The School Year Begins

Emilee is liking 1st grade a lot so far. She tells me it is way shorter than school was last year. She does really well getting on the bus and going to school without stressing as much as she did last year too. She is starting to go to gymnastics again, she is in the same class as her friend Laney. She still loves playing with her stuffed animals, legos, and drawing and coloring. She is still really tall and fast. She gets a little sad that none of her friends live really close to our house but we try and have play dates for them to come over. She hates waking up in the morning but is getting better at it. She is the pickiest eater I know. What she does and doesn’t like to eat changes daily, there is no way to keep track of it. Watermelon and strawberries are her least favorite and she takes it as a personal attack if they are even in the same room as her. She is still a sweat heart and loves animals. She is always willing to help Allison with Peanut. She can clean her room and do a lot of things on her own but she is a master at getting someone else to ‘help her’ so she doesn’t have to do it all. She loves riding her scooter or bike outside. She is still a huge momma’s girl but her soft spot for dad has grown a lot the past year.

Allison is doing her best to enjoy cheerleading with only one good arm. She is very frustrated that she still has to wear her brace but loves wearing her cheerleading outfit enough to stick with it. Games have started now too which she has fun at too. She is missing gymnastics a lot too but she is cleared to go back on November 25th so she is already counting down the days. She often recruits a friend or two to go ask people to walk their dogs to earn a little extra money. She also makes and sells slime on a regular basis. She is always looking for a way to earn a dollar. She spends a lot of time taking care of Peanut and does a great job. He loves to snuggle with her and ‘pops’ when he sees her because he is excited. She is still witty and sharp as a tack. She likes to know what is going on with everyone and everything. She has been showing her peacemaker/caring side more lately. If someone is upset she tries to think of ways to help cheer them up. She enjoys being older but will never be old enough. Her and her dad went to a fishing daddy/daughter activity. She is very competitive but also kind. She decided to do Girl Scouts again this year. She is always very fashion aware and is relieved that it is time to get a new vest for Girl Scouts so she doesn’t have to wear ‘the hideous sash’ instead. She loves that she is old enough to go to a friends or walk around the neighborhood a little on her own. She is fun to talk to and always has an interesting perspective on things. She is a very good cook as well. She is liking school but doesn’t like to admit it.

Matthew is getting busier and busier. He decided to play football in addition to baseball again this year. He has a two hour practice Monday through Friday or a game for football. He still tries to squeeze in as much time at NBA to practice his hitting and fielding when he can. He also decided to do a nine week basketball camp to help him get better at basketball. He is often found sleeping on the couch at 8:30 at night with ice packs laying on various parts of his body. He is a social boy and likes to try new things. He has a little bit of a teenager attitude starting but is still a sweet kid. When he isn’t playing or practicing a sport he loves to play with the kids on the street. A new boy named Jack moved in a few weeks ago to join the possy. They often get a game of wiffle ball, football, tag, or basketball going after school. I tell him he has an old soul, which I love. He thinks and ponders about things and likes to think through the process of how something will work. He is a gifted boy with an infectious smile when he wants to use it.

  • On the way TO pracitce
  • Matthew, Jack and Finn heading to school.

Ryan and I decided that we were going to do another game of Jeopardy with the kids to help them remember some basic, not hard, general and sometimes very specific rules to being a successful happy person now and in the future. They were all excited to play but at some point throughout the game they lost their temper, pronounced something completely unfair, or the game was wrong and stupid. They missed the point that it is supposed to be fun and better than having a lecture for an hour.

Allison is mad she had to split the first/second place pot with Matthew because they tied. Right after this picture Emilee got upset when she realized the dollar was her prize instead of a donut. Matthew made sure to remind everyone that he won this time, to re-fresh Allison’s wound if she forgot.

Surprise Birthday Trip

Last week was a pretty normal week. For the upcoming Labor Day weekend Ryan and I were planning on going to Lincoln for a few days. I had to work on Thursday and Matthew had baseball practice Friday so we were planning on leaving early Saturday.

