Trunk or Treat

After church on Sunday, we had tithing settlement. In the middle of it Ruby randomly shouted "My dad kills piggies!"  We had to explain to the Bishop that the piggies Tyler kills are in Zelda. We do not have frequent pig roasts.

Monday night was craft club. This time Emily (the RS Pres) hosted since last time was a bit of a disaster with Tana. I had my mom come with me because I had a feeling it might just be me and Emily and I was pretty much right. The only other person who came was Jean and she was late as per usual. Once Jean came she did a great job of keeping the conversation going so it never got awkward. It was a nice night but I have decided to cancel Evening Craft Club indefinitely. I was hoping it would be something to bring the young moms in our ward together but it has kind of flopped as of late and does not feel worth the effort. It had a nice run though.

Tuesday Poppy took Ruby to lunch and she got to see her skeleton friend there again. Sne also got more Hello Kitty toys and has quite the collection. The guy there likes Poppy and made sure we got new toys to add to her colletion. After lunch, Ruby and I went on a nature walk at Proud Lake with baby Amelia and Kara. It was a perfect Fall day for a walk. The colors were in full form and the weather was just the right touch of cool. We chatted a bit about the work that goes into a Ward party and how it usually rests on the women. It seems lately I have been frequently hearing how woman have an unfair load compared to men but I think we just carry different loads. Most men in our ward have full time jobs and then come home to big families with moms that need help (and the moms want their husbands to come home and help) and that makes it hard for the men to also put time in to a party. I also think many men are not great at the sort of things that make a party work so I just think it makes sense. And also I don't think it ever works out well to try to tally up who does more in a relationship. Usually both parties will leave that sort of thing feeling hurt and resentful. 

After dinner Tuesday Grams and I went for a walk with Ruby, and the neighbor that lives across from our front door happened to be out walking too. She started talking to Ruby and so Ruby immediately wanted to follow her and be her best friend. I have chatted with this neighbor maybe a handful of times since we moved here, but I always get this feeling she just wants to get the lowdown on us. I feel like all the questions she asks are less about caring to get to know us and more like wanting the latest gossip. I don't know why but that is the vibe I get. I did learn some about her and her own kids but mostly she turned the conversation back to me. 

Tuesday night I went over to Grace's and she seemed to be in a much better mood than last week. She said part of it is that she is sleeping better at night and things feel less impossible. I wonder if that's what I am missing in life- sleep! If Ruby doesn't wake me up at night, my brain does. Maybe if I just slept through the night, I would be a whole new, patient, happier person.

Wednesday at lunch time, the girls and I went to Grace's. Lucy and Penny helped rake leaves while Ruby and I hung out with Grace. Ruby spent most of the time doing toddler puzzles that Grace had. After about an hour though, Ruby was done with the puzzles and the girls had had enough raking. It was a nice littl lunchbreak with my friend.

Wednesday afternoon I went to the eye doctor. I had to get my eyes dilated which is never enjoyable. My pupils stayed huge way into the evening. I also wanted to get new glasses while I was there because I had broke my newest pair in Italy and have been wearing an older pair but I just couldn't stomach the price tag for something that wasn't absolutely necessary. I think Tyler's new eye insurance is not as good as what we have had in previous years. 

Wednesday evening Lucy had her first volleyball game. That night the church activity was torture trivia (with questions from general conference). Linda and Brooklynn said they didn't watch conference so they didn't want to come. Lucy jokingly told them they should come to her game instead...and they did. That made Lucy a bit nervous because she has a less than skilled team and was worried about judgement. They were of course nice though and cheered her team on. Lucy's team did not end up winning but Lucy has really improved in her volleyball skills and even scored 5 Aces in a row when she was serving. It was fun to watch and honestly her friends watched Ruby for most of the time so that was really nice.

Thursday morning Ruby and I had playgroup at Kelli's home. Her home is small but so cute. Jill, Tana and Jean came. It was a nice hang out. Tana talked about a podcast that she has told me about before that is supposed to help with anxiety and sleep issues and things like that. It sounded nice and I started listening to it one night and ironically it put me to sleep. I will have to try to listen to it again so I can actually learn something. Also during the playgroup, near the end, Ruby was leading all the kids around with a shopping cart and telling us they were going camping. She loves to be in charge and I hope they don't mind it.

Thursday evening Ruby, Tyler, Grams and I, went to Ben's last soccer game. There could have been more games if his team had won, but they lost 0 to 2. Ben did not get to play and since he had spent the last couple of games sitting on the bench, he was actually rooting for his team to lose. He loves soccer but he was also ready to be done. Ruby spent most of the time treking over to the bathroom, and the concession stand which really seemed to wear her out because she slept amazing that night. 

