2018 :: week 6

February 4

We got a freak snowstorm Sunday afternoon. It started to snow around 11am. By the time we left for church the roads were covered with snow and I had to drive so slow it took me an additional ten minutes to get to church. The stake sent out an email around 12:30pm telling people to not feel pressure to get to church because of the unsafe roads. I didn't see the email until after church. We still had sacrament meeting, but then everyone was sent home because there were not enough people there to teach all the classes. When we got home Will and I worked on shoveling our driveway and sidewalks. I was proud of Will because he started shoveling our neighbors' sidewalks without my prompting. He reminded me of his Papa and Pepaw who both spend hours shoveling for neighbors and home teachees when snowstorms hit.

February 5

Elliott uses his teddy bear as a pillow. I have offered him a pillow, left a pillow in his crib and tried to take the teddy out of his crib, but each time he rejects the pillow by throwing it out of the crib and demands his teddy. Poor teddy is getting flat, but he gets the job done.

February 6

Will and Lauren really wanted to buy some Pokemon cards. I'm not a fan of them, but to each their own. I convinced them to order cards on Amazon instead of buying them at Target because they could get five times as many cards for the same price. They were supposed to arrive Tuesday and the kids checked the mail several times after school. Will and Lauren ran around the front yard yelling "we want pokemon" while waiting for the mailman. Unfortunately, the cards were not delivered. I later got an email that said there was an "delay." Luckily they were delivered the next day, but in the meantime there were some VERY disappointed John kids.

February 7

I spent about an hour reading in the sun Wednesday afternoon while Elliott napped. The book I was reading is The Woman on the Orient Express by Lindsay Ashford. I got off to a slow start with my reading in 2018, but I have several holds that recently became available so I expect my reading to pick up in the next few weeks.

February 8

Finally a day with beautiful weather! You can tell how nice the weather is by how long there are people at the park after school. On a nice day there people will stay for over and hour. When it is cold and windy the place clears out within ten minutes. In this picture Will is playing on the swings with three friends from Mrs. Martin's class--Porter, Liam and Trevor.

February 9

My nephew Tyler is obsessed with Wall-E. Unfortunately Wall-E came out a decade ago and it is hard to get your hands on some Wall-E paraphernalia that isn't crazy expensive. I decided to make him a Wall-E shirt using a freezer paper stencil. I picked up the supplies I would need to make it and worked on it while watching the Olympic Opening Ceremonies Friday night.

February 10

Will had his best basketball game to date Saturday.  He played pretty good defense and scored a couple buckets. In the background you can see Anthony (in more casual attire) with his hands up. "Hands up!" was his clarion call to the team every time they were on defense. Elliott started copying him and would run along the baseline yelling, "Hands up!"

2018 :: week 5

January 28

We finally got to have our dessert party Sunday night. It was cold but some of the 8 year olds went out back to jump on the tramp. We invited ten families from our ward over and five were able to come. One of our "resolutions" for 2018 is to open our home more. I am taking the initiative and inviting more friends over, we are inviting people over for dinner and we are going to have more informal gatherings. At least that's the plan. ;)

January 29

Monday evening the Maxfields skyped us over facebook messenger while we were eating dinner. Time differences can be so tricky at times. The kids had fun talking to their cousins, but even more fun playing with the effects on the screen.

January 30

I went up to Lauren's classroom and got to participate in the 100th day celebrations Tuesday morning. The teacher had several stations set up around the room manned by parent volunteers. Each station had some sort of activity having to do with 100. I was teamed up with another mom named Carrie. We led the kids in 100 exercise moves--10 squats, 10 jumping jacks, 10 hops on your left foot, 10 hops on right foot, 10 push-ups, etc. It was quite a work out! I love getting to know my kids' classmates and their parents.

January 31

I went for a quick walk before Anthony and Will left for mutual and Cub Scouts. These walks do so much for my mental health. I feel so energized and refreshed getting a little exercise and feeling the cold on my cheeks. I like to listen to relaxing music or conference talks, but lately I have been listening to BYU devotionals. I realized there was a "BYU SPEECHES" channel on the iphone podcast app and have listened to several good ones.

