2018 Week 17

This week I really need to post some photos that I recently took of the girls.  Since it takes me a really long time to post the photos, I don't have much time to write.  I did, however, want to record a few things about Kaiton.  He is at such a fun age.  He is impressionable and so, so smart.  A couple of days ago, he randomly told me that he had figured out how to spell "octopus."  It's "O-D-P," he said.  Wow!  I was super impressed by his thought process on that and that he would even think to try to figure that out ("OCT-DO-PUS").

Kait is also super thoughtful about the things he learns at church.  He asks a ton of questions about the resurrection, about Jesus, and about Holy Ghost.  Today at church, he saw the picture of Christ where he is surrounded by angels.  He asked,"who is that?"  I told him it was Jesus and he was very confused.  "Why is he old," he asked.  I tried to explain that Jesus was an adult when he died, but it was very confusing to him.  He will probably be asking about it for the next week.

On another note, Hurley had her gymnastics state meet on Friday.  She was super nervous and grumpy about it before.  But, in the eleventh hour, at her very last practice, she finally got her kips with straight arms, and she was rock solid her entire meet.  She medaled in beam, floor, and took 8th in the all-around.  Even more exciting, she got pr's on bars and vault for the year and an all-time pr in the all-around.  I was most proud of her for being brave.  Seriously, it makes my heart swell to see her out there conquering her fears!

And a few of Zaya:

And a couple more of Hurley:

2018 Week 14

This past week was Spring Break.  We decided to take a break from the freezing Michigan weather and let my parents fly us out to Arizona.  Of course it did snow in Midland the entire time we were gone, so that made the 90 degree Arizona extra great.

We flew in on Saturday night.  We headed to In N Out on the way home and then colored Easter eggs back at my parents house.

On Sunday it was a triple holiday: April Fools, Easter, and General Conference Sunday.  The kids had an awesome time with their cousins.  They did an Easter Egg hunt (they all made a ton of money from it and it had a twist . . . 5 of the eggs had horse poop in them . . . April Fools!), made Perler bead crafts, and constructed some cool rockets.  After conference, we had an April Fools snack (rice crispy chicken nuggets and pound cake fries) and a nice Easter dinner.  It was a really good day with family.

On Monday, I can't remember what we did, but I know it was fun!!For FHE, we took the horses to a big park and grilled hamburgers and hotdogs while we rode horses. My dad even talked me into riding one!  My dad is planning to sell all of his horses this next year, and so it was pretty bittersweet for all of us having all of the kids ride them one last time.

On Tuesday night, Kenzie, Jami and I went to Last Chance.  My mom watched the little kids and the big boys all went to a Diamondbacks game.  Brooklen, Rob, and my Dad had gotten to the ballpark really early to watch warmups and Brooklen got chosen to go out on the field during the game and do a timed race to second base and back.  It was so exciting! He won a 25 dollar Frys gift card (he sold it to Ethan) and got such a great opportunity.  The only qualification was that they told him that he had to take his Tigers hat off (haha).

On Wednesday, we hiked the wind caves.  Kenzie had her three older kids and we brought all of our kids.  It was super hot outside, but all of the kids did great.  Kaiton and Cooley hiked the entire time by themselves.  In the afternoon, the kids swam in the pool and then we went to Backyard Taco and Bahama Bucks for dinner.

On Thursday morning, Rob and I took Brooklen, Kaiton, Jayden, and Parker to TopGolf.  It was so much fun!  Brooklen even beat Rob on the second game!  My mom took the girls to get manicures and pedicures . . . they felt so grown up!  In the afternoon, we went to KTR, and action sport center.  The kids loved tumbling, jumping, climbing, and slack-lining.  At night, we dinner outside and the kids all played.

On Friday, we went with Kenzie's family to see the Greatest Showman at the dollar theater.  At night, we all met up at Mod Pizza to eat and then went out for frozen yogurt after.  We flew out Saturday morning.  What a fun trip!  It's hard for the kids to come back to real life after having so much fun with family all week.  I'm so grateful that my parents were willing to fly us out for Spring Break.

2018 Week 12

We are finally creeping out of winter here in Michigan.  It feels so good to have some warmer days so that I can get outside and take a nice walk with Kaiton.  It sounds weird saying it, but the warmer weather totally changes my mood.

