So since this is the last week of the year, it seems that somewhere along the line I got off track. I really thought that I had recorded every week this year (some in more detail than others). Although I'm a bit disappointed, I am also SHOCKED that I actually made it through the entire year with only one missed week. I started this blog as an experiment and a New Year's Resolution. I am so glad that it has become a habit that I will continue to maintain. I still have a lot of catching up to do on pictures for this year, but I plan to try to be more responsible about that next year.
Christmas was amazing this year. Rob and I were very fortunate to be able to give the kids everything they wanted (and more). The weather was amazing over the holidays. On Wednesday, it even reached 63 degrees. We still don't have any snow, so it feels like Fall around here.
On Monday, I spent time at Woodcrest for both Brooklen and Hurley's class parties. They both went really well and I was actually pretty grateful to get them over with. On Tuesday, I tried to finish up things at home and I also watched Alta's two kids for a couple of hours and I watched Ellie and Jack Jones for about 5 hours. It was pretty crazy around here and I got less done than I wanted to, but I know I helped both of my friends a lot, so it was definitely worth it.
On Wednesday, the kids were home from school. We decorated Christmas cookies with Jake and Jenna in the morning, and then I took Hurley to gymnastics while Zaya and Brooklen played at the Nymans. When I went to pick the kids up from the Nyman's they told me that Zaya had had a tantrum and had kicked Todd. She was really upset and denied the whole event. I brought her home and put her in her room. Later that day, I made her draw Todd a picture and we took it over to their house and she apologized. I know it was really hard for her to do that, but she needs to learn to keep her emotions in check and to apologize when you make a mistake.
On Thursday morning, we ran some last minute errands and then came home and finished some homemade gifts. Rob came home a little early and we had our "Jesus dinner" on the floor while we watched the movie elf. My mom always gets everyone new pajamas and the kids were so excited to open them. Brooklen got Redwings pajamas, Kaiton's had a football on them, Zaya got Elsa jammies, and Hurley had requested Wonderwoman pajamas. Brooklen and Hurley had a hard time getting to sleep on Christmas Eve because they were so excited. Hurley was up several times during the night.
On Christmas morning, I got up first and started some cinnamon roll dough. The kids came down the stairs together at about 8:00am. Brooklen got an iPad, a baseball rebounder, Redwings tickets, two Wii games, and plenty of other things. He was SHOCKED by the iPad. He hadn't asked for one because he figured he wouldn't get it. He was soooo excited. Hurley got an American Girl doll, a gymnastic bar, a tablet, Magformers, and Washi Tape. Zaya got an American Girl doll, a gymnastic bar, a Barbie camper, rollerblades, ice skates, and a Razor Scooter. She also got a rope and a flashlight. She saw Santa twice this year; at her preschool and at the Santa house. Both times that's what she told him she wanted. I think she got some ideas from some of her best boyfriends at preschool (haha). Kaiton got a tricycle, ice skates, roller blades, and an indoor hockey puck and stick.
The kids also made several gifts. Collectively, they made playdough, peanut butter cups, a few games, bracelets, a bookmark, and a dancing ribbon hoop. I love that they make their gifts for each other. It is a lot of work for me, but I really hope it teaches them to give of their time and to give a meaningful gift.
We spent most of Christmas day in our pajamas. We headed outside in the afternoon to use some of the new toys and to take a walk in the gorgeous weather. We had mexican food, including tamales, for dinner.
On Saturday, I left to do some newborn photos while Rob (bless his heart) took all of the kids to Brooklen's hockey practice. We hung around the house and cleaned the garage in the afternoon. In the evening, we went to the Nyman's to hang out and have dessert.
I am so grateful for my little family. I feel so lucky. I am grateful for the Savior and the love he provides. I am grateful that in a dark and scary world I can show my children some light. I am grateful that I can wake up each day and keep trying to be a better wife, a more patient mother, a more loyal friend, a better disciple of God, and a kinder person. I am grateful for the mercy that the Lord's plan provides and for the tools that I have to help me journey through this life.
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Week Fifty
On Tuesday, Rob had a board meeting. Brooklen had hockey that night, so I took all of the kids to hockey with me. I haven't been to one of his practices in quite a while and I was impressed with his improvement on many of the drills. Still, it was frustrating to be at the civic arena with the younger three kids. I am constantly upset with myself for snapping at them while we are there, but it is so hard to focus on Brooklen's hockey games (or practices) when the younger three are whining and fighting. I vow to myself to try harder to be more patient with them. Hopefully, that will make the experience better.
On Wednesday morning, I spent a couple of hours helping my friend, Tiffany Jaimie, clean out her preschool. She had to shut down the school and needed to be out of the building by Thursday. In the evening, we took the kids to the Santa House. We waited for an hour and a half, but it was worth it. The kids enjoy the tradition of going there and they love seeing the reindeer too. Kaiton loved the reindeer, but he was fiercely afraid of Santa. He didn't want to get anywhere near him. After we came home, I went back to the preschool to help Tiffany for a little bit.
On Thursday night, Zaya had a Christmas program at her school. She has been excited about this for weeks and I was so excited to have her get to have her "own thing." Zaya spends so much time being carted to Brooklen and Hurley's events and she is always having to celebrate their successes. She told me that she needed to get dressed up fancy, so we chose a special dress, pretty leopard print shoes and we did a crown braid in her hair. She was elated during the entire event. She ran around her school like she was queen of the world and she sang her songs so well. Rob commented to me during the event that he was bored, but when I pointed out how excited Zaya was, I think he felt differently.
On Friday night, we decorated the gingerbread house and the gingerbread men that my mom had given us. The kids had so much fun and ate so much candy. Hurley was apparently really impressed with my gingerbread house decorating skills. Even though I didn't really do anything fancy, she kept complementing me. I have to admit that I appreciated every compliment that she gave me!
On Saturday, the kids played around the house in the morning. At noon, Hurley had a gymnastics team Christmas party. I took Zaya and Kaiton and we dropped her off. Then, we ran over to the church to get the choir music for Sunday ready. Brooklen and Rob headed to Brooklen's hockey games in Gladwin. After I picked Hurley up at noon, we all headed out to Gladwin. Hurley was so excited about the stocking full of goodies that she got from the stocking exchange during her party. She chatted about it all the way to Gladwin. We missed most of Brooklen's first game, but we caught the very end. He played two more games that day. I felt a little bad because during the second game I was really annoyed that he wasn't scoring and that he was skating so slow. During the last game, he ended up scoring three goals. The worst part was that I only saw one goal because I was so busy dealing with the younger kids.
On Saturday evening, Brooklen and Rob went to a Saginaw Spirit game with Brooklen's good buddy, Ethan Menzies, and his dad. The younger kids and I went to Meijer to do our grocery shopping and then I picked up McDonalds for them on the way home. We watched a new Barbie movie before bed.
Today was the Christmas program at church. I was sooo nervous about it, but it went really well. The speakers were awesome and the music was wonderful. I think I made some really good, possibly inspired decisions. One of the numbers was a cello solo (which I accompanied) by an older woman in my ward. Pam was actually a cello major in college, but has never owned her own cello. I felt like I should ask her to perform and she actually bought a cello so she could do so. She was very nervous and she was playing on an elementary instrument, but when she performed, she sounded better than I had heard her sound in our practices. I think she was thrilled to be playing again and I felt very grateful I "forced" the opportunity.
On Wednesday morning, I spent a couple of hours helping my friend, Tiffany Jaimie, clean out her preschool. She had to shut down the school and needed to be out of the building by Thursday. In the evening, we took the kids to the Santa House. We waited for an hour and a half, but it was worth it. The kids enjoy the tradition of going there and they love seeing the reindeer too. Kaiton loved the reindeer, but he was fiercely afraid of Santa. He didn't want to get anywhere near him. After we came home, I went back to the preschool to help Tiffany for a little bit.
On Thursday night, Zaya had a Christmas program at her school. She has been excited about this for weeks and I was so excited to have her get to have her "own thing." Zaya spends so much time being carted to Brooklen and Hurley's events and she is always having to celebrate their successes. She told me that she needed to get dressed up fancy, so we chose a special dress, pretty leopard print shoes and we did a crown braid in her hair. She was elated during the entire event. She ran around her school like she was queen of the world and she sang her songs so well. Rob commented to me during the event that he was bored, but when I pointed out how excited Zaya was, I think he felt differently.
On Friday night, we decorated the gingerbread house and the gingerbread men that my mom had given us. The kids had so much fun and ate so much candy. Hurley was apparently really impressed with my gingerbread house decorating skills. Even though I didn't really do anything fancy, she kept complementing me. I have to admit that I appreciated every compliment that she gave me!
On Saturday, the kids played around the house in the morning. At noon, Hurley had a gymnastics team Christmas party. I took Zaya and Kaiton and we dropped her off. Then, we ran over to the church to get the choir music for Sunday ready. Brooklen and Rob headed to Brooklen's hockey games in Gladwin. After I picked Hurley up at noon, we all headed out to Gladwin. Hurley was so excited about the stocking full of goodies that she got from the stocking exchange during her party. She chatted about it all the way to Gladwin. We missed most of Brooklen's first game, but we caught the very end. He played two more games that day. I felt a little bad because during the second game I was really annoyed that he wasn't scoring and that he was skating so slow. During the last game, he ended up scoring three goals. The worst part was that I only saw one goal because I was so busy dealing with the younger kids.
On Saturday evening, Brooklen and Rob went to a Saginaw Spirit game with Brooklen's good buddy, Ethan Menzies, and his dad. The younger kids and I went to Meijer to do our grocery shopping and then I picked up McDonalds for them on the way home. We watched a new Barbie movie before bed.
Today was the Christmas program at church. I was sooo nervous about it, but it went really well. The speakers were awesome and the music was wonderful. I think I made some really good, possibly inspired decisions. One of the numbers was a cello solo (which I accompanied) by an older woman in my ward. Pam was actually a cello major in college, but has never owned her own cello. I felt like I should ask her to perform and she actually bought a cello so she could do so. She was very nervous and she was playing on an elementary instrument, but when she performed, she sounded better than I had heard her sound in our practices. I think she was thrilled to be playing again and I felt very grateful I "forced" the opportunity.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Week Forty-Nine
This week just flew by! On Monday, we spent the evening at home having Family Home Evening. Rob gave a lesson about reading scriptures and challenged everyone to read daily. He presented a vase from the dollar store and a couple of bags of marbles. Each day, if we read scriptures, each person can put a marble in the jar. When the jar is full, the kids can pick something fun for us to do together. They are pretty excited about this and I am crossing my fingers that it helps get us all back on track with our scripture reading.
On Tuesday, I had mutual. We helped take down the nativity exhibit. It was pretty fun and I was surprised how much work we were able to get done in an hour and a half! After mutual, the advisors were asked to come to the presidency meeting.
On Wednesday, Hurley had gymnastics after school, Brooklen had hockey, and I taught three piano lessons. I have to admit, I don't really enjoy it when our afternoons/evenings are that full. It makes the entire day pretty stressful for me!
On Friday evening, Rob got us tickets to go to Cobblestone's Home for the Holidays event in partnership with the hospital. We got a babysitter for the kids and went and toured five of Cobblestone's decorated homes. It was a lot of fun to tour the homes with Rob; I just love looking at homes . . . I definitely took a lot of notes for any future home(s) that we may have. After the event, Rob headed to the Civic Arena to volunteer and I went home to get the kids. The kids and I went and picked up a couple of pizzas and then we watched a movie in bed!
On Saturday morning, we had to leave at 6:00am to go to a hockey tournament in Lapeer. Brooklen played four games throughout the day and we had a lot of fun watching him. He scored one goal and got an assist. He played really well; he is a very "smart" player. After the games, we stopped in Saginaw to do some holiday shopping at Perani's Hockey World, Dunham's, and Five Below. We got home at about 5:30pm. We fed the kids leftover pizza and then sent them up to bathe. At 6:30pm, Thomas and Alta Bills brought their kids over for us to babysit. We let the kids play and then set up a movie for them in the basement. I had to leave at 8:00pm to play the piano for a song practice and then afterwards I stopped at Meijer to do our grocery shopping
On Tuesday, I had mutual. We helped take down the nativity exhibit. It was pretty fun and I was surprised how much work we were able to get done in an hour and a half! After mutual, the advisors were asked to come to the presidency meeting.
On Wednesday, Hurley had gymnastics after school, Brooklen had hockey, and I taught three piano lessons. I have to admit, I don't really enjoy it when our afternoons/evenings are that full. It makes the entire day pretty stressful for me!
On Friday evening, Rob got us tickets to go to Cobblestone's Home for the Holidays event in partnership with the hospital. We got a babysitter for the kids and went and toured five of Cobblestone's decorated homes. It was a lot of fun to tour the homes with Rob; I just love looking at homes . . . I definitely took a lot of notes for any future home(s) that we may have. After the event, Rob headed to the Civic Arena to volunteer and I went home to get the kids. The kids and I went and picked up a couple of pizzas and then we watched a movie in bed!