February 1

Elliott and I missed our usual Tuesday storytime date because I was helping in Lauren's classroom during that time. Thursday morning we had books to return so we headed over for a bit. Elliott enjoy playing with the toys more than storytime so he was in heaven. He put on a puppet show for me and impressed a librarian with his ability to identify letters. He wasn't 100% accurate, but he was pretty close.

February 2

There are many parenting things I need to do better. Inviting friends over is one of them. My kids want to have playdates all the time, but when push comes to shove I'm a bit of a homebody and would rather wait for people to invite me than to do the inviting myself. Will's buddy Trevor came over for a few hours after school Friday. They were in the same kindergarten class, but have really rekindled their friendship since being put in the same class this year.

February 3

The Ules came over for a few hours Saturday morning. Will had a midday basketball game at 12:30pm. Anthony had to wear a suit to the game because he left straight from the game to preside at a funeral. Several parents from both teams commented on Anthony's wardrobe.

2018 :: week 4

January 21

On Sunday evening Anthony hosted BYU at our house. Our primary and youth programs are pretty small, but two families with ten kids between them moved into our ward around Chistmastime. It was our most crowded BYD ever! In this picture you can also see the cased in wall. We still need to sand and paint the trim, but I am loving the look of it already. Now to decide what color to repaint the TV room and kitchen...

January 22

Lauren is in constant motion. I took this picture of her telling me about something that happened to her at school and she was moving all over the place. Elliott wanted to get in on the fun too. Anthony and Will have had basketball practice from 6-7pm most Monday nights since November. I try to have dinner ready around 5pm so we can eat as soon as Anthony gets home. Sometimes this works out better than others. Then Lauren and I get ready for FHE, practice reading and play with Elliott. I enjoy our quiet hour together.

January 23

Elliott loves our Magna Doodle. Will got it for Christmas four years ago and both Will and Lauren have enjoyed playing with it from time to time (they still do), but Elliott has already used it more this year than the ever two have ever used it. He carries it around the house and draws pictures throughout the day. I wonder if he is a budding artist?

January 24

Hop, hop, hop.  It was a nice day, so the kids spent awhile jumping outside together.  Lauren and Will have been very good about following the trampoline rules. We are only a month in but I have no regrets about the purchase. It has been great this winter for the kids to go outside, even when it is really cold, and jump for a few minutes. It seems to help them get rid of some energy, or at least chanell energy into something productive. As opposed to wrestling with each other in the front room that inevitably ends up in tears. I try to get Lauren to put her hair in a ponytail or braid while she jumps because her hair can get very tangled, but she prefers to let it fly wild and free.

January 25

Elliott and I met Emily and her boys at Scouting Park for a playdate. The boys were happy to be outside. Elliott and Tyler started out making laughing sounds of pure delight while they were swinging, but that devolved into loud fake laughs after a few minutes. Elliott has a very loud fake laugh.

January 26

In honor of Kansas' Birthday (January 29) the kindergarteners dressed up as Cowboys and Cowgirls. I'm not sure why they celebrated a few days early other than the 100th day of school was the 30th and the teachers most likely wanted to spread the fun. Coincidentally Will's class earned a pajama party, so he wore pajamas to school that day. Non-traditional school clothes for everyone!

January 27

Lauren was way overdue for a haircut. If combing out the trampoline hair taught me anything, it was that Lauren's hair tended to tangle quite a bit. And excessive tangling can be a sign of dead ends. We serendipitously received a Great Clips coupon in the mail earlier in the week. Her hair looks great, is much healthier and so much easier to comb.

2018 :: week 3

January 14

Because of Stake Conference we were done with church at noon (as opposed to 4pm). We wanted to have a few friends over for a dessert night, but about an hour before people were supposed to arrive Will threw up. He had been a bit restless and throughout the afternoon and it seemed like he didn't feel great. I think he was keeping his discomfort under wraps because he was very much looking forward to having people over. After he threw up and our dessert night was postponed he seemed very relieved and relaxed enough to fall asleep.

January 15

Will slept in on Monday, but was back to his usual cheerful self. There was no school due to Martin Luther King Day, so we didn't have to worry about him missing anything. He watched several episodes of Star Wars Rebels and drew quite a few Star Wars related pictures. Anthony was off of work and basketball practice was moved to Thursday so we had a quiet day at home with no obligations.

