Cold

For Steven's birthday party next month he's going to see "Lego Movie 2" with 2 of his friends so I thought it would be fun if he made each of his friends a minifigure as a party favor. So last Saturday we braved the snowy roads and went to the Lego Store to do this. After playing in the Lego Store and Disney Store we grabbed some Chick-fil-a at the food court. I love me some Chick-fil-a.

Monday was MLK day so with Tyler off work we decided to go an outing to the Henry Ford Museum. The museum had free admission for the day and the temperatures were freezing so apparently everyone else had the same idea. It was ridiculously crowded. We had met Caroline and her kids there and since Tyler was being cranky I told him he could go off on his own,  figuring I'd be fine since I had Caroline there. Well at one point she had to go change a diaper and that meant I was alone with 7 kids total- all wanting to go different directions. Soon after she left Penny started crying because she wanted a snack and Tyler had them. I couldn't find him and he wasn't answering his phone and that was probably when I reached my limit. I was so stressed out that even once we found him and Caroline came back, I just felt overwhelmed the rest of the time. So not the most fun outing for me but I think the kids at least had a good time.

Tuesday I had my first sub job in a long time. I subbed for kinder in the morning and 2nd grade for the afternoon. The kindergarten class while still being a bit of a challenge, was way easier than the 2nd grade class. The only hiccup with the kinder was when I had to keep them super quiet because the teacher next door was being observed. Keeping kindergartners quiet isn't easy but other than that it was fine.

The second graders were just super rough. They have a teacher who is not so good at behavior management which meant I spent most of my afternoon teaching them how to behave. It was exhausting. I also had a fun incident where a kid stole a phone from another kid because that kid stole $10 from him. They both tried to lie about it. It was super. I don't think I'd sub for this class again.

Tuesday night brought rain and cold which made the roads too icy for school Wednesday. We had a nice day off and went absolutely nowhere. The kids actually played really well together which meant I still managed to be productive. It was a good day.

Thursday Penny had her speech class. She told me they went to the gym and sang songs. Hopefully somewhere in there she's working on her speech too... I'm still struggling with what to do while she's in class since it's an awkward amount of time.  This time I did a quick Kroger run and then hung out in my car. Super exciting. Afterwards we did story time at the library with friends. I'm really liking this story time routine. It's nice to have a social day once a week.

We had nothing going on Friday which sometimes makes me feel guilty- like I should be doing more or trying to get more sub jobs. But this is also the first year in a long long time that my life had been so easy and since I might be getting pregnant in the near future I should probably enjoy this time right?

And we'll end with a funny dinner conversation the other night.  Well funny if you have a dirty sense of humor,  ha ha!
Me: Do you want a big or small piece?
Lucy: I want a big one
Tyler: That's what she said.
Me: Did you really just use that on what our 6 yr old said?
Lucy: I will always say bigger is better.
Tyler turns to me and grins,  we both die of laughter.

Valentines Decor & Snow

Well we survived what was hopefully Tyler's final week up north. I felt very short tempered this week so being on my own is not the best for the kids or me but at least no one is permanently scarred from this week ;).

Sunday I had my second bout of 2 hour church and I still haven't found my groove. This time I under planned the lesson and wound up with an extra 5 minutes. I think part of the reason I ended up with extra time was because I hadn't counted on the kids to do the at home part so well. They all already knew the story I had chosen to focus on really well so that made that part go quickly. It's going to take a bit before I get this two hour church figured out.

Tuesday was a busy day. Penny had her first day of her Early Childhood/Speech Class. Having to get one more child ready in the morning was more work then I realized but after getting the older 3 on the bus, I still managed to get her to her class right on time. The class itself is only an hour but I felt embarrassingly emotional dropping her off. It's totally silly because when I sub I leave her with a friend for a whole day- I don't know why leaving her in a class feels so different. The hour also makes it difficult to do much of anything. We live 15 minutes away so it's not really worth it to go home. I ended up at a nearby Salvation Army and wasted my time away there.

When I picked her up she said it was really fun but no one would play with her. I asked her if she asked anyone and she said, "No. I too shy." Bless her, I know it will get better as she warms up to the new place. Right after her class we went to Ben's class to volunteer. His teacher had me editing kid's persuasive writing and *woof* some of them were so bad it was a struggle to help them.

