Emilee – Page 6 – Terry Family Shenanigans

November happenings…

The past few weeks have been pretty busy but really good weeks.

Our primary at church had their annual primary program. It was really good. It is one of my favorite Sundays of the year. This year Emilee helped me invite our new neighbors to come and they did. It was a really cool experience for them I think. Their son Jack even stayed the rest of church with Matthew. That same week they called a new primary presidency and I am the new president. Figuring everything out and getting organized has kept me busy for the last few weeks. I am enjoying it and excited. I enjoy being in primary. Kids can be little stinkers but they also have sweet pure hearts and I love hearing the way they see the gospel and apply it in their lives.

Emilee was the P.E. Student of the Month for her class. I couldn’t make it because I was at work but Dad made it and got a picture of her getting her award.

Allison became a turtle activist. Basically that means she made lots of posters and shames any of us that use a straw.

We have had some great Fall weather this month, despite it snowing the day before Halloween. The last few weekends have been gorgeous and we have tried to go to the park when we can.

Emilee decided to measure herself doing different things on her mirror. It made me smile when she showed me. There are fewer and fewer moments like this in our house now that everyone is getting older. It is kind of hard to see but she marked a spot for standing on her tippy toes, standing regular, kneeling up, kneeling down, criss cross apple sauce leaning up, and last but not least criss cross apple sauce flat on her bum.

Allison made a tube for something at school and found a funny way to take pictures with it too.

Allison had her last game for cheer this season for the football teams. They have their final cheer and dance competition coming up later this week. It has been mixed reviews on whether she liked it or not this year. I asked her if she wanted to do it again and she is currently undecided. She is looking forward to the competition and will do a great job and have fun. I am sure that will help her decide.

Emilee had a field trip to the the Pumpkin Patch. There are few less perfect field trips for 1st graders in the Fall. We got lost in a corn maze, played in the corn box, climbed in the hay, and rolled down the lawn in huge irrigation pipes. There are some sweet kids in her grade. Emilee and I had fun sitting in the very back seat of the bus together too.

Halloween Festivities

Usually by Halloween day arrives I am more than happy to be done with it. The kids dress up and it is fun but you can only go to so many parties that the purpose is to get candy before it gets old. The girls school had a trunk or treat, our church had a trunk or treat, there was class parties, we were invited by some friends to go to a community party, our neighbors have a party (its for adults but still Halloween themed). It is all very fun and the kids love it but my small introvert social bucket is over flowing by the time Halloween comes.

We did our usual Halloween tradition with the McDonalds. There whole family came over to have pizza and witch’s brew (home made root beer) for dinner then we go trick or treating together afterwards. Allison invited her friend Hailey and her family to come with us too. Matthew went on his own with his friends. Allison was a little put out thinking she would have to wait for the slow people in our group to go trick or treating and not get as much candy as she wanted. Her costume was a giant rooster that made it a little tricky to get around in so she actually ended up being the slowest person. The amount of candy did not seem to be affected though. She ‘won’ her own prize for the most candy collected when her bag weighed in at 14 pounds. Matthew had a mere 9 pounds and was totally embarrassed he was beaten by his sister. Emilee didn’t weigh hers but I’m sure she had a few pounds as well. I felt like I was going to get diabetes just sitting in the room with all of it. Of course there was a giant trading of candy session when we all got back to get rid of the candy they didn’t like. I think they all thought Halloween was a big success. Ryan has been taking several large handfuls to work since Halloween to help protect our children’s pancreas’. It was a fun night.

Emilee’s Pet Report

In Emilee’s class they received a ‘Pet Report’ assignment. Don’t tell Allison but we borrowed Peanut for a picture and Emilee claimed him as her pet for her report. She wrote a great paragraph about how cute and cuddly and soft he is.

**Update. Emilee’s teacher hung their pet reports up in the hall for everyone to see and Allison saw Emilee’s. She was really sweet and said it was fine that Emilee used Peanut for her pet…”as long as she knows who REAL pet he is.”😊

My Little Wizard

Emilee is not going to be in this stage much longer and I will miss it when she doesn’t do things like this anymore. The stage of wearing some costume around the house and turning her surroundings into whatever her imagination comes up with. She was watching the Chiefs game with Ryan while wearing her wizard cape and using a chop stick to cast her spells. It made me smile and I had to take a picture to remember it.

The next picture is also just another cute moment of the girls heading off to school. Emilee was excited she was supposed to bring a pumpkin so they could cut it open and count the seeds.

Mystery Reader

I was the Mystery Reader for Emilee’s class this last week. She was thrilled. I will miss it when she doesn’t jump for joy when she sees me someday. She came up and sat by me while I read “If You Give A Pig A Pancake” and six different Little Critter Books. Emilee new where every single mouse, grasshopper, and spider where hidden on each page. I stayed and had lunch with her afterwards. She ate her lunch from home and stole my cookie I got when I went through the lunch line.

