July 1 & 2

Friday, July 1st-

Beautiful St. George Temple

This morning as I walked out of the gym after a wonderful Yoga class I saw that it was a beautiful cloudy but warm day and that it would be a perfect day to go swim at the Lake on the Hill, a reservoir made by the city a few years ago. So we gathered towels, swimsuits, life jackets for the girls and food for lunch. I invited some friends, the Stonelys, who were able to come for some of the time we were there. The kids had fun digging with them in the sand and trying to catch fish.

Molly/Diva is READY to swim

Cuddling with Mom when it got cold

Beautiful clouds above us

The kids and I ended up staying for FOUR hours. It was perfect weather and the kids had so much fun. Some of the time I was even able to just sit and read. Ryan stayed in the water basically the entire time and he and Molly played a lot. Grant spent most of time trying to catch fish. He only succeeded in catching some dead fish. Some other boys that were there with little boats picked up a bunch of dead fish as they saw while they paddled around.

Ryan and Molly loved playing together today

The girls and I also had a good time burying Cleod in the sand. Cora had earned a picnic as part of her summer reading chart so I told her this was for that and she said, "This is the BEST picnic EVER!" And it really was. Everyone got along and we enjoyed being outside together. Silas even came up to the lake during his lunch break to see us.

We recently decided that one of our monthly temple visits would be initiatory, which the men and women do separately so Silas can go in while I'm with the kids and vica versa. There are so many things that take Silas and I away from home (mostly Silas) and the kids (mostly the girls) get really emotional when we leave. We are hoping that bringing them with us some of the time will alleviate some of the anxiety they are feeling.

 We weren't planning on going this weekend but last night Darin told me he and Nicolle are going to be here next weekend and the rest of July is crazy so while Silas was visiting us at the lake today he suggested that we go down tonight. We didn't time it quite right though. We went to Costco for pizza and then took Silas to the temple. We played at the park nearby while he was there. By the time he got out, initiatory was closed for the evening so I didn't get to go. I was a little disappointed but as we walked around the temple, I felt peace and comfort. I was also grateful that Silas was able to go. He has so much that burdens him and he needs the relief that comes from serving in the temple. It was nice to walk around the temple with the kids. Silas showed Cleod where the Baptistry Entrance was and it made me even more excited for Cleod's upcoming 12th birthday.

Cora at the Temple

We had such a lovely day today, as a family.

Saturday, July 2nd-

Temple again

This morning Silas decided that since I wasn't able to go to the temple last night that we should all go down again and he would hang out with the kids while I went inside and did initiatory. It was really busy so I was in the temple for almost 2 hours. That was a blessing for me because I was able to read the Book Of Mormon and sit quietly while I waited. It gave me the re-charge I needed.

Waiting for food

While I was at the temple, Silas took the kids to the park and then they waited for about 30 minutes on the temple grounds. I feel like visiting the temple more regularly with the kids will help them to recognize the peace that comes from being there, even just on the grounds. We again made our way to Costco for dinner and today were able to get some groceries too.

Weirdest eater ever!

At home Silas and I both worked on some calling stuff and the kids played outside and had some of their computer time. It was another great family day for the Aitchisons, something we really needed.

June 29 & 30

 

Photo taken 6-28-16
By Cora

Wednesday, June 29th-

Playgroup today was really nice. It was a little cooler out and we had lots of shade at East Elementary where we met this week.



Kids playing at playgroup

Then again to papers. Grant did it with Ryan again this week but we had Cleod come with us and roll most of the papers while the other boys delivered. It worked out really well again though. Grant is super speedy on his scooter and gets the job done quickly. He is cute to watch.

Cleod had his first Board of Review as a Boy Scout tonight. He said it went well. He has finally earned his Tenderfoot. He hasn't had scouts for a while because we don't have 11-year-old scout leaders right now so he was super excited to hang out with the Young Men after the Board of Review. They invited him to come to mutual the next few weeks too, so he is excited about that.

Tonight while Cleod was at scouts, the rest of us went to Wal-Mart for some groceries. Summer has thrown me off my schedule a little so I haven't been doing my weekly grocery run. We were out of lots of basics that I don't normally run out of so it was important for us to go. The kids were good for me which was nice. 