Friday morning the girls went to the dentist. The hygenist raved over how cute Ruby was. Ruby soaked that up. A song came up from her playlist while we were there ("I like to Move It") and Ruby shouted: "I know that song! That's on my Ruby Raps!". It was cute. Lucy and Penny got lucky and have no cavities but Ruby, unfortunately has the start of 2 cavities between her molars. He told us to floss and use flouride and we will do a procedure next week that might help. The negative Nancy in me thinks all these things are not going to help and we are going to end up traumatizing her with fillings soon.

Friday evening we had the Ward Trunk or Treat. My Cat Woman costume ended up being a disaster. My mask was weird and did not fit right or look good. Then I had Penny give me fake nails that looked like cat claws but I literally could not function and get myself ready after she put them on me. I was a mess. At least all my kids turned out cute though. The party itself was fine. Melissa did not want to sit by me, Grace was a chili judge so I didn't really see her, my friend Nahoko came but spent most of her time chatting with Naoko from church, and so...it wasn't a super social night for me. Our white chicken chili did not win any prizes but the costumes did. Ben won the spookiest costume and Tyler and Ruby won the best duo. That made me happy. 

For Trunk or Treat we set up our skeleton baby Chad with a cape flying over a city. Then I had some boxes that I painted that looked like buildings in front of our trunk. I made the kids fly (or jump) over the buildings to get candy. I gave bonus candy to people who jumped extra high or did fancy jumps. It was a lot of fun.

Saturday morning I cleaned the house. Then I went and did a little shopping for myself that I probably should not have. It was nice to do some child free shopping though. After that splurge I picked up Penny from a friend's house. They don't seem to get along very well at school but they have a ton of fun when it's just them hanging out. That evening Tyler and I went out to Chipotle's. That location was a hot mess. Food and trash everywhere. You could also see into the kitchen and that was a mess too. Thankfully the food was still tasty. After dinner, I went to Grace's for a girl's night. Caroline and Melissa were both supposed to come as well but Melissa flaked out at the last minute. Chatting with Caroline makes me realize how grateful I am for raising my kids fully in the church. I don't have a perfect testimony of the church but I see the difference it makes. She has a lot of ideas that contridct the the Gospel and you can see the influence it is having on her kids. I am glad my kids think marriage and having a family is a good thing and see it as something to strive for rather than a punishment.

Skeletons

Monday night I went to Fancy Nancy's birthday party at the Blue Cactus. It was at 7pm but I apparently was the only shmuck who couldn't wait until 7pm to eat dinner. I ended up being the only one to order dessert so that was cool. I got a slice of Tres Leches Cake and it was good but probably not worth the $10 price. I also felt silly when Amy announced that she had brought a cake for Fancy Nancy. The party/conversation itself was fine. Sometimes it was a struggle to make conversation with the ladies around me and sometimes we got a little silly and that was fun (like Amy and I joking about who was Nancy's best friend- obviously Amy but I love to tease). The waiter spilled rice and water on me but only a little bit so not too big of a deal. When she brought out a big flaming candle for Nancy, I was worried she might light me on fire...but she didn't. Overall it was a good time and I was glad I was able to celebrate Fancy Nancy. 

Tuesday Ruby and I met Kara and Amelia at the park we had went to the week before, Drake Park. This time Ruby was better about doing the walk first but she also seemed less impressed with the park the second time around. And she also had to pee again which meant we had to make the long trek to the bathroom again. This time I pushed her there in her stroller which made more sense. I don't know why I carried her there last time. I think if we meet up with Kara and Amelia again next week, we'll have to try somewhere new. 

Tuesday night I went to Grace's. She is really having a hard time with Etta and I feel for her. I wish there was more I could do for her. She is so nice and gave me a hat and a book to read. So I tried to return the kindness and brought her flowers the next day. Hopefully they brought a little sunshine to her day.

Wednesday I took Lucy and Grams to Kohls so Grams could figure out what Lucy would like for her birthday. Penny was nice and watched Ruby for us. Lucy is a different shopper than me and doesn't pick things up that she wants and then decide which to get. Instead, she wanders around the whole store looking at things and then goes back to get what she wants. I saw some cute coats for me but I refrained from buying something I don't necessarily need.

After kohls, we finally got our new dryer! Home Depot had kept postponing delivery so finally I just cancelled with them and ordered from Lowes. Lowes ended up delivering it only 2 days after I ordered it. I will miss my mom's excellent laundry service but I am sure she won't ;). The dryer is nothing fancy but it works.

