Sunday, April 29, 2018

I don’t have much to report this week.  The lawn business kept the kids busy during the week.  The boys have a camp out coming and I was planning on a girl’s night out but Jacinda and Xadia would rather play with their friends.  That hurts me but they are 13 and 8 and that is what is important in their lives.

This past week our family attended a dance performance, “I can dance.”  McCabe’s whole 5^th grade along with other schools danced for an audience.  It was very inspiring.  Many of these kids were from tier one schools.  McCabe’s school got to participate because Michael Smith’s mom (our neighbor) teaches for Ballet West and pulled some strings.  It was really fun watching so many kids.  Some were enjoying the spot light others did not.  Bottom line, it was so good for those kids who needed an outlet for expression.  I put together a video of McCabe’s performance.

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Family pictures…..or as I like to call it, “voluntary torture.”  We had pictures taken last weekend.  It was not as bad as some years but Teagan could not give a decent grin.  So we did the best we could.  A little sprinkle of rain was occurring.  Nothing too major, but as the shoot continued, it started to pour.  A few of the pictures were not very pleasing because our shirts are sprinkled with rain drops and our hair is flat and wet.  I selected the best ones and will display them around the house.  One of my favorite pictures is our “crazy pose.”  I am hanging that on the wall between the office and the bathroom.  I want all to see that one.

(Crazy poses)

I love my family.  I have some of the goofiest boys.  They loved to making silly poses or doing funny things in front of the camera.  My girls were more reserved.  I can see how the boys take after Tim and the girls take after me.

Xadia is in a slime phase.  She loves to make slime out of glue, borax, and cornstarch.  She and Zoey Kister cold spend hours making buckets of slime.  I am so pleased with Xadia.  She is doing well in school and works hard to complete her piano each day.  She has become quite a reliable person.  A few days ago at the chili cook off, she did such a great job watching Sammy and Louie Neilsen.  Xadia is going to be a great baby sitter someday.

   McCabe is gearing up for lawn mowing season.  Each day he makes calls to the neighbors about taking care of their lawn for the summer.  It is a great business for the kids….and Tim.  I occasionally help when my schedule does not conflict.  Mac likes to earn money and then spend it at the gas station.  He usually buys f’real ice cream or slurpees.  I am glad he is learning the value of hard work.

Jacinda is becoming quite a good little artist.  She has an assignment to draw 5 mouths, 5 noses, and 5 sets of eyes.  I am so impressed with her ability.  If I were to try that, you would get stick figure faces.  She is amazing.  She also got her hair cut and braces on her teeth.  She looks so good with her shorter hair.  She does not like it.  In fact, she was crying and telling me to stop cutting it.  I think in time she will like it especially since she looks a lot like her best friend Brooklyn Thompson.

             Teagan is my reading machine.  He likes to read his phonic books so he can get a treat from the treasure box at school.  He also likes to play on the computer and watch videos.  Once I walked in the room and he was watching an animation on babies growing in the uterus.  I don’t know if he is paying attention to the content or if he is just numb and being entertained with the animation.    

Sunday, April 1, 2018

Spring break is the best.  We went camping at Lake Mantua.  We used our new (to us) trailer.  About 4 miles into the ride, we had to pull over and load the bikes in the trailer because the trailer bumper was starting to split from the weight.  Once at camp, we made a fire and ate cup of noodles, hot dogs, and an army MRE (meal replacement equivalent).  Tim did not enjoy the MRE clam chowder.  He was spitting chunks into the fire.  He said, “even I have my limits.”

                After dinner, we went on a bike ride to the park and played tag.  I lasted for 3 minutes before taking a permanent rest on the bench.  Jacinda was content in the swing the whole time.  The rest of the kiddos played on the equipment.  After our bike ride back to camp, McCabe went fishing with Xadia.  The rest of us hung out around the camp fire and drank cocoa.  McCabe and Xadia came back with a bunch of crawdads.  McCabe wanted to fry some in the fire and eat them.  Fortunately, their lives were spared and sent back into the lake.  Just the thought of eating those things is nasty.  They are like bugs of the water.

                Jacinda headed to the showers before bed.  The rest of us cleaned up and set up our beds.  We were very cozy in the trailer.  I read a few chapters from “The Janitor’s Boy.”  This is a book for McCabe’s book report.  We listened to a few comedians on Tim’s cell phone.  Said a prayer and then went to bed.  I tossed the whole night.  I was comfortable, but just slept really lightly.  Every little sound would disturb my slumber.

                Morning came and we ate breakfast at the campground’s café.  The kids then went on an Easter egg hunt and scored many treats.  Some of the kids stayed and played on the playground, some went fishing, and the rest went on a walk.  After a few hours, we packed up and headed home.  Once home, I made a pizza.  Ate lunch and took a long nap.

                Sunday was awesome.  We had a nice breakfast and then watched general conference as a family.  In between sessions, we took a hike near our home.  Watched the second session and then visited my mom’s and dad’s grave.  It was nice to see the dates engraved on the headstone.