Saturday January 18, 2020

I finally have a moment to catch up.  Christmas break was fantastic!  We enjoyed Christmas at home and then it was off to California.  One our way to Cali, we spent the night in St. George at Nancy and Clay Penrod’s house.  It was such a lovely house out in the country.  It was next to St. George in a town called “Diamond Valley.”  Nancy informed me that the name diamond was in honor of all the diamond backs that live there.  Thankfully we did not see any.  While staying at Nancy’s house, I noticed a fantastic bed spread.  It reminded me so much of my Grandma Nalder’s bed spread (Helen Nalder, my dad’s mom).  Except her blanket was blue not pink.  Those little white balls took me back to when I was about 8 years of age.  I asked her where she got it and she said her mom, Margaret, got it at the D.I.  Wow!  It was so fun to reminisce.

In California, we stayed with Chris and Tricia.  We had a blast.  They took us to Legoland.  Teagan and Xadia had a fun time there.   McCabe and some of his cousins split off and did their own thing.  While waiting in line, we played charades with the phone.  It was pretty fun and made the wait time bearable for some of the rides.  Later during the day, McCabe, Caleb, and Aiden caught up with us.  Aiden kept telling the ride operators he made a “poopie.”  He definitely needed some attention.

Chris and Tricia live close to the ocean.  We like to walk on the beach or the pier.  We spent a day walking on the pier.  We went to Ruby’s diner at the end of the pier and had lunch.  We had a lot of left over fries so we decided to feed the birds.  As we walked on the pier and threw the fries, lots of pigeons would come.  McCabe and Teagan decided to catch some.  They had a great time.  But the best part was putting French fries on Teagan’s and McCabe’s head.  Within seconds, a bird would swoop and get the fries and fly away.

We also had a fun time at the beach.  The kids went boogie boarding.  I sat in a beach chair with a blanket enjoying the surroundings.  The kids buried each other and made sand castles.  The beach is such a fun place.  We even took some pictures of Jacinda dressed as a cosplay pirate.  That was a lot of fun.  We got some really neat pictures of her with the tide coming near her boots as she stared off into the ocean.  McCabe channeled some of Tim as he lay in wait to catch a seagull.  He would bury his arm and throw bread out all around his buried arm.  Then when one got close enough, he would catch it.  The seagull bit McCabe and broke the skin.  I don’t know if he is going to that again.

We were privileged to see the rose parade.  I am always amazed at the floats and the vast number of flowers that decorate them.  Some of the bands were really fun this year.  They would high five the crowd or do a little more dancing than usual.  Teagan bought this really annoying toy trumpet at the parade.  After about 20 minutes of blowing on it, Kari offered to buy it from Teagan.  He took the deal.  The rest of the parade was enjoyed without the trumpet.  However, after the parade, Kari gave it back so we got to hear it all the way to our car.

After our trip to California, we got to see McCabe in his first ballroom performance.  It was so fun to watch the kids do some really neat dance moves.  I was really impressed.  Jacinda mentioned that she would like to try ballroom but does not want to be in McCabe’s class.  Unfortunately, that is the only class available for her at this time.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Prior to thanksgiving, I took a day off to go on a field trip with Xadia.  The fourth grade went to the Weber landfill, water treatment facility, and the Davis sewer district.  It made me laugh when people asked, “What did you do on your day off?”  There were many funny answers that filled my head, but I just said, “I went on a field trip with my daughter.”  It is always such a treasure to go with my kiddos on an outing.  I got to see her with her friends (Belen, Izzy, and Natasha) and hold her hand as we walked from place to place.  I love being with them.  Our time is so limited together.  They grow so fast which is amazing and painful at the same time.         

We had a full house for thanksgiving and a great feast.  The Squires and Johnsons were able to join us.  There was plenty of food for everyone and so many desserts.  Mimi out did herself with making apple pie, pumpkin pie, cherry pie, and a log roll.  Everything tasted so good.  I was really grateful my siblings and their families could make it.  It was very snowy thanksgiving morning.  Tim taught McCabe how to work the plow on the blueberry.  Tim could not find his usual beaver hat, so he wore a banana head cover (from Halloween) to keep his ears warm.  It is all about function not fashion with Tim.  At least he got the job done.