On Saturday morning, we had to leave at 6:00am to go to a hockey tournament in Lapeer. Brooklen played four games throughout the day and we had a lot of fun watching him. He scored one goal and got an assist. He played really well; he is a very "smart" player. After the games, we stopped in Saginaw to do some holiday shopping at Perani's Hockey World, Dunham's, and Five Below. We got home at about 5:30pm. We fed the kids leftover pizza and then sent them up to bathe. At 6:30pm, Thomas and Alta Bills brought their kids over for us to babysit. We let the kids play and then set up a movie for them in the basement. I had to leave at 8:00pm to play the piano for a song practice and then afterwards I stopped at Meijer to do our grocery shopping
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Week Forty-Eight
On Monday night, Rob gave a great Family Home Evening that fit right with my goals for this Christmas season. He talked about being kind to our family members. We talk a lot about service at this time of the year, but my kids aren't always very nice to each other, so I think Rob thought that we should start at home. He had Hurley help him prepare the lesson; she really enjoyed that. They prepared two kinds of paper "tokens." One said, "gotcha" and the other said, "caught you." The idea was to leave "gotcha" tokens when you secretly served others and to award "caught you" tokens when you saw someone being nice to a family member. I've tried to support Rob this week by helping the kids with this and also with rewarding tokens to the kids. I hope that it helps my kids to remember to get along better.
Our elf, "elfie," came to the house again this week. He had a successful first two nights getting in to trouble, but then he remained in the same spot for the next three nights. Oops!
I went to help with the nativity set-up on Tuesday night. It was a nice chance to help with the nativity and also to interact with the Laurels a bit. Hopefully, I will be able to make some sort of an impression on them before many of them graduate from High School in a few months.
On Friday, I got to work at Zaya's preschool. She was so cute this time. She wanted to be near me most of the time and I just loved every minute of it! So many of her little girl friends also wanted to sit on my lap and help me, but I was just so excited to spend time with Zaya! I am going to miss her so much next year when she leaves me all day to go to kindergarten.
On Friday night, we had a movie night at home. We made homemade pizza and watched a movie that Rob had picked up from Redbox. The movie wasn't quite a hit, but the pizza and popcorn and relaxing sure were.
Yesterday, I woke up and baked a breakfast casserole for a baby shower. Then, at 11:30, Brooklen had a hockey game. He scored a goal and played really well. Their team was short several players so he had to play almost the entire first 20 minutes and he did play the entire second 20 minutes. At the end, he confessed that he had fun but that he was so tired that by the end he was trying to stay in one general area and hope that someone passed the puck to him.
After the game, I helped get the kids dressed up and then I went to City Forest for a photo session while Rob took the kids to the MCFTA for the Nutcracker. He had gotten free tickets through Chemical Bank (he does business with them). I arrived just before the show began and we all went in to the theater. Kaiton did really well until halfway through the first act the tree grew (this was done digitally) and he got scared. He refused to go in the theater for the rest of the show. I ended up in the "wiggle room" with him for the rest of the ballet, while Rob watched it in the theater with the other kids. Hurley and Zaya enjoyed it, but Brooklen did not like having to go to a ballet. It was my first time seeing a ballet, and honestly, I don't think I would be jumping at a chance to go again!
Our elf, "elfie," came to the house again this week. He had a successful first two nights getting in to trouble, but then he remained in the same spot for the next three nights. Oops!
I went to help with the nativity set-up on Tuesday night. It was a nice chance to help with the nativity and also to interact with the Laurels a bit. Hopefully, I will be able to make some sort of an impression on them before many of them graduate from High School in a few months.
On Friday, I got to work at Zaya's preschool. She was so cute this time. She wanted to be near me most of the time and I just loved every minute of it! So many of her little girl friends also wanted to sit on my lap and help me, but I was just so excited to spend time with Zaya! I am going to miss her so much next year when she leaves me all day to go to kindergarten.
On Friday night, we had a movie night at home. We made homemade pizza and watched a movie that Rob had picked up from Redbox. The movie wasn't quite a hit, but the pizza and popcorn and relaxing sure were.
Yesterday, I woke up and baked a breakfast casserole for a baby shower. Then, at 11:30, Brooklen had a hockey game. He scored a goal and played really well. Their team was short several players so he had to play almost the entire first 20 minutes and he did play the entire second 20 minutes. At the end, he confessed that he had fun but that he was so tired that by the end he was trying to stay in one general area and hope that someone passed the puck to him.
After the game, I helped get the kids dressed up and then I went to City Forest for a photo session while Rob took the kids to the MCFTA for the Nutcracker. He had gotten free tickets through Chemical Bank (he does business with them). I arrived just before the show began and we all went in to the theater. Kaiton did really well until halfway through the first act the tree grew (this was done digitally) and he got scared. He refused to go in the theater for the rest of the show. I ended up in the "wiggle room" with him for the rest of the ballet, while Rob watched it in the theater with the other kids. Hurley and Zaya enjoyed it, but Brooklen did not like having to go to a ballet. It was my first time seeing a ballet, and honestly, I don't think I would be jumping at a chance to go again!
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Week Forty-Seven
The holidays are officially here! I am so excited for all of the fun and excitement that we will have over the next month. I am looking forward to all of the traditions that have become near and dear to my children. It is hard not to be happy in the month of December. I love the music, the smells, and the decor of Christmas, but even more than that, I love the emphasis on Christ and serving others. Today, I have been thinking about how I can do a better job as a mother of bringing Christ into Christmas. Here are some of my ideas:
1) I can be more patient with my kids.
2) I can make Christ a stronger part of our daily conversation (dinnertime, before my kids leave for school, bedtime)
3) I can make this discussion more interesting for my kids. I can show them Christ-centered videos, read them Christ-centered books, and do service projects with them.
On Thursday we went to Nicol and Scott Jones's house to celebrate Thanksgiving. Paul and Jenny Larsen came with their family as well and the sister missionaries joined us too. We had a beautiful meal with such good friends. Both Nicol and Jenny set such great examples for me and they are both the most genuine, sincere friends that a girl could ask for. Nicol is actually moving to Texas soon and I am so sad to see her go. Zaya is best friends with her little boy, Jack, and she is also pretty devastated.
We had an amazing dinner. I brought a turkey, stuffing, brussel sprouts, and cranberries. Nicol and Jenny both made amazing, delicious food and for dessert we had like 10 pies! The kids played in the basement and watched a movie while the adults spent hours enjoying great conversation.
On Friday, we ventured out a bit to do some Black Friday shopping. Rob and I hadn't done much of our Christmas shopping, so we really needed to get started. We went to Target, Dunhams, and Kohls. We also let the little kids play at the playplace.
On Saturday, we met the MacFarlanes at the Detroit Temple. They did a session and then we did some sealings. Afterwards, we took our kids to eat at Five Guys and then we went to Birch Run to do some more shopping. We had to hurry home because I had to volunteer at the Civic Arena from 5:30-7:30. We were running late and didn't have time to go home and get the other car, so Rob and the kids dropped me off. Jill and Todd Nyman ended up being at the civic arena for a birthday party that Jake was attending, so they ended up taking me home. At about 9:00pm, I headed to Meijer to do our grocery shopping. The only rough part of the day for me was dealing with some the effects of the winter weather. My scalp has been terribly dry this season and it is driving me CRAZY! I've been trying everything that I can think of to resolve the problem and it is getting worse and worse. By the end of the evening, I was in tears over how painful it was! I've got a few more ideas of things to try this week, so hopefully I'll have some luck!
Today, was a busy day at church. The choir sang, I taught a lesson in young women's and then I had choir practice at the Larsen's home in the afternoon. The choir sang, "For the Beauty of the Earth" today and it sounded gorgeous. I felt so good about the performance and I was really touched by the music. My lesson in Young Women's didn't go so well. I am just not a good public speaker. I think I'm going to use this time in this calling to become more confident and to become a better speaker/teacher.
1) I can be more patient with my kids.
2) I can make Christ a stronger part of our daily conversation (dinnertime, before my kids leave for school, bedtime)
3) I can make this discussion more interesting for my kids. I can show them Christ-centered videos, read them Christ-centered books, and do service projects with them.
On Thursday we went to Nicol and Scott Jones's house to celebrate Thanksgiving. Paul and Jenny Larsen came with their family as well and the sister missionaries joined us too. We had a beautiful meal with such good friends. Both Nicol and Jenny set such great examples for me and they are both the most genuine, sincere friends that a girl could ask for. Nicol is actually moving to Texas soon and I am so sad to see her go. Zaya is best friends with her little boy, Jack, and she is also pretty devastated.
We had an amazing dinner. I brought a turkey, stuffing, brussel sprouts, and cranberries. Nicol and Jenny both made amazing, delicious food and for dessert we had like 10 pies! The kids played in the basement and watched a movie while the adults spent hours enjoying great conversation.
On Friday, we ventured out a bit to do some Black Friday shopping. Rob and I hadn't done much of our Christmas shopping, so we really needed to get started. We went to Target, Dunhams, and Kohls. We also let the little kids play at the playplace.
On Saturday, we met the MacFarlanes at the Detroit Temple. They did a session and then we did some sealings. Afterwards, we took our kids to eat at Five Guys and then we went to Birch Run to do some more shopping. We had to hurry home because I had to volunteer at the Civic Arena from 5:30-7:30. We were running late and didn't have time to go home and get the other car, so Rob and the kids dropped me off. Jill and Todd Nyman ended up being at the civic arena for a birthday party that Jake was attending, so they ended up taking me home. At about 9:00pm, I headed to Meijer to do our grocery shopping. The only rough part of the day for me was dealing with some the effects of the winter weather. My scalp has been terribly dry this season and it is driving me CRAZY! I've been trying everything that I can think of to resolve the problem and it is getting worse and worse. By the end of the evening, I was in tears over how painful it was! I've got a few more ideas of things to try this week, so hopefully I'll have some luck!
Today, was a busy day at church. The choir sang, I taught a lesson in young women's and then I had choir practice at the Larsen's home in the afternoon. The choir sang, "For the Beauty of the Earth" today and it sounded gorgeous. I felt so good about the performance and I was really touched by the music. My lesson in Young Women's didn't go so well. I am just not a good public speaker. I think I'm going to use this time in this calling to become more confident and to become a better speaker/teacher.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Week Forty-Six
This week was the first week of my new calling at church. I went to Young Women in Excellence on Wednesday. I didn't do much, because the old leaders had planned the evening, but I watched the program and then we had a meeting afterwards. I'm still not really sure what to expect, but it will be good to start studying the gospel more. I am nervous to work with teenage girls again, but hopefully, I will be directed by the spirit and be able to make some sort of an impact on them.
On Friday night, I got to take Kaiton to his first birthday party. Ava Rogers invited him to her 2nd birthday party at the Community Center. The little kids played in the gym for a couple of hours and then we went to a party room for pizza and root beer floats. Kaiton had so much fun and I think he felt pretty special to get to be out with just me!
Yesterday, Brooklen had a hockey tournament in Gladwin. It was also the first day of snow for us. It started snowing at about 9 in the morning and snowed all day and until late at night. We all woke up early because Brooklen's first game was at 9am. I went in to Zaya's room to get her up and I noticed that she was covered in puke. I'm not sure when she threw up, but it was all over her and her bedding. I got her in the bath and threw her bedding in the washer and quickly assessed the situation. I was worried to drive her to Gladwin, not knowing if she was going to get sick again, because Gladwin was 40 minutes away. So, Rob took off with Brooklen and we decided that I would stay home and see how Zaya did. Brooklen scored a goal in his first game, which I missed, and I was really bummed. I just chilled with the little kids at home and Zaya seemed to be a little sullen, but she didn't throw up. She had a bit of diarrhea, but by 11am, I decided that we could probably go to the rest of his games. We drove through the snowstorm and arrived just in time for his second game. Brooklen's team ended up winning all of their games. He didn't score any other goals, but he played great. I kept the girl's busy with coloring and sticker books and the Gladwin arena had movies playing throughout the day for families. The arena was also attached to the library, so the kids spent some time playing in there. On the way home, Rob and Brooklen stopped at a restaurant for burgers and I drove home in a terrible snowstorm with the 3 younger kids. I was so scared and I actually shed some tears on the way home. After dinner, Rob and Brooklen headed to the Midland Civic Arena. Rob was signed up to volunteer at the Silver Stick Tournament and Brooklen hung out for 2 1/2 hours with his good friend, Ethan Menzies, who was also there with his Dad. Rob said that Brooklen had tons of fun hanging out and watching hockey with Ethan.
Today, we went to church and then the kids came home and played in the snow. This evening, we went over to the Nyman's house to celebrate Todd's 40th birthday with cake and ice cream. We all had a great time. We are very lucky to have such wonderful neighbors.
On Friday night, I got to take Kaiton to his first birthday party. Ava Rogers invited him to her 2nd birthday party at the Community Center. The little kids played in the gym for a couple of hours and then we went to a party room for pizza and root beer floats. Kaiton had so much fun and I think he felt pretty special to get to be out with just me!
Yesterday, Brooklen had a hockey tournament in Gladwin. It was also the first day of snow for us. It started snowing at about 9 in the morning and snowed all day and until late at night. We all woke up early because Brooklen's first game was at 9am. I went in to Zaya's room to get her up and I noticed that she was covered in puke. I'm not sure when she threw up, but it was all over her and her bedding. I got her in the bath and threw her bedding in the washer and quickly assessed the situation. I was worried to drive her to Gladwin, not knowing if she was going to get sick again, because Gladwin was 40 minutes away. So, Rob took off with Brooklen and we decided that I would stay home and see how Zaya did. Brooklen scored a goal in his first game, which I missed, and I was really bummed. I just chilled with the little kids at home and Zaya seemed to be a little sullen, but she didn't throw up. She had a bit of diarrhea, but by 11am, I decided that we could probably go to the rest of his games. We drove through the snowstorm and arrived just in time for his second game. Brooklen's team ended up winning all of their games. He didn't score any other goals, but he played great. I kept the girl's busy with coloring and sticker books and the Gladwin arena had movies playing throughout the day for families. The arena was also attached to the library, so the kids spent some time playing in there. On the way home, Rob and Brooklen stopped at a restaurant for burgers and I drove home in a terrible snowstorm with the 3 younger kids. I was so scared and I actually shed some tears on the way home. After dinner, Rob and Brooklen headed to the Midland Civic Arena. Rob was signed up to volunteer at the Silver Stick Tournament and Brooklen hung out for 2 1/2 hours with his good friend, Ethan Menzies, who was also there with his Dad. Rob said that Brooklen had tons of fun hanging out and watching hockey with Ethan.