Thursday, June 30th-

This morning, early, some ladies from the ward and I went to weed a ward member's yard. We actually did on Tuesday too and got a TON of weeds out. Today we pretty much filled up the family's trash can. It has been nice to do some service and also hang out with a few great ladies.



Truck full of weeds from Tuesday

Cleod finally felt up to going to band today. When I picked him up he was tearing up and told me that they had a little concert. I had no idea. He said there was someone to watch everyone in the band except for him. I apologized and explained that I would totally have been there if I had known. He said that he knew that and that is what helped him from crying during band. Poor guy.



Playing at the park before story time

Story time was a craft today which the kids really enjoyed. Cleod wanted to look at books instead and I let him. It was weird though. I don't know if I'm ready to let him be a big kid yet.



Decorating "binoculars" at story time

This afternoon Cleod spent some time with Skyler and his family. After dinner we picked him up and then drove up to the C Overlook. We hadn't ever done that before and it was beautiful...but very cold. I was actually on the phone with Darin while we were there so I didn't take any photos but we are going to go up there again soon, when the weather is nicer. On the way there Silas ran into Lin's and got donuts so we had a nice, junky drive and some good, quality family time.

Before going home we stopped at Wal-Mart to get Molly a new car seat. She has outgrown her other seat and is big enough for a high-backed booster. She could buckle herself up right away which NONE of her siblings could do for weeks, maybe months.

It is another interesting milestone we are achieving. No more buckling up our kids! Weird.

My big girl, thinking she is pretty awesome

Grant and Molly doing something from Studio C

 

Why we go on weekly dates

Tuesday, June 28th-

Lately I have had conversations with a lot of people that are surprised, confused or impressed at the fact that Silas and I go on weekly dates. I remember talking to the Maxwells when we were in the Valley View Ward and being really surprised that they went on a date every week. I thought it was great but with lots of little kids, no extra money, etc. we just didn't see it as something we could do.

THANKFULLY, due to several different factors we have been going on weekly dates for a while now. But the varied responses I've gotten from others lately made me think about it more...and I put my thoughts down in writing.

Why we go on weekly dates

Background:

For the first few years (ok, 9 years or so) of our marriage (12.5 years) we went on dates semi-regularly, but it wasn't something that we set out to do weekly. I think there were several reasons for this. First, we had more time together when we were first married. Yes, we both worked and one of us was in school for the first 7 years, but we still had more time together. Another reason was that we didn't feel like we had the money to go out, which was true. As we had kids, we needed to have someone watch them when we went out. We traded with friends a lot so usually we didn't have to pay a sitter. This helped a TON, but it still just wasn't a priority for us to go OUT. The more I think of it, we used to spend most evenings together watching something or just being together while we each read or did homework or whatever. And for years this was enough for us. It was enough for me.

About 5 years ago we started making monthly temple trips a priority, which has blessed our lives in ways I cannot describe. That's a whole other subject though. ;) So though this time we had some time away from kids once a month and sometimes we would go out for dinner or on a double date, but still only occasionally.

 

When Molly was born, 3 years ago, I started experiencing anxiety for the first time in my life. I recognize that it isn't as bad as the anxiety that many people experience, but it was affecting the way I felt about myself, the way I felt about Silas and how I parented my kids. We didn't start going out more as a way to help this, but we have found that our going OUT more regularly has helped me personally as well as brought us even closer as a couple.

With five kids and busy church callings (when Molly was one Silas was called to the High Council and I was the YW secretary) we were feeling the strain on our time together without kids. I started to see that when I had time away from the kids, I could be more patient with them the rest of the time. I found a lot of peace in going to Young Women's every week. I have always enjoyed going to Relief Society activities and Book Club. These types of activities help to recharge my batteries. Having the weekly YW meetings and activities I had even more time to be an adult and not worry about my kids.
 

During this time, Silas and I made the goal to attend the temple twice a month. We have stopped making up excuses like time and money and we just do it. We have to pay a babysitter now so it has added to our budget for sure, but we have found nothing but blessings have come from spending more time together and more time in the temple.