January 16

Tuesday morning we met the Throssells at Union Station so we could go to Science City together. They recently got a family pass so now we have more friends to meet up with when we go. I thought we had our little umbrella stroller in the back of the van, but we did not, so Elliott got to walk. My kids looked so grown up as they walked the halls together. I'm so grateful that Will and Lauren are so conscientious and look out for each other and Elliott.

January 17

Well...we survived our first Pinewood Derby. Will got the "Sportiest Design" award. He decorated his car with blue paint, white flames and a KC for the Royals. It looked good, but didn't weigh enough to win a single race. At the weigh-in we learned that Will's car was several ounces under the maximum weight. Turns out weight is important when speeding down the track. Will had a good attitude and cheered on his friends' cars, even though he was pretty disappointed by his lack of success. The saddest moment of the night was when his car was racing against another blue car and he thought for a few seconds that he had finally won a heat.

January 18

Elliott takes great naps. He sleeps most days from 1-3pm and gives me almost no trouble. We read a few books, usually a Clifford, Caillou or Daniel Tiger. Then he lays down on his teddy bear and I cover him up with his softee. I tell him goodnight and he responds, "Night, night, Momma."

January 19

Friday night was Pancake and Bingo Night at OP-C! All you can eat pancakes and bingo with White Elephant style prizes brought by the students themselves. It is actually a lot of fun. This is the first year we have attended as the past two years our ward was hosting the soup and break dinner on the same night. We had a lot of fun and both kids came home with some interesting prizes.

January 20

Steve Ule helped Anthony case the opening between our family room and kitchen. We've been wanting to do it for over a month, but have had various things going on on Saturdays that have made it difficult to get done. Steve is so generous. Elliott and Nicholas played for hours together in the basement. Elliott and Nicholas seem to share a language that only they can understand. It is fun to see Elliott with his buddies.

2018 :: week 2

January 7

Elliott threw up after dinner Saturday evening, which meant he needed to stay home from church Sunday. My mom picked up Will and Lauren and took them to church and Elliott slept the entire time they were gone. While they were gone I watched BYUtv which was airing a series of President Monson's conference talks and BYU devotionals. As I watched I felt uplifted and more sad about his passing than I was when I originally heard he had died.

January 8

For family night we played a game called "Lead Me, Guide Me," from the Friend magazine. Will got to use the scripture set he got for his baptism to look up some verses about things Christ has provided for us to help us find our way back home (to heaven). We used Skittles as our place markers and keeping Elliott from eating said Skittles became a game in and of itself.

January 9

Storytime at the library is back after a month long sabbatical for the winter holidays. As per usual Elliott was so-so about the stories and songs but all in on the arm stamps.

January 10

Our new couch arrived! We had next to no furniture when we moved to Springfield ten years ago and bought a couch and a loveseat within our first few days of living there. Over the years they've served us well, but they've really started to decline this past year. We took our first trip to Nebraska Furniture Mart earlier this year and were immediately drawn to this couch. It is extra deep and fits all five of us comfortably. Now we just need to figure out what to do with the old couches. Craigslist? Trash?

January 11

I've been bundling up and taking brief walks in the evenings when Anthony gets home from work. Even though it is cold, the fresh air and limited vitamin d help me survive the winter months.  It's been four months and I am loving Anthony's new job where he is home most days by 5:30pm.

January 12

The kids and I have walked to school every day this school year (besides the days we were staying with my parents while we got new floors). As the temperature has dropped we've seen fewer kids and their parents walking. Thursday morning it was six degrees and the John kids still toughed it out. I was proud of them!

January 13

Our Saturdays have gotten very busy. Saturday morning I went to the gym, then headed to my parents' house to help watch my cousin Lexi's children while she and her husband went to the temple. Then Will had a basketball game. In this picture he 's going in for a layup. He has gotten pretty good at shooting layups this season. Saturday and Sunday were Stake Conference and Saturday afternoon Anthony had a priesthood leadership meeting. That evening Delia Chase watched our kids for us while we went to the adult session and then picked up dessert at Dairy Queen.

2018 :: week 1

December 31

While Nana was here she bought each of the kids a new church outfit. The kids wore them on our last week at the 9am meeting block  I have really enjoyed this year with early meetings, but it has been a bit hard on TJ. Anthony has been leaving for church around 5:45am, so he is looking forward to sleeping in.