Today, we went to church and then the kids came home and played in the snow. This evening, we went over to the Nyman's house to celebrate Todd's 40th birthday with cake and ice cream. We all had a great time. We are very lucky to have such wonderful neighbors.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Week Forty-Five
As I sit here writing on Sunday evening, my mind feels jumbled with thoughts from this past week and a to-do list for the coming week. I think that this entry will highlight just a few important things from the lives of our family from this past week.
Brooklen: Brooklen had another hockey game yesterday. He scored a goal and had two assists. He hustled the entire game and played so well. Playing hockey is turning out to be an excellent boost to his self-confidence. We had parent teacher conferences this week for Brooklen and Hurley. Brooklen's teacher described him as a "social butterfly" and Rob and I's jaws dropped! We are so excited to hear that he is flourishing both academically AND socially this year.
Hurley: Hurley's teacher had only good things to say about her at her parent-teacher conference. She is such a well-behaved girl and her teacher stressed that she is a good leader and that she is very kind to everyone. I am so proud to hear that about Hurley. She is finally getting over her fear of doing front tucks at gymnastics. Yesterday I took all of the kids to open gym and she did them all evening with very little hesitation. Hurley also got to go to her dance class at the cheer gym on Thursday evening.
Zaya: The big highlight of the week for Zaya is that she was invited to a birthday party for her friend, Jaycee, yesterday. She had been so excited all week. When I picked her up, she was beaming. She was having so much fun that she even turned down cake and ice cream so she could continue playing. Zaya also learned about the pilgrims this week at school. She came home this week and told me all about the Mayflower and the Native Americans and Plymouth Rock. It was so cute!
Kaiton: Kaiton is such a big boy now. Yesterday, after Brooklen's hockey game, Kaiton grabbed Brooklen by the hand and pulled him into the hockey store at the arena. He went straight for the the hockey sticks and wouldn't leave. He says so many words now and he is in to everything!!!
Rob: Last night, Rob spent the evening at a Stake Youth activity celebrating the Passover. I'm glad he is able to serve in his calling.
Me: I had a photo session yesterday for the Hills that went really well. I also got released from my callings as choir director and primary pianist. I got called to be the Laurel advisor. I am really nervous to work with the youth again, but I hope it will be a growing experience for me.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Week Forty-Four
On Monday, I dropped Zaya off at school and then my parents were nice enough to take care of Kaiton all morning while I worked in both Brooklen and Hurley's classrooms. I really, really like to show support for the teachers by getting in to the classroom, but I always feel guilty asking others to help by watching my younger kids, so I was so grateful to have my parents here to help. Both of the kids seem to be doing really well in their classes this year.
On Tuesday, the kids had the day off of school and Rob took the day off of work. We started the morning off by going to Chuck E Cheese in Saginaw. The kids played there for 2 hours. By parents bought them tons of tokens and I think even us adults were really in to collecting a lot of tickets. We all had a ton of fun. One of my favorite memories from this trip to Chuck e Cheese is that Zaya had a particularly good time going around to all of the different photo machines and having her picture taken. She came home with 5 or 6 different photos of herself!
After Chuck E Cheese, we went over to a park to eat lunch and play. The weather was 74 degrees and it was such a beautiful day! When the kids were done playing, we stopped by Baynes Cider Mill to get donuts and cider and to play some more. After that, we went home and then later we went to Pizza Sams for dinner and Cherry Berry for dessert. We had a wonderful visit with my parents. I am so glad they came to see us and to spend time with the kids.
On Wednesday morning, my parents left at about 7am. I got the kids off to school and then I took Zaya to school and ran some errands. On Thursday, Zaya had gymnastics and in the afternoon I took pictures for Emma Dodick and her mom and then I taught a piano lesson.
On Friday, I got to volunteer at Zaya's preschool. It is always a bit stressful getting everyone out the door nice and early, but I had a good time seeing Zaya at school and helping out. After school, I brought Jack Jones back to our house and he and Zaya played together.
Yesterday was very busy. Hurley had Mary's Meet, a benefit meet at the gymnastics center. She performed so well! We spent three hours at the gymnastics center and then Rob headed off to Stake Conference meetings. I took the kids home for a snack and then I dropped Hurley off in Freeland for Kaitlin's gymnastic party and then I took Brooklen to hockey. He was excited because he got a hat trick (3 goals) during the practice. Rob came to watch Brooklen and then I left to pick up Hurley. Afterwards, I swung by the church to pick up Brooklen. We stopped at McDonalds to pick up a quick dinner.
On Tuesday, the kids had the day off of school and Rob took the day off of work. We started the morning off by going to Chuck E Cheese in Saginaw. The kids played there for 2 hours. By parents bought them tons of tokens and I think even us adults were really in to collecting a lot of tickets. We all had a ton of fun. One of my favorite memories from this trip to Chuck e Cheese is that Zaya had a particularly good time going around to all of the different photo machines and having her picture taken. She came home with 5 or 6 different photos of herself!
After Chuck E Cheese, we went over to a park to eat lunch and play. The weather was 74 degrees and it was such a beautiful day! When the kids were done playing, we stopped by Baynes Cider Mill to get donuts and cider and to play some more. After that, we went home and then later we went to Pizza Sams for dinner and Cherry Berry for dessert. We had a wonderful visit with my parents. I am so glad they came to see us and to spend time with the kids.
On Wednesday morning, my parents left at about 7am. I got the kids off to school and then I took Zaya to school and ran some errands. On Thursday, Zaya had gymnastics and in the afternoon I took pictures for Emma Dodick and her mom and then I taught a piano lesson.
On Friday, I got to volunteer at Zaya's preschool. It is always a bit stressful getting everyone out the door nice and early, but I had a good time seeing Zaya at school and helping out. After school, I brought Jack Jones back to our house and he and Zaya played together.
Yesterday was very busy. Hurley had Mary's Meet, a benefit meet at the gymnastics center. She performed so well! We spent three hours at the gymnastics center and then Rob headed off to Stake Conference meetings. I took the kids home for a snack and then I dropped Hurley off in Freeland for Kaitlin's gymnastic party and then I took Brooklen to hockey. He was excited because he got a hat trick (3 goals) during the practice. Rob came to watch Brooklen and then I left to pick up Hurley. Afterwards, I swung by the church to pick up Brooklen. We stopped at McDonalds to pick up a quick dinner.
Week Forty-Three
Halloween week. Crazy week!!! Holiday weeks are always particularly crazy around here. This year, I am room mom for both of the kid's classes, but there are 6 room mom's in Brooklen's class, so I helped plan a little of the party and then let the other mom's run it. For Hurley's party, I planned a game and a craft and then I worked in her class for most of the time. I love her teacher, Jackie McGee, and I am so glad I get to work with her again.
On Friday morning, my parents came in to town. After Zaya's preschool party, we met my parents at Panera for lunch. During the afternoon, they watched Zaya and Kaiton for me while I went to Woodcrest for the Halloween Parade and parties. Brooklen dressed up as a RedWings player (and Kaiton did too), Hurley was Ariel, and Zaya wore a unicorn costume. On Friday night, Brooklen had hockey so my dad and Rob took him. After hockey, we all went to Brideport, Michigan to ride the Haunted Train. It was really overpriced, but thankfully, my parents paid and the kids had a lot of fun.
On Saturday morning, we work up early to go to Bay City for Brooklen's first hockey game. He played so awesome during both of his games. He was really aggressive and gave 100% the entire time. I was so proud of him! As an added bonus, he scored a goal at the buzzer! I told him that I would pay him 20 dollars if he scored a goal, and I had to pay up at the end of the games. I am really so proud of him for trying this new sport and I am so in awe of how great he is doing. My kids definitely got their athletic ability from their Dad and not from me:(
Saturday was a rainy day, so Rob's skydiving got cancelled . . . AGAIN! This week was the last week the company was running the jumps, so he will have to wait until next year. We hung around the house for a lot of the afternoon. My parents kept the kids busy. At 2:30, my mom left to take the girls to go see a movie. Brooklen and my dad stayed back and hung out. We ate an early soup and halloweenie dinner and then Rob, my dad, and the kids left to go trick-or-treating. It was raining pretty heavily and I was surprised to see so many trick-or-treaters out. I actually ran out of candy by about 7:15 and had to shut off the lights!!! Oops . . I guess we'll have to buy more candy next year!
Today, we went to church, and then the kids played with my parents for most of the afternoon. Tonight, we had a venison dinner that was SO good and then we made homemade donuts. This is the third year we have made donuts and I think that this year's batch was the best yet.
On Friday morning, my parents came in to town. After Zaya's preschool party, we met my parents at Panera for lunch. During the afternoon, they watched Zaya and Kaiton for me while I went to Woodcrest for the Halloween Parade and parties. Brooklen dressed up as a RedWings player (and Kaiton did too), Hurley was Ariel, and Zaya wore a unicorn costume. On Friday night, Brooklen had hockey so my dad and Rob took him. After hockey, we all went to Brideport, Michigan to ride the Haunted Train. It was really overpriced, but thankfully, my parents paid and the kids had a lot of fun.
On Saturday morning, we work up early to go to Bay City for Brooklen's first hockey game. He played so awesome during both of his games. He was really aggressive and gave 100% the entire time. I was so proud of him! As an added bonus, he scored a goal at the buzzer! I told him that I would pay him 20 dollars if he scored a goal, and I had to pay up at the end of the games. I am really so proud of him for trying this new sport and I am so in awe of how great he is doing. My kids definitely got their athletic ability from their Dad and not from me:(
Saturday was a rainy day, so Rob's skydiving got cancelled . . . AGAIN! This week was the last week the company was running the jumps, so he will have to wait until next year. We hung around the house for a lot of the afternoon. My parents kept the kids busy. At 2:30, my mom left to take the girls to go see a movie. Brooklen and my dad stayed back and hung out. We ate an early soup and halloweenie dinner and then Rob, my dad, and the kids left to go trick-or-treating. It was raining pretty heavily and I was surprised to see so many trick-or-treaters out. I actually ran out of candy by about 7:15 and had to shut off the lights!!! Oops . . I guess we'll have to buy more candy next year!
Today, we went to church, and then the kids played with my parents for most of the afternoon. Tonight, we had a venison dinner that was SO good and then we made homemade donuts. This is the third year we have made donuts and I think that this year's batch was the best yet.
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Week Forty-Two
I always write these blog posts on Sunday nights. It is a good time for me to sit down and reflect on the past week and take some time to myself. Tonight as I write, I am asking myself what was important from this last week. As I think about this question, I'll jot down my thoughts.
1) I did two more photo sessions this week. This time of year, I always have people emailing or calling me at the last minute to get pictures. I try not to turn people down because it is decent money and I enjoy the learning, but I have to note that when I do more than one session a week, it makes me very stressed out. I'm not really sure what my future with photography holds. I would love to have, what I consider, a legitimate business, but I don't want to sacrifice my sanity!
2) I went to watch Brooklen play hockey yesterday. I haven't gone and watched him for a few weeks. I was SO impressed with his progress. What a difference practice has made. He is much more skilled in his skating and he is being quite a bit more aggressive. I am so proud of him for working hard.
3) On Friday night, the girls got to go to a fun Halloween party at Sienna's house. I wanted to be a bit spontaneous, so I didn't make dinner and told Brooklen that he could pick anywhere he wanted for us to eat at. He really wanted to go to a good burger place, so we ended up at Big E's, a sports bar that is attached to the Holiday Inn. The meal was more pricey than we usually spend and the food was a bit underwhelming, but I could tell that it made Brooklen feel so good to get to pick the place. Kaiton was asleep for the entire meal, so it really got both Rob and I to himself.
4) Hurley lost her first tooth at Sienna's party! The tooth fairy was tired and forgot to visit on Friday night. On Saturday night, she showed up and left 2 dollars that were folded into hearts for Hurley.
5) Kaiton has really started testing Rob and I this week. I put him in time out twice today and he started biting me when I went to get him to show me how mad I was. I hate being stern with him, but it is time to start discipling him. I want him to grow up to be well-behaved and sweet, like the rest of our kids.
6) Today the kids performed the primary program in church. I played the piano for it. I was impressed with all 3 of my kids; they memorized their parts without us asking them to. I guess peer pressure works!!!
1) I did two more photo sessions this week. This time of year, I always have people emailing or calling me at the last minute to get pictures. I try not to turn people down because it is decent money and I enjoy the learning, but I have to note that when I do more than one session a week, it makes me very stressed out. I'm not really sure what my future with photography holds. I would love to have, what I consider, a legitimate business, but I don't want to sacrifice my sanity!
2) I went to watch Brooklen play hockey yesterday. I haven't gone and watched him for a few weeks. I was SO impressed with his progress. What a difference practice has made. He is much more skilled in his skating and he is being quite a bit more aggressive. I am so proud of him for working hard.