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.

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.

July Adventures

We had a really fun busy July this summer! We spent a lot of it traveling which is the best thing to do when you live in Kansas in July-visit somewhere else.

The few days we were here we filled with summer activities. Emilee’s friend Laney asked her to do the school basketball camp with her. This picture is right after we signed them in. From there, Laney went on to have a great time. Emilee was all down hill from there. She spent the first half huddled in the fetal position refusing to even look at anyone. Then she sat with her group. The last ten minutes she finally participated and had a good time but said she would not come back for the rest of the week. She stuck to her guns on the not coming back part and I decided I didn’t care. I think it was mostly because camp started at 8:15 and she was exhausted from being at Grandma Terry’s the whole week before. She has also decided that basketball is not her thing, at least for now. Ryan is highly concerned she is wasting her natural athleticism and height. I keep telling him she is only six and has plenty of time to decide to like playing sports.

Matthew had a bunch of his rained out baseball games to make up so we squeezed all those in July. Not the best time to play baseball but still had fun. This is a video I got of him getting jiggy to the music during warm ups.

We had another trip to Harvesters planned. Allison was going to go with a group of her friends but she was on her trip so Matthew invited some of his baseball buddies. Emilee requested to stay home with a babysitter. We repacked over 5000 pounds of sausage that was given by Pizza Hut.

After Harvester’s they all came back to our house and we had a sleepover. We were planning on going to the pool but the collection of four boys brains decided to put dish soap all over the trampoline and then add a sprinkler and bam! You have four boys thoroughly entertained for hours on end until I dragged them off to go to baseball practice.

The French’s stayed at our house for a day or so on their way to Utah. Emilee has always been enamored with her Uncle Kenny and usually has to be told to remember that he has a space bubble. She is often found lounging across his lap or wrapped around his neck. I took these pictures in a two minute time span shortly after they arrived. What a nice uncle he is to her. We reviewed space bubbles after I took these.

Fourth of July in Lincoln 2019

We headed up to Lincoln for the Fourth of July as usual this year. Everyone was at the Terry Grandparents house, except for Allison. She gets to go on a three week adventure with Grandma and Grandpa Jones and visit Florida, Utah, and Idaho before meeting us in Colorado for the reunion later this month. For the 4th, she was in Florida and had a fun day swimming, grilling, having a bonfire and ending the day off with fireworks. Early the next morning she flew to Utah with them and will spend the next two weeks there playing with more cousins and family.

The rest of us were in Lincoln. The kids had a blast playing with cousins. Lauren, Leah and I got our toes done. We had yummy food, set off tons of fireworks, and watched even more. It was a fun holiday. July 4th is one of my favorite holidays. It is low key and doesn’t require a lot of fuss and it’s fun to do summer activities.

After the fourth we were in Lincoln a few more days. I had a stomach bug one of them. Everyone else went on a scavenger hunt at the Mall. Aunt Becky put together a list and divided everyone into teams and they raced to see who could find everything first. Everyone loved it and had a fun time. That night they had a firepit and roasted smores. Everyone was healthy the next day. We played games, got our fingernails painted, and watched a movie together.

On Sunday, after church we headed back home. Emilee and Ethan switched spots in our cars for the drive back. We stopped at their house and traded back kids. I decided to ride in the back with Emilee the last little bit to our house. Matthew was playing around with the Tesla computer and turned on the whoopee cushion feature. There are different options but he set it to go off anytime Ryan used the turn signal. About 30 seconds from our house Emilee says, “I think I’m hungry.” In my head I think, “That’s weird she said she thinks she is hungry. Wait…that is what I thought right before I got sick and threw…” I turn to check her just in time to see her puke all over herself and the car. The new car. The same car I was told I had to wait until I got out to eat my granola bar so I didn’t get crumbs on the floor. The same car we are asked to take our shoes off once we get in so they don’t accidently scuff something. The same care Ryan has cleaned more times then days we have had it so far. After she puked, everyone kind of held their breath for a second. Then Ryan let a little swear word out of his mouth. I guess I should say I think he did. By the look on his face, I’m guessing it was something along those lines. I didn’t actually hear it though because at the exact same time he said it he turned into our neighborhood and the whoopee cushion went off so all we heard was a loud farting noise. Then there are three more quick turns basically back to back to get to our house so the whoopee cushion sounds kept coming. By the time we got to the house we were all laughing…except for Ryan but he was smiling and not swearing so that is something. We got Emilee out and cleaned up and were happy to discover that the carpet in the car was treated with stain protector so it cleaned up pretty easily. Yay for road trips!!