2022 :: week 50

December 11

Sometimes it is hard to figure out how to use our time wisely on Sunday. Elliott and Lauren did a Lego build for several hours in the afternoon while Anthony and I taught our last temple and mission prep class of 2022. In our youth class we talked about going to the temple for the first time and garments.

December 12

Miles and Elliott remind me of puppies. They are constantly climbing on top of each other (and Dad and Will) and dog piling whatever chance they get. 

December 13

Miles and I hit up the library after school Tuesday to pick up and drop off some books. This past month I've listened to two audiobooks American Royals and the sequel Majesty. For January book club I've been reading Jacob P Marley, which is a twist on A Christmas Carol. Lauren and I have been reading A Place to Hang the Moon Together which is very heartwarming. 

December 14

Will and Lauren were both feeling sick and stayed home from school Wednesday. Nothing major, but both were running fevers and had sore throats. They spent the day resting, watching shows and resting some more. Lauren felt well enough to go back to school Thursday, but Will had to stay home again the next day. He ended up having to miss his band concert Thursday evening, though he was feeling fine at that point.

December 15

I got to go up to OPC and "help" the first graders build their gingerbread houses. Each kid gets to pick a different building in a community and the make "plans" for how they are going to construct it with various edible materials. Elliott chose to build a baseball stadium. Surprise, surprise.

December 16

Will participated in the 3v3 basketball tournament at Indian Woods on Friday with Knox and Landon. They lost both games, but had fun. The PTA runs the tournament and they were looking for refs and Anthony agreed to help. He really enjoyed himself, and by all accounts was the best ref there. After the tournament the boys met the rest of us at the Stake Center for the first Oak Park Ward Christmas Party.

 

December 17

We officially have a teenager! Will turned 13 Saturday and his one wish was Five Guys for lunch. Will is a great kid and makes me feel like I'm a better parent than I probably am. He is a hard worker, gets good grades, treats others with respect, is a great example for his younger siblings, and has a positive attitude *most* of the time. This year he started middle school and I was worried about how that change would affect him. Turns out I shouldn't have worried for a second because Will has thrived in middle school. He rides the bus without complaint and has straight As in his classes. He has made some great friends in our new ward and is a source of strength in the YM program. He continues to play the piano and started playing the baritone in the band this year. He pitches on a rec league baseball team and is planning to play in the developmental basketball league at Indian Woods. For his birthday he got a new basketball, sports cards, Chiefs slides, candy and sodas. Each fall our piano teacher has two recitals--one for Halloween and one for Christmas--and this year they both happened to be on our kid's birthdays. Will and Lauren played a duet "Deck the Halls," while Lauren played "Silent Night." Will worked on "Carol of the Bells," but didn't perform it in the recital. That night we had white chicken chili for dinner (one of Will's many favorite foods). 

2022 :: week 49

December 4

On Sunday Calvin Crane Allred was blessed in the Oak Park Ward. My mom was able to come to church for the first time since she had her stroke, which was extra special. The Allreds came to the blessing and then immediately left for the airport for a week in Utah. My dad would leave for a work trip the next morning and I spent Monday through Thursday overnight with mom. I treasure the time I get to spend with her, I only wish the rest of my life could be put on pause. Alas it cannot, so it was a tiring week.

December 5

Early Monday morning I took TJ to Olathe Med for his third colonoscopy. Miles and I waited while he received the procedure. Thankfully he was clean--no polyps this time!

December 6

Tuesday night we were double booked. Will and I went to an informational meeting about the basketball leagues at Indian Woods, then hightailed it over to SMS where the rest of the family was watching Lauren perform with her honor choir at the South Area Holiday Concert. The Junior Raiders sang "In the Bleak Midwinter,"  "Hot Chocolate," and "El Gato Blanco." Several of Lauren's friends are in the choir, including Simone, Caroline, Allie, Ella and Ashton. 

December 7

Memaw treated the family to Chick-fil-A peppermint milk shakes to thank the kids for having such a great attitude while I was gone at night most of the week. Will was all dressed up because he was about to head to the Stake Center the For the Strength of Youth Standards Night activity. 

December 8

I made salmon soup and blueberry pie (Mustikkapiirakka) to celebrate the Finnish Independence Day. 

December 9

Will has been gathering data for his science fair project. He is testing to see how different types of shoes affect his speed. He measured twenty yards on the sidewalk in front of our house and sprints the distance wearing each pair of shoes while I time him. Not surprisingly the dress shoes and cleats struggle on the pavement, but we were both surprised with his time while wearing the slides. We have done several heats in random order over the past few weeks.

