May 21 & 22

Saturday, May 21st-

Today was a lovely day spent with our Warby friends. Makayla and Nick got married this morning and Silas and I were able to go to the sealing. My mom came from Vegas to see us and to watch the kids for us, which was super nice. She is seriously the nicest person on Earth.

We got to visit with Grandma Jane for a few minutes between the sealing and the luncheon which was good. We just don't get down to see her very much lately. She wasn't feeling well and looked a lot older to me.

 The luncheon was fun! They talked a little about Makayla and Nick and gave them some advice. It was funny and tender. The kids had fun playing with the other kids that were there...and were a little destructive which was NOT good. But we won't dwell on that.

I mentioned that I wanted a new dress this morning, because all the girls had pretty new wedding clothes on, so my nice husband stopped at Ross before we left St. George and I went in all by myself. I didn't find a new dress but I got a couple of things and it was really nice to have a minute of shopping alone.

Before the reception we made the kids run around outside to get some wiggles out and we ended up being late for the reception because the kids were enjoying the neighbors and we were enjoying a quiet house. Haha.

The reception was lovely. There was pizza and salad and yummy soft-serve ice cream. We enjoyed chatting with our friends and the kids, again, enjoyed running around in the nursery and Primary room with all the other munchkins.

I should have taken more pictures, darn it. It was such a nice day!



End of the night

Cora didn't want to leave the reception

 

Sunday, May 22nd-

 

After church the kids and I had a picnic. Dinner was leftover pizza from the reception last night (they had 30 pizzas left over so we were given a couple) so I heated the pizza and we sat in the living room and ate. Mostly. The pictures prove that even the bigger kids need to get the wiggles out after church.

 

Cleod has been wanting to leave his church clothes on after church which I think is cute. It doesn't *always* help him to remember that it's Sunday, but the idea is there.

Cora update

Sunday, May 22nd-

Yesterday was six weeks since Cora's crazy leg swell started. The first week and a half were hard and stressful. I have been trying to keep a close eye on her to see if she has any issues because of what happened. So far everything has been fine and I am grateful for that. She was upbeat the whole time so attitude-wise I can't see a difference, but she hasn't had any more swelling and she hasn't had any signs of kidney failure, which is the worry after something like this. She would be really tired or would have blood in her urine and those things haven't happened.

I am so grateful for my healthy girl.

When I was in the Emergency Room with her on April 9th, I kept thinking of the lookout in Oregon on our way to Michelle's funeral in the fall. Cora hit her knee on her way out of the car and passed out. It was the strangest thing I had seen. She was kind of twitchy and it seemed like forever for her to regain consciousness although it was probably only 20 or 30 seconds. She was pale and a little confused when she woke up and I was so nervous to move her. I imagined for just a second what my life would be like without her and it seemed unbearable. Sitting in the ER, more than 6 months later, I had small moments of that same feeling but was blessed with a feeling of peace. I didn't know they outcome of whatever was going on with her body, but I knew that our family would be ok. I have faith that we are here on this Earth as a small part of our eternal existence and that we have a loving Father in Heaven who only wants the best for us. I am so grateful for that knowledge and for my testimony.

Cora the diva
Photo by Molly

Molly's 3rd birthday!

Friday, May 20th-

Today is Molly's 3rd birthday! Deruchette helped me with some ideas for making a fun party for her and we even did it at their house. Molly had a Frozen party and got lots of Frozen presents. It all started a few months ago when she say a Frozen cake at Wal-Mart and claimed it as her own. I finally had to tell her that we were not buying the cake from Wal-Mart but she was pretty serious about it. So I decided we would try to make a fun day for her.

Happy birthday girl!

She actually posed for this. She was happy
but wanted to pretend to be sad. Haha

First thing this morning, we gave her a couple of gifts. She got some Anna shoes and an Anna dress. She didn't really like the dress. I'm not sure why. She had the shoes on ALL day but only had the dress on two different times for a few minutes each time.

 

I spend most of the day getting things ready. After school the kids and I headed to the Warby's. Deruchette made the most beautiful Elsa cake! Molly LOVED it which was so great since she was so serious about the Wal-Mart cake. We spend the evening eating snacks, watching Frozen and then having cake and ice cream.

 

Molly got lots of Frozen presents. She loved all of them. She seriously has the BEST reactions to presents. She squeals and gets so smiley and silly. Deruchette's present won the best reaction, as usual. They got her a really fuzzy blanket with Elsa and Anna on it.