Thursday's playgroup went much better this week. We met at my new library friend's house, Jill. Kelli came and Jean came late. Jill, mentioned some Mormon artwork at one of the houses we had been at and asked if we were all Mormon. I told her not everyone but a lot of us. I promised not to convert her (but that doesn't mean I won't tell her all about the Gospel). Kelli started talking with me about how we do marriage for an eternity and not until death- she thought that was cool. Then the kids derailed that conversation and we went on to other things. Kelli's youngest kept trying to take Ruby's sandwich and Ruby took issue with that and pushed her. Ruby can be such a bully. I am hoping these play dates help her to work on getting along better with others. I guess if a majority of these play groups turn out well then I will stick with them. Hopefully last weeks awful one was just a fluke.

Friday we went to see the skeletons in Northville. It was a little cold and we got misted on at some point, but it wasn't the worst Michigan weather ever. At first Ruby wanted nothing to do with the skeletons and refused to join in pictures but eventually she came around and had a good time posing with the other kids. Maybe by next year she will be totally cool with them. After the skeletons we got lunch at Culver's it was a nice outing with Grams and my younger 4 kids.

Friday afternoon the girls met some church friends at the mall. It was kind of an inconvenient time because Ben had a soccer Game but they got a bit of time with their friends. I ended up hanging with Ruby in the play area for the first bit and then we spent a majority of the rest of time going up and down escalators and elevators. Soooo boring for me.

After the mall I went to Ben's soccer game with Grams (Tyler went too but was ball boy the whole time so we didn't really see him). It was absolutely freezing but I am glad I went so that I could see Ben play for a few minutes near the end. His team ended up winning 5 to 0.

Saturday I cleaned the house in the morning. That afternoon Ben, Lucy and Tyler went to a stake dance (Tyler was security). While they were there, Penny, Ruby and I went to Chick-Fil-A. One of the workers upon walking in gave Ruby attention so she got real chatty with them and told them she wearing "Asher's coat". It was a hand me down from Julie. I think the lady thought she said something else and looked shocked for a moment. Then another worker, later on, gave the girls both free ice cream (she did not take their toys in exchange like they usually do) and then she even gave them both mini cow stuffies. She was really nice.

This week #2 was still an issue with Ruby but in other ways. She did not poop her pants or smudge her undies (because I used pull ups when it seemed like she needed to poop) but she only pooped like 3 times all week. I ended up having to use a suppository on her Saturday because she hadn't pooped since Tuesday and was not drinking the drinks that I put Miralax in. The suppository worked almost immediately but I really wish pooping wasn't such an issue. I also wish she would sleep in her own bed. She has pretty much come into our room every night this week. She is exhausting. But on a more fun note- she watched this video from last year of her with "Baby Chad" (our skeleton) and in it she said "he's kind of scary". In the video she said it in a silly way so she thuoght it was funny and kept imitating the way she had said,"He's kind of scary." It was cute.

Good Weather

Sunday was more General conference. Tyler made himself a mohawk out of air dry clay between sessions. It was a beautiful day so after conference we were all outside playing soccer and volleyball and all the outdoor things. Ben ended up scratching his knee on the fence so Tyler wrapped it up. Ruby wanted a "wrap" on her knee like Ben so she went inside and put on Lucy's volleyball knee pad. The older kids were having fun showing Ruby how to fake getting hurt in soccer. At one point I decided to trim Penny's little side bangs. Everyone laughed when I cut them so she started crying but I really didn't do an awful job. They just needed to be blended into the rest of the hair better. I ended up asking Grace if she could help touch them up. She was amazing and had us come in Monday morning and now Penny's hair looks fantastic. She trimmed my bangs too and I really should always have her do it- she is so much better at it than me since she actually knows what she is doing.

Monday Penny got a sports physical so hopefully she can do archery with the middle schoolers. She is thinking of leaving Renassiance and this feels like a good way for her to meet some kids that go to our local middle school. Tyler thinks he is a cool enough coach that he can introduce her to the kids. I hope it ends up happening and is a good help for her to make a decision for schooling next year. 

Tuesday my dryer died so that was a bummer. Even worse, the new one we ordered isn't coming until next week, Wed. I'm grateful to my mom who has been doing my laundry in the meantime. 7 people make a lot of laundry and she has been helping me keep up on all of it. She even ironed my boys' dress shirts which is something I never do. She definitely wins extra Grandma points for that.

