End of September, Conference

It's been a glorious week weather-wise, and just lots of fun all around.
Monday was the usual, grocery swapping, dinner prep, and family night.  I taught a lesson on getting ready for general conference.  I found these printable packets that have a page for questions to write down that you need answers to at conference, pages for taking notes and writing down inspiration that comes as you listen, and a page to write down what things you want to work on as a result of conference.  So I printed one for each of us and encouraged us to be thinking of questions throughout the week..

Emily on Monday in one of her favorite spots to play

Feats of strength before family night

Emily is rolling all over and can scoot but only backwards.  She keeps getting stuck around the couch and whining until someone comes to rescue her.

 

Tuesday we had playgroup at my house, not our usual day, but it was fun. The weather was nice and cool so Jack and Emily and I took a walk before playgroup.  The girls had piano after school and I got to go to book club that night.

Wednesday was MY turn for the dentist.  I took Jack and Emily with me and they were both really good.  Emily fell asleep in her carseat and Jack sat mesmerized by Cars (his favorite these days).  I went from my appointment to a pot luck brunch at the new home of a good friend who just moved out of the ward.  They work for Exxon and are in a new neighborhood close to the new campus.  Nice house and fun to be with friends.  Megan had activity days after school and when she got home Dan left to help with a youth temple trip.  While we ate dinner Megan and Brooke were squabbling and Megan pulled on Brooke's arm and Brooke REALLY seemed hurt.  She fell on that arm last Friday at a birthday party and it had been bothering her off and on.  So then I was worried it was broken after all.  Thankfully Carrie was leaving work right then and she headed over to sit with the kids while I took Brooke to an urgent care for x rays (since Dan was at the temple).  No break, probably just sprained.

My daytime helpers before naps Wednesday.  Jack loves to snuggle Emily. 

We got to the urgent care at 7:20 pm and left at 9:15--Brooke fell asleep while we waited.

 

Thursday was yet another appointment, this time for Jack.  It was his check in with the ophthalmologist.  He did great with the eye exams (I had brought some candy to help encourage him) and even started using an eye chart with letters which is great bc it's more accurate than the one with pictures.  The doc was happy to see that his eyes need the same prescription for both--they are developing equally.  He's doing great overall and is good now for 6 months.  We ran from the doctor to a visiting teaching appointment with a new sister, Andrea.  The weather was still great (highs in the low 80s and not too humid) and we met up with Ali and some other friends at a park after school.

The doc at urgent care wrapped Brooke's arm--she had the kids at school sign it like a cast (which I think is hilarious since she really is fine most of the time--she was doing cartwheels and climbing all over the place with her arm all wrapped!)

 

Friday was still nice weather so we walked the mile to drop Jack off for playschool.  I got caught up on things at the house while Jack was gone.  I met some friends at the park for a quick playdate before quiet time.  That night we had babysit swap.  Dan and I ate a quick dinner and caught a session at the temple.  It was great to be there together.  It had been closed most of September.  We watched the first half of the BYU game with the Tracy's before heading home near 11 with our kids (they had been asleep there for babysit night).  I didn't make it til the close finish, but we won!  Dan played it for me on Saturday.

Cute babe at the park.

Saturday was great.  We had a slow morning and had the Tracy's over for pull aparts and bacon and eggs and OJ.  The kids tried to fill out their packets with questions for conference.  I think I got the most out of the packets, but that's ok.  I also made them bingo cards to fill in as they heard words in the talks--their markers were pennies and they were VERY into those.  They did great for both sessions and listened more than they played (especially the morning session).  We had Ali's fam over for dinner after the second session and that was fun before the husbands went to priesthood session.  The kids rode bikes with neighbors til bedtime which was fun too.

