Graham Cracker Houses

Sundays have been fun with Ruby. She's taken to narrating things she's doing in a fairly loud voice. She even likes to say "I'm pooping", even though she isn't.  She's trouble. During primary, our new primary chorister was out of town and the primary president had offered to take over but she was not prepared so it was a bit chaotic. The kids were going to go caroling to all the 2nd hour classes for the first half of singing time. Caroline happened to be around, and even though she's been released, she stepped right in. She is like me and tends to take over when things aren't being led well. I just wish the primary president would text me for help when she's in over her head. I would've been fine to lead if I had been given a heads up and I could've saved Caroline the trouble. 

Tuesday Ruby and I went to the pet store after we dropped the girls off at school. It was not so fun this time. She was less excited about the animals and she mostly wanted to look at "fish toys" which tend to be breakable. The cat room was actually open this time but she immediately wanted to get out. It did smell really bad in there so maybe that was it. 

Wednesday Penny had her annual well check up. We had a doctor we've never had before and she was pretty cool- she is not as warm as our doctor that quit the practice, but she was easy to talk to and had a good sense of humor. She might work as our new family doctor....When I said to the dr that Penny didn't eat bread, she said,  well that's why she broke her arm. That's been a joke in our house too, so it hit well. The nurse that gave Penny a shot was really chatty and friendly too. She was very patient with Penny's nerves and we bonded over loving Legos

Thursday while the girls were at school, I cleaned the downstairs. It was nice having Tyler off work because he went and ran a couple errands with Ruby while I cleaned. (One of his errands involved him returning shoes he had bought for me and him still not buying the right shoes for me, he has sworn off buying me shoes now, lol). It's so much easier to clean without her. After I finished cleaning we went to Culver's with Ruby. She is such a crappy eater lately but she did eat some of the Mac and cheese we bought her, just very slowly. After we ate, we grabbed a couple things at target. Ruby already recognizes the Target store symbol and gets excited to go there- that's all thanks to her sisters. 

After school, the girls got invited last minute to go see the movie "David" with some church friends. They didn't end up loving it but were happy to be with friends. Although Lucy ate too much popcorn and made herself sick.  The boys had a holiday Archery tournament but it was at 8pm so I didn't end up going. I didn't want to keep Ruby out late.  I don't know why all the sports stuff had ended up being so late at night this year. 

Friday was our annual Graham Cracker House Christmas party. We had Stacie's family (they've been attendees for ages), Nahoko's family (last year was their first year joining us) and Grace's family (newbies). Stefanie had said she didn't have a day that would work for everyone so she bowed out. I have 5 kids and I can make time so it felt like a brush off, kind of bummed me out. Anyways, it was a good mix of people. The kids really got into the graham cracker house making and I swear they took almost an hour creating. While they made their houses, the grown ups played a little game, kind of a christmas scattergories. We don't normally play a game at that time, we usually chat and although the game was fun enough, I wish we had just chatted. That was really the only time we had to chat and catch up and I missed having that. After that we voted on the houses and while I counted the votes,  the kids play the saran wrap ball game. It was mostly just candy prizes but they all seemed happy with that, except Mimi who isn't really into candy. But lucky for her, she got the Target giftcard from the ball.  After the saran wrap ball, we had one more game to play. I might need to start the party earlier next year because it was kind of late at that point. We had Family Feud like questions and people got points if they guessed the top answers. It was a bit chaotic but I still think it was fun. In the end Eric and Al went "head to head" and Al won the lego prize. Then at the end of the party we passed out trophies. Lucy won "most epic" again. (It was a literal tie between her and Ben so we had to do a re vote and Lucy won). Jenna won "most beautiful". And Reggie won "most creative". I think both Lucy and Jenna won those categories last year so I think we might need to shake things up next year. Anyways the party was loud and chaotic in our small space, Ruby (and all the kids) ate so much candy, and every family seemed to go home with something, so I think it was a success?