Tuesday we had lunch at Burger King with Poppy. They had some pretty awesome Halloween decorations up.

Tuesday after lunch, Ruby and I met Kara at a park we hadn't been to before. It had a great play structure- so great that when Kara and Amelia came, Ruby did not want to go for a walk around the grounds. She was really unhappy about me making her go so it wasn't the best walk but we did have a good talk about all our ailments (she has arthritis issues and me and my dumb leg pain- she inspired me to schedule a PT appt). After the walk Ameila and Ruby swung on the swings- until Ruby had to pee. The bathroom was soooo far from the playground and I about died rushing her there but thankfully she made it. When we went back to the playgroud, Ruby started playing with some other kids. She led her own made up "lava" game with the kids- it was very reminiscent of a game my dad used to play with us.

Tuesday night Ruby, Grams and I went to Ben's Soccer game. Ruby was having poop issues so I almost didn't go. She is making me crazy with getting poop smears in her underwear. I tried making her go bare butt around the house and it sort of helped but was also slightly terrifying. Anyways she ended up pooping in the potty so we could go to the game. At the beginning of the game Ruby saw Ben and shouted "Ben! I see you!!!" until he turned around. It was super cute. In the end, Ben did not get any play time and his team lost so not the greatest game but it was nice to get outside and support him nevertheless.

Wednesday both Penny and Ben had orthodontist appointments, but thier appointments were not at the same time. I'm glad the orthodontist is only minutes from our house. Ruby came with me to the second appointment because she always likes to see what movie is playing. We also all went out to lunch with grams and Poppy that day. Some of us got subway, some of us got tropical smoothie. The subway people brought their food to tropical smoothie so we could all hang out. Even Steven came so it was a good family outing. 

Thursday's playgroup was not a success this week. As I was driving to the indoor playground that we had planned to meet everyone at, I got multiple texts from people saying that they wouldn't be able to make it. Only one person said they'd come and they said they would be an hour late. I had rushed out the door to make sure we would be there on time for basically no reason. That was frustrating. We got there and it was a really cool indoor playground but it was a tall playground and Ruby was too anxious to climb up in it by herself. She ended up just playing in the toddler area. An hour after being there, Kelli showed with her girls and shortly after Sam came. Sam pretty immediately pretended I wasn't there and gushed about how excited she was to see Kelli and didn't allow me to part of conversations- talking quietly, showing pictures to only Kelli. I felt pretty excluded from my own playgroup and it didn't help that Ruby wasn't clicking with their kids and was being very needy. It's weird because Ruby usually makes friends with strangers. Anyways,I'm pretty sensitive when it comes to being left out and Ruby wasn't having a great time so I decided we would leave. I tried my best to act not upset when I told them we were heading out, I'm not sure if I was successful. It was easy to get Ruby to leave because the church that this indoor playground is in offers free drinks so I just promised her a chocolate milk on our way out. We sat at a window while she drank it and then left. I felt pretty disgruntled by it all and I'm not sure I have it in me to continue this group.  

Thursday Steven helped me make sloppy joe's for dinner without complaint. This week I have seen him making small changes in his behavior, for the better, and I hope he continues on this upward trend. 

Friday was a pretty chill day. After school work we went for a walk to 7-11 for slushees. It was a beautiful day and I always enjoy walking and talking with my kids. We have some good conversations on these walks.

Friday night the girls had a dance at Renassiance that night. It was Penny's first dance and it had a country theme. They both came back saying it was super fun- even if they don't actually dance with anyone. 

While they were at the dance, Tyler took Ruby out of the house so I could clean. I'm actually really enjoying this new routine. I like being able to plug into a show and get the house clean with no one around to bug me. 

Saturday at lunchtime Ben had a soccer game. Ruby got there and immediately started whining for candy. I thought it was going to be a rough game but she got over it pretty quickly and even made a friend. Ben got to play for 20 minutes so that was really awesome. And even better, his team won. 

Book Club and Play Group Success

Sunday morning I woke up feeling puffy under one of my eyes. When I looked in the mirror, sure enough, my cheek was swollen under my eye. I hadn't slept well and had some drainage but since I wasn't feeling awful, I still went to church. I figured a puffy face wasn't a reason to miss church. At church Ruby's friend (Melissa P) was gone so Ruby desperately tried to get everyone around us to play with her- the little boy in the pew in front of us, the family in the pew to the right of us and then, a mom behind us (who had 3 little ones of her own). Ruby would show them things from her bag and try to chat them up. She is such an attention hog. After church we needed to give Reggie a ride and I asked Steven to do it (we bring several cars to church) and he refused saying "Why do I have to do everything?" That led to a discussion after church where he was asked to write out a list of everything we do for him/give him- the catch was if it wasn't on the list he wouldn't get it anymore. It felt like a fitting punishment, although I am not sure it changed his attitude quite as much as I was hoping for. Also after church, I suddenly got struck down with all the usual cold symptoms and felt completely miserable. It's funny how all those symptoms waited until after church was over. Thankfully I had nothing to do after church- besides deal with a toddler- so I was mostly able to rest. 

