monday we went to the Lenexa Open Gym. It's a great option for getting out of the house and the kids always enjoy themselves. The first time we went (2 years ago) Lauren was about 15 months old and Will had just turned 3. Now when we go Will is one of the biggest kids there. Will had a great time riding a bike around the gym and challenged Lauren and me to a several races. We had a fun morning.

February 10

It's hard for me to keep track of all of Lauren's antics. She keeps me on my toes day and night. We routinely find toys hidden under her pillow or stickers in her blankets that she takes out to play with after bed. The other night I went and checked on her because I could hear noise coming from her room over and hour after I put her to bed. When I walked into her room she was very pleased to pull her covers show me she was wearing her slippers to bed.

February 11

Sometimes it takes the whole family to take out the trash. Our trash pickup is Thursday morning, so I typically try to gather up trash from the bedrooms and bathrooms during the day on Wednesday. Anthony got home from the airport right at dinnertime and he helped the kids take it out to the big trashcans and then the curb after we ate.

February 12

Our monthly relief society meetings moved to the second Thursday this year. I recently got called to be the Enrichment counselor in the Relief Society presidency in my ward, which means these nights are now a big part of my life. The theme was "Love One Another." We had four stations--cookie decorating, cup cake decorating, valentine candy-gramming, and an anonymous compliments game. Despite the cold we had a great turnout. It was a fun evening.

February 13

We ran several errands Friday afternoon, one of which was a Target trip. Will and Lauren love getting stickers from the cashiers at Target. If the cashier doesn't offer one they ask, which I find a bit embarrassing.

February 14

We had a low-key Valentine's Day. We ate an early dinner, then went to the library and let the kids pick out a movie to watch (The Muppet Christmas Carol) and the grocery store to buy some ice cream. It's hard to compromise on a flavor when one person's vote is based entirely on color (pink). We spent the evening watching the movie, eating ice cream and playing Sequence. It was a nice way to spend a day designated for love.

2015 :: week 6

February 1

Lauren really likes going to Sunbeams. Her teachers have each child hold on to a rope when they walk through the hallway to get a drink and use the bathroom. Apparently they take turns being the line leader. Though she wasn't in this picture, Lauren was pleased to report to me that she got to be a line leader at some point during the day.

February 2

We have been trying to be more deliberate about our FHEs. At this point I feel like our life is FHE because we are always together, or at least I feel like the kids and I spend 99% of our time together, so the need for a formal FHE feels a bit silly. But this year we've been more diligent about plannig and executing a FHE with songs, a lesson, activity and treat. Will is leading the music, though you can't quite tell what he is doing with his arm. I really need to upgrade my phone.

February 3

Anthony and Will played some baseball after baths Tuesday evening. Hearing Will use phrases like, "You crushed it," or "That was roped," make me smile, because he obviously is parroting phrases he's heard TJ use.

February 4

I noticed trucks driving around pouring salt on the roads while we were out and about Wednesday morning. I had my doubts that it would actually snow, but it did. It started to snow while we were dropping Will off at preschool and when Lauren and I were getting ready to pick him up a few hours later we saw that the flakes were sticking. Not for long, within 48 hours the snow had completely melted.

February 5

It had been a long time since we last got together with the Diggins for lunch. Thursday afternoon they came over and the kids played while Carrie and I attempted to catch up. The kids played really well together, which was nice. It is hard to tell what they are doing in this picture, but they are playing a live action Mario game. Each kid was a Mario character (all I can remember is that Will was Bowser and Cami was Princess Peach) and they ran all over the house as if they were playing Mario Kart. Will is dying for a Wii. What he doesn't realize is that by making up and playing his own version of the game with friends where they actually run around and are being creative he is giving me no motivation to go out and buy one. I have nothing against the Wii, but I am cheap and hesitant to add any additional screens to our lives at this point. 

February 6

Friday was a bit of a rough day. Lauren has had a night-time cough for the past few days that has been waking us up throughout the night for several nights. By Friday I was quite tired. Will has been more argumentative and aggressive when he feels wronged or is corrected lately and it is exhausting. It was a rough afternoon of me trying to keep my cool and remember my long term goal of wanting Will to grow up to be a content, productive and useful member of society. All I wanted to do was lock him in his room and take a nap. I didn't expect five to be such an emotional age. Eventually I told the kids they had to go outside for a bit (it was relatively warm). As I watched them through the window from the quiet house things felt so peaceful. It was only for a few minutes, but it was definitely a highlight of my day.

February 7

Will, Lauren and I played some pretty epic games of Sequence Jr. today. Try as Lauren and I might, Will beat us 3 out of 4 games.The fact that he seemed to draw exactly the card he needed at just the right time didn't hurt him (or help us!) either.

2014 :: week 5

January 25

My parents saved me Sunday morning when I still felt awful and Tony some things he had to take care of before church. They watched the kids and drove them to church for us which was such a relief. I hate my headaches more than almost anything. The kids prefer my parents so they were happy too.

January 26

Will had become quite the helper recently. He always wants to help, especially it seems, when his help is not very helpful. I've been trying my best to include him when I can. I don't want to squash his helpful attitude! He is now my designated cheese grater and gets upset when cheese isn't part of the plan. I keep reminding myself that learning is messy and it's more important for my kids to learn new skills and how to work than for me to get things done quickly and with as little mess as possible.

January 27

Lauren and I spent some time at the library together while Will was at school. She put on quite a show with the flannel board characters.

January 28

Wednesday was unseasonably warm. 72 degrees warm. We spent hours doing various things outside and it was awesome. After I picked Will up from school we went to the park. The kids decided the playground was a pirate ship and tried to keep other kids from climbing up. Obviously they didn't really keep people off the playground, but there was a lot of racing back and forth and sending people "off the plank" (down the slide). It's always nice to see how quickly and easily kids start playing with other kids they've never met before.