I was trying to figure out what to do with Peanut while we were gone. Ryan pulled me aside and said that our plans weren’t exactly what I was expecting so I didn’t need to worry about Peanut. Then I found out that he called the office that I was working at on Thursday and told them that he had planned a surprise trip for me and asked them to find someone to work for me. Then on Thursday he told me to pack my bag for warm weather and include a swimsuit. He came home early Thursday afternoon and I found out we were going to start our trip to Gulf Shores!

He had made arrangements and worked out all the rides for the kids activities while we were gone. Ross and Lauren helped out a ton with getting them to school Friday and watching them the rest of the weekend. I have heard great things about Gulf Shores and mentioned that I want to go there sometime so Ryan rented us a fun little condo right by the beach. We packed up and headed for Alabama.

Thursday we drove a few hours and actually had dinner with a work client of Ryan’s that he has become friends with. After a nice dinner and visiting for a while we stayed the night in West Plains Missouri. Ryan woke up early the next morning and packed the car back up and we continued on our way. We drove his Tesla, so when we stopped to charge we went on a walk or shopped a little or grabbed something to eat. It takes about 15 hours of driving to get there plus charging time. I enjoy a road trip so I am glad he decided to drive instead of fly. I was able to see two states that I had never been in before as we drove through them-Mississippi and Alabama. Ryan said he was excited to get there and get checked in so he wanted to get to a fun recommended local restaurant by six Friday night.

We talked and listened to music, napped, and enjoyed the scenery while we drove. Sometimes when we go traveling I like to send pictures to family or friends and have them guess where I’m at. I asked Ryan if he had told any of my family and he said no, so I started sending them ‘picture clues’ of where we were going. They had some good guesses but no one got the exact spot. Once they had figured out it was on the coast in Alabama we were just pulling up to the restaurant where we were going to eat so I sent them a picture of the sign, ‘Lulu’s’. After they sat us at our table Ryan went to the restroom, I was looking at the menu and I got a text on the family thread I had been on. I looked to see and it was a picture of me sitting in the restaurant. I thought Ryan had sent the picture for some reason but then I realized the sender was my sister Sherri. I looked around and sure enough her and Kenny were sitting at a table across the room. I was pretty surprised! I usually figure out surprises before they happen so it was fun to have no idea where I was going on my trip until we left and then have one of my sisters there as another surprise. We joined them at their table and I was happy to find out that they were there for the weekend too and were going to stay in the same condo. We talked and enjoyed the rest of our dinner then went to check into our place.

  • These are some of the pictures I sent my family so they could guess where I was.
  • This is the picture Sherri sent me of myself to surprise me.

The town motto at Gulf Shores is, “small town, big beach”. It fit perfectly. They have done a great job at keeping it a smaller, family friendly, laid back little beach town. The houses were bright pastel painted colors like a lot of beach towns. They were also up on stilts. Kind of different but the ground floor on all the houses was just support beams and the house was up in the air. The underneath area was used as a garage. Our condo was down the main street kind of separate from the main tourist area, surrounded by houses. It was on the far side of the road from the beach so we literally had to walk across the road and we were at the beach. We were up on the 17th floor and had a gorgeous view of the beach and town.

  • The view from the balcony.
  • This is what I saw when I walked out of my room in the morning. So pretty!

I had never been to a beach at night so I wanted to check it out. It was so dark we could see the Milky Way Galaxy and a ton more stars than usual. We had a hard time finding the stars and constellations we usually could because there were so many more.

  • Night walk on the beach

We had a very relaxing nice weekend. We tried out some local restaurants, slept in, napped, read a book on the patio, walked on the beach. We tried an Escape Room. We technically didn’t pass it due to a glitch in a door. That was not our fault and we would have finished in plenty of time if it had worked so we counted it as a win. I finally talked Ryan into trying a pedicure, all four of us got one together. Ryan was not a fan, Kenny loved it. One of the nights we ordered a pizza from a local place and watched a bunch of Friends reruns. The beach had a flag up for moderate waves, and jelly fish. There was a hurricane on its way in from the Bahamas so the usually calm gulf waters were not so calm. By moderate they meant 8-10 foot waves. Ryan and Sherri did some body surfing. We were all amazed at how fast it wore you out just to stand in the water. Ryan and Sherri were stung by jelly fish, they were just little ones that felt like a little sting or shock. They left a red mark but it wasn’t to bad. Sherri and I saw a few of them along the beach, they were only 1-2 inches wide. We also saw a sea turtles nest and lots of crabs. I collected a few shells to add to my collection. I now have a little jar with shells from Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and Gulf Shores.