December 10

This was the weekend of adult holiday parties. On Friday evening we went to the Messner home for the Stake Council Christmas Party. We carpooled with the Olsons which was fun. Anthony was a little stressed because he was in charge of the entertainment and there is a range or age and interests within the stake council. Saturday evening we went to the New Theatre Restaurant courtesy of NCCT. We sat with Neal and his wife Liz and enjoyed fun conversation while eating lots of yummy food. "Come Blow Your Horn," by Neil Simon was the play that evening, starring Hal Lindon and Sally Struthers. It was surprisingly funny and we had a very fun night. Our kids were awesome while we were gone. We left Will and Lauren in charge and both nights they kept the younger kids entertained and then were in bed asleep before we arrived home.

 

2022 :: week 48

November 27

Sometimes we all sing a few primary songs together on Sunday night before everyone heads home. This week a bunch of the boys wanted to be the chorister. It was pretty cute.

November 28

The people Miles draws are looking more and more like actual people. Miles told me this was a good guy.

November 29

The kids requested some hot chocolate after school Tuesday. Elliott and Miles mostly like putting lots of extras into the hot chocolate--mini marshmallows, whipped cream, mints etc. I don't usually care for hot drinks, but it has gotten colder this week and the cocoa really hit the spot.

November 30

Liberally applying Vaseline to Elliott's lips has become a staple of our bedtime routine. Elliott has a lot of energy, and thankfully he is willing to play outside in the cold. Cole came over today and they played and had fun for quite awhile, inside and out.  

December 1

When the weather swings I am susceptible to headaches. After Miles I picked Miles up from school I convinced him we should take a little nap. I didn't think it would work, but it did and it was wonderful! Miles rarely will snuggle with me like this and it was extra sweet to fall asleep to his light snoring. Thankfully I felt better after our nap because I hosted book club that evening. We read and discussed American Royals by Katharine McGee.  

December 2

Friday evening Lauren had a girl scout activity at the Johnson County Museum. They were given clues that took them throughout the building to solve a mystery. She had a good time. Meanwhile I took Will Christmas shopping to Target and while we were there he decided to buy a pack of baseball cards for himself too. Elliott and Miles were excited to watch him open the pack. 

December 3

Saturday morning started off with an indoor soccer game for Lauren. After her game we quickly headed to the noon showing of Elf at Union Station. Going to a classic Christmas movie at Union Station is one of our favorite holiday traditions and I left feeling excited for the month ahead.

2022 :: week 47

November 20

We had a pretty nice Sunday. Anthony and I spoke in the Chapel Hill ward, then we attended our ward afterwards. I felt the spirit pretty strongly a few times. In the afternoon Anthony played Settlers of Catan with Will and Lauren. At dinner Sunday evening Memaw is surrounded by the grandkids. 

November 21

John Family Staycations 2022! We switched things up a bit this year and stayed at the Westin Crown Center. We started off the staycation by having Emily take our family pictures at the Nelson Atkin Museum. Then we checked into the Westin, walked across the street and rode the streetcar to the City Market where we ate a delicious dinner at Pigwich. After dinner we went back to our hotel and swam in the indoor/outdoor pool. It is mostly an outdoor pool with a tiny hot-tub sized amount of water indoors that connects to a tunnel you swim through to get to the big outdoor pool.  It was a little exhilarating swimming outside in the cold, but mostly it was just really cold. The kids had better stamina than the adults. We all spent a little time in the hot tub, and Anthony took Will to the weight room. That night we didn't sleep as well as we hoped, but did survive the night.

November 22

We started our day by checking out the Giving Machines at Crown Center. The kids always enjoy climbing on the wooden holiday decorations around the Mayor's Christmas Tree too. We stopped and picked up McDonald's for breakfast before heading to the zoo. We had a great zoo day! We had several fun animal encounters and rode the sky safari and carousel. When we left the zoo we were all feeling tired. We picked up McAllister's for dinner and headed home.

November 23

Laura asked me to make another cross-stitch for Trevor for Christmas. I spent several hours working on it this week. I wish I had more time to just create, I find it very fulfilling. 

November 24

We always have so much to be grateful for on Thanksgiving. This year we all felt extra grateful for Memaw, that she is still with us and that she continues to improve. In the morning Will and Tony played flag football at SMW with friends from church. In the afternoon I made rolls and TJ made his traditional sweet potato crumble. We ate Thanksgiving dinner at my parents home with my parents, the Allreds, Wilsons and Dana. Jill brought several delicious pies. We had a great day!