We love having snow because it sets the tone for extreme sledding.  That is when we hook sleds to the back of the blueberry and go for a ride.  It was so cold riding in the snow.  My fingers were frozen by the time I got home but we had so much fun.  We first went in circles in the parking lot.  Then drove up the mountain behind our house.  I got a little nervous when the kids slide near the edge.  I would tell Tim to slow down or turn the blueberry.  He was doing a good job of steering and I was doing a great job of back seat driving.  I am pleased to report that no injuries occurred. 

The school has been asking us to have further eye tests done on Teagan because he kept failing the machine operated eye exam.  We had him tested and sure enough, he has amblyopia (a lazy eye) in his left eye.  He got some glasses to help strengthen his left eye.  He gets to wear an eye patch and his glasses for 10 hours a day.  Yesterday he did well with his glasses but Sunday he was frustrated with his glasses and eye patch.  He started crying at church.  It is very hard as a mom to see a child frustrated, hurt, or in pain.  I am trying to do my best to support him and the doctor’s recommendations.  He is a champ.  I am very pleased with how well he is trying.

Jacinda is looking beautiful with her braces off.  She is still into cosplay.  Here is a picture of her in her Native American costume and wig.  She took my phone to take a selfie…..now the picture is fair game.  I am amazed at her creativity.  She has drawn some awesome pictures with lighting and shading.  She was definitely given the talent to draw.

Tim and I got to go on a date to the tabernacle Christmas concert.  Can I just say that it was AMAZING!  Kellie O’Hara and Richard Thomas were the featured artists.  Kellie has a beautiful singing voice.  It was so lovely.  Richard did a fine job reading a story.  All the participants displayed their talents in such an impressive manner from lighting to costumes to singing to playing instruments and dancing.  I loved every minute of it.  I would like to go each year and take the kids.  Leaving the conference center I was filled with such a good feeling.  The kind of feeling you want to last forever.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

We had a busy and fun day yesterday.  It started with exercise for the adults and computers for the kids.  Then we had a big breakfast of waffles, bacon, and milk.  I cooked 3 lbs of bacon.  We did not eat all of it.  I will use the left overs for other meals this week.  The house smelled like bacon the rest of the day.

After breakfast, the boys had a piano lesson.  McCabe is learning simplified hymns.  I am pleased with his progress.  Teagan is still trying to figure out where the notes are on the keyboard.  Once he gets the correct hand position, he does great playing. 

 From piano, we raked leaves in our yard and Jeri Burr’s yard.  Our trailer was full thanks to raking leaves from grandma Margaret’s yard last week.  Off to the dump was our next stop.  The kids were a huge help unloading the trailer.  On they way home, Xadia and Teagan kept playing a game where they would try to sit on each other.  I had to remind them to buckle and stay in their seats.  At the moment they like to pass gas on each other and say “door knob.”  It is a weird game I do not understand.  I hope they grow out of it soon.

The kids got to spend $2 at 7-eleven for helping with the leaves.  Xadia chose donuts.  Teagan chose an ice cream bar and McCabe chose a soda and Dorito chips.  I laughed as they walked out of the store.  Look at all these empty calories my kiddos are going to put in their bodies.

After parking the trailer, we geared up to ride dirt bikes.  Tim taught me how to start and shift a dirt bike.  My take offs were jerky, I will need more practice.  We had a great time riding in the parking lot at the end of the street.  Teagan was crazy.  He made me worry.  His dirt bike has training wheels and he was turning corners and pushing into those training wheels.  If those training wheels were not there, that boy would had fallen many times.

After biking, we came home and cleaned up.  Tim and I went to the temple.  From there, it was dinner time and happened to be Xadia’s month.  She wanted to eat at the Golden Corral.  It is a buffet.  She enjoyed some sweet potatoes, a roll, a glass of milk, some strawberry ice cream with sprinkles and gummy bears, and a bag of cotton candy.  Tim had a steak and I enjoyed a salad.  We liked talking and visiting with Xadia.  She is doing really well in school and likes to play with her friends, Natasha and Izzy.

After dinner, we picked up Jacinda from the Squire’s house and went home.  I made some banana bread and then joined the kids for movie night.  We watched Ice Age.  They loved the part where the baby wipes his face on the mammoth.  It was a fun way to end the day.  We said prayer and then off to bed.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Well there it goes….the month of October.  We were busy (of course) celebrating birthdays and getting ready for Halloween.  I had a fun outing with my childhood friends.  Each year we get together and have lunch.  There never seems to be enough time but I am grateful Kerianne, Leslie, and Rori are my friends.  Kerianne made me promise not to put the picture on facebook.  However, she said nothing about my blog.