Monday I felt much better but still not 100%. I am glad that whatever I had was fairly short lived. However, my hormones went insane Monday so I pretty much snapped at everyone in the family and I felt extra irritable towards Ruby because she was particularly needy. It was not one of my finest days. Tyler decided to buy a gym membership and further pushed me into a bad mood when he left me with the toddler to go work out that evening. Some days my hormones just cannot handle a full day of Ruby.

That night Steven got the brunt of my hormones when I unplugged the internet on him at 11pm because he was being too noisy gaming with friends. Our room is right across from him and I just cannot sleep when I can hear him. He came down "to get a drink of water" (or maybe to fix the internet) and we had a chat about my concerns that he is addicted to the internet and that he needs more balance in his life. Once again, not sure if this conversation made a difference but these are legit concerns I have for him.

Tuesday was a beautiful day, but my horomones were still messy so I opted against going to storytime and being around other people. Instead I went with Grams and Ruby to Milford. We parked at Central Park and then walked to the bakery for treats and then played at the park. The park was dead when we got there, literally no other kids, but near the end a 2 year old girl showed up and Ruby quickly started to hang out with her. They wandered the playground together- pretty much  instant friends. Ruby is just so much happier when she is with other kids and I am starting to think she might be the first kid of mine that I put into preschool.

Tuesday night was book club. We were discussing "How to Solve Your Own Murder". Grace, Becky, my mom and Marlene came- a smaller group than normal. I served caramel and apples and homemade toffee. After we ate some treats we all talked about how much we didn't like the book. It was nice to have us all in agreement on it being a very poorly written book. Then I read everyone's "fortune" using oracle cards. That was actually really fun and I think I was kind of on point for some. Grace brought slightly "darker" oracle cards and we did those next, but those were not very nice fortunes so we didn't love those. Next I had some logic crime puzzles I had gotten off Etsy. We broke off into pairs and solved the puzzles. Everyone seemed to enjoy doing them and it seemed like book club was a success, despite being small in numbers.

Wednesday evening  I was trying to clean out the guest room- it had become a bit of a place to just dump everything so it really needed it. While I was attempting to clean, Ruby was dumping things out (like buttons and googly eyes) and just making a giant mess. Tyler ended up taking Ruby to Home Depot so I could actually get it cleaned it. I was grateful for that. Now the guest room feels a bit more ogranized and less chaotic. We still have too much stuff but we are also a family of 7.

Thursday's playgroup was much more successful than last week- there were 3 other moms there and the nanny that I had met at the library came as well. I was glad the nanny came because she is maybe a decade older than me so then I wasn't the oldest lady in the room- although I am the oldest mom in the room. My friend Kassi hosted (she has a beautiful house and lots of fun toys). The kids parallel played for a long time but near the end they started to interact with each other. Ruby still gravitates towards the grownups and will chat them up or try to get them to play with her. She can make things so awkward.  She also can occasionally have a hard time sharing but I do see her doing better. Conversing with grown ups was nice for me but afterwards I started overthinking everything I said and started wondering if I had retold stories that I had already shared and if I was being an annoying conversationalist. Hopefully I didn't scare people away and the playgroup continues to be a success. 

Thursday evening I ran a couple errands with the girls. After cleaning out the guest room, I realized their special markets had dried out and since I didn't want them using mine, I decided to buy them new ones at 5 and Below. We also stopped by Marshall's just to browse and I ended up buying them shirts. I wish I had an unlimited budget and could properly clothes shop for winter clothes for all of us, but alas I cannot. Clothes are just so expensive so I have to buy them sparingly. I guess that's a good thing since we have too many things in our house ;) It is fun to shop with them though and even Ruby had fun trying on some clothes (that I did not buy for her).

Friday was not an exciting day for me. Homeschool, work out, entertain a toddler, pizza night, and clean the house (while the kids were at the temple and Tyler was out with Ruby). Saturday was equally non exciting- took Lucy to law mow, made cinnamon bread, watched General Conference (yelled at Penny for being silly over where she was sitting while Tyler yelled at Steven for being silly over helping him out), walk with Steven and Ruby, more General Conference, and Panda Express with Tyler.