November 25

The kids spent several hours Friday hanging out with the Sutherlins. Now that Covid is over, the kids have gotten older and the Sutherlins are able to ride their bikes farther away from home the kids aren't spending as much time together. Will and Curran played on the switch for awhile while Elliott and Bennett alternated between watching the older boys and jumping on the trampoline. Lauren and Henleigh played outside and crafted.

November 26

Saturday morning my dad came over to help us put up Christmas lights. He is so nice to help us look festive each year. That afternoon we had a birthday party for Lauren at the Lenexa Rec Center pool. I was in the water with a very clingy Miles most of the time so I didn't take any group pictures.

2022 :: week 46

November 13

Anthony and I taught our youth class Sunday afternoon. Anthony talked about embracing the culture where you serve and we brought some Finnish treats to share. He saw a funny Finnish ad on facebook that alluded to Mormon missionaries, only it was Finnish missionaries in Texas proselyting about universal healthcare and education. 

I am grateful for the youth that come to our class, they have a positive vibe about them.

November 14

Miles and I were sitting on the couch watching Curious George Monday afternoon. He started talking about a cat, which confused me until I realized he was talking about the Mansingh's cat sunning on our back porch. Miles went outside and had a lot of fun playing with Emma for about half and hour.

I am grateful for our deck. It is a safe place for our kids to play outside when it is cold and I can easily keep an eye on them from the warmth of the TV room.

November 15

For the past fifteen years travel has been a big part of my dad's job. Covid times made his travel more rare, but it picked back up starting in early 2022. After Mom's stroke he put most of his travel on hold, but he now has to make up for lost time. While he travels my sisters and I help take care of my mom, along with paid caretakers. When I spend the night with my mom I try to get dinner prepped ahead of time. This week my dad was gone Sunday through Tuesday, and we ate dinner with my mom and then I spent the night on Sunday and Tuesday.

I am grateful that my sisters and I are able to work as a team to help our parents during this unexpected season of life.

November 16

Elliott and his buddies Cole and Ian did jumping jacks to stay warm at the park. I was ready to head straight home after school, but was willing to stay for a bit so they boys could get their wiggles out. 

I am grateful for Elliott's enthusiasm. When he is happy he is happy and he genuinely loves to be with his buddies. (The only thing he does half way is his chores). 

November 17

Thursday evening we went to a Family Fun Night at Miles' school. The teachers and staff set up stations around the school where students and their families could enjoy various literacy related activities. Will, Lauren and Elliott have all been peer models, so they enjoyed getting to reconnect with their preschool teachers and aides. We saw Will's teacher Miss Lindsey, Elliott's teacher Miss Amanda as well as the SLP Miss Helen who has worked with all our kids over the years. Lauren's teachers both were only at SMECEC for one year each, but there were several people who remembered her too. 

I am grateful for the peer modeling program. All four of our children have spent their preschool years in this program and they are better for it. The teachers and staff are so inclusive and warm. It has also saved our family thousands of dollars.

November 18

Will went on his first true winter campout Friday night. I was a bit worried because he didn't seem to be as concerned as I thought he should be about the overnight low of 16 degrees. He took several handwarmers and wore about four layers, but he was the only one there that wasn't wearing boots. The boys went exploring and Will fell off the side "of a cliff" (his words) and "luckily into a tree."  Around 4am several of the boys were awake and cold so the leaders rebuilt the fire. Despite his fall and the cold, Will had a great time and would "definitely do it again." 

I am grateful for the adult leaders in our ward who facilitate winter campouts. That is something I would never do, so the only way my kids get to experience that is through the sacrifice of others. 

November 19

Anthony replaced the battery in our van Saturday afternoon. It was freezing so he was willing to work in the tiny space between where we park and our garage fridge. We kept ourselves warm watching BYU football and basketball games, playing Settlers of Catan, watching Disenchanted and raking leaves.

I'm grateful for youtube tutorials that allow car novices like us to successfully replace car batteries by ourselves. 

2022 :: week 45

November 6

Tyler has gotten into "cubing" and he spent time Sunday night helping Elliott learn how to solve one. Elliott's not there yet--but he did have a lot of fun. 

Today I am grateful that I was only substituting when I taught Sunday School. I enjoyed taking a short nap after church. 

