Sunday, November 5, 2023

September 2023

I was getting tired of all the backpacks and shoes being thrown on the floor as soon as the kids walked in the door. I looked for a hall tree I could buy but nothing seemed to fit our space and work for what I wanted. I saw an idea online to turn a cubby shelf into a backpack station and loved it so we decided to go for it! Richard had the good idea to let each girl pick a color for her space and then we got bins for the cubbies underneath for shoes, gloves, hats, etc. I thought it turned out so cute! I don't know if it will help with the mess but at least it's out of my living room.


McKenna's soccer team ended up needing an assistant coach again so I volunteered. It wasn't quite as much fun this time and the team didn't seem to want to learn anything about soccer but I always enjoy whenever I get to play soccer and I love watching my girl play!

Richard was being funny about his bday so even though he was turning the big 4-0, I couldn't seem to get him interested in doing anything. Brooklyn really wanted to make sure he had a great birthday so the Saturday before, she planned a surprise party for him. She decided to make it OSU themed and spend days beforehand making things and thinking up ideas of what to do. I was so impressed with what she came up with! She made a big red O out of Legos with a basketball hoop and football goalposts. She decorated everything with red and gray and got out all of our OSU stuff. She made a poster and we made Buckeye treats ahead of time so we could eat them at the party. She even made a snack-stadium out of cardboard and put all the things for our lunch in it! She was so creative and I think it meant a lot to Richard that she put so much work into it. For the party, she had us decorate Brutus masks, made an OSU sign to hang in our rooms and we played football in the backyard. She really wanted us to go full tailgate so we had a BBQ for dinner and watched a movie while eating popcorn.






Brooklyn got to go to a fun carnival put on by our stake for their Stake Primary Activity. They had little classes set up around the church where the kids could earn tickets. Each class had a different focus like missionary work, Articles of Faith, work outs, learning a song, etc. Then they could go into the gym and use their tickets to do carnival games like fishing or nerf gun shooting, or they could get food (hot dogs, popcorn, snow cones, and cotton candy!), or get their faces painted.

Since she had so much fun at that carnival, she wanted to create her own! I forgot to take pictures until it was too late and only got one of Kaylee bobbing for apples...but she did an amazing job! She spent hours making things, setting up outside, gathering things she could give as prizes, etc. It was very very impressive! She had us play games to earn tickets and then at the end we could turn them in for prizes. She had a bean bag toss where she cut out different sizes of holes in cardboard and the smaller the hole you got the bag in, the more tickets you got. She made a ring toss out of old CDs and a cardboard stand with a Play-Doh roller glued on top. She made a football toss game where she would stack the cups in a pyramid on a table and if we knocked them all down, she would put up one bonus cup so we could try to get a bonus ticket. She created a spin the wheel game from the wheel that comes with our Life game. We did a dart game, an obstacle course and she had us bob for apples! She collected little toys, candies, and stickers to use as prizes and put them into different categories of 5, 10, or 15 ticket prizes. It was super fun and creative and I loved seeing her put so much energy into it.

Another very creative thing we did was get out Brooklyn's paint markers and decorate some Book of Mormons! It was really fun to do with Kaylee and Brooklyn and I thought they all looked great!




Richard took Kaylee to YW while I was at soccer practice with Kenna and then we met up with them at the church. I walked in and saw Kaylee and couldn't believe she was in full 90s gear! It's funny how trends come back. She looked adorable but also really old!

Brooklyn has really caught the creative bug. She wanted to create a game and asked Kaylee and I to play it with her on Conference weekend. She called it Beauty Bash and made a game board out of cardboard with spaces to move and little pictures on each one that told you what to do. When you would land on a space, you would have to put on makeup, jewelry, perfume (that was really just a spray bottle with water in it), extra clothes, or pretend to shower to get ready for the day. Again, I was impressed with her creativity and it was a lot of fun to play!

Sunday, September 10, 2023

August 2023

There is a church that does a brat and craft fest every year and we always see a million signs for it and Richard has wanted to check it out. Since Sarah was here, we wanted to take her to it but when we got there we realized everything was pretty expensive and the line for brats was crazy long. We decided it wasn't worth it and spent a few minutes looking around at all the crafts but then just went home. We had to take advantage of their silly photo boards though!



Kristi had done a Super Mario food themed dinner for her kids and my kids wanted to do the same. I think we might have gone a little overboard on the food but we had so much fun prepping everything and coming up with ideas! We ate while we watched the movie and dressed up as Mario characters. Brooklyn also planned a Mario Kart race and she set up a stack of cardboard boxes for us to smash like Bowser. 




I bought a Harry Potter felt set and when I started it, Brooklyn was determined to do it with me. We were laughing at how cute our little gingerbread men were before they had clothes and hair. Brooklyn didn't stick around to finish hers off but I was very impressed with how well she did when she doesn't have any experience with sewing at all!