When we were done there we headed straight to my dentist where I had a cleaning/check up. Penny was such a trooper through all these things. The cleaning seemed to take extra long. My hygienist seemed new to being a hygienist and was very slow going and was also perplexed by my bleeding gums. No matter how regularly I floss at home and how "aggressively" I floss- my gums always bleed at the dentist. I have come to accept this but no hygienist ever seems ok with it. Usually I get lectured but this one seemed determined to solve my problem. She suggested I carry around flossers and try out a certain mouth wash. We'll see. At least I left the appointment with no cavities diagnosed. That's a rarity.

After the dentist Penny and I hit up the Dollar Tree for some Valentine's Decorations. I had gone to pull them out and found my banner a bent up mess and my only Valentine's picture in bad shape. It was then determined that we needed new decorations. Penny and I had a lot of fun picking stuff out and now my mantle has some fun Valentine's decor (vases and flowers, Bless Your Heart sign and a new banner). This whole crazy day made me realize how much I am going to miss having my little buddy around next year. Penny is such a good kid and she always makes the outings more fun.

Wednesday was a nice homebody day and we didn't have to venture out until the boys had Cub Scouts that night. I ended up giving 2 other kids rides home which meant I had 6 kids in the car. That led to a very loud ride home.

Thursday Penny had her second class and this time I went to the Dollar Tree while she was at class. I needed to get some more mugs. The girls have their unicorn and mermaid mugs so this week I made the boys each their own mugs too. (Ben's is double sided- Today I'm Gonna Catch Them All & Snorlax; Steven- Creepers Gonna Creep)

After her class we went to story time at the library and I got to socialize with a couple friends who were there as well. It's my favorite thing because I love the library and I love getting to talk to grown ups.

Benny had an orthodontist appointment on Thursday as well. They want to see him again in 2 months and they believe he will need an expander at that time. Basically they want to do the same thing to him that they did with Steven and that stresses me out because that's a ton of money we just don't have (or rather money we should be saving for having a baby). At least we can procrastinate making that decision for another couple of months.

I also had a PT Conference with Lucy's teacher Thursday. I left the kids at home with Steven as babysitter figuring it would be quick. I ended up enjoying socializing with her way too much and didn't come home until an hour later. Apparently the former teacher in me really enjoyed talking to a current teacher because only 15% of our conversation was actually about how Lucy was doing, ha ha! She is doing just fine though. I also volunteered to run yet another party for Lucy's class (Valentines) and to make 2 dozen cookies for it. In addition to that party, I promised Penny a cookie decorating party with her friends. I must really be a glutton for punishment. The week of Valentine's Day is going to be crazy and Tyler will be out at a Scout Campout too so that should make it extra fun. I'm crazy.

Friday and Saturday we got our first real snow since November. It's been such an unusual winter here in Michigan!

And I'll end with a fun story. The other day I asked Penny what color hair she had and she replied, "Golden!" When I told her it is actually called blonde she responded, "Blonde!?" in a very disgusted voice. So golden it is!

Cubanapolis

We survived another week with Tyler out of town! Hopefully only one more week of him being gone Monday through Friday and winter testing will be over for him.

Sunday was our first 2 hour church meeting. It felt rushed but in reflection I think the smaller time frame also eliminated some of the time wasters that can occur at church and whittled it down to the important things. I think as we get used to it, it'll flow better and be a good change. Somehow I managed to introduce rules, do a little get to know you with my Primary Class and leave the kids with a spiritual nugget- so go me! Afterwards I was even able to sneak in late to Gospel Doctrine and catch the last half of Tyler's lesson- he didn't embarrass me too much. He even let them know that only about half of what he says about me is true (I would say more 1/8th but...)

Monday was busy with an OBGYN appt in the morning, house cleaning, lots of laundry and somehow fitting in a workout and Penny's reading lesson. Penny even made the comment near the end of the day (in hopes of guilting me into playing a game with her) "But mama you've been so busy today-" And then she went on to list all the above things. So of course her sweet little "but mama..." comment worked and I took a break and played with her.

My obgyn appointment was a little discouraging. I felt like I needed to stay at the office but the doctor must have been having an off day because he was not very friendly and not very encouraging about me having another baby. There was talk about too much scar tissue and a thin uterine lining. Afterwards I was feeling unfaithful and then I saw the board that I just made Sunday (and was thinking should be our family motto for the year). Not a coincidence but a tender mercy.