November 7

Miles and I went to Costco after preschool on Monday. We lucked out and got some pretty good samples. Miles often asks if we can go to Costco when I pick him up from school. I enjoy the one-on-one time I get with him. Miles is turning into such a "kid."

Today I am grateful for the $4.99 Costco rotisserie chickens. I can buy one and use the meat in three meals.

November 8

Miles and I made banana bread on Tuesday. Once again I overbought bananas. I felt very domestic when I was able to serve the kids and their friends fresh banana bread after school. 

Today I am grateful for the many machines I have that make my life easier. Electric mixer, dishwasher, washer and dryer, microwave, robot vacuum, etc.

November 9

Lauren had full choir day Wednesday. During the school day the choir kids from the south area elementary schools went to SMS to rehearse for their first choir concert. Each elementary school is wearing a different t-shirt and sang  "Yonder Come Day," and "Light One Candle," at the concert. The final number, "America the Beautiful," was combined with the middle and high school choirs. 

Today I am grateful for music and how it makes me feel. I am grateful that my husband and children love music and that they fill our home with music on a daily basis.

November 10

Thursday we made Thankful Turkeys to mail to Aunt Melanie. Every year she likes to make a "Thankful Turkey Farm" with hand-turkeys from friends and family. 

Today I am thankful for traditions. Traditions help me feel connected to my loved ones. At the holidays and other special occasions traditions give me things to anticipate.

November 11

Lauren got to go on her first field trip since 2nd grade Friday and it was worth the wait. The 5th graders got to tour Arrowhead Stadium. Only a few parents got to go--there was a lottery--but the ones that did sent pictures. Lauren had a fun time, but felt like her tour guide spent too much time talking about the art work and not enough time spilling the tea about the Chiefs players. Lauren thought it was hilarious that Travis Kelce has an extra large locker to accommodate the large flashy coats he likes to wear before and after games. 

Today I am grateful for my warm house. In the evening we watched The Santa Clause 2 and were cozy together. 

November 12

Saturday was very cold. We had planned to take family pictures in the afternoon, but it was overcast and windy so we rescheduled. Lauren had a soccer game in the afternoon--thankfully it was indoor! Despite the cold Will and Knox practiced pickleball at the tennis courts for a few hours in preparation for the Indian Woods pickleball tournament next Thursday. With our extra time we did a deeper clean of the kids bedrooms--stripping the sheets, vacuuming and dusting. In the evening we watched Tyler and Mikey while Matt and Emily went out to dinner to celebrate their anniversary. I made two Finnish Blueberry Pies for temple prep class. 

Today I am grateful for that we live close to my family. It wasn't something I expected or even planned to do, but it is a great blessing to raise my children close to my parents and two of my sisters and their families.

2022 :: week 44

October 30

Sunday was our primary program. Lauren and Elliott did a wonderful job singing and reading their parts. It felt a little bittersweet because it was Lauren's last program. Lauren didn't have her own part, but got to read the parts for kids who were not there. Elliott shined when he gave his part. He talked about how he is stands for righteousness by including everyone when recess kickball gets competitive. The primary in our new ward is so much bigger than the old OP2. 

October 31

Halloween finally arrived Monday! All four kids celebrated at school. The middle school hosted gradewide parties in the afternoon where Will got to play games and eat treats with the 7th grade. Lauren and Elliott had class parties before the costume parade at the end of the day. Miles had a small class party at preschool. He wore his skeleton pajamas because he needed to be able to use the restroom himself and he can't do that with his Baby Shark costume. That evening the four kids went trick or treating in three different groups. Will went with some buddies from church in their neighborhood. Lauren went with her gaggle of gal pals on the east side of our neighborhood. Elliott and Miles went with Nicholas, Gabriel and their crew.  The weather was gorgeous, the kids had a great time and returned home with more candy than we know what to do with. Halloween is fun, but I am excited 

to move on to the winter holidays. 

November 1

Miles' preschool is doing a unit based on the book Go Away Big Green Monster, which he loves.  I ended up checking the book out from the library later in the week.  Miles has been drawing a lot of "monsters" as well. He draws them with the purple hair and yellow eyes. He likes to cut them out and then hang them on the fridge when he is done. Thankfully we have a substantial supply of kid safety scissors. You can see a slice of banana bread on the island next to Miles. I overbought bananas last week and ended up making four loaves this week.

To help me focus on gratitude this month I am going to list of something I am feeling grateful for each day. Today I am grateful for our kitchen island. I love being able to work on one side while Miles is does his thing on the other. 