We went to a Latin festival downtown that was really fun. Of course I didn't take a single picture, but we did see a little booth set up that had farm activities and a petting zoo. These huge bunnies were SO soft and didn't mind being pet at all. I wanted to snuggle them all day! It was nice to go to a fun festival again because it feels like we used to go to a lot more than we do now. 

We took Sarah to campus since she hadn't seen it at all. The girls put on a little play but mostly we just walked around and showed her how pretty campus was. She was even tempted to look into applying to go there until we told her how much it costs! Ha ha.


The next day we took Sarah out to dinner and ice cream for her last day. We were so lucky to have her here all summer and loved every minute that we spent together. She was so good for my girls and it was really fun for Richard and I to have deep, adult talks with her and see how intelligent, mature, and amazing she is. We are grateful for this time we had with her!



Kaylee has been wearing a rainbow friendship bracelet on her ankle ever since we went to San Diego in 2019. Kaylee, McKenna and Madsy all got them but Kaylee is the only one who kept hers on. It finally snapped and she was so sad that it couldn't be fixed. That's a long time to never take something off!

McKenna got a book kit from Grandma for Christmas. It is such a cute idea, they send you the pages and markers and then you make a book and they print it as an actual book! It was fun to see her name in print, I have no doubt that she will be a great author one day. She writes so many fun and creative stories.


We finally started back to school! It felt like we started kind of late this year but I still think we weren't quite ready for it. Kaylee is on her last year of middle school already which just blows my mind. McKenna started middle school at the 6th grade building and has loved it, except for the waking up super early part... And Brooklyn started elementary school for the first time with no siblings there! I was worried she would struggle but she has had so much more confidence going in this year. It makes me happy to see my kids grow and become amazing people!


Starting school means starting up all the activities! Kaylee is doing cross country again and has already shaved about 5 mins off of her starting time last year! McKenna started soccer and is trying viola at school and Brooklyn is doing her favorite gymnastics again. McKenna and Brooklyn are still taking piano as well. It makes for a busy life but it's great seeing my kids do fun things they love!

Thursday, August 31, 2023

July 2023

 Our July was packed with lots of fun! The Anderson's hosted a big pre-4th of July party at their house on the 1st. We played a lot of Crossnet, the kids did a slip-n-slide, we had a BBQ, and got to chat with lots of people in the ward. Unfortunately, there were big trees in the way so we couldn't see much of the fireworks from her house but it was still great to be with everyone. 


On the 4th we started the day by going to the Hilliard parade. Sarah came with us and got to try out our gigantic OSU chair! Sarah was so sweet to help us work on our bathroom and spent a good chunk of the day sanding walls. After lunch, we had a water balloon fight and got out the slip-n-slide and all the adults even got in on the fun of it! We played games and watched a movie and then ended the night by doing pop-its and sparklers in the backyard but Sarah's favorite part was catching fireflies! It was a super fun day.








Brooklyn has really loved planning parties but it's rare that she can get her sisters to participate (at least very willingly). She really wanted to plan a camping themed birthday party for her doll but for some reason Kaylee and Richard ended up not being there (I don't remember why). But McKenna and I had a blast with all the things she planned. She did a bunch of themed food for dinner and s'mores over the stove for dessert. She also sorted us into different cabins and made a label for each of the rooms telling us what cabin it was. Outside she laid out three sleeping bags and we did a few games with those, built something out of sticks and leave and then made some nature bracelets. I kept teasing her because we would move onto another activity and she kept forgetting to bring her doll. Poor thing was neglected at her own party!



We temporarily lost our minds and decided it would be a good idea to redo the girl's bathroom right before we had guests coming to stay... It shouldn't have taken as long as it did, but we ran into some trouble with the vanity and ended up having to wait longer to get one than we wanted. So even though we started in plenty of time, we finished the day before they came! It was a little stressful but I love the new bathroom and it feels so much better in there as well as gives us more storage space as the girls have gotten more and more bathroom stuff as they've gotten older.


The Awerkamps got into town super late Wednesday night so Richard just picked them up from the airport and took them to their hotel. I picked them up the next morning and we headed to the temple to do baptisms. Adam and Julie stayed home with Brooklyn and she was loving having some one on one attention right away. 