Too Social

Sunday we had the missionaries over for dinner. Tyler made an Asian beef and rice dish and it was perfect because it is a fairly cheap meal to make for 9 people. Also it's not too complicated to make, so he was able to finish it on time. I think the Sister missionaries are much less awkward to have over for dinner than the elders we have had in the past. I think they just have better conversational skills. But at the same time they really lingered at the end, like they didn't want to leave. I always find lingering good byes extremely awkward because people should leave when things are over but also, I don't want to be mean. I guess I should take it as a compliment though, that we are people that others want to hang with. 

And a cute picture of Lucy and Ruby from Sunday...

Monday night was craft club and it was a bit of a disaster. I got there maybe 10 minutes late and no one was there- including the host. At first I thought that maybe I had the wrong door because they had gotten a new door but once I was sure I was at right house and that no one was home- I gave Tana a call. She did not answer and I wondered if I should just leave. Then she called me back and said she had forgot but that she would be home in 15 minutes and we did not need to cancel. I, on the other hand, thought we should probably just cancel. It sounded like it was not a good night for her. Then Jean showed up and she did not want to cancel. So when Tana came home, we went in and I was immediately sure that we should have cancelled. She seemed overwhelmed and on top of it, she had her kiddos to take care of. About a half an hour in, her youngest got super fussy and she said she needed to put her down so I took the hint, and coerced Jean into leaving with me. Such an awkward night.

Tuesday morning Ruby and I walked with Grace to the library. I had missed my walks with Grace. I love a good chat while walking. We walked to the library and I went to music and story time with Ruby while Grace hung out getting books. It was another noisy storytime and it just isn't the same without Miss Marissa. We had Miss Jen and she was good but she is new to teaching and has a few things to work out- like how short toddlers attention spans are. Ruby still seemed to enjoy it though. During music and story time I sat next to a nanny that I had met before. I ended up inviting her and the 2 year old she watched to my play group that I am trying to start. I think that was brave of me? Or maybe crazy? She couldn't come this week but maybe we will see her in the future.

Tuesday evening we went out to Farmington Hills for Ben's soccer game with Grams and Ruby. On my way there I had IBS issues and ended up stopping at a nearby park to use the bathroom. It was a wise choice. Once at the game we discovered that it was quite cold. Ruby had on a sweater but refused to wear a jacket. Meanwhile I hid under a blanket. The game ended up being a close one but the coach still let Ben play for the last 10 minutes so that was nice. I am always happy when I get to see him playing out on the field.

Wednesday Penny had an appointment with her orthopedic surgeon. He cleared her for getting back to regular life and she doesn't really have to wear her brace much anymore. He was wanting to get the rods out in January but I managed to have him bump that up to the end of December so we won't have to pay a bazillion dollars on the surgery in the new year. The only issue with that is we were considering the possibility of driving out to Arizona during Christmas break, depending how Tyler's dad is doing. Now it looks like Penny will be getting surgery during that time so that puts a kink in our plans.

Wednesday night I went over to Grace's. She is having troubles with her oldest because her oldest wants to go to ASU but her oldest really just wants to go party and have the "college experience"---without really taking college seriously. Problem is that tuition is $30,000/year for someone out of state. And then you have to factor in another $30,000 for living expenses. That is not a debt to take on just to have the "college experience". It is wild how expensive college is. I am grateful my boys are getting their first 2 years in for free. 

Thursday I had my first playgroup. I spent the morning prepping the house and then no one showed for the first 15 minutes. I was sure it was going to be a complete flop, but it was only a partial flop. Kelly ended up coming with her 2 girls. I had met her at the previous co-op, she is a friend of Tana's. She is really nice and I am grateful she showed up when everyone else flaked out. Jean came about a half an hour later and then tried to stay an hour later than the allotted time. I may have slightly lied and told her I had to leave to pick up my girls at 1:30 (actually I leave to pick them up at 1:50). There is a reason I set the time from 11-1. Jean is as nice as can be and fine to talk to and Ruby loves her daughter, but Jean just has no clue about social etiquette.

Thursday evening Ben had a soccer game. It was not quite as cold as Tuesday nights game but it was still cooler than I liked. Ben did not get to play but the game was pretty epic and made it into the Oakland Press. They won the game 4-3. With just 5 minutes left in the game they were tied 3-3 and with just a couple minutes in the game they brought it to their winning score of 4-3. It really was a great watch. Bishop came to watch it which was super cool of him. He became Ruby's best friend- coloring with her and buying her treats at the concession stand. She will attach herself to anyone who will show her attention and who will also let her boss them around. 