For about a year now, we have also made it a major priority to go out weekly, even in our weekends that we don't go to the temple. With Molly being old enough for Cleod and Ryan to handle, we have been able to eliminate having to pay a sitter on these days and we are sometimes only out for an hour or so. We like to go out for dinner together, enjoying food that I didn't have to plan, cook or clean up. We also have just gotten dessert or hot chocolate, but we mainly just like to go somewhere that we can sit and talk. And laugh. One time we just walked around campus before looking at all the different varieties of pine trees and collecting interesting pinecones to show the kids. Some people don't like talking about their kids when they are out but that's not something we worry about. We like talking about our kids. We like working together to try to solve a problem or just sharing funny stories about something one of the kids has done.
 

We used to do home dates where we would make something special after the kids were in bed and then watch a movie together. The problem with that is I found myself switching laundry or worrying about dishes. I was at home and I couldn't get myself out of the homemaker mentality. Getting OUT of the house is essential for my sanity.
 

This has helped us in our marriage and It has helped me to be a better mom. Getting out of the normal routine of cleaning, disciplining, etc. helps me to get perspective that I need. I also found a while back that Silas making me laugh heals whatever feels broken in my heart. (And he is good at making me laugh.) It sounds a little goofy, but it's true. And it's not like I have had some trauma or that I am weak and can't handle my life. I have come to know that I don't have to be the strong one all the time. I have trials, everyone does, and sometimes I feel like my trials (which are mainly stress from the amount of things my to-do list) cause me to feel broken...or maybe just not whole. I have found that through regular prayer, scripture study, temple attendance and listening to good music, I can work through those feelings of being overwhelmed. But knowing that I will have time EVERY WEEK with Silas definitely helps when I feel overwhelmed.

Another reason we go on weekly dates is...we like each other. Silas and I met when we were teenagers and we really just get along. We are happy with each other. BUT, as the worries of the world continue and our family gets bigger and older it is often easy to get frustrated with each other or with situations. It is easy for me to get so involved in my duties at home that I act more like a maid than a wife and mother. Sometimes I feel like Silas might feel like the breadwinner is who he is rather than what he does because he is the dad. Having time together helps remind us that we have someone who is on our side 100% and who deeply cares for us.

These are the same reasons why the last few years we have gone on some sort of trip overnight away from the kids. It is relaxing and refreshing for us as individuals and as a couple.
 

Now that Silas is the Bishop and we have a new set of trials, I am so grateful that we had already made date night a priority. We value our time together more than we even have before. Date nights give us time to chat about concerns with the kids or with the ward but mostly it's time just to be together. Honestly, we also like trying new things so eating out is a way to do that. Logistically, date nights don't always fit into our budget, but we have been blessed to be able to make it work. We might not be saving as much as we could but we feel like the pros of being together and recharging our emotional batteries far outweigh the cons.

We also value our time with the kids too. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids. I love having them home during the summer. I love being able to take them places and I love it that they can help me with chores, making treats and even dinners (Cleod is working on that right now.) So I do value the time I have with my kids, I just recognize that I also need a break from them. We are trying not to busy the evenings when Silas is home and we have also set up a schedule for weekly one-on-one time with the kids and one of us. The kids look forward to that time and they are more talkative when it is just one-on-one.

Regular date nights might not be the norm for all couples after years of marriage. For Silas and I, we have found that weekly dates have brought us closer (or maybe kept us close) and strengthened our family as a result.

Michelle-abration and Half-birthdays!

Sunday, June 26th-

This morning while we were waking Grandma Warby, I was looking at Facebook and saw that it is Michelle's birthday today. Our beautiful cousin Michelle passed away suddenly in the Fall and I think of her often. On the way home, I told the kids that we were going to think of things to smile about today because Michelle had THE BEST SMILE. As we talked, the kids got super excited to have a party for Michelle. So, today was our first annual Michelle-abration.

The kids spent a couple of hours before church and some time afterward making decorations out of computer paper. I printed a picture of Michelle and Cleod hung it on the doorway between the entry and the living/dining room area so that Silas would see when we got home. The kids insisted that we keep it a secret, which turned out to be great because he was super emotional when the kids told him.

At dinner we talked again about things we can do to smile or to help others smile. We had a good discussion which included a lot of talk about Daddy (the girls talk about their dad all the time) as well as talk about how books, jokes and our family make us smile.