  • Jelly Fish Sting
  • There was a strong rip tide that also exhausted you quickly.
  • body surfing
  • huge waves
  • Getting ready for his first ever pedicure
  • Found a “poop” donut for Allison. He didn’t taste very good though.
  • Kenny told us if we saw a Bucee’s we had to stop. It is the biggest gas station ever basically. There are over 100 pumps for gas too.

Ryan had gotten an air mattress that fit in the back of his car. We decided to start heading home late Sunday when Sherri and Kenny went to bed then just stop and sleep in the car while it charged when we got tired. We also wanted to stop at a place called Mammoth Springs, and not get home to late so we could see the kids.

  • Ryan sleeping on the air mattress in his car.

Mammoth Springs is a huge natural spring-almost 10 million gallons of water per hour come out of it. The water is a really pretty blue, and the whole area is pretty. It is speculated by some that this area is the place that Alma baptized and hid with people from King Noah in the Book of Mormon. It seemed like a plausible theory to me.

  • This is where the water is coming from, it is so deep that you can’t tell though.
  • They built a damn and had an electric generator working for many years.

I thought the mattress in the car wouldn’t be that comfortable but it actually was. We took turns sleeping for a bit then we both slept for a few hours. It was pretty handy. The Telsa keeps the A/C going too so your comfortable temperature wise too. Ryan was pretty happy with it. In fact, there is a camp out with Matthew this weekend and the two of them decided to sleep on the mattress in the A/C cooled car instead of taking a tent.

It was a very nice weekend. It was good to see the kids when we got home. I started planning out a family trip to go back there this summer with the kids. I think we will stay in the same place and have lots of beach time. There were a lot of things we didn’t get to that the kids would enjoy too. There is a battle ship and Ferry crossing and some other fun stuff. There are lots of different ice cream shops we need to sample still too. Ryan did a good job surprising me for my birthday.

First Day of School August 2019

The first day of school arrived! Matthew started 7th Grade at a brand new middle school. Allison started 4th Grade in Ms. Clear’s class. Emilee started 1st Grade in Mrs. Ankrom’s class. They all had a pretty good first day. It was fun to see friends they hadn’t seen for awhile and see who was in their classes. We had back to school night Monday or Tuesday and Tuesday morning they all headed out the door together.

I have said many times that I would never let my kids ride the bus. I have worried about things that can happen like bullies or getting into trouble. Matthew rode the bus last year and it went ok. There was a lot of people I knew that rode the bus and there is a bus aide to help the driver keep an eye on everyone. Talking with Matthew I didn’t stress to much about it. Never say never.

This year I decided to have them all ride the bus. The main reason being on days I work I know they have a ride to and from school and I don’t have to worry about them walking home. I have quickly realized there are some other nice benefits of the bus as well. The girls are more concerned about being on time for the bus then they were about being on time to leave for school with me. There motivation results in them hurrying more and me yelling less. They all go and come at the same time which is very handy. A nice perk is I don’t have to deal with the pick up line and the ridiculous ‘procedures’ to get them.

Summer Theme 2019

We used to do bucket lists for the summer to make a fun list of things we wanted to make sure we got in during our summer break. It was fun until it switched to something that became a job. I use lists to get things done and if something on our bucket list wasn’t going to get done it stressed me out. I felt like I was leaving something unfinished. So we got rid of the list. We still do fun stuff of course but we plan it a little more week by week so it doesn’t get overwhelming. I did like having something kind of focusing the summer like the list did, so instead of the list I decided to have a theme. Last years theme was ‘Work Hard, Play Hard’. The kids grumbled during examples of “work hard” and of course were more than happy to participate in “play hard”. Overall I felt like it was a fun idea and a year later when I told them I was going to pick another summer theme for this summer they remembered what the theme was from the year before and rolled their eyes at me. I took that as a sign that it was successful. That sign further motivated me to come up with a 2019 Summer theme. The one I decided to go with was “Try, Try, Try”. I liked this because I can apply it to almost any situation I need. Try harder, try again, try more, try less (usually applied to arguing or other unpleasant behaviors), try once, try something new, and so forth. We are nearing the end of the summer and I think it is sinking in pretty good. They may not always actually try whatever it is we say to try but, they are getting the words burned into their brain so they at least think it more often.