Brooklen just started baseball.  He is on a team with Ethan Menzies, so I think he is very happy.  Of course, I'm happy too because I get to watch games with his mom, Melissa!  He is doing really well in school.  I can't believe he is going to be in middle school next year!  I think he's pretty nervous about that change, and I can't blame him.  He's such a good boy; he tries to always do the right thing. I hope that he can be a positive influence for his friends and steer clear of bad influences.

Hurley is doing so much better with her anxiety.  I feel so grateful that we have been able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I'm hoping to help her manage her stress level and prepare to combat the anxiety this summer when she starts a new level in gymnastics.  I think we need to just make sure she gets plenty of rest, has a lot free time, and manages her own expectations.  I'm constantly amazed my how introspective she is; she is definitely a writer.  I found all sorts of affirmations around her room that she writes for herself.  I'm glad that she is able to use writing as an outlet to keep herself positive.

Zaya is a spitfire.  She's been playing basketball for the last month.  She doesn't exactly love it, but I can see how much she has learned.  She is so much smaller than the other girls, but I am super proud of both the girls for going out there and working on a new skill.  Recently, we tackled a new project at home.  We picked out fabric at Joanns and I helped each of them sew a pair of pajama pants.  It was definitely was hard for me, considering I am a control freak, but I'm so glad I took the time to do it.   The kids are all so proud of their pjs and are excited to wear them.  I definitely need to do projects like this with my kids more often.

Kaiton has been doing awesome at school.  He is incredibly smart and he just loves to learn.  He is a very talented and capable little boy.  I'm trying hard to get him involved in sports.  He definitely pushes back a little with things that he is scared of, but I think if we push him through the fear, he will really enjoy things like riding a bike and ice skating.  He has been working really hard in speech therapy and physical therapy.  The physical therapist told me last week that she can't even qualify him anymore because he has made so much progress.

2018 Week 9

This week was another busy week here at our house.  I've really been a slacker lately with this blog, and I'm feeling really guilty about it right now.  The kids received their report cards a couple of weeks ago and once again, they made us so proud.  They are so kind and respectful at school and teachers always really appreciate that.  Mrs. Hill, Brooklen's teacher has mentioned that he always does the right thing and that she appreciates that she can always count on him.  Mrs. Peavey, Hurley's teacher told us that she is a "model student."  She is kind and hard-working, and most importantly, very humble.  And Zaya, makes me so proud at school because she is so good at including those kids that need friends.  Her peers really like her because she is so kind and positive. I also had a parent-teacher conference for Kaiton.  His teacher noted that he is one of the happiest kids she has ever known.  He loves school and he really is such a sweet, happy boy.

On Friday, I had to take Kaiton to University of Michigan for an appointment with an endocrinologist.  He was referred over there by Dr. Juarbe because he has fallen off of the growth chart.  They ran some blood tests and did an x-ray of his hand.  Kait was such a trooper throughout the day and I was really impressed with how efficient U of M is.  I don't have the results of the tests back yet, but I'm hoping that either we get some answers or he starts growing.  He only gained a pound and a half from 3 to 4 years, so the doctors seem a bit concerned.

Yesterday, Zaya had a basketball game and Brooklen had a hockey game.  Rob took them to their sporting events while I took Hurley down to Detroit for a gymnastics meet.  Her meet was supposed to be today (Sunday), but her coach called and asked if she could compete on Saturday with the older girls instead.  She didn't get medals, but she was able to still receive the scores for feedback.  I am so grateful for kind, understanding people that respect our beliefs and do their best to help our kids be able to still participate without compromising their values.  Hurley got the best vault, bar, and all-around scores she has gotten this season.  She has made so much improvement over that last few months.  I am so proud of her!

2018 Week 4

Cation turned 4 earlier this month.  I have been quite a slacker about my birthday posts, but I wanted to make sure that I got one in for him.

Dear Kait,

Oh boy, it's bittersweet sitting here writing you a letter for your 4th birthday.  On one hand, I am so excited and proud to record what a happy, smart, and sweet 4 year-old you are.  On the other hand, it's hard to admit that you just might be the last 4 year old I ever have.  Boy do I love this age.  You are bright and inquisitive and so, so thoughtful and all of that is reflected in the things you say.  You can express yourself so well and it is such a joy to spend my days with you.  You are fiercely independent, but you also know that you've got me wrapped around your finger and you use my love for cuddling and affection to your advantage!

