Face Paint, Art, DQ

 On Monday we did schoolwork in the morning and then my mom was nice and took the girls shopping for some clothes. She felt that since Ruby got so spoiled, they needed a little spoiling too. They both got new swimsuits and a new outfit. That evening my mom came with me to the girls' soccer practice in Milford and we chatted in the car, took a walk to the library to use the restrooms, and then chatted some more in the car. It was nice to have company for once while I waited for the girls.

Tuesday morning we had a belated Mother's Day dinner at Lena's Kitchen. It was me, my mom, Leslie, Mariah, Wesley and Mariah's mother in law, Lynn. The food was sooooo good! My mom and I got a savory crepe and sweet crepe and shared. Mostly the conversation was good, although at one point Leslie, Mariah and Lynn were all talking about someone they knew that my mom and I did not now. But that was a short moment. 

Tuesday evening my mom and I went to Ben's soccer game. It was a good game to watch. They won 1-0. They kept trying to make more goals and failing but the other team never really got close to making any goals. I was glad to have my mom there since the other parents seem to ignore me. It was nice to have company. 

Wednesday morning we had the bishopric come to seminary. They played a game against the whole seminary class. We had NT questions and incorporated our "hooky game" that we have. It was a lot of fun to watch how competitive they all got. In the end the Bishopric won with the last question but the seminary students contested and begged for another question. They insisted on doing a doctorinal mastery as a question which worked in their favor because the Bishopric was not as well aquainted with them.

For lunch on Wednesday, my mom and I took the younger 3 to their end of the year picnic. The weather was really nice and there was some good food being served. My mom and I ended up sitting with Cherish and a new friend, Nahoko, while the kids played. Nahoko is from Japan and it was really interesting conversation learning about how she adjusted to such a change when moving here. Ben initially wanted to go home because he couldn't find any of his friends but then he found friends and we had a hard time getting him to leave. The girls both really enjoyed getting their faces painited- even though I was the worst and accidentaly smeared Penny's face paint. Luckily she was able to get her other cheek painted too and I did not smear that one.

Thursday morning I took my second 1 hour glucose test and this time I did not feel so yucky and this time I passed! I got a 133 and I needed less than 135. I realize that is still pretty close to not passing so I am trying to make better food choices and not gorge out on junk food quite so much. When I got home I did school work with the kids, we went to DQ for lunch (not quite helping my resolve to eat better) and then my mom and I did some painting. It was fun to introduce her to pour art. Even though she wasn't happy with hers, I think it still turned out good. Her's is the blue and orange one and mine is the rainbow one. 

 

That evening Tyler and Steven attended their Robotic's Banquet, which I had to force Steven to go to. Honestly, free dinner and he was complaining. My mom and I took the girl's to soccer while they were at their banquet and this time we hit up the farmer's market. My mom ended up buying this English Toffee that was soooo good (once again testing my resolve to eat good). She also got some cookies for all the kids. 

Friday morning was our last day of seminary. I have loved teaching seminary but I have also struggled massively with the lack of sleep. I have such mixed feelings about being done and not being able to teach that group of teens anymore but also, I am so ready to sleep in. After all I only have about 2 more months to enjoy sleep before a baby is going to be interrupting a good night's rest. I also am excited to reclaim my front living room and spent a good portion of the day deciding how I want to do that and starting the process. After school work was done, me, my mom and Lucy went to run some errands. I was looking for some thank you gifts for my friends that hosted my shower, a housewarming gift for Mariah's family, and a rug for that front room because the carpet has gotten so gross. Ikea ended up being a winner for finding all the things, although in the end, I returned the rug because it just didn't look good. I probably drove my mom and Lucy crazy with being so indecisive while we were shopping.

Friday evening, after the boys got back from a birthday party, we all watched the D&D movie with grandma- it was our 3rd time, her 1st. They really do love that movie,

Saturday morning the boys woke up bright and early for another caddying job. This time they got tipped really well- like $20. Meanwhile I had to take my mom to the airport which was sad, it's always hard to say goodbye. I spent the rest of the day clearing out that front living room, organizing the guest room, organizing diapers I got from the shower...maybe I am nesting? If I am nesting I still have a long way to go before things are up to par but I have made some progress. 