Above is Ben's ship and below is Penny's candy store

Saturday morning Penny, Ruby and I went to Belle Isle. We had no plans that day and I just couldn't stand the thought of being cooped up inside all day with Ruby and Penny was up for getting out with us. It was a good choice, Ruby loves watching sea animal flashcards on YouTube so she enjoyed seeing the real life fish at the Belle Isle Aquarium. She was most captivated by the big sting rays. She easily identified the clown fish and was super excited to see a real axolotl (she sits with Tyler and Ben when they play Minecraft). After the aquarium we went to the conservatory. Penny was given a scavenger hunt to do there and that kept her occupied. I think it was just nice to walk around somewhere warm with and see living plants. Then we went to the museum that I thought was free but was actually $5 each.  It's small and not really worth the price but we made the best of it.  There were some fun interactive boat things and a pretty view of the Detroit River and Canada. 

The weather this week has varied from super cold to warm and back to cold. That means all of our snowman have melted and we have gotten some icy roads. But the warm days did also mean we got some fresh air this week...

Christmas lights

Sunday we had stake conference. I stayed home with Ruby. She'd been so grumpy lately, I just wasn't up to spending the whole conference walking the halls with her. It was a good choice. I actually was able to listen to conference via zoom while Ruby played and she could be as noisy as she wanted to be. Conference had some good thoughts about finding joy, something I've been seeking lately and some good Christmas talks too.

Sunday evening we went to the Wayne County Lightfest, as per tradition. It was the one night we were all home and could go. We had our traditional juice and doughnuts. Ruby was immediately captivated by the Grinch lights. She really seemed to love it and made this old tradition feel fun again. 

Monday, Lucy had her annual check up. Our fav family doctor has left the practice which makes me sad but the dr we saw was nice. She just doesn't know us and all our crazy quite as well. Lucy did really good this year with the shots, no panic attacks. She's maturing. 

Tuesday we had more snow and the roads weren't great after dropping off the girls at school. I had a bit of a panic attack myself driving home. My car slipped some which didn't help. I drove extremely slow after that, people didn't love that. Once home,  I attempted to be productive but everything takes longer with Ruby, she was being particularly needy. I did still manage to get some cookie dough done for an activity and I did get some house cleaning done. Tyler was nice and picked up the girls so I didn't have to venture out again. This meant I was also able to finish cleaning the house while Ruby slept. 

Tuesday night I went over to my bestie's house. While I was there a cop ended up calling her because her daughter was at a park with a boy. She spilled some drama on this and I found myself very relieved that my boys are not dating girls. Obviously I want them to date girls eventually and get married, ha, but dating in high school seems like too much drama. I'm glad we haven't entered this world. 

Wednesday we got even more snow and the boys got a snow day. The girls were not happy because they still had to do school work, but when they finished we all had some fun making snowman. I even made one. It was the best snow for making snowman, although a little heavy for shoveling. 

That night bishop said activities were still on which I didn't love because I was worried about the roads, but at the same time I was glad it was still on because I had made cookies for the Valiant Girls activity and I didn't want to have to make them again. The drive actually ended up being a smooth which was good. The activity- decorating cookies and the gift exchange- went smoothly. One of the whiniest of the girls ended the game with the gift she wanted so that was good- no melt downs. 

Early Thursday morning, Tyler took Penny to the hospital to get the rods out of her arm (they call it hardware removal). He took her because he's more calm than I am so he can keep her better grounded. Everything went smoothly with the removal and they even made her an ornament from the rods, which was kind of cool but also super gross.  The only bump was when she was coming off the anesthesia she started to feel sick and apparently melted down. Once home she did ok, some pain, but she took Tylenol and advil as needed.

Friday, the homeschool co-op we are part of canceled due to its heater being broken. We were all relieved to not have to go and since that was the last one for the semester, we are done with it. It just wasn't a good fit for us. 