3) On Friday night, the girls got to go to a fun Halloween party at Sienna's house. I wanted to be a bit spontaneous, so I didn't make dinner and told Brooklen that he could pick anywhere he wanted for us to eat at. He really wanted to go to a good burger place, so we ended up at Big E's, a sports bar that is attached to the Holiday Inn. The meal was more pricey than we usually spend and the food was a bit underwhelming, but I could tell that it made Brooklen feel so good to get to pick the place. Kaiton was asleep for the entire meal, so it really got both Rob and I to himself.
4) Hurley lost her first tooth at Sienna's party! The tooth fairy was tired and forgot to visit on Friday night. On Saturday night, she showed up and left 2 dollars that were folded into hearts for Hurley.
5) Kaiton has really started testing Rob and I this week. I put him in time out twice today and he started biting me when I went to get him to show me how mad I was. I hate being stern with him, but it is time to start discipling him. I want him to grow up to be well-behaved and sweet, like the rest of our kids.
6) Today the kids performed the primary program in church. I played the piano for it. I was impressed with all 3 of my kids; they memorized their parts without us asking them to. I guess peer pressure works!!!
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Week Forty-One
This past week I started getting ready for Halloween. Zaya and I worked at getting the house a little bit decorated for the holiday. I also started preparing my kid's parties for school. This year I am going to be a room mom in both Brooklen and Hurley's classrooms. There are 5 other room moms in Brooklen's class, so I shouldn't have a lot of work in there, but I think I will be doing most of the planning for Hurley's parties. I really love being able to have that job, since being a room mom is something that I can do from home and I don't have to schedule babysitters for my younger kids.
On Monday, I also got another chance to work in Zaya's classroom. She really thrives in social situations and she absolutely LOVES doing her work. All three of our older kids are so focused when it comes to school. She is so meticulous when she is doing her work and makes sure that she does everything perfect.
Later in the week, I also had the chance to work in Hurley's class. She is a very good student. She too, is very focused and intense at school. She is so well behaved and I have peace in knowing that all of our kids will be respectful when they are in outside environments.
On Friday night, Rob took Brooklen to hockey and after hockey Brooklen got to go with the Nymans to the Bridgeport Haunted Train Ride. He had a blast with Jake and he said that he wasn't scared. I stayed at home with Hurley, Zaya, and Kaiton. We played in the basement and then we went upstairs and cuddled in my bed while we watched "Frozen." We had so much fun and even Kaiton paid attention throughout the entire movie.
On Saturday, Rob and Brooklen went to hockey in the morning. When they got home, I took the girls out and ran a few errands. During the afternoon, Rob and I got some work done around the house and in the yard. Later in the afternoon, I went to the back of our neighborhood with the girls to take pictures of the Bills family. Brooklen went over to Jake's house to watch the Michigan vs. Michigan State game (he ended up staying there until 9pm)! Rob had to leave at 6pm to attend a stake youth fireside. Again, I stayed at home with the girls and with Kaiton. We worked on our jump roping skills in the basement and then we took baths and watched a Barbie movie while I blow-dried the girl's hair.
Today, we went to church and then came home and relaxed for a while. This afternoon, Alta Bills took our family photos. We haven't had family photos done since Zaya was 9 months old. It was a lot of work to get outfits together, but I'm glad we finally got pictures done and I'm glad I found someone to trade with. This evening, we took a nice Fall walk around the neighborhood and then the kids played outside a bit with the Nymans.
On Monday, I also got another chance to work in Zaya's classroom. She really thrives in social situations and she absolutely LOVES doing her work. All three of our older kids are so focused when it comes to school. She is so meticulous when she is doing her work and makes sure that she does everything perfect.
Later in the week, I also had the chance to work in Hurley's class. She is a very good student. She too, is very focused and intense at school. She is so well behaved and I have peace in knowing that all of our kids will be respectful when they are in outside environments.
On Friday night, Rob took Brooklen to hockey and after hockey Brooklen got to go with the Nymans to the Bridgeport Haunted Train Ride. He had a blast with Jake and he said that he wasn't scared. I stayed at home with Hurley, Zaya, and Kaiton. We played in the basement and then we went upstairs and cuddled in my bed while we watched "Frozen." We had so much fun and even Kaiton paid attention throughout the entire movie.
On Saturday, Rob and Brooklen went to hockey in the morning. When they got home, I took the girls out and ran a few errands. During the afternoon, Rob and I got some work done around the house and in the yard. Later in the afternoon, I went to the back of our neighborhood with the girls to take pictures of the Bills family. Brooklen went over to Jake's house to watch the Michigan vs. Michigan State game (he ended up staying there until 9pm)! Rob had to leave at 6pm to attend a stake youth fireside. Again, I stayed at home with the girls and with Kaiton. We worked on our jump roping skills in the basement and then we took baths and watched a Barbie movie while I blow-dried the girl's hair.
Today, we went to church and then came home and relaxed for a while. This afternoon, Alta Bills took our family photos. We haven't had family photos done since Zaya was 9 months old. It was a lot of work to get outfits together, but I'm glad we finally got pictures done and I'm glad I found someone to trade with. This evening, we took a nice Fall walk around the neighborhood and then the kids played outside a bit with the Nymans.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Week Forty
As I sit here on Sunday night reflecting on the past week, I am finding it a bit frustrating that I can't remember much about this week. I think that this period in my life is so busy that I sometimes it just seems to be rushing by. My kids are growing bigger everyday and some days I think I definitely forget to be grateful for all of the little moments, even if they are busy and often frustrating, that I have with my sweet family.
We had some awesome fall weather days this week. On Tuesday morning, the weather was perfect and I had remembered that Zaya had a new bike basket that Jenna gave her. She had mentioned to me a couple of times that she really wanted to pack a picnic and carry it in her bike basket. She is still a new rider, so I didn't think she could quite make it to the park, but I asked her if we could pack a few snacks and go for a ride. I was surprised at how far she rode. I had to run with the stroller to keep up with her. We rode all the way through the Oakridge neighborhood to Midland Christian School on Wackerly. Once we got there, I suggested we take a break and asked if she had any snacks. She was so excited to be able to pull the snacks out of her bike basket and provide for Kaiton and I. I made sure to complement her riding skills a lot on the trip and once we made it home, it was very apparent that she was proud of herself.
The kids had the day off of school on Friday. We took the kids to Leahman's Green Apple Barn in Freeland. It was a splendid day! All four of our kids were entertained and the orchard for hours. We played mini golf, looked at pumpkins, played in the sand, rode the barrel ride, looked at animals, and of course, ate cider and donuts. We ended up being there for several hours. At the end, we even convinced the kids to go through the corn maze with us. Although Brooklen and Hurley weren't excited about the idea, they ended up having a great time in the maze.
After we left Leahman's, we ran to Old Navy and then we went to Chuck E Cheese to let the kids use some extra tokens that we had. They all just LOVE that place. We spent about an hour letting the kids play games and then they redeemed their tickets for a few prizes. After that, we drove home and Rob was so awesome . . . he volunteered to make dinner. He made these "gourmet" burgers for all of us with pepper jack cheese and apples. They were delicious and I was so grateful that he stepped up and took charge of dinner because I was pretty beat by the end of the day.
On Friday evening, we played outside for a while and then we had a spontaneous movie night. We were out playing football and Rob mentioned to Brooklen and me that we needed to have "soft hands." He started telling us about a scene from the movie, "Mighty Ducks." I have been wanting show the kids that movie, so when Rob suggested we watch it, I was all in. Within 20 minutes, we had bathed the kids, rented the movie through Amazon Prime, and we were piled in our bed watching it. I think all of the kids liked the movie, and it was fun for Rob and I to watch a "classic" from our childhood.
On Saturday, I woke up and fed the kids and then Hurley, Zaya, and I ran to Meijer to do our grocery shopping for the next week. At 11:30, Brooklen had hockey, so we all went to watch. He is learning a lot and I am so proud of him for stepping up and taking on this intimidating sport. After hockey, we went to Saginaw so that Rob could skydive. We waited a couple of hours, but the wind was too bad, so he ended up having to postpone skydiving AGAIN!
When we got back to Midland, Rob had to leave to a youth counsel meeting. He just got called to be the secretary in the Stake Young Men's Presidency. He will be awesome at that calling! He left the meeting early to come home and watch the kids so that I could go to a photo session.
Today, we went to church and then came home and enjoyed the 74 degree weather. We went on a nature walk on a trail off of Saginaw. The kids enjoyed the time outside and I soaked it in. I think this week might be the last week of 70 degree weather for the year.
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Week Thirty-Nine
This weekend was conference. I wasn't able to listen intently to all of the talks, but I will say, that my cup was filled by many of the words that I was able to sit down and listen too. It is always a struggle to have a spiritual conference experience with four little kids running around, but I was definitely more ready to listen to the inspiring words of the prophet and apostles than I probably ever have been. I have been in primary/music callings for so long, it has been really hard for me to be spiritually fed. I love those callings, but while I need to be better at my personal scripture study, I feel like I really need to be taught. Some of the things that I took from this conference:
1. I need to be less hard on myself. I am enough. I can make my life more simple and stress free by realizing that.
“With such a glorious future,” Aunt Rose said, “why get swallowed up in the past or present things that don’t go quite the way we planned?” -Elder Uchdorf
2. One of the general authorities suggested "ponderizing" scriptures. He and his wife chose a scripture to ponderize every week. I want to do this for my family.
3. I was touched by a talk by Elder Bradley Foster. His talk was entitled, "It's Never Too Early, It's Never Too Late." He spoke about how we need to ensure that our children don't just hear gospel teachings; they need to understand them. The need to know that we are always in our corner. This is something that I want to focus on. I want the gospel to be more of a priority in our home. I want to develop a stronger bond with my husband and with each of my children. I want to be an example.
This week went by fast. I'm not even quite sure what made it busy. I did watch a kids for a few friends on a few different days. I also was able to help out in Zaya's classroom. It was wonderful to be there with her. She is so smart and so kind to other kids. I love the person she is becoming.
Brooklen had an important project to work on. It is due tomorrow. The kids have been very consistent with doing their homework as soon as they get home, but this project was assigned two weeks ago, and he has been very resistant to even start it. I have had a hard time with this, but I felt really strongly that it was time for him to learn his own lessons. I asked him every day if he was ready to start the project and every day, he whined and said, "no." So, Friday came and I told him he needed to start it. He whined and was upset but he did it anyway. Once he started working on it, I think he realized that it would have been easier to start earlier. I hate having to watch my kids make mistakes and learn life lessons, but at 8, Brooklen is old enough to start doing so.
Today was my birthday. Brooklen and Rob bought a small knife sharpener and sharpened the knives for me. I thought this was a very sweet, thoughtful gesture. Brooklen also got me a U of M shirt. Tonight, I made Pho for dinner because I love it! This morning we work up early for a breakfast with the Hales and Ostergaard families. Then, I took Brooklen, Hurley, Zaya, and Samuel Hales over to the church for Laicee Lowes baptism. I played the piano for the baptism.
1. I need to be less hard on myself. I am enough. I can make my life more simple and stress free by realizing that.
“With such a glorious future,” Aunt Rose said, “why get swallowed up in the past or present things that don’t go quite the way we planned?” -Elder Uchdorf
2. One of the general authorities suggested "ponderizing" scriptures. He and his wife chose a scripture to ponderize every week. I want to do this for my family.
3. I was touched by a talk by Elder Bradley Foster. His talk was entitled, "It's Never Too Early, It's Never Too Late." He spoke about how we need to ensure that our children don't just hear gospel teachings; they need to understand them. The need to know that we are always in our corner. This is something that I want to focus on. I want the gospel to be more of a priority in our home. I want to develop a stronger bond with my husband and with each of my children. I want to be an example.
This week went by fast. I'm not even quite sure what made it busy. I did watch a kids for a few friends on a few different days. I also was able to help out in Zaya's classroom. It was wonderful to be there with her. She is so smart and so kind to other kids. I love the person she is becoming.
Brooklen had an important project to work on. It is due tomorrow. The kids have been very consistent with doing their homework as soon as they get home, but this project was assigned two weeks ago, and he has been very resistant to even start it. I have had a hard time with this, but I felt really strongly that it was time for him to learn his own lessons. I asked him every day if he was ready to start the project and every day, he whined and said, "no." So, Friday came and I told him he needed to start it. He whined and was upset but he did it anyway. Once he started working on it, I think he realized that it would have been easier to start earlier. I hate having to watch my kids make mistakes and learn life lessons, but at 8, Brooklen is old enough to start doing so.
Today was my birthday. Brooklen and Rob bought a small knife sharpener and sharpened the knives for me. I thought this was a very sweet, thoughtful gesture. Brooklen also got me a U of M shirt. Tonight, I made Pho for dinner because I love it! This morning we work up early for a breakfast with the Hales and Ostergaard families. Then, I took Brooklen, Hurley, Zaya, and Samuel Hales over to the church for Laicee Lowes baptism. I played the piano for the baptism.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Week Thirty-Eight
It's Sunday night, and like always, I'm sitting down to review the past week and write my thoughts about the things that happened. I think I'll move backwards this week, since what happened yesterday is what I remember most.