Emilee’s biggest ‘Try Challenge’ has been eating a full balanced meal AND broadening her ideas of edible food. She is such a picky eater. I can figure out no definite rhyme or reason for her pickiness either. Sometimes its texture, sometimes taste, color, firmness, mooshiness, it is really quite ridiculous. She is working on trying new foods.

My biggest ‘Try Challenge’ I have been working on this summer is interacting with my children (and everyone but it is hardest with my children) in a more positive way. I felt like I was falling into grumpy, less patient and intolerant ways of communicating or interacting with my kids. So I have been trying to change some of those bad habits and be more pleasant with my kids. Specifically when I am mad or irritated with them. I think I have made some positive strides, I still have my not as good days but they are becoming out weighed by the good ones instead of vice-versa.

Allison has been trying to see things differently and take offense less. The tricky part is to not let her know that she is doing it. She is willing to apply the theme to trying a new food or something simple (for her) on occasion or teasing her siblings about trying something but actually setting a goal for her to work on she was not having any of it. So to help her with those try’s I have had to try harder (applies to me too) to present things to her in a more positive or appealing way when I interact with her. To sum up hours and hours of therapy and thousands of dollars-it is all in the presentation with Allison.

Matthew’s biggest ‘Try Challenge” has focused on baseball. He has set fitness goals and been trying to stick to them each day.

It has been a good summer. It wasn’t perfect but I think overall everyone got along better and was kinder to each other. I think everyone had fun trying new things, or trying old things again.

Apparently I have Twins

The day after we got home from Colorado we started the unpacking of all the suitcases. Around lunch time we decided to go out to lunch together since we hadn’t gone to the grocery store yet, and I hate to cook.

The stars aligned and all the moons were in the right place and whatever else needs to happen for a miracle so everyone was happy, speaking cheerfully, and using good manners. As we were eating a lady sitting next to us turned and pointing at Matthew and Allison said, “Your kids are so cute, are these two twins?”

I have never been asked this before so I was a little caught off guard but I was swooning in the compliment about my kids because usually one is crying, one is whining, and one is asking if we can go yet over and over. Allison didn’t hesitate a second and like she had answered the question a million times and said, “Not identical, I am awesome he his not.”

Matthew’s face after receiving a completely unexpected and completely amazing ‘burn’ from his sister was just as funny as Allison’s comment. He had a flabbergasted look on his face and said, “I’m awesome too.” The lady laughed and moved on, I don’t know if she realized they weren’t twins or not.

It was pretty funny. It was one of those moments that I still think about every now and then and get a good chuckle. Hehe, Allison and her spunky wittiness.

Date Night

Yes, the above picture is on our date night. After taking me to a yummy dinner to finish our date we washed his car, then I was asked to step out so he could vacuum and wipe down the inside of the car. Then told I could carefully re-enter the car. I was allowed to wear my shoes but told the option of not wearing them was preferred.

My punkin is very good at taking me out on dates when I ask, or asking me himself. This post is just to give him a hard time because I tell him his new car is his first love lately. I like to tease him when I find him sitting out in it, just hanging out, enjoying his new car. I don’t know if I mentioned that her official name is Stela (Tesla=Stela). You can type the name in the computer so when you say certain commands you can call it by name. There is also a Tesla wave you do to other Tesla’s when you pass them on the road. I have been chastised for not doing the wave when I was driving. Apparently a Tesla passed us and the driver waved and I snubbed them. I assured Ryan it wasn’t intentional. It was because I don’t care what other cars are on the road when I am driving as long as they aren’t crashing into me. I have also been reprimanded for eating a chocolate protein bar in his car. To be fair to Ryan, I did have a crumb fall and melt on the white seat. To be fair to me though I inadvertently cleaned most of it up with my own jeans and I am adult and can eat in my husbands car.

