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.

2020 :: week 4

January 19

Sunday was Stake Conference so I had to document one of the half a dozen Sundays a year that we get to sit with Anthony at church. It is so much easier to listen when someone else holds Miles. He is loud and likes to move and gets frustrated with attempts to contain his curiosity. Sunday afternoon Anthony had one of the YM over to watch the Chiefs game with us.

January 20

We took advantage of Anthony's day off and went to IKEA on Monday. The older three kids spent an hour in Smallville while Anthony, Miles and I shopped. We are trying to find a couch that will fit the funny shape of our family room with the layout I have in mind and it is proving much harder than I hoped.

January 21

I took Elliott's picture with the Patrick Mahomes life size bobble-head at Hy-Vee Tuesday. KC is going a little crazy for all things Chiefs and Mahomes. I'm sure this won't be our only photo-op between now and the Superbowl.

January 22

Wednesday we met with our ward preschool group. The theme was Winter and we had a lot of fun with it. We read Snowy Day and The Mitten, made "snow globes," and had a giant indoor snowball fight. Elliott got really into it. He kept pelting everyone, but especially me with snowballs. He kept yelling "direct hit!" even if it got nowhere near his intended target. Kids are funny.

January 23

Currently Miles is our best eater. He eats everything, and I mean everything I make for dinner. This week we had alfredo, sweet chili, spaghetti, pork chops & rice, and white chili. He loved all of it! He grunts when he runs out of food and slams his hand on his tray as soon as we load him up with more. Thank goodness for these plastic bibs that collect the food he drops. He makes us laugh when starts digging in the "trough" desperate for more food. I am going to soak up this era of appreciative eating, because if he is anything like his older siblings he will go through a long period of not trusting what I serve for dinner. Also his second top tooth cut through this week, bringing his total to four.

January 24

Due to overnight snowfall and slippery roads school was cancelled Friday morning. Every time they cancel school the curmudgeonly side of me that lived in North Dakota for three years comes out. I was pretty annoyed this time because it wasn't a big storm (it snowed about 3 inches), it wasn't that cold (right around 30 degrees) and all the major roads were clear. But it seems our district has decided to exercise extreme caution and does not want to take on the risk of sending buses to pick up children on side streets that are not cleared. I can respect that, but I do find it excessively cautious. We made the most of the day by watching "The Rhythm and Roots of Arthur" on PBS Kids, shoveling the driveway, going to an hour of open gym at 360 Gymnastics and making cookies. I let Lauren and Elliott do it *almost* completely by themselves. I made sure they measured out the correct amount of each ingredient before they dumped them in the bowl but the rest was all them.

January 25

We had a busy Saturday that started off with Will's basketball game. They played against a much more experienced team and lost by quite a bit, but Will held his own. After the game I went to the temple for the first time in several months. I felt like I needed to prioritize a time to go while listening to the talks in Stake Conference. When I checked the schedule to plan my visit I realized that the temple would be closing for most of the month of February--so I couldn't dawdle! While I was gone Anthony made a white chili for the ward soup and bread dinner. That evening we had a lot going on. In addition to the church activity Lauren went to a friend's birthday party and then we all went to our neighbor Mark's 50th birthday celebration. I remember thinking that Saturdays were relaxing, but not that special when Will and Lauren were young. Now I am never bored and often overwhelmed at all we get to cram in. It is a very fun stage of life, I'm just always tired.

2020 :: week 3

January 12

Each night when we tuck our kids into their beds we try to spend a few minutes with them to find our about their day. Each kid can tell us a "happy" and a "sad, but sometimes they switch those out for "scary," "excited," or "silly." If we have enough time we will sing a song with them too. Currently "Nephi's Courage" is a favorite choice, though "Silent Night" and "Love One Another" get picked a lot too. We recently put some pink twinkle lights on Lauren's bed to help combat her fear of the dark. My main concern was that the lights would make it harder for her to fall asleep, but so far they have not.