Baby Shower and Rebekka's Visit

Sunday was mother's day and it was a pretty nice day. Tyler made me my traditional crepes in the morning. In sacrament the primary sang some cute songs and then gave all the mom's tissue paper flowers. For RS we got to eat good food and chat with friends. After church I took a nap and then Tyler helped me make dinner. The kids all made me nice notes and I got an awesome Lego minifigure puzzle and a charcuterie board so I can be fancy now. 

Tuesday the boys had a youth temple trip and I decided to take them so I could have some low key temple time. It is always nice to be in the temple, it so quiet and calming. And it's extra nice when I can just sit there and enjoy the peacefulness without having to do anything.

Wednesday morning the girl and I went to see their friends in a play at Renaissance. It was pretty cute for a small production. There friend's mom brought their little sister who was rather noisy and there was this family that kept turning around and giving them nasty looks. I am not looking forward to people who don't have any sympathy for mom's of little ones. 

Thursday morning I went and took my glucose test and I did not pass. I wasn't super surprised because for some reason I was feeling sick when I went in and then just felt even worse with the drink. Surprisingly enough a lady from the ward was a the lab too and we had a good chat while we waited which helped distract me from how yucky I was feeling. I ended up getting a 143 and the dr wanted me to get 135. Thankfully my dr agreed to let me take the 1 hour test one more time before being subjected to the awful 3 hour fasting test.

Late Thursday night my mom flew in so she could be at my baby shower and hang with us a bit. Since I had Seminary the next morning, I did not stay up to greet her but our seminary class woke her up early the next morning, poor thing. They are not good at being quiet.  

I feel bad because not only did I not stay up to welcome my mom here but then while I was doing school work with my kids Friday morning, a migraine decided to hit so I had to hide up in my room and try to sleep it off. The sleep helped, I was still a little light sensitive, but not totally useless which was good because that afternoon my friend Rebekka flew in. I picked her up from the airport and then we went straight to our airbnb. We chatted for a bit, picked up some snacks and breakfast food from a nearby grocery store and then we met my family at the church building for a spaghetti dinner youth fundraiser. The fundraiser was pretty successful, the food was good and the youth all did various performances which was pretty fun. My kids did a little skit involving an invisible bench that had moved. There was also a bagpipe performance, a comedic magician, and a funny make up tutorial. I also managed to get spaghetti sauce spots all over my shirt, I'm a terrible messy spaghetti eater. When it came time for the dessert auction, Rebekka and I headed back to our bnb which had a creepy windowless van in the yard and a downstairs apartment that we could hear weird sounds from. We stayed up late talking about the book she is trying to write and eating our junk food. 

Saturday morning with the long day Rebekka had traveling and the time difference she slept in pretty late. My body, however, would not allow me to sleep in so I had a chill morning getting ready and reading while I waited for her to awake. Once she was up and ready, we decided to go to the John K King Bookstore in Detroit. On the drive there she got to witness the rough patches of Detroit, it always makes me sad to see the burnt out houses. We had a good time strolling the book aisles. She found some books on religion for her husband- they have been on a bit of a faith journey, not leaving the church but not necessarily fully committed anymore. We had a lot of interesting church discussions while she was visiting.  

 

After strolling the book store we went to Belle Isle and did a little walk. It was a bit chilly for a walk and my dress kept blowing up to reveal my shorts underneath which was awkward but Rebekka seemed excited by the prospect that she could see Canada across the river. What's funny is she lives in Washington so she's not so far from Canada either.

After our Belle Isle adventure we went to my house where I gave her a tour. I was a bit embarrassed because lately my house seems to be in a constant messy state. Trying to add baby things into our already cramped space has been tricky and still needs some work. Then it was time for all us ladies to go to my baby shower. My friends did such a good job throwing me a baby shower. The decorations were so cute, the food was yummy, I didn't have to unwrap gifts awkwardly in front of people- they came and set them on a table as I greeted them- and there was just one game and it wasn't an awkward one- just a matching game that involved candy. The only set back is I have no idea who gave me what- by the time the gifts got home, the cards were no longer attached with gifts and I had forgotten who had given me what. It's not a huge deal because those who bought from my registeries, it'll show what they got online, and I can do a generic thank you for the gift for those that came. I am bummed that I didn't get a picture with me and my mom or me and Rebekka at the shower seeing how they flew so far to be here for it. But I got some good photos with my friends that hosted the party (Caroline, Ashlee, Grace and Melissa) and I did get a photo with Corinne who surprised me by driving all the way from Indiana to be at my baby shower. When all was said and done, I really just felt so loved and supported. 