We also went out for Xadia’s birthday.  She decided on Chick-fil-A.  Tim and is missing from the picture because he was in Washington state getting our house ready to sell.  McCabe was not feeling well due to a back flip going awry.  He hit his head on the trampoline so he decided to stay home and rest.  The rest of us enjoyed a yummy meal of chicken nuggets, criss-cross fries, and milk shakes.  Xadia got a Coraline costume for her birthday.  That is what she wanted to be for Halloween.  Funny thing, the yellow rain jacket was the wrong size.  Good thing momma knows how to work the sewing machine.  After a few cuts and hems, the rain jacket is a perfect fit.

 

Jacinda got to go to Anime bonsai during the middle of October.  Here she is with colored contacts, a fake face scar, and her costume.  She really loves to dress up and put on character make up.  She is super talented and definitely has a knack for that.  Teagan decided to be in the picture too because he loves to hang around Jacinda (when he is not playing minecraft on the computer).

Tim and I had a little get away to Washington before our house sold.  The house turned out amazing.  I just loved the carpet (Kamden is the name from Home Depot) with the walls (silver strand is the name of the paint).  It made me a little sad to think that would be the last time in our WA house.  However, I am very happy at the thought of only owning one home.  While in Washington, we saw Doug and family.  Doug and Denise are living in a house right next to the water and it is absolutely gorgeous.   Their house is next to an oyster farm. Tim and I had a fun time flipping oyster nets over and watching the little sand crabs scatter.  We kept thinking how much fun the kids would have staying at Uncle Doug’s house.  There was fishing, swimming, and watching nature.

The weather is turning cold and that means baking.  Teagan likes to help me in the kitchen.  He decided to put on Tim’s apron to prevent getting dirty.  Of course he wanted to pose for a picture.  And so here he is flexing his chocolate chip cookie muscle.  He is such a joy to have.

Tim surprised me at work with flowers for my birthday and love notes just because.  He somehow roped my boss into helping him.  After I left work, my boss put loving sticky notes (made by Tim) on my monitors.  It was such a nice surprise.  I was all smiles and it started my day right.

October 25^th was birthday tables for Xadia.  Tim and I were able to join her along with her 3 friends, Izzy, Belen, and Natasha. Tim took the picture of Xadia with her friends then dropped my phone and cracked it (LOL I love Murphy’s law).   Xadia requested chicken nuggets and a frosty from Wendy’s.  Of course we bought a frosty for each girl.  That is something kinda fun we like to do along with bringing balloons and a small gift to the birthday girl’s class.  This year Xadia got balloons with a 100,000 grand candy bar and glitter glue pens.  As I write about Xaida’s birthday I am amazed at everything we did.  She also had a birthday party.  We tried to do an escape room but the puzzles were a little hard for 10-year-olds.  Nevertheless, they enjoyed making slime and decorating graham cracker haunted houses.

We had a family get away (along with Kade and Izzy) to Lake Mantua.  It was a little cold but so much fun.  The kids fished, rode bikes, and played at the playground.  For some reason the kids called the giant sand hill on the playground “poop mountain.”  They are so silly.  Tim had a good time also letting the kids hang on him as he played on the zip line.  Tim painted my nails and some of my fingers bright red (and I loved every moment of it) as we sat on the dock.  To top off the getaway, we bought a big slice of cheesecake and carrot cake (Yum!).  These desserts are incomparable.  They are so good.  Unfortunately Jacinda could not join us because she was working her last day at Lagoon.  I am so pleased that she stayed the entire season with her job and was so responsible.

At home the kids are always being so creative.  McCabe and Teagan decided to put toilet paper on their fan and turn it on.  As the paper spins, they dance in the middle of it.  It looked fun until the paper started wrapping around McCabe’s neck.  That is when I say, “game over kids and it is time to take it down.” 

Saturday, October 5, 2019

     I had such a fun week.  We celebrated my birthday.  It started out with celebrating a few days early by eating at Joy Luck (a Chinese restaurant).  The kids ordered strawberry Italian Sodas.  We then enjoyed a big dinner of cream cheese puffs, egg drop soup, strawberry chicken, sweet and sour chicken, peeking ribs, cashew vegetables, and black bean asparagus.  The food was delicious and I had left overs for lunch for the next 3 days. 
     On my actual birthday, I was surprised at work by the family.  They brought me 2 dozen red roses, a bag of Lindt chocolates and some birthday cards.  Xadia and Jacinda made me cards.  Jacinda took time to sketch a character on her card.  I love the cards.  I taped them to my wall at work so that every time I need a break from work I just look to my right and see the cards and it reminds me how much I am loved.
     After I got home, we had a nice pot of macaroni and cheese for dinner, that is what Teagan wanted.  I do not like mac and cheese but I was not very hungry so there was not need to argue.  After dinner, Tim and I went to the temple.  Because of a policy change, I got to witness a bunch of sealings.  It was a tender experience.