November 2

Lauren got to compete in her first Math Club competition Wednesday with her friends Ella S and Cora Lane R.  They competed against other eight other 5th grade teams from their own school as well as from Rosehill and Brookridge. They didn't place in the top three, but Lauren feels good about it. Anthony picked up the 6th grade questions and enjoyed doing the worksheet when he got home.

Today I am grateful for the great group of families in our community. Raising kids is a lot of work, but it helps to know I'm "in the trenches" with so many good people.

November 3

Miles and I tried to meet up with the ward playgroup after preschool Thursday, but most of them had left before we got there. Miles still enjoyed climbing up the slide over and over until I carried him away from the park. It was really windy as the weather started to change. That afternoon I worked on my upcoming Sunday School lesson. One of the teachers asked me to sub and it was fun to dive into the material more than I usually do. 

Today I am grateful for the opportunity to teach. I always get more out of my study when I am preparing to teach.

November 4

Jill and Jake spent the weekend in Utah at a funeral for their nephew and we watched Arthur and Henry for them while they were gone. Anthony decided to take the day off to help me with the boys, which made things much more fun. We knew that it was supposed to rain starting midmorning, so after breakfast we walked the boys to the park. Then we went for a bit of walk to burn some energy. When we arrived home we felt a few sprinkles and were glad we were able to get out while we did. 

Today I am grateful for our van that kept me dry and safe while I ran errands and took Arthur to and from preschool.

November 5

I was most nervous about bedtime while watched the Allred boys, but things went pretty smoothly. Miles loved having two extra playmates around. Anthony did most of the childcare on Saturday. In the morning I went to our relief society "Super Saturday" craft activity. In the evening Will had a friends from church over to watch the BYU v. Boise State football game. It was fun to have the house full of people, but I was also a little relieved when everyone went home and the house was quiet. 

Today I was grateful for our new ward. I love our old ward, but Will is really thriving with the larger deacons quorum. I also enjoyed getting to know a few of the women in my ward better at the Super Saturday.

2022 :: week 43

October 23

Sunday evening we hosted dinner for local family members to celebrate Lauren's birthday. We had Lauren's choice--creamy chicken and rice--with grapes and raspberries. Dana brought a yummy green salad and I made pumpkin bars for dessert. It was fun to have everyone together and it was especially fun to have Memaw at our house for the first time since before her stroke in May. It was the second social outing for her in two days as she went to Jill's house for the Halloween party the day before.  

October 24

For the first time in a long time we had nothing going after dinner. We decided to have a family game night. Tony and the big kids played Dominion while I played Scrabble Jr. with the little boys. 

October 25

The leaves have changed a lot this month and the trees are starting to fall. Most of the non-oak trees in the neighborhood are gorgeous shades of red, yellow and orange.

October 26

Wednesday afternoon we made our annual pilgrimage to Shakee's pumpkin patch. Shakee's closes at 6pm so we left as soon as Tony got home from work. We had fun going through the maze, searching for the perfect pumpkin and playing on the playground. They humored me and took a picture by the sign too. On the way home we stopped at Costco and got dinner at their food court. 

October 27

I received the kids yearbook photo proofs this week. I won't be ordering them, but I like to have a record of them. I order them each a yearbook and we take annual family pictures so we don't need these too. We are so lucky to have such awesome kids. Each of them are doing really well in school this year, both academically and socially. I look forward to seeing Miles' when he takes his in the new year. My dad had to travel for work, so the kids and I spent the afternoon and evening with my mom. Tony came for dinner and then took the kids home while I spent the night at my parent's house.

 

October 28

Halloweekend has begun! Friday was the first of two trunk or treats, this one at OPC. It was a gorgeous night and the kids had fun spending time with their friends. Tony handed out hundreds of pieces of candy while I walked around with Darth Miles. 

October 29

Saturday was busy! In the morning I took Lauren, Elliott and Miles to trick or treat at Hy-Vee. Will decided he was too old to come. When we got home the kids roasted marshmallows and hotdogs with the Mansinghs. In the afternoon we went to our ward trunk or treat where Miles, Anthony and I dressed up as Baby, Daddy and Mommy Shark. We arrived too late to get a group picture with the Halloween backdrop but I wanted at least one of our coordinating costumes. That evening the little guys and I stayed with my mom while Tony took Lauren to her first indoor soccer game of the season. The Pink Thunder tied!