Friday morning Lucy had her lawn mowing gig for Sister Miller. Usually she only takes about 30 minutes to mow so Ruby and took a quick trip to the playground and got back roughly 30 minutes later. Well the grass was much longer this time around and it ended up taking an hour. We ended up just hanging out in the car which was kind of bummer because it was a beautiful playground day. We should have stayed longer. Since it was such a nice day, after lunch I walked the kids to seven eleven for a treat. The only way I can get them to walk with me is if there are treats at the end. I enjoy my walks with them so I guess it's worth the bribery. 

Friday afternoon I went with the RS Presidency to visit a new sister in the ward. She is very chatty but I enjoyed the chat. We got her whole life story but she also reciprocated and asked us about our lives. I did need to get home at some point though so I eventually just had to ask if we could leave her with a prayer and then the message was receieved, lol. I think she is a fun new addition to our ward. 

Saturday morning Grams, Poppy, Tyler, me and Steven went to the temple. Steven was going through for his endowments. We had to get there an hour early so he could do his initiatory first. Grams and I probably should have waited in the car or in the initial waiting area in the temple because we were too early to go back to the endowment room. We ended up standing awkwardly by where you get ready to go in. There was a lady there who was taking a nap and I don't think she was happy that we woke her up. She kind of scurried away and didn't come back for a long while. Steven did not want to do prayer circle but he didn't seem completely overwhelmed or weirded out by things, and I got a hug from him after the session was over- he couldn't run away from me in the temple. Bishop and his wife came for the session and Sister Perriton met us in the celestial room since the session was full. They are good people and I appreciate their support for my kid. After the session we met the rest of our kids at Culver's for lunch. Steven grumbled about going, saying he wasn't even hungry (despite not eating breakfast) but he ended up eating most of his food. It really frustrates me how much he protests spending time with us but then he seemed to enjoy hanging with Ruby in the end.

Doughnuts and Gram's Birthday

Sunday Tyler sang in our sacrament meeting with a small choir. It was one of the new hymns- "What God Calls Us To." We thought the women that spoke before he sang was just going to introduce the hymn, but she gave a full on talk about it and even recited all the lyrics. I'm not sure if she was supposed to do that or not, but she made sure to include how inclusive and loving she is of trans and lesbians so that was nice. After church we didn't have any meetings so it was a restful Sunday. When I went to check the mail that afternoon I discovered a spider had made his home in our mailbox. Last week I had found a spider making a web on my car door. I am beginning to feel like this is a start of some spider horror movie.

Monday morning Kara brought Amelia over for us to watch because she had a colonoscopy. The girls were ecstatic to have Amelia over and did a lot of the baby watching for me. We were all impressed with how much food Amelia ate. She ate 3 small pancakes that I had made and then the oatmeal her mom had made for her. But I guess all that food gave her plenty of poop because the first time we put her down for a nap she cried and we discovered she had pooped. Then after we changed her diaper and did some rocking and gave her a little more milk, we tried to put her down a second time. She cried again and we eventually went in and discovered that she had even more poop. Other than her pooping and not napping, it was an easy gig.

Tuesday Ruby and I went to the library for music and story time. We were excited that it had started again. This time we attended the all ages storytime instead of the toddler storytime but it really wasn't any different in material or audience. The audience was basically toddlers since it is during the school day. However, storytime was much louder than I remember. Not sure if that was just because it was the first storytime of the new season or because of the substitute teacher (the regular teacher was out of town). The only bummer about this storytime is they don't do toys afterwards and that was one of Ruby's favorite parts.

After storytime, Poppy took Ruby and I out to Burger King for lunch. Then we took Grams to Milfords so she could buy the bread she likes from the bakery there (orange cranberry). She was nice and got Ruby a cookie while we were there. 

After I picked up the girls from school, I had to rush to an appointment for an ultrasound on my leg. I ended up feeling like a crazy person because I had  tough time explaining my leg pain. In the end I guess I was a crazy person because there were no signs of muscle tears or injuries. Doctor Google is telling me it might be a sciatic nerve problem so I have been trying some stretches that are supposed to help with that. They do feel good in the moment but I am still struggling with leg pain- especially when driving.