January 1

We had a nice, slow day Monday. That evening we read some Harry Potter before bed. I love hearing the accents Anthony, Will and Lauren adopt when they read. Will's Professor McGonagall is my favorite.

January 2

I had hoped to take the kids to the open skate at Skate City Tuesday morning. Unfortunately I wasn't the only one with that idea. When we pulled up to the rink right as the open skate was beginning we saw a line that was out the door and wrapped around the building. We decided to wait and skate another time when it was less crowded and headed to the Johnson County Museum. It was a good choice because the kids had a great time running around and playing at the various exhibits. It was late enough in the day that it wasn't very crowded either, making it much easier on me to keep tabs on the kids.

January 3

Will went to his first official Cub Scout den meeting Wednesday night. Because Anthony goes to mutual on Wednesday night it is not too disruptive to our usual routine. I miss Will, but it is nice to have a little alone time with Lauren after Elliott goes to bed. Will had a great time at Cub Scouts and can't wait to go back next week.

January 4

Elliott really appreciates a good beverage. It's pretty dry in our house and he has been chugging cups of milk (which he calls "Oak!") and water. He makes this satisfied "Ahhh!" sound when he finishes. Oh to be so uninhibited.

January 5

Friday I took things slow. I had a nagging headache and after a busy morning opted for a slow afternoon/evening. Anthony made some "Dad's chicken," which is a bag of $5 frozen orange chicken from Trader Joe's. We keep a bag or two on hand for nights when I don't feel up to cooking or Anthony is unexpectedly tasked with dinner. We watched a few episodes of Star Wars Rebels on Netflix with the kids, then Anthony and I watched an episode of The Crown.

January 6

Another Saturday, another basketball game. Anthony has the boys rotate positions and Will is starting to excel at playing point. He is a pretty good ball handler and does a good job of getting to the basket. All of Will's basketball games this season have been at Corinth Elementary. Their mascot is the Dragon and Elliott gets very agitated when he sees the dragon likeness on the walls.

2017 :: week 52

December 24

We woke up to a very thin layer of snow Sunday morning and went to church wondering how long it would last. The Christmas Program took up the bulk of Sacrament Meeting. Among the musical numbers Anthony and Shaun Morris sang "In the Bleak Midwinter" and Will and Lauren sang "O Little Town of Bethlehem" with four other primary children. It was a beautiful meeting that helped put us in the Christmas spirit. With only one hour of church the afternoon felt very long. We decided to go sledding since it isn't very often your grandparents are in town AND there is snow on the ground. All three kids had a blast!

December 25

I sure love these little Santas, their energy and contagious excitement for life. We had a great Christmas. It was extra special to have Papa and Nana John and Uncle Matt here too. We opened presents and had a nice leisurely morning. That evening some of the Cranes and Johns met up at the church for some pick-up basketball.

December 26

For my mom's birthday present my dad wanted to get family photos. Thankfully my sister Melanie had the foresight to request indoor pictures. It got frigidly cold this week and was only 15 degrees during our shoot. I had to snag a picture with Anthony while we were our most put together this week. This may have been the only time we had both showered and were wearing non-elastic waisted pants all week. I got my hair cut 5 inches Saturday afternoon and am enjoying the shorter 'do.

December 27

Doug was a worker bee during his stay. He helped us install our new microwave, fix the loose leg on our dinner table, repair the broken seat on our glider, replace light bulbs, put together a bookshelf, assembled the new trampoline in sub-freezing temperatures(!) and made many meals. Here he is helping Anthony prepare Salmon Soup, a traditional Finnish meal.

December 28

Papa and Nana gave Lauren a caboodle full of art supplies for Christmas. They even went to Hobby Lobby to pick up more pipe cleaners when Lauren used up the ones that were in her kit in the first twelve hours after she opened it, making a variety of beaded bracelets. Nana, Will and Lauren worked for hours on our 'Silent Night, Holy Night' picture. Nana hurt her back while she was here and at times she preferred to stand and color the hard-to-reach areas of the poster with Will's new scented markers. They made a great team and the poster looks great!