Tuesday was my first day back at volunteering in Ben's class in the new year. It went alright and afterwards me and Penny went out to Tropical Smoothie Cafe (we had a gift card). It was so so yummy and Penny loved the smoothie. Usually we make a strawberry and blueberry smoothie at home but the one we got had an addition of bananas and Penny just thought the bananas made it taste so much better. She now insists we add banana in all our smoothies.

After our delicious lunch we went to Target because I had a coupon for $5 of a $15 purchase. I was supposed to just be looking at underwear for the boys and weights for me but I kept getting distracted- because Target! The fist time I got distracted I told myself to stay focused! Penny gleaned on to my comment and later when I got distracted again she said, "Stay focused mama!" She used it very appropriately and it was super cute. After Target I took her to the mall to play and have a pretzel- it was a super fun day with Penny.

Wednesday was a super chill day. Penny and I did puzzles and played games and then I got ambitious and we made some box cars for her and Lucy. The Cubanapolis was that night and they had said siblings should have a car. Tyler had made Ben's that weekend, Steven was using his from last year and with Tyler being out of town I was just going to let the girls share the boys but with this extra time I decided I could make them. They were not nearly up to the same standard as Tyler's but they worked and the girls loved having their own (even if they were made with leftover spray paint so not very girly). 

Lucy had a Doctor's Appointment immediately after school and so I picked her up from school and took her there and allowed the boys to walk home from the bus stop alone and be home alone until I got back from the doctors. I came home about an hour later but I think this is the most independent I allowed them to be and they did really good. It's crazy how old Steven is getting. We had a short conversation about body changes this week- just talked about voice changes and facial hair. Steven immediately felt his face and said he could already feel hair- haha! Peach fuzz maybe!

That night the kids had a blast at the Cubanapolis as per usual. This year though, I cheated a little on the pit stop "change tire." In years past changing shoes and turning socks inside out has been stressful (Steven gets mad because I can't do it fast enough and we end up fighting). This year I just changed the shoes and left the socks alone. The cheating was worth it no drama equals a much better time. Also, the nozzle on Ben's tank literally broke within 2 minutes of our arrival at the church- kids😐

Also Steven earned his Arrow of Light Wedensday night. I may be failing Ben as a cub scout but at least I am keeping Steven on top of things! I had him pin the pin on the cuff of my sleeve because I am too terrified of him jabbing my heart 😂

Thursday story time returned to the library and Penny was super excited for the return of Little Mouse (they hide a mouse behind a house and turn them over trying to find the mouse). Friday I had Penny's IEP for her Speech Delays. She will be attending a Preschool like class run by a Speech Therapist Tuesday and Thursday mornings for an hour. She will be the only 4 year old- the rest of the class is 3 year olds so we are going to see how it goes. If we feel like it is not a good fit she will take a strictly speech class that is just once a week for 40 minutes. It will be interesting to see how this goes. I am back to debating if I should send her to Jr Kinder next year or real Kinder. Jr Kinder will be a huge hassle to get here to BUT it might be the better fit. I hate being in charge of such important decisions.

Friday night Tyler and I had a temple date scheduled. We had wanted to do Saturday but there were Youth Activities so getting a babysitter was not possible. It was super stressful because Tyler literally got home from being up North the minute we needed to leave to the temple. We managed to squeak into the temple right on time and I am so grateful that my prayer was answered and we were both able to get there on time despite everything working against us. At the session I was praying for reassurance on the baby front and my reassurance was pretty immediate. As soon as the creation was being taught I was reminded of God's power and reminded that all the lessons this week for the new "Come Follow Me" curriculum were about women having babies in impossible situations. I know we are on the right path but I also know that is not going to make it easy.

2019 Begins

On Monday I got to celebrate my friend Caroline's birthday by taking her out to lunch- Chipotle- and then we shopped at her favorite store- The Container Store. A fun twist is that we had anonymously gifted her a gift card to that store so I got to be with her as she picked out what she bought with it. It was a really good afternoon with a really good friend.