Holly and Madeline came to join the fun while Chase and Emery were at Youth Conference. The cousins mostly wanted to just play together but we did convince them to get out by taking them to the pet store because that was one thing all of Julie's kids remembered loving about Columbus last time. They built a new pet store in Upper Arlington and so we went there and it was so much bigger and nicer than the last one! Everyone, even me, held a bunch of birds, mice, and dogs. I thought everyone wouldn't last super long in there but the kids never wanted to leave! We finally had to go when Richard's allergies couldn't last any longer and we were all getting hungry for dinner. We also had to go to Amy's Donuts because Sarah tried it once before and thought they were the best donuts she'd ever had so we got a couple dozen so we could try multiple flavors. That night, we took them to Strauser's to show them all the crazy candy there and on the way back, we saw the one thing Julie wanted to see more than anything: fireflies! It was fun to see all of their reactions to the first time seeing them since we've gotten more used to them. They are pretty magical! 





The next day, we picked up a 15 passenger van and all drove up to Kirtland together! It made it a lot more fun that we could all go in the same car. We went to the Kirtland temple first and then did the Church sites tour. It is amazing what a difference you feel in one, where it feels like they are just stating historical facts (even about the appearance of the Savior!), and the other from the missionaries who are bearing their testimony about the events that happened and the Spirit is so strong. We wanted to check out one more farm that they told us was about a mile away before we headed home. All we found was a sign and a path that led to nowhere... but instead of wasting the opportunity, we found a quiet spot in the trees and Holly asked us all what our favorite part of the day was or what stood out to us. That was my favorite part of the whole day and I loved hearing everyone's different perspectives and feeling the Spirit as we shared. 





The next day was Julie's birthday so we put up some decorations and planned some party games to play. We put up our Crossnet in the back and played that most of the morning and then did a few minute-to-win-it games that we had to do in 45 seconds in honor of Julie turning 45. Madsy and Kenna really wanted to go swimming together so we went to the hotel pool and let the kids swim for a while. Then Holly and Madeline had to take off to get back home and the rest of us headed to German Village. 





We stopped at the Fudge Haus and got everyone some chocolates and then Richard decided to buy some Bacon and Cheese flavored crickets and told everyone he would pay them $2 to eat one. I don't think he expected anyone to take him up on it but everyone ate one except Todd, Julie, Chris, and Brooklyn! They actually weren't bad at all. Kaylee found a wing stuck in her braces a few minutes later and grossed the rest of us out pretty good though! Because the crickets weren't enough, Richard went back in and bought some BBQ mealworms to try. This time, even Todd joined us! They were a little more gross than the crickets but still not as bad as you'd think looking at them! 



We stopped and looked at a little gift shop while we were waiting for a table to open up at the Sausage Haus. Brooklyn decided it would be fun to pinch a cactus and got a fingerful of pokies! Richard took her to the car and found some tweezers to get them out and everyone gathered around her and was so concerned about her! Both Todd and Nathanael helped get the spines out of her finger and were so sweet and gentle with her. It was really cute to watch!

Unfortunately, the Sausage Haus took too long and we didn't have time to eat there so we had to run and grab some fast food so we could get to our last activity. The last thing Julie wanted to do for her birthday was a Game Show Battle Room. They had 3 different games to play- Family Feud, Wheel of Fortune, and some of the games from the Price Is Right. It was seriously SO much fun! 




On Sunday the Awerkamp's came with us to church and we played a bunch of games and had FHE. Chris didn't want to play games so Richard sat down at the table with him and started bouncing a ping-pong ball back and forth to each other. They started with one bounce across, then tried to do two, then three etc. They were having so much fun that everyone else wanted to join in. Eventually we had 3 games going in different directions on our main table and then another game in the playroom on our old table! It was funny to see everyone get so into it but I loved watching them all have fun together. Then we took them to Battelle-Darby Creek to walk around for a bit and the kids put on a couple plays on a little "stage" they found just off the path. On the way home stopped by a lake to see more fireflies. 




Monday was their last day but they didn't leave until the late afternoon so we played Crossnet again in the morning and then took them hyperbowling. It was super fun but we were so sad to see them go. We loved having them here so much!

That Saturday, I left for Utah with the girls. Richard had a conference in Colorado the next week so we went to Utah for the first time without him! McKenna was really nervous about takeoff and when I leaned forward to try to comfort her, I saw that Brooklyn had grabbed her hand and was holding it the whole time we were going up in the air. It was the sweetest thing! 

The next day we went to church with Mom and Dad and the Andreason's. Brooklyn went with Mom to YW and all of the older girls loved her! They kept talking about how cute she was and how they wanted to keep her. Someone in Mom's ward (who I have known all my life) asked Holly if I was her daughter :) Holly wasn't quite as thrilled but I got a good laugh out of it! After church we went to Provo and had a BBQ with all of the Henricksen's. McKenna was, of course, glued to Wesley and wanted to carry him around the whole time. She was a little disappointed that he wasn't a baby anymore though!