  

After the baby shower I took my presents home and then Rebekka and I went back to the airbnb. We decided to walk into downtown Fenton and ended up at a place that sounded good online but turned out it was geared for the LGBTQ community. We were like the only straight people there and our waitor's name was "Lev" and used the pronouns they/them (although was clearly a "she"). Though the atmosphere was interesting, the food really was yummy. I have been a grilled cheese sandwich kick and their fancy grilled cheese did not disappoint.

After dinner we went back to our airbnb, chatted some more, and then watched some "Schitt's Creek".

Sunday morning Rebekka and I had another slow morning and then cleared out of our airbnb, but not before signing the hallway wall (yes, you are supposed to sign it). Because we found the home slightly eerie in the evening, I decided to write, "Whatever you do, don't fall asleep." I'm sure other people who stay there will appreciate my message ;)

When we left, we decided to go to the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse because Rebekka is also a fan of lighthouses. I also wanted her to get to see a great lake before leaving. We took the tour of the surronding buildings and the lighthouse and the guy was real friendly and nice, I could see my dad being a good tour guide like him. Going up to the top of the lighthouse wasn't as difficult as I had thought it would be in my pregnant condition. There was a different person who took us to the top and I learned that he was born at 28 weeks old. So crazy that he survived being born that early and is a perfectly healthy adult. 

When we finished with the lighthouse,we walked down the beach for a little bit and then it was time to take Rebekka to the airport so she could catch her flight. I am so grateful that she flew all the way to Michigan for me, she is a good friend and it was good catching up with her. I had thought it might be awkward but it was like no time had passed since we last saw each other. We definitely need to do this again. 

After I dropped Rebekka off I came back home and attempted to clean because we had invited Mariah's family, her mother-in-law and my in-laws over for a bbq. Mariah's family had arrived in Michigan Saturday and awesome parents and in-laws had come to help her move. Thankfully I only had to make my bean salsa since Tyler was grilling so I didn't have to rush too much to get everything done. The bbq was nice, my kids love Mariah's kids. We ended the evening with popsicles on our deck, just chatting and enjoying the beautiful weather. It's going to be pretty great having family here permanently I think.

Build-a-Bear

Penny has been cleaning the bird cage for money and on Monday she realized she was pretty close to having enough money to buy a Build-a-Bear. Lucy realized she was close too. They both asked for extra chores so they could earn the rest of their money. Penny ended up vacuuming the car and did a really good job. Lucy helped pick some weeds. It is really nice having kids that are getting old enough to help out with chores. They also have designated rooms to clean each week and though they are not quite as good as me, it still relieves some of my burden. After dinner I took them to Build-a-Bear so they could get their stuffies. Lucy got a fluffy teddy and Penny got a rainbow cat. They now need to save up money to buy clothes for their stuffies.

Tuesday I did "take two" of my green masterpiece for above the mantel. This time I used a more liquidy base and also used lots of it. It worked a lot better and I am mostly happy with my second attempt. I still see all the flaws but it will work for now. I also made a royal mess in my kitchen which was not a great idea because the missionaries were coming for dinner. I had much tidying to do before they came. I wish I had an art studio...

I always stress about the missionaries coming over but it always ends up being nice to have them in our home. They are good examples for our kids. We still have the one missionary from Holbrook, AZ here and Tyler still tells the same missionary stories- I wonder if he is tired of hearing them yet. It was a warm day and I am pretty sure I was sweating as I was bustling around the kitchen- Penny was nice to point out my ears looked a bit red. Super. The missionaries were really nice and complimented my painting so I guess they can come over again. Right after they left I had Bunco. I did the best that I had done in awhile but of course someone had an even more amazing time so I didn't win a top 3 prize (which were Target giftcards). But I did end up getting the most Baby Bunco's and winning a basket of flowers that I have already killed so....

Wednesday I had to take Ben to get some pics for his science fair project and we were near a Culver's so I had to get some pretzel bites and of course, get Ben a treat too. We had a nice hang out, he's always really good at saying "thank you". He's a good kid. The pretzel bites however, did not settle well and as much as I love them, I may have to stop getting them. 