Saturday the girls were reunited with Geli and Luna and though they've been drifting in those friendships lately, they ended up all having a lot of fun together. They hung out at our house for a bit and then went with us to the Ward Christmas party. I wasn't super excited for the party since Grace wasn't going, but it ended up being ok. People felt sorry for me sitting alone (Tyler was always up helping with things and socializing) and came up to chat with me.  Mandi is one of those people who is always nice and comes to talk to me. I appreciate her.  The food was alright, nothing spectacular. Ruby ate mostly just treats and wandered around the tables a lot. She even made herself at home at a nearby family's table because they were watching Bluey.  The nativity presentation was alright, I think it was more work than necessary. I would've been happy with a couple songs.  Penny and Luna were angels. Lucy sang a song with the yw and Ben and Steven sang a song with the ym.

Snow and Santa!

Sunday we woke up to lots of snow and yucky streets, so they canceled church. It was nice to have a day at home to catch up a bit on life and to play in the snow. Ruby is a huge fan of the snow! Lucy played with Ruby for a bit, until she got tired of her not cooperating. Then Ben helped Ruby make a snowman. Meanwhile, I shoveled my parent's driveway (since Steven parks there) and then shoveled ours. It was a good work out. 

While we were home from church, Tyler did some amazing work for me and finished the bathroom. It's perfect and I hope we can keep it looking good. 

And Sunday evening, I let the kids open their December 1st packages a little early since the boys leave so early for seminary. Somehow I missed getting a picture of Steven but him and Ben basically got the same thing. They weren't anything super exciting but I did get e

a Lego advent calendar for everyone to share which has been fun. And Ruby seems to love her Santa Tonie.

Sunday evening Ruby was fussy when I put her down and then when Penny came up to bed, she had the unfortunate luck of hearing Ruby throw up. It was a stinky awful mess but at least she kept it all in her bed so I didn't have to clean up any carpet. I threw her in the shower and then after she was cleaned up, she snuggled on the couch with me. Unfortunately while snuggling with me, she threw up all over me. At least I only had to clean up myself afterwards though. So gross. At that point she got everything out and finally was able to fall asleep. She didn't throw up again but did end up in our bed for most of the night. 

Monday Ruby didn't have much of an appetite, she had a fever most of the day and she was very tired. I didn't accomplish too much that day since she spent most of the day snuggling and napping on me. That night though, Tyler and I left her with the kids, and went to look at shoes for me. We ended up going to DSW and I found a pair of sneakers that I want for everyday wear for my Christmas present but I'm still not sure what to wear in Italy. I have some waterproof hiking shoes already but I worry they won't be comfortable for miles of walking. After shoe shopping, we ran a couple errands and then picked up a treat at Culver's. It was a nice little escape.

Tuesday Ruby didn't have a fever but she was still off- poor appetite, yucky diapers and fussy.  I felt like she needed to get out though so after we dropped off the girls,  we went to the pet store- we needed to get a gift for Sharon's dogs there anyways. Ruby loves looking at the fish and she had fun watching the cats. Their cages were getting cleaned so we couldn't go in the cat room but we could watch them climb up their cages and fall (always on their feet) through the window. She loves funny cat reels so it was like real life TV for her, she was giggling so much. 

Wednesday I managed to get the whole family out to see Santa at the Bass Pro Shop. This santa was very friendly (I think we've had him before) and he actually managed to get Ruby to sit on his lap. He asked her a few questions and then gave her a candy cane- I'm sure the candy helped soften her opinion of him. After they took the picture,  he had each kid tell him about what they wanted for Christmas and he gave his opinions and thoughts on what they wanted. Lucy was funny and said she wanted a turquoise hoodie which was definitely not on her list. When asked about it later, she said she didn't know what to say so she just made that up. So random. Anyways, it was nice to not be rushed off after taking the picture. And it's fun having Ruby because she has made old traditions that were getting kind of lame, fun again.

When we finished with Santa, we went to the Lego store to do some window shopping and then let Ruby play at the play area. After that we bought some candy for the kids and headed home so the kids could get to their Wed night church activities. 

Thursday while the girls were in school, Ruby and I ran a couple errands. Our last errand was to the mall so I could get the soda for our NYE tradition. After we got the soda the errands were done and it was Ruby's turn for fun. She wanted to go up and down the escalator several times and then we played in the play area. On our way out she got to see the puppies at the dog store. Once home I tried to organize some things but everything takes longer and it's more tricky with her by my side. 