Yesterday, Rob had the opportunity to take Brooklen to the Michigan vs. BYU game at the Big House in Ann Arbor. One of the Investment Managers that works with the hospital is a BYU alum and got Rob the tickets. He actually ended up getting another ticket that I could have used, but we didn't have a sitter for the other kids. Rob and Brooklen left at about 9am yesterday to go down to Ann Arbor. The game was a total blow-out. Michigan won 31-0!!!! Brooklen was super excited he wore Michigan gear and he also made Rob wear his Michigan hat. I am so glad that they had the opportunity to go to that game. Brooklen has literally been talking about it for weeks!
While the big boys were at the game, I took the other kids to the library. After we played and checked out books, we picked up some lunch at McDonalds and headed to Plymouth Park to play and have a picnic. We enjoyed the gorgeous Saturday weather for a while and then we went to Meijer to our grocery shopping for the week. Kaiton slept through the shopping trip, which made it go really smoothly. Then, we went home and put groceries away. Later, we walked (and rode a scooter) down to the Cottage Creamery to get ice cream. Hurley, Zaya, and I had a few hula hoop contests (I'm still the champion) and the girls had a blast drawing with sidewalk chalk. As soon as we got home, we went over to MGTC for open gym time. We had gone to Freeland's gym for open gym time on Friday night, but it was super busy and crazy. We were so excited to find out that there were only 3 other people at MGTC for open gym. Zaya and Kaiton had a blast jumping on the tumble trak and playing in the cheese. Hurley spent most of the time working on skills. She got spooked out doing a front tuck off the tumble trak this week during practice and really wanted to "shake it." Coach Chris and Coach Tawnee work with her to try to help her figure out how to jump out further. She was super frustrated. She is really hard on herself and she was concerned about every single detail. Unfortunately, by the end of the evening, the problem wasn't fixed, so we will go back next week to work on it. I am going to have to work with her to make sure that she gives herself a break sometimes. On a happier note, she showed me how she climbed to the top of the rope AND she is close to getting her back handspring.
The early part of the week was filled with day-to-day craziness. The weather has been unseasonably warm this week and it was FANTASTIC. We went on several walks and to the park. Zaya got to have Nev come over on Thursday and they spent most of the time playing outside.
Zaya is also doing great in school. She has very quickly made some great little girlfriends and she is a little social butterfly. I am so glad I put her in preschool. I think it is going to be really good for her.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Week Thirty-Seven
This week was all about getting acclimated to our new, busy school-life schedule. I am only teaching 8 or 9 piano lessons (3 of which are only every other week), but my kids are busy with activities, so we will be running from one thing to the next most days. I'm trying a new thing this semester. I'm teaching two of my piano students on Monday mornings from 7:00-8:00am. I'm not really sure why we chose to do this on Monday mornings, but it definitely helps me to get my week started out nice and early. I woke up extra early on Monday morning (5:30am) so that I could make breakfast, pack lunches, clean up the house, and get myself ready. I woke the kids up before I started lessons, and fortunately, they got themselves dressed and ready, ate muffins, and were ready for school when my lessons ended. My students ride the same bus as my kids, so they were able to hop on the bus with them at 8:12am.
I also started my Wednesday piano lessons this week. I am only teaching the three Hill girls every other week on Wednesdays. I pick up the kids at school and get Hurley to gymnastics at 4:15pm. I have to rush home because I teach piano from 4:30pm-6:00pm. It actually worked out really nicely. Rob picked Hurley up from gymnastics and brought her home, we ate quickly, and I took Brooklen to scouts. Phew!
A couple more important notes from this week:
1. I FINALLY got my hair done. I waited 12 weeks to get it colored and I can't do that again. It was so brassy and oxidized that I think Angela for sure thought that I had applied box color (I swear, I didn't). Plus, it was hard for her to correct the color and she ended up coloring it way too dark. I could go back and have her correct it, but I don't really want to add to the damage. Ugh, I was already feeling pretty bad about my hair and now the color is not good either. . . oh well, I learned my lesson. I'll have to wait 8 weeks to get that fixed.
2. Rob's skydiving got cancelled again! Fall weather is always really cloudy. We will try again in 2 weeks.
3. The boys skipped the father and son's campout because there was a high chance of night time rain. Instead, they went to the batting cages for 3 hours! I took the other kids to the park and then we picked up ice cream for everyone on the way home.
4. Brooklen started hockey on Saturday. I'm praying that it will be a good experience for him. He is really excited; I hope he has fun and learns a lot.
5. Zaya loved preschool this week. Her teachers said that she is very focused on doing her "work." They said she is well-behaved.
6. Zaya, Kaiton, and I went to the mall with Nev and her mom, Kari after gymnastics. We had a fun time socializing and Zaya had a great time playing. She and Nev are such a good match for each other. Zaya also had a playdate this week with Lucy. Lucy's older sister, Abigail, is on Hurley's gymnastics team. The girls played really well together. I think it is the first playdate that I can remember where a mess wasn't made (hooray)!
7. I was supposed to meet with a bride about shooting her upcoming wedding, but she cancelled. Then, another bride who was going to meet with me cancelled. I'm telling you, this business is tough stuff. I'm still trying to figure out how not to get my feelings hurt. I hope I can stick it out and learn enough to be good at it and to sell myself. I need to set down and make some serious goals for myself.
I also started my Wednesday piano lessons this week. I am only teaching the three Hill girls every other week on Wednesdays. I pick up the kids at school and get Hurley to gymnastics at 4:15pm. I have to rush home because I teach piano from 4:30pm-6:00pm. It actually worked out really nicely. Rob picked Hurley up from gymnastics and brought her home, we ate quickly, and I took Brooklen to scouts. Phew!
A couple more important notes from this week:
1. I FINALLY got my hair done. I waited 12 weeks to get it colored and I can't do that again. It was so brassy and oxidized that I think Angela for sure thought that I had applied box color (I swear, I didn't). Plus, it was hard for her to correct the color and she ended up coloring it way too dark. I could go back and have her correct it, but I don't really want to add to the damage. Ugh, I was already feeling pretty bad about my hair and now the color is not good either. . . oh well, I learned my lesson. I'll have to wait 8 weeks to get that fixed.
2. Rob's skydiving got cancelled again! Fall weather is always really cloudy. We will try again in 2 weeks.
3. The boys skipped the father and son's campout because there was a high chance of night time rain. Instead, they went to the batting cages for 3 hours! I took the other kids to the park and then we picked up ice cream for everyone on the way home.
4. Brooklen started hockey on Saturday. I'm praying that it will be a good experience for him. He is really excited; I hope he has fun and learns a lot.
5. Zaya loved preschool this week. Her teachers said that she is very focused on doing her "work." They said she is well-behaved.
6. Zaya, Kaiton, and I went to the mall with Nev and her mom, Kari after gymnastics. We had a fun time socializing and Zaya had a great time playing. She and Nev are such a good match for each other. Zaya also had a playdate this week with Lucy. Lucy's older sister, Abigail, is on Hurley's gymnastics team. The girls played really well together. I think it is the first playdate that I can remember where a mess wasn't made (hooray)!
7. I was supposed to meet with a bride about shooting her upcoming wedding, but she cancelled. Then, another bride who was going to meet with me cancelled. I'm telling you, this business is tough stuff. I'm still trying to figure out how not to get my feelings hurt. I hope I can stick it out and learn enough to be good at it and to sell myself. I need to set down and make some serious goals for myself.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Week Thirty-Six
Monday was Labor Day, aka the last day of summer vacation for my kids. We started out the morning thinking Rob was going to do his "makeup" sky diving session. We had planned to drive down to the Detroit area. But before we got on the freeway, Rob called the instructor and they decided that it was too cloudy again. So, we headed home for the day. We spent most of the day hanging out at home, getting ready for the "big day."
Tuesday morning, we woke up early for school. I got the kids up at about 7:15, got them ready, fed them, and then we took a few pictures in front of the house. They headed off to school on the bus and we got in our cars and headed to Woodcrest. It was a really rainy morning and of course, I had forgotten to bring an umbrella. We had to park pretty far from the school and walk in the rain to Woodcrest. We met the kids inside as they came off of the bus. Then, we walked them to their classes and got them settled. Hurley has Mrs. McGee this year. She was Brooklen's first grade teacher and she is such a sweetheart. Brooklen has Ms. Stanton. She is a brand new teacher, fresh from Michigan State. She seemed very impressive and her room was so cute! After we dropped the kids off in their classes, Rob went to work and I headed home with the two little kids. We had a wonderful day at home. Zaya helped me do my chores and we spent the afternoon making dinner together.
On Wednesday, we sent the kids to school and I think we hung around the house for most of the day. I have a huge list of chores to get done around the house and I am enjoying being home with the two little ones for part of the day. In the evening, Brooklen had scouts. I dropped him off and then I headed to a parent meeting at Chippewa Preschool.
On Thursday, Zaya started gymnastics again. She is in a class with Nev Weideman again and there is also a new little girl, Ella, in her class. She just loves being in that class. Coach Michelle is amazing with her and I am so glad that she is able to participate in an activity that is fun for her and that makes her feel really good about herself. Thursday evening was downtown event for the hot air balloon festival. We took the kids downtown and they collected trading cards for all of the balloons. They can collect punches as they go by each balloon and once they have their entire card punched, they get a pin and a prize. The kids love this free event; it has become a tradition for us.
On Friday, Zaya had her first day of preschool. She was so excited! Her teachers said that she was shy, but that she was very well-behaved. On the way home, she told me that she loves it there and that "she never wants to stop going until she goes to Woodcrest." I love that she is so excited about having her own school. While Zaya was at preschool, I took Kaiton to Coffee Chaos for a meeting with a bride and her family. I was preparing to shoot her wedding the next day and I hadn't met her yet. It was a brief, but good meeting for me. It helped me to understand their expectations and to help us come up with a timeline.
On Friday night, we went to the Fairgrounds for the hot air balloon festival. We saw Jeramie and Susie Soderberg there with their 6 kids, and we ended up hanging out with them for the evening. The balloons couldn't make it off of the ground, due to wind, but we were able to watch the glow and spend time with friends. It was a good evening.
On Saturday, we spent the morning at home. Emma Hirschi came over at 2:00pm to babysit the kids while Rob and I went to the wedding. I was super nervous, but I tried to reassure myself that I could meet and exceed the client's expectations. It was a very laid back wedding. It was very small, and fortunately, it was only about 5 minutes away from our house. There were a lot of things that went wrong. Nothing major, but, like always, I definitely learned a lot. One of my biggest takeaways was that I revised my package to be a 4-hour package because they said they didn't need a lot of photography time. But, I ended up being there just as long as most weddings because the things they wanted were so spread out. I don't think I will ever revise that again. Lesson learned . . . since I haven't done many weddings, it was great experience.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Week Thirty-Five
This has been the last week of summer for my kids. We have had such a crazy summer that I decided that I would cancel all of my piano lessons so that we could have some fun and not be on a schedule. Hurley's gymnastics class was conveniently canceled this week too, so we didn't have a whole lot planned. On Monday, Zaya had a dentist appointment in Saginaw. After the appointment, I took Hurley to Justice so that she could use a store credit that she received when she exchanged a birthday gift. She is in heaven in that store and had such a hard time deciding between glitter bath spray, a cute hand sanitizer, and nail polish. As we were about to pay, I noticed that they were running a 3/$12 deal, so she was able to get all three. She was so excited. I also took Brooklen to Perani's to get him a hockey helmet. We were able to find one that fits well and the salesperson adjusted it to fit his head correctly. We also headed to Sam's Club and Walmart to get some school snacks.
We got back from Saginaw at about 2:00pm. Rob came home at about 3:00pm and we headed to Mackinaw City. I decided a couple of weeks ago that since we hadn't done any Michigan vacations this summer, we should go to Mackinaw. I was shocked that it was only $60 for a hotel (with a waterpark) in Mackinaw City! We got to the hotel at about 6:00pm and we all went to the waterpark to play for a few hours. The entire family really liked the lazy river (it was so WARM) and their rope monkey bars. Brooklen, Rob, and I went down the big water slides and the little kids had a blast going down the little water slides.
The next morning, we woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel and then we headed to Sheplers to catch the ferry. We took the ferry to the island and rented Rob and I bikes, as well as a trailer for Zaya and Kaiton (we had brought Brooklen and Hurley's bikes). We spent a few hours riding around the island. Brooklen and Rob (+ the trailer) stayed in the front and I mostly stayed in the rear with Hurley. Mackinaw is definitely my happy place! I absolutely love it there. Once again, we came on a day with gorgeous weather. I just love that you don't have to plan anything. I love being active the entire day. After we took back the bikes, we parked the kid's bikes and went to a burger joint for lunch. Then, we headed out on foot to see some of the sites. We saw arch rock, sugar loaf rock, the Grand Hotel, and the fort. The kids got pretty whiny on the walk, but I think that was partly our fault for keeping them walking for so long. It might have been different if we were on bikes.
We left the island on the 7:00pm ferry and went to eat dinner at an awesome fish and chips place in Mackinaw City. While we were enjoying dinner, the Nymans walked by. They had been on the island during the day too, but we hadn't seen them. It was fun to connect with them. We got a couple of cute pictures of all of the kids together. After dinner we stopped in and got some fudge, taffy, and jalapeno popcorn (yum) to take home with us. We had such a great time; I'm definitely glad that we made that happen before the summer was over.