That evening was New Years Eve and Caroline and her family came over to celebrate with us. They had been given a gift card to Red Box and microwave popcorn and since they don't have a a DVD player or a microwave we decided we could just have a movie night at our house. The kids all watched "Transylvania 3" while Caroline and I did some hand lettering. Afterwards we did a pretend countdown to midnight on Netflix and then we toasted with some sparkling cider. I did make the mistake of buying horns for all the kids and it was probably the loudest night ever- I am pretty sure I became a little deafer that night. But the kids had so much fun that I can't knock it too much.

Tuesday was Tyler's last day off of work so we decided it would be a good day to use our Chuck-e-Cheese gift card that Tyler's parents gave us. We went for lunch time so the kids all got to eat at the all-you-can-eat pizza buffet and the boys got 60 play points to share and the girls got 60 play points to share. They had a lot of fun and got a lot of tickets (that when divided up amounted to a few little trinkets). All in all it was a really fun outing and we still have half of the gift card left so we get to do it again sometime.

Tuesday evening I thought it would be fun to go to Barnes and Nobles and browse but boy was I wrong. Apparently the girls have been a bit too spoiled as of late and they both got really upset when we didn't buy them something they wanted. Poppy had given them some money but it was for them to buy something they could do together (like a game) and what they wanted did not fulfill that requirement. So when we said no we had the joy of listening to them cry (all the way home). It's been awhile since we have had the joy of double tantrums- I can definitely say I didn't miss that crazy.

Wednesday Tyler had to head up North. Last year he was supposed to have been training his replacement since he has a new position but his replacement turned out to be not so great so now he training yet another replacement. Hopefully this one pans out and this can be his last year of traveling. He'll be out the next 2 weeks, Monday through Friday, as well. The only perk of him being away is that I get the car all to myself. Seeing how he has yet to find the part he needs for his truck at the right price point, I am pretty sure we are going to be a one car family for a very long time. Of all the hardships we could have, it could be worse so I am trying to be ok with this.

Also Wednesday we had Andrea and Max over. It was fun for Ben and Steven to both have their BF's over and it really helped the day pass by quickly. Only weird thing is Max was over for a very long time and he refused to eat the entire time. I felt bad sending him home without having fed him lunch but I sure couldn't force feed the kid.

Thursday the kids had to head back to school. We had had such a nice and relaxing break (with lots of sleeping in) that for once I had a really hard time sending them back to school. Though hard to send them back, it was nice to get back into working out again and working on Penny's reading lessons (we've been doing the book, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons) and just getting back into routines.

Friday night I had the "Favorite Things" party to go to. This is a party where each person brings 4 of their favorite things and then everyone leaves with 4 other peoples favorite things. I brought the 4 candles that I had gotten for an amazing deal at Bath and Body Works- I almost had a hard time giving them away. In the end I didn't super love anything I got but it was still a really fun shin dig. I ended up taking home a blanket and fancy brush, glittery nail polish that sticks on, a fancy Norwex Cleaning Rag and a pretty pitcher that I could use for decor or drinks. 

The end was a little rocky because I had brought Corinne and while everyone wanted to stay and socialize she wanted to leave. I was fine with that but we did have 2 people parked behind us so we had to wait for them to move and that was a little more challenging. Corinne got a little irritated with them taking so long to move but I enjoyed the extra socialization. I realized on the ride home that was struggling a bit because her baby, that she miscarried, was due to be born next week (and there were a couple babies at the party). So while at first I was a little annoyed at her urgency to leave, afterwards I felt bad about those feelings of annoyance. I can't imagine how hard it would be to not have that precious baby that you thought you would and the emotions that would stir up as you neared that due date. We had a really good cry and she thanked me for being such a good friend through it all. I am just grateful that I have been able to be there for her.

On a lighter note- at dinner time we do a question of the day and one evening our question was "Who do you admire?" Well Penny answered,"Grams Hatch because she has a cute puppy." It cracked us up- I'm pretty sure she doesn't quite understand what it means to admire someone but Grams Hatch is still a good choice.

Another funny was when we were talking about building up our own testimonies of the Gospel and Steven tells us that it is really hard for him to hear answers because he hears voices in his head. We said to him "That's your conscience or the Holy Ghost." And he said, "But I can make the voices sound different." It was such a random comment that we both just started cracking up. Our oldest child is apparently a little crazy.

And lastly I used a gift card I got for Christmas to buy some paint pens and a chalkboard and I have been having fun trying my hand lettering talents out on new mediums.