Friday after homeschooling, I took the girls shopping for gifts for friends. Tyler was off work and able to watch Ruby so that made it a much more pleasant experience. We went to Sephora for the first time ever to get something for Lucy's friend. They were having a 20% off everything sale and the sales guy seemed a little taken aback that we were only buying one thing and weren't taking advantage of it. We also went to Costco Friday to get pizza and a few things and while there we ran into our bishop, Julie's family and Lucy's friend Brielle.  Sadly for Julie's family, they were waiting on their pizza when we got there and they still hadn't got their pizza when we left. Apparently their order got missed. I would've given her ours but it was all pep and they wanted half cheese. 

We got pizza for the older kids because they were going to the temple for baptisms but the rest of us went to Chilis for dinner that night. I was worried it would be a long wait on a Friday night,  but we got right in and the food came fairly quickly. I got my fav chips and salsa and Ruby was funny and kept dipping chips in salsa and then offering them to Tyler and me. While there, we also learned about Penny's crush. It's fun when we're able to go out with just a few kids and chat them up.  Penny was reluctant to tell us but what's funny is it is someone at school so it's not like we know them anyways. 

Saturday I attempted to get some things done in the morning but it was tricky with Ruby. She's been so needy lately. I'm not sure if she is still sick with the same virus or if it's a new one.  She now has a very runny nose too. Thankfully Tyler was around so I did manage to finish getting cards ready and mailed out. I wasn't going to send any because we didn't have a good family picture but the guilt of not sending them was too strong. I don't know why I feel so guilty, we hardly get any cards from people anymore. I used this picture from our trip- we're all cold and messy. 

Ben had a soccer game that night. The loud, angry man was back and shouting at the boys the whole time again. He's awful (as was his advice like, kick harder) but no one wants to confront him. Ruby and I ended up moving over by the other teams goal,  just to escape him. It was much quieter and Ruby thought it was hilarious anytime the ball hit the goal or the nearby wall. Ben's team ended up losing but they weren't totally creamed, they lost 6-12.

Thanksgiving with the Jones Family

Monday Penny began leaving for our trip on Wednesday insisting she needed lots of time to get ready. She is my mini me... although she started earlier than me this time. We didn't have too much school work to do so that was nice. It gave me time to run some errands I needed to get done before the trip- baby wipes from Costco and a return at Target. At Target we ran into Lucy's friend Claire who was there with Brielle. Lucy had asked to hang out with her that day and now knew why it wasn't going to work. It felt awkward to see them there but Lucy handled it well. I really wish we could find Lucy a better friend. One that wants to hang with her more often. 

Monday evening Lucy had a volleyball game and I finally went. Ruby and Tyler came as well. Her team did not win but Lucy is definitely doing better, she really goes after the ball. It was fun to watch her and Ruby behaved pretty well, even if it was past her bedtime. 

Tuesday morning I ended up needing to prep a meal for Caroline's family, she was in the hospital (she had cranial pressure which is all fixed now). I just made my enchiladas and picked up a salad and chips and dip for her family. Also that morning I worked on packing for the trip and dropped off keys for Sharon (so she could take packages in) and Grace (so Reggie could feed the guinea pig- yes it's still alive). Grace also have me rice crispy treats to make up for the ones stolen at the service project, she's funny but also, she's a great friend. 

That afternoon, the girls and I went to see "Wicked For Good". It was a fun watch but they did change quite a bit from the musical. The girls seemed to enjoy it for the most part, they just said some bits were boring and they didn't like the love song.