It's been a great Sunday.  We got up and had a pancake breakfast and headed down to Dad's around 10.  Carrie and Alex were there when we arrived.  Our kids had never met Alex and I was worried they'd be nervous about his beard, but they did fine and had fun saying hi to his dog between sessions.  When we were leaving, Jack was saying goodbye to Alex and commented about Alex's "stamps" on his arms--it was pretty cute :).  The kids did so well for most of the first session, they did their bingo cards again and were pretty quiet.  Shad and Amy came over between sessions and we all had a yummy roast and potatoes and carrots dinner.  Then we watched the final session.  I was definitely the most tired for that one!  We chatted for a bit and then headed home.

Week of Appointments

We've had a good week around here.  Lots of dr. visits.  One sick kid.  Other than that, most of the usual.

Monday was grocery swap.  I actually was really on the ball last week and did my grocery shopping right after I took the big girls to school because our house was in rough shape after the weekend and it needed some work.  So I watched Ashley's kids here and then spent the time when she watched my kids CLEANING!  It was great and by the time everyone got home from school the house was in much better condition!  Dan taught FHE about prayers--our kids have a lot of prayers lately where they say the same 2 phrases and end--please bless we can have fun today and please bless we can have fun tomorrow--not a bad thing to say, but not the deepest thinking going on.  They all have been a little more focused on saying more things and communicating more with their Father in Heaven this week.  It's pretty sweet.  They often pray for you!

Emily on Monday doing her favorite thing.  Chewing.  Oh, I forgot that we started feeding her baby cereal last week.  She tolerates it.  No crying but it's not her favorite.  Lots of funny gaggy faces.  It's a work in progress.

 Tuesday was school picture day.  I dropped the girls off for school just before 8.  I dropped Jack off with cousins a bit later and picked up Brooke and Candy.  Emily, Brooke, and Candy all had well child checks.  They are all healthy and well and we are so thankful for that.  Emily's legs and hips seem to be fine, so we aren't really worried about them anymore.  Emily is a chunker--at 6 mo. she weighed in at 19 lbs, 3 oz (which is about what Megan weighed at 1 year).  Brooke is middle of the road and Candy is tiny.  I took them back to school at 11:30 and picked Jack up.  We ate lunch and then I picked up all the girls at 12:45 for dentist appointments.  All 4 big kids had a cleaning (Jack's first one!).  1 cavity (Megan)--darn!  At the dentist Jack started acting really tired and sure enough he was running a fever.  The girls had piano after the dentist. 

At the pediatrician

Sister selfie...they need some work :)

Wednesday I missed playgroup to take care of sick Jack.  He felt pretty good if he was on ibuprofen, watching Cars, and resting on the couch.  I picked Megan up at 1:45 to take her to her ENT appointment.  She had an ear infection--darn!  so we couldn't check her hearing.  Antibiotics for her and we'll try again in 2 months.

Pre-fever on Wednesday:

Thursday Jack was still fevering in the morning.  More rest, meds, and Cars.  I folded laundry and did a lot of cleaning.  By bedtime Jack was on the mend.

Friday Jack was better and went to his playschool.  While he was there another friend watched Emily while I went to my first tennis lesson!  A lady in the ward with a tennis court in her yard is doing a beginners class for 4 weeks.  It was a lot of fun.  I've never had formal tennis instruction, so it was good to learn some basics.  I'm excited for the next one.  Since I was already sweaty, I picked up the kids after tennis and came home to mow the lawn.  It was cloudy and that made the heat bearable.  It was fun to send Dan a pic of the mowed lawn--he was pretty happy to get to skip that chore on Saturday!  I made pizzas during quiet time and we hosted babysit swap.  Busy and fun. 

Saturday morning Dan took Megan on a daddy-daughter date to try to fix his phone (it needed a new sim card) and get a haircut.  When they got home we took lunch over to Ali's house and hung out with them until quiet time chatting and watching football.  We came home to put the kids down for naps and watch the BYU game.  Tough loss again.  Right before the game ended Megan and I headed to the church to practice our songs and then we sang prelude before the Women's broadcast.  We had 2 young men from the ward (they are brothers) babysit the other kids since Dan was supposed to attend the broadcast for his high council calling.  He brought Emily too.  The broadcast was awesome.  My favorite talks were by Sis. Oscarson and Pres. Uchtdorf.  Pres. Uchtdorf was all about building faith and overcoming doubts, it was great. 