On Wednesday, I let the kids sleep in until they woke up naturally. We hadn't gotten home from Mackinaw until about midnight, so they were really tired. In the afternoon, we went over to Plymouth Pool to swim. I can't believe that we have never been there before. The three older kids all really enjoyed the slides and Kaiton just loved being in the water. It was a bit stressful, just because all of the kids wanted me to do something different with them. I could see that many of the other moms had come with friends and I can understand why. It is nice to have other kids for your kids to play with. I LOVE playing with my kids, but it is hard to be doing 4 different things at once, especially around water where I have to watch everyone closely! Unfortunately, it started to look like it was going to storm, so the workers at the pool made everyone leave at about 3:00pm. The kids were bummed, but I'm glad that we had gotten there right when it opened so that we had 2 hours to swim. On Wednesday evening, I took Brooklen to scouts. Kaiton and I ran a couple of errands and then went to pick him up.
Thursday morning we had an appointment with our ENT, Dr. Harris for Brooklen. Our pediatrician, Dr. Juarbe told us that the remaining tube in Brooklen's ear needs to come out, so he sent us to Dr. Harris to have him check it out. We decided to go through with the removal, but we are going to wait until January (a new insurance year) to have it done. After the appointment, we went home and Hurley's friend, Kaitlin, came over to play. I also had Will, Jack, and Ellie Jones over to play with the other kids. They all played really well together and I was able to get some things done around the house. While they were playing, I found Hurley and Kaitlin upstairs in the girl's room. They both had on bright, red lipstick and they were sharing Hurley's earbuds, listening to her iPod shuffle. You've gotta love that little diva of mine; she is like a teenager in a 6 year-old's body sometimes! On Thursday night, Rob went to a skydiving certification class and I took the kids to Chippewa Preschool for Zaya's open house.
One Friday, we went and got Hurley and Zaya's hair cut. Zaya's hair is so long that the lady had to have her stand up while she trimmed it. Afterwards, we headed over to the civic center. Charlotte was there with Evan and Kyra. Hurley and Brooklen both skated this time and I was proud of how focused Brooklen stayed the entire time. When we got home, the kids played with Jake and Jenna for a while and then Brooklen and Rob went to get their hair cut. We rented the movie "Home," made homemade pizza, and then watched the movie while we ate popcorn! A perfect evening in my book!
Saturday morning, Rob left early to go to Saginaw to get ready to skydive. We were supposed to meet him at the airport later, but he ended up having to cancel for the day because of poor weather. Instead, the kids played with the neighbors. In the afternoon, I went to Meijer and Rob mowed the lawn. At night, Rob took Brooklen to the Loons game and I stayed home with the younger kids. We had an awesome evening! We made breakfast for dinner (Brooklen doesn't care for that), made banana ice cream, and watched the Barbie Princess Popstar movie. Even Kaiton loved the music in the movie. We had such a fun girl's (+ a baby} night.
Today, we went to church and I had choir practice afterwards. We hung out, painted nails, played card games, and hung out. Rob also gave the three older kids sweet father's blessings. This evening, we took a walk through the neighborhood. Zaya rode her scooter, the older kids walked, and I pushed Kaiton in the stroller. Halfway through the walk, Kaiton said to Zaya, "I want that." She is such a sweet girl that she willingly got off of her scooter and offered to push his empty stroller. I pushed Kaiton on the scooter for a while and then I noticed that he was actually pushing off on one foot. That kid amazes me! He is so attentive to everything, especially to anything active. After a while, Kaiton stepped off of the scooter, and Zaya, assuming he was done, reclaimed her position on the scooter. As soon as Kaiton noticed, he said, "HEY, HEY!" really loudly. It was so funny!
We got back from Saginaw at about 2:00pm. Rob came home at about 3:00pm and we headed to Mackinaw City. I decided a couple of weeks ago that since we hadn't done any Michigan vacations this summer, we should go to Mackinaw. I was shocked that it was only $60 for a hotel (with a waterpark) in Mackinaw City! We got to the hotel at about 6:00pm and we all went to the waterpark to play for a few hours. The entire family really liked the lazy river (it was so WARM) and their rope monkey bars. Brooklen, Rob, and I went down the big water slides and the little kids had a blast going down the little water slides.
The next morning, we woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel and then we headed to Sheplers to catch the ferry. We took the ferry to the island and rented Rob and I bikes, as well as a trailer for Zaya and Kaiton (we had brought Brooklen and Hurley's bikes). We spent a few hours riding around the island. Brooklen and Rob (+ the trailer) stayed in the front and I mostly stayed in the rear with Hurley. Mackinaw is definitely my happy place! I absolutely love it there. Once again, we came on a day with gorgeous weather. I just love that you don't have to plan anything. I love being active the entire day. After we took back the bikes, we parked the kid's bikes and went to a burger joint for lunch. Then, we headed out on foot to see some of the sites. We saw arch rock, sugar loaf rock, the Grand Hotel, and the fort. The kids got pretty whiny on the walk, but I think that was partly our fault for keeping them walking for so long. It might have been different if we were on bikes.
We left the island on the 7:00pm ferry and went to eat dinner at an awesome fish and chips place in Mackinaw City. While we were enjoying dinner, the Nymans walked by. They had been on the island during the day too, but we hadn't seen them. It was fun to connect with them. We got a couple of cute pictures of all of the kids together. After dinner we stopped in and got some fudge, taffy, and jalapeno popcorn (yum) to take home with us. We had such a great time; I'm definitely glad that we made that happen before the summer was over.
On Wednesday, I let the kids sleep in until they woke up naturally. We hadn't gotten home from Mackinaw until about midnight, so they were really tired. In the afternoon, we went over to Plymouth Pool to swim. I can't believe that we have never been there before. The three older kids all really enjoyed the slides and Kaiton just loved being in the water. It was a bit stressful, just because all of the kids wanted me to do something different with them. I could see that many of the other moms had come with friends and I can understand why. It is nice to have other kids for your kids to play with. I LOVE playing with my kids, but it is hard to be doing 4 different things at once, especially around water where I have to watch everyone closely! Unfortunately, it started to look like it was going to storm, so the workers at the pool made everyone leave at about 3:00pm. The kids were bummed, but I'm glad that we had gotten there right when it opened so that we had 2 hours to swim. On Wednesday evening, I took Brooklen to scouts. Kaiton and I ran a couple of errands and then went to pick him up.
Thursday morning we had an appointment with our ENT, Dr. Harris for Brooklen. Our pediatrician, Dr. Juarbe told us that the remaining tube in Brooklen's ear needs to come out, so he sent us to Dr. Harris to have him check it out. We decided to go through with the removal, but we are going to wait until January (a new insurance year) to have it done. After the appointment, we went home and Hurley's friend, Kaitlin, came over to play. I also had Will, Jack, and Ellie Jones over to play with the other kids. They all played really well together and I was able to get some things done around the house. While they were playing, I found Hurley and Kaitlin upstairs in the girl's room. They both had on bright, red lipstick and they were sharing Hurley's earbuds, listening to her iPod shuffle. You've gotta love that little diva of mine; she is like a teenager in a 6 year-old's body sometimes! On Thursday night, Rob went to a skydiving certification class and I took the kids to Chippewa Preschool for Zaya's open house.
One Friday, we went and got Hurley and Zaya's hair cut. Zaya's hair is so long that the lady had to have her stand up while she trimmed it. Afterwards, we headed over to the civic center. Charlotte was there with Evan and Kyra. Hurley and Brooklen both skated this time and I was proud of how focused Brooklen stayed the entire time. When we got home, the kids played with Jake and Jenna for a while and then Brooklen and Rob went to get their hair cut. We rented the movie "Home," made homemade pizza, and then watched the movie while we ate popcorn! A perfect evening in my book!
Saturday morning, Rob left early to go to Saginaw to get ready to skydive. We were supposed to meet him at the airport later, but he ended up having to cancel for the day because of poor weather. Instead, the kids played with the neighbors. In the afternoon, I went to Meijer and Rob mowed the lawn. At night, Rob took Brooklen to the Loons game and I stayed home with the younger kids. We had an awesome evening! We made breakfast for dinner (Brooklen doesn't care for that), made banana ice cream, and watched the Barbie Princess Popstar movie. Even Kaiton loved the music in the movie. We had such a fun girl's (+ a baby} night.
Today, we went to church and I had choir practice afterwards. We hung out, painted nails, played card games, and hung out. Rob also gave the three older kids sweet father's blessings. This evening, we took a walk through the neighborhood. Zaya rode her scooter, the older kids walked, and I pushed Kaiton in the stroller. Halfway through the walk, Kaiton said to Zaya, "I want that." She is such a sweet girl that she willingly got off of her scooter and offered to push his empty stroller. I pushed Kaiton on the scooter for a while and then I noticed that he was actually pushing off on one foot. That kid amazes me! He is so attentive to everything, especially to anything active. After a while, Kaiton stepped off of the scooter, and Zaya, assuming he was done, reclaimed her position on the scooter. As soon as Kaiton noticed, he said, "HEY, HEY!" really loudly. It was so funny!
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Week Thirty-Four
As the summer comes to an end, I find that the days are all getting busy. This week we were hit with more strange, "fallish" weather and we spent a lot of the week indoors. We made one final trip to the library, I concluded summer piano lessons, and we planned our last week of summer.
On Wednesday evening, I did some senior pictures at Dow Gardens. The sky was dark and cloudy and it was challenging to work without ANY sun, but I think they turned out okay.
Earlier in the day, I had taken Hurley to gymnastics and Rob took Brooklen ice skating. They stayed the entire hour and forty minutes; I think they had a lot of fun.
On Thursday, Hurley's gymnastic team had a party at Sanford Beach. We brought some cookies for the potluck, and the kids loved having all of the food to choose from. They piled their plates HIGH with junk food!!! The weather was cloudy, but the kids still had a lot of fun. Hurley spent most of her time with Hannah (from school) and Abigail (from gymnastics). Zaya really enjoyed playing with Abigail's little sister, Lucy.
On Thursday evening, I took Brooklen to his first pack meeting. He was pretty shy when they had him stand up so they could welcome him. They played a short game called bandana tag, which I think he thought was fun, and then they gave awards and had refreshments. I think he is really excited to be part of the group. He mentioned to me on the way home that he is excited for next month's pack meeting, which will be a bike rally.'
On Friday, we met the Nymans at the roller rink in the afternoon. The kids had so much fun skating with friends and they ended up skating the entire 2 1/2 hours. Zaya even brought her roller blades. She refused to use an assist, which is totally her personality. I didn't mind, because I know she will learn faster without one anyway. Her rollerblades ended up breaking halfway through the session, so I rented her roller skates, which she did even better on. Hopefully by next summer she will be completely independent on her skates. Brooklen came in second in the race and was pretty excited about that.
Friday night, we went to a small bonfire at the Chews property. We've been invited so many times and never been able to make it, so we were happy to finally be able to go. Rob took the kids for a ride on a four-wheeler, we checked out the chickens and pigs, and the kids made s'mores with my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, instead of graham crackers.
On Saturday, we slept in. Rob and I didn't get up until about 10:00am! Crazy!!! We were supposed to meet Talai and James at the temple, but their little boy was sick, so we stayed back. After a lazy morning (I think I finished making muffins at 11:00am :)), we headed off to Birch Run to do some back to school shopping. Hurley got some shoes at Nike and a shirt at Under Armour. Brooklen got two shirts at Under Armour, a shirt at Puma, and a shirt at Nike. Rob even bought me a really cute shirt from J Crew. We had a good time walking around together and we stopped at McDonalds on our way home.
Next week is the last week of summer vacation for my kids. I am sad to send them back, but I am so excited to have them learning again. They really love the schedule that school provides and they both love learning. I am also excited to cherish my last year with Zaya. She will be in school three mornings a week, and I really hope I can enjoy every second I have with her.
On Wednesday evening, I did some senior pictures at Dow Gardens. The sky was dark and cloudy and it was challenging to work without ANY sun, but I think they turned out okay.
Earlier in the day, I had taken Hurley to gymnastics and Rob took Brooklen ice skating. They stayed the entire hour and forty minutes; I think they had a lot of fun.
On Thursday, Hurley's gymnastic team had a party at Sanford Beach. We brought some cookies for the potluck, and the kids loved having all of the food to choose from. They piled their plates HIGH with junk food!!! The weather was cloudy, but the kids still had a lot of fun. Hurley spent most of her time with Hannah (from school) and Abigail (from gymnastics). Zaya really enjoyed playing with Abigail's little sister, Lucy.
On Thursday evening, I took Brooklen to his first pack meeting. He was pretty shy when they had him stand up so they could welcome him. They played a short game called bandana tag, which I think he thought was fun, and then they gave awards and had refreshments. I think he is really excited to be part of the group. He mentioned to me on the way home that he is excited for next month's pack meeting, which will be a bike rally.'
On Friday, we met the Nymans at the roller rink in the afternoon. The kids had so much fun skating with friends and they ended up skating the entire 2 1/2 hours. Zaya even brought her roller blades. She refused to use an assist, which is totally her personality. I didn't mind, because I know she will learn faster without one anyway. Her rollerblades ended up breaking halfway through the session, so I rented her roller skates, which she did even better on. Hopefully by next summer she will be completely independent on her skates. Brooklen came in second in the race and was pretty excited about that.
Friday night, we went to a small bonfire at the Chews property. We've been invited so many times and never been able to make it, so we were happy to finally be able to go. Rob took the kids for a ride on a four-wheeler, we checked out the chickens and pigs, and the kids made s'mores with my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, instead of graham crackers.