Wednesday morning was spent tidying up the house because I didn't want anyone with the key to my house to encounter a disaster. We didn't leave to West Virginia until Ben got home from school- it was a half day so he was home by 11. He really didn't want to miss school and we weren't in a rush. We took 2 cars so we didn't have too squish. I was in the Squeak with Ruby, Steven and Ben. Lucy, Penny and Tyler were in the Traverse. I took the boys so they could help with driving and also,  Steven was super helpful with Ruby. I started the drive, then Ben drove and Steven finished. I made a mistake and without realizing it,  gave Ben the toughest drive- it was in the city and lots of traffic and lane changing. He did well all things considered. Just one time that he didn't merge well with a semi but we didn't due obviously.  Steven got the hilly curvy WV drive and did well too- minus completely running a red light. We listened to the book,  The Rangers Apprentice, which ended up being a good listen. Ben and I both enjoyed it. It had adventure and some revenge- Ben loves revenge. We also managed to stay together with Tyler's car. He's good at following and we had walkie talkies which was helpful. Once we arrived at Mariah's, chaos ensued. The kids were all happy to be together and instantly started playing together and being silly. 

Mariah's house wasn't super big (but it was flipped recently so it was really pretty) so we got a hotel room for the girls and Tyler and me. The boys stayed in Mariah's living room. We ended up at the hotel fairly late and had a really challenging time getting Ruby to sleep. She really just needed to cry it out but we can't do that at a hotel. She eventually fell asleep in bed with Tyler and me. I'm not sure why I bothered bringing her pack n play. 

Thursday morning we headed over to Mariah's. Tyler got started on the turkey and I enjoyed a relaxed thanksgiving. I spent most of the day holding Mariah's newest baby, Sterling. He is a really chill baby and only cried when he was hungry or tired. The kids watched lots of TV- The Thanksgiving Parade in NY, Bad Guys 2 and after dinner they played Gang Beast for hours. Steven spent most of the day on the couch. Ben spent most of the day getting attacked by his cousins. The girls all spent a lot of time dressed up in fun costumes. The only thing I really did besides hold the baby, was make the mashed potatoes and clean some dishes and tidy up the kitchen. It was really nice not being in charge for once. The food itself was great- all the usuals except I didn't do my sweet potato casserole or Mac n cheese- but I think everyone survived without them. It was a good Thanksgiving. 

That night when we got back to the hotel the girls went swimming at the pool (just Lucy and Penny). They didn't last long because it was overrun with obnoxious people. Probably the same ones that sounded like elephants above us every night and morning. It was another tough night with Ruby in our bed,  but we survived. 

Friday morning we took our time getting ready and then headed to Mariah's. They made some delicious breakfast and then Tyler and I sat and chatted with Mariah. It was a great conversation until they got into an argument/ debate over Israel and then they spent at least an hour, if not two,  discussing their beliefs. I know they're not actually mad at each other, and they both love arguing, but it's not my thing so I was bored and it also upset my tender hearted kids. They don't like contention.  

When they were finally done(or more accurately I was able to interrupt them) the kids ate lunch and then we went on a drive to see a waterfall. The drive was tough, very winding and nauseating. It didn't help that we missed a turn and ended up on a  long back road u turn.  We all felt a bit car sick when we got there but luckily no one puked.  It was super cold and the boys had to borrow Mariah's coats because they didn't bring a good winter coat. They looked funny. Despite the cold, it was a pretty view and a good time. 

When we got back, we ended up ordering pizza for the kids and then us adults (and sterling) went out to dinner. We went to a Mexican restaurant and the food was actually really good.  The conversation was also mostly nice. Mariah does have a lot of opinions on raising kids and I don't always agree with them (there are things that she won't understand about teenagers until she actually has some) but that is really just the Hatch way. 

Saturday we headed off early because the weather was looking sketchy for the afternoon so we wanted to try and beat the bad weather. Everything went really smoothly until the last 30 mins and unfortunately, Steven was driving when things got rough. The roads were starting to get slippery and we passed a recent accident (no emergency vehicles there yet) where 2 cars had flipped over. That was scary. And then our car slipped for a bit and that really scared me with Steven being behind the wheel. I trust Tyler but I don't trust Steven quite as much.  Thankfully we made it home safe and sound.  And then we spent the rest of the afternoon/ evening putting up the Christmas decorations.