Church was great today.  Dan had early meetings but was with us for our whole block.  The kids were really reverent again (and they took notes so they could earn more stickers for their chart).  Jack was wiggly, but he's 2 so we'll give him a pass.  I really enjoyed 2 testimonies in particular today.  One was by Dan's sister and she talked about how she had been trying so hard to listen to prompting she received and as she did, she noticed more of them--some because of the blessings from following through and some because of the hindsight when she didn't.  The other was a lady who talked about her struggles from time to time with doubts and fears and how she tries to hold to the foundation of the Savior to anchor her faith.  We had our new neighbors (they are members) over for dinner.  They are a really nice family and it was fun to get to know them.  They have a son that is a year older than Jack and a daughter who is about Emily's age. 

Mid September

Our week flew by down here.

On Monday we had grocery swap and I did the online order again, which was so nice.  I got lots done while the kids were at Ashley's since the grocery trip was so short.  My visiting teachers came in the morning too.  Candy was the star student at school this week, so we sent her with an "all about me" poster.  It was cute with pics of her from each year of her life, a pic from swim team, a pic of her cousins, fave foods (pizza, egg drop soup, meatloaf, and ritz crackers), fave colors, etc.  She was SO excited to share it.  Dan helped Jack teach a lesson on being missionaries now and we all set goals for the week to help us (smiling and people, making new friends, etc).  My roommate from college Maren called that night to tell me her niece that was 3 weeks older than Jack had passed away.  Her niece had some big health challenges, but her death was unexpected. Maren has a daughter that age too and it is just heartbreaking to imagine losing one of our little ones.  We cried together and just felt so grateful for our savior who can heal all hurts and who will one day make right all the unfair things in life through the atonement and resurrection.

Tuesday I had some plans get spoiled when our a/c was leaking and we had a repairman out.  Thankfully it was just a cracked drain pipe and it was a quick and not too expensive fix.  The girls had piano that afternoon.  Brooke is loving it and Megan is having fun too.

Wednesday was hot and sunny and great for playgroup at the pool.  We celebrated my nephew Luke's birthday there too.  It was early release so I picked up the big girls and brought them back to swim too until quiet time.  Megan had a days in the afternoon.  After bedtime, I went to joanns and picked fabric to make matching quilts for Jack and candy's room.  

Thursday I sent Jack and Emily to a friends house while I went to read a book to candy's class and eat lunch with her.  It was so fun to spend that time with her.  Kindergarten kids are adorable.  The school did a fun run that day for a fundraiser and all the girls ran 35 laps (they were short laps) and had a blast.  I didn't see them run because it was during lunch with candy. After lunch  I had to go back to the fabric store so they could fix a glitch from the coupons I used (a $20 glitch!) but they got it al worked out for me.  After school I took the girls to a birthday party at a trampoline park--they had so much fun. 

I watched my friend's 3 year old son all day on Friday (she was out of town for a wedding and her husband was working).  So he joined in on jacks little playschool that I hosted.  C is for cat.  And cookies (we made some during school) and read the cat in the hat.  They were really cute.  After playschool I took Jack and Porter and Emily to chick fil a. We met Ashley there and let the kids play and eat ice cream cones.  We did a movie and popcorn night with our kids that night and it was great.

Crazy hair and pj day for Brooke on Friday too...

 

Saturday we went to the baptisms for 2 of Brooke's ward friends and then ran some errands.  Megan went to a birthday party (at the Cheesecake Factory--lucky girl!) and the rest of us went to a refugee festival at the stake center.  14 community organizations and other churches and religious groups to teach about other cultures and help people learn how to get involved with helping refugees.  It was really well done.