On Saturday, we slept in. Rob and I didn't get up until about 10:00am! Crazy!!! We were supposed to meet Talai and James at the temple, but their little boy was sick, so we stayed back. After a lazy morning (I think I finished making muffins at 11:00am :)), we headed off to Birch Run to do some back to school shopping. Hurley got some shoes at Nike and a shirt at Under Armour. Brooklen got two shirts at Under Armour, a shirt at Puma, and a shirt at Nike. Rob even bought me a really cute shirt from J Crew. We had a good time walking around together and we stopped at McDonalds on our way home.
Next week is the last week of summer vacation for my kids. I am sad to send them back, but I am so excited to have them learning again. They really love the schedule that school provides and they both love learning. I am also excited to cherish my last year with Zaya. She will be in school three mornings a week, and I really hope I can enjoy every second I have with her.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Week Thirty-Three
On Monday I took the kids to the ice rink so that Brooklen could practice his skating. Hurley was going to skate too, but we forgot to have her bring pants. Brooklen was not in a very good mood that day, which was disappointing. I'm hoping that next week will be a better skating session. Later in the day, the kids had a lemonade stand outside of our house. We made blueberry cream cookies (a Milk Bar recipe) and rice crispy treats. The kids made $21.00 in just a little over an hour!
On Tuesday, Brooklen's friend Jordyn came over for the day. It was a particularly exhausting day for me, since Jordyn is pretty cocky and I felt like I needed to stay close by to defend Brooklen. It was interesting to watch them interact and I was proud of how mature Brooklen was the entire day. He never brags about anything; he is such a sweet, humble, little boy.
On Wednesday, we took Hurley to gymnastics around lunchtime and then later in the day I taught piano lessons to all three of the Parks girls. In the evening, we went to the batting cages on Sturgeon and the whole family practiced batting! Later that night, at about 11pm, my dad drove in from Flint to sleep at our house. He was able to come for a day for a business trip! The kids were so exited.
My dad had to leave our house to get to his meeting at 6:00am on Thursday morning, so nobody saw him before he left. He came back to Midland at about 3:30pm and the kids were so happy to see him! We spent about an hour and a half playing outside. We played croquet, baseball, and the kids rode their bikes. Rob came home at 5:00pm and we headed to Buffalo Wild Wings. We had a fun dinner and then my dad suggested that we go somewhere for ice cream. Since we had to get Brooklen to scouts, we were crunched for time, so we picked up some sundaes at McDonalds, ate them really fast, and then we dropped my dad and Brooklen off at the Bowling alley for his cub scouts activity. By the time they got home, it was time to start getting ready for bed. Brooklen, came up to me and quietly said, "I wish Grandpa could stay just one day longer."
On Friday, Brooklen went with Rob to the batting cages while the girls played at our house. Later, I made s'mores out on the grill with the kids and then we let them watch a movie upstairs. Since we got a late start on the evening and we tried to pack a bunch in, they didn't get to bed until almost 11:00pm.
On Saturday, we woke up late and Rob make his famous coffee cake for breakfast. At about noon, we headed out to the beach. We went to Caseville and played on Lake Huron for the afternoon. The water was pretty and we were surprised by how little shore there was at this particular beach. Hurley and Brooklen loved playing in the water with Rob. Hurley loves to be thrown up really high. Zaya and Kaiton prefer to play in the sand, so I spent a lot of time with them. We all enjoyed looking for cool rocks; Rob and I had fun searching for Potoskey Stones, pieces of coral that have turned in to stone. We didn't find and big ones, but we found lots of smaller ones that we kept and brought home. We left the beach at about 7:30pm. It just happened to be the last day of the Cheeseburger Festival in Caseville, so we stopped downtown on our way home for dinner. Rob was so cute with the kids. He had 24 dollars and he kept telling them that we could keep getting food until he ran out. After 3 cheeseburgers, fries, and a funnel cake, however, it was late and we decided to head home. I loved that Rob was being spontaneous and I think the kids really enjoyed it to!
On Tuesday, Brooklen's friend Jordyn came over for the day. It was a particularly exhausting day for me, since Jordyn is pretty cocky and I felt like I needed to stay close by to defend Brooklen. It was interesting to watch them interact and I was proud of how mature Brooklen was the entire day. He never brags about anything; he is such a sweet, humble, little boy.
On Wednesday, we took Hurley to gymnastics around lunchtime and then later in the day I taught piano lessons to all three of the Parks girls. In the evening, we went to the batting cages on Sturgeon and the whole family practiced batting! Later that night, at about 11pm, my dad drove in from Flint to sleep at our house. He was able to come for a day for a business trip! The kids were so exited.
My dad had to leave our house to get to his meeting at 6:00am on Thursday morning, so nobody saw him before he left. He came back to Midland at about 3:30pm and the kids were so happy to see him! We spent about an hour and a half playing outside. We played croquet, baseball, and the kids rode their bikes. Rob came home at 5:00pm and we headed to Buffalo Wild Wings. We had a fun dinner and then my dad suggested that we go somewhere for ice cream. Since we had to get Brooklen to scouts, we were crunched for time, so we picked up some sundaes at McDonalds, ate them really fast, and then we dropped my dad and Brooklen off at the Bowling alley for his cub scouts activity. By the time they got home, it was time to start getting ready for bed. Brooklen, came up to me and quietly said, "I wish Grandpa could stay just one day longer."
On Friday, Brooklen went with Rob to the batting cages while the girls played at our house. Later, I made s'mores out on the grill with the kids and then we let them watch a movie upstairs. Since we got a late start on the evening and we tried to pack a bunch in, they didn't get to bed until almost 11:00pm.
On Saturday, we woke up late and Rob make his famous coffee cake for breakfast. At about noon, we headed out to the beach. We went to Caseville and played on Lake Huron for the afternoon. The water was pretty and we were surprised by how little shore there was at this particular beach. Hurley and Brooklen loved playing in the water with Rob. Hurley loves to be thrown up really high. Zaya and Kaiton prefer to play in the sand, so I spent a lot of time with them. We all enjoyed looking for cool rocks; Rob and I had fun searching for Potoskey Stones, pieces of coral that have turned in to stone. We didn't find and big ones, but we found lots of smaller ones that we kept and brought home. We left the beach at about 7:30pm. It just happened to be the last day of the Cheeseburger Festival in Caseville, so we stopped downtown on our way home for dinner. Rob was so cute with the kids. He had 24 dollars and he kept telling them that we could keep getting food until he ran out. After 3 cheeseburgers, fries, and a funnel cake, however, it was late and we decided to head home. I loved that Rob was being spontaneous and I think the kids really enjoyed it to!
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Week Thirty-Two
On Monday morning, we woke up and got ready for the funeral, which was at 11:00am. We met at the church at 10:00 so that we could get family pictures. Afterwards, we met as a family for prayer and then went into the chapel for the funeral. It was a beautiful service. I really enjoyed learning more about Rob's grandfather. I met him in his old age, so I never really knew all of the amazing things he had done in his life. From what I heard, I can tell he was a man of great work ethic, a man who loved his family, and a man who loved to serve and to have fun. I am sure that Rob learned a lot of his wonderful traits from his grandfather. After the funeral, we went to the cemetery for the burial. Then we went back to the church for a luncheon.
Later that afternoon, we went back to Melissa's house and the kids played for a couple of hours. At about 5:00pm, Rob took Hurley and Zaya fishing and I stayed back with Melissa and the other kids. Eventually, we got all the kids together and walked to Kim and Annette's house. While we were there, we had birthday cake for Sadie and Amanda. When it got dark, we went back to Melissa's house. Rob and the girls didn't catch any fish, but they enjoyed their time fishing. Afterwards, Rob took them to Iceberg to share a rocky road milkshake! Fun!
On Tuesday morning, we headed to Timp Caves for an adventure. We all hiked to the caves and then, in two groups, went through the caves on a tour. We had so much fun and it was fun to all hike together. On our way home, we stopped at Teryn and Rob's house for a while. I miss them so much and I was grateful that Rob let me go see Teryn again. We rushed back to Salt Lake City afterwards to meet Rob's family at Chuck-a-Rama. I felt so bad that we were an hour late, but we still were able to spend a long time with them. The kids loved eating there; Brooklen said it is his favorite restaurant in Utah.
The kids really loved playing with their cousins in Utah. I am glad we stayed with Melissa because it gave them a lot more quality time with them.
On Wednesday morning, we went to the airport. We had a straight flight home, but with the time change and the errands we ran in Detroit, we didn't get home until about 10:00pm.
On Thursday, we woke up late, and then we rode our bikes to the tridge so that the kids could play in the splash pad. We ate lunch there and then before we biked home, I took them to Cherry Berry for ice cream. I love all of these fun outdoor adventures we can have in Midland.
On Friday, we ran some errands and then I taught piano lessons. We had planned to go camping at the Kepler's property, but Friday night was very stormy, so we rented the movie, Paddington, and stayed in.
I also found out on Friday night that my cousin, Will, was killed. The entire store of his death is so sad and tragic, and I have not stopped thinking about him since I found out about this news. Even though I haven't seen him in years, I am really upset to hear about how his life ended. I have spent some time reading conference talks about death trying to find some peace.
On Saturday, we got up to the Nyman's cottage at about noon. We took a tour and ate Sloppy Joe's for lunch. The kids had a blast catching frogs, swimming, and playing in the sand. In the afternoon, we took the boat out. First we took out the couch tube. The kids LOVED it; I even took Kaiton on it. He laughed hysterically and waved the entire time. After that, we switched out the tubes and rode the regular ones. Rob and I even got to ride him. I got knocked off at one point, and finally at the end, Todd turned the boat when Rob didn't expect it and Rob fell off!
We ended up grilling hot dogs after that and then, we took the boat out one last time. This time, we put the kids on waterskis. I was so proud of Brooklen. He skied better than any of the kids and he actually stayed up for an entire circle around part of the lake. It is so awesome watching your kids learn something and succeed!
Rob and Jill also skied. I was glad Rob had a chance to do it, since I had never actually seen him ski before. I was going to try skiing too, but we ran out of time and the kids really wanted one last chance at tubing.
When it got dark, we started a fire and made s'mores. We had such a wonderful day at the cottage. We are grateful for such wonderful neighbors!
Later that afternoon, we went back to Melissa's house and the kids played for a couple of hours. At about 5:00pm, Rob took Hurley and Zaya fishing and I stayed back with Melissa and the other kids. Eventually, we got all the kids together and walked to Kim and Annette's house. While we were there, we had birthday cake for Sadie and Amanda. When it got dark, we went back to Melissa's house. Rob and the girls didn't catch any fish, but they enjoyed their time fishing. Afterwards, Rob took them to Iceberg to share a rocky road milkshake! Fun!
On Tuesday morning, we headed to Timp Caves for an adventure. We all hiked to the caves and then, in two groups, went through the caves on a tour. We had so much fun and it was fun to all hike together. On our way home, we stopped at Teryn and Rob's house for a while. I miss them so much and I was grateful that Rob let me go see Teryn again. We rushed back to Salt Lake City afterwards to meet Rob's family at Chuck-a-Rama. I felt so bad that we were an hour late, but we still were able to spend a long time with them. The kids loved eating there; Brooklen said it is his favorite restaurant in Utah.
The kids really loved playing with their cousins in Utah. I am glad we stayed with Melissa because it gave them a lot more quality time with them.
On Wednesday morning, we went to the airport. We had a straight flight home, but with the time change and the errands we ran in Detroit, we didn't get home until about 10:00pm.
On Thursday, we woke up late, and then we rode our bikes to the tridge so that the kids could play in the splash pad. We ate lunch there and then before we biked home, I took them to Cherry Berry for ice cream. I love all of these fun outdoor adventures we can have in Midland.
On Friday, we ran some errands and then I taught piano lessons. We had planned to go camping at the Kepler's property, but Friday night was very stormy, so we rented the movie, Paddington, and stayed in.
I also found out on Friday night that my cousin, Will, was killed. The entire store of his death is so sad and tragic, and I have not stopped thinking about him since I found out about this news. Even though I haven't seen him in years, I am really upset to hear about how his life ended. I have spent some time reading conference talks about death trying to find some peace.
On Saturday, we got up to the Nyman's cottage at about noon. We took a tour and ate Sloppy Joe's for lunch. The kids had a blast catching frogs, swimming, and playing in the sand. In the afternoon, we took the boat out. First we took out the couch tube. The kids LOVED it; I even took Kaiton on it. He laughed hysterically and waved the entire time. After that, we switched out the tubes and rode the regular ones. Rob and I even got to ride him. I got knocked off at one point, and finally at the end, Todd turned the boat when Rob didn't expect it and Rob fell off!
We ended up grilling hot dogs after that and then, we took the boat out one last time. This time, we put the kids on waterskis. I was so proud of Brooklen. He skied better than any of the kids and he actually stayed up for an entire circle around part of the lake. It is so awesome watching your kids learn something and succeed!
Rob and Jill also skied. I was glad Rob had a chance to do it, since I had never actually seen him ski before. I was going to try skiing too, but we ran out of time and the kids really wanted one last chance at tubing.
When it got dark, we started a fire and made s'mores. We had such a wonderful day at the cottage. We are grateful for such wonderful neighbors!
Week Thirty-One
Life has been so crazy this summer. We have hardly been at home, and while it's been fun, it hasn't been a very relaxing summer. On Monday morning, my parents left to go back to Arizona. Rob's parents stayed until Thursday afternoon.