December 29

 Another cold day, but warmer than the even colder days at the start of the week. Papa and Uncle Matt assembled the trampoline in the morning and Lauren and Will were extremely excited to test it out. There is an enclosure, but we are going to wait until it is a little warmer to put it on. The kids enjoyed bouncing and until their fingers and toes started to freeze. Papa, Nana and Uncle Matt flew back home Friday night. We were sad to see them go, we had a great week spending time with them.

December 30

Happy Birthday to Memaw! Just moments after this picture was taken Leah leaned in too close to the candle and her little ponytail caught fire. It was a scary few seconds, and Will has vowed to never blow out candles again. In happier news, my mom is great and she quickly smothered the fire with her bare hand. Birthday heroics aside, we love Memaw.

2017 :: week 32

SUMMER 2017 :: WEEK 12

John Family Reunion in the Outer Banks of North Carolina

August 6

John family members arrived at various times Saturday, with most arriving in the late evening. Our kids were in bed before everyone arrived. Sunday when everyone got up was the beginning of everyone being all together. Some of us went to the local ward for Sacrament meeting and then Nana and Papa held primary for all the cousins. They did a fun lesson about choosing the right and made an awesome CTR shield for each primary-aged grandkid.

August 7

The entire time we planned and talked about this vacation I never thought about the possibility that the weather would be anything but hot and sunny. Unfortunately it rained quite a bit and was windy and colder than we would have liked. We were still able to get some good water time in. After a great breakfast and Duck Donuts (two thumbs up!) we went the beach Monday morning. We splashed and played for about an two hours before a storm rolled in. Luckily the house we were staying at had a pool and hot tub, so we could still get in the water without the hassle of packing up and walking to the beach. We hit the pool/hot tub at least twice a day. Nana and Papa brought shovels and pails for each of the grandkids. The kids had great fun digging and playing in the sand.

August 8

Tuesday was the rainiest day of the week. It started out hot and muggy and we were able to get in some morning pool time, but out of nowhere a storm blew in and we had to hurry inside to take cover! We spent the rest of the afternoon watching movies and relaxing inside. The kids watched Sing several times over the course of the week and adults did a variety of relaxing indoor activities--drawing, puzzles, baking, cross-stitching, video games, visiting, etc. Tina hired a photographer to come take family pictures that evening and the rain cooperated just long enough for us to take some great pictures.

August 9

Wednesday was a blustery day. We went to the beach in the morning and had fun playing in the extra big waves. There were also thousands of dead jellyfish in the water. People were finding them in the pockets of their swimming trunks or inside the linings of their swimming suits. They were everywhere! And they did not sting anyone. Apparently several cities in the Outer Banks, including Southern Shores, were involved in a beach nourishment project this summer. As part of this project there were machines in the ocean pumping sand from the ocean floor to build up the eroded beaches and shorelines. This caused a lot of dead jellyfish to wash ashore too. They were round discs that looked like they were made of gel. 

August 10

We celebrated the late summer grandkid birthdays Thursday evening. Sadie turned 8 on July 29th and Elliott would be turning 2 the next day. Alicia made and decorated two birthday cakes--a Poppy (Trolls) cake and Daniel Tiger cake. These kids are so blessed to have so many family members that love them. My heart felt full as we sang to the kids and ate cake together. We had just returned from a gorgeous evening at the beach, which is my favorite beach time.

August 11

Our last day in the Outer Banks passed much too quickly. It was Elliott's second birthday! Carly and Hillary bought one last delicious batch of Duck Donuts. We went to the pool for a few hours in the morning while the weather was clear. Some of the uncles threw the older nieces/nephews into the pool. In the afternoon it rained and we packed and got ready to hit the road. Our last act of vacation was a final trip to the beach. We had originally planned to leave by 5pm, but then kept rationalizing with ourselves why it was worth it to stay a bit longer. It was a good choice. It was perfect way to end the trip. The kids splashed and ran in the waves and we soaked up as much ocean air as possible. Many tears we shed as we pulled away from the beach house. We drove the three hours to Richmond, VA, arriving around 11pm, after spending most of the drive talking about the many fun things we did on the trip.

August 12

Saturday was a travel day. We started the day in Richmond, VA, and traveled through Virginia, passed through West Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana before ending our day in Mt. Vernon, IL.  The kids were great! I somehow didn't put it together that we would be driving right past Monticello. I almost made Anthony stop the car, but clearer heads prevailed. I still want to go, but we'll have to make that happen another time.