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. 

2021 :: week 44

October 24

Tony and I go for walks most evenings and it is one of my favorite parts of the day. It's just the two of us, without the distraction of kids or technology. We spend the time discussing the events of the day, venting about whatever is bugging us at the moment and talking freely without any "extra" ears. 

October 25

Miles has really gotten into Star Wars. The other day I was prepping for my Sunday School lesson by listening to a podcast when the podcasters started talking about Nauvoo. Miles got excited, ran over to me and yelled, "Naboo!?" 

October 26

Lauren is extremely organized. Spelling on the other hand...She made a to-do list for after dinner on Tuesday and I think she got through five of the six items on her list. Lauren regularly writes lists and notes to herself and I love finding them.

October 27

After a slow start the leaves have started to change rapidly over the past week. I love pulling into our neighborhood and driving under the gorgeous canopy. I have attempted to take several pictures, and they just don't do the beauty justice.

October 28

I made the mistake of bragging to Tony earlier this week that I haven't had to use migraine medicine in over six weeks. This week I had to use it on three different days. The weather took a sharp turn, after being unseasonably warm for the past few weeks it got cold and very rainy. Miles was patient with me while I spent extra time resting. 

October 29

Friday night Anthony took the big kids to World's of Fun. I had planned on going as well, but the last thing my head needed to experience after a few days of headaches was gravity-defying drops and exhilarating loops.  During the month of October World's of Fun does a "Halloween Haunt" and has fog machines, and "monsters" that would jump out and try to scare you. The kids were brave and are already asking to go back next summer, before the "monsters" come out. 

October 30

After a few days of gloomy weather, Saturday treated us to sunny warm weather and we spent much of it outside. Will had his final baseball game. We trunk or treated at both Hy-Vee and church. Even though he was tired from staying out late with the older kids at Worlds of Fun, Tony still stayed up late to watch BYU play UVA.

2021 :: week 43

 

October 17

Lauren spoke in Sacrament for the first (non Primary Program) time on Sunday. Thanks to the wonders of technology and COVID protocols, family members near and far were able to watch her give her talk (my sister Jill snapped this picture of her son Arthur watching Lauren in their living room). This week and last people in our ward have talked about lessons they learned from General Conference. Lauren spoke about feeling God's Love, and quoted from Sister Susan Porter's talk. 

October 18

Monday night Anthony and I went the annual NCCT board dinner. They have the dinner at various restaurants and this year it was at Hereford House in Leawood. Because they didn't hold one in 2020, it was the first time I had seen many of Anthony's co-workers since Christmas 2019. It was fun to eat a delicious meal and catch up a bit with co-workers and their plus ones.

October 19

Miles is often requesting a book be read to him and now we have five readers in the house! Elliott is reading up a storm these days. When I met with his teacher for parent-teacher conferences earlier in the day she told me that Elliott had mastered all of the sight words they expect the kids to have memorized by the end of first grade. I feel a little bad I didn't realize he was reading so well. I assumed he was memorizing books, because he often wants to read the same books with me over and over.

October 20

Lauren's outdoor soccer season came to an end this week. Wednesday evening was her final practice, which is traditionally a family verses team game. Will and Elliott were looking forward to the game just as much as Lauren. On Saturday her team had their final game that started just after 8:30pm. After going down 0-3 in the first half her team rallied and tied the game in the second half. It was a great way to end the season! She will be playing in a few indoor games this winter, but practices are over until spring. I am looking forward to quieter evenings as Elliott's baseball season has already ended and Will's baseball season ends next week.

October 21

We celebrated Miss Lauren Jean's 10th birthday. Lauren is truly a delight. I am so impressed by the well rounded person she is becoming. She is thoughtful, confident, helpful, creative, active, curious and quick. She intuitively knows to lean into what she enjoys and makes the most of things. I rarely hear her say she is bored. She likes to plan and is always thinking ahead. She is so organized and is constantly rearranging the stuff in her room to optimize the way she uses things. She is an avid reader and refuses to count The Goblet of Fire as two books towards the 4th grade 40 book challenge because she "knows" she is going to read way more than forty book this school year. We love Lauren so much and are grateful she is ours. 

October 22

While reading The Goblet of Fire, Lauren decided she wanted to be Fleur Delacour for Halloween. It had been awhile for me and my sewing machine, but I decided I would help make her a cape for the costume. We bought her distinctive hat from Amazon, and I found a blue dress at Target. I matched the dress to fabric and then made the cape on my own. I think this was the first time I calculated circumference in a real life situation since I took Math 110 at BYU. The cape didn't turn out exactly like I wanted, but I was proud of myself for how well it did turn out, all things considered. Lauren and Will wore their costumes to their Halloween Piano party. Their teacher brought a keyboard outside and the kids took turns playing their songs, eating treats and playing games.