Sarcasm aside, I am glad he is enjoying his new car. He has worked hard the last few years to earn it. I am glad it brings him joy. I get it. I’m still going to occasionally give him a hard time about it though.

As far as being asked to step out of the car so he could clean it on our date, I was perfectly content playing my spider solitaire game while he did it, and taking this picture to write this post to tease him about it.

Allison reminds us how determined she can be.

Several months ago…way back in March. Allison got the idea in her head that she wanted a hamster. I quickly told her no thanks and dismissed it. Allison would not be deterred. She promised to take care of it, do all the work, blah, blah, blah. She said all the things that kids need to say to get a pet. I was not convinced. I pointed out all the negatives of having a pet. She was not convinced.

She even convinced me to go to the pet store with her to ‘just look’. You might think, “big mistake” but that is how my siblings and I got our dog. We just went to ‘visit’ the pound and came home with a dog because my mom couldn’t handle seeing all the sad dogs. I knew what she was planning. After driving me crazy asking to go to the pet store I told her I would take her but we were NOT coming home with any pet. It actually worked out in my favor. Kind of. I saw the hamsters and was immediately grossed out. They are basically a mouse without a tail. No. I hate mice. Allison asked the employee if she could hold it. She told her that hamsters don’t really like to be held and they tend to bite a lot. Allison seemed a little put off by that and as I was getting ready to suggest we head home the helpful employee continued on to suggest that Allison hold a guinea pig instead. Guinea pigs like to be snuggled and they aren’t as fragile so it is easier to hold them. She hands Allison a bushy guinea pig. That’s all the convincing Allison needs to decide she would rather have a guinea pig.

The next few days she peppered us with reasons why she wanted a guinea pig and I responded with reasons why I didn’t want one. Allison is a very determined little girl if you haven’t figured that out already. She would not let it go. Somewhere along the way I said that I would not spend my money on buying a guinea pig. She said she would earn enough money to get it herself. I told her she had to save enough money to get the guinea pig, a cage, and all the things it would need and THEN I would THINK about it. Of course I thought that would deter her when she realized how much money it was or she would get distracted with other things along the way that she wanted instead. Allison went to the computer and googled everything a guinea pig needed, then price checked and shopped for it all online so she new how much she needed. At first she decided she needed $65 for the cage and guinea pig. Then she decided she wanted to get the food, bedding, and a toy and some other things so her grand total came to $120.

For the next five months Allison went to work thinking of anyway she could to earn money. She sold all her slime to friends at school, she offered to walk peoples dogs, she did extra chores for me, her aunts, her uncles and anyone that had something for her to do. She had her own table at the neighborhood garage sale. She did bake sales and lemonade stands. She saved every penny she earned or was gifted (both grandmas contributed to her cause). She would not be redirected either. She didn’t spend any money on treats, or anything else. She bought one shirt for herself that she really wanted, that was it. There wasn’t anything else she spent her money on. I was very good at giving her options of things that I thought she would like too. Especially the closer she got to her $120 goal. I did my best to get her to change her mind and focus on something else with her money besides a guinea pig. She would not be deterred.

A few days after her birthday when she added in the last of the birthday money she had gotten and a few more dollars for extra chores, she triumphantly came into my room and excitedly told me that she had finally reached her goal, she had $120.80. She was ready to go to the pet store. I tried, with no luck to change her mind one last time. I talked with Ryan and he said that he thought with the dedication, determination, work and effort she had put into earning the money we should let her get her guinea pig. Grrrr! Curse Ryan and his logical, lesson teaching parenting. As much as I wanted to disagree though I couldn’t.