 

I think our already spoiled girl had a great day being spoiled even more!

 

Mom and her big baby girl

Those sad faces are real. She wasn't very happy about the dress.

Elsa cake made by Deruchette

Deruchette and Molly with the cake

Lots of goodies

Molly approves

Getting ready to sing to her

Cutting the cake

Dad's playing Hero's Quest while the kids watched Frozen

Love seeing Silas like this

May 18 & 19

Wednesday, May 18th-

After school today, Grant, Molly and I went to the dentist for some fillings. Molly was such a champ and was really silly on the laugh gas stuff they put through the thing on their noses. She was a little fidgety but mostly just stared at the movie.

Grant getting ready for his filling

Molly's first filling

Grant was funny too although you could tell he was more coherent that she was. After finished there I took them over to Dairy Queen for ice cream. It always feels good to have something cold after dental work. That's my excuse any way. We were nice and even brought home ice cream for the other kids.

Grant's fancy mustache
 

Waiting at DQ for ice cream. Molly was a tired girl!

After delivering the ice cream and settling the kids at home, I went to the hospital to visit Jamie and her new baby, Danielle who was born yesterday afternoon. She is so precious and beautiful. She is tiny and perfect. It was fun to sit and hold her and chat with Jamie. 

Danielle

To continue our busy day, I took the kids over to Pack Meeting after dinner. Everyone had a great time and we even enjoyed the sun shine and ate watermelon.



Miss Molly

 

This afternoon after the dentist, I was thinking about how great my kids are. Here are some things that have happened lately that show why I feel that way:

• Today Grant was given 2 tokens to get 2 prizes at the dentist and not knowing that Molly already had 2 tokens, he immediately turned to give her one of his. It reminded me of how he gave Cora his suit jacket on the way home from church in the fall when she was chilly. He is a very thoughtful boy.
• When I checked on the other kids before heading to Dairy Queen, Cleod mentioned that Ryan wanted something while we were out but Cleod said that he didn't want to "inconvenience" me. It was so cute I HAD to take them some ice cream.
• Another cute Grant story: Last week when we were doing the party for Steven and Shayanna, Molly was jumping on the trampoline with Grant and apparently was crying or really sad because her feet were cold. She didn't have socks on that day. Grant took off his socks and gave them to Molly so when they came in the house later, Molly had some big, Grant socks on and he was bare foot. He just explained that Molly's feet were cold so he gave her his and to him it was not a big deal. Oh I pray that he will keep that attitude as he grows!
• Lately we have bought several new pairs of shoes. It started with Ryan. He has had really smelly feet lately so we bought him new socks and new shoes to try to help with the issue. I ordered two pairs of really cool shoes for him online and when they came in the mail everyone was excited for him. No one asked if they could have new shoes or whined that Ryan got to have new shoes. One pair even has Darth Vader on them and no one expressed any envy, just excitement for their brother. The next week I ordered Cleod some tennis shoes and some church shoes because he is suddenly a size 6 and has no shoes that fit. Again, no one else begged for shoes but were happy for Cleod.

 Some days it seems like my kids don't understand how lucky they are to have all that they have, but them moments like these come and I realize that they are learning and are growing to be nice and caring individuals.


Thursday, May 19th-

Busy day and no photos! Darn it. Oh well. Here is a recap:

• Helped with 5th grade Battle of the Books for an hour this morning. Cleod's team did fairly well but had forgotten or not read some of the books. When I left the school they were at recess and I walked onto the basketball court and gave Cleod a big kiss on the cheek. Haha. I love being his mom.
• Deruchette and Katie came over with their kids for lunch today. We were super fancy and had corn dogs and grilled cheese. We dipped strawberries and pretzels in chocolate for Molly's birthday party tomorrow.
• Alesia babysat the kids tonight while Silas and I went to the temple. Makayla went through the temple tonight so it was extra wonderful to be there with our Warby friends/family.

May 15, 16 & 17



Sunday, May 15th-

Grandma Warby
Photo by Grant

This morning Grant and I went to wake up Grandma and get her breakfast. He really liked Grandma and she likes having kids around. Poor Grandma seems to be more miserable lately than normal and I really feel badly for her.

Church today was good. It was my first Sunday as Primary Pianist, and it was really fun. It was hard to watch my kids when they were a little...rowdy...but over all it was good. I did miss seeing the young women but said hi to several of them in the halls.