I made a cake and we had Josh and Tina and the boys over to enjoy it with us. We enjoyed visiting with them.

Monday, June 27th-

A few months ago Cora asked why she hadn't ever had a friend birthday party. Because she and I share a birthday, we have always gone out for lunch or to get our hair done and haven't had a party. So I told her that we would have a party for her half-birthday. Then Saturday I realized that that day is today and I hurriedly got together a Pink Tea Party and invited some of her friends.

It was interesting having a group of girls in the house. They are so different from boys. They were mostly really quiet but they were also...a little emotional. Haha. I still haven't figured little girls out. But we had a great time. They ate pink wafer cookies, pink iced animal crackers, strawberries and pink lemonade. We also iced pink cupcakes with pink icing and pink sprinkles. Cora thought it was GREAT!



Tea Party!

Post-party make-up

The day was busy and I should have probably freaked out, but I didn't. Cleod still wasn't feeling well today so I made him another appointment at the doctor but he could only get him in during the party so Silas took him. Of course it was a day that the doctor was way behind and Silas missed a couple hours of work. Not a huge deal, but Silas doesn't like to miss too much.

Another craziness that happened was that Cora got a bad headache and ended up having a nap (she hasn't napped since she was 2!) for the hour before her party. I was getting nervous as it got closer but once I woke her up and gave her lunch, she seemed ok. It makes me sad that she has been getting headaches like her brothers.

Also, between the gym and the party, I had Gabe and Topher over for their police training but Ryan got in trouble and couldn't play and Cleod wasn't feeling up to playing so the little boys were on their own and they were having a hard time figuring out how to play police without being bossed around. For a few minutes at least one of them was complaining to me about someone else. It was silly and a little frustrating but they finally figured out how to play together and they were way bummed when it was time for them to go home for lunch.

Considering I was cleaning and doing laundry, making cupcakes and managing lots of sicks and a whiney sick-o, I feel like I rocked today.


June 20-25

Monday, June 20th-

• Cleod isn't feeling well still so he missed summer band and piano.
• Took Cleod to the doctor and he says just keep treated the symptoms and it's probably just allergies. What I thought but wanted to make sure.
• Ryan had guitar lessons and is doing so great.

 Tuesday, June 21st-

• Cleod stayed home from summer band again.
• The kids and I went on a short walk this morning but it got too hot. This week has been and will continue to be in the high 90s. Bleh.
• Cora had a birthday party at the bus garage today. She had a BALL! 

Wednesday, June 22nd-


Silas and the youth eating dinner at Costco

Cora helping with papers

• No band for Cleod again.
• Skipped playgroup to get papers done before it got to hot. Grant did a great job in Cleod's place and we finished in the same amount of time!
• Left the kids to get their own lunch while I went across the street to the car wash. I finished vacuuming and then pulled into one of the stalls to wash the car and there was Molly! She had gotten out of the house without the kids noticing and ran across to see me. I was...freaking out a little. I was having a hard time not imagining all the awful scenarios.
• Ryan had scouts for the first time in weeks. He was happy!
• Natalie watched the kids while Silas and I went to the temple with the youth to do baptisms for the dead. I did some too and had a great time. It was fun to hang out with the kids and with Amber.

  

  Cedar City Temple
  6-22-16

Thursday, June 23rd-

• Cleod slept until almost 9am, so I was going to make him go to band but I didn't.
• No story time
• No lunch with Warby girls
• BUT Angie came into town and last minute Amber and I met her for lunch. It was so good to see her and talk to her. We all cried together. I keep praying for Angie, Ryan and their kids.
• Grandma and Grandpa Hoyle, Uncle Jack and Uncle Bob came into town today so I made spaghetti and we visited with them at our house for a few hours.
• Stayed out until 10pm or so with neighbors. Love these late summer nights!

Friday, June 24th-


Cora's hair after Dad (and Mom) did it.