October 23

Saturday evening we went to the Allred's house for their second annual Halloween party. Tony and I dressed up as the Wet Bandits--Harry and Marv from Home Alone. Will, Elliott and Miles were Royals players--Aldeberto Mondesi, Whit Merrified and Salvador Perez to be exact. Lauren was Fleur. Lauren wanted Miles to dress up as Dobby, but we knew he would not be willing to wear the ears, especially when his brothers were decked out in Royals gear. We had fun playing games, decorating cookies and eating the wacky Halloween meal. 

2021 :: week 42

October 10

Sunday we gathered at Memaw and Pepaws house for a big Sunday meal in honor of Pepaw's birthday. Jill, Emily and I split up the food responsibilities with Emily making 72 meatballs, Jill preparing the apple crisp and me tackling mashed potatoes. I made the mistake of buying a bag with tons of small potatoes, so it took Tony and I quite a while to peel them all. 

October 11

We got together with the Staritas one last time while they were in town on Monday morning. All the kids not in school came over midmorning to play, then Memaw treated us to a Chick-fil-A lunch. It was fun to see the cousins play together, and observe the dynamic without all the older cousins around. Miles and Peter "played" basketball for awhile. 

October 12

Will jammed his finger while tossing a football around with Curran. I bought him a brace to help him keep the finger straight. He had to miss baseball practice on Tuesday because it needs time to heal.

October 13

Miles has fallen in love with the trampoline again. He often requests to go out and jump, and if I'm able I am happy to oblige. It is a good excuse for me to sit in the sun and read a book. In the evenings I often request that his siblings go out and jump with him to get him out of my hair when I'm working on dinner. 

October 14

I don't usually order school pictures because we get pictures of the kids when we do our family portraits, but these email proofs had me feeling very tempted. October is parent-teacher conference month in SMSD and as I have had the chance to talk to their teachers I have been overcome with gratitude for these amazing kids. Each one is such a bright light in my life and, as I learned after talking with teachers, a positive asset to each of their classrooms. "Steady," "reliable," "model student," and "responsible" we a few of the adjectives their teachers used to describe them. 

October 15

The kids had no school on Friday and while I debated with to do with the free day, the kids were busy making plans with friends. The kids took advantage of the gorgeous weather and played with friends most of the day, then that afternoon we made our annual pilgrimage to Shaake's pumpking patch in Lawrence. We had a new understanding and appreciation of what it takes to grow pumpkins after Will's mini-pumpkin patch this summer. The kids had fun playing on the playground, observing the animals and going through the maze. 

October 16

Lauren and her friends had their second group sewing lesson at Harper's Fabric & Quilt Co in Downtown Overland Park on Saturday. They finished the bags they started working on two weeks ago. Lauren chose a pretty blue color to match her upcoming Halloween costume. 

2021 :: week 41

October 3

We spent the better part of the day Sunday watching General Conference. Will drew this cool picture of President Nelson. It was a cold and gray day, so it felt extra cozy to be inside listening to conference. 

October 4

The kids have been wondering who/what was eating the pumpkins on our porch and Monday morning I caught Snowy in the act! Squirrels make me feel like Mr. McGregor from Peter Rabbit. I sprinkled some cayenne pepper around the pumpkins after this--my latest attempt to repel the squirrels--so fingers crossed the rest of the pumpkins survive the rest of the month.

October 5

Tony spent the first part of the week at a conference in Tucson, so the big kids and Miles joined me at Elliott's final baseball game. Watching Elliott play baseball this fall has been so much fun! He has so much enthusiasm and energy. 

October 6

Wednesday our school "celebrated" National Walk to School Day. We walk to school everyday, but it was fun to see a more friends than usual on our morning walk. Living so close to school is so convenient. Lauren has Math Club on Wednesdays and she was able to walk home while I was dropping Will off at piano.

October 7

While TJ was out of town I went on a cleaning spree. I started following @gocleanco on Instagram and was disappointed to realize that I have been neglecting my dishwasher. Being that we have hard water and I have never cleaned out the filter before it took me awhile, but I felt exhilarated looking at my "like new" dishwasher afterwards. 

October 8

Tony's flight back from Tucson got delayed multiple times so he didn't arrive home until 3am Friday morning. He was still sleeping when the kids left for school in the morning, so they were excited to see him after school that night. There was so much excitement an impromptu family wrestling match broke out!

October 9

The Staritas came to visit and we celebrated with an early Halloween party. Some of the kids dressed up in costumes, others dressed up in Halloween shirts Memaw provided. The main theme was sugar--we had a ghost piñata, decorated sugar cookies and the kids trick or treated to the upstairs bedrooms. BYU beat Boise State, so the uncles were in a pretty good mood too.