Steven is 16

 On Sunday I taught my first parent teacher's council and I feel like it was a success. I had a variety of parents in it- from those with young kids to those with adult kids- and the size was just right- maybe 15 people. We had a really good discussion about what a gospel centered home looks like and what our role is in it. There was only one left field comment so that was a relief (the person suggested all children should only have 20 minutes of screen time a day). The Stake President even attended my class and mailed me a nice card complimenting me and thanking me for a good spirit filled discussion.

Monday my friends came over for lunch and we all had a good vent session. It was a nice break in my day. It was also nice to have it at my house so I didn't have to worry about leaving all the kids with Tyler working in the basement- I feel like I have been using him too much lately. And my kids are pretty well behaved and didn't bother us while we chatted. Also having my kids nearby kept my friends language in check ;)

Tuesday Ruby had her 6 month well check. It was a nice quick visit. The Dr wasn't too worried that Ruby is behind on her milestones. She said that because Ruby is 89th percentile for weight and 99th percentile for height, it's probably a little harder for her to roll over. She basically called my baby chubby, lol. I can't believe Ruby is 18lbs 15oz already, she really is growing fast. The vaccinations were not fun as per usual. She turned tomato red as soon as she got the first jab and was pretty cranky and had a loss of appetite for the next 24 hours. It was sad. 

Tuesday night the girls had volleyball practice and Tyler had neighborhood treasurer stuff so I was the lucky one to go and hang out at their practice with Ruby. Ruby did really well until we got near the end and we needed to walk the halls for a bit. 

Wednesday night I ended up taking all the kids to their activities at the church and Tyler stayed home with Ruby. Seems I am slowly getting back to being the chauffeur again. Grace was there so I was able to chat with her which was nice. The Bishopric was also there and gave me compliments on my Sunday parenting lesson so that felt good. Even if I am awkward about accepting compliments...

Thursday night the girls had their first volleyball game of the season (and Penny's first ever game). The games overlapped so Tyler came so we could split up. I watched all of Penny's game and her team won! Penny's first serves did not make it over the net but the rest of her serves did- yay! And she actually went after the ball a few times and made contact with it once (even if it went wild)! When her game finished we went and caught the end of Lucy's games (her game was in the main gym, Penny's had been in the aux gym). Lucy's serves are really getting good and she is doing better at going for the ball. Her team won as well and we had the fun of listening to another teammate's sibling be an amazing cheerleader from the sidelines. He was funny and would tell Lucy (and everyone else) how good they were doing.

Friday I spent the morning making a cake and some cookies for Steven's party. I made my first ever ice cream cake and it turned out good. Now I feel like I can totally make one again. It was easy to make and way cheaper than buying one at DQ. That afternoon the kids had some friends over and I started to feel a bit like my pre- baby self. I could actually interact and be the "fun" mom, ha. Ruby and I hung out with them at the beach where they played volleyball and played on the playground. The weather was amazing- in the 70's- it was just a bit windy at the beach. Then after we came back home, I put Ruby down for a nap and then took Lucy and her friends to the Dollar Tree. They all picked out a wooden craft to paint so that gave them something fun to do when we got back home. Later they all played some games outside. 

Saturday was Steven's party. I figured teens can eat a lot and made and bought so much food for them. The 4 teens he had invited decided not to eat so much and we had way too much food. Lots of extra pizza, chips and other junk. I guess that's better than not having enough though. They spent most of the time playing games on the Switch. They also had a tournament with the game "Lego Brawl". Steven won first place, Max second and Mia third. A bit of birthday luck for Steven. Halfway through the party me and the girls went for a walk to the library. It was back down in the 40's which wasn't as great but it was still a nice outing. It was especially nice to escape from the noisy party. His friends are seriously sooo loud. Around 4pm all but Max left and then Steven went to Max's house. He has his license and could have driven...except we haven't notified insurance yet so not yet. Soon we will be paying a fortune and he will no longer need rides. Exciting right!?