My big girl and my baby girl before the baptisms.

Today was a great Sunday.  Dan had early meetings and I decided to ask the girls what they thought they could do to start listening to the speakers more in sacrament meeting instead of just playing.  Megan said she'd just listen.  Brooke and candy wanted paper and crayons to draw pictures and notes about what they heard in the talks.  Jack still got books and a toy.  It went so well!  I heard so much of the talks and it was great.  I hope this keeps up for a few weeks at least!  If they can tell us something they learned after church then we mark a square on a chart and 100 squares equals a fun family outing.  I had prayed in my morning prayers about some challenges with different kids and one whole talk was on relying on the lord in parenting.  It was perfect--prayers are answered.

Megan and I had a choir practice tonight.  We are singing before the women's broadcast on Saturday.  That will be fun.  Megan sure is getting grown up these days.

Labor Day, etc.

Our week has been nice.  Less busy than some weeks, so that was a good break!
Monday was Labor Day!  No school for the kids and no work for Dan.  Shad invited us to join him and Jamie and her fam and Carrie (and Amy's brother Tyler and fam) at the lakehouse.  We got there around 8 am and had fun using the waverunner that Carrie's friend Aaron brought while we waited for the boat to get back from the morning run.  Dan managed to toss me from the waverunner, but don't worry, I brought him with me!  We had lunch all together and then we went out for some tubing in the rough afternoon water.  Fun, fun.  Back in around 2 as it started to storm and we all got things cleaned up before heading home.  We had a nice bbq dinner with Ali and her family which was great.  Ali taught a quick FHE lesson too.  We were all wiped out and happy to get to bed that night!

Tuesday after dropping the kids at school, I got to play some basketball (for the first time in a decade or so).  Ali is trying to get a women's group going this month.  2 other women came along with Ali and I, so we played some 2 on 2.  Ali was nice, but it was WAYYYYY below her skill level :).  I had a great time though and it was a good workout.  Jack and I went to pick out library books and then we went to Walmart.  They have a new thing where you can order all your groceries online and then you schedule a time to pick them up.  So you park in this special spot, call the pick up team and they bring your groceries right out.  Pretty sweet.  I don't think I"ll do this every week, but it was great since we had to skip grocery swap!  Emily turned 6 months old this day!  Crazy.  She is adorable as ever and starting to roll around more.  She especially has been loving chewing on toys this week.

Wednesday we had playgroup at the small pool in our neighborhood.  Jack is doing better and better at breaths and had a blast.  I read the new Harry Potter book that afternoon.  It's not a novel, it's a screenplay so it goes fast.  It picks up where the epilogue left off 19 years later.  I liked it but found myself wishing it was just a regular book--that would be more fun.

Thursday Dan worked at home since he had a dentist appointment.  I ran some errands--and at home depot Jack LOVED sitting by Emily in the car shaped cart.  Made his day.

 Dan installed a fan in Megan and Brooke's room (theirs had gotten broken) that afternoon and we had a quiet evening.

Friday was Jack's 2nd day of playschool and he LOVED it.  He got a new backpack and lunchbox and was in heaven taking the empty backpack to school like his sisters.  While he was gone I met up with Dad and Sally to give them their passes to "grandparents day" at school.  They got to eat lunch with Candy, treat me to lunch at Chick Fil A, and then take chick fil a back to school for lunch with Brooke and Megan.  The girls LOVED it.  When they got home from school I made some cookies and cornbread for our ward's chili cook off that night.  It was a really fun ward social (and SO loud with so many kids!) and we had a great time.

Saturday was pretty quiet.  Candy had a birthday party in the morning and Dan had a stake auxiliary training.  We spent the afternoon picking up the house before our BYU v. U of U watch party.  We had 4 other families over to have snacks and enjoy the game.  10 adults, 19 kids.  The game was exciting and tense, right up the to the last second attempt at a 2 point conversion that would have put us ahead by 1.  We didn't get it so we lost by 1, but it was still fun to watch overall.  