Tuesday night Ben had a soccer game. Thankfully this time Ruby did not suffer any dramatic falls. However, we did have to make 2 trips to the bathroom. Why are the bathrooms always such a long walk from the bleachers? Also, this school had narrow walkways which made the journey even more awkward. Ruby was quite funny (and embarassing) that night. She was enjoying ease dropping on other people's conversations and repeating phrases she heard people say and she would also turn to me and say "What the flip did they say?" She also was entranced by a light in the ground and tried to convince me that she had to go potty (for a third time) so she could walk by it again. When I told her I wanted to watch the game she said, "Oh fine, we'll watch the game." She is a lot all the time and certainly makes our life more entertaining.

Wednesday morning was tough and not because of homeschool but because Ruby was having poop issues. I tried to do my work out but kept having to stop because she needed to sit on the potty- only no poop ever came. On top of that the girls were fighting over silly things. These girls are really wearing me down. To reward them for their awful behavior, we went to Long's Farm for doughnuts. Ben and Grams came too. Penny was upset the whole time because she thought I was going to make her late for a birthday party. She ended up being a whopping 7 minutes late to her party.

On our way home from dropping Penny off, Ruby, Lucy and I stopped by Target to do some shopping. I was working on decking out our mantel and had already spent a ridiculous $40 at Dollar Tree and just needed a couple more things from Target- some orange lights and little trees to go by the haunted house. I should have taken a pic because it turned out pretty good. I also impulse bought a pair of pants that make a nice swishing sound when I walk. They are good lightweight pants for fall and spring but I want be able to sneak around in them. Ruby also tried on this awesome hot dog costume.

Thursday was Grams birthday. After dropping the girls off at school, Ben, Ruby, Grams and I went out to Ann Arbor so we could enjoy some free samples at Cherry Republic (and of course buy some cherry products too). As we were walking out the door Ben showed me a handful of candy samples he had taken- sometimes my older kids are worse than my toddler. 

After dinner that night we sang to Gram and ate some delish strawberry bundt cake that I made. Unfortunately I did not plan ahead well and did not have a 5 candle so she got to turn 74 again. 

Friday evening Tyler, Ruby, Penny and I went to a wedding reception for the Dumont's son. We don't really know him very well but I served in primary with Sandra so I felt we should go and support. I spent too much time trying to figure out what to gift these people. I didn't have enough time to order things off their registery and I didn't really want to just give them cash. I ended up getting them a small lego flower set and after much hunting- a vase that fit the flowers. Apparently a tall shot glass from the Dollar Tree was the best fit for the flowers, lol. The reception itself was nice enough. I had a good visit with some people and the groom's friends gave some really nice speeches about him. I don't even know him that well but I felt touched. After the recpetion I cleaned the house and that's always a joyous task. It is better than cleaning during the day with Ruby but I get very snappy with the older kids when they get in the way. I am not a nice cleaner.

Saturday was a cool and rainy day. I did a little thrift shopping in the morning which always makes me happy. Then after lunch I had a missionary farewell party to attend for someone who used to be in our ward. He had been in Ben's seminary class so Ben came with me as well. I thought it was just a farewell party so I didn't bring a card or anything but it ended up being a grad party too so I felt embarrassed for showing up empty handed. I really didn't know anyone there so it was a bit awkward for a minute but a nice lady sat by me and I got to know her. Ben told me afterwards that even thought I don't love going to these things, I am good at making conversation. While I don't think it's hard to make conversation, I do think that it's draining. 

And with my social battery was already drained...we had one more wedding reception to attend. Another kiddo in the ward that we didn't know super well but we are friends with his parents. This time only Tyler and I attended. The food was Chipotle so that made me happy and we had some good visits with people there. One lady was asking me about my trip to Italy but I'm not sure she would like my itinerary since she is not into architecture and art. I do love to talk about Italy though...

On a negative note, pooping in the potty is not getting any better with Ruby. She only poops in the potty when I notice the signs and get her there. She was also suffering from some constipation this past week so she went 3 whole days without pooping. And today she pooped her pants twice- one of the times was right after she had just peed on the potty. I really wish we could get this figured out.

On a funny note, I forgot to share a story last week- the case of Ben's disappearing shoes. He could not find them and I thought he must of just taken them off in a funny location- they couldn't just disappear. But I was busy and didn't help him hunt for them and he ended up wearing crocs to soccer practice and wearing Tyler's baseball shoes to school the next day. I finally went to help look for his shoes and discovered that the black pair of shoes that I had thought at first were Steven's, were not Steven's because he was not home. I realized they were my dads. So I ran over to my parent's house with my dad's shoes and asked him if he had accidentally taken Ben's shoes. He was, at that moment, wearing Ben's navy shoes. It was a funny mix up.