January 29

Lauren is singing in the tub. She sings constantly. She was singing an Enchanted song when I took this picture.

January 30

Friday we went to a children's craft activity at Whole Foods. The kids made sunflowers in honor of Kansas' 154th birthday the day before. There were also coloring sheets and some healthy snacks. Both kids had a great time, Lauren loved all the glue and Will was very careful about placing each of his petals just so.

January 31

Because of my headache last weekend we had a lot of Saturday chores to make up this week. I let the kids help me wash the mirrors and windows. It amazing how they can turn everything into a competition. They were both beside themselves when the other got a turn with the spray bottle. Saturday was a busy day. Tony had a midday move and then that evening we went on a date to Oklahoma Joes. 

2015 :: week 4

January 18

Sunday evening my dad showed us some old home videos. He and some of my sisters have been working on getting the old VHS tapes transferred to DVD. I had a lot fun watching the movies. What is crazy is that when I watch these videos I am instantly taken back to myself at 10 years old, and it doesn't feel that long ago. Then I look at my parents and realize that they are only a few years older than I am now and the reality that a lot of time has passed hits.

January 19

We cashed in a Red Robin gift card Monday night. There was a balloon artist in the house and he made some really cool balloons for the kids. Will got a rattlesnake and Lauren got two dogs kissing with a heart between the two.

January 20

We got ready for bed a little quicker than usual (the kids are usually anything but quick, searching for ways to elongate the bedtime process), so we had time to put a few puzzles together. Will got this sea life puzzle for Christmas and enjoys correcting me when I misidentify the fish.

January 21

Sometimes all my library holds come in at once and I have to read like crazy. Unfortunately I got a migraine over the weekend that slowed my reading progress (my eyes hurt to much to read when I have headaches).

January 22

We've been spending a lot of time with Lauren sitting on the toilet lately. Her toilet-usage skills regressed a bit during and after our trip to Boston, but she is finally starting to where we'd like her to be. People told me potty training girls was easier than boys, but in our family the opposite has been true.

January 23

Reading scriptures before bed. We recently finished reading the children's New Testament and started reading the Old Testament.

January 24

I got a migraine this weekend. I tried to push through it but after playing around with the idea of laying down in my trunk in the Costco parking lot for a bit because I didn't know if I could handle the five-minute drive home I knew I needed to surrender. I typically stay my dark room with a fan on while I'm trying to get through a migraine, but it is hard for me to sleep and so I slowly go crazy. I came out to the couch for a bit in the afternoon and Lauren volunteered to be my doctor. She gave me a checkup and lots of shots, but don't worry she had a kitty band aid ready for me.

2015 :: week 3

January 11

Sunday evening we had dinner with my parents. After we feasted on fried chicken, mashed potatoes and carrots Will took on Pepaw in a few rounds of Spot It! We survived our first week of afternoon church, and the first time the kids have had afternoon church in their lives (though we did have 11:30am church the in 2010 when Will was a baby). They were confused that I made them eat lunch before church, didn't each much, and then were frustrated when I made them wait an hour for dinner.

January 12

I don't know why this picture flipped, it was landscape when I took it. Will helped me with our FHE lesson by illustrating some of the stories we talked about. He insisted on writing what the picture illustrated in the life of Christ on each picture: 'Blessing' the Nephite Children, getting baptized in the River 'Jordan's flow,' and the 'First Vision.' The final picture is Will and Tony at a Royals game on Fireworks Friday. Our lesson was about Christ being an obedient son, so Will decided we needed a picture of him and his dad having fun together too.

January 13

After water aerobics Tuesday night the kids played in the Explorer Room at Matt Ross for awhile. Will climbed to the very top. I have distinct memories of having to climb up in this equipment 18 months ago to help him down because he was too scared to move up or down.

January 14

The weather finally got above freezing (37 degree high) and the kids decided it was playgroud weather. Will begged to go to the park and though I wasn't in the mood, I knew that spending another afternoon indoors with restless kids would be a punishment to me, so we walked to the park. They climbed a bit and then both wanted to get in the swings. They felt a lot colder after spending time in the swings. Also worth mentioning is we went grocery shopping and saw the actor who played Al in the TV show Home Improvement (he's in town preforming at the New Theater Restaurant).

January 15

It was even warmer Thursday so I decided I'd spend an hour raking leaves in the front yard. When we came home from Boston our front yard was COVERED in leaves. Some had fallen from our trees and most had blown from down the street. Will was excited to help and very proud of the rather large pile he raked all by himself. Jokes on him though, now I know he is capable so he's stuck raking leaves with me as long as he lives at home.

January 16

We had a rough week behavior-wise with the kids. We're all experiencing a bit of cabin fever, Will especially likes to get outside and run around. I took the kids to Pump it Up! and they were able to jump and run and play to their hearts' content. Both kids had a lot of fun, they especially enjoyed ganging up on me in the Coliseum inflatable, pelting me with the balls. Lauren would help retrieve the balls and give them to Will who would then throw them at me. They seem to get along best when they have a common enemy, me.

January 17

Saturday evening the sister missionaries in our ward (Sisters Fa'anunu and Buckhave) came over and helped us rake the leaves in our backyard. They heard me complaining about the leaves and offered to come help. I wasn't going to push them to do it, but then they texted me Friday night and said they wanted to come over and help the next day. They were awesome helpers and again Will had a great time working with them to amass a giant leaf pile. The trees in our yard (pin oaks) tend to hold on to their leaves longer than most and drop them a bit at a time all winter long. Most of the leaves are finally bare. It was nice having the missionaries help, they had better attitudes than Anthony and I do and the additional adult labor made the work go so much faster.