Thursday was a busy day. I did some shopping in the morning- still trying to find maternity clothes and needed some summer clothes for the kids. Then I went on a walk with Grace- it is getting so warm. I feel like we missed that nice in between weather. After our walk Grace and I met up with Melissa and Caroline for lunch. We went to Lena's Kitchen and it was sooooo good. When I got home I had to rush off to get the kids from school and then once home catch up on dishes and laundry that I had missed during the day. Then after dinner, off to soccer with the girls. 

Friday the kids all had friends over in the afternoon. The girls played with water balloons and made brownies (this time no lids were melted) while the boys did lots of video games. We had Costco pizze for dinner (which I had a craving for) and then we bought the new D&D movie on Prime and we watched it again. Still fun the second time around. 

Saturday I was awoken by an obnoxious amount of texts in the group chat for the girl's soccer team. I hate group chats. BUT it was a good thing because apparently I had the time wrong for their game and I needed to get up then if we were going to be ready in time. Their team did not win which was a bummer. The other team had some great goalies and even though the girl's team made many attempts, no goals made it in. I love watching the progress of Lucy and Penny. It's fun to see them get in there and try. 

The boys had some fun Saturday. Steven got to go to Brickfest with Adam- a big Lego event. Then he had an activity to get him ready for FSY. Ben had Andrea's birthday party to attend. They had burgers and went to the Mario movie. Me, I swear that one soccer game had me beat. There was a long walk to the field and then sitting in the sun. I forgot a hat which was a poor choice. I am really lacking in energy these days...just 12 more weeks to go...

Oven Melt Down

Sunday we had Ward Conference and there were some nice talks. They both involved using personal stories as analogies, those always keep my focus better. At church Tyler had to talk to a seminary parent who, now that the school year is almost over, is worried about her child passing seminary. She felt that listening to podcasts should count as scripture reading for her child. It was a bit frustrating when literally all you have to do is read one scripture verse a day to count as scripture reading. 

Monday was rainy and cold so both soccer practices got cancelled. That meant we had a nice, quiet night in. The kids and I have been watching the TV series "Merlin" when we have time in the evening. It's a pretty fun show.

Tuesday while the kids were at school I attempted to find some maternity clothes but had bummer luck. Target's dresses fit weird and Old Navy had one tiny rack of clothes. I found a t-shirt dress but that was it. I ordered some stuff of Amazon but that all ended up feeling too tight. It was a bit of a bummer.

Lately here has been a lot of frustration with Steven so I decided I needed to do something with him Tuesday night so we could have a positive experience together for once. We ended up going to Target and I had him pick out something for Ruby. He got her a big Creeper doll because he says that will ensure that she wants to play Minecraft someday. Afterwards we went to Culver's for ice cream. I think I might have to pass on the Culver's ice cream in the future. Though it is tasty, that night I had the worst stomach problems from it.

Wednesday was just another day of school work, soccer practice for Ben, and activities at the church for all the kids...I did attempt to do some pour painting on a big canvas to put over the mantle and it turned out pretty good. But then I started seeing all the flaws and thought I could fix them and in the end made it worse. So I gave up on it and smeared all the paint so the canvas is now just green. I'll have to do a new layer on top when I feel like trying it out again.

Thursday I got some more baby clothes from a mom at the kid's school. I am really getting a good stash. The mom told me how they are leaving Renaissance due to some frustrations. I don't love Renaissance per se but I don't hate it enough to leave it...yet. Ben has one more year and then we might see about another route for the girls. Part of me wants to homeschool again so I can have more control over the curriculum but that is also a lot of work. I have another year to figure it out I guess.

Friday morning I had a massive migraine. I went back to bed for an hour and that helped but lights still bothered me. I powered through and finished helping kids with school work, got Lucy a much needed haircut and took books back to the library. Then I disappeared upstairs again and hid in the darkness. It was a bummer because it was a rare sunny day and I couldn't enjoy it. While I was hiding in the darkness, Lucy decided she wanted to make brownies by herself. Well, for some reason she thought she needed to have the plastic lid on the brownies while she baked them. That led in an oven disaster. The oven still smells awful :(

Saturday was soccer day. The girls had their game in the morning and ended up tying 3-3. Steven went with me because he wanted to go to Max's after. The weather was sooo perfect but of course Steven still found a reason to complain. Ugh. Ben had his game in the afternoon and they ended up winning 5-0. The girls went with me and they were playing really nicely but then Lucy had to pee desperately and there were no bathrooms. There is a reason I usually go by myself to the soccer games.