Doing Molly's hair too

• The boys started a Police Training thing with the neighbors yesterday and Gabe came to the door sometime before 9am asking about training. When we told him we were leaving for the day, he looked like he was going to cry. Poor, cute boy. Topher also was worried about police training and had his mom text me to see if the boys were training. That was at 7am and the boys weren't even awake yet. haha
• Silas did Cora's hair this morning. Cora was very patient and cute with him. She told me he was having a hard time since it was his first ponytail. Haha!
• Took Grandma, Grandpa, Jack and Bob to the Parowan Gap to see the petroglyphs and then to Wood's Ranch to try to escape the heat.
• Jack treated us to lunch/dinner at Brick House. The kids were pretty well behaved which made me a happy mom.
• Visited at our house for a few hours. Everyone was super tired.
• Got ice cream and Dairy Queen, drove them passed the temple and said our goodbyes. It was so nice of them to come to Cedar to visit us during their yearly visit to Utah.
• Had another late night with neighbors.

At Parowan Gap

Saw our neighbors, the Huffs, at Parowan Gap

Ryan

The "face"

At Wood's Ranch

Grandpa Hoyle chatting with Ryan at Dairy Queen.
Bob with Molly and Grant in the background.

Saturday, June 25th-

• Cora and Molly had a party at Adeline Allen's house this morning.
• I babysat at the gym and Silas brought the girls over to play after their party was over.
• Spent the day organizing the garage, doing laundry and shopping for/planning Cora's half birthday party that will be on Monday.
• Had Gabriel over to play and for lunch. He was super excited!
• Cleod and Grant went over to Gabe's house this afternoon.
• Ryan was invited to go to the Aquatic Center with the Stonely's which made his day!
• Silas and I went to dinner with Carlos and Kari Medina. Had such a great visit and are really happy we got to get together. We've been trying for a while. :)

Father's Day

Sunday, June 19th-

First of all, I have the best husband. He spoiled me on Mother's Day and then he spoiled me on Father's Day. Doesn't really make sense, but I love him for it.

Ribs are done!

• I woke up and made waffles before he got up, because he was planning on making them. We found a yummy recipe that we want to tweek and try again soon.
• Silas put ribs in the crock pot and kept the kids while I went to wake up and feed Grandma Warby.
• Cynthia had the kids cut up Jim's tie for singing well during sharing time, which was really great.
• Cleod made Silas Rice Krispie Treats, which is one of his favorites.
• Ryan spent a long time writing a poem he knew down to give to Silas.
• Ate Silas's yummy ribs and mashed potatoes for dinner.
• Had home teachers over after dinner.
• Watched Zootopia with the kids.
• Talked to my dad before going to put Grandma to bed.
• Cleod came with me to Grandma's and got scared in the basement after thinking someone was down there so I was on edge the whole time. Silly, I know.
• So grateful for Silas and the good dad he is!



Grant cutting the tie

Jim after Junior Primary

Ryan cutting the tie

Cute, silly man!



 

Our "anniversary" getaway, June 16-18

Thursday, June 16th-



Photo taken by Cora earlier this month

Early last week, Silas was especially overwhelmed and asked if there was any time for us to get away together this month. We have my family reunion in July (which we are in charge of), a road trip to Washington state in August and are going to L.A. (just Silas and I) in September for a work conference so June was our calm month. But I had forgotten that we were going to celebrate our anniversary in the summer since it's so hard to get away in December.

We were blessed, I mean seriously BLESSED to last minute plan a little get away. Deruchette agreed to watch the kids two nights and we got a hotel room in St. George. Silas is doing really well at managing his different roles: Bishop, Husband, Dad, Employee, etc... but he felt like he needed a reset. This was just what he needed. No worries about phone calls from ward members, no stress from kids who are all over him for attention (not that he doesn't love that), no work drama and no bossy wife. Haha. That's my list. He never expressed specific reasons why he needed a break but it is pretty clear. I plan us down to the minute so my main goal was to not plan anyway. We were already meeting friends at the temple, so we knew we wanted to do that. The only other plan was Silas's main desire: Wake up, eat breakfast and go back to bed! Since we're staying two nights, we can totally do that.

Clean bathroom
Photo by Cora

So Thursday morning, I was a task master and made the kids help me do lots of cleaning. We packed and cleaned and were ready with an hour to spare!