Some of the grownups watching the game.

The kids watched a movie upstairs...

It's been a nice Sunday.  Dan spoke in another ward at 9 but met us for our whole block.  Our talks today were great.  They were all about strengthening marriages and families and how to protect our families from the world--basic things (family prayer, church service, temple attendance, etc), but it's always good to be reminded why to struggle through doing all of that with our kids.  Ali's husband got called into the high priest group leadership today, and Dan got to set him apart since he's a stake leader.  We had dessert over there after church with the other 2 men he'll be serving with and his parents who came into town so his dad could ordain him. 

It's crazy that it's been 15 years since 9/11, I've been remembering that today.  That also means it's been 15 years since I was a senior in high school, yeesh!

End of August

We've had a nice week here.  Things still seem so nice and quiet with just my 2 little ones home all day during the week.
Monday we did our regular grocery swap.  Jack and Mallory have fun playing.  It was a little rainy all day. But it cleared up after school and we met up with our cousins and some other friends at the school to ride bikes and chat.  Candy taught our FHE that night about being kind to others.  We hope our kids are able to help any kids at school that are in need of friends.

Tuesday we went to library story time.  The books were all about body parts and at the end the kids got to make these little paper dolls and dress them up however they wanted.  Jack was excited to see a little boy doll with glasses like him and picked that and dressed him up as a policeman.  I met my visiting teacher for lunch at this hole in the wall taco place in old town Humble.  It was yummy and very authentic.  She said she was surprised once to eat a taco she really liked that her husband later told her was cow tongue.  I speak too much spanish to be tricked like that!  I stuck to pork and chicken, no lengua as far as I could tell :).  There was a meeting for 3rd grade parents after school that I went to and then book club that night.  We always meet at a friend's house who has a pool for August book club and she even heated it just a touch after all the rain.  So nice.

Emily napping on Tuesday--she likes to hold her little lovie on top of her nose to go to sleep.

Wednesday we had a great turnout at a splashpad for playgroup.  I made dinner for that recent convert who moved from Shad's ward; she had her baby on Sunday.  But the baby had been readmitted for some breathing problems so I still didn't get to meet her!  Maybe when I go pick up my pans :).  Her baby is ok and should be home now.

Thursday I watched Ashley's youngest, Tanner, so she could teach joy school without him.  Jack was happy to have a buddy (when he wasn't taking toys from him!).  I finished a scripture bag for Megan at quiet time.  And then I took the kids swimming after school--we had the whole place to ourselves!  So fun.  And I had a baby shower that night. 

Jack thought it was hilarious to stick Emily in the doll stroller (this was Thursday morning)

We also made jam before quiet time on Thursday afternoon.  Mmm, mmm.

Friday was Jack's first day of playschool.  We are in a little group with 5 other kids and will rotate teaching each Friday.  He LOVED it. I did some sewing and lots of laundry.  We sent the kids to babysit night and met the Tracy's for dinner at a new pizza franchise owned by a group of guys from our ward and another ward.  It was yummy.

We did the lawn early on Saturday and then Ali and I took the kids to the pool while Ben and Dan (and Emily) kicked off the college football season and watched some games.  After quiet time we headed out to Dad and Sally's. Carrie came too and when we arrived we all headed to dinner at a little grill place at the sienna plantation golf club.  It was yummy and fun and then we headed back to the house for ice cream and games while we waited for BYU to start playing at 9:30.  Our kids were excited to sleep in the bunk room and they were all in bed by 9.  The game started and I could.not.stay.awake!  Dan and Dad toughed it out (or at least Dan woke up Dad for the last play) and watched an exciting last second win with a field goal to go ahead. 

Hanging out in the game room upstairs at Dad and Sally's...

Emily showed off her rolling skills...