January 13

The kids and I did not see any other people walking to school Monday morning. It snowed quite a bit overnight Friday into Saturday and then throughout the day Saturday. I wanted the kids to walk up to school because neither of them had gym that day and I knew the school would have indoor recess--the kids needed to get some movement in while they could! The kids aren't allowed to play on the equipment if there is snow on it(!?), and they are not allowed to play in the grass when there is snow on the grass(!?!?) or if it is wet. Too many playground rules in my opinion, but I am not in charge, nor do I want to be. Throughout the day the temperature rose, hitting 46 degrees for the high. By the evening the snow was almost completely melted.

January 14

As Alexander's mom says in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, "Some days are like that." Tuesday was "like that" for me. I woke up with a headache. Miles only napped for about an hour total and was pretty grumpy throughout the day. When I went to change his diaper and put him to bed I didn't realize he had pooped and ended up getting poop all over my hand and shirt. In the evening while the kids were trying to make their lunches the Costco bag of goldfish ripped and spilled all over the floor. Tony didn't know about the evening mishaps, but thoughtfully brought me a peppermint milkshake he got at Chick-fil-A on his way home from church meetings, a bright spot for the day.

January 15

Will had his second Mathletics competition Wednesday afternoon and it went much better than his first. He was teamed up with Addie and Adelyn and they got 1st place for 4th grade, earning them a spot in the regional competition. This is Will's first year doing Math Club. At our school Math Club is an extracurricular for kids in 4th-6th grades and meets twice a month after school for about a hour. Once a month there is an area Mathletics competition where teams from three elementary schools compete for a spot at regionals.

January 16

My eyes were bothering me around Christmastime, so I scheduled my first ever visit with an optometrist. Despite my fears that my eyes are giving out on me because I am getting old, it turns out I have really dry eyes and an incomplete blink. My tears evaporate after about three seconds, and normal is closer to ten. The doctor advised me to wear a bruder mask for about 10 minutes a day to help open the oil glands in my eyes. When there is more of your natural oils in your tears they don't evaporate as fast. I usually wear the mask at night before I go to bed.

January 17

Due to icy participation and low temperatures school was cancelled Friday. I was a little disappointed, but we ended up having a pretty fun day. We watched two Star Wars movies and used the sauna in the early evening. When I checked Miles' gums that afternoon I felt that one of his top teeth finally cut through! Maybe he won't be so grumpy this upcoming week.

January 18

The Hornets won their first game Saturday afternoon! They had a rough pre-season, but things seem to finally be coming together. The boys remembered to keep their hands up and get between their man and the basket. Unfortunately, Tony was not able to be at the game. An elderly member of our ward passed away last week and her funeral was at the same time. It was a busy church day for Anthony. Double missionary baptism in the morning, funeral in early afternoon, and then Stake Conference leadership meetings in the afternoon and evening.

2020 :: week 2

January 5

We took a family selfie to commemorate the first Sunday of the new year. A new year means a new church time, and for us that means 9am. It's a bit of a struggle for me to get the four of us out of the house and to church on time, but we did it and arrived a full ten minutes early! Anthony now has pre-church meetings starting at 6am. Despite the earlier mornings and push to get to church on time, getting home by noon feels amazing. All of us have been dealing with a head cold in the days since Christmas, with Anthony being the latest victim. His first counselor sent him home from church after their meetings because he didn't want to sit next to him on the stand. He definitely sounded worse than he sounded. Anthony credits he regular sauna habit with preventing the cold from getting very bad.

January 6

For the most part our school doesn't assign homework beyond spelling words and special projects. Lauren is supposed to practice her spelling words each day and she can do so in a variety of ways. Monday afternoon she wrote them on our driveway using sidewalk chalk.

January 7

Lauren has been begging to do gymnastics for months. Maybe years. I finally relented and signed her up for a weekly class with one of her best friends, Daphne. Her class is totally recreational--they work on a variety of skills using different mediums--with the goal to stay moving and happy. She loved her first class and is looking forward to more in the future.