       Thursday was the tech trek.  Xadia and Teagan had a great time running laps at the school to raise money.  There was a lot of kids and the music was so loud.  I was exhausted.  Usually I run laps with the kids but after about 7 laps I had to sit down.  The kids did a good job and had a lot of fun running with their friends and eating snow cones.  I am so thankful they get to have this experience because it helps build their character in a positive way.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

I got a lot of catching up to do.  First off…..school is back in session.  Teagan is in 2^nd grade, Xadia is in 4^th, McCabe is in 7^th, and Jacinda is in 9^th.  (My babies are getting so big!)  I took some cute pictures before their first day.  The Squire children are also in the pictures because they are temporarily living with us until their house sells.  It has been fun having them.

The Squires like a lot of the same thing my children like.  They play the computers.  I think they play Minecraft, Roblox, and Fort Nite.  They are also good helpers with the lawn care business.  They have made a few dollars also.  Brinton will not miss an opportunity to mow a lawn because, “it is his only source of income.”  Kate and Jacinda like anime.  They dressed up as Hetalia characters for Fan X.  Jacinda was Prussia and Kate was Germany.  I was so impressed with their costumes.  They made them from D.I. clothes.  Jacinda’s boots were originally black and she covered them with a white vinyl material.  These kids are super talented.

Labor day weekend was no vacation.  Someone started a fire in the mountains and we had to be evacuated from our house.  Luckily the fire did not touch our house.  It was about 150 yards away.  However, three people lost their homes all because a campfire was not fully extinguished.  It was so said seeing the losses on t.v.

McCabe just got braces.  He is suffering through the pain.  The first 3 days meant soft foods.  He lived on mashed potatoes, applesauce, yogurt, and ice cream.  He is very excited to have straight teeth to compliment his good looks.  He is very much into trying to create a six pack.  He likes to flex his muscles in the mirror.  He is a cute kid. 

Xadia set up her “squatter’s camp in the hallway.  She got lots of blankets, chairs, and pillows to make a nice bed.  Teagan and Canda also joined in the fun.  She slept there for 3 nights.  It is fun to see what Xadia will do next.

Caught Teagan the other day putting his “babies” down for a nap.  My heart pretty much melted at the sight.  Teagan still shows some of that sweet baby boy side while being a tough adventurous 7-year-old.  It is so fun being a mama to all these wonderful children. 

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

It is an exciting time in our lives.  After nine years of renting, we are going to sell our Longview, WA home.  It has been a great home.  Three of my four kids lived there for a season.  Tim and I built it with the intentions of living there forever.  It is just over 4200 square feet.  It has an intercom system and HDMI cable all throughout.  We had missionaries living in the basement during our occupancy.  I love the double headed shower and that the laundry room is on the floor with all the bedrooms.

Our last set of renters really did a number on the place.  They painted the walls and got some of the paint on the ceiling and carpet.  One of their children decided to paint the outside of the house.  There was markers and writing on doors and walls.  Pieces of candy were stuck in the carpet and it reeked of urine.  That was really frustrating.  They did not take care of the yard.  There were over grown weeds and moss on the roof.  My heart dropped when I saw the condition.  They tried to blame the previous renters but Tim and I visited the last set of renter and saw the condition of the home.  It was not that bad.  It also did not smell nasty.  It was frustrating to see that the current renters did not keep their side of the contract to do $300/month of home repairs.  Needless to say, we helped the renters move and did a major overhaul on the house.  It took a lot of time and money to restore the house.  Now it looks beautiful.  New carpet will be laid in 2 weeks.  Part of me wants to hold on to the house.  The other part says to let go.  I took lots of pictures to keep as memories.

Something really cute that has happened this past month is Teagan copying Tim with pen placement.  Tim always has a pen.  On Sundays, Tim puts the pen behind his tie in between two buttons on his shirt.  Teagan does the exact same because he wants to be like his dad.  It is the cutest thing ever.  I just love it.