Northville Skeletons, Pumpkins, End of Soccer

Sunday was a bit harried in all accounts. First our Primary Chorister skipped out after sacrament so the Primary President stepped in for her. That was very nice of Tana but she isn't super musically inclined and she didn't know the words to the songs so it was a bit of a disaster. I had to stop playing the piano at times to get her back on track with the lyrics or to explain what verse we were singing. When singing time was over, since they finally got teachers for my class, I was able to step in to catch the end of Lucy's lesson in young womens. When I walked in to young womens, Lucy beckoned me to sit with her and then proceeded to tell me that she had finished her lesson and needed me to take over. There was 20 minutes left of church for me to adlib a lesson. I had helped her come up with a lesson so I kind of knew what they went over but I had no idea what I could really add to the lesson. I am pretty sure I just rehashed her whole lesson. It wasn't great but we survived. At least I looked professional in my shirt and vest I got from Salvation Army.

Monday morning all the girls had dentist appointments, even Ruby. Usually they put all the girls in a seat and they get their cleaning done at the same time. This time they had them all scheduled at different times. I did not like that. I especially did not like that they had Ruby go last. By the time they got to her she was so wiggly and ready to go home. The hygienist was nice and had a motherly feel to her but Ruby was not having it. She did ok for the flossing but was not happy about the brushing and wiping off of her teeth. She definitely threw some fits. After that we had to wait again, until the dentist came in. At that point Ruby was asking to go home. Thankfully she seemed to like the dentist and had no problem opening her mouth for him so he could "count" her teeth and paint flouride on them. I wish the waiting was done then but there was even a line to check out. It was such a long morning and it really messed with our homeschooling that day.

Monday evening I went on a walk with Rudie and Rosie again. Rosie wanted to pull the wagon the whole time and that became a bit of an issue but Ruby was no picnic either. Toddlers are a lot and even trickier when together. I feel old when I chat with Rudie but I think it's good for Ruby to spend time with other toddlers so I think I will continue to make an effort to walk with them every couple of weeks.

Tuesday, after I dropped off the girls at school, I went for a walk with Grace to the library. It was fun to hear about her amazing trip to Scotland and catch up on things. She even brought me some candy from Scotland and a fox dishtowel. When I came back from our walk, Poppy, Grams, Ruby and I went to Culver's for lunch. Ruby was a bit of a booger about eating her chicken strips (because she apparently prefers nuggets) and had some tantrums before finally caving in and eating them. The tired mom in me had a hard time not caving in and giving her the french fries she wanted but I am glad that I persevered.

Tuesday, after I picked up the girls from school, we met some friends in Northville to see the skeletons (Mimi, Nahoko, Cherish, Gelie, Luna). We always meet at the park by downtown but were sad to discover they had bulldozed it. We love that park! Apparently they want to make it more inclusive but it was such a cool old wooden park. The skeletons were fun as usual and the girls loved getting lots of selfies with them. All the girls except Ruby. As much as she loves our "Baby Chad" skeleton, she was not a fan of these skeletons. We only managed to get her picture with one and that was with a lot of coaxing. Ben was also grumpy. He said later it was because he was hungry and annoyed that Ruby was not being fun. My parents did stop at a bakery near the end and they bought all the kids cookies so that helped us to have slightly happier kids all around. The cookies saved the day!

Wednesday I took Penny to the dentist to get her cavities fixed. Originally they were only going to fix one but they decided to do both at this appointment. I think that was a good choice because I am not sure I could have gotten her back there without lots of dramatics. The dentist, Dr. Tommy, was really good with Penny and very patient. She cried for both shots but she did good after that. He let her watch "K Pop Demon Hunters" on his phone which was a big plus. He also talked with her about the movie and it's songs and I think he just did a good job of distracting her and helping her to feel comfortable. Afterwards I got her some Wendy's because she felt she deserved it ;)

Wednesday night Penny had her last soccer practice. It was cold but Ruby just loves the park so Grams and I took Ruby to the park while Penny practiced. The park nights have been fun but with the weather getting cold, I am ok with our nights out in Milford coming to an end.

Thursday while the girls were in school, I went for a walk with Kara. This walk kind of came about slightly awkwardly. Kara just had a baby and was at church last Sunday for the blessing. I had come over to ask her how things were going. I had also asked her about nursing and she had said it was going great. Later that night she sent me a text and told me she had lied, and felt bad for lying. She wasn't nursing, she was pumping. I could've cared less that she lied or about any of it, but anyways, I offered her a walk if she wanted to talk. She is kind of an introvert so I didn't expect her to take me up on the offer, but she did. Anyways, I had a good walk with her and her baby. She is 34 with her first baby so we definitely have been on different life paths but she was easy to talk to and I like that she actually seemed interested in me as a whole. When I walk with Rosie and Rudie it seems like all we talk about is the toddlers. It was nice to have someone ask about the teenagers too. Anyways, it was a good walk and I wouldn't mind going on another one with her.

Thursday night we went to the library and then went to Kroger's to get pumpkins. I took 4 out of the 5 kids to get the pumpkins and I know they're older but it still feels chaotic when I take them all out. We even managed to set off the alarm and have the cart wheels lock on us on the way out. Super fun.

Friday morning their was a mix up in communication and we thought that Caroline was not going to come to the primary program. That caused me a lot of anxiety and emotions. The primary president was offering to step in but since that didn't go well on Sunday I was super worried about it. It was not a good morning. Thankfully it was just a miscommunication and so all that panic was over nothing.  

Friday afternoon we painted our pumpkins while watching "The Nightmare Before Christmas". Carving pumpkins was such a disaster last year so I had decided we were not going to do it this year. I think painting was a pretty good substitute. Although I wish we could put a candle in them and see them glow- it was way less stressful. Usually we have to help so much but painting was something they could all do on their own- even Ruby! 

Saturday morning was Penny's last soccer game. I thought it was going to be cold but actually the weather was pretty perfect. Penny's team kept their status of being undefeated and creamed the other team. They won 7 to 1. It was another good season. Afterwards they did their paper plate ceremony which was nice for the kids but boy did their coach get wordy this year. He gave a little speech on all 18 kids so it took forever. He does so much for the kids so I will give him a pass on this one.