January 8

Lauren and her friends love to barter after school. They bring various trinkets and craft projects they've produced and trade their wares. She's come home with everything from a new keychain to a charm bracelet someone made with shrinky dinks. She likes to trade toys from our "donate" box--fidget spinners--or gum or her perler bead creations. Though it drives me a little crazy because she refuses to leave until she's made the "best" trade, I am impressed by the girls' bartering skills and ability to make others want their junk.

January 9

My kids know my favorite TV show is Jeopardy. I like to watch it while I prepare dinner during the week. I was very excited for the GOAT challenge, though the timing was not ideal. I like to put my younger kids to bed by 7:30p, which was right in the middle of the show. Thank goodness for Hulu so I could watch at my leisure, pause and rewind as needed.

January 10

Stephanie and I took our kids to the Foundry Church to play in their gym Friday afternoon. We knew it was going to snow over the weekend and we wanted to let the kids run around while they could. While we were there we each got a variety of notifications about various weekend activities that were being cancelled. Elliott had fun shooting hoops and pretending to be Kemba Walker.

January 11

We had a warm, cozy Saturday at home because the entire town shut down. Everything was cancelled! It rained most of the day Friday before snowing that evening, so everything was covered in ice and snow. Anthony made us some delicious fries, which we ate in between Star Wars Episodes II and I--which we watched in that order! Lauren's favorite Star Wars movie is Attack of the Clones because Padme Amadala is her favorite and she has a great battle scene in that movie. After we watched Attack of the Clones the other kids wanted to watch Phantom Menace so that's what we did!

2020 :: week 1

December 29

Sunday was Tony's birthday. It was a 5th Sunday and he had to teach and also deal with a weird situation in our ward. This what I posted on instagram: It's Tony's birthday! He’s one of the best—a great husband, father, son and friend. When I first met him I liked that he included everyone and lived his life with integrity. Fourteen years later I’m even more grateful for those traits. He models how to be a good citizen to our children and helps them to love learning, music, sports and most importantly, God. I’m a better person because of him.

December 30

Monday was a day of family fun. Anthony had the day off due to his birthday the day before, so we took advantage of the "winter break special" at Main Event. We spent the bulk of the day playing laser tag, bowling and doing a ropes course. After lunch I took Elliott and Miles home and Anthony stayed with Will and Lauren because Elliott was too small to fully participate in the "funner" activities the older kids wanted to do. That evening we brought Chipotle to my parents house to celebrate my mom's birthday. A fun, full day.

December 31

We ended the year doing chores and cleaning up Christmas. I enjoy taking down Christmas almost as much as I enjoy putting it up. Putting our decor out is exciting and ignites the anticipation for Christmas. The house feels bigger and brighter after we put it away and it feels like a clean slate for the new year. That evening we had the Throssells over for pizza and a family sauna session. We haven't gotten to just hang out with them in months and it was so nice. Before they came over I went for a walk and soaked in the crisp, cool air and the beautiful crescent moon.

January 1

New Years Day was nice and quiet. We slept in, played video games, read book and general hung out around the house. Anthony and I went on a walk together and talked about some of the things we want to accomplish together this year. That evening we went to our neighbors house for chili and football.

January 2

Lauren and Miles took a bath together Thursday evening. If I bathe Miles by himself I bathe him in the kitchen sink. If one of the other kids is bathing I'll have Miles get in with them. Lauren is such a great helper with Miles. She loves him and dotes on him and gives him attention when I have responsibilities to attend to.

January 3

Lauren took a ton of pictures on my phone to play an "eye-spy" game. I thought it was kind of fun to see the different colors and textiles in our home.

January 4

This is Lauren in her element. Lauren likes to lead and entertain and be in charge and she is doing all three of those things in this moment. She has instructed these four younger neighbors to sit down and listen to a silly story she was making up in real time. The kids were sitting attentively and laughing and seemed to be really enjoying themselves. I asked her about the story and she said it was about Peppa Pig and some characters Tony made up a few years ago.