 

Monday, May 16th-

 

Molly welcoming Dad home

Molly has had a hard time adjusting to our new, crazy life with Silas as the Bishop. Some of her behavior is due to her age but some of the whining and tantrums that are normal for this age have gotten a lot worst since Silas became Bishop. I think it is leveling out but she asks for him a lot during the day. Sometimes she randomly asks, "Where's Papa" and is ok with whatever answer I give her. Most days she is EXTREMELY happy when he gets home from work. Today I caught her hugging Silas's let long enough for me to get a photo of it. You can see the pure joy in her face. I hope she always feels that excited about seeing her daddy.

 

 

Tuesday, May 17th-

 

We did home evening tonight because I had to tend at the gym last night. The lesson was on obeying parents and mainly focused on how the kids need to work a little harder on finishing their chores every day as well as some "simple" things like rinsing out their own dishes and putting their laundry in the hamper. The last week or so it seems like everyone is so ready for summer to come (including myself) that we have neglected a lot of basic housework. Silas taught a great lesson on how we will be safer and happier when we listen to our parents and gave examples from the scriptures to illustrate his point.

 

Today while I was doing errands, I picked up some new totes for the boys to put under their beds to help them organize their own belongings. For our home evening activity, I had them color on their own totes. I normally don't like them doing that (because I am controlling and I like things to look nice and clean) but I am hoping that they will feel more excited to clean their things up if they have a more personalized space to put their things into.

 

Cora and I colored on some smaller totes for the playroom while Molly napped and our tired Daddy rested and watched.



Family Home Evening: Organization!

May 14

Saturday, May 14th-

End of a long week. I am so ready for summer vacation and a few days of rest.

Today was a wonderful Saturday, though. For me, it started out running to meet my friend Allison and then walking for her for an hour and a half. Then I ran home. It felt so good. When I got home the kids had all done their chores and were having their computer time. Silas did a great job directing the morning without me.


Cora's first race



Grant's first race

Ryan's first race

We spend the next couple of hours getting ready for the Track Meet and for Ward Temple Night. We arranged for Natalie to come to the track meet at the time we needed to get ready to head to the temple, since there was an overlap. It seemed to work out! I gave her money to take the kids to Artic Circle and then she brought them home and made sure they all showered or bathed. She is seriously so great! I was a little sad that we did get to stay and watch the kids on their different events, but they seemed to have a great time and Natalie said it was fun.

Cleod on hurdles

Silas and I got a ride with the Butterworths so we had good conversation on the way to the temple and back. We ate at Iggy's which we really enjoyed.

Molly had 3 accidents today. It has been so weird. She has also been super DUPER whiny the last few days. I am fearing this new drama and hope it passes soon.

May 13

Friday, May 13th-

This afternoon the 5th grade performed their "We the People" program for us. Silas even came from 


Waiting for the program to start

work to watch. The kids had learned a bunch of patriotic songs and some had speaking parts. Cleod had a long speaking part, which he delivered wonderfully. I am really thankful that we live in a place where the teachers and the schools are so great. It is a scary world but over all I don't worry about my kids going to school where they do.



Molly being...Molly during the program

We got there early because we needed to give Cleod some things for his "costume" so the girls were their normal silly selves and did pretty well at entertaining themselves.

Molly was especially happy to have her daddy there but went from really happy to really sad LOTS of times. It's super "fun" having a two year old!


More Molly "fun"

Cora and Molly
Photo by Cora



Ryan holding Molly during the program



Cleod during "Yankee Doodle"



Me and my boy at Pizza Cart

Tonight Cleod and I had our date. We shared a pizza at Pizza Cart and then went to Wal-Mart to look for some ideas for Molly's birthday. Deruchette is helping me throw Molly a Frozen birthday. It should be lots of fun! After the store, Cleod and I went and got some ice cream. I asked him how he felt about Dad being the Bishop and he told me that it was good and that bad things were blessings in disguise. He corrected himself and said that is wasn't really a BAD thing, but a hard thing but that he knew we would be blessed. I was really proud of him for his attitude about it. He was a great date!

Before heading home we went to get Grant from the Scherick's were he had been playing while Cleod and I were out. I ended up visiting with Justin and April for over and hour while Grant and Cleod played with their kids. They are a great family and we miss having them in our ward.