At 4, your favorite things to play are puzzles, your Light Bright, blocks, pretend, and catch.  You definitely like to be challenged.  You have an amazing imagination and you can spend hours with your Paw Patrol or PJ Masks toys creating pretend adventures.  Your favorite shows are Paw Patrol, PJ Masks, Mickey Mouse, and Mickey and the Roadster Racers.

You have a few church friends: Soleil, Maddy, Benjamin, and Fordan.  But . . . your best friend is still your big sister, Zaya.  She is so good at giving you attention and you recognize that and idolize her.  You just started Sunbeams at church.  You were so ready and excited.

Your favorite days of the week are the ones that you get to go to preschool.  You love to learn and to sing songs and do crafts and projects.  For Christmas, you got a pair of scissors and an activity book and you've been cutting away ever since and improving your scissor skills.  You can count to 20, sound out works with Mom's help, and do 48 piece puzzles all by yourself.  You know the days of the week in order and you can write your name.

You've been LOVING skiing this year.  You are so good at it!  Last week, I went down some runs with you and you zoomed past me and laughed as you passed me up.  I finally made it to the bottom and you made sure I knew that you are better than me.  You are pretty good at playing catch, you can rollerblade, ice skate, and you can ride a bike without training wheels.  You can also buckle your carseat and get yourself dressed.  Your favorite part of the day is bath time, but you don't enjoy washing your hair.

Your favorite foods are  . . . EVERYTHING.  You are a big eater; we can't figure out where you put all the food you consume!  You love berries, tomatoes, peppers, and sweets.  Pasta and burgers are also favorites.  For lunch you like peanut butter and jam, or a meat and cheese sandwich.

Kaity-bear, I love you more than I could ever express here in this post.  You are such a sweet boy; I know that you are going to great and important things in your life.  I look forward to seeing all of the amazing things you are going to do.

Love forever,

Your Mom

2017 Week 45

Tonight we had the Menzies Family over for Cafe Rio salads and our yearly donut making.  We only make donuts one time a year and it is one of our favorite family traditions.  The homemade donut recipe that I got from Kenzie's mother-in-law is so amazing!  The kids enjoyed playing and they ate so many donuts that I'm surprised they aren't all sick to their stomachs.

We spent all day Saturday up in Big Rapids for Brooklen's hockey tournament.  They lost both Saturday games, but I always love watching Brooklen play so I was glad that we made the trip to be with him.  Last night, Brooklen and Rob also got to go with his team to a Michigan State/Ferris State hockey game.

This week Hurley also had another appointment with her counselor, Laurie.  I was very excited to learn that she went back with Laurie alone and that she talked quite a bit with her.  In the past, she has had a hard time opening up.  I am so happy that she has been making a lot of progress.  It is so good to see her smiling again!

2017-Week 44

I was asked by the Stake RS presidency to conduct an experiment in my life over the next 4 months that would help me grow closer to Christ.  I've thought about this and one thing I want to focus on is becoming more like him.  We learned about some Christlike attributes in RS a couple of weeks ago and I've been thinking a lot about them.  The last couple of months have been a little darker than normal for me. . . dealing with helping Hurley overcome some anxiety issues,  dealing with my own worries about everything, facing a lot of responsibilities, and overall just trying to be a good mom and wife and remain positive, being everyone's cheerleader.  As we were learning about Christ's attributes, I wondered if maybe I strove to be a little more like him, and focused on him a little more in my life, if maybe I could bring more light in to my life.

I'm still not completely sure all of the attributes I'm going to study and work on, but I know the first one is going to be faith.  My testimony could certainly always be stronger.  I know I struggle with doubt in my life.  It starts off as doubting my abilities, my thoughts, etc and then sometimes translates in to bigger things.

So, this week I'm going to study faith.  I'm going to study faith in Jesus Christ's life and I'm going to read some general authorities comments on faith.  To help apply this in my life, I'm going to say more personal prayers.  I think if I want the confirmations of truth, I need to try harder to openly converse with my Heavenly Father.