It was a bit of a whirlwind while they were here. Kim dad, Bob, died just before they came to Michigan. It was expected, since he was in his 90's and in hospice care, but still very sad. Kim and Annette were trying to plan the funeral while they were traveling. We did go on bike rides, to the library, ate at Pizza Sam's and Cherry Berry, and went to Plymouth Park. We also went to Brooklen's sandlot game and watched Hurley at gymnastics. We had a great visit with them. They left on Thursday afternoon. On Thursday morning, Brooklen went with Ethan Menzies to an all-day sports camp at the tennis center. Later that day, I took the younger kids to Dr. Juarbe's office for Zaya and Kaiton's well-child checkups.
On Friday, we spent the day packing and getting ready to leave for Utah. On Saturday morning, we woke up at 2:00am to leave for the airport. After a long drive and 2 flights, plus a 45 minute layover, we arrived in Salt Lake City. Annette and Emily brought us a car to the airport and then we headed to In n Out to get some lunch. Afterwards, we went to Rob's parent's house and hung out through a rainstorm. When the rain stopped, we went to the park to play a family game of softball. I think everyone was there and participated, except for Jennifer and Paul. After the game, we went back to Kim and Annette's house to eat Salmon and then we all went to the pool. Everyone was swimming and the kids had a blast. At about 7:30pm, we showered the kids and headed to Melissa's house, were we stayed.
On Sunday, we went to church with Melissa at 9:00am. Afterwards, we went to Kim and Annette's for hamburgers. At 4:00pm, we went to the church to practice for a song that the family sang at the funeral. When that was over, we went to the mortuary for the viewing. I wasn't planning on showing my kids the body, but Morgan and Sadie took the girls over and they were touching it. Brooklen and I weren't really wanting to see the body, so we tried to stay a little further away. After the viewing, we went to Elsie's house and hung out with Rob's cousins and siblings. Their ward was so kind and brought over sandwiches, chips, potato salad, and dessert for all of us!
It was a bit of a whirlwind while they were here. Kim dad, Bob, died just before they came to Michigan. It was expected, since he was in his 90's and in hospice care, but still very sad. Kim and Annette were trying to plan the funeral while they were traveling. We did go on bike rides, to the library, ate at Pizza Sam's and Cherry Berry, and went to Plymouth Park. We also went to Brooklen's sandlot game and watched Hurley at gymnastics. We had a great visit with them. They left on Thursday afternoon. On Thursday morning, Brooklen went with Ethan Menzies to an all-day sports camp at the tennis center. Later that day, I took the younger kids to Dr. Juarbe's office for Zaya and Kaiton's well-child checkups.
On Friday, we spent the day packing and getting ready to leave for Utah. On Saturday morning, we woke up at 2:00am to leave for the airport. After a long drive and 2 flights, plus a 45 minute layover, we arrived in Salt Lake City. Annette and Emily brought us a car to the airport and then we headed to In n Out to get some lunch. Afterwards, we went to Rob's parent's house and hung out through a rainstorm. When the rain stopped, we went to the park to play a family game of softball. I think everyone was there and participated, except for Jennifer and Paul. After the game, we went back to Kim and Annette's house to eat Salmon and then we all went to the pool. Everyone was swimming and the kids had a blast. At about 7:30pm, we showered the kids and headed to Melissa's house, were we stayed.
On Sunday, we went to church with Melissa at 9:00am. Afterwards, we went to Kim and Annette's for hamburgers. At 4:00pm, we went to the church to practice for a song that the family sang at the funeral. When that was over, we went to the mortuary for the viewing. I wasn't planning on showing my kids the body, but Morgan and Sadie took the girls over and they were touching it. Brooklen and I weren't really wanting to see the body, so we tried to stay a little further away. After the viewing, we went to Elsie's house and hung out with Rob's cousins and siblings. Their ward was so kind and brought over sandwiches, chips, potato salad, and dessert for all of us!
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Week Thirty
Brooklen turned 8 on Monday. He spent the morning at a basketball camp at Calvary Baptist. Since both he and Jake went to basketball camp, we were able to carpool. I think that Brooklen learned a lot this week. He is always really quiet, so he didn't say much, but I think he enjoyed it.
On Monday evening, we watched Jake and Jenna. We fed them dinner; Brooklen chose hamburgers, sweet potato fries and pineapple. After Jill and Todd got home, we had cake. I made Brooklen a cookie dough cake. It was so rich, but really good. It was a homemade cake with cookie dough frosting, cookie dough layer, and an ice cream layer.
On Tuesday, Brooklen went to basketball camp. Afterwards, we went to Sanford Beach for a going away party for my dear friend, Sal. I wasn't really able to talk to Sal much because I had to be in the water with my kids, but it was a really warm day and the beach was the perfect place to be. Afterwards, we went home and changed and I rushed the kids to the library. The Sloan Museum (in Chicago) was in Midland putting on a one-day children's program. They three oldest kids spent an hour making "suits" for eggs and then getting bricks dropped on them. By the end of the session, each of my three kids had developed suits that kept their eggs from getting broken. At 6:00 that evening, we went to Brooklen's sandlot game at Plymouth Park. It was extremely hot and our three youngest kids were very grumpy, but Brooklen had fun playing.
On Wednesday, Brooklen went to basketball camp. I had to have Hurley at the gymnastics center at noon, so I took her there and then Jill dropped Brooklen off at the gymnastics center. Brooklen, Zaya, Kaiton, and I went over to the Civic Arena to find out about hockey signups. Then, we came back and watched Hurley. I taught piano lessons in the afternoon and after dinner, we went to Rob's softball game.
On Thursday, I got a babysitter for the girls and for Kaiton. Brooklen was at camp. I met Sal at coffee chaos and we were able to chat and say our good byes. Salecia has been such a blessing to me these last couple of years. I remember when I first met her at Barnes and Noble not long after we moved here. I thought she seemed so sweet and I really made an effort to be her friend. Later, Laila and Hurley went to preschool together, we were able to have Thanksgiving with them, and I got the chance to teach piano to her two wonderful boys. I was pretty devastated when I found out that she was leaving. I am happy for their new adventures in Finland, but so sad to have her leave.
On Thursday night, we went to Brooklen's sandlot game. He played Jake's team, so I sat with Jill and Todd. Later that night, my parents came in to town.
On Friday morning, I dropped Brooklen and Jake off at camp and then went to run a few errands. At noon, the kids, my parents, and I went to pick Brooklen up and then we headed to Sanford Beach. We had a great time at the beach. It was a little cloudy, but it was still really nice. In the evening, we came home and grilled pizza and then walked to the cottage creamery.
Rob's parents came in to town at 1:00 am Saturday morning. We went to the Nature Center to catch frogs on Saturday and then we drove to the Maple Grille to get dinner. I really love that place.
Today, was Sunday, and Brooklen was baptized. Annette and my mom spoke, our dads said prayers and the girls and I sang, "I am a Child of God." I was so excited and happy to watch my son chose to be baptized and to be able to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. He is such a good boy and although he is quiet, I know that he understands the importance of this day. He is going to grow up to be such an amazing man.
On Monday evening, we watched Jake and Jenna. We fed them dinner; Brooklen chose hamburgers, sweet potato fries and pineapple. After Jill and Todd got home, we had cake. I made Brooklen a cookie dough cake. It was so rich, but really good. It was a homemade cake with cookie dough frosting, cookie dough layer, and an ice cream layer.
On Tuesday, Brooklen went to basketball camp. Afterwards, we went to Sanford Beach for a going away party for my dear friend, Sal. I wasn't really able to talk to Sal much because I had to be in the water with my kids, but it was a really warm day and the beach was the perfect place to be. Afterwards, we went home and changed and I rushed the kids to the library. The Sloan Museum (in Chicago) was in Midland putting on a one-day children's program. They three oldest kids spent an hour making "suits" for eggs and then getting bricks dropped on them. By the end of the session, each of my three kids had developed suits that kept their eggs from getting broken. At 6:00 that evening, we went to Brooklen's sandlot game at Plymouth Park. It was extremely hot and our three youngest kids were very grumpy, but Brooklen had fun playing.
On Wednesday, Brooklen went to basketball camp. I had to have Hurley at the gymnastics center at noon, so I took her there and then Jill dropped Brooklen off at the gymnastics center. Brooklen, Zaya, Kaiton, and I went over to the Civic Arena to find out about hockey signups. Then, we came back and watched Hurley. I taught piano lessons in the afternoon and after dinner, we went to Rob's softball game.
On Thursday, I got a babysitter for the girls and for Kaiton. Brooklen was at camp. I met Sal at coffee chaos and we were able to chat and say our good byes. Salecia has been such a blessing to me these last couple of years. I remember when I first met her at Barnes and Noble not long after we moved here. I thought she seemed so sweet and I really made an effort to be her friend. Later, Laila and Hurley went to preschool together, we were able to have Thanksgiving with them, and I got the chance to teach piano to her two wonderful boys. I was pretty devastated when I found out that she was leaving. I am happy for their new adventures in Finland, but so sad to have her leave.
On Thursday night, we went to Brooklen's sandlot game. He played Jake's team, so I sat with Jill and Todd. Later that night, my parents came in to town.
On Friday morning, I dropped Brooklen and Jake off at camp and then went to run a few errands. At noon, the kids, my parents, and I went to pick Brooklen up and then we headed to Sanford Beach. We had a great time at the beach. It was a little cloudy, but it was still really nice. In the evening, we came home and grilled pizza and then walked to the cottage creamery.
Rob's parents came in to town at 1:00 am Saturday morning. We went to the Nature Center to catch frogs on Saturday and then we drove to the Maple Grille to get dinner. I really love that place.
Today, was Sunday, and Brooklen was baptized. Annette and my mom spoke, our dads said prayers and the girls and I sang, "I am a Child of God." I was so excited and happy to watch my son chose to be baptized and to be able to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. He is such a good boy and although he is quiet, I know that he understands the importance of this day. He is going to grow up to be such an amazing man.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Week Twenty-Nine
On Monday, we spent the day getting ready for Brooklen and Hurley's birthday party. In the evening, Rob gave a very nice family home evening about baptism. We have been so busy that we hadn't sat down and discussed Brooklen's baptism for a while. I think that the older kids really learned a lot that evening.
On Tuesday, we spent the morning getting ready for the party. I decided a few months ago that I wanted to rent an inflatable water slide. I had looked for one and the prices were too high. I was super disappointed. Then, I found a random contact at a baseball game that told me about a local church that rented one out for much less than everyone else. I called them up and they said it would only be $200. I knew that was still a lot of money, but I really, really love throwing awesome parties for my kids and their friends and I knew that if we did both kid's birthday parties together, it would maybe make sense. Rob came home at 11:30am. He borrowed Jill's car to go pick up the slide. They told us that we could also use the inflatable bungee run too. It took us a few hours to set up the inflatables and then Rob went back to work for a couple of hours. At 5:00pm, 19 kids showed up to the party. We had both inflatables set up, as well as a large tarp for a slip n' slide. It was complete chaos trying to manage helping kids, talking to parents when they came, and manning the activities, but the kids HAD. A. BLAST! At about 6:00pm, we put hot dogs on the grill. Once again, Rob and I had fewer hands than we needed, but we made it work. We served hot dogs, chips, and watermelon. Then, we opened presents and had cupcakes. All of the parents were so generous. Our kids got so many amazing gifts! We closed off the night with a giant water balloon fight. Rob and our kids had blown up 300 water balloons. After the fight, the kids all went back to sliding and bungeeing until their parents came. We handed out sunglass cookies and beach balls as favors. It was the best party ever! I just loved seeing how happy it made my kids and their friends. After all of the kids left, Rob and I took some turns sliding down the water slide. It was so fun; I was sad to pack it up and send it off. Honestly, I was so sad to see the night end. Jill and Todd was super nice to help us dry off and put away the inflatables. It took a couple of hours, but it would have taken us much longer to do it without them. We are so grateful for their friendship. Rob and Todd dropped the trailer off at about 10:00pm and I put the kids to bed.
On Wednesday, Hurley had gymnastics and we ran some errands while she was in the cheer room. In the evening, Rob took Zaya's training wheels off of her bike. She learned very quickly how to ride her bike and she spent the rest of the evening practicing and showing off. Rob had a softball game at 8:45pm.
On Thursday, we spent some time at home. At night, Brooklen had his first sandlot baseball game. He got to play catcher for the first time in the game. I think he was really excited to try something new.
On Friday, I took the kids swimming at the Herlin's house. They are an older couple in our ward that opens up their pool to anyone in the ward to use. I have been so grateful for their generosity and I always tell Rob that I hope we can "pay it forward" someday.
On Saturday, we went to Dow Gardens to check on our garden. We spent some time wandering through the children's garden, playing in the sand, and making bubbles. You can tell by the pictures which of the kids wanted their picture taken that day! Afterwards, we went to Beard's Lakeview Farm to pick blueberries. They had mostly tart berries ripe, so we didn't pick very many. When we got home, Rob worked in the yard with Brooklen and Kaiton and I took the girls to Meijer.
Today, was a nice Sunday. Brooklen had his baptism interview after church. He was pretty nervous about it, but I think he did great. This evening, we had a new family, the Bills Family, over for dessert. Thomas Bills has been playing softball with Rob and it was nice to get to know them.
Lastly, I had to record a cute story about Zaya. Earlier in the week, we were talking about freckles. Brooklen and Hurley were discussing how many they each had. A couple of days ago, I asked Zaya to wash up her face after dinner. She went in to the bathroom and when she came out she said in such an excited voice, "MOM! I got a freckle!" She had a small round scab on her forehead that she thought was a freckle. She was so excited to be like her siblings that I could break it to her that it was just a scab!
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