On August 2nd Allison, Leah, Emilee and I headed to Petsmart. They were out of guinea pigs and said it would be a few weeks before they got more. Once again, Allison was not going to give up that easy. She quickly suggested trying Petco. When we got there, she asked if she could hold a guinea pig. The person helping us said she could. The three they had at the store were pretty jumpy and not on their best behavior. I thought things were playing out rather nicely. Maybe she would decide to be satisfied with the stuffed guinea pig toy I got her in Colorado. Then the employee proceeds to tell Allison that a family that has been a customer for years had just (like thirty minutes before we got there) brought their guinea pig back to be rehomed because they had gotten a cat and the two weren’t getting along. He took her over to show him to us. I still had hope because Allison said she wanted a girl and this one was a boy. He also had long hair and all the ones she had wanted were short haired. He picked him up and handed him to Allison. This little guy was much calmer and was used to being held. He snuggled in and started purring. Allison asked how much he was, the guy told her he would give her a good deal-$5!! Allison kept her game face on and said, $5 for the pig and the cage? He agreed and Allison was sold. I tried not to be annoyed, we were getting a guinea pig. Because of her stellar $5 deal she had plenty of money left to buy food, bedding, grooming stuff, and even a toy with money to spare. We brought him home, cleaned his cage really well, gave him a bath, brushed him and introduced him to his new home. I ordered sanitizers, deodorizers, gloves, and anything else that made me feel less gross about having a rodent living in my house. The store said his name was Brownie but Allison renamed him Peanut and later decided that was short for Peanut Butter at a suggestion from her Grandpa Jones.

We have now had him for a few days and I will admit so far it is not so bad. I think it is nice that he can be left in his cage and I really don’t ever have to take care of him. We are still setting up ground rules about where he is and isn’t allowed to be, washing hands after touching him, his cleaning requirements and such. He does seem to be a sweet little guy though, and of course the kids love him to death already. They spent today making him a ‘play area’ out of boxes, and anything they could find they thought he would like. Hopefully my biggest issue with him will be what to do with him when we go places, which already was and is one of my biggest arguments against having any pet.

Aside from the obnoxious consequence of now having a guinea pig, I am very proud of Allison. She showed a lot of initiative and determination and self control to earn him on her own. She made a plan, stuck to it, and reached her goal. Not many 8 year olds would be able to stay focused and stick with their goal for 5 months. Ryan and I have both told her she showed and worked on developing many good qualities that will be good to have in her life with this experience. We are very proud of her. We also reminded her she gets to continue developing those qualities for the next 7-8 years of her guinea pigs life by taking care of all of his needs. She can do it.

Hannah’s Baptism

My cute niece is getting baptized this month. She is a sweet little girl. Her and Allison became pretty good buddies this summer. I’m glad they got to spend a little extra time together, I think she was a good influence for Allison.

Allison’s Birthday Week

Our little Allison is getting less and less little everyday. We celebrated her 9th birthday this week.

For her birthday she wanted to have a sleepover with her cousin Leah and then go to the World’s of Fun and Ocean’s of Fun Amusement Park. We went for the first time last summer, she loved it so much she wanted to do it for her birthday.

She had her sleep over with Leah the night before her birthday. The morning of her birthday we picked up birthday donuts on the way to pick up Aunt Lauren and the rest of her cousins. When everyone was aboard we were off. We started in the World’s of Fun area. We rode the roller coasters, water rides, and as many of the other fun rides as they wanted before we were ready for lunch. Once we finished lunch we spent the rest of the day at Ocean’s of Fun. There was water slides, obstacle courses, and a wave pool that kept them happy and loving life for hours. Everyone played and swam until we were exhausted. On the way home we stopped at 5 Guys for a yummy dinner and then by the time we got home everyone was ready to go to bed.

For her present this year she wanted a new bed. She asked for a loft bed with a desk under it. While she was gone on her trip with Grandma and Grandpa Jones we got her bed and set it up for her. We got a few other things for her room so she had a fun knew room when she got home. She was pretty happy with the final product.

Leah spent the night again later that week. In the morning they woke up early and made menus, and a breakfast for everyone. When we came downstairs they handed us a menu to order our breakfast from then served us. It was pretty cute. They did a good job. She had a fun birthday. We did lots of fun things throughout the week to have a fun week in general.

I’m glad to have my girl back with us. We missed her and her spunky self.

  • 9th Birthday
  • Allison likes to leave her Froggy in silly places. She made him a little Kleenex thrown.
  • Allison’s newly decorated room.
  • New loft bed for her birthday.

Colorado Rafting Pictures

These are pictures that the rafting company took for us while we were on our trip. We didn’t see all the animals pictured, I wish we had, but they were included in our picture package so I stuck them in here.