We got the kids settled at the Warby's house, which was not hard, and headed down to meet Jon and Tonia at the temple for an Endowment session. My mind was all over the place tonight and Silas was trying to get an answer about something for the ward and didn't get it. But he wasn't feeling great and that might have contributed. He hadn't eaten very much during the day and had a headache.

After the temple with when to a new place called Rumbi Island Grill. It was delicious.



Dinner at Rumbi. We got way too much food, especially
compared to Jon and Tonia

Off to the hotel to get settled in there...and Silas was feeling worse. We were hoping that the food would help his head but it didn't...so he went to bed and I stayed up for an hour or so reading. The funny thing about it is that I didn't even feel badly for myself. The purpose of the trip was for Silas to rest and that's what he was doing...and I didn't mind a few minutes of quiet reading either.



Sleeping beauty

Friday, June 17th-

This morning we accomplished the main objective of our trip. I woke up at 6:45am and exercised in the hotel gym. Afterward I showered and then went down to the lobby and got breakfast for Silas and I. He woke up and ate and then...we went back to sleep. Haha. I don't think we got up until almost 11am. Part of me wanted to feel guilty, like I was missing out on my to-do list or something, but I quickly realized that if our bodies were going to sleep that long we needed the rest!

At the temple

We headed over to Kneaders for lunch (YUM) and then to the temple again for another session. We are both so glad we went again because we each had an amazing experience. I thought of things that I had heard over and over but hadn't thought of in a certain way. Silas was able to understand some things having to do with the ward that he was wanting to know. It was a wonderful way to spend time together. And since it was Friday afternoon session, it was really small so we got into the Celestial Room quickly and were able to stay in there, in the peace and quiet, for longer than we normally do. We didn't have to worry about meeting someone or getting back home to the kids. It was...blissful.

St. George was SUPER hot so we went back to the hotel to change out of our sweaty Church clothes and headed back to Kneaders. We had admired some of the desserts they had while we were there so we decided to go back and try one or two...

Desserts!

We came back to the hotel with 5 different things: a mint brownies, lemon-raspberry cupcake, cinnamon roll, chocolate mousse dome and cheesecake. The cinnamon and cheesecake were extraordinary!

We enjoyed pigging out and watching a movie in the hotel. Then we headed over to Costco to be a little more grown up. We decided to finally get a membership, which I have been fighting about for a while. I felt like we didn't really need that and it was too...extra...but I am excited for some of the great things Costco has to offer.

For dinner, we went to a place called George's Corner which is right near Grandma Jane's house so we have seen it for years but never tried it. It was really yummy and they had a lot of St. George historical pictures on the walls and shuffling on TVs. One of the pictures even had my Great-Grandpa Joseph William McAllister with choir members in the St. George Tabernacle. I have seen that photo at the tabernacle before so we knew for sure it was him. It made me happy.

Just finished his steak at George's Corner

Saturday, June 18th-

Normally, the last day of any trip would totally stress me out, but today I tried really hard to enjoy every moment. We didn't have a specific time we were supposed to be back but we were thinking after lunch time. But we found out that we didn't need to check out until noon, so we stayed in all morning. I went down to exercise again and then we had breakfast together in the dining area.

We ended up finding a movie called The Intern on the TV in our room that was so great and a perfect way to end the trip (except for lunch). It made us laugh and it made me cry (a couple of times) and I think those are important components to a good movie. :)

We got lunch at the Black Bear Diner, where we ate way too much and then Silas still wanted a smoothie before leaving town. We also picked up some more cheesecake for us and the Warbys.

I am so grateful for this little trip of ours. We had so many quiet moments, something that doesn't come often with five kids. We had alone time, which we do have regularly with dates but not in the same way. We got to go to the temple twice and have a wonderful experience there. We tried lots of new food and just simply came to know how much we really like each other. We like spending time with each other and we balance one another's quirks. In fact, in the moments when I was starting to get into "planning mode" Silas was good to nicely bring me out of that and help me relax. I am very thankful for him!


Smoothie for the ride home

Some photos Deruchette took while she had the kiddos:

Kids eating on Thursday night

Ryan and Leksi helping Brett

Big kids making brownies

In the evening, after settling into life a little bit, we went to the store and got some things for Father's Day breakfast and dinner. Silas bought himself a waffle maker and the movie Zootopia. The kids are excited about both!