Monday morning, we woke up to go to the Temple to Temple run. McKenna's stomach was hurting really bad and she didn't think she would be able to do it so I stayed home with her while everyone else went. Afterwards, we went to Scott's house and hung out all day until it was time for our family BBQ that night. While we were eating, the wind started blowing really strongly and broke a huge branch off of the neighbor's tree who lived behind Mom and Dad. The rest of us noticed and thought, oh that's too bad and then went back to our party. But Scott went and quietly grabbed a saw and went to help them cut it down and cut it into smaller pieces so they could haul it away. Dad and a bunch of the grandkids saw what he was doing and headed over there to help too. It made me so proud to see all of them selflessly helping and pitching it when they didn't have to.




Dad had been given a giant chocolate covered cinnamon bear (that was really a gummy bear) by his coworkers for his retirement so he brought that out and cut it up for all of us to try. He also told us stories of his time at Sweet's and we finally got the chocolate covered cinnamon bear story on camera! 

The next morning we did baptisms at the Jordan River temple with Dad. It was really special to have Grandpa baptize all the grandkids and I love watching him in the temple. I was also so happy to take Kaylee and McKenna to my special temple that I grew up with and the one we got married in. 


Clark and Patti's twins had given Mom a few outfits and the girls decided to put on a whole fashion show. They hung up a sheet, laid out some vinyl for a runway, and even played runway music. There wasn't very many clothes so I thought it would be over quick but they were having so much fun, they just kept switching outfits so they could come out again and trying new ways to wear the same things. We even convinced Emery to get in on the fun and he entertained us with dancing and singing when they had breaks to change their clothes. 

That night we had a special retirement party for Mom and Dad. We had to make it like a graduation since that is Dad's favorite thing, and we also had to include golf and we had the theme "Third Times the Charm" since he has now retired 3 times and this is their 3rd full-time mission. We made them wear a cap and gown and had all their kids do a part of the ceremony. Scott was the emcee, I spoke about Mom, Kristi spoke about Dad, and then Julie talked about them working as partners with Christ. Then Holly sang "I Can Do All Things" while the grandkids joined her for the chorus. We all lined up and gave them hugs and then presented them with their graduation certificates. I thought it all turned out so well!





The next afternoon, we met up with all the families at Rush Funplex. It had bumper cars, go-karts, mini golf, laser tag, bowling, rock climbing, a trapeze swing, and mini trampolines into a foam pit. We had 3 straight hours of fun and could have gone on longer!





Rachel and Scott were volunteering for the traveling Tabernacle so we went over there to see it. I was glad I got the chance to see it because I thought it was so cool when they started it last year. Rachel did such a great job on her part and was pretty much the only one who didn't just read her card in a monotone voice. I love seeing my nieces and nephews being involved in good things and becoming such great people!! That night all the adults went to Kristi's house and we watched Love Again, a movie that had Celine Dion in it so of course we had to watch it with Holly! 


Thursday, we went to Kristi's house to play the candy bar game, which has become a huge hit with her kids. Then we went to Classic Skating to meet up with Laura and her kids. My kids all did great on their skates and skated pretty much the whole time. Brooklyn did switch to a scooter near the end but lasted a long time on rollerblades! Then we hurried home so all of the adults could meet at the Jordan River temple to do sealings with Dad. 

The next morning, Kaylee woke up early so she could go do baptisms for the dead with the Andreason's at the Bountiful temple before they left. It was fun because Mama Maddy met them there and her dad is the baptismal coordinator so he was able to get them in and do the confirmations for them. We spent the rest of the day shopping with Mom and then we ended the night by swimming with Emily and Peter at their neighborhood pool.

Saturday, we spent most of the day at the Awerkamp's house and they took us to a place in Provo where you can make your own soaps. It was fun to choose from all the molds and decide what scent and color we wanted them to be. McKenna, of course, wanted to be outside with the chickens every second she could. She even helped Todd dig a hole in the chicken coop to help with a sprinkler project they were doing. We stopped by Seagull Book on the way home to see Kimberly at work, which was also fun to see her in that environment. That night I went with Kristi and Scott to see the new Mission: Impossible movie. 



Sunday we went with the DuValls to church so we could watch Kai and Rachel sing and Scott give a talk. Then we went to visit Grandma DuVall who told the kids some stories about what it was like for her growing up. I was also lucky enough to be able to go to the Murry NICU to meet baby Zion! I was very grateful I got to hold him before we went home. 


Monday we met Sharon for lunch and then stopped by Julie's to say goodbye, and then went to Kristi's. She had some crafts for the kids to do and then they played night games outside until it was time for us to leave. 





We left the next day and our first flight got delayed so we were worried that we wouldn't make our second one. We had to get off our flight as quickly as we could and RUN from one terminal to another and barely made it on the plane just a few minutes before they shut the door. It was a little stressful but we made it home safe and sound and we were happy to be reunited with Richard!